• Reuters, Friday, August 6, 2010 2:02 PM

Supporting an earlier report, Apple is in talks to acquire Chinese software maker Handseeing, an exec at the company confirms with Reuters. "We should have a decision in about one or two months," said Tian Bo, vice president for operations. "They're still talking about it and it's not quite settled yet right now." Handseeing is "a little-known gaming company headquartered in southwest China's Sichuan province. It designs online games based on popular Chinese folklore," according to Reuters.

Handseeing specializes in rich Internet applications, with a primary business model focused on mobile online gaming. "If realised, the deal could point to an effort by Apple to push harder into the gaming or China markets, where it has not previously had a significant presence." Chinese business news organization SinoCast broke news of the talk earlier this week, put the price tag at $148 million. The original report also said that other potential buyers had recently come forward, adding "uncertainty" to the deal. As Apple Insider said Thursday: "If the rumor is accurate, it could be yet another sign that Apple is interested in creating its own games for devices like the iPhone and iPad in-house."

Read the whole story at Reuters »