Amazon Rumored To Be Working On A $99 7-Inch Kindle Fire HD  —  How low will Amazon's tablets go?  We're now hearing that a $99 Kindle Fire 7″ tablet is in production, and will be shipping this year.  At a price that low, the Kindle Fire would be able to more easily compete at the tail end …

Walmart adds iPhone scan-and-checkout feature to 12 more markets  —  (Reuters) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc said it is tripling the number of U.S. stores in a pilot program that lets shoppers scan items with their iPhones and pay at self-checkout counters.  —  Walmart's “Scan & Go” …

Pinterest Acquires Livestar, The Mobile Recommendation Startup Founded By Fritz Lanman  —  Pinterest said today it's acquired Livestar, the mobile recommendations app founded by noted Microsoft alum (and Square and Pinterest investor) Fritz Lanman.  —  Pinterest tells TechCrunch …

Why did Apple hire Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch?  —  Just hours after word leaked that Apple had poached Adobe's chief technology officer, the Internet is ablaze with the question of what, exactly, the iPhone maker plans to do with Kevin Lynch.  —  Source: Adobe  —  No Flash in the pan

Microsoft pokes at Samsung Galaxy S3 in high-profile Windows Phone ad  —  Microsoft is getting more aggressive in its attempt to drum up attention for Windows Phone.  —  The company announced today that it's planning to air the “Windows Phone Challenge” ad above starting this week during …

South Korea network attack ‘a computer virus’  —  Staff at broadcaster YTN were faced with error messages on computer screens  —  Disruption that paralysed the computer networks of broadcasters and banks in South Korea appears to have been caused by a virus, an official close to the investigation has told the BBC.

Disconnect: why Andy Rubin and Android called it quits  —  Rubin created Google's mobile operating system and outgunned the iPhone.  So why is he moving on after almost a decade at the helm?

After getting booted from the Google Play store, Adblock Plus releases new Android app with automatic updates  —  Google recently started removing several ad-blocking applications from its mobile app marketplace, Google Play, claiming that they violate part (section 4.4) of its Developer Distribution Agreement.

Starbucks's Shoddy Square Rollout Baffles Baristas, Confuses Customers  —  The Starbucks clerk was at a loss.  I had just ordered a mocha Frappuccino and asked to pay with Square, a service that allows customers to purchase goods at the coffeehouse chain via their smartphone.  “What?

Oracle's Q3 falls short, revenue misses mark; Hardware systems tank again  —  Summary: Oracle's fiscal third quarter misses on many fronts as revenue comes in way short of expectations.  Hardware systems sales continue to fall.  —  Oracle's third quarter earnings had a big buildup …

Xbox ‘Durango’ leak claims console is ‘always connected,’ games must be installed to hard disk  —  Last month we heard rumors of an anti-used game system for Microsoft's next-generation ‘Durango’ Xbox console, but an additional leak this week appears to reinforce those claims.

Klout launches business portal, is gunning for brands  —  The social scoring startup is making a play for business users with new enterprise features that begin rolling out today.  —  FORTUNE — Klout, the analytics startup that aims to measure users' influence across their social networks, is going after businesses.

DRM Software Development Company Intertrust Files Lawsuit Against Apple for Patent Infringement  —  The Wall Street Journal reports that patent holding company Intertrust Technologies Corp. has filed suit against Apple, accusing the Cupertino-based company of infringing on 15 …

Yahoo acquires personalized recommendation startup Jybe, started by five former Yahoo employees  —  Yahoo on Wednesday announced it has acquired personalized recommendation company Jybe, which aimed to help people find new interests based on what's trending in their social circles.

Amazon launches “Send to Kindle” button for web publishers and WordPress blogs  —  Amazon is now allowing publishers to add “Send to Kindle” buttons to their websites and WordPress blogs, the company announced on the Kindle blog Tuesday.  It can be integrated into WordPress blogs as well.

Google's NCAA bracket demonstrates how far it has strayed from its original promise  —  Once upon a time, Google was the best search engine in the land.  It cut through all the other Web portal noise to just give you plain results.  Along the way, Google realized that there are actually nice benefits …

H-P Board Faces Critical Vote  —  Autonomy Founder Calls for Evidence of Allegations Made Against U.K. Software Firm's Former Management  —  Hewlett-Packard Co. may see an unusual amount of fireworks at its annual shareholder meeting on Wednesday, with several board members facing opposition to their re-election.

Inside Oculus: a tour of virtual reality's would-be savior  —  A small California-based team is burning the midnight oil to put goggles on your head  —  On the fourth floor of a fourteen-story California skyscraper, a stone's throw from UC Irvine, a tiny startup named Oculus is trying to bring the idea of virtual reality back to life.

Samsung lock screen flaw found; company working on fix  —  The flaw requires several steps to work, but would let someone run and interact with any app or widget, and access the settings menu.  —  A security researcher has revealed a method for accessing applications running on a locked Samsung handset.