Google says Maps redirect on Windows Phone was a product decision, and will be removed  —  Today, a Google spokesperson provided The Next Web with a statement indicating that the company intends to remove the redirect that it has in place for Windows Phone users who attempt to access the Google Maps product …

Explaining Windows 8 PC Sales Over the Holidays  —  It's time to stop denying that Windows 8 is off to a slow start  —  At some point, the cheerleaders—and yes, amazingly, they're out there—are going to have to face reality: Windows 8 is selling slowly.  More slowly than Windows 7 at launch …

The Fifth Horseman: Samsung  —  We all know the “four horsemen” of tech: Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google.  These are the companies that pretty much everyone agrees will shape the foreseeable future of the tech sector.  In some circles, that list makes waves for who is not included: Microsoft.

IPv6 takes one step forward, IPv4 two steps back in 2012  —  IPv6 rollout is still inefficient with problems ahead, but there is slow progress. … “Hi, I'd like to sign up for Internet service at my new apartment.”  —  “That's great!  We have the highest speeds at the best prices, you won't be disappointed.

Welcome to CES: A Trade Show, Not a Tastemaker  —  This week, most of the developed world will stagger halfheartedly back to the office, attempting to work after two weeks of twinkling lights, post-nog hangovers, and watching bad TV sprawled across couches inside the houses we grew up in.

Cult app Cheddar up for sale, solo hacker explains why  —  Cheddar, a cult classic among hackers and Mac die-hards, is up for sale.  —  The elegant app is a simple task manager, but it really took off because of creator (and former Hipstamatic and Scribd engineer) Sam Soffes' code.

Hollywood Hires Anti-Piracy Pro  —  Photograph by Jonathan Leibson/WireImage  —  MPAA CEO Chris Dodd announced the hiring of Diane Strahan to run the organization's operations.  —  The Motion Picture Association of America, Hollywood's trade group, is touting today's hiring …

Behind Google's Antitrust Escape  —  After early hopes for a sweeping antitrust case against Google Inc., it became clear to the Federal Trade Commission last fall that no such lawsuit was in the offing.  —  A clinching moment came in November when FTC staff, who had exhaustively investigated …

Bitcoin: Making Online Gambling Legal in the U.S.?  —  Michael Hajduk had sunk one year and about $20,000 into developing his online poker site, Infiniti Poker, when the U.S. online gambling market imploded.  On April 15, 2011, a day now known in the industry as Black Friday …

Google Play Adds “Free for Print Subscribers” Option for Play Magazines  —  For people who actually read magazines on their tablets, this news is huge.  Recently, Google has enabled the ability for paper magazine subscribers to transfer their subscriptions to the cloud and read their content right …