LASERS HELP THE DEAF HEAR

A research team from the University of Utah led by Richard Rabbitt has found that lasers may be able to give deaf people the ability to hear. Using a low-power infrared diode -- similar to those in laser-pointers tormenting cats the world over -- Professor Rabbitt found that exposing oyster toadfish hair cells (analogous to the cells found in humans' inner ears) to infrared light caused them to release neurotransmitters and activate adjacent neurons. This could lead to laser-based ear implants able to stimulate focused areas of cells with thousands of sound wavelengths, as opposed to today's electrode implants whose electrical current spreads through human tissue and limits the deliverable sonic range. Smaller, more efficient power supplies and light sources are needed before optical hearing aids become a reality

NETFLIX HIRING FOR INTERNATIONAL GROWTH

Netflix's customer service call center in Hillsboro Oregon is gearing up to expand its scope of operations beyond North America. Two new job postings for a Training Supervisor and Quality Assurance Analyst both mention the need to prepare for "rapid" international expansion and "will support a specific country / region outside of North America." The Training Supervisor is being hired specifically to educate customer service reps in preparation for that future international growth. Neflix is looking for fluency in English in addition to Dutch, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese (Brazilian and European), and Spanish (Latin American and European), leaving things pretty wide open with regard to the countries targeted for initial launch.

In January 2010 CEO Reed Hastings stated "the big market for Hollywood content (after the U.S.) is Europe...Third is Asia. Fourth is the rest of the world."

GOOGLE ASSERTING CONTROL OVER ANDROID

Bloomberg's Businessweekhas received word from "a dozen executives working at key companies in the Android ecosystem" that Google is actively working to gain control and final say over customizations of its popular mobile OS. That might not sound unreasonable, and indeed Google's public position on the matter is that it's seeking to stabilize the platform and ensure quality control, but it does mark a major shift from where Android started -- an open source OS that was also open to manufacturers and carriers to customize as they wish. Not so anymore, we're told, as apparently Mountain View is now demanding that content partnerships and OS tweaks get the blessing of Andy Rubin before proceeding. The alternative, of course, is to not be inside Google's warm and fuzzy early access program, but then, as evidenced by the company recently withholding the Honeycomb source code, you end up far behind those among your competitors who do dance to Google's pipe.

Things have gotten so heated, in fact, that complaints have apparently been made to the US Department of Justice. They may have something to do with allegations of Google holding back Verizon handsets with Microsoft's Bing on board, ostensibly in an effort to trip up its biggest search competitor. Another major dissatisfaction expressed by those working with Android code is that Google needs an advance preview of what is being done in order to give it the green light -- which, as noted by a pair of sources familiar with Facebook's Android customization efforts, isn't sitting well with people at all. Google and Facebook are direct competitors in the online space and it's easily apparent how much one stands to gain from knowing the other's plans early. As to the non-fragmentation clauses in licenses, Andy Rubin has pointed out those have been there from the start, but it's only now that Google is really seeking to use them to establish control.

FOXCONN REPORTS $218 MILLION LOSS FOR 2010

Foxconn, the manufacturer of a number of popular devices including the iPhone, with a workforce of about 127,000 people, posted a $218.3 million net loss for 2010 yesterday. While the company had previously predicted lower earnings amid suicide-related wage increases and welfare costs, the reported figure still exceeds analysts' estimation of around $202 million, which also far outweighs the net income of $38.6 million.

Foxconn puts the blame on higher consolidated income tax and increased competition, as well as "cost streamlining actions" -- a reference to the ongoing relocation and expansion plans, which are also the outcome of the Chinese suicides -- that took longer than expected and led to increased spending along with higher manufacturing overhead. Looking ahead, Foxconn said in 2011 it'll "take decisive actions to conclude our capacity relocation, optimize our cost structure and return to profitability." Of course, further losses could accelerate plans to increase prices, which could ultimately put everyone in a lose-lose situation if Foxconn can't compete.

RIM GETS ACCESS TO INTELLECTUAL VENTURES VAST CATALOG OF PATENTS

Research In Motion has reached an agreement with Intellectual Ventures that will provide the Canadian BlackBerry manufacturer with access to the company’s library of over 30,000 patents. With other technology giants engaged in a seemingly endless loop of lawsuits , RIM is hoping to provide itself legal cover for future smartphone innovations by purchasing the rights to this war chest of intellectual property.

“Intellectual Ventures offers an efficient way to access the invention rights companies need to stay competitive within the market,” said Mario Obeidat, Intellectual Ventures’ head of telecom licensing. The patent holding company was founded by former Microsoft CTO, Nathan Myhrvoid, in 2000, and boasts both Samsung and HTC as its other high-profile, mobile clients. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

ANDROID MARKET IN-APP BILLING NOW AVAILABLE

Google said they were coming this week, and here they are -- Android apps can now have their own miniature storefronts for in-app purchases galore. You'll find Tap Tap Revenge, Comics, Gun Bros, Deer Hunter Challenge HD, WSOP3 and Dungeon Defenders: FW Deluxe accept your credit card for microtransactions starting this very instant, and Android developers can start building similar functionality into their own creations right now. Head on over to our source link for instructions on how to shake those extra coins out

US DEVELOPING 'PANIC BUTTON' SOFTWARE FOR ACTIVISTS

According to a fresh Reuters report, the US State Department is currently developing a software-based "panic button" that would wipe a phone's address book and beam out emergency alerts to fellow protesters if they were apprehended. The goal here is to protect the privacy of those captured while promoting their best interests, and to let others know that trouble is brewing.

SONY AND AMAZON CLASH OVER CLOUD PLAYER

Amazon recently launched its free Cloud Player service, which lets you stream your music collection from the cloud to your computer or Android device. While this has no doubt put a smile on many faces (American ones only, for now), Sony Music isn't too happy about Amazon jumping the gun over licensing for streaming rights. The record label told Reuters that it's hoping Amazon "will reach a new license deal, but we're keeping all of our legal options open." In retaliation, Amazon responded with the following statement to Ars Tehcnica:

"Cloud Player is an application that lets customers manage and play their own music. It's like any number of existing media management applications. We do not need a license to make Cloud Player available. The functionality of saving MP3s to Cloud Drive is the same as if a customer were to save their music to an external hard drive or even iTunes."

Of course, the bigger story here is that Amazon's free Cloud Player is going head-to-head with Sony's Music Unlimited streaming subscription service, which was pushed out last month after plenty of money talk with various record labels. Understandably, Sony isn't willing to let Amazon cut through the red tape here without a fight, and this may also affect similar music locker services like mSpot and MP3Tunes, albeit at a much smaller scale. In fact, Sony's already expressed its discomfort with those particular companies' mode of operation, so you can probably expect to see this tension boiling over to some form of legal action before long. Now that a big shot like Amazon's involved, it's almost inevitable

WINDOWS 8 PREVIEW RELEASED TO MANUFACTURERS

According to several forum posters over at mydigitallife, Microsoft has started issuing Windows 8 to computer manufacturers via its Connect internal testing system — also known as the “Windows 8 and Server vNext Pre-Release Program.” Reportedly, Windows 8 sports a “fully dynamic” 3D user interface, which allows the operating system to adapt to user habits and make OS interactions more efficient. A rumored “fast hibernation” feature will put the system in a saved-state in 3 to 6 seconds, and Windows 8 may also include a new “Mosh” tile-based user interface (no doubt inspired by the MetroUI found on Windows Phone handsets).

Windows 8 beta could land as soon as next September, but rumors from earlier this month suggest that Microsoft could start showing off a Windows 8 tablet as early as June. Business Insider reports that the Redmond company is taking a “more Apple-like approach to interface design” with this iteration of Windows. Microsoft has yet to publicly announce when it will demo all of the new features of Windows 8.

MOZILLA LAUNCHES FIREFOX 4 FOR ANDROID AND MAEMO

On Tuesday, Mozilla released the latest version of Firefox 4 for Android and Maemo smartphones. Firefox 4 now includes support for Firefox Sync, which allows you to sync open tabs, history, bookmarks, passwords, and other data, between your computer and your smartphone. The new Firefox allows for tabbed browsing, add-on installation, and features a new, streamlined look.

Mozilla says it will also automatically hide the browser controls when they aren’t in use, which should allow users to view more of the website you’re parked on. There’s also options to save PDFs, share pages, and customize the default search engine. Mozilla says that Firefox 4 is up to 3x faster than the stock Android browser.

AMAZON BEATS APPLE TO THE CLOUD

Amazon quietly rolled out it's media storage locker service early Tuesday morning, beating Apple to the punch. The service, Cloud Drive and Cloud Player for Android, allows any one with an Amazon account to store 5GB worth of media in the cloud for free (upgradeable to 20GB with the purchase of an album off of Amazon MP3) and stream it to any computer or Android device.

It has been rumored for months that Apple was looking to overhaul MobileMe and enter the cloud by providing iTunes customers with a digital content locker where they could store media for streaming to any device.

SPRINT ASKS GOVERNMENT TO OPPOSE AT&T/T-MOBILE MERGER

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has already expressed his concerns about AT&T’s purchase of T-Mobile from Deutsche Telecom, but today Sprint officially announced its opposition to the deal in a press release. Sprint states that the transaction will create a carrier that’s roughly three times its size — in terms of revenue — and “reverse nearly three decades of actions by the U.S. government.”

Sprint noted that AT&T and Verizon Wireless would dominate the U.S. wireless postpaid market and be firmly in control of the availability and price of key inputs, such as backhaul, should the deal go through. “Sprint urges the United States government to block this anti-competitive acquisition,” writes Sprint’s senior vice president of government affairs, Vonya McCann “This transaction will harm consumers and harm competition at a time when this country can least afford it.”

If it’s any consolation to Sprint, one FCC official believes that the deal won’t be rubber stamped, and could be a “steep climb at least.”

PAUL BARAN, ONE OF THE CREATORS OF THE ARPANET, DIED SATURDAY

Baran helped create the “technical underpinnings” for the Arpanet, which was the government-sponsored precursor to the Internet. Baran worked at the RAND Corporation and outlined the fundamentals for packaging data into what he called “message blocks,” or discrete bundles. These bundles were then sent on different paths around a network and reassembled at their destination, much like the idea behind Willy Wonka’s “Television Chocolate” room where you could beam a whole piece of chocolate from one end of the room in particles to the other end of the room to become a whole chocolate bar. In the tech industry though, this is known as “packet-switching.”

According to the NYT, Baran wanted to build a “distributed communications network,” which was less open to attack than conventional networks. He thought that networks should be designed with “redundant routes” so that if one path failed or was destroyed, messages could still be delivered through a similar path.

This sounded like a crazy idea, and in fact, AT&T insisted it wouldn’t work when Baran approached the company with the idea in the mid-1960s. In 1969, the Defense Departments’s Advanced Research Projects Agency built the Arpanet, which included Baran’s ideas. Packet switching is still a main part of the Internet’s internal workings.

Though Baran is often called the founding father of the Internet, he said in a 2001 interview that the “Internet is really the work of a thousand people.”

Sadly, Baran died on Saturday from complications of lung cancer.

RUMOR: NO iPHONE, iPAD OR MAC HARDWARE ANNOUNCEMENTS AT WWDC 2011

Apple released the invitation for WWDC 2011 this morning and it only mentions software, specifically OS X Lion and iOS 5 previews. Nowhere on the invitation does it mention any hardware. Rumors are running rampant that this confirms earlier rumors that the iPhone 5 would be delayed into the fall or even until 2012.

Apple’s apparent focus on software in its WWDC announcement backs up what "sources" are saying about the annual conference. That is, expect a software show in 2011, not a hardware event.

At past WWDCs, Apple might show off a new piece of hardware, but Gartner analyst Michael Gartenberg warns about getting too caught up in the past.

“You get caught up in patterns, and it holds true, until it doesn’t,” Gartenberg stated. “There is no reason for Apple to follow a predictable yearly pattern, and it keeps their competition off guard a little bit.”

AMAZON'S ANDROID VIRTUAL MACHINE LETS YOU TRY APPS BEFORE YOU BUY

Test Drive allows US customers to take apps for a spin at Amazon.com, with all the comfort that their tried-and-true desktop web browser brings -- but rather than sit you down with a Flash-based mockup of the app, Amazon is giving you a taste of bona fide cloud computing with an Android virtual machine.

In other words, what you're looking at in the screenshot above isn't just a single program, but an entire virtual Android smartphone with working mouse controls, where you can not only try out Paper Toss, but also delete it, browse through the device's photo gallery, listen to a few tunes, or even surf the web from the working Android browser -- as difficult as that may be without keyboard input. Amazon explains:

Clicking the "Test drive now" button launches a copy of this app on Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), a web service that provides on-demand compute capacity in the cloud for developers. When you click on the simulated phone using your mouse, we send those inputs over the Internet to the app running on Amazon EC2 - just like your mobile device would send a finger tap to the app. Our servers then send the video and audio output from the app back to your computer. All this happens in real time, allowing you to explore the features of the app as if it were running on your mobile device.

Today, Amazon's Test Drive is basically just Gaikai for mobile phones -- its purpose is simply to sell apps, nothing more. But imagine this for a sec: what if you could access your own smartphone data, instead of the mostly blank slate that Amazon provides here?

APPLE'S WWDC 2011 TO START JUNE 6TH

It's five days of developer love in sunny San Francisco, and this year it starts on June 6th. As ever, Moscone West will be hosting Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference, and this year we'll be seeing "the future of iOS and Mac OS" along with "more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers." Last time Steve Jobs unveiled the iPhone 4 to a very willing world at large. Could its successor make an appearance this year?

GOOGLE TEAMS WITH MASTERCARD AND CITIGROUP FOR NFC PAYMENTS

The Wall Street Journal reports that Google's secretly partnered with MasterCard and Citigroup to test out a mobile payment system using NFC (Near Field Communications). According to the publication, the early demo pairs "one current model and many coming models of Android phones" with existing Citigroup-sponsored credit and debit cards, and is using the phones' NFC chips with those VeriFone readers we recently reported about.

What's more, a newly-published patent application from the crew in Mountain View may hint at the software behind such things. The application describes a service that sets up Google as a third-party broker who receives the shopping cart info of customers placing orders via a device (including those of the mobile variety), allows them to select shipping and other options, and provides the total order cost. It then collects payment, coordinates shipment, and forwards order information to the seller to complete the transaction. So companies can have Google handle all their payment-taking needs in return for getting a sneak peek at what folks are buying -- something that the WSJ's sources say might be a component of the setup Google's testing right now -- as opposed to other third-party services, like Paypal, that only obtain and exchange payment info with merchants. Looks like Alma Whitten (Google's Director of Privacy) has her work cut out assuaging the concerns such a system will inevitably create in an increasingly privacy-minded populace.

WARNER BROS. EXPANDING FACEBOOK MOVIE RENTALS WITH FIVE MORE TITLES

Starting tonight Warner Bros. is offering five more movies for streaming on Facebook including Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Inception, Life as We Know It and Yogi Bear. The deal remains the same, with United States viewers able to pay for a 48-hour viewing window instantly in Facebook credits then enjoy the flick with full functionality on the page, and pause/resume tied to their login on the site.

Even with an increasing number of movie titles including recent ones like Yogi Bear that just debuted last week, it's hard to see any VOD service seriously challenging the current video rental incumbents like iTunes and Netflix, especially one that offers only SD rentals viewable on the PC. What it does offer however is a quick way for Warner to monetize the significant Facebook communities around popular movies, which may be enough to keep this program growing for the foreseeable future.

SILICINE IS THE NEW GRAPHENE...MAYBE

Graphene it the one-atom-thick layer of pencil lead has the potential to change the world of computers, batteries and screens that has been around for awhile. Now, Silicine has appeared on the horizon.

Silicine is a version of graphene constructed out of silicon, which doesn't naturally align itself into the same eminently useful honeycomb shape -- but, given a little prod here and a layer of silver or ceramic compound there, can do much the same thing, and with better computing compatibility. First proposed around 2007, it's reportedly been produced twice now by two different teams, which gives physicists hope that it could actually be useful some day. For now, researchers need to figure out a way to easily produce it so detailed experiments can be performed

RUMOR: iOS 5 DELAYED UNTIL FALL

We all waited for Steve Jobs to mention even a hint about iOS 5 in the recent iPad 2 event at the beginning of the month, but alas, we sat through the live streams to no avail. Many people were left wondering why Apple didn’t mention anything about the revamp of the software, as well as when news of the updated iOS would come out.

Apple has been on a pretty regular schedule of releasing iOS updates in the spring, and hardware updates in the summer, but according to sources who have tipped off TechCrunch’s MG Siegler, the new mobile operating system will most likely be pushed back to the fall.

The update to its mobile operating system is rumored to have cloud-based features for online storage of music, photos, and video. It’s also rumored to have a location service for tracking friends and family members. Apple could choose to preview iOS 5 at its annual Worldwide Developers Conference held in June. However, Siegler said he hasn’t heard anything about the iPhone 5, which is normally released at WWDC, but thinks rather than a new release, Apple could release its next-gen handset running a version of iOS 4.

That’s not to say the delay of iOS 5 necessarily means that new Apple hardware is going to be pushed back until fall, too. However, according to PCMag, FBR Markets analyst Craig Berger has said that Apple might not have everything ready to support its annual summer iPhone launch. Berger wrote in a late February note that some chip vendors haven’t received firm iPhone 5 orders yet. He said it would give Apple more time to enhance its next-generation instant communications on the phone.

GOOGLE MUSIC SERVICE BEING TESTED INTERNALLLY

Google is said to be testing its new Google Music service internally, according to sources speaking to CNET. Google had originally planned to make an announcement during the South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas earlier this month, but it apparently still needs to iron out some of the details with the four major record labels. It is expected that Google Music will be a cloud-based system where users can stream, buy, and store music online for access from their Android smartphones or tablets, as well as from their computers. It’s still unclear what the pricing structure will be.

LONDON UNDERGROUND TO GET 120 WIFI HOTSPOTS IN ADVANCE OF 2012 OLYMPICS

A big announcement arrived today if you live in or around London: to prepare to the onslaught of data-hungry visitors for the 2012 Olympic games that the city is hosting, 120 WiFi hotspots are being added to various locations along the Underground subway system's stations and platforms, in addition to other measures being taken to beef up tech. No WiFi will be in the actual tunnels, mind you, but it should definitely come in handy for all those tourists trying to find their way around the city. British Telecom has already tolled out a trial run at the Charing Cross station, with further installations expected in the lead up to the games.

FCC TO PROPOSE DATA ROAMING RULES

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski briefly mentioned data roaming at CTIA last week, but now he's telling Congress that action is inbound, to ensure rural carriers don't get left behind the rest of the cellular industry. You see, in 2007 the Commission mandated cheap roaming agreements for voice and messaging services to let regional carriers compete, but cellular data is the bee's knees now (as those of you reading this on a smartphone can attest) and those agreements won't protect the Tiny Tims of telecom in a world of VoLTE anyhow. So, as he explains in a letter sent to members of the Senate and House, the chairman has come up with a set of rules, which will "incent potential roaming partners to come to the bargaining table to negotiate private commercial deals."

"The draft order under consideration eschews a common carriage approach and leaves mobile service providers free to negotiate and determine, on a customer-by-customer basis, the commercially reasonable terms of data roaming agreements," reads another letter. Needless to say, we're looking forward to hearing how the FCC will encourage competition while still letting the big boys negotiate from their multi-billion-dollar spectrum holding positions.

RUMOR: AMAZON TO LAUNCH DIGITAL MEDIA STORAGE SERVICE

According to a CNet report, Amazon has been talking to major record labels and film studios about creating a service that would allow you to store your music, movies, and books on Amazon's servers like a "digital locker."

Amazon is reportedly still trying to obtain all the necessary licenses, but the plans could be announced before the negotiations are complete, CNet says.

Both Google and Apple are said to be working on similar services.

APPLE RELEASES iOS 4.3.1

Apple has released their newest version of the iOS, version 4.3.1. This update is for the GSM version (AT&T) of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, both iPad 1 and 2 and the third and fourth generation iPod Touch. Verizon Wireless iPhone users are out of luck and stuck with 4.2.6.

The update brings with it fixes for a fourth-generation iPod touch graphics glitch as well as bugs that caused iPhones to have trouble activating and connecting to cell networks. The update also addresses flickering issues that occur when connecting a device to certain HDTVs with Apple's Digital AV adapter and "resolves an issue authenticating with some enterprise web services."

The release notes don't make specific reference to fixing some of the battery issues reported around the Web or patching iPad jailbreak vulnerabilities, though rumors had suggested that iOS 4.3.1 would address both of these topics. It's possible, however, that they (and other fixes) could fall under Apple's umbrella of general bug fixes

TIME WARNER MUST TURN OVER INFO ON ACCUSED ILLEGAL DOWNLOADERS

Time Warner has been ordered by a U.S. District Court judge in Washington to identify hundreds of people accused of illegally downloading movies over its broadband network. The ISP had previously argued that identifying the accused parties would be “unfairly expensive and time-consuming,” and it asked that the judge reject the subpoenas for subscriber information.

Of the three pending cases where subpoenas for subscriber data were issued, the judge agreed to quash one, as the plaintiff, Maverick Entertainment Group, failed to properly serve the subpoena in compliance with the law. The other two stand, however, and Time Warner will have to identify approximately 250 subscribers. Maverick, one of three movie companies currently seeking the identities of anonymous Internet users who are accused of illegally downloading their copyrighted materials, has 10 days to re-issue the subpoena or it may lose access to the identities of over 700 users.

ITC RULES APPLE DID NOT INFRINGE ON NOKIA PATENTS

An International Trade Commission panel on Friday ruled on a patent infringement suit filed by Nokia against Apple in May 2010. In the suit, Nokia alleged that Apple’s iPhone infringed on multiple Nokia patents covering wireless data transmission, data encryption and other related technologies. The ITC found that Apple did not infringe on any of the five patents named by Nokia in its complaint. The suit was one several patent-related suits exchanged by Nokia and Apple in recent years in the United States and in Europe.

GAMEFLY SPENDS MORE ON SHIPPING PER MONTH THAN INCOME

If you’re a gamer, you’ve probably heard of Gamefly. If you haven’t, here it is in a nutshell: it’s Netflix for video games. For a monthly fee, gamers can rent games which are delivered by the US Postal Service; when they’re done with them, they just mail them back.

Gamefly mails out about over a million games a month. With that amount of shipping, you’d think that Gamefly must have a special deal inked with the USPS to deliver their games cheaply and efficiently… but they don’t, and Gamefly’s failure to get such a deal inked has them writing to the Postal Regulatory Commission for resolution.

Gamefly wants the US Postal Service to allow them to pay the same amount of shipping that Netflix pays. Why is this such a pressing issue for them? It’s more than just about maximizing profits: according to a letter sent anonymously to Ars Technica, Gamefly is currently spending more shipping discs every month than they are making in subscriber fees.

“At the company’s current volume of approximately 1.2 million shipments per month, the difference between the two-ounce flat rate of $1.05 that GameFly must pay to avoid automated letter processing for most of its DVD mailers, and the one-ounce letter rate of $0.44 that Netflix pays to avoid automated letter processing of return mailers, amounts to about $730,000,” wrote Gamefly in a complaint. “This amount represents more than 100 percent of GameFly’s monthly net income in 2011.”

While Gamefly characterizes the issue as one in which Netflix gets preferential treatment over their own service, the fact of the matter is that Netflix discs are mailed in packages that are brightly colored to assist in manual sorting, they’re lighter than GameFly mailers, and Netflix operates at a much higher volume than the game rental service.

While the issue is more complicated than GameFly wants to admit, one thing’s for sure: either GameFly figures a way to minimize shipping costs, or the company is going to fold. You might want to capitalize on your subscription while you can.

COPENHAGEN AIRPORT TRACKS VISITORS USING WIFI

According to the New York Times, Copenhagen International Airport is currently testing a new program that monitors passengers based on WiFi data emitted from devices like laptops and smartphones. Airport officials observe travelers from a remote computer, and can tell, within 10 feet of accuracy, where they spend their time -- those arriving and departing are represented by different colored dots. The program, created by Geneva-based SITA, also gives visitors the option to download an iPhone app that provides location-based information, like promotions from nearby restaurants. SITA's VP said the software isn't intrusive, as it follows devices, not individuals.

RUMOR: NOOK COLOR GETTING FLASH AND APPS

According to a listing on the Home Shopping Network, the Nook Color will get an update next month that brings Flash support and additional apps to the platform. That suggests that we'll finally be seeing Android 2.2 and perhaps an app store of some sort, though HSN isn't spilling the beans right now -- the cable station wants you to tune in this Saturday to get an exclusive sneak peek at the goods.

AUDIBLE AUDIOBOOKS NOW AVAILABLE VIA WIFI

Audible has just announced that over 50,000 of its audiobooks are now available to download directly onto Kindles everywhere through WiFi. Granted, that's still one step away (3G) from being as good as it could possibly get, but it's still a tremendous improvement over the tried-and-true USB sideloading method. For those looking to get started for the first time, the outfit's offering a 30-day free trial of AudibleListener Gold.

NEW QUICK CHARGING BATTERY USES STYROFOAM BALLS

Researchers at the University of Illinois have found a way to create electrodes using polystyrene beads as a sort of substrate, tiny spheres helping to set the porosity of either the nickel-metal hydride or lithium-manganese capacitor material. By adjusting the size and density of the bean bag innards the team was able to create an electrode porosity of 94 percent, which is just a few ticks short of theoretically ideal for exposing the maximum surface area of the electrode to the battery material. This results in extremely fast charges and discharges, the NiMH cell hitting 90 percent capacity in just 20 seconds and discharging in as quickly as 2.7 seconds.

While we don't know just what kind of charging system the team was using to achieve this, even assuming a high-amperage stream of electrons this is still a remarkable feat. But, like most major advances there's a drawback: similar to Toshiba's SCiB batts the capacity of these cells is only about three quarters what it would be using normal battery construction, meaning you'd need roughly 25 percent more mass to get the same range in your ultra-fast charging EV of the future

GOOGLE MOST VALUABLE BRAND WORLDWIDE PER BRANDFINANCE

According to BrandFinance's latest annual ranking, Google has just barely edged out Microsoft for the title of most valuable brand in the world, with the pair of them pushing Walmart out from the number one spot last year. As for Facebook, it just entered the top 500 for the first time at number 285, while Apple jumped twelve spots to make its first appearance in the top ten at number eight -- a shift that partly comes at the expense of usual suspect Coca Cola, which has dropped out of the top ten for the first time. The biggest loser? Nokia. It dropped all the way from number 21 last year to number 94 this year.

To see the entire list click HERE.

ANDROID IN-APP PURCHASING COMING NEXT WEEK; IN DEVELOPER TESTING NOW

Google promised us the ability to buy stuff while inside Android apps, and sure enough, it's now just about ready to deliver it. Eric Chu, responsible for the company's Android Developer Ecosystem, has announced app submissions are now being accepted from those wanting to offer up purchasable items within their software. He also points out there'll be about a week's worth of internal testing before the whole system opens up to the public, likely before the end of the month so that Google may stick to its word of rolling out the service in the first quarter of this year. Once that's done, you'll finally be able to buy your way to in-game glory instead of having to grind away at it like some unenlightened schmo.

YAHOO! LAUNCHES SEARCH DIRECT TO COMPETE WITH GOOGLE INSTANT SEARCH

Yahoo! has launched a new product called Search Direct. f you’re familiar with Google Instant, you pretty much will get the hang of Search Direct. When you start to type a query into Yahoo! Search, the site will start showing your results with each new character you enter. You can usually find what you’re looking for before you finish typing out your whole query and press enter.

It’s now live at search.yahoo.com, but is not yet on the main Yahoo! page. Yahoo! said at a press conference today that it’s looking to help match users with “answers, not links,” as Google Instant does. According to TechCrunch, Yahoo! SVP of Search Products Shashi Seth said they’re very different products. He said the next generation of search, whether it’s on web or mobile, will be more answer-driven, and less searching for links. Though it has the same idea as Google Instant, Search Direct is indeed a little different.

When you start typing, a small rectangular widget pops down from the search bar to show you results if they’re available. For example, searching for a city will give you weather widgets and nearby sports team schedules. Shashi said the results are generated by a completely different infrastructure from its normal search servers. Yahoo! is boasting its rich, contextual results in this new search.

Yahoo! will be allowing advertisers to embed images or videos in the right-panel to monetize the new feature. This isn’t in effect yet, but it will eventually be, and Yahoo! is excited to make it available on the iPad.

AT&T PLANNING ACCESS TO AMAZON'S ANDROID APPSTORE

We reported earlier this week that Android users on AT&T's system could not use Amazon's recently launched AppStore for Android, or any other AppStore except for Android Marketplace, and were missing out on the free Angry Birds Rio release. Now, Angry Birds developer Rovio has announced on its Facebook account a few hours ago that "AT&T is also working on enabling purchases from the Amazon Appstore soon," which would mark a pretty big move on AT&T's part since they've been firm in their resolve to keep apps from outside the Android Market ecosystem off their branded Android devices.

AT&T has confirmed they are, in fact, setting up access to Amazon's store:

"We're working to give our Android customers access to third party application stores. This requires updates to our systems and finalizing arrangements with Amazon. We will share more info with our customers in the near future."

The bad news is that AT&T's having any discussions with Amazon about this at all, which would seem to indicate that they're planning on making an exception to their Android Market policy for the Amazon Appstore rather than simply enabling sideloading on devices altogether and calling it a day. We suppose this could involve a round of firmware updates that drops the Appstore in ROM, but that seems like an awful lot of work considering how much red tape is involved in pushing even a single update for one handset on a major carrier.

CBS TO REMOVE SOME SHOWTIME SHOWS FROM NETFLIX

CBS confirmed today with Dow Jones that it will pull some of its Showtime television shows from Netflix, and apparently Netflix is pretty shocked by the news. A Showtime spokesperson said that it will remove the episodes of shows that are currently still airing on television from Netflix’s portfolio when the current partnership deal between the CBS and Netflix ends this summer.

“We’re perplexed by this,” Steve Swasey, a Netflix spokesperson told Dow Jones. “We have great Showtime shows available on our service, and we expect to continue with those shows. We have a very good relationship with CBS and all its channels.” Two popular shows that are currently offered by Netflix and are still airing are “Californication” and “Dexter.”

SPRINT TO NO LONGER OFFER MAIL-IN REBATES

Sprint will be getting rid of mail-in rebates on its phones and other devices beginning March 27th, at least temporarily. A Sprint spokesperson confirmed that "Sprint will temporarily replace mail-in rebates in most channels, including our company-owned retail stores, with instant savings.” It all goes down on Sunday, March 27th, and it will continue for “an unspecified period of time,” the Sprint spokesperson stated.

NETFLIX APOLOGIZES, ISSUES SERVICE CREDIT FOR DOWNTIME

In the wake of Tuesday’s Netflix Instant outage, the company has issued a mea culpa and service credit to affected users. “We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused,” reads an email from Netflix. “If you attempted and were unable to instantly watch TV episodes or movies yesterday, click on this account specific link in the next 7 days to apply your 3% credit to your next billing statement for your Watch Instantly Unlimited plan.” The note does not explain why the service when down, rather it references “technical issues.” The full text of the email is below.

Dear User,

Recently you may have had trouble instantly watching TV episodes or movies due to technical issues.

We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused. If you attempted and were unable to instantly watch TV episodes or movies yesterday, click on this account specific link in the next 7 days to apply your 3% credit to your next billing statement for your Watch Instantly Unlimited plan. Credit can only be applied once.

Ready to start watching again? Check out our latest selection.

Again, we apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. If you need further assistance, please call us at 1-866-923-0898.

–The Netflix Team

RUMOR: MOTOROLA WHIPPING UP WEB-BASED OS

Despite its success with Android, Motorola Mobility has reportedly hired a number of engineers, some from Adobe and Apple, to work on a brand new web-based operating system. “I know they’re working on it,” Jonathan Goldberg, an analyst with Deutsche Bank told Information Week. “I think the company recognizes that they need to differentiate and they need options, just in case.

Nobody wants to rely on a single supplier.” Sources speaking to Goldberg and Information Week suggested that Motorola Mobility was building the OS as a possible alternative to Android, and while Motorola Mobility didn’t deny that it might be working on something, it has reaffirmed that it’s committed to the platform.

It all sounds a bit strange, especially since Motorola helped kick off the Android craze in the United States with the DROID, DROID 2 and DROID X on Verizon Wireless, among others. It seems more likely that Motorola Mobility is working on a Web-based operating system to compliment Android, instead of one to compete with it, but we’ll have to see.

CHINA DENIES TAMPERING WITH GMAIL

On Monday, Google expressed its belief that its email users in China were experiencing "a government blockage carefully designed to look like the problem is with Gmail." Now, as is par for this thorny course, the Chinese state has come out with a terse rebuttal, saying simply that "this is an unacceptable accusation." The retort was, says the BBC, part of a regular news conference on Tuesday and it doesn't appear that any more time was spent on the subject.

FIREFOX 4 DOWNLOADED OVER 6 MILLION TIMES IN 24 HOURS

Mozilla announced on Tuesday that the final release version of its Firefox 4 Web browser was available for download. Within its first 24 hours of availability, the browser was downloaded over 6 million times. Microsoft’s latest browser release, Internet Explorer 9, was downloaded 2.35 million times in its first 24 hours of availability.

Version 4 of the popular Firefox Web browser features a variety of enhancements including a redesigned UI, improved tab management and faster performance. Mozilla’s Firefox browser is the second most popular browser in the world according to market share tracker Net Applications. Firefox held a 21.74% global browser share in February, behind Internet Explorer’s 56.77% and ahead of No. 3 browser Chrome, which has grown to 10.93% in a very short period of time. Both Internet Explorer and Firefox have seen their shares decrease over the past year, while Google’s Chrome browser and Apple’s Safari browser have gained popularity.

APPLE REMOVES CONTROVERSIAL 'GAY CURE' APP FROM APP STORE

Exodus International made news last week with the release of its self-titled application in Apple’s App Store. The organization billed the application as a "resource for those looking to help cure themselves or someone else of homosexuality." Now the app is making news again, as Apple has pulled it from the App Store.

Apple has been a quiet supporter of gay rights, and during the 2008 Proposition 8 campaign in California, the company issued the following statement: “Apple was among the first California companies to offer equal rights and benefits to our employees’ same-sex partners, and we strongly believe that a person’s fundamental rights — including the right to marry — should not be affected by their sexual orientation.” The statement, which was made via its website, accompanied a $100,000 donation to the campaign opposing “Prop 8.”

An online petition started by change.org collected over 140,000 signatures in an attempt, which appears to have been successful, to get Apple to remove the controversial Exodus app. Apple has yet to issue a statement to articulate why Exodus’ application was removed from its mobile app store.

SAMSUNG DEFENDS TABLET SALES

Samsung on Wednesday issued a statement in response to a new round of rumors suggesting poor sell-through performance of its tablet devices, which has affected their stock price. Samsung has reported several milestones for its Galaxy Tab Android tablet, which has now sold over 3 million units.

Like other manufacturers, Samsung reports sell-in figures — sales into distribution — when detailing sales. On numerous occasions, Samsung’s 7-inch tablet has been accused of collecting dust on store shelves, as recurring rumors suggest the Galaxy Tab has very poor sell-through — sales to end users – performance.

In response to this latest round of accusations, Samsung spokesman James Chung issued a statement. ”We don’t comment on market speculation but such talk is absolutely groundless,” said Chung. ”Our tablet strategy is offering a broad product range with different sizes to support wider customer choice.” Samsung showed off two new Android tablets at CTIA Wireless on Tuesday: the Galaxy Tab 8.9 and the Galaxy Tab 10.1.

SAMSUNG SAYS GLASS-LESS 3D TV AT LEAST 10 YEARS OFF

Despite Toshiba having glasses-less 3DTVs on the market already, Samsung's spoken out about the future of 3DTV by saying "attempts to put glasses-free 3DTV to market within the next 10 years will be difficult." Uh-oh.

Samsung elaborated by explaining that they have the means and know-how to make glasses-less 3DTV, "however it can only be viewed from a few viewing spots." Preferring instead to launch glasses-less 3DTV that works like the current range of 3DTVs, sans glasses of course, Samsung had said they'd prefer to wait until they can "deliver 3D to at least 32 viewing spots." One of their prototypes they showed off recently had just nine spots.

"We believe that creating a prototype for lab-grade glasses-free 3D TV, broadcasting system and display will take about five years. For mass commercialization to become possible, manufacturing costs must come down and TV broadcasters will have to upgrade infrastructure, which includes securing transmission bandwidth."

Toshiba's foray into glasses-less 3DTV hasn't gone so well so far. Setting themselves a target of selling 1,000 units in the first month, they fell short by more than half. This could be down to the size of the sets, which were a comical 12 and 20-inches.

RUMOR: MOTOROLA TO STOP BUILDING XOOM TABLET AFTER JUNE

According to an unconfirmed report, Motorola is set to curtail production of its XOOM tablet beginning in April and production will cease after June. Industry watcher DigiTimescites anonymous sources from within component suppliers in claiming that XOOM production in the first quarter of 2011 met forecasts of between 700,000 and 800,000 units.

Motorola’s manufacturing partners are expected to ship between 400,000 and 500,000 units in March, and then April production will drop to 300,000 tablets. May’s production will reportedly dip further still and DigiTimes claims Motorola will stop building the XOOM at the end of June.

The cause of the alleged drop in production is unclear, though the website’s sources speculate that Motorola may be uncertain about its position in the tablet market and will therefore slow production. They also speculate that Motorola may instead launch a new version of its XOOM tablet, which is the more likely scenario considering Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha’s previous comments with regard to the tablet market.

Motorola responded to the rumor stating that it is false and the XOOM tablet will continue to be manufactured after June. But, it is the same XOOM that is on sale now or a different tablet with the same name?

MICROSOFT BEGINS 'NODO' COPY PASTE UPDATE FOR WINDOWS PHONE 7

Microsoft on Tuesday confirmed that its first major update for the Windows Phone 7 platform is now being rolled out to users. Internally referred to as “NoDo” — which is said to be short for “No Donuts,” mocking Google’s first Android update dubbed “Donut” — the update adds much sought after copy/paste functionality to Windows Phone 7 devices. It also adds support for “tombstoning,” improves Marketplace searches, fixes a variety of bugs and adds support for CDMA devices. “We’ve begun to gradually roll out the Copy & Paste update, starting small with open market phone customers in parts of Europe this week,” a Microsoft spokesperson stated in an email, adding, “More to come.”

Sprint’s HTC Arrive was the first device to feature NoDo when it launched this past Sunday with the update pre-installed. Microsoft has not yet detailed its plans for a U.S. rollout, so we are unsure when other U.S. carrier-branded devices will begin receiving NoDo. Users will receive notifications on their devices once the update becomes available, and they will need to connect to PCs in order to install it.

APPLE TV UPDATE FIXES FLICKER AND AUDIO PROBLEMS

Apple’s latest software update, version 4.2.1, for the Apple TV is said to do away with the flicker issue, in addition to promising to fix audio issues and a problem where the device goes to sleep and doesn’t wake up — something we’ve personally had an issue with. The update is available now directly from your Apple TV.

VERIZON ADDS 59 MORE MARKETS TO LTE DEPLYOMENT FOR 2011

Verizon Wireless on Tuesday announced the addition of 59 new markets that will be covered by the carrier’s 4G LTE service in 2011. These new regions are in addition to the 88 markets Verizon Wireless already announced, bringing the total number of projected markets that will receive LTE coverage from Verizon this year to 147.

“Aggressively expanding this powerful network beyond major metro areas reflects the reality that the 4G LTE ecosystem is growing quickly, ” Verizon Wireless CTO David Small said in a statement. “Our commitment to reach deep into medium-sized cities and smaller communities by the end of 2011 means the power of 4G LTE can be harnessed and provide advanced services to law enforcement, healthcare workers, educators, and other professionals, as well as to individual consumers, sooner than many thought possible.”

Verizon Wireless launched its first 4G LTE-enabled smartphone, the HTC ThunderBolt, last week, and the carrier currently offers a variety of LTE modems.

Additional areas to be covered by Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network in 2011 include:

· Decatur, Ala.

· Huntsville, Ala.*

· Mobile, Ala.*

· Montgomery, Ala.*

· Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, Ark.

· Fort Smith, Ark.

· Little Rock, Ark.*

· Tucson, Ariz.

· Bakersfield, Calif.

· Fresno, Calif.

· Modesto, Calif.

· Sacramento, Calif.

· Salinas-Monterey, Calif.

· San Luis Obispo, Calif.

· Santa Barbara, Calif.

· Stockton, Calif.

· Colorado Springs, Colo.*

· Fort Collins, Colo.

· Fairfield, Conn.

· Hartford, Conn.

· New Haven, Conn.

· Daytona Beach, Fla.

· Fort Myers, Fla.

· Gainesville, Fla.*

· Lakeland-Winter Haven, Fla.*

· Pensacola, Fla.*

· Sarasota-Bradenton, Fla.*

· Tallahassee, Fla.*

· Augusta, Ga.*

· Hilo, Hawaii

· Honolulu, Hawaii*

· Kahului-Wailuku, Hawaii*

· Lahaina, Hawaii*

· Davenport, Iowa

· Iowa City, Iowa

· Boise-Nampa, Idaho*

· Bloomington/Normal, Ill.

· Carbondale, Ill.*

· Champaign, Ill.

· Rockford, Ill.

· Springfield, Ill.

· Fort Wayne, Ind.

· Indianapolis, Ind.

· Lafayette, Ind.

· Wichita, Kan.*

· Louisville, Ky.

· Baton Rouge, La.*

· Hammond, La.*

· Springfield, Mass.

· Worcester, Mass.

· Hagerstown, Md.

· Flint, Mich.*

· Grand Rapids, Mich.

· Lansing, Mich.

· Saginaw-Bay City, Mich.

· Starkville, Miss.

· Asheville-Henderson, N.C.

· Fayetteville-Lumberton, N.C.*

· Greensboro-Winston Salem-High Point, N.C.*

· Raleigh-Durham, N.C.*

· Wilmington, N.C.*

· Fargo, N.D.

· Omaha, Neb.

· Albuquerque, N.M.

· Las Cruces, N.M.

· Santa Fe, N.M.

· Reno, Nev.

· Albany, N.Y.

· Ithaca, N.Y.

· Syracuse, N.Y.

· Dayton-Springfield, Ohio*

· Lima, Ohio

· Toledo, Ohio

· Tulsa, Okla.*

· Portland, Ore.

· Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, Pa.

· Erie, Pa.*

· Harrisburg, Pa.

· Johnstown, Pa.

· Scranton/Wilkes Barre, Pa.

· State College, Pa.*

· Charleston, S.C.*

· Columbia, S.C.*

· Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.*

· Hilton Head, S.C.*

· Sioux Falls, S.D.*

· Chattanooga, Tenn.*

· Clarksville, Tenn.*

· Cleveland, Tenn.*

· Dyersburg-Union City, Tenn.

· Jackson, Tenn.

· Kingsport-Johnson City, Tenn.-Bristol, Va.*

· Knoxville, Tenn.*

· Memphis, Tenn.*

· Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas*

· Bryan-College Station, Texas*

· El Paso, Texas

· Temple-Killeen, Texas

· Provo-Orem, Utah*

· Salt Lake City-Ogden, Utah*

· Olympia, Wash.*

· Centralia, Wash.*

· Spokane, Wash.

· Charleston, W.Va.*

· Madison, Wis.*

· Milwaukee, Wis.*

* Indicates a metro area previously announced in 2011

DAN HESSE SAYS ALL PHONES USING MICROUSB BY 2012

Sprint CEO Dan Hesse has just confirmed that by January 2012, all US phones will use microUSB chargers, which will theoretically make all chargers and syncing cables cross-compatible. Hesse said that even as the head of a major mobile carrier, he found the dozens of different charging and syncing cables annoying, characterizing them as a “pet peeve” of his.

Late last year, the European Union ordered cell phone companies to do something that was ostensibly very pro consumer. Annoyed by the way that every single phone manufacturer had their own proprietary charging and syncing cables, the EU ordered manufacturers to standardize their syncing and charging solutions: all phones should use microUSB to both transfer data and charge.

That would mean that if your friend has an iPhone and you have a Nokia, you should be able to charge your iPhone with his Nokia charger, and vice versa. The European Union wimped out at the last minute and agreed to allow cell phone makers to comply with the law by shipping their phones with microUSB adapters.

The system’s going to roll out exactly the same in the United States as it did in Europe. The best we can hope for is that most companies will standardize using standard microUSB… but there’s no way everyone will....Apple we are looking at you!!!!