Want to read Slashdot from your mobile device? Point it at m.slashdot.org and keep reading!

 


Forgot your password?
Close
typodupeerror

Comment Re:MVNOs instead? (Score 1) 33

by stilwebm (#52178147) Attached to: No, Apple Won't Become a Wireless Carrier

An MVNO business is low margin (relative to iPhone margins) and requires a lot of marketing to become effective. If Apple were to launch an MVNO, they would have to massively increase their marketing budget for a low margin service, while competing directly with carriers that sell their phones AND provide their wholesale network access. Keep in mind average revenue per user is declining for wireless carriers and MVNOs. Apple has no interest in investing in a declining martgin service that hurts its ability to maximize phone sales.

It's not an attractive business model for Apple, while it may be for Google. Google doesn't make hardware (not even Nexus devices), while Apple does - quite profitably. Apple depends on carriers to sell that hardware for profitability, while Google wants to increase software (Android) and search usage, and low cost network access does just that.

Comment Re:grr (Score 1) 496

by stilwebm (#52055623) Attached to: Snapchat Sued For Facilitating 107 MPH Car Crash

The injury lawyers for the plaintiff are most likely working on a contingent basis, and even if they aren't, they're looking for someone who can pay out significant damages. The driver is 18; Snapchat is valued at around $16 Billion as of March. The injury lawyers smell cash only in the latter.
Java

No One Should Have To Use Proprietary Software To Communicate With Their Government (fsf.org) 154

Posted by msmash from the hate-for-all-things-proprietary dept.
Donald Robertson, writing for Free Software Foundation: Proprietary JavaScript is a threat to all users on the Web. When minified, the code can hide all sorts of nasty items, like spyware and other security risks. [...] On March 1st, 2016, the Copyright Office announced a call for comments on an update to their technology infrastructure. We submitted a comment urging them to institute a policy that requires all software they develop and distribute to be free software. Further, we also urged them to not require people to run proprietary software in order to communicate or submit comments to them. Unfortunately, once again, the Copyright Office requires the use of proprietary JavaScript in order to submit the comment and they are only accepting comments online unless a person lacks computer or Internet access. [...] The most absurd part of all this is that other government agencies, while still using Regulations.gov, are perfectly capable of offering alternatives to submission.

Submission + - Cisco Finds Backdoor Installed on 12 Million PCs (securityweek.com)

Submitted by wiredmikey
wiredmikey writes: Security researchers from Cisco have come across a piece of software that installed backdoors on 12 million computers around the world. Researchers determined that the application, installed with administrator rights, was capable not only of downloading and installing other software, such as a known scareware called System Healer, but also of harvesting personal information. The software, which exhibits adware and spyware capabilities, was developed by a French online advertising company called Tuto4PC. The “features” have led Cisco Talos to classify the Tuto4PC software as a “full backdoor capable of a multitude of undesirable functions on the victim machine.”

Tuto4PC said its network consisted of nearly 12 million PCs in 2014, which could explain why Cisco’s systems detected the backdoor on 12 million devices. An analysis of a sample set revealed infections in the United States, Australia, Japan, Spain, the UK, France and New Zealand.

Submission + - Drone believed to have hit British Airways flight 'may have been a plastic bag' (telegraph.co.uk)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The drone that reportedly hit a British Airways jet earlier this week may have actually been a plastic bag, a minister has said.

Transport minister Robert Goodwill admitted authorities had not yet confirmed whether what struck the Airbus A320 was a remote-controlled device.

The collision on Sunday night is believed to have been at around 1,700 ft near Richmond Park in south west London, over four times higher than the legal height limit.

The Air Accidents Investigation Branch is investigating, alongside the Metropolitan Police.

But following his comments today, Mr Goodwill also dismissed calls for tighter rules on drone use to protect against terror threats insisting current rules governing drone use were strong enough.

Submission + - Hearing Aid Business Under Pressure From Consumer Electronics

Submitted by HughPickens.com
HughPickens.com writes: There's good news for aging Americans who may have damaged their hearing by attending one too many rock concerts when they were young as Andrew Pollack writes at the NYT that the consumer electronics industry is encroaching on the hearing aid business, offering products that are far less expensive and available without the involvement of audiologists or other professionals. The new devices are forcing a re-examination of the entire system for providing hearing aids, which critics say is too costly and cumbersome, hindering access to devices vital for the growing legions of older Americans. “The audiology profession is obviously scared, for good reason, right now,” says Abram Bailey.

Hearing aids cost an average of nearly $2,400 each, or close to $5,000 a pair, according to a White House advisory group and Medicare does not pay for them, nor do most insurers. By contrast, the consumer devices are not regulated and sell for a few hundred dollars apiece, at most. Hearing aid manufacturers say that diagnosing and treating hearing loss are too complex for consumers to do using consumer devices, without the aid of a professional. But sound amplifiers have been around for years and they are growing in sophistication, taking advantage of signal processing chips developed for phones, Bluetooth headsets and computers. The devices include the Smart Listening System from Soundhawk, which sells at $400 for a single ear; the Bean from Etymotic Research, at $300; the CS50+ from Sound World Solutions at $350; and the Crystal Ear from NeutronicEar, at $545. “To me it was a reasonable investment to experiment with,” says Ira Dolich, 81, who bought the Soundhawk device, which he can adjust by himself using his smartphone. “I’ve been pretty pleased with it."

Submission + - Comcast To Allow TV Customers To Ditch Set-Top Box (usatoday.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: In response to the FCC's efforts to open up the pay-TV set-top box market, Comcast said today it will allow some of its subscribers to watch TV without leasing a set-top box. Customers with a Roku TV, Roku streaming media player, or 2016 Samsung Smart TV will be able to watch Comcast's TV programming through the Xfinity TV app embed in the TV set or Roku devices later this year. However, customers will still have to subscribe to a standard cable TV package from Comcast's Xfinity brand. “We remain committed to giving our customers more choice in how, when and where they access their subscription,” said Mark Hess, a Comcast senior vice president, in a prepared statement.

Comment Re:Sounds bogus, another Nashir Gowadia case? (Score 1) 98

Except there's been a long history of bogus espionage cases against Chinese scientists, going all the way back to Quan Xuesen, one of the founders of the JPL. We suspected that he was sharing his knowledge with China, so we exiled him to China, where he became the father of the Chinese missile and space programs.

Your point may be valid in general, though in this specific case, the accused is from Taiwan and naturalized as a U.S. citizen, as the spelling of his name and a quick Google search confirmed. It's highly unlikely we would target and exile a Taiwanese born U.S. citizen as if they were from People's Republic of China.

Submission + - Hacked Swedish Military Servers Used in Attacks on US Banks

Submitted by wiredmikey
wiredmikey writes: Swedish military computers were hacked and used in an attack targeting major US banks in 2013, the armed forces said on Monday. The attack knocked out the web sites of as many as 20 major US banks and financial institutions, sometimes for several days. According to Swedish military spokesman Mikael Abramsson, a server in the Swedish defense system had a vulnerability which was exploited by hackers to carry out the attacks.

At the time, the attack, which began in 2012 and continued for months, was one of the biggest ever reported. US officials blamed Iran, suggesting it was in retaliation for political sanctions and several earlier cyber attacks on its own systems.

Submission + - GE's move to Boston could revive local tech business ambitions (networkworld.com)

Submitted by Anonymous Coward
An anonymous reader writes: Two-hundred people will run GE from the company’s new headquarters in the Fort Point part of the city and another 600 will work in its labs. According to Immelt’s vision, the headquarters will be open for interacting with startups and academia in which GE is both convener and catalyst.

Submission + - How many H-1B workers are female? U.S. won't say (computerworld.com)

Submitted by dcblogs
dcblogs writes: When the U.S. begins accepting applications for new H-1B skilled-worker visas today, we can be certain that tech workers from India will make up a large portion of the requests. While program data shows which job categories, countries and companies are awarded the most visas, the federal government says it is not tracking applicants' gender — although the question is asked on the visa application form. The U.S. begins accepting H-1B visa applications on April 1 for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1. The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS) will not release the gender data. It has rejected a Senate request for the information, as well as public records requests from the IEEE-USA and Computerworld. The Anita Borg Institute, which advocates for women in technology, believes "it would be very helpful to have better data on the gender diversity of H-1B visa recipients," said Telle Whitney, the president and CEO of the institute. "Our anecdotal experience is that most H-1B visa recipients are men and that this can have a negative impact on increasing the participation of women in the technical workforce," she said.

Submission + - No joke. April Fools' Day has been banned in China (washingtonpost.com)

Submitted by schwit1
schwit1 writes: The ancient tradition of hoaxing and playing practical jokes on the first day of April has fallen victim to China's crackdown. Like democracy and free speech, it is a Western concept that simply isn't welcome here.

"'April Fools' Day' is not consistent with our cultural tradition, or socialist core values," state news agency Xinhua announced on social media Friday. "Hope nobody believes in rumors, makes rumors or spreads rumors."

As part of a long-running effort to win control of the narrative on social media and deter dissent, China's Communist Party launched a campaign three years ago to criminalize the spreading of rumors. Xinhua's post suggests an April Fools' Day prank that mocked or undermined the Party could have potentially serious consequences.

Slashdot Top Deals

You do not have mail.

Close