acquisition

Cisco buys collaboration software startup Versly

Cisco Systems has acquired Versly, a private startup that specializes in developing software and solutions for more effective collaboration and productivity.

Versly's primary tool is a plug-in on Microsoft Office applications that enables collaboration on documents, spreadsheets, presentations and e-mail.

So far it appears all of Versly's employees will be moving over to Cisco when the deal is complete.

Cisco has said that collaborative solutions will be a top focus for the company as it continues to reprioritize--especially as the San Jose, Calif.-based enterprise sees this field as an addressable market worth $45 billion. Consumer devices don't meet these requirements … Read more

AOL hires bankers; preparing for sale?

AOL is seemingly inching closer to putting itself up for sale, a new report from AdWeek claims.

According to the publication, which cites anonymous sources, AOL met with law firm Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and investment bank Allen & Company this week in what could have been a discussion about putting the online company on the block.

In an e-mailed statement to AdWeek, AOL CEO Tim Armstrong confirmed that the two companies have been put on retainer with AOL but would not confirm that AOL is, in fact, looking for a possible suitor.

"There is no deal on … Read more

Verizon acquires CloudSwitch for business services

Verizon said today it acquired CloudSwitch, a company whose software eases the transition between using software that runs on a company's own servers and running it on a cloud-computing infrastructure.

The technology is helpful as companies try to strike the right balance between the two approaches to IT--sometimes in very short time frames when sudden spikes in computing demand occur. "With CloudSwitch, applications remain tightly integrated with enterprise data center tools and policies, and can be moved easily between different cloud environments and back into the data center based on the requirements of the business," Verizon said. … Read more

Facebook plans artsy photo filters? Groan

I'm probably going against the will of the people here, but I sighed heavily this morning when I read in The New York Times that Facebook plans to release filters to give photos artsy effects.

You know what I'm talking about--the shots with the heavily darkened corners that old cameras produced, the desaturated colors from faded Polaroids, the sepia tones and cyanotype blues from 19th-century photography techniques, the wacky hues when one type of film was processed with another type's chemistry, the smeary Vaseline-on-the-lens look of old portraits.

There's nothing intrinsically wrong with this kind of … Read more

Evernote acquires Mac drawing app Skitch

Online note-taking specialist Evernote has acquired Skitch, a Mac app for annotating photos and otherwise editing images, and plans to dramatically expand the software's availability.

For starters, Evernote is making the $20 app free. In addition, "We are committed, not only to making the Skitch Mac app more awesome, but also to bringing Skitch to every desktop and mobile platform under the sun," Evernote's Andrew Sinkov said in a blog post today.

That expansion begins with Skitch's first mobile app, a free download for Android, Evernote said.

"Our goal is to make Skitch a … Read more

Google's $12.5B hookup with Motorola Mobility (roundup)

Android's parent comes a-calling for the handset maker as the stakes heat up for dominance in the smartphone sector. CNET and its sister sites bring you in-depth coverage.

Five possible responses to Google-Motorola When big acquisitions are announced, there's likely an aftershock that reverberates through an industry. CNET takes a look at some possible scenarios for Google and Motorola competitors. • Motorola shareholder sues, says $12.5B not enough • S&P downgrades Google stock on Motorola deal plans (Posted in Signal Strength by Marguerite Reardon) August 16, 2011 6:11 p.m. PT

Mobile operating systems: Where the manufacturers play … Read more

Five possible responses to the Google-Motorola merger

There's no question that the mobile market was turned on its head yesterday when Google announced its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola.

So what's it mean for the rest of the industry? Typically, industry consolidation begets more consolidation. CNET offers five predictions for how this mega-merger may affect other players in the mobile market from highlighting the potential alliances that might form to the companies that may be possible acquisition targets.

1. Microsoft keeps close partnership with Nokia but adds closer ties to Asian handset makers: Samsung, HTC, and LG Electronics Since Google's plan to buy … Read more

Google takes bold action to match aspirations

commentary Google's announcement today that the company plans to acquire Android handset maker Motorola Mobility seemingly signals the arrival of a bold new Google under the leadership of new Chief Executive Larry Page.

But it's probably more apt to say the move marks the restoration of an older Google ethos--at a new Google scale.

In earlier days, Google was undaunted by traditional business constraints. When it saw an industry it viewed as ripe for the disruption the Internet could provide, it jumped in. YouTube, Google Books, Google Voice, municipal Wi-Fi, and Google Docs are fine examples.

One hallmark … Read more

Google's future handset rivals praise Motorola deal

Four of the biggest makers of Android phones--Samsung, HTC, LG Electronics, and Sony-Ericsson--have lined up to praise the patent protections they expect from Google's planned acquisition of Motorola.

Google published the four companies' eerily similar supporting quotations on its Web site today not long after Google CEO Larry Page announced the $12.5 billion deal. Samsung and HTC already are the target of Apple patent infringement suits.

Unsurprisingly, each phone maker's leader steers well clear of the fact that the company they rely upon for a popular mobile operating system now expects to become a direct competitor. Google'… Read more