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Will SXSW Reveal the Next Technology Trend?

SXSW opened up big doors for Twitter, but do all businesses that get accolades at the festival go on to greatness? We look back at past award winners to see how they fared.

Apple TV Comes a Step Closer to Home Entertainment Reality

Apple is testing smart TV designs with major Asian component suppliers, The Wall Street Journal reports. And executives at some suppliers for the world's most valuable tech company are confirming that designs for a large-screen high-def television are in the works.

How Patent Madness Is Killing Innovation and Costing Us Billions

Big creative companies like Apple are taking out patents on everything they can think of -- lest they develop an idea only to discover someone else claimed it first. That may sound sensible on the surface -- but the rules of the patent game are actually doing more harm than good.

The 6 Best Apps for the 2012 Olympics

There are nearly 150 Apple apps relating to the Olympics, many involving a social media component to engage fans, and all aimed at enhancing your spectator experience. Which are the best? TheStreet recommends these six.

Is the Kindle Fire Flaming Out?

Amazon sold just 750,000 Kindle Fire tablets during the first three months of 2012, well off its fourth quarter mark. Apple sold 11.8 million iPads. And the future looks even more grim for the Fire.

7 Reasons Best Buy Won't Be Around in 7 Years

The hunt is on for Best Buy's next CEO, but it won't be an easy post to fill: The hard truth is that the concept of the consumer electronics superstore is becoming less relevant with each passing year.

5 Money-Smart Apps for Business Travelers

Business travelers are still taking to the air despite the uncertain economy, but they're being a lot more careful about their spending. Here's a look at five apps that can help you make the most of your business travel budget.

The Rich Get Richer in Social Gaming: Zynga Buys OMGPOP

If you haven't started playing mobile gaming app Draw Something yet, you've probably seen it. The Pictionary clone has gone massively viral worldwide, which made its owner, OMGPOP, a minor thorn in the side of social gaming leader Zynga.

3 Ways the Video Game Business Could Bounce Back

Folks aren't buying video games the way they used to -- and that's a problem for the industry. But if the big players are willing to consider some outrageous strategies, they can buy themselves some bonus lives.

BlackBerry Loses to Apple Again

You know things are going from bad to worse for BlackBerry farmer Research In Motion when some of the stodgiest companies on the planet start trading in their BlackBerry smartphones for shiny new iPhones. The most recent defector from RIM: Halliburton, the fuddy-duddy oil-field services giant that critics associate with the Deepwater Horizon oil spill disaster, Dick Cheney, and no-bid contracts in Iraq.

Would You Pay $1,499 for an Apple Television?

A Best Buy online survey is asking participants how they would feel about a 42-inch HDTV from Apple. The specs it describes are impressive. But at $1,499, Apple's plan to revolutionize the way we watch TV could be priced out of the market.

Are Apple Stores' Slow-Growth Blues Really That Blue?

While Apple%u2019s products and digital media stores continue to thrive, its once-ascendant retail operation is losing some luster. But if stagnant retail growth in Apple Stores is worrisome, it's not time yet to hit the panic button.

10 Billion Reasons to Like Android

It's not paranoia -- you really are surrounded by Androids. Google's mobile OS is now running on 200 million activated gadgets, matching the number running Apple's iOS. And recently, the 10 billionth Android app was downloaded.

Nokia Smartphones Finally Attracting Some App Love

Nokia smartphone users starving for app extras may finally get some new toys for their handsets. App developers who previously stuck to iOS and Android are probably going to branch out, thanks to Nokia's Windows 7 deal.

Surprise! 'Acne Cure' Phone Apps Don't Work

"When it comes to curing acne, there's no app for that," said Federal Trade Commission Chairman, Jon Leibowitz, in response to a settlement reached on Wednesday between the FTC and three men charged with misleading claims that their smartphone apps could get rid of pimples.

Why Nintendo Will Never Be Great Again

Once upon a time, Nintendo was king of the video game consoles, but that day is long gone. Shares of Nintendo hit a five-year low this summer, wiping away any gains from the Wii era, and it took a steep operating loss to boot last quarter. Here's why there are no bonus lives in its future.

Will a $9 iPhone 3 Undercut Sales of Apple's iPhone 5?

AT&T is now offering a $9 iPhone. Granted, that's for a refurbished iPhone 3 G3S-8G. But those have most features people want in an iPhone, and the upcoming iPhone 5 doesn't offer the one thing that could differentiate it from its predecessors: 4G compatibility.

Why Apple's Stock Value Is Underpriced

Apple has been on fire, posting its best quarter ever with unabated iPhone growth and the iPad holding off all tablet challengers. Apple's stock, however, is cool, trailing the broader market and trading at historically cheap levels. But is that a danger sign, or an opportunity?

BlackBerry PlayBook Not Ready for Prime Time?

The BlackBerry PlayBook tablet computer debuts Tuesday, and for the many folks in the corporate world already armed with BlackBerry phones, the addition of a PlayBook may make sense. But there are a host of reasons why the average consumer may find the device not quite ready for the spotlight.

iPhone vs. Android: Google May Be Winning the War in China

Deutsche Bank's insightful technology analyst Jonathan Goldberg says Android has already pulled away from the pack in China. And not just in smartphones and tablets: Android is finding its way into all sorts of platforms, from laptops to set-top boxes to ATMs.

Amazon to Launch Android App Store

Amazon.com is reportedly planning to start its own Android app store, putting it into direct competition with Google to sell applications for the mobile operating system. The move would also help Amazon flank the Apple Apps Store which distributes software for the iPhone and iPad.

Hearst CEO: Print Newspapers Will Survive

The rest of the industry may be envisioning an all-digital future, by Frank Bennack Jr., vice chairman and CEO of Hearst Corp. is sanguine about the prospects for dead-tree newspapers. "They'll be around as ink and paper for as long as the eye can see," Bennack said Monday.