Articles by Doug Olenick
Amazon issues refunds to some Kindle customers over price fixing case
Some lucky Amazon customers this morning found a refund deposited into their account. The windfall is due to the settlement reached with five book publishers who colluded with Apple to raise e-book prices. Apple is appealing the ruling so more money could be forthcoming.
C: Microsoft releases MS-DOS source code
Anyone who remembers having to type in commands to get their computer to function and black screens filled with green letters will be thrilled to know that Microsoft today released the original source code for three of its earlier operating systems, including MS-DOS 1.1.
Sony, at it again as it chooses to ignore Google's Android Wear OS
A Sony executive said it will use its own Android-based operating system for its wearable products instead of Android Wear, which has caught on with LG and Motorola. Sony has not had great success historically going against the grain in other format battles, but the question is whether the category is developed enough right now for Sony's choice to matter.
How to charge 8 iPhones without a power outlet: BatteryBox
A company called BatteryBox will roll out an external power supply this fall that holds enough electricity to power a Macbook Air for 12 hours along with any USB powered mobile device. A BatteryBox is about the size of a deck of cards and will cost $139 when it ships this fall, although pre-orders are now being accepted.
NCAA March Madness mania: Stay connected through your smartphone
We truly live in an amazing age when a sports fan does not have to worry about missing a minute of the action just because they are not near a TV or at a bar. And with the NCAA tourney in full swing, it is important to know the best way to stay connected.
Microsoft, Nokia handset deal postponed until April, additional approvals needed.
Microsoft's legal team leader blogged last night that the $7 billion deal handing over Nokia's Device & Services business is being pushed back one month to April. The agreement's original wording had everything being wrapped up no later than the end of March, but not all the regulatory hurdles have yet been jumped causing the delay.
Former President Carter: NSA is probably reading my email
Former President Jimmy Carter says he sends sensitive letters through the U.S. Postal Service to avoid the prying eyes of the government he once led. When he communicates with foreign leaders, he goes old school and places his letter in an envelope and buys a stamp.
Walmart offering online lowest price guarantee search engine
Walmart is putting its money where its virtual mouth is by announcing it has an online pricing tool that will compare the price of its 80,000 different products to those of its competitor's prices, but whether the tool will really put money back in its customer's pockets remains to be seen.
Twitter to dispose of #hashtag, @replies?
A Twitter executive may have spoken out of turn lately when she said the tags may soon be gone from the social media giant, but eliminating the hashtags and @replies could help the site increase its user base. Twitter has admitted in the past that many people sign up, but then fail to use the site possibly due to the confusing nature of its posting methodology.
Sony Project Morpheus virtual reality vs. Oculus VR: No clear winner in brand new rivalry
The virtual reality headset wars are becoming totally real as Oculus Rift and Sony both placed their newly developed headsets in the ring this week at the Game Developers Conference. Each is similar to the other and the winner could be the company that convinces the most and biggest game developers to jump on board.
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings talks net neutrality, blasts ISPs
Netflix CEO Reed Hastings took Comcast to task in a recent blog post for being weak on net neutrality, while praising Cablevision. In general, he called for stronger enforcement of net neutrality saying the consumer at their end of their Internet connection does not suffer.
Xbox One vs. PS4: Will Titanfall $50 bundle price drop help Microsoft?
Walmart's $50 price drop to $450 for its Xbox One/Titanfall bundle raised a few eyebrows last week as gamers wondered if the move indicated poor Xbox sales for the retailer or if they were just trying to boost the already sky high hype surround the title.
Mt. Gox finds 200K missing Bitcoins in a forgotten digital wallet
Mt. Gox managed to find 200,000 of the 850,000 Bitcoins that the company said had gone missing. The newly located digital currency, worth about $116 million, was found in an old digital wallet.
European Cyber Army claims credit for Syrian web outage
A rebel hacker group locked in cyber battle with a pro-government web organization, claimed it took down Syria's Internet connection as payback for another attack, but this is disputed by the government. The seven-hour web outage in Syria yesterday is just the latest in a series of cyber attacks associated with that country's on-going civil war.
EA to get Titanfall sequel, 4K support rumored, Xbox 360 version delayed
A burst of real news and a lot of innuendo surrounding Electronic Arts Titanfall hit the web today. The leading bit of was that EA will handle the games sequel and it will be upgraded to 4K resolution for PC gamers. On the down side, the Xbox 360 version release is being pushed back.
Google Doodle marks first day of spring, Mother Nature does not get the word
Google made sure the world knew today was the first day of spring with its Google Doodle, but the doodle alone was not enough to bring warm temps as wintry conditions persisted for many folks in much of the country.
Starbucks iOS app with digital tipping now available
Starbucks was one day late pushing its upgraded iOS app live, but it is now available on the Apple App Store for download. Not only can Starbucks' aficionados now tip via their iPhone, but they can bring up their rewards bar code faster than three shakes of a bunny's tail. Literal shakes as doing that motion phone brings up the app.
HP's Meg Whitman accepts 3D printing challenge
Hewlett-Packard has not even shown a mock-up of a 3D printer yet, but its CEO said the company has been watching the category intently and when it does finally roll out a product it will be faster and better than what is now available.
Oh no Samsung didn't! Tramples on iPad, Surface and Kindle in latest video
Samsung has once again turned up the heat on its competitors by posting another video comparing the Galaxy Pro tablet against those from Apple, Microsoft and Amazon. Samsung loves taking on its opponents and even if you don't agree with the company, the video is entertaining.
GE, Quirky roll out smart air conditioner
GE and Quirky have come up with a smart in-wall air conditioner that can sense when you leave or are coming home and turns on and off accordingly to save energy. An AC with this level of intelligence is usually only found in large automated homes, but the Aros can be had for $300.
President Obama picks Michigan State as NCAA champ, kicks off yearly fall off in worker productivity
March Madness is probably more than a little maddening to business owners who lose billions of dollars each year in lost productivity, as their once dedicated work force becomes entranced with brackets, office pools and watching the games on their smartphones. Attempting to stop these shenanigans could prove detrimental, so one leading firm suggest if you can't beat'em, join'em.
Pandora pushes up subscriber price, ends annual plan
Pandora will bump the monthly subscription cost for its ad-free music streaming service to $4.99 starting in May, but it is leaving a six week window open for customers currently enjoying the free service to hop on board at the old $3.99 price.
Walmart steps up video gaming strategy with Xbox, PlayStation title trade-in program
Walmart will start accepting trade-ins for video games next week and the company plans to begin selling "certified pre-owned" games both in store and online later this year. Customers will bring in their games and receive an instant credit for a future purchase.
Apple Unveils iPad with Retina display at $399, drops iPad 2
Apple reshuffled its iPad line adding the new low-price point iPad with Retina display that features a better screen and faster processor than the iPad 2 for the same $399 price tag. On the international front the company rolled out an 8GB version of the iPhone 5C.
Microsoft to expand Xbox One to 26 new markets, Titanfall helps boost Xbox Live traffic
Microsoft will triple the number of markets where the Xbox One will sell this fall. The new areas span the globe and include Greece, Russia and Argentina. The company will also invite more Xbox One players into its feature preview program and promises to look at its controversial external hard drive situation.
Streaming and subscription music services top charts, vinyl around too
A report by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry said music sales fell by 3.9 percent in 2013, but overall the group was happy with revenue noting the increasing impact services like Spotify and Pandora are having on the industry. And good old vinyl records posted very healthy gains, albeit the numbers are pretty darn small.
Tesla Recharges for fight with N.Y. auto dealers to keep its stores open
New York car dealers hope N.Y. lawmakers follow the same path as their New Jersey brethren and endorse a plan that would stop Tesla from operating its own stores in N.Y. By operating its own facilities and not using dealerships, Tesla has angered those car dealers who believe the new system is not fair to consumers.
Microsoft lures XP holdouts with threat of potential security problems and cash
Microsoft will shut off the security patch tap in three weeks for Windows XP so the company has upped its game in attempting to convince XP owners they should upgrade. In addition to its on-going warnings about security and performance issues after April 8, the company is now offering $50 off select computers as a bonus.
OMG my head hurts, the morning after cure for St. Patrick's Day over indulgence
The unfortunate answer is no quick fix is available, however, here is a guide to what might actually work along with what NOT to do when trying to recover from your St. Patrick's Day celebration.
Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto again denies Bitcoin connection, hires lawyer
Dorian Satoshi Nakamoto issued what he said will be his last public statement denying his connection to Bitcoin. In a harbinger of things to come Nakamoto released these comments through his newly hired lawyer and he hinted that the magazine article has financially hurt himself and his family.
