Computing Unplugged

Verizon Wireless Chief Sees Hope for New BlackBerry Phones

BlackBerry’s phones have been off to a weak start in Canada, the home turf of the struggling handset maker. But the new BlackBerrys are getting a warm welcome from Verizon Wireless, the biggest American carrier. Dan Mead, chief executive of Verizon Wireless, cheered on the new BlackBerry phones at an…

Posted on: May 9, 2013 7:00 am

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One month after Liverpool Football Club became the first top-tier British club to roll-out WiFi in its stadium, Manchester City has announced it too is to start rolling out WiFi, in addition to a real-time mobile-video streaming service. The Manchester, England-based football club has a history of innovating in the…

Posted on: May 8, 2013 5:00 pm

Google and Facebook make moves, for better and worse USA Today

Google’s headquarters in Mountain View, Calif.(Photo: David Paul Morris Getty Images) All Web companies should act like Google and Facebook. That is, every time they implement a really good idea they should simultaneously let loose with a real stinker. This keeps investors and the general public amused, or bemused….

Posted on: May 8, 2013 7:00 am

Microsoft Concedes Windows 8 Misses Expectations

Just six months into one of Microsoft Corp.’s biggest fix-it projects, the company has gone back to the drawing board. The software giant, in an unusually frank admission about the shortcomings of its Windows 8 operating system, has confirmed that it is making changes to its sales strategy and Visitors…

Posted on: May 8, 2013 7:00 am

BlackBerry shares hit by Pacific Crest report

TORONTO (Reuters) – Shares of BlackBerry slid more than 5 percent on Tuesday after Pacific Crest Securities issued a downbeat report on sales momentum for smartphones running the company’s new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette, who has a underperform rating on the company’s stock, said he believes initial…

Posted on: May 7, 2013 5:00 pm

BlackBerry launches low-cost plan within 15 circles in India

BlackBerry has launched a low-cost plan within 15 circles in India in order to expand its network within India. Its offering all its services for 129 rupees (US$2.38) per gigabyte in 15 mid- and low-revenue generating circles, including Uttar Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan. According to The Times of India last week, BlackBerry…

Posted on: May 7, 2013 7:00 am

Arduino-compatible Spark Core makes adding WiFi dead simple

The knowledge gap between planning and execution when it comes to DIY computing seems to get smaller every day. The latest example of this is the plug and play Spark Core, a project made to ensure adding WiFi to a project takes no time at all. Adding WiFi to an…

Posted on: May 7, 2013 7:00 am

Microsoft’s Strategic Blunder with Windows 8

Last fall, I had the opportunity to drive a Lamborghini race car at a corporate event that I attended in Monterey, CA. This was a very cool experience since I have never driven such an expensive ($200k+) car, let alone a serious racing car on a racecourse. When I was…

Posted on: May 6, 2013 12:00 pm

Free WiFi Coming To City Parks (For 30 Minutes A Month)

Thanks to a deal between the City, Time Warner, and Cablevision, 32 parks across the city will (finally) have free WiFi next year. Well, free for the first 30 minutes per monthyou’ll pay 99 cents each day to use it after that. The Daily News’ Juan Gonzalez reports that the details are more…

Posted on: May 6, 2013 12:00 pm

The Facebook Special: How Intel Builds Custom Chips for Giants of the Web

We know that Facebook writes a lot of the software that underpins its massive social network. And we know it designs its very own computer servers to juggle your every Like, comment, and cat photo. But to get a sense of how deep the tinkering goes inside the company, consider…

Posted on: May 6, 2013 12:00 pm