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Headlines for July 5th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 15:02:17 +0000

Driving while blind? Maybe, with new high-tech car – The National Federation of the Blind and Virginia Tech plan to demonstrate a prototype vehicle next year equipped with technology that helps a blind person drive a car independently.
The technology, called “nonvisual interfaces,” uses sensors to let a blind driver maneuver a car based on information transmitted to him about his surroundings: whether another car or object is nearby, in front of him or in a neighboring lane. (via: MSNBC)
Reading On Paper Is Faster Than iBooks on the iPad – It will take you longer to read a book on an iPad or Kindle compared to the printed page, according to a recent study. Dr. Jakob Nielsen of the Nielsen Norman Group–a product development consultancy that is not associated with Nielsen, the metrics company–compared the reading times of 24 users on the Kindle 2, an iPad using the iBooks application, a PC monitor and good old fashioned paper. The study found that reading on an electronic tablet was up to 10.7 percent slower than reading a printed book. (via PC World)
Apple, AT&T sued over iPhone 4 reception and design challenges – Less than a week after the launch of the iPhone 4, both the device’s maker, Apple, and its exclusive network carrier in the United States, AT&T, are facing multiple class action lawsuits accusing the companies of knowingly selling faulty products. Since Tuesday, at least four separate suits focused primarily on the poor connection resulting from the phone’s antenna design have been brought against the companies. The various counts the plaintiffs have charged Apple and AT&T with include negligence and intentional misrepresentation, claiming that Apple had knowledge of the antenna’s defects before the phone’s release. (via: The Hindu)
Apple App Store and iTunes Accounts Hacked, say Reports – A rogue Vietnamese developer called Thuat Nguyen reportedly hacked into iTunes accounts and gamed the Books category in the Apple App Store to artificially inflate the ratings and sales for his book apps. Both The Next Web and Engadget Websites reported Sunday that Nguyen apps accounted for 42 of the top 50 books by revenue in the Books section of the iTunes App Store. (via PC World)
Google acts to fix YouTube flaw exploited by hackers – YouTube has been forced to fix a flaw allowing hackers to bombard users with fake pop-up messages and redirect them to adult sites.
Hackers placed code in the comments section, under targeted videos, that would run when people watched the clip. (via: BBC News)

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 April 28th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:01:13 +0000

HP To Buy Palm For $1.2 Billion — InformationWeek – Throwing a lifeline to beleaguered smartphone maker Palm, HP on Wednesday said that it has signed an agreement to acquire the company for $1.2 billion in cash.
iPad Users Beware of emails Offering iTunes Update – Considering the blazing popularity of Apple iPad tablet, nefarious hackers now target the early iPad adopters with spam emails that lure to update latest iTunes. Security solutions provider BitDefender, has asked users to avoid any email invitation which asks users to download an iTunes update "for best performance, newer features and security". However, this attack is mostly targeted to Windows PC users and Mac owners need not worry about it.
Police Know Who Found the Prototype iPhone | PCMag.com – Police have identified the individual who obtained the prototype iPhone, according to reports. But that may or may not be the person who sold it to the Gizmodo gadget blog.

The San Jose Business Journal reported Tuesday that the investigators "identified and interviewed the person who took the phone from the Gourmet Haus Staudt on March 18."
5 Ways Facebook Should Improve User Privacy – PCWorld – Whenever Facebook introduces new services, especially those that expand into other parts of the Web, it doesn't take long before privacy advocates and users start complaining about the changes. This time, however, Senators Michael Bennet (D-Colo.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska), Al Franken (D-Minn.), and Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) have joined the fray.
Apple Announces Dates for WWDC 2010 – PCWorld Business Center – Start your credit cards, ladies and gentlemen. On Wednesday, Apple announced dates for its 2010 Worldwide Developers Conference.

Headlines for January 28th, 2010 through February 1st, 2010

[modern media mom] — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 17:00:49 +0000

Cellphone Curbs May Not Decrease Car Crashes – "Laws that forbid motorists from using hand-held phones or texting while driving don't appear to result in a significant decrease in vehicle crashes, according to a new study by the Highway Loss Data Institute expected to be released Friday.
The study, expected to be released at a conference in Washington, D.C., Friday, comes amid stepped-up efforts by federal highway-safety regulators to ban texting while driving and curb other forms of driver distraction. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood earlier this week announced rules to forbid commercial truck and bus drivers from text messaging while driving. Mr. LaHood has said he would ban all texting while driving if he could."
Firefox Mobile Arrives on Nokia N900 Smartphones – "The mobile version of the Firefox browser is now available to owners of the Nokia N900 smartphone, after several months of beta tests. Mozilla is also working on versions for smartphones running Windows Mobile and Android."
Acer, Spooked by iTunes, Says No iPad Rival – "Acer refuses to follow the pack with a tablet like Apple's iPad, saying it's too hard to compete with iTunes and the App Store."
Five Apps We Can’t Wait to See on the iPad – "The iPhone already has a lot of apps that are better, fuller featured and easier to use than their desktop equivalents. Tweetie (a Twitter client) for iPhone does way more than Tweetie for the Mac, in a much more elegant way. All of the current iPhone applications should “just work” on your shiny new iPad, albeit at original size in the middle of a big. black screen, or scaled up to fit. Better will be the tweaked, iPad specific versions that should be around for the launch in two months time.
Here’s a list of applications we can’t wait to see on the iPad."
500 Internal Server Error – 500 Internal Server Error

Headlines for January 27th, 2010

[modern media mom] — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 03:00:01 +0000

Racing to Give Mobile Ads a Makeover – "Google, Apple and several start-ups are trying to break the mold in mobile advertising, hoping to persuade marketers to spend more on a format that the technology industry has been hyping for years, with little to show for it.
Until now, mobile advertising mainly consisted of small banner ads tucked into the corner of a mobile Web page or text-message ads that often resembled spam. As a result, the mobile-advertising market remained relatively small, even as mobile phones proliferated."
Oracle CEO: about 1,000 layoffs planned for Sun – "Oracle Corp. CEO Larry Ellison cheered the closing of his company's $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems on Wednesday, vowing that Sun will immediately add to Oracle's profits. He said layoffs won't be as severe as some industry analysts were predicting."
Twitter Local Trends: What’s the tweet in your area? – "People logging on to their Twitter accounts this morning found a new feature waiting for them.
The micro-blogging site had disclosed last night that the new Local Trends feature would be added to the site today. It's designed to keep Twitter users up to date with the hottest topics being Twittered in a specific geographic location."
IPad Pricing Is an Issue for Print Publishers – With a few notable exceptions, the print world welcomed Apple’s new iPad on Wednesday, eager to tap into the 125 million customers who already have iTunes accounts and are predisposed to buying more content from Apple.
Will the iPad Connect to Anything? – "The tech world has said too much about the iPad already, and we're just getting warmed up. There are still lots of unanswered questions."

Headlines for December 16th, 2009

[modern media mom] — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 17:00:14 +0000

Google Doodle poisoned by scareware slingers – "Scareware slingers have begun hiding links to rogue anti-virus sites behind Google Doodle.
The development leaves surfers who click on Google's picture of the day at risk of being exposed to sites that run fake security scans, before strong-arming users into buying worthless software in order to clean-up non-existent security risks"
Apple seen in ‘pole position’ to control mobile Internet computing – "The platform of the iPhone, iPod touch and iTunes has seen the fastest rate of adoption of any new technology in history, a new study has concluded."
Teen runs up dad’s cell bill to nearly $22,000 – "A 13-year-old teen was probably in hot water with his father after running up a cell phone bill of nearly $22,000. Ted Estarija said he was expecting his bill to be higher this month after adding his son to his plan, but wasn't expecting a bill of $21,917 in data usage charges. The Hayward man said his Verizon Wireless bill soared after his son apparently downloaded about 1.4 million kilobytes of data last month."
Twitter’s Top Trending Topics of 2009 – "Did you know that Twitter users are a bunch of Super Bowl cheering, American Idol watching, Google Wave using music lovers? That's according to Twitter's top trending topics list for 2009, anyway. Twitter recently released the list, which details the topics that people were talking about this year, in messages of 140 characters or less, of course."
McDonalds to Offer Free Wi-Fi in 2010 – "In January of 2010, the 11,000 McDonald's restaurants in the United States and some in Canada with Wi-Fi service (another 3,000 locations don't have it) will stop charging customers to get access to the Internet using wireless devices. What used to cost $2.95 for two hours will now come free."
Microsoft Releases Bing App for iPhone – "If you've been clamoring for a Bing app for iPhone, you've now got your wish. An official Bing app has been approved in the Apple App Store and can be downloaded now. Microsoft had previously released a decently performing Bing app for Windows Mobile, but no other mobile platforms."
2nd UPDATE: US FTC Sues Intel Alleging Anticompetitive Conduct – "The U.S. Federal Trade Commission sued Intel Corp. (INTC) on Wednesday, alleging the chip maker engaged in a decade-long campaign to stifle competition and strengthen its dominant position in the microchip market.
The FTC alleged that Intel coerced the world's largest computer manufacturers, including Dell Inc. (DELL), Hewlett-Packard Co. (HPQ) and International Business Machines Corp. (IBM), not to buy rival computer chips."

Headlines for November 4th, 2009

[modern media mom] — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 15:00:10 +0000

Free Flow of Internet Traffic Requires Sensible Road Rules – "Some type of control is necessary to keep Internet traffic moving, but free marketeers argue that the government shouldn't call the signals. However, if the current system is allowed to prevail, it will be up to consumer groups to play watchdog with no clear legal framework for identifying violations. Investors and entrepreneurs want legal certainty that their products will work across all networks."
The iPhone gets jailbroken again – Apple's latest iPhone OS 3.1.2 has been jailbroken again, allowing users to do whatever they like with the gadgets they've bought.
Apple launches iTunes Music Movies with exclusive content – "Apple has begun to promote music-themed movies on the iTunes Store with a new landing page, a place the company plans to fill with exclusive content."
PayPal Unveils Plans To Open Payment Service – The PayPal X service is designed to make it easier for developers to integrate PayPal into third-party applications.
The PC World 100: Best Products of 2009 – "PC World looked at many outstanding hardware and software products, sites and services this year, evaluating each one on its design, functionality, performance and impact. Here is the cream of the crop, the 100 best of 2009. (Note that we chose not to rate products specifically on their price or value, focusing instead on their overall quality.)"
Microsoft reveals new-look MSN – "Microsoft's web portal MSN.com has been given an extensive revamp for the first time in almost ten years."
Verizon Lawsuit Makes AT&T The Villain, Again – "America is thanking AT&T this morning for drawing attention to how limited its 3G coverage is. This is something I never paid much attention to until yesterday, when AT&T sued Verizon over a TV ad comparing the carriers' 3G coverage."

Headlines for October 30th, 2009

[modern media mom] — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 16:00:42 +0000

Google puts songs a click away in search – "A new music feature rolled out by Google Inc. Wednesday will bring its U.S. searchers one click away from listening to a full-length song."
The Twittering Masses Get Lists – "After a two-week test launch, Twitter Lists have been fully rolled out. The new feature allows Twitter users to organize the people they follow and streamline their feeds."
International Domains Get ICANN Thumbs Up – "Starting in mid-November, countries and territories will be able to apply to show domain names in their native language, a major technical tweak to the Internet designed to increase language accessibility."
Palm Lost the iTunes Sync Battle (Again) – "The release of the iTunes 9.0.2 update on Thursday yet again disables Palm's workaround to sync with Apple's popular jukebox software. Perhaps it's high time Palm moved on and created its own software."
Spammer Ordered to Pay Facebook $711 Million – "Facebook was awarded US$711 million in damages from a convicted spammer on Thursday, but the social networking site is hoping a separate criminal action will eventually send him to jail."