Techno-News Blog

By Jane Wakefield, BBC

The Countryside Alliance says plans to bring fast broadband to rural areas have stalled. The government named four pilot areas last year, but local councils have admitted that they have not yet started work on their broadband projects. Freedom of information requests were sent to councils in each area. The responses revealed that none had received any money from the Treasury, chosen a company to build their networks, or started work on them. In October last year George Osborne named Cumbria, Herefordshire, North Yorkshire and the Highlands and Islands, as pilot areas for rural superfast broadband networks.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16085823

by Kerry Davis, IDG News Service

This classroom full of 5th graders is learning all about Native American tribes for social studies. They’ve read books on tribes, drawn maps, taken notes and constructed model huts. But what’s really gotten them fired up is a trivia game that their teacher Mrs. Keadle set up on a whiteboard. Only a computer, projector and this device are running it, rather than old-fashioned ink. That helps these kids, about to swirl and drop their pieces of the geography puzzle into place—learn in a much more comfortable way. Maria Majka, Principal, “They’re used to it, it’s harder for us.”

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/videos/3323528/video-technology-that-helps-children-learn/

By Rob Beschizza, BoingBoing

You could even say that technology is a problem for makers of luxury goods. Compared to an iPhone, for example, a calculator-display $30,000 cellphone from Vertu has a serious credibility problem. One step removed from a Tomy Teletubbies Telephone sprayed with glue and rolled in diamonds, such designs tread a delicate balance between fashion and ridicule. By thoroughly concealing its functionality with creative design and ostentatious materials, however, Suissa computers’ luxury desktop PCs aim to distract buyers from the spec sheet.

http://boingboing.net/2011/12/07/luxury-computers.html

BY BEVERLY K. EAKMAN, New American

It was reported in Tuesday’s Washington Times, among other places, that surveillance technology has taken yet another turn, this time bringing military-grade, high-tech surveillance tools originally intended for intelligence-gathering to the marketplace, enabling even relatively unsophisticated users to snoop on friends, neighbors, significant-others — and political opponents.

http://www.thenewamerican.com/opinion/972-beverly-k-eakman/10099-surveillance-technology-takes-a-new-twist-morphs-again

by Mother Nature Network

Sometimes frustration in the status quo can lead to a game-changing idea. Two and a half years ago, Travis Allen was a high-school student and, as he calls himself, a “digital native” who was frustrated by his teachers’ insistence on turning in assignments on paper and not being allowed to take notes digitally during class. He had a vision of doing all of his class work digitally, a vision that became concrete once he acquired his first iPhone. Travis recorded a YouTube video describing how the iPhone’s touchscreen and available apps could make books, scientific calculators, paper and pens, atlases and other common schoolroom implements obsolete.

http://www.mnn.com/green-tech/computers/stories/ischool-initiative-inspires-students-to-go-paperless-and-become-mobile-

by Jessica Vascellero, Wall Street Journal

With computer programmers in demand, new start-ups that aim to train people in coding skills are also becoming hot properties. Ventures that teach computer programming, design and other once-nerdy skills to the masses are surfacing nationwide and drawing interest from Bay Area investors. Many of the investors want to cash in on a technology-driven sea change in learning that will allow consumers to cultivate a broad array of skills online and help ease Silicon Valley’s talent crunch.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052970204903804577079022094984772.html

By David Talbot, Technology Review

A claim by Wikileaks that documents it released last week provide evidence of a “secret new industry” of mass surveillance was as breathless as previous pronouncements from Julian Assange’s organization. But the material does provide a stark reminder that our online activities are easily snooped upon, and suggests that governments or police around the world can easily go shopping for tools to capture whatever information they want from us. The take-home for ordinary computer users is that the privacy and security safeguards they use—including passwords and even encryption tools—present only minor obstacles to what one researcher calls the “cyber security industrial complex.”

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/39250/?p1=MstRcnt

By David Talbot, Technology Review

Amid widespread concern over an obscure piece of smart-phone diagnostic software that some experts say could be used to collect and transmit sensitive information, a leading academic has called on the industry to give users a one-click way to see what their gadgets are actually doing. “It would be good to have some form of auditing function built into our devices,” says Jonathan Zittrain, Harvard Law School professor and cofounder of the Berkman Center for Internet and Society. “The auditing function can be implemented by Apple and by handset makers through Android. Make it part of the ‘About’ tab. And it would show with whom the phone has been communicating and the sorts of things it has been sending.”

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/39290/?p1=A1

By Tom Simonite, Technology Review

Your phone number’s area code gives other people a clue to where you live, or have lived in the past. Startup company Loc-Aid can use your full phone number to figure out exactly where you are right now. The service has caught the eye of banks and card issuers interested in checking where their customers are—as a way to reduce fraud—and of retailers interested in sending deals to people nearby.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/39275/?p1=A4

By Darryl K. Taft, eWeek

IBM is rolling out eight new social-networking and collaboration mobile apps specifically designed to address enterprise-class requirements on Apple’s iPad and Android-based tablets. The new software, available for download now from most of the popular app stores, takes IBM’s industry-leading social-networking, real-time collaboration and online-meeting capabilities from behind the company firewall and places it into the hands of tablet users. The new offerings span a wide range of tablets, including the iPad. The software allows employees to more effectively collaborate and share data and images, and conduct meetings on the fly more securely as part of their everyday work experience, IBM said.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/IBM-Gets-iPad-Android-Tablets-Ready-for-Enterprise-With-New-Mobile-Apps-493368/?kc=rss

By: Fahmida Y. Rashid, eWeek

The Obama Administration has outlined its road map of priorities for government agencies that sponsor research and development on cyber-security. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) organized the government’s priorities into four major areas, or “thrusts,” in a report titled “Trustworthy Cyberspace: Strategic Plan for the Federal Cyber-Security Research and Development Program,” which was released Dec. 6. The plan is the result of seven years of examination and consideration by cyber-security experts in both the private and public sector, Aneesh Chopra, U.S. CTO, and Howard Schmidt, the White House cyber-security coordinator, wrote on the OSTP blog.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/White-House-Releases-CyberSecurity-RD-Program-Priorities-182063/?kc=rss

By: Jeffrey Burt, eWeek

The shortage of hard disk drives caused by the recent flooding in Thailand will limit the number of PCs that will ship in the first quarter of 2012, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli. IHS iSuppli analysts are cutting their first-quarter PC forecast by 3.8 million units—to 84.2 million—and reducing their full-year growth numbers for 2012, saying worldwide PC shipments for the entire year will rise 6.8 percent over 2011, down from the 9.5 percent growth the firm forecasted in August.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/PC-Shortfall-in-2012-Caused-by-HDD-Shortages-IHS-iSuppli-287344/?kc=rss

By: Clint Boulton, eWeek

No doubt many people have read about and have had time to parse the ramifications of Google allegedly building a rival to Amazon’s Prime two-day shipping service. Aside from denting Amazon’s e-commerce armor, Google could also gain some valuable customer data to target consumers with ads. The crux is that Google Product Search would offer users the option of paying to have goods they find through the comparison engine from retailers shipped to their homes that same day or the next. Participating retailers for this service could include Gap and Macy’s.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Google-Attacking-Amazon-With-Sameday-Product-Delivery-809457/?kc=rss

By: Darryl K. Taft, eWeek

IBM announced that more than 1,000 schools around the world are teaching students mainframe skills, both assisting students in getting jobs in big systems environments and extending the life of the mainframe. IBM officials said 1,067 schools worldwide are recognizing the vast number of job opportunities available in enterprise computing and the importance of teaching students key systems technology like the IBM System z mainframe. Spanning 66 countries from the United States to China and India, these 1,067 schools are teaching courses and offering labs in IBM’s mainframe technology.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Infrastructure/IBM-More-Than-1000-Schools-Teach-Mainframe-Skills-704126/?kc=rss

By: Fahmida Y. Rashid, eWeek

The Federal Trade Commission would take a hard line on companies that violate consumer privacy using facial recognition technology, the agency’s chairman said at a public workshop. Government officials, privacy advocates and technology companies discussed the ethics of facial recognition and the impact on user privacy at a workshop in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 8. Facial recognition technology has been integrated in a wide range of products and services, including online social networks, digital billboards and mobile apps, which raises a host of privacy and security concerns, the FTC said.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Security/Facial-Recognition-Apps-Carries-Risk-of-User-Privacy-Violations-FTC-Warns-497289/?kc=rss

By Mike Agerbo, Get Connected

Technology has changed many aspects of how we do business and live our lives, but it’s also radically changed education. Many schools are incorporating technology into learning, and those that don’t risk being left behind in this digital age. Canada ‘Recycle for Education’ contest for a chance to win one of 20 computer labs valued at $25,000 each! “This is our chance to recognize young students and schools doing their part to make their community a little greener,” said Steve Matyas, president of Staples Canada. Check out their video about the contest: Public school students are asked to write a 300-word essay describing the eco-responsible initiative(s) their school has adopted. Over 100 entries have been received so far, meaning there are still very good odds for schools that enter. If you know a school that can benefit from the latest in computer tech, enter the contest! It closes on December 16.

http://www.getconnectedmedia.com/blog/know-child-who-can-use-tech-makeover

by the BBC

A juror’s tweets have caused the murder conviction of a death row inmate to be overturned by a court in the US. Arkansas Supreme Court judges said it was inappropriate for a juror to have posted his musings online. They have asked a panel to consider whether jurors’ access to mobile phones should be limited during trials. The review coincides with a warning from England and Wales’s Lord Chief Justice that the internet threatens the integrity of trials.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16108000

by Alex Hudson, the BBC

Insatiable demand for wireless services means that, despite new technology, the airwaves are running out of room. Could making use of the space between signals be the solution to all our problems? By 2014, global data traffic will increase by 39 times from current levels, reaching 3.6 exabytes (around 3.9 billion gigabytes) per month, according to wireless firm Cisco. And this means that current wireless networks are approaching breaking point. “Compared with other forms of wireless technology like Bluetooth and wi-fi, white-space devices are being designed to use lower frequencies that have traditionally been reserved for TV.” Every device that uses wireless technology – from remote-locking car keys and TV controls right through to the latest smart phones or tablets – uses a part of the spectrum. While it is hoped that 4G and LTE technology will relieve some pressure on capacity, many see this as only a short-term solution.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9658117.stm

By Darryl K. Taft, eWeek

EMC’s global survey of the data science community has shown that only one-third of the companies polled are making effective use of data. The recently announced EMC Data Science Study covers the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, India and China, and it reveals and quantifies a rampant scarcity across the globe of the prerequisite skills necessary for a company to capitalize on the opportunities found at the intersection of Big Data and data analytics, EMC officials said. Indeed, only one-third of companies are able to effectively use new data to assist their business decision-making, gain competitive advantage, drive productivity growth, yield innovation and reveal customer insights, EMC said in a press release on the survey.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Data-Storage/EMC-and-Big-Data-12-Key-Findings-From-the-Data-Science-Study-414385/

By Eric Brown, eWeek

Verizon Wireless announced 4G LTE versions of Motorola Mobility’s Xoom 2 tablets, running Android 3.2 — and eventually Android 4.0 — on dual-core 1.2GHz processors. The Droid Xyboard 10.1 and Droid Xyboard 8.2 respectively offer 10.1- and 8.2-inch IPS (in-plane switching) displays plus on-contract prices of $530 and $430, and both include 4G LTE networking as well as five- and 1.3-megapixel cameras. Motorola Mobility announced its 10.1-inch and 8.2-inch Xoom 2 tablets in early November, launching the devices initially in the U.K. and Ireland later that month in Wi-Fi only models. Now, Verizon Wireless has announced the first U.S. versions, designed for its 4G LTE network. According to AndroidCommunity, the Xoom 2 tablets also offer built-in GSM/WCDMA support, but this has been disabled by Verizon on the Droid Xyboards. That suggests versions of the Xoom 2 could be heading for T-Mobile or AT&T’s networks too, or that the Xyboards could conceivably be hacked to run on those networks.

http://www.linuxfordevices.com/c/a/News/Motorola-Droid-Xyboard-101-and-Droid-Xyboard-82-/

by Don Reisinger, eWeek

Microsoft is still an important part of the technology industry. Currently, the software giant delivers the software that powers the vast majority of the computers around the world. What’s more, its Office productivity suite is the standard in enterprises around the world. To say that Microsoft is an integral component in what makes the technology industry so successful would be an understatement. However, Microsoft is currently under attack. Companies like Apple, Google, and countless others are trying desperately to marginalize Microsoft in the industry and drive their own brands to the top of the market. In order to do so, they’re delivering innovative new products, acquiring companies, and spending boatloads of cash on research and development. It’s an open question whether any these efforts will reduce the wealth, power and influence of Microsoft in the software industry, but there can be no disputing their desire to do just that.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Microsofts-Fate-This-Decade-Rests-on-Success-of-10-Products-567127/