Tech blog says Twitter bought TweetDeck

Twitter on Monday declined to comment on a renewed report that the microblogging service has bought a TweetDeck service used to "tweet" from mobile phones and tablet computers.

"We don't comment on rumors," Twitter said in response to an AFP inquiry about the report, which first surfaced earlier this year.

"We don't provide off-the-record background on rumors," Twitter's email statement continued. "We don't wink twice or release puffs of smoke about rumors."

TechCrunch cited an anonymous source as telling the influential technology news website that Twitter bought TweetDeck from UberMedia in a stock-and-cash deal valued between $40 million and $50 million.

California-based UberMedia is an Idealab company that has been gobbling up applications people use to synch Twitter messages to various devices.

UberMedia early in February added popular Twitter "client" TweetDeck to Echofon, Twidroyd, and UberTwitter in a stable of applications said to control 20 percent of "tweets" fired off on any given day.

UberMedia chief executive Bill Gross has described his operation as the leading independent provider of applications for reading and posting to Twitter and other social Internet platforms.

(c) 2011 AFP