ONSTAR ABANDONS PLANS TO TRACK USERS AFTER SERVICE TERMINATION

OnStar found itself at the center of a firestorm after it sent out an e-mail notifying customers that it planned to collect data from vehicles even after service had expired or been terminated. That is, unless the (soon to be former) users specifically opted out. Well, in a statement today, President Linda Marshall changed course and announced the post-subscription data collection would be opt-in only. The company still hoped some departing customers would volunteer to maintain a connection so that it can "provide former customers with urgent information about natural disasters and recalls affecting their vehicles."

CANONICAL JUMPS ON THE APP DEVELOPER PLATFORM

Creating apps for Ubuntu is about to get a lot easier, now that the folks over at Canonical have launched the Ubuntu App Developer platform. On the new site, developers will find guides, tutorials and other resources to help them create apps specifically for the Linux OS, or to port other apps to the platform. Once finalized, these apps can then be published on the Ubuntu Software Centre, where developers can choose to either offer them for free, or at a price. In announcing the new platform, community member David Planella predicted that it will offer a "unified and consistent journey for both open-source, non-commercial and commercial app authors." He went on to acknowledge, however, that there's still plenty of work to be done: "For all its current awesomeness, we are aware that the site needs to pass the test of a wider audience, adapt to their needs, and grow."

SPRINT CONFIRMS COMMITMENT TO UNLIMITED DATA PLANS

Sprint has once again reaffirmed its commitment to maintaining the availability of its unlimited data plans — until it eliminates them. Speaking at GigaOm’s Mobilize conference in San Francisco on Monday, Sprint chief technology officer Stephen Bye reiterated the carrier’s stance on unlimited data. Bye stated simply that the company will continue to offer unlimited plans as T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon cap and throttle their offerings, but cost is the biggest variable. “There’s clearly a cost to support unlimited,” Bye told conference attendees, noting that some subscribers use much more data than others. The CTO also noted that maintaining Sprint’s unlimited offerings is a constant challenge. ”Is there pressure? Yeah,” Bye added. “There’s a challenge for all engineers to work on how we get the cost structure down.”

“We’re going to try to keep [unlimited plans] around as long as we can,” Fared Adib, Sprint’s vice president of product development said. “What most people don’t realize is that there is a cost here with us doing this, and we are definitely seeing a trend where people are using more and more data. Like I said we’re not against that, but what happens is that over a certain period of time if people abuse the unlimited data policies — if everyone constantly uses a lot of it — then it becomes more expensive for us to maintain the network. So you do have to look at that and balance that out as a carrier, to make sure you can still generate revenue to offset your costs.”

FIREFOX 7 RELEASED FOR WINDOWS AND MAC

Mozilla on Tuesday pushed out a new version of its popular Firefox web browser for Windows and Mac computers. Mozilla released Firefox 6 on August 16th, just over one month ago, and version 7 is already upon us, reaffirming Mozilla’s commitment to the world’s second most popular web browser. Firefox 7 brings with it a host of changes, the most notable of which is perhaps “drastically improved memory handling” and other speed related improvements. As of August, Net Applications shows Firefox’s global browser share as 22.57%, behind Microsoft’s Internet Explorer (55.31%) and ahead of Chrome (15.51%) Safari (4.64%) and the Opera browser (1.68%). Users can wait for the browser to self update or they can go grab the release here.

BEST BUY REDUCING HOLIDAY HIRES

Best Buy will hire fewer temporary workers for the 2011 holiday season compared to last year, Reuters reported on Wednesday. The nationwide electronics retail chain will take on 15,000 new temporary employees, compared to the 29,000 it hired in 2010. Best Buy is not alone in its decision. Research from the management consulting firm Hay Group suggests that about 25% of U.S. retailers will hire fewer temporary employees this holiday season. “The consumer is being really careful about where he or she is spending the dollars, and I think that will continue through the holidays,” Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn told Reuters. Dunn said his company will carry the iPhone 5 and noted Best Buy expects tablets, smartphones and accessories for both to be a sales catalyst this holiday season.

SPOTIFY REQUIRES NEW USERS TO USE FACEBOOK TO SIGN IN TO SERVICE

Spotify has been taking a great deal of flak today about a change made to the service that forces newly registered users to log in using their Facebook IDs. The streaming music service has just released a new statement giving its official response to complaints about the new system, updating a statement released earlier today.

To us, this is all about creating an amazing new world of music discovery. As most of our users are already social and have already connected to Facebook, it seemed logical to integrate Spotify and Facebook logins. We already use Facebook as part of our backend to power our social features and by adopting Facebook’s login, we’ve created a simple and seamless social experience.

From today, all new Spotify users will need to have a Facebook account to join Spotify. Think of it as like a virtual ‘passport’, designed to make the experience smoother and easier, with one less username and password to remember. You don’t need to connect to Facebook and if you do decide to, you can always control what you share and don’t share by changing your Spotify settings at any time.

We’re constantly trying new things, always looking for feedback and we’re always going to listen to our users, making changes based on this feedback wherever we can.”

That seems to hint at potential changes to the new policy if the complaints persist.

RUMOR: MICROSOFT EMPLOYEES LEAVE IN DROVES DURING COMPANY WIDE MEETING

Microsoft employees allegedly left “in droves” during Steve Ballmer’s recent speech at the recent annual Microsoft Company Meeting.

The claims were made in comments at mini-Microsoft, a site authored by a a secret Microsoft employee who regularly blogs about internal changes at the software giant. The comments section of mini-microsoft’s latest blog post has provided some interesting insight into the closely guarded Microsoft company meeting over the years. Microsoft holds an annual meeting for its employees to rally the troops. Key Microsoft executives are usually in attendance to highlight any upcoming company wide changes and show off the latest work from Microsoft’s vast product teams.

Some of the anonymous comments at mini-Microsoft appear to indicate that a large number of employees were not present during Ballmer’s speech at the meeting. According to one commenter, Steve Ballmer, Microsoft CEO, was speaking whilst “people were leaving in droves.” Seattle PI spotted the comments on the blog and picked out a handful of interesting ones:

• What a sad spectacle. While SteveB was yacking away, people were leaving in droves. Back in the good old days when BillG spoke, EVERYONE listened.
• Steve, you’ve lost the support of your employees – when will you realize that you’re holding this once great company back? Oh and BTW, you can take LB (HR chief Lisa Brummel) and KT (COO Kevin Turner) with you too. They like the taste of your Kool Aid…
• Now for the unpleasant weeks ahead. Wonder what flaming bag of you know what LB will lay on our doorsteps? She rolled out cuts to our bennies last year just after the company meeting, what’s next???
• Great demos and pretty good overall. Only thing is the last part, windows, cannot lose. Sounds a bit defensive from our CEO.
• Okay it’s been a couple years since I personally attended the company meeting but, wow, I have to say that was the worst one I’ve ever seen by far. I tried, I swear I tried to keep my admittedly sinking attitude in check and be objective. But it was just too much to endure such painfully flat demos and lifeless speakers in their sleepy attempts to show excitement about our products and our future. The train dance thing (the few times they did it) got old fast but it soon became a welcome reprieve from the on-stage monotony. It seemed like almost every demo was something about Win 8 tablet, with a few quick nods to products that are actually doing well in the marketplace, then back to praying to the Windows 8 gods for rain.
• Is Win 8 tablet all we have left to be excited about? Has the morale across the company slumped so much that 20,000 of us together can’t even generate a decent applause? Please someone tell me I’m wrong. Tell me I’ve just got a bad attitude and I completely misread the meeting.
• Yep, pretty sad to see all the seats empty out while SteveB was talking…hopefully he gets the hint and bows out in the Win8 timeframe.

From the comments it would appear that Ballmer’s audience was not full of eager employees waiting to hear the next best thing, instead it was full of empty seats. The comments could be from non-Microsoft employees trying to stir up trouble but WinRumors spoke to two separate employees present at Ballmer’s speech and both confirmed that attendance was thin. Neither would say whether employees were walking out during Ballmer’s speech however. The Seattle PI asks is it time for Ballmer to leave Microsoft and has Steve Ballmer lost the support of Microsoft employees? Mini-Microsoft tipped Steven Sinofsky, chief of the Windows Division, as a potential CEO candidate. Microsoft lacks a visionary leader and Sinofsky appears to fill that role very well. Co-founder Bill Gates handed over the CEO position to Steve Ballmer in January 2000 and transitioned from full-time work at Microsoft to focus on his philanthropy in June, 2008. Gates’ departure came after his vision and belief that tablet computing would be mainstream by 2012 (see video). Gates was right but Ballmer has often misjudged competitor products, he laughed at the introduction of the iPhone and branded it “the most expensive phone in the world” (see video). The iPhone went on to redefine smartphones and triggered a battle for a space that Microsoft had invested heavily in with the now defunct Windows Mobile operating system.

Glassdoor.com, which allows employees to anonymously rates their employer, reports that 55 percent of employees disapprove of Ballmer and 45 percent approve, based on 1,691 ratings. An influential hedge fund manager called for Ballmer to quit in May. Microsoft’s board of directors supported Ballmer following the calls for him to quit. Microsoft’s nine-person board, including Chairman and co-founder Bill Gates, supported Ballmer at the end of May. Microsoft’s stock has suffered since Ballmer has been in charge but most analysts and investors feel it would be a hard task to find someone adequate to replace him.

APPLE DENIED TRADEMARK ON "MULTI-TOUCH"

In a decision handed down by the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Apple has been denied an application for a trademark on the term Multi-Touch. Apple originally applied for the trademark on January 9, 2007, the day the iPhone was introduced. A lawyer for the USPTO denied Apple's initial trademark application and the company appealed to the Appeal Board. The board upheld the initial refusal to grant the trademark.

For trademarks, "the greater the degree of descriptiveness the term has, the heavier the burden to prove it has attained secondary meaning." The trademark attorney pointed out that the term "multitouch" has taken on generic meaning, being used by a wide variety of publications to describe the touchscreen technology on Android phones, tablets, and notebooks.

There is a list of items that can determine if a mark has "acquired distinctiveness", including sales success, length and exclusivity of use, and advertising expenditures. The board ruled that Apple has not met the burden to be granted a trademark on multi-touch.

DELICIOUS RELAUNCHES

Last night saw the relaunch of Delicious, the little bookmarking site that helped inspire a wave of social companies in the eight years since it was founded. New owners Chad Hurley and Steve Chen (aka the creators of YouTube) have ported Delicious over from previous owner Yahoo and are ready to show their first revision to the public. Expectations aren’t terrifically high for the new Delicious, given the rareness of tech comeback stories and the fact that Delicious was never really that popular. But we can’t help but watch given Hurley and Chen’s magic touch at YouTube.

The new Delicious retains a lot of visual elements from the old site, but it tweaks the core user activity to be creating “stacks” of content. In an interview late Monday, Hurley compared stacks to YouTube playlists, saying he thinks the way to go mainstream is by enabling users to express their interests. The new Delicious can be found at www.delicious.com

FACEBOOK TRIES TO EXPLAIN WHY THEY TRACK USERS EVEN AFTER THEY SIGN OUT

Cookies have been a feature of the web for as long as I can remember. In many cases they are a useful feature to have as they remember your preferences and limit the amount of times you need to login to a service you have signed up for. But there is a dark side to cookie use in the form of them tracking where you go.

The advice to anyone concerned about tracking through cookies is to use a good cookie clean-up utility and log out of sites you believe to be tracking you around the web. But in the case of Facebook it turns out that logging out of your account is not enough–Facebook continues to track you.

This is possible because when you log out of Facebook the associated cookies are not deleted off your machine. So, any site you visit that has a connection to Facebook e.g. the Like button that is now so common, will proceed to check if you have a Facebook cookie. If you do, it can pick up the information and know you’ve visited that site. This logged out tracking was discovered by the Australian writer and hacker Nik Cubrilovic and confirmed logging out is no longer enough.

On Nik’s post where he detailed his findings, Facebook engineer Gregg Stefancik took the time to respond in the comments section. The point he made is that yes, Facebook does track logged out users, but it has good reason to do so. When you log out, the remaining Facebook cookies become a different tool for the social network. Stefancik states they are useful for blocking spammers and phishers, stopping underage users from re-registering with a fake birth date, continuing to keep login approvals and notifications secure, keeping track of shared computer logins, and as a way of helping in the recovery of hacked accounts.

So while Facebook “tracking” when logged out of your account may seem like cause for concern, it in fact turns out to be part of a wider security effort for the social network. Stefancik also states that logging out of Facebook does delete “account-specific cookies” and those that are left do not allow for personal identity tracking. Stefancik’s main point is that Facebook does not share or sell the information it gathers, nor does it use the information for its own advertising or partners. In fact, he states that Facebook does not carry out any tracking at all, at least not in the usual way.

LEAK: MORE MOTOROLA XOOM 2 PICS

More pictures of the Motorola Xoom 2 tablets have leaked. The tablets are only about 9mm thick, about the same thickness as an iPhone 4. It will come in two sizes, 8.2" and 10.1". In the pictures we can see the rear buttons that appear to be on/off and volume. The leaker has indicated both tablets, codenamed Fleming, will sport a 5 MP HD rear facing camera and LTE. The OS is currently Android 3.2, but said to be very buggy requiring frequent reboots. Click the link here to see the new leaked pictures.

NETFLIX STRIKES DEAL WITH DREAMWORKS

It looks like those rumors of a streaming deal between Netflix and Dreamworks Animation were as good as advertised. Details are still fuzzy at this point, but the New York Times is reporting that the two parties have reached an agreement to stream Dreamworks' movies and TV projects, as part of a deal worth an estimated $30 million. Under the contract, which replaces a similar pay TV pact between Dreamworks and HBO, Netflix will begin offering exclusive access to the studio's new films in 2013, with Antz, Kung Fu Panda and other titles from its library slated to become available for streaming sometime thereafter.

The company won't be confined to selling digital copies of Dreamworks' movies within a specific period, either, drawing a major distinction between itself and HBO, which requires studio partners to halt digital sales outside of an exclusive window. HBO probably isn't too thrilled to see Netflix strike what Dreamworks chief exec Jeffrey Katzenberg called a "game-changing deal."

AMAZON CALLS PRESS CONFERENCE FOR SEPTEMBER 28TH; ANNOUNCEMENT OF TABLET EXPECTED

Amazon's been cooking something in a supposed Android-based oven for quite some rumored time. Now, an invite has gone out from the Bezos-backed company for an event on the 28th of this month at 10AM. Will the e-retailer officially announce a pair of 7- and 10-inch Kindle refreshes we've heard about, or is this the heavily-skinned Android tab that TechCrunch got its hands-on earlier this month?

LEAK: MOTOROLA XOOM 2?

Who's looking sleek in angled corners? Why, it's the Motorola Xoom 2 -- at least it might be, according to Droid-Life and the folks that leaked it the above image. The outfit's informant tells them that the pictured device is flaunting micro-USB and HDMI ports, a SIM card slot and a few large, flush buttons on its back. Is it the real deal? Well, we can't say it looks much like Verizon's door-destroying tablet, or even the shy slate that we spied on Motorola Mobility's leaked website redesign -- but we wouldn't put too much stock into ambiguous renders and inconclusive advertisements anyway.

MICROSOFT LAUNCHES BING DEALS

Microsoft announced and launched a new deals website on Friday tied to its growing Bing suite of services. Bing Deals is a shopping site that compiles specials from GroupOn, Target, LivingSocial, Nordstrom and others. “Instead of building another program, we’re harnessing deals from major providers and retailers,” said Bing senior director Lisa Gurry. Microsoft’s Bing Deals offers more than 200,000 specials across the United States and, as a deal aggregator, it should eliminate the need to sign up for email alerts from multiple coupon-based services. Just like competing options, Microsoft will offer daily specials that will be accessible from its desktop website located at http://bing.com/deals and from mobile devices.

DISH NETWORK LAUNCHES BLOCKBUSTER MOVIE PASS

Dish Network on Friday announced the upcoming availability of Blockbuster Movie Pass, an unlimited video streaming service akin to Netflix’s “Watch Instantly.” Beginning October 1st, Dish subscribers will have unlimited access to a small library of digital content that they can stream to a PC or to a TV using a standard Dish set-top box. While Netflix is moving in a completely different direction, having just spun off its DVD rental service to focus on streaming, Dish is sticking with the multi-pronged approach as Blockbuster’s best bet. “We’ve created a package that combines the best assets of the movie entertainment and video gaming industries with the convenience and integration provided by a multichannel video provider,” said Blockbuster president Michael Kelly in a statement. “Blockbuster Movie Pass is the ultimate programming package for every movie buff. The combination of DVDs by mail and unlimited in-store exchanges provides more than 100 million people living near Blockbuster stores, which are open 7 days a week, immediate satisfaction and unmatched choice.”

RUMOR: BARNES AND NOBLE TO RELEASE NEW TABLET FOR $349

The Barnes & Noble NOOK Color is one of the best-selling Android tablets in the US, even though the company positions it as a color eBook Reader first and a tablet second. Now it looks like B&N’s 7 inch, $249 tablet may be getting a pricier sibling.

Nate at The Digital Reader received a tip that the company plans to launch a new $349 device next quarter. It will have the code-name Acclaim… and that’s really about all that we know about it. There’s no word on the screen size, processor, or any other specifications.

LEAK: JERRY YANG MEMO SAYS YAHOO IS FOR SALE

After Yahoo fired CEO Carol Bartz, cofounder Jerry Yang told employees that the company had not begun a sales process.
Since then, reports here and elsewhere have suggested that is a bunch of malarkey and that Yahoo's board is very much putting the company up for sale.
Today, Yang copped to as much in a company-wide memo.
In it he says that Yahoo has hired investment bank Allen & Company to help it field "inquiries from multiple parties that have already expressed interest in a number of potential options."

Dear Yahoos:

In our recent all hands meeting, we talked about the Board’s strategic review to help return the Company to a path of robust growth and industry-leading innovation. While our teams are working to evaluate the many opportunities by which Yahoo! can continue building on our success, all kinds of people have been – and will continue – speculating in the media about where that work is headed, so we thought it best to provide you with some additional context directly from those of us who are closest to it. We don’t have specific news to share with you today, but we are committed to communicating with you directly from time to time – especially given the level of external swirl – so that you know where we are in the process. You can expect periodic updates from us and we encourage you to communicate with us as well.

At the heart of what we are doing is our belief that Yahoo!’s core strengths are not only relevant to where users are going today, but can serve as a foundation for the next phase of our company’s growth. Consider our strengths: we have 680 million users worldwide. We have nine of the #1 properties in the U.S., and we are a leader in display advertising. Our brand is iconic – we are not the only ones who bleed purple. By whatever measure you want to use – engagement, quality of products and services, our value to our advertisers – we all feel that we have what it takes to succeed. Also, our Asia assets remain one of our top priorities and we continue to work well with the teams there. As you may have seen, Alibaba Group has just announced a liquidity event for its employees that reflects a continued appreciation in its value, and therefore of the value of our stake.

What Yahoo! needs to do better – and we’ve talked about this – is accelerate innovation, reignite inspiration, and give our users what they want now – great content that is engaging and easy-to-use on any device and provides an experience in which they can participate and contribute. Perhaps most importantly, we need to anticipate what they will want next. That is the path to enhancing the value of Yahoo! for all of its stakeholders, including its users, customers, shareholders, partners and Yahoos everywhere. Our strategic review is designed to help us map out the best way to achieve that.

At this point, we cannot offer many specifics about the Board’s review; we’ve just gotten started. You should know that the entire Board and management team are fully aligned and unanimous in their views regarding the scope of this work. Allen & Company was a logical choice to help us in this review, because they have been one of our advisers for some time, and this is familiar territory for them. Achieving success in our sector is intrinsic to what they do for a living, and they will be constructive partners.

Our advisers are working with us to develop ideas that we will pursue proactively. At the same time, they are fielding inquiries from multiple parties that have already expressed interest in a number of potential options. We will take the time we need to select and structure the best approach for the company, its shareholders and employees.

In addition, as we announced previously, the Board has commenced a search for a permanent Chief Executive Officer. That process also continues.

When we have updates that we can share we will do so. There will be plenty of rumors and speculation as different parties try to advance their agendas in the media – but it is important that we not be distracted by the rumors and speculation.

You are instrumental to the success of our business – we can’t do it without you. While we will move with a sense of urgency, this process will take time. Months, not weeks. We know that’s a lot of potential distraction, but we believe it will be worth the wait. We are forging a path to a next phase of growth for Yahoo! that feels like our best days: fun, full of possibility, and always in search of how to deliver the new thing people want from us. Together, we can write the next great chapter in the Yahoo! story and secure our place as one of those rarities: an internet company that endures.

Jerry Roy David

AMTRACK REGIONAL TRAINS TO GET FREE WIFI OCTOBER 1ST

Amtrak may finally be implementing free WiFi on October 1st according to a recent tweet. A casual conversation between conductor and passenger yielded the information that the system is finally ready to extend beyond Acela, apparently "ready to roll and it's just a matter of 'flipping the on switch.'" This comes as great news for commuters who spend their mornings and evenings stuck on slow, old, often curious smelling Regional trains. Unfortunately, other than the tweet, there's no word (official or otherwise) whether net surfage will be possible beginning next month. Acela and some northwest passengers already enjoy this luxury, now the northeast can finally surf the internet while they ride the rails.

TOYOTA PRIUS TO GET ARTIFICIAL ENGINE NOISE [VIDEO]

Silence may be a virtue under most circumstances, but not when you're driving around a leafy, residential neighborhood in your Toyota Prius. That's why the manufacturer came out with its very own vehicle proximity notification system last year -- a "futuristic," underhood noisemaker designed to alert pedestrians and the visually impaired to the plug-in's presence. Now, Toyota has offered more details on its safety system, in a freshly released demo video starring the 2012 Prius V. The car's artificial engine noise, as the company explains, only kicks in at speeds below 15 miles per hour, allowing it to broadcast its audible heads-up across parking lots or other low-speed zones. The sound itself, meanwhile, emanates from external speakers and consists of a blend of high and low frequencies that won't be by muffled by background noise or physical obstacles. The vehicle's pitch shift technology also enables the tone to rise in pitch as the car speeds up and to fall as it slows down, giving others an idea of how fast it's approaching.

FACEBOOK UNVEILS TIMELINE, COZIES UP TO NETFLIX AND SPOTIFY

During the F8 conference on Thursday, Facebook’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stage to introduce a host of new features that are rolling out to the social network. The major change is called “Timeline” and it takes advantage of existing pictures and status updates to create a more visual experience of “who you are.” As you scroll down your personal timeline, you’ll be able to view pictures and updates throughout the years. There is a new option in the upper right-hand side of your profile to quickly skip to a year in time too, and many of the features are also available on Facebook’s mobile applications.

Timeline automatically hides information that Facebook doesn’t think is important, but if it is, you can easily switch it to show that content. In addition, users can click the Timeline and add photos to earlier points in time before Facebook existed, such as their childhoods. Apps can also populate the timeline.

Zuckerberg also stated that users can now listen to music, read news, and watch TV and movies right through Facebook. For some of the content, you can simply hover over your friends’ post that shows up in your news Ticker and instantly have access to that content. For example, if you see that a friend of yours is listening to REM via Spotify, you can simply click on their post and be instantly connected to the song they’re listening to and listen along with them. Then, you can open up your chat and talk with your friend about how sad you are that REM finally broke up.

VERIZON CEO STICKS UP FOR AT&T'S ACQUISITION OF T-MOBILE

Verizon Communications chief executive Lowell McAdam has gone on record in suggesting that the company’s biggest rival, AT&T, should be allowed to complete its proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA. “That match had to occur,” McAdam said at an investor conference on Wednesday, warning that the government has no choice but to allow such mergers unless it can focus on getting telcos the increased spectrum they need to operate. He continued, “We need to be very thoughtful on what the impacts would be to the overall industry if this is a way to regulate the industry without actually passing regulation.” Read on for more.

“I have taken the position that the AT&T merger with T-Mobile was kind of like gravity,” McAdam told investors. “It had to occur, because you had a company with a T-Mobile that had the spectrum but didn’t have the capital to build it out. AT&T needed the spectrum, they didn’t have it in order to take care of their customers, and so that match had to occur.” The CEO continued, noting that he has told the Federal Communications Commission and other government officials that blocking AT&T’s acquisition of T-Mobile without providing a solution to the current spectrum crunch will ultimately harm American consumers.

WINDOWS PHONE 7 MANGO RELEASING IN NEXT WEEK OR TWO

Microsoft general manager Eric Hautala wrote a blog post on Microsoft’s official Windows Team Blog on Wednesday in which he confirmed the Windows Phone Mango update will begin rolling out to devices “in the next week or two.” Hautala said Microsoft has been making solid progress on the update and advised any Windows Phone users not to install unofficial or leaked copies of Mango. “During the official Windows Phone 7.5 update process, every Windows Phone will also receive software from the handset manufacturer,” Hautala explained. “This matched and paired firmware has been painstakingly tuned so your phone—and apps—work with all the new features of Windows Phone 7.5.”

AMAZON KINDLE LIBRARY LENDING LAUNCHES

Amazon’s Kindle Library Lending service, first announced in April, is now live in the United States. The service allows Kindle users to borrow eBooks from more than 11,000 participating libraries across the country. Here’s how it works: simply visit the website of a U.S. library with support for OverDrive and then, provided you have a library card, check out a Kindle book by clicking “Get for Kindle.” The eBook will then be delivered to your Kindle via Wi-Fi or USB. Library Lending is supported on any device that has Amazon’s Kindle application installed, which means it is available for multiple platforms including the PC, Android, iOS, Blackberry and Windows Phone. There are no limitations to titles borrowed from a library, and users can still view real page numbers and synchronize notes, highlights and more across multiple devices.

BING COSTS MICROSOFT $5.5 BILLION

Microsoft has lost $5.5 billion, an average drain of $1 billion per quarter, on Bing since it introduced the search engine in 2009, CNNMoney reported on Wednesday. Despite the losses, Microsoft’s Bing reached a 30% share of the U.S. search engine market in April of this year, slowly narrowing the gap with Google, although comScore’s figures pin the search engine’s share at just 14.7%.

Despite the constant drain, Microsoft still has a plan for Bing. During the company’s financial analyst meeting in California recently, Microsoft’s president of online services Qi Lu said his company hopes to use Bing to “reorganize the web” to “change the game fundamentally” instead of taking on Google in a head-to-head dogfight.

“We are able to try things with much more flexibility,” Bing director Stefan Weitz said. “If we make a mistake, it’s not going to take down the company.” Analysts believe Microsoft will continue to lose money, however. “Bing will likely be better than Google over time, but even if it is, users and advertisers still need to go to them,” McAdams Wright Ragen analyst Sid Parakh told CNNMoney. “To be clear, this will take a long, long time to play out. This is something Microsoft will continue to lose money on.”

RUMOR: FORMER eBAY CEO MEG WHITMAN TO REPLACE HP CEO APOTHEKER

HP may replace current CEO Leo Apotheker with former eBay CEO Meg Whitman, AllThingsD reported on Wednesday. Reportedly, HP board members are not pleased with “a series of management mishaps,” inside HP. It is unclear if those mishaps are related to HP’s recent decision to kill off its webOS devices and spin off its PC business, which resulted in recent job cuts from the former Palm team.

The board may be more upset HP’s stock has tanked more than 40% since Apotheker took the reins in September, 2010. In any case, if Apotheker does get relieved of his duties as CEO, one analyst has suggested he will still have made $9.4 million for the year. Whitman, who is also on HP’s board, is reportedly interested in the job but the appointment is far from official, AllThingsD said. Whitman’s experience in the consumer market might help HP if ever does decide to revive the TouchPad and other webOS hardware efforts. Whitman served as eBay’s chief executive for 10 years until 2008 before trying her hand in politics.

WINDOWS 8 DITCHES BIOS BOOT FOR UEFI

Microsoft has decided to ditch the old BIOS boot by beautifying the whole experience with a graphical menu. Windows 8 will replace the standard fugly BIOS system with a Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) -- giving users a high resolution logo and a graphical menu to gaze upon while powering up their PC. Besides just looking better, the menu lets you boot to a different disc, OS or USB drive using pretty pictures and words as prompts.

APPLE TO HOLD MEDIA EVENT ON OCTOBER 4TH; PROBABLY INTRODUCING iPHONE 5

All Things D is reporting today that Apple's next big media event will be held on October 4th, where freshly minted CEO Tim Cook is expected to unveil the iPhone 5. Sources close to the situation say Cook will be the main presenter at the event, with execs Phil Schiller, Scott Forstall and Eddy Cue playing supporting roles. This would mark the first time that Cook has actually led an Apple event, adding an extra wrinkle of significance to an already highly anticipated occasion. The site's sources went on to say that the next-gen iPhone will be available for purchase "within a few weeks" of the announcement, though All Things D acknowledges that the exact date of its unveiling is still subject to change.

LEAK: T-MOBILE SUBSCRIBERS CAN KEEP PLANS AFTER ACQUISITION BY AT&T

According to a purported internal document obtained by TmoNews, T-Mobile customers will be able to keep their service plans indefinitely should AT&T’s acquisition of the carrier proceed. “T-Mobile customers will be able to keep their rate plans,” the internal FAQ reads. “They will be able to do so for as long as they want to, even when their terms end and the service continues on a month-to-moth basis.” The wording suggests that T-Mobile customers will be out of luck if they want to purchase a new subsidized phone under contract, however, though it does not state explicitly that new contracts will require customers to switch to a standard AT&T rate plan.

The United States Department of Justice (and other companies like Sprint) is suing to block the merger and in its filing, the DOJ states, “AT&T’s elimination of T-Mobile as an independent, low- priced rival would remove a significant competitive force from the market.”

PATENT TROLLS COST COMPANIES $500 BILLION AND STIFLE INNOVATION

According to The Private and Social Costs of Patent Trolls, a new study published by the Boston University School of Law, patent trolls are responsible for $500 billion of “lost wealth” between 1990 and 2010, and for a decline in innovation. The study defines patents trolls as “firms that license patents without producing goods,” otherwise known as non-practicing entities. The researchers have found patent trolls, typically smaller firms, often sue large companies for technology patent infringement to make a quick buck. The lawsuits have resulted in an average of $80 billion of lost wealth per year during the last four years.

The Private and Social Costs of Patent Trolls argues that patent trolls push firms to purchase “vague, over-reaching patents” instead of innovating.

ROBOT NOMINATED TO CARRY OLYMPIC TORCH IN HONOR OF TURING'S 100th BIRTHDAY

In addition to the Olympic rings, the Olympic Torch is one of the most well-known symbols of the Olympic Games. The torch commemorates the theft of fire from the Greek god Zeus by Prometheus, and each of the Games holds its own Torch Relay to transport the flame from Greece to the host country. Eight thousand “inspirational torchbearers” will carry the flame during the Olympic Torch Relay. However, one man is gunning to make it 7,999 torch-bearing people and one torch-bearing robot.

James Law, Computer Scientist at Aberystwyth University, is nominating the iCub robot to be one of the many torchbearers for London 2012.. The iCub was built to learn from real-world activities just like a toddler does.

The 100th anniversary of the birth of the founder of computer science, Alan Turing, happens to coincide with the Olympics, and having the iCub as one of the torchbearers would be a “fitting tribute to Alan Turing, and an inspiration to future generations of scientists and engineers,” Law said. According to Law, Turing was not only considered the father of modern computer science, he was also the ”figurehead for the code-breaking efforts of WWII.” He also created one of the first designs for a stored-program computer and helped lay the foundations for the field of artificial intelligence.

The flame will be lit in Greece and will arrive in the UK on May 18, 2012 to begin the 70-day journey that will culminate at the Opening Ceremonies on July 27. Eight thousand people (7,999 people and one robot if Law gets his way) will be chosen to carry the Olympic Flame during the Torch Relay with the goal that their inspirational stories will “have the power to inspire millions of people watching around the world.”

GOOGLE+ NOW OPEN TO PUBLIC

After 12 weeks of "beta" testing only open to those with invitations, Google+ is now open to everyone, no invitation needed. Google+ is Google's latest attempt at social networking and is bringing the fight to Facebook. From Hangouts (video calling with multiple people) to Circles (ability to group friends together into groups and send updates to selected circles) and user friendly privacy settings, Google hopes to bring social networking to the next level. During the 12 week "beta" testing period Google+ has garnered over 20 million users and acquired acclaim from the tech sector.

To join Google+ head over to Google and sign up.

HP TO LAYOFF OVER 500 WEBOS EMPLOYEES THIS WEEK

HP will lay off as many as 525 employees from its Palm division this week AllThingsD reported on Tuesday. HP killed off its webOS mobile operating system in mid-August when it also announced it would discontinue the development of webOS devices such as the TouchPad and Palm Pre family of smartphones. “As part of this decision, the webOS GBU is undergoing a reduction in workforce,” an HP spokesperson explained. “Today’s actions are part of this initiative. During this time, we stand by our commitment to our webOS customers and will work to ensure that support and service for customers are not adversely affected. HP is exploring ways to leverage webOS software.”

ANDROID HONEYCOMB TO ICE CREAM SANDWICH GUIDE POSTED FOR DEVELOPERS BY GOOGLE

Google posted a guide on its Android Developers website on Monday that should help developers prepare Honeycomb applications for the new Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, which will run on smartphones as well as tablets. That means Honeycomb developers will need to make their applications compatible with displays smaller than those found on various Android tablets. Creating an Ice Cream Sandwich compatible version of an application is important to reaching a larger audience, too. “Optimizing for handsets can be tricky if your designs currently use all of a large screen to deliver content,” Google explained in a blog post. “It’s worth the effort, though, because Ice Cream Sandwich brings the Honeycomb APIs to handsets and you’ll significantly increase the user-base for your app.”

HACKERS CAN CHANGE YOUR PASSWORD IN LION OS X

Security blog Defense in Depth via CNET has found a glaring security flaw in OS X Lion that enables hackers to change the password of any user on a machine running Lion. “[While] non-root users are unable to access the shadow files directly, Lion actually provides non-root users the ability to still view password hash data,” Patrick Dunstan from Defense in Depth explained in a recent blog post. The result is that anyone could use a simple Python script, created by Dunstan himself, to discover a user’s password. It gets worse. Reportedly, OS X Lion does not require its users to enter a password to change the login credentials of the current user. That means typing the command: “dscl localhost -passwd /Search/Users/Roger” will actually prompt you to set a new password for Roger.

As CNET points out, a hacker could only take advantage of the known bug if he or she has local access to the computer and Directory Service access. CNET suggests disabling automatic log-in, enabling sleep and screensaver passwords and disabling guest accounts as some preventative measures to keep your Mac secure.

SOUND WAVES CONVERTED TO ELECTROMAGNETIC ENGERY

Researchers in Japan and Germany have converted energy from soundwaves into electromagnetic energy, trapping a magnetic "spin current" between metal layers. In the experiment, when sound waves are directed at an interface between the thin metal layer and magnetic material, electrical signals are generated at a pair of electrodes attached above. When the soundwaves reach the magnetic material, this creates a spin current that gets picked up by three layers of metal. This is where the exercise class-sounding reverse spin Hall effect kicks in, transforming it into an electrical voltage.

scientists believe that it should be possible to generate that mystical electromagnetic energy from any material in the future. At the moment, the project is looking into materials that are able to eke out more voltage from the process.

RUMOR: SAMSUNG'S BADA MOBILE OS TO GO OPEN SOURCE

Samsung launched its own smartphone OS, Bada, almost two years ago and so far adoption by consumers, and developers, has been lukewarm at best. If a Wall Street Journal rumor is true however all that may change. According to the report Samsung is going to make Bada open source for developers and manufacturers. Citing the usual "person familiar with the situation", Samsung apparently isn't interested in snagging any outside companies like, say, webOS, but wants to strengthen its independence from Android after Google announced it will purchase Motorola. Right now, it feels like we've already seen this story play out for the still-kicking Symbian. On the other hand, maybe Samsung, with its massive manufacturing capabilities and current hit-making prowess, can strike the right balance of hardware, software and apps to make it worthwhile.

HULU SALE IN TROUBLE

According to Reuters, a slew of speed bumps have slowed down interest and the bidding process and may even kill all hopes of selling the service. According to sources, the first bump in the road can be attributed to Hulu's owners -- News Corp., Disney, NBC Universal and Providence Equity Partners -- who may not all be on the same page when it comes to selling the service. Without a unified front, it's been hard for the company to find an acceptable offer from the likes of Google, Amazon, DirecTV and Dish Network, who have all talked about bidding between $500 million to $2 billion. As the service awaits a new round of bids next week, it's been said that the major players involved have (unsurprisingly) agreed to reject any lowball offers.

The second issue is content licensing. Some content owners have quietly been grumbling about a sale and legal threats have been bandied about. Some content owners are wanting a piece of the pie in the sale and others are considering pulling their content depending on who the winner of the bidding war is.

All of this is making the process of selling Hulu a real challenge and some sources are saying the owners may pull the company off the market.

RUMOR: GOOGLE TO LAUNCH GOOGLE WALLET TOMORROW

Google Wallet was first officially announced back in May along with partners Citi, First Data, Sprint, and MasterCard. Using a compatible phone and payment point (MasterCard PayPass) it allows you to pay for things using just your phone–no need to get your card or cash out. Tomorrow, it looks like Google Wallet gets an official launch.

You will be able to take advantage of Google Wallet on Sprint if you own a Nexus S 4G and shop where there’s a compatible MasterCard PayPass point. However, a limited public launch isn’t a bad thing as it will allow for a low level of use to be monitored and tested. If everything goes to plan, we can expect the availability of Wallet across more networks and NFC-enabled phones to increase fairly rapidly.

For the moment this hasn’t been confirmed by Google, but as has been rightly pointed out, it’s the NFC World Congress today and the Nexus Prime is expected next month which will also offer NFC as standard. It does sound like the perfect time to roll this out.

LEVAR BURTON TO RELAUNCH READING RAINBOW...AS AN iPAD APP

Reading Rainbow which ran for over 20 years was an educational show that strived to encourage kids to read books. For those unfamiliar with Reading Rainbow, it was originally hosted by LeVar Burton, a former cast member of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The PBS show launched in 1983 and ran until November of 2006 to many children’s delight. However, PBS was forced to shut down the show in 2006 due to the network’s financial problems.

But all is not lost in Reading Rainbow land. Back in March of 2010, Burton tweeted that “Reading Rainbow 2.0 is in the works,” and is seems we now know what Burton had cooking up. Burton will be bringing it back, but this time, it’ll be on iPad screens instead of TV screens. The Reading Rainbow iPad app will be launched by Burton’s for-profit business, RRKidz.

The app will feature voice-over-enhanced children’s books, videos of Burton in actual places (like NASA stations!), and games. Burton said he’s “on a mission go to get kids hooked on books.” The app’s digital library will feature 300 books at launch and will include voice-overs and animations in addition to the games and videos.

Three-hundred books sounds like a lot, but Burton said that RRKidz has a technology at its disposal that lets it enhance a PDF children’s book with multimedia content in just a few hours. There aren’t very many details on this technology yet, but it apparently will allow people to digitally enhance enough content to add several books each month after launch.

The iPad app will be subscription based, and users will have to renew each month as more and more titles are added.

BUYING ONLINE IS NOT FOR MANY CONSUMERS

The advent of online shopping changed the retail industry forever, but many consumers are still not willing to shop for consumer electronics online despite potential cost savings. New data from market research firm The NPD Group shows that while nearly two-thirds of U.S. consumers use the Internet to research consumer electronics purchases, only about half go on to purchase electronics online. ”It’s not surprising to see that so many consumers won’t buy TVs, smartphones, and other popular CE products online, despite using the Internet to perform basic product research,” said NPD analyst Stephen Baker in a statement. “Computers and other IT products have a much longer history online with a wider variety of outlets, including direct sales from manufacturers, for consumers to choose from.”

The firm found that computers and computer software where the most popular online purchases for consumers, with 34% of NPD’s 1,326-person study saying they would make such purchases online. Televisions were the least likely online electronics purchases, with only 19% of respondents saying they would buy a TV online.

SCIENTIST ATTEMPTING TO GIVE ALL METAL CELLS "LIFE"

A Scottish research group is hoping to create reproductive synthetic cells made completely from metal. At this stage, the idea of sentient metallic life remains a distant sci-fi dream, but researchers at the University of Glasgow have already birthed iChells -- inorganic chemical cells. These bubbles, formed from the likes of tungsten, oxygen and phosphorus, can already self-assemble, possess an internal structure, and are capable of the molecular in-and-outs expected of its biological counterparts. Researchers are still tackling how to give these little wonders the ability to self-replicate, and possibly evolve.

NETFLIX SPINS OF DVD BUSINESS TO QWIKSTER

Over on Netflix's official blog, company head Reed Hastings has announced in a surprisingly humble blog post and video (see below) that it's splitting the DVD-by-mail business away into a new venture dubbed Qwikster (horrible name that conjures up the Amway site Quixtar). While the recent price changes already split the cost for each service, when this takes effect in a few weeks it will result in two different websites, two different sets of movie ratings and queues, and two different charges on customer's bills. Reed admits two separate sites may make it more difficult to manage a presence on both, but says dropping the need for compatibility between the two will enable new features to balance that out (huh?). The familiar red envelopes will remain, however they will now sport the new Qwikster (ugh!) logo.

In other news, Netflix Qwikster (god, I hate that name) is getting into video game rentals, available for an extra charge similar to the existing Blu-ray disc option.

VERIZON STARTS "OPTIMIZING" NETWORK FOR DATA HUNGRY USERS

We can't say we weren't warned, since Verizon updated its data policy way back in February, but it's still a punch in the gut to hear its "network optimization" plan went into effect yesterday. A new policy page pointed out by Droid-Life explains how the policy will affect only the "top 5 percent of data users with 3G devices on unlimited data plans" (LTE and tiered data users are in the clear) by managing their speeds when connected to towers it has deemed are congested. Those conditions, termed network intelligence by Verizon Wireless, are what it feels separates this scheme from mere data throttling since it will only affect a few users (those consuming 2GB or more of data per month) at certain times and places, but it's hard to see it any other way. If you're one of those affected, expect a message on your bill or My Verizon account, although you may go into and out of the affected group depending on your usage.

HP SUED BY SHAREHOLDER OVER WEBOS AND TOUCHPAD

HP shareholder Richard Gammell has filed a class-action lawsuit against HP after the company made the drastic decision to kill off the TouchPad in August, which resulted in a 20% drop in share price the following day, Reuters reported. Gammell argued in the suit that HP failed to inform investors the webOS operating system was no longer a major part of the company’s plans moving forward, and that the company had revamped its business plan without telling shareholders. Those actions, Gammell argues, artificially inflated HP’s share price. Gammell is seeking damages for any HP investor who purchased stock between November 22, 2010 and August 18th, 2011.

APPLE IGNORES SAMSUNG, COZIES UP TO TSMC FOR CHIPS

Apple will favor Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) over Samsung to power its next-generation iOS devices, DigiTimes said on Friday. The report aligns with an earlier Reuters report that suggested TSMC would build the next-generation A5 processor for future iPhone and iPad devices. TSMC will use its 20nm and 28nm technologies to create the new chips but may not begin supplying Apple with parts until next year. The Taiwan-based chip builder may have inked a deal to supply the successor to the A6 chip, too.

Earlier reports suggested TSMC already started to test its first batch of A6 chipsets, which may offer dual or quad-core ARM-based architectures. Prior to its agreement with TSMC, Apple typically gave Samsung exclusive orders for its silicon. The move could be tied to multiple ongoing patent lawsuits with the South Korea-based electronics giant.

PAYPAL TO OFFER MOBILE PAYMENT SYSTEM

Paypal has plans to implement new payment features primarily for (but not limited to) mobile. On the to-do list are things like QR / barcode scans, hyper local deals, fast checkout via NFC, etc. The company is adamant that it's not "just shoving a credit card on a phone," but rather planning to change the whole shopping experience (just like every other mobile payment company). We'll know more when PayPal releases more details in early October, and when it launches the pilot product sometime later this year.

FCC TO CREATE & TEST OWN WHITE SPACE DATABASE

On Wednesday, the FCC confirmed that it will begin testing a new database that will enable gadgets to operate on white space airwaves (the frequency not currently in use by other devices), nearly a year after first ratifying its "super WiFi" initiative. The Spectrum Bridge database, as outlined last year, will map out all channels that aren't being used by radio or TV services, thereby preventing broadband devices from interfering with broadcasts. The system will be tested over a 45-day period beginning on September 19th and ending on November 2nd, in order to make sure that it correctly distinguishes available channels from those currently in use.

Cable operators and wireless mic users are invited to register with the database to test its accuracy, but this trial period could easily be extended if the Commission determines that further tests are in order. And, though there's still no indication that unlicensed broadband devices will be hitting the market anytime soon, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski seems confident that this white space spectrum could drastically change the industry. "Unleashing white spaces spectrum will enable a new wave of wireless innovation," Genachowski explained. "It has the potential to exceed the billions of dollars in economic benefit from WiFi, the last significant release of unlicensed spectrum, and drive private investment and job creation."

RIM TO OFFER REBATES ON THE BLACKBERRY PLAYBOOK

During RIM’s second-quarter earnings call, co-CEO Jim Balsillie noted that the company plans to offer price cuts on the not-so-popular BlackBerry PlayBook in the form of rebates, and an incentive program for enterprise sales. Additionally, Balsillie mentioned that there will be a major software update for the PlayBook coming soon. RIM reported during its earnings call on Thursday that it only sold 200,000 BlackBerry PlayBook tablets into channels during its August quarter, after having shipped 500,000 units in the fiscal first quarter. Wall Street was expecting PlayBook shipments to total 700,000 units in the quarter.

AT&T TO FINALLY LAUNCH FIRST SET OF4G MARKETS

During the Bank of America Merrill Lynch Media, Entertainment & Communications conference on Thursday, AT&T’s chief financial officer John Stephens said that AT&T will activate its 4G LTE network in its first five markets on Sunday, FierceWireless reported. The network has been active as part of a soft launch in the AT&T’s five markets, which include Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

Reports have shown a 4g tablet achieving download speeds around 22Mbps and screenshots of a 4G modem achieving 13Mbps download speeds in Chicago. In addition, the same modem reaching speeds up to 25Mbps in Atlanta. Of course all these have been on unloaded systems, so actual speeds may vary. AT&T hopes to activate its network in 15 total markets and launch its first LTE smartphone by the end of the year.