data

International data roaming for $20 a MB! Why?

QUITO, Ecuador--I received the most hilarious text message Verizon Wireless has ever sent me upon landing at the airport here in Ecuador's capital. When I turned on my phone while taxiing to the gate, an automated message from my carrier informed me that my beloved unlimited data plan no longer applies in the Southern Hemisphere (it doesn't work standing directly on top of the equator either, it turns out).

Much to the contrary, in fact, calls home could cost me as much as $2.89 per minute; texts are 50 cents each (receiving texts, though, is actually a bargain at a nickel each); and if I manage the patience for Quito's 1X CDMA wireless data network, Verizon will reward me by charging up to $20.48 per megabyte.… Read more

Google offers up secret sauce on new voice search

How voice search technology listens to and spits out information is a complex endeavor, but Google has attempted to explain what mechanisms make its voice search app work in a new research paper it posted earlier today.

Basically, it boils down to data, and lots of it.

According to Google, more data improves all Web services. This may seem obvious, but for better speech recognition, it doesn't only mean a sheer amount of data but also how that data is organized. Google's voice search technology mainly uses data from anonymized queries on Google.com to get the information … Read more

New York Web sites remain offline following Sandy

Hurricane Sandy may have passed the Mid-Atlantic region, but its effects are still being felt online.

The storm knocked out power and caused severe flooding across the Northeastern United States. New York City power companies pulled the plug on parts of lower Manhattan yesterday, shutting down Web sites without redundant servers. Many of those data centers remained down today, and power provider Con Edison said power likely won't be restored to Manhattan for about four days.

Those in Bk and Manhattan should have power back w/in 4 days. All others in areas served by overhead lines will take … Read more

ItsOn gets its funding on, targets mobile data 'bill shock'

A mobile company that wants to change how you access data just raised a boatload of cash.

ItsOn announced today that it has closed a $15.5 million Series B round of financing. Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz led the round. The firm was joined by investment company SV Angel.

ItsOn takes a unique stance on data usage by allowing customers to choose how much data they need and for what purpose. The company's Web site is shy about details on its service, but in a statement, ItsOn founder and CEO Greg Raleigh says that his firm's focus … Read more

Using a tablet SIM to turn a smartphone into a data-only device

Why do wireless carriers have to make everything so complicated? Wireless subscribers should be able to subscribe to the service they want and need and not be forced to take services they don't want or need.

This seems like a simple enough concept, and yet customers who want a smartphone but only want to pay for voice services can't get it. And customers who want to forgo voice service for data-only services are also not able to get what they want. In this edition of Ask Maggie, I offer some advice and explanation to a reader on this … Read more

How tech is changing the road to the White House (video)

We've come a long way since the iconic 1964 "Daisy Girl" political ad. These days, candidates are turning to complex data sets to help pinpoint potential supporters.

So exactly what kind of information are political parties getting about you? According to a New York Times article, callers will know if you have homes in foreclosure, what kind of beer you drink, or the type of vacations you enjoy.

But technology works both ways.

Keep the facts straight with apps like Super PAC and Ad Hawk. These free apps "listen" to political advertisements on television and … Read more

Sprint unveils new no-contract data plans for 4G LTE tablets

One day after Apple finally announced new iPads that would run on Sprint's network, the wireless carrier announced a set of new data plans it says offers up to 20 percent more data than Verizon or AT&T at the same price.

Beginning November 11, Sprint customers will be able to choose among four no-contract rate plans for 4G LTE-enabled tablets, Sprint announced this evening. Plans start at $14.99 for 300MB of data per month and increase to $34.99 for 3GB, $49.99 for 6GB, topping out at $79.99 a month for 12GB of data. … Read more

AT&T exec: We're 'thrilled' with our cash-cow shared data plans

AT&T executives couldn't be happier with the company's progress in signing up customers to its Mobile Share Plan and its new LTE 4G wireless service, AT&T's head of mobility Ralph de la Vega said on the company's third quarter conference call with investors and analysts on Wednesday.

De la Vega was almost giddy when talking about the growth of the company's Mobile Share plan and how it's driving an uptick in data revenue.

"Two million customers signed up for Mobile Share in the first five weeks," he said. &… Read more

Sony PSN hacking lawsuit dismissed by judge

A California district judge has dismissed a handful of charges that plaintiffs brought against Sony, including negligence, restitution, and unjust enrichment in its handling of a PlayStation Network data breach last year.

Several lawsuits were filed against Sony PlayStation Network in the wake of a major security breach of the personal data of more than 75 million customers in April 2011.

On Friday, Judge Anthony Battaglia of the U.S. District Court in Southern California ruled that one of those class action suits is invalid, according to Courthouse News.

When the attack happened in 2011, more than 75 million customer … Read more

U.N. calls for 'anti-terror' Internet surveillance

The United Nations is calling for more surveillance of Internet users, saying it would help to investigate and prosecute terrorists.

A 148-page report (PDF) released today titled "The Use of the Internet for Terrorist Purposes" warns that terrorists are using social networks and other sharing sites including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Dropbox, to spread "propaganda."

"Potential terrorists use advanced communications technology often involving the Internet to reach a worldwide audience with relative anonymity and at a low cost," said Yury Fedotov, executive director of the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

The … Read more