http://www.ecoustics.com/latest/links Latest links, updated every five minutes http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/news/182489 The fiercely competitive carriers return to court today to wrangle over Verizon's accusations in its ads. Wed, 18 Nov 2009 11:55:00 -0500 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-11128_3-10385359-54.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Average carbon emissions for each van and minibus would have to be cut by 2016 or automakers will be hit with fines. Wed, 28 Oct 2009 14:51:56 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/4660-3121_7-7045653.html?part=ecoustics-cnet Apple has revamped its best-selling laptop, the 13-inch MacBook, with a unibody white polycarbonate body and LED backlit display. Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-1023_3-10376665-93.html?part=ecoustics-cnet A new camera-equipped trike can map places not accessible by car like school campuses and theme parks. Google wants your vote on where to go next. Fri, 16 Oct 2009 12:58:53 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20982 There are still some people in this work who get by with a single handset connected to a landline—and then there are people who's lives and careers take them almost anywhere, often infuriatingly out of range of any sort of cell phone coverage. For these highly mobile types, early next year AT&T plans to offer the Terrestar Genus, a Windows Mobile device that combines a traditional cell phone with a satellite phone, offering communications in places off the beaten track—sometimes way off the beaten track."TerreStar is pleased to announce AT&T as a distribution channel," said Terrestar president Jeffrey Epstein, iRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 01 Oct 2009 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20965 It's been a long time coming but iLuv's 9-inch i1166 portable media player is reaching the market, offering a consolidated way for video fans to watch their favorite content anywhere they go on a screen slightly larger than a postage stamp. The i1166 features a 9-inch display for viewing video from a variety of sources including DVDs (Divx certified!), USB drives, and SD/MCC memory cards…oh, and did we mention it supports video and audio content from iPods? Just pop in any compatible iPod to watch video contentRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 29 Sep 2009 14:20:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20948 When Apple rolled out the iPhone internationally, it mostly made exclusive deals with single mobile carriers for individual markets, mirroring its deal with AT&T in the United States. However, as the market has matured, Apple is showing signs of ending those exclusive arrangements: today Orange UK announced it will start selling the iPhone 3G and 3GS in the United Kingdom later this year, ending 02's exclusive deal on the iPhone that's been in place since 2007.Orange hasn't announced any pricing information or specific dates when it plans to put the iPhone inRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 28 Sep 2009 13:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20943 AT&T is arguing Google's Internet phone program gets an unfair advantage from blocking calls to rural communities where local carriers charge high fees.AT&T Inc. says Google Voice curbs costs by refusing to connect calls to places where some local carriers give phone numbers to adult chat lines and conference-calling services to draw long distance calls. They share hefty connection fees AT&T must pay.The Federal Communications Commission has banned AT&T from blocking such calls. AT&T told the FCC Friday that the ban makes it impossible to compete with Google on price. The comRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Sat, 26 Sep 2009 08:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/look/341 Come one, come all, to the carnival of oddities that is Honda’s R&D division. Witness Asimo: the humanoid robot, and the tragedies tragedies that sometimes befall him. Shield your children from the assisted walking system that looks straight from the pages of science fiction. Gawk at the motorcycle with an airbag. And recoil in terror at the UX-3, a unicycle that balances itself.Or laugh.Taking a cue from the Segway, Honda&rsq...Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 25 Sep 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20904 Peripheral and accessory maker Kensington has introduced a slew of notebook, mobile phone, and computing accessories for the upcoming holiday season—because nothing makes a better gift for the tech-savvy members of your social circle than a little bit of gadgetry, right? Among the notable releases are a USB powered light specifically intended to help video chat work better in low-light situations, and a new car cradle for iPhones that amplified iPhone audio so the device is easier to both see and hear while driving—important for folks using their iPhones for maps or turn-by-turn directions.First up, the Kensington WinRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 22 Sep 2009 13:20:00 -0400 http://news.ecoustics.com/bbs/messages/10381/591824.html Thu, 17 Sep 2009 15:34:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/news/171941 The scareware scam that pushed rogue antivirus software provides a good example of what to watch out for on the Web. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 14:31:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20825 A computer hacker could spend more than 15 years in prison now that he has pleaded guilty to some of the largest thefts of credit card numbers.Albert Gonzalez of Miami pleaded guilty Friday in federal court in Boston to invading the computer systems of such retailers as TJX Cos., BJ's Wholesale Club, OfficeMax, Boston Market, Barnes & Noble and Sports Authority. Federal authorities say tens of millions of credit and debit card numbers were stolen.Gonzalez also pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, for hacks into the Dave & Buster's restaurant chain, in a New York indictment.Under his Boston plea agreement, Gonzalez faces 15 to 25 years in prison. He faces up to 20 years for the New York pleRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:16:26 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20813 Apple has certainly had a hit on its hands with the iPhone, but the iPhone's exclusive U.S. carrier AT&T has certainly been taking hits over its network performance: users of iPhones—and other mobile devices—have consistently been complaining about limited bandwidth, poor network performance, and even problems placing and sustaining calls in well-networked areas. Today, AT&T announced plans to bring more data bandwidth to its mobile, announcing it plans to bring 7.2 Mbps HSPA technology to 25 major markets by the end of 2010—and six of those mRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 10 Sep 2009 12:45:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20810 China potentially could be a $500 billion to $1 trillion a year market for environmentally sustainable "green technologies," a group of businesses and experts said in a report Thursday that urges governments to ease the way for such initiatives.The report by the China Greentech Initiative, a group of more than 80 leading technology companies, non-governmental organizations and policy advisers, pinpointed opportunities from 300 potential green technology options for China, spanning energy, water, buildings, transportation and industry.But government support is key, said Richard Gledhill, global leader of Climate Change & Carbon Market Services in London for PricewaterhouseCoopers, a consultancy that helpedRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 10 Sep 2009 11:30:43 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20775 U.S. mobile operator AT&T hasn't been winning over the hearts and minds of very many iPhone users: while many un-demanding users are reasonably happy with AT&T's service offerings, power users, frequent travelers, and folks who truly rely on their mobile devices have been less than pleased—and even Apple itself has indicated significant dissatisfaction with its carrier partner, citing poor network performance, low data transfer rates, and dropped calls. With Apple's iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3.0 update, the dissatisfaction got worse, with Apple aRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 04 Sep 2009 11:40:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20696 Last month, Apple's controversial iTunes App Store policies went into the spotlight yet again when an app for using Google Voice on the iPhone failed to make it into the App Store. Google Voice is a service that enables users to receive transcriptions of voicemail message and use the same phone number for as long as they like—even if they change telecom operators or mobile carriers. A few days later the Federal Communications Commission opened an inquiry, asking Apple and AT&T to explainRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/reviews/170150 Ever since the iPhone 3G added GPS into its feature mix, users have been clamoring for turn-by-turn directions of the sort used by standalone car navigation... Thu, 13 Aug 2009 11:20:26 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/pcw/news/169791 The White House raised privacy concerns this week among those who oppose efforts to pass healthcare reform legislation. Thu, 06 Aug 2009 17:40:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-13580_3-10302756-39.html?part=ecoustics-cnet The faster, higher-capacity successor to SDHC cards are nearer to reality. Toshiba promises samples in November and the real thing next spring. Tue, 04 Aug 2009 12:10:00 -0400 http://ecoustics-cnet.com.com/8301-19512_7-10289835-233.html?part=ecoustics-cnet MasterCard's new iPhone app riffs off its amusing 'priceless' TV campaign. How well does that translate to an application? Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:39:24 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20426 How much you pay for cigarettes depends on where you live. But there’s nowhere on Earth that charges $23 quadrillion – that’s $23,148,855,308,184,500, to be precise – a pack.But thanks to a computer error, that’s how much a New Hampshire man paid at a gas station using his pre-paid Visa card. When he checked his balance online later he discovered the amount – plus the $15 bank fee for being overdrawn, just to add insult to injury.Josh Muszynski told TV station WMUR:"I thought somebody had bought Europe with my credit card.""It is a lot of money in the negative, something I could never, everRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Fri, 17 Jul 2009 01:17:04 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20409 U.S. mobile carrier AT&T has officailly introduced the Sony Ericsson C905a Cyber-shot and W518a Walkman phones to the U.S. market; the C905a slider sports an 8.1 megapixel camera, while the W518a flip phone focuses on music and social networking features."Sony Ericsson has created two signature phones that enhance the quality of photography and social networking on a phone and take advantage of exciting AT&T services like AT&T Navigator and Video Share," said AT&T VP Michael Woodward, in a statement.The C905a sports an 8.1 megapixel camera with xenon flash—wRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:30:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/guide/279 Your new home office has fresh drywall from floor to ceiling, a fragrant new patch of short-nap carpet, and a window that looks out on the backyard garden. Now you just a need a spot to put that computer. And the printer. And all those papers. And the phone.Maybe it’s time for some furniture.But before you make a trip to the local office store and come back with a minivan full of flat-packed particleboard, it’s worth doing a little research and planning. We’ve broken down the key elements to any office, explained some of the key factors you should weight when picking them out, and given a few of our favorites....Read | Permalink | Linking Blogs Tue, 07 Jul 2009 03:00:00 -0400 http://www.ecoustics.com/dt/news/20326 The Recording Industry Association of America has won a summary judgement against Usenet access provider Usenet.com on a wealth of copyright infringement charges, including direct and vicarious copyright infringement, as well as inducement of infringement. Although the judgement is hardly a surprise, Usenet.com had been using every means at its disposal to forestall the inevitable, including sending employees out of the country to make them inaccessible, destroying data, and failing to turn over materials."This decision is another example of courts recognizing the value of copyrighted music and taking action against companies and individuals who are enRead | Permalink | Linking Blogs Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:05:00 -0400