eBay Acquires Zong for $240 Million
eBay announced plans to significantly expand the reach of its PayPal unit this week by agreeing to acquire Zong, a mobile payments company. Purchased for $240 million, Zong allows users to make purchases on their mobile devices using just their mobile number. With the combination of the two companies, Zong has the potential to reach 4 billion users around the world, including the already 100 million active PayPal users. [via eBay Ink]

eBay’s South Korean Units Gmarket Inc. and Internet Auction Co. Merge
South Korea’s antitrust agency said Tuesday it had approved eBay Inc’s move to merge its two e-commerce units in the country. The Fair Trade Commission dismissed opposition from consumers and smaller online operators and has allowed Gmarket Inc. and Internet Auction Co. to merge. eBay Internet Auction Co. and Gmarket Inc. control a combined 72 percent of the domestic e-commerce market. [via Wall Street Journal]

eBay Design Team Launches New Site
eBay recently created its own internal design consultancy, PreVIZ, to unveil an all new website, Design at eBay. The site is designed to tell the stories behind the designers at eBay and also has the potential to be used as a recruiting tool for those interested in joining the team. [via eBay Ink]

Further News
+ Soon after Google+ launches, Facebook rolls out Skype-powered in-browser video chat service
+ Should your small business create a Google+ profile?
+ Roost survey finds small businesses believe social media is more than paid search
+ Social-media changes landscape for gathering, filtering and distributing news resulting in a changing audience

Looking Back on eBay Ink
July 9th, 2010: In addition to releasing the eBay application for Android internationally earlier today, eBay also announced the international release of the eBay Selling application and the eBay for iPad app. The Selling application is now available in Germany and the United Kingdom, and the eBay for iPad application is now translated into French, Italian, German and Spanish for international users and is currently available through all of Apple’s iTunes App Stores.

eBay Ink Weekend Roundup is a summary of news and updates around eBay, PayPal, Social Media, Technology and E-commerce. Let us know what interests you.