Microsoft buys Blake Krikorian's id8 Group R2 Studios, developer of Android-based home automation and appoints Krikorian as corporate VP for its Interactive Entertainment Business (IEB).

Blake joins the Xbox team as a proven innovator (Slingox), having created simple, elegant products that have transformed the way people engage with and consume content.

This news probably disappoints Apple and Google who were also in talks about bidding on the company.

R2 Studios develops home-media and automation technology, is secretive about its plans—which would seem to fit well within Microsoft. But it’s no secret R2 Studios released an app that turns Android phones into touch panels for controlling heating and lighting systems wirelessly. R2 Studios also holds some patents related to controlling electronic devices and interfaces that Microsoft also acquired.

The annual Intel keynote at CES 2013 is all about the 4th generation of Core processors-- the first designed specifically for thin and light laptops of the Ultrabook variety.

According to Intel the 4th generation Intel Core family "enables true all-day battery life" reaching up to 9 hours of continuous use with operation as low as 10W.

"The 4th generation Core processors are the first Intel chips built from the ground up with the Ultrabook in mind," Intel PC Client Group VP Kirk Skaugen says.

According to a leaked internal email from CEO Yang Yanqing, Lenovo will split into separate consumer and enterprise units from April 2013-- the Lenovo Business Group (LBG) and Think Business Group (TBG).

Senior VP (mobile digital home) Liu Jun will lead LBG, which will focus the mainstream with consumer and business PCs and tablets, smartphones and smart TVs.

The second TBG unit is led by Senior VP (products Group) Dr. Peter Hortensius and will sell high-end Think products, enterprise workstations Continue reading...

It might be the 1st day of CES 2013 but HP has a swathe of announcements-- including a display with integrated Beats Audio and the Pocket Playlist wireless media streaming device.

The Envy 27 is a 27-inch 1080p IPS monitor boasting integrated Beats Audio technology in the shape of a built-in upward-angled sound bar. HP promises an "immersive audiovisual experience," with rich bass, great midrange and high frequences.

It includes headphone jack, subwoofer and digital audio output and is just 13.95mm thin at the top.

Meanwhile the U160 is a first from HP-- a portable USB-powered display. The 15-inch 1366 x 768 monitor is just 3cm thick and has a handy "flip and fold" stand making it look ideal for customers on the go.

Bloomberg reports Cisco plans to drop its home networking business-- "people with knowledge of the situation" say the company has Barclays looking for a willing Linksys buyer.

The Linksys brand covers routers, gateways, range extenders and Powerline adapters.

Cisco bought the company back in 2003 for $500 million-- but will probably "fetch much less" than that now due to its being a "mature consumer business with low margins."

Potential buyers include TV makers looking for a recognisable brand Continue reading...

Former Autonomy CEO Mike Lynch rebuts HP's claims of "funny accounting." In an open blog addressed to the HP board, Lynch rejects "all allegations of impropriety."

The former CEO raises a lot of good questions about the HP allegations:  the due diligence, the independent auditor report, and lack of specifics in HP's accusations.

Either Lynch is a great cover-up artist or something stinks... And that begs the question: if Autonomy is NOT guilty of funny accounting, then who is?

Go Read Mike Lynch' Continue reading...

Ailing Japanese CE maker Sharp can have a bit of a sigh of relief-- Qualcomm expands its earlier agreement with the company for the development of energy-efficient MEMS displays.

Through deal Sharp receives $61 million by end 2012 in return for the further development on IGZO (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) display technology with Qualcomm subsidiary Pixtronix.

The two companies give no timeline on the investment, other than that "after sufficient time" Sharp will receive a furter $61m while Qualcomm Continue reading...

HP's revenue losses for Q4 2012 might total $6.9 billion, but that might be the least of its trouble-- the company faces an impairment charge worth $8.8 billion from 2011 acquisition Autonomy.

The company blames the majority (over $5bn) of the non-cash charge on "serious accounting improprieties." Meaning HP alleges Autonomy cooked its books by billions before it was bought by then CEO Leo Apotheker for $12 bn.

"There appears to have been a willful sustained effort" to inflate Autonomy's revenue and profitability... This was designed to be hidden," HP CEO Meg Whitman says. On the other hand Apotheker makes suitably disappointed noises, claiming "the developments are a shock to the many who believed in the company, myself included."