Topping tech headlines yesterday, the Department of Justice announced that it had filed suit against Apple, as well as five other publishers, over an alleged "illegal conspiracy" involving e-book price fixing. Apple, as well as publishers Macmillan and Penguin, plan to fight the charges, while Hachette, HarperCollins, and Simon & Schuster have agreed to a proposed settlement.
Google, meanwhile, unveiled an updated version of Google+ that it said will be "more functional and flexible," as well as "simpler, [and] more beautiful." The revamp touches on navigation, conversations, and Hangouts.
And Nokia revealed that it sold 2 million Windows Phone-based Lumia devices in the first quarter, a period that was otherwise "disappointing," the company said. A network connectivity problem with its newest Lumia 900, meanwhile, prompted Nokia to offer $100 credits. Nokia's Lumia 900 smartphone demonstrates a tight partnership between Nokia and Microsoft, which puts its component costs at just 46 percent of its retail price, according to a new report from IHS iSuppli
Also making headlines on Wednesday:
- T-Mobile, HTC Launching HTC One S Next Week: The Android smartphone will launch at an April 18 event in New York.
- Number of Macs Infected With Flashback Trojan on the Decline: Symantec yesterday detected about 270,000 computers infected with the Flashback Trojan, down from a high of 600,000 on April 6 and 380,000 on April 10.
- New Nook Simple Touch May Have Front-Lit Screen: The glowing screen will allow users to more easily read in the dark.
- Gaikai Cloud Gaming Launches on Facebook: Gamers will be able to play each game for 30 minutes, before being asked to buy and download a digital copy of the game to their PC or Mac.
- AT&T Fires Up 4G LTE Network in St. Louis, Staten Island: Now 32 cities and all five New York City boroughs have access to AT&T's ultra-fast mobile Internet.
- How the Titanic Disaster Forever Changed Telecommunications: Without the tireless work of the RMS Titanic's two radio operators, the toll on that night 100 years ago would have been far worse.
- RIM Adding BBM Integration to Facebook, Twitter Apps: The added functionality will allow users to automatically share their Facebook status or Twitter updates with BBM friends from inside the apps.
- Spotify Play Button Adds Music Streaming to Websites, Blogs: Much like websites can add Facebook content to their sites via special widgets, the Spotify Play Button will also allow blogs, websites, and other social networks to add Spotify playlists or songs.
- Verizon Wireless Announces $30 Upgrade Fee: The fee applies to those who want to trade in their old phone for a newer model.
For more from Angela, follow her on Twitter @amoscaritolo.
