Tech Blog

[#1]

The 'And I thought last week was quiet' edition:
Ok, I was wrong. Last week was quiet, in tech, but no where near as quiet as this week...as long as you disregard the small nuclear explosion that is CES. Well, I'm not going to totally ignore it, but instead, refer you to Future Shop's CES coverage -- all of it wrapped up in a nice tidy page called the Future Shop CES Coverage Centre.

Enjoy the CES coverage, while I take a look at what little else happened this week.

Apple
More tablet details

• A review of the data predicts a Q2 launch for the Apple Tablet Device (iSlate?):
  "Production of the cases will begin in February, so everything points to a second-quarter launch right now," said one of the sources. "It doesn't take that long for the company to assemble the PC together, but a second-quarter shipment date is what we're looking at now."
• Ars Technica rounds up some of the other tastier tidbits:
  Apple is also expected to unveil an SDK and tablet "simulator" for developers to prepare apps for the new device, according to sources for French Mac website Mac4Ever. The SDK may already be in the hands of a select number of developers asked by Apple to modify existing iPhone apps to work with a larger screen. Those apps would be demoed during the product announcement.

Location Location Location
Google Enhances 'Near me now' service
Location-based searching with Google just got easier on Android and iPhone browsers:

"Near me now" was designed to address two user problems. First, we wanted to make it fast and easy to find out more about a place in your immediate vicinity, whether you're standing right in front of a business or if it's just a short walk away. For example, you may want to know what other customers think about a restaurant before you go inside (see quick video below) or what they have been raving about on the menu before you order. By selecting the "Explore right here" option, you can find out more about a place "right here" with just a few clicks.

Social 'check-in' game Foursquare gets a significant update

...we finally ripped apart the “foursquare only works in cities” model and replaced it with “foursquare everywhere” - the ability to add places and check-in anywhere in the world.

As well, badges and leaderboards are handled slightly differently.

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Your Turn
So, did I miss anything? What online story really got you going this week? Link to it in the comments!