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Monthly Archives: July 2009

Busted

Friday, July 31, 2009

Apple’s decision to reject Google Voice apps for the iPhone — possibly at AT&T’s request — has prompted an FCC investigation into the anti-competitive nature of the move. The US government agency on Friday sent letters to Apple, AT&T and Google asking them to explain their roles in both rejecting Google’s own app as well [...]

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Energy for Clunkers

Friday, July 31, 2009

The money to fund an extended Cash for Clunkers program could come at the expense of renewable energy companies. The House on Friday overwhelmingly passed a bill to extend the program which gives consumers up to $4,500 for trading in old cars for new, fuel-efficient ones with an additional $2 billion. The initial $1 billion [...]

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Over 1 Billion Downloaded

Friday, July 31, 2009

Firefox fans love their statistical milestones, and Mozilla enjoys fanning the flames by providing plenty of opportunities for self-congratulation. In 2008 it was the Firefox Download Day, with more than 8 million downloads in 24 hours. Next came the Firefox 3.5 debut and its download tracker. And now we have the billion-download figure on the [...]

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Microsoft Lowers the Hammer

Friday, July 31, 2009

The Lenovo OEM key that leaked earlier this week and allowed Windows 7 Ultimate to be cracked is being blacklisted, according to a blog post last night from Alex Kochis, Director of Genuine Windows at Microsoft. Kochis says: Yesterday we were alerted to reports of a leak of a special product key issued to an [...]

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NASA Under Screwtiny

Friday, July 31, 2009

A presidential space panel on Thursday challenged NASA’s vision of establishing a base on the moon and instead weighed other ambitious options that include free-ranging spaceships that could visit destinations throughout the inner solar system. Noticeably absent, however, was discussion of NASA’s work force — despite a packed hotel ballroom filled with dozens of Kennedy [...]

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Hey! It’s Not Here!

Friday, July 31, 2009

The Federal Communications Commission will investigate smaller markets where major wireless carriers like AT&T and Sprint, which carry the iPhone and Palm Pre, respectively, do not provide service, according to Bloomberg. “There are markets in the country where if you wanted an iPhone, if you wanted a Pre, you just couldn’t get it — from [...]

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Here Come the $1,000 Netbooks

Friday, July 31, 2009

After publicly advertising the idea that Windows PCs are cheaper than Macs in its “Laptop Hunter” ads, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told an audience of financial analysts that the company’s attempts to cut prices of Windows to induce demand in emerging markets had failed over the previous year, and that the solution to the company’s [...]

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Introducing One Hand to the Other

Friday, July 31, 2009

Microsoft’s recently released Service Pack 2 for Office 2008 for Mac makes it impossible for many users to open Office files created on PCs. The “update” – Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 2 (12.2.0) – was released last Monday. In its release notes, Microsoft promised that it would “improve stability, reliability, and performance.” [...]

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iPhone SMS Patch on the Way

Friday, July 31, 2009

The iPhone’s SMS security hole which security expert Charlie Miller said could be exploited to create a mobile botnet or execute a DDoS attack will soon be patched, according to reports. European network operator O2 told the BBC today that a patch will be rolled out through iTunes tomorrow, but Apple (in typical Apple fashion) [...]

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Always Read the Fine Print

Friday, July 31, 2009

Microsoft said on Friday that it will charge $149 for the family pack version of Windows 7, which allows users to upgrade up to three PCs to the Home Premium edition of the operating system. The software maker had previously said it would offer the family pack, but had not said how much it would [...]

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Stargate Universe

Friday, July 31, 2009

After more than a decade of Stargate series established lengthy backstories for both the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies, where does a new entrant in the franchise take the story? How about the vast frontier of the universe? That’s the approach the creators of Syfy’s upcoming Stargate Universe have taken. The new show centers on [...]

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Cheap! Cheap!

Friday, July 31, 2009

Staples Inc. and Wal-Mart Stores Inc. are slashing laptop prices and expanding their selections for the back-to-school shopping season, banking on the computer demand to sell more profitable accessories and services. Staples, the largest office-supplies retailer, boosted its portable computer selection by 50 percent, while Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, is selling out of a [...]

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Broken Processor Clocks Working Again!

Friday, July 31, 2009

From The Inquirer: DROWNED OUT by the recent buzz was the fact that, for the first time in a long time, AMD has announced a desktop CPU at a clock rate faster than the highest frequency Intel chip of the moment. Yes, the new Phenom II X4 965 Black Edition runs at 3.4GHz out of [...]

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Now You See It, Now You See Something Else

Friday, July 31, 2009

Technology has caught up with Hollywood heist films in a new hack being demonstrated at DefCon Friday, which involves hijacking IP video streams and seamlessly replacing them with new content. In its simplest form, the hack — conducted with two free tools developed by researchers at Sipera Systems’ Viper Lab — allows someone to intercept [...]

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Crash for Clunkers Broke

Friday, July 31, 2009

The cash for clunkers program was controversial when it was first announced. The program offers Americans $4,500 to trade in their old cars with poor fuel economy and high emission output for a newer vehicle that gets better fuel economy. At the same time, the program was intended to help the ailing automakers turn some [...]

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