Microsoft to Launch Amazon EC2 Rival. Again
The rumor du jour is that Microsoft is just two weeks away from launching a competitor to Amazon's massively popular EC2 service. This seems like big news, until you consider that Microsoft already offers a competitor to Amazon EC2.
ITC Awards Microsoft an Import Ban on Motorola Phones, Tablets
The ITC decided on Friday that Motorola's phones and tablets should be banned from sale in 60 days due to a violation of a Microsoft patent. President Obama could possibly overturn the sale ban.
iPhonography Accessories: Which Gadgets Are Best?
There are a lot of iPhone accessories out there, but only a few of them are time tested and have an actual chance of making your iPhone photos look better. Here are the best, chosen by The Wirecutter.
Amazon Rumored to Be Readying a 10-Inch Kindle Fire
Amazon is rumored to be working on a 10-inch Kindle Fire. Apple is said to be working on a seven-inch iPad mini. It's shaping up to be a clash of the tablet titans.
2001: A Space Odyssey Scene in LEGO as iPhone Dock
As someone mentioned on Twitter, this is a trifecta of geek awesomeness. And it puts the iPhone in its proper place as an alien technology planted on Earth to catalyze our evolution into (more) sapient beings. You can see the original posting on Imgur here. Originally found via Daring Fireball.
Facebook IPO Is Not the Endgame
There is a lot of misguided focus on which Facebook employees and investors are amassing what size pile of money, says Meagan Marks, a former Facebook employee, and a shareholder. ?What this IPO is really about is the company now has more money to go out and make more acquisitions and build more interesting products.?
Raccoon Sex Tape Is Sad Barometer of Good Taste
Shaun Pendergast was working away at his Portland apartment when he heard a strange noise. He walked to the window and saw two raccoons expressing their love for each other on his roof.
A Hands-On Look at the Etcher
I've actually gotten to play with the Etcher myself: Krupnik sent me an earlier prototype (ugly, but functional) when he found out I'm an Etch-a-Sketch artist, and I wanted a first-hand impression of how the thing actually works. Because really, as one of my fellow GeekDads asked, why would you pay $45 to turn your $500 tablet into a $15 toy? Read on, and I'll tell you.
Review: iRig MIC Cast Audio Tested
Having been a long time user of various iRig iPhone products I jumped at the chance to try out their new gadget, the iRig MIC Cast. This is a compact microphone on a mini-jack plugs directly into the iPhone to enhance the audio volume and audio quality of recordings.
The Champ Is Here
The HTC One X is one of the best smartphones on the market, and the best Android phone you can buy right now, period.
Steve Jobs Dreamed of Developing an iCar
Steve Jobs had dreamed of one day taking Apple onto our public roadways with a sleek, well-designed car -- so said J.Crew CEO and Apple board member Mickey Drexler at a recent business conference.
Google Patent Suggests New Direction For Project Glass Augmented Reality Interface
Head-mounted wearable computers present a bit of an interface problem. Voice-based systems give the impression that a person is murmuring to themselves and accelerometer-based systems that rely on head movement make users look like they have a nervous tic. One solution to the head-mounted-computer user interface conundrum is the use of hand gestures.
Mophie Juice Packs Give iPhone Batteries a Boost
I have asked for a specific table at a restaurant just so I could be near an outlet and I've sat on the floor of more than a few convention centers, listening to a panel and charging my iPhone. I'm happy to say that those days are behind me now that I have the Mophie Juice Pack Plus.
Jetpack Joyride Comes to Facebook
Okay, I'm not a huge fan of Facebook games. I never played Farmville or Mafia Wars, and since I spend less and less time on Facebook every passing month, I'm not usually on the lookout for games there. However, one of my favorite iOS games has made the jump to Facebook: Jetpack Joyride.
Oracle and Google Agree to Copyright Truce (For Now)
Oracle and Google have struck a deal in their ongoing Java dispute which could speed the case along, but with one catch: Oracle has now essentially bet the farm on its claim that Google violated its copyright by cloning its Java application programming interfaces (APIs). The two companies have been battling it out in a San Francisco courtroom for weeks now, in a complex case that involves patent and copyright claims along with a novel claim by Oracle that its java APIs -- essentially the technical guidelines that allow two pieces of software to talk to each other -- are copyrightable.
Apple's Patent Win Delays Shipments of Two HTC Smartphones
Shipments of HTC's One X and Evo 4G LTE smartphones have been delayed by U.S. Customs enforcement as the result of a December Apple patent lawsuit win over the Taiwanese smartphone maker.
Twisted Tweets Fuel Robots Feel Nothing When They Hold Hands
Apparently, Family Guy's writers needed another outlet for their wisecracks. In between episodes of Fox's raunchy animated comedy, they dispense twisted Twitter musings, which have now been assembled for posterity in a handy book called Robots Feel Nothing When They Hold Hands.
Flexible Displays Landing in 2012, But Not in Apple Gear
Flexible displays have tickled our imaginations for years. And before the end of 2012, we'll finally see companies employing flexible displays in their products. But while the possibilities are tantalizing, don't let your imagination run wild.
11 Jurors Consider Claims of Android Patent Infringement
Some have painted Oracle's lawsuit against Google as mere opportunism -- an effort to squeeze some money out of Android, a skyrocketing mobile operating system. But as the Google-Oracle trial reaches the end of its second phase, Oracle lead counsel Mike Jacobs is adamant that this case is about protecting the future of Java, the programming platform that Oracle acquired from Sun Microsystems in 2010.
Oracle Goes for Broke in Court Battle With Google
Oracle has made an all-or-next-to-nothing bet in its ongoing court battle with Google. On Tuesday, Oracle said that if Judge William Alsup rules that the Java APIs are not subject to copyright, it will not seek extensive damages from Google for infringing copyrights related to other parts of the Java platform. The move came after a stern rebuke from Alsup, who accused Oracle of going on a "fishing expedition" for damages beyond the standard amount for copyright infringement.