Watch out, IBM, it looks like Google’s just snapped up 1,000 patents belonging to you, which almost sounds dramatic, except for the part where IBM let them.
Make that 1,023 patents in all, which Bloomberg reports were acquired from IBM on August 17. The move is thought to be part of Google’s recent strategy to stockpile patents …
Everyone know what a petabyte is? No, not a petting zoo for ancient computer chips, or copies of the once influential 1980s computer mag. We’re talking about one quadrillion bytes, or 1,000 terabytes. For context, I’m the (proud) owner of a 1TB external USB hard drive, and yes, it wasn’t cheap. Last I checked, the biggest consumer hard …
Thirty years ago today, IBM announced its first PC, the 5150. It wasn’t the best PC of its era, or even the most interesting—but it was surely the most important one. That’s because it spawned a standard that quickly came to dominate the market, and which continues to this day. If you’re reading this on a Windows computer, you’re using …
Of all the companies to turn on the PC, you’d think ol’ Big Blue would be last. But no, it looks like one of the engineers who helped design IBM’s very first personal computer three decades ago is celebrating the anniversary (this Friday, August 12th) by announcing something of a paradigm shift: his main computer’s now a …
Remember IBM? You know, the company that built a computer that clobbered a couple of all-time Jeopardy champs earlier this year? I know, IBM’s not exactly Apple in terms of its consumer branding, but they do still make a bunch of stuff for mostly business types. Like…okay, I can’t think of anything off the top of my head either, but …
Nowadays, we’re used to hearing about technology companies appearing and disappearing in the blink of an eye, where the competitive dogma of the business world has many fighting for scraps just to stay alive.
Too often, it’s because these fat cow companies tend to rest on their laurels, chasing quick dollars after building scale (like …
If you’ve ever used a traffic map on a smartphone to find the best way home, you know that it can be pretty unreliable. Road conditions are always changing, and a green line in Google Maps can quickly turn to red, signaling massive congestion.
Enter IBM, which is starting a research project to make commuting easier. The so-called …
Earlier this month, analysts predict that Cupertino-based Apple would outpace IBM by 2013, and would eventually bring in over $200 billion in revenue. It might be really soon, but forecasters say Apple will hit its first $100 billion in revenue this year.
Due to demand in recent years, the company is expected to report the profit …
Talk about a comeback. The Cupertino-based company that couldn’t make a product stick a decade and a half ago looks to become a $200 billion revenue juggernaut by the end of 2012.
That, says Forrester Research CEO George Colony, would make Apple even bigger than IBM.
Thank the rise of apps, the new hurricane force driving mobile …
Meet Watson, Jeopardy!’s fiercest manmade competitor. The IBM machine made headlines after it was announced that the super computer would be competing on the quiz show against Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter, two of the most celebrated players in the television program’s history.
Watson has the unique ability to understand natural …
You’ve probably heard all about Watson, the IBM computer that’s capable of understanding natural language. The advanced technology will be competing in Jeopardy against two of the world’s quickest minds from February 14 -16, and there’s a lot at stake with $1 million going to the first place winner, $300,000 going to second place and …
If you thought Windows ’95 was archaic, think again. And if you’ve ever wondered how our phones got so smart or how the Internet works, you’re in luck.
The Computer History Museum opened an exhibit this week titled “Revolution: The First 2000 Years of Computing“, which covers everything from the abacus to the iPhone to robots to the …