Articles by Patrick Nelson

"Normal connected lifestyle to resume in due course," could have been the tag linerecently in New York and New Jersey. If there was one lesson learned from Hurricane Sandy, it was that even themost sophisticated of urban areas can experience an unexpected loss of essential services One way to prepare for the kind of interruption millions experience...

You're not imagining things if you're noticing more mobile network brands than everbefore. The newcomers are MVNOs, or mobile virtual network operators -- companiesthat lease spectrum from major networks and resell it to end-users It's easier than ever to escape the clutches of a cellphone contract by taking advantage of some of the contract-less d...

Sun Surveyor (Sun & Moon), an app from Adam Ratana, is available for US$6.49 at Google Play....

Apps are threatening to relegate favorites and software to the recycle bin TechNewsWorld's All Things Appy looks at the best apps for our mobile devices today. This week, our focus is on entertainment apps for the Windows 8 ecosystem....

There are three big changes in Windows 8, the latest version of Microsoft's operating system. All threeaffect how you organize your computer First, Microsoft replaces its Start menu search box with a new, always accessibleSearch charm....

Motor vehicle safety has been a thorn in the side of the auto industry since Model TFords rattled their way across the big-sky American landscape a hundred years ago The industry's introduction of the safety cage during the sepia-toned first half ofthe 20th century was the start of a concerted effort to deal with a sticky problem ofcustomer churn, ...

A notable behavioral shift has occurred in the United States over the last few years. Communication methods have changed. One transformation is that people are less dependent on the classic voice telephone call -- landline or mobile -- and rely more on textual communications like those provided through social networks. Another metamorphosis is the adoption of the smartphone...

TechNewsWorld's All Things Appy looks at the best apps for our mobile devices today. This week, our focus is on transportation apps for iOS The travel experience has been enhanced by the portability of the iPhone and its apps.Travel planning, making reservations, and getting information while on the road are all easier with the top five free transp...

So you just got Windows 8 and you're missing the Start button? No problem, just add one -- for free If there's one user interface design choice that has caused the most hands-in-the-air bewilderment in the tech industry during 2012, it's got to be the omission of the Startbutton and Menu in Microsoft's Windows 8 computer operating system....

The rural broadband delivery business is rapidly changing. When Dish Network's super-cheap broadband-via-satellite service, dishNET, went live in October, it prompted a satellite Internet price-war dishNET download speeds reach 10 Mbps. Service startsat US$39.99 a month for 10 GB of data at 5 Mbps if you bundle it with Dish Network'stelevision serv...

Wave Control Pro, an app from MarksThinkTank, is available for US$2.99 at Google Play....

The Federal Communications Commission passed a little-publicized order last month that changes how cable television providers can deliver basic broadcast channels. This rule change has far-reaching implications for those who legally grab their basic broadcast channels for free from cable, but don't buy a cable subscription. It also affects television streaming device set-top box makers, like Boxee and Roku...

A simple AM radio can keep you abreast of events during a disaster. However, a smartphone is ideal for two-way communications, as well as for news and government messages via text message and social networks like Twitter I've been using a signal booster kit while backpacking around network-sparse, sunny Southern California. You could also hack toge...

Electronic communications are reshaping personal life, and may right now be causing the rapid demise of print Media academics know well the theories of Marshall McLuhan. He came up with the phrase "the medium is the message," and the term "global village," among other juicy contributions to our comprehension of media.

This story was originally published on Sept. 11, 2012, and is brought to you today as part of our Best of ECT News series. The fires raging across western U.S. states this summer, at times plowing through residences and other structures, might have gotten you thinking: "What if?"...

Take a laptop or smartphone in addition to blankets and chairs if you're looking for aspot in the tent cities springing up outside your local big box store this week. Smartphone-driven on-the-fly research is proving to make it easier this year to find Black Friday deals on TVs, tabletsand other merchandise Whipping out one of our 110 million smartp...

How can classic retail, the brick-and-mortar physical stores dotting ourneighborhoods, compete with the likes of Amazon and Zappos? Can real-world retail survive e-commerce? And if it can, what's the trick? How do retailers intend to meet this growing threat? From the outside, shopping malls do not exist, author Douglas Coupland wrote in his vision...

iMap Weather Radio, an app from Weather Decision Technologies, is available for US$9.99 at Google Play....

Easy sharing and streaming of media and other assets among computers at home or inthe workplace is a good reason to get networked. Other benefits include sharing Internetconnections If you've been using email as a method for distributing files among family members or asmall business, or are simply taking the Windows 8 plunge, Microsoft has never ma...

CoPilot Live Premium, an app from ALK Technologies, is available for US$9.99 at Google Play ...