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Apple and Google might be opponents competing for smartphone and tablet customers, but according to a Bloomberg report they have joined forces to acquire Eastman Kodak's 1,000 imaging patents for more than $500 million. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the possible alliance in August. Previously, the Journal reported that Apple and Google were each leading separate consortiums to purchase the patents in the range of $150 million to $250 million.

Eastman Kodak, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in January, needs to sell the patents to help pay down a $950 … Read more

The stars lined up just right this week (read: gift-giving season is here!) to have a number of awesome game sequels and new releases launch all at once. Frankly, there are so many new games that there is no better time than the present to check out what the App Store has to offer.

Rick Broida already wrote about Grand Theft Auto: Vice City earlier today, but there are plenty more that would make nice additions to your iOS gaming collection.

This week's collection of apps is a group of excellent games released over the course of this week. … Read more

If Made In USA is a feature, Hewlett-Packard's got Apple beat.

In effect, that's what HP said today. "Lots of noise...about Apple moving Mac production back to the U.S.... [We] wanted to offer HP's story," said an HP representative via e-mail Friday.

Part of that story was provided by way of a blog post.

"HP PCs have been assembled in the U.S. since the beginning," the post begins. "HP workstations and commercial desktop PCs are manufactured in Indianapolis, and HP servers are manufactured in Houston. These manufacturing facilities employ … Read more

Seventy-seven days after putting the iPhone 5 on sale, there's no longer a wait to buy one from Apple in some countries.

Today the company began showing online iPhone 5 shoppers a notice that the gadget was "in stock" in a handful of its online stores, including the U.S. and Canada. That's versus the previous estimate of two to four business days, notes MacRumors.

It's the shortest estimated wait time for the phone, which launched in the U.S. and eight other countries on September 21. Quickly after the device went on sale, wait … Read more

One of Apple's broad patents covering touch-screen technology is under fire by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, following a re-examination.

The USPTO ruled this week that all 20 claims included in the patent are invalid, according to a filing spotted by blog Foss Patents.

The decision, which was handed down Monday, is not final.

It's the second such Apple patent to be deemed completely invalid following a re-examination by the USPTO. A similar decision for an Apple patent covering the company's rubber-banding bounce effect came in late October, and is also subject to an appeal. … Read more

There's a company operating in China that is called the next Apple by supporters, and is run by a founder that has achieved Steve Jobs-like status among his firm's followers.

Xiaomi Technology may be largely unknown to the outside world, but in China it's a household name, Reuters reports in a detailed profile of the company and its founder. As with Apple in the U.S. and other countries, Xiaomi commands instant attention in China when it announces a new product. When it releases new devices, it's not uncommon for Chinese workers to take the day … Read more

The weeks-long hunt for software pioneer turned fugitive John McAfee ended this week with his arrest in Guatemala.

McAfee, who was sought by police in connection with a shooting in Belize, was arrested by Guatemalan police for allegedly entering the country illegally. The 67-year-old founder of the company that bears his name apparently entered Guatemala to seek asylum from officials in Belize, who have been pursuing him for the past few weeks in connection with the shooting death of his neighbor.

The Guatemalan government denied the asylum request of the tech-entrepreneur-turned-fugitive yesterday, opening the door for the eccentric millionaire's … Read more

The 27-inch iMac now has a vague ship date of January, not exactly an improvement over the previous estimate.

Unveiled in October, the 27-inch iMac popped up for preorder on Apple's online retail site on November 30. The initial ship time was pegged at two to three weeks, but that shot up to three to four weeks after just a few hours.

Three to four weeks after November 30 takes us to December 21 to December 28. That estimate already meant the 27-inch iMac wouldn't make it on the shopping lists of holidays buyers. And now a fuzzy … Read more

How do I stream thee, Netflix? Let me count the ways. There's PlayStation 3, Wii, Xbox, Apple TV, Mac, PC, tablet, smartphone, networked TVs, Roku, and other streaming-media boxes. I've probably missed a few methods.

It seems like you can't turn around without bumping into a device that can stream Netflix. Still, one streaming method has broken away from the rest this year. The PlayStation 3 recently took the crown as the most popular option for streaming Netflix content to televisions, beating out other options like set-top boxes and smart TVs. … Read more