Malaysia seeks to ban sites for illegal downloads

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia  — Thousands of Malaysians joined an online protest Sunday against a government effort to block access to 10 popular websites often used to illegally download movies, TV shows and music.

It is the biggest move to curb Internet entertainment piracy in Malaysia, which has long been accused by industry officials of not cracking down hard enough on the rampant sale of bootleg DVDs and CDs.

The Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission, a government regulatory body, said Friday that it wanted Internet service providers to block 10 websites that violated copyright laws.

More than 6,500 people have since joined a Facebook page slamming the decision, with some saying the government had reneged on its pledge not to censor the Internet.

"I think it is the stupidest move ever," wrote Satila Suhaimi Kelly, one of the Facebook group's members. "I use (the websites) to share my own personal photos and videos with friends and family all around the world."

The ban appeared to be erratically enforced by Malaysian Internet providers. Most users complained Saturday they couldn't surf the sites, but some were able to by Sunday. Others used alternative access routes to circumvent the ban.

The websites include the Pirate Bay, a Sweden-based site that has faced lawsuits by entertainment companies in Europe over complaints of copyright infringement.

The Multimedia Commission has defended the ban, saying it was asked by Malaysia's Domestic Trade Ministry to help enforce copyright regulations. It denied the move amounted to censorship.

Malaysian filmmaker Norman Abd Halim told The Star newspaper he welcomed the move.

"The unauthorized use of copyrighted work is destroying the industry," the daily quoted him as saying.

T-Mobile's Father's Day gift: Win one of ten HTC Sensation 4G smartphones

How would you like to have a sensational Father's Day? You could by winning one of ten HTC Sensation 4G models being given away by T-Mobile for Father's Day. The carrier let the cat out of the bag via a tweet, but did not offer any more information on the giveaway except to add that more details will be forthcoming tomorrow (that is Monday for those on the West Coast).

If for some reason you are not familiar with the handset, the HTC Sensation 4G is one of the hottest handsets globally, in the same company as the Samsung Galaxy S II. A 4.3 inch qHD Super LCD display offers sharp and clear text and video and the HTC Sensation 4G is powered by a dual-core Qualcomm MSM8260 1.2GHz processor with 768MB of RAM aboard. Android 2.3 is under the hood. An 8MP camera is on the back while a.3MP VGA shooter is on the front for self-portraits and video chats. And of course, the handset is HSPA+ enabled.

With those hot specs, the HTC Sensation 4G will make a great Father's Day present. And if you can't win it for free from T-Mobile, perhaps you can convince your family to pick one up for Father's Day. As we have reported, the phone will launch from T-Mobile on Wednesday at a price of $199.99 following a $50 mail-in-rebate and with a signed 2-year contract.

Don't forget to keep checking in with us on Monday. Hopefully, T-Mobile will remember to release the rules of the HTC Sensation 4G giveaway!

source: Twitter via TmoNews

T-Mobile's tweet revealed that the carrier will give away 10 HTC Sensation 4G phones for Father's Day

AT&T files statement with the FCC supporting its acquisition of T-Mobile

On Friday, AT&T filed a statement with the FCC detailing reasons why the agency should allow the acquisition of T-Mobile to proceed. Among the reasons cited by the carrier in support of the $39 billion deal is that it would promote economic growth and add jobs to the economy. The carrier said that by acquiring T-Mobile, competition and innovation would be promoted and the wireless market would remain "vibrantly competitive". According to the filing, 75% of Americans can choose from one of five mobile carriers. And because AT&T and T-Mobile USA have "uniquely complementary networks and spectrum positions", the combined company will have greater capacity than if the pre-buyout pipelines of both companies were combined.

AT&T also aimed some words directly at Sprint CEO Dan Hesse. The executive warned that the AT&T-T-Mobile combination would "stifle innovation". In response, AT&T said that the combined spectrum position of Sprint and Clearwire (majority owned by Sprint) is "far stronger" than AT&T's current position. According to AT&T, Clearwire has the best spectrum position in the business, a situation which would not change from the AT&T-T-Mobile deal. And that does not even include additional spectrum owned by Sprint.

The entire filing to the FCC can be viewed with confidential information redacted by clicking on the source link.

source: AT&T/T-Mobile via BGR

Turning on your smartphone while flying could have deadly consequences

For those of you who secretly turn on their cell phone while on board a plane-and don't put it on Airplane mode-be aware that there is the chance of a deadly consequence to your action. From 2003 to 2009, the International Air Transport Association found 75 cases of interference having an affect on flight controls, engine indicator lights and other important gauges. Crew members believed each case stemmed from the use of portable electronic devices.

The IATA, representing more than 230 passenger and cargo airlines around the globe, broke down the incidences and reports that 26 affected flight controls like the autopilot, autothrust and the landing gear. 17 affected the navigation systems and 15 had to do with the communications system on board the plane. 40% of the problems were linked to the use of a cell phone.

In one case, the autopilot turned itself off at 4500 feet and warning lights came on. Flight attendants were immediately requested by the pilots to search for passengers using electronic devices and found 1 handset and 3 Apple iPods in use. An announcement was made over the PA and the plane landed safely. In another case, a clock started to spin backwards while the GPS had an incorrect reading (and no sign of a LightSquared LTE tower!). Another case saw the altitude readings changing quickly.

Boeing's Dave Carson is the co-chair of a federal advisory committee that investigated the problem and found that portable electronic devices can interfere with the plane's sensors hidden in the passenger area. Carson says that such interference can show the plane to be to the right of the runway when it really is to the left of the runway. And when asked if cellphones could really be that powerful, he said that it could be if it goes in the right place at the right time. Carson took an ABC News into one of Boeing's test chambers where tests showed that a BlackBerry handset and an Apple iPhone both created signals above an approved limit. The device that had the highest (and thus the most dangerous) reading was the Apple iPad.

On the other hand, former Air Force and Commercial Pilot John Nance says that considering that there are 32,000 flights a day over the U.S., there is not enough evidence to prove that portable electronics are at fault. Nance thinks there are other explanations for the problems. He says, "If an airplane is properly hardened, in terms of the sheathing of the electronics, there's no way interference can occur."In the meantime, Boeing engineers say older planes, not as well protected with the wiring, can have navigation and communication problems with interference from portable electronics. Next time you are on a plane with your handset or tablet, it probably is a good idea to play it safe and use the Airplane mode. After all, that is what the setting is there for.

source: ABCNews via AllThingsD

Will. I. Am uses his BlackBerry Torch mid-song to check the lyrics

It is not everyday that you get to see a big-time celebrity like Will.I.Am use his BlackBerry in a real-life situation. Just the other day, during the performance of a song on French television with Belgian artist Stromae, the Black Eyed Peas frontman couldn't remember the lyrics. Did he panic? Did he mumble some made-up words? No, he calmly reached into his pocket and pulled out his BlackBerry Torch to find the words to the song.

After the tune was over, the singer told an interviewer that this was the first time that he had performed the song and didn't know the lyrics that well. As for using a BlackBerry to read the lyrics, remember, this is a group that had a music video with the BlackBerry PlayBook in it before the tablet was even released.

source: Crackberry

AT&T's version of the Samsung Galaxy S II revealed on Samsung's Facebook page

What a strange week it has been for all of those Stateside smartphone fanatics, eagerly awaiting news on when the great beast-the Samsung Galaxy S II-will be launched in the U.S. Why, just the other day, a Verizon spokeswomen emailed great news to ComputerWorld that the Samsung Function (Big Red's CDMA version of the Galaxy S II) would be released next month. But before anyone could find a corkscrew to open the champagne, the spokeswomen recanted and said it was a mistake. She was talking about the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1.

While it won't make Verizon customers any happier, for some strange reason, the AT&T version of the Samsung Galaxy S II, the most eagerly awaited smartphone since, well, the Apple iPhone 3G, is pictured on Samsung Mobile's Singapore Facebook page. The AT&T Attain, with the carrier's branding clearly visible, is seen nestled into a desktop dock as if it were a common everyday sight. The pictures reveal both HDMI and 3.5mm audio jacks.

Not a word was said about the device on the site, and to be honest, it looks like the photographs were designed to show off the accessories to the phone. In fact, the caption for the picture doesn't even mention the AT&T Attain and merely says, "Samsung GALAXY S II Desktop Dock
ECR-D1A2BEGSTD RRP: $68".

Seeing is believing and it where there is smoke , there is fire. Two great sayings that apply in both the faulty Verizon email and this picture of the Attain. It would appear that the U.S. version of the Samsung Galaxy S II is very close to coming over Stateside. After all, there really is no way that AT&T or Samsung can claim that this is a misunderstanding.

**UPDATE**
For those of you thinking that the picture is that of the Samsung Infuse 4G, the power button is a bit different than the one on the 4.5 inch device which can be seen when you look at the second picture below

source: SamsungMobileSingaporeFacebook via AndroidandMe

Amid pictures of accessories for the Samsung Galaxy S II is the AT&T Attain, the carrier's version of the phone

Did Apple steal the Wi-Fi Sync feature for iOS 5 from a developer whose similar app was rejected?

When Apple recently introduced iOS 5, it mentioned a new feature called "Wi-Fi Sync". This allows an iOS user with a device connected to a power source to automatically sync and back-up the device to iTunes via a Wi-Fi connection. To University of Birmingham student Greg Hughes, this sounded awfully familiar. Hughes had submitted an app to the App Store with the same exact name and practically the same logo that Apple rolled out earlier last week. Unfortunately, Apple had rejected the submission.

After rejecting Hughes' app for the App Store, an Apple representative called to tell him that while the app technically did not break any rules, it did "encroach upon the boundaries" of what can be offered in the App Store. Hughes didn't drop the project, instead he listed his app in the Cydia store aimed at jail-broken devices and sold over 50,000 copies of his "Wi-Fi Sync".

Greg Hughes, developer of the rejected "Wi-Fi Sync" with his logo(on top) and Apple's logo

When the student learned about Apple's introduction of its "Wi-Fi Sync", he was shocked and surprised. Hughes had been selling his version of "Wi-Fi Sync for a year. Apple had known about his software and he felt that the Cupertino-based firm had "pinched it for iOS 5". And while the App Store representative he spoke on the phone with last year had told him how impressed with his work the iPhone engineering team was, Hughes has received some legal advice and plans on defending himself and his work.

As the App Store continues to grow, it might be harder and harder for Apple to avoid stepping on the toes of small developers like Greg Hughes, which makes this a legal matter to watch as it moves through the legal system. If it does become a lawsuit,we would not be surprised to see Apple offer a settlement to make it go away.

source: AppleInsider