MICROSOFT

At E3 2012, the focus seems to be on a lot more than gaming. Each console is competing to gain dominance as the prominent entertainment system in living rooms around the globe, with a different approach from Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo.

On Tuesday, Microsoft unveiled a stunning new technology platform at the Electronics Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles called SmartGlass, which essentially connects the television and the Xbox to smartphones and tablets, letting users consume their media in a much simpler and more fun way.

Shares of AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL), the No. 7 website, traded near their 52-week high again Tuesday after activist investors Starboard Value won more crucial backing to win seats on the board of directors.

Global enterprises are aware of the coming of so-called ?Big Data,? or the trillions of bytes of electronic data flowing through the Cloud and Internet.

It?s the biggest week of the year for video game fanatics?the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo begins tomorrow June 5. The three-day-long developers? conference will run through Thursday, and will showcase what 2012 means for the video game industry.

Shares of AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL), the No. 7 website, traded near their 52-week high Monday after activist investors Starboard Value Management won crucial backing to win seats on the board of directors.

Fans have finally caught their first lengthy look at the new ?Call of Duty: Black Ops 2.? At Microsoft?s 2012 E3 press conference, gameplay footage was unveiled before the massive audience a day ahead of the event?s official start.

Nintendo has made its first official unveil ahead of the Electronic Entertainment Expo, set to kick off on June 5th in Los Angeles. On June 3rd, the gaming company revealed the name of a component to its upcoming next-generation console , the Wii U. The gaming system?s tablet-esque controller will be called the Wii U GamePad, according to PCMag.

Facebook is working to extend its reach by lifting age restrictions from the site and developing a social network for children that will be monitored by their parents, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Remember when we said Microsoft has ?big plans? for the future of its Xbox console? With the Electronic Entertainment Expo beginning June 5, rumors about what the video game industry will unveil are starting to heat up. One of the most recent speculations to surface involves plans from Microsoft to offer a new feature that will stream Xbox 360 content from games directly to a mobile phone or tablet.

Intel Corp engineers are applying lessons from aircraft design to create sturdier laptops in a bid to reduce the cost of the new ultra-thin computers, the top chipmaker is promoting heavily

Sony considered a download-only format for its next-generation gaming console, but ultimately rejected the idea. The idea that a traditional disc tray could be excluded from one of the most anticipated consoles indicates the growing presence of online networks in the industry.

Microsoft?s Windows 8 Release Preview will launch today, May 31st according to tech news source Neowin. An accidental blog post published by Microsoft, which was almost immediately taken down, revealed the date.

Shares of smartphone manufacturers Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM) and Nokia (NYS: NOK) swooned this week on fears of mounting losses and dwindling share.

Two months ago, Toronto activist investor Victor Alboini, whose Jaguar Financial had acquired a stake just below 5 percent in Research in Motion (Nasdaq: RIMM), said the company won?t be around in its current shape in two years. Now it's for sale.

Apple has acknowledged that its iPad made it a major force in ebooks but denied that it?s stifling competition in a formal reply to the Justice Department's antitrust suit.

The Xbox gaming console has evolved over the years, and Microsoft?s Yusuf Mehdi has revealed that the system is only in its beginning stages.

Microsoft's Windows 8 is expected to launch near the end of this year, but details have already leaked about the coming operating system: An offer pricing the Windows 8 Pro upgrade at $14.99 will run from June 2 to Jan. 31 of next year, according to The Verge.

Several industry bellwethers like Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSCO), Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) ) and NetApp (Nasdaq: NTAP) have reported poor resuilts or forecasts. Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) will axe 27,000 people. Is a new tech recession ahead?

Lorenzo Thione believes in fate and approaches the world with a somewhat self-confident naivete. This outward optimism comes across most clearly when he talks about his new business: He wants to be an artist among the artists, unchaining fine art from wealthy collectors and setting it free among the hoi polloi.

Because they report quarterly results generally out of the regula,r pattern technology giants Cisco Systems (Nasdaq: CSC), Hewlett-Packard Co. (NYSE: HPQ) and Dell (Nasdaq: DELL) are technology bellwethers. Do their dismal dismal forecast presage downturn?