When a Comcast subscriber found he could no longer access his home wifi setup because the installer had given him the wrong password, he was able to get the company to reset the password remotely. Somehow, he also ended up being enrolled in a service plan that charged $5.95/month in addition to a $13 enrollment fee. [More]
Comcast Customer Asks For Password Reset, Gets Enrolled In $6/Month Tech Support Plan
By May 22, 2013
Google Thinking About How To Let Users Cherry-Pick App Permissions
By May 20, 2013
When you download an app from the Google Play store — or when an update to an already downloaded app includes a change in permissions — users are required to accept those permissions before downloading. But there is no way to say no to any single permission, so users are either begrudgingly downloading apps with permissions they don’t want or not downloading otherwise acceptable apps because they are concerned about these permissions. But one Google engineer says there may be some hope. [More]
AT&T Customers Will Probably Have To Wait Before Using Google Hangouts Over Cellular
By May 20, 2013
If you’ve got an Android phone, you might have noticed that your pre-loaded Google Talk app has recently been updated and is now “Hangouts,” the name of Google’s video chat service. But if you’re an AT&T customer, you might have to wait a while before you’re allowed to use that app over the carrier’s wireless network. [More]
Woman Files $5 Million Class Action Over Broken iPhone Power Button
By May 16, 2013
The power button on a woman’s iPhone 4 failed, and she’s not able to turn the phone on or off. That pretty much renders it useless, so she ditched AT&T and got a new phone. But she never forgot that shiny, shiny iPhone that broke down shortly after its initial one-year warranty was up. She filed a class action on behalf of herself and other powerless iPhone users. What raised eyebrows is that she sued under the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act, accusing Apple and AT&T of conspiring together to sell expensive two-year contracts on phones that break after one year. [More]
I Report A Plastic Thingy In My Snack Bag, Utz Showers Me In Chips
By May 15, 2013
When Kevin found a foreign object in his bag of Utz chips, he wasn’t after a freebie or about to sue for pain and suffering. He just wanted to let the company know. He couldn’t find an e-mail address, so he messaged the company using Facebook. He didn’t expect to hear back from a company VP, or to have his twist tie-filled chip bag replaced twelve times over. [More]
Netflix Admits It’s Still Got A Lot Of Kissing Up To Do, Reassures Customers It Won’t Sell Ads
By May 15, 2013
Netflix is still working hard to make up for failing its customers in the somewhat recent past (Qwikster ring a bell, anyone?), resulting in the wonderful olive branch of original content like the upcoming return of Arrested Development. But there’s more to be done, the company’s financial chief said today, which is why Netflix won’t be selling ads for its streaming site. [More]
Burger King: Hey Guys, McDonald’s Isn’t The Only One Who Can Do A Rib-Shaped Sandwich
By May 15, 2013
Thus far in its life, the McRib has had a solitary existence, with nary another rib-shaped piece of meat out there to keep it company. So rejoice, McDonald’s! Your boneless hunk of rib-ish meat will have new friend soon, when Burger King unveils its summer 2013 menu, including its limited-time BK Rib Sandwich. [More]
Adblock Plus: Internet Heroes Or Banner Ad Shakedown Artists?
By May 14, 2013
Most of our readers are familiar with Adblock Plus, the browser extension that does what the name describes: blocks ads. For some people, it’s the only thing that makes browsing the Internet tolerable; for others, it’s an evil entity strangling the media industry. What you may not know is that the open-source extension is allowing some advertisers access to your eyeballs…but only if users deem them acceptable. Oh, and some large sites have to pay. [More]
Is The Real, Super Secret Coca-Cola Recipe For Sale On eBay?
By May 14, 2013
The Legend Of The Super Secret Coca-Cola Recipe is thus: It’s like, super secret — as denoted by the legend’s name — and is kept hidden away in a safe at the World Of Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta so no mustachioed villains from PepsiCo or elsewhere can twirl said facial hair diabolically and then steal it. Only a few employees at a time are rumored to know the formula. But one self-described treasure hunter says not only did he find it, he’s putting it up for sale on eBay. [More]
ABC To Begin Streaming Its Entire Broadcast Schedule Online (But You’ll Still Need To Have Cable)
By May 13, 2013
Starting tomorrow, people in New York City and Philadelphia with iOS devices will be able to access ABC’s entire network schedule live online, as the broadcaster tests out a new cloud-based service intended to compete with Aereo and others. [More]
Why We’re Praying That ESPN Does Not Begin Subsidizing Wireless Plans
By May 10, 2013
For the last couple years, some in the wireless industry have been pushing for providers of data-heavy content to subsidize users’ wireless plans in order to guarantee that subscribers don’t hit their monthly usage caps. Apparently, ESPN is mulling over whether it wants to go that route, but we really hope they don’t. [More]
Report: Amazon Working On 3-D Smartphone
By May 9, 2013
Amazon has done pretty well with its Kindle line of e-readers and tablets, but it looks like the company is determined to expand beyond the market of “things to read and watch stuff on.” A new report says the e-tailer is working on a pair of devices different from any hardware it has released before. [More]
Irish Snack Fans Can’t Get Enough Cheese And Onion Potato Chip-Flavored Chocolate Bars
By May 9, 2013
Even though this is America, we are not the top country as far as wacky and amazing snack foods go. No, that would probably be Japan. But Ireland is making a serious run at the title, since their citizens are currently going mad for chocolate bars flavored with bits of cheese and onion potato chips. [More]
Adobe’s Creative Suite: Now Only For Rent, Not For Sale
By May 8, 2013
“Ahhh…the joys of having a monopoly running your professional life,” writes reader Brian. Like many people who depend on Adobe’s Creative Suite to perform their creative work, he’s upset at the news that Adobe is abandoning the stuffy, old-fashioned software business model where you buy a program once and get to keep it. Instead, they’re going to release new versions solely through their Creative Cloud service, charging a monthly subscription price. [More]
Starbucks Sort Of Implements Suspended Coffee, Donates Food And Drink To Nonprofit
By May 8, 2013
Back in March, we simultaneously spread and scorned the “suspended coffee” meme: a concept originating in the Italian city of Naples where customers can order an extra coffee or food item for a stranger in need that they can request at any time. We dismissed the entire concept as something that a global chain like Starbucks would never implement because it is too complicated to administer and prone to fraud. We were wrong. [More]
New York AG To Sue Bank Of America, Wells Fargo Over Alleged Violations Of National Mortgage Settlement
By May 6, 2013
If the big mortgage servicers thought they’d put a pile of legal troubles behind them when they reached the $25 billion dollar National Mortgage Settlement with almost every state in 2012, they were wrong. Today, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced his intention to sue Bank of America and Wells Fargo for what he alleges is a ” persistent pattern of non-compliance” by the two banks. [More]
April Recall Roundup: Don’t Eat The Bunny Forks
By May 3, 2013
In this month’s recall roundup, we bring you self-amputating dolly hands, attack lamps, flaming dehyrators, and bats that can score a home run all on their own. [More]
Time Warner Cable Considers Offering Broadcast Channels Over The Internet
By May 3, 2013
While all the network broadcasters are suing Aereo — the startup that captures over-the-air signals then transmits them to subscribers over the Internet for a monthly fee — the CEO of Time Warner Cable is looking that the tech and thinking it may be a pretty good idea for his company. [More]
