Stratasys, an Israeli-based 3D printer and additive manufacturer has just agreed to acquire 3D printing company MakerBot for a proposed amount of $403 million in stock. They've announced a "definitive merger agreement" where MakerBot would converge with a subsidiary of Stratasys in a stock-for-stock transaction. After selling more than 22,000 3D printers since its inception in 2009, MakerBot is seen as a leader and pioneer in the 3D printing space, and about 11,000 of those sales were due to the Replicator 2 alone. MakerBot will operate as a separate entity with its own branding and marketing as part of the deal, and will provide an affordable 3D printing market for Stratasys. If all goes well with the regulators, it should be done by the third quarter of 2013.

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One of the more persistent acquisition rumors as of late has come true: Google just confirmed that it bought Waze. As many expected, the deal will see Waze largely operate independently of its new parent while supplying Google Maps with traffic update features. The stand-alone Waze app, meanwhile, will receive some of Google's know-how in search. While the two sides haven't discussed the much ballyhooed (and reportedly $1 billion-plus) purchase price, we suspect it was just large enough to snub Facebook.

Filed under: Cellphones, GPS, Tablets, Internet, Mobile, Google

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Source: Google Official Blog

Telus' bid to acquire Mobilicity was primarily a play for more spectrum, and the Canadian government's obligation to block the related frequency deal largely killed the merger's reason for being. However, the carrier isn't fighting that fatal setback to the bitter end, AT&T-style -- instead, it's backing out entirely. That's undoubtedly a relief for Canucks wanting a competitive cellular marketplace, although we wouldn't cheer too loudly. Mobilicity was partly hoping the deal would eliminate its financial woes, and it now has to fend for itself once again. There's also no guarantee that we'll avoid an eventual repeat: it could be open season on Mobilicity when there's no longer a moratorium on spectrum transfers.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Via: MobileSyrup

Source: Canada Newswire

Softbank and Sprint have been on pins and needles ever since January, when the US Department of Justice asked the FCC to delay the carriers' merger as it scrutinized the deal over national security concerns. The two networks can breathe a little easier this weekend, as the DOJ just dropped its request for more time. There's "no objection" to the acquisition following a review, the agency says. Not that the companies are completely out of the woods: the FCC has to approve the buyout, and there's still the small matters of Dish's bids for both Sprint and Clearwire. Softbank may not want to drop its backup plan just yet.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Via: Computerworld

Source: FCC (PDF)

Seamless and GrubHub, two of the biggest food delivery services in the US, have just announced they'll be merging into a combined company, with the name of the new operation to be decided at a later date. (SeamHub? Grubless?) Unlike some other transactions we cover around here, this does seem to be a merger in the truest sense of the word, with GrubHub founder Matt Maloney stepping up to the role of chief executive officer and Seamless CEO Jonathan Zabusky staying on as president. Though we don't yet know what the new service will be called, the companies are already saying it will serve 500-plus US cities, with more than 20,000 restaurants taking orders. Also, as hinted in that press release below, the merger will give the new mega-company more financial flexibility when it comes to further growth opportunities. Next up: Delivery.com?

Filed under: Internet

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Via: The Next Web

T-Mobile has been slowly inching closer to closing its acquisition deal with MetroPCS, and the day for inking that contract is finally here. Less than a week after MetroPCS shareholders approved the merger, which would give them a total cash payment of $1.5 billion, the deal is done, and T-Mo is a publicly traded company. In addition to giving Deutsche Telekom a 74 percent stake in the new company, the deal will bring nine million new prepaid customers to T-Mobile. According to the Uncarrier's President and CEO, the network would "continue our legacy of marketplace innovation by tearing up the old playbook and rewriting the rules of wireless to benefit consumers." T-Mobile plans to keep the MetroPCS brand, holding on to its retail outlets too, pitching to different demographics with the two carriers, according to AllThingsD. MetroPCS broke the news to its customers first through Facebook, although Big Magenta followed swiftly with the official press release -- you'll find that right after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Source: MetroPCS (Facebook), T-Mobile

It hit a few snags along the way, but T-Mobile's merger with MetroPCS now appears to be all but a done deal. Bloomberg is reporting that MetroPCS shareholders voted to approve the deal this morning, following a recommendation from two previously opposed shareholder advisory firms that the merger be approved last week -- and approval from the board before that. According to Bloomberg, the final terms of the deal give T-Mobile parent Deutsche Telekom a 74 percent stake in the new company, with MetroPCS shareholders receiving a $1.5 billion cash payment. Most notably for T-Mobile, the deal brings nine million new prepaid customers into the fold, as well as the all-important wireless spectrum that MetroPCS currently owns.

Filed under: Mobile, T-Mobile

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Source: Bloomberg

After delaying a vote on T-Mobile's final merger bid a few days ago, MetroPCS' board of directors has voiced unanimous approval and is encouraging shareholders to vote yes as well. Deutsche Telekom's offer would reduce MetroPCS' debt by $3.8 billion as well as slash the interest rate on that debt by half a point. These measures should increase both the carrier's overall value and cash flow -- hopefully that will help in building out LTE more quickly. For folks fearing that T-Mo will suffer from buyer's remorse, don't. The offer also stipulates that Deutsche Telekom will refrain from selling its shares in the combined company for 18 months. It remains to be seen if stock owners will be convinced enough to vote yes on April 23rd; and so the saga continues.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Via: TechnoBuffalo

While executives at T-Mobile and MetroPCS may be ready to close their merger, some shareholders aren't -- major advisory firm Institutional Shareholder Services has been recommending that MetroPCS investors vote against the deal unless T-Mobile can sweeten the pot. Consider it sweetened. T-Mobile's parent Deutsche Telekom has made a "final offer" that would slash the debt owed by the post-merger company by $3.8 billion (to $11.2 billion), reduce the interest rate on that debt by half a point and prevent Deutsche Telekom from selling its shares in the merged firm for 18 months, rather than the original six. The reshuffled finances may not sound very exciting on the surface, but they're enough to put MetroPCS in a tizzy: the carrier is delaying a shareholder vote on the deal from April 12th to the 24th to allow for some reevaluations. There's no guarantees that the new offer is enough to please the naysayers. Still, we'd venture that T-Mobile will get a warmer reaction than the last time it tried a corporate alliance.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Via: Bloomberg

Source: Deutsche Telekom IR (Twitter)

Google's Motorola unit seems to be facing some hard times -- according to an email acquired by the Wall Street Journal, up to ten percent of the division's workforce is facing layoffs. "While we're very optimistic about the new products in our pipeline, we still face challenges," explained the email. High costs and losses in competitive markets are forcing the company to make staffing cuts. "These cuts are a continuation of the reductions we announced last summer," a spokesman told the WSJ. "It's obviously very hard for the employees concerned and we're committed to helping them through this difficult transition. Much like the company's August staff reduction, the new layoffs will effect workers in China, India and the US, reducing the team by about 1,200 employees overall. It's a rocky start to the season, but one the company deems necessary to get it through the next generation of mobile devices. Hopefully it has something in store with enough "wow" factor to stave off future cuts.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Google

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Source: Wall Street Journal

We're sure that MetroPCS and T-Mobile USA executives were on pins and needles wondering whether or not their proposed merger would clear all the regulatory hurdles. While they're not officially free and clear, the Department of Justice has given a strong hint that the carrier union will go through. The government branch just let the mandatory waiting period expire without raising any objections; if it had thought there were serious antitrust issues, it would have piped up by now. Before anyone pops the champagne corks, though, there's still a number of formalities -- the Committee on Foreign Investment, the FCC and the companies' shareholders still need to sign off on the deal, which could take weeks or longer. Considering the troubles T-Mobile had the last time it tried a merger, though, waiting will seem like a walk in the park.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Source: CNET

Intense semiconductor competition has already forced numerous Japanese companies to work together, and now Fujitsu has announced that it'll merge its LSI chip design and R&D divisions with Panasonic. The two companies are looking to the state-run Development Bank of Japan to fund the new venture, which comes in the wake of expected Fujitsu losses of over $1 billion this year -- forcing the company to cut 5,000 jobs and transfer 4,500 to other divisions by March 31st. Fujitsu said it's also looking to transfer a state-of-the-art LSI fabrication line in central Japan to a new foundry venture with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the world's largest chip maker. That carries on a trend in declining Japanese chip dominance, exemplified by Elpida's bankruptcy and the recent government bailout of Renesas, which itself is a merger of NEC, Hitachi and Mitsubishi's semiconductor operations.

[Image credits: Wikimedia commons]

Filed under: Misc

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Via: WSJ

Source: Fujitsu

It appears that Dish wasn't the only one who wants the FCC to put the brakes on Softbank's merger with Sprint. Bloomberg reports that the US Justice Department has just requested that the FCC delay the deal as well. No word on why governmental lawyers are making the request, but we'll update this post as soon as more information is available.

Update: While the DOJ has recommended that the FCC delay its approval of the deal due to national security concerns, it turns out that Dish has decided not to stand against the merger, after all. So, Sprint and Softbank have exchanged a private sector problem for a governmental one. The DOJ's scrutiny certainly provides a significant hurdle for the deal to clear, but it doesn't necessarily mean that the two telcos can never be together. We'll have to wait and see whether Uncle Sam gives the merger its final stamp of approval.

Update 2: Sprint has issued a statement on the matter: 'This is a routine request when working with the CFIUS agencies regarding national security." So, it seems that the folks in Overland Park aren't overly concerned with the DOJ's snooping.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Via: The Verge, Bloomberg (Twitter), Bloomberg

Source: FCC

If you ran Dish, how would you get extra leverage when fighting Sprint for control of Clearwire? Try to put SoftBank's acquisition of Sprint on ice, that's how. The satellite TV provider has asked the FCC to pause its review process over "unresolved contingencies" with Sprint's proposed buyout of Clearwire. Among the concerns, Dish warns that Sprint might not get full control of Clearwire or its spectrum, skewing the final value of the takeover, and that approval of the SoftBank-Sprint union might give the combined entity an unfair edge. Dish also makes a case for preserving wireless competition, but the company is still fairly conspicuous in its ultimate aims -- it wants a better shot at buying Clearwire, or at least to eke some LTE-friendly spectrum out of Sprint before SoftBank can move in. Just filing a request isn't a guarantee of action, however, and it's likely that Sprint will push back against any attempts to derail what's likely its deal of the decade.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Via: Bloomberg

Source: FCC (PDF)

Sprint Nextel has just put a $2.1 billion offer on the table to fully purchase wireless provider Clearwire, verifying recent reports of "active negotiations" between the two. The network already owns a majority stake, but would like complete control of the company (and its spectrum), including roughly 12.4 percent collectively held by Intel and Comcast. However, Japanese carrier Softbank, which wants to buy 70 percent of Sprint, needs to clear the offer before it's truly official. Sprint said in a regulatory filing that the Clearwire deal also hinges on Softbank's purchase going through (expected March or April next year), so there are still a few boxes that need ticking before any formal acquisition process can begin.

Filed under: Wireless, Mobile, Sprint, Intel

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Source: Reuters, Bloomberg

Sprint's situation continues to get even more complicated, as it's being reported by CNBC that the Now Network is currently in "active negotiations" to acquire the remaining half of Clearwire, just two months after it took 51 percent stake in the company and had 70 percent of its own entity acquired by Softbank. That said, there is no guarantee that this particular buyout will occur, as the deal will have to get the Japanese carrier's blessing before proceeding. According to the all-knowing "people familiar with the matter," Sprint's vision in fully acquiring the company is to add Clearwire's spectrum to its own. It aims to close the deal around the same time the Softbank deal is finalized, which both companies are hoping will take place in March or April.

Filed under: Wireless, Mobile, Sprint

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Via: Wall Street Journal

Source: CNBC

We can't say we're exactly surprised, but it's still worth noting that the United States DOJ has contacted MetroPCS to ask for additional information about the company's recently announced merger with T-Mobile. The adequately-named "Second Request" will be essential before an actual consolidation approval can be made, and MetroPCS has stated it plans on being fully cooperative so that it can "obtain the approval of the transaction as soon as possible." Additionally, the Wireless for All carrier says it's pretty confident on the Department of Justice's ability to see the proposed merger is "both pro-competitive and pro-consumer." In the end, it's nothing more than a required hurdle before the two telcos can move on with their original plans. Official word from MetroPCS can be found inside the presser below.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Via: Android Central

Source: MetroPCS

The pressure of digital transitions can lead traditional media companies to circle the wagons -- for better or for worse -- and book publishers certainly aren't immune as e-books take hold. Bertelsmann and Pearson are worried enough to be merging their respective Random House and Penguin publishing wings into a joint venture, not-so-creatively titled Penguin Random House, that they hope will better survive "long-term trends" like the shift away from paper-centric business models. While the two are engaged in the usual corporatespeak of creating "synergies" (read: resource cuts), we're more interested in talk of the union being a springboard for digital efforts: Penguin Random House wants to be "more adventurous" with e-book models like self-publishing. Whether the merger leads to a renaissance for established publishers or just reduced competition when the deal closes in the back half of 2013, we're bracing ourselves for the possibility of a Fifty Shades of Jamie Oliver crossover.

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Source: The Guardian

Just precisely how the T-Mobile / MetroPCS merger will pan out still seems yet to be decided. What is clear, however, is that majority share-holder, Deutsche Telekom, hope to have the deal done and dusted between April and June next year. CFO for the German giant, Timotheus Hoettges, told Boersenzeitung that we'll have to wait until the second quarter of 2013 before one of the parties will have to start ordering new stationary and corporate polo shirts. In the meantime he was keen to point out that not all current financial arrangements should feel ause for concern, noting shareholders wouldn't have their remuneration policy affected by the merger, thanks to the spiffy financial year it's had.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Source: Reuters

Apparently the "significant issues" that stood in the way of a prospective T-Mobile and MetroPCS deal couldn't have been too onerous. Just a day after acknowledging that talks were underway both boards have approved the deal according to the Wall Street Journal. Details of the deal haven't been officially announced yet, but Financial Times Deutschland are reporting that the two carriers will be combined into a single unit in which Deutsche Telekom will hold 74 percent of shares. MetroPCS will have a 26 percent stake in the company and receive a $1.5 billion check for its troubles. Expectations are that this will put the kibosh on a recent deal T-Mobile struck with Crown Castle to lease its mobile towers for $2.4 billion. The new larger carrier will maintain the T-Mobile branding with new CEO John Legere at the helm, though, it appears the deal is structured as a reverse merger. Meaning that MetroPCS is in essence taking over T-Mobile and not the other way around.

Even with its combined subscriber base, the new T-Mobile will lag Sprint in the battle for AT&T and Verizon's table scraps. However, it will finally give Deutsche Telekom the graceful exit from the US market that its been so desperately seeking for some time. This merger with a much smaller competitor is unlikely to raise the ire of regulators and will allow the German company to reduce its involvement and investment in a slow controlled manner by selling off stocks. We're still awaiting official announcements from both companies and will update as the statements roll in.

Update: Official PR from T-Mobile and a video statement from CEO Legere are now waiting for you after the break. There's a few new interesting details, including that MetroPCS's CFO will be holding on to his position post merger. Interestingly, even though the carriers will become one company, for the foreseeable future they will maintain separate pools of customers. However, we wouldn't be surprised to see that change as the LTE rollout accelerates and gives T-Mobile a true 4G offering. As Legere notes in the clip below, this is just the first step and the deal isn't expected to close until sometime during the first half of 2013.

Update 2: As part of the strategy moving forward the new company plans to move customers off MetroPCS' CDMA network and on to T-Mobile's GSM frequencies for 3G service by 2015. The spectrum would then be repurposed to build out an LTE network.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Via: Reuters

Source: Wall Street Journal (Twitter), Financial Times Deutschland, Wall Street Journal

Well, turns out that rumors of a MetroPCS and T-Mobile merger weren't completely off base. While we wouldn't expect Deutsche Telekom to announce the sale of its US property any time soon, the German giant has confirmed that its holding talks with America's sixth largest mobile operator to combine the two networks. The prospective deal would involve combining the two into a single entity, with Deutsche Telekom as the majority shareholder. Of course there are significant obstacles in the way, including divergent network technologies and distinctly different marketing strategies. This is, of course, just the latest scene in the ongoing piece of corporate theater that almost saw the struggling magenta carrier absorbed by AT&T. We'll of course be following closely to see if such a move would sit a little better with government regulators. The complete statement from Deutsche Telekom Metro PCS confirming the talks is after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Source: Bloomberg, All Things D

Observing the mantra that the enemy of its enemy is its friend, Vodafone and O2 have gained regulatory approval to begin merging their cellular networks to better compete with Everything Everywhere. As such, they can begin spinning off infrastructure and towers to a new company called CTI, which will manage both company's hardware as a single network. It's hoped the new tie-up will cover 98 percent of the country and enable LTE services to roll out two years ahead of Ofcom's 2017 deadline. Worried about another awkward T-Mobile and Orange-style merger? Don't be, since in every other respect, the pair have pledged to operate as competing entities in a quest for your custom.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile

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Via: The Inquirer

The European Union has signed off on Universal's $1.9 billion purchase of EMI music, provided that it sells off two-thirds of the fallen giant's assets to comply with competition regulations. The most notable jewel on the auction block is label Parlophone, home of the early Beatles records, Pink Floyd, Radiohead and Kylie. Chiefs added the conditions in the hope of preventing the new mega-corporation from gaining too much market share, but given that Sony (which bought EMI's publishing arm) and Warner Music are its only real competitors -- it's sealed the trio as the only guests at the top table of the music industry, problematic for anyone looking to found an iTunes or Spotify rival and doesn't fancy playing by their rules.

Filed under: Misc, Portable Audio/Video

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Source: The Wall Street Journal

Google makes a lot of acquisitions, some of them more important than others. Its latest purchase might skew towards the grander side, as it just bought imaging app developer Nik Software. While the company is known for pro photography apps like Capture NX and its Efex Pro series, the real prize might be Snapseed, Nik's simpler image tool for desktop and iOS users. Both Nik and Google's Senior Engineering VP Vic Gundotra are silent on the exact plans, but it doesn't take much to imagine a parallel between Facebook's buyout of Instagram and what Google is doing here: there's no direct, Google-run equivalent to Instagram's social photo service in Android or for Google+ users, and Nik's technology might bridge the gap. Whether or not Googlegram becomes a reality, the deal is likely to create waves among photographers of all kinds -- including those who've never bought a dedicated camera.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile

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Via: The Verge

Source: Nik Software, Vic Gundotra (Google+)

While the financials for Mark Zuckerberg and his minions hasn't been the best of late, Facebook got some good news today when the FTC closed its investigation of the social network's acquisition of Instagram. That means that the merger now has the green light to be completed, and filtered photographs will be joining all those pokes, likes and Spotify songs in Timelines sooner rather than later. You can get the good news straight from the government's mouth at the source below.

Filed under: Mobile

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