Miscellaneous

So Google now wants to be like Apple (Wait, what?)

Google's purchase of Motorola Mobility was all about the patents. Just as shopping at Prada is all about the necessity to own something that is black.

Many have theorized about the strategy behind blowing two years of Google's profits on a hardware operation. Some have even whispered mischievously that there may be no strategy at all, other than some vague pragmatic expediency and Microsoft-battling.

However, there has also emerged the notion that now Google can be like Apple--a company with its own hardware/software infrastructure that welcomes you into its warm bosom and keeps you there with untold … Read more

Michael Dell(!) mixes it up with HP

Tech industry titans are known for taking the gloves off and throwing wicked verbal jabs at their competitors. Larry Ellison, Steve Jobs, Steve Ballmer, Mark Cuban, Bill Gates, and Scott McNealy have all made headlines with their zingers.

Not on that list is Michael Dell, the relatively staid (boring?) founder and current CEO/chairman of his namesake PC maker. (Actually, one of the few times Dell did lob such a grenade he basically had it blow up in his own lap. More on that later.)

But even Mr. Dell couldn't resist the opportunity to weigh in on the wave … Read more

This Day in Tech: Microsoft plans to press Android patent case

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Friday, August 19.

• In a hearing Monday before the International Trade Commission, Microsoft plans to press its case that Motorola's Android-powered devices violate its patents. The hearing will focus on the validity of Microsoft's patents and on whether Motorola infringed on them. The hearing should last 10 days.

• What are the risks of wireless medical devices? One security researcher discovered that he could hack his wireless insulin pump and remotely control it. "The second reaction was one … Read more

Microsoft makes a play for WebOS developers

Just a day after Hewlett-Packard announced plans to discontinue its WebOS operations, Microsoft made a play for the developers who created applications for the operating system.

Brandon Watson, the director of developer experience for Windows Phone, tweeted this afternoon that Microsoft would provide free phones, developer tools and training to help any published WebOS developers make the switch to Windows Phone. Watson wrote that the company will give those developers "what you need to be successful."

Of course, like WebOS, Windows Phone trails Google's Android and Apple's iOS in the mobile device operating system market. Any … Read more

Gigantic coin achieves tilt-shift effect

To achieve a miniature, tilt-shift effect on subjects, one can typically rely on specialized lenses or miniature-styled programmed modes found in today's cameras. A Norwegian design studio called Skrekkogle has done the opposite with its Big Money Project.

Instead of "shrinking" a subject with special effects, they have created a massive 20:1 euro cent coin to make a subject appear small, like a miniature scale model, in comparison.

Skrekkogle's giant coin was available for sale at its Web site, but is, alas, currently out of stock. More pics below. … Read more

HP's Carly Fiorina era is finally over...good riddance

commentary Walter Hewlett was right.

Walter Hewlett, you may remember, was the low-key, cello-playing scion of the Hewlett family who fought HP's then-CEO, Carly Fiorina, over her planned $25 billion merger with Compaq, which was announced 10 years ago next month.

Hewlett's point was simple: Just maybe it's a really bad idea to double down on a low-margin business like PCs.

Of course, we all know what happened. Hewlett's opposition was no match for the publicity-savvy Fiorina and her team of brass-knuckled marketers, who seemed a better fit for politics than the high-tech industry. (Which explains … Read more

Thai war airship going over like a lead zeppelin

If you're going to fight an Islamic insurgency, you'd think there would be more practical tools than an airship.

But that's just what Thailand has been using to track militants in its restive southern provinces. Its manned Aeros 40D Sky Dragon, manufactured by California-based Aeros, has again run into technical trouble, making an emergency landing in the south's Pattani Province recently.

The Sky Dragon developed propeller problems and began losing altitude. It sustained some damage in an emergency landing, but no one was hurt, the Bangkok Post reported.

The 350 million baht ($11.7 million) U.S.-built craft has been seen as a boondoggle in Thailand due to problems with equipment and delays in delivery. It was returned to Aeros last year following major leaks, according to the paper.

Because the warranty has expired, the Royal Thai Army will have to pay for repairs.

The airship has a rigid structure and is thus not a blimp, and it measures 11.6 yards wide by 51 yards long. It's supposed to fly up to an altitude of 10,000 feet with a top speed of 54.6 mph. Its operational range is 348 miles.

The military has been using the dirigible for surveillance in the insurgency, which has claimed thousands of lives. It's been equipped with high-def night cameras and communications systems. … Read more

Google beefs up Android armament (week in review)

While beefing up protection for its Android mobile operating system, Google this week made a deal that puts it into the handset business.

Google has agreed to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, giving the search giant valuable wireless intellectual property and simultaneously lending stability to and shaking up the Android world.

With Motorola, Google gets a treasure trove of patents to defend itself and its partners against a rising tide of legal opposition. Over the past few months, major technology players such as Apple and Oracle have sued either Google or its partners in an attempt to slow … Read more

This Day in Tech: HP saying goodbye to WebOS, PC unit

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Thursday, August 18.

• The world's largest computer maker Hewlett-Packard announced today that it's buying software company Autonomy for $10.2 billion. But its also bidding farewell to its WebOS and PC units. HP appears to be following IBM's trajectory and is getting more into the analytical software business.

• IBM is producing the first working cognitive computing chips that are meant to perform like a human brain. The chips are expected to power computers with processors that mimic … Read more