NSA has massive database of Americans' phone calls.  Credit: By Leslie Cauley, USA TODAY

    The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.

The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans — most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews.

"It's the largest database ever assembled in the world," said one person, who, like the others who agreed to talk about the NSA's activities, declined to be identified by name or affiliation. The agency's goal is "to create a database of every call ever made" within the nation's borders, this person added.

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Beware of broadband speed overkill.   Credit: By Marguerite Reardon

     Certainly, Internet users switching from a 56Kbps (kilobits per second) dial-up connection to any flavor of broadband can immediately see what they were missing. But it can be a different story when making the leap into premium services. Though data-intensive utilities like high-definition video could one day place a heavy burden on the Net pipes into the average consumer's home, some analysts say many current Internet users don't even come close to using all the bandwidth that's offered to them in a standard broadband service.

"Unless you live with five Internet addicts, it's hard to come up with a use case for some of these high-end bandwidth packages," said Joe Laszlo, an analyst with JupiterResearch. "The cable operators are trying to keep up with Verizon's Fios service, and they can't look like the slowest guy on the block."

Palm Treo 700p available first from Sprint. Credit: By Tom Krazit

    Verizon Wireless was the exclusive launch partner for the Windows Mobile Treo 700w, but Sprint's EV-DO (evolution data-optimized) network will be the first to carry the Palm OS-version of the phone. It will cost $399 after rebates and discounts, according to a press release.

Sprint will offer its Sprint TV streaming television service on the 700p, taking advantage of the average download speeds of 400Kbps to 700Kbps provided by EV-DO networks. Sprint's other Palm OS device, the Treo 650, ran on slower networks that some application developers, like Sling Media, said isn't suitable for some types of streaming video. A Sprint representative said the company does not have an exclusive deal for the 700p. Verizon plans to launch the 700p in the coming weeks, and it will also cost $399, a company representative said.

Attitudes About Mobile E-Mail Credit: By Tara Seals

Eight of 10 people polled said they would be “interested/very interested” in the immediate delivery of work e-mails to their mobile phone.

On a scale of one to 10, where 10 is “very important,” 70 percent of respondents gave a rating of seven or higher to the ability to access their personal e-mail on the same mobile device they use for work mail.

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