E-Commerce News: Communications

Dish Network DVR Features Get Stay of Execution

Thursday - July 2, 2009

The final day of reckoning in the four-year battle between TiVo and EchoStar has been pushed out a little further. Late Wednesday evening, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted EchoStar's request to stay a contempt order imposed by the U.S. District Court the day before, until its appeal can be heard. The two companies have been locked in a dispute over allegations that EchoStar, through its Dish Network, infringed on TiVo's pause, rewind and live record patents. In 2006, TiVo's assertion of that claim was upheld. [More...]

Huge Communications Sat to Service Cellular Dead Zones

Thursday - July 2, 2009

The world's largest commercial satellite was launched into space Wednesday, with a mission to provide phone service to cellular "dead zones" in North America. The satellite, owned by TerreStar of Reston, Va., blasted off from Kourou in the South American territory of French Guiana shortly before 2 p.m. Eastern time, carried through pink clouds. [More...]

Joost Feels the Squeeze

Wednesday - July 1, 2009

Just three years after launching in a fanfare of publicity, Joost, which provides professionally made TV on the Web, is shifting directions. It will now provide white label online video platforms to media companies and distributors. Joost is closing down its offices in the Netherlands, retaining offices in the U.S. and the UK. [More...]

On the Road to 4G

Wednesday - July 1, 2009

Though most major U.S. wireless carriers today tout the ubiquity of their third-generation, or 3G, wireless networks, they are simultaneously planning for the future, pushing the development of fourth-generation networks that they hope we'll all be using in a matter of years. [More...]

YouTube Opens Digital J-School for Amateur Reporters

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

How do you conduct a great interview? For Katie Couric, it all starts with being a gracious host. "I think the more comfortable you make someone feel, the better interview you'll get," she says. "I know in terms of body language I always try to be very warm and welcoming. It's really critical to put someone at ease." [More...]

Pirate Bay Decides to Join the Navy

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

He may still have an eye patch, a peg leg and a funny hat, but is a pirate still a pirate if he writes you a check before plundering your ship? How long would Robin Hood keep his band of merry men intact if they took from the rich -- and charged the poor a redistribution fee for access to those riches? [More...]

You, Palm Pre, Are No iPhone

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

Palm's new smartphone, the Pre, is off to a rolling good start and has plenty of room to grow, but it isn't likely to emerge as a solo iPhone killer, said ABI Research analyst Michael Morgan. His assessment comes amid widely reported news accounts of a note from Charter Equity Research estimating sales of the Pre approaching 400,000 in the month since it launched on the Sprint network. [More...]

Cablevision Scores Win for DVR in the Sky

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

Cable TV operators won a key legal battle against Hollywood studios and television networks on Monday as the Supreme Court declined to block a new digital video recording system that could make it even easier for viewers to bypass commercials. The justices declined to hear arguments on whether Cablevision Systems' remote-storage DVR system would violate copyright laws. [More...]

Wikipedia and the Kidnapped Reporter: Censor or Savior?

Tuesday - June 30, 2009

For seven months, New York Times reporter David Rohde was held by Taliban kidnappers. During his captivity, both his newspaper and Wikipedia kept quiet about his plight. Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales reportedly agreed to a request from The New York Times to delete all references to the kidnapping on Rohde's Wikipedia entry. [More...]

Will PlayStation Play the Cellphone Game?

Monday - June 29, 2009

If you're working your thumbs into a carpal-tunnel frenzy on your Sony PlayStation Portable, navigating the blood and gore of the company's successful gaming franchise "God of War," do you really want to interrupt the mayhem to take a phone call from Mom? Sony may soon get an answer to that question. [More...]

EC Leads Universal Phone Charger Charge

Monday - June 29, 2009

European consumers will be able to cut a few cords from their lives as early as next year, when smartphone manufacturers are expected to begin providing standardized chargers under an agreement announced Monday with the European Commission. The GSM Association announced an agreement in February to implement a worldwide uniform standard for chargers by 2012. [More...]

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