Articles by Doug Olenick
Dell Latitude 13 laptops are childproof and ready for school
Dell's milspec testing of its new Latitude 13 Educational Series laptops may have gone above and beyond what the computers will have to endure in a classroom, but the company said these battlefield-ready devices are able to stand up to whatever a milk spilling, sticky-fingered kid can dish out.
NASA prepares defense against asteroids as one speeds by Earth
Mars mission Science, Space and Technology Committee chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) wants to go where no person has gone before, Mars and Venus. This even though NASA is just starting to test its latest interplanetary equipment.
D'OH, 23% of Americans believe an MP3 is a robot in Star Wars
Proving that knowledge cannot be passed through osmosis, a recent survey found most Americans have no idea what HTML, Blu-ray or other common tech terms mean, despite the fact that most people are permanently attached to their smartphone. The survey was conducted by the coupon site Vouchercloud.net.
An unfriendly Yahoo to stop accepting Facebook and Google IDs
Anyone trying to use a Google or Facebook account to sign into Yahoo will be barred at the virtual door as Yahoo is moving to take more control over its users by requiring everyone to have a Yahoo ID if they wish to use one of its services. Something already required by Google.
Extra RAM with my pizza please, Pizza Hut shows tablet PC table concept
Pizza Hut may be considering replacing its normal tables with ones that are actually giant computer screens. If implemented, the idea, shown in a video, would have the restaurant chain joining Chili's and Applebee's which have been placing tablets at some of their tables to take orders.
Facebook drone: a potential doer of good not evil
Facebook's historical issues with its users regarding their privacy reared its ugly head again as reports have hit that the social network plans to launch thousands of solar-powered drones into the air. If the idea comes to fruition the drones would be used to create a worldwide network of communication hubs that would enable every human on Earth to have Internet access.
GameFly enters Netflix movie space, battle royal to follow
The news that GameFly will roll out a disc-based movie rental service next month could mean the company is running scared. The growing use of electronically downloaded games means GameFly has to look elsewhere for potential profits.
Ballmer wishes for rewind button for Microsoft's mobile strategy during talk at Oxford
Former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told a group of British business students that he would like another chance to get the mobile phone market right. In an interview at Oxford, Ballmer said Microsoft managed more hits than misses during his tenure and he believes the recent Nokia purchase will be a huge plus.
Crushing sales of smartphones and tablets still killing PC business
Desktops and laptops are still failing to gain any ground in their battle for consumer dollars with mobile devices, said IDC. PC shipments recorded their worst ever drop in 2013 and the outlook is grim.
RadioShack closing 1,100 stores, low store traffic and sales cited
Americans will soon find it harder to find a replacement battery or remote-controlled toy as RadioShack announced it will be closing over 1,000 stores nationwide. The chain of small, but plentiful, stores endured one of its worst holiday sales periods last year and will now focus more energy on dumping its old, stodgy image.
Sony sells 6 million PS4 units, blowing passed initial expectations
Sony has sold over 6 million PS4 consoles in just three months, 1 million ahead of the company's estimate. In addition 13.7 million PlayStation titles have been sold with games. Killzone Shadow Fall leads the way.
Ellen DeGeneres takes down Twitter, Retweet record and Barack Obama with single selfie
Oscars host Ellen DeGeneres manages to bag 2.6 million retweets with a single celebrity-filled selfie during the Oscars presentation. The photo included Kevin Spacey, Bradley Cooper, Meryl Streep and Angelina Jolie among others.
Kickstarter projects reach $1 billion in pledges, gaming the big winner
Kickstarter funding hit the $1 billion mark today as more than 5.7 billion people from all around the globe have pledged money to back projects on the site. The vast majority of the money has poured in during the last year with game developers being among the more popular targets to receive the money.
Zynga goes mobile, revamps Farmville, Poker and Words With Friends
Zynga will soon release new versions of its insanely popular and addictive Farmville, Poker and Words With Friends games. The first two will be designed for mobile platforms. All the updates were heavily influenced by user feedback, the company said.
Bill Gates is again the world's richest person, despite massive donations to worthy causes
Bill Gates level of philanthropy through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is unmatched, but despite giving away billions of dollars Microsoft's founder once again found himself at the top of Forbes' list of wealthiest people. Overall, the tech sector had more than its fair share of billionaires on the list.
WWW turns 25: A look back at the Internet's early days
What could be found on the web in the years following the day 25 years ago when Sir Tim Berners-Lee pressed a button on his keyboard and officially created the world wide web can be easily summed up. Not much, but that was not to last as everyone from scientists to pizza makers hopped onto what would arguably become the greatest phenomenon of the 20th Century.
PC Industry chatter has Microsoft mulling free Chrome-like version of Windows 8.1
Microsoft could once again be a day late and a dollar short if the rumor that it is looking to compete with Google's Chromebook platform with a stripped down, and possibly free, version of Windows 8.1 proves true.
California drivers less likely to get lost as court allows smartphone map viewing while driving
Texting and talking are still, rightly, a major no-no on California roads, but a court of appeal has ruled checking your phone to see if you are correctly going from point A to B is legal. The court said such use does not conflict with the state's hands free phone use law.
Mobile gamers play on the cheap, only 0.15 percent account for half of all game sales
With the vast majority of all gamers never spending a nickel after downloading a free game, freemium game publishers have to have a laser-like focus on their target audience to generate any revenue. A report by SWRVE noted that only 1.5 percent of all gamers ever upgrade a free game and less than 1 percent are responsible for most game revenue.
Boeing goes from bombers to back pocket with Black smartphone
The crew of a World War II Boeing B-17 bomber might not know what to do with a Boeing smartphone, but the company dipped into its tradition of bringing its crew home safe in developing the Black. The company promises the new phone will protect data in the same way its planes keep its passengers safe.
Best Buy Q4 profit not really best, retailer expects tough 2014
Best Buy's Q4 and year-end profit came on lower revenues and the company does not expect a repeat of this quarter for at least the next several months. Best Buy cited the flagging consumer electronics category as the prime problem moving forward.
Makerbot Replicator Mini Compact 3D printer goes on pre-order for $1,375
The Makerbot Replicator Mini Compact 3D Printer may not quite be ready for acceptance by Star Fleet, but for the earthbound the company has started taking pre-orders for its smallest and most affordable 3D printer. Starting price is $1,375.
Sony shuttering 20 stores nationwide and gives details on layoff plans
Sony is closing two-thirds of its retail outlets across the country and layoff 5,000 workers with 1,000 coming from the Sony Electronics unit. The company will renew its focus on high-end electronics, content and gaming, execs said.
Best Buy layoffs expected as analysts predict double-digit Q4 revenue dip
Word has leaked that Best Buy is on the verge of announcing 2,000 layoffs the day before the company will report its fourth quarter financials. Analysts have forecast a double-digit drop in revenue.
Barnes & Noble promises new color Nook while cutting staffers
Barnes & Noble's CEO promised to roll out a new color Nook next year. In the short term he announced additional staff cuts could be forthcoming despite posting a profit for the quarter.
1.7 billion smartphones to flood market by 2018 as growth tails off
By 2018 1.7 billion smartphones will ship worldwide with Android dominating the market. Yearly shipments will drop in developed countries and carriers and phone makers will have to lower costs to attract customers from emerging markets.
High-tech gadgets no help to Mexican cartel leader as cellphone calls help lead to his arrest
Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman thought surrounding himself with a technological bubble would keep him safe. However, it instead led to his downfall.
Target's loss to credit thieves could be up to $450 million, Q4 earnings take a hacking
Target may have suffered up to $450 million as a result of a hacker attack in December. Company CEO said his fixes are helping alleviate the situation, and this could help drive up the chain's stock price.
Heads up Detroit - Panasonic, Tesla look to disrupt the car industry with new battery plant
Tesla Motors and Panasonic's new battery factory could eventually disrupt the car and electronics industry when it starts to crank out lower-priced lithium-ion batteries in 2017. Consumer Reports Touts Tesla Model S as top car for 2014.
Fears over jobs, income push down consumer confidence numbers for January
Consumer worries over the economy and jobs contributed to a fall off in the Conference Board's Consumer Confidence Index. The Index now stands at 78.1, down from 79.4 in January..
