How pros think Yahoo should spend its Alibaba cash

With all of Yahoo's troubles—including declining sales and grim outlook—the company has at least one bright spot on the horizon.

It's expected to cash in big when Chinese Internet giant Alibaba goes public, widely expected to be one of the biggest IPOs of all time.

Read MoreAlibaba IPO likely happening late September

Yahoo owns a 24 percent stake in Alibaba, and is required to sell about 40 percent—or about 208 million shares—at the time of the IPO, leaving Yahoo with a potential windfall of more than $10 billion.

While the company has alluded to returning about half of its profits from the offering to shareholders, it's expected the company will also spend a lot of its proceeds on beefing up its struggling core ad businesses. But critics aren't certain money can fix Yahoo's problems.

"Yahoo is actually better off just throwing in the towel," said New York University finance professor Aswath Damodaran, a valuation expert.

"The most sensible thing that they can do is give the money back to stockholders. They have lost the game to others (Google, Netflix, Amazon) and it is time for [CEO] Marissa Mayer to concede and not throw good money after bad," Damodaran said in an email to CNBC.

While Yahoo does face significant challenges even after it gets the Alibaba windfall, all hope is not lost—at least not yet, said Kinshuk Jerath, a Columbia Business School marketing professor.

Samsung launches Gear S smartwatch ahead of iWatch

Samsung has launched its latest smartwatch, the Gear S, just days ahead of Apple's expected iWatch launch, as the wearable tech market continues to heat up.

The Samsung device has a 2-inch curved screen and runs on Samsung's own Tizen operating system, unlike its previous Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which ran on Google's Android system. The Gear S has 3G, Wi-fi and Bluetooth capabilities and is able to make and receive phone calls and send messages.

HP recalls 6 million computer cords for fire risk

HP is warning customers: Check your laptop charging cord to see if it's at risk of overheating.

Hewlett-Packard (HPQ, Tech30) and federal regulators on Tuesday recalled 6 million power cords sold between September 2010 and June 2012 with some HP and Compaq notebook computers, as well as certain docking stations.

They warned the cords could overheat and catch fire. Of the 29 reported cases, two involved burns and there were 13 claims of property damage.

Apple's iPhone 6 Could Work As A Mobile Wallet!

The tech giant has reportedly struck a deal with major payment networks to allow people to buy goods by swiping their iPhone.

Apple has struck an agreement with Visa, MasterCard and American Express to turn the next iPhone into a mobile wallet, it has been claimed.

The latest iteration of Apple's iconic smartphone is widely expected to be revealed on September 9.

It has been claimed by several respected Apple sources that a near-field communication chip (NFC) will be included in the phone for the first time.

It is a feature already available and several other smartphones, and allows phone users to use their devices to pay for goods – similar to a contactless payment card.

Financial news service Bloomberg reports that deals have been struck with major payment networks, retailers and banks ahead of the launch.

Retailers have been slow to adopt the technology, but given Apple's market share the introduction of NFC could boost usage.

Getting retailers on-board is key - as many of them still lack point-of-sale systems that can accept NFC payments.

Analysts say that adding payment capabilities to iPhones would help retain customers in future, as they are then reliant on Apple's ecosystem of hardware and software.

There are around 800 million global iTunes accounts which include payment information.

Until now, the payment methods are only used to buy online apps and entertainment, and Apple goods in-store.

Google 'discourages' users of old browsers

Google has started showing old versions of its search page to people using out-of-date versions of some web browsers.

At the weekend, many people reported in a Google forum they were seeing 2013 versions of the Google and image search homepages when using older browsers.

The problem was most pronounced among those using variants of Safari 5.1 and Opera 12.

A Google message posted to the forum said the change was made to "encourage" people to upgrade their browser.

Nokia maps to appear on Samsung phones

Nokia's mapping service will soon be appearing on Samsung smartphones.

A deal between the two will see a test or beta version of an Android app for Nokia's Here maps included free on handsets and the Gear S smartwatch.

The move is widely seen as a way to help Samsung distinguish itself from Google which oversees Android.

Formerly known as Nokia maps, Here is also used by Yahoo, Amazon and Garmin and it provides map data for Microsoft's Bing search engine.

The map service covers 190 countries, offers turn-by-turn navigation, tourist information and public transport details. In addition, the maps can be downloaded to a device so they can be used offline.

A version of Nokia's mapping service is being specially prepared for Samsung's Gear S smartwatch. Called Here for Gear it will be a navigation system optimised to use the relatively small display on the wrist-worn gadget.

Russia and China launch gas pipeline

Russia and China have begun the construction of a new gas pipeline linking the countries, with a ceremony in the Siberian city of Yakutsk.

China's CNPC has agreed to buy $400bn (£240bn) of gas from Russia's Gazprom.

Russia will ship 38 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas annually over a period of 30 years.

The deal will lessen Russia's dependence on European buyers, who have imposed economic sanctions because of the crisis in Ukraine.

The construction ceremony was attended by Russian President Vladmir Putin and Chinese Vice-Premier Zhang Gaoli.

China will start work on the construction of its side of the pipeline in the first half of 2015, Mr Zhang said.

The first gas will be pumped from Siberia to north-east China in early 2019.

Over the past 10 years, China has used other gas suppliers. Turkmenistan is now China's largest foreign gas supplier. Last year, it started importing piped natural gas from Myanmar.

China is Russia's largest single trading partner, with bilateral trade flows of $90bn (£53bn) in 2013.

The two neighbours aim to double the volume to $200bn in 10 years.