Amazon.com to Acquire Goodreads  —  Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:AMZN) today announced that it has reached an agreement to acquire Goodreads, a leading site for readers and book recommendations that helps people find and share books they love.  —  “Amazon and Goodreads share a passion for reinventing reading …

Taking a stand on open source and patents  —  At Google we believe that open systems win.  Open-source software has been at the root of many innovations in cloud computing, the mobile web, and the Internet generally.  And while open platforms have faced growing patent attacks …

How Samsung Became the World's No. 1 Smartphone Maker  —  I'm in a black Mercedes-Benz (DAI) van with three Samsung Electronics PR people heading toward Yongin, a city about 45 minutes south of Seoul.  Yongin is South Korea's Orlando: a nondescript, fast-growing city known for its tourist attractions …

Exclusive: Wal-Mart may get customers to deliver packages to online buyers  —  (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc is considering a radical plan to have store customers deliver packages to online buyers, a new twist on speedier delivery services that the company hopes will enable it to better compete with Amazon.com Inc.

Google Starts Testing Google Shopping Express In SF, With Free Delivery From Target, Walgreens, Staples And More  —  Google is finally opening up its Google Shopping Express service to the public today, with the same day delivery service being made available as a test to select users …

Best Buy adding Samsung Stores in time for Galaxy S4 launch  —  Over the last two years, Best Buy stores have dramatically increased the number of smartphones and tablets they carry.  Starting next month, you may find that Best Buy employees are much more inclined to offer you a Samsung product …

Microsoft debuts Web site to search all its patents  —  The Web giant and frequent target of intellectual property litigation says the move is designed to create greater transparency.  It hopes other patent holders will follow suit.  —  No stranger to intellectual property litigation …

Facebook smartphone with HTC launching soon, ad campaign in the works  —  Follow years of rumors and speculation, Facebook is finally readying an entry into the mobile phone market.  The social network is again hooking up with HTC which will design the hardware.

EBay Says It Is ‘Now Playing Offense’  —  SAN JOSE, Calif.—EBay Inc. is aiming to nearly double the active-user count on its eBay.com marketplace over the next three years, as well as the volume of payments processed by its PayPal unit.  —  The once-beleaguered e-commerce company also forecast a big jump in revenue by 2015.

Lazaridis to keep BlackBerry stake, focus on new venture  —  (Reuters) - BlackBerry co-founder Mike Lazaridis said on Thursday he has no plans to sell his stake in the smartphone maker even as he steps down from the board to focus on a new quantum computing investment fund.

Samsung Galaxy S4 preorders start at AT&T on April 16th for $249.99  —  AT&T has announced availability and pricing for the new Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone.  Customers will be able to preorder the Galaxy S4 starting on April 16th for $249.99 with a new two-year agreement.

Apple aims to win over video editors  —  The redesign of Final Cut Pro editing software was met with derision in 2011.  Now, after seven updates to the product, Apple is launching a marketing effort for its Final Cut Pro X.  —  A breakthrough for Final Cut Pro came in 2003 …

Nexus 4 gets subtle design tweaks, nubbin to write home about  —  If the one thing you wanted from your Nexus 4 was LTE (we mean proper support), then still no joy.  That said, some recent modifications suggest that LG and Google are still working to improve it in other — albeit utilitarian — ways.