posts on CNET

China rules the mobile world with 1 billion users

China is in the big leagues when it comes to cell phone use. According to The Next Web, the Chinese government has officially announced that it now has more than 1 billion mobile phone users.

For comparison, the U.S. looks measly with just more than 330 million users, according to numbers from the CTIA wireless association.

The Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released a report with the new numbers of in-country users, according to The Next Web. The report shows that after 2012's first quarter bump of 43 million new devices, the total number surpassed one more

Google alert claims users' Internet may shut down July 9

If you have been browsing the Web lately and have used Google's search services, you may find the search results page show a warning at the top that states "Your computer appears to be infected" along with a small description about systems not being able to connect to the Internet in the future. The message also includes a link to an information page that generally describes what malware is and how to detect it.

This alert has had a few people concerned about their abilities to stay online.

MacFixIt reader Naomi writes:

"I noticed the google message saying my

PayPal adds 15 new retailers to its brick-and-mortar roster

PayPal announced today it is partnering with 15 more U.S. retailers aiming to get shoppers to use PayPal's offline payment system.

"Consumers are relying on technology now more than ever to simplify their lives when it comes to shopping and paying, and retailers must adapt to this shift or risk becoming irrelevant," PayPal President David Marcus wrote in a blog post. "Innovative retailers everywhere are looking for ways to improve the shopping experience, extend loyalty programs and better engage with their customers."

The new retailers include, Abercrombie & Fitch, Advance Auto Parts, Aeropostale, American Eagle Outfitters, Barnes & Noble, Foot more

Lawmakers urge DOJ to reopen Google Street View probe

Two congressmen have asked the Department of Justice to reopen its investigation of Google's Street View street-mapping service, which collected and stored data from unencrypted wireless networks.

Google's Street View cars, which were supposed to collect the locations of Wi-Fi access points, also inadvertently collected e-mail and text messages, passwords, Internet-usage history, and other data from unsecured wireless networks for two years or so, beginning in 2007.

In the wake of a recently released FCC report on the Wi-Fi snooping that concluded no laws had been broken by surreptitious data gathering, Reps. Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) and more

Curt Schilling's video game company cuts entire staff

Former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling's 38 Studios gaming company is crumbling around him.

As news spread over the past week that the company was hurting for cash, spending $49 million of a $75 million state loan, the Boston Globe reports that the young video game publishing house laid off all of its nearly 400 employees as of today.

"I'm stunned, and I'm heartbroken," Leominster fantasy author and consultant to 38 Studios R.A. Salvatore, told the Boston Globe. "This is one of the best teams I've ever seen assembled. They were doing amazing work."

The more

Google tackles piracy by removing millions of URLs

Google is removing URLs from its search function, but before anyone cries foul, it's letting people know about it.

The tech giant released a new edition of its Transparency Report today, which shows who is requesting URLs be taken down, the copyright owners, and all the targeted domains since July 2011. Everything that's being deleted is allegedly copyrighted or pirated material -- mostly from software and entertainment companies.

Google has been releasing the Transparency Report for the last two years, but before today the only available information was government requests to remove content and disruptions in the search more

Tiger Woods holding, um, spontaneous Google+ Hangout

You know how you sometimes are thinking of someone and they suddenly walk down the street in front of you?

Well, I have just had a similar experience. Attempting to wind down for my weekend, I just finished Hank Haney's book about Tiger Woods, "The Big Miss."

No, this is not a tale about one of his larger girlfriends. It is a very thoughtful analysis of the man and his game, written by his former coach.

No sooner had I placed it on the floor (yes, I should be tidier) than I received word that Woods will, next Tuesday, more

Liquid Metal Battery raises $15M in series B financing

Liquid Metal Battery, an MIT spinoff backed by Bill Gates, has secured an additional $15 million in series B financing in a funding round led by Khosla Ventures, the company announced today.

The Cambridge, Mass.-based company, which aims to build a cheap battery for bulk storage of wind and solar power, also announced that Andrew Chung, a Khosla Ventures partner, would join the board.

"Our Liquid Metal Battery technology is tremendously exciting because it has the potential to dramatically change the electric power system everywhere," Liquid Metal Battery CEO Phil Giudice said in a statement announcing the new funding. "more

Buffalo AirStation WZR-D1800H revew: 802.11ac performance inconclusive

The Buffalo AirStation WZR-D1800H is the first 802.11ac (aka 5G Wi-Fi) router on the market, and Buffalo's WLI-H4-D1300 wireless media bridge is the first 802.11ac client. Since those are currently the only two 5G Wi-Fi devices, it was impossible to get a complete picture of the 802.11ac standard itself by testing them.

However, I was able to quite easily pair them together and experience the 802.11ac connection. Unfortunately, while the connection was very fast, it wasn't close to what the 802.11ac standard has to offer.

Kaspersky to cut phisher lines before they hook you

SAN FRANCISCO--Ever click a link to a Web site and discover that while it looks like your banking site, or Facebook, the URL didn't match your expectations? That's called phishing. Kaspersky revealed a new feature at a reviewer's conference here yesterday that the company says can stop such credential-stealing attacks before you get hooked.

Automatic Exploit Prevention, as the feature is called, is expected in the Kaspersky 2013 security suites due in August. The premise behind it is simple: Phishing attacks are on the rise, due in large part to the plummeting cost of entry to the more