Yandex Search for “Acquisition” Returns SPB Software

Now that it has inked a deal with Microsoft to become the default search engine on Windows Phone-based handsets in Russia, Yandex is bolstering its mobile technology with an acquisition. The Russian search giant has purchased SPB Software, the mobile software outfit responsible for, among other things, Shell 3D, a popular Android home-screen replacement app. No purchase price was given, though sources put it at about $37 million.