Parallels names new finance and tech chiefs, prepping for possible IPO and acquisitions

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Parallels, known for its software that lets Windows run on Macs, has hired new finance and technology chiefs, aiming to boost the cloud-services side of its business and prepare for future growth, including a possible initial public offering and acquisitions. The company’s new chief technology officer is Microsoft veteran Michael Toutonghi, who is leaving his… Read More…

Netflix for Kids, LinkedIn apps, and other new stuff to try

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Interesting new releases and downloads catching our attention today …  Netflix rolled out a new section of its website called “Just for Kids” today, offering a simplified menu of streaming movies and TV shows for children 12 and under. The company says it worked with non-profit Common Sense Media on the project. It’s available initially… Read More…

Skype’s feature frenzy continues with Mac update, HD video calls

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Skype seems to be savoring its final moments of independence with a flurry of new features. With Microsoft’s $8.5 billion acquisition of the company still pending, Skype has been updating its software at a rapid pace over the past few weeks, wrapping up some key projects before life at the company gets a little more… Read More…

Intellectual Ventures, Mac OS X Lion, and Windows 8 (KUOW)

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This American Life’s investigation of Intellectual Ventures offers some important lessons for the tech industry, Mac OS X Lion signals a change in how we’ll use our computers, and Microsoft starts hiring again, albeit at a slower pace than Amazon and Google. Those were among the topics I talked about with host Steve Scher this… Read More…

Mac users are vegetarians: PC users eat fries at McDonald’s

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Would you rather drive a Harley or a Vespa? Your answer may predict your computer habits. Hunch.com did a user-based survey and it turns out stereotypes propagated in Mac’s old “Get a Mac” commercials aren’t far from the truth. Hunch asked its users a wide range of questions– everything from food and drink preferences to personality traits…. Read More…

Too much tablet? Apple, Microsoft at risk of overdose

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The changes in Apple’s new Mac OS X Lion, released Wednesday, start with the way people get the updated operating system. It’s not available on an installation disc or from a traditional website. It’s a $30 download from the Mac App Store — complete with its own “Buy App” button. Features of the overhauled Mac… Read More…

Apple, Xbox set to battle for attention of tech world

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It’s hard to remember a week with so many big tech companies staging so many potentially big announcements. It kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Pacific time Monday  morning with Microsoft’s annual Xbox news conference at the E3 video-game convention in Los Angeles. Half an hour later, Steve Jobs & Co. will take the stage for… Read More…

‘Pranksters’ or ‘vandals’? Windows logo installed on future Apple store

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This video, taken outside an Apple store under construction in Hamburg, Germany, is spreading around the Internet like wildfire this afternoon — destined to be a classic. Almost as funny is seeing the difference in wording from the Apple- and Windows-oriented blogs. WinRumors calls them “pranksters.” Edible Apple raises them to the level of “vandals.” Previously: Microsoft’s… Read More…

Facebook making desktop software for Mac, Windows with new Seattle-based team

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In this era of browser apps and mobile devices, here’s some news that cuts against the grain. A new Facebook development team, based in the company’s fledgling Seattle engineering office, will be making desktop software for the social networking giant. Desktop, as in machines that sit on your desk. Software, as in bits of code… Read More…

Roundup: ID guru leaves Microsoft, Google Maps goes indoors, EA downplays discs

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A quick rundown of news stories catching our attention this afternoon … Google Maps is going indoors with panoramic photos inside businesses. Microsoft’s chief identity architect, Kim Cameron, has left the company, reports ZDNet’s Mary Jo Foley. Electronic Arts expects its revenue from digital downloads of games and extra content to exceed $1 billion this… Read More…