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| Oct 2008 | Sep 2008 | Aug 2008 | Jul 2008 | Jun 2008 | May 2008 | Apr 2008 | Mar 2008 | Feb 2008 | Jan 2008 | Dec 2007 | Nov 2007 |Sat, 31 May 08
Brazil, India Join Appeals of OOXML Approval
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60051
Despite the approval of Microsoft's Open Office XML standard by two international standards bodies, the document format is not yet on stable ground. India and Brazil have joined South Africa in contesting the approval, standards officials revealed.
"By the deadline last night (Thursday), we had received three appeals, from Brazil, India and South Africa," said Jonathan Buck, spokesperson for the International Electrotechnical Commission. The IEC, along with the International Organization for Standardisation, is responsible for the technical committee that approved OOXML.
"The (Brazilian) appeal was not lodged in the correct procedure -- it was not sent to the CEOs of the two organizations -- but nonetheless it has been received," Buck said, adding that it will be treated in the same way as the Brazilian and South African appeals.
The process in which the Joint Technical Committee approved OOXML has been roundly criticized, especially by countries with strong open-source communities. OOXML was approved in a "fast track" process in which a ballot-resolution meeting is called when a proposal is rejected on the technical merits. At that meeting, the criticisms are discussed and improvements made.
At the February ballot-resolution meeting, delegates had just five days to address more than 1,000 complaints about the proposed standard. The changes were voted on without discussion, but since that rushed approval the JTC has delayed publishing the approved spec. Now, a month after the deadline, the final draft is still not published.
Technology lawyer Andy Updegrove, who writes about standards on the Standards Blog, reported that Brazil and South Africa are both objecting to the failure to publish the reconciliation draft. "Despite the fact that this release has been requested by many different parties representing multiple viewpoints, no public or private explanation has thus far been given for the failure to follow rules calling for the release of...
Sat, 31 May 08
Intel, Micron Ready to Make SSDs with Higher Capacities
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60047
Intel and Micron Technology announced Thursday that they have developed the first under-40-nanometer NAND flash-memory device, which could make possible smaller, higher-capacity solid-state drives.
At 34nm, the 32-gigabit multilevel chip is the smallest NAND available. The companies said the new NAND chip is the only monolithic device of this density that will fit into a standard 48-lead thin, small-outline package (TSOP), which means it could provide higher densities for existing devices.
The new chips will be manufactured on 300-millimeter wafers, which each yield about 1.6 terabytes of NAND each. The chip was developed and will be manufactured by IM Flash Technologies, a joint venture of Micron and Intel. The two companies announced in February a new flash-memory technology that offered data-transfer speeds as much as 500 percent greater than conventional NAND technology.
Customer samples will begin shipping in June, and the chips will begin mass production later this year.
Pete Hazen, directory of marketing at Intel NAND Products, said the new chip and the introduction of 34nm technology "will expand the value proposition and accelerate the adoption of solid-state drive (SSD) solutions in computing platforms."
The new chip, less than the size of an average thumbnail, can enable high-density solid-state storage in small form factors. A 32Gbit chip, for instance, could hold more than 2,000 high-resolution digital photos or up to 1,000 songs on a portable music player. If utilized in two, eight-die stacked packages, the storage could reach 64GB, enough space to record up to 40 hours of high-definition, digital video.
The new chip was specifically designed for SSDs, whose disadvantages compared to conventional hard-disk drives have included a higher per-gigabyte cost and lower overall storage capacity.
With the 34nm 32Gbit chip, Intel and Micron said more cost-effective SSDs are possible, with storage capacities that could double the current...
Sat, 31 May 08
Via Launches More-Powerful Nano Processor Family
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60046
Via Technologies has introduced a new VIA Nano processor family that offers as much as four times the performance within the same power range over the company's previous-generation C7 processor lineup.
In particular, Nano paves the way for notebook manufacturers to deploy Via's chips in computer designs optimized for Blu-ray Disc video playback and more demanding PC games. Moreover, Nano offers aggressive power and thermal management capabilities that Via Technologies CEO Wenchi Chen said are critical requirements for OEMs designing thin and light laptops as well as mini-notebooks.
"'Small is Beautiful' is more than a design strategy; it's our vision of where the PC market is heading, and our new processors will help the market realize that dream," Chen said. "Via Nano processors represent the next generation of x86 technology, providing the fundamental building blocks for a new genre of optimized computing solutions."
The new Nano processors are pin-compatible with existing VIA C7 processors, which means they will provide OEMs an easy upgrade path, noted Matthew Wilkins, a principal analyst at research firm iSuppli.
"That's certainly an advantage for OEMs in terms of the motherboard design and the layout," Wilkins noted. "It cuts down on the amount of effort that some of Via's OEM partners in Taiwan will have to make to bring new products more quickly to market."
Wilkins also said it is significant that Via is targeting lower power consumption with the launch of its latest chip family. "It fits in very well with the low-cost PCs that are getting a lot of attention right now," he said.
For example, Asus now offers a mobile computer called the Eee PC that is quite significantly lower in price than other similar products. "It has received enthusiastic reception with the press and tends to sell out very quickly in...
Sat, 31 May 08
Android Innovations Make a Splash at Google I/O
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60045
An Android demonstration took center stage this week at the Google I/O event in San Francisco attended by 2,900 developers. The latest version of the mobile platform was introduced amid nearly 100 in-depth technical sessions about Google's developer products and general Web application development.
"The demo was very impressive in terms of showing off yet again a completely new user interface than what we've seen previously," said Avi Greengart, a wireless analyst at Current Analysis. "There are some nice innovations, such as a bar at the top which could be expanded to give you control over the notifications. You can touch the notification bar and jump to whatever you were being notified about."
The Open Handset Alliance promises Android will deliver a complete set of software for mobile devices: an operating system, middleware and key mobile applications. The alliance's 34 companies first released an Android software development kit last November.
The alliance is betting Android will better position developers, wireless operators and handset manufacturers to bring to market innovative new products faster and at a much lower cost. The end result, the group pledged, will be a mobile platform that makes way for wireless operators and manufacturers to give their customers better, more personal and more flexible mobile experiences.
One of the platform innovations that could live up to that promise is a new way to unlock phones by drawing a specific shape on the touchscreen. That would do away with the need to enter a password. Android also makes room for bookmarks for favorite Web sites on the device's home page. And a compass tool automatically roams with the phone's user.
"For all practical purposes they showed a live view of the mapping engine tied to what direction you are actually standing in, and that was really cool," Greengart said....
Sat, 31 May 08
Comcast Hijackers Expose Flaws in Internet's DNS
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60039
Teenage hackers temporarily hijacked and defaced several Comcast Web sites and redirected user e-mail in an exploit that appears to expose fundamental weaknesses in the Internet's Domain Name System. The hackers, known as Defiant and EBK, apparently used "social engineering" -- persuading insiders to hand over account information -- to break into Comcast's account at domain registrar Network Solutions.
Comcast.net -- Comcast's main Web site -- was down for more than two hours, sporting a pink-on-white message that "KYROGENIX Defiant and EBK RoXed COMCAST sHouTz To VIRUS Warlock elul21 coll1er seven."
In addition, the WHOIS database of domain ownership spewed out a stream of obscenities when queried for information on Comcast sites.
Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle Network Security, explained the nature of the exploit in an e-mail. "While we haven't seen all the details on exactly what did transpire, more than likely the hackers performed what would be considered a well-known and understood attack called domain hijacking," Storms said.
"The persons who maintain control over the centrally housed domain-name information with a registrar have the ability to control the DNS information for that domain. Once you have control over DNS, it's quite simple to propagate information into the Internet, telling computers where a Web site can be found."
In essence, the hackers could reroute the proper IP address for comcast.net to some other IP address -- and every time Comcast corrected the information, the hackers were able to reroute the domain.
It doesn't appear that the hackers did much more than deface Comcast's Web site and interrupt users' access to e-mail. With the level of control they had, "they could have done a lot worse," Storms said. "Instead of displaying a defacement, they could have just as easily used their control to set up a fake Webmail site...
Sat, 31 May 08
FCC Considers Free Internet, Revised D-Block Auction
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60028
Having successfully completed the much-publicized 700-MHz wireless spectrum auction, the Federal Communications Commission is now planning its next auctions.
According to a story in Thursday's Wall Street Journal, one of those plans includes a free wireless Internet. The winner of the auction for those frequencies would make broadband wireless Internet available to most of the U.S. Although details of the plan have not been worked out, there are reports that the FCC plan would mandate that the frequencies could not transmit everything the wildly diverse Internet could offer, such as pornography.
Another plan for a new auction would be directed at getting a winning bid for the D Block. That group of frequencies was not sold at the last auction, as the minimum bid of $1.3 billion was not reached. Under FCC rules, the buyer would need to allow part of the spectrum to be used by public-safety agencies.
As a run-up to the D-Block reauction, the FCC has been taking comments from industry, public safety, and academics on how the rules for the D Block might be revised to attract higher bids. According to news reports, many public-safety groups, such as the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials-International and the National Emergency Number Association, as well as some members of Congress are suggesting that the FCC keep the same public-private partnership as previously required.
This requirement seeks to guarantee that broadband communications between government agencies have national coverage and interoperability by requiring the commercial operator to make the frequencies available in the event of emergencies.
Some observers are suggesting that the D-Block price was too high, while others are suggesting that the private-public partnership requirements were not clearly defined. Bill Ho, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said the basic issue needs to be addressed -- that bidders...
Sat, 31 May 08
Is Microsoft Repeating Vista Mistakes with Windows 7?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60027
In the world of technology, success is linked to perceptions. Microsoft demonstrated its multi-touch technology in a Windows 7 demo at the D: All Things Digital conference this week, and the software giant may have hoped to overcome the perception that Apple owns touchscreen interfaces. Instead, some observers are wondering if Microsoft is making the same mistakes that now plague Windows Vista.
"We are always looking for new ways to deliver great experiences for our customers," Chris Flores wrote on the Windows Vista blog. "This is especially true of Windows -- where we're constantly examining trends in hardware, software and services to ensure that we continue to drive the innovation."
But Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at JupiterResearch, is among those who are scratching their heads about Microsoft's moves this week. He has one overarching question after viewing the demo: Is Redmond making the mistakes it made with Vista all over again?
"Some of the mistakes Microsoft made with Vista were talking up the next version of Windows way too early, showing off features out of context with the rest of the operating system," Gartenberg said. "The second mistake was focusing so much on multi-touch."
Apple didn't invent touchscreen technology. In fact, Microsoft was working on the concept long before Apple publicly demonstrated its efforts. However, touchscreen technology has become almost synonymous with Apple and the iPhone, Gartenberg said, and he wonders why Microsoft is showing off a feature that makes the company appear as if it is copying Apple instead of innovating on its own.
"Yes, Microsoft wants to recapture the notion that Apple didn't invent multi-touch, that they have their own implementation of it, but is that really the right way to go about this?" Gartenberg asked. "It's a perception issue. It makes Microsoft look like it is chasing after Apple. Microsoft probably...
Sat, 31 May 08
'Sniff' Out Acquaintances, Wherever They Are
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60021
One of texting's most common messages -- "Where r u?" -- may become a quaint phrase of the past with a new program that lets your friends and associates find out for themselves.
The program Sniff, which stands for "social network integrated friend finder," will track down anyone who has signed up and agreed to be "Sniffed."
Generally for less than $1, Sniff produces a rough address and map for any participant using the same technology rescuers employ to find wayward hikers who call 911 by cell phone -- triangulating the caller's location based on which cell phone towers are nearby.
If you're lost, you can Sniff yourself.
About 180,000 users in Scandinavia are doing it, and the program recently launched in the United Kingdom, where Sniff searches go for 50 pence.
Denver-based Useful Networks, owned by Liberty Media Corp., says the program is handy for finding friends on the way to happy hour, and it expects at least two major U.S. wireless carriers -- CEO Brian Levin wouldn't say which -- to start offering Sniff within weeks through Facebook and http://www.sniffu.com.
The startup Loopt offers a similar service that automatically updates users' friends' locations. And Google Inc.'s Dodgeball will tell all your friends where you are when you sends Dodgeball a message updating your location.
Paula Hammond, executive director of the domestic violence program Project Safeguard in Colorado, worries that Sniff can't verify whether the person who registers a cell phone to participate actually owns the phone. That loophole could enable a stalker, for instance, to track a victim without her knowing, Hammond says.
Sniff says its periodic reminders to users should tip off people who have been registered without their knowledge, and users can make themselves "invisible" to certain Sniffers.
The company's also working on giving faux locations to stalkers -- and to bosses looking for employees...
Sat, 31 May 08
Intel CEO Otellini: New Gadgets Will Expand the Market
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60020
Intel Corp.'s push to create and boost new categories of small, cheap Internet-connected devices is taking the world's largest chip maker in some unusual directions.
It's investing in wireless networks, or even buying them outright. It's relying on software that isn't from Microsoft. And it's looking at making processors cheaper and smaller rather than faster and faster.
To Chief Executive Paul Otellini, it's all part of bringing the Internet to new places and people, and computer makers are responding.
"I've not seen energy like this from our customers in a long, long time," Otellini told The Associated Press on Wednesday. "Everyone views this as being sort of hyperexpansive to the existing market."
A centerpiece of the strategy is the Atom processor, which packs the power of a PC-class processor from six years ago into the smallest space yet -- 25 Atoms will fit on a square inch. It's intended for Mobile Internet Devices -- iPhone-like tablets that provide a "full" Internet experience, better than that available on cell phones.
Somewhat larger than the MID is what Intel calls the "netbook," a small, cheap laptop. Taiwan's AsusTek has had a breakout hit in this category with its Eee PC, which starts at $300 (EU191) and uses an Intel chip. Other manufacturers, like Hewlett-Packard Co., are entering the space too, though HP is using a chip from Via Technologies Inc.
Otellini isn't concerned that low-power processors could "cannibalize," or steal, sales from Intel's high-end, high-margin products.
"If a higher-priced notebook isn't substantially better and doesn't offer more utility, shame on us," he said. "If there's cannibalization, I'd rather be the cannibal than someone else."
Bill Hughes, an analyst at the research firm In-Stat, noted that a relatively small group is behind the demand for netbooks, which some stores have had trouble keeping in stock.
"It's growing fast because it's very small,"...
Sat, 31 May 08
Digital Printers Pursuing More of World's Pages
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60016
Commercial printing, where traditional offset still reigns, could be transformed with the introduction of a bevy of versatile, high-speed digital presses.
One of the most talked-about models being unveiled Thursday at Drupa 2008 -- a showcase for the graphic communications industry held every four years in Dusseldorf, Germany -- is Stream, a continuous-feed inkjet color press from Eastman Kodak Co.
It can print more than 2,500 pages -- or 500 feet -- of customized catalogs, brochures, books, magazines, credit-card bills or direct mail each minute. And it may be able to narrow cost, quality and speed gaps that have kept digital printers from capturing more than 10 percent of the world's high-end commercial market.
Current full-color digital presses -- Xerox Corp.'s iGen, Hewlett-Packard Co.'s Indigo and Kodak's NexPress -- top out around 120 pages a minute at a cost of 5 cents to 6 cents per page, analysts say. Output from the Stream is closer to analog-world prices of a penny or less per page, a dramatic improvement that makes the newer technology much more competitive.
"It's a step-function improvement in speed and cost," said Citigroup analyst Matthew Troy. "And it gives the printer the ability to do variable data printing at a quality level that is close to traditional offset. And that is massive."
Photography icon Kodak expects to bring Stream to market in early 2009.
Seeing its film and photofinishing businesses nose-dive, Kodak has tapped its inkjet expertise and splurged $2.6 billion on a string of acquisitions since 2004 in hopes of grabbing a stake in a fertile market where Hewlett-Packard, Ricoh, Xerox, and Fuji also are doing fierce battle.
Over the next two weeks at Drupa 2008 -- which could draw more than 400,000 people -- the industry's major players will put their latest commercial printing wares on display and introduce "the first generation...
Sat, 31 May 08
Germany Probes Deutsche Telekom Over Monitored Calls
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60010
German prosecutors said Thursday that they have launched an investigation into allegations that Deutsche Telekom AG monitored managers' call records to track possible leaks of information to media.
Joerg Schindler, a spokesman for the prosecutors' office in Bonn, where Telekom is based, confirmed that an investigation had been launched.
He later said that former CEO Kai-Uwe Ricke and former supervisory board chief Klaus Zumwinkel were under investigation, but did not give further details.
A company official, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue, said that offices at the firm's Bonn headquarters were searched Thursday morning. Prosecutors refused to comment on that.
The telecommunications company has pledged a thorough investigation of the allegations, which were made public last weekend in the weekly Der Spiegel. On Saturday, it acknowledged that "there were cases of misuse of call records at Deutsche Telekom in 2005 and, according to latest allegations, also in 2006."
Deutsche Telekom has stressed that there is no suggestion that calls were tapped, but rather that call records detailing the time, participants and duration of calls were improperly monitored.
Telekom has said that it investigated an individual case last summer, which led to a restructuring of its security department.
It says that, on April 28, the management board received "new, broader and more serious allegations" from "an external party who had apparently been involved in the incidents and who had been commissioned by a member of the group security department." It called in prosecutors in mid-May.
The German Finance Ministry this week welcomed Deutsche Telekom's commitment to investigate the allegations and reiterated its confidence in CEO Rene Obermann, who took over the top job in late 2006.
The government holds a 14.8 percent stake in Deutsche Telekom, a former state-owned monopoly, and an indirect stake of another 16.9 percent through the state-owned KfW bank.
Schindler said...
Sat, 31 May 08
Review: Lightweight Laptops Do a Delicate Balancing Act
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60008
Those of us who carry laptops have different tastes and needs, of course, so it's unlikely computer makers will ever agree on the ideal compact. It always comes down to a balancing act over size, weight, price, features and ease of use.
That's evident in the four subnotebooks I've been testing -- the Asus Eee PC 900, HP Mini-Note 2133, Intel Classmate PC, and Lenovo IdeaPad U110. None will break your back at an airport or on campus. They generally won't break your budget, either. But they'll likely have you begging for more.
Here's a closer look:
Taiwanese upstart Asus made a name for itself last year with the itty-bitty 2-pound, Linux-based $299 Eee PC, popular with techies but hamstrung in a few ways. Asus recently unveiled a welcome newcomer, the Eee PC 900. While keeping the petite form factor pretty much intact, the latest model ups the size of the screen from 7 inches to 8.9 inches, boosting the resolution along the way. Alas, the price is also considerably larger: $550, up from $299.
You can order it with Linux or Windows XP, the model I tested. The Linux version has greater storage: 20 gigabytes vs. 12GB, both modest sums. You can add storage via an SD card slot. Though the new Asus still runs on a fairly wimpy Intel Celeron processor, it now has 1GB of RAM (up from 512 megabytes), three USB ports and a 1.3-megapixel camera.
My main beef: It is a challenge to type on, especially if you have thick fingers. The slightly larger touchpad can recognize "gestures" -- letting you, for example, pinch with your fingers to enlarge a photo. Battery life was so-so. With power-saving measures turned off, I got about two hours and 40 minutes off the battery, doing a combination of typing and...
Fri, 30 May 08
Sony Electronics Inks Interactive Cable-TV Deal
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60026
Six cable-TV operators that serve more than 82 percent of U.S. cable households have inked an agreement with Sony Electronics that will soon make it possible for cable subscribers to forego the use of stand-alone set-top boxes. The enabling Tru2way technology, based on Sun Microsystems' Java runtime environment, enables interactive capabilities in TV sets, gaming consoles, portable media players, and even mobile phones.
Sony executives say the agreement with Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Charter, Comcast, Cox Communications, and Time Warner will pave the way for TV sets equipped with Tru2way software to access digital video-recording capabilities, video on demand and interactive programming guides.
"This marketplace agreement is good news for consumers," said Edgar Tu, senior vice president of Sony Electronics. "A national plug-and-play digital cable standard for interactive TV receivers, recorders and other products that is transferable and viable wherever you live is ideal for today's mobile society."
Samsung Electronics recently unveiled several new Tru2way-capable products, including HD-DVR and set-top devices. Even better, Samsung's launch of an LCD TV with Tru2way built into the box signals that the venerable set-top box could begin sliding toward oblivion as soon as this year's holiday shopping season.
Sony's agreement with the nation's top cable giants, which together serve more than 105 million U.S. homes, will eliminate cable set-top box deployment headaches and maintenance costs for cable-TV operators. Another perk: The deal will end those pesky monthly set-top rental fees that many consumers hate.
"The goals of Tru2way are to provide a universal, national platform that will enable consumers to receive cable's interactive services without a set-top box," noted Joy Sims, a spokesperson for the National Cable TV Association. "And the same national platform will allow content creators to develop new applications that can be deployed to all systems [with] Tru2way, using...
Fri, 30 May 08
Questions Abound About Windows 7 Touchscreen Demo
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60025
Is the hoopla around Microsoft Windows 7 much ado about nothing? We won't really know until the operating system is released in 2010.
Ever since Microsoft Vice President Julie Larson-Green demonstrated Windows 7 technology at the D: All Things Digital conference earlier this week, the technology world has been buzzing about the possibilities. But some analysts say the hype is premature.
Windows 7 will tout multi-touch technology that lets fingers draw rudimentary images. During the demo, Larson-Green drew a landscape on a Dell laptop. The demo also included navigating an online map to find a nearby Starbucks. Microsoft figures the technology is a natural for image editing and navigation.
Of course, this isn't the first time the industry has previewed Microsoft's touchscreen technology. Microsoft demonstrated its tabletop and kiosk-like displays at last year's D: All Things Digital conference. Still, some analysts are cautious.
Michael Cherry, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, said he doesn't count demos
done by senior executives as big news, particularly demos which are so short and in which the company will not address questions about underlying technology.
"I look at the demo as interesting, but you still aren't showing me why I absolutely have to have it. I still don't know what kind of hardware I might need to buy to use it. And I still don't know if applications have to be modified to take advantage of it," Cherry said. "So I am not prepared to sit on the edge of my seat for the entire time hoping it is something I will like."
Nonetheless, the buzz is building, Chris Flores, a Microsoft product director, wrote on the official Windows Vista blog, about the possibilities of touchscreen technology on a PC.
"What becomes even more compelling is when this experience is delivered to the PC -- on a wide...
Fri, 30 May 08
MySpace Adopts Google's Gears To Search Messages
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60024
Google Gears --the search giant's open-source system for allowing offline access to Web applications -- celebrated its one-year anniversary Wednesday with an announcement by MySpace. The social-networking site, owned by News Corp., will use Gears to search and sort user messages. This is the largest implementation of the Gears technology.
MySpace users will be invited to download Gears when they visit their mailbox, said Allen Hurff, MySpace's senior vice president of engineering, at the Google I/O conference. While Google has promoted the chief benefit of Gears as allowing users to access their data even when offline -- a critical feature, since Internet access is far from ubiquitous in the U.S. -- MySpace is not yet taking advantage of that capability.
The chief benefit right now is dramatically improving performance for MySpace's messaging system and enabling functions like search and sorting that the current system is unable to provide. Another benefit is the cost savings of moving all those client-server communications and processing to users' machines.
With Gears -- Google also announced it has dropped the corporate branding from the name, presumably to beef up its open-source credentials -- programmers can use JavaScript to exploit three core functions: a local database, a local server for caching objects, and a thread pool that allows actions and events to take place in the background. MySpace takes advantage of all of these features to dramatically improve performance and offer new capabilities.
On the TechCrunch blog, Michael Arrington explained the difference between the old and new systems. "Instead of scrolling through pages and pages of messages, users can now sort by date, from, status (read/unread), or subject. And, more importantly, users can also search the full text of messages. The results are shown instantly (think Outlook), without page refreshes."
In addition to the improved user experience,...
Fri, 30 May 08
U.S. Files Complaint Over European Tech Tariffs
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60023
The United States filed a complaint Wednesday with the World Trade Organization over European tariffs on three categories of high-tech goods, including flat-panel computer monitors and some printers.
The duties, which are as high as 14 percent, make U.S. exports less competitive in the European Union, according to the Information Technology Industry Council, a trade association. The group's members include Hewlett-Packard Co., Apple Inc. and Cisco Systems Inc.
The complaint, strongly supported by the U.S. high-tech industry, charges that the EU's duties violate a 1996 WTO agreement that eliminated tariffs on information technology equipment.
"The EU is effectively taxing innovation," U.S. Trade Representative Susan Schwab said. "We wanted to make sure that the commitments to give duty-free treatment to these products would be maintained in the face of the evolution of technology."
The EU has said it can charge duties on the goods, which include cable and satellite boxes that can access the Internet and printers that can also scan, fax and copy, because they include new technologies developed since the agreement was signed.
Total worldwide exports of the products included in the complaint totaled $70 billion in 2007.
The WTO confirmed Wednesday that it received the U.S. complaint, which initiates a 60-day consultation period with the European Union. After that, the U.S. may ask a WTO panel to rule on the dispute. WTO panels can take 12 to 18 months to resolve disputes.
The European Commission said in a statement that it was willing to renegotiate the 1996 Information Technology Agreement to cover new products, but the United States has refused to do so.
"Both the spirit and explicit provisions in the ITA make it clear that extension to new products to reflect technological change would not be automatic, but based on periodic review by signatories," the commission said.
The EU said that the flat-panel screens cited by...
Fri, 30 May 08
Yahoo CEO Yang: Company Is Not 'Under Siege'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60013
Yahoo Inc. CEO Jerry Yang rejected the image of his company as "under siege," telling conference goers that executives are rallying to streamline Yahoo's offerings and make it more relevant to consumers and to advertisers.
Yahoo faces the threat of mutiny from shareholders unhappy with the way its board handled a takeover offer from Microsoft Corp. that was ultimately withdrawn this month.
Speaking at The Wall Street Journal's "D: All Things Digital" conference Wednesday, Yang stood by his handling of the deal and painted a bright future for the Internet pioneer he co-founded.
"The perception of us being a company under siege is just not accurate," said Yang, who deflected repeated questions about what lies ahead for the company, where he returned as CEO last year.
Yang and Yahoo President Susan Decker said the company was reorganizing around four pillars: home page, search, mail and mobile services.
"The essence of Yahoo is being defined today," Yang said. "We have to be incredibly relevant to the consumer. We want you to start your day at Yahoo."
Later, he pleaded for time to turn around the slumping company.
"I know people want to see results," he said. "But I think we're starting to show Yahoo can be on this path to being a different entity."
Yang faces a looming showdown with activist investor Carl Icahn for control of Yahoo's board. Icahn, hoping to channel shareholder discontent, has nominated a slate of candidates to replace the current board of directors -- a process known as a proxy fight -- in an effort to arrange the marriage between Microsoft and Yahoo.
The Redmond, Washington-based software giant withdrew its $47.5 billion (EU30.3 billion) bid earlier this month. Yang has said he and other board members wanted $37 (EU23) per share, or about $52 billion (EU33 billion).
News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch said Wednesday night that...
Fri, 30 May 08
Apple Releases Mac OS X and Security Updates
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60006
Apple's Leopard has some new spots, in the form of the latest version of the Mac OS X Leopard operating system, as well as a security update.
The security update, released Thursday, is also included in the latest Leopard 10.5.3 version, released Wednesday. The releases come as the Apple developer world prepares for the Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco the week of June 9.
The 10.5.3 release deals with a variety of compatibility issues, including some in the Time Capsule backup device and in Apple's work-flow application for photographers, Aperture 2. Updates to the virtual-desktop application, Spaces, corrects a bug in which application windows were reordered when switching desktops and then switching back. Mail also received updates, including stability issues related to large attachments and mailbox changes made while offline.
Fixes in iChat enhance reliability while users are screen sharing, and they also fix a bug where group chats are not indexed in Spotlight. Enhancements to improve reliability have also been made for Automator, AirPort, Address Book, Parental Controls, and VoiceOver.
The separate Security Update 2008-003/Mac OS X 10.5.3 update is designed to address more than 40 vulnerabilities. In a posting on its support site, Apple said the update includes operating-system improvements to "enhance the stability, compatibility, and security of your Mac."
Apple is strongly recommending the 10.5.3 security update for all users of OS X 10.5, 10.5.1, and 10.5.2, if they choose not to upgrade to the newest OS. It can be downloaded through Software Update or from Apple Downloads.
The vulnerabilities include application terminations and arbitrary code executions for Apple Pixlet Video, ATS, CoreGraphics, Help Viewer, iCal, AppKit, AFP Server, Core Foundation, Time Machine, and the Flash Player Plug-in, among others. The common Flash plug-in had multiple issues, according to Apple, and the most...
Fri, 30 May 08
TiVo Will Offer Disney Movies, TV Critic as Downloads
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60005
On the heels of The Netflix Player by Roku announcement and in the face of rumors about Blockbuster preparing to announce its own set-top box for streaming videos, TiVo is inking some deals of its own.
TiVo subscribers will soon be able to download movies from the Walt Disney Studios to broadband-connected TiVo DVRs directly from the TV. Subscribers will also be able to receive recommendations for TV shows from the Chicago Tribune and have them automatically recorded.
TiVo will make Disney titles available to rent through an agreement with Disney-ABC
and CinemaNow. The companies will offer the movies for a 24-hour period in standard definition, with many also available in high definition.
"Adding Disney movies really delivers on TiVo's promise to offer the best television entertainment experience with unlimited content choices that are easy to navigate across broadcast, cable, and broadband using one device, one remote, and one user interface," said Tara Maitra, vice president and general manager of content services at TiVo.
The service will be available to all broadband-connected TiVo Series2 and Series3 subscribers later this year. TiVo offers more than 30,000 titles through Amazon Unbox, Music Choice and more than 50 other content providers. The company recently announced that TiVo subscribers will be able to access YouTube videos directly on a TV via the TiVo DVR this summer.
TiVo this week also announced a partnership with the Chicago Tribune to deliver the recommendations of the newspaper's TV critic, Maureen Ryan, directly to subscribers' televisions while TiVo automatically records the recommended shows listed in the newspaper's TV grids.
Ryan's authoritative and popular print and online column, The Watcher, has made her, according to the entertainment trade publication Variety, one of the TV industry's "favorite (or most feared)" newspaper TV critics. TiVo subscribers will also be able to download...
Fri, 30 May 08
Zinio Puts Hundreds of Magazines a Click Away
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59998
The future of magazine publishing increasingly is appearing on a digital display -- not just a newsstand.
Advancements in software and hardware are making it easier for a growing faction of consumers -- including coveted younger readers called screen-agers -- to read their favorite publications on the Internet or download and read them later offline.
"It's not Jetsons. It's real," says Richard Maggiotto, CEO of Zinio, one of a dozen or so companies that specialize in creating digital editions of magazines and newspapers.
"We aren't trying to erode print systems, but give publishers another way to redistribute their content," he says. "It gives readers what they want in media formats they are increasingly using, such as iPhone, iPod, PCs."
The San Francisco-based Zinio and similar ventures could be a lifeline for the magazine and newspaper industries as readers -- especially younger ones -- migrate to the Internet and electronic devices to get their news.
Potentially, more may follow, with developments in "e-paper" technology. E Ink and Plastic Logic are developing flexible screen technology that will let consumers read content in color while on the move, says David Renard, senior analyst at market researcher MediaIdeas. By 2020, e-paper will be a $25 billion industry, he says. Amazon.com and Sony are among those that have created wireless reading devices. Amazon's Kindle lets people buy books and access other content over Sprint's wireless broadband network.
Digital versions of magazines "are a far superior reading experience in that the Web site is endless. There are billions of pages, where you can drift on tangents stemming from each story," says Bo Sacks, publisher of consultant Precision Media Group.
The growing popularity of virtual magazines could be a panacea for foreign publishers -- many of whom want to crack the U.S. market but are hindered by distance and mailing costs -- and it...
Fri, 30 May 08
Microchipped Olympic Tickets Cause Privacy Concerns
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59993
China has ratcheted up surveillance and security in every phase of the Beijing Olympics -- even the tickets.
In a move unprecedented for the Olympics, tickets for the opening and closing ceremonies are embedded with a microchip containing the bearer's photograph, passport details, addresses, e-mail and telephone numbers.
The intent is to keep potential troublemakers from the 91,000-seat National Stadium for the high-profile ceremonies. Along with terrorists, China's authoritarian government fears protesters might unfurl Tibet flags, anti-China banners or even T-shirts adorned with political messages.
Tickets for the Aug. 8 opening ceremony are the most expensive of the games -- a top price of $720 -- and many are in the hands of dignitaries and friends.
The inclusion of such personal data on the microchips had raised concerns about privacy and potential identity theft, as well as threatening chaos at the turnstiles as officials try to match to tickets to attendees, creating bad publicity on opening night.
"They should be concentrating on sniffing out the kinds of dangerous stuff rather than worrying about the identity of the people with the tickets," said Roger Clarke, an Australian security expert. His Xamax Consultancy in Canberra advises businesses in online security and identity authentication.
"The way in which you recognize an evildoer, somebody who wants to throw a bomb, somebody who wants to unfurl a Tibet flag is not on the basis of their identity," Clarke added. "It's the act that they perform and it's the materials they carry with them."
China was toughened visa restrictions and increased checks at hotels and entertainment areas -- all designed to keep track of foreigners as the games approach. Several large public gatherings have been canceled. Thousands of closed-circuit TV cameras will be deployed in and around the venues. Organizers have acknowledged that some security officials will be dressed in volunteer uniforms. Passengers...
Fri, 30 May 08
XBRL Spells New Tool for Data Miners
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59991
Professors have long been friends to U.S. securities regulators, uncovering suspicious trading and accounting patterns that have led to multimillion-dollar settlements.
These researchers are about to get a new tool to help them find a treasure trove of easily accessible information to comb through, and which could lead to more enforcement actions against companies in the United States.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission recently proposed a timetable requiring about 500 of the largest public companies to begin filing their financial data in extensible business reporting language, known as XBRL, in early 2009. Smaller companies would get an extra year or two to get ready.
XBRL tags are like bar codes attached to each piece of financial data. The data can be downloaded to spreadsheets or accessed with an online viewer that allows users to easily find and compare crucial company data.
Corey Booth, chief information officer for the SEC, said that analysis of the XBRL data of companies could uncover suspicious activities.
"It stands to reason that when you have that much more data available, it will produce more insight and some very interesting findings pertinent to us," Booth said.
Recent high-profile SEC cases involving the backdating of stock options were set off by academic researchers examining corporate data.
Professors at the University of Iowa and Indiana University spent months poring over data from SEC documents and found that many options grants were timed to exploit marketwide price depressions that not even insiders could predict, indicating that at least some of the grants must have been backdated.
As a result, hundreds of companies were investigated by the SEC or conducted their own internal inquiries.
Marvell Technology and Broadcom agreed this year to pay $10 million and $12 million, respectively, to settle backdating cases.
Randy Heron, a finance professor at Indiana University who co-authored the research, said the new...
Fri, 30 May 08
Judge Says Dell Misled Customers with False Advertising
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59988
A New York judge concluded Tuesday that Dell Inc. engaged in repeated false and deceptive advertising of its promotional credit financing and warranties.
State Supreme Court Justice Joseph Teresi ordered the computer retailer to more clearly disclose that most customers don't qualify for free financing or get "next day" repair service.
"It appears likely that there are many more New York consumers who are entitled to restitution who are not included in the complaints," Teresi wrote.
New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo sued Dell last year. Teresi gave him until Dec. 1 to identify all consumer claims for third-party repairs, new computers or higher-interest payments than they would have paid otherwise.
"For too long at Dell the promise of customer service was a bait and switch that left thousands of people paying for essentially no service at all," Cuomo said. "This decision sends an important message that all corporations will be held accountable for the promises they make to consumers."
The attorney general's office had 700 complaints against Dell when the lawsuit was filed in May 2007 and has received more than 1,000 since, spokesman John Milgrim said.
Dell spokesman Jess Blackburn said the company, based in Round Rock, Texas, disagreed with the judge's decision and would be putting up a vigorous defense of its position, although it had not decided yet whether it would appeal.
"We are confident that when the proceedings are finally completed the court will determine that only a relatively small number of customers have been affected," Blackburn said.
The company noted earlier that it had 6 million transactions in New York between 2003 and 2006, with alleged complaints representing only a tiny fraction. Dell also told the court that it has started selective recording and auditing of sales representatives to avoid misrepresentations and has invested millions of dollars in customer service and...
Fri, 30 May 08
Microsoft and Apple Cozy Up for Office 2008 for Mac
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59987
Microsoft's relationship with Apple never has been cozy, but the release of Office 2008 seems to have solidified the two -- and their working relationship -- for the foreseeable future.
Office has become the ubiquitous word processing and spreadsheet application out there, and nearly all corporate presentations are made in PowerPoint as well. Apple is trying to make inroads with its new iWork version, but it has some limitations. The word processor is fine for most users, and Keynote, the presentation software, is quite elegant if you are assured you are going to be making the presentation with Apple hardware. (The Apple spreadsheet is not ready for corporate use, however.)
With Office 2008 for Mac, however, Microsoft has upped the ante. Office 2004, the former version, had been getting long in the tooth, and the new one has arrived just in time. The most striking thing to me is how much Office 2008 has adopted the look and feel of OS X and how much it feels like an Apple product instead of a Microsoft product ported to Apple hardware.
Many new features, like the Formatting Palette in Word, puts a lot of great stuff right at your mouse click. Styles, bullets, alignment -- it's all there. The best feature for students is the new Citations Palette that makes management of citations and bibliographies in research papers. Word also features a great new "Publishing Layout View" that makes desktop publishing a snap (finally!) with Word. This clearly is a response to Apple's clearly better "Pages" application, but Office 2008 delivers. If you want a simple newsletter or school report creator, this is your baby.
Excel adds the Formula Builder panel and numerous design improvements, but there wasn't a whole lot to improve, frankly. If you're into numbers, Excel is your baby. I find the...
Fri, 30 May 08
South Africa Protests Approval of Microsoft File Format
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59984
South Africa has lodged an appeal against the decision to make Microsoft Corp.'s Open XML format an internationally recognized standard for electronic documents, officials said Wednesday.
The South African Bureau of Standards sent a letter of protest to two Geneva-based organizations that held a worldwide ballot on Microsoft's application last month, complaining that the process was poorly conducted and rushed.
SABS Chief Executive Martin Kuscus sent the letter to the International Standards Organization and the International Electrotechnical Commission. The letter is dated May 22.
"We challenge the validity of a process that, from beginning to end, required all parties to analyze far too much information in far too little time," Kuscus said.
Supporters of the rival format ODF have claimed that Microsoft used strong-arm tactics to win approval from the national committees that voted on the new standard last month.
"It is our opinion that the process followed during all stages of this fast track has harmed the reputations of both ISO and IEC," Kuscus said, adding that "negative publicity has, in turn, also harmed the reputation of all member bodies of ISO and IEC."
The appeal means Microsoft will have to wait at least another month before knowing for sure whether the file format -- known as OOXML -- is approved as an open standard. Many lucrative government contracts require the use of open formats.
Microsoft argues that it has opened up the once-proprietary technology used by its Office 2007 software to work smoothly with competing programs. But opponents say OOXML still locks out competitors and gives Microsoft customers no choice but to keep buying its programs forever.
Microsoft declined to comment on the complaint Wednesday.
"This is an issue between ISO/IEC and the South African member standards body, so it would not be appropriate for us to comment on this specific situation," the Redmond-based software giant said...
Thu, 29 May 08
Other Copyright Holders Sue Google and YouTube
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60004
For all the talk about Viacom's $1 billion lawsuit against Google and YouTube, there are also copyright holders who have filed a class-action suit. This class claims YouTube violated intellectual-property rights by posting video clips without permission.
In other words, while Viacom, the entertainment titan that owns Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks, and other entertainment properties, is suing Google's YouTube for the posting of some 160,000 unauthorized video clips, Viacom isn't the only party claiming damages.
Lou Solomon at Proskauer Rose LLP represents the international sports leagues and music publishers in a copyright-infringement suit. His clients, he insisted, are going to get structural relief.
"Google says they are never going to give structural relief," Solomon said. "To me it sounds like the case is going to have to be tried and decided. That's fine. We welcome that."
Google maintains it respects intellectual-property rights and goes "above and beyond" the law's mandates. If Google successfully defends itself against copyright holders' claims that YouTube does not qualify for safe-harbor protection under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), it could have a dramatic impact on the way information is consumed online.
As Solomon sees it, YouTube's control of its Web site has become crystal clear with its advertising machinations. YouTube can pinpoint the right kind of song and the right kind of ad, he said, and that's the type of control the DMCA says you can't have to be a safe harbor. Solomon said there are means available to protect copyright holders, and YouTube is not using them. Google was not immediately available for comment.
"Google is going to be directed to employ available means to ensure that copyrighted material stays off the site," Solomon argued. "This copyrighted material can be fingerprinted in advance. YouTube has to be responsible for not allowing it up on the site to begin...
Thu, 29 May 08
Belgian Papers Resume Copyright Battle with Google
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60003
In an ongoing legal battle, a group of Belgian newspapers want Google to pay millions of dollars for publishing and storing copyrighted content. Copiepresse, the newspaper copyright group representing the French-language publishers, has summoned Google to appear before a Brussels court on Sept. 18. The group hopes judges will decide the search company should pay between $51.7 million and $77.5 million in damages for infringing on newspaper copyrights.
Copiepresse is also calling for Google to pay a provisional amount of $6.3 million, though it has publicly stated it is still willing to settle.
Google could not immediately be reached for comment, but has consistently said it has not infringed on Belgian newspaper copyrights. The search giant appealed a court ruling last year that said Google could not reproduce excerpts from the papers on its sites.
"I can see why Google would want to appeal. Google is trying to walk a tightrope. Obviously, Google doesn't want to litigate against every newspaper outlet or copyright holder that comes after them. And they can't be seen as folding," said Michael G. Kelber, a member of the Neal, Gerber & Eisenberg law firm's intellectual-property group.
As Kelber sees it, Google has to work to protect the fair-use doctrine and establish that copyright holders won't be successful in litigation against the search king. On the other hand, if Google can devise a business solution where it can pay a nominal fee, or otherwise come to agreeable terms with Copiepresse, it may be cleaner to settle the case than to litigate in a foreign court.
Either way, Google could see additional suits from copyright holders around the world -- and that could turn into a nightmare for the company, which is already embroiled in a $1 billion copyright lawsuit with Viacom over its YouTube property. "The...
Thu, 29 May 08
Intel Delays Next-Generation Centrino 2 Mobile Platform
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60002
Intel has pushed back the scheduled delivery date for the chipmaker's next-generation Centrino 2 mobile chip platform. Intel now intends to introduce the new platform's Core and Extreme mobile processors on July 14, at which time it will also "begin initial shipments of some of our chipsets," said Intel spokesperson Connie Brown.
"We expect to ship our complete line of chipsets and wireless chips in high volume a couple of weeks later, the first week of August," Brown said.
Dadi Perlmutter, general manager of Intel's mobility group, told Intel Developer Forum attendees last month that the chipmaker would deliver its next-generation mobile chip technology by June. But Brown explained that a combination of issues forced Intel to push back the rollout date.
"We are taking the extra days to address two issues that require us to rescreen our chipsets with integrated graphics and attend to some 'Ts' and 'Cs' (terms and conditions) mistakes while filing and testing our wireless antennas," she explained.
Intel's announcement comes as notebook manufacturers are gearing up to meet demand during the back-to-school shopping period. According to Brown, Intel's decision to begin shipping the processors and at least some of its chipsets the week of July 14 will enable "OEMs to meet their back-to-school selling season."
Making a big splash in the notebook space this year is an important part of Intel's plan to take advantage of accelerating demand for laptops at the expense of desktop PCs. "We believe that the shipment crossover of desktop PCs to mobile PCs will now happen this year and not next year, as we originally anticipated," Intel CEO Paul Otellini told investors recently.
Featuring components that are approximately 40 percent smaller, Intel's new mobile chip platform will be capable of spanning the entire range...
Thu, 29 May 08
VIA Releases OpenBook Laptop with Open-Source Design
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=60001
Taiwan-based VIA Technologies has released a new hardware design for a low-cost laptop computer, making it available under an open-source license. Called the OpenBook, the company said its design "introduces a host of new innovations," including more advanced computing and multimedia features, an 8.9-inch screen, and video-playback support.
Screen resolutions up to 1,024x600 are supported, as is the high-performance VIA Chrome9 3-D graphics processor. There is also video acceleration for the MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV9, VC-1, and DiVX video formats; an HD-capable video processor and eight-channel HD audio; three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, and audio-in/audio-out jacks; and a 2-megapixel dual-headed camera and a four-in-one card reader.
The design is based on the VIA C7-M ULV processor and a new, all-in-one VIA VX800 digital-media IGP chipset. Supported operating systems include Windows Vista Basic, Windows XP, and various Linux distributions. The platform has up to 2GB DDR2 DRAM, with a variety of hard disk drives and solid-state storage possibilities.
The OpenBook also has what the company called "a flexible internal interface" for high-speed wireless connectivity that offers WiMAX, HSDPA, or EV-DO/W-CDMA. There's also support for a full keyboard and a four-cell battery with up to three hours of power.
Richard Brown, VIA's vice president of corporate marketing, said the OpenBook "builds on the great success of the VIA NanoBook reference design launched last year," which has been adopted worldwide.
The computer-assisted design, or CAD, files of the reference design are being made available for OEMs, system integrators and broadband service providers under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 license. Computer makers can create their own external look and feel, as befits the needs of their markets. Under the terms of the license, the CAD files can be copied, shared and modified without financial obligations to VIA.
However, the design would need to...
Thu, 29 May 08
Apple Seeks Patent for Solar-Powered Mobile Devices
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59983
Solar-powered Apples may on the horizon. According to news reports, the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has filed a patent for utilizing solar cells in portable devices.
The patent specifies putting the solar panels under the display, since much of the remaining surface area of a handheld device is occupied by buttons and similar components. Devices described in the application include both handheld and portable computers.
Even though such Apple products as the iPhone have a screen that is exceptionally large for a portable device, the more surface area, the better for catching solar rays. According to the patent, the solar panel would be stacked behind the LCD display, absorbing light rays that pass through the display. Both the iPod and the iPhone could be candidates.
Michael Gartenberg, an analyst for JupiterResearch, noted that some small devices, such as wristwatches or calculators, are solar-powered, but otherwise the potential has only recently emerged for larger portable devices to be energized by the sun. One possibility, he suggested, is that solar power, at least in the short term, may be employed for short-term recharging or in other supplementary ways, rather than as the exclusive power source.
Other portable-device makers are also beginning to think of the sun as more than just a free source of device illumination. Last month, for instance, Vodafone said its plans to dramatically cut its greenhouse-gas emissions included solar-powered phone chargers.
Motorola has received a patent, originally filed in 2001, for a screen that lets more light through than other designs. Previous approaches, said the Motorola patent, have resulted in small amounts of power being generated that only added an incremental boost to a power-hungry cell phone or personal digital assistant.
In many devices, the LCD is a fairly reflective screen, and Motorola said only six percent of light rays pass through....
Thu, 29 May 08
Google Upgrades Toolkit To Boost Web Computing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59982
At the Google I/O developer conference in San Francisco this week, the search giant announced a new version of its Web development kit and opened up its hosted Google App Engine to more developers.
Web applications written with Google Web Toolkit 1.5, which now supports Java 5, will run 1.2 to two times faster, said Bruce Johnson, Google's engineering manager. The toolkit is a step toward making the Web -- not Windows, Mac or Linux -- the computing layer that developers are concerned with.
"There's no question any more whether you're going to target the browser or a desktop app," Johnson said. "For almost any new exciting app, you're going to target the browser."
For a certain class of programs, Johnson said, the Web is "already better than what you can do on the desktop." He added: "For extremely low-latency applications, like video editing, I think we're still a couple years out."
Such statements are nothing less than a shot across Microsoft's bow -- and while establishing the Web as a competitor to Windows is still an uphill battle, Google should not be underestimated here, said Rob Enderle, principal analyst with the Enderle Group.
"There is little doubt the browser is the best common denominator for new applications," Enderle said, "but the problem is that most people don't have network connections that are fast enough to live on it." That kind of connectivity likely won't come for a decade, which gives Microsoft a sizable window of time to fight back, he added.
"This is still Microsoft's market to lose, but to beat Google they have to lead and not follow to this new capability -- and they have lost focus on their core defenses to this attack: Windows, Office and IE," Enderle said. "Google can't do this without...
Thu, 29 May 08
With Windows 7, You'll Be Able To Get Touchy-Feely
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59981
If you like the way you can handle your iPhone by deft finger maneuvers, you're going to love the future of Windows. The next version of Windows -- currently named Windows 7 -- will drive all kinds of devices with a similar technology.
Microsoft demonstrated its multi-touch technology at the D: All Things Digital conference, sponsored by The Wall Street Journal, where Microsoft Vice President Julie Larson-Green used her fingers to draw a rudimentary landscape on a Dell laptop.
"You are going to see this in all different sizes and shapes of computers," she said.
The technology should be a natural for image editing and navigating online maps, Microsoft said. Larson-Green demonstrated manipulating an online map to find a nearby Starbucks.
Microsoft actually demonstrated the technology at last year's D conference as a way to deploy touch in tabletops and kiosk-like displays. In that context, Microsoft is calling the technology Surface. And while Larson-Green's demo focused on manipulating a traditional PC, Microsoft envisions touchscreens implemented in all kinds of ways, Chris Flores, a Microsoft product director, wrote on the official Windows Vista blog.
"Surface harnesses touch and multi-touch capabilities to provide users with a natural way to interact directly with computing devices," Flores wrote. "Expect to see the table-like Surface devices in hotels, retail establishments, restaurants and public entertainment venues."
Apple's iPhone may be the most obvious mainstream device sporting multi-touch, but touch-based interfaces are everywhere, including laptop touch pads, cell phones, remote controls and GPS devices, Flores said. "What becomes even more compelling is when this experience is delivered to the PC -- on a wide variety of Windows notebooks, in all-in-one PCs, as well as in external monitors. In working with our broad ecosystem of hardware and software manufactures, we're excited to be showing some of the great work and...
Thu, 29 May 08
Cloud Computing's Promise: A Power Grid for the Net
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59974
Cloud computing is the flavor of the moment in the technology industry. Google, IBM, Microsoft and Yahoo are just some of the big companies touting the concept, and a bunch of smaller ones are, too.
What, you may be thinking, is cloud computing? Basically, it means obtaining computing resources -- processing, storage, messaging, databases and so on -- from someplace outside your own four walls, and paying only for what you use.
The term is a mushy one being applied loosely to many things on the Web. Salesforce.com is now called a cloud application -- after all, companies let it store their sales data, rather than running it on their own systems. Facebook, too, is a cloud platform, because software developers write applications for the site and distribute them on it.
Then there is the infrastructure cloud, where companies offer up their servers, storage and other technology to anyone who can pay for it. Previously, that was called grid or utility computing, because you tapped into it as you needed it, as you would with the power grid, and paid only for what you used. In the early days of computing, it was called time-sharing.
Thus, the concepts themselves are not new. "It's true that we did not invent storage, databases, computers or database functionality," said Andrew Jassy, senior vice president of Amazon Web Services, a unit of Amazon.com that started in 2006 and was a pioneer in this new round of pay-as-you-go infrastructure services. Amazon, though, does not call its cloud a cloud, except for one service called the Elastic Compute Cloud.
What looks to be new is the way high-speed Internet access and almost limitless supplies of storage and processing power can now be pulled together.
A vivid example of cloud power comes from Animoto, an 18-month-old company in New York that...
Thu, 29 May 08
Browser Competition Heats Up with Innovations
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59968
The browser, that porthole onto the broad horizon of the Web, is about to get some fancy new window dressing.
Next month, after three years of development and six months of public testing, Mozilla, the insurgent browser developer that rose from the ashes of Netscape, will release Firefox 3.0. It will feature a few tricks that could change the way people organize and
find the sites they visit most frequently.
Not to be outdone, Microsoft recently took the wraps off the first public test version of the latest edition of Internet Explorer, which is used by about 75 percent of all computer owners, according to Net Applications, a market share tracking firm. The finished version of Internet Explorer 8 could be released by the end of the year and is expected to have additional features.
Even Apple, which once politely kept its Safari browser within the confines of its own devices, is making a somewhat controversial push to get it onto the computers of people who use Windows PCs.
In other words, the browser war -- the skirmish that landed Microsoft in antitrust trouble in the '90s -- is heating up again.
"The typical browser for today's consumer doesn't look all that different than it did 10 years ago," said Larry Cheng, a partner at Fidelity Ventures, one of the firms that invested in Flock, a browser startup. "That is an unsustainable trend that is the launching point for the second browser war, which will not be won by monopolistic muscle but by innovation."
Browsers have always been viewed as crucial on-ramps to the Web. Nevertheless, after vanquishing Netscape, the first commercial browser developer, Microsoft waited five years before releasing the sixth version of Internet Explorer in 2006. Dean Hachamovitch, general manager of Microsoft's Internet Explorer group, says the company was focused on plugging security...
Thu, 29 May 08
Computer Shopping 101: What's a Clueless Buyer To Do?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59964
Lori Jantulovich stands in the middle of Best Buy's computer section, flagging down a sales clerk. She's trying to buy a laptop for her nephew. "I have no clue," she says.
Jantulovich, 51, is surrounded by displays touting the merits of dozens of similar-looking PCs. "Superior performance with 3GB of system memory," one says. "Powerful discrete graphics," another advertises. "Blazing fast performance with a next-generation Intel Core 2 Duo Processor." "On-the-go multi-tasking." "Limitless performance and response."
"For the average person, this is a lot to dissect," she says.
Computer buying used to be relatively easy. Shoppers generally bought the PC with the fastest processor, or computer "brain," they could afford. That wasn't tough, since most were numbered. (A 486 was faster than a 386.)
Now, "The story has changed," says tech analyst Richard Shim at researcher IDC. Processors aren't numbered like that, and other components, such as memory and graphics cards, have become far more important. "It's definitely hard now" for non-technologists to identify the desktop or laptop that best meets their needs, says Glenn Jystad, a senior manager at PC maker Gateway.
That's a big problem for the PC industry, which faces stagnating growth in its core, mature markets. U.S. PC sales rose a paltry 3 percent in the first quarter of the year compared with the previous year, says researcher Gartner. Most American families already have at least one PC, so computer makers must entice shoppers to upgrade -- a tough prospect if they're too confused to understand the merits of doing so.
The industry is aware of the problem. Hewlett-Packard just overhauled its Web site to identify PCs by their most likely use, such as "mobility" or "entertainment." It plans to roll out the change in retail stores in the next few months. Gateway is working on a similar initiative. Chipmaker Advanced Micro...
Thu, 29 May 08
Kleiner's Pick for the Killer iPhone App: Whrrl
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59963
Apple won't crank up the hype machine about all the new things an iPhone can do until its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 9, but here's a small taste of what's in store: finding things to do in the neighborhood when you're at a loss.
That's the idea behind Pelago, the first company funded by Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as part of the $100 million iFund the venture capital firm announced in March at Apple's last big iPhone event. Pelago's software, called Whrrl, ties the mapping capabilities of the iPhone and other smartphones with the ability to find information about places where you, your friends, or anyone has been.
Say you're lost in Las Vegas and need a restaurant recommendation. With iPhone in hand, you can scan the locations of nearby restaurants, just Italian restaurants, or just those recommended by foodie friends. Or you could search for the highest-rated bars or kid-friendly activities recommended by friends from your social network. There's going to be a "what's going on around me right now" button, says Kleiner Perkins partner Matt Murphy. "You're always one button away from that immediate context."
Given the iPhone's unique capabilities and the flexible software tools that Apple released for the device in March, it could be difficult for any Web 2.0 startup to stand out from the crowd of applications on the way. For example, the iPhone's accelerometer means programmers have been free to dream up interesting ways to take advantage of the iPhone's ability to respond to motion, much like Nintendo's Wii video game console. Cisco Systems, for example, recently demonstrated a vision for one possible use during an annual conference for business partners: the ability to transfer a call from an iPhone to another device, such as a laptop or one of Cisco's Internet-based office phones,...
Thu, 29 May 08
The New Push for the Paperless Office
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59962
Thirty-three years ago this month the phrase "paperless office" entered the business lexicon in a BusinessWeek article titled "The Office of the Future." In the article, George Pake, the legendary head of the Xerox Palo Alto Research Center [PARC], foresaw technology that by 1995 would let computer users summon on-screen documents "by pressing a button," eliminating the need for much if not all the printed paper cluttering workspaces.
Pake's vision was half-right. Offices brim with network-linked computers, loaded with software that lets users create, read, duplicate, and distribute digital documents. But the dream of a workplace where all that technology would eliminate the need for printed documents remains just that -- a dream.
Indeed, some of the very machinery that makes paper theoretically obsolete has helped make it all the more ubiquitous. Devices that scan and convert documents to a digital format double as printers and copiers -- and they've become so small, cheap, and easy to use that they're on -- or near -- every desktop. "The decision to print has gotten much closer to the owner of the document," says David Pineault, a paper economist and analyst at consulting firm InfoTrends. According to RISI, a research firm that tracks forest products, in 1975 the average U.S. office worker used 62 pounds of paper a year. By 1999, that figure peaked at 143 pounds, but in 2006 it was still at 127 pounds.
Three decades on, the financial and environmental imperative to reduce paper use is all the more real. Last year, U.S. companies printed 1.5 trillion pages, according to research firm IDC. That's a 95,000-mile-high stack of paper, or the equivalent of 15 million to 20 million trees. RISI analyst John Maine estimates that companies will spend about $8 billion this year on paper alone; that doesn't include costs...
Wed, 28 May 08
Via Offers Reference Design for Mini-Notebooks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59980
Via Technologies has unleashed a new OpenBook reference design for low-cost notebooks that will enable computer makers to bring low-cost ultra-portable products to market beginning in the third quarter.
The new design platform, based on Via's power-efficient, cool-running C7-M microprocessor, offers designers an "open approach to case-design customization and wireless connectivity flexibility," said Vice President Richard Brown.
OpenBook lives up to its "open" moniker by offering all the computer-assisted design (CAD) files required for turning out a finished mini-notebook product. "Making the actual raw CAD files available under a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike 3.0 license is a brilliant first step that clearly and legally allows others to build upon Via's open innovation," said Jon Phillips, business and community manager for Creative Commons.
Designers will be able to modify Via's CAD designs to alter their final product's overall look and feel. Even better, having access to a pre-engineered clamshell form factor should help smaller startups -- and even ambitious entrepreneurs -- dramatically reduce the cost of creating a stylish design.
OpenBook is based around Via's C7-M ULV processor, which features a maximum power draw of just 3.5 watts and is available in speeds of 1.0 to 1.6GHz. It also integrates three USB 2.0 ports, a VGA port, a four-in-one memory-card reader and a two megapixel dual-headed Web camera.
Via's platform supports a range of operating systems, including Windows Vista Basic, Windows XP and various Linux distributions. Moreover, the package is designed to be powered by a four-cell lithium-ion battery reportedly capable of delivering three hours of operation from a single charge.
Tipping the scales at 1kg, the final product will sport a 8.9-inch display with screen resolutions of up to 1024 x 600 pixels as well as support for high-performance 3D graphics through the company's VX800 chipset. Advanced acceleration is also on...
Wed, 28 May 08
Adobe Posts Beta Downloads from Creative Suite 4
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59979
Adobe Systems released beta versions of three key applications from its upcoming Creative Suite 4 package of graphic, Web and multimedia software on Tuesday. Preview versions of Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Southbound are available for download.
Adobe did not say when beta versions of Photoshop and Illustrator may be available. David Burkett, vice president of product management for Creative Suite, suggested Photoshop and Illustrator will not be released as beta previews like the other three applications. "Dreamweaver, Fireworks and Soundbooth are the major applications we're unveiling as public betas before the next release of Creative Suite," he said.
Current customers of CS3 can use the beta software until the final CS4 package ships. New users will only have 48 hours to try out the new programs. The final version of CS4 is expected in the last quarter of 2008 or the first quarter of 2009.
CS4 has "radical work-flow enhancements," Burkett said, "as we redefine how designers and developers collaborate to deliver standout digital experiences."
The new version of Dreamweaver emphasizes integrating design and development functions, reflecting the reality that modern Web pages are dynamically built from database-stored content and features from remote servers. "Dreamweaver no longer acts like an old-style HTML editor with modern features tacked on," a PC World reviewer said.
For instance, the new Dreamweaver features a "related files" toolbar and a code navigator that lets authors access linked CSS files, JavaScript documents and integrated XML data. A new properties panel allows users to toggle between controlling HTML tags and controlling CSS tags. "For me, this makes Dreamweaver finally usable as a day-to-day Web-site editor, because CSS is at the heart of every web page I edit," Edward Mendelson wrote for PC World.
Another key Dreamweaver feature is called Live View Mode, which is based on the...
Wed, 28 May 08
Google Says Viacom Suit Threatens Social Networking
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59978
Viacom's $1 billion lawsuit against YouTube could mean the end of social networking as we know it, Google has told a U.S. court.
Google, which owns YouTube, said making carriers and hosting providers liable for Internet communications "threatens the way hundreds of millions of people legitimately exchange information, news, entertainment and political and artistic expression."
Viacom, the entertainment titan that owns Paramount Pictures, Dreamworks, and other entertainment properties, is suing YouTube for the posting of some 160,000 unauthorized video clips.
In a statement in conjunction with filing its $1 billion federal copyright lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, Viacom called YouTube a "significant, for-profit organization that has built a lucrative business out of exploiting the devotion of fans to others' creative works in order to enrich itself and its corporate parent Google."
Viacom has taken the gloves off in a digital-age boxing match between two technology champions. While YouTube has made deals with other broadcasters, Viacom is not backing down.
Google's response to Viacom's copyright-infringement lawsuit is stirring a debate about Internet freedom. If Google successfully defends itself against Viacom's claims that YouTube does not qualify for safe-harbor protection under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), it could have a dramatic impact on the way information is consumed online.
"The whole lawsuit is cutting edge in the sense that the DMCA, which is what Google and YouTube are relying upon as a defense, provides safe harbor for ISPs and Web-site operators like YouTube. The problem comes when the ISP or the Web operator
makes money on infringing content," said Melvin Avanzado, a partner at the law firm of Jeffer, Mangels, Butler & Marmaro.
Google maintains that it respects intellectual-property rights and goes "above and beyond" the law's mandates. Viacom says YouTube knows about infringing material on its...
Wed, 28 May 08
Samsung Previews Fast 256GB Solid-State Drive
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59977
Samsung Electronics told customers attending this month's Samsung Mobile Solutions Forum in Taipei that it has developed the world's fastest, 2.5-inch, 256GB solid-state drive (SSD) for use in laptops and other consumer electronics gear.
Based on multi-level cell (MLC) technology with the ability to store more than a single bit of information per cell, the new SSD will effectively eliminate density as a barrier to SSD adoption in laptops and other consumer products, Samsung executives say.
"With development of the 256GB SSD, the notebook PC is on the brink of a second stage of evolution," said Samsung Semiconductor Vice President Jim Elliott. "This change is comparable to the evolution from the Sony Walkman to NAND memory-based MP3 players, representing an initial step in the shift to thinner, smaller SSD-based notebooks with significantly improved performance and more than ample storage."
Samsung has not released pricing information for its forthcoming 256GB drive as well as a smaller 1.8-inch SSD due out in the fourth quarter of this year. But Samsung Semiconductor Senior Marketing Manager Steve Weinger thinks the historic price declines for flash memory provide a good indicator.
"Price declines have been occurring at a 40 to 45 percent year-over-year clip for the last 10-plus years pretty steadily," Weinger noted. "And now we have the first drives based on the technology leading that decline."
One benefit of MLC is lower cost, Weinger observed. "Today at the gigabyte level, the cost of an MLC chip is less than two times that of an SLC (single-level cell) of comparable density," he said. "Having MLC at a higher-density price point is opening up that consumer market for us."
Samsung's forthcoming 128GB SSD will hit the density level that Weinger thinks best fits the full spectrum of business uses for the technology. "The 256GB SSD...
Wed, 28 May 08
Microsoft Expects Explosive Growth for Windows Mobile
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59976
Microsoft expects its Windows Mobile software to grow by at least 50 percent worldwide in this and the next fiscal years. According to a report by Reuters news service, Eddie Wu, Microsoft's managing director of OEM embedded devices in Asia, projected the software giant will sell 20 million units with Windows Mobile in the fiscal year ending in June. In the last fiscal year, it sold more than 11 million units.
He added that growth of Windows Mobile devices is greatest in Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Brazil, Russia and India. Windows Mobile is featured on a wide array of devices from Samsung, Motorola, High Tech Computer, Asus and others. Its main competitors include Symbian-based operating systems, such as those on devices by LG Electronics, as well as mobile operating systems on Apple, Research in Motion (RIM), and Palm products.
In a recent quarterly report, Microsoft said its Windows Mobile sales are due to increased market demand for "phone-enabled devices and Windows-embedded operating systems."
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, called the sales projection "bold, but not out of the question."
He noted that Windows Mobile is being used by an increasing numbers of licensees, and in an increasing number of form factors. It's also being featured in new product lines, such as the Xperia line from Sony Ericsson.
In "classic productivity" devices, Greengart said, Windows Mobile is very strong, adding that we're also seeing Windows Mobile devices in high-end multimedia smartphones.
He pointed out that a key driver in the growth of Windows Mobile is the "explosion" in entry-level smartphones, especially in the U.S., but abroad as well. Customers are finding that, for a somewhat higher price than what they were expecting to pay, they can get a smartphone to track e-mail and do other...
Wed, 28 May 08
Cyber Terrorism Threat Growing, EU Agency Says
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59975
The European Union has a long way to go in safeguarding Internet businesses, according to the European Network and Information Security Agency. ENISA cited the possibility of a "digital 9/11."
Specifically, ENISA underlined the importance of network and information security, especially in regard to i2010, the EU's umbrella strategy for developing technology. ENISA looked at social networking, spam and online fraud, among other identified threats.
"Europe must take security threats more seriously and invest more resources in network and information security," said Andrea Pirotti, executive director of ENISA. He urged the EU to require "reporting on security breaches and incidents for business, just as the U.S. has already done."
ENISA said 30 percent of global trade is "digitally dependent" and cited estimates that spam cost businesses about EU64.5 billion (US$101.43 billion) in 2007, double the 2005 figure. With only 6 percent of spam reaching mailboxes, ENISA said, the problem is perceived to be under control. However, it is growing in quantity, size and bandwidth and remains a costly problem.
According to ENISA, computer emergency response teams (CERTs) are key components in combating cyber attacks and spam. ENISA estimated there are six million hijacked computers, or botnets, used worldwide by organized criminals to send spam and commit online fraud. In 2005, only eight EU member states had CERTs, but today there are 14, with 10 more planned.
However, Pirotti said, "The member states should undertake concerted efforts to reduce the imbalances in security levels, with more cross-border cooperation."
ENISA stressed the risks of social-networking sites and recommended a review of the regulatory framework of Directive 2002/58 on privacy and electronic communications. ENISA has also produced a feasibility study on a European information sharing and alert system for citizens and small and midsize businesses, which make up two-thirds of the...
Wed, 28 May 08
GameStop Stops Selling Microsoft's Zune in Its Stores
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59959
Retailer GameStop has decided to stop selling Microsoft's Zune media player. According to news reports, the decision was actually made about a month ago but was only recently made public.
A GameStop spokesperson told news media that the company decided to "exit the Zune category" because it did not have the anticipated appeal and "did not fit with our product mix."
GameStop primarily sells video games, which is why David Card, an analyst with JupiterResearch, said he wasn't sure "it was a natural fit" anyway. But the chain has several hundred stores in the U.S. and many of its customers are fans of Microsoft's Xbox 360 video-game console, so the Zune could potentially have benefited from cross-marketing.
GameStop had been selling the device since October 2006, when it began taking preorders a month before Zune was launched. The retailer said it would sell its remaining Zune inventory online.
Forrester's James McQuivey agrees with Card. Since Zune is not a gaming platform, he said, "it's not a surprise that this attempt to distribute the Zune to its target audience would struggle."
He added that this doesn't necessarily sign the death certificate for the Zune. As long as it continues to hit its "conservative sales goals," he noted, "Microsoft will continue to look at the long-term benefits of having a competitor to the iPod in the market, even if that competitor only has single-digit market share."
Microsoft didn't express much concern. On Friday, it released a statement noting it has a "strong presence" with such major retailers as Best Buy, Target, Wal-Mart and others. Adam Sohn, Zune's director of marketing, added that the Redmond, Wash.-based Microsoft will "continue to invest in retail partnerships" and online stores.
Since its release in November 2006, Microsoft has reported selling about two million of the...
Wed, 28 May 08
Despite Bill Gates' Comments, Windows 7 Due in 2010
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59958
This spring, as the technology industry raised ever-louder complaints about Windows Vista, Bill Gates amped up expectations for the next version of the operating system, referred to simply as Windows 7. Speaking in Miami in April, the Microsoft chairman said, "Sometime in the next year or so we will have a new version," and then went on to extol the virtues of Windows 7, including "the ability to be lower-power, take less memory, be more efficient, and have lots more connections."
Gates talked about Windows 7 as being a much-improved platform for gaming, connecting to mobile devices, interacting with the Internet and synchronizing files between computers. All that led to speculation that businesses could sit out Vista -- and wait until the release of Windows 7.
While it's still not clear what Gates meant by his "next year" comment, Windows chief Steven Sinofsky told CNET that the release is scheduled for January 2010, putting the new version on a three-year development track, compared to the six years it took to release Vista.
Asked directly about Gates' comments, Sinofsky refused to bite, simply reiterating the 2010 time frame: "We've been very clear, and will continue to say, that the next release of Windows, Windows 7, is about three years after the general availability of Windows Vista, and we're committed to that, and we've signed up publicly to do that."
While Microsoft has traditionally talked up Windows versions far before their actual release, the Windows group has been far quieter under Sinofsky's rule than under predecessor Jim Allchin. That's not unrelated to the experience with Windows, he said.
"The reactions that we've had to some of the lessons learned in Windows Vista are really playing into our strategy of getting together a great plan for Windows 7, and working with all the partners in...
Wed, 28 May 08
Next-Gen Internet Access May Create a New Digital Divide
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59947
The lack of high-speed Internet access in some areas of the U.S. has been hotly debated, even as that digital divide has narrowed. But a new, wider gap is being created by technology that will make today's broadband feel as slow as a dial-up connection.
Much like broadband enabled downloads of music, video and work files that weren't practical over dial-up, the next generation of Internet connections will allow for vivid, lifelike video conferencing and new kinds of interactive games.
But while access to cable and phone-line broadband has spread to cover perhaps 90 percent of the U.S. in the space of a decade, next-generation Internet access looks set to create a much smaller group of "haves" and a larger group of "have nots."
The most promising route to superfast home broadband is to extend the fiber-optic lines that already form the Internet's backbone all the way to homes. Existing fiber-to-the-home, or FTTH, connections are already 10 times faster than vanilla broadband provided over phone or cable lines. With relatively easy upgrades, the speeds could be a hundred times faster.
In the U.S., the buildout of FTTH is under way, but it's highly concentrated in the 17-state service area of Verizon Communications Inc., which is the only major U.S. phone company that is replacing its copper lines with fiber. Its FiOS service accounts for more than 1.8 million of the 2.9 million U.S. homes that are connected to fiber according to RVA LLC, a research firm that specializes in the field.
FTTH is also offered by some small phone companies, cooperatives and municipalities, like Chattanooga, Tenn. The other major phone companies, like AT&T Inc. and Qwest Communications International Inc., are laying FTTH in "greenfield" developments, but aren't pulling fiber to existing homes. Some cable companies are doing the same.
Graham Finnie, chief analyst for the telecom...
Wed, 28 May 08
Review: WiiWare Games Are Disappointing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59945
One of the best features of Nintendo's Wii is the Virtual Console, a downloadable library of more than 200 classic games. It's a great resource for young gamers who want to see what they missed, and for geezers who wonder if old favorites were as great as they remember.
What the Virtual Console lacks is anything new. Meanwhile, Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade and (to a lesser extent) Sony's PlayStation Network have delivered a consistent supply of fresh software. Such games -- usually, casual titles like Uno or Lumines Live! -- may not warrant a full commercial release but can be well worth a $10 (EU6.40) download.
WiiWare is Nintendo's attempt to deliver brand new games online. None of the six games in the WiiWare launch lineup is as addictive as, say, Puzzle Quest or Geometry Wars, but there are many more offerings on the way.
* Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: My Life as a King (Square Enix, $15;EU9.60): For all the baroque mythology that's built up around Final Fantasy, the games share one essential element: fighting monsters. Take that away and you get My Life as a King, a flat management sim in which a very young ruler is trying to rebuild his kingdom.
You can build a few houses to start, but then you have to send your subjects out to gather resources. They do all the dungeon-exploring while you stay home and chat with the citizenry. You can build a respectable town fairly quickly, and if you get hooked, you can buy more content online. But it's hard to escape the feeling that all the real fun is happening offstage. Two stars out of four.
* LostWinds (Frontier, $10;EU6.40): In this 2-D adventure, you wave the Wii remote to control gusts of wind. The breezes help your character jump higher and farther, or...
Wed, 28 May 08
China Takes First Step in Restructuring Telecom Industry
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59939
China's biggest mobile phone company will take over a smaller fixed-line carrier, a state news agency said Friday, in what was expected to be the start of a sweeping industry restructuring.
China Mobile Communications Corp. will acquire China Railway Communication, also known as Tietong, the Xinhua News Agency said, citing information from state-owned China Mobile.
Regulators are believed to be preparing a series of mergers that will link up China's fast-growing mobile carriers with fixed-line partners to invigorate competition. Fixed-line carriers have seen demand slump as new customers opt for mobile service.
"The long-awaited restructuring of the Chinese telecoms market appears closer than ever before," Jing Li, a China telecoms analyst for the consulting firm Global Insight, said in a report to clients.
An industry-wide plan might be released as early as this weekend, Li said.
"A successful restructuring will undoubtedly spur competition in the market as the resultant telecoms players square up to each other," Li said.
The overhaul also is expected to affect China's biggest fixed-line carrier, China Telecom Corp., and its smaller rival, China Netcom Group Corp., as well as No. 2 mobile operator China Unicom Ltd.
In Hong Kong, trading in China Netcom and China Unicom shares was suspended pending a "price-sensitive" announcement. Trading in China Unicom shares was suspended in Shanghai.
There was no indication how long the suspensions would last.
China has the world's biggest population of mobile phone users, with some 520 million accounts, and the government says that should reach 600 million soon.
Mobile carriers say their numbers of new accounts are growing at double-digit rates, while fixed-line carriers say their subscriber numbers are flat or falling.
China Telecom and China Netcom have tried to boost revenues by promoting broadband Internet, Web-based cable TV and other services but earnings still are growing more slowly than at mobile carriers.
Beijing is preparing to roll out...
Wed, 28 May 08
FBI Warns Wi-Fi Users To Watch Out for Hackers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59936
As more Americans use wireless networks everywhere from coffee shops and airports to libraries, the FBI has begun warning that hackers are increasingly lurking nearby to steal identities and pilfer bank accounts through unsecured Wi-Fi systems.
Unlike wired systems, which use cables to transport information through the Internet, Wi-Fi uses radio waves that industry leaders say are inherently more vulnerable.
And with an estimated 68,000 Wi-Fi "hot spots" in the United States now, and many more on their way, users are unaware that some of those sites, including entire cities and towns, might be unsecured.
While there are no exact numbers of individuals who might have fallen victim to such scams, the FBI is warning that information exchanged over those waves can be intercepted. And that means cyberthieves will be waiting to pounce.
"Make sure you're connecting to the town and not a guy who happens to be in town," Bryan Duchene, an FBI cybercrimes supervisor in Los Angeles, said of towns offering free Wi-Fi service.
After setting up shop at or near Wi-Fi hot spots, criminals can access personal information from users of unsecured servers who don't have adequate safeguards on their computers.
Another ploy takes advantage of the fact that some laptops, by default, will log on to the strongest signal when searching for a wireless connection. For a laptop user sitting at Starbucks, that signal might belong to a legitimate-looking, but bogus, server operated by a hacker, Duchene said.
"If the bad guy happens to be sitting two tables over and he's broadcasting a (stronger) signal, it'll override what you're trying to get to," he said.
Once in, a hacker can steal passwords and credit-card information and install viruses, worms and other malicious software or malware on a computer that can spread to other systems you run.
Duchene recommends that Wi-Fi users change their settings so...
Wed, 28 May 08
Apple Wants More Music Available for iPhone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59935
As part of Apple's effort to rectify the shortcomings of its iPhone, the company has approached major music labels to try to expand the variety of ringtones and other musical features available on the device, according to several executives at the record companies. The negotiations are very active and a final deal has not been reached, said the executives, who requested anonymity so as not to disrupt the talks.
"They want a big launch in June," said one label executive familiar with the talks. That executive said a deal might come after June 9, when Apple's chief executive, Steve Jobs, speaks at the company's developers' conference, a logical date for the introduction of the next generation of iPhone. An Apple spokesman declined to comment.
Ringtones are a very profitable corner of the music business because the price for a short segment of a song is higher than for the full song. In the United States, for instance, Apple offers ringtones as a 99-cent upgrade to its regular 99-cent music tracks, but not all tracks can be converted into ringtones. Apple is looking to expand its inventory, the executives said.
The company is also hoping to add answer tones, also known as ring-back tones -- songs that a caller hears instead of the "ring ring" sound while waiting for someone to answer. In some cases, these command an even higher wholesale price from the record labels than ringtones do.
Also under discussion is whether Apple can sell songs from its iTunes Store directly to iPhones using new, faster mobile broadband networks, supplementing current sales over Wi-Fi and fixed Internet connections. The next generation of phones is expected to use so- called third generation, or 3G, technology, which has long permitted mobile song downloads in Europe and Asia. Here, too, music labels argue that they should...
Tue, 27 May 08
Yahoo Postpones Annual Meeting, Battle with Icahn
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59944
Yahoo Inc. on Thursday postponed a looming showdown for control of its board, giving itself more time to prepare a defense -- or negotiate a sale to Microsoft Corp. that would cause activist investor Carl Icahn to call off the mutiny.
The showdown pitting the slumping Internet pioneer's board against Icahn and other unhappy shareholders was supposed to come to a head at the Sunnyvale-based company's July 3 annual meeting.
But Yahoo is dragging out the drama by pushing the meeting back to an undetermined date in late July, according to a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
This is the second time Yahoo has postponed its annual meeting, usually held in May or June. The previous delay, announced in March, gave Yahoo more time to explore alternatives to Microsoft's unsolicited takeover bid, which was withdrawn this month in a pricing disagreement.
Spurred by shareholders upset with Yahoo's board's handling of Microsoft's last offer of $47.5 billion, Icahn has nominated a slate of candidates to replace the current directors -- a process known as a proxy contest.
Two other unidentified shareholders intend to nominate themselves to become Yahoo directors, the company disclosed Thursday. A third shareholder plans to submit another opposing sale of directors, according to Yahoo. The company said it believes these three shareholders haven't met the rules for nominating alternate candidates, meaning they could be disqualified at the annual meeting.
Yahoo already has lost one director with the resignation of Arthur Kozel, whose departure was disclosed Thursday in a separate SEC filing.
Kozel, a former Cisco Systems Inc. executive who was on Yahoo's board for eight years, had been planning to step down since February so he could move his family to Europe, the SEC filing said. Yahoo doesn't plan to replace Kozel, leaving its board with nine members.
The postponement of Yahoo's annual meeting...
Tue, 27 May 08
Google Tries To Head Off Antitrust Concerns
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59942
How can Google, the Internet search and advertising giant, contend that teaming up with Yahoo in search ads would not invite an antitrust challenge?
Under a proposed partnership, Google would let Yahoo use its more sophisticated ad technology to deliver ads next to some Yahoo search results. By some estimates this could bring Yahoo $1 billion a year in added cash.
If they strike a deal, Yahoo, the No. 2 company in search ads, would hand over some of its business to Google, the No. 1 company in that market. When asked about the issues this would raise in a meeting with reporters this month, Eric Schmidt, Google's chief executive, offered only a cryptic reply: "We would anticipate structuring a deal to address antitrust concerns."
People involved in shaping Google's approach say the deal under consideration would be a straightforward supplier arrangement, similar to ones in the markets for computer printers, appliances and cell phone service.
The printer industry, they say, is a perfect example. Canon supplies printer engines to about 80 percent of the laser printer market, including its rival Hewlett-Packard. They point to many others, including Whirlpool's making of appliances for Sears, AT&T's licensing of its mobile network to Virgin Atlantic and other small carriers, Toyota's selling of hybrid engines to General Motors and Microsoft's tailoring of its Office software for Apple computers.
But some antitrust experts say the planned partnership does raise concerns. Whether this pact is completed or not, they add, it points to the kind of antitrust issues that will increasingly surround Google as a dominant company in the Internet economy, which can quickly magnify the market power of corporate winners.
"Up to now, Google has been very careful to avoid predatory behavior," said Christine Varney, a partner at the law firm Hogan & Hartson and a former member of...
Tue, 27 May 08
Debt Collection Gets a Polite Indian Touch
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59501
In a glass tower on the outskirts of New Delhi, dozens of young Indians are on the telephone, calling out-of-work, forgetful and debt-stricken Americans to ask for cash.
"Are you sure that's all you can afford?" one operator in a row of cubicles inquires politely.
"Well, how do you take care of your everyday expenses?" presses another.
Americans are used to receiving calls from India for insurance claims and credit card sales. But debt collection represents a growing business for outsourcing companies, especially as the U.S. economy slows and its consumers struggle to pay for their purchases.
Armed with a sophisticated automated system that dials tens of thousands of Americans every hour, and puts confidential information like Social Security numbers, addresses and credit history at the fingertips of operators, this new cadre of collectors is chasing down late car payments, overdue credit card debt and lapsed installment loans. Debt collectors in India often cost about one-quarter the price of their American counterparts, and are often better at the job, debt collection company executives say.
"India will be the only place we grow this year," said J. Brandon Black, the chief executive of Encore Capital Group, a debt collection company based in San Diego. India is Encore's largest operating area, with about half the company's collection force of more than 300.
Although the stereotype of a collector may be "some guy with chains and a cut-off shirt," Black said, collectors in India are "very polite, very respectful, and they don't raise their voice."
"People respond to that," he added.
Companies like Encore buy bad loans from banks and credit card issuers for pennies on the dollar and pocket the cash they collect. The delinquent borrowers often owe at least a thousand dollars.
So far just a tiny fraction, maybe 5 percent, of U.S. debt collection is done outside...
Mon, 26 May 08
New York Commits to Open Formats
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59953
It's been a good week for open standards. Microsoft has announced it will directly support a range of standards-based document formats in a future update to its Office suite, and New York's chief information officer issued a report calling for the state to embrace an open document policy.
The New-York report, called "A Strategy for Openness: Enhancing E-Records Access in New York State," was cosponsored by CIO Melodie Mayberry-Stewart and state archivist Christine Ward and recommends legislative and executive action to support the state's stated policy of "conduct(ing) its business in an open, interoperable and transparent manner."
New York law requires officials to study how "electronic documents . . . can be created, maintained, exchanged and preserved." The law also requires officials to take into account other states' policies, guidelines for the state archives, the needs for public access, expected storage life, costs of implementation and potential savings.
Unlike the firestorm created in 2005 when Massachusetts promulgated regulations standardizing on the open source Open Document Format (ODF), New York's recommendations are likely to cast it as a peace-maker, Peter O'Kelly, research director for the Burton Group, said.
"This is a very politically charged domain and a contentious debate," O'Kelly said in a telephone interview. "The good news is there is a key shift is from proprietary and binary file formats to standards-based XML file formats," he said. "That opens up a lot of new opportunities for people to unencumber themselves from vendor tie-ins."
The CIO's report specifically cautioned against nominating specific technologies as state document standards. "The State Legislature should not mandate in statute the use of any specific document creation and preservation technologies, as technologies can easily become outdated," the report said.
The report noted that, "In the office suite format debate, there currently is no compelling solution for the State's...
Sun, 25 May 08
Could Netflix by Roku Change All the Rules?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59956
While some industry pundits debate the viability of installing yet another set top box on the television, others are discussing what could be a groundbreaking business model for the future of movie watching: subscription-based streaming video.
The debate comes in light of Netflix's announcement earlier this week. In partnership with Roku, a digital media-streaming company, Netflix on Tuesday announced The Netflix Player by Roku.
The device allows Netflix subscribers to instantly stream the movie-rental service's library of 10,000 movies and TV episodes directly to their TVs. The player is available for purchase for $99.99 at Roku's Web site. Netflix has unlimited rental plays starting at $8.99 a month.
"The price point is where it needs to be. It needs to be below $100 or even free for the service to work. The fact that Netflix was able to get the price down so low is a dramatic improvement over the competing boxes," said Mike Greeson, CEO of The Diffusion Group. "Apple TV and Vudu are more expensive, but those are storage-enabled boxes and they are downloads only. Netflix is streaming."
The player is about the size of a paperback book and is designed to integrate into any home-entertainment system. According to Netflix, all it takes is connecting the player to a TV and to the Internet. For homes with wireless Internet connectivity, the player is Wi-Fi enabled.
Here's how it works: From the Netflix Web site, members add movies and TV episodes to their instant queues, and those choices are then displayed on the TV and available to watch instantly.
With the player's accompanying remote control, members can browse and make selections on the TV screen and also read synopses and rate movies. Viewers also have the option of fast-forwarding and rewinding the video stream. Netflix's goal was to develop a user interface that creates...
Sun, 25 May 08
LifeLock Sees Class Action Lawsuit
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59954
LifeLock CEO Todd Davis has become famous for his commercials where he offers his social security number to demonstrate how confident he is in his company's identity theft protection program.
However, recently, his identity protection program has come under attack -- not from identity thieves, but from trial lawyers. Consumers in four states are suing Davis and his company for false advertising and deceptive trade practices. At the heart of the matter is LifeLock's $1 million service guarantee to restore the identity and pay all direct costs and expenses resulting from the identity theft.
"My identity has been completely protected by LifeLock and I am as confident as ever about the LifeLock service," Davis said in a statement. "It is shocking that completely untrue statements about our company, the protection we provide and my personal identity are being repeated from a trial lawyer looking to create a case that clearly is not in the best interest of consumers."
Recent claims have suggested that Davis' social security number has been used at least 20 times to obtain drivers licenses and other credit. Davis explained that these claims are completely untrue and reflect total inexperience and lack of understanding of how credit files and identities work.
"While there have been more than 100 attempts to use my identity information, none of these recorded in the credit files resulted in any loss for me. However, a check cashing company failed to properly follow procedures and verify the identity of a thief in 2007, resulting in a person being able to cash a check for $500," Davis argued. "The LifeLock guarantee served me as it serves all LifeLock members, what identity theft LifeLock can't prevent, it will fix at LifeLock's expense up to 1 million dollars."
Davis pointed out that there have been only four...
Sun, 25 May 08
Google Co-Founder Pitches 'White Spaces' in DC
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=59933
On Thursday, Google co-founder Larry Page visited Washington, D.C. to talk up his company's pro