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Software News

• DoCoMo to ask for changes in Android -Nikkei (Reuters)

  Reuters - NTT DoCoMo Inc (9437.T) will ask Google Inc to modify its Android operating system so that smartphones using it would put less pressure on networks, a move that could spark wider protests against the leading mobile software platform, the Nikkei reported.

• McAfee rejects Symantec claim about market share (Reuters)

  Reuters - Security software maker McAfee rejected a claim that several large corporate customers had recently switched over to using products from rival Symantec Corp.

• More users watch Netflix movies on tablets than PCs (Appolicious)

  Appolicious - Last year, streaming movie service Netflix finally got its Android app released and working reliably on lots of different devices that run Google’s mobile operating system. More than six months later, Netflix has announced that viewing on tablets has surpassed viewing on PCs.

• Android tablets closing in on iPad: researcher (Reuters)

  Reuters - Tablet computers using Google's Android software narrowed the lead of Apple's iPad on the global market in the fourth quarter, research firm Strategy Analytics said on Thursday.

• Symantec profit, forecast in line with estimates (Reuters)

  Reuters - Symantec Corp, the top maker of computer security software, reported a higher quarterly profit and issued an outlook in line with Wall Street estimates.

• Analyst predicts Google’s mobile ad revenue to hit $5.8 billion this year (Appolicious)

  Appolicious - Google’s Android mobile operating system continues to sweep the world and has a huge number of devices using it, but the way that Google really makes money off the OS and the apps sold for it is through advertising. And one analyst expects that the amount of money Google stands to bring in by targeting ads at Android users to hit $5.8 billion this year.

• Symantec tells customers to disable pcAnywhere software (Reuters)

  Reuters - Symantec Corp took the rare step of advising customers to stop using one of its products, saying its pcAnywhere software for accessing remote PCs is at increased risk of getting hacked after blueprints of that software were stolen.

• Guidewire jumps 38 percent in stock market debut (AP)

  AP - Guidewire Software quickly found a following in its stock market debut Wednesday.

• Review: Software extras ease do-it-yourself taxes (AP)

  AP - It's never been easier to prepare your own tax return.

  
  

• SAP bullish on 2012 after record results (Reuters)

  Reuters - SAP, the world's biggest maker of business software, was upbeat on its topline growth this year citing its investment in new technologies and robust corporate spending.

• Playtech in talks with possible U.S. partners (Reuters)

  Reuters - Playtech, the world's biggest provider of online gaming software, is holding talks with a number of potential partners in the United States as it gears up for the possible re-opening of the potentially lucrative market, CEO Mor Weizer said.

• Sage mindful of European woes on customers (Reuters)

  Reuters - British accountancy software maker Sage said it was watching the economic situation in Europe and the impact a downturn would have on its small and medium customers, although it said trading was still on track.

• Analysis: Megaupload shutdown unlikely to deter piracy (Reuters)

  Reuters - The crackdown on file-sharing site Megaupload is expected to do little to reduce overall piracy of music, software and Hollywood movies, while potentially stifling emerging means of distributing content online.

• VMware profit beats Street view, shares rise (Reuters)

  Reuters - Software maker VMware Inc reported profit ahead of Wall Street expectations and released an outlook ahead of some forecasts, raising hopes that technology spending will grow this year, even as some warn that the economic outlook is grim.

• Analysts: New software won't save Blackberry maker (AP)

  AP - In the trend-setting North American market, BlackBerry phones have gone from must-have messaging toys to outdated clunkers _all in the space of a few years. The new CEO of Research In Motion Ltd., the company behind the phones, says it can claw its way back to the top with new software, but analysts are deeply doubtful.

• NY utilities say customer information compromised (AP)

  AP - Two upstate New York utilities are offering customers a year of free credit monitoring after a software contractor allowed access to their personal information.

• Google revenue down, Android can help (Appolicious)

  Appolicious - Google's revenue was lower than expected during the final quarter of 2011, but some of the company’s other initiatives continue to grow and show promise. One of those initiatives is Android, Google’s mobile operating system that’s become a global, unstoppable force. Google CEO Larry Page revealed that over 250 million Android devices have been activated worldwide, with more than 11 billion apps downloaded from the Android Market. ...

• IBM 4Q earnings beat estimates, revenue falls shy (AP)

  AP - IBM Corp.'s fourth-quarter earnings handily beat Wall Street's expectations on Thursday, helped by higher revenue and profit margins in the technology icon's lucrative software and services segments.

• Microsoft 2Q beats Street despite soft PC market (AP)

  AP - Microsoft Corp. battled through a weak PC market to post flat earnings in the final quarter of 2011, boosting sales of servers, Xbox games and its Office productivity software while trimming losses at its Bing search engine.

  
  

• Apple jumps into digital textbooks fray (Reuters)

  Reuters - Apple Inc took a big jump into the digital textbooks market with the launch of its iBooks 2 software on Thursday, aiming to revitalize the U.S. education market and quicken the adoption of its market-leading iPad in that sector.