Facebook, Google may be seeking deals with Skype

The VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) provider has traveled down this road once earlier. In 2005, eBay acquired Skype for $2.6 billion, and planned to integrate the service into its auction and PayPal businesses. That never quite materialized in the way eBay planned it, and in 2009 the company sold off 65 percent of its stake for $1.9 billion.

Internal discussions are being headed by Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg about a buyout, during there is as well rumors that the social networking site had reached out to Skype about some type of joint venture. Google is said to be in early talks about a joint venture as then, Reuters sources indicate.

Better chance of success in the talks

It is not known which company may have a better chance of success in the talks, however if true they could set up a bidding war over the VoIP service. During Skype is quite popular here in the US, its true strength is overseas -- especially in Europe.

With an update to Google Maps for Android that rolled out on Thursday, Google unveiled a version of the software optimized for Android tablets running Honeycomb

Android leapfrogged Apple iOS so quickly because cellular carriers needed something to neutralize Apple, and Android was the best bet. The recent tethering brouhaha foreshadows how carriers will tame the Android beast and unleash others.

The Jolicloud

For users of the Jolicloud, an operating system is now available to better connect the cloud and PC. It can run alongside Windows, too.