Brandon Dimmel

For most consumers, news that the 8GB iPhone will drop an impressive $200, or about 1/3 of its original price, is great for the wallet. It makes bugging Mom, Dad, or the wife much easier as birthdays and Christmas approach. Unfortunately, Apple's ... most loyal fans, those that braved the summer heat waiting in line for the device, are not excited. The iPhone shipped just months ago, leaving many early adopters frustrated with its short-lived $599 price tag. Reports are flooding in that Apple has been slammed with angry customer comments, many demanding a refund for their loyalty when the iPhone' ... (view more)

For many of us in the tech world, security is of absolute importance. We invest in anti-virus and anti-spyware software, use cryptic passwords, and look over our shoulder whenever entering log-in names. Few of us would expect that none of these ... measures could protect us from one foe: the FBI. How many of us support the U.S. government's Patriot Act, a measure instituted by the Bush administration not long after the September 11th attacks? Many simply don't realize what the Patriot Act includes; although Michael Moore touched on it in his controversial documentary Fahrenheit 9/11, the act ... (view more)

Now that the iPhone has been released and has established itself by already grabbing nearly 2% of the handheld market, speculation is turning towards rival corporations interested in developing their own powerful smart phones. And here goes: ... Microsoft is reportedly hinting at releasing its own super-flashy communicator. (Source: toptechnews.com ) Although rumors of a Google phone, or Gphone, have existed for some time, no one has seen the forest through the trees, so to speak. Surprisingly, Microsoft has not been linked with a smart phone, despite its impressive showing in developing video ... (view more)

Bet you never thought Windows Vista was a great deal; however, the new operating system from Microsoft, which ships in its cheapest, non-upgrade form for a substantial $200, is being touted as very economical by the company behind its creation. More ... cost-efficient, in fact, than even XP. (Source: bestbuy.com ) The story is emerging from a recent Microsoft-commissioned study delving into the total cost of using its operating systems on a mobile PC. According to MS, owning Vista in this capacity is a reported $605 cheaper than its older OS, Windows XP. The mobile prices themselves are quite ... (view more)

Who's to blame for illegal file-sharing? Although in the past the immediate response has been to blame the individual physically downloading a movie, album, or video game, that could be changing. The new culprit may just surprise you. In some North ... American cities, a drunk driver isn't the only one fingered for wrong-doing. In many cases, the bar that got the perpetrator drunk is also found guilty of negligence, and can have its liquor license suspended for weeks, even months. Now, that idea is creeping up on the world of technology. Although the Record Industry Association of America, or ... (view more)

Still confused about whether to leap into the next-gen high definition movie market? For those boasting big bucks, LG has a solution with its slightly reduced (but still quite expensive) dual Blu-ray and HD-DVD player. Although appearing to take ... sides by using the moniker "Super Blu Player," LG's device is equally proficient with the Toshiba and Microsoft-supported HD-DVD format. At $1,000, it's also about 16% cheaper than the last Blu-ray and HD-DVD player introduced by the company. (Source: digitalhome.ca ) So, what's the point? For those of us who have watched a movie in HD, the technology ... (view more)

As rumors of a Microsoft-crafted competitor for the iPhone begin to swell, the company is making one of its other hardware experiments a little more attractive. How, you ask? By dropping the price, of course. When it launched during the late fall of ... 2006, the Zune music player was lauded by some critics for its revolutionary WiFi support. Such a feature gave it the power to transfer songs from one party to the next (albeit for a limited time), something very new for the digital media market. Unfortunately, the Zune came up short on its sheer appeal, with consumers less interested in brown, ... (view more)

To those interested in the defense of copyrights, Torrents may be the next target on a judicial hit list. With most file-sharing protocols already tucked away nicely under the "legal" category, sites like Torrentz.com and BT-Mon could come under ... heavier scrutiny in the coming months. That may be especially true for one Torrent site, which was recently busted for linking visitors to illicit pictures of minors. The link remained operational not for a few hours, or a few days, but two full weeks. In a country seeking to rub out illegal file-sharing by making ISPs partially accountable, Swedish ... (view more)

The freedom to journey the web is largely taken for granted here in North America. Unfortunately, that's hardly the case in Asia, where mere images (or videos) are scrutinized for their most basic and even remote meanings. Two stories on this ... reality are emerging right now, and they're both fascinating glimpses of political environments Americans struggle to comprehend. And, despite that rather comforting disconnect, the United States plays a role in both accounts. The first involves (relatively) popular search engine Yahoo Inc, which is facing a lawsuit by imprisoned Chinese political ... (view more)

Most of us in the tech "biz" are familiar with Zango. It's not a loving relationship. One of the most prolific spyware vendors, Zango recently failed to crawl out from underneath federal law that allows security companies to target its software. ... Since a name change from 180solutions to Zango, the adware company has been suing just about anyone in the security market. Proceedings have not gone well. A federal judge recently told Zango that companies like PC Tools and Web Sweeper can identify and target any program they like, including software from 180solutions (or whatever its name may be). ... (view more)