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Can’t beat them? Join them. One of the biggest newspaper companies in the world may be trying to get into the Facebook advertising game. Gannett Co., publisher of USA Today and scores of regional and local newspapers, is reportedly close to announcing a $92 million acquisition of BLINQ Media, which specializes in building technology to boost engagement with ads on Facebook. We didn't get a response when we reached out to both companies for comment, but, citing anonymous sources, TechCrunch is reporting a purchase agreement has already been signed and a deal could be closed by the end of the month. The deal comes less than two weeks after BLINQ and two other Facebook ad companies revamped their offerings in a two-day period to take advantage of recently-released Facebook API upgrades that make it easier for brands to track conversions. The new API was announced by the social media giant to balance some of the criticism surrounding the company’s earnings release. That could explain ...

Aug 1, 2012 9:20 PM   Remember the $1 million gold-plated vacuum with its own awful rap video? Of course you do. Gaudy loot like that isn't easily forgotten. And apparently, it's not easily sold, either. "It's perplexing to me, but as of now we've not sold a single vacuum," creator of the Gold Vacuum, Justin Haver, is quoted as saying in a press release advertising the product's up-for-grabs status. Not moving any inventory, the GoVacuum has announced that its fancy dust-suckers will be made available to those willing to shell out $1M... OBO (or best offer, in eBay and auction parlance). There you have it, America. There. You. Have it. I'll throw down $100—who else wants to go in on one of the babies? View the original article here This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

Jul 27, 2012 3:30 AM   In the second quarter of 2012, Samsung sold 50.5 million smartphones—twice as many as Apple—which sees the company extend its sales lead ahead of the iPhone. Reuters reports that Samsung's financial review has seen it record a quarterly profit of $5.9 billion, helped along in no small part by its strong phone sales. In total, Samsung takes 34.6 percent of the global smartphone market, while Apple can only manage 17.8 percent. But it's not all good news. While its phone sales continue to amaze, Samsung's semiconductor business has seen a 6-percent decline in profit. The company blames weak demand for PC DRAM chips and falling prices for NAND flash used in SSDs. But, in fairness, it doesn't need to worry too much—Samsung remains the world's top technology firm by revenue. [Reuters, Samsung] View the original article here This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made aft...

Jul 27, 2012 7:20 PM   Remember the whimsical sounds of your 56k modem made as it connected to AOL? BADONG-BADONG! Then a semi-officious voice announced you were online, "Welcome!" Yeah, that was in the 90's. Well according to the company's latest earnings report there are three million fools who are still paying for AOL dial-up Internet. WHHHHHHY? According to Dan Frommer the current 3.03 million "access" subscriber number is down 84,000 users from the previous quarter and down 400,000 from a year ago. AOL has been bleeding subscribers for ages, and it's nowhere near its 25 million subscriber apex a decade ago, but three million? Seriously? In fairness, maybe some people just don't have access to broadband. [SplatF via BGR] View the original article here This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.

GoodData has raised $25 million to continue developing its cloud-based business intelligence technology. The funding brings GoodData’s total funding to $55 million. Founder and CEO Roman Stanek said the investment came from existing investors Andreessen Horowitz, General Catalyst Partners and Fidelity Growth Partners. Windcrest Partners is also contributing to the round. GoodData offers a cloud-based data analytics service that competes with solutions from companies such as IBM, SAP and Oracle. Its business model is pretty clever. Its markets to the vast ecosystem of SaaS providers that integrate the technology into their own platforms. Those providers can then offer their own customers access to dashboards, advanced reporting and other features. The difference is in the apps that the SaaS providers offer from GoodData. Stanek cites as an example how budgets are shifting to digital marketing. Marketers, though, still do not have enough analytics. GoodData provides insights into that ...

The problem with being so ridiculously good at what you do is that expectations tend to keep going up beyond any viability. So it is with Apple, whose $8.8 billion earnings on $35 billion of revenue this past quarter is being treated as a disappointment. Forget that Apple sold a record 17 million iPads (nearly twice what they moved in the same period a year ago). Ignore the 26 million iPhones sold just months before everyone knows a newer, better iPhone is coming. An increase in Mac sales? Worthless! The company didn't live up to analyst expectations, and therefore has brought shame unto its ancestors. Look, regardless of how Apple performed compared to the numbers invented by very well-paid finance majors, these numbers are ridiculous. The economy is a question mark. The iPad numbers don't include the initial onslaught of orders following the tablet's Q1 announcement. Back to school season hasn't picked up yet. The only compelling new Apple products this past quarter ...

WASHINGTON -- The top super PAC backing President Barack Obama's reelection campaign had its best month, raising $6.1 million in June. Priorities USA Action's fundraising came almost entirely from eight individuals giving six- or seven-figure donations. The biggest contribution was a $2 million donation from Qualcomm co-founder Irwin Jacobs. The other two million-dollar donors were Oscar winning actor Morgan Freeman and media magnate Fred Eychaner. Both gave $1 million. Architect Jon Stryker, an heir to the medical supply Stryker Corp. fortune, contributed $750,000. Stryker is a big donor to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender causes, including to the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund, which has itself given donations to super PACs this election cycle. The rush for money by Priorities USA Action staffers Bill Burton, a former top communications aide in the Obama White House, and Paul Begala, a former Clinton White House aide, was chronicled in an article for the New York Times Ma...

As America anxiously awaits "The Bachelorette" Emily to chose her man Sunday night, there might be a new clue. Finalist Jef Holm's childhood Utah home is on the market for $3.39 million, according to Trulia. Could he be moving in with Emily? We'll have to wait and find out Sunday. For now, take a tour around Holm's Saint George's estate that has nine bedrooms, 8.5 bathrooms, and spans nearly 16,000 square feet.  Holm made his money through his do-gooder ways and entrepreneurship. Please follow The Life on Twitter and Facebook. Follow Meredith Galante on Twitter. x To embed this post, copy the code below and paste into your website or blog. View the original article here This post was made using the Auto Blogging Software from WebMagnates.org This line will not appear when posts are made after activating the software to full version.