One person killed in Colorado wildfire

Winds gust ranging from 40 to 50 mph in Pueblo County fueled a wildfire Monday afternoon. Investigators say one body was found late Monday after the fire spread across more than 4½ square miles in a matter of hours. Authorities don't know exactly how many houses were lost but said it was at least five and probably more than 10. It is several miles, and mountain ridges, west of Denver's tightly populated southwestern suburbs, which weren't threatened. I'll update more information about this fire on my Facebook or Twitter account.

You now can play Google Voice voice mail messages outside of the dedicated app

Some more amazing news for Android fans, particularly for those using Google Voice as you guys will be able to play visual voice mails that you receive from Google Voice right in the phone's native call log. The Mountain View company brings voicemail integration to the app. The app has a revamped user interface designed to deliver an enhanced experience. Right now you can play back the message, even in speakerphone mode, call back, reply via text through the messaging app or through Google Voice, and add contacts.

Job candidates may have to provide their Facebook login information to obtain employment

Perhaps your unemployment benefit or severance has run out. In this fiercely competitive market, you’re starting to become more frustrated. You'd be supprised if the interviewer asked you about your Facebook profiles. The Boston Globe is reporting that some recruiters are asking job seekers to give up their Facebook login information so they can check over their profiles. Some companies and government agencies are going beyond merely glancing at a person's social networking profiles and instead asking to login as the user to have a look around. Many need employment and may have to provide their Facebook login details to obtain it. Apparently, this practice is much more common among law enforcement positions. Meanwhile, privacy law experts worry about how the line between private and public life is being blurred in social media. David Fraser, a Halifax-based privacy lawyer who runs the Canadian Privacy Law Blog, called this act "a completely unjustified invasion of privacy." Do you agree with him?

Google Play marks a radical departure from Android Market

A Google Play account allows people to access all their files and data, of which Android apps are just a small part, from anywhere they can get online. I think that Google's approach to digital content is fragmented. Google Music is an example. The move might be seen a defensive one, to dig in against Apple’s iCloud, which is already prime time on the iPad and iPhone, and coming to a Mac near you with the release of OS X Mountain Lion.

Google renames its digital marketplace

Google is renaming its digital marketplace for mobile applications, music, movies and books, its latest move to raise its profile in the market for electronic content sales and to better compete with Amazon and Apple. Beginning Tuesday, the Android Market will be renamed as the Google Play Store. But at this stage it's not clear whether Google actually intends to target Play at the cross-platform market.

Weekend technology news March 03, 2012

It's a shocking news to Kodak Gallery's 75 million users. Eastman Kodak Co. said Friday it plans to sell its online photo service business to online photo publishing company Shutter fly Inc. for $23.8 million.

NASA said hackers stole employee credentials and gained access to mission-critical projects last year in 13 major network breaches that could compromise U.S. national security. The space agency discovered in November that hackers working through an Internet Protocol address in China broke into the network of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

Read more technology news today.

Say Hello to March

This is my first post in March and it is my second technology post.

Mobile companies are not happy at the flood of free messaging services piggybacking their networks. "Text messaging is free, and calling is going to be free," said Pinger co-founder Joe Stipher, wearing jeans in contrast to the dark suits favored by thousands of cell phone company executives attending the 2012 Mobile World Congress that ends Thursday. Telecom Italia SpA chief executive Franco Bernabe told MWC that free messaging services are undercutting the ability of phone companies to invest in their networks.

Social networking giant Facebook has extended its Timeline feature to ‘Pages' hosted by the Web site. The new feature is available for preview and is currently optional. However, all Pages will be switched to this mode at the end of this month.