mergertech

Details of the transaction were not made available, but both companies released statements affirming their satisfaction with the terms, and optimism about their ability to enhance "digital wallet" technology. As customers become more reliant on tech devices for their finance management, more mobile payment methods have proliferated in the marketplace. LoopPay will work primarily with the mobile division of Samsung to bolster its movement toward app-based payment technology. 

Microsoft announced this week that it will acquire Sunrise, a scheduling app developer, for $30 million. iPhone owners are familiar with the Apple Calendar app, and Google users have come to rely on its web-based scheduling platform. To compete in a marketplace with established heavyweights, Microsoft's acquisition could enhance its productivity offerings.

The highest compliment a tech writer can give a mobile application is saying that it streamlines age-old tasks. One such area for app development is scheduling. Managing daily planners and literally "penciling in" important dates has largely been replaced by efficiency applications, both native and third-party to mobile devices. With the handiness of alerts and the ability to program functions on compatible applications, scheduling has never been so comprehensive.

One of the ways smaller firms can make themselves most attractive to companies looking to buy is harnessing the power of strong branding. Brands represent not just the identity of a company, but symbolize a contract with consumers and business partners that requires great consistency and uniqueness.

With the acquisition of Tumblr, however, Yahoo might have a window to bigger and better prospects in the coming years. Google alum Mayer was seen as a game-changing choice when she was hired, and has made steady progress for Yahoo with an aggressive series of acquisitions. Tumblr is, in many ways, the jewel in the Yahoo crown with by far the greatest visibility of all its properties.

The terms of the merger were not disclosed, but a company as massive as Microsoft oversees scores of mergers and acquisitions as a method of growth and industry dominance. For many small tech firms with a clearly defined but narrow niche of service, acquisition by a company like Apple, Microsoft or any number of web giants is a sought-after ticket. 

One of the Super Bowl's most popularads, a spot by Budweiser, featured a lost dog who wandered throughthe snow in search of his owner. With the rise of wearable pet technology, finding lost pets is becoming easier, and the tech sphere has made room for several key players in development.

One of the Super Bowl's most popularads, a spot by Budweiser, featured a lost dog who wandered throughthe snow in search of his owner. With the rise of wearable pet technology, finding lost pets is becoming easier, and the tech sphere has made room for several key players in development.

With the shared goal of broadening user horizons by teaching them valuable skills, Pluralsight and Code School have agreed to a $36 million deal that marks Pluralsight's sixth acquisition in the last year and a half, according to TechCrunch.

One of the paradigms technology has broken down in the Internet age is education. From instructional technology to advanced degree offerings online, the web is rife with opportunities for individuals to expand their knowledge and abilities from the comfort of home. One firm hoping to make a bigger splash in the instructional space is Pluralsight, a training service that helps enhance skill sets for professionals.

This week, the platform announced that it will acquire Kosei, which Ad Age describes as a data firm specializing in targeted ads based on preference modeling. Pinterest is a site where users engage by indicating their aesthetic preferences, so it's clear how Kosei will fit into the company's overall strategy.

For a really unique and original blog, one monetization route is for a larger entity, a publication or a company, to acquire the rights to host it. As an acquisition strategy, this can help companies expand the size and reach of their existing websites, lend a new voice to their brand expression and bring your company to the attention of the blog's existing readership.

Anyone can start a blog. With the proliferation of open platforms like Blogger and WordPress, many writers and content creators have dabbled in blogging over the last 15 years, but only a sliver of them have broken out into widespread popularity. For that reason, many casual bloggers (and even those who devote significant time and energy to their projects) will tell you how hard it is to monetize content for a blog startup, even when they've grown a modest following.

"What won't change however is the number of new buyers coming to the table," writes Jacob Mullins in Business Insider. "These buyers aren't your typical Silicon Valley tech acquirers, they are more traditional household companies and brands looking to embrace technology to better reach end users and create greater efficiencies within their own businesses. And their appetite for boutique acquisitions of tech companies is just gearing up."

"Innovation has always been at the core of our company, and now we are better positioned to design open, digital products for the athlete of tomorrow and become more proactive in providing solutions that will help people across the world lead healthier lifestyles," said Kevin Plank, Founder and CEO of Under Armour, at the time of the deal. 

We are officially in the age of the stock photo. Last month, Microsoft announced that it would discontinue its popular "Clipart" feature in Microsoft Office Suite, and replace it with a search engine to find licensed images for users to insert under fair use guidelines.

The splashiest tech mergers are billion-dollar partnerships between industry giants. And while 2014 posted more than its share of mega-mergers, experts say that the M&A momentum could focus activity in 2015 on smaller acquisitions. Rather than learning that the usual suspects have paid inordinate amounts of cash for big names in mobile apps or cloud computing, it's likely this year will be defined by other industries taking small bites out of the tech sphere.

We are officially in the age of the stock photo. Last month, Microsoft announced that it would discontinue its popular "Clipart" feature in Microsoft Office Suite, and replace it with a search engine to find licensed images for users to insert under fair use guidelines. Copyright law has made it increasingly difficult and frowned-upon for designers and casual document creators to use images without permission, and Shutterstock has been a leading provider of audio and visual content.

Voice recognition is fast shedding its novelty status and is now a basic feature of many new smartphones from Apple, Google and Microsoft. It is increasingly used for messaging as well as for intelligent personal assistants like Google Now, Microsoft Cortana and Siri.

Two companies that have devoted themselves to making wireless charging a reality have announced a merger. The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) and Power Matters Alliance (PMA) are research and development firms with members in the tech industry. While they've long been at odds pursuing breakthroughs in wireless charging technology, combining their efforts could help put the technology on shelves sooner.