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Facebook inserts 'listen' button on musicians' pages

The ways to listen to music on Facebook continue to grow. The social network launched a "listen" button on music artists' pages today.

On the top right corner between the "like" and "message" buttons on musicians' fan pages, users can click "listen" and be guided to songs on any of the music streaming services the user has signed up for, such as Spotify and Rdio.

This is different than the "listen with" buttons users can click when they see what their friends are listening too; those buttons were created by … Read more

Will this tantalizing tech make it into the new MacBook?

What's in the next spin of the MacBook Pro? 0ne answer is obvious, others are guesswork.

The obvious? Intel's newest Ivy Bridge chip. The guesswork? A thinner MBP made possible by ripping out the optical drive, a la the MacBook Air. And here's some more wishful thinking:

Retina display: A Pro (or maybe a new Air at some point?) with a 2,560x1,600 resolution display? That's the resolution that Intel's Kirk Skaugen mentioned this week at an Intel conference in Beijing in connection with the upcoming Ivy Bridge chip. And he specifically used the … Read more

Microsoft folds interoperability team into open-source subsidiary

Microsoft is moving its Interoperability Strategy team into a new, wholly-owned subsidiary, the company announced on April 12.

The new group, known as Microsoft Open Technologies, will be headed by Jean Paoli, who is currently the general manager of the team. It will be comprised of about 50 to 75 full-time and part-time employees and contractors. A board consisting of Microsoft managers from other business units will oversee the new entity.

Paoli said in a blog post on the Microsoft Port 25 blog that the idea behind the creation of the new subsidiary is to facilitate Microsoft's relationships with … Read more

Twitter open-sources its MySQL tweaks

Twitter has open-sourced some of the numerous tweaks it has made to MySQL, the database technology that the microblogging site uses to store most of the data generated by its users.

"MySQL is the persistent storage technology behind most Twitter data: the interest graph, timelines, user data and the Tweets themselves," wrote Twitter developers Jeremy Cole and Davi Arnaut on the Twitter engineering blog. "Since we believe in sharing knowledge and that open source software facilitates innovation, we have decided to open source our MySQL work on GitHub under the BSD New license."

The code Twitter'… Read more

AOL patents could help Microsoft battle Google Maps

Microsoft bought AOL's patents in a deal valued at $1.056 billion and may have just accelerated a Web map war with Google.

In a statement, AOL said it will sell more than 800 of its patents and patent applications to Microsoft. The deal includes shares of an undisclosed subsidiary so AOL can take a loss for tax purposes.

The deal is good for both parties and the patent auction was apparently competitive, according to Microsoft.

Why would these patents be so hot? There's a Web mapping war going on. Let's connect a few dots:

Wikipedia, Foursquare and Apple ditched Google Maps for OpenStreetMap, … Read more

Next-gen Chromebooks built on faster Ivy Bridge chips?

It looks like Google will fulfill its promise of faster Chromebooks by using Intel's Sandy Bridge and imminent Ivy Bridge processors, a big step up from the current Atom-based products.

Chromebooks run Google's Chrome OS, a browser-based operating system that runs only Web applications. But under the covers, handling the hardware itself, is the Linux operating system. Google's plans can be divined from an even lower-level open-source project called Coreboot that handles the earliest stages of firing up a computer.

To work, Coreboot needs to know how to talk to a computer's hardware, and yesterday, Michael Larabel of Phoronix spotted a big Google contribution to Coreboot. … Read more

Samsung is getting into the mobile-ad market

Samsung wants to make it easier and more lucrative for app developers to offer advertising to Samsung mobile phone subscribers.

The company announced Tuesday that it has formed a partnership with OpenX Technologies, a leading provider of digital advertising technologies. Through the partnership Samsung and OpenX will create an exchange that will allow advertisers to purchase mobile ad space directly from mobile developers and Samsung. This closed marketplace should allow advertisers to reach a more targeted audience.

The deal with OpenX is an expansion of Samsung's existing strategy to enable advertising on its products. Earlier this year, Samsung established … Read more

With free adapter kit, Legos can mate with Tinker Toys, Zoob

Legos are cool. Tinker Toys are cool. Zoob is cool. But you know what's really cool? Building a hybrid gizmo out of all of the above (and other construction toys as well).

That's possible now--without tape, glue, chewing gum, or earwax--using the Free Universal Construction Kit, a set of adapters that let you snap together parts from 10 popular building toys. Brought to you by the F.A.T. (Free Art and Technology) Lab and Sy-Lab, the kit can be downloaded for free as a collection of models in STL format that can be printed with 3D printers such as the Makerbot.… Read more

Google Maps' high fees drive sites elsewhere

Foursquare is one of a number of Web sites jumping ship from Google Maps to an open-source alternative. You can put a good part of the blame on Google's hefty licensing fees.

A wide variety of sites use Google Maps on their own pages to pinpoint locations, offer directions, and provide other travel info. But according to The New York Times, the fees charged by Google for the privilege can easily run into six figures.

A recent blog posted by the Web site StreetEasy confirmed a price tag of $200,000 to $300,000 shelled out each year to … Read more