Tag archive: New Jersey

Cable giant Comcast has very quietly launched a pilot program at 100 New Jersey Transit railway stations offering Wi-Fi service to rail commuters. The company hasn't informed local users about the service, and has described the Wi-Fi offering as a “beta” pilot program that's more of an experiment than a service offering. Still, if the program succeeds Comcast broadband subscribers might find the company offers them… Read More

Sprint Nextel has obtained preliminary court approval to settle a class action suit over early termination fees associated with mobile phone service contracts for $17.5 million. Although the settlement does not include a California case (in which Sprint may be on the hook for $73 million after its early termination fees were ruled illegal), it may serve as a precedent which could put off a pending $1.2 billion nationwide class-action lawsuit… Read More

Earlier this year, cable operator Comcast began offering 50 Mbps Internet service to customers in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and claimed that the new “wideband” offering would be available throughout its entire service area by the year 2010. Now the company is making its first steps in that direction, announcing an expansion of 50 Mbps service in selected markets. According to Comcast, 50 Mbps service will go online part of… Read More

Gary McKinnon, known as Solo, has never denied that he hacked into 97 US military and Nasa computers from his London home in 2002. It was called the “biggest military computer hack of all time” and McKinnon was arrest – but never charged in the UK. He always claimed he did it because he was curious, and it was only due to the lax security that he was able to infiltrate the networks. Now he’s taking his case against… Read More

Released virtually without hype, it’s still managed to be one of 2008’s most-anticipated video games. Grand Theft Auto IV (GTA), the latest offering in the controversial franchise fromRockstar Games, came out at midnight, with many stores open to sell it – an indication of its popularity.   Reviewers were only allowed to playit at Rockstar’s offices – no review copies were sent out – but they didn’t… Read More

Residents of New Jersey may now have among the best legal protection of their online privacy in the United States after a recent ruling of the state’s Supreme Court. In State of New Jersey v. Shirley Reid, the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled that Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have the same duty to protect subscriber privacy records as banks or phone companies, and cannot turn over records without a proper subpoena. “Because… Read More

Following lightly in the steps of New Jersey, which banned Internet access for sex offenders almost completely in December, New York state is considering legislation that would block certain sex offenders from using social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. The bill, backed by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo, was proposed on Tuesday. According to The New York Times, the law would only ban the highest level of sex… Read More

Legislators in New Jersey have stepped up their state’s existing sanctions against convicted sex offenders with a new stipulation for some: restricted access to the Internet. According to the New York Times, a new bill enacted on Thursday will prevent certain paroled sex offenders from accessing the Internet for anything but work. The law will apply to those offenders who used the Internet to help commit their original crimes, and… Read More

When July 1 rolls around, Californian teens will have to find new time to catch up with one another on their cell phones – because using electronic devices while behind the wheel will become a crime for those under 18. Governor Arnold Schwarzeneggar signed the bill, known as SR33, into law on Thursday, banning the use of cell phones, laptops, PDAs, pagers and all two-way messaging devices while operating a motor vehicle for 16- and… Read More

George Hotz, the New Jersey teen hacker who unlocked his iPhone from AT&T and used it on T-Mobile, is trading in his phone. In its place he’ll be receiving a new car and a consulting job.  Hotz made the deal with Louisiville, Kentucky cell phone repair company CertiCell. He wrote on his blog that he’ll be receiving“a sweet Nissan 350Z and 3 8GB iPhones. This has been a great end to a great summer.” Hotz,… Read More

Still love the ‘80s, but want it with a contemporary twist? Then you’re in luck. The New Jersey hair-rock band, Bon Jovi is going to give you the chance to book your tickets to see themin their home state online. There’s nothing new there, but in a first, they’re bundling a digital copy of their new album with your purchase.   The tickets are for the group’sfive-day stand in Newark. Initially the digital album… Read More

On Friday, New Jersey-based Vonage lost its challenge in federal appeals court on a rule under which telecommunications companies are required to contribute money to a fund that her finance services for schools and libraries, as well as low-income and rural families. Vonage has been one of the leading companies in using broadband Internet connections to make phone calls.   Vonage had been appealing a 2006 Federal Communications Commission… Read More

Back in January, reports began to surface that Avis Rent A Car was planning to offer a mobile Internet/Wi-Fi option to its rental customers, combining in-vehicle Wi-Fi with mobile, cellular-based broadband Internet connectivity—and, of course, customers could use the units anywhere they might go (hotels, restaurants, parks) so long as they have power and cellular access. Now, apparently Avis going ahead with the system, offering its… Read More

New Jersey's LTB Audio has announced it will be releasing a new wireless audio device “this winter” called the Q-Bean. About the size of a car-alarm key fob, the Q-Bean claims to offer the ability to stream uncompressed wireless music from a PC using a proprietary 2.4 GHz wireless system, offer VOIP and other voice capabilities via a built-in microphone, and offer remote tracking features (at least to Windows users). The… Read More

Following immediately on its settlements with Texas and California, music label Sony BMG has agreed to pay some $4.25 million as part of settlement agreements with 39 U.S. states and the District of Columbia regarding copy protection software included on some of the labels music CDs which caused computers to malfunction and exposed users to security threats. The terms of the agreement are similar to earlier settlements with Texas and… Read More