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Intel has made a big push over the past few months to promote the fact that Android will run on its new Medfield platform of chips.

Unfortunately for the company, two of its biggest partners, Motorola Mobility and Lenovo, have announced this week that they will be delaying such devices until late November.

According to supply chain sources, the decision has already put a severe dent in Intel's plans for world domination.

Intel itself would not comment on its partner's products.

Lenovo, which had a working engineering sample of the tablet as early as April, says many factors were built into the decision. After the company "evaluated" the competition (namely Google and Apple) and the launch of Windows 8 Pro and Windows RT, they decided to hold off for time being.

Microsoft has confirmed that apps purchased from the Windows 8 Windows Store will come with a trial period.

App purchases will come with seven day trials, including having "built-in functionality to make app trials hassle-free for both developers and users."

The news should be a welcome relief to consumer who are used to either having no trials on iOS or 15 minute trials via Android.

If you choose to upgrade from the trial to the full app, all of your customizations and data settings will stay along for the ride. The Windows 8 API will prompt users to upgrade after the trial is up, and Microsoft will also give developers "analytics to show the conversion process."

Valve boss Gabe Newell made some interesting comments at Seattle's Casual Connect conference last night in regards to the future of open platforms.

The exec went as far as to call the upcoming Windows 8 a 'catastrophe.'

"I think Windows 8 is a catastrophe for everyone in the PC space," Newell said. "I think we'll lose some of the top-tier PC/OEMs, who will exit the market. I think margins will be destroyed for a bunch of people. If that's true, then it will be good to have alternatives to hedge against that eventuality."

Newell says the best alternative is Linux, and he hopes to soon have all 2500 games on Steam running on Linux.

Into the future, Newell says the future of computing will be in wearable gear that can overlay info on physical objects.

Sony has responded to the reports that their PlayStation Vita handheld has been experiencing overheating issues in Japan.

In some extreme cases, the Vita would even began actually burning.

A few gamers in the nation reported the issue, and Japan's independent National Institute of Technology and Evaluation began looking into the situation.

Sony has since responded: "SCE confirmed that a small number (23 in Japan) of PS Vita's and USB cable's multi-use port were damaged during recharging, and have reported them to NITE (National Institute of technology and Evaluation). The cases were caused by partial short-circuit on the multi-use port of PS Vita and USB cable due to small particles or liquid attached to it. We believe this is not product oriented issue. The short-circuit damaged the multi-use port, resulting in being unable to boot the system."

There will be no recall of the handheld.

As any active Twitter user knows, it is currently almost impossible to find your old messages, even after a few days (or weeks).

CEO Dick Costolo says that is about to change.

The exec told reporters that the microblogging giant will soon be adding a tool to allow users to download a file that includes all their tweets since joining the service: "We're working on a tool to let users export all of their tweets. You'll be able to download a file of them."

While users would be able to check through their own archives, Costolo says he does not anticipate the company letting its users have access to the archived tweets of other users. He added that search issues are a whole different monster and you "can't just put three engineers on it."
Costolo did not give a timeframe for the release of the download tool or for the upgraded search.

Many active users have long requested a download tool for their archived tweets, and it is even law in the EU. Users in the EU who have asked for the tweets have been sent a zip file containing your account details, tweets, favorites, direct messages, lists and saved searches. This alone means the company certainly has the capabilities to create such a tool.

Qualcomm has decided to get into the tablet hardware market.

The company's new branded tablet was developed for the developer community, and its specs show why.

Running on a quad-core Snapdragon APQ8064 at 1.5GHz, the tablet has a 10.1-inch display, WXGA resolution and an Adreno 320 GPU. The processor had not been in any other hardware before now.

Furthermore, the tablet has a 13MP camera with flash and LTE support.

Out of the box, the tablet will run Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich, but should be upgradeable to the smoother Jelly Bean 4.1 in the near future.

Besides the tablet, buyers will also get a full docking station and any cables they need.

If you are a developer and interested, it looks like the console will lighten your wallet to the tune of $1300.

According to multiple reports, Archos will be one of the first to market with an Android 4.0 ICS-based gaming console.

Called the Ludo G10, the console will run on a dual-core TI 4470 chip clocked at 1.8GHz. Additionally, the console will run on a PowerVR SGX554 graphics and have 1920x1080 resolution.

The Ludo will directly compete against the Kickstarter-funded OUYA.

OUYA has a quad-core Tegra 3, 8GB internal storage, 1GB RAM, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a final price of $99.

Additionally, the OUYA team says the console will be the size of a Rubik's Cube, making it ultra-portable.

It is hard to see how the Archos can compete on those fronts, but we shall see.

The highest-funded Kickstarter project of all-time will delay shipping slightly from their original launch target of September.

Pebble has kept supporters fully in the loop since May, providing regular updates on the progress of the Android-based watch.

Reads the latest note to supporters (myself included): "While we won't be able to start shipping Pebbles in September, our current schedule has us on track to go from manufacturing zero to 15,000 Pebbles per week as soon as possible."

The delay is not without reason. The company, when joining Kickstarter, had a shipping estimate of just 1000 smartwatches in a few colorways. The project then went viral, and over 85,000 were ordered. That being said, full production might take a bit longer.

Despite the small delay, CEO Eric Migicovsky says "we are sticking pretty closely to an aggressive timetable we put together at the end of May."

Finally, the company also revealed the colorway that will be shipped to those who donated $125; a glossy orange finish. Everyone else who purchased at the regular price will get black, white or red.

The latest OS X variant hit final beta earlier this month, and devs have had sufficient time to "play" with the new operating system.

Apple's update will tightly integrate with cloud storage solutions for Mac users, as well as steal multiple features from iOS, the company's mobile operating system.

The OS will only be sold as a digital download, hence the cheaper price, and you must be running the latest Lion or Snow Leopard to upgrade.
Among the new features is an OS-based integration with social networking giant Facebook, microblogging giant Twitter and other services like Flickr for sharing pictures

"Power Nap" lets your computer stay "updated" even while in sleep mode, meaning your emails will autosync, software updates will download automatically, and any file backups will work as well. This feature is available to Mountain Lion users with the latest MacBook Airs or Retina Display MacBook Pros.

More notably, "Messages" will replace the former iChat system, allowing you to send instant messages to any Apple user, whether they are using an iOS device or a Mac.

Within the company's earnings report this afternoon, Netflix CEO Reed Hasting teased that the company could eventually partner with HBO for its fantastic original content.

Unfortunately for fans of Netflix and HBO, the cable television network has shot down the possibility, just like it did in the past.

Says HBO: "We are not in discussions and have no plans to work with Netflix."

The blunt response is unsurprising given the fact that Hastings has often called HBO its main competitor. Earlier this year, HBO would not sell its DVDs to Netflix at wholesale prices, forcing them to buy box sets like True Blood and Boardwalk Empire at full price to offer them to their subscribers.

In the shareholder letter, Hastings wrote: "While we compete for content and viewing time with HBO, it is also possible we will find opportunities to work together - just as we do with other networks." He later clariifed by adding: "We're just another network, and then when you have multiple networks, they often find ways of working together."

During the company's after-earnings conference call, CEO Tim Cook spoke about the success of the Apple TV set-top box.

The company sold 1.3 million of the device during the quarter, bringing the fiscal yearly total to 4 million.

Despite the strong sales, the exec still called the set-top a "hobby" for the company. Added Cook: "We think it will lead us somewhere., we'll keep pulling the string."

Year-over-year, the growth is strong, as well, 170 percent as of now.

Earlier this year, Cook was quoted as saying: "We're not a hobby kind of company as you know. Our tendency is to do very few things. And, if something creeps in and isn't a big success, we get it out of the way and put our energies on something else. With Apple TV though, you see what we've done. We've stuck in this, it's not the fifth leg of the stool. It's not the same size as the iPhone or Mac or tablet business. But last year we sold a little less than three million Apple TVs."

During their quarterly earnings today, the company revealed some impressive App Store milestones.

The company says the App Store now has 650,000 apps, 250,000 of which are specifically developed for the iPad tablet.

Growth was exponential, as the company admitted to 600,000 apps just three months ago.

For comparison's sake, Google just noted that the Google Play Store reached 600,000 apps.

Apple says they have paid out $5.5 billion to developers, a massive jump from the $4 billion reported in April.

Apple posted quarterly earnings today that completely missed analyst expectations, a rare miss for the company, although profits and revenue were still massive.

The company reported revenue of $35 billion and a net profit of $8.8 billion, compared to $7.3 billion and $28.6 billion during the same period a year ago. Analysts had been expecting profits near $10 billion and revenue above $37 billion.

Apple sold 26 million iPhones during the quarter, down substantially from the record 35 million sold during the first quarter. The drop makes sense as investors wait for the expected launch of the iPhone 5 in October.

CFO Peter Oppenheimer blamed speculation of the upcoming device for the shortfall: "Our weekly iPhone sales continue to be impacted by rumors and speculation of future products." The iPhone 5 is expected to have a 4-inch screen, quad-core processor, LTE and an improved display.

On the other end, iPad sales exploded, with the company selling 17 million during the quarter compared to 12 million in the first quarter. Mac sales declined, after posting moderate growth for the last two years, with the company selling 4 million units for the quarter.

Netflix reported their second quarter earnings this afternoon and investors were not pleased.

The video streaming company posted disappointing subscriber growth, which is usually strong during the first half of the year.

For the last quarter, the company added just 1.1 million streaming subscribers, adding up to a total of 27.6 million.

Last year, the company added 2 million subscribers during the same period.

The company charges $7.99 per month for unlimited streaming of the company's "Watch Instantly" catalog. The catalog has over 25,000 movies and TV episodes. The movie categories are lacking, but the TV catalog is quite substantial.

CEO Reed Hastings added that the company will likely struggle to add subscribers in the third quarter, as the Olympics will fill the "entertainment needs" of most.

Despite all the headwinds, including losing 900,000 DVD-by-mail subscribers, the company still made a profit of $6.2 million.

Vizio has begun taking pre-orders for its $99 Co-Star device powered by Google TV.

The item is expected to ship August 14th and the company is offering free shipping for the next few days.

Additionally, the device will be the first Google TV device to have built-in OnLive support, allowing for cloud-based gaming.

On top the standard Google TV features, the gadget will have pre-loaded Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, iHeartRadio, and OnLive apps.

"Our focus to deliver the best consumer experience continues with today's announcement of the Co-Star, which delivers a superior smart TV interface that anyone can add to their existing HDTV," Matt McRae, VIZIO's Chief Technology Officer said in a released statement last month. "We combined the powerful features of Google TV with an intuitive and easy to use interface, giving users the power to enjoy an entire world of entertainment."