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Latest by J. Van Camp

Apple fever: iPad 2 sells 2.6 million in March

New reports show that the iPad 2 may have sold as many as 2.6 million units in the month of March, meaning it may have doubled the 1 million iPads that sold in its first month.

Microsoft and Toyota announce cloud-based vehicle platform

Microsoft and Toyota today announced a joint $12 million (1 billion yen) investment in a new cloud computing platform for electric and hybrid vehicles. The first cars to use the service, powered by Windows Azure, will launch in 2012.

Creepy: Three lifelike Androids converse with their human masters

Video: Three lifelike androids meet up to chat and their masters come along as well. Oh, and they look identical to the Androids.

Windows 8 leaked ‘Immersive’ mode shows Windows Phone influence

Microsoft is keeping a tight lid on Windows 8, but not tight enough. Today a screenshot showing a Windows Phone-like UI has leaked.

Netflix nabs Mad Men reruns

Netflix has coughed up at least $39 million for the rerun rights to all four seasons of Mad Men, and future seasons.

PopCap launches ‘experimental’ games studio with a sadistic sense of humor

PopCap, a leader in casual games, has launched 4th & Battery, a new experimental studio aimed at releasing some of the publisher's crazier and more inappropriate game concepts. It's first title: Unpleasant Horse.

Twitter ponders Facebook-style pages for brands

Twitter is considering adding branded pages to its site, much like LinkedIn and Facebook have done in recent years.

Dell Windows 7 tablet coming in September, at the earliest

Dell's first Windows 7 tablet is expected to hit shelves in September, at the earliest, according to a new report.

Insidious Review

Review: From the writer and director of Saw comes Insidious, a horror film that latches onto so many popular shock-horror trends with such furiousness that we can't help but have a good time.

Angry Birds Rio: 10 million downloads in 10 days

Rovio can do no wrong. Despite launching on Amazon's new Appstore, Angry Birds Rio has already been downloaded more than a million times a day for the last 10 days.
company places ad for nude web coders on craigslist typing thumb

Company places ad for ‘nude web coders’ on Craigslist

Nudists, you now have a place to work and frolic freely. A U.K. Web company has put out an ad seeking female Web coders who want to work in a "naturist" environment.

Gmail Motion April Fool’s joke becomes reality with Kinect

Researchers at the Institute for Creative Technologies have turned Gmail Motion from a funny April Fools' joke into a demonstrable reality. Video included.

Windows 8 to feature the Ribbon UI in Windows Explorer

New screenshots of Windows 8 have leaked showing the return of the Ribbon UI Microsoft has been using in Office programs like Word and Excel since 2007. All Windows 8 Explorer windows may come loaded with it, for better or worse.

Earth eclipses the sun in this stunning image

NASA's SDO spacecraft has released a new high resolution image showing the Earth eclipsing the sun.
google is clamping down on android but it going far enough

Google is clamping down on Android, but is it going far enough?

Google has begun enforcing much tighter restrictions on Android manufacturers to avoid further fragmentation of its operating system. But we think it could go even further.

U.S. Navy’s giant laser beam program achieves ‘milestone’

Today, the Office of Naval Research announced that its giant superlaser is nine months ahead of schedule after a huge breakthrough made during prototype tests in December.
amazon cloud player and drive review not for music lovers thumb

Amazon Cloud Player and Drive review: Not for music lovers

Amazon Cloud Player and Cloud Drive allow users users stream music and access files directly from the Internet. Unfortunately, the service is gimped by some odd bugs and feature omissions.

Video: ‘4D’ tech captures the dimensions of your face in real time

Scientists in the U.K. have created a new way to record three dimensional images of the face in real-time, which could greatly improve facial recognition services.

Microsoft exec thinks tablets may be a fad, talks of new laser retina display

Microsoft's chief research and strategy officer, Craig Mundie, spoke about the future he sees for portable devices, mobile devices, and tablets. And he takes time to tell us about a new laser retina display that can make a mobile screen look as big as an HDTV.

Acer CEO resigns as PC sales decline

After a big disagreement with the board, Acer's CEO and president, Gianfranco Lanci, has resigned, effective immediately.

Google releases satellite image of Sendai, Japan after the earthquake

Google has released a new image showing the devastation in the Sendai region of Japan following the earthquake and tsunami that hit a few weeks ago. The images are also available in Google Earth.

Microsoft developing mobile payments system for Windows Phone

According to sources, Microsoft is joining Google and Apple in the race to integrate NFC mobile payments technology into its smartphone platform, Windows Phone.

Europe is the most connected, but mobile phone use is rising around the world

Nokia has created a graphic that shows the penetration rates of mobile phones around the world. Europe leads the pack, but the Americas aren't far behind.

Robot ‘quadrocopters’ play a real life game of Pong

Researchers in Switzerland have created flying robot quadrocopters capable of responding fast enough to juggle and bounce a ball back and forth with one another.

Google picks Kansas City for its new gigabit fiber network

Kansas City, Kansas will be the first city to get a full gigabit fiber network installed, Google announced today.

Scientists show off a robot that can rebuild itself

Researchers have designed new robots capable of independently moving and combining to create a larger robot. Video of the moving joints inside.

Desperately need a girlfriend? Buy a ‘cloud girlfriend’ instead

For the lazier geek, a new startup is offering to create an ideal girlfriend for anybody willing to pay. She'll chat with you on Facebook or Twitter, boosting your own chances at scoring a real girl.

Intel announces 600GB solid-state drives, doubling capacity in a year

Today, Intel announced its third generation of SSD, the 320 series, which now goes up to 600GB, doubling the capacity of its models one year ago.

Hands-on: Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1 are slick but slow

I spent some time with Samsung's Galaxy Tab 8.9 and 10.1, but came away with mixed feelings. While the redesigned tablets look impressive, using them was not as fun as it could have been.

‘Artificial leaf’ mimics photosynthesis, could power an entire house

Scientists in Massachusetts have developed a working "artificial leaf" that uses solar energy to split water into hydrogen and oxygen, producing power.

Angry Birds movie trailer from visionary director Michael Bay

Rooster Teeth has taken its stab at what an Angry Birds movie might be like. Will you save the eggs and kill the birds, or let the swine win?

Your next car will be made of pineapples and bananas

Scientists have developed a new super-strong fiber from the stems and leaves of fruits like pineapples, bananas, and coconuts. The fiber is so strong, it may be integrated into automotive plastics in as little as two years.

Microsoft apologizes for Windows Phone update mess

Microsoft's Windows Phone update mess has gotten so bad that senior members of the team have begun commenting on the developer site. Joe Belfiore apologizes for the problems.

Nintendo 3DS NYC launch attracts a two-dimensional crowd

Nintendo's 3DS launch event in New York City was well planned and executed, but failed to draw big crowds for the Big N's newest handheld. Our pictures and impressions.

Hands-on with the HTC Flyer (Sprint EVO View 4G), a surprisingly useful 7-inch tablet

I spent some time with HTC's new Flyer tablet (also known as the EVO View 4G on Sprint) and walked away impressed. Using a custom version of Android Gingerbread, HTC has brought a compelling, unique tablet experience in a small, 7-inch form factor.

T-Mobile LG G-Slate: Decent tablet, but red & blue 3D is terrible

T-Mobile and LG's new G-Slate tablet has some solid features, but its defining one, 3D, is poorly executed and uses 3D technology out of the 1950s.

T-Mobile G2x: hands-on with LG’s HDMI Mirroring Android phone

The T-Mobile G2x by LG is a solid new dual-core Android phone, but we're very impressed with its HDMI Mirroring, which lets users instantly stream content to an HDTV. CTIA impressions inside.
samsung unveils 8 9 inch galaxy tab and redesigns 10 1 tablet both thinner than ipad 2 thumb

Samsung unveils new iPad-thin Galaxy Tab models

At its CTIA "Unpacked" event today, Samsung showed off a refreshed, thinner Galaxy Tab 10.1 and its brand new Galaxy Tab 8.9 as well as pricing/availability for both.