Google and Facebook in White House web privacy sights
Google and Facebook in White House web privacy sights
The White House has called on internet firms to develop stronger privacy protections for consumers.The move comes amid worries that browsing information is being tracked and given to advertisers.
State attorneys in 36 states recently sent a letter of concern over Google's plan to share personal information across its products.As part of the announcement, the firms' ad networks said they would support a "Do Not Track" browser option.
The US has advocated since 2010 for "Do Not Track", a one-click option to prevent information gathered while web browsing being shared with third parties.
The White House has called on internet firms to develop stronger privacy protections for consumers.The move comes amid worries that browsing information is being tracked and given to advertisers.
State attorneys in 36 states recently sent a letter of concern over Google's plan to share personal information across its products.As part of the announcement, the firms' ad networks said they would support a "Do Not Track" browser option.
The US has advocated since 2010 for "Do Not Track", a one-click option to prevent information gathered while web browsing being shared with third parties.
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T-Mobile's comeback plan
T-Mobile's comeback plan Is it enough
T-Mobile plans to invest $4 billion to upgrade its network and roll out 4G LTE, and its CEO will focus on improving the brand and customer satisfaction. But deep challenges remain.
T-Mobile USA faces a daunting uphill climb as it looks to turn itself around.
The nation's fourth-largest wireless provider, two months removed from a failed attempt to merge with AT&T, today laid out its comeback plan, which includes improving its existing network and deploying 4G LTE by 2013. Parent Deutsche Telekom has committed to investing $4 billion in the business, and signaled a willingness to explore other options, which could include an initialpublic offering or the sale of assets.
That T-Mobile is investing in its network and getting serious again about winning back customers is positive for a business that remained stagnant last year amid a loomingtakeover. But its challenges are legion. The carrier's fourth-quarter results saw the carrier take another step back, which CEO Philipp Humm blamed on the introduction of the iPhone 4S. Some also question the company's ability to remain competitive given its relatively weak spectrum position and investment.
T-Mobile plans to invest $4 billion to upgrade its network and roll out 4G LTE, and its CEO will focus on improving the brand and customer satisfaction. But deep challenges remain.
The nation's fourth-largest wireless provider, two months removed from a failed attempt to merge with AT&T, today laid out its comeback plan, which includes improving its existing network and deploying 4G LTE by 2013. Parent Deutsche Telekom has committed to investing $4 billion in the business, and signaled a willingness to explore other options, which could include an initialpublic offering or the sale of assets.
That T-Mobile is investing in its network and getting serious again about winning back customers is positive for a business that remained stagnant last year amid a loomingtakeover. But its challenges are legion. The carrier's fourth-quarter results saw the carrier take another step back, which CEO Philipp Humm blamed on the introduction of the iPhone 4S. Some also question the company's ability to remain competitive given its relatively weak spectrum position and investment.
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Apple iPad sale ban case suspended for now in Shanghai
Apple iPad sale ban case suspended for now in Shanghai
Apple can for now continue to sell the iPad tablet in Shanghai after a court ruling over naming rights was suspended on Thursday.Chinese firm Proview had called for the courts to prevent Apple - who it accuses of infringing its trademark - from selling the device in the city.
A local court agreed to Apple's request to suspend the decision until a bigger case is heard later this month.
Apple insists it acquired worldwide rights for the iPad name in 2009.
Proview had requested that the court impose a provisional injunction to take the iPad off Shanghai's shelves - which would have included three of Apple's own stores.
Proview claims the rights to the iPad name in the Chinese market after registering it back in 2000 - years before Apple released its tablet computer.
Apple can for now continue to sell the iPad tablet in Shanghai after a court ruling over naming rights was suspended on Thursday.Chinese firm Proview had called for the courts to prevent Apple - who it accuses of infringing its trademark - from selling the device in the city.
A local court agreed to Apple's request to suspend the decision until a bigger case is heard later this month.
Apple insists it acquired worldwide rights for the iPad name in 2009.
Proview had requested that the court impose a provisional injunction to take the iPad off Shanghai's shelves - which would have included three of Apple's own stores.
Proview claims the rights to the iPad name in the Chinese market after registering it back in 2000 - years before Apple released its tablet computer.
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Heinrich Rudolf Hertz's birthday marked with Google doodle wave
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz's birthday marked with Google doodle wave
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz has been honoured with a Google doodle marking the 155th anniversary of his birth.
The search engine’s logo on its home page has been replaced with a moving image of waves on a graph, in recognition of the German physicist’s pioneering work on electromagnetic waves.
The waves depicted in the Google doodle are in Google's trademark colours – red, blue, yellow and green.
Hertz’s experiments made him the first person to conclusively prove the existence of electromagnetic waves, which later led to the development of the wireless telegraph, radio and eventually television.
Heinrich Rudolf Hertz has been honoured with a Google doodle marking the 155th anniversary of his birth.
The search engine’s logo on its home page has been replaced with a moving image of waves on a graph, in recognition of the German physicist’s pioneering work on electromagnetic waves.
The waves depicted in the Google doodle are in Google's trademark colours – red, blue, yellow and green.
Hertz’s experiments made him the first person to conclusively prove the existence of electromagnetic waves, which later led to the development of the wireless telegraph, radio and eventually television.
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Ubuntu Plans to Turn a Smartphone into a Full-Sized PC
Ubuntu Plans to Turn a Smartphone into a Full-Sized PC
Smartphones are already more powerful than laptops were a few years ago. But they are limited by the size of their screens and lack of a really a really usable keyboard.
There are already a few attempts to marry a handset with a laptop, such as the Motorola Atrix 2. But London-based Canonical is going a step further with Ubuntu Linux for Android, which it says will provide a full desktop operating system when a smartphone is plugged into a keyboard and screen, as PC Magazine reports.
In this mode, Ubuntu works exactly as it does on a regular PC, with the same Unity UI and access to certified applications including Chrome and Firefox—except that your phone is now standing in for a bulky CPU tower. Otherwise, Ubuntu for Android stays invisible; when you’re out and about, your phone works just like a normal Android phone. Canonical says that all data and services stay consistent between the Ubuntu and Android environments, including contacts, SMS, and voice calls.
Smartphones are already more powerful than laptops were a few years ago. But they are limited by the size of their screens and lack of a really a really usable keyboard.
In this mode, Ubuntu works exactly as it does on a regular PC, with the same Unity UI and access to certified applications including Chrome and Firefox—except that your phone is now standing in for a bulky CPU tower. Otherwise, Ubuntu for Android stays invisible; when you’re out and about, your phone works just like a normal Android phone. Canonical says that all data and services stay consistent between the Ubuntu and Android environments, including contacts, SMS, and voice calls.
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Apple CEO Tim Cook gears up for shareholders' meet
Apple CEO Tim Cook gears up for shareholders' meet
SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook is in an enviable position - market leading products, a $98 billion warchest and a seemingly gravity-defying stock price.
But as he gears up for the annual face-to-face meeting with shareholders, a few issues may be causing him angst. Chief among them are in China, where poor labor conditions are in the spotlight and Apple's iPad trademark is under attack.
The meeting this Thursday comes days after Apple touched a new lifetime high of $526.29 before receding slightly. The stock may get a boost next month, when Apple is expected to unveil a new version of its best-selling iPad.
Apple shares have seen a blistering rally in the past seven weeks, gaining $100 and making Apple the most valuable US company, with $468 billion in market capitalization.
SAN FRANCISCO: Apple Inc Chief Executive Tim Cook is in an enviable position - market leading products, a $98 billion warchest and a seemingly gravity-defying stock price.
The meeting this Thursday comes days after Apple touched a new lifetime high of $526.29 before receding slightly. The stock may get a boost next month, when Apple is expected to unveil a new version of its best-selling iPad.
Apple shares have seen a blistering rally in the past seven weeks, gaining $100 and making Apple the most valuable US company, with $468 billion in market capitalization.
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Apple demands US and uk ban on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus
Apple demands US and uk ban on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus
Apple is seeking a US ban on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, the flagship phone for the newest iteration of Google's Android smartphone OS, in the latest battle of the ongoing patent wars.
The fruity firm filed in California, saying that "a preliminary injunction regarding Samsung's new Galaxy Nexus, which infringes multiple key Apple patents, is essential to prevent immediate and irreparable harm to Apple".
"Absent preliminary relief, by the time Apple prevails in this case – and Samsung's infringement is so clear there can be no serious dispute that Apple will prevail – Samsung will have rushed the Galaxy Nexus, which misappropriates many patented features from the iPhone, to capture market share from Apple that Samsung will be able to retain long into the future," Apple claimed somewhat shrilly.
"Even worse ... the full harm to Apple cannot be calculated, making it impossible for Apple to be compensated by money damages."
Apple is seeking a US ban on Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, the flagship phone for the newest iteration of Google's Android smartphone OS, in the latest battle of the ongoing patent wars.
The fruity firm filed in California, saying that "a preliminary injunction regarding Samsung's new Galaxy Nexus, which infringes multiple key Apple patents, is essential to prevent immediate and irreparable harm to Apple".
"Absent preliminary relief, by the time Apple prevails in this case – and Samsung's infringement is so clear there can be no serious dispute that Apple will prevail – Samsung will have rushed the Galaxy Nexus, which misappropriates many patented features from the iPhone, to capture market share from Apple that Samsung will be able to retain long into the future," Apple claimed somewhat shrilly.
"Even worse ... the full harm to Apple cannot be calculated, making it impossible for Apple to be compensated by money damages."
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Chrome for Android 'won't get Flash'
Chrome for Android 'won't get Flash'
Google's Chrome for Android browser will not support Flash, Adobe has confirmed.
Google announced the beta version of Chrome for Androidlast night. The long-awaited release replaces the default Android browser for those users who are on the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Google's mobile operating system.
The beta version does not support Flash and Adobe confirmed today that Chrome for Android will never run Flash.
In a blog post, Adobe's Bill Howard wrote: "As we announced last November, Adobe is no longer developing Flash Player for mobile browsers, and thus Chrome for Android Beta does not support Flash content."
When Apple launched its iPhone without support for Flash, Adobe was critical and even took out adverts complaining about the lack of Flash support in the iPhone. Adobe claimed that Apple was trying to protect its App Store.
Steve Jobs, Apple's late CEO, denied that claim in a post on his company's website. He said Adobe Flash was not an open technology, was unstable and had a negative effect on battery life. He also pointed out that there were alternative technologies for things such as web video.
Google's Chrome for Android browser will not support Flash, Adobe has confirmed.
Google announced the beta version of Chrome for Androidlast night. The long-awaited release replaces the default Android browser for those users who are on the Ice Cream Sandwich version of Google's mobile operating system.The beta version does not support Flash and Adobe confirmed today that Chrome for Android will never run Flash.
In a blog post, Adobe's Bill Howard wrote: "As we announced last November, Adobe is no longer developing Flash Player for mobile browsers, and thus Chrome for Android Beta does not support Flash content."
When Apple launched its iPhone without support for Flash, Adobe was critical and even took out adverts complaining about the lack of Flash support in the iPhone. Adobe claimed that Apple was trying to protect its App Store.
Steve Jobs, Apple's late CEO, denied that claim in a post on his company's website. He said Adobe Flash was not an open technology, was unstable and had a negative effect on battery life. He also pointed out that there were alternative technologies for things such as web video.
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McAfee Patches Spam Relay Flaw in SaaS Total Protection Service
With the latest patch, spammers exploiting the flaw in McAfee's SaaS Total Protection Suite will no longer be able to commandeer computers to send out spam.
McAfee has fixed issues in its Total Protection service that allowed attackers to take over computers to send out spam.
A bug in McAfee's hosted anti-malware service was being exploited by spammers to turn computers into a spam proxy to send out large volumes of spam, David Marcus, director of security research at McAfee Labs, wrote in a blog post Jan. 18. Another flaw allowed remote attackers to abuse an ActiveX control to execute code.
McAfee's SaaS Total Protection is a suite of software-as-a-service offerings that includes Web filtering, antivirus and anti-spam capabilities. The spam flaw was in the "Rumor" technology used within the suite. McAfee patched SaaS Total Protection on Jan. 20 to close both vulnerabilities, according to the blog post.
A bug in McAfee's hosted anti-malware service was being exploited by spammers to turn computers into a spam proxy to send out large volumes of spam, David Marcus, director of security research at McAfee Labs, wrote in a blog post Jan. 18. Another flaw allowed remote attackers to abuse an ActiveX control to execute code.
McAfee's SaaS Total Protection is a suite of software-as-a-service offerings that includes Web filtering, antivirus and anti-spam capabilities. The spam flaw was in the "Rumor" technology used within the suite. McAfee patched SaaS Total Protection on Jan. 20 to close both vulnerabilities, according to the blog post.
Carmaker Fisker lowers 2012 sales view again
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Fisker Automotive Inc has once again ratcheted down sales projections for 2012, saying the rollout of its luxury electric cars in both the United States and Europe was slower than expected due to regulatory hurdles.
The California startup now expects to sell "about 10,000" of its Karma vehicles this year, spokesman Roger Ormisher said, down from a prior projection of between 10,000 and 12,000 given in November. That view had been adjusted from an original target of 15,000.
"We were slower coming into the market in the U.S., and slower coming into Europe," Ormisher said, citing longer-than-expected mileage and emissions certification processes.
The $102,000 Karma is the first production vehicle for the fledgling automaker that was founded in 2007 by Henrik Fisker, a onetime Aston Martin designer. But the process of bringing the much-hyped vehicle to market has been troubled.
"We were slower coming into the market in the U.S., and slower coming into Europe," Ormisher said, citing longer-than-expected mileage and emissions certification processes.
The $102,000 Karma is the first production vehicle for the fledgling automaker that was founded in 2007 by Henrik Fisker, a onetime Aston Martin designer. But the process of bringing the much-hyped vehicle to market has been troubled.
US Senate postpones Tuesday vote on PIPA
The lead sponsor of SOPA also says he'll revisit the approach in his copyright enforcement bill.
IDG News Service - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has postponed a vote on the controversial Protect IP Act, scheduled for Tuesday, as a growing number of senators voice opposition to the copyright enforcement bill.
The lead sponsor of the Stop Online Piracy Act, a similar bill in the House of Representatives, said Friday the bill is tabled. "It's dead and not going anywhere," said a spokeswoman for Rep. Lamar Smith, a Texas Republican.
Reid, a Nevada Democrat, had scheduled a cloture vote in an effort to cut off debate and override a filibuster of the bill. But more than 30 senators have come out against the bill in the past week, most of them responding to massive online protests over PIPA and the Stop Online Piracy Act.
IDG News Service - U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has postponed a vote on the controversial Protect IP Act, scheduled for Tuesday, as a growing number of senators voice opposition to the copyright enforcement bill.
Reid, a Nevada Democrat, had scheduled a cloture vote in an effort to cut off debate and override a filibuster of the bill. But more than 30 senators have come out against the bill in the past week, most of them responding to massive online protests over PIPA and the Stop Online Piracy Act.
Microsoft will beat Apple's iOS in three years
It will take Microsoft three years to beat the Apple iOS operating system, according to the visions of analysts at IHS.
While most think that Apple will never recover from being over-taken by Android system, others were less than convinced that Microsoft will ever be able to overtake Cupertino to be ranked as the number two operating system.
However, Wayne Lam, the firm's senior analyst for wireless communications, told eWeek that Nokia's efforts to drive the development of the Windows Phone forward are worth paying attention to.
Lam claimed that the Lumia 900 and its successors will help Microsoft to reclaim its No. 2 ranking in smartphone operating system market share by 2015.
However, Wayne Lam, the firm's senior analyst for wireless communications, told eWeek that Nokia's efforts to drive the development of the Windows Phone forward are worth paying attention to.
Lam claimed that the Lumia 900 and its successors will help Microsoft to reclaim its No. 2 ranking in smartphone operating system market share by 2015.
Microsoft results yield some unexpected good news
Windows revenue actually was encouraging given 2011's dismal PC sales, and Microsoft is finally stemming the gush of red ink in its Bing division.
In a nutshell, Microsoft's reported record sales for the holiday quarter of just under $21 billion. Earnings hit $6.62 billion, down from $6.63 billion the previous year. Sales for the Business division (most prominently Office) were up 2.8 percent from the year-earlier quarter. Server and Tools sales were up a very healthy 11 percent from the year before, and Entertainment (primarily Xbox and Kinect) soared as expected, at 15 percent above the holiday season in 2010.
Microsoft Q2 earnings beat Street on strong revenue
Microsoft's (NASDAQ:MSFT) fiscal second-quarter profit fell slightly from a year earlier, still beating expectations, with the Office software suite and Xbox consoles boosting revenues.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters expected a profit of 76 cents per share on revenue of $20.92 billion.
Microsoft chief executive officer Steve Ballmer said: "We delivered solid financial results, even as we prepare for a launch year that will accelerate many of our key products and services."
ZTE unveils Windows Phone device in UK
ZTE Tania expected to be available on deals between £10 and £20 per month.Handset maker ZTE has announced the Tania, its first handset running the Windows Phone operating system in the UK.
It has a large, 4.3in touchscreen though is only 10.7mm deep, making it one of the thinnest smartphones around. The screen itself has a WVGA resolution of 800 x 480 pixels and there's a 1GHz processor, a 5MP camera and 4GB of internal storage.
It will be launched through Brightpoint, Virgin Media, Go Mobile and another "leading specialist retailer" that the company declined to name. It's expected to be available on contracts of between £10 and £20 per month, though will cost you around £249 if you want to buy it SIM-free.
Microsoft Upbeat on 2012 Prospects
Microsoft executives say they're pleased with the company's quarterly earnings reported on Thursday, saying they were solid during a challenging economic times and reflect growth in new markets.
Revenue for the quarter, ended December 31, hit US$20.89 billion, up 5 percent compared with 2010's second fiscal quarter, which included recognition of $224 million of deferred revenue related to the Office 2010 technology guarantee program. Net income was $6.62 billion, or $0.78 per share, down from $6.63 billion, or $0.77 per share. Microsoft missed on the consensus revenue expectation of $20.93 billion from financial analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, but exceeded their earnings-per-share forecast of $0.76.
Google+ hits 90 million users
Larry Page, Google’s chief executive, announced the new number last night during the company’s quarterly earnings call.
“I’m also pleased to announce that there are over 90 million Google+ users - well over double what I announced just a quarter ago on our earnings call. Engagement on Google+ is also growing tremendously. I have some amazing data to share there for the first time: Google+ users are very engaged with our products - over 60per cent of them engage daily, and over 80 per cent weekly.”
Apple’s education revolution roundup
Apple’s education-driven press event took place earlier today in NYC and unveiled the company’s plans to revolutionize textbooks and the entire learning experience.
Starting today students will be able to easily access digital textbooks from their iPads, the star device of Apple’s education revolution. Apple unveiled the iBooks 2 app that now includes a section for textbooks and an overall improved user experience. Be sure to check out our hands-on with the new iBooks.
Full Review and Specification for the Blackberry Bold 9790
In the BlackBerry Bold 9790, RIM has tried to bring together the benefits of a capacitive touchscreen and a real-world QWERTY keyboard to produce a really usable business handset. While it hasn’t quite managed to pull it off, there is still plenty here to appeal to the business user.
Pick up the handset and you’ll realise it is no heavyweight – in fact at 107g it’s one of RIM’s lightest phones. And yet it still manages to feel pretty sturdy. It looks like a Blackberry, too, with the physical QWERTY keyboard sitting below a square touchscreen measuring 2.45 inches.The capacitive touchscreen works well enough if you’re prodding it, but unfortunately it is a far more hit-and-miss affair when it comes to swiping. We found, for example, that if we wanted to input a meeting time into the calendar, we needed to flick a spinning dial; this either went round far too quickly, or hardly moved at all. We resorted to the trackpad, which happily is far more usable, although it can actually be a tad too sensitive.
The Bold 9790 runs on the Blackberry operating system, which will of course be comfortably familiar to existing BlackBerry owners.
Wikipedia joins web blackout in Sopa Act protest
Wikipedia plans to take its English-language site offline on Wednesday as part of protests against proposed anti-piracy laws in the US.
The user-generated news site Reddit and the blog Boing Boing have also said they will take part in the "blackout".
The sites' webmasters are opposed to the Stop Online Piracy Act (Sopa) and Protect Intellectual Property Act (Pipa) being debated by Congress.
However, Twitter has declined to take part in the shutdown.
Sony Xperia S priced: £468, coming first week of March
Well those chaps over at Clove have priced up the handset for £467.99 including VAT, Pocketnow reports. So when will we be able to get our hands on it? It'll go on sale the week starting 5 March, according to the pre-order page. Start saving now.
Microsoft the Sleeper Hit Of CES 2012?Microsoft the Sleeper Hit Of CES 2012?
Microsoft the Sleeper Hit Of CES 2012?Microsoft's CES swan song of product and technology announcements this week in Las Vegas may leave the biggest wake among news makers.
Microsoft's final Consumer Electronics Show keynote on Tuesday was criticized for not delivering much in the way of interesting news, but the software giant just might be the sleeper hit of CES. Alongside big trends at this year's show such as Smart TVs, new display technologies, apps, and Ultrabooks, new handsets from HTC and Nokia running Microsoft's Windows Phone software are impressing the crowds at CES.
Titan II and Lumia 900
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