India wants Google and Skype servers too

Pandora doesn’t have anything on Research in Motion (RIM). Several middle eastern countries have been threatening BlackBerry data bans if RIM did not make accommodations that would allow the governments to monitor secure communications made via the devices. The bans would include e-mail, text messages, instant messages, and Web surfing, turning the powerful devices into plain old phones. Without mobile data services, there’s really no incentive to buy a BlackBerry, right? So these bans were going to do heavy damage ..read more

U.S. Government concerned about lack of wireless competition

Yet another arm of the government is turning its attention to the wireless industry. Obviously, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a long history with wireless carriers. But lately things have been a little tense with the FCC investigating carriers for their billing practices and, after Google decided to levy their own Equipment Recovery Fee on the now-defunct Nexus One, for exorbitant Early Termination Fees (ETFs). A little over a year ago, the Justice Department began a review of whether ..read more

Verizon Makes the Droid 2 Available to the Public

It was a much awaited release. Following the successful Motorola Droid phone, finally here comes its successor – the Motorola DROID 2. And Verizon has just made it available for pre-order today under its various mobile data packages. But perhaps what makes the Droid 2 a much awaited Android device is the fact that it will be pre-loaded with the Android 2.2 Froyo OS.

Being a much talked about and overhyped smartphone, expect the Motorola DROID 2 to pack-in tons of ..read more

Google discontinues Nexus One

Wow, really Google? Your first foray into the wireless market didn’t go so well, so you’re taking your phone and going home? I guess it’s a good thing other handset makers don’t follow that philosophy, or we’d still be using those huge, walkie-talkie looking cell phones. The Nexus One was just launched in January, but it’s been plagued by negative press ever since. Let’s face it—Google is really good at creating new online tools to increase productivity and communication. But ..read more

YouTube mobile site outdoes iPhone app

Ouch. Google just smacked Apple right in the face. It’s one thing for individual or startup developers to create apps that do things similar to Apple’s standard apps. They’re trying to get a little piece of the apple pie. Come on, you know I couldn’t resist that one. Sometimes they succeed, sometimes it’s not even worth the effort, and so it goes. If you’ve ever used an iPhone, you know the phone comes preloaded from the factory with a handful ..read more

Microsoft Kin is no more

Oh Kin, we hardly knew ye. It seemed like a good gamble. Rather than trying to come out with the next iPhone killer (which we have yet to see, by the way), Microsoft decided to focus on a niche market—social networking. Smart, right? I mean, who isn’t on Facebook or Twitter nowadays? Even my grandma has a Facebook account, and tons of people have created Twitter accounts for their pets, tweeting from the animals’ perspective. So when Microsoft decided to ..read more

FCC, wireless industry disagree on billing issues

Apparently, wireless carriers have awakened a sleeping giant. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has been steadily showing more and more interest in the big four wireless companies (and Google when they levied their own Early Recovery Fee for the Nexus One) and their billing practices. The industry has always had a bit of scrutiny aimed its way, but it was stepped up after President Obama took office, and even more so when Julius Genachowski was confirmed as FCC Chairman. The ..read more

Facebook to add location sharing

If you’re still using Facebook and haven’t abandoned ship due to the numerous privacy concerns that have given journalists and bloggers volumes of content lately, you may be interested in a new feature the site is planning to launch this month. When Facebook came out with its Internet-wide “Like” option, and partnered with hundreds of Web sites to make it work, some said the social networking site was taking aim at Google. Now? Look out Foursquare and Gowalla. Facebook has ..read more

Google Goggles app now acts as translator

Summer is almost here, and that means travel for a lot of people. Maybe just to a nearby state park. Or maybe you’re taking the family to Disneyworld for the first time. If you can get enough time off work, and you can afford it, maybe you’re even planning on hopping across the pond to visit Europe. Even though some airlines offer free Wi-Fi, they’re still charging an arm and a leg for airfare, and are starting to charge for ..read more

Nexus One is officially a flop

Pretty much since its inception, Google has been a company offering bleeding edge technology. Some of their ventures have been wildly successful, making it one of the largest tech companies in the world. But some things haven’t gone so well. Sometimes, those not-so-hot projects can just sort of quietly fade away without much fanfare. Have you Google Buzzed anything lately? Even if you have, the company is still embroiled in several big fights over whether they violated users’ privacy. But ..read more

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