Good Morning Tech: Genachowski “troubled” by TV standoff, Kerry bill would address TV dispute

RIM exec fires back at Steve Jobs. Jim Balsillie, co-chief executive at BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd., fired the latest shot Tuesday in a growing war of words with Apple, writing in an e-mail that he thinks “many customers are getting tired of being told what to think by Apple.”

Starbucks hopes online content from Apple, Yahoo, others lures customers. “Starbucks
is adding a venti-sized dollop of free books, news and entertainment to
its Internet offerings starting Wednesday,” the AP reports. “The coffee
chain’s new digital network promises customers free e-books, movies and
other exclusives, including free access to some paid Web sites such as
The Wall Street Journal, is meant to get customers spending more on
drinks and content they buy through the site.”

Verizon Wireless to Offer Cheaper Data Plan. Verizon will offer smartphone customers 150 megabytes of data service for $15 a month, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal. Customers who exceed the monthly limit will be charged extra. The unlimited data plan will remain $30 a month.

The move comes as mobile carriers are cutting prices to boost sales of the latest smartphones.