Business software maker VMware, a subsidiary of EMC, is to acquire privately held SpringSource for €296 million, in its biggest-ever acquisition.
Speculation suggest that Nokia is about to dump the Symbian platform for future smartphones and deploy the Maemo OS software, according to a report in Financial Times Deutschland, citing sources close to the company.
UK’s O2 has partnered with Telmap to offer location-based services to customers with GPS-enabled handsets. Branded Telmap Navigator, the service is aimed at pedestrians as well as drivers featuring traffic alerts and navigation options, as well as turn by turn directions for users on foot. LBS for finding restaurants and businesses are also on the menu.
Nokia Siemens Networks is upgrading T-Mobile’s network in the Czech Republic with Flexi multiradio base stations and HSPA technology. The high-speed 3G network is expected to be launched in Prague by the end of the year.
Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba.com has launched a marketing blitz in the US market as it looks outside of China for further growth opportunities. The €21 million television, magazines and online marketing campaign which started yesterday presents a direct threat to Ebay and is aimed squarely at US entrepreneurs. While Alibaba, which has a significant shareholding from Yahoo, is a dominant web brand in China with 32 million registered users, its international English language site is a slow mover in the US market.