TheState.com: Technology

New Samsung phone to face stronger competition

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:23 EDT

Samsung Electronics is taking to the Big Apple to reveal its next big challenge to Apple Inc.: a successor to its top-selling Galaxy S III smartphone.

The Korean company has rented New York's Radio City Music Hall for an event Thursday evening. The company has hinted that it will reveal the Galaxy S IV phone. Judging by the announcement of the S III in last May, this means the new phone will be available in stores in a month or two.

It's not known what the new phone will look like or how it will differ from its predecessor, but there's speculation that Samsung will once again increase the screen size. Every successive generation of the Galaxy line has been bigger than the one before, and the S III sports a screen that measures 4.8 inches on the diagonal, substantially larger than the iPhone 5's 4-inch screen.

In the last two years, Samsung has emerged as Apple's main competitor in the high-end smartphone market. At the same time, it has sold enough inexpensive low-end phones to edge out Nokia Corp. as the world's largest maker of phones.

The Galaxy line has Samsung's chief weapon in the fight, and it has succeeded in making it a recognizable brand while competitors like Taiwan's HTC Corp. and Korean rival LG have stumbled. Samsung has sold 100 million Galaxy S phones since they first came out in 2010. That's still well below the 268 million iPhones Apple has sold in the same period, but Samsung's sales rate is catching up.

Researchers find German-made spyware across globe

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:23 EDT

A research center says it has uncovered a group of servers linked to a powerful piece of espionage software, mapping a spy program's spread across the globe.

Gamma International's FinFisher spy software would allow law enforcement agencies to browse their target's emails or eavesdrop on their Skype calls. The company says it is a lawful surveillance tool but it's decried by some activists as an instrument of repression.

Researchers at Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs, have now tied FinFisher to servers in 25 different countries, including the U.S., Canada, and authoritarian regimes such as Ethiopia and Vietnam.

They warned of the spyware's "unchecked global proliferation."

U.K.-based Gamma referred questions to FinFisher's German developer, Martin Munch. Munch did not immediately return emails.

Steve Alexander: She can't send e-mail but still receives it

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 10:18 EDT

QUESTION: In early February, our Comcast service went out, affecting our TV, phone and computer connections for about five minutes. Since then I can't send emails from Windows Live Mail. However, I can still receive e-mails, and have no other Internet connectivity problems. What do you suggest?

-Barb Lohmann, Plymouth, Minn.

ANSWER: It sounds as if your computer isn't connected to Comcast's outgoing email server. This could have been caused by the service outage, some unrelated PC configuration issue or by changes Comcast has made in the way it handles email.

If the service outage disrupted your connection to Comcast's outgoing email server (called the SMTP, or Simple Mail Transfer Protocol server), you may have to call Comcast's help desk to get it reconnected.

But try a couple of other things first. Sometimes PC configuration issues, such as your computer having the wrong date and time settings, can interrupt Windows Live Mail. For a list of common configuration problems, see Microsoft's forums at http://tinyurl.com/a5anlyl.

Report: More youth use smartphones as route to Web

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 12:24 EDT

Keep computers in a common area so you can monitor what your kids are doing. It's a longstanding directive for online safety - but one that's quickly becoming moot as more young people have mobile devices, often with Internet access.

A new report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project finds that 78 percent of young people, ages 12 to 17, now have cellphones. Nearly half of those are smartphones, a share that's increasing steadily - and that's having a big effect on how, and where, many young people are accessing the Web.

The survey, released Wednesday, finds that one in four young people say they are "cell-mostly" Internet users, a percentage that increases to about half when the phone is a smartphone.

In comparison, just 15 percent of adults said they access the Internet mostly by cellphone.

"It's just part of life now," says Donald Conkey, a high school sophomore in Wilmette, Ill., just north of Chicago, who is among the many teens who have smartphones. "Everyone's about the same now when it comes to their phones - they're on them a lot."

Officials: Calif. pair made $4M from stolen phones

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:45 EDT

A California couple were arraigned Tuesday on charges they collected hundreds of stolen smartphones from across the nation, then sold them in Hong Kong for as much as $2,000 each.

Shou Lin Wen, 39, and his wife, Yuting Tan, 27, made nearly $4 million from the scheme in just eight months, the state attorney general said.

Prosecutors say the couple and unnamed co-conspirators recruited people from homeless shelters as far away as North Carolina to sign up for multiyear service contracts that let them buy multiple smartphones at a discount. The charges allege the buyers had no intention of paying the service contracts and were paid a small fee for their help.

Prosecutors say middlemen, who have not been charged, shipped the phones to the Sacramento couple.

They were arraigned in Sacramento County Superior Court on eight felony counts of money laundering, grand theft, possession of stolen property and conspiracy. They remained jailed with bail set at $1 million each.

Dell rejects request for info leading to buyout

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:18 EDT

Dell has rejected a request from a shareholder rights group seeking to review the internal information that led to a proposed $24.4 billion sale of the struggling personal computer maker.

In a letter Tuesday, a Dell lawyer told the Shareholder Forum that it hadn't met the legal standard needed to gain access to confidential assessments that swayed the decision-making process of the company's board.

The Shareholder Forum, acting on behalf of an unidentified Dell shareholder, is trying to determine if the Round Rock, Texas, company is worth more than the $13.65 per share being offered by its CEO Michael Dell and a group of investors led by Silver Lake.

Gary Lutin, a former investment banker who runs the Shareholder Forum, said he plans to send another letter Wednesday to Dell Inc. in an attempt to clear up any confusion over the legal issues governing the effort to shine more light on the sale negotiations.

In a statement, Dell said extensive details about the deliberations leading up to the sales agreement will be included in regulatory documents that will be filed by the end of this month.

Google paying bonuses totaling $15M to 4 top execs

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:32 EDT

Google is paying nearly $15 million in bonuses to four of the Internet search company's top executives for their performances last year.

Documents filed Tuesday disclosed Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt will get the biggest award at $6 million to supplement his estimated fortune of $8 billion.

Schmidt served as Google Inc.'s CEO for a decade until he turned over the job to company co-founder Larry Page nearly two years ago. Most of Schmidt's wealth is tied up in Google's stock. To diversify his portfolio during the next year, Schmidt is planning to sell up to 3.2 million Google shares currently worth $2.6 billion.

Neither Page nor fellow co-founder Sergey Brin will get a bonus for their work. They have usually settled for a $1 salary since Google went public in 2004. It's a sacrifice that the duo can afford to make, given that Page and Brin are each worth $23 billion.

Google is also paying a $3.3 million bonus to its top lawyer, David Drummond. Patrick Pichette, Google's chief financial officer, and Nikesh Arora, the company's chief business officer, are each getting bonuses of $2.8 million.

Disney bringing back Mickey Mouse in 2-D shorts

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 19:11 EDT

Mickey Mouse cartoons are coming back to the small screen as Disney attempts to revive one of the world's most popular characters.

The 19 2-D episodes will debut June 28 on the Disney Channel as well as online at Disney.com and the Watch Disney Channel app.

In a preview on Disney.com, Mickey and Minnie are working at a Paris cafe when they face a shortage of croissants. In the 3-minute, 30-second cartoon, Mickey goes on an adventurous trip through the city to fulfill their orders. The characters in the film speak French and there are no subtitles, although they're not really necessary to follow the action.

Walt Disney Co.'s CEO Bob Iger told CNBC on Tuesday that the shorts harken back to the days of founder Walt Disney, highlighting Mickey's playful qualities.

"Over time we thought that maybe Mickey lost some of those impish or innocent qualities, that vitality that people once saw in him. So we decided to bring him back," Iger said.

Viral videos stoke celebrities' images

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:19 EDT

Mila Kunis' stardom went up a notch last week, and you would think it's because she stars in the biggest movie of the year so far.

But "Oz the Great and Powerful," which debuted with $79.1 million at the box office, had little to do with the sudden rush of adulation that engulfed Kunis. Instead, it was a seven-minute viral video that's been watched more than 10 million times and blogged about the world over.

The "Great and Powerful" isn't Oz, but the Internet, which can burnish a star's image just as it can destroy it.

The video, you've surely seen by now, is from a press junket interview for "Oz" with a young BBC radio personality, Chris Stark. Stark begins by announcing he's "petrified" at doing such an interview for the first time. But he's obviously quite comfortable as his own version of Hugh Grant, charmingly peppering Kunis with questions about pub drinking, his local soccer club in Watford and a theoretical day out together. He expects to earn "massive lad points," he says.

Kunis is exceptionally winning: She happily goes along, eager for a break from a day of monotonous TV interviews promoting the film. When Stark moves to return to more normal questions, she protests: "Why? This is such a better conversation."

Leap jumps to capture next step in motion control

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 23:34 EDT

In a bustling tent set up in a parking lot here at the South By Southwest Interactive Festival, people are pointing their hands and gesturing with chopsticks as they guide various actions on a dozen computer screens.

Some of the sharpest minds in technology have gathered in Austin, Texas, to ponder the ever-connected nature of the modern world. A big theme this year focuses on how to create more seamless interactions between people and technology, finding ways to control devices that go beyond mice, trackpads and touchscreens.

That's where the Leap Motion computer controller comes in. It's the gadget's first public appearance. On display are popular games such as the fruit-chopping "Fruit Ninja," and a more challenging one involving a maze. One man paints a picture by moving his fingers a few inches from a computer screen.

Greg Dziem, who works in data management in Austin, is using the controller to play the maze game. "It's pretty sensitive," he says. "You have to go slow. You have to be calm, steady."

The best-known motion controller to date has been Microsoft Corp.'s Kinect, which is used primarily for video games. People stand at least six feet from the device, which is usually mounted on or near a TV set. Cameras in the Kinect track users' movements and transmit them to the computer. But while Kinect is meant for living rooms and dancing games, Leap Motion is designed for people to use while seated and moving their hands just a few inches from the screens of laptops and personal computers.

FCC approves T-Mobile-MetroPCS deal

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:00 EDT

The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday approved the merger of T-Mobile USA and MetroPCS Communications Inc., the No. 4 and No. 5 cellphone carriers in the country.

The Justice Department cleared the merger last week, meaning that the last hurdle will be a vote by MetroPCS shareholders, who convene in a month. Regulatory approval of the deal was expected. The FCC applied no significant conditions to its approval.

Under the deal, T-Mobile USA's parent company, Deutsche Telekom AG of Germany, will hold a 74 percent stake in the combined company, while shareholders of Dallas-based MetroPCS will own the remainder. MetroPCS shareholders will also receive a special dividend totaling about $1.5 billion.

MetroPCS' largest shareholder, billionaire John Paulson, opposes the deal. He believes it would saddle the company with too much debt, and has said that Deutsche Telekom is getting a better deal than MetroPCS's shareholders.

On Tuesday, MetroPCS mailed a letter to shareholders defending the deal, saying it's the best strategic alternative for shareholders and the stake in the combined company is worth substantially more than the standalone company.

Viral videos stoke celebrities' images

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 15:39 EDT

Mila Kunis' stardom went up a notch last week, and you would think it's because she stars in the biggest movie of the year so far.

The "Great and Powerful" isn't Oz, but the Internet, which can burnish a star's image just as it can destroy it.

The video, you've surely seen by now, is from a press junket interview for "Oz" with a young BBC radio personality, Scott Mills. Mills begins by announcing he's "petrified" at doing such an interview for the first time. But he's obviously quite comfortable as his own version of Hugh Grant, charmingly peppering Kunis with questions about pub drinking, his local soccer club in Watford and a theoretical day out together. He expects to earn "massive lad points," he says.

Kunis is exceptionally winning: She happily goes along, eager for a break from a day of monotonous TV interviews promoting the film. When Mills moves to return to more normal questions, she protests: "Why? This is such a better conversation."

Google pays $7M fine to settle Wi-Fi privacy case

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 18:15 EDT

Google will pay a $7 million fine to settle a multistate investigation into a snoopy software program that enabled the Internet search leader to intercept emails, passwords and other sensitive information sent several years ago over unprotected wireless networks in neighborhoods across the world.

The agreement announced Tuesday covers 38 states and the District of Columbia, part of the area where households and local merchants unwittingly had some of their communications on Wi-Fi networks snatched by Google Inc. from early 2008 until the spring 0f 2010.

Google stopped the data collection in May 2010, shortly before the company revealed cars taking street-level photos for its online mapping service also had been grabbing information transmitted over Wi-Fi networks that had been set up in homes and businesses without requiring a password to gain access.

The company blamed the intrusion on a rogue engineer who rigged a data-collection program into equipment that was supposed to only detect basic information about local Wi-Fi networks to help plot the locations of people using its mapping service and other products. After concluding its own investigation, the Federal Communications Commission last year asserted that some of Google's managers knew about the engineer's plan to vacuum information being transmitted over the Wi-Fi networks.

Google hasn't identified the engineer who set up the data-collection program.

Europe gets 1st fix from its own satnav system

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 14:49 EDT

The European Space Agency says it has received the first location fix from its own satellite navigation system.

The Galileo system is seen as Europe's rival to the American-built Global Positioning System.

ESA says technicians at a control center in the Dutch city of Noordwijk received a longitude, latitude and altitude reading early Tuesday from the four satellites already in orbit.

The readings were still very rough, with an accuracy of between 10 to 15 meters (33 to 49 feet).

Europe hopes to start providing an alternative to GPS and Russia's GLONASS system by the end of 2014.

Spotify's Top 10 most streamed tracks

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:17 EDT

The following list represents the top streamed tracks on Spotify from Monday, March 4, to Sunday, March 10:

UNITED STATES

1. Macklemore & Ryan Lewis feat. Wanz, "Thrift Shop" (Macklemore)

2. Imagine Dragons, "Radioactive" (Interscope Records)

3. Bruno Mars, "When I Was Your Man" (Atlantic Records)

Spotify's Top 10 most viral tracks

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 13:14 EDT

The following list represents the most viral tracks on Spotify, based on the number of people who shared it divided by the number who listened to it, from Monday, March 4, to Sunday, March 10, via Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter and Spotify.

1. Bastille, "Pompeii" (Virgin Records)

2. Yeah Yeah Yeahs, "Sacrilege" (Yeah Yeah Yeahs)

3. Michael Buble, "It's a Beautiful Day" (Reprise)

4. Kat Dahlia, "Gangsta" (Vested in Culture/Epic Records)

Pentagon forming cyber teams to prevent attacks

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 17:02 EDT

The Defense Department is establishing a series of cyber teams charged with carrying out offensive operations to combat the threat of an electronic assault on the United States that could cause major damage and disruption to the country's vital infrastructure, a senior military official said Tuesday.

Gen. Keith Alexander, the top officer at U.S. Cyber Command, warned during testimony that the potential for an attack against the nation's electric grid and other essential systems is real and more aggressive steps need to be taken by the federal government and the private sector in order to improve digital defenses.

Alexander told the Senate Armed Services Committee that foreign leaders are deterred from launching cyberattacks on the United States because they know such a strike could be traced to its source and would generate a robust response.

But the country is not preventing what Alexander called "low-level harassment of private and public websites, property and information by other states." He did not mention any specific countries, even though the Obama administration is escalating its criticism of cyber thefts by China that have become intolerable to the international community.

Offensive cyber weapons are growing and evolving, Alexander said, and it is only a matter of time before tools developed by other nations wind up in the hands of extremist groups or even individuals who could do significant harm.

New cyber medal production stopped, being reviewed

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:01 EDT

The military has stopped production of a new medal for remote warfare troops - drone operators and cyber warfighters - as it considers complaints from veterans and lawmakers over the award, which was ranked higher than traditional combat medals like the Purple Heart and Bronze Star.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel has ordered a review of the Distinguished Warfare Medal, which was to be awarded to troops who operate drones and use other technological skills to fight America's wars from afar.

Pentagon press secretary George Little said Tuesday that Hagel ordered another look in light of concerns by lawmakers and veterans groups over the fact that the new medal was ranked above medals for those who served on the front line in harm's way, such as the Purple Heart given to wounded troops.

"He's heard their concerns, he's heard the concerns of others," Little said of Hagel.

If the review agrees with those complaints, the medal would likely have to be renamed and new medals manufactured, a government official said on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak on the record. It was not immediately known how many had been produced.

Conde Nast launches slate of original programming

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 10:57 EDT

Conde Nast is launching a slate of original Web series, continuing the publisher's push to expand its stable of magazines into multimedia programming.

Conde Nast will debut on Tuesday online channels on YouTube and other video destinations for Glamour and GQ. The digital programming is just the start of plans for Conde Nast to spin off video series from many, if not all, of its magazines - even, potentially, The New Yorker.

In 2011, Conde Nast launched Conde Nast Entertainment to develop and produce movies, TV shows and Internet offerings based on its magazine brands. Dawn Ostroff, formerly president of entertainment for the CW network and an executive for Lifetime Television, came aboard to spur the multimedia expansion.

"This is by far one of the most exciting parts of what we're working on at CNE because it really is the future," says Ostroff. "It extends the reach of our brands, it really allows us to tap into a new audience, and we have the opportunity to be one of the first innovators in this space."

The four Glamour series include four- or five-minute-long shows like "Elevator Makeover," in which hosts Jessica Harlow and Theodore Leaf quickly remake a girl's appearance in a long elevator ride. Among the four GQ shows are a workout guide called "Fighting Weight" and "The Ten," in which celebrities share the 10 items they can't live without.

Report: Iran blocks VPN access to Gmail, Yahoo

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 08:58 EDT

Iranian authorities have blocked many foreign-based virtual private networks, or VPNs, severely restricting access to many websites.

The VPNs are illegal in Iran but offered a path for Iranians to freely use the Internet, access banned opposition websites as well as popular sites such as Facebook.

A report Tuesday by the independent Donya-e Eghtesad daily quotes lawmaker Ramazan Ali Sobhani as saying his parliamentary committee in charge of communications will review the results of the block on VPNs, which went into effect last Wednesday.

Sobhani says the block restricted access to some international email services such as Gmail and Yahoo in some parts of the country.

Since the street unrest that followed President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's 2009 re-election, Iran has tightened restrictions on VPN use and occasionally blocked them.

China willing to talk with US over cyberattacks

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 11:22 EDT

China says it is willing to cooperate with the United States in cybersecurity after the U.S. called on it to take "serious steps" to stop cyberattacks.

Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying repeated China's assertion that it is firmly opposed to cyberattacks and one of the countries that has suffered most from them. She says the country cracks down on such hackers according to the law.

Hua said Tuesday: "Cyberspace needs rules and cooperation, not wars. China is willing to have constructive dialogue and cooperation with the global community, including the United States."

U.S. National Security adviser Tom Donilon's comments Monday reflect American concern over cyber intrusions and their economic costs.

Last month, a U.S.-based cybersecurity firm accused a Chinese military unit of attacking more than 140 mostly American companies.

Mars rover shows planet could have supported life

Wed, 13 Mar 2013 07:54 EDT

[See video at end of story] Drilling into a rock near its landing spot, the Curiosity rover has answered a key question about Mars: The red planet long ago harbored some of the ingredients needed for primitive life to thrive.

Topping the list is evidence of water and basic elements that teeny organisms could feed on, scientists said Tuesday.

"We have found a habitable environment that is so benign and supportive of life that probably if this water was around and you had been on the planet, you would have been able to drink it," said chief scientist John Grotzinger of the California Institute of Technology.

The discovery comes seven months after Curiosity touched down in an ancient crater. Last month, it flexed its robotic arm to drill into a fine-grained, veiny rock and then tested the powder in its onboard labs.

Curiosity is the first spacecraft sent to Mars that could collect a sample from deep inside a rock, and scientist said they hit pay dirt with that first rock.

HP's Autonomy allegations trigger another inquiry

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:26 EDT

British authorities have opened an investigation into Hewlett-Packard's allegations that the personal computer maker was duped when it bought business software maker Autonomy, according to regulatory documents filed Monday.

The inquiry by the U.K. Serious Fraud Office is the latest legal fallout from a deal that has saddled Hewlett-Packard Co. with massive losses and depressed its stock price. The U.S. Justice Department started looking into the matter late last year, shortly after HP accused Autonomy employees of fabricating sales in a ruse that drove up the company's sale price.

Autonomy's founder and former CEO, Mike Lynch, has stridently denied HP's allegations and demanded that the company provide more evidence to support its allegations. HP, which is based in Palo Alto, Calif., has repeatedly said that it is cooperating with legal authorities looking into the allegations.

HP bought U.K.-based Autonomy for about $10 billion in 2011 and then wrote off $8.8 billion of that amount late last year in a move that stunned Wall Street.

At least eight lawsuits have been filed by HP shareholders alleging that the company's board and management botched the Autonomy deal and concealed vital information before the staggering write-off.

Icahn signs confidentiality agreement with Dell

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 21:00 EDT

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn, who is fighting Dell Inc. founder Michael Dell's plan to take the struggling company private, has entered a confidentiality agreement that would give him access to the computer maker's financial records.

Michael Dell, who is also Dell's CEO, is planning a $24.4 billion buyout that would make the Round Rock, Texas, company a privately owned business. But Icahn and other investors say the price of $13.65 per share is too low.

Icahn's company, Icahn Enterprises, has said it holds a substantial stake in the company.

Icahn wants the company to pay a special dividend of $9 per share, financed with existing cash and new debt, if shareholders reject the buyout offer.

The investor told Dell executives in a recent letter that if they decline to promise this one-time payout, then he wants the company to combine a shareholder vote on the buyout with its annual election of directors,

First lady latest whose private info leaked online

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 16:01 EDT

The first lady and the Vice President are among the latest public figures to have their private information posted on a mysterious website, and the Secret Service has joined the investigation into the postings that include documents from people ranging from rapper Jay-Z to the head of the FBI.

The site includes Social Security numbers, credit reports, addresses and phone numbers.

It bears an Internet suffix originally assigned to the Soviet Union, and many of the pages feature unflattering pictures or taunting messages of the person featured. Others whose information is posted include pop star Britney Spears, Attorney General Eric Holder, former Alaska governor Sarah Palin and former California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Both the FBI and the Secret Service said Tuesday they were investigating the site.

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said he had "no assessments to offer" on the situation and referred questions to the Secret Service, which wouldn't provide further details.

IBM pays CEO $15.4M in her 1st year on the job

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:31 EDT

IBM Chairman and CEO Virginia Rometty's pay doubled in her first year running one of the world's biggest and best-known technology companies, but she still took home less than her predecessor.

Rometty, the first woman to run IBM, received a 2012 pay package worth $15.4 million, based on an analysis of regulatory documents filed Monday. That's up sharply from the roughly $7.5 million she made the year before as senior vice president in charge of the company's global sales and marketing. As with most CEOs, most of Rometty's compensation consisted of long-term stock awards that could wind up being worth more or less than the $9.3 million listed in the initial disclosures.

Rometty, 55, got off to a solid start, focusing on growing IBM's software business, which has higher profit margins, over hardware. The Armonk, N.Y.-based company's adjusted earnings climbed 13 percent from the previous year under Sam Palmisano and it forecast 2013 results above analyst expectations. Its stock price edged up just 4 percent last year, though, lagging the 7 percent gain in the Dow Jones industrial average, which consists of 30 bellwether stocks, including IBM's.

Palmisano, who had been IBM's CEO for a decade, remained chairman until October and then served as a senior adviser to the company, receiving a total 2012 package valued at $22.3 million, by AP's calculations. That's slightly less than the $24.2 million he received in his final year as CEO, but more than the roughly $21 million that he made annually from 2007 through 2010.

Rometty's first-year package included a $1.5 million salary, a $3.9 million bonus and perks valued at $687,725, including more than $304,000 for personal travel on the company's airplanes. The AP's formula counts salary, bonuses, perks and stock and options awarded to the executive during the year. It doesn't include changes in retention and pension plans, two factors that IBM Corp. listed in its summary of Rometty's calculation.

What you 'like' on Facebook can be revealing

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 17:03 EDT

Clicking those friendly blue "like" buttons strewn across the Web may be doing more than marking you as a fan of Coca-Cola or Lady Gaga.

It could out you as gay.

It might reveal how you vote.

It might even suggest that you're an unmarried introvert with a high IQ and a weakness for nicotine.

That's the conclusion of a study published Monday in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Researchers reported analyzing the likes of more than 58,000 American Facebook users to make guesses about their personalities and behavior, and even whether they drank, smoked, or did drugs.

What you 'like' on Facebook can be revealing

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 20:41 EDT

Clicking those friendly blue "like" buttons strewn across the Web may be doing more than marking you as a fan of Coca-Cola or Lady Gaga.

It could out you as gay.

It might reveal how you vote.

It might even suggest that you're an unmarried introvert with a high IQ and a weakness for nicotine.

New BlackBerry coming to the US public on March 22

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 19:55 EDT

BlackBerry-maker Research In Motion will begin selling its new touchscreen smartphone to U.S. consumers with AT&T on March 22. The release will come several weeks after RIM launched the much-delayed devices elsewhere.

AT&T said Monday that the Z10 will be available for $199.99 with a two-year contract. Sales of the device began in the U.K. and Canada shortly after RIM unveiled the phone in late January.

Rival U.S. carrier T-Mobile said it expects to deliver the new BlackBerry for some corporate customers as soon as the end of this week, though it did not provide details on the availability for non-business customers.

The redesigned BlackBerry is RIM's attempt at a comeback. The pioneering brand lost its cachet not long after Apple's 2007 release of the iPhone, which reset consumers' expectations for what a smartphone should do.

RIM Chief Executive Thorsten Heins said previously he was disappointed the new BlackBerry would not be released in the U.S. until mid-March, but he said the U.S. and its phone carriers have a rigid testing system.

Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba names new CEO

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 06:12 EDT

Alibaba Group, one of the world's biggest e-commerce companies, said Monday its executive vice president will succeed founder Jack Ma as chief executive.

Ma, 48, announced in January he was stepping down as CEO to make way for younger leaders. He stayed on as chairman.

Jonathan Lu Zhaoxi, a 13-year veteran of the company, will take over in May as CEO, said the company, based in the eastern city of Hangzhou.

"He is passionate about and familiar with the group's various businesses," said Ma in the announcement. "Not only has he contributed to building our culture and organization and developed many talented people, he also possesses a unique leadership style and charisma."

Ma, a former English teacher, founded Alibaba in 1999 to link Chinese suppliers with retailers abroad. It has expanded in consumer e-commerce with its Taobao and Tmall platforms, which are among the world's busiest online outlets.