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Samsung: Our software still needs work

Samsung’s new CEO has reconfirmed the company’s focus on improving software for mobile devices like tablets and smartphones, highlighting key areas where the “customer experience” needs work. Kwon Oh-hyun highlighted software in his first speech as the new CEO, the WSJ reports, echoing comments the company made back in August 2011. “A particular focus must be given to serving new customer experience and value by strengthening soft capabilities in software, user experience, design, and solutions” he said today.

Apple’s First Shipment of its Next-gen MacBook Pro is Here

A few days after Apple unveiled its new 15-inch MacBook Pro, its first shipment has already arrived. Dubbed as the company’s “most beautiful computer,” the device was introduced during the Worldwide Developers Conference last June 11. It features a Retina Display, MagSafe 2 connector, unibody chassis and upgraded connectivity options.

Apple and Google Go Head to Head Over Mobile Maps

For many people, phones have become an important way to navigate the world, and mobile maps are at the core of the journey. They are often the critical element in commerce, socializing and search. So far, Google has reigned supreme in the mobile map world, with its maps on every iPhone sold so far — and, of course, on every phone based on its own Android operating system.

Google reveals government censorship requests are on the rise

Google's updated its transparency report to show how many times governments worldwide sought to censor search results, drop YouTube videos or look at user data in the second half of last year. Each request is logged and detailed, with the most filings coming from the US, UK and India. The requests varied from censoring a video where a Canadian citizen creatively destroyed his passport (not complied with) through to blogs promoting hate speech and violence (complied with). Mountain View's list makes for interesting reading, but it's not all bad news: where videos were merely critical or satirical of the local authorities, the search giant refused to pull 'em, respecting private citizens right to free speech in a great majority of cases.

U.S. regains supercomputing crown, bests China, Japan

New IBM water cooled systems, which use warm or hot water, dominate top 10 of Top 500 supercomputer list

The U.S., once again, is home to the world's most powerful supercomputer after being knocked off the list by China two years ago and Japan last year.

Assimilate UK! The British Music Industry Now Controls Your Internet

One by one the UK’s ISPs are falling to a creeping censorship of the web led not by some secretive government organisation but by the UK’s music industry in the shape of the British Phonographic Industry, the British record industry’s trade association. There is no democratic check on what’s happening and little recourse left open to the average person.