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"Without Apple's orchestration of this conspiracy, it would not have succeeded as it did in the Spring of 2010," Cote wrote. "Apple and the Publisher Defendants shared one overarching interest-that there be no price competition at the retail level. Apple did not want to compete with Amazon (or any other ebook retailer) on price; and the Publisher Defendants wanted to end Amazon's $9.99 pricing and increase significantly the prevailing price point for ebooks. With a full appreciation of each other's interests, Apple and the Publisher Defendants agreed to work together to eliminate retail price competition in the ebook market and raise the price of ebooks above $9.99."

Apps from Google and Apple could help third parties create profiles on children, says an FTC report that found a number of troubling practices.

"TASCAM's iM2 turns the iPhone, iPad or iPod touch into a high-quality stereo recorder. A pair of condenser microphones---the same high quality as TASCAM's best-selling DR-series recorders---plugs into the dock connector of your Apple device. The microphones are adjustable over 180 degrees for the best sound placement."

All told, 39,457 students and teachers will get Apple's iPad tablet with an annual cost of $266 per unit, including networking, and 24,128 will get Apple's MacBook Air with a cost of $319. Only 5,474 will use the HP ProBook 4440 laptop, equipped with Windows 7, which was the least-costly option for a laptop at $286.

"The $0 [Mavericks] price is linked to the trend towards vertical integration," says programmer and longtime OS X watcher John Siracusa. "A company that makes both the hardware and the software for a device can choose where to put its profit margins. Given the proven magic of 'free' in the minds of consumers, it's better to put all the profit in a single basket. Free hardware is difficult to pull off, so software gets the nod: buy our hardware, get our software for free."

""On both ends of the spectrum, this middle piece is taking away browsing from the iPhone and the tablet," Adobe Digital Index principal analyst Tamara Gaffney tells WIRED."

Smartphone usage continues to climb in the U.S. More than three out of five (61%) mobile subscribers in the U.S. owned a smartphone during the most recent three-month period (March-May 2013), up more than 10 percent since smartphones became the mobile majority in early 2012. When it comes operating system preference, Apple remained the top smartphone manufacturer in the U.S., while the majority of smartphone owners used Android OS handsets. Fifty-three percent of smartphone owners used the Android OS, and 40 percent owned iPhones.

A to Z conflicts thru recorded history. Browse fast, as the site will be coming down to revamp its interactivity. Becoming a non-Flash site in 2013. I wonder if it will show the Apple vs Adobe war over Flash and how Adobe lost.

"Still, I'll agree with CNET editor Molly Wood when she observed that, "They missed the price point that would have crushed the competition." As far as I'm concerned, Apple may have the edge when it comes to product lore and sheer ubiquity, but for those deliberately seeking an affordable, portable in-between device, we're looking at a much more level playing field for smaller-size slates -- and an open door for future Android and Windows 8 tablets."

What we saw today is what our classrooms will look like once iPads are far cheaper, once digital textbooks can be handed down as easily as physical ones, once teachers of every subject have several educational material options to choose among. For now though, it's important to remember that "new" and "different" always come at a premium. One that the vast majority of us can't afford.

A course driven by 20 practical questions about wireless, web, and the Internet, about how products from companies like Apple, Google, Facebook, Netflix, Amazon, Ericsson, HP, Skype and AT&T work.

The big takeaway here is pretty clear, in terms of the top two players: Android is on fire because of choice, availability and price point in emerging markets focused on shifting to smartphones from feature phones on limited budgets. That means it's even more crucial to watch what Apple debuts this fall in terms of a low-cost iPhone device, which is rumored to be based around the iPhone 5 and sport a plastic back that's cheaper to produce.

The gradual accumulation of services and data over the years has put Google in something of an untouchable position when it comes to online mapping, which is why when Apple tried to launch its own maps app for iOS devices last year it was so inaccurate and poorly received. "It was a complete disaster because the data they used was just not good enough - they just haven't spent the decades Google has spent just gathering geospatial data," says Brotton, who has worked alongside Google in the past.

"Today at its I/O event, Google announced Google Play for Education: A version of the Play store that is aimed and curated for young kids. Applications that are in the Play for Education store are sorted by age and genre. So, users can find math-based applications that are appropriate for their kindergartener, who wants to learn more math. However, what is most interesting about Play for Education is the ability for administrators to send out applications to their entire tablet fleet. So, if a school wants to send an app to their 200 Nexus 7 devices, they can do so, by simply inputting the group's name. The app will be pushed out by Google."

"The change between models is currently incremental, and there's little urgency to spend bug dollars on another contract and new handset without an urgent replacement need.  We have reached the point of "good enough" and the quality of the handsets is so high, it doesn't have to be replaced each year like a leased car.  In my book, that's a very good thing."

"We urge the US to take the lead and make reforms that ensure that government surveillance efforts are clearly restricted by law, proportionate to the risks, transparent and subject to independent oversight."

"Lack of price transparency makes it difficult for school districts to negotiate with vendors, Friedlander said. In the case of Apple's iPads, for instance, the Technology for Education Consortium said it had found that prices ranged from $367 to $499 for identical devices. "This is just wrong," Levy said. "This is taxpayer money. And these are school kids.""