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 …

Microsoft kept PC partners in dark about Surface  —  (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp kept its personal computer partners largely in the dark about its plans to launch a competing tablet computer, with some long-time collaborators learning of the new gadget only days before its unveiling, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

Samsung owed compensation from Apple after winning 3G patent ruling in The Hague  —  The Hague District Court has ruled in Samsung's favor regarding a 3G patent asserted against Apple.  As reported by AllAboutPhones, Samsung has already issued a press release ahead of the decision's publication:

Apple's iCloud and iMessage Services Experiencing Significant Outage  —  A number of MacRumors readers are reporting that iCloud services are currently down, and based on the number of reports it appears that the outage is quite widespread.  Apple's iCloud system status page …

Yahoo Says It's In Patent Settlement Talks With Facebook  —  Yahoo! Inc. (YHOO), owner of the largest U.S. Web portal, is in talks to resolve a patent-infringement dispute with Facebook Inc. (FB), according to a court filing.  —  Lawyers for Yahoo asked U.S. District Judge Jeffrey S. White …

Ex-Googlers Launch Avocado, An App For Couples Backed By Baseline, General Catalyst, And Lightspeed  —  There's a growing market for mobile apps designed to help couples stay closer.  The phenomenon first came to my attention with the launch of Pair at Y Combinator's most recent demo day.

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.

Apple, Google to face off in key smartphone hearing  —  (Reuters) - Apple Inc will try to salvage a high-profile lawsuit against Google Inc's Motorola Mobility unit on Wednesday at a crucial hearing in the smartphone patent wars between the two tech companies.

PayPal.com Gets a Makeover  —  No, it's not your imagination.  We are a little prettier now.  After months of hard work by our marketing, design and web development teams we're thrilled to announce that our website, PayPal.com, has been completely redesigned.

RIM's Job Cuts Under Way as Company Seeks $1B in Savings  —  Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM), the struggling maker of the BlackBerry smartphone, is cutting jobs as part of a broad cost-saving effort aimed at trimming $1 billion in operating expenses.  —  “RIM has committed to achieving …

Bitcasa's ‘infinite’ cloud storage wins $7M from Pelion, Horizons, others  —  Cloud storage startup Bitcasa has nabbed $7 million in its first round of funding to realize its vision of giving consumers “infinite storage” for all of their devices for $10 a month.

New Incubators Focus on Hardware  —  Arye Barnehama had an idea for a headband that could measure a person's level of focus.  So last year, he recruited people with the know-how to design software and arrange circuit boards to help build it.  —  “We had a really great foundation for the company,” he said.

Finnish government won't buy Nokia shares: PM  —  (Reuters) - Prime Minister Jyrki Katainen said the Finnish government will not consider purchasing Nokia shares, quashing hopes the government would help support the company's plunging stock.  —  “This is not our business.

Peter Thiel Launches Mithril: A New $402 Million Late-Stage Fund  —  Peter Thiel may be best known for his angel investments, most notably, his legendary call with Facebook.  But now he's got something for companies that sit just on the cusp between public and private markets.

TripAdvisor Aims To Beat Yelp With Social, Revives Restaurant “Local Picks” Facebook App  —  Tourists rave about a city's well-known restaurants and distort their review averages.  So today travel site TripAdvisor starts highlighting beloved eateries from people who live nearby in Local Picks, a Facebook app it's relaunching.

Swype's new “living keyboard” doesn't just predict, it learns  —  Swype, the text input interface now common on Android phones, just got a whole lot smarter.  New owner Nuance Communications is updating Swype with the same sophisticated contextual language technologies it uses in its speech recognition products.

Task automation tool IFTTT gets new look, moves into physical world with Belkin WeMo compatibility  —  IFTTT, the automation tool that hooks various web services together to help you accomplish tasks has a new logo, a new look and some nice improvements to the service.