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| Nov 2008 | Oct 2008 | Sep 2008 | Aug 2008 | Jul 2008 | Jun 2008 | May 2008 | Apr 2008 | Mar 2008 | Feb 2008 | Jan 2008 | Dec 2007 | Nov 2007 |Fri, 31 Oct 08
Beatles Music Coming To MTV Game in 2009
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62754
The Beatles have long been rock-and-roll's most notorious holdouts from the digital revolution. Stroll through the electronic aisles of Apple's iTunes Store, and there's a big, gaping hole where the Fab Four should be, a gap not really filled by A Tribute to the Beatles by The Silver Beatles, or Lullabye Renditions of the Beatles by Rockabye Baby.
But that may be changing. On Thursday, MTV Games and Apple Corps Ltd., the primary rights holder for the Beatles catalog, announced that over the coming year they will collaborate on a new interactive music video game featuring the band's music.
The game will be developed by Harmonix, publisher of the phenomenally popular Rock Band. The company expects it to be available in time for the 2009 holiday season.
"Introducing the genius of The Beatles to a whole new generation of music lovers through original and inspired ways is extremely exciting to us at Apple Corps," said Jeff Jones, CEO of Apple Corps. "We are truly pleased to be working with the innovative forces at MTV and Harmonix as they embody our mutual passions for music and creativity."
The project has received strong support from the two remaining Beatles, Sir Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, as well as representatives of the estates of John Lennon and George Harrison.
"The project is a fun idea," McCartney said, "which broadens the appeal of The Beatles and their music. I like people having the opportunity to get to know the music from the inside out."
Ringo Starr agreed: "The Beatles continue to evolve with the passing of time, and how wonderful that The Beatles' legacy will find its natural progression into the 21st century through the computerized world we live in. Let the games commence."
The deal brings together music's best-selling group with one of the breakout video-game hits...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Hewlett-Packard Expands Mini-Notebook Lineup
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62753
HP has just unveiled three mini-notebook PCs in a push to dramatically build upon the inaugural Mini 100 model it rolled out for education applications in April. The PC maker's overriding goal is to match speeds with rivals in what is fast becoming a high-growth segment globally.
Both Asus and Acer experienced robust growth in the mini-notebook segment during the year's third quarter, explained Gartner analyst Mikako Kitagawa. Though HP did maintain the No. 1 position in worldwide PC shipments in the latest quarter, the company's sales were negatively impacted by HP's slower entry into the mini-notebook market, Kitagawa said.
"Though most major vendors now have their own mini-notebook offerings, it will be a challenge for them to match or beat the market expansion that Asus and Acer have attained so far," Kitagawa noted.
Less than one-inch thick and weighing about two pounds, each member of the new HP Mini 1000 lineup is equipped with a backlit LED display featuring 1,024x600-pixel resolution, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios, two USB ports, an Ethernet jack, and a built-in webcam with microphone. What's more, all three models are powered by a 1.6GHz Atom N270 processor from Intel.
Available for $399, the HP Mini 1000 ships with Windows XP Home preinstalled. Prospective buyers also can choose between 8.9-inch and 10.2-inch displays, as well as select between a solid-state drive offering with 2GB, 4GB or even 8GB of storage, or a hard disk drive.
Slated for release in January at $379, the HP Mini 1000 with MIE (for Mobile Internet Experience) will come fully loaded with instant messaging, e-mail, and Skype for online video chat. To minimize the startup time, all available social-media applications can be run from the machine's Linux-driven MIE dashboard.
The HP Mini 1000 Vivienne Tam Edition, which is scheduled for a...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Apple Fixes MobileMe Service on the Sly
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62752
Apple has gotten to the core of the problems plaguing the company's MobileMe Internet service since its July launch, and has resolved several technical glitches.
Subscribers to MobileMe have been dealing with problems since the service launched and, in an e-mail to employees just weeks after the launch, Apple CEO Steve Jobs admitted the company prematurely released the service. What MobileMe is supposed to do is keep e-mail, contacts and calendars up to date across several devices, including an iPhone, iPod touch, Mac and PC. Instead, it has been a mobile mess.
Challenges have included problems with the Reply All function, Internet Explorer 7 issues, and difficulties with keyboard shortcuts. Other challenges included using the MobileMe Calendar in Mozilla and Firefox 3, and problems with the MobileMe Gallery, where users share photos with friends and family.
Jobs, in his e-mail to employees made public, said it was not the company's finest hour, and the service needed more testing and should not have been launched at the same time as the iPhone 3G, iPhone 2.0 software, and the App Store.
Apple corrected several issues, but did so in stealth mode by not alerting its customers to the upgrade or posting any news about the update on its blog. Instead, the company issued an article about MobileMe's recent improvements and resolutions of known problems.
"Apple is always working to improve MobileMe," the company said. "Since MobileMe is primarily a server-side, or 'cloud'-based, service, the MobileMe team can make improvements and push updates to MobileMe without any action being required of MobileMe customers. Since server-side updates are a bit more innocuous than a standard software update to Mac OS X or Microsoft Windows, it's easy not to notice that updates are occurring. Usually the only hint of these updates is that things just 'work better.'"
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Research Demos Wow Developers Conference
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62751
On the third day of its Professional Developers Conference, Microsoft cranked up the "wow" factor by showing off some projects under development in the company's research wing. Rick Rashid, senior vice president of Microsoft research, delivered the day's keynote address and used the opportunity to talk about Microsoft's ideas for dealing with a variety of technological and social challenges.
"Advances in software hold the key to progress in multiple fields," Rashid said. "The modern world generates massive data sets -- online search, astronomical phenomena, the climate, particle physics, and the human genome, to name a few areas. With software, we can capture, analyze and make sense of this data to help combat global warming, develop life-saving vaccines, and enrich our kids' education."
In keeping with Microsoft's growing fascination with touch, the company has been focusing on both surfaces and sensors.
Rashid demonstrated the newly released software developer's kit for Microsoft Surface, a computing platform that Microsoft hopes will change the way people interact with digital information.
The Surface interface will enable people to interact directly with content, without having to use a keyboard or mouse. The software recognizes 52 different gestures, and will enable users to move more than one object on the screen at the same time. Microsoft says its new software will also be able to recognize objects placed on the surface.
During his discussion of Surface, Rashid introduced Steve Hodges and Sharam Izadi from Microsoft's research lab in Cambridge, Mass., to demonstrate the company's plans to go beyond a two-dimensional surface.
"What we're trying to do with this project," Hodges said, "is not just do surface computing, but actually bring the interaction so that it works in the area above the surface as well, so you can interact in the space above the surface, and really we're talking about bringing the user...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Yahoo Opens Platform To Third-Party Developers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62750
Yahoo has officially opened its platform to developers. It's all part of the search company's vision for a more open Yahoo that leverages outside innovation, unlocks the power of social networking, and meshes the Yahoo experience with other sites to bring viewers the best of the Web.
That's the vision. And Yahoo has taken one more step toward it by making its tools and data available to developers to build applications for a more customized network.
According to Jay Rossiter, senior vice president of Yahoo Open Strategy, the most obvious impact will be the social aspects. At a high level, he said, Yahoo is rolling out a social platform that will draw on the hundreds of millions of connections on Yahoo -- everything from random encounters with someone who commented on the same photo as you, to connections with friends who know nearly everything about you.
"By using the social contacts you already have on Yahoo -- through mail, messenger, Flickr, finance, fantasy sports, etc. -- we'll make those social connections more active and useful," Rossiter wrote on the corporate blog. "Most importantly, by enabling developers to make your social connections specific to the Yahoo service you're using, we believe you'll enjoy some incredibly unique and creative new experiences that we would never have thought of."
Unlimited Potential?
According to Yahoo, there's really no limit to the potential. The company offered a few examples, such as sharing updates and discovering new things online. Basically, Yahoo is letting developers centralize anything you do on the Web as an update for its platform, with user permission.
"You'll be able to see what your friends are doing on Yahoo (like entering ratings on Yahoo Movies or buzzing articles on Yahoo Buzz) and off our network (like the blog post they just commented on, photo they've uploaded, movies they've...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Netflix and TiVo Partner to Stream Movies to TV
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62724
TiVo and Netflix announced Wednesday that subscribers to both services will be able to instantly stream thousands of movies and TV episodes to their television screens.
The collaboration, for TiVo Series3, TiVo HD, and TiVo HD XL subscribers who also belong to Netflix, is being tested in several thousand U.S. households and is expected to become more broadly available by early December. There will be no extra charge for those subscribers.
A variety of companies have been trying to connect TV sets to the growing inventory of movies and TV shows available online, but many solutions have been complex and required additional purchases.
Reed Hastings, cofounder and CEO of Netflix, said "this collaboration offers a fabulously easy way to enhance the enjoyment of watching movies" in the comfort of home. Tom Rogers, president and CEO of TiVo, added that this joining of forces "creates the ultimate video on demand service."
The logistics involve streaming Netflix movies to specific TiVo DVRs through a wired or wireless broadband connection, with a Netflix queue-based user interface. Members still need to visit the Netflix Web site to manage their queues, such as adding or deleting TV episodes or movies.
This collaboration has been a long time coming. In 2004, both companies started development on a way to deliver Internet-based video to the TV set, but Netflix reportedly ran into roadblocks in securing licensing rights from movie and TV studios.
But eventually Netflix was able to work things out, and more than a year ago launched an Internet streaming service to deliver programs directly to subscribers over their computer broadband lines, rather than only through DVDs. The alliance with TiVo builds on that service.
"This is very big news for both of them," said Michael Gartenberg, vice president for consumer strategy at Jupitermedia. He added that both...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Motorola Delays Spin-Off for Mobile Devices Division
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62723
Just one day after news broke that Motorola is cutting its mobile operating platforms from seven to three and amid speculation about thousands of layoffs, Motorola on Thursday said it will delay spinning out its mobile devices division.
Sanjay Jha, co-chief of Schaumberg, Ill.-based Motorola and CEO of mobile devices, said the unstable economy has forced the company to rethink its strategy.
"While our strategic intent to separate the company remains intact, we are no longer targeting the third quarter of 2009, primarily due to the macroeconomic environment, stresses in the financial markets, and the changes under way in mobile devices," Jha said. "We have made progress on various elements of the separation plan and will continue to prepare for a potential transaction at the appropriate time frame that serves the best interests of the company and its shareholders."
He also said in a conference call Thursday that the company will take drastic cost-cutting measures that will help the company's plan to rebuild its mobile devices division and become more competitive.
Motorola said it plans to cut about $1 billion in annual expenses this year. Already it has reduced costs by $474 million in the first nine months of the year and expects to exceed $600 million in additional reductions this year. Although the company has not announced any layoffs, observers expect thousands of layoffs will be part of the cost-cutting.
Jha, who in August left his position as chief operating officer at Qualcomm and has only been in his new position for 90 days, said he's ready for the work ahead of him.
"Although I've been here for only a short time, I understand the challenges and changes we need to make and how to address them," he said during the conference call. "The reality is there is no quick...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Psystar Offers Blu-ray, Graphics Options for Mac Clones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62722
Psystar is on the move again, beating Apple to market with a Mac clone with an optional Blu-ray drive and the Nvidia 9800GT graphics card. Psystar is also planning to add a Mac OS-based notebook.
While Blu-ray offers movie-watching and storage options, the GeForce 9800GT promises increased graphics performance for high-end game play and media editing. Apple currently does not offer the 9800GT on any computer.
"Blu-ray has already won the format war," said Rudy Pedraza, president of Psystar. "Not only is there fully functional and mature support for Blu-ray in other operating systems, but you can now rent Blu-ray discs from almost any rental chain. Blu-ray has become pervasive technology that is being widely adopted by consumers everywhere."
Pedraza did not offer details about what "widely adopted" means. Rather, he focused on the Blu-ray drives, pointing out that Blu-ray is not just for movies.
"The ability to burn 25-gigabyte discs is a feature that can help users in media-editing or enterprise environments keep archives of large file sets," he said. "Our systems, regardless of configured operating system, can now provide this functionality."
Psystar is currently offering several sales promotions, such as no-cost processor upgrades and shipping discounts. Psystar buyers can choose to upgrade a Mac clone with a 6x Blu-ray burner for $310 and a 52MB GeoForce 9800GT card for $200. Psystar also offers a 2x GeForce 9800GT 512MB card for $400.
The Open with Mac OS starts at $554.99 with OS X Leopard v 10.5. That comes with 2GB of DDR2 memory. A 19-inch monitor is an additional $199. This stripped-down Mac clone doesn't come with a Firewire port or a wireless protocol, or even a keyboard and mouse.
Psystar is betting the combination of a Mac clone with both a Blu-ray drive and the GeForce 9800GT will give...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Alcohol 120% Burning Tool Creates Buzz
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62710
[In a previous article], we examined the volatility of data burned to optical discs, concluding that CDs or DVDs might not be as ideal for long-term storage as previously thought. Because the loss of data integrity is caused by physical limitations of the media itself, one solution is to go virtual.
The average cost of an internal hard drive now runs about 15 cents per gigabyte, which translates to a lot of storage bang for your buck. As technology improves, hard drive prices go down, and storage capacities go up. That's a win-win by anyone's standards and all the more reason to consider using hard drives for archiving data previously stored on optical disc.
Now you just need a way to transfer a stack of discs onto your hard drive. One of the most efficient ways to capture the entire contents of a CD, DVD or Blu-ray data disc -- whether commercial quality or homemade -- is to turn it into a single ISO disc image file. Once converted, this file can be stored and organized on your hard drive, perhaps used at a later time to burn another disc.
Another cool thing you can do with ISO files is using them on your computer as virtual discs, mounted in a virtual CD/DVD drive. Because virtual drives exist only in your computer's virtual memory, their performance is as much as 200 times faster than a real optical drive.
There are plenty of programs available for creating and burning ISO disc images, but my favorite is Alcohol 120% from Alcohol Soft. This software does it all -- from image file creation and disc burning to virtual drive emulation.
For image making, the program supports three file types for CDs -- .iso; .cue/.bin; and the CloneCD standard .ccd/.img/.sub file formats -- but for DVDs, Alcohol 120% uses...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Key Republican Questions Yahoo's Cooperation
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62709
The top Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee is joining a chorus of lawmakers urging the Justice Department to scrutinize the planned Internet advertising partnership between Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc.
Texas Republican Joe Barton also accuses Yahoo of resisting congressional inquiries into the deal. He said that many of the company's answers to his questions "seemed designed to obscure rather than clarify how the Google-Yahoo partnership would work."
In particular, Barton said Yahoo has resisted his efforts to obtain an unredacted copy of a document suggesting that some of its employees are concerned that working with Google would result in an "effective monopoly."
In a statement, Yahoo said it "has cooperated fully with Congressman Barton's staff, and will continue to do so."
The Justice Department is deep into an investigation of the deal, which will allow Google to sell some of the ads displayed alongside search results on Yahoo's Web site. Google and Yahoo have delayed the start of the partnership to allow the department to complete its antitrust review.
Yahoo entered the agreement in June after rebuffing a $47.5 billion takeover by Microsoft Corp. Yahoo and Google say their deal will benefit advertisers and consumers by delivering more targeted, more relevant ads, while giving Yahoo additional revenue it needs to remain viable as an independent company.
But many advertisers warn that the partnership will leave them with fewer options for placing online ads, raise the cost of online advertising and cement Google's control over the market.
In his letter to the Justice Department on Tuesday, Barton said he is "concerned about the adverse effects such a partnership could have on competition and pricing with the online search advertising community."
Barton said he is also concerned about the privacy implications of the deal since Google and Yahoo both "collect a great deal of information relating...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Google To Sell Books To Be Read Only Online
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62708
Google's next frontier: selling books to read online.
The online search giant's $125 million settlement with book publishers paves the way for a new business for Google, authors and publishers: selling books that can only be read on your computer.
"Call me weird, but I think there are a lot of advantages to reading books online," Google co-founder Sergey Brin said in an interview Tuesday. "You don't have to look at it at a funny angle, and today's monitors have better resolution than ever."
Nearly four years ago Google began scanning out-of-print books to add to its online index, saying it would offer parts of the book in searches. Publishers responded with a copyright infringement lawsuit.
Google's Book Search project expanded, adding portions of in-print books to the index with links to buy them. Google has digitized 7 million books to date.
"We would have remained unhappy about the scanning, but for this deal," says Paul Aiken, executive director of the Author's Guild. By Google's agreeing to pay authors and publishers, and to work out a revenue share for future sales, "We're thrilled," says Aiken.
The settlement awaits approval by the court, expected in mid-2009, when the venture will begin. Meanwhile, Google is setting up an online registry for authors. (Authors will set prices and pocket a little more than 50% of the sale, Google says.)
Brin says he often reads books on his computer. Reading in bed under a lamp is cool, "but frankly, there's a lot to be said for efficiently buying a book online and not having to wait for it to arrive."
Danny Sullivan, editor of the SearchEngineLand blog, says the settlement shows a mature Google. "Google came from this place where they could just go index everything without asking anyone's permission."
Coming to terms with publishers paves the way for other settlements, Sullivan says,...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Can Microsoft Succeed in the Crowded Cloud?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62702
Looking for growth in new markets where it is increasingly being bypassed, Microsoft plans late next year to begin offering a new "cloud" operating system that would manage the relationship between software inside the computer and on the Web, where data and services are becoming increasingly centralized.
The company needs a new kind of operating system for a new computing world populated not by a single style of desktop computer but instead by dozens of different kinds of Internet-connected appliances ranging from smartphones to mini-laptops called netbooks.
More of those devices use programs that reside on a remote server rather than on the device itself. The servers, in the so-called cloud, deliver what are called Web services, which can be anything from customer relationship software or a Facebook game.
Microsoft is a late entrant into a market that is crowded by a range of players offering every flavor of cloud computing, including Sun Microsystems and IBM, as well as Amazon and Google.
Although Microsoft has continued to see strong sales of its operating-system software to corporate customers, growth of its Windows Vista operating system appears stalled. Moreover, Microsoft has significantly delayed its next generation of software for mobile smartphones at a time when competitors like Apple and Research in Motion are using their own software to sell more cellphones to corporate customers.
The new Microsoft "cloud OS" -- dubbed Azure -- gives Microsoft an opening.
But many of the giant software company's competitors believe that it is unlikely that Microsoft will be able to maintain its advantage either in market share or profitability going forward.
"Today's announcement of Azure is the same Microsoft, keeping developers locked into their proprietary solutions, and failing to grasp the true power of cloud computing," said Mark Benioff, the chief executive of Salesforce.com, a San Francisco company that helped pioneer the commercial...
Fri, 31 Oct 08
Is New MacBook 'Stealth' Business Machine?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62692
Apple's new aluminum MacBook could be a stealth business notebook, according to an IT columnist writing for Computerworld.
At a time where some mainstream pundits are criticizing the MacBook's $1299 price point, and Mac users are complaining about the lack of FireWire ports in the device, Scot Finnie argues that the combination of several factors could see the MacBook be the biggest selling Mac yet in the business world.
"After more than 25 years of watching technology," wrote Mr. Finnie, "I've come to believe in the consumerization of IT as a more powerful driver in the adoption of end-user technology by enterprises than most analysts and pundits allow for. I'm not predicting wholesale adoption of Macs by larger enterprises anytime soon, but the new MacBook will make the most significant inroads into the enterprise market of any Apple product, probably ever. It comes down to price/performance, price point, design focus, durability, suitability to task and market timing."
Mr. Finnie argues that the MacBook's specs and price point, as well as its more professional (i.e. non-plastic) appearance combine to make Apple's consumer and education-oriented MacBook a compelling business offering, even if Apple itself does not make a compelling enterprise partner due to its penchant for not sharing product roadmaps or caring much about IT execs.
Apple's stealth business offering, the MacBook?
"But," he argued, "while the company may never admit it, the MacBook is a shot fired across the bows of Windows enterprise notebook makers."
Mr. Finnie's opinion is the first in some time that we've noticed from a non-Mac-centric source making the case for a Mac as a business machine. That it comes in the midst of much grousing from a subset of Mac users is either irony or fitting, depending on your viewpoint.
Thu, 30 Oct 08
LinkedIn Makes Professional-Style Apps Available
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62721
Apparently suffering from a bit of application envy, LinkedIn announced Tuesday that it has implemented its own platform for running apps on its professional-networking site. In keeping with LinkedIn's strong business focus, the new service is called Intelligent Applications, or InApps.
"Our audience is a professional audience, it's not the typical social-network audience," says Jamie Templeton, LinkedIn's vice president of platform products. "They don't want noise."
The serious nature of LinkedIn can be seen both in the limited number of initial apps and their business purpose. According to Reid Hoffman, chairman and president, products, at LinkedIn, the goal is to enable the service's 30 million members to communicate, collaborate and share information more easily.
"This initial rollout features productivity applications that range from gathering information that professionals around you are generating to enhancing your abilities to collaborate and communicate more effectively," Hoffman said on the LinkedIn blog. "You'll be able to work much more closely with your contacts on LinkedIn with tools such as file sharing, project management, business trips, and many more."
The company is offering nine apps to start: Reading List from Amazon, WordPress, Box.net, Blog Link from Six Apart, Company Buzz by LinkedIn, SlideShare presentations, Google Presentation, My Travel, and Huddle Workspaces.
Some of these apps -- like the file sharing in Box.net, the collaborative work spaces in Huddle, or the slideshow resources -- may offer a productivity boost. Others -- like Amazon's dynamic reading list or LinkedIn's own Company Buzz, which provides a customized Twitter feed from coworkers -- may cause headaches for management and IT departments.
Nonetheless, LinkedIn has added apps to keep it from becoming too stodgy and because the incoming generation of workers have grown up in a social-networking environment.
Unlike the freewheeling app environments on Facebook or MySpace, LinkedIn has made it clear that...
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Motorola Adopts Android as One of Mobile Platforms
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62720
The Wall Street Journal reports Motorola Co-CEO Sanjay Jha has decided to adopt Google's Android mobile operating system as one of the company's three platforms for building next-generation cellular handsets and smartphones.
Jha, who left Qualcomm to join Motorola in early August, also reportedly intends to further trim the company's workforce. Citing people familiar with the matter, the newspaper said Jha will announce the company's next round of job cuts when Motorola reports its quarterly results on Thursday.
Jha informed company employees last month that he intends to reduce the number of handset operating systems that Motorola supports from seven to just three: Android, the company's homegrown P2K mobile platform for low-cost handsets, and Windows Mobile, whose second-quarter smartphone deployments rose 20.6 percent year-over-year, according to Gartner. So cuts in the company's development team won't necessary hamper Motorola's ability to innovate.
Motorola's continuing commitment to Windows Mobile was evident earlier this week when the company announced the availability of the Windows Mobile 6.1 operating system on its rugged mobile computers and enterprise digital assistants. However, with Apple's iPhone enjoying raging success and with Android looking poised to follow suit, Motorola clearly needs to find a way to hitch a ride on the wireless industry's high-growth curve.
Motorola recently told BusinessWeek it is "excited about the innovation possibilities on Android and looking forward to delivering great products in partnership with Google" and other Open Handset Alliance members. The publication also reported that Motorola has given spec sheets for its first Android-based handset to several major wireless carriers worldwide.
The bad news is that Motorola's first Android-based handset may not be ready for a U.S. launch until the second quarter next year or go on sale in Europe until the following quarter. In the interim, Motorola is betting its investments in...
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Xbox 'Ultimate' Entertainment Experience To Be Offered
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62719
Microsoft is giving its Xbox customers an early Christmas gift on Nov. 19: The Redmond, Wash.-based software giant is offering Xbox 360 owners a chance to upgrade their dashboard with a conversion called the New Xbox Experience (NXE), an upgrade it is dubbing the "ultimate social-entertainment experience" with "something for everyone."
NXE gives users a new experience with a load of different features, including the creation of avatars and the ability to choose from 10,000 movies and TV shows from Netflix, some of which will be available in high definition.
Members of the press and analysts who have had a chance to preview NXE say the look is snazzy, the experience is superfast, and it shares similarities to Nintendo's Wii.
Once users download NXE, they will have a chance to create their own avatar, adding as many features as they like -- a process that can take anywhere from a few seconds to 10 minutes, depending on how many features are added. Once facial features are added and avatars dressed, they can be used throughout Xbox 360 in games such as SceneIt and in Friends lists.
All users need to do is watch the update download like a typical system update. A status bar will be give consumers an idea of how long the process will take. Once the update is complete, the console will reload to the Xbox welcome page.
Microsoft will not say how long the download will take, but did say Xbox owners should expect a larger download than other dashboard updates, so it will take more time. All users need is 128MB of memory available, but the company also suggests having a hard drive for the best experience.
Of course, Microsoft is willing to sell a 20GB hard drive to those needing an upgrade. The price for...
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Microsoft Shows Upgrades to Visual Studio and .NET
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62718
Windows 7 may have gotten much of the attention at the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles on Tuesday, but on Wednesday other Microsoft programs got their turn to shine.
In keynote speeches by Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president of Microsoft's Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group; Scott Guthrie, vice president of Microsoft's .NET Developer Division; and others, attendees were shown demos of Microsoft's Visual Studio 2010 and .NET Framework 4.0.
The two application are being developed with a focus on concurrent execution, to take advantage of the trend toward parallel processing in laptops and desktops. They also have slick new interface options intended to support the look and feel of Windows 7.
"You're going to see a lot of investment in multi-core development," Guthrie said, "specifically around allowing you to build parallel applications that take advantage of multiple processes and multiple cores, as well as in debugging analysis tools that you can actually see what code is happening on which core, and when it happens, and how you coordinate that."
The demos were somewhat surprising, given the fact that Visual Studio 2008 and .NET 3.5 SP1 just came out earlier this year. But Microsoft has been working on creating richer visual displays through the use of a software library called Windows Presentation Foundation. Visual Studio 2010 has been engineered specifically to use WPF to produce flashier interfaces without the performance penalties that initially plagued Vista's Aero.
Guthrie told attendees that .NET 4.0 will make extensive use of WPF, but the real benefit lies in the improved start-up times that have already been built into the most recent .NET Framework upgrade.
"In particular for client development, we spent a lot of time focusing on performance," Guthrie said. "In general, we see about a 40 percent cold start-up performance win for .NET applications that have...
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Christian Science Monitor Moves To 24/7 Online News
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62717
After a century of publishing, The Christian Science Monitor is slowing the presses. The paper is moving from a daily print format to a daily online edition that updates around the clock. The paper will maintain a weekly print edition.
The new model will launch in April 2009 at CSMonitor.com with original reporting seven days a week. The paper will also produce a daily electronic subscription product. And the weekly print publication will look behind the headlines to help readers understand global issues.
In its 100-year history, the Monitor has earned seven Pulitzer Prizes and hundreds of other awards. With 18 bureaus worldwide, the Monitor aims to cover both major news events and stories from every corner of the globe. The Monitor first went online in 1996.
"Like much of the news industry, the Monitor has embraced online reporting and is now one of the first publications to treat its Web site as its primary publishing format," said John Yemma, editor of the Monitor. "The Christian Science Monitor recognizes that daily print has become too costly and energy-intensive. Online journalism is more timely and is rapidly expanding its reach, especially among younger readers."
With its paradigm shift, the Monitor becomes the first major international newspaper to fully embrace the Internet as the future of journalism. The Monitor expects its publish-news-as-it-happens model to span the globe with original reporting and spur global conversations between readers and Monitor staff.
The weekly print edition intends to stay true to the Monitor's reputation for thoughtful, in-depth coverage of global issues, including analysis of U.S. and global news, weekly snapshots of life around the globe and news around the Web, profiles of people who are tackling tough problems and trying to make a difference, and special emphasis on the environment, innovation, money and values.
"There's still a...
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Privacy Experts Say Global Network Is No Silver Bullet
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62716
In a move to protect and advance the human rights of freedom of expression and privacy, the Global Network Initiative was launched Tuesday. But for all the big names in technology, human rights, academics and communications, some privacy advocates say this initiative fails to address the depth of the issue.
The initiative was formed to provide a systematic approach to resist efforts by governments that try to enlist companies in acts of censorship and surveillance that violate international standards. Google, Microsoft and Yahoo are among the Internet companies leading the charge.
"This initiative is the result of two years of discussions with other leading technology companies, human-rights organizations, socially responsible investors, and academic institutions," said Andrew McLaughlin, Google's director of public policy and government affairs. He added that "the initiative sets the kinds of standards and practices that all companies and groups should use when governments threaten internationally recognized rights to free expression and privacy."
Initiative members have committed to acting together to promote free expression and protect privacy across all communication technologies. By taking a united stance instead of acting individually, the members believe they are more likely to bring change in government policies.
Member companies have committed to putting procedures into place that will protect users by evaluating government requests to censor content or access user information, providing greater transparency, assessing human-rights risks when entering new markets or introducing new products, and instituting employee training and oversight programs.
"This initiative is by no means a silver bullet or the last word, but it does represent a concrete step toward promoting freedom of expression and protecting users' privacy in the 60th anniversary year of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights," McLaughlin said. "Now we're actively recruiting more companies and groups to join the initiative and advance these critical human rights around the...
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Online Version of Microsoft Office Is Planned
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62691
Microsoft announced Tuesday that it plans to finally allow the crown jewels of its applications -- the Microsoft Office suite -- to be delivered through Web browsers.
The announcement was made at the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles.
Chris Capossela, senior vice president of the Microsoft Business Division, said Office Web will allow users to employ lightweight versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote to create, edit and collaborate with Office documents through a Web browser.
He added that this is part of the company's "software plus services" approach for all its technology, and users will now be able to have a "consistent Office experience" whether they are using desktop applications or a Web browser on a desktop computer or a Windows Mobile smartphone.
Capossela pointed out that Microsoft has been developing "cloud-based services for more than 10 years," including Hosted Exchange, Outlook Web Access, Live Meeting, and Microsoft Online. Announced earlier in 2008, Microsoft Online allows businesses to access Exchange and SharePoint over the Web.
This increasing emphasis on applications that have online components and functionality reflects the fact that desktop apps are only one of the ways users employ applications these days, with an increasing demand to access and use the same applications and documents on a desktop computer or a mobile device.
"Our customers don't use one device," Capossela said, "but rather several." He added that they want "a seamless, synchronized experience across those devices to help them work smarter, faster and better." The company indicated that Office Web will work on Internet Explorer, Safari and Firefox, and will utilize HTML, AJAX and Microsoft's Silverlight technology.
Office Web applications will be made available to consumers through Office Live, which has both advertising- and subscription-based versions. Office Web apps will be made available to business users through a hosted...
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Logitech Buys SightSpeed Video Services for $30 Million
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62690
Logitech International plans to use Internet video-call technology to help soldiers see families at home and help executives abroad communicate with colleagues. Such scenarios are expected from Switzerland-based Logitech's acquisition of California-based SightSpeed, a provider of Internet video services.
Logitech, a computer-peripherals company with more than 7,000 employees, announced late Tuesday that it will pay $30 million in cash for SightSpeed, which currently has 25 employees. Logitech expects to close the deal in early November, but does not expect the acquisition to affect results for its current fiscal year.
"With this acquisition, we are significantly augmenting our current video R&D resources to help us move more quickly toward our goals for video services that complement the way people socialize, communicate and enjoy entertainment," said Junien Labrousse, executive vice president of Logitech's products group.
The announcement comes just two months after Logitech announced it would pay $34 million for another California company -- Ultimate Ears, a provider of custom, in-ear monitors.
Logitech is using the acquisition to tap into what it said is an untapped market of people wanting to use video communications. It wants to build on SightSpeed's existing services, which include video chat; video calls and instant messaging; video mail with an inbox; unlimited video storage; and four-way friend calling.
"According to our research, there is large untapped market of people who want to communicate with friends and family using video," Labrousse said. "But they want it to be integrated into their family lifestyle, which means going beyond the PC."
"We believe with SightSpeed we can help create the next wave of video-communications enthusiasts," he added.
Currently consumers pay $9.95 per month per seat and $99.95 a year for the personal-use version. SightSpeed also offers a free version with fewer features. For businesses, the cost is $19.95 per seat and $189.00 annually for one...
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Virus Infections via USB Drives Increasing Sharply
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62685
Antivirus software maker Trend Micro Inc. has found that reported computer virus infections via USB flash memory drives more than doubled in September, Jiji Press learned.
Infections in the month with the Otorun worm, which propagates via removal drives such as USB drives, surged 140 percent from the previous month to 347 cases, Trend Micro said in a monthly survey report.
The company's monthly reports showed that viruses transmitted via USB drives began to rapidly increase in February, with the number of Otorun infections in January-June reaching 517, the most popular to far exceed 201 cases of the Agent, Trend Micro said.
The company said that 53.7 pct of viruses newly found in September were capable of sneaking into computers via USB drives.
Such viruses are becoming a great threat because most people are not aware of them, the security software firm warned.
Many companies and public organizations are trying to prevent leakage of personal and classified information by building independent networks isolated from the Internet, as viruses are often transmitted via files attached to e-mail or those on the Internet.
However, USB drives are often used on unspecified computers, so viruses can immediately spread even in an independent network.
Trend Micro calls on computer users to regularly check virus infections on not only internal hard disk drives but also USB flash drives and not to carelessly use these flash drives on unspecified machines.END
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Analysis: Can Microsoft Meld Windows with the Web?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62680
After years of efforts by Google (GOOG) and Amazon.com (AMZN) to spin visions of a future where the Web supplants Windows, Microsoft (MSFT) struck back on Oct. 27. The software giant unveiled what one executive called the most important plan in 16 years aimed at keeping its Windows operating system franchise vital. "What we announced today was much broader than anything anyone has tried before," says Senior Vice-President Robert Muglia.
The project, called Windows Azure, was unveiled by Microsoft head techie Ray Ozzie during a conference for more than 6,000 Microsoft software developers at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Azure is an ambitious effort to create an operating system that allows for greater flexibility in using Windows -- letting companies run some programs on their own computer networks while also commissioning Microsoft to dole out other tasks from its own massive data centers. If successful, Azure could transform Windows from a wasting asset to be defended at all costs into an offensive weapon that gives Microsoft advantages even Google can't match.
Indeed, Muglia compared the day's news to the 1992 launch of Microsoft's Windows NT, which enabled Microsoft to go from dominating desktop PCs into the much larger, more lucrative world of back-office corporate computing. That's because Azure could potentially affect the entire Net, from wonky programs used by companies to run their operations to consumer services doled out to teenagers' laptops and cell phones. While Microsoft has rolled out "live" versions of some of its programs in recent years that had Internet-based features, Azure is designed to be a common foundation on which they will all run. Gartner (IT) analyst David Mitchell Smith says "this is much bigger than NT. It's a tremendously broad and ambitious strategy. This is clearly about more than just competing with Amazon."
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Researchers Expect Hackers To Prey on Cell Phones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62679
Some of the most vicious Internet predators are hackers who infect thousands of PCs with special viruses and lash the machines together into "botnets" to pump out spam or attack other computers.
Now security researchers say cell phones, and not just PCs, are the next likely conscripts into the automated armies.
The mobile phone as zombie computer is one possibility envisioned by security researchers from Georgia Tech in a new report coming out Wednesday.
The report identifies the growing power of cell phones to open a new avenue of attack for hackers. Of particular concern is that as cell phones get more computing power and better Internet connections, hackers can capitalize on vulnerabilities in mobile-phone operating systems or Web applications.
Botnets, or networks of infected or robot PCs, are the weapons of choice when it comes to spam and so-called "denial of service attacks," in which computer servers are overwhelmed with Internet traffic to shut them down. For example, botnets were used against Estonia's government and financial Web sites in a devastating wave of attacks last year.
Botnets are so troubling because they have massive computing power and a seemingly endless supply of newly infected PCs to replace old ones that are wiped clean or taken offline. Millions of PC have fallen victim. The owners typically never know.
The Georgia Tech researchers say that if cell phones become absorbed in botnets, new types of moneymaking scams could be born. For example, infected phones could be programmed to call pay-per-minute telephone numbers or to buy ringtones from companies set up by the criminals.
"The question is, can they do it effectively -- make a lot of money without much risk?" said botnet expert Joe Stewart, director of malware research with SecureWorks Inc. "And if they can, then they will do it."
The Georgia Tech researchers say a big appeal...
Thu, 30 Oct 08
GPS Devices Are Enticing Thieves
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62677
It takes just 15 minutes of scouring a few adjacent parking lots in Schaumburg [Illinois] to find five sitting targets.
Perched above the dashboard, GPS devices spied in vehicles in parking lots outside a health club and office building are prime picking for smash-and-grab thieves.
Tapping into satellites, global positioning system devices have been a boon for drivers.
But as they have grown more affordable and increasingly common, they also have become more prone to theft. The portable units range in price from about $200 to more than $1,000.
Schaumburg police Sgt. John Nebl drove a reporter in a crime enforcement van to tour a few area parking lots on a recent weekday morning.
His mission: To show just how common it is for people to leave out GPS devices despite police warnings to hide them.
"It's just as simple as driving through a parking lot and looking in people's windows," Nebl says from behind the wheel. "It takes all of 10 seconds to grab it and walk away."
Schaumburg police alone logged 21 reports of stolen GPS devices in the first two weeks of May. Des Plaines police took reports of five thefts in a single day, May 27.
Parking lots for apartments, hotels and shopping centers are the popular prowling grounds, Nebl said.
Other suburban police departments are seeing the same trend.
While CDs and police radar detectors used to be the "it" thing for car thieves, now it's more about laptop computers, GPS devices and satellite radio portable units.
"People need to exercise a little more common sense. They should secure it and other valuables," Naperville police Cmdr. Dave Hoffman said. "Oftentimes, the damage to the car is more than the items stolen."
With summer approaching, Buffalo Grove police spokesman Todd Kupsak said it's a good time to remind people to remove both the device and its holder when...
Thu, 30 Oct 08
Want a Smartphone? Questions You Should Ask
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62667
If you visit the Web sites or look at the ads from the major wireless carriers, smart phones aimed at both consumers and businesses are front and center.
What was once a niche aimed at road warriors, sales types and techies is rapidly going mainstream. There's a very good chance that if you can afford it a smart phone is in your future.
So says a survey from IBM which, strangely, neither makes nor sells phones. IBM talked to 600 people in the U. S., the U.K. and China, and found more than 71 percent expected to ramp up their phone-based Internet activities. And a study released in April by ABI Research predicts more than 700 million phones with Web browsers will be shipped in 2013. Last year, 76 million mobile browsers were sold.
Indeed, smart phones are not just cool, they're incredibly useful.
They're getting good enough that you can now do almost anything on them that you can do on a personal computer and then some. But if you've never bought one before, it can get confusing. Here are some of the things you should consider before you shell out money for a smart phone.
-- Do you really need one?
Smart phones can be pricey and I'll deal with the costs next so you should think about whether you really need one, or simply want one.
Smart phones are great for communicating in a variety of ways e-mail, instant messaging, via social networks, texts and, of course, good, old-fashioned telephone calls. Most let you take pictures;, many let you capture video. You can access the Web and all the knowledge it holds.
And some let you install more programs on them, turning your smart phone into almost any device you want it to be.
That all sounds wonderful, but think about whether you actually would do...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Microsoft Previews Windows 7 with Touch Capabilities
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62689
At the Professional Developers Conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft offered the first public glimpse of a post-Vista world Tuesday. Dubbed Windows 7, the new operating system promises faster bootup times, better memory handling, and extensive support for a touch interface.
"We are excited to be delivering a pre-beta developer release of Windows 7 today at PDC2008," said Steven Sinofsky, senior vice president of Microsoft's Windows and Windows Live Engineering Group. "With our new approach to planning and development we now have a great foundation for our partners to start learning and innovating on this exciting new version of Windows."
Attendees at the conference received pre-beta developer releases of both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2. In addition, Microsoft has set up a Web site for developers to share code, apply for Windows 7 certification, and get updates as the software evolves.
Company executives declined to offer a specific rollout date for the new OS, but gave 2010 as a ballpark figure. A full beta release of Windows 7 is scheduled for sometime next year.
There is some suggestion that the pending rollout of Windows 7 will slow the implementation of Vista, particularly in corporate environments. In a keynote address at the Gartner Symposium ITxpo a couple of weeks ago, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer conceded that was a possibility.
"If people want to wait, they really can," said Ballmer. "But I'd definitely deploy Vista."
He took issue, however, with the notion that Vista has performed below expectations, both in terms of sales and ease of implementation, although he conceded some early compatibility issues.
"The adoption rate of Vista is faster than the adoption rate was of XP two years in," he said. "We had a great success with security and are starting to see a ramp with adoption."
The Windows 7 feature...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Dell Refreshes Business-Desktop Portfolio
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62688
Dell has launched a major refresh of the venerable OptiPlex desktop PC line for business professionals that the company first launched in 1995.
Among other things, Dell's OptiPlex rollout includes desktops that embrace advanced Intel technologies for remotely managing and servicing enterprise-class machines -- even when they are located beyond the corporate firewall, noted Darrel Ward, director of the Dell Product Group. Even better, the new OptiPlex machines deliver cutting-edge processors and graphics cards to enable end users to do more.
"Whether you need multicore processing power with Intel Core 2 quad processors or support for up to four independent displays, these new OptiPlex systems will scale to meet your needs," Ward said.
Dell's 10 new OptiPlex systems promise to supply enterprises with the flexibility they need to deploy solutions that fall outside traditional computing models. Diskless versions of the OptiPlex 760 and 960 are available for on-demand desktop streaming, and a thin client called the FX160 offers support for "both virtual remote desktop and on-demand desktop streaming scenarios," Ward said.
Dell's OptiPlex portfolio refresh is also more environmentally friendly than any other comparable desktops, Ward boasted.
"We've engineered our new desktops to reduce power consumption up to 43 percent with our OptiPlex 960 when compared to previous-generation OptiPlex products," he said. "That's a significant yearly savings that can add up over time."
Select OptiPlex models also offer Dell's exclusive "quiet" option, which Ward says can deliver a 60 percent reduction in acoustic noise versus comparable systems from HP and Lenovo.
"Studies have shown that a reduction in workplace noise leads to an increase in employee productivity," Ward said. "This might seem like a small innovation, but it reaps a significant benefit for desktop users around the world."
Security is another area in which Dell has introduced major improvements....
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Google Finds Solution to Book-Search Suits
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62687
Google is settling its long battle with the Authors Guild and the Association of American Publishers (AAP). The groups have been embroiled in copyright litigation with Google over its Book Search product for two years.
Under the agreement, Google will make payments totaling $125 million.
The settlement could expand online access to millions of in-copyright books and other written materials in the U.S. from the collections of participating libraries. The negotiation resolves a class-action suit brought by the Authors Guild and five separate lawsuits filed by five large publishers representing the AAP's membership.
"Google's mission is to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible and useful. Today, together with the authors, publishers and libraries, we have been able to make a great leap in this endeavor," said Sergey Brin, cofounder and president of technology at Google. "While this agreement is a real win-win for all of us, the real victors are all the readers. The tremendous wealth of knowledge that lies within the books of the world will now be at their fingertips."
The agreement promises benefits for readers, researchers, authors and publishers, according to Google, because it makes content from millions of books available in digital form and searchable on the Web. At the same time, the agreement acknowledges the rights and interests of copyright owners and gives them the ability to control how their intellectual property is accessed online.
Perhaps most important to the authors and publishers, the settlement offers a way to receive compensation for online access to their works.
"It's hard work writing a book, and even harder work getting paid for it," said Roy Blount Jr., president of the Authors Guild. "As a reader and researcher, I'll be delighted to stop by my local library to browse the stacks of some of the world's great...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Gamers Make Noise About Guitar Hero Problems
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62684
Guitar Hero World Tour players are making noise about Activision's newly released interactive music video game. The noise, however, is not about the state-of-the-art controls the company touted before the game's release -- and consumers are not living out their rock 'n' roll fantasies as Activision intended.
Instead, Web posters are filling pages of Guitar Hero message boards with complaints about the game, including problems with its cymbals and footpad. The game's biggest problem, however, is the sensitivity of the drum set, with complaints about the drum system completely shutting down.
Leading up to its release, Activision touted Guitar Hero's newly designed, more responsive guitar controller with a touch-sensitive slide and realistic drum controller. The velocity-sensitive drums are supposed to deliver a bounce back when struck with a drumstick, according to the company.
For some, however, the only thing Guitar Hero World Tour is doing is bouncing back to the manufacturer.
Activision is telling consumers to first troubleshoot problems by changing batteries, powering off and back on, and making sure the drum set is properly bound to the console. Other troubleshooting advice includes: "Hit the drum set harder or softer," and "Make sure that the drum set is powered on and bound to the console." Posters on Guitar Hero community boards are offering their own fixes, including putting tape on the sensors. Some even posted videos about temporary fixes.
"We have learned that certain drum-kit controllers manufactured for Guitar Hero World Tour have sensitivity issues," the Activision Support Web site says. "We believe that these controllers are limited to ones in the earlier manufacturing stages."
The site goes on to say that it is an isolated manufacturing issue and the company has increased quality-assurance efforts by randomly testing drum-kit controllers.
"Our goal would be to immediately address any hardware issues Guitar Hero...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Microsoft Joins with Google To Favor White Space
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62683
The debate about using white spaces in the television spectrum white space is getting red-hot as a Nov. 4 vote by the Federal Communications Commission grows closer. As further proof that telecommunications policy makes strange bedfellows, Microsoft has joined Google in urging the FCC to allow white space to be used for a national wireless broadband.
In a telephone conference with reporters Monday morning, Microsoft chief research and strategy officer Craig Mundie said the software giant agrees with Google that using the white space could make the United States a world leader in broadband access, particularly in rural areas.
"As we look to rural communities, we'll see more community broadband connectivity," Mundie said. "Using unlicensed white-space spectrum, we could connect farmhouses in the square states that you couldn't achieve with Wi-Fi."
The white-space pot has been simmering for a long time -- in fact, Mundie said it's an idea Microsoft has been looking at since 2002. The debate intensified earlier this year when Google cofounder Larry Page traveled to Washington to urge the FCC to look into the proposal.
After a favorable report was issued earlier this month by the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin circulated a draft order to open up the white space and tentatively scheduled a vote for the commission's Nov. 4 meeting.
The OET report found that if wireless devices are equipped with frequency-sensing and geolocation capabilities, the technologies can prevent the devices from interfering with television signals.
Television broadcasters strenuously disagree. They argue that regardless of what technology is built into wireless devices, the use of white space for broadband will interfere with television signals broadcast on adjacent frequencies, rendering the channels useless.
The National Association of Broadcasters is urging the FCC to at least delay the vote. In a...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Zimbra Adds Cloud-Based Educational Collaboration
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62682
In the wake of Microsoft's Windows Azure announcement on Monday, it seems Yahoo will not be left out of the cloud-computing buzz.
Yahoo's Zimbra is tapping into the cloud to deliver a collaboration platform for educational institutions. Through Zimbra Hosted, universities now have access to the Zimbra Collaboration Suite without having to manage on-premises software and hardware.
Yahoo has established a foothold in the university market. More than 500 educational institutions are using Zimbra's collaboration and communications software. But its customers wanted more options and flexibility for delivery and management, according to Satish Dharmaraj, Zimbra cofounder and Yahoo vice president.
"Zimbra is the partner of choice with the only open-collaboration solution on the market that is built from the ground up to offer both on-site and hosted options," Dharmaraj said. "With the new Zimbra Hosted, we have removed the challenge of managing thousands of mailboxes and encouraged schools to rebrand Zimbra as their own, creating a communications portal that connects all key audiences."
Zimbra Hosted leverages Yahoo's worldwide infrastructure to offer service level agreements with 99.9 percent guaranteed uptime, 24/7 support, and built-in disaster-recovery features.
By taking advantage of cloud computing, Yahoo said, Zimbra offers access to its tools without associated infrastructure and administration costs. Zimbra Hosted users don't have to implement software upgrades, pay for maintenance, or add additional hardware.
Kansas State University is among 500 educational institutions tapping Zimbra. With more than 30,000 students, faculty and staff, as well as thousands of alumni, KSU needed a collaboration system with e-mail and a calendar for students and enterprise features for the faculty.
"We evaluated many collaboration systems, and found that there was nothing else on the market that could compare to Zimbra Hosted, which offers superb technology and delivers different tiers of service for our different constituencies," said...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Technology Giants Join Global Rights Initiative
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62665
Google, Yahoo and Microsoft have joined rights groups, including the Center for Democracy and Technology and the Electronic Frontier Foundation, to create the Global Network Initiative to protect and advance privacy, freedom of expression, and human rights.
The initiative will examine issues relating to freedom of expression and privacy around the world and international laws and standards that affect companies doing global business.
"What is significant about this is what we hope will be a global standard for companies challenged by government for promoting the privacy of users," said Bob Boorstin, Google's director of corporate and policy communications, in a phone interview. "Our belief is that when you are combining the power of all of those groups, you are more likely to get action than a single group would on its own."
The participants have committed to greater transparency with users, assessing risks to human rights, and requesting a legal rationale for government actions.
The companies and the rights groups began working together in 2006 and started formalizing the initiative in early 2007 after several cases involving privacy led to actions against human rights.
"Internet service providers and (others) face serious risks related to human rights around the world," said Bennett Freeman, senior vice president at the Calvert Group. "This initiative has the immediate potential to become the global standard that guides companies in addressing these risks and meeting their responsibilities not only to their shareholders, but also to the hundreds of millions of users who are also their stakeholders around the world."
Although many groups are supporting the effort, others say the results of two years of work are not enough. The World Organization for Human Rights has two major objections.
"It took two years of very substantial efforts that we heard about, and for that two-year effort to produce something as...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Google Extends Calendar and Docs To Gmail
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62664
It's a connected world, and Google is moving to connect it a little more tightly this week for Gmail account holders.
The search-engine giant on Monday announced a new innovation from Gmail Labs that aims to streamline personal connectivity by tethering its Web-based e-mail program with its calendar function and Google Docs.
"Google is responding to user feedback by introducing the calendar and docs gadgets into Gmail," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence. "In particular, the calendar gadget is useful. But it's also a way for Google to reinforce usage and build awareness of other Google services. And more broadly, Google is increasingly integrating its services and using gadgets or widgets to do so."
Sterling is on to something with the "useful" observation. Until now, Gmail users had to open separate tabs in a browser, accessing Gmail on one screen and Google Calendar and Google Docs on additional screens. Gmail Labs' latest project integrates the trio of Web-based products in the name of convenience. The new "lab experiments" let consumers add gadgets to the left navigation bar, next to Chat and Labels.
"We've worked with the engineers from the calendar and docs teams on two highly requested features: A simple way to see your Google Calendar agenda and get an alert when you have a meeting, and a gadget that shows a list of your recently accessed Google Docs and lets you search across all of your documents right from within Gmail," Gmail engineer Dan Pupius wrote on the company's blog.
Beyond these additions, a third lab lets Gmail users add any gadget to the Web-based e-mail interface by pasting in the URL of its XML spec file (e.g. http://www.google.com/ig/modules/youtube_videos.xml). Less patient Gmail users, though, may want to wait until Google works the bugs out.
"We realize...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
For E-Commerce, Downsizing Is a Factor
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62649
The day after I spoke to Rich Barton by phone last week, he laid off 25 percent of his staff at Zillow.com.
According to New York Times blogger Damon Darlin, Zillow "has been the envy of many a Web entrepreneur because it has a healthy $87 million in financing (about $540,000 per pre-layoff employee)."
The company, founded in 2006, boasts 5.4 million monthly visitors, but has yet to turn a profit.
The elimination of 40 employees brings staffing at Zillow to about 105 employees. The layoffs come amid a small wave among e-commerce companies this month. On Oct. 6, eBay laid off 10 percent of its employees -- 1,600 -- and Yahoo let go 10 percent -- 1,500 -- on Tuesday. As Times reporter Brad Stone wrote on Oct. 12, e-commerce "was once thought to be a refuge from economic storms. People who stay away from the mall might actually be more tempted to shop online and hunt for deals."
Not anymore. The current economic woes seem to extend everywhere.
In an Oct. 17 company blog post titled "Difficult times, difficult decisions," Barton said the cuts were necessary to prepare for a prolonged recession:
"This was an incredibly painful decision for me and the leadership team, but, in the end, we concluded that we had no choice but to securely batten down the hatches as we sail into a major economic storm," he wrote.
The company's business, based on ad revenue, continues to grow, he wrote. "While our revenues do not yet cover our expenses, those revenues have been growing at a rapid pace and we will continue to have open positions in areas that are directly tied to revenue, such as advertising salespeople."
At a Liberty Media sponsored forum of e-commerce execs earlier this month, Russ Fraden, CEO of Adify, warned that some of the biggest advertisers...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Review: Apple Polishes Popular MacBook
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62644
Apple's MacBook laptop, the company's low-end portable computer aimed at average consumers, isn't just any old product. It's the best-selling Macintosh in history at a time when Mac sales are growing much faster than sales of PCs in the United States overall. And, according to the sales-research organization NPD Group, the midrange model of the MacBook has been the single best-selling laptop of any brand in U.S. retail stores for the past five months.
So, when Apple completely revamped the design of the MacBook last week, it was a big deal, not only for Mac die-hards, but for anyone shopping for an everyday laptop.
I've been testing the base model of the new MacBook for the past five days, and I like it a lot, despite a few downsides. I found this new MacBook to be speedy, solid, innovative and comfortable to use, with very good battery life.
The new model sports a sturdy aluminum case, instead of the old plastic one, and looks gorgeous. It even seemed to run cooler than earlier Apple aluminum laptops. It's 10 percent lighter, at 4.5 pounds, and 12 percent thinner, at 0.95 inches, than its predecessor, and it continues to include a built-in DVD drive. Its processor is slower, yet it has good performance because of much faster graphics, and it also offers a far brighter screen in the same 13.3-inch size. It still gets strong battery life -- slightly better in fact than the older model, in my tests.
Plus, the new MacBook includes a huge, innovative glass track pad that functions as a combination of a traditional track pad and the multitouch screen of an iPhone. This track pad allows all sorts of fingertip gestures you can use to navigate Web pages, manipulate photos and switch among programs.
In another radical step, Apple eliminated the...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Mobile Gadget Roundup: Wireless Tech Toys
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62643
$400; www.t-mobile.com
This phone's debut last week is significant because Google, like Apple, has the muscle to change an industry. The G1 is the first of what is expected to be many phones using Google's Android open-source platform.
GOOD Touch screen: very responsive and the best I've used outside of Apple's multi-touch screen.
Multimedia: easy to add music, pictures and videos.
Browsing: The Web browser has a neat feature, called Window (hmmm), that shows four open Web pages at once. Tap on one to enlarge. Also, you can increase or decrease the size of a Web page with the touch of a finger.
The Android market: Like Apple's App Store, it shows promise: There will be 50 third-party programs available at launch, with more to come. I've downloaded several applications, including a faithful version of Pac-Man and one to watch the preparation of a recipe.
Compatibility: Works with Macs and PCs (but not iTunes) for media downloads.
BAD Privacy: You need a Google account, which worries some privacy advocates.
Software: It cannot access Microsoft's Exchange software, widely used in corporate America. Expect that to change, as it did with the iPhone.
Headphone jack: The G1 does not include a standard headphone jack. You must attach the included headphones into a mini-USB port, the same one used to charge the phone. If you're charging, you can't listen to music. Plus, you can't use third-party headphones to improve the average sound, a very un-Googley approach.
- Eric Benderoff, Chicago Tribune
$130; www.logitech.com
The Wave Pro marries the popular Logitech Cordless Desktop Wave keyboard with the Editors' Choice-winning MX 1100 mouse. Although it might be more than you're used to paying for a mouse and keyboard set, the package combines two of Logitech's flagship input devices, and the price reflects a substantial improvement over a budget set...
Wed, 29 Oct 08
Verizon Third-Quarter Earnings Up 31 Percent
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62642
Verizon Communications Inc. said Monday earnings rose 31 percent in the third quarter as wireless did better than expected, while its traditional phone business continued to decline.
The country's second largest telecommunications company, after AT&T Inc., earned $1.67 billion, or 59 cents per share, up from $1.27 billion, or 44 cents a share, a year ago.
Revenue rose 4.1 percent to $24.7 billion.
Excluding charges for job cuts and merger costs, Verizon earned 66 cents per share, matching the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. They were expecting $24.52 billion in revenue.
Chief Executive Ivan Seidenberg said business was holding up well despite the economic turmoil, but said it would have an effect in the current quarter.
"For the Christmas season, consumer spending will be somewhat lighter, and business spending will be somewhat curtailed," he said in a conference call.
Seidenberg said the company expects to increase earnings, excluding items, by 8 percent from last year. At the beginning of the year, it had put the increase at 8 percent to 10 percent.
The new forecast indicates fourth-quarter earnings of 62 cents per share, falling below the 65 cents per share analysts are expecting.
Investors, however, found Verizon's results reassuring, sending shares up $2.27, or 9.1 percent, to $27.35 in morning trading.
Seidenberg also said Verizon Wireless still views its planned acquisition of Alltel Corp. as attractive, even though borrowing costs will be higher than when the deal was announced this summer. There had been speculation that the company would back away from the deal due to the turmoil in the credit market.
Verizon Wireless added 1.5 million subscribers in the quarter, more than most analysts had expected, particularly after AT&T reported adding 2 million subscribers in the period. Of those, nearly a million were people who came over from other carriers to get the iPhone, which is...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Qik Now Streams Video on BlackBerry Devices
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62663
Qik, the video-sharing site that clearly aspires to be the mobile YouTube, is jumping on the BlackBerry bandwagon. The company announced that it has created an alpha version of its video-sharing client for several BlackBerry models, including the Pearl 8120 and 8130, the Bold, and the Curve 8320 and 8330.
"We are excited to bring our lifestyle technology to the millions of BlackBerry users worldwide," said Ramu Sunkara, cofounder and CEO of Qik. "In our quest to bring mobile live video sharing to the masses, we now support the broadest range of platforms including Symbian, Windows Mobile, BlackBerry, and Java-enabled mass market phones."
The company enables mobile users with video capability to stream live video around the world, either on their mobile phones or on the Web. Qik-captured videos can also be embedded in Web pages or social-networking sites like Orkut and MySpace.
The application is playing an increasingly powerful role in the shifting media world. A large number of public events, from the American presidential race to consumer-electronic announcements, have been streamed using Qik.
The release of an alpha client for the BlackBerry is a significant move for Qik, enabling the company to begin tapping into the popular handset's 12-14 million subscribers.
Although there are definitely still some rough edges, the Qik streaming function is remarkably easy to use. The basic requirements are straightforward: a Qik user account, a supported phone, and the Qik streaming app. Once the app is installed and the user is signed in, pressing the Qik application pops up a "stream" button on the screen. Once the button is pressed, captured video is streamed directly to the Qik site.
The Qik software now works on smartphones manufactured by a variety of companies, including Apple, HTC, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung and Sony Ericsson. The largest number of compatible phone...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Ubuntu Updates Offer Mobility, Virtual Machine Building
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62662
Canonical has announced that it will release its latest Ubuntu updates for desktop and server editions on Oct. 30.
According to the Linux-based operating system's commercial distribution sponsor, the free download of Ubuntu 8.10 Desktop Edition has been specifically tailored to fulfill the connectivity needs of today's digital lifestyle. For example, users of the new desktop OS will be able to move seamlessly from wired and Wi-Fi networks onto 3G cell-phone networks while on the go, noted Canonical Chief Operating Officer Jane Silber.
"Ubuntu 8.10 lays the groundwork for a radically different, more mobile, desktop computing environment," Silber said.
Ubuntu's new network manager offers multiple paths for detecting and connecting to 3G networks. Whether connecting through a mobile phone, over Bluetooth, or via a dongle, Ubuntu's always-on system features the ability to auto-detect and connect to many popular devices.
"This is a great step for both mobile and desktop computing," said Stormy Peters, executive director of the GNOME Foundation. "Users no longer need to worry about finding a network -- their computer is always connected."
Based on the latest GNOME 2.24 desktop, Ubuntu 8.10 is also designed to enable users to temporarily share their PCs with a guest without having to worry about security issues. Once the user has locked down a guest session on the PC, friends and colleagues can surf the Web or check for e-mail without the user having to worry about whether the integrity of his or her own data is at risk.
Whenever Ubuntu's built-in Totem Movie and Rhythmbox media players are launched, users have access to a menu that presents free-to-air video and radio programs, podcasts and other selected content. The new Linux-based OS also now includes the Ekiga 3.0 video and audio-conferencing tool.
With Ubuntu 8.10, users will even be able to...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Microsoft Launches Cloud-Computing Initiative
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62661
For every developer who has been waiting with bated breath for Microsoft to spell out its cloud-computing strategy, the day has finally arrived.
During a keynote speech on Monday at the Microsoft Professional Developers Conference 2008, Ray Ozzie, Microsoft's chief software architect, announced Windows Azure. Azure is Microsoft's cloud-based service foundation underlying its Azure Services Platform.
Ozzie highlighted Windows Azure's role in delivering a software-plus-services approach to computing. As he describes it, the Azure Services Platform is Microsoft's move to help developers build the next generation of applications that will span from the cloud to the enterprise data center and deliver compelling new experiences across the PC, Web and phone. He called it a turning point for Microsoft and the development community.
"We have introduced a game-changing set of technologies that will bring new opportunities to Web developers and business developers alike," Ozzie said. "The Azure Services Platform, built from the ground up to be consistent with Microsoft's commitment to openness and interoperability, promises to transform the way businesses operate and how consumers access their information and experience the Web."
Most important, Ozzie said, Azure gives Microsoft's customers the power of choice to deploy applications via cloud-based Internet services or through on-premises servers, or to combine them in any way that makes the most sense for the needs of their business.
Ozzie went on to describe how the Windows Azure platform combines cloud-based developer capabilities with storage, computational and networking infrastructure services, all hosted on servers operating within Microsoft's global data-center network.
This, Ozzie explained, gives developers the ability to deploy applications in the cloud or on-premises, and enables experiences across a broad range of business and consumer scenarios. Ozzie also stressed the ability to tap into existing skills, tools and technologies, such as the Microsoft .NET Framework and Visual Studio.
Given competition...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Cox Teams with Sprint To Offer Wireless Service
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62659
Cable, Internet and telephone service provider Cox Communications just added wireless to its list of bundled offerings.
Atlanta-based Cox, the third-largest cable provider in the nation, announced Monday that it is teaming with Sprint to give its customers access to a wireless network. With the new offering, customers will be able to use mobile devices to access television shows, program a DVR, and access content on a home computer.
"As consumers are increasingly adopting a mobile lifestyle, we will continue to deliver in ways that are uniquely Cox -- offering the first truly integrated bundle that is easy to use, reliable and supported by the best customer service available," said Pat Esser, president of Cox. "Wireless service will be a key driver to Cox's future growth."
While building on wireless services, Cox is also working on developing its own 3G wireless network for launch next year. In recent years, Cox has invested more than $500 million to buy wireless spectrums in Federal Communications Commission auctions.
The move comes after Cox joined three industry groups, including CTIA - The Wireless Association, the Rural Cellular Association, and CDMA Development Group.
Cox plans to tap into its existing customer base of more than six million residential and business customers to offer the wireless service while bringing in new customers looking for a bundled service.
More than 64 percent of Cox customers buy multiple services, according to the company, and one-third subscribe to cable, Internet and telephone services.
Cox plans to manage all aspects of the new wireless service, including product development, marketing, sales, customer support, and billing. It plans to bundle the wireless service on a single bill along with other service fees.
This isn't the first time Cox and Sprint have teamed up. In February 2007 Cox and Sprint offered mobile access in...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
The World in Your Hand: Google Earth Hits the iPhone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62658
One of Google's most popular programs, Google Earth, has been released for the iPhone and iPod touch (2.0 and up). The application can be downloaded for free from Apple's App Store.
"The world just got a little bit smaller," said Peter Birch, Google Earth product manager. "Google Earth is now available for the iPhone and iPod touch, allowing you to fly to the far reaches of the world from the palm of your hand."
Birch said that more than 400 million copies of Google Earth have been downloaded since the desktop version of the program was released just three years ago.
The programmers at Google have smoothly ported the desktop software to the iPhone, and in the process have taken advantage of some of the device's unique capabilities.
When you turn on the Google Earth app, you see a lovely NASA photo of Earth floating in space, and then the familiar globe starts to zoom in. If you give the app permission to use your geolocation information (which even on the iPod touch is startlingly accurate), the app will focus the Google Earth map on your current location.
You can then use the familiar Apple finger movements to maneuver around the map -- swipe in any direction to move the map, pinch to zoom out, unpinch or double-tap to zoom in. You can even tilt the phone to get the perspective views that make Google Earth so compelling (particularly in mountainous areas, as Birch demonstrates in a YouTube product demo).
The app screen comes loaded with various goodies. A small compass icon in the upper right of the screen automatically orients the map to due north. As long as your iPhone or iPod touch is connected to the network, a small looking glass in the upper-left corner connects you to Google search,...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Dell Rolls Out Inspiron Mini 12 Netbook in Japan
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62657
Dell has rolled out a new mini-notebook PC in Japan that is slated to launch globally next month at a retail price of under $600.
Tipping the scales at 2.72 lbs and measuring just 0.92 inches thick, the Inspiron Mini 12 integrates Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) radios, 1GB of RAM, a 12.1-inch WXGA display, a built-in Webcam, and a 60GB or 80GB hard disk drive. In addition to Windows Vista Home Basic, users can elect to run Windows XP or Ubuntu Linux.
Dell's Inspiron Mini 12 follows substantial sales growth within the mini-notebook segment, which took off globally in the third quarter, said Mika Kitagawa, a principal analyst at Gartner Client Computing. "In the North America market, the economic crunch created more interest in the sub-$500 mini-notebook segment," she said.
As a relative latecomer to the netbook segment, Dell is looking to catch up with entrenched rivals such as Asus and Acer. Within Japan in particular, Dell also will be going head to head with Fujitsu and NEC, which recently introduced a new mini-notebook called the LaVie Light.
Smaller-sized devices usually prove to be very popular in Japan, Kitagawa noted. "For instance, people like to carry lighter and smaller devices in public transportation," Kitagawa said. "Smaller devices traditionally demand a premium price in Japan, but mini-notebooks have changed the price structure completely."
Kitagawa observed that preliminary sales figures for Japan indicate that the growth of mini-notebook unit shipments there was much higher than Gartner's expectation. Asus in particular saw a strong increase in sales due to the launch of a new channel by a telecommunications service provider in the third quarter. "Asus and T-mobile had a bundle of a two-year phone contract and $1 [Asus] Eee PC," she said.
Though Dell has made a significant commitment to expanding...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Netflix Adopts Silverlight, Opens Streaming To Macs
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62656
Netflix on Monday made announcements that favored both Microsoft and Apple and opened up a new audience for its streaming video service.
First, Netflix has started deploying Microsoft Silverlight to enhance the instant-watching component of its service. Second, that move opens the door for subscribers to begin watching movies and TV episodes instantly on Intel-based Apple Macintosh computers.
The Silverlight deployment, which will initially touch only a small percentage of new Netflix subscribers, is the first step in an anticipated rollout of the new platform to all Netflix subscribers by the end of the year.
"Instantly streaming from Netflix directly addresses the needs and wants of today's Web users by providing on-demand, high-quality online video," said Scott Guthrie, vice president of the developer division at Microsoft. "By using Silverlight, Netflix can deliver to its subscribers a higher-quality video experience on the Web, on more platforms."
Silverlight competes with Adobe Flash and is designed to deliver cross-platform, cross-browser media experiences. Netflix expects its members who watch movies and TV episodes instantly to see immediate benefits, including a faster, easier connection and a more robust viewing experience.
A breakthrough in time-line navigation that improves fast-forwarding and rewinding is among the viewing enhancements Netflix is touting with the Silverlight player. The player also leverages PlayReady DRM, which is built into Silverlight, to play protected content on both Windows-based PCs and on Macs. That was not possible with previous-generation technologies.
Silverlight's dynamic streaming provides a faster start and higher-quality video, adapted in real time to users' connection speeds, according to Netflix Chief Product Officer Neil Hunt.
"Members who enjoy watching movies and TV episodes from the growing library of choices that can be instantly streamed at Netflix will be thrilled with this next-generation improvement of access and quality on a broader range of platforms, including Intel Macs and Firefox,"...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Army Says Twitter Could Coordinate Terrorist Attacks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62633
The U.S. Army has identified Twitter, a popular micro-blogging service, as a potential vehicle for terrorists to plot destructive schemes. Global Positioning System maps and voice-changing software were also listed in the draft report by the 304th Military Battalion.
The Federation of American Scientists has posted the report, which examines mobile and Web technologies and how they could be used by terrorists, on its Web site. The Army based its report on Open Source Intelligence.
According to the report, Twitter has become a social-activism tool for socialists, human-rights groups, communists, vegetarians, anarchists, religious communities, atheists, political enthusiasts, hacktivists and others to communicate with each other and send messages to broader audiences.
The report described scenarios in which terrorists could leverage "potential adversarial use of Twitter," including detonating explosives and planning ambushes.
Scenario One: Terrorist operative A uses Twitter with (or without) a mobile phone camera/video function to send and receive messages from the rest of his cell. Operative A also has a Google Maps-Twitter mashup of where he is under a code word for his cell that can be viewed from members' mobiles. The members receive near-real-time updates on how, where and how many troops are moving in order to conduct an ambush.
Scenario Two: Terrorist operative A has a mobile phone for Twitter messaging and taking images. Operative A also has a separate mobile phone that controls an explosive device or a suicide vest for remote detonation. Terrorist operative B has the detonator and a mobile to view A's tweets and images. This may allow B to select the precise moment for remote detonation based on near-real-time movements and images sent by A.
Scenario Three: Operative A finds U.S. [soldier] Smith's Twitter account. Operative A joins Smith's tweets and begins to elicit information from Smith. This information is then used for a targeting...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Data Overload: The Digital Universe Explodes
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62629
According to research from IDC, a provider of market intelligence for the information technology, telecommunications, and consumer technology markets, by 2011, the digital universe will be 10 times the size it was in 2006. "The Diverse and Exploding Digital Universe: An Updated Forecast of Worldwide Information Growth Through 2011" highlights several findings that will affect individuals and business around the world in the years to come, such as:
* At 281 billion gigabytes (281 exabytes), the digital universe in 2007 was 10 percent bigger than originally estimated.
* With a compound annual growth rate of almost 60 percent, the digital universe is growing faster and is projected to be nearly 1.8 zettabytes (1,800 exabytes) in 2011, a 10-fold increase over the next five years.
* Your "digital shadow" -- that is, all the digital information generated about the average person on a daily basis -- now surpasses the amount of digital information individuals actively create themselves.
* The digital universe in 2007 was equal to almost 45 gigabytes (GB) of digital information for every person on earth -- or the equivalent of more than 17 billion 8 GB iPhones.
* About 70 percent of the digital universe is created by individuals, yet enterprises are responsible for the security, privacy, reliability, and compliance of 85 percent.
To deal with this explosion, IDC says IT organizations must:
* Transform existing relationships with business units. It will take all competent hands in an organization to deal with information creation, storage, management, security, retention, and disposal. It's not a technical problem alone.
* Spearhead the development of organization-wide policies for information governance: information security, information retention, data access, and compliance.
* Rush new tools and standards into the organization, from storage optimization, unstructured data search, and database analytics to resource pooling (virtualization) and management and security tools. All will be required to make...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Woman Jailed After 'Killing' Virtual Husband
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62625
A 43-year-old player in a virtual game world became so angry about her sudden divorce from her online husband that she logged on with his password and killed his digital persona, police said Thursday.
The woman, who has been jailed on suspicion of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating electronic data, used his ID and password to log onto the popular interactive game "Maple Story" to carry out the virtual murder in May, a police official in the northern city of Sapporo said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of department policy.
"I was suddenly divorced, without a word of warning. That made me so angry," the official quoted her as telling investigators and admitting the allegations.
The woman, a piano teacher, had not plotted any revenge in the real world, the official said.
She has not yet been formally charged. If convicted, she could face up to five years in prison or a fine up to US$5,000.
Players in "Maple Story" create and manipulate digital images called "avatars" that represent themselves, while engaging in relationships, social activities and fighting monsters and other obstacles.
In virtual worlds, players often abandon their inhibitions, engaging in activity online that they would never do in the real world. For instance, sex with strangers is a common activity.
The woman used login information she got from the 33-year-old office worker when their characters were happily married to kill the character. The man complained to police when he discovered that his online avatar was dead.
The woman was arrested Wednesday and taken 620 miles from her home in southern Miyazaki to be detained in Sapporo, where the man lives, the official said.
The police official said he did not know if she was married in the real world.
Bad online behavior is usually handled within the rules set up by online worlds, which can...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Oracle Hopes for Some Buzz Around Beehive
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62623
Software giant Oracle has built what it hopes will be a new home for corporate worker bees.
Dubbed Beehive and introduced at Oracle's recent user conference in San Francisco, the new software aims to let employees team up through electronic workspaces as well as calendar, instant messaging and e-mail tools.
Beehive is part of a broader push by Oracle into the hot area of employee collaboration, also called Enterprise 2.0.
Beehive isn't on the cutting edge in terms of functionality, says Dana Gardner, president of consulting firm Interarbor Solutions. But by centering the system in back-end computer servers rather than relying heavily on software installed on client personal computers, Oracle could woo customers from Microsoft Outlook by offering a simpler, more flexible alternative, Gardner says. "It's about the architecture more than it is the feature functions," he says.
Enterprise 2.0 refers to the way companies are trying to tap a variety of interactive and networking technologies to improve communication, cooperation and productivity. Many of the tools emerged first in the consumer Internet realm. The Web 2.0 era includes such practices as blogging, instant messaging and social networking.
Vendors such as SelectMinds sell corporate versions of social networks. The Enterprise 2.0 bug also has bitten talent management software vendors, which sell applications for HR tasks such as employee performance management.
Oracle, which along with SAP is one of the titans of the HR software field, also has embraced Enterprise 2.0 itself. At its OpenWorld conference in San Francisco, the company announced the release of Oracle WebCenter Suite, a set of products that allows customers to establish online portals with services such as discussion forums and wikis-Web pages that let people create content collectively.
With Beehive, Oracle says it is tackling two business challenges around collaboration: teaming up in a secure fashion and doing it in the context of...
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Microsoft Defends China Anti-Piracy Move
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62621
Microsoft on Thursday issued a public letter defending its "black out" tool to stamp out piracy in China and attempting to clear up "misunderstandings" over the measure.
The software giant's program turns computer "desktops" black if the installed software fails a validation test, but it has been met with fury by Chinese computer users and renewed complaints over the price of genuine software.
In the letter, the company stressed that it would not collect personal information via its Windows Genuine Advantage program, aiming to assuage fears of possible privacy infringements.
"People are attaching more importance to intellectual property protection, but we notice there is still a long way to go," the letter said.
The program launched just after midnight on Tuesday, turns the desktop black every hour and users must manually restart the desktop.
With reports of "black screen incidents" hitting headlines in the Chinese media, major portal Web sites have launched on-line surveys of public attitudes to the move.
A survey by qq.com showed that as of 4:30 p.m.on Thursday, 66.53 percent, or 29,555 people, strongly disapproved of the program, while another survey by www.sina.com.cn showed 87.44 percent, or 130,756 people, said the program would put them off buying genuine Microsoft products.
"The black screen teaches us a better lesson than all preaching," said Ni Guangnan, a leading researcher at the Institute of Computing Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering.
"Now people understand why China needs its own software, especially basic programs.... Aren't worse things likely to happen in the future?" Ni asked.
Tue, 28 Oct 08
Greenstein Brings Lost World Online
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62609
What do the super-wealthy do with their money when both stocks and bonds take a nose-dive? Buy antique artifacts, of course. From goblets to jewelry, manuscripts to menorahs, connoisseur collectors of antiques are still raiding the treasure trove of the past. They are doing so, however, with modern tools, as the long lost world of antiques comes alive on the Internet.
Take New York entrepreneur Jonathan Greenstein, for example. The man who is widely acknowledged as the world's leading expert on antique silver-made Judaica does not roam the musty old caverns that you would expect to find in an Indiana Jones movie. Instead, his premier collection of antique Judaica can be found online. Gone are the days of face-to-face haggling. Instead, now Greenstein's reach is global in nature, with instant bidding and secure transactions that take place quicker than you can say 'e-commerce.'
"Never before has the ability to access a world of antiques, art and collectibles been so easy," notes Greenstein. "Unlike a few years ago when our sales were limited to the four walls of the auction, today we are able to attract Judaica collectors from across the globe via the Internet."
Indeed, very few people understand the investment needs of the captains of industry as well as Jonathan Greenstein does. The Brooklyn native is not only a modern-day guardian of antique Judaica, but he is also an accomplished business owner and a self-made real-estate mogul. As such, Greenstein is able to effectively serve his clientele by bridging between the antique past and the online present.
"Our clientele ranges from first time buyers to serious Judaica collectors such as [prominent hedge fund manager] Michael Steinhardt. Attend virtually any major business or entertainment industry event, and you'll certainly see many of our bidders in the room."
Sat, 25 Oct 08
Amazon Hopes Oprah Endorsement Boosts Kindle
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62632
Can talk-show host and media maven Oprah Winfrey do for Amazon's Kindle what she's done for her book club? That's the hope of Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who was scheduled to appear on Winfrey's show Friday for a not-very-well-kept secret announcement by Winfrey about her favorite new toy.
The online bookseller hyped Friday's announcement with a video trailer on its front page entitled "What is Oprah's new favorite product?"
"I'm unveiling my new favorite gadget," Winfrey says in the promo. "It's life-changing for me ... this is the most amazing gadget ... this is the wave of the future. I'm going to tell you what it is ... Friday ... live from Chicago."
A carefully placed burst of light obscures the object Winfrey is holding, but publicity photos show her holding a Kindle-like object. The final clue is in the promo tagline as the announcer says, "Watch the Oprah Show, then order yours from Amazon.com."
It's difficult to imagine Amazon getting this excited if Oprah was talking about a new toothbrush or the latest flash drive. And this being the age of the Internet, it didn't take long for bloggers to poke around in the headings of Amazon's Web pages and find confirmation of Winfrey's announcement. Bezos subsequently confirmed the news in an e-mail to reporters.
The market power of Oprah's Book Club is well known. Authors regularly fantasize about the prospect of boosting sales by tens or even hundreds of thousands after spending 10 minutes on Oprah's couch. But some question whether the Kindle book reader will see a similar benefit.
The biggest question mark stems from the fact that the Kindle costs about the same as 23 copies of the latest recommendation from Oprah's Book Club. At $359, it isn't clear that many people below Oprah's tax bracket will feel...
Sat, 25 Oct 08
Teen To Blame for Jobs Heart Attack Rumor
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62631
A teenager may be behind a bogus story posted on CNN's public-journalism Web site earlier this month that said Apple CEO Steve Jobs had suffered a heart attack and was being rushed to the hospital.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission immediately launched an investigation into the false story posted by "Johntw" on CNN's iReport.com after the news caused Apple's stock to plunge nearly six percent that day, from $106.50 to $94.65.
A teenager is to blame, according to Bloomberg News, which cited two unnamed sources "with knowledge of the matter" who did not want to be identified because the "probe isn't public."
The teenager did not post the story to CNN's site as a way to affect Apple's stock or for financial gain, according to Bloomberg.
"When [the SEC] asked us for certain information when all of this went down in the beginning, we coordinated with them in compliance with policy and closed the file on the matter," said CNN spokesperson Jennifer Martin.
Other than that, Martin said the company has not been in touch with the SEC and has no additional information about the poster, including age and sex.
CNN's iReport site was criticized for its citizen-journalism service, which allows people to post news that is unedited.
The day of the incident, CNN's Martin said the company had no plans to change the openness of iReport.com. Martin went on to say that the spirit of iReport is that it is unedited and uncensored.
iReport is considered by CNN as a valuable source of information, and CNN uses a percentage of the content provided by users. CNN.com or CNN News ran 1,500 stores from the 21,000 user-generated stories posted to iReport.com last month, Martin said.
Any content pulled from iReport and used by CNN is fully vetted, Martin added. Since the incident occurred, CNN has...
Sat, 25 Oct 08
Amazon Ends EC2 Beta, Adds Windows Services
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62630
Amazon Web Services (AWS) is reaching farther into the cloud. After two years in beta, Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) is now generally available. Amazon also announced a beta for hosted support running Microsoft Windows Server and Microsoft SQL Server.
The company's service level agreement for EC2 provides resizable cloud capacity for businesses and developers. The SLA guarantees 99.95 percent availability, and Amazon said it's designed to spur confidence that even the most demanding applications will run dependably.
Peter De Santis, general manager of EC2, said accessing computing power over the Web was a novel idea when the company launched the beta two years ago. Today, more businesses are turning to cloud computing for cost savings without sacrificing speed, reliability, flexibility and performance. Amazon cited Eli Lilly and Company as an example.
"Amazon EC2 has given us the ability to easily spin up tailored computing environments that can quickly and cost-effectively process tremendous amounts of research data," said Dave Powers, associate information consultant at Eli Lilly. "This is a huge step forward in maximizing our results relative to IT spend, and now that Amazon EC2 runs Windows and SQL Server, we have even greater flexibility in the kinds of applications we can build in the AWS cloud."
As Powers mentioned, the next step for Amazon is EC2 running Windows Server or SQL Server. Amazon said Windows on EC2 has been a common request of AWS customers since the service launched. EC2 now offers an environment for deploying ASP.NET Web sites, high-performance computing clusters, media transcoding solutions, and many other Windows-based applications.
Amazon offers the same pay-as-you-go model with no long-term commitments and no minimum fees as it did with its original service. Pricing for using Windows Server with EC2 begins at $0.125 per computing hour.
The Microsoft EC2 deal offers the...
Sat, 25 Oct 08
Smartphones Are Moving Closer To Replacing PCs
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62612
If Mae West were alive today, the blond bombshell might be asking her dates, "Is that a PC in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?" With each new generation of smartphones, that question is getting harder to answer.
At the same time that mobile phones like Apple's iPhone 3G, the T-Mobile G1, and now the BlackBerry Bold are getting smarter and able to perform more tasks, the amount of work that can be done on the Web -- or in the cloud -- is also growing rapidly. It's not surprising, then, that a recent poll by IBM found that more than half of all respondents would be willing to trade their PC for a smartphone to access the Internet.
Industry analysts have been speculating recently that the increase in cloud computing will give rise to a new category of devices called netbooks. These devices would essentially be thin clients with limited processing power and would do most of their work on the Web, utilizing either mobile or wired broadband. Smartphones, however, may be making the development of netbooks moot.
"The usage that iPhones have already had clearly validates the idea that smartphones will expand into PC territory," said Greg Sterling, founding principal of Sterling Market Intelligence. "Indeed, the G1 is not being positioned as a phone, but rather a handheld Internet device."
Apple CEO Steve Jobs echoed that view in a recent conference call to announce Apple's strong fourth-quarter sales.
"You know, one of our entrants into that category [netbooks], if you will, is the iPhone," Jobs said, "for browsing the Internet and doing e-mail and all the other things that a netbook lets you do. And being connected via the cellular network wherever you are, an iPhone is a pretty good solution for that, and it fits...
Sat, 25 Oct 08
Russia Blocks Google From Acquiring Competitor
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62611
Russia has stopped the acquisition of a company by Internet search giant Google. The Russian Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS) blocked Google from acquiring Zao Begun, a text-advertising and contextual-search company owned by Rambler Media. Zao serves more than 143,000 Russian-language Web sites.
"We are very disappointed to hear that FAS has come to this decision," said Vladimir Dolgov, Google's business manager in Russia. "We strongly believe that this acquisition will enable us to significantly improve opportunities for Russian users, advertisers and publishers as well as the entire industry."
"At this time we are reviewing FAS's decision," Dolgov added. "Once this process is complete, we will decide on our next steps."
The FAS said it received a petition from Kokuna Holdings Ltd. (owned by Google) about purchasing all the shares of Zao. After studying "the received materials and information on the transaction, FAS Russia, governed by Clause 5 Part 2 Article 33 of the Federal Law On Protection of Competition dismissed the petition," FAS says on its Web site.
FAS's chief, Igor Artemyev, told a Russian online publication that Google had not provided accurate and adequate information about the acquisition.
When Google announced the deal with Rambler in July, the company said the acquisition would give advertisers access to a broader network of sites. Google has been working to gain a larger market share in Russia and planned to build on Zao's experience building advertising, dealer networks, and direct sales in Russia.
Rambler had planned to use Google's AdSense technology on its Web sites. The company, which already owned 51 percent of Zao, was in the midst of acquiring the remaining shares from Finama Bannatyne to sell the entire company to Google.
Google has struggled to gain market share in Russia. Cofounded by Moscow native Sergey Brin, Google hasn't been well received...
Sat, 25 Oct 08
Windows Hole Could Be Used By Dishonest Employees
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=62610
It doesn't happen often, but when it does it gets the attention of the security world. Microsoft on Thursday issued an out-of-band patch designated as critical for Windows XP and older versions, and important for Windows Vista.
MS08-67 resolves a vulnerability in the server service that affects all currently supported versions of Windows. Because the vulnerability is potentially wormable on older versions of Windows, Microsoft is encouraging customers to test and deploy the update as soon as possible.
Microsoft discovered the vulnerability as part of its research into a limited series of targeted malware attacks against Windows XP systems. Researchers found attackers were using a new vulnerability tha