Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (005930) Acquires 10% Stake In Pantech For $48 Million

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (KRX:005930) is investing around 53 billion won ($48 million) for a 10% stake in Pantech, the third largest mobile device manufacturer in South Korea, according to Yonhap.  This deal will “help further solidify” Samsung’s relationship with Pantech.  SAmsung will be a passive investor and will not provide input for Pantech’s management decisions, likely to avoid anti-competitive concerns.

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Microsoft’s Deal With The NFL Is Worth $400 Million Over 5 Years

When Microsoft revealed the Xbox One yesterday, the company also pointed out that they have a deal in place with the NFL.  We now know the specifics of the deal.  The deal is worth $400 million over the next 5 years and Microsoft will develop technology that makes watching NFL football more interactive for fans that are on the Xbox One video game console.  Other Microsoft devices that support Xbox Live will also be supported.

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About.me Premium Plans Allows You To Use Your Own Domain Name

About.me is a company that offers a custom profile and personal analytics dashboard.  The company was acquired within 24 hours of exiting beta mode by AOL in December 2010.  Three years later, the About.me founders bought the company back.  Earlier this month, About.me also acquired Wefollow.  Now the company is rolling out a premium service that allows users to setup personalized domain names through a three-tier subscription level.

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Steven Spielberg To Produce Live Action “Halo” TV Series

Yesterday when Microsoft announced the Xbox One, the company also reported that Steve Spielberg will be producing a live-action series that is based on the Halo game series.  The series will be available for download through Xbox Live and will be created through Spielberg’s partnership with the game’s developer 343 Industries.

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Eminem’s Music Publisher Sues Facebook Over “Airplane” Ad

Eight Mile Style, the music publisher of rap artist Eminem, has filed a lawsuit against Facebook for copyright infringement.  In the lawsuit Eight Mile Style referred to an ad called “Airplane,” which was created by Wieden + Kennedy agency.  The “Airplane” ad promotes the new Facebook Home software.  Eight Mile Style accuses Wieden + Kennedy of using background music that sounds the same as “Under the Influence” by Eminem and D12.

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Boy Meets Girl, Boy Falls in Love, Boy Creates an Induction Powered LED Engagement Ring

Ben Kokes, an Engineer at Kionix, built a stunning induction powered LED engagement ring for the love of his life. The ring illuminates when it’s in close proximity to an induced alternating magnetic field (a transmitter).

Ben used Autodesk Inventor to lay out the ring’s dimensions. He then jumped onto building it. The ring is titanium so cutting it was not easy. He added 13 white stones and 10 blue stones to the ring.

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Apple CEO Tim Cook Defends Tax Practices At Senate Hearing

Apple CEO Tim Cook appeared in front of a Senate hearing on Tuesday to discuss the company’s use of Irish subsidiaries to avoid paying billions of dollars in taxes.  Cook insisted that the tax code has not been keeping up with the digital age and it restricts the free movement of capital in comparison to tax policies in other countries.  Cook asked the Senate to dramatically simplify rates and for reasonable taxes on foreign earnings.

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