Tech five: Google News leaves Spain
Today we have mostly downbeat news from the tech world, unless you need a loan – or you want to program your vacuum. (Brett Molina is out today, so this feature is sure to improve when he gets back.)
Microsoft is selling back its stake in Barnes & Noble's Nook electronic book reader, taking a $180 million loss.
Google is shutting down its Spain news site to avoid a new law that would require all publications to charge the firm for displaying even small pieces of news stories.
EBay is considering cutting thousands of jobs next year as it spins off PayPal. EBay could cut 10% of its workforce, or about 3,000 jobs, says The Wall Street Journal.
Lending Club, which connects lenders with borrowers online, sold its initial public offering at $15 a share, valuing the company at $5.4 billion and surpassing expectations.
iRobot's Roomba has now made a programmable version of its automatic vacuum, allowing your cat to have an even sweeter ride. The Create 2's Open Interface allows users to control the robot if a computer or microcontroller, such as raspberry Pi, is tethered to the robot's serial port.