News

• Google asks to make surveillance orders public, citing First Amendment

  Google has asked the court overseeing terrorism-related surveillance programs at the U.S. National Security Agency to allow the company to publish information on the number of surveillance requests it receives.

• US officials: Surveillance programs helped stop 50 terrorist plots

  U.S. law enforcement agencies have disrupted more than 50 terrorist plots in the U.S. and other countries with the help of controversial surveillance efforts at the U.S. National Security Agency, government officials said Tuesday.

• Sprint sues Dish, Clearwire over takeover plan

  Sprint Nextel sued Clearwire and Dish Network on Monday in a bid to block Dish from taking over Clearwire, Sprint's majority-owned network partner.

• US NSA can access data without court approval, leaker says

  Analysts at the U.S. National Security Agency can gain access to the content of U.S. targets' phone calls and email messages without court orders, NSA leaker Edward Snowden said, contradicting denials from U.S. government sources.

• Obama directs agencies to move toward sharing spectrum

  U.S. President Barack Obama has directed federal agencies to take new steps toward sharing their wireless spectrum with commercial operators, in an effort to meet growing demands for mobile data services.

• Some foreign-backed US phone companies reportedly excluded from NSA surveillance program

  At least two U.S. mobile operators, T-Mobile US and Verizon Wireless, reportedly do not participate directly in the U.S. National Security Agency's call metadata collection program because of their partial ownership by foreign telecommunication companies.

• Microsoft Office 365 lands in US iPhone App Store

  Microsoft released a version of its office suite for iPhones in the U.S. that is only available for Office 365 subscribers.

• Siemens looking to unload share in networking venture with Nokia, report said

  Siemens has started talks with private-equity firms about the sale of its share in Nokia Siemens Networks, the Wall Street Journal reported on Friday.

• Apple's crucial overscroll bounce patent claim is valid, US patent office says

  The USPTO has confirmed four claims of Apple's overscroll bounce patent, including claim 19 of the patent, according to a document filed with a Californian court on Thursday. That claim played a crucial part in Apple's US$1.05 billion dollar lawsuit against Samsung,.

• Myanmar braces for mobile phone boom as Internet access trickles in

  In Yangon, Myanmar, giant Samsung billboards hang overhead as dozens of handset shops line the crowded city streets and advertise the latest smartphones. Just a few years ago, you wouldn't have seen such a sight, said Soe Nyi Nyi, a local tech entrepreneur.

• New terms in Sprint contracts look toward WiMax shutdown

  An amendment to Sprint Nextel's subscriber terms of service points toward the carrier's expected shutdown of its 4G WiMax service.

• Clearwire's board backs Dish offer, dealing blow to Sprint

  Clearwire's board of directors has unanimously recommended its shareholders reject the takeover bid by Sprint Nextel, which owns roughly half of Clearwire, and instead accept a buyout offer from Dish Network.

• On site at a Sprint cell: Gear shrinks while coverage grows

  On the roof of a medical building in San Francisco, Sprint Nextel has a cell site that's far above the cramped canyons of the city's streets, but despite the wide-open views, space is limited.

• Study finds voice-controlled interfaces distract drivers

  When talking or texting, drivers take longer to hit the brakes -- even if they're not hitting tiny keyboards, researchers at the University of Utah have found.

• ACLU files lawsuit challenging NSA surveillance

  The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit challenging the legality of a U.S. National Security Agency surveillance program targeting customers of Verizon Communications.