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U.S. third bitcoin auction spurs more demand with 34 bids The U.S. Marshals Service on Thursday held its third auction of bitcoins seized from Ross Ulbricht, convicted of operating black-market website Silk Road, with a sale of 50,000 units attracting higher demand than the previous auction.The government had 14 registered bidders for the 34 bids received, said Marshals Service spokeswoman Lynzey Donahue. That was higher than the bids received at the last bitcoin auction in December, when just 11 buyers submitted 27 bids.The first auction in June attracted 45 bidders and 63 bids.Donahue expects the auction process to be finished on Monday, at the earliest, when the financial transactions have been completed and the bitcoins transferred to the winning bidders. The winners though are expected to be notified on Friday.The bitcoins on the auction block are valued at $13.9 million at current prices.The six-hour online auction began at 8 a.m. EST (1300 GMT). The 50,000 bitcoins were offered in 20 blocks: 10 blocks of 2,000 bitcoins and 10 blocks of 3,000 bitcoins. The Marshals Service conducted auctions in June and December for nearly 80,000 bitcoins seized during the 2013 raid of Silk Road, a website on which authorities say drugs and other illegal goods could be bought. Ulbricht, 30, was found guilty on Feb. 4 of conspiracies to commit money laundering, computer hacking and drug trafficking.SecondMarket, owned and founded by Barry Silbert, won the bidding for 48,000 bitcoins auctioned in December. Silbert said that SecondMarket would participate in Thursday's auction, but his firm has not created a syndicate for the sale.Pantera Capital, an investment fund founded by Dan Morehead, a former senior executive at hedge fund Tiger Management, said in its newsletter it is also participating and has formed a syndicate for the auction.Meanwhile, billionaire venture capitalist Tim Draper, winner of the past two auctions, did not submit a bid. But he said in an email that the bitcoins on the auction block are "probably...the best deal anyone will get."Draper won part of the bitcoin auction in December, successfully bidding on one lot, totaling 2,000 bitcoins, on behalf of Draper Associates. He planned to invest 300 bitcoins in every startup that participated in the current session of Boost, a program for bitcoin-related startups founded by his son, Adam Draper.Tim Draper was the sole winner of the first auction of 29,655 bitcoins.In late trading, bitcoin prices were up 2.3 percent at $277.

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Draft U.S. rules on commercial drones keep some limits The U.S. aviation regulator proposed rules on Sunday for commercial drone flights that would lift some restrictions but would still bar activities such as the delivery of packages and inspection of pipelines that have been eyed by companies as a potentially breakthrough use of the technology.The long-awaited draft rules from the Federal Aviation Administration would require unmanned aircraft pilots to obtain special pilot certificates, stay away from bystanders and fly only during the day. They limit flying speed to 100 miles per hour (160 kph) and the altitude to 500 feet (152 meters) above ground level.The rules also say pilots must remain in the line of sight of its radio-control drone, which could limit inspection of pipelines, crops, and electrical towers that are one of the major uses envisioned by companies. The FAA acknowledged the limitation but said those flights could be made possible with a secondary spotter working with the pilot of the drone. "This rule does not deal with beyond line of sight, but does allow for the use of a visual observer to augment line of sight by the operator of the unmanned aircraft," FAA Administrator Michael Huerta said in a conference call with reporters on Sunday.The draft rules, nearly 10 years in the making, still must undergo public comment and revision before becoming final, a process expected to take at least a year.If they survive in their current form, they would be unlikely to help Amazon.com in its quest to eventually deliver packages with unmanned drones, since they require an FAA-certified small drone pilot to fly the aircraft and keep it in line of sight at all times - factors not envisioned in the online retailer's plan.Huerta also said, "We don't consider or contemplate in this rule carrying packages outside of the aircraft itself."Amazon's vice president of global public policy, Paul Misener, said the proposal would bar the company's delivery drones in the United States. Misener also urged the FAA to address the needs of Amazon and its customers as it carried out its formal rulemaking process. "We are committed to realizing our vision ... and are prepared to deploy where we have the regulatory support we need," Misener said in an emailed statement. Other countries have taken a more permissive stance towards delivery drones. In September, logistics firm DHL said its use of drones to drop off packages to residents of a German island was the first such authorized flight in Europe."The United States cannot afford to lag behind other countries in technological innovation because of regulatory foot-dragging," U.S. Senator Cory Booker, a New Jersey Democrat, said in an emailed statement. RULES EXPECTED TO EVOLVEHuerta, who said the agency had tried to be "flexible" in writing the rules, said they set a framework and would evolve based on discussions with industry and technology developments.The rules continue current restrictions against filming of crowds by news organizations, but Huerta said he expected those procedures to be developed as part of discussions with news groups.Separately, President Barack Obama issued a memo outlining principles for government use of drones, covering such issues as privacy protections and oversight of federal drone use.The FAA's draft rules appeared less onerous in some aspects than the industry had been worried about. There had been concern, for example, that they would require drone operators to attend a flight-training school and obtain a certification similar to that of a manned aircraft pilot.Commercial drone operators would need to be at least 17 years old, pass an aeronautical knowledge test and be vetted by the Transportation Security Administration. But they would not need to undergo the medical tests or flight hours required of manned aircraft pilots."I am very pleased to see a much more reasonable approach to future regulation than many feared," said Brendan Schulman, a lawyer who works on drone issues at Kramer Levin Naftalis & Frankel in New York.The proposal would benefit U.S. farmers and ranchers as it would enable them to scout fields more efficiently, said R.J. Karney, director of Congressional relations at the American Farm Bureau Federation.The Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International (AUVSI), also praised the draft. The group's president, Brian Wynne, called it a "good first step in an evolutionary process."But privacy advocates were concerned there were not enough limits on when law enforcement agencies would be permitted to use drones for surveillance. The proposal "allows the use of data gathered by domestic drones for any 'authorized purpose', which is not defined, leaving the door open to inappropriate drone use by federal agencies," said Neema Singh Guliani, legislative counsel at the Washington legislative office of the American Civil Liberties Union, in an emailed statement.

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The Apple Watch: Is it a gadget or a fashion statement? Apple CEO Tim Cook summed up the problem during a conversation with sales staff at a London Apple Store: "We've never sold anything as a company that people could try on before."With the expected launch next month of the Apple Watch, the company’s first new product in five years, Apple will be stepping into new territory. To conquer the marketplace, the watch will have to appeal not only as a gadget but as a fashion statement, a fact tacitly acknowledged by Apple's decision to launch its advertising campaign with a 12-page insert in the March issue of Vogue.The company isn’t talking about plans for marketing the Apple Watch in advance of it's much-touted "Spring Forward" event on Monday, but it clearly intends to keep a tight grip on initial sales and distribution, leaving many retailers guessing about when -- or if -- they'll be able to sell it. Sources with direct knowledge of the matter said that Best Buy Co Inc, one of the largest sellers of Apple products, may not get the watch at launch time, though the company wouldn't comment on the situation. Other large retailers, including Macy's, Saks 5th Avenue, Bloomingdales and Barney's said they had no immediate plans to carry the watch. Target and Nordstrom,along with all the major phone carriers, declined to comment on their plans, though a source with knowledge of the situation said Nordstrom has engaged in discussions with Apple. "Apple is being cautious. There are too many unknowns around how this product will perform," said Van Baker, research vice-president, technology research firm Gartner Inc.That might mean restricting initial sales to company stores, where Apple has complete control over the experience and staff can be specially trained to sell the watch, Baker said.Apple's Cook seems very aware of the challenge. The Telegraph, which sent a reporter with the CEO to the company's Covent Garden store, reported that he explained to the staff that selling the watch might require "tweaking the experience in the store." In the absence of hard information about what the tweaks might look like, speculation has been intense. The Washington Post last week suggested that Apple might add carpeting and mirrors and change store lighting to enhance the watch-buying experience.Media outlets and Websites have also posited that the watch will be offered at special pop-up stores installed at luxury retailers such as Selfridges in London and Colette in Paris.Apple hosted a private event at Colette last September, at which guests were able to try on the watch, but a spokesman for Colette declined to comment on whether the store would carry it. Until now, wearable gadgets have not been big sellers for technology companies. Rival products such as Samsung's Gear watches have sold poorly. Apple hopes to change that, but it is still a big if whether the watch will appeal to buyers seeking a fashion accessory, especially if it needs to be upgraded every few years like Apple's phones, tablets and computers."It could do wonders for the watch market if it means people might wear watches again, but realistically, there are a lot of doubts," said Eric Wilson, fashion news director of InStyle."Fashion customers are more skeptical than anyone, so Apple has picked a tough crowd."

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Microsoft sues Kyocera over cell phones, seeks U.S. injunction Microsoft Corp sued Kyocera Corp for patent infringement on Friday, alleging the Japanese company's Duraforce, Hydro and Brigadier cell phone lines violate seven Microsoft patents.Microsoft asked a Seattle federal judge to impose a U.S. sales injunction against Kyocera's infringing products, according to the lawsuit. A Kyocera representative could not immediately be reached for comment. "We respect Kyocera but we believe they need to license the patented technology they are using. We're hopeful this case can be resolved amicably," said Microsoft deputy general counsel David Howard in a statement.Kyocera's phones run on the Android operating system, developed by Google Inc. Microsoft has secured patent licensing deals with numerous Android handset manufacturers in recent years, including Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, LG Electronics Inc and HTC Corp.In its lawsuit, Microsoft accuses Kyocera of using patented technology including location services and text messaging. The case in U.S. District Court, Western District of Washington is Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC vs. Kyocera and Kyocera Communications Inc., 15-346.

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Nintendo's future still lies in the glory days of gaming Nintendo's future is still firmly rooted in its past.That's what we learned this week from the Japanese game maker, whose3DS handheld led sales in the US retail games industry in February, beating out Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One consoles.What made the difference was a 15-year-old game called The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, which Nintendo rereleased alongside an upgraded version of the device that month. The title was the best-selling game and the fastest-selling Zelda portable release in history, with more than 500,000 copies sold so far, Nintendo said.That's not a huge surprise. Nintendo is perhaps the only video game company capable of rereleasing a game older than the "Harry Potter" films to rave reviews. The secret to Nintendo's success is that its aged franchises like Super Mario Bros. and the adventure titles of The Legend of Zelda are considered timeless classics players clamor for year after year."Nintendo has always put out content that is lasting and is content that the consumer plays for extended periods of time," said Reggie Fils-Aime, president and chief operating officer of Nintendo's North American division, in an interview.That strategy may be working now, but the company has still struggled in the past. Over the last two years, there have been calls for the game maker to look past its Wii U video game console and 3DS handheld, to the iPhone, iPad and other devices powered by Google's Android. Many of the company's fans, it's believed, may no longer own its devices but do still love old Nintendo games."In this games business, the axiom is that software drives hardware, and we've seen that over our 30+ year experience in this category," Fils-Aime said. Put the software somewhere else, like the iPhone, and the hardware loses, the theory goes.That hasn't always worked. Nintendo's Wii U, released in 2012 as the follow-up to the original and best-selling Wii console, has perpetually underperformed expectations, and sales of the 3DS have begun to slow. Analysts say a lack of compelling games is the chief reason, though they also note that much of Nintendo's core audience may have replaced them with the world-building game Minecraft, or upgraded to more-serious fare like the shooting games of Call of Duty.Since last summer, Nintendo has answered those critics by releasing a string of hotly anticipated titles like the fighting game Super Smash Bros., the racing game Mario Kart 8 and the new Majora's Mask, all drawing from the company's celebrated franchises."I don't blame Nintendo for going back to the well," said Lewis Ward, an industry analyst with research firm IDC. "If you go back to the Wii, there were some Mario games released in the first couple years that were still selling significant volumes at the end of the Wii's life cycle."Nintendo's reliance on its iconic characters is not without its speed bumps. A rereleased high-definition version of 2002's The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker failed to crack even the Top 10 of the US retail sales charts when it was released in September 2013. Though it did get a sizable number of consumers plunking down for a Wii U finally when it bundled the game with the console.Still, the device hasn't been able to live up to its predecessor, no matter what Nintendo has done."I don't think there's any opportunity for the Wii U to come back and be the top-selling" console, Ward said. But is it at least competitive against the Xbox and PlayStation? "If you asked me a year ago, I would have said no shot, but I do think that you see signs of hope."Nintendo plans to keep up the pressure. Later this year, the company is expected to release a new Zelda game, as well as a new installment of its space shooter franchise Star Fox, both of which the company expects will get even more Wii U units into living rooms. The company will also offer brand-new games too.The company won't overuse its old games, though, Fils-Aime said. Nintendo won't follow in the same steps of games like Call of Duty, releasing a new iteration every year, he said. "We put out one Mario Kart per platform per generation."That strategy has led many Nintendo fans to hold on to their decades-old game consoles to replay their favorites. What's unclear is whether the Wii U will be as equally loved decades from now."We certainly hope so," Fils-Aime said. "And in the end it's going to be placed on our ability to have these unique compelling experiences that stand up to time."

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Tim Cook says Microsoft's big problem held it back I can't count the number of times someone has stared me in the face, eyes aflame, and said: "You know what your problem is?" Thankfully, it's never the same problem. I call this progress. I wonder, though, what Tim Cook would call it. Asked by Fast Company whether Apple might fall into the same problems as Microsoft by trying to be all things to all people with its operating system, the Apple CEO mused: "I think it's different. Part of the reason Microsoft ran into an issue was that they didn't want to walk away from legacy stuff." It's an interesting word, "legacy." Some people think of it as a thing to leave behind after you're dead, so that others think of you fondly. In this case, Cook was suggesting that Microsoft had a certain stick-in-the-mud obstinacy about the things the company created. He said: "Apple has always had the discipline to make the bold decision to walkaway. We walked away from the floppy disk when that was popular withmany users. Instead of doing things in the more traditional way ofdiversifying and minimizing risk, we took out the optical drive, whichsome people loved. We changed our connector, even though many peopleloved the 30-pin connector." Those of dry countenance might wonder whether some of the reasons Apple walks away from certain technologies is so that the company can make more money from something new. When there's a new connector, you can't use it with your old products. Equally you can't use your old connector with your new product. So you end up having a lot more connectors. And Apple dances the cha-cha-ching. Cook admitted that some of these decisions weren't popular. He admitted Apple wasn't perfect. But he insisted that the goal was always to hide the complexity from the user and to give people the best and simplest experience possible. Microsoft, though, often saw a different world than did Apple. It was dominant. It exercised its muscle. Part of that exercise entailed precisely keeping certain legacies, perhaps because the company thought it would be easier to drag users along to the next version.Cook, though, explained that Apple's culture wasn't like that. He said that everything is open to be changed, except for Apple's values. Of Steve Jobs, he said: "I mean, Steve was the best flipper in the world. And it's because hedidn't get married to any one position, one view. He was married to thephilosophy, the values. The fact that we want to really change the worldremains the same. This is the macro point. This is the reason we cometo work every day." These comments come as a new Steve Jobs biography -- "Becoming Steve Jobs" by Brent Schlender and Rick Tetzeli -- is about to launch. In an excerpt published Monday, Bill Gates is asked if he could imagine Jobs as Microsoft's CEO. He replies: "He would have been terrible." (It's unclear whether Gates imagined Jobs as Microsoft CEO with Gates still there or not.) Ultimately, Apple's attitude has managed to capture more human imaginations than has Microsoft's. On the whole, it's thought about people as much as it's thought about itself. That's the secret of any thriving relationship, isn't it? It's something the new, more open Microsoft is embracing now.

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Calling all developers: Google I/O 2015 registration is now open Registration is now open for Google I/O, the company's annual developer's conference. The popular conference is taking place on May 28 and May 29 here in San Francisco. It's Google's chance to offer developers a glimpse of what's in store for Android, Chrome OS, and all things Google. Last year, we got a look at Google's plans to dominate our wrists with Android Wear, as well as Material Design in"Android L," which would become Android Lollipop. And who could forget Google Cardboard, a comical -- but effective -- demonstration of virtual reality for mobile devices.A Google I/O ticket will set you back $900 (about £611, or AU$1,820), though active full-time students, professors, faculty and staff can apply for a discounted $300 ticket (about £204, or AU$394). You have until Thursday March 19 to get registered, though, so you'll want to act fast. Pop over to the Google I/O registration page to apply.

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Tesla makes it 'impossible' to accidentally run out of juice Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk followed through Thursday with his promise to address so-called "range anxiety" -- or the feeling that your electric vehicle will run out of power -- in the company's next over-the-air software update. Following his cryptic tweet Sunday, Musk said Tesla's version 6.2 software, which the company will release later this month to all Tesla Model S sedans now on the road, won't actually improve the vehicle's range. Instead, it will "give drivers peace of mind," Musk said during a press conference this morning. The new Range Assurance feature will constantly monitor how far away you are from a Tesla supercharger station, disregarding chargers that are already in heavy use. When drivers run the risk of losing power if they stay on their present route, the system will warn them and ask if they want to continue. "You'll have to say, 'Yes, I'm sure' -- twice," Musk said. "It will be impossible to run out of charge unless you do so intentionally." Addressing range worries is one of the largest hurdles to more widespread adoption of electric cars. Tesla has gone to great lengths to make the experience of going gas-free as easy as possible. The company has built its own network of 403 Supercharger stations, with more than 2,200 Superchargers, and it's also testing battery swap stations in California, giving drivers the option of a 30-minute recharge or a complete battery exchange taking less than 3 minutes. Tesla has in the past sent software updates to existing Model S cars over the vehicle's cellular data connection. The previous updates added functions like traffic-aware cruise control, camera-enabled headlights and so-called Creep mode, which helps the Model S act more like traditional automatic-transmission cars while in traffic. Musk laid out why Tesla is able to do this when other carmakers can't. "We've designed the Model S to be basically a computer on wheels," Musk said. He considers Tesla a hardware company to some degree, but thinks of Tesla as a Silicon Valley software company. "We view it in the same way you view updating your phone and your laptop," Musk added. "Just as people have taken it to be normal to assume your phone and laptop keep improving, that's what we're doing with the Model S."

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Acrobat strategy coalesces into Adobe Document Cloud Add Acrobat to the growing list of Adobe products relying on the software as a service model.Subscription Acrobat isn'tnew, but now that entire end of Adobe's businessfollows another big step down the road its design- and marketing-oriented compatriots have traveled. It joins Creative Cloud and Marketing Cloud with Document Cloud as the hub that ties the Acrobat products together. The"perpetual" version of Acrobat -- Adobe's term for what most people think of as 'bought' software but is really just a non-subscription license -- will remain available. Reader, of course, will remain free.Adobe assembled some research to back up its decisions about how the product should evolve, but really it all boiled down to the obvious: people hate paperwork, think it's handled inefficiently and blame it for much of their misery at work. IDC's more helpful research also states what we all know -- there's a gap between paper and electronic document workflows -- but provides more useful business-case numbers.There are two differentvariations of Acrobat DC -- Pro and Standard -- each with perpetual and subscription options. I suspect people will find it confusing to figure out which they'll need.As far as I can figure, you'll need to subscribe to Standard at minimum for e-signature and document tracking or for creating PDFs on a mobile device; you'll need a Pro subscription if you want to edit text and reorganize pages on an iPad.The perpetual Pro version retains its differentiators from Standard. These include important design features such as PDF/X and PDF/A validation and preflighting; audio, video and interactivity;version comparison, redaction and Bates numbering; and creation of accessibility-standard PDFs. Two new features debut in Pro only: the ability to turn scans immediately into editable PDFs and (sorry Mac folks) creation of more faithfully formatted PDFs from Word for Mac.And for each of these there are both individual and enterprise plans: Acrobat DC with Document Cloud (end users) and Document Cloud for Enterprise. The latter adds more advanced electronic signature handling, workflow, user controlsand support for third-party APIs to interface with real document management systems.Creative Cloud subscribers -- except for the $10-per-month Photography program -- will automatically gain DC access via Acrobat DC.If you subscribe to Acrobat starting now for the next 30 days or so, until DC launches, you can get it for $180 for the year, the same cost as the current Acrobat XI Standard subscription. (Adobe says it's $15 per month, but you have to commit to a year and pay it all up front, so that's pretty disingenuous.) I hope that will transfer to an Acrobat DC Pro subscription, since the Pro will be the same price. A Standard subscription will run $156 per year/$13 per month.The prices will be the same in the UK and Australia, obviously adjusted for local currency. That means about £106 per year/£8.80 per month for Standard and £120 per year/£10 per month for Pro. For Australia, Standard will be about AU$204 per year/AU$17 per month and Pro will run approximately AU$240 per year/AU$20 per month. On the upside, these are all cheaper than the current Acrobat XI Pro subscription.As a comprehensive solution, Adobe's Acrobat strategy is still missing some important parts.Plus, given what we've seen of the Creative Cloud strategy, I don't expect the full versions of Acrobat to have perpetual options for more than a couple of years. As soon as subscriptions reach some magic number, and I don't doubt they will, the company will feel comfortable enough to cut the cord. I'll be able to give you a better sense of how well the system works, as well as what you may end up sacrificing in the non-subscription versions, when it's available in early April.

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New Jersey reverses ban on Tesla's direct auto sales Tesla just notched another victory against the traditional auto industry: it can sell its electric cars in New Jersey after a nearly year-long ban in the Garden State. New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed a bill Wednesday afternoon reauthorizing the Palo Alto, Calif.-based electric automaker to open a maximum of four direct-sale stores with at least one service center. New Jersey last April capitulated to lobbying demands from the New Jersey Coalition of Automotive Retailers by passing regulation that halted Tesla's ability to sell its electric cars direct to consumers instead of through independent dealerships. Tesla's Model S sedans, which range in price between $70,000 and into the six figures, are selling at a faster clip each year, and New Jersey is home to the fourth-largest luxury car market in the US -- behind New York, California and Florida.Tesla has clashed with the traditional auto industry, especially in states that require carmakers to sell their vehicles through third-party dealerships. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has said that electric vehicles, as relative newcomers in the market, should not be subject to standard automobile sales procedures. Musk has criticized the practices of car dealers, saying they up-sell consumers to items they don't need or steer them toward more expensive models that yield higher commissions. Musk insists that Tesla be allowed to sell its cars like Apple sells consumer technology, in specialized stores dedicated to a simplified line of cars. "This [sales] model is not just a matter of selling more cars and providing optimum consumer choice for Americans, but it is also about educating consumers about the benefits of going electric," Musk said last year regarding New Jersey's initial ban. Such education "is central to our mission to accelerate the shift to sustainable transportation, a new paradigm in automotive technology." A few have resisted Musk's message. Tesla's sales model is still outlawed in Texas, Virginia, Arizona and Michigan. In those states, as was the case in New Jersey last year, auto retailer coalitions lobbied state government officials to ban direct sales and force Tesla to sell through them. "If you're an Internet billionaire, maybe you think the world revolves around you, and the world springs from your laptop," said Jim Appleton, president of the New Jersey Coalition of Automobile Retails, in an interview with The Verge last year. "Well, I got news for him. This is not a new law, Tesla is operating illegally, and as of April 1st, they will be out of business unless they decide to open a franchise." One year later, however, it appears the state of New Jersey is welcoming Tesla.

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Apple seeks dismissal of battery maker's poaching lawsuit Apple asked a federal court on Tuesday to dismiss a lawsuit filed by a maker of batteries for electric cars. The suit, by A123 Systems, accuses the iPhone maker of poaching key engineers, and Apple argues that the complaint is based on unfounded speculation. A123 Systems filed the suit last month in Massachusetts federal court against Apple and five of its former employees now working there. The suit alleges that Apple conducted an "aggressive campaign" last year to recruit employees who performed critical development and testing activities. The lawsuit appeared to provide further evidence that the iPhone maker is aiming to develop an electric car. The motion comes a week after Apple filed another motion with the court requesting more time to respond to the lawsuit, saying that it was "exploring potential resolution of this matter with plaintiff." Apple and A123 Systems representatives did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A123 Systems contended in its complaint that its five former employees were hired to perform the same functions at Apple that they had performed at A123, violating noncompete and nondisclosure agreements each employee had signed. But in its motion Tuesday, Apple countered that A123 Systems' complaint does not contain any facts to support those allegations. "It does not identify what information, documents or files any of the individual defendants purportedly copied, retained or disclosed," Apple's motion said. "Nor does it identify which individual defendants allegedly took any such materials or when and how they allegedly disclosed this material to Apple." Apple also argued that A123 Systems' allegation that Apple engaged in "raiding" its workforce should be dismissed because Massachusetts law does not prohibit such activity. A123 Systems develops energy-storage systems for a variety of commercial and industrial applications, including "advanced energy storage for electric-drive vehicles." A123 fueled speculation that Apple is developing an electric car when it claimed in its lawsuit that "Apple is currently developing a large-scale battery division to compete in the very same field as A123."Apple also rebutted this charge, noting that the noncompete agreements only prohibit former employees from developing, manufacturing, marketing or selling a product or service that competes with an A123 Systems product or service. "Nothing in the complaint suggests that the individual defendants are working on any product that would compete with any A123 products," Apple said. "Notably, the complaint admits that Apple and A123 do not compete: Apple is a consumer-electronics company that develops and purchases batteries for use in Apple products, whereas A123 manufactures and sells batteries for sale to commercial and industrial customers."Rumors started swirling last month that Apple is creating ateam charged with designing an electric car to take on Tesla andothers. Apple has not commented, but several rumors have cropped up thatApple has hired people from the automotive industry and seems poised tobuild an electric vehicle that may or may not drive itself.Technologies like those developed by A123 Systems would be key togetting an electric-car effort on the road. Apple is pushing its development team to have the car ready for production as early as 2020, Bloomberg reported last month, citing unidentified sources described as having knowledge of the matter. The team, which is said to have about 200 employees, has been growing in recent months and now includes experts in technologies such as batteries and robotics, the news agency reported.

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From crowd funding to the most pirated movie list: 'Wyrmwood' has been on a wild ride Filmmaking duo Tristan and Kiah Roache-Turner are a hot property right now. Their Australian horror film "Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead" has been the darling of the film festival circuit, with horror fans calling it a breath of fresh air in the stale zombie genre. Its popularity saw a longer-than-anticipated cinematic run in Australia and rumours of a sequel abound. The brothers have even had the dubious honour of seeing their film hit the top ten most popular downloads on the torrent-sharing site Pirate Bay -- but more on thatparticular accolade later. The film, like so many independent films, had some very humble origins, first appearing on the crowd-funding site IndieGoGo in November of 2012. "Honestly, crowd funding was just fun," said Tristan. "I remember Kickstarter had started getting some heat around it and I sat down with Kiah and said 'mate, we've got to get onto this!'" "We went to an IndieGoGo seminar to try and get an idea of what it was all about," Kiah said. "I stood up and asked 'what's the difference between Kickstarter and IndieGoGo' and the guy running the seminar says 'the main difference is that you need an American bank account for Kickstarter,' and that was what made the decision for us." The campaign was bolstered by a short film that set the tone and look for the feature film: Australian wasteland-chic cult classic "Mad Max" meets zombie king George A. Romero. "That short was actually the first scene of the film -- we'd already started shooting a little," Tristan said. "Then we had some script changes and realised the scene wasn't actually relevant... so we just stuck it online to see what happened. And we were lucky -- it went viral!" "IndieGoGo was great for us," said Kiah. "It raised a fair bit of cash but above all it was great marketing -- it really got some buzz happening around the project." The pair raised AU$50,000 from two different crowdfunding campaigns, with more money coming in from Screen Australia, a government body that supports local filmmakers. "We're not a low-budget indie film where people sit around talking to each other in a room," explained Kiah. "We've got multiple locations, monsters in nearly every scene, we're setting peoples heads on fire... so, for us it's wasn't really possible to totally fund the film via IndieGoGo. But it helped -- oh boy did it help!" Kiah said that one of the unexpected effects of a crowd-funding was reaching a far wider and more diverse audience than the filmmakers had anticipated. "If people like what you're doing then -- bam -- suddenly you've got fans in Poland, you've got people from Bulgaria emailing you and liking your Facebook page."Of course, "Wyrmwood" found a very different type of fame: it became popular with pirates when the video-on-demand version went live in the US."Sadly, I think the best indicator of how well we've been doing globally is the fact we made it into the top 10 most downloaded movies on Pirate Bay," said Tristan."It was a strange feeling -- like being kissed by a beautiful girl right before she knees you in the bollocks," mused Kiah. "I mean we love that people like the film, but we made the film on 'deferred payment,' so no one involved with making it gets paid until people are paying for the film." The piracy issue has been somewhat exacerbated by the differences in the contractual rights between the US and Australian distributors."Some of the problem has been that in the US our distributor was able to sort a same day release for theatrical and video-on-demand," said Tristan. "But in Australia, cinemas want more of a gap between the two." Because of how Screen Australia funding works, "Wyrmwood" had to have a cinematic release locally. The pair have tried to combat this by explaining the delay in the film hitting on-demand in Australia, even taking to Facebook with the slogan "You Watch, You Buy, We Eat."Kiah is surprisingly sanguine about the experience."It's a case of an older industry catching up with the newer technology, but I think its happening," he said. "In Australia, we were able to negotiate an eight-week gap between theatrical and on demand instead of twelve weeks and I think that's a really positive sign. "And you know if everyone who did pirate it ends up buying a copy of the DVD or grabbing it via iTunes that would be cool too. Support us and we can keep making horror action films for you.""The reception of this film has been so much bigger and better than expected and we can't complain about that. But we are campaigning a little to get our cast and crew paid," said Tristan.Kiah agreed. "I mean, we don't want to be filthy rich -- we just want to get out there and keep making awesome films. I'd be happy just with one Ferrari." You can watch "Wyrmwood: Road of the Dead" now on iTunes in the US. In Australia it'll be available on Blu-Ray, DVD and digital platforms from April 2. In the UK, the Blu-ray of the film will be available May 11.

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Obama: countering violent extremism depends on Muslim support President Barack Obama on Wednesday called on American Muslim communities to do more to counter what he called "violent extremism," speaking at a three-day White House summit on the issue.Critics have accused the White House of shying away from tying extremism to the religion of Islam following shootings by Islamic militants in Paris and Copenhagen. "Muslim leaders need to do more to discredit the notion that our nations are determined to suppress Islam," Obama said, referring to the narrative from Islamic militants that Western nations are in a war against Islam. Obama said young Muslims are particularly susceptible to extremist propaganda, which could incite them to join Islamic State in Syria or carry out attacks domestically.As many as 150 Americans have attempted to travel to Syria to fight with the Islamic militants, U.S. intelligence officials said in congressional testimony last week.Some Muslim leaders have pushed back against the administration's efforts to foster relationships with their communities. Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson began visiting Muslim communities around the United States last June to educate them on behaviors to watch for in youth who may be radicalized.In Minneapolis, where Johnson visited, U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger has been asked to organize social services that will help educate and empower Muslim youth in an attempt to guard them from extremism. “It blurs the line between community outreach and intelligence gathering,” Jaylani Hussein, executive director of Council on American-Islamic Relations of Minnesota, said on Tuesday. Hussein said efforts to counter violent extremism should be detached from the Justice Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

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Google 'encouraged too much attention,' too soon to Glass The Google X research lab is home to audacious experiments like driverless cars, Wi-Fi-connected balloons and Google Glass, the company's Web-connected eyewear. But Google likes to remind people that the lab produces something else as well: failure, a lot of failure (as in, if you're not failing, you're not learning). Google on Tuesday acknowledged some of the missteps it took with Glass, which has been mired in controversy since its release. Google early on gave access to the device to a community of early testers it called "Explorers.""We made one great decision and one not-so-great decision," said Astro Teller, head of Google X, in a keynote speech at the South by Southwest tech, film and music conference, here.Google's great move was creating the Explorer program. And that bad call, which was "closer to a failure"? "We allowed, and sometimes even encouraged, too much attention to the program," he said."We also did things to encourage people to think this was a finished product." Google Glass was a highlight of South by Southwest two years ago. Since then, fascination for the device has given way to scorn. Privacy advocates worried about how people would use Glass's built-in camera. And in January, Google discontinued the prototype version of the product, though the company said it is working on a consumer version. Google, the world's largest search engine, looks to Google X to experiment with new projects and products and help it widen its scope beyond search for future revenue.Teller on Tuesday alsotalked about the lab's other initiatives, including its Loon Wi-Fi balloons and drone delivery experiment, Project Wing. And he listed other failures, such as sending an expedition to a remote area in the South Pacific to retrieve an exploded balloon. Teller said he'll provide an update on Project Wing's progress later in the year. "Failing doesn't have to mean not succeeding," he said. "It can be, 'Hey we tried that. We can go forward, smarter.'"

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Google unveils first 'shop in shop' retail store in UK Google is following Microsoft and Apple into the retail space with its first-ever "shop in shop" in the UK. The search giant on Wednesday unveiled the shop within a shop on London's Tottenham Court Road, traditionally a center of technology stores for the UK's capital. The store, which will be housed within retailer Currys PC World, will provide a range of Android and Chrome OS products, as well as the Chromecast streaming dongle, to educate customers on the many products running Google's platforms. The Google shop follows a concept similar to that of Apple's retail stores. Customers will be able to comb through the store to test out devices and software, as well as attend classes and events that teach them how to use the products. Google also envisions hosting "Virtual Space Camps" for kids to learn the basics of coding.Although Google has lived its life largely online and has a Web-based marketplace, called Google Play, where it sells products, the company has been rumored to be working on retail stores for years. In 2013, for example, a report surfaced suggesting that Google would open retail stores across the US in major metropolitan areas. After that failed to happen (and Google said that it had no interest in "being a retailer"), yet more reports surfaced, saying that Google's mysterious floating barges might be converted to retail space for the company. Again, that didn't happen. Now that Google has a physical presence, one could be forgiven for wondering whether this is the first of a much broader focus on physical retail, given the success its chief mobile rival, Apple, is having in the bricks-and-mortar realm. At his company's press event on Monday, Apple CEO Tim Cook said that Apple now has 453 stores worldwide and that over 120 million customers came to those stores in the fourth quarter alone. Apple doesn't break out its retail store revenue any longer, but those venues are believed to be generating billions of dollars for the company each quarter. And the very fact that Apple has continuously expanded its retail footprint worldwide suggests those stores are greatly benefiting the company. Google seems to see the same value in retail. In a statement Wednesday, Google's UK marketing director James Elias said that retail is still a must-have experience for many buyers. "The pace of innovation of the devices we all use is incredible, yet the way we buy them has remained the same for years," he said. "With the Google shop, we want to offer people a place where they can play, experiment and learn about all of what Google has to offer." Looking ahead, Google says that it will open two more "shop in shop" stores in the UK later this year. The company didn't say whether any standalone stores will follow. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Apple Watch warranty extends up to 3 years with new AppleCare+ Those considering the newly priced Apple Watch can rejoice: the company's warranty policies are friendlier than usual.A standard purchase of any Apple Watch model includes a free full year of hardware repair coverage and 90 days of complimentary support. As you go up the quality ladder and throw in Apple's new AppleCare+ warranty, the coverage improves.For instance, for the middle-tier stainless steel Apple Watch -- which starts at $550 -- and the cheaper, $350 aluminum Apple Watch Sport, complimentary hardware support extends to two years with the additional warranty purchase. The company does not detail how much AppleCare+ will cost."AppleCare+ for Apple Watch extends your coverage to two years from the original purchase date of your Apple Watch and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage, each subject to a service fee plus applicable tax," the company says on its website.That means while some instances of damage may be remedied free of charge, some more serious instances like broken displays may incur a fee. That's par for the course for Apple, which still charges customers a fee to repair broken iPhone screens even with AppleCare coverage.Apple finally delved into more detail about its smartwatch Monday at its "Spring Forward" event in San Francisco. Though Apple showed off new features, app partnerships and an ambitious new medical research software platform, everyone's attention became singularly focused on the Apple Watch's price range, with a top-end model going for as much as $17,000.With those prices, you'd expect a more fair warranty policy and Apple appears to have taken that into account when designing AppleCare+.Here's a full breakdown of coverage depending on which model you purchase and whether you opt for additional coverage:

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Square to shutter Order app later this month Square's latest mobile experiment is slated to shut down after a quiet year on the market.On March 20, the company will phase out Order, an app designed to help consumers beat long lines by placing orders ahead from their smartphones, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.Order never expanded beyond New York City and San Francisco. Since its launch last May, the app only ever let users order drinks and other items at Blue Bottle Coffee locations in the two cities.Though Square's core business -- its card-reading hardware and storefront software -- caters mostly to merchants, the six-year-old company helmed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has made a few forays into consumer software. Apps like Square Cash let friends send money to one another, much like competing offerings from Venmo and PayPal, and Wallet was a cash-free method of paying at restaurants, before Square replaced it with Order last year.However, the app, beyond its failure to catch on, falls out of line with Square's focus of becoming a key part of small businesses' growth. Last August, Square acquired food delivery service Caviar, which outsources meal delivery for smaller restaurants. And in May, Square launched Square Capital, a program that hands business owners a one-time cash advance in exchange for a cut of sales in the future."We are focusing our efforts on other tools and marketing services that help sellers grow their business, like online ordering, gift cards, or delivery with Caviar," a spokesperson told the Chronicle.

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Microsoft's Windows Hello will make your face, finger or iris the new sign-in Microsoft is the latest tech company to turn our bodies into passwords.With Windows Hello, announced Tuesday, users of the upcoming Windows 10 operating system will be able to sign in to their devices using their fingerprint, their face or even the iris of their eye. Microsoft is expected to release Windows 10 later this year."You -- uniquely you -- plus your device are the keys to your Windows experience, apps, data and even websites and services, not a random assortment of letters and numbers that are easily forgotten, hacked or written down and pinned to a bulletin board," Joe Belfiore, Microsoft's corporate VP of operating systems, wrote in a blog post.As Belfiore points out, we live in an age of constant cyberthreat. Hacking has become a full-time job, with professional cybercriminals breaching the computer systems of companies, financial institutions and even government agencies. Yet despite these nearly continual cyberattacks, consumers still rely on passwords to unlock everything from their bank accounts to their email. It doesn't help that many people reuse passwords across multiple websites, since hackers who have scooped up passwords from vulnerable sites now have the keys to more-secure sites. And the problem keeps growing as criminals collect large swaths of personal data from across the Internet. Just last August, Russian hackers breached hundreds of thousands of websites to nab 1.2 billion usernames and passwords.Biometric authentication, which confirms who people are by using their unique physical characteristics, promises to put up an additional wall of security between devices and malicious third parties. Though a fingerprint will always be more secure than "Password1234," people sometimes worry whether hackers can find a way to access their biometrics. Belfiore says not to worry."We understand how critical it is to protect your biometric data from theft, and for this reason your 'biometric signature' is secured locally on the device and shared with no one but you," he wrote. Windows Hello also comes with "enterprise-grade" security, meaning Microsoft wants it to work across businesses in all industries."It's a solution that government, defense, financial, health care and other related organizations will use to enhance their overall security, with a simple experience designed to delight," Belfiore added.Windows Hello won't roll out all at once. Though the new tech will be compatible with current devices that read fingerprints, relatively few smartphones, tablets or PCs have the infrared technology to register Windows Hello's facial or iris detection.For that, Microsoft is turning to chipmaker Intel and its new RealSense 3D camera. Announced last year and so far built in to a select number of gadgets, RealSense is a depth-sensing technology that uses infrared cameras to track the location and position of objects in space. Windows Hello will tap into that tech to scan a person's face or iris and unlock their device. Microsoft rounded out its security announcements Tuesday by introducing its Passport feature for signing in to third-party websites, services and apps without a password. Used currently across Windows online accounts, Passport will be expanded to participating companies that opt in. Passport will ask people to authenticate a device once with Windows Hello or a PIN code and then allow them to access any participating third-party product. "There is no shared password stored on [Microsoft's] servers for a hacker to potentially compromise," Belfiore said. Microsoft has also joined the FIDO alliance, an industry consortium founded in February 2013 to address the lack of interoperability of authentication processes across the Web.

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Magic Leap of faith: This robot-zapping game looks totally trippy The secretive Florida-based company was to have shown the same minute-and-a-half clip at the TED conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, this week, but canceled its appearance instead. That cancellation has only added to the aura of mystery around Magic Leap, which has yet to show what its device looks like or disclose how its tech functions. Magic Leap is just one of many companies investing in bringing 3D objects to life before our eyes -- and not through screens. The startup has received $542 million in venture capital funding from Google and others to develop Hollywood-quality augmented reality, which overlays digital images onto the physical world around you, and lets you interact with them. That puts it in direct competition with Microsoft, which is doing the same with its HoloLens goggles. At the same time scores of other companies -- from Facebook-owned Oculus VR to Samsung to game maker Valve -- are building virtual-reality goggles, which simulate entirely alien worlds in full 3D glory. Filmmakers, ad agencies and sports firms also see augmented and virtual reality aslucrative new forms of entertainment. Magic Leap's video is a first-person display of what a user may expect to see. It contains the typical use cases of augmented reality: We see the user float a YouTube video in midair before cycling through his email inbox and swiping away objects after he's finished. What comes next is so astonishing that it would seem too good to be true. The Magic Leap user picks up a real toy ray gun and unleashes it against a small army of invading robots that drop from square holes in the ceiling. After dispatching his enemies, he sees tank treads blow through the wall of his office -- ending the session in a flurry of gunfire.Magic Leap claims in the video description that employees are actually playing this game around the workplace. While that may be, it's worth noting the video was produced in conjunction with Weta Workshop, the New Zealand-based special-effects company responsible for the computer-generated images of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy. That suggests Magic Leap could be stretching the truth a bit -- showing a level of image clarity, smoothness and motion control that's more advanced than what it can achieve today. When I tried Microsoft's HoloLens in January, it did everything Magic Leap's demo showcases, but with images that were far more transparent and with gesture controls restricted to a single finger, not entire hands or independent objects like ray guns. And Microsoft also had to design each of its four HoloLens demos specifically around a room's layout, none of which were this wide open. Magic Leap did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether the video shows a concept or a live-captured video feed.

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Google CFO Patrick Pichette to retire Google's longtime chief financial officer, Patrick Pichette, is retiring. The search giant hasn't yet determined Pichette's last day of work, but in afiling with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Google said he intends to assist in finding his successor. That process should be done within six months, the company said. Pichette began working for Google in 2008. Pichette, 52, leaves Google as the company focuses both on its juggernaut advertising business, as well as branching out with audacious initiatives like driverless cars and smart contact lenses. In a blog post, he said he wants to leave the company to spend more time with his family, and especially his wife, as they celebrate their 25th anniversary this summer."While I am not looking for sympathy, I want to share my thought process because so many people struggle to strike the right balance between work and personal life," said Pichette.There have been other shakeups in top management in the past year. In October, CEO Larry Page said he would step back from a day-to-day leadership role to focus more on the company's future. In his place, he promoted trusted lieutenant Sundar Pichai, who already ran Google's important Android mobile software business, to take over as Google's product czar.Before Google, Pichette was an executive at the telecommunications company Bell Canada.

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Apple's latest iPhone update includes Apple Watch app you can't delete What better way to convince Apple iPhone users they should shell out hundreds if not thousands of dollars for the latest gadget than an app you can't remove from your smartphone?After updating your iPhone to latest version of Apple's iOS 8 mobile operating system -- technically iOS version 8.2, which was released Monday -- you'll notice the addition of a new app labeled Apple Watch. It's the software hub that lets owners of Apple's new smartwatch pair the gadget with their iPhone, control certain watch settings and download new wearable apps.The Apple Watch, which will be available in nine countries starting April 24, is expected to offload to the iPhone much of the computational heavy lifting of using, for instance, Apple's voice-controlled Siri digital assistant, its Messages app and third-party applications including the one for ride-hailing service Uber. That means the smart gadget requires its smartphone companion nearby at all times to perform a majority of app functions.For now, the Apple Watch app entices consumers with product videos, but it's not hard to imagine an update down the line that lets the app notify you every 30 seconds that it's time to just cave, buy the watch and live in the future already. Like Stocks, Calendar, Contacts and other Apple-made apps on iOS, the new Apple Watch app can't be deleted from your iPhone.Think of it as sort of a strategic advertisement that lives on the home screens of hundreds of millions of iPhone users. (Apple said today it's sold more than 700 million iPhones since it was introduced in 2007, though not all of those devices can run iOS 8.2.)Apple was not immediately available for comment on whether the app would ever be removable.Apple provided more details about its upcoming wearable on Monday at an event called "Spring Forward" in San Francisco. While Apple CEO Tim Cook and other executives discussed new features and app partnerships, much of the attention has been focused on the pricing for the three models of the Apple Watch. Speculation had been running high since the September unveiling of the device, and Apple confirmed today that its aluminum Sport model will be priced starting at $350, its steel middle-tier model will start at $550 and two 18-karat gold models will be priced starting at an eye-popping $10,000 (or $17,000 with a higher-end strap.)Those price tags, plus the company's ongoing struggle to define the greater need for wrist-worn computing devices, may make for a tough sell. Because it's not your entire music library in your pocket -- like the iPod -- or the Internet on the go -- like the first iPhone -- the Apple Watch is tasked with carving out value of its own to get consumers on board.For those who would rather not face the cold stare of capitalism urging them ever-closer to a multi-hundred dollar accessory purchase, it may be best to bury the Apple Watch app in the third screen of a folder and label it "Maps" or "Game Center." Though I can't promise you won't be tempted to reach for your wallet at some point.

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HTC Chairwoman Wang takes over as CEO in comeback bid HTC is hoping a shake-up at the top will reinvigorate its fortunes. The Taiwanese smartphone manufacturer on Friday said that its co-founder and chairwoman, Cher Wang, would replace long-time leader Peter Chou as CEO, effective immediately. Chou will remain with the company in a new role helping with the development of new products. The move comes as HTC -- a former heavy hitter in smartphones that has suffered through three years of sales declines -- pins its comeback on the new One M9 smartphone and a range of quirky gadgets such as the HTC Re camera, HTC Grip fitness band and HTC Vive virtual-reality headset, part of a broader attempt to diversify its business. Chou presided over the rise of HTC as a consumer brand, but hasn't been able to keep up with the marketing might of rivals Apple and Samsung. "There have been question marks about Peter Chou's role as CEO" since 2013, said industry analyst Ben Wood of CCS Insight. "Peter has undoubtedly been the driving force behind HTC, but recently the company appears to have lost its way." Today's reshuffle completes a shift that's been in motion since 2013, when the company's ailing fortunes prompted Chou to hand over elements of the day-to-day business to Wang. "I took on too many things," Chou admitted in an interview at the time. "I need to be more focused on innovation and [the] product portfolio." Over the last year, Chou, who has always been fixated on the design aspects of the business, has increasingly spent time overseeing the parts of the HTC focused on new products. That includes the software-focused Creative Labs division, Advanced Concepts, a team led by Claude Zellweger, whose main responsibility is coming up with new product categories, and Connected Devices, a group led by Chou tasked with bringing the new ideas to market."In his new executive role as head of the HTC Future Development Lab, Mr Chou will be instrumental in identifying future growth opportunities for the Company," Wang said in a statement. As one of the rare successful female entrepreneurs in tech, Wang herself is a high-profile figure in Taiwan -- Taiwanese media have been known to take photos with her after press events.Burma-born Chou co-founded HTC in Taiwan with Wang and H.T. Cho in 1997. The company once known as High-Tech Computers was at the forefront of Android's success: HTC was responsible for the first phone running Google's mobile software, the HTC Dream, known as the G1 in the United States; the first Google Nexus phone, the Nexus One; and the first 4G phone to go on sale in the US, Sprint's Evo 4G. By 2011, HTC was the biggest smartphone manufacturer in the US with 24 per cent market share, ahead of Samsung and Apple.That reign was brief. Samsung's something-for-everyone Galaxy range and a marketing budget that HTC simply couldn't match propelled the Korean company into the top spot, and HTC dropped to just 4 percent of the worldwide market. The company confusingly bought headphone maker Beats Electronics, only to sell it two years later before Apple stepped in and splashed out billions of dollars on the popular brand. A 3D phone and phones with dedicated Facebook buttons didn't pan out, and 2013's HTC First -- the official "Facebook phone" -- was a high-profile failure.HTC simplified its confusing range ofphones with theHTC OneandOne M8, but critical acclaim didn't translate into sales. The company has shown signs of recovery over the last two quarters as its revenue and profits stabilized. The company is set to launch the One M9 flagship product in the coming weeks. Still, HTC faces an uphill climb as it looks to regain some of its presence in the smartphone world. Samsung Electronics has a radically redesigned flagship smartphone in theGalaxy S6andGalaxy S6 Edge, which go on sale on April 10. Apple's iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, which launched in September, continue to dominate the premium segment, which is where HTC hopes to stay relevant."It remains to be seen whether Cher Wang is the right person to get HTC back on track," Wood said. "HTC has a very tough year ahead."

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With one OS to run them all, Microsoft is shrinking Windows 10 Microsoft has promised its next operating system, Windows 10, will run across every device, from desktops with large hard drives all the way down to low-cost smartphones with barely a gigabyte to spare.It's a lofty goal, but one fraught with the challenges of rolling out one piece of software to devices with vastly different capacities. Microsoft has a vested interest in making sure everyone is on a consistent experience, which the company believes will ensure consumers stick with Windows and encourage developers to support its platform. But to deliver on its promise, Microsoft had to shrink Windows down at its core.The world's largest software maker is employing a number of technical tricks behind the scenes to make this happen. The company's Windows Storage and Deployment Teams -- the groups responsible for servicing and helping deliver system updates -- have designed a more efficient way to shrink down integral Windows files. That frees up more space for everything else, the company said in a blog post Monday.The problems Microsoft is addressing plague the entire tech industry. As connection speeds have increased and smartphones with data plans have proliferated, the sheer amount of digital baggage we create is increasing faster than hardware makers' ability to expand a device's storage.Microsoft's compression is employed on a case-by-case basis, meaning Windows will analyze your device and consider whether shrinking certain files will negatively affect performance. Microsoft has also designed a way for tablets, laptops and desktops to mimic the way a smartphone saves a shrunken mirror image of only the essential items in the event a backup is required, further freeing up storage.The result is Windows 10 giving back approximately 1.5GB of storage for 32-bit and 2.6GB of storage for 64-bit Windows, according to Microsoft's Windows team. Smartphones will also be able to use the same efficient compression algorithm to free up space with Windows 10.Microsoft is addressing the issues that many users run into: owning a device chock full of photos, music and other apps with little to no extra room for anything more. When an important update rolls out, like Microsoft's Windows 10 or Apple's iOS 8, some users don't have the space to install it over a wireless connection. Solutions vary, from deleting unused files to plugging in your device to install the software through your computer, but some users simply don't bother.Even Apple, which historically has had record-high adoption rates of its mobile software across iPhones, saw a slowdown last fall in the number of users who install its updates within a month of release. It's not just storage constraints causing problems either. Bugs and other issues have begun weighing down such updates, making consumers wary to make the jump until a few weeks or even months into the software's life cycle.Though Microsoft can't make any promises about bugs in its software updates, it is making the process of returning a device to a previous, more functional state smoother in the event of power loss or corruption of a device's system.Because devices running Windows 10 no longer have to create an extra full copy of the most important files to run the software, Microsoft's tools can instead rebuild your system with more of its likeness intact, instead of wiping the slate clean. Using so-called runtime system files, Windows does away with the 4GB to 12GB of copied files by reconstructing your device in real time."Not only does this take up less disk space, it also means you will not have a lengthy list of operating system updates to reinstall after recovering your device," the Windows team said.

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Oklahoma lawmakers aim to halt Advanced Placement history course Oklahoma lawmakers are trying to block funding for Advanced Placement U.S. history courses, saying the curriculum is not patriotic enough, as they aim to join others in halting a program designed to prepare top students for college.A new framework for the course introduced in 2012 has sparked controversy. Cultural conservatives blast the changes they see as questioning American exceptionalism, while supporters say the course offers students a balanced way to analyze how American history has unfolded.This week, a bill to cut funding for Advanced Placement U.S. History courses in the state passed an Oklahoma House committee along party lines, with 11 Republican voting for the measure and 4 Democrats opposed."We don't want our tax dollars going to a test that undermines our history," Dan Fisher, a Republican lawmaker who authored the bill, said during committee debate. Nearly 4,000 colleges and universities allow those who meet a certain score on AP tests to be given college credit. The tests, which cover a wide array of subjects, are also seen as advancing academic achievement and can help those who qualify for AP courses to be looked on favorably by college admissions boards.Opponents say the revised guidelines for the history course cast the United States in a harsh light by giving undue emphasis to topics such as slavery and the treatment of Native Americans, while distorting events such as the U.S. involvement in World War Two.Last year, the Republican National Committee passed a resolution calling on the College Board, which administers the test, to revise the curriculum. The party said it sees the framework as a "radically revisionist view of American history that emphasizes negative aspects of our nation's history."In September, the Texas State Board of Education, which is dominated by Republicans, requested the College Board to rewrite the AP U.S. history curriculum.In Colorado, hundreds of students walked out of class to protest a move by conservative school board members proposed changing the U.S. history course.Officials for the College Board said the framework, which has yet to be implemented, has the overwhelming support of AP U.S. History teachers and college-level U.S. history professors."This debate, and the resolution itself, has been marred by misinformation. The redesigned AP U.S. History course framework includes many inspiring examples of American exceptionalism," said Trevor Packer, a senior vice president for Advanced Placement and instruction.

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Google launches new online store for phones, tablets, laptops Google is launching a new website focused on selling its hardware products, the company's latest effort to attract buyers to its devices. The search giant on Wednesday announced the Google Store, a website where people can buy physical products including the company's Nexus smartphones and tablets, Chromebook laptops, Chromecast streaming devices, and more. The store will also sell devices like Nest, an Internet-connected thermostat the company bought last year. The move separates Google's efforts to sell hardware from its Google Play store, which is used to sell software like mobile apps, movies and music.It also follows Apple's approach to business. The iPhone maker has long maintained separate online stores, selling music, movies and apps through its iTunes music store and App Store, while selling iPhones, iPads and Macs through a storefront on its website. Not all companies do this. Amazon, for example uses one storefront to sell both its hardware and media. Google is mimicking Apple in other ways as well. Earlier Wednesday, Google unveiled a new retail "store within a store" in London, where it will sell its devices and hold classes and events to teach people how to use products. Apple has physical retail stores as well, of course. This is not the first time Google has tried to sell hardware directly to customers. When the company introduced its first Nexus phone in 2010, it launched a dedicated online store where people could buy the phones. Google later moved sales of Nexus phones to outside retailers. The company eventually began offering phones on its Play store too, but has until now shied away from running a dedicated storefront to sell Google-powered hardware. But five years later, with a growing line of devices, Google is hoping a hardware-specific site will have a better draw this time around."As we've added more products to the family, we thought it was time to make it easier for you to learn more about them," Google said in a blog post.Google timed the launch of the online Google Store with the release of its latest device: the second generation of its Chromebook Pixel laptop, which will also be sold on the store. The store will also sell accessories like chargers and phone cases.Google said it will offer free shipping on products bought on the Google Store, for a limited time. People who recently bought devices from the Google Play store will have their order information automatically transferred to the new store.

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Ugly documents surface in antitrust case that Google settled with FTC Google sidestepped an antitrust lawsuit in the US back in 2013, but newly released documents expose the depth of the accusations against the search giant. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) investigators issued a sharp rebuke of some of Google's search and advertising practices in a 160-page document handed to their bosses in 2012, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday after documents were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. The investigators, who handed the document to the five FTC commissioners who would decide whether to launch an antitrust suit, found in 2012 that the search company's "conduct has resulted -- and will result -- in real harm to consumers and to innovation in the online search and advertising markets." In early 2013, just months after receiving the report, the FTC commissioners decided against prosecuting Google on antitrust charges and accepted "voluntary" moves on the search company's part to improve some areas of competition in search and advertising. The FTC and Google reached an accord on a nearly two-year investigation into the search company's practices in January 2013. During the investigation period, Google was required to hand over millions of pages of documents and its executives and key staff gave hours of testimony to the FTC. The government agency had received some complaints from Google competitors, including local-search service Yelp, that the online company was using its powerful position in search and advertising to hurt competition in the marketplace. The deal between Google and the FTC saw the search company agree to allow companies, like Yelp and others, to remove their search results from certain Google services, like the company's local, travel and shopping pages. Google also agreed to allow advertisers to use data collected in their Google AdWords online ad campaigns for campaigns they had on other services. "The conclusion is clear," Google general counsel David Drummond wrote at the time. "Google's services are good for users and good for competition." The FTC was similarly celebratory in its announcement, saying that Google's modifications to AdWords and Search would "ensure that consumers continue to reap the benefits of competition in the online marketplace." All five FTC commissioners voted unanimously to end the Google investigation and accept the deal. "The evidence the FTC uncovered through this intensive investigation prompted us to require significant changes in Google's business practices. However, regarding the specific allegations that the company biased its search results to hurt competition, the evidence collected to date did not justify legal action by the Commission," Beth Wilkinson, outside counsel to the FTC, said in a statement at the time. "Undoubtedly, Google took aggressive actions to gain advantage over rival search providers. However, the FTC's mission is to protect competition, and not individual competitors. The evidence did not demonstrate that Google's actions in this area stifled competition in violation of U.S. law." The FTC's commissioners make the final call on whether antitrust proceedings should move forward. They base their decisions on the work of their investigators at the government agency who dig into a company, conduct interviews and seek clarification on key points. The inner-workings of those investigations is unknown and it's unclear how often commissioners heed the advice of investigators. The Google investigation, which also included concerns over Motorola's ownership of standard-essential patents, centered on four core elements, the Journal reported:According to the documents obtained by the Journal, the investigators found that Google's control over search caused "harm to many vertical competitors" across the travel, shopping, local and finance industries. The investigators also found that Google forced companies to allow the search giant to use their content in search results or face an outright ban on its search engine, and made it difficult for advertisers to share data on other platforms. The documents reveal that Google was accused of stealing content from Amazon, TripAdvisor and Yelp to bolster its competing services. In the case of Amazon, for instance, Google allegedly copied the e-retail giant's sales rankings and placed them on its own shopping service to rank items. Google also allegedly copied Amazon's reviews for those products. After allegedly discovering a similar move, TripAdvisor and Yelp asked Google to stop its activity. The search company quickly denied the request and threatened to remove their services from search, according to the Journal's report. "It is clear that Google's threat was intended to produce, and did produce, the desired effect," the investigators wrote, according to the Journal, "which was to coerce Yelp and TripAdvisor into backing down." The Journal also claims that the report includes a message sent by Google telling competitors that it would "extract the fruits of its rivals' innovations." Despite such accusations, the FTC investigators stopped short of seeking an antitrust lawsuit on the way Google was giving preferential treatment to its own services over competitors. The FTC investigators did, however, argue that the company was doing harm to competition and violated the law, according to the Journal. In its statement in January 2013, the FTC did not directly comment on those alleged claims, but did acknowledge that Google's "Universal Search," which puts the company's own services front and center ahead of competitors, "may have had the effect of harming individual competitors." However, the commissioners argued that the preferential treatment "could be plausibly justified as innovations that improved Google's product and the experience of its users." The commissioners also lauded Google's decision to allow third-parties to remove their content from its different sites, allaying FTC concerns. Despite the FTC's ultimate decision to not launch an antitrust lawsuit against Google, the newly revealed documents could have an impact on the company's current investigation by the European Union. Google has been embroiled in an antitrust investigation in the EU since 2010 over claims that it may be providing preferential treatment to its own services. Google has tried on three occasions to settle the deal, but European regulators have each time decided against accepting an accord. Last year, for instance, Google proposed a tentative settlement that would have forced the company to display search results for all services, including its own, in the same way. The company wouldn't have been required to pay a fine. In September, European regulators, who had preliminarily agreed to the idea, said that they had received "fresh evidence" and "solid arguments" from 20 formal complaints. Those complaints, which came from competitors like Microsoft, prompted the regulators to send Google back to the drawing board. "We now need to see if Google can address these issues and allay our concerns," said Joaquin Almunia, who was the EU's competition commissioner at the time. If Google's response doesn't satisfy the commission, the "logical next step is to prepare a Statement of Objections," Almunia said, referring to formal charges. Google has several rivals that take issue with its ability to promote its services, including travel booking sites such as TripAdvisor, Expedia and Hotwire, and shopping sites TheFind and Foundem. All of those companies are members of FairSearch, a consortium of companies, mainly from the US, that have lobbied EU officials for greater regulation on Google and the ways it integrates its own services into search. Google has argued that search engines are no longer just a list of links to other sites and the company should be allowed to provide relevant information without forcing a user to leave its pages. Google now has weather reports, medical information and calculators, among other tools, baked into its search pages. "Larry Page, our co-founder, has always believed that the perfect search engine would 'understand exactly what you mean and give you back exactly what you want,'" Google senior vice president of global communications Rachel Whetstone said last year. "Initially, 10 blue links were the best answer we could give. But now we have the ability to provide direct answers to users' queries, which is much quicker and easier for them." So far, Google's arguments has been unable to allay EU regulators' concerns. Indeed, there is a possibility that the current investigation into the company's search could only get worse and extend to another dominant Google platform: Android. The FTC documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal were not meant to go public. The Wall Street Journal said that the FTC requested the documents back, but the news outlet refused. Whether that will result in the EU taking a tougher stance against Google is unknown. Regardless of the nature of the leak, Google responded on Friday, reiterating to CNET that it was found to have not engaged in any wrongdoing and the companies cited in the document are doing just fine. "After an exhaustive 19-month review, covering nine million pages of documents and many hours of testimony, the FTC staff and all five FTC commissioners agreed that there was no need to take action on how we rank and display search results," Google's current General Counsel Kent Walker said. "Speculation about potential consumer and competitor harm turned out to be entirely wrong. Since the investigation closed two years ago, the ways people access information online have increased dramatically, giving consumers more choice than ever before.And our competitors are thriving," Walker continued. "For example, Yelp calls itself the 'de facto local search engine' and has seen revenue growth of over 350 percent in the last four years, TripAdvisor claims to be the Web's 'largest travel brand' and has nearly doubled its revenues in the last 4 years." The FTC has not responded to a request for comment. Update 10:35 a.m. PT to include Google's statement.

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Corning's germ-fighting glass means you can touch an ATM with less worry The modern world is awash with public touch screens, from airplane TVs to ATMs to deli-counter kiosks. And with all those shared screens comes more potential to share germs. Glassmaker Corning, whose tough Gorilla Glass displays front Apple's iPhone and Samsung's new Galaxy S6, is hoping to make our more-touchable electronics world a little less grimy, thanks to its antimicrobial version of Gorilla. The new product, introduced last year, is now making its way into more public places, with Corning in January announcing deals to bring the germ-fighting glass to ATMs and payment terminals. The glass is already on an office touch screen made by Steelcase used to book conference rooms. Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass is one of the ways Corning is working to make its blockbuster glass more useful in more areas, including bringing an antireflective Gorilla to operating room displays, and strengthening the material and making it more scratch-resistant to make Gorilla more desirable for the automotive and interior architecture industries. If Corning can convince people that they want a glass that prevents the sniffles, it could expand Gorilla's reach well beyond its base in smartphones, potentially for use on surfaces in hospitals, food storage facilities or public transportation. "We absolutely would like to look at this much more broadly," said Joydeep Lahiri, who heads Corning's specialty surfaces program, adding that his company is looking into introducing the glass into consumer electronics and healthcare.It's hard to tell, though, whether consumers will push to make more surfaces germ-resistant. For its part, Corning avoids making any health claims about the new material. However, as the first antimicrobial glass registered with the US Environmental Protection Agency -- a requirement for any product sold as a pesticide -- it does need to work as advertised if it purports to kill germs.Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass is embedded with ionic silver to help it repel bacteria, fungi, mold, mildew and algae. Silver was the antibiotic of choice before penicillin (that's how sayings about silver spoons and silver bullets originated), but it's now used in all kinds of products to prevent microbe growth. Nanoparticles of the stuff -- called nanosilver -- can be used on poultry, raw fruits and vegetables and food packaging to kill food-borne pathogens, are added to toothpaste and cosmetics to keep them safer and are even placed in some socks to fight off odor and athlete's foot. "Nanosilver is by far the most widely used nanoparticle in commerce right now," said Pedro Alvarez, an engineering department chairman at Rice University who's studied ionic silver for years. Alvarez said there are already a handful of "silly" places ionic silver is used, such as those odor-fighting socks, which he said lose their special powers in the wash. Still, he said, putting antimicrobial Gorilla Glass in a refrigerator or other places where food is stored could be a beneficial way to help prevent food from spoiling. Giving Gorilla Glass those new properties was no small feat. Lahiri said the company spent millions of dollars in research and development to add silver to the glass while maintaining the same damage resistance as regular Gorilla Glass. The company claims that because the silver is inside the glass, its antimicrobial properties can last for the life of a product.For Diebold, the bug-killing glass started it on a new path in thinking about its machines, which can last more than a decade. The leading ATM supplier in North America, which is bringing Corning's glass to its newest machines, is now considering an ATM that fends off bacteria and bugs in other ways. Chris Rowe, vice president of hardware and system engineering, said his company is discussing the idea of an ATM that has an antimicrobial agent in the PIN pad and could even zap the cash -- perhaps the dirtiest part of any ATM -- with UV light to kill off microorganisms. "The Corning piece planted that seed," Rowe said. He added that some of Diebold's largest banking customers have expressed interest in the new Gorilla Glass-faced ATMs, though the company won't launch the machines until around the third quarter of this year. Ionic silver is among a handful of developments being considered to imbue more products withgerm-fighting capabilities. For instance, Alvarez said researchers are also looking into creating surfaces that replicate shark skin, which discourages bacteria from attaching to it. Also, copper is another potential material to killing microbes, though is less effective than silver, he added. Electronics and displays with antimicrobial capabilities will likely come at an added price, due to extra metals or special manufacturing processes. But if they actually work in staving off a cold, they may find a place in the market. "We hope it's significant, but these are early days," Corning's Lahiri said.

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Tim Cook offered ailing Steve Jobs part of his liver, new bio says Apple co-founder Steve Jobs was anything but selfish, his successor as CEO, Tim Cook, argues in a new book coming out later this month. In 2009, Jobs was visibly ill and suffering from a side effect of cancer called ascites, and he was in need of a liver transplant. Cook, quoted in a new Jobs biography, called "Becoming Steve Jobs," says that he did some research and had his blood tested to see if it would match Jobs'. After discovering that it would, he offered to donate a portion of his liver to his boss. "I said, 'Steve, I'm perfectly healthy, I've been checked out. Here's the medical report. I can do this and I'm not putting myself at risk, I'll be fine,'" Cook was quoted as saying in the book, according to an excerpt in Fast Company. "And he doesn't think about it. It was not, 'Are you sure you want to do this?' It was not, 'I'll think about it.' It was not, 'Oh, the condition I'm in . . .' It was, 'No, I'm not doing that!' "He kind of popped up in bed and said that. And this was during a time when things were just terrible. Steve only yelled at me four or five times during the 13 years I knew him, and this was one of them." Jobs died in October 2011 from complications related to pancreatic cancer. The Apple co-founder and CEO had been diagnosed with cancer in 2003 and underwent surgery in 2004 to have the tumor removed. While it was believed that the cancer was gone for good, Jobs suffered a series of health setbacks and in January 2009 announced a leave of absence, putting the company in the hands of Cook, at that time his chief operating officer. Details on the period in 2009 when Jobs was sick and seeking options to improve his health have been hard to come by over the years, due in large part to Jobs' desire to keep his health problems out of the headlines. Jobs didn't need to wait long for another option for his failing liver: in April 2009, he had a liver transplant, effectively saving his life and giving him more time to lead Apple. Although doctors said after the transplant that his prognosis was excellent, Jobs continued to suffer from health issues. In August 2011, he resigned as Apple's chief executive, saying that he "could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple's CEO." He urged the board to appoint Cook in his place. Cook told the authors of "Becoming Steve Jobs," Brent Schlender and RickTetzeli, that Jobs' decision to not take him up on the offer was act ofselflessness and an unwillingness to put his number twounder the knife. The comments were part of abroader interview with Cook. "Becoming Steve Jobs" is set to hit bookshelves on March 24. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Tech industry's future rooted in blend of design, computer science While the world's first coders helped build the tech industry, its designers will define the industry's future, said graphic designer and computer scientist John Maeda.Maeda spoke Sunday at the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, where he issued the findings of his #DesignInTech report. Before 2010, Maeda said, design played a secondary role in the technology industry. How a product or service looked or worked, and the ways users interacted with it, were typically an after-thought that focused mostly on cosmetics.Design only ever grabbed attention when companies like Apple pushed outside the norm.But that's changing fast. Startups and large tech firms all recognize that their products need to be both visually appealing and deliver great user experiences -- and that means thinking about design from the beginning. It also means the industry needs people who can communicate those ideas and create more satisfying experiences. In other words, it needs designers who contribute from the start of a project -- not the end."Twenty-seven startups co-founded by designers and 10 creative agencies were acquired by tech in the last four years," Maeda said.The former president of the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD), Maeda joined the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers last year as Silicon Valley's first ever design partner. Since he joined KPCB, he said, six other venture capital firms have brought on designers to help scout new talent and incorporate design into their portfolio companies 'products.Take Airbnb, Maeda said. Founded in 2008, the company makes it easy for people to rent out their homes or a single room to those looking for a place a stay. It was dreamed up by designers Brian Chesky and Joe Gebbia, both RISD graduates, after the two attended an industrial design conference."[Silicon Valley] didn't think a designer could build and run a company. They were straight up about it. We weren't MBAs, we weren't two Ph.D. students from Stanford. Being designers they thought we were people that worked for people that ran companies," Chesky told Dezeen magazine in January 2014.Maeda also pointed to Dropbox's 2013 acquisition of Orchestra, the makers of sleek email app Mailbox, for $100 million. That deal brought former IDEO designer Gentry Underwood to the cloud storage company as head of design. Microsoft, too, has acquired design talent in the mobile app space with its purchases of email app Acompli and calendar app Sunrise. Both products had been hailed for their design and experience.In his report, Maeda also points out the growing need for designers who double as programmers. Dropbox's Underwood, for instance, holds both a Stanford degree in human-computer interaction as well as degrees in psychology and anthropology.Maeda found that more than a third of 110 surveyed designers in the tech industry had formal engineering training and over half had formal art or design training. In a survey of 370 designers, 93.5 percent described the ability to code as useful and at some times essential. Intriguingly, not all of those designers work in the tech industry.

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'Shine up the arches': McDonald's and the quest to go digital What would it take for you to pose for a selfie with Ronald McDonald?McDonald's, one of the best-known brands in the world, wants you to think of it in a new way. So for the first time, the restaurant chain was a sponsor of South by Southwest, the annual tech, film and music festival held here over the last week.During the company's kick-off bash for the festival, McDonald's set up several life-size mannequins of its famous mascot, Ronald McDonald, so party guests could pose with the clown. He was dressed to the nines, arm outstretched in front of him, smiling for his smartphone screen. Throughout the venue -- an empty lot transformed into a swanky garden patio -- throngs of young adults chomped on McDonald's fries, bacon clubhouse burgers and chicken sandwiches.The party's message was clear: The largest restaurant chain in the world is looking for a makeover that shows McDonald's is hip, relevant and, most important, digitally minded. To pull it off, the company says its role models aren't in the food and drink industries -- or even tech-savvy brands like Starbucks -- but instead come out of Silicon Valley."We think, how would Google do this? How would Amazon do this?" Atif Rafiq, McDonald's chief digital officer, said in an interview. "Those are future partners. That's the bar."McDonald's is among the most iconic brands on the planet, but its business has been slipping. Earlier this month, the company gathered its brass, franchisees and suppliers together for what it called a "Turnaround Summit" in Las Vegas to discuss the future of the restaurant. "It's an emergency," said Richard Adams, a former franchisee, who now owns a consulting firm. "The word 'turnaround' has never been used by McDonald's before. They've never been willing to admit they needed one."For the last five years, same-store sales, which looks at revenue from stores that have been open for at least a year, have fallen. The company also continues to lose customers as younger people choose "fast-casual" places like Mexican food purveyor Chipotle over traditional fast-food joints.In January, McDonald's ousted then-CEO Don Thompson for Steve Easterbrook, the company's chief brand officer, who had helped shore up McDonald's business in the United Kingdom. Easterbrook is now tasked with revitalizing the business for all of McDonald's 35,000 global locations, including 14,000 in the United States."He's our leading internal change agent," said Rafiq, who previously held senior positions at Amazon and Yahoo and took the newly created digital role almost a year and a half ago. Easterbrook is the person who hired him.Part of that change has to do with the dining experience. McDonald's has tossed out ideas as practical as using your smartphone to allow you to cut the line, to ideas as audacious as having adrone deliver food to your car while you're driving on the highway. While a clown operating a drone may be the stuff of apocalyptic nightmares, it shows the span of ideas Easterbook and others are considering.But the company's turnaround ambitions go beyond technology. McDonald's wants to "Shine up the arches," and answer "brand disparagers" with "positive news on food quality and employment image," according to an agenda document from the Turnaround Summit, seen by CNET. McDonald's declined to comment on the document.To find its footing in technology, the Oak Brook, Illinois-based company journeyed to Austin. The mission: To team up with startups that can help mold the restaurant's future through Shark Tank-like pitch competitions.On the docket: One company that makes a smart plastic that unlocks content when it touches a phone. Another company uses a high-pitched, dog whistle-like sound to transmit data. And yet another embeds sensors into paper and other everyday objects.The startups see the promise of working with a major brand like McDonald's. "They can really take the everyman to being connected," said Cammy Houser, vice president of business development and product for Snowshoe, the smart-plastic startup, which won one of the three pitch competitions. The prize was $1,000 for their next business trip, and a brainstorming session with McDonald's digital team in Oak Brook.But Houser also acknowledges there are challenges to pairing with the fast-food giant. "Big companies can be slow to change."That's an issue many Fortune 500 companies struggle with as they work to catch up in the digital age. At South by Southwest, other big brands including Visa, Pepsi and Walgreens sought to mingle with startups. Just being at the conference is a step in the right direction for these and other corporate giants, said Mark Silva, CEO of Kite, which helped recruit startup candidates for McDonald's pitch competition.McDonald's has already gotten started putting more technology in its stores. The company was one of the original partners for Apple Pay, Apple's effort to let customers pay for things with their iPhones. McDonald's also last year launched a program in select stores called "Create Your Taste," which lets customers build customized burgers, ordering toppings from a tabletlike kiosk in stores.Rafiq, who became McDonald's digital chief in October 2013, hopes McDonald's can spur innovation beyond the retail industry. He mentioned the company's sponsorship of TechStars Mobility, a startup program in Detroit focused on the future of transportation. McDonald's, with its thousands of drive-thrus and its presence in communities all over the world, could help change transportation, he said."We have just as much to add to that conversation as Google does with its driverless cars, or Elon Musk with his Hyperloop," said Rafiq, referring to the CEO of electric car company Tesla Motors and his design for an ultrafast transit system.But even if McDonald's partners can come up with brilliant innovations, getting that tech into thousands of locations is a daunting task."It's unproven," said Adams, the former franchisee. And that's a concern, since those individual owners pay for most of the small technologies used in their restaurants. "For the first time in history, franchisees won't know what they're going to be paying for."The company also has to deal with the changing sensibilities of the millennial generation, many of whom have strong opinions about McDonald's. About half an hour before the South by Southwest party started, a woman and man in their 20s rode past the venue in a pedicab. "You're the worst!" the woman yelled. "I hate you, McDonald's!"When the party started, some attendees weren't impressed by what McDonald's had to offer. The company served Old Fashioneds at the bar. But as McDonald's tries to chase the increasingly bespoke tastes of customers, the company didn't make its drinks with a flair of mixology, like the young guests might have at some hipster bar a few blocks away. Instead the company served a sort of fast-food cocktail: whiskey, bitters, a twist of lemon, a cherry, a strip of bacon for garnish, and a few pumps of McCafe liquid sugar."That's so McDonald's," one attendee said, walking away from the bar, drink in hand.

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Twitter limits access of fast-growing Meerkat live-stream app Twitter may be in self-defense mode. Meerkat, a fast-growing mobile app that lets people live-stream a video feed to their Twitter followers, has gotten a lot of traction since it launched in late February, especially with the approach of the South by Southwest tech, music and film festival here in Austin.But Meerkat relies heavily on Twitter's audience, and Twitter on Friday evening made itharder for the new app to reach its intended audience. The timing is a blow for Meerkat, as many young tech companies try to use the spotlight of SXSW and its 30,000 attendees to make a name for themselves. Buzzfeed first reported the news. "We are limiting their access to Twitter's social graph, consistentwith our internal policy," a Twitter spokesperson said in a statement."Their users will still be able to distribute videos on Twitter andlogin with their Twitter credentials." Twitter's tweak prevents Meerkat users from automatically linking their Twitter followers to their Meerkat accounts. That restricts the number of notifications that can be received and sent out when Meerkat users are live-streaming their videos. The change comes the same day Twitter announced the acquisition of Periscope, a Meerkat competitor."Twitter's move here shows how significant Meerkat has become," tweeted Meerkat co-founder Ben Rubin.Live video could become an important element for social networks, as people put more of their personal lives on the Internet. There are also potential revenue opportunities as marketers look to how they can advertise with individualized video feeds.Twitter knows the power of SXSW more than anyone. Back in 2007, the social network sprang into the mainstream after a burst of popularity at the festival, which brings together the tech community, filmmakers and musicians. Festival-goers used Twitter to find out where their friends were having lunch or figure out which parties were worth attending. Some venture capitalists were already predicting Meerkat's success at SXSW this year. Josh Elman, a partner at the venture firm Greylock, highlighted Meerkat as a potential standout app at this year's festival -- but that was before Twitter's move.

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Facebook facing litany of gender, racial complaints Facebook is under fire from a former employee who claims the social network's work environment was a hotbed of harassment and discrimination.Chia Hong, who worked at Facebook from June 2010 to October 2013, alleges she was subjected to unfair treatment based on her race and gender. Hong filed 11 claims, including sexual harassment and national origin discrimination, on Monday in San Mateo County Superior Court.Hong is suing for lost compensation, including wages and benefits; monetary damage related to "mental pain and anguish and emotional distress;" plus additional punitive damages and attorney fees, the suit states.Facebook is the latest tech company facing accusations that are seen largely as the by-product of an industrywide lack of diversity. Tech companies are on average 70 percent male and white, according to self-reported statistics from Facebook, Google, Twitter and other companies. Their stats, along with a pervasive male-dominated culture, have created heated discussions and, now, lawsuits in Silicon Valley. Hong's suit names Facebook, as well as employee Anil Wilson and 50 unnamed other employees. She claims her opinions were routinely ignored, that Hong and coworkers even asked her "why she did not just stay home and take care of her children" and that she was asked to serve male employees drinks at a company event. Hong also alleges Facebook management punished her after she took time off to volunteer at her children's school and after she complained about the workplace environment. Ultimately, she was replaced by a "less qualified, less experienced Indian male" and eventually fired."We work extremely hard on issues related to diversity, gender and equality, and we believe we've made progress," a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement given to CNET. "In this case we have substantive disagreements on the facts, and we believe the record shows the employee was treated fairly."Hong's suit surfaces as storied venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is in court over gender discrimination charges filed by former employee Ellen Pao. Pao said she hopes her suit will inspire other women to come forward. Hong is represented by Lawless and Lawless, one of the firms representing Pao in her gender discrimination suit currently on trial in San Francisco Superior Court.

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Facebook to offer insights on what users are talking about Facebook is pulling the curtain back even further for advertisers who are hoping to figure out what's popular among its customers.The social-networking giant said it struck a deal with a company called DataSift that will make it easier for advertisers and other companies to find out what users are talking about on the network. Facebook said DataSift will also be able to find out what types of things are talked about by different demographics of people.The result could allow a fashion company, for example, to see what clothing items its customer base is talking about on Facebook.The move is the latest in a series of steps Facebook has taken to help advertisers and companies better understand how people use its service. Facebook has expanded efforts to help companies study the effectiveness of their ads on the social network. The social network has also created new services to help companies send ads to its users both while they're using the social network, as well as when they're using some apps or outside websites.Facebook isn't the only social network doing this. Numerous analytics companies already parse through data coming from Twitter, in hopes of learning what its users are saying. But Facebook has been measured in the type of access it gives, partially out of concern for users' privacy.Though Facebook says the information being sent to DataSift is aggregated, anonymous and can't be used for specific ad targeting, the data will help companies better understand how customers are talking about their products on the social network.

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Uber struck down in Germany, but it's not as bad as it sounds Car-hailing service Uber is in more legal hot water, which could see one -- but not all -- of its services banned in Germany in the coming weeks. A three-judge panel in the Frankfurt District Court in Germany has issued a preliminary decision banning UberPop across the country. The decision, rendered Wednesday, would mean the company's low-cost UberPop carpooling service will not be allowed to operate in Germany and Uber could face a fine of up to 250,000 euros (about $266,000) for operating the service after the ban is implemented. Though that may sound bad, the nuances of the decision mean Uber isn't in as bad of a spot as some might think. For one, the ruling is preliminary and a full ruling won't be issued for three to four weeks. During that period, UberPop is allowed to operate, though it's likely that once the final ruling comes down, UberPop will need to immediately end service. In addition, the ruling has no impact on Uber's Uber Taxi and Uber Black services in Germany, which will continue to operate unimpeded. Uber's car-sharing service is broken into several categories. Uber Black is the standard Uber service, providing customers the ability to hail a "high-end sedan" piloted by an Uber driver. The company's Uber Taxi operates in a fashion similar to other taxi services and uses the same kinds of cars as competitors. As they would with Uber Black and other Uber offerings, users of Uber Taxi can hail a cab from the company's mobile app, which connects riders and drivers. UberPop, meanwhile, is a low-cost service similar to UberX in the US. Unlike other Uber services that have drivers who operate a vehicle designed for taxiing people back and forth, UberX (or UberPop as it's been known in Germany and Paris) is a peer-to-peer service that allows Uber users to pick up others and bring them wherever they're going. Because those drivers are just Uber users, some have argued that their lack of a taxi license makes operating UberPop illegal. The lawsuit against UberPop in Germany was brought before the court by local taxi consortium Taxi Deutschland. The consortium argued that UberPop is illegal because its drivers do not have the proper licenses to cart passengers back and forth. It was a charge agreed to by the three-judge panel, which said that all drivers who taxi people to different locations must have a proper license. The argument echoes the French government's sentiment in December when it banned UberPop from the country, effective January 1. The government agreed with taxi companies that argued Uber was benefiting from an unfair advantage by offering its UberPop service. Taxi licenses in the country can cost up to $300,000, and since UberPop drivers are not licensed with a taxi service, do not need to pay that significant cost to carry customers. Uber said at the time that it would challenge the ruling. Uber said on Wednesday that it would also challenge the ruling sent down by the German court. In a statement, Uber's Munich general manager, Fabien Nestmann, said that while his company respects the German court system, it would "file an appeal against today's decision." "This decision also affects the thousands and thousands of riders who have come to rely on a safe, affordable way to get around town and the drivers using the Uber platform to reduce the costs of running their own vehicles," Nestmann said in the statement, adding that Uber is already working on "an alternative ride-sharing service" that would fit within German regulations. The court ruling is just the latest in a string of setbacks for Uber. Earlier this month, the company was forced to suspend its UberX service in Seoul after a months-long row with government officials. Uber has also faced cease-and-desist orders in Pennsylvania and Virginia and was forced to suspend service in Nevada and Portland, Ore., in the face of government resistance. The service was also banned last year from Delhi, India, after a passenger was allegedly raped by an Uber driver. Spain, too, has said the service is illegal. Also this month, officials in the Japanese city of Fukuoka cracked down on Uber, saying that it violates the law by operating an unlicensed taxi service.

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U.S. establishes policy for exports of armed drones The U.S. government on Tuesday established a policy for exports of military and commercial drones, including armed ones, and said it plans to work with other countries to shape global standards for the use of the controversial weapons systems.The State Department said it would allow exports of lethal U.S. military drones under strict conditions, including that sales must be made through government programs and that recipient nations must agree to certain "end-use assurances."The policy, the details of which are classified, comes after a two-year review amid growing demand from U.S. allies for the new breed of weapons that have played a key role in U.S. military action in Afghanistan, Iraq and Yemen. It could help U.S. companies boost sales of military and commercial drones in an increasingly competitive global market. Privately held General Atomics, maker of the Predator and Reaper drones, Northrop Grumman Corp, Textron Inc and other arms makers have been urging Washington for years to loosen strict export curbs, which they say have caused them to lose orders to Israel and others in the growing market.Ideally, the policy would help industry better understand the current complex review process for drone exports, said Remy Nathan, vice president of the Aerospace Industries Association. He said AIA had asked for a classified briefing on the policy. The shift came just days after U.S. aviation regulators proposed rules that would lift some restrictions on drone use for commercial purposes, but would still limit activities such as inspections of pipelines.The change also follows stern warnings by top U.S. officials about rapid advances in weapons technology by China, Russia and other potential foes, including unmanned systems.China has its own ambitious drone program and has exported drones to at least nine countries, including Pakistan, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, while it is also in talks with Saudi Arabia and Algeria for sales, according to Chinese state media.POPULAR FOR SURVEILLANCEThe new policy will make it easier for America's closest allies to buy armed drones, while maintaining stringent controls on the overall technology, U.S. officials said.Britain is the only country now flying armed U.S. drones, but France and Italy fly Reaper surveillance drones. A State Department official said previous requests for armed drones from Italy and Turkey would be reviewed in light of the new policy.Sales of surveillance drones could also help U.S. allies in the Middle East fight Islamic State militants. U.S. lawmakers are currently considering the sale of unarmed Predator drones to the United Arab Emirates, which has played a key role in air strikes on Islamic State sites in recent weeks.The policy maintains "a strong presumption of denial" of sales of the biggest drones, so-called Category I aircraft that have a range of at least 300 km (186 miles) and can carry a payload of at least 500 kg (1,102 pounds), but will allow such exports on "rare occasions."The official said there was no formal list of countries that would be eligible for exports of armed drones, and all requests would be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, with consideration of human rights, regional power balance, and other factors.Even before the new policy was announced, the U.S. government had granted General Atomics a license to market its Predator XP export model to India.The Philippines, which is embroiled in a bitter dispute with China over South China Sea boundaries, would be interested in drones that could be used for intelligence and surveillance operations, military spokesman Colonel Restituto Padilla said. It did not want armed drones, he added.Sales of armed drones could boost Lockheed Martin Corp , which builds Hellfire missiles that are used by Predator and Reaper drones, but could also help companies like L-3 Communications Holdings Inc and Raytheon Co, which build sensors and simulators for the unmanned systems."The new policy ensures appropriate participation for U.S. industry in the emerging commercial UAS market, which will contribute to the health of the U.S. industrial base, and thus to U.S. national security, which includes economic security," the State Department official said.Under the policy, buyers of military drones will have to agree to strict conditions, including adherence to international law, and a ban on using the drones for unlawful surveillance or to crack down on their domestic populations.

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Will robots take our jobs and overpower us? Bill Gates has some concerns When that person is Bill Gates, a thumping begins inside my head.The Microsoft co-founder is another, you see, who worries about Robotworld. He is concerned that too many things might go wrong. For humanity, that is. Speaking to Re/Code after a TED talk Wednesday, Gates offered two threat scenarios, both of which are deeply uncomfortable. The first, he said, "is simply the labor substitution problem. That, in a certain way, seemslike it should be solvable because what you are really talking about isan embarrassment of riches." But when humans and their enthusiasm for putting their hands in fires is involved, what seems solvable can end up painful. So he added: "But it is happening so quickly. It does raise some very interesting questions given the speed with which it happens." Every time you look at Silicon Valley companies that make vast amounts of money, but employ relatively few people, it's inevitable to imagine that pattern spreading. It could be that some people will watch the rise of productive machines and simply give up on the notion that they can contribute anymore. Humans have, though, traditionally shown a certain personal ingenuity in the face of technological change. The question Gates poses is whether the sheer speed of this era will catch too many people unprepared. His second threat scenario is even more threatening. He called it "the issue of greater-than-human intelligence." That is an issue, isn't it? When every new gadget demands the word "smart" before its name, one can't help but think that perhaps we seem ever dumber. Gates, though, presented it like this: "I'll be very interested to spend time with people who think they knowhow we avoid that. I know Elon [Musk] just gave some money. A guy atMicrosoft, Eric Horvitz, gave some money to Stanford. I think there aresome serious efforts to look into could you avoid that problem." In his words, he sounds methodical, scientific. One can't help wondering, though, whether he also feels aa genuine fear that it's unavoidable -- that the more powerful a robot you create, the more potential there is for humans' own demise.Gates has expressed his concerns about AI before, in a Reddit AMA. Then, he seemed to believe the threat of labor substitution could be managed. Now he seems less sure about that. Just as the law has trouble keeping up with technology's speed, so do other aspects of human life. And even if, as robots advance, there will still be considerable employment for humans, will those jobs be (even) more mind-numbing than the jobs available now? In ads and movies, the future is very rarely presented as a happy place. When technologists and scientists also present a picture of Robotworld that isas troubling as dinner out with Godzilla -- Stephen Hawking is just one who fears for humanity -- where are the voices of reassurance? Save for in some of the cheery labs at Google. Is it the fear of the unknown that bothers us? Or is it the fear of what we already see?

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Drones' newest mission? Disaster relief When aid workers arrived after Typhoon Haiyan hit Southeast Asia in 2013, they brought something new to help the areas battered by rain and gale force winds: unmanned aerial drones.One of the strongest tropical cyclones ever recorded, Typhoon Haiyan left more than 6,000 people dead, and it destroyed vast swaths of roads -- making it impossible for aid workers to reach people stranded in remote locations. So a few organizations started using drones to survey the landscape.The images they recorded helped aid workers locate missing persons and also create 2D and 3D maps to help community leaders understand the hardest hit areas."One of the big issues for us was to have imagery to look at," Kate Chapman, executive director of open-source mapping project Humanitarian OpenStreetMap Team, said during a panel at the South by Southwest festival, which brings together techies, filmmakers and musicians. "Drones can take pictures at a very low cost."Typhoon Haiyan marked a milestone for drone use in disaster relief -- the first full-scale use of UAVs to help locate victims and chart high-risk areas.Up till now, drones of various kinds have been known mostly as fun flying toys, high-tech surveillance machines or unmanned planes that fire missiles. More than 200,000 consumer drones were sold worldwide per month in 2014, according to market analyst firm Frost and Sullivan, and that number is expected to double this year. But an increasing number of aid organizations are also looking at drones as a way to solve some of their toughest challenges.Since Typhoon Haiyan, aid organizations have deployed drones to help in other natural disasters, including the 6.1 magnitude earthquake that struck China in August and Typhoon Ruby that hit Southeast Asia last December."When people see the word 'drone' they immediately think killer robot," said Patrick Meier, director of social innovation at Qatar Foundation's Computing Research Institute. "But that's not what's going on here."Organizations around the world are finding intriguing new ways to use drones for the greater good. Kenya, for example, is deploying drones to help stop the poaching of rhinos and elephants. La Fondation Bundi, also in Kenya, has launched its Flying Donkey Challenge to build cargo drones that can deliver heavy loads of medicine to remote villages by 2020.And the Syria Airlift Project aims to use drones to drop food and medicine to communities isolated by the warring factions.Then there's the use of drones, now in a test phase, to locate unexploded bombs and landmines from past wars. Unexploded ordinances, or UXOs, can kill or maim decades after they've been dropped or buried. In fact, landmines kill up to 20,000 people every year. Many are children, according to the United Nations.More than 100 million landmines are still buried around the world, according to the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund. It could take 1,000 years to clear those minds at the current rate of removal. It's a slow and dangerous job, where workers typically use metal detectors, trained dogs or simply prod the soil.A company called Arch Aerial is working on a drone system to help locate UXOs far faster than they can be spotted today.Over the past year, the company has built a drone equipped with remote sensing technology called Lidar, or light detection and ranging, which creates 3D topographical maps of the ground without vegetation. These maps could help field workers identify landmarks where UXOs are typically found, like bunkers and bomb craters.Within the next six months, Arch Aerial will begin field-testing its drones in Laos, where the US dropped nearly 2 million tons of explosives during the Vietnam War."We've got a huge problem where we have UXOs littered across the country," said Ryan Baker, CEO of Arch Aerial. "Service workers have to go to these high-risk areas and risk their safety."While Arch Aerial is making its own drones, many aid organizations use drones made by popular consumer brands like DJI and Parrot. Various US state and federal agencies have also used drones made by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems and Boeing to monitor wildfires and assess damage after mudslides, hurricanes and earthquakes.However, there are many obstacles to wide adoption of humanitarian drone use. For instance, regulatory red tape restricts drone use in some countries. Piloting a drone also requires training and experience, particularly flying one in inclement weather. Additionally, the devices can't carry much weight, limiting what they can do.Cost is also a factor. A typical small shoebox-size quadcopter with a camera attachment costs roughly $500; and for a heavy-duty drone with Lidar sensors and more payload, the price rises to at least $20,000. Humanitarian organizations might be able to afford one or two of these drones, but if anything happens to a device, costs could ratchet up.Drawing on the experience with Typhoon Haiyan, however, aid workers and humanitarian organizations appear to be optimistic that drones will be able to help in crisis situations in coming years."This is a new frontier. It's something that's being explored because there are a specific number of ways you can do it," said Adam Rabinowitz, archeology professor at the University of Texas at Austin. "There are conflicts right now that are going to be problems in the future."

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Oculus founder: 'Everything is going horribly right' It's still unclear if the consumer version of the Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset -- special goggles that let users view simulated 3D worlds -- is going to hit stores in 2015. But that doesn't mean something is awry."Nothing is going horribly wrong," said Oculus founder Palmer Luckey on Friday. "Everything is going horribly right." Luckey was speaking during an "Ask Anything" panel discussion at the South by Southwest festival here, which brings together technorati, filmmakers and musicians. The festival also has a massive presence from the video game industry, with hundreds of developers showing off their products at the so-called SXSW Gaming Expo.It's been rumored that the Oculus goggles would be hitting stores this year, but the company has repeatedly declined to comment on specific dates.Just a couple of years ago, the idea of virtual-reality headsets seemed like a pipe dream, but now several companies are planning to bring these special goggles to the public. Facebook spent $2 billion to buy Oculus last year, and in just the past 12 months, others including HTC, Valve and Sony have unveiled competing devices as well. Oculus Vice President of Product Nate Mitchell, who was also speaking on the panel at SXSW, said the company wants everything to be perfect before Oculus finally lands on store shelves. "We've been determined to release our own consumer virtual reality for some time," Mitchell said. "We want to launch this thing as soon as we possibly can, but with absolutely no compromises." CNET's Richard Nieva (@richardjnieva) and Dara Kerr (@darakerr) will be at SXSW in Austin, Texas, for the next week covering all things tech, geek culture and maybe even barbecue.

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Orange Wednesday-style free cinema tickets are back, when you switch your bills Orange Wednesday is dead -- long live Meerkat Movies! After the long-lived British deal was killed off by EE, free midweek trips to the pictures are back thanks to Comparethemarket.com. If only it was as simples as that... For more than a decade, Orange Wednesday has treated Orange customers to a free second cinema ticket when journeying to the local fleapit in the middle of the week. Orange parent company EE finally ended the popular promotion in February, which is where meerkat-loving Comparethemarket.com comes in. The price comparison site promises two-for-one tickets not just on Wednesday but Tuesday too. So how do you qualify? You need to buy something from Comparethemarket.com.That could mean switching your energy company, changing to a new broadband provider or phone line supplier or transferring your digital TV. It could be as simple as buying a single trip-worth of travel insurance, or shifting a balance transfer to a new credit card. Once you've bought something, you get a free ticket each week for a year. If you've bought something from Comparethemarket.com in the last year you're already qualified, but the clock started ticking when you made the purchase -- so if you bought something a year ago in March 2014 your year is up and you only get a week or so of free tickets. If you bought something, say, last October, you will get free tickets up until this October.The promotion launches on 3 April, and from 7 April anyone registered can log into the Meerkat Movies app for iOS and Android to collect a code and redeem their free ticket. Changing your utility company or credit card feels like a bigger psychological hurdle than signing up to a particular phone network, but at least you only have to make one purchase to earn a year's free tickets rather than making a long-term commitment to Orange. And it's open to anyone, regardless of what phone network you're on. But complicating things is the fact that switching utilities or changing credit card can actually induce substantial cashback or perks from other providers and comparison sites. This means you need to think about how often you'll actually use those free cinema tickets, and compare that value to the potential cashback you could earn from making the same switcheroo elsewhere. Not exactly simples, then. I miss the simplicity of Orange Wednesday, but if you're a major cinephile it could be time to haul out those electricity bills and start thinking about a change. The new incarnation of free midweek cinema has been announced hard on the heels of Orange Wednesday's actual replacement, EE Film Club. That gives Orange, T-Mobile and EE customers a movie rental from online streaming service Wuaki.tv for £1 plus a 35p text each week. If you're a regular renter of new movies at £3 or £4 a throw then the deal could save you a bob or two, but it's up against stiff competition from rivals: Vodafone's enticements, for example, include free Netflix, Spotify or Sky subscriptions.

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All the UK details on Apple Watch and the new MacBook Tim Cook and pals have stepped forth from their aluminium tower, revealing -- at last -- the nitty gritty on when the Apple Watch will debut around the globe, as well as a brand new MacBook with only a single port. Here's what UK tech fans need to know.Until last night's event, a UK release for Apple's high-tech timepiece -- which sends notifications from your iPhone directly to your wrist -- seemed by no means certain. Our fears were groundless, however, with Apple confirming the Watch will go on sale in the UK on 24 April, the same day it makes its US debut. If you can't wait to throw your money in Apple's direction, pre-orders will open in a month's time, on 10 April.Pricing for the Apple Watch is a little tougher to untangle, because the company's new toy comes in three different models, two different sizes and with a broad variety of different straps, all of which carry different price tags.The three versions -- in ascending order of price -- are the Apple Watch Sport, which has an aluminium frame, the Apple Watch, which has a fancier stainless steel frame, and the plutocratic Apple Watch Edition, which is made from either rose or yellow gold. The two sizes of watch available across all those versions are either 38mm or 42mm, with some versions only available for one or the other, intended as they are for women and men respectively. The very cheapest version of Apple's Watch will cost £299, and a full price breakdown can be seen below.Apple Watch Sport38mm £299, 42mm £339Apple Watch with Sport Band38mm £479, 42mm £519Apple Watch with Classic Buckle, Milanese Loop, Leather Loop38mm £559, 42mm £599Apple Watch with Modern Buckle38mm £649Apple Watch with Link Bracelet38mm £819, 42mm £859Apple Watch Space Black with Steel Link Bracelet38mm £899, 42mm £949Apple Watch Edition with Sport Band (Rose Gold or Yellow Gold)38mm £8,000, 42mm £9,500Apple Watch Edition with Modern Buckle 38mm £13,500Apple Watch Edition with Classic Buckle 42mm £12,000 You can buy all the straps separately too, with prices ranging from £39 to a wince-inducing £209. A 1-metre charging cable will cost £25, or you can get a 2-metre cord for £29.The Apple Watch isn't the only new treat being cooked up in Apple's industrial-scale tech ovens. The new fanless 12-inch MacBook is the company's skinniest ever, and makes headlines with only a single USB Type-C port, which handles charging and, well, everything else you might want to plug into this computer. If you buy this new laptop, expect to carry around a pocketful of adaptors and dongles.The new MacBook hits the UK on 10 April, Apple says, and comes in two configurations. The first, which gets you 256GB of flash storage and a 1.1GHz dual-core Intel Core M processor with turbo boost up to 2.4GHz, costs £1,049. A second variant that has 512GB of storage and a 1.2GHz dual-core Intel M processor with turbo boost up to 2.6GHz costs £1,299.Once again, Apple has held back on giving its set-top box an upgrade, although it has given the existing unit a price cut. If you want the company's box, which gets you TV and movies through iTunes, plus streaming video via a Netflix app and other treats, it now costs £59.

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Google crows that it's got everything (but the Apple Watch) Google -- or as it prefers to be known these days, the People's Republic Of Google -- is feeling a little twitchy at the moment. On the one hand, it's peddling the idea that you should "Be Together, Not The Same," a veritable poem to human individuality and community. On the other hand, it's being accused of fiddling its search results in a frightfully undemocratic manner. And then the blighters in Cupertino go and launch their Apple Watch.Lumme, what's to be done? Well, release an ad that says there are already so many wonderful, beautiful Android Wear watches, even if the people haven't got around to buying many of them.So here are lots of young, hippy, happy people dancing around with their (borrowed) Android Wear watches. It's almost as cheery a dancing scene as Microsoft's now legendary Surface ads, which graced the firmament at the product's launch and then drifted off like a startup with a 14-year-old CEO that ran out of funding. Will this ad put a dent into Apple's horological ambitions? Will it clock Apple where it hurts? Or are Android manufacturers gleefully waiting to see if Apple can make the market for them?

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Tesla Model S will get self-driving feature in 3 months Tesla Motors plans to roll out autonomous-driving software for its Model S sedan within the next three months, the company's chief executive, Elon Musk, said in a press conference Thursday. Though not full-blown self-driving software, the over-the-air update will initially provide an automatic-steering capability that will let drivers travel hands-free and allow the car to move without a driver. Tesla has been testing the feature on a route from San Francisco to Seattle,"without the driver touching any controls at all," Musk said. "It is technically capable of going from parking lot to parking lot. But we won't be enabling that [specific capability] for users with this hardware suite, because we don't think it's likely to be safe in suburban neighborhoods," Musk added. For now, Tesla pictures the ability to call your car with a tap on your smartphone or letting your Model S come in and out of a garage on its own. Self-driving cars are a hot topic in Silicon Valley and the automotive industry. Search giant Google has developed software that it says can direct vehicles through any traffic environment without collisions. And many car companies, including BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Nissan, are working on autonomous-vehicle systems of their own. Tesla could have a competitive edge because of its ability to add features and functions across all its vehicles via software updates. Without federal standards, self-driving car systems designed for the open road are currently restricted to testing and only with vehicles from auto makers licensed to do so. Musk advised Tesla owners that, at first, the Model S's autonomous features may only be useable on their personal property.He also drew a line between what Tesla is doing for the immediate future, and what companies like Google are attempting to achieve far down the line."There's certainly an expectation that when autopilot on the Model S is enabled, that you're paying attention," he said, so no falling asleep at the wheel. "But it should also take care of you if you have moments of distraction." Speaking Tuesday at Nvidia's annual GPU Technology Conference in San Jose, Calif., Musk said the move to self-driving cars is inevitable, although it could take up to 20 years to replace the fleet of 2 billion cars on the road today at the current rate of 100 million new cars a year. "It's not going to all transition immediately," he told Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsen Huang during an on-stage interview Tuesday. "It's going to take a while." Musk also gave a warning to those who love to drive: Autonomous cars may become so much safer than people that it's possible human drivers could one day be outlawed.

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Lyft CEO: I'm not just a customer, I'm a driver too Get in a Lyft car one day, and you might just find Lyft co-founder and CEO Logan Green behind the wheel.On the days he drives his electric Nissan Leaf to work, he often switches on his Lyft app, a service that lets passengers hail rides from drivers using their own cars via a smartphone. The reason, he said, is so he can experience Lyft from drivers' point of view."The other day I picked somebody up and made $20 on my way into work," he said Monday here at the South by Southwest festival, which has brought together technorati, filmmakers and musicians. "Every dollar counts."One of Lyft's goals is to be both more approachable and friendly than its larger competitor, Uber. Both do roughly the same thing: they help users connect with drivers, and they've both changed the way people in cities view taxis and limos. But Uber has taken more of a hands-off approach with both its passengers and its drivers.Lyft's friendlier attitude has helped the company win friends where Uber hasn't, but it's still valued at a fraction of its larger competitor. Lyft is in about 25 percent of the cities where Uber operates, and has one-seventh the company's funding.Still, Lyft hopes it can win with a fist-bump -- the signature greeting of Lyft drivers. One example was at the SXSW festival, for which Lyft beat out Uber as the official ride-hailing partner. Throughout the festival, which brings in more than 50,000 attendees, Lyft drivers trolled the city streets and the company sent promoters to local bars to pass out ride coupons. Green was also one of SXSW's keynote speakers and drew a crowd of about 4,000 people.While on stage, wearing jeans with a black blazer and white button-up shirt, Green sought to differentiate Lyft from Uber. He said that while he thinks "Uber is a good car service," Lyft has a different vision for its business."I think their original motto was 'everybody's private driver,'" Green said. "Our vision for the world is making car ownership unnecessary. We never set out to make a better taxicab."Green touted one of Lyft's newest features called Lyft Line, which is a carpool-like service that lets drivers pick up multiple passengers along a similar route. Since launching Lyft Line in San Francisco six months ago, Green said the feature now makes up more than 50 percent of all of its rides in the city. This was the first time the company revealed data on Lyft Line. One of Lyft's goals with its carpool feature is to decrease cars on the road, while also increasing rides for drivers and bringing down the price for passengers."Every dollar you knock off the price opens it up to a gigantic group of people," Green said.CNET's Richard Nieva (@richardjnieva) and Dara Kerr (@darakerr) will be in Austin, Texas, for SXSW covering all things tech, geek culture and maybe even barbecue.

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Taking a virtual-reality tour of the spaceship from 'Interstellar' A curious white geodesic dome appeared in a dusty dirt lot near downtown Austin this week. From the outside the structure resembled a planetarium, which is fitting because on the inside something very spacey was going on.The dome housed a virtual-reality experience for the Academy Award-winning film "Interstellar" during the South by Southwest festival, which kicked off on Friday bringing together technorati, filmmakers and musicians. In the dome, anyone could take a simulated 3D trip through the movie's Endurance spaceship and experience the feeling of weightlessness."You're taken through the very set we worked on, making the movie," said actor Bill Irwin, who played the voice of the robot TARS in the film."If you've dreamed of space travel and a NASA environment, the Interstellar virtual-reality experience is a chance to feel what it's like. You won't believe you're just sitting still." Crowds of festivalgoers lined up to give the virtual-reality experience a try. As each person entered the dome, they were escorted to one of three comfy recliners. "Welcome astronaut," said one of the assistants -- outfitting the person with an Oculus Rift virtual-reality headset and a pair of earphones.Once the headset was on, the images displayed were seen through the eyes of an astronaut on board the spacecraft: a small chamber, different control dashboards, doorways to other rooms and windows with views of the cosmos. A voice echoed over the speaker telling the astronaut there wasn't much time and to move quickly to the next room.As the astronaut traveled, the voice warned to "prepare for zero gravity." The astronaut could see the door to a walkway slide open and at the same time the real-world chair dropped a few inches and nothing but silence could be heard through the earphones. Pens, notebooks and other objects floated by. This full sensory experience made for a feeling of weightlessness. Finally the astronaut arrived at the spaceship's command station and the trip was complete."Welcome back to Earth," the assistant said as he removed the participant's headset and earphones. "How was your flight?" The simulated experience was 360 degrees, so as people looked from side to side and behind them they could see different aspects of Endurance. The entire trip took about three minutes. Lewis Bennett, one of the people who took the tour, said that as he traveled through the spaceship he kept lifting his arms to interact with the rooms and objects. "I had to hold my arms down because I knew people would be watching," he said. "The overall feeling was very real. I was like, 'Wow I'm really immersed in this.'" CNET's Richard Nieva (@richardjnieva) and Dara Kerr (@darakerr) will be at SXSW in Austin, Texas, for the next week covering all things tech, geek culture and maybe even barbecue.

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Nintendo will make games for phones, new 'NX' system Nintendo is finally making its move into smartphone gaming.Following years of speculation, the House of Mario confirmed on Tuesday that its stable of popular gaming characters will be arriving on smart devices, courtesy of a new tie-up. It also revealed the code-name of its next dedicated games system. Nintendo is the owner of some of the best-known video game franchises of all time, including Mario, The Legend of Zelda and many more. Traditionally, the Japanese gaming giant has been extremely conservative about letting its popular franchises roam onto non-Nintendo products -- but with the firm's fortunes fading in the face of competition from gaming on phones and tablets, a new wave of customers could be about to get a chance to play with the company's most popular characters.As part of a tie-up with Japanese company DeNA -- which publishes a range of free-to-play mobile games -- Nintendo content will be coming to game apps for smart devices. "All Nintendo [intellectual property] will be eligible for development and exploration by the alliance," Nintendo's press release explains. This suggests that mobile Mario and Zelda games are definitely on the cards, though notes that only new and original games will be made, so don't expect any ports of Wii U or 3DS games.Nintendo has resisted calls to get involved in smartphone and tablet gaming for years, but risks being left behind if it doesn't make its games available on these increasingly popular platforms. "The business morphed from the only way that any young person could play a video game into one of many choices for young people who are just learning how to play games," Michael Pachter, an analyst with Wedbush Securities told CNET in January.Many of DeNA's games generate cash for their maker using in-app payments. This suggests that Nintendo may be planning to release games that are free to download, but offer gamers the option to buy extra items or unlock levels by throwing down small amounts of real cash. Popular apps like Candy Crush have demonstrated the earning power of these so-called "freemium" games, but gaming purists may find the thought of paying for in-game shortcuts hard to swallow. Nintendo says details on games and release dates "will be forthcoming", but hopes to get an online membership service that works across PC, smartphones, tablets and Nintendo systems up and running in autumn of this year. Speaking to CNET's sister site GameSpot, Nintendo confirmed its mobile efforts would be focused on iOS and Android, and not Windows Phone for now. Meanwhile Nintendo looks to be cooking up a new console, promising its next games machine will feature an "entirely new concept". At the same press conference where it unveiled its mobile deal, Nintendo also moved to reaffirm its commitment to dedicated games machines, confirming it has a new own-brand system in the works -- though details are very scant for now. "Nintendo is currently developing a dedicated games platform with a brand new concept under the development codename NX," an English audio translation of the press conference says. "It is too early to elaborate on the details of this project but we hope to share more information with you next year," the company stated. Update 12.45pm UK: Added iOS and Android focus, per GameSpot.

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Embassy closure hurts counterterrorism in Yemen: U.S. officials The closure of the U.S. Embassy in Yemen has further degraded America's ability to conduct counterterrorism operations in the country, which is teetering on the brink of civil war, U.S. officials said on Thursday.The officials acknowledged last month that such operations, including the use of armed drones against al Qaeda targets, were under strain because U.S. agencies were having difficulty acquiring the on-the-ground intelligence needed to run them.The officials acknowledged the evacuation of the embassy further hampered counterterrorism operations. The officials said, however, that some counterterrorism personnel remained in Yemen and were still able to carry out operations, despite chaos in the country following the takeover of the capital Sanaa by Houthi militants. The United States has for years mounted a campaign against Yemen-based Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), one of al Qaeda's most deadly and innovative affiliates.U.S. government sources said two drone strikes had been carried out against suspected AQAP targets since the Houthis ousted the president and took over government buildings last month, including offices housing security and spy agencies. Officials would not discuss specifics of the continuing U.S. presence in Yemen. The United States has had advisers at a Yemeni air base in the south, and has flown drone strikes into Yemen from a base across the eastern border in Saudi Arabia.

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Orange Wednesday replaced by £1 movie rental from EE Having called "cut!" on Orange Wednesday, EE is now calling "lights, camera, action!" on a new movie-related deal: EE Film Club. The promotion gives film fans on EE, Orange or T-Mobile a movie rental for £1 plus the price of a 35p text each week from Wuaki.tv. Online streaming service Wuaki is currently showing new blockbusters such as "Interstellar", "The Imitation Game" and "Fury" to buy or rent, along with the latest series from TV shows like "Game of Thrones", "American Horror Story" and "Sons of Anarchy".EE Film Club launches on 30 March. It will be available to all EE, Orange and T-Mobile customers with mobile or broadband contracts, and can be watched on your smartphone, tablet, laptop, games console, smart TV or EE TV set-top box. The service offers "the majority" of Wuaki's new releases and classic movies, with some offered in high definition.You have to text EE each week for a promo code, which is a bit of a chore in this day and age. Oh, and texts cost 35p on your phone bill, which means your film actually costs £1.35. Anyway, to take advantage text "film" to 141 and redeem your code, then choose your movie and watch it within 48 hours. The new offer replaces the long-running and hugely popular Orange Wednesday promotion, which was discontinued in February. Although it is movie-related, the new scheme is very different from Orange Wednesday, which gave Orange customers a second cinema ticket for free when they visited the pictures midweek. EE and its precursor Orange have traditionally lent weight to the movie industry, for example with sponsorship of the Rising Star Award at the BAFTAs. But by shifting the viewing experience from the cinema to the home -- or more specifically, the mobile device -- the new scheme reflects changing trends in the way we consume movies and media in general. "Today's announcement is very much part of EE's longstanding support and commitment to the film industry in general," an EE spokesperson said, "but also recognises how consumer habits are changing. EE is a digital brand so this new offer makes sense for our film-loving customers,as more people than ever before are downloading and streaming movies so they can watch at home or on the go." EE quotes figures from market research company YouGov, which show that one in three UK adults are now downloading or streaming films and TV every week.

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Nintendo pushes video game industry positive in February For Nintendo, February brought some much-needed good news.The Japanese game maker's latest big release, The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask for its 3DS portable game system, was the best-selling portable game in the franchise's history, according to industry watcher the NPD Group.Majora's Mask grabbed the the No. 1 sales spot last month ahead of large console releases, including the shooting sci-fi game Evolve in the No. 2 spot and survival horror game Dying Light in third.The retail video game industry grew 8 percent in the month of February from the same time last yearthanks to a healthy 10 percent boost to hardware. Nintendo, again, takes credit for that with the 3DS beating out Sony's PlayStation 4 and Microsoft's Xbox One for best-selling hardware device of the month. Nintendo launched a new, larger version of the 3DS in North America last month, helping the growth.Last month marks a sign that Nintendo's business is beginning to regain some health. The company's followup to the best-selling Wii -- the Wii U, which launched in 2012 -- has chronically missed sales expectations, leading to ever-widening quarterly losses. That's put an immense amount of pressure on the company's 3DS handheld, which had a rocky launch but is now considered a buoy for the otherwise struggling company. With the launch of Zelda and a select number of other titles in Nintendo's storied catalog, including a new Super Smash Bros. for the Wii U last fall, Nintendo is finding more solid footing. Sales of the Wii U increased by 20 percent last month from the same time last year, the company said Thursday.Though the 3DS isn't pulling as much weight for Nintendo as it has in the past, it propped up the rest of the hardware industry last month. Console sales dropped 5 percent in February from the same time last year due to a decreasing sales of the older Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Those consoles, released almost a decade ago, are on an eventual march to obsolescence next year when Sony and Microsoft suspend support of the platforms.Overall sales of physical games from retailers grew 6 percent, bucking a consistent industry trend of slumping game sales since the launch of new devices in November 2013. "This is the first time since the launch of the PS4 and Xbox One that the top 10 console software SKUs were all from eighth generation consoles," said Liam Callahan, an analyst with NPD. The shift, Callahan said,is "a sign of consumer's further transition away from seventh generation consoles towards the new console generation." In online marketplaces, such as Sony's PlayStation Store, Apple's App Store and Valve's Steam marketplace for PC titles, total spending jumped 2 percent year over year, to $995 million, in the month of February, according to competing industry watcher SuperData Research.

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How Carl Bass is crafting Autodesk's push for makers like you Carl Bass opens a drawer lined with black-handled chisels, picks one up and carefully runs the steel blade along his arm as if it were a straightedge razor."See all those little hairs there?" he says, pointing to a dusting of black hair that settles into the drawer. "That's how you can tell if they're sharp."Bass is in his element. He hurries around his spacious, cement-floored woodworking shop, showing off both rudimentary hand tools and a collection of complex machines. Bass set up this workspace and a personal metalworking shop down the street as hobby spaces. But they both also serve as testing grounds for the company he runs: Autodesk.While design professionals are familiar with Autodesk, it's likely the multibillion-dollar company most people have never heard of. Autodesk makes more than 100 software products that millions of engineers, architects and animators use to design and model everything from bridges, buildings and roads to cars, planes and video games. Many of the creations you see around you -- whether it's One World Trade Center on the New York skyline, Grand Theft Auto on your game console or even a soldier's prosthetic leg -- were designed or modeled with Autodesk software.Now the 33-year-old company is pushing into the consumer realm, bringing affordable software to the masses with the goal of helping people create. And that puts Autodesk smack in the middle of the Maker Movement that, at its core, encourages tinkerers and hobbyists to think of new ways to solve everyday problems. Makers combine do-it-yourself invention with technology -- which could also describe Autodesk's approach to design, simulation and modeling.That positioning is just fine with Bass, who took over as CEO of the San Rafael, Calif.-based company in 2006."One part is creativity, the other part is solving problems," says Bass. "You can step back and say we are trying to use technology to solve problems."Rather than looking like a buttoned-up executive, Bass more resembles a carpenter. He's tall -- 6 feet, 4 inches -- and prefers T-shirts and Carhartts to suits. He has a thick New York accent and often belts out a deep laugh. Bass is not your typical CEO, say people who work for him. Yes, he's business-minded, competitive and has strong opinions, but he's also unassuming and on a first-name basis with hundreds of his employees.Bass, 57, has been a maker since his 20s. Sawing, sanding and soldering seem to be part of his DNA. Before joining Autodesk in 1993 as chief architect for AutoCAD, he built houses on an Indian reservation and constructed boats in Maine. A quick scan of Bass' wood and metal shops shows dozens of objects he's made, like a chair built from one piece of plywood, a 2,000-pound iron table, baseball bats for his two sons and road-ready go-kart."Some people buy yachts, some people buy fast cars. Carl does his workshop," says Amar Hanspal, Autodesk's senior vice president for the Information Modeling and Platform Group. "It's been in his blood. It's not a recent discovery." Set against the wall of Bass' woodworking shop is a 20-foot piece of bubinga, a distinctive type of wood with curly rose-colored grain and dark bark. "That's destined to be a table," Bass says, explaining that it's one of the newer additions to his decades-old collection. For instance, he carved his bed frame out of a piece of maple burl he had for 25 years. "Metal you go to the store and buy. Wood you accumulate over the years," he says.While Bass has always made things with his hands, he hasn't always seen Autodesk as playing a role in the Maker Movement, which began to gather steam in 2006 with the first Maker Faire in California. Shortly after Bass became Autodesk CEO, Dale Dougherty, founder of Make magazine, sat down with him to explain the movement."I have to say, at the time, he wasn't buying it. I think he defined it as localized production," Dougherty recalls. "For many years, the company Autodesk wouldn't have resonated with the Maker movement as the consumer movement, their focus has been on professional design tools." On TechRepublic: Mickey McManus: Autodesk researcher. Futurist. Technology humanizerThat changed in 2010. While Autodesk always had amateur users, it really began to focus on the consumer market that year. The company has since grown its consumer user base to 227.6 million people worldwide, far outdistancing the 12 million professional users who work with its software.One reason for that consumer growth is that Autodesk now gives away much of its software for free. Students, teachers and schools pay nothing for the company's professional products, while many small businesses get hefty discounts. Professionals, on the other hand, typically pay thousands for the software."Part of what we're seeing with Autodesk is the democratization of that tool set. It's moving from just professionals to amateurs," Dougherty says. "The more they can make this easier for more people, the more powerful it becomes."Making design software more accessible has been the company's strategy since its start in 1982, when it offered a cheaper and (relatively) easier way to create 2D designs on personal computers versus requiring dedicated and costly workstations. Autodesk also was among the first to realize the benefit -- to itself and to its customers -- of allowing hundreds of other software companies to create products that hook into its programs. This universe of add-on products gave Autodesk an edge over its competitors, like PTC and Dassault.Now, by giving away free software to schools, Autodesk is creating a new pool of users who may one day buy its software."It has a synergy with what we're trying to do," says Crawford Beveridge, who's been a director on Autodesk's board for 21 years. "Some would say a lot of our main focus is on very large customers who design cars or airplanes or buildings. But the Maker movement has a very important role to play in both the democratization issue and the opportunity to go to other businesses." By far, the company's biggest markets are construction, architecture and engineering, and its most popular software is AutoCAD, which lets designers and engineers draft 2D and 3D drawings. But Autodesk also extends into other markets and offers software for things like 3D modeling, personal creativity, simulations, photo editing and animation."When you step intoyour car, use some type of other physical product, or walk into thebuilding you might be in now," says Marc Halpern, a research vicepresidentin Gartner's Manufacturing Advisory Services division, "there's atremendous chance that Autodesk technology played a role in the designor creation of that building or product."So, for example, the US Navy's first 45,000-ton amphibious assault ship USS America was created with Autodesk's ShipConstructor. Lightning Motorcycles used Autodesk's Dreamcatcher to design the world's fastest electric motorbike, which can reach speeds of up to 218 miles per hour. And Autodesk's 123D Catch software was used to help figure out how to clip 25,000 LED lights on the San Francisco Bay Bridge for the world's largest light sculpture called The Bay Lights."Their software is the equivalent of a Ferrari," says Leo Villareal, The Bay Lights artist, who also used his own software for the installation.Autodesk's animation, editing, motion capture and 3D rendering software has also been used in dozens of Academy Award-winning movies, including "Interstellar," "Avatar" and "Frozen." Filmmaker Alfonso Cuaron relied on Autodesk's MotionBuilder and Maya 3D animation software for his 2013 Oscar-winning film "Gravity."When Cuaron first set out to film "Gravity," he couldn't figure out how to realistically show actors Sandra Bullock and George Clooney floating in space. The movie's production team solved the problem by using Autodesk software to pre-visualize and animate the entire film before shooting."If you take the shot where they're repairing the shuttle and the shuttle gets hit by the debris, everything there -- the shuttle, the debris, everything -- is created on the computer using our software and then is animated," says Maurice Patel, Autodesk's entertainment industry manager. "The main point about the movie and the use of technology is this trend we're seeing in the industry, which we call the blurring between the digital and real world."While Autodesk has been helping film companies stay on top of digital trends, it's also been working to keep current with the trends reshaping its own technology industry. One of the most transformative is cloud computing, where people can share applications, documents and data over the Internet. While cloud-based apps have touted their collaboration and teamwork benefits since the late 1990s, cloud services didn't become mainstream until 2009, when Google first publicly offered Google Apps.Yet Bass has hammered on bringing software to the cloud since becoming CEO. He believes the future involves bringing 3D modeling and design to the cloud in the same way that Google Docs now hosts documents in the cloud."One thing that Autodesk has been able to do and why it stayed in its leadership position is it can touch the technology trends," says Carol Bartz, who was the Autodesk's CEO from 1992 to 2006."We had to pull the company into the Internet. Carl is pulling the company into cloud services." Bass is also pulling Autodesk into the Maker Movement. This move can be traced back to 2009 when the company released its first mobile app SketchBook Mobile for iOS. The app garnered more than 1 million downloads in the first 50 days. That level of success prompted Autodesk to roll out more apps for students, professionals and, yes, makers. The company now offers 17 programs under its Personal Creativity category. That category's tagline reads, in part, "Reshape your world. Make a difference. Create something."A little over a year ago, Autodesk opened a 27,000-square-foot workshop on San Francisco's Pier 9. It juts off the dock of the city's Embarcadero into the waters of the clay-blue bay. From the outside, Pier 9 looks like most of its neighboring whitewashed piers. Inside, it's a hotbed of makers.The two-story workshop is divided into several rooms holding state-of-the-art machines and tools. Here, Autodesk hosts its artist-in-residence program that lets people play with its water jet cutter, CNC router (a computer-controlled cutting machine) and industrial sewing machines. Hanging from the wall is a giant set of electronic googly eyes that look at you wherever you move, a fire-breathing machine and a conference table that swings. One room holds Autodesk's first foray into hardware -- its desktop 3D printer called Ember.Pier 9 is also home to Autodesk's how-to website, Instructables, which it acquired in 2011. Geared toward helping makers create, the site offers a range of lessons from "how to make a solar robot" to "how to kiss." Bass himself has even authored a few Instructables, including "Turning a baseball bat" and, fittingly, "Sharpening a chisel."As Bass strolls from room to room in Pier 9, he waves hello and stops to chat with the local makers and ask them about their projects. One man is working on a small part for a lunar lander, another is 3D-printing tiny metal pieces of jewelry that look like delicate swaths of lace.In a sense, Pier 9 is a highfalutin version of Bass' Berkeley workshops. Every year Bass spends extra time in these shops fashioning holiday presents for Autodesk's directors. He's made small sets of audio speakers, 3D-printed metal baskets and other various creations. One of the reasons he does this is to work with and test Autodesk's software."Carl's always been interested in building things even before the Maker Movement was called the Maker Movement," Autodesk board member Beveridge says. "His own interest in making things has allowed him to bring back into the company information about how we can help other people who make things, make them better."

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Samsung's new Galaxy S6: Too much like the iPhone? Samsung launched its Galaxy S6 today and I imagine the people least happy to see it were Apple's lawyers. The poor things likely had their Sundays disrupted by their competitor's new phone, alarmed to see just how similar it was to the iPhone 6. As my colleague Jessica Dolcourt pointed out in her very detailed review, the Galaxy S6 attempts to find parity with the iPhone 6. The new metal and glass design is clearly meant to appeal to a more refined palate. And look, there's even a fingerprint scanner. Just as Apple caught up to Samsung on screen size with the iPhone 6, now Samsung is trying to close the gap on perceptions of both quality and simplicity. There's less supposedly exciting software. Which just might make the phone easier to use. And suddenly, you can no longer replace the battery or add more memory. Beauty, for once, has superseded function. With the use of glass and aluminum, it's inevitable that some will believe an iPhone 4 met an iPhone 6 on a blind date and they immediately became Seoulmates. The use of more varied colors offers some greater level of differentiation. Clearly, those who plan to upgrade from an S5 will largely be impressed with the two new phones offering many more style options. But what will happen when it comes to inspiring the great neutrals to come over to Samsung's side?In teasing the S6, Samsung pushed concepts such as vision and productivity. Are these powerful enough to combat Apple's clear resurgence and style dominance? In the US especially, Samsung positioned itself squarely against the iPhone in the past, to great commercial success. Thanks to all the design similarities, that no longer seems to the the case. Samsung used to mock iPhone users as wall huggers, desperate to be close to a power outlet or they'll have no outlet for their Facebook posts. That idea may also recede.Of the two new Galaxys, the Edge seems to offer more obvious originality. Looking at the various aspects of the S6, I find myself curiously drawn to the one that seems British racing green. (Mind you, I thought #TheDress was white and gold.) There's surely little doubt that Samsung has taken a look at the core of Apple's success and decided that it's better to compete head-on. The company must hope, though, that the S6 isn't seen as a knock-off.

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Judge appears poised to approve Apple, Google anti-poaching settlement A federal judge appears ready to approve a $415 million deal by four Silicon Valley tech giantsto settle an antitrust lawsuit that accused them of conspiring to not recruit each other's employees. During a hearing on Monday, Judge Lucy Koh seemed to support the settlement proposed by Adobe Systems, Apple, Google and Intel, though she scheduled a final approval hearing in July, according to the San Jose Mercury News. Koh in August had rejected the companies' $324.5 million settlement offer, saying the employees harmed by the no-poaching policy deserved more. The new proposed settlement was revealed in a motion filed by the companies January in US District Court in San Jose, Calif. Adobe, Apple and Intel declined to comment. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Filed by former employees in 2011, the lawsuit accused the current four defendants along withIntuit, Lucasfilm and Pixar Animation Studios of carrying out an "interconnected web" of agreements between 2005 and 2009 to not hire each other's workers so they could keep wages low. The lawsuit grabbed the world's attention because it revealed the inner workings and apparent cooperation among some of area's biggest companies. Intuit, Pixar and Lucasfilm settled in 2013. Last year, the four remaining companies made their own settlement offer, which Judge Koh rejected as too low. She wrote she was concerned that plaintiffs would receive proportionally less than employees covered by the settlements reached the year earlier with Lucasfilm, Pixar and Intuit. Those three companies paid a combined $20 million, covering 8 percent of the employees named in the suit.If the remaining defendants reached a settlement at the same or higher rate as the settled defendants, the amount should total at least $380 million, she said. Some of the evidence in the case focused on emails sent between executives at the named companies that allegedly detail the conspiracy. An unredacted court filing in January 2012 recounted an e-mail exchange between late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs and then-Google CEO and Apple board member Eric Schmidt, in which Jobs politely asks Schmidt to stop trying to hire one of Apple's engineers. "I would be very pleased if your recruiting department would stop doing this," Jobs wrote to Schmidt on March 7, 2007. According to the exchange detailed in the filing, Schmidt then forwarded the request on, saying: "I believe we have a policy of no recruiting from Apple and this is a direct inbound request. Can you get this stopped and let me know why this is happening? I will need to send a response back to Apple quickly so please let me know as soon as you can." The case began in 2011 when a former Lucasfilm software engineer filed a lawsuit alleging that the seven companies conspired to keep wages low by refraining from poaching one another's employees.Several similar complaints followed and they were all consolidated into a class action lawsuit that covered nearly 65,000 employees who worked for the companies between 2005 and 2010. The suit focuses specifically on the companies targeted by a 2009 antitrust investigation by the US Department of Justice. That investigation and the civil lawsuit that followed were settled in September 2011, when the seven companies agreed to halt their non-solicitation agreements. Nonetheless, the suit says the companies are still profiting in the aftermath of the practice.

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Google's Schmidt meets with EU antitrust chief amid probe Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt has met with the European Union's antitrust chief, but it's unclear whether that will help his company overcome the possibility of getting hit with billions in fines. Schmidt and European Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager met on Monday, the antitrust chief's spokesperson told Reuters on Tuesday. The topic of their meeting was not divulged, but it likely centered on Google's ongoing issues across the European Union. Vestager is investigating whether Google search is hurting competition there. If Google is found guilty of engaging in anticompetitive practices, it could face a fine equal to 10 percent of its revenue, or billions of dollars. Regulators have taken issue with the way Google displays content within its search, arguing since 2010 that it may be providing preferential treatment to its own services, like Gmail and Google Maps. Last year, Google proposed a tentative settlement -- its third -- that would have forced the company to display search results for all services, including its own, in the same way. The company wouldn't have been required to pay a fine. In September, however, European regulators, who had preliminarily agreed to the idea, said that they had received "fresh evidence" and "solid arguments" from 20 formal complaints. Those complaints, which came from competitors like Microsoft, prompted further investigation. "We now need to see if Google can address these issues and allay our concerns," former EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia said at the time. If Google's response doesn't satisfy the commission, the "logical next step is to prepare a Statement of Objections," Almunia said, referring to formal charges. Vestager has since replaced Almunia and has continued working on the Google case. As part of the investigation, Vestager has reportedly met with several Google competitors, including Microsoft, which have complained for years that Google's dominant position in search is giving it an unfair advantage. Google owns more than a 95 percent share of the markets for online search and the profitable search ads that come with them, according to some estimates. The company has several rivals that take issue with Google's ability to promote its services, including travel booking sites such as TripAdvisor, Expedia and Hotwire, and shopping sites TheFind and Foundem. All of those companies are members of FairSearch, a consortium of companies, mainly from the US, that have lobbied EU officials for greater regulation on Google and the ways it integrates its own services into search. Google has argued that search is a repository for useful information, and it should be able to highlight certain kinds of content however it wishes. That argument has been readily tossed out by EU regulators who have indicated that the investigation could extend to Google's other dominant platform: its mobile operating system, Android. Schmidt's meeting comes just days after Google published a blog post trying to appeal to Europeans by highlighting how it has become "a growth engine for European businesses." The blog post, a thinly veiled attempt to win favor in a time when it has very few on its side, argues that Google has helped a wide range of businesses and paid out over 4.4 billion euros (about $5 billion) to European developers in 2014. Google also plans to train 1 million Europeans by 2016 "in crucial digital skills." The company will also invest 25 million euros to expand its current business-focused programs to other parts of Europe. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the nature of Schmidt's meeting with Vestager.

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Google exec: It's 'irresponsible' of Apple to make everything expensive Prada should be ashamed of itself. Those people at Tesla should take a look in the mirror. And as for the rotten, rapacious individuals who make Cristal, they should be appalled. Especially since half of their product always seems to get poured over someone in a club. No, these aren't my thoughts. I'm merely channeling, in a terribly loose way, the mind of Sundar Pichai, Google's head of product. In an interview with Forbes, he was asked to respond to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who seems to enjoy poking a large elbow into Android's rib cage. Pichai explained how very different Google's Android mobile operating system was from Apple's iOS offering. He said: "Users use our services by choice. These are very loved products. We have many, many products that have more than 1 billion users. They provide a lot of value. And we provide many of these services for free." Of course, providing a service for free doesn't mean you don't profit from it in myriad ways. But still, Pichai wanted to underline that there's something creepily elitist about Apple. He said: "It's a bit irresponsible to say everything should be many hundreds of dollars [as most Apple products are]." I hadn't been aware that corporations somehow operated on the principle of responsibility. Some, if not many, give the impression that their task is merely to make as much money as possible, which is something Apple does quite well. Pichai, though, seems to be echoing the recent thoughts of Motorola President Rick Osterloh. Osterloh was responding to hardly veiled criticism of his company's belief in customization. This criticism has come from Apple's design head Jony Ive. Ive didn't mention Motorola by name, but he described its concept as "abdicating your responsibility as a designer." Osterloh's response was to complain that Apple charged "outrageous prices."Surely, though, Pichai and Oseterloh are aiming their disdain at the wrong target. They really should be criticizing you. It's your fault. By you, I mean all you people who pay these allegedly outrageous and irresponsible prices for Apple products. You are being allegedly seduced either by design or simplicity or merely the need to use the same products as people whom you aspire to be like. It's you who are upsetting these executives. How could you?

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Chipmakers NXP and Freescale to combine in $11.8 billion deal NXP agreed Monday to buy fellow chipmaker Freescale for about $11.8 billion in cash and stock, bringing together two companies focused on the burgeoning Internet of Things market. Both NXP and Freescale sell microcontrollers -- tiny processors that help run all kinds of devices, from appliances to energy meters to ultrasound equipment. Still, NXP may best be known to customers for its NFC wireless technology, which allows devices to connect to each other at close distances. Many smartphones now use this NXP technology to power their mobile payment systems. The two have also been working to expand into the so-called Internet of Things, an idea of connecting just about any object to the Web and other objects, with both firms hoping to sell more of their chips into more things. Also, both have strong focuses on the automotive industry, so the merger should create a much bigger chipmaker in that space.The Internet of Things market is expected to grow on average by 13 percent each year through 2020, reaching $3.04 trillion and connecting billions of objects that year, according to researcher IDC. But for it to become a reality, chipmakers need to help create the foundation it will be built upon, offering all the needed pieces of the puzzle -- processing, sensing, security and software -- in unified packages to sell to device makers and manufacturers. So far, no one chipmaker has such a broad portfolio, but the NXP-Freescale deal should bring both companies closer to that goal. The deal, already approved by both companies' boards, will combine two firms that were spun off larger companies. Netherlands-based NXP was created in 2006 after it spun out of Royal Philips, and Austin, Texas-based Freescale was spun from Motorola in 2004. The merger is expected to close in the second half of this year.

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Apple announces ResearchKit, a new service for medical studies Apple is striking new partnerships in medical research. At its "Spring Forward" event Monday, the company said it has built new software called ResearchKit, which will help medical professionals build apps. Apple said it has already worked with groups at Oxford and Stanford, helping them build apps and technologies to assist with various kinds of research. "One of the biggest challenges researchers have is in recruiting," said Jeff Williams, head of operations at Apple. He said researchers have trouble getting consistent and regular data from participants. One example Apple discussed was an app to assess if a patient has Parkinson's, listening to them talking, measuring their walking and looking for tremors when they touch the screen. Other partnerships include technology to assess asthma, breast cancer and other conditions. Apple promised that all the technology will respect user's privacy. The company said customers can choose which studies to participate in, and that Apple will not look at customer's data. The underlying code will also be available for free to other companies, Apple said. The move is Apple's latest effort to build health technology into its devices. The iPhone already has a technology called HealthKit, designed to gather information such as steps walked and food eaten, in partnership with various app and sensor companies.Apple isn't alone. Health has become a big focus area for companies across the tech sector. Several have introduced health-centric gadgets, such as the Samsung Gear Fit and Jawbone Up24, and countless others are working on smart glucose meters and similar products. Other companies see an opportunity to mine patient data or collect readings on individuals to predict when they'll get sick and to tailor treatment.Apple archrival Samsung, for one, has made a big push in health with its mobile devices. Its Galaxy S5 smartphone and Gear Fit incorporate heart rate monitors and health-focused apps. In May, it also unveiled efforts to develop new sensors and a cloud-based platform for collecting health data.Apple unveiled HealthKit during its Worldwide Developer Conference in June. The software lets consumers track health-related data and serves as a hub for that information. It also includesa corresponding app named Health, which can be used with third-party fitness devices.At the company's developer conference last year, Craig Federighi, senior vice president of software engineering, said many medical institutions have already signed on as partners, including the Mayo Clinic. Mayo has an integration with HealthKit that goes to work when patients do things like check their blood pressure rating. The software will automatically check to see if the rating is within the set parameters, and notify the hospital if it is not so doctors can check in with their patients more quickly. The hope for Apple is that HealthKit will enable a whole new generation of health apps.The company went a step further with Apple Watch, positioning the device in part as a health and fitness device. It includes features such as activity trackers and vibrating reminders to stand up if you've been sitting too long. The device's Activity app gives you a view of your daily activity, including how many calories you've burned, how much exercise you've done and how often you've stood up to get a break from sitting. And the Workout app gives more detailed measurements and real-time stats such as time, distance, calories, pace and speed for certain workouts.

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Jolla launches Sailfish OS 2.0 with a call to Russia, India, China and Japan Make sail -- Jolla has unveiled the second generation of its Android-rivalling smartphone software, Sailfish OS 2.0, and issued a call to companies from Russia, India, China and Japan to join the Sailfish crew.Setting sail in spring, the new software promises an improved user interface and support for Intel chips. Sailfish part two will include enhanced notifications and events views, and simpler access to main functions by swiping. Jolla also promises features dedicated to protecting your privacy.Jolla was formed in Finland in 2011 when a team of Nokia employees jumped ship, carrying on their work developing Nokia's MeeGo software. MeeGo formed the basis for Sailfish, which now runs the Jolla phone and Jolla Tablet, and has shown up in devices including the Acer Iconia Tab W500 and O2 Joggler.Announcing the launch of Sailfish 2.0, Jolla issued an invitation to companies, particularly in Japan and the developing markets of India, China and Russia, to get involved. The goal is to build "a strong local mobile ecosystem and to create a true, independent and competitive alternative to Android."Behind the scenes, Jolla promises "premium visibility" for "digital content" and "OS-level integration for mobile commerce". In other words, the company wants to tempt partners to come aboard by putting their stuff front and centre on your phone, tempting you to spend money with those partners.Sailfish OS 2.0 is now ready for licensing to manufacturers and other partners. Once they put the software in their devices, you should be able to get your hands on phones running the new software at some point in the second quarter of the year.Jolla is one of an increasing number of operating systems that seek to offer manufacturers and networks an alternative to Android. The ubiquity of Android means it's tough for manufacturers to differentiate themselves from rivals, and Android devices also funnel your cash to Google every time you download an app or buy a movie. Jolla, Firefox OS, Ubuntu and Tizen provide a different way of doing things that could help manufacturers claim a slice of that pie.

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Obama to encourage companies to share cyber threat data President Barack Obama is set to sign an executive order on Friday aimed at encouraging companies to share more information about cybersecurity threats with the government and each other, a response to attacks like that on Sony Entertainment.The order sets the stage for new private-sector led "information sharing and analysis organizations" (ISAOs) - hubs where companies share cyber threat data with each other and with the Department of Homeland Security.It is one step in a long effort to make companies as well as privacy and consumer advocates more comfortable with proposed legislation that would offer participating companies liability protection, the White House said. "We believe that by clearly defining what makes for a good ISAO, that will make tying liability protection to sectoral organizations easier and more accessible to the public and to privacy and civil liberties advocates," said Michael Daniel, Obama's cyber coordinator, in a conference call with reporters.Obama will sign the order at a day-long conference on cybersecurity at Stanford University in the heart of Silicon Valley.The move comes as big Silicon Valley companies prove hesitant to fully support more mandated cybersecurity information sharing without reforms to government surveillance practices exposed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.Cybersecurity industry veterans said Obama's anticipated order would be only a modest step in one of the president's major priorities - the defense of companies from attacks like those on Sony and Anthem Inc.Obama has proposed legislation to require more information-sharing and limit any legal liability for companies that share too much. Only Congress can provide the liability protection through legislation.Businesses are unlikely to share a lot of timely and "actionable" cyber intelligence without liability relief, said Mike Brown, a vice president with the RSA security division of EMC Corp."Until that gets resolved, probably through legislation, I'm not sure how effective continued information-sharing will be," said Brown, a retired Naval officer and former cyber official with the Department of Homeland Security.Senator Tom Carper, the top Democrat on the Senate Homeland Security committee, introduced a bill this week that incorporates much of Obama's plan. But Republicans control Congress, and they have yet to sign on to the idea."This is an urgent matter and we are working with anyone that we can up on the Hill to make that happen," said Daniel, who had not yet reviewed Carper's bill.Getting a bill through Congress will require at least the support of big Silicon Valley companies such as Google Inc and Facebook Inc.Those companies, however, have refused to give full support to cybersecurity bills without some reform of surveillance practices exposed by Snowden that have hurt U.S. technology companies' efforts to win business in other countries."Obviously there have been tensions," Daniel told reporters."But I think that's the kind of thing where the only way to get at that is to continue to have dialogue and to continue to engage, and the president has been committed to that," he said.Google, Facebook and Yahoo are not sending their chief executives to the Stanford conference because of the rift, according to an executive at a major technology company. Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook will give an address.Obama also will meet privately with some executives on Friday. They are expected to press again for surveillance reform and support for strong encryption, which some in the administration have faulted recently on the grounds that it enables criminals and terrorists to hide their activity.Big technology companies and a host of startups have been beefing up encryption in Snowden's wake to make blanket intelligence collection overseas more difficult.

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Virtual reality is taking over the video game industry Just one year ago, the idea of virtual reality -- or simulated 3D worlds we view through special goggles strapped to our face -- seemed like an outlandish concept. Today, it's starting to come into its own. At the annual Game Developers Conference in San Francisco this week, game makers, developers and some of the tech industry's largest companies will be in attendance to discuss their latest hardware and software designed to transport players to virtual environments.What makes this year different? Hollywood has used the idea in its movies for decades. Even the technology industry has created prototypes to show from time to time. Now, we're finally expecting to see high-profile VR devices move closer to consumer products. GDC marks the one of the biggest meetups when we will likely get a glimpse of the devices that will eventually land in people's living rooms.At last year's show, Sony unveiled its first virtual reality device for video games. Until then, virtual reality looked like a niche, a sideshow to the $77 billion dollar industry. With Sony's device, code-named Morpheus, virtual reality became a star of the show.Shortly after, Facebook bought industry posterchild Oculus VR for $2.3 billion. That acquisition signaled to tech companies everywhere that VR wasn't going to lose its sheen after sucking up millions of dollars in investment, as it did in the early '90s before fading back into science fiction."Because Facebook is behind it, I think people will keep plugging away unit they get it right," said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.A whirlwind of activity has followed. Mobile giant Samsung has introduced $250 VR goggles that cradle its Galaxy-brand of smartphones, and Google has parlayed a strange cardboard DIY headset project into VR partnerships with LG and toymaker Mattel. Even Microsoft has some skin in the game, albeit with a so-called augmented reality headset called the HoloLens, which was unveiled in January and can overlay 3D images onto everyday scenes. The applications for VR, too, have expanded beyond games and into film, sports, education and health care. "It's naive to think this will be games only," Pachter said.Not only will GDC feature the usual players, namely Facebook's Oculus with its prototype Rift headset, but we'll also see the game industry's lesser known names entering the fray for the first time. Valve, known best for its Half-Life sci-fi games and Steam online store, is set to show off a headset of its own, called SteamVR. PC maker Razer will also have something to show, a device called the OSVR headset, designed to let any developer put together 3D programs and use them freely.Scores of other, smaller startups are in the mix as well, offering different approaches to virtual-world making or piggybacking off others' tech to create new applications. As with last year, however, all eyes will be on Sony. The company is planning to hold a press conference to discuss the the future of its Morpheus headsets. "They're probably going to show us something that's final," Pachter said, but added that the device may still not be released until next year. VR's arrival as a mainstream market is not full-steam ahead. There are still issues to overcome before consumers will buy into the notion of strapping monitors against our eyeballs -- and some skeptics, like IDC analyst Lewis Ward, feel that VR could go the way of 3D television if it can't address rising concerns.For instance, there aren't very many games out there able to showcase the power of VR as worth our money. What we have instead are often impressive, yet short and sweet, demos and proof-of-concepts. "Nobody buys a piece of gaming hardware because they think it looks cool," Ward said. "Until there's a great experience to go along with it, the hardware simply opens the door." For Ward, cost is secondary to what gets us pulling out our wallets in the first place. "That's the chicken or the egg problem."There's also concerns about how VR will affect our brains and our bodies. While there has not been a considerable amount of scientific study on the neurological and physical effects of long-term use, current systems in development have notably caused feelings of nausea and dizziness.The US Army refuses to use gadgets like the Oculus Rift for those reasons in its combat simulation training, opting instead for high-end systems to prevent sickness. Even Electronic Arts, one of the world's biggest game developers, isn't sold yet on the idea. "When you look at the expansiveness of our games or the speed of our sports games, the likelihood of motion sickness goes up dramatically," Blake Jorgensen, EA's chief financial officer, said in January. Of course, he noted, members of the VR community want EA to get involved, but because it's still early the company is keeping its eyes on the space and biding its time before making any commitments.But that won't stop consumers from eyeing the space with suspicion, at least until we can all try one out for ourselves. It's that intrigue rooted in science fiction, Ward says, that is driving the VR market forward, not just business deals and potential product announcements."The idea of virtual realities have been around for a long, long time," Ward said. "You can call it something fundamental to the human condition that we like the idea of exploring alternate realities."

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Facebook will stop counting likes from some accounts Facebook is changing how it counts "likes" across its Pages for celebrities and businesses.The social networking giant said Thursday it will no longer include likes from people who have deactivated their accounts or who have died. Facebook likes are an important measure of a Page's popularity and are a metric that advertisers closely watch.The new like numbers, Facebook said, will be more accurate and give advertisers a better understanding of their audience."It's important to remember...that these removed Likes represent people who were already inactive on Facebook," the company said in a blog post. "Everyone benefits from meaningful information on Facebook."Whether Facebook Page owners will appreciate the change is another question. Initially created as a way for celebrities and businesses to interact for free with Facebook users, Pages have been criticized for their opaque functionality.In theory, users who like a Facebook Page will see new items posted to it. Because I like the Facebook page for "Star Wars," for example, I should see updates about the next film. But it doesn't always work that way. Facebook uses an algorithm to determine what types of posts I interact with the most, and that means some items from friends, family and Pages don't show up in in my feed each day.Facebook has further tweaked its algorithm to remove overly promotional items from news feeds, effectively removing unpaid ads sent through Pages.Meanwhile, Facebook has been nudging Page owners to pay for ads instead. Last year, Facebook toured the US with workshops to educate small businesses about its advertising technology. It has also been expanding the types of ads that can be shown, allowing companies to post videos, links and even "buy" buttons.But advertisers still want data, particularly to determine whether their Facebook campaigns have been successful. Facebook has already enhanced its tracking technology to help advertisers see how their ads affect users' purchasing decisions. Offering more accurate data about the users who like a Page is likewise meant to increase the accuracy of data.

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Tim Cook to governments: Lay off our privacy Governments must think it terribly seductive, if not downright clever, when they encourage us to let them peek at everything we do. It is, as many a parent chooses to argue, only for our own good. It's as if they don't see the misgivings that come along with unlimited access to our lives. Apple CEO Tim Cook thinks such sales patter is misguided. In an interview with The Telegraph, he said: "Terrorism is horrible and must be stopped. All of us must do everything we can do to stop this craziness." It's unlikely the craziness can be entirely stopped. But Cook believes that "these people shouldn't exist. They should be eliminated." But what of our role in their elimination? Cook was very clear that our role is (and should be) limited. He said: "None of us should accept that the government or a company or anybodyshould have access to all of our private information. This is a basichuman right. We all have a right to privacy. We shouldn't give it up. Weshouldn't give in to scaremongering or to people who fundamentallydon't understand the details." There's an unmistakable suggestion that he thinks those in government who suggest blanket surveillance have no idea what's really going on. Cook explained that terrorists have their own encryption systems. If governments forced companies like Apple not to encrypt data, then the only people affected would be the good people. Apple's CEO also reiterated some of the basics of the company's business: that its product is its product, and its customer isn't. The implication is that Google and Facebook are selling you. He said people don't realize just how much such companies want to piece together your data from many different sources in order to have a complete picture of your behavior and, indeed, your inner self. Apple, he said, believes in doing the right thing. Now, that's a seductive argument, also used by some parents to explain how wrong their children are. Cook said: "We don't have access to your messages. We don't think you want us toknow the intimate details of your business and personal communication. Idon't have a right to know that. We don't keep any of that. We don'tscan it for the things you say about your Hawaii trip so that we canthen sell you targeted advertising. Could we make money from it? Ofcourse. But it's not in our values system." It's quaint to think companies still maintain values. Some might sniff, as have executives from Google and Motorola, that Apple's values include gouging the maximum (and unreasonable) amount of cash from every consumer. Moreover, it is we who so gleefully give up our privacy in exchange for flimsy conveniences like posting our vacation Speedo shots for all to see.Cook, though, seems to believe that his company's governance ought to be an example for his country's government. He said: "It is a cop-out to say: choose between privacy or security. There is noreason why customers should have to select one. There is no reason notto have both." This sounds like an argument couched in purely business terms. However, it's surely an encouragement to governments all over the world to consider whether its citizens' private lives do have a value. Isn't part of protecting your country protecting the private selves of the people who live in it?

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StoreDot rapid-charging battery heads to smartphones this year While mobile makers like Samsung and Apple have focused on trying to make batteries last longer, StoreDot's approach is different. Instead, it wants to build batteries that charge up very quickly, making topping up your phone's charge a trivial matter. There's a trade-off involved however -- StoreDot's current battery will only last you around 4-5 hours. But if charging is the work of a moment, having to charge a few times through the day might not be such a terrible compromise. StoreDot, which first gave its fast-charging battery a public airing in April last year, is using Mobile World Congress to reveal plans to put its rapid-charging batteries into electric cars. Details are scant, but the company told me it wants to be able to charge a Tesla in five minutes. StoreDot's tech may not be completely practical yet, but it's exciting to see this twist on smartphone batteries progressing to the point where we could soon see it as a publicly-available product. Stay tuned.

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Verizon uses Morse code to mock Net neutrality ruling Some people leaped with joy today, believing that freedom and the common man have been defended with the FCC decision to protect Net neutrality. Then there was Verizon. This fine company believes that Thursday's decision comes from a time when the International Telecommunication Union and Fuji Photo Film were established. Oh, and when Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini met for the first time. Yes, 1934. I only know this because my colleague Rich Brown translated Verizon's press release on the subject for me. It was, you see, initially published in Morse code. Because patronizing ha-ha, I believe. When Verizon issued a written-in-words version, it was in fine old typewriter type. It was dated February 26, 1934.But Verizon's humor didn't stop there. The press release was headlined: "Title II Regulations a 'Net' Loss for Innovation and Consumers." Net loss, geddit. Think of the hours of expensive PR-person time taken to come up with such a bon mot. There was a witty subhead too: "FCC's 'Throwback Thursday' Move Imposes 1930s Rules on the Internet." But people like throwback uniform nights in the NFL and the NBA, don't they? Once a writer warms to his or her theme, the train gains steam. Especially if it's a steam train. The first line of the release reads: "Today (Feb.26) the Federal Communications Commission approved an order urged by President Obama that imposes rules on broadband Internet services that were written in the era of the steam locomotive and the telegraph."We know by now that anything old is bad and anything new (and big) is good. Invoking the past means that you represent the future, something that is always better than everything that went before. This would be an excellent argument for repealing most of the laws under which we currently live. The Constitution? Hoary old-timer hogwash. And as for the Securities Exchange Act, who needs such nonsense? (That one was, indeed, passed in 1934.) It isn't a surprise that Verizon is a touch against Thursday's order. In 2012, it insisted that the very idea of Net neutrality squished its First and Fifth Amendment rights. I wonder, though, who will be attracted by this open mockery. Might this be a sign that Verizon doesn't think the fight is over at all?

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Apple Watch to be sold at Apple retail stores and boutiques Apple finally provided more details about the Apple Watch on Monday, revealing specs, prices and information on where to pick up the wearable device. The answer to the "where" question is simple: To buy the watch in person, consumers will have to either go to an Apple retail store or select department stores and boutiques.The line of three smartwatches will be on view and available for presale at Apple retail stores in several countries beginning April 10 and can be bought on April 24. Apple stores will have designated display cases to show all of the different ways people can customize the smartwatch with different bands and faces. The company will also sell the watches in department stores and boutiques, like GaleriesLafayette in Paris, Isetan in Tokyo and Selfridges in London. The devices will additionally be available on Apple's online store. The entry-level model, the aluminum and glass Apple Watch Sport with aplasticband, starts at $349. The mid-range stainless-steel-casedwatchesrange from $549 to $1,099, depending on the type of band customers choose. The 18-karat-gold Apple WatchEdition will go for a starting price of $10,000. The devices must be paired with an iPhone,and are compatiblewith the iPhone 5, 5C, 5S, 6, and 6 Plus. The smartwatches will launch in more than a half dozen countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and China.The Apple Watch is the "most personal device we have ever created," Apple CEO Tim Cook said during the company's "Spring Forward" event in San Francisco on Monday. "It's not just with you, it's on you."The Apple Watch, which is a wearable device that can sync with several of the company's products, marks Apple's first new product category since the "magical" iPad in 2010. It's also the first new push by the company under Cook's tenure as chief executive. Cook had promised for over a year that Apple in 2014 would introduce "amazing" new products and enter "exciting new product categories" beyond its wildly successful smartphones, tablets and computers.Apple first announced the Apple Watch in September calling the smartwatch a "breakthrough" product. Cook described it as a "comprehensive" health and fitness device, walkie-talkie and remote control for the Apple TV streaming-box. Those factors alone set the Apple Watch apart from other smartwatches on the market, which tend to simply track steps, provide notifications, and run very basic apps.With its Apple Watch, the company has placed a big emphasis on design, making sure the device is fashionable and something people actually want to wear. While at first glance it slightly resembles Samsung's Gear smartwatches and other wearables already on the market, it provides more ways the wearer can customize it. Apple will provide a range of bands in various materials -- including leather and metal -- so users can tailor the product to their style."Every Apple Watch has many different faces and many different configurations," Cook said Monday. The person tasked with amping up Apple's retail sales is the company's senior vice president of retail and online stores, Angela Ahrendts. She joined Apple last May after serving as CEO of fashion label Burberry since 2006. She's the first Apple executive to oversee both Apple's more than 400 physical stores and its online retail efforts.It's thought that she'll have a challenge selling Apple Watch because the device will need to be seen as useful beyond a smartphone. "Smartphones already offer a convenient way to check the time,access the Web and apps, and increasingly pay for products," said Cathy Boyle, senior mobile analyst at eMarketer. "So, to succeed with a smartwatch, Apple needs to create acompelling use case for the device, a feature set that offers far morethan simply saving consumers the few seconds it takes to pull asmartphone out of a pocket or purse." Corrected at 3:55 p.m. PT to say Apple Watch will be sold at department stores and boutiques, along with Apple retail stores.

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MediaTek seeds new investment arm with $300M war chest Taiwanese chipmaker MediaTek unveiled a new investment arm and funded it with $300 million, hoping to use the group to raise its influence and lesser-known profile in the tech world. MediaTek Ventures, based in the company's hometown of Hsinchu, Taiwan, will start investing in startups in Greater China, Europe, Japan and North America that are working on chips, Internet infrastructure and connected devices. The company, which announced the investment arm Sunday ahead of Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, said it hopes to use the new group to create an ecosystem of startups around MediaTek's products and services and help build up the next generation of entrepreneurs. The venture arm is part of MediaTek's strategy to become a bigger player in tech, after it's dominated the Chinese smartphone market for low- and mid-tier devices. In the 10 years since it entered the mobile market, MediaTek has rapidly grown to become the second-biggest mobile chips company in the world. Still, its name isn't all that well-known outside of China. MediaTek now has its sights on expanding in the US, in hopes of taking on San Diego, Calif.-based Qualcomm, the top mobile chipmaker. MediaTek Ventures follows in the footsteps of several larger chipmakers creating their own investment arms. Qualcomm Ventures, formed in 2000, has investments in Chinese smartphone maker Xiaomi, fitness band company Fitbit and mobile-messaging service Tango. Intel Capital, since its creation in 1991, has invested more than $11 billion in over 1,400 companies. Many other major tech companies also have investment arms, such as Google Ventures, Microsoft Ventures and Samsung Venture Investment Corp., so MediaTek will have plenty of competition in finding hot new startups for investment. MediaTek said it plans to provide more details on its investment strategy and roadmap in the second half of the year.

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What's inside your smartphone? Most customers don't care Sean Lamar stood behind the Best Buy store counter on a chilly February evening, waiting for customers to browse the smartphones arranged neatly along the tables nearby.Most ask about Apple's iPhone or the Sony Xperia. But there's a word he's heard uttered only once by a customer in his seven months as an employee at the Midtown Manhattan store: Snapdragon. That's the name of Qualcomm's mobile chip, which is used in most of the world's top-end smartphones, from the HTC One M9 to the Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to the LG G3."Unless you're tech savvy, they do not care," Lamar said about customers interest in mobile chips.Unlike personal computers, which most folks know are powered by an Intel chip (thanks to the "Intel Inside" marketing campaign that made famous its five-note jingle), most people don't know or care about what chips are in their smartphones and tablets, so long as their gadgets work. That's why just about every mobile chip company faces a problem today: A lack of consumer awareness. Processors, the small computer brains that make your device do everything from running apps to fetching stored photos,are made by a variety of companies and can be easily swapped in a phone without the device maker having to worry that consumers will complain. It's also harder to convince device makers to pay a premium for more feature-rich chips when customers don't know the difference between a top-of-the-line processor and a bare-bones one.Consider Samsung, which unveiled its new Galaxy S6 smartphone on Sunday. The handset uses a Samsung Exynos processor in place of Qualcomm's Snapdragon -- depsite having used Snapdragon since the Galaxy S line started. The loss of one of the year's biggest phones is expected to be a substantial hit to Qualcomm's finances, as well as a blow to the reputation of its new Snapdragon 810 chip.But will consumers care? Probably not. Samsung was able to pull off a switch because Qualcomm, despite being the world's largest mobile-chipmaker, isn't well known among consumers, analysts say. And so, if Qualcomm and other mobile chipmakers want to protect their businesses in the future, they may have to start doing more to raise their profile, following Intel's playbook of creating a name for itself through aggressive marketing."Every component guy wants to find a way to brand themselves to the consumer," said NPD analyst Stephen Baker, adding that creating a strong brand can inspire a sense of trust and customer loyalty, and ultimately prevent the loss of business. But, in the chip world today, he said, "You've got Intel and basically nothing else."Qualcomm declined to comment for this article. Samsung declined to say why it was switching to Exynos, though the thinking is it may have done so because it developed a more advanced manufacturing process for its own chip than the 810 offers, creating a potentially more powerful chip.In most industries, making customers care about the ingredients in a final product is incredibly hard. But it's been done before. Michelin successfully advertised its tires to customers as a safety feature, and DuPont built awareness for synthetic fibers like Lycra, by placing its tags on clothing, according to Jack Trout, president of marketing strategy firm Trout & Partners.Intel became the dominant PC chipmaker with the help of its long-time "Intel Inside" marketing campaign and that memorable tune. Intel managed to reach customers "through significant investment and making good on that promise" to have products work as advertised, said spokesman Bill Calder. Graphics chipmaker Nvidia, too, has made a name for itself among PC gamers by aligning itself with gaming events.But in mobile, even Intel -- the world's biggest chipmaker -- has failed so far to get people to care about whether it is indeed inside a smartphone. For one thing, it's difficult to get noticed when Apple and Samsung, the top two smartphone makers, take up most of the oxygen in mobile and advertise heavily. In comparison, plenty of names in the PC market compete for attention -- and many of them happen to use Intel chips.In 2013, Qualcomm spent nearly $12 million advertising in the US and Intel spent $85 million, while Samsung and Apple both spent over $600 million, according to Kantar Media. That much spending from the leading smartphone companies makes it tough for smaller handset makers like HTC and LG to get noticed, let alone a chipmaker whose product resides inside a device.Qualcomm, whose chips are used in Apple's iPhone and dozens of other high-profile devices, hasn't needed to advertise all that much to customers. It instead pitched itself to device makers and has sold billions of chips in the process. It now holds the majority of the smartphone chips market, with 2014 revenue of $26.5 billion and profit of $8 billion.Still, it's not as if Qualcomm hasn't tried to build up the Snapdragon name. The chip has its own cartoon dragon mascot and the company even temporarily renamed Qualcomm Stadium in its hometown San Diego as Snapdragon Stadium in 2011. In China, the company has been more aggressive marketing itself within retail stores, which may have helped it differentiate against many cheaper options there.But doing more would be costly, particularly when trying to gain airtime in the same space as Apple and Samsung. "It's expensive to do that kind of marketing," said Gartner analyst Jon Erensen. "You really have to get out in front of customers."Because it's so difficult to stand out as a smartphone chips company, several experts said a bigger ad budget wouldn't be worth it for a company like Qualcomm. They claimed the best way to regain Samsung's business is to keep its focus on maintaining its leading edge in mobile technology and promoting that fact to manufacturers, not customers."Reaching an end user with an ingredient story is very, very difficult," Trout said. "It's almost impossible."Mobile chips may be invisible to most consumers, but that doesn't mean they're all the same. Any buyer that cares about getting a phone that's more capable of streaming video, running graphics-heavy games or capturing high-resolution video may want to pay attention to the chips inside.Efforts to more clearly define these chips are already underway, and that may help customers get a better idea on what they're buying. Qualcomm last month said it would start organizing its radio chips under the new names Snapdragon X5 to X12, to let people know which chips have the fastest download and upload speeds (the ones with higher numbers) . The move replaces more esoteric names like Gobi 9x35. The company already has a tiered system with its processors, starting with the high-end 800 chips down to the budget 200 chips.Intel last month said it would name its new mobile chips the Atom x3, x5 and x7, in a nod to its successful Core i3, i5 and i7 chips for PCs. People may not know the exact difference between an x3 and an x7, but they'll get the point that the x7 is more powerful. Also, Google is working on a new kind of smartphone called Project Ara that lets users mix and match processors, displays and cameras to create personalized smartphones. Such a project may make customers a little more aware of what's available.Perhaps these changes won't get consumers to mention the word Snapdragon more often at their local Best Buy, but it's a start.

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Google+ divided into Photos and Streams, with new boss Google is taking another pass at energizing its Google+ social networking service, splitting its photo-based aspects off from what's now called "Streams" and putting Product Vice President Bradley Horowitz in charge. "Just wanted to confirm that the rumors are true -- I'm excited to be running Google's Photos and Streams products!" Horowitz said in a post Sunday. "It's important to me that these changes are properly understood to be positive improvements to both our products and how they reach users." Horowitz replaces David Besbris, who took over Google+ leadership in April 2014 after the departure of Vic Gundotra. The reorganization marks a new chapter for a social network that's come under criticism for failing to attain the popularity of other services like Gmail, Maps, Chrome and Search. It also formalizes what Sundar Pichai -- the executive who rose last year to lead all those products and more -- suggested last week in a Fortune interview. "I think increasingly you'll see us focus on communications, photos and the Google+ Stream as three important areas, rather than being thought of as one area," Pichai said. Don't be surprised to hear Pichai reveal more details during a speech today at the Mobile World Congress show here. Google+ has taken a lot of criticism -- notably the infamous "ghost town" knock that it's devoid of users and concerns about Google's attempts to force its relevance by tying it in with functions like search results and YouTube comments. But Google executives have denied the "ghost town" criticism over and over. In part that's because the company used Google+ to describe more than just its Facebook-esque service for posting and commenting -- the part now called Streams. For Google, Google+ also has been the "social spine" that unifies Google users' activities under a single unified identity. It's not yet clear what will happen to Hangouts, the communications feature of Google+. In a December talk, Horowitz said Hangouts is designed as an all-purpose communication tool, marrying video, audio, and text messaging. That means it's carrying a lot of importance for Google. "It's texting, it's telephony, it's one-to-one, it's many-to-many, it's consumer, it's enterprise... We're trying to do something broader that helps people communicate wherever they are using whatever products they prefer," Horowitz said of the app's scope. "It's not like throwing a dart and hitting one app like ephemeral imaging" -- the core value of one messaging rival, Snapchat. It's also not clear what will happen to Besbris. Google didn't immediately respond to a request for comment. Making Photos a standalone product could help elevate its profile, too, making it a better match for the Photos app on Android. A higher profile could also let Google concentrate more on archiving memories, exposing editing features like the "auto-awesome" effects and perhaps competing better with online photo-sharing services like Flickr and 500px.

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'I can't figure out why someone would buy a Tizen phone': Ubuntu boss talks Android alternatives The smartphone market has been a two-horse race almost from day one. But Apple and Google may have had their own way for too long, and many of the industry's biggest players are looking for an alternative to Google's Android mobile operating system. One possible alternative is Ubuntu, which is making the leap from PCs to phones this year. So what makes Ubuntu different to Tizen, Sailfish and the rest? I caught up with Cristian Parrino, VP Mobile at Canonical, to find out what Ubuntu is up to.Ubuntu is the product of British company Canonical. It's best known as an operating system for PCs, much-beloved of developers and enthusiasts, that gives you an alternative to Windows. This month, the first Ubuntu-powered mobile device, the BQ Aquaris E4.5 Ubuntu Edition, went on sale. So what has Canonical been up to for the past year? "Over the last 12 months we were still building the operating system, making it feature-complete, and iterating on the user experience through insane user testing," Parrino told me.Ubuntu is competing with Mozilla's Firefox OS, used by a number of manufacturers, such as Alcatel, Huawei and LG, in low-cost devices aimed largely at developing markets. And it's also up against Tizen, behind which Samsung has thrown its weight.But Parrino is not impressed. "Tizen is an Android clone without the apps. I can't figure out why someone would buy a Tizen phone -- and nor can Samsung, frankly."He's similarly scathing about Mozilla's effort. "Firefox is doing something different in terms of the market segment that they're going after, but they also have a 'me-too' end user proposition." Referring to the fact Firefox apps are built with HTML5, Parrino says, "They have a great developer story because it's Web technologies, so they do make it easier for people at least to build those 'me-too' experiences.""But they're going after a very low-end market of people who haven't been exposed to smartphones before, with very low-priced hardware. I think the economies of scale will work against them, because Android One is now targeting that segment and that's going to have better economies of scale with more leverage."Canonical isn't interested in the budget end of the spectrum. "We're not targeting that segment. We're not going after the low end. This [the BQ Aquaris E4.5] is the lowest-end device we'll ever have."At last year's Mobile World Congress, Canonical showed off its first Ubuntu-powered mobile devices from Spanish manufacturer BQ and Chinese manufacturer Meizu, with the new software added to existing phones that previously ran Android. "Because we were launching with existing devices, we were able to show them with literally the developer code," recalls Parrino. "It didn't take a year to get something working with BQ, it took a year to build an operating system."The biggest change since we saw the first phones last year is that Ubuntu is now much more firmly focused on "scopes", an interesting alternative to apps. Scopes are home screens that pull together the stuff on your phone with stuff found online -- so for example, instead of having separate apps for the video you've shot on your phone and the videos found on YouTube, the video scope puts your videos and online videos on the same home screen. As well as these aggregated scopes, brands and services can then create their own scope, a home screen of their own."If you look at what the demo was at MWC last year, scopes were almost windows into something else," remembers Parrino, "but now scopes are independent app-like experiences that are just easier to build."Making things easy for developers, manufacturers and networks is an important part of Ubuntu's philosophy. "They can literally use scopes to develop an experience that's unique to the device," says Parrino. "If you have a Chinese version or if you're tailoring a proposition for teens, the services that you show through aggregated scopes could be very different."In a crowded market where most manufacturers are using the same software -- Android -- standing out from the pack is tough. "Currently they make money with volume and very little margin on the hardware," says Parrino. Manufacturers and networks are also funneling money to Google when customers buy apps, stream movies or download other content. Ubuntu addresses both issues, says Parrino: "It's a way for manufacturers to differentiate beyond hardware, and it's also a way for manufacturers to own the service layer. On Ubuntu they own the service layer, meaning the store, the transaction, the user account. That's not something they can do on Android."Ubuntu hands control over to the manufacturers and networks because it isn't an ecosystem trying to sell you things in the way that Android or Apple's iOS are. "We don't need to own the store, we don't need to own the user account, we certainly don't need to own the content and services that get delivered to the device. Unlike Google, Microsoft or Apple we're not trying to make an ecosystem play. We do it for others to make an ecosystem play. Yahoo or Alibaba or Facebook own an unbelievable set of assets -- be it messaging, video content, music content, anything else -- so they could essentially use Ubuntu to make an ecosystem play of their own."So Ubuntu is designed with manufacturers and networks in mind. But what about you and me -- the people who buy and use the phones? "If you don't have something special for users, the rest doesn't matter," acknowledges Parrino. "How do you get an unknown brand known to the masses? We're lucky that we're not an unknown brand, but we're well-known in a very specific, very tech-centric enthusiast space. How do we go beyond that?"On the desktop we've never gone beyond that. It's a very large group -- 30 million people on the desktop -- but still a finite group. So the strategy of focusing on early adopters first is mostly around letting people build the value of the platform.""We're letting users create the enthusiasm around the platform, create the name and the credibility and the awareness around the platform," says Parrino. Canonical and its partners aim to build buzz around the platform by releasing phones in limited "flash sales", offering a set number of phones in periodic daylong sales.Canonical is deliberately proceeding with caution. "It's going to be gradual as we go from early adopters and go broader and broader."Word of mouth is Canonical's primary weapon. "We don't have the resources of a Microsoft to invest in advertising or campaigns that may or may not work -- it hasn't worked for Microsoft and it certainly hasn't worked for Samsung and Tizen," says Parrino.For now, networks including the UK's GiffGaff, Sweden's Three and Portugal Telecom are on board, but only selling SIM bundles for the BQ Aquaris rather than offering the phone as part of their ranges of products. "There's certainly no lack of operator interest," says Parrino. "They're saying, "OK, we're ready, let's do it", and we say, "It's not for your user base". It's not for them yet. We need to be very cautious about how we build this up, and they appreciate that. They're not used to it, but they appreciate it."When we get to a point where we believe we've established enough momentum then we will let the operators stick it on shelves."How long before that happens? "I'm hoping nine months...Before the end of the year we'll see the first operators do it, but it's literally something we have to monitor. If I think we're ready sooner, then we'll do it sooner."Parrino notes that rivals should have taken it slow. "Look at Firefox and Telefonica: big name, big marketing, straight to retail -- [followed by] astronomical return rates. They didn't invest in users who were telling the story and promoting it. They went straight for retail and it hurt 'em."The first Ubuntu phones are existing devices previously sold with Android software. Will there be specially made Ubuntu devices built from the ground up with Ubuntu software in mind? "That's where we want to get to," says Parrino. "We're not actively working on a unique Ubuntu device, but we are on the path to get to that with every single one of the OEMs that we're speaking to."I don't think we'll see it in the next 6-9 months, but I would expect the second BQ device to have some Ubuntu uniqueness to it. We are in active conversations with many others, who've been fairly aggressive since we proved to the world that this wasn't vapourware.""Before we get to that I want to have a device for the US market," says Parrino. The BQ Aquaris Ubuntu Edition is available only in Europe, while the Meizu phone will be available in China. "The first US device could be the second device from the existing partners, or a third partner. What we'll find very quickly is there's going to be so much enthusiast demand from the US. I'm hoping to announce something in the first half of the year -- I can't wait to announce something!"Canonical made headlines in 2013 with the Ubuntu Edge, a high-end concept posited on crowdfunding site Indiegogo. The target was an ambitious £21.5 million ($32 million). Though it didn't hit that lofty goal, the Edge attracted a record-breaking amount pledged by excited phone fans. "The Edge was a one-off," admits Parrino. "It was an experiment with no commercial implications -- even if it was successful we weren't going to do a second Ubuntu Edge."Parrino says the Edge adventure was intended to shake things up a bit. "When we meet with manufacturers we see all these great ideas in terms of hardware, like sapphire glass -- but it's two years away. So we said, why don't we bring innovation into the hands of a smaller but still relevant-sized part of the market, and just anticipate innovation by crowdfunding?""The biggest thing we learned is what we were out to prove: that people are hungry for innovation, for something different. The hunger for innovation was the biggest learning, not just for us but for the people watching. It opened the eyes of several operators. I had execs from Verizon in the US saying to me, "We're tracking this Ubuntu Edge thing, we can't believe there's so many people contributing to it!"And if the Edge had reached that eye-watering target? "We would have had to implement it..." says Parrino, with just a hint of relief that this never came to pass. "We would have, we were ready to do it. But that crazy device would have been a conceptual device, it wouldn't have been something you'd sell in the high street anyway."Having begun life on your computer and spread to your phone, Ubuntu has wider applications. With the announcement of Ubuntu Core, the software even powers drones and other connected devices. "The code that we put in this phone has a lot of the convergent elements in it already," says Parrino. "We have one operating system that runs on phones, it runs on tablets, it's the same one on PCs and eventually the same one on TVs -- we showed the [user interface] of that a few years back. It's the same one that runs on server, the same one that runs on cloud and the same that we just announced for IoT. It's one platform and developers can reuse their code for their apps, their services, their scopes across all platforms."That means you could potentially plug in your phone to any device and keep working. "Then there's hardware convergence, so this device can be powerful enough to run your desktop environment when docked. That's the end point of this journey. This is the first step in that journey."

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Medical marijuana bill gains momentum in Senate A push to legalize medical marijuana at the federal level is gaining momentum in the Senate, drawing a growing roster of co-sponsors from both parties just over a week after it was unveiled. Though 23 states have legalized medical marijuana, the federal government classifies pot as a Schedule I narcotic, recognizing no appropriate medical uses for the drug. The Compassionate Access, Research Expansion, and Respect States (CARERS) Act, introduced last Tuesday by Sens. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-New York, Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, and Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, would reclassify marijuana as a Schedule II drug, providing dispensaries in states that permit medical marijuana with access to the banking system and potentially fueling greater medical research of the drug. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nevada, signed onto the proposal last week, declaring in a statement, "The time has come for the federal government to stop impeding the doctor-patient relationship in states that have decided their own medical marijuana policies.""This bipartisan legislation puts Americans who are suffering first by allowing Nevada's medical marijuana patients, providers, and businesses that are in compliance with state law, to no longer be in violation of federal law and vulnerable to federal prosecution," he said. Heller's release noted that the bill would also allow doctors at Department of Veterans Affairs to prescribe medical marijuana as a form of treatment in states that allow it. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, threw her support behind the measure on Wednesday. "Senator Boxer is a strong supporter of California's medical marijuana law and she believes that patients, doctors and caregivers in states like California should be able to follow state law without fear of federal prosecution," Zachary Coile, Boxer's communications director, said in a statement. Boxer's fellow Californian, Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinstein, is on the fence about the proposal. She told Roll Call she remains concerned about the potency of some types of marijuana, and she'd like to see greater research into derivatives of the drug that provide the medical benefits but not the psychoactive effects. "I think states can do what states can do. I think the federal law is another thing, and, you know I just hate to see this because there's marijuana, then there's marijuana," Feinstein said. "There's very strong marijuana, and there's marijuana that isn't. And then there's marijuana that may be medically beneficial, and this is what we are trying to pursue." As the bill gains steam, it still faces an uphill battle to passage in a Republican-dominated Congress. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, is opposed to the measure, and he has said he's unlikely to schedule it for a hearing."It's a matter of what are our priorities," Grassley told Roll Call. The senator said President Obama's recent comment that Congress could reclassify the drug if enough states decriminalize it "absolutely won't" affect his decision. At least one Republican on Grassley's committee, Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake, wasn't so sure. "I think it does increase the pressure," Flake told Roll Call about Obama's suggestion. "He's probably right...if you get to a majority of the states that are doing it, then people are going to say, 'What's Congress going to do? How can these states act in ways that are not congruent with federal law?'"

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Vote on U.S. attorney general delayed as Republicans ask more questions A Senate panel delayed a vote on Thursday on President Barack Obama's pick for his next attorney general as Republicans demanded more answers to their questions from career prosecutor Loretta Lynch. Several Republicans have voiced support for Lynch, who is now the U.S. attorney in Brooklyn, and she is expected to ultimately win confirmation, but it is unclear how long that will take. Senate Judiciary Committee chair Chuck Grassley said he would honor several requests to hold the nomination until the next committee meeting. At a Jan. 28 hearing, Lynch sought to make a clean break from the testy relationship her predecessor had with Congress, while supporting the legality of the administration's controversial actions to ease the threat of deportation for millions of undocumented immigrants.Lawmakers face a Feb. 27 deadline to fund the Department of Homeland Security, and Republicans have sought to fund the agency without providing money to implement the new immigration order. But Democrats have resisted such efforts. Senators submitted dozens of additional questions to Lynch in writing about her differences with Attorney General Eric Holder, the immigration order, and a range of granular topics related to the Justice Department, which she responded to in a 220-page document earlier this week. Grassley said on Thursday he was unhappy with some of those responses, and wanted time to press her further. "I know that there's a lot of pressure to answer these questions quickly but that doesn't excuse the incomplete answers," he said.Louisiana Republican David Vitter said he had asked for Lynch's nomination to be held while he examined a 2012 agreement her office entered into with HSBC Holdings Plc. The agreement required the bank to pay more than $1 billion, but allowed it to avoid charges it failed to stop hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal drug money from flowing through the bank and the U.S. financial system.That settlement has received renewed attention after media reports of a second investigation into the bank's Swiss unit, which allegedly helped wealthy clients evade taxes in their home countries by hiding money in Switzerland. The committee is expected to take up Lynch's nomination again at its next business meeting later this month.

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Google unveils plans for futuristic new headquarters Google's corporate headquarters may get even more Google-y. The search giant on Friday submitted a plan to local officials to expand its offices in Mountain View, Calif., with a whimsical design that incorporates sweeping translucent canopies and glass walls. The company, which has become known for out-there projects like self-driving cars and Wi-Fi-beaming balloons, is planning to build on four sites in the city. The buildings will have flexible, movable elements that the company can tailor to different projects."Our self-driving car team, for example, has very different needs when it comes to office space from our search engineers," Google said in a blog post Friday.The new site underscores the tech industry's explosive expansion -- in influence, economic power, and now, real estate. Google's quirky design rivals the audacious planned headquarters of its biggest competitors. Facebook's new campus is designed by world-famous architect Frank Gerhy and looks like a sprawling forest. Apple's new headquarters in Cupertino, Calif., will be constructed like a giant circle and has been dubbed iSpaceship.Friday was the last day to submit plans for major building projects in Mountain View's North Bayshore technology district, which surrounds Google's main offices. LinkedIn is also expected to submit a building proposal for the district.Google also said the expansion will include retail space and bike paths. The company said the design will try to revitalize the existing environment by widening creek beds and enhancing habitats for burrowing owls, which live underground in the area.The expansion would cover 3.4 million square feet across the four sites, according to Silicon Valley Business Journal. The company is aiming for the first of the four sites to be completed by 2020. It's still unclear how much the expansion will cost, but Google can afford it -- the company currently has more than $64 billion in cash and short-term investments.It's also unclear how Mountain View's city council will act on the proposal. Randy Tsuda, the city's community development director, said he hadn't yet seen the plans. The next step will be an initial review of all the various proposals during a meeting in late April, said Tsuda. One concern for the city is a lack of new housing in the proposal. But Google has said in the past that it would like to add housing near the campus. To entice city officials, Google has also proposed a $200 million public benefits package, according to the Business Journal. The plan includes things like a new public safety building and a bike bridge across nearby highway 101.For the project, Google worked with architecture firms Heatherwick Studio, based in the United Kingdom, and Denmark-based Bjarke Ingels Group."We have set out to imagine the work environments of future Googlers to be as adaptable, flexible and intelligent as the rest of Google's wide spanning portfolio," Bjarke Ingels Group said in an email.

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Apple stock unmoved, despite new Apple Watch details During of the big event Monday to discuss the upcoming Apple Watch, the company's investors largely left the stock unmoved. Shares barely budged more than 1 percent up or down from their opening price of $126 per share, even following the event's conclusion. So far, however, the Apple Watch has done Apple well. Shares have risen nearly 30 percent since the device was first announced in September, nearly half of that growth happening since the beginning of this year. Investor reaction is always an interesting sideshow to Apple events. In the past, investors have often sold in reaction to the news, either responding to concerns about a product's ability to perform in the market, or merely raking in profits during the typical lead up period to an event. This is an unusual moment for the company. The Apple Watch represents the first new product since the death of the company's co-founder Steve Jobs, who ushered to market industry-changing products such as the Macintosh computer, the iPod music player, the iPhone and the iPad. Now Apple will need to prove it can develop ground-breaking new products without Jobs at the helm. Aside from the Apple Watch, the company has had a busy couple of months. It sold a record number of iPhones over the holidays, and beat the world record in corporate profits while doing it. The company is also going to be added to the Dow Jones Industrial Average on March 19, replacing AT&T as a key representative of the technology industry in the survey. At $742 billion, Apple is already the world's most highly valued company. The oil behemoth Exxon, the world's second-most valued company, comes in at less than half at $360 billion.

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Samsung freezes salary increases as it prepares for mobile war Samsung Electronics' employees will be working hard to regain some of the company's losses in the mobile space this year, but that won't translate to more money in their pockets. Samsung has decided to freeze all wages in 2015 for workers in South Korea, marking the first time the company has done so in six years, according to Reuters, which confirmed the news with the technology giant. Samsung previously announced that executives would not be receiving a wage increase in 2015, but the company has now extended that to all of its employees there, the report says. Samsung employs 96,945 in South Korea (as of December) and 326,000 people worldwide.The troubles facing Samsung are major and largely center on the core of its operation: mobile. Samsung announced last month that during the fourth quarter, its operating profit fell 36 percent to 5.3 trillion won ($4.9 billion). It was the fifth consecutive decline in year-over-year operating profits and prompted the company to say it would engage in an array of investments and in some areas, belt-tightening, to right the ship. Chief among Samsung's concerns is its mobile business. Samsung's IT and Mobile Communications division, which typicallyaccounts for two-thirds of its revenue, watched as its fourth-quarter operating profit fell 64 percent to 2 trillion won ($1.8 billion). Salesin the division tumbled 22 percent, to 26.3 trillion won ($24.2billion), with mobile dropping 23 percent, to 25 trillionwon ($23 billion). The company warned investors that competition willonly "intensify" in the coming quarters. Samsung has acknowledged that it's been knocked back by competitors worldwide, and especially in China where companies like Xiaomi and Huawei continue to steal market share. Last year, Samsung said it was forced to spend significantly more on marketing to boost unit sales. Also last year, the company said it would cut the number of smartphone models offered in 2015 by up to a third to dedicate more of its resources on devices it believes will sell the best. Although Samsung executives have said that with the right strategy, they can turn things around, not everyone is so sure. The company is losing its footing in developed countries, and and its handsets are being bypassed by consumers in crucial countries like China and India, where the number of people buying handsets for the first time is soaring. Samsung's issues have become so troublesome that some industry analysts believe things could only get worse. "Samsung has had a very high-growth, very large-scale business over the past few years," Jackdaw Research analyst Jan Dawson told CNET last year. "But there isn't much evidence that suggests they'll have a future that looks like their past." By placing a moratorium on employee wage increases, Samsung is controlling the one thing that it actually can: costs. How it does commercially is ultimately up to the consumer. And so far, things aren't looking up for Samsung when it comes to mobile. In the fourth quarter, Apple's iOS platform accounted for 89 percent, or $18.8 billion, of all smartphone operating profits. The remaining 11 percent -- a little over $2 billion -- was divvied up among all of the Android makers worldwide. That's precisely why so much is riding on the company's Unpacked event on March 1. The event is expected to play host to the unveiling of the long-awaited Galaxy S6, but it could also be the place where Samsung investors try to find out what the future holds. Unpacked is an opportunity for Samsung to get off on the right foot. If the company fails in that effort, Samsung might have more to worry about than wage freezes. Samsung did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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​Sigfox finds partners for its contrarian network tech Most of the mobile industry is fixated on fast networks for smartphone subscribers. But a French startup called Sigfox is capturing attention and winning partners with its trend-bucking slow network. A slow network might seem like the last thing anyone would want when it's time to send data. Sigfox, though, has found a significant customer base and some big-name partners because of some real benefits its pokey network -- low cost and low power consumption. The company showed off several of those partnerships here at the Mobile World Congress show here. Sigfox-powered products include one device from Securitas that detects if a car has been stolen and another from Traqueur to track it afterward; a monitor from Seur making sure the "cold chain" is intact for refrigerated shipping; a public defibrillator station that warns its city minders when someone uses it or its battery runs low; a parking-space monitor that tells the city where the full and empty spots are and that can be used to bill drivers; and a meter to gauge the flow of a liquid combined with a remotely controlled on-off valve. Sigfox has persuaded some that the technology is real. Several carriers and industrial partners just invested $115 million into Sigfox the company. Those investors include three major carriers, Telefonica, NTT Docomo and SK Telecom, which evidently would rather help Sigfox than crush it as a competitor, and Air Liquide, which likely wants to use Sigfox technology to help monitor the condition of the tanks of gases it sells.Sigfox's contrarian approach is something of an anomaly at Mobile World Congress, which more than ever focuses on high-performance devices like Samsung's Galaxy S6 smartphone. Parking space monitors may not be as sexy as slick consumer electronics. But while the smartphone market is saturated in wealthy countries, the market for network-linked smarts like Sigfox enables is only beginning. Carriers speaking at the mobile show expect somewhere between 25 billion and 100 billion devices to be linked through the Internet of Things, and while 4G and 5G networks may handle the lion's share, Sigfox has a head start with technology that works today. But Sigfox isn't the only company pursuing the technology, called low-power, wide-area (LPWA) networking. "I don't think there will only be one LPWA network globally," said Bryan Eagle, vice president of business development at competitor Multi-Tech Systems. "I think other technologies, including Multi-Tech's LoRa, will be serious contenders, especially in the US." The mainstream mobile industry caters to mobile phone users watching video and posting selfies, pumping as much data as possible over today's 4G network and racing to pump even more data with tomorrow's 5G. Sigfox, though, limits network message length to just 12 bytes and the number of messages themselves to just 140 per day for a given device. What can you fit into a 12-byte message? If you're sending text, not much. With common character encoding systems, one byte gets you one letter, so 12 bytes gets you words like postprandial, gossipmonger, superannuate and honeysuckers. That makes Twitter's 140-character tweet limit look like prolixity. But Sigfox's network isn't for that sort of thing. Dedicated software at each end of the connection can send a pretty specific message -- a particular control code, for example. With 12 bytes, you can represent any number between 1 and 79 octillion, which is a lot of control codes to pick from. A warning that a tank is empty or garbage bin is full doesn't even need 12 bytes. For data, it only takes 4 bytes to store latitude-longitude coordinates. Of course, more data capacity would be useful. But Sigfox's constrained approach comes with perks. First, the network is cheap to use -- $1 per year for customers with 50,000 devices or more. It can do so because Sigfox doesn't need nearly as many base station towers -- 1,200 to cover all France and 1,300 to cover all Spain, according to communication manager Nigel Reyes. Second, the devices are cheaper, too. Radio electronics costing only about $1, too. That makes it economical to put network connections into lots of devices for which mobile networks would be unaffordable, in the view of Sigfox and several partners it's rounded up. Last, Sigfox radio devices consume very, very little energy. The car-theft warning system works five years off two AA batteries, and the car-theft location tracker works up to 10 years if it's not communicating often. It can be set to transmit only if the car is moving, or only if it stops moving, and if a theft is detected could be set to communicate more frequently. Sigfox uses a combination of unlicensed frequencies open to anyone's use. In Europe, that's 864MHz, and in the United States, 902MHz, Reyes said. Updated at 4:14 am PT March 5 to correct the number range that can be described with a 12-byte number. It's 79 octillion.

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Nokia knocks Net neutrality: Self-driving cars 'won't get the service you need' Nokia's chief executive has raised concerns about Net neutrality because he thinks futuristic technologies like self-driving cars will be held back by a totally open system. Speaking at industry gathering Mobile World Congress, Nokia CEO Rajeev Suri looked to the future of the company following the sale of its mobile device business to Microsoft and subsequent restructuring. Suri reckons Nokia is "at the forefront" of the burgeoning automated car industry thanks to its mapping division Here. Here licenses maps to many automotive manufacturers as cars become more connected, and is positioning itself to play a large part when self-driving cars hit the road."There are some services that simply require a different level of connectivity," says Suri. He believes there are some networks that "you can't do in a best-effort network," naming driverless cars and health care communications with doctors and hospitals connecting to patients. "You need this differentiated quality of service," he said.Suri emphasises that self-driving cars need to talk over wireless networks fast enough to make decisionswith the split-second timing required on the roads. "You cannot prevent collisions if the data that can prevent them is still making its way through the network", said Suri, discussing Nokia's drive toward instantaneous low-latency communication across the network. Net neutrality is the principle that all traffic over the Internet should be treated equally. The US government enshrined that principle in law this month. But Suri is concerned that net neutrality may "appear good for the consumer in the short-term but not the long-term." He thinks that when uses such as driverless cars aren't prioritised, "you're not going to get the service you need, and that's not going to be good for the consumer in the long term." "We have to take a long view on net neutrality," he said.After a long and storied history making paper, rubber and the odd phone, Nokia is 150 years old in 2015. Suri said the company has "chosen to look forward with hope and look forward with optimism to the extraordinary potential of our technological future."

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Google Play app store to test paid placement in search results Finding apps in mobile stores is getting harder as more programs join the fray. And for developers, getting your app in front of a consumer is harder too. But now Google is planning to offer a new way to surface apps -- and maybe even make some money off it.Developers looking to increase awareness of their apps will soon be able to buy space in search results in Google Play's mobile apps marketplace. When users search for app topics, the results will be topped by a "sponsored search" ad. The ads, which will be clearly marked, will start showing up in search results within the next few weeks.Helping consumers discover their apps has become an increasingly troublesome issue for small developers. Though major developers -- Facebook, Pandora and others --that offer wildly popular apps have no trouble attracting would-be downloaders, small developers aren't so lucky. At last count, Google Play's app marketplace had more than 1.3 million available apps, making it extremely difficult for certain programs to get attention.Both Google and Apple, which has its own mobile marketplace called the App Store, have tried to boost app discovery by improving search results and refining their stores to include relevant suggestions. Many app developers have reported that if they're lucky enough to be placed into a "featured apps" category, downloads soar. Revenue gains, however, are a bit of a mixed bag."Overall, the effect of getting featured is larger on downloads than on revenue," Distimo, an app analytics company, wrote in a publication last year. "This also indicates that being featured has a higher effect on free apps than on paid apps."Distimo's findings followed a report from the company in 2013 that showed that just 3 percent of the top 250 app makers in the Google Play store were new, independent publishers.Several third-party services, like AppCrawlr, have tried to solve theissue of app discovery by allowing users to search around certainactivities, interests or demographics. Other services, like App Annie,try to provide developers with advanced analytics to find better ways tosurface their content and maximize downloads. Still, no single companyhas fully addressed the problem.Google said in a blog post Thursday that it realizes "appdiscovery plays a critical role" in the success of mobile developers,and it pointed to a list of best practices that will increase app discoveryon Android. Among other things, the company suggests building a high-quality app and offeringit globally. Google also suggests developers utilizeits AdWords platform to promote their apps through Google Search -- Google's main Internet search engine -- andthrough display ads on websites.With sponsored search results now in the works for Google Play, Google has offered developers another way. And like the AdWords program, Google is looking to generate some cash off its latest option. The company didn't provide a framework for monetizing the sponsored search results on Google Play, but the setup will likely work in much the same way AdWords does. Customers set a daily budget and then Google displays ads at the top of results for Web searches on certain topics, based on the advertiser's budget and the price of placing an ad.For now Google Play's sponsored search results are being offered only to developers that already promote their apps on Google Search. Google says it will share more on the program "in the coming months," as it evaluates feedback."We believe search ads will be a useful addition to Google Play for users and developers alike, and we hope this will bring even more success to our developer community," Google Play Product Management Director Michael Siliski said in a statement Thursday.Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Apple in settlement talks with electric-car battery maker Apple is in talks to settle a lawsuit brought by an electric-car battery maker that accuses the iPhone maker of poaching key engineers to work with a new battery division.A123 Systems filed a lawsuit last month in Massachusetts federal court against Apple and five of its former employees now working there. The suit charges that Apple conducted an "aggressive campaign" last year to recruit employees who performed critical development and testing activities. The lawsuit appeared to provide further evidence that the iPhone maker is aiming to develop an electric car.On Tuesday, Apple filed a motion requesting more time to respond to the lawsuit, saying that it is "exploring potential resolution of this matter with plaintiff."Representatives for Apple and A123 Systems did not immediately respond to a request for comment.A123 Systems, which develops energy storage systems for a variety of commercial and industrial applications, including "advanced energy storage for electric-drive vehicles," fueled speculation that Apple was developing an electric car when it claimed in its lawsuit that "Apple is currently developing a large-scale battery division to compete in the very same field as A123." A123 Systems boasts that it has built more lithium-ion hybrid systems for transit buses than any other manufacturer in the world.The five employees named in the lawsuit were hired to perform the same functions at Apple, in violation of noncompete and nondisclosure agreements signed by the employees, according to A123's complaint. While noncompete clauses are legally unenforceable in many states, the laws in Massachusetts -- where A123 Systems filed the lawsuit -- allow for such agreements.Rumors started swirling last month that Apple is creating a team charged with designing an electric car to take on Tesla and others. Apple has not commented, but several rumors have cropped up that Apple has hired people from the automotive industry and seems poised to build an electric vehicle that may or may not drive itself. Technologies like those developed by A123 Systems would be key to getting an electric-car effort on the road. Apple is pushing its development team to have the car ready for production as early as 2020, Bloomberg reported last month, citing unidentified sources described as having knowledge of the matter. The team, which is said to have about 200 employees, has been growing inrecent months and now includes experts in technologies such asbatteries and robotics, the news agency reported.

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Smartphone innovation at MWC shows there's life in the old dog yet Thought there was nowhere left for smartphones to go? So did we. But major manufacturers at Mobile World Congress -- the enormous trade show kicking off in earnest here today -- have managed to put a new spin on this aging category, impressing us with tweaks that set their products apart. The smartphone has been, without a doubt, the most exciting, explosive development in consumer tech in the last decade. Broaching the mainstream with the first iPhone in 2007, the surging popularity of Apple's mobile -- itself built on the shoulders of smartphone pioneers like BlackBerry -- resulted in several years of frantic development. In a few short months Android shot to the top as the only worthy challenger to Apple's dominance, fortunes were made (Samsung) and lost (BlackBerry, Nokia) seemingly overnight. It was a breathlessly exciting time to be a tech fan. By the end of 2013, however, the pace of development had slowed, and the dust kicked up by the smartphone race had well and truly settled. Smartphones, once a riot of diversity, were beginning to feel homogenous as the tech world settled on 5-inch, skinny rectangles running either Android or iOS. The sudden interest in wearable tech (Google Glass and the then-just-a-wild-rumoured Apple Watch) had a not-so-subtle subtext -- smartphones have matured, and we need a Next Big Thing. Fast forward to Mobile World Congress 2015, however, and the amount of creativity on show when it comes to smartphones is impressive. Sure, there's nothing as wild as Samsung's 2012 projector-packing Galaxy Beam, or 2011's Sony Xperia Play (which was dubbed the PlayStation phone, but ultimately failed to be even a little bit fun) but there are subtle innovations on show here that prove there's still room to play around in this aging category. Samsung, for instance, has the S6 Edge -- a metal and glass smartphone with two curved sides that feels like holding a slice of sci-fi in your hand, and has also made the welcome decision to strip down the software on its flagship devices, making its new mobiles a significant departure from its phones of the last few years. While onlookers were expecting more megapixels and faster chips, the S6 and S6 Edge show that Samsung is thinking about more than just "speeds and feeds". Instead it's fooling around, trying new things. The experimentation these days is on a smaller scale, but it's still experimentation.Some companies have been more comfortable sticking with what they already have. HTC, for example, has opted to make its M9 smartphone very similar to last year's M8, focusing most of its energy on a new camera (although our first impressions of that snapper haven't been overwhelmingly positive so far.)But there are other examples of firms firm that clearly are not done tinkering. ZTE has a phone that scans your eyeballs to unlock your phone, an implementation of technology that we first saw at Mobile World Congress back in 2013. Lenovo has the Vibe Shot, a photo-centric phone with a mechanical switch to toggle between simple and expert camera settings. Lenovo's phone won't be troubling the iPhone or S6, but the company clearly thinks it still a shot at making some kind of mark on the smartphone industry, even at this late stage in the game. Plucky upstart Yezz has the most drastic vision of all -- giving us a glimpse of its Project Ara technology that could see a clip-together modular phone built to Google's specification on sale at the end of the summer.When you consider the energy these companies are expending on the upcoming boom industries (take a bow wearables and the Internet of Things), it's interesting to see that smartphone makers are still taking risks and being bold, and it's a testament to the power and flexibility of portable computing that -- over a decade later -- we still can't nail down exactly what these things should look like, or what they should be for. If the Next Big Thing after smartphones can capture our imaginations for even half as long, we should count ourselves lucky. Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge HTC One M9 Huawei Watch, with Android Wear and sapphire screen Blackphone and Blackphone+ tablet LG Watch Urbane LTE Lenovo Vibe Shot ZTE Grand S3

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Woz: Net neutrality decision a victory over 'bad behavior' The Web is a beautiful thing. That's what Steve Wozniak believes. He attended today's meeting of the Federal Communications Commission in order to witness beauty being protected. Speaking to Bloomberg, the Apple co-founder said: "The Internet was so beautiful when it first came out." It seems hard to recall those times, given the proliferation of grime that populates it now. Woz believes it got ugly because the Internet-access providers started making decisions. "Do we trust them?" said Woz. No was his answer. "We need some kind of supervision of their bad behavior. Are they likely to make deals and accept bribes?" They wouldn't do that, would they? Whom can you trust, indeed? PlayCurrent Time 0:00/Duration Time 0:00Remaining Time -0:00-Loaded: 0%Progress: 0%00:00Fullscreen00:00MuteSubtitlessubtitles offCaptionscaptions offChaptersChaptersxShare & EmbedCopy Code Still, Woz is excited by the FCC's decision to classify broadband as a public, "Title II" utility to ensure that access providers can't privilege certain websites and services over others, through paid or other arrangements. That decision goes, he said, "a lot further than Net neutrality. Title II regulation means oversight of bad behavior." Such oversight should not be confused, he said, with meddling or controlling.The trouble is, though, that organizations like the FCC have something of a reputation for doing just that. The commission, after all, made decisions about Janet Jackson's right breast, that seemed a little much. Part of one of Ms. Jackson's nipples was revealed by Justin Timberlake during the Super Bowl halftime show of 2004. The FCC fined CBS (parent of CNET) $550,000 for allowing such a scene. (The fine was withdrawn in 2011.) Tech entrepreneur Mark Cuban, for one, is worried that the FCC might have a very strange view of neutrality. The decision might mean, he speculated to CNBC, that TV would now be regarded as the same as any other form of bits-transmission and that arrangements between cable operators and a channel like QVC, for example, which actually pays the providers to carry its wares, would be forbidden. Merely attempting to parse it this way shows that there are still areas of neutrality that are open to definition. Some critics even say networks will now be forced to share their facilities with their competitors. How neutral is neutrality really supposed to be? House Republicans believe that this very uncertainty created by something that appears so simple will lead only to more legal challenges and therefore even more uncertainty. Woz, though, has a very romantic view of life. It can be very uplifting. For him, today's decision is a victory for consumers over The Man. In essence, he's most worried about "things in the background" that might have been going on and may still be going on. These things haven't emerged to the public ear. He seems to be hoping that the FCC will serve to protect us from the consequences of these secret things. But decisions are one thing. The practicality of how these decisions are administered can be something entirely unexpected. Only time will show not only how this decision is enacted, but also how it's interpreted and perhaps challenged by those with their own vested interests.

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Microsoft is banking the future of Xbox on Windows 10 Microsoft hopes Windows 10 will do many things, from revitalizing the company to winning over consumers by letting them use the same applications on a PC, tablet and smartphone. Now the operating system has a new mission: Getting more people gaming on Xbox.By the end of the year, Microsoft will update its Xbox One game console with Windows 10, bringing Xbox and Windows together for the first time and making it easier for developers to create games with more flexibility.Windows 10 promises app developers a hassle-free way to create programs that work across multiple devices. In the same way, game makers will soon be able to create one piece of software that Microsoft says will move from the television to the PC to everything in between. These so-called "universal" apps will have one app store and shuttle information across devices using Microsoft's Xbox Live subscription service. This gives developers a way to reach players who otherwise may have ignored one platform in favor of another.Treating Xbox as a major Windows product is the big Microsoft-related takeaway from this year's Game Developers Conference, which took place this week in San Francisco. Throughout the week, the company held a total of 16 sessions to punctuate what Xbox head Phil Spencer called "the most important" GDC for Microsoft since 2000, when it announced the original Xbox.The sessions were an extension of Microsoft's effort to turn around its gaming business, a situation the company focused on in January at its biggest Windows 10 event to date. At the time, Microsoft broke stride by bringing Spencer out alongside other executives to discuss the ability to play Xbox games on the PC. On Tuesday, at the company's first GDC event, Spencer once again held forth."Our goal in gaming at Microsoft is to let people play games wherever they are," he said. "Gaming was once central to what we did on Windows, but we lost our way." The goal now is to refocus.Spencer and his team have a lot of work to do. Game makers have long thought Microsoft difficult to work with due to arcane publishing restrictions and often mixed messaging about the company's focus on entertainment. One of the company's lasting problems with the Xbox has been defining the vision of what the console is designed to do, and Sony has pulled ahead in the hardware race with its PlayStation 4 selling more than 20 million units. Microsoft has only publicly announced that it's sold 10 million units.The console market is only half the problem. When it first entered the market in 2000, Microsoft's focus and resources shifted toward Xbox and away from PC gaming. The latter market, 15 years later, has since overtaken console gaming in sales and is expected to continue its dominance throughout the coming decade, according to industry watcher the Open Gaming Alliance. Valve, which runs the popular online Steam store, accounts for three out of every four PC games sold and is helping hardware manufacturers develop PC alternatives of their own, called Steam Machines, that will run Valve's very own SteamOS software, not Windows 10.With pressure mounting, Microsoft is going to great lengths to try and reconcile with developers and PC gamers by marrying Xbox to Windows."The devil is in the details: will it all work?" said Brian Blau, an analyst at industry research firm Gartner. "That's one thing we don't know yet."The efforts to convince developers and gamers alike are beginning to take shape. Developers small and large will soon be able to develop on any Xbox One unit -- not just the developer kits Microsoft sends out -- and moving a title from the Xbox One to the PC or vice versa will be doable in sometimes as little as a day. Gamers, for their part, will be able to stream a game from the Xbox One to a PC, play with other gamers using different types of hardware and, with some select titles, buy just one copy of a game and use it on multiple devices.NPD Group analyst Liam Callahan sees this less as a move against competitors and more as evidence that Microsoft is "returning [Windows] to a focus on gaming," with the PC prominently part of the conversation, alongside Xbox."We see that Microsoft is trying to expand without losing focus on their main console gaming business and without taxing developers," Callahan said.The company is also courting goodwill from the game community with a focus on independent developers. Onstage on Wednesday, Spencer handed the reins to members of Other Ocean, the developer of indie game #IDARB, to talk about cross-play between Xbox and Windows devices. Microsoft's booth on the show floor was also filled with early partners eager to show off their games in exchange for plugging Windows 10."The indies don't have the resources and [Microsoft is] really giving them a shot in the arm," Blau said. "If you're the average game developer walking around the floor, you're going to notice them."But it's far from a smooth road to win back the gaming community. With Microsoft unifying all its software, the same skepticism and potential roadblocks overshadowing the success of Windows 10 are present now with Xbox too.If Windows 10 is not a success -- or if Microsoft can't convince consumers to stray from PlayStation or Valve's new SteamOS -- the Xbox platform may be in deeper trouble down the line.

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Senate panel advances Guantanamo bill, White House promises veto A U.S. Senate panel voted narrowly on Thursday to advance a bill that would bar most transfers of prisoners from the Guantanamo Bay detention center until after President Barack Obama's presidency, which the White House has promised to veto.The Senate Armed Services committee voted 14-12 for the measure during a meeting that was closed to the public.The bill, among other things, prohibits transfers to Yemen for the next two years, continues bans on transfers to the Untied States, suspends international transfers of detainees assessed as high- or medium-risk to the United States or its allies, and repeals current rules that allow low-risk prisoners to be moved to third countries. White House spokesman Eric Schultz told reporters on Thursday Obama would veto the bill.Obama pledged to close the internationally condemned detention center when he became president in January 2009.But his efforts to do so have been blocked by Republican lawmakers who worry the detainees would be a threat to the Untied States or its allies if released.There are currently 122 detainees still at the facility. Fifty-four of those, including 47 Yemenis, have been approved for resettlement.U.S. officials insist that security is a top concern when planning releases.

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Alibaba IPO leads to ejection order from Taiwan Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs has ordered Alibaba Group out of the country, claiming that the Chinese e-commerce giant violated investment rules that Chinese companies are expected to adhere to when in Taiwanese territory, Reuters has reported.Alibaba has been operating in Taiwan since 2008, offering business-to-business services and managing Taobao.com, a popular online shopping site. Alibaba will now be forced to withdraw or transfer its Taiwanese holdings within the next six months. The company initially established itself in Taiwan through the Singapore-based Alibaba.com Singapore E-commerce Private Ltd., a move that Alibaba claims was in accordance with regulations at the time., according to Reuters. However, following Alibaba's IPO last year, Taiwanese authorities apparently found evidence of Chinese control of the company. Mainland Chinese companies are subject to far stricter regulations in Taiwan than other foreign companies. Alibaba Group was told to provide business information to Taiwan at the request of the government -- or face expulsion within six months, Reuters reported. Chairman Jack Ma noted that his company "fully understood the requests that Taiwan has made this time." Taiwanese regulators allege that Alibaba did not provide necessary documents that should shed light on their shareholding structure since September, Business Insider reported. For their troubles, the giant Chinese e-commerce company also faced a NT$120,000 ($3,807) fine. "Taiwan is very important for Alibaba," Ma told reporters, according to Bloomberg. The company employs around 100 people in Taiwan and has 140,000 registered users in the market. The order from the Taiwanese government came on the same day the company disclosed an NT$10 billion ($317 million) investment fund for Taiwanese start-ups, according to the South China Morning Post.

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What an Uber apology might look like (in Funny or Die's imagination) Uber has found itself encircled by a halo of villainy.There have been the alleged threats against journalists, the tracking of journalists' Uber use and even governments railing against the car-hailing service.It got so bad at one point that even Uber investor Ashton Kutcher got uber-upset at the negative press.I suspect that, deep inside, many at Uber rather liked it.It does leave the company open, however, to certain angles of ridicule. So Funny or Die, the Emmy-winning comedy-video site, thought it might offer what it considers to be a perfect Uber apology. Which might be described as an aggressive nonapology.Having delineated the deficiencies in Uber's offering, its supposed VP of public relations insists: "This year we'll be introducing new innovative programs that will solve none of these problems."He explains: "Just as our government doesn't negotiate with terrorists, we don't listen to b****es."Then -- Uber has also been accused of sexism -- a "female representative" introduces one of the new programs. It is, of course -- Uber drivers have also been accused of various assaults -- "Stab a Lyft Driver." What else could it have been? Other than perhaps "Pummel a Lyft Driver Into Oblivion"?Under the program, Uber drivers get a "brand new" iPhone 3 for every bloodied pink Lyft mustache they send in. (Uber, if you don't know, is engaged in a heated rivalry with competing car service Lyft, in which the companies have accused each other of underhanded tactics such as ordering then canceling rides and making off with confidential documents.)I warn you that some of the humor is extremely violent and close to the bone, and that said bone may not be the funny one for everyone.You may not enjoy, for example, the idea that Uber in this version has decided to increase surge pricing tenfold. On September 11. You may also have qualms about jokes regarding the alleged rape of a passenger.There doesn't seem to be much evidence that Uber's negative PR actuallyhurts its business. Those who use it swear by it, even if theyoccasionally swear at it because a driver doesn't know the way.It may be a long time (if ever), however, before Uber isn't part of one sort of dark humor or another. I've asked Uber how it feels about the no-holds-barred Funny or Die video and will update this post should I hear back.

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Apple lands prime spot in the Dow, as AT&T departs The Dow Jones Industrial Average is about to become a lot more Apple friendly. Starting March 19, Apple will replace AT&T in the Dow Jones Industrial Average, an index that tracks 30 US blue-chip companies and is a leading bellwether of the nation's economic performance. The selection ofApple for the vaunted stock market measure came easily, according to the S&P Dow Jones Indices, which manages the index. "As the largest corporation in the world and a leader in technology, Apple is the clear choice for the Dow Jones Industrial Average, the most recognized stock market measure," David M. Blitzer, chairman of the Index Committee at S&P Dow Jones Indices, said in a statement Friday. Its DJIA membershipmeans Apple lands even more investors than it already has because many portfolio fundsautomatically invest in those 30 companies. But the Dow represents just another feather in Apple's cap. Over the last several years, the Cupertino, Calif.-based tech giant has generated billions of dollars in profit selling iPhones, iPads, Macs, iPods and other products. Apple is now the world's most valuable company, with a market capitalization of $740.4 billon. Exxon, the second-most valuable company by market cap, is about $360 billion. Apple's last-reported quarter, ended December 27, was its best ever, as the company recorded $74.6 billion in revenue and a profit of $18 billion. It was, in fact, the best quarter of corporate profitability ever for any publicly traded company. Its success was fueled by the company's wildly popular iPhone line, which tallied 74.5 million unit sales during the period, thanks in large part to the popularity of Apple's latest handsets, the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The DJIA was unveiled in 1896by Charles H. Dow, and has since become the go-to metric for Wall Street's performance. The S&P carefully selects each company to reflect the overall health of the entire stock market. About two-thirds of those companies provide industrial and consumer goods and services, but it also includes credit card companies American Express and Visa,conglomerate General Electric, mega-retailer Walmart as well as technology behemoths Cisco Systems, Microsoft, IBM and Intel. While the S&P said that it picked Apple because of its leadership position in the technology industry, there is, understandably, a financial rationale for the move. Apple's 7:1 stock split last June gave existing investors more shares and reduced the share price to around $93, from $645 a share, making the stock more affordable for new investors. It also made Apple's share prices comparable to the rest of the DJIA. That's important because extremely high stock prices tend to distort the index, while very low stock prices have little impact. "Apple's split brought the stock price down closer to the median price in the DJIA," Blitzer said. The S&P removed AT&T from the Dow because the index was "overweighted" in telecommunications, Blitzer said, adding that AT&T and Verizonare similar.AT&T has an overall stock value of $173.9 billion compared with Verizon's $197.9 billion market cap, and is currently trading around $33.50 a share,among the lowest prices on the Dow. Apple shares rose about 1 percent to about $127.50 in early tradingFriday. AT&T's shares fell about 1.5 percent. Apple will host a media event on Monday, where it is expected to give more details about its smartwatch and new Macs. AT&T declined to comment on its expulsion from the DJIA. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Airbnb exec denies competition with hotels, says an Airbnb trip 'changes you' Airbnb is one of the success stories of the current dot-com boom. Valued at more than $10 billion, the company has rocketed its founders onto the Forbes billionaires list, even while negotiating fierce resistance from the hotel industry and the odd regulatory spat with local governments. But one Airbnb boss denies that the service is even in competition with hotels. Founded in 2008, Airbnb is a service that allows you to rent out your apartment or house for others to stay in. Airbnb VP of Engineering Mike Curtis was speaking at 4 Years From Now, a startup conference held in parallel to Mobile World Congress 2015, an annual gathering in Barcelona of phone, tablet and wearable manufacturers and other mobile-related companies. "We're always working with local governments to do things the right way that's beneficial to the cities where we operate", Curtis said. He also played down the friction between Airbnb and regulators in places like Berlin and New York. "When a new idea comes along to a place where local laws existed before the new idea," he said, "you're bound to run into some edge cases where things need to be worked out."He also plays down the conflict with the hotel industry. "They're in the business of renting out accommodation, and we're in the business of renting out accommodation", he said, "so there's a feeling of some sort of conflict or competition." (Well yeah, that seems pretty clear.) "But that assumes travel is a zero sum game. And I don't think it is", he continued. "Our business is expanding and the hotel business is expanding", Curtis points out. He believes Airbnb appeals to people who might not opt for a traditional hotel stay: "We're helping people travel in a new way. I don't view it as a direct competition with hotels."As an example, Curtis was at the event having come straight off the plane from Asia, where he was learning more about a huge potential market of young people who are much more interested in international travel. Airbnb customers, he believes, "choose to travel with Airbnb to connect more with the local area where they're visiting in a way you couldn't with a prepackaged deal." "We've all taken trips where you visit a city and you stay in the hotel and you go out and see a couple of sights and you come back to the hotel bar and you think you've seen a place, he said, "but you haven't." By contrast, "Airbnb connects you to the local area. You're not just booking the place you're going to sleep but you're planning a trip. The trip doesn't end when you leave. When you go home, it changes you somehow." He sees Airbnb as part of a movement in online services helping people to find offline experiences: "An interesting trend that I hope continues is that there are more companies coming up that are about connecting people to the physical world rather than drawing you into a screen. It's not about gluing you to a mobile device."One concern with Airbnb is the safety, security and behaviour of both hosts and guests. Curtis outlines some of Airbnb's measures to make sure bookings are on the up-and-up, with a points-based algorithm evaluating every booking. The system asks if there's "something fishy" about the booking, assigns a probability score, "and if it scores over a certain threshold we'll review it." The success of Airbnb could herald a whole swathe of people renting their stuff or their work directly to others. Discussing the potential of this so-called "sharing economy", Curtis admitted that "the very idea of sharing is still a relatively new concept, so we're just starting to figure out what verticals you can apply it to." He point out that the world is full of "people out there who are qualified and capable but can't find work" and could benefit from being part of an Airbnb-style community of micro-entrepreneurs to offer their talents or their stuff where they're needed. "As soon as a new idea comes out you try and solve every problem with that new idea", he said. "Over the next couple of years we'll see tens of companies trying to do that. Some will stick, some probably won't."

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Samsung loses 'Next Big Thing' marketing chief Todd Pendleton, the executive behind Samsung's successful "Next Big Thing" campaign, is looking for his next big thing -- but it won't be at Samsung.Pendleton, who has served as chief marketing officer for Samsung's US mobile business for nearly four years, notified his colleagues this week that he's leaving in April, people familiar with the matter told CNET. Some of his direct reports have also left Samsung or have been transferred to other departments, the people said.On Friday, Samsung in a statement thanked Pendleton "for lending his creativity and inspiration to the mobile business at Samsung and said it's "excited for the future." The company didn't say who will replace Pendleton in the interim or on a permanent basis but noted he's playing an advisory role until April.Here's the full statement:Pendleton didn't respond to a request for comment.Pendleton has been lauded as one of the people central to Samsung's fast rise in the mobile market. His team spearheaded the popular "Next Big Thing" marketing campaign, which mocked Apple's devices and fanboys and helped Samsung's Galaxy S3 become the best-selling smartphone in the world, at least for a time. Because Samsung convinced all US wireless carriers to release the device at the same time under the same branding, Pendleton and his team -- along with ad agency 72 And Sunny -- were able to create one major campaign instead of having to market multiple models of the Galaxy smartphone.Pendleton, testifying during Samsung's patent-infringement trial against Apple last year, said it was his team, and not any copying of the iPhone, that helped Samsung become No. 1 in the smartphone market. Samsung had become the "most viral" brand in the world based on the number of social-media followers and shares, Pendleton told the jury. Today, Samsung Mobile (@SamsungMobile) has 10.6 million Twitter followers.Samsung has been struggling recently, though. After leading the smartphone market for the past four years, Samsung has seen its profit slide as customers have defected to rival Xiaomi in China, Micromax in India and Apple nearly everywhere else. In the global smartphone market, Samsung tied with Apple as the No. 1 vendor in the fourth quarter of 2014 -- a competitor it had crushed not too long ago. Samsung on Sunday showed off the new smartphones, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, that it hopes will help it regain its footing.Pendleton is the latest in a string of executive departures that have plagued Samsung over the past year. Executive turnover isn't surprising at an organization Samsung's size (it employs nearly 300,000 people around the globe), but the South Korean company has been hit by several high-ranking departures in the US. Many have exited the mobile business, but others have left the electronics arm responsible for TVs and home appliances.Also adding to the problem was a plan by Samsung to relocate its US mobile marketing group, business-to-business operations and some other teams from Richardson, Texas, to a new facility in New York's Meatpacking District or to Samsung's North American headquarters in Ridgefield Park, N.J. That led to many departures in mid-2014. Pendleton was part of the team originally slated to move, though Samsung since then has pared back its plans.Other departures from Samsung's US mobile business last year, which CNET News first reported, included Seshu Madhavapeddy, the senior vice president of product and technology who was responsible for development and delivery of Samsung's mobile devices; and Nanda Ramachandran, the vice president and general manager who led strategy, marketing, and product management for Galaxy tablets, the Galaxy Gear smartwatch and Samsung HomeSync.Update March 6 at 1 p.m. PT: Added comment from Samsung.

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Sony's Morpheus virtual-reality headset arriving in 2016 The new device, unveiled at the Game Developers Conference here Tuesday, looks similar to the initial prototype, but Sony says it includes technical improvements that will give consumers a better experience."This looks like last year's model, but under the hood we've put a lot of improvements," said Shuhei Yoshida, the president of the company's Worldwide Studios for Sony Computer Entertainment. Yoshida added that this version of Morpheus "is close to the final consumer product."Some of the enhancements include a new 5.7-inch display that is twice as fast as its predecessor, andresponds to movement in half the time. The result is what Yoshida says is a device that produces virtual-reality experiences that are not easy to differentiate from the real world.Virtual reality is now a highlight at the year's biggest tech and game gatherings -- and it's practically swallowed the news cycle of GDC,typically thought of as a meeting place for developers to talk designand technique. Sony unveiled Morpheus at last year's GDC, making it the first virtual-reality device from one of the industry's largest game makers.Sony's new concept now contains a revamped design, including the ability to push Morpheus off to the right side of your face to peer into the real world, rather than taking the entire headset off.The device, Sony said, will be made available to customers in the first half of next year, though the company didn't say how much it will cost.Before Sony unveiled Morpheus, VR looked like a niche, dominated by promising startups but still a sideshow to the $77 billion game industry, which focuses on titles largely played on televisions and computer monitors. With Sony's device, virtual reality became a star of the show.Shortly after,Facebook bought industry poster child Oculus VR for $2.3 billion. That acquisition signaled to tech companies everywhere that VR wasn't going to lose its sheen after sucking up millions of dollars in investment, as it did in the early '90s before fading back into science fiction."Because Facebook is behind it, I think people will keep plugging away until they get it right," said Michael Pachter, an analyst at Wedbush Securities.A whirlwind of activity has followed since the Facebook-Oculus deal. Mobile giant Samsung has introduced $250 VR goggles that cradle its Galaxy smartphones, and Google has parlayed a strange cardboard DIY headset project into VR partnerships with LG and toymaker Mattel. Even Microsoft has some skin in the game, albeit with a so-called augmented-reality headset, the HoloLens, which was unveiled in January and which can overlay 3D images onto everyday scenes.Even Mobile World Congress, where the world's largest smartphone makers show off devices in Barcelona at this time every year, is a growing showcase for new VR. Valve, the software maker known for the Half-Life game series and the Steam online store, teamed up with HTC to create the Vive VR headset, which was unveiled at MWC on Sunday. Valve is expected to reveal more details about its SteamVR platform for virtual-reality games Wednesday in San Francisco.While new hardware is rolling out at an ever faster clip, the applications for VR, too, are beginning to expand. Beyond games, virtual worlds are finding their place in film, sports, education and even health care. "It's naive to think this will be games only," Pachter added.Camera maker Jaunt, for instance, records 360-degree scenes using a tetrahedral, omnidirectional microphone. The result is a sometimes terrifyingly realistic experience, as was the case with "Black Mass," a short film from "Paranormal Activity 5" director Greg Plotkin that Jaunt used to showcase its new audio partnership with Dolby earlier this week . Oculus, too, is getting involved in film with Story Studio, its dedicated in-house production studio that brought its first VR short to the Sundance Film Festival in January.When it comes to VR's biggest roadblocks to making it to the mainstream, two issues are front and center -- comfort and software.Sony has come a long way in addressing how Morpheus is worn and what it feels like. Besides the new prototype's slideable display, the device also reorients the headset's strap to hug the sides of your head, rather than awkwardly running a piece of Velcro down the middle of your scalp. The result, from my hands-on experience Tuesday, was easily the most comfortable VR experience to date, with Oculus' Crescent Bay prototype a close second.In terms of the VR image quality and feelings of motion, Morpheus feels the closest to being able to sustain a longer-term gaming experience thanks to its upgraded innards, though it's far from perfect. I played The Heist, a short demo produced by Sony's London studio, that positioned me at the mercy of a thuggish character preparing to torture information out of me. When my captor moved in close to my face and shouted, I was simultaneously amused by how real it seemed and startled by the tinge of fear I felt.What followed was a flashback sequence with a pulse-pounding gunfight, the first I've experienced in virtual reality and a veritable hair-raiser capable of converting the biggest of VR skeptics. (I died spectacularly, with gunshots coming from an unknown location until splotches of red filled the screen.) Beyond the look and feel of The Heist, the demo is also where Sony's real competitive advantage shined through: the PlayStation Move controllers.Unlike Oculus, Sony has its own motion-control remotes, which resemble glowing microphones, that introduce sharp and reliable hand motions to the VR gameplay. I was able to rifle through drawers, pick up a firearm with one hand, load it with ammo with the other and begin fending off armed guards through tactical crouching and peeking out from cover.The hand motion-control element of Morpheus is bound to be a strong selling point for Morpheus, despite its restriction to the PlayStation platform. While Oculus has long invited other companies and developers to use its hardware and develop their own applications, Sony is restricting Morpheus to its console, giving it more control over its VR platform but putting more responsibility in the company's hands to ensure there are games to play when Morpheus arrives.And Sony has yet to announce any official titles."Nobody buys a piece of gaming hardware because they think it looks cool," said Lewis Ward, an analyst at research firm IDC. "Until there's a great experience to go along with it, the hardware simply opens the door." For Ward, the cost, release date or comfort aspects of consumer VR are secondary to what gets us pulling out our wallets in the first place. "That's the chicken-or-the-egg problem."Not until the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the game industry's biggest conference taking place in Los Angeles in June, will we likely see any big-name developers come forward with VR exclusives.

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UniKey and Samsung team up to lock down the office UniKey, makers of the technology inside of the Kwikset Kevo Bluetooth Deadbolt, will be partnering with Samsung's Knox Enterprise Mobility Solution, the company announced this week at Mobile World Congress. The integration partnership aims to bring the Kevo's touch-to-enter tech to businesses, commercial properties, and government institutions around the world. The announcement comes shortly after the arrival of Kevo's Android app. With Samsung Knox now on board, UniKey can leverage its cloud-connected entry management service through a security-minded Android enterprise platform.Available since 2013, the Kwikset Kevo packs Bluetooth 4.0 into a normal-looking deadbolt with a touch capacitive outer ring. When the lock senses the smartphone in your pocket, you can open it with a simple tap. New in 2015 is a Kevo Plus gateway accessory, which plugs into your router to relay the lock's Bluetooth signal out over Wi-Fi, enabling remote lock and unlock functionality. With the Knox partnership, UniKey hopes to extend that same cloud functionality to doors, gateways, and badge access points in commercial institutions.This isn't UniKey's first play at the commercial space. In June 2014, UniKey partnered with MIWA, a California manufacturer of hospitality locks, to bring keyless, smartphone-based entry into hotels. UniKey also touts the Kevo's compatibility with the Nest Learning Thermostat as a way for businesses to cut energy costs.

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Apple Watch arrives in April as 'most advanced timepiece ever created' It's Apple Watch's time to shine.After months of speculation following the company's September unveiling of the gadget, Apple dished out more details about its smartwatch Monday at its special "Spring Forward" launch event at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco on Monday. Apple Watch -- slated to ship April 24 -- is the company's first device in a new product category since the iPad tablet was introduced in 2010."Apple Watch is the most personal device we have ever created," Apple CEO Tim Cook said onstage, repeating themes from the company's September event. "It's just not with you -- it's on you. And since what you wear is an expression of who you are, we've designed Apple Watch to appeal to a whole variety of people with different tastes and different preferences."Cook called Apple Watch "the most advanced timepiece ever created." Pre-orders for the device start on April 10. Yet the most important question going into Monday's event, however, was how much Apple Watch is going cost. The company partly answered that question onstage, while particular configurations are available to inspect online. The aluminum and glass Apple Watch Sport with a plastic band starts at $349 or $400 for a model with a larger casing, while the stainless steel mid-tier model will start at $550 and go as high as $1,100 depending on what band it's paired with. The highest-end model, the 18-karat gold Apple Watch Edition, will start at $10,000 and goes as high as $17,000 when paired with Apple's gold-laden buckle.For Apple, it's key to expand beyond its current iPhone franchise. The company is more reliant on its smartphone than ever before, with about 70 percent of its December quarter sales coming from the device. It has looked to Apple Watch and Apple Pay as new products with strong potential, and it also is exploring ways to revitalize its struggling iPad business.The Apple Watch also marks the company's first new push under Cook's tenure. Cook had promised for over a year that Apple in 2014 would introduce "amazing" new products and enter "exciting new product categories" beyond its wildly successful smartphones, tablets and computers.Cook, introducing the Apple Watch in September before more than 2,000 people, called the smartwatch a "breakthrough" product. He described it then as a "comprehensive" health and fitness device, walkie-talkie and remote control for the Apple TV streaming-box. Those factors alone set the Apple Watch apart from other smartwatches on the market, which tend to simply track steps, provide notifications, and run very basic apps."It's like having a coach on your wrist," Cook said of Apple Watch on Monday. Apple trotted out Jeff Williams, the company's senior vice president of operations, earlier at the event to announce a new software hub for medical research, called ResearchKit, to highlight Apple's focus on both fitness and long-term health.But Apple went even further in Apple Watch's creation -- developing what Morgan Stanley analyst Katy Huberty called a "Swiss Army Knife" sort of wearable. The device includes a Near Field Communications, or NFC, chip in the watch to enable mobile payments. It also has a haptic feedback engine in the device so that it vibrates when receiving an alert or a being given a direction in programs like Maps. Apple included a digital touch feature to allow two people to communicate quickly through taps, drawings, and by sharing their heartbeats. Apple Watch is also part of the company's growing software platform for mobile payments. Apple Pay, which let's users of the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus use their fingerprint to make purchases, works with the company's smartwatch thanks to its NFC chip. Because Apple Watch does not contain a Touch ID fingerprint sensor, Apple lets you authenticate the Watch once with a passcode or your paired iPhone and you can then continue to use the watch to make purchases so long as you do not take the device off. Cook clarified Monday that Apple Watch will have a 18-hour battery life. The device charges with a magnetic cable that snaps onto the watch's back. The gadget is also water-resistant, but not waterproof, so no swimming with the Apple Watch after all.The company also placed a big emphasis on design, making sure the watch is fashionable and something people actually want to wear. While at first glance it resembles Samsung's Gear smartwatches and other wearables already on the market, it provides more ways the wearer can customize it. Apple will provide a range of bands in various materials -- including leather and metal -- so users can tailor the product to their style. And there likely will be bands from third-party vendors in the future, as well.Apple has made a conscious effort to promote Apple Watch among the fashion community, showcasing the gadget in a Paris pop-up shop and promoting it during high-profile designer events. Apple has also made strategic executive hires in the field like former Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts, who now leads the expansion and operation of Apple's retail business, and Paul Deneve, the former CEO and president of fashion house Yves-Saint Laurent. Numerous models have also been seen sporting Apple Watch on their wrists in the pages of in US magazines like Vogue, Self and Style.The Apple Watch comes in two sizes -- 42mm or 38mm -- and three designs -- the aluminum-cased Apple Watch Sport, stainless-steel-cased Apple Watch and the 18-karat-gold-cased Apple Watch Edition. The aluminum comes with silver or space gray options, while the stainless steel comes in its namesake color or a space black version. The gold watch is available in 18-karat yellow gold or 18-karat rose gold. There also are a variety of bands that can be easily swapped, including a Milanese loop of metal mesh with magnets, a leather band that auto-attaches, a segmented metal link band, a classic leather watch band, a leather loop band and a more plasticized sport band in bright colors. Individual prices for the bands span from $50 to $450.We already know some apps that will be on the Apple Watch. Ones made by Apple include the Activity and Workout fitness tracking apps, Maps and Weather. Third-party apps announced so far include a Starwood Hotels app to unlock your hotel room with your watch, an American Airlines app to check in for and track your flights, and a Lutron app to turn your lights off with a tap on your wrist. There also are social media apps like Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram; fitness tracking like Nike+; and entertainment and sports apps like ESPN and MLB.com At Bat.Onstage Monday, Apple VP of Technology Kevin Lynch detailed new app partnerships as well. Those apps include ride-hailing service Uber, song-spotting software Shazam, photo-sharing social network Instagram and a dedicated app for Starwood Hotels & Resorts for checking in and unlocking your room.

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Chinese online game company NetEase eyes US expansion Chinese Internet and online game company NetEase plans to expand into the Western market this year, formally announcing that it will establish operations inCalifornia and planned releases of games later in 2015. The new Western arm of NetEase is looking to bring its signature mobile games into the Western market. One of the first products to make its debut in the West, with the working title Speedy Ninja, will see their initial release mid-2015. The game is expected to launch on iOS first. NetEase'sexploration into the Western market is the latest in a growing trend ofChinese Internet companies launching stateside. Chinese Internet giantslike e-commerce company Alibaba and web service company Baidu bothestablished a US presence as early as the first half of 2014. While NetEase has built a reputation in its home country by managing US-based game developer Blizzard's online games -- including popular online games World of Warcraft and Hearthstone -- in China, its own offerings have yet to make a mark on Western audiences. The venture is led by NetEase General Manager David Ting, who formerly served as chief technology officer for Android gaming console OUYA, general manager of IGN eSports, and head of online publishing at Blizzard. "With a $15 billion market cap, NetEase has a strong foundation of successes in Asian markets made possible by a wealth of design and engineering talent," Ting said. "We are building the games we want to play and are excited to launch them into global markets." NetEase is also well-funded, backed by chairman William Ding, currently ranked 19th on the Forbes' China Rich List with a net worth of approximately $4.9 billion as of late 2014.

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Forbes' tech billionaires list shows rich got richer, with Gates at No. 1 Surprise! The world's billionaires have become richer. And once again, techies are a major reason for that. Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is again the world's richest person, with a net worth of $79.2 billion, Forbes reported Monday in its annual list of the world's richest people. Gates also topped Forbes' list of the world's richest tech billionaires, who together are worth $426 billion, representing an 11.6 percent jump over last year. The Forbes list of tech billionaires is a veritable "who's who" of industry giants. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison is in second place with $54.3 billion in personal wealth, followed by Amazon's Jeff Bezos at $34.8 billion and Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg at $33.4 billion. Google co-founder Larry Page rounded out the top five tech billionaires with $29.7 billion in net worth. (Sergey Brin, Google's other co-founder, wasn't far behind, with a net worth of $29.2 billion.) The 2015 list of billionaires is the 29th from Forbes. The financial-focused publication computes net worth by analyzing an individual's stakes in companies, ownership of key assets, like real estate and art, and cash. The company also estimates a person's debt. Forbes vets the numbers with the billionaires, but since some do not comply, the figures require a bit of guesswork. Still, the Forbes billionaire list is widely considered one of the most reliable. The technology industry has long been a major contributor to the list of the world's richest people. Indeed, at nearly half a trillion dollars in net worth, tech's richest make up a sizable chunk of the $7.05 trillion in total net worth among the world's 1,826 billionaires. The tech space is also home to some of the youngest billionaires. Mark Zuckerberg is the richest person among those under 40. (He's 30.) Snapchat co-founder Evan Spiegel, who is just 24, made the list this year with $1.5 billion in net worth. Travis Kalanick, co-founder of car-hailing service Uber, is 38 and worth $5.3 billion, according to Forbes. His 36-year-old co-founder Garrett Camp is worth $5.3 billion, as well. Having an initial public offering in 2014 didn't hurt wallets in the tech space, either, according to Forbes. The company found that the biggest jump in net worth among tech billionaires went to Alibaba founder Jack Ma, who doubled his net worth to $22.7 billion. In September, Alibaba offered its shares on the New York Stock Exchange and quickly saw demand soar. The company raised over $25 billion and made Ma billions. Some other notable billionaires that made the list of the tech industry's richest people in 2015: former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer; Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen; Lei Jun, CEO at China-based smartphone maker Xiaomi; and Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.

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Majority of New Jersey voters view Christie unfavorably: poll A majority of New Jersey registered voters view Governor Chris Christie unfavorably, a poll showed on Friday, underscoring the headwinds the outspoken Republican could face in securing his party's nomination for the 2016 presidential election.The poll by Rutgers-Eagleton noted that "for the first time" a majority, 53 percent, were unfavorably inclined toward the governor, according to a statement.It said 37 percent of registered voters in the state felt favorably toward the governor, down 7 percentage points in two months.  The poll also found more people in the state now disapprove of the job Christie is doing: 52 percent disapprove while 42 percent approve.Christie has built an image as a tough-talking politician who speaks bluntly to defend his policy goals, but that image has not always struck a chord with voters.In a late January poll for Bloomberg Politics and The Des Moines Register conducted by Selzer & Co., 36 percent of a sample of likely Iowa voters viewed Christie favorably.In contrast, more than half the sample, 54 percent, viewed the New Jersey governor unfavorably. That poll included 402 Republican likely caucus-goers and 401 Democratic likely caucus-goers, with a margin of error of plus or minus 4.9 percentage points.The Iowa Caucus is typically the first major statewide event to select a national candidate for both major parties and can give momentum to candidates who perform well.But candidates who do poorly can often find themselves struggling to regain lost ground.With the likely Republican field already crowded, the eventual nominee will have to fend off a number of challengers along the way. Besides Christie, several governors or former governors are among possible contenders for the Republican nomination, including, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, former Florida Governor Jeb Bush, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal and former Texas Governor Rick Perry.The Rutgers-Eagleton poll included 694 registered voters statewide who were contacted by telephone from Feb. 3-10. The sample has a margin of error of plus or minus 4.2 percentage points.

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Uber snaps up mapping company deCarta Uber CEO Travis Kalanick announced six months ago that the ride-hailing service had no plans to buy other companies. But times have changed.Uber announced Tuesday it's acquiring mapping and search startup deCarta to help improve its car-pool service and to better calculate how long passengers' Uber rides will take. Terms of the deal weren't disclosed. "A lot of the functionality that makes the Uber app so reliable, affordable and seamless is based on mapping technologies," an Uber spokeswoman said in an e-mailed statement. "With the acquisition of deCarta, we will continue to fine-tune our products and services that rely on maps." Uber, a smartphone app that pairs passengers in need of a ride with drivers, has raised $5.9 billion since it was founded in 2009. That makes it the second-most valued venture-backed company in the world, with a valuation of $41 billion. The influx of investor money has allowed Uber to expand into more cities and countries and to acquire smaller companies -- though it hasn't really talked about any of its takeovers before today. Uber said it's made a very small number of other acquisitions, but it hasn't disclosed the names of the companies. At the TechCrunch Disrupt conference in San Francisco last September, Kalanick said Uber was "not in acquisition mode.""Uber has not acquired a single company," he said at the time. "We are focused on the product. We are in 45 countries. We haven't spent time on [mergers and acquisitions]."With deCarta, Uber plans to boost the maps used to help riders join in car pools, a feature dubbed UberPool. The company also plans to improve the way it computes passengers' estimated-time-of-arrivals. San Jose, Calif.-based deCarta was founded in 1996 as a software platform that provides location-based features, like mapping, search and navigation. According to Mashable, which first reported the deal, deCarta will keep working under its own name as a subsidiary of Uber and 30 of deCarta's 40 employees will also continue on with the company.

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Why Samsung Pay has little advantage over Apple Pay in Europe Samsung wants its new phones to become your wallet, yesterday unveiling its Samsung Pay mobile payments system, which is going to arrive on its Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge smartphones. Samsung has said its payment tech will be coming to Europe following a roll-out in the US and South Korea in the summer, but how will Samsung's scheme work in European countries, and is it likely to take off? Samsung Pay uses wireless technology embedded inside Samsung's newest smartphones to interact with tills when you buy things from shops. Once you've added a payment card to your smartphone, you'll be able to pay for things by tapping your phone against the till, authenticating the transaction using the phone's fingerprint scanner. Samsung says it won't store any personal account numbers on your phone, instead using a secure token with random information to make payments, in the same way that Apple Pay does. Samsung Pay differs from Apple's tech in one significant way, however. Apple Pay uses a system called near-field communication (NFC) to make those wireless transactions. Samsung, however, has two technologies on the go at the same time. One is NFC, and the other is MST, which stands for magnetic secure transmission. Samsung has this tech courtesy of a company called LoopPay that it bought recently, which lets you conduct a wireless payment between your phone and any till that has a mag-stripe reader.The power to use both NFC and mag-stripes means that Samsung Pay will work with pretty much all tills. As Gilles Ubaghs, senior analyst of financial services technology at Ovum explains, "Anywhere PayPass or payWave (MasterCard and Visa's contactless payment systems) is accepted will work with Samsung Pay, as on the NFC side they all work to the same specifications. Where there is no contactless, Samsung Pay will work on nearly any machine that has a mag stripe reader."This is great for Samsung in the US, where loads of tills still only have mag-stripe readers, but Samsung's advantage in the UK and Europe is dramatically lessened. "Samsung can in theory be used more broadly due to the magstripe side of things, but in Europe the magstripe is really being forgotten about as a technology compared to the US, and is pretty removed in most markets," Ubaghs said. "Even finding the card swipe portion of a point of sale device is likely to be fiddly and unclear to many consumers in Europe who are out of the habit, and I can only imagine what staff at the till will make of consumers waving their phones about their registers if they aren't sure what's going on."With NFC and MST, Samsung's payment tech is comprehensive -- but the obstacles that stand between Samsung and mobile payment domination aren't merely technical, especially in Europe where paying for items with a tap is no longer a novelty. Why pay with a Samsung smartphone when it's no easier than using a card?"Consumer apathy is still the biggest stumbling block," Ubaghs notes. "Being able to enact a transaction at the point of sale is not really a new phenomenon, even though the steps involved in doing so are improving and becoming smoother." Martin Zander, senior vice-president of PR and Communications at mobile payments firm Yapital, said, "Both [Apple Pay and Samsung Pay] merely replace an existing payment method. Without other interesting features for the end users (such as loyalty schemes), it's hard to see the added value." Despite the rumoured imminent launch of Apple Pay outside the US stirring up thoughts of a major mobile payments battle, it could be that both Samsung and Apple are able to succeed when it comes to mobile payments. One doesn't have to fail for the other to succeed, and ultimately both could offer an extra payment mechanism for their European customers. "Very, very few consumers will have to choose between Apple Pay or Samsung Pay, and realistically no one is going to pick their device for just that feature," Ubaghs said. "There is a very strong potential for both of these platforms to prove successful and cater to their respective patches of the mobile market (and any bank or retailer could easily support both)." Ultimately, it seems likely that Samsung Pay will certainly work in Europe from a technical standpoint, and could be an interesting option for owners of Samsung phones who like the idea of making payments by tapping from their phones. If that sounds exciting to you, then feel free to get excited about Samsung Pay hitting Europe in months to come. If, on the other hand, you're perfectly happy typing in your PIN code or tapping a contactless card, the introduction of Samsung's system is unlikely to mess with your routine.

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Google shakes up European operations amid regulatory scrutiny Search giant Google has combined its two units operating in Europe, as competition watchdogs continue to apply pressure on the company. Google's Northern and Central Europe unit will combine with the division covering Southern and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, the company announced in Brussels on Thursday, according to the Financial Times. The announcement was made by Matt Brittin, who will head up the newly formed division as president of EMEA Business & Operations. Google did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The realignment comes as Google faces increasing scrutiny from Europe's competition commissioner, Margrethe Vestager, who is investigating whether Google search is hampering competition across Europe. If Google is found guilty of engaging in anticompetitive practices, it could face billions of dollars in fines. Google has for years been trying to satisfy EU regulators, who have taken aim at the company's popular search service. Those regulators have specifically taken issue with the way Google displays content within its search, arguing since 2010 that it may be providing preferential treatment to its own services, like Gmail and Google Maps. Last year, Google proposed a tentative settlement -- its third -- that would have forced the company to display search results for all services, including its own, in the same way. The company wouldn't have been required to pay a fine. In September, however, European regulators, who had preliminarily agreed to the idea, said that they had received "fresh evidence" and "solid arguments" from 20 formal complaints. Those complaints, which came from competitors like Microsoft, prompted the regulators to send Google back to the drawing board. "We now need to see if Google can address these issues and allay our concerns," former EU competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia said at the time. If Google's response doesn't satisfy the commission, the "logical next step is to prepare a Statement of Objections," Almunia said, referring to formal charges. Just two months later, the European Parliament approved a resolution suggesting regulators "consider proposals" that would force companies to break search services apart from "commercial services." While the vote was little more than a suggestion, did not mention Google by name, and did not actually call for any breakup, it was clear that the search giant was in the organization's crosshairs. Google owns more than a 95 percent share of the markets for online search and the profitable search ads that come with them, according to some estimates. Regulators worry that Google will continue to use the massive amount of cash generated from those ads to fuel expansion into other industries. By breaking out search, regulators could blunt the impact Google could have on competition, some argue. The company has several rivals that take issue with Google's ability to promote its services, including travel booking sites such as TripAdvisor, Expedia and Hotwire, and shopping sites TheFind and Foundem. All of those companies are members of FairSearch, a consortium of companies, mainly from the US, that have lobbied EU officials for greater regulation on Google and the ways it integrates its own services into search. Google has argued that search engines are no longer just a list of links to other sites and the company should be allowed to provide relevant information without forcing a user to leave its pages. Google now has weather reports, medical information, and calculators, among other tools, baked into its search pages. "Larry Page, our co-founder, has always believed that the perfect search engine would 'understand exactly what you mean and give you back exactly what you want,'" Google senior vice president of global communications Rachel Whetstone said last year. "Initially, 10 blue links were the best answer we could give. But now we have the ability to provide direct answers to users' queries, which is much quicker and easier for them." So far, Google's arguments have proven incapable to allay regulator fears. Indeed, there is a possibility that the current investigation into the company's search could only get worse and extend to another dominant Google platform: Android. It's unclear whether the realignment in Google's European operations will have a positive impact on the company's ongoing negotiations with regulators. At this speech in Brussels, Brittin said that the move would help Google respond more quickly to what's happening on a country level, according to the Financial Times. He did not mention his company's antitrust investigation. Still, Google is at least trying to play nice in Europe. Also on Thursday, Brittin published a post to Google's Policy Europe blog highlighting how the company has become "a growth engine for European businesses." The blog post, a thinly veiled attempt to win favor in a time when it has very few people on its side, argues that Google has helped a wide range of businesses and paid out over 4.4 billion euros (about $5 billion) to European developers in 2014. To sweeten the pot, Brittin said that Google will train 1 million Europeans by 2016 "in crucial digital skills." The company will also invest 25 million euros to expand its current business-focused programs to other parts of Europe. "Some people look at the state of the economy in Europe and are pessimistic," Brittin said of the continent he now controls. "We see something else: a huge diversity of businesses and entrepreneurs with creativity, ambition, and talent -- all using digital tools to create jobs and boost the economy."

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Netflix reportedly developing live-action Legend of Zelda TV series Television's newest star may be a sword-carrying, elf-like hero who must fight off the forces of evil alongside a powerful princess. Sounds like something out of "The Hobbit," but no. It's the recurring plotline of The Legend of Zelda, an iconic Nintendo video game franchise that Netflix is in the early stages of developing into a live-action television series, according to a report Friday from The Wall Street Journal. Steeped in mythology and magic, the Zelda series' main character, named Link, lives in a fantasy universe called Hyrule where he and Princess Zelda combat the villain Ganon. The streaming service is even describing the show as a more family-friendly take on HBO's "Game of Thrones," the report said, as the ultra-violent medieval drama and the Zelda series share some fantasy elements. Japanese game giant and Zelda developer Nintendo, which is currently creating the next game title in the series due out later this year for its Wii U game console, is said to be working closely with Netflix on the project. A Netflix spokesperson said the company does not comment on rumors or speculation. Nintendo was not immediately available for comment. The Legend of Zelda is among the best-known and successful game franchises ever. It debuted in the US in 1987 and has enjoyed more than 20 releases spanning three decades. Actor and comedian Robin Williams named his daughter Zelda after the game's titular princess, talk show host Jimmy Fallon has called it his favorite video game and game reviewers and developers consider its various installments to be among the best games ever made. Yet Nintendo's track record outside games range from mediocre to disastrous. The company has put its name on a few animated television shows that remain footnotes in its corporate history, while a live-action Super Mario Bros. film in 1993 bombed at the box office and was widely panned by critics. A Zelda series gives Netflix another opportunity to build its reputation for original television programming. The company blazed the trail for tech companies that produce original programs, and has won Emmys forpolitical drama "House of Cards" and prison comedy series "Orange Is the New Black." Amazon, Hulu, Yahoo and AOL are now producing their own original shows.

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Magic Leap clashes with Microsoft over augmented reality health risks Microsoft's recently announced futuristic holographic headset may pose a health risk to users, according to the CEO of Magic Leap, a secretive augmented-reality startup and newfound rival to Microsoft in the burgeoning AR space.Microsoft's HoloLens uses an input system that does not fully replicate the physical connections between our eyes and our brains, possibly resulting in permanent effects on your brain, Magic Leap CEO Rony Abovitz wrote Tuesday in a Reddit AskMeAnything thread when asked about the device. As such, Abovitz recommended avoiding use of the headset and others like it."There are a class of devices (see-through and non-see-through) called stereoscopic 3D. We at Magic Leap believe these inputs into the eye-brain system are incorrect -- and can cause a spectrum of temporary and/or permanent neurologic deficits," Abovitz wrote, when asked how his company's technology compares to the HoloLens."I personally experienced a number of these stereoscopic-3D issues -- and would not wear these devices -- especially knowing that digital light-field systems are on the way and safe," he added.Abovitz, of course, has a horse in the race. Magic Leap, which was virtually unknown until October, is designing its very own so-called augmented reality system that will create 3D objects and overlay them onto a standard scene, like in the palm of your hand or around your living room. Though, Abovitz says that his company's device will use "digital light-field signal technology that respects the biology of the human eye-brain system in a profound and safe way." Magic Leap has scooped up almost $600 million in funding, with Google leading the charge.Microsoft, meanwhile, became the unlikely face of AR in January when it showed its HoloLens headset and impressed journalists (myself included) with full-blown demos that felt reasonably close to the envisioned final product. The HoloLens appears to work similarly to Magic Leap's technology by blending artificial light with the light your eyes receive from the real world, mashing the two scenes into one and creating life-like 3D objects and environments at scale.Yet there is a dispute whether Microsoft's HoloLens is functioning the same as Magic Leap's purported technology. Magic Leap has refused to show off its device, and neither company has fully expressed how its devices generate 3D images -- be it through light blasted directly on to your eyes, a visor with projector-like technique or a full display in an enclosed headset.The distinction is key to Abovitz's accusation, though Microsoft declined to explain whether his description of HoloLens was accurate. Instead, a Microsoft spokesperson said to look to its annual Build developers conference in April, "where we will share more details." Alex Kipman, who heads up the HoloLens project at Microsoft, notably name-dropped Magic Leap at the January 21 unveiling of the HoloLens, saying Microsoft was open to collaborating with others on the technology. Abovitz said Tuesday his company "had other plans."The lack of information about such products, especially so with Magic Leap and its insistence on secrecy, has created an aura of mystery around AR and VR unrivaled in the tech industry. How these devices function, what they're actually doing to our eyes and our brains and what, if any, are the side effects remain open questions.That's not stopping companies from gearing up. VR systems, considered easier to develop than AR, are being trotted out left and right, from companies as diverse as Sony, Samsung and Facebook that are all attempting to arrive at the same destination using different techniques, hardware and software. This kind of shot-taking against competitors is bound to heat up in the coming months as systems move from prototypes and developer kits to consumer products. The question of safety and health risks, too, are bound to be top of mind as 3D systems and virtual worlds proliferate.While there has not been a considerable amount of scientific study on the neurologic and physical health risks of long-term VR and AR use, current systems in development have notably caused short-term feelings of nausea and dizziness. The US Army refuses to use gadgets like the Oculus Rift VR headset for those reasons in its combat simulation training, opting instead for high-end systems to prevent sickness.In October 2014, a San Diego resident reported serious withdrawal symptoms from using Google's Glass headset, including an involuntary tapping motion on his temple previously used to activate the device and consistent dreaming as if he were looking through the gadget's lens at all times. He was later diagnosed with the first Internet addiction disorder derived from Google Glass. The other side effects, including neurologic deficits Abovitz appears to be referring to, of immersing ourselves in virtual worlds and plastering screens over our day-to-day vision will only become a larger part of the conversation around VR and AR in the future.Without seeing Magic Leap's approach, it's hard to say whether the startup's technology is any safer than Microsoft's. After all, stereoscopy is an imaging technique underlying most movie theater 3D glasses and the Nintendo 3DS video game handheld. It's also how most virtual reality systems, like the Facebook-owned Oculus, create full 360-degree virtual environments by essentially mashing a smartphone screen up against your eyes.Joyce Farrell, the executive director of the Stanford Center for Image Systems Engineering, said Abovitz's claims hold little water beyond a light-field display -- as Magic Leap claims to have -- being easier on the eyes."The thing that people are complaining about that may cause fatigue is that you have to converge your eyes at a certain place in a certain way that is non consistent with natural viewing," she told CNET of stereoscopic displays like the Oculus Rift.When asked if there were any differences between a light-field display and stereoscopic display, Farrell said it boils down to how the 3D images are being produced, nothing more. She added that there was "no evidence" supporting the claim that neurologic damage could be done by either display technique.Abovitz did go on to clarify his position on the medical implications of using stereoscopic 3D right up against your eyes later on his Q&A:A Magic Leap spokesperson clarified Abovitz's comments, saying, "We believe if technology is not replicating all of the physiologic important parameters of a light-field, which the human opto-neuro system requires, it can cause a spectrum of temporary and/or permanent neurologic deficits."In other words, Magic Leap is saying it's figured out the secret to making this technology safer. It just won't tell us how quite yet.

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The first Apple Watch ads are in Vogue (surprise!) Let's imagine what kind of ads Apple might create for its new Watch. They'll probably have gorgeously detailed shots of the product against a white background. If they have words at all, they'll likely be few and perhaps even in small type. There'll be lots of white space. These, of course, are wild guesses you might have made months ago. Oddly, they largely reflect the first ads Apple is releasing for its possibly revolutionary gadget. Ad Age tells me that Apple is releasing 12 pages of ads for the Watch in, of all stunning places, Vogue magazine. And they are, indeed, loving captures of various aspects of the watch -- the strap, the face, the gold -- with small print explaining what you're looking at. For example: "38mm Silver Aluminum Case. Green Sport Band." Fashion advertising has become almost a self-referential cliche over the years. These ads don't veer too far from that. Additionally, they position the product first, second and third as a fashion accessory, with the tech a touch nonexistent.This might allude to Apple's ultimate intention, which may be to make the tech almost an entertaining add-on to a brand new style option for your everyday (and special occasion) image. The question is whether these ads are just a one-off for the fashion world, an attempt to establish cachet among the alleged trend-pushers. When the Watch is presented to us, the great unwashed and not always groomed, will it also lean heavily on the style? I fancy it just might.

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Apple Watch to be 'most successful smartwatch ever' -- research firm The Apple Watch will play a major role in the wearables market this year and beyond, according to research firm CCS Insight. Worldwide wearable sales will spike in 2015, jumping 158 percent year over year to 75 million units, CCS Insight predicted Tuesday. The research firm says that the Apple Watch, set for release in April, will become the "most successful smartwatch ever" and sell up to 20 million units this year. "The Apple Watch will be instrumental in taking the wearables market to the next level of growth," CCS chief of research Ben Wood said in a statement Tuesday. "If successful, it'll create a rising tide that will lift the whole market." The highly anticipated smartwatch, unveiled in September alongside Apple's new smartphones, will start at $349 and come in three versions: standard, luxury and sport. CCS Insight's prediction for the Apple Watch is certainly on the high end. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster in December predicted sales of 8 million for 2015.Wall Street has forecast sales of 12 million to 15 million.Apple has reportedly asked its suppliers to manufacture 5 million to 6million watches for its first quarter of release. All eyes will certainly be on the Apple Watch when it finally launches. Smartwatches have been available for the last couple of years from companies like Pebble, Motorola, and LG, but none have been able to attract widespread consumer interest. Indeed, smartwatches are still a niche market that may or may not succeed, depending in part on the impact that the Apple Watch has on the industry, according to CCS Insight. "The current love affair affluent US consumers have with the iPhone guarantees a strong start for the Apple Watch in its home market," the CCS Insight noted. "However, if sales of the Apple Watch fail to meet expectations it could hurt the whole smartwatch market." Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment. While it's impossible to absolutely predict what kind of response to expect, some folks are trying. Over the last several months, Piper Jaffray's Munster has been surveying nearly 1,000 US-based iPhone owners to gauge their likelihood of buying an Apple Watch. He found that the figure was at an all-time high of 10 percent in September 2013 (a year before it was announced) but has since fallen to 7 percent of current iPhone owners.Looking beyond Apple Watch, CCS said it sees the wearables market in general growing over the next few years. The company says that by 2018, 172 million wearables will be sold worldwide, up from the 29 million that were sold in 2014. The company says that smartwatches and fitness trackers will be the most popular wearable devices by 2018, with others like wearable cameras and eyewear grabbing just a small sliver of the market. Despite claims that Apple Watch will be a make-or-break for smartwatches, CCS seems bullish on the technology. By 2018, the company says that 44 percent of all wearable sales will be in the smartwatch category. Eyewear, like the discontinued-for-now Google Glass and Sony's just-announced Smart EyeGlass, will post 3 million unit sales in 2018, according to CCS. But unlike other wearables that will cater mainly to consumers, CCS argues that eyewear will be mainly sold to businesses that have real-life applications for the technology. By 2018, over 340 million wearable devices will be in use worldwide -- a figure eight times greater than now -- according to CCS Insight's predictions.

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Apple hires Zane Lowe, one of UK's biggest-name DJs Apple has hired one of the most recognisable names in the UK's music scene, recruiting former MTV and BBC DJ and producer Zane Lowe to the company's music team.Lowe has become one of the most important names in the British music and radio industry in his decade at the BBC, championing some of today's biggest stars in their early days and even writing and producing big-name artists.It's not clear what Lowe's role will be at Apple. With his clout in the music industry he is likely to be involved in the much-anticipated re-invention of Apple's iTunes in the wake of the multibillion purchase of headphone brand Beats and its music streaming service Beats Music."Zane is one of the foremost music tastemakers in the world and a legendary music curator," an Apple spokesperson said. "We're excited to have him join the music team."The BBC announced the news this weekend. Lowe himself has remained uncharacteristically tight-lipped, with no tweets or announcements on the subject of his new role.(Coincidentally, a chap called Zane Rowe left Apple last year. Speculation, meanwhile, that Lowe will be a body double for Jony Ive is almost certainly a base and scurrilous rumour and should be treated as such.)Best known as a DJ, Lowe has also worked behind the scenes as music director for international festival brand Ibiza Rocks. He's known as an influential figure in the music industry, instrumental in breaking artists including Arctic Monkeys, Adele and Ed Sheeran, and scoring exclusive interviews with artists of the calibre of Jay Z, Kanye West and Eminem. As a live DJ, Lowe has toured with Skrillex and The Prodigy and opened for Muse and Foo Fighters.As well as DJing, Lowe has writing and production credits for artists including Example, Tinie Tempah and Chase and Status. He recently co-wrote and produced the track "Restart" from Sam Smith's Grammy-nominated album "In the Lonely Hour".The award-winning 41-year-old Kiwi began his presenting career in New Zealand before moving to London and becoming a music TV presenter -- do they still call them VJs or is that me showing my age? -- on MTV and MTV2. After a stint at London station XFM he took over Radio 1's flagship evening show in 2002.One of his most recent projects involved recruiting a range of bands, including Chvrches, SBTKT and The 1975, to controversially rescore the movie "Drive", with the film shown on BBC Three with the alternative music, with the blessing of the filmmakers.Lowe's last show on Radio 1 airs on 5 March, after which his weeknightly new music show will be taken over by Annie Mac.Update, 12.20 p.m. UK: Added statement from Apple.

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Ellen Pao v. Kleiner Perkins trial kicks off with mudslinging Opening arguments began in San Francisco Superior Court on Tuesday in one of the most high-profile gender discrimination lawsuits to hit Silicon Valley.The trial began with two separate tales being spun in the courtroom about the six years Ellen Pao spent working at prominent venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers. Pao's lawyers cast her as a high-achieving professional who was consistently overlooked by her superiors because she is a woman, while Kleiner Perkins' attorneys said Pao was incapable of performing her job duties. This lawsuit has brought to the fore many of the sexism and gender inequality issues that have plagued Silicon Valley over the past several years. Tech firms have been repeatedly criticized for maintaining a "boy's club" atmosphere and not hiring or promoting women. It's these same criticisms that get to the crux of this case: whether Kleiner Perkins treated all of its employees fairly or if it discriminated against certain workers because of their gender. "Kleiner Perkins used Ellen Pao's many talents for six years, but when it came time to pick who would be the next generation of Kleiner Perkins leaders, Kleiner Perkins only picked men," Pao attorney Alan Exelrod told the jury during his opening statement. Pao is bringing four central claims in this case, including allegations that Kleiner Perkins discriminated against her based on her gender, retaliated against her when she complained, failed to take all reasonable steps to prevent discrimination against her and retaliated against her by firing her. Now the interim CEO of community-curated news site Reddit, Pao is seeking $16 million for back pay and future wage losses due to the alleged discrimination. Kleiner Perkins denies all four claims. Kleiner Perkins is one of Silicon Valley's oldest and largest venture capital firms. Founded in 1972, it's backed dozens of heavy-hitting companies, including Google, Twitter, Uber, Genentech and Netscape. The firm touts itself as having more female partners and employees than any other venture capital firm and says it has a track record of being diverse in terms of gender, age and ethnicity. Additionally, Kleiner Perkins says it backs many women-led companies, like Auxogyn, Coursera, Genomic Health, Lockerz, Plum District and Rent the Runway. Pao first filed her complaint against Kleiner Perkins on May 10, 2012. Her complaint outlined certain instances of alleged sexual advances by other partners, including receiving a book by musician Leonard Cohen titled "Book of Longing" that's filled with nude drawings of women and erotic poems. Pao also alleged that male partners excluded female partners from an executive dinner because the women would "kill the buzz." The firm has repeatedly denied all of Pao's allegations and claimed in early court documents that she "twisted facts and events in an attempt to create legal claims where none exist." What was presented on Tuesday during opening arguments was a more detailed version of the allegations listed in Pao's complaint. Exelrod, Pao's attorney, spoke first, telling the story of a high-achieving woman who was born to Chinese immigrants. Pao excelled in her academic career, Exelrod said, getting a bachelor's degree from Princeton University, then both a law degree and masters of business administration from Harvard University. Before joining Kleiner Perkins in 2005, she worked for Microsoft and a number of startups. Pao was first brought onto Kleiner Perkins to be the chief of staff for one of the firm's senior partners John Doerr. In this position, Pao supported Doerr by writing his letters and speeches and doing research. Within her first year at Kleiner Perkins, Pao developed a consensual relationship with another junior partner, Ajit Nazre, which ended badly. Nazre is a central character in this case because Pao alleges he consistently retaliated against her after their relationship ended and, despite her complaints, the firm allegedly didn't intervene. Another female junior partner at Kleiner Perkins, Trae Vassallo, alleged to have been sexually harassed by Nazre in 2011 -- for which Nazre was shortly thereafter fired. Over the course of her time at Kleiner Perkins, Exelrod said Pao received "glowing" performance reviews. She gained more responsibility over the years, and in 2010 she was promoted to a junior investing partner. But, the prospect of becoming a higher-level partner was never on the table, Exelrod said. Meanwhile, more junior male partners were being promoted to higher positions than Pao."In 2011, the only people that were promoted from junior to senior partner were three men," Exelrod said. "Was there a level playing field for Ellen Pao?" By early 2012, Pao believed she was not being promoted to senior partner because of retaliation, Exelrod said. So she decided to move forward with her gender discrimination complaint. Five months later Pao left Kleiner Perkins, alleging that she was "terminated" and ordered "to clean out my office, leave, and not come back." "What happens in Kleiner Perkins when a women protests against sex discrimination and retaliation?" Exelrod asked. "She gets fired." Kleiner Perkins' lawyer Lynne Hermle painted a very different picture in her opening argument on Tuesday. Not only did Pao willingly leave Kleiner Perkins, Hermle said, it was also apparent that her departure was due to alleged performance issues rather than gender discrimination. "There is an entirely different explanation for Ellen Pao's failure to succeed at Kleiner Perkins," Hermle told the jury. "The evidence will show you that is wasn't because she is a woman. Ellen Pao did not succeed at Kleiner Perkins as an investing professional because she did not have the skills for that job."Hermle said Pao was supported throughout the years she worked at Kleiner Perkins and was treated "like a surrogate daughter" by Doerr. Despite Doerr's belief in Pao, she continually did poorly on her performance reviews by other partners who said she was "territorial" with a "caustic" work-style, Hermle said. When Pao moved into her junior investing partner position in 2010, she was reportedly unable to handle the job and be a "team player.""She was not a self starter," Hermle said. "She wasn't in the ballpark; she wasn't even close." The trial is expected to last about a month with lawyers bringing out several witnesses, but the two parties could decide to settle at any time. It's extremely rare for a gender discrimination case to make it to trial -- only about 1 percent of all cases go to trial. So the impact of this case on the tech industry could be substantial. "It's seen as a male dominated world -- Silicon Valley and the tech world universe," San Francisco civil rights attorney Traci Hinden said. "The case is alleging that [Pao] wasn't given the same sort of advancement. We see that. There are still a lot of exclusionary practices in this world."

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