Gasoline prices in Maine fall by 26 cents in a month

Gasoline prices in Maine continue to fall.

The price-monitoring website MaineGasPrices.com says the average retail price has fallen by a nickel a gallon in the past week, to $3.45.

Gas prices are now 26 cents a gallon lower than a month ago, and 20 cents a gallon lower than a year ago.

According to the website, the average gas price in Maine is the same as the national average.

Microsoft buys Yammer for its business sharing features

Microsoft is buying Internet startup Yammer for $1.2 billion in an attempt to bring Facebook-like sharing features to its widely used suite of business software applications.

Yammer specializes in creating private social networks so employees within the same company can keep tabs on what colleagues are working on. That’s similar to how Facebook’s online social network allows friends and families to track what’s happening in each other’s personal lives.

The acquisition announced Monday represents Microsoft’s latest attempt to adapt to a major shift in the technology industry, one that is fueling demand for more Internet-connected services and social-networking tools.

Microsoft is counting on Yammer’s sharing tools to ensure that Microsoft applications remain vital components for getting work done.