Stories by Heather Havenstein

Google called off Yahoo deal as DOJ closed in

Google called off its proposed search advertising deal with Yahoo just three hours before the US Department of Justice was to file an antitrust complaint on November 5 aimed at blocking it, according to the lawyer that the government hired to pursue the case.

Sun rolls out its JavaFX Rich Internet Application tool

Sun Microsystems Thursday rolled out the first version of its JavaFX runtime and tools, which support the development of Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) that can run on desktops, in browsers, in mobile devices and on televisions. Sun said that JavaFX 1.0 is aimed at providing a unified development and deployment model for developers and Web designers to build RIAs with audio, video, rich text, advanced graphics, animation and Web services.

Prototype unveiled for storing OpenID credentials

MySpace, Flock and Vidoop Tuesday unveiled a jointly developed a prototype tool that will let users store their OpenID credentials in the Flock social Web browser. Mozilla-based Flock allows users to monitor what is happening on their favorite social networks as they surf the Web.

Obama continues Google-enabled gov't push on transition site

Like his campaign apparatus, President Elect Barack Obama's transition team is embracing what some have called a Google-enabled government by loosening copyright licensing on its Change.gov Web site and by launching a feature that allows citizens to contribute to policy discussions.

LinkedIn overhauls its search platform

The LinkedIn business social network this week rolled out an overhauled search platform that it says will let users more easily find who they are looking for on the site.

Report: Google to 'significantly' cut contractor use

Google Monday acknowledged plans to "significantly" reduce the number of contractors it uses, according to a report on the Web site of the Wall Street Journal. The report noted that the company has no plans to cut its permanent workforce.

Google shutters its Lively virtual world

Just a few months after launching Lively, Google Wednesday said it will shut down the browser-based three-dimensional world by the end of the year to focus on the core Google business.

Analysts: New Yahoo CEO must shed assets for better focus

Whoever takes embattled Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang's place will need to pare the former Web sweetheart's services to effectively compete in a market where it is under siege from Google and multiple social media players for online advertising, analysts say.

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