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As mobile computing has evolved from the exception to the norm, many vendors have attempted to imbue their products with a certain high-end cachet. Some succeeded beyond measure and expectation, even with devices that were initially technologically flawed. Others have developed products which initia...

There's no question that as a society, we're addicted to technology. That was evident when the earliest versions of BlackBerry smartphones were given a nickname I won't repeat here. Most technophiles are familiar with the term. It equated the devices with an illicit street drug, and alluded to use...

The official vision of the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace is a government-coordinated, private-sector initiative to increase the security of the Internet. In their words: "Individuals and organizations utilize secure, efficient, easy-to-use, and interoperable identity solutio...

PayPal and its parent eBay have filed a lawsuit against Google over mobile payments, in the wake of Google's announcement Thursday of its new e-wallet services. The suit personally names two Google executives as defendants. It also names another 50 defendants as "John Does," meaning the plaintiff do...

I have a love-hate relationship with social media. I love platforms like Twitter and LinkedIn that let me keep up with people I truly value as friends and colleagues, even as we move on to new stages in our lives. I hate social media's potential for baring intimate details of your life with people y...

Time to move over, Ballmer. Greenlight Capital President David Einhorn has reportedly called for Microsoft's CEO, Steve Ballmer, to step down. Einhorn spoke on the subject Wednesday at the Ira Sohn Investment Conference in New York City. Einhorn showed support for Microsoft in general, recommending ...

The wireless and wire line telecom industry is changing, again. Remember a decade ago, when we had long-distance companies? Then the long-distance giants were acquired by the baby bells. Next, the baby bells merged into three. Then the wireless industry merged its way down to a handful of giants. So...

After much rumor and speculation, Twitter and TweetDeck announced what many had already concluded: the popular third-party client has been acquired by Twitter. The terms of the deal were undisclosed but various news reports put it between $40 million and $50 million. Of perhaps greater interest, at ...

Social media game maker Zynga is reading itself to file for an initial public offering, according to a report in All Things Digital. The filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission could come as soon as this week, or next week at the latest, according to the report's sources. The rumor mill i...

Square, a startup founded by Twitter alum Jack Dorsey, has rolled out revamped versions of its iPhone/iPad and Android apps. The company is positioning the offering as an alternative to NFC (near field communication) technology, the next-generation standard -- once it is finally settled -- for mobil...

The breach of Sony's PlayStation Network will cost the company at least US$171 million according to the company's preliminary financial forecast released on Monday -- the latest predictions for its fiscal year ending March 2012. The total figure will likely grow. . . and grow. Sony has racked up exp...

Federal chief information officers appear to be heeding the unofficial Missouri state slogan: "I'm from Missouri -- Show Me." In a challenging time for procurement of IT systems and services, CIOs are trying to adopt improved methods for acquiring and managing information resources. In a recent surv...

Nine months after Barnes & Noble put itself up for auction, Liberty Media made a bid for the retail bookstore chain. John Malone's Liberty Media offered $17 per share for a 70 percent stake in the company, making the potential deal worth over $1 billion. Although the pairing of a media conglomer...

Nine months after Barnes & Noble put itself up for auction, Liberty Media made a bid for the retail bookstore chain. John Malone's Liberty Media offered $17 per share for a 70 percent stake in the company, making the potential deal worth over $1 billion. Although the pairing of a media conglomer...

Mobile-connected devices allow users to browse where desktop computers can't go, thus increasing the amount of online connectivity for many consumers. This could make a major difference in how marketers choose to reach consumers online. A Nielson report released last week details just how customers ...