leak

DOJ defends WikiLeaks probe of Twitter accounts

The U.S. Justice Department today dismissed as "absurd" any privacy and free speech concerns about its request for access to the Twitter accounts of WikiLeaks volunteers.

In a 32-page brief filed in federal court in Virginia, prosecutors characterized their request for a court order as a "routine compelled disclosure" that raises no constitutional issues.

These types of records "are widely subpoenaed by grand juries without raising 'chilling effects,' or occasioning constitutional litigation and delays," prosecutors wrote. Any claim that Twitter's logs "are subject to heightened protections under the First Amendment is … Read more

Nokia E6-00 Qwerty camera phone fires up Symbian in leaked pics

Pictures of the Nokia E6-00 in action have hit the Internet. A user of Italian forum Nokiateca has posted the first photos and videos (since removed) of the mobile phone turned on and running Symbian.

The E6-00, which has yet to be officially announced by Nokia, packs a Qwerty keyboard and a 4:3 screen. It has a relatively meager 480x640-pixel display unfortunately, measuring around 2.5 inches across. The phone packs HSDPA and Wi-Fi connectivity, but a key feature is an 8-megapixel camera that shoots 720p high-definition video.

Read more of "Nokia E6-00 Qwerty camera phone fires up Symbian in leaked shots" at Crave UK. … Read more

LG Optimus Big leaked image reveals 4.3-inch Nova touch screen

An image of the LG Optimus Big has leaked, along with some specs. As befits its charmingly blunt name, this smartphone is a whopper, sporting a 4.3-inch touch screen. That's it above, making the 3.5-inch display on the old iPhone 3GS feel all inadequate.

The Optimus Big Boy will also have a 1GHz single-core processor, Korean site XportsNews reports, rather than the dual-core processor that's now cropping up in handsets such as the Optimus 2X and Motorola Atrix.

Other specs are thin on the ground, but we'll chop our ears off and saute them with a little onion and garlic if the Optimus Big doesn't end up running Android.

Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.3 Gingerbread update leaked

The Samsung Galaxy S is officially still chilling with Android 2.2 Froyo. But if you're fed up with frozen yogurt and you want to try a little Gingerbread, an update to bump up the phone to Android 2.3.2 has appeared online at the SamFirmware forum.

Read more of "Samsung Galaxy S Android 2.3 Gingerbread update leaked" at Crave UK. … Read more

Reminder: CNET hosting WikiLeaks panel tonight

We've mentioned this before, but a reminder can't hurt: If you're in the San Francisco area, feel free to stop by a WikiLeaks discussion we're hosting at CNET headquarters this evening.

It's organized by the Society of Professional Journalists-Northern California and on the first floor of our building at 235 Second Street (between Howard and Folsom Streets). That's about two blocks from BART and about a 15 minute walk from Caltrain.

Here are the panelists, including yours truly:

* Declan McCullagh, chief political correspondent, CNET * Caille Millner, San Francisco Chronicle * Evan Hansen, editor-in-chief, Wired.com * … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1414: Will Verizon doom the Xoom? (podcast)

Donald Bell joins us today to show off the Xoom in the flesh ... and yes, it's gorgeous, but is Verizon going to ruin it with high carrier prices and contracts? Molly lays down some shocking advice. Also, the new MacBook Pros have Light Peak, called Thunderbolt, Breakup Notifier gets the cold shoulder from Facebook, and the loosest adaptation of a true story we've ever heard. Good try, Battle L.A.

WikiLeaks, Assange feel the heat (roundup)

Whistle-blower site continues to face heavy criticism and repercussions for publishing extensive details of U.S. military and diplomatic activity. Controversial editor Julian Assange, meanwhile, confronts his own challenges in court.

Assange can be extradited to Sweden U.K. judge approves extradition of WikiLeaks founder to Sweden to face questioning over sexual assault and rape allegations. Assange has a week to appeal. Witness: Assange's version of events needed to be heard Assange extradition hearing kicks off in London (Posted in Politics and Law by Tom Espiner) February 24, 2011 3:38 AM PT

WikiLeaks hearing set in dispute over Twitter data … Read more

Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden

Julian Assange can be extradited to Sweden for interrogation by prosecutors looking into sex crime allegations against the WikiLeaks editor, a U.K. judge has ruled.

At Belmarsh Magistrates Court in London today, chief magistrate Howard Riddle said that defense arguments had not convinced him to deny the Swedish authorities' request to issue a European arrest warrant (EAW) against Assange.

"I must order that Mr. Assange be extradited to Sweden," said Riddle. "Mr. Assange has seven days to appeal the decision."

After the ruling (PDF), Assange's supporters told ZDNet UK that there will be an appeal. … Read more

New MacBook Pro specs leaked?

We've wondered when the 13-inch Apple MacBook Pro would finally get a CPU upgrade. Based on leaks, it seems like that time will come soon.

The above image comes from a report from German Web site fscklog.com. It was translated and reposted at MacRumors.com.

Are these the specs for a new 13-inch MacBook Pro? We have no idea, but we hope so. A next-generation Intel Core i5 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, Sandy Bridge integrated graphics, and even a new high-speed data transfer port (called Thunderbolt, according to this post, most likely a renamed … Read more

'Leaked' Dell plans date Windows 7, 8 tablets

Dell's recently unveiled Windows 7 tablet could be in the hands of consumers as soon as mid-May, with a follow-up device in January that would run the next version of Windows.

That's according to Android Central, which, along with sister site WP Central, says it has acquired from a tipster rough release plans for Dell's portable devices.

The plans--which include information on a handful of Android devices, including four tablets--also tease a version of Dell's Venue Pro Windows Phone 7 device, which will bring "additional features and enhancements" and arrive in mid-April. That's … Read more