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Blackberry

Submission + - RIM Trying to Woo Customers With Porn, Gambling Apps? (cio.com)

Submitted by
AZA43
AZA43 writes: "Everybody knows that BlackBerry-maker RIM is hurting these days. But is it hurting enough to try to attract new customers with the promise of porn and/or gambling apps? A new rating system added to RIM's BlackBerry App World store suggests that it just may be that desperate. The new "Adult" rating covers, "graphic sexual content, graphic nudity," " graphic violence," and gambling apps "as permitted by law." And that suggests RIM will allow this kind of content into App World, in stark contrast to Apple's no-porn-on-the-iPhone stand."
AT&T

Submission + - T-Mobile announces LTE network (extremetech.com)

Submitted by
MrSeb
MrSeb writes: "In a beautiful twist of fate, T-Mobile USA has announced that it will be launching an LTE network in 2013 using the money and AWS spectrum that it obtained from AT&T after its failed acquisition. According to T-Mobile, this upgrade comprises of a three-phase process: free up 2G spectrum, move HSPA+ to formerly 2G spectrum, and deploy LTE on formerly HSPA+ spectrum. The end result will be a much faster network that can compete with AT&T and Verizon, and download speeds of up to 74Mbps in 75% of the top 25 markets in the US. International visitors should enjoy better roaming thanks to the deployment of PCS HSPA+, too — and finally, an AT&T LTE iPhone would also work on T-Mobile's upcoming network."

Submission + - Anonymous tricked twitter followers into helping w (gawker.com)

Submitted by realized
realized writes: According to gawker.com, the group known as anonymous has been tricking its twitter followers to help in the takedown of justice and fbi websites yesterday.. Apparently, once links the group posted to their twitter, facebook and irc channels were clicked, the unsuspecting user’s computer would then load a website version of the groups Low Orbit Ion Cannon. (LOIC).When Activated, it continues to reload the victim’s website over and over again. According to reports the link, was shared 4 times a minute

Comment AT&T going after Netflix, Hulu, and Slingbox u (Score 1) 215

by realized (#38644346) Attached to: Data Hogs: the Monsters Carriers Created
AT&T Has throttled me for the past 3 months. Mind you its very easy to get around it so it hasn’t affected me at all but I did notice something very interesting.

My first month I was throttled, I got the “you are reaching 5%” text the day after the first time I ever used Netflix.

A week later I used Netflix again, and I was throttled the next day. (this was at 3.1GB) Next billing cycle I was back to normal but got my first warning at 3.7GB and throttled at 4.2GB

This last billing cycle was right around the same.

However, my sister – and we live together, have the exact same billing cycle. She this month got the “you are reaching 5%” text at 2.1GB – the day after steaming from HULU.com

That’s right, I got my first warning at 3.7GB and she got hers at 2.1GB – we live in the same house, and have the same account!

There is lots of talk about AT&T being aggressive to all Netflix, hulu, and slingbox users (check xda etc) wehre as if you don’t use the services, they will still throttle you, but not as fast.

I think its funny how i got a warning at 3.7gb and my sister at 2.1gb - all because of hulu
Privacy

Submission + - Judge Doesn't Care About Supreme Court GPS Case (forbes.com) 1

Submitted by nonprofiteer
nonprofiteer writes: The Supreme Court is currently deciding whether or not law enforcement need a warrant before they put a GPS tracker on a person's car — http://www.scotusblog.com/case-files/cases/united-states-v-jones/. A judge in St. Louis doesn't seem to care about that, tho. He ruled last week that the FBI didn't need a warrant to track the car of a state employee they suspected was collecting a paycheck without actually going to work. (Their suspicions were confirmed.) While in favor of corrupt government employees being caught, it's a bit disturbing that a federal judge would decide a warrant wasn't needed while the Supreme Court has said the issue is unclear.
Government

Submission + - Why Politicians Should Never Make Laws About Techn (infoworld.com)

Submitted by
snydeq
snydeq writes: "As the world gets more and more technical, we can't let Luddites decide the fate of dangerous legislation like SOPA, writes Deep End's Paul Venezia. 'Very few politicians get technology. Many actually seem proud that they don't use the Internet or even email, like it's some kind of badge of honor that they've kept their heads in the sand for so long. These are the same people who will vote on noxious legislation like SOPA, openly dismissing the concerns and facts presented by those who know the technology intimately. The best quote from the SOPA debates: "We're operating on the Internet without any doctors or nurses on the room." That is precisely correct,' Venezia writes. 'The best we can do for the short term is to throw everything we can behind legislation to reinstate the OTA (Office of Technology Assessment). From 1974 through 1995, this small group with a tiny budget served as an impartial, nonpartisan advisory to the U.S. Congress on all matters technological.'"
Android

Submission + - Transformer Prime to get ICS January 12, boot unlo (facebook.com)

Submitted by symbolset
symbolset writes: The maker of the wildly popular Transformer Prime Tegra 3 tablet Asus announces via their Facebook page that Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) will be available January 12th. In addition they are developing a boot unlocker which will void the warranty and break Google movie rentals, but will allow modding.

There's also announced an intermediate software update to improve the camera and touch experience, and they're dropping GPS from the feature list for poor performance.
Iphone

Submission + - AT&T false advertising claiming iPhone 4S is a (att.com)

Submitted by realized
realized writes: Over the past few months a bunch of my friends with an iPhone 4 and now 4s seemed to be misinformed that they in fact had a 4G phone. After explaining it to them I started to think – man, apple’s marketing team needs a promotion (or to be fired for misleading). A couple of weeks ago I noticed however that AT&T on their own website is advertising the IPhone 4S as a 4G phone – and as of today its still the same. Not only is the iPhone 4S advertised as a 4G phone (with the 4G logo on the picture in search results) but if you search for all AT&T 4G phones on their website, it’s the first one that comes up!
Censorship

Submission + - Hacktivists Plan Satellite To Bypass Censorship (techweekeurope.co.uk) 1

Submitted by
judgecorp
judgecorp writes: "A group of hacktivists is planning a satellite system to bypass censorship of the terrestrial Internet, it was revealed at the Chaos Communications Congress in Berlin, at the end of December. The proposed hacker space program, known as Hackerspace Global Grid will communicate through a distributed network of cheep (100 euro) mobile ground stations, according to the group's plans"
Robotics

Submission + - Goodbye Wheelchair, Hello Exoskeleton (ieee.org)

Submitted by the_newsbeagle
the_newsbeagle writes: This year, Ekso Bionics will roll out its most sophisticated exoskeleton ever. The company's robotic walking suit, called the Ekso, allows paraplegics to get back on their feet and walk on their own. The first commercial model will be sold to rehab hospitals for on-site physical therapy, but the company plans to have a model ready for at-home physical therapy by the end of 2012. In a few years, they plan to sell an Ekso that a paraplegic person can wear to the post office, to work, etc.
Android

Submission + - Carrier IQ responds to FBI drama, EFF wants more i

Submitted by realized
realized writes: Yesterday Carrier IQ released a report which tries to answer some questions about how the system operates. Also after reports of the FBI using Carrier IQ data – the company sidestepped the question their response by saying "Carrier IQ has never provided any data to the FBI. If approached by a law enforcement agency, we would refer them to the network operators" Additionally the EFF just released a report which says they believe keystroke data "oeis in fact being inadvertently transmitted to some third parties" but they would like to study carrier profiles to verify information.

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