9 posts and columns on issues

News Byte

Complaints About Sony PlayStation Vita Arise After Japan Launch

in News on December 20, 2011 at 8:28 pm PT

Sony issued an apologetic statement and posted a system update on Monday, after complaints emerged about its new handheld device, the Sony PlayStation Vita. The portable gaming system launched in Japan this past weekend; 321,400 units were sold in two days. Some users are reporting that the Vita has been freezing and crashing in early use of the device.

Apple Says It’s Investigating Verizon iPad 3G Issues

in Mobile on April 8, 2011 at 2:29 pm PT

Cupertino says it is aware some iPad owners with the Verizon model are having trouble connecting to the network. An Apple representative said the company is “investigating.” The issue does not appear to affect Wi-Fi only models or those that connect to AT&T’s 3G network.

Microsoft’s First Windows Phone 7 Update Encounters Several Glitches

in Mobile on March 4, 2011 at 4:43 pm PT

Redmond encounters several problems in its first attempt to update Windows Phone 7 devices. And these problems have come in an update that doesn’t even add features. This update is designed merely to get the phones ready for an update, expected later this month, that adds copy and paste, along with performance improvements and better search from within the Windows Marketplace.

News Byte

Illegal Immigration? There's an App for That.

in News on February 8, 2011 at 12:53 pm PT

When it comes to drawing fire for ironic takes on social issues, Groupon’s not the only game in town. In Smuggle Truck: Operation Immigration, an as-yet-unapproved iPhone app, the player wins by smuggling as many immigrants across the U.S.-Mexico border as possible, losing points, of course, for the babies (and other people) who fall off the truck. Owlchemy Labs states that it “maintained a meticulous eye to avoid depicting stereotypes,” but not everyone is amused.

Verizon Upholds Tradition of Bumpy iPhone Launch

in Mobile on February 3, 2011 at 8:30 am PT

AT&T must be snickering into its cornflakes this morning. Verizon began taking pre-orders for the forthcoming CDMA iPhone this morning and is suffering some of the same issues for which AT&T has been taken to task in the past (though not nearly as severe).

News Byte

Verizon Wireless Hopes Virginia Can Hear It Now

in Mobile on January 24, 2011 at 2:18 pm PT

Verizon Wireless customers in Virginia enjoyed some unexpected quiet time on Monday as the carrier experienced a significant data and voice outage in the Old Dominion state. In a message on its official Twitter page, Verizon said that things should be back up and running. “Network should be full speed as of 3:50 pm ET in affected Virginia communities: Williamsburg, Newport News, Norfolk, VA Beach,” the company said, asking customers: “You good?”

Voices

Early Adopter: Pothole-Reporting App SeeClickFix Raises $1.5 Million to Help You Be a Squeakier Wheel

in News on January 14, 2011 at 11:00 am PT

It’s a fine line between keeping your potholes filled and walls graffiti free and being a civic tattletale. Civic nuisance reporting app SeeClickFix lets you toe the line, and just got another $1.5 million from O’Reilly AlphaTech and Omidyar to help users keep at it.

IPO Market Just Really, Really Lousy

in News on April 1, 2009 at 1:25 pm PT

To hear tell from the National Venture Capital Association, the VC landscape is as burned out and desolate as the ashen vistas of Cormac McCarthy’s “The Road.” According to its latest data, not a single venture-backed company went public in the first quarter of 2009 or the one that preceded it. That’s the first time the association has ever recorded two consecutive quarters with no issues.
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