Hewlett-Packard Co. said CEO Mark Hurd is stepping down following a sexual-harassment probe that found other violations of company standards. HP said Friday that Hurd decided to leave after the investigation into a sexual-harassment claim made against him and the company by a former HP contractor. The probe concludes that the company’s sexual-harassment policy was not violated, but that its standards of business conduct were.
Filed under: Technology
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Gadget census pits Chicago against D.C.
When President Barack Obama moved from Chicago to the White House, he also moved to an area with 53 percent more BlackBerries, according to a recent study that pits cities against one another in terms of the gadgets they use.
And if it seems like every hipster in Chicago is rocking out to streaming music at work and on the train, that’s because they are — 45 percent more than their counterparts in Washington, D.C. Compared to D.C., you also won’t see too many Chicagoans watching television on an iPhone or reading books on their gadgets: 66 percent more of us own three or more TVs and we have 50 percent fewer e-Readers per capital than our nation’s capital, according to the gadget census, conducted by Retrevo.com, an electronics review and shopping site. Get the full story »
Aug. 6, 2010 at 10:53 a.m.
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Filed under: Consumer electronics, Entertainment, Technology Apple ordered to publicize iPod fix in Japan
Japan’s trade ministry has ordered Apple Inc’s Japan unit to state on its website that users who are concerned about their iPod nano portable music player catching fire can receive a replacement battery.
The ministry ordered Apple to publish an “easy to understand” statement online explaining how users of the devices — responsible for four cases of minor burns in Japan — can receive replacement batteries and obtain advice, a spokesman for the ministry said on Friday. Get the full story »
As ban looms, some Saudis sell off BlackBerrys
Some Saudis are trying to sell their BlackBerrys ahead of a ban on the smart phone’s messenger service in the kingdom. The Saudi telecoms regulatory agency said this week the service would be halted Friday. By mid-afternoon, it was still operating.
Apple to fix security hole in iPhone software
Apple is planning to release a fix for a security hole in the software that runs on its iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch devices. Hackers could gain access to data stored on Apple Inc.’s gadgets by putting a PDF file with hidden code onto a website and luring people to visit the site.
Aug. 5, 2010 at 2:56 p.m.
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Filed under: Computers, Internet, Technology, Telecommunications FCC pulls out of “net neutrality” talks
Federal regulators are abandoning efforts to negotiate a compromise on so-called “network neutrality” rules intended to ensure that phone and cable companies cannot discriminate against Internet traffic traveling over broadband networks.
The announcement by the Federal Communications Commission ends weeks of FCC-brokered talks to reach an agreement on the thorny issue among a handful of big phone, cable TV and Internet companies. And it comes as two big companies that have been taking part in those talks — Verizon Communications Inc. and Google Inc. — try to hammer out their own proposal on how broadband providers should treat Internet traffic.
According to people briefed on the negotiations, Verizon and Google hope their proposal could help shape legislation in Congress.
Aug. 5, 2010 at 1:31 p.m.
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Filed under: Computers, Internet, Technology, Telecommunications Google denies ‘net neutrality’ deal with Verizon
Google Inc. on Thursday strongly denied a report that said the search giant was close to an agreement with Verizon Communications Inc. that would allow the carrier to speed the delivery of online content to Internet users if content creators paid for the privilege.
The purported agreement, reported by the New York Times, would severely undercut the Internet tenet known as net neutrality, in which no form of content is favored over another. The Times suggested an agreement between Google and Verizon could lead to a new tiered system in which consumers pay more for premium levels of service. Get the full story »
Aug. 5, 2010 at 10:33 a.m.
Filed under: Cell phones, Consumer electronics, International, Privacy issues, Technology Clinton: U.S. to talk to UAE about BlackBerry ban
The United States will hold technical talks with the United Arab Emirates and other countries on the pending ban on the BlackBerry Messenger, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Thursday. Get the full story »
Molex fourth quarter beats Wall Street view
Electronic connector maker Molex Inc., based in Lisle, posted better-than-expected quarterly results, helped by strength in its data and telecom markets, and forecast first-quarter results above analysts’ estimates. Get the full story »
Aug. 3, 2010 at 3:19 p.m.
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Filed under: International, Policy, Privacy issues, Technology, Telecommunications Saudi BlackBerry Messenger ban begins Friday
The Saudi telecom watchdog said on Tuesday that telecom companies in the kingdom must block the messenger function on Blackberry handsets as of Friday.
The ban would last until the kingdom’s three mobile phone operators “fulfill the regulatory requirements it has requested,” the Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) said in a statement to media. Get the full story »
RIM’s BlackBerry Torch to take on iPhone
See more photos of the BlackBerry Torch here.
Research In Motion unveiled a new BlackBerry smartphone with a touchscreen and slideout keyboard, hoping to raise its consumer appeal and fend off competition from Apple’s iPhone.
The BlackBerry Torch will go on sale in the United States on Aug. 12 for $199.99 with a two-year contract with AT&T Inc. The device uses a new operating system and has a faster and easier-to-use Web browser, RIM said on Tuesday. Get the full story »
BlackBerry may make concessions in govt. talks
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion may be considering concessions to governments who have voiced concerns about the tight security that makes its devices so popular, newspapers said on Tuesday.
India’s Economic Times newspaper reported that RIM had agreed to allow security authorities in the country to monitor BlackBerry services after pressure from governments worried about national security.
Separately Kuwaiti daily al-Jarida, quoting a source it did not identify by name, said RIM had given “initial approval” to block 3,000 porn sites at the request of Kuwait’s communications ministry. It said security was also a concern. Get the full story »
