System of Proof Brings Phone Tapping to All With Subscription Service

This is one of those press releases that makes you go "Sorry... what?" in disbelief: System of Proof is a service that lets you covertly record a conversation on any phone. It sounds very CIA: dial a special number from the phone, and a distant computer then records the conversation and emails you the final file for you to peruse later. It apparently works with any phone, including VoIP, and the company pitches it as a tool for capturing phone calls you wish you had as evidence. You know: harassment at work or home, cheating spouses, failed business dealings. There's also the innocent "record your lectures to make sure you don't miss pertinent exam notes" option. The service costs up to $9.95 per month, with this top-end price having unlimited spying minutes. Read on for the press release: and remember, phone tapping is of dubious legality depending on where you do it. More »

Discovery Channel Looking For a Host For "Super Testing" Show

Discovery Channel is looking for a host for their new Super Testing show. You've got to be male, and between the ages of 30 and 50, and enjoy blowing things up and testing them I'd assume. I'd guess the perfect future star is a reader of Giz. Why not an editor of Giz? I don't know, I think we're all too doughy. So, apply and make us proud with as many name drops of Giz you can manage in season one! [Discovery]

EFF Nails Comcast, Shows You How to Bust Your ISP, Too

You may recall Comcast getting busted for interfering with peer-to-peer file sharing communications, especially picking on its users who use BitTorrent. Now the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) has released a detailed report (PDF) that comes close to proving that Comcast was "forging traffic." The EFF describes exactly how its experts used Wireshark, open-source packet sniffing software, to show that Comcast was injecting forged RST packets into their communications, effectively telling both ends to hang up. More »

Verizon Shares Your Call Data Unless You Opt-Out

The folks from Skydeck just received a written notice from Verizon Wireless for an opt-out system for sharing your call records to third-party advertisers. Unless you call them and opt-out, Verizon will sell what numbers you called, how often you called, and your call length with "authorized companies," which includes their "affiliates, agents, and parent companies." Although it doesn't include your own name, number or address, something like this should be opt-in, not opt-out. If you're a Verizon customer, call 1-800-333-9956 and tell them you want to opt-out. Why should you let Verizon get even richer off your data for nothing in return? [Skydeck via Crunchgear]

iPhone Scientifically Rated (Verdict: Great Call Quality)

Wirelessinfo knows what they're talking about when it comes to cellphone calls. They're the Mythbusters of cellphones, pulling out all sorts of scientific equipment to determine whether call quality is good—not just doing a "oh, this sounds good" test. Their results for the iPhone? Best they've seen. More »

Rumor Smashed: Philippine Call Center Not Awarded Zune Contract

Even though the Zune Phone is all but confirmed (there haven't been any formal announcements yet), we shouldn't be jumping to conclusions every time there's an announcement that somehow ties Microsoft to phones. Case in point, this morning Global Sky, a Philippine-based call center, issued a press release saying they were going to support Wi-Fi enabled Phones from Microsoft. Several sites jumped to the conclusion that this was, in fact, the Zune phone. However, it's actually something different. More »