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U.S. Cellular serves up Android 4.1 this Friday

If you own a Samsung Galaxy S3 with U.S. Cellular, an update to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is just around the corner.

Starting Friday, December 21, GS3 owners can begin the update process wirelessly, or manually by plugging in their phone via USB cable and visiting this U.S. Cellular site.

U.S. Cellular is one of the last carriers to offer the Android 4.1 update; a process that's been kicked into high gear as part of the busy holiday season.

Android 4.1 enhances features like the Google search app, the notifications menu, and some … Read more

BlackBerry 10 revives RIM's chances at federal agency

Research In Motion's upcoming BlackBerry 10 is being eyed by one government agency that had already planned to switch to iPhones.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency will take a look at BB10 starting in January. The agency plans to launch a pilot program to test BlackBerry 10 devices and the BlackBerry Enterprise Service 10 to see if the new operating system can meet its needs for security and mobility. ICE will be among the first government agencies to give BB10 a spin, according to Research In Motion.

"ICE has been a valued BlackBerry customer … Read more

Patriot Act can 'obtain' data in Europe, researchers say

European data stored in the "cloud" could be acquired and inspected by U.S. law enforcement and intelligence agencies, despite Europe's strong data protection laws, university researchers have suggested.

A research paper written by legal experts at the University of Amsterdam's Institute for Information Law and titled "Cloud Computing in Higher Education and Research Institutions and the USA Patriot Act" supports previous reports that the antiterror Patriot Act could theoretically be used by U.S. law enforcement to bypass strict European privacy laws to acquire citizen data within the European Union.

The Patriot Act, … Read more

Samsung Galaxy Axiom sneaks into U.S. Cellular lineup

U.S. Cellular this week quietly introduced another Android smartphone this week with the budget-friendly Samsung Galaxy Axiom.

Appearing on the carrier's Web site without even a press release, the Axiom runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and delivers a 4-inch 480x800-pixel WVGA display, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. Additional details include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 2,100mAh battery, NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G LTE connectivity.

Astute readers will recognize that the Galaxy Axiom closely resembles the recently announced Galaxy S3 Mini. Save for its slightly faster processor and longer-lasting battery, it'… Read more

Some Samsung printers vulnerable to hackers

Owners of certain Samsung printers may find their devices a target for hackers.

Samsung printers and some Dell printers made by Samsung have a hardcoded account that someone could use to control and access information on the devices, according to US-CERT (United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team).

As described by the security team, these printers contain a hardcoded SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) string that has full read/write access and stays active even if the network protocol is disabled by the user.

"A remote, unauthenticated attacker could access an affected device with administrative privileges," US-CERT said. "… Read more

Clean and tweak your system with EaseUS CleanGenius Free

A year is a long time in the life of the average PC. If it's been a while since your computer was brand-spanking-new, you may have noticed that it takes longer to start up, or your programs and files take longer to load. You can reclaim some of your computer's original performance with the help of EaseUS CleanGenius. This toolkit cleans and tweaks your system, deleting junk files and unneeded registry entries on demand or on schedule. It can make a big difference on older and slower systems, but even newer computers can benefit from regular maintenance with … Read more

U.S. Cellular offers unlimited 4G LTE plan...for now

U.S. Cellular is jumping on the unlimited data bandwagon.

The carrier today announced a new unlimited data plan for customers living in one of its 4G LTE markets. For a limited time, customers can sign up for an unlimited 4G LTE plan for $40 per month with an option to add tethering for $20 more.

U.S. Cellular isn't likely to have much competition when it comes to higher wireless speeds; the company said it is the only provider to offer an unlimited 4G LTE option in most of its markets, having recently expanded in parts of Iowa, … Read more

Warner Brothers attempts big bang with day-after TV app

Cord cutters and on-the-go TV watchers now have another app to help satisfy their viewing habits, at least if they're big "Gossip Girl" fans and based in Europe.

Warner Bros. yesterday launched its Day After US app for iOS, giving users access to a few of its TV series for download or streaming. The app is free to download, but the majority of programs must be purchased.

The app briefly and accidentally showed up in the U.S. iTunes store but later was removed. It's only being made available to consumers in the Benelux region -- … Read more

U.S. Cellular expands LTE to more than 30 new markets

U.S. Cellular is expanding its 4G LTE coverage area to more than 30 new markets on Monday, extending the carrier's footprint for the high-speed network to more than half of its customers.

The rollout will bring LTE to select cities in Iowa, Wisconsin, North Carolina, and Oklahoma, and brings new LTE coverage to some of U.S. Cellular's markets in Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New Hampshire, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia.

The next wave of market launches will follow shortly in Rockford, Ill., Medford, Ore., Yakima, Wash., and Knoxville, Tenn., the company said today.

By the end of … Read more