Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror

Submission + - Silk Road founder Ross Ulbricht sentenced to life in prison (bgr.com)

An anonymous reader writes: After being found guilty of seven criminal counts, including drug trafficking and money laundering, Ross Ulbricht, the mastermind behind the illegal online marketplace known as Silk Road, was sentenced to life in prison by Judge Katherine Forrest.

With all of the counts levied against him, Ulbricht was facing 20 years at a minimum. Prosecutors, though, were hoping for a much longer sentence, writing that they wanted a “lengthy sentence, one substantially above the mandatory minimum” as to make a harsh example out of Ulbricht. They also claim that Ulbricht hasn’t “acknowledged full responsibility or shown true remorse for his actions.”

The life sentence comes sentence in the wake of Ulbricht penning a heartfelt letter to Judge Forrest where he pleaded with the court for leniency.

Submission + - Yup, there's already someone lined up to buy the iPhone 6 (bgr.com)

zacharye writes: Last year ahead of Apple’s iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c launch, lines began forming outside Apple stores weeks in advance. At the time, we thought it was pretty crazy that anyone would line up that far in advance to buy a cell phone — but now we know what crazy really looks like. A Japanese man named “Yoppy” says he has already lined up to buy Apple’s unannounced iPhone 6, which isn’t expected to launch for another seven months...

Submission + - What would it cost to build a Windows version of the pricey new Mac Pro? (bgr.com)

zacharye writes: The new Mac Pro is the most powerful and flexible computer Apple has ever created, and it’s also extremely expensive — or is it? With a price tag that can climb up around $10,000, Apple’s latest enterprise workhorse clearly isn’t cheap. For businesses with a need for all that muscle, however, is that steep price justifiable or is there a premium “Apple tax” that companies will have to pay? Shortly after the new Mac Pro was finally made available for purchase last week, one PC enthusiast set out to answer that question and in order to do so, he asked another one: How much would it cost to build a comparable Windows 8 machine?...

Submission + - Naked self-destructing sexts could be what finally kills Google. No, Seriously. (bgr.com) 1

zacharye writes: As Google’s share price soars beyond $1,100, it seems like nothing can stop the Internet juggernaut as its land grab strategies continue to win over the eyes of its users and the wallets of its advertising clients. But an analysis published over this past weekend raises an interesting question surrounding a new business model that could someday lead to Google’s downfall. Do we want an erasable Internet?...

Submission + - No Home for Facebook at AT&T: HTC First to be discontinued (bgr.com)

zacharye writes: The HTC First, or “Facebook phone” as many prefer to call it, is officially a flop. It certainly wasn’t a good sign when AT&T dropped the price of HTC’s First to $0.99 just one month after its debut, and now BGR has confirmed that HTC and Facebook’s little experiment is nearing its end. BGR has learned from a trusted source that sales of the HTC First have been shockingly bad. So bad, in fact, that AT&T has already decided to discontinue the phone...

Submission + - Google Glass is the future – and the future has awful battery life (bgr.com)

zacharye writes: The concept of wearable tech is really buzzing right now as pundits tout smart eyewear, watches and other connected devices as the future of tech. It makes sense, of course — smartphone growth is slowing and people need something to hold on to — but the early “Explorer” version of Google’s highly anticipated Google Glass headset has major problem that could be a big barrier for widespread adoption: Awful battery life...

Submission + - Washington Attorney General slams T-Mobile over deceptive 'no-contract' ads (bgr.com)

zacharye writes: Washington State Attorney General Bob Ferguson on Thursday ordered UNcarrier T-Mobile to correct “deceptive advertising that promised consumers no annual contracts while carrying hidden charges for early termination of phone plans.” T-Mobile, which recently did away with standard cell phone service contracts and typical smartphone subsidies, is accused of misleading consumers by advertising no-contract wireless plans despite requiring that customers sign an agreement that makes them responsible for the full cost of their handsets should they cancel service prematurely...

Submission + - Apple devices to outsell Windows for first time ever in 2013 (bgr.com)

zacharye writes: Mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets have long been considered the future of computing and a new projection from market research firm Gartner shows just how important the mobile market has become. According to the firm’s estimates for 2013, Apple devices will outsell Windows devices for the first time this year. The estimate takes into account sales of Apple’s iPhones, iPads and Mac computers as well as desktops, laptops, tablets and smartphones powered by Microsoft’s various Windows operating systems...
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Surface Pro Review (bgr.com)

zacharye writes: I first laid eyes on Microsoft’s Surface tablet just about four months ago. It was a rainy Monday morning in Redmond, Washington and we were barely into the first 20 minutes of a full day of meetings when I knew the Surface was a huge, huge deal. Microsoft — the world’s largest software company, responsible for the operating system that powers roughly 92% of all personal computers on the planet — was now a hardware vendor. Microsoft's first effort was a dud but the Surface Pro is better in every way. Is it enough?...
Iphone

Submission + - The strange math of Apple's alleged massive iPhone 5 order cuts (bgr.com)

zacharye writes: The Sunday evening Wall Street Journal article claiming that Apple had cut its iPhone 5 display orders drastically for the March quarter made quite a splash. The way WSJ wrote its piece seemed to support the original Nikkei claim about Apple cutting its iPhone 5 display orders in half from the originally planned order of 65 million units. This would be a massive adjustment. But Apple uses the same new display type for both iPhone 5 and the latest iPod touch. Neither WSJ nor Nikkei addressed this, however — both seemed to be referring to just iPhone 5 displays. The math just doesn't add up...
Microsoft

Submission + - Windows 8: A 'Christmas gift for someone you hate' (bgr.com) 1

zacharye writes: Microsoft is no stranger to criticism these days, and the company’s new Windows 8 platform is once again the target of a scathing review from a high-profile user. Well-known Internet entrepreneur and MIT professor Philip Greenspun handed Windows 8 one of its most damning reviews yet earlier this week, calling the new operating system a “Christmas gift for someone you hate.” Greenspun panned almost every aspect of Microsoft’s new software, noting that Microsoft had four years to study Android and more than five to examine iOS, but still couldn’t build a usable tablet experience...
Microsoft

Submission + - Microsoft Surface deemed a dud, Q4 sales could come in below 1M units (bgr.com) 1

zacharye writes: While some see potential in Microsoft’s Surface tablet, most industry watchers appear to have written off the device at this point. Orders were reportedly cut in half following a slow launch, and Microsoft’s debut slate has been hammered time and time again by reviewers and analysts. The latest to pile on is Boston-based brokerage firm Detwiler Fenton, which estimates that when all is said and done, Microsoft will have sold fewer than 1 million Surface tablets in the slate’s debut quarter...
Piracy

Submission + - Police raid home of 9-year-old Pirate Bay user, seize 'Winnie the Pooh' laptop (bgr.com) 1

zacharye writes: Copyright enforcement might be getting out of hand in Scandinavia. As anti-piracy groups and copyright owners continue to work with authorities to curtail piracy in the region, police this week raided the home of a 9-year-old suspect and confiscated her “Winnie the Pooh” laptop. TorrentFreak reports that the girl’s home was raided after local anti-piracy group CIAPC determined copyrighted files had been downloaded illegally at her residence. Her father, the Internet service account holder, was contacted by CIAPC, which demanded that he pay a 600 euro fine and sign a non-disclosure agreement to settle the matter. When the man did not comply, authorities raided his home and collected evidence, including his 9-year-old daughter’s notebook computer...
Google

Submission + - Google wants to be a wireless carrier (bgr.com)

zacharye writes: Google has already conquered the software side of smartphones and now the technology giant is reportedly in talks to take over the air waves. A report on Thursday claims that Google has held talks with satellite television provider Dish Network regarding the possibility of a venture that would see Google launch its own cellular network and compete directly with the likes of Verizon and AT&T...
Blackberry

Submission + - BlackBerry Messenger update with free voice calling shows RIM is ready to battle (bgr.com) 1

zacharye writes: Research In Motion will unveil the finished version of its next-generation smartphone platform next year on January 30th. While BlackBerry 10 is considered by many to be RIM’s big chance at a comeback, a number of industry watchers think the new BlackBerry operating system doesn’t stand a chance in a market dominated by Android and iOS. BlackBerry 10 indeed looks like a breath of fresh air compared to RIM’s current mobile OS, but like Microsoft’s (MSFT) Windows Phone platform, we have yet to see any compelling differentiation that might appeal to the mass market. With its latest BlackBerry Messenger update, however, RIM is showing that it may in fact be ready to innovate and put up a fight when BlackBerry 10 hits the market early next year...

Slashdot Top Deals

One possible reason that things aren't going according to plan is that there never was a plan in the first place.

Working...