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List of Problems with the iPhone 5 Getting Longer

To iPhone 5, or not to iPhone 5? That is the question. User complaints and problems with the iPhone 5 seem to be growing daily. While no phone release comes without grumblings, Apple’s latest phone release seems to be rife with problems that has users less than pleased. Especially those who had to pay full price.

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iOS 6 Maps So Bad, Parodies and Tumblr Page Already Gaining Traction

Mapplegate is taking over the Internet world. Apple released their iOS 6 two days ago with one change in particular that has people buzzing – their new Maps app. Many are comparing this to Apple’s infamous 2010 “Antennagate,” when Apple released an iPhone with shoddy antennas, prompting a hasty PR cleanup job by then-CEO Steve Jobs.

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Feds Say Google Knowingly Was Harvesting Personal Data During Street View Collection

A recent report from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), following a 17-month investigation, reveals that, contrary to what Google’s position had been all this time, Google actually knew that their Street View drive-bys were sucking down people’s personal data through any open wifi routers that the Street View van encountered. And not just a little bit – but for nearly three years, between 2007 and 2010. Private data that was harvested from individuals includes email (the full text of!), passwords, sites visited, and other sensitive information. Until now Google had always maintained that they didn’t realize it was happening, and that it was an accident wraught by a single engineer at Google. Turns out that supervisors knew all along that it was going on. While the FCC concludes that Google did not break any laws, there was a heck of a lot of invasion of privacy going on, and, in addition, Google was slapped with a $25,000 fine for obstructing the investigation.

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What Google’s New Privacy Policy Means for You

You may already be aware that Google has a new privacy policy going into effect tomorrow, March 1st, 2012 (don’t worry if you are reading this after March 1, 2012, this article will still help you to understand and deal with Google’s new privacy policies). But what does it really mean for you? And perhaps more importantly, how can you opt-out of Google’s having their finger in every part of your online life, and even remove data that Google has already collected? Here are the answers to those questions about Google’s new unified privacy policy.

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The First of our T-Mobile Samsung Vibrant Reviews

This is the first of our T-Mobile Samsung Vibrant reviews. While there are the inevitable Samsung Vibrant vs. iPhone questions, where we really want to focus in this first Samsung Vibrant review is on the vibrant performance of the Vibrant’s screen, as well as sharing with you some of its cooler features. And we answer the burning question: Does it really come with the movie “Avatar” included on it? We also tell you how to take a screenshot with your Vibrant.

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New Wrist Watch Allows GPS Tracking of Your Child: Lok8u Num8 is Watching You

“Now Available – the Worlds First GPS Locator that Locates Your Child… Not Just the Device” touts the ad copy. The device being referred to is the Num8 children’s wristwatch, by Lok8u (get it? “Locate You”), and it is a GPS watch that allows you to track your child wherever they are.

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Palm’s Pres Spying on Palm Pre Users and Reporting Back to Palm

Holy privacy and security issue! A Palm Pre user who is also a securitygeekstud has discovered that Palm Pres (or should that be Palm Pri? Palm Prie? What is the plural of “Pre”?) are spying on Palm Pre users and on how they are using their Palm Pre, and reporting back to Palm!

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Facebook Acquires Paul Buchheit and Bret Taylor Along with FriendFeed

While the Internet is all abuzz about how Facebook and Friendfeed have just announced that Facebook is acquiring FriendFeed, the bigger coup may be in that in the doing, Facebook has effectively acquired FriendFeed founders Bret Taylor and Paul Buchheit, and Jim Norris and Sanjeev Singh.

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Couples’ Twitter Tweets Lead to Burglery?

Isreal Hyman and his wife were no doubt looking forward to their vacation a few weeks ago. Hyman, the proprietor of IzzyVideo.com in Mesa, Arizona, shared his plans with his 2,000+ followers on Twitter. So when he became the victim of a home burglery (which differs from robbery in that the victim is not present), he had to wonder if the burgler had seen his Tweets.

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Proposed Law Would Require Google to Blur Buildings to Thwart Terrorists

Legislators in California – that state of the eternal budget crisis – have decided that it’s a good idea to spend money trying to force Google to blur Google Maps images of what are known as “soft targets” for terrorists, such as schools, churches, hospitals, and government buildings, to protect them against terrorist attacks. Because you know, terrorists can’t find an address without Google Maps.

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Invasion of Privacy Lawsuit Against Google Street View Van Dismissed

The Google Streetview lawsuit filed by Aaron and Christine Boring, claiming invasion of privacy because the Google Street View van snapped pictures after going down their posted, private road, has been dismissed by the Court.

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Facebook Phone Now Available – the World’s First Social Networking Phone

Inq Mobile has released the INQ1, which is being touted as “The Facebook Phone”. That is because the Facebook Phone’s functionality is actually built around Facebook, and other social networking. In essence, it’s a social network device first while, oh yeah, it’s also a mobile phone.

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Google Earth Now Available Through Your Browser – No Download Necessary!

At their I/O developer event held in San Francisco’s Moscone Center this month, Google unveiled two exciting enhancements to Google Earth. The first is a Google Earth plug-in enabling you to fly anywhere on Earth, viewing content in your browser. This mirrors the functionality that used to require downloading and installing a desktop application.

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Google Sued for Showing Private Home in Street View Maps

Does Google’s StreetView invade privacy and encroach upon civil liberties? There are those who say that it does, and into this group we would have to place the Pennsylvania couple, Aaron and Christine Boring, who are suing the search company for both intentional and/or grossly reckless invasion of privacy and mental distress. They seek a minimum of $25,000.

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Google Earth Allows World to Look in on Refugee Camps

We’re sure that our readers are well aware that we live at a time of uncertainty, and in a world in which conflict seems to be constant. Scenes of the displacement of innocent civilians, especially women and children, into refugee camps, in Darfur, Iraq, the Sudan, and Afghanistan, are ever-present on the news. It’s extremely heartening, then, to hear about Google and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) jointly making available the Google Earth Outreach project, to raise global awareness of the almost 33 million displaced people that the UNHCR is today helping.