Friday, January 11, 2013

Softbank to sell stake in eAccess to Samsung, others: source

Softbank to sell stake in eAccess to Samsung, others: source

Softbank to sell stake in eAccess to Samsung, others: source

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 07:25 PM PST

The company logo is displayed at the Samsung news conference at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las VegasTOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's Softbank Corp is in final talks to sell its stake in eAccess Ltd, representing around 67 percent of voting rights, to Samsung Electronics Co and 10 others, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The sale would ease concerns that Softbank could hold a monopoly on spectrum allocation designated by Japan's Communications Ministry, the source said. Softbank, which is awaiting regulatory approval to buy a 70 percent stake in No. 3 U.S. ...

U.S. warns on Java software as security concerns escalate

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:53 PM PST

Attendees walk down branded steps at the 29th Oracle OpenWorld in San Francisco(Reuters) - The U.S. Department of Homeland Security urged computer users to disable Oracle Corp's Java software, amplifying security experts' prior warnings to hundreds of millions of consumers and businesses that use it to surf the Web. Hackers have figured out how to exploit Java to install malicious software enabling them to commit crimes ranging from identity theft to making an infected computer part of an ad-hoc network of computers that can be used to attack websites. ...

Analysis: Nokia's results breakthrough buys it time and options

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 10:23 AM PST

Nokia CEO Elop looks on during the company's news conference in EspooHELSINKI (Reuters) - Nokia's stronger-than-expected quarterly results mean the mobile phone maker now has breathing space and better options to help it claw back a place alongside Samsung and Apple in the smartphone market. The Finnish handset maker, whose fall from market leader to loss leader was so bad its chief executive said two years ago it was on a "burning platform", may even be in a position to list or sell its Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) arm at a premium, instead of having to auction assets cheaply as had been feared. ...

Eighth Grader Nails Behind-the-Back Buzzer-Beater

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 05:43 AM PST

An eighth grader had his Michael Jordan Game 6 moment, and while the kid didn't walk away with an NBA championship, he did end up with a pretty awesome story to share.

TrackingPoint Is World's First Smart Hunting Rifle

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 04:45 AM PST

TrackingPoint Is World's First Smart Hunting RifleLAS VEGAS -- The world's first-ever smart hunting rifle will help users never again miss their targets.

Stupid or Genius: Ten Craziest New Gadgets

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 07:44 AM PST

The Consumer Electronics Show – full of technological innovation, thousands of vendors vying to be the next big thing – and some of the craziest gadgets I've ever seen. Now there's a fine line between crazy and brilliant, and sometimes it's hard to tell the difference. So here are my top ten picks for craziest [...]

Apple won't blindly pursue market share: report

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 11:30 AM PST

Phil Schiller, senior vice president of worldwide marketing at Apple Inc., introduces the iPhone 5 during Apple Inc.'s iPhone media event in San FranciscoSAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In a revised version of an interview published Thursday in a Chinese newspaper, Apple Inc marketing chief Phil Schiller said the company would focus on making "the best products" for customers and "never blindly pursue market share." On Thursday, the Shanghai Evening News cited Schiller as saying that Apple would not develop a cheaper smartphone for the sake of expanding its market share. ...

RIM shares climb as investors bet on new BlackBerry

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:13 PM PST

The exterior of one of the Research In Motion Limited (RIM) buildings is seen in WaterlooTORONTO (Reuters) - Shares of Research In Motion rallied on Friday as investors positioned themselves ahead of the launch of its new make-or-break BlackBerry 10 smartphones at the end of the month. Morningstar analyst Brian Colello did not see any one news story driving the stock, which climbed steadily through much of the day. The new phones are to be formally unveiled on January 30. "The stock has been extremely volatile, based on BlackBerry 10 rumors and the potential for success in the market," said Colello. ...

Biden eyeing technology in gun violence fight

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 03:40 PM PST

Biden convenes a meeting with representatives from the video game industry, in a dialogue about gun violence, in his office in WashingtonWASHINGTON (Reuters) - As Vice President Joe Biden prepares a set of proposals to curb gun violence for delivery next week, he is taking a look at technology that would make it impossible for people to fire guns that they did not buy themselves. At a meeting with video game industry executives on Friday, Biden said he and other officials would meet with experts to explore ways to limit how and by whom guns are fired. "We will be meeting with technology experts because, to overstate the case ... ...

New Android apps worth downloading: Fitocracy, Blockbuster, The Great Fusion

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 04:24 AM PST

If you're looking for a little more help keeping fit this year, you might want to give Fitocracy  a try. It turns working out into something of fitness game, adding achievements and social interaction (and competition) to the mix. We've also got Blockbuster's new app, which makes renting DVDs easier for fans of the store and its services, and The Great Fusion, a modern take on the classic point-and-click adventure title.

Cable companies called ‘monopolies that stifle competition and innovation’

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 09:09 PM PST

If you're unhappy with your cable service, you aren't alone. And according to Susan Crawford, a communications policy expert and a professor at the Cardozo School of Law, America's cable companies aren't just guilty of charging higher prices for sub par service, but also of stifling competition and innovation in the United States broadband market. In an interview with NPR's Diane Rehm, Crawford makes the case that "a handful of cable companies have become monopolies that stifle competition and innovation," which is a major reason "why Americans pay more money for worse Internet service than consumers in most other developed nations." In Crawford's view, most major ISPs are very similar to the railroad and steel monopolies of the 19th century, in that

HP sued for allegedly stiffing workers on overtime pay

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 07:44 PM PST

Just what HP (HPQ) needs: Another public relations headache! Business Insider reports that some HP tech support employees are suing the company for allegedly having them work more than 40 hours a week and then failing to deliver overtime pay. Plaintiff Eric Benedict, an HP employee, is alleging that the company intentionally "misclassified" workers "so that they wouldn't qualify for extra pay." An HP spokesperson told Business Insider that the company is "reviewing the complaint" but has no specific comment on it at this time.

US government tells computer users to disable Java

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 06:52 PM PST

FILE- This April 23, 2007 file photo shows the Java logo at Sun Microsystems' offices in Menlo Park, Calif. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is advising people to temporarily disable the Java software on their computers to avoid potential hacking attacks. Oracle Corp. bought Java as part of a $7.3 billion acquisition of the software's creator, Sun Microsystems, in 2010. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is advising people to temporarily disable the Java software on their computers to avoid potential hacking attacks.

Ericsson sold more than 2,000 patents to a patent troll suing Apple, Google and RIM

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 05:31 PM PST

Noted patent troll Unwired Planet made news last year when it filed patent infringement complaints against Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG) and Research in Motion (RIMM). In an effort to beef up its portfolio, the company has now purchased more than 2,000 patents from Ericsson (ERIC) that will help it continue to pursue legal actions against a number of smartphone and tablet manufacturers. Ericsson will transfer 2,185 U.S and international patents and patent applications to Unwired Planet, a majority of which relate to 2G, 3G and LTE technologies. Under the terms of the agreement, Ericsson will also contribute 100 additional patents to the company annually beginning in 2014 and continuing through 2018. In return, Ericsson will have access to Unwired Planet's patent portfolio and has also received

Best of CES: Which items made the biggest splash in Vegas?

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 05:13 PM PST

An estimated 150,000 attendees flocked to Las Vegas for the 2013 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). And over the course of the week, they traversed nearly two million square feet of floor space and more than 3,000 exhibition booths – all on-site at the Las Vegas Convention Center and at some nearby hotels.

Why We Hate the Word 'Phablet' So Much

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 04:28 PM PST

Why We Hate the Word 'Phablet' So MuchIt appears we have reached Peak Phablet — and not just because sales are up and the big-screen cellphones were all over the Consumer Electronics Show this week. No, we have also reached Peak "Phablet" — the term for the popular (and quite awkward) devices has also this week been called "horrible," "stupid," and "worst word of the year" (to which we're about two weeks in). The name itself has become as popular to loathe as the gadgets have to buy. Even linguists says so:

The Raspberry Pi mini-computer has sold more than 1 million units

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 04:03 PM PST

The numbers are in and the $35 Raspberry Pi Linux PC is a success. After pre-orders sold out in less than 24 hours, the credit card-sized computer faced a number manufacturing hiccups and distribution problems. In April, the first batch of Raspberry Pis finally arrived at distributors and begun to ship worldwide. The company announced this week that one of its two distributors, Premier Farnell, has sold more than a million units. "They're only one of two official distributors," the Raspberry Pi foundation wrote on its website. "We don't have completely up-to-date figures from RS Components yet, but Farnell's news suggests that we're well on the way to having sold our millionth Raspberry Pi." The Raspberry Pi has become increasing popular for its affordable price and hackability.

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 comes to AT&T for $200 with no contract

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 03:09 PM PST

AT&T (T) on Friday announced the addition of the Lenovo (LNVGY) IdeaTab A2107 to its line of tablet PCs. The 7-inch slate is equipped with a 1GHz dual-core processor, 1GB of RAM, 16GB of internal storage, 3G connectivity and Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The IdeaTab A2107 also includes a 3-megapixel rear camera, a microSD slot, a front-facing camera and a 3550 mAh battery. The tablet's display isn't nearly as good as the competition, however, sporting a mere 1024 x 600 resolution with a pixel density of 170 pixels per inch, falling short of Google's (GOOG) similarly priced Nexus 7. "The Lenovo IdeaTab is a great option for those in the market for a compact, multifunctional tablet at an affordable

The Truth About That Snake on a Plane, According to Science

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 02:50 PM PST

The Truth About That Snake on a Plane, According to ScienceThanks to the miracle of the Internet, we all got to witness the freak occurrence of an actual snake on an actual freakin' plane this week. And while news of the scrub python quickly spread from the side of a Qantas flight out of Australia to YouTube, actual scientists are pretty used to this sort of thing. Seriously. We asked a real-life snake detective.

Your Windows RT tablet can now be jailbroken with a simple batch file

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 02:17 PM PST

Tablets that run Windows RT are currently limited to apps from the Windows Store. Thanks to a new jailbreak exploit, however, the operating system has been tweaked to let devices run unsigned ARM-based desktop apps. A forum member at XDA-Developers has packaged the exploit into a simple batch file, which is able to bypass certain restrictions put in place by Microsoft (MSFT). There are a few catches, however. The jailbreak can only be changed in memory, requiring the batch file to be run each time the device is powered on. In addition, traditional desktop programs designed for x86-based processors will still be incompatible with Windows RT devices and must be recompiled for the ARM architecture. The exploit does open the

Netflix gets unfair postal advantage, court finds

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 02:15 PM PST

The headquarters of Netflix is shown in Los GatosWASHINGTON (Reuters) - A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that Netflix Inc received an unfair advantage from the U.S. Postal Service's special handling of its DVDs, and ordered postal regulators to remedy the discrimination or offer a good explanation. The unanimous decision, by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, is a victory for GameFly Inc, which said the postal service should treat the games it ships similarly to Netflix DVDs. ...

Nortel's legal mess pits bondholders against retirees

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:46 PM PST

(Reuters) - Nortel Networks was once the largest telecommunication equipment company in North America, but since it filed for bankruptcy in 2009 it has earned a new label: one of the world's most complicated legal proceedings. Bondholders, suppliers, governments and former employees from around the globe hold $20 billion in claims based on different insolvency laws and are competing for Nortel's last remaining asset - $9 billion in cash. ...

Verizon’s new anti-piracy policy will throttle repeat offenders’ connections down to dial-up speeds

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:44 PM PST

Unless you have acute nostalgia for AOL dial-up service circa 1998, then you probably shouldn't get busted pirating copyrighted material on Verizon's (VZ) network. TorrentFreak has got hold of Verizon's official "six strikes" anti-piracy policy that's slated to roll out this year and has found that repeat offenders on Verizon's network will see their connection speeds throttled down to just 256Kbps. For users' first two alleged copyright violations, Verizon will send out an email and a voice message informing them that "one or more copyright owners have reported that they believe your account has been involved in possible copyright infringement activity." For users' third and fourth alleged offenses, Verizon will "redirect your browser to a special web page where you can review

Microsoft may have exited gadget show prematurely

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:38 PM PST

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, left, and Qualcomm CEO Paul Jacobs talk about various Windows based products that utilize Qualcomm technology during Jacobs' keynote address at the Consumer Electronics Show, Monday, Jan. 7, 2013, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)LAS VEGAS (AP) — Microsoft may have relinquished its starring role in America's gaudiest gadget show a year too early.

Best Buy holiday sales slide despite online boost

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 01:20 PM PST

Best Buy (BBY) on Friday reported sales results for the nine-week period ending on January 5th, 2013. The nation's largest consumer electronics retailer said total revenue slid 1.4% year-over-year to $12.8 billion between October and January, but domestic comparable sales rose slightly and online sales grew by 10%. "One of the first priorities of our Renew Blue strategy is to stabilize and then begin improving our comparable store sales," Best Buy President and CEO Hubert Joly said. "During the most important period in the retail calendar – the holiday sales season – we were able to improve our Domestic comparable store sales trends compared to the performance of the last several quarters and continue our strong traffic growth in our online

First BlackBerry 10 smartphone may launch on February 28th

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:51 PM PST

Research in Motion (RIMM) is scheduled to formally unveil its BlackBerry 10 operating system on January 30th, however it is unclear when we will see the first new BlackBerry smartphones launch. Despite the fact that all four major U.S. carriers — Verizon (VZ), AT&T (T), Sprint (S) and T-Mobile — have confirmed plans to carry new BlackBerry 10 devices in 2013, RIM has remained quiet regarding release details. According to an image provided to BGR and other publications allegedly showing Best Buy Canada's (BBY) internal inventory system, the first BlackBerry 10 smartphone could launch in Canada on February 28th. This specific release date concerns Canadian carrier Bell (BCE), though the phone will likely launch on additional carriers at the same time if the date is

Hackers sentenced for Michael Jackson music theft

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 12:41 PM PST

LONDON (AP) — A British court sentenced two hackers to 100 hours of community service on Friday for stealing a treasure trove of unreleased music — including Michael Jackson tracks — from the U.S. servers of Sony Music Entertainment.

Rovio has more monthly active users than Twitter

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 11:54 AM PST

Rovio announced today it hit 263 million monthly active users in December 2012. This happened precisely three years after the first Angry Birds game debuted at the end of 2009. Incidentally, the somewhat better-known Twitter hit the 200 million monthly active user mark in December 2012. And since Twitter was launched in the summer of 2006, Rovio's user growth has been notably brisker. Rovio has recently been able to demonstrate it is a tad more than a flash in the pan. Angry Birds Star Wars has now remained the #1 paid iPhone app in America for 65 days. Angry Birds Space still clings to #6 slot nearly 300 days after its debut. And Bad Piggies is at #9 more than three

East Carolina University sues Cisco over slogan

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 11:43 AM PST

A Cisco office is pictured in San Diego, California(Reuters) - East Carolina University (ECU) has filed a lawsuit against Cisco Systems Inc over the use of its registered trademark "Tomorrow Starts Here", which is central to the network equipment company's new marketing campaign. The U.S. university said on Friday that it is seeking damages for unauthorized use of the trademark, which it said is "a university-wide brand that represents an overlapping field of goods and services when compared with that of Cisco". ...

App Turns Smartphone Into Smartkey

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 11:40 AM PST

An app turns your smartphone into a smartkey by using Near Field Communication, NFC, to send data wirelessly over short distances. Christopher Intagliata reports.

A sense of dread shrouds Nintendo’s Wii U

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 11:18 AM PST

The latest Wii U sales numbers are out from Japan, the United States and the United Kingdom — and unease is deepening. In Japan, Famitsu Magazine reported Wii U weekly sales slipping to 70,000 units from 76,000 units during the important period ending in January 6. This is the week many Japanese teenagers spend their New Year's money and sales of consoles tend to bounce. During the week, the portable 3DS sold 305,000 units, up sharply from the already impressive 266,000 units in the previous week. The seven-year-old Sony (SNE) PlayStation 3 managed to increase its sales to 64,000 units from 54,000 units. The equally ancient PSP climbed to 53,000 from 34,000. Even the star-crossed PS Vita managed to vault

CES 2013: The blind see, the deaf hear, the mute can be heard

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 11:13 AM PST

We often think of technology as something that makes us more than human. Marshall McLuhan, the freaky philosopher of television and other 20th-century developments, called media the "extensions of man." The suggestion is that tech accelerates our pace, furthers our reach, amplifies our voice.

Video game retail sales continued to slide in December, down 22% from 2011

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 11:02 AM PST

The PC industry isn't the only one that had a rough time over the holiday quarter. Per VentureBeat, the latest data from the NPD Group show that video game hardware and software sales in the United States totaled $3.2 billion at retail last month, a 22% decline from the $4.1 billion the industry posted in December 2011. One big culprit in the decline has been the rise of online stores such as Valve's Steam that give users an alternative to trudging down to their local GameStops to buy new games. As far as hardware sales go, NPD found that Microsoft's (MSFT) Xbox 360 remained the best-selling console in December, selling 1.4 million units, followed by Nintendo's (NTDOY) 3DS at 1.25 million units. Ominously for Nintendo, the company's

Why New Amtrak's Wi-Fi Upgrade Won't Fix Amtrak's Terrible Wi-Fi

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 10:52 AM PST

Why New Amtrak's Wi-Fi Upgrade Won't Fix Amtrak's Terrible Wi-FiAmtrak has announced plans to test an upgrade of its notoriously inconsistent onboard Wi-Fi to faster 4G networks, but because the fix still uses Wi-Fi from a wireless company on a moving train, the best commuters can hope for is very fast Internet... very occasionally. For now, the updated Wi-Fi only runs on Acela routes from Washington, D.C. to New York to Boston. But even for those lab-rat commuters, a new kind of network doesn't solve Amtrak's biggest Wi-Fi problem: spottiness. ...

Rice University Carbon Nanotube Breakthrough Has Implications for Space Applications

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 10:48 AM PST

According to the Houston Chronicle, researchers at Rice University in Houston have achieved a breakthrough in the manufacture of carbon nanotubes. The breakthrough has profound implications, not the least of which is in space applications.

Kodak patent sale plan gets bankruptcy court approval

Posted: 11 Jan 2013 10:32 AM PST

Kodak World Headquarters is pictured in Rochester, New YorkNEW YORK (Reuters) - Eastman Kodak Co's proposed $525 million sale of its digital imaging patents to Intellectual Ventures and RPX Corp got a bankruptcy judge's approval on Friday, bringing the photography innovator a step closer to exiting Chapter 11. The price is a fraction of the more than $2 billion which Kodak had hoped to fetch for the patents when it filed for bankruptcy in January 2012. However, it allows the company to proceed with a plan to secure $830 million in financing and exit bankruptcy in the first half of this year. Judge Allan Gropper gave his green light at a hearing in ...
Posted by Harshad at 9:34 PM

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