Online Services

Google did not infringe Oracle patents: US jury

24 May 2012 |

Google’s Android mobile platform has not infringed Oracle’s patents, a California jury decided in a high stakes trial fought by the two Silicon Valley giants over smartphone technology.

Intellectual property taxes experts

24 May 2012 | Geoff Gill

PRINT: 24 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Intellectual property taxes experts

Debate about how much tax technology companies pay in Australia has drawn attention to Australia’s transfer-pricing laws and their implications for multinational corporations.

Facebook float draws scrutiny as shares slide

24 May 2012 | Richard Blackden

PRINT: 24 May 2012 | PAGE 30 | Facebook float draws scrutiny as shares slide

Facebook’s multibillion-dollar initial public offering faces the threat of an investigation by US authorities, as the company rounded off the worst start for a major US flotation in five years.

Facebook Inc’s float comes under more scrutiny

24 May 2012 |

PRINT: 24 May 2012 | PAGE 21 | Facebook Inc’s float comes under more scrutiny

Facebook Inc’s initial public offering is getting less friendly with each passing day. Investors and regulators raised new concerns about the $US16 billion ($16.4 billion) IPO as Facebook shares fell a second straight day, extending losses to 18 per cent below the $US38 offer price.

Myer’s loss is UK online’s gain

24 May 2012 | Sue Mitchell

PRINT: 24 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Myer’s loss is UK online’s gain

Myer chief executive Bernie Brookes has painted a bleak picture of the Australian retail landscape, saying a combination of sharemarket turmoil and carbon tax concerns is keeping shoppers away.

Enough privacy checks, says India

24 May 2012 | Claire Stewart

PRINT: 24 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Enough checks, says India

As the number of IT graduates from Australian universities drops, shifting technology services offshore to countries like India has become more of a necessity than a cost-cutting exercise.

Social media to shrink city offices: Deloitte

23 May 2012 | Paul Smith

PRINT: 23 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | City offices to shrink

The accounting giant has made much progress with a professional social media tool that lets internal teams communicate effectively without corporate email.

Facebook wash out puts Morgan Stanley in spotlight

23 May 2012 | Ben Woodhead

Investors who stumped up $US38 a share to take part in Facebook’s landmark IPO have found themselves deeper under water as underwriter Morgan Stanley faces questions over its handling of the float.

Facebook shares slide as prospects questioned

23 May 2012 |

Facebook’s shares fell again on Tuesday, leaving them down more than a quarter from Friday’s highs as questions mounted over the company’s financial prospects.

Local tax from global profits 

23 May 2012 | David Pratley

PRINT: 23 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Local tax from global profits 

Recent comments by opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull have focused on the taxation of global technology behemoths such as Google and Apple. In particular whether the tax paid in Australia is disproportionately low relative to the revenue said to be earned here.

Australian Twittersphere mapped

23 May 2012 | Patrick Durkin

PRINT: 23 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Map sheds light on Twittersphere

Queensland researchers have created the first map of the Australian “Twittersphere” to chart the trends and relationships of the country’s two million Twitter users.

From the stables to social media

22 May 2012 | Fiona Carruthers

Australia has launched the world’s first online social racing community, where punters can get tailored content about horses they fancy – like Black Caviar.

Death penalty for fundraising fraud

22 May 2012 | Lucy Gao

The Higher People’s Court in East China’s Zhejiang Province handed businesswoman Wu Yinga the death penalty with a two-year reprieve for fundraising fraud, after a retrial.

Apps ‘more secure’ than mobile websites: NAB

22 May 2012 | Brian Corrigan

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Smartphone and tablet apps are more secure than mobile websites if designed properly, a senior banking technology executive says.

Spotify finally launches in Australia

22 May 2012 | Brian Corrigan

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Music streaming service, which has 10 million users in Europe and the US, offers free listening to a generation that refuses to pay for songs.

BoM defends website advertising trial

22 May 2012 |

The Bureau of Meteorology will run advertising on its website to supplement its government funding, not to compete with The Weather Channel, a parliamentary committee has heard.

Westpac says 1m customers access accounts via smartphone

22 May 2012 |

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

More than a million consumer and business customers are now using a smartphone regularly to access Westpac accounts, the bank says.

Investors un-friend Facebook as reality sets in

22 May 2012 | Chuck Mikolajczak

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | WRAPUP 4-Facebook shares sink 11 pct as reality overtakes hype

Facebook shares sank 11 per cent in the first day of trading without the full support of the company's underwriters, leaving some investors to switch back to more established stocks such as Apple.

App reviews | Google Drive and Your World

22 May 2012 | Rachael Bolton

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | App Reviews

How good is Google’s new cloud computing personal storage app? And can a fun app help us better know our place in the world?

Technology briefs

22 May 2012 |

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | The technology of

In further evidence that science fiction is slowly becoming science fact, a 58-year-old woman paralysed in 1996 by a stroke was able sip coffee from a flask using a robotic arm controlled by her brain.

Gregan uses software to outwit opponents

22 May 2012 | Paul Smith

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Rugby star uses software to outwit opponents

Former Wallabies captain George Gregan, now a coaching consultant for the ACT Brumbies, says that, in both his sporting and business life, there is a necessity to keep up to date with the latest technology has to offer.

How much Klout do you have online?

22 May 2012 | Fiona Smith

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | All you need to score is a little bit of Klout

Klout measures your social media influence, and “what’s your Klout score?” could well become a regular question in job interviews for positions in sales, marketing or IT.

Facebook shares fall 11 per cent in early trading

22 May 2012 |

Facebook shares opened below their $US38 issue price on Monday as support from underwriters of the initial public offering dissipated after its Friday debut.

Challenge of collecting taxes from IT companies

22 May 2012 | Brian Corrigan

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Clouding up tax revenue

Attempts to close loopholes that allow multinational technology companies to minimise local tax bills will become more difficult as a growing number of services move online.

Yahoo!7 chief says taxman must ‘follow the cash’

22 May 2012 | Ben Holgate

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Yahoo!7 chief says taxman must ‘follow the cash’

Imminent changes to Australia’s transfer pricing rules have the potential to solve the problem of global internet companies paying low tax if tax authorities can capture all revenues earned here, Yahoo!7 says.

Content overhaul ‘vital’ for Yahoo!

22 May 2012 |

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Content overhaul ‘vital’ for Yahoo!

After a boardroom coup at Yahoo!, the struggling internet company is in the hands of a major shareholder and an interim chief executive who appear to agree on what needs to be done to turn the company around.

Zuckerberg weds on day after IPO

21 May 2012 |

For Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg, it was quite a week – from birthday, to IPO, to ‘I do’.

Yahoo! nears deal to sell Alibaba stake

21 May 2012 |

Yahoo may finally be nearing a deal to sell half of its prized stake in the major Chinese e-commerce provider Alibaba, which could be worth as much as $US7 billion.

Twitter restored in Pakistan

21 May 2012 |

Pakistan has restored access to Twitter after briefly blocking the microblog over posts that Islamabad said promoted a Facebook contest involving caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed.

Facebook must prove itself after flat debut

PRINT: Capital | 21 May 2012

Facebook now has some proving to do. On the first day of trading as a public company Facebook shares did not deliver the pop that many investors have come to expect from Internet companies.

Make Google pay more tax: Turnbull

21 May 2012 | Ben Holgate

PRINT: 21 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Raise taxes on tech giants: Turnbull

Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull has lashed the amount of tax Google pays in Australia, saying that a coalition government would seek to suck more money out of global tech firms.

Early investors drop Facebook

21 May 2012 | David Ramli

PRINT: 21 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Early investors drop Facebook

One of Australia’s biggest investment funds plans to dump its entire Facebook stake quickly as analysts and fund managers predict the social media giant will struggle to boost returns.

Facebook IPO marred by trading glitches

19 May 2012 |

PRINT: 19 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | UPDATE 3-Facebook fizzles in debut, shares skirt IPO price

Updated | For a company that is dramatically upending business strategies and social relationships around the world, shares in Facebook made a surprisingly modest debut on Friday.

Google doesn’t care where you are

19 May 2012 | Anne Fulwood

PRINT: 19 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Net makes more than a fashion statement

Fulwood | A local from the small NSW town of Cooma has proved that “Google doesn’t care where you are” when it comes to online business.

Bosses find own online bargains

19 May 2012 | Deirdre Macken

PRINT: 19 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Bosses find own online bargains

Macken | While Australians have been shopping for bargains online, their bosses have been shopping for workers online.

Facebook faces its moment of truth

19 May 2012 | Ruth Liew

PRINT: 19 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Facebook faces its moment of truth

Facebook’s $100 billion initial public offering has its critics but former senior Microsoft executive Daniel Petre believes those who cashed in early would probably see their investments pay off.

What will Facebook do with all its cash?

18 May 2012 | Troy Wolverton

Following its initial public offering, Facebook’s new wealth will be added to the $US3.9 billion that’s already in its coffers ... so what is it going to do with all that money?

Long odds on a big Facebook payday

18 May 2012 | NATHANIEL POPPER

Facebook shares will be tempting to buy when they start trading. The company is well known, has hefty profit margins and may become the world’s primary gateway to the Internet.

Twitter shows users how to spread their wings

18 May 2012 | Michelle Maltais

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Twitter wants to guide new hatchlings as they venture out of the virtual nest with tailored “follow” suggestions.

I’m no tax dodger: Facebook’s Saverin

18 May 2012 | Ben Woodhead

Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin has rejected claims he renounced his US citizenship and moved out of the country to avoid paying tax on his stake in soon-to-list Facebook.

AFR iPad app to launch this week

18 May 2012 |

PRINT: 17 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | AFR iPad app to launch next week

Fairfax Media will soon launch the Australian Financial Review iPad app at no extra charge for existing five- and six-day AFR and afr.com subscribers.

Spotify raising values music start-up at $US4bn

18 May 2012 |

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

The mega funding rounds are back. Spotify, the social music service, is in the process of raising hundreds of millions of dollars in a deal that would value the company at as much as $US4 billion, according to people with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the talks were private.

Pinterest valued at more that $US1bn

18 May 2012 |

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Move over, Facebook. Pinterest, the social site that lets people “pin” pictures and content to create collections of interest, has become the latest company to be valued at more than $US1 billion.

Facebook IPO prices at $US38 a share

18 May 2012 | Ben Woodhead

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Naysayers have failed to dampen enthusiasm for Facebook’s hotly-anticipated initial public offering, with the social network pricing its stock at the high end of a recently increased value range.

A click away from the ‘creepy line’

18 May 2012 | Dominic White

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Just a click away from the ‘creepy line’

White | Every “like” icon you click, email you send, and web page you visit leaves a trail to an intensely seductive honeypot.

Facing up to the facts

18 May 2012 | John Sinclair

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Facing up to the facts

There’s a reason for Facebook’s elevated $100bn valuation before its float.

Former Facebook man has no regrets

18 May 2012 | Brian Corrigan

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Ex-Facebook man: no regrets

Brisbane family man Chris Adams is about to be even better friends with 30 of his mates from Facebook as they prepare to become multimillionaires, even billionaires.

Parenting by numbers

18 May 2012 | Mya Frazier

PRINT: 18 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Parenting by numbers

The day their son was born, Monica Rogati and her husband began obsessively plotting his life via thousands of bits of data they punched into the smartphone app Baby Connect.

New homes dudded over NBN, says Turnbull

17 May 2012 |

Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull says the government's "prejudice" against the private sector left about 35,000 new homes connected to copper instead of fibre cable last year.

Pirate Bay attacked by . . . attackers!

17 May 2012 | John Davidson

PRINT: 17 May 2012 | PAGE 2 |

World’s biggest BitTorrent search engine gets to feel what it’s like to be a victim.

Brokers stop taking Facebook IPO orders

17 May 2012 |

PRINT: 17 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Investors who want Facebook shares when the No. 1 online social network goes public later this week may have lost the opportunity.

Facebook's IPO: who gets rich?

17 May 2012 |

The rich are going to get richer when Silicon Valley's biggest IPO starts trading on Friday.

How Google search just got smarter

17 May 2012 | Ben Woodhead

PRINT: 17 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

If you’ve ever thought Google just doesn’t get what it is you’re asking it, then that’s about to change.

Facebook insiders, early investors selling more shares

17 May 2012 |

Insiders and early Facebook investors will be unloading more of their shares in the initial public offering, the company said on Wednesday, as they take advantage of investor demand.

GM puts the brakes on Facebook ads

17 May 2012 | Tanzina Vega

PRINT: 17 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | GM puts the brakes on ads

Just days before Facebook is scheduled to hold its first public stock offering, which could value the company at more than $US100 billion, General Motors has decided to remove its advertising from the social network.

Etsy sets up shop in Melbourne

17 May 2012 | Sue Mitchell

PRINT: 17 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | E-tailer Etsy sets up shop

Online retailer Etsy is turning to bricks and mortar to showcase its wares as it embarks on a new phase of expansion after raising $40 million from investors last week.

Jumbo Interactive (JIN)

16 May 2012 | David Ramli

PRINT: 17 May 2012 | PAGE 37 |

Online lottery group Jumbo Interactive has been enjoying a streak of good luck since late last year. Where it was selling at 36¢ a share on December 30 2011, it now trades around $1.40 a per share. The company runs the Ozlotteries.com website, which lets customers buy tickets over the internet.

‘Bigger’ Facebook IPO to raise $US15bn

16 May 2012 |

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Interest in the social networking stock has not been dimmed by debate over its long-term ability to make money.

Facebook ads not worth it: GM

16 May 2012 | Ben Woodhead

Automotive giant General Motors is threatening to rain on Facebook’s IPO party with a decision to withdraw advertising from the wildly popular social networking site over concerns the ads have limited impact.

Greenpeace protesters arrested at Apple HQ

16 May 2012 |

Two Greenpeace activists have been arrested after being pried from a giant iPod in front of Apple’s headquarters during a protest against using dirty energy to power data centres.

Facebook IPO could now raise $US12.8bn

16 May 2012 |

Already expected to be the largest-ever initial public offering for an internet company, Facebook is making its IPO even bigger.

Does Google+ add up?

16 May 2012 | Ben Woodhead

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Wannabe social networking giant Google+ has taken another blow in its battle to prove it can mix it with incumbent king Facebook.

Business failing mobile shoppers: Google

16 May 2012 |

Although a growing number of Australians use smartphones as part of their shopping experience, most business websites leave them frustrated.

Facebook lifts IPO range to $US34-38 a share

16 May 2012 |

Facebook has increased the price range on its IPO an average of 14 per cent to raise more than $US12 billion, giving the world’s No. 1 social network a valuation potentially exceeding $US100 billion.

Not so fast on darling status for Telstra

16 May 2012 | Sarah Thompson and Anthony Macdonald

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 18 | Not so fast on market darling status for Telstra

Telstra’s chief executive David Thodey probably has to pinch himself as he reflects on three years in the telco’s top job this week.

Income first challenge on Facebook’s list

16 May 2012 | Somini Sengupta

PRINT: 16 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Income first challenge on Facebook’s list

Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s chief, has managed to amass more information about more people than anyone else in history. Now what? Its new test is how to keep growing.

Facebook raises IPO price range

15 May 2012 | Brian Corrigan

Facebook has raised the price range for its initial public offering ahead of what has arguably become the most eagerly anticipated technology listing in history.

Find out what you’re worth to Facebook

15 May 2012 | Ben Woodhead

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

The world might be fixated on the value of Facebook’s float but a new website has a different question: how much money does the social network make from you?

Groupon makes first profit, shares surge

15 May 2012 |

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Group buying site posts first quarterly profit by reining in marketing spend and signing up more customers and merchants, sending its stock about 18 per cent higher.

Thompson reportedly diagnosed with thyroid cancer

15 May 2012 |

Yahoo’s ex-chief executive Scott Thompson, who quit as Yahoo sought to defuse a row over allegations that he lied on his CV, has reportedly been diagnosed with thyroid cancer.

Facebook to close books early on IPO

15 May 2012 |

Updated | Facebook will close the books on its mammoth $US10.6 billion initial public offering Tuesday, two days ahead of schedule, according to a source familiar with the deal.

Free wheelers: this is your future

15 May 2012 | Fiona Smith

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Free wheelers: this is your future

Generalists take heed: the work world of the future is a marketplace for highly specialised talent and independent workers.

Design online: a global game-changer

15 May 2012 | Fiona Smith

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Design online: a global game-changer

Sandra Wall had been a graphic designer for 21 years when her job was outsourced to Freelancer.com – an online labour marketplace.

NBN on call at Varsity Lakes

15 May 2012 | Natalie Gerritsen

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | NBN on call at Varsity Lakes

NBN Co, the company building the National Broadband Network, has take a 1500 sq m tenancy on the Gold Coast at Varsity Lakes for its national call centre.

Trending

15 May 2012 |

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Trending

The Twittersphere’s take on the budget and Craig Thomson

Options available to minimise iTunes reliance

15 May 2012 | Peter Moon

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Options available to minimise iTunes reliance

The genesis of the Big Bang is a snap to comprehend compared to the real riddle: how did the company that conceived the wondrous iPad also spawn iTunes?

Yahoo! crisis has been a long time coming

15 May 2012 | Dominic White

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Yahoo! crisis a long time coming

CEO Scott Thompson’s departure from Yahoo! is one big embarrassing mess that underscores just how much the former dotcom darling has lost its way since being founded by two Stanford dropouts in 1995.

Webjet boss harnesses power of instant feedback

15 May 2012 | Brian Corrigan

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Webjet boss harnesses power of instant feedback

Whether he’s taking the tram to work in the morning or flying overseas on business, Webjet managing director John Guscic is never far away from the gadgets that keep him connected to his business and personal life.

App reviews: Turboscan and Scribblenauts Remix

15 May 2012 | Rachael Bolton

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 28 | App Reviews

Who needs a desktop scanner when you can just take a photo of a document with your iPhone? And how much fun would a game be that let you draw whatever you wanted to play with? Lots.

Teleradiology comes into focus

15 May 2012 | Emma Connors

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Teleradiology comes into focus

It’s Monday morning in an office block in Sydney’s financial district and Charles Lott is studying an X-ray of an ankle. The X-ray was taken in the emergency department of Royal Melbourne Hospital.

T-Box tension as IPTV boss departs

15 May 2012 |

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | T-Box tension as IPTV boss departs

The departure of an influential figure from Telstra’s media arm has fanned speculation about the future of its internet protocol television offering – the T-Box.

Wozniak to Zuckerberg - watch your back

15 May 2012 | Paul Smith

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | No friends in business: Wozniak

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak has told Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg to watch out for possible backlash from shareholders after he takes his social media company public.

Facebook premium slips to 18pc

15 May 2012 | Ruth Liew

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Facebook premium slips to 18pc

Mum and dad investors are speculating Facebook’s market cap will reach $112.5 billion at the end of its first day of trading, as the countdown begins to one of the most highly anticipated initial public listings in years.

Yahoo! boss too polished

15 May 2012 | Fiona Smith

PRINT: 15 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Yahoo! boss too polished

Scott Thompson, the Yahoo CEO caught out on resume fraud, says his fictitious computer science degree was the result of an overzealous enhancement by a recruiter.

Innovation spurs IT start-ups

15 May 2012 | Jason Clout

PRINT: 22 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Innovation spurs IT start-ups

The momentum may be swinging back towards technology start-up businesses as the availability of IT infrastructure systems increases.

Facebook updates data use policy

14 May 2012 |

Facebook is updating its data use policy in an attempt to give people more clarity on how the company uses information they share.

Legal warning for Twitter users in Britain

14 May 2012 |

The internet is not a law-free zone, the British government’s top law officer has warned Twitter users, adding that he would not hesitate to take action over offending posts.

CV controversy claims Yahoo! chief

14 May 2012 | Ben Woodhead

PRINT: 14 May 2012 | PAGE 28 | CV controversy claims Yahoo! chief

Yahoo! chief Scott Thompson has stepped down following 10 days of intense scrutiny triggered by an activist shareholder’s questioning of a fake computer science degree on the executive’s resume.

Tense CEO encounter symptom of how dire it is

14 May 2012 | James Chessell

PRINT: 14 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Tense CEO encounter symptom of how dire it is

Any doubt that relations between the nation’s two largest newspaper companies are strained were dispelled at Harold Mitchell’s lavish 70th birthday party just over a week ago.

Global online media groups ‘silent killers’

14 May 2012 | Ben Holgate

PRINT: 14 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Global online groups ‘silent killers’

Global online media companies are “extracting” an estimated $1.7 billion in advertising revenues in Australia, or about 13 per cent of the local market, in a trend that’s become a “silent killer” of domestic media.

UBS prepares for Ezibuy sale

14 May 2012 | Sarah Thompson and Anthony Macdonald

PRINT: 14 May 2012 | PAGE 18 | UBS prepares for EziBuy sale

There’s said to be roughly 18 sale information memorandums circulating the market or poised to be sent out and Street Talk can now add to this list.

Mobile application is top priority: Zuckerberg

12 May 2012 |

Updated | Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Friday laid out his 2012 goals to investors in Silicon Valley, saying his first priority was improving the social network’s mobile application.

Is Facebook’s IPO a fizzer?

11 May 2012 | Ben Woodhead

PRINT: 11 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Facebook’s $US10.6bn float is the talk of Wall Street - but not all of that talk is going the way the social media giant and its hoodie-wearing chief would want.

Under fire Yahoo chief denies providing a resume: source

11 May 2012 |

Yahoo chief executive Scott Thompson never provided a resume or incorrect information to Yahoo, he told top executives at a meeting, according to a source familiar with the matter.

Listing could trigger IPO surge: Nasdaq

11 May 2012 |

Nasdaq OMX Group is looking forward to a spike in the number of companies going public in the near term as they look to take advantage of the market buzz created by Facebook’s listing next week.

Microsoft redesigns Bing, plays up Facebook link

11 May 2012 |

Microsoft has unveiled a new design for its second-ranked Bing search engine, introducing elements from Facebook and other social networks, as it tries to claw market share from leader Google.

Facebook wades into app store battle

11 May 2012 |

Facebook is getting into the app store game, announcing an initiative called App Center which it claims will help developers get their social web and mobile applications discovered by more people.

Business banking moves into mobile

11 May 2012 | Sally Rose

Imdex CFO Paul Evans has switched to a mobile business banking platform and is currently looking at outsourcing a global customer relationship management program

Mixed signals on house finance

11 May 2012 | Tony Boyd

PRINT: 11 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Mixed signals on house finance

NAB chief executive Cameron Clyne says we live in a 10-speed economy that is full of confusing signals.

Text friends

11 May 2012 | Peter Goldsworthy

PRINT: PAGE 11 | Text friends

People have always formed social groups, only the technology has changed.

Facebook alumni return to start-up race

10 May 2012 | SOMINI SENGUPTA

Matt Cohler, Adam D’Angelo and Ruchi Sanghvi were all early Facebook employees. Now they are part of a new generation of tech tycoons looking to get behind the next wave of start-ups.

Share trading doesn’t quite compute yet

10 May 2012 | Stephen Shore

PRINT: 14 May 2012 | PAGE 11 | Analysing the market still doesn’t quite compute

Accurate analysis of market sentiment might be the holy grail of investing. Imagine if you could write an algorithm to trawl articles, reports, speeches and comments on Twitter to form a view on the market’s view of a stock.

Third Point calls for interim Yahoo chief

10 May 2012 |

PRINT: 10 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Daniel S. Loeb does not seem particularly moved by Yahoo’s latest efforts to contain the controversy surrounding the embellished academic record of its chief executive.

Google’s self-driving car gets green light in Nevada

10 May 2012 |

PRINT: 10 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Commuting may never be the same again in Nevada, the US state that is home to Las Vegas, legalised gambling and huge amounts of desert. Besides gambling, it is now legal there to have a self-driven car.

How Facebook’s giant IPO was won

10 May 2012 | Evelyn Rusli

PRINT: 10 May 2012 | PAGE 35 | How Facebook’s giant IPO was won

Silicon Valley doesn’t have much love for Wall Street, perceiving buttoned-up financiers as fee-obsessed number crunchers who don’t really understand technology.

Fairfax Media pulls pin on $30m website buy

10 May 2012 | Sarah Thompson and Anthony Macdonald

PRINT: 10 May 2012 | PAGE 28 | Fairfax pulls pin on $30m web buy

Fairfax Media has pulled out of talks to buy Australian Independent Business Media, publisher of business opinion website Business Spectator and investment newsletter The Eureka Report.

The banker behind Facebook’s IPO

09 May 2012 | Evelyn Rusli

PRINT: 10 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Morgan Stanley’s Michael Grimes stuck around when Wall Street abandoned Silicon Valley. That decision is paying big dividends as he prepares to lead the most hotly anticipated of all technology market listings.

Online shoppers still worried about security, survey

09 May 2012 | Brian Corrigan

PRINT: 10 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Although retailers need to make internet shopping quick and easy to avoid losing sales as frustrated shoppers abandon purchases, a new survey has found that security concerns are still a key concern.

Myspace settles privacy probe with FTC

09 May 2012 |

Myspace, the once-mighty social network ultimately toppled by Facebook, has settled a privacy investigation by the Federal Trade Commission and agreed to submit to privacy audits over the next 20 years.

Yahoo director to stand down amid hiring controversy

09 May 2012 |

Patti S. Hart, the Yahoo director who headed the board search committee that picked Scott Thompson as the company’s chief executive, will not stand for re-election, according to a person briefed on the matter.

Amazon aims to charge into the dress circle

09 May 2012 | Stephanie Clifford

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 4 | Amazon aims to charge into the dress circle

Amazon is so serious about its next big thing that it hired three women to do nothing but try on size 8 shoes for its web reviews. Full-time.

DJs focuses on web excellence

09 May 2012 | Sue Mitchell

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | DJs focuses on web excellence

Visibility vests and dust jackets will soon be making way for designer fashion and accessories at David Jones’s Sydney distribution centre as the upmarket retailer prepares for the relaunch of its new web store.

ConsMedia included in Telstra’s plans

09 May 2012 | John McDuling

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | ConsMedia included in telco’s plans

Telstra is working with investment bank Credit Suisse on its media strategy, including a potential tilt at James Packer’s pay TV investment vehicle, Consolidated Media Holdings.

Smartphones ‘more secure’ than credit cards

08 May 2012 | Brian Corrigan

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Smartphones beat plastic for security, says CBA

Paying by smartphone is safer than a credit card – that is the message for consumers from the financial services industry now technology to enable payment online and in stores by the phones is about to come into use.

Technology not geography key to costs for some

08 May 2012 | Shaun Drummond

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Using technology to reduce costs and improve productivity rather than moving people to low-cost centres is proving a better option for some.

Yahoo! CEO apologises for bogus college degree

08 May 2012 |

PRINT: 09 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Yahoo! CEO apologises for bogus college degree

Yahoo CEO Scott Thompson is sorry for allowing an inaccuracy about his education to appear in his official bio, but not remorseful enough to heed calls for him to resign.

Facebook kicks off investor roadshow

08 May 2012 | Nadia Damouni

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg fielded questions about the No. 1 social network's slowing revenue growth and its $US1 billion purchase of Instagram as he began spruiking the company’s $US10 billion IPO.

Trending

08 May 2012 | Emily Parkinson

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Trending

How the big stories played out on social media this week.

Discontinued lipsticks shine again

08 May 2012 | Tatiana Boncompagni

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Web breathes new life into discontinued cosmetics

Thanks to social media sites, beauty companies are keeping closer tabs on which products their customers want brought back.

Consent 2.0 open source for gene research

08 May 2012 | The Economist

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Consent 2.0 open source for gene research

In an age where people post personal data on the web and regularly click “I agree” to reams of legalese they have never read, news of yet another electronic consent form might seem like a big yawn.

Forget piracy court cases, think direct sales

08 May 2012 | Paul Smith

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Forget court cases, think direct sales

Taking download sites to court won’t work, because content-hungry, tech savvy users are certain to find a way around any changes or restrictions.

The technology of organ donation and piracy

08 May 2012 | Paul Smith

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | The technology of

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg took to ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America” program last week bid to show his website could save lives.

Google faces Australian privacy probe

08 May 2012 | David Ramli

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Google faces privacy probe

The Privacy Commissioner is set to take a fresh look at Google’s harvesting of personal information after a 17-month investigation by US authorities found it wasn’t the act of a “rogue” engineer.

National briefs

08 May 2012 |

PRINT: 08 May 2012 | PAGE 11 |

The ACTU has unveiled a push for increased bargaining power, greater protection for delegates, a rise in the minimum wage and equal pay in female-dominated jobs.

Net TV ‘no threat to broadcast’

07 May 2012 | Paul McIntyre

PRINT: 07 May 2012 | PAGE 45 | Net TV ‘no threat to broadcast’

If the TV doomsayers want to predict the end of broadcast TV courtesy of internet TV, catch-up TV and Google’s YouTube, think again.

Third Point demands Yahoo fire Thompson

05 May 2012 |

It appears that Third Point’s Daniel S. Loeb senses a lot of blood in the water after his latest attack on Yahoo, and is calling for the immediate firing of the tech company’s CEO Scott Thompson.

JPMorgan flies the Facebook flag

05 May 2012 |

JPMorgan Chase, one of the underwriters for the social network’s initial public offering, rolled out the welcome mat for Facebook executives on Friday - or rather, the welcome flag.

Facebook rated ‘outperform’ by Wedbush

05 May 2012 |

As Facebook prepares to sell shares, Wedbush Securities set a $US44-per-share price target that implies a potential capital gain of about 40 per cent for IPO investors.

Online study is a game changer

05 May 2012 | Joanna Mather

PRINT: 05 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | Online study is a game changer

Traditional universities are under threat from free access to online learning from top-class academics.

The holes in News’ pay TV defence

05 May 2012 | Neil Chenoweth

PRINT: 05 May 2012 | PAGE 3 | The holes in a pay TV pirate’s defence

A legal judgment in its favour has done little to quell suspicions of News Corp subsidiary NDS’s involvement in pay TV piracy.

IPO heaven too far for most

05 May 2012 | Ed Pilkington

PRINT: 05 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | IPO heaven too far for most

Facebook will price itself at between $US28 and $US35 a share, paving the way for a giddying valuation of almost $US100 billion when launches its IPO.

Yahoo! investor says CEO lied about tech degree

04 May 2012 |

PRINT: 05 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

A major Yahoo shareholder is accusing the Internet company’s CEO of lying about his technology credentials to make himself appear more qualified for the job.

LinkedIn first-quarter sales double

04 May 2012 | Alyssa McDonald

PRINT: 04 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Professional networking website LinkedIn has reported better-than-expected first-quarter revenue and earnings, racking up strong growth from services that help companies find and hire employees.

Facebook sets price for $US10.6bn float

04 May 2012 |

PRINT: 04 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Facebook has set the estimated price for its IPO at $US28 to $US35 a share, putting the social networking company on track to raise $US10.6 billion in a debut that could value the company at $US86 billion.

Facebook almost set for IPO roadshow

03 May 2012 |

Despite whispers of delays, Facebook is wrapping up its prospectus with regulators and may begin its roadshow as soon as early next week, insiders say.

World briefs

03 May 2012 |

PRINT: 03 May 2012 | PAGE 49 | world briefs

Western Europe may be in the doldrums, but Russian manufacturing expanded at its fastest pace in more than a year in April as output and employment rose.

Broadband push lifts BSkyB’s profits

03 May 2012 | Jonathan Browning

PRINT: 03 May 2012 | PAGE 31 | Broadband push lifts BSkyB’s profits

BSkyB says operating profit in the first nine months rose 20 per cent as Britain’s biggest pay-TV operator gained broadband clients.

Infrastructure bottom of Abbott’s policy pile

03 May 2012 | Claire Stewart

PRINT: 03 May 2012 | PAGE 7 | Infrastructure bottom of Abbott’s pile

An Abbott government might spend 12 months in office before outlining its infrastructure spending priorities, despite acknowledging that a critical shortfall in past spending was hitting Australia’s productivity rate.

Facebook on track for IPO roadshow

02 May 2012 | NYTimes Dealbook

PRINT: 03 May 2012 | PAGE 1 |

Despite whispers of delays, insiders say Facebook is still on track for a mid-May IPO according to insiders and may begin its roadshow as soon as early next week.

No need for new, wider media rules

02 May 2012 | The Australian Financial Review

PRINT: 02 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | No need for new, wider media rules

Editorial | The federal government’s convergence review has taken a step backwards by recommending an increase in local content requirements, and proposing a new set of ownership rules.

World Briefs

02 May 2012 |

PRINT: 02 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | world briefs

Unemployment has risen in two-thirds of European countries since 2010 as austerity hits growth and jobs, the International Labour Organisation said.

Online cosmetics force big houses to act

02 May 2012 | Sue Mitchell

PRINT: 02 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Online cosmetics force big houses’ hand

Global cosmetics house Estée Lauder has hired Bain & Company to analyse the impact of price harmonisation as David Jones and Myer step up pressure on suppliers to reduce the price premium paid here.

NFPs urged to spend less on data entry

01 May 2012 | Sally Rose

The not-for-profit sector could reduce its overheads by taking a leaf out of the corporate world’s book on trends such as social media and business process outsourcing – including offshoring.

Conroy wants ‘name and shame’ tech inquiry soon

01 May 2012 | David Ramli

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy wants to lock down the timing of a parliamentary “name and shame” inquiry into alleged price gouging by tech companies within the next two weeks.

Wotif.com Holdings (WTF)

01 May 2012 | Andrew Cleary

PRINT: 02 May 2012 | PAGE 33 |

Wotif.com is another example of travel-exposed companies outperforming the broader discretionary retail sector, with competitive air fares and the strong Australian dollar proving a boon for leisure travel.

Westfield appoints digital chief

01 May 2012 | Zoë Fielding

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Westfield hires digital entrepreneur

Shopping centre giant Westfield Group has created the position of chief digital officer and appointed digital entrepreneur Kevin McKenzie to the role to develop an online and digital media strategy that will integrate new technology into the company’s malls.

Microsoft takes 18pc Barnes & Noble stake

01 May 2012 |

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | MICROSOFT TO TAKE STAKE IN NOOK UNIT OF BARNES & NOBLE

Microsoft will invest $US300m in Barnes & Noble’s Nook division for a 17.6 per cent stake. The deal values the e-reader business at $US1.7m.

Trending

01 May 2012 |

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Trending

How the Slipper saga and the continuing success of The Voice captured the Twitterverse this week.

Connectivity kills the conversation

01 May 2012 | Simon Jenkins

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 2 | Connectivity kills the conversation

I first noticed it in a restaurant. The place was strangely quiet, and at one table a group seemed deep in prayer. Their heads were bowed, their eyes hooded and their hands in their laps. I then realised that every one, young and old, was gazing at a hand-held phone.

Optus trips up on plan to be disruptive

01 May 2012 | John McDuling

PRINT: 01 May 2012 | PAGE 1 | Optus trips up on ‘disruptive’ plan

Optus has made no secret of its desire to disrupt the status quo in digital media, but it’s finding out the hard way that taking on footy is not without risk.