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Iphone

Submission + - Debunking Apple's iPhone tracking response (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by superglaze
superglaze writes: So, according to Steve Jobs, logging iPhone location data is not logging iPhone location. That's the only logical conclusion that can be drawn from Apple's obfuscatory (and belated) response to the iPhone tracking scandal. Rupert Goodwins at ZDNet UK has done a great analysis of the statement, and how it chimes with earlier words from Jobs regarding Antennagate and how awful Google and iPad-rivalling tablets are. As Goodwins says, "having decided on its reality, the company enforces it... Hence Trackergate, where institutional secrecy poisoned a good idea, but the complainants (and those darn journalists) just cannot understand that it's just Apple trying to do good deeds by stealth".
EU

Submission + - Google loses autocomplete defamation case (zdnet.co.uk) 2

Submitted by superglaze
superglaze writes: Google has been found liable in an Italian court for defamatory comments made against an anonymous plaintiff — the complainant's name, when googled, elicited autocomplete suggestions that translate as "con man" and "fraud". Google was found not to qualify for EU 'safe harbour' protection because the autocomplete suggestions were deemed to be Google's own creation, and not something merely passing through its systems.

Submission + - Why you're getting screwed on data roaming (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by
superglaze
superglaze writes: "It's no surprise that operators/carriers charge a lot for letting customers use the mobile internet while travelling abroad. But where do those charges come from exactly? We at ZDNet UK have done some deep investigation, and it turns out those $10/MB prices are derived from costs that are more like 3c/MB. In other words, you're paying a ridiculous amount for something that costs next to nothing to provide. Consumers, businesses, app developers — everyone is getting screwed here.This has to stop — please sign our petition."
Microsoft

Submission + - Lobbyists attack UK open standards policy (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by
superglaze
superglaze writes: "The Business Software Alliance, a lobbying organisation representing the likes of Microsoft, Adobe and Apple, has laid into the UK's recently-adopted policy of mandating the use of open standards wherever possible in government IT systems.The policy describes open standards as being "publicly available at zero or low cost" and having "intellectual property made irrevocably available on a royalty-free basis" The BSA said this would "inadvertently reduce choice [and] hinder innovation", and even went so far as to claim open standards would lead to higher e-government costs, but open-source advocates say the policy reflects how much the European Interoperability Framework is weighted in favour of the proprietary software companies."
Cellphones

Submission + - ARM-based Windows Embedded Compact 7 Released (wmpoweruser.com)

Submitted by suraj.sun
suraj.sun writes: Microsoft has announced the official release of their ARM-based embedded OS, Windows Embedded Compact 7, probably better known as Windows CE 7. Windows CE7 will be the core of Windows Phone 7 (or 8), the current version running a combination of Windows CE 6 and 7 to ensure the product reached market on time.

It is widely expected the new features of Windows Embedded CE7 such as DLNA and multi-processor support will also come to Windows Phone soon.

WMPowerUser: http://wmpoweruser.com/windows-embedded-compact-7-now-released/

Submission + - T-Mobile backtracks on smartphone data cap cut (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by superglaze
superglaze writes: T-Mobile UK has performed a drastic U-turn on its massive data allowance cut, after news of the reduction sparked a public outcry. The operator had said it was limiting existing as well as new customers to 500MB a month, with less than a month's notice, but on Wednesday it said the move would only affect new and upgrading customers after all. The backtrack followed criticism from consumer rights groups, who said the short notice was probably breaking consumer law. However, new Android customers will still get 83 percent less data per month than they would have done before the cut was announced.
America Online

Submission + - Facebook, Yahoo and AOL plead for UK free speech (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by superglaze
superglaze writes: A variety of web companies, along with the UK's ISP Association, have written an open letter to prime minister David Cameron, calling for an upcoming revision to English libel law to take the internet fully into account. In the UK, an offending printed article can lead to a defamation suit up to one year after its publication, but on the web every time the content is viewed it counts as a new publication. This means that years-old articles can spark libel lawsuits at any time. Quite fairly, the companies think this is ridiculous.

Submission + - Nokia to make Symbian 'beautiful', define 'open' (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by superglaze
superglaze writes: Nokia smartphone chief Jo Harlow has revealed more about the Finnish giant's plans for Symbian, which it brought in-house on Monday. Harlow told ZDNet UK that Nokia had not yet decided on a definition for "open" that would suit the licensing for the open-source platform. She also promised to make the ageing platform "beautiful", and explained what she sees as the differences between Symbian and rivals such as Android and iOS.

Submission + - Europe to block ACTA disconnection provisions (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by superglaze
superglaze writes: The European Commission is "not supporting and will not accept" any attempt to have Acta (the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement) force countries to disconnect people for downloading copyrighted material, a spokesman for the new EU trade commissioner has said.

All the signs are that the new commission, which took office earlier this month, intends to take a hardline stance against US proposals for a filesharing-related disconnection system. 'Three strikes' is allowed in EU countries, but not mandated by the European government itself, and it looks like the new administration wants to keep it that way. From trade commssion spokesman John Clancy, quoted in ZDNet UK's article:

"[Acta] has never been about pursuing infringements by an individual who has a couple of pirated songs on their music player. For several years, the debate has been about what is 'commercial scale' [piracy]. EU legislation has left it to each country to define what a commercial scale is and this flexibility should be kept in Acta."
Graphics

Submission + - Nvidia's Optimus tech is ready for primetime (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by superglaze
superglaze writes: Nvidia has unveiled Optimus, its automated graphics-switching technology. They're being pretty bullish about adoption, claiming that more than 50 notebook models using the tech will be on sale by midsummer. Basically, the technology obviates the need for the user to manually switch between integrated and discrete graphics (the company says hardly anyone actually bothers doing this), so notebooks can stick to power-saving mode while not playing back high-def video or running games.

Submission + - UK public data goes public under TBL's guidance (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by superglaze
superglaze writes: The UK government has made the country's public data, such as statistics and traffic information, available for use in mash-ups. More than 2,500 datasets relating to public services are now open for use by developers and businesses. According to Sir Tim Berners-Lee, who led the government-sponsored project: "Making public data available for reuse is about increasing accountability and transparency and letting people create new, innovative ways of using it... By releasing it, we can unlock new ideas for delivering public services, help communities and society work better, and let talented entrepreneurs and engineers create new businesses and services."

Submission + - UK pub owner 'fined' £8k for open Wi-Fi down (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by superglaze
superglaze writes: A pub owner in the UK has been fined £8,000 because someone downloaded copyrighted content over their free Wi-Fi hotspot, according to a Wi-Fi firm chief quoted in ZDNet UK. The details of the case are still hazy because the quoted source is not yet ready to specify the pub in question, and because legal experts are of the opinion that he or she shouldn't have been held liable anyway. Still, the story provides something to worry about for any business running open Wi-Fi in the current, crackdown-happy copyright environment. As internet law professor Lilian Edwards warns in a follow-up story, such hotspot operators should "watch out for the pile of copyright infringement warnings" their way.

Submission + - Filesharing laws unenforceable on mobile networks (zdnet.co.uk)

Submitted by superglaze
superglaze writes: UK mobile broadband providers currently have no way of telling which subscribers are file-sharing which copyrighted content, ZDNet UK reports. This represents something of a problem for new laws that have been proposed to crack down on unlawful filesharing. According to the article, databases could be built to make it possible to identify what specific users are downloading, but the industry is loath to fund this sort of project itself.

Also, as an analyst points out in the piece, prepay users are mostly anonymous in the UK, which creates a new challenge for the government's plans. And if that isn't enough, connection-sharing apps like JoikuBoost would make identification pretty much impossible anyway.

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