Voices

U.K. Report Condemns News Corp.

The U.K. parliamentary committee probing illicit voicemail interception by News Corp.’s shuttered News of the World tabloid released a final report Tuesday concluding that News Corp. Chief Executive Rupert Murdoch is “not a fit person to exercise the stewardship of a major international company” and accusing several former company executives of misleading parliament.

Pinger Adds Voicemail to iOS Calling and Texting App

Pinger today started offering free, ad-supported voicemail on top of its texting and voice call service.

Amazon Has Acquired Yap, the Closest Thing to a Siri Clone It Can Find

There are a lot of similarities between Amazon and Apple. The secrecy, the dedication to the consumer, the focus on devices and digital media, and now this: Siri.

Voices

Letter Suggests Hacking “Widely Discussed” at News of the World

News Corp. came under fresh attack Tuesday as new, written evidence submitted to a U.K. parliament committee suggested that voice-mail interception was “widely discussed” at its News of the World tabloid and showed several former executives bluntly contradicting recent testimony by Deputy Chief Operating Officer James Murdoch.

Murdoch & Son Visit Parliament and Return With a Big Helping Of Humble (and Shaving Cream) Pie

News Corp. CEO and majordomo Rupert Murdoch tells British lawmakers he is sorry on the “most humble day of my life”, survives a surprise attack and loses his jacket. Other than that, the hearing turned into a what didn’t the Murdochs know and when didn’t they know it Q&A session.

Voices

Say What? High-Tech Messages Can Get Lost in Translation.

This is the voicemail that Dan Sheeran’s tailor recently tried to leave him: “Just wanted to let you know that your pants is already done and ready for pickup,” the tailor, in accented but clear English, said in the recording. “Ok, then you can pick up your pants at Nordstrom.”

Voices

Phone Carriers Tout Tool to Stop Texting and Driving

If your teenagers have a car and a cellphone, chances are they’ve made a call or texted behind the wheel. Distracted driving is a big worry for many parents, but one start-up is betting that its technology will help alleviate some of those concerns. California-based Location Labs is selling a tool that detects when the phone is in a moving car and limits the owner’s ability to make calls and texts.

News Byte

No VoIP Calls on Google Voice for iPad and iPod Touch

Google Voice now supports iOS devices without cell service. Released today, the updated version of the app supports the iPad and iPod touch, but only to a point. While it allows iPad and iPod touch owners to send and receive text messages or check voicemail from their Google Voice accounts, it won’t allow them to make VoIP calls. That said, it can be used to initiate calls on true phones associated with a Google Voice account, if you ever feel compelled to add another step to the phone call process.

Jawbone: You Won’t Pay a Penny for Our Thoughts

Headset maker Jawbone thinks it has found another nifty use for its electronic earwear. The company is using D: Dive Into Mobile to announce Thoughts, an iPhone app that lets road warriors dictate a quick thought that gets delivered as an audio file to whomever they like. The audio file gets sent to a recipients’ Thoughts app, or via email or a text message link.

Naked Brett Favre Won't Make Money for Nick Denton

Gawker Media’s Deadspin site says it will run naked photos of the Vikings quarterback, but Denton says it won’t be a profitable decision: “These things are always money-losers”

Google to Apple: You Lie

Incoming! iPhone OS 3.0

Ma Google