TechBytes: Improvement in Cell Service

March 25, 2010— -- AT&T is rolling out the 3G MicroCell, a small box that's essentially a cell tower for your home. The device relays calls and broadband data through your Internet connection, improving the reception. It will be available for AT&T subscribers next month for $150. Sprint and Verizon offer similar devices that don't carry broadband data.

Google is adding a new security measure for its e-mail program. Gmail will now alert users when an account is being accessed from two different geographic regions within a short amount of time, which is what credit card companies often do. Gmail won't lock you out if it detects the suspicious activity. It will just warn you and suggest you change your password.

Electronic book readers have been one of the hottest tech gadgets the past few years. And, now, the iPad is about to shake things up. Of course, it's much more than just an eReader, offering movies, Web surfing, games and more. Nick Bilton of the New York Times said the iPad will help ramp up competition with Amazon and others. "One of the things that I think is really exciting is that you're going to have a lot of options with where you can buy books on this device. In the past, when you purchased a Kindle, you purchased books from the Kindle store. That was it," Bilton said.

"With the iPad, you'll have the opportunity to purchase books from the iBookstore or the Kindle store or the Nook store or any other number of stores that are available."

That should help drive down prices and increase innovation.

Lady Gaga is the queen of online videos. She is the first artist to hit 1 billion video views. She reached the milestone thanks to three huge hits. Her videos for "Poker Face," "Just Dance" and "Bad Romance" have all exceeded 100 million views, a pretty select club by itself.