logo

News Byte

Computing Pioneer Ada Lovelace Gets Deserved Google Doodle

Kara Swisher in News on December 10, 2012 at 1:14 am PT

Google does commemorative logos — called Google Doodles — pretty regularly now. But today, it’s a much-deserved tip-of-the-pen to celebrate the 197th birthday of Ada Lovelace, a woman who is one of computing’s earliest pioneers. She was a collaborator of Charles Babbage, designer of the ground-breaking mechanical computers — which he never actually built — the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine. Lovelace’s notes on the Analytical Engine are considered to be among the first algorithms created; she also theorized about the larger potential of computers beyond mathematics, including to make music. All that with just a quill and some paper.

News Byte

eBay’s New Logo: Same Four Colors, New Font

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on September 13, 2012 at 9:23 am PT

Seventeen years after it launched, eBay is updating its logo to reflect its updated approach to selling not just used items, but also new things. “It’s eBay today: A global online marketplace that offers a cleaner, more contemporary and consistent experience, with innovation that makes buying and selling easier and more enjoyable,” said President Devin Wenig. The logo keeps the same colors — red, blue, yellow and green — but boasts an updated, more straightforward font. The new logo will go live in mid-October, or you can see it here now.

News Byte

Facebook Phone Rumors Make the Newsfeed Again

Ina Fried in Mobile on January 26, 2011 at 11:25 am PT

Rumors of the Facebook Phone are once again back in the news, this time with a report that the social network will announce a deal with HTC at next month’s Mobile World Congress that will have the Taiwanese mobile device maker building Android phones with the Facebook name and color. Previous rumors had the company building a phone with INQ Mobile. One of the challenges is that in addition to any true Facebook-designed phones, there are also a whole lot of phones with deep Facebook integration–including plenty of Android devices and the entire Windows Phone 7 product line. So it’s not clear where exactly the line is between a phone with good Facebook connections and a true “Facebook Phone.” However, I’d say if it is blue and bears the Facebook logo, that would count in my book. For its part, HTC declined comment.