Apple looking to ramp production of new 'critical' sapphire component in U.S. by Feb. - Apple and manufacturing partner GT Advanced Technologies are pushing to open an advanced sapphire production facility in Arizona by the end of February, which will handle a new "critical subcomponent" to be incorporated in a future Apple product.
Google ordered to pay as much as $1 billion to patent troll Vringo | VentureBeat | Business | by Eric Blattberg - In 2011, the company purchased two patents involving the ranking and placement of ads in search results from Lycos, an old search engine, which it used to sue Google.
Amazon is making itself more and more indispensable to mobile game developers | GamesBeat | Games | by Dean Takahashi - Amazon won’t say if it will be making an Android-based gaming device beyond its Kindle tablets. But it is certainly pushing hard to create tools for game developers so that they can be successful on the company’s various app platforms.
Nancy Pelosi: 'I'm in awe' of the maker movement - Hatch and many of his fellow makers at TechShop manufacture their products in California or neighboring states, rather than China.
Apple's Macintosh has forced the world to change for 30 years - The arrival of the Macintosh wasn't a surprise; it was actually two years behind its originally expected ship date. Apple had hoped to ship the Macintosh by 1982.
VLC for iOS gets Google Drive downloads, Dropbox streaming in update - On the surface, VideoLAN's VLC for iOS version 2.2.0 gives the media player a new look with multitouch gestures, a revamped interface and a new startup tutorial. Behind the scenes, the app gets a few key functionality tweaks and additions many users have been waiting for.
The most significant of these changes is Google Drive integration and Dropbox streaming.
Review: Looxcie 3 social media video recorder | Electronista - The Looxcie 3, a small video recorder, streams video through a smartphone and posts the feed straight to Facebook.
Apple's Schiller 'unfollows' Tony Fadell and Nest after Google acquisition - Schiller, who follows 114 people on Twitter and posts to the service about four to five times a month, removed Fadell and Nest from his list on Friday.
Microsoft considering Ericsson CEO to replace Steve Ballmer - a longshot because of Microsoft's current interest in competing with Apple and Samsung in the consumer electronics space. But Vestberg is said to be on the radar of Microsoft's board of directors, according to Bloomberg.
Briefly: Aaron Sorkin reportedly finishes script for Steve Jobs biopic - The upcoming movie will be the second attempt at a Steve Jobs feature after indie film "Jobs," the ill-received Ashton Kutcher vehicle released in 2013.
Google buys Nest for $3.2B -- its key to the connected home | VentureBeat | Deals | by Devindra Hardawar - Nest has been one of the most interesting startups to launch over the past few years. It’s run by Tony Fadell, who notably spearheaded development of the iPod at Apple, and it’s one of the few connected home gadget makers to have found a modicum of success.
Nokia's leaked Android UI: an interesting mix of Windows Phone and Asha | VentureBeat | Business | by Ricardo Bilton - Today, serial leaker Evleaks posted images of the Nokia phone’s interface, which is reportedly running off a forked version of Android (with an app store separate from Google Play)
Apple hits snags in 'iWatch' production, loses director of iPod software to Nest - the as-yet-unannounced wearable may incorporate bio sensors and other "quantified self" technology.
Apps no longer differentiator in iOS vs. Android war, services next battleground - The app ecosystem has transitioned to where it no longer matters how many apps each OS has, but rather the satisfaction the user gets out of them
Apple gives away MacBook Airs, iPads, iPods in Japan 'Lucky Bags' - For its annual New Year's Fukubukuro "lucky bag" promotion in Japan, Apple gave away products valued much higher than the package's $340 cost, with 2014's special gifts including 11-inch MacBook Airs, iPads and iPods.
