Optical disc giant to buy optical disc giant

Optical disc giant Imation is to buy rival Memorex in a deal worth up to $375m. Imation will pay $330m in cash, with further potential payments of up to $45m depending on performance in the three years following the acquisition. Following the deal, Imation expects Memorex to add up to $36m in operating income to the balance sheet. ...more

Ask Jeeves for Google

Ask Jeeves signs up Google to provide search-related advertiser listings. Under the terms of the three-year deal, Google's 'Sponsored Links Program' will be used on Ask Jeeves' search sites. These links will replace the third-party paid listings - currently provided by Overture - on 3 September. ...more

DoJ urges Supreme Court to hear MS appeal

The US Department of Justice (DoJ) yesterday filed a brief detailing why Microsoft's appeal should be heard directly by the Supreme Court, and not the appellate court that would normally hear the case. The US Department of Justice (DoJ) yesterday filed a brief detailing why Microsoft's appeal should be heard directly by the Supreme Court, and not the appellate court that would normally hear the case. The DoJ brief focuses on two main arguments - first, the Supreme Court should hear the appeal directly because it is of "general public importance in the administration of justice" (the test set out in the US expediting legislation). ...more

You sound different over the phone

If you think instant language translation is a thing of science fiction movies, then think again, thanks to a new interpretation system launched by Hitachi and Samsung. The free trial version of the automatic Japanese-to-Korean telephone interpretation system was launched on November 14 and is expected to last for two months. Users dial into the service and then speak one of 1,700 model Japanese sentences. ...more

Punters gagging for wireless versions of consumer electronics

Consumers are gagging for wireless versions of DVD players, plasma screens and other consumer electronic products, and would be prepared to pay extra for this feature, according to Netgear. The company, which unsurprisingly makes wireless products, polled 1,000 punters coming out of Habitat and found 51 per cent would pay at least 10 per cent more to be rid of the spaghetti of cables between various electronic boxes. 20 per cent felt that the more complex a product, the more likely things would go wrong. ...more