■SOFTWARE
Adobe cutting 680 jobs
Adobe Systems, known for its Photoshop editing program and Acrobat document software, announced on Tuesday it was cutting some 680 jobs worldwide, or about 9 percent of its workforce. Adobe, in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), said it would incur between US$65 million and US$71 million in restructuring charges because of the layoffs. Adobe said the jobs being cut only involve employees who were with the California-based company ahead of its acquisition of Web analytics firm Omniture Inc last month.
■AVIATION
JAL hopes for investment
Cash-strapped Japan Airlines (JAL) may receive an investment from US private equity firm TPG, along with American Airlines parent company AMR Corp, the US carrier’s chief financial officer said yesterday. “TPG is a well-respected investor in the airline space,” Tom Horton told reporters. “To the extent that there is an investment to be made, they would be a natural partner for American.” JAL is set to receive an emergency loan from the state-backed Development Bank of Japan to help it to keep flying, the government said on Tuesday.
■AUTOMOBILES
Ssangyong workers charged
Seven researchers at South Korea’s debt-stricken Ssangyong Motor were charged yesterday with leaking technology to its Chinese parent company, SAIC Motor Corp, South Korean prosecutors said. Prosecutors said the seven from Ssangyong’s research institute would stand trial on charges of breaking a law on industrial secrets. They are accused of leaking key technology on engines, transmission systems and a control system for a hybrid car that Ssangyong developed with state money.
■SOFTWARE
Amazon releases Kindle app
Amazon.com on Tuesday released free software that lets people read the online retail titan’s electronic Kindle books on personal computers. The Kindle for PC application syncs with Amazon’s popular e-readers so people can switch from one to the other without losing track of which page they were on in a given work. Amazon e-books can also be read on Apple iPhone or iPod Touch devices. The Kindle store online boasts a library of 360,000 digitized books for sale.
■INTERNET
Twitter links to LinkedIn
Twitter on Tuesday linked to LinkedIn, letting people share updates and tweets between the hot microblogging service and the career-oriented online social networking Web site. Twitter synchronization features will roll out over the next several days, LinkedIn co-founder Allen Blue said. LinkedIn was launched in Mountain View, California, in 2003 as an online community for people to advance career and job prospects. LinkedIn reportedly has more than 50 million registered users worldwide.
■TELECOMS
SingTel profit rises 10.1%
Singapore Telecommunications (SingTel) said yesterday its second-quarter net profit rose an annual 10.1 percent, with the boost coming from strong contributions from regional mobile associates. Improved revenues from its domestic market in Singapore as well as from wholly owned Australian unit Optus were also factors behind the surge in net profit for the three months ended September, SingTel said. Net profit totaled S$956 million (US$689 million).
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