With the rise of e-book technologies such as the Amazon Kindle and Apple’s iBooks , are we finally witnessing the end of the printed word? That’s the question we posed this week in our Web Faceoff series. We wanted to know whether you, the readers, prefer the digital technology of the e-book or still desire the feel of the paper in your hands. After over 2,000 votes… …the printed word scored the victory! With 41.9% of... 

HP has confirmed that it will not be making phones with Microsoft Windows Phone 7, but will instead develop handsets exclusively with webOS, the mobile OS it acquired when it bought Palm earlier this year. In an interview with CNBC , HP’s Todd Bradley, the executive vice president of the company’s Personal Systems Group, stated in no uncertain terms that “we won’t do a Microsoft phone.” This confirms recent reports... 

This post is part of Mashable’s Spark of Genius series, which highlights a unique feature of startups. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here . The series is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. Name: LucyPhone Quick Pitch: LucyPhone is a free web-based solution and new iPhone app [iTunes link] that helps users avoid waiting on hold. Genius Idea: LucyPhone saves you from painful on-hold... 

The war between Google and Apple has jumped from mobile to television, but which tech giant is going to win the hearts and minds of the web TV world? Last week, Google launched Google TV in an attempt to seamlessly integrate the web into our living rooms. It looks like Apple is responding, though: there are rumors that Apple will launch an iPhone OS-based version of Apple TV, a product that has never taken off like the iPhone or iPad. With Google... 

It’s time once again for a new edition of our long-running Faceoff Series , in which we pit two competing devices, services, or trends against each other to see which has captured the hearts and minds of Mashable readers. Last week we learned that the majority of you miss being “fans” on Facebook , and this week we want to find out your thoughts on what is still a controversial topic in the mobile arena: which is better, a... 

In the good old days, Facebook users “became a fan” of their favorite teams, celebrities, objects, and personalities. A month and a half ago though, that all changed . Facebook Pages switched from “Become a Fan” to “Like” in order to lower the bar for users to engage and connect with brands. The change hasn’t been the most popular one though, and that’s why it was the subject of this week’s... 

Another edition in our Faceoff Series wrapped up today, and it was a close match. We asked you to vote on two top MP3 players, the iPod touch vs. the Zune HD . The results are now in, and Apple’s iPod touch bested the Microsoft Zune HD , although both players turned in a respectable finish. The iPod touch garnered 54% of the vote to the Zune HD’s 42%, with a low tie vote at just 4% of the total. Were you surprised by the winner or... 

By now, you’ve probably heard about the fight between Apple and Adobe . To sum up the story, Apple banned Flash from the iPad, people began predicting the death of Flash, and Adobe has been on the defensive ever since. The Apple-Adobe war has only escalated in recent weeks. Apple’s core argument is that HTML5 is the future of the web, not Flash. Adobe is looking to prove Apple wrong by  Read More →

The next generation of smartphones are going to be on the market ver soon, but two will clearly dominate the discussion: the Android-based Droid Incredible by HTC and the 4th generation iPhone , whose pics have leaked out all across the web. We asked you, the readers, to choose between the next-gen iPhone and the Droid Incredible for our weekly Web Faceoff series, where we pit two tech or web products against each other for your vote. In previous... 

On November 19th, 2006, Nintendo launched its fifth home console to the world. The Nintendo Wii was both ridiculed and praised for its unique controller system — the Wiimote — which detects movements in three dimensions. Three and a half years later, the Wii has dominated the market, shattered sales records, and put its two main rivals, Microsoft and Sony, on the defensive. Both companies are responding with motion-based controllers... 

We had a very hotly contested matchup this week in our long-running Faceoff series , with Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE going up against Sony’s PlayStation Network for favorite online console gaming service. After an astounding 35,055 votes we’re ready to declare the winner… … and Xbox LIVE takes the win ! They’ll obviously get an achievement rather than a trophy for this victory. Just a day or so ago the polls were... 

It’s time once again to pit two contestants against each other in an all-out battle for the hearts and minds of Mashable readers. In this week’s Web Faceoff , we wanted to get a sense of which online console gaming service Mashable readers prefer: Microsoft’s Xbox LIVE, or Sony’s PlayStation Network? Last week we saw HTML5 take down Adobe Flash in our dynamic web faceoff…  Read More →

A few weeks ago, tensions between Adobe and Apple rose to all-time highs after Apple prominently left Flash off of the iPad . A lashing by Steve Jobs, calling Adobe lazy and Flash buggy didn’t help matters at all. The problem: Apple believes that Flash shouldn’t be part of the web’s future. Instead, the company believes that HTML5 is what will define the web and would love to see more developers adopt it instead of Flash. Now... 

Last week we asked you which is the best name for the Apple Tablet from among the top rumoured names so far: iSlate, iGuide, iPad, iTablet, or none of the above. The results are now in, and it turned out to be a very tight battle between two frontrunners. The final winner is iSlate , which at 31% eked out a narrow 15 vote margin over the next closest contestant, iPad, with 30% of the vote. In third place was actually “None of the above”... 

It’s been another exciting week here in our long-running Faceoff Series . We pitted three of the top “check-in” location-based mobile services against each other to find out which among them is the preferred choice for Mashable readers. The results are now in, and we’ve got ourselves a winner: Foursquare takes the title! With 47% of the vote, the service beat out check-in newcomer Yelp with 26% of the vote. Coming in...