South Korean electronics giant Samsung  has announced it will be launching ChatON, a new free mobile messaging service. The idea is to enable users to communicate instantly with each other using any mobile phone, along with sharing hand-written notes, images, and video.

Research in Motion launched a new service Thursday that allows BlackBerry users to share music with friends.

In Pew's phone survey of 2,277 adults, 65% of Internet users said they use social media. For the first time, 50% of respondents -- regardless of whether they use the Internet -- said that they did the same. But they're less than ecstatic about it. In a word cloud that the study made to show responses to the question "What is one word that describes your experience using social networking sites?" The most common answer was a standard "good." 


The 30- to 49-year-old crowd has been quickly closing the social media usage gap between themselves and the under 30 demographic. In 2008, 42% fewer respondents in the older demographic used social media than the younger demographic. Now the gap between the two age groups is 13%. So too, has the gap between the percentage of the two age groups who use social media daily decreased, from 29% in 2008 to 15% in 2011.

Television Advertising may be doing just fine despite the slumping economy. But within the next five years, it's going to be eclipsed by online ads,  Forrester says, advertisers will spend almost $77 billion online, comprising 35% of overall ad spending.

Mobile ads will overtake social ads and email marketing already this year: They'll hit $8.2 billion in revenues by 2016 as advertisers will want to reach people while they're on mobile phones and tablets.

SAN FRANCISCO:  Silicon Valley legend Steve Jobs on Wednesday resigned as chief executive of Apple Inc in a stunning move that ended his 14-year reign at the technology giant he co-founded in a garage.
Apple shares dived as much as 7 percent in after-hours trade after the pancreatic cancer survivor and industry icon, who has been on medical leave for an undisclosed condition since Jan. 17, announced he will be replaced by COO and longtime heir apparent Tim Cook.
Analysts do not expect Jobs' resignation -- which had long been foreseen -- to derail the company's fabled product-launch roadmap, including possibly a new iPhone in September and a third iteration of the iPad tablet in 2012.

PRESS RELEASE: Letter from Steve Jobs

August 24, 2011 – To the Apple Board of Directors and the Apple Community:
I have always said if there ever came a day when I could no longer meet my duties and expectations as Apple’s CEO, I would be the first to let you know. Unfortunately, that day has come.
I hereby resign as CEO of Apple. I would like to serve, if the Board sees fit, as Chairman of the Board, director and Apple employee.
As far as my successor goes, I strongly recommend that we execute our succession plan and name Tim Cook as CEO of Apple.
I believe Apple’s brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it. And I look forward to watching and contributing to its success in a new role.
I have made some of the best friends of my life at Apple, and I thank you all for the many years of being able to work alongside you.

Europe - Apple and Samsung argue over patents and prior art before a court in the Hague, but Apple scored another victory today as the court granted a temporary injunction barring the imports of Samsung’s Galaxy S, SII, and Ace smartphones for violating an Apple photo management patent. If the injunction stands, the ban will go into effect on October 15, and would effectively bar the smartphones from the European market since Amsterdam is their primary port of entry.

Earlier this month Apple was granted a preliminary restraining order on the import of Samsung Galaxy Tabs into Europe; however, a week later that ban was lifted in all countries except Germany.

Samsung smartphones running Android 2.3 infringe on an European patent held by Apple, titled “Portable Electronic Device for Photo Management.” The patent describes a method for scrolling through photo galleries using gestures on a touchscreen. However, Brinkman also ruled that Android 3.0 does not infringe on this Apple patent—which is why Samsung’s Android 3.0 tablets have not been found in violation. If Samsung can update the smartphones to Android 3.0, they can evade the import ban.

The number of women at the top has been slow to change. But this year's FORBES annual list of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women highlights five Silicon Valley women who have dared to take on the status quo.

Research In Motion Ltd. is trying to spice up its product line by releasing several BlackBerrys with touch screens and new software for better performance. In a first for the BlackBerry, a few can run on super-fast "4G" cellular networks, which wireless providers are rolling out. The phones will be available from the major providers over the next several weeks at a wide range of prices — $50 to $300, with two-year service contracts.

I checked out three: A new version of the high-end Bold, now sporting a touch screen, and two new Torch models, one keeping the slide-out keyboard from before, and the other ditching the physical keyboard.
There are some good features here that will appeal to BlackBerry fans. But chances are many are waiting for devices that run the more advanced QNX software used in RIM's PlayBook tablet computer, which could be coming fairly soon.
 
The phones adhere largely to the familiar BlackBerry aesthetic, but with a few twists. They all have the latest version of RIM's operating software, BlackBerry 7. Although it appears quite similar to previous versions, BlackBerry 7 promises a zippier Web browser, voice search and better rendering of graphics.
The most noticeable change was the improved Web-surfing speed. I connected an old BlackBerry Torch with BlackBerry 6 and the new Torch 9810 with version 7 to the same Wi-Fi network.

— BlackBerry Bold 9900/9930

Despite having by far the smallest screen of the bunch (2.8 inches diagonally), the new Bold merges form and function well. The handset is RIM's skinniest thus far, and it looks like a better-quality handset than the other new releases. I also found its keyboard easiest to use among the three I tested.
The Bold is RIM's first to include an NFC, or near-field communication, chip, which could eventually allow the phone to work as a sort of wireless payment system.
Too bad the phone is so expensive. Sprint will start selling the Bold 9930 on Sunday for $250, while Verizon is hawking it online now for the same price. The Bold 9900, which can work on T-Mobile's high-speed 4G network, will be available Aug. 31 for an even steeper $300 (after a $50 mail-in rebate). You'll need a two-year contract to get any of these prices.

— BlackBerry Torch 9850

RIM, a master of the physical keyboard, hasn't had much luck with phones that only include a touch screen. Its early attempts with the BlackBerry Storm were dismal. Although the keyboard-free Torch 9850 looks sleeker, I had a hard time typing, as I kept hitting the wrong letters and numbers.
The phone also seemed to lag behind, spitting out letters well after I'd typed them and not noticing that I was stabbing feverishly at the browser's address bar in an attempt to visit another webpage.
The Torch 9850 will be available Sunday from Sprint for $150 with a two-year contract.

— BlackBerry Torch 9810 

This phone is definitely the least attractive of the group, but it gets points for its ability to access AT&T's high-speed 4G data network, which makes it quick to download documents or upload photos to Facebook.
The Torch 9810 weighs in at a hefty 5.7 ounces, and its design, which is essentially identical to a previous Torch, looks tired compared with many other smartphones. Its slide-out keyboard is more cramped than that on the Bold, yet it is still quite good for typing.

All of the latest BlackBerrys add several good features, but RIM is still far behind the competition in ease of use and availability of apps. 

Microsoft's brand new blog, Building Windows 8 where the software giant plans to start dishing on the next iteration of its OS. Microsoft says it will use the new blog to talk about forthcoming features, user interface decisions, engineering and other Windows 8-related news. "We know developers, IT pros, and gamers all want to know what's new for them," wrote Steven Sinofsky, president of Microsoft's Windows and Windows Live division. "There is so much packed into Windows 8...so we want to be sure to take the time to cover as many of these topics as possible."
 Microsoft did something similar during the development of Windows 7 with a blog called Engineering Windows 7.

Biggest Refresh Since Windows 95
Sinofsky's debut post for the new Windows 8 blog was short on specifics about the new OS beyond what Microsoft showed off in June. Instead, Sinofsky reiterated Microsoft's vision for the next version of Windows, which the Microsoft exec says will be the biggest revamp of Windows since Windows 95.
"Windows 8 reimagines Windows for a new generation of computing devices," Sinofsky said. "Today more than two out of three PCs are mobile (laptops, netbooks, notebooks, tablets, slates, convertibles, etc.)... Screen sizes range from under 10" to wall-sized screens and multiple HD screens. Storage has jumped from megabytes to terabytes and has moved up to the cloud...These changes in the landscape motivate the most significant changes to Windows, from the chips to the experience."

Windows 8 Peek-A-Boo
Microsoft surprised many in June during its sneak peek at the brand new interface for Windows 8 since the new Microsoft OS will sport a touch-centric interface for use on both traditional mouse-and-keyboard PCs as well as tablets.

Windows 8 will also be the first version of Windows built to run on ARM-based and Intel x86 chips. Apps for the new OS will rely on HTML and JavaScript as the primary development languages.
Since Windows 8 appears to be such a tectonic shift for Windows, Sinofsky expects a lot of people will want to express their opinions about Microsoft's plans. If you fall into that category, Sinfosky has invited you to email him directly here.

Microsoft's next major outing for Windows 8 will be in September during the company's BUILD developer conference. The company plans to show off Windows 8's development tools as well as the OS' new capabilities, according to Sinofsky. The BUILD conference keynote address, where Microsoft is likely to release more information about Windows 8, is scheduled for Tuesday, September 13 from 9-11 a.m. Pacific.

Online scammers are bilking car shoppers with fraudulent vehicle sales and false vehicle protection claims, according to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center. Because of the urgency of the move, the scammers refuse to meet the buyer or allow them to inspect the vehicle. Once the money is transferred, the seller disappears and the vehicle is never delivered.

The scammers even use Internet chat to soften a target's resistance to the sale, the center said. As live chat assistants, the fraudsters answer questions about the vehicle and assure their targets that the transaction is secure. Transactions are perfectly safe, they claim, and covered by liability insurance up to $50,000.
Auto buyers should exercise caution when purchasing vehicles online, the center warns, especially when confronted with the following situations:

> Sellers who want to move the transaction from one platform to another (for example, Craigslist to eBay Motors).

> Sellers who claim that a buyer protection program offered by a major Internet company covers an auto transaction conducted outside that company's site.

> Sellers who push for speedy completion of the transaction and request payments via quick wire transfer payment systems.

> Sellers who refuse to meet in person, or refuse to allow the buyer to physically inspect the vehicle before the purchase.

> Transactions where the seller and vehicle are in different locations. Criminals often claim to have been transferred for work reasons, deployed by the military, or moved because of a family circumstance, and could not take the vehicle with them.

> Vehicles advertised at well below their market value. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Twenty-four hours after Google announced plans to acquire Motorola Mobility, speculation about the implications is swirling in the technology world. Google will pay $12.5 billion for Motorola, a 63 percent premium over its closing stock price on Aug. 12.