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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: computer

computer stories: 121 news summaries

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WALT MOSSBERG

 Ultrathin Laptops 
 Solid Performers 

Walt Mossberg reviews 3 cutting-edge laptops

Nov 12, 09 4:08 PM CST
(Newser) - Cheap netbooks aren't profitable for PC makers, so it’s logical they're trying to lure consumers toward laptops that are just as thin, but have bigger screens, more features—and a heftier price tag. Walt Mossberg reviews three such models for the Wall Street Journal, and finds pros and cons... More »

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Walt Mossberg • laptop • computer • laptops • tech review

Virus 'Scareware'
Scams Millions

Alarming virus warnings part of major rip off

Oct 19, 09 5:07 AM CDT
(Newser) - Alarming warnings that internet surfers' computers are being invaded by a devastating virus are almost always scams used to either hack into computers or rip off consumers for phony protective software. More than 40 million people have fallen victim to the "scareware" scam in the past year. Experts have... More »

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Internet • hacker • computer virus • scam • computer • antivirus • scareware

tech showdown

 Pick an OS: 
 Uncool Robots 
 or Snooty Evangelists? 

New Microsoft ads go for Mac-esque buzz—and fail laughably

Sep 28, 09 2:59 PM CDT
(Newser) - Anyone who wants a computer faces an unpleasant choice: Mac OS or Windows. Now, Windows is “awful”— buggy, at times barely functional. But one expert would rather assign himself to Microsoft purgatory than join the club of snooty, self-satisfied cooler-than-thou Mac users. “Stop showing me your iPhone,... More »

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Microsoft • Mac OS X • operating system • computer • Windows 7

 Computer Whiz 
 Records Life 
 as 'E-Memory' 

Microsoft researcher saves audio, video experiences on hard drive

Sep 25, 09 4:26 PM CDT
(Newser) - Philip K. Dick, eat your heart out. Microsoft researcher Gordon Bell is recording his entire life with video and audio equipment and storing it on a hard drive to keep it safe, CNN reports. The 350 gigabytes of data—which include scans of receipts and PDFs of every Web site... More »

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digital video • Philip K Dick • hard drives • computer

 Microsoft Pinching Apple 
 Employees to Staff Stores 

Managers enticed with higher salaries and sent back to poach sales people

Sep 22, 09 2:54 PM CDT
(Newser) - Microsoft’s planned expansion into the brick-and-mortar retail sector will be staffed at least in part by…Apple Store employees, reports the Loop. The software giant is hiring away Apple managers with higher salaries, sources tell the tech blog. Those managers in turn are trying to bring aboard Apple's top... More »

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Microsoft • Apple • poaching • Macintosh • retail stores • computer • Apple Store • manager • employees

 Gizmos' Energy Draw 
 Alarms Experts 

Electronic gadgets consume 15% of household energy

Sep 19, 09 7:37 PM CDT
(Newser) - All around the house, electronic gadgets are blinking, buzzing, computing—and drawing on an immense amount of energy, the New York Times reports. Worldwide, they take up 15% of household power, and will likely consume three times as much by 2029, making it harder to combat global warming. Two hundred... More »

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cell phones • global warming • flat screen TVs • computer • energy conservation • electronic device

Goodbye, iPod; Hello, Portable Computer

Single-purpose devices' days are numbered: Manjoo

Sep 10, 09 5:32 PM CDT
(Newser) - After yesterday's announcement that the iPod Nano now has a video camera, Apple's future direction is clear, writes Farhad Manjoo for Slate. Eventually, every iPod will be what Steve Jobs calls a “general-purpose device,” aka a small computer—a music player/phone/camera/web browser/GPS. Sure, Apple still sells dedicated music... More »

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technology • Steve Jobs • iPhone • Apple • iPod Nano • GPS • Kindle • computer • ebooks

Web Monitoring Firm
Sells Kids' Chatter

Company also notifies parents when kids go astray online

Sep 5, 09 6:55 PM CDT
(Newser) - A company that polices children's Internet chatter is also selling it to companies that want marketing data on the quick, CNET reports. Sentry Parental Control Software, which monitors kids online—and triggers a phone call to parents when kids go astray—is amassing their chatter about products and selling it.... More »

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Internet • children • software • computer • teenager

(Newser) - A Florida man has been arrested on charges of possessing child pornography, but he claims the cat did it, reports WPBF-TV. Keith Griffin told police that his feline companion would habitually mash the keys on his keyboard while he was away from his computer, causing strange things to appear. More... More »

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Florida • Internet • child pornography • computer • cat • pet owners • criminal charges • keyboard

 100 Must-Have Skills for Geeks 

Do you have the know-how to be a true techie?

Jul 10, 09 2:41 PM CDT
(Newser) - Think you're a geek? Living up to the label requires a certain set of skills—or knowing how to Google them. Wired compiles the 100 essential skills for true geekdom:
  1. Secure a wireless router.
  2. Steal wi-fi from your neighbor.
  3. Mess with people stealing wi-fi.
  4. Name all
... More »

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Internet • IP address • routers • computer • nerdiness • geeks • wireless router

(Newser) - Google’s latest project, a Web-based lightweight OS to rival Windows, sounds pretty cool at first. “But that’s why you should be worried,” writes David Lazarus of the Los Angeles Times. The search giant has simply become too powerful for comfort. “Google accounts for an... More »

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Google • YouTube • Microsoft • Gmail • monopoly • operating system • computer • Google Chrome OS • Google Docs

 Google Launches 
 Web-Based OS, 
 Takes Aim at Windows 

Fast-booting Chrome may push Vista out of the market

Jul 8, 09 6:46 AM CDT
(Newser) - Google has doubled down in its battle with Microsoft. The search giant announced it is bringing out an open-source operating system, named Google Chrome OS, that looks to go head-to-head with long-dominant Windows. Chrome OS is Google's biggest push yet onto traditional Microsoft turf, reports the Financial Times, following free... More »

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technology • Google • Microsoft • computer programming • Windows • Microsoft Vista • operating system • computer • Google Chrome • Google Chrome OS

Microsoft's Windows 7 Prices Include Early-Bird Discount  

Free upgrades for Vista PC buyers starting Friday

Jun 25, 09 11:14 AM CDT
(Newser) - A pre-ordered upgrade to Microsoft’s Windows 7 operating system will cost US customers $49 or $99 from tomorrow until July 11, depending on version: Home premium or Professional, CNET reports. Also starting tomorrow, anyone who buys a new Vista PC will get a free upgrade to Windows 7 when... More »

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Microsoft • software • price • operating system • computer • upgrades • Windows 7 • Windows 7 review

(Newser) - Police discovered child pornography on a computer during a search of the home of suspected Holocaust Museum gunman James von Brunn, the Washington Post reports. FBI agents would not detail the amount or type of material discovered in the 88-year-old's Annapolis apartment. They also found a rifle, a handwritten... More »

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FBI • Holocaust • white supremacism • child pornography • computer • shooting • evidence • National Holocaust Museum • James Von Brunn

 As Netbooks Fade, 
 Successors Await 

Sales slowdown hides fact that low-cost laptops are taking over

Jun 17, 09 8:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - You may not be able to buy a "netbook" in the not-too-distant future, but a new generation of low-power, low-priced laptops descended from the netbook are poised to conquer much of the PC market, experts tell Wired. Sales of the netbook—one of last year's hottest gadgets—haven't met... More »

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laptop • consumer electronics • computer • personal computers • Netbooks • computer hardware • notebooks



 Computer-Related 
 Injuries Soar 

Children found to be most at risk from injuries caused by computer equipment

Jun 10, 09 8:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - The huge rise in computer ownership between 1994 and 2006 was accompanied by a rise twice as big in the number of people injuring themselves with them, Time reports. A recent study found that almost 10,000 Americans a year now get hurt seriously enough to visit hospital emergency rooms... More »

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safety • computer • computer hardware • injuries

China Orders PC Makers
to Bundle Web Filters

Newly required software strengthens Beijing's controls on Internet

Jun 8, 09 7:31 AM CDT
(Newser) - Starting next month all computers in China must ship with software to block certain websites, the Wall Street Journal reports. The government says the move is to block "harmful" content such as pornography from young web surfers, but it could also be used to filter politically sensitive material. The... More »

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China • Internet • censorship • PCs • computer • Internet censorship • Great Firewall of China

(Newser) - US and UK law enforcement authorities are planning a preemptive strike on hackers to protect national security, reports the Guardian. The secret plans are triggered by skyrocketing computer crimes launched from China, Russia and North Korea believed to be state sponsored. The "strikeback" attacks will target hackers' computers,... More »

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China • Russia • North Korea • CIA • hackers • cybercrime • hacking • computer • computer crime • preemptive strike

(Newser) - To combat the rising threat of attack on the nation’s computer networks, the US government is turning to the dark side for help, the AP reports. A call has gone out for so-called “ethical hackers” who “think like the bad guy” to work with Homeland Security to... More »

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power grid • hacker • Department of Homeland Security • hackers • computer security • computer network • computer • Obama administration

ANALYSIS

 Spam Doesn't Waste 
 Energy, Humans Do 

Study miscalculates how people use computers: Kaplan

Apr 16, 09 12:25 PM CDT
(Newser) - A recent study that equates spam’s carbon footprint to that of a whopping 2.4 million homes is fascinating, but completely wrong, Jeremy Kaplan writes in PC Magazine. The researchers traced most of the energy usage to the end user’s computer, but that energy-waster would probably be left... More »

MORE ABOUT:
energy • carbon footprint • spam • computer • Internet filtering • energy consumption

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