Could U.S. Consumers Pay for China’s Opposition to Microsoft?

In the midst of what can be described as political posturing between the U.S. and China, Microsoft (MSFT) has become the Chinese government's most recent target. Extremely complex and prohibitive national laws regarding appropriate business practices, Internet security, and censorship have made it challenging -- if not nearly impossible -- for U.S.-based companies to conduct business there.

If China eventually forces out foreign technology companies, whether through official legislation or pressure and interference tactics, American consumers could ultimately pay the price. Lost revenue, and the expenses incurred in moving operations to neighboring countries, may trickle down to end users in the form of more expensive software and hardware.

Why Teens Will Decide the Fate of Facebook

Why are Facebook's younger users leaving the site?

Recent research has illustrated that there's been an ongoing exodus of teens away from social medial giant Facebook (NASDAQ: FB). As the number of younger users continues to decline, the relevant questions are, where are these users going, and why?

Has Facebook become uncool?

It's a sad fact that a significant number of teenagers perceive many of the things used by their parents and grandparents as "uncool." This also applies to social media giant Facebook. The company has spent many years and countless dollars evolving the social media site to have characteristics and features suitable for, and desired by, all age groups.

However, Facebook's success in creating an outlet that even grandparents can navigate may have acutally served to undermine the company's future. It seems as if teens don't really want an online venue they can share with their parents, even if there isn't anything fundamentally wrong with the service.

Touchless Tech: When Sci-Fi Becomes Reality

Source: hyena reality at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Two of the tech industry's big dogs are on the cutting edge and have developed amazing new devices that push the boundaries of what's currently possible. Google (GOOGL) and Microsoft (MSFT) have successfully created "touchless tech" -- devices that allow users to interact with each other, their computers, other wireless devices, and the Internet -- all without lifting a finger.

IBM: Dark Horse of the Tech Sector

If asked to name some of the biggest, most powerful, and influential tech companies, most people would likely respond with a handful of names like Apple, Google, and Microsoft, maybe even Samsung. This is because ads for these companies’ products are constantly thrown in front of consumers. 

What's interesting is that one of the oldest and most steadfast tech companies has drifted out of sight for today's common consumer. However, since 1924, International Business Machines (IBM) has been an iconic innovator in the tech sector, and has recently taken steps that could rocket the company back to the forefront, bringing with it a host of opportunities for significant growth and profit. Its partnership with NVIDIA (NVDA) will allow IBM to accomplish those goals.

The PC May Be Dying, But Microsoft Isn't

It's no secret that the traditional desktop PC is quickly becoming a thing of the past. Society continues to evolve into a non-stop, fast-paced existence and more consumers opt for lightweight mobile computing devices. Microsoft (MSFT), the former king of the computer industry, struggled for a while to cope with this reality and has recently taken steps to boost revenue and breathe life back into the company.

Use Facebook to Watch YouTube Videos on Roku

Like countless other Roku owners, the lack of a native YouTube channel is irritating, to say the least. Don't worry, I'm not going to jump on the bandwagon and whine about how frustrating it is, or rant about why I think things should be different. Instead, I'm going to tell you how you can use Facebook to watch YouTube videos on your Roku.

I Didn't Know Bill Gates Was Psychic

It's been a long time since I actually found myself laughing out loud while reading the news, but that's exactly what happened (more than once) when I stumbled across an article in The Guardian yesterday.

The article was entitled "Bill Gates Predicts iPad And Android Users Will Switch To PC Tablets" and went on to describe how Gates believes that the future of mobile computing will be shaped by Microsoft Corporation (MSFT). According to the article, Gates predicts that future mobile electronic device sales will predominantly consist of PC-tablet hybrids, namely his company's Surface and Surface Pro.

In the midst of a few more chuckles, some eye rolling, and never-ending head shaking, I managed to finish the article. Does Gates really believe that his company's Windows 8 tablets will suddenly take off in popularity and surpass the public's current preference for Androids and iPads? Gates described Windows 8 as "revolutionary" because it's Microsoft's attempt at furthering the evolution of computing by combining the more desirable features of tablets and smartphones with those of the traditional PC.

While that surely sounds like an intelligent concept, however vague it might be, the fact still stands that from a sales perspective, Windows-powered phones and tablets just aren't as popular or versatile as Google's Android devices or Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iDevices.