Rdio has been rolling out fairly regular updates to its system over the summer, having expanded to seven more countries and boosted its family plan offering back in June, for example. Now the Internet radio company has made another update as promised, improving its Stations with “smarter” functionality and more customization options. The change is […]
While Google’s Project Loon moonshot project first broke cover, the pilot for its internet via high-flying helium balloon service launched in New Zealand, but a post by the team today is about research flights in the US. There’s no mention of plans to try offering the service on domestic latitudes, but the tests are allowing Google to tweak its power systems, design and radios. The one specifically mentioned involves stratospheric flights over Fresno, investigating the effect of the city’s radio interference on Project Loon’s transmissions. We’re not sure how much closer this puts us to popping up an antenna outside to get our broadband connection bounced from a balloon flying at about 60,000 feet, but more pics and details are available at the link below.
Filed under: Internet, Alt, Google
Source: Project Loon (Google+)
This afternoon Google’s YouTube video hosting service appears to be suffering a service outage, though as of this article’s initial publication time, representatives have not made an official statement. Watching this event through several “likely service disruption” websites makes the situation clear from user perspectives, with one site, Down Detector, showing less than 10 reports […]
It looks like Edward Snowden is going to have to find a new email service as the one he supposedly used — Lavabit — has abruptly closed its doors. The company’s owner, Ladar Levison, posted an open letter on the site today, saying, “I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit in crimes against the American people or walk away from nearly ten years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit.” Levison also claimed to be unable to speak to the specifics surrounding the situation, stating that a Congressionally approved gag order prevented him from doing so. While Lavabit’s situation seems pretty dire, it might not be curtains just yet. In his message, Levison stated that he would take his fight to reinstate Lavabit to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. To read the missive in full, head on over to the source link below.
Filed under: Internet
Via: Boing Boing
Source: Lavabit
Each week Joshua Fruhlinger contributes This is the Modem World, a column dedicated to exploring the culture of consumer technology.
One day, Google will not be the technology giant that it is today. Consider the following:
In 1968, the Pontiac GTO was Motor Trend‘s Car of the Year. Today, Pontiac is a historical footnote of General Motors.
In 1981, IBM launched the PC, which became the de facto standard of personal computers, spawning hundreds of PC clones and dominating the computing market to this day. In 2005, the IBM PC business was acquired by Lenovo, and the IBM PC is no more.
Bill Gates has slammed Google’s Project Loon, which would bring internet connectivity to developing nations using high-altitude balloons, arguing that getting online won’t help core issues like malaria, and suggesting that the search giant has lost its way when it comes to altruism. “When you’re dying of malaria, I suppose you’ll look up and see […]
For a company’s that’s mired in legal red tape, Aereo’s nationwide expansion isn’t showing any signs of slowing. The streaming service, which uses an antenna / DVR system to deliver local broadcast stations, will soon launch in three additional major cities — Houston and Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX; Miami, FL — in a rollout scheduled to complete by the end of September. Interested parties can head to Aereo’s site now to get a leg up on pre-registration for the service, with rates starting at $8/mo for 20 hours of DVR storage. Take note, the first month’s gratis, but after that it’s the same old subscription ball-and-chain just like any other. And, hey, at least this is one way to guarantee Moonves’ content kingdom and his trusty Chenbot still have a home on your flatscreen or iPad or, you know, device.
Netflix users in the UK needn’t look to misty mountains old in order to get their Tolkien fix. Starting today, Peter Jackson’s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is available for your viewing pleasure, marking a victory for the site over its competition. Sky Movies has consistently bested Netflix when it comes to acquiring movies before anyone else, but The Hobbit was one battle it lost. The film’s sequel, The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, is set for a December release, so this just might be enough to tide you over until then. Just make sure your viewing party is a dragon free zone. We hear they make for terrible houseguests.
Via: The Inquirer
Source: Netflix
Despite its struggles with cable companies, Aereo still seems to be going strong. The company announced today that they’ll be launching their live television streaming service in Dallas, Houston, and Miami next month, along with Chicago, which was confirmed back in June. This brings the total city number to seven as of next month. Aereo […]
PayPal employees at the company’s UK headquarters are tired of having to use traditional payment methods when buying their rocket and crayfish sarnies. It’s almost an affront, in fact, so they’re pushing local retailers in Richmond Upon Thames to trial an updated, entirely PayPal-based system that uses photo authentication to make things faster. If you want to try it, go to the “Local” section of your PayPal app (on iOS, Android or WP), which should show nearby participating shops, and simply select the one you’re visiting — this will then cause your name and profile picture to come up on the seller’s app so they can verify you’re the account holder and process the transaction. Having given it a quick armchair run-through, the system looks similar to what PayPal already offers in some Australian stores, and it’s apparently PIN-free at the point of purchase — although you’ll obviously have had to authenticate your app when you installed it, as well as have uploaded a reasonably realistic (and preferably static) profile picture.
Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Tablets, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: Sky News
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