Apple joined a growing number of U.S. corporations that have cut ties with WikiLeaks, removing an application from its online store that gave users access to the controversial website’s content and Twitter feed because it violated guidelines. Get the full story »
Filed under: Internet
Visit our Filed page for categories. To browse by specific topic, see our Inside page. For a list of companies covered on this site, visit our Companies page.
Verizon to sell Motorola 4G phone
Verizon Wireless will distribute a smartphone made by Motorola Inc. to run on its new 4G network, the carrier’s chief operating officer, John Stratton, said in an interview Tuesday. The comments mark the first time the carrier has identified a handset maker for the closely watched launch and represent an important vote of confidence in Motorola. Get the full story »
American Airlines yanks fares from Orbitz
Orbitz Worldwide Inc. stopped selling American Airlines’ tickets on Tuesday afternoon after a Cook County Circuit Court judge allowed the nation’s #3 airline to yank all content from the online travel giant.
American said it pulled its inventory from Orbitz immediately after the ruling. Customers who need to change tickets booked through Orbitz.com should call 1-800-433-7300, the airline advised.
Texas-based American had sought to sever ties to the Chicago-based online travel agency on Dec. 1 as a result of a contract dispute with Orbitz and Travelport, the online travel giant’s largest shareholder. Get the full story »
Google to add hacking warnings to search results
Google has been posting malware warnings on suspicious search results for years, but now it’ll also add notifications to sites that might have been hacked.
When a site raises red flags, Google will add a link under the main search result that says, “This site may be compromised,” the company said in a blog post. Google will use automated tools designed to search for common signs of hacking.
FCC OKs ‘Open Internet’ regulations
U.S. communications regulators adopted Internet traffic rules on Tuesday that prevent providers from blocking lawful content but still let them ration access to their networks.
The rules aim to strike a balance between the interests of Internet service providers, content companies and consumers, but some industry analysts think a court challenge is still likely. Get the full story »
Poll: People can’t live without high-speed Internet
High-speed Internet has had the greatest technological impact on society over the past decade and is the technology most people say they cannot live without, according to a new poll.
Twenty four percent of 1,950 U.S. adults questioned in the online survey conducted by Zogby International said high-speed Internet had the greatest impact on their lives, followed closely by Facebook at 22 percent and Google with 10 percent.
Of the technologies people say they cannot live without, high-speed Internet came in first at 28 percent and email was second at 18 percent. Get the full story »
Google eyes smaller players after Groupon
Groupon CEO Andrew Mason. (Brian Cassella, Chicago Tribune)
Google is in talks with smaller players in the online discount coupon market after Groupon turned down the web giant’s $6 billion buyout offer, the New York Post said, citing a source close to the situation.
Groupon’s smaller rivals LivingSocial and BuyWithMe may now be on Google’s radar after Groupon deal fell through, the Post said.
BuyWithMe interim President David Wolfe, who declined to comment on whether he was speaking to Google, told the Post that he believes Google needs to enter the coupon advertising market. Get the full story »
FCC has votes for open-Internet rules
The Federal Communications Commission is poised to adopt Internet traffic rules on Tuesday that would ban the blocking of lawful content, but allow high-speed Internet providers to manage their networks, senior agency officials said. Get the full story »
Dec. 20, 2010 at 5:30 a.m.
Comments Off
Filed under: Consumer electronics, Internet, Media, TV, Technology, Telecommunications Google TV faces delays amid poor reviews
From the New York Times News Service | The Consumer Electronics Show next month in Las Vegas was meant to be the great coming-out party for Google’s new software for televisions, which adds Web video and other computer smarts to TV sets. Although Google already has a deal with Sony for its Internet TVs, other television makers — Toshiba, LG Electronics and Sharp — were prepared to flaunt their versions of the systems.
But Google has asked the TV makers to delay their introductions, according to people familiar with the company’s plans, so that it can refine the software, which has received a lukewarm reception. The late request caught some of the manufacturers off guard. And it illustrates the struggles Google faces as it tries to expand into the tricky, unfamiliar realm of consumer electronics, and drum up broad interest in a Web-based TV product that consumers want. Get the full story »
Punishing parents take away Internet as often as TV
No TV for a week, the time-honored punishment for misbehaving children, has been enhanced. Now, parents are also withholding Internet access to punish their kids, further sign that the Web has become as important to families as television.
As the two mediums converge, parents are quickly coming to see TV and the Internet in similar ways and are seeking to limit their kids’ access to both, according to a report out this week from researchers at the University of Southern California. Get the full story »
Agency calls for online privacy bill of rights
The Commerce Department is calling for the creation of a “privacy bill of rights” for Internet users to set ground rules for companies that collect consumer data online and use that information for marketing and other purposes.
The proposal, outlined in a Commerce Department report Thursday, is intended to address growing unease about the vast amounts of personal information that companies are scooping up on the Net — from Web browsing habits to smart phone locations to Facebook preferences. That data is often mined to target advertising. Get the full story »
Groupon founder performs at Second City
From the Chicago Sun-Times | Groupon CEO Andrew Mason reminded everyone that he was a music major in college during an improv charity event late Tuesday at Second City. Accompanied by a singer, guitarist and saxophonist, the Northwestern alumnus, who was once part of a Billy Joel tribute band, sat at a grand piano and played “Movin’ Out” and “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant.” Get the full story>>
New Bing draws on Facebook to take on Google
Microsoft Corp. is hoping its Bing search engine can gain more ground on Google with a little more help from Facebook and its other Internet friends. As part of an extensive upgrade, Bing will feature more recommendations and other information from people’s social circles on Facebook to help distinguish its results from Google’s. Get the full story »
