Tim Cook coffee date fetches $610,000 in charity auction

Tim Cook coffee date fetches $610,000 in charity auction The Charitybuzz auction offering a chance to meet and have coffee with Apple CEO Tim Cook has ended with a final bid of $610,000. In all, 86 bids were placed for the opportunity to sit down with Cook (and a friend of the winner’s choosing) for between 30 and 60 minutes at Apple’s Cupertino headquarters. With such large chunks of cash at stake, Charitybuzz required independen....

Google I/O 2013: everything you need to know

Google I/O 2013: everything you need to know Google’s biggest event of the year will be taking place from Wednesday, May 15th through Friday the 17th. Though the annual conference is aimed at developers, the company uses it to announce new details on Android releases, Nexus hardware, Glass, and more. We have a couple ideas about what to expect this year, but you can follow along here for the latest. Continue reading… S....

Exclusive: Google readies its Spotify competitor with Universal and Sony now on board

Exclusive: Google readies its Spotify competitor with Universal and Sony now on board Google will unveil new subscription music services tomorrow at the Google I/O conference, sources close to the company said. Google has now signed separate licensing deals with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment for both YouTube and Google Play, setting the stage for such an announcement, music industry sources told The Verge. Google plans t....

EA working on ‘Frostbite Go’ game engine for Android and iOS

EA working on ‘Frostbite Go’ game engine for Android and iOS EA has long been said to be working on a mobile version for its Frostbite engine, and now the company has posted information about the effort online. The Frostbite page officially reveals the existence of Frostbite Go, a “mobile division” meant to allow Frostbite-based games. While it says the Frostbite Go project will target “all major mobile platforms....

Play The Verge-curated ‘Sound Shapes’ album on May 28th

Play The Verge-curated ‘Sound Shapes’ album on May 28th PS3 and Vita game Sound Shapes has some amazing music from some amazing artists: think Beck, Jim Guthrie, and Deadmau5. But it also lets players create their own levels and sounds, and soon you’ll be able to check out our favorites. On May 28th, the Sound Shapes Milkcrate will add five guest-curated albums, featuring the best player-created levels the game has to offer.....

Google CEO Larry Page says his voice problems were caused by vocal cord paralysis

Google CEO Larry Page has finally opened up about a recurring and noticeable health problem — what Google Chairman Eric Schmidt characterized as the loss of Page’s voice last year. In a post on his Google+ page today, Page describes how he first encountered the issue “about 14 years ago,” right around the time that he cofounded Google, when he suffered a cold and then a hoarse voice, from which he says he never fully ....

ABC brings live TV to iOS app: can networks cut Aereo off at the pass?

ABC brings live TV to iOS app: can networks cut Aereo off at the pass? As expected, ABC today brought live TV streaming to its iOS app for users in New York City and Philadelphia. The new functionality has been delivered in an update to ABC’s existing app — now renamed Watch ABC. Like The New York Times reported, live programming is available only to users who pay for a monthly TV subscription at home. Thankfully, that restriction....

BlackBerry Q5: an entry level BlackBerry 10 handset (hands-on)

BlackBerry Q5: an entry level BlackBerry 10 handset (hands-on) The only hardware announcement made during this morning’s BlackBerry Live keynote address was for the Q5, a low-end QWERTY smartphone destined for emerging markets. The Q5 takes the place of the old Curve — it gives BlackBerry an entry-level device that can be sold at a lower price point than its premium line. The Q5 looks very similar to the Q10, it’s bigger br....

BlackBerry hedges its bets at Live 2013

BlackBerry hedges its bets at Live 2013 At BlackBerry Live 2013, the company formerly known as RIM filled out its BlackBerry 10 platform with new hardware and software. These were generally predictable: a keyboard-equipped BlackBerry 10 phone and a software update, for instance, were hardly unexpected, nor was a renewed focus on enterprise. But BlackBerry also tacitly acknowledged the need to tap into more successful platforms, announcing the....

Internet advocates say the TPP is the biggest threat yet to open web

Internet advocates say the TPP is the biggest threat yet to open web Tomorrow in Lima, representatives from 11 countries are gathering to hammer out something called the Trans-Pacific Partnership. It’s an international treaty, and the latest entry in the ongoing battle between copyright holders and the open web. Already, the treaty has been compared it to SOPA and ACTA, with the Electronic Frontier Foundation describing it as the bigges....