Equifax Buys Identity Protection Startup TrustedID for About $30 Million

The data giant picks up a well-respected Silicon Valley ID protection firm.

Silver Lake Abandons Hulu Purchase Effort, as Final Bidding Deadline Arrives Today

The longest-running and noisiest sale of all time move to the final bidding stages.

Yahoo Officially in Settlement Talks With Facebook Over Patent Case (Like ATD Said)

But our dear readers knew that already!

Yahoo’s Parting With Thompson Will Be for “Cause” (aka CSLie)

And not cancer, as unfortunate as the timing is for the ousted Yahoo CEO.

Some Kindle Owners Upset After Receiving Cryptic Subscription Offer From Amazon

Amazon has issued an apology tonight after upsetting Kindle owners, who learned they were selected to receive a publication they didn’t sign up for — and could be charged for.

Exclusive: Motorola Mobility to Acquire Ex-Googlers’ Stealthy Android-for-the-Enterprise Start-Up

Motorola Mobility has snapped up 3LM, a tiny 10-person Mountain View start-up that aims to make Android a more secure platform for businesses.

News Byte

NileGuide Acquires Decade-Old 10Best for Travel Content

San Francisco-based NileGuide wants to be the alternative to scuzzy keyword-stuffed travel information from content farms. The company, which pays local editors to maintain free, user-generated content, has acquired 10Best.com, a profitable edited travel recommendations site from EnVeritas that’s been around since 2000, to help boost NileGuide’s traffic to three million visitors per month. Terms were not disclosed, but NileGuide said it will keep a portion of 10Best’s staff in Greenville, S.C.

Apple Vs. Nokia: The Battle of Britain II

Another blow landed in the Apple-Nokia patent punch-up. Apple on Tuesday sued Nokia in the High Court in London seeking to invalidate one of the patents at issue between the companies. This particular one covers touchscreen scrolling and is one of a number of patents Nokia has accused Apple of infringing.

One Down: Spotify Signs Sony to U.S. Deal

This doesn’t get them into the States, but it gets them a lot closer: Music service Spotify has finally signed with Sony for a U.S. distribution deal. Multiple sources tell me the deal, which has been very close since last fall, is now closed.

News Byte

That Was Fast: About.Me Acquired by AOL

Less than a week after its public debut, About.me, the start-up offering simple personal profile pages that tie together social networking contact info from other sites, is being acquired by AOL. The financial terms aren’t being disclosed, but the company had raised less than a half million dollars from AOL Ventures and True Ventures. Other investors include Ron Conway’s SV Angel and the New York Times Company. It had been in an extended beta trial period since September.

Federated Media Snaps Up BigTent

No BlackBerry Blackout in UAE

Google Opens the Black Box a Bit

Nokia Noshes Novarra

Yahoo Snags Citizen Sports