Vista Tops Tech Disappointment List

Light shines through dark background, new owners complain

(NEWSER) - The iPad 2 is still brand spankin' new to the market, but glitch reports are already coming in: Apple's latest darling may have a “bleeding” problem, Gizmodo reports. Check out the video in the gallery: Light shines oddly from the side of the machine, cutting through an image that’s supposed to be all black. It’s not yet known whether this is a general problem or just an issue in a few machines—but with blogs like Engadget also reporting the story, Apple may be in for a headache. More»

Design, system, revolutionary service deal shoot gadget to top

(NEWSER) - Time magazine is naming the iPhone its invention of the year. Why?

1. It demonstrates that good design is as important as good technology.
2. Its touchscreen creates a whole new kind of user interface.
3. Other companies will seek the freedoms that AT&T granted Apple in designing the iPhone, which will result in better phones all around.

Price-fixing lawsuit focuses on wrong targets: David Carr

(NEWSER) - When the Justice Department decided to take on "the monopolistic monolith that threatened to dominate the book industry," it chose the wrong targets —five large publishers plus minor e-book player Apple—while ignoring the all-powerful Amazon, writes a dumbfounded David Carr in the New York Times . "That’s the modern equivalent of taking on Standard Oil but breaking up Ed’s Gas ’N’ Groceries on Route 19 instead." The DOJ's price-fixing lawsuit will keep e-book competition alive ... by basically helping Amazon squash the other players and once again reign supreme. More»

But DoJ suit expected to be bad news for readers in long run

(NEWSER) - Just after the Department of Justice launched its antitrust lawsuit against Apple and five major publishers , Amazon announced plans to slash e-book prices. But while the move is expected to cut the prices of major titles from $14.99 to $9.99 or less, analysts believe the benefit to consumers will be short-lived. Amazon, which already controls around 60% of the e-book market, can afford to sell books at a loss to boost Kindle sales and the price-fixing lawsuit is expected to give it an overwhelming advantage, allowing it to drive competitors out of the market and start dictating its own terms to publishers. More»

Eolas Technologies patent claims interactive web is its brainchild

(NEWSER) - A case is being tried in Tyler, Texas, this week that could determine the future of the Internet. On one side: The world's top web companies, including Google, Amazon, Yahoo, and Apple. On the other: A tiny company called Eolas Technologies that claims it patented the "interactive web." In its telling, a program by Chicago biologist Michael Doyle allowing doctors to view embryos, developed in 1993, was the first to allow users to interact with images in a browser, Wired explains. More»