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Depending who you ask, Barnes & Noble’s new eReader is due out today, or Thursday, which would be interesting since it’s Windows 7 day. B&N leaked a picture to the Wall Street Journal of the eReader that features an eInk display with a color touch screen below. The new device will reportedly retail for $259.
U2 and YouTube are teaming up to stream the band’s October 25th show live on their YouTube channel. The shows will be available to users in worldwide for free. How will YouTube and U2 make money from the online event?
Twitter marked its five billionth tweet yesterday. The moment is substantial considering the micro-blogging service had only amassed 1.6 billion tweets as of April. The company’s monumental growth shows exactly how popular the service has gotten in a very short amount of time.
Sprint is set to purchase iPCS, an affiliate it has been negotiating with since 2005, for $426 million. The deal marks the end of a drawn out legal process that began when Sprint purchased Nextel. CEO Dan Hesse noted that the acquisition “brings added value to Sprint by expanding our direct customer base, growing our direct coverage area and simplifying our business operations.”
Apples enjoyed a very strong quarter, with profits up 47%. The company reported a net income of $1.67 billion, aided in large part by iPhone and Mac sales, which sold more “than in any previous quarter,” said Steve Jobs. The bigger news, however, may be that Apple is readying a top-secret device to hit stores before the holiday season. The company will also launch the iPhone in China next week.
Verizon is now giving Verizon Wireless and FiOS customers a discount to bundle their service. The teleco will give Wireless customers a $15 monthly discount if they package their wireless service with Verizon’s trip play deal, which it previously charged an additional $10 for. While the new offer doesn’t make it much cheaper for users, Verizon hopes that it will dissuade customers from switching providers.
The Motion Picture Association of America fired three of its Anti-Piracy executives today amidst reorganization. The move comes as CEO Dan Glickman announced that he will step down from his position next year when his contract expires. One of the notable firings is of global anti-piracy operations, a group that has been less than successful in obtaining its goals.