Amazon Fire Phone #FAIL; LA Schools Suspend iPads

35,000. That’s the maximum potential number of Fire Phones Amazon has sold so far, according to an estimate by The Guardian’s Charles Arthur. (source infra)

There's no hope for Amazon's Fire Phone | VentureBeat | Mobile | by Devindra Hardawar: "The ultimate problem? With the Fire Phone, Amazon ended up serving itself more than it actually served consumers."

L.A. Unified halts contract for iPads - LA Times: "LA schools Supt. John Deasy suspended future use of a contract with Apple on Monday that was to provide iPads to all students in the nation's second-largest school system amid mounting scrutiny of the $1-billion-plus effort. The suspension comes days after disclosures that the superintendent and his top deputy had especially close ties to executives of Apple, maker of the iPad, and Pearson, the company that is providing the curriculum on the devices. And an internal report that examined the technology effort showed major problems with the process and the implementation."Moving forward, we will no longer utilize our current contract with Apple Inc.," Deasy wrote in a memo sent to the Board of Education on Monday...Under the contract approved just over a year ago, Apple had been expected to provide iPads with Pearson as the subcontractor...."

Huawei Is Shaking Up the Smartphone Market - WSJ: "WSJ: Have you ever considered using the Tizen operating system [developed by Samsung and backed by Intel Corp. and others]? Mr. Yu: We have no plans to use Tizen. Some telecom carriers are pushing us to design Tizen phones but I say "no" to them. In the past we had a team to do research on Tizen but I canceled it. We feel Tizen has no chance to be successful. Even for Windows Phone it's difficult to be successful. We have no plans to build our own OS. It's easy to design a new OS, but the problem is building the ecosystem around it."

Speed and Spectators Lead to Twitch, a Gaming Nexus
New York Times
The website has quickly emerged as the go-to destination for watching video games, drawing tens of millions of viewers each month. On Monday, that success led to a huge payday for the company's founders, as Amazon said it had reached a deal to buy ...


Daily Mail
Is the universe a 2D hologram? Fermilab intends to find out
CNET
An experiment at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory called the Holometer intends to test several theories about the universe, including the holographic principle...


CNN
A quick photo primer on Instagram's Hyperlapse app
CNET
Instagram's new time lapse toolkit is a ton of fun -- more so if you know the ins and outs of the art form. Here's a best practices guide for snapping sped-up shots through space...


Laboratory Equipment
Cosmic effort provides best view yet of distant colliding galaxies
CNET
Behold the best look yet at a massive intergalactic train wreck in progress. It's also a glimpse at what the universe looked like when it was only half its current age...


Businessweek
Is Apple Prepping a Bigger iPad for 2015?
Businessweek
Remember when gadgets used to keep getting smaller? Now they keep getting bigger. Apple (AAPL) is rumored to be bringing out a larger iPhone this fall, and now our colleagues at Bloomberg News are reporting that a larger iPad is in the pipeline, too.


MiamiHerald.com
Social media not a vehicle of debate, instead encourages self-censorship: Study
IBNLive
Washington: People who use Facebook and Twitter are less likely than others to share their opinions on hot-button issues, even when they are offline, according to a surprising new survey by the Pew Research Center. The study, done in conjunction with ...


New York Times
Google Acquires Video and Special-Effects Startup Zync
Wall Street Journal
The service operated on Amazon computers, but Google said it would move ... Googlelaunched a push earlier this year to get more developers and ...

Here’s How Amazon Might Take Over Brick-and-Mortar Retail | Re/code: "Broadly, they said the world’s largest online retailer aims to make it easy for a wider array of brick-and-mortar shops to sell on Amazon while giving Amazon shoppers another way to receive orders on the same day they are purchased. The move would extend Amazon’s reach far beyond the virtual checkout aisle to the real ones in your neighborhood."

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Android Tablets Surpass Apple iPad in Marketshare

This has been building for some time and will accelerate over the next 3 years --

Android overtakes Apple's iPad in tablet marketshare, approaches in revenue...
Apple Insider
Android overtakes Apple's iPad in tablet marketshare, approaches in revenue ... Apple's iPad and iPad mini are still the most popular tablets in the world, but ...

Apple Insider

Android overtakes iPad in tablet race - NBCNews.com: "The iPad, long the best-selling tablet in the world, has received a check to its dominance: Android has taken the lead in both tablets sold and in the money people paid for them."
Apple has a Samsung problem
Ninemsn
It seems that it wasn't all too long ago when Samsung (NASDAQOTH: SSNLF ) was mocking smartphone leader Apple's (NASDAQ: AAPL) lines in its “next big ...

Online Gadget Store

China to Open Door Wider for Foreign Tech Firms
Wall Street Journal
BEIJING—China outlined a plan to allow foreign firms to offer some Internet services in the country and ended a more than decade long ban on the sale of videogame consoles as part of new rules issued Friday for a free-trade zone in Shanghai. According to a ...

2 great new Surface tablets unveiled: Why I won't be buying either one | ZDNet: "The "about 2lbs" Microsoft is listing for the Surface Pro 2, which is the same as the Surface Pro, is too heavy for tablet use as far as I'm concerned. The times I've played with the Surface Pro clearly demonstrated that the tablet is too heavy and bulky for typical tablet use."

Finding Microsoft's New CEO - WSJ.com: "Mr. Thompson, a seasoned 64-year-old tech executive, will have to convince critics that he and fellow outside directors won't rubber-stamp the views of Bill Gates, Microsoft's legendary chairman, co-founder and biggest individual stockholder. "I have enormous respect for Bill," Mr. Thompson said in an interview Wednesday. "But I didn't accept the role on the board or the role as the lead independent director to be Bill's pawn.""

Apple's Sales of New iPhones Off to a Fast Start
EDGEOnTheNet
Apple's rivals have been gaining market share by selling less expensive phones running on Google Inc.'s free Android software. Those nagging worries are the ...

The Guardian

Microsoft justifies costly Xbox One console, discusses console's ...
Gamenguide
The fact that Microsoft's Xbox One is set to retail for $100 more than Sony's ... With about a month left for the console's final release, it seems like Microsoft is ...

Gamenguide

Microsoft Keeping Close Eye on SteamOS, Steam Machines
Tom's Hardware Guide
In a recent interview with Eurogamer, Microsoft corporate vice president Phil ... of these titles -- if they're purchased through Google Play or Amazon's Appstore ...

Microsoft, Nokia deal: Delhi High Court order dials trouble for Nokia ...
Financial Express
Microsoft, Nokia deal: Delhi High Court order dials trouble for Nokia in India... The India leg of Nokia's global sale to Microsoft Corporation could run into trouble, ...

Financial Express

Microsoft sees game market in China
Fort Wayne Journal Gazette
BEIJING – Microsoft Corp. is forming a video-game venture with a Chinese... Microsoft and BesTV New Media Co., a subsidiary of Shanghai Media Group, ...

Paste Magazine

Is Apple iOS 7 Making Users Sick?
InformationWeek
Apple's recently released mobile operating system iOS 7 is making some people ... Meaningful Use regulations and start asking: Is my site as useful as Amazon?

Apple and AT&T settle class action for unlimited data claim - Engadget
Mariella Moon
Apple and AT&T settle class action for unlimited data claim of original iPad ... Microsoft outlines 66,539 account requests from law enforcement during first ... Amazon.com ... Man Stunned After Finding Picture Of His Late Grandma On Google.Engadget RSS Feed 

Steve Ballmer's Tearful Goodbye to Microsoft - AllThingsD
Mike Isaac
Trending – Intel Looking for Help from Amazon or Samsung to Keep Its Web TV Project Alive · Mike Isaac. ethics statement ... But you can't deny that the longtime Microsoft chief has got heart. ... I can't believe Apple isn't moving faster to create a larger iPhone screen. ... 

Apple to pay AT&T iPad 3G owners $40 in unlimited data lawsuit
Cody Lee
Apple to pay AT&T iPad 3G owners $40 in unlimited data lawsuit. By Cody Lee, Sep 29, 2013 ...DOJ: Apple used in-app purchases as club against Amazon ...
iDownloadBlog.com 

Microsoft Received 37,196 Requests For Data From LEAs | Ubergizmo
Adnan Farooqui
Microsoft has released a new report today detailing the number of requests it has received from various law enforcement agencies from around the world.Ubergizmo 

How To Transfer Your Contacts from iCloud to Google Contacts
Chad Kirchner
Thankfully both Apple and Google support the vCard standard for contacts which makes it incredibly easy to move from one ecosystem to another. Also, doing it ...
Gotta Be Mobile

Sayonara, silicon? Engineers build first carbon nanotube computer
Los Angeles Times
Tech soothsayers have long predicted the demise of computers as we know them today, as their shrinking sizes approach the limits of silicon's ability to take the heat. Now, researchers at Stanford University — in the heart of Silicon Valley — have tossed the ...

LexisNexis breach reveals 'secret questions'
USA TODAY
SEATTLE – The systematic theft of records from three major U.S. data aggregation companies could well turn out to be much more damaging to consumers than any previous large-scale theft of credit card data. "This is a much bigger deal than a regular credit ...

Valve reveals haptic game controller for release in 2014
BBC News
Games developer and publisher Valve has shown off its Steam Controller, the final part of its strategy to bring its PC-based platform to the living room. The controller offers two trackpads which provide "haptic" feedback capable of delivering various physical ...

MLB tests Apple's iBeacon location service (pictures)
CNET
CNET took a trip to Citi Field to get a sneak peak at location-based services powered by Apple's iBeacon, a new feature found in iOS 7. A greeting pops up as you get to the front walkway of Citi Field. The greeting is triggered by a nearby beacon that detects ...

6 Pieces Of Evidence For Water On Mars: Video
Discovery News
The ace team at Discovery Lists teamed up with Discovery News ahead of Thursday's big "water on Mars" discovery announcement to produce this brilliant video. Continue reading →. Read More » · Human · Psychology · Genetics · Health · Evolution · Life ...

Forest Fragmentation can lead to 'Ecological Armageddon', Researchers Say
Nature World News
Many species of birds and animals will soon disappear due to the increased fragmentation of tropical forests around the world. Tropical forests are hotspots of biological diversity and currently occupy about 6 percent of earth's land surface, which is less than ...

Why Did Apple Just Hire A Nike Shoe Designer?
Fast Company
Why Did Apple Just Hire A Nike Shoe Designer? One thing we do know: Ben Shaffer was not a top FuelBand designer for the athletic company, as reported by sources hungry for iWatch fodder. By: Austin Carr. If you believe the rumors, Apple just poached top ...

What 'likely' and 'extremely likely' really mean in climate-speak
The Globe and Mail
Climate scientists announced Friday that they now believe it is “extremely likely” that warming of the Earth's climate is caused by humans, marking a rise in confidence from “very likely” in 2007. What do these terms actually mean? The authors of the ...

Sonar Noise Behind Whale Deaths
Discovery News
The deaths of over 100 melon-headed whales, which stranded on the shores of a lagoon in northwest Madagascar in 2008, were likely primarily triggered by a form of sonar being deployed by an ExxonMobil survey vessel, according to a scientific review ...

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Apple's new iPad: Retina display, 5-megapixel camera, 4G LTE, A5X chip, and voice dictation

Apple's new iPad: Retina display, 5-megapixel camera, 4G LTE [Updated]
Los Angeles Times
By Nathan Olivarez-Giles This story was updated at 11:45 am with information on the new iPad's A5X chip, voice dictation and pricing. Apple's new iPad has been unveiled and it's called -- the iPad. Not iPad 3 and not iPad HD, contrary to rampant ...

Los Angeles Times

Biggest solar storm in years nears Earth, may disrupt power
USA TODAY
By Seth Borenstein, AP WASHINGTON – The largest solar flare in five years is racing toward Earth, threatening to unleash a torrent of charged particles that could disrupt power grids, GPS and airplane flights. AP An ultraviolet wavelength image ...

USA TODAY

Bizarre hybrid deep-sea creatures discovered
Fox News
Deep sea symbiosis: A hermit crab uses an anemone as a shell.Greg Rouse Scientists have discovered a strange and rare hybrid site in the deep sea where two extreme seafloor environments exist side by side, and are home to a parade of weird hybrid ...

Antimatter atom is measured for the first time
msnbc.com
Scientists have taken the first-ever measurement of an atom made of antimatter. This measurement, though not very precise, represents a first step toward being able to study antimatter atoms in detail — a goal necessary for understanding why the ...

msnbc.com

Security site hacked in LulzSec revenge move
msnbc.com
Angry members of LulzSec, part of hacktivist group Anonymous, hacked into a software security site that they believed led to the arrests Tuesday of six suspected leaders of Anonymous. The hackers posted what they said were the usernames and passwords ...

msnbc.com

Gorillas More Related to People Than Thought, Genome Says
National Geographic
Staring face to face with a gorilla, it's hard not to find them eerily similar to humans—and now the first published gorilla genome supports that, according to a new study. In 2008 geneticists took DNA from Kamilah, a then 30-year-old female western ...

National Geographic

Siri Speaks Japanese in iOS 5.1 Update
PCWorld
Apple's iPhone 4S's artificially intelligent assistant now speaks six languages, with the addition of Japanese in the refreshed iOS. By Philip Michaels, Macworld Japanese-speaking iPhone 4S owners will now get a chance to chat with Siri.

Venus BELCHES solar wind in shock weather explosion
Register
By Brid-Aine Parnell • Get more from this author ESA's Venus Express spacecraft has spotted the planet blowing back million-mile-per-hour solar winds in weather explosions similar to what happens outside Earth's magnetic shield.

iPhoto coming to iOS for $4.99, completes mobile iWork and iLife
Ars Technica
By Casey Johnston | Published March 7, 2012 2:08 PM Apple's head engineer for photo and video application, Randy Ubilios, demos the new iOS version of iPhoto. Apple announced updates to a handful of apps for iOS alongside its new iPad at a special ...

Ars Technica

Google Play May Add Audiobooks
PCWorld
By John P. Mello Jr., PCWorld Mar 7, 2012 11:35 AM Google Play, launched by the search giant Tuesday, may be adding audiobooks to its inventory of music, movies, apps and ebooks. Signs of audiobook expansion were first spotted by Google watchers at the ...

New Apple TV delivers 1080p, updated interface
CNET
by Matthew Moskovciak March 7, 2012 10:11 AM PST Follow @cnetmoskovciak Apple's streaming video box gets a bump up to 1080p and a few other minor improvements. The new Apple TV will feature a redesigned user interface. As expected, a new Apple TV ...

It's Official: SimCity Returns to the PC in 2013
Tom's Hardware Guide
Electronic Arts and Maxis Emeryville announced on Wednesday that the SimCity franchise is making a return to the PC in 2013. They call it a "true rebirth" of the franchise (AKA reboot) that will break new ground next year by implementing a "robust" ...

Higgs boson coming into focus, say scientists (+video)
Christian Science Monitor
Higgs boson: The hunt for the Higgs boson, the so-called God Particle, continues. But in a study released today, scientists say they're getting closer to proving the existence of Higgs boson, but the image is 'fuzzy.' By Andrew Stern, Reuters / March 7 ...

Christian Science Monitor

Video: Lego space shuttle almost makes it to space
TG Daily
I've always been a big fan of Lego models, especially when uber-geeks take the little bricks and create advanced designs or structures. Of course, this has to rank right up there with some of my favorite Lego stories. Yes, the very talented Raul Oaida ...

Is Netflix Running to Cable's Warm Embrace?
TechNewsWorld
By Ed Sutherland Netflix's streaming services may start piggybacking on cable TV offerings if the company lands the deals it's reportedly trying to clinch. Such agreements could give Netflix a revenue boost, and from cable operators' point of view, ...

Samsung Files Patent Lawsuit Against Apple in South Korea
PCWorld
By Agam Shah, IDG News Samsung Electronics this week filed a lawsuit against Apple, alleging infringement of three patents used in the iPhone 4S and iPad 2. The lawsuit was filed in Seoul Central District Court. Samsung previously filed a separate ...

Apple Awarded iWallet Patent
PC Magazine
By Chloe Albanesius Apple has been awarded an "iWallet" patent that, among other things, would link mobile payments to your iTunes account. As reported by Patently Apple, the iWallet patent would allow credit card companies to send customers their ...

AMD's SeaMicro Deal Will Strengthen Server Market Presence
Forbes
AMD recently stated that it will acquire SeaMicro for $334 million. SeaMicro builds micro servers that essentially pack together several chips to save space and energy. [1] AMD's attempt comes as a result of the company's consistently poor performance ...

Eye tracking evolution: A look at Tobii's slim new IS-2, glasses-free 3D...
Digitaltrends.com
Today, Tobii announced a newer, smaller, better eye tracking device that can be used in consumer devices as well as a partnership that could greatly enhance glasses-free 3D. We spoke with the company about its plans and where eye control is headed next ...

Digitaltrends.com

Facebook hit by technical problem
BBC News
Facebook was unavailable for a number of users mostly across Europe on Wednesday due to "technical difficulties". Users reported problems accessing Facebook.com in many countries, including the UK, for about two hours. The social network's smartphone ...

BBC News

Spider silk conducts heat, unalike organic material: Study
The State Column
Spider silk conducts heat, unlike most organic materials, according to a press release from Iowa State University Friday. Xinwei Wang, an associate professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, made the discovery after his curiosity ...

Researchers capture first-ever images of atoms moving in a molecule
R & D Magazine
Using a new ultrafast camera, researchers have recorded the first real-time image of two atoms vibrating in a molecule. Key to the experiment, which appears in Nature, is the researchers' use of the energy of a molecule's own electron as a kind of ...

Battlefield 3 to Get Three New Expansions this Year
RipTen
Are you getting bored with Battlefield 3′s maps? Why not try the game's Back to Karkand expansion? Already did? Well, if your trigger-finger is itching for new maps and weapons to blow crap up with, then do we have good news for you!

Dinosaur guts reveal velociraptor's last meal
CBS News
A lightweight Velociraptor dinosaur may have chowed down on the carcass of a much larger flying reptile not long before meeting his own demise some 75 million years ago. The evidence comes from a pterosaur bone discovered in the gut of the skeletal ...

Researchers link moon to Titanic disaster
ABC15.com (KNXV-TV)
April 14 will mark 100 years since the Titanic sunk on her maiden voyage after striking an iceberg. Recent research from the Texas State University suggested that a rare lunar event might have contributed to the tragedy. Physics faculty members Donald ...

ABC15.com (KNXV-TV)

Android Hits 'Play,' Apple May Be Offering to Settle
Sci-Tech Today
By Barry Levine The Wall Street Journal reported that Apple may be ready to settle its proxy war with Google over Android. For months, Apple has been embroiled in a multi-front, worldwide patent conflict with Samsung and Motorola, among others, ...

Sci-Tech Today

Windows 8: 8 Benefits For Business
InformationWeek
Microsoft pitches more detail on Windows 8's security and manageability improvements for enterprise IT and SMBs, a week after releasing the consumer preview version. By Paul McDougall InformationWeek A week after releasing the Windows 8 Consumer ...

GM to Halt Output of Slow-Selling Volt for Five Weeks Rather Than Discount
Bloomberg
General Motors Co. (GM), missing sales goals for the Chevrolet Volt plug-in hybrid, plans to halt production of the sedan for five weeks beginning later this month rather than discount the high-technology cars. GM will stop making Volts at its ...

Tech Wars: The new battlegrounds
Hindustan Times
If you thought Pepsi - Coca Cola's counter advertisements were the summit of in-your-face competition, welcome to the tech industry - a no-holds-barred space where battles are fought daily on acquisition tables, corporate blogs, parody videos, ...
 
Hindustan Times

Gates Beats Ellison in Tech Billionaires Ranking
BusinessWeek (blog)
(MSFT), the world's largest software company, is technology's richest man. The chairman of Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft, was worth $61.3 billion as of the close of US trading yesterday, down $805.4 million for the day, according to a daily ...

Science & Tech: Nasa probes begin mapping surface of the moon
Scottish Daily Record
"Literally and figuratively, I'm over the moon," mission chief scientist Maria Zuber at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said in an email. Despite astronaut landings and robotic missions aimed at the moon, scientists still do not know ...

iPad HD “Feel Screen” Senseg tech tipped
SlashGear
A super-tactile touchscreen capable of delivering virtual textures, bumps and more to your fingertips has been tipped for the iPad 3/iPad HD, with haptics specialist Senseg dropping heavy hints that its innovative tech is featured in the third-gen iOS ...

SlashGear

Are Small, Tech-Savvy Firms Top US Job Creators?
Wall Street Journal
By EMILY MALTBY Small businesses that heavily use technology, from back-end software to social-media websites, are highly successful job creators, according to a research report released Wednesday from the Technology CEO Council.

Wall Street Journal

Top Ten Richest People In Tech
By Matt Rosoff
Bloomberg has started ranking the richest people in the tech industry, and it's going to adjust the rankings daily based on the movement of stock prices and other assets. Not surprisingly, Bill Gates is still number 1 by a large margin, with more ...
SAI

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