Google looks to counter Apple with Android newsstand
Google is aiming to keep on an even keel with Apple by looking for industry support for a planned newsstand for Android devices. The plans seem similar to what Apple already offers publishers to offer online subscriptions to their content through the App Store.
According to the Wall Street Journal, Google is currently in discussions with several content providers including Time Warner, Conde Nast, and Hearst Publications. Details are slim, but it appears the Mountain View, Calif. company is ready to do what's needed to bring content providers on board.
Tablets look to steal the show at CES and beyond
Could 2011 be the year of the tablet? It sure seems that way -- as many as 100 companies may release tablet computers in 2011, say analysts. This week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas will be the debut of several of these devices, all hoping to at least compete with the juggernaut that Apple's iPad has become.
What was once a market that seemed to have little potential has proven to be one of technology's most lucrative -- and untapped. Apple was able to successfully take advantage of this opening, and has left its competitors scrambling in an attempt to catch up.
4chan victim of DDoS as FBI investigates role in PayPal attack
Users of 4chan may have gotten a taste of their own medicine after the site was knocked offline by a DDoS attack from an unknown origin early Thursday morning. The attack came amid an FBI raid on a Texas collocation facility as part of a wider investigation into an attack on PayPal.
4chan may have been indirectly involved in the attack, which has also been blamed on a group that calls itself "Operation: Payback." Operation Payback is also believed to have involvement in attacks on Visa and MasterCard. In all cases, the attacks were in response to the suspension of accounts associated with WikiLeaks.
Facebook becomes most searched, most visited in 2010
Google is often the target of the net faithful's ire for its ever increasing size and so-called "evilness." That distinction may now belong to Facebook, as Hitwise said Thursday the site now leads all others -- including Google -- as being both the most visited and most searched for in the US.
Facebook accounted for 8.93 percent of all traffic for the period of January through November 2010, followed by Google with 7.13 percent. Rounding out the top five were Yahoo Mail with 3.52 percent, Yahoo with 3.3 percent, and YouTube with 2.65 percent.
Skype explains outage, offers vouchers to customers
A systemwide failure which took down the popular VoIP service for about 24 hours beginning at 4pm GMT December 22 was caused by a server overload, chief information officer Lars Rabbe disclosed on Wednesday. This overload in turn caused delayed communication with Skype clients, in some cases causing crashes.
The problems even prompted CEO Tony Bates to e-mail users of the service, offering a credit voucher worth about 30 minutes of international airtime to its users -- and again publicly apologizing for the issues.
Nintendo: 3D may be harmful to children's vision
In what may be an attempt to fend off any potential lawsuits, Nintendo on Wednesday took the unusual step of actually recommending parents to not buy its upcoming 3DS handheld system for their children if they are under the age of six.
The game manufacturer's reason was that children at this age are still in the "developmental stage" and exposure to 3D imagery may damage their vision. It also recommended that gamers of all ages take more frequent breaks when playing 3D games.
Amazon's third-gen Kindle becomes its best selling product ever
Internet retail giant Amazon may sell a lot of stuff, but nothing has sold like the Kindle. The company said Tuesday that the third generation of the book reader has become its best selling product of all time, surpassing 2007 bestseller Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.
As has been the case with the Kindle since its initial release, Amazon still has refused to give an exact number of devices sold. An educated guess on sales can be made, however: Harry Potter sold about 2.5 million copies during the first quarter following its release.
Samsung to release iPod touch competitor at CES 2011
Attempting to more completely take on Apple, Samsung on Monday said that it planned to release the Galaxy Player. The touch screen device would essentially be like its Galaxy S smartphone without the cellular capability: just like the difference between the iPhone and the iPod touch.
8, 16, and 32GB versions of the device would be made available, which would run on Android 2.2 "Froyo." The form factor would follow one similar to the iPod touch, and include a 4-inch LCD screen, Bluetooth capability, and front and rear facing cameras.
SEC launches investigation into Hurd's exit from HP
The Securities and Exchange Commission has begun a far-reaching investigation into the circumstances surrounding former CEO and now Oracle executive Mark Hurd's departure from Hewlett Packard, the Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday.
The regulator is looking into claims that he may have passed insider information to a female contractor, who later became central to his resignation from HP. In addition, his use of corporate expense accounts will be studied: a matter which the HP board used in its efforts to get Hurd to step down.
Google taps networking expert Medin to build out fiber network
As Google moves ever closer to its fiber-optic network plans, it has hired networking engineer Milo Medin to oversee its rollout. Medin is widely viewed as an expert in Internet networking, and is credited with pushing TCP/IP in the 1980s as a standard for Internet connectivity.
Medin will manage the fiber team and serve as vice president of access services. Google said in February that it planned to build its own fiber network. Hundreds of communities nationwide have vied to be the location where the planned 1 gigabit network will be built -- Google says it will announce a winner early next year.
While Microsoft may try tablets again at CES, Windows 8 may be the star
Microsoft is expected to use the platform of January's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to hawk its tablet line, however the real star of the show may be Windows 8 according to published reports. The next version of Windows is not expected until 2012, so a debut at CES would be a surprise.
The Redmond company last used CES in 2010 to show off the HP Slate, a highly anticipated tablet device that has failed to see the light of day. So far, Microsoft's commitment to tablet computing has been a non-starter, with manufacturers either scrapping their plans, or even moving to competing platforms like Android.
Google: We're activating 300,000 Android phones daily
Android activations have now surpassed 300,000 per day which equals the number of activations for Symbian worldwide, according to data provided by Google. It also indicates that the now near-continuous stream of new Android phones is having a positive effect on sales overall.
Back in October, Google CEO Eric Schmidt said the company was activating about 200,000 phones per day. The new number also comes from Google's engineering chief Andy Rubin, who tweeted it on Wednesday night. It is not out of the question to think that Android may become the top platform in the world early next year.
Pro-Wikileaks group using Botnet to retaliate against detractors
A group that is using the name "Anonymous" is using a voluntary botnet in order to take down websites that interfere with the operations of Wikileaks. The group has taken responsibility for a denial-of-service attack on Visa on Wednesday and an attack on competitor MasterCard earlier in the week.
The two credit card firms had suspended Wikileaks' account, as did PayPal over the weekend. That company was also the victim of a DDoS attack, which Anoymous has also taken responsibility for. The creation of this botnet could be seen as the first salvo in what is sure to be an increasingly vicious war between the site's supporters and those looking to shut the site down.
Wikileaks' Assange denied bail after surrendering to UK authorities
After surrendering to UK police on Tuesday, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange was denied bail after being deemed a flight risk by a British court. Swedish officials are asking for his extradition to face rape and molestation charges, however Assange has refused.
With that refusal, a lengthy legal process that could take weeks or months to resolve begins. While this is being decided, the courts have taken Assange into custody until December 14.
Sprint aims to phase out iDEN over next two years
Aiming to streamline operations and reduce operating costs, Sprint on Monday said it would begin the process of transitioning Nextel customers to its CDMA network beginning next year. The process of phasing out iDEN cell sites will begin in 2013, it said.
Combining the two technologies is expected to save Sprint up to $11 billion over a seven year period. It will also phase out a technology that has increasingly become obsolete as consumers and businesses alike require more robust data technologies.
Ed's Bio
Ed Oswald is a freelance journalist from the Reading, PA area. Although he has written across a variety of subjects, Ed’s passion and focus has been on technology and gadgets. His work regularly appears on tech news sites BetaNews, PCWorld, and Technologizer, and has been syndicated to eWeek, Time’s Techland blog, VentureBeat and the New York Times.
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