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Newspapers could learn from Psystar brouhaha

We're in day five of the tech community's obsession with Psystar, that odd little company in Miami that claims to be selling Apple-like computers. There are still plenty of questions about Psystar. Shoot, we still don't even know for certain if Psystar is legitimate.

But there's one thing we know for sure: Citizen journalism has played a major role in ferreting out the Psystar story. And with that involvement, we're getting a better understanding of how mainstream newspapers can work with folks who aren't trying to make a living off gathering the news but … Read more

EIC Squared: Soaring Google, Psystar mysteries, and Microsoft's Albany

In this week's EIC Squared podcast Larry Dignan and I discuss Google's uplifting quarter, the mysterious Mac clone, and Microsoft's hybrid software strategy.

Google made the market move, with a stellar quarter, which should give Microsoft even more incentive to bring Yahoo into its camp. With quarterly earnings season in full swing, Larry notes that international sales and a weak dollar are helping out U.S. technology companies.

The Mac clone from Florida-based Psystar continues to be shrouded in mystery. The site has been down and the company isn't processing orders, but it says it will … Read more

PayPal considers blocking browsers

PayPal is seriously considering blocking some browsers from accessing its site, according to a paper (PDF) available to shareholders.

Titled "A Practical Approach to Managing Phishing," the paper admits that there's no one silver bullet to prevent fraudsters from making money on the Internet. However, authors Michael Barrett, PayPal's chief information security officer, and Dan Levy, the company's senior director of risk management for Europe, say companies could and should start addressing five specific areas:

Prevent fraudulent e-mail from getting into users' in-boxes

Prevent phishing sites by shutting them down

Authenticate users so that stolen … Read more

iPhones being sold at loss in Europe?

Steep price cuts to the iPhone in Europe are a sign that carriers overestimated demand for Apple's first smartphone, according to a report.

O2, the iPhone's U.K. carrier, and T-Mobile, its German carrier, both cut the price of the iPhone by a significant margin this week, in a move seen by many as a prelude to the debut of a 3G iPhone within the next couple of months.

Before the 3G iPhone arrives, carriers will need to clear their shelves of the current EDGE model, which will look pedestrian next to the faster model. An O2 representative … Read more

Psystar still down as Powerpay explains its decision

Psystar's store remained down on Friday, as its former payment-processing company expanded its explanation of why it pulled its services from the computer maker's site.

Anyone who might have wanted to order an Open Computer last night or today has been stymied by the second interruption in Psystar's online store.

The first interruption, on Wednesday, was caused when Powerpay pulled its services after Psystar violated the terms of its agreement, as reported by CNET News.com.

My colleague Richard Koman, at ZDNet, obtained a statement from Powerpay's CEO, explaining the reasons why his company pulled Psystar'… Read more

Buzz Out Loud 706: 'U can't haz Internet,' sez AT&T

AT&T threatens that the Internet is going to run out by 2010, and apparently, it's because everyone's watching Gossip Girl online. Luckily, The CW has caught on to the danger and is pulling Gossip Girl offline so the hordes won't keep watching it on their Web site. Because that would be just plain dangerous. Also, Microsoft, Nintendo, and Sony are all number one! Just ask them! Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 706

PayPal plans to ban unsafe browsers http://www.eweek.com/index2.php?option=content&task=view& amp;id=47667&pop=1&hide_ads=1&page=0&hide_js=1… Read more

Big Apple schools refuse Macs over Wi-Fi flaw

The New York City school system has refused to accept any more iMac shipments until Apple fixes a Wi-Fi flaw, according to a report.

MacNN is reporting that the city's Department of Education has instructed Dell Managed Services, which is apparently the DOE's IT partner, to stop all iMac shipments until Apple fixes a Wi-Fi connectivity issue. The exact nature of the issue wasn't explained in MacNN's report, which cited an e-mail from Apple to school faculty apologizing for the problems.

It's unclear how long this problem has been going on, but AppleInsider reported that … Read more

After complaints, Apple tweaks Software Update for Safari

Following a storm of criticism, Apple has changed its Software Update software to mark a distinction between new programs, such as its Safari on Windows browser, and updates to existing ones.

Last month, Apple started to include Safari 3.1 in a list of applications available from its Software Update program.

That practice got many people riled up, complaining that Apple was essentially deceiving people into installing a new program--Safari 3.1 for Windows XP--through a program meant to update already installed applications, namely iTunes and QuickTime.

Among those complaining was John Lilly, the CEO of Mozilla which makes the … Read more

Psystar Web store goes down again

Mac clone maker Psystar's Web store went down again on Thursday evening, the second time in as many days that the company has experienced an interruption in service.

"We're sorry but the store is temporarily down," Psystar said in the Store section of its Web site late Thursday. The company has been selling computers preinstalled with Mac OS X Leopard through that store, in violation of Apple's licensing policies for Mac OS X.

Psystar's site went down Wednesday after Powerpay, a payment-processing company, pulled its services from Psystar after the company violated the terms … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 705: Why court the pwnage?

In the news today, Safari saves your bacon with a hole-patching update, and NASA says it's better at math than teenagers (which we fervently hope is true). Yahoo and Google get closer to a deal, which we fervently hope is just going to happen, already, so we can quit speculating, and we're planning our summer road trip to Pittsburgh. Listen now: Download today's podcast EPISODE 705

NASA statement on student asteroid calculations http://www.nasa.gov/home/hqnews/2008/apr/ HQ_08103_student_asteroid_calculations.html

Yahoo-Google deal advances http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9920997-7.html http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120839839184321833.html… Read more