Hurricane Sandy has caused a quarter of cell towers to go down in 10 states. The Federal Communications Commission also claimed that cell coverage will deteriorate further while the storm continues its devastating path, with high winds causing localized flooding, loss of power, destruction of property, and in some cases, causing fires.
Google has updated its Crisis Map to cover Hurricane Sandy, with a view to helping people survive the weather event. The map can be used to track the storm, as well as provide regional alerts and other information that would be useful in such an emergency, and is similar to the Crisis Map used by those affected by Hurricane Issac.
Apple has opted to close at least some of its New York City locations this weekend in response to the threat of Hurricane Irene, which is predicted to hit the city in approximately 24 hours, MacRumors reports. The company is closing its West 14h Street, SoHo, Upper West Side, and Staten Island stores on Saturday and Sunday, and will also close its iconic Fifth Avenue store for the weekend as well, contrary to earlier reports. The city's mass transit system is also closing beginning at noon on Saturday.
HP has narrowed down the timeframe for its PalmPad tablet, multiple tips claimed today. Personal Systems Group VP Todd Bradley reportedly held an all-staff meeting on Monday that put the webOS slate in the first quarter of 2011, or no later than March. The "trusted" contacts for Engadget also corroborated reports that its internal codename is Hurricane, though it's likely to change to PalmPad or another name by launch.
