Adobe to buy Omniture for $1.8 billion

BOSTON/SEATTLE (Reuters) – Adobe Systems Inc plans to pay $1.8 billion for fast-growing business software maker Omniture Inc as the maker of Photoshop and Acrobat looks to turn around declining sales.
Adobe, which announced the deal on Tuesday as it reported lower quarterly sales and profit, has been struggling over the past year as the recession [...]

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Google plans new mirror for cheaper solar power

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Google Inc is disappointed with the lack of breakthrough investment ideas in the green technology sector but the company is working to develop its own new mirror technology that could reduce the cost of building solar thermal plants by a quarter or more.
“We’ve been looking at very unusual materials for the [...]

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Google Apps a hit in the classroom

Years ago, Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) helped secure its niche in the personal computer world by targeting the classroom. Many people who learned on the Apple II are among its most loyal fans today.
Google is making huge inroads following the same path, as its Google (NASDAQ: GOOG) Apps Education Edition has been adopted by more and [...]

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China, U.S. to dominate solar market

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – The United States and China are in a head-to-head race to become the world’s top market for solar power, and panel makers are wasting no time making plans to cash in on the growth promise of both markets despite the global recession.
At the Reuters Global Climate and Alternative Energy Summit this [...]

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Kraft plays down talk of higher Cadbury bid

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Kraft (KFT.N) played down speculation on Tuesday that it would be prepared to raise its offer for Cadbury PLC (CBRY.L), after the British chocolate company rejected its 10.2 billion pound ($16.7 billion) offer.
Cadbury shares have climbed 38 percent in the past two days on talk that the American packaged food company [...]

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Seven dividend elites: 100 years of dividends

“While companies have been cutting dividends at an historic pace over the last 24 months, the fact is that there are still quality companies with long histories of paying dividends that represent good long-term investments,” says Chuck Carlson, a specialist in companies offering dividend reinvestment plans.
In his top-notch The DRIP Investor he says, “The seven [...]

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First Solar Sell-Off Is Overdone

Competition – as I used to say to my sales force – has a way of keeping competitors honest. The real beneficiary of a healthy business duel, however, is the customer. Particularly when the competition gets down to price.
Nowhere is that more apparent right now than in the solar energy industry. Over the past few [...]

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China to approve single-dose swine flu vaccines

BEIJING (AP) — The answer may be near to a crucial question about vaccine for the advancing swine flu — one shot or two?
Chinese officials say they are about to approve vaccines that prevent the new flu in a single dose.
If they’re right, it would be good news. Many health researchers fear it will take [...]

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EBay’s Skype Sale Looks Like a Win-Win

EBay Chief Executive Officer John Donahoe says there’s no downside to his company’s plan to sell most of its Skype division. “EBay was able to have its cake and eat it, too,” he says.
So far, he’s not getting much argument. In a deal announced Sept. 1, eBay (EBAY) will sell a controlling share of the [...]

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Disney to acquire Marvel in $4 billion deal

NEW YORK/LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Walt Disney Co on Monday agreed to buy Marvel Entertainment Inc for $4 billion in the year’s biggest media deal, banking on Marvel’s pantheon of superheroes to broaden its lineup of movie franchises that appeal to boys.
Disney adds Spider Man, Iron Man and Thor to its roster of classic characters [...]

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