Business Tech

For Microsoft, it's Haswell that ends well

Throughout their history, Intel and the x86 architecture for which it is known have played a pivotal role in the platform war between Apple and Microsoft.

IBM's decision to use Intel chips for the original IBM PC led to Microsoft supporting that landmark computer, and Windows grew on the back of backward compatibility with DOS apps that ran on those chips. Years before Windows RT, which runs on ARM processors, Microsoft tried to move beyond Intel by supporting other processors with Windows NT, but those versions were discontinued.

Apple, meanwhile, couldn't take advantage of many apps that required … Read more

Google's $1.6 billion London HQ renderings hit the Web

Renderings of Google's upcoming U.K. headquarters in the heart of London have been leaked onto the Web.

According to documents obtained by Building Design Online, Google's architect, Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, has released the first renderings of Google's upcoming European headquarters. The building will rise 11 stories at its highest point and be a total of 330 meters in length.

Judging by the renderings, glass appears to be the centerpiece of the building with huge panels connecting steel framing around the building. The headquarters will also achieve an "outstanding" BREEAM certification -- a top … Read more

Google to IRS: Hand over our $83.5 million tax refund

Google has sued the Internal Revenue Service over a stock transaction dating back to 2004 with America Online.

The company filed the complaint in U.S. tax court on Thursday, claiming that the U.S. government owes the search giant $83.5 million. Bloomberg, which was first to report the news, spoke with a Google spokeswoman who said that the company hopes "to have it resolved soon."

Google argues that the IRS erroneously disallowed a $238.6 million deduction the company took related to the difference in value between what AOL paid to exercise a Google stock warrant … Read more

RSS, autocomplete URLs hit new Android Firefox beta

Mozilla debuted a new Firefox for Android 23 beta (download) on Thursday that brought with it a flatter but more Web-friendly version of the familiar browser logo.

The new logo has been designed, wrote Sean Martell, Mozilla's lead visual designer, with "SVG compatibility and color consistency" in mind. It doesn't ditch detail just for the sake of it, he said in his blog post about the change, but actually adds more detail in some areas.

One major detail he pointed out that has changed is the fox's arm. It now comes from its shoulder, instead … Read more

Sharp inks LCD joint venture with China Electronics

The embattled Sharp has entered into an agreement with state-run company China Electronics to form a joint venture focused on building LCDs.

Sharp's board of directors announced on Thursday (PDF) that they've formed a joint venture that will be known as Nanjing CEC-Panda LCD Technology, with China Electronics. That company, better known as CEC, will own 92 percent of the joint venture, leaving Sharp with 8 percent ownership.

According to Sharp, the newly formed company will start construction on an LCD production plant in August, and expects to start delivering panels in June 2015. It will focus its … Read more

Apple loses bid to include Galaxy S4 in Samsung suit

U.S. Magistrate Judge Paul S. Grewal has turned down Apple's recent request to include the Galaxy S4 in an ongoing lawsuit against Samsung.

In a ruling dated Wednesday, Grewal wrote that Apple's argument for including the Galaxy S4 in its lawsuit against Samsung is not persuasive enough and creates "undue prejudice" for Samsung as it defends itself against Apple's legal jabs.

According to Grewal:

Throughout the hearing, Apple warned that excluding the Galaxy S4 would result in yet another case with more claims of infringement and would require Apple to continue to play, in … Read more

Google takes aim at adult-theme Blogger pages, threatens takedown

Adult-themed Blogger sites might soon be in for some trouble with the platform's owner, Google.

Blogger Violet Blue on Thursday tweeted a notice Google sent out to bloggers warning them that as of June 30, the search giant will be updating the Blogger Content Policy to "strictly prohibit the monetization of Adult content on Blogger."

According to Google, there are some Blogger pages that are adult-themed in nature and have ads promoting adult Web sites. After the policy change takes effect, the company will take down any blogs that are still promoting those sites.

"If your … Read more

Microsoft's pitch for hybrids: Tablets alone don't cut it

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer pitched upcoming "2-in-1" devices hard Wednesday at the Build Conference. Part of the pitch included mocking the dedicated tablet experience.

Here's what Ballmer said.

How many of us have gone to a meeting with somebody who brought a tablet and then when it comes time to actually take notes, writes them down on pencil and paper. Or can't get at the spreadsheet...or try to use it in terminal emulator mode...or take [a long time] to set up and turn their tablet into something that approximates a PC.

That statement -- … Read more

AT&T; turns on 7 new LTE markets, expands in six areas

AT&T has expanded its LTE presence in the U.S.

The company announced Wednesday that it has turned on seven new LTE markets in the U.S. The new markets include Grand Rapids, Minn., Hot Springs, Ark., and Mount Vernon, Ohio. In addition, AT&T has expanded LTE coverage in Atlanta, New York City, and Columbia, S.C., among other areas.

With the new markets, AT&T now has 291 areas with LTE, covering over 200 million people across the U.S. By the end of this year, AT&T expects its LTE rollout to … Read more

Foxconn set to spin off the 'conn,' boost profits

Hon Hai Precision Industry, which operates under the Foxconn brand, will generate higher profits this year, the company's chairman and CEO said on Wednesday.

Speaking to shareholders at his company's annual meeting in Taipei, Terry Gou guaranteed that Hon Hai's profits this year "will surpass last year's" and added that growth will hit 15 percent year over year.

There has been some concern over Hon Hai's performance as analysts have predicted that iPhone and iPad shipments will stall, leading to Hon Hai generating less revenue. However, the company thinks it can overcome declining … Read more