UPI Hi-Tech articles from November 2005

UPI Hi-Tech archives from November 2005

Netsurfing kids face more risk at home.
November 1, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- Kid Netsurfers are doing more illegal downloading and other risky online activities at home than at school, a new study shows. According to the Business Software Alliance, "While home...

Worries rise over telecom mergers.
November 1, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 1 (UPI) -- The Federal Communications Commission's decision Monday to allow some of the biggest telecommunications groups in the United States to band together may have surprised few, but some industry...

Nano World: 150 nanodrugs on horizon.
November 2, 2005... Byline: CHARLES Q. CHOI NEW YORK, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- While only two kinds of nanoparticle therapies against cancer are now clinically available in the United States, roughly 150 more lie in various stages of development, experts told UPI's...

The Web: Online psychotherapy effective.
November 2, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Therapy for mildly depressed patients delivered over the Internet can be as effective as face-to-face psychotherapy, but experts told UPI's The Web that a relationship of trust must exist...

Satellite radio unfazed by losses.
November 2, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Radio might seem anachronistic when there is so much competing technology that provides news and entertainment instantaneously. But if the latest earnings results from two of the biggest...

Red Cross site spikes in Sept. readership.
November 2, 2005... Byline: ELLIOT SMILOWITZ WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, relief and assistance Web sites such as RedCross.org saw huge spikes in visitation in September, according to Internet audience measurement service...

Sprint, cable providers unveil $200M deal.
November 2, 2005... Byline: ELLIOT SMILOWITZ WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Sprint Nextel and four cable companies said Wednesday they will launch a new venture to accelerate the convergence of video, wired and wireless data and communications products and...

Microsoft looks to Internet for growth.
November 2, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Microsoft's launch of Web-based services puts the company more squarely on the Internet in the hopes of keeping up with online titans such as Google and Yahoo!. The company's two new...

Intel developers hold forum in Seoul.
November 3, 2005... SEOUL, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Some 130 hardware and software developers from Intel Corp. gathered in Seoul Thursday for a technology forum. Sponsored by Microsoft Corp., Samsung Electronics Co. and Oracle Corp., the Intel Developer Forum showcased...

Video-game ideas grab spotlight in capital.
November 3, 2005... Byline: CHRIS BARYLICK WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Although "Pac Man," "Grand Theft Auto," "Resident Evil" and "Tomb Raider" may be among the most widely recognized video games on the market, efforts are under way to develop new titles...

Globe Talk: India lures Vodafone, SingTel.
November 3, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- India's attractiveness to international investors is second only to China these days, as the race to expand market share on the subcontinent and tie up with local businesses continues to...

Vast cyberlibrary unveiled by Google.
November 4, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, Nov. 3 (UPI) -- Google unveiled Wednesday a vast digitized collection of books. The Google Print project debuted a collection of public-domain books from libraries at the University of Michigan, Harvard...

Wireless World: Convergence arrives.
November 4, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The wireless deal announced by a consortium of cable companies grabbed all the headlines this week, but analysts have been predicting the convergence of such technology capabilities for...

Microsoft calls for federal privacy law.
November 4, 2005... Byline: JOHN P. GRAMLICH WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- Microsoft Corp. on Thursday called for uniform federal legislation to replace an inconsistent "patchwork of laws" currently in place to protect the privacy of Internet users. With...

Strong online sales for new 'Potter' film.
November 4, 2005... Byline: ELLIOT SMILOWITZ WASHINGTON, Nov. 4 (UPI) -- The latest Harry Potter movie is casting a favorable spell for online ticket seller Fandago, which is entering the holiday season with strong sales generated by the young magician. ...

Nano World: National ranking in nanotech.
November 7, 2005... Byline: CHARLES Q. CHOI NEW YORK, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- The United States, Japan, Germany and South Korea dominate nanotechnology today, but in 2012 Taiwan should also leap into a leading role, with China making dramatic gains and France sliding...

Mobile music expected to be a hit.
November 7, 2005... Byline: STOKELY BAKSH WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- The United States has been slow to embrace music on mobile devices compared with 15 other countries, a leading market information provider found, but mobile-music businesses say this trend...

Networking: Hollywood comes to home movies.
November 7, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Just a few years ago, Brian Olson recalls, he would head back to the office and spend weekends at the studio of the company where he works to assemble a polished home video that "friends...

Microsoft takes lead in AOL bidding.
November 7, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Microsoft Corp. has taken the lead in talks to purchase a major stake in America Online from Time Warner Inc., according to a news report Monday. According to the New York Times, Microsoft...

Yahoo! to fully own European, Korean sites.
November 7, 2005... Byline: RYAN HOLEYWELL WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- Yahoo! Inc. said Monday it will pay a total of $500 million to gain full control of its sites in Britain, Germany, France and South Korea. The Internet search engine will be acquiring...

No salvation yet for TiVo from Yahoo! deal.
November 7, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- No longer satisfied with simply being an Internet search engine, Yahoo! has been diversifying its portfolio rapidly over the past few months through a number of major acquisitions and...

Trade unionism hits India's BPO.
November 8, 2005... Byline: INDRAJIT BASU CALCUTTA, India, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- They may be considered the sweatshop laborers of the information age in the developed world, but call-center and help-desk workers are considered to be professional elites in India....

Paris rioters get an edge with cell phones.
November 8, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- As violence continues to rage in the suburbs of Paris, tension runs high between the rioting immigrant youths and the French authorities. But while public opinion may be divided on whether...

Nano World: Power for soldiers, sat phones.
November 8, 2005... Byline: CHARLES Q. CHOI NEW YORK, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Nanotechnology-based power sources are expected to emerge in the next two years that could dramatically reduce the weight that soldiers carry and boost how long satellite phones can last,...

Gas prices to increase online shopping.
November 8, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, Nov. 8 (UPI) -- Online holiday shopping is poised for strong growth this year, among other factors helped along by higher gas prices. Several retail analyst groups -- Goldman, Sachs & Co.,...

The Web: 'Wild West' of the Internet.
November 9, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The Wild West ethos that animated the Internet during its first decade of commercial popularity is being tamed through litigation, experts tell United Press International's The Web. ...

TCS establishes foothold in Latin America.
November 9, 2005... Byline: INDRAJIT BASU CALCUTTA, India, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The $23 million acquisition of Comicrom, a back-office outsourcing firm in Chile, may not be a big deal in terms of size for Tata Consultancy Services. After all, TCS is a software and...

Europe's telecoms remain on toes.
November 9, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- The rapid change in Europe's telecommunications industry stepped up further as Swisscom acknowledged Wednesday it was in talks with Ireland's Eircom for a potential buyout. "Swisscom...

Live phishing shows risk of personal info.
November 9, 2005... Byline: ELLIOT SMILOWITZ WASHINGTON, Nov. 9 (UPI) -- Despite all the warnings about giving out personal information, many people still freely give away seemingly innocuous details that can be used to crack their passwords, according to the...

View from the Top: Wireless leaders.
November 10, 2005... Byline: ANDREW KREIG WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- What happens when you gather a group of senior executives from the largest wireless carriers today in one forum? The answer may surprise you. Although they compete to the death in the...

Microsoft's Live Arcade to be game central.
November 10, 2005... Byline: CHRIS BARYLICK WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Walk into the Los Angeles Convention Center during the Electronics Entertainment Expo each May and you'll see what video-game industry insiders wrestle with on a daily basis: Amid the...

Telecom bill faces forceful opposition.
November 10, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Lawmakers broadly agree that telecommunication laws regulating the market do not meet the rapidly changing needs of users or address the ever-evolving nature of the business. Yet as members...

India's telecom sees more liberalization.
November 11, 2005... Byline: INDRAJIT BASU CALCUTTA, India, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- In a fresh dose of liberalization, India yesterday announced a slew of relaxations in its telecom rules, which not only allows more players -- both local and foreign -- to enter the...

Globe Talk: Qualcomm fights claims.(Company Profile)
November 11, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 10 (UPI) -- Qualcomm's decision earlier this week to fight back against its rivals on allegations of manipulating international cellular phone markets is turning uglier by the day, but whether the...

Wireless World: WiFi at the beach.
November 11, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 11 (UPI) -- Are Americans and Europeans selecting vacation spots based on whether their hotel or resort offers WiFi hot spots? A new survey by chipmaker Intel Corp. suggests as much, but other...

Nano World: Nano-sponges for toxic metals.
November 12, 2005... Byline: CHARLES Q. CHOI NEW YORK, Nov. 12 (UPI) -- Microscopic particles honeycombed with holes only nanometers wide soon could help purify industrial runoff, coal plant smoke, crude oil and drinking water of toxic metals, experts told...

Networking: Feds calls BlackBerry essential.
November 14, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- The feds are intervening in a 5-year-old patent case against Research in Motion Ltd., the Canadian-based developer of BlackBerry, arguing in court papers filed last week that the...

Nations prepare to fight for Internet.
November 14, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 (UPI) -- As the United States and Europe prepare to slug it out over the ownership of the Internet at the upcoming United Nations conference on information technology, there is growing concern that...

Japan remains Vodafone's Achilles heel.
November 15, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 15 (UPI) -- As the world's biggest mobile telecommunications provider, Vodafone has been the darling of British industry. That vaunted status, however, was challenged Tuesday with the company's...

From broadcast to broadband.
November 16, 2005... Byline: ANNA CARBINO WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Technology is on the way to use vacant television channels for wireless broadband Internet service, but critics from the broadcasting industry argue that using the channels for unlicensed...

The Web: Chinese economy facing IT threats.
November 16, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- China's economy continues its incredible growth, but the IT infrastructure at all the new offices, research parks and other projects isn't keeping pace and is increasingly imperiled by...

Tech gadgets spell boom for support service.
November 16, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- From iPods to smartphones, some of the most sought-after gifts these days are tech gadgets. The problem is that the products sometimes require so much time and effort to set up that...

Newspaper Web sites see readership rise.
November 16, 2005... Byline: ELLIOT SMILOWITZ WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- While print newspapers continue to dwindle in circulation, newspaper Web site readership is thriving, up 11 percent from last year, according to Neilson//NetRatings. Newspaper Web...

AOL becomes self-help central.
November 16, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- If you are looking for self help, then AOL wants to help you. AOL announced Wednesday a large 2006 lineup of top self-help authors to join its expanded AOL Coaches program. Joining...

Tech corps eye India as a production base.
November 16, 2005... Byline: INDRAJIT BASU CALCUTTA, India, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- Until a few months back, the SIPCOT Industrial Park, Sriperumbudur, near the south-Indian city Madras (now called Chennai), was just one of the many nondescript industrial parks. Now,...

Security firms react to rootkit.
November 17, 2005... Byline: CHRIS BARYLICK WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- Following a week of extensive public criticism, Sony BMG's problems continued as class-action lawsuits and public letters were released in response to an anti-piracy program found on a...

Cingular's bid for more Internet use.
November 17, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- The United States lags behind Europe and Japan when it comes to using cell phones, as U.S. users often are content simply to use their mobile handsets simply as phones on the go. Their...

IBM's China-win claim irks HP.
November 17, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- For IBM, winning its single-biggest contract in China is something to be immensely proud of, and they are understandably eager to publicize it widely, but rival Hewlett Packard is disputing...

Avoid cyber Grinches, scams and schemes.
November 17, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, Nov. 17 (UPI) -- As consumers go online in record numbers this holiday to shop and make travel plans, security experts advise that they take a few basic precautions to keep from getting ripped off or have...

Globe Talk: Love it or hate it, VoIP is a must.
November 18, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Since eBay announced its decision to buy out Luxembourg-based Skype for $2.3 billion two months ago, it has become clear that Voice over Internet Protocol is not only here to stay, but that...

Wireless World: Mobile game 'communities' emerge.
November 18, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Mobile-game providers are now deploying technology to create wireless "gaming communities," where players can interact with each other, all from their mobile phone, a promising telecom...

Telecom mergers will aid during disasters.
November 18, 2005... FALLS CHURCH, Va., Nov. 18 (UPI) -- A study released Friday reports that telecom consolidation will aid network reliability during disasters. The current consolidation occurring in the telecommunications industry is a step toward ensuring...

Few thrilled by ID theft bill.
November 18, 2005... Byline: ELLIOT SMILOWITZ WASHINGTON, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Senate members will soon be voting on a controversial new identity theft bill, but some experts think it doesn't have enough teeth. The Personal Data Privacy and Security Act,...

Nano World: More funds on nano risk needed.
November 18, 2005... Byline: CHARLES Q. CHOI NEW YORK, Nov. 18 (UPI) -- Investigations of the environmental and health implications of nanotechnology are so important that industry and environmentalist groups, normally thought of as opposed toward each other,...

Online bill paying making inroads.
November 20, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, Nov. 20 (UPI) -- More than half of U.S. online households pay at least one bill online, according to a survey by CheckFree. CheckFree Corp. said this week the most recent results of a survey conducted...

Networking: Mesh networks taking off.
November 21, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Mesh networking -- the innovative wireless technology that delivers broadband content to computers -- is poised for deployment at a rate that may grow tenfold over the next five years,...

Laptops, funds not enough to shrink digital gap.
November 21, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- From talks about launching the $100 laptop to setting up a technology investment fund, poorer nations made certain that addressing the digital divide between the wealthy and impoverished...

Shoppers to hit Net for 'Cyber Monday'.
November 21, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, Nov. 21 (UPI) -- Make way for "Cyber Monday," when after the Thanksgiving weekend holiday Americans are expected to go online in record numbers to shop. This comes after the "Black Friday" formal kickoff...

Broadband from gas lines not pie-in-sky.
November 22, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Multitasking is no stranger to those who are technologically savvy, including plans to use gas lines to offer Internet connectivity. According to Mountain View, Calif.-based West...

Tech shrinks geography for offshore.
November 22, 2005... Byline: MARTIN WALKER WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Geography has been eliminated by technology, bringing unexpected new players like Ghana, Egypt, Jordan and Bulgaria high into the rankings of top locations for offshore services, says a...

Feature: Hot-selling tech toys.
November 22, 2005... Byline: T.K. MALOY WASHINGTON, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- From the iPod to the Xbox, Robosapien V2 Robot and Amazing Amanda Interactive Baby Doll, there are a number of tech toys that are expected to be hot sellers this year. Various search...

Nano World: Bright nanotubes for telecom.
November 22, 2005... Byline: CHARLES Q. CHOI NEW YORK, Nov. 22 (UPI) -- Carbon tubes only nanometers or billionths of a meter in diameter could serve as ultra-bright light sources for telecommunications, IBM scientists told UPI's Nano World. Conventional...

The Web: Hackers penetrate network routers.
November 23, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Hackers are now probing a new target -- network routers -- as they seek to wreak havoc on corporate computing networks and evade the extensive security software that has been deployed on...

Nokia leads pack, but race tightens.
November 23, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- As mobile phones become ever more indispensable not just as a communication device but as an Internet provider, music player or mini TV, companies are facing fiercer competition to stay...

Xbox 360 launch finds waiting throngs.
November 23, 2005... Byline: CHRIS BARYLICK In the wee hours of Tuesday morning in College Station, Texas, David Rosenfeld, a 26-year-old software developer and avid video-game player, cruised by his local Best Buy to try and find an Xbox 360 game console. But...

Wireless World: Broadband credit scores.
November 25, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Telecom companies are scrounging for ways to mitigate their risk when modeling cutting-edge wireless and broadband technology deployments -- and many are considering using credit scores...

Nano World: Springy cushions of nanotubes.
November 25, 2005... Byline: CHARLES Q. CHOI NEW YORK, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- Super-resilient foams made of carbon tubes only nanometers or billionths of a meter wide that act like springs could help cushion blows in artificial joints or dampen vibrations in...

Microsoft India finds retail & SMEs hot.
November 25, 2005... Byline: INDRAJIT BASU CALCUTTA, India, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- For almost 15 years, ever since Microsoft started operation in India in 1990, much of its business focus has been on the area of enterprise and institutional segments or larger...

Government video expo to show cutting edge.
November 26, 2005... Byline: MICHELLE ALEXANDRIA WASHINGTON, Nov. 26 (UPI) -- For three days, from Nov. 30 - Dec. 1, the Washington, DC Convention Center and the Federal Government are going to be treated with a display of the latest and greatest tools for...

Networking: Investment boom underway.
November 28, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Investment in wireless networking soared during the last quarter, reaching growth levels not seen since the technology stock market bubble burst in late 2000, experts tell United Press...

Rural phone penetration rising in China.
November 28, 2005... Byline: EDWARD LANFRANCO BEIJING, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- China's Ministry of Information Industry said Sunday that the telephone penetration rate in the countryside had reached 96 percent, state-run media reported. The announcement was made...

Swisscom's Irish flap worries analysts.
November 28, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 28 (UPI) -- Eircom may want to hold off from celebrating in finding a potential buyer, as the Swiss authorities are making it increasingly difficult for Swisscom to buy out a foreign competitor. Yet...

Report calls for IT education in Africa.
November 29, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Even in countries that lag behind in the information technology sector, there is a clear understanding that the gap between the rich and poor will only increase unless that IT divide is...

Tai Shan, star of the global pandacams.
November 29, 2005... Byline: KATE WALKER WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- For weeks he has been the hottest ticket in town. Much has been made in the media of the difficulty of procuring tickets to see Tai Shan, the baby giant panda cub and "Peaceful...

KPO: India's new knowledge business.
November 29, 2005... Byline: INDRAJIT BASU CALCUTTA, India, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Patricia Hill lives in Freemont, Calif., and the mother of 14-year old Clark who is preparing to take his math challenge test soon was a harried parent until recently. Clark would...

Nano World: Nano-based antiradiation drug.
November 29, 2005... Byline: CHARLES Q. CHOI NEW YORK, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Balls of carbon atoms called buckyballs only a nanometer or billionth of a meter in diameter could serve as future antiradiation drugs to help protect against the side effects of cancer...

The Web: Supreme Court tackles 'trolls'.
November 30, 2005... Byline: GENE J. KOPROWSKI CHICAGO, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. Supreme Court's decision this week to review a lower-court decision involving eBay and an injunction for patent infringement revives the patent agenda pushed earlier this year by...

Gap grows on how to dish up cable.
November 30, 2005... Byline: SHIHOKO GOTO WASHINGTON, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- Freedom to choose what gets fed into a television set piece by piece is not only better for parents of small children, but also for cost-conscious consumers as well, or so the Federal...

India calls for new telecom players.
November 30, 2005... Byline: INDRAJIT BASU CALCUTTA, India, Nov. 30 (UPI) -- In yet another step to woo foreign investors and new players to its burgeoning telecom sector, India has decided to open up the latest mobile rage of 3G services only to new telecom...