Rovi announces agreement to acquire Sonic Solutions for $720 million

Rovi Corporation has already gone though a few significant transformations -- it was once the DRM-centered company known as Macrovision -- and it's now set to undergo another big one. The company has just announced a "definitive agreement" to acquire Sonic Solutions in a deal valued at $720 million. Among other things, Sonic owns RoxioNow (the service formally known as CinemaNow), which will give Rovi access to over 10,000 movies and TV shows, and Sonic also just acquired DivX earlier this year, which Rovi points out has a presence on more than 350 million consumer electronics devices. Head on past the break for the official press release, and look for the deal to close sometime in the first quarter of next year if all goes according to plan.

Continue reading Rovi announces agreement to acquire Sonic Solutions for $720 million

Rovi announces agreement to acquire Sonic Solutions for $720 million originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/23/rovi-announces-agreement-to-acquire-sonic-solutions-for-720-mil/

Marla Sokoloff Marley Shelton Mary Elizabeth Winstead

Reva's text-to-recharge electric car rolls to a standstill the US

Remember the electric car with the ingenious hook of a reserve battery that can only be accessed in the case of an emergency by texting or calling the car's manufacturer? Well, it appears that the project is having a bit of trouble getting off the ground in the US, though it shockingly doesn't have anything to do with that flagship feature. As the story goes, upstart Bannon Automotive signed a deal with the car's manufacturer, India-based Reva Electric Car Company, that gave it the exclusive license to manufacture and sell the car in the US, but Bannon is now alleging that Reva broke its agreements and says it's been left with no choice but to take legal action. Ill-conceived feature aside, the stakes in the lawsuit are fairly high, as Bannon Automotive was actually formed with the sole intention of bringing the Reva electric car to the US, and it had hoped to bring as many as 250 jobs to Onondaga County, New York.

Reva's text-to-recharge electric car rolls to a standstill the US originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Dec 2010 00:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/y0DYfnF2q8E/

Ashlee Simpson Ashley Greene Ashley Olsen

Bing shopping mall maps help you find the food court

Bing has just announced mall maps, taking maps to the hyper-local department store level. Not only are mall maps "US-only," but nearly all of the current offerings are located in Microsoft's home state of Washington. There are actually a couple of New York malls in the list -- as well as a single one from Boston, Massachusetts.

Bing gives you a fully browsable "you are here" mall directory that integrates seamlessly with the Bing street map. Simply zoom in to get a look at a mall and see the layout of the stores -- try Seattle Premium Outlets to get a feel for what it's like. The Bing team will continue adding malls, but only in the U.S. for the foreseeable future.

Bing shopping mall maps help you find the food court originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/08/bing-now-features-maps-of-shopping-malls/

Lauren German LeAnn Rimes Leeann Tweeden

10 last-minute gift ideas for geeks

You've gone and waited until the last minute to buy the gang at the office their annual holiday gifts. Trouble is, it's too late to order something online -- and who wants to fight with holiday crowds at the mall?

Wouldn't you rather just do some nice, relaxing shopping from the comfort of your cubicle? There's plenty of great stuff you can give digitally via email, Facebook, or even printed off on the fancy color printer at the office you've got at home.

We've tried to cover all the basics, from downloadable games, music, and video on demand -- to truly utilitarian gifts like backup services and Web hosting. Take the jump to see our list of "pay for it now, get it now" gifts -- and share your suggestions in the comments!

Continue reading 10 last-minute gift ideas for geeks

10 last-minute gift ideas for geeks originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 19 Dec 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/19/10-last-minute-gift-ideas-for-geeks/

Paige Butcher Pamela Anderson Paris Hilton

Deals of the Day [Dealzmodo]

Short deals post before the holiday weekend. We've got deals on a 47" 3D HDTV bundle, a 17" Core i7 laptop, a free copy of Ashampoo Burning Studio, and more. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ZQTjwede1fs/deals-of-the-day

Mischa Barton Missi Pyle Missy Peregrym

LinkedIn shows technical savvy, deactivates Gawker-compromised accounts

It looks like at least one security team has their finger on the pulse: LinkedIn, after hearing about the Gawker Media hack, obtained the database of email addresses and cross-checked it against every member of LinkedIn. If a match was found, the account was immediately deactivated and an email sent to the user, forcing them to change their password.

Judging by a thread over at Hacker News, other tech-savvy companies might be following a similar process, including Blizzard, the operator of World of Warcraft.

LinkedIn shows technical savvy, deactivates Gawker-compromised accounts originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 15 Dec 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/15/linkedin-shows-technical-savvy-deactivates-compromised-accounts/

April Scott Arielle Kebbel Ashanti

What Is Google's Holiday Doodle? [Googledoodle]

In a goal to end the year with a bang, Google's Doodlers have drawn up a creative, artsy doodle for this year's holiday season. It's 17 interactive portraits of holiday scenes around the world and took six months of work. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/awKnqbhP-vw/what-is-googles-holiday-doodle

Mandy Moore Maria Bello Maria Menounos