Q: How many times did Sprint provide its customers’ GPS location information to law enforcement in one year?
A: 8 million times for a company with 50 million customers.
A clear example of the erosion of basic privacy rights in this country. Inexcusable. Such sweeps indicate that it might be sensible to turn your mobile GPS-enabled devices off when not in use.
All the way back at the beginning of the iPhone evolution (in the dark ages of 2007) many folks had an opinion regarding the likely success of Apple’s entry into the cellphone business. And many of folks were wrong.
Gizmodo has pulled together the five biggest blowhards commentators predicting certain Apple failure.
Here is one as a sample: Steve Ballmer:
God, I love YouTube.
Apple, as usual, prepares their own ads in response to fight going on between Verizon and AT&T over coverage. Apple, being the smartest of three, responding with a strength of the Apple/AT&T pairing: you can be on a voice call and access data at the same time on an iPhone (with AT&T). Apple knows how to play to its strength. Verizon’s CDMA technology does now allow such a functionality.
Apple iPhone Ad – Did You See My Email? from Arik Hesseldahl on Vimeo.
Apple iPhone Ad – What Time’s The Movie? from Arik Hesseldahl on Vimeo.
AT&T may have its congestion issues, but the GSM-based technology is what runs the world and AT&T is offering up a dead (or near-dead) technology as an alternative.
By the way, given the Verizon commercial showing the iPhone on the island of misfit toys, what do you think the odds are at Apple is anxious to get into bed with Verizon?
Did you know that the major countries around the world are in the process of negotiating a treaty to govern copyright law around the world? The treaty is called the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). No surprise if you didn’t know, because the treaty is being negotiated in secret, based on claims of national security.
Despite the lack of transparency, provisions are leaking out. Those particularly that relate to the Internet are outrageous and over-reaching to a degree unprecedented. Take a look. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is working the issue and deserves your support if you care about unfettered access to the Internet.
The leaks confirm everything that we feared about the secret ACTA negotiations. The Internet provisions have nothing to do with addressing counterfeit products, but are all about imposing a set of copyright industry demands on the global Internet, including obligations on ISPs to adopt Three Strikes Internet disconnection policies, and a global expansion of DMCA-style TPM laws.
These two guys created giant iphones, using 37 inch flat panel TVs and powered them with car batteries. (via TUAW)
Here is a good ad put together by a new phone type pointing out the iPhone’s limitations and the new phone works on the Verizon network….and wouldn’t we all like to leave AT&T. Sell Apple stock today!!!!
After watching this version of the Windows 7 Launch Party video, I have a better understanding of why this type of a party could be a good time.
It does do some amazing things, but nevertheless $1.99 seems a bit pricey for this new iPhone App.
It’s on. A serious fight is on between Google and Apple. Google allowed the release of its answers to FCC inquiries about the Google Voice app for the iPhone. Apple has previously said they never rejected the GV app, but are still studying it. Google revealed it’s statement that Apple did in fact reject the app, and that Phil Schiller (Senior VP for Worldwide Marketing) was the Apple employee who told Google the app was rejected.
So now we have a he said-Steve said situation.
Oh, and Apple yesterday reiterated that it had not rejected GV.
I guess it all depends on what the word “rejected” means.
Not really, but this is pretty cute. (via Fake Steve Jobs via iPhoneSavior)
Steve Jobs opened the Apple music event today. While sounding a bit weak and looking very thin, he nonetheless appears to be back in control.
Apple today reduced the prices on their existing iPod line by $20 to $120, depending on the model.
At 1 pm today, eastern, Apple has a music related event at which new iPods are expected to be announced. I assume that the new models will replace the current models and the pre-reduction price. So, the price cuts are likely to be aimed at moving out the old product to make room for the new. The new iPods are rumored to include new features, including cameras.
Update: Apple’s online retail store is now offline. This is typical in advance of new product announcements such as that happening this afternoon.
David Pogue, in my view, writes the best series of books covering Apple’s operating system: The Missing Manual series. [Note: The link takes you to Amazon, and if you buy the book, I get a small fee.] However, he also reviews technology, including Apple technology, for the NYT and elsewhere.
Now, the public editor of the NYT, takes a look at the conflicts in play:
… it creates tricky ethical terrain. No Times journalist is in quite the same position as Pogue — reviewing products and simultaneously writing guides to them. He said he makes more money from the books than from The Times.
Pogue and his editors said they talk frequently about how to deal with his varied interests, and the editors praised him as a straight shooter who has developed a large following precisely because of his honest assessments of hardware and software. Pogue said the conflict in his case was “kind of an imaginative cause and effect. I can’t imagine someone saying: ‘This is a good product. I’ll buy the reviewer’s book.’ ” He pointed out that he savaged Apple’s iMovie ’08 in his Times blog, even as he was writing a “Missing Manual” for it.
In contrast, Fake Steve Jobs offers his thoughts on the matter.
In Snow Leopard, the latest version of Apple’s operating system, icons can be displayed at up to 512 x 512 pixels. Looking at the icons at that size is not always useful, but it turns out that some of them are fantastically beautiful and detailed. For example, on the hard drive icon below, you can actually read the drive label.
Blogs powered by WordPress software (like this one) have come under attack over the past couple of weeks. All WordPress users should upgrade their software to the latest version (2.8.4) if they haven’t already.
Matt Mullenweg, the creator of WordPress, also has these recommendations on hardening the security on your site.
Fortunately, we keep Bits & Pieces updated always. No problems here.