Tech news as it happens

Archive for August, 2005

iPod’s coming announcement rife with speculation

Tuesday, August 30th, 2005

Although speculation has ranged from a video iPod to a new beefed up iPod Shuffle, it now appears that it will be an iPhone for iTunes, says at least one expert on Apple’s big announcement scheduled for next week. Hey, knowing Steve Jobs, maybe it will be all three.

How fast is your Internet connection?

Tuesday, August 30th, 2005

My NBC-TV High Tech Talk report this week shows you how to find out how fast is your Internet connection.High Tech Talk - Measure your Internet connection speed

New eBay phishing scam is tricky

Saturday, August 27th, 2005

If you are an eBay user, you how how important a good rating is. Scammers and identity thieves know this too and are now trying to take advantage of it by sending fake e-mail that spoofs a real message from an eBay member.
(Click on the image to see it full-screen)
It threatens to report the recipient […]

How to get a free credit report

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2005

My NBC-TV piece this week shows how to get a free credit check to make sure you are not a victim of identity theft. Just click the link to see streaming video of the piece. High Tech Talk - Get your credit report.

Tapping into citizen journalism

Monday, August 22nd, 2005

This piece in a broadcasting trade pub - Why everyone is a reporter - really gets me excited about what could be as media struggles to reinvent itself.
I think the opportunity to leverage all this citizen journalism, to help distribute it and wrap in in the credibility of a large news-gathering organization is just waiting […]

Comcast speed/connection issues

Monday, August 22nd, 2005

I’ve been hearing from lots of Comcast high speed Internet customers over the past few weeks who are complaining about erratic speed and connection issues, Many are also growing impatient that the company hasn’t implemented the big speed boosts to 6 and 8 mbps as promised earlier this summer.
At my home, I find connections are […]

Anyone using satellite for Net access?

Friday, August 19th, 2005

I regularly hear from readers in rural areas of the country not serviced by cable, DSL broadband or 3g wireless phone data packages who want to know about satellite access.
From my research, it appears to be consderably slower and more costly than its terrestrial rivals.
DirecWay costs $599 for the hardware and then $59 a month.
For […]

Web gets more local

Friday, August 19th, 2005

The bigger the Internet gets, the smaller and more local it’s becoming. New services from Yahoo! and WeatherBug drill down to your neighborhood. MIKE WENDLAND: New onlineinfo on your area

Bug Me Not gets around Web site registration

Thursday, August 18th, 2005

Posting the below item from the Chicago Tribute reminds me to remind you to use a service called Bug Me Not if you want to get around those annoying and increasingly intrusive registration requirements used by some Web sites.

Reason #5151513248 for buying a Mac

Tuesday, August 16th, 2005

Once again I point out: Macs don’t get viruses… or spyware! Worm strikes down Windows systems

Free nationwide GoogleNet coming?

Monday, August 15th, 2005

Google seems to be quietly building a network that has the industry buzzing. Google to offer free WiFi access in the US?

Make your own ringtones

Monday, August 15th, 2005

Many people spend at least $2 to create one ringtone. This can get pricey if you want to create more than one. Often times when you purchase a ringtone, you can’t customize the clip. Users end up buying the same ringtone (the same portion of the song) as everyone else.
With a new service called Xingtone […]

The joys of wi-fi and digital cellular

Saturday, August 6th, 2005

I’m up “across the bridge,” as Michiganders refer to the Mackinac Bridge that seperates the Great Lakes state’s two peninsulas.
Here in the U.P. - Upper Peninsula - town of St. Ignace, I’m delighted to find solid digital phone signals on the Sprint-AT&T Network. That won’t last as I venture out on a bicycle trip that […]

Mighty Mouse is evolutionary

Friday, August 5th, 2005

I’ve been using Apple’s Mighty Mouse since it was released Wednesday. It’s very impressive, except for one thing: Mighty Mouse is smart, but that tail’s got to go
Meanwhile, if you want to see what’s inside it, check out this dissection report.

Will Podcasters be next to feel RIAA wrath?

Thursday, August 4th, 2005

Record labels are worrying that the podcasting craze may turn into another Napster debacle. When listeners download a podcast, they “are getting a copy of an entire program … an unprotected copy that they can do whatever they want with,” says Steve Marks, a lawyer at the Recording Industry Association of America. Storm clouds gather […]