In today’s Bulldog wrapup of technology news:

  • Duke rules the roost in MBA rankings but UNC and NCSU rise, too
  • Yahoo buys BrightRoll for $640M
  • AT&T drops plans for in-flight 4G
  • Cisco earnings are due today
  • Microsoft drops Nokia name from phones

The details:

  • Duke No. 1, UNC 12, NCSU 54 in MBA Ranking

Duke’s Fuqua School is the new No. 1 in MBA rankings from Bloomberg news, up from No. 6 in 2012.

But UNC’s Kenan-Flager and NCSU’s Poole programs also rose.

UNC climbed to No. 12 from No. 17.

NCSU climbed to No. 54 from No. 63.

Wake Forest, however, fell two spots to 46th.

For the full report, read: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-11-11/best-business-schools-2014-the-complete-rankings-table

  • Yahoo Buys Digital Ad Service BrightRoll for $640M

Yahoo is buying digital video advertising service BrightRoll for $640 million in the Internet company’s latest attempt to boost its revenue after years filled mostly with financial futility.

The acquisition announced Tuesday marks Yahoo’s first major purchase since reaping a $9.4 billion windfall in September by selling part of its stake in a rapidly rising Internet star, Chinese e-commerce service Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.

Yahoo Inc. has promised to distribute at least half of the $6.3 billion in after-tax proceeds from the Alibaba stake sale to its shareholders. That gives CEO Marissa Mayer the option of spending the rest on acquisitions that could enable the Sunnyvale, California, company to recover some of the ground that it has lost to rivals Google Inc. and Facebook Inc. in the booming online ad market.

BrightRoll, based in San Francisco, helps to automatically place ads in videos displayed on personal computers and mobile devices. Since its founding in 2006, it has built relationships with most of the biggest advertisers in the U.S., helping the service generate more than $100 million in annual revenue, according to Yahoo.

That makes the BrightRoll deal look quite different from the only larger acquisition that Yahoo has made since hiring Mayer as its CEO in July 2012. Mayer bought online blogging service Tumblr for $1.1 billion last year, even though that New York company hadn’t yet proven it could make money.

In contrast, BrightRoll already is profitable, according to Yahoo. Meanwhile, Tumblr isn’t expected to bring in $100 million in annual revenue until next year, at the earliest.

  • AT&T Drops 4G In-flight Wireless Plans

AT&T is dropping its plans to develop a cutting-edge 4G in-flight wireless plan. 

“After a thorough review of our investment portfolio, the company decided to no longer pursue entry into the in-flight connectivity industry,” said Fletcher Cook, a spokesman for AT&T, according to the BBC.

“We are focusing our capital on transformative investments, such as international and video.”

  • Cisco Earnings Due

After its last quarterly earnings report, Cisco announced plans to cut 6,000 workers.

More than 200 of those were at its large campus in RTP.

The tech giant is due to report its latest earnings today.

Forbes offers a preview: http://www.forbes.com/sites/greatspeculations/2014/11/11/cisco-earnings-preview-emerging-markets-in-focus/

  • Microsoft Drops Nokia Name with Newest Lumia Phone

Microsoft has unveiled a cheaper smartphone, costing about 110 euros ($135), as it eyes emerging and other low-cost markets for growth.

The new model is the first Lumia smartphone under Microsoft’s own brand name. The company has released a few Lumia models since it bought Nokia’s phone business this year, but those models still carried the Nokia brand.

The Lumia 535 Windows smartphone will have a 5-inch screen, as measured diagonally. It comes with 5-megapixel front and rear cameras, which should snap sharper selfies than typical smartphones.