SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 25 (Reuters) – The biggest names in
consumer technology, stung by a string of disappointing
quarterly results this month, are suiting up for what’s shaping
to be the fiercest holiday battle in years.

Investors and consumers have already largely written off
flaccid quarterly numbers from tech behemoths like Microsoft
, Apple, Google and Amazon.
What counts is the next 60 days, when the biggest names in
technology do battle at a near-unprecedented scale and pace.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc (AMZN.O: Quote, Profile, Research) reported weak quarterly results on Thursday as the world’s largest Internet retailer spent heavily and suffered from an economic slowdown in Europe.

Amazon shares slipped slightly to $221 in after-hours trading after the results.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc reported weak quarterly results on Thursday as the world’s largest Internet retailer spent heavily and suffered from an economic slowdown in Europe.

Amazon shares fell more than 5 percent to $211 in after-hours trading following the results.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 23 (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc is
grappling with a problem that eBay Inc has struggled
with for years: The proliferation of unauthorized third-party
sellers that undercut the world’s top consumer brands.

The sellers offer online shoppers goods ranging from Guess
watches to LG televisions and Adidas sportswear at low prices,
upsetting Amazon suppliers who want the world’s largest online
retailer to crack down on unauthorized discounting.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 17 (Reuters) – EBay Inc reported
strong quarterly results on Wednesday, but the e-commerce
company gave a cautious forecast for the crucial holiday season
amid a brewing price war between big retailers and rival
Amazon.com Inc.

EBay said third-quarter revenue rose 15 percent to $3.4
billion, while profit climbed 14 percent to $718 million, or 55
cents a share, compared with 48 cents last year. The revenue
matched Wall Street estimates, while profit beat by a penny.

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct 17 (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc
announced an initiative on Wednesday to get its Kindle e-readers
and tablet computers into schools, entering a market that has
been particularly successful for rival Apple Inc and
its iPad device.

Amazon said it has been testing Kindles in recent years with
hundreds of kindergarten through 12th grade schools in the
United States, selling the devices at bulk discounts and helping
them purchase and distribute e-books to students.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – PayPal is planning to cut as much as 3 percent of its workforce as the payments division of eBay Inc looks to streamline its operations under new President David Marcus, a person familiar with the situation said on Friday.

The reductions are expected to total between 300 and 400 and be focused in product development, technology and marketing, the person said on condition of anonymity because the plans are not public. PayPal has almost 13,000 employees.

Oct 11 (Reuters) – Cloud-based human resources software
company Workday Inc priced its initial public offering
at $28 a share on Thursday, above its expected range, an
underwriter said.

The company raised $637 million by pricing 22.75 million
Class A shares, making it the largest tech IPO since Facebook
.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Amazon.com Inc received approval from the U.S. Federal Communications Commission to sell its high-end Kindle Fire 4G tablets, a company spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Amazon unveiled the new tablets last month, but the devices had not secured FCC clearance. The company had to put disclaimers on Web pages and emails promoting the products.

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – EBay Inc has quietly launched an online marketplace for deals on local services, taking on Groupon Inc and expanding into a potentially big category.

Called eBay Lifestyle Deals, the offers are being run in a limited number of urban areas, including the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles and Washington D.C.