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AP Technology NewsBrief at 12:33 p.m. EST(Associated Press Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) T-Mobile USA to make data network work with iPhoneNEW YORK (AP) _ T-Mobile USA says it will revamp its wireless data network this year, making it compatible with iPhones sold by competing carriers. T-Mobile is the smallest of the four nationwide carriers and the only one that doesn't sell the iPhone. But the revamp means that iPhone 4S users could migrate over from Sprint Nextel Corp. and Verizon Wireless when their contracts expire. IPhone sucks subscribers away from T-Mobile USANEW YORK (AP) _ Customers have been leaving T-Mobile USA, the country's No. 4 cellphone company, for the last two years. Now that all three of the bigger carriers have the iPhone, that stream has turned into a flood. The company on Thursday said it lost a net 526,000 subscribers in the fourth quarter. Worse, it lost a net 802,000 subscribers on contract-based plans, which are the most lucrative. That's an unheard-of figure for an industry that was characterized by rapid growth for more than a decade. Obama administration seeks online privacy rulesNEW YORK (AP) _ The Obama administration is calling for stronger privacy protections for consumers as mobile gadgets, Internet services and other tools are able to do a better job of tracking what you do and where you go. Administration officials outlined a proposed "Consumer Privacy Bill of Rights" on Thursday and urged technology companies, consumer groups and others to jointly craft new protections. Such guidelines would initially be voluntary for companies, but those that agree to abide by them could be subject to sanctions for any violations. Calif. pledges better mobile privacy disclosuresSAN FRANCISCO (AP) _ California is clamping down on nosy mobile applications, telling them they must give people advance warning if they want to keep pulling sensitive information from smartphones and computer tablets. The crackdown comes six months after California Attorney General Kamala Harris began discussing the need for better privacy protections with six powerful companies that have shaped the mobile computing market, spawning nearly 1 million applications over the past four years. HP CEO pleads patience as earnings fall 44 pctNEW YORK (AP) _ Hewlett-Packard Co. CEO Meg Whitman pleaded for patience Thursday as she described operational challenges and other internal problems that contributed to a decline in earnings at one of the world's largest technology companies. Even as HP blamed weak consumer demand and supply shortages due to flooding in Thailand for lost revenue opportunities in the latest quarter, Whitman said years of underinvestment in systems and procedures made those problems worse. Bail rules prevent Kim Dotcom from using InternetWELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) _ Megaupload founder Kim Dotcom made his fortune and even took his name from the Internet, but now he's barred from logging on. Dotcom, accused by U.S. authorities of facilitating millions of illegal downloads through the file-sharing website, has been ordered not to access the Internet as part of his bail conditions. Another unusual condition: No helicopters can land at his home. Microsoft hits Motorola, Google with EU complaintBRUSSELS (AP) _ Microsoft on Wednesday lodged a formal complaint with the European Union's competition regulator against Motorola Mobility and its soon-to-be owner Google, saying Motorola's aggressive enforcement of patent rights against rivals breaks competition rules. The complaint follows a similar step by Apple against Motorola last week. Cable cos. shut down interactive ad ventureNEW YORK (AP) _ The country's largest cable TV companies are shutting down the bulk of a venture that let viewers interact with TV ads, laying off 120 employees. Four-year-old Canoe Ventures made it possible for viewers of eight cable networks, including AMC, Bravo and Discovery, to request information by mail from TV advertisers by pressing a button on the remote. It was accessible in 25 million households. EU suspends copyright treaty ratificationBRUSSELS (AP) _ The European Commission, facing opposition in city streets, on the Internet and in the halls of parliament, has suspended efforts to ratify a new international anti-counterfeiting agreement, and instead will refer it to Europe's highest court to see whether it violates any fundamental EU rights. EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht asserted Wednesday that an opinion from the European Court of Justice would clear away the fog of misinformation surrounding the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, known as ACTA. Immigration chief seeks to reassure Silicon ValleyMOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. (AP) _ The Obama administration's top immigration official said Wednesday he wants to keep more foreign-born high-tech entrepreneurs in the U.S. But to make that happen, he said he needs those entrepreneurs to turn their creativity to immigration itself. Members of Silicon Valley's startup community met with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service Director Alejandro Mayorkas for what the agency billed as a summit to officially launch its unusual "Entrepreneurs in Residence" program. (c) 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. |