LONDON/NEW YORK, March 16 (Reuters) – Apple Inc’s
newest iPad looked like another hot seller on Friday as
hundreds lined up at stores around the world to get their hands
on the tablet, though the crowds and waiting times in some
cities were less than in previous years.

The third-generation iPad has only a few new features
including faster wireless connectivity and a crisper display,
but analysts nonetheless expect Apple to dominate the tablet
market well into next year.

By Nicola Leske and Tova Cohen

(Reuters) – Cisco Systems made its first major acquisition in over two years with a deal to buy NDS, which develops pay TV software, for $5 billion, aiming to boost its presence in the video communications market.

In its biggest acquisition since it bought Norway’s videoconferencing company Tandberg for $3.3 billion in 2009, Cisco said NDS was a strategic fit for its video system Videoscape, as NDS’ software allows cable and satellite TV companies to deliver encrypted content through televisions and other devices.

By Nicola Leske and Tova Cohen

(Reuters) – Cisco Systems (CSCO.O: Quote, Profile, Research) has reached a $5 billion (3 billion pounds) deal to buy NDS, which makes set-top box software for cable and satellite TV companies, a move the network equipment maker said would accelerate its expansion into the video communications market.

NDS technology, which is used by BSkyB (BSY.L: Quote, Profile, Research) and Sky Italia in Europe, is expected to complement Cisco’s Videoscape video delivery system. In North America, the company’s customers include Cablevision Systems Corp (CVC.N: Quote, Profile, Research), Comcast Corp (CMCSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research), and Rogers Communications Inc (RCIb.TO: Quote, Profile, Research).

March 15 (Reuters) – Cisco Systems has
reached a $5 billion deal to buy NDS, which makes set-top box
software for cable and satellite TV companies, a move the
network equipment maker said would accelerate its expansion into
the video communications market.

NDS technology, which is used by BSkyB and Sky
Italia in Europe, is expected to complement Cisco’s Videoscape
video delivery system. In North America, the company’s customers
include Cablevision Systems Corp, Comcast Corp
, and Rogers Communications Inc.

March 6 (Reuters) – Online streaming music service
Pandora Media Inc said it will remain in the red for at
least another year, wiping nearly half a billion dollars off its
market cap.

Ironically, the bigger Pandora’s audience gets, the more it
must pay record labels in licensing fees, hurting the mostly
free radio service’s chances of becoming profitable.

NEW YORK, March 6 (Reuters) – Toyota Motor Corp
may be ready to ratchet up its sales outlook for the
2012 U.S. auto market after two months of stronger-than-expected
demand in the industry, a top executive at the Japanese
automaker said on Tuesday.

Toyota is still forecasting U.S. industry sales of 13.6
million this year, but strong January and February demand is
causing officials to rethink that prediction, Yoshi Inaba,
president and chief operating officer in charge of Toyota’s
North American operations, said after a speech in New York.

By Nicola Leske

(Reuters) – Consumer review website Yelp Inc made a sparkling market debut on Friday, buoyed by optimism ahead of Facebook’s public listing and hopes for further successful public listings by Internet companies down the road.

Yelp’s stock closed 64 percent higher at $24.58, a day after Yelp priced its IPO at $15 a share – above its indicated range of $12 to $14.

NEW YORK (Reuters) – Cisco Systems Inc’s attempt to convince a European court to impose tougher conditions on Microsoft Corp’s acquisition of Skype signals that technology companies are gearing up to battle for control of what some say is the next big thing: videoconferencing.

As the networking giant scrambles to safeguard its market leadership and ownership of a technology that is crossing over from business into the consumer world, rival players like Polycom Inc and Citrix Systems Inc are devising their own user-friendly solutions.

By Liana B. Baker and Nicola Leske

(Reuters) – Bloomberg LP revamped its market data service on Monday in an effort to make its flagship terminal more intuitive and simpler to use for financial clients who have seen their budgets slashed in recent years.

The financial sector – key customers for Bloomberg, Thomson Reuters Corp (TRI.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz)TRI.TN, Factset Research Systems Inc (FDS.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and News Corp’s Dow Jones (NWSA.O: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) – has cut costs and laid off tens of thousands of employees in the wake of the financial crisis that ran from late 2007 to mid-2009.

NEW YORK, Feb 23 (Reuters) – T-Mobile USA Chief
Executive Philipp Humm faces massive hurdles as he tries once
again to get the customer-losing wireless service back on track
after the failure of its proposed merger with AT&T Inc
last year.

Humm plans to pump up spending on technology and advertising
and is eyeing structural changes to raise capital, but it is not
clear that this will be enough.