Google in staff hiring spree

Google plans to hire more than 6 200 workers this year - boosting its workforce by at least a quarter - in the biggest expansion yet by the Internet's most profitable company, writes the Associated Press.

The hiring spree comes as president Barack Obama emphasised the need for more jobs during his state of the union address last night.

Google CEO Eric Schmidt was among a group of business leaders who met with Obama last month to discuss ways to bolster the economy. However, Google's push to further expand its workforce, which grew by 23% last year, may not be well received on Wall Street.

As fierce anti-government protests in the Egyptian capital of Cairo began to escalate, word broke out that government forces had blocked access to Twitter's Web site, according to CNet.

Twitter users throughout the country reported that they could not access the Twitter.com Web site, though third-party clients were still functioning.

When CNet contacted Twitter for comment, no statement was provided - just a link to an evidently new Twitter account, @TwitterGlobalPR, which in turn directed those interested in finding out about an alleged block to consult a site called HerdictWeb.

Research In Motion (RIM) is gearing up for a busy 2011 with the release of a number of business-oriented applications designed to enhance the usability of BlackBerry devices in the enterprise, says V3.co.uk.

V3.co.uk was given a preview of the company's roadmap, showing details about key upcoming releases, including BlackBerry Balance, MDaemon Messaging Server BlackBerry Edition, and the BlackBerry Mobile Voice System.

BlackBerry Balance, unofficially unveiled on Monday, is shaping up to be a key addition to the firm's portfolio, and RIM is hoping it will help to slow the rise of Apple and Android in the enterprise market.

Yahoo's revenue dipped 4% during its fourth quarter as the company adjusts to life as a Microsoft spouse, reveals The Register.

During the quarter ending 31 December, Yahoo pulled in $1.2 billion excluding traffic acquisition costs, down from $1.26 billion in the same quarter last year. The company said the 4% drop was due in large part to its search revenue-sharing agreement with Microsoft.

Nonetheless, the company's fourth quarter profits climbed to $312 million, a 104% increase over the previous year.