Apple unveils digital textbooks app for iPad

Apple is taking aim at the textbook market. The California-based gadget-maker unveiled a free iBooks 2 application for the iPad that brings interactive textbooks to the popular tablet computer.

"Education is deep in Apple's DNA," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of marketing. "With iBooks 2 for iPad, students have a more dynamic, engaging and truly interactive way to read and learn."

He said the iPad is "rapidly being adopted by schools across the US and around the world" and 1.5 million iPads are already being used in educational institutions.

At a press conference in New York, Schiller and other Apple executives showed off the interactive animations, diagrams, photos and videos available in the iBooks textbooks.

Apple said the electronic textbooks feature "fast, fluid navigation, easy highlighting and note-taking, searching and definitions, plus lesson reviews and study cards."

"The iBooks 2 app will let students learn about the solar system or the physics of a skyscraper with amazing new interactive textbooks that come to life with just a tap or swipe of the finger," it said.

Apple announced partnerships with publishers Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, McGraw-Hill and Pearson to produce digital high school textbooks.

Most of the high school textbooks in Apple's iBookstore will cost $14.99 or less, Apple said, far cheaper than the current prices for print textbooks.

Apple also unveiled a free tool called iBooks Author which allows Macintosh computer users to create their own iBooks textbooks and publish them to the iBookstore.

Amazon and others have been seeking to tap into the market for digital textbooks but Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps said iBooks 2 and iBooks Author will "democratize the publication and distribution of content."

"We'll see an avalanche of new companies and new content for the education market - and many of the best innovations will come from these smaller companies, not the biggest publishers," she said.

According to Forrester, electronic textbooks currently account for only 2.8 percent of the $8 billion US textbook market.

Apple also announced a new iTunes U application for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch that helps teachers create courses and offers free educational content for students from dozens of universities, including Cambridge, Duke, Harvard, Oxford and Stanford.

"Never before have educators been able to offer their full courses in such an innovative way," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services.

"The all-new iTunes U app enables students anywhere to tap into entire courses from the world's most prestigious universities," Cue added.

Web in 2011: 2.1 billion users and 555 million websites

In 2011 there were 2.1 billion internet users around the globe surfing an estimated 555 million websites - 300 million of which were created in 2011.

Asia’s massive internet population grew from 825.1 million internet users in June 2010 to 922.2 million in March 2011. Internet populations in Europe (476.2 million users), North America (271.1 million users), Latin America/Caribbean (215.9 million internet users), Africa (118.6 million internet users) and the Middle East (68.6 million users) saw comparatively modest growth.

Each internet user had on average just under 1.5 email accounts, amounting to a total of 3.146 billion accounts worldwide.

Out of all the email clients around, Microsoft Outlook was the most popular. Web-based mail client Hotmail picked up the award for the largest email service in the world with a total of 360 million users.

The average corporate user sent and received 112 emails a day. Despite having strong spam filters set in their email client, 19 percent of the emails delivered to their inbox were classified as unwanted spam.

Overall the rate of email spam appears to be decreasing. In 2011, 71 percent of the worldwide email traffic was spam, down from 89.1 percent in 2010. Only 0.39 percent of all email received in 2011 was malicious.

Few additional facts about the internet in 2011:
1) China had the highest number of internet users in 2011: 485 million.
2) 45% of the web’s population was under the age of 25 in 2011.
3) The most expensive domain name sold in 2011 was social.com. It sold for $2.6 million. The domain name DomainName.com tied with Dudu.com in second place, selling for a cool $1 million.
4) 200 million people signed up to Facebook, putting the total number of users at over 800 million.
5) There were more IM (instant messenger) accounts than social networking accounts (2.6 billion vs 2.4 billion).
6) The Apple iPhone 4 was the most popular camera on photo sharing website Flickr.

Web monitoring company Pingdom scoured the web and crunched its own numbers to come up with this unique snapshot of the web in 2011. The entire list of internet milestones can be found on the company’s Royal Pingdom blog.

Sony to release 11 new smartphones for 2012

Information has come to light suggesting that electronics giant Sony will be releasing around 11 smartphones this year, all running Android.

The leaked information, obtained by GSM Arena, lists the names of 11 phones, together with the expected launch dates for each, and their prices in Indian rupees. Yes, GSM Arena reports the information as being “allegedly leaked through Sony’s sales report in India.”

Of course, even if all of the data is genuine, it doesn’t mean that things won’t change between now and the launch dates - indeed, even the launch dates themselves could be shifted. GSM Arena says the names of the phones, such as Nypon, Pepper and Tapioca, are merely code names and so will likely be changed by the time the devices hit the market.

Prices for the phones vary from 192 euros ($245) to 562 euros ($722), with the earliest release date being listed as April for three phones. There’s no information about the phones’ specifications, though Cnet reports that the Nypon (April release; 370 euros/$475) will come with a 4-inch display incorporating the company’s WhiteMagic technology, which boosts screen brightness without draining the battery. Meanwhile the Pepper (April release; 308 euros/$395) may come with a 3.7-inch Reality Display.

It’s not clear whether the phones will get a US launch, though a more aggressive move into the US market was hinted at in an interview last month with executive vice president of Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Kristian Tear when he said that in 2012 the company would “refocus and invest more in brand-building and select markets.” This more ambitious talk came soon after Sony announced it was buying Ericsson’s 50 percent stake of the Sony Ericsson mobile phone business for almost $1.5 billion.

With the Mobile World Congress taking place in Barcelona next month, some official announcements are expected regarding Sony’s new smartphones.

Motorola Xoom gets Ice Cream Sandwich

Motorola has started rolling out Android 4.0 or Ice Cream Sandwich to Motorola Xoom owners, but only those who have the Wi-Fi version of the device.

This will bring a redesigned app launcher, a better web browser, resizable widgets and many other goodies to the tablet.

As for the 3G version of the tablet, Motorola said it will get the update as well, but did not give an exact date.

The update will be rolling out in "phases over the course of a few weeks," so don't be perturbed if your Xoom still hasn't been updated.

Motorola is also slated to update its Droid Razr with Ice Cream Sandwich in early 2012.

Samsung to merge bada mobile OS with Intel-backed Tizen

Samsung Electronics Co said it planned to merge its 'bada' mobile software with a platform backed by chipmaker Intel Corp in its latest push to diversify away from Google's Android.

Samsung, which emerged as the world's biggest smartphone manufacturer on the back of booming Android models in the third quarter, joined forces with Intel last year to strengthen its mobile software push.

In September two Linux software groups, one backed by Samsung, and another by Intel, agreed to jointly develop Tizen, a new operating system for cellphones and other devices, by merging their LiMo and Meego platforms in a bid to gain wider industry and consumer support.

"We have an effort that will merge bada and Tizen," a Samsung spokesman confirmed senior vice president Kang Tae-jin as telling Forbes magazine.

The open-source Tizen platform supports multiple devices including smartphones, tablets, Internet-enabled TVs, netbooks and in-vehicle infotainment systems.

It would have to attract wide support from developers and manufacturers to compete with the dozen or so other mobile operating systems available in a smartphone market dominated by Google's Linux-based Android and Apple's in-house software.

Google's Android accounted for 53 percent of the global smartphone market in the third quarter and Samsung's bada platform just 2.2 percent.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak praises Android phones

Being a co-founder of Apple, you’d of course expect Steve Wozniak to have an iPhone. Indeed, the man who incidentally hasn’t worked for the company for some 25 years is famed for waiting in line for hours at the launch of every new Apple smartphone.

With his connections to the Cupertino company clear to all, it may come as a surprise to some that in a recent interview, he appeared to be singing the praises of Android phones. That’s right, phones running Android, the smartphone OS that another Apple co-founder, the late Steve Jobs no less, once vowed to “destroy” because he considered it to be a “stolen product.”

Wozniak, on the other hand, appears to be a little more diplomatic about the iOS rival. In the interview with TDB’s Dan Lyons, Wozniak said, “My primary phone is the iPhone. I love the beauty of it. But I wish it did all the things my Android does, I really do.”

Wozniak says that voice commands work better, as does Android’s built-in navigation system.

Voice commands? That’ll be Siri then, Apple’s recently-acquired voice-activated virtual assistant. Interestingly, Wozniak says he’s been using Siri long before Apple before bought it and that since then, it doesn’t perform as well.

He said: “I used to ask Siri, ‘What are the five biggest lakes in California?’ and it would come back with the answer. Now it just misses. It gives me real estate listings. I used to ask, ‘What are the prime numbers greater than 87?’ and it would answer. Now instead of getting prime numbers, I get listings for prime rib, or prime real estate.”

Wozniak says that that while Android phones aren’t as simple to operate as Apple’s iPhone, “if you’re willing to do the work to understand it a little bit, well I hate to say it, but there’s more available in some ways.”

While Wozniak also complained about poor battery life with the iPhone 4S, he didn’t give Apple’s smartphone a total dressing down. “The people I recommend the iPhone 4S for are the ones who are already in the Mac world, because it’s so compatible, and people who are just scared of computers altogether and don’t want to use them”. “The iPhone is the least frightening thing. For that kind of person who is scared of complexity, well, here’s a phone that is simple to use and does what you need it to do.”

Despite his views on both operating systems, one thing seems certain: when it comes to getting hold of prime numbers greater than 87, Wozniak will be sticking with his Android device.

China rises to 513 million web users

The number of Internet users in China has surged past 500 million as millions of new Web surfers go online using mobile phones and tablet computers.

The popularity of the Internet in China has driven the explosive growth of profitable Web companies and made fortunes for some Chinese entrepreneurs despite government controls on what the public can see online.

The number of mainland Internet users rose to 513 million in December, up 12 percent from a year earlier, the government-sanctioned China Internet Network Information Center said.

Among them, the number who go online using handheld devices rose 17.5 percent over a year earlier to 356 million.

The popularity of wireless Internet was reflected in a scramble by Chinese gadget fans and scalpers to buy Apple Inc.'s latest iPhone 4S, which sold out within hours of its China launch.

Angry customers shouted and threw eggs at Apple's flagship Beijing outlet after the company failed to open the store, citing the size of the crowd. Apple postponed further iPhone 4S sales at its mainland stores for safety reasons but said they will be sold online and through its local carrier, China Unicom Ltd.

The communist government encourages Internet use for business and education but tries to block access to material it deems pornographic or subversive.

Popular online services such as portals Sina.com and Sohu.com, video websites Youku.com and Tudou.com and search engine Baidu report growing traffic and revenues.

Outlets owned by the ruling Communist Party or by the government also have jumped into the market, launching their own search engines and other services.

LG TV crowned Best Gadget at the CES

A razor-thin television from LG Electronics was crowned best gadget of the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and Microsoft was a big winner in its final appearance at the annual trade event.

The 55-inch (140-centimeter) TV set set from the South Korean electronics giant is just 0.16 inches (four millimeters) thick and uses OLED, or organic light-emitting diode, display technology.

OLED TVs do not require backlighting and feature better color contrast than standard flat-screen LEDs and LG and another South Korean titan, Samsung, both wowed the crowds at CES in Las Vegas with 55-inch models.

A panel of experts from technology news site CNET awarded the LG 55EM9800 the title of "Best TV" at CES but also named it "Best of Show" among the thousands of new products on display at the four-day event.

CNET said it gave the nod to the LG TV over the Samsung model in part because it has an actual shipping date - the third quarter of the year.

When the super-set does finally hit the market it won't be for just anyone - the 55-inch LG OLED TV is expected to cost several thousand dollars.

Microsoft, which has announced that this year's CES will be its last, saw products powered by its Windows software scoop up a couple of awards.

The Lumia 900 touchscreen from Finland's Nokia was named best cellphone and the Envy 14 Spectre laptop from Hewlett-Packard was tapped as the best computer.

The Lumia 900, which runs on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 operating system, is seen as Nokia's bid to break into a US smartphone market dominated by Apple's iPhone and handsets powered by Google's Android software.

The Windows-powered HP Envy 14 Spectre is what is known as an "ultrabook," a slim, lightweight laptop in a category pioneered by Apple's MacBook Air.

The HP Envy 14 Spectre is to go on sale in February for $1,399. Pricing and availability of the Lumia 900 have not yet been released.

BlueStacks for Windows, a program which will ship on some upcoming Windows 8 computers, was named best software application. BlueStacks provides access to the hundreds of thousands of Android applications.

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer or his predecessor, Bill Gates, have delivered the opening keynote address at CES for the past 15 years and the US software giant has traditionally had one of the largest booths on the exhibition floor.

But Microsoft announced last month that it is bowing out of the show, which attracted more than 3,100 exhibitors this year, because the January timing does not coincide with its product development calendar.

An Android-powered tablet computer from Taiwan's Asus, the Asus Memo 370T, was named best tablet at a show which featured dozens of new rivals to Apple's iPad.

The Asus Memo 370T, which has a seven-inch (17.8-cm) screen, is powered by the latest version of Android software for tablets and costs $250, half the price of the cheapest iPad.
Other CES winners were the mirrorless Fujifilm X-Pro 1, which was named best camera, and the MakerBot Replicator, which snatched the title of "Best Emerging Tech Product."

The MakerBot Replicator is what is known as a 3D printer and can make objects as large as a loaf of bread by working off a blueprint fed into the machine.

Last year's winner of the "Best in Show" title was the "Xoom" tablet computer from Motorola but it has failed to make any headway against the iPad.

The 2009 CES winner was a smartphone from Palm, the Pre.

Sales of the Pre failed to live up to expectations and the company was bought the next year by HP, which has since stopped making cellphones using Palm's webOS mobile operating system.

Smart TV offering new windows onto Internet

The world's obsession with tapping into the Internet is being played out on the biggest screen in the house, with software startups, TV makers, and technology titans such as Google and Microsoft adding momentum to the trend.

Even the beloved firm behind iPads and iPhones is expected to weigh in soon with a revamped version of an Apple TV system that it has long called a hobby.

The Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas is brimming with companies large and small betting that "smart TVs" will quickly take over living rooms.

"The television is rapidly becoming the gateway of content from the Internet," said Sony executive deputy president Kazuo Hirai.

Samsung, Sony, and LG are among major industry players that unveiled new smart TVs at the show.

South Korea-based LG announced it is making its own chips to beef-up TVs with online capabilities along with gesture and voice controls.

"Since the start of the smart TV revolution we've found that industry chip sets have held us back from offering high performance," said LG Electronics chief technical officer Scott Ahn.

"Starting this year we will apply our own L line chips to a premier TV line."

LG has joined a small cadre of manufacturers building televisions synched to the Internet with Google TV software.

Google TV was launched in 2010 but has yet to gain momentum in the market.

"We believed we have some great technologies that would make a Google LG a popular choice," Ahn said.

"Our technology coupled with the Google TV platform will form the basis of a strong long-term relationship with Google."

Internet pioneer Yahoo! kicked off the trend at CES three years ago, with "widgets" embedded in Connected TV models to link them to online services the way "apps" link mobile gadgets to games, video or other Internet content.

More than eight million TVs with Yahoo! widgets have been bought and sales are accelerating as the technology improves and more sets come with wireless Internet connections.

Frequency and Shodogg were among startups at CES out to make names for themselves by helping people navigate, sort or share the dizzying amounts of video available once TVs link to the Internet.

Los Angeles-based Frequency released iPad and Internet browser versions of a service that lets people program channels based on their interests.

Frequency applications are free, and the software will be embedded in Samsung televisions this year, according to Harrison.

New York-based Shodogg launched a service that lets people "fetch, toss, and share" online video wirelessly across all kinds of devices, from smart televisions to tablets or smartphones.

The Shodogg application is free, with the company making its money by sharing in revenue from advertising in video routed through the service.

T-Mobile brings Nokia Lumia 710

Number-four U.S. mobile operator might have been able to offer the iPhone, but it does have a bit of a feather in its cap now: it’s offering the first Nokia Windows Phone device available in the United States, the Nokia Lumia 710. But instead of being a high-end device intended to appeal to the cutting edge of the mobile universe, the Lumia 710 is really intended as a starter smartphone and its $49.99 price emphasizes that appeal.

“We’re excited to team with Nokia in bringing its first Windows Phone to the U.S. with the elegantly designed Nokia Lumia 710,” said T-Mobile USA chief marketing officer Cole Brodman. “Windows Phone offers a compelling mobile OS choice for people who want a smartphone built around them, their family, and friends. We expect it to play a more prominent role in our lineup and marketing efforts in 2012.”

The Nokia Lumia 710 sports a 3.7-inch 800 by 480-pixel touchscreen display, a 1.4 GHz Qualcomm SnapDragon processor, a 5 megapixel camera, assisted GPS, 802.11 b/g/n and BLuetooth 2.1+EDR wireless networking, and the phone has 8 GB of onboard flash storage. It runs Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7.5 (Mango) operating system, and Nokia says it’ll handle up to 7 hours of talk time on a battery charge. The Lumia 710 also operates on T-Mobile’s HSPA+ “4G” network, meaning users can tap into streaming video, mobile TV, and other high-bandwidth mobile applications—and the device comes with a bunch of them front and center, including Netflix and T-Mobile TV, along with Xbox Live and the Windows Phone Office Hub.

T-Mobile is positioning the Lumia 710 as a solid starter phone for users who have yet to make the jump from feature phones to smartphones and those might just be the ideal customers for Windows Phone devices, since they don’t have baggage of iOS or Android apps and content that might keep them locked into other platforms.

The Nokia Lumia 710 is available in white or black starting today at T-Mobile retail stores and selected retailers for $49.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate card, when purchased with a qualifying two-year service agreement.

Polaroid announces SC1630: Android-powered Smart Camera

We've heard of smartphones and Smart TVs, and now there's another "Smart" gadget to add to the list: Smart Cameras. At the CES Polaroid announced an Android-powered Smart Camera, the SC1630. The 16-megapixel camera has a 3x optical zoom, touchscreen display, wifi connectivity, and comes running the Android operating system.

Much like your smartphone, the SC1630 is capable of downloading apps from the Android Market. So, if you've been enjoying a certain photo-editing app on your phone, you can load it up on your camera as well.

The camera's wifi-connectivity also makes it possible to share the pictures you take on-the-fly, just like you might from your smartphone. For instance, if you snap a shot of a few friends at your local coffee shop, as long as your connected to wifi you can upload the picture directly from your camera to sites like Facebook and Twitter while you're still with your friends.

Samsung is also showing off a few new wifi-connected cameras at CES this year that can connect to Android phones; however, they do not actually run Android.

Polaroid expects to launch the SC1630 sometime this year, no official release date has been announced.

Android-powered Smart Watches to come soon

The Internet was strapped to wrists at the Consumer Electronics Show on in the form of Android-powered "smart watches" that serve up online content along with telling time.

Japanese consumer electronics titan Sony and venture-backed Italian startup i'm Watch were each sporting spins on timepieces that use the Google software to connect wearers with email, music, websites or other online content.

Sony's SmartWatch was promised by the end of March while i'm Watch was released at CES.
"This is the right period for the watch," said i'm Watch chief executive and co-founder Massimiliano Bertolini.

"Everybody wants to have technology that is also fashion," he continued. "That is the Apple secret; making devices that people fall in love with."

For some time now California-based Apple has been letting iPod Nano owners turn the small, square devices into Internet-connected watches complete with wrist straps.

Company designer Gianluca Negrello said, “I'm Watch ranges in price from $350 for colorful models with silicon wrist bands and aluminum-cased touchscreens to $15,000 for one made of pink gold and adorned with diamonds”.

Wearers are alerted to new Gmail messages or fresh posts at online communities Facebook or Twitter and can access digital photo albums or free Google Web-based services such as Calendar.
Messages can't be sent from touch-screen i'm Watch, which can connect to their own online shop for applications or music. People can make phone calls using i'm Watch, which links wirelessly to smartphones.

Sony said at CES that by the end of March it will release a touch-display SmartWatch capable of connecting to mobile phones wirelessly using Bluetooth capabilities.

Applications will be tailored for SmartWatch, which will be priced at $149.

Google to launch Maps-based game for Google+

Google’s “your world” theme is carried into the gaming realm with the announcement of an original title powered by WebGL. The title will be coming to Google+ Games exclusively in February 2012.

The game was announced quietly in a demo video yesterday. It is Google Maps-based and was developed by the Maps team for Google’s gaming platform. The demo video features a cube with a map overlay. Players will have to navigate a blue ball through the location, similar to marble tilt games like Marble Madness or the Wii’s Marble Mania. It seems like the player’s marble will need to touch the marked locations on the cube map in order to accumulate points and advance to the next area. Once the marble rolls over the markers, users get a small piece of information about the location.

There’s not much else to go on from the 27 second teaser. It’s a simple offering with a catchy tune, and it seems like a good start to original content. The WebGL technology which powers the game allows for 3D graphics without any need for installing additional software. The YouTube video links to an interactive Google Maps primer.

The Google+ Games platform arrived in August and features many of the games people were used to from Facebook, such as Zynga’s Farmville as well as the popular Angry Birds title.

In-site gaming is a good source of business for Facebook, which Google dipped into as well with the launch of Games. Of course, Facebook as well as Plus functioned as middlemen for companies like Zynga and Roku; but this could be an interesting shift in Plus’ favor if Google’s planning on developing more original games.

Motorola and Lenovo to use Intel chips in smartphones

Motorola Mobility and Lenovo said they will use Intel processors in smartphones and other devices, giving the chipmaker its first entry into a market it has long coveted.

Intel Corp. has struggled to bring down the power consumption of its chips so that they can be used in phones without draining the battery in a matter of hours. Meanwhile, phone-style chips from other manufacturers are starting to encroach on Intel's PC chips, by becoming the chips of choice for tablet computers.

Lenovo Group Ltd. will be first out the gate, with a smartphone called K800 for the Chinese carrier Unicom in the second quarter, according to Liu Jun, a senior vice president at the company. The phone will have a 4.5-inch touch screen, will use Google Android software for smartphones and tablets and will be able to stream video to TV sets equipped with Intel's Wireless Display technology.

Jun spoke as the guest of Intel CEO Paul Otellini, who was making a keynote speech at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. He was joined on stage by Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. CEO Sanjay Jha, who said he will have Intel-powered phones in testing this summer and ready for consumer hands a few months later.

Jha didn't provide any details about the Intel-powered devices, except to say that they would use Android. Motorola Mobility is set to be acquired by Google.

Intel said the phones will be able to run most applications straight from Google's Android Market. Usually, switching to another processor family means applications won't run, but Intel said it has a way around that obstacle.

Otellini demonstrated an Intel-made prototype phone, running Android, that he said could get eight hours of talk time and six hours of movie playback from its battery, comparable to smartphones with standard processors. At the same time, Otellini said, the greater processing capability of Intel's Atom chip means the phones can run more programs at the same time.

Microsoft Corp. dealt Intel a blow last year by announcing that it would release its new operating system, Windows 8, in one version for Intel-style chips and other for phone-style chips that are based on designs from Britain's ARM Holdings PLC. Windows has run exclusively on Intel-type chips since the mid-90s.

AT&T to sell Nokia Lumia 900

AT&T has said it will sell a Nokia smartphone running Microsoft's Windows Phone software. The device represents Nokia and Microsoft's best chance yet to break Apple and Google's hold on the U.S. smartphone market, the world's most lucrative.

Nokia Corp. CEO Stephen Elop joined Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer in unveiling the phone at a press event in Las Vegas ahead of the International Consumer Electronics Show. The presence of both CEOs was a sign of the importance the companies place on the device.

The phone, the Lumia 900, will use AT&T Inc.'s new "LTE" wireless data network, for faster downloads. It's a slab-like touch-screen phone in the vein Apple Inc.'s iPhone. The companies said it will be available "in coming months." However, they didn't reveal the price.

Finland based company, Nokia, is betting that it can reverse its sinking fortunes by switching to Microsoft's new phone software, and Microsoft is paying it billions to do so.

For Microsoft, the partnership with Nokia is a chance to break into smartphones, which are dominated by Apple and Google Inc., through its Android software. Other phone makers have also put out Windows phones, but sales have been slow.

T-Mobile USA has said it will sell a more modest Lumia model starting Jan. 11. It's the fourth-largest U.S. carrier. AT&T is the second-largest, after Verizon Wireless.

Apple CEO Tim Cook received stock award worth $376 million

Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook received a one-time stock award worth nearly $400 million, the largest given by a company in a decade.

The company's board granted Cook 1 million restricted stock units (RSUs) to signal its confidence in Cook after Steve Jobs turned over the helm of the iPhone and iPad maker to his long-time lieutenant in August.

The stock award, half of which vests in 2016 and the remaining half in 2021, was worth more than $376 million, based on the closing price of Apple's shares on August 24, 2011.

"As far as a singular award, we haven't seen anything this large in a long time," said Aaron Boyd, head of research at Equilar, an executive compensation data firm.

The only one-time stock award in recent memory that was worth more, said Boyd, was the January 2000 stock option package that Apple gave co-founder Steve Jobs. The 40 million options in that award were valued at more than $600 million at the time, Boyd said.

Jobs, who was ousted from Apple in the mid-1980s, returned to the company in 1997 and went on to transform Apple into the world's most valuable technology company with a string of hit products including the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad.

Jobs, who died in October after a years-long battle with cancer, owned 5.5 million shares of Apple.

Jobs received $1 a year in salary during the past three years, according to the filing, while Cook received a salary of about $900,000 in 2011.

Apple said Cook's award was a retention and promotion tool, as well as recognition for running the company during Jobs' previous medical leaves of absence.

"The Board views his retention as CEO as critical to the Company's success and smooth leadership transition. The RSU award is intended as a long-term retention incentive," Apple said in its statement.

Motorola launches Motoluxe and Defy Mini Android phones

Motorola has expanded its range of Android smartphones with the launch of two new devices, the Motoluxe and the Defy Mini. While neither astound in terms of specification, they’re solid entries into Motorola’s mid-level line-up.

The Motoluxe is the more advanced of the two, and sports a 4-inch touchscreen with a 480 x 854 pixel resolution, with an 800Mhz processor and 512MB RAM inside. Other features include Bluetooth 3.0, GPS and DLNA support, while Google Android 2.3.7 Gingerbread is the OS of choice.

An 8-megapixel camera sits on the rear of the 123-gram chassis, and video-calls can be made using the forward-facing VGA lens too. Motorola says a light-up lanyard slot, which alerts users to incoming messages or missed calls, sets the Motoluxe apart from its rivals.

The Defy Mini follows on from the Defy and the Defy+, and is once more a device for those who need a phone that can withstand a little punishment. The 3.2-inch touchscreen is covered in scratch-resistant Gorilla Glass, while the chassis is dust-proof and water-resistant.

It’s not as feature rich as the Motoluxe though, with only a 600Mhz processor, Bluetooth 2.1, GPS and a 3 megapixel camera. The battery is rated at 1650mAh, which should return ten hours talktime and more than 500 hours standby. Like the Motoluxe, the operating system is Android Gingerbread.

Both the Motoluxe and Defy Mini have been made available in China already, under the names XT615 and XT320 respectively, but will be coming to the UK, Europe and Latin America in February.

Acer unveils world's thinnest laptop Aspire S5

Acer has unveiled the world's thinnest laptop computer as an array of "ultrabook" rivals prepared to debut this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

The Taiwan-based computer titan will begin shipping Acer Aspire 5 models in the second quarter of this year, with prices to be disclosed in coming weeks.

According to analyst Tim Bajarin of Creative Strategies, "That S5 is quite significant. It looks like the thinnest and lightest, and it sets the bar for the rest of the ultrabook vendors".

The Aspire S5 has a 34-cm (13.3-inch) screen and is 15 mm at its thickest point. The ultrabook weighs slightly less than 1.35 kg (three pounds).

"We are committed to evolving this technology," said Acer chief executive J.T. Wang. "By the second quarter of this year we will have four models of ultrabook and more to come."

Ultrabooks powered by Windows 8 will be released by Acer after Microsoft releases the new version of its computer operating system later this year.

Mr. Wang estimated that ultrabooks would make up at least 35 percent of the Acer product line by the end of this year.

Since Aspire S5 is Windows based it is not likely to be a direct challenge to MacBook Air laptops, which have been winning converts to the sleek machines powered by Apple software.

"The real battle is not with Apple, it is with all the other vendors coming out with Windows ultrabooks," Bajarin said.

"Apple will still do great with MacBook Air, but in the Windows world it is great news that five years after Apple set the tone the industry is finally getting something equal," he continued.

Acer also announced plans to launch a free service that will let users of its computers store video, photos, music, and documents in the Internet "cloud" and access files from any Windows 8 or Android software powered gadgets.

"We believe Microsoft will take care of Windows devices; Google will take care of Android devices, and Acer will take care of in between," Wang said.

"We will make Windows work very well with Android and other platforms too."

Bajarin described Aspire S5 as the first viable Windows equivalent of popular MacBook Air laptops built by California-based Apple.

Brand new CEO for Yahoo

Yahoo has finally found a new chief executive to replace Carol Bartz and he is Scott Thompson, who till recently was the president of the PayPal division of eBay.

With the deterioration of Yahoo’s core business – user engagement declining, stagnant email product, lack of substantive mobile strategy – turnaround needs to happen at many levels, including product development, infrastructure improvement, talent retention, and brand building, among others, to return the company to a positive growth trajectory. Revenue has declined for the last 12 quarters and with competition continually innovating in these areas, execution of new strategic initiatives and product improvement could be challenging.

Thompson has a track record of proven success with PayPal emerging as a leader in online payments. The company has over 100mm people that have connected PayPal to their credit card and/or bank accounts, a meaningful technology lead, the trust that’s been built around the brand, and over $3.5 bn in mobile transactions already on the platform. It’s worth noting however, that previous CEO Carol Bartz was viewed as a strong restructuring hire who was overwhelmed by this challenge and the conflicting goals of Yahoo’s board and its shareholders.

Scott Thompson has a record of deep industry experience, having most recently served as President of PayPal with overall responsibility for establishing that company as the leading global online payment service. He previously served as PayPal’s Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer. Prior to PayPal, Mr. Thompson was Executive Vice President of technology solutions at Inovant, a subsidiary of Visa formed to oversee global technology for the organization. Thompson was also Chief Information Officer of Barclays Global Investors, where he implemented a new strategic technology platform and global infrastructure. In addition, he worked with Coopers and Lybrand, delivering information technology solutions to leading financial services clients.

From those who know him, he is said to have solid leadership skills and tends to focus on technology - both things Yahoo needs badly.

LG to unveil Google TV next week

LG Electronics Inc said it would unveil its first Google TV next week, joining Sony Corp and Samsung Electronics Co in partnering with the search giant to get a foothold in the emerging Internet TV market.

Google hopes to replicate the success of its Android mobile software in the TV market, but its attempt to conquer the living room has seen limited success so far due to a lack of web content and support from hardware manufacturers.

Google TV allows consumers to access online videos and websites on their TVs, as well as specialized apps such as video games. Currently it comes built-in on certain Sony television models and Samsung is also working with the U.S. firm to launch Google TVs.

LG said it would introduce its first Google TV next week at the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

Google said that chipmaker Marvell Technology Group, chip designer MediaTek and TV manufacturer Vizio were also new partners for its Google TV service.

Grappling with slowing demand and cutthroat competition, TV manufacturers hope forays into the Internet TV market will help cushion squeezed margins.

Acer Iconia Tab A200 debuts at $329

Computer maker Acer is upping its Android tablet game, announcing its new Acer Iconia A200 Android tablet. The Iconia A200 builds on the 7-inch Iconia A100, jumping out to a 10.1-inch 1280 by 800-pixel touchscreen display and keeping the 1 GHz dual-core Nvidia Tegra processor and 1 GB of memory. While the Iconia A200 will launch this month with Android 3.2 Honeycomb, Acer says it’ll be upgradable to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich next month.

“The Acer Iconia Tab family of tablets is an excellent example of Acer’s ability to deliver high-performance, full-function mobile devices at unbeatable values,” said Acer America senior product manager Eric Ackerson. “Acer brings the Iconia Tab A200 to consumers at an affordable price, without making sacrifices on key tablet features such as expansion, connectivity to other devices, HD displays and cameras.”

The Iconia A200 comes with either 8 or 16 GB of onboard flash storage and a microSD slot that can handle up to 32 GB more. The table features a 2 megapixel front-facing camera for video chat, 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi for connecting to the Internet or media servers around the house via Acer’a DLNA-compliant clear.fi technology, and Acer says the tablet sports both a full-size and microUSB port for connecting with other devices. Although Acer is keep to position the A200 as a gaming and entertainment tablet- supporting 1080p HD video, HD gaming, and of course Adobe Flash-based games that doesn’t mean it fizzles out after a bit of use. Acer says the A200 can run for up to eight hours on a single battery charge.

Acer has also bundled its own software into the A200, including the Acer Ring interface (enabling quick access to items using a double circle located on the system bar), along with Acer’s SocialJogger that combines Facebook, Twitter, and other social networking services into a single portal. Acer’s also pre-loaded Amazon’s Kindle app for ereading fans.

The Acer Iconia Tab will be available in 8 GB and 16 GB configurations starting January 15, with the 8 GB edition starting at $329.00 and the 16 GB version carrying a $349.99 suggested price. Acer says Android 4.0 Cream Sandwich will be available for the tablet in mid-February.

BlackBerry Milan and Colt canceled

RIM may be trying to get us all excited about BlackBerry OS 10, but when reports appear that the company is canceling smartphones set to run it, it doesn’t exactly fill us with confidence regarding an expedited arrival.

According to BGR.com, “not only has the Colt been canned, but the Milan has too”.

The Colt was all set to be the first phone to use the next generation of BlackBerry software, OS 10, and actually initially appeared when that software was still expected to be named after the QNX platform found on the PlayBook. With a single-core 1Ghz processor rumored, and presumably yet another Curve/Bold lookalike design, it never sounded the most inspirational phone on which to launch a new platform.

The Milan, on the other hand, has been revealed as a BlackBerry OS 7 phone rather than one waiting for BlackBerry OS 10. Apparently, it was too close in design to the existing BlackBerry Torch.

The cull leaves the London as the only phone we currently have any knowledge of that’s set to run BlackBerry OS 10. Revealed in November, the London shares some design similarities with the Porsche Design BlackBerry P’9981, but shuns the QWERTY in favor of a full touchscreen. Rumored specs include a dual-core 1Ghz processor, an 8-megapixel camera and a screen measuring 4-inches.

BlackBerry OS 10 is set to make an appearance at Mobile World Congress at the end of February.

Samsung announces Galaxy Ace Plus

Not content with enraging Apple with their alleged iPhone 4-alike designs, Samsung has now taken a shine to the previous model. We’re talking about the distinct design similarity between Samsung’s new Galaxy Ace Plus and the Apple iPhone 3G/3GS.

Yes, the camera lens may be in a different spot, but the front and side views along with that grey surround make it uncannily reminiscent of the previous iPhone.

The original Galaxy Ace has been a big seller, thanks to a very reasonable price and the Android operating system. The new Galaxy Ace Plus improves in some areas, but decides to play it safe in others.

Samsung has ever-so slightly increased the screen size, from 3.5-inches to 3.65-inches, but has left the resolution the same at 320 x 480. Next is a slight boost in power, with the Ace Plus using a 1Ghz processor instead of the old 800Mhz chip.

Like its predecessor, it uses a 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash and Google Android 2.3 Gingerbread, but adds Bluetooth 3.0 and Samsung’s range of apps and services, such as the ChatON service.

Initially, the Ace Plus will launch in Russia later this month. Later on, it will spread to the rest of the world including Europe, Asia and Latin America.

Scott Thompson: new CEO of Yahoo

Yahoo's previous turnaround attempts have flopped under three different leaders with dramatically different backgrounds - former movie mogul Terry Semel, beloved Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang and profanity-spewing Silicon Valley veteran Carol Bartz.

Now, the struggling Internet company is making yet another unorthodox choice with announcement that it has lured Scott Thompson away from a lower-profile job running eBay's thriving PayPal service to step into the pressure-packed position as Yahoo's fourth CEO in less than five years.

The appointment raised questions among analysts, since Thompson, 54, has no experience in online content and advertising, Yahoo's chief sources of revenue. The timing of Thompson's hiring also came as a surprise, given that Yahoo's board has been considering a sale of all or part of the company since firing Bartz four months ago.

With Thompson's selection, Yahoo's board is signaling that it believes the company can still rebound, despite several years of losing ground to Google and Facebook in product innovation and online advertising.

Yahoo Chairman Roy Bostock dismissed recent speculation that Yahoo might team up with buyout firms to take the company private.

Thompson's job will be to revive Yahoo's revenue growth and repair the company's fractured relationship with investors fed up with a litany of broken turnaround promises.

Yahoo was attracted by Thompson's impressive track record at PayPal, where he was chief technology officer for three years before becoming the online payment service's top executive in 2008. PayPal's annual revenue more than doubled from $1.9 billion when Thompson took over the division to an estimated $4.4 billion last year.

Thompson also will have to lift Yahoo's employee morale, which has deteriorated along with the company's fortunes.

His departure from PayPal threatens to hurt eBay Inc., where the payments service has emerged as the fastest-growing part of a company best known for running online auctions.
Thompson received a compensation package valued at $10.4 million, including a $645,000 salary, from eBay in 2010, according to regulatory documents. Yahoo did not disclose how much it offered to lure him away.

Yahoo awarded Bartz a compensation package valued at $47.2 million during her first year on the job in 2009. The pay, which included a $1 million salary, consisted most of stock incentives that didn't become as valuable as Yahoo projected because the company's stock remained in a funk during Bartz's tenure.

Latest Apple iPhones to hit China on January 13

Apple has announced that the latest version of its hot-selling iPhones will be released in China and 21 other countries on January 13.

"Customer response for our products in China has been off the charts," said Apple chief executive Tim Cook.

"With the launch in China next week, iPhone 4S will be available in over 90 countries making this our fastest iPhone rollout ever," he continued.

The new generational iPhone made its international debut in October of last year, shortly after the death of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs.

While not officially available in mainland China, 4S models popped up in shops there only to be bought quickly despite high premiums being tacked onto prices.

Apple prices for iPhone 4S handsets ranged from $199 to $399 depending on memory capacity.
Popular iPhone 4S features include high-definition video cameras and a quick-witted artificial intelligence "personal assistant" named Siri.

California-based Apple sold more than four million new iPhone 4S models in their first three days on the market.