MICROSOFT

Microsoft’s upcoming Windows Phone 8 is likely to see a release date this fall, as manufacturers Nokia and HTC have been ramping up production of smartphones based on this platform, DigiTimes has reported.

Following confirmed reports of an Xbox 720 development kit being used to leak prospective specs for Microsoft's upcoming next-generation console, the device popped up on eBay over the weekend, ultimately selling for $21,000.

For about a year, Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble were almost completely alone in the 7-inch tablet market. It was nice while it lasted. The past few months have seen Google and Microsoft unveil their 7-inch tablet offerings, and it looks like Apple is about ready to get into the minitablet game, too.

Apple started providing its developers with the first beta build of OS X Mountain Lion 10.8.1 Friday. The update is available for download from the Mac Developer Center web portal and has been given a build number of 12B13.

Shares of BlackBerry developer Research in Motion (Nasdaq; RIM) jumped on speculation IBM (NYSE: IBM) might be interested in part of the company. But others like Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) and Oracle (Nasdaq: ORCL), might also want its technology, too.

Nintendo may not be able to release its Wii U console in time for the holiday season. Sources connected to the matter have exclusively told CVG that manufacturing issues may stop the gaming company for launching its Wii successor overseas.

A report from Rene Ritchie says Apple plans to release a brand-new "mini iPad" when it launches the iPhone 5 in September. Even though most people can assume a 7-inch "mini iPad" would be able to do most -- if not all -- of the same things a typical iPad can do, there are a few nuances of the tablet's alleged features and specs that may attract -- or repel -- potential customers. Here are seven features, specs, and price rumors we've heard from the iPad Mini so far.

There have been numerous alleged leaks concerning Microsoft’s next-generation Xbox 720, but most of them have focused on the console’s hardware or its release date. However, the latest reportedly leaked bit of information revealed some details on the next iteration of the company’s motion-based gameplay device, known as the Kinect 2.

BlackBerry investor Victor Alboini said he welcomed a bid for Research in Motion's enterprise business by IBM, saying it would greatly enhance value of an undervalued asset.

BlackBerry developer Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) has been approached by International Business Machines Corp. (NYSE: IBM) about a possible sale of its enterprise services unit, Bloomberg News reported, citing two insiders.

Companies are using tablets more and more, and the launch of Windows 8 and the Microsoft Surface tablet will build on the trend. Is everything as rosy as it seems?

It's new, it's got a scary name, it will make policing New York easier, and it's going to be marketed for profit: Meet the "Domain Awareness System"

Mac OS X Mountain Lion has been running in the wild for exactly two weeks now, and millions of downloads later, it looks like Apple is already prepping its first maintenance update for the new platform, which is good news for all those early adopters out there complaining of bugs, errors, and other assorted issues. But of all of the problems out there, what does Apple plan to fix?

Microsoft has recently revealed in an interview that its next-generation Xbox “720,” code named Durango, has new hardware in development. Now more evidence that the Redmond, Wash.-based company is working on its successor to the Xbox 360 console has surfaced.

Ailing Finnish phone maker Nokia Oyj (NYSE: NOK) said it agreed to sell an application tools unit acquired in 2008 to a local partner as well as 500 wireless patents to Vringo (NYSE: VRNG) of New York City in a bid to raise cash.

Software and video game developer Valve is opening its digital distribution and gaming service platform Steam to include additional types of software. The new content will begin to arrive on the platform as early as September.

Lolo Jones, who had been performing well at the 2012 London Olympics, finished fourth in the women’s 100-meter hurdles. According to MSN, during her appearance on “Today,” the young star chalked up her failure to the criticism she suffered at the hands of the U. S. media. Jones, a virgin, has also been harassed on Twitter, where she’s an active user.

No surprise. Smartphones operating on the Android OS from Google (Nasdaq: GOOG), the No. 1 search engine and the iOS from Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL), the world's most valuable technology company, now power 85 percent of all new smartphones, IDC estimated.

Even as software giant Microsoft wages a singular battle to calm down its hardware partners over its tablet venture, Surface, scheduled to be launched October 26, rumors of Surface V 2.0, the next edition of the tablet, eclipsed the World Wide Web Tuesday.

Microsoft has entered into an intellectual property (IP) licensing agreement with Sharp to use the latest Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT), a modern file system that facilitates large files for audiovisual media and enables seamless data portability for an easy interchange of files between desktop PCs and other electronic devices.

Amazon.com Inc. (Nasdaq: AMZN), the No. 1 e-retailer, said it will start renting textbooks to college students for a semester. At the end of the term, they can ship books back for free.