Google Inc. is making two new versions of its Nexus One phone: one for AT&T Inc.’s network and one for Sprint Nextel Corp.’s.
The first U.S. version of the Nexus One, which Google is promoting as its own “super” phone, was designed for T-Mobile USA’s network. It also worked on AT&T’s older, low-speed data network.
The new AT&T version of the Nexus One, which went on sale Tuesday, works on the same high-speed wireless network as Apple Inc.’s iPhone, putting an increasingly antagonistic Google and Apple on an even more direct collision course in the mobile market.
Apple is aggressively protecting its turf as it tries thwart the Nexus One and several other mobile phone models that rely on Android, a software system designed by Google. In a lawsuit filed this month, Apple alleged HTC Corp. — the maker of the Nexus One and other Android-powered phones — has infringed on its touch-screen patent.
Yahoo buys into fantasy sports
Yahoo is buying a fantasy sports company co-founded by an MIT graduate whose card-counting skills helped him win millions of dollars in blackjack and spawned a film and a best-selling book.
Citizen Sports offers fantasy leagues for sports such as football, soccer and basketball that fans can manage online at social-networking sites and through mobile applications for Apple’s iPhone and smart phones running Google Inc.’s Android operating software.
With Citizen Sports, Yahoo is looking to boost its social-networking offerings, an area the company has struggled in even though, according to comScore, it commands the largest U.S. Internet audience in news, sports and finance.
Yahoo did not release financial details of its purchase, which it expects to close by June.
Bing gains search market share
Microsoft Corp.’s Bing search engine gained market share in the U.S. in February, according to research groups.
Microsoft has worked for years to improve its search technology and narrow the gap with Google Inc. After launching its redesigned search site last June, the company waged a major marketing campaign to position Bing as better than Google or No. 2 Yahoo for shopping, booking travel and searching for medical information.
Microsoft remains in the No. 3 spot, but Bing’s share of U.S. searches has crept up a few percentage points since its June 2009 launch, primarily at Yahoo’s expense, according to research groups.
Now there’s a sign — albeit a small one — that Bing may also be tempting some Googlers.
The Nielsen Co., one of the research groups that tracks the space, said Tuesday that Bing’s share of U.S. searches crept up to 12.5 percent from 10.9 percent in January. Yahoo’s share slipped to 14.1 percent from 14.5 percent, and Google’s decreased to 65.2 from 66.3, Nielsen said.
Associated Press
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