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The once beloved Napster may have reached the end of the line, after a 12-year-long roller coaster ride that included legal woes and social reinvention. Music subscription service Rhapsody has signed an agreement to acquire Napster from parent company Best Buy for an undisclosed sum. Best Buy gets a minority stake in Rhapsody, which was launched in 2001. Rhapsody gets Napster subscribers and assets as part of the deal, which is expected to close on Nov. 30. What isn't known yet is whether the Napster name itself will go away. But from the tone of the announcement, it seems Napster subscribers and intellectual property may be folded into Rhapsody. "There's substantial value in bringing Napster's subscribers and robust IP portfolio to Rhapsody as we execute on our strategy to expand our business via direct acquisition of members and distribution deals," Rhapsody president Jon Irwin said. "This is a 'go big or go home' business, so our focus is on sustainably growing the … [Read more...] about RIP Napster? Rhapsody Buys Subscribers, Assets

Panasonic Corp will buy U.S. software firm Blue Yonder for 700 billion yen ($6.45 billion), the Nikkei reported on Monday, saying it was the Japanese electronics firm's biggest acquisition since 2011. While Panasonic bought 20% stakes of Blue Yonder in 2020, it is now in the final stage to acquire the rest from shareholders including Blackstone Group Inc, the Nikkei said, citing unnamed sources. The move comes as the Japanese company aims to expand hardware that combines software, sensors and other devices to help companies improve operational efficiencies, Nikkei said. Panasonic could not be reached for immediate comment. … [Read more...] about Panasonic to buy software firm Blue Yonder for $6.5 billion: Report

When Apple or Samsung unveils a new smartphone, consumers can preorder the device within days and expect to get it in their hands within weeks. When Motorola introduced the first-ever cellphone, the DynaTAC, in 1973, it took another decade before consumers could actually use one. Talk about delayed gratification. Ironically, it took the team at Motorola just three months to conceive and build the first DynaTAC, a minor miracle considering it takes 12 to 18 months today to do the same thing with a flagship smartphone. The company only made two prototypes, the culmination of thousands of parts welded together in a boot-shaped phone with a massive antenna. "It's far more complicated than a modern phone, believe it or not," Martin Cooper, who led the team at Motorola and is credited as the father of the cellphone, said in an interview for the Daily Charge podcast last week. Cooper shared stories about the whirlwind race to develop that first phone, which was less a … [Read more...] about Cellphone inventor says 5G should be focused on providing more access

We may earn a commission for purchases using our links. Learn more . Control from anywhere John Levite 8 Mar 2021 0 You can eliminate a lot of the inconvenience and worry that come with setting up lights outside with this one, simple, weather-resistant plug. The TP-Link Kasa smart plug has dropped to just $19.99 at Amazon . This is a match for its lowest price ever, and the only other time it dropped this low was for the Black Friday shopping season. You can also find this deal price matched at Best Buy. The plug normally goes for around $25 with spikes as high as $30. Control anywhere TP-Link Kasa KP400 outdoor smart plug with two sockets With two outlets you can control two outdoor devices either together or individually. And you can do it from anywhere using your phone or voice control through Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa. Weather resistant with long Wi-Fi range. $19.99 $25.00 $5 off See at Amazon TP-Link's outdoor … [Read more...] about Setup outdoor lighting with the TP-Link Kasa weather-resistant smart plug on sale for $20

Hewlett-Packard is planning to spin off its PC business and buy Autonomy, the second largest pure-play software company in Europe, for $10 billion, according to a report. HP is planning to make the announcement as early as Thursday, Bloomberg reports, citing people familiar with the company's plans. HP released a statement confirming that it's in discussions with Autonomy regarding a possible offer and that it has "authorized the exploration of strategic alternatives" for its Personal Systems Group, including spinning it off. Although HP is credited with introducing the first mass-produced PC in 1968, the Hewlett-Packard 9100A "desktop calculator," the company didn't enter the consumer PC market until the mid-1990s. HP solidified its position in the PC market in 2002 with the $25 billion purchase of then-rival Compaq. But in the past couple of years, consumer PC sales have slowed down and have been a drag on growth . And evidence is mounting that sales of HP's would-be … [Read more...] about HP May Spin Off Consumer PC Business & Make $10B Software Acquisition