Qualcomm

Qualcomm Inc. agreed to buy Firethorn Holdings for about $210 million in cash to expand in mobile-banking software. Firethorn's product enables consumers to use their mobile phones to view account balances and history, pay bills and transfer funds, San Diego-based Qualcomm said.

Qualcomm Inc. reported Thursday that its fiscal fourth-quarter earnings nearly doubled on demand for chips that power high-end cellphones, but its estimate of first-quarter profit was on the low end of Wall Street's expectations. Shares of San Diego-based Qualcomm tumbled 3.5%, or $1.43, to $39.76, then plunged an additional $2.86 after hours. Qualcomm, the world's second-largest supplier of cellphone chips, earned $1.

SAN DIEGO -- As the final fire refugees boarded buses for the short ride to a Red Cross shelter early Friday morning, a small army of workers hustled to restore a sense of normalcy to Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers. For much of this week, Qualcomm was temporary home to as many as 13,000 people displaced by wildfires in San Diego County.

SAN DIEGO -- Mayor Jerry Sanders said Thursday that Qualcomm Stadium should be ready by Sunday to play host to the Chargers' game against the Houston Texans. But he said the decision whether to play the game there as scheduled was up to the team and the NFL. Sanders said Qualcomm is scheduled to close at noon today as an evacuation center for people displaced by wildfires in the San Diego area.

SAN DIEGO -- Just inside the stadium gate Monday, a young bleached-blond woman offered a drink: "Would you care for a Red Bull, sir?" Another hundred feet on, a woman walked by carrying a sign: "Anyone distressed?" She gave directions to a crisis counseling center down the way. There was more food than could be eaten. More help than could be used. San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders guessed there were as many volunteers as victims.

Qualcomm Inc., a San Diego maker of mobile-phone chips, said a U.S. judge issued an initial determination ending an investigation of trade practices filed by Nokia. Nokia in August asked the U.S. International Trade Commission in Washington to ban imports of handsets with certain Qualcomm chip sets, raising the stakes in their fight over licensing fees. The Finnish firm said Qualcomm used "unfair trade practices" in relation to five of its patents.

brussels -- European Union antitrust regulators are investigating U.S. wireless technologies company Qualcomm Inc. for possible abusive business practices, European officials said Monday. Qualcomm, the world's second-largest chip maker for cellphones, might have violated EU competition rules by refusing to share licensing terms for its mobile-phone technology, EU spokesman Jonathan Todd said. The probe could take as long as two years, Todd said. Six mobile-phone companies -- Broadcom Corp.

Qualcomm Inc. raised its profit forecast for the fourth quarter, citing higher-than-expected shipments of its chip sets for more advanced cellphones. Qualcomm expects earnings of 64 cents to 65 cents a share, up from its previous forecast of 41 cents to 43 cents. The San Diego company says revenue will come in "at or slightly above" its earlier estimate of $2.15 billion to $2.25 billion.

Gemstar-TV Guide International Inc., a publisher of on-screen program listings, signed a patent licensing agreement with Qualcomm Inc.'s MediaFlo mobile television division. The deal is TV Guide's first with a U.S. wireless video service provider, Gemstar said.

A U.S. trade agency said it would investigate patent-infringement claims by Nokia against Qualcomm Inc. Nokia, based in Espoo, Finland, filed the complaint in August with the U.S. International Trade Commission, a Washington agency that can bar imports of products that infringe U.S. patents. The company said San Diego-based Qualcomm used "unfair trade practices" in relation to five of its patents.