Corporate and legal

Yahoo acquires to-do app Astrid

Yahoo's app spending spree continued Thursday with the acquisition of to-do app Astrid.

The to-do-list and task management app "will continue to work as is" for the next 90 days but will not accept new premium subscriptions, Astrid CEO Jon Paris said in a company blog post announcing the acquisition. Terms of the acquisition were not revealed.

"To make future changes as easy as possible, we'll be in touch with users shortly to share how to download data," Paris wrote in the blog, adding that Yahoo would issue refunds to eligible users who have … Read more

T-Mobile-compatible phones coming to MetroPCS stores

T-Mobile will begin selling phones compatible with its network at MetroPCS stores later this quarter, according to T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert.

The goal is to sell only T-Mobile-compatible phones at MetroPCS stores by the end of the year. The move will help accelerate the migration of customers from the MetroPCS network to that of T-Mobile, Sievert told CNET on Wednesday.

T-Mobile was reborn today, appearing for the first time under the ticker TMUS as an independent and U.S.-based publicly traded company on the New York Stock Exchange. This follows the company's merger with MetroPCS. The … Read more

Aiming for more retail deals, Square adds partnerships VP

For a mobile payments platform whose future success is tied to its ability to be accepted by as many retailers as possible, a company like Square has to have someone leading the charge toward such deals.

That's why Square -- the San Francisco startup founded by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey -- has just hired its first vice president of partnerships. It said today that it has tapped Alex Petrov, former PayPal vice president of retail marketing, for the job. Petrov also previously held the position of vice president of consumer brands at supermarket giant Safeway.

It will be Petrov'… Read more

Microsoft hit by patent lawsuit over Skype

Microsoft's ownership of Skype has placed it in the crosshairs of a patent lawsuit.

CopyTele, a company that calls itself "specialists in patent monetization and patent assertion," launched its suit today, alleging that some of the technology used in Skype violates patents owned by its subsidiary, Secure Web Conference Corp.

In its complaint, CopyTele is asserting the infringement of two U.S patents -- "Method and apparatus for securing e-mail attachments" and "Portable telecommunication security device," both granted in 2005.

Both patents concern secure Web-based peer-to-peer communications, such as those used by Skype. … Read more

Sprint on track to shut down Nextel iDEN network on June 30

Sprint said on Wednesday that is on track to turn off the Nextel iDEN network for good at the end of June. The company previously said it expected to decommission the network by the end of the second quarter.

The shutdown, which will begin on June 30, is part of Sprint's broader Network Vision plan, which includes an upgrade of its existing infrastructure and a move to 4G LTE. The company plans to use the spectrum from the Nextel network to power its 3G and 4G services.

Nextel, however, boasts a loyal base of users that continue to cling … Read more

Legal online poker site goes live -- for Nevada residents

Nevada has become the first state to allow its residents to legally play poker online for money.

The state on Tuesday announced (PDF) that UltimatePoker.com is now live for its residents. In order to play, participants must be 21 years old and reside in Nevada. For now, the site will offer nightly games with prizes of $1,000, though a higher-stakes game with a $10,000 pool will run on Sundays. Other poker sites are expected to go live eventually.

Nevada is breaking down a barrier in the online world of gambling. In 2006, Congress made Internet-based betting illegal, … Read more

New Yorkers can pay for taxis via e-hailing apps within 60 days

NEW YORK--New Yorkers will be able to hail -- and pay -- for taxis via smartphone apps within 60 days, a New York Taxi & Limousine Commission executive said Wednesday.

Taxi-hailing apps help potential passengers locate a ride in real time. They simply put their location into an app, which is then sent to designated cars nearby. The first to arrive on the scene gets to pick up the customer. In many locations, users can also pay for their ride using the app, but New Yorkers currently have to pay for their ride in the traditional manner, either with cash … Read more

Facebook, bankers want IPO lawsuit thrown out of court

Facebook and the banks that financed its IPO want a judge to put the brakes on a slew of lawsuits filed by unhappy investors.

In court documents released Wednesday, Facebook claimed it was not required to reveal its own forecasts on how its mobile and product strategy might affect future sales, Reuters said today, even if that information had been disclosed to its underwriters.

Facebook is facing a host of lawsuits claiming that it misled investors about its financial health before it went public last year. Morgan Stanley and other underwriters are also targeted in many of the suits, blaming … Read more

Google back in U.K. crosshairs over tax issues

Google could be called back into questioning over its U.K. tax payments, according to a new report.

Speaking to Margaret Hodge, head of the U.K.'s Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which examines government financial affairs, Reuters reported on Wednesday that Google representatives will be brought back to the U.K. for questioning on whether the company derives any of its income through the U.K., thus requiring it to pay more in taxes to that country.

Last year, Google vice president for Northern and Central Europe, Matt Brittin, said before the PAC that no one in his company … Read more