Technology

Google May Shut Down Chinese Unit on April 10, China Business News Reports Google Inc. may pull out of China on April 10, China Business News reported today, citing an unidentified Chinese sales agent for the company.

Samsung Aims for Higher Profit, `Double-Digit' Revenue Growth This Year Samsung Electronics Co., Asia’s biggest maker of chips, flat screens and mobile phones, said it aims to post higher operating profit this year than in 2009.

Google China Pullout Would Be Permanent, `Burn Bridges,' Ex-Executive Says Google Inc. would probably be unable to return to China should it withdraw from the market instead of abiding by the country’s censorship laws, a former executive at the company said.

Telstra Says `Significant Gap' With Australia Government on Split Talks Telstra Corp., Australia’s largest phone company, said there is a “significant gap” between it and the government’s NBN Co. on the amount Telstra will receive for a separation of its retail business and copper-wire network.

Bharti Said to Seek Zain Cover From Econet on Dispute Over Nigeria Unit Bharti Airtel Ltd, the Indian phone company planning a $9 billion purchase of Zain’s African assets, may ask Zain for legal protection from a dispute in Nigeria, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.

Time Warner Said to Weigh MGM Studio Bid of $1.2 Billion to $1.5 Billion Time Warner Inc. is considering a bid of $1.2 billion to $1.5 billion for the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. film studio, according to two people with knowledge of the discussions, as second-round offers come due tomorrow.

Amazon.com Said to Be in Talks to Change Prices of E-Books Ahead of IPad Amazon.com Inc., the world’s largest Internet retailer, is in talks to change some prices of Kindle e-books by no later than the April 3 release of Apple Inc.’s iPad, two people with knowledge of the discussions said.

Alcatel-Lucent Risks Loss in Royalties at Delaware DVD, TV Patent Trial Alcatel-Lucent, the world’s largest provider of land-line phone networks, may lose rights to patent royalties in a trial over whether it’s wrongly keeping TV and DVD technology to itself.

Palm Falls as Much as 15% After Reporting 11th Straight Quarterly Loss Palm Inc. forecast sales that trailed analysts’ estimates as its phones fail to match the popularity of rival models running on Google Inc.’s Android software. The shares fell as much as 15 percent in late trading.

Prisa Said to Seek Approval From Lenders to Delay Partial Payment on Loan Promotora de Informaciones SA, the Spanish company looking to shrink its 4.86 billion-euro ($6.6 billion) debt, is seeking a delay in the payment on a loan, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Google Says Viacom Secretly Put Clips on YouTube While Pressing Complaints Google Inc. said Viacom Inc., owner of MTV and Comedy Central, secretly uploaded clips to the Internet company’s YouTube video-sharing Web site while complaining about alleged copyright violations.