Corporate and legal

Colin Giles, Nokia's former senior vice president of sales, has a new gig.

The executive, who left Nokia in April 2012 to spend more time with his family, has been appointed executive vice president of Huawei's Consumer Business Group. In his new position, Giles will head up the Chinese firm's global marketing, retail, and open channel development.

One of Giles' first tasks will be to promote the company's Ascend P6 smartphone. Huawei argues that the handset, which launched just a few weeks ago, is the slimmest in the world, making it an appealing option to international … Read more

NSA leaker Edward Snowden has decided against seeking political asylum in Russia.

A Russian government spokesman said Tuesday that Snowden has withdrawn his request following President Vladimir Putin's statements on the matter Monday. In a statement to reporters, Putin said that he would allow Snowden to remain in Russia as long as Snowden stopped "his work aimed at harming our American partners, as strange as that sounds coming from my lips."

Snowden has reportedly filed for political asylum in 15 countries, but is still holed up in the transit section of Russia's Sheremetyevo airport. The U.… Read more

The bezel around touch-screen displays might become a bit more useful in the future, if Apple has its way.

The company on Tuesday was awarded a patent on a bezel technology that could extend the viewable area of the screen. The patent, which was filed in September 2012, specifically describes a method by which the bezel around the display will remain opaque when users are touching around the screen. As they get close to the bezel, however, it turns transparent to reveal more screen real estate. Apple specifically calls it a "window." AppleInsider was first to discover the patent.… Read more

Smaller 7-inch tablets and apps, such as the Amazon Kindle app, have made it easy to turn your tablet into an e-reader. But is it ideal for summertime reading outdoors?

In this Ask Maggie, I offer some advice to a reader who wants to know if it's really necessary to own both an e-reader and a tablet. If you've ever tried to read something on a tablet while getting a suntan, you'll likely know my answer. I also explain to another reader why it seems like he can always get a 2G or 3G signal on his … Read more

The Saudi Arabian government has sentenced seven men to prison on charges they used Facebook to incite protests and encourage illegal gathering, according to Human Rights Watch. Their sentences range from five to 10 years.

"Sending people off to years in prison for peaceful Facebook posts sends a strong message that there's no safe way to speak out in Saudi Arabia, even on online social networks," Human Rights Watch deputy Middle East director Joe Stork said in a statement.

The seven men were originally arrested in September 2011 and have been in jail ever since. When they … Read more

Cameron and Tyler Winklevoss have emerged as two of the more steadfast advocates for the digital currency Bitcoin.

What is the Winklevoss' interest with the cryptic digital currency that is under scrutiny by governments around the world? Apparently, money.

The twins are best known for suing Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg with claims that he stole the idea of the social network from them. But, they've now moved on to new endeavors. The Winklevoss twins filed a trust registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday.

The "Winklevoss Bitcoin Trust" aims to give commodity buyers more … Read more

Microsoft's head of Interactive Entertainment Business, the unit responsible for the Xbox, is leaving the company to work for struggling social gaming company Zynga, All Things Digital reported Monday.

Unnamed sources told AllThingsD that Don Mattrick will take a job at Zynga, possibly working as CEO under founder and current Chief Executive Mark Pincus. The announcement about Mattrick's new job could come as early as Monday, after the market closes.

Mattrick, who left Electronic Arts in 2007 to join Microsoft, became the head of the Interactive Entertainment Business unit in 2010. He also has overseen PC and mobile … Read more

Activist investor Carl Icahn, along with his partner Jefferies & Co., have secured billions in financing for their Dell bid, a new report claims.

The investors have secured $5.2 billion in loans from several banks and institutional investors, Reuters is reporting, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the deals. Those funds will help Icahn and company finance their Dell buyout proposal.

According to Reuters' sources, the $5.2 billion includes a 6-year loan worth $2.2 billion, as well as a 3.5-year loan for $3 billion. The sum is part of a much broader plan on … Read more

A federal appeals court has decided that the lawsuit against Google's digital scanning of books shouldn't be classified as class-action suit just yet.

The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals said in New York on Monday that Circuit Judge Denny Chin should not have certified a class-action suit against Google, Reuters is reporting. By classifying the case as class action, the judge effectively allowed hundreds of thousands of authors to possibly net some cash in the ongoing lawsuit against the search giant.

Google and the Authors Guild have been embroiled in a lawsuit for nearly a decade. The Authors … Read more