Articles by Kris Holt

AT&T's planned merger with DirecTV is far from a done deal. Among the objections that have been raised is one stemming from a filing this week with the Federal Communications Commission. There is now concern that the merger would make it more difficult for consumers to cut their cable-TV cords The companies told the FCC in a public interest stateme...

AT&T's planned merger with DirecTV is far from a done deal. Among the objections that have been raised is one stemming from a filing this week with the Federal Communications Commission. There is now concern that the merger would make it more difficult for consumers to cut their cable-TV cords The companies told the FCC in a public interest stateme...

To stay in tune with new owner Apple's frequent product updates, Beats Electronics is expanding its line of audio devices Powerbeats 2 Wireless is the company's first set of wireless earphones. Designed with athletes in mind, they offer the signature Beats audio quality that fans have come to expect....

Cab drivers throughout Europe clogged city streets as they protested the rise of Uber in their locales Thousands of drivers blocked roads and participated in rallies to decry the service, which links users to drivers through a smartphone application....

Sony laid down its markers for PlayStation's months and years ahead with a slew of announcements at the E3 gaming trade show Monday night PlayStation 4 has been handily outselling Xbox One since the consoles launched at the end of 2013. E3 is a key battleground for both Sony and Microsoft as they reveal upcoming software and hardware they both hope...

The U.S. Department of Justice this week said it would review long-held agreements with two major performing-rights organizations with an eye to updating them to reflect the climate of the music industry more accurately The DoJ's agreements with the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) and Broadcast Music Inc (BMI) have bee...

The Obama administration once again has trained its spotlight on climate change. The Environmental Protection Agency this week announced a plan to cut carbon pollution, a leading cause of climate change, by an average of 30 percent nationwide by 2030, compared with 2005 levels. Power plants account for 40 percent of carbon pollution, the biggest driver of climate change...

Google's eye on the sky seems wider than ever. The company reportedly is planning to spend at least US$1 billion on a project to bring Internet access to remote areas through satellites It is not yet clear whether the plan would augment or replace Project Loon -- Google's proposal to connect remote regions to the Internet through high-altitude ball...

Microsoft is returning to one of its biggest franchises with the announcement of a new Halo game, set to debut next year for the Xbox One. Accompanying the release of the title is a new TV show based on the series The release of Microsoft's latest console, the Xbox One, provided the opportunity to rethink how to move the franchise forward while hig...

Xiaomi fired a new salvo in its attempt to compete with major names like Apple and Samsung as it introduced its first tablet, the Mi Pad The 7.9-inch Android device -- which has the same-size surface as the iPad mini -- uses an Nvidia quad-core Tegra K1 processor and will be manufactured by Foxconn, cofounder and CEO Lei Jun announced....

Wearable technology and other devices, objects and systems connected to the Internet will be fully pervasive in our society by 2025, according to a new report The Internet of Things, or IoT, references the many objects in our everyday lives that are connected to the Internet and share data. While the trend already is taking effect through products ...

LG Electronics is dipping its toes into the burgeoning market of wearable fitness devices The LG Lifeband Touch and the LG Heart Rate Earphones will be available to the public starting May 18. The devices are compatible with both iOS and Android smartphones....

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission reportedly is changing a proposal for regulating Internet traffic in response to a wave of dissension against the idea Chairman Tom Wheeler had proposed a new "Net neutrality" plan that would allow Internet service providers to negotiate with companies that use the Internet to provide services t...

Netflix is hiking subscription fees for new users of its streaming video service effective immediately, while current members will have a grace period before they must start paying the increased rates Subscribers in the U.S. and Canada will fork over an extra dollar a month, with the fee jumping to US$8.99. Existing subscribers will pay their curre...

More than 100 companies in the tech industry have come together to battle a proposal by the Federal Communications Commission that they say could irreparably harm the open Internet Firms including Amazon, eBay, Facebook, Google, Kickstarter, LinkedIn, Microsoft, Netflix, Twitter, and Yahoo signed an open letter to the FCC advocating the benefits of...

Microsoft is expected to debut a smaller version of its Surface line of tablets later this month. The company reportedly will showcase the device for the first time, along with other new Surface models, at a New York City event on May 20. The smaller version of the Surface will run on Qualcomm processors rather than the Nvidia and Intel chips Micr...

The White House has demanded urgent action on climate change amid the release of a report that spells out the looming threats to America and the global population More than 300 experts, led by a 60-member federal advisory committee, worked for several years to create the latest National Climate Assessment. The previous version was published five ye...

Amazon is now allowing consumers to add items to their shopping cart simply by sending a reply on Twitter Users who connect their accounts on the two services can add a product they see in a Twitter link to their Amazon shopping cart simply by replying to the tweet with the hashtag #AmazonCart -- or #AmazonBasket if they are located in the UK. The ...

Sony's PlayStation 4 remains top dog among the latest generation of consoles after March sales figures showed it continuing to outpace Microsoft's Xbox One Sony revealed earlier this week it had sold more than 7 million PS4 units worldwide, while Microsoft said it had shipped 5 million Xbox Ones to retailers to date.

Zynga is once again plowing the furrow of its greatest success with the launch of FarmVille 2: Country Escape The latest title from the casual gaming studio is a mobile-focused effort. Zynga has launched the game globally on iPhone, iPad and Android devices....