BGR:

Impressive data points from Apple’s record-setting holiday quarter continue to trickle out, and new estimates suggest that the company accounted for a staggering share of mobile profits in the fourth quarter of 2011. Morgan Keegan analyst Tavis McCourt wrote in a research note on Tuesday that Apple took in approximately 50% of all mobile industry revenues last quarter. Even more impressive, the analyst says Apple’s high-margin iPhone lineup accounted for more than 80% of all mobile phone profits. Read on for more.

How can this be if Android is winning?

Matt Burns for TechCrunch:

Honeywell filed a multi-patent infringement lawsuit against Nest Labs and Best Buy yesterday. The suit alleges that Nest Labs is infringing on seven Honeywell patents. Honeywell is not seeking licensing fees. The consumer electronic conglomerate wants Nest Labs to cease using the technology and is actually looking to collect damages caused by the infringement. Damages? Bullshit. This is about killing the competition.

As we noted yesterday, Nest Labs is the maker of the learning thermostat, and it’s founded by Tony Fadell, who used to run Apple’s iPod division. Matt Burns offers a good explanation of Honeywell’s complaint against Nest. It’s infuriating that, given Honeywell’s patents, it hasn’t bothered to create as good a product as Nest’s.

Phil Goldstein:

A royalty fee of 2.25 percent would have cost Apple more than $1 billion in 2011 iPhone sales alone.

If you can’t make a decent product yourself, sue someone that does.

Engadget:

The NERF Lazer Tag system is getting an update for 2012 that lets you pair your blaster with an iPhone or iPod touch. The top of the plastic guns now sport a slot for your iDevice which, when loaded with the Lazer Tag app, provides you with an augmented HUD view.

This looks insanely fun. Look for the guns to come out this summer for $70 for a set of two, and click through to the article to see an image of the guns. (There’s an app screenshot, too, but it doesn’t show gameplay).

John Gruber:

Have you noticed that Safari’s hovering-over-a-link pointing-finger cursor looks a little different in Mac OS X 10.7.3? It’s not just that the finger is at a slightly different angle — it’s a new UI resource that scales gracefully to larger sizes.

He’s right, I hadn’t noticed.

New York Times:

But unlike other big-ticket corporations, it doesn’t have an inventory of widgets or gadgets, cars or phones. Facebook’s inventory consists of personal data — yours and mine.Facebook makes money by selling ad space to companies that want to reach us. Advertisers choose key words or details — like relationship status, location, activities, favorite books and employment — and then Facebook runs the ads for the targeted subset of its 845 million users.

It shouldn’t be news by now, but it’s worth reinforcing that when you use Facebook, Google Plus and other social networks, you are the product they’re selling to advertisers. Social networks have their place, but there’s an essential transaction happening that you need to be aware of: trading your privacy and your personal data to use the service. Forewarned is forearmed.

Ryan Cash interviewed me about The Loop and posted it today.

Shawn Blanc posted a good story on that question.

Wired’s Gadget Lab:

Since when has Best Buy, the nation’s most well-known electronics retailer, become a player in the Apple rumors game?We asked, and Best Buy answered: “The customer survey was a routine offer effectiveness survey conducted by one of Best Buy’s research partners. Any brand reference was hypothetical. The survey is no longer available,” Best Buy told us in a statement.

A Swarm of Nano Quadrotors

I, for one, welcome our new nano robotic overlords.

John Gruber responding to a misguided article by Lance Ulanoff:

Apple doesn’t need to pay for Super Bowl ads to get high-profile attention for major announcements.

Why is it that the PC-focused press continues to pretend they know Apple? Ulanoff’s comments show he doesn’t understand how Apple works and perhaps never will.

Apple doesn’t do what other companies do. They don’t have to.

Queen Elizabeth II

Queen Elizabeth II marked her Diamond Jubilee on Monday with a message thanking all those who had supported her over her 60-year reign and reaffirming her dedication to serving the British people.The 85-year-old monarch ascended the throne when her father, George VI, died on Feb. 6, 1952. She is the longest-serving monarch after Queen Victoria, who reigned for more than 63 years.

It’s remarkable to be in any job for that long let alone one with as much pressure as this one. Congratulations, Mum!

Neil Hughes:

By potentially partnering with carriers and cable operators, Apple could enter the market on a level playing field with everyone else for content. With access to a variety of content through existing providers, as well as the content already available on the iTunes Store, Misek believes that Apple could package everything with a “superior user interface and ecosystem” and beat out the competition.

There are a lot of variables to consider, but many have hoped that Apple could bring some type of subscription service to Apple TV.

BGR:

42-inch 1080 LED display; Runs iOS; App Store functionality; iCloud for access to all your music, TV shows, movies, photos, and videos; iPhone and iPad as a remote control with AirPlay to push content from your devices to the TV; Built-in FaceTime camera and microphone (we’d imagine Siri, as well); Netflix, YouTube, Flickr support; and $1,499 price.

I have a hard time buying this, unless Apple is a lot further along than we thought it was.

SlashGear:

The unconscious body of a 23-year-old sat slumped over at a Taiwanese Internet cafe for several hours before anyone noticed or said anything. The man was playing the online game League of Legends. When he passed out, there were as many as 30 other players surrounding him in the crowded space. It is unclear how long he had been at the cafe before his untimely death.

League of Legends kills! Be glad this one didn’t make it to the Mac after all, folks!

TechCrunch:

Conglomerate Honeywell, which develops thermostats, has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Nest Labs, the developer of the innovative smart thermostat. The lawsuit, which was filed United States District Court for the District of Minnesota, alleges infringement of seven Honeywell patents related to its thermostat technology.

Nest Labs makes the “learning thermostat.” You may remember them as the brainchild of Tony Fadell, who was formerly senior VP at Apple in charge of the iPod division.

Strange Flavour are back with a new spin on their hit slot car racing game SlotZ Racer!SlotZ Racer Caterham Special is a free special version of the game for fans of Caterham’s legendary sports cars. Compete in single races or in four Caterham championships in one of five versions of the Caterham Seven car, varying from the Caterham 7 Roadsport to the Caterham 7 R500 Superlight.

The Guardian:

Tweeting or checking emails may be harder to resist than cigarettes and alcohol, according to researchers who tried to measure how well people could resist their desires.They even claim that while sleep and sex may be stronger urges, people are more likely to give in to longings or cravings to use social and other media.

Priorities people.

More CSS goodness using Reveal.js.

Gamasutra:

Apple struck a blow against video game clones today by removing several offending apps from one rather prolific independent developer.Among the removed games are apps such as Plant vs. Zombie, Angry Ninja Birds, and Temple Jump, each of which (as you might guess from their titles) had more than a little in common with with major titles such as Plants vs. Zombies, Angry Birds, and Temple Run, respectively.

Obviously the problem is from more than one developer, but it’s good to see Apple starting to take a proactive approach to getting rid of these. Game clones aren’t just a problem among shifty indie developers trying to make a quick buck, though – Gameloft and other major publishers have been accused of the same. How Apple handles these situations will be a broader test of this policy.

Zen Table

Imagine a Japanese Zen Garden built into a beautifully-crafted, glass-topped table. The body of the table encapsulates electronics and robotics, that sculpt geometric patterns and images into a field of microscopic silicone beads beneath a glass top. The effect is mesmerizing and magical; it is truly Zen-like to watch ever-changing patterns and images appear in the sand.

Do not watch the video! It will hypnotize you and you’ll find yourself thinking, “Hey – $5,000 isn’t that much to pay for an sand table Etch-A-Sketch.”

Super Deli Bowl

Westword:

Holy Super Bowl! Someone in the football universe obviously takes his deli platter damn seriously, as evidenced by this snap, a dazzling stadium display of cold cuts, crudites, chips and cheese squares.

Some of the “stadiums” are insanely complex looking. Thanks to Lessien for the heads up via Twitter.

CBS Sports:

This is your regular beer-league hockey game and the small rink gets filled with a rabid fan base complete with body paint, thundersticks and banners. The looks on the players’ faces is priceless.

This video will touch the hearts of every beer league player out there. It’s a shame it will only be shown in Canada during the game.

CNET:

Apple’s A5 processor includes noise-reduction circuitry licensed from a start-up called Audience, and a chip analyst believes that fact resolves an iPhone 4S mystery and explains why the iPhone 4 lacks the Siri voice-control system.Audience revealed details of its Apple partnership in January, when it filed paperwork for an initial public offering (IPO) of stock. Teardown work from iFixit and Chipworks revealed a dedicated Audience chip in the iPhone 4, but the iPhone 4S integrates Audience’s “EarSmart” technology directly into the A5 processor, the company’s S-1 filing said.

The explanation make sense even as it disappoints those of us with the iPhone 4 who were hoping to get Siri retroactive on our phones.

iTunes:

Trouble is brewing in Westeros. For the inhabitants of this world, control of the Iron Throne holds the lure of great power. But in a land where seasons can last a lifetime, winter is coming…and beyond the Great Wall that protects them, a forgotten evil has returned.

If you are a fan of the “Game of Thrones” series, these free behind the scenes videos might tide you over until the show comes back to HBO in April.