FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — Smartphone case maker OtterBox is replacing its CEO following the global expansion of the Fort Collins, Colorado-based company. OtterBox announced the departure of CEO Brian Thomas on Friday as well as the appointment of his replacement, company President and Chief Operating Officer Peter Lindgren. Lindgren, who joined the company in…
Lenovo 3Q Gets Boost from More Sales Outside China
BEIJING (AP) — Lenovo Group, the world’s biggest personal computer maker, said Thursday its latest quarterly profit rose 19 percent, driven by sales growth outside its home China market. Profit rose to $262 million, or 2.5 cents per share, in the three months ended Sept. 30, the company said. Revenue rose 7 percent to $10.5…
New Malware Targets iPhone, Apple Products
Palo Alto Networks has discovered a new form of malware that may have affected hundreds of thousands of Apple mobile device users, largely in China. The cybersecurity provider has named the malware WireLurker and said it monitors devices connected by a USB cable to an infected computer and installs malicious applications onto the device. The…
‘God Particle’ Researcher to Lead Swiss CERN Lab
Berlin (AP) — The renowned lab that confirmed the existence of the elusive “God particle” has selected an Italian physicist who played a key role in that research to be its new director general. The European Organization for Nuclear Research, or CERN, said Tuesday that Fabiola Gianotti would become the first female director general when…
Here’s Where You Can Use Apple Pay
More than 200,000 payment locations in the U.S. are equipped to accept so-called contactless payments, including Apple Pay. Smaller merchants tend to be among the several millions that don’t have the required equipment yet. Apple said it has worked with several retailers to make sure most of their stores, if not all of them, were…
Sprint Job Cuts Hit Overland Park
OVERLAND PARK, Kan. (AP) — Sprint Corp. has cut 452 jobs from its Overland Park headquarters as part of a previously announced cost-cutting effort, the nation’s third-biggest cellphone carrier disclosed in a filing with the Kansas Department of Commerce. The report, which was filed Friday, covers the first installment of layoffs planned throughout October. It…
Icahn Renews Quest for Apple Share Buyback
Activist investor Carl Icahn is taking another swing at getting Apple to buy back more of its stock and improve the relative value of the shares. Icahn is asking the iPhone maker’s CEO, Tim Cook, to give its board a plan to meaningfully increase share repurchases. In return, the billionaire investor promises not to offer…
HP Separating Consumer Devices and Enterprise Businesses
NEW YORK (AP) — Hewlett-Packard is splitting itself into two companies, one focused on its personal computer and printing business and another on technology services, such as data storage, servers and software, as it aims to drive profits higher. Hewlett-Packard, like other PC makers, has been facing changing consumer tastes — moving away from desktops…
EU Gives Facebook Go Ahead for $19B WhatsApp Buy
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union’s antitrust authority says it has approved Facebook’s proposed $19 billion takeover of the messaging service WhatsApp. The 28-nation bloc’s executive Commission said Friday the deal may go ahead because consumers will continue to have a wide choice of alternative communication apps they could use. Facebook Inc. runs its own…
Germany’s Rocket Internet Makes Bumpy Market Debut
Frankfurt, Germany (AP) — Germany’s Rocket Internet AG, which specializes in launching e-commerce start-ups, has made a bumpy market debut — with its shares falling on their first day of trading in Frankfurt. Rocket was the second German tech company in as many days to hit the market in Frankfurt, following Wednesday’s debut by online…