policy

Christmas 2011 online shopping return policies

Hey, it happens. You buy a tech gift for someone (or yourself) over the holidays and it doesn't work out.

Maybe that new tablet is just too complicated for your parents or the new digital camera you bought for yourself takes lousy photos. Product returns are as much a part of the holiday shopping experience as buying them, unfortunately.

Return policies can vary greatly from retailer to retailer. Over the holidays, most retailers have extended return periods. Some retailers with a brick and mortar presence, even allow online purchases to be returned at the physical stores. Check out the … Read more

Apple updates iPhone 4S AppleCare+ policies

AppleCare+ was introduced in conjunction with the iPhone 4S, offering buyers of Apple's latest mobile phone technology the ability to protect their purchase for two years, even if the incident is accidental (a feature not available with previous versions of AppleCare).

The original plan for AppleCare+ was to offer the ability to purchase it at the same time as your iPhone 4S purchase. For $99, users receive phone support and in-store technical support for two years from the purchase date of their phone as well as the ability to get the phone replaced at a discounted rate of $49 … Read more

Made in China: Country's new supercomputer uses homegrown chips

China is stepping up its semiconductor manufacturing efforts and using domestic chips for its latest supercomputer. It's going to be interesting to see how fast China can close in on U.S. supercomputer processor makers Intel, AMD, and Nvidia.

The New York Times reported that a supercomputer called Sunway BlueLight MPP, was installed in September at the National Supercomputer Center in Jinan, China. The details emerged at a technical meeting. The real catch is that China used 8,700 ShenWei SW1600 chips.

Those semiconductors are homegrown and indicate that China is aiming to be a major chip player. The … Read more

How to stop Verizon from monitoring your Web habits

Verizon Wireless updated its privacy policy last week to allow the collection of your location data and the addresses of Web sites you visit on your mobile device.

If you're OK with the changes, no further action is required; everyone was automatically opted in. But if you feel a little uneasy with Big Red acting more like Big Brother, here's how to opt out:

To review the info on the update, read Verizon's update notice.

To opt out online, log in to your account at VZW's Web site and click on the "Please Read" … Read more

U.K. ISPs to make customers opt-in for pornography

Four prominent Internet Service Providers in the U.K. will require customers to opt in if they want to view pornography, according to a new report.

According to the Guardian, Prime Minister David Cameron later today will unveil the details of the plan, which will prevent customers of ISPs BT, Sky, TalkTalk, and Virgin to access pornographic Web sites without first opting in.

Although full details on how users will be asked to opt in and whether they'll need to do it once or every time they access a site is unknown at this point, in a follow-up report, … Read more

Facebook guidelines for employers and employees

Imagine you referred to your supervisor as a "scumbag" in a Facebook post read by your coworkers. You might expect to be looking for a new job very soon thereafter, especially if your employer has a policy that prohibits making disparaging remarks about the company or posting anything about the organization or its managers without permission.

In a case involving Facebook posts by workers for an ambulance service, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) determined that the employee's name-calling was "protected activity" because it occurred away from the workplace and on non-work time.

The employer … Read more

Jewish celeb database iPhone app pulled in France

Apple has pulled a database application from its App Store in France, following a complaint from a French group that claimed its content broke local laws.

The Associated Press reports that an app called "Jew or Not a Jew," which contains a database of celebrities and their religious affiliations, was pulled from Apple's App Store in France after anti-racism group SOS Racisme threatened to sue Apple over its availability.

An Apple spokesman confirmed the removal of the app to the AP, noting that the software was in violation of local laws. Nonetheless, the $1.99 app--which was … Read more

Borders shelves store feature in iOS e-reader app

The first of the big name e-book reading apps has removed links to its external e-bookstore in order to conform with Apple's recently implemented App Store policy.

Borders, which has has had its e-book offering on the App Store for more than a year, today updated its application to completely remove the built-in Kobo bookstore browser, while noting that it had made the change to be "complaint with the new in app purchase rules."

The now-removed feature let users view content from Kobo's store within the app, then buy it in the Safari browser. Now the … Read more

Apple changes course on in-app subscription policy

In a surprising move, Apple apparently has decided to change its policy on in-app subscriptions.

"Apps can read or play approved content (specifically magazines, newspapers, books, audio, music, and video) that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app, as long as there is no button or external link in the app to purchase the approved content," Apple's new rule reads, according to MacRumors, which first reported on the change. "Apple will not receive any portion of the revenues for approved content that is subscribed to or purchased outside of the app."

That stands … Read more