acquisition

Google has petitioned the European Union's executive arm for approval of its Motorola Mobility merger, but don't expect a decision this year.

According to information posted today on the European Commission's Web site, Google provided official notification on Friday about its planned merger. In response, the European Commission has promised to review the merger over the next several weeks and to make a decision about the deal by January 10.

Google announced plans earlier this year to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion. In addition to the European Union's approval, Google must get a nod … Read more

Microsoft has decided to sign a non-disclosure agreement with Yahoo as it ponders a bid for the struggling Internet giant, according to the New York Times.

The paper's DealBook blog reported this morning that Microsoft joins a handful of other potential suitors--including private equity firms Silver Lake and TPG Capital--that have agreed to sign the non-disclosure paperwork in order to look over Yahoo's books.

It's unlikely that Microsoft would bid for Yahoo alone. Even though the company launched a failed $44.6 billion attempt to acquire the company in 2008, it won most of what it was … Read more

Microsoft has acquired video search engine VideoSurf, several reports claim.

According to Israel-based news outlet Globes, Microsoft has acquired VideoSurf for "tens of millions of dollars." In a follow-up report, TechCrunch Europe cited an anonymous source who claimed Microsoft acquired the company for $70 million.

Neither Microsoft nor VideoSurf immediately responded to CNET's request for confirmation of the deal.

If Microsoft did, in fact, acquire VideoSurf, the company will likely be used to improve Bing. VideoSurf allows users to search for video content around the Web from a host of sources, including Hulu, Dailymotion, Comedy Central, and … Read more

eBay has bought recommendation engine Hunch for an undisclosed sum, the companies announced today.

New York-based Hunch launched in 2009 as a place to find personalized recommendations on a range of topics, including video games, movies, and technology, based on a user's personal preferences. In order to make recommendations, Hunch asks a series of multiple-choice questions. Upon choosing an answer, the service learns a bit more about the user, and offers up some topics or products they might like based on that.

Although Hunch and eBay don't look like a perfect match at first glance, it appears that … Read more

Motorola Mobility's shareholders have overwhelmingly voted to approve Google's $12.5 billion acquisition of the company.

During a special stockholders meeting today, about 99 percent of the shares voting today approved adoption of the merger agreement, the company said. Those shares represent approximately 74 percent of the company's outstanding common shares.

"We are pleased and gratified by the strong support we have received from our stockholders, with more than 99 percent of the voting shares voting in support of the transaction," Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha said in a statement.

The merger was originally expected … Read more

Amazon snapped up the voice startup Yap two months ago, a new filing revealed.

The Atlantic today reported the purchase, which took place in September but wasn't formally announced at the time, from a filing with the SEC (PDF).

Amazon is not named in the document, but the Atlantic tracked the address of the "surviving company" back to a building in Seattle that's owned by Amazon.

Yap came onto the scene in 2007 with technology that could transcribe voice commands into text. The service was originally aimed at teens who did a lot of texting, and … Read more

Alibaba Group and Softbank are trying to woo investors to help them acquire Yahoo outright, a new report claims.

Citing anonymous sources, Bloomberg reported today that the companies are looking for investment firms that haven't signed the Yahoo nondisclosure agreement. Terms of the nondisclosure agreement ban companies that have signed it from talking with other firms about entering into strategic partnerships to acquire the online giant.

However, as Bloomberg reported, according to its sources, Yahoo "prefers to sell a smaller stake, rather than cede complete control," so Alibaba and Softbank's efforts might come up empty.

Talk … Read more

Facebook has acquired Strobe, a startup focused on the open-source SproutCore software--but CNET has learned that a new startup called Tilde looks to be picking up where Strobe is leaving off.

SproutCore is a package of prebuilt JavaScript code designed to ease the creation of Web sites and Web apps, including those that work on mobile devices. Charles Jolley has worked on SproutCore for years, including for a period of time at Apple where SproutCore was used in MobileMe services, before striking off on his own to form Strobe.

Several programmers left Strobe in October to begin a new start-up … Read more

Yahoo has acquired Interclick, which makes advertising targeting and optimization software, in a deal valued at $270 million.

The deal comes at an interesting time considering since Yahoo is often rumored to be an acquisition target. Interclick employees will be entering a situation that could be an interesting ride to say the least.

According to Yahoo, Interclick will give it data targeting, optimization technology and more premium inventory to sell. Yahoo has been exploring an ad partnership with Microsoft and AOL to compete better with Google. That partnership would pool inventory into premium packages.

Interclick could serve as the glue … Read more