Articles by date
18 May 2012
A practical Internet of Things (H-Online)
In the Internet of Things, physical objects will gather data and pass it into information networks and will consume data from those same networks. That mass of new information and its automated creation and consumption will change everything. Andrew Back looks at the practical aspects of this change and shows how you can build a point of the future with an Arduino-compatible Nanode and the Cosm web service.
Apple's iPad '4G' branding changes across Europe (CNET)
The whole "iPad Wi-Fi 4G isn't a real thing" debacle is coming to a close across Europe. Apple has finished changing the wording of the kind of service the iPad offers across all European online stores, according to The Next Web.
WAFICT: Bridging Digital Divide through Broadband (This Day)
Information and Communications (ICT) industry players, last week gathered in Lagos for the 2012 West Africa Information and Communications Technology (WAFICT) Congress to discuss policy objectives and strategies in bridging digital divide in West African countries, using broadband. Emma Okonji reports on the planned strategy to deepen broadband penetration.
Australian regulator to investigate internet clothing deals (Sydney Morning Herald)
Australia's competition watchdog will launch an investigation into clothing importers who are reaching agreements with international suppliers to stop selling their products to Australians on overseas websites or instructing them to lift their web prices.
UK's Met Police to extract suspects' mobile phone data (BBC News)
The Metropolitan Police has implemented a system to extract mobile phone data from suspects held in custody.
The Pirate Bay and WikiLeaks recover from DDoS attacks (H-Online)
The Pirate Bay, the popular and controversial torrent web site, was under a prolonged Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, according to the site's Facebook page. The WikiLeaks web site has reportedly suffered a similar attack, but it is not clear if there is any connection between the two incidents.
Ofcom set to lay out anti-piracy rules for ISPs (ZDNet)
After repeated delays, Ofcom's revised code of practice should arrive in June to tell ISPs what their role is in dealing with suspected unlawful file-sharers.
China Flexes Its Regulatory Muscle, Catching Google in Its Grip (New York Times)
In today's globalized world, you can't avoid China, or so goes the cliché. Google is discovering that it's actually true.
ICANN Targets 22 May For TAS Reopening
ICANN are planning to reopen the TLD Application System on 22 May the organisation announced.
17 May 2012
Facebook.com received 9% of all U.S. Internet visits in April (CNET)
Experian Hitwise, which measures all sorts of traffic and activity on the Web, has released a new batch of stats around Facebook, helping to fuel all the hoopla in the run-up to Friday's IPO. For all the debate over its business model, Facebook obviously isn't hurting for traffic. In the U.S., one in every five page views was to Facebook.
Google bringing new smarts to search with Knowledge Graph (CNET)
Google has long sought to index the world's information -- and it's now taking things a step farther with an effort to create "a database of everything in the world." And it's bringing this effort to your search results pages.
In TV Race, Microsoft Has Lead, Forrester Says (New York Times)
When it comes to the underlying technology providers that matter for mobile app developers, there's Google, Apple and everyone else. Microsoft is one of the companies trying to claw its way out of the everyone else category.
Google to meet French regulator on privacy policy (Reuters)
Google will meet with France's data protection watchdog next week to answer questions about its new user privacy policy as part of a Europe-wide investigation being led by the French regulator.
Terahertz frequencies bring Japanese researchers 3Gbps in a WiFi prototype (Ars Technica)
A team of researchers at the Tokyo Institute of Technology have transmitted data on the terahertz range of spectrum using a wireless radio no bigger than a 10-yen coin (roughly the size of a penny).
Cookies: Majority of UK government sites to miss deadline (BBC News)
Ahead of a nationwide deadline over regulating the use of cookies, the BBC has learned that the "majority" of the UK government's own websites will fail to comply in time.
The Pirate Bay hit by DDoS attack (BBC News)
File-sharing website The Pirate Bay (TPB) has been hit by a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack.
Children abused 'to order' on Skype (The Australian)
Online pedophiles are paying to have children in overseas countries sexually abused according to their preferences in an alarming development police have dubbed "made-to-order" child abuse.
Clear Correlation between Local Content, Internet Development and Access Prices (ISOC)
Research summarized in a study "The Relationship between Local Content, Internet Development and Access Prices" released this week at the WSIS Forum 2012 in Geneva shows a strong correlation between the development of network infrastructure and the growth of local content, and a connection between developed local Internet markets and lower reported prices for international bandwidth.
16 May 2012
Apple and publishers fail to halt ebook lawsuit (The Guardian)
Apple and five major book publishers have failed to persuade a US judge to throw out a lawsuit by consumers accusing them of conspiring to raise electronic book prices two years ago.
India Calls For UN Body To Replace ICANN (The Hindu)
India is calling for a United Nations-run body to take over the responsibilities of ICANN, with discussions likely to take place in Geneva later this week, according to a report in The Hindu.
ORG: Mobile filters censor innocent content (BBC News)
Pornography filters on mobile phones are "censoring" normal web content, according to the Open Rights Group.
Apple drops '4G' from new iPad name in UK online store (The Guardian)
Apple has removed claims that its new iPad has "4G" capability from its UK and other non-US online stores, after complaints that its high-speed mobile connection could not work outside the US.
Google Shifts Tack on Android - Direct Sales, Expanded Partnerships Mark Bid to Increase Control Over Devices (Wall Street Journal)
Google Inc. is shifting its strategy for its Android mobile operating system, in a bid to create a united front with smartphone and tablet makers to take on rivals like Apple Inc. and prevent wireless carriers from controlling the devices.
Hackers Breach Sites of Foreign Policy and Human Rights Groups (New York Times)
In recent weeks, hackers have breached Web sites belonging to several foreign policy and human rights groups, including Amnesty International and the International Institute for Counter-Terrorism, a nonprofit organization based in Israel that researches terrorism issues.
New Google Study Reveals Minimal Social Activity, Weak User Engagement (Fast Company)
Larry Page recently called Google the company's "social spine." If that's the case, then Google's backbone might be much weaker than Page has been letting on, at least according to a new report from RJ Metrics.
