This week in pictures: It's not all about Windows 8, really
Google buys 1,000 more IBM patents. Obama signs patent reform legislation. RIM stumbles. Cisco emerges from 150 days of restructuring. Scarlett Johansson hacked! And much, much more!
Microsoft Windows President Steven Sinofsky introduces the new tablet running a test version of its touch-enabled Windows 8 at the Build conference in Anaheim, California September 13, 2011.
REUTERS/Alex Gallardo
Microsoft kills Silverlight and other plug-ins in Windows 8
Wall to wall news about Windows 8 from Microsoft means we overlook some interesting details in the infodump. Potentially distressing? Dropping support for plugins in the Metro-based IE10. No Flash, no Silverlight, no PDF readers. Read more
REUTERS/Pete Souza
Obama signs patent overhaul legislation
President Obama has signed the America Invents Act, the first major overhaul of the U.S. patent system in about 50 years. Read more.
Photo credit: Roger Schultz/flickr
AT&T finally rolling out 4G in five areas
Rejoice, AT&T subscribers in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and San Antonio: you will get real 4G (LTE) service starting Sunday, September 18. Sure, the rollout is a few months later than announced, and they've been claiming faster speeds in their marketing for years, but 5-12Mbps speeds are coming soon. Read more.
President and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Research In Motion (RIM) Mike Lazaridis gestures during the annual general meeting of shareholders in Waterloo July 12, 2011.
REUTERS/ Mike Cassese
RIM (Blackberry) withering away?
Research in Motion (RIM), makers of the groundbreaking BlackBerry a decade ago, made the wrong kind of news this week: "Profits plunge" and "Disappointing earnings" and "earnings plummet by more than half." Ouch. Read more.
Google buys another 1023 patents from IBM to protect Android
If patent battles are modern corporate warfare, Google just got more than a thousand reinforcements. After buying over a thousand patents from IBM back in July, Google bought another thousand in August. Read more
Actress Scarlett Johansson and actor Jeremy Renner pose after arriving separately at the 83rd Academy Awards in Hollywood, California, February 27, 2011.
REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
Nude photos of Scarlett Johansson hacked from phone by group claiming ties to Anonymous
Not every example of high profile hacking is Cablegate. Some aren't even News of the World. Some are attacks on a girl sending pics of her butt to her boyfriend. Read more
REUTERS/Norbert von der Groeben
Report: Facebook to delay IPO until late next year
Zuck reportedly wants ticker debut pushed back to 'keep employees focused.' Really? Read more
REUTERS/Chip East
Cisco comes out swinging after cutbacks
Cisco Systems emerged from 150 days of restructuring on Tuesday as an aggressive competitor, laying out some of the problems that led it to make changes, while saying its rivals are in even worse predicaments. Read more
Intel CEO Paul Otellini holds an Android phone during his keynote address at the Intel Developers Forum in San Francisco, California September 13, 2011.
REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
Intel working with Google to support Android on smartphones and tablets
Intel lost the mobile market to ARM processors, the choice for mobile operating systems. Various Intel efforts to increase mobile use of their Atom processor (the netbook CPU) have not succeeded. So now Intel is working directly with Google to power Android tablets and smartphones. Read more
flickr/Natalie Maynor
Amazon plans Kindle-based book rental service
According to a story behind the Wall Street Journal paywall, Amazon now wants to recreate a library in your Kindle. Modeled after Netflix, the subscription service would make books, and possibly magazines, available for a limited time. Read more
Netflix now on most Android phones and some tablets
In an oddly low-key way, Netflix released their streaming app on Android 2.2 and 2.3 devices last Friday. The "announcement" was hidden inside the "What's New" tab at the Android Market. Read more