HP tells employees it’s “not walking away from WebOS”
In a move likely meant to stop employees from jumping out of windows, HP webOS VP Stephen DeWitt held a secret meeting with staff in the division yesterday to confirm that there is still a future for the OS, This Is My Next reports.
“We are not walking away from webOS,” he said while discussing plans about the software’s future. DeWitt later added, “Clearly, we don’t have all the answers today.”
HP rocked the technology … Continue Reading
iPhone 5 coming early October, says AT&T VP
An AT&T vice president has apparently confirmed to some employees that the iPhone 5 is set for an early October release, a “high-level”source tells the mobile site Boy Genius Report.
If true, the news means that Apple will likely still announce the iPhone 5 at some point in September. I suspect the company will allow a week or two of leeway to take pre-orders for the device.
This particular rumor is worth paying attention to … Continue Reading
Apple yet again pushes for EU ban of Samsung Galaxy tablets, phones
After a German court granted that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 could be sold in most of Europe, Apple this week brought the case to the Netherlands to push for the ban of Samsung’s entire Galaxy line of smartphones and tablets.
Apple and Samsung did not immediately provide official comments on the matter.
The complaint against Samsung in The Hague district court, which was first pointed out by Dutch publication Webwereld, is not simply a ban … Continue Reading
How Microsoft engineered Kinect to withstand gamers and lightning strikes
Microsoft engineers spoke publicly for the first time yesterday about how they built the Kinect motion sensing system, offering a rare glimpse inside the secret world of product design.
After being taken to task for designing Xbox 360 game consoles that failed in large numbers, Microsoft turned a corner: Very few customers have returned the Kinect add-on for the Xbox. One of the reasons was the engineering discipline that the company applied in the wake … Continue Reading
Apple iPad 3 on track for early 2012, likely with Retina Display
As if you needed further evidence that rumors of a new iPad this fall are defunct, Apple has apparently begun trial production of a next-gen iPad targeted for an early 2012 release, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Sources within the iPad manufacturing supply chain told the WSJ that Apple has placed orders for a 9.7-inch screen for its new tablet, the same as the iPad 1 and iPad 2. The sources didn’t confirm whether the … Continue Reading
Medio will help Angry Birds maker find even more users with predictive analytics (exclusive)
It may seem like everyone on the planet has played Angry Birds, but Rovio‘s mobile game has been downloaded only 300 million times, and the company wants to hit more than a billion users. To that end, Rovio is teaming up today with Medio Systems to take advantage of its predictive analytics service.
The deal isn’t a gigantic one, but it tells you what successful game companies are doing in terms of data mining to … Continue Reading
Shotgun networking is no way to make contacts
Networking is a critical part of the business world, but it’s something that precious few people do well. Mark Verge, serial entrepreneur and founder of PerfectBusiness.com talks about the importance of listening, rather than selling yourself, as you talk with someone who can potentially help your company – as well as the critical nature of following up. Also, rather than trying to meet everyone in the room, focus on a critical few and really get … Continue Reading
Centrify’s single sign-on secures servers, scores $16M
Centrify, a company securing on-premise and cloud servers, raised $16 million in its fourth round of funding yesterday.
The company provides a single sign-on for access to servers in addition to management solutions. These solutions include the ability to turn off potentially compromised machines, restrict user privileges, and monitor all activity on the servers.
“A lot of breaches come from insiders who have the keys to the kingdom. We eliminate the keys to the kingdom,” … Continue Reading
HP faces ridicule in social media for abandoning tablets and PCs
Hewlett-Packard’s announcement today that it will shut its WebOS operations and spin off its PC business is drawing some ridicule on Twitter. Among the witty cracks is a comment from Michael Dell, the chief executive of Dell, who wrote, “If HP spins off their PC business, maybe they will call it Compaq?”
That’s a reference to HP’s grand plan to become the world’s largest PC maker with the acquisition of Compaq Computer in 2001.
“HP….They … Continue Reading
Google+ Hangouts lets you watch YouTube videos as a group
Google is apparently keenly aware of the rising popularity of services that allow users to watch streaming media at the same time while communicating.
Google+ members now have the ability to watch a YouTube video using the service’s group video chat Hangouts feature. YouTube product manager Brian Glick announced the addition Thursday in a note.
“Just click on ‘Share’ underneath any video, and then click on ‘Start a Google+ Hangout’ in the bottom right-hand corner,” … Continue Reading
Hands on with Microsoft’s slick speech-powered Xbox 360, Windows Phone 7 (video)
Microsoft is rolling out a whole host of speech recognition features for its Windows Phone 7 devices and Kinect-enabled Xbox 360 consoles in a move to make the gaming experience more immersive. The new features are part of what the company refers to as the “natural user interface” (NUI).
The company acquired speech recognition software developer Tellme in 2007. But there wasn’t whole lot of interest in the speech recognition sector until Apple stunned the … Continue Reading
Google Maps weather layer is strangely disappointing
Google has finally added weather data to its maps, but is this really the best it can do?
Overall, the new layer is somewhat useful, but it doesn’t seem like a very serious effort, and it pales next to the wealth of weather apps and sites already available.
The new weather layer on Google Maps, launched today, displays current temperatures and conditions in cities and towns around the world. Clicking or tapping on the weather … Continue Reading
RIM to launch its own streaming music service, says report
BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion is working on its own digital streaming music service that would run specifically on its smartphones and tablets, according to CNET.
RIM is currently in a tough position, as its once-great smartphone market share slips away quickly to Google Android and Apple iOS smartphones and tablets. Adding another option for accessing media on its devices could, in theory, be another way to attract new consumers and retain those who are still … Continue Reading
“Anonymous is all about privacy,” says group member
The ephemeral, anarchic group known as Anonymous is credited with shutting down trains and publishing the personal information of transit police in San Francisco this week. And yet its decentralized nature means there’s little agreement about the organization’s methods.
Hackers found and published the personal information of 100 Bay Area Rapid Transit police this week. Ostensibly, Anonymous was behind the leak, as many have reported. But it’s hard to say precisely who was responsible, because … Continue Reading
Finally: Foursquare lets you check in to movies, sports games and concerts
Location-based social network Foursquare now allows its users to check in at specific events, the company announced today on its blog.
The new check-in feature means time-specific events such as movies, concerts and sports games will all be treated the same way as locations. So, in addition to checking in to a specific venue (a.k.a. location) using Foursquare on a mobile device, people can now choose the event itself.
For example, when attending a Titans … Continue Reading
Twitter app store Oneforty acquired by HubSpot
Oneforty, entrepreneur and marketer Laura Fitton’s Twitter-for-businesses startup, was snapped up by marketing company HubSpot today.
HubSpot does inbound marketing, using attraction versus promotion to help customers find the stuff they want. It’s an alternative to traditional marketing which helping brands force-feed their products and messaging to the public.
“Inbound marketing makes marketing less crappy. It’s less about ‘sell sell sell’ and more about helping people buy,” said Fitton in an interview today.
The Oneforty … Continue Reading
In tough decisions, HP shows a contradiction in its patience
Hewlett-Packard made some stunning decisions today that will affect its strategy for a long time to come. The announcements raise questions about what exactly is going through the mind of its chief executive, Léo Apotheker, and just how patient he will be when it comes to axing or keeping parts of the company that aren’t doing so well.
On the one hand, Apotheker has shown no patience for failure. The poor launch of the webOS … Continue Reading
HP executives: ‘WebOS did not meet expectations’
Hewlett-Packard is having quite a day.
HP today announced it would acquire Autonomy, a massive enterprise software company, for $10 billion. It also announced that it would no longer develop mobile devices running Palm’s webOS mobile operating system, and that it is spinning off its personal systems group, which manufactures PCs.
The company reported quarterly revenue of $31.2 billion compared with $30.7 billion one year ago. The company said that sales for the fourth fiscal … Continue Reading
The Writers’ Lounge: Post-Palm Angst
At VentureBeat, our humble newsroom is known around the office as the Writers’ Lounge.
In this den of cynicism, we rant, opine, pronounce judgments, challenge one another to duels “to the pain” and eventually decide what stories will make it to the VentureBeat homepage.
Today, we’re offering you a peek inside our gatekeeping process with this short, candid clip from the Writers’ Lounge.
One of the bigger stories from today is HP’s execution of its … Continue Reading
With HP’s PC spinoff, vertical integration falls out of favor
Big companies go through a particular life cycle when it comes to expansion and vertical integration: They spend a lot of time growing businesses and then acquiring new ones. Hewlett-Packard did this when it acquired Compaq in 2001 under then-CEO Carly Fiorina.
Now HP’s new chief executive Leo Apotheker is contemplating unraveling that with a major reorganization. Software and services are the new emphasis at HP, and HP announced today it may spin off its … Continue Reading
