Newswatch 2.11.08: Yahoo Says No

YHOO rejects MSFT bid
[Bloomberg] ``Yahoo thinks they're worth more because of the plans they've implemented that have yet to come to fruition,' said Daniel Taylor, an analyst at research firm Yankee Group in Boston. ``The board is saying, `We think we can keep the company together and do far better with it than Microsoft ever will.''

Sony intros Xperia smartphones
[InfoWeek] The first and most notable device in Sony Ericsson's lineup is the Xperia X1, a Windows Mobile smartphone with a touch screen overlay and a full QWERTY keyboard. The phone comes with 3G technology called HSDPA and Wi-Fi for a high-speed mobile experience. It also has built-in GPS for personal navigation."

Starbucks to offer free Wi-Fi through AT&T
[Ars] AT&T says that, beginning this spring, anyone who uses a Starbucks Card (a prepaid gift card, like one you would give to a friend) will be able to get up to two hours of free WiFi service per day at any Starbucks location with WiFi service. Better yet, if you're an AT&T broadband or U-verse subscriber, you'll be able to use unlimited WiFi at Starbucks for free. For everyone else, paid service will begin at $3.99 per two-hour session, and monthly membership will go for $19.99 per month.

MSFT buys Sidekick-maker Danger
[Reuters] Danger was co-founded by Andy Rubin, who is now running Google's mobile phone project, Android. Google has assembled a community of carriers, cellphone makers, software developers and chipmakers to develop a mobile software platform.

Android makes a big debut in Barcelona
[CRN] Texas Instruments plans to showcase the first prototype handset powered by Google's Android platform at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, Spain, this week, according to the company.

PDF exploit infects thousands
[CompWorld] Attackers have been exploiting one of the recently-revealed vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader for at least three weeks, security researchers said today, with one estimating the infection count at "many thousands" so far. On Tuesday, Adobe Systems Inc. acknowledged that its popular PDF viewer sported several flaws, and patched them that same day. However, it has yet to spell out the exact number or nature of the bugs.