The nation’s second largest wireless carrier has reportedly held talks with Leap Wireless in recent months over a possible acquisition, according to Reuters. The move is the latest attempt by AT&T in its efforts to find additional wireless spectrum after its failed acquisition of T-Mobile. The talks were serious enough that Leap reportedly hired bankers to advise it on a potential deal, although it is unclear if discussions are still ongoing. Leap Wireless, which operates the nation’s seventh largest wireless network, has a market value of roughly $400 million and $3.2 billion of long-term debt. Earlier in the week it was reported that T-Mobile and MetroPCS were also holding discussions regarding a possible merger.

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Zynga on Wednesday announced that it has acquired app developer OMGPOP for $180 million, plus another $30 million in employee-retention payments, AllThingsD reported. The company confirmed the acquisition during a conference call on Wednesday afternoon, however it did not disclose the terms of the deal. Even though the OMGPOP’s app is only six weeks old, the turn based Pictionary-style game “Draw Something” has already become the most popular Facebook Connect game, beating out Zynga’s own Words With Friends. OMGPOP’s app is also the No.1 free app and No.1 paid app on both the iOS App Store and the Google Play marketplace for Android. The addictive drawing game boasts 35 million registered users, 10 million active daily users and almost 1 billion ad impressions per day.

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Beats Audio, the company behind the popular Beats by Dr. Dre line of over-ear and in-hear headphones, is reportedly planning to acquire subscription music service MOG. The deal was first reported by Business Insider and then reaffirmed by AllThingsD on Tuesday. Founded in 2005, MOG is a service similar to Spotify, Rhapsody and Microsoft’s Zune. It makes use of a freemium model and allows subscribers to stream unlimited music to a computer, tablet or smartphone. At last count, MOG touted more than 500,000 active users. Taiwan-based smartphone vendor HTC is the majority owner of Beats Audio and if the reports pan out, it is possible that the subscription music service will be incorporated into HTC’s Sense suite of software and services. The terms of the deal have not been reported.

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Motorola Mobility does not expect any large changes following Google’s acquisition of the company. Alain Mutricy, Motorola’s senior vice president of portfolio and product management, said interview with Fierce Wireless that the vendor will not alter its plans once it comes under the Google “umbrella.” Until the deal closes, which may be soon, Motorola and Google are two separate companies and the manufacturer will  continue on its path as subsidiary of Google. “I don’t see a very short term, complete change of the product direction,” Mutricy said. “I think that we have a business to run, and therefore I think that there is continuity to be expected for 2012.” Mutricy also believes that having closer collaboration on Google’s services, such as Google+ and YouTube, could be a great opportunity for Motorola.

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Apple is a company that somehow manages to churn out an above-average amount of beautiful products, fantastic software and class-leading services. When it misses, however, it misses big. MobileMe is one example. Ping is a better one. A third example is Apple’s Genius recommendation engine, which seeks to present App Store users with a list of applications they may enjoy based on their app download history. Right now, Genius is awful, but Apple’s recent acquisition of a company called Chomp may see things change in the near future. Read on for more.

TechCrunch on Thursday evening reported that Apple has acquired Chomp, a San Francisco-based startup that develops application search and discovery software. The Wall Street Journal later confirmed the buy with Apple, suggesting that the deal was a talent acquisition aimed at improving application search and discovery features within the App Store.

Genius needs help. Here are just a few examples of recommendations the engine is currently making on my iPhone: Because I use ESPN ScoreCenter, an app that provides sports scores and news, Genius says I should download Skateboard Tricktionary, an app that names and explains over 300 skateboard tricks. At least it involves sports, I suppose.

Because I have one to-do app called NotifyMe installed on my phone, Genius thinks I need seven more that offer hideous user interfaces and far less functionality. And because I installed an app called PhoneFlicks to manage my Netflix queue, Genius says that I will enjoy Soccer JuggleBall, a game where the user repeatedly pokes at a bouncing soccer ball in an effort to keep it from hitting the ground. I could go on.

The iOS App Store is currently home to more than 560,000 applications according to third-party monitor AppShopper.com. As with all mobile app stores, the lion’s share of them are likely junk. A number of services aim to cut through the garbage in an effort to identify quality apps that users may enjoy, but Genius is not one of those services. I’m really not sure what Genius aims to do.

Chomp touts proprietary technology that “learns the functions and topics of apps, so you can search based on what apps do, not just what they’re called.” It also currently powers Verizon’s Android app searches and offers stand-alone solutions for both iOS and Android. After spending just a few minutes with each Chomp app I can safely draw one conclusion: it can’t possibly make app discovery on iOS any worse.

Sony on Thursday announced the transaction to acquire Ericsson’s 50% stake in Sony Ericsson has been completed. Sony and Ericsson announced the deal last October, which was worth €1.05 billion in cash and made Sony Ericsson a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony. The company will be renamed to Sony Mobile Communications and will “further integrate the mobile phone business as a vital element of its electronics business, with the aim of accelerating convergence between Sony’s lineup of network enabled consumer electronics products, including smart phones, tablets, TVs and PCs.” Read on for Sony’s press release.

Sony Completes Full Acquisition of Sony Ericsson

Sony to Rename the Company Sony Mobile Communications and Accelerate Business Integration

February 16, 2012, Tokyo, Japan – Sony Corporation (“Sony”) today announced that the transaction to acquire Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson’s (“Ericsson”) 50% stake in Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB (“Sony Ericsson”) has been completed as of February 15, 2012 (Central European time). This marks the completion of the transaction jointly announced by Sony and Ericsson on October 27, 2011, and makes Sony Ericsson a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony.

Sony will rename Sony Ericsson “Sony Mobile Communications”, and further integrate the mobile phone business as a vital element of its electronics business, with the aim of accelerating convergence between Sony’s lineup of network enabled consumer electronics products, including smart phones, tablets, TVs and PCs.

The United States Department of Justice has approved Google’s proposed $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility, Reuters’s Poornima Gupta reports. The deal gained regulatory approval from the European Commission earlier on Monday, and a U.S. approval was expected to follow today or later this week. Google revealed its intention to purchase Motorola Mobility late last summer, pointing to the potential to create cohesive end-to-end solutions as one of the main draws for Google. “Motorola Mobility’s total commitment to Android has created a natural fit for our two companies,” Google CEO Larry Page said in a statement at the time. “Together, we will create amazing user experiences that supercharge the entire Android ecosystem for the benefit of consumers, partners and developers. I look forward to welcoming Motorolans to our family of Googlers.” Page also said that Motorola’s sizable patent portfolio would help Google protect itself and its partners from rivals with aggressive litigation strategies like Apple and Microsoft.

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Google on Monday announced that its proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility has been approved by regulators in Europe. ”We’re happy that today the European Commission approved our proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility, which we announced in August,” Google Vice President & Deputy General Counsel Don Harrison wrote in a post on a company blog. ”This is an important milestone in the approval process and it moves us closer to closing the deal. We are now just waiting for decisions from a few other jurisdictions before we can close this transaction.” United States regulators are expected to follow suit and approve the $12.5 billion deal later this week.

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Google’s bid to acquire Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion is set to gain regulatory approval as soon as next week, multiple reports claim. Google announced last summer that it intended to purchase the struggling smartphone and set-top box maker for $40 per share, and CEO Larry Page explained that Motorola’s patent portfolio was a key draw for the company. Google’s Android partners had fallen under attack from patent predators such as Apple and Microsoft, and the ability to spread Motorola’s patents around as needed could be the only way to save Android. As recent events in Germany have shown, Motorola’s patents could indeed be Android’s best bet. While some regulators apparently remain unconvinced that Google intends to license Motorola’s patents on fair terms, The Wall Street Journal reports that the deal is still on track to gain approval from the Justice Department as early as next week.

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Nikesh Arora, Google’s SVP and Chief Business Officer, will run Motorola once the Google acquisition closes later this year, according to rumor published by Business Insider. Arora ran the company’s international business for Eric Schmidt, taking over the global business after the former CEO stepped down. Arora has reportedly been “agitating” for a CEO position and was included on a short list of candidates to head Yahoo. It is possible, however, that a promised CEO slot at Motorola could have prompted Arora to continue with Google. The rumor further notes that Dennis Woodside, Google’s current head of U.S. sales, will take over Arora’s current position.

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Twitter finally appears to be preparing a new wave of attacks on the malicious spammers that have overrun the popular social network during the past year. Web security firm Dasient on Monday announced that it has been acquired by Twitter. ”Since its inception, Dasient has been focused on solving web-scale security problems involving malware and other types of online abuse,” the firm noted in a blog post. “In 2009, Dasient launched its web anti-malware platform, capable of scanning URLs and websites for the presence of harmful content. In 2010, Dasient launched the industry’s first anti-malvertising service to protect ad networks and publishers from the scourge of malicious ads. Over the last year, we have been very active in securing the ads and content of the some of the industry’s largest ad networks and web sites.” The firm is seen as playing a large role in securing new self-service advertising efforts Twitter is preparing to roll out in the near future. A secondary benefit to end users, however, is that the link-spam currently plaguing members of the social network may be quelled as part of Twitter’s efforts with Dasient technology.

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The European Union will decide on February 13th whether or not to give its blessing to Google’s planned purchase of Motorola Mobility. Google recently provided European courts with more information in support of the merger, Reuters said. The European Union suspended its review of the merger on December 12th pending Google’s submission of documents that are considered “essential to its evaluation of the transaction.” Google announced on August 15th its intentions to purchase Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion and said the purchase will bolster its patent portfolio and help it defend its Android partners against competitors such as Apple and Microsoft.

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After the company’s failed acquisition of T-Mobile, AT&T is said to be in dire need of additional wireless spectrum and may be looking at Dish Network, the second-largest satellite-television provider in the United States. “AT&T wants to get more spectrum,” said Recon Analytics Roger Entner in a telephone interview with Bloomberg. “They are a year behind Verizon in the LTE race. Dish would undoubtedly be a good combination and it would solve a lot of AT&T’s problems.” Dish acquired spectrum from the bankruptcies of DBSD North America and TerreStar Networks. President and CEO Joe Clayton said the company is open to future acquisitions, and with airwaves limited, Dish has become a valuable target. AT&T may now be looking to pay the highest premium in more than a decade to acquire the satellite TV provider, according to Bloomberg. At a reported $50 a share, AT&T would have to pay a 77% premium for Dish, the highest in an acquisition greater than $5 billion by a telecommunications company since 2000. AT&T and Dish Network declined to comment.

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Research In Motion is currently weighing every single option it can think of in an effort to reverse a negative trend that is approaching a boiling point for investors. Reports that RIM is currently in talks to license its software to other vendors are accurate according to our trusted sources, though we have been told that RIM is most likely leaning toward an outright sale of one or more divisions, or even the whole company. The front runner, we have been told by a trusted source with knowledge of the situation, is Samsung, which might be interested in RIM for a number of reasons.

One of the biggest assets RIM has is BlackBerry Messenger, and it would be a smart way for Samsung to differentiate itself inside the Android ecosystem. HTC has its Sense suite and it recently bought into Beats by Dr. Dre. Samsung could buy RIM, or a part of the company, and integrate not only BBM but also several other enterprise features into Android to make its devices an even bigger threat to competitors. This could also help Samsung better differentiate itself on the software and OS level, pulling more control into its hands and away from Google.

We have heard that Jim Balsillie is actively meeting with almost every company that might be interested in either a part or all of RIM, in addition to having talks about licensing. “Jim is going hard after Samsung,” said a source with knowledge of the negotiations. One of the reasons no deal has been struck, however, is that RIM’s co-CEOs are asking for way too much.

We have heard the company is looking for more than $10 billion for a full sale, likely somewhere in the $12 billion to $15 billion range, or between approximately $22.90 and $28.60 per share. RIM’s market capitalization currently sits at about $8.5 billion, though several analysts think that even $8.5 billion is more than an interested party would consider bidding at the moment.

Samsung declined to comment and a spokesperson for RIM did not immediately respond to a request for comment. It’s certainly an interesting time at Research In Motion, and we’ll have much more on RIM in the coming days.

UPDATE: In a statement provided to Reuters Wednesday evening, a Samsung spokesman said the company is not interested in an outright purchase of Research In Motion. The spokesman did not address reports that Samsung is considering licensing RIM’s software, however, or purchasing a portion of RIM’s assets.

Nokia has acquired Oslo, Norway-based cell phone operating system developer Smarterphone AS as it prepares to launch a reinvigorated attack on emerging markets. The transaction was completed in November 2011 according to major investor Ferd Capital, and the terms of the deal were not disclosed. Smarterphone AS has built a proprietary operating system that is designed to provide “highly advanced functionality on very moderate hardware.” While Nokia’s smartphone lineup is now powered by Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system, Smarterphone’s feature phone platform is seemingly well aligned with Nokia’s recent work on a secret platform that will bring enhanced capabilities to low-end hardware. BGR exclusively reported details surrounding the secret OS last September and again in October, though it is unclear whether the Finnish vendor plans to integrate Smarterphone’s platform with its own OS, or if the new platform will replace the software that Nokia had in development. Ferd Capital’s full press release follows below.

Ferd Capital sells Smarterphone AS to Nokia

05.01.2012

Ferd Capital has sold its portfolio company Smarterphone AS (Formerly Kvaleberg AS) to Nokia Corporation (OMX: NOK1V, NYSE:NOK, FWB: NOA3), the world’s leading producer of mobile phones. The transaction was completed in November 2011.

Smarterphone is based in Oslo, Norway and delivers an operating system for the feature phone segment of mobile handsets. The software makes it possible to deliver a user experience similar to smart phones on affordable hardware, and allows unique flexibility for tailoring handset software to different markets. Ferd Capital invested in the company in 2007 and has invested a total of 6,5 MEUR in the company.

“Egil Kvaleberg is a world class software architect and founder. His internationally recruited and unique team situated in Oslo has created an operating system for lower end mobile phone that provides highly advanced functionality on very moderate hardware” says Annar Bohn, Investment manager in Ferd Capital. “Our belief in the team, technology and the long term market for feature phones remains firm, and we believe the company has now found a fantastic new home with Nokia”, he continues.

“Ferd Capital is an active Nordic investor in both the venture and buy-out segments of private equity and see continued strong opportunities within both segments” says Bjørn Erik Reinseth, Partner in Ferd Capital. “Large international players acquiring Norwegian technology companies is a strong recognition and a good foundation for future innovation and growth “, continues Reinseth.

In addition to Ferd Capital, The company was also financed by Innovation Norway, Haavard Nord (Trolltech founder) and Lars Øberg. Carnegie acted as advisor to the selling shareholders.