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It's showtime for Microsoft-Yahoo

Yahoo has until Saturday to accept Microsoft's offer. Courtesy of Yahoo.

By Yi-Wyn Yen

The Microsoft-Yahoo standoff could get ugly fast.

Saturday is the deadline that Microsoft set three weeks ago for Yahoo (YHOO) to accept its buyout offer - or face the possibility of a hostile bid or a decision by Microsoft to abandon the deal altogether. The April 26 deadline brings to a head three months of high-profile jockeying during which MORE

Amazon dodges a slow economy

By Yi-Wyn Yen

A slowing economy hasn't fazed Amazon.

The online retail giant beat the Street on Wednesday with sales that soared 37% to $4.13 billion for the first quarter. Amazon (AMZN) also reported profits of $143 million, or 34 cents per share from the same period a year ago, which came in ahead of analyst estimates of 32 cents a share on revenue of $4.08 billion.

Despite fears of an economic meltdown, MORE

Broadcom pays $12m to settle options backdating charges

By Scott Moritz, writer

Broadcom (BRCM) will pay $12 million to settle federal charges of stock option backdating and, in an unrelated but hotly-anticipated development, the communications chipmaker posted solid first quarter results.

The Irvine, Calif. semiconductor shop posted a profit of $74.3 million or 14 cents a share for the quarter ended  March 31. Those numbers compare with $90 million or 16 cents a share in the prior quarter and a dime MORE

Web 2.0 goes to work

By Michael Copeland

On the eve of the latest and largest Internet gathering this year, O'Reilly's Web 2.0 Conference and Expo, Forrester Research dropped a report that concludes that companies will spend $4.6 billion on Web2-related technologies by 2013. What that means for you, fellow office dweller, is that Forrester believes the world of wikis, widgets, blogs, mashups and social networks will increasingly find a way into your work life.

The emphasis MORE

Blue Coat in $268M deal for Packeteer

By Scott Moritz, writer

Packeteer's white knight arrived in a Blue Coat. Network security shop Blue Coat (BSCI) says it will pay $268 million in cash for Packeteer (PKTR).

The deal calls for Blue Coat to pay $7.10 a share for the Internet traffic management outfit -- a 15% premium over the closing price Friday.

As part of the deal, Blue Coat will buy the 10%  Packeteer stake held by private-equity firm Elliot Associates. MORE

Google's relief rally

By Scott Moritz, writer

Google's (GOOG) blockbuster quarter squashed slowdown fears and help lead the entire market higher Friday.

Fans enjoyed the biggest one-day Google stock rise -- up $89.72, or 20%, to $539.26 -- in the past two years as the Net search giant blew past earnings targets by sidestepping a big drop in U.S. paid click traffic during the three months ended March 31.

Wall Street had been a little pessimistic MORE

Intel's sales beat the Street

By Michal Lev-Ram

Intel announced first-quarter sales and full-year guidance that beat Wall Street estimates after the market close on Tuesday, sending shares up more than 8% in after-hours trading.

Intel's (INTC) sales came in at $9.7 billion, above the $9.63 billion analysts had expected and up 9% compared to its year-ago quarter.

The chipmaker also reported earnings of 25 cents per share, in line with analysts' projections but below the 27 cents MORE

Novatel catches tech flu

By Scott Martin

Novatel's big miss (NVTL) offers a glimpse of how slumping tech spending can pinch a weak player.

The wireless modem maker warned Monday that first-quarter sales came in below its target. Revenue was $91 million, or 9% below its previous forecast. Novatel will release its disclose its full earnings for the quarter on May 1.

Novatel blamed a product glitch for delays in its supplies of USB devices to a MORE

More tech woes as economy slows

By Scott Moritz

The tech sector -- read Cisco (CSCO), EMC (EMC), Dell (DELL), Hewlett-Packard (HPQ) -- got hit with more bad news as computer networking shop Foundry (FDRY) reported a sales shortfall in the first quarter. The news comes on the same day that everyone's favorite conglomerate, GE announced a stunning profit warning  sending the market down early Friday.

GE (GE) said its weakness was in its financial services business, tied to MORE

BT's Verwaayen on his next move

It's time for a change at British Telecom (BT) as CEO Ben Verwaayen steps aside after six years, giving the top job to the company's consumer chief, Ian Livingston, effective in June.

The move comes after Verwaayen shifted the U.K. phone giant's focus more toward corporate data and business services. That move broadened the former state-owned telecom's range, but a slowdown in sales and a costly network upgrade MORE