Microsoft & Barnes & Noble settle patent dispute, announce new company for digital reading

Microsoft and Barnes & Noble have finally put an end to their patent dispute regarding the use of Android in Barnes & Noble’s NOOK, NOOK Color, and NOOK Tablet. The two companies announced today that they have reached a settlement and will launch a new subsidiary focused on digital reading. The new company, temporarily called Newco until a proper name is chosen, will have 82.4 percent ownership by Barnes & Noble and 17.6 percent by Microsoft. The deal was made possible by Microsoft’s $300 million investment and dropping its lawsuit against B&N, allowing the two forces to work towards a better digital reading environment. Ah, but what kind of environment will it be? Surely Microsoft didn’t write a $300 million check just so Barnes & Noble could keep pumping out Nook devices based on Android, did it

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Windows Phone smoked by Galaxy Nexus, Microsoft initially denies prize then makes it right

Sahas Katta, a blogger for Skatter Tech, recently took his Galaxy Nexus into a Microsoft Store to partake in the “Smoked by Windows Phone” challenge. Smoked by Windows Phone is Microsoft’s marketing campaign launched at CES that claims Windows Phone can do many basic things faster than its iOS and Android counterparts. Microsoft is so sure it’s platform can best other platforms at the tasks it (carefully) selected for the challenge, it put up a $1,000 special edition laptop as a prize. The Challenge In order to lay claim to the $1,000 prize, Mr. Katta and his Galaxy Nexus would need to display the weather in two cities faster than it could be done on the Windows Phone device operated by a store employee.

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The Evolution of Mac OS, From 1984 to Mountain Lion

Since the release of System 1 in January 1984, Apple has played an integral role in designing and implementing the graphical user interface (GUI) as we know it.

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The Evolution of Mac OS, From 1984 to Mountain Lion

iPhone 5 rumour roll up for the week ending February 17

The iOSsphere seemed to be nearing exhaustion, swinging between summer and fall release dates, the differences between .1 and .2 firmware versions, and wild longings for a 3D user interface.

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iPhone 5 rumour roll up for the week ending February 17

iPad owners: Trending 'older,' wealthier for now

iPad owners “tend to be older and have more money,” according to a study from The NPD Group.

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iPad owners: Trending 'older,' wealthier for now

Apple's iPhone loses China market share

HONG KONG/BEIJING (Reuters) – Apple Inc's share of China's booming smartphone market slipped for a second straight quarter in October-December, as it lost ground to cheaper local brands and as some shoppers held off until after the iPhone 4S launch last month. China, the world's largest mobile phone market, has not been easy for Apple, which is grappling with a lawsuit from a local firm over the …

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Apple's iPhone loses China market share

Examination of iPad 3 Screen Reveals Retina Goodness

For months now, it has been a foregone conclusion that the iPad 3 will feature a high-resolution retina display. Now further evidence has surfaced, this time with an examination of one of the screens.

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Examination of iPad 3 Screen Reveals Retina Goodness

AnyMP4 Newly Released iPad Video Converter

BEIJING, Feb. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire-Asia/ — AnyMP4 now releases the iPad Video Converter software for iPad users, which has the professional converting function and multiple editing functions to give users …

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AnyMP4 Newly Released iPad Video Converter

Apple Unveils New Mac OS X Mountain Lion

When Apple launched Mac OS X Lion last July, it brought the Macintosh operating system ever closer to the experience folks had gotten accustomed to on the iPad and iPhone. Now, just seven months later, Apple today unveils OS X Mountain Lion, an early preview version for developers.

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Apple Unveils New Mac OS X Mountain Lion