Topping tech headlines on Tuesday: Google completed its $12.5 billion merger of Motorola Mobility. Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha has stepped down, and Dennis Woodside, a senior vice president at Google who has been overseeing the merger, will take his place.
In other news, Massachusetts regulators on Tuesday issued a subpoena to Morgan Stanley, the lead underwriter for Facebook's initial public offering, in an effort to get answers about reports that some investors and not others were informed of earnings revisions for the company ahead of the IPO. The highly publicized IPO is facing scrutiny from several quarters for possible irregularities that may have occurred before the stock was floated and continued through the first day of trading.For more on Facebook's IPO, see Facebook Is Getting Killed – By Itself
Meanwhile, Tesla Motors said Tuesday that it will start delivering its Model S electric sedan to customers on June 22, ahead of the July delivery date the company previously forecast. The electric car maker expects to deliver 5,000 Model S sedans to customers by the end of the year, the company said. Orders for the vehicle currently exceed 10,000.
Also, Microsoft this week outlined some multi monitor-related improvements it plans to add to Windows 8. To boost multi-monitor support, Microsoft came up with four goals for Windows 8: make the desktop more personalized; improve the efficiency of accessing apps across monitors; improve Start menu access; and allow side-by-side Metro style and desktop apps.
Also making headlines on Tuesday:
- Pre-Order an Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S III ... for $800: An Amazon reseller, among others, are now taking pre-orders for Samsung's next-gen Galaxy S device.
- Apple Brochure Pitches 'Spaceship' Campus to Neighbors: Though the Cupertino City Council appears poised to approve whatever plans Apple puts forward for its new "spaceship" campus, Apple has prepared a brochure for its neighbors that outlines what's in store.
- Remote Control Inventor Eugene Polley Dies at 96: Polley died of natural causes on Sunday in a Chicago-area hospital.
- 'Halo' Developer Bungie's Next Project: 'Destiny': Bungie, the developers of the Halo series of games, plan to develop a multi-title series of games, known as Destiny, which will be published by Activision.
- iPhone-Powered Guitar, gTar, Rocks Kickstarter: The all-digital gTar promises to make it easy for anyone to learn how to play, regardless of their current musical prowess.
- Amazon Appstore Brings App Test Drives to Phones: Amazon is extending its "Test Drive" service to Android phones, which will allow Amazon Appstore users to try out apps before buying or downloading.
- Sidecar App Lets You Share Data While on the Phone: A San Francisco-based startup called Sidecar is looking to make your phone calls a little smarter.
- After Delay, SpaceX Rocket Launches Successfully: After several false starts, the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched the Dragon spacecraft from Cape Canaveral, which is en route to the International Space Station (ISS).
For more from Angela, follow her on Twitter @amoscaritolo.
