Hasta La Gadget!

The Wall Street Journal snagged a preview of an upcoming book co-authored by Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt and the company’s Jared Cohen, and it doesn’t seem to paint the rosiest picture of China. Dubbed The New Digital Age, the tome reportedly claims China is “the world’s most active and enthusiastic filterer of information” in addition to “the most sophisticated and prolific” hacker of foreign firms. Recent stats and events don’t exactly help the nation’s image.

In addition to the threat of hacking attempts originating from China, the work also touches upon the Chinese government’s alleged involvement with network infrastructure providers such as Huawei. According to the book, such cooperation puts the US at an economic and political disadvantage since “the United States will not take the same path of digital corporate espionage, as its laws are much stricter (and better enforced) and because illicit competition violates the American sense of fair play.” However, Schmidt and Cohen posit that even western firms “will coordinate their efforts with their governments on both diplomatic and technical levels” as the future unfolds.

In terms of what’s to come, the work also considers that the country’s “mix of active citizens armed with technological devices and tight government control is exceptionally volatile,” and that it could cause “widespread instability,” and even “some kind of revolution in the coming decades.” If you’re interested in more prognostication from Google’s head honcho, the book is slated to hit shelves this April. For now, you can hit the neighboring source link for additional morsels.

[Image credit: TechCrunch, Flickr]

Filed under: Google

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Via: The Verge

Source: Wall Street Journal

If you’re the sort to go CEO-watching, you may want to swing by Judge Lucy Koh’s courtroom in the near future. Judge Koh has ordered four hours each of depositions from Apple’s Tim Cook, Intel’s Paul Otellini and former Google chief Eric Schmidt to glean more information about the alleged no-poaching agreements at the heart of a civil lawsuit that also includes Genentech, Intuit and Pixar. The line of questioning might not lead to any smoking gun statements — the Department of Justice already did some homework, after all. Should Judge Koh find against the companies, however, the high-profile investigation might determine the size and scope of any potential compensation for technology workers who claim they were shortchanged for years.

Filed under: Misc, Apple, Google, Intel

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Source: AllThingsD

The office of Bill Richardson confirmed the former New Mexico governor’s planned trip to North Korea with Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt today via press release. The trip, planned for next week, is being billed as a humanitarian initiative. The duo’s team also includes Google employee Jared Cohen, the director of the software giant’s Google Ideas initiative, a think tank tasked with “tackling some of the toughest human challenges.” Ideas’ mission statement also highlights the program’s search for “challenges that affect multiple regions and demographics, so that the technological developments our insights fuel will scale to help as many people as possible.”

Continue reading Bill Richardson’s office confirms North Korea humanitarian trip with Google’s Eric Schmidt

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Via: Yahoo

If Google-lovin’ Koreans were a little jealous after seeing Eric Schmidt turn up in Japan with a Nexus 7-shaped gift under his arm, they needn’t be. It looks like the Executive Chairman brought another one along with him on his Asian travels. It wasn’t just the hardware that came along for the ride either, with The Next Web reporting that the firm also made movies available in the countries edition of Google Play. The Korean asking price will be a reported KRW 299,000 (about $267) for the 16GB edition, a smidgen less than its neighbor’s (¥19,800 / $312). We suspect, though, not quite enough to warrant a ferry ride.

Filed under: Tablets

Nexus 7 comes to South Korea, causes price envy across the water originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Sep 2012 11:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If Rahm Emanuel has his way, then Chicago’s broadband access may very well give Kansas City a run for its money. The mayor of the Windy City has now revealed a rather ambitious initiative that would (ideally) overhaul the city’s broadband infrastructure and provide affordable, gigabit-class fiber internet to areas that primarily serve industry, higher education and entrepreneurial startups. The idea came to Emanuel through Eric Schmidt, who suggested the upgrade be coordinated alongside the city’s overhaul of its aging water / sewer system. Before any of this can happen, however, Chicago must first secure commitments from companies that would be willing to install and pay for the new upgrades. As a potential incentive, it’s been suggested by Crain’s Chicago Business that the city may offer some of its own unused fiber resources on a favorable lease.

In addition to the hopes for ultra-fast broadband, Emanuel’s project, dubbed the Chicago Broadband Challenge, also seeks to extend low-cost, high-speed internet to underserved areas of the city and to bring free WiFi access to all public spaces such as parks and plazas. Although mostly a token gesture, mayor Emanuel announced the immediate availability of free WiFi in Chicago’s Millennium Park. The city is currently soliciting plans and proposals of how to approach the ambitious project, and you’re invited to become a bit more familiar with these grand ambitions with the PR and source links below.

[Chicago photo credit: Nimesh M / Flickr]

Continue reading Chicago mayor targets affordable gigabit broadband, free WiFi throughout city parks

Filed under: Internet

Chicago mayor targets affordable gigabit broadband, free WiFi throughout city parks originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 25 Sep 2012 10:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink GigaOM  |  Crain’s Chicago Business (free registration required)  | Email this | Comments