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Posts Tagged “

Mergers

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cellphones

Virgin Mobile to Buy Helio, Kill It, Consume It

It appears that the rumors were right, kinda fake telecom provider Virgin Mobile will buy kinda fake telecom provider Helio. Once the acquisition is complete, Virgin Mobile will consume Helio and hopefully become stronger from the nourishment, but the trendy Helio logo will be gone forever. Since both companies run on Sprint's network, it shouldn't be that big a deal from a technical "will my phone still work??" standpoint. Although Helio was extremely progressive in features and pioneered "all in" plans. We don't know if Virgin is interested in giving users the world like Helio did in the financially challenging MVNO space. [Yahoo and Electronista]

8:58 AM on Wed Jun 25 2008
By Mark Wilson
3,384 views, 38 comments

Latest by DigitalTrix: hahah..great timing I wanted to get out of my contract anyway.. more »

microhoo

Microsoft and Yahoo Continue To Tango, Re-enters Talks

Looks like Microsoft isn't completely ready to let its dreams of a deal with Yahoo die yet. Despite calling the purple giant's demands "excessive" and retiring its $47.5 billion bid just two weeks ago, Microsoft is now saying that it's discussing an "alternative transaction." Apparently something has changed enough in the last few days for Microsoft to resume negotiations, like a scorned lover lured back by a "I promise everything will be different, baby. I'll really try to make things work this time around!" [BBC]

7:30 PM on Sun May 18 2008
By Elaine Chow
2,813 views, 25 comments

Latest by n/a: The person Balmer is facing is Narayana Murthy (my post-grad teacher's husband) of Infosys Technologies, India. Wonder what the conversation was 'bout! more »

cellphones

SK Telecom Denies Merger Talks With Virgin Mobile

Despite mocoNews' and WSJ's reports last week that SK Telecom and Virgin Mobile were set to merge the Helio and Virgin Mobile USA brands, SK Telecom denies these rumors and says it's fully committed to Helio. Dow Jones quoted SK Telecom spokesperson Mina Ryu as saying the all-stock transaction merger was "groundless." While SK Telelcom did say they were actively pursuing opportunities for expansion in the US, they clearly stated they weren't in "any sort of talks" with Virgin Mobile. [mocoNews]

7:32 PM on Mon May 12 2008
By Adrian Covert
617 views, 4 comments

Latest by Zapp Brannigan's Girdle: Anyone have any current subscriber numbers for Helio? Wikipedia only has the December '06 figure. more »

mergers

JVC and Kenwood Will Join Forces, Merge in October

JVC, the group behind the scenes of popular projectors and thin LCDs, and Kenwood, known for their car stereo equipment, will merge in October. The new company, JVC Kenwood Holdings, has been discussed for almost a year, when the two first collaborated on car electronics. So what happens when you merge TVs and car equipment? Lots of ugly rides. And, hopefully new, great gadgets. [Forbes]

11:00 AM on Mon May 12 2008
By Benny Goldman
1,113 views, 4 comments

cellphones

Helio and Virgin Mobile to Merge?

mocoNews reports talks are going on between Helio and Virgin Mobile USA about a possible merger between the two wireless phone carriers. Helio has had some finanical issues over the past year, and its owner, SK Telecom, has been looking to make a splash in US markets. Current talks include SK Telecom buying out Virgin Mobile USA, infusing it with cash, and having Virgin Mobile buy out Helio via stock purchase. Seeing as both carriers operate on Sprint's network, technical logistics won't be a huge hurdle, which leaves financials to deal with. But this is still very much in the early stages. [mocoNews via Phone Scoop]

3:45 PM on Thu May 8 2008
By Adrian Covert
1,794 views, 11 comments

Latest by Mongoose: This to me feels like Sprint/Nextel: Bad idea. Virgin Mobile makes its money on cheapskates and the young, and has decent success being a low-end provider with some good deals on text packages. Helio, counterwise, is after the moneyed edge of more »

mergers and acquisitions dept.

Blockbuster/Netflix Blood Rivalry Gets Bloodier: Blockbuster Buys Movielink

Blockbuster's acquisition of Movielink makes it a bit late to the IP VOD party, but we get the feeling the goal isn't so much to break new ground as it is to plant their feet more firmly in their showdown-to-the-death with Netflix. More »

5:23 AM on Thu Aug 9 2007
By Matt Buchanan
2,776 views, 8 comments

mergers and acquisitions dept.

Dell Goes After Some Zing

Dell announced today that it's acquiring Zing in order "to continue improving the entertainment experiences it provides its customers." The short, vague announcement (check it post-jump) is a bit surprising because Zing's bread and butter is Wi-Fi music players (Sansa Connect, Sirius Stiletto, Pandora's Wi-Fi player), and Dell hasn't really had much luck with portable music devices. Does this mean Dell's getting back into the game? Not to stoke the fire too much, but it would be sort of a pointless acquisition if they weren't, wouldn't it?
More »

1:00 AM on Tue Aug 7 2007
By Matt Buchanan
1,630 views, 5 comments

Latest by wrenchmonkey26: Dell announced today that it's acquiring Zing in order "to continue improving the entertainment experiences it provides its customers." <----smells like a pile of horse shit to me. Dell is doing what everyone else in the Corporate world is doing....KILLING more »

In an effort to minimize R&D costs, JVC and Kenwood announced they're in the process of merging. [DailyTech]

1 comment

portable media

Sirius and XM Pimp Congress for Merger, Say Prices Won't Be Raised

As the Sirius and XM satellite radio services continue to seek U.S. government approval for that much-discussed merger, the companies tossed out a few details of the proposed marriage in a document filed with the feds. As Sirius CEO Mel Karmazin (pictured in car above) told a House judiciary committee antitrust task force a few weeks ago, subscribers would have a choice of tiers of service, but not the ability to pick and choose exactly which stations they'd like included in their subscription. In the document, Sirius wrote,
"After the merger, customers may elect to receive fewer channels at a monthly price lower than $12.95; substantially similar programming at the existing $12.95 price; or more channels ... at a modest premium to the cost of one service, and considerably less than the cost of subscribing to both services."
More »

10:32 AM on Thu Mar 22 2007
By Charlie White
1,728 views, 20 comments

Latest by editor58: Lower Prices Mel? Two Words!! Bull SHIT! You, Mel are a Business GENIUS, and a Bull Shit Artist. I worked for you! And you're still the best at Shoveling Manure to your employees and the stockholders. Stern 500 Million? How more »

cellphones

Rumormill: Verizon Looking to Snag Alltel

In a bit of unfortunate news, it seems the rumors are flying around that Verizon is looking to buy up Alltel. MobileMag notes that this isn't the first time the rumors have been slung around about these two, but with companies like AT&T and Cingular holding hands, these rumors sounds a little more valid this time around. This is a shame because my cellphone fetish began with a Nokia 5100 from Alltel in Kansas and it would be sad to see it go. It is kind of like hearing that your favorite childhood toy was hocked at a garage sale, or your favorite television star died in a horrific train wreck. I would also hate to see what kind of two-headed monster would be in those "My Circle" commercials. –Travis Hudson More »

5:45 PM on Mon Feb 26 2007
By Travis Hudson
2,457 views, 11 comments

Latest by bigTrue: Alltell already uses Verizon towers here in Michigan. I was hoping to switch carriers once my Verizon account comes up for renewel. This will make me cry. Alltell does what Verizon does with the same network cheaper. I'm more »

gadgets

XM-Sirius Merger Update: Price Increases, No Content Mix Yet, Joe Consumer in Danger?

As you no doubt already know by now, XM and Sirius announced plans yesterday to merge, pending the approval of the relevant regulatory agencies. The top suits of both companies just held a conference call to present their case to the people that matter most: investors. Oh, and I guess consumers could also listen to it on the radio. But no one gives a damn about them. More »

11:45 AM on Tue Feb 20 2007
By Gizloco
7,103 views, 30 comments

gadgets

Breaking: ABC News Confirms Sirius and XM Merger

It looks like ABC News has confirmed that Sirius and XM will merge today, and that Mel Karmazin will run the combined companies. In case you didn't believe it when the NY Post said it, here's a more reputable source. – Jason Chen More »

1:54 PM on Mon Feb 19 2007
By Jason Chen
4,194 views, 22 comments

gadgets

NY Post Sez XM and Sirius To Merge. No, Really.

The highly reliable New York Post reports that XM Satellite Radio will merge with Sirius Satellite Radio as early as today. This makes the 287th time that we've heard such a rumor. According to the Post's super secret sources, the two companies held a slumber party all weekend long trying to come up with a deal that was suitable to both parties. The same sources suggest that the Sirius will be the Man in the relationship, with XM playing second fiddle to the little doggy company. Chalk this up to its "higher enterprise value." I guess now we can look forward to Sirius' Howard Stern (who invented everything, remember) fighting XM's Opie & Anthony on-air. That is, if the feckless Stern doesn't take the rest of the year living it up in the Hamptons. More »

10:42 AM on Mon Feb 19 2007
By Gizloco
921 views, 21 comments

Latest by editor58: Where do I sign up for the Class Action Suit? more »