Uber reportedly in talks to raise $500M for $12B valuation

Uber

On-demand car service Uber is apparently shifting gears on its financing ambitions.

The 4-year-old company, whose app allows customers to request rides in private cars, is in discussions with a group of fund managers to raise about $500 million, financing that would give the startup a valuation of about $12 billion, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Investors are expected to make commitments by the end of this week, the Journal reported, with deal closure coming by the end of the quarter.

CNET has contacted Uber for comment and will update this report when we learn more.

Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Uber was in talks with private equity investors on financing that would give it a valuation of about $10 billion, although it was suggested that the size and value of the possible funding could change.It appears one of Uber's recent hires could be leading the charge for this reported new round of funding. According to Bloomberg, Uber hired Cameron Poetzscher from Goldman Sachs Group in March to be in charge of its corporate development.

A $12 billion valuation would be triple the current value of the company. Last August, Uber racked up roughly $350 million in funding, which gave it a $3.5 billion valuation. Such funding would make the company one of the most valuable venture-backed startups and allow it to pull ahead of rival on-demand car service Lyft, which announced in April that it had raised $250 million in Series D funding.

Despite earlier roadblocks from government regulators and taxi commissions, Uber appears to now be on a roll, with a presence in 115 cities worldwide. The company also has snagged deals with PayPal andthe NFL.

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Rubik's Cube turns 40 – play it on your smartphone or tablet

Back in 1974, Hungarian sculptor and professor of architecture Erno Rubik came up with a three-dimensional combination puzzle game – a Magic Cube, as it was initially named. Today, exactly 40 years later, his invention is considered by many to be the best-seling toy that has ever existed. We're talking about the Rubik's Cube, of course, 350 million units of which have been sold. Generations have attempted to solve the cube's puzzle – some with thought and perseverance, others by taking apart and reassembling the darn thing.  

However, you don't necessarily need a Rubik's Cube to enjoy the challenge of solving one. Not if you have a smartphone or tablet at your disposal, that is. Cube apps are available for all popular mobile platforms, and today we picked the ones you should give a try. 

The official Rubik's Cube app is the one we'd recommend to iPhone users. It includes a classic 3x3x3 cube, as well as several extra-challenging variations with up to 5 by 5 tiles per side. The cube itself can be spun around using either the touchscreen controls, or the handset's motion sensors. And if you have a pair of 3D anaglyph glasses, you can turn the app's 3D mode on and experience the cube in three dimensions. Plus, the app features a solution guide for those having troubles with their cubes.

The Windows Phone variant of the app, brought to us by the same team of developers, lacks some of the aforementioned features, such as the 3D mode and the motion controls, But it is still good enough to keep one's brain challenged as it features cube sizes of 2x2x2 to 5x5x5. You can play the smallest cube for free before purchasing the game's full version.

Developer: Magmic Inc.	Download: iOS, Windows Phone
Genre: Puzzle	Price: $0.99 for iOS with in-app purchases, $2.99 for Windows Phone

Now, there's an official Rubik's Cube game for Android and it costs a buck at the Play Store. It appears to be suffering from compatibility issues, judging by all its negative reviews. That's why you'll probably be better off downloading 3D Rubik Cube instead, which is free and ad-supported. The app features the classic cube, as well as several harder ones, the biggest one of them being 8 by 8 by 8 tiles. Just hit that download link and enjoy!

Developer: EZ.GAME	Download: Android
Genre: Puzzle	Price: Free, ad supported

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Play with a virtual Rubik's Cube on Google

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the iconic puzzle, Google is hosting an interactive virtual version on its homepage.

Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET

It's hard to believe, but the Rubik's Cube -- that source of such absorption and frustration -- is now officially 40 years old. It didn't leave its home country of Hungary until May of 1980, but it was actually created in 1974 by inventor and architect Ernő Rubik.

It's probably not quite as time-consuming as the Pac-Man or Doctor Who games Google has created in the past, since it seems like there's only one cube configuration to be solved. (The Pac-Man game was accused of wasting 4,819,352 hours.)This is probably why Google is paying homage to the toy now, with an interactive model right on its home page. It plays pretty much like you would expect: you click and drag outside the cube to rotate it, and click and drag inside the cube to twist.

The Doodle is currently live on the Google Australia home page, and will be live around the rest of the world as the clock ticks over to 19 May. After that, you should be able to find it in the Google Doodle archive.

And, as always, you can click on the little search icon for a list of results about the Rubik's Cube.

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