After a successful developer preview debut last fall, Microsoft has unveiled the consumer preview of its newest operating system today at this the Barcelona Mobile Conference. Expectations are high after Microsoft surprised the developer crowd that had come to expect nothing special from Microsoft since the company failed to impress with Vista, or really any […]
Archive for February, 2012
Windows 8: One Operating System for All Your Gadgets
Summary Box: Chinese court hears Apple iPad appeal
THE DISPUTE: Apple Inc. is in several legal battles with Proview Electronics Co., which the U.S. company says sold it the rights to the iPad trademark in 10 different countries, including China, in 2009. Proview disagrees. WEDNESDAY’S DEVELOPMENT: A Chinese court began hearing Apple‘s appeal of a ruling against its right to use the iPad […]
Google wanted to create a Google Bucks currency
Once upon a time, Google considered the possibility of creating its own currency called Google Bucks, much to the likes of the Bitcoin cash system. The statement came after Eric Schmidt, Google’s chairman, announced his keynote speech at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Tuesday. The concept originally consisted of a “peer-to-peer” money system by which […]
Summary Box: James Murdoch resigns as exec chair
STEPPING DOWN: James Murdoch, the son of media mogul Rupert Murdoch, is stepping down as executive chairman of News Corp.‘s U.K. newspaper arm. THE REASON: The company says James Murdoch has relinquished his position at News International to focus on the company’s international TV business. He will remain deputy chief operating officer of News Corp. […]
Mass. mom who posed girl nude on webcam is jailed
ATTLEBORO, Mass. (AP) — A Massachusetts woman who says she was duped into posing her 10-year-old daughter nude over a webcam for a man she thought was a professional photographer has been jailed. The 41-year-old Attleboro mother pleaded guilty Tuesday to a charge of misdemeanor assault and battery under a plea deal. The charge was […]
Wireless gains boost profit at Quebecor’s Videotron
Millions of years ago, there lived penguins so huge they may have been able to parry the attacks of dolphins with their humongous, fish-catching beaks. The bones of some of these prehistoric flightless birds were discovered in 1977, and scientists have … Continue reading →
Universal Display slides on Samsung deal concerns
Millions of years ago, there lived penguins so huge they may have been able to parry the attacks of dolphins with their humongous, fish-catching beaks. The bones of some of these prehistoric flightless birds were discovered in 1977, and scientists have … Continue reading →
We’re Dreaming of a 3D iPad
The fanboy blogs are abuzz with thinly sourced reports about what Apple will unveil at next Wednesday’s new product party in San Francisco, but after reading some of Apple’s recent patent filings, we have one of our own: iPad 3D. RELATED: Samsung Suggests Apple Stole the iPad Concept from ‘2001’ As with all things Apple, […]
Microsoft launches ‘new generation’ Windows
Lumber, boats and other debris ripped from Japanese coastal towns by tsunamis last year have spread across some 3,000 miles (4,828 kilometers) of the northern Pacific, where they could wash ashore on the U.S. west coast as early as a year from now.
Summary Box: Apple market value hits $500B
THE MILESTONE: Apple‘s market capitalization topped $500 billion in trading Wednesday, climbing to a mountain peak where few companies have ventured —and none have stayed for long. ALREADY BIG: Apple was already the world’s most valuable company. The gap between it and No. 2 Exxon Mobil Corp. has widened rapidly in the past month. GOING […]
Firm warns of hacker threat to mobile gadgets
Cyber security veterans behind startup CrowdStrike will demonstrate at the RSA conference on Wednesday that the types of attacks used against computers are heading for smartphones. Former McAfee chief technical officer George Kurtz and Dmitri Alperovitch, who has researched major cyberespionage operations, have figured out how to take over smartphones using booby-trapped text messages. “The […]
Europe to investigate new Google privacy policy
(Reuters) – France’s data protection watchdog has cast doubt on the legality and fairness of Google‘s new privacy policy, which it said breached European laws. The CNIL regulator told Google in a letter dated February 27 it would lead a European-wide investigation of the web search giant’s latest policy and would send it questions by […]
LG Optimus 4X HD impressions: 4 core, but only 3G
Mobile World Congress has seen a big coming out for Nvidia’s new Tegra 3 quad-core processor with appearances in a number of phones, including LG’s new powerhouse, the Optimus 4X HD. As you might guess from its name, the Optimus 4X HD has four processor cores and an HD 720p screen. Still, despite packing in […]
Microsoft unveils Windows 8 for consumer testing
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Microsoft is for the first time letting consumers try out its upcoming Windows 8 operating system, which it hopes will be used to power a new wave of computer tablets and traditional PCs. The test “beta” version of the revamped system was introduced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the […]
Universal charger tantalisingly close for mobiles
Mobile phone users are tantalisingly close to the day when they can power up any phone with the same charger. But industry players gathered at the the World Mobile Congress in Barcelona still have some way to go. Three years ago, 17 manufacturers and operators agreed at this same conference to share the same standard […]
IBM takes giant step to faster, quantum computers
IBM researchers have taken a leap in computing by using quantum mechanics to harness the power of atoms and molecules, a move likely to lead to vast increases in speed and security of computers and other devices. IBM researchers presenting the results at this week’s American Physical Society meeting in Boston said that quantum computing […]
The Weirdest New Android Gadgets at Mobile World Congress
Mobile World Congress, held each year in Barcelona, Spain, is a CES-style trade show for gadgets like smartphones and tablets. And since Apple doesn’t exhibit at Mobile World Congress, that leaves devices powered by Google‘s operating system, Android, to dominate. Unlike with Apple’s iPhone, Android devices are made by an array of different manufacturers, in […]
The Kinds of People Who Can Use a $35 Computer
The debut of the $35 Raspberry Pi computer has the masses so excited they have crashed online retail sites. But who are these all these people so interested in this bare-bones computer? We get that it’s cheap, but it’s budget for a reason. There’s not much to it — just a circuit board, sockets for a […]
6 New Gadgets Helping People With Disabilities
HeadMouse Extreme The HeadMouse Extreme, created for people with limited use of their hands, translates movements of the head into proportional movements on a computer screen. The user places a disposable adhesive sensor to their forehead, hat or glasses which is tracked by a wireless optical sensor. [More from Mashable: How a Team of Doctors […]
Apple market value hits $500B, where few have gone
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple‘s market capitalization topped $500 billion Wednesday, climbing to a mountain peak where few companies have ventured — and none have stayed for long. Apple was already the world’s most valuable company. The gap between it and No. 2 Exxon Mobil Corp. has widened rapidly in the past month, as investors […]
Eric Schmidt hails Chrome’s safety, shares Android’s future plans
Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt had plenty to discuss during his keynote at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, sharing his vision of the future for mobile and Internet technology. Some topics included human rights and how technology is shaping our future, hinting at various Google-related products all the while. But the keynote kicked […]
Microsoft opens Windows 8 for public testing
BARCELONA/SEATTLE (Reuters) – Microsoft Corp opened up an incomplete version of Windows 8 for the public to download and test on Wednesday, looking to rev up excitement for its slick, new-look operating system which it hopes will restore its fading tech supremacy. Windows 8, as the first Microsoft operating system compatible with low-power microprocessors designed […]