century

Getting to a Microsoft store isn't easy. That's a problem.

It's a problem because in the wake of the Windows 8 release late last month, the best selection of the coolest devices is at a Microsoft store. Throw in solid ambiance too.

Best Buy? I don't think so. Though my local Best Buy in Los Angeles has a few interesting Windows 8 PCs, like the Lenovo Yoga convertible, it's mostly business as usual.

Same old big box chaos with clam shells that look pretty much like the clam shells that were there last year.

And … Read more

Lucasfilm and Twentieth Century Fox announced today an epic sci-fi 3D doubleheader for fall 2013: "Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones" and "Episode III Revenge of the Sith" arrive in theaters during consecutive months next year.

Officially, the 3D version of "Episode II" hits the big screen on September 20, 2013, while the 3D "Episode III" debuts on October 11, 2013. … Read more

Are we seeing a trend of Microsoft setting up shop next to Apple Stores?

If so, it's not a bad trend. Even a necessary one to check the Apple consumer Juggernaut.

At the Westfield Century City mall in Los Angeles, the Apple and Microsoft stores are close enough that when you leave one you'll almost immediately see the other.

That's helpful for consumers interested in exploring both rival camps. The Apple Store is a known quantity. The Microsoft Store isn't, for many people. That's too bad, because a Microsoft store offers a much better snapshot … Read more

Folks interested in buying movies can either get them at brick-and-mortar stores or online. Now the film studio Twentieth Century Fox is trying a new tack aimed at combining the two, albeit in a convoluted fashion.

Fox has partnered with Taubman Centers, which operates shopping malls across the country, to create virtual storefronts in Taubman's physical shopping malls.

The storefronts are "wallscapes" that feature photos and titles from Fox movies. Users can scan a QR code found on the wall using iPhone or Android phones that will direct them online to finalize their purchase. After that, the … Read more

Hollywood hasn't given up trying to persuade consumers to buy and collect movies or on digital rights management.

Warner Bros. and 20th Century Fox are partnering with Sandisk and Western Digital to develop antipiracy devices in an effort to secure 1080p high-definition movies once they're in the wild.

The companies announced today that they have formed a new consortium called Secure Content Storage Association (SCSA). The group will create the standards which they hope will be adopted by makers of Blu-ray players, tablets, and smart TVs. As of yet, the SCSA doesn't have a device to show … Read more

LOS ANGELES--I walked into a Microsoft store for the first time yesterday. And that says much more about Microsoft's retail strategy than it does about me.

Yes, I cover the tech sector--and two years after the world's most powerful software company launched its brick-and-mortar retail efforts, I've just managed to visit one now. But that's not entirely my fault.

See, there still is only one Microsoft store east of the Mississippi. I live in New York. I moved there in October 2009, the same month that Microsoft opened its first two stores--one in Scottsdale, Ariz., one … Read more

AT&T has talked to smaller rivals about divesting spectrum and customers in an effort to salvage its deal with T-Mobile USA, according to Bloomberg.

AT&T has talked to MetroPCS Communications and Leap Wireless about selling some of its assets. The telecom giant is also talking to CenturyLink, Dish Network, and even Sprint Nextel--which has opposed the deal--about their interest in buying assets.

AT&T has been scrambling to save a deal that was put in jeopardy when theU.S. Department of Justice recently sued to block the merger, which would create the nation's … Read more

Mutants are coming to your Android phone. Twentieth Century Fox Film has announced that it's bringing movie downloads to Google's mobile platform, allowing legal viewing of flicks like "X-Men: First Class" on Android devices.

It won't be quite as simple as movies magically arriving on your phone through the air via Wi-Fi or 3G, however. First, you'll have to buy a Blu-Ray copy of "X-Men:First Class"--the first movie being offered for Android--then you can download a digital Android-compatible copy to a laptop or desktop and side-load it onto your device. You didn't really think a Hollywood studio was going to make this easy, did you?

Snark aside, the move represents another step toward an Android-based service to compete with Apple's media download dominance. Earlier this year, movie rentals were added to the Android market and Netflix also began offering an app for its streaming service on an increasing number of Android devices.

Apple had previously been the de facto platform for studios willing to make films available for streaming or download, owing to the established track record of the iTunes store and an edge over Google in certain technologies, such as copy protection. Then last year Google bought digital rights management firm Widevine. The acquisition opened a door to Hollywood that had previously been closed thanks to Google's free-for-all approach to content, which can often be taken literally.

Widevine's ties to Netflix and Hollywood studios have surely helped Google get a toe in a door that was previously slammed shut and probably had something to do with the Twentieth Century Fox announcement.

The new download deal won't start until the X-Men flick hits stores this fall. One title is a long way from competing with iTunes, but the combination of Androids and comic book heroes is definitely a show I can't wait to watch.

Via the Financial Times.… Read more

Retro is cool when it comes to the iPad. You can turn it into a tabletop arcade console. You can disguise it as an old book. You can even run a DOS emulator on it.

The British Library gets on the bandwagon with the 19th Century Books iPad app. It goes retro. Way retro. All the way back to the 1800s retro.

The free app features a collection of 1,000 books ranging from historical adventures to travelogues to poetry and fiction. All are from the public domain. Plans are for a paid collection, with more than 60,000 titles to be made available later in the year.

The app includes such little-known works as "A Wild Sheep Chase" from 1894 and "Fables for the Female Sex," as well as established classics such as "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" and "The Invisible Man."

The British Library didn't go the usual e-book route for this app. The books are captured as scanned images that show all the colorful covers, aged pages, and nuanced illustrations. It really is the next best thing to having an actual book in your hand.

There is plenty here for bibliophiles, historians, and Thomas Hardy fans to get excited about. More casual readers can marvel at the illustrations and use of the word "alas."

You can search titles, but you can't search through the actual texts. You'll have to pretend like you're in a real library and take the time to browse the books. Alas, this is still a pretty sweet app for book lovers.… Read more