Island Def Jam to Open Its Music Catalog to App Programmers

Island Def Jam–the major label that’s home to Justin Bieber, Rihanna, Fall Out Boy, Kanye West and a lot of other big names–is about to officially announce an alliance with the Echo Nest, an application-development platform that’s been doing really interesting things with music apps.

Cloud Connect: Save Microsoft Office Docs to Google’s Servers

If you enjoy subtle jabs between Google and Microsoft, this round goes to Google. Per a company blog post:

Get ‘Em While They’re Young: Disney Buys Under-10s Social Networking Site

Disney clearly believes that children are the future… of social networking. The Walt Disney Co. has purchased Togetherville, a social networking site for children under the age of 10 that allows them their own Facebook-style environment in a closely monitored, age-appropriate setting.

The Details on the Xoom’s LTE Upgrade

The most interesting thing about Motorola’s new Xoom tablet–which I reviewed for this week’s TIME.com Technologizer column and is available from Verizon dealers starting today–is that it’s the first tablet that runs Google’s new Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. The second most interesting is the support for Verizon’s speedy LTE 4G network. And the third [...]

Gaming Tip Sheet: ‘Killzone 3′

You’ve been waiting since the end of Killzone 2 to find out what happens. That day is finally here. The latest installment in the Killzone series, Killzone 3, picks up right where the previous first-person shooter’s action left off.

Google Chrome Works Behind the Scenes with Background Pages

Google is continuing to push the functionality of its Google Chrome browser by highlighting the various cool things it can do in a series of posts over at the official Chromium blog. For example: Background pages.

Sprint Getting Its First Windows Phone Next Month

Microsoft’s new Windows Phone 7 platform is preparing to expand to another carrier. Starting March 20th, Sprint customers will be able to purchase the HTC Arrive for $200 after a $100 mail-in rebate and two-year contract.

“Bulletstorm” Review: A Rain of Pain That Feels Pretty Good

First there was a minor kerfuffle, dubbed #Boobstorm, that started on this very site as a result of an interview I did with producer Tanya Jessen, where she talked about the internal debate over female character Trishka’s breast size. Following that, sensationalistic reporting from Fox News went crazytown with inventing dangers around Epic Games’ newest [...]

New Lighter, Faster MacBook Pro Notebooks Have Landed

Just in time for Steve Jobs’ 56th birthday, Apple has rolled out new MacBook Pro models. There are two 13-inchers, two 15-inchers, and a lone 17-inch version. Prices run $1,200 to $2,500 before optional upgrades.

Apple Shareholders Silence Demands for Jobs’ Replacement

With Apple CEO Steve Jobs out on indefinite medical leave, a group of shareholders—the Central Laborers’ Pension Fund in Illinois—proposed that Apple reveal its internal plans to replace Jobs in the event that he not return to run the company.