MICROSOFT

Microsoft Corp is close to buying Web video conferencing service Skype Technologies for $8.5 billion including debt, a source familiar with the situation said, underscoring the technology giant's growing ambition to plug a hole in its mobile offerings.

Microsoft turned the tables on long-time Skype wooers Google and Facebook to reportedly land an $8.5 billion deal to buy the popular Voice over Internet Protocol service. The following are some key facts about Skype:

Microsoft Corp is close to buying web video conferencing service Skype Technologies for $8.5 billion including debt, a source familiar with the situation said, in a deal which would rank as the biggest for the software company.

Microsoft Corp is nearing a deal to buy Internet phone company Skype Technologies for more than $7 billion, and a deal could be announced as early as Tuesday, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.

Software giant Microsoft is close to buying leading Internet phone company Skype Technologies SA for a deal valued at over $7 billion, according to sources close to the development.

Microsoft is close to buying Internet phone company Skype, which could be announced as early as Tuesday sources say.

Search-giant Google updated its Goggles app on Monday to include better note-taking capabilities, search history, and better business card recognition as machine-vision becomes more useful.

Apple has overtaken Google as the world's most valuable brand, ending a four-year reign by the Internet search leader, according to a new study by global brands agency Millward Brown.

LinkedIn Corp, the social site for business professionals, is hoping to cash in with investors eager to gobble up shares in social networking companies such as Facebook, with a public debut valuing the company at more than $3 billion.

LinkedIn Corp said it would offer 7.84 million shares in its initial public offering, which could value the company at over $3 billion at the high end of its offering price range.

Apple is the number one brand in the world according to a report; Facebook is in the top 100 for the first time.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has blamed his former friend Bill Gates for a $40-billion loss that he said he incurred by not investing in AOL.

Sony said on Saturday it had removed from the Internet the names and partial addresses of 2,500 sweepstakes contestants that had been stolen by hackers from about 100 million user accounts of its PlayStation Network and PC-based online gaming services, said in a statement details posted on the inactive website also included three unconfirmed e-mail addresses.

Analysts say Apple's love of consistency could play a factor into the company switching from Intel to ARM based chips for its PCs and laptops.

A student at the University of Dundee has taken the concept of social media quite literally. He has design a park bench where people can be social all the while be voluntarily and involuntarily connected to media by way of a bench that tweets.

Apple may join the ranks of RIM and some other competitors as it mulls offering software upgrades over the air, doing away with the requirement of needing a PC to enjoy the latest improvements.

The State of California is looking to implement a Do Not Track law, which could influence the national legislation.

Software maker Novell Inc can proceed with a long-running antitrust lawsuit against Microsoft Corp after an appeals court reversed a lower court's summary judgment in favor of Microsoft.

The company says the only reason it may have brought a product late to the market was because of quality.

Research In Motion will use Microsoft's Bing search engine and maps as default options on its new BlackBerry devices, a victory for the software giant as it eyes the booming mobile phone market.

Apple announced an overhaul to the iMac with new features and a new processor.