As reported on TechCrunch. by TADHG KELLY Two years ago I was very excited by the possibilities of the Wii U. I instantly fell in love with the idea of the tablet/joypad game controller and saw all sorts of possible uses. It seemed like it might well be the console that could do it all, from first-person shooters to real-time strategy, and also lots of funky stuff like drawing games, things to do with cameras and…
As reported on TechCrunch. by DEVIN COLDEWEY A couple years ago, I wrote a post called Google, Rome, and Empire. The gist of the article, of which I was very proud at the time, was that Google’s grand plan mirrored the structure of Roman roads in their build-out period, and that Google would unify its dozens of small properties with its five or six big ones by means of a single meta-service. I envisioned this rich tapestry…
As reported on TechCrunch. by JOHN BIGGS Apple doesn’t need a miracle, but clearly the marketing department thinks the company needs to step things up. To wit: Apple’s latestiPhone web page, which touts “There’s iPhone. And then there’s everything else.” It’s a brassy, ballsy statement worthy of Steve Jobs himself and it seems to show an Apple undaunted yet clearly aware that it can’t just say nothing about the competition. For most of the past few…
As reported on Engadget. By Zach Honig Now might be the time to familiarize yourself with the Power Matters Alliance (PMA). The industry’s most recognizable standard, Qi, is facing serious competition from the PMA, which has garnered support from Duracell Powermat, AT&T, smartphone manufacturers such as BlackBerry and ZTE, and even Starbucks shops, which have begun rolling out its wireless charging tech in certain outlets. Beginning soon, you may be able to charge your compatible smartphone at European McDonald’s restaurants,…
As reported on Wired. BY BRANDON KEIM A sample of oceanic crust basalt (left) and a microscopic cross-section (right) denoting changes of concentration in sulfur, an element used by microbes there. Image: Spencer et al./Science Deep beneath the ocean floor off the Pacific Northwest coast, scientists have described the existence of a potentially vast realm of life, one almost completely disconnected from the world above. Persisting in microscopic cracks in the basalt rocks of Earth’s oceanic…
As reported on Wired. BY CADE METZ The best selling computer of all time? It wasn’t the Macintosh. Or the Apple II. Or the IBM PC. It was the Commodore-64, the computer-disguised-as-a-keyboard that made its debut in 1982. According to the late Jack Tramiel — the man who founded Commodore International — the company was selling nearly a half million C64s a month when he was forced out of the operation in 1984, and by the time the…
As reported on The Verge. By Jeff Blagdon Faced with a shortage of skilled job applicants, more than 100 of the biggest names in technology signed a letter urging the US Congress and White House to pass significant immigration reforms. Reported in The Hill, the letter (below) was signed by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Eric Schmidt, Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer, and many others, and calls for lawmakers to pass bills currently introduced in the Senate like the Immigration Innovation Act…
As reported on TechCrunch. by MARK SUSTER Creating awareness for your brand and products is one of the lifebloods of technology startups yet in a world where so many companies are being created it becomes difficult to rise above the noise. Ever notice how some companies tend to be in the press all the time and your big new product launch struggled for inches? Mostly it’s because your marketing campaigns suck. Or more directly – they…
As reported on TechCrunch. by JORDAN CROOK As if it could be any other way, the just-announcedSamsung Galaxy S 4 is Samsung’s, and perhaps even Android’s, best phone yet. In fact, it very well may be the best smartphone on the market, period. We’ve been through months of speculation, hype, rumors, and leaks, but the truth is out, and the Galaxy S 4 still has much more up its sleeve than the leaks suggested. More than any…
As reported on Engadget. By Alexis Santos Sky’s Movies app may be old hat for iOS users, but the companion experience has only just arrived on Android. By wielding the software, folks can look up what’s airing across the network’s film channels, read up on information about flicks and look up theater listings. Users can also catch streaming movies with the application (if a device is registered with Sky Go, of course), and even remotely set their Sky+ HD…