Upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for $39.99  —  We set out to make it as easy as possible for everyone to upgrade to Windows 8.  Starting at general availability, if your PC is running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or Windows 7 you will qualify to download an upgrade to Windows 8 Pro for just $39.99 in 131 markets.

Twitter Transparency Report  —  Wednesday marks Independence Day here in the United States.  Beyond the fireworks and barbecue, July 4th serves as an important reminder of the need to hold governments accountable, especially on behalf of those who may not have a chance to do so themselves.

Exclusive: Amazon buys 3D mapping startup UpNext  —  It looks like Amazon is building up its presence in the mapping business.  The tech giant today closed a deal to acquire 3D mapping startup UpNext, GigaOM has learned.  —  For Amazon, which doesn't have a mapping service of its own …

Judge rejects Samsung's request to allow U.S. tablet sales  —  (Reuters) - A U.S. judge rejected on Monday Samsung Electronics Co. request to lift an injunction against U.S. sales of its Galaxy Tab 10.1, a tablet computer than runs on Google Inc's Android and competes with Apple Inc.'s iPad.

Google's Nexus 7 tablet infringes Nokia patents  —  THE GOOGLE NEXUS 7 is already in hot water, as Nokia claims that the tablet infringes some of its patents.  —  Announced last week, the Asus built Nexus 7 is Google's first own-brand tablet and boasts Android 4.1 Jelly Bean …

Google sees advantage in making new gadget in USA  —  (Reuters) - When Google Inc decided to build its Nexus Q home entertainment device in Silicon Valley rather than in China, it was not fretting about the bottom line.  It was fretting about speed.  —  “We wanted to innovate fast.

For Twitter-Owned Apps and Sites, a Cacophony of Confusion  —  At top, the Twitter Web site, which includes the company's premium Discover tab.  At bottom, the Twitter Web site as viewed on the Apple iPad, which highlights direct messages instead.  —  Did Twitter just cut off its entire face to spite its nose?

Facebook clarifies email address confusion, contact sync is a bug that will be fixed  —  We just got off the phone with Andrew Bosworth, Facebook's Director of Engineering, who sought to clear up some of the confusion recently about the company's decision to hide all email addresses besides …

QR Code Fatigue  —  When 29-year-old manufacturing worker Michael Hellesen sees a Quick Response code around his hometown of Racine, Wis., he sometimes scans it using an application he downloaded to his Google (GOOG) Android smartphone.  More often than not, it takes Hellesen to a brand's website.

Microsoft Writing Off Nearly All of the $6.3 Billion It Paid for aQuantive  —  Microsoft said on Monday that it is taking a $6.2 billion non-cash charge to account for its disappointing 2007 acquisition of Internet advertising firm aQuantive.  —  That's a huge charge …

To fight piracy, Microsoft tightens MSDN and TechNet terms again  —  Summary: Microsoft is about to crack down on software pirates who exploit its generous MSDN and TechNet programs.  If you're a current subscriber, you may get caught in the crossfire.  —  Ed Bott  —  Follow @edbott

Apple Loses Bid for Emergency Ban on HTC Phone Imports  —  HTC Corp. (2498) can continue to bring its newest smartphones into the U.S. while a trade agency investigates whether the phones violate an order that the Taiwanese company stop infringing an Apple Inc. (AAPL) (AAPL) patent.

Getting blank pages when searching Google with Chrome?  Here's how to fix it.  —  Updated with work-around solution below.  —  One of the best things about Google's Chrome Web browser is that it allows you to search by typing keywords into the URL bar however, right now …

Adobe: Web standards match 80 percent of Flash features  —  SAN FRANCISCO—Adobe Systems, retooling as fast as it can for a future of Web publishing and Web apps, sees the technology as mostly caught up to the Flash technology that Adobe previously preferred.

Apple Tweaks Genius Bar To Increase Capacity  —  In reaction to an ever-increasing number of visitors to its Genius Bars and limited space to seat them, Apple is testing out a new configuration that increases Genius Bar capacity, and emphasizes the use of iPads to manage service records.

LivingSocial Experiments With the Future of Daily Deals Industry  —  LivingSocial took the daily deals business offline four months ago when it opened the doors to a state-of-the art building in Washington, D.C., called 918 F Street.  —  In that short time, the venue has hosted 50 events …

New York Judge Overrules Twitter: Tweets Broadcast to the Public ‘Belong to the Public’  —  Things are not looking very good for Malcolm Harris, the Occupy Wall Street protestor who was arrested for disorderly conduct for taking place in the 2011 protest march across the Brooklyn Bridge.

GM Talks to Facebook About Returning as a Paid Advertiser  —  After a High-Profile Split, Facebook Is Trying to Prove That Its Ads Do Work  —  General Motors Co. and Facebook Inc. are in talks to bring the auto maker back as a paid advertiser, two months after a high-profile falling out, people close to both companies said.

iCloud Beta Previews Web Versions of Notes and Reminders  —  Leaks first appeared in May that Apple was planning to add web versions of the Reminders and Notes iOS apps to iCloud.com for access from desktop Macs and PCs.  —  The iCloud Beta portal has since been activated for developers enrolled the iOS 6 beta at beta.icloud.com.

Cisco's cloud vision: Mandatory, monetized, and killed at their discretion  —  Last week, a number of Cisco customers began reporting problems with three specific Linksys-branded routers.  When owners of the E2700, E3500, or E4500 attempted to log in to their devices, they were asked …

Samsung Galaxy S III Arrives at AT&T stores July 6  —  Great news, the wait is finally over!  I'm excited to share with you that the Samsung Galaxy S III will arrive in AT&T stores on July 6th.  —  Thousands of customers, who just couldn't wait, have already preordered it and have the device in hand.

Microsoft Lawsuit Names Two Responsible for Zeus Botnet Attacks  —  Microsoft has identified two members of the Zeus botnet crime ring that the software giant targeted with a lawsuit three months ago.  There's only one problem: They are already in jail.  —  Microsoft's counted two minor successes …

Huffington Post puts polling power in the hands of developers with new API  —  Developers and election watchers take note: The Huffington Post just released a polling data API.  The Huffpost Pollster API will allow anyone to dig into more than 13,000 opinion polls on the presidential election as well as U.S. House and Senate races.

Kodak patent auction approved over Apple complaint  —  NEW YORK — Beleaguered photography pioneer Kodak said a US bankruptcy court has approved its bid to auction off more than 1,100 patents despite objections by Apple and FlashPoint over a small number of them.

Facebook adds new timeline icons for married same-sex couples  —  Facebook has rolled out a new feature providing additional recognition for its users who are married to a person of the same sex.  Now these users who have indicated on their Facebook timeline that they are married will be recognized …