Google plans to demo its Chrome OS software platform during a private gathering at the company's headquarters on Thursday. The highly-anticipated platform -- "created for people who spend most of their time on the Web" -- had been rumored last week to be available for download this week. What can we expect? "Driver support will likely be a weak point speculated TechCrunch. "We've heard at various times that Google has a legion of engineers working on the not so glamorous task of building hardware drivers ... And we've also heard conflicting rumors that Google is mostly relying on …

Gartner has identified the top 10 consumer mobile applications, but not for this year or next. No, it's recommending mobile apps for 2012 based on their likely impact on consumers and industry players, considering revenue, loyalty, business model, consumer value and estimated market penetration. They include services related to money transfers; determining geographical location; mobile search; mobile browsing; mobile health monitoring; mobile payment; mobile instant messaging; mobile advertising; mobile music; and something called "near field communication," which allows "contactless" data transfer -- like, say, personal contact information -- between compatible devices by placing them close to each other.

Affinion, Vertrue, Webloyalty, and their e-commerce partners have engaged in aggressive and misleading online sales tactics resulting in more than $1.4 billion in revenue, the Senate Commerce Committee is reporting. According to the report, with the cooperation of their online partners, the three companies make sales offers -- usually promising cash-back awards -- during the post-transaction phase of an online purchase when consumers have made a purchase but before they have completed the sale confirmation process. Misleading directions, the reports finds, cause consumers to reasonably think they are completing the original transaction, rather than entering into a new, …

Citing unnamed sources, TechCrunch says it can "absolutely" confirm that Google is building its own branded phone, which it plans to sell directly and through retailers. The software giant was long planning to have the phone ready for the holidays, but it has now slipped to early 2010, according to TechCrunch. The phone will be produced by a major phone manufacturer, but will only have Google branding. What's more, there won't be any negotiation or compromise over the phone's design of features, as "Google is dictating every last piece of it." No splintering of the Android OS that …

Nobody puts Hulu a corner, or so it would appear. Originally envisioned as a hub for long-form premium video content, the joint venture between NBC, Fox, and -- more recently -- ABC, is getting into the music biz. For starters, it's announced a partnership with EMI -- the smallest of the four top music labels -- and giving artist Norah Jones her own dedicated "channel," which will feature her music videos along with various concert and interview footage. While the Times' Bits blog describes the deal as "somewhat limited" -- "which is …

While iPhone apps remains a popular pastime for many developers, Apple continues to alienate a greater share of the broader developer community. One reason? Apple's control over the App Store "seems arbitrary at times," according to Ars Technica. As a result, Facebook's Joe Hewitt, Second Gear's Justin Williams, and long-time Mac software developer Rogue Amoeba have all recently washed their hands of the iPhone app game, which, according to sources, "could spell a troubling future for the App Store." True, it has over 100,000 applications, but how many of them are created with the kind of care and …

In October, Microsoft's search engine Bing continued to slowly but steadily gain market share, according to comScore. During the month, Bing represented 9.9% of the market, up from 9.4% in September. That was up from 8.4% in June -- an 18% improvement. Yahoo got slammed, losing almost a full percentage point of the market, to 18.0%, down from 18.8% in September. Google, meanwhile, gained a bit of share, to 65.4% in October, up from 64.9% in September. Total search volume increased 13.2% in October, below 17.3% growth in September. The combined Microsoft-Yahoo share slipped again in the month. As The …

Thought video games were already attention-consuming? Facebook and Twitter integration with Microsoft's Xbox 360 is expected to take effect today. While Twitter comes across full-featured and straightforward enough, Facebook's been tailored to take advantage of the Xbox 360's dashboard, according to PC World. Functions like photo-viewing, friends lists, and status updates get slotted into discrete panels, allowing users to browse options like sorting through a deck of cards. Drill on one and it spreads additional menu options across a series of laterally selectable panels. Videos, casual games, and other Facebook apps are not included at the moment. Also, …

Boy Genius Report has gotten a hold of some "unconfirmed" but very "intriguing" proprietary, top-secret Apple news. No, no tablet specs -- Apple's yearly Black Friday deals. We're talking up to 30% off all iPods; up to 25% off all Macs; up to 15% off all accessories, Apple software and Apple hardware. It's reported to be something Apple will email out shortly, BGR is reporting. The deal is only good for the day of November 27th and if that's not good enough, "select" Apple stores will open at 6 a.m. We wouldn't be surprised if, knowing full well …

Verizon Wireless has responded to a lawsuit filed by AT&T earlier this month accusing Verizon's "There's a map for that" marketing campaign of misleading consumers about AT&T's 3G coverage in the United States. According to Verizon, AT&T's request to have the ads pulled is totally without merit. "AT&T did not file this lawsuit because Verizon's 'There's A Map For That' advertisements are untrue," reads the court filing. "AT&T sued because Verizon's ads are true and the truth hurts ... AT&T now is attempting to silence Verizon's ads that include maps graphically depicting the geographic reach of AT&T's 3G network as …