Globalfoundries goes independent, buying out AMD ownership

Globalfoundries marked its third year as a chip manufacturing foundry by buying out the shares owned by Advanced Micro Devices. That fulfills the company’s goal of becoming an independent foundry, or contract chip manufacturer.

The deal will trigger a $703 …

Square launches new iPad app to help merchants ditch the cash register

Mobile payments startup Square has launched a new iPad application called Register that aims to help merchants ditch traditional cash registers, the company announced early Monday morning.

Square has done a lot in the way of transforming the way small …

Mass Effect 3 leaked online

Pirates have struck the Normandy again. Just two days before Mass Effect 3 is due to land in shops in the U.S., Electronic Arts’ game has leaked via a number of torrent sites.

Both the Xbox 360 and PC version …

Who won? First-week sales of PS Vita vs. PSP vs. 3DS vs. DS (infographic)

In two of the three major video game markets (Japan and the U.S.), Nintendo has come out on top in first-week sales of handheld gaming systems with its DS and 3DS consoles. But Sony has performed better in Europe, where the last-generation PlayStation Portable and the recently released PlayStation Vita have outperformed both DS devices.

Check the infographic below to see how these four portables fared in first-week sales across the three territories, and for comparison's sake, see how eight major handheld platforms have sold in their lifetimes.

Valve “Steam Box” console rumor sounds like a bad idea

Valve is working on a new set-top gaming system standard based on PC architecture dubbed “Steam Box,” according to a report published by website The Verge, A standout feature is rumored to be a controller that could provide real-time biometric …

How Roku is kicking the cable industry’s butt & where it’s going next [exclusive]

Anthony Wood (pictured) is Roku’s CEO, and at his house (he’s married with three kids), each person gets seven hours of TV each week — all sans cable, natch.

The family gets its fix primarily from Amazon’s pay-per-view video selection, …

GM is halting Chevy Volt production, for now

General Motors announced Friday it will temporarily shut down production of the Chevy Volt, its break-out electric car.

GM will also temporarily lay off 1,300 employees who work on the Volt’s production line between March 19 and April 23, Detroit …

Interactive adventure game wows Exploratorium crowds

Last night, visitors to San Francisco’s Exploratorium After Dark were given the opportunity to walk through a game-style art installation full of stories and characters from the San Francisco music scene. “Hiss Pop” took participants through an adults-only adventure-style interactive …