Battery Hacks and Google Spying Top List of Today’s Laptop Rental Headlines

By Erin Monda on Tue, 2011-07-26 04:07

The laptop rental industry isn’t always the most exhilarating sector we’ll admit. But every now and then we’ll have a busy news day – and this is one of those days. In order from most exciting to least exciting, here are today’s top three laptop related headlines that are bound to impact business:

Apple Laptop Battery Hack Goes Viral

The Internet is all atwitter today with some findings from a security researcher by the name of Charles Miller. Miller has disclosed that the batteries on certain Apple MacBook models can be hacked with ease because Apple uses only two passwords for the firmware of its laptops. Malicious hackers could exploit this weakness to cause intentional overheating or explosion, permanent battery discharge, or significant damage to the MacBook itself.

No word from Apple on whether a fix is in the works – but the conversation’s gone viral on social media outlets.

Google’s in The Hot Seat for Spying… Again

Google, Google, Google. Will you never learn? The online mogul is under fire again for the images shared by its Google Street View service. The company had garnished criticism before due to its images being used to collect data on streets and buildings.

New data has come forward to suggest that the scope of that information gathering also encompassed technical device research. In other words, Google was looking at what kind of laptops and mobile devices people were using.

In light of this discovery I am proposing Google gets itself a new, more sinister name. Smoogle, perhaps.

First LTE Laptop Slated for July 28 Release

On a lighter note, the 4G era is here, ushered in by the HP Pavilion dm1. This 11.6" laptop offers 4G/LTE access, making it one speedy little lappy. Users who hop onboard and buy or rent this product will enjoy download speeds of 5 to 12 Mbps.

Of course, there are a few strings attached – owners (or renters) will need to pay for 4G connectivity. A data plan like that runs at least $50 minimum – which is something to consider.