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Computers, Web

TV Host Mobilizes Twitter Army Over $11K Phone Bill


Twitter's characterization in the media is slowly evolving from a criticized haven of narcissistic voyeurs to a viable medium of news and information. Site members can follow up-to-the-minute updates on specific topics, thanks to applications like Seesmic Desktop, and can spread important information instantly to thousands of other users. Last week, according to ComputerWorld.com, a U.S. television host used the site to mobilize his Twitter followers (all 60,000 "twoops") to fight consumer injustice.

After vacationing in Canada, 'Mythbusters' host Adam Savage (donttrythis on Twitter) learned, and tweeted: "AT&T is attempting to charge me 11k for a few hours of Web surfing in Canada. Pls RT (retweet)!" And re-tweet (spread the word) they did. Savage contended that while abroad he only browsed the Web on his laptop for a few hours and did not download any files. So, to fight the bill, he and his 60,000 followers sounded an angry cacophony of critical tweets. AT&T heard (or read) the complaints and relented, agreeing to absolve Savage of the charges.

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Cell Phones

Got a Custom Ringtone? ASCAP Wants You to Pay Up

We hate it when someone's cell phone blasts a popular song while we're eating in a restaurant or shopping at the grocery store. In our opinion, it's rude, tasteless, and annoying; just silence the phone, please. But a new claim by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) might make folks think twice about turning down that T.I. ringtone while in public.

According to the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), ASCAP said in a legal brief that every time a music ringtone sounds in public, the phone's user is in violation of copyright law for 'performing publicly' without a license. Even though you've paid money for the ringtone, more is owed, ASCAP claims, in the form of a 'public performance' royalty. AT&T and Verizon contend that all parties involved with a given song's creation (songwriters, publishers, musicians) receive money for each download, making everybody square. ASCAP, though, says that's not the case.

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Cell Phones

AT&T and Verizon Deny Text Message Price-Fixing


The Senate investigation into anti-competitive practices among the major cellular carriers is moving forward, and AT&T and Verizon have vehemently denied any accusations of price-fixing, Reuters reported earlier this week.

A few years ago, every major carrier decided that individual text messages should cost $0.20, instead of the $0.10 that had been the standard for years. But, as Democratic Michigan Senator Herb Kohl noted, and Ars Technica points out, companies usually drive each other to lower prices, not raise them. But Verizon and AT&T argued before the Senate Judiciary Committee that prices for text messaging have actually fallen over the past several years, despite the increase to $0.20.

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Cell Phones, Advice, Editor's Picks, iPhone, Mobile Phones

Should You Get the New iPhone 3GS?

Is the iPhone 3GS Really Worth the Upgrade?
The whole Internet, it seems, is currently fawning over the new iPhone 3GS. That's partially because the device seems to be a worthy upgrade to the iPhone 3G. (We're not sure we'd call it a successor, since it will be sold alongside the existing handset; it's more like choosing between the basic MacBook and the souped-up MacBook Pro.) We also lay responsibility for the hype, though, on the shoulders of one of our pet peeves -- the media's love affair with Apple.

At least one Web site refuses to swallow the story whole, though. The popular tech blog TechCrunch's M.G. Siegler recently wrote an opinion piece arguing that the iPhone 3GS might not be the best bet. But then again, he lays that blame squarely at the feet of AT&T, only backing up our argument that the media may love Apple a bit too much to give a fair assessment.

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Cell Phones, TV

Did AT&T Rig 'Idol' Voting?



Complaining about voting irregularities in real elections is so last year. The new craze is tracking misconduct in voting for 'American Idol.' Message boards are abuzz with accusations that AT&T may have unfairly influenced voting results by providing phones, free text messaging, and lessons in casting multiple votes at once for parties in support of Kris Allen (pictured), the Arkansas singer who won the singing competition.

According to the New York Times, both AT&T and attendees of the parties confirmed that the company hosted two such voting parties in Allen's home state of Arkansas. The provider, however, did not provide similar support for Adam Lambert, the runner-up to Mr. Allen in the show's finale.

AT&T reps instructed party-goers in how to send so-called "power texts" -- blocks of 10 or more messages sent to the same number.

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Cell Phones, iPhone

Two New Apple Devices on Verizon? We Doubt It.

two new apple devices on verizon? we doubt it.

We thought that the days of absurd iPhone rumors were behind us. We were pretty sure that the new phone operating system du jour -- Android -- had finally stolen the spotlight. Besides, the iPhone has developed a regular cycle of reasonably predictable improvements, so what could the rumor mill possibly stir up to take attention away from Google and the Palm Pre? How about the tantalizing idea of two new iPhone-like devices on the Verizon network?

Rumors have been circulating about the iPhone coming to Verizon, and about AT&T looking to extend its deal for iPhone exclusivity through 2011. But carrier deals are boring. If you really want to send the Internets into a tizzy, you've got to entice them with promises of secretive new hardware, like the oft-rumored-but-never-materialized iPhone Nano, or an Apple netbook-like device. These happen to be exactly the devices that a new Business Week article claims will soon be coming to Verizon's network.

Verizon CEO Lowell McAdam confirmed that the cellular provider is in talks with Apple about bringing devices to the network, but he revealed nothing about what the nature of the hardware would be. This of course has given people carte blanche for making stuff up. The two rumored devices have been described respectively as a "smaller, less expensive calling device described by a person who has seen it as an 'iPhone lite'," and as a larger, touchscreen "media pad" that will play movies, music, and make VoIP calls over WiFi, but will not include a cellular radio (Isn't that called the iPod Touch?).

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iPhone

Is the iPhone Coming to Verizon?

Whoa, folks, the week's barely started and already we have some big tech news. According to "people familiar with the situation," USA Today writes that Verizon and Apple have been in "high level" talks for months about developing an iPhone for the Verizon network. Although Verizon's 80 million customers would make an iPhone deal pretty attractive to Apple, this news flies in the face of Apple CEO Tim Clark's comments last week. Cook stated that Apple would keep its iPhone exclusive to AT&T, calling it the "best wireless provider in the U.S."

AT&T's contract with Apple gives it exclusive rights to distribute the iPhone in the U.S. through 2010, but it sounds like we could be seeing a Verizon iPhone in 2011. As far as mobile data accessibility (e.g. surfing the Web, checking Facebook, and using e-mail), Verizon's CDMA network offers slower speeds than AT&T's 3G network. Roger Entner, head of telecom research for Nielsen, told USA Today that, despite the speed difference, Verizon's CDMA network is perceived as more reliable than AT&T's 3G network. (Either way, we think 3G is overrated, speed-wise.)

AT&T stands to lose the most if Apple ends up in bed with Verizon, because many potential customers love the iPhone but are either disappointed by AT&T or already have a contract with another carrier. Customers could be the big winners here, since Apple is likely to continue selling iPhones on the AT&T network, finally giving customers the option to choose a carrier. [From: USA Today via Engadget]

Cell Phones, Web

Stalk Your Family With AT&T's FamilyMaps

Attention worry-prone parents: AT&T is now offering location-tracking for their subscribers with FamilyMap. The service is similar to Sprint Nextel's Family Locator and Boost Mobile's Loopt. FamilyMap utilizes built-in GPS and cell-tower triangulation to locate users. AT&T's offering is limited to those within a family plan and allows members to track one another online or on their phones. You can only track persons within your 'family' plan, though, so stalking a dishonest ex won't work (unless it's incestuous).

For those of you not with AT&T and not in a family plan there is, of course, an offering from Google that provides a similar service. Dubbed Google Latitude, the free opt-in service allows you to locate your linked friends via Google Maps on your cellphone or computer. You can update your status message, locate nearby friends, and chat via Google Talk all for free (carrier charges may apply).
FamilyMap will run you $9.99 a month to keep tabs on yourself and another family member, or $14.99 a month to stalk as many as five. FamilyMap isn't supported on pre-pay phones or AT&T Go Phones.

If this is the creepy way technological advancements are headed, we think the phrase 'Keeping up with the Jones' should be redubbed, 'Keeping up with the Bates.' [From: CNET]

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Cell Phones, iPhone

AT&T Purportedly Looking to Push iPhone Exclusivity to 2011


It's a little silly just how hush-hush this whole iPhone-AT&T exclusivity agreement has been, but now it sounds like it just might be next century before any of you CDMA loyalists are able to indulge in the App Store. According to a fresh report in The Wall Street Journal, people "familiar with the matter" have suggested that AT&T is feverishly working to extend its exclusive agreement to carry the iPhone in America until 2011. Last we heard, the deal was stretched out through 2010, and considering just how many new subscribers are flocking over solely for this phone, can you really blame the guy for wanting another dozen months of bliss? Not surprisingly, an Apple spokeswoman had more to say about her personal life than on these rumors, but if you were really banking on snapping up a Verizon-branded iPhone at the end of next year, you should probably ask someone to blast you with a giant fire hose of reality.

[Via HotHardware]

Computers

Barnes & Noble Working on a Kindle Competitor?


Everyone else is doing it, so why not Barnes & Noble too? That's the talk following last week's CTIA at least, where mysterious "insiders" were reportedly abuzz about the possibility of a B&N e-book reader that, like the Kindle, would supposedly be tied to a cellular carrier for some Whispernet-like connectivity. According to one of those insiders, Barnes & Noble had apparently first been in talks with Verizon about a partnership, but those seem to have fallen apart for one reason or another, and it now looks like Sprint (Amazon's partner, coincidentally) is the top contender. Some "observers" apparently still aren't ruling out AT&T as a possibility, however, especially in light of its recent expression of interest about getting into the e-book reader game. No word about the actual device itself just yet, but there's no shortage of ready-made options out there (like Plastic Logic's e-reader above) should B&N decide to go that route.

[Thanks, Tim]

Cell Phones, iPhone

iPhone 3G Finally Available Contract-Free

At long last folks with a contract phobia or just a general penchant for lawlessness can pay exorbitant amounts of money to get an iPhone 3G contract-free. As promised, 8GB models for $599 and 16GB ones for $699 are now available from AT&T and Apple stores, with AT&T requiring buyers to be existing AT&T customers, limited at one per, while Apple stores will sell the handsets to anyone wandering in off the street -- rebellious demeanor preferred.

[Via Boy Genius Report]

Cell Phones, Web

Skype Is Largest International Call Provider, Research Shows


How does it feel, AT&T?

According to research company TeleGeophraphy, Skype has put the smack down on AT&T and its peers, and can now claim to be the largest international call provider. Skype boasted 33 billion minutes of use in 2008 and an overall, worldwide traffic increase of 41-percent. A February report showed the online telephony service gaining over 380,000 users a day.

Much of the traffic on Skype comes from free, computer-to-computer use, but the service (which eBay bought for $2.6 billion in 2005) still managed to rake in $550 million in 2008. Seriously though, AT&T is doing just fine. We just like taking shots at the big boys every once in a while. [From: Ars Technica Via: Textually]

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Cell Phones, iPhone

Apple Sued for Promoting iPhone as eBook


If you've ever thought that the iPhone might be a lawsuit magnet, we now have even more proof for you. It looks like a company called MONEC Holding Ltd., based in Berne, is suing Apple for patent infringement, unfair trade practices, monopolization, and tortious interference (whatever that means). MONEC's January, 2002 patent (No. 6,335,678 -- titled "Electronic device, preferably an electronic book") describes a light-weight, touchscreen electronic device that has the "dimensions such that [...] approximately one page of a book can be illustrated at normal size, this display being integrated in a flat, frame-like housing." Doesn't sound like every handheld device out there, does it? We'll keep you posted.

Cell Phones

Wireless Carriers to Soon Feel the Economic Pinch, Research Says

The Opinion Research Corporation recently released details of a survey that indicate that a previously unaffected industry -- the wireless industry -- may soon be feeling effects of the current recession. According to the survey, 39-percent of responders admitted that they will be "likely to cut back" on their cell phone activities over the next six months -- unwelcome news to wireless carriers such as Verizon and AT&T, who have so far been sitting pretty.

The survey polled 2,000 Americans and revealed that customers are now more likely to switch to cheaper plans, and that 1 out of 5 people currently using a pre-paid plan did so as a result of current financial concerns. Many people also said they plan on cutting back on mobile Web-browsing and texting as well.

According to Network World, Graham Hueber, a senior researcher for the Opinion Research Center (not to be confused with the Opinion Research Corporation) said the minimization of cell phone activities currently taking place will affect the types of phones people buy and use. He's predicting a gloomy outlook for smartphones, which gets us reminiscing about the good old days of toting bulky cellular behemoths. We're not prepared to lose our iPhones yet, but if we have to cutback, boy are we glad we decided to keep this classic beauty. [From: Network World]

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Cell Phones, iPhone, Mobile Phones

AT&T Confirms Contract-Free $599/$699 iPhone 3Gs for Next Week

Just in time to nab your soon-to-be-jailbroken copy of iPhone OS 3.0, AT&T has now confirmed that commitment-free iPhones are going to happen -- soon, in fact. As of next Thursday, you'll be able to waltz into the AT&T store of your choice and pick up an 8GB or 16GB unit for $599 and $699, respectively; that's a little harder to swallow than the normal $199 / $299, granted, but in exchange, you're free and clear without two years of your precious life sold off to a wireless carrier like it's a cheap piece of meat. You're worth more than that, you know?

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Weirdest Techie Heists and Scams

    Elderly Amish Man Caught on Film With Prostitute, Blackmailed
    When a 75-year-old Amish widower slept with a prostitute, he -- we feel certain -- felt pretty bad about it the next morning. As if that guilt weren't enough for the old man, the prostitute and her boyfriend demanded $67,000 from him, claiming that they had filmed the scene with wall-mounted cameras and would upload the recording to the Internet. The pair was later arrested and, we can only imagine, the Amish man abhorred technology more than ever.

     

    Bank Robber Gets Away With the Help of Craiglist
    In October, a bank robber -- wearing a safety vest, blue shirt, face mask and goggles -- eluded police with the help of Craiglist. Just outside the bank, while the robbery was in progress, stood a group of men who were responding to a Craiglist day labor opportunity. As the advertisement required, they were all wearing safety vests, blue shirts, face masks and goggles.

     

    Nude New Zealander Arrested After Responding to Fake Sexy Text Message
    Late in 2007, a Wellington, New Zealand man received a racy text message from two anonymous "ladies," giving him only an address and a request that he show up naked. Well, he indeed showed up naked... at the home of one appalled, unsuspecting New Zealander. Both the nude Romeo and the sadistic texter were arrested, though neither were prosecuted.

     

    Fake Craiglist Ad Costs Man Most of What He Owns
    Last Spring, a post appeared on an Oregon Craigslist board stating that the owner of a specific house was leaving all of his worldly possessions (still in said house) to whoever wanted them. When homeowner Robert Salisbury rushed home -- on a tip from a woman suspicious about the offer of a free horse -- he found his house being ransacked by 30 strangers. We suggest he take that horse and collect some vengeance Clint Eastwood-style.

     

    17-Year-Old Jailed for Stealing Virtual 'Furniture'
    When a 17-year-old Dutch boy hacked into several accounts on the Second Life-style site 'Habbo' in 2007, the the law got involved. The boy was discovered to have stolen $5,800 worth of virtual furniture and knick-knacks. Apparently, crime -- whether actual or virtual -- does not pay.

     

    Phishers Going After Your Phones in New 'Vishing' Trend
    Over the past year, sneaky spammers have begun to forsake the worn-out territory of e-mail in favor of cell phones' fertile frontier. The result? "Vishing." Get it? Voice mail phishing. It might be more ominous if it didn't sound like a James Bond villain saying, "Wishing."

     

    Burglars Break Into Restaurant, Steal HDTV, Leave Money / Food Behind
    Around Halloween of last year, a truckload of thieves drove into -- that's right, into -- a Pennsylvania Mexican restaurant, where they -- apparently uninterested in the cash register -- stole a mid-grade 47-inch HDTV and fled the scene. We've all heard about how this generation is lacking in ambition, but this generation's thieves, too?

     

Latest Reviews from CNET.com

CNET provides the latest tech news, unbiased reviews, videos, podcasts, software, and downloads, making tech products easy to find, understand and use.

Top Product Reviews

  • Home Audio Reviews

    9.0 out of 10

    Denon AVR-4306 (black)
    Incredibly well-featured 7.1-channel receiver; excellent sound quality; three HDMI inputs; converts analog video to HDMI output; upconverts analog video to 720p/1080i HD resolution; iPod and USB MP3 player connectivity; Internet radio and MP3/WMA streaming audio via built-in Ethernet port; XM Satellite Radio compatible; touch-screen remote; multizone, multisource operation; browser-based control via home network; accurate autocalibration routine. Full Review

    8.8 out of 10

    KEF KHT3005 (black)
    The KEF KHT-3005 is one compact, beautifully designed speaker package with solid aluminum satellites that feature unique driver technology to produce incredible clarity. Meanwhile, the equally astounding dual 10-inch, 250-watt powered subwoofer delivers ultradeep bass. Full Review

    8.8 out of 10

    KEF KHT3005 (silver)
    The KEF KHT-3005 is one compact, beautifully designed speaker package with solid aluminum satellites that feature unique driver technology to produce incredible clarity. Meanwhile, the equally astounding dual 10-inch, 250-watt powered subwoofer delivers ultradeep bass. Full Review

  • Cell Phone Reviews

    8.6 out of 10

    Wi-Ex zBoost YX510-PCS-CEL cell phone signal extender
    The Wi-Ex zBoost YX510-PCS-CEL significantly boosts your cell phone reception and is easy to operate. Also, it uses a wireless connection to your phone. Full Review

    8.6 out of 10

    Turbo Charge Tc2 portable cell phone charger
    The Turbo Charge Tc2 portable cell phone charger successfully delivers emergency power to your cell phone. It's easy to use and comes with a couple of surprising features. Full Review

    8.3 out of 10

    LG VX6000 (Verizon Wireless)
    Compact and stylish; impressive battery life; solid audio quality; sharp color screen; built-in camera; USB ready; affordable. Full Review

  • Digital Camera Reviews

    9.3 out of 10

    Canon EOS 1D Mark III
    Extremely fast, 10-megapixel continuous shooting; very low noise; highly customizable; well-designed body with weather sealing; 3-inch LCD; abundant optional accessories. Full Review

    9.3 out of 10

    Nikon D3 (body only)
    Full-frame sensor; well designed, pro-level weather-sealed body; very low noise, even at extremely high ISOs; fast. Full Review

    9.0 out of 10

    Canon EOS-1Ds Mark III
    Very low noise, high quality images; 21.1 megapixels; live view shooting; pro-level build-quality and performance. Full Review

  • Desktop Reviews

    8.5 out of 10

    Apple iMac (24-inch, 2.8GHz)
    A minor specification update results in some significant performance gains; graphics upgrade an option on this 24-inch model; sleek, polished design didn't receive an update, but we won't start clamoring for a new design until the current one is at least 12 months old. Full Review

    8.4 out of 10

    Velocity Raptor Signature Edition Gaming PC
    One of the fastest PCs we've tested; a PCI Express RAID card helps media encoding performance; typically immaculate Velocity Micro assembly; strong, three-year warranty. Full Review

    8.3 out of 10

    Dell Studio Desktop Computer (Intel Core 2 Quad Q8200, 750GB HDD, 6GB)
    Best performance in its class; dedicated graphics card; large hard drive. Full Review

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