FCC Looks to End Cable Box Rentals
Washington — Federal regulators Thursday put the metal boxes most Americans rent to receive cable or satellite programming at the center of a high-stakes fight over the future of TV and video. The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-2 along party lines to begin crafting rules intended to spur competition in the set-top-box market by developing technology standards so third-party devices and apps could decode pay-TV signals. Such...
Forget Power Grid: Worry About Toasters
Hijacking “smart” toasters and refrigerators and hacking corporate ventilation systems are among the new threats envisioned by cybersecurity experts as an increasing array of items are connected to the Internet. The Internet of Things, a movement that seeks to control everything from factory equipment to traffic lights and household appliances through the Web, creates vast opportunities for improved efficiency and convenience. But...
Meditation Turns Ultra-Trendy With New App
Los Angeles — Andy Puddicombe, a trained Buddhist monk, wants to spread health and happiness by teaching our technology-addled minds to slow down and live in the moment. Naturally, he’s doing it through an app. In just a few short minutes a day, users can listen to meditation guides for topics as varied as anxiety and relationships narrated by Puddicombe in his soothing British voice. “This exercise isn’t about getting rid of...
The Smart-Tech Future Beckons
Las Vegas — Look around. How many computing devices do you see? Your phone, probably; maybe a tablet or a laptop. Your car, the TV set, the microwave, bedside alarm clock, possibly the thermostat, and others you’ve never noticed. Much of that computing isn’t doing much while segregated into individual devices. But many of these gadgets have the potential to get smarter by connecting to their fellows, which in turn could open the door...
Consumer Confidential: Carmakers’ Focus on Connected Lifestyle May Lead to Distracted Driving
Ford and Fiat Chrysler apparently have concluded that safety takes a back seat to amusement when it comes to pleasing drivers. The two carmakers announced last week amid the hoopla of the CES consumer-electronics show in Las Vegas that state-of-the-art infotainment systems in new vehicles will include both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Ford’s system “allows customers to bring the smartphone technology they’re comfortable with into a...
