June 22 - 1:05pm EDT   A smartphone app developed by IBM will allow attendees at the currently ongoing Wimbledon tennis tournament to access information and extra content related to the game, according to a Monday report. Called Seer Android, the service is being tested using T-Mobile G1 handsets. It superimposes stats in real time onto a video feed from the G1's camera, as well as Twitter comments from players and experts, including Roger Federer and Andy Murray. [full story]

June 18 - 2:50pm EDT   Toshiba and NEC together said today that they would extend their agreement with IBM to produce 28 nanometer chip technology. The deal sees the members of the larger alliance continuing to work on the smaller, more efficient technology with the intention of using it for home user products. They now also say they expected 28nm to be particularly useful for "mobile communication devices" such as smartphones. [full story]

May 1 - 12:45pm EDT   Apple and its US carrier AT&T are some of the most important technology companies in terms of brand worth, the latest Brandz Top 100 ranking (PDF) from MillwardBrown indicates. Gauging them not just on their actual income but also their social impact, the firm estimates that Apple has the sixth-largest brand value in the world and has seen the rough value of its brand climb 14 percent to about $63.1 billion. AT&T ranked 28th but was also one of the fastest-rising companies, jumping 67 percent to just over $20 billion. [full story]

April 27 - 3:25pm EDT   Computer component and system maker IBM on Monday said its Question Answering system, codenamed Watson, will make an appearance on the Jeopardy TV game show and compete with human contestants. Watson has been in development for nearly two years, and its creators believe the computer will have the precision and speed necessary to challenge the brightest humans contestants. Watson will not have access to the Internet, but instead rely on what IBM calls massively parallel analytical capabilities. [full story]

April 20 - 8:25am EDT   Oracle today said it would buy Sun for about $7.4 billion, or $9.50 per share. The move gives Oracle both a significantly stronger position in databases, letting it produce the servers that run its apps, as well as access to Sun's software. Oracle will have access to Java as well as Sun's Solaris operating system and promises to invest heavily in both. [full story]

April 17 - 9:35am EDT   IBM announced on Thursday that it, along with partners Chartered Semiconductor, GlobalFoundries, Infineon, Samsung and STMicroelectronics, are jointly developing a 28-nanometer low-power, high-k metal gate (HKMG) bulk complementary metal oxide (CMOS) semiconductor for use in future processors. The technology would be used in mobile and consumer electronics devices such as Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs), where it would extend battery life. The 28nm chips would reportedly provide a 40 percent performance gain and more than a 20 percent power decrease compared to 45nm technology in a chip that's about half the size. [full story]

April 16 - 11:05am EDT   A pair of sources claim Sun is willing to return to discussions with IBM over stalled takeover talks, according to Bloomberg. The insiders say Sun's main condition is that IBM make a stronger commitment to closing the deal, which might be subject to anti-monopoly investigations of the combined server business if a deal is struck. Whether Sun is willing to accept a lower offer, which was also considered a sticking point, isn't mentioned. [full story]

April 15 - 3:40pm EDT   Microsoft today said it had been given a second extension by the European Commission to prepare a response against antitrust charges that it has unfairly controlled web browsers. Having already been given a first extension that gave it until April 21st, the American firm has until April 28th to provide its own stance and early defense against the claims. Why the added time is required hasn't been formally explained. [full story]

April 6 - 3:35pm EDT   IBM on Sunday pulled its $7 billion offer for Sun Microsystems, three people close to the talks indicated, the New York Times claimed on Sunday. The withdrawal came one day after Sun's board members rejected a much lower offer during negotiations, believed to be near $6 billion. IBM's intention to buy Sun was first heard of in mid-March, with a final decision that was expected by today. The $7 billion offer was much higher than the value of Sun's shares, and the deal's dissolution raises questions about the future of the computer workstation and server manufacturer. [full story]

April 3 - 8:25pm EDT   IBM's rumored deal to take over Sun may close as soon as the start of next week, multiple sources indicate. Initially thought by sources of both the New York Times and Wall Street Journal (one, two) to be worth as much as $7 billion, the Financial Times now says negotiations and the market have tentatively pushed that number down to $6 billion but that a deal could be made public as early as Monday. Discussions are characterized as hectic and have the price changing from moment to moment. [full story]

March 24 - 11:55am EDT   Apple has lost some status as one of the most reliable major computer builders, claims RESCUECOM. The support company has released its latest quarterly analysis, measuring the number of cases taken at its call center against the number of computers shipped by a given manufacturer. RESCUECOM notes that while Apple ended 2008 as the most reliable computer builder, the first quarter of 2009 has seen it fall to second place with a score of 324. [full story]

March 18 - 9:25am EDT   IBM is discussing a deal that could see it buy Sun Microsystems for about $6.5 billion, sources tell the Wall Street Journal. The takeover would be worth twice as much as Sun's current stock value and would give IBM a significantly larger influence on Internet businesses, where both companies' preferences for open-source and cross-platform technologies like Linux and Java would give them better clout against Microsoft's closed software as well as give them further independence from Intel or other x86 hardware. [full story]

January 27 - 3:35pm EST   Despite the legal battle between Mark Papermaster and IBM, Apple has announced that he will start his new job on April 24th as senior VP of Device Hardware Engineering, which centers on the iPhone and iPod. The conflict between Papermaster and his former employer began last year when he took a position at Apple, a move that IBM considered a violation of the non-competition agreement that would have barred him from defecting to a competitor for a period of a year. [full story]

January 6 - 11:30pm EST   IBM (Booth No. 3418 N) is now shipping Lotus Notes 8.5 and also at Macworld Expo announced that a final version of its free Lotus Symphony document, spreadsheet and presentation software will be available later this month. Lotus Notes 8.5 offers an estimated 40-percent storage reduction by limiting attachments to a one-copy-only system and improves the user-friendly aspects of the software, arranging collaborative tools onto one screen, linking team rooms, instant messaging, to do lists, calendars and browsers all in one space. [full story]

November 25 - 3:15pm EST   IBM on Monday announced its third annual IBM Next Five in Five innovations for the future that will change the way people live. The five technologies are promised for the next five years based on research and technology developed by IBM Labs from around the world and is set to include such low-cost solar cells built into ordinary surfaces, low-cost DNA tests that will keep track of users' health, speech recognition across the wider Internet, the creation of personal digital shopping helpers and digital memory aids. [full story]