Top Items:
Gregg Keizer / InformationWeek:
Apple Fixes Firmware, Leaves Users Confused — Although Apple said that the update was to System Management Control (SMC) firmware, it was up to MacBook Pro users to figure out that SMC is the specialized controller that manages thermal and power conditions, and is in charge of running the portable computer's fans.
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Robert Poe / Wired News:
The Ultimate Net Monitoring Tool — The equipment that technician Mark Klein learned was installed in the National Security Agency's "secret room" inside AT&T's San Francisco switching office isn't some sinister Big Brother box designed solely to help governments eavesdrop on citizens' internet communications.
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Declan McCullagh / CNET News.com:
Hardware firms oppose Net neutrality laws — The political debate in Washington over the concept known as Net neutrality just became a lot more complicated. — Some of the largest hardware makers in the world, including 3M, Cisco, Corning and Qualcomm, sent a letter to Congress …
sonyericsson.com:
Elegant Z550 clamshell delivers quality 1.3 Megapixel camera and crisp colour screen — London, UK - 18 May 2006 - Mobile phoners looking for quality, style and good looks will love Sony Ericsson's Z550, announced today. Finished in a combination of premium brushed metal and high gloss material …
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Washington Post:
Google's Goal: A Worldwide Web of Books — It's odd to hear Vinton Cerf, regarded as one of the founding fathers of the Internet, to gush over ink-on-paper books. — The electronic pioneer and computer scientist, who now works as Google's chief Internet evangelist, is also a bibliophile …
J Mark Lytle / Digital World Tokyo:
Hands-on with Sony's UX50 handheld PC — Sony took the wraps off its Vaio UX50 ultracompact PC at a news conference in Tokyo on Tuesday and our colleague Martyn Williams was blessed with the chance to try out the ever-so-cool looking device. Read on for his verdict.
Ryan Singel / Wired News:
Under Attack, Spam Fighter Folds — A startup whose aggressive antispam measures drew a blistering counterattack from spammers two weeks ago that brought down the company's servers along with a wide swath of the internet is shuttering its program targeting junk e-mailers.
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Bloomberg:
Google in Brazil May Face Criminal Probe Over Orkut (Update1) — May 17 (Bloomberg) — Google Inc., the owner of Brazil's most-used online community site, may face a criminal probe for distribution of child pornography and racist materials by its users, lawyers for the attorney general said.
Ina Fried / CNET News.com:
Microsoft to spell out Vista's needs — After months of providing only basic guidance about the kind of PC hardware needed to run Windows Vista, Microsoft is ready to get a bit more specific. — On Thursday, the company is expected to give details of two marketing programs that computer makers …
Megan Pollock / hrrc.org:
RECORD LABELS BREAK COMPACTS WITH CONSUMERS, CONGRESS AND COURTS — Suit Against XM Trashes Labels' AHRA and Grokster Assurances — Washington, May 17, 2006 - The industry that advised consumers, the Congress and the courts that it would not abuse the legal tools it sought from them has done just that …
Arik Hesseldahl / Business Week:
Samsung's Fuel-Cell Gambit — The South Korean outfit is backing a project to build handsets powered by fuel cells instead of conventional batteries — Samsung may soon be tapping a new power source for its cell phones. The South Korean handset maker on May 18 is announcing plans …
Discussion:
Engadget Mobile
Michael Graves / the Infrablog:
Introducing the VeriSign Personal Identity Provider (PIP) — You're invited to visit and try out a beta version of an identity service we've provided. It's called the VeriSign Personal Identity Provider ("PIP" for short), and you can find it at http://pip.verisignlabs.com.
Kathleen Craig / Wired News:
Second Life Land Deal Goes Sour — In what might be a first-of-its-kind lawsuit, a Pennsylvania lawyer is suing the publisher of the rapidly growing online world Second Life, alleging the company unfairly confiscated tens of thousands of dollars worth of his virtual land and other property.
Elinor Mills / CNET News.com:
Yahoo: Our ads are better — Yahoo's new ad system is designed to let marketers target prospective consumers not only by the search terms the people use, but also by their demographics, location and what they do on other areas of the Yahoo network, executives said.
Tracy Staedter / Discovery News:
Brainy Scarecrow Shoos Away Birds — May 16, 2006— A computerized scarecrow could be the next defense against predatory birds at fish farms. — The Intelligent Scarecrow, designed by computer science and engineering students at the University of South Florida in Tampa, uses a computer …
BBC:
Satellite radio in recordings row — US satellite radio firm XM is being sued by record labels over a gadget that lets listeners record songs. — The recording industry said XM's Inno device, which stores music and divides it into tracks, infringes copyright.
Om Malik / GigaOM:
M2Z's Wireless Broadband Utopia — M2Z Networks, a wireless broadband start-up backed by Sandhill Road venture capitalists - Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, Charles River Ventures and Redpoint Ventures - proposes to build a twin-purpose nationwide wireless broadband network, that will provide the third option for broadband services.
