Windows Phone 8 in detail: new Start Screen, multi-core support, VoIP integration, and NFC  —  Microsoft is lifting the curtain to provide a preview of some of the software and hardware changes for its Windows Phone 8 operating system today.  NFC, dual- and quad-core support are all set …

Surface: Between a Rock and a Hardware Place  —  Watching the Microsoft Surface event video, I sensed uneasiness.  Not panic, but discomfort.  Some will argue that I'm simply spoiled by Apple's on-stage polish, but Monday's Microsoft event struck me as rushed and severely under-rehearsed.

Confirmed: The New iPhone Will Have A 19-Pin “Mini” Connector  —  Although the form factor and actual size are still unknown, TechCrunch has independently verified that Apple is working on adding a 19-pin port, replacing the current 30-pin port, to the new iPhone.

Microsoft sends takedown notice to sites hosting Xbox 720 doc, including Dropbox  —  A massive 56-page document on Microsoft's “Xbox 720” plans surfaced on the internet over the weekend, revealing some potential ideas around Kinect Glasses and more.  The document itself was hosted on Scribd …

Motorola Mobility to Microsoft: We Demand a Royalty Recount  —  Here's a big surprise: Google and Microsoft beg to differ.  —  For months now, the software giant has been saying that Google's Motorola Mobility unit has refused to license standards-essential patents on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory terms.

Bringing Like to Mobile  —  People share content on the web every day using the Like button.  While this has been a key part of how people share, mobile apps have not been able to integrate the functionality.  Now they can.  —  The new Open Graph built-in like action makes it easier for people to share content from your app.

Larry Ellison buys most of Hawaiian island of Lanai  —  Oracle CEO Larry Ellison has bought himself quite a view on Lanai — as well as most of the island.  —  (Credit: Hawaii Tourism Authority)  —  Larry Ellison has closed a deal to buy most the Hawaiian island of Lanai for an undisclosed sum.

Customer Feedback Improvements in the Chrome Web Store  —  As Chrome Web Store apps and extensions have become more popular, users have been generating a large amount of reviews and feedback for developers.  Until now, there was no way to separate a user's review of an app's features and quality …

Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M5 Ultrabooks with Kepler graphics coming to the US for $680-plus  —  We spotted Acer's new Aspire Timeline Ultra M5 laptops at Computex earlier this month, and though we already knew some key specs (NVIDIA's Kepler-based graphics, for example), these Ultrabooks hadn't yet been announced for the US market.

A First Exit For One of Thiel's 20 Under 20: GigLocator Sells To Brooklyn Bowl's Peter Shapiro  —  That didn't take long.  Just a week after Peter Thiel's foundation announced its second class of fellows, its first one just had its first exit.  —  James Proud, who hails from South London …

MacBook Pro 15″ with Retina Display Can Run 3 External Displays  —  Including the built-in Retina display, the new 2012 MacBook Pro 15″ can run four displays at their native resolution.  — Retina on laptop @ “best for Retina”  — iMac used as a display @ 2560 x 1440 via Thunderbolt

Apple Wins Surprising Anti-Big Brother Surveillance Patent  —  One of the most surprising patents ever to be granted to Apple has been made public today by the US Patent and Trademark Office.  It is one of the most interesting patents that I have ever read.

Hon Hai: Apple's iPhone 5 to put Samsung's Galaxy III to Shame  —  Hon Hai Precision Industry Co, trading as Foxconn, is the manufacturer behind Apple's iPhone and iPad in addition to manufacturing the Xbox for Microsoft and the Playstation for Sony.  On Monday, Hon Hai's chairman Terry Gou …