The rise of the unconference

Which tech conference would you rather go to – one where the vendor maintains rigid control over the agenda and speakers (with no input from you) and you shut up and listen while they do all the talking, or one …

Google Drive launches: It won’t spark a cloud storage revolution, but it’s a start

After a staggering amount of leaks, Google has finally announced its Drive cloud storage solution that will take on a crowded field of startups and major firms dedicated to solving the same problem.

Google Drive will compete against Dropbox, Box, …

Eric Schmidt denies Google needed anyone’s permission to use Java in Android

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt (pictured) gave testimony today to try to save Android from Oracle’s clutches — and from extinction via stiff per-device licensing fees.

In Oracle’s ongoing lawsuit with Google over Android, Oracle’s attorneys today displayed a slew …

Onavo Extend’s data compression comes to 4G LTE iPad, CDMA iPhone 4S

Onavo is opening up its data compression app, Onavo Extend, to even more iOS users today. The company announced this morning that the app is now available for the new LTE iPad and the iPhone 4S on CDMA networks like …

Oh baby, Citrus Lane bags $5.1M to send care packages to new moms

Betting that new mommies will want to supply baby with the best toys, outfits, snacks, and goodies vetted by other mommies, investors have handed startup Citrus Lane a bundle of a joy in the form of $5.1 million in fresh …

Google now selling unlocked Galaxy Nexus HSPA+ phone for $399

After Google’s failed attempt to sell the Nexus One smartphone a few years back, the search giant is attempting to sell hardware once more with an unlocked Galaxy Nexus compatible with HSPA+ networks, which is now available in the Google …

Google Drive details leak: 5GB free storage, 99.99% uptime promised (updated)

Update: Google has officially announced Google Drive. Original story below.

Google has leaked more details on its Google Drive cloud storage product, with a post describing the service accidentally posting early on its French blog.

The French blog post, …

Rubin’s last stand: Android founder testifies again to save Android from Oracle

Android is on trial today in San Francisco, and its founder, Googler Andy Rubin, is stepping into the witness stand to save it from a slow death by patent litigation.

The crux of Rubin’s testimony today revolved around the greatest …

How a 5-year-old blog post might turn the tide in Oracle v. Google Android case

A blog post written by former Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz (pictured) has come into play in a tense courtroom this morning.

In Oracle’s ongoing lawsuit against Google, Judge William Alsup has allowed Google to use as evidence a particularly telling …

Near-complete Windows 8 build coming in June, no word on release date

Microsoft will offer a “release preview” version of its highly anticipated new operating system Windows 8 in early June, according to Windows unit President Steven Sinofsky, who spoke at a company event in Japan today.

Windows 8 is part of …

Google Docs storage bumped from 1GB to 5GB before Drive launch

Just as we found out yesterday that much-anticipated Google Drive might replace Google Docs, the search giant has increased Google Docs storage to 5GB from 1GB, indicating an imminent Drive launch with answers to all our questions.

Drive has been …

Free-to-play games on Xbox 360? It could happen sooner than you think

GamesBeat has learned that at least two free-to-play developers are currently in talks with Microsoft.

Asana will now take your money, Mr. Enterprise Fat Cat

Asana, the white-hot task management app from a team of web wunderkinds, is going into business in earnest with its new product launch today.

Formerly free, the Asana product will now come in paid versions with fancy features for larger …

Valve’s new pricing will charge players based on how much of a jerk they are

The folks over at Valve have cooked up a novel pricing model for the upcoming Defense of the Ancients 2. Managing director Gabe Newell says that players will be charged based on what they bring to the community. Team players …

AT&T’s Q1 profits actually rose because it sold fewer iPhones

AT&T made a huge recovery in the first quarter from its last earnings report, where it reported a $6.7 billion net loss (mainly due to fees associated with the T-Mobile merger breakup). The company today reported revenues of $31.8 million, …

Skype brings video calls to PlayStation Vita

PlayStation Vita users will be able to make video calls for the first time thanks to the addition of Skype video communication.

For Sony, the deal will help the company demonstrate the non-gaming virtues of the Vita, which has been …

With 5M corporate users, Yammer adds more third-party integration, Universal Search, & more

Business-focused social network Yammer is making good on its promise to all aspects of work software more social. Today the startup announced a slew of new features, including a new Universal Search tool, Premium Yammer Groups, more advanced content sharing …

AMD takes a swing at Intel and Nvidia with new mobile graphics chips

A day after Intel launched its Ivy Bridge combo graphics-microprocessor chips, Advanced Micro Devices is launching a new series of fast and power-efficient graphics processing units (GPU) for notebook computers.

The new AMD Radeon HD 7900M, 7800M, and 7700M series …

Did Facebook mistime its IPO? Profit and revenue fall on seasonal ad slide

Facebook is king of the social networks, but when it comes to its business model, it looks a lot like a traditional media company. 15 percent of its revenue comes from games like Zynga, but the rest is advertising, purchased …