Stories by JR Raphael

Verizon's exclusivity compromise: unimpressive gesture

All hail Verizon, the champion of change -- right? After all, the cellular company has caved into government pressure and agreed to loosen its grip on exclusive rights to sell popular mobile handsets. That's a major step. At least, it might seem that way until you read beyond the headline.

Microsoft: our retail stores will open near Apple's

Microsoft's upcoming retail stores won't just be similar in concept to Apple's -- they'll also be similar in location. Microsoft will open its retail stores near Apple's existing locations, a company spokesperson confirms, possibly even as close as right next door in some instances.

Could bandwidth caps come to mobile phones -- because of porn?

Let's face it: We're a world that loves smut. More than a third of Internet users surf to salacious sites on a semiregular basis, according to some purely academic research cited in a recent Harvard study (PDF). Most of those users hit nearly eight X-rated sites each month -- and, even with a typical visit lasting only 11.6 minutes (insert inappropriate joke here), that can add up to an awful lot of video-based bandwidth.

Facebook following up privacy change with iPhone app

The folks at Facebook don't seem to be taking much downtime this summer. After announcing a revamped approach to user privacy control this week, the Facebook team is now preparing to launch a new and improved Facebook application for the iPhone.

Bing gaining on Google? Not necessarily

Have you heard the news? Microsoft's Bing is taking a bite out of Google, boasting first-month market share gains while the competition's stronghold slips away! At least, that's what some headlines around the Web might lead you to believe this week.

Beyond Firefox 3.5: sneak peek at Mozilla's next browser

Mozilla's Firefox 3.5 is off to a running start. The new browser, boasting significant speed increases and a host of added features, was officially released Tuesday morning. By mid-afternoon, the program had surpassed 1.6 million downloads worldwide and was steadily climbing.

Twitter gains upper hand on latest scam

Sometimes, it seems scams are becoming almost as common as social media experts on Twitter. The latest one, unleashed Monday morning and initially noticed by tech blog Mashable, centers on a fake blog hosted at the domain twittersblogs.com. Tweets containing links to the site circulated rapidly, each featuring the message: "omg!! is it true what they wrote about you in their twit blog?"

Michael Jackson death spurs spam, viruses

Less than 24 hours after Michael Jackson's death, fraudsters are exploiting public interest with their attempts to spread spam and malware. Security researchers say they've observed hundreds of cases of malicious messages masquerading as information about Jackson's death. Some of them, they say, popped up within minutes of the news.

iPhone owners, beware! (of iffy iPhone studies)

BREAKING NEWS: Your Apple iPhone is bound to break! At least, if you believe a new study by an electronics warranty company that, by pure coincidence, happens to be promoting an iPhone warranty plan on its home page right now. Breaking news? Broken news might be more like it, as far as I'm concerned.

Apple's iPhone 3G S dissected: What's the real cost?

Apple's iPhone 3G S is the talk of the tech world this week. While some folks were disappointed a cheaper iPhone didn't debut at this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, the 16GB iPhone 3G S may actually be a better deal than you'd think: The phone, according to a new analysis, costs nearly US$179 to make. It retails for US$199.

Facebook vanity URLs: 10 things you need to know

Ladies and gentlemen, get on your marks: The race to grab your very own Facebook URL is about to begin. Facebook will allow users to register custom usernames for the first time starting at 12:01 a.m. EDT Saturday. The usernames are bound to go fast, and if you aren't prepared, you may end up empty-handed -- or, worse yet, with a number-happy AOL-style name (think "JSmithLOLz313451").

Whoops! iPhone 3G S specs leaked online

Apple's been keeping quiet about the specs of its new iPhone 3G S, the next-generation device unveiled at Monday's Worldwide Developers Conference. We know all about the iPhone's and operating system enhancements, sure, but what's going on under the hood has remained a mystery -- at least, until now.

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