1. Walmart just handed over [3] around $300 million for Kosmix, a topic-curated social media platform that's just six years old. The new firm will join the @WalmartLabs division, trying to build out the retail giant's online shopping experience--which is now set to get a big injection of social media thinking, and will probably leverage Kosmix's smart semantic interpretation [4] code to come up with purchase suggestions

2. Theories that Apple is about to radically revamp MobileMe to make it a free service with a social friending angle and cloud music-locker skills just got a big boost: Apple's just instructed [5] its sales partners to end MobileMe $30 rebate programs (along with iWork programs, suggesting it too is getting a makeover). It's a big hint Apple will relaunch MobileMe sooner rather than later, to give it more skills to combat Google and Android.

3. Almost exactly as rumored, Samsung [6] has just partially disposed [7] of its hard drive business in a deal worth close to $1.4 billion. Existing HDD giant Seagate is the other partner, and as part of the deal it's getting access to some of Samsung's NAND flash memory expertise--handy for its plans to leverage the burgeoning solid-state-drive enterprise market. The deal also slashes losses for Samsung, while preserving HDD supply for its notebooks.

4. Still smarting from Apple's [8] multi-pronged lawsuit alleging Samsung basically copied the design of the iPhone and iPad with its products (just as we commented [9] a few weeks back), the Korean firm is fighting back: It's vowed to fight [10] the Apple suit, and is suggesting Apple in turn has violated a suite of Samsung-owned patents in wireless tech. Samsung is pressing ahead despite the fact that Apple is one of its "key buyers" of display panels and chips.

5. 1-800 numbers are being eaten up [11] at a consistent rate by small Philadelphia-based outfit PrimeTel Communications--the firm usually acts to buy up a number when the incumbent owner ends its use. As of March, 2011, records show it controls more 1-800 numbers than any other firm, including big names like AT&T. It would seem most of the 1.7 million numbers are being used to redirect callers (via a saucy advert) to a paid phone sex service.

To read more news like this follow Kit Eaton on Twitter [12] and Fast Company [13] too.