Will Google or Facebook buy Twitter?

Google and Facebook in addition to other companies are in talks of taking over Twitter at a whooping price of $10 billion, trusted sources reported.

Twitter last December had raised $200 million in financing in deal which was valued at $3.7 billion. The talks with twitter though are at a “low level”, with Facebook and Google.

The popular website, allows users to flash 140 character messages to a group of followers; currently the website has 175 million users.

None of the parties rumored doing the deal have commented on the news yet.

Twitter though reportedly is not looking at a sellout; instead it is working on building a big independent organization.

The social networking site did not allow any advertisements on its site, but growing competition and need for revenue must have pushed it to give advertisements space on its site.

Twitter doesn't disclose financial information but research shows that it generated an estimated $45 million from advertising in 2010 and is expected to garner close to $150 million in 2011.

The site falls in league with popular social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, Zynga etc.

Nokia leaves Meego in the middle of the lurch

Nokia has dropped its idea of launching a new smartphone based on the operating system Meego, sources reported.The possibility of Nokia switching over to some other operating system increased as the rumors were doing the rounds for some time now, sources informed.

Nokia does not see Meego’s inclusion in its smartphones a win-win strategy, which would imply that there would be only one Meego product in the market by end of 2011.

Meego was created only last year in a joint collaboration of Nokia and Intel. And at that time Nokia was placing high bets on Meego to battle their way through the high-end smartphone market, sources stated.

There are high chances of Nokia to adopt Microsoft’s Windows 7 or Google’s Android.

The largest mobile maker in numbers has witnessed a loss in its market share due to the advent of new players like Apple and Google who came well equipped with their handsome range of tablets and smartphones.

Nokia here completely missed the bus.

Is a less expensive iPhone prototype around the corner?

Apple Inc has a less expensive iPhone in the pipeline, as it is now getting more competition from cheaper range of smartphones, sources reported.The new iPhone which is being worked upon will be one third the size of the iPhone 4, sources informed, which iPhone is planning to sell for $200 but the two year wireless contract will be missing.The launch of this phone is very dicey this year, as speculations are rife that it may get unveiled in the middle of this year or it may get cancelled altogether.

Apple has a history of developing products and then eventually not bringing them into the markets.

The manufacturer of the iPad and iPhone though did not confirm its status on the new iPhone, sources stated.

Apple reportedly is also in the process of developing a dual mode phone which shall be able to work with the world’s two main wireless standards.

If Apple brings in a cheaper iPhone prototype it will have chances of capturing a lower level of market segment, giving an impetus to their present giant status.

Facebook employees may cash in on company's success

Facebook employees may soon get a chance to sell up to $1 billion of their shares to institutional investors, sources informed. The share prices are worth $60 billion to the company, trusted sources added.

The world’s largest social network is thinking about the prospective after it has received numerous pitches to acquire the firm’s shares, sources stated.

Mark Zuckerberg’s company only last month received an investment of $1.5 billion giving the company a valuation of $50 billion.

Facebook is playing with the idea of going public around 2012, as the company’s value is ever increasing.

After the rumors of the form going public, investors became more interested in vesting in the stocks of Facebook. This has led to capitalists and ex employees to sell their shares.

At present Facebook has a stringent rule for employees to not sell their sales on private exchanges, which makes it difficult for employees to benefit from the company.