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Microsoft says government officials make sudden visits to China offices Chinese government officials have made sudden visits to Microsoft Corp offices in China, a spokeswoman for the company said on Monday, but declined to give any reason for the inspections. China's State Administration for Industry & Commerce, which Chinese media reported had made the visits to Microsoft offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, declined to give comment outside of working hours. Microsoft has been a focus of anti-U.S. technology sentiment in China since U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden revealed widespread spying programs, including PRISM, which used U.S. company's technology for cyber espionage. In an e-mailed statement, the Microsoft spokeswoman said: "We aim to build products that deliver the features, security and reliability customers expect and we're happy to answer the government's questions," but declined to give any further information. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 07:12:15 -0400
Amazon offers 3D printing to customize earrings, bobble head toys By Deepa Seetharaman SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc will offer 3D printing services that allow customers to customize and build earrings, bobble head toys and other items from third-party sellers using a new personalization option on its website. Before it is printed by one of Amazon's sellers, users can customize a product like as a bobble head figure by changing its skin and eye color, hair style and outfit, Amazon said. "The customization is something we're keenly interested in," said Petra Schindler-Carter, director for Amazon marketplace sales, speaking in an interview. "We'll always look for new applications for that." Amazon, which has more than 240 million users, has expanded its marketplaces division to include new areas such as fine art and wine. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 05:58:45 -0400
Bitcoin catches on in tech-savvy Romania By Luiza Ilie BUCHAREST (Reuters) - In a well-lit office with red window frames in downtown Bucharest, Romania's first bitcoin ATM attracts many who until it opened in May had to buy or sell the digital currency face-to-face or through wire transfers. The interest in bitcoin in Romania stands out in a region where national currencies are widely seen as poor substitutes for the euro. In the western town of Oradea, 370 miles (595 km) away from the capital, the first bitcoin exchange in the country has drawn more than 2,000 clients in the seven months since it opened, with transactions totaling 5.12 million lei ($1.57 million). Bitcoin is still an infant in Europe relative to the United States, where hundreds of start-ups backed by some Wall Street traders and venture capitalists have propelled consumer and media interest. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 07:02:37 -0400
Apple iPhones allow extraction of deep personal data, researcher finds By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Personal data including text messages, contact lists and photos can be extracted from iPhones through previously unpublicized techniques by Apple Inc employees, the company acknowledged this week. The same techniques to circumvent backup encryption could be used by law enforcement or others with access to the "trusted" computers to which the devices have been connected, according to the security expert who prompted Apple's admission. In a conference presentation this week, researcher Jonathan Zdziarski showed how the services take a surprising amount of data for what Apple now says are diagnostic services meant to help engineers. As word spread about Zdziarski’s initial presentation at the Hackers on Planet Earth conference, some cited it as evidence of Apple collaboration with the National Security Agency. Fri, 25 Jul 2014 21:00:54 -0400
Facebook says SEC's IPO probe ends, extending WhatsApp closing date (Reuters) - Facebook Inc said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dropped its probe into the social networking company over events surrounding its controversial initial public offering. In its quarterly report filed on Thursday, Facebook said the regulator in May "notified us that it had terminated its inquiry and that no enforcement action had been recommended by the SEC." Facebook shares began trading on May 18, 2012, but soon fell below their $38 per share offering price and had lost more than half their value by the middle of August, angering investors. Investors also complained they were not told just prior to the IPO that analysts at Facebook's investment banks were cutting their forecasts after learning of the company's internal projections for advertising revenue. The end of the SEC probe does not affect shareholder litigation against Facebook, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and many banks over the Menlo Park, California-based company's IPO. Fri, 25 Jul 2014 15:55:27 -0400
Dell, BlackBerry downplay threat from Apple-IBM alliance By Euan Rocha and Alastair Sharp TORONTO (Reuters) - IBM Corp's recent move to partner with Apple Inc to sell iPhones and iPads loaded with corporate applications has excited investors in both companies, but two rivals say they are unperturbed for now. Top executives at Dell and BlackBerry Ltd scoffed at the threat posed by the alliance this week, arguing the tie-up is unlikely to derail the efforts of their own companies to re-invent themselves. I think it just made a good press release," John Swainson, who heads Dell's global software business, said in an interview with Reuters in Toronto on Thursday. PC maker Dell and smartphone maker BlackBerry are in the midst of reshaping their companies around software and services, as the needs of their big corporate clients morph. Fri, 25 Jul 2014 15:11:46 -0400
T-Mobile just put Sprint’s ‘Framily’ plans to shame Anything Sprint tries to do, T-Mobile is determined to try to do better. T-Mobile on Monday unveiled a new family plan that will cost $100 per month for four separate lines and offer a total of 10GB of LTE data, or 2.5GB per line. In contrast, Sprint’s most comparable “Framily” plan costs $160 per month and offers a mere 4GB of data total, or 1GB per line. You can get an unlimited-data Sprint “Framily” plan, of course, but it will cost a total of $240 per month since the unlimited option costs an extra $20 per line. The T-Mobile plan also looks pretty good when compared to similar plans from AT&T and Verizon — both of those carriers will give you 10GB Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:14:06 -0400
Is Instagram doing enough to fix its account hijacking bug? If you're checking Instagram on public Wi-Fi, you may be exposing more than you realize. A security researcher named Mazin Ahmed has published a new report showing how easy it is to hijack an Instagram account, and taking the company to task for lax security. The technique relies on catching Instagram data in transit, either through an open Wi-Fi hotspot or a more sophisticated attack at the network level. If attackers can do that, Ahmed says, they'll be able to see unencrypted pictures, user IDs and account keys — potentially allowing outsiders to take over your account entirely. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:00:02 -0400
PantryChic's Bluetooth ingredient dispenser is for lazy, type-A bakers Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:00:00 -0400
Google is helping James Frey build a multimedia sci-fi juggernaut On October 7th, author James Frey will release a novel about the apocalypse. It will hold an elaborate code, directing readers towards a key hidden somewhere in the real world. Fox is developing a movie concurrently, and Google's Niantic Labs, responsible for alternate-reality game Ingress, is making a new game based on the plot. A D&D dungeon master has been conscripted to maintain social media accounts for the characters, which he has done for the past year. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:55:02 -0400
Is Apple intentionally slowing older iPhones to make you buy new ones? The New York Times cried wolf in late October last year, observing that the iPhone 4 has became more sluggish following the iOS 7 update and wondering, without any kind of data to back it up other than one user’s experience, whether Apple has intentionally slowed down performance on older smartphone models to convince more iPhone users to upgrade. However, the publication is now back with a more scientific approach to the quandary. In a new piece penned by Harvard economics professor Sendhil Mullainathan, the publication draws our attention to the correlation between iPhone launches and the perceived slowness of older devices. Similarly, the study looks at Galaxy S phone slowness and relation to new Galaxy S model launches. FROM EARLIER: 12 Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:53:00 -0400
Amazon launches 3D printing store Amazon announced Monday the launch of an online store for 3D printed items to allow consumers to customize and personalize items like earrings, pendants, dolls and other objects. "The introduction of our 3D printed products store suggests the beginnings of a shift in online retail -- that manufacturing can be more nimble to provide an immersive customer experience. Sellers, in alignment with designers and manufacturers, can offer more dynamic inventory for customers to personalize and truly make their own," said Amazon's Petra Schindler-Carter in a statement The store "allows us to help sellers, designers and manufacturers reach millions of customers while providing a fun and creative customer experience to personalize a potentially infinite number of products at great prices across many product categories." Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:52:49 -0400
Liberia closing most borders to stop the spread of ebola Liberia is closing down most of its borders and quarantining certain communities as it attempts to crack down on the spread of ebola within the region, which has so far killed over 670, including 129 people in Liberia alone, reports the Associated Press. In addition to closing all but three of its border crossings and quarantining communities widely affected by the virus, the restrictions include limitations on public demonstrations and requirements that certain venues, such as restaurants, run a five-minute video on ebola. The current ebola outbreak became the largest ever recorded over a month ago, and it's still spreading. Guinea and Sierra Leone have also had residents infected with the virus, which is believed to have begun spreading from Guinea at the beginning of the year. Despite the tight restrictions, Liberia will reportedly be keeping open its international airport. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:50:52 -0400
Russia offers a $110,000 bounty if you can crack Tor Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:34:00 -0400
12 slick tricks that will make your iPhone run faster Even though the iPhone offers users a rather consistent smartphone experience, the device can get slower the more it’s used, as is the case with any other kind of computer. However, there are plenty of tricks that can significantly improve the iPhone’s performance, and Business Insider has put together a collection of 12 such handy tricks every iPhone user looking for performance improvements has to know. FROM EARLIER: 5 awesome tricks that will make your iPhone run much smoother While some of them have been featured in previous lists, the publication offers additional tools to make the iPhone run faster, as well as instructions on how to perform the necessary chores, which may come in handy especially to newer iPhone owners. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:32:31 -0400
Your smartphone will replace room keys at Hilton hotels by end of 2016 Within a couple years, most people will never need to visit the front desk at a Hilton hotel ever again. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:14:10 -0400
TWC hilariously claims Google and Netflix are the real threats to net neutrality You’ve got to hand it to Time Warner Cable’s lawyers — they certainly deserve an A+ for creative writing. Per The National Journal, both Time Warner Cable and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association lobbying group have filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission warning that major Internet companies such as Google, Facebook and Netflix are the real threats to net neutrality because they could threaten to charge ISPs extra money for the rights to let their customers access their websites. We are sadly not joking. “A relatively concentrated group of large [Web companies] — such as Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook — have enormous and growing power over consumers’ ability to access the content of their choice on Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:11:33 -0400
Returning to 'Sin City': a chat with Frank Miller Ever the controversial figure, Frank Miller is nevertheless one of the greats. It gave me a chance to explore my world that much more deeply. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:00:04 -0400
What you need to know about card skimming Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:00:00 -0400
Israel's Iron Dome The politics of the conflict between Hamas and the State of Israel are well documented, and I'm sure you have already formed an opinion about who is at fault and what must be done. This article is not about any of that. It's not about right or wrong, good or bad, politics or religion... it's about a remarkable technology that is serving both a... Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:54:59 -0400
New leak compares key component from iPhone 6 and ‘iPhone Air’ phablet Apple’s next generation iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch “iPhone Air” phablet are reportedly nearing the mass production phase and as a result, we’ve seen component leaks kick into high gear recently. Monday morning we seemingly saw the main printed circuit board (PCB) from the iPhone 6 for the first time, and now a new leak may show the iPhone 6 circuit board next to the same component from the larger 5.5-inch iPhone, again supporting the notion that Apple is planning two new iPhone models this year. FROM EARLIER: iPhone 6 and next-gen Retina iPad mini rendered by design master French Apple news site Nowhereelse.fr on Monday published photos it obtained from an unnamed source in China that supposedly show both main circuit boards Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:50:40 -0400
John Oliver, Buzz Aldrin, and Patrick Stewart plead for rescue of lost Russian space-geckos There are a lot of international crises at the moment, but no one that can bring humanity together like the story of Russia' s gecko sex experiment that became lost in space. The experiment was supposed to monitor the sex lives of geckos inside a satellite, but last week Russia was reported to have lost contact with it — leaving the geckos adrift. On his show this weekend, John Oliver took a break from some of the more serious subjects that he could have been addressing to ask that viewers email Putin and raise awareness for the geckos. It's as funny as you'd expect from Oliver — and somehow, he even gets a few guest stars to show up, including Buzz Aldrin and Patrick Stewart. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:35:02 -0400
A giant armadillo building is hiding in the middle of Paris On a tree-lined boulevard in southeast Paris, an enormous creature is slowly coming to life. Nestled in a dense block of 19th-century buildings, the sloping glass structure looks like a metallic armadillo shell, but is in fact a new project from world-renowned architecture firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:30:02 -0400
Amazon’s new 3D printing store lets you build customized gear If for some reason Amazon’s vast selection of products from every imaginable category wasn’t quite cutting it for you, we have some good news – on Monday, Amazon opened a 3D printing store on its website, offering customizable goods to its customers for the very first time. Amazon notes that more than 200 items are already available in the new store, including earrings, bobblehead figures, phone cases and cookie cutters. “The introduction of our 3D Printed Products store suggests the beginnings of a shift in online retail – that manufacturing can be more nimble to provide an immersive customer experience. Sellers, in alignment with designers and manufacturers, can offer more dynamic inventory for customers to personalize and truly make their own,” said Petra Schindler-Carter, Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:29:34 -0400
Zillow buying Trulia to make real estate titan NEW YORK (AP) — Real estate website operator Zillow is buying rival Trulia in a $3.5 billion deal that would make the biggest player in the online real estate market. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:23:15 -0400
Apple upgrading its MacBook Pro line this week: report Though neither computer's outward appearance is expected to be altered, what's under the hood is set to get a very impressive upgrade, especially in the case of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, which is expected to get 16GB of RAM as standard, even on the base configuration model. According to numerous sources, including Apple Insider, each 15-inch notebook is also getting a faster Intel Core i7 processor and better harddrive options too. Also, if information that originally is believed to have come from an Apple Store in China is totally accurate, Apple might also be planning to introduce a third ‘maxed out' version of the 15-inch notebook as a standalone model which will boast a 2.8Ghz Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and Intel Iris Pro and Nvidia GeForce GT 750M graphics. Apple has already released refreshed MacBook Airs and iMacs this year and in updating the internal components has also cut retail prices. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:22:58 -0400
GSA CIO: Successful Organizations Connect, Collaborate and Innovate Successful CIOs are driving digital business transformation, leveraging mobile, social and cloud computing technologies to improve workforce productivity, while reducing IT expenses and bolstering employee engagement. Sonny Hashmi, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), has received the 2013 Federal... Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:18:01 -0400
Judges ruling on secret telecoms cases found to own Verizon stock Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:17:00 -0400
7 awesome paid iPhone apps you can download for free right now (a $24 value!) It’s the last week of July and as we enter the last month of summer freedom before school starts again, we need to make sure that we finish out the month on a high note. We’ve been sharing tons of paid iPhone and iPad apps we you lately that have gone on sale for free for a limited time, and we have no plans to slow down now. Monday has brought some great new sales with it, and we have hand-picked seven sweet paid iOS apps that you can get for free if you move quickly. These are paid iPhone and iPad apps that have been made available for free for a limited time by their developers. There is no way Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:08:36 -0400
NASA is testing a laser-powered drill to explore Jupiter's ice moon While Mars gets all the press, a group of NASA scientists are laying the groundwork for a more exotic destination: the ice-covered moon of Europa, locked in orbit above Jupiter. President Obama set aside $15 million of NASA's 2015 budget specifically for Europa exploration, and some researchers think the project could launch an explorer probe as early as 2022. You can see video of NASA's test below, complete with dramatic music, courtesy of the New Scientist: Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:06:38 -0400
MacBook Pros About to Get Major Speed Boost (Report) Apple's MacBook Air line got a speedy refresh this past spring, and it looks like the Pros are up next. Based on signage from a Chinese Apple store, the MacBook Pro lineup will soon consist of three new Retina models that have faster processors and a minimum of 16GB of RAM. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:00:41 -0400
Galaxy S4 bursts into flames under sleeping 13-year-old girl’s pillow Let this cautionary tale serve as a reminder to everyone: don’t buy unauthorized parts or accessories for your smartphone. We have seen stories of combusting cell phones before, but perhaps none have been quite as unsettling as a new report from this past weekend. According to a Dallas, Texas-based Fox affiliate, a 13-year-old girl was awoken last week when she smelled something burning. As it turns out, the Samsung Galaxy S4 that she slipped under her pillow as she fell asleep had caught fire in the middle of the night and had begun to burn her pillow and sheets. “I didn’t think much of it, so I went back to sleep and then I woke up again and it was more prominent,” Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:47:31 -0400
32 things you need to watch, read, and know from Comic-Con 2014 Just about all of the biggest movies and TV shows for the year or so ahead descended on San Diego over the weekend for the 2014 Comic-Con, unleashing a whirlwind of news, trailers, and teases for what’s to come. Marvel didn't have to do much to be the star of this year's Comic-Con… and, unfortunately, it really didn't. Fans were treated to a first look at Avengers: Age of Ultron, but everyone else just got two new movie announcements: that it's working on a second Guardians of the Galaxy for 2017, and that some of our favorite actors from Lost and House of Cards have joined Ant-Man. Director Zack Snyder surprised Comic-Con crowds this weekend by teasing a short clip of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:40:03 -0400
Amazon now lets you customize and buy 3D-printed products Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:28:00 -0400
7 things the iWatch needs to do if Apple wants to win We don't know much of anything about Apple's upcoming smartwatch, or even if such a thing exists. Apple's obviously not the only company trying to make an incredible product — from Samsung and Google to Pebble and CooKoo, many others are in the wristwear business. If Apple's going to do right what all others have done wrong, it needs to quickly learn a number of important lessons. It needs the iWatch to do, and be, a few things like no other smartwatch. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:27:07 -0400
The Nexus 6 may be coming from the most unexpected source Despite what many rumors said about the possibility of a Nexus smartphone being made by this particular company in previous years, it appears Motorola had to be bought and sold by Google to get an actual chance to making a Nexus smartphone. Following all the rumors that claimed Google is getting ready to discontinue the Nexus smartphone line next year, the company denied such plans at I/O 2014, suggesting a Nexus 6 is indeed in the making. And Android Police says that phone, dubbed Shamu, may be a 5.9-inch Motorola beast. FROM EARLIER: Why Google needs Android L’s awesome Material Design “The rumor this time is simple – according to information made available to us, Motorola is working on a Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:26:21 -0400
Comcast Confessions: when every call is a sales call When AOL executive and Comcast customer Ryan Block recently tried to cancel his internet service, he ended up in a near-yelling match with a customer service representative who spent 18 minutes trying to talk him out of it. Rep: I’m just trying to figure out here what it is about Comcast service that you’re not liking. Block: This phone call is actually a really amazing representative example of why I don’t want to stay with Comcast. During the ensuing media frenzy, The Verge put out a call and sought out current and former Comcast employees, hoping to shed light on the inner workings of the largest broadcasting and cable company in the country. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:00:02 -0400
Google's 'perfect human' project isn't evil, it's business This past Friday, Google unveiled the latest in a line of ambitious and somewhat confounding health programs. It's got everything you would want from a big Google project: it's big, brash, a little scary, and completely oblivious to how anyone might take it the wrong way. Already, writers have described Baseline as Google's quest to build a perfect human, implying ethical concerns before the process has even begun. Most biomarker research is still focused on finding early warning signs of a disease — a classic example would be a protein that tips off doctors to a disease before symptoms manifest — but researchers are increasingly interested in projects like Baseline that would help to better understand the healthy body. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 08:45:02 -0400
Watch the first 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' footage in latest trailer The Hunger Games has been promoting itself with eerie propaganda videos and posters for a couple months now, but today the first proper teaser for Mockingjay Part I has arrived. The teaser doesn't go right into all-out advertising mode either: it still maintains the dark tones of everything else that we've seen promoting the film until now. It's both hopeful and mournful, and it shows that these film adaptations continue to have a strong grasp on what makes their dystopian world come alive. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is scheduled to open in theaters on November 21st. Mon, 28 Jul 2014 08:38:47 -0400
Here's a book about people tweeting about writing their novels Mon, 28 Jul 2014 08:34:00 -0400

Microsoft says government officials make sudden visits to China offices

Chinese government officials have made sudden visits to Microsoft Corp offices in China, a spokeswoman for the company said on Monday, but declined to give any reason for the inspections. China's State Administration for Industry & Commerce, which Chinese media reported had made the visits to Microsoft offices in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Chengdu, declined to give comment outside of working hours. Microsoft has been a focus of anti-U.S. technology sentiment in China since U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden revealed widespread spying programs, including PRISM, which used U.S. company's technology for cyber espionage. In an e-mailed statement, the Microsoft spokeswoman said: "We aim to build products that deliver the features, security and reliability customers expect and we're happy to answer the government's questions," but declined to give any further information.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 07:12:15 -0400

Amazon offers 3D printing to customize earrings, bobble head toys

By Deepa Seetharaman SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Amazon.com Inc will offer 3D printing services that allow customers to customize and build earrings, bobble head toys and other items from third-party sellers using a new personalization option on its website. Before it is printed by one of Amazon's sellers, users can customize a product like as a bobble head figure by changing its skin and eye color, hair style and outfit, Amazon said. "The customization is something we're keenly interested in," said Petra Schindler-Carter, director for Amazon marketplace sales, speaking in an interview. "We'll always look for new applications for that." Amazon, which has more than 240 million users, has expanded its marketplaces division to include new areas such as fine art and wine.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 05:58:45 -0400

Bitcoin catches on in tech-savvy Romania

By Luiza Ilie BUCHAREST (Reuters) - In a well-lit office with red window frames in downtown Bucharest, Romania's first bitcoin ATM attracts many who until it opened in May had to buy or sell the digital currency face-to-face or through wire transfers. The interest in bitcoin in Romania stands out in a region where national currencies are widely seen as poor substitutes for the euro. In the western town of Oradea, 370 miles (595 km) away from the capital, the first bitcoin exchange in the country has drawn more than 2,000 clients in the seven months since it opened, with transactions totaling 5.12 million lei ($1.57 million). Bitcoin is still an infant in Europe relative to the United States, where hundreds of start-ups backed by some Wall Street traders and venture capitalists have propelled consumer and media interest.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 07:02:37 -0400

Apple iPhones allow extraction of deep personal data, researcher finds

By Joseph Menn SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Personal data including text messages, contact lists and photos can be extracted from iPhones through previously unpublicized techniques by Apple Inc employees, the company acknowledged this week. The same techniques to circumvent backup encryption could be used by law enforcement or others with access to the "trusted" computers to which the devices have been connected, according to the security expert who prompted Apple's admission. In a conference presentation this week, researcher Jonathan Zdziarski showed how the services take a surprising amount of data for what Apple now says are diagnostic services meant to help engineers. As word spread about Zdziarski’s initial presentation at the Hackers on Planet Earth conference, some cited it as evidence of Apple collaboration with the National Security Agency.

Fri, 25 Jul 2014 21:00:54 -0400

Facebook says SEC's IPO probe ends, extending WhatsApp closing date

(Reuters) - Facebook Inc said the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission dropped its probe into the social networking company over events surrounding its controversial initial public offering. In its quarterly report filed on Thursday, Facebook said the regulator in May "notified us that it had terminated its inquiry and that no enforcement action had been recommended by the SEC." Facebook shares began trading on May 18, 2012, but soon fell below their $38 per share offering price and had lost more than half their value by the middle of August, angering investors. Investors also complained they were not told just prior to the IPO that analysts at Facebook's investment banks were cutting their forecasts after learning of the company's internal projections for advertising revenue. The end of the SEC probe does not affect shareholder litigation against Facebook, Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg and many banks over the Menlo Park, California-based company's IPO.

Fri, 25 Jul 2014 15:55:27 -0400

Dell, BlackBerry downplay threat from Apple-IBM alliance

By Euan Rocha and Alastair Sharp TORONTO (Reuters) - IBM Corp's recent move to partner with Apple Inc to sell iPhones and iPads loaded with corporate applications has excited investors in both companies, but two rivals say they are unperturbed for now. Top executives at Dell and BlackBerry Ltd scoffed at the threat posed by the alliance this week, arguing the tie-up is unlikely to derail the efforts of their own companies to re-invent themselves. I think it just made a good press release," John Swainson, who heads Dell's global software business, said in an interview with Reuters in Toronto on Thursday. PC maker Dell and smartphone maker BlackBerry are in the midst of reshaping their companies around software and services, as the needs of their big corporate clients morph.

Fri, 25 Jul 2014 15:11:46 -0400

T-Mobile just put Sprint’s ‘Framily’ plans to shame

Anything Sprint tries to do, T-Mobile is determined to try to do better. T-Mobile on Monday unveiled a new family plan that will cost $100 per month for four separate lines and offer a total of 10GB of LTE data, or 2.5GB per line. In contrast, Sprint’s most comparable “Framily” plan costs $160 per month and offers a mere 4GB of data total, or 1GB per line. You can get an unlimited-data Sprint “Framily” plan, of course, but it will cost a total of $240 per month since the unlimited option costs an extra $20 per line. The T-Mobile plan also looks pretty good when compared to similar plans from AT&T and Verizon — both of those carriers will give you 10GB

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:14:06 -0400

Is Instagram doing enough to fix its account hijacking bug?

If you're checking Instagram on public Wi-Fi, you may be exposing more than you realize. A security researcher named Mazin Ahmed has published a new report showing how easy it is to hijack an Instagram account, and taking the company to task for lax security. The technique relies on catching Instagram data in transit, either through an open Wi-Fi hotspot or a more sophisticated attack at the network level. If attackers can do that, Ahmed says, they'll be able to see unencrypted pictures, user IDs and account keys — potentially allowing outsiders to take over your account entirely.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:00:02 -0400

PantryChic's Bluetooth ingredient dispenser is for lazy, type-A bakers

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 12:00:00 -0400

Google is helping James Frey build a multimedia sci-fi juggernaut

On October 7th, author James Frey will release a novel about the apocalypse. It will hold an elaborate code, directing readers towards a key hidden somewhere in the real world. Fox is developing a movie concurrently, and Google's Niantic Labs, responsible for alternate-reality game Ingress, is making a new game based on the plot. A D&D dungeon master has been conscripted to maintain social media accounts for the characters, which he has done for the past year.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:55:02 -0400

Is Apple intentionally slowing older iPhones to make you buy new ones?

The New York Times cried wolf in late October last year, observing that the iPhone 4 has became more sluggish following the iOS 7 update and wondering, without any kind of data to back it up other than one user’s experience, whether Apple has intentionally slowed down performance on older smartphone models to convince more iPhone users to upgrade. However, the publication is now back with a more scientific approach to the quandary. In a new piece penned by Harvard economics professor Sendhil Mullainathan, the publication draws our attention to the correlation between iPhone launches and the perceived slowness of older devices. Similarly, the study looks at Galaxy S phone slowness and relation to new Galaxy S model launches. FROM EARLIER: 12

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:53:00 -0400

Amazon launches 3D printing store

Amazon announced Monday the launch of an online store for 3D printed items to allow consumers to customize and personalize items like earrings, pendants, dolls and other objects. "The introduction of our 3D printed products store suggests the beginnings of a shift in online retail -- that manufacturing can be more nimble to provide an immersive customer experience. Sellers, in alignment with designers and manufacturers, can offer more dynamic inventory for customers to personalize and truly make their own," said Amazon's Petra Schindler-Carter in a statement The store "allows us to help sellers, designers and manufacturers reach millions of customers while providing a fun and creative customer experience to personalize a potentially infinite number of products at great prices across many product categories."

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:52:49 -0400

Liberia closing most borders to stop the spread of ebola

Liberia is closing down most of its borders and quarantining certain communities as it attempts to crack down on the spread of ebola within the region, which has so far killed over 670, including 129 people in Liberia alone, reports the Associated Press. In addition to closing all but three of its border crossings and quarantining communities widely affected by the virus, the restrictions include limitations on public demonstrations and requirements that certain venues, such as restaurants, run a five-minute video on ebola. The current ebola outbreak became the largest ever recorded over a month ago, and it's still spreading. Guinea and Sierra Leone have also had residents infected with the virus, which is believed to have begun spreading from Guinea at the beginning of the year. Despite the tight restrictions, Liberia will reportedly be keeping open its international airport.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:50:52 -0400

Russia offers a $110,000 bounty if you can crack Tor

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:34:00 -0400

12 slick tricks that will make your iPhone run faster

Even though the iPhone offers users a rather consistent smartphone experience, the device can get slower the more it’s used, as is the case with any other kind of computer. However, there are plenty of tricks that can significantly improve the iPhone’s performance, and Business Insider has put together a collection of 12 such handy tricks every iPhone user looking for performance improvements has to know. FROM EARLIER: 5 awesome tricks that will make your iPhone run much smoother While some of them have been featured in previous lists, the publication offers additional tools to make the iPhone run faster, as well as instructions on how to perform the necessary chores, which may come in handy especially to newer iPhone owners.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:32:31 -0400

Your smartphone will replace room keys at Hilton hotels by end of 2016

Within a couple years, most people will never need to visit the front desk at a Hilton hotel ever again.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:14:10 -0400

TWC hilariously claims Google and Netflix are the real threats to net neutrality

You’ve got to hand it to Time Warner Cable’s lawyers — they certainly deserve an A+ for creative writing. Per The National Journal, both Time Warner Cable and the National Cable and Telecommunications Association lobbying group have filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission warning that major Internet companies such as Google, Facebook and Netflix are the real threats to net neutrality because they could threaten to charge ISPs extra money for the rights to let their customers access their websites. We are sadly not joking. “A relatively concentrated group of large [Web companies] — such as Google, Netflix, Microsoft, Apple, Amazon, and Facebook — have enormous and growing power over consumers’ ability to access the content of their choice on

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:11:33 -0400

Returning to 'Sin City': a chat with Frank Miller

Ever the controversial figure, Frank Miller is nevertheless one of the greats. It gave me a chance to explore my world that much more deeply.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:00:04 -0400

What you need to know about card skimming

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 11:00:00 -0400

Israel's Iron Dome

The politics of the conflict between Hamas and the State of Israel are well documented, and I'm sure you have already formed an opinion about who is at fault and what must be done. This article is not about any of that. It's not about right or wrong, good or bad, politics or religion... it's about a remarkable technology that is serving both a...

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:54:59 -0400

New leak compares key component from iPhone 6 and ‘iPhone Air’ phablet

Apple’s next generation iPhone 6 and 5.5-inch “iPhone Air” phablet are reportedly nearing the mass production phase and as a result, we’ve seen component leaks kick into high gear recently. Monday morning we seemingly saw the main printed circuit board (PCB) from the iPhone 6 for the first time, and now a new leak may show the iPhone 6 circuit board next to the same component from the larger 5.5-inch iPhone, again supporting the notion that Apple is planning two new iPhone models this year. FROM EARLIER: iPhone 6 and next-gen Retina iPad mini rendered by design master French Apple news site Nowhereelse.fr on Monday published photos it obtained from an unnamed source in China that supposedly show both main circuit boards

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:50:40 -0400

John Oliver, Buzz Aldrin, and Patrick Stewart plead for rescue of lost Russian space-geckos

There are a lot of international crises at the moment, but no one that can bring humanity together like the story of Russia' s gecko sex experiment that became lost in space. The experiment was supposed to monitor the sex lives of geckos inside a satellite, but last week Russia was reported to have lost contact with it — leaving the geckos adrift. On his show this weekend, John Oliver took a break from some of the more serious subjects that he could have been addressing to ask that viewers email Putin and raise awareness for the geckos. It's as funny as you'd expect from Oliver — and somehow, he even gets a few guest stars to show up, including Buzz Aldrin and Patrick Stewart.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:35:02 -0400

A giant armadillo building is hiding in the middle of Paris

On a tree-lined boulevard in southeast Paris, an enormous creature is slowly coming to life. Nestled in a dense block of 19th-century buildings, the sloping glass structure looks like a metallic armadillo shell, but is in fact a new project from world-renowned architecture firm Renzo Piano Building Workshop.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:30:02 -0400

Amazon’s new 3D printing store lets you build customized gear

If for some reason Amazon’s vast selection of products from every imaginable category wasn’t quite cutting it for you, we have some good news – on Monday, Amazon opened a 3D printing store on its website, offering customizable goods to its customers for the very first time. Amazon notes that more than 200 items are already available in the new store, including earrings, bobblehead figures, phone cases and cookie cutters. “The introduction of our 3D Printed Products store suggests the beginnings of a shift in online retail – that manufacturing can be more nimble to provide an immersive customer experience. Sellers, in alignment with designers and manufacturers, can offer more dynamic inventory for customers to personalize and truly make their own,” said Petra Schindler-Carter,

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:29:34 -0400

Zillow buying Trulia to make real estate titan

NEW YORK (AP) — Real estate website operator Zillow is buying rival Trulia in a $3.5 billion deal that would make the biggest player in the online real estate market.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:23:15 -0400

Apple upgrading its MacBook Pro line this week: report

Though neither computer's outward appearance is expected to be altered, what's under the hood is set to get a very impressive upgrade, especially in the case of the 15-inch MacBook Pro, which is expected to get 16GB of RAM as standard, even on the base configuration model. According to numerous sources, including Apple Insider, each 15-inch notebook is also getting a faster Intel Core i7 processor and better harddrive options too. Also, if information that originally is believed to have come from an Apple Store in China is totally accurate, Apple might also be planning to introduce a third ‘maxed out' version of the 15-inch notebook as a standalone model which will boast a 2.8Ghz Intel Core i7 processor, 16GB of RAM, a 1TB SSD and Intel Iris Pro and Nvidia GeForce GT 750M graphics. Apple has already released refreshed MacBook Airs and iMacs this year and in updating the internal components has also cut retail prices.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:22:58 -0400

GSA CIO: Successful Organizations Connect, Collaborate and Innovate

Successful CIOs are driving digital business transformation, leveraging mobile, social and cloud computing technologies to improve workforce productivity, while reducing IT expenses and bolstering employee engagement. Sonny Hashmi, Chief Information Officer (CIO) for the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA), has received the 2013 Federal...

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:18:01 -0400

Judges ruling on secret telecoms cases found to own Verizon stock

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:17:00 -0400

7 awesome paid iPhone apps you can download for free right now (a $24 value!)

It’s the last week of July and as we enter the last month of summer freedom before school starts again, we need to make sure that we finish out the month on a high note. We’ve been sharing tons of paid iPhone and iPad apps we you lately that have gone on sale for free for a limited time, and we have no plans to slow down now. Monday has brought some great new sales with it, and we have hand-picked seven sweet paid iOS apps that you can get for free if you move quickly. These are paid iPhone and iPad apps that have been made available for free for a limited time by their developers. There is no way

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:08:36 -0400

NASA is testing a laser-powered drill to explore Jupiter's ice moon

While Mars gets all the press, a group of NASA scientists are laying the groundwork for a more exotic destination: the ice-covered moon of Europa, locked in orbit above Jupiter. President Obama set aside $15 million of NASA's 2015 budget specifically for Europa exploration, and some researchers think the project could launch an explorer probe as early as 2022. You can see video of NASA's test below, complete with dramatic music, courtesy of the New Scientist:

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:06:38 -0400

MacBook Pros About to Get Major Speed Boost (Report)

Apple's MacBook Air line got a speedy refresh this past spring, and it looks like the Pros are up next. Based on signage from a Chinese Apple store, the MacBook Pro lineup will soon consist of three new Retina models that have faster processors and a minimum of 16GB of RAM.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 10:00:41 -0400

Galaxy S4 bursts into flames under sleeping 13-year-old girl’s pillow

Let this cautionary tale serve as a reminder to everyone: don’t buy unauthorized parts or accessories for your smartphone. We have seen stories of combusting cell phones before, but perhaps none have been quite as unsettling as a new report from this past weekend. According to a Dallas, Texas-based Fox affiliate, a 13-year-old girl was awoken last week when she smelled something burning. As it turns out, the Samsung Galaxy S4 that she slipped under her pillow as she fell asleep had caught fire in the middle of the night and had begun to burn her pillow and sheets. “I didn’t think much of it, so I went back to sleep and then I woke up again and it was more prominent,”

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:47:31 -0400

32 things you need to watch, read, and know from Comic-Con 2014

Just about all of the biggest movies and TV shows for the year or so ahead descended on San Diego over the weekend for the 2014 Comic-Con, unleashing a whirlwind of news, trailers, and teases for what’s to come. Marvel didn't have to do much to be the star of this year's Comic-Con… and, unfortunately, it really didn't. Fans were treated to a first look at Avengers: Age of Ultron, but everyone else just got two new movie announcements: that it's working on a second Guardians of the Galaxy for 2017, and that some of our favorite actors from Lost and House of Cards have joined Ant-Man. Director Zack Snyder surprised Comic-Con crowds this weekend by teasing a short clip of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:40:03 -0400

Amazon now lets you customize and buy 3D-printed products

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:28:00 -0400

7 things the iWatch needs to do if Apple wants to win

We don't know much of anything about Apple's upcoming smartwatch, or even if such a thing exists. Apple's obviously not the only company trying to make an incredible product — from Samsung and Google to Pebble and CooKoo, many others are in the wristwear business. If Apple's going to do right what all others have done wrong, it needs to quickly learn a number of important lessons. It needs the iWatch to do, and be, a few things like no other smartwatch.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:27:07 -0400

The Nexus 6 may be coming from the most unexpected source

Despite what many rumors said about the possibility of a Nexus smartphone being made by this particular company in previous years, it appears Motorola had to be bought and sold by Google to get an actual chance to making a Nexus smartphone. Following all the rumors that claimed Google is getting ready to discontinue the Nexus smartphone line next year, the company denied such plans at I/O 2014, suggesting a Nexus 6 is indeed in the making. And Android Police says that phone, dubbed Shamu, may be a 5.9-inch Motorola beast. FROM EARLIER: Why Google needs Android L’s awesome Material Design “The rumor this time is simple – according to information made available to us, Motorola is working on a

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:26:21 -0400

Comcast Confessions: when every call is a sales call

When AOL executive and Comcast customer Ryan Block recently tried to cancel his internet service, he ended up in a near-yelling match with a customer service representative who spent 18 minutes trying to talk him out of it. Rep: I’m just trying to figure out here what it is about Comcast service that you’re not liking. Block: This phone call is actually a really amazing representative example of why I don’t want to stay with Comcast. During the ensuing media frenzy, The Verge put out a call and sought out current and former Comcast employees, hoping to shed light on the inner workings of the largest broadcasting and cable company in the country.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 09:00:02 -0400

Google's 'perfect human' project isn't evil, it's business

This past Friday, Google unveiled the latest in a line of ambitious and somewhat confounding health programs. It's got everything you would want from a big Google project: it's big, brash, a little scary, and completely oblivious to how anyone might take it the wrong way. Already, writers have described Baseline as Google's quest to build a perfect human, implying ethical concerns before the process has even begun. Most biomarker research is still focused on finding early warning signs of a disease — a classic example would be a protein that tips off doctors to a disease before symptoms manifest — but researchers are increasingly interested in projects like Baseline that would help to better understand the healthy body.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 08:45:02 -0400

Watch the first 'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1' footage in latest trailer

The Hunger Games has been promoting itself with eerie propaganda videos and posters for a couple months now, but today the first proper teaser for Mockingjay Part I has arrived. The teaser doesn't go right into all-out advertising mode either: it still maintains the dark tones of everything else that we've seen promoting the film until now. It's both hopeful and mournful, and it shows that these film adaptations continue to have a strong grasp on what makes their dystopian world come alive. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 is scheduled to open in theaters on November 21st.

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 08:38:47 -0400

Here's a book about people tweeting about writing their novels

Mon, 28 Jul 2014 08:34:00 -0400

Welcome To GDKN Corporation

GDKN is a global technology services firm with a reputation for quality, superior technical skills, and proven customer service oriented results. Our mission is to understand our clients' business needs and their industry, use Information Technology in meeting and resolving their complex business and technical challenges. GDKN has been providing the highest quality of integrated, full lifecycle IT services since 1993, across a broad range of business and technical platforms.

Our clients are in various industries like Electric, Gas, Telephone Utilities; Manufacturing; Defense; Banking; and Financial Institutions to name a few.

At GDKN we listen, learn, then co-create legacy-to-web business technology solutions. GDKN solves client problems through a durable global infrastructure and powerful methodologies. We deliver profitable results that accelerate our clients' competitive advantage.

Our goal is to assist our clients in leveraging their IT services to improve business performance. At GDKN we listen, learn, then co-create legacy-to-web business technology solutions.