Cupertino rakes in the cheddar
 
Forbes has released its annual ranking of the US’ biggest companies. Unlike most other IT companies on the list, Apple improved on its place in the ranking by jumping 15 places to claim the 56th spot in this years’ Fortune 500 list. According to Forbes Cupertino’s revenue rose 12.5% in 2009 to $36.537 billion ($5.704 billion of which was profit). Some other tech companies weren't that lucky - HP slipped one place in the ranking from 9th to 10th spot, Microsoft dropped from 35 to 36, while Dell staggered to 38th position down from 33rd.
 In related news, Apple has sold almost 1.4 million Mac computers in the US during Q1 of 2010, which is a 34% year-on-year improvement, giving Cupertino 8% market share in the States.

And you thought Joseph had a swanky coat
 
Ping, a new “social networking garment” by American designer Jennifer Darmour, connects wirelessly to your Facebook account. It also employs body movements in order to perform various actions on the popular social networking site. According to CNET this concept hoodie will poke one of your friends on Facebook when you take the hood off, it’ll accept a friend request when you tie the waist bow and it’ll alert you to new notifications by vibrating on a section on your shoulder. It almost sounds like a good April Fools joke. 
 
MeeGo goes everywhere
 
Intel showed off Version 1.0 of the MeeGo OS, running it on a netbook, a TV, a mobile phone and a kiosk during the Intel Development Forum (IDF) in Beijing.  The new Linux-based software platform, created in conjunction with Nokia, will support a range of devices, including pocket PCs, netbooks, tablet PCs, smartphones, as well as in-vehicle internet connected systems. Version 1.0 will be released in May, while version 1.1 will be coming out in October, featuring support for Silverlight and Java.  
 
Toshiba pimps out vehicle storage
 
Toshiba has announced two new 2.5" internal hard-drives that were designed to be used in infotainment applications, the likes of those used in vehicles, which they claim is the “industry’s highest capacity HDD available for automotive applications.” According to TechSpot the 100 GB MK1060GSC and 200 GB MK2060GSC, operate at a spinning speed of 4 200 RPM and is so tough that it’ll work in temperatures ranging from -30 and 85 degrees Celsius. The new hard-drives will be shipping in August, but they’ll reportedly be limited to OEMs.

Updated Sports Tracker app for Nokia phones

Sports Tracking Technologies Ltd has updated the popular Sports Tracker app for Nokia phones. The latest update includes more functionality as well as making the app compatible with the latest touch-screen smartphones from the Finnish manufacturer, such as the Nokia X6. The Sports Tracker app is available as a free download (0.60 MB) from the Ovi Store. You’ll still get access to info such as the amount of calories you’ve burned while running, your average cycling speed over altitude, a map of your running or cycling route, time and distance calculators and step count, but now you’ll also be able to pair a heart rate monitoring device with this application. All your training info is stored in a diary, so you'll be able to follow your progress.

Pic: electricfoxy