Industry news

Net neutrality rules kick in November 20

The Federal Communications Commission's Net neutrality rules will be published in the Federal Register tomorrow and go into effect--barring legal challenges--November 20, according to a report.

The commission made its announcement about the dates today, PCMag.com reported. On September 12, the White House's Office of Management and Budget signed off on the rules, which meant the next step was publication in the Register.

The Federal Register is the official daily publication for rules, proposed rules, and notices of Federal agencies and organizations. Among other things, it gives citizens access to new regulations so they can examine their … Read more

Alcatel-Lucent shrinks cell tower technology

Telecommunications infrastructure maker Alcatel-Lucent announced this week new technology that will help wireless carriers expand their networks to keep up with the explosive growth in mobile data.

The company announced this week a new compact cell phone antenna system called lightRadio, which incorporates radio technology and base station technology in a single box. The entire system, which can fit on a lamp post, is a fraction of the size of today's cellular equipment. Current cellular networks require massive and power-hungry cell phone towers that house the antennas with a separate base station at the bottom of those towers that … Read more

Gawker shakes up blog format, sales department

Web publisher Gawker Media plans to drastically change the way users interact with its network of sites with a redesign launching next year that lets users jump through stories and interactive advertising akin to using an RSS reader.

The new design was unveiled earlier today by Gawker founder Nick Denton as being the "most significant change in the Gawker model since the launch of Gizmodo and Gawker in 2002," and something that "represents some convergence of blog, magazine and television."

What that means to end users is that they'll be able to cycle through news … Read more

Kim Kardashian dominates Bing searches in 2010

Microsoft has released a list of the most popular overall searches on Bing during 2010 and, as usual, topping it are celebrities, including Kim Kardashian who nabbed the top spot in overall search and was the most popular person in the people category. That's a stark contrast to 2009's list, where Twitter, swine flu, the stock market, and cash for clunkers grabbed some of the top spots.

Here's the full rundown:

Most popular overall 2010 searches on Bing: 1. Kim Kardashian 2. Sandra Bullock 3. Tiger Woods 4. Lady Gaga 5. Barack Obama 6. Hairstyles 7. Kate … Read more

Report: 40,000 Windows Phone 7 devices sold

Microsoft's new smartphone platform is off to what could be considered a slower start than expected in North America. That's according to The Street, which has released a report saying that the company sold some 40,000 units on its first day on the market.

That number does not come from Microsoft, which has not yet released sales numbers and refused to comment to both The Street and CNET, but rather a source in a market research firm.

Windows Phone 7, which is the follow-up to Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 platform, hit shelves in the U.… Read more

Microsoft to fast-track private clouds

Microsoft today announced several enhancements to its Windows Server platform, aimed at giving IT buyers hardware and software configurations ready for use as part of a private cloud.

The new platform additions, which were announced as part of Microsoft's annual TechEd event going on this week, are dubbed Hyper-V Cloud. This is essentially a blueprint for the software and hardware configurations that Microsoft's customers and partners can use to get a private cloud set up quickly and without changing hardware buying habits.

These configurations are highlighted in a new program called Hyper-V Cloud Fast Track, which sets each … Read more

Windows Phone 7 app submissions open to all

What, you say--there are already some 1,400 applications available on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Marketplace? Well, yes there are. But up until now, not just anyone who wanted to put their app up for sale or free download could submit.

That's no longer the case, as Microsoft has opened up the app submission process for any developer who has registered to publish apps on the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace.

The last-minute opening might see a little odd to outsiders considering Windows Phone 7 hardware is set to launch on Monday of next week in North America, and … Read more

Kinect's launch day bumps and triumphs

Note: This story was updated on Friday 11/5 with additional information added to the facial recognition feature item, as well as a clarification to the use of the Kinect unit with the older and newer Xbox 360 hardware configurations.

Microsoft's Kinect motion-camera accessory for the Xbox 360 has been out less than a day here in the U.S., and reports both good and bad continue to trickle in.

If you want to know what CNET thought of it, you can head over to our full review of the device. Below are some things, both positive and negative, that have cropped up in the peripheral's short existence on the market.

The good 1. You can still find one. Online retailers appear to have stock aplenty. In late October, that wasn't the case, with Amazon and Best Buy putting a halt on pre-orders of the peripheral. A look around all the big online retailers today shows it in stock and ready to ship out within 24 hours in most places. That may not be the case as we get closer to the holidays and shortly after the international releases in Europe, Japan, and Australia later this month, but it's certainly off to a better start than the Xbox 360 itself.… Read more

Tablets eating Netbooks? A Microsoft GM says yes

Is the spread of tablet computers eating into the Netbook business? In an interview this week with Seattlepi.com, Microsoft general manager for Windows product management Gavriella Schuster said that, yes, that is "definitely" the case.

How much that has cut into Microsoft's Windows licensing may be the bigger question.

The topic had come up during the interview where Schuster had a Netbook in front of her. When asked whether such a device was being threatened by tablets--many of which are being launched in the course of the next year, Schuster said "these are definitely getting … Read more

Windows Phone 7 has an app kill switch, too

Updated at 2:12 p.m. PT, with additional comment from Microsoft.

Microsoft has joined the ranks of Apple and Google in placing what, to some, is considered a controversial security measure into its mobile application platform.

Built into Windows Phone 7, and the apps made available through the included marketplace application, is a layer of security that lets Microsoft disable or remove entirely an application from a user's device. The safety feature, it turns out, was also included in Windows 6.5 through the Windows Marketplace for Mobile.

According to a PC Pro interview with Todd Biggs, Microsoft'… Read more