This is an edited version of my weekly column for Loose Wire Service, a service providing print publications with technology writing designed for the general reader. Email me if you’re interested in learning more. Wikipedia has gone through some interesting times, good and bad, but I think the last couple of weeks has proved just … Read more
The idea that your cellphone may become a beacon of your availability took one small step closer yesterday, although you’d be forgiven for not noticing amid all the post-turkey bloat. The theory is this. Cellphones have gotten smarter, but they still miss one vital ingredient that computer users have had for years: presence. Anyone using … Read more
What will the handphone of the future look like? Sony reckons it will combine the functions of a mobile phone with an easy interface for remote access to computer files, The Asia Times reports. Here’s what Gizmodo say it will look like: The interface will allow users to virtually transfer picture, music and text files … Read more
File sharers beware: there’s nowhere to hide, even in supposedly ‘anonymous’ filesharing networks. The NewScientist.com news service reports that Japanese police have arrested two people suspected of distributing pirated films and computer games through a program called “Winny”, which is meant to hide the identity of a user from everyone else on the network. It is … Read more
Plaxo respond to privacy and other issues Further to my column in this week’s FEER and WSJ editions about the contact updater Plaxo, here’s the company’s full responses to my questions about the product. 1. How exactly does Plaxo hope to make money from the venture? If this information is still private … Read more