Cleartalking Communication News |Emerging Technologies

Consortium Rescues Bell Canada Takeover
A private equity and pension fund consortium said it salvaged a record $52 billion deal for Bell Canada on Friday by postponing its closing date and canceling dividend payments.
The New York Times Sat, 05 Jul 2008 04:04:35 GMT

Apple explains iPhone 3G upgrade process
Apple this week began posting information for iPhone users intending to update their device to the new iPhone 3G. A new support document explains how to replace an original iPhone with an iPhone 3G using the same carrier: "If you follow these steps to backup your original iPhone first, and then restore the backup to your iPhone 3G, your saved SMS m...
macnn.com Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:30:00 GMT

Apple lands largest corporate client in Europe
German newspaper publisher Axel Springer is migrating to the Mac platform and says it will replace all of its PCs with both Mac notebooks and desktops over the next five years, becoming Apple's second largest corporate client. The company, which already uses Macs for all of its layout work, cited the user-friendly Mac operating system, ease-of-use,...
macnn.com Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:15:00 GMT

Bits: Google Changes Home Page, Adding Link to Privacy Policy
The move brings Google into clear compliance with a California law that requires many Web sites to have a link to their privacy policy on their home page.
The New York Times Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:47:02 GMT

Bits: What Is Facebook Worth? (Part 37)
A document in the settled Facebook vs. ConnectU litigation reveals that Facebook's common shares are worth a quarter of the value of the stock Microsoft purchased when it invested in the social network.
The New York Times Sat, 05 Jul 2008 02:47:41 GMT

Adobe Flash Player 10: 3x Mac performance boost? [u]
Adobe this week released Flash Player 10 beta 2, an early preview version of the nearly ubiquitous media plugin for browsers and for Flash/video playback. Version 10 of the player, code named "Astro," brings custom filters and effects, 3D effects, and a new text engine with text layout Components. Most importantly, however, it will bring a huge per...
macnn.com Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:20:00 GMT

To Sell to Gen-Y, You Have to Meet Them Online
Despite the housing recession, there are still more than 1.5 million real estate agents in the United States.
The Washington Post Sat, 05 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

2 teens attacked in town mocked in YouTube videos (AP)
AP - Two teenagers who drove to Oniontown after a series of YouTube videos portrayed the hamlet as a run-down, backwoods dump were pelted with rocks by an angry group of young residents, authorities said.
yahoo.com Fri, 04 Jul 2008 22:44:04 GMT

Google ordered to hand over YouTube records
The request by a U.S. judge raised concerns among users and privacy advocates that the online video viewing habits of hundreds of millions of people could be exposed.
International Herald Tribune Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:04:20 GMT

$52 billion Bell Canada deal saved
Under the new agreement with lenders, the record-setting deal will now close on Dec. 11 and Bell Canada will stop paying dividends on its common shares until then.
International Herald Tribune Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:04:20 GMT

New deal for Rush Limbaugh worth $400 million
The radio talk-show host has agreed to a $400 million contract that will pay him $50 million a year through 2016.
International Herald Tribune Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:04:20 GMT

Bits: Justice Looks Further at Google-Yahoo Deal
The Justice Department's antitrust division has begun issuing subpoenas as it probes further into whether a planned Google-Yahoo partnership in search advertising is anticompetitive.
The New York Times Fri, 04 Jul 2008 21:43:09 GMT

Google makes Ratproxy open source
On of the tools Google uses for web application testing is called Ratproxy. Its job is to audit applications, checking them for any problems specifically of a security nature. The tool is optimized based on data gathered from typical web 2.0 websites, including the traffic that visits them and more importantly how it visits them. With [...]
Geek.com Fri, 04 Jul 2008 20:01:21 +0000

Problems make Sony remove PS3 Firmware 2.4
The recent release of the latest Firmware for the PlayStation 3 has done nothing to endear the company with some owners of the console. On updating to version 2.4 of the Firmware a number of machines have been left dead with owners venting their anger via the forums. Patrick Seybold, director of Corporate Communications & Social [...]
Geek.com Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:04:50 +0000

Hitachi sets sights on 5 TB drive in 2010
Hitachi Global Storage Technologies is still confident that the standard hard drives of today will be pushing the limits of storage capacity in a couple of years time. Regardless of how well SSD storage does over the next 18 months, Hitachi has set itself a lofty goal of producing a 3.5 inch hard drive with a [...]
Geek.com Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:06:19 +0000

Viacom May Soon Have Your YouTube Password
A judge ordered YouTube to hand over the log-on names and the Internet addresses of its users to media giant Viacom. The matter is stirring up major privacy concerns.
NPR Fri, 04 Jul 2008 16:00:00 -0400

Court order on YouTube user data fans privacy fears
NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - A U.S. judge's order to Google Inc to turn over YouTube user data to Viacom Inc sparked an outcry on Thursday from privacy advocates in the midst of a legal showdown over video piracy.
Reuters Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:56:37 -0400

LG Display Q2 seen surging but LCD outlook dimmer
SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean flat screen maker LG Display Co and two smaller Taiwanese rivals are set to post profits for the second quarter that more than trebled thanks to strong demand for TVs and tight supplies of PC panels.
Reuters Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:00:11 -0400

Faked tiger photo sparks Web furor
Read full story for latest details.
CNN Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:23:49 EDT

Canadian telecom BCE, suitor agree on terms
TORONTO -- BCE Inc, Canada's largest telecommunications company, said Friday it has agreed on terms of a $35 billion sale to a group led by the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan in the biggest leveraged buyout ever. The deal is expected to be completed by mid-December.
Washingtonpost Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:31:07 EDT

We Know What You've Been Watching on YouTube
A court has ordered Google to turn over a database that links users to every video they've watched on the popular Web site YouTube. Jennifer Urban, director of the University of Southern California Intellectual Property and Technology Law Clinic, says the ruling has big implications for online privacy.
NPR Fri, 04 Jul 2008 13:13:00 -0400

Digging up buried treasure
Businesses have discovered having their own enterprise search engine saves time and money and makes employees happy
The Globe and Mail Fri, 4 Jul 2008 13:08 EDT

US-based DigiPen opens game school in Singapore
Singapore - Game development school DigiPen opened a campus in Singapore Friday, its first outside the United States. As the first top foreign institution in Singapore offering courses in games and animation, DigiPen Singapore will play an integral ...
EarthTimes.org Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:54:01 GMT

Court orders YouTube to give Viacom video logs (AP)
AP - Dismissing privacy concerns, a federal judge overseeing a $1 billion copyright-infringement lawsuit against YouTube has ordered the popular online video-sharing service to disclose who watches which video clips and when.
yahoo.com Fri, 04 Jul 2008 11:52:12 GMT

Stealing ideas from nature
When self-confessed "nature nerd" Janine Benyus coined the term "biomimicry" in a book she published a decade ago, little did she know it would make her a household name, rubbing shoulders with Hollywood stars.
CNN Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:01:21 EDT

Tunguska blast still a mystery 100 years on
It produced a blast hundreds of times stronger than the Hiroshima bomb, was seen hundreds of miles away and narrowly missed obliterating an entire city -- but 100 years to the week after the mysterious explosion in Siberia, no one is any closer to understanding what caused it.
CNN Fri, 04 Jul 2008 10:17:51 EDT

ICANN loses own addresses
Agency in charge of the Internet's addresses tricked into transferring domain names
The Globe and Mail Fri, 4 Jul 2008 10:17 EDT

Your Friday reads
Jack Kapica searches the Web and offers a selection of the week's interesting stories: A BoingBoing brouhaha, Indy for Prez and Oscar-worthy animated robots
The Globe and Mail Fri, 4 Jul 2008 09:40 EDT

Google Told to Turn Over User Data of YouTube
The order raised concerns that the online video viewing habits of tens of millions of people could be exposed.
The New York Times Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:30:23 GMT

YouTube Ordered To Release User Data
A federal judge in New York this week ordered the video-sharing site YouTube, the world's third-most-visited Web site, to release data on the viewing habits of its tens of millions of worldwide viewers.
Washingtonpost Fri, 04 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

YouTube must disclose logs
DISMISSING privacy concerns the judge for a $US1 billion copyright infringement lawsuit ordered YouTube to disclose who watches which video clips and when.
The Courier Mail Thu, 03 Jul 2008 22:18:00 GMT

Volcanoes, shrinkage have shaped Mercury's surface, NASA says
Washington - Massive lava flows from volcanoes on Mercury created the smooth plains on the small planet, NASA scientists said Thursday after reviewing data from the first spacecraft to fly past the planet in more than 30 years. On a short fly-by in J...
EarthTimes.org Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:35:01 GMT

Internet addressing agency loses its own addresses (AP)
AP - This doesn't sound good: The nonprofit agency in charge of the Internet's addresses recently lost track of its own.
yahoo.com Thu, 03 Jul 2008 20:57:39 GMT

Cars: Can Anything Save Detroit?
Can anything save Detroit's automakers?
Newsweek Thu, 03 Jul 2008 19:18:11 GMT

Gartner Revises Server Share Numbers
Gartner revised its first quarter numbers and found that IBM actually beat out Hewlett-Packard in server revenue....
eWEEK Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:43:24 -0400

Microsoft and Yahoo still pursue deal
San Francisco - Yahoo is holding separate talks with the same business partners courted by Microsoft in its takeover bid of the company, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. The talks come amid a flurry of activity ahead of a proxy shareholder ...
EarthTimes.org Thu, 03 Jul 2008 18:49:05 GMT

Who Is Running The Most Secure Browser?
Many users are undoubtedly not updating their browsers as quickly as they should, but you can't conclude any specifics about that from the recent study of Google logs....
eWEEK Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:03:13 -0400

Optus unveils iPhone 3G cost
THE iPhone 3G price war has officially begun in Australia, with Optus today unveiling its price for the much-anticipated phone.
The Courier Mail Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:00:00 GMT

Video: Latest in Viacom-Google lawsuit raises questions
News.com's Dan Farber tells what's at stake for users' privacy as a result of a federal judge's ruling that Google must turn data over to Viacom.
CNET Thu, 03 Jul 2008 14:48:00 PDT

Game makers eye young girls with ''Boogie SuperStar''
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - If "American Idol" and a modern fairy tale combined to create a video game, you'd get "Boogie SuperStar" -- Electronic Art's latest game for the Nintendo Wii system.
Reuters Thu, 03 Jul 2008 12:59:23 -0400

Twitter, What Are You Doing? Co-Founder Tells All
Twitter.com has so many new users that the Web site keeps crashing. Meanwhile, Twitter engineers are taking popular features away for retooling. It's a painful process, but co-founder Biz Stone has a plan.
NPR Thu, 03 Jul 2008 10:51:00 -0400

Source: Protective order will keep Viacom out of sensitive YouTube user data
A thick blanket of legal stipulations aims to keep YouTube's IP addresses, usernames, and activity safe from third parties--and Viacom won't have direct access to it.
CNET Thu, 03 Jul 2008 07:42:00 PDT

Photographer without legs tells life story from ground up
Kevin Connolly caught the attention of the digital world with photos of strangers watching him roll by on a skateboard. Now he looks ahead to a book and life abroad.
CNET Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 PDT

eBay drops payment ban plan
EBAY Australia has dropped plans to ban all payment services but its own from the auction site, and abandoned its challenge to the consumer watchdog.
The Courier Mail Thu, 03 Jul 2008 03:06:00 GMT

It Only Looks Like an iPhone
So many people are lining up to buy a new touch-screen wireless phone that the carrier selling it can't keep up with demand.
Washingtonpost Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

The Google Ogle Defense: A Search for America's Psyche
Question: Do you think your Google habits -- your random, untethered wisps of thoughts manifested as search terms like "unexplained hives" and "Kate Beckinsale single?" -- can be bundled together to paint an accurate representation of your morality?
The Washington Post Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

With $100 Million Influx, MiddleBrook CEO Is Out
Edward M. Rudnic, MiddleBrook Pharmaceuticals's chief executive, plans to leave the company he founded in exchange for an outside investment of $100 million.
The Washington Post Thu, 03 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

DOJ Sued Over Cell Phone Tracking Practices
Civil liberties groups claim the Justice Department is bypassing warrants to obtain real-time tracking information on U.S. citizens....
eWEEK Wed, 02 Jul 2008 17:08:34 -0400

Global Warming and Bad Weather
It's almost a point of pride with climatologists. Whenever someplace is hit with a heat wave, drought, killer storm or other extreme weather, scientists trip over themselves to absolve global warming. No particular weather event, goes the mantra, can be blamed on something so general. Extreme weather occurred before humans began loading up the atmosphere with heat-trapping greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide. So this storm or that heat wave could be the result of the same natural forces that prevailed 100 years ago-random movements of air masses, unlucky confluences of high- and low-pressure systems-rather than global warming.
Newsweek Sat, 28 Jun 2008 22:15:53 GMT

Hybrids To Account for 11 Percent of Autos by 2013
With gas above $4 a gallon, hybrid cars are hotter than a laptop battery. But is gas-electric propulsion the future of personal transportation? It's definitely on the fast track. Federal forecasters predict hybrid sales could approach 2 million vehicles by 2013, accounting for 11 percent of the total U.S. auto market, up from 2.5 percent today. By then, we'll have 89 hybrid models from which to choose (including the hot little Honda pictured), up from 16 today.
Newsweek Sat, 28 Jun 2008 20:40:25 GMT

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