Features

• Google's antitrust settlement means few changes

  The U.S. Federal Trade Commission's antitrust settlement with Google will create few changes in the way the company operates, both critics and fans of the deal said.

• Why Oracle bought Eloqua, and what it means for the market

  Oracle surprised many tech industry observers by announcing Thursday it would pay US$871 million for marketing automation software vendor Eloqua. The move seemed a bit unlikely given the amount of sales and marketing software Oracle already had.

• Zuckerberg dazzles Wall Street with Q3 mobile progress

  Facebook, which had been in the doghouse with Wall Street since it went public, wowed investors with its third-quarter report on Tuesday, in particular with its improvements and early results in the crucial mobile market.

• Skeptical shopper: Enhanced advertising in augmented reality

  Have you ever found yourself in an unfamiliar city with no clue about where to go and what to see? What if you could just hold up your phone, snap pictures of your surroundings, and discover interesting local restaurants and landmarks? With augmented-reality apps, you can do just that. But advertisers are jumping on the trend as well, so the same application that reveals intriguing potential destinations might also bombard you with ads for nearby fast-food chains. Can augmented reality actually be useful for consumers, or is it simply another way for corporations to get a hand in your wallet?

• Do Apple's new ad policies take aim at Google?

  If you read the most recent revision of Apple's developer terms, it sure sounds like Apple is trying to keep its ad-rival--Google's recently acquired AdMob--off of the iPhone.