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Microsoft Offering Free Xbox 360 to Students

Microsoft Offering Free Xbox 360 to Students
Beginning May 20th, U.S. students who buy a qualifying Windows PC worth $699 or more at participating retailers can get a 4GB Xbox 360 console for free, and on May 18th Canadian students who buy a Windows PC worth $599 or more can also get a free 4GB Xbox 360. Participating retailers in the US include Best Buy, Dell.com, Fry's Electronics, HPDirect.com, Microsoft Stores, and NewEgg.com, while in Canada participating retailers include Best Buy, Dell.ca, Future Shop, Staples, and The Source. To take advantage of the offer, students or their parents must provide a valid student identification.

May 18, 2012

Facebook Announces IPO Pricing

Facebook Announces IPO Pricing
Facebook announced that the pricing of its initial public offering (IPO) of 421,233,615 shares of its common stock will be set at a price of $38 per share to the public. The shares are expected to begin trading on the NASDAQ Global Select Market on May 18, 2012, under the symbol "FB." The company is offering 180,000,000 shares of Class A common stock, and selling stockholders are offering 241,233,615 shares of Class A common stock. Closing of the offering is expected to occur on May 22, 2012.

May 17, 2012

Aaron Sorkin Set to Write Sony's Steve Jobs Movie

Aaron Sorkin Set to Write Sony's Steve Jobs Movie
Aaron Sorkin, who won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for 2010's "The Social Network," will be tackling the job of adapting Walter Isaacson's Steve Jobs biography for Sony Pictures Entertainment. The film, not to be confused with the upcoming Steve Jobs biopic starring Ashton Kutcher, has no set release date, nor any casting information, as of yet.

May 16, 2012

Amazon Lists the Most Well-Read Cities in America

Amazon Lists the Most Well-Read Cities in America
Amazon announced its annual list of the Most Well-Read Cities in America. The Top 20 Most Well-Read Cities, according to the company, are:

Alexandria, Va.
Cambridge, Mass.
Berkeley, Calif.
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Boulder, Colo.
Miami
Arlington, Va.
Gainesville, Fla.
Washington, D.C.
Salt Lake City
Pittsburgh
Knoxville, Tenn.
Seattle
Orlando, Fla.
Columbia, S.C.
Bellevue, Wash.
Cincinnati
St. Louis
Atlanta
Richmond, Va.

Rankings were determined by compiling sales data of all book, magazine, and newspaper sales in both print and Kindle format since June 1, 2011, on a per capita basis in cities with more than 100,000 residents.

May 15, 2012

Best of Twitter Coming to Your Inbox

Best of Twitter Coming to Your Inbox
Twitter announced that users can expect to see a weekly email digest delivered to their inbox. The digest will feature a selection of the most relevant Tweets and stories shared by the people a user is connected to on the service, with summaries to help them decide which Tweets will be of interest to them. Users can also Tweet directly from the email, as well as see related Tweets. The new email digest will be rolled out to users over the next few weeks.

May 14, 2012

Skype and The Education Foundation Launch The Learning Lab

Skype and The Education Foundation Launch The Learning Lab
Skype and the The Education Foundation, the UK's first cross-sector education think tank, have launched The Learning Lab in London, a technology-rich professional development center for education professionals and leaders. The Learning Lab will be used as a testing ground for new approaches to curriculum and technology, as well as an event and showcasing area for education organizations, policy makers, and businesses across the UK. The goal of the partnership, is to provide more opportunities for teachers and students to use technology in the classroom to communicate and learn from others around the globe. For more information, visit: education.skype.com

May 11, 2012

Harry Potter eBooks Coming to Kindle Owners' Lending Library

Harry Potter eBooks Coming to Kindle Owners' Lending Library
On June 19th, Amazon will be adding all seven Harry Potter books to the Kindle Owners' Lending Library in English, French, Italian, German and Spanish. The company stated that it has purchased an exclusive license from J.K. Rowling's Pottermore to make the books available to its Amazon Prime members, along with over 145,000 other books that can be borrowed for free as frequently as once a month, with no due dates.

"We're absolutely delighted to have reached this agreement with Pottermore. This is the kind of significant investment in the Kindle ecosystem that we'll continue to make on behalf of Kindle owners," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com. "Over a year, borrowing the Harry Potter books, plus a handful of additional titles, can alone be worth more than the $79 cost of Prime or a Kindle. The Kindle Owners' Lending Library also has an innovative feature that's of great benefit for popular titles like Harry Potter - unlimited supply of each title - you never get put on a waiting list."

Additionally, notes, highlights, and bookmarks made in borrowed books are saved for customers, so they will be available later if the customer decides to purchase or borrow a particular book again.

May 10, 2012

Angry Birds Games Pass One Billion Downloads
Proving to be one of the most successful game franchises ever, Rovio's Angry Birds games have been downloaded more than one billion times, according to the company. What started out as a simple mobile game for the iPhone, quickly found itself gathering a growing legion of loyal fans, lines of merchandise, an upcoming animated series, and a wildly popular sequel with Angry Birds Space. Though the company is said to have other games in the works, with this much success, there's no doubt that we will continue to see more Angry Birds for a long time to come.

May 9, 2012

RIM and TomTom Team Up for Real-Time Traffic

RIM and TomTom Team Up for Real-Time Traffic
Research In Motion (RIM) and TomTom have teamed up to provide BlackBerry users with TomTom's real-time traffic services. BlackBerry Traffic is now being powered by TomTom HD Traffic, providing customers with up-to-date traffic information, maps, and location content.

"Through our strategic relationship with RIM, we are enabling the future of mobile travel with powerful location content and real-time information, including HD Traffic," said Nuno Campos, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for TomTom Licensing. "TomTom's market-leading real-time traffic information will provide BlackBerry customers with the best mobile travel experience."

Third party software developers will also have access to mapping and traffic information for use in their own apps.

May 8, 2012

Twitter Updates Mobile Web Experience for Low Bandwidth Users

Twitter Updates Mobile Web Experience for Low Bandwidth Users
Twitter announced that it is updating its browser-based mobile web app (mobile.twitter.com) to help give people access to the latest version of Twitter from feature phones, low-bandwidth networks, or older browsers. The new web version uses one-third less bandwidth than the previous version, and is available for use now.

May 7, 2012

LinkedIn Acquiring SlideShare

LinkedIn Acquiring SlideShare
LinkedIn announced that it has agreed to acquire SlideShare, a professional content sharing community, for approximately $118.75 million. SlideShare will continue to operate as it has been, according to the company, with both SlideShare and LinkedIn members expected to be offered a number of new features as a result of the deal.

"Presentations are one of the main ways in which professionals capture and share their experiences and knowledge, which in turn helps shape their professional identity," said LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner. "These presentations also enable professionals to discover new connections and gain the insights they need to become more productive and successful in their careers, aligning perfectly with LinkedIn's mission and helping us deliver even more value for our members. We're very excited to welcome the SlideShare team to LinkedIn."

The acquisition is expected to close during the second quarter of 2012.

May 3, 2012

Amazon Studios to Develop Original Shows for Amazon Instant Video

Amazon Studios to Develop Original Shows for Amazon Instant Video
Amazon announced that Amazon Studios will be developing original comedy and children's series for Amazon Instant Video, and is inviting series creators are to upload their proposals for comedy and children's programming.

"Amazon Studios wants to discover great talent and produce programming that audiences will love," said Roy Price, director of Amazon Studios. "In the course of developing movies, we've heard a lot of interest from content creators who want to develop original series in the comedy and children's genres. We are excited to bring writers, animators and directors this new opportunity to develop original series."

Amazon Studios plans to option one new project each month, and add it to the development slate where it will be tested for viability with an audience. If the project is chosen to be distributed as a full-budget series, the creator will receive a $55,000 payment, as well as up to 5 percent of Amazon's net receipts from toy and t-shirt licensing, and other royalties and bonuses.

For more information about Amazon Studios, and how to submit a series proposal to them, visit: studios.amazon.com

May 2, 2012

RIM Launches BlackBerry 10 Platform

RIM Launches BlackBerry 10 Platform
Research In Motion (RIM) unveiled its plans for the BlackBerry 10 platform at the BlackBerry World conference in Orlando, Florida, releasing its initial developer toolkit for native and HTML5 software development. The toolkit includes the BlackBerry 10 Native SDK with Cascades, which allows developers to create native applications in C/C++, and includes support for HTML5 application development with the BlackBerry 10 WebWorks SDK.

"There is tremendous interest, anticipation and momentum building toward the launch of BlackBerry 10 devices, and today we're extremely excited to release the BlackBerry 10 developer beta tools for general use," said Christopher Smith, Vice President, Handheld Application Platform and Tools at Research In Motion. "Developers can use this first beta of the tools to get started building apps for BlackBerry 10 and as the tools evolve over the coming months, developers will have access to a rich API set that will allow them to build even more integrated apps. The toolkit we are delivering today also meets developers on their own terms. Whether using the powerful Cascades framework, writing direct native code or developing in HTML5, BlackBerry 10 will empower developers to create attractive and compelling apps that excite customers."

Applications created with any of the BlackBerry 10 tools will run on BlackBerry 10 smartphones as well as BlackBerry PlayBook tablets when the new platform becomes available for the PlayBook. The NDK for BlackBerry 10, including Cascades, and the BlackBerry 10 WebWorks SDK are available now.

May 1, 2012

Barnes & Noble and Microsoft Team to Form New Company
Barnes & Noble and Microsoft Team to Form New Company

Barnes & Noble and Microsoft Team to Form New Company
Barnes & Noble and Microsoft announced that they are forming a strategic partnership in a new Barnes & Noble subsidiary, which will focus on digital reading technologies from both companies, with designs to help accelerate the consumer transition to e-reading.

The new subsidiary, referred to as Newco (though no final name has been decided upon as of yet), will receive a $300 million investment from Microsoft. The digital and College businesses of Barnes & Noble will also be brought together, and the new company will have an ongoing relationship with Barnes & Noble's retail stores. A NOOK application for Windows 8 will also be coming, bringing Barnes & Noble's digital bookstore to millions of U.S. and international Windows customers.

April 30, 2012

LinkedIn Launches New iPad App

LinkedIn Launches New iPad App
LinkedIn announced the launch of its new LinkedIn for iPad app, which is designed to take full advantage of the iPad's Multi-touch features, as well as the latest model's new Retina display. The new app is available now in the App Store.

April 26, 2012

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference Coming June 11th

Apple Worldwide Developers Conference Coming June 11th
Apple announced that its annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) will be held June 11th through June 15th at Moscone West in San Francisco. The company plans to showcase the future of iOS and OS X for developers, and will feature more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers.

"We have a great WWDC planned this year and can't wait to share the latest news about iOS and OS X Mountain Lion with developers," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "The iOS platform has created an entirely new industry with fantastic opportunities for developers across the country and around the world."

The Apple Design Awards will also be presented, honoring some of the best apps from the past year, and many are expecting the next generation iPhone to be unveiled at the event as well. Stay tuned...

April 25, 2012

Google Announces Google Drive
Google announced Google Drive, a cloud-based storage solution that allows you to create, share, and collaborate with others on documents, images, videos, and other types of files.

Google Docs, for example, is built into Google Drive, letting you work with others on documents, spreadsheets and presentations, all in real time. Once your files are stored on Google Drive, you can access them from anywhere, on all of your devices. Google Drive can be installed on your Mac or PC, and you can download the Google Drive app for your Android phone or tablet. Google is also working on a Google Drive app for iOS devices, which should be available soon.

Users can set up a free account now, with 5GB of free storage, or upgrade to 25GB for $2.49 per month, 100GB for $4.99 per month or 1TB for $49.99 per month. For more information, view the preview video above, and visit: drive.google.com/start

April 24, 2012

Microsoft and Facebook Announce Patent Agreement
Microsoft and Facebook Announce Patent Agreement

Microsoft and Facebook Announce Patent Agreement
Microsoft and Facebook announced a patent agreement, regarding the patent portfolio Microsoft recently agreed to acquire from AOL. Under the agreement, Microsoft will assign to Facebook the right to purchase a portion of the patent portfolio, for which Facebook will pay $550 million in cash. Microsoft will retain ownership of approximately 275 AOL patents and applications when the transaction with Facebook closes, as well as a license to the approximately 650 AOL patents and applications that will be owned by Facebook, and a license to approximately 300 patents that AOL did not sell in its auction.

April 23, 2012

Yelp Comes to Denmark

Yelp Comes to Denmark
Yelp, the community-led city guide and search site, announced its arrival in Denmark, allowing Danes to share information about local businesses and services. The free Yelp iPhone and Android applications are also available in Denmark, as well as Yelp for Business Owners, a free suite of business owner tools. With the arrival of Yelp, Denmark is now the twelfth country to have a dedicated Yelp community in Europe.

April 20, 2012

Microsoft Reports Record Third-Quarter

Microsoft Reports Record Third-Quarter
Microsoft announced a record third-quarter, with revenues of $17.41 billion for the quarter ending March 31st. That number represented a 6% increase over the prior year. Operating income was also up, at $6.37 billion, showing a 12% increase from the prior year.

"We're driving toward exciting launches across the entire company, while delivering strong financial results," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "With the upcoming release of new Windows 8 PCs and tablets, the next version of Office, and a wide array of products and services for the enterprise and consumers, we will be delivering exceptional value to all our customers in the year ahead."

Although the gaming console market hasn't been as strong as in prior years, the company also announced that the Xbox remained the top-selling gaming console in the U.S. for the 15th consecutive month. New content will also be coming for the Xbox, which should make its 40 million Xbox LIVE members very happy.

April 19, 2012

$199.99 HTC One X Available from AT&T Beginning May 6th
The HTC One X, the first smartphone from AT&T to launch with Android 4.0, will be available from AT&T beginning May 6th for $199.99. The new phone features Beats by Dr. Dre Audio, HTC Sense 4, designed to deliver camera improvements to the lens, sensor and software, and a long-lasting battery for heavy mobile use. Pre-orders for the HTC One X will begin April 22nd. For more information, view the video above, and visit www.att.com/onex.

April 18, 2012

Chrome for Android Gets Update

Chrome for Android Gets Update
The Chrome for Android Beta browser is getting an update. Chrome for Android Beta is now available in 31 more languages, and incorporates many of the requested features users have been asking for. Additionally, Google is encouraging users to keep providing feedback, so even more improvements can be made for future updates. The Chrome for Android Beta update is available now, and can be installed from Google Play on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) phones and tablets.

April 17, 2012

Roku Comes to Canada

Roku Comes to Canada
Roku announced the launch of its Roku 2 XD and Roku 2 XS streaming players in Canada. More than 100 channels will be available with the Canadian launch, with the company expected to widen its channel selection over time to match the 450 channels available in the U.S. market. The XD will sell for CAD 89.99, and the XS will sell for CAD 109.99. Customers can pre-order both models now at www.roku.ca. The two Roku players will be available in stores later this month.

April 16, 2012

YouTube Expands Partner Program

YouTube Expands Partner Program
YouTube has updated its YouTube Partner Program in 20 countries (Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom, United States), allowing uploaders in those countries to become YouTube partners by enabling their YouTube accounts, and successfully monetizing at least one of their videos. The new changes are already in effect for YouTube uploaders to participate in.

April 13, 2012

Barnes & Noble Introduces NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight

Barnes & Noble Introduces NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight
Barnes & Noble announced the NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight, which features an anti-glare E Ink display, infrared touchscreen, and an evenly distributed and adjustable light for reading in the dark. NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight also features a long-lasting battery for over one month of reading on a single charge, with the light on.

"To date, readers have had to compromise: either buying black-and-white E Ink reading devices to optimize their outdoor reading or color LCD devices to be able to read at night in bed with the light off. NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight is like two Readers in one," said William J. Lynch, Chief Executive Officer of Barnes & Noble. "With our new GlowLight technology and the most advanced E Ink display available, we've created the most versatile, high-utility Reader ever; as exceptional for reading in the darkest bedroom as on the brightest beach. At only $139, NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight provides customers an amazing value and is the only device of its kind in the world."

The NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight can be pre-ordered now, for $139, and will be available in early May. For more information, visit: www.nook.com

April 12, 2012

Microsoft Revamps Certification Program to Include the Cloud

Microsoft Revamps Certification Program to Include the Cloud
Microsoft announced changes to its Microsoft Certification Program for IT professionals and developers, designed to specifically address the growing demand for individuals skilled in public and private IT cloud computing solutions.

"The new Microsoft certifications are raising the bar across the industry and reflect industry shifts that require a broader knowledge base and deeper skills across solutions that cloud computing requires," said Don Field, Microsoft's senior director of Product Management. "The Microsoft certifications reflect the experience and skills needed to build, manage and evolve solutions in a cloud-based environment, ensuring validation of real-world skills for individuals and helping hiring managers identify the best-qualified job candidates."

The new framework is expected to help IT professionals and developers navigate and create their own career path, while also making it clearer for companies to identify the credentials that will offer the greatest value to their organization when looking to hire individuals to fill a much needed role in the workplace.

April 11, 2012

Amazon Appstore Announces In-App Purchasing

Amazon Appstore Announces In-App Purchasing
Amazon announced an In-App Purchasing service, making it easy for Amazon Appstore developers to offer digital content and subscriptions for purchase within apps and games. Developers using In-App Purchasing will split the revenue from the purchase with Amazon, with Amazon keeping 30% of the money from the sale. The new service will allow developers to generate more revenue from their apps, and will offer customers Amazon's secure 1-click payment system, making it quick and easy for them to make transactions. The new In-App Purchasing service is available now to developers.

April 10, 2012

Facebook Acquires Instagram

Facebook Acquires Instagram
Facebook announced that it will be acquiring Instagram, the popular photo sharing app, for approximately $1 billion in a combination of cash and Facebook shares.

"I'm excited to share the news that we've agreed to acquire Instagram and that their talented team will be joining Facebook," said Mark Zuckerberg, founder and CEO of Facebook. "For years, we've focused on building the best experience for sharing photos with your friends and family. Now, we'll be able to work even more closely with the Instagram team to also offer the best experiences for sharing beautiful mobile photos with people based on your interests."

The company also stated that Instagram will continue to grow independently, providing users with new features, and a better mobile experience. The transaction, which is subject to customary closing conditions, is expected to close later this quarter.

April 9, 2012

AOL Sells 800 Patents to Microsoft for Over $1 Billion

AOL Sells 800 Patents to Microsoft for Over $1 Billion
AOL announced that is has agreed to sell 800 patents, as well as applications related to them, to Microsoft for more than $1 billion in cash. The company will, however, continue to hold over 300 patents and patent applications, which include technologies related to advertising, search, content generation and management, social networking, mapping, multimedia and streaming, security, and more. Additionally, as part of the deal, AOL will receive a perpetual license to the patents being sold to Microsoft, allowing them continued use of the technologies included in the agreement.

April 9, 2012

Google Tablet May Be Arriving This Summer

Google Tablet May Be Arriving This Summer
The news is buzzing over a possible Google tablet coming this summer. Reportedly, the tablet would be Wi-Fi only, run on Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich), have a 7-inch display, and sell for around $249. The new tablet could arrive as early as July. As of now, no official announcement has been made, so stay tuned...

April 6, 2012

Twitter Working to Shut Down Spammers

Twitter Working to Shut Down Spammers
Twitter filed suit in federal court in San Francisco against five of what it is calling the most aggressive providers of tools designed to distribute spam on Twitter and spammers. With over 340 million Tweets each day and 140 million active users, spam has become a growing problem for the company. In addition to the suit, Twitter also stated that its engineers are continuing their efforts to develop and implement news ways to reduce spam throughout the service, and hopes that the lawsuit will also act as a deterrent to other spammers.

April 5, 2012

YouTube and Google Play Bringing Hundreds of Movies from Paramount Pictures

YouTube and Google Play Bringing Hundreds of Movies from Paramount Pictures
A new licensing agreement is bringing nearly 500 new Paramount Pictures movie titles to YouTube and Google Play. With the new addition of the studio, U.S. and Canadian customers will now have nearly 9,000 movies to choose from for rent. Many of the new movie titles are currently available, with the rest scheduled to be added to YouTube and Google Play over the next few months.

April 4, 2012

Amazon Instant Video Now Available on PlayStation 3

Amazon Instant Video Now Available on PlayStation 3
Amazon and Sony announced that Amazon Instant Video is now available for the PlayStation 3 (PS3), making the PS3 the first video game console to offer Amazon's popular video service. Customers can now access nearly 25,000 HD movies and TV shows, and Amazon Prime members can watch Prime Instant Videos on PlayStation Network as well. The Amazon Instant Video app can be found in the PlayStation Store now. For more information, visit: www.amazon.com/instantvideo/ps3

April 3, 2012

Twitter Making It Easier for BlackBerry Users to Stay Connected

Twitter Making It Easier for BlackBerry Users to Stay Connected
Twitter is making it easier for BlackBerry users to stay connected, with a new version of Twitter for BlackBerry. The updated app makes it easier for users to share links to web pages directly from the browser, automatically shorten tweeted links to use fewer characters, upload photos to Twitter from the device's camera, connect a Twitter account with BlackBerry Messenger, and more. The new version of Twitter for BlackBerry is available now from BlackBerry App World.

April 2, 2012

Sprint and AAA Launch AAA ID Pack

Sprint and AAA Launch AAA ID Pack
Sprint and AAA announced the launch the AAA Member ID Pack, which provides instant access to AAA services and information. With the AAA Member ID Pack, Sprint customers can compare gas prices near home or on the road, call for roadside assistance, find AAA Approved hotels and restaurants, route a trip, and more. The ID Pack is available for select Sprint Android powered devices. For a list of AAA Member ID Pack capable phones, visit: sprint.com/sprintid

March 30, 2012

Yahoo! to Provide Global Do Not Track Support

Yahoo! to Provide Global Do Not Track Support
Yahoo! announced that it will be providing a Do Not Track (DNT) header solution that will be accessible across Yahoo!'s global network. The DNT header solution is in accordance with the Digital Advertising Alliance's (DAA) principles, and will provide an easy way for consumers to express their ad targeting preferences to Yahoo!. The new DNT header solution will be available by early summer.

March 29, 2012

Google Maps for Android Gets New Look
Google announced the release of Google Maps 6.5 for Android, which features a newly designed Navigation home screen in Android 4.0+. Additionally, devices with high pixel density screens, such as the Galaxy Nexus, Galaxy S II, Droid Razr, and others, will get higher resolution map tiles that take better advantage of the screen's pixels-per-inch, resulting in a crisper, less cluttered map that is easier to read. Other features include the ability to prioritize a particular transit mode and a particular route option, to get the directions that best suit you. Google Maps 6.5 for Android is available now, and can be downloaded from Google Play. To learn more about the update's new features, view the video above.

March 28, 2012

Comcast, HBO, and MLB Come to Xbox LIVE

Comcast, HBO, and MLB Come to Xbox LIVE
Microsoft announced that Comcast XFINITY TV, HBO GO, and MLB.TV are now available for Xbox LIVE Gold members who subscribe to Comcast's XFINITY TV and Internet, HBO and/or MLB TV. The new apps all come with Kinect integration as well, bringing voice and gesture controls to users.

March 27, 2012

NFC Phone Sales Expected to Grow

NFC Phone Sales Expected to Grow
A new research report from Berg Insight is predicting the continued rapid growth of handsets featuring Near Field Communication (NFC). Global sales of NFC handsets increased to 30 million units last year, with shipments expected to reach 700 million units in 2016. Smartphone adoption around the world is one of the contributing factors to the predicted growth of NFC handsets, as are declining costs.

"Even though it will take some time before the stakeholders agree on business models for payment networks, other use cases such as reading tags and easy pairing of devices may well be compelling enough for handset vendors to integrate NFC in mid- and high-end devices already today," said Andre Malm, Senior Analyst, Berg Insight.

In 2011, leading handset vendors released more than 40 NFC-enabled handsets, which can be used for applications such as exchanging information, electronic ticketing, and making secure payments without the need of having to swipe a credit card.

March 26, 2012

Google Updates Google Voice for Android with Ice Cream Sandwich Voicemail Integration

Google Updates Google Voice for Android with Ice Cream Sandwich Voicemail Integration
Google announced that it is updating its Google Voice app so users can view and listen to their voicemails on demand directly from the call log on their Android phones. Voicemails will now appear in the phone's call log, and can simply be touched to play them. Users can also slow down the playback of their messages, or speed up message playback, to quickly listen to longer messages. The newly updated app is available now, and requires Android 4.0+.

March 23, 2012

HP to Combine PC and Printing Divisions

HP to Combine PC and Printing Divisions
HP announced that it will be combining its Imaging and Printing Group and its Personal Systems Group, in an effort to improve performance and grow profits. Additionally, the move is expected to improve customer service, as well as lead to more innovation in the company's personal computing and printing products.

March 22, 2012

YouTube Improving Video Quality with One Click

YouTube Improving Video Quality with One Click
YouTube announced a new feature, designed to help users fix their less than perfect videos. Users who upload videos that are shaky, or could use a little color correction, will now have a chance to fix their videos before making them available for everyone to see. After uploading a video that needs fixing, the user will be given a notification. The user then simply clicks the button, and is shown a preview of the corrected video. If the user likes the changes made to the video, they simply click "Okay" and the changes are made. The new feature will be rolling out over the next few days, with shake and color correction being the first two options to debut. Other features are expected to be added sometime in the future.

March 21, 2012

NASA Calls on Students for Deep Space Habitat Proposals

NASA Calls on Students for Deep Space Habitat Proposals
NASA announced that it is offering college and university students a chance to help design a deep space habitat. The Exploration Habitat (X-Hab) Academic Innovation Challenge is accepting applications for the 2013 challenge, inviting students to design, manufacture, assemble and test systems for use on NASA's deep space habitat prototype.

"Students will play a vital role in our critical early system planning and development," said Alvin Drew, a NASA astronaut and habitat systems project manager at the agency's Johnson Space Center in Houston. "Their designs could become the basis for the concepts and technologies that will make up the habitat we eventually send to space."

The X-Hab Challenge is part of a continuing effort to engage and retain students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM), and provide real-world challenges that help expose them to engineering and design processes. Winners of the X-Hab Challenge will receive between $10,000 and $49,000 to produce functional products based on their designs. Proposals for the Challenge are due by May 2, 2012. Awardees should expect to deliver their product to the Johnson Space Center in May or June of 2013. For more information about the X-Hab Challenge, visit: go.nasa.gov/x-hab

March 20, 2012

Netflix Bringing New Films to Canadian Customers

Netflix Bringing New Films to Canadian Customers
Netflix announced that over the next few weeks, it will be bringing a number of popular films to its Canadian subscribers. Among the new films are such hits as "X-Men: First Class," "Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon," "Thor," and "Captain America." The films will make their Netflix debuts in Canada during the months of April and May.

March 19, 2012

Consumers Line Up for New iPad

Consumers Line Up for New iPad
Long lines appeared once again in cities around the world, as Apple released its third generation iPad to retail stores. The new iPad's biggest attraction to both old and new customers is the device's new Retina display, which features four times the amount of pixels as found in the previous iPad 2. The improved graphics result in a stunning display that takes full advantage of photos, video, and text, making everything being viewed sharp and crisp. The quad-core graphics processor, to help drive the new display, is also a feature many are looking forward to. Photo and video editing is now easier than ever before on the device, and game performance is greatly improved as well. The new iPad is available in stores now, starting at $499.

March 16, 2012

PayPal Introduces New Payment Service
PayPal announced PayPal Here, a new payments solution designed to help small businesses collect payments when they are online, offline, or mobile. Similar to the popular Square payment service, PayPal Here allows merchants to accept payments by swiping cards with a thumb-sized card reader. It also allows them to use a phone camera to scan and process cards and checks, and provides the ability to invoice directly from the mobile app and accept PayPal payments.

PayPal Here charges a flat rate of 2.7% for card swipes and PayPal payments, and is available now for select merchants in the United States, Canada, Australia and Hong Kong. It will become available to all other merchants in those countries next month, with more countries being announced soon. For more information about PayPal Here, view the preview video above

March 15, 2012

Amazon Brings Nearly 3,000 More Titles to Prime Service with Discovery Deal

Amazon Brings Nearly 3,000 More Titles to Prime Service with Discovery Deal
Amazon announced that it is bringing nearly 3,000 more titles to its Prime Instant Video service, through a new deal with Discovery Networks. Over the next few weeks, shows from Discovery Channel, TLC, Animal Planet, Investigation Discovery, Science and Military Channel, as well as content from Discovery's 25-year programming library, will begin rolling out to Prime members at no additional cost.

"Discovery Communications has always been a leader in creating entertaining and enlightening programming for the entire family," said Brad Beale, director of video content acquisition for Amazon. "With the addition of this great content from Discovery Communications, Prime customers now have more than 17,000 titles to choose from when watching Prime Instant Video-that's in addition to the more than 120,000 titles that are offered to all customers for purchase or rent on Amazon Instant Video."

Among the new titles included in the deal are such shows as Deadliest Catch, Mythbusters, Man vs. Wild, Dirty Jobs, Gold Rush: Alaska, Shark Week, TLC series such as Say Yes to the Dress and Cake Boss, as well as How It's Made from Science, and The Jeff Corwin Experience.

March 14, 2012

Dell to Acquire SonicWALL

Dell to Acquire SonicWALL
Dell announced that it has signed a definitive agreement to acquire SonicWALL, Inc., a company that specializes in advanced network security and data protection. Additional terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The transaction remains subject to customary conditions and is expected to close in the second quarter of Dell's FY13.

March 13, 2012

Twitter Acquires Posterous

Twitter Acquires Posterous
Twitter announced its acquisition of Posterous. Engineers, product managers, and other Posterous personnel will join Twitter teams, and begin working on new projects designed to improve the Twitter service. The company also stated that Posterous Spaces will remain open, and that users will be given advance notice if any changes are made. Posterous users will also be given instructions in the coming weeks of how to back up their content or move to another service if they should choose to do so.

March 12, 2012

NASA Announces International Competition to Develop Space Apps

NASA Announces International Competition to Develop Space Apps
NASA announced the International Space Apps Challenge, which it will co-host with governments from around the world, as well as civil society organizations on April 21st - 22nd. The events will take place across seven continents and in space aboard the International Space Station. The challenge will showcase the impact scientists and citizens can have by working together to solve challenging problems that affect everyone on Earth.

Participants will use openly available data collected by space agencies around the world to create innovative solutions to longstanding global challenges, and will be free to develop mobile apps, software and hardware, data visualization, and platform solutions that could contribute to space exploration missions and help improve life on earth. For more information about the International Space Apps Challenge, visit: spaceappschallenge.org

March 9, 2012

New iPads Selling Out Quickly for AT&T

New iPads Selling Out Quickly for AT&T
Just one day after Apple debuted the new iPad, pre-order sales have taken off at a brisk pace. AT&T customers who haven't already placed their orders for a March 16th delivery will now reportedly have to wait three days longer, until March 19th, to receive their new devices. With strong sales at both AT&T and Verizon, if you're planning to buy the new iPad, youl'll want to make sure you get your order in fast.

March 8, 2012

Apple Debuts New iPad and New Apple TV

Apple Debuts New iPad and New Apple TV
Apple debuted the new iPad and the new Apple TV at an event held in San Francisco. We break down the details of the two new devices. more

March 7, 2012

Virgin Galactic Awards Parts Contracts for Spaceship Builds

Virgin Galactic Awards Parts Contracts for Spaceship Builds
Virgin Galactic, the world's first commercial spaceline, announced that it has made a deal with Applied Aerospace Structure Corp, GFMI Aerospace & Defense and Triumph Aerospace Systems - Wichtia to build parts for future WhiteKnightTwos and SpaceShipTwos. The companies were awarded contracts by Virgin Galactic's sister organization, The Spaceship Company, to build parts for the spaceline's spaceships and carrier airlines.

March 7, 2012

Google Announces Google Play
Google announced Google Play, a single place where Android users can find, and have access to, all of their favorite music, movies, books and apps for their Android phone or tablet. The cloud-based service stores all of your music, movies, books and apps online, making them always available to you, while eliminating the fear of losing them or the hassle of having to move them.

Google Play let's you store up to 20,000 songs for free, buy millions of new tracks, download more than 450,000 Android apps and games, find your favorite eBooks, and rent thousands of movies. Additionally, the Android Market, Google Music and the Google eBookstore will now become part of Google Play, and users' videos, books and music will be upgraded to Google Play Movies, Google Play Books and Google Play Music. Users can access the music, movies, books and apps they have purchased by simply logging in with their Google account like always.

For more information about Google Play, view the preview video above

March 6, 2012

iRig Mic: Hands-on Review

iRig Mic: Hands-on Review
Sometimes, trying to record quality audio when you're on the go can be a hassle. The iRig Mic from IK Multimedia solves this problem, by providing a fast and simple way to record crisp, clear audio using your iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad. more

March 5, 2012

Square Launches Square Register for iPad
Square announced the release of Square Register, a new, free app that allows you to turn your iPad into a cash register for your business. The new app lets you set up custom inventories, loyalty programs, permissions for different users, and features full analytics reports that you can export as a spreadsheet. The system even allows you to set up a receipt printer and cash drawer. For more information about Square register, view the video above.

March 5, 2012

Apple App Store Tops 25 Billion Downloads

Apple App Store Tops 25 Billion Downloads
Apple announced that more than 25 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store. The 25 billionth app to be downloaded was Where's My Water?, and was downloaded by Chunli Fu of Qingdao, China.

"We'd like to thank our customers and developers for helping us achieve this historic milestone of 25 billion apps downloaded," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services. "When we launched the App Store less than four years ago, we never imagined that mobile apps would become the phenomenon they have, or that developers would create such an incredible selection of apps for iOS users."

Chunli Fu will receive a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card for being the winner of the App Store Countdown to 25 Billion Apps.

March 5, 2012

Microsoft Releases Windows 8 Consumer Preview

Microsoft Releases Windows 8 Consumer Preview
Microsoft announced the release of the Windows 8 Consumer Preview, giving consumers a taste of what is yet to come when the final version of Windows 8 hits stores. The new Windows is designed to run across a wide range of PCs and mobile devices, with built-in touch capability, as well as mouse and keyboard support to make using Windows 8 easy, while giving consumers the choice of what input method works best for them.

"With Windows 8, we reimagined the different ways people interact with their PC and how to make everything feel like a natural extension of the device, whether using a Windows 8 tablet, laptop or all-in-one," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live Division at Microsoft. "The Windows 8 Consumer Preview brings a no-compromises approach to using your PC."

The Windows 8 Consumer Preview is available for download in English, French, German, Japanese and simplified Chinese at preview.windows.com.

February 29, 2012

Home Depot Bringing PayPal to Nearly 2,000 U.S. Stores
After conducting a five-store payment system pilot program with The Home Depot, PayPal announced that The Home Depot is beginning a national roll-out of the system that will allow customers to pay with PayPal in nearly 2,000 U.S. locations.

Over the next two weeks, nearly every Home Depot store in the U.S. will be equipped to accept payments from customers using a PayPal card, or mobile phone number and PIN combination. To see how PayPal payments will work in Home Depot stores, view the video above.

February 28, 2012

Apple Sets iPad Event for Next Week

Apple Sets iPad Event for Next Week
As many expected, Apple announced an iPad event scheduled for March 7, 2012. The event is set to take place at 10 a.m. at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Be sure to check back here on March 7th, where we'll have full coverage of all of the announcements from the event.

February 28, 2012

Samsung Unveils GALAXY Note 10.1

Samsung Unveils GALAXY Note 10.1
Samsung announced the GALAXY Note 10.1, at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The new tablet features multi-screen functionality, allowing users to view Internet pages, videos, and other open applications side by side. Other features include S Note, a tool that allows you to combine notes or sketches together with web content, images, and other digital media to create personalized storyboards. S Note also features several ready-to-use templates such as meeting minutes, recipe, cards, diary, magazine, and more.

The GALAXY Note 10.1 comes in 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models, and runs Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich). Additional features include Samasung's S Pen, a 1.4GHz dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM, a 10.1" WXGA (1280x800) PLS TFT display, HSPA+ connectivity, a 3MP auto focus rear camera with LED flash, a 2MP front camera, microSD supporting up to 32GB, and Full HD video playback.

The Samsung GALAXY Note 10.1 is expected to be released later this year.

February 27, 2012

XShot Camera Extender: Hands-on Review

XShot Camera Extender: Hands-on Review
If you've ever held your camera at arm's length to take a picture of yourself, or handed your camera to a complete stranger to take a picture for you, just so you could be in the shot, you know that neither option is particularly desirable. If you want to avoid those "obviously taken by you" self-portraits and group shots, XShot has the solution for you. more

February 27, 2012

T-Mobile Planning 4G LTE Launch

T-Mobile Planning 4G LTE Launch
T-Mobile announced that it is planning to launch a 4G LTE network in 2013, and will be investing $4 billion into a network modernization, which will improve existing voice and data coverage for its customers.

"We want to be known for delivering the best value in wireless because of the advanced technology we deliver at an affordable price," said Philipp Humm CEO and President of T-Mobile USA. "Over the next two years, we're prioritizing and investing in initiatives designed to get T-Mobile back to growth in the years ahead - beginning with the transformation of our network."

The company also expects to be the first carrier in North America to modernize its 4G network with new antenna integrated radios on many of its cell towers, which will deliver higher performance and strengthen coverage.

February 23, 2012

Google Updates Google Docs for Android
Google is releasing a new Google Docs for Android app update, designed to make collaborating with others easier than ever before. New features include real-time updates to documents, allowing you to tap a document to join in, as others edit the document on their computers, tablets, and phones. Pinch, zoom, and focus have also been improved, and rich text formatting has been added for creating items such as bullet lists, color, and text formatting. To see more about the new updates, view the video above.

February 22, 2012

Barnes & Noble Introduces $199 8GB NOOK Tablet

Barnes & Noble Introduces $199 8GB NOOK Tablet
Barnes & Noble announced the 8GB NOOK Tablet, selling for only $199. The new 8GB NOOK Tablet has the same features as the 16GB version, including a 1GHz dual-core processor, but with 8GB of on-board memory and 512MB of RAM.

"For any customer who likes to read digitally, watch movies or TV shows, browse the web, or help their kids read and learn through interactive books and apps, our new $199 NOOK Tablet with 8GB is the best product value on the market," said William Lynch, Chief Executive Office of Barnes & Noble. "NOOK Tablet is the highest-rated wireless media tablet in the 7-inch class, ultra-portable at under a pound, offers our exclusive VividView screen technology, and since its introduction this holiday has received rave reviews from customers about all its great features. We’re pleased to now offer customers the ability to experience NOOK Tablet’s unmatched content experience for only $199."

The 8GB NOOK Tablet, is available now for $199.

February 21, 2012

Netflix Offers Users DVD Only Plan

Netflix Offers Users DVD Only Plan
Netflix announced that users can now choose a DVD only plan, starting at $7.99 per month. Customers who choose not to have streaming video can now have unlimited rentals of almost 100,000 DVD titles, delivered by mail. Blu-ray discs are also available for an additional cost. For more information, visit: dvd.netflix.com

February 17, 2012

Facebook Launching Verified Accounts and Pseudonyms

Facebook Launching Verified Accounts and Pseudonyms
Facebook will be allowing public figures to use a pseudonyms with their account, instead of having to display their real name. Users will be notified that they will need to verify their account in order to do this. Once done, they will be able to use their more well-known "public" name, although their real name will remain in the About section of their profile.

At this time, users cannot request to verify their account, and there is still no easy way for other users to verify that the Facebook page they have found is the actual official page of a public figure, other than by doing some extra research on their own, such as following a link to a Facebook page from the public figure's official Web site.

February 16, 2012

Cisco Challenges Microsoft's Skype Takeover

Cisco Challenges Microsoft's Skype Takeover
Cisco is challenging Microsoft's takeover of Skype in the European Union's General Court, trying to make sure that Microsoft doesn't block other video conferencing services. Though Cisco doesn't oppose the Microsoft/Skype merger, the company does feel that certain conditions should have been put in place when the decision to approve the merger was made, in order to make sure no such actions take place. Stay tuned...

February 15, 2012

Apple iPad 3 Rumors Buzzing

Apple iPad 3 Rumors Buzzing
iPad 3 rumors are building again, with most expecting a new tablet to debut from Apple early next month. The iPad 3, possibly to be named the iPad HD, is expected to feature a higher resolution display, a quad-core processor, improved front and rear cameras, better graphics performance, 4G LTE support, and better battery life. None of these predicted features should come as a surprise to anyone, however, since upgrades of this sort should be expected as a spec bump to the company's existing product line. As always, the true details of the next generation iPad will be revealed when Apple officially debuts the product. Until then, everything else buzzing around the rumor mill is speculation.

February 14, 2012

U.S. and EU Clear the Way for Google's $12.5 Billion Motorola Mobility Purchase

U.S. and EU Clear the Way for Google's $12.5 Billion Motorola Mobility Purchase
U.S. and EU regulators have approved Google's bid to purchase Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, moving the company one step closer to finalizing the deal. Regulators found no cause for concern that Google would try to hurt competitors by increasing licensing fees, and stated that they will be keeping a close eye on the company to make sure that all licensing practices remain fair to competing manufacturers. Google must now gain the approval of regulators in Israel, China, and Taiwan before being able to take control of Motorola Mobility.

February 13, 2012

Twitter Teams Up with GRAMMY

Twitter Teams Up with GRAMMY
Twitter is teaming up with the 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards this Sunday night. By using the hashtag #GRAMMYs, you'll be able to keep up with tweets from over 25 artists across several genres, bringing you GRAMMY commentary throughout the show. @TwitterMusic will also be live tweeting at the event, with tweets from Coldplay (@Coldplay), Katy Perry (@KatyPerry), and others. The 54th Annual GRAMMY Awards airs this Sunday night on CBS.

February 10, 2012

Kodak Phasing Out Camera Business

Kodak Phasing Out Camera Business
Kodak announced that it will be phasing out its digital camera, pocket video camera, and digital picture frame products during the first half of 2012. The company plans to focus on its licensing program, online and retail-based photo printing services, and desktop inkjet printing, instead. Kodak also stated that it will continue to honor all product warranties, and provide technical support, for all products affected by the phasing out decision.

February 9, 2012

Amazon Increases Prime Streaming Selections with Viacom Deal

Amazon Increases Prime Streaming Selections with Viacom Deal
Amazon announced a new licensing agreement with Viacom that will allow Amazon Prime members to instantly stream TV shows from MTV, Comedy Central, Nickelodeon, TV Land, Spike, VH1, BET, CMT, and more. With the new deal, the total number of Prime Instant Videos will top 15,000.

"Over the last year we have received fantastic customer feedback about Prime Instant Video. We are constantly working to improve the service by adding the shows that our customers enjoy the most," said Brad Beale, director of video content acquisition for Amazon. "This deal with Viacom brings Prime customers and Kindle Fire users thousands of comedies, kids' shows, reality TV and much more from some of the best cable networks available. We now offer more than 15,000 movies and TV shows in Prime Instant Videos and are working hard to add even more great content."

Amazon Prime streaming movies and TV shows are available to members on over 300 different devices, including the Kindle Fire.

February 8, 2012

Motorola DROID 4 Launching February 10th

Motorola DROID 4 Launching February 10th
The DROID 4 by Motorola will be available starting February 10th. The DROID 4 features a dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, a five-row QWERTY keyboard with edge-lit keys, 4G LTE, Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread (scheduled to be upgraded to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich), a 4-inch qHD display with scratch and scrape resistant glass, 8-megapixel rear camera with 1080p HD video capture, front-facing camera for video chatting, and 4G LTE Mobile Hotspot support for up to eight Wi-Fi-enabled devices. The DROID 4 will sell for $199.99 with a new two-year contract.

February 7, 2012

Verizon and Redbox Come Together for New Streaming Service

Verizon and Redbox Come Together for New Streaming Service
Verizon and Redbox are forming a joint venture that will offer consumers a simple and affordable way to access video entertainment, by combining the convenience of Redbox DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals with a new video streaming and download service from Verizon.

"Consumers rely on Redbox for the latest new release movies at a great value, and our joint venture with Verizon will enable us to bring them even more value by offering expanded content offerings and greater flexibility for how and when they enjoy entertainment," said Paul Davis, chief executive officer of Coinstar, Inc., which owns Redbox. "This alliance is the result of a deliberate and strategic process to identify a partner who shares our commitment to delivering innovative solutions to consumers. We look forward to rolling out the shared benefits this venture will bring to consumers, retailers, and shareholders."

The joint venture will offer affordable subscription plans for their new services, and will introduce a product portfolio in the second half of 2012.

February 6, 2012

Android Beefing Up Market Security

Android Beefing Up Market Security
A new Android service, codenamed Bouncer, has been announced by Google. The service provides automated scanning of the Android Market for potentially malicious software, by analyzing new applications, applications already in the Android Market, and developer accounts. When an application is uploaded, the service immediately checks it for known malware, spyware, and trojans. It also looks for certain behaviors that indicate an application may be a problem. According to the company, during the first and second halves of 2011, it has seen a 40% decrease in the number of potentially-malicious downloads from the Android Market, and expects that rate to continue to decline over time.

February 3, 2012

Amazon Purchasing TeachStreet

Amazon Purchasing TeachStreet
TeachStreet, the online community that brings teachers together with those looking to learn through online courses, has been purchased by Amazon. Teachers already using the TeachStreet site are being provided with a special export tool, so they can save all of their data before the site closes down, which will reportedly take place later this month.

February 2, 2012

Facebook Expected to Raise $5 Billion with IPO

Facebook Expected to Raise $5 Billion with IPO
After eight years, Facebook is going public. Its initial stock offering is expected to value the company at as much as $100 billion. The company is also, reportedly, seeking to raise $5 billion in its IPO.

February 1, 2012

Amazon Kindle Devices Show Strong Sales During Fourth Quarter

Amazon Kindle Devices Show Strong Sales During Fourth Quarter
Amazon announced that Kindle sales showed significant growth during the fourth quarter, stating that during the nine-week holiday period ending December 31, 2011, Kindle unit sales, including both the Kindle Fire and e-reader devices, increased 177% over the same period last year.

"We are grateful to the millions of customers who purchased the Kindle Fire and Kindle e-reader devices this holiday season, making Kindle our bestselling product across both the U.S. and Europe," said Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com.

The company expects further growth this year.

January 31, 2012

Samsung Galaxy Note Coming to AT&T February 19th
AT&T announced that the Samsung Galaxy Note will be available for $299.99, with a new two-year contract, on February 19th. The company will begin taking pre-orders for the device on February 5th. Pre-orders processed by February 15th are expected to arrive at customers' homes by February 17th. For more information about the Samsung Galaxy Note, view the video above.

January 30, 2012

Intel Set to Acquire Patents from RealNetworks

Intel Set to Acquire Patents from RealNetworks
Intel announced that it has signed an agreement with RealNetworks to purchase approximately 190 patents and 170 patent applications worldwide, as well as next-generation video codec software, for $120 million. Intel will acquire RealNetworks' foundational streaming media patents, as part of the agreement, which the company feels will allow it to continue to offer richer experiences and innovative solutions to end users across a wide range of devices.

January 27, 2012

HP to Commit webOS to Open Source by Fall 2012

HP to Commit webOS to Open Source by Fall 2012
HP announced its plans to deliver webOS to the open source community, committing to a schedule for making the platform's source code available under an open source license by September. The company also announced the release of version 2.0 of its webOS developer tool, Enyo, which enables developers to write single applications that work across multiple mobile devices and desktop web browsers, including webOS, iOS, Android, Internet Explorer, and Firefox. The webOS code will be made available under the Apache License, Version 2.0, beginning with the source code for Enyo, which is available now.

January 26, 2012

Netflix Stock Rises as Customers Return

Netflix Stock Rises as Customers Return
Netflix stock rose in price, as the company reported an increase in subscribers after a very tough 2011. The company stated that it expects to continue to increase its streaming content library, and will be watching closely as its first original series make their debuts. Netflix will also be keeping a close eye on competitors, such as Amazon and HBO GO, but remains optimistic that its growth will continue at a steady pace.

January 25, 2012

Apple Breaks Records with iPhone, iPad, and Mac Sales

Apple Breaks Records with iPhone, iPad, and Mac Sales
Apple announced that it experienced record quarterly revenues of $46.33 billion. The company also reported sales of 37.04 million iPhones during the quarter, along with 15.43 million iPads.

"We're thrilled with our outstanding results and record-breaking sales of iPhones, iPads and Macs," said Tim Cook, Apple's CEO. "Apple's momentum is incredibly strong, and we have some amazing new products in the pipeline."

Apple also reported increased Mac sales during the quarter, with 5.2 million units sold.

January 24, 2012

Yale Locks & Hardware Brings NFC to Your Front Door

Spotlight On: Yale Locks & Hardware
Yale Locks & Hardware Brings NFC to Your Front Door

Yale Locks & Hardware has introduced new locks from its Yale Real Living line that feature Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. Suitable for both residential and commercial applications, the locks allow users to simply use their NFC-enabled mobile phone to unlock doors, instead of having to fumble around for keys or access cards. The secure technology easily integrates into any modern home, and can be used with a wide range of existing home control and security systems. Additionally, the Yale Real Living line will be compatible with the ASSA ABLOY Mobile Keys platform, a scalable secure delivery infrastructure for distribution and management of mobile keys.

"From a residential perspective, the mobile phone is ubiquitous," said Jason Williams, General Manager of Yale Residential. "We use it to make reservations, schedule our day, everything. By incorporating NFC technology into our Yale Real Living locks, we've extended the functionality of the mobile phone even further. What's more, we've created a highly secure product that capitalizes on ASSA ABLOY technology that is being extremely well-received in other end-user markets."

Look for Yale Real Living line of locks, featuring NFC technology, this Spring. For more information, visit: www.yalelocks.com

January 23, 2012

RIM Names Thorsten Heins as New CEO

RIM Names Thorsten Heins as New CEO
Research In Motion (RIM) announced that it has named Thorsten Heins as its President and Chief Executive Officer, and has also appointed him to RIM's Board. Heins joined RIM from Siemens Communications Group in December 2007, as Senior Vice President for Hardware Engineering, and became Chief Operating Officer for Product and Sales in August 2011.

January 23, 2012

Apple Brings Interaction to Textbooks on iPad

Apple Brings Interaction to Textbooks on iPad
Apple announced iBooks 2 for iPad, which features new, interactive textbooks, designed to engage students and help them study more effectively. iBooks textbooks offer readers fullscreen views with fully interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, and more. Textbooks can also be kept up to date, unlike printed textbooks, so students are always presented with relevant information.

"Education is deep in Apple's DNA and iPad may be our most exciting education product yet. With 1.5 million iPads already in use in education institutions, including over 1,000 one-to-one deployments, iPad is rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "Now with iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn, using the device they already love."

iBooks textbooks can be purchased from the iBookstore for $14.99 or less, under the new Textbooks category. Titles appearing in the store will come from leading textbook publishers, such as Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill, and Pearson. The iBooks 2 app is available now as a free download from the App Store.

January 19, 2012

Create Interactive Books with iBooks Author

Create Interactive Books with iBooks Author
Apple introduced iBooks Author as a free download from the Mac App Store. iBooks Author lets anyone with a Mac create interactive iBooks textbooks, cookbooks, history books, picture books and more, and publish them directly to Apple's iBookstore. The new software is available to authors and publishers of any size, and features Apple-designed templates with a wide variety of page layouts to get user going quickly and easily. Users can add their own text and images by dragging and dropping, as well as interactive photo galleries, movies, Keynote presentations, 3D objects, and more. iBooks Author is available now from the Mac App Store.

January 19, 2012

Jerry Yang Resigns from Yahoo!

Jerry Yang Resigns from Yahoo!
Yahoo! announced that Jerry Yang has resigned from its Board of Directors and all other positions with the company. Additionally, Yang has also resigned from the Boards of Yahoo Japan Corporation and Alibaba Group Holding Limited.

"My time at Yahoo!, from its founding to the present, has encompassed some of the most exciting and rewarding experiences of my life," said Yang in a letter to the Yahoo! Board Chairman Roy Bostock. "However, the time has come for me to pursue other interests outside of Yahoo! As I leave the company I co-founded nearly 17 years ago, I am enthusiastic about the appointment of Scott Thompson as Chief Executive Officer and his ability, along with the entire Yahoo! leadership team, to guide Yahoo! into an exciting and successful future."

Yang co-founded Yahoo! in 1995 with David Filo, and served as a member of the Board of Directors since March 1995. Yang also served as Chief Executive Officer from June 2007 to January 2009.

January 17, 2012

CES 2012 Highlights

CES 2012 Highlights
The Consumer Electronics Show took Las Vegas by storm, as the biggest names in the tech industry turned out to unveil the latest products we'll all be seeing this year, as well as future technologies we'll be hearing more about in the years to come. Come along, as we take a look at some of the highlights from CES 2012. more

January 16, 2012

PayPal Testing Payment System with Home Depot

PayPal Testing Payment System with Home Depot
PayPal is testing a new payment system in a small number of Home Depot stores, in an effort to expand its service while making payment options easier for consumers. The new system is still in the testing phase, with no word as to when the system will be available.

January 6, 2012

In Tech Today's Predictions for 2012

In Tech Today's Predictions for 2012
2011 saw the introduction of new technologies and new devices that drove the tech industry forward. With 2012 now upon us, we take a look at some of the leading companies in the tech industry, and offer our predictions of what we can expect from them in the year ahead. more

January 4, 2012

TiVo Announces Patent Litigation Settlement with AT&T

TiVo Announces Patent Litigation Settlement with AT&T
TiVo announced that it has settled its pending patent litigation with AT&T. The two companies have entered into a mutual patent licensing arrangement, where AT&T has agreed to pay TiVo an initial payment of $51 million, followed by recurring quarterly guaranteed payments through June 2018. The total payments, including the initial payment, will come to $215 million. Additionally, AT&T will pay incremental recurring per subscriber monthly license fees through July 2018 should AT&T's DVR subscriber base exceed certain levels.

"We are extremely pleased to reach an agreement with AT&T, which acknowledges the value of our intellectual property," said Tom Rogers, CEO and President of TiVo. "This settlement, on the heels of our recent operational success that has resulted in the growth of TiVo's overall subscriber base, is another major accomplishment for TiVo and we believe a great outcome for our shareholders. The combination of guaranteed payments and future additional fees paid to TiVo in the event that AT&T's pay TV business continues to grow in-line with consensus analyst expectations, represents hard-earned compensation for our IP enforcement efforts. The settlement also provides us rights to innovate TiVo products and services under license from AT&T and allows us to avoid significant legal expenses that we expect would have been incurred by us during and after trial."

As part of the settlement, the two companies also entered into a cross licensing agreement of their respective patent portfolios in the advanced television field.

January 3, 2012

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