Apple also planning new Mac minis for launch alongside smaller iPad
Alongside the smaller iPad, Apple plans to announce a new version of its Mac mini. Sources say that these Mac minis will come in two standard configurations, with different storage and processor opti...
Exclusive: Apple Nabs Amazon A9 Exec Stasior to Run Siri — But Does Hire Signal a Bigger Move Into Search?
But Does Hire Signal a Bigger Move Into Search? — Apple has hired major Amazon exec and prominent search technologist William Stasior to run its Siri unit, according to sources. — At the online ret...
The $56 Million Man: Yahoo Confirms Hiring of Google's De Castro as COO
Yahoo said today in a regulatory filing that it had hired one of Google's top sales execs, Henrique De Castro, as its COO. — Earlier today, I had reported that CEO Marissa Mayer had been close to na...
First Microsoft Surface ad airs on national TV ahead of October 26th release
Microsoft's first ad for its Surface tablet will start to air on national TV this evening. The software maker will air the ad during Monday Night Football on ESPN. Following the initial Windows 8 TV...
Xbox: The new face of ‘entertainment’ at Microsoft, beyond just video games
The most striking takeaway from a recent meeting I had with Xbox Music GM Jerry Johnson wasn't the Spotify-like service he was in New York City to show off, but rather what he said about a much larger...
Apple's new iPod touch takes a step back: No light sensor
After raving about my new iPod touch last week, I've continued to happily use the device; until this weekend, that is. I actually thought my iPod touch was broken, in fact. Turns out that the device...
Starting v. Building a Company
It's never been easier to start a company in Silicon Valley and New York.
Samsung reveals lineup, pricing on Windows 8 hybrids & ultrabooks (photos)
NEW YORK CITY — Korean electronics giant Samsung has been steadily revealing details about its lineup of Windows 8 PCs and tablet hybrids, but tonight we finally have what appears to be the finalized ...
Muslims protest ‘age of mockery’ as thousands descend on Google HQ
Thousands of Muslims have pledged a series of protests against Google HQ for a “hateful and offensive” anti-Islam video, saying they now live in an “age of mockery”. — A protest by 10,000 Muslims ou...
Americans Paying More for LTE Service
BERLIN — Does LTE, the superfast wireless service based on Long Term Evolution technology, cost too much in the United States? A recent study by the research arm of the GSM Association, a group based...
Google Amps Up Personal Search to Combine Gmail, Calendar, Drive and More
Google is slowly but surely combining its various products so that users can find all their stuff in one place. — Starting today, Gmail users will be able to search across their mail, contacts …
Google TV finally gets added to a TV set-top box... in Korea
Google has sealed its first set-top box deal for its Google TV platform: Customers of South Korea's LG UPlus IPTV subscription service can now chose to get a Google TV-powered set-top box instead of t...
MetroPCS Shareholders File Suit To Block Deutsche Telekom Merger
According to a brand new lawsuit filed in Dallas, Texas, the merger between T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS is “cheating shareholders” through a “drastically undervalued” merger. Under the agreed upon term...
Textbook Publisher Pearson Takes Down 1.5 Million Teacher And Student Blogs With A Single DMCA Notice
If there's one thing we've seen plenty of here at Techdirt, it's the damage a single DMCA takedown notice can do. From shuttering a legitimate ebook lending site to removing negative reviews …
Circa's New iOS App Will Change The Way You Consume News
The way that we consume information on the Internet has changed dramatically over the years. The main reason is because there is simply more content available to us than we could ever consume during ...
File-Sharers Buy 30% More Music Than Non-P2P Peers
The major music labels have a clear stance on online piracy, as the following quote from the RIAA illustrates. — “While downloading one song may not feel that serious of a crime, the accumulative im...
Basic solidarity in WikiLeaks & Anonymous
Freedom isn't free, justice isn't free and solidarity isn't free. They all require generosity, self-discipline, courage and a sense of perspective. Groups with unity flourish and those without unity...
Startups: GrabCAD Is Building Community in 3-D
GrabCAD hosts CAD files for everything from sports cars to machine parts — You've engineered a mockup for a stunning two-seater. The body is sleek, the wheels look ready to pounce, and the headligh...
Congressman warns FTC: Leave Google alone
Says antitrust action against Google “defies all logic.” — A Democratic congressman who played a leading role in the fight against the Stop Online Piracy Act earlier this year has taken up a new cau...
Foursquare Takes On Yelp With New Homepage Search Box
Perhaps it was always inevitable that Foursquare would shift its emphasis from location-based social networking to local search. Indeed, the site has been moving in this direction for quite some time...
Apple Appeals Tokyo Court's Ruling for Samsung in Lawsuit
Apple Inc. (AAPL) appealed a Tokyo ruling that said Samsung Electronics Co. didn't infringe on the iPhone maker's patent as the world's top two smartphone sellers continue their global legal dispute.
Square officially ends its New York taxi pilot
After seven months of testing an iPad-based payment system in New York taxis, Square is officially terminating its pilot, well short of its original planned ending date, according to a letter sent to ...
In the High-Tech Patent Wars, an Inventor's Lament
A long, narrative article we ran last week on the challenges facing the patent system, “The Patent, Used as a Sword,” prompted a lot of comments, and we posted more than 275 of them. — But I thought...
13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display confirmed for Apple event
Alongside the smaller iPad, Apple will debut a 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display, according to a consistently reliable source at a high-profile U.S. retailer. — This new 13-inch MacBook Pro wi...
Microsoft To Compete Against Spotify With Xbox Music, Available Soon On Xbox, Windows 8, And Windows Phone Devices
Microsoft will soon become the next player to enter the streaming music business, with a service that will see it competing against the likes of Spotify and Rdio.
Softbank Confirms It Is Buying 70% Of Sprint For $20.1B
Softbank has confirmed the news that it is buying Sprint, the third-largest wireless carrier in the U.S., for $20.1 billion (¥1.571 trillion). The announcement comes just ahead of Sprint holding a co...
Amazon in talks to buy Texas Instruments' smartphone & tablet OMAP chip activity: Report
Texas Instruments (TI), which recently announced that it will wind down its operations in smartphone and tablet oriented OMAP chips and instead focus on embedded platforms, is engaged in 'advanced neg...
Google ‘to be told to unravel privacy policy’
French data protection commissioner's ruling that web giant must separate user data could have global impact, say sources — Google will be told on Tuesday to unravel the controversial changes introd...
Samsung official cites serious chip rift with Apple — report
report — Samsung has probably been the largest single component supplier to Apple and has collaborated with Apple on chip development. That relationship may be coming to an end, according to a repor...
Amazon Quietly Discontinues the Kindle DX
About a week ago I posted about how Amazon had cut the price of the Kindle DX from $379 to $299. As expected it was indeed a final sale to eliminate stock, because the Kindle DX is no longer availabl...
Zynga Files Suit Against Former Staffer, Claiming Theft of Trade Secrets
Following the departure of several high-level employees, Zynga is striking back by filing a lawsuit against one of its former general managers, alleging “the wholesale theft of some of its most sensit...
Raspberry Pi Mini Computer Now Shipping With RAM Upgraded To 512MB (From 256MB); Same Tiny $35 Price-Tag
The Raspberry Pi mini computer just got a RAM upgrade - from 256MB to 512MB — but the $35 price-tag is staying the same. Eben Upton, chip design and founder of the Raspberry Pi Foundation …