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Intel Joins Dell, HP in Seeing a Tech Recovery Ahead
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68679
Intel has joined Dell and Hewlett-Packard in seeing a technology recovery ahead, led by consumer PC purchases. Stronger than expected demand for its microprocessors caused the chipmaker to raise its revenue forecast for the third quarter to about $9 billion, up from its July forecast of $8.1 billion to $8.9 billion.
The improved forecast pushed up Intel's stock Friday. Dell's stock also rose on hopes for improving PC sales.
On Thursday, Dell reported a 23 percent drop in its fiscal second-quarter profit but still beat analyst estimates. CEO Michael Dell said, "If current demand trends continue, we expect revenue for the second half of the year to be stronger than the first half."
Last week, rival Hewlett-Packard reported a 19 percent drop in profit but also expressed optimism.
Besides the improved revenue forecast, Intel also raised its gross margin to the upper half of its predicted 51 to 55 percent range.
An economic stimulus package in China has raised hopes for PC sales, along with what appears to be the start of an economic recovery in the U.S.
Consumers and some businesses are expected to buy new PCs and laptops with the release of Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system in October. However, enterprises will probably delay purchases until next year.
Sat, 29 Aug 09
Broadband Requests Far Exceed Amount Available
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68676
Businesses, nonprofits, libraries, hospitals and state and local governments have applied for more than $28 billion in funds for broadband projects from the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Department of Agriculture's Rural Utilities Service.
The amount is seven times the amount available now through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. A preliminary analysis of applicant-reported data shows that NTIA and RUS received 2,200 requests for grants and loans totaling nearly $38 billion (including $10 billion in matching funds from applicants).
The Recovery and Reinvestment Act, which has $4 billion available through loans and grants, is focused on expanding broadband access to bridge the technological divide, create jobs, and build the Internet infrastructure, according to the agencies.
While the act provides a total of $7.2 billion to the NTIA and RUS for broadband, only $4 billion is available through the first grant. The agencies have just two weeks to decide which of the 2,200 applicants will receive the funds.
Ultimately, NTIA said it will use $4.7 billion to deploy broadband in underserved areas, expand public computer center capacity, and encourage adoption of broadband services. RUS will invest $2.5 billion in broadband deployment for rural communities.
The number of requests shows high interest in expanding broadband across the U.S., said Lawrence Strickling, assistant secretary for communications and information and administrator of NTIA. "We will move quickly but carefully to fund the best projects to bring broadband and jobs to more Americans," he said.
"Rural communities clearly recognize that broadband can expand their economic opportunities and create jobs," said Jonathan Adelstein, RUS administrator. "The Obama administration's goal is to target funds to serve areas of greatest need. The big demand for loans as well as grants demonstrates that we can leverage private investment with USDA's $2.5 billion to...
Sat, 29 Aug 09
Apple Admits Spotify Streaming Music To the App Store
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68675
In what may be a move to appear like less of a walled garden, Apple approved the Spotify steaming-music application for the iPhone this week. Spotify announced the news Friday with gratitude for the iPhone maker.
Spotify offers legal and free access to a library of music through its streaming music player. The company's dream is to let everyone listen to whatever they want, whenever they want, and wherever they want. Getting its application into the iPhone App Store brings the company one step closer to a dream come true.
"Spotify on the iPhone will include many of the features our users enjoy on the desktop, with the added advantage of letting you listen to your playlists even when you haven't got a network connection -- for instance, when on a plane or the underground," said Spotify's Jonatan Littke.
Apple has previously allowed streaming on the iPhone, but this is the first time the company has allowed caching with a well-known music application. That puts the Spotify app in quasi-competition with the iTunes Store.
"If you are listening to streaming music with caching, in effect that's an all-you-can-eat model and you don't need iTunes, at least not for music. You would certainly need iTunes for video content," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. "Apple denied Slacker the right to cache, so this is interesting."
Enderle said Apple may be allowing Spotify to cache because of the increasing federal scrutiny of the company's practices. As he sees it, not allowing Slacker to cache its music was a competitive move, much like removing Google Voice from the iPhone. With the feds looking over its shoulder, Apple may be in the mood to loosen up its application-approval guidelines.
"Apple is being much more lenient at the moment because they don't suddenly want to be...
Sat, 29 Aug 09
FCC Will Take a Close Look at Wireless Industry
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68674
The Federal Communications Commission launched three formal Notices of Inquiry on Thursday through which it will closely scrutinize the mobile wireless market in the United States. The commission said it expects the three interrelated probes to lay the groundwork for future public policy-making that fosters innovation and investment, promotes competition, and ensures that consumers have all the information they need to make intelligent wireless purchasing decisions.
The nation's transition from a voice-centric world to a world of mobile Internet access "promises to increase the pace of innovation and investment, but only if we have an open and competitive marketplace that gives every great idea a chance to make its way to consumers so that the best products or services win," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.
The FCC views wireless innovation and investment as the engines with the best potential to drive economic growth. Those engines have historically been fueled by competition, and the major beneficiary has been the American consumer, Genachowski said.
"Between 1994 and 1999, there was a drop of 50 percent in the per-minute price of cell-phone service, and at the same time the number of subscribers more than tripled," he said.
Competition also creates jobs, Genachowski observed. "If we are vigilant about maintaining competition in the industry, we have every reason to expect great things as we move to mobile broadband and beyond," he said.
On the other hand, the FCC must remain wary of implementing policies that benchmark innovation and unintentionally hinder possible new entrants, technologies and business models, Commissioner Meredith Baker said.
"Rather, any future action that arises" as a result of the commission's inquiry "should ensure that capital investment will not be deterred and that innovation continues to flourish to the benefit of the American consumer," Baker added.
To succeed in its lofty goals,...
Sat, 29 Aug 09
France Questions Apple About Imploding iPhones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68661
France's top trade official was meeting Friday with the financial director of Apple France to discuss several recent claims by iPhone users that their phone screens cracked or exploded.
Herve Novelli, secretary of state for trade and consumer affairs, said in a statement he will question Apple's Michel Coulomb about the "causes of the implosion of these devices and eventual measures they could take." The issue was raised by France's agency for consumer fraud protection.
Novelli said he would remind Apple of "general security obligations" of companies whose products are on the French market.
Apple's chief European spokesman, Alain Hely, said, "We take customer safety reports very seriously. We are aware of a small number of recent safety reports regarding iPhone and we are investigating them."
Apple is looking into a small number of cases of battery overheating in iPhones and has also analyzed cases of cracked screens, but "in all cases the glass cracked due to an external force that was applied to the iPhone," Hely said.
French media have reported more than 10 cases of iPhone screens cracking or phones exploding. The first case that caught attention was in early July, when an iPhone explosion reportedly sent glass into the eye of an 18-year-old from Aix-en-Provence.
Frank Benoiton, of Acheres-la-Foret south of Paris, said the screen of his wife's iPhone cracked without warning last week.
"It was not dropped and experienced no unusual shock," he said. Benoiton went to Orange France, the phone company where he bought the phone, to try and get it fixed. He said Orange told him they could not help him because it was caused by the phone user and to contact Apple. He said Apple France, too, said it was a result of user error.
Benoiton insisted he and his wife were not at fault.
The European Commission said last week that...
Sat, 29 Aug 09
Google Sides with Sony in Backing EPUB E-Book Format
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68658
The e-book wars are heating up with Google's announcement this week that it's backing the EPUB e-book publishing standard. The move puts Google on Sony's side, against Amazon.
On the Inside Google Books blog, Project Manager Brandon Badger wrote that the company will offer free downloads of more than a million public-domain books in the EPUB format, as well as in other formats.
"By adding support for EPUB downloads," Badger wrote, "we're hoping to make these books more accessible by helping people around the world to find and read them in more places."
EPUB, a lightweight, open standard for text-based digital books, automatically conforms text to various screen sizes. Because it's a free, open standard supported by a growing population of devices, he added, books downloaded in the EPUB format from Google Books "won't be tied or locked into a particular device."
Badger said Google will still offer the books in PDF format so users can see how the pages would appear in printed form. But PDF, being an image-based format, doesn't readily reformat itself for smaller devices.
Earlier this month, Sony announced it will use the EPUB format for its Reader e-book readers. At the time, Steve Haber, head of Sony's digital reading unit, told news media that people looking for e-books will "want to shop at all the stores, and not just be required to shop at one store."
Sony's chief competitor in this market is Amazon, whose Kindle is currently the leading e-book reader in a still-small but growing market. However, e-books sold on Amazon can only be read on the Kindle or on Kindle software for iPhones.
"No one should be surprised that Google is doing this," said Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp. She noted Google's long-time backing for open standards, many of...
Sat, 29 Aug 09
It's Official -- China Unicom Will Sell Apple's iPhone 3G
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68657
The rumors are true -- Apple will distribute an iPhone 3G in China. On Friday, China Unicom announced the exclusive deal to sell Apple's smartphones in the world's most populous nation, a move that will expose the iPhone to the largest mobile consumer market in the world.
Tucked deep within its earnings announcement, China Unicom said it inked a three-year agreement to buy iPhones at wholesale prices from Apple. Apple stopped doing revenue-sharing deals with wireless carriers when the iPhone 3G was introduced.
"The initial launch is expected to be in the fourth calendar quarter of 2009. This will provide users with brand-new communication and information experience," China Unicom, the nation's second-largest wireless carrier, said in its earnings announcement.
There were no solid details on the consumer end, but reports have surfaced indicating that China Unicom will require a two-year service contract with the purchase of an iPhone 3G. China boasts more than 670 million customers, according to the Ministry of Information Industry. Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi has said mobile-phone sales in China next year could reach 192 million units, compared to 180 million this year.
However, the recession has taken its toll on telecom there. China Unicom's earnings report indicates the nation's macroeconomy continued to see challenges brought about by the international financial crisis during the first half of 2009. The company said, "With the restructuring of telecommunications industry and the issuance of the 3G license, industry competition environment has become increasingly complicated."
Even with the official announcement, rumors still abound around the iPhone in China. Speculation continues about a unique iPhone offering there -- and that may still come to pass, according to Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis.
"It is certainly possible that there could be specific versions of the iPhone in China, but...
Sat, 29 Aug 09
Toshiba's Nifty NB205 Netbook Stands Out
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68642
Netbooks have been a big seller at U.S. retailers for nearly a year, but Toshiba has been late to the game. The company's first entry, the stylish NB205, makes up for its tardiness.
The $400 NB205 is one of the best-looking netbooks I've seen. It's available in five colors (blue, pink, brown, black, and white), and its lid features a textured finish of raised horizontal stripes that lend an air of sophistication and professionalism that's perfect for both students and executives.
Toshiba introduced its debut netbook in April, using that late-to-market timing to address users' complaints about its competitors' products. In particular, the NB205 touchpad is roomy for a netbook, and offers the standard left-click, right-click buttons. Unlike some rival models, there's an Ethernet port built in, and a Kensington Technology lock connection to keep thieves at bay. The mini-laptop's battery life is enough to get you through a workday -- something that can't be said for most portable computers of any size.
Opening the lid, a power button with a pearly illumination sits in the center, just below a moderately bright, 10.1-in., 1024 x 600 LED screen. The nearly full-sized keyboard offers nicely spaced keys that make typing even long memos easy, although I found that the silver-colored key coating made it tough to hunt and peck in low light. At 2.9 lbs. without its power adapter, the NB205 packs about the same heft as most netbooks.
Like most laptops of this size, the NB205 is powered by Intel's 1.66 GHz Atom processor, runs Windows XP Home Edition, and sports 1 gigabyte of memory [upgradable by the user to 2 gigabytes]. Built-in Intel graphics are capable of playing back 720p Web video, though the screen resolution is slightly below high-definition quality. A built-in 802.11g Wi-Fi card offers decent speed within...
Sat, 29 Aug 09
Software Group To Go Ahead and Buy Pirate Bay Site
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68640
The software group that wants to buy the Pirate Bay file sharing site said Thursday it would forge ahead with its plans although trading in its shares remained suspended.
The decision was announced after an extraordinary meeting of shareholders in Global Gaming Factory X AB (GGF).
GGF, which operates a network of Internet cafés and game centers, in June said it made an offer to buy the Pirate Bay Web site for 60 million kronor (7.7 million dollars) of which half in new shares.
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GGF chief executive Hans Pandeya told reporters Thursday that the deal was backed by some 40 investors, but declined to name them.
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The deal has come into question as doubts have been raised if GGF will be able to raise the capital.
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Pandeya said he would pay whatever money was outstanding. He said trading in the GGF shares that were halted on the Equities Market Place, a small bourse aimed at developing entrepreneurial businesses, needed to resume.
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The bourse on Thursday said it would launch a review into GGF.
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GGF had hoped to complete the deal by September 12, but the probe is likely to delay agreement.
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The Swedish Shareholders' Association earlier urged shareholders to be cautious but its representative at the GGF shareholders meeting said he was satisfied with the information provided.
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According to plans, the new Pirate Bay Web site was to offer content that fulfills requirements from both entertainment companies, users and the judiciary.
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The Pirate Bay Web site has been at the center of controversy about file sharing. In April, a Stockholm district court sentenced four men to year-long jail terms for operating the Web site. Citing that the site allowed illegal file sharing, the court ordered the four to pay damages.
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The defendants have appealed their sentences and called for a retrial.
Sat, 29 Aug 09
Cell Phone Users Rack Up Accidental Data Charges
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68638
Verizon Wireless is looking into ways to prevent subscribers without data plans from accidentally starting up the Web browser on their phones and racking up $1.99 in fees each time.
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On many phones, including ones on other carriers, it's easy to inadvertently hit a button that brings up the Web browser.
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It is obvious to us that we need to fix this aspect of our service, spokesman Tom Pica said.
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He said the company is refunding data charges to subscribers who complain.
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Customers of the No. 2 carrier, ATT Inc., have the same problem. Their phones will usually warn them of extra charges the first time they try to start up the company's MediaNet browser, but if the customer agrees to the charges the first time, there is no warning on subsequent access.
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Customers at Tracfone Wireless, the largest prepaid carrier, report similar problems.
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The Plain Dealer in Cleveland tapped into a vein of frustration among Verizon Wireless customers in columns on the issue this month.
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Most carriers will turn off all data access at the subscriber's request, but readers the newspaper talked to reported conflicting information from Verizon Wireless customer service representatives, with some being told that turning off data access would also stop picture messaging.
Sat, 29 Aug 09
LendingTree: Google To Compete on Loan Referrals
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68635
LendingTree, which allows prospective borrowers to get quick offers from multiple lenders, claims Google is about to get into the same business.
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A LendingTree lawsuit against a separate technology provider claims that it has learned Google plans to launch such a service later this month or in early September. The lawsuit claims that LendingTree has received screen shots -- pictures of a computer screen -- showing a trial version of Google's service that indicate Google will give customers loan offers and contact information for lenders.
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Google Inc. issued a written statement Wednesday saying it is working on a small ad unit test involving a limited number of mortgage-related searches.
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We have a number of experiments going on at any one time, but we don't speculate on future product development, the company said.
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Google has made several moves that lead it away from its core business of selling ads alongside Internet search results. Last month it altered its popular Google Maps page to highlight its real estate search tools.
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Other experiments have included an operating system for mobile devices, and Google Voice, which gives people an additional phone number that's not tied to any one phone line. Earlier this year it unveiled a PowerMeter that homeowners can use to track energy use.
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A Google move into the lending referral business would be one more step away from its core business, said Rob Enderle, an analyst for the Enderle Group.
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It could represent a solid threat to LendingTree, and a distraction for Google, Enderle said.
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LendingTree, a unit of Tree.com Inc., announced the lawsuit on Wednesday, a day after it was filed in U.S. District Court in Charlotte, North Carolina, where the company is based.
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The lawsuit seeks an injunction against a company called Mortech Inc., which helps automate pricing by lenders who are offering loans. The lawsuit says Mortech works...
Sat, 29 Aug 09
New Mac Software Not a Dramatic Change
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68634
While Microsoft Corp. prepares to release the next incarnation of Windows on Oct. 22, Apple Inc. is cutting ahead, launching a new version of its operating system for Mac computers on Friday.
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Apple's new Snow Leopard software isn't as big of a step forward from its predecessor as Windows 7 will be from Windows Vista. The most important changes in the Apple operating system are under the hood, allowing software developers to rewrite their programs to run much faster.
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Snow Leopard is a relatively cheap upgrade, costing $29 for an individual user who has Leopard, the previous operating system. A family pack for five users costs $49.
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For Mac owners using the older Tiger operating system, switching to Snow Leopard costs $169, or $229 for a family pack. That box set includes the latest iLife and iWork software for such tasks as movie editing, photo organizing and word processing. Buying the DVD is the only upgrade option for consumers -- you can't download the software.
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What's the catch? Well, part of the reason Snow Leopard can promise faster, better applications is that it's designed for Macs with Intel chips, which Apple started using in early 2006. It won't run on older Macs with the previous PowerPC family of chips. The launch of the new operating system is a hint to get a new computer.
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In an Apple's demonstration of the software to The Associated Press, these were some of the most obvious changes that stood out in Snow Leopard:
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- The built-in e-mail, calendar and address book applications will support Microsoft Exchange servers, the kind used by most companies. That means it will be easier to get company e-mail without using dedicated programs like Entourage or Outlook, which Microsoft is releasing for Macs late next year. However, Snow Leopard supports only the most recent release of...
Sat, 29 Aug 09
TiVo Sues ATT and Verizon Over DVR Patents
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68632
TiVo Inc. on Wednesday sued ATT Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. for patent infringement, including one covering the ability to pause and rewind live TV.
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The DVR maker filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in the Eastern District of Texas, seeking damages for past infringement and a permanent injunction.
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There are multichannel operators who compete with us through the unauthorized use of our intellectual property, said TiVo CEO Tom Rogers, in a conference call with analysts. He added that while there were talks, business agreements have not been reached.
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ATT declined to comment. Verizon said it hasn't seen the lawsuit yet and can't comment.
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Separately, TiVo received a setback Wednesday in a similar patent lawsuit against Dish Network Corp. and sister firm EchoStar Corp. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office ruled that the re-examination of TiVo's patent that's the subject of litigation may continue.
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TiVo had asked the agency to vacate Dish's request to look anew at the patents.
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TiVo sued Dish in 2004, alleging that Dish infringed on its DVR technology. Dish lost. While the case was on appeal, Dish designed a modified software that it downloaded to customers' DVRs. But TiVo said the workaround software still infringed on its patent and asked the district court for a permanent injunction. TiVo prevailed but Dish appealed the ruling.
Fri, 28 Aug 09
Dell Sees Better PC Sales Ahead Despite Drop in Profits
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68655
Dell said it sees better days ahead even as it reported a 23 percent drop in its fiscal second-quarter profit on Thursday. The company echoed larger rival Hewlett-Packard, which last week reported a 19 percent drop in profit but also expressed optimism.
Despite the earnings drop to 24 cents a share or $472 million for the quarter, Dell beat analyst expectations of 23 cents a share. Earnings in the year-ago quarter were 31 cents a share or $616 million. Revenue slipped 22 percent to $12.76 billion.
The results pushed Dell's stock up in after-hours trading. CEO Michael Dell said, "If current demand trends continue, we expect revenue for the second half of the year to be stronger than the first half." He added that Dell has lowered operating costs to be ready for an improving market.
Dell depends on corporate clients for 80 percent of its revenue. With IT spending down, Dell has felt the economic downturn longer than many companies.
Desktop PC sales fell 33 percent, Dell said, while the sales decline for laptops and mobile devices was 21 percent.
One reason for Dell's optimism is that the third quarter traditionally brings higher demand from back-to-school shoppers and the U.S. government. But demand from commercial customers is traditionally weak in the quarter.
Unlike HP, about 60 percent of Dell's revenue comes from PC sales. Such sales make up about a third of HP's revenue.
Dell expects to reduce costs by $4 billion over two years and is investigating new markets, including a reported mobile-phone venture in China and other mobile devices.
Fri, 28 Aug 09
Canada Prompts Changes To Facebook Privacy Tools
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68650
Facebook has added another round of privacy controls, the company announced Thursday. The additional layer of privacy includes both policy and technical changes.
The Palo Alto, Calif.-based social network is in the midst of tweaking its privacy policy created to give users a better understanding of their privacy controls and control over personal information accessed by third-party application developers.
"We strongly believe that the changes to the permission model for third-party applications will give users more confidence in platform and will thus help ensure the long-term health and vitality of the ecosystem that has grown around platform," said Ethan Beard, director of platform product marketing at Facebook. "We will be communicating regularly with developers about the changes, and we're going to take our time to make sure the outcome is something users understand and that developers have ample time and notice to adapt."
Facebook's privacy changes came after the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada began reviewing the social network's privacy policies and controls. The investigation was triggered by a complaint from the Canadian Internet Policy and Public Interest Clinic.
Facebook responded by taking steps to resolve the issue, but the commissioner was still not happy with the risks created by sharing personal information with third-party developers through games and quizzes, according to the commissioner's office.
"There were some outstanding issues we were seeking resolution on," said OPC spokesperson Anne-Marie Hayden.
The year-long investigation resulted in the OPC recommending several enhancements to Facebook's policy.
As a result, Facebook has committed to making changes that include providing users with a better description of why Facebook collects a user's date of birth; an account memorial for deceased users; the distinction between account deactivation and deletion; and explaining how its advertising programs work.
"We are pleased that they are implementing our recommendations," Hayden said.
Facebook...
Fri, 28 Aug 09
SIRIUS XM Skydock Turns iPhone into Satellite Radio
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68648
As RealNetworks awaits the fate of its Rhapsody iPhone application, yet another music-oriented company is looking to tap into the iPhone's popularity. SIRIUS Satellite Radio has introduced a $120 dock that transforms an iPhone or iPod touch into a satellite radio.
Dubbed the XM Skydock, the product will be on store shelves this fall. The Skydock powers up through a vehicle's power outlet and pushes audio through the vehicle's speakers using SIRIUS' PowerConnect technology.
When an iPhone is placed in the Skydock, a user interface pops up on the iPhone screen that lets users change the channels. Of course, Skydock users need a $12.95-a-month satellite radio subscription to listen to the service.
Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret, said the Skydock is a nice feature for SIRIUS XM subscribers that offers a convenient way to interact with content in a vehicle. But he sees obstacles for SIRIUS on the iPhone.
"The Skydock is definitely a value-add in the short term for customers that are already in the SIRIUS ecosystem through the iPhone app and don't want to buy a satellite radio for their car," Gartenberg said. "With the Skydock, they don't have to buy a full satellite radio subscription or a radio."
However, Gartenberg added, the SIRIUS iPhone app hasn't received strong reviews. Typical complaints include a limited amount of content at a fairly high subscription cost. SIRIUS may need to rethink its iPhone strategy, he said, if it wants to drive Skydock sales.
SIRIUS launched its iPhone app in June to deliver exclusive sports, entertainment, comedy and commercial-free music channels to iPhone and iPod touch users. Users who download the SIRIUS app get access to exclusive, Internet-only showcase channels. Those include SIRIUS XM Bootlegs, SIRIUS XM Talk Showcase, SIRIUS XM Music Showcase, and SIRIUS XM Comedy Showcase.
Exclusive programming from...
Fri, 28 Aug 09
Linux-Based Nokia N900 Includes PC Features
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68647
Nokia took the wraps off its next-generation N900 smartphone on Thursday. Though the majority of the company's mobile handsets are based on the Symbian platform, the Nokia N900 will use Maemo 5 -- the latest version of the Linux-based operating system that the company initially developed for its mobile Web tablets.
Just as Nokia continues to expand and diversify its mobile-device portfolio, so it is deploying multiple platforms to serve different purposes and address different markets, noted IDC Senior Research Analyst Jonathan Arber.
"While we have seen continued growth in Symbian as a smartphone platform, Maemo enables Nokia to deliver new mobile-computing experiences based on open-source technology that has strong ties with desktop platforms," Arber said.
Equipped with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard and a 3.5-inch, 800x480-pixel touchscreen, the new Nokia N900 handset has been designed to enable users to browse the Internet just like on a regular notebook or desktop PC. The Maemo 5 software also empowers users to open and run multiple applications simultaneously, the company said.
"The Nokia N900 shows where we are going with Maemo, and we'll continue to work with the community to push the software forward," said Nokia Executive Vice President Anssi Vanjoki. "What we have with Maemo is something that is fusing the power of the computer, the Internet, and the mobile phone, and it is great to see that it is evolving in exciting ways."
Under the hood, the Nokia N900 sports a 600-MHz ARM Cortex-A8 processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios, an Assisted GPS receiver, and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics acceleration. Also on tap is a five-megapixel camera featuring Carl Zeiss optics and dual LED flash.
Nokia's new quad-band GSM phone, which features GPRS and EDGE enhancements, sports up to 1GB of application memory as well as 32GB of data storage for retaining up to...
Fri, 28 Aug 09
China Unicom Appears Ready To Introduce iPhone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68646
Apple's iPhone 3G is expected to launch in China in October, according to news reports. As we previously reported, Apple is rumored to have sold $1.5 million worth of iPhones to China Unicom subsidiary Guangdong Unicom.
China Unicom, the country's second-largest wireless carrier, has acknowledged talks with Apple but has refused to comment further. Apple typically requires secrecy until an announcement is ready. That announcement could come Friday as China Unicom holds a media briefing on its first-half results.
JLM Pacific Epoch has reported that China Unicom will begin the commercial operation of its 3G network on Sept. 28. The carrier hopes to have 6.5 million users by February.
Reportedly, sales of the iPhone 3G will require a two-year service contract. Other reports indicate the iPhone's Wi-Fi will be disabled. China has a large number of Wi-Fi hot spots.
Yu Zhaonan, manager of Guangdong's consumer department, has said the company paid Apple $292 per unit for its iPhones. The company reportedly plans to sell the iPhones for more than Apple charges in the U.S., with the 16GB iPhone priced at $702 and the 8GB model priced at $351.
China's mobile-phone market is the largest in the world with more than 670 million customers, according to the Ministry of Information Industry. Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi has said mobile-phone sales in China next year could reach 192 million units, compared to 180 million this year.
The deal is also expected to help China Unicom compete against its larger rival, China Mobile.
Estimates are that up to 1.5 million Chinese already have a jailbroken iPhone obtained from unofficial channels, including some bought in the U.S. Legally unlocked iPhones can also be purchased in Hong Kong for about $580 to $810. Copycat devices called HiPhone, iPhone Mini, and iOrgane are also available.
Fri, 28 Aug 09
Microsoft Fires Back at Sony PS3 with Xbox Price Cuts
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68639
In a move to compete with Sony's just-introduced, lower-price PlayStation 3 Slim, Microsoft on Thursday announced price cuts on its Xbox 360 video-game consoles. The price cuts set the stage for a console war in the holiday shopping season.
Microsoft is slashing $100 off the price of its Xbox 360 Elite console, which will begin selling for $299.99 on Friday. That puts the Elite in line with Sony's Slim, but Microsoft didn't stop there. The software giant is also cutting the price of its Xbox 360 Pro to $249.99 while supplies last and is still offering the Xbox 360 Arcade for $199.
Shane Kim, corporate vice president of strategy and business development for the interactive entertainment business at Microsoft, threw down the gauntlet in Sony's backyard.
"If you're looking for deep experiences that don't require deep pockets, now is the time to purchase an Xbox 360," Kim said. "We've got the best games, a vast library of TV shows and movies, new music experiences, more ways to connect friends and family, and so much more on the horizon, including Project Natal -- no controller required."
Microsoft is pushing Project Natal as a competitive differentiator beyond price. Any Xbox 360 that consumers buy today will work with Microsoft's vision of controller-free gaming in the future. Snubbing Nintendo with its popular controllers, Microsoft is aiming to offer a similar experience with no controls. If you see a ball on the screen, for example, you can kick it, hit it, trap it, or catch it. The video game will respond to body movements and voice commands.
"Project Natal seems to be not just a response to Nintendo but an attempt to take gaming to the next level," said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. "Natal is still more conceptual. It's not...
Fri, 28 Aug 09
Mac OS X Tiger Can Jump To Snow Leopard for $29
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68631
With its release scheduled for Friday, Snow Leopard's spots are beginning to come into focus. The newest update to the Mac OS X operating system is getting reactions across the Web -- including a tip on how to save money if you want to upgrade from the older Tiger version.
Snow Leopard, version 10.6 of Mac OS X, will cost $29 to upgrade from Leopard, version 10.5, first released in 2007. But if you have Tiger, the 2005 version 10.4, you can avoid Apple's upgrade charge of $169, according to Walt Mossberg of The Wall Street Journal and others.
According to some estimates, about a fifth of all Macs still run Tiger. Apple has said those users need to buy the Mac Box Set, which also includes iLife 09 and iWork09, while Leopard users only need to pay $29 to upgrade.
But Mossberg, a well-known computer columnist, received a great deal of attention Wednesday when he noted that the $29 Snow Leopard upgrade will work fine on Tiger. The only catch is that you must be running it on a Mac that uses an Intel processor. Tiger was able to run on both Mac's former PowerPC platform as well as on Intel-based machines, but all Macs are now Intel-based.
Some observers have noted that this technically violates Apple's end-user license agreement, although there are no restrictions or hurdles to prevent this. But Mossberg noted that Apple itself has said that the $29 upgrade will work fine on Tiger. "They're just not advertising the fact," said Laura DiDio, an analyst with Information Technology Intelligence Corp.
Even without pretending that a Tiger is a Leopard, prices are beginning to come down. On Amazon, where pre-orders are already making Snow Leopard a popular software product, the price on the Mac Box Set has dropped from...
Fri, 28 Aug 09
Will Long Flight Delays Speed a Passenger Rights Law?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68618
The six-hour-long stranding of passengers aboard two different flights this month -- a Continental Express regional jet diverted to Rochester, Minn., by thunderstorms and a Sun Country Airlines delay on Aug. 21 at New York's JFK International Airport -- has thrust the issue of torturous takeoff delays back into the headlines and may have improved the odds for a "passenger bill of rights" bill pending in Congress.
Airlines have fought similar measures in the past; such bills have languished in Congress since 2007. Carriers continue to lobby against rules governing flight delays, citing the additional costs and operational hassles. Still, supporters of the rights measures think there's a better chance of passage after the recent incidents. And those supporters include at least one airline CEO.
"It's going to be painful for the airline industry; it's going to be costly," says Sun Country CEO Stan Gadek, who has begun publicly supporting the proposed rules. "But it's clear that the customers are not going to tolerate this any longer." [Sun Country is not a member of the Air Transport Assn.,, the U.S. carriers' main trade group, which has lobbied against the passenger rights bill.]
The biggest changes are contained in the Senate version of the measure, which would mandate a three-hour limit on tarmac delays, after which a flight would have to return to the terminal unless the captain was reasonably certain of departure within the next 30 minutes. Airlines say such a change will further snarl taxiways and increase flight cancellations, merely infuriating passengers in a different way. The federal bill would also require airlines to provide additional food and water during long delays and mandate that airlines and airports develop customer-service plans that would be reviewed and approved by the U.S. Transportation Dept. The agency could fine airlines and airports...
Fri, 28 Aug 09
What's Up With Integrated Warehousing?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68617
I am lecturing a group of 20 entrepreneurial students, and one of the segments is supposed to be on "integrated warehousing." Where can I get easy-to-understand information on this topic and how it relates to entrepreneurs?
-- B.L., Johannesburg, South Africa
"Integrated warehousing" refers to everything that goes into a warehouse operation, including inventory control, order forecasting, and order management. The two components of integrated warehousing are supply chain planning and supply chain execution.
In order to achieve acceptable productivity levels, large corporations are increasingly implementing integrated warehousing or outsourcing their warehouse operations to specialized third-party logistics firms. But it's unusual for smaller firms managing their own inventory to use similarly sophisticated techniques, says Bill Harrison, president of Demand Management, a software firm that specializes in supply chain management for small and midsize firms.
"The average small warehouse operation doesn't have a clue about forecasting, replenishment, order fulfillment, slotting, or any of what is done in integrated warehousing," Harrison says. But he suggests that many can use computer modeling to show which parts will be needed most frequently, and then to use that information to make sure their bins are positioned and stocked appropriately. "That gives a small company the ability to fill orders faster and get better productivity levels from their workers," says Harrison.
Trade associations and industry groups, such as the International Warehouse Logistics Assn., or the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals, provide research and information about this topic that you and your students may find useful. A list of global trade groups is available at Industrial Data and Information's Web site.
Many private consulting firms publish newsletters and white papers on the latest techniques and trends in integrated warehousing, says Mark Oakes, engagement manager for Virginia's Philpott Manufacturing Extension Partnership. UPS Supply Chain Solutions may be a resource for you as well.
From...
Fri, 28 Aug 09
New Data Center Goes for the Gold
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68610
Sustainability is high on the agenda for many corporations today. So when Allstate Insurance Co., the nation's largest publicly held personal lines insurer, set out to build a new data center, the project goals included improving the organization's sustainability.
Sustainability wasn't the only project driver, of course. The new data center was part of a strategy to merge four data centers totaling 106,000 square feet into two smaller, more robust mission-critical facilities. Preliminary work for the new data center began in late 2004 when Allstate commissioned studies based on desired mechanical and electrical infrastructure, site selection and energy efficiency.
"We wanted a design that was forward-looking and incorporated some of the latest advances in data center design and best practices," says Brandì K. Landreth, director of data center strategy for Allstate. We needed to plan for growth, flexibility and reliability in order to accommodate future technology needs. Finally, we wanted to live our corporate values of environmental sustainability by constructing and operating a facility in a way that minimizes our impact. Site selection was crucial to the project. The company wanted the new site close to Allstate's corporate headquarters in North brook, III. The site also needed to have the utility capacity to support its high-density computing needs. After exploring and negotiating with a number of neighboring states and towns, Allstate chose a green-field site 80 miles from its headquarters late in 2006.
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Project design began in early 2007 and continued through January 2008. The new facility, which opened in May, runs 24/7 with minimal staff onsite and can be run remotely. With 14,000 square feet of computer room, its racks reach 18kW in some areas. The data center helped Allstate consolidate about 70 percent of the company's previous mission critical floor space, decrease energy usage substantially over comparable data centers, incorporate mechanical...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
Snow Leopard Buzz Builds with Strong Amazon Sales
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68628
Mac OS X 10.6, known as Snow Leopard, is picking up buzz as Friday's release date nears. An upgrade to the OS was the top seller on Amazon this week as pre-orders remained strong.
Close behind in sales on Amazon was the Snow Leopard Family Pack upgrade with five licenses for $49. The single-user upgrade for Snow Leopard costs $29, or $169 if purchased with upgrades for iWork and iLife. The Family Pack is $229 with iWork and iLife upgrades.
The new OS X reportedly includes anti-malware features to detect two Mac Trojans, RSPlug and iServices, if they were downloaded from the Internet. News reports have indicated the pop-up warnings don't appear if the Trojans are on DVDs or thumb drives.
Photoshop product manager John Nack wrote in his blog that Snow Leopard has some compatibility issues with Adobe System's Creative Suite 4. The four CS4 versions include Adobe graphics programs such as Photoshop, Illustrator and Dreamweaver.
Nack wrote, "As for CS4, everything is good with the exception of auto-updates to Flash panels (which I guarantee you're not using) and Adobe Drive/Version Cue (which doesn't work at the moment on 10.6)."
Apple posted some documentation for the OS on its Web site this week. The Getting Started document says that with Snow Leopard Server, which lists for $499, "small organizations and work groups without an IT department can take full advantage of the benefits of a server. Even a non-technical user can set up and manage Snow Leopard Server for a group."
On Monday, Piper Jaffray financial analyst Gene Munster predicted Apple will sell five million copies of Mac OS X 10.6 through the end of the current quarter.
Apple said Snow Leopard will make existing features run faster and more efficiently. It promised a more responsive Finder, a faster-loading Mail, and 80 percent...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
IBM X-Force Security Report Calls Web Insecure
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68626
Web insecurity. That's the two-word summary of IBM's X-Force 2009 Mid-Year Trend and Risk Report. Big Blue released its latest survey Wednesday with some troubling news: Web client, server and content threats are converging to create an untenable risk landscape.
IBM recorded a 508 percent increase in the number of new malicious Web links discovered in the first half of 2009 -- and the problem is no longer limited to malicious domains or untrusted Web sites. The X-Force report points to an increase in the presence of malicious content on trusted sites, including popular search engines, blogs, bulletin boards, personal Web sites, online magazines, and mainstream news sites. The consequence for victims is attackers gaining access to private data.
The X-Force report also discovered evidence that suggests attackers are getting more sophisticated. Veiled Web exploits, especially PDF files, are at an all-time high. PDF vulnerabilities disclosed in the first half of 2009 surpassed findings from all of 2008. From the first quarter to the second quarter alone, the number of suspicious, obfuscated or concealed content monitored by the IBM ISS Managed Security Services team nearly doubled.
"The trends highlighted by the report seem to indicate that the Internet has finally taken on the characteristics of the Wild West where no one is to be trusted," said X-Force Director Kris Lamb. "There is no such thing as safe browsing today and it is no longer the case that only the red-light district sites are responsible for malware. We've reached a tipping point where every Web site should be viewed as suspicious and every user is at risk. The threat convergence of the Web ecosystem is creating a perfect storm of criminal activity."
Web security is no longer just a browser or client-side issue, according to IBM. Criminals are also leveraging...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
Mobile Google Maps Analyzes Traffic Conditions
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68625
Google is boosting the capabilities of its Google Maps offering for smartphones and other devices with GPS to improve driving experiences. Among other things, Google is expanding its traffic overlays this week to cover all U.S. highways and roads where user data is available.
Google Traffic Team software engineer Jordan Weitz said the expansion will let users learn about traffic conditions on alternate routes when the traffic looks bad on main highways.
"Now you can see the traffic on many of the roads leading there so you know the best route to take," Weitz said. "Just zoom in on the city you're interested in and click the Traffic button in the upper right corner of the map."
The improvements to Google Maps come in large part through the data that handset users contribute, a process Google likes to call 'crowdsourcing.' "This is exactly the kind of technology that we love at Google because it's so easy for a single person to help out, but can be incredibly powerful when a lot of people use it together," said Google Maps Product Manager Dave Barth.
When Google combines the user's speed with the speed of thousands of other users on the road around a city at any given time, it can obtain a pretty good picture of live traffic conditions. "We continuously combine this data and send it back to you for free in the Google Maps traffic layers," Barth said. "The more people use it, the better it will get."
Barth also noted that there's no extra device to plug into the user's car and no extra software to buy. However, the technology still has a ways to go before it can rival the capabilities of dedicated personal navigation devices, which provide turn-by-turn instructions for the quickest route.
To encourage smartphone users...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
Black Man Gets a White Man's Head in Microsoft Ad
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68624
A Microsoft blunder has resulted in the software giant apologizing to the public.
The head of a black man in a Microsoft advertisement was replaced with that of a Caucasian man.
Using photo-manipulation tools, Microsoft's marketing employees made the change to reach out to customers in Poland, who are predominantly white, some observers are speculating.
The advertisement is of three individuals sitting around a conference table in what looks to be an office in a high-rise. The individuals all have smiles on their faces and are in a meeting or watching a presentation.
The advertisement reads: "Empower Your People With the IT Tools They Need."
In the English version of the ad, the individuals are a black man, a white woman, and an Asian man. In the version written in Polish, everything is the same except for the black man's head, which was replaced by a white man's head.
Some people are speculating that the change was made because of Poland's white population, while others have pointed out that the Asian man was not altered for the advertisement used in Poland.
In a nation where being politically correct is necessary, moves such as Microsoft's can be considered off-color and even racist. In this case, however, Microsoft's marketing team appears to have been targeting a specific audience.
"It's a poor job, obviously," a poster named Spizak wrote on the Photoshop Disasters blog. "Someone made a poor decision -- but I wouldn't go as far as racism as from a marketing decision I understand the reason -- you cater to a 99.9 percent white country -- this image looks foreign in the sense that people wouldn't connect with the ad."
"We have this PC nonsense all the time in the U.K. where adverts are carefully made to ensure no ethnic group is offended," a poster named...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
Amazon Offers a VPN Bridge To Secure Cloud Resources
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68608
There's a new bridge to Amazon's clouds. Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced Wednesday the availability of its virtual private cloud (VPC), which it said provides "a secure and seamless bridge between a company's existing IT infrastructure and the AWS cloud."
Using the VPC, an enterprise can connect its computing infrastructure to isolated computing resources at Amazon via a virtual private network (VPN) that includes security services, firewalls and intrusion-detection systems.
Currently, the Amazon VPC integrates with the company's EC2 computing services, and it will migrate to support other AWS services at some point. EC2, the abbreviation for the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, provides expandable computing capabilities in the cloud.
As with AWS, users pay only for resources used, with no minimum or start-up charges.
Andy Jassy, AWS senior vice president, said as enterprises increasingly use cloud computing, they want to integrate seamlessly with their existing IT structure and "use the security and management controls that their IT teams already know."
AWS customers can utilize isolated cloud-based computing resources as if they were part of their own data center, using an encrypted IPsec VPN connection. With a few API calls, the IP address range can be chosen, the isolated network created, and EC2 instances launched.
Users can then create a VPN to connect those services to their own computing resources. Any traffic in the cloud heading for the Internet is sent over the VPN, and must traverse the user's own security protections before continuing to the open Net.
For users inside the enterprise, the AWS cloud resources are transparently available as if they were within their own IT infrastructure.
Amazon pointed to major customers who are currently using AWS securely between internal resources and Amazon resources. They include Intuit, Citrix Systems, and CA. Pharmaceuticals giant Eli Lilly said in a statement...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
YouTube Will Offer Revenue Sharing To More Users
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68606
YouTube launched a partnership program in 2007 to help some members make money from popular videos they upload on the site. Now the video site is broadening its scope in an effort to spread the wealth -- and generate some of its own.
While YouTube has focused on accepting prolific users who regularly produce videos that reach a wide audience -- like Fred and ValsArtDiary -- the company has occasionally extended the program to include some of the site's more unforgettable videos, such as the Battle at Kruger, David after dentist, and Otters holding hands, explained YouTube product manager Shenaz Zack.
"These individual video partnerships recognize the role popular one-off videos play on YouTube, and have helped many people earn thousands of dollars a month as their videos went viral and endured over time," Zack said. "We decided it was time to spread the wealth."
YouTube is expanding its YouTube Partnership Program to include individual popular videos on the site. When members upload a video to YouTube that accumulates a large number of views, the company may invite those content generators to monetize that video and start earning revenue from it.
YouTube will look at a number of factors to determine whether a particular video is eligible for monetization, including the number of views, the video's popularity, and compliance with YouTube's terms of service. If a member's video is eligible for monetization, he or she will receive an e-mail and see an "Enable Revenue Sharing" message next to the video on the watch page, as well as in other places in an account.
Once a member chooses to enable revenue sharing, YouTube will sell advertising against the video and pay a revenue share into the member's Google AdSense account each month. The specific percentage was not disclosed.
"It's taken us...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
Updates to Wi-Fi Standards Nearly Complete
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68589
More than seven years ago, the group that deals with wireless networking standards met for the first time to plot out the next generation of Wi-Fi. Sometime next month, their work finally will be completed.
That's when the version of Wi-Fi dubbed 802.11n will be ratified, ending a long process that will result in faster wireless connectivity over greater distances.
"But wait!" you say. "I've seen 802.11n wireless routers and adapters in my neighborhood electronics store. I've even bought one! What's the difference?"
If you're the owner of a router built around the early draft versions of 802.11n, then the answer is: not much, initially. Your so-called "Draft N" equipment should work just fine with devices that were developed, built and sold using these earlier, unfinished versions of the 802.11n specification. In fact, in many cases you may be able to update your Draft-N router and adapter to the final version of 802.11n.
More about that in a moment. First, a little background.
The new standard is the successor to 802.11g, currently the most common form of Wi-Fi, in homes, businesses and public hotspots. The older standard supports speeds of up to 54 megabits a second, while 802.11n can theoretically handle up to 600 Mbps. Of course, in most situations, users won't see that, but suffice it to say that 802.11n is a lot faster.
Of course, folks using Wi-Fi at home primarily do so for unfettered Internet access. Given that most Internet connections run in the 1.5- to 8-Mbps range, an 802.11n router may seem like overkill. However, there are actually benefits to 802.11n other than raw speed.
For example, 802.11n has a much greater range than 802.11g. If you have dead spots in your home's Wi-Fi coverage with an 802.11g router, there's a good chance that an N-class router will fix that for you.
In...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
Internet Speeds Vary Across USA
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68588
The average Internet download speed in the USA is 5.1 megabits per second, though consumers' online experiences can vary dramatically, depending on where they happen to live, a new report from the Communications Workers of America says.
On balance, speeds in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic were faster. Speeds in the South and in rural areas were markedly slower, according to the CWA's report -- "Speed Matters" -- out today.
Delaware, for example, averages 9.9 megabits per second. That's almost double the national average and triple the speed of Idaho (2.6 mbps), Arkansas (3.1) and Alaska (2.3). Data are based on feedback from more than 413,000 Internet users who took an online test between May 2008 and May 2009, CWA says.
The big swing owes to the way broadband is deployed. In the U.S., it's basically up to individual companies to decide where to offer broadband. Big broadband players such as Verizon have tended to focus on densely populated areas, where they can get more subscribers.
CWA says such disparities hurt consumers, and hurt bigger national aims. Uneven efforts by carriers and government "have left a digital divide across the country," says Larry Cohen, CWA president. CWA represents workers at AT&T, Verizon and other telecoms.
In comparison with other countries, the USA does poorly.
South Korea, which currently claims some of the fastest broadband speeds, averages 20.4 megabits per second, CWA says, citing the data of Speedtest.net, which tracks global speeds.
The same movie that takes two minutes to download in South Korea can take two hours in the USA, CWA noted.
Other top performers in global broadband include Japan (15.8) and Sweden (12.8).
By Speedtest's measure, the USA scored slightly better than it did in the CWA test -- 6.8 mbps per second, on average. But the USA still finished dead last among the 29 countries it tracks. Latvia...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
Twitter Haters See No Point in Tweeting
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68586
Dave Magnusen has never used Twitter, yet it bugs him.
"It's a form of communication, but it's not very social," says Magnusen, 55, a database administrator in Durham, N.C. "You can't ignore (Twitter), but it's kind of sad how it's replaced people talking."
Tony Fuda feels the same way. The Niles, Ohio, native is particularly irked by tweets that insist on sharing the most mundane details of life.
"Do we really need to know that you just put your pants on, just brushed your teeth, just ordered a hamburger, just finished dinner, just walked out of the bathroom?" he says.
Magnusen's and Fuda's gripes underscore a strong undercurrent of resentment -- and incredulity -- by non-Twitter users toward the social-media service used by tens of millions.
Backlash among anti-Twitterers -- reflected in scores of recent online comments to USATODAY.com -- often center on unfamiliarity with the technology, its often narcissistic bent and the "random" use by many of its advocates, says Joseph Turow, a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania.
"With the advent of every new medium -- books, radio, TV, social networks -- there is a built-in fear, social concern, that it will lead to lack of productivity and a general sense of dysfunction," he says. "This is one of the tropes of the arrival of any new media. Many consider Twitter a fad."
Twitter spokeswoman Jenna Sampson pointed to a recent blog post by Twitter co-founder Biz Stone. In it, he acknowledged the company has work to do in reaching out to those who are new to Twitter. "Defining a 'tweet' ... doesn't resonate with everyone," Stone wrote.
Earlier this month, Twitter bashers had another reason to send their tongues wagging: A new study concludes that 40 percent of tweets are "pointless babble."
Pear Analytics categorized 811 out of 2,000 random...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
Accenture To Offer Plug-and-Play Custom Hardware
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68584
Creating IT hardware on your own can be real chore. All that time and money spent researching and prototyping, and there's no guarantee it will do the job. But what if getting a custom-built device were as easy as making pizza? Start with a crust of a base module to run an operating system. Add a few toppings -- a GPS unit, an accelerometer, a motion detector, or a 3G connection -- and you've got just what your company needs.
Accenture is now in this pizza biz. The consulting giant has teamed up with Bug Labs, a New York startup, to offer hardware and software packages unique to each customer. For Accenture the payoff is in getting these buyers to subscribe to its new software platform, AMOS, or Accenture Mobility Operated Services. As for Bug Labs, its wager is that Accenture will open doors to big companies that will put in multiple orders for its snap-together computerized gear.
The advantage for would-be customers is that the hardware can be tailored to fit an individual company. A shipping company might be able to buy a regular GPS unit at an electronics store, but what if it needs the device to have a 3G connection to send information over a cellular network? What if it also needs that device to have an accelerometer, so the company can track accidents?
Accenture's AMOS software then processes information taken from Bug's devices. If a shipping company uses the fleet-tracking device, for example, it could log onto the AMOS Web site that will produce mapped routes, accident reports, vehicle histories, and other calculations. Other industries can create devices unique to their own specs with components such as wireless Internet, a motion detector, a digital camera, or USB plugs.
The move is a break from Accenture's conventional business...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
Sprint Nextel-Virgin Mobile USA Deal Gets FTC's OK
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68579
The Federal Trade Commission has removed a regulatory hurdle to Sprint Nextel Corp.'s proposed $483 million acquisition of Virgin Mobile USA Inc.
FTC regulators approved an early termination of the agency's antitrust review, indicating they have no objections to the deal, according to a posting Monday on the FTC's Web site.
The transaction announced July 28 still requires approval from the Federal Communications Commission, since Virgin Mobile holds international licenses that need to be transferred, according to a research note Monday from Stifel Nicolaus analysts Rebecca Arbogast and David Kaut.
The analysts said that while they expect the FCC review "will take some time," they doubt it will pose "a serious obstacle."
Sprint Nextel already owns 13.1 percent of Virgin Mobile, which uses Sprint's network to offer service and has 5.2 million subscribers. The transaction would allow Sprint to expand in the fast-growing market for prepaid cell phone service.
Like other prepaid vendors, Virgin Mobile primarily targets customers who lack the credit or income to sign long-term contracts or simply want a bargain over contract-based plans. Sprint has 49.1 million subscribers, including those using the network through wholesalers like Virgin Mobile.
Shares of Sprint fell 7 cents to close earlier at $3.83. Shares of Virgin Mobile finished down 9 cents at $4.81.
Thu, 27 Aug 09
Ownership of Unix Copyright Headed to Trial
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68575
A federal appeals court on Monday reversed a judge's decision that granted the copyright of the Unix computer operating system to Novell Inc.
A three-judge panel of the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that a judge erred in August 2007 by granting the copyright to Novell. The panel ordered a trial to determine ownership.
Novell, a software and computer infrastructure company, has been locked in a yearslong legal battle with The SCO Group Inc. of Lindon, Utah, over ownership to the copyright.
SCO said the ruling paves the way for resumption of the court case.
SCO filed for bankruptcy protection in 2007, drained by unsuccessfully filing lawsuits claiming its software code was misappropriated by developers of the open-source Linux operating system.
"For us it's a case of survival, of protecting what we own." SCO chief executive Darl McBride told The Associated Press.
Part of the Unix computer code, which was developed by AT&T in 1969, is used in the Linux operating system.
McBride said the development and distribution of Linux has caused the company's revenues to drop from $250 million a year to $15 million, forcing the company to file for bankruptcy.
"There are 20 million versions of Linux running around the world," McBride said, referring to his estimate of company servers using Linux. "Linux at the end of the day is a knock off of our Unix."
Novell has operations in Provo, Utah, and Waltham, Mass. A Novell spokesman did not return a message seeking comment.
SCO has another lawsuit pending against IBM Corp., claiming Big Blue's Unix license for IBM's core AIX system was canceled in 2003 and IBM improperly gave away Unix source code for use in Linux.
McBride said the appellate panel's ruling reinstates SCO's claims against IBM, most which had been dismissed because of Novell's claim to the Unix copyright. A message left after...
Thu, 27 Aug 09
UK Says Illegal Downloaders May Lose Web Access
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68574
People who repeatedly download copyrighted films and music could have their Internet connection cut off under proposed laws to tackle illegal file-sharing unveiled by the British government on Tuesday.
The proposal to ban repeat offenders from the Internet, which drew criticism from both civil rights groups and Internet service providers, toughens up the measures being considered in Britain to crack down on online piracy.
Treasury Minister Stephen Timms said that previous plans, which would only have restricted users' broadband speed, did not go far enough.
That potential punishment remains under the new plans, but is accompanied by the possibility of blocking offenders' access to download sites as well as banning them from the Internet altogether.
If the measures are passed when they come to Parliament in November, Britain would join France in defying a European Parliament ruling in May that prohibited European Union governments from cutting off a user's Internet connection without first going to a court of law. That ruling still needs a final stamp after negotiations with the European Council.
France, which passed its bill to cut off Internet access for offenders in May, has already created what may be the first government agency to track and punish online pirates. The earliest a British ban could be put into place is 2011.
The British proposals put the onus on Internet service providers, which host file-swapping sites, to catch and take action against offenders.
The music industry has been criticized in the past for targeting individual Internet users in its legal war against piracy instead of the Internet service providers. The Internet providers have been harder to pursue legally because they have been able claim they have no knowledge of any piracy occurring on their networks.
The new government proposals are an attempt to change that, requiring providers to issue written warnings to subscribers whose IP address...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
Wikipedia Will Require Review of Public Changes
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68600
Wikipedia is changing its editorial policies -- again. The free online encyclopedia plans to tighten the screws on articles about living people on its English-language sites.
Wikipedia is one of the most popular sites on the Web, with more than three million articles. The Wikimedia Foundation, a nonprofit group in San Francisco that oversees the user-generated encyclopedia, has approved a feature called flagged revisions, according to The New York Times.
Flagged revisions will reportedly mandate an experienced Wikipedia volunteer editor to review public changes made to articles about living people before they go live. A version with the changes will be invisible until an editor gives approval.
"We are no longer at the point that it is acceptable to throw things at the wall and see what sticks," Michael Snow, a Seattle lawyer and chairman of the Wikimedia board, told the Times. "There was a time probably when the community was more forgiving of things that were inaccurate or fudged in some fashion -- whether simply misunderstood or an author had some ax to grind. There is less tolerance for that sort of problem now."
The policy isn't entirely new. Wikipedia imposed flagging on its German-language version last year. And this isn't the first time Wikimedia has changed the editorial policy, either. Wikipedia has in the past responded to several controversial issues with policy changes.
Indeed, Wikipedia biographies have drawn controversy over the years. John Seigenthaler, a former assistant to U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy, and Google Watch protest-site creator Daniel Brandt are among high-profile persons who have lashed out at Wikipedia for inaccurate bios. In 2005, some even suggested libel suits.
Wikipedia took steps to prevent posters from claiming to be someone they are not in 2007. People who boast prestigious credentials were obliged to reveal their identities in posts. That...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
Yahoo Still Competing with Microsoft Despite Search Deal
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68593
Competition between Yahoo and Microsoft hasn't ended with the 10-year search deal the companies agreed on last month. In fact, Yahoo is making changes to compete better in the search market, even against the software giant powering its search.
Yahoo is testing a new search feature focused on making search more personal, according to the company.
Yahoo executives say they are still competing in the search market despite the agreement with Microsoft for its search engine Bing to power Yahoo searches and sell keywords through AdCenter. Yahoo, however, will have the exclusive worldwide sales force for both Yahoo and Microsoft's premium search advertisers.
The new search features, which include a filtering option and additional search assistance, are still being tested. The test is being conducted randomly to millions of worldwide users, according to Yahoo.
One of Yahoo's major search updates includes new tools for a user to refine search results. The filtering will display results from Yahoo and third-party sites and will narrow results by content, including videos, people and discussion boards.
To give users a more personal experience, Yahoo is testing a search-results tool that utilizes a user's earlier searches to come up with the best result. The technology detects the user's intent by recording search behavior over time.
Protecting users from viruses and spam is also part of Yahoo's new effort to compete. Yahoo is testing a new site that gives users access to Search Scan and Safe Search, tools that help users fight off spyware and viruses.
Another planned search perk includes a real-time suggestion engine dubbed Search Assist. The tool is introduced in the search box on each Yahoo page in the U.S. with a new universal header. The header provides links to popular Yahoo pages such as Finance, News, Sports, Mail and My Yahoo.
Wed, 26 Aug 09
Cybercriminals Favor Jessica Biel as Malware Bait
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68591
Move over, Brad Pitt. Actress Jessica Biel has officially overtaken you as the most dangerous celebrity to search for in cyberspace, according to Internet security company McAfee. McAfee's third annual research report into Hollywood stars and pop culture's favored people offers insights into the riskiest celebrities on the Web.
Fans searching for "Jessica Biel" or "Jessica Biel downloads," "Jessica Biel wallpaper," "Jessica Biel screen savers," "Jessica Biel photos," and "Jessica Biel videos" have a one in five chance of landing at a Web site that has tested positive for online threats such as spyware, adware, spam, phishing, viruses and other malware. McAfee's conclusion: Searching for the latest celebrity news and downloads can cause serious damage to personal computers.
"Cybercriminals are star watchers, too -- they latch onto popular celebrities to encourage the download of malicious software in disguise," said Jeff Green, senior vice president of McAfee Avert Labs. "Consumers' obsession with celebrity news and culture is harmless in theory, but one bad download can cause a lot of damage to a computer."
McAfee noted that cybercriminals use celebrities' names and images, like Kim Kardashian and Rihanna, every day to lure surfers searching for the latest stories, screen savers, and ringtones to sites offering free downloads laden with malware. Beyond Biel, Beyoncé ranked high on the list. The pop-music phenom held on to her second-place position, setting a McAfee record as the overall most frequent, highly ranked celebrity in the top five.
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In other findings, young Hollywood starlets Miley Cyrus, Ashley Tisdale, and Lindsay Lohan overtook Heidi Montag and Jessica Alba, who appeared on last year's list. These young celebs also ranked higher than other young personalities, including Twilight stars Robert Pattinson (30) and Kristen Stewart (20), the Jonas Brothers (23), Taylor Swift (16), Lauren Conrad (25), Vanessa Hudgens (17), and Zac...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
Wireless Sony Reader Offers Touchscreen Elegance
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68590
Sony unveiled a new e-book reader Monday that features 3G connectivity over ATT's national wireless network. As with Amazon's Kindle, consumers won't have to pay monthly fees or transaction charges for the basic wireless connectivity used by Sony's e-reader.
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The new Reader Daily Edition is slated to become available for $399 in December, when it will join the new Pocket Edition ($199) and the Touch Edition ($299) readers that Sony launched earlier this month. All three models sport an E Ink Vizplex electronic-paper display that emulates the look of ink on paper.
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Like its brethren, the Sony Pocket and Touch readers, the Daily has Sony's hallmark high-quality design and, frankly, makes the Kindle look like an oversized calculator, said Forrester Research analyst Sarah Rotman Epps. The Daily is slightly smaller than the Kindle 2, and with its built-in cover weighs the same.
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An Elegant Solution
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However, unlike the Kindle, Sony's Daily Edition sports a touchscreen display that offers a vertical orientation evocative of a newspaper column, Rotman Epps said.
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The new screen size is an elegant solution to the problem of how to optimize for newspaper and magazine content without building an oversized, ungainly device, she said. Even with the higher price, this is an attractive product for consumers who value Sony's design and touchscreen along with wireless access.
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When running in portrait mode, the Daily Edition will display about 30 to 35 lines of text for a reading experience similar to that of a printed paperback book. The new device also features a high contrast ratio with 16 levels of grayscale, rendering text and images crisp and easy to read, Sony said.
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In addition to wireless capabilities, consumers will be able to load personal documents or content from compatible sites via a USB cable. The Daily Edition, which ships with enough memory...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
OneApp Brings Applications To Plain Feature Phones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68581
A feature phone could become more like an application-friendly smartphone if Microsoft's OneApp is successful. Released Monday, the new software portal allows a wide variety of phones with limited memory and processing capability to access such mobile staples as Facebook, Twitter, Windows Live Messenger, various games, and other apps.
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Microsoft is targeting emerging markets first for OneApp. The initial release is through Blue Label Telecoms in South Africa, as part of that carrier's mibli consumer mobile service. OneApp will launch there with more than a dozen mobile applications. New apps are in the works.
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Blue Label customers can download mibli for free. Microsoft said it expects to launch OneApp in other countries by next year.
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'Transform Nearly Any Cell Phone'
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Amit Mital, corporate vice president of Microsoft's Unlimited Potential Group, said OneApp will help people do things they couldn't do before with a phone -- anything from paying bills to helping diagnose health issues or just staying connected with friends and family.
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Mark Levy, co-CEO of Blue Label Telecoms, said OneApp can transform nearly any cell phone into a highly sophisticated, cost-effective and user-friendly transactional device.
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Microsoft said OneApp shows up on the phone as, appropriately, a single application that leads to various mobile applications. The OneApp client is only about 150KB, so the installation can be relatively fast, with the server component handling much of the processing.
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It can launch dynamically only the parts of a particular mobile app that the user chooses, limiting downloading, installation and storage issues. Cloud services are employed to hand off processing and storage where possible, and Microsoft said it uses data networks efficiently to limit data-access charges.
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SDK By Year's End
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New applications can be created by third-party developers, incorporating such standard tools as JavaScript and XML, and a software developers kit is expected to become available by the end of this...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
Can ATT Meet iPhone Network Demands?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68557
When ATT cut the deal that made it the exclusive U.S. distributor of Apple's iPhone, the carrier bet correctly it would attract millions of new subscribers. What it didn't bargain for: the huge demands the device would impose on ATT's network. Thanks largely to the iPhone's ability to surf the Web, play videos, and run all manner of software-based tools called apps, by some estimates ATT now handles more than twice as much smartphone traffic as any other U.S. carrier. Or mishandles, as the case may be. In areas where the devices are most common, such as San Francisco and New York, the iPhone often drops calls or fails to deliver Web access at speeds implied in Apple ads.
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The shortcomings leave ATT under pressure to make its network iPhone-ready or risk losing its edge in smartphones. The company is almost sure to lose the exclusive partnership with Apple, possibly as early as next year. That would open the door to ATT losing millions of customers as iPhone owners depart to rival carriers such as Verizon Wireless. More important, ATT would have wasted a golden opportunity to become the clear leader in the multibillion dollar market for wireless Web access. Nobody is in the same boat we're in, says ATT Chief Technology Officer John Donovan. We're shaping the landscape for the whole industry, and I relish the opportunity to be the first to figure it out.
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Odds are against ATT. Many of its 60,000 cell towers need to be upgraded. That could cost billions of dollars, and ATT has kept a lid on capital spending during the recession -- though it has made spending shifts to accommodate skyrocketing iPhone traffic. Even if the funds were available now, the process could take years due to the hassle and time needed to win approval...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
Netbook Partner: Choosing External Burners
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68556
If there's a bright spot on the balance sheet of computer makers right now, it's the netbook. Some 21.6 million of the extra-small units are expected to have been sold by the end of the year, report German industry consultants IDC.
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The mobility and low cost come at a price, though: no bells and whistles. That usually means that no DVD drive or burner is included. There are two options for getting around that missing equipment: burn CDs or DVDs using a network drive, or purchase an external burner.
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Slimline models are well suited for netbooks, says Sven Schulz from Germany's Computer Bild magazine. They are very small -- about as large as two or three CD cases stacked on top of one another, he says. And they draw their power from the computer's USB port -- that means you don't have to carry along an extra power adaptor for them.
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External burners draw so little power than the extra consumption will hardly register on the netbook's battery. It won't go empty significantly quicker than normal, Schulz says. Most burners only require a connection to one USB port.
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If problems arise with the unit, though, they may be power related. That's because one single port does not necessarily provide enough juice for an external burner. Practically speaking, it's enough for most units, says Schulz, who tested a variety of burners in that class.
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Otherwise, try plugging in the Y cable included with many models. It is split to plug into two USB ports at the same time, since many netbooks include USB ports on the right and left sides. In some cases even the Y cable isn't long enough to reach both. In that case, use a USB extender for one side or the other, Schulz says.
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Users are advised to test out the interplay between...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
Online Radio Service Wins Ruling Over License Fees
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68555
Personalized Internet radio stations got a boost Friday when a federal appeals court ruled that Yahoo's LAUNCHcast music service was not interactive enough to be forced to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in licensing fees.
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The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan said LAUNCHcast did not offer its users so much control over selecting songs for personalized Internet radio stations that the users would choose those webcasts over buying music.
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LAUNCHcast enabled users to create stations that played songs based on how the user rated songs, artists and albums. The appeals court cited the random nature of personalized playlists when it said LAUNCHcast was not required to pay individual licensing fees to copyright holders of each song it plays for its users.
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Instead, LAUNCHcast is only required to pay a statutory licensing fee set by the Copyright Royalty Board, one that tends to be cheaper and doesn't require negotiations with individual recording companies. Those fees go into a pool that are then split among copyright holders.
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In short, to the degree that LAUNCHcast's playlists are uniquely created for each user, that feature does not ensure predictability, the appeals court said. Indeed, the unique nature of the playlist helps Launch ensure that it does not provide a service so specially created for the user that the user ceases to purchase music.
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The appeals court decision came eight years after subsidiaries of Sony Music Entertainment in 2001 sued Launch Media Inc., the company that created LAUNCHcast.
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The lawsuit covered operations from 1999 to 2001. Since relaunching in February powered by CBS Radio, LAUNCHcast no longer offers webcasts based on individual preferences, although Yahoo Inc. said it has been working to relaunch the service.
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Brian Garrity, a spokesman for Sony, said the company was not commenting on the decision.
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The case was appealed after a federal jury in...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
Oracle's Billionaire CEO Gets $84.5M Pay Package
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68554
Oracle Corp.'s billionaire CEO Larry Ellison padded his fortune with a fiscal 2009 pay package the company valued at $84.5 million, down about $100,000 from the year before and made up mostly of stock options that haven't vested yet.
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On top of that, Ellison made $124.2 million by exercising 10 million stock options during the latest fiscal year, which ended May 31, according to the Redwood Shores, Calif.-based company's annual proxy filing Friday with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
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He took home far more from cashing out stock options the year before. Oracle's stock price was significantly lower in the 2009 fiscal year because of the financial crisis, and Ellison cashed out fewer of options during the period than he did in the previous year. Ellison made $543.8 million exercising 36 million options in fiscal 2008.
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According to calculations by The Associated Press, Oracle gave Ellison a compensation package valued at $84.6 million last year.
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There was a penalty for the business software maker's performance. Oracle said in the filing that because the company didn't meet its difficult internal target for pretax profit in the latest fiscal year that Ellison and other top executives got only 40 percent of their target bonuses.
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Still, Ellison, the world's fourth-wealthiest person as ranked by Forbes magazine, was rewarded richly for a year in which Oracle's sales grew 4 percent to $23.3 billion and profit ticked up 1 percent to $5.6 billion.
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Oracle is the world's leading database software seller, and has been aggressively expanding into other business software markets. In April it agreed to buy struggling server and software maker Sun Microsystems Inc. for $7.4 billion, a deal that cleared antitrust hurdles in the U.S. this week and is awaiting approval from European regulators.
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Ellison's salary remained unchanged at $1 million. For the current fiscal year, though, he agreed to...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
Will Antitrust Probe Keep Microsoft, Yahoo Apart?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68551
Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp. hope that by joining forces, they can tilt the balance of power in Internet search away from Google Inc. First, however, Yahoo and Microsoft have to convince regulators that their plan won't hurt online advertisers and consumers.
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As the U.S. Justice Department reviews the proposed partnership, approval figures to hinge on this question: Will the online ad market be healthier if Google's dominance is challenged by a single, more muscular rival instead of two scrawnier foes?
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The first step toward getting an answer came this month when Microsoft and Yahoo filed paperwork with federal regulators to comply with the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, an antitrust law governing mergers and alliances between competitors. The Justice Department has until early September to approve the agreement or -- as is likely in this case -- request additional information.
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European regulators are also expected to review the deal. Microsoft and Yahoo are bracing for the probes to extend into early next year, and the outcome is far from certain.
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Just nine months ago, Google abandoned its own proposed partnership with Yahoo to avoid a showdown with the government, which had concluded that Google was already too powerful in the lucrative market for selling ads alongside search results.
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Google had hoped to extend its reach even further by selling ads next to some of Yahoo's search results, and in the process, keep Yahoo out of Microsoft's clutches. Microsoft aggressively lobbied against the partnership.
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With the Google-Yahoo inquiry behind them, U.S. antitrust regulators are likely to enter this examination with a clearer definition of the Internet search landscape and a better understanding of how it affects the steadily growing online advertising market.
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Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona would not comment on the antitrust review, whose existence was confirmed by Microsoft and Yahoo.
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Microsoft is counting on the Yahoo partnership to close...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
Official Tells Google To Erase Swiss Street Views
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68550
A Swiss government official is demanding that Google Inc. immediately take off the Internet any image of Switzerland in its Street View Maps, and the company said Monday it would discuss the matter with the privacy rights regulator.
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Hanspeter Thuer, federal data protection commissioner, said Google's pictures were violating Switzerland's strict privacy laws by failing to obscure people's identities.
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Numerous faces and license numbers weren't blurred or were done so inadequately, said Thuer's statement, adding that he demands that Google Inc. immediately take its Google Street View online service off the Internet until it can ensure that public images respect Swiss law.
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Google's Street View mapping service offers detailed street-level images. Since launching in 2007, it has expanded to more than 100 cities worldwide but has faced privacy complaints from many individuals and institutions that have been photographed.
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Greece's Data Protection Authority rejected Google's bid earlier this year to roam Greek streets with cameras mounted on vehicles, while the Pentagon barred Google from photographing U.S. military bases for the service.
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Residents of a small English village formed a human chain in April to stop one of Google's camera vans, while in Japan some complained that the service provided a view over the fences around their homes, prompting Google to agree to re-shoot all photos in the country.
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Thuer said he would meet with Google early this week, and the company responded by saying it was looking forward to sharing views.
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We are excited about the discussion with the commissioner to hear his thoughts and to respond by demonstrating how we protect the private sphere with Street View, said Peter Fleischer, Google's global privacy counsel.
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Since the launch last week the product has proven to be very popular with the Swiss people, he said. Google Maps had an 80 percent increase in volume and only a small number of...
Wed, 26 Aug 09
China Mobile Is Counting on Android
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68539
China Mobile, the world's largest cellular operator, has an answer for Chinese consumers impatient to get their hands on Apple's iPhone. The market has plenty of pirated and smuggled iPhones but Apple hasn't concluded a deal with a Chinese carrier to carry legitimate versions of the hot handset. So China Mobile, which had negotiated unsuccessfully with Apple to launch the iPhone, has an offer for its users: Can't wait for the iPhone? Try the OPhone instead.
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The operator and the big-name electronics companies it has lined up as partners hope consumers won't care much about the one-vowel difference. China Mobile is planning to roll out a series of smartphones that operate on Android, the operating system promoted by Google. Android is an open-source OS, leading China Mobile to dub its phones using the software OPhones. Another important difference between China Mobile's offering and Apple's: Lots of companies will be making the OPhone. Among the big-name players working on producing OPhones for China Mobile are Dell, Philips, LG, and Samsung.
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China Mobile could use a boost. With 493 million subscribers, the company has more than 70 percent of the Chinese cellular market, well ahead of rivals China Unicom and China Telecom, but it is facing growing competition now that the Chinese government, after many delays, has finally opened the country to 3G networks. The stock price is up just 6.5 percent this year, compared to a 17 percent rise for Unicom, a 32 percent increase for Telecom, and a 41 percent jump for the benchmark Hang Seng index. On Aug. 20, China Mobile reported that second-quarter earnings fell 1.6 percent to $4.4 billion on an 8.9 percent rise in sales to $31.2 billion.
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That's the first drop in profit in a decade -- and makes it all the more important for China Mobile to...
Tue, 25 Aug 09
RealNetworks Wants Rhapsody on Apple's iPhone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68570
RealNetworks is looking to leverage Apple's App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch to get its digital music subscription service to iPhone users around the world. But will Apple allow the iTunes competitor a place on its devices?
Over the weekend, Real announced plans to submit its on-demand, streaming music application for the iPhone and iPod Touch to Apple for review. Real is betting that although not everyone who uses an iPhone is a Rhapsody subscriber, many music lovers will find the app appealing.
"There is nothing quite as satisfying as needing to hear a certain song right now and being able to scratch that itch. That's what we aim to do, and now it'll be easier than ever," said Real's Lacy Kemp. "I can't even count the number of times I've wanted to hear a song on my iPhone and guiltily plopped down 99 cents to iTunes to please my impatient self. When I first used the Rhapsody app, it seriously felt like the sun shone a little brighter that day. Music matters that much."
Here's how it works: Subscribers log in to the app with their existing user name and password. Non-subscribers will have the opportunity to try the app for a limited free-trial period. Kemp promises the functionality will be easy and intuitive.
"You'll see a menu bar across the bottom of the screen, as is found in many apps. You'll have the option to check out the queue, your library, browse the Rhapsody library ... search and settings," Kemp said. "The app has all the functionality of the client, or Rhapsody.com, only super-portable."
Rhapsody subscribers rejoiced on the RealNetwork's blog with comments expressing excitement and appreciation. "With two kids, a husband and myself, downloading at 99 cents a pop gets expensive. A flat fee of $14.95 saves me...
Tue, 25 Aug 09
RIM Acquires Torch Mobile Browser for BlackBerrys
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68569
Research In Motion has acquired Torch Mobile, a company focused on mobile browsers. The acquisition of the Toronto-based company will help RIM focus on enhancements for its popular BlackBerry line of smartphones.
The Waterloo, Canada-based RIM is tapping into Torch Mobile's experience in mobile Web browsing to strengthen its own offering to BlackBerry owners.
"Torch Mobile employees have joined RIM's software development team effective immediately and will contribute their significant expertise in WebKit-based mobile-browser technology to the ongoing development and enhancement of the BlackBerry platform," spokesperson Marisa Conway said in an e-mail. "As part of the global RIM organization, the development team from Torch Mobile will continue its active participation in the WebKit development community."
Torch Mobile, which has an office in Beijing, focuses on WebKit, an open-source Web browser engine. The company's team of developers -- which developed the free mobile Web browser for Windows, QTopia and WindowsCE called Iris -- has been actively involved in open-source development.
The acquisition of Torch Mobile fills a RIM gap that desperately needs filling. RIM's BlackBerry browsers have improved over the years, but RIM still has some catching up to do compared to rivals Apple, with its iPhone, and Palm, with its webOS, according to Ken Dulaney, a Gartner analyst.
"RIM's browser has been poor and it would seem that acquiring them is the most expedient way to fix the problem," Dulaney said. "That said, RIM needs bigger screens and more touch interfaces to improve the experience further. The WebKit aspect is similar to Palm's approach, and it means JavaScript is becoming a more reasonable means for developing applications and Google is behind this approach, too."
RIM's acquisition of Torch Mobile comes two months after the mobile-phone maker acquired Dash Navigation.
Dash developed navigation hardware, but was ahead of its time and didn't sell enough...
Tue, 25 Aug 09
'Mini-Laptop' From Nokia To Compete with Netbooks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68563
Nokia is getting into the netbook game. The mobile-phone maker announced Monday the Nokia Booklet 3G, a Windows-based netbook with an Intel Atom processor that is set to compete in a crowded, but growing, market.
As Nokia sees it, more people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility. Kai Oistamo, Nokia's executive vice president for devices, said the Booklet 3G is a natural evolution for a company in the business of connecting people.
"Nokia has a long and rich heritage in mobility and with the outstanding battery life, premium design, and all-day, always-on connectivity, we will create something quite compelling," Oistamo said. "In doing so we will make the personal computer more social, more helpful, and more personal."
The Booklet 3G uses Intel's Atom processor and offers up to 12 hours of battery life. Nokia promises its latest innovation will deliver the experience of a full-function PC in an ultraportable box with a 10-inch glass high-definition-ready display.
Nokia isn't calling the Booklet 3G a netbook. The company has labeled it a mini-laptop. It weighs 1.25 kilograms, is about two centimeters thin, and has a variety of connectivity options. Users can choose to connect via 3G/HSPA or Wi-Fi to get high-speed Internet access.
The mini-laptop is also equipped with an HDMI port for HD video out, a front-facing camera for video calling, integrated Bluetooth, and a SD card reader. The Booklet 3G even comes with integrated A-GPS which, working with the Ovi Maps gadget, can pinpoint a user's position and create a personal map.
The Booklet 3G aims to bring Ovi experiences to life, whether it's access to song tracks through the Nokia Music Store or using Ovi Suite to sync from a Nokia smartphone to the mini-laptop to the cloud. Ovi is Nokia's...
Tue, 25 Aug 09
Facebook Plans To Boost Staff Despite Recession
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68562
Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg says he's trying to control costs at the same time he wants to take advantage of the recession and hire more engineers. He plans to hire hundreds of people this year, boosting Facebook's staff as much as 50 percent.
Currently, Facebook has about 1,000 employees but plans to grow at a slower pace than Google, which nearly doubled its staff in each of the three years since it went public in 2005.
Despite the hiring plans, Zuckerberg said he's trying to contain costs, which is why his staff is housed in an old Palo Alto, Calif., building with cement floors. He said a building "can be a sign that you've made it" and he wants the building to feel like "a very large garage."
Facebook has 250 million users and has received $600 million in investments. Revenue comes from ads, including J.C. Penney and Nike, and an online payment system for gifts. COO Sheryl Sandberg expects 70 percent revenue growth this year compared to 2008, and board member Marc Andreessen says the total should be at least $500 million.
Zuckerberg told Bloomberg that his goal is one billion users. He also said he expects social networks to become essential, like Web browsers.
Earlier this month, Facebook agreed to buy FriendFeed to gain engineering talent.
By contrast, rival social-networking site MySpace has been cutting jobs and is becoming more of an entertainment site.
Tue, 25 Aug 09
Mac OS X Snow Leopard Supports Microsoft Exchange
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68549
Snow Leopard will go on sale Friday, Aug. 28, Apple announced Monday. Enhancements in this v10.6 of the Mac OS X will make existing features run faster and more efficiently, Apple said, including a more responsive Finder, a faster-loading Mail, and 80 percent faster initial backup from Time Machine.
Bertrand Serlet, senior vice president of software engineering, said the new OS "builds on our most successful operating system ever" and is being delivered to users "earlier than expected."
Apple is pointing out that Snow Leopard is "the only desktop operating system with built-in support for Microsoft Exchange Server 2007." It said Exchange works "seamlessly" in 10.6, in conjunction with OS X-only features such as searches through Spotlight and previews with Quick Look, as well as Mail, Address Book, and iCal.
For current owners of Mac OS X Leopard, the upgrade to Snow Leopard will cost $29. The newest Leopard takes up half the space as its predecessor, freeing up as much as seven gigabytes of storage.
The Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple said its engineers revised about 90 percent of the 1,000-plus features of the current OS. Other refinements include Expose integration in the Dock and a redesigned QuickTime player that has been streamlined for easy viewing, recording, trimming and sharing of video.
There's also more 64-bit support, including Safari 4 in a 64-bit version that is as much as 50 percent faster and is more resistant to crashes from plug-ins. The OS continues its 32-bit compatibility, while its support for 64-bit processors results in faster performance, access to more RAM, and improved security. Finder, Mail, iCal and iChat now have 64-bit support.
There is also new support for developers to take advantage of latent power in the current generation of Mac machines. A new way to develop software for multicore processors is available...
Tue, 25 Aug 09
Google Voice Alters iPhone Experience, Apple Tells FCC
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68548
Denying earlier media reports, Apple said Friday that it's still evaluating Google Voice for iPhone as a possible addition to its Apps Store. On the other hand, the software from Google raises concerns about its impact on the iPhone user experience, said Apple Vice President Catherine Novelli in a written response to the Federal Communications Commission.
"Apple spent a lot of time and effort developing this distinct and innovative way to seamlessly deliver core functionality of the iPhone," Novelli wrote. And Apple is concerned that the software alters "the iPhone's distinctive user experience" by replacing the handset's core mobile-telephone functionality and Apple user interface with Google's user interface, she added.
Google's enhanced voice and messaging application is designed to enable iPhone users to manage phone numbers and voice mail, integrate contacts, place outbound calls, and send SMS messages from a Google Voice phone number. However, the software "replaces Apple's Visual Voicemail by routing calls through a separate Google Voice telephone number that stores any voice mail, preventing voice mail from being stored on the iPhone, i.e., disabling Apple's Visual Voicemail," Novelli wrote.
Google's app also replaces the iPhone's text-messaging feature and instead manages SMS text messages through the Google hub, Novelli noted. Additionally, the iPhone user's entire contacts database is transferred to Google's servers, which raises privacy concerns, she wrote. "These factors present several new issues and questions to us that we are still pondering at this time," Novelli said.
Apple didn't ask AT&T for guidance about the Google Voice app at any time, nor did the wireless carrier offer any view one way or the other, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President James Cicconi told the FCC. "AT&T has had discussions with Apple regarding only a handful of applications that have been submitted to Apple for review where ... there...
Tue, 25 Aug 09
Afghans Turn to the Twitterverse for Election
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68537
Afghans turned to the Twitterverse to share news of Taliban intimidation at the polls and voter turnout in the presidential election, even as the country was just trying to keep electricity running and attacks at bay.
The memory of neighboring Iran's media crackdown during that country's vote is still fresh here, and orders from the Afghan government on the eve of the election to censor reports of violence during Thursday's voting suggested news on the ground could be thin.
While far smaller than the response after the Iran vote, the online activity in Afghanistan was an amazing contrast to the last presidential election in 2004, when the country was only a few years removed from Taliban rule that banned many types of technology, including TV and the Internet.
Afghans now have cell phones even in remote areas. Those without computers or electricity at home go to Internet cafes to check their e-mail. And as elsewhere, Twitter is a relatively new phenomenon in Afghanistan.
"A lot of people are watching from abroad what's going on and it's an easy way to get in touch with a lot of people without writing a blog post or sending it through a news desk," said Alex Strick van Linschoten, a Dutch researcher in the southern city of Kandahar who spent the day visiting polling stations and sending updates to Twitter.
Some of his posts: "Explosion just now in Kandahar City (sounded like IED)" and "'for $1000 i have to get 1000 votes.' conversation overheard in Kandahar.."
Many of the most prolific Twitter posts were not from foreigners but Afghans either here or abroad, trying to keep the world abreast of the news and rumors.
Pahjwok Afghan News, an independent Afghan news agency, started posting about attacks in Kandahar well before polls opened. In nearly minute-by-minute posts throughout the day, the agency...
Tue, 25 Aug 09
Oracle: Justice Department To Allow $7.4B Sun Deal
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68535
Business software maker Oracle Corp. said Thursday it has received the Justice Department's approval to move forward with its $7.4 billion acquisition of former dot-com-era star Sun Microsystems Inc.
The deal still needs the go-ahead from the European Commission.
Clearance by the Justice Department had been held up over questions about the licensing of Java, a programming language that Sun invented that now runs on more than 7 billion electronic devices around the world, including cell phones and personal computers.
Another potential antitrust question could surround Sun's MySQL database, an open-source product. Some technologists worry Oracle could make MySQL a lower priority as it tries to boost sales of its market-leading database software.
Sun's performance had been shaky for nearly a decade before Oracle outbid IBM Corp. for the Santa Clara, Calif.-based company in April. IBM is one of Oracle's biggest database software rivals, and is a major Sun rival in computer servers.
The Sun acquisition will give Oracle more control over the development of Java, a key technology used in its products, and also thrust the Redwood Shores, Calif.-based company into hardware, a new area for Oracle.
The Justice Department's approval was largely expected. Even so, Sun shares rose 9 cents to $9.36 in after-hours trading, moving closer to the $9.50 per share that Oracle plans to pay for Sun. That indicates investors now see less chance of the deal being scuttled.
Oracle's stock rose 17 cents to $22.11 in after-hours trading, having finished the regular trading session up 16 cents to close at $21.94.
Tue, 25 Aug 09
CRM in the Downturn: Attracting and Keeping Customers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68271
These are challenging times for creating, developing, and maintaining customer relationships. More than ever, every customer -- one who is willing to spend (and pay on time) -- is golden. At the same time there are new channels: mobile and social media that customers are choosing and must be opened and maintained. Meanwhile the costs of attracting and keeping each customer must be minimized to maximize net revenues.
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We approached leading customer relationship management (CRM) solutions suppliers for their insights on these issues, including the future direction of this product grouping to meet them. Here is a selection of their responses. The complete replies will appear on TMCnet.com.
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Consona CRM (www.consona.com)
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Tim Hines, Vice President Product Management
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Given the economic climate, companies are doubling down on customer service and support investments. Budgets for marketing and sales initiatives have been diverted to improving the customer service and support infrastructure. This is long overdue. Too much time and money was spent on organizing a sales operation, and while important, it's just not all that technologically difficult.
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Our approach is for companies to participate and ideally lead the discussion. Social technologies have given the customer a greater voice than they ever had and this is a very good thing. Companies need to address these technologies and leverage them for strategic advantage. In their operations, they need to establish a SMS channel into their support organization. They should integrate Facebook and Twitter into the 360 degree view of the customer and they should deploy a community for their customers to participate in. They need to understand the social structure of the new social media. There absolutely is a new language, an unwritten hierarchy of those that participate if you will and not, understanding and embracing this will be a disaster.
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The concept of the CRM suite is just plain dead....
Sat, 22 Aug 09
FCC To Hear Fight Over Internet Calls
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68540
Apple and AT&T today are expected to tell the Federal Communications Commission why Google's free voice application, called Google Voice, is banned from the Apple iPhone. Google is also filing comments.
But Google may soon find itself on the hot seat as well, telecom and public policy analysts say.
Why: Consumers who use Android, the Google-developed operating system for wireless devices, can't use Skype, a leading Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. A pioneer in free Internet calling, Skype allows you to talk as long as you want without draining cell phone minutes.
Android users get Skype Lite, a watered-down version of the original that routes calls over traditional phone networks -- not the Internet. As a result, long-distance calls are still cheap or free, but cell phone minutes are gobbled up every time a Skype Lite call is made.
Ben Scott, public policy director of Free Press, a consumer advocacy group, says Google "is in an awkward spot. On the one hand, their application is being blocked on the Apple App Store. But on the other hand, they engaged in similar behavior" with Skype.
Skype, to some degree, is caught in the middle.
Android "does not support a full-featured version of Skype," Skype told USA TODAY. "In order to make Skype available on Android devices, as well as hundreds of other regular mobile phones, we designed Skype Lite."
In a statement prepared for USA TODAY, Google acknowledged that it "has the ability to filter," or block, VoIP. The search giant said it does that "at the request" of individual operators. Right now, there are just two Android devices in the USA: the G1 and MyTouch, both sold by T-Mobile.
Google's explanation would seem to suggest that T-Mobile requested the block on Skype, but the carrier says that's not the case. "T-Mobile has not asked Google to block...
Sat, 22 Aug 09
Follow That Tweet! Twitter Adds Location-Sharing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68531
Location, location, location. That's a running theme in technology these days. After witnessing TomTom launch a $100 GPS application for the iPhone and Garmin introduce its much-anticipated Nüvifone series, Twitter is now stepping up to the location plate, rolling out broader support for developers working on geolocation software.
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According to Twitter co-founder Biz Stone, Twitter platform developers have been doing innovative work with location for some time, despite having access to only a rudimentary level of API support.
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Most of the location-based projects he sees are built using the simple, account-level location field people can fill out as part of their profile. Since anything can be written in this field, he admitted, it's interesting but not very dependable.
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Tweet-Level Location Data
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We're gearing up to launch a new feature which makes Twitter truly location-aware. A new API will allow developers to add latitude and longitude to any tweet, Stone says. If people do opt-in to sharing location on a tweet-by-tweet basis, compelling context will be added to each burst of information.
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Stone offers one example of the possibilities for Twitter users who have access to accurate, tweet-level location data: switching from reading the tweets of accounts you follow to reading tweets from anyone in your neighborhood or city -- whether you follow them or not.
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It's easy to imagine how this might be interesting at an event like a concert or even something more dramatic like an earthquake, Stone said. There will likely be many use cases we haven't even thought of yet, which is part of what makes this so exciting.
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Brad Shimmin, an analyst at Current Analysis, offered some additional scenarios. He said Tweeters could use the service to trend and track hot places, hot locations where people are congregating, and find out why people are congregating there via the actual messages people...
Sat, 22 Aug 09
Scientists Create Flexible, Inorganic LED Displays
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68530
Cars with video displays on their sides that show up only when the video plays. Pocket-sized video screen roll-ups. Wall-hanging TVs -- across an entire wall -- that are as thin as cardboard. These are only some of the possible uses for a new form of LED display, reported today by a scientific team in Science magazine.
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The team of 16 scientists, led by materials scientist John Rogers of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, report that they have developed methods for creating microscale inorganic light-emitting diodes (LEDs), as well as ways to turn the LEDs into unusual display and lighting systems. Flat or wavy configurations are possible, with dimensions down to the micrometers, and printing-based assembly methods can deposit these devices onto glass, plastic or rubber.
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Best Parts of Organic and Inorganic LEDs
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This latest type of LED is brighter, more flexible, and can be arranged in more shapes and sizes than current LCD or organic LEDs.
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Organic LEDs are used in cell phones and game consoles, while inorganic ones are used in those video billboards that have been sprouting up alongside highways. Organic LEDs, which are called organic because they contain carbon, are not as bright or as sturdy as the billboard kinds, but inorganic LEDs have to be sliced and assembled by robots because of their thickness.
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The team of scientists, representing institutions from the U.S., China and Singapore, sought to combine the advantages of each. In order to do that, the team wanted to find a way to grow and shape inorganic LEDs.
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They first created what Rogers called a sacrificial layer -- an adhesive that holds the inorganic LEDs on a wafer while they are being created, but is partially removed with a liquid later. The layer of LEDs can then be lifted up from the wafer. Then, with a...
Sat, 22 Aug 09
Media Overreacting to Reports of Exploding iPhones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68515
Media attention to product safety is understandable, especially when the product in question comes from Apple, maker of some of the most popular computers, music players, and cell phones on the market. But coverage of recent reports of iPhones and iPods allegedly gone awry verges on overkill.
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In case you've been subject to a media blackout, European officials are looking into reports of two exploding iPhones in France. Apple calls these isolated incidents and says it wants to analyze the products. We are aware of these reports and we are waiting to receive the iPhones from the customers, an Apple spokeswoman says. Until we have the full details, we don't have anything further to add.
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The reports in France follow an account of an iPod in the U.K. that, after being dropped, made a hissing noise, became very hot, and suffered an explosion that sent it 10 feet into the air. There, too, Apple wants to examine the device before commenting further.
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But some in the British press focused less on the event itself and more on Apple's request that the customers in question sign a nondisclosure form. That's standard procedure any time a company settles with a customer for anything more than a refund. The Times of London referred to the document as a gagging order, which in blogs morphed into a gag order, which is something only a court can issue.
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On this side of the pond, a local TV station in Seattle carried out an exclusive investigation by filing a Freedom of Information Act request for complaints about iPods to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. The result: 800 pages detailing 15 incidents where iPods reportedly overheated, sparked, or burst into flame. The TV reporter called it an alarming number.
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Too Few Incidents to Warrant a Recall
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Really? I wouldn't wish to downplay...
Sat, 22 Aug 09
So, You Have One Hour To Do Disaster Planning ...
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68510
There's a brush fire bearing down on your small business. You've been told you have one hour to evacuate -- which means you have one hour to come up with and execute a disaster preparation plan.
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This is a scenario similar to what thousands of small business owners face each year. Luckily, that's enough time to take care of a company's most valuable assets, its employees and its data.
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Disaster prep is one of those tasks that many small business owners keep planning to get to, but keep putting off. And it certainly may not seem like a priority at a company that's contending with slumping sales and cash flow during a recession.
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While it's understandable that some owners don't get around to disaster planning, they're courting danger.
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This is wrath of God stuff, said John Toigo, a disaster recovery consultant based in Dunedin, Fla.
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Without disaster planning, there's no way I'd be able to recover my retirement, he said, referring to the fact that so many owners expect to some day sell their companies and live off the proceeds.
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Minimal preparation -- the kind you'd have to resort to if a disaster were in fact on the way -- can be accomplished in an hour. And you can do much more if you have the luxury of an entire day.
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Toigo said the first thing to be done is to put together a list of contact phone numbers, physical and e-mail addresses for everyone on the staff, and to be sure everyone has a copy. Staffers should provide several different ways that they can be reached during an emergency.
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Luis Yepez, vice president of Mainstream Global, a Lawrence, Mass.-based computer reseller, said owners should also let employees know they're concerned about their staffers' welfare.
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Stress the important, that you care about their safety, their well being, he said.
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Just...
Sat, 22 Aug 09
Accused Credit Card Hacker Lived Large in Miami
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68508
Nestled near a row of sultry, silvery-green palm trees and an infinity pool, room 1508 at the National Hotel on South Beach is a portrait of Art Deco luxury. It is also where, on May 7, 2008, federal agents seized two computers, $22,000 in cash and a Glock 9 gun from a man known on the Internet as soupnazi.
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His real name is Albert Gonzalez, and he was with his girlfriend when federal agents arrived. Just as the setting was not run-of-the-mill, neither was the arrest. Gonzalez was charged with hacking into business computer networks and stealing credit and debit card accounts -- and in an embarrassing twist, he had once been an informant for the U.S. Secret Service.
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This week, Gonzalez, 28, was indicted in New Jersey on more federal charges. Now the biggest credit card hacks of the decade -- totaling 170 million accounts -- have been pinned on Gonzalez.
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Industry analysts marveled at the scope of the operation -- which Gonzalez allegedly dubbed Get Rich or Die Tryin'. One compared it to a hackers' version of the 1980s gangster movie Scarface.
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Albert Gonzalez is definitely the Tony Montana of credit card theft, said Sean Arries, a computer security expert at the Miami-based Internet technology company Terremark.
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Gonzalez has been in custody since his 2008 arrest in Miami Beach. He awaits federal trials in New York and Massachusetts, along with the New Jersey charges. If convicted he faces life in prison.
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Gonzalez's lawyer, Rene Palomino Jr., wouldn't address the charges in detail, saying that the case is in a very delicate stage and that Gonzalez is trying to resolve it. The attorney said Gonzalez and federal prosecutors were close to reaching a plea deal in the New York and Massachusetts cases this week, before the New Jersey indictment was added.
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People who know Gonzalez say...
Fri, 21 Aug 09
Apple's 99-Cent Apps Are Too Cheap, Microsoft Says
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68520
With Apple's App Store offering many free and 99-cent apps whose prices please buyers but frustrate many developers, Microsoft is wooing developers to its Windows Mobile platform by promoting the idea that 99 cents is too low.
Loke Uei, senior technical product manager for Windows Mobile, recently told developers that, while "99 cents is interesting," "your app is worth more than that." He made the comments at developer sessions currently being conducted in Redmond, Wash., in advance of Microsoft's launch of Windows Marketplace for Mobile.
"We would definitely want to promote that you make more money selling applications than selling your application in a dollar store," he told developers, according to news media.
Research in Motion's BlackBerry App World has set the first price above free as $2.99. Palm's App Catalog and Google's Android Market are also planning to set app prices higher than 99 cents.
Late last year, an open letter to Apple CEO Steve Jobs by an iPhone developer received a great deal of attention on the Web, highlighting the argument that Apple's App Store prices apps too low to allow professional-level software development.
Craig Hockenberry, a principal at Greensboro, N.C.-based IconFactory, posted the open letter on his blog, furbo.org. "As an iPhone developer who's been in the App Store since its launch," he wrote, "I'm starting to see a trend that concerns me." This trend, he wrote, is that "developers are lowering prices to the lowest possible level in order to get placement on iTunes," and the "proliferation of 99-cent 'ringtone apps'" is affecting product development.
Hockenberry noted that his company released a game and a Twitter add-on for the App Store, and they received a fair amount of recognition and popularity. But the problem, he wrote, is funding the development of more...
Fri, 21 Aug 09
Apple Updates MacBook Pro Firmware and Bluetooth
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68519
Apple has released MacBook Pro Drive Firmware Update 2.0, which "reduces certain infrequent noises made by 7200-rpm drives." Reportedly, some 500GB drives were beeping and briefly freezing.
The company said the drives affected were included with the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Pros it began shipping in June. The update Web site does not mention the 17-inch MacBook Pro shipped in January.
Once the update is installed, Apple said the new hard-drive firmware ID will be 0007APM2.
Apple also released Bluetooth Firmware Update 2.0.1, which it said fixes some bugs and provides better compatibility with Apple's wireless Mighty Mouse and wireless keyboard. It is for Mac systems released this year with Bluetooth provided by the Broadcom chipset, including the unibody MacBooks, the MacBook Pro, and the MacBook Air.
The updates require Mac OS X 10.5.7 or later. They were posted Wednesday evening and should be available through the Apple Software Update tool installed with the operating system.
Fri, 21 Aug 09
MySpace Acquires iLike as Comeback Strategy Emerges
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68506
In what appears to be the first major step in a possible turnaround for the struggling social network, MySpace confirmed a whirlwind of rumors Wednesday when it announced it will acquire iLike. Terms of the deal were undisclosed.
iLike is a social music-discovery service that feeds music fans suggestions on sites like Facebook, Bebo, Orkut, hi5 and iGoogle. iLike helps people share music recommendations, playlists and personalized concert alerts. iLike also offers musicians and labels an artist dashboard from which to reach fans, manage their presence across multiple channels, and cultivate the spread of their music. iLike also runs indie music site GarageBand.com.
Brothers Ali and Hadi Partovi founded iLike in 2006. The application has 55 million users and 1.5 billion monthly impressions. As MySpace sees it, the acquisition brings together two companies that share a common vision revolving around social discovery and distribution of quality content.
"The iLike acquisition advances our relentless pursuit of innovation and the need to create new distributed social experiences in music and beyond," said Owen Van Natta, CEO of MySpace. "We are deeply committed to bringing world-class talent into all areas of the company, and this acquisition demonstrates our focus on this objective."
MySpace said iLike users and the artist community would not be disrupted by the acquisition. The application will continue to be available on competing social networks and the entire iLike team will stay on board to run the division, including CEO Ali Partovi, President Hadi Partovi and CTO Nat Brown.
This trio of executives could be an asset to MySpace as the company tries to turn around its fortunes. All three are seasoned entrepreneurs who have held executive positions at startups and Fortune 100 companies.
Before iLike, Ali Partovi founded and sold LinkExchange to Microsoft, and Hadi Partovi...
Fri, 21 Aug 09
Google Tests New Chrome Browser
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68495
Nearly a year ago, Google introduced Chrome, an Internet browser that aims to take on Microsoft, Apple and Mozilla with a faster way to surf the Web.
Chrome sports a minimalist design, like the Google home page. The idea: Take away some of the fat and offer less clutter to make Web pages zip open. Since its debut, Chrome has evolved into a customizable entity, much like Google's Gmail. New "skins," for instance, let you personalize the look.
"We spend more time with our browsers than we do in our cars," says Brian Rakowski, a Google product manager. "It's nice to shine light on how important the browser choice is, and to offer new alternatives."
Google says Chrome has attracted more than 30 million users. That may sound large, but in the Internet world of more than 1 billion active users, it's actually quite meager, says David Yoffie, a Harvard University professor. "It's hard to get people to switch browsers."
Chrome has gained acclaim for speed but hasn't been able to dent Microsoft's hold on browser use. Microsoft's Internet Explorer has a 67 percent market share, compared with 22.4 percent for Mozilla's Firefox and just 2.5 percent for Chrome, according to measurement firm Net Applications.
To try to wean people from IE and Firefox, Google promotes Chrome on its sites and releases updates regularly. On Monday, Google began letting outside software developers experiment with a feature that syncs Web page bookmarks so they're accessible from any computer. It will show up in Chrome later this year.
This comes on top of an update earlier this month that ratcheted up the speed even more. Google says Chrome is now 35 percent faster than the previous version, which itself was 50 percent faster than the initial Chrome debut.
The new version is offered as a beta, or test. (Go...
Fri, 21 Aug 09
Scientists Make Breakthrough in Quantum Computing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68492
Scientists from northern Italian University of Trento confirmed on Tuesday that they have taken a major step forward in the development of super-fast quantum computers.
Quantum computers rely on the properties of sub-atomic particles to relay information and perform calculations using units of information called "qubits."
Unlike bits used in conventional computing, which can only represent one of two possible values, qubits can represent up to four, allowing for vastly reduced computing time.
The electrons used to convey information in quantum computing travel inside particles called quantum bits which, however, are easily scrambled by outside interference.
Professor Iacopo Carusotto, a physicist with the Bec-Infm center who also teaches at the University of Trento, said the solution to quantum bit interference is to polarize them so that they spin in the same direction.
Carusotto compared the technique to eliminating obnoxious background noise that prevented a person from concentrating.
"It's a bit like giving a regular, constant rhythm to a pair of maracas that were shaking out of control. This way, the 'noise' becomes acceptable for the electrons, which don't get confused and can work more efficiently."
The technique was developed by researchers at the Bec-Infm Research and Development Center, a physics laboratory at the University of Trento, working together with an international team of physicists from around the world.
Their findings were published in the Aug. 16 issue of Nature Physics, a leading scientific journal focusing on applied physics.
Fri, 21 Aug 09
Tips for Choosing Secure Passwords
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68491
The Internet makes it possible to check our bank balances at midnight or talk to a friend across the globe via Twitter. But the explosion in high-tech tools also means we need a passel of passwords -- and strong ones at that, because hackers get more sophisticated all the time.
If you're still logging in to all your accounts with your kid's name or your birthday as a password, CJ Romberger and Michael Fertik have some alternatives that will help keep your accounts safer.
Romberger is the founder and co-owner of Wildwood Interactive, an Internet, database and software company. She's known as Gadget Girl and writes a column of the same name for austinwoman magazine.
Michael Fertik is the CEO of reputationdefender.com, a Silicon Valley-based business that offers services to help protect your reputation and privacy online.
-- The longer your password, the more secure it is. Eight to 10 characters is a good range, Romberger says.
-- If a word is in the dictionary, it shouldn't be part of your password, Fertik and Romberger agree. Hackers can run programs that repeatedly try to log in to your account using words from the dictionary.
-- Fertik and Romberger also say to avoid the names of your spouse, child or pet in your passwords. With many of us revealing so many details of our lives on social media, these details are easier than ever for a hacker to figure out.
The availability of this information also makes it easier for hackers to guess your security question and reset your e-mail password.
-- Your user name shouldn't also be part of your password, Romberger says, and Fertik points out that you should also avoid your nicknames or variations on your own name, such as adding an extra letter ("Michaell").
-- So how can you create a secure password that's still memorable?...
Fri, 21 Aug 09
Washington Post Scrapping 'Hyperlocal' Web Site
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68489
In its latest cost-cutting move, The Washington Post's owner is scrapping an experimental Web site that provided more news coverage about events happening around the neighborhoods of a Virginia suburb.
LoudounExtra.com will be shut down as an independent Web site this Friday, with some features moving to WashingtonPost.com. The site was focused on Loudoun County, Va. -- an area located about 25 miles from Washington, D.C.
The decision announced Tuesday comes as Washington Post Co. is trying to cut losses in its slumping newspaper division. Although the company remains profitable as whole, its newspaper operations lost $143 million through the first half of this year.
Like most newspaper publishers, the Post has been hard hit by a sharp drop in advertising as more readers and marketing budgets shift to the Internet.
With the Internet turning news into a free commodity, the Post and other publishers have been trying to serve up more content that can't be easily found anywhere else. The push has spawned so-called sites like LoudounExtra that provided information traditionally considered too parochial for daily newspapers in major metropolitan areas.
It's still unclear whether this so-called "hyperlocal" approach can generate enough revenue to justify the additional overhead.
Instead of operating a separate Web site, the Post has decided it makes more sense to blend LoudounExtra with the rest of the newspaper's county-specific coverage.
"We are still dedicated to maintaining a high level of coverage of the counties surrounding Washington, D.C.," Post spokeswoman Kris Coratti wrote in a Tuesday e-mail.
Financial pressures led to the closure of another hyperlocal news service called BackFence in 2007.
Meanwhile, other media outlets are upping the hyperlocal ante.
The joint venture that runs MSNBC.com said Monday that it will pay an undisclosed amount to acquire EveryBlock, a Chicago-based news service that zeros in on 15 U.S. communities. In June, AOL bought two hyperlocal...
Fri, 21 Aug 09
Sluggish PC, Ink Sales Hurt HP; Results Still Beat Street
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68486
Hewlett-Packard Co.'s 19 percent drop in quarterly profit shows that the company still relies heavily on printer ink and the troubled personal computer market, despite the aggressive transformation it's undertaking to branch out and encroach more on rival IBM Corp.'s turf.
IBM, which ditched its PC division as part of a major facelift over the past 15 years, now makes most of its money from software and services. With its $13.9 billion acquisition last year of technology services company Electronic Data Systems, HP now too is heavily invested in services -- they are its biggest revenue and profit generator.
But HP's latest quarterly numbers, reported Tuesday after the market closed, show the companies are still very different.
HP's profit dropped in large part due to ongoing weakness in sales of PCs and printer ink -- two areas IBM isn't in. Still, HP edged past Wall Street's profit and sales forecasts -- something CEO Mark Hurd has done most quarters in his 4 1/2 years at HP's helm.
Expectations were high going into Tuesday's report: HP's stock has risen 75 percent since March. Although the results edged out analysts' estimates, investors sent shares down 96 cents, or 2.2 percent, to $43 in extended trading. The stock closed Tuesday's regular session up 85 cents, or 2 percent, at $43.96.
The numbers were good and "the guidance is a relief," said Jayson Noland, an analyst with Robert W. Baird & Co. "Their commentary though is what I would focus on: conditions are stabilizing, and some of the cyclical businesses should show a rebound next year."
But HP offered "no big surprises, ho hum," he added. "I don't expect the stock to do much one way or the other. (The stock) has been very strong."
Ink has long been HP's cash cow, but is coming under pressure from generic, cheaper brands....
Fri, 21 Aug 09
Shadow Complex a Triumph of Classic Game Design
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68485
What's a gamer to do in the summer, when so few high-profile retail titles are released? I look for new challenges to download -- and most of those are going onto my Xbox 360. It remains the essential machine for gamers who don't want to leave home.
Microsoft's Xbox Live has just launched a Games on Demand service, which lets you download older hits like "BioShock" and "Burnout Paradise" directly to your hard drive. It now has an Indie Games section filled with low-priced experiments in innovative play. And the prime-time game show "1 vs. 100" has become a smash, drawing as many as 445,000 players in one night.
But Xbox Live Arcade is still the core of Microsoft's online strategy, as demonstrated by its second annual "Summer of Arcade" promotion. This year's releases have been a mixed bag: I enjoyed the goofy platformer "'Splosion Man" and the motorcycle racer "Trials HD," but could have done without the high-def remakes of "Marvel vs. Capcom 2" and "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Turtles in Time."
Microsoft saved the best for last, though. "Shadow Complex," the final entry in "Summer of Arcade 2009," is one of the finest games of the year.
This $15 adventure hearkens back to beloved 1990s games like "Super Metroid" and "Castlevania: Symphony of the Night." They're what we called "2-D side-scrollers": You could move up, down, left or right, with the screen scrolling to follow your character. ("Shadow Complex" is really "2.5-D": The settings have three dimensions, but you can only move in two.)
Your character is a hiker named Jason Fleming, who, with his girlfriend, stumbles across a massive paramilitary complex in the mountains. Your sweetie is taken hostage, so you have to storm the facility -- armed only with a flashlight.
Of course, you'll quickly discover more lethal weapons, starting with a...
Thu, 20 Aug 09
Redesigned and Cheaper PS3 May Be Too Late for Sony
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68503
Sony unveiled a new PlayStation 3 video-game console Wednesday with a slimmer form factor, a 120GB hard drive and a price that's more competitive with the Nintendo Wii and Microsoft Xbox 360. The new model is called the PS3 Slim.
The smaller PS3 is expected to be available Sept. 1 with a retail price of $299, and Sony said new game titles will roll out in time for the holiday shopping season. Analysts said a cheaper PS3 is the right strategy at this stage in the console's life cycle, but some suggested it may be too late for Sony to launch a comeback.
"Price was a big inhibitor for the PS3," said Michael Cai, a video-game analyst at Interpret. "Initially, Blu-ray was a driving force for PS3 sales because a lot of consumers were looking at this feature. But as the prices of stand-alone Blu-ray players continue to drop, that part of the appeal is diminishing a little bit. It was time for Sony to drop the price."
Sony's lower price results from a redesign of its components, from the main semiconductors and power supply to the cooling mechanism. The console itself has been completely redesigned with a slimmer and lighter body. The internal volume, thickness and weight have been trimmed to approximately two-thirds of the original 60GB PS3. Sony said power consumption has also been cut to two-thirds, which helps reduce fan noise.
The PS3 Slim offers the same feature set as the current PS3s, including a Blu-ray player and the ability to download content from the PlayStation Network. The new PS3 Slim's hard drive has been boosted from 80GB to 120GB for more storage.
With more capacity, the same core features, and a lower price, Cai said Sony should be able to drive more PS3 sales after a poor showing...
Thu, 20 Aug 09
Appeal Seeks To Keep Microsoft Word on Store Shelves
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68501
Microsoft has filed an emergency motion to suspend a judicial proceeding that resulted in a fine of more than $290 million. The move, although not unusual in patent-infringement cases, may save the company from having Microsoft Word pulled off store shelves.
The software giant filed a motion Wednesday to stay a permanent injunction set forth by a U.S. District Court in Eastern Texas. On Aug. 12, Judge Leonard Davis ruled Microsoft was infringing on patents allegedly owned by i4i, a Toronto, Canada-based technology company, for custom XML in Word 2003 and Word 2007.
As a result, Microsoft was ordered to pay in excess of $290 million and was issued a permanent injunction for the "449 patent." The judge ruled that Microsoft willfully infringed on the patent and permanently enjoined Microsoft from selling Word 2003 and Word 2007 in the United States and using any infringing future Word products to open an XML file containing custom XML.
With its motion for a stay, Micrsoft is hoping to get the injuction against selling Word lifted while the case is being appealed.
At the heart of the debate is the technology used in Word. Typically a document in a computer program has two distinct parts, the content (the text the user creates) and the structure (the coding). Specifically, i4i said it developed and patented a method for separating markup tags from content when creating a formatted file that uses custom XML.
The injunction stems from i4i's lawsuit filed in March 2007 in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas -- a court considered a haven for small businesses that sue larger technology companies for patent infringement.
Microsoft, however, continues to dismiss i4i's claim and is now fighting the court ruling. The software giant filed a motion with the Court of Appeals on Tuesday for an...
Thu, 20 Aug 09
Indictment of Card Hacker Unlikely To End Thefts
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68488
This week's indictment of a hacker believed responsible for the biggest retail-store data breaches in U.S. history doesn't necessarily make shoppers safer from having their credit card numbers plundered.
Accomplices to the crimes are believed to be on the loose in Russia or other countries where U.S. authorities are less likely to get them. And the underlying security holes mined by the hackers still exist in many payment networks.
Albert Gonzalez, a Miami hacker who once worked as a government mole tracking down identity thieves, is accused of playing a critical role in all the largest credit-card heists on record.
With Monday's indictment of Gonzalez on conspiracy charges in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, the Justice Department says he helped steal 130 million card numbers from payment processor Heartland Payment Systems, 4.2 million card numbers from East Coast grocery chain Hannaford Bros. and an undetermined number of cards from 7-Eleven. He was previously charged in other computer break-ins, most significantly at TJX Cos., the chain that owns discount retailers T.J. Maxx and Marshalls, in which as many as 100 million accounts were lifted.
Gonzalez is in jail and awaiting trial next month in New York for allegedly helping to hack the computer network of the Dave and Buster's restaurant chain. Attorneys for Gonzalez did not comment to The Associated Press.
The fact that hundreds of millions of card numbers could be stolen from retailers illustrates the flaws in a payment system that's built more for speed than security, as an Associated Press investigation found this year. For instance, credit and debit card numbers are not always encrypted as they move from retail stores to banks for approval.
Consumers don't directly pay the costs of most fraud. Banks and retailers eat those charges. But consumers bear it indirectly, in the form of higher prices.
According to prosecutors,...
Thu, 20 Aug 09
Logitech Technology Ends Mouse-on-Glass Problem
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68482
Makers of glass tables or highly polished desks don't worry about the traction of computer mice with laser beams, but computer users know the problem. Now new mouse-tracking technology from Logitech promises to make the mouse-on-glass issue a thing of the past.
The Logitech Darkfield Laser Tracking technology, announced Tuesday, allows the company's mouse products to be used "virtually anywhere you want," including on clear glass -- at least four millimeters thick -- or on any high-gloss surface.
The new technology is available in either the Logitech Performance Mouse, a full-sized unit, or the compact Anywhere Mouse, for use with notebooks.
The Fremont, Calif.-based company said its research shows that 40 percent of people have a glass surface at home, but glass is only part of a slippery problem. Other highly polished surfaces, such as granite or lacquered wood, can also make a computer mouse lose its bearings.
Rory Dooley, senior vice president at Logitech's Control Devices unit, said "until now, no mouse has been able to match" the flexibility that laptops afford -- the ability to compute anywhere, anytime.
Ordinary laser tracking needs to detect textural details on a surface, Logitech said. The more the irregularities, the easier to identify reference points so the laser can accurately measure motion. But high-gloss surfaces don't offer many irregularities.
Enter the Darkfield technology. It uses dark-field microscopy that can detect and track microscopic particles and micro-scratches on top of a surface, rather than the surface itself. In other words, dust and scratches now have some value. They are used by a Darkfield mouse to track exactly where it has moved.
Logitech said both mice models with the new technology feature its hyper-fast scrolling, as well as click-to-click mode for more precision in going through lists, slideshows or photos.
Laura DiDio, an...
Thu, 20 Aug 09
China Is a Familiar Market as Dell Targets Smartphone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68481
For all the rumors and speculation about Dell's entry into the smartphone market in China, there's an unexplored angle: Why would Dell choose China as the entry point for a new wireless product line?
Dell has acknowledged that it is working with China Mobile, that country's largest mobile-phone carrier. The computer maker displayed a mini3i handset prototype at a China Mobile event in Beijing on Monday.
If Dell moves forward, it would be the latest electronics maker to enter the smartphone market in China, following in the footsteps of Apple. Dell would face stiff competition from Apple, Research in Motion, and Palm, among others.
Consider the statistics. According to IDC, 157 million smartphones were sold worldwide last year, up 26.9 percent from 2007. What's more, IDC predicts smartphone shipments will nearly double to 301 million by 2012.
By contrast, the PC market that Dell dominates is struggling in the face of a global recession. In the fourth quarter, PC shipments slid 0.4 percent from the year-ago period, according to IDC. But the question remains: Why China?
Dell has been doing business in China for 10 years. When the company celebrated this milestone last fall, it offered some market data points that may offer insight into its move to launch an Android-based smartphone there.
Among its market data, Dell pointed to research suggesting the rapid growth of PC and Internet usage in China. China's Internet population witnessed about 43 million new users since 2007 -- and that data is six months old. On the PC front, China ranked third in 2006 with 54 million users, but that number is expected to reach 547 million by 2015. That's nearly double the expected number of users in the United States.
Every major tech company has its sights set on China, but Dell is winning there now and...
Thu, 20 Aug 09
Cell Phones Problematic for 911 Emergency System
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68467
Darlene Dukes struggled to speak as she called 911 from her cell phone. She could barely tell the operator her address: 602 Wales Drive.
The operator, trying to understand Dukes, sent an ambulance to Wells Street in Atlanta -- 28 miles from Dukes' apartment in Johns Creek, a suburb north of the city.
Paramedics finally reached the stricken woman almost an hour after her call on Aug. 2, 2008. They were too late. Forty minutes after arriving at the hospital, Dukes, 39, the mother of two boys, died of a blood clot in her lungs.
That cell phone call was critical. If Dukes had called from a land-line telephone, her address would have immediately popped up on the 911 operator's screen, leaving no room for confusion.
Dukes' case is like many others across the nation. For the millions of Americans giving up their landlines in favor of cell phones, dialing 911 may no longer mean a quick response. It can lead to misrouted calls, delayed information about the location of the caller and, most important, a slower emergency response.
"Lots of people are dying each year," says David Aylward, director of Comcare Emergency Response Alliance, a non-profit advocacy group. "We're sending in responders where they don't know information about the person they are responding to. We're sending them in looking for someone when they should know where they are exactly."
The nation's 911 emergency response system, built in 1967, was based on the expectation that calls for help would come from land-line telephones, says Paul Linnee, a consultant for emergency communications. Now, with more people using cell phones exclusively, calls that bounce from tower to tower pose significant challenges.
Cell phone users "almost assume that they are going to be located -- and that's not a fair assumption," says Brian Fontes, CEO of...
Thu, 20 Aug 09
Can the Apple Touch Sell the Tablet?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68464
Apple may be at the forefront of a renewed effort to bring back the tablet. Electronics manufacturers across the tech landscape are hard at work on their own versions of these flat-screen computers that let users input information via touchscreen rather than keyboard.
"There's no hotter topic [than tablets] in Asia right now," says Richard Doherty, a director at market researcher Envisioneering Group, who says Apple has developed prototypes of two different tablet machines -- one that resembles a large-sized iPod and boasts a 6-inch screen, and another that features a larger display. Apple may launch one or both devices as early as September, Doherty says. A decision on whether and when Apple takes the tablet plunge lies with Apple CEO Steve Jobs, Doherty says.
Regardless of what Jobs decides, tablets are in the works elsewhere, including at Nokia, the world's largest maker of cell phones, and TechCrunch, a popular tech blog and information provider. Electronics makers Archos and Asus began selling new tablets earlier this year. And industry analysts say other makers of PCs, cell phones, and consumer electronics are quietly designing tablets aimed at mainstream consumers.
All these tablet hopefuls hope to succeed in an area where many tech titans have stumbled. Tablets have taken off in narrow niches, such as construction and nursing. Motion Computing makes a rugged touchscreen device that can be dropped and sanitized; it goes for more than $2,000 a pop.
But several other tech stalwarts, including Microsoft, have failed to generate widespread enthusiasm for tablets. Sony and Fujitsu released tablets in years past, only to phase them out later. In some cases, the devices were too expensive; in others they were awkward to handle. "Price was part of the story, and it wasn't quite so elegantly done," says Roger Kay, founder of consultant Endpoint Technologies Associates. Last...
Thu, 20 Aug 09
Short Web Address Sites Form Link-Archiving Group
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68463
The growing popularity of Web-address shortening services like bit.ly creates the potential for a bevy of broken links should one of the providers suddenly cease operations.
Those providers are now teaming up with data aggregation and syndication services company Gnip Inc. to form a system for archiving link data. That way, the links would keep working, even if the shortening service itself doesn't.
The development comes less than a week after link snipper tr.im decided to cease operations -- though it later reversed course.
These services convert super-long Web addresses into a handful of characters. That helps prevent those addresses from breaking into multiple lines when used in e-mails, news stories and other places. It also helps users stay within the 140-character limit on Twitter.
Called 301works -- 301 is the server code for a redirect -- the service is expected to launch in several weeks, Gnip said. Members will periodically submit lists of the original Web addresses that users shorten through their sites, along with the corresponding shrunken links they create, so the information can be stored.
Boulder, Colo.-based Gnip is footing the bill for now, and it will run and manage it. Participants are going to pick a nonprofit organization to manage the directory in the long term, Gnip said.
Shane Pearson, Gnip's vice president of products, said some participants will make their data publicly available, while others will just use 301works to archive their data. Group members are still discussing what should happen if a participant's site closes, he said.
Bit.ly, Twitter's default link shortener, is participating, along with Cligs, URLizer, urlShort and several others. Tr.im has not yet decided if it will join, Woodward said.
When it closed, tr.im cited the high costs required to keep it running, and said links trimmed through it would still work until the end of the year. It...
Thu, 20 Aug 09
EU To Research Ultra-High-Speed Mobile Internet
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68459
The European Commission (EC) said Tuesday it will allocate 18 million euros (25 million U.S. dollars) to boost next generation 4G mobile networks.
The funding is used for research on the Long Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced technology that will offer mobile Internet speeds up to a hundred times faster than current 3G networks, the EC said.
The EC said it made the investment decision last month, and the new projects are expected to start in January 2010.
LTE is the latest wireless technology, providing mobile Internet speeds of up to 100 megabits per second, 10 times faster than 3G mobile networks.
LTE Advanced, the enhanced version of LTE, will propel mobile broadband speeds up to 1 gigabit per second, allowing users to fully benefit from sophisticated online services such as high quality TV or video on demand.
"LTE technologies will turn mobile phones into powerful mobile computers. Millions of new users will get ultra high-speed Internet access on their portable devices wherever they are. This will create tremendous opportunities and plenty of space for growing the digital economy," said EU Telecoms Commissioner Viviane Reding.
Leading mobile operators and manufacturers around the world have already been committed to using the LTE standard. By 2013, operators worldwide are expected to invest nearly 6 billion euros (8.45 billion dollars) in LTE equipment, according to market analysts.
LTE is currently being trialed by mobile operators in Britain, Finland, Germany, Norway, Spain and Sweden and is expected to be commercially available in Sweden and Norway in the first half of 2010.
Thu, 20 Aug 09
Bing Rings Up Search Gains, Dinging Google, Yahoo
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68456
Microsoft Corp.'s souped-up Internet search engine gained a little more ground on industry leaders Google Inc. and Yahoo Inc. in July, according to data released late Monday.
Despite the progress, Microsoft's search engine still remains a distant third in the United States - the main reason that the world's largest software maker plans to team up with Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Yahoo next year.
By working together in online search, Microsoft and Yahoo are betting that they can pose a more serious threat to Google in the most lucrative part of the Internet advertising market.
Microsoft's search engine - renamed Bing as part of a June overhaul - ended July with a 8.9 percent share in the United States, up from 8.4 percent in the previous month, according to comScore Inc. Just before Bing's debut, Microsoft's search market share stood at 8 percent.
Google retained a commanding U.S. lead at 64.7 percent through July, down from 65 percent in June, comScore said. Yahoo's market share dipped to 19.3 percent in July from 19.6 percent in June.
Microsoft shares fell 44 cents, or 1.9 percent, to close Monday at $23.25. Google shares shed $15.11, or 3.3 percent, to finish at $444.89 while Yahoo shares closed at $14.56, down 48 cents, or 3.2 percent.
Bing attracted 29 million more search requests in July than it did in June, a 2.4 percent increase to 1.21 billion, comScore said.
The relatively modest gains haven't come cheaply for Microsoft. The Redmond, Wash.-based company is spending $100 million to promote Bing, adding to the billions that it has already invested in a mostly fruitless pursuit of Google.
In its last two fiscal years, Microsoft's online division lost a total of $3.5 billion. Meanwhile, Mountain View, Calif.-based Google has emerged as a bigger threat to Microsoft by mining ever...
Thu, 20 Aug 09
Hacker Used Twitter To Control Infected PCs
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68438
Twitter's been having a rough couple of weeks.
A researcher looking into the attacks that knocked Twitter offline last week discovered another, unrelated security problem.
At least one criminal was using a Twitter account to control a network of a couple hundred infected personal computers, mostly in Brazil. Networks of infected PCs are referred to as "botnets" and are responsible for so much of the mayhem online, from identity theft to spamming to the types of attacks that crippled Twitter.
Jose Nazario with Arbor Networks said he found a Twitter account that was used to send out what looked like garbled messages. But they were actually commands for computers in a botnet to visit malicious Web sites, where they download programs that steal banking passwords.
The affected Twitter account was taken down. Twitter didn't immediately respond to e-mails for comment.
Nazario said what appeared to be the same person was doing the same thing on an account with a Google Inc. service called Jaiku, which is similar to Twitter.
Google said the affected account was shut down.
The technique Nazario described isn't sophisticated, and a couple hundred infected computers is small when some botnets contain hundreds of thousands of infected PCs.
But it shows how criminals are finding inventive ways to exploit legitimate social networking services to help with their dirty work. One reason social networks are an attractive target for crooks is because their content is hard to monitor, and because people click on lots of links inside their accounts, which is a key way computer infections are spread.
"I wouldn't call it rocket science, but it's effective," Nazario said. "This is the problem with free social media that people need to be aware of."
The revelation comes on the heels of a destructive "denial-of-service" attack that brought down Twitter at stretches last week. Those attacks appear to have...
Wed, 19 Aug 09
Exchange 2010 Download Problems Reported Fixed
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68480
Microsoft acknowledged problems Tuesday morning with downloading its Exchange Server 2010 Release Candidate. The software giant was working on the problem for TechNet members, and the links were reported working Tuesday afternoon.
The problem was reported just days after Microsoft made available the release-to-manufacturing version of Windows Server 2008 for TechNet and MSDN subscribers. Because it's only available in 64-bit editions for x64 and Itanium processors, Virtual Server 2005 R2 cannot be used as a test platform.
According to Gerod Serafin, writing on a TechNet blog, Exchange Server 2010 Release Candidate co-exists with Exchange 2003 and 2007. But using it with Exchange 2007 requires the Exchange 2007 SP2, which is expected to be released later this month.
Serafin also wrote that Exchange Server 2010 RC can be installed on Windows 2008 SP2 or Windows 2008 R2. He added that those who install the Exchange RC version will be able to do an in-place upgrade to the final version.in
Some new features of Exchange 2010 include rights-protected e-mail, a new messaging policy, a Web management interface, and new administration functions.
Wed, 19 Aug 09
Bookmark Synchronization Added To Chrome 4.0
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68479
Google said it has compiled a new software library to synchronize browser data in the cloud. It also said it has developed the server infrastructure for synchronizing the data to the Google accounts of Chrome browser users.
The twin developments enabled Google to add bookmark sync to the developer-channel build of its Chrome 4.0 browser on Monday. The technology promises to eventually give Web surfers easy access to their personalized resources across multiple computers.
"Many users have several machines, one at home and one at work, for example," said Tim Steele, a software engineer working on Google Chrome. "This new feature makes it easy to keep the same set of bookmarks on all your machines, and stores them alongside your Google Docs for easy Web access."
Once a user has set up sync using the browser's Tools menu, Chrome will then upload and store personalized bookmarks in the user's Google account. Thereafter, any time the user adds or changes a bookmark, the changes will be sent to the cloud and immediately broadcast to all other computers for which the user has activated bookmark sync, Steele said.
According to Google, the open-source code uses the same XMPP technology as Google Talk. The original aim of this open, XML-based protocol was to enable near-real-time, extensible instant messaging and presence information, but more recently it was extended to include Voice over IP and file-transfer signaling capabilities.
Right now Google's bookmark sync technology is only available to developers working on the Chrome 4.0 build, and there's no word about when it might be available to the public. But when it does reach mainstream users, it appears that Google will have some competition.
Xmarks says its browser add-on for bookmark sync, which is compatible with the Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari browsers, has already had...
Wed, 19 Aug 09
Google Search Again Scores Highest in Satisfaction
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68477
Google continues to put smiles on people's faces, the American Consumer Satisfaction Index 2009 e-Business report shows. For the second consecutive year, Google's search service scored the highest in consumer satisfaction, according to the ACSI, which measures customers' satisfaction with portals, search engines, and news and information Web sites.
The Internet search giant scored 86 percent, according to the 2009 survey by ForeSee Results and the University of Michigan released Tuesday. Google's score, based on a 100-point scale, is nine points higher than rival Yahoo, which scored 77.
"Google is unquestionably king of search, so the only competition is for second place," said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee.
"In general we approach everything that we do by putting users first and we are constantly testing and experimenting things and soliciting user input," said Gabriel Stricker, a Google spokesperson. "Ultimately we have always said we want to create products and features that delight our users."
"Whenever we get feedback, both individual and on a broader basis, when users are saying we love what you do, that definitely is a signal that we are on the right track," he added.
While Google scored highest in comparison to competitors Yahoo, Ask.com and MSN, its score didn't increase from last year's score, also 86 percent.
ACSI's results were calculated before Microsoft's decision engine, Bing, entered the market. Bing, since its release in June, has been well accepted by users, has scored high marks, and has taken some search-market share from Yahoo and Google, according to research companies StatCounter and comScore.
In June, Google had 66.1 percent of the search market. By July, after Bing was released, that percentage dropped to 64.8 percent, according to StatCounter.
Still, Google's head start and large market share may be too much for Bing, observers say.
"Google's customers...
Wed, 19 Aug 09
PlayStation 3 Slim Is on the Way with a Lower Price
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68474
A smaller, cheaper Sony PlayStation 3 is coming in September. The PS3 Slim will have a starting price of $299, Sony said Tuesday.
Both Kmart.com and Sears.com have been promoting pre-orders of the PS3 Slim, and clicking the "pre-order" button takes the visitor straight to the shopping cart. The 80GB PS3 was priced at $399 and the 160GB PS3 at $499, but retailers have been lowering prices.
The long-rumored and thinner PS3 Slim video-game console is about a third smaller than the original PS3. Few details were immediately available after the unexpected confirmation from Sony.
"We've heard rumors about a lower-cost PS3 seemingly forever," said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. "It isn't so much the notion of slimmer, but the notion of cheaper that becomes more important and helps Sony position itself as less expensive than previous versions."
On Tuesday morning, before the announcement from Sony, Kmart's home page reportedly featured a rotating banner of the console, suggesting "The Rumors Are Reality: New Low Price & A New Exciting PlayStation 3." The image showed a slimmer PS3 and two controls, but the image disappeared Tuesday afternoon.
"What exactly consumers will be getting for their money and what, if anything, they have to give up remains to be seen. We have to wait and see what the hard-drive capacity is," Gartenberg said.
"You know it's going to have a Blu-ray player. That's an integral part of the PS3 experience. A lower price may also be a question of what Sony's been able to do through integration and economies of scale that drive price points down."
According to iSuppli estimates, it cost Sony $840 to build the original 60GB PS3 -- without packaging or controls. Sony debuted the console with a $599 price in 2006 and has been dropping its prices to compete...
Wed, 19 Aug 09
Palm Invites Developers To Submit webOS Applications
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68471
Palm on Tuesday opened its application store to developers. The handset maker is inviting developers who want to charge for their webOS applications to submit them for consideration in the Palm App Catalog beta program that begins in mid-September.
Palm will hand-pick developers to participate in the beta program and give them the opportunity to feature their applications -- both free and paid -- in the catalog before it opens the door to all developers. The chosen developers would become the first to make money from webOS applications.
"We're rolling out the submission process and e-commerce capabilities of the Palm App Catalog with careful consideration for both the developer and customer," said Katie Mitic, senior vice president of product marketing at Palm. "We want every part of the Palm webOS experience to be the best, and a strong e-commerce model is key to a thriving developer community, great apps, and an excellent customer experience."
Developers will receive 70 percent of the revenue from the sale of webOS applications, with Palm keeping 30 percent. Palm customers will be able to purchase applications with Visa or MasterCard. Palm is mum on additional details, but said it plans to launch the full developer program in the U.S. this fall. Palm shares were up 3.9 percent in Tuesday morning trading.
Palm's program is an important next step in the evolution of its App Catalog, according to Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. "You not only want to have a store -- the store is great -- but at the same point you also want to have an opportunity for developers to make money from their applications, which many of them think is even better," he said. "The fact that they are getting this out there in a timely manner is important, and that's going...
Wed, 19 Aug 09
China Mobile Will Release Dell's 2G Smartphone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68457
Computer maker Dell is getting into the smartphone business with the mini3i handset for China Mobile. The phone will support applications, such as music and games, from that carrier's online store.
The Round Rock, Texas, company has acknowledged that it is helping China Mobile to create "a more personalized Internet experience," according to a report in Tuesday's Wall Street Journal. No other details about the mini3i's price or features were available.
Dell has been working to create a broader line of consumer products following ventures into PDAs, portable music devices, and other products. Smartphone sales grew 27 percent in the last quarter, while computer sales, except in netbooks, sagged. But the mini3i hasn't been promoted by Dell, although it was included in an announcement by China Mobile.
While a touchscreen device, the mini3i isn't exactly burning up the spec sheets. At a time when many smartphones are touting support for Wi-Fi or 3G, and as 4G networks are being built and tested, the mini3i supports only 2G networks.
Dell showed some prototypes of phones earlier this week, said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret, adding that the company has told news media and analysts that the mini3i is only "a proof of concept mobile-device prototype."
Gartenberg noted that, while Dell has been working to get into the smartphone business, "it is interesting that it is pursuing the China market before the U.S."
But, he said, it's not surprising that Dell is underplaying this 2G device, which sports "some customized version" of the Android operating system. "It's hard to imagine Dell or anyone else in the world wanting to bring a 2G device into the U.S. market," he said.
Dell's efforts to move into the mobile market have been highlighted by the hiring in 2007 of former Motorola executive Ron Garriques to...
Wed, 19 Aug 09
Broadband Stimulus and the Underserved
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68440
Christopher Vein, chief information officer of the city of San Francisco, has some inventive ways to bring high-speed Internet access to areas of the city barely reached by broadband. He's marshaled donated PCs and equipment and tapped excess capacity on the city's fiber-optic network to give inner-city residents a fast connection to the Web and bring state-of-the-art health care to a clinic in one of San Francisco's least privileged neighborhoods. In many ways, Vein is just getting warmed up; he has even bigger plans.
But as outsize as his ambitions may be, Vein won't be in line for one of the government's grandest plans for bringing broadband into underserved parts of the country. At least for now, San Francisco is holding off on applying for a grant under the federal government's $4.7 billion Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, designed to encourage broadband development around the country.
It's not that Vein doesn't want the money, or couldn't put it to good use. But as written, the rules governing the grants are stacked against cities like San Francisco, even though urban areas are among the places least reached by broadband and most in need of efforts like the one under way.
"I don't want to be seen as criticizing the Administration's efforts on the broadband problem around the country," Vein says. "I applaud its efforts. But the rules are written in such a way that it's difficult for a city like San Francisco to meet the requirements." An Aug. 14 deadline for applicants for the first wave of funds was extended by six days after technical glitches snagged the application process.
To qualify for funding, applicants need to prove they're catering to an "underserved" area. Yet the National Telecommunications & Information Administration [NTIA], which is overseeing the program, defines underserved as one where at least half of...
Wed, 19 Aug 09
Phones, PCs Put E-Book Within Reach of Kindle-less
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68436
A few weeks ago, Pasquale Castaldo was waiting at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport for a delayed flight, when a man sitting across from him pulled out an Amazon Kindle book-reading device.
"Gee, maybe I should think about e-books myself," Castaldo thought.
He didn't have a Kindle, but he did have a BlackBerry. He pulled it out and looked for available applications. Sure enough, Barnes & Noble Inc. had just put up an e-reading program. Castaldo, 54, downloaded it, and within a minute, began reading Jane Austen's "Pride and Prejudice."
As others are also discovering, the North Haven, Conn., banker found e-books quite accessible without a Kindle.
"The BlackBerry is always with me," Castaldo said. "Rather than just sitting there, if I can fill that time by reading a good book, I might do that, in addition to doing the other things I might do, like reading e-mail and Twittering."
Thanks to Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle, e-book sales are finally zooming, after more than a decade in the doldrums.
But the pioneering device may not dominate the market for long. As Castaldo found, many phones are now sophisticated enough, and have good enough screens, to be used as e-book reading devices. In addition, e-book reading on computers is already surprisingly popular.
E-book sales reported to the Association of American Publishers have been rising sharply since the beginning of 2008, just after the release of the Kindle. It's the best sustained growth the industry has seen since the International Digital Publishing Forum began tracking sales in 2002 -- a sign that e-books finally could be about to break into the mainstream.
U.S. trade e-book sales in the April to June period this year more than tripled from the amount a year ago, as reported by about a dozen publishers.
Total reported sales at wholesale prices were $37.6 million. That's less than 2...
Wed, 19 Aug 09
Faster, More Secure: Switching to Windows 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68432
Windows 7 won't be available in stores until October 22, but Microsoft has already announced various pre-ordering options for the replacement to Vista. To lure users into making the jump, the company is promising that anyone who buys a new computer now with Windows Vista versions Home Premium, Business, or Ultimate will receive a copy of Windows 7 in the fall. The offer is valid until January 31, 2010.
Those interested in acquiring the upgrades must buy a computer during the promotion from a manufacturer participating in the upgrade program. Purchasers must register online with the PC's manufacturer to take advantage of the upgrade option. Customers must also be prepared to pay a processing fee of around $30.
Users should be aware that Windows 7, including the "upgrade" versions, cannot be installed over an existing Windows Vista system. "A complete new installation of the operating system is required," says Niels Held from Germany's Chip magazine. Microsoft requires that step to meet the legal requirements placed upon it to ship Windows 7 packages without Internet Explorer pre-installed. Users are advised to back up their data before installation.
Held sees no good reason to wait to make the switch. "The operating system has been subjected to long and extensive testing," he says. Windows 7 also offers firm benefits over its predecessor. The system runs significantly quicker than Windows Vista. It is also much better equipped with features and security functions.
Windows 7 is also less demanding in terms of hardware than its predecessor. "The new Windows runs without problems on devices a year or two old, faster than Windows Vista no less," Held says.
Microsoft is offering owners of older systems an affordable update program, as well: starting on July 15 and running through mid August, the Windows 7 Home Premium E operating system can be ordered...
Wed, 19 Aug 09
Reinstalling Windows: Get Things Working Again
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68431
Sooner or later, you're going to have to do it: reinstall the Windows operating system.
The reason, inevitably, will be that no amount of troubleshooting, uninstalling of applications, or reconfiguration of hardware will fix system instability, crashes, or lockups. Only a fresh installation will get things working the way they should.
But reinstalling Windows is no insignificant affair. You have precious files on your PC, applications configured just the way you like, and customizations that you probably forgot you made. So when the time comes, how should you proceed? Read on for some answers.
Q: It's time for me to reinstall Windows. Rather than reformatting my hard drive and installing from scratch, should I just try an "upgrade" installation over what I currently have?
A: Upgrading an existing version of Windows with the same version is possible, but it's generally not a good idea. The attraction to doing so is obvious: you hope that Windows will right itself by fixing any arcane settings that have become corrupt and your computer will operate as it should. In practice, however, reinstalling Windows over an existing installation will typically mix older files with ones that have been upgraded through Windows Update or through other means, and you could end up with conflicts that cause different problems than those that prompted you to want to reinstall Windows in the first place.
In addition, such reinstallations frequently simply do nothing to fix the underlying problems, which are frequently caused not by Windows itself but by some application or device driver that has caused Windows to become unresponsive or unstable. So if reinstallation is on your mind, you'll be better off in the long run by biting the bullet and doing a clean installation.
Q: If I do a fresh installation of Windows, what's the best way of retaining all of my...
Wed, 19 Aug 09
With Twitter, Remember To Think Twice, Tweet Once
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68430
Users of the social networking site Twitter should remember this axiom: Think twice, tweet once.
Unfortunately, many Twitterers believe, erroneously, that their posts are only visible to their followers. To the contrary: "The default setting on Twitter is to allow the entire world to view posts. But hardly anyone knows that," says Carsten Ulbricht, a lawyer and Web 2.0 expert from Germany.
One Chicago resident has even been hauled into court after she insulted her building's management company in a tweet.
Those wanting to limit access to their tweets to a more limited circle of users must change their profile settings. "I can set it to: Make my tweets visible only to my followers," Ulbricht explains. That also makes them invisible to search engines, says Juergen Kuri from Germany's c't computer magazine.
But even if the entries are limited only to followers, users are still advised to think twice about how they formulate things. In countries like Germany, for example, those posting tweets about third parties must distinguish between opinions and statements of fact.
"I can write 'The burgers at fast food joint X don't taste good to me' because that's my opinion," Ulbricht explains. More risky is publishing unsubstantiated information on the Internet, such as the claim that burgers from that restaurant contain insects.
"If you want to claim a fact, particular if it is detrimental to a company's business, then you have to be able to prove it," the lawyer says.
Wed, 19 Aug 09
Wireless Lockdown Catches FCC's Eye
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68417
Who should control wireless applications -- customers, carriers or handset makers?
That is the core question being considered by the Federal Communications Commission, which has asked Apple and AT&T, the iPhone's exclusive U.S. distributor, to explain why Google's free voice application, called "Google Voice," is banned from the device. The app allows consumers to use one Google-issued number for office, home and cell. It also blocks telemarketers, transcribes voice mail and offers unlimited free texting.
Google, which is trying to become a major player in wireless, also was asked to explain its business practices. Comments are due Aug. 21.
While Google Voice might have been the trigger, the FCC's mission is actually much loftier: making sure the mobile Web is an open, consumer-friendly environment like the Internet. What regulators don't want is for the mobile Web to follow in the footsteps of cable TV or traditional (voice) wireless, where operators tightly control the consumer experience.
The Apple-AT&T-Google dustup is the first shot in what is destined to become a global war among carriers, device makers and software developers, predicts Jagdish Rebello, principal analyst with iSuppli, a market research firm. With mobile applications red hot, Apple, Google and others "are trying to muscle in on the wireless carriers" for their share of the action.
The clash, he says, will result in "a dramatic shift for the global cell phone industry."
Profit is the driver. Global revenue for wireless data services, excluding messaging, is expected to reach $87.7 billion in 2009, up 26.2 percent, a new iSuppli projection shows. By 2013, it will more than double to $188 billion, it says.
The fast rise of the mobile Web is a testament to the power, creativity -- and deep pockets -- of the global wireless community. A few years ago it was a cyberversion of Mars -- forbidding, difficult to...
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Apple iPod Announcements Expected Next Month
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68426
The blogosphere is abuzz with speculation that Apple is planning a major event for early September during which it may unleash a major iPod line refresh. The company has a history of making iPod and music-related moves in the month of September, but Apple declined an invitation to comment.
The latest rash of rumors about an Apple September surprise was set off by a recent blog from All Things Digital. Citing unnamed sources in the music industry, the blog said that the week of Sept. 7 could be the launching pad for another round of music-related announcements.
"We do not comment on rumors and speculation," an Apple spokesperson said.
Apple unveiled revamped iPod touch and iPod nano models at an event on Sept. 9 last year, when it also announced its next-generation iTunes 8 player for Macs and PCs. The company has also held events in September in the past to showcase its first trend-setting iPod touch, together with earlier releases of its iTunes software.
On Monday UBS Investment Research analyst Maynard Um cited potential iPod refreshes as one of the reasons why he has boosted his rating on Apple's shares for the quarter ending in September. "Given our view that these new potential announcements could be sentiment catalysts, we are adding a short-term buy rating on Apple," Um told investors in a research note.
One big advantage of holding an event the week of Sept. 7 this year is that it would give Apple a chance to steal some thunder from Microsoft, which plans to begin selling its next-generation Zune HD digital media player on Sept. 15. Among other things, the Zune HD will best the current iPod touch by offering higher-resolution video streaming and access to live radio broadcasts and video-game downloads.
But IDC's Program Director of Consumer...
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Marc Andreessen Backs RockMelt Browser Venture
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68423
Marc Andreessen is throwing down the browser gauntlet once again. Fifteen years after he launched what was then the dominant Web browser, the venture capitalist is investing in what could be the next browser to make a buzz on the World Wide Web.
The inventor of the Netscape Internet browser is investing in a startup called RockMelt. The company is building a new Internet browser to join a market where Microsoft Internet Explorer reigns supreme, Firefox is gaining ground, and new players like Google Chrome are looking for an opportunity.
"Does the world really need another browser?" asked Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. "It's starting to feel like 1999 all over again with browser wars and new versions of browsers."
According to a report in The New York Times, Andreessen thinks RockMelt could come up with a new browser that is different from what's available today. "There are all kinds of things that you would do differently if you are building a browser from scratch," Andreessen told the Times. Nothing more is known. RockMelt's Web site merely invites people to sign up for updates.
"Mark Andreessen is a person with a pretty deep history of browsing experience," Gartenberg said. "If RockMelt has piqued his interest, perhaps there's some sort of story to be told here that hasn't been told before. But at this point the idea of yet another browser coming into the market is going to be challenging."
Challenging because the browser industry has already made the shift from focusing on features to focusing on speed. Gartenberg isn't sure what twist RockMelt might introduce that would shift browsers forward, since consumers seem satisfied with the speed of today's browsers.
"With all the new browsers we've seen, the browser is not the bottleneck. If you have to start measuring...
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Apple Reportedly Enters China Mobile-Phone Market
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68422
Apple is reportedly cracking the mobile-phone market in China by selling $1.5 million worth of iPhones to China Unicom. The move is expected to help Apple enter the growing market in China while also giving China Unicom a leg up against competitors.
China Unicom subsidiary Guangdong Unicom has reached an agreement with Apple to purchase five million iPhones worth approximately $1.5 million, an insider from the company told China Business News on Thursday. On Friday, the company denied the deal, but observers think that's because Apple demands secrecy until it's ready to make the announcement.
The company purchased the iPhones from Apple for $292 per unit, Yu Zhaonan, manager of Guangdong's consumer department, told the paper. The carrier, however, reportedly has plans to sell the iPhones for more than the purchase price, with the 16GB iPhone selling for $702 and the 8GB model selling for $351. The planned prices are more than Apple charges for the iPhones in the U.S.
Some of the five million iPhones will be unveiled in China Unicom's 3G kiosks, which are found in supermarkets, in September, Zhou Youmeng, deputy general manager of Guangdong, told China Business News.
The move to sell iPhones to a Chinese carrier is strategic, given Apple products have a cachet worldwide, according to Interpret analyst Michael Gartenberg.
"At the end of the day if Apple is able to crack the Chinese cell-phone market, it is a big win for them," Gartenberg said. "Getting your foot in the door is what makes it the most interesting. It is an opportunity to get into the cell-phone game in that market, which is not an easy market to get in to."
China's mobile market may not be the easiest to get into, but it is the largest.
China, with more than 670 million customers, has...
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Video-Game Sales Continue Tailspin in July
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68421
The video-game industry isn't recession-proof after all. One of the latest victims of falling retail sales, the industry is continuing its downward spiral.
Although the industry continued to perform well as other retail sectors struggled at the beginning of the year, the last five months are evidence that spending is tightening in a typically more resilient home entertainment category.
According to the NPD Group, video-game sales fell for the fifth consecutive month. The year-over-year numbers are perhaps most telling. In July, the industry had sales of $848.9 million, down 29 percent from $1.1 billion in July 2008. Year-to-date sales settled at $8.16 billion, down 14 percent from the year-ago period.
The summer tailspin was particularly sharp. NPD reported the industry saw a 31 percent decline from the year-ago period in June. But total sales still reached $1.17 billion. In July, sales were down 27.4 percent from June.
Hardware was the largest culprit in the industry's weakened position. Hardware sales dipped 37 percent in July to $280.94 million. July 2008 sales, by contrast, totaled $447.71 million. Meanwhile, software and accessory sales dropped 26 percent in July.
"In order for the industry to come in flat or slightly up for the total year, the back five months of the year have to come in 11 percent (or more) higher than the last five months of last year," NPD analyst Anita Frazier wrote in a report Thursday.
"While year-to-date results are weak, there are some big titles set to be released over the next several months, including Madden (10, from Electronic Arts) this month, which should help spur sales," she wrote. "The worst ... should be behind us, and looking beyond August, we have The Beatles: Rock Band, Halo 3: ODST, and, of course, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 to look forward to."
In positive...
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Samsung Offers DualView and Sharing Cameras
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68403
Sending a freshly taken photo to your friends, and including yourself in the shot. Such common needs of consumer photographers are primary features of several new cameras from Samsung.
On Thursday, the company announced two new DualView Cameras, the TL225 and TL220. Both feature a pair of LCD screens -- one on the back and, so you can see yourself in the picture, a smaller one on the front.
A third new camera, the CL65, provides what the company described as "unprecedented connectivity" with geo-tagging and easy ways to share photos via e-mail and social-networking sites.
Sang Jin Park, head of the Samsung Digital Imaging Company, said the DualView cameras "are the very first of their kind," adding that "we are offering functionality and capabilities that no other digital-camera manufacturer has yet addressed."
The front LCD on the TL225 and TL220 is 1.5 inches. On the TL225, the screen on the back is 3.5 inches, and three inches on the TL220. On both, haptic-vibration feedback is featured on the back screen, so the user can feel the camera is registering his or her choices.
There is also a Child Mode, with an animation of clowns playing on the front LCD to capture a small child's attention before a picture is taken.
The cameras feature a 12.2-megapixel CCD, and a 27mm wide-angle Schneider-KREUZNACH lens with 4.6x optical zoom. And both record 720p high-definition video at 30 fps in H.264 format.
In the DualView cameras, a built-in gravity sensor means that a tap to the front LCD activates the switched-on camera, and automatically sets it for self-portrait mode with smile detection. "This means," the company said, "that if users want to take a self-portrait, they only need to tap and smile, and the picture will be taken automatically without pressing the shutter button."
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Plans for Fast Links in Rural Areas Due
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68388
Proposals are due Friday for the first of three rounds of funding for federal broadband stimulus projects aimed at driving broadband into underserved parts of America.
Already, there's a lot of griping about the $7.2 billion program. At the top of the list: red tape and application rules, which run several hundred pages in length.
The program, ordered by Congress, is part of President Obama's plan for reinvigorating the economy.
The broadband piece is being overseen by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Rural Utilities Service (RUS).
As envisioned by Congress, the $7.2 billion was to be used for broadband projects that could spur innovation and drive up broadband adoption rates.
But because of the way the program is being implemented, that might not happen, says Craig Settles, president of Successful.com and a longtime telecom consultant.
Under the rules, he notes, telephone and cable companies can attempt to veto projects -- such as fiber-to-home installations -- that might compete with their own DSL or cable modem services.
Another potential trouble spot: speed. Under the rules, "broadband" is defined as 768 kilobits per second, which is about half as fast as a 1.5-megabit connection. That's "very low" by global broadband standards, says James Baller of the Baller Herbst Law Group in Washington. In Japan, 50-megabit connections aren't uncommon, he notes.
The rules also put the onus on applicants to prove that an area is "underserved," he says. The government is favoring those areas for project funding.
The problem: Phone and cable TV companies treat broadband-deployment data as confidential, so figuring out which markets qualify can be tough, says Dean Cubley, CEO of ERF Wireless, which plans to apply for funding.
Applicants "basically have to go out and do surveys," neighborhood by neighborhood, "or hire somebody to do that for them," Baller says.
NTIA and RUS say not...
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Tech Products for Kids Looking More Grown-Up
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68387
While stocking up on back-to-school pencils, notebooks, backpacks, and clothes for their kids, many parents also are scoping out new gadgets that can entertain and educate. These days they're surprised by what they see in the electronics aisle: kid-friendly laptops, phones, and other gadgets that are growing more sophisticated and look increasingly like their grown-up counterparts.
Toymakers and electronics companies are catering to the rise in tech literacy among younger and younger children. Kids are spending more time on activities such as surfing the Web and operating DVRs, and more of them own computers and mobile phones than just a few years ago. That's created an opportunity to market what were once thought of as adult tech products to kids.
"There definitely is a trend of looking at adult technologies and seeing whether they are adaptable for younger kids," says Kathleen Kremer, manager of child research at Fisher-Price. As Kremer tests products with children in the company's East Aurora [N.Y.] research lab, she often finds that her team has underestimated kids' facility with gadgets. For example, testing of a digital camera designed for children 5 and older revealed that kids as young as 3 could easily use it to take pictures. So Fisher-Price changed the label.
Some 93 percent of teenagers now use the Internet, up from 87 percent in 2004, according to the Pew Internet & American Life Project. Kids ages 12 to 17 spend two more minutes on video games per day than they did in 2004, and two more minutes watching DVR shows and movies than they did on the VCR that same year, according to Nielsen. Also, 31 percent of children between 8 and 10 now own mobile phones, according to unpublished data from a forthcoming study by the Kaiser Family Foundation, up from 21 percent...
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Microsoft, Nokia and Google Take Aim at RIM
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68386
Some of the biggest names in mobile technology are girding for battle against BlackBerry maker Research In Motion and iPhone creator Apple.
Later this year, Google and partners that include handset maker Motorola plan devices and features aimed at business users of mobile phones. Meantime, Nokia and Microsoft are joining forces in their effort to take share in the lucrative market for company-friendly smartphones.
The moves are aimed mainly at RIM, the U.S. leader in smartphones for businesses, and defending against a rising threat from Apple and Palm. In July, RIM accounted for 34 percent of smartphone sales in the stores of the largest U.S. wireless service providers, and it boasted the most popular smartphone on the market, the BlackBerry Curve, according to research by Avian Securities.
Microsoft and Nokia announced their offensive on Aug. 12, saying that beginning in 2010 they'll unveil features including tight security and syncing with other devices. The companies also said they'll work together to get other applications, such as Microsoft's Office productivity tools, onto cell phones, and that by working together they can make it cheaper for corporations to support smartphones for employees.
"This is a move targeted towards RIM," Ed Snyder, principal at Charter Equity Research, wrote in an Aug. 12 research report. The first fruits of the collaboration will debut in Nokia's E-series smartphones next year. "BlackBerry and RIM have taken a very prominent place [in the market] based on e-mail," Robert Andersson, executive vice-president for devices at Nokia, tells BusinessWeek.com. "What we are offering is way beyond e-mail."
Nokia says it will give corporate IT managers ways to support its smartphones for less than it costs to support BlackBerrys, by doing away with the need for some servers. "We are definitely confident we can deliver this in a more cost-effective way," Andersson says. Apples-to-apples...
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Review: New Windows OS Better Than Vista
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68385
After the somewhat disastrous launch of Windows Vista -- largely ignored by businesses as they stuck with the XP version of the operating system -- Microsoft is preparing another debut.
Windows 7 is scheduled to be released Oct. 22, and some computer analysts who have been working with a beta version say that this time, Microsoft got it right.
"It's everything that Vista should have been," said Trevor Dierdorff, owner of Amnet, a Colorado Springs-based computer network company. "It's easy to use, has some nice upgrades. It will be good for businesses."
The latest effort by Microsoft looks a little different than Vista or XP -- hovering over icons gives thumbnails of office product pages and Web sites -- and it's easier to coordinate Outlook e-mail with the rest of the operating system.
"The real challenge with Vista was the compatibility with applications," Dierdorff said. "People assumed that if it worked in XP, it will work in Vista. And it didn't. Now, if it works in XP, it will work in Windows 7. There is a great amount of compatibility."
The new system also has "great eye candy," he said. But, more importantly, it represents a step for Microsoft for better stability and better security.
Businesses whose IT departments skipped Vista will be pleased to note that many of the problems have been solved -- but not everyone is pleased. According to a blog post at TechRepublic.com, small- and medium-sized businesses should not bother moving to Windows 7.
"... Windows 7 migration provides no significant strategic or competitive advantage, either immediately or in the near term," said Jeff Relkin, director of information technology for Quadel. "Resources are best applied elsewhere."
Some companies are waiting on other operating systems: Linux, Unix or Apple's Chrome OS. Some companies are adopting a wait and see attitude.
"I think there will be more...
Sat, 15 Aug 09
China's Green Dam Internet Filter 'Not Compulsory'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68384
Chinese Internet users will not be forced to install the controversial Green Dam Internet filtering software, a top official said Thursday.
While the installation of the software on computers in public places including schools and Internet cafés would proceed, consumers would be free to choose whether or not to install the filter, Minister of Industry and Information Technology Li Yizhong was quoted as saying by the official Xinhua news agency.
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Li's comments are the strongest indicator yet that the government has abandoned original plans to make the filter compulsory.
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While it had planned to require that all computers shipped to China come with the software pre-installed or included in the package, the government indefinitely delayed the move on June 30 after strong opposition from China's estimated 300 million Internet users.
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There were reports that security holes in the system could allow remote monitoring and control of users' computers, and the theft of personal information.
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While Li reiterated the government view that Green Dam was intended to block violent and pornographic content on the Internet to protect children, critics have also said the software consolidates existing blocks on politically sensitive Web sites.
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Microsofties' Side Project Seeks New Office Ideas
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68382
Have a gripe about Office? A couple of guys at Microsoft Corp. want to hear it directly.
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Make Office Better is an unofficial project launched by an Office product planner and a Windows software tester at Microsoft.
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Individuals submit ideas and weigh in on whether they like the ideas submitted by others. Topics that resonate most with the crowd should get the most me, too votes and rise to the top.
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It's similar to the approach taken by the news aggregator site digg.com and the IdeaStorm product-suggestion site run by PC maker Dell Inc.
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After a few weeks online, Make Office Better has racked up about 750 ideas, but only about 150 of them got 10 votes or more.
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One particularly passionate user made at least eight separate submissions to Ditch the Ribbon, referring to the new user interface introduced with Office 2007.
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The leading suggestion, to change the way the Outlook e-mail program handles Web-page-style e-mails, was posted by one of the project's founders, Steve Zaske.
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Many of the ideas are highly technical. Some reveal nostalgia for features in WordPerfect, which was overtaken as the top word processing program by Microsoft Office years ago. Others argue for more compatibility with OpenOffice, a free set of competing programs.
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And some are just way out there, like one request to turn Microsoft Word into a way to self-publish and sell electronic books, with Microsoft taking a cut.
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Microsoft isn't commenting on the site or promising to review any of the ideas, although Zaske and co-founder Luke Foust say they'll try to get the top suggestions onto the Office team's radar. And the software maker already has other ways of seeking input from Office users, some built right into the software itself.
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But if Make Office Better catches on like Dell's IdeaStorm, Microsoft may want to bring this outside tool in-house. The...
Sat, 15 Aug 09
Judge Rules in Palin E-Mail Case
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68381
A judge ruled Wednesday that the Alaska governor's office can use private e-mail accounts to conduct state business, as former Gov. Sarah Palin sometimes did.
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Superior Court Judge Jack W. Smith said in his ruling that there is no provision in Alaska state law that prohibits the use of private e-mail accounts when conducting state business.
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The case stemmed from a lawsuit filed by Anchorage resident Andree McLeod, who contended such use of private e-mails denies citizens the right to inspect public records.
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I'm stunned, she said after Smith's decision. I'm stunned that something as simple as no private e-mails should be used for state business has become such a complicated issue.
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State lawyers argued that McLeod misinterpreted current state law, and that if the practice is to be changed, it is up to Alaska lawmakers do it.
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Smith agreed with the state's premise that public records are defined as those preserved for their informational value, or to document a public agency's operation or organization, and that current open records law doesn't specifically deal with private e-mails.
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The action will not affect current or future public records requests involving private e-mails if the e-mails meet the preservation criteria, said Department of Law spokesman Bill McAllister.
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Since the state can't access private e-mails, such records would essentially be based on an honor system, although the governor's office says it has a policy in place mandating that all private e-mails be forwarded to state accounts.
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Mike Mitchell, an assistant attorney general, called the ruling a very well-reasoned decision that the state's open records law does not go as far as plaintiffs claimed.
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They raised some valid policy concerns in dealing with the 21st century technology, he said. Certainly some review of current law is appropriate, but that's a matter for the Legislature and the legislative process rather than the court.
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A bill...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
reMail Searches Text in E-Mail on iPhone, iPod Touch
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68401
People calling for better e-mail search on the iPhone are getting a possible answer: reMail. The software app downloads e-mail to your iPhone or iPod touch and lets you search the full text of the copy -- even offline. The app sells for $9.99, but the developer has it on sale for $4.99 through Sept. 1.
Here's how it works: Run reMail overnight to complete the download. The developers promise it won't bog down your iPhone. One hundred thousand e-mails only take up 500MB of space -- six percent of the capacity of an 8GB iPhone.
"My family lives in Switzerland and I live in San Francisco. One thing I've found very frustrating whenever I travel to see my parents are the insane fees that AT&T charges for data roaming. For Switzerland, AT&T charges $19.97 per megabyte," said Gabor Cselle, CEO of reMail. "Now, with reMail, I don't have to think twice about searching for meeting times or flight reservations. When I'm abroad, I just download all my e-mail over Wi-Fi and have data roaming turned off."
Cselle drew some comparisons between iPhone 3.0 mail and reMail. Beyond its ability to download e-mail with data roaming turned off, reMail also searches text.
Cselle, previously a software engineer at Google, was frustrated by the built-in header-only search in the iPhone 3.0 software because too often the words he sought don't appear in the To, From and Subject lines. (iPhone Mail won't find e-mail if the words aren't in the headers -- but reMail will.)
"We launched reMail Search a few months back, it was a server-based product. Searches were being done on the server, and you had to give us your e-mail password. It turns out people are very opposed to sharing their e-mail and password with third parties, especially a small startup,"...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
Next-Generation Zune HD Can Be Pre-Ordered
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68398
Microsoft's next-generation Zune digital media player is now available for pre-order through Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart in advance of its official release on Sept. 15. Available in two models featuring 16GB and 32GB of storage capacity, the Zune HD players will feature touch-sensitive screens, Wi-Fi connectivity, and live radio station access.
But Microsoft's Zune HD won't have an easy time gaining market share at the expense of market leader Apple, said Susan Kevorkian, consumer markets program director at IDC.
"There's no argument that Microsoft has consistently improved upon the Zune product line," Kevorkian said. "But you need to look at Zune in terms of the bigger picture," for which "the main question is, can Microsoft gain on the iPod touch?"
Though the first-generation Zune player was accompanied with a very strong marketing campaign, Microsoft hurt itself by not coming to market initially with a compelling product, Kevorkian said. This was reflected in U.S. sales for 2007, when Apple held a 47.8 percent share of the market versus just two percent for Microsoft, according to IDC.
Since then, Microsoft has gone back to basics and is offering a more compelling media product, Kevorkian observed. However, IDC believes Apple has always managed to stay a couple of steps ahead, she said.
"We believe that the current regeneration Zune HD is not capable of gaining on the iPod touch because of the strides that Apple has made in the past year," Kevorkian said. In particular, Apple made a smart move when it gave iPod users "direct access to the Apple App Store." And going forward, "we believe that Apple will continue to innovate on the iPod," Kevorkian said.
Still, the 16GB and 32GB Zune HD players will sport suggested retail prices of $219.99 and $289.99, where comparable versions of the iPod touch...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
Outlook Will Be Part of Next Office for Mac Version
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68397
Microsoft will include Outlook in its next version of Microsoft Office for Mac. Outlook will replace Entourage for Mac, the current e-mail application used by Mac users.
The software giant is releasing Outlook for Mac in its next version as a way to develop the Mac's product suite. The new version is slated to be released in time for the 2010 holiday season.
Microsoft developed Outlook for Mac in response to requests from enterprise users. The application is expected to enable individuals to be more productive across various platforms.
"It is an exciting time for the MacBU with updates to our current products and the first public announcement about the next version of Office for Mac," said Eric Wilfrid, general manager of Microsoft's Mac Business Unit. "Outlook for Mac will bring features our customers have long requested -- such as information rights management -- that make working across platforms even easier. I think people will see that this move to Outlook for Mac is more than just a name change."
Included in Outlook for Mac are three new features -- a new database, information rights management, and Cocoa.
Outlook's new under-the-hood, high-speed file-based database has support for backing up files with Time Machine and Spotlight Search. Information rights management protects sensitive content from users who do not have permission to access that content. Cocoa gives users better integration with Mac OS X.
Microsoft also released an update to the current version of Entourage on Thursday. Entourage 2008 for Mac Web Services Edition includes improved performance and allows users to sync tasks, notes and categories.
"One of the problems with using a Mac on corporate networks is Exchange support," said Michael Silver, a Gartner analyst. "Entourage supported Exchange, but its features are sub-par. Outlook 2007 is much better."
With Apple offering Exchange support in...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
VMware Acquisition Envisions Easier Cloud Migration
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68375
VMware has all but closed the deal to acquire SpringSource in a $420 million cash and stock transaction. The idea is to offer new solutions that help companies build, run and manage applications within internal and external cloud architectures more efficiently.
SpringSource is a familiar name in open-source communities. The company made quick headway into Global 2000 companies with its open-source enterprise, Web application development, and management platforms. VMware will support the principles that led to the private company's rapid growth over the past five years: Interoperability with middleware software and an open-source model.
"Today's modern computing environments are moving to an application- and data-centric world powered by state-of-the-art virtualized and cloud-computing platforms," said Paul Maritz, president and CEO of VMware. "The combination of SpringSource and VMware capitalizes on this shift and places us right at the intersection of the most important forces in the software market today -- virtualization, modern application frameworks, and cloud computing."
VMware and SpringSource plan to develop integrated platform-as-a-service (PaaS) solutions that can be hosted at customer data centers or at cloud-service providers. According to Forrester Research, the PaaS market is set to expand to $15 billion by 2016.
VMware said its solutions will allow customers to rapidly build new enterprise and Web applications. They will be able to manage these applications in the same dynamic, scalable and cost-efficient vSphere-based internal or external clouds that can also host their existing applications, providing an evolutionary path to the future.
"VMware has led the modernization of data-center infrastructures through innovative virtualization and cloud architectures, providing customers with cost savings, agility and choice," said Rod Johnson, CEO of SpringSource. "The SpringSource team and community are committed to revolutionizing the way companies build, run and manage applications. By combining forces, I'm confident that we'll be able to deliver a...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
Sony Moves To Open E-Book Market with ePub Format
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68374
The e-publishing market may be following the same steps as its relatives in the music industry as Sony announced Wednesday that it will adopt the open ePub format for its Reader e-book readers. The move could signal the beginning of a new phase of e-publishing for consumers and businesses.
e-Books sold on Amazon.com can only be read on that company's Kindle or on Kindle software for iPhones. Sony's move toward open formats resembles the industry move toward MP3 audio to counter the lock Apple had on music at the beginning of its online iTunes Store. At that time, music sold by iTunes could only be played on Apple's iPod. Now those files are playable on other devices.
Sony also said it will drop its anti-copying software and adopt one from Adobe Systems. Steve Haber, head of Sony's digital reading unit, told The New York Times that people looking for e-books will "want to shop at all the stores, and not just be required to shop at one store."
Sony's move comes as the e-book market is heating up. The Association of American Publishers has reported that e-book sales in the U.S. increased 136 percent in June compared to a year ago, although the dollar amount -- $14 million -- is still small by the standards of other content sales.
Amazon is pushing its newest, recently released Kindle with a new focus on textbooks and the educational market. Sony has released two new e-reader devices, dropped its prices for new book releases, and is expected to offer an e-reader with wireless capabilities by the end of this year, matching that feature of the Kindle.
The potential big rock that could be thrown into this still-small pond is Apple's. The computer and consumer-devices company has been rumored to be planning the release by...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
Review: Password Management Eases with Net Storage
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68371
Do you use your kids' names? Your pet's? Your favorite color? We all use some dumb passwords that are too easy to guess.
Worse, we use the same ones for lots of Web sites. So if one site gets compromised, or an employee there is dishonest, someone could start trying out that password on other sites where you have accounts, like Amazon or PayPal, and you've got trouble.
Browsers help out a bit by offering to remember your passwords, but that does little good if you are on a different computer or want to try a different browser.
The rescue comes from password-management programs. A couple of them have recently taken a big step forward in ease of use, by storing your login information online so that you can access them from multiple computers. Online storage does raise some questions about security, but it also makes these little-known programs worth another look.
I've used one called Roboform for more than four years. Like a browser, it stores passwords on your computer, encrypting them so that they're revealed only when you type in a master password. It fills out the login forms on a Web page automatically. It also stores your address, credit card number and other personal data, so you don't have to type them in when you shop online. Because it's independent of the browser, you can access the same passwords as you switch between Firefox and Internet Explorer.
With Roboform, I have been able to take those passwords to another computer, but it's been a bit of a hassle. If I signed up for a new Web site on one computer, I had to manually copy the Roboform file that contained the username and password to the other two computers I use regularly.
A free update to Roboform, released last week, takes care of...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
Some Companies Left Behind in Bull's Dust
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68363
Some investors are finding out that there are holes in the Wall Street cliché that a rising tide lifts all boats. As stocks in general have surged back from the bear market low, a handful have not only missed the rally, but lost ground.
p
In fact, 46 stocks in the Standard Poor's 1500 index are lower than when the market hit its 12-year-low on March 9.
p
The left-behind stocks stick out even more, as the stock market has soared nearly 50 percent from that time in a jump that's been one for the record books because of how far it has come so quickly.
p
Even amid a bull market, investors are avoiding stocks that have faults. There have been companies and stocks that have been completely left in the dust, says David Sowerby of Loomis Sayles. These are the unfortunate souls that nobody wants to take to the prom.
p
Focusing on stocks that have been overlooked by the market's rally this year is like looking for weeds in a forest. The rally has been very broad, with 97 percent of the stocks in the SP 1500 up or flat since the March 9 low. More than 93 percent are up by 10 percent or more.
p
So why do these few stocks have the dubious distinction of falling while the broad market has had one of its fastest, most intense rallies ever?
p
*Growing competition. MetroPCS, a wireless telecom carrier, is the worst-performing stock in the SP 1500 since March 9, falling 38 percent to $9.06.
p
The company's unlimited calling plan is under assault by similar offerings from Sprint Nextel and TracFone, says analyst William Power of Robert Baird. Since virtually every man, woman and child already has a cellphone, the battle for any corner of the market with potential is more crowded by the day, he says.
p
*Lingering...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
At eBay, Showrooms Push Aside Yard Sales
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68361
On Aug. 11, Mark Christopher Auto Center in Ontario, Calif., listed a 2009 Chevrolet Corvette on eBay for $73,512, along with other new cars collecting dust on its lot. If I have more eyes looking at my inventory, I have a better opportunity to sell it, says Greg Heath, vice-president of the dealership.
p
A lot of car dealers hope to hawk autos on eBay over the next few weeks as part of a trial with General Motors, announced Aug. 10, that lets 225 GM dealers in California post new models on the site through Sept. 8. Long known as an online flea market for secondhand goods, eBay wants to ramp up sales of new products to jump-start its growth. They have realized that the secondhand market in most goods is only growing at 1 percent or 2 percent a year and if they want to be seen as a growth company they have got to get into new products, says Jeffrey Lindsay, an analyst at Sanford C. Bernstein.
p
With sales cut by the recession and rivalry in e-commerce, eBay could find a new growth vehicle in new but out-of-season goods, analysts say. The company is pursuing deals with manufacturers besides GM to sell excess inventory on its site, says eBay spokesman Usher Lieberman. People looking for the latest iPod or the latest TV are more likely to go to Amazon or Best Buy, says Colin Sebastian, an analyst at Lazard Capital Markets. But for those who may be willing to buy merchandise that's not so perfect, eBay should be an interesting channel.
p
subhead
EBay Motors: Clearing Dealer Lots
/subhead
p
In July, eBay reported that sales in its core shopping business fell 14 percent, to $1.3 billion, in the second quarter. While e-commerce continues to feel the impact from the slowdown in consumer spending, analysts said the...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
Why Apple Is More Valuable Than Google
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68360
Now that Apple has once again passed Google in market value, can the consumer-electronics maker maintain its lead?
p
While Apple's capitalization has risen above that of Google for short bursts in the past, it has remained higher since July 22. As of Aug. 11, Apple was worth $145.87 billion, compared with Google's $143.40 billion. This could be a momentary shift in Wall Street's whims -- like when Cisco Systems briefly surpassed Microsoft to become the world's most valuable company in 2000.
p
More likely, Apple has more solidly unseated Google as tech's No. 2 powerhouse and is now on track to one day challenge Microsoft for the crown. While both Apple and Google are likely to remain highly valuable in the coming years, there's reason to believe that Apple may outshine Google in the eyes of investors.
p
subhead
Dedicated Apple Customers
/subhead
p
Google has an incomparably profitable Web-search operation, but it incurs losses in scores of other businesses. Apple, on the other hand, makes money on everything it does -- even the music and applications sold in an effort to get people to buy the hardware devices that are its true business.
p
And Apple has far more room to grow based on its core businesses. While Google gets about 70 percent of the revenue from the $14 billion online advertising business, Apple has well under 10 percent of the computer business, and about 8 percent of cell-phone revenue.
p
What's more, Apple's profit machine may be more protected from competition than Google's. As Google executives are quick to tell antitrust regulators, consumers are just clicks away from switching search engines. But Apple has its fingers all but sewn into the wallets and purses of the millions of people who have purchased billions of songs and almost 2 billion iPhone applications from the AppStore. More than 75 million people have credit...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
IOC Sponsors Tested By Rapidly Changing Technology
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68359
Like that gadget you use as a phone, music player, Web browser and camera?
p
For Olympic fundraisers, it's a headache.
p
The dizzying pace of technological change is creating sticky issues for the International Olympic Committee. To put on the games, the IOC relies heavily on big money sponsors who are willing to shell out tens of millions of dollars because each is the only company making a certain type of product allowed to wrap itself in the Olympic rings.
p
Panasonic gets audio/video, Samsung gets wireless communication, Acer gets computers -- and so on up to 12 top-tier sponsors.
p
But when those companies sell devices that fit into all three categories, which one gets to advertise?
p
So far we have managed to take care of this, said Gerhard Heiberg, head of the IOC marketing commission. But it's difficult. You never know what will happen in four years' time.
p
The uncertainty could make it harder for the IOC to continue to forge massive contracts in the future.
p
The IOC's 12 elite sponsors generated nearly $900 million from 2005-08, about 40 percent of its revenues. It's hoping to surpass the $1 billion mark for the 2009-13 cycle that includes February's Winter Games in Vancouver and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. There are currently nine sponsors, and the IOC is hoping to add at least one more.
p
Panasonic and Samsung have deals through 2016, so the IOC has some stability in technological categories for now. And it's hard to imagine sponsors such as Coca-Cola and McDonald's being affected by the evolution of electronic devices.
p
Yet as companies carefully weigh how they spend every penny, they must consider whether they'll be able to market all their key products under their Olympic contract. The length of each cycle adds to the uncertainty: Who can predict which devices will be popular by the time the...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
Sales of RealNetworks' DVD Software Blocked by Court
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68357
DVD copying software sold by RealNetworks Inc. appears to be an illegal pirating tool, a federal judge ruled Tuesday in a legal battle that's been closely watched in Hollywood and elsewhere.
p
The Seattle-based company's RealDVD software violates federal anti-piracy law and also goes against a contract RealNetworks signed to gain keys to unscramble DVDs, U.S. District Court Judge Marilyn Hall Patel said.
p
DVDs are embedded with anti-piracy technology that prevents copying, Patel noted.
p
RealDVD products are designed primarily for circumvention of that technology, she wrote. This unauthorized access infringes the Studios' rights because it entails accessing content without the authority of the copyright owner.
p
Patel's order bars the company from selling its software until the case is resolved, saying the movie industry is likely to prevail in its legal battle with RealNetworks.
p
The company's software -- which costs $29.99 -- allows consumers to copy DVDs to their computer hard drives.
p
RealNetworks has argued that buyers of DVDs have a fundamental right to make digital copies for safer and more convenient storage. The company's lawyers said the software contains piracy protections that limits a DVD owner to making just one copy.
p
But the studios said they have the legal right to retain complete control over how content they've created is distributed.
p
The lawsuit has incurred widespread wrath from bloggers, digital rights advocates and groups on both sides of the political spectrum. Critics accuse the studios of stifling innovation.
p
The industry counters that it is trying to stamp out illegal piracy while it and partner companies develop legitimate copying software.
p
Patel initially barred sales of the software in October after the product was on the market for a few days. At the time, the judge said it appeared the software violated federal law against digital piracy, but ordered detailed court filings and a trial to better understand how RealDVD works.
p
The ruling was...
Fri, 14 Aug 09
WTO Win Could Open China's Door to U.S. Companies
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68355
The United States has defeated China in a wide-ranging ruling at the World Trade Organization that could provide massive market opportunities for American makers of everything from CDs and DVDs to music downloads and books.
p
The verdict Wednesday finds definitively against China for forcing American media producers to route their business in China through Chinese state-owned companies. It could also set a larger precedent for others such as U.S. automakers claiming to be hampered by cumbersome distribution rules in the communist country.
p
The WTO victory comes as President Barack Obama is being pressed to be tough on trade rules with China, which many Democrats in the U.S. Congress blame for America's soaring trade deficits and lost manufacturing jobs.
p
The Associated Press reported the main findings of the then-confidential ruling last month, but the public release of the 464-page document on Wednesday revealed dozens of smaller decisions that support the complaints of trade associations representing record labels such as EMI and Sony BMG; publishers including McGraw Hill and Simon Schuster; and, to a lesser extent, the major Hollywood studios of Warner Bros., Disney, Paramount, Universal and 20th Century Fox.
p
It also offers hopes of greater business for Apple Inc.'s iTunes store, finding that China was breaking trade rules by preventing companies offering music downloads to computers and mobile phones from offering their services directly to Chinese customers.
p
The ruling stopped short of a complete U.S. victory as the three-member panel delivered mixed findings on Chinese censorship rules that apply to American-made goods, but not to Chinese products. It also permitted China to make U.S. films go through one of two designated distributors to be shown in Chinese cinemas, a requirement not required of Chinese movies.
p
The Chinese Commerce Ministry could not immediately be reached, but U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk called the ruling a significant...
Thu, 13 Aug 09
Oops! Invitation To Facebook Lite Frustrates Many Users
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68372
Facebook is testing a stripped-down version of its social-networking Web site. The new version, which reportedly increases the speed of updates and posts, is expected to make Facebook a better contender against Twitter.
Late Tuesday, Facebook mistakenly sent out an invitation to a large audience of users to test the version, dubbed Facebook Lite. The invitation was intended for only a small number of users, Facebook told TechCrunch.
The majority of users who received the invitation and a link to follow were sent to the current version of Facebook. The move confused and frustrated users.
"This evening, the test was temporarily exposed to a larger set of users by mistake," Facebook said. "We have not opened up access to lite.facebook.com to all users at this time. People who are not part of the test and are trying to access Lite will be directed to Facebook.com as usual."
While the slipup spurred interest in Facebook Lite, observers are already commenting on why it was created.
Some say Lite's faster uploads are an attempt to compete with rival Twitter. Others believe the move was to create a similar service to FriendFeed, a company Facebook just purchased for $50 million. FriendFeed is a service that enables friends to share information such as photos, video or links online in real time.
Facebook isn't alone in its need to compete. MySpace also launched a stripped-down version called MySpace Lite View.
The purpose of Lite View is to speed up page loads for users who visit a page that includes lots of embedded content such as YouTube videos, slideshows and Flash-heavy applications.
Downloading such a page can take a user a long time, especially if the user is on a dial-up connection, according to MySpace. Users just click on Lite View to get the simplified version of MySpace.
Thu, 13 Aug 09
Apple's iPhone Leads Surging Sales of Smartphones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68370
Smartphone sales continued to surge in the second quarter, with worldwide unit shipments growing 27 percent to 40.9 million units in comparison to the year-earlier period, according to Gartner. The robust sales contrasted sharply with the global cell-phone market overall, which fell 6.1 percent year over year to 286.1 million units.
Cellular handsets with touchscreens and QWERTY keyboards were the main drivers of replacement sales in the quarter, but a continuing decline in average selling prices (ASPs) particularly affected manufacturers that focus on mid-tier and low-end devices where margins are already slim, noted Gartner Research Director Carolina Milanesi.
"Given the higher margins, smartphones offer the biggest opportunity for manufacturers," Milanesi said. "It is the fastest-growing market segment and the most resistant to declining ASPs."
Though Nokia continued to lead the cell-phone market in the second quarter, its portfolio remained heavily skewed toward low-end devices. Nokia's flagship N97 smartphone "has sold just 500,000 units in the channel since it started to ship in June," Milanesi observed. By contrast, Apple shipped one million iPhone 3GS smartphones in its first weekend of availability, she said.
"The right high-end product and an increased focus on services and content are vital for Nokia if it wants to both revamp its brand and please investors with a more promising outlook in ASPs and margins," Milanesi said.
Apple continued its expansion into a larger number of countries in the second quarter, which drove a 51 percent rise in iPhone sales to 5.4 million units. Moreover, the iPhone 3GS only reached the market at the end of June, which means "its full sales potential will only start to show in the second half of this year," Milanesi said.
Apple executives noted last month that the company was having trouble keeping up with demand for the iPhone 3GS and was...
Thu, 13 Aug 09
Judge Orders $290M Judgment, Bans Sale of Word
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68366
A Texas judge on Tuesday issued a final judgment against Microsoft in a patent suit related to its word-processing software. Judge Leonard Davis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled in favor of i4i, a Canadian technology firm that claimed Microsoft violated its intellectual-property rights for custom XML in Word 2003 and Word 2007.
Davis ordered Microsoft to pay in excess of $290 million and issued a permanent injunction against the software giant for the "449 patent." The judge ruled that Microsoft willfully infringed on the patent and permanently enjoined Microsoft from selling Word 2003 and Word 2007 in the United States and using any infringing future Word products to open an XML file containing custom XML.
"We are very pleased with the terms of the final judgment. The financial award due to i4i is now over $290 million and a permanent injunction has also been issued against Microsoft," said Michel Vulpe, founder of i4i and an inventor of the 449 patent. "We feel vindicated with this result. i4i will do its utmost to support custom XML users, which is particularly important to implement the ISO 29500 OOXML standard."
The technology in this case focuses on a particular type of electronic document. Generally, a "document" as manifested in a computer program has two distinct parts: The content -- the text that the user has created in the document -- and the structure -- the encoding that allows the computer to recognize the meaning of the text.
A type of structural information within an electronic document sometimes comes in the form of metacodes. Standardized computer languages were developed that utilized metacodes to allow a computer to understand the meaning behind certain text that a user placed in a document. An early example of these languages is...
Thu, 13 Aug 09
Alliance Will Bring Office Mobile To Nokia Smartphones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68365
Microsoft and Nokia on Wednesday announced an alliance to deliver an enterprise-grade solution for mobile productivity. Under terms of the agreement, the industry giants are collaborating on the design, development and marketing of productivity software solutions for mobile workers, including plans to bring Microsoft Office Mobile, Microsoft business communications, collaboration and device management software to Nokia's Symbian devices.
Microsoft and Nokia plan to make these solutions available for a broad range of Nokia smartphones, beginning with the Nokia Eseries business-focused devices. The goal is to leverage each company's strengths to design new user experiences for Nokia devices. The companies will market these solutions to businesses, carriers and individuals.
"With more than 200 million smartphone customers globally, Nokia is the
world's largest smartphone manufacturer and a natural partner for us," said
Microsoft Business Division President Stephen Elop. "Today's announcement will enable us to expand Microsoft Office Mobile to Nokia smartphone owners worldwide and allow them to collaborate on Office documents from anywhere as part of our strategy to provide the best productivity experience across the PC, phone and browser."
The joint announcement builds on existing work Nokia is doing to optimize access to e-mail and other personal information through Exchange ActiveSync. Next year, Nokia said it plans to start shipping Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile on its smartphones, followed by other Office applications and related software and services.
The planned software and services include the ability to view, edit, create and share Office documents on more devices in more places with mobile-optimized versions of Microsoft Word, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Excel, and Microsoft OneNote. Additional services include enterprise instant messaging and presence, and optimized conferencing and collaboration experiences with Microsoft Office Communicator Mobile, mobile access to intranet and extranet portals built on Microsoft SharePoint Server, and enterprise device management with Microsoft System Center.
"If you...
Thu, 13 Aug 09
Patch Tuesday Increases Workload for IT Pros
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68350
Microsoft on Tuesday issued nine security updates to patch 19 vulnerabilities. The bugs affect a wide range of Microsoft products, including Windows, Outlook Express, Windows Media Player, Office and Internet Information Server (IIS).
"Although this is a big release, its not surprising as it addresses an outstanding public zero-day vulnerability and it includes an official patch for the out-of-band patch released in July for MS09-034," said Jonathan Bitle, technical director at Qualys. "As always, users are urged to review these critical patches carefully against their environment and apply them as soon as possible."
There are five critical patches that can be exploited remotely and four important patches that require access to the system for exploitation. The five critical patches fix flaws in the MS Active Template Library (ATL). This patch supersedes the out-of-cycle patch Microsoft previously released. Microsoft also fixed a critical flaw in Windows Media Player and Windows Internet Name Service (WINS), as well as a zero-day vulnerability in Office and a patch to address a critical remote desktop vulnerability.
Many people are going to be looking at the WINS anonymous remote-code-execution attack as a potential worm vector, but they shouldn't minimize the IIS denial-of-service attack or Bulletin 038, according to Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle. That's because these vulnerabilities mean anyone could become infected simply by opening a movie file.
"This month had the potential to be the month of ATL bug fixes, but it has turned out to be more of a smorgasbord. These updates are going to require lots of IT resources for testing and deployment," Storms said. "At one end of the spectrum, we have the expected ATL client-side bug fixes. At the other end are server-side vulnerabilities covering IIS and WINS. The wide variety of the bugs means that...
Thu, 13 Aug 09
VMware To Acquire SpringSource for $362 Million
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68331
VMware Inc., which makes software that allows business servers to run multiple operating systems simultaneously, said Monday it is acquiring SpringSource for $362 million in cash and stock.
The purchase of SpringSource, a privately held business and Web application developer, also includes the assumption of $58 million in unvested stock and options. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter.
Separately, Jefferies analyst Katherine Egbert downgraded VMware to "Underperform" from "Hold."
While calling VMware "one of the most exciting software stories in years," Egbert said the investor enthusiasm that has helped the stock double in the last eight months isn't likely sustainable.
VMware's services let businesses go virtual with their data centers -- Ethernet connections, switches, firewalls, servers and others. The company is 85 percent owned by EMC Corp.
Egbert noted a threat from Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Server 2008 R2 release in October. She sees Microsoft grabbing 25 percent of the server virtualization market, up from 15 percent, with the release. The analyst believes the Microsoft product will be priced at a third of VMware's vSphere.
"Microsoft, of course, has a history of slowly coming from behind and using its cash resources to grind away at market leaders," she said in a research note. "The software giant now has VMware in it sights."
Shares of VMware fell 77 cents to close earlier at $32.
Thu, 13 Aug 09
Neighbors Twitter, Blog To Keep Criminals at Bay
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68329
Cruise down the tree-lined streets of the Old Oaks neighborhood on a summer evening and know this: Someone is watching you.
It might be Richard Vickers, who records your license plate number in a notebook as he retrieves gun shell casings from the sidewalk while out on his nightly walk. Or it might be Doug Motz, who alerts via text message: "Watch out for the green van lurking in the alley."
Like the members of this well-oiled block watch group in central Ohio, neighbors across the country are using Twitter, blogs, e-mail and street patrols to help thwart crime. While some groups form after break-ins or muggings, there are signs of increased interest as law enforcement agencies are strained by layoffs and furloughs amid ballooning budget deficits.
"This is our neighborhood," says Vickers, a lawyer who moonlights as block watch captain. "Why should we allow people to force us out of here?"
More than 20,000 block watch groups are registered on the National Sheriffs' Association Web site, compared to about 5,000 just four years ago, said Chris Tutko, the association's director of neighborhood watch programs.
"There's a big push on to learn how to do it and how to get people involved," says Tutko, who trains law enforcers in running watch groups.
In most cities, wannabe block watch members must be trained by police in how to identify and respond to criminal behavior. The first step seems almost quaint: Talk to your neighbors, police say.
After a string of kidnappings and home invasions in Atlanta last year, indignant residents founded Safe Atlanta For Everyone, which coordinates a watch network on the city's east side. Their efforts took on new urgency when the financially strapped city ordered furloughs from December to July, forcing police and other municipal workers to take eight more hours off every week.
Block watch members...
Thu, 13 Aug 09
Kosovo Editor: Islamist Hackers Block Web Site
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68328
The editor of a Kosovo newspaper said Tuesday he suspects that Islamist radicals have attacked the paper's Web site because it was covering the trial of a Kosovar charged in the United States with plotting terrorist acts.
Berat Buzhala said the Web site of the Express newspaper was blocked for 10 hours Tuesday and hackers left a warning to the "anti-Islamic newspaper to stop ridiculing" Muslims.
The Albanian-language Express has been covering the trial of Hysen Sherifi, 24, an ethnic Albanian from Kosovo.
He and six American citizens were arrested two weeks ago in the U.S. state of North Carolina on suspicion of conducting military-style training in preparation for "violent jihad" in Jordan, Pakistan, Israel and Kosovo.
Sherifi, born in the Kosovo town of Gjilan, has no criminal record in Kosovo and was not considered a security threat here.
The Express published transcripts of conversations between the group's alleged leader, Daniel Patrick Boyd, and other suspects, as well as photographs being used as evidence in the seven men's trial.
Federal officials said they seized from Boyd's home and cars more than 27,000 rounds of ammunition, 26 weapons, gas masks, a handbook on how authorities respond to acts of terrorism, and the text of an Islamic call to wage holy war against Americans.
The others facing charges are Boyd's two sons, 20-year-old Zakariya and 22-year-old Dylan; Anes Subasic, 33; Mohammad Omar Aly Hassan, 22; and Ziyad Yaghi, 21. An eighth suspect, Jude Kenan Mohammad, is believed to be in Pakistan.
Buzhala said his newspaper has previously been targeted for its coverage of religious issues. Kosovo's majority Albanians are mostly Muslim, although the country is largely secular.
"This latest attack has gotten us worried a bit," Buzhala said. "We want to know who these people are."
He said his newspaper has sought support from Islamic leaders in Kosovo and is urging them...
Thu, 13 Aug 09
Buying a Car? Dicker With Dealers Online
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68326
General Motors and eBay are starting a car-shopping Web site to rev up sales.
The test program, which makes its debut today in California and lets consumers negotiate with dealers, represents a major change in how new cars are sold online.
It's also aimed at revitalizing GM, which is trying to recapture lost market share a month after it emerged from bankruptcy, and eBay, which is attempting to overhaul its Marketplaces unit, which generates more than half its $8.5 billion in annual revenue. The eBay Motors division, part of the Marketplaces unit, has typically sold used cars.
Some 225 of California's 250 GM dealers will offer GMAC, Buick and Pontiac models through eBay Motors until Sept. 8. If the trial is successful, the arrangement could go national, and eBay could team with other automakers, eBay says.
The trial expands an existing partnership with GM. Financial details were not disclosed.
Starting today, visitors at gm.ebay.com can browse 2008, 2009 and select 2010 vehicles. There, they can negotiate a price with a dealer or purchase a vehicle at a fixed price. Cars will be picked up at the dealerships.
Another feature lets car buyers determine if they're qualified to trade in their old car for money toward a new one under the government's cash-for-clunkers program.
"It amounts to a virtual showroom on eBay," says eBay Motors Vice President Rob Chesney. He says the companies decided to run the trial in California because there are many tech-savvy consumers there.
EBay Motors has sold more than 3 million cars since 2000, when the company realized so many people were selling vehicles on eBay that it set up a separate auction site. EBay won't say how many cars it expects to sell this year.
Though eBay made its name as a quirky online auction site for antique and used items, it has struggled to...
Thu, 13 Aug 09
:-( Help! ASAP: Iowans Put 911 Texting To Test
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68325
A 911 dispatch center in eastern Iowa has become the nation's first to allow emergency callers to seek help via text message.
Beginning last week, callers in Waterloo, Iowa, and surrounding Black Hawk County could communicate with dispatchers using text-enabled cell phones, Waterloo Police Chief Thomas Jennings said.
The short-message text service extends now only to customers of i wireless, a local T-Mobile affiliate, but Jennings said it will likely expand. Enabling 911 systems to accept text messages could help hearing-impaired callers and younger generations, many of whom assume the service already exists, said Jackie Mines, 911 program manager for the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, which is also considering texting.
Texting may allow callers to communicate in areas with poor reception, said John Snapp, senior technical officer for the Colorado-based Intrado. In some cases, he said, cell phone users can send texts when their signal is too weak to place a call, as less signal strength is needed.
Other counties and states are exploring this option. The Minnesota Department of Public Safety plans to create its network as early as this fall, Mines said.
Officials in Shelby County, Ala., are eyeing the 911 text services among other improvements to their dispatch center, said Chris Nussman, education programs manager for the National Emergency Numbers Association, who confirmed Black Hawk County was the first to allow emergency text messages.
A group of counties in southern Illinois may adopt the technology, but many local governments are waiting until federal standards and money become available, Nussman said.
"Consumer expectations dictate that, at some point, 911 texting has to be done nationwide," Nussman said. Mines, Jennings and others who advocate the 911 upgrades stress that voice calls are still the best way to contact emergency dispatchers. Concerns remain about delayed text messages, Mines said.
Black Hawk County's dispatchers spent several weeks learning...
Thu, 13 Aug 09
Warding Off Computer Viruses Requires Serious Sleuthing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68309
Ideally, every computer should have an anti-virus program installed and every computer user should be vigilant about using and updating it.
But, it's not a perfect world, which means people need to rely on early warning signals should something go awry with their computer.
Unfortunately, that approach is also starting to lose its effectiveness as modern computer viruses become even more pernicious.
One indication that a computer might have been contaminated by malicious software, or malware, is when the machine needs a noticeably longer time to start up or open programs, according to experts from BITKOM, a German computer industry association.
After all, just like any other program, malware needs resources, which gum up the works then they're diverted for the malware's needs.
But slowness can also indicate software that's been installed incorrectly or a poorly configured system. Computers that have older Windows systems also have a tendency to slow down.
The best option is to peek into the Task Manager to see if there are any undesired programs or processes gumming up the works. In Windows XP, this function is summoned by hitting the Ctrl, Alt and Delete keys.
The Task Manager brings up an easy-to-read list of active applications. On the other extreme, calling up Services usually results in a list of inexplicable entries. To make sense of that, it's best to turn to a free program like System Explorer, which can pull up a list of active programs, services and network connections.
System Explorer sorts through this list and allows the user to upload individual files to a Web site called Virustotal where a free analysis service checks for viruses, worms, Trojans and other potential problems.
If your hard drive spins when the computer isn't in use, that's another possible sign of a viral infection. Usually, the spinning just means that a harmless program like Windows...
Thu, 13 Aug 09
Online Scammers Targeting Job Seekers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68267
With U.S. unemployment high and rising, more people are streaming onto the Web in search
When Claude Vera responded to the customer-service job opening he saw on the online-classified site Geebo.com back in February, it seemed like one of a hundred small acts that might get him back to work. Most of his e-mail messages to prospective employers were going unanswered, so he was relieved when Penguin Express replied the very next day with a work-from-home job.
To help him get a home office started, Penguin sent him money orders so he could buy, via money wire, the requisite laptop and other equipment from several different people. Mr. Vera, of Jamaica, New York, deposited nine U.S. Postal Service money orders into his Chase bank account and wired a total of $6,900 to the various vendors. But he never received a laptop or anything else, and the money orders turned out to be already cashed or counterfeit. The scam consumed Mr. Vera's tax refund and put him in the red by $6,900 to Chase, which has sent his case to a collection agent.
"Looking back at the whole thing I was very, very naive, but I needed a job so bad," he says. "I'm behind in everything. I'm behind in my rent. I'm behind in all the bills I'm responsible for. It has wiped me out financially."
With unemployment high and rising, more people are streaming onto the Web in search of jobs -- and running into costly scams. Like job seekers, criminals are after moneymaking opportunities online as well. And they are setting increasingly sophisticated traps to prey on the desperation of the jobless, whose guards are down amid eroding savings, swelling debt and calamities like foreclosure and bankruptcy.
Victims can ill afford another financial setback.
"If you are a con artist, having more people...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Dell Partners with Nickelodeon on Kid-Friendly Netbook
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68348
Dell on Tuesday introduced a netbook computer that mixes fun with education. Dell partnered with Nickelodeon to roll out the Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition netbook with personalization.
The Nickelodeon Edition aims to balance the demand for kid-friendly entertainment with parental controls that protect kids from online dangers. Designed with kids in mind, the hardware is durable and highly portable with user-friendly features and functions.
"Moms insisted that we deliver on three things when it comes to a computer for their children," said Michael Tatelman, vice president of Dell Global Consumer Sales and Marketing. "First, help provide a safe computing experience. Second, provide superior educational content as well as a world-class entertainment experience. Third, partner with trusted brands. The Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition passes with flying colors on all counts."
The Nickelodeon Edition is wrapped in slime. In other words, it comes with a green artwork scheme that plays off one of Nickelodeon's classic trademarks. Kids who don't want slime can choose a theme based on one of Nickelodeon's other hit properties, such as iCarly and SpongeBob SquarePants.
Dell's netbook weighs less than three pounds so kids can carry it from room to room or even take it on the road. The netbook is based on Dell's Inspiron Mini 10v netbook. It features a 10.1-inch color LCD display and built-in wireless Internet access.
"With the Dell Inspiron Mini Nickelodeon Edition, we want to provide today's tech-savvy kids with a creative, fun tool to help kids excel while learning and entertaining themselves on the computer," said Leigh Anne Brodsky, president of Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products. "Simultaneously, we want to give parents features to help ensure their kids are safe online."
Dell is promoting the safety aspects of its netbook. The company said it's safe for kids to send and receive e-mail and chat...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Twitter-Written Opera Will Debut at Royal Opera House
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68342
Twitter is being used as more than a way for companies and individuals to get the word out about a specific topic. The micro-blogging Web site is now being used to create art.
The Royal Opera House in London is using Twitter to create an opera and is asking the Twitterarti to get their creative juices flowing and participate by sending tweets to form a libretto or text of the opera.
"The idea was inspired by the game of consequences (when one person writes the first line of a story and folds the paper over, then the next person writes something)," said Sara Parsons, Royal Opera House spokesperson. "We were looking for a way to do this digitally so that lots of people could be involved and decided to use Twitter."
"Opera is, after all, a story set to music and we've asked people to contribute and help us write that story," she added.
The Twitter project is also part of the Royal Opera House's Deloitte Ignite season, which takes place Sept. 4, 5 and 6, and is focused on getting more people interested in the creative side of opera.
"It's the people's opera and the perfect way for everyone to become involved with the inventiveness of opera as the ultimate form of storytelling," said Alison Duthie, head of ROH2 at the Royal Opera House. "Who knows how the story will evolve, but get tweeting and you can play your part in the opera."
The opera's first two scenes are already complete, Parsons said. The first scenes include a man named William who was languishing in a tower after being kidnapped by birds who wanted revenge after William killed one of them. Someone named Hans has promised to rescue William, and a woman with no name is working in her biochemistry...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Microsoft Issues Slew of Xbox Live Updates
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68341
Xbox Live grew a notch Tuesday with the release of several updates to the service. The new features include the ability to download complete video games and play them without a disc, expanded capabilities for Netflix movies, new ways to make your avatar snappier, and an better rating ability.
Some of the new features will be available beginning August 13.
The titles available to be purchased and downloaded include Mass Effect, Assassin's Creed, BioShock, and Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, at an average price of $30. New titles are added weekly, and purchases can be made with a credit card or Microsoft points. Games can be deleted and reloaded again if the user runs out of space, since the purchase history is stored by Xbox Live.
The Microsoft announcement indicates that users will be able to play downloaded games from multiple locations, by downloading purchased games "to any console you are logged into with your Gamertag."
The new Xbox Live also allows game manuals to be viewed, downloaded or printed. If you want your avatar to be more fashionable, brand-name avatar-wear can be purchased from a new Avatar Marketplace. There are also various Avatar Props, animated items with which your second self can interact.
Netflix, the DVD and online movie service, has been busy striking deals with as many device manufacturers as possible, and its deal with Microsoft is exclusive to the Xbox for game consoles. The Xbox Live update allows users to watch a movie together with remote friends, browse more quickly through New Releases, and enjoy "improved playback experience" and information about what your friends are watching.
Parties can quickly dissipate when users start falling off, but the new Xbox Live update allows a user who has inadvertently been disconnected from a party to be automatically reconnected without...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Intel, Micron Process Boosts Memory Chip Density
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68340
Intel and Micron Technology have developed a new technology to expand the densities of the memory chips used in consumer storage devices such as flash cards and USB drives. Their joint-venture company, called IM Flash Technologies, has already begun sampling NAND memory chips capable of storing three bits of information per memory cell and it expects to begin mass-producing the devices in the fourth quarter.
A physical NAND array rated at 16GB has 16 billion cells in which information can be stored. However, IM Flash Technologies is now able to choose from among three different methods for storing data in each cell, according to Micron Strategic Marketing Director Kevin Kilbuck.
"With single-level cell, or SLC, the flash cell is storing one of two states -- a zero or a one logically, while multi-level cell, or MLC, means two bits per cell, while three bits per cell (3bpc) means" information is stored using "one of eight logic states," Kilbuck said. The advantage of 3bpc is that if "we take the same 16GB die and store three bits per cell, we would have a 48GB chip," Kilbuck said.
The development of 3bpc technology comes at a time when global sales of NAND-type flash memory are expected to rise at a compound annual rate of 41 percent, reaching $932.5 million in 2013, said iSuppli Senior Analyst Michael Yang. "Soaring sales of smartphones, combined with the increasing density of NAND flash in each handset, is causing sales of the memory in this area to boom," Yang said.
The NAND flash makers can thank Apple's iPhone for injecting new life into the memory market, Yang observed. "Furthermore, Apple plans to introduce the iPhone in China, possibly early next year," which "will open up the market for the iPhone to a new potential audience of...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Facebook Adds Google Power with FriendFeed Deal
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68322
In a one-two punch that targets Google and Twitter, Facebook is acquiring FriendFeed and has rolled out new search capabilities. With these moves, Facebook may be positioning itself as a social-media hub.
Financial terms of the acquisition were not disclosed, but The Wall Street Journal is valuing the deal at $50 million.
FriendFeed is a service for sharing online. The site bills itself as a fun and interactive way to discover and discuss information among friends. Members get an instant, customized feed made up of content friends have shared, from photos to interesting links and videos and personal messages.
"Since I first tried FriendFeed, I've admired their team for creating such a simple and elegant service for people to share information," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook founder and CEO. "As this shows, our culture continues to make Facebook a place where the best engineers come to build things quickly that lots of people will use."
Bret Taylor and Paul Buchheit founded FriendFeed along with Jim Norris and Sanjeev Singh in October 2007. All four played key roles at Google for products like Gmail and Google Maps. FriendFeed employees will join Facebook, with FriendFeed's founders holding senior roles on Facebook's engineering and product teams.
"Facebook and FriendFeed share a common vision of giving people tools to share and connect with their friends," said Taylor, who launched Google Maps. "We can't wait to join the team and bring many of the innovations we've developed at FriendFeed to Facebook's 250 million users around the world."
FriendFeed has 12 employees. FriendFeed.com will continue to operate for the time being as the teams determine long-term plans for the product. Buchheit said the team was impressed by Facebook's open, creative culture and their desire to have FriendFeed's staff contribute to it.
"It was immediately obvious to us how...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Google Adds Caffeine To Wake Up Search Results
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68321
Google is putting Caffeine in its search engine, and it could be a wake-up call for businesses to tune up their Web sites. The previously secret project, announced Monday on the company's Webmaster Central Blog, is intended to provide the "next-generation architecture" for Google's Web search, especially as Microsoft's Bing, a reinvigorated Yahoo, and Wolfram Research's Wolfram Alpha gear up.
On the blog, Software Engineer Sitaram Iyer and Principal Engineer Matt Cutts said Caffeine is "the first step in a process that will let us push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and other dimensions."
This new infrastructure is part of the "under the hood" infrastructure, and the company said "most users won't notice a difference in search results." But it did predict that "power searches" and Web developers will notice the difference, which is why the company is asking for developer feedback.
Caffeine isn't finished yet, Google said, but apparently it's completed enough to be made available for public testing. The developer preview is available at http://www2.sandbox.google.com.
Around the Web, reactions to the new Caffeine-enhanced search engine range from not seeing any differences, to seeing faster results, to seeing fewer but more targeted results for such common searches as drugstores.
Some observers said they didn't expect the infrastructure changes to dramatically alter rankings, since it didn't change the search engine's basic algorithms. But it could lead to ranking changes in the future if the new infrastructure makes it easier for Google to add enhancements.
In the blog posting, the Google engineers said they are primarily interested in any perceived differences between the current search engine and the Caffeine-enriched one. They said this includes higher-level feedback, such as whether types of sites appear to rank better or worse in the new system, or if a given site shouldn't be showing...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
An Apple Board of Directors for the 2010s
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68316
Now that Google CEO Eric Schmidt has left Apple's board, the path is clear for the company's next likely director, Chief Operating Officer Tim Cook, to join. Apple is firing on all cylinders now. But the challenges that will face the company in the next decade -- which include managing its larger size, reckoning with Internet-based computing, and growing overseas -- will require more fresh blood on the board.
Schmidt left, as I argued should happen more than a year ago, because of broadening competition between Google and Apple. That will likely open the door for to become a director, rewarding him for his stewardship.
With Apple in its fourth decade and heading toward $50 billion in sales sometime in the 2010s, the company will need further governance changes in the years ahead. In talks with academics, board recruiters, and various industry sources, a few themes have emerged.
Apple will need on its board an executive who has run a $100 billion company -- someone like former IBM CEO Lou Gerstner or an executive from a diversified company such as Procter & Gamble or General Electric. It could use someone from the social media world such as Netscape founder Marc Andreessen, as well as a director who understands cloud computing. An executive steeped in emerging markets would help, too. Former Infosys Technologies CEO Nandan Nilekani comes to mind.
For all the expertise of Apple's executive team and current board, there's hardly anyone experienced at operating or governing a company as large as Apple is on the verge of becoming. Given Apple's centrality to a growing number of industries -- among them computers, cell phones, and recorded music -- the company punches above its weight in influence.
The one board member who has worked at supersized companies -- IBM, Ford, and...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Microsoft's Windows Mobile: Time to Hang Up?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68315
Since the early days of the smartphone market in the '90s, Microsoft has been a key player. But the company's goal of reaping more revenue from smartphones might be better served by hanging up on Windows Mobile, an operating system that's become an also-ran.
Over the past two years, Microsoft's grasp on the market for mobile-phone operating systems has been slipping because it hasn't kept pace with the rate of developments in the smartphone market, such as touchscreens and a wide variety of compelling applications. As a result, Microsoft's share of the smartphone operating system market has become anemic, while those of Apple and Research in Motion have soared.
Traditionally, Microsoft aimed Windows Mobile at corporations that wanted Windows as a standard across PCs and handhelds. But many companies have loosened those policies. Workers are now using the same smartphones for office and personal tasks -- and they're not choosing Windows.
I expect Microsoft to realize this and exit the mobile operating system market within the next two years.
The company says it's still investing in the platform, however. "We are 100 percent committed to the Windows phones business," a Microsoft spokesman said in an e-mail. Microsoft's investments in operating systems and cloud computing will enable consumers to share information across all of the devices they use, he said.
At a July 30 meeting with financial analysts in Redmond, Wash., Robbie Bach, president of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, said the company is "going to invest and build on the brand of Windows phones," although he acknowledged that Windows Mobile is losing market share and that relationships with phonemakers aren't as strong as the company would like. "We had a challenging year," Bach said.
The mobile device market is important to Microsoft, in large part because it increases use of Exchange e-mail,...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Today's Internet Radio Comes of Age
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68308
Back at the turn of the century, Internet radio was a novelty -- and little more. Stations largely mimicked the radio that most of us knew from car stereos, doing little to distinguish themselves as products of the information age.
But a lot has changed in recent years. Today, the best Internet radio stations incorporate all that the web has to offer -- including customization and collaboration -- with a seemingly unlimited palette of music and information.
The result: a product that just might have you turning to the Internet first for your radio listening pleasure -- and tapping your feet a lot in the process. Here's an overview of some of the most innovative and popular radio sites around.
Legend has it that Pandora's box is full of surprises, and that's what Internet radio station Pandora.com (http://www.pandora.com) gives you. The surprises, though, are largely pleasant.
Billing itself as the radio station that plays "only music you like," Pandora is big on customization. Once you create a free account, Pandora prompts you to create a new radio station based upon an artist or song that you enjoy.
Once created, the station begins playing, typically with the song or artist around which the station was defined. Subsequent musical selections, however, are taken from artists or songs that are likely to be appealing to those who enjoy the artist or song that you originally created the station around.
Create a station called "the Beatles," for instance, and Pandora plays songs not only from the Fab Four but also from bands such as Credence Clearwater Revival, Simon and Garfunkel, James Taylor, and other artists that typically appeal to Beatles fans.
You can tell Pandora whether you like a particular selection by clicking an up or down thumb as the song plays. An options menu allows you to include or exclude...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Telco Companies To Provide Data for Broadband Map
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68306
The country's biggest phone and cable companies have agreed to hand over information about their broadband networks to help the federal government produce a national map showing where high-speed Internet connections are available across the U.S.
AT&T Inc., Verizon Communications Inc. and Comcast Corp. have told the Commerce Department that they are committed to helping the government "complete the important and difficult task of mapping broadband availability."
Trade groups representing a broad cross-section of the telecommunications sector, including wireless carriers, rural phone and cable companies and the industry giants, are also encouraging their members to cooperate with the Congressionally mandated effort.
"The information that the broadband carriers are now committed to providing is crucial to the creation of the national broadband map," said Lawrence Strickling, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the arm of the Commerce Department that is overseeing the mapping project.
Congress included up to $350 million in the economic stimulus bill passed in February to develop a "comprehensive nationwide inventory map of existing broadband service capability and availability in the United States."
The NTIA will be awarding grants to entities in each state to gather data on everything from the availability of different broadband technologies to connection speeds at the local level. The data will be used to produce an interactive national broadband map that Americans everywhere can search to find local broadband services. Regulators and lawmakers also plan to use the data to target broadband investments and shape policy to bring affordable high-speed connections to all corners of the country.
Friday's announcement is the product of weeks of talks among the NTIA, telecom carriers, state officials and public interest groups. And it represents an attempt to balance the needs of the NTIA, which wants to collect data that is detailed enough to produce a robust map, and the concerns of...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Attacks on Lone Blogger Reverberate Across Web
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68305
The outage that knocked Twitter offline for hours was traced to an attack on a lone blogger in the former Soviet republic of Georgia -- but the collateral damage that left millions around the world tweetless showed just how much havoc an isolated cyberdispute can cause.
"It told us how quickly many people really took Twitter into their hearts," Robert Thompson, director of the Center for the Study of Popular Television at Syracuse University, said Friday.
Tens of millions of people have come to rely on social media to express their innermost thoughts and to keep up with world news and celebrity gossip.
Twitter "is one of those little amusements that infiltrated the mass behavior in some significant ways, so that when it went away, a lot of people really noticed it and missed it."
The attacks Thursday also slowed down Facebook and caused problems for the online diary site LiveJournal. But Twitter, the 140-character-or-less messaging site used by celebrities, businesses and even Iranian protesters, suffered a total outage that lasted several hours.
Those attacks continued Friday from thousands of computers pummeling its servers, said Kazuhiro Gomi, chief technology officer for NTT America Enterprise Hosting Services, which hosts Twitter's service.
Twitter crashed because of a denial-of-service attack, in which hackers command scores of computers toward a single site at the same time to prevent legitimate traffic from getting through. The attack was targeted at a blogger who goes by "Cyxymu" -- Cyrillic spelling of Sukhumi, a city in the breakaway territory of Abkhazia in Georgia -- on several Web sites, including Twitter, Facebook and LiveJournal.
But they could have just as well targeted Twitter itself. That's because the effects were the same whether the excess traffic went to the "twitter.com" home page or to the page for Cyxymu at "twitter.com/cyxymu." Same with Facebook and LiveJournal.
"A denial of...
Wed, 12 Aug 09
Air Force Used Twitter To Track NY Flyover Fallout
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68303
As the Pentagon warns of the security risks posed by social networking sites, newly released government documents show the military also uses these Internet tools to monitor and react to coverage of high-profile events.
The Air Force tracked the instant messaging service Twitter, video carrier YouTube and various blogs to assess the huge public backlash to the Air Force One flyover of the Statue of Liberty this spring, according to the documents.
And while the attempts at damage control failed -- "No positive spin is possible," one PowerPoint chart reads -- the episode opens a window into the tactics for operating in a boundless digital news cycle.
This new terrain has slippery slopes, though, for the military. Facebook, MySpace and other social media sites are very popular among service members, including those in Iraq and Afghanistan who want to keep in touch with friends and family. The sites are also valued by military organizations for recruiting or communicating with other federal agencies.
But posting information on these interactive links makes it vulnerable to being lost or stolen by the enemy, according to Pentagon officials. On Thursday hackers shut down Twitter for several hours, while Facebook had intermittent access problems -- an indication of the shortcomings of relying on these services.
The Marine Corps' computer network blocks users from accessing social media sites, which service officials say expose "information to adversaries" and provide "an easy conduit for information leakage."
The Marines recently made its ban official. And that prohibition might extend to other parts of the military pending a top-level review ordered in late July by Deputy Defense Secretary Bill Lynn.
In a widely distributed memo, Lynn said the so-called "Web 2.0" sites are important tools but more study is needed to understand their threats and benefits.
Air Force officials are already aware of the potential benefits.
According to the...
Tue, 11 Aug 09
Toshiba Finally Joins Team Blu-ray
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68297
On Monday, Toshiba did what some thought it would never do: apply for membership to the Blu-ray Disc Association (BDA). After losing a long battle for high-definition DVD technologies, Toshiba has signaled plans to launch products that support the Blu-ray format it once rivaled.
Toshiba cited recent growth in digital devices supporting the Blu-ray format, combined with market demand from consumers and retailers as the impetus for joining the BDA, whose members include Sony, Samsung, Hitachi and many other leading electronics manufacturers.
Blu-ray discs are seeing sales growth. According to Futuresource Consulting, consumers are on target to buy more than 100 million Blu-ray discs in the United States, Europe and Japan in 2009. Sales of high-definition-capable LCD and plasma TVs, along with continued price declines of Blu-ray disc (BD) players, are fueling the interest in packaged hi-def content despite the economic downturn. Futuresource Consulting forecasts that the major global Blu-ray disc markets will grow from 18 million discs in 2008 to 130 million discs in 2010.
"BD disc sales continue to expand into all major markets and genres, although to date the business has gravitated towards new release titles," said Jim Bottoms, managing director at Futuresource. "In particular, the action adventure genre dominates, appealing strongly to the young male technology adopter, which also closely matches the PS3 owner profile. For some high-profile titles, close to 25 percent of all disc sales have been on BD, while other action adventure titles consistently see BD accounting for over 15 percent of total sales."
Toshiba is looking to get in on the action. The company already offers a lineup of advanced digital products, such as DVD recorders and players, HDTVs and notebook PCs that support a wide range of storage devices, including hard disk drives, DVDs and SD cards. Now, Toshiba plans to introduce...
Tue, 11 Aug 09
Tr.im Slams Doors Shut on Twitter Users
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68296
Failing to find a larger company to acquire it, Nambu Network will shut down its link shortening service. Tr.im has thousands of users and creates tens of thousands of URLs per day for social media users.
Like tinyurl, bit.ly and many other free services, tr.im converts a conventional URL to a shorter URL that redirects users to the original page. Link shortening services have been especially popular on Twitter. With a 140-character limit, URL shorteners make it more practical for members to share Web content with each other on the micro-blogging service.
"We regret that it came to this, but all of our efforts to avoid it failed," Nambu Network said on its home page. "No business we approached wanted to purchase tr.im for even a minor amount."
Nambu said all tr.im links will continue to redirect until at least the end of 2009. If no company steps up to buy tr.im, those links could eventually lead users to nowhere.
"There is no way for us to monetize URL shortening -- users won't pay for it -- and we just can't justify further development since Twitter has all but anointed bit.ly the market winner," the company wrote. "There is simply no point for us to continue operating tr.im, and pay for its upkeep."
The company was especially critical of Twitter and companies that feed off of it to provide services. Nambu claims tr.im gets hit by countless bots every day farming its data to create and operate companies that allow users to search and retweet the hottest stories on Twitter, such as Tweetmeme.
"Twitter has all but sapped us of any last energy to double-down and develop tr.im further. What is the point? With bit.ly the Twitter default, and with us having no inside connection to Twitter, tr.im will lose over the long-run no...
Tue, 11 Aug 09
HP Shakes Up Japan's Wireless Market
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68286
It was a bold statement in small packages. On Aug. 5, Hewlett-Packard said it was planning to sell portable, Web-connected computers that can tap Japan's cellular networks without requiring users to be locked into a contract with a wireless operator. The computers -- laptops, netbooks, and touchscreen tablets -- will come with 100 minutes of free airtime and a built-in, pay-as-you-go wireless system when they go on sale next month.
HP's event, at a downtown Tokyo hotel, was a small affair, attracting just a few dozen journalists and one TV camera. But among industry executives and analysts, HP's latest move is attracting a lot of attention: It could end up rewriting the rules in Japan's wireless industry.
HP, in effect, will become a mobile operator -- in industry jargon, a mobile virtual network operator (MVNO). That means the Palo Alto (Calif.) company will get to decide what type of gizmos to connect to the network -- and will keep for itself most of the revenues from airtime use. Having a tech manufacturer double as an operator poses a threat to Japan's three largest wireless operators, NTT DoCoMo, KDDI, and SoftBank.
Operators traditionally have exerted tight control of the airwaves used to deliver telecommunication signals to consumers. They have the final say over which phones, PCs, and other gizmos can tap their network, and how much to charge subscribers for service. The iPhone, for which Apple is said to get up to 30 percent of the operators' revenues from iPhone subscribers' monthly payments, was the first to shift the balance of power away from operators. HP will take that a step further.
The Japanese government's decision last year to force operators to sell unused bandwidth to new entrants helped. HP will rent spectrum from Japan Communications [JCI], a tiny Tokyo operator. JCI...
Tue, 11 Aug 09
Finding the Right External DVD Burner
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68283
With many of us now (or soon to be) a proud owner of a netbook, there's a need to have an external optical drive.
Most people tend to choose a DVD burner or combo drive -- an optical drive that can read and write CDs, VCDs and DVDs. This drive will come in handy whenever you want to install drivers for a new peripheral or load new applications.
It also gives you the option to back up your data on disc or extract content such as movies, video clips, and photos not yet loaded into your netbook's hard disk.
You can also play lightweight games on your netbook off a disc if you have an optical disc drive.
DVD burners today are slimmer and more stylish, with some that even match your netbook's design. Third-party models are plenty, and many support both Windows and Mac machines.
The easiest interface to work with would be USB 2.0, as most netbooks have at least two ports. For netbooks that have a FireWire interface, you can opt for models that support this connectivity and free up your USB ports.
Of course, DVD burners that support both USB 2.0 and FireWire offer more options, but they are more expensive.
Typically, each DVD burner offers different speeds for reading, writing and rewriting discs. If you plan to use the drive to back up data such as downloaded movies, music, videos and photos, you can invest in a DVD burner that offers faster speeds.
Speed-wise, the current offering is 20X for write-once speed on a single-layer DVD, and 8X for dual-layer DVD. The rewrite speed for DVD-RW is 6X.
Most of the time, slimmer external DVD burners tend to be slower, unlike their internal counterparts. But you gain on portability, which is important if you travel a lot.
While speed affects pricing, items such as bundled...
Tue, 11 Aug 09
The Latest Craze: Free E-Book Offerings
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68280
James Patterson's latest best seller, "The Angel Experiment," is a little different from his usual hits. The novel isn't new; it came out four years ago. Readers aren't picking it up at bookstores, but mostly on the Kindle site at Amazon.com.
And the price is low even for an old release: $0.00.
"I like the notion of introducing people to one book, while promoting the sales of another," says the prolific and mega-selling author (and co-author) of numerous thrillers." His Kindle download is the first book of Patterson's "Maximum Ride" young adult series.
"We've given away thousands of free e-copies," Patterson said. "`Maximum Ride' is big already and we think it could be a lot bigger. That requires getting people to read it."
Patterson is among the biggest brands added to the growing list of free e-book offerings. Over the past few months, top sellers on the Kindle -- with downloads in the tens of thousands, authors and publishers say -- have included such public domain titles as "Pride and Prejudice" and "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes," and novels by Jennifer Stevenson and Greg Keyes.
In recent days, the top three Kindle sellers have been free books: Patterson's, Joseph Finder's "Paranoia" and Keyes' "The Briar King."
"There's always going to be someone who wants free things. What we're trying to do is link free with paid," Maja Thomas, senior vice president of digital media at Patterson's publisher, the Hachette Book Group, said. "It's like priming the pump."
"What we like to do is make the first book in a series free, usually a series that has multiple books," said Scott Shannon, publisher of the Del Rey/Spectra imprint at Random House, Inc., which published Keyes' fantasy novel.
Shannon said Del Rey has had especially good luck with Naomi Novik's "Temeraire" fantasy series after offering the first book for free....
Tue, 11 Aug 09
Contact Centers Get Going with Hosting
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68270
Few enterprises today own their own buildings, vehicle fleets, or hardware like copiers. Instead they lease them and for good reasons. These include freeing capital expenditures to be used where these dollars can generate the greatest ROI. It also includes flexibility when business needs change from new opportunities or downsizing; there are no costly assets to purchase/install or unload, which takes scarce time.
The same arguments can be and are applied to contact center solutions known as hosting or cloud computing. Drew Kraus, research vice president, Gartner, adds that leasing/hosting also avoids internal battles over which products to keep in a merger/acquisition. He reports that more firms are selecting hosted solutions, in particular CRM, IVR, and to an extent ACD and routing.
Dave Van Everen, vice president, product management, Five9 reports that more enterprises turning to solutions to support remote/home agents, and blended insource/outsource, and onshore/offshore operations. It is also becoming a popular choice for teleservices firms.
"We're seeing many outsourcers become Five9 clients, and in doing so go out and win new accounts," says Van Everen. "They can quickly add seats to their Five9 environment, and often they credit this agility as a competitive advantage."
Hosting takes up less IT resources and consulting dollars. Alaska Airlines deployed Varolii's automated outbound voice notification solution to improve service and deflect customers' calls arising from flight delays and cancellations. It has proven very quite popular; it successfully communicated with more than 100,000 passengers and now supports e-mail and wireless devices.
As a hosted service, Varolii did not place an additional burden on the airline's IT resources. Its internal staff can create, manage, and edit Varolii applications without coding; it is also saving considerably on consulting services.
"I've done a lot of ROI studies of our technologies and this is by far the quickest payback I've seen," says Karen...
Tue, 11 Aug 09
Flyers Lose Patience with Do-it-Yourself Web Bookings
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68259
If you dread sitting down at your computer to make travel arrangements, or feel frustrated by all the time and effort required to sort through pages of results for flights and hotels, join the crowd.
A report to be released Tuesday by Forrester Research has found that far from embracing the do-it-yourself era, many Americans are "fed up" with the complicated process of planning and booking travel.
"What we've seen is growing frustration," said Henry H. Harteveldt, a Forrester travel analyst. "Consumers see other Web sites becoming easier to use -- retail Web sites, banking Web sites, media Web sites. But travel is treading water as a category."
"There are very few travel companies that are really looking to improve the planning and booking process," he added.
Customers are required to educate themselves about destinations, flights and hotels; figure out extra fees; wade through fine print; and understand industry jargon like the difference between deluxe and standard rooms, Mr. Harteveldt said.
"Travel companies expect the consumer to behave like a travel agent," he said. "The question I always ask these guys is, 'Could your mother-in-law use your Web site without having to call you for help?' The answer is always no."
In fact, Mr. Harteveldt said, a growing number of consumers appear to be interested in using traditional travel agencies, if they can find one.
"The fact that there are more people now who would consider using a good offline travel agent is telling me people are saying, 'Enough already,"' he said.
Frustrations about travel are showing up in other research as well.
In June, J.D. Power & Associates released its annual airline survey, which found that customer satisfaction had declined for the third consecutive year. Based on responses from 12,900 passengers, the airline industry scored 658 points on a 1,000-point scale this year, down from a peak of...
Tue, 11 Aug 09
Serving Customers in the Downturn
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68166
Companies everywhere have reacted to the recession by lowering revenue projections and tightening their belts: delaying purchases, canceling nonessential travel, reducing payroll, freezing or shrinking the R&D budget, closing underperforming operations, slowing production, trimming inventories, reducing perks. And such actions are usually necessary and appropriate in hard times.
But executives also can overdo the cost-cutting, compromising one of their most valuable assets: their relationship with their best customers. Key relationships must continue to be nurtured and grown. The tough times will end. If a company's best customers jump ship during the downturn, the company may never win them back.
This is a universal truth that applies to virtually all businesses, in any country. Customer service, in both good times and bad, is the great intangible that can make or break a business. When others are cutting in this area, the wise executive will consider spending.
In recessions, as we all know, many customers base their purchasing decisions solely on price. But others, even during a recession, want more than just the lowest possible price. They demand service and they're willing to pay a premium for it, and these "high yield" customers are typically a company's most profitable. When you cut the service of price-sensitive buyers, you may not lose their business. But when you cut the services you offer to high-yield customers, you may not only lose the yield but the customer as well. Worse, you may lose this customer to your competitor, who might use the enhanced margin to capture even more of your customers.
In a crisis, of course, it's common to seek simple one-size-fits-all solutions, such as cutting costs across the board on the theory that "all customers want is a low price." And if you're in a pure commodity business, that might be the right approach....
Sat, 8 Aug 09
Sony Fine Tunes Its E-Book Strategy
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68295
Sony is turning to a combination of tried-and-true and innovative marketing strategies to boost the appeal of the company's e-book offerings to price-conscious American consumers.
Earlier this week, Sony knocked $2 off the prices at its online e-book store for new releases and New York Times best sellers and unveiled two new e-book Readers at reduced price points of $199 and $299. What's more, the company has joined Amazon in offering a few newer titles free from popular authors such as Brenda Jackson, James Patterson, Joseph Finder, and Kim Stanley Robinson.
All these marketing moves bode well for sales of Sony's e-book devices and content, Forrester Research Analyst Sarah Rotman Epps said.
"I think the trend toward lower-priced devices will help to encourage adoptions, and it also helps that Sony's best sellers will now be priced at $9.99 -- down from $11.99," Rotman Epps said. "Even though there are many books priced lower than 9.99 in their online store, just being able to add this price point has psychological appeal."
Having Sony's e-book Readers more widely available in retail stores also will enable consumers to discover the devices on their own, Rotman Epps noted.
"Sony's new e-book Readers will not just be sold through the company's direct channels, but also through Target, Wal-Mart and Costco stores and other retail outlets," Rotman Epps explained. "Enabling consumers to have real hands-on experience before they buy is a major plus and I imagine it won't be long before the Kindle is in these stores as well."
Though Sony is making progress, the company needs to do more to make it easier for consumers to find relevant e-book content at its online store, she said.
"A common criticism of Sony is that it makes great devices but doesn't know how to sell books," Rotman Epps said....
Sat, 8 Aug 09
Memory Leak Reported After Windows 7 RTM Released
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68294
It's official. Microsoft Windows 7 has been released to manufacturing. Just a day later, rumors are rampant about a showstopper bug that could threaten the success of Microsoft's all-important Vista successor.
Microsoft released Windows 7 Release to Manufacturing (RTM) to MSDN and TechNet subscribers Thursday in English. Microsoft also released the RTM version of the Windows API Code Pack for the .NET framework and the Windows 7 SDK that allows developers to update their applications and run compatibility testing with the new version.
The Windows 7 Training Kit for Developers has been updated. It includes presentations, hands-on labs, and demos designed to help developers learn how to build applications that shine on Windows 7. The company made the latest iteration of its operating system available to volume-license customers with an existing software assurance license on Friday.
After a poor showing with Vista, the tech industry is eagerly anticipating Windows 7. But technology researchers claim to have found a bug in the new operating system that causes a massive memory leak and could cause the company to delay the final release. The Chris123NT blog posted directions to execute a crash on Monday.
Microsoft Windows Division President Steven Sinofsky quickly jumped into the blog comment fray, noting that the company hasn't reproduced the crash and is not seeing any crashes with chkdsk on the stack reported in any measurable number. Sinofsky said Microsoft had one beta report on the memory usage, but that was resolved by design.
"While we appreciate the drama of 'critical bug' and then the pickup of 'showstopper' that I've seen, we might take a step back and realize that this might not have that defcon level," Sinofsky wrote. "Bugs that are so severe as to require immediate patches and attention would have to have no workarounds and would generally be such...
Sat, 8 Aug 09
Twitter, Facebook Attacks Aimed at One Blogger?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68293
One individual may have been the target of the distributed denial-of-service attack that crippled a handful of social-networking Web sites, including LiveJournal, Facebook and micro-blogging site Twitter.
The attack, which left Twitter down for more than four hours and degraded Facebook's service, was reportedly aimed at a Georgian blogger who uses the screen name Cyxymu, Facebook told the BBC.
Cyxymu, in his blogs, criticized Russia over its behavior in the war over the South Ossetia region. Friday marks one year since Georgia launched an attack against Tskhinvali, the capital of its Moscow-backed region. The attack resulted in an invasion by Russian troops that caused five days of fighting between Russia and Georgia.
Cyxymu says the attack may have been carried out by ordinary hackers, but that he is certain the order to launch the attack came from the Russian government, he told the UK's Guardian newspaper.
Security expert Jart Armin of HostExploit agrees that the attack has a connection to the Russian government.
"We are pretty certain of our facts of yesterday, [that] the DDoS emanated from the Russian servers and through the European backbone," Armin said. "These servers traced are clearly Russian core servers and controlled by the Russian government."
Although the theory of an attack on Cyxymu was an interesting one, Armin has his own conjecture. He finds it more than a coincidence that the attacks coincided with the anniversary of the initial cyberwar that preceded the full invasion of Georgia.
"So the motives could be [to send] a brief anniversary reminder rather than to attack a specific blogger," he said.
The kind of targeted attack mounted on Twitter and Facebook is not only plausible but happens often, according to John Pescatore, a vice president with Gartner's Internet Security team.
"Many times an ISP is not the target for the DDoS attack; one of...
Sat, 8 Aug 09
App Store Still Stirs Drama in Developer World
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68292
Apple hit the reject button again. The company has declined to give yet another iPhone application access to its popular App Store.
The application is called Offender Locator. Offered by ThinAir Wireless, the application uses the iPhone's GPS capabilities to locate registered sex offenders who live in your neighborhood.
The banned software also highlights registered sex offenders who live near contacts in your iPhone address book. What's more, the application serves up a photo of the sex offender and a list of the committed offenses.
Some are suggesting that the application was pulled because it violated a California law prohibiting the sale of criminal information for profit. After yanking the paid version, the free version is still available for download on the App Store.
However, a similar application called Sex Offender Search remains available for $1.99, so it is unclear whether the competing application will also be pulled or if some other law is in question. Apple could not immediately be reached for comment.
Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret, said the hoopla over the App Store rejects is overblown. Of the 55,000 applications that have been approved, fewer than a dozen have been the center of developer outcry over the approval process.
"It's not like we're seeing Apple rejecting massive numbers [of] applications to the frustration of huge numbers of developers," Gartenberg said. "It's a non-story for the most part because it's affecting a very small number of developers and applications. Any time you have a process that's run by humans, there are going to be mistakes. But we've seen Apple constantly refining the process."
In a related story, a typically tight-lipped Apple is actually moving to defend itself in the blogosphere. In an unusual move, Phil Schiller, Apple senior vice president, replied to a Daring Fireball blog post earlier...
Sat, 8 Aug 09
Apple's Tablet Computer -- A Big iPod Plus a Phone?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68277
Apple's rumored tablet computer will be like a big iPod Touch, cost between $500 and $700, will probably include 3G and be subsidized by a carrier like AT&T or Verizon, and could sell as many as two million units next year.
That's the scenario painted Friday by Piper Jaffray senior analyst Gene Munster. In a report to clients, he wrote that his company has spoken last week "with an Asian component supplier that has received orders from Apple for a touch-screen device" scheduled for delivery in late 2009.
The rumor mill, which has also been joined by Barron's and other mainstream publications, contends that Apple's tablet will feature a 10-inch touchscreen, have WiFi in addition to 3G, and feature a customized ARM processor.
According to Munster's numbers, if Apple does sell two million tablets at about $600, that's about $1.2 billion in revenue. Although that could mean as much as 3 percent of Apple's total revenue, some industry observers are looking at a possible tablet product as a continuation of the iPod product line, not as a new product category.
While possibly not enough to constitute a full product category, there is one other tablet-based product that has also been garnering a lot of online press speculation -- the CrunchPad, a tablet designed primarily for Web surfing and media viewing, from a company founded by Richard Arrington, who runs the influential TechCrunch technology blog.
Unlike Apple's rumored product, Arrington has been open about his plans to release the product, possibly this summer.
One particularly intriguing aspect of the current rumor-stream about Apple's tablet plans is the suggestion that, if the product exists, it might be offered on a subsidized basis from a phone carrier.
Michael Gartenberg, a Vice President at industry research firm Interval Research, pointed out that we've been...
Sat, 8 Aug 09
RadioShack Would Like You To Call It 'The Shack'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68263
RadioShack is the latest older, "legacy" brand to try to put a cool, hip spin on itself.
The 88-year-old electronics outfit will re-introduce itself as just "The Shack" -- at least in its ads.
The retail chain is spending a big chunk of its $200 million ad budget for this year on new TV and digital ads to introduce The Shack as its name for advertising and marketing purposes. Signs outside of stores will remain RadioShack. The company hopes to hold onto to its brand heritage and attract more tech-savvy shoppers.
The ads will focus on the company's knowledgeable sales staff and wireless products, which accounted for 33 percent of $4.2 billion in sales last year. They'll also promote the average 2,500-square-foot size of a RadioShack store as more easy to navigate than big-box rivals such as Best Buy.
As part of its new branding, the chain recently expanded its own proprietary brands and added national brands such as T-Mobile. It's also signed a marketing agreement with bicyclist Lance Armstrong, who next year will compete in the Tour de France and other races under Team RadioShack. "We have an iconic American legacy brand," says Lee Applbaum, chief marketing officer at RadioShack. "This is a way to ensure that customers understand our innovation in products with a focus on mobility, leading brands and knowledgeable associates."
Despite competition from Best Buy and Wal-Mart, RadioShack has survived with the more mundane products of the technology world, including batteries and cables. Same-store sales (sales of stores open for a year, the best measure of retail health) slid 4 percent in the second quarter ended Jun 30.
Analysts say that a brand overhaul requires lots of time and capital -- and consumer acceptance.
Sales of sports drink Gatorade have suffered since changing its name to "G" in January. After a test earlier...
Sat, 8 Aug 09
Cisco's Outlook: Clearing, But Still Overcast
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68261
In the Internet Age there may be no better bellwether than Cisco Systems, the dominant maker of networking gear. So it was welcome news for investors when CEO John T. Chambers hinted at brighter days ahead after Cisco reported fiscal fourth-quarter earnings on Aug. 5.
Although sales in the quarter ended July 31 fell 18 percent from a year earlier, to $8.5 billion, Chambers said he expects sales in the current quarter to rise 1 percent to 3 percent from the quarter that just ended. That's a tad better than the flat sequential sales growth the company normally sees this time of year. So while revenues should fall about 14 percent this quarter from the same period a year earlier, the return to normal seasonal patterns is significant.
"We saw a number of positive signs this quarter in the economy and in our business," said Chambers. If that continues for a few more quarters, he said, "we believe there is a good chance we will look back and see that the tipping point occurred in our business" during the fourth quarter.
Investors weren't thrilled with the results. Shares of Cisco fell 3.3 percent in extended trading, after falling 29 percent, or 1.3 percent, to 22.15 on Aug. 5. The report contributed to the mixed messages that Wall Street has been getting from tech's biggest suppliers. After upbeat reports from Apple and Intel in July, Microsoft turned in a dreary fiscal fourth-quarter report on July 23.
Chambers' "message was that 'We're at the new normal,' " says Sam Wilson, an analyst with JMP Securities.
Chambers pointed to increased orders for Cisco gear as evidence that demand is strengthening. While order rates in the past two quarters were 10 percent to 15 percent below seasonal norms, "we've seen a dramatic difference" in recent weeks,...
Sat, 8 Aug 09
EU Reasserts Lead in Broadband Connections
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68257
The European Union has re-established its lead over the United States in the use of high-speed computer connections, making the Continent "the world leader in broadband Internet," the European Commission said Tuesday.
Viviane Reding, the E.U. commissioner who oversees the Internet, said that the spread of the technology could help power the European economic recovery and that continuing the development of high-speed Internet could create two million new jobs by 2015. But she also warned that obstacles needed to be overcome to maximize the economic benefits from digital networks. In particular, Ms. Reding said, E.U. member countries should make it easier for new entrants in telecommunications markets. "Governments must show leadership by adopting coordinated policies that dismantle existing barriers to new services," she said.
Despite Europe's leading position, a third of E.U. citizens have never used the Internet and only 7 percent have bought goods or services online from a vendor based in a neighboring country, Ms. Reding said.
She also acknowledged that many young Internet users were reluctant to pay to download or view digital content like music and movies -- a factor that could blunt the economic gains from increased network access.
Europe's broadband lead over the United States narrowed to about one percentage point after 2004, when poorer, less-connected countries from Eastern Europe joined the bloc, said Martin Selmayr, a spokesman for Ms. Reding.
The E.U. has since regained a three percentage point lead over the United States, with 23 percent of European homes and business using fixed-line broadband, compared with 20 percent in the United States, Mr. Selmayr said.
Denmark has 37 percent of homes and businesses fitted with high- speed Internet, the highest percentage in the world, followed by the Netherlands, Sweden, Finland and Luxembourg, according to figures released Tuesday by the European Commission. The United States ranked 17th globally, about...
Sat, 8 Aug 09
In the Information Age, Nerd Is the Word
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68255
At Harvard, Carrie Grimes majored in anthropology and archaeology and ventured to places like Honduras, where she studied Mayan settlement patterns by mapping where artifacts were found. But she was drawn to what she calls "all the computer and math stuff" that was part of the job.
"People think of field archeology as Indiana Jones, but much of what you really do is data analysis," she said.
Now Ms. Grimes does a different kind of digging. She works at Google, where she uses statistical analysis of mounds of data to come up with ways to improve its search engine.
Ms. Grimes is an Internet-age statistician, one of many who are changing the image of the profession as a place for dronish number nerds. They are finding themselves increasingly in demand -- and even cool.
"I keep saying that the sexy job in the next 10 years will be statisticians," said Hal Varian, chief economist at Google. "And I'm not kidding."
The rising stature of statisticians, who can earn $125,000 at top companies in their first year after getting a doctorate, is a byproduct of the recent explosion of digital data.
In field after field, computing and the Web are creating new realms of data to explore -- sensor signals, surveillance tapes, social-network chatter, public records and more.
And the digital data surge only promises to accelerate, rising fivefold by 2012, according to a projection by IDC, a research firm.
Yet data is merely the raw material of knowledge. "We're rapidly entering a world where everything can be monitored and measured," said Erik Brynjolfsson, an economist and director of the Center for Digital Business at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
The new breed of statisticians tackle that problem. They use powerful computers and sophisticated mathematical models to hunt for meaningful patterns and insights in vast troves of data.
The applications are...
Sat, 8 Aug 09
Can the Internet Handle a Crisis?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68254
The first thing I do when I check into a hotel room on a business trip is head directly to the desk to make sure the Internet connection works. If the Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection does not snap to life, I am ready to march down to the lobby and threaten to check out if the hotel cannot fix it.
The nonnegotiable demand for connectivity says less about our impatience and sense of entitlement as business travelers (or so I would like to think) than it does about our basic needs. We are accustomed to being connected; we need to be connected, and we get upset when we are not.
On a video clip that has been widely shared online, the comedian Louis C.K. tells of being on an airplane with Wi-Fi when the man seated beside him suddenly loses his connection and explodes in curses about airline incompetence. "How quickly does the world owe him something that he knew existed only 10 seconds ago?" the comedian asks.
Well, that is the thing, actually. We are wired. Business travel, and even the augmentations to business travel like videoconferencing, are all firmly on the grid. The rapidly developing industry of installing Wi-Fi connections on airplanes is a testament to our dependence on connectivity -- and the joke underscores the insistence that it be reliable.
But are we on thin ice, technologically? The Association of Corporate Travel Executives, a worldwide trade group representing company travel managers, says it believes we are. To an extent not fully appreciated by policy makers, the organization says, business travel is dependent on fragile technological networks that have already shown the stresses of a sudden strain.
How fragile? Take an event like the unexpected death of Michael Jackson on June 25. As tens of millions of people rushed online for the details,...
Sat, 8 Aug 09
Rivalry Between Apple and Palm Intensifies
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68253
The Palm Pre has a large touch screen, slide-out keyboard and fast Web browsing. Palm also likes to point out the smartphone's ability to link to iTunes, Apple's music and media store.
But Apple wants to make sure the iPhone is the only cell phone that can do that. So it changed its software to block the Pre's access to iTunes.
Now Palm is calling foul and is trying to rally the consumer electronics industry to its defense. Palm says Apple, which allows only its own devices to connect directly with iTunes software, is misusing the standards put in place to foster interoperability between computers and devices using a USB connection.
Palm has filed a complaint with the USB Implementers Forum, an industry group established by technology companies that developed the technology that links computers to other electronic devices, claiming Apple is restraining trade.
Predicting the outcome of this particular filing is tricky, said Mike Abramsky, an analyst with the investment firm RBC Capital Markets. "There isn't much precedent for this case," he said. "It's breaking new ground. In my mind, ultimately the users are the arbiters in the outcome of these situations."
The forum would not comment on when it would respond to Palm's filing.
Palm accomplishes the feat by duping the iTunes software into recognizing the phone as an Apple music player, allowing it to synchronize and transfer files between the phone and a personal computer. The tactic has raised some eyebrows among those who think that Palm's approach is itself a breach of standards set by the USB governing board.
But Palm says its strategy of masquerading as an iPod is acceptable because it is in response to Apple's restriction. "We think we are consistent with our compliance," said Douglas B. Luftman, an associate general counsel for Palm. "We're not trying to appear to...
Sat, 8 Aug 09
Some NFL Teams Clamp Down on Tweets
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68245
The only tweets during the Miami Dolphins scrimmage Saturday will come from the officials' whistles.
The Dolphins are at the forefront of an NFL clampdown on Twitter and other social media, with new restrictions imposed on players, reporters and even spectators.
Miami's secretive Bill Parcells regime prohibits fans and media at training-camp practices from tweeting, blogging or texting. At least six other teams have also imposed such restrictions on reporters, even though the workouts are open to the public.
Twitter intolerance is no surprise in a league where paranoia is part of the playbook. Like many Americans, coaches are anxious and a little confused about the rapid pace of change in communication.
"I don't really have a Twitter policy," Denver coach Josh McDaniels said. "I don't know what it means; I don't know what it is. I don't know MyFace, Spacebook, Facebook stuff. I don't know what that is either."
McDaniels mangled the Web-site names in jest, and the Broncos actually do prohibit tweeting. Such restrictions run contrary to a recommendation from league headquarters that teams allow tweeting and blogging during training camp practices.
"It is not practical to prohibit media from doing some reporting (via tweeting, texting, blogging, etc.)," a league memo to teams said.
Along with the Broncos and Dolphins, the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions disagree. They don't allow reporting from the practice field.
The Broncos also banned cell phones and computers at workouts to prohibit fans from tweeting or texting. The Colts went a step further by prohibiting reporters' notebooks (the spiral kind) at practice, but the ban was quickly rescinded.
Some teams, including the Dolphins, have urged their players not to tweet. Other teams are more lenient about the use of social media. All teams are weighing the impact of the new modes of communication.
"When cell...
Fri, 7 Aug 09
E-Book Market Is Shifting Away From Amazon's Target
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68266
The changing demographics of potential e-book buyers are reason enough for market leaders to begin rethinking their sales strategies, according to a new survey by Forrester Research.
Future sales prospects for e-book readers bear scant resemblance to the high-earning male tech optimists who own these devices today, said Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps. Instead, the next wave of buyers is likely to feature females who read a lot, but buy fewer books online than early adopters.
"I've heard from clients that they're already seeing this shift -- more women buying the devices and shopping for e-books," Rotman Epps said. "This spells trouble for Amazon."
Early adopters were a perfect storm of demographics for Amazon because they could afford the devices, like technology, and buy lots of books online, Rotman Epps said. However, only 1.5 percent of U.S. online consumers said they currently own an e-book reader in Forrester's latest survey.
By contrast, the research firm estimates that the number of such devices sold in the United States will grow from three million by the end of this year to 13 million by the end of 2013. However, the sales prospects that Amazon needs to attract "are more likely to be female, less tech-optimistic, and they read a lot -- on average, five books per month," Rotman Epps observed.
Amazon's dilemma is that the next wave of potential customers is more likely to "buy and borrow books from multiple sources, as opposed to buying lots of books online," Rotman Epps said. And this could spell big trouble for the market leader should its rivals elect to make moves "to better serve the later waves of adopters who don't have as strong a relationship with the e-commerce giant," Rotman Epps said.
Moreover, demographics aren't the only challenge Amazon faces. "Open...
Fri, 7 Aug 09
Sprint Debuts Eco-Friendly Samsung Reclaim
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68265
Sprint Nextel is pushing the green envelope this summer with the introduction of the Samsung Reclaim, an eco-friendly phone with plenty of high-tech bells and whistles. Made from 80 percent recyclable materials, Samsung Reclaim is a messaging phone aimed at environmentally conscious customers who don't want to sacrifice multimedia features and modern form factors.
In fact, when it debuts on Aug. 16, Reclaim will be the most full-featured QWERTY phone launched by Sprint at less than $50. Reclaim will retail for $49.99 with a two-year service agreement. Two dollars of the proceeds will benefit The Nature Conservancy's Adopt an Acre program.
"Samsung Reclaim enables customers to go green while getting the latest in wireless technology," said Dan Hesse, Sprint CEO. "When customers walk into a Sprint retail store, they will be greeted by the information they need to make earth-friendly wireless choices, coupled with Ready Now to learn about the rich functionality of this device."
Samsung Reclaim is designed with environmentally responsible components and fully recyclable packaging. For starters, its bio-plastic material, made from corn, makes up 40 percent of the Reclaim's outer casing.
The Reclaim is also free of polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates and nearly free of brominated flame retardants (BFR), the three materials commonly targeted by green-electronics guidelines. The typical thick paper user manual has been replaced with a virtual manual.
The box packaging and the phone tray inside the box are made from 70 percent recycled materials. The images and text on the box, as well as the phone warranty information, are printed with soy-based ink.
The charger is Energy Star approved to meet the highest energy-efficiency standards set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. Sprint said it consumes 12 times less power than the Energy Star standard for standby power consumption...
Fri, 7 Aug 09
Denial-of-Service Attack Strands Twitter Users
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68258
Say it isn't so! The Twitter bird's beak was closed Thursday as Twitter fought a distributed denial-of-service attack that shut it down for several hours.
With the mini-blogging site down from 9 a.m. Eastern time until noon, its millions of members were unable to tweet by Web and by mobile phone. A tweet test brought an error message that the "network request failed."
Twitter engineers weren't saying much, but offered this explanation on the company's official blog: "We are defending against a denial-of-service attack, and will update status again shortly." By noon Eastern time, another update said the site was back up but still fighting the attack.
Denial-of-service attacks typically involve hundreds, if not thousands, of PCs pinging a target.
"Lots of PCs out there have already been compromised with bot clients because they have downloaded or clicked on something, and they have it on their PC and don't even know it," said John Pescatore, a vice president with Gartner's Internet Security team.
Most experts are confirming the incident was a heavy DDoS attack. "From both ongoing and current observations, we have seen a lot of consistent traffic with added route withdrawals and re-announcements emanating from (Sweden and Europe)," said Jart Armin, a security expert with HostExploit. "This, in turn, is affecting Twitter's server via Global Crossing."
There were no reports of Twitter users being affected, other than not being able to access their accounts. "For a typical Twitter user today, it is not a big deal," Pescatore said.
Businesses, however, felt a pinch because some use Twitter to promote their products. Computer maker Dell has made more than $3 million in sales from one of its Twitter accounts.
"Today's Twitter downtime shows just how far Twitter has come in the last year," said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president with Interpret....
Fri, 7 Aug 09
Mac OS X 10.5.8 Plugs Six Critical Image-Handling Holes
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68239
While the Mac-using world awaits the fall arrival of Snow Leopard, Apple is doing some cleanup work on the current version of its Macintosh operating system. On Wednesday, Apple patched 18 vulnerabilities in Mac OS X.
Despite the fact that this is Apple's lightest update this year, six of the flaws are rated critical. That means the bugs could open the door to attackers to hijack a computer by tricking victims into viewing malicious image files on the Internet.
Apple distributed Security Update 2009-003 with the Mac OS X 10.5.8 update for both the Leopard and Tiger operating systems to fix vulnerabilities in Dock, Colorsync and the MobileMe storage service. But the six critical vulnerabilities are drawing the attention of analysts.
Among the nearly 20 bugs fixed, the most worrisome and prevalent issues affect various image-handling scenarios, according to Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle.
"In one case, simply opening a PNG file can lead to a remote attacker gaining control over a Mac. Given the pervasiveness of PNG files on the Internet, in e-mail, and across Web sites, this bug is of particular concern," Storms said.
A vulnerability in the Mac OS X CFNetwork could lead to a maliciously crafted Web site that spoofs the real host. Here's how it works: When the Safari browser reaches a Web site via a 302 redirection and a certificate warning is displayed, the warning contains the original Web-site URL instead of the current, redirected Web-site URL. This could allow a maliciously crafted Web site to control the displayed Web-site URL in a certificate warning to give users a false sense of security.
Another image vulnerability exists in the way the operating system handles Canon RAW images. Apple said viewing a maliciously crafted Canon RAW image may lead to an unexpected application termination...
Fri, 7 Aug 09
Gotcha! 'Big Brother' Camera Dock Takes the Pictures
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68238
You and your friends sit down to a dinner party and, while everyone munches and chats, a Sony camera in the corner decides when to take pictures.
That kind of auto-recording of parties is the idea behind the company's new party-shot camera dock, the IPT-DS1. It pans 360 degrees, tilts 24 degrees, detects faces, adjusts composition automatically, and, when it decides a shot is right, takes the photo.
The dock is compatible with two of Sony's Cyber-shot digital cameras, the DSC-WX1 and the DSC-TX1. It utilizes each camera's BIONZ image processor, whose features include Face Detection and Smile Shutter. The Smile Shutter, as one might expect, detects when the subjects are smiling.
Shigehiko Nakayama, product manager for Sony Electronics digital-imaging accessories, said the new dock "offers a new style of photography" so "you no longer have to worry about taking photos when you are with your family or friends."
Ron Glaz, an analyst with industry research firm IDC, said camera makers have, to this point, been focusing on making photos as perfect and as easy to take as possible. But with red-eye detection, face detection, and other features becoming commonplace, they have reached a plateau.
"Consumers are beginning to ask why they need 10 megapixels, much less 12," he said. So camera makers are looking for other ways to differentiate their products.
He expects the creativity of adding new features to cameras to continue. "We have phones that are cameras," he pointed out, "but who says we can't have cameras that are phones?" Glaz suggested we might also see larger screens, GPS, geotagging and similar differentiators become more common on cameras.
Glaz said that while this kind of auto-picture-taking "could make sense for a certain generation" that doesn't mind being constantly photographed at a get-together, it's not necessarily for everyone.
Michael...
Fri, 7 Aug 09
Palm's Pre Is Trying To Live Up to the Hype
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68230
Palm's road to a comeback is hitting a few speed bumps.
When Palm launched its Pre smartphone on June 6, expectations were high that the long-troubled company could have a hit with the device, the biggest launch by the new management team led by a former Apple executive. Now analysts estimate that Palm likely will sell just 300,000 to 500,000 Pres in their first three months on the market. That's not bad, but it's short of the outsize expectations ramped up by the phone's advanced technology and splashy debut.
The modest sales performance for the Pre, which sells for $199 with a two-year contract from Sprint Nextel, is raising questions about Palm's ability to land other wireless carriers to offer the phone, and how large the carriers' subsidy payments and marketing support for the Pre might be. "Some carriers will be looking through less rose-tinted spectacles than before, [and] expectations will be pushed back" for the Pre, says Neil Mawston, a director with tech consulting company Strategy Analytics. "If Sprint can't prove that the Pre is an iPhone killer, it'll really affect the level of subsidies" carriers pay to make the Pre cheaper in stores.
Competition with Apple's coveted iPhone is just one of Palm's challenges. For now, the Pre appears to be a niche product, with a particular appeal to Palm devotees. A spat with Apple over Pre's ability to gain access Apple's iTunes music store led to a complaint by Palm to an industry standards group. And Palm is still trying to persuade more software developers to write applications for its device, which could increase its appeal.
Palm, a seminal Silicon Valley company with roots that stretch back to the early '90s, has been counting on an impressive debut for the Pre to become a relevant player in the...
Fri, 7 Aug 09
When Will Consumers Start Spending Again?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68229
For the first time in a while, there is some good news for the U.S. consumer and for companies that rely on consumer spending. One booster is the rapid recovery in stock prices, with the Standard & Poor's 500 index jumping 47 percent since its low point in early March.
"Clearly, there is a wealth effect," says Keith Hembre, chief economist at First American Funds. As Americans feel wealthier, they may be more willing to spend. Though, Hembre warns, the housing market remains weak, meaning Americans' investment portfolios may look better but their real estate holdings are looking worse. "While the stock market has gone up, home prices have continued to head down," he says.
But, economists say, there are signs the broader U.S. economy is bouncing back from its sharp contraction in 2008 and early 2009. "It is increasingly looking like the recession ended in May or June," John Ryding and Conrad DeQuadros of RDQ Economics wrote in a note Aug. 3. The day before, former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan told ABC, "I'm pretty sure we've already seen the bottom."
On Aug. 4, the Commerce Dept. said consumer spending rose 0.4 percent, after a revised 0.1 percent increase in May. The rise was boosted by spending on nondurable goods [anything that doesn't last five years or more], which were up 1.7 percent in June.
For the housing market, there is mounting evidence that conditions are stabilizing, too. Data released Aug. 4 showed U.S. pending home sales advanced 3.6 percent in June.
Another positive for the U.S. consumer is efforts by the federal government to stimulate spending. Ford Motor said Aug. 3 that the "cash-for-clunkers" program was a big factor in its first monthly sales increase in almost two years. Ford's total sales [including fleet] rose 2 percent for July. The U.S....
Fri, 7 Aug 09
Web Site Tracks World Online Censorship Reports
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68224
When Shanghai blogger Isaac Mao tried to watch a YouTube clip of Chinese police beating Tibetans, all he got was an error message.
Mao thought the error -- just after the one-year anniversary of a crackdown on Tibetan protesters in China -- was too suspicious to be coincidental, so he reported it on a new Harvard-based Web site that tracks online censorship.
Meanwhile, more than 100 other people in China did the same thing. The spike in reports on Herdict.org in March pointed to government interference rather than a run-of-the-mill technical glitch, even before Google Inc. confirmed China was blocking its YouTube video-sharing site.
"We saw reports coming in as soon as the blocks were happening and certainly before any of the media were reporting it," Herdict founder Jonathan Zittrain said of the months-long YouTube blackout that coincided with the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square demonstrations in June and recent ethnic riots in the Xinjiang province.
Herdict users report their Web site problems anonymously -- numeric Internet addresses are recorded but only general location is displayed -- so people can post more freely, encouraging reports about sensitive topics like HIV and AIDS-related sites, and from people in countries with possible government repercussions.
The site doesn't investigate reports, though, so there's no way to know for sure that an outage is related to government meddling rather than a cut cable or other problem unrelated to censorship. Although surges in reports do suggest a government role, a widespread technical glitch can also produce a similar spike.
Web site inaccessibility can also result from network or server errors, firewalls at schools or offices or a new phenomenon called reverse filtering, in which companies block access to copyright-protected material outside a specific country.
Zittrain, law professor and co-founder of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society, said Herdict does not...
Fri, 7 Aug 09
Want Cell Service Abroad? Try a Cheap Local Phone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68223
To prepare for a trip to Tuscany, Paul Boffa visited a local Verizon store to learn about options for taking his mobile phone with him.
Boffa, a musician and teacher who lives in Vermont and travels overseas infrequently, quickly learned that staying in touch with home would be more complicated than he'd thought. A salesman told Boffa and his wife, Maya, about service plans that provide international roaming, but said they couldn't use their own phone overseas.
Then the salesman took pity on them and gave them some good advice: "Let me tell you how I do it when I go to Bosnia. Just get a cheap phone and put a new SIM card in it and just use up that card."
And that's what the pair will do.
While almost anyone, anywhere, can log onto the Internet and read e-mail with easily recognizable technology, things aren't nearly as simple when it comes to communicating by voice. U.S. travelers face a bewildering array of options when they plan a trip to another country.
Not all phones will work abroad, and even if yours does, you could end up with some very expensive roaming charges unless you sign up for an international calling plan before you go. Some carriers, like AT&T, can pro-rate an international plan so that it's only in effect for the duration of your trip.
One reason for the complexities is that there are two main cellular technologies: GSM, or global system for multiple communications, and CDMA, or code division multiple access. GSM, used here by AT&T and T-Mobile, is the standard in most of the world. CDMA networks, used here by Verizon and Sprint, are also used in Canada, Latin America and parts of Asia, and roaming options are very limited. GSM phones have SIM cards, portable memory chips that can be switched...
Fri, 7 Aug 09
Microsoft To Hire at Least 400 Yahoo Workers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68221
Microsoft Corp. will hire at least 400 workers from Yahoo Inc. if government regulators approve the companies' proposed Internet search partnership, and Yahoo will receive $150 million to cover any unexpected costs during the switch to new technology.
Those details emerged Tuesday in a regulatory filing that elaborated on an agreement announced last week.
Sunnyvale-based Yahoo said then that an unspecified number of its 13,000 employees would be offered jobs at Microsoft after the Redmond, Washington-based software maker assumes control of the search results and search advertising on Yahoo's Web site.
The transition is supposed to begin early next year, assuming the alliance is approved by antitrust regulators in the United States and Europe.
Microsoft will pay $50 million annually during the first three years of the 10-year contract to supplement the revenue that Yahoo will receive from the ads appearing alongside its search results. The $150 million in guaranteed payments weren't mentioned last week.
Tuesday's filing said Yahoo can use the $150 million to pay for unforeseen transition costs.
Yahoo's stock has fallen by about 15 percent since it unveiled the Microsoft deal, largely because announced terms didn't include a large upfront payment.
Tuesday's disclosure probably won't ease the disappointment much, given analysts had anticipated Microsoft paying $1 billion to $2 billion for access to Yahoo's search engine. Yahoo's shares ended Tuesday up 17 cents at $14.51. Microsoft eased 6 cents to $23.77.
Most of the revenue from the Microsoft deal will flow from ad commissions. Yahoo will receive 88 percent of the search ad revenue during the first five years of the contract. After that, Yahoo's commission will range from 83 percent to 93 percent, depending on whether it still handles some of the ad sales in the partnership.
The main reason Yahoo decided to turn over its search engine to Microsoft was to save money. If...
Fri, 7 Aug 09
Chargers' Twitter Cops Bust Cromartie for Tweet
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68220
Hey Antonio Cromartie, tweet this -- you're busted!
The San Diego Chargers have fined their star cornerback $2,500 for using Twitter to wonder whether the "nasty food" has contributed to the Bolts failing to make it to the Super Bowl in recent years.
Cromartie said he was pulled out of a meeting by Twitter cop/head coach Norv Turner and notified that he was being fined. Cromartie also was a given a letter that spelled out the fine.
The fourth-year pro had a good laugh over the matter, but said he's going to be more careful. Still, he's not going to stop tweeting.
He also thinks the fine is a bit excessive.
"But other than that, I mean, I ain't going to take back what I said," Cromartie said after practice Tuesday afternoon. "I said what I had to say. But at the end of the day, I mean, I got fined for talking about nutrition and that. I can't really say too much else.
"I just thought it was harmless. It was just me talking about the food and stuff. I took it as a joke. But other people took it as a different kind of way."
Cromartie thinks the mole occupies an office somewhere in the team's executive suite.
"I didn't think it would cause a stir like I did, but me being me, I think I'm going to keep my mouth shut from here on out," he said. "I ain't going to say nothing else. I want to make sure I keep everything positive. Obviously, I mean, I can't really say what I really want to say. My freedom of speech has actually been taken away."
Cromartie said Turner told the team not to tweet while in the building and not to make them critical of the organization.
The Chargers use Twitter as a promotional tool, but apparently...
Thu, 6 Aug 09
FCC Ready To Build National Broadband Plan
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68237
The Federal Communications Commission is gearing up for public hearings on the development of a national broadband plan as mandated by the U.S. Congress under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
Earlier this week, the FCC announced the appointment of several senior staffers who will create the commission's recommendations to Congress. And on Thursday the FCC will hold its first staff workshop on the new initiative, at the end of which the public will be able to participate in an open-mike session.
"Broadband is our generation's major infrastructure challenge and it is a top priority to craft a national broadband plan that will unlock opportunity, foster innovation and investment, and improve the lives of all Americans," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski. "The effort to focus dialog on specific topics in an open, participatory format is one of the many ways the commission is trying to develop a comprehensive and meaningful record for the development of the plan."
The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act calls upon the FCC to submit a national broadband plan to Congress by Feb. 17 that addresses broadband deployment, adoption, affordability and the use of broadband to advance solutions to national priorities, including health care, education, energy efficiency, and public safety. Though there are no easy answers, the statute is clear about what the FCC's goals must be, Genachowski said.
"We must find ways to ensure that all people of the United States have access to broadband [and] we must devise a detailed strategy to ensure affordability of broadband," Genachowski said. "We must evaluate the nation's deployment of broadband, including via federal grants, and we must ensure that our broadband infrastructure and services advance national purposes."
Though the public debate on these issues begins Thursday, there will be plenty of other opportunities for interested...
Thu, 6 Aug 09
DoD Reviewing Military's Use of Social-Networking Sites
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68236
The U.S. Department of Defense is studying the threats and benefits of soldiers and government officials using social-network Web sites such as Facebook and MySpace and mini-blogging sites such as Twitter. The DoD said it is working on a policy for the sites.
Deputy Secretary of Defense William Lynn III set a memo to all branch secretaries directing the DoD's CIO to present the secretary of defense with an analysis no later than Aug. 31. Policies for the Web sites must be completed no later than Sept. 30.
"These tools are proving valuable in such areas as recruitment, public affairs, and quality of life for our military personnel as well as sharing information with allies, coalition partners, and military families," Lynn wrote. "However, as with any Internet-based capabilities, there are implementation challenges and operational risks that must be understood and mitigated."
Currently, commanders in all branches of the military are responsible for deciding whether soldiers can access and post information to the Web sites, according to Lt. Col. Eric Butterbaugh, a DoD spokesperson.
"Commanders at all levels can make restrictions based on their concern of bandwidth and security," Butterbaugh said. "The effort is now to pull together all the issues, and it is clearly something that is valuable to communications with family -- but risks come with it, too, such as security and hacking."
While individual commanders have the discretion to block or allow the use of such sites in any particular situation, the U.S. Marine Corps has banned Marines from using government computers to access such Web sites.
Butterbaugh wouldn't say whether a uniform policy would trump the decision by the USMC, but he did say a uniform policy could include training in the use of such Web sites.
"I don't know what the specifics will say," he said. "There are different...
Thu, 6 Aug 09
Sony Takes on Kindle with Smaller, Cheaper E-Readers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68232
In a move to grab market share from Amazon, Sony on Wednesday introduced two new e-book Readers that aim to make the devices more affordable. The Reader Pocket Edition and the Reader Touch Edition will be available at the end of August at SonyStyle.com, SonyStyle stores, and Sony's retail partners.
The Reader Pocket Edition will sell for $199 ($100 less than the Kindle) while the Touch Edition will retail for $299.
"We firmly believe consumers should have choice in every aspect of their digital-reading experience," said Steve Haber, president of Sony's Digital Reading Business Division. "Our goal is to expand the market and provide greater access to what consumers want to read when they want to read it -- whether they buy, borrow or get it for free."
While Amazon went larger with its Kindle DX e-book reader, Sony is moving in the opposite direction with the Reader Pocket Edition, which targets consumers who want ultraportability. The latest addition to the Reader line fits into a purse or jacket pocket.
The Pocket Edition has a five-inch electronic page display. Sony describes it as easy to navigate with one hand and, despite the small size, it can store about 350 standard e-books. Sony said the Pocket Edition offers up to two weeks of battery power when fully charged.
At $199, Sony has come out with the most affordable dedicated reading device on the market to compete against Amazon's Kindle, which dominates the market. With new e-book reader competition coming early next year, Sony may be looking to broaden the market.
"Plastic Logic is coming out with a device powered by AT&T's network, but it's going to be larger than the standard Kindle," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. "That would indicate Plastic Logic is aiming at the premium end of the market....
Thu, 6 Aug 09
Google Will Buy On2 Video-Compression Technology
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68226
Google on Wednesday announced an agreement to acquire a video-compression technology developer. The stock deal for On2 Technologies is valued at approximately $106.5 million.
Under the terms of the agreement, each outstanding share of On2 common stock will be converted into 60 cents worth of Google class A common stock.
"Today video is an essential part of the Web experience, and we believe high-quality video-compression technology should be a part of the Web platform," said Sundar Pichai, vice president of product management at Google. "We are committed to innovation in video quality on the Web, and we believe that On2's team and technology will help us further that goal."
On2 technologies power the video in many of today's leading desktop and mobile applications and devices. Customers include Adobe, Skype, Nokia, Infineon, Sun Microsystems, Mediatek, Sony, Brightcove and Move Networks.
The deal is subject to approval by On2 stockholders and review by regulatory authorities, including the SEC, but Google expects it to close in the fourth quarter. Google declined to discuss specific product plans until after the deal closes, but analysts expect the search giant will use On2 to improve its YouTube property and enable native streaming in HTML 5.
The 60 cents-per-share acquisition price represents a premium of about 57 percent over the closing price of On2's common stock on Tuesday. It's also a premium of about 62 percent over the average closing price of On2's stock for the past six months.
"Video compression is the underpinning of what makes streaming video workable or not workable," said Brad Shimmin, an analyst at Current Analysis. "YouTube is still using (Adobe) Flash to some extent, but it also uses a video codec. This is first-generation technology that could using some updating. Owning On2 is going to help Google make YouTube more commiserate technologically...
Thu, 6 Aug 09
Nikon Camera Is First To Project Images on Flat Surfaces
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68218
You take lots of photos and movies during your vacation trip, and each night in the hotel room you project them on the wall for your family -- from the same camera. That's the scenario that Nikon envisions with its announcement Tuesday of the first compact camera with a built-in projector.
The COOLPIX S1000pj can project photos or videos on any flat surface of up to 40 inches. Photos can be shown one by one, or as a slide show with music and effects. A projector stand and remote control are included.
Among other uses, Nikon suggests that parents use the new camera "to display photos of their own artworks or other images on the ceiling to complement bedtime stories they tell their children."
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, suggested that there might also be some business uses for this kind of device, such as projecting images for a family or for agents after a day of scouting real estate.
"It's not necessarily a mainstream product," he said, but it could be useful when a monitor is otherwise not available, such as on a camping trip.
Greengart said it's "highly unlikely" that such micro-projectors will show up in many devices, although he noted that he has seen prototypes of similar projectors in camera phones. "The downside there," he said, "is battery life," especially since draining your phone to project pictures could leave you without your communications device.
Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for consumer technology at NPD Group, said he saw at the most recent Consumer Electronics Show "a number" of devices that integrated micro-projectors. "It's become a way to move beyond the limitations of finding an LCD monitor," he said.
Cameras are a good device for this add-on, he said, because the picture taker...
Thu, 6 Aug 09
E-Mail Scams Target People Looking for Employment
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68217
Rohnert Park, Calif. – August 4, 2009 – The latest email scams are now targeting job seekers. Red Condor, an award-winning provider of true hybrid email security solutions, today issued a warning to email users about the latest email security scams that are preying on people looking for employment. Among the scams are emails that claim to be offering employment from familiar, reputable companies such as Pepsi and Starbucks, or masquerade as messages from real job sites like CareerBuilder or Monster.com. The fake employment offers frequently involve payment processing requests, which give scammers an excuse to ask for a respondent's bank account information. The phishing scams were detected with Red Condor's BotHunter and Spam Trip Wire technologies, which are two layers of the company's multi-layer defense strategy.
p
In addition to direct email spam, other scammers are using craigslist to post fake job ads. When people respond to the ads, they receive an email reply that requires them to go to a credit check web site to get their credit scores. The credit check link contains the scammer's affiliate, so when victims pay for the credit-check, the scammer gets a commission. An email response to Legal Secretary job posting on craigslist email stated, Do not send me your info or report, I just want to make sure your score is above the 400 mark so check it and give me your exact score when you e-mail me your resume and references.
p
Unfortunately, as with all phishing attacks, there is no legitimate employment offer coming, and victims have either given their personal information or money to unknown, deceitful sources, said Dr. Tom Steding, chief executive officer of Red Condor. Spammers are once again demonstrating that nothing is off limits as they focus their efforts on the millions of people that are unemployed...
Thu, 6 Aug 09
Apple vs. Google: Tech's Newest Rivalry?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68206
Over the past three decades, a few titanic rivalries have defined the technology industry's megatrends, ultimately determining which products eventually end up in consumers' and companies' hands.
p
Now, adding to the annals of competition that include Microsoft's clashes with Apple in the '80s, IBM in the '90s, and Google in this decade, the new defining rivalry in tech may be between Google and Apple. Google CEO Eric Schmidt's resignation from Apple's board on Aug. 3 highlights the degree to which these companies are more foe than friend.
p
By most measures -- revenue growth, stock appreciation, magazine cover stories -- Apple and Google are the two most successful and influential companies of the past decade. Yet their visions for how the computer industry will shape up in the next one could hardly diverge more. They are both very innovative companies with very different ways of innovating, says Henry Chesbrough, director of the Center for Open Innovation at the University of California at Berkeley. They've both been very successful, but there's a contest of different approaches going on here.
p
Google is the standard-bearer for a wide-open world of Web standards in which programmers should be able to run nearly any software on almost any computing device. From Google's perspective, the more the merrier -- so long as those programs, devices, and Web sites create places for Google to sell online ads.
p
subhead
Open World vs. Tight Control
/subhead
p
Apple's view is sharply different. The company keeps its ecosystem of software developers carefully manicured and maintains tight control over what software can be sold for its iPhone. The reasons range from filtering out schlock applications to what some observers say is putting the kibosh on applications that compete with Apple's own offerings or those of iPhone wireless carrier ATT. That may have been why Apple blocked Web-calling software Google Voice...
Thu, 6 Aug 09
Wiring Rural America: Which Technology Is Best?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68204
Reaching the most remote rural customers with high-speed Internet access can be prohibitively expensive. Consider the case of Hill Country Telephone Cooperative in Ingram, Tex. The small provider is undertaking a $57 million effort to install fiber and bring broadband service to a substantial part of its market, which covers 2,900 square miles, roughly twice the size of Rhode Island. Yet even with this effort, the provider will not be able to serve 543 remote households, about 5 percent of its market area, because it's simply too expensive. To do so would involve laying 522 miles of fiber optic cable at a cost of $20 million -- an average cost of $37,000 per subscriber, according to Delbert Wilson, general manager of the provider, who testified in July before the House Agriculture Committee.
p
Government agencies are now considering the costs of providing high-speed Internet access to rural areas and which technologies might be the most cost-effective. The economic stimulus legislation has set aside $7.2 billion in grants and loans to encourage the installation of broadband networks, especially in rural regions that currently lack access. The applications for the first round of funding are due on Aug. 14. The Agriculture Dept.'s Rural Utilities Service and the Commerce Dept.'s National Telecommunications Information Administration will be vetting those submissions.
p
Service providers are expected to propose a range of schemes to deliver high-speed Internet through both existing infrastructure -- such as telephone lines, cable-TV networks, or electric power lines -- and through the installation of new fiber-optic cables going directly to residences, new wireless networks, or by using satellites. While the Federal Communications Commission has remained neutral on which technology is best for rural markets, it did say in a May report on rural broadband that it needed to be cost-effective to install, provide consistent performance at...
Thu, 6 Aug 09
Man Charged With Web Name Theft, Sale on eBay
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68199
A northern New Jersey man is charged with stealing a prime piece of Internet real estate and reselling it to basketball player Mark Madsen in one of the nation's first prosecutions of a suspected domain name thief.
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Daniel Goncalves, 25, of Union, hacked into an online account belonging to one of the owners of the P2P.com domain name, New Jersey State Police said Monday. He allegedly shifted ownership to himself and resold the Web site address on eBay to Madsen, a Los Angeles Clippers forward who did not know the name was stolen.
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Goncalves, who works for an online research firm, was arrested Thursday on felony charges of theft by unlawful taking or deception, identity theft and computer theft. Julian Castellanos, a state police spokesman, said each of the three counts carries a maximum sentence of 10 years. Goncalves, who did not respond to a reporter's phone calls, is free after posting a $60,000 cash bail.
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Jeremiah Johnston, president of the Washington, D.C.-based Internet Commerce Association, said the criminal prosecution is the first of its kind and should serve as a wake-up call for other law enforcement agencies.
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They're usually a few years behind new technology trends, Johnston said. That's frustrating when you have domain names selling for seven figures.
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The State Police estimate the true worth of P2P.com at up to $200,000 because of its relation to the peer-to-peer, or P2P, file-sharing phenomenon.
p
Domain names are the addresses used by computers to find Web sites and route e-mail.
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Hundreds of registration companies, such as Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Go Daddy Group, sell them for typically less than $10 apiece. Entrepreneurs, meanwhile, make their living off buying and selling easy-to-remember names like P2P.
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Marc Ostrofsky, one of the legitimate owners of P2P.com, estimates that the ownership group spent 30 months and $500,000 trying to reclaim the domain name. They have...
Thu, 6 Aug 09
Hackers Expose Weakness in Visiting Trusted Sites
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68156
A powerful new type of Internet attack works like a telephone tap, except operates between computers and Web sites they trust.
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Hackers at the Black Hat and DefCon security conferences have revealed a serious flaw in the way Web browsers weed out untrustworthy sites and block anybody from seeing them. If a criminal infiltrates a network, he can set up a secret eavesdropping post and capture credit card numbers, passwords and other sensitive data flowing between computers on that network and sites their browsers have deemed safe.
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In an even more nefarious plot, an attacker could hijack the auto-update feature on a victim's computer, and trick it into automatically installing malware pulled in from a hacker's Web site. The computer would think it's an update coming from the software manufacturer.
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The attack was demonstrated by three hackers. Independent security researcher Moxie Marlinspike presented alone, while Dan Kaminsky, with Seattle-based security consultancy IOActive Inc., and security and privacy researcher Len Sassaman presented together.
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They reached essentially the same conclusion: There are major problems in the way browsers interact with Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) certificates, which is a common technology used on banking, e-commerce and other sites handling sensitive data.
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Browser makers and the companies that sell SSL certificates are working on a fix.
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Microsoft Corp., whose Internet Explorer browser is the world's most popular, said it was investigating the issue. Mozilla Corp., which makes the No. 2 Firefox browser, said most of the problems being addressed were fixed in the latest version of its browser, and that the rest will be fixed in an update coming this week.
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VeriSign Inc., one of the biggest SSL certificate companies, maintains that its certificates aren't vulnerable.
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Tim Callan, a product marketing executive in VeriSign's SSL business unit, added that the tap won't work against so-called Extended Validation SSL certificates, which cost more...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
Windows 7 XP Mode RC Seeks To Remove Barrier
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68216
Microsoft on Tuesday released software that allows Windows 7 users to run applications in XP mode. Windows XP Mode Release Candidate (RC) is now available for download.
The goal of offering Windows XP RC is to make it remove a barrier to upgrading by making it easier for consumers using applications designed for older versions of Windows to continue using them with Windows 7. The software now works with the RC and RTM versions of the Windows 7 Professional, Ultimate and Enterprise SKUs.
Brandon LeBlanc, a Windows communications manager at Microsoft, said Windows 7 has a strong compatibility story with Windows Vista, and many applications that currently run on Windows XP-based or Windows Vista-based PCs should run natively on Windows 7 -- allowing users to take advantage of the better performance, better management and better security built into Windows 7. In most cases, Microsoft recommends running applications natively in Windows 7.
"Windows XP Mode provides what we like to call that 'last mile' compatibility technology for those cases when a Windows XP productivity application isn't compatible with Windows 7," LeBlanc said. "Users can run and launch Windows XP productivity applications in Windows XP Mode directly from a Windows 7 desktop."
That said, LeBlanc also strongly recommended customers install anti-malware and antivirus software in Windows XP Mode so the Windows XP Mode environment is well protected. For customers that manage several Windows PCs running Windows XP Mode and want to simplify management tasks, Microsoft offers Enterprise Desktop Virtualization (MED-V) as part of the Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack.
Microsoft first launched the Windows XP Mode software in beta in April. Based on user feedback, the RC mode has several upgrades from the beta version. For example, users can now attach USB devices to Windows XP Mode applications directly from the Windows...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
Apple Launches iTunes Store with Mexican Artists
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68215
Palm may be complaining about an iTunes Store lockout, but music fans in Mexico are enjoying new access to Apple's popular digital-media store. On Tuesday Apple officially launched the iTunes Store in Mexico with a large selection of Mexican and international music from every major record label and hundreds of independent labels.
At launch, iTunes.com/mexico offers a catalog of millions of songs from popular Mexican artists such as Paulina Rubio, Vicente Fernández, and Zoé and a wide range of international artists, including Shakira, Lady Gaga, and Green Day.
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The iTunes Store in Mexico is off to a great start with music from all of the majors and hundreds of indie labels, said Eddy Cue, Apple's vice president of Internet services. And the revolutionary App Store in Mexico gets bigger and better with great new apps using amazing new features, and we can't wait to see what developers come up with next.
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subhead
Dealing in Pesos
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Apple is pricing most songs at 12 pesos (about 92 cents) and most albums at 120 pesos (about $9) for a high-quality, DRM-free format. A selection of music videos is also available for purchase and download, with most priced at 24 pesos.
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iPhone and iPod touch users in Mexico are already familiar with Apple downloads through the App Store, which offers more than 65,000 applications to consumers in 77 nations. Like in other nations, users in Mexico can choose to download favorite songs from iTunes directly onto an iPhone over a 3G network for the same price as downloading to a computer.
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Apple is trying to make it as convenient as possible for music fans in Mexico to purchase and enjoy music by making iTunes gift cards available at national retailers, including Liverpool, Mixup, Office Depot, El Palacio de Hierro, Sanborns and also at iShop, iStore and MacStore locations. Gift cards...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
Tweet! New Handsets Designed for Twitter and Facebook
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68213
INQ Mobile has unveiled two new 3G phones that promise to enhance the social-networking capabilities of users participating in popular online services such as Twitter and Facebook. The tweet-capable handsets also feature Skype, media sync, and instant-messaging capabilities.
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INQ said it has been working closely with Twitter to develop an app for its 3G handsets so users will have an always-on connection to Twitter and Facebook after the initial log-in. The fledgling handset maker noted that this will let users tweet and re-tweet over the Internet instead of using SMS.
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Still, Gartner Research Director Carolina Milanesi doesn't see this as cannibalizing SMS, which is totally different usage. She also noted that INQ currently sells its inaugural social-networking device -- the INQ1 -- only to the mobile operator 3 in the U.K., Ireland, Italy, Sweden, Australia and Hong Kong, although they have plans to sell to other carriers.
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subhead
Seamless Media Syncs
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Slated for release overseas in the fourth quarter and heading to the U.S. next year, the new INQ Chat 3G and INQ Mini 3G handsets will employ a specially designed widget to receive Twitter updates directly on the devices' home screens. Both models also are designed to receive application upgrades over the air, as well as seamlessly sync with the multimedia content on a notebook or desktop PC.
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Improving upon the INQ1, the Chat 3G sports a QWERTY-style keypad, together with a new e-mail client that incorporates free push Gmail. With the INQ1, we were blown away by how much consumers were writing just using the standard 12 keys -- 30 percent of them were regularly sending e-mails, noted INQ Mobile CEO Frank Meehan.
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By contrast, INQ's compact Mini 3G has been designed to serve as an entry-level social mobile device targeted at the price-sensitive prepay market. Among other things, it delivers Twitter, Facebook,...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
FTC Digs Deeper Into Apple and Google Board Members
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68212
The Federal Trade Commission is continuing a probe into board of directors seats at Google and Apple. The closer look at executives who sit on both companies' boards began before Google CEO Eric Schmidt resigned from Apple's board on Monday.
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Schmidt left the Cupertino, Calif.-based company because of increasing competition between Google and Apple, notably Google's entrance into the mobile market with Android, its Chrome browser, and its recent launch of the Chrome Operating System.
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One board relationship that stands out is former Vice President Al Gore's presence at both tech giants. Gore has been an Apple director since March 2003 and a senior adviser to Google since before that.
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But it doesn't end there. Arthur Levinson, former chief executive at Genentech, is also a director on the Apple and Google boards.
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subheadInterlocking Directorates/subhead
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The FTC's Bureau of Competition works with its Bureau of Economics to investigate alleged anticompetitive business practices. While it's not illegal for executives to sit on the boards of multiple companies, the FTC believes the practice may affect competition between Google and Apple.
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We have been investigating the Google/Apple interlocking directorates issue for some time and commend them for recognizing that sharing directors raises competitive issues, as Google and Apple increasingly compete with each other, said Richard Feinstein, the director of the Bureau of Competition. We will continue to investigate remaining interlocking directorates between the companies.
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Neither Apple nor Google responded to inquiries about whether Levinson might resign from the board of either company.
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subheadFCC Also Investigating/subhead
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Apple is also being investigated by the Federal Communications Commission after it rejected a Google app, Google Voice Mobile, from its App Store. Apple also removed previously approved applications, including the similar GV Mobile by developer Sean Kovacs. Investigators are questioning whether the rejections were influenced by Apple iPhone carrier ATT.
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Maybe with the FCC's involvement,...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
Business Features Will Be Added To Android OS
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68194
Google's Android operating system is getting ready for business, according to Vice President Andy Rubin.
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In an interview late last week with the Reuters news service, Rubin said upcoming versions of the open-source OS will provide more support for business users. He admitted that, currently, Android doesn't support many enterprise applications, but in the future I think enterprise will be a good focus for us.
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subhead
'All the Goodies Inside'
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Those business-oriented features could start rolling out this year, he said, adding that it depends on how quickly manufacturers implement those additions to their products. As an open-source platform, Android is being customized by each phone maker for its own market.
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Rubin said the best Google can do is to release a platform with all the goodies inside, and then phone makers can add their own customization.
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The concerted effort to make Android more enterprise-friendly is expected to help Google target customers currently served by Research in Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, and Microsoft. Apple also has begun to make the iPhone friendlier to business.
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A key requirement for Android is support for Microsoft Exchange, which the newest Google Android phone from T-Mobile USA, the myTouch 3G, has. With Exchange support, employees can read work e-mail on an Android phone. Android phones also have support for Google's Gmail, calendar and other services from the search giant.
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Only a handful of Android devices have been released so far, but, before the end of this year, products using the OS are expected to be released from Motorola, Samsung and LG, among others. Rubin has said he expects at least 18 Android handsets on the market by the beginning of 2010.
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subhead
Could Become 'Seriously Competitive'
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Two new versions of Android are expected to be released this year -- 1.6, which is code-named Donut, and 2.0, named Éclair. Another version, called Flan, is now...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
Tweeting, Texting Render Users 'Present Yet Absent'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68176
Fran Stover sent out an electronic It's a boy! birth announcement, complete with picture, when she upgraded to a burgundy BlackJack II from Samsung in March. She nicknamed him Jack. When she knew she wouldn't have access to him for a spell, she worried about hurting his feelings and wondered if she should hire a babysitter.
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Lucy Hackman flew to Bermuda last month for a wedding. On her way to the hotel, she fixed her attention not on the miles of ocean outside her taxi window but on the tiny window of her BlackBerry.
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Megan Renz, who typically sends around 700 texts a day, including rapid-fire sessions when she's at the park with her 4-year-old son, Landon, curbed her online habit slightly during a Hawaiian vacation in May, when she jumped on her computer for only four hours a day. For fun.
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Restaurant meals, family outings and holiday gatherings -- not to mention movie dates, birthday parties and even baby showers -- used to be about enjoying the moment of, say, a shared joke, a knowing glance or a sip of cold beer over a sunset. Now, thanks to technology, those moments are multi-tasked to the minute, to the point where even the digitally addicted admit they're so burrowed into their virtual lives they sometimes miss out on the real thing.
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Cell phone cameras have replaced cigarette lighters as the concert torch of choice. Sure, scads of sequined gloves were dug out of closets, but Michael Jackson's memorial was remarkable more as a mass Facebook status update: 800,000 were posted during the two-hour tribute. For the July 15 premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, actually attending the event was only half the goal, it seemed, as Hogwarts-dressed teens texted wish you were here-style postcards to those who weren't. And remember when then-presidential...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
Golden and Affordable: New Hard Drives
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68174
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Gilded Storage: Special Edition Verbatim External Hard Drive
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In late August Verbatim will ring in the firm's 40th birthday by marketing external hard drives in gold. The 2.5 inch drives have been dubbed the anniversary edition and each weighs only 161 grams. They also possess a USB 2.0 port. The portable hard drives can store up to 500 gigabytes of data and cost $109.
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subhead
Backup with Heart: Hama Displays Hard Drive Case in Candy Colors
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New hard drives from Hama will be offered in pink, ruby red, and purple. The case on these 2.5 inch SATA hard drives also contains a stylized heart. They are intended to capture the eye of tech-enthusiast girls and are available for $20.
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subhead
Intel Builds New SSD hard drives
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Intel is bringing new Solid State Disks (SSD) onto the market. The X25-M Mainstream SSDs, as they are known, are produced with a structural width of just 34 nanometers, the company reports.
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The new production technology is the driving force behind Intel's ability to sink the price of SSDs by up to 60 per cent. The SSDs will be available with capacities ranging from 80 to 160 gigabytes.
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Unlike standard hard drives, SSDs contain no moving parts, making them much less sensitive to shocks and jolts. They are substantially speedier at storing and retrieving data than conventional drives as well.
Wed, 5 Aug 09
Review: Qwerty Keyboard Makes Nokia E75 Smarter
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68173
Nokia designed its latest E-series, the E75, based on the older Nokia 9300, its first mini-communicator. But the E75 uses a side-slider with full keyboard design and looks much better.
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It comes with Nokia's new e-mail user interface, which includes folder and HTML e-mail support, expandable views and options to sort according to date, sender and size.
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You can easily add and access your Ovi Mail, Gmail, Yahoo Mail or Windows Live Mail accounts from the Nokia Messaging menu. The E75 can deliver your e-mails automatically for up to 10 addresses.
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And if you use folders in your Web-based e-mail service, Nokia Messaging lets you select up to 10 folders that will appear in your phone.
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I tried the service with Gmail and Ovi Mail. All I had to do was provide an e-mail address and key in the password. The e-mail setup was ready in a jiffy.
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To type out your e-mail, or any typing for that matter, you have a choice of a numerical keypad or slide-out Qwerty keyboard. Though the keyboard is quite flat with hardly any space separating each key, the keys are large enough for comfortable typing.
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What I like about the keyboard is that the characters that I often use such as the question mark (?), at sign (@), apostrophe ('), quotation mark (), comma (,) and full stop (.) have their own key and don't need a two- key combination. It just makes typing a message easier and faster.
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The keyboard also slides out effortlessly and snaps into place, thanks to the smooth sliding mechanism.
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There's also the option of two home screens that you can customize -- one for work, the other for personal data, for example. And there are dedicated one-touch keys for Home, Calendar and Email.
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Another thing I like about the E75 is its size. For a phone...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
The New Bank Branch: Internet Cafés, Rent-a-Rooms
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68169
In Charlotte, N.C., residents like to joke that there's a church or bank branch on virtually every street corner -- which is fitting, since both are viewed as houses of worship in a city that until a recent merger boasted two of the nation's five largest banks. Charlotte isn't alone that regard, because during the housing boom of the past decade commercial banks everywhere threw up new branches as fast as they could. From 1990 to 2006, the number of bank branches in the U.S. roughly doubled, to more than 90,000 -- or one for roughly every 2,200 adults in the country.
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But now that the housing bubble has burst, the banking industry is awash in too many branches -- a problem it is looking to correct. On July 28, Bank of America confirmed reports that it will close an unspecified number of its 6,100 branches over the next several years, though industry experts say a 5 percent to 10 percent reduction wouldn't be surprising. What's fueling the cutbacks is not just the drop in mortgage-generated business, but new technologies -- introduced by the banks -- such as Internet bill-paying and mobile banking, as well as the proliferation of automated teller machines that do far more than their predecessors.
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Next up: small check-reading apps for smartphones, PCs, and others devices that allow consumers to deposit checks anywhere they have an Internet connection, as is already the case for customers of USAA Savings Bank, who can make deposits even by iPhone. These new technologies really level the playing field for credit unions and small banks, which need a way to compete with the expansive branch networks of the big banks, says Bob Meara, a senior analyst at Boston-based financial research and consulting firm Celent.
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Liam McGee, head of consumer and small-business banking at BofA,...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
Taking Charge of Your Computer's Device Drivers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68163
Device drivers: without them, your computer is just a collection of parts. With them, your operating system can talk to your scanner, Webcam, printer, camera, cell phone, and many other components both inside and outside of your PC. In a perfect world, you would never have to give device drivers a second thought. But computers are far from perfect. That's why problems with device drivers are fairly common. Read on for some solutions.
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bQ/b: When I plug something new into my computer, Windows offers to go online to find a device driver for it. But Windows never succeeds. Am I doing something wrong?
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bA/b: No. You're probably referring to the Windows Hardware Update wizard or the Found New Hardware wizard, which appears when you plug in something new to your computer. Both wizards offer to connect to Windows Update to search for software, but the effort typically fails, especially if you're using Windows XP or Windows Vista.
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This feature that rarely works is no secret to Microsoft, which has greatly improved this automatic driver search capability in Windows 7. Unfortunately, to get this working, you'll have to wait for Windows 7 to arrive on store shelves. Until that time, you'll have to have the sought-after driver on a disk or CD.
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bQ/b: How can I tell if my Windows computer is missing any drivers?
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bA/b: Generally if everything you typically plug in to your computer is recognized and working fine, then you probably have no missing drivers.
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But to be sure, you can open the Windows Device Manager. In XP, open the Control Panel and double-click System. From the resulting dialog box, select the Hardware tab, and then click Device Manager. From Vista and Windows 7, just open the Start menu, type Device Manager, and then click the Device Manager entry that appears.
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In the Device Manager,...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
Bing Search Engine Promising, But Keep Eye on Google
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68162
When you want to use the staggering resources of the Internet to look for black forest cake recipes or pictures of Scarlett Johansson, most of us go to the same place every time. Google's the top choice, though there's Yahoo, AOL, Ask.com or many others.
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Since Microsoft is looking for new ways to move beyond your home computer and offer remote services, they've decide to re-enter the search fray with an engine called Bing. And they've made sure people will use it, since Yahoo's agreed to switch its searches to Microsoft's new service.
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Sure, Microsoft has a long history of, ahem, following closely in the footsteps of ideas and concepts offered by other people. And at first glance, Bing looks a heck of a lot like Google.
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But Bing, whose name is supposed to evoke a positive bell ring, actually makes the process of searching a little more intuitive, at least the times it works.
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The initial interface is pretty minimal like Google's, though it lacks the easy advanced search button Google has. The real difference comes in the search results.
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Often, whatever you look for will have a short list of suggested sub-categories on the left. Colon cancer will suggest symptoms, causes and treatment among others. Oklahoma has state parks, tourism and facts.
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Another innovation is the ability to get a brief preview of pages by hovering your mouse over a link. It's quick and gives a fair amount more information than the usual brief description search engines show below their links.
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And its shopping component can be very helpful. A search for a product can get you a main product page with a description, user reviews, professional reviews and links to shops to buy it, arranged by price.
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Even shopping searches that have more than one result can be easily arranged in shopping, as I could...
Wed, 5 Aug 09
More Ads Coming to TV -- Even to One-Time Havens
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68154
Coming soon to your TV: More advertising, in places you might not expect.
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The ads are showing up where people used to enjoy a break from advertising, such as video on demand and on-screen channel guides. Even TiVo, which became popular for its technology that lets people skip TV commercials, is developing new ways to show ads.
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As a result, you won't necessarily see more traditional, 30-second commercials. Instead, many of the new TV ads will resemble online ads -- interactive and often shaped for individual members of the audience. They'll also be harder to ignore. Typically, you can't opt out of seeing them.
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The companies behind the latest kind of ads hope they'll especially appeal to advertisers that are increasingly careful with their marketing budgets. In turn the advertisers are betting viewers won't be turned off -- as long as the ads pitch products and services tailored to consumers' particular interests.
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In a trial that ended last year in Huntsville, Ala., Comcast Corp. found that viewers shown targeted ads watched them 38 percent longer than folks who got less-relevant commercials.
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People like to shop. People like to research products, said Charlie Thurston, president of the advertising sales division at Comcast, the nation's largest cable TV provider. Where advertising is intrusive is when there's a complete mismatch between product and viewer.
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The increased advertising on pay TV services is striking, given that the industry started with scant ads as one way to appeal to subscribers.
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Revenue from advertising on cable TV was just $100 million in 1981. By 2000, though, it hit $10.5 billion and then doubled this decade to $21 billion, according to research firm SNL Kagan.
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To put this increase another way: There were 15 minutes and 30 seconds of advertising in the average hour of prime-time cable TV last year, up 14 percent from 1999,...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
Hackers Uncover ATM Scams at Security Meetings
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68188
Hacking hackers is not a good idea, as the hackers who tried an ATM scam found last week. Attendees at the Black Hat and Defcon security conferences in Las Vegas spotted suspicious ATMs and alerted authorities.
Now Las Vegas Police and the Secret Service are hunting for the fraudsters who tried to steal money with a fake ATM in the Riviera Hotel Casino, which hosted Defcon. Unfortunately for the crooks, the security experts attending the hacker conferences are familiar with the tactics used by cyber thieves.
A conference organizer known as Priest inspected the fake ATM machine without a bank name and discovered a camera behind the dark screen. Reportedly, the fake ATM logged the ATM numbers and PIN codes of anyone using it, making it easy to create counterfeit cards.
Priest said that type of fake ATM machine is common at gas stations.
Authorities were also investigating reports about an ATM at the Rio All-Suite Hotel and Casino that debited Defcon presenter Chris Paget's account $200 without giving him the money.
Ironically, an ATM vendor reportedly pressured Juniper Networks to cancel a conference talk by Barnaby Jack on security flaws in ATM machines using Windows CE. The address was called Jackpotting Automated Teller Machines.
Tue, 4 Aug 09
FCC Probes Apple, AT&T in Banning of Google Voice
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68185
The Federal Communications Commission sent letters to Apple, AT&T and Google on Friday requesting further information concerning recent news reports that Apple has banned the sale of a Google Voice app and has removed related -- and previously approved -- third-party offerings from its iPhone App Store.
Incoming FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski said Apple's decision raises questions about certain practices in the mobile marketplace.
"The FCC has a mission to foster a competitive wireless marketplace, protect and empower consumers, and promote innovation and investment," Genachowski said. "The wireless bureau's inquiry letters to these companies about their practices reflect the commission's proactive approach to getting the facts and data necessary to make the best policy decisions on behalf of the American people."
Based on the VoIP technology that Google acquired through its purchase of Grand Central in 2007, Google Voice enables a number of features at no cost, including free voice calls and conference calling. The nation's wireless carriers currently charge for those features.
What's more, Google's service makes it possible for users to designate a single number for all incoming calls and text messages. Additionally, Google Voice converts traditional voice mail into written transcripts that are sent to users as e-mail messages.
The FCC's action is part of a wider mobile-industry inquiry launched in June at the request of influential senators on Capitol Hill. Among other things, the FCC will investigate whether handset exclusivity arrangements -- such as AT&T's arrangement for Apple's iPhone -- end up harming consumers and thwarting competition from smaller wireless rivals operating on a regional basis.
"We should always be concerned about potential gatekeeper control," said former FCC Chairman Michael Copps last year. "That is why, from the very beginning, I have supported an open Internet, Internet freedom, network neutrality, or whatever you want to call...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
Google Takes on Microsoft with Billboard Campaign
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68184
Google is attempting to entice businesses to use Google Apps in a big way. The Internet search giant has begun promoting its Google Apps business, a Web-based suite of collaboration and messaging applications, on billboards in major cities, including Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York.
The first Google message promoting the service in a series of daily messages for the next four weeks says: "Day 1: Just heard about going Google. I want to know more."
Google's message to passersby also includes a link to a new Web page on its site google.com/appsatwork.
"The billboards tell the story of an anonymous IT manager who gets so fed up with the typical IT status quo that his company eventually -- you guessed it -- goes Google," wrote Andy Berndt, managing director at Google Creative Lab, in The Official Google Blog.
The Web page is an extension of Google's promotion of the service encouraging newcomers to make the switch from Lotus Notes and Microsoft Exchange to Google Apps.
Promoting its service two years after first making it available and announcing it with a soft launch in 2007 makes Google's campaign that more interesting, according to Gartner Analyst Whit Andrews.
"It is a great big honking deal," Andrews said. "Big campaigns are scary if you are starting something early, like if they were just creating Apps because they are taking a risk. But they think they know what they are doing with Apps and are ready to bring it to the enterprise."
Google's billboard campaign makes it clear that the company is threatened by Microsoft's Bing, Andrews said.
"Now you are Google and said, 'Microsoft has launched a missile at the heart of our fortress and this time it is not fizzling,'" Andrews said. "This is not a let's trickle in and we'll get the...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
Amazon Offers Pre-Sales of Max OS X Snow Leopard
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68183
Following the success of Microsoft's Windows 7 pre-order launch on Amazon.com, Apple has released Mac OS X Snow Leopard for pre-order sales on the popular e-commerce site.
Apple's latest update to the Mac OS X operating system is now available on Amazon for $29 for the single-user license, or $49 for a five-license family pack. Current users of Mac OS X version 10.5 are eligible for the much-anticipated upgrade. Snow Leopard will officially hit store shelves in September.
Amazon is also selling box sets that include Snow Leopard, iWork and iLife for $169.
Finally, Amazon is selling Mac OS X Server 10.6 Snow Leopard for $499. The latest server upgrade is reportedly a major improvement to the server operating system.
Although Apple is making its latest operating system available via Amazon, the company isn't offering the deep discounts that made the Windows 7 pre-orders successful during the initial launch in June.
Amazon.com offered discounts of 50 percent or more on pre-orders of Windows 7, with limits of three copies per customer on the Home Premium and Professional upgrades. Amazon sold the upgrade for Windows 7 Home Premium for $49, less than half the $119 suggested retail price. The Windows 7 Professional upgrade sold for $99, half the retail price. Windows 7 pre-orders are still selling on Amazon, but not with the same discounts.
Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, said the Snow Leopard upgrade is already inexpensive at $29. He doesn't expect Apple to see the huge volume of pre-orders, in part because there isn't as much in cost savings.
"Selling these kinds of products on pre-order is kind of tough. People will pre-order something that looks like it's going to be in short supply or because they want to be one of the first to get it," said Enderle. "I would...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
Report Says Apple Tablet Due Soon for $699 to $799
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68178
Apple's upcoming tablet computer is real, according to an unnamed analyst in a report in Monday's Barron's.
The publication said the analyst has "actually held a prototype" in his or her own hands, and that the final design will be completed within the next six weeks. The report said the tablet will be announced in September and launched in November at a price ranging from $699 to $799.
The tablet is expected to be, essentially, a 10-inch screen version of Apple's iPod touch, and its ability to play high-definition video is a key selling point. The Barron's report quotes the source as saying the video "is better than the average movie experience."
The Apple tablet has been rumored for quite a while, but the rumors have been picking up in the last few weeks. In July, the Financial Times reported that Apple is "racing to offer a portable, full-featured, tablet-sized computer in time for the Christmas shopping season." The Times emphasized the deals that Apple was making with the record industry, hoping to create 21st-century versions of the music album for use on the tablet.
Sales of albums fell 14 percent in 2008, hit by the ability of consumers to cherry-pick individual songs from online stores, such as Apple's iTunes Store. The Times said the new album form will include an interactive booklet, video clips, lyric sheets, liner notes, and other interactive features, and that Apple was working with the four largest music labels.
Whether such a device would look to the iPhone/iPod or to the MacBook operating systems and ecosystems is being contemplated by various industry observers. The iPhone/iPod route would mean the applications would be tied to Apple's App Store, as opposed to the large supply of applications available for Mac computers.
Whether or not Apple releases a tablet, an...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
Google CEO Eric Schmidt Resigns From Apple's Board
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68161
Apple on Monday put ended speculation about whether Google CEO Eric Schmidt would remain on its board of directors. The Mac maker announced Schmidt has resigned from the position he has held since August 2006.
The decision to part ways was mutual, as Apple and Google begin to compete head-to-head on several fronts. The companies may have been looking to avoid a potential confrontation with the Federal Trade Commission. The FTC has been exploring Schmidt's role on the Apple board to determine whether there are any anticompetitive implications.
"I have very much enjoyed my time on the Apple board," Schmidt said. "It's a fantastic company. But as Apple explained today, we've agreed it makes sense for me to step down now."
In one of his most strategically important announcements since his return, Apple CEO Steve Jobs called Schmidt an "excellent board member for Apple" who invested his "valuable time, talent, passion and wisdom" to help make the company a success.
"Unfortunately, as Google enters more of Apple's core businesses, with Android and now Chrome OS, Eric's effectiveness as an Apple board member will be significantly diminished, since he will have to recuse himself from even larger portions of our meetings due to potential conflicts of interest," Jobs said. "Therefore, we have mutually decided that now is the right time for Eric to resign his position on Apple's board."
Although Google's aim appears to be more directly at Microsoft with its Android mobile operating system, Chrome browser, Chrome operating system, and other initiatives, Google is encroaching on Apple's territory with its products.
"Back in 2006, Google was essentially a service that was offered on Apple products and in many cases in prominent positions. You saw Google Search on Safari and Google Maps on the iPhone," said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. "The...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
Yahoo: Now Losing the Geek Factor
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68145
An identity crisis gripping Yahoo! had reached Shakespearean proportions by late 2007, when Apple CEO Steve Jobs paid a visit to the company's Sunnyvale [Calif.] headquarters. Yahoo needed to decide whether it would focus foremost on media or technology, Jobs told the small group of assembled executives, according to one executive who attended the meeting. Jobs made it clear which side he favored: "We are in Silicon Valley," Jobs said, according to the former exec.
Which direction Yahoo would ultimately take became clear July 29, when it announced a partnership that, if approved, puts Microsoft in charge of Yahoo's search technology. With that, Yahoo would shelve a half-decade-long effort to rival Google in the lucrative market for search-related advertising and go further than ever to dismantle a culture of technological innovation, say engineers and former staffers.
True, Yahoo employs legions of engineers who work on products other than search, including e-mail, instant messaging, and mobile applications. But for many developers, search was by far the most technologically compelling. "While we had lots of technologies, it wasn't rocket science stuff," says Lowell Goss, who headed user experience for Yahoo before leaving in 2006. "Search is the rocket science stuff." Goss and other Yahoo alumni say that as Yahoo outsources search to Microsoft, a wave of top-tier engineers will likely depart, taking with them the inner geekiness that's fueled much success over the years.
Executives say Yahoo was electrified when it embarked on search. In 2002, Yahoo bought Inktomi, a startup that gave it the ability to "crawl" the Web for content. "The introduction of the search engine into Yahoo was a transformative cultural experience," says Raymie Stata, who's now chief architect for the company. "It injected a new type of technology that was important to the history of this company."
Yahoo's search...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
Whose Five Stars? Online 'User' Reviews Get Scrutiny
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68143
The Web site said an herbal remedy could cure cancer and offered miraculous firsthand accounts. One woman offered to "share my experience": The formula had routed her lymphoma, sparing her radiation treatment, she said.
What she didn't mention is that she also owned the company selling the product she praised online, authorities said.
A growing number of regulators, trade groups and site owners are cracking down on so-called "AstroTurf" marketing -- seeding the Internet with seemingly grass-roots testimonials, reviews and comments that aren't as organic as they seem.
The Federal Trade Commission told Bacon in a settlement last fall to tone down her claims and change her promotional tactics. And this month, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced a $300,000 settlement with a cosmetic surgery firm he said had employees pose as clients to write glowing testimonials and online journals.
The FTC plans to vote this summer on updating 29-year-old guidelines on endorsements, making it clear they ban phony online reviews.
"While we did not have such a thing called blogs or Twitter or the social media out there in 1980, the same principles about transparency and truth in advertising apply," said Richard Cleland, assistant director of the FTC's advertising division.
The European Union has responded by directing member countries to ban falsely representing oneself as a consumer, and other trade groups and businesses are deleting suspect reviews and issuing apologies.
Still, some experts say it may prove difficult to enforce traditional truth-in-advertising standards on the freewheeling, ever-expanding Web.
"We haven't worked out basic social and economic norms about this, much less legal norms," said Lee Rainie, director of the Pew Internet & American Life Project. "This is an environment where a lot of the rules have been scrambled."
Dubious testimonials are nothing new -- flip through a Victorian women's magazine.
But they have found a new, global venue...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
Game Makers Pause, Reload: Are Price Cuts Next?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68140
Kathleen Byrnes and Justin Choi, a married couple attending medical school at Tulane University, say $40 is just too much to fork over for a Nintendo Wii game they might not enjoy. They haven't bought one since last fall, when they picked up "Star Wars: The Force Unleashed."
Since then? "Nothing really interesting came out," said Byrnes, 23.
Their reluctance helps explain why this is a rough summer for the video game business. More people than ever are playing the games, but it's been a while since a blockbuster title arrived. Consumers are watching their money more closely in the recession and managing to resist games that can cost as much as $60.
The trends came into focus Thursday as Sony Corp. and Nintendo Co. each reported console sales are dropping. Sony posted a loss for the April-June quarter, while Nintendo Co. revealed a large drop in its profit.
The Microsoft Corp. division that makes the Xbox 360 said last week it lost money in the last quarter too.
"The health of the industry is terrible," said Wedbush Morgan analyst Michael Pachter.
For gamers, at least, there's some good news: Console prices will probably come down.
Sony's PlayStation 3, the costliest of the bunch, still sells for $400. Nintendo hasn't lowered the $250 tag on the Wii since its 2006 launch -- an extreme rarity for an industry that relies on regular price cuts to broaden its audience.
Despite the bad earnings results Thursday, Sony and Nintendo both reaffirmed their forecasts for the year. And Pachter thinks each company "has no prayer" of meeting the target without cutting prices to lure buyers. In Nintendo's case, that might mean keeping the Wii at $250 but throwing in more free games.
At first, it didn't seem the recession would be big trouble for the video game business, which has managed to...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
U R Pwned: Text Messaging Paves Way for Hacking
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68139
Getting a text message is akin to someone sliding a piece of mail under your door: You may not have asked for it, you can't stop its delivery and you have to deal with it whether you want to or not.
The fact that text messages appear on mobile phones without any interaction from the user, and sometimes with limited interference from the cellular network operators, can give criminals an opening to break into those devices, as three teams of researchers showed Thursday at the Black Hat security conference [in Las Vegas].
Their targets ran the gamut.
Apple Inc.'s iPhones and phones running Microsoft Corp.'s Windows Mobile and Google Inc.'s Android operating systems were all shown to be vulnerable. In some cases, the problems weren't with software, but the way cellular networks process messages.
The findings are troubling as people increasingly use their phones for handling sensitive data, like e-mail and online banking.
Phones are morphing into mini-computers, which means they're going to start getting attacked like PCs.
In some respects, phones are relatively safer. Cellular carriers control their networks more tightly than anyone controls the Internet, so they're in a better position to stop new types of attacks that crop up.
Telling the difference between harmful and legitimate traffic can be tricky, though. And anonymity still is possible given the proliferation of prepaid plans that don't require long-term contracts; a carrier can trace an attack to a particular phone but not necessarily to a particular person.
The techniques demonstrated Thursday show that even disciplined and safety-conscious users could have their phones hacked because they can't totally control what's coming into them.
Innocent people could have their smart phones knocked offline, commanded to visit sites hosting pornography or viruses, or even turned into remote-controlled subordinates of a criminal gang behind an attack.
Take this example about the iPhone, from Charlie...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
U.K. Court Rejects Hacker's Bid To Avoid Extradition
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68136
Britain's High Court on Friday rejected an autistic British man's bid to avoid extradition to the United States to face trial for hacking into military computers.
Gary McKinnon has fought a long legal battle to avoid being extradited to the U.S. after he was charged with breaking into 97 computers belonging to NASA, the U.S. Department of Defense and several branches of the U.S. military soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
The High Court rejected his appeals Friday and ruled that he should face extradition. Judge Stanley Burnton said in his 41-page ruling that extradition was "a lawful and proportionate response to his offending."
McKinnon's lawyer Karen Todner called the ruling "hugely disappointing," and urged Home Secretary Alan Johnson to intervene.
"We have 28 days to review the judgment and will continue to explore every legal avenue until we achieve a just and proper result," she said. Todner said she plans to appeal the High Court decision, possibly taking the case to Britain's new Supreme Court and the European courts.
McKinnon's lawyers and 40 lawmakers have written to President Barack Obama asking him to prevent the extradition.
McKinnon's family and supporters have argued he should not be extradited because he has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, and could be at risk of psychosis or suicide if he is sent to the U.S.
Earlier this year McKinnon offered to plead guilty to a criminal charge in Britain to avoid facing a U.S. trial.
The Crown Prosecution Service ruled, however, that the case was best prosecuted in the United States, leading his attorney Edward Fitzgerald to argue that the service had failed to take account of humanitarian factors.
McKinnon's lawyers had asked the High Court to overturn the prosecutors' decision, as well as the British government's decision to extradite him -- requests dismissed in Friday's ruling.
The judge, Burnton,...
Tue, 4 Aug 09
Windows 7 Is Coming: Are You Ready?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68129
It's official: Windows 7 is headed your way. With the recent announcement that the long-awaited successor to Windows Vista has reached the "release to manufacturing" (RTM) stage, Microsoft has signaled that its programmers have put the final touches on Windows 7, deeming it ready for shrink wrap and for the official launch later this year. Luckily, that gives computer users a bit of time to consider whether to evaluate this new operating system and to determine whether their current computer can run it. Here's what you need to know.
Like Windows Vista, Window 7 will be offered in several versions, or "editions," with each geared toward a specific audience or a specific class of computer.
A Windows 7 Starter Edition is for those with less powerful hardware and who do not ask much of their PCs. This edition will not include the Aero interface, which gives Windows 7 its three-dimensional, polished look and feel, and it will not be available in a 64-bit version.
Windows 7 Home Premium will be aimed at the home market, which Microsoft believes focuses primarily on ease of use and less on office connectivity. As such, it will include Aero, Windows Media Centre, and touch screen controls, but it will not include any features designed to make connecting to corporate networks easy.
Windows 7 Professional is aimed at sophisticated home and small business users. Included are all of the features of lesser editions as well as remote desktop functionality for connecting to other PCs remotely. Optional file-system level encryption will help keep prying eyes from sensitive data, and a Windows XP Mode will be available to ensure that any application compatible with XP will run under Windows 7.
Windows 7 Enterprise adds to the features of Professional by offering BitLocker Drive Encryption -- which helps corporations protect data...
Sun, 2 Aug 09
Apple Slow To Release Patch for iPhone Security Hole
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68153
Apple iPhone owners having trouble with SMS messages and other security breaches can now get some relief from the Cupertino, Calif.-based company in the form of an update.
A hole in Apple iPhone security can now be fixed with the iPhone OS 3.0.1 update released Friday and only available through the latest version of iTunes. Apple recommends iPhone owners apply the update immediately.
The security hole, first discovered by Charlie Miller, a principal security analyst with Independent Security Evaluators, enabled a hacker to run software code on the iPhone that is sent via an SMS. The code can turn on the microphone of the iPhone, allowing the hacker to listen in on conversations, or force the iPhone to become part of a denial-of-service (DoS) attack. This method does not use the wireless carrier, so it is free and invisible to the carrier.
The security hacker and Collin Mulliner of Fraunhofer SIT wrote the software to exploit the security weakness, targeting iPhones on AT&T's network and on four different networks in Germany.
The duo notified Apple of the security flaw earlier this month, but Apple didn't make a patch available before Miller and Mulliner demonstrated the possibility of an attack in greater detail on Thursday at Black Hat, a security conference in Las Vegas.
On Friday, Apple gave credit to Miller and Mulliner for reporting the issue; Apple released this message in an e-mail with information about its update: "A memory corruption issue exists in the decoding of SMS messages. Receiving a maliciously crafted SMS message may lead to an unexpected service interruption or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue through improved error handling. Credit to Charlie Miller of Independent Security Evaluators and Collin Mulliner of Fraunhofer SIT for reporting this issue."
Security analysts say it's unclear at this time how...
Sun, 2 Aug 09
Microsoft Sets Windows 7 Family Pack, Upgrade Prices
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68151
Microsoft has unveiled prices for its forthcoming Windows 7 Family Pack and Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade (WAU) offerings.
WAU will allow users to upgrade initial copies of Windows 7 to a higher edition by purchasing an upgrade license in retail stores or over the Web. Windows 7 Family Pack will enable users to upgrade as many as three PCs to Windows 7 Home Premium at a significantly reduced price.
"In the U.S., the price for the Windows 7 Family Pack will be $149.99 for three Windows 7 Home Premium licenses," Brandon LeBlanc wrote on The Windows Blog. "That's a savings of more than $200 for three licenses."
Beyond providing a significant discount from what it would cost to buy three individual licenses, Windows 7 Family Pack delivers extra features that will make it easier to share personal files among family members. "When you run Windows 7 on more than one PC on a home network, you can do more with features like HomeGroup, which allows people to connect to PCs on their network and share files, music and photos with the whole family," LeBlanc wrote.
Windows 7 Anytime Upgrade provides users with an easy way to upgrade at any time to a higher edition of Windows 7 when computing needs evolve over time. For example, some netbook users may realize they need a wider range of software capabilities, LeBlanc noted.
If the netbook is running Windows 7 Starter -- or Windows 7 Home Basic in select markets -- WAU makes it easy to upgrade to the next level of OS performance, LeBlanc wrote.
"Moving to Windows 7 Home Premium ($79.99) will allow that customer to take advantage of features such as Aero Peek and other enhanced functionality in the Windows Taskbar in Windows 7 such as Taskbar Previews,"...
Sat, 1 Aug 09
Clampi Worm Puts Online Financial Transactions at Risk
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68149
With security researchers focused on the Black Hat security conference, a Trojan called Clampi is still making its way across the Web looking for victims.
Also known as Ligats, Ilomo or Rscan, Clampi is a Trojan that aims to steal credentials from infected systems. According to SecureWorks, hundreds of thousands of Windows computers may already be infected and many more are at risk. In one recent example, an auto-parts store lost about $75,000 to a group of attackers leveraging the power of Clamp in early July.
Although Clampi is not a new threat -- it has been harassing Windows users since 2007 -- security researchers report it is gaining momentum.
Joe Stewart, SecureWorks director of malware research for the counter threat unit, launched an in-depth investigation into the Trojan and its use of the psexec tools to spread earlier this year. What he discovered is troubling.
"In recent months, Clampi has successfully spread across Microsoft networks in a worm-like fashion," Stewart said.
Stewart has identified 1,400 of the 4,500 Web sites in 70 different countries Clampi attackers are targeting. The Clampi Trojan, he reported, requests information specifically from these sites via infected computers. A sophisticated organized-crime group from Eastern Europe is running Clampi and has been implicated in numerous high-dollar thefts from banking institutions.
"Clampi's recent success in infecting victims is accomplished by using domain-administrator credentials -- either stolen by the Trojan or reused, or by virtue of the fact that a domain administrator has logged into an already infected system. Once domain-administrator privileges are granted, the Trojan uses the SysInternals tool psexec to copy itself to all computers on the domain," Stewart said. "Clampi also serves as a proxy server used by criminals to anonymize their activity when logging into stolen accounts."
Although most major antivirus engines should detect Clampi and its...
Sat, 1 Aug 09
Play-Nice Ballmer Calls Apple's Gains 'a Rounding Error'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68148
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and other company executives said Thursday they are excited about Windows 7, cloud computing, and other directions -- even as they tried to address the revenue loss reported for the company's fiscal year that ended June 30.
Ballmer acknowledged that the company, long the dominant force in consumer and business software, is getting "competition from a lot of different places." Among operating systems, he mentioned Linux, Apple, Android and Google's Chrome OS, although he noted that he doesn't know "what Chrome OS is yet."
Even as he admitted competition from other operating systems, Ballmer expressed confidence in the upcoming Windows 7 release, adding that it is "absolutely job one" at Microsoft. He did not make specific projections, however.
Speaking to a meeting of financial analysts in the company's headquarters and noting a number of Macs among them, Ballmer said Apple gained some market share at the beginning of the company's fiscal year and Windows regained some by year's end. But he dismissed the amount of business that Apple has taken away from Microsoft as being the equivalent of "a rounding error."
He also defended this week's 10-year deal with Yahoo where Microsoft's Bing search engine and its adCenter platform will be used for Yahoo's search-based advertising business. As part of the deal, Yahoo's sales force will handle higher-level customers for both companies. A Senate committee has announced plans to investigate the deal.
In addition to Windows 7 and search, Microsoft is heading in new directions this year. It is opening new retail stores in California and Arizona, pushing deeper into cloud computing, and launching updates of its Windows Server and Office products, among other things.
Ballmer noted that one area -- mobile -- had "a tough year," and added that the problems were "mostly our own issues, frankly."...
Sat, 1 Aug 09
Fast-Growing Firefox Tops One Billion Downloads
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68128
The Mozilla Foundation's open-source Firefox browser passed the one billion download mark on Friday. That includes the latest 3.5 version back to the first release in 2004.
About 11 a.m. Eastern time, a counter maintained by Otto de Voogd estimated the number of downloads at 1.0033 billion while spreadfirefox.com pegged the number at 1.004 billion. That is based on an average of 1.6 million downloads a day over the past 15 days. At the rollover point, the browser was being downloaded 24 times a second.
Mozilla is preparing to celebrate the milestone at the onebillionplusyou.com Web site, which is expected to go live Monday.
In tests by PC World, Mozilla ranked as the second-fastest browser in download times, about two-tenths of a second behind the fastest browser, Google's Chrome. Firefox is estimated to have 31 percent of the browser market, behind Microsoft's dominant Internet Explorer with 60 percent. The Chrome, Apple Safari, and Opera browsers have less than five percent.
Actions by the European Commission could give these alternatives to Internet Explorer a chance to gain even more market share by forcing Microsoft to provide its competitors with a more level playing field. Microsoft originally planned to install only Internet Explorer with Windows 7, but has since agreed to provide a "ballot" that would let European users choose a browser when installing Windows 7.
The EC has not yet ruled on the concession. Until it does, Microsoft says it still plans to ship a special version of Windows 7 to Europe with no browser. That could create major problems for users, who would have to find another way to obtain a browser.
Automatic updates are not included in the one billion total for Firefox downloads, but manual updates and multiple downloads by a single user are included.
Meantime, Mozilla's developers are...
Sat, 1 Aug 09
AOL Changing From AOL LLC to AOL Inc. With Spinoff
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68118
AOL will once again get a new name.
The struggling Internet company, which changed its moniker from America Online Inc. to AOL LLC just three years ago, will become known as AOL Inc. before it begins trading as a public company -- something expected near the end of the year when it is spun off from parent Time Warner Inc.
AOL must make the change from LLC to Inc. before it can be listed on a stock exchange, but it's not yet clear if it will happen before or after it is spun off.
According to a recent regulatory filing, New York-based AOL plans to list its shares on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "AOL."
AOL has changed names several times thus far. The company started out in 1985 as Quantum Computer Services. It began offering its AOL online service in 1989 and became known as America Online Inc. in 1991. When the company merged with Time Warner Inc. in 2001 it formed AOL Time Warner Inc., but Time Warner cut the AOL from its name as AOL's legacy dial-up Internet business -- once immensely popular -- began its decline.
In 2006, America Online Inc. became AOL in a branding decision and switched from being a corporation to a limited liability company because of Google Inc.'s $1 billion purchase of a 5 percent stake in the company.
This week, AOL said in a regulatory filing that Time Warner bought back that stake in July for $283 million, setting the stage for the upcoming spinoff.
Meanwhile, AOL is beginning to embrace the brand again after worrying that people have viewed it as primarily a dial-up Internet access company even as it increasingly emphasized its advertising and Web site properties.
Starting Sept. 1, its Platform-A advertising unit will become known as AOL Advertising. In some circles,...
Sat, 1 Aug 09
Review: Yahoo's Shift to Bing Could Be a Risky Bet
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68114
Is Microsoft's Bing really a better search engine? Since it debuted last month, it has earned praise for the smart way it presents results and how it lets users preview Web sites without clicking through to them.
Yet a closer look at its results reveals why loyal Yahoo users may not end up happy with the deal the company announced Wednesday, which calls for Bing to replace Yahoo Search.
ComScore Inc. says 19.6 percent of Web users go to Yahoo for their searches. Microsoft draws fewer, at 8.4 percent. That's up just slightly from the 8 percent it captured before Bing launched at the start of June. It didn't make a dent in Google's commanding 65 percent market share.
I think I can see why. Not only is using Google such an ingrained habit that we talk of "googling" something, but also its technology is better in some key ways. I found Bing to be less comprehensive than Google and, surprisingly, Yahoo Search. It simply returns fewer results for a lot of search terms.
With common terms like "cars," all the search engines return oodles of results. Yahoo reports 2.56 billion pages with that term. It doesn't matter so much how many pages they report, as long as they give relevant results, and all do.
Then I tried to hunt for something purposely obscure, like background on the country manor that my sister is interested in buying. Google gave me 46 links, Yahoo 15. Bing supplied just six.
Of course, even in this kind of query you might not have time to look through every link. So if Bing has six and they're good, that's fine.
Yet in the country manor search and other cases, often at the fringes of what you'd expect the Internet to know, I found the most relevant results in Google and Yahoo...
Sat, 1 Aug 09
Nintendo Profit Tumbles as Game Hits Dwindle
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68110
Boredom, not the recession, may be Nintendo's biggest villain.
Sales of the once unstoppable Wii console have tumbled for the first time since its launch three years ago, sending the gaming giant's quarterly profit down 61 percent.
Nintendo blames a dearth of blockbuster games, without which enthusiasm for the Wii floundered.
"These casual gamers and light users, they're getting bored," said Satoru Kikuchi, an analyst at Deutsche Securities in Japan. "Nintendo needs to keep their attention with new software, but that hasn't happened."
The Kyoto-based company said Thursday its April-June net profit retreated to 42.3 billion yen ($445.2 million) from 107.3 billion yen a year earlier. Sales declined 40 percent to 253.5 billion yen, while operating profit -- a measure of its core business -- fell 66 percent to 40.4 billion yen.
The figures are a dramatic reversal from just a half year ago, when the Wii and DS handheld device smashed holiday sales records in the U.S. Popular new game titles last year like "Mario Kart Wii" and "Wii Fit" fed the fervor.
Nintendo sold 2.23 million Wii units during the three months through June 30, compared with 5.17 million last year. Global sales of Wii software slipped to 31.07 million units from 40.41 million the previous year.
Customers bought 5.97 million DS devices, down 14 percent on year.
"I knew the results were going to be bad, but this was even worse than my expectations," Kikuchi said.
Nintendo's sales in the Americas fell 38 percent, while those to Europe plunged by more than half -- troubling signs for a company that derives 87 percent of its revenue from overseas markets.
The company was also hurt by a stronger-than-expected yen, which reduces the value of overseas profits when repatriated to Japan.
It estimated an exchange rate of 100 yen to the dollar. Instead, the dollar averaged 97.32 yen during the...
Sat, 1 Aug 09
Motorola Posts Unexpected Second-Quarter Profit
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68109
Helped by deep cost cuts, Motorola Inc. on Thursday posted an unexpected profit for the second quarter after several quarters of losses, and said it expected things to keep improving this year.
While sales continued to decline from last year, Motorola said the cost cuts, including 8,000 layoffs so far this year, set the stage for a comeback from its long-suffering cell phone unit. Its shares surged on news of the outlook.
The Schaumburg, Ill.-based electronics company earned $26 million, or 1 cent per share, in the three months ended July 4. That's up from $4 million, or break-even per share, a year ago.
The latest results were boosted 2 cents per share by various one-time effects, but even so, Motorola exceeded its own forecast, which called for a loss of 3 cents to 5 cents per share, excluding the cost of its restructuring initiatives.
Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had on average been looking for a loss of 4 cents per share.
Motorola's sales fell 32 percent from a year ago to $5.5 billion from $8.1 billion a year ago. Analysts were looking for revenue of $5.6 billion for the latest quarter.
"We will further improve earnings in the second half of the year," co-CEO Sanjay Jha told analysts and investors on a conference call.
For the third quarter, the company now expects results in a range from a loss of 1 cent per share to a profit of 1 cent per share. Analysts had been expecting a 1-cent loss.
Motorola shares rose 60 cents, or 9 percent, to $7.17 in morning trading after rising as high as $7.68 earlier, the highest level since October. The shares had already risen 58 percent this year, as investors have overcome the worst of their pessimism and have started to look for signs of a turnaround.
Motorola's sales have been on...
Sat, 1 Aug 09
Review: Lexmark's X7675 Misses the Mark
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68108
During a several-week test, I leaned heavily on the printing prowess of the wireless Lexmark X7675. But its ability to scan, copy, and fax -- not so much.
Sitting unobtrusively on a shelf near my desk, nary a wire in sight, the printer reliably churned out page after page of the notes, reports, charts, and articles so valuable to my everyday work. The software designed to help the machine with other tasks, however, let me down time and again.
The inconsistencies make it hard for me to recommend this inkjet printer, despite its notable strengths. Lexmark sells it for $200, though Amazon.com was selling it for as little as $115 in late July. Lexmark says it designed the X7675 to appeal to young and middle-age professionals who work at home or in a small office, want to print wirelessly from their laptops, and value professional-looking documents.
On many of those counts, the product succeeds. With the help of a common home-network router, the printer can establish a wireless connection with a PC. The setup software Lexmark includes on a CD that accompanies the printer makes establishing this connection relatively painless. (You can also print via a USB cable and eschew the wireless capability, but for some that may defeat the purpose of buying this machine.)
Lexmark's setup software successfully guided me through loading black and color ink cartridges, setting up a Wi-Fi connection to my laptop, and printing a test page, all without the need for a paper manual. There's a bit of technical knowledge required (you need to know the "SSID" name of your Wi-Fi network and its "WEP" password), but users who've set up a home computer network will have that data readily available.
Printing was quiet and acceptably fast for black-and-white pages -- though this isn't a high-speed printer. Printing...
Sat, 1 Aug 09
IDEA Awards: The Last Decade
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68106
Each year, the International Design Excellence Awards highlight the best in design. It's not an easy achievement. Thousands of products are submitted each year, but only a relative few emerge with awards. Over the last decade, winners in the consumer products category have come from a cross section of the economy, from electronics and office supplies to toys and cleaners.
Entries are judged in seven categories: innovation, user benefit, benefit to society and the environment, benefit to the client, visual/aesthetic appeal, usability/reliability, and internal factors and methods, like implementation. Experts from a variety of companies and design firms form the jury, which puts submissions through two rounds of vigorous examination. Gold, silver, and bronze awards are doled out, and one product is singled out as Best in Show.
Apple has been the biggest force in the design awards over the last 10 years. It has won awards for the iPod, iPod mini, iPod Shuffle, iPhone, iTouch, iMac, and Mac Mini. In fact, the company has become the epitome of excellence in product design. It's no coincidence that Apple went from an also-ran to a market powerhouse over the same period. Consumers obviously responded to the company's award-winning products, snatching them up by the millions.
The IDEA judges don't always hit the mark. Reliability and durability can sometimes be issues. Evenflo's Triumph Convertible Car Seat was recalled for safety problems. Some products just don't catch on. LG's AN110 Projector was heralded for its ultraslim, wall-mountable design -- very different than the chunky industrial-looking projectors that were once the norm. But if you search through LG's current catalog, it's nowhere to be found.
And sometimes the market changes so rapidly that innovative designs become dated almost overnight. Polaroid's I-zone instant camera, which printed out mini-stickers, started a hot trend, but the company has...
Sat, 1 Aug 09
Consumers Should Be Cautious With Their Personal Data
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=68104
There have been numerous data scandals in recent months in the digital world. Multinational European companies like Germany's Telekom and discount grocery store Lidl have been accused of spying on their employees, while several worrying cases in which address and account number information was illegally exchanged have raised alarms.
The Internet search engine Google caused a stir by providing images of entire streets of houses and social networking Web sites like Facebook have become sources of information that employers can easily tap into.
In Germany, the parliament, in its last regular meeting of the legislative period at the beginning of July, passed a change in the country's data protection law. No one was actually satisfied with the compromise. For example, personal data can still be used without permission from its owner by advertisers or non-profit organizations. The politicians did not write into the law that an expressed agreement must be obtained in advance.
And the basic trend continues: More and more activity is taking place on the Internet, and thus the abuse danger rises. But data protection advocates say this isn't a time for fatalism -- they advise people to take countermeasures. Citizens and consumers are not able to protect themselves against all attempts to collect information about them, said Thilo Weichert, director of the independent state center for data protection in Germany.
"There is no such thing as one hundred per cent protection," said Weichert. But by developing a higher sensibility and establishing ground rules, the risks can be reduced at least to a degree in which the individual still has the possibility of controlling his own data.
Rena Tangens, founder of a citizens' rights and data protection association called FoeBud in Germany, also encourages more self-initiative in the private sphere. Consumers still assume the law protects them. The law is often not sufficient...