waiting – Page 36

AT&T plans to expand into Mexico by snapping up local carrier for $2.5 billion

AT&T has just revealed a huge expansion plan — one that involves crossing the border into Mexico. Apparently, the company’s in the process of acquiring Mexican carrier Iusacell for $2.5 billion, which includes the amount needed to pay off the latter’s debts. By snapping up this carrier, AT&T’s gaining its network infrastructure, licenses, retail stores, 8.6 million subscribers and its potential to grow further. Iusacell’s network covers 70 percent of the country’s 120 million residents, and Ma Bell hopes it can take advantage of that fact by getting more people to sign up for smartphone plans, now that more and more affordable models are hitting the market. Subscribers will have to make do with 3G connections, though… at least until AT&T decides to expand its LTE service, as well. The deal still has to be approved by Mexico’s telecom regulator (Instituto Federal de Telecomunicaciones) and National Foreign Investments Commission, before it can push through. Plus, Grupo Salinas (the company in talks with AT&T) can’t sell the carrier until it’s done buying the half of Iusacell that it doesn’t own. If all goes according to plan, though, AT&T can close the deal as early as Q1 2015 and boast roughly 400 million subscribers overall from the US and Mexico. Filed under: Cellphones , Mobile , AT&T Comments Source: AT&T

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AT&T plans to expand into Mexico by snapping up local carrier for $2.5 billion

The most streamed single of 2013 only earned its authors $4,000 each

Avicii’s song Wake Me Up has been played more than 168 million times in the last year and a half, making it one of the most streamed songs, ever. You wouldn’t be blamed, therefore, for thinking that co-writer Aloe Blacc has made some serious bank from his labors. Unfortunately, in an editorial for Wired , the songwriter reveals that he’s only received $4, 000 in royalties from Pandora, America’s biggest streaming service. His voice is joining that of other artists like Taylor Swift , who believes that companies like Spotify and Pandora are seriously devaluing the work of songwriters. He also points an accusatory finger at outdated royalty laws that mean that he has no control over the price, or use, of his music so long as a minimum fee is paid – something that he hopes will change in order to enable musicians to make a living doing what so many people love. We’d make a joke about Blacc’s breakthrough record being I Need a Dollar , but it’d probably be in poor taste. Filed under: Misc , Portable Audio/Video Comments Source: Wired

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The most streamed single of 2013 only earned its authors $4,000 each

Silk Road 2.0 was just the first: police seize more Tor-shielded darknet sites

Yesterday’s FBI takeover of Silk Road 2.0 was just the tip of the iceberg apparently, as European law enforcement organizations have announced a “global action” against similar darknet marketplaces. “Operation Onymous” resulted in 17 arrests total, the removal of 410 hidden services that allegedly offered illegal drugs and weapons for sale, as well as the seizure of more than $1 million Bitcoins in, $250, 000 in cash and drugs. Troels Oerting of the European Cybercrime Center told Wired that his staff hadn’t had time to assemble a full list of takedowns, but it includes Cloud 9, Hydra, Pandora, Cannabis Road and more. The Telegraph reports six Britons accused of helping run Silk Road 2.0 are among those arrested, while the BBC has word of two arrested in Ireland. Like both iterations of Silk Road, the sites were using Tor to anonymize access, but were still exposed. Details of how the service was pierced have not been revealed (we have an idea ), but The Wall Street Journal quotes Eurojust spokesman Ulf Bergstrom saying “You’re not anonymous anymore when you’re using Tor.” A Reddit thread charting the darknet takedowns also points out how the FBI was able to identify Blake Benthall, the alleged operator of SR 2.0. According to the complaint ( PDF ) they located and imaged the server that hosted the site, and while that occurred a support request came in asking the hosts not to reboot the machine. Then the FBI obtained logs from Gmail that tied it to Benthall’s IP addresses, as well as a network at a hotel where he was staying. Until the takedown , running the enterprise had its benefits, allowing Benthall to cash out about $273, 626 in Bitcoins, and make a down payment on a Tesla Model S. So what’s next? This round of arrests focused on those running the marketplaces, occurring in Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the USA. According to Oerting, the next step is to go after others, including those who purchased illegal goods from the marketplaces. Filed under: Internet Comments Source: Europol , Eurojust

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Silk Road 2.0 was just the first: police seize more Tor-shielded darknet sites

Lenovo is the new king of the PC and tablet hill

Did you know that Lenovo had planned to become the world’s biggest PC and tablet maker by the end of 2016? It turns out that the company’s achievement was even greater than its ambition, since the milestone has been reached six financial quarters early. In Lenovo’s latest earnings release, the company trumps its new status as king of the PC (and tablet) world, having made a healthy $262 million net profit for the three months between July and September. Some of the highlights include a big upswing in tablet and smartphone sales, as well as a big boost from the enterprise businesses its keeps buying from IBM . At the same time, Lenovo has decided to add Yahoo co-founder (and current Alibaba board member) Jerry Yang to its board, because that’s the sort of thing a company does when it’s making serious bank. Filed under: Lenovo Comments Via: Reuters Source: Lenovo , (2)

New Apple malware can infect your iPhone or Macbook via USB

China and Apple devices still aren’t getting along super well, it turns out. WireLurker’s a malware that’s been attacking Cupertino’s ecosystems in the region for the past six months, and according to c yber-security firm Palo Alto Networks (which discovered it), it’s the biggest that’s delivered via trojan-horse OS X apps. What’s more, it’s the first that can infect iOS applications like a traditional virus, and even auto-generates infected software. Some 467 apps have been infected and downloaded over 350, 000 times, and could have affected “hundreds of thousands” of users. And here’s where the regional issue comes into play: the malware is hosted on Maiyadi, a Chinese, third-party app store. That isn’t the only way for WIreLurker to attack, though — it can gain access to iOS devices via USB as well, and even through a charger it seems. Oh, and you can infect an OS X device by connecting your iPhone or iPad via USB, too. Sounds fun, right? That isn’t the half of it as once your device is compromised, WireLurker will snag your phonebook and read through any iMessages . The malware’s ultimate goal, however, isn’t clear just yet. Palo Alto Networks says to avoid it, don’t connect to any unfamiliar devices (desktop or otherwise) to one another and avoid any strange chargers too. We can’t imagine that Justin Long is super happy about any of this. Filed under: Cellphones , Desktops , Laptops , Mobile , Apple Comments Via: New York Times Source: Palo Alto Network

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New Apple malware can infect your iPhone or Macbook via USB

Launch desktop apps from inside Google Drive

When you’re viewing a list of files on a Mac or PC, right clicking on an item (or group of items) gives you the “Open with” option. Well friends, that same handy shortcut now resides in Google Drive , too. Thanks to a handy Chrome extension , you can fire up Photoshop from Google’s cloud-based repository inside the browser — no need to head elsewhere to get the work session started. Of course, you’ll need to have Chrome installed in order to leverage the add-on. And in case you forgot, you don’t even have to launch Microsoft Office to edit Drive-stored documents and spreadsheets either. Filed under: Internet , Software , Google Comments Source: Google Drive Blog

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Launch desktop apps from inside Google Drive

Tesla delays Model X again, aims for Q3 2015

Tucked into Tesla Motor’s Q3 2014 earnings letter to its shareholders, the automaker announced that its Model X SUV had been delayed once again. First slated to hit the road in 2013, and then pushed to 2014 before another bump to early 2015 , the company’s electric SUV won’t roll off of the assembly line until the second half of next year. Thanks to the new Dual Motor drive on the Model S, the powertrain for the X is said to be nearly done; however, more testing is needed elsewhere. In the letter, CEO Elon Musk admitted that criticism in regards to the varying timelines is valid, but that Tesla won’t trot out the vehicle until it’s ready to properly “delight customers.” “Doing so negatively affects the short term, but positively affects the long term, ” he continued. According to Musk, working out the kinks now will also ensure that the outfit can crank out the Model X quicker than it did the Model S back in 2012. Of course, folks who’ve already shelled out the reservation fee won’t be too happy, I’d imagine. Filed under: Transportation Comments Source: Tesla Motors (PDF)

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Tesla delays Model X again, aims for Q3 2015

ShitExpress will send poop in a box anywhere in exchange for Bitcoins

You can find absolutely anything on the internet, and services that send poop on your behalf to people who’ve incurred your hatred are old news . This new startup called ShitExpress, however, offers something its older rivals can’t: the ability to accept Bitcoins for total anonymity. No credit card means no paper trail. And, if you take great care to make sure you browse the internet anonymously, nobody will find out it’s your doing. For the Bitcoin equivalent of $17, the company will send horse manure (more types will be added in the future, as should be expected from a respected poop delivery service) anywhere in the world for you. That price includes packaging (you can choose to send it in a plain box or disguised as a fancy, expensive gift), shipping, a personalized letter and a message telling the recipient to be a better human being. When Motherboard’s Jason Koebler sent an order to himself, he said the package was marked as a Halloween gag gift to pass customs. But, we’ll bet an official from one of the stricter countries will open one to check it, only to come across a nasty surprise. [Image credit: Kristian Bjornard/Flickr ] Comments Via: Motherboard Source: Shit Express

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ShitExpress will send poop in a box anywhere in exchange for Bitcoins

Microsoft Office will soon tap into your Dropbox

Microsoft would just love it if you used OneDrive for all your document storage needs, but let’s face it: loyalties to rival cloud services run deep. That’s why, in the spirit of compromise (or acknowledging user demand), the folks in Redmond have inked a curious deal with Dropbox . Over the coming weeks, you’ll be able to access your Dropbox files from your Microsoft Office apps, and edit those Office documents from within the Dropbox mobile app. That’s just the tip of the iceberg, too, as Dropbox is working on connecting its website to Microsoft’s Office Online tools and prepping a Dropbox Windows Phone app for a launch within the next few months. It might seem a little odd for Microsoft to so openly embrace an apparent rival, but the company can’t deny the facts. Dropbox currently has over 200 million users dumping their files into accounts all the time, and Microsoft isn’t trying to beat them over their heads with word of OneDrive’s superiority this time. No, it’s meeting people on their cloud-based doorsteps with a terribly useful feature, and it just might win some new fans because of it. Comments Source: Dropbox Blog

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Microsoft Office will soon tap into your Dropbox

SoundCloud inks its first major label deal, eyes streaming service in 2015

After rumors swirled for months regarding SoundCloud’s pending licensing deals with major labels, Warner Music Group is the first to sign on. As part of the agreement, the German audio-streaming site will shell out funds each time one of the labels’ songs are spun. What’s more, it seems the crux of the deal was that SoundCloud would guarantee it’d be launching its own subscription service — which is said to happen during the first half of 2015. The label will get a kickback when parts of its catalog are used in mashups too, but it doesn’t have to open its entire library for access. Warner also nabs a small stake in the site, a stipulation that was reported to be somewhere between 3 and 5 percent back in the summer . Right now, SoundCloud and its apps are free, but pack in ads to bring in revenue from its 175 million monthly users. Artists who upload their work in bulk have to fork over a monthly fee, but that’s for sharing only, as musicians don’t see any money in return. Lastly, it seems that talks with both Universal Music and Sony are on-going, per the Wall Street Journal report. Filed under: Internet , Software Comments Source: Wall Street Journal

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SoundCloud inks its first major label deal, eyes streaming service in 2015

Ken May

Tag: waiting