Articles by Mark Hawver
Xiaomi updates OS to eliminate user data-snatching
Xiaomi, the Chinese smartphone maker, has been accused of collecting customer's personal contact information by transmitting it from Xiaomi devices to cloud servers, all without users' permission or knowledge. The company has fixed what it called a 'bug' and updated its OS software.
John McAfee resurfaces to rant against Google, smartphones
John McAfee, antivirus software pioneer, shows up in Las Vegas to preach his anti-Google and anti-smartphone philosophy. He wants all people to stop using smartphones and to stop being lazy about reading user agreements for mobile apps.
Car hackers aim to spur carmakers into boosting vehicle security
As more automobiles operate with software and sophisticated electronics, including network access, hackers have accepted the challenge of doing bad things with all that tech. Fortunately, some hackers have also accepted the challenge of helping automakers protect their products from the bad guys.
2015 Dodge Challenger is a hellcat on the road
Dodge's retro muscle car gets even more serious with the introduction of the Challenger SRT Hellcat, with a whopping 707 horses under that long hood. If you like 0-60 in under four seconds, this car is for you.
Microsoft zings Apple in ads as tablet rivalry heats up
Microsoft's newest tablet/laptop hybrid, the Surface Pro 3, is being touted as an Apple MacBook Air killer in a series of ads. Can it vanquish the MacBook Air's popularity? Yes and no, depending on a buyer's priorities.
China: We never banned Apple products
Apple products are currently off the Chinese government's shopping list. Depending on what day of the week this is, the reason is either national security, or Apple didn't provide government buyers with energy-saving credentials.
Google, Yahoo partner up on end-to-end encrypted web mail
Yahoo and Google will work together to ensure all email sent between the competing platforms will benefit from end-to-end encryption. This means emails cannot be intercepted and read at any point during transmission or while on Yahoo or Google servers.
Google search to boost web security by favoring encryption-flavored sites
Google continues its efforts to help make the Internet a safer place by moving toward giving secure websites priority in its search engine results. The company also is offering assistance to sites that want to beef up their URLs with the coveted 'HTTPS' secure-site tag.
Hyundai paying $17M fine for delay in reporting brake problem
Hyundai has been fined over $17 million by the government for dragging its heels in reporting a brake line problem on 2009-2012 Genesis models. Hyundai issued only a technical service bulletin which fell short of its responsibility to owners, according to NHTSA.
IBM chip mimics brain, claims capabilities are unprecedented
IBM has developed a "neurosynaptic computer chip" that is modeled on the architecture of the brain. It holds great promise for business, medical, and computer processing breakthroughs, while consuming very little power.
Court gives green light to libel claim against Google autocomplete
What's in a word? If it comes up in a Google Search, and it's not complimentary, it could be worth a lot of money if a court rules that it's libelous.
Homeland security contractor hit by hackers, likely a state-sponsored attack
A company that provides investigative background checks for the Department of Homeland Security was hacked. The company believes the cyber attack was 'state-sponsored.'
China restricts messaging apps citing cybersecurity worries
China's latest act in securing an ever-tightening wire around Internet freedom is to restrict the use of popular messaging apps. It says the new restrictions are meant to keep cyberspace 'clean' and to support national security.
White House doesn't support Internet fast lanes, advocates open Internet
President Obama is strongly opposed to the creation of Internet 'fast lanes.' Perhaps his remarks will provide the impetus for a dithering FCC to move toward a resolution on net neutrality issues.
2015 Chevy Tahoe is built for big jobs, big people
The 2015 Chevrolet Tahoe continues the dominance of the Tahoe name as the best-selling full-size SUV in the U.S. Chevrolet added improved performance, handling, road manners, quietness and cabin features to the truck.
More than a few challenges ahead for new Sprint CEO
Sprint dropped merger plans this week and named a new CEO. Brightstar Corporation's Marcelo Claure will assume the reins of Sprint next week, taking over as president and CEO in place of Dan Hesse.
Google autocomplete algorithm focus of libel suit
Google's search engine has found trouble again, this time in the form of a libel suit filed against the company's autocomplete function. Hong Kong tycoon Albert Yeung claims autocomplete associates his name with organized crime.
2015 Acura TLX has some big shoes to fill in midsize lineup
The 2015 Acura TLX is hitting dealerships now, and the "midsize sports performance luxury sedan" will replace both the TSX and the TL in the Acura batting order. Lots of technology, lots of class, lots of money, but it's up against a tough lot of competitors.
Google Glass for the car? Navdy aims to stop distracted driving
Navdy is getting ready to introduce an in-car head-up display to bring a little bit of fighter jet technology into your ride. It will channel information from your smartphone and your car's onboard computer and project it through your windshield, controlled by voice and gestures for a true hands-free experience.
Samsung, Apple drop international patent fights
Apple and Samsung have agreed to drop acrimonious patent lawsuits in non-U.S. courts. Could it be the beginning of détente between the two super powers?
Target data breach hurts more than brand, racks up $148M expense
Target suffered an egregious data breach in December 2013, in which customer credit card and other personal info was stolen by hackers. But the losses from that incident are nowhere near as financially damaging as the company's second quarter financials are expected to be.
BlackBerry layoffs done, rebuilding ahead
BlackBerry Ltd. has told its employees that the dark days of layoffs are over, and that the company has righted the ship. Now that BlackBerry is once again focused on its core strengths, can it regain its former market dominance?
Scrabble dictionary boasts 5,000 new words, including tech buzz terms
Scrabble players scrambling to express themselves better on the game board now have 5,000 new words with which to play, thanks to a long-awaited update to Merriam-Webster's Official Scrabble Players Dictionary. Most of these new words are already familiar to the hip, the hip-hop, the hipsters, techno geeks and social media socialites.
Verizon to FCC: We aren't the only ones throttling traffic, you know
Verizon recently announced 5 percent of its heaviest data users on unlimited data plans would be subject to data throttling during periods of cell tower congestion, even on its more efficient 4G LTE network. The FCC's hackles are raised over this, and it has asked Verizon to show cause for this policy.
Xiaomi is Samsung's big nemesis in China
Xiaomi, a Chinese startup, has surpassed Samsung in home market sales of smartphones. This comes in the aftermath of a troubling second-quarter earnings report from the Korean company.
Google email scan leads to sex offender arrest
Google scans the content of Gmail messages for marketing purposes. It also apparently does some detective work, since it found some child porn in one user's Gmail email, leading to a man's arrest by the Houston Police Department.
Microsoft sues Samsung over nonpayment on patent ruling
Samsung is refusing to pay royalties for the use of Microsoft smartphone patents. The three-year-old agreement is negated, according to Samsung, by Microsoft's acquisition of Nokia. Microsoft says that's a dodge.
USB drives, devices pose big opportunity for hackers, malicious intentions
A German security company has issued a warning that any and all USB devices can be reprogrammed to conduct malicious missions. Even worse, there may not be much that can be done to catch the malware in action or to repair the damage.
P.F. Chang's data breach may hit 33 locations
P.F. Chang's China Bistro, a national Asian restaurant chain, may have suffered a data breach of customer credit and debit card information at 33 locations in the U.S. Restaurants in 17 states were potentially affected between October 2013 and June 11.
Hacker claims commercial flights at risk for cyberattacks
A cybersecurity researcher has found exploitable flaws in satellite communications equipment that could be hacked, possibly allowing disruptions and takeovers of navigation, communications and safety systems on commercial jets. Hackers could use a plane's Wi-Fi or inflight entertainment systems to exploit these flaws.
