GLOBAL TRAINING

Yahoo! might trim stake in Alibaba: report

SAN FRANCISCO: US Internet pioneer Yahoo! is considering trimming its stake in Chinese e-commerce powerhouse Alibaba and letting go of its share of Yahoo! Japan, the New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday.

The publications cited unnamed sources as indicating Yahoo! might raise billions of dollars by cutting its ownership in Alibaba to 15 percent from 40 percent and by letting go of its 35-percent share of Yahoo! Japan.

Proceeds could help the faded Internet star's plan to transform from an online search engine to a "premier digital media" company and potentially be doled out to sate shareholders irked by its performance in recent years.

Alibaba's value was estimated in September to be about $13 billion.

The California company's share of Yahoo! Japan, a publicly traded company in which Japanese Internet firm Softbank owns a major stake, was estimated at $6 billion.

Alibaba has expressed interest in getting back its shares from Yahoo!, which has openly indicated it wants to release its interest in Yahoo! Japan.

The complex transaction would be tax free because it would be done in a way not considered a sale.

The Top 10 Brand Pages on Google+

Google+ launched brand pages just six weeks ago, but some brands have already amassed considerable followings on the social network.

This week, Zoomsphere, which tracks brand traction on social networks, released charts that rank brands by follower, activity and engagement counts on Google+. Below, we’ve highlighted the most-followed brand pages. To dive further into the rankings, see here.

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10 Most Circled Brands

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1. Android: 250,937 followers
2. Google+: 171,017 followers*
3. Google: 150,778 followers**
4. Google Chrome: 136,895 followers
5. Mashable: 131,953 followers
6. Gmail: 114,020 followers***
7. Coldplay: 102,481 followers
8. H&M: 91,702 followers
9. New York Times: 91,467 followers
10. Marvel: 87,118 followers

Microsoft, Nokia considered joint bid for RIM, report says

As Microsoft and Nokia were working out their Windows Phone 7 plans earlier this year, the companies were also considering a joint bid for Research In Motion, a new report claims.

Citing anonymous sources, The Wall Street Journal is reporting today that Microsoft and Nokia neared a joint bid for RIM "in recent months" before deciding against it. The Journal's sources also said that while RIM co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis won't necessarily turn their backs on any buyout offers, the executives are waiting until next year's launch of the company's new mobile software before taking any buyout bids seriously.

Microsoft and Nokia surprised many industry observers this year with a partnership that would make Windows Phone 7 the "principal" operating system on the handset maker's line of devices. The move effectively ended Nokia's long-standing reliance upon Symbian and could either be the move that saves Nokia or that only exacerbates its continued market share losses.

RIM, like Nokia, is in bad shape. Over the last couple years, the company's market share has dropped as Apple and Android-handset makers deliver products that consumers find more compelling than the BlackBerry. Those market share declines have spilled over to RIM's financials, which have plummeted in the last several quarters, prompting many investors to call for new management and a potential sale.

"Jaguar believes that RIM should sell its handset business and monetize its patent portfolio, while retaining its service business under new leadership," Jaguar Financial, aRIM shareholder, said in a statement last week. "Jaguar believes RIM has lost its ability to compete in the consumer hardware business and a sale or spinout to its shareholders of the handset business is recommended as an approach to restoring value."

A sale might have been unthinkable just a year ago when RIM's stock was hovering around $60 a share and its market capitalization was high. But over the last year, RIM's shares have dropped 79 percent to close yesterday at $12.52. The company's market cap is just $6.56 billion, which, assuming a suitor would offer a slight premium on that to sweeten the pot for RIM, is a bargain for major companies, like Microsoft and Nokia.

But they're reportedly not the only firms that have considered acquiring RIM. Just yesterday, Reuters reported that Amazon had flirted with the idea of merging with the BlackBerry maker, but stopped short of placing a formal offer after RIM management discouraged the idea.

RIM has, however, been willing to talk to other companies about something much different: licensing its software. According to the Journal's sources, RIM has held talks with HTC and Samsung on licensing its next operating system version. However, unlike Microsoft, which licenses its software but stops short of developing handsets, RIM would still sell its BlackBerry smartphones, even if it inked licensing deals with other firms, the sources said.

Apple fixes download bug for iPhone OS 3.1.3 users

iPhone OS 3.1.3 users are reporting a fix.

(Credit: Apple)

iPhone owners still using OS 3.1.3 can once again install new apps from the App Store.

Users running the older OS reported on Apple's Support Communities over the past week that they were unable to download and install new apps directly onto their iPhone and iPod Touchdevices, though they could update existing apps and sync new apps from iTunes. The glitch seemed specific to OS 3.1.3, though some iPhone 4S users with iOS 5 reported a similar problem.

As of yesterday afternoon, forum users started chiming in that the download bug had been squashed.

"Yes, it is true, after near one week after, the AppStore works again in our 'old' iOS3 devices,"posted one commenter.

"I really think that our insistence and devotion of some, benefited to our cause. Thank to Apple to finally decide to correct this bug," wrote another.

A few people noted that some issues persist with OS 3.1.3, such as the Update button still not working, but the overall app download process seems to be up and running again.

The cause of the problem and its resolution remain a mystery. CNET contacted Apple yesterday and again today for comment, but so far the company has not responded with specific details.

Microsoft to drop CES after 2012 show

Microsoft said it will pull out of the Consumer Electronics Show after 2012. The software giant is the latest company to pull out or avoid the tech confab altogether.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at CES 2011.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Microsoft spokesman Frank Shaw said in a blog post today that the company, which has been a mainstay attraction at the show for years, would no longer make a keynote presentation or host a booth at the show after the one scheduled for January.

"We'll continue to participate inCES as a great place to connect with partners and customers across the PC, phone and entertainment industries, but we won't have a keynote or booth after this year because our product news milestones generally don't align with the show's January timing," Shaw said.

The company has been increasingly using its own events to make major product announcements, an underlying trend that other technology companies have followed. Apple and Google have long avoided CES, even as Google has had a major presence at other conferences such as Mobile World Congress. Motorola Mobility likewise canceled its press conference for the upcoming show.

Microsoft is just the latest to reconsider its presence at CES, which is a large and costly event in which companies risk getting drowned out by the onslaught of announcements that come out. Instead, companies have been looking at smaller, individual events where they don't have to compete with other news.

Many are looking to emulate the model made successful by Apple, in which it is able to generate a huge amount of buzz and attention for an event that it puts on.

The Consumer Electronics Association said it has already received interest from other exhibitors for Microsoft's old booth space.

"Both CEA and Microsoft have agreed that the time has come to end this great run, and so Microsoft will not have a keynote at the 2013 CES," the trade group said in a statement today. "Microsoft is an important member of CEA and we wish them all the best as they evolve their plans for new ways to tell consumer stories."

"As we look at all of the new ways we tell our consumer stories - from product momentum disclosures, to exciting events like our Big Windows Phone, to a range of consumer connection points like Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft.com and our retail stores - it feels like the right time to make this transition," Shaw said.

Microsoft's press conference in January of this year was mostly a recap of existing products, including the Xbox 360 and its then-recently launched Windows Phone platform. The big new piece of news was Windows 8, which itself had been detailed with compatibility for ARM processors at a separate press event ahead of the company's keynote.

The company, however, stayed mum on any new operating system features, saving those details for its Build conference in September. It's also held separate, smaller events to promote its Windows Phone mobile operating system.

Grammys to honor late Steve Jobs for contribution to music

NEW YORK: The Grammys will pay special tribute to late Apple founder Steve Jobs, Brazil's Tom Jobim -- of "Girl from Ipanema" fame -- and US singer Diana Ross at the upcoming awards show, the organization announced Wednesday.

The Apple co-founder and mind behind the wildly popular iPod, iPad and iPhone died in October after battling pancreatic cancer.

Jobs, a Trustees Award honoree, will be remembered as having helped "create products and technology that transformed the way we consume music, TV, movies, and books," a statement from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences said.

Lifetime Achievement Awards will be given to the Allman Brothers Band, country crooner Glen Campbell, Antonio Carlos Jobim, country star George Jones, soul stars the Memphis Horns, Ross and rap trailblazer Gil Scott-Heron, at the 54th edition of the awards fete.

Jobim, who died in 1994 at 67, is considered one of Brazil's most influential musicians, helping earn world renown for the bossa nova.

Diva Diana Ross, 67, won an Academy Award nomination for her turn as Billie Holiday in "Lady Sings the Blues" (1972), and will be honored for her musical career that has spanned decades. Though she has been nominated for Grammys on many occasions, the Lifetime Achievement honor will be her first Grammy.

"This year's honorees offer a variety of brilliance, contributions and lasting impressions on our culture," said Neil Portnow, president and CEO of The Recording Academy. "It is an honor to recognize such a diverse group of individuals whose talents and achievements have had an indelible impact on our industry."

Vinicius de Moraes and Tom Jobim wrote the legendary "Garota de Ipanema" (Girl from Ipanema) in 1962, and it became a sort of anthem of Brazilian culture, with covers done by everyone from Frank Sinatra to Nat King Cole and Madonna.