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It's official: Lenovo owns Motorola
The cash has been handed over, the contracts are signed and the lawyers are sipping champagne, which can only mean that Lenovo's deal to buy Motorola has been completed. The purchase makes Lenovo the world's third-largest smartphone maker, and the Chinese company has been quick to promise not to meddle. The outfit has pledged to keep Motorola based in Chicago, and CEO Rick Osterloh will keep his job at the head of the table. What will change, is that Motorola will now be able to sell its devices in Lenovo's Asian and European strongholds, which should help the pair meet its pledge to sell 100 million smartphones and tablets this year. The pair have also pledged to return Motorola to profitability by mid-2016, which seems a lot more plausible with a stable of devices that include the Nexus 6, Droid Turbo and Moto 360.
Apple's latest acquisition is a printing press for the iPad
Want to make a digital magazine but Apple's iBook Author app just doesn't offer what you want? Then perhaps Cupertino's latest buy could signal a coming change that'll help you out. The iPhone company has purchased Prss, the digital publishing outfit behind Trvl, which TechCrunch notes was the first iPad-only newsstand publication way back in 2010. Prss' niche is that it allows you to make snazzy-looking iPad mags without needing to know any coding. The news started as an anonymously-sourced report from Dutch iOS blog, iCulture, but Apple confirmed the vowel-averse company's acquisition to TC, stating that it buys smaller tech firms from time to time and "generally do [does] not discuss our [its] plans or purposes." Here's to hoping that this pick-up is a bit less tumultuous than Tim Cook's last purchase. [Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]
The Daily Grind: What do you buy in MMOs?
Every so often I like to be nosy and pry into your personal finances. Wow, you blow through a lot of Candy Crush microtransactions, don't you? And your Pez eBay purchases have gotten out of control. But let's just pretend that I don't have unparalleled access to your checking account and ask you to share what you buy in MMOs with real money. Looking back, probably my biggest purchases from the past six months were a subscription to WildStar, various cosmetic outfits and minipets in Guild Wars 2, the new mission packs in The Secret World, and a ghost companion in Neverwinter. What do you buy? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Facebook's Buy button lets you purchase products directly from Page posts and ads
Facebook doesn't want you to ever leave Facebook -- not to look at photos, read the news or chat with friends -- and now you don't even have to leave to buy a product. The social giant's new Buy button (and associated e-commerce infrastructure) lets you make a purchase directly on the site. Once you click the button, which is currently being tested with select small business partners in the US, a pop-up will prompt you to confirm payment and shipping info, then complete the purchase, all without leaving Facebook. The tool is only available on select merchants' pages for the time being, including Modify Watches seen in the example above, though it could roll out to more companies if this trial is deemed a success.
Google snatches up streaming service Songza
Google has just purchased music streaming service Songza and, while the exact terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, it reportedly involves what financial experts refer to as "a boat load of money." Apple boosted its streaming music presence by picking up Beats. So it only makes sense that Google would have to fire back with an acquisition of its own. Like Beats, Songza relies pretty heavily on actual human curation to build playlists. The newest member of the Mountain View family uses contextual data about you to decide the best playlist for you at any given time. These lists are put together by DJs, musicians and music critics rather than some algorithm that looks at meta data like genre or BPM. These lists can get you pumped for a work out or just get you through a slow work day, but what they're not is a Pandora style infinite radio station.
Vivendi to sell $850 million in Activision Blizzard stock
French multimedia company Vivendi has been steadily distancing itself from Activision Blizzard for awhile now, but a new sale brings Vivendi's stake in the House That Warcraft & Call of Duty Built down to just six percent. The $850 million deal is expected to close May 28, provided there are no holdups like last time. Last year, Activision Blizzard bought itself back from Vivendi, making itself an independent company owned in majority by the public. That deal was not without complications though, as an Activision Blizzard shareholder attempted to sue the company, putting the sale on hold. The Delaware Supreme Court overturned the ruling which had stalled the deal, and the purchase was completed October 11, 2013. [Image: Vivendi/Activision]
Perfect World buys into Shanda Games for $100 million
Perfect World Entertainment announced today that it will enter into a share purchase agreement with rival Chinese MMO company Shanda Games Limited for 30 million shares valued at $100 million. The purchase is expected to finalize in 30 days. Shanda Games publishes over 20 MMOs for the Chinese market, including Aion, Luvinia Online, and Final Fantasy XIV. This proposed agreement, as well as agreements with other top companies, would put the total value of Shanda at around $1.9 billion.
Palmer Luckey says Oculus' future 'just became crystal clear,' but Facebook's impact is still murky
If you're reading this, you're likely already aware that social networking juggernaut Facebook has just announced plans for yet another multi-billion dollar acquisition. This time it's spending $2 billion dollars (that's $17 billion less than WhatsApp for those keeping track) to buy virtual reality headset maker Oculus. Just minutes after the announcement, the startup's founder, Palmer Luckey took to Reddit to provide some perspective about the deal: "When Facebook first approached us about partnering, I was skeptical. As I learned more about the company and its vision and spoke with Mark, the partnership not only made sense, but became the clear and obvious path to delivering virtual reality to everyone. Facebook was founded with the vision of making the world a more connected place. Virtual reality is a medium that allows us to share experiences with others in ways that were never before possible."
Google buys Android controller manufacturer Green Throttle Games
While the developer closed near the end of 2013, Google confirmed that it just acquired the "parts and labor" as well as two co-founders of Green Throttle Games this week. PandoDaily reported that Green Throttle Games may be an asset for Google in the set-top TV box business. Green Throttle Games is the developer of the Atlas controller and Arena app for Android, which combine to turn any Android device into an HDTV-connected game console. One of the company's founders is Charles Huang, co-creator of the Guitar Hero franchise. There's no confirmation on whether Huang is among the Green Throttle Games employees that are joining Google, though he will retain the rights over the Green Throttle business. [Image: Green Throttle Games]
Zynga acquires Backbreaker football developer NaturalMotion
Social gaming giant Zynga announced the purchase of mobile game developer NaturalMotion today, TechCrunch reports. Zynga purchased the Oxford-based company for $527 million, composed of $391 million in cash and roughly 39.8 million shares of Zynga's stock. NaturalMotion's body of work includes mobile games like Clumsy Ninja and CSR Racing as well as Backbreaker, the developer's unlicensed football game based on its Euphoria engine. Published by 505 Games, Backbreaker launched in June 2010 on Xbox 360 and PS3 after its iOS and Android counterparts. The game received a sequel in Backbreaker 2: Vengeance, which was one of the first games to come from NaturalMotion's publishing division. The developer announced its move to publish digital games in November 2010. The acquisition is accompanied by news that Zynga is also laying off 15 percent of its workforce, which amounts to about 314 employees.
Nokia's shareholders approve sale of devices and services business to Microsoft
As expected, the sale of Nokia's devices and services business to Microsoft has been given the stamp of approval from the Finnish handset maker's shareholders. The group met this morning in Helsinki to give its official vote of confidence on the $7.35 billion transaction includes not only devices, but also Nokia's mapping service too. It remains to be seen if CEO Stephen Elop will be tasked with the same job at Microsoft after Ballmer's departure, or if the company will decide to take another road toward its future.
Nintendo buys shares in company with mobile video content platform
Nintendo has purchased stock in Dwango Co., the parent company of Japanese mobile video content platform Nico Nico Douga, Business Week reported yesterday. Before you spread news of Nintendo finally venturing into smartphones however, know that Nintendo spokesperson Yasuhiro Minagawa has stated that the company is not planning to use the service to distribute games. Minagawa explained that the purchase was made at the request of Dwango's chairman, Nobuo Kawakami. Nintendo's stock prices rose by 5.15 percent after the purchase, the highest they've been since the month of August. The bump in stock prices follows Nintendo's call with investors last month, during which Nintendo stated that the Wii U "still has a negative impact" on their profits. During the same call, Nintendo reported an operating loss of 23.3 billion yen ($236 million) due to advertising initiatives and research and development for Wii U software.
AT&T could buy Europe's biggest mobile phone network (and Verizon's former minority owner)
If Bloomberg's sources are to be believed, the UK might need its own Paul Revere, riding from town-to-town and screaming "The Americans are coming!" Those persons familiar with the matter have claimed that AT&T is looking to buy Vodafone, Europe's biggest mobile network, to help bolster the company's growth and enjoy some of those lush Euro profits. According to the report, it's not the first time the two have eyed each other up, but the complexities of the deal have always stopped them reaching a conclusion. Of course, now that Vodafone is dis-entangling itself from Verizon, that may not be as much of an issue, but we're not sure how Big Red would feel if its deadliest rival suddenly teamed up with its former owner. That's why AT&T is also keeping an eye on EE, the UK's largest LTE network, as a spare just in case it can't fill its dance card with the one it really wants.
Activision completes purchase of itself from Vivendi
Activision's buyback of $8.2 billion of its own shares from Vivendi has been completed, the publisher announced today. It was just yesterday that the Delaware Supreme Court overturned a September ruling that halted the purchase, which followed a lawsuit by an Activision Blizzard shareholder in August. The shareholder alleged a "breach of fiduciary duties, waste of corporate assets and unjust enrichment" on Activision's behalf. The publisher's purchase from Vivendi amounts to 429 million of its own shares for $5.83 billion. Additionally, Activision CEO Bobby Kotick and Co-Chairman Brian Kelly purchased 172 million shares for $2.34 billion in a separate transaction. Activision is now officially an independent company, majority owned by its shareholders. "The shares Activision Blizzard purchased in the transaction will no longer be treated as outstanding, leaving the majority of the remaining 690 million shares in the hands of public shareholders," Activision noted in today's announcement. Activision said yesterday that it expected the purchase to be completed on October 15. The transaction came about four days ahead of schedule, as someone must have sprinted to the bank this morning.
Report: Sega to purchase Atlus' parent company for 14 billion yen [update: confirmed]
Following reports of Sega bidding on Atlus parent Index Holdings, parent company of Atlus, Japanese media company Nikkei has reported that Sega Sammy will purchase Index Holdings for 14 billion yen ($141.6 million). The deal is to be concluded in November. Sega rattled its cup at the grave of THQ in July, seeking revenue from the publisher that was made through pre-orders for Sega's Company of Heroes 2. We've reached out to Atlus and will update as we learn more. Update: Atlus Japan has confirmed the purchase.
Yahoo buys image recognition firm IQ Engines to reorganize Flickr
Flickr is a killer resource for photographers of all stripes, but navigating through its massive photo catalog is far from elegant. Hopefully, Yahoo's purchase of IQ Engines can change that. According to the image recognition startup's website, IQ will be applying its skills to improving photo organization and search functionality to the online photo repository. Maybe its first order of business will be arranging all of Yahoo's new logos.
WildStar announces business model and new 2014 release window
There are players out there right now who would happily spend money on WildStar but don't know how or when. Obviously you can't spend money on WildStar right now; the game isn't out yet and won't be until spring 2014, we've just learned, so there's nothing to spend money on yet. But even when it does get released, how will anyone be able to tell the people at Carbine Studios to shut up and take our money? Wonder no longer because the game's business model has finally been revealed to the world. No more lying awake wondering how you'll be able to pay for the game (something you really shouldn't be lying awake wondering about anyhow). So is it buy-to-play? Free-to-play? Subscription-based? Yes. It's all three at the same time, if you look at it from the right angles. How does it manage that? Well, you have to understand how C.R.E.D.D. works -- starting with what in the world it is.
The Daily Grind: What have you purchased in-game lately?
I'm always fascinated with gamers' spending habits. Some of us have plenty of disposable income to splurge on frills while others of us have to watch what we buy very closely. MMOs are littered with ways to spend your money, from outfits to boosts to character slots to lockbox keys. I am still burning through my virtual wad in RIFT, having accumulated a great amount of credits from my previous subscriptions. I indulged in a guilty pleasure of picking up a swimsuit for Summerfest the other day because I just had to be a Cleric kicking butt in a tasteful two-piece beachwear. But I also resolved to save the rest of my credits for RIFT 3.0's new souls when they come out. Other than that, I haven't bought a lot in MMOs lately. What about you? What have you purchased in-game this past month or so? Was it worth it? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Did you buy any MMOs on Steam this year?
You spent a bunch of money on Steam's summer sale. It's all right; you don't have to deny it. We did too. The real question isn't whether you spent the money; it's what you spent all that money on. EVE Online and The Secret World both made compelling cases for spending your money, offering steep discounts for anyone in the market for a new MMO. And who wouldn't be tempted? Well, maybe you wouldn't be. Maybe you're completely satisfied with your current lineup of MMOs and saved all of your money for one of the millions of other titles on sale this summer. So with the annual money drain finally out of the way, we have to ask you -- did you buy any MMOs on Steam this year? Or did you spend your rent money on a vast array of single-player titles instead? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Google buys 6.3 percent stake in Google Glass display manufacturer Himax
If the name "Himax" prompted you to shrug, then you're not alone, but it's the latest company to receive a cash injection from Eric Schmidt's checking account. The Taiwanese semiconductor firm is selling Google a 6.3 percent stake in Himax Display Technologies, a subsidiary that's most famous for making the liquid-crystal on silicon chips used to drive Google Glass' head-mounted display. The cash will be used to expand capacity at the manufacturer, which already counts Intel as an investor -- and if Google likes what it sees, the search giant has an option to buy a further 8.5 percent worth of stock within the next calendar year. It's probably too early to hope that the project will help bring the price of future Glass headsets down, but we're going to, so there.
