Google asks judge to block Miss. attorney general’s inquiry
JACKSON, MISS. An Internet giant was scheduled to face off with Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood on Friday. Google will ask U.S. District Judge Henry T. Wingate to block an investigation by Hood into the company. Hood has been pushing Google since 2013 to prevent use of the company’s search engine to find illegal […]
Will the internet of things finally kill privacy?
Immense economic pressure could eventually coerce everyone into sharing their information with firms, since not disclosing your data will itself imply that you are undesirable. In the internet of things, the Federal Trade Commission sees the possibility of flourishing new markets. But it also sees a prologue to Black Mirror: […]
Smart TVs raise privacy concerns
Reports that new Samsung TVs can capture personal information with their voice recognition feature has sparked concern about what critics perceive as digital spying by so-called smart devices. Nor is Samsung the only smart TV manufacturer collecting this type of data. In Samsung’s case, at least, users have the option to disable the collection. […]
Biggest test in U.S.-Cuba talks: the Internet
Contrary to what the headlines suggest, the biggest test of President Obama’s move to normalize relations with Cuba will not be whether the two countries agree to set up embassies in their respective capitals, nor whether there is an avalanche of U.S. tourists to Cuba, but whether Cuba will accept U.S. help to expand Internet […]
Pebble: More than 1 million smartwatches sold
Pebble has sold more than 1 million smartwatches, the company said Monday. The milestone was reached on December 31, a company rep confirmed with CNET. The sales figure is up dramatically from the 400,000 sold as of last March, CEO Eric Migicovsky told The Verge. A price drop last fall may have helped boost […]
FCC redefines advanced broadband as 25 Mbps; Republicans blow a gasket
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has redefined advanced broadband as having 25Mbps download speeds, up from 4Mbps, giving the agency new authority to pass rules to encourage deployment across the country. The FCC, in a 3-2 party-line vote Thursday, also determined that this newly-defined advanced broadband wasn’t being rolled out in a timely manner […]
China Further Tightens Grip on the Internet
BEIJING — Jing Yuechen, the founder of an Internet start-up here in the Chinese capital, has no interest in overthrowing the Communist Party. But these days she finds herself cursing the nation’s smothering cyberpolice as she tries — and fails — to browse photo-sharing websites like Flickr and struggles to stay in touch with the […]
Congress should let cities provide their own Internet
PRESIDENT OBAMA made it a point to highlight the importance of providing high-speed Internet access to all Americans in his State of the Union address last week. No one disagrees with the sentiment. The method he proposed, however — removing legislative barriers that prevent some cities and towns from creating their own Internet networks — […]
Cuban youth build secret computer network despite Wi-Fi ban
Cut off from the Internet, young Cubans have quietly linked thousands of computers into a hidden network that stretches miles across Havana, letting them chat with friends, play games and download hit movies in a mini-replica of the online world that most can’t access. HAVANA — Home Internet connections are banned for all but a handful […]
AT&T TO CAP ITS DSL CUSTOMERS’ BROADBAND USAGE
AT&T will begin capping its DSL customers’ monthly usage beginning May 2nd. According to Broadband Reports, which broke the story last night, the cap for DSL customers will be 150 GB per month and 250 GB per month for U-Verse customers. AT&T spokesperson Seth Bloom confirmed the story, saying that customers will soon receive notices […]
Intel CEO startled board chairman with decision to retire
The chairman of Intel’s board tried to convince CEO Paul Otellini to stay, according to an interview in Barron’s. Intel CEO Paul Otellini’s decision to retire likely caught a lot of people off-guard, one of them being the company’s own chairman of the board. Speaking with Barron’s yesterday, Intel board chairman Andy Bryant acknowledged that […]
Gilt Groupe founder seeks to inspire innovation
Living in New York and working for luxury brands, Alexandra Wilkis Wilson loved to shop sample sales with her friend, Alexis Maybank, where they could nab amazing designer steals at 80 percent off retail. Wouldn’t it be nice, they thought, if friends in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and Miami could have access to such […]
Facebook hits 1 billion active user milestone
The most famous quote from the Facebook movie The Social Network—A million dollars isn’t cool. You know what’s cool? A billion dollars—has become a phrase born in fiction that has nevertheless resonated through mainstream cultures as the company’s raison d’être. But the web site’s real foreign money is lively customers and, except cash concerns, that […]
Intel CEO slams Windows 8, says it’s not ready
Paul Otellini told employees during a meeting in Taiwan that Microsoft needs to make improvements to the OS, according to a Bloomberg report, though he adds they can be done after the product ships. Intel leader govt Paul Otellini slammed windows eight during a meeting with staff in Taiwan, in line with a Bloomberg file, […]
New boss, old tune: Yahoo’s Marissa Mayer reviewing strategy
In an SEC filing, Yahoo’s newly-appointed CEO hints at a restructuring and a new plan for the billions it expects from the company’s stake in Alibaba. Yahoo’s new CEO, Marissa Mayer, says in an SEC filing that she might restructure the business and, as a result, might not give back to shareholders the billions in […]
The cloud is a nightmare
Speaking after a performance of Mike Daisey’s one-man Steve Jobs show, Steve Wozniak says he foresees nightmares caused by data stored in remote servers. “I think it’s going to be horrendous.” This is how much Steve Wozniak is sitting on the fence, when it comes to the cloud. Somehow, the idea of storing all his […]
Genting downscales in Miami as it seeks to expand its global brand
Malaysian casino giant Genting says it will move forward with more modest plans for its downtown Miami site. Globally, the company is seeking to expand. Miami Mayor Tomas Regalado hasn’t seen them. Neither has Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez. Nearly six months after the Genting Group failed to get legislative approval for a massive destination casino […]
Google’s Marissa Mayer becomes Yahoo CEO
Google’s longtime executive to begin her new job leading the struggling iconic Web company tomorrow. Yahoo has named Marissa Mayer, one of Google’s top execs, as its next CEO, ending a hunt that began after Scott Thompson was forced out in May for padding his resume. Ross Levinsohn, who has been the interim CEO, had […]
As Tablet Race Heats Up, Apple May Try Smaller Device
The tech companies are at it again — trying to catch the blockbuster iPad in a race to win the tablet market. Google on Friday began shipping its Nexus 7, which is smaller and less expensive than Apple’s iPad, and is meant to compete with both that device and Amazon’s Kindle Fire. This summer, Microsoft […]
Google’s Larry Page back at work, recovering from illness
Web giant’s 39-year-old co-founder is reportedly back at work after an undisclosed illness caused the loss of his voice and sidelined him from public events for several weeks. Google co-founder Larry Page is recovering from an unspecified illness that sidelined him for several weeks and caused him to lose his voice, but he has returned […]