Virgin Mobile to Buy Helio
By pat | June 28, 2008
Virgin Mobile USA has announced it will be buying Helio, a struggling cell phone carrier that was founded to bring the advanced features of South Korean phones to the U.S. market, for $39 million in stock. At the same time, British billionaire Richard Branson's Virgin Group and SK Telecom, the South Korean carrier that is the majority owner of Helio, will each invest $25 million in Virgin Mobile, giving SK Telecom a 17 percent stake in Virgin Mobile.
Although Virgin Mobile has no contracts or data plans, the company has indicated that it will keep operating Helio's services as before the purchase. Both Virgin Mobile and Helio use Sprint Nextel's network, which makes the integration of the two businesses possible.
View: Full Story at SiliconValley
Rogers Announces iPhone Plans in Canada
By pat | June 28, 2008
Rogers announced service plans for the iPhone 3G in Canada today. iPhone 3G combined voice and data plans start at $60 and will be available starting July 11th. “As the wireless provider voted number one in wireless satisfaction(x), Fido is thrilled to offer a variety of well-priced voice and data plans making iPhone 3G accessible to as many of our customers as possible,” said Sylvain Roy, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Fido. “These pricing plans will allow our urban customer base easy enjoyment of all that iPhone 3G has to offer.“
The data plans, however, are not unlimited as had been rumored. The new rate plans are detailed below:
- $60/month. 150 minutes + unlimited evenings/weekends, 400 MB Data, 75 SMS sent, unlimited incoming SMS
- $75/month. 300 minutes + unlimited evenings/weekends, 750 MB Data, 100 SMS sent, unlimited incoming SMS
- $100/month. 600 minutes + unlimited evenings/weekends, 1 GB Data, 200 SMS sent, unlimited incoming SMS
- $115/month. 800 minutes + unlimited evenings/weekends, 2 GB Data, 300 SMS sent, unlimited incoming SMS
How about it Canadians ? Will you buy into the IPhone madness?
TechSpot PC Buying Guide - June 2008
By pat | June 28, 2008
Whether you are a first time builder seeking guidance or a seasoned enthusiast lacking the time it takes to compare the seemingly endless pit of hardware available, we've got you covered. Our buying guides provide an in-depth list of today's best hardware, ranging between three unique and yet typical budgets.
Entry Level Box (<$1,000)
As the title implies, this is not a top-grade machine, however, it is (in our opinion) the best system $800 can buy.
Mid-range Enthusiast's PC (<$2,000)
Essentially, it is a fully-loaded PC minus some of the trinkets and bobbles, offering the majority of those reading this confidence that it will plow down nearly anything shoved in its path.
High-end Luxury System
Here we have a screaming edge system lacking any virtual price cap. Every component in the Luxury System guide was thoughtfully scrutinized in order to offer you the most for your greenback.
View: TechSpot PC Buying Guide - June 2008
Japan Uses DS to Teach English
By pat | June 28, 2008
Nintendo is banned everywhere but the classroom at Tokyo Joshi Gakuen school in Japan as the ubiquitous DS consoles become the latest tool in English instruction. Junior high school teacher Motoko Okubo has used the handheld DS and textbook software since May in weekly sessions focusing on vocabulary, penmanship and audio comprehension. “They've been using it at home playing games, so at first they were surprised they can use it at school,” Okubo said.
Still early in a one-year free trial period, vice principal Junko Tatsumi says results so far have been encouraging in Japan's long struggle with English language education. “The students are really concentrating and have fun in gaining skills such as spelling,” she said. Japan's education ministry leaves decisions on teaching tools to schools, but if up to first-year student Kanako Takahashi, the DS would be a no-brainer. “It's fun and helps me remember English,” says the 13-year old.
View: Full Story at Reuters
Police Say GTA IV Inspired Crime Spree
By pat | June 28, 2008
Author's Note: Here we go again!
Teenagers who police say went on a video-game-inspired late-night crime spree were arraigned Thursday after they mugged a man outside a New Hyde Park supermarket and menaced motorists in Garden City with a baseball bat, a crowbar and a broomstick, Nassau police said. The teens told detectives they were imitating the “Grand Theft Auto” video-game series where characters steal cars, beat up other characters and commit crimes, authorities said.
Police have identified at least three victims: a man they said was severely beaten during a robbery; a would-be carjacking victim; and a driver whose van was smashed with a bat. Nassau Det. Lt. Raymond Coté said there are likely more victims who were attacked. At one point during the spree, the initial group of four encountered other youths. “They realize they know them from school and they can't rob them,” Coté said. “Two of them they enlist in this crime spree and now they're joining the pack. It's an angry mob of youths.” The six suspects were all charged as adults.
View: Full Story at Newsday
19-year-old ‘fast flux’ botnet pioneer agrees to plea guilty
By pat | June 28, 2008
‘Nugache was mine’
The author of a Trojan that broke new ground in botnet circles has agreed to plead guilty to secretly infecting thousands of victims’ machines so that he could steal their personal data and launch attacks on websites.
DOJ sinks another EliteTorrent admin
By pat | June 28, 2008
World safe again
Another ex-administrator of former BitTorrent tracker Elitetorrents is facing prison time for his part in the site’s peer-to-peer sharing of copyright material.
Google plugs YouTube into Playstation 3
By pat | June 28, 2008
Go go Gadget video
To the surprise of no one, Google is now offering software that streams video, photos, and music from your PC to your television.
Sun picks away at NetApp’s patent claims
By pat | June 28, 2008
Botched settlement results in more blogs of fury
The war-of-words between Sun Microsystems and NetApp over patent infringement claims wages on, while legal means to settle the matter have failed.
IBM woos Microsoft with iDataPlex oddity
By pat | June 28, 2008
When will you get a turn?
Never one to miss out on a marketing opportunity, IBM has already started tweaking the new iDataPlex system to reach more customers before the box has even started shipping.
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