The problem started Nov. 9 when AVG released a virus signature update that misidentified the user32.dll file, a core Windows XP file, as a Trojan.
(author unknown)

While there are some doctors who are pushing to make internet addiction an official disorder, most folks recognize that internet addiction has been shown not to be a clinical addiction, but rather a sign of problems elsewhere (depression, family problems, etc.). However, over in China, where folks have been treating internet addiction with shock therapy for years, it appears that the government is getting set to officially recognizes internet addiction as a disorder. However, the definition is raising some eyebrows, as apparently it's based on some "research" that says someone who spends more than six hours a day online is an addict.

Of course, it's worth pointing out that the Chinese doctor who set the definition that the government is expected to approve just so happens to have built China's very first internet addiction center. In other words, he stands to personally benefit quite a lot by having internet addiction made official, as it will drive "business" to his treatment center. It's difficult to see how you can claim that an addiction is based solely on the amount of time one spends online as well, considering that plenty of people have to spend that much time (or more) online for work, and others spend much more time online but don't have it negatively impact other areas of their life. Once again, this seems like an attempt to call something an addiction just because it helps get some doctors business, rather than a real attempt to look at the underlying issues of said "addicts."

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Michael Masnick

The bare-bones voice and video-conferencing service is no Skype, but it's simple to install and use, and is a very good addition to Gmail.(author unknown)

A false positive tags a Windows system file as malware, leaving some versions of Windows XP unable to reboot.(author unknown)

Filed under: Cellphones

For those who stick to one coast or the other, you may have never even heard of Centennial Communications. Not to worry, though, as AT&T just made said company entirely more relevant. Shortly before heading out of the office on Friday, AT&T decided it fitting to acquire Centennial for a few bucks shy of a billion, or $944 million for those seeking precision. The transaction will beef up AT&T's coverage for customers in rural areas of the Midwest and Southeast United States, not to mention in Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands. As always, the acquisition must first pass regulatory approval, the approval of Centennial's stockholders and "other customary closing conditions" before the little guy's 1.1 million subscribers officially make the shift, but we certainly don't expect that to be an issue.

[Via The New York Times, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

AT&T picks up Centennial Communications for $944 million originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 08 Nov 2008 05:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darren Murph

The U.S. government has recently been given full permission to check the contents of laptops and mobile devices belonging to travelers passing into the United States at border control checkpoints. Enterprises with international travelers should take immediate steps to safeguard the sensitive corporate data that exists on their executives' laptops and mobile devices. Knowledge Center contributor Jack E. Gold explains the steps you must take to ensure that your company's mission-critical data is protected from prying eyes.
- On April 21, 2008, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals essentially gave the U.S. government carte blanche permission to check any and every piece of data on laptops belonging to travelers passing into the United States at border control checkpoints. In its decision, the court stated that ...

(author unknown)

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless

We thought we'd heard the last of this whole AT&T / Starbucks WiFi deal yesterday, but alas, we were terrifically mistaken. AT&T has come forth today with two fluffy press releases that flesh out the details, and amazingly, there are some inclusions that we weren't made aware of yesterday. For starters, all iPhone / iPhone 3G customers will now have free (and seemingly limitless) access to AT&T WiFi hotspots across the US -- we're talking Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, the whole lot. Additionally, the carrier has welcomed select BlackBerry users -- that's the Bold for now, the Pearl 8120 / 8820 "later this year" -- into the same deal, though the official verbiage mentions that an "unlimited data plan" is required. If you didn't make the cut this time, fret not -- AT&T has plans to invite "more mobile devices" into the fold here shortly.

Read - Free AT&T WiFi on iPhone / iPhone 3G
Read - Free AT&T WiFi on BlackBerry

AT&T officially delivers free WiFi to BlackBerry / iPhone users originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Oct 2008 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darren Murph

Netflix and TiVo announce a deal to further deliver on Netflix's goal to offer Netflix's Web streaming service directly to televisions through many devices. TiVo, maker of the popular digital video recorder, and Netflix are initiating a test of the new capability in several thousand U.S. households and expect it will be broadly available in early December. Netflix's Watch Instantly Web streaming service, with a library of more than 12,000 movies and TV episodes, is offered free to its more than 8 million subscribers.
- LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Netflix Inc. said on Wednesday it reached a deal with TiVo Inc. to further deliver on its goal of offering Netflix's Web streaming service directly to televisions through many devices. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it calls for Netflix to provide subscriber...

(author unknown)

Google continued its momentum in tailoring its applications for Apple's iPhone with the adaptation of its Google Earth application for the iPhone and Apple's iPod Touch. Google Earth, used by consumers and businesses that require geographical visualization, maps the Earth via the superimposition of images from satellites and aerial photography. One wonders when Google Earth for the G1 will be available. In the meantime, check out these Google Earth pictures rendered via the iPhone.
- ...

(author unknown)

Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

Been waiting patiently for the next-generation Kindle(s) to hit the market? Growing increasingly frustrated with the wait? Thanks to the Amazon e-reader becoming Oprah Winfrey's "new favorite, favorite thing in the world (can't you see the jubilation on her face?)," you might just have to finally pull the trigger on the existing iteration. As a special offer for Oprah Show viewers (and by extension, everyone who reads this post), Amazon.com is now offering $50 off of the Kindle's $359 price tag by simply entering the code OPRAHWINFREY at checkout and envisioning Tom Cruise leaping on your computer desk. Better act fast, though -- the offer's only good through November 1st, and yes, that Tom Cruise bit is required.

[Thanks, Chad]

Oprah calls Kindle "her new favorite thing," gives everyone $50 off originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Oct 2008 18:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Darren Murph

In a not quite unprecedented move, Microsoft on Wednesday will release a critical security patch outside of its normal monthly schedule. This isn't the first time Microsoft has done this--the last time was in April 2007--but it is an unusual step for the(author unknown)

A browser's built-in password database makes it easy to log in to personal or secure sites you visit frequently without having to type in your password each time. But if you use more than one computer (say, one at home and another at work), then you have to enter in your password at least once on each machine. No current browser that I know of lets you synchronize your preferences, like passwords and bookmarks, across multiple installations of their product. Correction: Opera and Maxthon have this feature, according to commenters on this blog.

But there are solutions, and they're getting better. Foxmarks, which has been out for a while with a tool to synchronizes bookmarks across browser installations, on Tuesday took its password sync feature out of beta. The product is a Firefox add-in that works seamlessly and behind the scenes. In its default configuration, every time you exit your Firefox browser, it sends updates of your bookmarks and passwords to a server. When you launch a session, it reads them in. Your database of passwords is protected by a PIN (another password) that it appears Foxmarks has no backdoor to, which is good.

My kind of utility: Set it and forget it.

In use, Foxmarks is completely invisible to the user, which puts it a little ahead of alternate solutions like the Web-based password keeper Passpack, or the software app like Roboform, which uses a database that can be synchronized across multiple machines. On the other hand, Passpack works on any browser, and Roboform supports both Firefox and Internet Explorer. Foxmarks is just for Mozilla browsers like Firefox.

Eventually, browsers will support centralized databases of user preferences and passwords--Microsoft, Mozilla, and Google execs have all told me they're working on this for the future. In the meantime, if you hate having to manage passwords across multiple computers, Foxmarks has a new solution worth looking at.

Rafe Needleman

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

We're going down our "things that absolutely must change on the iPhone" list, and yeah, "redo the Safari toolbar" isn't anywhere on there. Not even at the very bottom. Cupertino works in mysterious ways, though, and they've decided in firmware 2.2 that it's time to muck with the positioning of the text boxes so that the address bar and search bar both appear at all times without needing to first tap in the area. They've also moved the refresh button inside the address bar itself, which should truly revolutionize our browsing experience yet again. Apple, screw copy / paste -- we're officially stoked.

[Via Wired, thanks Konstantin]Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Chris Ziegler