computers

Google launches alleged Amazon Web Services killer

Google launched Compute Engine Infrastructure as a Service in a bid to offer cloud infrastructure much like Amazon Web Services. However, the effort, which is in a "limited preview," lacks the depth and options provided by Amazon.

In a nutshell, Google is allowing users to spin up virtual machines. Coupled with Google's App Engine, Google Apps, and Drive the company is building out its cloud stack.

Google's promise is that it'll provide all the access to its computing power to companies.

The idea of a cloud stack isn't exactly original. Amazon has focused on … Read more

Google's new cloud service said to be imminent

Talk has been circulating recently about Google building an Infrastructure as a Service cloud computing platform in the near future. Now, GigaOM is reporting that it's possible the Web giant could be launching this service as soon as next week during the Google I/O developers' conference in San Francisco.

The tech news site is also saying that several people familiar with Google's plans have confirmed that Google will offer its current App Engine and storage with its forthcoming service.

The Web giant's platform will most likely compete with Amazon's EC2 cloud service, but it could … Read more

How Bill Ford turned an automaker into a tech company

My perception of Ford Motor is probably similar to most people's. The Mustang was the hallmark car in the '70s. The company suffered the same malaise as other automakers in the '80s, while the '90s saw bigger and bigger SUVs. And, of course, there was the ever-present F-150, either seen as beat-up work truck or shiny suburban boat hauler.

Somewhere along the way Ford's trajectory changed, though, to the point where it is now leading the technology charge in vehicles.

I found out how it all changed from the horse's mouth, as it were, at a speaking … Read more

Microsoft renames its old Surface computer as PixelSense

With Microsoft's unveiling of a laptop today carrying the "Surface" name, the company has bestowed a new name on the product that formerly carried the Surface moniker.

The table-top, multitouch computer that Microsoft unveiled in 2007, which was largely relegated to retail outlets, hotel lobbies, and museums, has been rebranded as PixelSense. The original Surface, which resembled a 1980s sit-down arcade machine, wasn't much of a gadget for consumers, thanks largely to its $12,500 price tag.

But the new name is a bit of return to the product's roots. The device's panel features … Read more

Microsoft's mysterious new product

Get your battle gear on. It's time for tablet wars and food fights:

What could Microsoft be unveiling Monday afternoon at its mysterious L.A. press event? Some new music or movie product? A tablet or e-reader? The rumors are centering on a new tablet that would go head-to-head with Apple.

Vizio is bringing its television talents to computers with a new line of desktops and laptops, all starting at just under $900. The all-in-one desktop can be its own entertainment hub with a remote and HDMI ports for connecting a cable box or video game system.

According to … Read more

Original Apple 1 computer motherboard sells for $374,500

An original Apple 1 computer motherboard sold this morning at Sotheby's for $374,500. The auction house originally estimated the item would sell for $120,000 to $180,000.

Filed under "Fine Books and Manuscripts," the motherboard is operational and is marked "Apple Computer 1" and dated 1976.

"It is thought that fewer than 50 Apple 1 Computers survive, with only [six] known to be in working condition," Sotheby's reports in catalog notes.

The iconic piece of technology history features a MOS Technologies 6502 microprocessor and 8 kilobytes of RAM. The original Apple 1 computers retailed for $666.66 in 1979 and did not include a monitor, keyboard, case or power supply. Only about 200 Apple 1 computers were produced. … Read more

Computer store accused of (legally) stealing Olympic star's sex photos

I had always imagined that theft is a fairly simple thing.

You own something, someone who doesn't own it takes it, and that is illegal.

Yet this may not be the case in Australia. For one of the nation's most celebrated Olympic stars claims that a computer store availed itself of highly personal images of him and his wife from his computer -- something that may not be illegal.

You will be stunned into an Olympic stupor to discover that the nation's Sunday Telegraph now claims to have seen these images, which reportedly involve the sportsman, his … Read more

Salesforce.com reportedly to acquire Buddy Media

Salesforce.com is close to aquiring Buddy Media, a company that helps brands manage a presence on social media sites, for more than $800 million, All Things D reports.

Salesforce boasts more than 100,000 customers that utilize its cloud computing services. Adding a social media element, could help bolster its core business management services. Buddy Media is best known for helping big brands navigate Facebook. Recently, it has expanded to other social media platforms like Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+.

The two companies have agreed to terms, but the transaction hasn't closed yet, according to All Things D's … Read more

Faster Chromebooks unshackle Chrome OS: Hands-on

Google's Chrome OS just got vastly more useful, with two new Chrome OS devices announced today -- a Chromebook laptop and Chromebox desktop from Samsung that clear up performance problems that sullied last year's debut of the browser-based operating system.

I found the first-generation Chromebooks usable but painfully slow. Unshackled from slow hardware, though, Chrome OS now can stand on its own merits.

So how does it stand up? After a week of testing Samsung's new $329 Series 3 Chromebox and $449 Series 5 550 Chromebook, which go on sale today, I think the new Chrome OS … Read more