AfterDawn: Tech news

Latest news

AfterDawn: News

Video Daily: Use Sprint to upgrade your iPhone or iPad to 4G

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Mar 2010 11:20

Video Daily: Use Sprint to upgrade your iPhone or iPad to 4G There is not too much to explain that isn't in the video, but Sprint has started a new ad campaign for their 4G Mobile Hotspot, giving iPhone, iPad and other smartphone users the ability to connect to a 4G data connection.

4G is available in 25 cities currently, with more (such as NYC) promised "for the near future."

Download speeds with 4G are usually around 5 Mbps, about 400 percent faster than average 3G speeds from carriers such as Verizon and AT&T.





AfterDawn: News

3000 virus-infected MicroSD cards to be replaced by Vodafone Spain

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Mar 2010 10:42

3000 virus-infected MicroSD cards to be replaced by Vodafone Spain Vodafone Spain has confirmed today that they accidently shipped 3000 smartphone handsets with MicroSD cards that were infected by the "Mariposa" malware.

Those affected are users who were shipped HTC Magic phones.

The carrier came clean after a meeting with Panda Security. The story of the infected memory cards began when a Panda technician was shipped an HTC Magic phone. He immediately recognized the malware, which is used to steal information.

Vodafone says the infection is "isolated and local," and that users in other parts of the EU should not be worried.

For those that read Spanish, the original posting is here: Movilzone.es




AfterDawn: News

iPhone 3GS headed to India via Bharti

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Mar 2010 9:31

iPhone 3GS headed to India via Bharti Bharti Airtel, India's largest mobile carrier has announced that it will begin selling the Apple iPhone 3GS in the upcoming months, bringing the popular smartphone to 124 million Indian subscribers.

The iPhone 3G model has been available in the nation through Bharti and Vodafone since late 2008, but no carrier had struck a deal for the 3GS until this week.

Earlier in the week, Bharti submitted its bid to participate in an auction for 3G bandwidth in the nation. India has no commercial 3G services currently but successful bidders will be allowed to begin selling 3G data plans commercially in September.




AfterDawn: News

Victorious, VirnetX sues Microsoft, again

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 20 Mar 2010 2:49

Victorious, VirnetX sues Microsoft, again Just two days after a jury found that Microsoft had violated patents of small company VirnetX and fined the software giant $105.75 million USD, VirnetX has filed suit again, trying to get the jury to prove that more Microsoft products infringe on their patents, as well.

The jury had found that Windows XP, Vista and Office Communicator infringed the patents, but the suit was filed in 2008, so the new lawsuit now claims that Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 also infringe on the patents.

"This is a tactical and procedural post-trial action to ensure and protect our property rights as we proceed to final resolution with Microsoft," says VirnetX CEO Kendall Larsen.

Microsoft has already vowed to appeal the first ruling, and challenged this latest suit as well. Says MSFT spokesperson Kevin Kutz (via AllThingsD): "Microsoft respects intellectual property, and we believe our products do not infringe the patents involved. Moreover, we believe those patents are invalid. We will challenge VirnetX?s claims."

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Palm Pre Plus headed to O2?

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Mar 2010 7:01

Palm Pre Plus headed to O2? Tracy&Matt is reporting today that struggling smartphone maker Palm may be offering the Palm Pre Plus (and the Pixi Plus) via O2 in the UK.

They site received a message from a "credible tipster" which reads as follows:

O2 are following up the Palm Pre with the Palm Pre Plus and the Pixi Plus. The Pixi is new to the UK having a fixed qwerty keyboard like the RIM devices it shares the 8Gb storage of the original Pre but with a shortened display of 320 x 400 dropping 80 lines from the Pre. The Pixi Processor is a Qualcomm instead if the Omap of the Pre, albeit running at the same clock speed. The Palm Pre Plus is like the original Pre but without the centre button and comes with the matt TouchStone enabled back previously having to be purchased separately allowing the wireless charging of the phone on the induction TouchStone charger. The Pre Plus has 16Gb of storage and a double the ram also. The build quality is said to be better than the original Pre with the keyboard being much more responsive with a definite click. In tests it has been seen to run 50 apps at the same time. The expected launch date is April 2010 shortly after the App Catalogue comes out of Beta for European users allowing access for paid applications.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

HTC Hero, Samsung Moment to get Android 2.1

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Mar 2010 6:43

HTC Hero, Samsung Moment to get Android 2.1 AndroidCentral is reporting that the Sprint models of the Samsung Moment and the HTC Hero will be receiving Android 2.1 in the near future, citing an internal Sprint memo.

Reads the memo:

What you need to know:

-With all the anticipation of Nexus One joining the Sprint Android family of great devices, customers with the HTC HeroTM and the Samsung MomentTM with GoogleTM may wonder about the Android 2.1 platform that supports Nexus One.

What you need to do:

-We know that technology has enabled greater productivity and spontaneity in our lives,and because of this we have become very dependent on staying connected. Customers don't only expect more from their wireless phones -- they demand it.


-Let your customers know we are actively working on having the Android 2.1 platform available to our Hero and Moment customers over the coming weeks.

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Sex.com auction halted by creditors

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Mar 2010 6:31

Sex.com auction halted by creditors Sex.com, the domain name that was expected to go up for auction with a minimum $1 million bid, has seen that auction taken down by its creditors.

Escom LLC., the company that bought the domain name for $14 million just 4 years ago, has filed for bankruptcy protection, saying they are owed $10 million. The three creditors, Washington Technology Associates, iEntertainment Inc, and AccountingMatters.com noted that the auction "would have diminished the value of Escom's assets."

When a company files for an involuntary bankruptcy protection, lenders are temporary prevented from seizing assets.




AfterDawn: News

Cablevision to telecast hockey in 3D

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Mar 2010 6:16

Cablevision to telecast hockey in 3D Cablevision, the cable and Internet service provider for 3 million users in NY, NJ and Connecticut has announced that it will telecast the NY Rangers hockey game on March 24th in 3D, the first live 3D sportscast in the U.S.

Mike Bair of MSG says the cable company is planning many more 3D events in the coming months.

"We would consider additional playoff games if the equipment is available," adds Bair, via Variety. "We'll do more games next season and we would like to do a live concert for FUSE, our music network, later this year."

MSG will get its own separate 3D channel eventually as well.

Citing the fact there are very few users out there with 3D HDTVs, the company will offer a viewing party at Madison Square Garden for $20, including bigscreen, RealD projection and full 3D.




AfterDawn: News

Nintendo wants to get consoles, handhelds into schools

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Mar 2010 5:48

Nintendo wants to get consoles, handhelds into schools Shigeru Miyamoto, the man behind the Mario franchise has said today in an interview with the AP that he is trying very hard to get Nintendo's DS handheld into schools as teaching tools or educational aids.

"That is maybe the area where I am devoting myself (the) most," Miyamoto adds.

He notes that the DS is already used in museums and aquariums and that the gaming giant will begin to release the DS "in junior high and elementary schools in Japan starting in the new school year."

Additionally, the designer, when asked about new motion control systems Natal and Move, simply said he was "honored" that Microsoft and Sony were following in the path of the Wii, for which Miyamoto also has design credit.




AfterDawn: News

Analysts cut price target on Palm stock to $0

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 19 Mar 2010 1:25

Analysts cut price target on Palm stock to $0 Palm, the struggling smartphone maker, has taken a giant hit again today after blowing earnings and receiving multiple downgrades from analysts.

Shares of Palm stock are down 26 percent to a new 52-week low after the company posted a loss of 61 cents a share, outdoing the expected 43 cents a share loss expected by analysts. After the earnings, two analysts downgraded the stock to "sell" from "neutral/hold" and added a price target of $0, implying they believe the company will be bankrupt within 12 months.

With the earnings report, Palm emphasized high volume of shipments for their Pre/Plus and Pixi/Plus models, however it appears the carriers selling them are having trouble getting customers to buy, even with extreme price cuts.

Ilya Grozovsky of Morgan Joseph & Co., said "Palm is essentially an accelerating death spiral," and cut his price target on the shares to $0. "They have had a tremendous problem selling their devices even at carriers like Verizon with 80 million subscribers."

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Google rejected on 'Nexus One' trademark

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2010 10:38

Google rejected on 'Nexus One' trademark The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has denied Google's application to trademark "Nexus One."

For Google, the rejection is not yet final, giving the search giant a chance to submit more evidence as well as new arguments.

"Registration of the applied-for mark is refused because of a likelihood of confusion with the mark in U.S. Registration No. 3554195,"
wrote the USPTO.

No. 3554195 is a trademark of the word "Nexus" that was registered years ago by Integra Telecom, an 11-state wireline phone provider.

For their part, Integra thanked the USPTO for protecting its trademark and says they hope to work out a deal with Google. Adds John Nee, Integra's vice president of corporate communications: "Google hasn't contacted us since the PTO issued its objection but we hope we can work together to achieve our respective business goals."




AfterDawn: News

HTC responds to Apple patent violation accusations

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2010 8:15

HTC responds to Apple patent violation accusations Earlier this month, Apple sued rival smartphone maker HTC over violations of patents related to the iPhone, accusing HTC of infringing on up to 20 patents relating to the popular smartphone's hardware and user interface.

Taking its time in doing so, HTC has responded today, vowing to fight the charges.

"HTC disagrees with Apple's actions and will fully defend itself. HTC strongly advocates intellectual property protection and will continue to respect other innovators and their technologies as we have always done," said HTC CEO Peter Chou, via a press release. "We will continue to embrace competition through our own innovation as a healthy way for consumers to get the best mobile experience possible."

If Apple succeeds in the case, they will get an injunction on HTC, barring the company from importing and selling any of their infringing devices in the U.S. The company is also seeking monetary damages.




AfterDawn: News

Xbox 360 to add USB storage support this year

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2010 7:50

Xbox 360 to add USB storage support this year Joystiq is reporting today that "USB Mass Storage Device Support" should hit the Xbox 360 console sometime within 2010, most likely with the upcoming Spring 2010 dashboard update.

Citing a document written by a "senior software development engineer," the support will allow gamers to save and consequently load game data from USB devices, a much wanted feature.

With the support available, gamers can download Arcade games, DLC or other content right to their storage device, although it is unclear what capacity cards will be made available (minimum must be 1GB and max must be 16GB). The source also claims that "installation of a full disc-based title" is also a possibility, although the disc will still need to remain in the tray, for authentication purposes.

In regards to the minimum and maximum posted above, the document says: "The system partition occupies 512 MB of space, and by default the consumer partition occupies the remainder of the device capacity, or 16 GB, whichever is smaller."

Read more...


AfterDawn: News

Amazon intros Kindle software for Mac

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2010 7:09

Amazon intros Kindle software for Mac Amazon has introduced the Mac version of its Kindle software today, expanding the platforms on which it is available to include PCs, Macs, the Kindle device, iPhones and BlackBerrys.

The software is available for free via Amazon, and lets users purchase and read e-books on their computers. Amazon offers 450,000 titles via the Kindle Store.

Additionally, Amazon said an iPad Kindle app would be available in April.

Despite selling a standalone e-reader device, Amazon says e-book sales are much more profitable, so Kindle sales are not top priority. However, Amazon remains the market leader for e-book sales and e-readers.




AfterDawn: News

Video Daily: Angry former employee shuts down 100 cars remotely

Written by Andre Yoskowitz @ 18 Mar 2010 6:56

Video Daily: Angry former employee shuts down 100 cars remotely Omar Ramos-Lopez, an angry ex-employee of the Texas Auto Center in Austin took out his revenge on his former employer by remotely shutting down 100 cars, using the company's computer system.

After hacking into the vehicle immobilization system, Lopez either deactivated the starters of the cars, or activated the horns, leaving them honking all night.

80 of those affected complained to the company about missing school, work, or of having to get their car towed, or repaired.

The system, run by Pay Technologies (PayTeck) is only supposed to be used if a car owner fails to pay their loan or lease obligations.

Lopez was arrested and charged with breach of computer security.





  Newer entries Older entries  

News archive