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Washington Post
20 items
Post-9/11 Dragnet Turns Up Surprises
In the six-and-a-half years that the U.S. government has been fingerprinting insurgents, detainees and ordinary people in Afghanistan, Iraq and the Horn of Africa, hundreds have turned out to share an unexpected background, FBI and military officials said. They have criminal arrest records in the...
Help File
Q I've got an old mix CD, and I don't know the names of all the songs on it. Is there any way to look them up online?
To Sell to Gen-Y, You Have to Meet Them Online
Despite the housing recession, there are still more than 1.5 million real estate agents in the United States.
Canadian telecom BCE, suitor agree on terms
TORONTO -- BCE Inc, Canada's largest telecommunications company, said Friday it has agreed on terms of a $35 billion sale to a group led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan in the biggest leveraged buyout ever. The deal is expected to be completed by mid-December.
YouTube Ordered To Release User Data
A federal judge in New York this week ordered the video-sharing site YouTube, the world's third-most-visited Web site, to release data on the viewing habits of its tens of millions of worldwide viewers.
It Only Looks Like an iPhone
So many people are lining up to buy a new touch-screen wireless phone that the carrier selling it can't keep up with demand.
The Google Ogle Defense: A Search for America's Psyche
Question: Do you think your Google habits -- your random, untethered wisps of thoughts manifested as search terms like "unexplained hives" and "Kate Beckinsale single?" -- can be bundled together to paint an accurate representation of your morality?
With $100 Million Influx, MiddleBrook CEO Is Out
Edward M. Rudnic, MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals's chief executive, plans to leave the company he founded in exchange for an outside investment of $100 million.
Groups Sue U.S. for Data On Tracking By Cellphone
Two civil liberties groups filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government yesterday, seeking records related to the government's use of cellphones as tracking devices.
New iPhone Can Decouple From AT&T, for a Price
Apple's popular iPhone can be yours, no contract required. But there's a catch -- and a pricey one at that.
Google Ad Deal Is Under Scrutiny
The Justice Department has opened a formal antitrust investigation into a deal struck last month that would allow Internet titan Google to provide some search advertising for Yahoo, according to sources familiar with the inquiry.
Va. Program Aims to Streamline College Applications
Virginia students applying to college might soon be able to submit transcripts electronically, saving school systems printing and postage costs and decreasing the chances that valuable paperwork will get lost in the mail.
Merger Holds Big Cost Savings, Sirius Says
A merger between the nation's sole satellite radio providers is still awaiting federal approval, but the companies have already begun touting how much money will be saved -- and how much will be made -- once they are combined.
Data Breaches Are Up 69% This Year, Nonprofit Says
Businesses, governments and universities reported a 69 percent increase in data breaches in the first half of 2008 compared with a similar period in 2007, according to a study by a nonprofit group that works to prevent fraud.
E-Prescription Networks to Merge
The nation's two electronic prescription networks plan to announce today that they are merging in an effort to encourage the adoption of their technology by doctors and patients.
Venture-Backed IPO Tally: Zero
Eight months ago, medical treatment firm Broncus Technologies was ready to sell its stock to the public. The company, which develops treatments for lung diseases, filed the paperwork, talked with major banks and waited for the perfect time to make its debut on the public stock market.
France Faults eBay Over Fake Goods
PARIS, June 30 -- A French court on Monday ordered eBay to pay more than $61 million to luxury goods group LVMH for letting counterfeit products and its branded perfumes be sold on the auction site.
European Lawmaker To Sue U.S. Over Data
A European Union lawmaker who frequently travels to the United States is suing the U.S. government for access to her personal records, such as credit card information and travel history, that the Department of Homeland Security and other security agencies may have gathered.
Surfing Roads Less Traveled
In Sprint's multibillion-dollar vision, Washingtonians will soon be able to sit in a moving car (passenger seat, please) and take part in a video chat while downloading a movie and writing e-mails.
The Crack of a Bat, the Wail of Guitar Hero. Wait, What?
Capitol Hill resident Patrick Lavigne gets his family to Nationals games early. The idea, originally, was that they'd be spending that pregame time trying to get autographs or heckling and cheering players during batting practice.
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New York Times
22 items
As Web Traffic Grows, Crashes Take Bigger Toll
As the Web has become an irreplaceable part of life, users have become less forgiving of even occasional outages.
The Medium: File-Sharing Fetish
Eclectic video-sharing that doesn’t succumb to the porn imperative.
For Marketers, Viruses Just Won’t Cooperate
Viral marketing is much harder than negative buzz to generate.
Novelties: Electronic Papyrus: The Digital Book, Unfurled
New technologies are developing that make displays flexible, foldable or even as rollable as papyrus, so that large screens can be unfurled from small containers.
Talking Business: On Day Care, Google Makes a Rare Fumble
A battle between employees and their company over in-house day care may be representative of greater changes at Google.
Consortium Rescues Bell Canada Takeover
A private equity and pension fund consortium said it salvaged a record $52 billion deal for Bell Canada on Friday by postponing its closing date and canceling dividend payments.
Bits: Google Changes Home Page, Adding Link to Privacy Policy
The move brings Google into clear compliance with a California law that requires many Web sites to have a link to their privacy policy on their home page.
Google Told to Turn Over User Data of YouTube
The order raised concerns that the online video viewing habits of tens of millions of people could be exposed.
Bits: What Is Facebook Worth? (Part 37)
A document in the settled Facebook vs. ConnectU litigation reveals that Facebook’s common shares are worth a quarter of the value of the stock Microsoft purchased when it invested in the social network.
Bits: Justice Looks Further at Google-Yahoo Deal
The Justice Department’s antitrust division has begun issuing subpoenas as it probes further into whether a planned Google-Yahoo partnership in search advertising is anticompetitive.
Business Briefing | Acquisitions: Vodafone Acquires Majority Stake of Ghana Telecom
The Vodafone Group said it had agreed to acquire a 70 percent stake in Ghana Telecom, the African country’s third-largest mobile phone operator, for $900 million.
Apple to .Mac Subscribers: Sync Bookmarks by Sunday
The warning came as part of Apple’s transition from .Mac to the new MobileMe online service, which was announced at last month’s Worldwide Developers Conference.
Bits: A Sucker Is Converted Every Minute
Those ads for the free digital TV signal converter box? Beware.
Obama Voters Protest His Switch on Telecom Immunity
Thousands of Barack Obama’s backers are using the online organizing tools his campaign created to protest his recent support for expanding government surveillance powers.
Bits: Former H.P. Executive Indicted for Leak of Secrets
Atul Malhotra joined Hewlett-Packard in May 2006. His employment ended four months later. In between he got himself into hot water with H.P., and, now, the federal government.
Cyberfamilias: See Spot Run. Now Find Out Where He Went.
This summer, a new generation of pocket-size gadgets offer anyone willing to spend $129.99 or more a way to use the Global Positioning System to track the people, pets and possessions they love.
Apple’s Video of iPhone 3G Shows Its Marketing Prowess
A slick 30-minute online video narrated by Bob Borchers offers a guided tour of the iPhone 3G coming July 11.
Bits: Our Paradoxical Attitudes Toward Privacy
A forthcoming study from Carnegie Mellon shows that people are more inclined to divulge private information online in some contexts than others.
Bits: Making Music With Verizon Wireless
John Harrobin of Verizon Wireless sees music distribution via cellphone becoming more important as artists leave the big record labels.
Microsoft Buys Online Concern
Microsoft said on Tuesday that it would buy Powerset Inc., an Internet search company, the latest in a string of acquisitions aimed at bolstering its position online.
Blockbuster Drops Bid for Circuit City
Blockbuster said on Tuesday that it was withdrawing its proposal to acquire Circuit City Stores.
Energy Star for Servers May Be Ready by Year-End
The E.P.A. expects to introduce its first Energy Star rating for servers by the end of the year, although a more comprehensive system that measures actual workloads will take longer to develop.
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CNET
21 items
iPhone 3G queue forms in Manhattan
But the usual suspects--gadget fanatics--aren't the ones at the front of the line.
Privacy advocates praise Google's new link
Company's decision to add a link to its home page that leads to its Privacy Center is enough to quell a controversy.
Photos: Army designates year's best inventions
Every year, the U.S. Army designates a set of top inventions. This year's list includes a GPS-guided artillery shell and a new method for saving severely injured soldiers.
Photos: Top 10 reviews of the week
CNET Reviews rates the Garmin Nuvi 880 car GPS gadget, a Panasonic Viera flat-screen TV, the Asus Eee PC 901 laptop, and more.
Ask.com closes Dictionary.com deal
Fourth-ranked search engine completes its acquisition of the parent company of Dictionary.com, Thesaurus.com, and Reference.com.
1 euro eBay baby goes home
Parents had put their baby boy up for sale on eBay--apparently as a joke--but German authorities didn't find it particularly amusing.
VeriSign names interim CEO
Company's founder takes the place of the CEO and president, who resigned abruptly earlier this week.
Week in review: Microhoogle intrigue
Microsoft, Yahoo, and Google are facing probes, proxies, and accusations of backroom politicking as their various attempts to link up come under scrutiny. Also: searching for content within Flash is becoming easier.
Photos: Cracking Open the Apple Macintosh Classic
TechRepublic examines just what went into one of the most famous personal computers ever manufactured--and what tech was like in 1991.
Photos: Up close with the Blue Angels
News.com reporter Daniel Terdiman visits Florida's Naval Air Station Pensacola, home of the Blue Angels.
At home with the Blue Angels
During a visit to the Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Fla., CNET News.com's Daniel Terdiman gets to see the high-performance pilots up close.
Japanese Shell subsidiary plans solar-panel plant
Oil company turns to the sun, with plans to build a factory manufacturing thin-film solar panels with a cumulative yearly power generation capacity of 1 gigawatt.
EA debuts new family, sports games for Wii, PlayStation
After its pairing with board game maker Hasbro, EA shows off its new family-oriented games and an "All-Play" series for Wii.
Video: Latest in Viacom-Google lawsuit raises questions
News.com's Dan Farber tells what's at stake for users' privacy as a result of a federal judge's ruling that Google must turn data over to Viacom.
Researcher faults Apple iPhone on security updates
He says iPhone, still at version 1.1.4, is at least four months behind desktop OS in patching many known Mac OS X security vulnerabilities.
Google RatProxy looks for cross-site flaws
Free tool helps Web developers analyze their site for a variety of cross-site vulnerabilities.
Daily Debrief: Celebrating America's independence, questioning our own online
On Thursday's edition of the Daily Debrief, CNET News.com's Kara Tsuboi and Dan Farber discuss the latest development in the Google-Viacom lawsuit.
News.com Daily Podcast: Should YouTube users worry about privacy?
How engineering is helping revive post-Katrina New Orleans; Google and Viacom battle over user privacy; and what Microsoft has to do with the Facebook and ConnectU legal battle.
Hundreds of Lithuanian Web sites defaced
Loosely affiliated supporters mount an online protest over new laws in Lithuania banning the display of Soviet symbols.
Mozilla and Opera fix security flaws
Opera updates its most recent release, while Mozilla continues to support an older version of Firefox with updates.
EIC Squared: Indexing Flash; Powerset; and Viacom vs. Google
On this week's EIC Squared podcast, CNET News.com's Dan Farber and ZDNet's Larry Dignan discuss the week's big stories.
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eWeek
5 items
Gartner Revises Server Share Numbers
Gartner revised its first quarter numbers and found that IBM actually beat out Hewlett-Packard in server revenue....
Who Is Running The Most Secure Browser?
Many users are undoubtedly not updating their browsers as quickly as they should, but you can't conclude any specifics about that from the recent study of Google logs....
DOJ Sued Over Cell Phone Tracking Practices
Civil liberties groups claim the Justice Department is bypassing warrants to obtain real-time tracking information on U.S. citizens....
Microsoft Internet Explorer Security Strikes Back
Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 security builds on the Phishing Filter of IE 7 and thwarts cross-site scripting....
IBM Helps Link POS to the Back Office
IBM and Epicor jointly release an offering that centrally manages and supports POS....
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Wall Street Journal
13 items
YouTube, Viacom Fight Over Users
Lawyers for Google asked Viacom for permission to better hide information that might help identify YouTube users before Google complies with a judge's demand that it hand over YouTube "user logs" to Viacom.
Buyout Banks Take Peace-Making Turn
A group of banks and buyout firms helped salvage the $52 billion takeover of Canadian telecom BCE. The compromise closes a year of bickering about how to fund boom-era deals and may help banks begin new lending commitments.
Yahoo Pursues Talks With Potential Partners
Yahoo has picked up discussions with Time Warner over a combination involving AOL. News Corp. has also been hovering around Yahoo.
Vodafone Buys Ghana Telecom Stake
Vodafone agreed to buy a 70% stake in Ghana Telecom from the country's government for $900 million.
RIM Gets Stay in Visto Patent Case
Research In Motion was granted a stay in a patent-infringement case filed by software maker Visto against the BlackBerry maker.
Reliance Firms Still Feud
Reliance Industries continued to pressure Reliance Communications' deal talks with MTN, asking for discussions in a possible prelude to going to court.
VeriSign Names Bidzos Interim CEO
VeriSign named founder Jim Bidzos as interim chief executive, replacing William A. Roper, who had spent the last year trying to slim down and refocus the Internet-registration company.
JWT Wins Microsoft Account
WPP Group's JWT ad firm has landed Microsoft's business-solutions advertising account, beating out McCann Erickson.
Circuit City Director Quits
The lead director of Circuit City resigned, a day after Blockbuster disclosed it was abandoning its pursuit of the consumer-electronics retailer.
Nvidia Warns of Charge, Softer Demand
Nvidia disclosed an overheating problem with some of its chips for notebook computers -- triggering a big charge -- and said other problems also will hurt financial results for the second quarter.
IBM to Buy Competitor, Ending Suits
IBM agreed to buy Platform Solutions in a deal that eliminates ongoing litigation and a potential competitor for its lucrative mainframe business.
Rulings Aid Case for Class Actions
Widespread efforts by companies to prevent consumers from pursuing class-action suits against them are increasingly getting quashed by state courts.
Spectrum's Net Falls 21%
Spectrum's net income fell 21% on the continued sting of delayed military orders and softness in the telecom equipment market.
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BBC News
43 items
Google 'faces Street View block'
Google's plans to launch a mapping tool in the UK could be referred to the Information Commissioner.
Warning letters to 'file-sharers'
The music industry says thousands of UK broadband users who share tracks illegally will be warned about it in letters.
Google must divulge YouTube log
Google must divulge the viewing habits of every user who has ever watched avideo on YouTube, says a US court.
Firefox download record official
The creators of Firefox 3.0 celebrate the news they have set a new world record for software downloads.
Government starts data mash-up
The UK government launches a competition to find innovative ways of using the masses of data it collects.
Virgin rapped on broadband speeds
ASA upholds complaint about advertisements lodged by rival broadband provider BT.
Spam experiment overloads inboxes
A security firm reveals the results of an experiment where 50 people from around the world surfed the web unprotected for a month.
Mobile firms hit roaming deadline
Mobile phone firms reach a deadline to cut the price of sending text messages in EU member nations.
Sinclair dreams of 'flying cars'
Personal flying machines will be a reality, says home computer and electric car pioneer Sir Clive Sinclair.
Get your up-to-date fix of blog posts about all things digital
Content overload?
Peter Gabriel thinks he has the answer
Machine music
Punk-loving robots pogo in the name of science
'Bars, not Gates'
Microsoft, free software and the future
Digital front line
Telecoms specialist offers his view on rebuilding Burma
Shaping up
Why doctors are switching on to video games
Hi-tech health
How robots are transforming care in the NHS
Rhapsody embraces MP3 music
US digital music service Rhapsody is the latest company to embrace MP3 downloads without copy restrictions.
Google Yahoo ad deal faces probe
Plans for Google and Yahoo search advertising deal may stall as the Justice Department investigates.
Court fines eBay over fake goods
A French court orders eBay to pay 40 million euros in damages to luxury goods group LVMH for allowing the sale of fake goods.
Spam fighters lay down gauntlet
Recommendations for how ISPs can fight spam are issued by a global body dedicated to looking at the issue.
Gates steps down from Microsoft
The chairman of Microsoft, Bill Gates, is stepping down from his day-to-day job at the world's largest software company.
Internet overhaul wins approval
A complete overhaul of the way people navigate the internet has been given the go ahead in Paris.
Farewell Mr Gates
The hits and misses of his leadership of Microsoft
Behind the scenes of Firefox 3.0
Behind the scenes at the Mozilla Foundation
Real racing in the virtual world
How gamers may soon be able to race against top F1 drivers in real time from the comfort of their living room.
Yahoo goes back to its roots
For millions of people worldwide Yahoo remains synonymous with the internet itself, but after Microsoft walked away from buying the firm what does the future hold?
Google's experimental Gmail
Google opens testing of new Gmail features to its biggest audience as it calls on tens of millions of users to try them.
Broadband speed test map
Closing the Gates after Bill
Bill Thompson on the end of the Bill Gates era
Changing the way we think
Bill Thompson asks if the web changes how we think
Virgin territory for ISPs
Bill Thompson believes Virgin Media has decided it likes record companies more than its customers.
Trade agreement could hit privacy
Internet law professor Michael Geist examines implications of new anti-counterfeiting agreement.
Cloud computing faces storm
Bill Thompson argues that data and apps in the cloud need to be given better protection.
Bad law from good intentions?
Bill Thompson considers the impact of a prosecution in the US for creating a fake MySpace page.
Why the future is in your hands
The humble mobile phone looks set to become a multimedia, multi-function monster as more features are crammed inside it.
The mobile future is calling
Developers are being urged to unleash their creativity and make the mobile future a reality and bring the world to everyone's phone.
Google bets on Android future
Google's director of mobile platforms explains his vision for Android, a new operating system for mobiles.
Pupils reveal mobile snapshot
Students at a school in Tynemouth carry out a survey of mobile phone use as apart of the BBC's School Report project.
Nokia morphs itself from within
Future directions in computing
A look at the future computing technologies which will go beyond Moore's Law.
Getting more from Moore's Law
A look at some of the technologies that could allow the silicon industry to deliver faster, cheaper chips.
Cleaning up in 'fab world'
A look inside the surreal and ultra-clean world of the silicon manufacturing plant.
The man behind Moore's Law
BBC News interviews Gordon Moore, the man whose "law" has driven the computer revolution.
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Financial Times
15 items
Google told to hand over YouTube users' data
Google has run into a fresh storm over online privacy after a US judge ordered YouTube, its popular online video site, to hand over records detailing the viewing habits of its millions of users.
Brussels to proceed with IBM antitrust review
European regulators are to push ahead with an antitrust inquiry into IBM's dominance of the computer mainframe market, in spite of the computer maker's acquisition this week of the small rival whose complaint had stirred up the review
VeriSign parts company with CEO
VeriSign, the world's leading provider of the electronic certificates that help secure internet traffic, announced the departure of its chief executive
Korea signals lifting of handset barrier
International handset makers make no secret of their desire to enter South Korea, one of the world's most technologically advanced and expensive telecoms markets
Microsoft deal steps up rivalry with Google
Microsoft turned up the heat in its technological rivalry with Google as it announced the purchase of Powerset, a company that has developed one of the most promising, and controversial, new internet search tools of recent years
iPhone to become available without contract
Smartphone buyers in the US will be able to buy a version of Apple's new 3G iPhone for $599 without committing to a two-year service agreement, said AT&T, the exclusive supplier of the iPhone in the US
Warner signs up for Nokia's music service
Nokia's "all you can eat" mobile music service gained momentum with the addition of Warner Music, giving Nokia the participation of three of the four largest record groups as it prepares to launch Comes with Music
Yahoo board sharpens attack on Icahn
Yahoo's board intensified an attack on Carl Icahn, the activist investor, questioning his investment record and describing his plans for the internet company as ill-defined
Ebay ordered to pay €38m to LVMH over fakes
A French court has hit at the heart of Ebay's business model by ordering the online retailer to pay almost €40m to LVMH, the French luxury goods maker, for failing to do enough to block sales of counterfeit goods
Amazon launches Latin America contact site
Amazon, the world's largest internet retailer, is stepping up its focus on Latin America, a rapidly developing e-commerce market where it has yet to establish a direct presence
Fresh profit warning from Sony Ericsson
Sony Ericsson warned that it would only break even in the second quarter because of disappointing European sales of its mid and high-end mobile phones
Yahoo to reorganise following executive exits
Yahoo has announced a major reorganisation after the failure of a Microsoft takeover bid and a subsequent flood of executive departures
Sony plans $18bn BRIC push
Electronics giant announces aggressive sales push in big emerging markets to Y2,000bn in the next three years
Verizon presses Vodafone to leave venture
Verizon Communications has stepped up the pressure on Vodafone to sell out of Verizon Wireless, their mobile joint venture, saying that the second largest US telecoms company intends to be 'the hunter' in future industry consolidation
Newer units and sales rally lift Oracle
A recovery in US software sales and a stronger performance from some of its newer businesses helped Oracle beat Wall Street expectations
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AP
10 items
Court orders YouTube to give Viacom video logs
NEW YORK (AP) -- Dismissing privacy concerns, a federal judge overseeing a $1 billion copyright-infringement lawsuit against YouTube has ordered the popular online video-sharing service to disclose who watches which video clips and when....
2 teens attacked in town mocked in YouTube videos
DOVER, N.Y. (AP) -- Two teenagers who drove to Oniontown after a series of YouTube videos portrayed the hamlet as a run-down, backwoods dump were pelted with rocks by an angry group of young residents, authorities said....
Internet addressing agency loses its own addresses
NEW YORK (AP) -- This doesn't sound good: The nonprofit agency in charge of the Internet's addresses recently lost track of its own....
Police wnt u to fight crime w/txt msgs
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) -- Police in the 1970s urged citizens to "drop a dime" in a pay phone to report crimes anonymously. Now in an increasing number of cities, tipsters are being invited to use their thumbs - to identify criminals using text messages....
Study says many dial-up users don't want broadband
NEW YORK (AP) -- A new study suggests that attitude rather than availability may be the key reason why more Americans don't have high-speed Internet access....
EU musicians oppose Europe-wide online licensing
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- The Bee Gees' Robin Gibb and other European music composers warned Thursday that standardizing music royalties across Europe could hurt musicians and the songs they write....
Adobe to make searching easier on Flash sites
NEW YORK (AP) -- Internet users will now have an easier time finding sites that rely heavily on the popular Flash video format....
Case dropped against parents who put baby on eBay
MEMMINGEN, Germany (AP) -- A baby boy removed from his parents' custody after they offered to sell him on eBay for just a euro - $1.59 - as a joke is back at home, a prosecutor said Thursday....
Report: Microsoft seeks help for another Yahoo bid
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Unable to strike a deal on its own, Microsoft Corp. reportedly is hoping to snap up Yahoo's online search operations with the help of News Corp. and Time Warner Inc....
EU, US near deal on pact on protecting privacy
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- Privacy rights vs. terror fights: The EU and the United States are close to agreeing on how to protect personal and private data while still letting law enforcement officials share information to combat organized crime and terrorism....
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