VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Microsoft is taking various steps that highlight it is seriously trying to get into the Internet of things, according to a VentureBeat report that took clues from a ZDNet report and other moves taken by the company.

Soon-to-be Microsoft-owned mobile phone maker Nokia will reportedly launch its first Android phone code named Normandy, which could be powered by Microsoft and Nokia, on February 24 in Barcelona, Spain.

Microsoft will soon be renaming its cloud storage service to OneDrive with the tech giant potentially giving incentives like added free storage to encourage users to use the service, TechCrunch reported.

US tech giant Microsoft selected five African tech startups to receive innovation grants, technical support, and mentorship from Microsoft under its venture arm extension, the Microsoft 4Afrika Initiative.

TechCrunch looked more closely into the compensation package of Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella submitted by the company in a filing to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.

Tech giant Microsoft invested $15 million in location-based social networking app Foursquare and inked a licensing deal to use the latter's places database in their products and services.

In a bid to show that their participation in the surveillance efforts of the government was limited, Facebook, Microsoft, Yahoo and Google started to publish details on the number of government requests for data, Reuters reported.

Boston, US-based social advertising and marketing startup Moontoast announced that it has raised $4.5 million as extension to its Series B financing round for its expansion and platform development.

Samsung, the world's biggest cellphone maker, inked a 10-year patent agreement covering all present and future technology patents with Google, the maker of Android operating system.

California, US-based venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz is in the process of raising $1.5 billion for its new fund, according to Fortune LP whisperer Dan Primack.

Software giant Microsoft applied for a patent for a system that allows customers to set the rate based on the performance level of its cloud service, according to InformationWeek.

Compared to the spending of its five biggest US rivals combined, Google Inc has spent more money in the past two years in its effort to reach out to new markets, Bloomberg reported.

Tech giants Microsoft and Samsung are in talks to acquire stakes in a France-based online music startup and a video-sharing website, according to a report by French weekly Le Journal du Dimanche.

China's State Council has suspended the ban the government had put in place for 14 years which barred the selling of foreign video game consoles, potentially opening doors for technology firms to enter the Chinese video game market, Reuters reported.

Sources knowledgeable about matter told TechCrunch that Microsoft has bought customer service SaaS provider Parature for $100 million in order boost the knowledge base of its CRM platform.