Clipmarks | Mohir's clips

UK planning to monitor and record every phone call, web page, and email sent by citizens

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:53:36 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: scary

We're not sure if these plans will ever make it to reality, but the Telegraph is reporting that Britain's Home Office is working on database designed to store the details of every phone call, email, and web page accessed by British citizens in the previous year. The idea is to have various telecom providers hand over their records, which will all go into the database and then be accessible by police upon receipt of a court order. Of course, there's no reason why police couldn't simply ask the ISPs for the appropriate data when they get that court order, since records are already required to be kept for a year, but sometimes it's important for a government to build a massive scary database of personal information with endless potential for abuse by embittered low-level bureaucrats, you know? The plan is still in draft stages, so hopefully it dies on the table -- and if not, well, the NSA welcomes you with open arms, British expats.

Tags: 1984, internet, uk

Mobile phone evolution; 1985 to present day

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:30:06 GMT

clipped by: Mohir
clipper's remarks: For the gadgets lovers

Clip Source: www.gadgetell.com

Here we have a great little YouTube video showing off just how far we have come in the world of mobile phones. Without having to watch the video, I am sure you already know just how much they have advanced, but its still an interesting watch as they point out some interesting tidbits and facts along the way. For example, did you know that the Motorola StarTAC in 1996 was not only the first to offer a clamshell design but the first to also include a vibrate feature or that the Nokia 3210 in 2000 was the first with both an internal antenna and also T9 predictive text.

[Video]

Tags: gadgets, mobile, phone, history

Napster offers up 6 million DRM-free music tracks

Wed, 21 May 2008 17:17:32 GMT

clipped by: Mohir

Clip Source: www.gadgetell.com

Apple’s iTunes Store better watch it’s back, because here comes Napster with not just another online music service, but one that now offers a whooping 6 million DRM-free music tracks. With this number of available tracks Napster has now become the world’s largest major label MP3 catalog and the largest library of independent music worldwide.

Beginning today, all digital music that is downloaded from Napster will be a DRM-free MP3 that is compatible with any MP3 player or music phone, including yes you guessed it right, the iPod and the iPhone. Downloaded music will remain at 99 cents for a single track and $9.95 for most full albums. Most of Napster’s digital music is encoded at a 256kbps bitrate and shall include album art. In addition, users can freely browse Napster’s catalog without any obligation or commitment to purchase. Napster is also offering a web-based on-demand streaming service which users can access from anywhere using computer with Internet connection.

Tags: napster, itunes, internet, drm, music