MISSOURI TO FORBID TEACHERS AND STUDENTS FROM BEING FRIENDS ON SOCIAL NETWORKS

If you’re a student living in Missouri, you’d better not be Facebook friends with any of your teachers – that will soon be illegal.

According to Missouri Senate Bill 54 that goes into effect on August 28, any social networking — not just Facebook — is prohibited between teachers and students. It’s all part of an effort to “more clearly define teacher-student boundaries.” However, KSPR reports that It’s only direct social media contact that’s prohibited; teachers are allowed to create Facebook Pages where all students have direct access to the teacher in a more public setting.

FOXCONN TO REPLACE WORKERS WITH 1 MILLION ROBOTS IN 3 YEARS

Taiwanese technology giant Foxconn will replace some of its workers with 1 million robots in three years to cut rising labor expenses and improve efficiency, said Terry Gou, founder and chairman of the company, late Friday.

The robots will be used to do simple and routine work such as spraying, welding and assembling which are now mainly conducted by workers, said Gou at a workers' dance party Friday night.

The company currently has 10,000 robots and the number will be increased to 300,000 next year and 1 million in three years, according to Gou.

Foxconn, the world's largest maker of computer components which assembles products for Apple, Sony and Nokia, is in the spotlight after a string of suicides of workers at its massive Chinese plants, which some blamed on tough working conditions.

The company currently employs 1.2 million people, with about 1 million of them based on the Chinese mainland.

BMW UNVEILS ELECTRIC i3 AND i8 CONCEPTS

BMW's been teasing us with its vision for electric motoroing for years, and today, folks, the trend continues. The German automaker has unveiled two concepts from its upcoming i sub-brand: the city-dwelling i3 and a rehashed version of its i8. This is the first time we've officially seen the smaller of the two, as the car formerly known as the Megacity had only been spied in an official render and during routine testing at the arctic circle. It'll haul four peeps with its 150km range (around 100 miles) and accelerate from 0-60mph in around 8 seconds. As for those with range anxiety, the German company will soothe such fears with an optional range-extending motor dubbed "REx." Either variant could land in your garage in 2013, where you'll be able top them up in 6 hours with a standard socket, or up to eighty percent in an hour if you're rocking a spiffy high capacity charger.

The i8, which you'll recall for its radical aerodynamic design and hybrid diesel-electric drivetrain, has received a bevy of aerodynamic tweaks and junked its oil burner, opting for a gasoline one instead. Engine swap aside, the sporty coupé apparently drinks only 2.7 liters per 100km -- 87 mpg (!) for yanks -- which is unreal in a car that'll accelerate to 62mph in 4.6 seconds. Sound too good to be true? We'll have to wait until 2014 to see if München can make good on those promises

CROWD SOURCED CONSTITUTION SUBMITTED TO ICELAND'S GOVERNMENT FOR APPROVAL

A committee of 25 Icelanders submitted the first draft of a rewritten constitution to the country's parliamentary speaker Friday. The democratic experiment bravely asked citizens to log on to Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, and Twitter to engage with the committee in a discussion about the nation's future.

While the project's Facebook page played host to pleads for free ice cream and more volcanoes, the constitution's creators managed to stay on task, focusing on issues of decentralization and transparency in government. The draft is slated for review beginning October 1st.

AT&T TO THROTTLE SMARTPHONE DATA

AT&T said on Friday that it will begin throttling unlimited smartphone data plans as of October 1st. “Like other wireless companies, we’re taking steps to manage exploding demand for mobile data,” AT&T said Friday in a statement. The carrier continued, “One new measure is a step that may reduce the data throughput speed experienced by a very small minority of smartphone customers who are on unlimited plans – those whose extraordinary level of data usage puts them in the top 5 percent of our heaviest data users in a billing period. In fact, these customers on average use 12 times more data than the average of all other smartphone data customers.” AT&T was very careful to mention, repeatedly, that the new move will not impact the “vast majority” of its customers. According to the carrier’s statement, only the top 5% of its smartphone data users will be affected.

RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT MAY BAN iPAD IN GOVERNMENT OFFICES

The Russian government is considering disallowing the use of Apple’s iPad tablet within government agencies due to security concerns, Russian-language business news site RBC Daily reports. Instead, it is investigating various alternative tablet options including RIM’s BlackBerry PlayBook, Android-powered tablets or even a new device created by a Russian agency.

Government security experts are reportedly looking for more “cryptographically secure tablet PCs” than Apple’s iPad tablet, and if the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology’s recent certification is any indication, the BlackBerry PlayBook could fit the bill. RIM announced last week that its PlayBook tablet received FIPS 140-2 certification, thus allowing it to be used by U.S. government officials. No other tablet has received FIPS certification to date.

RUMOR: APPLE BUYING BARNES & NOBLE

According to an "unproven" source of BGR.com Apple is in talks to buy bookseller Barnes & Noble. Another source said "It also almost makes too much sense for Apple to do this, said another source of ours, mentioning that Apple doesn’t make moves that appear logical to most outside observers at the time."

The acquisition would get Apple B&N’s digital books and other publications (which it might conceivably want) and Nook hardware (which it surely doesn’t), along with hundreds of retail outlets which it could either shutter or convert into Apple Stores.

Over the years rumors have swirled about Apple's acquisitions that never happened. From Universal Music to Hulu and Disney to Palm, all these have come to naught.

RUMOR: POSSIBLE iPHONE 5 PHOTO

An image of what could be Apple’s next-generation iPhone has surfaced online. 9to5 Mac published the photo, which it received from a tipster, and the site does not claim to be able to verify the authenticity of the image. According to the report, the site’s tipster saw a presumed Apple employee using the device in public when he snapped the above picture of the man and the device.

While there’s no telling if the handset seen above is in fact Apple’s iPhone 5, it certainly doesn’t resemble any iOS device we’ve seen to date. There are some discrepancies with earlier leaks, however, that claimed to reveal case designs for the iPhone 5. The volume rocker, for example, is still on the left side of the device pictured above, but earlier case designs showed it on the right.

On the other hand, Apple has undoubtedly finalized its hardware design at this point, so it’s entirely possible that the iPhone 5 is undergoing real-world testing. A test on a train is certainly necessary so Apple can see how the device performs when rapidly switching between cell towers, so that’s another good sign. Would an Apple employee be holding the device out in the open without something concealing the device and the Apple logo on the back? We’re not so sure.

VERIZON WIRELESS WINS J.D. POWER CUSTOMER CARE AWARD

J.D. Power and Associates announced on Thursday that Verizon Wireless ranked highest in the company’s 2011 Wireless Customer Care Performance Study, Volume 2. The carrier’s overall score was 770/1000, which was above the average 761 score in the ‘full service’ category. T-Mobile came in second place with a score of 766, followed by Sprint (752) and AT&T (751).

J.D. Power and Associates also noted that non-contract customers have shorter wait times than customers with contracts (5.5 minutes versus 4.4 minutes). “There is also a disparity between the contract and non-contract segments in terms of the quality of the experience with the service representative,” J.D. Power and Associates senior director of wireless services Kirk Parsons said. “In particular, non-contract customers are considerably less satisfied than are contract customers in the areas of knowledge about plans; personal concern for customers; and apathy towards customers.” Boost Mobile ranked the best among non-contract carriers with a score of 763.

AMAZON SIGNS STREAMING DEAL WITH NBCUNIVERSAL

Amazon announced on Thursday that it has inked an agreement with NBCUniversal to provide its subscription customers with access to 1,000 Universal Pictures movies. The deal is in addition to the online retailer’s recent agreement with CBS to offer shows such as Star Trek and Cheers to its customers. The new content includes films such as Being John Malkovich, Jetsons, Flipper, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and Billy Elliott. Amazon is largely expected to release at least one tablet in the coming months, which will provide its customers with near instant access to its Amazon Unbox, Amazon Mp3, Kindle, Cloud Music and Cloud Drive services. Comcast owns 51% of NBCUniversal while General Electric owns the remaining 49%. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

NEW STUDY SAYS NO LINK BETWEEN CELL PHONES AND BRAIN CANCER

The results of a recent European study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute concluded that there is no connection between cell phone use and an increased risk of brain cancer, The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday. There were 1,000 participants in the study, including 352 people aged seven to nineteen who were diagnosed with a brain tumor between 2004 and 2008. The report “shows that a large and immediate risk of cellphones causing brain tumors in children can be excluded,” Dr. Martin Roosli, an epidemiologist at the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute said.

The results are in contradiction of a recent World Health Organization study, which said that cell phones are “possibly carcinogenic.” However, the WHO report was shot down immediately by the Economist, which said it was not possible for cell phone radio waves to cause cells to mutate, and a second report in Environmental Health Perspectives that argued there is evidence “increasingly against the hypothesis that mobile phone use can cause brain tumors in adults.” One World Health Organization cancer epidemiologist, Kurt Straif, told The Wall Street Journal that the results from the latest survey may not be 100% accurate. “Participants with brain cancer may not have the best recall for how often they used their phones,” he argued.

GOOGLE HATES PATENT WARS, BUYS 1,000 NEW PATENTS FOR DEFENSE

Google’s general counsel Kent Walker apparently doesn’t see eye to eye with the rest of his company. “The tech industry has a significant problem,” Walker said earlier this week. “Software patents are kind of gumming up the works of innovation.” According to SEO by the Sea however, Google purchased 1,030 patents from IBM just two weeks before Walker made those comments. According to the report, the patents purchased cover a wide rage of IP, “from the fabrication and architecture of memory and microprocessing chips, to other areas of computer architecture including servers and routers as well.” Still more patents cover specific database functions, various aspects of object-oriented programming and even some business processes. The terms of Google’s acquisition have not been disclosed.

ARE INTERNET EXPLORER USERS LESS INTELLIGENT?

A research firm posted an IQ test on its Web site and then compiled the results from more than 100,000 users. It found that there was no substantial difference between users of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Opera. But Internet Explorer users had IQs below average.

That's a switch from five years ago, when IQs were more or less the same across all browsers.
The company, Aptiquant, bills itself as a "psychometric consultant." Its main business is creating tests to help businesses hire well. Now before all you Opera users get too satisfied with yourselves, there are lots of possible reasons why IE users scored so low:

• IE has about twice the installed base of any other browser, so IQs are more likely to tend toward the mean
• IE is the default browser of 95% of people who don't know how to download and install a new browser, which drags down the average. (Mac users in this boat stick with Safari.)
• People who use other browsers include a disproportionate number of computer geeks, which brings their averages up
• Online IQ tests -- or IQ tests in general -- are silly
• IE users really are kind of dumb
  

TOSHIBA PROMISES FIX FOR THRIVE SLEEP ISSUE

Toshiba has announced they have developed a fix for the Thrive tablet's sleep addiction and will release it "early next week" via the Service Station app. The update will improve the device's "multimedia playback capabilities," although it didn't tell us how.

FORD DITCHING CD PLAYERS IN NEW VEHCILES

Fumbling around the car for a new CD to listen to on the road could soon be a thing of the past. Ford hopes to usher in a digital age for in-car entertainment by scrapping CD players in its new models. The company plans to help drivers to access their libraries of digital music via the internet.

It has become the first mainstream manufacturer to scrap the in-car CD multichanger.
The car maker’s latest Focus model will instead include a USB socket allowing digital music players to be plugged in.

The new cars will have the Sync ‘infotainment hub’ that lets drivers access their music library through the internet by plugging in a device called a dongle, which enables Wi-Fi.
This would facilitate using devices such as iPods, iPhones and other digital music players.
The in-car computer ‘hub’ can then access digital libraries stored on the internet, be it through Spotifiy or Apple’s iCloud.

Sheryl Connelly, Global Trends and Futuring manager at Ford, said the move was necessary if the company wanted to keep up with the needs of its customers. 'In-car entertainment technology is moving digital more rapidly than almost any other element of the vehicle experience,' she said. 'The in-car CD player - much like pay telephones - is destined to fade away in the face of exciting new technology.' Ford said sales of in-car CD players were declining rapidly, in line with falling sales of the discs.

WAL-MART ADDS MOVIE STREAMING TO WEBSITE

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. has added streaming movies to its website as the world's largest retailer attempts to grab a bigger share of the online movie market from rival service Netflix Inc.

The decision to offer movie sales and rentals through Walmart.com comes just two weeks after Netflix raised prices for the majority of its customers. The price hike provoked howls of protest from consumers and disappointing subscriber growth projections, leading to a significant drop in Netflix's stock price.

Wal-Mart, long the nation's leading seller of DVDs, signaled its intent to double down on digital movie distribution in February 2010, when it spent a reported $100 million to acquire Vudu, a Silicon Valley start-up that was gradually being added to home entertainment devices.

Since the acquisition, Vudu has been able to leverage the giant retailer's clout with manufacturers to incorporate is service into more than 300 consumer electronics products, including Internet-connected television sets, Blu-ray disc players and the Sony PlayStation 3 game console.

This spring, Vudu began offering movie rentals and purchases via the Web, through Vudu.com, positioning the service to better compete with the likes of Amazon.com, Apple Inc.'s iTunes or Blockbuster.

Offering 20,000 movie titles for rental and purchase through Wal-Mart's website, which attracts about 40 million monthly visitors, is a further step in that direction. It better positions the retailer to take on established online players, as well as traditional competitors such as Best Buy, which last may bought digital video service CinemaNow.

On Wal-Mart's website, the movies will be available the same day the DVDs go on sale in stores. Rental prices range from 99 cents to $5.99. Digital purchases are priced from $4.99 to $24.99.

LULZSEC 'TOPIARY' ARRESTED

The Metropolitan Police Service announced on Wednesday that it has arrested a 19-year old hacker suspected to be a member of both “Anonymous Operations” and “Lulz Security,” also known as “LulzSec.” The hacker, who went by the name Topiary, served as the publicist of both hacker groups and often posted press releases and statements on Twitter. His apartment in the Shetland Islands, Scotland is currently being searched and Topiary is on his way to a police station in London. A second 17-year old person in Lincolnshire, England is also being interviewed but has not yet been arrested. The FBI began raiding apartments and arresting a number of people believed to be involved with Anonymous and LulzSec on July 19th. The hacker groups responded to the arrests and said there is “nothing – absolutely nothing – you can possibly to do make us stop.” During that time, Topiary is believed to have tweeted “Arresting people won’t stop us, FBI. We will only cease fire when you all wear shoes on your heads. That’s the only way this is ending,” from the official LulzSec Twitter account.

MS-DOS TURNS 30

Thirty years ago DOS officially came into being. On July 27, 1981, Microsoft acquired the disk operating system software from Seattle Computer Products (SCP). The company then promptly renamed it MS-DOS and kickstarted a rise that eventually led to Microsoft's near-monopoly of computing for more than two decades.

SCP made CPU cards. In 1980, the company needed an OS to run on an Intel 8086, an early 16-bit microprocessor processor. It developed what it originally referred to as QDOS (Quick and Dirty Operating System). QDOS evolved into 86-DOS. Microsoft initially acquired a license from SCP to use on hardware being developed by IBM that would become the IBM PC. Microsoft eventually decided the platform was important enough to buy the rights to 86-DOS and renamed it MS-DOS.

The OS ended up surviving largely intact after Windows arrived up until Windows XP, when the OS was no longer running in pure form either on home or work desktops. Windows 7 users can still find its interface in a command prompt.

RADIO SHACK DROPPING T-MOBILE FOR VERIZON

Radio Shack announced today that it's ending its partnership with the carrier in favor of a new one with rival Verizon, which will be joining current partners AT&T and Sprint. The last day to buy a T-Mobile phone or service plan at The Shack will be September 14th, with Verizon moving in and setting up shop the very next day.

As Reuters notes, however, the move isn't all that surprising -- the partnership has apparently been both an unprofitable one and a rocky one, with Radio Shack recently alleging that T-Mobile had "materially breached" its contract. While that's a bit of a blow for T-Mobile, the move seems to be working out quite well for Radio Shack -- its stock has already shot up more than 20 percent today on the news.

PUBLIC RADIO'S THIS AMERICAN LIFE TO TAKE ON PATENT TROLLS

The financial crisis, DIY cryogenics, the love songs of Phil Collins -- This American Life has taken on a lot in its 15-plus years on public radio. This week the Ira Glass-helmed show tackles a matter close to our hearts: the patent wars. The show has devoted the entirety of episode 441 to the seedy world of patent trolling. The TAL team focuses in on the practices of Intellectual Ventures, a name that should ring some bells and rattle some bank accounts around these parts. Check out the link to the episode and why not subscribe to the podcast while you're there?

LEAK: XOOM 4G UPGRADE COMING IN SEPTEMBER

To say we've been patiently waiting for the Xoom's promised 4G upgrade would certainly be an understatement. It looks like those of you counting on blistering speeds this summer are flat out of luck, as the LTE overhaul apparently won't begin until fall. Droid-Life's got a snap of a seemingly official Verizon memo, which alleges that the FCC-espied gratis upgrade will apparently land sometime in September. Also mentioned are links to Big Red's website on how to backup and package one's slate for its eventual voyage back to Moto's mothership. Hop on over to the source to see the full communiqué, and peep the more coverage links if you enjoy being prepared entirely too far in advance.

FOX RESTRICTING ACCESS TO NEW TV SHOWS TO "AUTHENTICATED" PAY TV SUBSCRIBERS

Starting this fall, for the first eight days after they air, watching Fox TV shows online will require a subscription to Hulu Plus or a participating cable or satellite company. So far Dish Network is the first and only provider to sign up its customers for access to the new walled garden on Fox's site but others looking to fill out their TV Everywhere lineups probably won't be far behind. While pay-TV networks like ESPN with ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app and EPIX have already gone the "authentication" route, Fox is the first of the broadcast networks to do so. The new rules go into effect August 15th, then we'll find out if Fox is driving cable cutters towards paying for TV, piracy, or just ignoring the latest episode of Glee altogether.

APPLE LAPTOPS CAN BE HACKED TO EXPLODE

Apple’s newer MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro notebooks have a security flaw that can allow hackers to remotely prevent the batteries from charging. Better yet, hackers can exploit the same flaw and remotely cause batteries to explode. Apple laptops’ new “smart” battery technology is intended to provide added control over power management, and it does just that. Unfortunately, it also gives hackers added control because the microcontroller chip that ships in recent Apple laptops can be accessed remotely using a default password shared by each and every notebook.

Charlie Miller, the security expert who discovered the vulnerability, plans to showcase the flaw next month at the Black Hat security conference. There, Miller will show that he is able to access the battery controller remotely and cause it to refuse a charge, or even heat up until it catches fire and explodes. “These batteries just aren’t designed with the idea that people will mess with them,” Miller told Forbes last week. “What I’m showing is that it’s possible to use them to do something really bad.” Thankfully, the security expert also intends to showcase a fix for the flaw, which Apple will hopefully implement as soon as possible.

MICROSOFT SUED FOR PATENT INFRINGEMENT IN KINECT CONTROLLER

Microsoft is being sued for patent infringement over motion-sensing technology used in its blockbuster gaming accessory, the Microsoft Kinect. Ohio-based Impulse Technology has filed a complaint alleging that Microsoft’s Kinect controller infringes on seven of its technology patents. One patent referenced in the lawsuit covers “wide variety of games where the movement of a player is tracked in three dimensions…and certain exercise games where the motion of the player is tracked to effect movement of a virtual avatar, and the exertion of the user is monitored, including where the tracking of the player is done by the use of a camera.” A separate patent describes an “education system challenging a subject’s physiologic and kinesthetic systems to synergistically enhance cognitive function.”

Impulse Technology is seeking a permanent injunction to block the import and sale of Microsoft’s Kinect, and it is also suing Electronic Arts, Konami and Sega for developing Xbox 360 games that utilize Kinect and infringe on its patents. Impulse is seeking damages, treble damages, interest, and attorney fees from Microsoft as well. The Kinect motion-based video game controller has been a smash hit for Microsoft, having set numerous sales records since its launch. This past March, Microsoft announced that it had sold 10 million Kinect controllers since the device’s launch just before the holidays last year.

GESTURE RECOGNITION COMING TO SNAPDRAGON CHIPS

Qualcomm announced that it has purchased gesture recognition technology from GestureTek on Monday. “Applications processors are enabling a range of new ways for consumers to interface with their home entertainment and mobile devices,” said Qualcomm executive vice president and group president Steve Mollenkopf. “Our acquisition of key technology and assets from GestureTek will strengthen Qualcomm’s smartphone product portfolio and enable our customers to launch products with new and compelling user experiences.”

The company said that it plans to build GestureTek’s gesture recognition technology into its current and future Snapdragon processors. The tech will allow manufacturers to create mobile devices with interactive user interfaces based on “natural human gestures.”

LEAK: FIRST GLIMPSE OF APPLE'S NEW GRAND CENTRAL STATION STORE

Grand Central Terminal’s iconic main concourse, with its ceiling of glittering stars, will likely welcome another icon later this year: a single, glowing white apple.

Metropolitan Transportation Authority officials offered a glimpse Monday morning at the Apple store proposed for the train station, near the terminal’s east staircase. Apple plans to start building the gadget shop immediately, should the agency’s board give its approval Wednesday. Construction is expected to take about four months.

Apple is paying Charlie Palmer’s Metrazur restaurant $5 million to vacate its space on the terminal’s east balcony more than eight years before its lease expires. The MTA will get significantly higher annual rent: $1.1 million from Apple vs. $263,997 from Metrazur.

In addition to the space currently occupied by Metrazur, Apple will move into an adjacent, currently vacant balcony on the northeast side of the terminal.

“It maintains Grand Central as the iconic structure and place that it is,” Metro-North Railroad President Howard Permut said at a meeting of the MTA board’s railroad committee. That committee oversees Metro-North, which controls the terminal.

During his presentation, MTA Real Estate Director Jeffrey Rosen announced both the Apple store and a new Shake Shack for the terminal.

“I can’t imagine why any kid in Westchester would want to do anything other than go into Grand Central and shop at Apple and eat at Shake Shack,” Rosen said.

RIM AXES 2,000 JOBS; CHANGES MANAGERS TO HALT DECLINE

Just a month after a disgruntled employee accused RIM's managers of failing to make bold decisions, the latter have responded by boldly sacking 11 percent of their workforce. The company says it will notify affected employees in North America and some other countries this week. It also announced a number of changes to its executive team, with Thorsten Heins taking on the expanded role of COO, Product and Sales. Other personnel changes were generally confined to sales, marketing and operations, which leaves us wondering what, if anything, will change in the way RIM comes up with new products.

TWO MORE FAKE APPLE STORES POP UP IN CHINA;

After American expat BirdAbroad made her local stores famous last week in China's province of Kunming, local officials have since been combing through the city's 300-plus gadget shops on behalf of Apple China, and managed to dig up two more "Apple" stores. It's not exactly clear if these new offenders are at the same severity as the ones spotted by BirdAbroad, but the authorities have confirmed that none of the five stores are Apple Authorised Resellers, let alone having its permission to use its logo on their store front.

Additionally, two out of the five stores have since been shut down due to unlicensed retail operation. The fate of the remaining three is still unknown -- the officials have only concluded that no KIRF products have been found in the stores, though details such as the decor and staff uniform are certainly very similar to those of the real deal. Well, we're glad they agree, but this is only just the beginning -- BirdAbroad has since gathered photos of more sketchy Apple stores across the world, so go take a gander.

ORACLE MUST RE-SUBMIT DAMAGES COST FOR GOOGLE; JUDGE TELLS THEM TO BE REALISTIC

The war between Google and Oracle is far from over, but the big G keeps racking up tiny victories in what are admittedly modest battles. Now Oracle has been told to go back to the drawing board with its damages report. Originally Oracle sought $2.6 billion, but its theories were largely dismissed and Judge William Alsup suggested an alternative starting point of roughly $100 million. The company still has an opportunity to present a new report, one that will likely seek much more than the proposed $100 million, but things are looking increasingly tough for the claimant.

It wasn't all good news for Google, though. While the judge told Oracle to narrow its focus from Android as a whole to just specific infringing features, he did agree that related advertising revenue should be included in the theoretical royalty base. He also offered harsh criticism for what he viewed as its "brazen" disregard for intellectual property rights.

The trial is still scheduled for October, so we should have a better idea of how this whole thing will play out by Halloween.

APPLE LAUNCHES REPLACEMENT PROGRAM FOR "SMALL NUMBER" OF iMACS

Did you purchase a new iMac between May and July 2011 sporting a 1TB Seagate HDD? You should probably know that the hard drive might be prone to failure. No worries though, Apple's announced it'll replace potentially faulty drives at no cost.

Owners of registered affected computers are being notified via email, but if you forgot to register yours, you can check the serial number on Apple's website. After confirming that the machine's eligible, you'll be able to drop it off at an Apple Store or authorized service center for the swap. It's also suggested that you back up the drive prior to bringing it down.

APPLE'S CHANGE LOG FOR iOS 5 BETA 4

Apple on Friday released the fourth beta version of its iOS 5 operating system, and this one brings about plenty of goodies that developers have been waiting for. The fact that the update can be applied over the air is a huge addition, of course, but there’s plenty more to be found buried within iOS 5 beta4 for the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad, iPad 2, and third and fourth-generation iPod touch. Wondering what’s new in this build? Apple’s full change log for iOS 5 beta 4 follows below.

Accounts

• When creating an iCloud account you can use any Apple ID provided it is a full email address and not a MobileMe account. If you have a MobileMe account, you can copy data from that account to an iCloud account to use during testing. You can find more information on iCloud at: http://developer.apple.com/icloud
• When setting up an iCloud or MobileMe account using the setup assistant and leaving Find My iPhone on, it might actually turn Find my iPhone off after the setup. Please verify in Settings/Mail, Contacts, Calendar/YourAccount that Find my iPhone is toggled On after leaving the setup assistant.
• It is recommended that you disable Bookmarks on multiple accounts. If they are enabled, the results might be undefined.
• FIXED: In this beta the option of “Choosing a security question” is not working during an iCloud account setup.

AirPlay

• Starting in iOS 5, video content in applications and websites are AirPlay-enabled by default.
• iOS 5 supports AirPlay of video via AV Foundation.
• Switching into AirPay Video while using mirroring will leave the screen black but the video is still playing.

Apple TV

• Apple TV Software beta enables users to mirror the contents of an iPad 2 to an Apple TV (2nd generation) using AirPlay. This beta software also enables Photo Stream on Apple TV so users can access photos stored in iCloud. Apple TV Software beta is being provided to test the latest AirPlay functionality with your iOS 5 apps and web sites. If you wish to install Apple TV Software beta on your device, you must first register your device UDID in the iOS Developer Program Portal.
• There is no new build for AppleTV for beta 4. Please continue using the build provided with beta 3.

Audio

• Using voice chat in iOS 5 requires setting the kAudioSessionMode_VoiceChat mode on the Audio Session, or setting the AVAudioSessionModeVoiceChat mode on the AVAudioSession object.

Calendar

• All MobileMe calendars were duplicated after turning calendar syncing off and back on.
• FIXED: Restoring from a Seed 1 backup or earlier will cause MobileMe/iCloud calendars not to sync. Subscribed calendars will show up in Calendars but none of your event calendars will appear in MobileCal. To workaround the problem please remove and re-add the account.
• If SnowLeopard isn’t syncing your calendars on iOS device and you created a calendar or reminders list using a previous iOS 5.0 seed, change the name of that calendar or list on the iOS device and then let it sync.
• In this beta Birthday calendar is temporarily disabled for Web apps and Windows and will be available in a future release.

Contacts

• NEW:In MobileMe local contacts are deleted instead of be being merged.
• In this beta Import/Export vCard is disabled from Action menu and will be available in future release.

GameKit

• Match data for turn based matches is currently limited to 4 KB of data.
• When both Wifi and 3G are disabled (i.e. in Airplane mode) sometimes GameKit can cause the connection in a local Bluetooth match to fail.

iBooks

• iBooks 1.2.2 may fail to display some text or images in books. Please update to iBooks 1.3 in the App Store.

iCloud Backup

• As this is beta software, it is recommended that you do not use the iCloud services to store any critical data or information. If you enable iCloud Backup, automatic backup with iTunes when syncing will be disabled. We suggest you also manually back up your device with iTunes. It is strongly advised you upgrade to this version of the iOS 5 beta in order to continue backing up your devices and preserve previous backups.

iCloud Storage

• During the iOS 5 beta period, any documents stored on the servers might be purged periodically before GM. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you do not store any critical documents or information on the servers.
• If your application is using the NSMetadataQuery class, you must set a predicate, even though the predicate itself is ignored.
• The Foundation framework doesn’t include the team ID when looking for an app’s mobile documents container. The Team ID must be included at the beginning of the identifier string passed to theURLForUbiquityContainerIdentifier: method.
• In this beta, the setSortDescriptors: method of NSMetadataQuery is not supported.
• In this beta, if you want to use iCloud, you have to manually specify various container identifiers (your application’s Display set) within an Entitlements file for both of your Mac OS X and iOS projects.
• There are issues using the Cloud Storage document API in conjunction with protected data which can lead to data corruption.
• In this beta, document-based applications cannot always detect when files change, move, or are deleted out from underneath them.
• NEW: In this beta, file presenters (objects that adopt the NSFilePresenter protocol) do not receive some of the messages that they’re supposed to receive, especially:
• presentedItemDidChange
• presentedSubitemDidAppearAtURL:
• presentedSubitemDidChangeAtURL:
• You can workaround this by implementing the relinquishPresentedItemToWriter: method and checking to see if the writer actually wrote when your file presenter reacquires. You can also use FSEvents to observe file system changes
• 
  
• In this beta, messages about changes to files in a directory are not getting delivered to objects that adopt the NSFilePresenter protocol.
• While reporting a bug related to the iCloud storage interfaces, please include the logs collected during your debugging session. To generate these logs, you must install a special debug profile on your device.The debug profile can be obtained from http://connect.apple.com. This profile enables the generation of debug logs that are needed to diagnose any problems using iCloud storage. The instructions to collect the logs are:
• Install the profile. (The easiest way to do this is to mail it to yourself and open the attachment on their device.)
• Reproduce the bug.
• Sync with iTunes to pull the logs off your device.
• Attach the logs to your bug report. You can find the logs in ~/Library/Logs/CrashReporter/MobileDevice/DeviceName/DiagnosticLogs.
• These logs can grow large very quickly, so you should remove the profile after you have reproduced the problem and pulled the logs for the bug report.
• 
  
• NEW: File names in iCloud Storage are case sensitive.
• iMessage
• NEW: iMessage beta 1 will be unable to communicate with iMessage users on beta 2 or later.
• iTunes
• The version of iTunes that comes with beta 4 cannot sync devices that have the beta 2 software installed. To avoid this problem, do the following:
• Sync any devices that have beta 3 installed to the version of iTunes that came with beta 4.
• Upgrade iTunes to the version that comes with beta 4.
• Connect the device and install the beta 4 software. (Understand that you might see a failure to sync error when you first connect the device.)
• After installing the beta 4 software, restore from your the backup you made in step 1.
• Videos purchased from the iTunes Store do not play on a 2nd generation AppleTV over AirPlay with iTunes 10.5.

Location

• NEW:The startMonitoringSignificantLocationChanges method of CLLocationManager does not cause applications to be resumed or launched in the background for significant location change updates. However, if a backup from a previous software version (where an application was monitoring significant location changes) is restored to the device, significant location change monitoring will continue to cause that application to be resumed or launched in the background.

Mail

• NEW:Forwarding a message with attachments included does not attach the file and the message compose screen does not change from “Loading….”
• Music Library
• NEW:Some songs are missing their album artwork after changing the device library via syncing.

OpenGL

• NEW: In iOS 5.0 beta 4, several OpenGL extensions have been moved from the APPLE namespace to the EXT namespace, causing some API to be renamed. The altered extensions are EXT_color_buffer_half_float,EXT_occlusion_query_boolean, EXT_separate_shader_objects, EXT_shadow_samplers, EXT_texture_rg, EXT_debug_label, and EXT_debug_marker.

OTA Software Update

• NEW: If you are doing a OTA software update from beta 3 to beta 4, you will need to re-sync your photos with iTunes.”

Personal HotSpot

• NEW:In this beta iPhone 4 device cannot join personal hotspot even if it is on due to a non functional WiFi tethering on these devices.

Photo Adjustments

• If you apply red-eye adjustments in iOS, and import your image into the iPhoto seed build, the red-eye adjustments will not appear on that image in iPhoto. As a result, subsequent syncing of your image back to the iOS device from iPhoto will not show the red-eye adjustments.

Settings

• FIXED: In this beta FaceTime icon is missing in Settings on the iPhones.

Simulator

• NEW: Location services are not functional in iOS 4.3 simulator running on Mac OS 10.7 with Xcode 4.2.

Springboard

• Push and local notifications for apps appear in the new Notification Center in iOS 5. Notification Center displays notifications that are considered “unread.” In order to accommodate push and local notifications that have no “unread” status, developers can use their application badge count to trigger a clearing of notifications from Notification Center. When an application clears its badge count (by setting it to zero), iOS 5 will clear its notifications from Notification Center.
• NEW: iOS 5.0 terminates VoIP applications that are resumed in the background for incoming network traffic with extreme frequency. Developers are encouraged to make sure all incoming data is read from VoIP sockets to avoid this condition.

Twitter

• NEW: When tweeting your location from Safari and exiting before the location can be established, the location arrow will stay in the status bar. The arrow can be removed by killing Safari from the task switcher.

UI Automation

• NEW: Instruments overwrites the loaded automation script, even if another program is editing it.
• The play and record buttons in the Automation instrument script editor may not work properly after targeting an application that was launched by a trace session and has ended. They may also not work if you target an application that was suspended. If you run into this problem and it persists, you may need to close and reopen the trace document to get back into a functional state.
• When capturing actions into a script using the Automation instrument, interfaces with web views or table cells that contain a high number of off screen elements may take an extremely long time before returning with an expression.
• The lock() and unlock() functions of UIATarget have been replaced with the lockForDuration() function.
• FIXED:Instruments overwrites the loaded automation script, even if another program is editing it.
• Starting in iOS 5 beta 2, you can now trigger the execution of an UI Automation script on an iOS device from the host terminal by using the instruments tool. The command is:
• instruments -w -t 
• When using the cli instruments for UI Automation you can now target the default Automation Template and pass the script and results path into the tool as environment variable options. For example:
• instruments -w -t /Developer/Platforms/iPhoneOS.platform/Developer/Library/Instruments/PlugIns/AutomationInstrument.bundle/Contents/Resources/Automation.tracetemplate -e UIASCRIPT

DISH NETWORK CLOSING 200 MORE BLOCKBUSTER STORES

Dish Network on Thursday revealed plans to shutter 200 additional Blockbuster stores, dropping the number of nationwide locations to approximately 1,500. Dish won an auction to take control of Blockbuster and its remaining assets this past April, after the fallen giant filed for bankruptcy last September. Dish said that the 15,000 employees working in Blockbuster locations that will remain operational will not lose their jobs. The company also said employees of the locations set to be shuttered will have the opportunity to transfer to other stores. Blockbuster failed to evolve with the shifting movie rental industry — when it finally did begin to offer new portfolio options to compete with the likes of Netflix, it neglected to add any real value or differentiation beyond competitive offerings. Coupled with the expense of operating physical rental shops, Blockbuster didn’t stand a chance. Dish Network acquired Blockbuster’s in April for approximately $228 million in cash, and it remains to be seen whether or not Dish can manage to transform the current business into something worthwhile.

APPLE CONSIDERS BID FOR HULU

Apple is toying with the idea of placing a bid on the Hulu video streaming service, Bloomberg reported on Thursday. In June, Hulu announced that it had hired Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners to assist with a the sale of the company and rumor had it that Yahoo! was interested in making a bid at that time. Should an acquisition happen, Apple might use Hulu to create a subscription screaming video offering in an effort to compete with services such as Netflix. Currently, customers can only purchase or rent videos from iTunes.

Amazon is also interested in the company, although Bloomberg reported that it won’t make a move unless it can have guaranteed access to television shows. Hulu, which offers a premium Hulu Plus subscription option for $7.99 per month, said that it expects to surpass 1 million subscribers this August.

LODSYS CONTINUES FILING LAWSUITS; GOES AFTER ATARI, EA AND ROVIO

Lodsys, the company that has been accusing iOS and Android developers of illegally using its in-app purchasing technology, is now also targeting high-profile gaming firms such as Atari, Electronic Arts, Angry Birds lab Rovio, Square Enix and Take-Two Interactive. According to FOSS Patents, Lodsys had this to say about Rovio:

Defendant Rovio has infringed and continues to infringe, directly, indirectly, literally, under the doctrine of equivalents, contributorily, and/or through the inducement of other, one or more claims of the ’565 patent. Rovio makes, sells, uses, imports, and/or offers to sell infringing applications, including but not limited to Angry Birds for iPhone and Angry Birds for Android, which infringe at least claim 27 of ’565 patent under 35 U.S.C. § 271.

Lodsys also has lawsuits open against other heavy hitters including Best Buy, The New York Times Company, Adidas, Brother and HP. In May, Apple defended iOS developers and argued that they were included under the company’s own license agreement with Lodsys. Lodsys has remained steadfast in its belief that each defendant is infringing on its patents, despite a pending lawsuit from Apple and a declaratory lawsuit from ForeSee.

WINDOWS PHONE MANGO RELEASED TO CARRIERS AND MANUFACTURERS

Microsoft’s final build of Windows Phone Mango has been rubber stamped and released to manufacturers and wireless carriers according to Windows Phone Dev Podcast. The move is among the final steps before Microsoft delivers the Mango release to customers. The most recent reports have suggested that Microsoft will update current Windows Phone devices in September, although winrumors says the update could be pushed out as soon as August. Microsoft’s Windows Phone partners include HTC, LG, Samsung, Dell, Acer, Fujitsu, ZTE Corporation and Nokia, and we should see a number of new devices from those companies in the fall time frame. Mango was officially announced in May and Microsoft has promised that it will deliver more than 500 new features to the platform.

CUSTOMERS SUE AT&T TO BLOCK T-MOBILE ACQUISITION

A handful of AT&T’s customers are now fighting against its planned acquisition of T-Mobile. Law firm Bursor & Fisher filed lawsuits against AT&T on behalf of 11 AT&T subscribers in an effort to block the merger, AllThingsD reported on Friday. The lawyers have created a pitch site titled FightTheMerger.com and argue that The Clayton Antitrust Act gives “anyone who may be affected by a proposed merger” the power to sue in a federal court. “Government enforcement is an important part of the antitrust laws, but the Clayton Act also permits private parties who may be adversely affected to challenge a proposed merger,” one of the lawyers, Scott Bursor, said. “That means any AT&T cellphone, data or iPad customer who will suffer higher prices and diminished service because of this merger can sue to stop it from happening.” Reportedly, the AT&T customer agreement contract blocks customers from filing class-action lawsuits against the carrier. Bursor & Fisher says subscribers can instead file arbitration suits and argues that section 2.2 of AT&T’s customer agreement says customers could win a $10,000 payment. On Wednesday, Senate Antitrust Subcommittee chairman Herb Kohl asked the FCC and the Justice Department to block the merger.

WINKLEVOSS TWINS RESPOND TO LARRY SUMMERS VIA HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT DREW FAUST

The Winklevosses are taking their grievances over a public tongue lashing from Larry Summers to Harvard University President Drew Faust.

In a letter to Faust that lashes back at Summers, the Winklevosses and their partner, Divya Narendra, asked Faust to address Summers' use of derogatory language to characterize them. They contend that kind of remark about former students from a faculty member is an "unprecedented betrayal."

Summers was the president of Harvard University when Mark Zuckerberg founded Facebook. The Winklevosses allege that Zuckerberg stole the idea for Facebook from them. A scene of a meeting in Summers' office is in last year's film, "The Social Network."

Summers was being interviewed Wednesday by Walter Isaacson, chief executive of the Aspen Institute, at Fortune's Brainstorm Tech conference when, according to a video of the interview published online by Fortune magazine, Isaacson asked Summers, "So was that scene in 'The Social Network' true?"

Summers responded, getting a laugh out of those in attendance:

I've heard it said that I can be arrogant. If that's true, I surely was on that occasion.

One of the things you learn as a college president is that if an undergraduate is wearing a tie and jacket on Thursday afternoon at three o'clock, there are two possibilities.

One is that they're looking for a job and have an interview; the other is that they are an [expletive]. This was the latter case.

Rarely, have I encountered such swagger, and I tried to respond in kind.

The Winklevosses say they sought out Summers for "advice and mentorship" in the dispute with Zuckerberg.

From their letter:

His [Summer's] manner was not inconsistent with his reputation and present day admissions of being tactfully challenged. It was not his failure to shake hands with the three of us upon entering his office (doing so would have required him to take his feet off his desk and stand up from his chair), nor his tenor that was most alarming, but rather his scorn for a genuine discourse on deeper ethical questions, Harvard's Honor Code, and its applicability or lack thereof.

We now further understand why our meeting was less than productive; someone who does not value ethics with respect to his own conduct, would likely have little interest in this subject as it related to the conduct of others. Perhaps there is a "variability of aptitude" for decency and professionalism among university faculty.

WOLFRAM LAUNCHES CDF, TAKES ON ADOBE

Wolfram Group just launched an open format contender to Adobe's throne and it's hoping you'll adopt it. Introduced today, the Computable Document Format (CDF) "puts easy-to-author interactivity at its core," breathing animated life into otherwise static infographics. Not a programmer? No need to worry, the company promises the two-way diagrams are "easy enough for teachers, journalists, managers, [and] researchers to... create."

We've seen Microsoft's XPS take a similar crack at dethroning the reigning format king, only to find itself in portable document oblivion. We'll just have to wait and see if CDF's a more noble contender. In the meantime, head on over to the Wolfram site to download the free player and see for yourself the possible future of live textbooks, tables and charts.

VIZIO TABLETS DROP INTO COSTCO

We know it's been a long wait since CES, but after getting pawed at by both Blake Griffin and yours truly, the Vizio Tablet is starting to show up in stores right about on schedule. A source was able to snag this tablet at a local Costco store for $329 ($20 off the regular price), an achievement also unlocked by the folks at Mobileslate.

According to their reports you may have to ask around to find out if the VTAB1008 is actually in stock but it may be lurking along with its $40 Accessories Kit. The low end tablet is already showing in stock on the Vizio online store. Impressions so far suggest a "budget" tablet experience, above that of the flood of craptablets, with decent hardware and battery life, but a software experience behind the top of the line slates due to the custom UI, small internal storage and RAM and slower single core Marvell CPU.

GOOGLE WAVES GOODBYE TO FIREFOX TOOLBAR

Google Labs isn't the only thing winding down in Mountain View, it seems Google's Firefox toolbar is also kaput. Citing exponential growth in the browser space, the outfit declared that the Google toolbar for Firefox is no longer necessary -- modern browsers are just too darn capable. Support will continue for older versions of the browser, but Firefox 5 will have to stand on its own. Still, El Goog admits that dropping the toolbar kills more than a few features, and is offering a list of similarly featured add-ons to users via the defunct toolbar's help page. Not enough? Head on over to the announcement's comment page and join the peanut gallery, a few clever legumes seem to have uncovered a FF5 workaround. As for the rest of us, it's not like we didn't know Google had its own browser (and interests) to take care of, right?

APPLE'S OS X LION DOWNLOADED OVER 1 MILLION TIMES ON LAUNCH DAY

Apple’s OS X Lion was downloaded more than 1 million times during its first day of availability, Apple said on Thursday. The Cupertino-based company made the announcement just as Microsoft announced its earnings results for the fiscal fourth quarter — merely a coincidence, we’re sure.

Presuming these were paid OS X purchases and upgrades, Apple grossed more than $30 million from Lion in just one day. “Lion is off to a great start, user reviews and industry reaction have been fantastic,” said Phil Schiller, Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Product Marketing, in a statement. “Lion is a huge step forward, it’s not only packed with innovative features but it’s incredibly easy for users to update their Macs to the best OS we’ve ever made.”

FDA LOOKING TO REGULATE MEDICAL APPS

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration may soon approve or reject mobile health applications. The government agency said on Wednesday that it is proposing to oversee the applications in an effort to ensure the apps perform as advertised and aren’t actually hurting users. “There are advantages to using medical apps, but consumers and health care professionals should have a balanced awareness of the benefits and risks,” FDA policy advisor Bakul Patel said. The administration hopes to approve and reject mobile applications that:

• Are used as an accessory to an FDA-regulated medical device. For example, an app could enable a health care professional to view medical images on an iPad and make a diagnosis;
• Transform a mobile platform into a regulated medical device. For example, an app that turns a smartphone into an electrocardiography, or ECG, machine to detect abnormal heart rhythms or determine if a patient is experiencing a heart attack.

“We want to hear from as many consumers, advocacy groups, health care professionals, and software creators and distributors as possible to help us finalize the proposed guidelines,” Patel said. The proposed guidelines will be published on Wednesday.

GOOGLE TURNING THE LIGHTS OFF IN THE LAB

Google Labs, that breeding ground for the wacky, sublime, and sometimes useful experiments that Mountain View's scooter-loving employees are so fond of, is getting ready to "wind down." The software giant announced today that the experimental forum for testing out potential features is being sidelined, in order for the company to focus on bigger picture ideas. Some of the more useful experimentation for properties like Calendar and Gmail will stick around, as will the Labs experiments that eventually made their way into the Android market. Google has promised to keep us all in the loop during the transition.

LAST SPACE SHUTTLE, ATLANTIS, TOUCHES DOWN SAFELY IN FLORIDA

The Atlantis has touched down successfully at runway 15 at Kennedy Space Center bringing and end to an era in space flight. Crewmembers Chris Ferguson, Doug Hurley, Sandy Magnus, and Rex Walheim are back on our planet and, traveling at speeds decidedly slower than escape velocity, can officially put a cap onto this historic series of space missions that we, at least, will never forget. In the words of NASA: "Job well done, America."

DELL CONSIDERS USING GOOGLE+ HANGOUTS FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE

Michael Dell is toying with the idea of using Google+ Hangouts for Dell’s customer support. The service allows users to initiate a video chat session with multiple people inside their Google+ circles. “I am thinking about hangouts for business. Would you like to be able to connect with your Dell service and sale teams via video directly from Dell.com?” he posted on his Google+ page on Sunday. The idea was an instant success: 556 people had given the comment a +1 as of Tuesday morning and hundreds more left comments in support of the suggestion.

As GigaOm points out, it is currently not possible to start a “Hangout” session from anywhere but from inside Google+ itself. The social network is still in a young invite-only phase, too, so some customers would not have access just yet. Still, Google has said that it plans to offer Google+ for businesses, so perhaps Dell’s idea could come to fruition down the road.

MICROSOFT DROPS OUT OF BIDDING FOR HULU

Microsoft Corp. is dropping out of the bidding for Hulu LLC, the online video service put up for sale by its media-company owners, according to a person with knowledge of the matter.
Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, told Hulu executives last week it wouldn’t continue into a second round, said the person, who wasn’t authorized to talk publicly. The person didn’t rule out Microsoft re-entering later.

Hulu bankers at Morgan Stanley and Guggenheim Partners met in the past four weeks with Microsoft, which already rents and sells films and TV shows through its Xbox video-game console, to solicit an offer, people with knowledge of the situation said on July 1. The bankers also met with Google Inc., Yahoo Inc., AT&T Inc. and as many as eight other companies, they said.

Elisa Schreiber, a spokeswoman for Los Angeles-based Hulu, declined to comment, as did Frank Shaw, a spokesman for Microsoft.

APPLE HAS RECORD QUARTER FOR REVENUE AND PROFITS

Apple today announced financial results for its fiscal 2011 third quarter ended June 25, 2011. The Company posted record quarterly revenue of $28.57 billion and record quarterly net profit of $7.31 billion, or $7.79 per diluted share. These results compare to revenue of $15.70 billion and net quarterly profit of $3.25 billion, or $3.51 per diluted share, in the year-ago quarter. Gross margin was 41.7 percent compared to 39.1 percent in the year-ago quarter. International sales accounted for 62 percent of the quarter’s revenue.

The Company sold 20.34 million iPhones in the quarter, representing 142 percent unit growth over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 9.25 million iPads during the quarter, a 183 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. The Company sold 3.95 million Macs during the quarter, a 14 percent unit increase over the year-ago quarter. Apple sold 7.54 million iPods, a 20 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter.

“We’re thrilled to deliver our best quarter ever, with revenue up 82 percent and profits up 125 percent,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO. “Right now, we’re very focused and excited about bringing iOS 5 and iCloud to our users this fall.”

SPRINT MAKES DECISION TO SCALE BACK "BLOATWARE" ON SMARTPHONES

Recently, HTC received oodles of praise from a minuscule-but-passionate group of folks who appreciate the company's stance on unlocking its bootloaders, and today we learned that folks at The Now Network made a similarly impressive change after hearing yet another enthusiastic sect. Sprint's VP of Product Development Fared Adib appeared on the November 2010 episode of The Engadget Show, and it was during that appearance that he heard a rather shrill cry of users begging for a smaller amount of "bloatware," or at the very least, bloatware that users could customize or outright remove. For those unfamiliar with the term, it generally refers to applications that are preloaded onto devices from the carrier; by and large, these clutter up the application grid, and many power users aren't exactly enthralled by any carrier-imposed OS changes.

Adib confessed that he jetted back from NYC and immediately informed his team that the bloatware needed to go. To quote: "Ben, we've got to get rid of these preloaded apps on our devices. A lot of customers don't want this." You may have noticed a dearth of those very apps on the EVO 3D, and according to Fared, customer feedback on the newly cleaned slate has been overwhelmingly positive. We inquired on whether this approach would be pushed across the company's product spectrum, and he seemed eager to admit that it would. In fact, Sprint's taking quite the different approach internally than some folks may be used to. It's effectively trying to get out of the way in as many areas as possible, and in turn, litter your future phones with as little content as possible. In fact, he's pushing to make whatever programs Sprint does preload user-removable, and it's a mantra we can only hope other carriers latch onto.

FBI RAIDS SUSPECTED 'ANONYMOUS' HACKERS HOMES

The FBI raided the homes of three hackers from the infamous hacking group ‘Anonymous’ in New York, Fox News reported on Tuesday. Reportedly, more than 10 FBI agents stormed the house of Giordani Jordan in Baldwin New York and took “at least one laptop from the premises.” Jordan is suspected to have been behind denial of service (DoS) attacks against a number of firms, including Mastercard and Visa. In addition, agents are also searching homes in Long Island and Brooklyn. The hackers are said to be in their late teens and early 20s. It’s unclear if the hackers were also part of the group LulzSec, which claimed responsibility for hacks against Sony, the U.S. Senate and the CIA.