Yahoo Warns Facebook of a Potential Patent Fight  —  As Yahoo struggles to keep up with younger competitors, the Web portal company is weighing a new tactic: threatening legal action over its patent holdings.  —  Yahoo is seeking to force Facebook into licensing 10 to 20 patents over technologies …

Goodbye Erick, Hello Eric  —  TechCrunch has been through a lot lately, and we need to focus on what truly matters: covering startups and innovation.  So, this post is going to be short.  —  But here is what's going on: Erick Schonfeld is leaving and Eric Eldon is replacing him as editor.

Google building ‘firewall’ between Android and Motorola after acquisition  —  Google's Andy Rubin led the charge to acquire Motorola, but the Android boss won't have anything to do with the company once the deal closes — he told reporters at Mobile World Congress today that he “sponsored” …

The Mounting Minuses at Google+  —  Playing Catchup to Facebook, Google's Social Network Is a Virtual Ghost Town by Comparison  —  To hear Google Inc. Chief Executive Larry Page tell it, Google+ has become a robust competitor in the social networking space, with 90 million users registering since its June launch.

Whole Foods prototype puts Kinect on shopping cart, follows people around store  —  The quest for a high-tech “shopping cart of the future” is nothing new, but Whole Foods is planning to test a new spin on the concept, using Microsoft's Kinect sensor for Windows.

Samsung Galaxy S III full specs: 1.5GHz quad-core, 1080p display, ceramic case  —  We reported some exclusive details surrounding Samsung's upcoming flagship Galaxy S III smartphone this past weekend, and now we have received some more information that helps us paint a more complete picture.

Mozilla in Mobile - the Web is the Platform  —  This week we are in Barcelona at Mobile World Congress 2012, the mobile industry's largest trade show.  Our goal is to meet with industry operators, vendors and developers to further the cause of promoting an open, people-centric Web for consumers …

On Google & Being “Evil”  —  “I don't think they were ever not evil,” I'm quoted as saying about Google in a New York Times column yesterday.  True enough, I said that.  But I wanted to provide some further context about my comments as well as the truly disastrous two months Google has had on the public relations front.

AT&T Plan Would Let App Makers Pay for Subscribers' Data Use  —  BARCELONA—AT&T Inc. is preparing a service that would let content providers and developers of mobile applications pay the wireless carrier for the mobile data its customers use, the carrier's network and technology head John Donovan said in an interview Monday.

Helping Improve the Mobile Web  —  To help developers reach more people, we're committed to providing distribution across all platforms.  The Open Graph, combined with News Feed and Timeline, helps people discover new apps through friends, regardless of the technology stack used.

How Apple snookered Proview to get the iPad trademark  —  Fresh details of the subterfuge emerge in a U.S. lawsuit.  Apple doesn't deny any of it.  —  Steve Jobs unveils the iPad.  Image: Apple Inc.  —  Here's how Apple (AAPL) allegedly got Proview International Holdings to sell …

Sequoia, Kleiner Perkins, And Obvious Put $4.5M In Sleek Social, Mobile Gifting Platform Karma  —  Karma, a new social, mobile gifting service from the founder of TapJoy, has raised funding from Kleiner Perkins, Sequoia Capital, The Obvious Corporation, Stephen Gillett, Felicis Ventures and other angel investors.

Dell says it's ‘no longer a PC company,’ focusing on enterprise  —  Dell looks like it's going to be shifting its focus to enterprise and away from consumer PCs.  Brad Anderson, president of Dell's enterprise group, said today that “we're no longer a PC company, we're an IT company,” according to PC Pro.

Apple Developer IDs Bring Us One Brick Closer to an OS X Walled Garden  —  Apple sent out notice to its developers today of a new initiative called Developer ID, which will combat malware on OS X alongside the new-to-Mountain-Lion Gatekeeper.  It's to keep us, the users, safe.

Sprint commits to buying $15.5B worth of iPhones from Apple, that's almost 24M units  —  Earlier this morning, mobile phone carrier Sprint released its 10-K filing with the SEC for the fiscal year ending in December.  In the filing, it revealed that it had made a commitment with Apple …

In Attack on Vatican Web Site, a Glimpse of Hackers' Tactics  —  SAN FRANCISCO — The elusive hacker movement known as Anonymous has carried out Internet attacks on well-known organizations like Sony and PBS.  In August, the group went after its most prominent target yet: the Vatican.

Facebook IPO May Be Worth $2.45 Billion to the State of California  —  You know who is happy about Facebook's IPO, aside from its investors and fanboys?  The state of California.  The Golden State has been plagued by bad news about its budget, but a new estimate from the state …

Wal-Mart to Help Hollywood With UltraViolet Consumer Video-Storing Service  —  The movie industry is recruiting Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to help attract users to its struggling online video-library service, Hollywood's latest step to combat the challenges of digital piracy and a fading DVD market.

Social Email Contact Manager Xobni Raises $10 Million From ‘Commercial’ Partner  —  Social email startup Xobni, the social email plugin that makes your inbox smarter, has raised $10 million in new funding, according to an SEC filing.  We confirmed the new round with the company.

LinkedIn Follow Button: Companies, Look Who's Following You Now  —  Today, we're excited to announce the launch of LinkedIn's Follow Company button.  Starting today, companies will be adding this button to their websites, making it easier for any consumer on the web to begin following companies of interest, on LinkedIn.

EPIC Isn't Taking “No” For An Answer, Files Emergency Appeal In Google Privacy Case  —  The Electronic Privacy Information Center, also known as EPIC, isn't backing down from its desire to have Google's privacy policy changes investigated by the Federal Trade Commission.