Every day, the Fortune staff spends hours poring over tech stories, posts, and reviews from all over the Web to keep tabs on the companies that matter. We’ve assembled the day’s most newsworthy bits below.
Google engineering manager Paul Rademacher. Photo: Twitter Paul Rademacher, maker of “the first true Web 2.0 application,” is leaving Google. Rademacher, an engineering manager for Google Maps, made his name with HousingMaps.com, which mashed up Google Maps with Craigslist data. (TechWhack)
- Oracle picked up Art Technology Group (ATG), a provider of ecommerce software and ecommerce optimization apps, for $1 billion. “This acquisition builds upon our dedication to offer the most complete and integrated suite of best-of-breed software applications and technologies required to power the most demanding companies in the world in every industry,” said Oracle Executive VP Bob Weiler. (IT Pro)
- Dell is buying U.S. cloud-computing services company Boomi to boost its ability to provide software over computer networks. The terms have not been revealed. (Cache Valley Daily)
- ChoiceVendor founder and CEO Yan-David Erlich is leaving LinkedIn barely two months after his startup was acquired by the professional social network for personal reasons. LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, who’s said the purchase was mainly for company talent, isn’t pleased. (TechCrunch)
- Google settled the Google Buzz class action lawsuit for $8.5 million, most of which will go to fund companies focused on Internet privacy and policy. The Gmail-embedded social networking tool raised controversy when it was launched this past February without privacy controls. (Fortune)
- Since the Times UK erected a web site paywall, the newspaper has lost two-thirds of its visitors, or roughly 4 million readers per month, but added 105,000 paying subscribers, which means it’s actually making 2-4 times more than when it offered up content for free. (New York Observer)
- Flash is coming to the iPhone! Well, sort of. The newly-approved Skyfire browser app, which goes on sale tomorrow morning, converts Flash videos into an HTML5 format that’s viewable on the otherwise Flash-free iPhone. While Hulu will not be viewable via Skyfire, remember: there’s an app for that. (Fortune)
- Amazon now offers gift cards sent via Facebook. Potential buyers can give up to $5,000 and get them up to a year in advance. (vator news)
- Dell CEO Michael Dell admitted in passing that developing for Windows Phone 7 is much easier than developing for Android. He also said to expect “a significant number of new tablets” in 2011. (electronista)
- While Sony refuses to officially comment on the PlayStation Phone, CFO Masaru Kato hints the company may discuss it during an earnings call over the weekend. (OFW News On Web)
