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The Federal Communications Commission approved a proposal from the Dish Network that would allow it to convert spectrum currently allocated for satellite service into airwaves that could support a land-based wireless network. Dish did not lay out specific plans for its next step with the spectrum, saying only that it would "consider its strategic ...

Yahoo has given its email service a major makeover, both for its desktop and mobile products. The changes include a streamlined and less cluttered interface that is easier to navigate. The new version of Yahoo! Mail is also faster for users to open and read messages The changes have been long in coming, and probably arrived just in time for Yahoo i...

Whether you want to or not, you are a player in the industry analyst game. The reason is simple. Industry analysts, for better or for worse, are very influential. If you do a good job, you can positively influence their opinions. If you don't -- or if you are not playing -- then you often suffer. Either way, you are a player -- so learn to win How ...

As I've said in the past, CRM's biggest benefit is in extending your customers'relationship with you for as long as you can. New customers are great, but returningcustomers are profitable -- and profit is what you're really after, right? Thus, it makes sense to foster loyalty in these customers. The first phase ofthis comes in the form of your empl...

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....

In an attempt to harmonize the various patent systems used throughout the European Union's 27 nations, the European Parliament adopted a uniform patent system Tuesday The unified system, which is expected to come into effect in early 2014, could alleviate the "impediments to innovation" caused by the EU's various patent systems, according to The N...

Facebook has introduced a number of changes to its privacy controls, positioning them as easier for users to manage For example, a new icon on the toolbar will allow users to ask three questions: Who can see my stuff? Who can contact me? and How do I stop someone from bothering me? For further information, users go to the Privacy Settings page, whi...

FreedomPop is looking to disrupt the cable and DSL business model by offering free wireless Internet service to home users. The startup on Wednesday began taking orders for an US$89 modem that will provide online access to as many as 10 WiFi-enabled devices in the home, at speeds faster than digital subscriber lines The device will begin shipping i...

Microsoft is putting its Surface RT tablet on more shelves just in time for the holiday season The recently released tablet will be available at more retail outlets, including Staples and Microsoft's seasonal stores, in a matter of days. The company had been planning to increase Surface retail availability starting in 2013 but said it was hastening...

Twitter raised the ante Tuesday in its competition with Instagram for the hearts and eyes of smartphone shutterbugs by introducing image filtering to its mobile applications for Android and iOS The debut of the filter feature comes on the heels of moves by Facebook-owned Instagram to limit its members' ability to post their photos directly to Twitt...

Apple may get more mindshare from consumers, but Samsung currently holds the lead when it comes to market share. The connected device market, which includes PCs, tablets and smartphones, grew 27.1 percent year-over-year in the third quarter of 2012. In that time Samsung maintained the top position with 21.8 percent market share based on shipments ...

The fact that the Internet has no boundaries of time or geography has changed the way businesses operate forever. One feature of the Internet is that it has allowed creative businesses to avoid, or at least minimize their tax liabilities. In particular, Google's business success means that it has to manage its operations if it wants to minimize it...

On Dec. 6, Apple announced that it would begin making some Macs in the U.S., reversing a trend building over several years of manufacturing computers in China and setting an interesting precedent. Apple isn't alone in this: HP has also begun shifting some of its PC production back to the U.S. of A Before we start popping French champagne corks (isn...

Fotoxx is an unusual photo editing application that has its share of quirks. Still, it is a capable photo editing tool that has just enough power to make it an alternative to the standard Linux apps....

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, ...

People anticipating weight gain over the holiday season can look toward mobile technology to help them shed those extra pounds, suggests new research. Patients in weight loss treatment programs lost more weight when they coupled nutritional coaching and exercise with prompts from mobile apps, reported Northwestern University researchers in a stud...

'Tis the season of giving and on Tuesday Facebook made it easier to give, as it added collections of wines to its Facebook Gifts catalog and made the program available for everyone in the United States For some Facebook members, the season of giving started early, with the social network giant's September launch of Facebook Gifts, a service that a...

Britain's music industry body is preparing to take the Pirate Party UK to court for offering access to The Pirate Bay, which has been blocked in the UK The British Pirate Party -- the Pirate Party is a political party in many European countries that is opposed to virtually any restrictions on the free-flow of information -- has set up a proxy serv...

The Federal Trade Commission leaves no doubt about its view of the mobile app industry's efforts to protect children online with its latest report: "Mobile Apps for Kids -- Disclosures Still Not Making the Grade." The report reveals the results of a follow-up survey to a February report that found disclosures were lacking in mobile apps aimed at c...

"If you can keep your wits, when all about you are losing theirs, maybe you just don't understand the situation." That often-cited spoof of a Rudyard Kipling poem comes to mind as the doomsday scenarios of the federal budget Fiscal Cliff begin to mount. Maybe cool heads won't prevail. Maybe panic is the right way to go Should information technology...