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While it initially appeared that Apple was caught off guard by the furor over how bad its in-house map application is, the company apparently had plenty of warning.

Developers have been complaining about Apple's Maps since shortly after they were given the first pre-release version in early June, CNET has learned. They say they filed bug requests, sent e-mails to specific Apple employees, and vented on message boards only other developers and Apple could see.

Threads on Apple's developer forums described some of the problems that appeared well ahead of the final version of the software, and they … Read more

A $18 billion legal battle pitting Chevron against indigenous Amazonian Indians has spilled over into a California courtroom, where the oil giant is trying to force Google and Yahoo to turn over e-mail accounts used by attorneys for the Ecuadorians. Microsoft has also received a request.

CNET has learned that Google asked a California federal court on Friday to deny Chevron's request for immediate disclosure, arguing it's "simply unreasonable to demand that Google collect, review, and produce this volume of information in less than 30 days." Chevron subsequently agreed to more time.

U.S. Magistrate Judge … Read more

Tesla Motors and Electric Power Research Institute join U.S. Department of Energy, automaker research teams and energy companies to accelerate the development of new energy-efficient technologies for cars and light trucks and the infrastructure needed to support them.

According to the DOE, the collaborative effort formerly known as FreedomCAR and Fuel Partnership, is now U.S. DRIVE--Driving Research and Innovation for Vehicle efficiency and Energy sustainability. The goal is to beef up research and development of not only new vehicle technologies, but to also work on a broad range of energy infrastructure technologies.

"Government-industry partnerships like U.… Read more

The team behind ChevronWP7, an application that was released last November as a way for users to install applications without going through Microsoft's Marketplace application or signing up for a paid developer account, says that Microsoft has fixed the "error" that had allowed the hack, and will be rolling out that fix as part of the upcoming Windows Phone 7 software update.

ChevronWP7 was available for user download for just a few days before being taken down by its three-man development team. Brandon Watson, director of developer Eexperience for Windows Phone 7, had gotten in touch with … Read more

Just a few short days after its debut, a tool that would allow anyone to install and run unauthorized applications on their Windows Phone 7 devices has been pulled.

ChevronWP7, which was the creation of developers Rafael Rivera, Chris Walsh, Long Zheng, was released late last week and offered those who were not enrolled in Microsoft's Windows Phone developer program a way to install applications onto Windows Phone 7 devices without going through Microsoft's Zune software or the phone's built-in application installer.

According to the trio, the decision to pull down the software was done in order … Read more

A new piece of software is promising to give Windows Phone 7 owners an alternative to Microsoft's Windows Phone Marketplace when it comes to installing applications.

The third-party tool, dubbed "ChevronWP7," was released late last week, and opens up the phone for the side-loading of applications. That means end users can add applications to their phones directly, instead of having to go through Microsoft's Zune software, or the phone's built-in application directory and installer. That said, it's not a third-party application repository, or an alternative to the application storefront Microsoft currently offers.

The three … Read more

While news of the White House solar installation captured the world's attention yesterday, another historic change that could have greater impact on solar energy in the U.S. was taking place.

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, announced it had approved the first large-scale solar-energy projects to ever be built on public land.

Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar signed final versions of the Records of Decision for two solar installations, both of which happen to be on public lands in California. They will have a large impact on the amount of electricity generated from solar as a result.

"There are 11 million acres of public lands in the California Desert, and a large majority of those lands are managed for conservation purposes. These projects, while a significant commitment of public land, actually represent less than one-hundredth of one percent of that total area. Given the many benefits, the extensive mitigation measures, and the fair market value economic return, approval of these projects is clearly in the public interest," Salazar said in a statement.

One of the alternative-energy projects approved was proposed by a subsidiary of the oil giant Chevron.

The Chevron Lucerne Valley Solar Project, which will be overseen by the Chevron subsidiary Chevron Energy Solutions of California, was granted use of 422 acres of public land in San Bernardino County, Calif., for the purpose of building a 45-megawatt solar plant consisting of 40,500 solar panels. The land is located near California State Route 247 north of San Bernardino National Forest and abuts an existing transmission line. When complete it's expected to generate enough electricity to power between 13,500 and 33,750 homes at any given time. (The range takes into consideration the natural fluctuation in available solar power.)

Another project, the Imperial Valley Solar Project, which will be overseen by Tessera Solar of Texas, was granted use of 6,360 acres of public lands in Imperial County, Calif. It's desert land located along Interstate 8 near Plaster City, Calif., just north of the California-Mexico border. That plant will consist of 28,360 parabolic solar dishes estimated to produce about 709 megawatts worth of energy annually. Once up and running, that plant is expected to provide enough energy to power between 212,700 and 531,750 homes at any given time.… Read more

Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico in conjunction with Chevron is breaking ground Thursday on a 1-megawatt solar farm on land owned by Chevron Mining near Questa, N.M.

The concentrator photovoltaic systems (CPVs) are being provided by Concentrix Solar. The solar farm, which was originally announced in February, will provide power to the Kit Carson Electric Cooperative through a power purchase agreement it signed with Chevron. Kit Carson is an electricity cooperative that supplies power to rural New Mexico communities in Taos, Colfax, and Rio Arriba counties. The solar farm is scheduled to be up and running by the … Read more

Chevron, the second-largest U.S. oil company, said on Monday it has installed some 7,700 solar panels at a California site to test various technologies that help turn sunlight into electricity.

Project Brightfield, located in Bakersfield, Calif., will evaluate seven technologies: six panels that use thin-film, and one that uses crystalline-silicon photovoltaic technology, the company said.

The race is on in the solar industry to find the most efficient and lowest-cost way to harness the sun's energy.

Traditional silicon-based materials are the standard right now, though research firm iSuppli expects the market for thin-film solar panels to more … Read more