David Needle

Google has agreed to settle an intellectual property claim brought by serial inventor Judah Klausner, who has won settlements in the past from Apple, Skype and LG Electronics, Klausner said on Monday. The dispute concerned patents that Klausner holds covering so-called visual voicemail, which makes voicemail work more like email by sending visual alerts of […]

Does Twitter have business value? Those who think so may have a new weapon in the ongoing debate, thanks to Omniture. The Web analytics firm released a new feature service for its SiteCatalyst service, designed to measure the brand impact of what’s being said on the popular microblogging site. Omniture’s service not only aggregates comments […]

Microsoft is developing a feature in its new operating system that allows users to turn off Internet Explorer and other key Microsoft programs. The new feature is a major step for the world’s largest software company, which has been accused by competitors and regulators of forcing consumers to run its own software, squeezing rivals’ offerings […]

Google has this to say about energy: we waste to too much of it. The search giant continues to push beyond its bread and butter search and Web applications businesses to promote energy conservation to both consumers and business. Earlier this week, the company gave the first public demo of its power metering application designed […]

Several upstarts are challenging Apple’s wildly successful App Store as the preferred online storefront for iPhone software. But they may be playing with fire, experts warn. Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL) tightly controls what software can be distributed, whether free or paid, on the App Store. The alternatives, like the Cydia Store, offer applications that, for a […]

From left: JLabs CEO Judy Estrid, Microsoft Research’s Rick Rashid and IBM Research’s Josephine ChengPhoto Credit: David Needle Click to enlarge. MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. — Is Silicon Valley and the broader tech industry gripped by: A: An innovation deficit. B: Fear of failure. C: Greed and short term thinking. Each possibility got a thorough airing here at […]

Back in 1995 Dave Ditzel and a bunch of other smart engineers founded Transmeta, a startup with some revolutionary ideas for creating super energy-efficient, x86 (Intel)-compatible chips. The company’s plans were shrouded in secrecy until it burst on the scene in January, 2000 to announce its first products and a team that included none other […]

Google’s YouTube and Universal Music Group are in talks to create a premium online music video service, sources familiar with the situation said on Wednesday. If they reach a deal, the service could mark a significant step forward in Google’s attempt to generate revenue from YouTube, which it acquired for $1.65 billion in 2006. A […]

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — The latest DEMO conference was a paler version of past events, with far fewer companies participating than in recent years. Perhaps it was even a surprise to some the show could survive at all, given the rough economy. While some 72 companies paid to show new products and services at the […]

Source: DEMO PALM SPRINGS, Calif. — Frustrated by something you read online, and you just need to let the world know? Ever wish you could slam whoever posted a glowing review of a movie you hated — right there on the same site? Kutano might be for you. Sure, there are comment sections and other tools […]

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. – While competitors like Microsoft (NASDAQ: MSFT), Yahoo (NASDAQ: MSFT) and various feisty startups continue to take whacks at Google’s dominant market share, others see more promise in riding the search giant’s coattails. For example, Xmarks showed off some nifty new features here at DEMO that leverages information in the 600 million […]