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Thursday, June 23 To join an email list before 1986, users had to wait for someone to painstakingly adjust the code to include them.

Do you ever wonder how all those products end up on the shelves of your favorite retailer? Here are some case studies of small businesses who cracked the code.

The Fast Company reader's essential rundown of who's breaking into and shaking up your tech space--updated all day. Google Takes On Skype With Chrome Addition Google wants to add open-source video and telephony technology to the Chrome browser, meaning that anyone could use the code to integrate free (or reduced) calling into a browser interface. So far, Google's previous attempt at VoIP inside Gmail, Google Voice , hasn't dethroned Skype, its closest competitor

Use Google Goggles to scan bands and art (not clunky codes) to download free stuff in the new HTC Sensation 4G ads, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between Deutsch L.A. and Google

"I'm smack in the middle of all of this, and it's hard to imagine legislation right now that we would know how to implement, or know what to do with," says Mitchell Baker, chairwoman of the Mozilla Foundation.

Apple's World Wide Developer's Conference kicks off on Monday, with Steve Jobs giving the keynote address.

The close integration between hardware and software has become an iconic Apple trick.

Microsoft just revealed its Windows Phone 7.1, a hotly anticipated update to its smartphone OS that boasts more than 500 new features. But it's not due on new phones until the fall--perfectly timed to coincide with the next iPhone arrival.

It looks like the iPhone 5 won't be out until later this year...but there is plenty to talk about already. Here's our summary of the hottest hints on Apple's next big trendsetting device. The iPhone--love it or hate it--has played a huge role in redefining the entire smartphone genre.

An Apple patent gives us some clues about the cloud-based iTunes we're all expecting any moment now--namely, how it'll make streaming content a seamless experience.

Though the iPhone 5's arrival is still far away, leaks are getting out about a possible November 21 launch date, a hardware change that'll render your current case unusable, the screen size, and NFC. We've heard a few rumors before about the iPhone 5, most notably that its launch has been delayed well beyond a typical June/July release timeframe

1. Just as Sony confirms it's about to put parts of the PSN back online finally, a hacker group has said it's poised to launch a third wave of digital assault on Sony's online presence as punishment for its weak security. Sony's making moves to offer free ID and hack protection to US users affected by the previous breaches, but a third wave of attacks would be very bad news for Sony--which has already spent plenty of money fixing the earlier ones.

With the rise of GPS-enabled touchscreen phones like the iPhone, you'd think that the future for stand-alone GPS makers looks bleak. Except that these companies are being surprisingly agile, and are embracing smartphones to make the best GPS navigators ever.

By now we're grudgingly accustomed to those Captcha code boxes popping up online to verify we're humans and not bots.

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