Surprise–Apple’s been watching you
If you happen to have an iPhone or iPad, British researchers have discovered that Apple may be keeping track of you. British researchers have been discovered that Apple in its iOS devices has been keeping track of where you are and reporting back

Verizon shares in iPhone love
The company reports strong growth for wireless subscribers in the first quarter of 2011 as it logs a healthy start to its Apple iPhone business.

RIM BlackBerry PlayBook: Unfinished, unusable
It’s been half a year since Research in Motion unveiled its BlackBerry PlayBook tablet based on the QNX operating system. This week, RIM began shipping the 7-inch tablet. After spending a couple days with the final product, it’s clear that the PlayBook is a useless device whose development is unfinished

Malware authors target Google Chrome
Sorry, Windows users. Switching to a different browser than Internet Explorer won’t immunize you from malware attacks. The bad guys have begun preying on that misplaced confidence to push…

Asus Eee Pad Transformer starts shipping on April 26; $399
It’s a big week for Honeycomb-based tablets. Not only is the LG G-Slate now available, but the Asus Eee Pad Transformer is on the way too.

Kindle now works with library e-books
Finally, you can get free library e-books on your Kindle. It works with over 11,000 U.S. libraries. The e-books will also work on other gadgets using the Kindle app

Apple iOS tops Android in reach: Will influx of tablets change the equation?
Apple’s iOS has twice the reach of Android when the continuum of mobile devices—tablets, smartphones and mobile media players—are considered, according to comScore

Britain makes major security blunder
Britain’s Ministry of Defence accidentally posted sensitive information to the Web. A report it uploaded was improperly redacted. It revealed secret information about Britain’s nuclear-powered submarines.

Seagate agrees to buy Samsung’s drive business
In the $1.38 billion transaction, Seagate gets Samsung’s hard-drive unit, Samsung gets a stake in Seagate, and the hard-drive industry consolidates even more.

Why Google should acquire Pandora
Pandora possesses an audience, recognized brand, and an established advertising business. If Google acquired the Web radio service, it wouldn’t have to negotiate music licenses or start from scratch.

Intel: Messy quarter ahead, PC worries abound
Intel will report its first quarter results and they are expected to be messy on many fronts. The company had Sandy Bridge chipset woes, closed two acquisitions and is facing a slowdown in PC sales.

Apple sues Samsung for ‘copying’ smartphones, tablets
In what could prove to be a landmark intellectual property case, Apple has sued Samsung for allegedly copying intellectual property in making its own products like smartphones and tablet computers.

DC legalizes online gambling
The District of Columbia is legalizing online gambling. It is the first U.S. jurisdiction to do so. A Greek company will operate the gaming. It could bring in millions that would be used to offset budget cuts.

Internet ID plan unveiled
The Commerce Department is pushing a national cyber-identity system. The opt-in system is intended to protect users from fraud and identity theft. It would use a single identity and password for all online transactions

Microsoft delivers public beta of its Office 365 cloud bundle
As rumored last week, Microsoft made available on April 18 a public beta of its Office 365 bundle of Microsoft-hosted applications.

Why is Chrome so important to Google? It’s a ‘locked-in user’
Google execs say the lifetime value of a Chrome user is extremely valuable to the company. "Chrome is a guaranteed locked-in user for us in terms of having access to Google," says CFO Patrick Pichette.

iPad 2 vs. Xoom vs. PlayBook: How the Hottest Tablets Rate
Is it just me, or is the tablet market finally starting to fill out? Now we can add the RIM BlackBerry PlayBook to the Galaxy Tab, Motorola Xoom and Apple iPad 2 and do what we always do– compare them! Get the lowdown on the leading tablets in this report.

Microsoft gives IE9 a push
Microsoft has begun offering IE9 to Vista and Windows 7 users via Windows Update. Users will need to opt to install the new browser

The End of Content Ownership
Like all those books, records and CDs you own? Good. Now start considering what the future will be like when you no longer own any physical media. I explain in this post.

Bloggers go after Arianna Huffington
Bloggers are suing Arianna Huffington and the Huffington Post. The bloggers say they weren’t compensated for the content published on the Huffington Post. They believe their work accounts for about 30 percent of the sales value of the site

The ‘post-PC era’ might be closer than we think
PC market share numbers for the first quarter of 2011 are down 3.2 percent. The reason? Natural disasters, high gas prices, and yes, media tablets that deliver PC-like functions

FCC begins review of AT&T’s T-Mobile bid
The agency is formally looking into how the proposed $39 billion merger might affect competition, while the Justice Department considers antitrust issues.

U.S. falls behind in tech use
A study says the United States is lacking in its use of technology. According to the study, America was fifth in the world for tech use. We were beat by Sweden, Singapore, Finland and Switzerland.

Safari to add do-not-track feature
Apple plans to add a new privacy feature to Safari that keeps online advertising networks and other tracking tools from monitoring user activity.

Why won’t Internet Explorer 10 run on Windows Vista?
Why does the platform preview of Internet Explorer 10 refuse to install on Windows Vista? Maybe it’s because Vista’s short, unhappy life will end in less than one year

Privacy ‘bill of rights’ exempts government agencies
So-called privacy bill of rights doesn’t regulate federal government’s data collection, require warrants for surveillance, or ensure data breach notification

Microsoft Streetside goes abroad
Microsoft is launching its Streetside service in several European cities. StreetSide is a direct rival to Google’s Street View. The service is already available in 56 American cities

Why Cisco killed the Flip mini camcorder
The Flip video camera line that Cisco acquired from Pure Digital in 2009 was still a hot seller. So why did Cisco abandon it?

Cyber stalking more common than physical stalking
A study says that cyber stalking is more common than physical harassment. The study also reveals two surprising facts. First, 40 percent of cyber stalking victims are men. Second, unlike face-to-face stalking, the perpetrator is often a complete stranger

Microsoft previews IE10 at Mix11 show
With the next version of its browser, Redmond plans to deepen its commitment to HTML5 and "push the boundaries of what developers can do on the Web."

iPod to get WiFi syncing? It’s about time
Apple may be considering using carbon fiber in its idevices because it works better with WiFi. Apple’s acquisition of Liquidmetal and a pair of resin patents make things even more interesting.

Democratic senator wants Internet sales taxes
Saying online retailers have an "unfair advantage," Sen. Dick Durbin is planning to end the halcyon days of Internet shopping and usher in new sales tax collection.

Amazon announces ad-supported Kindle
Amazon has announced an ad-supported version of its popular e-reader. The Kindle With Special Offers will cost $25 less than the standard Kindle. The $114 reader will be available in May.

FCC creates new data roaming policies
The FCC has some new rules for major mobile providers. They must now allow smaller providers to access their data networks. These new rules would help smaller providers offer their customers nationwide data service

Russia ponders Skype, Gmail, Hotmail ban
The Russian security service wants to ban Skype, Hotmail and Gmail. Apparently, the service sees their use as a security threat. However, the Russian government says it doesn’t share the same belief

IE9: Microsoft is back in the browser game
After three weeks, CNET News’ Stephen Shankland concludes IE is competitive if not perfect. Microsoft has truly returned to the browser market.

Microsoft to fix 64 security issues
Microsoft will release 17 security updates tomorrow. This newest set of fixes will patch 64 vulnerabilities. Multiple Microsoft products will be patched, including Windows and Internet Explorer

Google Abandons Street View in Germany
Google Street View is a nifty tool when you’re wondering what that place you’re heading to will look like. It’s also fun for when you want to take a virtual stroll. Unfortunately, the mapping tech hasn’t always received the warmest reception, In Germany, it bordered on hostile. Now Google’s stepping back

New Intel chip heading to tablets
Company is shipping a processor destined for tablets from Lenovo and Fujitsu, as it faces the daunting task of trying to compete effectively against ARM’s chip design

Judge stops Google digital library
Recently, a federal judge halted Google’s plan to digitize every book in the world. Some see the ruling as the death of a universal digital library. Still, others maintain hope that a better solution will prevail

Woz: iPad is for normal people, not engineers
In keynote session at Storage Networking World, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak reportedly explains his belief that tablets aren’t for engineers, but for real, normal, ordinary people.

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Early version of Windows 8 leaked
A pre-release version of Windows 8 has leaked onto the Internet. The release of the next Windows is expected in 2012. The leak shows off some of the possible features. Most notably, the Ribbon interface may have a more prominent role

Pandora gets subpoena in grand jury app probe
Online music service Pandora has disclosed in a government filing that a grand jury has subpoenaed the company for a case involving mobile apps, though the company is not a specific target.

Disney movie criticized as creepy
Disney’s newest animated movie is giving moviegoers the creeps. Mars Needs Moms falls into what animators call the uncanny valley. This is the point where animation begins to look photorealistic. The near realism makes flaws even more noticeable.

The new Ubuntu Desktop: Unity
With the Ubuntu Linux 11.04 beta, we’re getting our first look at Ubuntu’s new Unity face.

When your apps spy on you
Leo Laporte was just ranting about how Color uses the iPhone’s microphone to listen to ambient surroundings.

Google kicks off the Larry Page era: 5 challenges ahead
Google officially welcomes Larry Page as its CEO on Monday and the years ahead should be very interesting.

Google Goggles raises privacy concerns
Google Goggles’ upcoming facial recognition feature has many people worried. It allows users to find information about a person by taking their photo. Google says it won’t be available until privacy policies are put in place.

Taking back Android: Should Google be controlling the ecosystem?
The Android ecosystem is becoming unruly and Google naturally wants to step in to preserve its quality – but is that Google’s role in the bigger picture?

Microsoft’s Windows 8: Can a mashup of various features work well?
There’s good news on the Windows 8 front: Microsoft may be learning from its more nimble units such as Xbox and Windows Phone 7.

Breach exposes Chase, Capital One, TiVo customers
Epsilon, which manages e-mail communications for TiVo, JP Morgan Chase, Capital One Financial, the Kroger grocery chain, and other clients, says it suffered a security breach that revealed data on some of its clients’ customers

FCC eyes AT&T merger with T-Mobile
FCC Commissioner Michael Copps is against AT&T’s bid to buy T-Mobile. He’s concerned that it would give the mobile carrier too much power. If the merger is successful, AT&T would become the nation’s largest mobile provider.