Today’s Big Rumor :)

Google Buys Groupon for $2.5 Billion ??

Google has just purchased Groupon for $2.5 billion, according to an unnamed insider who spoke with VatorNews.  Neither Google nor Groupon could be reached for comment to confirm the report, but Vator’s source is reliable and the report falls in line with the recent string of Groupon acquisition rumors.

Talk about a possible acquisition by Google has been bubbling since November 19, when rumors first emerged that Google had made an offer of some $2 billion to $3 billion.  The rumors were first reported by Kara Swisher of All Things D, who claimed that Google and Groupon were already in acquisitions discussions.

Groupon has been quite the hot topic these days.  Earlier this month, Groupon was rumored to be considering raising funds that would value the company at $3 billion.  That rumor was followed by reports that Yahoo was looking to woo Groupon for as much as $4 billion—the second reported attempt by Yahoo to buy the social shopping company.  Earlier this year, All Things D reported that Yahoo and Groupon were in discussions about a possible acquisition for $1.7 billion, but Groupon ultimately rebuffed the low-balled offer and backed out of the deal.

Founded in 2008, Groupon’s revenues are said to be upward of $50 million a month, and an enormous round of fundraising in April raised Groupon’s valuation to $1 billion.  With 20 million subscribers and footholds in 29 countries across Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia, Groupon has inspired hundreds of clones, some of which have, in recent months, begun outpacing Groupon (think LivingSocial).  Despite the dozens of rumors about acquisitions by Google, Yahoo, and eBay, Groupon has maintained that it wishes to stay independent. 

While many were anticipating a buyout by eBay, many were surprised when, in October, Groupon partnered with eBay to bring local deals to eBay shoppers, using geo-targeting to find offers for the user’s specific geographic location.  Users who are members of the eBay Bucks Rewards Program who purchase a Groupon deal through eBay can earn 5% back in eBay Bucks.

Today’s Big Rumor :)

Google Buys Groupon for $2.5 Billion ??

Google has just purchased Groupon for $2.5 billion, according to an unnamed insider who spoke with VatorNews.  Neither Google nor Groupon could be reached for comment to confirm the report, but Vator’s source is reliable and the report falls in line with the recent string of Groupon acquisition rumors.

Talk about a possible acquisition by Google has been bubbling since November 19, when rumors first emerged that Google had made an offer of some $2 billion to $3 billion.  The rumors were first reported by Kara Swisher of All Things D, who claimed that Google and Groupon were already in acquisitions discussions.

Groupon has been quite the hot topic these days.  Earlier this month, Groupon was rumored to be considering raising funds that would value the company at $3 billion.  That rumor was followed by reports that Yahoo was looking to woo Groupon for as much as $4 billion—the second reported attempt by Yahoo to buy the social shopping company.  Earlier this year, All Things D reported that Yahoo and Groupon were in discussions about a possible acquisition for $1.7 billion, but Groupon ultimately rebuffed the low-balled offer and backed out of the deal.

Founded in 2008, Groupon’s revenues are said to be upward of $50 million a month, and an enormous round of fundraising in April raised Groupon’s valuation to $1 billion.  With 20 million subscribers and footholds in 29 countries across Europe, North America, Latin America, and Asia, Groupon has inspired hundreds of clones, some of which have, in recent months, begun outpacing Groupon (think LivingSocial).  Despite the dozens of rumors about acquisitions by Google, Yahoo, and eBay, Groupon has maintained that it wishes to stay independent. 

While many were anticipating a buyout by eBay, many were surprised when, in October, Groupon partnered with eBay to bring local deals to eBay shoppers, using geo-targeting to find offers for the user’s specific geographic location.  Users who are members of the eBay Bucks Rewards Program who purchase a Groupon deal through eBay can earn 5% back in eBay Bucks.

It's Moto !!!

Is That a Computer You're Wearing on Your Head??

Motorola announced that it will develop a hands-free wireless computing headset with micro-display specialists at Kopin -- a move reminiscent of previous attempts to create wearable computers and communications devices.

The device will offer voice, audio and PC capabilities on a virtual reality-style 15-inch monitor that will also support simulation software and streaming video.

"We believe this computer headset will be a game-changing solution for mobile workforces," said Motorola emerging business director Tom Bianculli in a prepared statement.

Golden Eye

From cellphones to car stereos, hands-free operation has been all the rage for years. However, widespread adoption -- where virtual computers are concerned -- has been elusive.
"Historically, users haven't liked the end product," Enderle Group principal technology analyst Rob Enderle told TechNewsWorld.
Code-named the "Golden-i platform," the Kopin/Motorola offering hopes to change history with Bluetooth and WiFi enabled gesture- and voice-recognition technology.
Golden-i's micro display appears as a virtual 15-inch, 24-bit color monitor built around Microsoft  Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 operating system and Texas Instruments OMAP 3530 mobile dual processor.
"Golden-i provides a full 128-bit encrypted link to your PC, so you instantly see your own PC screen, full size, 18 inches from your eyes," Golden-i program manager Jeff Jacobsen told TechNewsWorld. "You can use every application and open any document on your PC remotely."


Mission Possible?
Hyped with inevitable comparisons to Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible sunglasses, Motorola in 2005 announced wearable communication device partnerships with sunglass maker Oakley and snow gear maker Burton.Touted as promising "evolutionary and innovative products for consumers who want hands-free, un-tethered operation of their electronic devices," the partnerships have yet to deliver much more than standard fare.Motorola, however, expressed higher ambitions: a seamless cloud perched atop a user's head that would link cellphones, PDAs, and computers without additional devices. Users would never be out of touch, never be unconnected, and never have to flip a switch.The reality, Enderle explained, has been more impossible mission than mission possible."With few exceptions, these hands-free computers look geeky and have been very expensive," he explained. "The medical community has used them successfully for some types of remote operations, but for the rest of us, they've proven mostly a costly headache."


Golden-i promises a different experience, Jacobsen emphasized. "The Oakley device was simply a Bluetooth interface for speech," he said. "Golden-i is more than your PC notebook and your cellphone combined." 

Motorola Head-mounted Computer Gen.2 Kopin Golden-i !!!

Be ready to experience a new era of computing !!!

It's Moto !!!

Is That a Computer You're Wearing on Your Head??

Motorola announced that it will develop a hands-free wireless computing headset with micro-display specialists at Kopin -- a move reminiscent of previous attempts to create wearable computers and communications devices.

The device will offer voice, audio and PC capabilities on a virtual reality-style 15-inch monitor that will also support simulation software and streaming video.

"We believe this computer headset will be a game-changing solution for mobile workforces," said Motorola emerging business director Tom Bianculli in a prepared statement.

Golden Eye

From cellphones to car stereos, hands-free operation has been all the rage for years. However, widespread adoption -- where virtual computers are concerned -- has been elusive.
"Historically, users haven't liked the end product," Enderle Group principal technology analyst Rob Enderle told TechNewsWorld.
Code-named the "Golden-i platform," the Kopin/Motorola offering hopes to change history with Bluetooth and WiFi enabled gesture- and voice-recognition technology.
Golden-i's micro display appears as a virtual 15-inch, 24-bit color monitor built around Microsoft  Windows Embedded CE 6.0 R2 operating system and Texas Instruments OMAP 3530 mobile dual processor.
"Golden-i provides a full 128-bit encrypted link to your PC, so you instantly see your own PC screen, full size, 18 inches from your eyes," Golden-i program manager Jeff Jacobsen told TechNewsWorld. "You can use every application and open any document on your PC remotely."


Mission Possible?
Hyped with inevitable comparisons to Tom Cruise's Mission: Impossible sunglasses, Motorola in 2005 announced wearable communication device partnerships with sunglass maker Oakley and snow gear maker Burton.Touted as promising "evolutionary and innovative products for consumers who want hands-free, un-tethered operation of their electronic devices," the partnerships have yet to deliver much more than standard fare.Motorola, however, expressed higher ambitions: a seamless cloud perched atop a user's head that would link cellphones, PDAs, and computers without additional devices. Users would never be out of touch, never be unconnected, and never have to flip a switch.The reality, Enderle explained, has been more impossible mission than mission possible."With few exceptions, these hands-free computers look geeky and have been very expensive," he explained. "The medical community has used them successfully for some types of remote operations, but for the rest of us, they've proven mostly a costly headache."


Golden-i promises a different experience, Jacobsen emphasized. "The Oakley device was simply a Bluetooth interface for speech," he said. "Golden-i is more than your PC notebook and your cellphone combined." 

Motorola Head-mounted Computer Gen.2 Kopin Golden-i !!!

Be ready to experience a new era of computing !!!

Google’s hottest project is back !!!

Google Wave Comes Back From the Dead in an Apache Proposal !!!

Google Wave, which was though to be all but extinct after Google ended development on the project, has been given new life, thanks to Apache.

Once considered the e-mail killer, Google Wave was one of the most-hyped launches of 2009. I’ll be the first to admit that I got swept up by the excitement.

At the time of launch though, I said that Google Wave would either succeed spectacularly or completely bomb. Unfortunately, my latter prediction came true: Google’s realtime communication tool was a failure. Thus, Google shut the project down, open-sourced the code and released Wave as Wave in a Box.

That was supposed to be the end of the story, but now Google Wave has resurfaced in a new proposal to the Apache Software Foundation. Best known for the Apache server, the ASF is host to over 100 open source projects. Several people from Google, Novell, SAP and even the U.S. Navy hope to add “Apache Wave” to that list.

The proposal’s three goals are to migrate Wave’s codebase from Google to the ASF’s infrastructure, to get Wave back to a state where development can be continued and to add new committers to the project. While the proposal notes that there is a risk to adopting Wave as an ASF project (it notes that Wave didn’t gain sufficient traction at Google), it also claims that its use by the U.S. Navy and other adopters makes it a worth project.

Apache Wave is still a proposal though; the ASF still has to accept the project. With a well-developed codebase and some big committers, we expect that this project will see the light of day. If it does, Wave will have been given a second life.

                                      Flourish The Wave !!!