As reported on The Verge. By Ben Popper An explosion of advanced flying vehicles is about to hit the skies, but regulation lags way behind technology It was a muggy spring morning in South Texas almost one year ago when Gene Robinson arrived at the swampy waters near Sam Houston Lake Estates. All that week the area had been a hive of activity, as authorities searched along the banks, diving underwater with scuba gear, and flying…
As reported on TechCrunch. by GREGORY FERENSTEIN Federal regulators are investigating Microsoft for allegedly bribing foreign governments for favor in software contracts. “Lawyers from the Justice Department and the Securities and Exchange Commission are examining kickback allegations made by a former Microsoft representative in China, as well as the company’s relationship with certain resellers and consultants in Romania and Italy,” sources familiar with the allegations, tell The Wall Street Journal, which broke the story earlier today. An anonymous…
As reported on TechCrunch. by ALEX WILLIAMS Collegefeed launched today, offering a social platform for students to connect with each other and employers long before the career fairs and short interviews begin. The service is designed for college kids who do not have the experience yet to have any meaningful use of LinkedIn and need to connect in different ways than people already in the workforce. The platform offers a Facebook-like news feed where students can access…
As reported on TechCrunch. by DARRELL ETHERINGTON Now former Adobe CTO Kevin Lynch is headed to Apple, the company who famously blocked out Flash on the iPhone and likely precipitated that technology’s long slide into relative obscurity, Adobe has confirmed to TechCrunch in a statement. Lynch once wrote a vocal defense of Flash on the Adobe company blog, but lately his role has been all about ushering Adobe into the future, not dwelling on its past. Lynch has been instrumental…
As reported on Engadget. By Zach Honig Beginning soon, Google+ users will be able to take screenshots of content within aHangout using the new Capture tool. Once the feature rolls out, simply click the camera button at the bottom of the Hangout window to grab a frame. The addition helps to simplify workflows a bit, while also serving to boost privacy — unlike third-party screenshot offerings, this integrated tool notifies fellow users in your Hangout whenever someone enables the…
As reported on Engadget. By Dana Wollman Until now, people who downloaded non-LTS (long-term support) versions of Ubuntuwere treated to a lengthy support period — a full 18 months. Now, though, Ubuntu’s technical board is shortening that support window to nine months, in the hopes that Canonical can assign its engineers to other projects. (If you look at the board’s meeting notes at the link below, the group also agrees that most bugs get fixed within nine…
As reported on Engadget. By Mat Smith Hitting one of Blackberry’s key markets in the British Isles, its new smartphone platform (and the Balance software that divides work and personal profiles on the Z10) hasn’t passed the security rigors of the UK’s Communications Electronics Security Group. According to The Guardian, handset contracts with the government and NHS total in the tens of thousands, while the older BB 7.1 passed the ‘restricted’ security level — two levels below the presumably agent-friendly ‘secret’ level…
As reported The Verge. By Bryan Bishop Television network ABC is reportedly working on tablet and smartphone apps that will let viewers watch its programming live while on the go — assuming they already have a cable or satellite subscription. The New York Times reports that the apps are similar to the WatchESPN and Watch Disney apps launched last year by ABC’s parent company Disney. Like apps, the ABC project would be part of the TV Everywhere initiative — only allowing the live…
As reported on TechCrunch. by JORDAN CROOK Samsung Grows An Ego For the first time in the six years of the iPhone’s life, Apple seems to be going on the defensive, and with good reason. Apple’s global marketshare is slowly shrinking alongside the growth of Android, and Samsung is leading the way as smartphone king, shipping over 50 million Galaxy S IIIs since the phone launched. And remember, that’s just one of dozens of phones Samsung launches…
As reported on TechCrunch. by JAMES ALTUCHER Editor’s note: James Altucher is an investor, programmer, author, and entrepreneur. He has started and sold several companies, run a VC fund, and is an active investor in many private companies. His upcoming book is called “Choose Yourself!” For more Choose Yourself stories and updates from the book, you can sign up for his list here. I wish I had been smarter when I was 23 years old. I did everything wrong:…