In the wake of news that the Federal Communications Commission had decided to look into the issue of paid peering on the internet, Comcast CEO Brian Roberts took the stage at Re/code's Code Conference Wednesday. Doing his best to talk about anything but broadband, Roberts was forced to give his opinion about the issue.
AT&T has announced pre-orders beginning June 6 for the critical darling hybrid gadget, the ASUS PadFone X. Here's a look at the tablet/smartphone mashup, which is an AT&T exclusive for a no-money-down pre-order, online and in stores.
Apple users in Australia were hit by a massive late-night hack that took control of their iPhones, iPads, and even some Mac computers, demanding ransom to unlock the devices again. The "digital kidnapping" seems to be taking advantage of Apple's Find My iPhone feature, turning the security software against its owners.
Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) is the place and time to get a look at the newest products from the Cupertino tech giant, as well as hints about what's on the horizon for the closely followed gadget maker. Here's what WWDC 2014 might bring, and what's been rumored but probably isn't in the cards.
Last week, a new website started by a Cuban dissident blogger began publishing, was hacked, and then banned. But now it's reportedly been unbanned as the Cuban internet, still far from modern or open, continues to make tiny steps toward opening up in terms of Cuban access, censorship and connectivity to the rest of the world.
This week in social media, Facebook added a Shazam-like feature that can automatically tag music, TV or movies in status updates, just by listening in to your life. Speaking of listening in, Facebook also changed some of its privacy settings for the better with a reminder for users what privacy level their status updates are set to. Also, Twitter's having a bad week on Wall Street (again) while both it and rival Instagram are meeting resistance abroad.
Latinos love mobile. That's been the message of various studies and surveys throughout the recent past, and this week PricewaterhouseCoopers added its own research into the chorus.
The same group that brought us the strong message from Senator Al Franken calling net neutrality the "free speech issue of our time," the Progressive Change Campaign Committee (PCCC) and NoSlowLane.com, is keeping up the pressure against "fast lanes." This time, they're targeting a younger audience.
What's been a side show to the general battle over net neutrality, the possible Comcast/Time Warner Cable merger, and the FCC is the more technical issue of network interconnects and "paid peering." Google Fiber -- which has been seen as the only hope for a fair, open internet if the FCC allows "fast lanes" and the largest cable merger in history -- just announced it doesn't and won't charge for peering.
This week was particularly revelatory in the world of cyber security: the U.S. formally charged five Chinese military officials with cybertheft, eBay announced it was hacked, and it turns out the National Security Agency has been listening to some countries in Central America while the U.S. House of Representatives passed a bill to try to curb the NSA's practices.
Some common attitudes in our culture are pretty evident to anyone: Go out anywhere and strike up a conversation about mobile tech and the internet, and you'll discover most people love their devices, but have no love for the companies that provide service to them. This week, the American Consumer Satisfaction Index confirmed everyone's suspicions: we love our smartphones, but hate subscription TV and ISPs.
Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak published an open letter on Tuesday calling the current action on Net Neutrality one of the "most important times ever" for the FCC. At the same time, reports that Apple has made interconnection deals with ISPs might indicate that the company he helped found doesn't have a problem with the proposed "fast lanes" of the internet.
Swarm from Foursquare was recently released as part of the company's strategy to separate its location-based check-in functions from the main Foursquare app, which will take on a more focused Yelp-like dimension when it's released later this summer. But Swarm is much more than just a way for Foursquare to "unbundle."
This week in social media, Pinterest emerged as a serious competitor in the social media industry. Meanwhile, Foursquare rolled out its new Swarm app, Yahoo bought a Snapchat clone called Blink, Snapchat itself was named one of the worst companies for data privacy, Twitter almost got banned in Russia, and Facebook tested a new location-based notification system that's a bit like Foursquare, with a little Google Now thrown in. It's time for Social Media Saturday!
Halo fans have something to look for in 2015, and Microsoft is hoping those who haven't bought the new Xbox One will be persuaded by Master Chief to get one. "Halo 5: Guardians" will be coming to the Xbox One in the fall of 2015, and it's not just a video game.
Comcast Executive Vice President David Cohen has come out against a statement he made earlier in the week about the future of Comcast broadband and data usage caps. While Cohen emphasized that there are "no plans to announce a new data usage policy," the real truth is that you should expect data caps from more ISPs than just Comcast in the future.
At the Federal Communications Commission's meeting on Thursday to take the first step towards controversial new Open Internet rules, it seemed no one on either side of the political spectrum -- inside or outside of the building -- was entirely satisfied by the proposal. Nevertheless, the FCC voted to advance the process of adopting new rules that may drastically reshape the way the Internet works.
Netflix now takes up about a third of North America's peak downstream traffic, according to a new report by network analysis company Sandvine. The company's report also purportedly shines a light on "cord cutters," a segment of internet users which it says is using more than seven times the data of typical internet users.
Amid a large and growing backlash from advocacy groups and top Internet companies to the Federal Communication Commission's draft Open Internet proposal, the FCC is considering yet a new draft to mollify critics. The changes reportedly emphasize the FCC's willingness to reclassify broadband providers if anti-net neutrality practices become widespread.
We all know that wild weather starts becoming a regular nuisance starting in May, especially given the state of climate change recently being called the "defining issue of our time" by the UN. So this week's Tap That App looks at the best weather apps to keep you appraised on what Mother Nature's throwing at you every day.
Earlier this week, a large coalition of internet companies released an open letter to the Federal Communications Commission warning that its purported new Open Internet rules, ostensibly meant to protect net neutrality, actually "represents a grave threat to the Internet." Now a large coalition of interest groups, including some prominent Latino organizations, has done the same.
This week in social media, Twitter got pretty bruised by Wall Street, Facebook bought a fitness app and got rid of a couple of its less popular mobile offerings, and Whisper's CEO Michael Heyward duked it out with TechCrunch's Michael Arrington. Meanwhile, Tumblr added a huge swath of customization options to its mobile app and the Federal Trade Commission officially chided Snapchat. It's time for Social Media Saturday!
Do you remember the day the internet went on strike against a bad piece of legislation? It may happen again. The internet dream team behind 2011's SOPA protests has sent what may be the opening salvo in another pressure campaign, this time to stop the Federal Communications Commission's reportedly proposed "Open Internet" rules.
Michael Arrington, founder of TechCrunch, has a reputation for being a tough interviewer, to say the least. So when Whisper CEO Michael Heyward appeared on stage for an interview with the skeptical Arrington at TechCrunch Disrupt on Wednesday, the "Fireside Chat" turned into more of a trial by fire.
Pulpo Media, a digital Hispanic marketing agency, has announced a new data-driven platform to help companies better reach important segments of the Latino market. The platform, built on U.S. Census data and "terabytes" of proprietary data, is designed to help identify segments of the Latino population that conventional marketers might be missing.
