Apple

Here's the last word, for now, on the punishment Apple will receive after losing its e-book price-fixing trial: It's not as bad as Apple first feared, but Apple still isn't happy. You can see the order from U.S. District Court Denise Cote embedded at the bottom of this post. If you've been following this story - my colleague John Paczkowski has been providing excellent coverage - then you'll know what to expect: A set of remedies that limit Apple's ability to control pricing of its e-books in general,

For centuries, biographers have relied on letters to bring historical figures to life, whether Gandhi or Catherine the Great. But as people switch from writing on paper to documenting their lives electronically, biographers are encountering new benefits - and new challenges.

Walter Isaacson's authorized biography of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is based on dozens of interviews. But one of the book's juiciest episodes comes from a string of emails from 2003. That's when Apple launched the iTunes music store. Right away, the company's rivals at Microsoft understood this could be a game changer.

By now, we've all gotten pretty used to not owning stuff-at least in the traditional, hold-it-in-your-hands sense. If you're anything like me, your DVD collection stopped growing a few years back once Netflix and Hulu bolstered their offerings. And that CD storage stand (hell, even your iTunes account) has probably gathered dust thanks to Spotify and Rdio. But books? Turns out, we're still content to pay $10 for a paperless novel that we're not even certain we'll like or finish.

Amazon may be trying to establish its own wireless network, in a move that would integrate the company more deeply into everyday use of the internet, according to a Bloomberg report citing unnamed sources. Amazon reportedly tested a wireless network in Cupertino, Calif., using spectrum belonging to Globalstar, a satellite communications company which is seeking approval from the Federal Communications Commission to convert 80 percent of its satellite spectrum to terrestrial use. That would theoretically allow companies like Amazon to bid on Globalstar's spectrum for Wi-Fi networks.

The United States offered to ease the terms of a proposed civil injunction against Apple Inc for conspiring to raise ebook prices, but the company said the revised proposal is still designed to "inflict punishment" and must be rejected. At issue is how to ensure that Apple does not violate antitrust law, following a July 10 ruling by U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan that it had conspired with five major publishers to undermine pricing by rivals including Amazon.com Inc, which dominates the market for electronic books.

In what has to be one of the stranger product announcements of recent times, Barnes & Noble Inc. (BKS) said on Monday morning that it is releasing a suite of video apps for its Nook and Nook Color tablets. In June the company said that it would stop manufacturing the tablets on its own, but that the devices would be co-branded with an unnamed third-party. B&N still has not attached a name to that manufacturer. Apparently the gimmick is that owners of devices

The federal judge who ruled that Apple Inc violated antitrust law by conspiring with five major publishers to raise prices of e-books has scheduled a May 2014 trial to determine damages, according to an order made public on Wednesday. Absent an earlier resolution, U.S. District Judge Denise Cote in Manhattan would be expected at the trial to consider whether Apple should pay damages that could reach hundreds of millions of dollars. Last month, Cote sided with the federal government and 33 U.S. states and territories in concluding that Apple conspired with the publishers to

While Apple (AAPL) and its iBookstore wait for the DOJ to finalize its punishment in the wake of an e-book price fixing conviction, Google (GOOG) is swooping in to take on the company in the growing e-textbook market. This fall, Google Play will be joining Amazon (AMZN), Barnes & Noble (BKS) and Apple - along with a bevy of smaller players - in offering college and high school students a digital alternative to those 10 pound paper textbooks.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is offering a new service that aims to make it easier for developers to send push notifications to Android and iOS applications.Amazon pitches Simple Notification Service with Mobile Push as an easier way for developers to add notifications than previously has been possible. Using one API, developers can send notifications to iOS and Android-based devices, including Amazon's own Kindle Fire tablets.

Manufacturers of e-readers are asking for an exception to the federal requirements that would force them to add features to make them accessible to the blind. Their argument rests on the distinction between an e-reader and a tablet. Any devices that lets people surf the Web or swap electronic messages has to be accessible to people with disabilities. Since e-readers mostly just let people read, they should be exempt, say Amazon (AMZN), Kobo (3815:JP), and Sony (6758:JP) in a letter sent to the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year.