NewsFactor NetworkTech News by NewsFactor Network (http://www.newsfactor.com).Police Wnt U To Fight Crime W Txt Msgs- July 4, 2008 Police in the 1970s urged citizens to "drop a dime" in a pay phone to report crimes anonymously. Now in an increasing number of cities, tipsters are being invited to use their thumbs -- to identify criminals using text messages. Police hope the idea helps recruit teens and 20-somethings who wouldn't normally dial a Crime Stoppers hot line to share information with authorities. "If somebody hears Johnny is going to bring a gun to school, hopefully they'll text that in," said Sgt. Brian...http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60612 New Laws Drive Wireless Headset Sales- July 4, 2008 In a move that could give a welcome, if short-lived, boost to consumer electronics makers and retailers, consumers up and down the West Coast are snapping up headsets that let them talk on cell phones while driving -- and stay in compliance with a law that took effect in California and Washington state on July 1. Demand for hands-free headsets has been so robust that the Verizon Wireless store in San Mateo, Calif., added a whole new section for the devices, says store manager Aari Jethmal....http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60598 Judge Protects YouTube Code, But Opens User Records- July 3, 2008 A Manhattan district judge gave Google some partial victories this week in its copyright-infringement battle with Viacom over YouTube. Last year, Viacom sued Google and its YouTube site for $1 billion for what it called unauthorized use of video clips from Viacom properties. In Wednesday's decision, Judge Louis L. Stanton granted a protective order to Google so it doesn't have to turn over its search source code as Viacom requested. Viacom argued it wanted to show that Google did not have...http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60615 Suit Seeks Information on U.S. Cell-Phone Tracking- July 3, 2008 The American Civil Liberties Union and the Electronic Frontier Foundation are suing the Department of Justice to obtain official records concerning the U.S. government's possible use of cell-phone-tracking technology to spy on individuals without first obtaining a court order based on probable cause. In a complaint filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, the civil-liberties groups said the DOJ failed to provide an adequate and timely response to a records request filed..http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60617 Openmoko's Neo FreeRunner Smartphone Really Is Open- July 3, 2008 Openmoko has taken the wraps off its Neo FreeRunner, a Linux-based smartphone based on the company's open mobile-computing platform. Before you yawn about reading yet another product-introduction story -- especially about a handset that lacks 3G capability -- what sets the Neo FreeRunner apart is that it really is open, literally and figuratively. The company's black, oval-shaped smartphones are built for users to actually open. For example, buyers will be able to take the unit's casing apart.http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60618 Firefox Browser Share Tops 19 Percent as Record Set- July 3, 2008 The Mozilla Foundation has set a world record and achieved new heights in its battle for browser market share. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, Mozilla's Firefox 3.0 Web browser set a record for the most downloads in a day. It was the first time a browser-maker attempted to set a record. Mozilla set the record with 8,002,530 downloads in June. The Mozilla Foundation will receive the official certificate in London next week. "Setting a world record really doesn't matter. It's a.http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60616 Sony PS3 Update Locks Consoles, Web Site Attacked- July 3, 2008 Sony is feeling some gaming-division woes this week with a double PlayStation 3 whammy. First, Sony's PlayStation Web site fell victim to SQL-injection attacks. Now Sony's PS3 firmware update is turning some consoles into bricks. Sony released Version 2.40 of its firmware on Wednesday with the promise of a more collaborative experience to compete with Microsoft's Xbox 360. But following customer reports of problems with the patch, the company temporarily suspended the download. Sony says only..http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60596 Online Storage: A Simple and Secure Solution- July 3, 2008 Transferring information between computers is easier now than it ever has been. I remember back in the days of my Commodore 64 when it was near impossible to exchange information between different machines unless they were of exactly the same manufacturer and model and had compatible peripherals. Modems were primitive devices that few had access to and as such you ended up saving the information on to an audio cassette, then either posting or exchanging it in person. Today things are much...http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60595 The Frugal Can Shop Internet for Software Freebies- July 3, 2008 Tech junkies looking to pinch pennies in today's economy can scour the Web for a bounty of free software -- for word-processing and photo-editing, online storage and more. Dozens of downloadable or online-only applications are available at no charge. While many are scaled-down versions of paid programs, you'd be surprised at how feature-rich these freebies can be. The catch Some of these applications may be ad-supported and won't offer extensive tech support, if any. Companies that offer...http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60575 Changes to Internet Naming Policy May Lure Net-Squatters- July 3, 2008 The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers ICANN has voted to allow--in addition to more traditional top-level domains TLDs, such as .com and .org--theoretically any TLD at all, as long as it is no longer than 64 characters long. The application process for such custom TLDs looks set to be arduous and the criteria reasonably rigorous, but observers say the new system will create confusion. "This has the potential for utter chaos," said John Mackenzie, of the law firm Pinsent...http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60556 |