Anonymous sources told VentureBeat earlier this that Box.net decided to turn down a $500 million offer. Company CEO Aaron Levie chose not to comment. The cloud-computing company raised $48 million in its most recent round of funding, which closed in February. READ MORE
Apple is almost certainly working on a digital television based on its iOS operating system, according to multiple sources in Silicon Valley, reports VentureBeat. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster, for instance, says that Apple will make an actual TV–not just a set top box–in late 2012 or early 2013 and cites component suppliers and an internal Apple source, to back up his prediction. READ MORE
Until today Apple’s Mac OS X Lion was available only as a 4GB download or through a Wi-Fi connection at an Apple Store–two options that kept the cat in the bag for people not near a major mall, or those with slower Internet connections or capped bandwidth. In a move to bring more people into its den, Apple on Tuesday launched a Mac OS X Lion thumb drive. READ MORE
In a few short months, Google’s social network Google+ will debut enhanced profiles for businesses, complete with analytics and more sophisticated sharing options. “There will be a product very soon that has businesses’ interests in mind,” says an unnamed Google spokesperson, who spoke exclusively with VentureBeat. “We want to give them the features businesses expect and the features that can improve the sharing experience both for consumers and businesses.” READ MORE
Stephanie Tilenius, Google’s vice president of commerce, visited VentureBeat’s MobileBeat 2011 conference in San Francisco to discuss her company’s plans for mobile and online payments. Tilenius, who is responsible for Google Wallet and Google Offers, the company’s payment system and “daily deals” loyalty program, respectively, believes the company is just getting started. READ MORE
With more than 281 million monthly active users, Zynga depends heavily on cloud computing infrastructure to operate its online games like FarmVille and Empires & Allies. Throughout its four-year history, the social gaming company relied heavily on Amazon Web Services to provide the infrastructure for its server-based games, but with Zynga ready to go public, the company has announced it will build its own data centers, according to VentureBeat. READ MORE
Isis, a joint venture for wireless credit-card payments made up of AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon, has announced that Austin will be among the initial launch markets next year for its “wave and pay” program that lets consumers pay for goods and services with nothing but a phone, writes Kit Eaton for FastCompany. READ MORE
Coupons.com, the largest provider of digital coupons, announced it has received a $200 million investment from a group of institutional investors, including several mutual funds reports TechCrunch’s Rip Empson. Apparently, sources say the huge investment comes at a supposed $1 billion valuation, which is based on $100 million in expected revenues for 2011, about double from 2010. The company is likely ramping up for a potential IPO next year. READ MORE
While it might seem innocuous that Groupon is offering a deal on seafood in Massachusetts, it’s actually the first time the daily deal giant is letting shoppers use supermarket loyalty cards to conduct the transaction, writes Advertising Age’s Jack Neff. Groupon has partnered with two Boston marketing and analytics firms on the test with grocer Big Y, which is offering the deal. READ MORE
Leading up to the launch of its new music streaming service iCloud, VentureBeat reports Apple has finally signed all four major U.S. record labels—Universal, EMI, Sony, and Warner—paying out between $100 million and $150 million for their participation. Having finally acquired the rights from Universal, the final holdout, Apple will pay each record label between $25 million and $50 million. READ MORE
