Internet

The world's most popular Internet browser, its nearest challenger, and the 'new kid on the block' have all launched recently, or are in the process of launching new editions. Here's our guide to the latest offerings from Microsoft, Mozilla, and ... Google. Microsoft Internet Explorer 8 Internet Explorer 8, the latest edition of Microsoft's browser, is currently in its second test edition, with the final version expected later this year. New features include improved security scanning, smarter search suggestions and a built-in function for viewing pages designed for earlier browsers that aren't ... (view more)

A new start-up is not only looking to enter the broadband market, but hoping to shake up the status quo with an agenda that liberates consumers once and for all: free broadband for the masses! If free broadband is to become a reality, M2Z will have ... to win a major portion of the wireless airwaves (known as advances wireless services 3, or AWS-3) which is up for auction next year by the Federal Communications Commission. While the small company remains optimistic, winning the auction will not be easy. The wireless spectrum is expected to sell for $50 million. The price alone will not scare M2Z ... (view more)

Google recently unveiled a brand new web browser that may very well revolutionize your Internet experience. Called 'Chrome', Google claims it presents a fresh approach to web browsing: "In the early days of the Internet, web pages were frequently ... little more than text...But today the web has evolved into a powerful platform that enables users to collaborate with friends and colleagues through email and other web applications, edit documents, watch videos, listen to music, manage finances and much more. Google Chrome was built for today's web and for the applications of tomorrow." (Source: ... (view more)

The battle lines have now been drawn clearly. Wide-open Internet usage could easily, and soon, become a thing of the past. On October 1, one of the nation's largest Internet providers will implement a new bandwidth limit policy for its residential ... customers. According to reports, by this time next month Comcast will introduce a 250 gigabyte-per-month limit. (Source: nytimes.com ) The Comcast move follows a recent dispute about its 'throttling' policy where the company limited bandwidth for customers using the BitTorrent file-sharing program. On August 1, the Federal Communications Commission ... (view more)

Those wanting to see a glimpse of the future need only look to the upcoming Internationale Funkausstellung in Berlin, the largest consumer electronics convention in Europe. Here, some of the biggest electronic companies in the world are set to ... showcase their latest products, with the main focus of the convention centered on wireless interconnectivity in the home. Manufacturers are closer than ever to releasing technology that allows televisions, stereos, computers and even kitchen appliances to communicate with one another wirelessly and automatically over the Internet. Among the new gadgets ... (view more)

In the Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto, a new breed of hacker-investigators monitoring how traffic is routed through countries where web sites are blocked and why it is happening are reportedly conducting digital espionage --- turning their ... attention to a new weapon of international warfare: cyber attacks. "Hacktivists," led by Ronald J. Deibert, director of Citizen Lab, referred to as the "NSA of operations," set out to help residents in countries that censor online content, but have ended up tracking wars. Citizen Lab researchers created a software tool called Psiphon that helps ... (view more)

The promise of unlimited high-speed Internet access could become a thing of the past with more and more carriers putting limits on monthly downloads. The issue has become a hot one since Time Warner began a trial scheme in Texas limiting users to ... 5GB of downloads a month, charging penalty fees for any extra use. It's looking as if rival firms may feel they can get away with similar tactics. One firm, Frontier, is already planning to mirror the 5GB limit next year. What makes that particularly concerning for customers is that in Rochester, Frontier's biggest market, the main alternative is ... (view more)

Aiming to put a much stronger emphasis on traditional fixed-price retailing, eBay is making dramatic changes to its fee structure. Analysts say it's a move to compete with Amazon, though the company insists it's not abandoning the auction model. The ... main changes include a reduction in listing fees for flat-rate goods to 35 cents per item: previously this had cost as much as $4, depending on the value of the product. This fee now covers multiple identical items, whereas previously sellers had to pay extra to list multiple quantities. In addition, fixed-price listings now last for a month ... (view more)

Innovative online music site Pandora appears to be on the brink of shutting its doors after failing to find a solution to increased royalty costs. The site's appeal, a 'personalised radio station' service by which users could list some of their ... favourite songs and performers, may no longer be marketable after recent demands the site pay more cash for the music it uses. How does Pandora work? Users rate songs and the Pandora system (looking at more than 400 attributes including tone, pitch, style, speed, instruments used and so on) would then play similar styles of music. The technology was ... (view more)

Rhode Island has the fastest broadband speeds in the United States, but overall the country continues to lag far behind the likes of Japan. The figures come from a study by the Communication Workers America, which is campaigning for faster access ... nationwide. Rhode Island had a median speed of 6.8MBps, narrowly pipping Delaware (6.7), with New Jersey (5.8), Virginia (5.0) and Massachusetts (4.6) rounding out the top five. Alaska was the slowest at 0.8MBps, just below North Dakota (1.16) and Montana (1.32). Wyoming and Idaho also ranked in the bottom five meaning that, aside from Virginia, ... (view more)