Technology News

U.S. Broadband Plan Now Due on March 17

Source: PC Magazine
February 24, 2010

U.S. communications regulators will unveil on March 17 a blueprint aimed at bringing fast affordable Internet access to more than 90 million Americans being held back by fees and technology. The Federal Communications Commission said on Tuesday that the long-awaited National Broadband Plan will try to help connect 93 million Americans to high-speed Internet to find jobs, access educational and healthcare services, and reduce household energy costs. “In the 21st century, a digital divide is an opportunity divide," FCC Chairman ...

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Future of the Phone Lies Beyond the Processor

Source: PC Magazine
February 24, 2010

As I left the Mobile World Congress, I couldn't help but think about where mobile devices are going in the future. Today's devices are pretty amazing themselves, but the phones we're likely to see over the next couple of years should take things to a whole new level. The phone of the future will be a smartphone: That much we know for sure. Today, only about one in six phones sold fit into what analysts call the “smartphone" category, but ...

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Google Hit with Antitrust Complaints in Europe

Source: Michael Ricci
February 24, 2010

The European Commission has acknowledged receipt of three antitrust complaints against Google. It did not identify the companies and said it had not started a formal investigation. The Commission can confirm that it has received three complaints against Google which it is examining. The Commission has not opened a formal investigation for the time being, an unidentified E.U. executive said in a statement on Wednesday. The European Union Commission is located in Brussels, Belgium. Photo courtesy Wikimedia. Google claims it ...

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FTC Sounds Alarm: Data Leaking onto P2P Networks

Source: All About Jazz
February 23, 2010

FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz says data leaks can lead to ID theft. The Federal Trade Commission today put nearly 100 companies and agencies on notice that their employees appear to be regularly leaking large amounts of sensitive customer and employee data on popular peer-to-peer, or P2P, file-sharing networks. The FTC did not name names, either of the victimized organizations or of the P2P networks. FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz warned that “companies and institutions of all sizes are vulnerable to serious ...

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Tibetan Spiritual Leader Dalai Lama Joins Twitter

Source: Michael Ricci
February 23, 2010

Twitter founder Evan Williams tweeted yesterday: “Met the Dalai Lama today in LA. Pitched him on using Twitter. He laughed."

Who's laughing now?

The @DalaiLama account is up and running. And, unlike a previous hoax account, this appears to be the real deal. Twitter's new vice president of communications, Sean Garrett, just welcomed the Tibetan spiritual leader to the site. The account is here. The Dalai Lama already has more than 6,000 followers.

While the Dalai Lama has an affinity ...

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The Good, the Bad and the Inertnet

Source: All About Jazz
February 23, 2010

“We know even now that we are at some fundamental limits of what the Internet can handle, warned University of California, San Diego processor kc claffy [sic capitalization] at the beginning of her talk at the American Association for the Advancement of Science meeting in San Diego.

We have one big expectation, being able to innovate, she said. And it is unclear whether we will be able to do that.

claffy's warnings are based on the observation that the Internets ...

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FCC Warns Against File Sharing Sites

Source: All About Jazz
February 23, 2010

Peer-to-peer file-sharing networks such as those used by individuals to exchange music and video files pose enormous security risks for people and organizations, the Federal Trade Commission warned Monday.

The public announcement was immediately hailed by the MPAA and RIAA, which have long waged antipiracy campaigns against P2P webs. The FTC said it has notified almost 100 organizations that personal information, including sensitive data about customers and/or employees, has been shared from the organizations' computer networks and is available on ...

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Sen. Al Franken Wants All Comcast and NBC Content Available Online

Source: Michael Ricci
February 23, 2010

Apparently Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn) really likes watching TV shows on the Internet.

In written questions to Comcast and NBC Universal regarding their $30-billion proposed marriage, Sen. Franken -- who has been one of the harshest critics of the deal -- wants Comcast and NBC Universal to promise that it will put all its television shows online. He also wants assurances that shows that the companies put online be made available to every one and not just people who get ...

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