VENTURE CAPITAL POST

Jawbone said on Monday it is opening its software to other device-makers in hopes of accelerating sales of its activity-tracking wristbands, in a move that comes a day before Apple Inc is expected to unveil a smartwatch of its own.

Four technology companies including Apple and Google blasted a U.S. judge for rejecting a proposed $324.5 million settlement over hiring practices in Silicon Valley and asked an appeals court to intervene, according to a court filing.

New Intel-based tablets from major brands will start hitting store shelves in June, and senior executives at the chipmaker hope the offerings will move it closer to an aggressive sales goal.

Intel Corp introduced a walking, talking robot on Wednesday made from 3D-printed parts that will be available to consumers later this year, if they are willing to assemble it with a kit that costs around $1,600.

London, UK-based security firm CertiVox scored $8 million in its Series B financing from new investor NTT Docomo Ventures and previous backer Octopus Investments to expand its software-based alternative authentication platform.

Sources told tech news website TechCrunch that Basis Health Tracker Watch maker Basis Science has been bought by Intel for anywhere from $100 million to $150 million.

New York, US-based analytics firm Implisit raised $3.3 million in funding from Gemini Israel Ventures for its self-learning platform that mines CRM data to help improve sales efficiency.

Denver, Colorado-based online market research firm GutCheck secured $4 million in a funding round led by Icon Venture Partners to test out the potential of different business ideas.

Intel introduced wearable computing devices as it seeks to grow its operations beyond personal computers and tries to get back on track after missing the huge opportunity presented by smartphones, Reuters reported.

Search giant Google is said to be thinking about designing its own server processor, a move seen as a likely threat to the market dominance of Intel Corp, Bloomberg reported.

US-based processor giant Intel acquired private hackathon organizer Hacker League for an undisclosed amount, in a deal that will merge the latter with Mashery, an Intel company.

The International Data Corporation released its forecast for the PC market worldwide, estimating a 10.1% plunge in 2013 sales, a 3.8% contraction in 2014, and a 300-million mark on an annual basis.

Dealogic data showed a big increase in the acquisition activity of big tech companies in Israel, pushing the Middle Eastern country to become a global player in the innovative tech arena.

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan and Federal Reserve Board Governor Jerome Powell will be among bank executives and regulators speaking at an industry conference in New York hosted by The Clearing House Association, which represents interests of the biggest commercial banks.

Investors remain inclined to take markets higher in the absence of anything that would suggest equities should fall. The market seems to have hit a stage where strong data helps and weak data affirms the Fed's intentions to keep policy accommodative, which also helps stocks.