Wayne Rash

When thieves broke into the point-of-sale (POS) system at Target, they stole the data from the magnetic stripe on the back of credit and debit cards. Target, like virtually all other stores in the United States, depends on that information on the magnetic stripe to read all the relevant credit card information to make a […]

The future of T-Mobile has been up in the air for a few years now. First AT&T tried to buy the company in early 2011 only to have its bid blocked by the U.S. Department of Justice and the Federal Communications Commission. Then, earlier this month, rumors started circulating that Sprint was gearing up to […]

A report released by a hand-picked panel of presidential advisers on Dec. 18 is only the latest blow delivered to the National Security Agency during the week leading up to Christmas. The 300-page report was compiled by the Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies. The group was chartered to study the activities of the […]

Last week a set of rumors popped up in an occasionally reliable newspaper called The Wall Street Journal to the effect that Sprint was considering a purchase of its smaller rival, T-Mobile. The newspaper didn’t attribute the report to specific sources, but only stated that it was told by “people” that this could be true. […]

The major U.S. wireless carriers have committed to the Federal Communications Commission that they will begin allowing customers to have their phones unlocked on request, provided they meet certain criteria that mainly involve meeting financial obligations to the carrier. For postpaid customers, this would mean either paying for the phone or meeting any contract requirements. […]

Before you start making voodoo dolls in the likeness of Federal Communications Commission Chairman Thomas Wheeler, take a minute to find out what the FCC actually did in its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) regarding the use of devices using cellular technology on airliners. First and perhaps most important, it expanded the existing ban on […]

“Companies need to build a sustainable business model,” Alan d’Escragnolle said, explaining why SugarSync was dropping the company’s free data storage plan. d’Escragnolle, who is SugarSync’s vice president of marketing, told eWEEK that the company’s current free customers would be offered the chance to upgrade their accounts at a 75 percent discount. He also said […]

Reining in frivolous and legally unsubstantiated patent infringement lawsuits by making it costly to lose an unfounded case is the goal of a new law passed Dec. 5 by the U.S. House of Representatives. The legislation, which moves on to the Senate for a vote, targets so-called “patent trolls” who often file vague, catch-all infringement […]

Security and privacy researcher Samy Kamkar told eWEEK exactly how easy it is to take over a small drone while it’s in flight and then turn the device to your own ends. In effect, he says, it’s not only possible to steal a drone, it’s easy and cheap, especially when the system was designed without […]

The word is all over the blogosphere and Internet news sites that the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision not to hear the sales tax case between Amazon.com, Overstock.com and the state of New York somehow gives the go-ahead for Internet taxation. It does not. In fact, the Supreme Court chose to do nothing, reinforcing its earlier […]

Flying into a big-city airport is a complex task under the best of circumstances. Pilots approaching an airfield must make a constant series of decisions. They’re glancing at an approach chart (perhaps displayed on an iPad or other tablet) that’s strapped to a leg. They carry on a steady conversation with the airport’s tower. At […]

The good news about the multiday period of time that was formerly known as Black Friday is that you don’t need to worry much about how it will affect your IT department. After all, you buy your hardware on corporate contracts, and over the long run your pricing is almost certainly better than what retailers […]