Top Items:
skype.com:
eBay to Acquire Skype — London, September 12, 2005 - eBay Inc. (Nasdaq: EBAY; www.ebay.com) has agreed to acquire Luxembourg-based Skype Technologies SA, the global Internet communications company, for approximately $2.6 billion in up-front cash and eBay stock, plus potential performance-based consideration.
RELATED ITEMS:
BBC:
eBay to buy Skype in $2.6bn deal — Online auction site eBay has agreed to buy internet telephone company Skype Technologies in a $2.6bn (£1.4bn) deal. — eBay said it would pay half the amount in cash and the other half in stocks to create "an unparalleled e-commerce and communications engine".
MarketWatch:
Ebay set to seal Skype deal for over $2.6bn — By Richard Waters in San Francisco and James Politi in New York — Ebay was in the final stages late on Sunday night of sealing an agreement to buy Skype, the fast-growing provider of voice calls over the internet, for more than $2.6bn, according to a person close to the situation.
Om Malik / Om Malik's Broadband Blog:
SkypeBay done for $4.1 Billion. — Update: So the deed is done - $4.1 billion. EBay will pay $1.3 billion in cash and $1.3 billion in stock for the online communications company. It will make a further payout of up to $1.5 billion if certain financial targets are met, Reuters reports.
Ross Mayfield / Ross Mayfield's Weblog:
The Simple Reason eBay bought Skype — In two hours, eBay is holding a conference call about buying Skype. I'm visiting the Skype guys in Tallinn a couple of hours later. Lot's of folks are scratching their heads. I have no inside information, nor really want it, but can offer …
Discussion:
PaidContent.org, The Doc Searls Weblog, seanbonner, The Stalwart, Susan Mernit's Blog, Threadwatch.org and Moore's Lore
Mark Evans:
Wow! eBay is Really Buying Skype — No other way to describe it but as stunning as the rumours about eBay Inc. acquiring Skype turned out to be true. For a cool $2.6-billion in cash and additional payments based on future performance (which could apparently boost the deal to US$4.1-billion) …
Discussion:
The Post Money Value
Jeff / The Jeff Pulver Blog:
End of an Era? eBay to purchase Skype — So it turns out that the rumors late last week were true. eBay is going to purchase Skype. — But one thing the folks at eBay forgot about, is that while money can buy many things, as the Beatles once said, "Money can't buy you love."
Discussion:
Roland Tanglao's Weblog
Jeff Clavier / Software Only:
Skype + eBay = Deal! $1.3B cash + $1.3 stock + $1.5 earn-out = $4.1B! — Reuters' Eric Auchard has just reported that eBay has made a run after Skype after all, and has put a consideration that would total $4.1B if earn-out conditions are met. — This is a massive deal …
Discussion:
ben barren
James Enck / EuroTelcoblog:
Niklas and Meg 4-ever — It's official, and I have to admit to feeling more than a bit crestfallen. Tracking the rise of Skype was one of my principal reasons for initiating the email blasts which evolved into this bloglet, and now it's going to be part of something bigger, but hopefully equally interesting.
Jon Arnold / Jon Arnold's Blog:Skype/Ebay - the Dominoes are About to Fall - We Are Stardust...
Discussion:
Om Malik's Broadband Blog
Rob Hof / TechBeat:Here Comes the eBay Announcement...
Discussion:
The Doc Searls Weblog, ben barren, PaidContent.org, MocoNews.net, Threadwatch.org and OpsanBlog
Ars Technica:
iPod nano — System requirements: Macintosh computer running Mac OS X 10.3.4 or later, USB port; Windows PC running Windows 2000 SP4 or Windows XP SP2, USB port — Price: US$199 (2GB), US$249 (shop for the iPod nano) — As we all know, Apple's iPod has dominated the digital music player scene since …
RELATED ITEM:
Clive Thompson / Wired News:
The Video-Game Novel Also Rises — Here are some details about Sam Fisher you probably didn't know: He's 47 years old, and his hottie martial-arts instructor has a major crush on him. He lives alone in a condo and struggles to figure out how to deal with his college-age daughter.
Discussion:
Kotaku
USA Today:
Rebuilt New Orleans could be cutting edge — Ugly as she was, Katrina may have given BellSouth a rare opportunity: the chance to turn one of the oldest cities in the USA into a showcase for 21st-century communications. — Talk of how New Orleans could look some day may seem fanciful considering …