Phone jailbreaking should stay legal, Web freedom advocates say

By doris | Published: January 27, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

(CNN) — Fresh from a victory that saw a pair of online-piracy bills shelved, Web-freedom advocates are now fighting to preserve their right to jailbreak their iPhones.

The Electronic Freedom Foundation, a key player in the fight against the Stop Online Piracy Act, is urging people to ask the U.S. government to declare that hacking their own smartphone, tablet or other device is not a crime.

“Smartphones, tablets, and video game consoles are powerful computers with lots of untapped potential,” the group says on its website. “Yet many of these devices are set up to run only software that’s been approved by the manufacturer.

Posted in Jailbreaking, Legal, Phones, Privacy | Leave a comment

50 new tech tools you should know about

By doris | Published: January 26, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

(CNN) — You may have dozens of apps on your phone and scores of websites bookmarked on your laptop, but that doesn’t mean you have all the latest tech tools at your fingertips.

New mobile apps, services, social networks and other digital tools pop up so frequently that keeping up with them is a nearly impossible task. Just when you think you’re up to date, something newer and hipper comes along.

Posted in Apps, Phones, Technology, Tool | Leave a comment

Google to merge user data across more services

By doris | Published: January 25, 2012

Full Story at msnbc.com

Google plans to unify its privacy policy and terms of service across its online offerings, including its flagship search, Gmail and Google+ products, to make them easier to use, but the move could attract greater scrutiny from anti-trust regulators.

In an online blog post, Google said it expects to roll out the revised guidelines in over a month’s time, consolidating more than 60 separate privacy policies it uses for its online products.

Google currently has more than 70 privacy policies covering all of its products.

Right now, users of Google products have to agree to a new set of privacy policy and terms of services almost every time they sign up for a new service.

Posted in Anti-trust Regulators, Google, Privacy | Leave a comment

Supreme Court rules on GPS tracking, but punts on larger issues

By doris | Published: January 24, 2012

Full Story at RedTape.msnbc.msn.com

Monday’s Supreme Court ruling invalidating a conviction based on evidence gained by GPS tracking of a suspect’s car might seem like a victory for privacy advocates. But on the critical issues of privacy and Fourth Amendment rights, the majority of the court actually punted.

The unanimous opinion issued Monday morning is among the first in which the Supreme Court has decided a case at the thorny 21st-Century intersection of law, technology and privacy. Police in Washington, D.C., had tracked a suspect by placing a tiny GPS device on his car, then tracking his movements for about a month. While the trial court held that evidence obtained through the GPS amounted to surveillance of the suspect’s movements through public spaces, an appeals court ruled that it constituted an illegal search and seizure and a violation of Fourth Amendment rights. The Supreme Court affirmed the decision.

Posted in GPS, Privacy, Tracking | Leave a comment

Why the iPad won’t transform education just yet

By doris | Published: January 23, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

(Mashable) — Apple’s announcement on Thursday that it would be introducing a new iPad textbook experience and iBooks authoring tool presents huge opportunities for technology in classrooms.

The company is selling textbooks from McGraw-Hill, Pearson and Houghton Mifflin at a price comparable to print versions, and it’s presented an unprecedented opportunity for teachers to compile their own materials.

But Apple has a long way to go — and logistical hurdles to clear in tens of thousands of schools — before it dominates K-12 classrooms the way it has done the music industry.

Posted in Education, iBook, iPod, Technology | Leave a comment

The best places to trade-in your electronics

By doris | Published: January 22, 2012

Full Story at Gadgetbox.msnbc.msn.com

If you’re holding back on upgrading to a new cell phone, camera or laptop because of cost, you may be surprised how much your old device will bring at trade-in. And if the prospect of dealing with strangers on eBay or Craigslist is unappealing to you, don’t worry, a host of trade-in programs from brick-and-mortar stores, such as Best Buy, Costco and Radio Shack, and online trade-in specialists makes the process simple. And even if your old product has little value, many of these programs offer free and environmentally-safe recycling options.

Posted in Electronics, Trade-in | Leave a comment

Microsoft, Intel earnings jump despite PC softness

By doris | Published: January 21, 2012

Full Story at money.cnn.com

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — PC sales didn’t have a happy holiday sales season, but you wouldn’t know it from the strong earnings posted by Microsoft and Intel.

The PC is struggling — last quarter, shipments fell 6% from the year-ago period, according to research firm Gartner — as tablets and smartphones grab market share.

But both computing giants reported earnings that beat Wall Street estimates. They chalked up softness in PC sales not to obsolescence, but to a worldwide hard drive shortage caused by massive floods in Thailand in November.

Posted in Microsoft, Money, PC, Sales | Leave a comment

This is the year Microsoft fights back

By doris | Published: January 20, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

Profits have been growing faster than revenue, as the company clamps down on expenses. The company’s core business software like Office 2010 has been showing great results for more than a year now, and the Xbox had its best holiday season ever, as Microsoft sold a million in a single day after Thanksgiving. Plus, it’s got more than $50 billion in cash.

So why has the company’s stock stubbornly refused to move for the last decade?

Why do big investors keep calling for CEO Steve Ballmer’s head?

The problem comes down to a simple statistic that should scare the heck out of Microsoft and its investors:

Posted in Company, Investment, Microsoft | Leave a comment

AT&T expands data plans for smartphones, tablets

By doris | Published: January 19, 2012

Full Story at msnbc.com

DALLAS — AT&T is rolling out expanded wireless data plans as consumers are doing more surfing, texting and emailing on their smartphones and tablets.

The company announced the plans, which allow for more data but at a higher price tag, late Wednesday.

AT&T’s existing customers do not have to change their plans but are given that option. New customers will only be able to select from the new set of plans, which take effect Jan. 22.

Smartphone customers currently pay $15 for a 200-megabyte data plan. The new option is a 300-megabyte plan for $20. Those who do a bit more on their phones can currently pay $25 for a 2-gigabyte plan, but will now have the option of a 3-gigabyte plan for $30.

Tablet users currently pay $25 for a 2-gigabyte plan. The new offerings include a 3-gigabyte plan for $30 and 5-gigabyte plan for $50.

Posted in AT&T, Data, Smartphones, Tablet | Leave a comment

Why Google’s new search might be illegal

By doris | Published: January 18, 2012

Full Story at money.cnn.com

NEW YORK (CNNMoney) — There’s nothing illegal about being so big that you dominate a market.

But when Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) unveiled a new feature last week called Search Plus Your World, some antitrust experts believe Google stepped over the line.

Google’s new feature risks abusing the company’s dominant position in the search market to stifle competition from its rivals. That could be against the law.

“Google runs a very high risk of being found in violation of antitrust and competition laws,” said Ted Henneberry, a partner at Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe’s antitrust group. “The issue raised by Google’s new announcement is how it potentially increases its dominance and furthers its discriminatory treatment of rivals.”

Posted in Company, Google, Illegal, Information, Law | Leave a comment

Polaroid goes digital with Android camera

By doris | Published: January 17, 2012

Full Story at money.cnn.com

LAS VEGAS (CNNMoney) — Iconic film company Polaroid is determined not to get left behind in an increasingly digital age. A new Android-powered point-and-shoot camera is part of that reinvention.

CNNMoney checked out the Polaroid SC1630 Smart Camera at the Consumer Electronics Show last week in Las Vegas. The camera features a 3.2-inch touchscreen and the full Android app market. It’s a 16-megapixel camera with a 3x optical zoom, and it includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity.

“Polaroid’s heritage is in sharing,” says Scott Hardy, president of Polaroid. “We were the original photography brand that had a sharing platform. You could take a picture and then instantly share it with someone.”

Posted in Android, Camera, Digital | Leave a comment

‘Augmented-reality’ windshields and the future of driving

By doris | Published: January 16, 2012

Full Story at CNN.com

Las Vegas (CNN) — Imagine a future in which icons flash on your car windshield, hologram style, as your car approaches restaurants, stores, historic landmarks or the homes of friends.

Simply point your hand at them, and the icons open to show real-time information: when that bridge over there was built, what band is playing at that nightclub on the left, whether that new café up the street has any tables available. Wave your hand again, and you’ve made a restaurant reservation.

Posted in Automobiles, Icons | Leave a comment