Techno-News Blog

By Chris Preimesberger, eWeek

Google has entered more than a few IT markets as a big-name latecomer—search, smartphone operating systems with Android, and social networking (Buzz network, Google+) being but three of the most well-known. Nonetheless, the Web service giant has put together a pretty solid record of success. Now the company, whose popular Gmail service has provided each user a generous 7GB of free email storage for a couple of years, has finally moved its long-anticipated GDrive cloud storage service into general availability. This has been in the works for more than six years, and during that time, a lot of competitors have already taken a big head start in the market. Literally dozens of cloud storage providers are available to handle your files in a safe place. Here are 15 of them, based on eWEEK’s cloud storage coverage since 2006.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Cloud-Computing/15-Google-GDrive-Alternatives-to-Consider-for-Cloud-Storage-700178/

By Don Reisinger, eWeek

Apple’s iPhone and iPad are great buys for would-be mobile customers, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t be replaced by something new and exciting. In fact, there are a host of Android-based devices on store shelves right now that might just make Apple’s products far less appealing to both enterprise users and consumers. That means that this might be a good time to examine which of the best Android tablets and smartphones on the market today could make at least some customers think twice about buying an iPhone and iPad. Granted, the following devices might not all be able to stand up against the iPhone and iPad, feature for feature, or on price. But for those who don’t want to succumb to the Apple craze, they might just be worthwhile alternatives.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/iPhone-iPad-Alternatives-10-Worthy-Android-Devices-188323/

by Jeffrey Burt, eWeek

“The Connected Stadium Wi-FI solution aims to meet the unique needs of today’s passionate fans at live events by providing a reliable and consistent mobility experience,” David Holland, general manager and senior vice president of Cisco’s Sports and Entertainment Solutions Group, said in a statement. “We believe this solution will truly transform the fan experience and help fuel significant growth opportunities.” Cisco executives for several years have been integrating their networking and video technology at sports stadiums. Cisco networking technology runs throughout the new Yankees Stadium, and in 2009, Cisco CEO John Chambers showed off the company’s Connected Sports technology that was integrated into the new Cowboys Stadium, a massive 100,000-seat, $1.15 billion facility that houses the Dallas Cowboys.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Cisco-Intros-New-WiFi-Networking-Technology-for-Stadiums-260857/

by the BBC

Children under the age of 13 are not supposed to have Facebook accounts. Parents are helping their children to set up under-age profiles on social networking site Facebook, Children’s Minister Tim Loughton has said. This meant that children were getting involved in social media at too young an age, he suggested. He added that parents had a responsibility to monitor youngsters’ online activity. The comments came in a debate on “sexting” – youngsters sending explicit pictures to each other. Mr Loughton, who has three teenage children, said parents had a responsibility to monitor youngsters online, adding: “Having a Facebook page, you should be at least 13 to do that. That is not legally enforceable.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-17853498#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

by the BBC

The US House of Representatives has passed a cyber-security bill amid a veto threat from President Barack Obama. The Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (Cispa), would allow the government to access web users’ private data on suspicion of a cyber threat. It would also allow easier information-sharing between security agencies and private web firms. Advocacy groups claim that it is aimed at file-sharers rather than hackers. They also raised concerns about the transparency of the act.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-17864539#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

by the BBC

Nokia took the top spot in 1998 from Motorola, but in the first quarter of 2012 Samsung shipped 93m phones compared to almost 83m by Nokia. Samsung also reported its highest quarterly profit since 2008. Net profit was 5.05tn won ($4.5bn; £2.8bn) in the quarter ending 31 March, up 81% from 2.78tn won last year. Samsung is also the world’s biggest TV and flat screen maker.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17865117#sa-ns_mchannel=rss&ns_source=PublicRSS20-sa

by David Zax, Technology Review

Sebastian Anthony over at Extreme Tech has a thoughtful take on the emerging world of what he calls IPS, or indoor positing technology. IPS isn’t just hyper-refined GPS. Actually, it’s a whole different category of technology, relying on different aspects of our infrastructure to help locate you within a space. Different companies are cobbling together different approaches to IPS, Anthony notes. Google triangulates your position based on the strength of the signal you receive from various hotspots. Nokia opts for a form of Bluetoothy triangulation, while there’s a Broadcom chip that uses NFC. Infrared and “acoustic analysis” has even been experimented with, reportedly. (Bats, meanwhile, echolocate.)

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/helloworld/27806/?p1=blogs

by David Zax, Technology Review

It’s a rumor that surfaces again and again: reports come today that Facebook and HTC are working together on a “Facebook phone.” Digitimes even says we’ll see the phone in Q3 this year. Facebook has repeatedly said it doesn’t intend to build a dedicated handset, so I’m going to diagnose this rumor as overblown, for now. But that’s not to say that Facebook isn’t making interesting moves to strengthen its pride of place on the smartphone you already own, or will own. A “Facebook phone” would be a niche product at best. But if Facebook’s software and services can colonize various aspects of your iPhone, Droid, or Windows Phone… well, that’s well beyond a niche.

http://www.technologyreview.com/blog/helloworld/27800/?p1=blogs

By Rachel Metz, Technology Review

Once in a while, you might feel like you’re being watched. Lately, I know I am, thanks to a smart-phone app that stealthily tracks my every move, no check-ins required, with greater accuracy than common geolocation tools.vCalled Placeme, the free app takes advantage of the smart phone’s sensors and its GPS and Wi-Fi capabilities to figure out where I go and for how long, and stores this data in a private log on my iPhone. It may sound creepy or unnecessary, but as more people carry smart phones with them everywhere, demand for this kind of persistent location tracking may grow—not just from marketers, but also from individuals who want to keep an eye on their own movements or of loved ones with medical conditions such as Alzheimer’s. At least, that’s the hope of the startup behind Placeme, Alohar Mobile, which has also released a software development kit to help coders create apps that can log your movements accurately and efficiently—without running down the battery in your smart phone.

http://www.technologyreview.com/web/40303/?p1=A1