This Day in Tech: Data leaked from BART police union Web site; Turning toys into medical devices

Too busy to keep up with the tech news? Here are some of the more interesting stories from CNET for Wednesday, August 17.

• It looks like hackers haven't given up on BART. Last week, SF subway officials shut down cell phone service and have since taken the media spotlight as hackers respond to the communication lockdown. Today, data containing full names, passwords, e-mail addresses, and passwords was leaked from the BART Police Officers Association's Web site, making it the second site, affiliated with BART, to be hacked.

• And of course, here's more news on Google's Motorola Mobility acquisition. CNET's Kent German explains: "First off, the deal also leaves Microsoft as the only major smartphone OS developer not to build its own hardware. Secondly, Google also assumes a unique role of building hardware for its OS while letting other manufacturers use it through open source. How that will affect Google's partnerships and Android's rise will be fascinating to watch." Be sure to check out the nifty chart explaining where all the players fit in..

• Apple's Mobile Ad head Andy Miller is leaving the company. CNET's Josh Lowensohn writes: Miller's departure, which was first reported by AllThingsD, comes at a time when the company's advertising efforts are still in their infancy."

• The BlackBerry Bold is being sold for $300. That price tag is way too high, considering other phones sell for $100 or less. These days, consumers have too many options.

• You can now connect your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch to tap into more than 1 million Wi-Fi hotspots around the world. Just use your Skype account to do so.

• What's cooler than turning toys into medical devices for the developing world? A MIT scientist by the name of Jose Gomez-Marquez comes into CNET's headquarters to show off several devices that are made specifically for the developing world.

• Japanese hydrogel R&D is growing plants on thin films instead of soil, to give veggies like tomatoes and cucumbers a clean place to grow as well.

• While Maine and San Francisco introduced the idea of cell phone radiation laws, other states are considering laws that address radiation concerns too.

• Amazon was the most visited retail site in June. While Amazon is dominating the online retail market, Google is going after the couch shopper with its new app called Catalog Search. According to the Wall Street Journal, "Google is not the only player in the tablet catalog business. Gilt Travel, Net-A-Porter and TheFind's Catalogue all offer digitized buying experiences, in some cases, taking better advantage of the tablet medium than Google catalog."