Microsoft went through a blogger’s private Hotmail account in order to trace the identity of a source who allegedly leaked trade secrets.

A March 17 court filing by federal prosecutors reveals that Microsoft’s Office of Legal Compliance approved the decision after confirming that the leaked data in question included proprietary Microsoft code.

Wow.

I usually don’t link to concepts, but these ones for the Apple TV and remotes that go along with it are pretty good.

This is really cool. I wish they had some for hockey, I’d get one for the Boston Bruins.

I can’t say I disagree. Tim has done a tremendous job running Apple in the last few years.

I met Pat a number of times during my 10 years working at Macworld. He built an empire with IDG and will be missed.

This is so true. It drives people crazy.

This is a nice app, I like it.

Pixelmator is one of the apps that I use every day and have for years. It’s very powerful, but yet approachable, allowing new users to instantly manipulate their images. There is no better image editor.

Jim Dalrymple and Dan Benjamin talk about Jim’s visit to Austin for SXSW and his interviews at the iTunes Music Festival, buying and listening to albums vs. songs, the new iPads, the 8GB iPhone 5c, Steve Jobs and Apple making televisions, iOS 7.1, CarPlay availability, and more.

Many thanks to Listastic for sponsoring The Loop’s RSS feed this week. Listastic for iOS is hands down the easiest way to create, manage and share lists of any kind!

Striking the right balance between function and simplicity, Listastic makes it a breeze to prioritize and collaborate on important ideas or tasks without the typical complexity.

Easily share a grocery list with your significant other, tasks with a team of colleagues or even gift ideas with friends & family.

Now available for iPad & iPhone, Listastic is free to download, and only $1.99 to ditch the ads and enable some great additional features!

A big thanks to readers of the Loop for checking out Listastic, available now on the App Store!.

A new update for The Loop Magazine was released today with the following changes:

• Up to 4x faster downloads!
• Push Notifications and Background Updates – major bug fixes and improvements.
• “First launch” setup improved.
• More responsive “Manage Storage” menu.
• Other minor bug fixes.

It’s a great update and can be downloaded free on the App Store.

Ouch, it erased everything that was on it. You know LeBron, there are Apple stores everywhere—time to upgrade from the junk.

I had a chance to speak with Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President for Internet Software and Services, about iTunes Festival last night.

I must admit, I didn’t know what to expect when I sat down to speak with Imagine dragons. Here’s a band that has taken the world by storm in the last year or so and have every right to be riding high on that wave. What I found was a group of humble musicians that are truly thankful for everything they have.

Listastic for iOS is hands down the easiest way to create, manage and share lists of any kind!

Striking the right balance between function and simplicity, Listastic makes it a breeze to prioritize and collaborate on important ideas or tasks without the typical complexity.

Easily share a grocery list with your significant other, tasks with a team of colleagues or even gift ideas with friends & family.

Now available for iPad & iPhone, Listastic is free to download, and only $1.99 to ditch the ads and enable some great additional features!

A big thanks to readers of the Loop for checking out Listastic, available now on the App Store!.

Google executive Sundar Pichai told the South by Southwest conference Sunday that the company plans to release in two weeks a software development kit based on Android for makers of wearable devices, such as smartwatches.

I wonder what the tagline will be for this? “Viruses on your wrist” or “Android: Fucking up every part of your life.”

I would like to have seen Assange. On another note, Skype sucks balls.

Instagram has inked its first major ad deal with an agency, and it’s big.

The photo- and video-sharing site is rolling out a paid advertising program with a year-long commitment from Omnicom to spend up to $100 million, according to people familiar with the matter.

You knew it was coming. If you didn’t, you should have.

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Many thanks to CocoaConf for sponsoring this week’s RSS feed on The Loop. What do you get when you take some of the best Apple dev authors, trainers, and speakers and combine them with the most passionate, engaged developers in a region? You get a learning and networking experience that will not soon be forgotten! You get CocoaConf!

CocoaConf is back this Spring and better than ever! We’ll be bringing the newest and best iOS and Mac developer technology training to five U.S. cities over the next few months:

Since readers of The Loop are just the kind of attendees we’re looking for, we’re offering you a special discount. Register for any CocoaConf event and use the promotional code LOOP to save 20% on your ticket!

Don’t miss out on this exciting opportunity—tickets are going fast!

He’s just an odd fellow.

An easy to use new “Remote Administration Tool” malware package for Android offers to infect users, steal their photos and text messages, secretly capture audio or video, record their calls, download their web browser history and steal their email, Facebook and VPN account information.

I’m shocked.

Not skipping a beat, Chen was quick to throw a few jabs in Apple’s direction, answering that iPhone users are constantly searching for power outlets because battery life on the iPhone can’t even last a full day.

“I call you guys wall huggers”, Chen remarked in jest.

You make shit and can barely give your devices away.

This is great.

This is funny as hell.

There are some interesting designs here, but more than anything I think this shows how companies are recognizing the importance of packaging. Apple led the way with this a decade or more ago.

Atlee Clark talking about the affect hosting the Olympic Games had on Canada:

However, there are less obvious but equally powerful outcomes from hosting the games. The 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver had a deep impact on the Canadian psyche, creating a brazen, publicly demonstrated drive to win. That ambition rippled into the entrepreneurial community and has influenced much of the current crop of business leaders who are dedicated to keeping Canada on the proverbial podium.

So sorry.

Mercedes told us its “goal is to offer an after market solution by the end of the year.”

Great news.

You have to watch it now.

It’s no surprise that some organizations are raising safety concerns about Apple’s forthcoming CarPlay technology, but the ship has already sailed on their main concern: distracted drivers. The fact is, CarPlay will help alleviate many of the biggest distractions in cars today.