Articles by Doug Olenick
BlackBerry CEO John Chen ponders dropping phone business, or maybe not
Whether or not BlackBerry will remain in the handset business seems to be a bit up in the air as company CEO John Chen has expressed both a desire to exit the category if it remains unprofitable, while also saying the exact opposite. In the latter case he simply wants to reduce the reliance on handsets to generate profit for the company.
Microsoft's Xbox live chief Phil Spencer talks gaming, motivation and his time at the company
Microsoft gave an inside look at what makes Phil Spencer, leader of its Xbox division, tick in an interview posted today. Spencer talked with Xbox Live's Larry 'Major Nelson' Hryb about his time with the company and the type of team he wants in place to take Xbox to the next level.
Samsung graphene research breakthrough could lead to super-tough phones
Dropping a smartphone onto the sidewalk may no longer lead to being the proud owner of a broken piece of very expensive junk. Researchers at Samsung have made a breakthrough in the development of a new super-strong material called graphene that one day could lead to the creation of devices that are all but indestructible.
Rapper 50 Cent to pay top dollar to settle headphone legal dispute
Rapper 50 Cent will be shelling out a lot of pennies as part of a ruling that has him paying Florida headphone manufacturer Sleek Audio for giving away company designs to a competitor. The decision was handed down last year, but was only recently confirmed by a Miami court.
Dropbox's new app Carousel creates portable shoebox for photos
Dropbox wants to become a consumers' go-to place for photo and video storage. With that goal in mind the cloud data storage company is rolling out an app called that can store and organize images and make sharing simpler.
Target hopes organic and green products earn the chain street cred with health-conscious customers
Target is expanding its organic food and sustainable product portfolio with a new line called Made to Matter – Handpicked by Target. The chain hopes to take advantage of customer's growing interest in not only keeping themselves healthy, but the planet, too.
T-Mobile offers $40 Simple Starter plan, calls similar Verizon and AT&T plans unethical
T-Mobile will try and deliver a knock-out punch to rivals by offering a base $40 phone, text and data plan that will never incur overage charges. The company said similar plans by other major carriers were predatory in how they automatically charged more to those who surpass plans data limit.
Google Glass credited with saving a man's life, Glassholes no more
Google Glass may have its detractors, but not among some in the medical community. In at least one instance, Glass is being championed as the device that helped save a life during an emergency situation.
Stuart Parkin awarded Millennium Technology Prize, research enables video, music streaming
Data storage researcher Stuart Parkin was awarded the prestigious Millennium Technology Prize for his work increasing the amount of data that can be stored on a hard drive. This has enabled a one-thousand fold increase in the amount of data that can be held enabling a wide variety of tasks that we take for granted today.
Amazon Instant Video tops Hulu, iTunes, still lags behind Netflix and YouTube
Amazon reported it has tripled the number of videos it streams from its movie service, helping make the site the third most frequented by viewers. It trails only Netflix and YouTube.
Netflix's 'House of Cards' streaming in 4K Ultra HDTV, more shows to come
Netflix is taking its first step into a bigger world by streaming a single program in 4K Ultra HDTV. Even though there are almost no 4K TVs available, dozens will hit stores in the near future, quickly driving up demand for super high-resolution programming.
Lenovo shipping cheap, cheap Android tablets come May
Lenovo's latest tablet offerings cover all the bases with three models targeted at everyone from the power user to those just interested in reading and watching videos. The models hit stores next month with prices ranging from $129 to $249.
StoreDot uses medical technology to create quick-charging battery
An Israeli tech start-up called StoreDot is using peptides discovered during Alzheimer research to create a bio-organic battery that can charge a mobile device in about 30 seconds. The battery is years away from commercial use, but the basic concept has been proven.
Crowd sourced 3D printer looks to kickstart consumer side of business
M3D's kickstarter launch today attracted not only a lot of attention, but a pocketful of pledges as the company attempts to get its low-cost, consumer-friendly 3D printer off the ground. The company reached its pledge goal within minutes and, after just a few hours, had more than 1,700 backers.
Philly Tetris fans play on 29-story screen, help celebrate game's 30th anniversary
A Tetris fan group from Drexel University turned a downtown building into a gigantic Tetris screen so local gamers got the chance to take part in history Saturday night.
Microsoft to debut original programming in June, will target the Xboxers as viewers
Microsoft may be a king when it comes to gaming, but the company hopes some of its Xbox magic will rub off with its latest entertainment venture, creating original programming. The company has been building a team from scratch to come up with shows that will be viewed through its Xbox One and 360 consoles.
Blood test can spot cancer DNA, could lead to early, life-saving detection
Stanford University researchers have developed a blood test that spots even the smallest amounts of cancer in a person's blood. This could make it much simpler for doctors to spot the disease and then ensure the patient remains cancer free.
Western Digital services back online, company called out on Twitter, Facebook on poor response
Western Digital execs got an earful from customers who took to social medial to express their anger over the fact three of the company's big online services were offline for a week. While the company has restored most of the services it is now working to do the same for its image.
Microsoft mum on Office for iPad revenue, while hyping the app's 12 million downloads
Microsoft proudly tweeted this week that 12 million downloads of its new Office for iPad app had taken place, but the company was quiet on how many people are upgrading to Office 365, which would require a monthly subscription or one-time yearly payment.
BAZINGA! Xbox One Vs.PS4: Sheldon Cooper decides
The Big Bang Theory took on one of the nation's most pressing problems last week, no not climate change, but Sheldon Cooper had to choose between going with a PS4 or Xbox One. The running conversation Sheldon has with the other characters is certainly funny, but as with all good jokes there was a grain of truth involved that made the show a must watch for fans and gamers.
Legal marijuana has not yet killed street pot dealing, will that ever happen?
Legalizing the pot business in Colorado has not led to the instant elimination of street drug crime, as some thought might happen. High prices for the legal stuff have kept dealers plying their trade. But as more legal pot stores open, this could change.
3D printers can make human organs, it's not just science fiction
The fear a person may feel when told he or she needs a new lung or kidney may soon by a thing of the past as medical science is quickly learning how to use 3D printing technology to build replacements. This is still not a reality, but many of the technical parts needed to make it so are starting to fall into place.
Microsoft to push gaming on the go with its $899 Surface Pro 2 tablet bundle
The average hard-core gamer may not spend that much time outside the house, but for those who do Microsoft has put together a bundle that includes a tablet, two games and a wireless controller for $899, which generally is the cost of the 64GB version of the tablet alone.
Liberty Media turns the page on Barnes & Noble, sells most of its stake
Liberty Media has all but abandoned Barnes & Noble, just a few years after a major push to acquire the bookseller. Liberty did not disclose why it was making the move, but BN's financial struggles likely contributed to the pull out.
Tesla leads charge to drop side view mirrors; would we have to relearn how to drive?
Tesla and the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers are asking the U.S. government for permission to build cars without side mirrors, saying they can be replaced with cameras. This would not only cut down on drag, but the cameras could give a wider view, increasing safety.
Intel shows Braswell processors, looks to expand Chromebook, tablet presence
Intel today showed several new processors and discussed increasing its presence in the Chromebook market at the Intel Developers Conference being held in China. Intel hopes to be included in five times as many Chromebooks this year and also in sub-$100 tablets.
Microsoft takes payoff from the UK government to extend Windows XP support
While most of the world will no longer receive support from Microsoft for its Windows XP operating system, the UK government has cut a deal giving it a one-year reprieve. This deal will only includes government computers and Microsoft is adamant that everyone else move from XP to Windows 8.1.
Aereo backers line up, all await Supreme Court hearing
Aereo and the major American broadcast networks are set for an April 22 showdown before the Supreme Court that will decide whether Aereo is allowed to continue with its business model. Broadcasters claim that a win for Aereo would cost them billions, while Aereo's supporters would love to be able to emulate Aereo's system.
Tech product spending to hit $3.8 trillion in 2014
Corporations are dusting the cobwebs off wallets and are expected to spend in a big way to update tech infrastructures in 2014. This should come as a huge relief to manufacturers who have depended upon consumer spending to boost their bottom line for the last several years.
Google's NEST thermostat launches in UK, NPD says home automation taking off
The NEST remote controlled thermostat is just one part of the growing home automation revolution that is now taking place, according to The NPD Group. The vast majority of mobile device owners are aware that their devices may hold the key to lowering their energy costs and taking better care of their home.
