Business briefs
Published 9:07 pm Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Microsoft Corp. and other technology companies are asking for tens of millions of dollars in tax breaks as a condition for building more data centers in Eastern Washington. Microsoft and Yahoo Inc. already have data centers filled with servers in the eastern part of the state, but they halted plans to build more when the state Department of Revenue recently said the centers aren’t eligible for a tax break for rural manufacturers.
Comcast admits to slowing Web traffic
Comcast said Tuesday it purposely slows down some traffic on its network, including some music and movie downloads, an admission that sparked more controversy about network operators’ control over the Internet. In a filing with the Federal Communications Commission, Comcast argues that it should be able to direct traffic so networks don’t get clogged; consumer groups argue that the networks should not block or slow access to the Web.
Yahoo Inc. acquires online video service
Undeterred by the threat of hostile takeover, slumping Internet pioneer Yahoo Inc. completed an acquisition of its own Tuesday by buying online video service Maven Networks Inc. for $160 million. The deal marks Yahoo’s latest attempt to expand its online advertising network and snap out of a two-year financial funk that has culminated in unsolicited takeover offer from Microsoft Corp.
GM posts big loss, offers new buyouts
General Motors reported a $38.7 billion loss for 2007, its largest ever, and said it would offer its unionized workers a fresh round of buyouts meant to remove more high-cost veteran employees from its payroll. GM, essentially tied with Toyota after nearly 80 years as the world’s top automaker, did not disclose how many employees they hope will accept its latest offer.
Exxon Mobil shut out from Venezuela
Venezuela’s state oil company has stopped selling crude to Exxon Mobil Corp. in response to the U.S. oil company’s drive to use the courts to seize billions of dollars in Venezuelan assets. Exxon Mobil is locked in a dispute over the nationalization of its oil ventures in Venezuela that has led President Hugo Chavez to threaten to cut off all its oil to the U.S.
BlackBerry network glitch resolved
The company behind the BlackBerry smart phones said a three-hour e-mail outage Monday was caused by an upgrade designed to increase capacity. Research in Motion Ltd. said the upgrade was part of “routine and ongoing efforts,” and that similar upgrades in the past had caused no problems. The outage affected only some of the BlackBerry users.
‘Spore’ video game debuts this summer
“Spore,” the highly anticipated game from “Sims” creator Will Wright, will go on sale on the weekend of Sept. 7, video game publisher Electronic Arts Inc. said. One of the most highly anticipated titles in video game history, the game has been in development for several years. It will be available for PCs, Macs, the Nintendo DS and mobile phones.
From Herald news services
