Technology Report: Google costs in focus after busy quarter

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	07/12/2011
Good afternoon Bit Netflix subscribers could see their monthly bill increase starting this fall. The company announced it is doing away with a combo plan that lets customers watch unlimited movies and TV shows online and get DVDs by mail for $9.99 a month. Starting in September, current subscribers who want both services will have to pay $7.99 per month to rent one DVD plus an added $7.99 for unlimited streaming, for a total of $15.98 a month. That's an increase of 60 percent. The new pricing begins immediately for new customers. Old-fashioned types who just want DVDs now have the option of an unlimited DVD-only plan that costs $7.99 for one at a time or $9.99 for two at a time. Good or bad news, depending on how you use Netflix. Changes are afoot in Apple's legal department. The tech giant's chief patent lawyer Richard "Chip" Lutton Jr. plans to leave the company soon, sources close to the matter told Reuters. So who will Apple tap to oversee the many legal battles it's fighting against rival smartphone makers around the world? Apple is mum on the matter, but BJ Watrous, a former deputy general counsel with Hewlett-Packard, is now listed as Apple's chief intellectual property counsel on Watrous's LinkedIn Web page. Would Research in Motion be better off as two companies? That's an idea that was floated on Tuesday by an analyst at RBC Capital Markets, who argued that the BlackBerry maker could spur innovation by splitting itself up into separate network and handset businesses. The Waterloo, Ontario-based firm has fallen behind rivals in recent months, leaving investors hungry for news about how the company intends to reverse its lackluster performance. The deals just got bigger on Groupon, literally. The online daily deal company offered its first car coupon on Tuesday, a sign the firm is expanding into bigger-ticket items. Groupon offered a $199 deal good for $500 off the purchase or lease of a new or pre-owned vehicle at LaFontaine Auto dealership in Detroit, reports Reuters correspondent Alistair Barr. LATEST NEWS Google costs in focus after busy quarter July 12, 2011 03:51 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Google Inc's investment spree and shrinking profit margins will draw investor scrutiny when it reports its earnings on Thursday, following an eventful quarter when the company launched the Google+ social network and the government disclosed a probe of its business practices. | Full Article Apple chief patent lawyer leaving: sources July 12, 2011 02:37 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Apple Inc's chief patent counsel will soon leave the company, at a time when the iPhone maker is fighting numerous legal battles around the world, according to sources familiar with the situation. | Full Article A new U.S. law-enforcement tool: Facebook searches July 12, 2011 11:58 AM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. law-enforcement agencies are increasingly obtaining warrants to search Facebook, often gaining detailed access to users' accounts without their knowledge. | Full Article Groupon offers first car deal, targets bigger items July 12, 2011 01:07 PM ET SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Groupon Inc offered its first car coupon on Tuesday, a sign the largest online daily deal company is expanding into bigger-ticket items. | Full Article Europe and tech push Wall Street to 3rd day of losses July 12, 2011 04:32 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - Stocks closed lower for a third straight day on Tuesday as Europe's fiscal woes and a weak start to tech earnings gave investors little reason to buy even after the recent losses. | Full Article BUSINESS NEWS Moody's cuts Ireland to junk, warns of second bailout July 12, 2011 05:07 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - Moody's Investors Service on Tuesday cut Ireland's credit rating to junk status, saying the country will likely need further official financing before it can return to international capital markets. | Full Article Trade gap surges to nearly 3-year high on oil July 12, 2011 04:45 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. trade gap widened sharply in May to its highest level in nearly three years as surging oil prices helped push imports to a near record and exports fell slightly from April's all-time high. | Full Article Fed minutes: Some ready to ease if recovery lags July 12, 2011 05:31 PM ET WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Some Federal Reserve officials believe further monetary policy easing could be needed if the recovery remains too sluggish to cut the stubbornly high U.S. jobless rate and if inflation eases as expected, minutes of the Fed's last meeting show. | Full Article New York probes Bank of America $8.5 billion mortgage pact July 12, 2011 05:39 PM ET NEW YORK (Reuters) - New York's attorney general is investigating Bank of America Corp's $8.5 billion settlement with investors over losses in mortgage-backed securities, and has sought data from 20 institutional investors that agreed to the accord. | Full Article British government moves to halt Murdoch Sky bid July 12, 2011 04:17 PM ET LONDON (Reuters) - The British government endorsed a move in parliament to block Rupert Murdoch's bid for broadcaster BSkyB on Tuesday, casting more doubt on his hopes to expand in television as a scandal widened over phone-hacking by one of his newspapers. | Full Article U.S. TOP NEWS Obama: seniors could be hurt without debt deal Analysis: Obama's tilt right could sting in 2012 Europe considers Greek default, leaders to meet China secures first top-level post at IMF Rock musician uses cell phone stickup note in robbery RELATED VIDEO Taking Nintendo's Mario up a notch Bringing light to the poor, one liter at a time Six-wheeled supercar has power and panache A daily digest of breaking business news, coverage of the US economy, major corporate news and the financial markets. 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