internet

Schmidt, daughter open up about trip to North Korea

Google's Eric Schmidt is back from his much-publicized trip to North Korea, and he's got a few details to share about his humanitarian mission.

The search giant's executive chairman had already revealed some of the reasoning behind his trip to reporters during a briefing a week and a half ago at the Beijing airport, saying that his private delegation urged North Korean officials to open up global Internet access if they wanted to strengthen their economy. The delegation was led by former New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who is also a former ambassador to the U.N. … Read more

IE10 for Windows 7 inches closer

Microsoft is getting closer to delivering the final version of its Internet Explorer 10 browser for Windows 7.

In a recent private e-mail message to select testers, Microsoft officials said a recently delivered private test build will be the "last pre-RTW (release to Web/final) build of the browser that will be made available through Connect."

"While there is still no RTW date to announce at this time, please make sure you are filing prompt feedback if any issues are found," the note added.

The newest build was made available to select testers via Connect, Microsoft'… Read more

1 in 3 people have gone online to diagnose a health problem

A fair number of people are turning to the Internet to help them with medical problems.

Among 3,000 adults surveyed by Pew Internet, 35 percent say they've gone online at one time or another to diagnose a medical condition. Some were researching their own medical problems, while others were looking into problems suffered by people they know.

Dubbed "online diagnosers" by Pew, 46 percent of them said the information they found online made them think they needed the help of a doctor. Another 38 percent said they felt they could remedy the problem at home, and … Read more

Microsoft to patch IE zero-day flaw today

Microsoft will fix a zero-day hole in IE today almost a week after this month's regular Patch Tuesday updates.

Discovered late last month, the vulnerability could allow attackers to gain control of a Windows computer running one of the older versions of IE by directing users to malicious Web sites. In response, Microsoft had suggested several workarounds and even offered a "one-click fix" designed to mitigate the problem, but those were considered temporary solutions.

Today's update will fully resolve the issue, according to Microsoft. Scheduled for rollout at 10 a.m. PT, the fix will be … Read more

Tech VIPs, family take to Web with sorrow, anger over Swartz

The suicide of 26-year-old computer programmer and Internet activist Aaron Swartz has inspired expressions of sorrow and anger from the tech community throughout the day today.

World Wide Web creator Sir Tim Berners-Lee wrote a poem in honor of Swartz, which he posted to a forum on the W3C's Web site (he also tweeted an abridged version):

Aaron is dead.

Wanderers in this crazy world, we have lost a mentor, a wise elder.

Hackers for right, we are one down, we have lost one of our own.

Nurtures, careers, listeners, feeders, parents all, we have lost a child.

Let … Read more

Google's Schmidt presses North Korean officials for open Web

Eric Schmidt wrapped up a controversial visit to North Korea today, saying that his private delegation warned officials that global Internet access was key to developing its economy.

"As the world becomes increasingly connected, their decision to be virtually isolated is very much going to affect their view of the world," he told reporters upon his return to Beijing, according to a Wall Street Journal account. Lack of such access would "make it harder for them to catch up economically. We made that alternative very, very clear," he added.

Despite official U.S. opposition to the … Read more

The 'Internet of Things' gets a consortium

Buzzword Central, also known as the Consumer Electronics Show, is getting a new entry.

In the never-ending quest to hook up the physical and digital worlds -- as we wait for the world of networked computing to spread beyond the boundaries of computers and smartphones to just about anything -- a new consortium will hold its first meeting this week at CES to compare notes. The so-called Internet of Things Consortium is a nonprofit organization which says its mission is to spur "cooperation between hardware, software, and service providers, the ostensible goal being to pave the way for more … Read more

Microsoft's next Patch Tuesday won't resolve IE zero-day flaw

Microsoft's regular Patch Tuesday rolls around next week. But one flaw that won't be fixed in the mix is the latest zero-day exploit in Internet Explorer.

Last Saturday, Microsoft warned about the zero-day flaw in IE 6, 7, and 8 that could allow attackers to gain control of Windows computers to host malicious Web sites. In its advisory, the company noted that IE 9 and 10 are unaffected by the vulnerability and suggested a variety of workarounds to those running the older browser versions.

On Monday, the company issued a temporary fix that prevents the flaw from being … Read more

Sony said to be developing online TV service

Word on the street is that Sony is creating a Net-connected multichannel television service that could roll out as soon as this year, according to Variety. Purportedly, the company is in talks with at least two big content companies about channel licensing.

Such a service would put Sony in direct competition with both satellite and cable TV, as well as other tech companies that are branching out into the television market, such as Intel; Google, with Google Fiber; and Dish.

This isn't the first time rumors have floated that Sony has been looking to develop a TV service. In … Read more