Google Announces First Quarter 2012 Results and Proposal for New Class of Stock  —  Proposal Would Effectively Implement 2-for-1 Stock Split While Preserving Long-Term Governance Structure  —  Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) today announced financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2012.

Microsoft roadmap leaks for Office 15, IE 10 and more key products  —  Summary: Screen shots of a Microsoft product roadmap for partners have leaked to the Web.  Here are the key take-aways.  —  Microsoft has provided some of its partners with a roadmap for next versions of many of its key products …

DOJ is likely to lose e-book antitrust suit targeting Apple  —  Attorney General Eric Holder yesterday said the lawsuit against Apple was necessary to protect Americans from “anticompetitive harm.”  What he didn't say is that it's likely to fail.  —  (Credit: CBS News)

Nest officially answers patent lawsuit: ‘Honeywell is worse than a troll’  —  Upstart smart thermostat maker Nest has received almost-universally glowing praise for its Learning Thermostat since it launched last year — and it also received a major patent complaint from Honeywell …

The Instagram Deal: A Mark Zuckerberg Production  —  Mark Zuckerberg, the 27-year-old chief executive and co-founder of Facebook, does not usually play the role of deal maker.  —  But the social network's $1 billion purchase of Instagram, the popular photo-sharing service, was a Mark Zuckerberg production.

If Google's Really Proud Of Google+, It Should Share Some Real User Figures  —  Google+ now has 170 million users.  Well, 170 million who have “upgraded” to Google+, whatever that means.  It's the latest in crazy numbers from Google.  The people who actually do use Google+ as a social network deserve better than this PR spin.

Expanding the Cloud - Introducing Amazon CloudSearch  —  Today Amazon Web Services is introducing Amazon CloudSearch, a new web service that brings the power of the Amazon.com's search technology to every developer.  Amazon CloudSearch provides a fully-featured search engine that is easy to manage and scale.

First Intel Ivy Bridge launch expected on April 23  —  The first wave of Ivy Bridge systems from PC vendors should include quad-core mobile laptops like the HP Envy 15.  —  (Credit: Hewlett-Packard)  —  The first of a series of Ivy Bridge chip announcements is expected on April 23, CNET has learned.

Sony SmartWatch launches, delivers ‘Android power’ to wrist  —  Sony's SmartWatch works with Android smartphones.  —  (Credit: Sony)  —  Have you ever wanted a watch that can communicate with your Android phone?  Sony sure hopes so.  —  Sony today launched its SmartWatch …

How Samsung beat Nokia … via Nokia lowers Devices & Services first quarter 2012 outlook and provides second quarter 2012 outlook » Nokia - Press.  —  We don't have the total number of Samsung shipments, however estimates exist.  They range between 41 and 44 million smartphones and 44 and 47 million feature phones.

Apple Reveals New Whiz-Bang No-Code Content Authoring Tool  —  On April 12, 2012, the US Patent & Trademark Office published a patent application from Apple that reveals a new electronic content authoring tool in the works that's configured to optimize authored content for one or more intended devices.

Apple Releases Java Update to Remove Flashback Malware  —  Apple just released Java for OS X 2012-003, an update to the Java implementation in OS X. The update removes “the most common variants of the Flashback malware.”  It also closes the hole that allowed the infection in the first place.

B&N Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight coming early May for $139 (hands-on pictures and video)  —  It was almost a complete surprise, barring some leaked early promotional material yesterday.  Today, Barnes & Noble has officially announced the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight …

Kindle Touch 5.1.0 update adds international language support, landscape mode, and more  —  The Kindle Touch will be available for purchase in several European countries starting April 27th, and Amazon has rolled out a software update in support of the expansion that includes some notable features in its own right.

A Boeing phone: Aerospace giant making Android device  —  Boeing is jumping into the smartphone business, developing a new mobile device - but we probably won't be buying this one at our local wireless store.  —  The company is working on a secure communications device for the U.S. government defense …

Tracking everything, Placeme is the smartphone assistant of the future  —  Placeme for iOS and Android may be both the scariest and amazingly futuristic smartphone app I've seen yet.  The free software uses every sensor in your handset to track your activities, location and environment.

New Livestream Broadcaster Will Let You Stream From Almost Any Camera  —  Livestream, the premium live video streaming service, is announcing an interesting new product today: a $495 hardware encoder that can be connected to virtually any camera and that can stream HD video directly …

US Govt. Objects To Megaupload Hiring Top Law Firm  —  Following the raids on Megaupload in January, tens of millions of dollars in assets and funds belonging to the company were seized.  —  Initially a law firm called Sidley Austin LLP had been negotiating on Megaupload's behalf for the return …

Hotfile's Most Downloaded Files Are Open Source Software  —  Last year the MPAA started a lawsuit against Hotfile, one of the Internet's most popular cyberlocker services.  —  The movie studios claim the file-hoster is promoting “massive digital theft” and want it to be shut down, an accusation Hotfile fiercely rejects.

Tumblr Tests New Tools for Users and Brands  —  Can the Company Be a Business Without Traditional Advertising?  Founder David Karp Explains  —  This may be Instagram's week, but it has been Tumblr's year.  On Wednesday, the social platform announced a partnership with Spotify.

Microsoft Will Soon Start Charging $40/Month And Up For Its Bing Search API  —  Ever since Microsoft launched the Bing API a few years ago, this service was available for free to developers who wanted to use data from the company's search engine in their own products.

Intel wants to standardize ultrabook battery cell design  —  One of the obstacles to building affordable thin and light computers is the fact that most laptop batteries are big and bulky.  While there are compact batteries for tablets and some ultraportable notebooks such as the MacBook Air …