Filed under: Computers

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iPhone, iPod learn to speak Cherokee

Nine-year-old Lauren Hummingbird wants a cell phone for Christmas — and not just any old phone, but an iPhone. Such a request normally would be met with skepticism by her father, Cherokee Nation employee Jamie Hummingbird.

He could dismiss the obvious reasons a kid might want an iPhone, except for this — he’s a proud Cherokee and buying his daughter the phone just might help keep the tribe’s language alive. Get the full story »

Apple tosses out WikiLeaks application

Apple joined a growing number of U.S. corporations that have cut ties with WikiLeaks, removing an application from its online store that gave users access to the controversial website’s content and Twitter feed because it violated guidelines. Get the full story »

Microsoft said to plan new Windows for tablets

Microsoft Corp. is working on a version of its core Windows operating system for devices such as tablets, according to media reports, and the company said its Windows Phone 7 software is making headway in the booming smartphone market. Get the full story »

Poll: People can’t live without high-speed Internet

High-speed Internet has had the greatest technological impact on society over the past decade and is the technology most people say they cannot live without, according to a new poll.

Twenty four percent of 1,950 U.S. adults questioned in the online survey conducted by Zogby International said high-speed Internet had the greatest impact on their lives, followed closely by Facebook at 22 percent and Google with 10 percent.

Of the technologies people say they cannot live without, high-speed Internet came in first at 28 percent and email was second at 18 percent. Get the full story »

Apple TV sales expected to rise to 1 million

Apple expects sales of Apple TV to top 1 million units this week, showing that the device is gaining traction in bringing the Web to TV. Get the full story »

‘Smurfs’ Village’ app adds warnings of real costs

The publisher of the popular “The Smurfs’ Village” game for the iPhone and iPad has added a warning that virtual items such as “Smurfberries” cost real money –  as much as $100 with just two taps on the screen.

An Associated Press story this month revealed how easy it is for kids to buy such virtual items and have them billed to their parents without their knowledge. Like many other free games, “Smurfs’ Village” makes money by selling the virtual goods to advance play. Get the full story »

First glimpse of new Motorola tablet?

From Geek with Laptop | Google’s Andy Rubin appears to have shown off one of the 10-inch tablet computers Motorola plans to launch next year. Sanjay Jha, Motorola’s CEO, basically that Motorola will also launch a 7-inch tablet at some point next year,.

Rubin was showing off the new Nexus S phone at the “Dive into Mobile” event and whipped out a nameless prototype Motorola slim line tablet running Android 3.0 otherwise known as Honeycomb, a version of Android that is supposedly more suitable for tablet computers than previous versions. Get the full story>>

U.S. steps up kickback probe of Hewlett-Packard

The U.S. Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission are expanding their probe into possible kickbacks on the part of computer maker Hewlett Packard Co., a regulatory filing said.

The agencies have been investigating the Palo Alto, Calif., company for possibly bribing authorities in Russia and Germany. Now, the agencies are also investigating similar improprieties in Austria, Serbia, the Netherlands and the Commonwealth of Independent States. Get the full story »

Launch miscues bring Facebook down for 15 mins.

Facebook, the online social network used by more than 500 million people around the world, went down briefly Thursday after the site miscued the introduction of some new features. Get the full story »

Apple to take app approach with Mac software

Bloomberg News | Starting Jan. 6, Macintosh users will be able to purchase and download software from an online store much like they do music apps for their smart phones, Apple announced Thursday.  Available in 90 countries, the Mac App Store will offer  paid and free applications in education, games and design.

Google to delay ultra-high-speed broadband test

Google Inc. said it is not quite ready to decide where it will build an experimental, ultra-high-speed broadband network that will provide Internet connections that are 100 times faster than the connections most Americans get from their phone and cable companies. Get the full story »

Computer prices reverse course, start to rise

For the first time in several years, people shopping for personal computers are doing something new: paying more.

In November, the average retail price of a PC sold in the U.S. was $615, up 6 percent from last year’s $580, which marked a record low, according to research firm NPD Group. Average PC prices have now increased in six of the past eight months compared with 2009 levels, according to NPD data. Get the full story »

Apple suppliers: Look for camera-toting iPad in 2011

Component suppliers for Apple Inc.’s iPad are gearing up for a new round of production in the first quarter, sources said on Friday, with one saying the product will be a revamp of the popular tablet computer including front- and back-mounted cameras.

Touchscreen chip designer Wintek Corp., battery maker Simplo Technology Co. Ltd. and AVY Precision, an unlisted maker of covers for electronic products, are among suppliers for the next batch of iPads, four people familiar with the situation said. Get the full story »

Report: Ex-WikiLeaks staff to launch rival site

A group of former WikiLeaks collaborators who quit the project are to launch a new campaigning site next week to protest against its founder, a Swedish newspaper said on Thursday. Get the full story »

Goldman code case jury hears closing arguments

High-tech thief or bogus prosecution? Those were the opposing closing arguments offered on Thursday in the case of a computer programmer accused of stealing high-speed trading code from Goldman Sachs.

Sergey Aleynikov, 40, was charged with stealing critical parts of code as he left Wall Street’s most influential bank in June 2009 before joining Teza Technologies LLC, a high speed-trading start-up firm in Chicago. Get the full story »