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A tablet is only as good as the software it runs. Unfortunately for Android tablet owners, finding great tablet-optimized software can be a struggle. Browsing Google Play (formerly known as the Android Market), there's no easy way to filter out smartphone apps and focus just on the meaty tablet stuff.

The good news is that there are some great Android tablet apps out there, and they can be found with just a little extra effort.

The above video offers some of my best tips for finding all the great app content available for Android tablets. For a step-by-step walkthrough, … Read more

A tech company creates a robotic espresso machine that can be controlled by text messages and print bits of those messages on espresso foam. All in the name of duping gadget bloggers and others into spreading the company's name far and wide.

The blogosphere-manipulating company is called Zipwhip. And as you'll see in the video below, it has a product it would like everyone to know about. And, as we think we've mentioned, it also has a robotic espresso machine that can be controlled by text messages etcetera.

Now, this machine is not something that's on the market. Apparently it's a one-off created expressly for Zipwhip's offices (though Zipwhip has posted some info about it for those who might like to create their own).… Read more

PARIS -- Apple is the biggest buyer of microprocessors today -- and it's getting bigger.

The semiconductor industry produces all kinds of chips for memory, running software, communicating over networks, and more. And Apple, by virtue of its booming iPhone and iPad business, is a voracious consumer, said Dale Ford, head of IHS iSuppli's electronics and semiconductor research business. Samsung is in second place, and also growing fast, he added, speaking at the analyst firm's Technology, Media and Telecommunications (TMT) Summit here.

In 2009, Apple was one of the herd, spending about $9 billion on semiconductors. This … Read more

Apple's iPad helped catapult the company to the top of the mobile PC space last quarter, according to new data from NPD DisplaySearch.

The research firm revealed today that during the first quarter, Apple shipped 17.2 million mobile PCs worldwide, earning it 22.5 percent share of the market and jumping 118 percent year-over-year. Hewlett-Packard and Acer trailed with 11.6 percent and 9 percent market share, respectively. Lenovo and Dell rounded out the top five with 7.7 percent and 7.3 percent share.

NPD DisplaySearch, which defines mobile PCs as tablets, notebooks, and mini-notebooks, said total … Read more

Facebook's shares are trading lower on their second day on Nasdaq.

In pre-market trading this morning, the company's shares dropped 4.37 percent to $36.56, leaving them below their initial $38 offering price and their first-day close of $38.23.

Facebook's shares rose to a high of $45 on Monday before flirting with falling below their initial price. It was believed that the stock was buoyed by underwriters to ensure it didn't slip below $38.

Aside from Facebook finally going public, the big story on Friday was Nasdaq delaying its opening due to a technical glitch. … Read more

Yahoo today announced Genome, a data-intensive advertising system designed to help marketers navigate the wilds of the "big data landscape" on the way to more precise ad targeting and personalization.

Genome is designed to pull together Yahoo data with third-party data from Interclick and first-party data from advertisers, while also making sense of heaps and heaps of less-structured information. It's all about helping marketers tame what Yahoo terms "the chaos of the data ecosystem" in order to build brand value, boost conversion rates, and elevate revenue.

"With Genome, we can help marketers transform consumer … Read more

Twitter has hired the team behind RestEngine, a 2.5-year-old company that focuses on e-mail marketing.

RestEngine describes itself as a "social marketing automation solution" aimed at app developers and publishers. The company serves up personalized marketing e-mails. Some of its customers include RockYou, UStream, and CrowdStar.

TechCrunch first reported news of the deal, which the outlet says was completed in late April. RestEngine alerted users about the move in a note on its Web site today: … Read more

NEW ORLEANS--Security suite maker AVG has teamed with independent Android marketplace and mobile content provider Livewire to scan all the apps it hosts for malware before they are made available to the public, the companies announced today at CTIA. The deal will also install AVG's free Android security app Mobilation (download) on devices to scan apps after they update.

Jon Lobb, vice president of Global Business Development for mobile at AVG, said that the partnership would keep phones safe from before an app is installed through the app's updates. "It's a belt-to-bracers approach," said Lobb. … Read more

commentary Research In Motion is in need of a drastic change. But its most recent viral-marketing campaign, "Wake Up," hasn't exactly helped it achieve that goal.

The company has updated its "Wake Up" Web page with a short speech telling the corporate world that it should wake up and realize that "it's time to mean business."

"Now before you go looking for your suit and briefcase, we're not talking about that kind of business," a narrator is heard saying as the text scrolls up the page. "Business is … Read more