Author: Michael Liedtke
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Blockbuster ending retail, mail service; 1 Colorado Springs store closing Sunday
SAN FRANCISCO – The final curtain is falling on the remaining Blockbuster video-rental stores that Dish Network Corp. runs in the U.S. The closures announced Wednesday will affect about 300 Blockbuster locations scattered around the country, with all scheduled to close by early January. As part of Dish Network’s retreat, Blockbuster’s DVD-by-mail service is also…
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CUPERTINO, Calif. – For the first time since introducing the device that changed cellphones forever, Apple will offer two distinct versions of the latest iPhones – a cheaper one made of plastic and another that aims to be “the gold standard of smartphones” and reads your fingerprint. Apple unveiled the latest iPhone models, available on…
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Google unveils $10-a-month ?All Access’ music plan
SAN FRANCISCO ? Google on Wednesday launched a subscription-based music service, allowing users of Android phones and tablets to listen to their favorite songs and artists for a monthly fee. The streaming service, called All Access, is available in the U.S. for $9.99 per month after a 30-day free trial. It will be available in…
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Google tries a route around Chinese Web censorship
SAN FRANCISCO — Google Inc. will shift its search engine for China off the mainland but won’t shut it down altogether, and it will maintain other operations in the country. It’s an attempt to balance its stance against censorship with its desire to profit from an explosively growing Internet market. On Monday afternoon, visitors to…
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Online news fees: financial salvation or suicide?
The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is a rarity among large U.S. newspapers – it’s selling more weekday copies than a decade ago. In Idaho, the Post Register’s circulation has remained stable, while many other print publications have lost readers to the Internet. How can this be? The executives behind the Arkansas and Idaho newspapers believe it’s because…
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Google will offer tools to dig deeper
SAN FRANCISCO • Google Inc. is about to add more features to its dominant Internet search engine – and some of the changes could give Web surfers less reason to click through to other sites. That scenario might upset the creators of the material highlighted in Google’s results. For instance, one of Google’s new tools…
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New Yahoo boss retools management, sacks CFO
SAN FRANCISCO • After spending six weeks diagnosing Yahoo Inc.’s troubles, new Chief Executive Carol Bartz started to prescribe a cure Thursday with a management shake-up that will usher out the Internet company’s chief financial officer. Besides pushing CFO Blake Jorgensen out the door, the overhaul will expand the responsibilities of Yahoo’s chief technology officer,…
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No-nonsense leader known for clear focus
SAN FRANCISCO • Yahoo Inc. named technology veteran Carol Bartz as its new chief executive Tuesday, bringing in a no-nonsense leader known for developing a clear focus – something that has eluded the struggling Internet company during a three-year slump. The decision to lure Bartz, 60, from softwaremaker Autodesk Inc. ends Yahoo’s two-month search to…
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WaMu investor positions thrift for reprieve
SAN FRANCISCO • Ailing Washington Mutual Inc. moved into a better position to find a reprieve or rescue from its mounting loan problems Wednesday after a major investor removed a potential stumbling block to a sale or another infusion of capital. The concession by the private equity group TPG came as government regulators tried to…
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Yahoo partnering with Google
SAN FRANCISCO – Yahoo Inc.’s efforts to revive takeover talks with Microsoft Corp. have reached a dead end, prompting the Internet pioneer to hire online search leader Google Inc. to handle some of its advertising sales. The news disclosed Thursday caused Yahoo shares to plunge 10 percent as investors abandoned hope that Microsoft would renew…