Sony is planning to close its optical drive division Optiarc, Japan's Asahi Shimbun reports.

Optiarc, which holds a 10-15 percent share of the optical drive market, incurred huge losses to Sony in 2011, and Sony will reportedly shut it down by March.

Sony Optiarc was founded in 2006 as a joint venture between Sony and NEC, with Sony buying NEC's 45% share in 2008.

The move is a part of Sony's global restructuring effort, in which the company plans to cut some 10,000 jobs. Just last week, Sony announced it would cut 1,000 jobs in an effort to revamp its mobile division.

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Clark Kent is hanging up his online dating profile because it's official: Superman and Wonder Woman are now the ultimate power couple.

DC Comics left fans hanging with an image on the cover of Justice League issue #12 that shows the Man of Steel wrapped in an embrace with Wonder Woman -- their lips, oh so close. The photo shows an unstoppable kiss that Faith Hill would be proud of.

In case you were wondering, Superman's kryptonic personality wasn't the only thing that drew Wonder Woman to the now Lois Lane-free superhero.

DC Comics has teamed up with Match.com to bring you the retired dating profiles of these two superheroes, who seem to have very unique backgrounds and interes…
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More About: Superheroes, online dating

Apple's victory in its legal battle over patent infringement with Samsung emerged as the top story this weekend, with news of former astronaut Neil Armstrong's death also making headlines. Mashable brought you those stories, as well as other tech and social media news while you were out of the office.

Our team monitored all the breaking stories and more, so don't worry if you missed a few. Check out all the latest coverage in our Weekend Recap below.

Editor's Picks

Apple vs. Samsung Verdict Is In: Apple Wins

Apple Awarded $1 Billion in Damages in Samsung Trial

Neil Armstrong, First Man on the Moon, Dead at 82

'iPad Mini' Coming in October, Following a Sept…
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More About: mashable weekend recap, weekend recap

For many of us, Facebook is one of the few places our pictures are stored and shared. Sure, we have digital photos in various folders on our computers, but chances are, they haven't yet been organized into albums.

SocialPics, a new app from Snapfish by HP, wants to help you do just that. It connects with Facebook to scan your Timeline, and creates a physical 20-page book of your most popular photos, comments and status updates.

For the uninitiated, Snapfish is a photo-sharing site that lets users upload, store, share their digital pictures, as well as organize them into virtual albums and keepsake photobooks.

With SocialPics, Snapfish is helping users bring their Facebook photo…
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More About: facebook photos, scrapbooks

On Friday, the court has decided: Samsung must pay Apple $1.049 billion in damages for infringing on its patents.

While the decision obviously affects both companies, which have given their statements to the press immediately, a third player is affected as well -- Google, the company that makes the Android operating system which powers Samsung's Galaxy smartphones.

Now, The Verge has gotten a statement from Google regarding the verdict. In it, Google says most of the patent claims from the verdict don't relate to the "core Android" OS.

Google doesn't openly take sides, but it does say that all players in the industry use ideas that have been around "for decades."

"The co…
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More About: Google, apple, samsung

1. LifeProof Bike & Bar Mount for iPhone 4/4S

Suitable for bikes and motorbikes, the LifeProof mount can be positioned in landscape or portrait position and offers a quick-release locking mechanism you can operate with one hand. Cost: $39.99

Click here to view this gallery.

Are you an iPhone owner? Do you travel on two wheels? A bike mount for your mobile might be just what you need. We have found eight excellent products to contend for space on your handlebars.

SEE ALSO: 8 E-Reader Cases You Can Take to the Beach

Take a look through our selection in the gallery above. Let us know in the comments below about any other essential tech-related biking gear you can recommend.

More About: Sports, accessories, cycling, features, health and fitness, iphone, trending

Dropbox has begun to add a two-step verification for all its accounts, the file-hosting service announced on its forums.

The process, which is optional but recommended by Dropbox, "adds an extra layer of protection" to accounts by requiring users to submit a six-digit security code in addition to their passwords whenever they sign in, or link a new computer, phone or tablet, the company says.

The security code is sent to users' phones via text message, or generated using a mobile authenticator app.

Dropbox first unveiled the new feature to its forum users, asking them to report their experiences.

The announcement comes just after Dropbox found that usernames and passwords sto…
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More About: Dropbox, cloud storage, file hosting, passwords, trending, usernames

Some people need all the latest apps and features available on their smartphone so they can be connected 24/7, while others just want to make a phone call. For the connected crowd, read all the latest reviews on Mashable. For the others, check out the OwnFone.

It's designed to call only the people you want to reach most frequently. In fact, it can only hold 12 contacts. There are no keys or buttons to program. Instead you let OwnFone know who you want to add, and they program and send you a custom-printed phone, about the size of a credit card.

If you lose it, they just print you a new one. You do need to call OwnFone support if you need to chang…
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More About: customization, mobile phones, trending

Zombie Peeps

Image courtesy of babelglyph

Click here to view this gallery.

Brains may sound delicious to zombies, but for the living, noshing on gray matter probably doesn't trigger any mouth watering. Instead of creating an entire gallery of brainwurst, brain stew and fried brain on a stick, we found ten foods made to look delectably undead.

SEE ALSO: Zombie Disney Princesses Seek Prince Charming — and Brains

Grab an axe and corpse repellent, and flip through the images above.

Warning: May cause brain cravings.

More About: Food, Watercooler, trending, zombies

NASA is aiming to launch a line of small satellites called "PhoneSats" that are cheaper to make and easier to build than those it has produced in the past. To achieve this, engineers are using unmodified Android smartphones -- in one prototype, HTC's Nexus One, and in another, Samsung's Nexus S -- to perform many of a satellite's key functions.

As NASA explains on its website, these off-the-shelf smartphones "offer a wealth of capabilities needed for satellite systems, including fast processors, versatile operating systems, multiple miniature sensors, high-resolution cameras, GPS receivers and several radios."

"This approach allows engineers…
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More About: NASA, android, satellite, trending

1. Golf Cart Fail

This runaway vehicle wreaked minor on-field havoc following a high school football championship in Texas last December. But a heroic bystander hopped aboard and put on the brakes.

No casualties occurred, and the clip immediately became Internet legend.

Click here to view this gallery.

When done right, sports represent the pinnacle of human grace, strength and coordination. Other times, not so much.

For every amazing goal, dunk or home run, there's a shot to the nuts, botched play or a moment of ineptitude. But sometimes -- just sometimes -- the most fantastic fails win out for their LOLs alone.

Thankfully, many of the funniest sports fails are immortalized on YouTube for infinite watching, re-watching and sharing around the social web.

We culled YouTube to pick 25 of our favorites. We've got basketball, soccer, football, hockey, golf, boogie boarding, weightlifting, diving and track and field all represented. The lesson? Funny fails come in all forms.

SEE …
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More About: Entertainment, Sports, Video, Watercooler, YouTube, fail, features, trending

In early August, The New York Times Co. was on the edge of selling About.com to Answers.com for $270 million. Now, the property is going to Barry Diller's Internet media conglomerate InterActiveCorp (IAC) for $300 million in cash, the New York Times announced Sunday evening.

Citing unnamed sources, both AllThingsD and the Times reported ahead of the announcement that IAC made a "surprise bid" last week, after news broke that the NYT Co. was planning to sell About.com to Answers.com.

The About Group was largely responsible for revenue declines at The Times Company last quarter. The company reported an operating loss of $143.6 million that quarter, after taking a $194.7 million non-c…
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More About: Barry Diller, about.com, answers.com, iac, new york times company, trending

On Sept. 2, the Reconnect Project challenges you to turn off your Internet-connected devices and go out and participate in the real world.

This mission is to see what people can do creatively when they disconnect from the world wide web, and create original content. Whether alone or with friends, the project encourages you to go outside, take photographs (without instinctively uploading them to Instagram), paint, or create a flash mob, among other activities.

Those who participate are asked to log on again Sept. 3, and upload images and files of the creative things they did offline for others to see on the Reconnect Project's Facebook page.
SEE ALSO:  How to: Survive Disconnect…
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More About: Online blackout, Reconnect Project, Turn off internet, reconnect, trending

The traditional ecommerce experience normally entails searching on Google or Amazon for the product you want, and then scanning for the cheapest deal. Or maybe it means visiting a retailer's website and trolling through 575 pairs of shoes to find something that suits your style. But rarely does buying online feel like the enjoyable real-world experience of "going shopping."

By contrast, meeting up at the mall or wandering a busy shopping district with a friend is an inherently social experience. You never know what cool stuff you'll stumble across, and those moments are what make going shopping so much fun. These fun aspects are actually transferable to the online world. Here…
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More About: contributor, ecommerce, features, online marketing, online shopping, trending

It's Sunday, and you're due for your weekly dose of viral videos. What a lively bunch we have for you this week!

More About: Viral Video Recap, Watercooler, trending, viral videos

HipType studied the DNA of a successful book as well as the reading habits of men and women, and found some surprises.

More About: ebooks, infographics, trending

You can't control when someone is going to call you back, or if the person liked you, or what the economy is going to do, but you can control your attitude and how you conduct yourself throughout the process.

More About: features, job search series, mashable, trending

The comedy duo behind Flight of the Conchords, Bret McKenzie and Jemaine Clement, have released a new single on iTunes to help raise money for children suffering from a life-threatening illness. The song was part of a Cure Kids' Red Nose Day comedy event that took place on August 24 in New Zealand.

The song, "Feel Inside (And Stuff Like That)" draws on McKenzie's and Clement's inspiration after sitting down with a group of quick-witted rhyming children, including some from the Clyde Quay School in their hometown, Wellington.

Printz Boar, writer and producer for the Black Eyed Peas, and hip-hop and reggae artist Che Fu's six-year-old son also helped out with the collaboration. Accor…
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More About: Charlity, Flight of the Conchords

This week on Top 10 Tech we bring you exquisite speakers, high-tech sneakers and conveyor-belt creepers, all of them flaunting the latest technology that just might make your jaw drop.

More About: Audyssey, Top 10 Tech, logitech, shuttle, steampunk, trending, watch

Have you ever scrolled through your partner's text messages or emails? Maybe listened into their voicemails? You're not alone. More that a third of Americans who took part in a survey conducted by an online dating site said suspicious behavior warrants electronic snooping.

More women than men said it was ok to spy; in fact 37% said spying on a significant other is acceptable if 'bad behavior' is suspected. Only 29% of males agreed with that statement.

Interestingly, age comes into play here. Thirty-six percent of adults aged 18 to 34 approve of electronic snooping, while only 26% of adults over the age of 55 do.

The survey of over 2,000 adults conducted for OurTime.com reve…
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More About: online dating, snooping, spying, trending

Readers share their opinions on the Apple-Samsung patent case trial, Lance Armstrong and Barack Obama's fake Twitter followers.

More About: Twitter, apple, barack obama, community, lance armstrong, samsung, top comments

Not getting enough Facebook love? You're not alone, and Nitrozac and Ziggy of The Joy of Tech are here to help, putting things into perspective for us.

More About: Facebook, Sunday Comics, The Joy of Tech, comics

November 20, 1956: Portrait of Armstrong while a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

Image courtesy of NASA

Click here to view this gallery.

We look back at Armstrong's life, his early days at NASA, his moonwalk and his later years as a man who still just loved the space program.

More About: NASA, Watercooler, space, trending

Political party conventions are loud, crowded, intense, and emotional. They're also lightning rods for unforgettable moments that make or break political careers. In other words, they're perfect enviroments for one intrepid Mashable reporter.

That's why we're sending someone (yours truly) for the first time in Mashable's history to cover not one, but both conventions. We've been ramping up our politics coverage throughout 2012, but the conventions mark the point when we shift into overdrive and cover the 2012 presidential election full-on.

So, dear Mashable readers, what can you expect from our coverage, starting with the Republican National Convention in Tampa, Florida? That sta…
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More About: 2012 presidential campaign, Politics, US, lifestreaming, republican national convention

From the ultimate customizable DIY iPhone case to a massive homemade Oreo, these are the 10 Pinterest pins you won't want to miss.

More About: pinterest, top 10 pinterest pins, trending

Consider two scenarios: A truck driver who is stuck on a dangerous road between Kansas and Wyoming and can't get in touch with dispatch posts a help message on Facebook and is promptly fired; meanwhile, an EMT calls her boss a "dick" on the social network and is protected by law against retaliation.

Sound fair? Maybe not, but it's legal.

The legislation that decides what employees can and cannot post about employers online has an interesting past. Turns out that a piece of 75-year-old New Deal legislation plays a pivotal role. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) was established in 1935 to protect employees who engage in "concerted" (read: collective) activities toward t…
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More About: Facebook, features, mashable, trending