Here’s a handful of interesting tech stories from around the web for Wednesday, May 23. Jonathan Ive interview: Apple’s design genius is British to the core [The Telegraph] Apple’s design guru Jonathan Ive, who receives a knighthood today for creating products such as the iPad, tells Shane Richmond why this country’s industrial heritage lies behind his success. Facebook, banks sued over pre-IPO analyst calls [Reuters] Facebook Inc. and banks including Morgan Stanley were sued by the social networking leader’s shareholders, who claimed the defendants hid Facebook’s weakened growth forecasts ahead of its $16 billion initial public offering. Happy Birthday, Pac-Man! [PC Magazine] Pac-man—the iconic game and character that elevated video games from seedy arcades to national past time—is 32 years old. Rickroll Meme Destroyed By ... Continue reading →

It’s been done in France and elsewhere, but this will apparently be a first for those of us in North America: Starting in early July, LaGuardia, Newark and JFK airports will put “computerized, hologram-like avatars” to work in an effort to beef up the Port Authority’s customer care program during the busy summer traveling season. According to a press release from the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey: To expand on the program, the Port Authority created an innovative pilot plan that will feature virtual customer care representatives. This is the first time this technology will be used at an airport in North America, and the computerized, hologram-like avatars will provide automated, basic information to travelers in LaGuardia’s Central Terminal Building, Newark Liberty’s ... Continue reading →

Here’s a handful of interesting tech stories from around the web for Tuesday, May 22. It’s Official: Google Is Now a Hardware Company [Businessweek] How the Motorola deal went down, what it means, and where Google-Rola goes from here. The 101 Tech People You Have To Follow On Twitter [Business Insider] If you’re not on Twitter, then you don’t know what’s happening in the tech world. It’s the best place to find smart, short analysis, as well as the stories everyone is talking about. Apple still dominates world’s top brands: study [Reuters] Apple has maintained its place as the world’s most valuable brand over the past year, leading a group of technology-related companies that dominate the top 10, according to a study published on Tuesday. ... Continue reading →

Come on. You can afford it. You’ve been working hard. Well, you’ve been working at least. And if you haven’t been working, couldn’t you use a deal that’d let you buy $100 worth of Apple-related intangibles for $80? Best Buy’s daily deal – good today only, of course – is $100 worth of iTunes credit in the form of a gift card or digitally-delivered redemption code for $80. You can order up to five, which would save you a grand total of $100 and likely keep you busy for quite some time. Summer’s just around the bend; it’ll be hot out there and your iPad screen gets washed out in bright sunlight. Staying inside where it’s cool and dark? With a fully-loaded iPad? Win-win. Deal ... Continue reading →

Google has made its $12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola Mobility official. Google CEO Larry Page announced the closing of the deal in a company blog post: The phones in our pockets have become supercomputers that are changing the way we live. It’s now possible to do things we used to think were magic, or only possible on Star Trek–like get directions right from where we are standing; watch a video on YouTube; or take a picture and share the moment instantly with friends. It’s why I’m excited to announce today that our Motorola Mobility deal has closed. Motorola is a great American tech company that has driven the mobile revolution, with a track record of over 80 years of innovation, including the creation of the ... Continue reading →

I live in a mystical, mysterious section of the world referred to simply as “Boston” by the townspeople. In this strange land, we have but one option for cable TV – we call it “Comcast” – yet whispers of newfangled fusions of technology and entertainment from the likes of Verizon (“the FiOS”) and AT&T (“the U-verse”) have been relayed to us by outsiders brave enough to visit our homes, temporarily blinded by the bright blue and yellow hues emanating from our old-timey cable box interfaces. I have, for years, assumed that said interface was designed as an end-of-the-year project at one of America’s fine technical schools and gifted to Comcast on a whim. Yet the years passed by, and still the old-timey, bright yellow and ... Continue reading →

Here’s a handful of interesting tech stories from around the web for Monday, May 21. Microsoft Launches Socl Social Network: A Look Inside [Marketing Land] Congrats, Mark Zuckerberg. You went public on Friday, got married on Saturday and now as a special present from part-owner and best partner Microsoft have a new social network to contend with: Microsoft’s So.cl. But don’t worry too much. Alibaba in talks to raise $2.3 billion equity for Yahoo deal: sources [Reuters] Entrepreneur Jack Ma is buying back up to half of a 40 percent stake in his Alibaba Group from Yahoo for $7.1 billion, in a deal that moves the Chinese e-commerce leader closer to a public listing. Nexus Smartphones: Who Wins, Who Loses if Google Launches Android 5.0 ... Continue reading →

Facebook prices initial public offering at $38 per share, stands to reap $18.4B. Story developing, check back for updates… Continue reading →

Here’s a handful of interesting tech stories from around the web for Thursday, May 17. Facebook vs. Google: The epic battle [CNET] The Facebook IPO will embolden the social network company to up its fight with Google for the online advertising market. Don’t expect Google to back down. 40 Apps That Can Make You More Productive [PC Magazine] Get the most out of yourself with these apps that will help you work more efficiently and boost your productivity. Existing unlimited data plans’ days are numbered, Verizon says [Ars Technica] Verizon sees a way out of unlimited data plans through its upcoming shared plans, Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said at a JP Morgan conference on Wednesday. Updated Web Video Player [Netflix Blog] If you ... Continue reading →