The rumors of a mini iPad have surfaced once again, and I’m starting to believe them. Both Bloomberg and the Wall Street Journal report that Apple will launch an iPad with a screen smaller than 8 inches this year, citing unnamed …
Smartphone Shoppers Actually Increase In-Store Sales
They call it “showrooming,” and to hear the nation’s retailers and other experts fret about consumers using smartphones to buy online while shopping in stores, it’s the worst thing to happen to brick-and-mortar sales since Jeff Bezos started a website to sell books. Except it’s not.
Musical DNA: WhoSampled iPhone App Scours Tracks for Borrowed Riffs
If you’ve heard all of the new Bruce Springsteen album, Wrecking Ball, you’ve probably wondered, listening to its final rousing track, “We Are Alive,” why that song sounds so familiar. Or maybe you got the riff right away on your …
‘Spelunky’ Review: A Punishing Platformer That’s Always Changing
Spelunky is the latest in a long line of interesting, downloadable Xbox 360 platformers, with roots in Super Mario Bros. It’s also, by far, the most unforgiving, despite a cartoon facade of stumpy characters, colorful environs …
TechnologizerMicrosoft
Google Graveyard, Meet Microsoft’s Morgue
“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again. Then quit. No use being a damn fool about it.”
–W.C. Fields
Google used its official blog today to announce that it’s discontinuing a bunch of products. They range from the …
How Exactly Do Cyber Criminals Steal $78 Million?
Let’s say you’re a cyberthief who just compromised hundreds of bank accounts worth millions of dollars. Congratulations! You’re now the scourge of the global community. Now, all you need to do is get your hands on that money. How do you do that?
via Cyber Crime: How Thieves Steal $78 Million from Bank Accounts | Moneyland | TIME.com.
Allen Institute: Microsoft Cofounder’s Organization Holds Brain Hackathon
Yesterday, I wrote about a researcher “hacking” into Stephen Hawking’s mind with a new device called the iBrain. But for most scientists, hacking the brain doesn’t mean bypassing the physical body — it means making sense of the …
How Google’s Chief Innovator Sergey Brin Is Making Science Fiction Real
At a time when some pundits are questioning whether Silicon Valley’s innovation engine is tapped out, web search titan Google offered a powerful display last week of why that’s not the case.
via Google’s Chief Innovator …
Nearly 1 in 3 Teens Sext, Study Says. Is This Cause for Worry?
Should teen sexting — the sending and receiving of nude photos — be considered criminal behavior or youthful indiscretion along the lines of spin the bottle and playing doctor?
via Nearly 1 in 3 Teens Sext, Study Says. Is This Cause for Worry? | Healthland | TIME.com.
Apple Wins Ban on Two Android Devices: What It Means for You
Last week, a U.S. District judge dealt a serious blow to Google and Samsung by slapping an injunction on the Galaxy Nexus phone and the Galaxy Tab 10.1 in a patent infringement lawsuit.
Although Judge Lucy Koh hasn’t found …
Sony Bets On Cloud Gaming with Gaikai Purchase, but Don’t Expect Drastic Changes
Cloud gaming: the promise of playing games anywhere you can scare up high-speed Internet, the latest ones fired at you instantly and on demand — just like Netflix or Hulu video — and with all the visual trimmings. The ability …
TechnologizerMicrosoft
Microsoft’s Price-Busting Gambit: Windows 8 Pro Will Be a $39.99 Upgrade
We may still be waiting for Windows 8, but it’s already accomplished one thing: It’s become the most surprising version of Windows ever. Even the pricing, it turns out, is a major departure from past editions.
Microsoft’s …