ReadWriteWeb
Apple's Messages Beta: Pretty Meh in a Mixed OS World
- Wed, 22 Feb 2012
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As part of the Mountain Lion preview last week, Apple put out a beta of its revamped chat application, Messages. If you spend a lot of time connecting with other folks on iOS devices, Messages is a must-have. If not, it doesn't really add much to the mix.
Installing Messages is simple enough, though it does require a system reboot. If you've been using iChat, Messages will automatically import your accounts and you're good to go. If not, it's...
Europe Refers ACTA to Court of Justice, Decision Could Nullify Enforcement
- Wed, 22 Feb 2012
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In a move ostensibly to confirm the European Parliament's opinion that the international Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement is above board - but perhaps also to alleviate its own suspicions - E.U. Trade Commissioner Karel de Gucht has opted to refer the treaty to the Court of Justice (ECJ). While Comm. de Gucht expects his support of ACTA to be ratified, the Court's decision could end up blocking enforcement of the treaty throughout the...
Why Tablets Should Replace TVs in New York City Taxis
- Wed, 22 Feb 2012
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Hop into the back seat of a cab, and you're likely to see one of those annoying mini-TV screens/credit card machines playing some banal news cast or commercial. To drown out that background noise, you stare at your smartphone and frantically check email and Facebook. Or maybe you put the phone away and strike up one of those "how's the weather"-type conversations with the cab driver. What if there was something better than either of these...
Mozilla is Placing Itself in Position to be the King of the Mobile Web
- Wed, 22 Feb 2012
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HTML5 Web apps are going to become a definitive section of the mobile ecosystem in 2012. The difference between the mobile Web and its native counterparts is that there is no one company seen as the de facto leader of the movement. Apple leads iOS, Google touts Android, Microsoft and Nokia push Windows Phone. The mobile Web? Lots of players, no clear leader.
One company is in the perfect position to take the reigns. What do you think about when...
Firefox Data Visualization Shows You How Dumb Your Passwords Are
- Wed, 22 Feb 2012
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Do you reuse passwords across multiple websites? The habit is alarmingly common, despite being a well-known security risk. You know how the warning goes: If you use the same password across a number of different websites and one of those accounts is compromised, some evildoer could infiltrate the other sites, potentially exposing a wide range of personal data and even putting one's finances or identity at risk.
Mozilla knows all too well the...
Ready, Set, Download the Universe
- Wed, 22 Feb 2012
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Download the Universe brings together 15 of the Internet's top science folks in an online forum that guides readers through the vast world of digital science ebooks, texts and apps.
It was born last month, after a group of writers and scientists had started gathering at Science Online to discuss the rapid growth of ebooks. They saw a blissful future for science books - but how would readers be able to find out about them? If you spend too much...
Rawporter Is A Brilliant, But Poorly-Executed, Idea
- Wed, 22 Feb 2012
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The future of journalism, as Rawporter sees it, will include armies of regular people selling raw video footage to outlets who can't get a crew to breaking news events.
But, based on a test of Rawporter's iOS app Tuesday, the future of journalism is going to have to wait. And the test also provides a case study in why rushing an app out the door may not be the best business strategy: I'm frustrated after using it for a couple of hours as a...
The Hats Swap Heads: Microsoft Uses EU Leverage to Pin Google on Patents
- Wed, 22 Feb 2012
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Microsoft confirmed to ReadWriteWeb this morning that the formal competition law complaint it filed this morning with the European Commission is against both Motorola Mobility (MMI) and Google, its would-be parent company. The office of the EC's Competition office confirmed to ReadWriteWeb this morning it has received Microsoft's complaint and will review it in due course, but will not yet release a copy to the public due to court rules.
Today's...
The Need to Belong: Cellphones May Make People Less Charitable
- Wed, 22 Feb 2012
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Technology changes not only the medium in which we process information, but how we interpret and then act on that information. The creation of cellphones is a seminal moment in the history of human communication. Barriers that were once impossible to cross are only a push of a button away. Cellphones satisfy a basic human impulse; "the need to belong." By fulfilling that need to belong though, some researchers show that people may be less...
Big Question (Answered): Your Tablet Complaints
- Wed, 22 Feb 2012
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Many people adore their Kindle Fire or iPad tablets, myself among them. Even so, we still have a few gripes, and Q&A site, FixYa shared a study they had done that showed some of the most common complaints of the owners of Kindle Fires and iPads.
We thought it might be just as interesting to ask you about your own experiences with these two tablets. What do you love? What annoys you?
Do you have any gripes about your Kindle Fire or iPad?
We...
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