Google to Acquiring WhatsApp for close to $1 billion

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According to a new report from Digital Trends, software giant Google is currently negotiating a deal to acquire WhatsApp for "close to $1 billion."

The deal began "four or five weeks ago," the article reports, with sources suggesting that WhatsApp is "playing hardball" and holding out for a higher price.

Aside from some legal controversy in Canada surrounding the app's privacy methods, WhatsApp has been a tremendously popular and well regarded service. Google has approached WhatsApp before, so this deal closing soon would surprise few. The acquisition would also help solve mobile messaging for Google, which Digital Trends describes as a "huge, gaping hole in Google’s mobile strategy."

Facebook acquired Instagram for $1 billion last year in a similar deal. But one key difference is that WhatsApp is fully monetized. It's a paid app that regularly tops app store charts in dozens of countries, which helps drive revenue of up to $100 million annually, Digital Trends estimates.

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Microsoft Surface Pro Tablet PC Rolls Out In Japan

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Microsoft’s global rollout of their Surface Pro tablet PC has been erratic to say the least. The company has met with considerable resistance to its first ever PC release, but it seems like there could be some good news on the horizon. The Japanese version of the Surface Pro is getting a storage bump, from 128GB to 256GB, that isn’t yet available anywhere else.

If there can be one complaint about the current generation of SSD-driven machines, it’s the cost of storage. You’d be hard pressed to find an ultrabook or a convertible laptop with more than 128GB… unless you’re willing to spend about $1500. In fact, it’s currently cheaper to buy a 1TB spinning disc than it is to make the jump from 128GB to 256GB with most off-the-shelf machines.

Despite being called overpriced by many, Microsoft did a great job beating the prices of ultrabooks with matching specs. A year ago, a Core i5 system with a 1080p screen would have little chance at being under $1000. Starting at $899 (with 64GB), the Surface Pro set a price point that the other manufacturers have been striving to undercut, and it looks like Microsoft is about to do it again with a 256GB version.

Kicking off in Japan, Microsoft appears to be releasing a double-capacity Surface Pro at the same price point that we have seen the system here in the US. After the intense negativity the company received when the 64GB Surface Pro was found to only have 46% of its storage available, it makes sense for MS to start off in Japan by only releasing 128GB and 256GB models. By pricing the two at the same levels as the US’ 64GB and 128GB offerings Microsoft is sure to get get things started on the right foot.

It’s not clear when, or even if, this 256GB Surface Pro will go anywhere other than Japan, but it is good to know that Microsoft is interested in improving the Surface. There’s yet to be any new accessories or companion products to the line since its release which is disappointing, especially after we learned that the Surface Pro was designed to allow for a custom battery pack to be attached through the ports on its bottom.

This storage bump could be part of a larger refresh planned by Microsoft, perhaps to offer some of these new accessories and encourage a wider adoption of their first ever in-house designed PC.

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Nokia Has lost Its Spot In Its Home Town Of Finland

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While While Nokia has been struggling recently to compete with other mobile companies across the globe, it has begun to lose popularity in a very important place: its home base of Finland. 

Nokia has continued to dip in the market, but this new development has a more painful resonance. Whereas last year Nokia held a comfortable position in Finland at 48 percent of the market, it now holds only 33.5 percent. Overtaking the company is not surprisingly Samsung, which moved from 28 percent in Finland to a whopping 36 percent currently. This nearly ten percent jump is likely largely accounted for because of the new Samsung Galaxy S4. This is extra painful for Nokia, which has dropped from a dominating 65 percent hold on the Finnish market in 2010. 

Now with only half of the market it held two years ago, Nokia is scrambling to even maintain competitiveness in its home country. Even the new Lumia phones operating Windows Phone have not been able to revive the Finnish company to its position last year, let alone its lead in 2010. Even so, Konia still has a potentially powerful opportunity in the developing markets with its Asha line. These feature phones bridge users in mostly developing countries to eventual smartphone use, and Nokia is positioning itself to be there for that transition as well. If Nokia manages to secure many of these markets such as within its current positions in India, it may be able to pick up some of its lost momentum in the future. been struggling recently to compete with other mobile companies across the globe, it has begun to lose popularity in a very important place: its home base of Finland. 

Nokia has continued to dip in the market, but this new development has a more painful resonance. Whereas last year Nokia held a comfortable position in Finland at 48 percent of the market, it now holds only 33.5 percent. Overtaking the company is not surprisingly Samsung, which moved from 28 percent in Finland to a whopping 36 percent currently. This nearly ten percent jump is likely largely accounted for because of the new Samsung Galaxy S4. This is extra painful for Nokia, which has dropped from a dominating 65 percent hold on the Finnish market in 2010. 

Now with only half of the market it held two years ago, Nokia is scrambling to even maintain competitiveness in its home country. Even the new Lumia phones operating Windows Phone have not been able to revive the Finnish company to its position last year, let alone its lead in 2010. Even so, Konia still has a potentially powerful opportunity in the developing markets with its Asha line. These feature phones bridge users in mostly developing countries to eventual smartphone use, and Nokia is positioning itself to be there for that transition as well. If Nokia manages to secure many of these markets such as within its current positions in India, it may be able to pick up some of its lost momentum in the future.  Retweet this story

Microsoft Xbox One Tracks User

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The reveal for the Xbox One had users across the globe excited for the new console, but some new privacy settings have users nervous. 

For those who hate to be tracked on the web or through their media actions, the Xbox One just got a little scary. Microsoft has requested a patent which reveals that the company intends on tracked every single view of a TV show, or even commercials, by consumers. Not only would these actions be tracked, but users would rack up "points" on some kind of system to redeem for rewards. With each Xbox One console coming with the new and improved Kinect 2 (which can monitor heart rate, user eye movements, and also work in the dark), the system will be able to know if a user is actually watching, or walked away when commercials come on. 

Game-ifying television (and commercial) watching is a new feature of the Xbox One that has never before been tried to this level. According to the patent request by Microsoft, users would be able to view their "scores" for watching TV shows, ads, sports games, and more as well as view the scores of their friends. Rewards for watching certain shows or commercials would also be given in the form of avatar upgrades or achievements. Time Vines, Civil Liberties Australia Head went as far as to call this "a twisted nightmare" for privacy, stating that "Microsoft's new Xbox meets the definition of a surveillance device under some Australian laws, so they need to be upfront and tell customers whether anyone else can intercept their information... the Xbox One continuously records all sorts of personal information about me... my reaction rates, my learning or emotional states." Whether or not users will be intimidated by the notion of their console constantly watching their activities may have a significant impact on how well the system will sell after its release this winter.  Retweet this story

PayPal Hacked in Singapore

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More users in Singapore are becoming theft victims of PayPal hackers every day, some losing more than $3,000. 

PayPal users in Singapore are increasingly experiencing fraudulent activity on their PayPal accounts. While PayPal denies that they have been hacked, more and more users are finding suspicious charges, some for thousands of dollars, which they did not make. PayPal has responded by suggesting that users are clicking on links or opening emails which allow access to their sensitive information online. Even so, this would not be the first time that PayPal has been hacked. Users are especially on-edge when something like this happens, however, because of their compromised finances. 

"I was shocked. My credit card was with me. How could it have happened?" stated Janice Leow, who discovered over $3,000 of charges which she did not make. "I had not used my PayPal account for online shopping for several months, so it couldn't be me making the purchases." Other accounts such as that of Jasmine Ser had charges which were traced back to a buyer in Indonesia to which Ser had no connections. For these and other similar cases, PayPal is sticking to its policy of refunding "the full amount of every eligible unauthorized transaction if a dispute is raised with PayPal within 60 days of the unauthorized transaction occurring," allowing users to have their stolen money returned. Even though the company is denying this as an official hack on PayPal, they have still released precautionary suggestions for user safety such as using complicated passwords that are changed regularly.  Retweet this story

Microsoft to Sell 25 Million More Xbox 360s

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Even after the reveal for the Xbox One, Microsoft is not giving up on the 360 just yet. 

Microsoft has a lot on its plate currently with the new Xbox One, but it hasn't forgotten about its predecessor, the Xbox 360. In fact, the company has a goal for the console: sell 25 million additional consoles within the next 5 years, bringing the Xbox 360 total sales to 100 million. While this may seem like a lofty goal, there are several reasons why it might work. One of the most likely reasons for users to go out and buy a 360 in lieu of the Xbox One (once the new console is actually released) would be price. Secondly, it is still months away from the release of the next-generation console, leaving some room for marketing to users who want a console now. 

Even though the Xbox One will come with many brand new features, Microsoft is still placing an amount of focus on the current-generation Xbox 360. This may be a good move for the company, because although pricing has not been announced for the Xbox One, it is safe to assume it will be as expensive as previous brand new consoles or more. This means that the Xbox One may very well be out of many users' price range initially, making the (now much cheaper) Xbox 360 a more attractive option. But for the Xbox One, Microsoft has even bigger future goals. Within the coming years after the release of its new console, Microsoft has announced a lofty goal of selling 400 million Xbox One consoles.  Retweet this story

Bidder to Pay $1.5 Million to get a Trip Into Space With Leonardo DiCaprio

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Money may not be able to buy you happiness, but it can buy you a seat in a rocket ship next toLeonardo DiCaprio. One fan won the opportunity of a lifetime with a bid of $1.5 million at the Cannes Film Festival during a charity auction on Thursday, May 23.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the winning bidder will get the chance to travel into space aboard the Virgin Galactic strapped into a seat next to theGreat Gatsby actor -- while also doing some good for the world.

A portion of the proceeds from the auction will go toward the AmFAR Cinema Against AIDS charity. A second pair of seats was also auctioned off on Thursday for a whopping $2.3 million.

The trip was initially listed in the auction booklet as a "once-in-a-lifetime trip to space with a mystery guest," and Harvey Weinstein later revealed that the mystery guest was DiCaprio himself.

"We're going to get someone to bid on a seat next to him," he told The Hollywood Reporter, adding as a joke that plenty of people in the film business probably wanted to see him fly into space as well, "but only on a one-way ticket."

DiCaprio would not be the first celebrity lined up for a journey into the beyond -- it was revealed in March 2012 that Ashton Kutcher was the 500th customer to sign up for Richard Branson's venture to launch tourists into space.

"I gave Ashton a quick call to congratulate and welcome him," Branson wrote on his blog at the time. "He is as thrilled as we are at the prospect of being among the first to cross the final frontier (and back!) with us and to experience the magic of space for himself."

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