acquisition

MontaVista buys two Linux firms

MontaVista Software has acquired a business partner and another company, both of which, like MontaVista itself, focus on Linux for embedded computing devices such as slot machines and mobile phones.

The Santa Clara, Calif.-based company said Tuesday that it has fully acquired joint venture MontaVista Limited and also has absorbed Liberte Software, a Linux design services company that had worked closely with MontaVista Ltd.

The acquisition of the two U.K.-based endeavors will bolster MontaVista's sales and services staff, the company said.

"The growth in the embedded Linux market in Europe is phenomenal, and MontaVista Software … Read more

News Roundup: March Madness on YouTube, Google privacy, and SkypeFind

NCAA tournament clips on YouTube. Just because Viacom has gone lawsuit-happy with YouTube, that doesn't mean CBS wants to keep its content off Google's video-hosting service. CBS will be adding highlights, press conferences and specials available "immediately" following live TV coverage. YouTube users will also be able to vote on and rank their favorite game clips.

Google adding search privacy protections. Google will be "anonymizing" search queries connected to your IP address and browser cookies about 18 to 24 months after they were created. Currently, all three pieces of information are grouped together and … Read more

Yahoo buys MyBlogLog. So what?

You know, it's about time. It's been a while since one of Silicon Valley's big guys snapped up one of the Web's start-ups du jour--so long, in fact, that all sorts of wild and speculative rumors had started to swirl about which companies would inevitably be buying Digg and Facebook before 2006's end. Neither deal happened. But yesterday's uber-late-night reports from Forbes' Quentin Hardy and GigaOM's Om Malik have revealed that, as speculated, it looks likeYahoo has purchased the pseudo-social-networking service MyBlogLog for an undisclosed price, though it's rumored to be … Read more

Yahoo-Facebook merger could be win-win

A Yahoo acquisition of social-networking site Facebook could be a boon for both companies, analyst Mark May of Needham & Co. says.

The Wall Street Journal (subscription required) and MarketWatch (both are Dow Jones publications) have reported that Yahoo is talking with Facebook about buying it for as much as $1 billion. Both cite unidentified sources close to the companies.

A Yahoo spokeswoman said the company does not comment on rumors, and Facebook did not reply to an e-mail seeking comment.

May said he has no insider knowledge about whether the reports are accurate or whether a deal is imminent. … Read more