Modern Media Mom » IE

Headlines for May 12th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Wed, 12 May 2010 18:03:32 +0000

Faster Forward – Progress, and a problem for Android – Google's Android smartphone operating system is doing well, just not quite as good as you might think from headlines like "Android overtakes Apple in US smartphone market."
Last chance to spot shuttle Atlantis in night sky – Space.com- msnbc.com – "Skywatchers across the continental United States will get a fine opportunity this weekend to watch as the space shuttle Atlantis — on its final scheduled mission into space — chases and ultimately docks with the International Space Station."
Firefox lends security hand to rival browsers – Computerworld – "Mozilla yesterday launched a tool that lets users of rival browsers, including Internet Explorer (IE), Chrome, Safari and Opera, determine whether important add-ons may be vulnerable to attack. The Web-based tool — an extension of plug-in checking that Mozilla began adding to Firefox 3 last year — was originally slated for a late March debut, but Mozilla delayed its release in order to beef up the list of plug-ins the service scans."
With >$1 million raised, Humble Bundle games go open source – "It was a simple idea: take a collection of independent games, offer them with no DRM, and allow people to pay whatever they'd like. The result? 123,182 people have paid for the bundle so far, and the total raised is now an incredible $1,126,563. That generosity will be rewarded. "As of 5/11/10, Aquaria, Gish, Lugaru HD, and Penumbra Overture pledge to go open source," the developers blogged. "We are preparing the sources right now and will be releasing them ASAP." The sale was a huge success, began many conversations, and it provided insight into the behavior of gamers."
Microsoft Launches New Office, Battles Google Online – ABC News – "Microsoft Corp launched an updated version of its Office software on Wednesday, aiming to keep its grip on the hugely profitable business application market while countering the challenge of free online alternatives from Google Inc."
Microsoft Predicts Fastest-Ever Adoption of Office – BusinessWeek – "Microsoft Corp. expects customers to adopt the new version of Office at the fastest pace in the software’s 20-year history, helping reverse a sales slump and fend off competition from Google Inc.’s Web-based programs."
FCC looking to prevent cell phone "bill shock" – "The FCC appears to be following in the footsteps of the European Union in wanting to help consumers avoid "bill shock", the surprise one feels at finding their cell phone bill is much higher than expected due to overage charges. The FCC is considering having carriers enact some sort of system that will warn consumers, possibly via text message, that they are about to incur overage fees due to excessive data or voice use."

Headlines for May 3rd, 2010

[modern media mom] — Mon, 03 May 2010 15:01:18 +0000

Chrome again beats Firefox in browser gain race – Computerworld – "Chrome was the only browser to gain significant usage share last month, and again trounced rival open-source Firefox. By the end of April, Chrome accounted for 6.7% of the browsers that surfed to the sites that California-based NetApplications monitors for its clients. Chrome boosted its share by 0.6 percentage points, by far the largest increase of any browser for the month, and the second-highest increase since Google launched the program in September 2008."
DailyTech – Nintendo Wii Goes Black; Gets MotionPlus, Wii Sports Resort as Standard Equipment – "Nintendo has announced a new bundle for the North American market. The Wii will now pack not only the Wii itself, a remote, nunchuk, and Wii Sports, but it will also come bundled with a copy of Wii Sports Resort and a MotionPlus adapter. Despite the addition of Wii Sports Resort and MotionPlus, the price still remains unchanged at $199.99."
Google TV may be on the way – "Google is planning to launch Google TV later this month according to news reports, with the Google I/O conference on 19-20 May tipped to be the most likely date for the big announcement. There is also speculation Google is seeking partnerships with big players such as Sony Corporation, Intel, and Logitech, to maximize the chances of success."
The Press Association: Apple closing Lala online service – Apple is shutting down its newly bought Lala online music service amid speculation it is creating a way for iTunes customers to listen to songs stored on distant computers.
Google Buys Bump Technologies, Maker of 3-D Desktop Software – BusinessWeek – "Google Inc., owner of the world’s most popular search engine, has acquired Bump Technologies Inc., a company whose software makes computer desktops appear to be 3-D. Google didn’t disclose the terms of the deal in an e-mailed statement today. Bump Technologies, which said it will close its service, lets users download the BumpTop software that gives desktops a 3-D look and helps group and manage files."
How social media assisted in delivery of vital news during Nashville floods | Livecage’s Blog – "Flood warnings were in effect for Middle Tennessee since Saturday, May 1st but with no place for the water to drain, Sunday became the most destructive day for Davidson County residents. More than 35,000 residents were reported to be without power, according to NES which left people to rely on their mobile devices. Fortunately, News Channel 2 and News Channel 5 effectively welcomed viewers to report the flood damages in the neighborhoods unreached by camera crews. Users showed the true devastation occurring when houses were live streamed floating down the rivers created by the powerful rains."

Headlines for January 21st, 2010

[modern media mom] — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 21:00:18 +0000

Bing on iPhone rumor illustrates Apple’s threat to Google (updated) – "Yesterday BusinessWeek dropped a bomb about how Apple is considering replacing Google with Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine on the iPhone.
Not only would this take away lucrative advertising revenue from Google, it’s a slap in the face of a former partner that helped launch the iPhone with the original Google Maps for mobile."
Firefox 3.6 Brings Performance Improvements, a Few New Features – "Earlier today, Mozilla released Firefox 3.6, the latest version of its popular browser. While it's not as big of an update as the more ambitious Firefox 3.5, it includes a number of under-the-hood improvements, and a handful of changes that you might discover as you use it. Here are some of the most notable improvements."
Microsoft patches IE, admits it knew of bug last August – "As Microsoft patched the Internet Explorer (IE) vulnerability that was used to break into Google's network, it also acknowledged that it had known of the bug since August 2009, when an Israeli security company reported the flaw."
Twitter Fails After Haiti Aftershocks Reported – "Twitter suffered "a huge number of errors" on Wednesday morning, probably tied to news that sharp aftershocks had struck Haiti."
Verizon – AT&T “Price War” May Cost You – "Customers of Verizon and AT&T–the two largest wireless service providers in the United States, accounting for the vast majority of mobile service users–have reason to celebrate! Both wireless providers have announced price cuts in what appears to be the beginning of a price war. Don't uncork the champagne just yet, though. The losers of this war may be the customers."

Headlines for January 19th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 15:00:01 +0000

AP Exclusive: Network flaw causes scary Web error – "A Georgia mother and her two daughters logged onto Facebook from mobile phones last weekend and wound up in a startling place: strangers' accounts with full access to troves of private information.
The glitch – the result of a routing problem at the family's wireless carrier, AT&T – revealed a little known security flaw with far reaching implications for everyone on the Internet, not just Facebook users."
Yelp 4.0 update lets others know your business – "Yelp, the fast-growing local search and review site, has announced an update for its iPhone app. Version 4.0 of Yelp for the iPhone and iPod touch allows you to log in to your profile and edit it. More interesting, the app also includes a “check-in” feature which tells your Yelp friends that you’re visiting a particular business."
New York Times may charge for online content – "The New York Times Co Chairman Arthur Sulzberger is close to announcing that the paper will begin charging for access to its website, New York Magazine reported on its Web site citing people familiar with internal deliberations."
Microsoft to Purge User Data Collected on Bing After Six Months – "Bowing to pressure in Europe, Microsoft on Tuesday said it will redesign the worldwide operation of its online search engine, Bing, to eliminate all data collected on users after six months."
Microsoft’s Browser Under Fire In Europe – "Microsoft Corp. challenged recommendations by European officials that people stop using its Internet Explorer browser because of a security hole that hackers exploited in the recent attack on Google Inc. and other companies.
In an unusual move, German and French agencies posted notices on their Web sites warning against using Internet Explorer and advising computer users to switch to alternatives."

Headlines for January 18th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:00:06 +0000

Mobile Apps To Make Over $7 Bill This Year – "Think mobile apps are a nickel-and-dimes market? Well, according to new Gartner research, consumers will spend $6.2 billion in mobile application stores this year while advertising revenue is expected to generate $0.6 billion worldwide. Overall, analysts say mobile application stores will exceed 4.5 billion downloads this year — eight out of ten of which will be free to end users."
BarMax iPhone app retails for $1,000, but who’s buying? – "How much would you pay for an iPhone application? For most iPhone users, the answer lies somewhere in the $3 to $5 range. (Although this blogger was not particularly adverse to shelling out 7 bucks for "Civilization Revolution," one of the most absorbing games to be released for a mobile device in the past year.) How about $1,000? That's the price tag affixed to BarMax, a new application developed by BarMax LLC."
AT&T Offers $30 Price Cut for Unlimited Plans – "AT&T lowered the price for its smartphone unlimited voice and data plans on Monday by US$30. The price reduction is also available to current customers with unlimited smartphone plans."
After Google hack, Microsoft asks users to abandon IE6, XP – "Microsoft is using a widely publicized flaw in Internet Explorer as a way to push users to upgrade both their browsers and operating systems."
Apple officially announces January 27 event – "Whether the company will open the curtains on a tablet, slate, big iPod Touch, or a bit of all three, invited guests will find out for sure at the 10 a.m. event to be held at San Francisco's Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater.
With the invite teasing people to "Come see our latest creation," no one knows for sure exactly what Apple has up its sleeve. But the rumor mill has been busy speculating on some type of tablet device that would let people surf the Net, watch movies, read e-books, and probably perform other tricks conjured up by the mind of Steve Jobs."

Headlines for January 15th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 19:00:03 +0000

Google and Microsoft dig deep for Haiti earthquake appeal – "The tech industry's major players have responded quickly to the crisis in earthquake-stricken Haiti, pledging millions of dollars in aid and services."
Nexus One Price Drops for Some T-Mobile Upgrades – "Google and T-Mobile have changed the Nexus One pricing policy, slashing $100 off the price of the handset for certain existing customers, T-Mobile has confirmed. Eligible upgraders should now be able to get the Nexus One for $279 instead of $379, and Google will give refunds to those who paid the old price."
Skype tells the fcc to require net neutrality – "VOICE OVER IP AND CHAT OUTFIT Skype has been pressing its case in favour of net neutrality to the US Federal Communications Commision (FCC).
Skype, which is based on its own proprietary technology, depends on net neutrality to survive. If the telcos and some ISPs get their way, Skype punters will probably be identified as filesharers and get throttled to within an inch of their lives."
Kodak sues Apple and RIM over iPhone and Blackberry – "Camera maker Kodak has said it will sue Apple and Research In Motion (RIM), the makers of the iPhone and Blackberry, over technology used in their handsets."
Microsoft admits Explorer used in Google China hack – "Microsoft has admitted that its Internet Explorer was a weak link in the recent attacks on Google's systems that originated in China."

Headlines for November 23rd, 2009

[modern media mom] — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 17:01:47 +0000

Rumor Has It: Camera Still Bound for iPod Touch – "At the Apple iPod event this past September, the iPod nano got a video upgrade, but despite rumors to the contrary, the iPod touch didn’t get a similar treatment. The internet was ablaze with expectation thanks to the appearance of a number of iPod touch cases with camera holes built-in, all positioned the same, which seemed like a fair indicator that video was coming to the touchscreen iPod."
Third iPhone worm targets jailbroken iPhones in Europe, Australia – "Another week, another worm hitting jailbroken iPhones. As with the previous exploits, which Rickrolled your phone’s wallpaper and stole your data, this nasty piece of work burrows its way into your jailbroken device if you haven’t changed the password for the iPhone’s root account—you have changed your root password, right? Right?"
Why The Google Phone Could Dampen Android Phone Sales – "Consumers interested in buying phones based on the Android open source operating system may feel some hesitation with the emerging rumors of a Google phone. Such a phone would likely provide a more fully integrated user experience, similar to Apple's iPhone. Ultimately, this could hurt sales of the Motorola Droid, HTC Eris and other Android devices based on hardware from manufacturers and software from Google and application developers. EWEEK looks at the buyer's dilemma here."
Will Chrome Breed Copycats? Internet Explorer OS, Anyone? – "If the world needs one browser-based operating system, why not three more? With the interest Google's Chrome OS has generated, can operating systems based upon Firefox, Internet Explorer, even Opera, be far behind?"
Does Second-Hand Smoke Really Void Apple’s Warranty? – "There are excellent reasons not to smoke cigarettes. And there are also stupid reasons, like Apple's claim that cigarette smoke can void its warranty. Really."
Apple’s iPhone App Store Approvals a Necessary Evil – "The Apple App Store has been the subject of debate. Developers complain about the hoops they have to jump through to get through the approval process, while Apple defends the process and claims there is nothing wrong with the App Store. As with most things, the truth lies somewhere in the middle."

Headlines for March 23rd, 2009

[modern media mom] — Mon, 23 Mar 2009 14:00:30 +0000

Microsoft: Internet Explorer is faster than Firefox – Tests by reporters have different results.
Senator’s computers hacked –
Greener and Cheaper – Despite what many companies think — that reducing their environmental impact is a nice idea, but impractical because of the cost — businesses can go green and lower costs at the same time.
Salesforce Taps Into Twitter – Phone systems are confusing and website FAQs don't often answer relevant questions, so companies are tapping into social media more and more.
Report: Rogue antivirus software pays off for scammers –
Facebook Bug Reveals Private Photos, Wall Posts (Updated) – If you are on Facebook, be sure to read.