Ross Lancaster

Ross Lancaster is the former publication manager for MultiBriefs. He has more than 15 years of experience in media, content marketing, writing and publishing, and holds a master's degree in political science from the University of North Texas. You can reach him at rossclancaster@gmail.com.

Articles by Ross Lancaster

• Porsche, Bernhard smash ‘Ring record, but will it stand the test of time?

  Monday, July 09, 2018

  Germany’s Stefan Bellof had a great chance to be the country's first Formula 1 World Champion had he not been killed in a vicious accident at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in 1985. However, despite his untimely passing at age 27, Bellof’s legacy was immortalized thanks to his record lap at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in a Porsche 956 in 1983, completed in 6 minutes, 11.13 seconds — a thought-to-be everlasting monument to speed at one of the world’s longest and most dangerous circuits. After all, the record couldn’t be possibly topped, because Formula 1 stopped racing at the Nordschleife after 1976 and sports car prototypes departed after the 1000-kilometer race that accompanied Bellof’s record lap in 1983.

• Will Porsche’s 919 Evo break the ‘Green Hell’ track record?

  Monday, April 23, 2018

  ​In May 1983, young German driver Stefan Bellof piloted his Porsche 956 around the famous Nürburgring Nordschleife in 6 minutes, 11.13 seconds in qualifying for the Nürburgring 1,000-kilometer race as part of that year's World Sportscar Championship. The mark established a track record for the "Green Hell" that still stands today.

• EPA to roll back fuel economy rules as battle with California looms

  Friday, April 06, 2018

  The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced on April 2 that it would begin the process of rolling back scheduled national fuel economy standards that would come into effect for the 2022 to 2025 model years of cars and light trucks. While this move aims to ease regulatory burdens on the auto industry, it could prove to be even more troublesome in the end thanks to a looming battle with California.

• States fire back at FCC to preserve net neutrality

  Friday, March 30, 2018

  Last December, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted along party lines to end the policy to regulate the internet like a utility. The vote was controversial, but highly expected throughout 2017.

• The need for speed: Mobile phone industry poised to launch 5G

  Friday, March 09, 2018

  In most years at Mobile World Congress, the launch of a new Samsung Galaxy smartphone would be the biggest story by far. This year, the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S9 was undoubtedly the biggest hardware debut of the mobile phone world's largest trade show held annually in Barcelona, but it delivered largely incremental changes on last year's Galaxy S8 — something that's often been the case with new smartphone launches in recent years.

• When will blockchain finally shift from potential to reality?

  Thursday, February 01, 2018

  In 2009, a Japanese man named Satoshi Nakamoto apparently invented both the first blockchain database and the world's first cryptocurrency, Bitcoin. There are various theories about who Nakamoto really is, or whether Nakamoto is actually a group of people. He has never identified himself.

• Porsche charging up for entry into EV market

  Monday, January 22, 2018

  By the sheer numbers, electric vehicles (EVs) are still a mere blip on the radar of the larger American automotive consciousness. According to sales figures from Fleetcarma after the first half of 2017, EVs made up 1.07 percent of all automotive sales in the U.S.

• Net neutrality is dead — Where do we go from here?

  Thursday, November 30, 2017

  The debate over net neutrality — the principle that all data is treated equally by internet service providers (ISPs) — is one that's been in the news for nearly 20 years and the administrations of four American presidents.

• Porsche may be gearing up for a run at Formula 1

  Monday, November 13, 2017

  For the better part of a century, Porsche has been the world's most successful manufacturer of race cars. From the top step of Le Mans to countless local tracks, Porsche wins races and championships — and will continue to for years to come.

• Doing business in Europe? Get to know these new regulations

  Thursday, September 28, 2017

  ​A regulation that threatens to cost businesses up to 4 percent of their annual turnover, or up to 20 million euros, is usually the type of thing that raises eyebrows in a big way and spawns immediate action.

• Apple delivers ‘one more thing’ with iPhone X

  Friday, September 15, 2017

  After his return to the company in the 1990s, late Apple CEO Steve Jobs had a habit of getting most of the way through his Apple Event keynote addresses before coming to a natural stopping point, only to state that there was "one more thing" he wished to announce.

• As Amazon-Walmart battle heats up, Alibaba lies in wait

  Tuesday, August 29, 2017

  ​If you asked the average resident of North America or Europe what the largest tech companies in the world are, you'd probably hear a list of familiar names: Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Samsung, Google and so on. Those people would be exactly right.

• Does Apple play by different rules in China?

  Friday, August 11, 2017

  In early 2016, Apple won plaudits from internet privacy advocates and civil libertarians when it refused the FBI's request and a judge's order to unlock the iPhone of San Bernardino, California, shooter Syed Farook. The tech giant claimed the government order amounted to hacking its own users and would require Apple to create software that doesn't exist.

• Porsche sets stage for ‘electric’ new chapter in racing

  Monday, August 07, 2017

  June's 24 Hours of Le Mans will likely be remembered as the end of an era in world-class sports car racing. With Audi's withdrawal from the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at the end of 2016, a mere five factory-supported entries from two manufacturers — Porsche and Toyota — took part in the top class at Le Mans in 2017, LMP1. During the race, every one of those LMP1 entries ostensibly competing for the overall win had serious mechanical issues or wrecked out of the biggest race in worldwide sports car racing.

• Will ‘Day of Action’ have any impact on net neutrality fight?

  Thursday, July 13, 2017

  ​You might have noticed that one or more of your favorite or most-frequented websites looked slightly different Wednesday. For example, the top trending topic on Twitter was the #NetNeutrality hashtag, promoted by the social networking site's policy account. Reddit featured a pop-up with slow-scrolling type when one accessed its main page. And the top of Netflix's website featured a message stating, "Protect Internet Freedom. Defend Net Neutrality. Take Action," with a loading wheel and directing users to the Internet Association's action page.

• Trio of upcoming racing games promise to please Porsche fans

  Monday, June 19, 2017

  Starting in 2000, Porsche signed an exclusive license with Electronic Arts (EA) for its vehicles to appear in the popular game developer's titles. However, after years of consternation from the gaming world, the Porsche/EA exclusivity license expired late last year. As a result, three well-known racing simulation franchises will feature Porsches when they debut this fall, in a development sure to please speed-loving gamers and Porsche fanatics alike.

• Internet Day of Action planned to support net neutrality

  Friday, June 09, 2017

  When Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai announced his plan to begin rolling back net neutrality regulations put in place by his predecessor, Tom Wheeler, it came as a huge disappointment to the vast majority of tech observers and consumer advocates. Even before Pai had released the plan, some politicians and open-internet activists held a news conference vowing to fight the repeal outline.

• Will Essential Phone be a game‑changer like Android?

  Friday, June 02, 2017

  In 2003, Andy Rubin and three co-founders began Android Inc., a Silicon Valley startup with the goal of creating a mobile operating system for digital cameras. The next year, after a lack of investment and nearly getting evicted from its Palo Alto, California, offices, Android shifted its focus to mobile phone operating systems shortly before the smartphone revolution got underway.

• Microsoft takes aim at Apple with new Surface Laptop

  Friday, May 05, 2017

  For the vast majority of its history, Microsoft has been a company synonymous with software. In fact, the Microsoft name itself comes from a portmanteau of microcomputer and software. However, after Apple became ascendant in the 2000s by selling new hardware like iPhones, iPods and MacBooks — eventually overtaking Microsoft in market capitalization in 2010 — it made the utmost sense for the Seattle-area tech giant to jump into the PC-making world.

• FCC planning to roll back net neutrality rules

  Thursday, April 27, 2017

  ​A little more than two years ago, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) unveiled and adopted its Open Internet Order, which guaranteed net neutrality for internet users, but also controversially regulated the internet as an effective utility under Title II of the Telecommunications Act.

• What has changed with repeal of internet privacy rules? Not much

  Friday, April 07, 2017

  ​Last year, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed new privacy rules under Section 222 of the Communications Act. Hailed as a huge win for consumer advocacy and civil liberties groups, the rules required internet users to give their internet service provider (ISP) an affirmative opt-in if their ISP wanted to access information like location data, app usage and internet browsing histories.

• Galaxy S8 launch marks pivotal moment for Samsung

  Friday, March 31, 2017

  ​In the early 1990s, Samsung was a growing company, but one whose products weren't well-known outside of its Asia. That changed starting in 1993, when Samsung Chairman Lee Kun-hee summoned hundreds of company executives to a Frankfurt, Germany, hotel and gave an epic, three-day speech aimed at turning Samsung from a sleepy, second-rate manufacturer into a massive global brand synonymous with quality.

• Intel’s latest move puts spotlight on tech side of autonomous cars

  Friday, March 24, 2017

  The line between the automotive and tech industries is perpetually being blurred. In fact, CES — the tech world's giant annual electronics show in Las Vegas that takes place every January — featured so much auto technology this year that observers joked that the letters no longer stood for "Consumer Electronics Show," but rather "Car Electronics Show."

• Streaming TV choices give cord-cutters familiar options

  Monday, February 20, 2017

  Since internet video hit the mainstream in the mid-to-late 2000s with YouTube and Netflix's streaming service, it has long been predicted that the days of the typical cable TV subscription were numbered, soon to be replaced by online video streams of live and on-demand programming. While it hasn’t been an overnight switch to internet TV, and traditional cable subscriptions might hang along by the millions for years, the age of cutting cable for live, online streaming services has arrived.

• Net neutrality’s days may be numbered under Trump

  Friday, January 20, 2017

  In any presidential transition — especially those that see control of the nation's highest office move from one major party to the other — there are bound to be extensive changes at federal agencies that eventually lead to extensive changes in many regulations.

• Has Elon Musk gone too far with his plan to colonize Mars?

  Monday, October 17, 2016

  If there's one adjective that best describes Tesla, SpaceX and SolarCity founder Elon Musk, it might very well be ambitious. Between becoming the world's foremost name associated with electric cars, goals to decrease reliance on fossil fuels and the power grid to help combat global warming, and plans to create a futuristic, high-speed Hyperloop for transporting people and goods, it's clear Musk isn't one for small measures or short-term planning.

• Buyer beware: Faulty cables may ruin your new smartphone

  Wednesday, August 24, 2016

  It's the day after you've bought a brand-new smartphone, and you're about to embark on an important business trip full of important meetings and presentations. As you arrive at your gate, you find an electrical outlet to give your phone one last charge before boarding. You scramble to find the charger in your briefcase before having the sinking feeling that you left it on the counter at home.

• Benefits and pitfalls of NCAA’s new social media rule

  Monday, August 08, 2016

  For sports fans, the widespread presence of social media has been a way to augment the viewing of games and amplify the general fan experience with almost immediate commentary from writers, TV personalities, bloggers, discussion among fans, and even postgame comments from the athletes themselves.

• 3 lessons your business can learn from Pokemon Go’s success

  Monday, July 18, 2016

  Of all the world's companies that produce, develop or market video games or video game consoles, none is more iconic than Nintendo. Originally founded as a playing card company in Japan in 1889, the company became a worldwide household name beginning in the 1980s, with the introduction of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES).

• Fatal Tesla crash shows self-driving cars have a long road ahead

  Monday, July 11, 2016

  During the last two years, self-driving car technology has seen rapid development, billions of dollars of investment and offered the potential to shake up the trillion-dollar worldwide auto industry to an almost unprecedented level.

• As Theranos’ bubble pops, will Silicon Valley follow suit?

  Tuesday, June 07, 2016

  ​In 2003, as a 19-year-old Stanford dropout, Elizabeth Holmes founded Theranos, a company that aimed to revolutionize the medical technology field with a streamlined blood-testing process. For most of the subsequent years thereafter, it looked like Holmes' company was well on its way to becoming that revolutionary force with its Edison testing device, which claimed to accurately perform traditional blood tests with just a finger prick and a few drops of blood.

• Self-driving cars one step closer to reality with new lobbying group

  Monday, May 09, 2016

  In 2016, not a week goes by without some new development in the area of self-driving cars. Since merely the beginning of May, there has been news of Fiat Chrysler and Google teaming up on self-driving hybrid minivans, GM collaborating with Lyft for a self-driving car on-demand service, and continued murmurs of Apple getting into the autonomous car world.

• Step aside, 4K: The next big thing in TV technology is HDR

  Tuesday, April 19, 2016

  Since the widespread adoption of high-definition television throughout the 2000s and the official, federally mandated elimination of analog formats in 2009, TV resolution standards have remained pretty stable in American homes. As of a year ago, there was an HDTV in 81 percent of U.S. households and more than one in 52 percent of homes.

• Damming the stream: Netflix caught throttling mobile video

  Friday, April 01, 2016

  On March 17, T-Mobile CEO John Legere posted a video to his Twitter account to tout new partnerships under the company's "Binge On" promotion, which exempts its customers from data caps when viewing content certain video-streaming services. The promotion itself is controversial, and some have questioned if it's even legal.

• How much longer will America say ‘no way’ to Huawei?

  Tuesday, March 22, 2016

  ​Of the world's three largest smartphone makers, two — Apple and Samsung — are ubiquitous to the American consumer. Other brands, such as LG, have their phones, but Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy lines are well recognized as both the best and most popular in the American marketplace.

• Pay-TV providers are finally tuning in to cord‑cutting trend

  Tuesday, March 08, 2016

  In today's Internet-centric world, the rise of "cord cutting" — people canceling their cable subscriptions in favor of digital, Internet-based services — has been a projected widespread trend for the better part of a decade. In response, cable providers themselves are beginning to bring Internet packages to the marketplace.

• What’s the real meaning behind the EPA’s race car regulations?

  Wednesday, February 24, 2016

  ​Earlier this month, a bit of text interpreted from a months-old, 629-page proposed Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulation caused a huge outcry in a section of the automotive world. On Feb. 8, the Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA), a group that advocates for the automotive aftermarket industry and hosts a hugely popular auto show every November in Las Vegas, came out with a press release titled, "EPA Seeks to Prohibit Conversion of Vehicles Into Racecars."

• Can Twitter change its reputation as a haven for trolls?

  Monday, February 15, 2016

  The present is not a particularly good time for social media service Twitter. Its value has plummeted in the past year, its stock price has steadily fallen since its November 2013 initial public offering, and its C-suite offices have seen revolving doors in recent months.

• Is Facebook’s new sports feature the next nail in Twitter’s coffin?

  Thursday, January 28, 2016

  The Carolina Panthers and Denver Broncos will play Super Bowl 50 on Feb. 7 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California — in the heart of Silicon Valley. One of the region's most ubiquitous companies, Facebook, hopes you'll supplement watching the game with following it on the social media service.

• CES 2016 may be remembered as the dawn of self-driving cars

  Tuesday, January 12, 2016

  Throughout 2015, the self-driving automobile was still heralded as something of a futuristic idea. Typically, when an autonomous Google car was spotted in the streets of tech hubs like Silicon Valley or Austin, Texas, it usually grabbed headlines.

• Car-hacking decision opens world of possibilities for auto owners

  Thursday, November 12, 2015

  At first glance, the Library of Congress and cars seem like they have about as much in common as, well, a bookstore and a car dealership. Yet, the Librarian of Congress recently made a decision that could have huge implications for technology in the automotive industry.

• Everyone is on the Internet these days, right? Not so fast

  Friday, October 16, 2015

  ​In modern American life, Internet access is an inescapable part of the daily routine. Without it, you could do only a fraction of the digital tasks required for your workday, and your entertainment options at home would be limited as well.

• Bitcoin showing it’s here for the long haul

  Wednesday, September 30, 2015

  When the Bitcoin cryptocurrency reached its greatest levels of hype starting in 2011 and continuing through its 2013 valuation peak, its most ardent supporters hailed its appeal to investors and even claimed its potential to usurp and replace traditional, government-backed currency. Predictably, those assertions didn't make too many elected officials in Washington happy, even as such forecasts of a commandeering of fiat currency were fantastical and ill-reasoned.

• New stylus-based iPad Pro shows Apple is constantly evolving

  Friday, September 11, 2015

  When the first iPhone was unveiled in 2007, it came at a time when personal digital assistants (PDAs) were still around in the tech world — along with their stylus accessory. Late Apple patriarch Steve Jobs said at the unveiling, "Who wants a stylus? You have to get them and put them away, and you lose them. Yuck! Nobody wants a stylus."

• Facebook’s M proves to truly be a ‘personal’ assistant

  Friday, August 28, 2015

  Since Apple introduced Siri on its iPhone 4S smartphone in October 2011, the "personal assistant" in popular consumer tech has gone from what was once a creation of science fiction to ubiquitous to mobile users.

• A for Alphabet: Google’s new restructuring makes sense

  Thursday, August 13, 2015

  In the past generation, "Googling" has evolved from being a meaningless word to one that's been in the dictionary for nearly a decade. But in that same period, Google — founded by Stanford University students Larry Page and Sergey Brin in the mid-1990s — has gone from being a mere search engine to one of the world's foremost tech behemoths.

• Why you should upgrade to Windows 10

  Friday, August 07, 2015

  On July 29, Microsoft released its anticipated Windows 10 operating system. Unlike past rollouts of new OS versions like Windows 7 and Windows 8, Microsoft's offer of a free upgrade made it possible to seamlessly switch to the newest OS in a matter of a couple hours or less. I took advantage of this upgrade July 30. Thus far, through several days of using the new OS, Windows 10 is a great improvement over Windows 8, and its updated counterpart, Windows 8.1.

• Documentary takes viewers inside the world of Internet addiction

  Thursday, July 16, 2015

  The first scene of the Sundance-featured documentary "Web Junkie" begins with a group of young men playing the popular online role-playing game "World of Warcraft." With the game responsible for more than 100 million accounts worldwide, it's a scene that could take place in any country with broadband Internet access.

• Revenue stream: Chicago is taxing Netflix, but will other cities follow?

  Monday, July 13, 2015

  For many, audio and video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu and Spotify are a relatively new and irreplaceable part of the daily routine — so much so that traditional forms of media like cable and terrestrial radio are struggling to keep up with the consumers they've lost.

• Didn’t catch Apple’s WWDC? Here’s everything you missed

  Thursday, June 11, 2015

  ​Every year, about 5,000 people attend Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference, where one of the preeminent companies in tech showcases new inventions, software and product upgrades. Unlike some past years, the Cupertino, California, giant didn't unveil any new headline-grabbing hardware or devices, with the Apple Watch debut having taken place in March and a new iPhone launch not expected until the fall.

• A look at women in the workplace as AMC’s ‘Mad Men’ ends its run

  Monday, May 11, 2015

  In the last 60 years, women's rights and female equality have made enormous strides. Perhaps nowhere is this better exemplified than in the workplace, where women make up nearly half of the total workforce and are no longer expected to be stay-at-home mothers at a relatively young age.

• Norway is phasing out FM radio, but don’t expect the US to tune in

  Monday, April 27, 2015

  It's not breaking any news to say that traditional AM and FM radio have declined in stature over the last generation due to advances in digital and mobile technologies that often give listeners content on-demand and without having to listen to commercials.

• Will Tidal end up sinking the very artists it aims to help?

  Friday, April 10, 2015

  Streaming music services like Pandora and Spotify have become household names for music lovers. At no cost — or at a small, Netflix-like monthly fee for premium features — users can listen to their favorite artists or genres without having to pay a dollar per song or illegally download albums off file-sharing or torrent clients.

• PHMSA pushing for increased pipeline safety amid US energy boom

  Friday, March 20, 2015

  During the last five years or so, the United States has seen a big increase in oil and gas pipeline mileage and total barrels. While this boom has undoubtedly helped the U.S. to become one of the world's largest oil and gas producers once again, the added infrastructure and billion more barrels means that more chances exist for safety hazards and potentially fatal accidents.

• Benefits of proactive approach highlighted at Corrosion 2015

  Tuesday, March 17, 2015

  In the field of corrosion engineering, solving or alleviating problems is unfortunately sometimes handled by a reactive approach — an issue is dealt with only after it appears. During the Plenary Lecture at NACE Corrosion 2015 on March 16 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center, John R. Scully, a professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Virginia, outlined how corrosion engineers can better take a proactive approach to solving the biggest issues.

• Tech companies unveil a wave of smart watches, but will consumers care?

  Monday, March 09, 2015

  In the tech world, the biggest brands have an incredible influence on their immediate competitors. Apple's impact on the recent Mobile World Congress show and its related unveiling of the Apple Watch on March 9 proved yet again why it is the most powerful name in tech.

• FCC ruling assures net neutrality is safe — for now

  Thursday, February 26, 2015

  On Feb. 26, the Federal Communications Commission made a decision more than a year in the making: Net neutrality is again the order of the day for the Internet. However, whether it remains that way is a question that may also take many more months to solve.

• Tesla talks up its battery to power homes, but should we be excited?

  Friday, February 20, 2015

  ​For as much news coverage as Elon Musk's Tesla Motors receives for its electric cars, the company does its business in a section of the auto world that has a tiny market share (0.6 percent in the U.S.). Furthermore, the price point of Tesla's flagship Model S isn't exactly attainable for a majority of Americans.

• Google Fiber challenging rival ISPs prior to FCC showdown

  Friday, January 30, 2015

  The reach of Google's ultrafast Internet service, Google Fiber, has been something like a critically acclaimed independent movie with a limited geographic release: highly praised, yet highly limited to the general public to experience.

• Windows 10 looks to erase the mistakes of Windows 8

  Friday, January 23, 2015

  In late October of 2012, Microsoft debuted Windows 8 after a whopping 1.2 billion hours of user testing. Then-Windows chief Steven Sinofsky said upon its release, "This is the best release of Windows ever." The tech world and consumers didn't agree. Before the start of 2013, Sinofsky had left Microsoft.

• Orion launch ushers in next generation of space travel

  Friday, December 05, 2014

  ​The progression of space travel has taken the human race farther beyond Earth than previous generations could have possibly imagined. With technology also evolving, the outer limit of where humanity can potentially go has also been expanded.

• Twitter aims to spread its wings with new Fabric platform

  Thursday, October 23, 2014

  Some of the biggest brands in tech started out as a single website with a single purpose. Google was once hardly ubiquitous in mobile, cloud services and advertising. Yahoo also started as a search engine before becoming a content giant. Facebook was limited to only college students in the Boston area shortly after it began.

• Meet BadUSB: The latest cybersecurity threat for businesses

  Friday, October 10, 2014

  The past 12 months has been a time of high anxiety for the cybersecurity field. Well-publicized breaches with giant companies like JPMorgan Chase, Home Depot and Target have affected millions of consumers. With unprecedented resources at hackers' disposal, practically every company has at least some concern about the safety of its data.

• Ford rolling the dice with massive changes to its iconic F-150

  Tuesday, September 23, 2014

  In the annals of American automobiles, few, if any, vehicles are more iconic or ubiquitous than Ford's F-Series pickup trucks. In 2013, it continued its amazing run of 32 consecutive years as America's top-selling vehicle.

• Internet Slowdown effort protests FCC’s proposed ‘fast lanes’

  Wednesday, September 10, 2014

  If you've noticed that your favorite website or Internet service has been showing a loading screen today, don't fear that your connection speeds are dropping dramatically — at least for now. The Internet Slowdown is part of plan by a group of websites and advocacy organizations to protest new net neutrality rules proposed by FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler that could create so-called fast lanes for various services and Internet service providers.

• Just how serious is the tech world about diversity?

  Wednesday, September 03, 2014

  ​This summer, Silicon Valley companies and the tech world at large have come under fire for their hiring practices with regard to both racial and gender diversity. The issue ignited in May when, under pressure from civil rights leaders like Jesse Jackson, ​Google released statistics stating that just 17 percent of its tech staff is female, 1 percent black and 2 percent Hispanic. Meanwhile, 60 percent are white and 34 percent Asian.

• What’s the real issue behind the staggering wave of auto recalls?

  Friday, August 01, 2014

  The amount of recalls so far this year has resulted in a most dubious record. In early July, the total number of cars recalled reached 37.5 million, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's lists, blowing past the old record of 30.8 million set in 2004 with nearly half the year remaining.

• Who wins in Tesla’s patent move?

  Thursday, July 10, 2014

  In the world of automotive technology, patents exclusive to one automaker have traditionally been guarded as extremely valuable possessions, never to make it into a rival's hands. On June 12, Tesla CEO Elon Musk turned that line of thinking on its head.

• Amazon enters the smartphone battlefield

  Wednesday, June 18, 2014

  ​Another tech giant has joined the smartphone wars. In a presentation by CEO Jeff Bezos on Wednesday in Seattle, Amazon unveiled its long-rumored Fire Phone. But as Amazon launches what it hopes will be its next sensational multimedia device, it must avoid the fate of past phones with well-known brand-name associations.

• What Spurs coach Gregg Popovich can teach business leaders

  Wednesday, May 28, 2014

  Since taking over as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs 18 games into the 1996-97 season, Gregg Popovich has made his name as one of the best coaches in NBA history, winning four NBA championships and over 67 percent of his team's games, including playoffs.

• In the wake of big telecom moves, Verizon sits happily and watches

  Tuesday, May 27, 2014

  The trend in the telecom sector throughout 2014 has been that many of the biggest companies are going through massive mergers or acquisitions. Yet, on the sidelines in these massive mergers and acquisitions has been Verizon.

• FCC’s new rules put net neutrality’s future into question

  Friday, May 16, 2014

  ​On May 15, the Federal Communications Commission approved new, controversial net neutrality rules that may allow Internet service providers to charge companies for preferential "fast lane" connection speeds to their services.

• What does the future have in store for Chinese tech giant Alibaba?

  Thursday, May 08, 2014

  ​The tech world's most anticipated initial public offering of 2014 on the New York Stock Exchange isn't from a company that calls Silicon Valley home, nor does it hail from a firm run by a former Google, Apple or Amazon executive. No, it comes via an English teacher from China who was just trying to search for beer when he first logged on to the Internet nearly two decades ago.

• How does the Heartbleed bug affect your business?

  Friday, April 18, 2014

  ​If you've followed the tech world in the last two weeks, chances are that you've heard of the Heartbleed bug. But what exactly is Heartbleed, how serious is the risk, and how will it affect your business?

• Who left the window open? XP users cast out into the cold

  Friday, April 11, 2014

  ​It's a near-certainty that no matter where you're reading this from, Windows XP was at one time or another your main operating system at home, work or both. Released to retail in October 2001, the OS remained the most popular in operation until August 2012, when fellow Microsoft product Windows 7 overtook it.

• Is Comcast-Time Warner merger destined to fail?

  Friday, April 04, 2014

  ​On Feb. 13, Comcast announced its plans to buy Time Warner Cable for more than $45 billion. If approved by government regulators, the merger would unite the two largest cable providers in the United States. So does this merger have a chance at approval or is it destined to be struck down by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)?

• Affordable Care Act’s deadline day arrives — now what?

  Monday, March 31, 2014

  ​March 31 marks the last day of open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obama's controversial and signature domestic policy achievement. Despite the well-publicized deadline, the White House has announced that those who have started the application process on HealthCare.gov will be granted an extension to complete the process.

• How the ‘madness’ took over: TV and the NCAA tournament

  Friday, March 14, 2014

  This week, much of America will be focused on brackets, as the annual NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship — better known as March Madness or simply the NCAA tournament — gets underway. It culminates, as always, with the Final Four, to be held this year at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

• New phones make waves at Mobile World Congress

  Thursday, March 06, 2014

  The always-changing world of mobile technology is a geographically scattered one, with prominent phone- and gadget-makers based in Korea, Finland, California and most places in between. Yet, on special occasions, the biggest names in mobile — as well as many of the most compelling startups — can be found under one roof.