Sprint Nextel along with Pandora Media is launching a streaming music service that will let people listen to their favorite artists on their cell phone. Pandora already offers a similar service on its website, Pandora.com. Pandora Media Founder Tim Westergren explains how it works to CBS News technology consultant Larry Magid
The calendar has great news for kids and mixed news for parents. Summer is almost here, which means kids will be home from school. For parents this can bring on extra challenges, especially now that kids have so many electronic indoor diversions that can entertain and educate but also bring on certain risks.
There are a lot of reasons parents should limit the amount of time their kids spend online, watching TV or playing video games. These include the risks associated with interacting with strangers, the negative messages from some of the media and the negative health effects of too much screen time and not enough outdoor activity.
CBS News technology analyst Larry Magid talks to Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, about putting your kids on a “media diet.”
Let’s start with the Internet. The vast majority of U.S. homes with children now have a broadband connection, which means it’s easy for kids to go online to check and update their profiles on MySpace, Facebook and other social networks or to surf the web and exchange instant messages with friends. There is nothing wrong with any of these activities as long as they’re done in moderation and with reasonable safety guidelines. To that end, kids should be reminded to:
MySpace has removed online profiles from about 7,000 registered convicted sex offenders. A group of state Attorneys General have demanded that MySpace disclose information about those individuals and, after initially citing federal privacy laws as a reason for not disclosing that data, the company and the Attorneys General have now come to an agreement regarding the information. Hemanshu Nigam, the Chief Security Office of MySpace parent Fox Interactive explains the situation and what the company is doing to protect children in a conversation with CBS News technology Consultant Larry Magid.
by Larry Magid
If you run into me on the street, you’re not likely to see me wearing one of those Bluetooth headsets. I know – they let you use your phone hands-free, which is both more convenient and arguably safer when you’re driving. July 2008, however, I’ll probably have to spring for some type of headset when a California law kicks in that bans talking on a non-hands-free phone while driving.
One reason I don’t use a headset is because they’re mostly ugly and dorky, unless of course you want to look like Mr. Spock from “Star Trek.” Another reason I’ve hesitated is that most of the headsets I’ve tried don’t make the call sound any better on either end. In fact, some make it harder for both parties to hear each other.
But when I was at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this year, I picked up a Jawbone headset from Aliph that not only looks better but sounds better too. › Continue reading…
by Larry Magid
I’ve been using anti-virus, anti-spyware and other security software for almost two decades but far too often, I have wondered whether the cure was worse than the disease.
Symantec is a case in point. Older versions of its Norton Anti-Virus and Norton Internet Security programs have slowed down my machine and interrupted my work flow by asking me to decide what to do with every suspicious file or email it ran across.
I’m happy to report that the company reformed its ways. Its newest product, Norton 360, has no noticeable impact on system performance and has left me blissfully almost unaware of its presence.
That doesn’t mean it’s not doing its job. It’s just being quiet about it. The software, which costs $69.99 per year for up to 3 household PCs, is designed to protect users from viruses, spyware, phishing attacks and other security threats. › Continue reading…
I almost always travel with a laptop but now that I have my mojo going, I might just leave it home next time I hit the road. By “mojo,” I mean MojoPac from Santa Clara-based RingCube Technologies.
The software, which currently works only with Windows XP (a beta Vista compatible version will be available soon) allows you to turn a removable external hard drive, flash drive or even an iPod or other MP3 player into a virtual PC. You’ll still need a Windows PC at your destination but MojoPac lets you carry all your software and data with you and have access to your own “desktop” when you plug that external drive into a host PC.
You start by inserting the drive into your PC’s USB port and downloading a 30 megabyte application from mojopac.com. You then install and run the Mojo application and your screen changes from your normal PC’s display to what appears to be a brand new Windows PC with access to Internet Explorer and all the other applications that are bundled with Windows.
But that’s it. The virtual MojoPac PC won’t have any of your own applications until you install them on the external device just as if you were installing them on a new PC. › Continue reading…
When I first heard about the iLoad, I was a bit skeptical. Admittedly there must be some people in the world who have iPods but not PCs or Macs. For the rest of us it’s hardly necessary to pay $299 for a device that lets you load CDs to your iPod without having to bother with a computer.
Then I tried the device and discovered other things it can do or will soon be able to do and came away a bit more interested. › Continue reading…
Digg Reverses Course After Online Uproar
May 3, 2007
At issue is a 16-digit hexadecimal code that hackers can use to attempt disable the copy protection built into high-definition DVDs. That code — which could help someone copy these otherwise “protected” discs — has been circulating on the Internet for months. Most people probably never paid much attention to it until this week when Digg responded to a cease and desist letter by removing all references to the hack code on its site.
The decision generated thousands of user posts objecting to Digg’s decision to go along with the demands of the Advanced Access Content System (AACS) Licensing Administrator to remove the type of code that AACS refers to on its Web site as “attacks against certain PC-based applications for playing HD DVD and Blu-ray movie discs.”
After assessing the user reaction, Digg made the decision to defy the AACS legal claim and allow its users to put the offending code in postings on the site. In his posting, Digg founder Kevin Rose wrote, “We had to decide whether to remove stories containing a single code based on a cease and desist declaration. We had to make a call, and in our desire to avoid a scenario where Digg would be interrupted or shut down, we decided to comply and remove the stories with the code.”
But Digg officials changed their minds. “After seeing hundreds of stories and reading thousands of comments, you’ve made it clear,” Rose wrote. “You’d rather see Digg go down fighting than bow down to a bigger company.” So Digg has promised not to delete story comments with the code “whatever the consequences might be. He defiantly concluded “if we lose, then what the hell, at least we died trying.” › Continue reading…
by Larry Magid
Imagine a world where you can be tracked anywhere you go. A decade ago that would have seemed like a paranoid delusion, but thanks to GPS-enabled cell phones and other technologies, it’s more or less the way things now are.
Many of today’s cell phones are equipped with global positioning systems that are capable of pinpointing your exact position. Soon, thanks to Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules, all phones will be able to transmit your location. The question isn’t whether you can be found, but how that information will be used and who will have access to it.
The FCC’s Wireless 911 rules require that all U.S. cell phones be equipped with a global positioning system (GPS) or other technology so that emergency personnel can locate people who call 911 from their mobile phone. When the system is fully implemented, 911 operators will know your longitude and latitude, which is a good thing if you need help and can’t report your exact location.
But there’s nothing in the rules that say that the technology can only be used for emergency services. In fact, there are numerous commercial services that are already piggybacking on this E911 location technology. And it’s not just cell phones that can track your location. Laptop PCs, PDAs, Internet phones and other WiFi (wireless networking)-enabled devices can also be used to locate you, thanks to a company that’s mapped out the location of millions of wireless Internet adapters around the US.
While there are benefits to these technologies, there are also dangers. It’s a bit scary to think about what could happen if these technologies were misused by stalkers, pedophiles, jealous spouses, nosy employers or overzealous government agents.
Location-based services (LBS) represent at least a $750 million market in 2007, according to David H. Williams, publisher of LBS Globe.com. Williams expects that market to grow by 75 to 100 percent in the next two years. In addition to emergency 911, LBS services include fleet tracking, navigation, child finding, local search, self-guided tours, finding lost elderly people and “social mapping.” › Continue reading…
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