Alibaba

Yahoo has announced that it is terminating its music service in China as of next month, according to The Next Web.

Apparently the closure comes as the Web giant looks to rework its product strategies.

"Thank you all for your continued support of Yahoo's products," a statement posted on the Yahoo China's music search portal read, according to The Next Web. "As part of an adjustment to our product strategy, we have decided to stop providing the Yahoo [China] Music service starting January 20, 2013."

With new CEO Marissa Mayer on board, Yahoo has … Read more

Yahoo has received a healthy sum of much-needed cash now that its Alibaba deal has official closed.

Under the terms of the deal, Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba has paid Yahoo $7.6 billion to buy back half of the 40 percent of its shares that were owned by Yahoo. Yahoo received around $6.3 billion in cash and $800 million in preferred Alibaba shares. Alibaba has also paid Yahoo a one-time cash amount of $550 million related to an existing technology license agreement between the two.

Alibaba now has the right to buy back the other half of Yahoo's … Read more

Chinese search giant Alibaba is disputing Google's claim that Alibaba's new Aliyun operating system is a forked and incompatible version of Android and thus can't be used by phone maker Acer.

In a blog post yesterday, Google's Andy Rubin said "the Aliyun OS incorporates the Android runtime and was apparently derived from Android."

CNET asked Alibaba's John Spelich about Rubin's/Google's claims and about whether there are elements of Android in Aliyun, and here's what we got in response: "They have no idea and are just speculating. Aliyun is … Read more

Google's Android chief, Andy Rubin, hit back against claims it muscled Acer out of using a rival operating system.

In a blog post today, Rubin called out Alibaba's Aliyun platform as a forked version of Android that's modified to the extent that it's incompatible with other Android devices. As a member of the Open Handset Alliance, Acer is forbidden from using such an operating system, he said.

"Compatibility is at the heart of the Android ecosystem and ensures a consistent experience for developers, manufacturers, and consumers," the company said in an e-mailed statement. "… Read more

Google is allegedly playing hardball with its Android partners.

The company forced Acer to drop its support of Alibaba's new mobile operating system, Aliyun, threatening to pull its Android-related cooperation and support if Acer didn't, according to a report from the Dow Jones Newswires.

Acer was originally scheduled to hold a press conference today to show off a smartphone running on Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba's Aliyun platform, but it cancelled the event. Acer told Dow Jones that it will continue to talk with Google and hopes to still use Aliyun.

Alibaba told CNET that Acer was notified … Read more

Acer has inked a deal with China's largest e-commerce company, Alibaba, to use its mobile operating system in an upcoming smartphone.

Dubbed the CloudMobile A800, Acer's new smartphone will run Alibaba's Aliyun operating system. The cloud mention fits with Aliyun's deep Web integration, offering everything from Internet-based e-mail, Web search, weather updates, and GPS navigation tools. In addition, Aliyun synchronizes and stores call data, text messages, and photos in the cloud for access across other devices, including PCs.

Alibaba made some waves in the mobile space earlier this week after its chief strategy officer, Zeng Ming, … Read more

Yahoo is moving closer to putting old business behind it as it is reportedly near to closing a multibillion dollar deal to sell back half its stake in China's Alibaba Group.

In a deal expected to be announced September 19, the Chinese Internet giant will pay $7.6 billion to buy back half of the 40 percent stake the Web pioneer holds in Alibaba, according to an All Things D report. The deal will reportedly include a $550 million annual licensing fee that Alibaba paid to Yahoo.

Yahoo declined to comment on the report.

The two Web companies agreed in May … Read more

Alibaba, China's top e-commerce company, has Android firmly in its sights.

Speaking to The Wall Street Journal in an interview published yesterday, Alibaba Chief Strategy Officer Zeng Ming said his company hopes to be "as strong as Android in China" with its own mobile operating system, Aliyun. In order to achieve that, however, Zeng needs some help from vendors.

Luckily for Alibaba, Zeng says that the company has added "quite a few [new handset partners]." However, he wouldn't say which companies have signed deals to use Aliyun.

Alibaba launched its Aliyun operating system last summer. … Read more

Wall Street does not like Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer at the moment. But I'd bet on Mayer over Wall Street any day of the week.

Yahoo's stock has dropped 9 percent over the past week. The reason: the tech giant recently announced that it might not return to shareholders the billions it stands to earn from selling its stake in Alibaba. As a result, short-term investors started dropping Yahoo shares almost immediately.

I feel for Yahoo shareholders, especially the long-term ones. You've gone through one mediocre CEO who couldn't move the needle (Carol Bartz) and one … Read more