yellow

Glass may be controlled by winks, pinches

CNET Update is acting totally normal:

If it isn't not odd enough to be wearing a computer on your face, how about controlling it with nods, blinks and air pinching? Some interesting phrasing of code in the MyGlass companion app seems to indicate the Google Glass headset will have gesture controls.

Also in this tech news roundup:

- What's bright, yellow and has keys all over? Nokia's next smartphone.

- The end is near for TweetDeck's desktop program and mobile apps. After May 7, the only way to use TweetDeck will be from the browser. Time … Read more

NYC turns to pilot program for app to hail taxis

Whether people call a taxi or hail one can be a contentious matter in New York City -- because of rules set up between yellow cabs and for-hire vehicles. So, it's no surprise that a smartphone app that lets users beckon yellow cabs has been a topic of hot debate with the New York City Taxi and Limousine Commission.

The commission announced Wednesday that it will vote on whether to allow such apps in a pilot program, according to the New York Times. The vote is scheduled for Thursday. Update December 13 at 10:04 a.m. PT: On … Read more

Ouch! Yahoo ordered to pay $2.7B in Mexican lawsuit

A Mexican court walloped Yahoo with a huge judgment today, ordering it to pay $2.7 billion to a couple companies accusing it of breaching contract related to a yellow pages listings service.

Details are pretty scarce about the initial complaint. Yahoo's press release noted that Worldwide Directories S.A. de C.V. and Ideas Interactivas, S.A. de C.V. claimed breach of contract, breach of promise, and lost profits arising from contracts related to a yellow pages listings service.

Yahoo, meanwhile, said it believes the claims are without merit. It plans to vigorously pursue all appeals.

We'… Read more

650,000-volt iPhone case is a real stunner

Seth Froom was the victim of a violent robbery last summer. His response was to create the Yellow Jacket, an iPhone case crossed with a Taser. The project is currently up on Ingiegogo for fundraising.

As far as stun guns go, the Yellow Jacket makes sense in that you are likely to have it with you at all times, in a convenient place where you can reach it when you need it.

However, you might be nervous about having 650,000 volts of electricity surging around your phone. Froom says that tests of the prototype have shown that calls stay connected during discharge. … Read more

'Yellow Submarine' remaster to emerge in Blu-ray, theaters

It's good to be reminded sometimes that automated technology solutions can't fix everything. That reminder came recently with the announcement of the impending big-screen return of The Beatles' trippy 1968 animated film, "Yellow Submarine."

A team of specialists at Triage Motion Picture Services and Eque is responsible for the restoration effort. Sure, it's a digital restoration, but that's not all that was involved with bringing it back to life. The team couldn't just load the film into a powerhouse computer, press go, and wait for the remaster to spit itself out.… Read more

AT&T sheds directories, advertising business

AT&T is getting rid of its advertising and directories business for $750 million in cash, the company said today.

The Dallas-based telecommunications giant is offloading the assets to Cerberus Capital Management but will retain a 47 percent stake in the new YP Holdings venture created from the deal. It also gets a $200 million note from Cerberus, a private investment firm based in New York.

AT&T is following in the other telecoms' footsteps in ditching assets outside of its core focus of wireline and wireless services. Rival Verizon long ago sold its directories business because it … Read more

Yellow Submarine dives into Apple as animated e-book

Beatles fans who dug the classic 1968 "Yellow Submarine" cartoon can now hop aboard their iPhones and iPads to revisit the adventure.

Now available as an e-book through Apple's iBooks store, "Yellow Submarine" tries to recapture the fun and whimsy of the movie by taking you on a journey through the magical paradise of Pepperland.

Much more than just another static e-book, "Yellow Submarine" is an interactive ride complete with full-color illustrations, animations, video clips, and music from the film.

Viewing the book page by page reveals many of the familiar scenes and … Read more

Why Google bought Zagat

The next big battle in mobile could be over who will dominate the untapped local search and advertising markets.

Google, the Internet giant of giants, has been adding local marketing to its core suite of services for the last few years. It's launched a local daily-deal effort with Google Offers. And it's been pushing its local search and location-based services on its Android smartphones and tablets as a way to capture more of the local advertising market for some time. But its announcement last week that it is buying local restaurant guide Zagat will add yet another layer … Read more

AT&T's Yellow Pages to launch Groupon rival

AT&T is becoming the latest company to take aim at Groupon.

The company's Yellow Pages service has created YP Deals. Like with Groupon, subscribers will receive a local deal delivered to their e-mail in-box each day. The YP Deals page states that it will launch "soon" in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, and Los Angeles.

YP Deals is the latest in a growing number of e-mail-based deals services, led by Groupon and Amazon.com-backed LivingSocial.

Google reportedly attempted to acquire Groupon last year for $6 billion, but the deals company rejected the offer. In response, the search … Read more