Roundup: Checking out of Google Checkout, Surface 2.0 and more

Roundup: Checking out of Google Checkout, Surface 2.0 and more

Here’s the latest action:

Google Checkout raises transaction fees — It seems like a weird time to do so, as merchants are already poorer from the recession. They seem to be leaving in droves. Hello, PayPal!

There’s a second-generation of Microsoft’s Surface table computing systems coming — The BBC has more.

Blogger Robert Scoble joins Rackspace — His thoughts, here.

IBM sinks into water management business — The Wall Street Journal has more.

Sequoia loses Michael Beckwith, only a year after he launched a… Continue Reading

Roundup: Moore’s Law extended, AT&T pays Apple $900M, Bill Gates’ new venture and more

Roundup: Moore’s Law extended, AT&T pays Apple $900M, Bill Gates’ new venture and more

Here’s the latest action:

Moore’s Law gets a life extension — Researchers at McGill University claim to have discovered a new state of matter, a “quasi-three-dimensional system,” that may extend the famous trend of tech companies being able to pack twice as many transistors onto computer chips every two years.

AT&T income up; company surprised by iPhone payments — AT&T has lifted its net income 5.5 percent over the same reporting quarter last year, but its stock price dropped…. Continue Reading

Web-hosting company Rackspace holds IPO

Web-hosting company Rackspace holds IPO

Braving a tough public market, web-hosting company Rackspace held its IPO and is now trading on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol “RAX.”

San Antonio, Texas-based Rackspace (which hosts VentureBeat), announced the IPO last night, selling 15 million shares priced at $12.50. That raises a total of around $187 million, less than half the $400 million the company had hoped for when filing to go public in April.

Still, any IPO at all is… Continue Reading

Roundup: Another Google exec leaves for Facebook, Mosso adds more storage to the cloud, and more

Roundup: Another Google exec leaves for Facebook, Mosso adds more storage to the cloud, and more

Here’s the latest action:

Another Google exec heads to Facebook – Elliot Schrage, Google’s vice president of global communications and public affairs will become the vice president of communications and public policy at Facebook, BoomTown’s Kara Swisher has learned. “This is a really important role for us and one that we’ve been trying to find the right person for a while. Elliot’s role will be critical to helping us scale based on our culture that values… Continue Reading

Web-hosting service Rackspace files for IPO

Web-hosting service Rackspace files for IPO

Rackspace, the web-hosting company known for its quality support, has filed for an IPO (see its filing here), unafraid of what is otherwise a moribund initial public offering market.

The company said it will try to raise $400 million and set its price through an auction.

The underwriters are Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Credit Suisse, and WR Hambrecht & Co. Google raised its money through an auction, a move that allowed it to raise more money rather… Continue Reading

Roundup: Google faces further DoubleClick delays, patent hoarder seeks $1B, and more

Roundup: Google faces further DoubleClick delays, patent hoarder seeks $1B, and more

Here’s the latest action:
1) EU delays Google’s DoubleClick acquisition
2) Intellectual Ventures looking for $1B to buy patents
3) Wall Street Journal’s online version to be free
4) Microsoft working on Flickr competitor
5) … and changes the name of its mobile interface
6) Yahoo settles case brought by Chinese reporters
7) Wal-Mart’s $200 desktop sells out in two weeks
RackSpace servers go down; Om gets poetic

European Union sets back Google’s DoubleClick acquisition another five months — Saying it needs to examine… Continue Reading