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Apple's iTunes Update Again Blocks Palm Pre Syncing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69800
Apple and Palm continue to play a cat-and-mouse game, and this time it was Apple's turn to do the chasing. Apple on Thursday released an iTunes software update that once again blocks the Palm Pre smartphone from syncing DRM-free music, photos and videos from the iTunes Store.
Apple's iTunes 9.0.2 update is part of Apple's rollout of Apple TV version 3.0. The new iTunes comes with several new features and improvements including a new look and feel, easier browsing and navigation, and more flexibility with syncing, according to Apple.
While the update allows iPod and iPhone users to organize home screens directly in iTunes by allowing syncing of individual artists, genres or TV shows and Podcast episodes, it also once again wipes out the ability for Palm Pre users to sync iTunes files.
The game between Apple and Palm has been going on since the launch of the Palm Pre in June. Once Palm released the Pre with the ability to sync iTunes songs and other files, Apple quickly retaliated and blocked the functionality with its iTunes 8.2.1 update, which blocked the Pre's ability to sync.
It didn't take long for Palm to respond with its own firmware update webOS 1.1, which re-enabled the Pre's sync function. "That's right -- you once again can have seamless access to your music, photos and videos," wrote John Traynor in his blog in July.
The move only frustrated Apple executives, who made it clear there is only room for the iPod and iPhone in the iTunes Store.
Not only did Palm add the over-the-air update, but it also complained to the USB Implementers Forum, a nonprofit corporation created by the companies who founded the Universal Serial Bus specification. Palm complained to the USB-IF that Apple was abusing the principle of open gadget connectivity....
Sat, 31 Oct 09
Apple TV 3.0 Features Extras and Better Widescreen
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69799
With the Internet video-on-TV space heating up, Apple on Thursday introduced its new Apple TV 3.0 software. The update features a revamped main menu that takes better advantage of widescreen TVs and offers iTunes Extras, iTunes LP, Genius Mixes, and Internet radio.
iTunes Extras offer extra content to movie fans, such as interviews, interactive galleries, and deleted scenes. iTunes LP, which Apple describes as "the next evolution of the music album," combines live performance videos, lyrics, artwork, liner notes, interviews, photos and album credits.
Genius Mixes offers up to 12 "endless mixes" of songs that the application decides fit together automatically from the user's iTunes collection. Internet radio gives access to thousands of streaming, Internet-based radio stations, which can be marked as favorites.
The 3.0 release is free to current owners of the Apple TV box, and Apple is hoping the new interface and features will help spur sales of the product, which CEO Steve Jobs once reportedly described as "a hobby."
Released in 2007, the Apple TV box is struggling to remain relevant as Internet-based video content starts to show up on a variety of consumer electronic devices. Some industry observers, for instance, have noted that the new software only supports a maximum resolution of 720p at 24 frames per second, and the box remains primarily focused on delivering iTunes content.
Meanwhile, a stream of new announcements show that Internet-based video delivered to the TV is booming. Roku's $99 player streams Netflix and Amazon videos, and Sony announced this week that Netflix is now available via the PlayStation 3 video-game console. Netflix is also available at the gold level from Microsoft's Xbox Live, and there are reports that it will appear on Nintendo's Wii in the next year.
Netflix and Sony have also announced that the popular...
Sat, 31 Oct 09
Facebook Wins $711 Million in Spam King Judgment
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69798
On Thursday, Facebook won a victory for social-networking users everywhere. The U.S. District Court in San Jose, Calif., awarded Facebook $711 million in damages against Sanford Wallace, aka the spam king.
Facebook said Wallace, Adam Arzoomanian and Scott Shaw broke the law by sending unwanted messages and wall posts to people on Facebook, violating the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, the California Anti-Phishing Act, and the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography and Marketing Act (CAN-SPAM).
"While we don't expect to receive the vast majority of the award, we hope that this will act as a continued deterrent against these criminals," said Sam O'Rourke, general counsel on the Facebook legal team. "Most notably, the judge referred Wallace to the U.S. attorney's office with a request that Wallace be prosecuted for criminal contempt, which means that in addition to the judgment, he now faces possible jail time. This is another important victory in our fight against spam. We will continue to pursue damages against other spammers."
Wallace is the self-proclaimed spam king -- and it's not the first time he has targeted social-networking sites. In 2008, MySpace won a $230 million judgment against Wallace in what was then thought to be the largest-ever spam case. Wallace and Walter Rines organized a phishing scam that harvested MySpace usernames and passwords and blasted out hundreds of thousands of messages for pornography and gambling sites.
"What is shocking to me was that Wallace has already been sued by MySpace previously. So it's great to see the justice system trying to remove the temptation for people to spam social networks -- but evidently, it's worth the risk," said Brad Shimmin, an analyst at Current Analysis. "Obviously since Wallace has done it before and is willing to take the risk of doing it elsewhere, it's a very...
Sat, 31 Oct 09
Google Navigation Doesn't Spell Doom for GPS Makers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69797
Wednesday's launch of Google Maps Navigation for the search giant's Android mobile platform caused the stock prices of personal-navigation device makers to spiral downward. Clearly, investors fear that Google's free mobile service, which delivers real-time turn-by-turn voice guidance and automatic routing, will hurt the long-term financial performance of rival hardware and software vendors.
Still, Google's announcement was hardly surprising given that real-time navigation was long a milestone on Google's mobile-device road map, noted Charles Golvin, a principal analyst at Forrester Research. The key question for navigation vendors and the wireless carriers, Golvin said, "is not 'Will Google eat into your navigation business?' but 'How will you extend navigation with additional value to compete with Google's navigation offering?'"
It's easy to see why investors are worried. With Google Maps Navigation, smartphones could automatically receive the most up-to-date maps and business listings from Google without users having to purchase map upgrades or update their devices, noted Google Maps software engineer Keith Ito. "And this data is continuously improving, thanks to users who report map issues and businesses who activate their listings with Google Local Business Center," Ito added.
Google Maps Navigation also lets mobile users conduct hands-free searches for destinations by simply speaking the names of the locations they wish to visit, and even receive live traffic information over the Internet. Or "simply enter the name of a business, a landmark or just about anything into the search box and Google will find it," Ito said.
All these features are currently available from other providers, but come at a price while Google's mobile app is free, Golvin noted. Still, the pace at which Google Maps Navigation will end up hurting competitors is partially under the control of wireless carriers and platform vendors, who are likely to view Android...
Sat, 31 Oct 09
ICANN Approves Internationalized Domain Names
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69796
Not only is the Internet just turning 40 years old, it's truly going global with new extensions that will someday make it possible for entire web-site addresses to be written in every language in the world. On Friday, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers agreed to introduce a number of internationalized domain names. IDNs allow scripts such as Chinese, Korean or Arabic to be used in the last portion of an address name -- the part after the dot, such as dot-com and dot-org.
This is a significant milestone in the globalization of the Internet and comes after years of work. ICANN is predicting IDNs could lead to a dramatic increase in the number of global Internet users.
"This is only the first step, but it is an incredibly big one and an historic move toward the internationalization of the Internet," said Rod Beckstrom, ICANN's president and CEO. "We just made the Internet much more accessible to millions of people in regions such as Asia, the Middle East, and Russia."
ICANN has put the IDN program on the fast track for certain languages. The program will be rolled out in stages, beginning Nov. 16. Initially, IDNs will only be allowed on a limited basis involving country codes, such as dot-kr for Korea or dot-ru for Russia. Those countries can now use IDNs to replace the dot-kr or the dot-ru. ICANN said the use of IDNs will eventually be expanded to all types of Internet address names.
"The meaning behind this measure is that the Internet belongs to everyone, no matter what language they speak," Beckstrom said. "It's all about inclusion of all people in all regions of the globe. The Internet is about bringing the world together, and this will...
Sat, 31 Oct 09
Sprint Nextel 3Q Loss Grows on Subscriber Losses
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69789
Sprint Nextel Corp., the nation's third-largest wireless carrier, on Thursday reported a wider third-quarter loss and a larger exodus of customers despite an improved slate of phones and cheaper rates.
Sprint, which hasn't reported a quarterly net gain in subscribers in more than two years, continues trying to regain ground in a highly competitive market. Besides investing heavily in improving its customer service efforts, the company has beefed up its portfolio of high-tech smartphones, including Palm Inc.'s Pre, in a bid to better compete with the likes of Apple Inc.'s iPhone, now sold by AT&T Inc.
It also has tried to undercut its competitors on price, offering unlimited mobile-to-mobile calls.
The company said it lost $478 million, or 17 cents per share during the three-month period ending Sept. 30. By comparison, it lost $326 million, or 11 cents per share, during the same period a year ago.
Sprint's latest quarter included $15 million in severance costs, $97 million in equity losses connected to its investment in Clearwire Corp. and $53 million in gains from spectrum exchanges and access charge agreements. The company did not provide an earnings figure excluding items.
Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who typically exclude one-time items from their estimates, expected a loss of 15 cents per share.
Revenue during the quarter slipped 9 percent to $8.04 billion from $8.8 billion, below the $8.09 billion expected by analysts.
Wireless revenue declined 8 percent as the company shed a net of 545,000 wireless subscribers, including 801,000 so-called postpaid customers who sign annual contracts and tend to spend the most.
It was larger than the 257,000 net subscribers lost in the second quarter, but it was an improvement on the postpaid front as the company lost 991,000 last quarter. Sprint lost 1.3 million total subscribers during the third quarter of 2008.
During a conference call with analysts, CEO...
Sat, 31 Oct 09
Microsoft Exits as Sponsor of Family Guy Special
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69786
Fans of "Family Guy" are chortling about Microsoft's belated discovery that a "Family Guy" special might not jibe with the software giant's corporate image.
On Monday, Microsoft said it's pulling out as sponsor of a "Family Guy" variety show, just two weeks after announcing its sole sponsorship of the special, "Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show," scheduled to air Nov. 8.
The Fox special apparently follows in the racy tradition of the animated "Family Guy" series -- just as any fan would expect.
The special includes "typical 'Family Guy'-style jokes, including riffs on deaf people, the Holocaust, feminine hygiene and incest," said Variety, which first reported Microsoft's exit.
The special stars "Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane, who voices many of the characters, and Alex Borstein, who furnishes the voice of Peter Griffin's wife, Lois.
In the original announcement, the half-hour special was billed as a half-hour with no commercial breaks that blends "unique Windows 7-branded programming" seamlessly with "original animation, live-action performances of 'Family Guy's' most memorable musical numbers, comedy sketches and surprise celebrity guests."
Microsoft had originally touted the "subversive and unique humor" of the show's co-hosts.
But apparently it was all too subversive and unique for Microsoft. Backing off with Monday's statement, the company said that, after reviewing an early version of the special, it had decided the variety show's content "was not a fit with the Windows brand."
In its statement, Microsoft hastened to add there are no hard feelings. The company said it continues to have "a good partnership" with MacFarlane, Borstein and the network, and is "working with them in other areas."
Fox plans to air the show, which was taped Oct. 16, as scheduled, with a new, as-yet-undisclosed integrated sponsoring partner. The network had no comment on Microsoft's defection.
Sat, 31 Oct 09
Yahoo Sets Out To Regain Analysts' Respect
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69785
With its stock in a three-year funk, Yahoo Inc. set out Wednesday to persuade investors that the Internet company's struggles are nearly over.
"We have fallen and we really want to get back up," Yahoo Chief Executive Carol Bartz said as she kicked off an all-day meeting with financial analysts. "We really want to get back on our tippy toes."
Bartz vowed to make the company more profitable, and said she hoped Wednesday's session would win back some of the respect that the company lost as two previous CEOs were unable to deliver on their turnaround promises.
As a first step, Yahoo pledged to boost its operating profit margin to a range of 15 percent to 20 percent by 2012, up from just 6 percent this year -- a performance Bartz derided as "pathetic."
Although it didn't set a specific timetable for hitting a target, Yahoo said it believes it can increase its annual revenue by nearly $1.5 billion. The company, based in Sunnyvale, thinks it [will] rake in the extra money doing a better job of capitalizing on a marketing shift to the Internet in the U.S. and expanding its market share internationally.
Yahoo expects it revenue this year to be about $6.4 billion, a decline of roughly 11 percent from 2008. Management also plans to increase profits by weeding out expenses, simplifying its computer coding and eliminating wasteful spending. Yahoo already has trimmed its work force by 13 percent, or 2,000 jobs, during the past year.
Wednesday's meeting marked the first time that Yahoo provided analysts with an extended overview of its strategy in 3 1/2 years. Most public companies hold the presentations, known as "analyst days," every year or two. The Associated Press monitored Yahoo's meeting through a webcast.
Yahoo has been losing ground to Google Inc. and other hot Web sites, such as...
Sat, 31 Oct 09
Symantec Shares Up as 2Q Results Beat Street View
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69779
Shares of Symantec Corp. soared Thursday after the antivirus software maker reported second-quarter earnings that exceeded investors' expectations amid signs that stabilization in its business has begun to take hold.
Shares of Symantec, based in Cupertino, Calif., rose $1.46, or 9.3 percent, to $17.19 in morning trading.
Analysts latched onto the theme of improving business trends, with several increasing their profit and revenue estimates for the third quarter, 2010 and 2011.
New CEO Enrique Salem, which took the post in April, is credited with giving Symantec improved focus. Instead of expanding the company through acquisitions, as his predecessor had done, he is concentrating on integrating operations already owned and improving sales.
Symantec also made more deals to bundle its antivirus software into the software pack provided by computer makers when consumers buy new computers.
Lazard Capital Markets analyst Joel Fishbein Jr. said a sign that business is stabilizing is the quarter's billings, which were flat from the first quarter instead of declining. Deals over $300,000 were up sequentially.
Business from large companies has gained traction while Symantec's shift to focus on the small- and medium-sized business is starting to bear fruit, Fishbein said in a research note.
Late Wednesday, Symantec said it earned $150 million, or 18 cents per share, in the second quarter, compared with $126 million, or 15 cents, a year earlier. Excluding one-time items, Symantec earned $294 million, or 36 cents a share. That's down from $312 million, or 37 cents, last year.
Analysts were expecting 33 cents per share in adjusted earnings on revenue of $1.43 billion, according to Thomson Reuters.
Symantec also forecast third-quarter revenue of $1.48 billion to $1.51 billion -- analysts are expecting just a shade under $1.5 billion. The company expects to post adjusted earnings of 36 cents to 37 cents per share, compared with the Street's 36 cents.
Katherine Egbert,...
Sat, 31 Oct 09
AMD Exec's Loose Lips Help Sink Galleon
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69777
A high-ranking executive of chipmaker Advanced Micro Devices privately shared a lot of potentially market-moving information at crucial moments in the company's recent history, according to court documents.
The executive is former AMD CEO Hector Ruiz, according to a person familiar with the matter. As detailed in filings, Ruiz's disclosures offer an up-close glimpse of the information-sharing at the heart of a scandal that has rocked Galleon Management, a hedge fund controlled by billionaire trader Raj Rajaratnam.
In all, six people including Rajaratnam have been arrested on allegations they profited from trading on nonpublic information about such tech companies as Google, Akamai, Intel, Clearwire, Polycom and Sun Microsystems, now being bought by Oracle. Rajaratnam and attorneys for the other accused have denied the allegations.
Ruiz has not been accused of wrongdoing, though a criminal complaint filed with the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York says he leaked information about an important corporate event before it was made public. He discussed the complex spin-off of Global Foundries, the chip manufacturing company AMD now co-owns with an investment firm controlled by the government of the Arab Emirate of Abu Dhabi. The Wall Street Journal initially identified Ruiz as the AMD official named in the complaint.
According to the complaint, Ruiz fed information to Danielle Chiesi, a suspect in the case, during the months of June through September 2008. The spin-off was announced publicly on Oct. 7 that year.
Ruiz, 63, now serves as chairman of Global Foundries and is no longer at AMD. A representative for Ruiz declined to comment, as did a spokesman for Global Foundries. AMD is "thoroughly reviewing the situation," the company said in a statement. "We are not aware of any allegation of criminal misconduct on the part of any current or former AMD employees,...
Sat, 31 Oct 09
Acer Aims To Become World's Top Notebook PC Maker
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69775
Taiwan's Acer Inc. wants to surpass Hewlett-Packard to become the world's number-one notebook computer maker in 2010, a newspaper reported Thursday.
Acer, the world's number-two notebook PC manufacturer, is slated to make 40 million notebook PCs next year, up 15 percent from 2009, the Commercial Times quoted Acer Chairman Wang Jeng-tang as saying.
"Acer will challenge Hewlett-Packard next year to become the world's biggest notebook brand. Hewlett-Packard also has big goals, so our battle for the crown will be a tough battle," he said.
Wang believed that Acer will beat Hewlett-Packard in shipments of netbooks and medium notebooks but will narrowly lose to Hewlett-Packard in shipments of traditional notebooks.
Wang is confident about achieving the goal because global demand for notebooks and netbooks is expected to reach 40 million units in 2010, up 50 percent from 2009.
Wang expected Acer's 2010 revenues to rise 15 percent from 2009.
Meanwhile, Acer announced ambitious plans for its PC sales in China.
Acer hopes that Acer notebooks can account for 10 percent of China's PC market before yearend, and to become one of the top three PC brands in China next year, the Commercial Times quoted Acer chief executive Gianfranco Lanci as saying.
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Microsoft Warns Against Misuse of Windows 7 Upgrades
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69795
Microsoft has a bit of advice for people using the Windows 7 operating system introduced earlier this month: Follow the law. In a blog posting at the Microsoft SMB Community Blog, Eric Ligman of the Microsoft Worldwide Partner Group wrote that a number of blogs and postings are offering hacks that enable the use of a less-expensive upgrade disk for a new Windows 7 installation.
This, Ligman wrote, is against the end-user license agreement to which people buying products agree. "Of course, from the posts I saw, they often forgot to mention a very basic, yet very important piece of information ... 'Technically possible' does not always mean legal," Ligman wrote.
The post goes on to explain in great detail what is legal and what is not. An upgrade license presupposes ownership of a qualifying license from which to upgrade from. Using an upgrade license for a fresh install simply is against the law, Ligman wrote.
"To me, this is pretty straightforward," said Michael Cherry, Directions on Microsoft's vice president of research for operating systems. "It is not enough to find a way to install Windows onto a computer. To use the software you have to have the proper license. You can look at the Mac OS and Linux in the same way. You have to decide to agree with whatever the licensing conditions are on the software."
The desire to cut corners isn't new for Microsoft customers, who tend to feel that the operating system is fair game.
"The problem is that they live in two worlds," said David Perry, global director of education for Trend Micro. "They have their big profit venture built into the cost of a computer, and they also sell into the consumer market. People believe they paid for [the software] when they paid for their computer....
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Microsoft-Yahoo Advertising Deal Misses Deadline
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69794
Microsoft and Yahoo were supposed to have signed a final deal for their joint advertising venture on Oct. 27, but that deadline came and went without an agreement. The companies told the Securities and Exchange Commission in a filing, "Given the complex nature of the transaction, there remain some details to be finalized." The statement added: "The parties are working diligently on finalizing the arrangements, have made good progress to date, and have agreed to execute the agreements as expeditiously as possible."
Does the delay mean there's some trouble in the unlikely marriage of the two competitors? Probably not, notes Greg Sterling, whose firm, Sterling Market Research, focuses on search-engine marketing. "There are a lot of details to be worked out, there's a lot at stake in getting this done," he explained. "The parties are likely still trying to work out some thorny issues."
What kind of issues might prove to be "thorny"? For one thing, there may yet be confusion over who owns what clients. "Yahoo is going to sell these big accounts, but it will be Microsoft's AdCenter platform that delivers the ads," Sterling said. "Any agencies doing self-service will go directly to Microsoft, even though they may be representing Yahoo clients. This may be where there's some areas of conflict."
Another potential problem area may be mobile search. When the deal was announced in July, cooperation between the companies was left open-ended, Sterling said. Yahoo was to have an option but not a requirement to use AdCenter for mobile search.
"Mobile is now regarded as much more important than it was even a few months ago," Sterling said. "With all of the stuff around [Google's mobile operating system] Android, Google is consolidating their undisputed leadership of mobile, so both Yahoo and Microsoft may be scrutinizing mobile...
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Juniper Outlines a 'New Network' for the Next Decade
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69793
In its latest competitive move against Cisco Systems, Juniper Networks unveiled new software, silicon, systems and partnerships that aim to propel a "new network" for enterprise and service-provider customers. Juniper made a slew of announcements Thursday at a launch event at the New York Stock Exchange on the Internet's 40th birthday.
Juniper's just-announced capabilities combine technology and partnerships in a quest to help customers reinvent the experience and economics of networking, while fostering a broad ecosystem of innovation across the network. Juniper's vision for the next decade is a future where networking is open, scalable, simple, secure and automated.
"Networks are now clearly the hub of business and community around the world, and that's driving massive scale requirements for the next decade," said Juniper CEO Kevin Johnson. "Driven by our mission to connect everything and empower everyone, Juniper believes it's time for a new approach to networking. An approach based on smart systems and open software platforms. An approach that adapts to changing business dynamics. An approach that embraces partnership and unleashes innovation."
For software, Juniper announced a new version of Junos, an open cross-network software platform that allows customers to program multiple layers of their networks for rich user experiences, smart economics, and fast time to market.
"Our customers consistently tell us that they need to improve the economics of networking, cut back on complexity, and improve the experience for their users," said Andreas Antonopoulos, senior vice president and founding partner at Nemertes Research. "Open platforms that enable fast innovation will be critical in the decade ahead."
Meanwhile, a new Junos One family of processors includes the Junos Trio chipset with 3-D scaling that lets networks dynamically support more subscribers, services and bandwidth -- at the same time.
Juniper also unveiled new cloud-networking and security solutions based on the...
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Google Voice Fine-Tunes Call-Blocking Tactics
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69792
Google told the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday that it has developed an engineering work-around that allows it to switch off selected telephone numbers to prevent Google Voice users from calling adult chat lines and other high-cost "traffic-pumping" services. The search giant noted that such services disproportionately raise Google's operating costs for the free service, which is currently available by invitation only.
"We went to work on this fix because earlier this year, we noticed an extremely high number of calls were being made to an extremely small number of destinations," said Google Counsel Richard Whitt. "In fact, the top 10 telephone prefixes -- the area code plus the first three digits of a seven-digit number -- generated more than 160 times the expected traffic volumes."
Google Voice provides users with a single telephone number for managing all inbound calls to the user's wireline and/or wireless telephone numbers and devices. The fledgling service also enables users to forward incoming calls to selected phones, receive SMS messages, and have incoming voice-mail messages automatically converted to text.
To avoid traffic-pumping schemes, Google Voice initially restricted calls to certain telephone prefixes. "But over the past few weeks, we've been looking at ways to do this on a more granular level," Whitt said.
Google Voice currently restricts calls to fewer than 100 specific phone numbers, all of which Google says it has good reason to believe are engaged in traffic pumping. According to Whitt, many of these businesses are located in rural areas with local carriers that charge unusually high rates for terminating traffic.
Previously, about 1.1 percent of the monthly traffic through Google Voice accounted for 26.2 percent of the free service's monthly U.S. cost, Whitt noted. "So in August 2009 Google Voice began the practice of restricting calls to certain...
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Verizon's 'iDon't' Campaign Creates Humor, Not Sales
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69791
Verizon Wireless isn't holding back when it comes to its new DROID smartphone. The company has rolled out a series of advertisements poking fun at Apple's iPhone.
In its commercials, Verizon brings attention to what the iPhone does not do and highlights all the features of its new Android-based DROID. The ads seek to convince consumers to buy the DROID instead of an iPhone.
Verizon launched the DROID on Wednesday. The Motorola-made smartphone is powered by Android 2.0, has high-speed Web browsing, a customizable screen, voice-activated search, and access to 10,000 Android applications. In its "iDon't" ads, Verizon points out that unlike the iPhone, the DROID has a keyboard, updated Google Maps with turn-by-turn directions, and an open platform.
The device, which costs $199 after a $100 rebate and a two-year contract agreement, is slated to hit store shelves on Nov. 6, according to the company.
While Verizon is having fun introducing its device and poking fun at Apple's iPhone, analysts say it won't last long and won't hurt iPhone sales.
"I think they are going to move away from the "iDon't" campaign, said Interpret analyst Michael Gartenberg. "That was more of a tease to grab people's attention. Fundamentally, Verizon has to make the DROID case stand alone."
Creating negative campaigns against Apple hasn't worked well for competitors in the past, according to Gartenberg.
"In too many cases they are going to come up short," Gartenberg said. "What Verizon needs to do is emphasize the Verizon strengths relative to the 3G network."
"Single-handedly is this going to bring down Apple sales of the iPhone? I don't think so," said Ramon Llamas, an IDC analyst. "You can poke holes but cannot take away from Apple's strength with the iPhone here in the U.S., because the iPhone has a very special place in the U.S....
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Happy Birthday! Today's Internet Is 40 Years Old
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69788
The technology platform that makes possible your reading this sentence is having a birthday Thursday. On October 29, 1969, the Internet was born.
On that date, engineers at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) sent a message to their counterparts at the Stanford Research Institute (SRI) in San Francisco, a distance of about 400 miles. In a modern-era equivalent of the legendary first telephone message -- "Watson, come here" -- an engineer named Charley Kline at UCLA tried to log in remotely.
According to news reports, he first typed in the letter "L" and then, by phone, asked an engineer at SRI if the letter had arrived. When that was confirmed, it was on to completing the word "log." The arrival of the "O" was also verified by phone, but the system crashed on "G."
The problem was debugged, and now, four decades later, the world has changed.
Brad Shimmin, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said he likens the birth of the Internet to the invention of roads. "Roads," he pointed out, "were a key reason for the dominance of the Roman Empire" and the U.S. has been profoundly shaped by its interstate highway system.
The Internet or something like it was as inevitable as roads, Shimmin said. "The desire to communicate" is primal, he noted, and communicating through computing devices grows out of that. It might have grown up in ways other than the IP-based, cobbled-together system of the Internet, he said, but it would have happened.
That original research project, funded by the U.S. Department of Defense's Advanced Research Projects Agency, was propelled by duplicate funding requests from various academic and research institutions. ARPA wanted the institutions to share their research.
M.I.T.'s Dr. Larry Roberts, who created the basic technical specs of what was...
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Amazon PayPhrase Offers Secure Online Payments
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69787
On Thursday, Amazon Payments rolled out a new feature that could stir up a new level of competition with PayPal and Google Checkout. Dubbed Amazon PayPhrase, the new service is a shortcut for paying on Amazon.com and other web sites.
Online shoppers can choose a customized phrase -- such as Knick Knack, Home Sweet Home, or Jake's Allowance -- and then enter that phrase along with a PIN to quickly preview an order and complete a purchase. PayPhrase uses the preferred payment and shipping methods stored at Amazon.com and consumers don't have to share sensitive payment information with multiple web sites.
"PayPhrase solves the headache of trying to keep track of all the different usernames and passwords people use to shop on various sites across the web. With PayPhrase, all you need is one phrase and one PIN to pay online," said Matt Williams, general manager of Amazon PayPhrase. "We think customers will enjoy the simplicity that Amazon PayPhrase offers, and we hope they'll have some fun choosing their own personal phrases."
Amazon.com customers can use their PayPhrase for express checkout wherever they see the PayPhrase button. For example, web sites accepting Checkout by Amazon, including DKNY, Jockey, Patagonia, Buy.com, J&R Electronics, and Car Toys, will offer PayPhrase as a checkout option. With these and other participating web sites, customers don't need to register or create a new account to make a purchase.
Practically speaking, customers shop for the item they want, type their PayPhrase into the PayPhrase button on the product's page, and click to preview the total cost of their order, complete with shipping and tax. The PayPhrase system eliminates the need to go through steps such as "add to cart," "proceed to checkout," sign in, or type in credit-card information. Once the customer is satisfied with...
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Red Condor Warns of New Facebook Blended Threat
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69772
Rohnert Park, Calif. – October 28, 2009 – Email security experts at Red Condor have identified a second email threat in as many days posing as a message from Facebook administrators. Unlike the first threat identified October 27, 2009, today's email is a blended threat that includes both a phishing scam and a notorious banking Trojan virus. A link within the spam email takes users to a spoofed Facebook login page requesting the user's Facebook account information. After entering their credentials, users are then prompted to download updatetool.exe which is a Zbot Trojan variant. At the time Red Condor detected the threat, only one-third of anti-virus engines had detected it.
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According to Red Condor's security experts the spoofed Facebook login page is fairly sophisticated and uses www.facebook.com in the sub-domain portion of the malicious URL. As a result, people with small screen resolution or small browser windows/address bars size might think they are actually on Facebook's login page. The Trojan associated with this threat installs a sophisticated banking Trojan that is known to scour the infected hard-drive for personal banking information and various login credentials, as well as perform key logging and other nefarious activities.
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In media reports from yesterday and today, security researchers uncovered a separate Facebook spoof email with downloadable files that included the Trojan virus Bredolab. This email threat was masked as the Facebook Password Reset Confirmation. The threat identified today by Red Condor refers instead to implementing a new login system that will affect all Facebook users.
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Given the comfort level that millions of users have with Facebook, we want to make sure that everyone knows that there are multiple spoofed Facebook emails hitting inboxes, and that the blended threat email we are warning about is different than the one many media outlets have already reported, stated Dr....
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Report: AMD Ex-CEO Said Linked To Galleon Case
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69761
Chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is thoroughly reviewing published reports fingering former chairman and CEO Hector Ruiz as the AMD executive who gave confidential company information to a defendant in the Galleon Group insider trading case.
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We are not aware of any allegation of criminal misconduct on the part of any current or former AMD employees, nor have any current or former AMD employees been charged with a crime, AMD said in a statement Tuesday. A spokesman for the Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company declined to comment further.
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Citing an unnamed person familiar with the matter, The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site Tuesday that Ruiz is the AMD executive described in the Manhattan U.S. Attorney's Office complaint as passing inside information to defendant Danielle Chiesi.
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Chiesi, 43, was among six hedge fund managers and corporate executives arrested earlier this month in a hedge fund insider trading case that authorities say generated more than $25 million in illegal profits. Chiesi worked for New Castle, the equity hedge fund group of Bear Stearns Asset Management Inc. that had assets worth about $1 billion under management, according to court papers.
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Raj Rajaratnam, the Galleon Group portfolio manager at the center of the case, last week said Galleon would wind down its funds after publicity surrounding the case led some investors to pull out money.
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Before he left AMD's CEO job last year, Ruiz was only the second person to run the company other than founder and longtime CEO Jerry Sanders and was one of the few Hispanic CEOs of a major U.S. corporation. Ruiz, now 63, left amid mounting investor frustration over AMD's finances. He was instrumental in orchestrating a fix: the spinoff of AMD's manufacturing operations into a company called GlobalFoundries Inc., of which he is now chairman.
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A GlobalFoundries spokesman on Tuesday would say only...
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Disney iPhone App Makes Photos the Key To Content
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69760
The Walt Disney Co. is releasing an iPhone application that rewards users for poking through the Disney.com Web site and could one day offer exclusive bonuses for activities such as shopping at Disney Stores.
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The free app, which debuts in the iTunes app store Wednesday, offers bonus animations to users who follow clues to take cell-phone pictures of characters from movies such as Up, G-Force, Ratatouille, and Wall-E on the Web site.
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Taking the correct picture unlocks an exclusive video and downloadable content such as frame images that can be overlaid on photos, or wallpaper images for cell phone screens. Disney is calling the feature Click2Life, because it makes characters captured in photos appear to suddenly become animated in one's hand.
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In the future, the family entertainment company said it could allow bonus content to be delivered to phones based on their location, pinpointed with GPS coordinates, such as inside a Disney Store. Future photo keys could also include movie posters to drive interest in the company's upcoming releases.
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Jason Davis, vice president of Disney.com, said the main purpose of the app was to deepen fan relationships with Disney characters, rather than just drive traffic to stores, theaters and online.
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We treat it just as a unique content experience, Davis said.
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The app also corrals all of Disney's 17 apps together in one place, allowing users to shop for other programs and manage ones they have already purchased, some of which sell for $4.99.
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The app is unrelated to a so-called Keychest technology that Disney is developing to give consumers access to movies across multiple devices with one purchase.
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Qwest Communications 3Q Earnings Fall Six Percent
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69758
Qwest Communications International Inc. reported a 6 percent drop in third-quarter profit Wednesday as customers continue to give up traditional landline telephones.
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Qwest has been struggling to find ways to grow sales as its industry shrinks. It offers local phone service in 14 Western states and customers have been siphoned off by competition from cable and cell phone providers.
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This summer it fell behind CenturyLink into fourth place among U.S. phone companies by number of lines in service. ATT Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. are the two largest.
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Qwest ended the third quarter with roughly 7 million lines, down 12 percent from a year ago. It pointed to progress expanding its broadband service. It added 28,000 subscribers, bringing the total up 6 percent to nearly 3 million.
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The company, based in Denver, said it earned $136 million, or 8 cents per share, in the three months ended Sept. 30, down from $145 million, or 8 cents per share, a year ago.
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Excluding a penny-per-share charge for severance costs and other unusual expenses, the company would have earned 9 cents. On that basis, earnings edged past expectations. Analysts polled by Thomson Reuters, who typically exclude special items, expected earnings of 7 cents per share.
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The company's stock rose a penny to $3.46 in morning trading.
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Revenue fell 10 percent to $3.05 billion from $3.38 billion a year ago, shy of the average forecast of $3.07 billion.
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The company also said it expects full-year earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization to hit the top end of its previous forecast, which called for a range between $4.25 billion and $4.4 billion.
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It trimmed its full-year forecast for capital spending to $1.6 billion from $1.7 billion.
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Study: No Shortage of U.S. Engineers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69752
U.S. colleges and universities are graduating as many scientists and engineers as ever, according to a study released on Oct. 28 by a group of academics. But that finding comes with a big caveat: Many of the highest-performing students are choosing careers in other fields. The study by professors at Rutgers and Georgetown suggests that since the late 1990s, many of the top students have been lured to careers in finance and consulting.
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Despite decades of complaints that the United States does not have enough scientists and engineers, the data show our high schools and colleges are providing an ample supply of graduates, said study co-author Hal Salzman, a public policy professor at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey. It is now up to science and technology firms to attract the best and the brightest graduates to come work for them.
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The onus for improving the stock of scientists and mathematicians thus falls more on employers than students, the report's authors say. If a 12th grader asks us for advice about whether to pursue a career in physics, math, or engineering, what would our advice be? says co-author Lindsay Lowell, a professor at Georgetown University. It's difficult to say. There is such a surplus of talent.
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The study, entitled Steady as She Goes? Three Generations of Students through the Science and Engineering Pipeline, was conducted with funding from the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, a New York-based nonprofit that focuses on science education. The report analyzes longitudinal data to examine the transition of American students in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics [STEM] from high school into the labor force.
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subhead
Is It Just About Money?
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The 1990s marked a turning point in longer-term trends for the best students in high school and college, according to the study. The top quintile SAT/ACT and GPA performers appear to...
Fri, 30 Oct 09
Obama's Smart-Grid Game Plan
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69750
Think back to the age of telecom before the breakup of ATT, before the Internet, before Facebook or Twitter. That's about how antiquated America's system for delivering electricity -- the electrical grid -- is today. In many parts of the country, the grid is so dumb that workers still have to walk from house to house to read the electricity meter, and utilities have no clue when the lights go out until customers call to complain.
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That's why there's a growing push to build a smarter grid, in which the meters can report in, appliances can control how much energy they use, and electricity stored in batteries can supply quick jolts of energy where needed, replacing the expensive power plants now used to meet peak power needs. One of the biggest believers in that vision is the White House. On Oct. 27, the Obama Administration announced 100 grants, totaling $3.4 billion, for smart-grid efforts, using money from the stimulus bill.
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The winners include Houston's CenterPoint Energy, which gets $200 million for a $639 million project to install 2.2 million smart meters and hundreds of sensors to make the system more responsive and reliable, and the city of Wadsworth, Ohio, which gets $5.4 million to add 12,500 smart meters and beef up its grid-charged electric cars. This is a great first step toward transforming our whole energy system, says Mark Brownstein, an energy director at the Environmental Defense Fund, which like many environmental groups sees the smart grid as essential to both making the U.S. more energy efficient and boosting the use of renewable power.
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At the heart of virtually every project is an upgrade to more sophisticated meters, which communicate directly with the local utility. What good are they? Listen to President Barack Obama as he announced the awards at a solar energy...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
Android-Powered DROID May Be Motorola's Last Chance
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69771
The DROID by Motorola, which will be available on the Verizon Wireless network Nov. 6, will be the first smartphone to use the Android 2.0 operating system. The device, according to one analyst, is a threat to Apple's iPhone and Motorola's last best chance to thrive in the increasingly competitive smartphone sector.
Tim Bajarin, president of consultancy Creative Strategies, wrote an e-mail that the device is well designed. "I believe it will be considered one of the top smartphones in the market. Clearly, its goal is to help Verizon give their customers an alternative to Apple's iPhone, and to that end it should get a lot of Verizon's customers interested in it if they were considering an iPhone."
The stakes are high for Motorola, and Bajarin wrote that the device delivers -- at least to a point. "This is a do-or-die product for Motorola," Bajarin wrote. "They needed to hit a home run to even stay in the game. The initial Droid is a solid product but I think only gets them to third base. Apple's ease of use and media synchronization still trumps the Droid. However, if they solve these problems and the Android world delivers more exciting and innovative apps, it could clearly help them get a product into the top tier of the smartphone market."
The DROID is the first result of a marketing and distribution agreement between Google and Verizon Wireless that was announced on Oct. 6. It also is the marketplace debut of Android 2.0, code-named Éclair.
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The phone has a 3.7-inch-high and 854-pixel-wide screen. The companies, in a joint press release, say the screen's size and resolution -- which is driven by more than 400,000 pixels -- reduces the need for side-to-side panning. The DROID features voice-activated search, the ability to run multiple tasks...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
British Downloaders May Face Three-Strikes Law
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69770
Britain's business secretary, Lord Mandelson, says he will press for controversial legislation that would kick off the Internet -- at least temporarily -- persistent downloaders of copyrighted material. If the so-called three-strikes law is passed by Parliament, people who flaunt repeated warnings will see their Internet access suspended for short periods.
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According to press reports, Internet service providers would be required to send out warning letters to people tagged as serious downloaders. These users would then see their access speeds throttled back, and finally they would be knocked offline for short periods.
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It's an idea that has won support in France, home of Vivendi Universal. The label has been a prime lobbyist for three strikes in Britain as well. Music-industry group BPI likewise praised the idea. The measures confirmed today by government are a proportionate way of encouraging illegal file sharers to embrace the new services, and will drive further innovation that will benefit online consumers, said BPI CEO Geoff Taylor.
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subhead
'Demonizing' the Public?
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The proposal is, however, hugely controversial in Britain, with consumer groups, ISPs and web music services seething over the prospect of government intervention in Internet access. Steve Purdham, CEO of British web music service we7, wrote an op-ed in The Times that stated, Simply cutting people off is not the answer. He advocated educating consumers about services like we7 that offer legal streaming of music as an alternative to downloading.
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Artists need to be paid, and the average consumer wants to support the music they care about. But at the end of the day, it is not for them to find a way to do that; the onus is on the government and the industry to promote the monetization of online music, instead of demonizing and punishing the general public, Purdham wrote.
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ISP Talk Talk strongly criticized the proposal after...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
PC Makers Eye Smartphones As Verizon Debuts Storm2
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69769
Verizon Wireless has begun shipping Research In Motion's new Blackberry Storm2 handset. Verizon is offering the new smartphone, which incorporates improved touchscreen technology, at a post-rebate price of $179.99 for customers signing up for a two-year service contract.
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RIM's latest BlackBerry sports a QWERTY-style keypad, a 3.2-megapixel camera with camcorder capabilities, built-in Wi-Fi, 2GB of onboard media storage, and 256MB of flash memory. What's more, the Storm2 ships with a 16GB SD memory card.
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However, by continuing to blur the distinction between smartphones and other computing devices, RIM runs the risk of attracting market competition from companies currently operating outside the mobile industry. PC vendors are already eyeing up the booming smartphone market to offset a slump in computer sales, said Roberta Cozza, a principal research analyst at Gartner.
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subhead
PC Vendor Challenges
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For RIM, the arrival of its new touchscreen model came not a moment too soon. According to Gartner Research Director Carolina Milanesi, devices featuring touchscreens were a major driver for replacement sales throughout the first half of 2009, which means RIM has to play catch-up as competition intensifies in advance of this year's holiday shopping season.
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RIM hopes to cash in on BlackBerry OS 5.0, which boosts the Storm2's performance through the addition of hundreds of hardware and software enhancements -- including SurePress display technology that makes clicking on the handset's capacitive display far less onerous. However, RIM's smartphone rivals already offer similar capabilities, and the underlying technology is even starting to show up on the latest laptops.
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Gartner expects that all major PC vendors will have announced their aim to have a presence in the smartphone market by the end of this year. However, Cozza does not expect RIM and Apple to experience significant competition from PC makers right away.
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PC vendors such as Dell will be challenged to stand out from...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
Software Development Kit Released for Android 2.0
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69767
An Éclair in your cell phone. That's Google's vision of the future for its Android open-source operating system, with its announcement Tuesday of a software development kit for the new Android 2.0, whose code name is Éclair.
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SDK revision 3, which is required for building applications for Android 2.0, supports coding using the Ant build system or Mac OS X 10.6. Additionally, Google is releasing its Android Development Tools as a plug-in for the Eclipse development environment.
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subhead
2.0 Update By Year-End
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Android 2.0 is starting to appear on new devices, such as the upcoming Droid from Verizon Wireless that has been making headlines for its iDon't commercials comparing its capabilities to those of Apple's iPhone. On its Android Developers Blog, Google said that upcoming Android devices will run versions 1.5, 1.6 or 2.0, and that it expects to offer a minor 2.0 update before year's end.
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Android 2.0 offers a variety of enhancements as Google moves to better position the platform in the increasingly competitive struggle for features and applications among mobile devices. The newest Android allows multiple accounts to be added to a device for e-mail and contact syncing, including Microsoft Exchange accounts if the device manufacturer has added that support, and there is support for a combined inbox of those multiple accounts.
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Also offered are new developer APIs for applications that allow users to sync their mobile devices with contacts and other data on other machines. Quick Contact provides instant access to the contact information of someone whose photo is tapped for calling, messaging or e-mailing. And a new Bluetooth API adds peer-to-peer connectivity or gaming.
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Camera functions supported in Android 2.0 include built-in flash, digital zoom, white balance, and macro focus.
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subhead
'Most Credible Challenge To the iPhone'
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The new Android virtual keyboard has what Google called an improved keyboard layout, including multi-touch support that...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
Free GPS Application Runs on Android Smartphones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69766
In a personal-navigation market that's seeing increased competition, Google on Wednesday rolled out a free navigation system for Android-based smartphones. Google Maps Navigation is the next step in Google Maps for mobile.
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With Google Maps Navigation, Google is competing with GPS navigation devices from the likes of TomTom and Garmin, as well as navigation platforms developed by wireless carriers like ATT, Verizon and Sprint Nextel. The first smartphone with the new service will be the Motorola Droid from Verizon Wireless.
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This new feature comes with everything you'd expect to find in a GPS navigation system, like 3-D views, turn-by-turn voice guidance, and automatic rerouting, said Google software engineer Keith Ito. But unlike most navigation systems, Google Maps Navigation was built from the ground up to take advantage of your phone's Internet connection.
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subhead
Under the Hood
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Google pointed to several features that are possible because Google Maps Navigation is connected to the Internet. For example, the phone automatically gets the most up-to-date maps and business listings from Google Maps.
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Google Maps Navigation also aims to provide a Google search-like experience. If users don't know the address they are looking for, they can enter the name of a business, landmark or other information in the search box and Google will find it. Consumers can also use a voice-control feature so they don't have to type and drive at the same time.
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Google Maps Navigation gets live traffic data over the Internet. A traffic indicator light in the corner of the screen glows green, yellow or red, depending on current traffic conditions along a route. Consumers can get more info by tapping the light to zoom out to an aerial view showing traffic speeds and incidents ahead. If the traffic doesn't look good, users can choose an alternate route.
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Google Maps Navigation uses the same satellite images as Google...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
L.A. Cloud Contract Goes To Google Over Microsoft
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69765
Internet search giant Google beat out rival Microsoft in a bid to provide e-mail services to all Los Angeles, Calif., government workers. The contract is expected to increase support for Google's cloud-computing services.
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Under the $7.5 million contract approved by L.A.'s City Council on Tuesday, Google will provide both e-mail services and on-demand applications to the city's 30,000 municipal and state workers. While the size of the deal isn't significant for Google, the win over Microsoft and support for its cloud-computing services is.
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The concept behind cloud computing is to make computer resources scalable, with applications and data on third-party servers accessible on the Web. Google has been pushing its cloud services and the deal may help gather support from those who doubt the security of cloud computing.
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While the L.A. council voted 12-0 in favor of the Google deal, it wasn't without complaints and questions from the city attorney's office, the L.A. police union, and privacy advocates who raised concerns about the security of data stored online.
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subheadBlack Cloud/subhead
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The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a public-interest group in Washington, D.C., has long questioned cloud computing. In March, EPIC asked the Federal Trade Commission to investigate services such as Google Docs to determine if there are adequate privacy and security safeguards.
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The FTC has cited EPIC's complaint as one of its leading areas of interest, but has yet to rule on the issue.
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Google has had more than one instance of breeches in its cloud-computing services.
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In January 2005, researchers found that usernames and passwords for Google accounts allowed hackers to steal log-in information, allowing outsiders to snoop on users' e-mail. Another flaw exposed Google users' personal data to malicious Internet sites, EPIC says.
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Microsoft had its own cloud-computing mess when subsidiary Danger lost the personal information of hundreds of thousands of T-Mobile Sidekick users....
Thu, 29 Oct 09
Added Resources Smooth Installations of Windows 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69746
With the launch of Windows 7, Microsoft also rolled out a new world of software support. Ironically, installations of the software giant's flagship operating system are going so smoothly that Microsoft may not be getting much response to its new service.
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Traditional live support via the phone, e-mail and chat are still available, but Microsoft has added new resources. For example, there is support through Twitter, a library of software fix its that can help consumers solve problems with a single click, and other diagnostic and repair tools available through Windows 7 itself.
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Windows XP had little built-in support, and Windows Vista included some diagnostics to assess network connectivity issues, said Lori Brownell, general manager of product quality and online support at Microsoft. But Windows 7 truly reflects broad customer feedback that has enabled us to build a comprehensive set of resources that solve customers' most pressing problems and even keep them ahead of potential problems.
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subhead
Easy, Quick Windows Installs
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According to Roger Kay, principal analyst at Endpoint Technologies Associates, Windows 7 is the best OS that Microsoft has ever built. Because it's a highly stable environment that delivers information faster, more securely, more flexibly, and in a better organized manner, he said, businesses can see tangible benefits and real ROI immediately. No need to wait for Service Pack 1 to reap the rewards, Kay said.
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As part of the run-up to the Windows 7 launch, Kay did a study for Microsoft that examined the experiences of early adopters in the small and midsize business community. Kay reported a great degree of unanimity in opinions about the new OS and future plans.
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Specifically, out of 16 companies interviewed, all but one said Windows 7 saved them time in three general categories: Faster install time, faster boot/shutdown/suspend/resume, and a hundred savings a day of a few...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
Mobile Phone Firm Behind Latvia Meteorite Hoax
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69733
A Swedish mobile phone operator acknowledged Tuesday it was behind an elaborate meteorite hoax in Latvia and pledged to reimburse the Baltic nation for all costs spent by police, rescue and military workers in the incident.
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Vita Sirica, a spokeswoman for the Latvian branch of Tele2, said the stunt was coordinated with a PR firm to draw attention away from Latvia's economic crisis and toward something else more interesting.
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In response, Latvia said Tuesday it would cut its contracts with the company.
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The Interior Ministry doesn't want to do business with a firm that promotes itself at our expense, Interior Minister Linda Murniece told the LNT news channel.
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The incident made headlines around the world Monday after rescue authorities said a fiery object had created a large crater in a meadow near the Estonian border.
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Scientists rushed to the scene to investigate, while rescue, police and military units cordoned off the area and tested for radioactivity.
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Geologist Uldis Nulle said the 27-foot (nine-meter) wide and nine foot (three-meter) deep hole initially appeared to have been caused by a meteorite. But after a closer analysis, he and other experts said the hole was too tidy and had to have been made by humans.
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State Police, a branch of the Interior Ministry, said they were still calculating the costs incurred from the hoax but did not plan to open a criminal investigation.
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Sirica said nine people dug the hole and burned chemicals at the bottom to create the illusion of a meteorite crash. They filmed the smoking hole in a video that later appeared on Latvian news sites, she said.
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At the company's headquarters in Stockholm, Tele2 spokeswoman Pernilla Oldmark said the hoax was carried out by the company's Latvian branch but sanctioned by its head office.
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This is entirely a part...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
Chinese Paper Accuses Google of Hampering Searches
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69729
Google Inc. faces a new controversy in China after a Web site run by the Communist Party's main newspaper accused the U.S. search giant of trying to keep Internet users away following its reports on a copyright dispute.
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The online People's Daily book section said the three-day disruption began last Wednesday after it reported on a Chinese group's complaint that Google's plan for an online library of digitized books might violate Chinese authors' copyrights.
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Google searches returned a warning that the site might contain software that could harm computers, said Pan Jian, the section's manager.
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We got complaints from readers that they couldn't access our channel via Google, Pan said Tuesday. We thought it might be related to our reporting on the conflict between Google Library and Chinese authors.
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An unidentified People's Daily official quoted on the paper's Web site said the section was maliciously blocked by Google.
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A Google spokeswoman, Cui Jin, denied the warning was prompted by the site's reporting on the copyright dispute.
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This is absolutely incorrect, Cui said. She said the warning was generated by software that is an automatic function without any human interference.
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Pan said his site's technicians found nothing wrong. He said the Chinese search engine Baidu did not return a similar warning, but Cui said that might be because Baidu does not use the same screening software.
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The software was produced by StopBadware.org, an industry group that promotes Internet security, Cui said. The group's Web site says it is coordinated by Harvard University's Berkman Center for Internet Society and supported by companies such as Google, PayPal, Mozilla, AOL and Trend Micro.
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Google, based in Mountain View, California, has faced other complaints about its operations in China, where the government uses an extensive filtering system to try to block access to material deemed lewd or subversive.
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In June, Beijing accused Google of...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
Metallica Debuts Finger-Tapping App for iPhone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69728
Headbangers will have a reason to steady their gaze a bit starting Tuesday, when rock band Metallica makes its way onto iPhones with a finger-tapping music app called Tap Tap Revenge: Metallica.
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In the game, players tap areas on the screen in time with the music, much like players strum or drum plastic instruments in video games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero, except on a smaller scale.
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The iconic rockers could probably make more money performing one or two shows live, with 10 playable songs on the game, including Enter Sandman, selling for $4.99.
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But the band took part to stay relevant with today's youth, said drummer Lars Ulrich, 45, the father of 11-year-old and 8-year-old boys.
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It's one more thing that'll keep me semi-cool in my kids' eyes for another six months until the next thing comes out, Ulrich said. It's not about the money or revenue or some master plan. This stuff all falls in the fun category.
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Last year, Metallica released its new album Death Magnetic through the Guitar Hero: Metallica video game as well as traditional outlets.
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Metallica's recording company, Warner Bros. Records, expects the game to make it into the top 10 paid music apps on Apple Inc.'s iTunes store.
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We're not expecting this to be some sort of golden miraculous thing that changes the economics of record labels, said Jack Isquith, senior vice president of digital music for the unit of Warner Music Group Corp. The main driver was to have it stand up to scrutiny from hardcore Metallica fans now. We think it's a cool game.
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Tap Tap Revenge 3, by Palo Alto-based developer Tapulous Inc., is already the top paid app on the store, and more than 16 million downloads of different versions of the game, most of which were free.
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Close to a million premium versions, featuring bands...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
Piecing Together a Telecom Gear Rebound
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69726
An Oct. 26 earnings report by Tellabs is the latest sign that the worst of the telecom spending slump may be ending. The seller of products that can boost network bandwidth said third-quarter revenue rose 1 percent from the previous quarter, the second straight period of sequential growth. Tellabs executives said the company may see added growth in the period that ends in December.
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Tellabs has yet to start growing from last year -- third-quarter revenue was 8.3 percent lower than a year earlier -- but its report provided further evidence that the telecom gear market may be bottoming out. The industry went into a tailspin last year, when enterprises slashed spending on networks and phone and cable providers curtailed investment in systems that deliver phone and other communications services.
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There are other signs of a rebound. On Oct. 22, Juniper Networks, a maker of networking equipment, said third-quarter sales rose 5 percent from the previous period. Two days earlier, Infinera, which makes equipment used in fiber-optic networks in metro areas, reported a 21 percent sequential sales increase and a 3 percent gain from a year earlier. It looks like the first half of this year was the bottom, Infinera CEO Jagdeep Singh says in an interview. It looks like we are in the early stages of a recovery.
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Second-half carrier spending on wireless and wireline equipment may rise 4 percent to 8 percent from the first half as carriers try to improve their networks after delaying some upgrades, according to consultant IDC. We may be turning around, says David Emberley, an IDC research manager. Government stimulus packages aimed at improving broadband access in the U.S. and other countries may spur demand as well.
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subhead
Fear of a Double-Dip Recession
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The U.S. government has earmarked about $7 billion in broadband spending so far, and Federal Communications...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
Utilities for Microsoft's Windows 7 OS
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69725
Windows 7 is out, and that means a massive search for Windows 7 compatible software is on. While Microsoft's new operating system has received widespread praise for its efforts to remain compatible with the majority of existing applications, incompatibilities do exist, especially in the areas of system security and system maintenance. Will the tools you've relied upon for years for your Windows XP or Vista systems have trouble under Windows 7? Read on for some answers.
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bQ/b: I understand that the antivirus software I currently use on Windows XP may not be compatible with Windows 7. Can you recommend some antivirus software that works with Windows 7?
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bA/b: During Windows 7's lengthy pre-release phase, only a handful of antivirus applications were compatible with the operating system. That has changed, though, with the final release of the operating system. Currently, most of the major antivirus makers have either updated their existing products or released new versions of their security software to address Windows 7 compatibility. Depending upon the security software you currently use, you may have to pay an upgrade fee to get the version that's been certified to work properly with Windows 7.
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If you don't like the idea of paying for antivirus software, however, or if you're running Windows 7 without antivirus software, you should probably give Microsoft's own Security Essentials (http://www.microsoft.com/Security_Essentials) package a try. It's free to registered users of Windows 7 -- and earlier versions of Windows -- and it generally gets high marks in the areas that matter most to computer users. Its detection rate is good, its footprint is small, and it doesn't annoy you with false alerts as much as many other packages do. In short, it's probably all that most people will need.
p
bQ/b: I have used Partition Magic for years with Windows XP. Is this compatible...
Thu, 29 Oct 09
Cloud Computing Doesn't Have To Be Risky
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69692
It's become ever easier to save a document with Google or a picture with Flickr thanks to the quick spread of online storage services, known as the cloud.
p
Quite simply, the cloud allows users to dispense with purchasing their own software or extra memory. Instead, they can access programs and storage space offered by third parties online, even if those functions are stored on computers that are on a different continent.
p
The bonus is that the data is then accessible from anywhere in the world. Plus, users can skip buying expensive software. But there are risks of storing your files on someone else's computer, especially when it is far away.
p
In general, cloud computing is not unsafe, says Stefan Katzenbeisser of the computer science department at the Technical University of Darmstadt in Germany. The more important question is how the service provider goes about storing data.
p
Customers with T-Mobile USA recently suffered data losses when files stored with the smartphone service Sidekick got lost during maintenance on a server. But that's not a problem of cloud computing, says Katzenbeisser. It's a problem with the way the data is stored.
p
A secure backup means saving data two or three times at different locations, which should be common practice. Anyone who wants to save data online can check with a provider about their practices, notes Katzenbeisser. But if a third party is subcontracted to do server maintenance, the possibility of mistakes increases.
p
Katzenbeisser sees clear benefits to cloud computing for businesses. It means I probably don't need to set up a new infrastructure and can save on resources.
p
But he's skeptical of the benefits for private users. I still don't understand why I should save private photos on the Internet. Nonetheless, using the cloud means computers can access the data from any Internet-connected device, assuming the data hasn't been...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
Lenovo Refreshes Idea PC Portfolio
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69745
Lenovo has taken the wraps off its latest IdeaPad laptop and IdeaCentre desktop offerings, which are built around Intel's ultra-low-power Core processor family and ship with Windows 7 aboard. All the new products are slated to go on sale at U.S. retail outlets and online resellers between now and December.
The new machines are designed to fulfill both consumer and professional demands for improved multimedia and multitasking capabilities, as well as enhanced mobility and greater data security, the company said. What's more, Lenovo's new Idea machines offer faster PC boot and shutdown times as a byproduct of a joint engineering effort by Lenovo and Microsoft.
To be priced at $1,149, the IdeaPad Y550P is Lenovo's first laptop to feature Intel's Core i7 chip with Turbo Boost technology, which automatically allows the processor to run faster than the base operating frequency as long as it is operating below power, current and temperature-specification limits. The new machine also sports GeForce video graphics technology from Nvidia, a 15.6-inch widescreen HD display, Dolby Home Theater surround sound, and a touch-sensitive bar above the keyboard for quickly navigating programs and shortcuts.
Users attracted to netbook portability but concerned about overall performance will want to take a look at Lenovo's IdeaPad U150, which is only 13.5mm thick, packs light at 1.35 kg and will be priced at $585. The new machine sports an energy-efficient Intel Core 2 Duo processor, an 11.6-inch HD widescreen display, and support for up to 8GB of DDR3 memory.
The IdeaPad U150 features an active hard-disk protection system that protects the drive if the laptop gets bumped or dropped. Moreover, the sleek and slim laptop runs the latest version of Lenovo's oneKey rescue system, which in addition to performing data backups also includes an antivirus-scanning app that runs even before the operating system...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
Google Voice Lets Users Keep Their Phone Numbers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69744
Google Voice, a service that lets users consolidate and simplify the ways in which they make and receive phone calls, has taken a step to alleviate what many observers saw as a key problem. Until now, users have had to use a Google-supplied telephone number. That was considered an inconvenience since the number would have to be circulated to friends and business associates.
In a blog posting Monday, Google said it's now possible to use an existing phone number as the system's entry point, although that approach comes with fewer features. The move seems to be part of a carefully constructed game plan.
"I think it's important," said Josh Holbrook, a director in Yankee Group's Anywhere Enterprise research group. "It is one more example of Google simplifying people's lives. They are eliminating and unwinding years of complications and craziness that only a monopoly can create. Google is systematically unwinding this, and that is good news for consumers."
The posting said, however, that folks using their own phone number will only have access to a scaled-down version of the service. These customers will get online voice-mail search; automated voice-mail transcriptions; custom voice-mail greetings for different callers; e-mail and SMS notifications; and low-priced international calling.
Those using Google numbers get those features and several others, including a single number that reaches all phones; SMS via e-mail; call screening; listen-in features; call recording; conference calling; and call blocking.
Jeff Orr, senior analyst for mobile content at ABI Research, likes the idea. "The idea of using mobile voice mail is interesting," he said. "I think it has merit because some people find mobile operator-supplied voice mail to be cryptic and lacking in functions. The ability to be able to route calls to Google Voice would be of value."
Sara Jew-Lim,...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
Rumored Apple Tablet Could Transform Publishing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69743
Apple plans to release a tablet-sized version of the iPhone and is trying to lock up content deals with major publishers, according to media reports. Last week, New York Times Executive Editor Bill Keller as much as spilled the beans about the new device in a speech he gave to the paper's digital staff. Identifying seven major questions facing the Times brand, Keller let slip that the paper has been in negotiations with Apple.
"We need to figure out the right journalistic product to deliver to mobile platforms and devices," Keller said. "I'm hoping we can get the newsroom more actively involved in the challenge of delivering our best journalism in the form of Times Reader, iPhone apps, WAP or the impending Apple slate, or whatever comes after that."
In Australia, Robert Whitehead, director of marketing for Fairfax Media, confirmed media talks with Apple, telling the Sydney Morning Herald that the company was uninterested in Amazon's model for the Kindle. "We're continuously examining all options for extending the reach of our mastheads and we'll be very interested to see what Apple comes up with," he said.
"It seems they're trying to preload it with content deals, rather than just create an elegant general-purpose device," Greg Sterling, principal analyst with Sterling Market Research, said in a telephone interview. "What Apple has done with the iPhone is to integrate software and hardware together in an elegant device. Apple's idea with the tablet may be to build on that by integrating content."
For 30-odd years the technology world has talked about a "paperless society" in which news and books are delivered digitally. Could a compelling Apple device be the tipping point that makes all-digital delivery a reality?
"If you got some really impressive experience, it would certainly accelerate the transition from print to digital. Devices like...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
ICANN Ready To Approve Internationalized Domains
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69738
Nearly a decade after it introduced a program to internationalize domain names, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is expected to take another step on Friday. ICANN, during its annual meeting in Seoul, Korea, will vote on the internationalized domain names (IDN) initiative, better known as the Fast Track.
The IDN initiative, if approved, will provide nations with their own country-code domain names and make the Internet more accessible to millions of people in Asia and the Middle East who speak and read in Arabic, Chinese and Korean, according to ICANN.
"In Seoul, we plan to move forward to the next step in the internationalization of the Internet, which means that eventually people from every corner of the globe will be able to navigate much of the online world using their native language scripts," said Rod Beckstrom, ICANN's CEO.
ICANN has been researching IDN since 2000. After years of discussion and working-group studies, ICANN has determined that nations and territories have a pressing need for their own IDNs.
The initial discussions focused on putting IDNs under existing top-level domains (such as .com, .gov, .net), which has been the standard since 2003. But the focus has shifted to broadening the list of characters available for use.
The process will allow countries and territories that use language-based scripts other than Latin the opportunity to offer their users domain names in non-Latin characters. The IDNs will be made available only to government and administrations of nations listed in the ISO 3166-1 standards. Currently, 246 countries are listed in the standards and have their own code.
While working groups have researched the use of IDNs for some time, saying good will come out of the change, security experts say ICANN needs to iron out a major kink before considering the plan.
"In...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
Cisco Boosts Cloud Security with ScanSafe Acquisition
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69722
Cisco Systems announced Tuesday yet another acquisition. The networking giant is scooping up privately held software-as-a-service (SaaS) web security firm ScanSafe.
Cisco will pay about $183 million in cash and retention-based incentives for the firm, which is based in London and San Francisco and serves both global enterprises and small businesses. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of Cisco's fiscal year 2010.
"With the acquisition of ScanSafe, Cisco is executing on our vision to build a borderless network security architecture that combines network and cloud-based services for advanced security enforcement," said Tom Gillis, vice president and general manager of Cisco's Security Technology Business Unit. "Cisco will provide customers the flexibility to choose the deployment model that best suits their organization and deliver anytime, anywhere protection against web-based threats."
Web security is a large and expanding market that Cisco expects to grow to $2.3 billion by 2012. By acquiring ScanSafe, Cisco said it's building on its successful acquisition of on-premise content security provider IronPort.
The acquisition brings together the Cisco IronPort high-performance web security appliance and ScanSafe's SaaS security service. Cisco said the combination will expand its security portfolio to offer superior on-premise, hosted and hybrid-hosted web security solutions.
"ScanSafe pioneered the market for SaaS web security and continues as a leader in this rapidly growing market," said ScanSafe CEO Eldar Tuvey. "At a time when enterprises are increasingly focused on a flexible and mobile workplace, the need for hybrid-hosted web security solutions is greater than ever. By joining the Cisco team we will be able to offer even better and more flexible protection to our customers."
ScanSafe's service will be integrated with Cisco AnyConnect VPN Client to provide a secure mobility solution. Cisco said ScanSafe's global network of carrier-grade data centers and multi-tenant...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
Windows 7 Still Faces Hurdles To Enterprise Deployment
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69721
Microsoft appears to have hit a home run with Windows 7. The launch event was well received. The software reviews are mostly positive. The memories of Vista may be fading away. But can Windows 7 live up to the launch hype over the long haul?
Now that the dust has settled on the introduction of the much-anticipated operating system, Windows 7 has to pass the performance, reliability and compatibility tests that spur sales and drive upgrades. With the complexity and cost of upgrading, Microsoft may still have some convincing to do before the enterprise market adopts the software.
"Corporate contentment with current Windows XP and Windows Vista desktops and lack of a specific business application to drive an upgrade are difficult issues for Microsoft or any vendor to address," said Laura DiDio, principal analyst at ITIC.
Microsoft's initial solution is proactively addressing compatibility issues and working with hardware partners who are offering aggressive promotional discounts to woo corporations and consumers alike to embrace Windows 7. The question is: Will it be enough to overcome the complexity issue?
"Complexity is worrisome for all customers, from the smallest SMBs to the largest enterprises," DiDio said. "The majority of customers who elected to remain on Windows XP will have a more complex upgrade path than those moving from Windows Vista."
Indeed, Microsoft has worked hard to make upgrading as easy as possible with deployment tools and toolkits, as well as troubleshooting tools. Microsoft also developed a broad and deep ecosystem readiness program complete with technical training workshops for independent software vendors.
Although compatibility tools and corporate due diligence can go a long way toward overcoming the complexity of a Windows 7 migration, DiDio said finding the budget to purchase new Windows 7 licenses is an onerous task for cash-strapped companies.
"Corporations that purchased Microsoft...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
Are Retailers Going Too Far Tracking Our Web Habits?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69709
Sherry Natoli is followed everywhere she goes while shopping online, but she doesn't mind at all.
Natoli, who owns a seashell business in Tampa, does all but her grocery shopping on the Internet and even opts in whenever she's asked whether she's willing to have her online movements tracked by Web sites.
Companies have been monitoring our online behavior for almost as long as there's been an Internet, often using our online footsteps (cookies) whenever we search, browse or buy online. Tracking technology has advanced so much that everything from how long we linger over a product description to whether we are searching for sexual-dysfunction drugs can be collected and stored on individual profiles. Our profiles are numeric descriptions, not our real names, but in some cases, it's not hard to determine personal information behind the numbers.
Privacy concerns abound, and several privacy and consumer groups are urging Congress to enact laws on what can and can't be collected and for how long.
But the tracking continues in earnest, in few places more avidly than among retailers. With the approach of a holiday season that even the most hopeful of industry analysts think will see only a 1 percent sales increase, retailers are increasingly turning to the Web for answers -- and sales. Even retailers beating the odds, such as thriving teen retailer Aeropostale, find their online growth far surpasses that in their brick-and-mortar stores.
Aeropostale has been among the few chains to post monthly sales increases, typically less than 15 percent, but online-only sales were up 85 percent last year.
Macy's CEO Terry Lundgren said recently that for every dollar its customers spend online, they spend an additional $5.77 in its Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores. Online sales made up only 6 percent of all retail commerce last year, but store operators believe that if their...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
Facebook Tweaks Home Page Based on Feedback
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69706
Worried about missing a birth announcement, or details on what your portly uncle had for lunch?
Facebook is tweaking its home page yet again in hopes of making it easier to find information. Among the latest changes is a list of items you might have missed during those rare moments spent away from the online hangout.
The changes [were] rolled out Friday.
When you log in to Facebook you will see what the site deems the most interesting things that happened in the past day in the "News Feed." These could be photos, status updates or other items. As has been the case previously, what Facebook deems interesting to you will be based on what updates are popular with your friends or how close you are to the person giving the update.
"If the content has comments or 'likes' by 10 of your mutual friends, it's something that is important to you," said Peter Deng, a Facebook product manager.
After you've caught up, you can click back to the "Live Feed" you've had before and read updates from everyone on your friends list in a constant stream.
In another change, Facebook is integrating its "Highlights" feature from the right hand side of the page to the "News Feed" in the middle. The space it frees up will be used to feature birthdays and events more prominently -- something Facebook says users had asked for.
And the site is restoring some features it had gotten rid of, such as posts on when your friend adds a new friend or becomes a fan of a brand or a celebrity.
"Nothing is going away," Deng said. "We are just moving things around."
That's important, because if past redesigns are any indication, change doesn't always go over well at Facebook.
Facebook has more than 300 million active users worldwide and about half of them...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
Icahn Resigns From Yahoo's Board on Friendly Terms
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69705
Activist investor Carl Icahn has decided his work is done at Yahoo Inc. after muscling his way on to the slumping Internet company's board nearly 15 months ago.
In a resignation letter Friday, Icahn said he felt like it was time to leave Yahoo so he could spend more time on his investments in other companies.
"I don't believe that it is necessary at this time to have an activist on the board of Yahoo and currently my attention is focused on other matters," Icahn wrote.
Icahn, an outspoken billionaire, spent several months last year denigrating Yahoo co-founder Jerry Yang and the rest of the company's board after Yahoo turned down an opportunity to sell to Microsoft Corp. for $47.5 billion, or $33 per share.
That snub still looks like an expensive mistake, with Yahoo shares closing Friday at $17.22.
Icahn struck a truce with Yahoo to get on the board in August 2008 and he is apparently leaving on an amicable note.
In his letter, Icahn praised Yahoo's current chief executive, Carol Bartz, saying she is "doing a great job." Bartz replaced Yang as CEO nine months ago.
Icahn also applauded Yahoo's decision three months ago to hire Microsoft to provide its search results in the United States for the next decade. It's a partnership that Icahn tried to bring together while he was still seeking to get Yang fired. The proposed alliance between Yahoo and Microsoft still requires regulatory approval.
Yahoo, which is based in Sunnyvale, also had kind words for Icahn, saying it is "grateful for his active role in shaping the future" of the company.
A Yahoo spokeswoman said there are no immediate plans to fill Icahn's seat on the board. Another director, Maggie Wilderotter, plans to step aside at the end of the year.
After Wilderotter's departure, Yahoo will be left with 10 directors, including...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
White House Opens Web Site Programming To Public
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69704
A programming overhaul of the White House's Web site has set the tech world abuzz. For low-techies, it's a snooze -- you won't notice a thing.
The online-savvy administration on Saturday switched to open-source code for http://www.whitehouse.gov -- meaning the programming language is written in public view, available for public use and able for people to edit.
"We now have a technology platform to get more and more voices on the site," White House new media director Macon Phillips told The Associated Press hours before the new site went live on Saturday. "This is state-of-the-art technology and the government is a participant in it."
White House officials described the change as similar to rebuilding the foundation of a building without changing the street-level appearance of the facade. It was expected to make the White House site more secure -- and the same could be true for other administration sites in the future.
"Security is fundamentally built into the development process because the community is made up of people from all across the world, and they look at the source code from the very start of the process until it's deployed and after," said Terri Molini of Open Source for America, an interest group that has pushed for more such programs.
Having the public write code may seem like a security risk, but it's just the opposite, experts inside and outside the government argued. Because programmers collaborate to find errors or opportunities to exploit Web code, the final product is therefore more secure.
For instance, instead of a dozen administration programmers trying to find errors, thousands of programmers online constantly are refining the programs and finding potential pitfalls.
It will be a much faster way to change the programming behind the Web site. When the model was owned solely by the government, federal contractors would have to work...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
Windows Live Provides Functions Axed from Windows 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69693
Movie Maker, Messenger and Mail are just some of the functions that did not make it into the Windows 7 operating system, [which was recently released].
But that doesn't mean computer users have to learn to live without them. Windows Live, a free package of those programs and more can either be downloaded or accessed via a browser. As an added bonus, Microsoft has managed to fine-tune some of those functions.
"We tried to keep the operating system slim, that's why we put these over into Windows Live," explains Oliver Blanchard, responsible for programming services at Microsoft's operations in Germany.
Other programs that did not make the cut for Windows 7 include photo processing systems, the blog program Live Writer, the toolbar and family safety software that lets parents block their child's access to certain content.
Downloading the programs is accomplished via a link in Windows 7. It just takes a few clicks to finish the job, says Blanchard. Setting it up this way saves customers from having to search on Google and perhaps ending up at sites that demand money for the free functions.
"It's best to download from the source -- from Bill," advises Georg Tryba of the Consumer Centre of the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia, referring to Microsoft founder Bill Gates.
"Downloading the Live program is no problem for the average Windows user," says Andreas Sauerland of Computer Bild, a German computer magazine. "That runs via a web installer and is finished in a little less than half an hour."
In general, Sauerland says he's OK with hiving off the software into Live. "The extra icons in Windows haven't bothered me yet, but that's a question of taste." It means the computer user now has the option to choose which functions he wants for the operating system and which he can live without.
It's...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
iPhone's Handy Business Tools a Hit in Corporate World
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69646
For years, hardly a week went by when someone didn't whip out their iPhone and evangelize the unconverted about how amazing it is. Nowadays, that's happening more often at the workplace, as executives switch from their old standbys -- typically the BlackBerry -- to Apple's alluring smartphone.
"It connects me directly to my business software," says Elliott Rabin of San Diego's Ridout Plastics, who is an almost daily user of NetSuite, a business suite produced by a San Francisco software maker of the same name.
"With NetSuite, I can log on to our system via the browser and the iPhone app allows me to check my inventory, my bank balance, or see which products are moving the fastest."
Of course the iPhone is a runaway consumer hit. What's surprising is the traction it's gaining in the corporate world in such a compressed amount of time, industry observers say.
"I think Apple and the iPhone are about to blow the doors off," said Gregg Weiss, founder of iPhoneAppQuotes.com, a Florida-based service for businesses and entrepreneurs who want to get connected with reputable iPhone app developers as well as a lead generation service for developers. "A lot of CEOs are now saying, top down, we've got to run our business with this because so many of the applications are productivity-related."
According to a July study by iPhone-AppQuotes, what was once among application developers a 50-50 split between producing business applications and consumer applications is now a 70-30 split in favor of business applications. Medical, education, business and book applications are the most requested categories of applications in the Apple App Store, according to the report.
The App Store contains 85,000 applications; an estimated 20 percent of those are business apps.
Rabin says he's downloaded at least 30 business apps from the App Store, which claims 2 billion...
Wed, 28 Oct 09
Review: Motorola's Cliq Is a Snappy Smartphone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69642
Imagine how you'd feel if you peaked in middle school. That's pretty much what happened to cell phone maker Motorola Inc., which had a megahit in 2005 with its Razr handset but has since failed to fashion another that can approach its popularity.
Now that the rest of the cell phone market has matured and feature-packed "smart" phones are becoming the choice of many consumers, Motorola hopes to entice people with the Cliq, its first phone that uses Google's Android software. T-Mobile began selling the Cliq ($200 with a two-year contract) to existing customers on Monday, and it will be available to all comers starting Nov. 2.
The twist in the Cliq is that it combines social-networking features with slick hardware. The Cliq won't eclipse Apple's iPhone, but it shows Motorola is serious about carving a new niche in a fiercely competitive market.
The Cliq looks sharp but not too original on the surface: Its front is dominated by a brilliant 3.1-inch touch screen and a few navigation buttons, while a spacious full-sized keyboard with a multidirectional controller slides out from the side. A standard headphone jack sits on the top.
Turn the Cliq on, however, and it's quite the social butterfly. A little application "widget" on the home screen dubbed "Happenings" constantly refreshes your friends' latest updates to Facebook, Twitter and other social sites. Another widget aggregates all the messages you get from various social networks and e-mail accounts and gives a preview of the latest one. A third widget shows your most recent status update and lets you easily update one or several social networks at a time.
The Cliq's never-ending deluge of data about your clique comes courtesy of Motorola's new Motoblur software, which gathers information from your various social Web and e-mail accounts. All you have to do is set up...
Tue, 27 Oct 09
FCC Chief: $7.2B Is a Start Toward National Broadband
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69718
Julius Genachowski, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, said in comments posted Sunday that he realizes the $7.2 billion so far earmarked for creation of a national broadband infrastructure falls far short of the amount that eventually will be needed. He said the FCC is looking at a number of funding mechanisms.
"There is no question that it will take a lot of private investment to do what's necessary," Genachowski told BusinessWeek editors. "And we're looking at what are the ways we can [provide incentives for] private investment. We've tried to lay out some cost estimates for what it would take to achieve different goals for the country. But how that investment gets made, over what time period, toward what end, and by whom is something we haven't tackled yet. That is the next phase of the process we are in."
It's a vital issue, since many tens of billions of dollars will be in play. Craig Settles, a consultant who advises municipalities on broadband issues, agreed with Genachowski that much more will be needed. The keys, Settles said, are to realize that the goal is not a single monolithic national broadband infrastructure and that there are creative approaches to eliciting the necessary funding from a mix of public and private sources.
The first key is realizing that building a telecommunications infrastructure is not like building a road. "One of the big issues I have seen since the beginning of the stimulus and the national broadband strategy discussions is people with the mind-set that there is one monolithic network similar to I-95 on the East Coast or Route 66 in the middle of the country. If that is your point of reference, you would want to find a company to build or underwrite that."
If, however, the assumption...
Tue, 27 Oct 09
Early Web Era Ends as Yahoo Shutters GeoCities
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69716
A web era came to an end Monday as Yahoo officially boarded up GeoCities, the long-neglected pioneer of personal web pages. GeoCities -- acquired by Yahoo in 1999 for $2.9 billion -- was once on the cutting edge of making it easy for individual users to publish their lives on the web, but long ago was eclipsed by the social-networking innovations of Facebook and MySpace.
In a posting on the GeoCities help page, Yahoo said: "We have enjoyed hosting web sites created by Yahoo! users all over the world, and we're proud of the community you've built. However, we have decided to focus on helping our customers explore and build relationships online in other ways."
Yahoo is pointing GeoCities users to its web-hosting service, which it said offers personalized domain names, matching e-mail, and a range of site-building tools.
"One of my first web sites was GeoCities way back in the day," reminisced social-media expert Chris Brogan in an e-mail. "It was great for giving us training wheels in using the web," said the coauthor of Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation and Earn Trust.
"It failed because the mission didn't matter once more robust tools came about. They weren't really good communities to begin with, but they were workable. Yahoo could've killed it five or six years ago and it'd be OK," Brogan added.
The closing underscores a prime concern of web historians -- sites like GeoCities may not contain earth-shattering content, but taken as a whole they represent an important step in understanding the web's evolution. For all those personal pages to be lost would create a hole in the social history of the Net.
Fortunately, many GeoCities pages will be preserved at the Internet Archive, a nonprofit digital library based in San Francisco....
Tue, 27 Oct 09
Glitches Reported as Users Move To Windows 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69715
Microsoft unleashed Windows 7 to great fanfare on Thursday, with many reviewers giving the software giant's new operating system excellent marks. But for some users, upgrading has proven problematic.
Reports coming in after the first full weekend of consumer sales describe some users seeing Windows 7 downloads hang at the same percentage without resuming, while others are getting stuck in an endless reboot cycle when attempting to upgrade from Vista.
"On the last step of the upgrade, my laptop rebooted and came to a screen telling me the upgrade was unsuccessful and my previous OS files would now be restored," said one user commenting at the Microsoft Answers forum Friday. "My laptop is now in what seems to be a loop of restarting and trying to restore the files."
Microsoft and Windows 7 download provider Digital River say they are aware of the issue, which is currently being investigated. Users who purchased Windows 7 from Digital River and received the error message 'We are unable to create or save new files in the folder in which this application was downloaded' are being advised to contact Digital River's customer support.
Students taking advantage of Microsoft's special offer of an educational upgrade for $29.95 also encountered problems when attempting to download the 64-bit version of Windows 7 on machines running the 32-bit version of Windows Vista. Microsoft said this snafu is by design, as users cannot launch setup for the 64-bit version of Windows 7 while running a 32-bit operating system.
"If you want to move from Windows Vista 32-bit to Windows 7 64-bit, or if you are running Windows XP, you have to do a custom or clean installation that must be started by booting off the Windows 7 64-bit DVD," a Microsoft engineer advised. "This means that you wipe the current...
Tue, 27 Oct 09
Verizon Posts 30 Percent Earnings Decline
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69714
On Monday, Verizon Communications reported a 30 percent drop in third-quarter earnings. The company's losses stem from slow subscriber growth and costs associated with the Alltel acquisition earlier this year.
"Verizon still has a lot of expenses from the Alltel merger. They've got the expenses from having duplicate managing structures that they are going to carry for a while until they can do a reorganization," said Mike Disabato, a senior analyst with the Burton Group. "But that will work itself out. The company is not in any great danger."
Verizon earned $1.18 billion, or 41 cents per share, in the third quarter. That compares to $1.67 billion, or 59 cents per share, in the year-ago period. Revenue climbed 10 percent to $27.3 billion, representing a spike from integrating Alltel's wireless operations.
Verizon has 89 million wireless subscribers, a year-over-year increase of 25.7 percent, adding 1.2 million net accounts. The wireless division saw a 24.4 percent increase in total revenues, a 1.13 percent retail churn and a 48.1 percent increase in data revenues.
"Verizon continues to generate strong cash flow, which we have used in building the foundation for sustainable, long-term shareowner value," said Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg. "Even through the worst of the recession, we have continued to raise our dividend and to add new customers, expand markets and grow revenues based on the power and innovation of Verizon's wireless, broadband and global networks."
As Seidenberg sees it, the Verizon network is now an engine for next-generation communications services that will create new short- and long-term opportunities for the company. "As the U.S. economic and employment picture improves, and as we accelerate reductions in our own cost structure, we are well-positioned to quickly and significantly improve our growth profile," he said.
Seidenberg also noted that a simplified organizational structure announced earlier this month...
Tue, 27 Oct 09
Sprint Will Offer Palm Pixi for $99 with Two-Year Contract
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69713
On Monday, Sprint Nextel announced the official release date and cost of the Palm Pixi. Palm's latest device will become available exclusively from Sprint on Nov. 15 at a price of $99.99 with a two-year contract.
Running the Palm webOS mobile platform, the Palm Pixi is designed for active mobile users. The smartphone lets users keep multiple activities open and move between them using natural gestures. For example, users can move between messaging and e-mail or searching the Web while also listening to music. And a universal search feature offers results from both the device and the Web.
"Simply put, this phone is fun and easy to use; with its multi-touch screen and full QWERTY keyboard, it's a great device for messaging and social networking at a price everyone can enjoy, and delivers so many of the great features people love about Palm Pre in a fantastic new form factor, making it a huge hit for consumers," said Kevin Packingham, senior vice president of product development at Sprint.
The Palm webOS brings together a user's information from the phone, at work, or on the Web into one view. In addition to linking information from Google, Facebook, Microsoft Exchange ActiveSync, and LinkedIn, the Palm Pixi also adds Yahoo integration to Palm Synergy.
Palm Synergy offers features like linked contacts, which offers a single view of contacts from a variety of sources. Another feature, layered calendars, lets users see calendars on their own or layered together in a single view combining work, family, friends, sports teams, or other interests.
Combined messaging lets users see all the conversations with the same person in a chat-style view, including MMS, even if it started in IM and switched to text messaging. The user can even see who's active in a buddy list from contacts or...
Tue, 27 Oct 09
Netflix Will Stream Videos on Sony's PlayStation 3
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69712
Like a cartoon where the main character keeps finding another way to get into the house, Netflix is now popping up on Sony's PlayStation 3. The online rental service will make its library of thousands of movies and TV shows available to be streamed over the game console at no additional cost to Netflix members in the U.S.
The move adds yet another way Netflix can get to consumers, besides the popular mailed red envelopes bearing DVDs that propelled the company to its current membership of more than 11 million subscribers in the U.S. The PS3 offers an installed base of nearly nine million units in this country.
Netflix has also been busy making deals for inclusion through other consumer electronics. For instance, Netflix has another deal with Sony to include the service with certain Net-connected TV models.
While Netflix has been figuring out new avenues for delivery, Sony has been busy repositioning the PS3 as what it calls "the most complete home entertainment hub on the market today." In addition to high-definition games, users can watch movies on the built-in Blu-ray high-definition player, listen to music, surf the Net, flip through photos, and download a variety of content from the PlayStation Network.
To watch the Netflix fare, PS3 households will need to have a membership in the service, although there is no additional fee charged by Sony. A Blu-ray disc will be made available to all Netflix members, and, if the console is online via Ethernet or Wi-Fi, the PS3 owner can activate the Netflix user interface.
The no-cost approach contrasts with the $50 annual fee charged by Microsoft to get the Gold level of Xbox Live, which includes access to Netflix if you have a membership. Some industry observers have suggested that Netflix will also appear on Nintendo's Wii...
Tue, 27 Oct 09
PepsiCo Removes iPhone App Under Criticism
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69680
PepsiCo Inc. has removed the iPhone application that promised to help men "score" with different types of women about a week after it was criticized for stereotyping.
The soft drink and snack maker announced its decision on Thursday. The application, called "Amp up before you score" -- used to promote its Amp energy drink -- was unavailable for download on iTunes and removed from the brand's site.
"We've listened to a variety of audiences and determined this was the most appropriate course of action," the company said in a statement.
The application gave users pickup lines to woo two dozen stereotypes of women, from "the nerd" to "the foreign exchange student" and a scoreboard to keep track of their conquests.
Criticism swirled on blogs and on Twitter about a week after its launch but PepsiCo did not remove the application. PepsiCo apologized on its Amp Twitter page, saying the application tried to show the "humorous lengths guys go 2 pick up women."
But it ignited a firestorm when it included the tag "pepsifail" on the apology this week. Twitter users use tags to mark their posts and track conversations. That tag linked PepsiCo -- not just the Amp brand -- to the situation and implied the company did something wrong by calling it a "fail."
There was a lot of online chatter about the application last week and PepsiCo didn't remove the application then so the talk would continue, said Kevin Dugan, director of marketing at Empower Media Marketing in Cincinnati. He suspects the chatter has died down -- in fact, he said he hadn't heard about the application for days -- and that's why PepsiCo removed it.
"The true benefit had been realized by PepsiCo with it generating all that buzz," he said.
The application was targeting the drink's main customers -- men in their 20s and...
Tue, 27 Oct 09
Report: China Building Cyberwarfare Capabilities
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69679
China is building its cyberwarfare capabilities and appears to be using the growing technical abilities to collect U.S. intelligence through a sophisticated and long-term computer attack campaign, according to an independent report.
Released Thursday by a congressional advisory panel, the study found cases suggesting that China's elite hacker community has ties to the Beijing government, although there is little hard evidence.
The commission report details a cyberattack against a U.S. company several years ago that appeared to either originate in or come through China and was similar to other incidents also believed to be connected to the country.
According to the analysis, the company noticed that over several days, data from their network was being sent to multiple computers in the U.S. and overseas. While the report does not identify the company, it contends that the attackers targeted specific data, suggesting a very coordinated and sophisticated operation by people who had the expertise to use the high-tech information. An Internet protocol (IP) address located in China was used at times during the episode.
Barring proof, the study by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission warns that the sort of expansive and sophisticated computer resources that have been seen in cyberattacks on the U.S. and other countries "is difficult at best without some type of state sponsorship."
The study contends that the Chinese, long reported to be stoking a massive military build up, has also made computer warfare a priority. The Chinese government is said to view such cyberprowess as critical for victory in future conflicts -- similar to the priority on offensive cyber abilities stressed by some U.S. officials.
Potential Chinese targets in the U.S., according to the report, would likely include Pentagon networks and databases to disrupt command and control communications, and possibly corrupt encrypted data. The report notes, however, that penetrating such classified...
Tue, 27 Oct 09
Linux Raps Harder at Company Doors
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69671
The launch of the Windows 7 computer operating system on Thursday should help Microsoft tighten its grip as the dominant supplier of desktops and laptops to the business world.
But that hasn't stopped backers of Linux -- the upstart operating system created by a global community of programmers -- from plotting a coup.
No one expects Linux to replace Windows at big organizations. Linux failed to make big inroads when the vast majority of businesses skipped upgrading to Windows Vista after it came out in 2007. But some tech analysts say circumstances now bode well for accelerated use of Linux by businesses with 10 to 500 employees.
IBM, whose Lotus Symphony programs work well on Linux, for years has pushed to get companies to dump Windows for Linux. More recently, Google has promoted Google Docs, a Microsoft Office-like suite of programs delivered over the Web. And Google's Android smartphone uses Linux technology.
Meanwhile, most U.S. businesses skipped upgrading to Windows Vista after it was introduced in 2007, and stuck with Windows XP. To use Windows 7, most will need to buy new computers. IBM this week launched a marketing blitz touting big savings to be had by switching to Linux.
"Organizations are facing change either way they go," says Sheri McLeish, business software analyst at Forrester Research. "Linux and Symphony are more mature technologies today and can be a viable alternative."
Another Linux-friendly trend: Powerful PCs are becoming less vital to smaller businesses as Web-based programs such as Google Docs become popular.
Still, of the 655 information technology buyers recently surveyed by Forrester, 66 percent said they expect to move to Windows 7 computers. "Users have historically voted for Windows above Linux," says Charles Smulders, tech industry analyst at Gartner.
In building Windows 7, Microsoft went to great lengths to elicit feedback from small and midsize firms in...
Tue, 27 Oct 09
Amazon Gets Some Early Holiday Cheer
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69670
Booming sales of e-book readers and material to read on them brought early holiday cheer to online retailer Amazon.com in the third quarter. And judging from the company's better-than-expected forecast for the current quarter, robust sales will continue through yearend at Seattle-based Amazon.
On Oct. 22, Amazon said third-quarter net income surged 68 percent, to $199 million, while revenue jumped 28 percent, to $5.45 billion, compared with Wall Street's estimate of $5 billion. "This looks like holiday-season performance and they're doing it in the third quarter," says Jeff Lindsay, analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein. For the quarter that ends in December, Amazon forecast sales of $8.1 billion to $9.1 billion, compared with $8.19 billion expected by analysts surveyed by Bloomberg News.
The performance and forecast reflect growing demand for the Kindle electronic book reader, which now sells more units and contributes more revenue than any other product on the site, Amazon said. The company doesn't release individual sales numbers for the device, but Citigroup analyst Mark Mahaney estimates that it will sell 1.5 million, worth $700 million. An international edition of the reader went on sale the same day Amazon announced its third-quarter results.
An after-hours surge in the stock also suggested that investors are shrugging off concerns by some analysts that Amazon may be overvalued compared with eBay, another e-commerce company. In after-hours trading, Amazon shares surged 16.7 percent, to 107.03. During regular trading, before the results were released, the stock barely budged, rising 3 percent, to 93.45.
On Oct. 21, eBay gave investors a relatively gloomy outlook for the holidays when it forecast fourth-quarter earnings of 38 percent to 40 percent a share, compared with 40 percent expected by analysts. The company also forecast sales of $2.2 billion to $2.3 billion, while analysts had expected $2.26 billion.
Customers of Amazon...
Tue, 27 Oct 09
Microsoft: An Upbeat Launch for Windows 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69669
What a difference a debacle makes. Three years ago, Microsoft's introduction of the supposedly new, improved version of its flagship operating system was plagued by problems of every stripe. Vista, then the latest version of Windows, was years late. It was released to corporations in time for the yearend selling season but not available to consumers until January.
The software itself was riddled with glitches and incompatible with millions of printers and other electronics. What's more, Microsoft's $500 million ad campaign hyping the software fell flat with consumers and PC makers alike. "I didn't like the Vista launch," says Gianpiero Morbella, head of marketing for Acer.
But as Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer took the stage in New York on Oct. 22 to unveil the new Windows 7, there was more glee than grumbling. This time around, Microsoft coordinated closely with PC makers, retailers, and consumers in the runup to the launch. "They've done a very good job this time," says Morbella. The result was a relatively glitch-free introduction that features a wider array of machines at varying prices than previous Windows launches. Says Alex Gruzen, senior vice-president for the consumer products group at Dell, "the Microsoft I've been working with for the past year and a half on Windows 7 is a very different Microsoft than I've ever worked with before. The level of openness and collaboration was really new."
Microsoft used that collaboration to ensure the software works well with computers, printers, and other peripheral machines from the get-go. The software maker shared more information and took more feedback than in the past. And unlike with the Vista launch, some 8 million PC enthusiasts have been kicking the tires on prerelease versions of Windows 7 to try to catch bugs before the general public does. "They carried out one of...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Bing's Search Share Uncertain as Yahoo's Share Falls
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69687
Conflicting data from two Web analytics firms has muddied the waters on the performance of Microsoft's Bing search engine last month. However, both companies agree that Yahoo's share of the U.S. search market is falling and Google's lead over both rivals remains huge.
Web analytics firm Compete, which based its report on data from a diverse sample of more than two million U.S. Internet users, said the volume at Microsoft's fledgling search engine continued to grow in September. "Bing saw another month of 0.3 percentage point search share growth, which has the Microsoft engine sitting pretty during an otherwise tepid month for search engines," said Compete's Marko Madjarac on Thursday.
Earlier this month, however, Dublin-based StatCounter reported that Bing's U.S. search share fell from 9.64 percent in August to 8.51 percent in September -- even as Yahoo's share fell from 10.5 percent to 9.4 percent.
"The trend has been downward for Bing since mid-August," said StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen, based on an analysis of 1.1 billion search-engine referring clicks. "The wheels haven't fallen off, but the underlying trend must be a little worrying for Microsoft."
With the return of students to U.S. schools last month, online users submitted 200 million less queries than in August. Yahoo accounted for half the shortfall by serving up 100 million less queries for an eight percent decline, Madjarac said.
"In contrast, Bing's web search served 25 million more queries than (in August), continuing the engine's impressive growth since its launch at the beginning of June," Madjarac said.
Bing users last month averaged about five searches per user, per day, whereas Google users averaged about 5.6 searches and Yahoo users 7.8 searches, Madjarac explained. "So the bottom line is that Bing growth is even more impressive," he said.
Still, Bing has a long way to go...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Judge Throws Out Craigslist Prostitution Suit
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69686
Craigslist is not liable for prostitution ads found on the site, according to U.S. District Judge John Grady. This week, he threw out a civil complaint a sheriff in Cook County, Ill., filed against the popular online-classifieds site.
In the suit, Sheriff Tom Dart called Craigslist a public nuisance and accused the site of violating federal, state and local prostitution laws. Specifically, Dart alleged that Craigslist "solicits for a prostitutes ... by arranging meetings of persons for purposes of prostitution."
But Grady disagreed with the sheriff. In a 20-page decision, he listed several dissenting opinions. In short, Grady decided Dart's complaint relies heavily on a few conclusory allegations to support the contention that Craigslist induces users to post ads for illegal services.
The judge wrote, "Even at this stage of the case we are not required to accept those allegations at face value and they are not meaningfully different from the allegations that our Court of Appeals rejected last year ... Sheriff Dart may continue to use Craigslist's web site to identify and pursue individuals who post allegedly unlawful content ... but he cannot sue Craigslist for their conduct."
The court also issued a number of observations in the case. "The phrase 'adult,' even in conjunction with 'services,' is not unlawful in and of itself, nor does it necessarily call for unlawful content ... The same is true of subcategories. Plaintiff is simply wrong when he insists that these terms are all synonyms for illegal sexual services," Grady wrote.
"Meritless cases brought by law-enforcement officers, amounting to little more than publicity stunts with little to no chance of success, do little to address the officers' underlying concerns," said Matt Zimmerman, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
"The problem of sex trafficking is indeed a serious one, as...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Mozilla's Raindrop Aims To Sort Out the Message Flood
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69685
An effort to manage the frustrating onslaught of e-mail messages that threatens to bury users is the driving force behind the Mozilla Labs Raindrop project, introduced this week. "We're hoping to give users the ability to see the important messages out of the messages that are sent to them," said Rafael Ebron, director of marketing for Mozilla Messaging.
He stressed that Raindrop is in the early phases of development and much of the project still is conceptual. The organization, he said, has posted the source code for download and is seeking feedback on a variety of design issues.
The Raindrop portion of the Mozilla Labs site describes the project. "Raindrop uses a mini-web server to fetch your conversations from different sources (mail, twitter, RSS feeds), intelligently pulls out the important parts, and allows you to interact with them using your favorite modern web browser."
Not all browsers can use Raindrop at this point. "We are targeting HTML 5, which right now includes Firefox, Safari, Chrome and Opera," Ebron said. "We envision IE will be supported in future versions of Raindrop."
The idea is that messages deemed important by users will be empowered to "bubble up" to take precedence in a manner dictated by the user. The example used by Mozilla Messaging design lead Bryan Clark in an introductory video is the ability to highlight a message from his mother and de-emphasize updates from social-networking sites. Mozilla Labs said Raindrop is not an e-mail client.
The overall goal is perhaps best summed up by a Mozilla Labs FAQ answer about how Raindrop can complement Gmail. Raindrop, the answer says, is "trying to break out of an e-mail-centric view of messaging and provide a user-extensible platform so users have complete freedom to customize their experience."
The resulting functionality, Ebron said, could...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Is Nokia Suing Apple To Boost Its Smartphone Sales?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69682
Just one day after Finnish phone maker Nokia filed a patent lawsuit against Apple, observers are saying the suit is a desperate attempt by Nokia to boost its own smartphone sales. Nokia alleges Cupertino, Calf.-based Apple is infringing on 10 different Nokia patents with its iPhone.
The patents relate to technologies necessary to make devices compatible with one or more of the Global System for Mobile communication (GSM), Universal Mobile Telecommunication System (UMTS), and wireless local area network (WLAN) standards. The patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption and Nokia said they are infringed by all iPhones.
Observers are questioning why Nokia waited so long after the iPhone was first introduced in 2007 before filing the lawsuit. Observers believe Nokia may have not seen Apple as a threat until its own sales of smartphones declined.
Nokia reported a $1.36 billion loss in its latest quarter even as competitors enjoyed soaring smartphone sales.
While some observers believe Nokia's weak portfolio is forcing the company to file unnecessary lawsuits, others say that isn't the case.
"It's not a desperate move," said Ramon Llamas, an IDC analyst. "Nokia senses that Apple infringed on its IPR (intellectual-property rights) and is pursuing legal action."
"I really do not think that this has anything to do with trying to stop iPhone sales because Nokia's high-end portfolio is weak right now," said Gartner Research Director Carolina Milanesi. "It has everything to do with the fact that Nokia does make money from IPR and this helps their revenue bottom line."
For the past two decades, Nokia said it has invested nearly 40 billion Euros (US$60 billion) in research and development and has built a broad intellectual-property portfolio with more than 10,000 patent families.
In its court filing, Nokia said it has made several price offers on...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Hulu May Charge for Video Content, Executive Says
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69681
The free video site Hulu.com, which has been helping to change TV-watching habits, could undergo a change. On Wednesday, an executive with one of Hulu's parent companies suggested the popular video site could start charging for content next year.
Chase Carey, president and COO of News Corp., told the Broadcasting & Cable OnScreen Summit in New York City that the value of the content presented by Hulu isn't being served by a free-only model, and he hopes that it will evolve into a subscription model.
According to news reports, Carey said "a free model is a very difficult way to capture the value of our content" and to deliver it in a way that makes consumers appreciate the value.
But News Corp. will not be able to make that happen by itself, and must work with its partners in Hulu -- NBC Universal, Disney and Providence Equity Partners. At the moment, Carey said, no decision has been made.
Carey added that a subscription would not necessarily be required for all Hulu content, but might include previews of TV-show and special content. Hulu is currently supported by ads.
In spite of Carey's comments, News Corp. spokesperson Jack Horney told the Associated Press that Hulu still thinks a free, ad-based site will have attract the most users.
Hulu has received praise for the range of its programming, the relatively high quality of its online video, and its innovative approach to online ads, such as allowing a user to choose ad frequency. The site has also grown into a regular viewing portal for many consumers, especially younger ones. It's not uncommon to hear that someone has seen a new show on Hulu, not on TV.
James McQuivey, an analyst with industry research firm Forrester, said Carey's comments are on target. "The future...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Windows Demand Mitigates Microsoft's Earnings Drop
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69665
On the heels of a successful Windows 7 launch, Microsoft on Friday announced revenue of $12.92 billion for the first quarter -- a 14 percent decline from the same period a year ago. However, Microsoft beat the street's expectations and the company's stock soared.
Net income for the quarter was $3.57 billion, or 40 cents per share. That's an 18 percent decline from the year-ago period. But Microsoft said the results reflect a deferral of $1.47 billion in revenue relating to the Windows 7 Upgrade Option program and sales of Windows 7 to OEMs and retailers before general availability. If added back in, Microsoft would have a four percent year-over-year decline in a tough economy.
"We are very pleased with our performance this quarter and particularly by the strong consumer demand for Windows," said Chris Liddell, CFO at Microsoft. "We also maintained our cost discipline, which allowed us to drive strong earnings performance despite continued tough overall economic conditions."
Microsoft cited three positive factors for the quarter: Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 launched globally on Oct. 22. Microsoft released Microsoft Exchange Server 2010 to manufacturing and in July announced a strategic partnership with Yahoo to provide search results for its global properties.
"The worldwide launches of Windows 7, Exchange Server 2010 and Windows Server 2008 R2 are exciting milestones for Microsoft, our partners and customers," said Kevin Turner, COO at Microsoft. "We are pleased by the early positive response we are receiving for these products."
Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT, was in New York for Thursday's launch of Windows 7. From his perspective, Microsoft couldn't have handled the launch any better. And other than a problem with an Adobe update, King said he hasn't seen or heard about any glitches with the new operating system.
"The OS itself was very...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Web 2.0 Speakers See Mobile Takeover in Future
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69655
They came to talk about not-so-distant future technology, where cash is a relic, we've all but ditched the PC in favor of the mobile phone and the entire cable TV 500-channel universe -- including pay TV -- can be seen online, any time of the day.
The Web 2.0 Summit, which wrapped up Thursday, has attracted some of the biggest industry players -- including Google, Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, Adobe, Microsoft, AOL and MySpace -- along with traditional media companies, such as General Electric (owner of NBC Universal and co-owner of the Hulu video site) and Comcast, the USA's biggest cable operator and second-largest provider of broadband. Among the hot topics:
The last few years have seen dramatic change as we shifted our lives to the PC and the Internet, but now it's all about mobile. If you don't sport a cool new iPhone, Android or Palm Pre smartphone yet, you will.
Smartphone technology -- a PC in your pocket -- "is ramping faster than any tech cycle I've seen in modern times," said Mary Meeker, an influential technology analyst at Morgan Stanley.
"That this is all happening in a recession is a very good thing to happen to our industry," she added.
Ah, yes, the recession. Hard times.
But not for gadgets, gizmos and the Web. Apple just reported record revenue and sales of Macintosh computers and iPhones. Last week, Internet giant Google said its revenue in the third quarter rose 7 percent year-over-year. And Microsoft, launching a new version of Windows this week, is expected to dramatically increase sales, thanks to new computers and upgrade purchases.
Speaking of the greenback -- well, that'll be something we can talk to our grandkids about some day.
"Is it possible that innovations as young as ATMs ... are already becoming obsolete? I hate to tell...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Is Your PC Ready To Run Microsoft's Windows 7?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69647
PC retailers have spent the last few weeks gearing up in a big way for the launch of Windows 7. They're cleared out old inventory and stocked the latest PCs and notebooks in anticipation of increased demand for Windows 7-ready hardware.
But you may not need new a new PC to run Windows 7. One of the aspects of Windows 7 that has been most lauded by pre-release testers, in fact, is the new operating system's respectable performance on older hardware. And in tough economic times, that's good news.
To find out for sure how your PC might fare with Windows 7, read on.
If you're currently using a computer to run Windows Vista, and you have no complaints about performance, then that same machine will run Windows 7 like a champ. Windows 7 improves upon both the performance and the resource requirements of Vista, and the result is an operating system that feels both more zippy and more stable on identical equipment.
If you buy a new computer now, whether a desktop or a notebook, it will run Windows 7 just fine.
That goes, too, for most netbooks on the market, which typically come either with Windows XP Home Edition or some version of Linux, such as Ubuntu. A typical netbook using the latest Atom processor from Intel and possessing at least 1 gigabyte (GB) of RAM typically can handle even Windows 7 Ultimate, the top-of-the-line edition of Windows 7, without issue.
But if you're still running Windows XP with aging equipment, the question of hardware requirements for Windows 7 gets a little trickier.
First, let's look at Microsoft's official system requirements for Windows 7.
At a minimum, your computer will need a 1 GHz or faster processor, at least 1 GB of RAM for the 32-bit edition of Windows 7, or 2 GB for the 64-bit...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Microsoft's Naming Math: Vista Plus 1 Is 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69644
Microsoft's new operating system [launched] Thursday, and you may be asking: How did we get to Windows 7? Did I miss 5 and 6?
No, you didn't. But Microsoft Corp.'s names for the successive versions of Windows have been more than a little confusing. It's easy to get the impression that with every new version of Windows, Microsoft wants us to forget that there was a previous one.
Long ago, we had Windows 1, 2 and 3. So far, so good. Then Microsoft started naming its consumer software after the year of release, like a car, and we got Windows 95. That was followed by 98, while professional users got 4.0. But Windows 2000 wasn't for consumers at all -- the professional version was now named for its vintage as well.
The new millennium raised an obstacle to the year-numbering scheme. Microsoft balked at naming its new system "01." Naming it "2001" wouldn't have worked either: imagine all the jokes about the homicidal computer in the movie "2001: A Space Odyssey." So the new Windows became "XP," a not entirely self-evident contraction of "experience."
There didn't seem to be any other two-letter combination handy to capture Microsoft's goals for the next Windows, so it became "Vista." A vista is what you might see out of a window, so that makes sense, right? Someone thought so.
Vista bombed, prompting Microsoft to make another clean break -- the third one -- and give us Windows 7.
Microsoft's official rationale is that "7" is the seventh version of Windows. It gets there by counting up from Windows NT 4.0, skipping Windows 98 and counting both XP and 2000 as No. 5. Vista was No. 6.
Adding to the confusion, Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft's president of Windows, has a variant explanation, saying that Windows 95 was the fourth version of Windows. But...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Acer Goes Deep with 3-D Laptop for Gaming, Movies
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69643
With the launch of Windows 7 this week, PC makers are trying some new things, including laptops with touch screens. Acer Inc. is going further -- introducing a laptop with a 3-D screen.
The abstrusely named Acer Aspire 5738DG-6165 has a 15.6-inch screen that, with the help of special glasses, appears to take on depth if used with the right games or movies.
It's not the first laptop with a 3-D screen. Sharp Corp. introduced one in 2003. It worked without glasses, but the viewer had to be somewhat careful to keep his head in the right place for the 3-D effect to work. The screen worked similarly to 3-D postcards -- the kind with the ribbed plastic layer -- but looked more convincing. Like Acer's model, the 3-D effect could be turned off with a button.
Sharp's model cost $3,300 and was aimed at engineers and other professionals who might be helped by being able to show objects in 3-D. Acer's laptop costs just $780, barely more than a comparable, normal laptop.
Windows 7 doesn't have special features for 3-D screens, so Acer will ship the computer with special movie player software. Finding movies to play on it won't be easy, however -- there's no real consumer distribution system for the new 3-D movies that are shown in theaters, such as "Monsters vs Aliens."
For computer games, it's another matter. Most games will display in 3-D, even though they're designed for regular screens.
On desktop computers, 3-D with glasses has been possible for years, if somewhat costly. Nvidia Corp., a leading maker of graphics cards, sells a $200 3-D kit.
TV manufacturers are also excited about 3-D, and are trying to create discs and players that can bring 3-D movies into the living room.
Sat, 24 Oct 09
Grudgingly, Young People Finally Flock to Twitter
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69640
They think it's pointless, narcissistic. Some don't even know what it is.
Even so, more young adults and teens -- normally at the cutting edge of technology -- are finally coming around to Twitter, using it for class or work, monitoring the minutiae of celebrities' lives.
It's not always love at first tweet, though. Many of them are doing it grudgingly, perhaps because a friend pressures them or a teacher or boss makes them try the 140-character microblogging site.
"I still find no point to using it. I'm the type of person who likes to talk to someone," says Austyn Gabig, a sophomore at the University of California, San Diego, who only joined Twitter this month because she heard Ellen DeGeneres was going to use tweets as a way to win tickets to her talk show.
DeGeneres set off a frenzy on the UCSD campus when she promised the tickets to those who, within 15 minutes of the tweet, e-mailed her cell phone photos of themselves wearing a red towel and standing with someone in a uniform.
Gabig got the tweet, found a towel -- and won tickets.
She might think she won't tweet again, but social networking expert David Silver predicts she'll change her mind.
"Every semester, Twitter is the one technology that students are most resistant to," says Silver, a media studies professor at the University of San Francisco, where he regularly teaches a class on how to use various Internet applications. "But it's also the one they end up using the most."
It is a rare instance, he and others say, of young people adopting an Internet application after many of their older counterparts have already done so.
Their slowness to warm to Twitter comes in part from a fondness for the ease and directness of text messaging and other social networking services that most of...
Sat, 24 Oct 09
EMC Net Falls, But Better Storage Spending Seen
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69637
EMC Corp. said Thursday its profit fell 24 percent and sales dropped 5 percent in the latest quarter as corporations spent less on data storage.
But the storage leader said that its clients' budgets are getting better, and the company raised its 2009 guidance.
EMC's results are another sign that information technology spending is slowly recovering after a brutal year of cutbacks. Bellwethers like Intel Corp., the No. 1 maker of computer microprocessors, and IBM Corp., the software and technology services powerhouse, also have said they see orders improving amid signs of stability.
Technology spending has been slammed as corporations have hung on to old computers longer to save money. One reason storage has suffered, despite the fact companies are generating more data, is storage equipment is often bought at the same time as computer servers, whose sales have plummeted.
The latest numbers point to those trends easing and corporate spending picking up, but likely more meaningfully in 2010 than this year.
EMC's net income for the quarter ended Sept. 30 was $298.2 million, or 14 cents per share, versus $393.4 million, or 19 cents per share, in the year-ago period.
Excluding one-time charges and stock-based compensation expenses, earnings were 23 cents per share in the latest quarter. Analysts expected profit of 21 cents per share, according to a poll by Thomson Reuters.
Sales were $3.5 billion, down from $3.7 billion last year. Analysts expected revenue of $3.4 billion.
For 2009, EMC now expects profit of 87 cents per share, excluding one-time items, and $13.9 billion in sales. Analysts forecast profit of 83 cents per share and revenue of $13.8 billion.
EMC is the world's No. 1 maker of external disk storage -- storage that is sold separately from servers. EMC owns more than 20 percent of that market, according to the IDC research firm. When all types of...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
Gains from iPhone Offset Wireline Losses for AT&T
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69663
AT&T has reported third-quarter revenues of $30.9 billion, net income of $3.2 billion, and diluted earnings per share of 54 cents. Analysts said wireless gains from Apple's iPhone offset wireline losses. AT&T is the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S.
"Wireless continues to be the driver for the company," said Todd Rosenbluth, an equity analyst with Standard & Poor's. "Despite the increased competition in the prepaid market, AT&T is adding to its market-share lead. We are encouraged by its revenue per user growth from data services on the iPhone and other devices such as the BlackBerry. They are continuing to generate a lot of cash, which can support dividends and other corporate efforts. All of that is positive."
The 54 cents per share earnings were the same as in AT&T's second quarter and one cent less than in the year-ago quarter. AT&T added two million wireless subscribers, which the company said was the highest third-quarter net gain ever. It now has 81.6 million wireless subscribers, an increase of 6.7 million over the past year.
The activation of 3.2 million iPhones was part of an overall growth of 4.3 million 3G wireless devices. Both the iPhone and overall activation gains were the largest quarterly totals in company history. Data revenue grew 33.6 percent to $3.6 billion.
The strength in the upper end of the wireless category impressed Morgan Stanley, according to a research note written by several analysts. "High-end wireless shows strength with robust iPhone activations, with almost 40 percent new to AT&T, up from 35 percent in the second quarter of 2009," the note reads. "Considering the overall maturity of the industry, this could imply incremental pressure at other carriers vying for the high-end segment subscribers."
On the wireline side, AT&T's U-verse TV fiber-based initiative enjoyed a net gain of...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
Nokia Suit Says Apple's iPhone Infringes on 10 Patents
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Nokia filed a lawsuit in Delaware's U.S. District Court on Thursday, alleging that Apple's iPhone infringes on 10 of the Finland-based company's patents. Apple didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.
Nokia's filing says the iPhone benefits from the unauthorized use of fundamental mobile technologies covered by Nokia patents that the handset giant claims have contributed to the development of the GSM, UMTS (3G WCDMA), and wireless LAN standards in use worldwide.
"The basic principle in the mobile industry is that those companies who contribute in technology development to establish standards create intellectual property, which others then need to compensate for," said Nokia Vice President Ilkka Rahnasto. "Apple is also expected to follow this principle."
Nokia said it has invested more than 40 billion euros (US$60 billion) over the previous two decades in the development of technology essential to industry standards. In recognition of this, Rahnasto said, virtually all the leading mobile-device vendors except Apple have concluded licensing agreements with Nokia.
"By refusing to agree to appropriate terms for Nokia's intellectual property, Apple is attempting to get a free ride on the back of Nokia's innovation," Rahnasto said.
The patents at the center of the dispute cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption. According to Nokia, all iPhone models that have shipped since Apple's trailblazing smartphone was introduced in June 2007 infringe on key Nokia patents.
The court action comes after the handset maker reported a $1.36 billion loss in its latest quarter -- even as its rivals saw their smartphone sales soar.
While Nokia's results have shown "a steady improvement throughout the year, they are far from good, and are evidence of the challenging period that Nokia is experiencing," noted IDC analyst Francisco Jeronimo. "Samsung, Apple and Research in Motion are doing significantly better than Nokia, and better than the...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
Amazon Unveils Kindle Software for Windows 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69661
Kindle isn't just for Kindle readers anymore. Amazon has already released a Kindle app for the iPhone, and at the Windows 7 launch event Thursday, the online retailer announced that Kindle software for Windows 7 (as well as Vista and XP) will be released in the next month -- and a version for Mac will soon follow.
"Customers have told us that they want access to a wider variety of content and an increasingly diverse set of form factors," said Mike Nash, corporate vice president of Windows Platform Strategy. "With the announcement of Kindle for PC, Amazon is making its massive selection of Kindle books available on the world's most widely used platform."
Amazon promoted the development as both a companion for current Kindle readers and a gateway for new customers. With the ability to sell e-books without having to sell a $259 reading device, Amazon can massively increase market penetration of the Kindle format.
"Kindle for PC is the perfect companion application for folks who own a Kindle or Kindle DX," said Ian Freed, vice president for Amazon Kindle. "Kindle for PC is also a great way for people around the world to read the most popular books of today even if they don't yet have a Kindle."
This announcement is not just about spreading the Kindle love to major platforms, but also about taking advantage of new features in Windows 7, notably Windows Touch technology. As with the iPhone, users reading books on Windows 7 will be able to zoom in and out by spreading or pinching their fingers, and turn pages with a simple finger swipe.
The new software supports a range of features available to Kindle and Kindle DX users, including the ability to view notes and highlights marked on Amazon's hardware devices.
The announcement...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
McCain Moves To Block the FCC's Net-Neutrality Rule
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69660
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday approved a proposal for an open Internet. Proponents such as Google, eBay and more than a dozen others have voiced support, while opponents, including Comcast, Verizon Communications, and AT&T, say the government needs to take a close look its involvement.
The rule change means consumers will have more say in which Internet products succeed and entrepreneurs, technologists and investors will have an opportunity to develop products and services to spur innovation and new business, executives from 24 companies said in a letter to the FCC.
The change gives telephone and cable companies such as AT&T, Comcast and Verizon less control over the Internet content that customers can view. The opponents believe the new rules will only apply to them and not to Internet companies like Google and Amazon.com.
Just hours after the FCC moved to create the new rules, U.S. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced legislation to block the rules. His Internet Freedom Act would bar the FCC from implementing rules stopping broadband providers from selectively blocking or slowing Internet content and applications.
"Today I'm pleased to introduce The Internet Freedom Act of 2009 that will keep the Internet free from government control and regulation," McCain said. "It will allow for continued innovation that will in turn create more high-paying jobs for the millions of Americans who are out of work or seeking new employment."
Comcast, which has been an opponent of the FCC rule change, said it wants the FCC to take a closer look at the issue.
"We share and embrace the objective of an open Internet, as we always have," said David Cohen, executive vice president of Comcast. "While we may ultimately not agree on the level and extent of government involvement needed to accomplish this important objective, we...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
Disney Wants To Make Videos Accessible from Anywhere
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69659
If The Walt Disney Company isn't just wishing on a star, its new Keychest technology could become the way to watch video. According to The Wall Street Journal, Disney is getting ready to show how owning a movie or a TV show could mean not a physical copy, but access to the video, which would live on a server somewhere.
Code-named Keychest, the technology could let consumers pay one price and then watch a movie from any compatible device, whether an iPhone, a computer's Web browser, or an on-demand cable system.
The Journal said Keychest will be unveiled next month, and Disney is now trying to get major studios, networks and consumer technology companies to join the effort.
A key advantage of the service would be that users wouldn't have to worry about storing movies or TV shows, or losing purchased copies. Additionally, it solves the problem of wanting to watch a movie on your TV that you had downloaded to, say, your computer. Compatible devices and services would also recognize your Keychest purchase.
While DVDs may make some management issues easier for a consumer, they also mean playback is limited to DVD players. And their appeal is diminishing. Some studios are reporting that DVD sales have dropped as much as 25 percent.
But Disney isn't the only studio with dropping revenue that is coming up with this kind of solution. A competing initiative, called the Digital Entertainment Content Ecosystem (DECE), is developing a similar approach.
Founding members of DECE include Lionsgate, Fox Entertainment, NBC Universal, Paramount, Sony, Warner Bros., Comcast, Intel, Microsoft and others. Disney says that, while the two efforts may be similar, Keychest is a more focused approach because it utilizes common file formats already in use, compared to DECE's attempt to create new standards and formats. In fact, Disney says, DECE...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
Microsoft Stresses Collaboration as Windows 7 Rolls Out
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69653
Hoping to make Vista a distant memory, Microsoft on Thursday rolled out its highly anticipated Windows 7 operating system. The latest iteration of the software giant's flagship product offers a new interface and new features that aim to help consumers make the most of their PCs.
"With Windows 7, there's never been a better time to be a PC," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "Together with our partners, we're bringing more choice, flexibility and value to the market than ever before. With Windows 7, you're sure to find a PC that fits your life."
Microsoft stressed that building Windows 7 was a collaborative process from the beginning. Microsoft engineers and designers worked with customers and partners to build the successor to Vista, focusing on the user experience and application compatibility.
"A project with the global customer reach of Windows can only be done as a team," said Steven Sinofsky, president of the Windows and Windows Live division at Microsoft. "We are grateful for the valuable contributions from customers, partners and developers around the world that helped make Windows 7 such a collaborative project."
With the launch of Windows 7 comes a deep lineup of new PCs and software programs. A newly launched section of Windows.com called PC Scout will guide users through selecting and purchasing the right PC. Customers can purchase PCs with Windows 7 or software upgrades online, or in-store from technology retailers and the new Microsoft Store in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, has already installed Windows 7 on 10 machines in his office. If there are bugs in the product, he said, he hasn't found any yet. He credits the long beta and the extensive testing with the clean installations out of the box.
"This has been the cleanest initial installation I've...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
Google Tops Bing with Tweets and Social Search
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69632
As the battle for real-time search heats up, Microsoft and Google both inked deals with Twitter on Wednesday. Microsoft's Bing and Google will integrate tweets into their search results.
But Google took it a step further with a surprise announcement about Social Search at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco late Wednesday. Social Search is a Google Labs experiment that will deliver search results from a user's social contacts.
Here's how it works: The bottom of the search-results page will feature social-networking information from the user's network of friends. That could include Flickr photos, Facebook updates, tweets and the like.
Marissa Mayer, Google's vice president of search products and user experience, demonstrated Social Search at the conference. She used planning a trip to New Zealand as an example and she was able to find information written by people in her social network who had visited the country. The content included travel logs and photos.
In another example, Mayer demonstrated how people can find restaurant reviews written by friends. "We think this is great from a precision and relevance standpoint," Mayer said. "We're really excited to be able to offer this type of service to our users."
The catch is, only those social networks that are connected to a user's Google Profile will appear. Google Profile aims to ensure people find the right user information when they search online. The more of the user's friends, family and coworkers who have Google Profiles, the more information the search will find.
"If Google gets enough participation, then Social Search could be useful and interesting. It's contingent on how many people are involved," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence. "It's not going to be meaningful if none of your friends, relatives and associates are participating."
Not to be outdone...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
Internet Advertising Appears To Begin Its Comeback
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69610
After bogging down in the recession, Internet advertising is regaining the momentum that has made it the decade's most disruptive marketing machine.
The signs of an online revival are emerging even while advertising in print and broadcasts remain in a slump that has triggered mass layoffs, pay cuts and other upheaval.
Internet advertising was just about the only bright spot in the third-quarter reports of two major newspaper publishers, Gannett Co. and McClatchy Co. Meanwhile the companies still are dealing with steep declines in print ads -- an imbalance most analysts predict will take years to address.
The harsh reality is that much of the advertising in long-established media, particularly in the classified sections of newspapers, will never rebound to pre-recession levels, said Lauren Rich Fine, a longtime media analyst who is now a professor at Kent State University.
That grim outlook contrasts with the fact that advertisers are increasingly allocating more of their budgets to the Web. That's where their customers are spending more of their free time. On top of that, Internet ad rates are less expensive, and the returns on online ad investments are easier to quantify.
Even when they buy time in other media, advertisers are realizing they need to be promoting their wares on the Internet too.
"You can draw a straight line from the time when people hear an ad on the radio or television to when they search for that company on the Internet," said David Karnstedt, chief executive of Efficient Frontier, which helps manage ad campaigns on search engines.
These trends will give Internet advertising 19 percent, or nearly $87 billion, of the worldwide ad market in 2013, up from just 4 percent, or about $18 billion, in 2004, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers and Wilkofsky Gruen Associates.
That would make the Internet the third-largest marketing medium. Television is expected to remain...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
HP, Amazon To Sell Paperback Versions of E-Books
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69609
Some of technology's best-known companies are betting there's pent-up demand for on-demand books.
Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's top seller of personal computers and printers, is teaming up with online retailer Amazon.com Inc. to challenge Internet search leader Google Inc. in the quirky new market of re-creating digital books as paperbacks.
The concept represents a different type of book recycling, as digital copies created from print get a second life as paperbacks.
Publishing a single copy of a digital book usually can be done in a few minutes, allowing consumers to order a paperback version of a title that's out-of-print or only available in one or two libraries in the world.
The HP program announced Wednesday offers to publish paperbacks of about 500,000 digital books scanned from the University of Michigan's library. The books are all considered to be part of the public domain because they no longer protected under copyright. The paperback copies can be ordered through Amazon.com and a few other retailers.
Ironically, Google created most of the digital copies in the University of Michigan's collection.
Google embraced the concept of on-demand book publishing in a partnership launched last month. The deal allows a small company called On Demand Books to sell paperback versions of about 2 million digital books that Google has scanned into its index during the past five years.
As in HP's case, all of the Google books available for on-demand publishing aren't under copyright.
The recommended retail price for a paperback copy of a book in Google's digital library is $8. HP estimates a 250-page paperback printed on its machines will cost about $15.
Fri, 23 Oct 09
Sun Cutting Up To 3,000 Jobs As It Awaits Oracle Deal
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69608
Sun Microsystems Inc. plans to eliminate up to 3,000 jobs, or 10 percent of its worldwide work force, as it awaits a takeover by Oracle Corp., a deal being held up by antitrust regulators in Europe.
The layoffs Sun outlined Tuesday in a regulatory filing are the latest in a series of job cuts at the world's No. 4 server maker.
Sun, a dot-com-era star, was banking on the $7.4 billion deal with Oracle as a lifeline after a decade of financial struggles. As delays have mounted, Sun has had to fend for itself, losing ground to rivals, including IBM Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co., which have exploited uncertainty about the deal to poach customers.
Sun's losses are mounting too: It lost $2.2 billion in the last fiscal year, which ended June 30.
Sun said the job cuts will happen over the next year and affect all of Sun's major regions, including North America, Europe, Asia and emerging markets. Sun has already cut about 7,600 workers in the past three years in three rounds of layoffs, according to the company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Santa Clara-based Sun said it expects to incur $75 million to $125 million in restructuring charges over the next several quarters.
Oracle's purchase of Sun is being held up by European antitrust authorities who are concerned about possible harm to the database-software market. Oracle makes the world's leading proprietary database software; Sun's MySQL is the leading open-source database.
They have until Jan. 19 to approve the deal or block it. The deal has been approved by U.S. regulators.
Oracle wants to buy Sun primarily because it wants more control over the development of Sun's Java software, which is a key ingredient in building Web sites. Oracle also claims that having Sun's hardware and Oracle's software teams working together will make the products...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
Chinese Group Says Google Violating Copyrights
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69606
A Chinese group is accusing search engine powerhouse Google of illegally copying Chinese-language works for its digital library, adding to disquiet about a project to scan millions of books.
The government-affiliated China Written Works Copyright Society, based in Beijing, posted a notice on its Web site urging authors to "bravely stand up and adamantly defend their legal rights." It also urged authors to check if their works are in a list of books that's part of a tentative legal settlement between Google and U.S. authors and publishers.
Google's project to scan and post online snippets from millions of out-of-print but copyrighted books has raised objections from many quarters. The company has called the project, which also scans public domain works, an invaluable chance for books to receive increased exposure.
Chen Cun, a novelist based in Shanghai, said he found material from 38 of his works in Google's digital library, including 12 novels and three other books.
"Google never bothered to notify me or Chinese authorities. They should have let me know my works would be put online," Chen said.
The Chinese nonprofit group was set up a year ago under the supervision of the government's copyright administration to represent various associations of writers, who face rampant and blatant infringements of copyright in their home market, as do foreign authors.
But it is now taking U.S. critics to task for protesting Chinese copyright violations while Google is copying works without prior authorization and posting them online.
"Google's digital library scanned those copyright-protected works without permission. This violates American copyright laws and international treaties," Zhang Hongbo, deputy director-general of the group, told The Associated Press.
"This also violates the basic principle that they should ask permission from the authors first, pay to use then and then use them," he said.
The proposed settlement between Mountain View, Calif-based Google and U.S. authors...
Fri, 23 Oct 09
EU: Breakthrough on Online Music Rights
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69605
The EU's top antitrust official on Wednesday described a deal among Apple Inc.'s iTunes, music companies, distributors and online licensing groups as a "great breakthrough" that would roll out more Internet music sales across Europe.
The companies and rights holders agreed at talks held Tuesday to work on EU-wide licenses that would allow online music tracks to be sold more widely in the region.
Internet music downloads in Europe lag behind those in the United States, pulling in just a fraction of revenues the record industry is losing from falling CD sales.
Part of the problem in Europe is that music rights are sold separately in each country. That has prevented Apple Inc.'s iTunes from setting up a single store to service all of Europe. Instead, it has to seek licenses from each EU member state where it wishes to sell and to set up separate national stores -- which have different music selections.
Kroes said participants agreed Tuesday that current licensing is "too complex and burdensome and that simpler licensing solutions are needed."
Participating in the talks were Amazon, EMI, iTunes, Nokia, Universal, PRS for Music, music rights management groups SACEM and STIM and the European consumers' organization BEUC.
The companies and groups said they would seek to add the "widest possible" portfolio of music to any European licenses.
They also vowed to "facilitate the way in which music for online use is licensed such that the market grows and consumers benefit."
They said rights owners -- composers and performers -- should only sign up to such licenses voluntarily, aiming to soothe worries from some artists who complain that they might lose money if an EU-wide license replaces a series of national licenses.
Kroes said the agreement "will not only help expand the market and tackle piracy, but also give consumers access to more of the music they...
Thu, 22 Oct 09
Bing Will Add Twitter, Facebook Updates To Searches
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69631
Deals between Microsoft's Bing and social-networking giants Twitter and Facebook are the type of non-traditional approach Microsoft needs as it seeks to chip away at Google's big lead in the search market, according to an analyst. "They've been at this for four or five years, and it's good to see them accelerating and adding things that Google doesn't have," said Matt Rosoff, an analyst with Directions on Microsoft.
The deals will add Twitter tweets and Facebook updates into Bing's search results. A Bing blog posting verified the arrangement with Twitter but didn't provide details.
The posting said Microsoft is offering a U.S. beta of Bing Twitter search. The beta allows users to search Twitter feeds on any topic and provides choices to display the results.
Tweets can be viewed as they are posted, full pages of tweets can be displayed, or tweets can be ranked by the number of followers the author has. Entries identical to earlier tweets are ranked lower, according to the blog.
The Facebook deal was announced at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco on Wednesday. A company statement said, "Today we announced that we are working with Microsoft to make status updates that Facebook users choose to make public to 'everyone' on Facebook also available in real time through Bing search. With this partnership between Facebook and Bing, search becomes more relevant and social than ever, giving people the ability to discover what's happening in the world right now. This new functionality will be available early next year."
Rosoff said the concept of integrating social networking into search will help Bing provide more timely information. "Twitter feeds in particular offer a different type of information than is usually available through search engines," he said. "It provides up-to-the-minute sentiment on and information about particular topics. News can...
Thu, 22 Oct 09
IBM-Ubuntu Package Offers Alternative To Windows 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69630
IBM and Canonical have introduced a desktop computing package for enterprise PCs, laptops and low-cost netbooks. Called the IBM Client for Smart Work, the new cloud-based computing platform integrates IBM productivity and collaboration software with Canonical's Ubuntu operating system.
IBM Client for Smart Work will enable companies to use their existing PCs, lower-cost netbooks, and thin clients while saving up to 50 percent per seat on licensing costs compared to using a Microsoft-based desktop, an IBM spokesperson said. What's more, companies can expect hardware savings by not having to upgrade to the requirements for Windows 7.
"If a company is a 'Windows shop,' at some point it will need to evaluate the significant costs of migrating its base to Microsoft's next desktop," said IBM Lotus Software General Manager Bob Picciano. IBM Client for Smart Work "can help them free up PC expenses to use for more strategic collaboration and business transformation projects."
According to Gartner, the cost of migrating to Windows 7 from Windows 2000 or XP can range upward to nearly $2,000 for PC users. Moreover, the hardware requirements for Windows 7 will add significantly to the cost of switching to Microsoft's new OS.
However, a recent analysis of more than 450,000 corporate PCs by Softchoice found that 88 percent support the minimum requirements for Windows 7. So enterprises will need to evaluate which company areas make the best economic sense for IBM Client for Smart Work deployments.
"Instead of positioning the IBM client as a 'drop-in' replacement for the status-quo desktop, IBM is looking to create something better -- focused on usability, openness and security with a path to cloud computing -- in market segments that make sense," said IBM Software Vice President Bob Sutor.
IBM Client for Smart Work offers open-standards-based components such as Canonical's Linux-based Ubuntu platform for...
Thu, 22 Oct 09
Twitter Still Looking for Revenue from 'Information Network'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69629
If Twitter has figured out its long-elusive business model, CEO Evan Williams wasn't spilling the beans at the Web 2.0 Conference in San Francisco on Tuesday.
"It's not like we're spending our days looking in the couch cushions for the elusive revenue model, but obviously we've done a lot of thinking about it," Williams told moderator John Battelle. "I can't tell you exactly what the model is, but it's pretty obvious to you that there may be some advertising that makes sense ... there's a lot of commercial activity on Twitter today, there's a lot of brand marketers who use Twitter today, and it works. We think of Twitter (as) not a social network; it's an information network ... a substantial part of that is commercial and theoretically monetizable information."
Such comments, vague as they are, suggest a two-pronged approach to revenue generation. On the one hand, user-focused advertising in an obvious revenue stream, Greg Sterling, principal analyst with Sterling Market Intelligence, said in a telephone interview. "They could certainly do some unobtrusive advertising on Twitter with strategic placement of ads," he said.
The other prong would be corporate or premium accounts -- considering the vast amount of marketing that goes on in Twitter. "I can imagine analytics or some type of advanced data features. There's probably a range of things they can do there, maybe tie these accounts more broadly to other services," Sterling said. "Certainly, the idea of a premium account has been talked about for some time."
Williams also promoted a new feature, Lists, currently in limited beta, which lets users seek out interesting -- or at least famous -- people to follow. Users can subscribe to lists, while list creators can manage who can follow the list.
The feature is expected to replace the widely despised...
Thu, 22 Oct 09
Barnes & Noble's Nook Offers Color Screen for Browsing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69628
The rumored Barnes & Noble e-book reader is now reality. The bookseller on Tuesday announced its entry into an increasingly crowded market dominated by Amazon's Kindle.
Dubbed nook, the Barnes & Noble e-book reader runs on the Android mobile operating system. It's the first in the industry to offer a color touchscreen for navigation with access to a digital store that offers more than one million e-books, newspapers and magazines.
At no extra cost, nook users can tap into AT&T's 3G wireless mobile broadband network or use Wi-Fi for book browsing. Barnes & Noble is also letting friends share e-books with Lend Me technology available on a selection of e-books.
"We asked our customers what they wanted in an e-book reader, and specifically designed nook to be the most full-featured, fun, stylish and easy-to-use e-book reader on the market," said William Lynch, president of Barnesandnoble.com. "With our nationwide footprint, Barnes & Noble customers can see, touch and hold nook."
About the size and weight of a paperback book, nook is the centerpiece of Barnes & Noble's strategy to deliver any book, any time, anywhere. A minimalist design aims to put the focus on content rather than the technology. The device uses the E Ink Vizplex display, which is designed to be easy on the eyes with text resolution as good as a printed book.
Barnes & Noble is launching what's called Reading Now, a virtual bookmark technology that lets you go back to the last book you've read and the page where you left off -- even on another device. For example, if consumers leave the nook at home, Barnes & Noble's free e-reader software installed on an iPhone, select BlackBerry and Motorola smartphones, and laptops, lets you find your place.
The nook can hold up to 1,500 e-books and other printed content....
Thu, 22 Oct 09
Google Reportedly Building an Audio Music Service
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69627
Google may be bringing its own version of Pandora or iTunes to users. The Internet search giant is reportedly developing a music service called Google Audio, multiple sources have told TechCrunch.
Google has spent the last several weeks getting content for the launch of the service from major music labels, sources said. The new service will be available in the U.S. as either a download or streaming music service. Currently Google offers users a music search engine that can be accessed by typing the word music in the search box. Songs, however, are not available for download via those searches.
Google is remaining tight-lipped about the project. Asked if the reports of a new music service were accurate, Google spokesperson Gabriel Stricker said, "We don't comment on rumor or speculation."
Whatever Google is doing with the rumored music service, whether it is for search-advertising purposes or to bring music to users, analysts say it will succeed. "The minute you put Google in front of anything, you are guaranteed results," said Michael McGuire, a Gartner analyst.
While some observers are guessing Google is developing a service that will stream music like Pandora or a money-generating music store such as iTunes, others say the move would not be in line with Google's core business of search.
"I would find it perplexing if they were taking upon themselves to license content from labels and providing downloads," McGuire said. "The margins are so thin."
It would make more sense for Google to tap into large aggregators of music who already have an audience.
In China, Google users are hearing the music. In March, after seven months of testing, Google launched the Google Music OneBox service found at Google.cn/Music. The service allows users in China to search for digital rights management-free MP3...
Thu, 22 Oct 09
New $199 Bold 9700 Combines BlackBerry Features
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69625
A new BlackBerry with the best features of its brethren has been born. On Wednesday, Research in Motion announced the BlackBerry Bold 9700, which it described as having "cutting-edge engineering and premium finishes."
The new smartphone, available from AT&T and T-Mobile beginning next month, is T-Mobile's first 3G BlackBerry. It is intended to replace the original Bold, now a year old.
Targeted at both businesses and consumers, the 9700 features a next-generation 624-MHz processor, 256MB of flash memory, built-in GPS and Wi-Fi, a full QWERTY keyboard, a 3.2-megapixel camera, and a 2.44-inch, 480x360 display.
Mike Lazaridis, RIM president and CEO, said the 9700 "builds on the success of the original BlackBerry Bold with new, state-of-the-art features and a smaller, lighter and highly optimized design."
Avi Greengart, an analyst for industry research firm Current Analysis, went even further. The 9700, he said, "is the nicest BlackBerry they've ever made."
He added that "it combines the aesthetics of the Bold with the middle-width size of the Curve or of any of a number of other 'holdable' smartphones." Basically, Greengart said, the Bold "has been shrunk down to the Curve size, and there's nothing wrong with that."
In fact, he said, "it combines everything you've seen, in every BlackBerry."
He also praised its range of connectivity options, including 3G, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and, for making calls over Wi-Fi, UMA. Greengart had kind words as well for the suggested retail price of $199, "for what is essentially the high end" of BlackBerry models.
The 9700 also features a media player for music, videos and photos, and music playback is now up to 38 hours. There's support for BlackBerry Desktop Manager for PC and Mac, Media Sync enables syncing Windows Media Player or iTunes music on computers, and a touch-sensitive trackpad replaces the trackball found on earlier BlackBerrys.
A...
Thu, 22 Oct 09
Survey Finds Enterprises Ready To Embrace Windows 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69604
Microsoft is set to release Windows 7 on Thursday. But will enterprises migrate to the latest platform this year? Or will they delay upgrading until they are convinced Microsoft has all the kinks worked out?
According to a new ITIC/Sunbelt Software survey of more than 1,600 companies worldwide, nearly 60 percent will deploy Windows 7 in the near term. Another 30 percent said they will transition to the new Microsoft operating system within the first six months. And 11 percent of the respondents plan to wait for the first service pack to ship.
Windows 7 looks to be in for a warm welcome from enterprises, with 80 percent rating the new operating system as "excellent" or "very good." Specifically, 44 percent of respondents rated the Windows 7 beta and early releases "excellent," while 36 percent called it "very good." Fewer than two percent of the survey respondents rated Windows 7 quality as "poor" or "completely unsatisfactory."
The reviews of Windows 7 are similar to the laudatory comments that greeted Windows XP when it first shipped in October 2001, noted Laura DiDio, principal analyst at ITIC.
"Many of the survey respondents somewhat ruefully opined that Windows 7 is what 'Vista should have been' or that it is 'Vista SP3,'" DiDio explained. "That said, Microsoft needed to convince customers disappointed and dismayed by Vista's incompatibility issues that it could deliver a robust, full-featured desktop OS that has a very high degree of backward compatibility. Windows 7 does exactly that."
At the same time, she said, Microsoft recognizes that no operating system will deliver 100 percent compatibility. Rather, Microsoft is striving for better than 90 percent out-of-the-box compatibility -- and it hasn't left compatibility to chance. The company has adopted a series of initiatives that aim to deliver application compatibility and an easier migration experience....
Thu, 22 Oct 09
Handicapping Dell's Smartphone Bid
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69589
Now that Dell is signaling its intention to vault into the smartphone market, industry watchers are asking whether the company can make a serious run. Don't bet on it.
In August, Dell announced plans to release a smartphone in China. In early October, it hinted at plans to enter the U.S. smartphone market, without going into detail.
Dell is nothing if not conservative, and it continues to waffle about exactly what it has planned. The company appears to have chosen to enter the smartphone market in as low-risk way as possible, partnering with established industry giants AT&T and Google. But it won't say when its products will arrive or how they'll work. Part of the reason for this tentative stance is that the stakes are extremely high.
Dell was once a formidable rival to other PC makers, and a Wall Street darling, thanks to its ability to produce more cheaply, and sell more plentifully, than competitors. Now it has fallen from its perch.
When PC industry growth shifted from business desktops to notebooks sold to consumers, Dell was out of its element. It had trouble managing the notebook supply chain and making the kind of smartly designed machines consumers wanted. The company has taken steps to remedy those ills in recent years. Its computer designs now rival even those of Hewlett-Packard, the industry leader in consumer notebooks.
But it's still playing catchup in the handheld computer market. It might be asking too much for a company known for making boring business PCs to leap to the front of the pack in the smartphone market. Dell may not have the DNA for this kind of reinvention.
A few years ago, mobile computing pretty much meant carrying a notebook computer. Then, Research In Motion put the office in our pockets with its...
Thu, 22 Oct 09
Home Entertainment Goes Wireless
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69588
Wouldn't you love to get rid of the rat's nest of cables connecting the pieces of your home entertainment system -- and cut the hassle of hooking up new audio-video components? Engineers and consumers alike have dreamed of that possibility for years, but a handful of serious efforts up until now to devise wireless consumer electronics schemes have foundered on technical shortcomings and divisive standards battles.
Now a venture capital-backed Israeli startup, Amimon, is driving the latest attempt at a cord-free home entertainment standard -- and this time it looks more likely to fly. The chipmaker's Wireless Home Digital Interface technology, or WHDI, was co-developed with a who's who of consumer electronics companies, including Hitachi, LG Electronics, Motorola, Samsung, Sharp, and Sony. The first TVs and laptops to use it should start appearing on store shelves in early 2010.
Eventually, WHDI could show up in everything from Blu-ray DVD players, set-top boxes, and gaming consoles to video projectors, camcorders, and portable audio players. Amimon expects the technology to add $20 to $40 to the cost of an electronic device at first, with prices falling rapidly as volumes increase.
What sets Amimon's WHDI apart from previous wireless A/V proposals is its speed and quality. Earlier efforts, such as the attempted WiMedia standard that built on Ultra-wideband [UWB] technology, streamed video in compressed form, which resulted in signal latency and a loss of clarity. WHDI is the first that sends digital video -- including high-definition [HD] programming -- flying around the house uncompressed at data rates of up to 3 gigabits per second. That means there's no time lag and the images are crystal clear. The radio waves can pass through walls and have a range of about 100 feet [30.5 meters].
Founded in 2004, Amimon is led by Yoav Nissan Cohen, a...
Thu, 22 Oct 09
Web-Based E-Mail: Businesses Beware
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69568
Amid a tough economy, free or low-cost Web-based e-mail services such as Google's Gmail or Google Apps, Microsoft's Hotmail, and Yahoo! mail are hugely popular, not just with consumers but also with small businesses. Microsoft, for instance, operates a free service called Office Live Small Business that boasts 2.5 million customers. But while convenient and low-cost, these services also carry a lot of risks that heavy e-mail users, especially small businesses, should consider carefully before signing up.
One person who wishes he hadn't dived in with his eyes closed is Rom Mettesich. Four months ago the retired telecom engineer came up with what he thought was a great idea to save Avant Construction, a Punte Gorda [Fla.] general contracting firm run by his wife, Frinee, a few hundred dollars a year. The company has been pummeled by the downturn in the real estate and construction industries. Mettesich decided to move the Web site and employee e-mail accounts off Avant's old Internet service and onto Microsoft Office Live Small Business. But there was a snafu when Mettesich tried to create e-mail addresses for the company's 19 employees that would be identical to the ones they had with the prior service. He tried to correct the problem by deleting the accounts and starting over. But when he re-entered the addresses, he ran into problems. "The service told me the address I wanted to create was already in use, but I had just deleted it," he says.
The glitch proved to be more than just an annoyance. E-mails to Avant Construction's staff -- including messages containing leads for badly needed new business -- were bouncing back to senders as if the addresses didn't exist. Mettesich contacted Microsoft tech support via e-mail but was told there was no way around the problem. A Microsoft...
Thu, 22 Oct 09
Report: NKorea Hackers Steal SKorea Toxic Secrets
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69566
A North Korea cyber warfare unit hacked into a South Korean military command earlier this year and stole some 2,000 national secrets, including information on toxic chemical makers, a news report said Saturday.
The North Korean unit hacked the army command in March and obtained its password for a database on how to respond to chemical accidents, Chosun Ilbo newspaper reported.
The report said the National Institute of Environmental Research, which set up the database, cut off its Internet link to the army command a day after the attack after being tipped off by South Korea's spy agency.
The state-run research agency said some 2,000 secrets, including information on about 700 local toxic chemical manufacturers, appeared to have been leaked, according to the newspaper.
The newspaper cited the November edition of its sister company's magazine, Monthly Chosun, noting the magazine obtained the information from the prime minister's office.
South Korea's spy agency, the National Intelligence Service, declined to comment, citing national security reasons. Calls to the prime minister's office, the Defense Ministry and the National Institute of Environmental Research seeking comment went unanswered Saturday.
A separate news report said the password was leaked when an army colonel's computer became infected with a virus while visiting an Internet portal site. The Yonhap news agency, citing an unidentified military official, said the South does not rule out the possibility of North Korea's involvement in the hacking attack.
South Korea's Defense Ministry said in May it was aware that the North has been training hackers in recent years.
North Korea, one of the world's most secretive countries, is believed to have a keen interest in information technology, while tightly controlling access for ordinary citizens.
Thu, 22 Oct 09
How To Avoid the Scourge of Spam
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69563
Spend much time online and you're likely to come across offers for quality watches at unbeatable prices, tempting offers from lively young ladies or various notes in Chinese that probably aren't worth the effort to translate.
More likely than not, they're all spam, or unsolicited e-mails, one of the Internet's biggest nuisances. It's not uncommon for a person to return from vacation and find his email box 90 percent full with these messages.
Nevertheless, there are some practical steps that can be taken to minimize the volume of spam.
"More than 95 percent of daily global mail traffic is spam," says Sven Karge, an expert with Eco, a German industry association. He recently organized the seventh German anti-spam summit. Thanks to efforts by people like him, only a fraction of the spam messages sent ever find their way into people's inboxes.
"But, in most cases, that's still enough to annoy," he said.
BITKOM, another German industry association, recently commissioned a study which showed that 67 percent of German email users receive at least one spam message a day. Almost a quarter -- 24 percent -- reported receiving more than five daily.
Not only does deleting the spam take up valuable time, accidentally opening one of these messages can provide a pathway for dangerous software onto your computer. But what to do about these most troublesome pests of the modern age?
"The most practical tip is to not circulate your email address online any more than necessary," says Jo Bager from c't, a German computer magazine. For example, a lot of people don't realize that their email address is on display for the world to see every time they sign up to an online community.
"A lot of these communities offer individualized data security settings," reports BITKOM. For example, users can dictate that only friends can see their address.
Without...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
Windows 7 Built Under Microsoft's Secure-Code Effort
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69603
Microsoft's Windows 7 will include several security upgrades over Vista and XP, but it's too early to say how dramatic the improvements will be, according to analysts. Andrew Storms, director of security operations of nCircle Network Security, said three specific items are expected in the new operating system due to be released Thursday.
Storms said Microsoft took a "big hit" when it loaded Vista with intrusive prompts asking people if they intended to perform a requested action. "In Windows 7 they are giving the user more fine controls over that," he said. "That makes it a little less annoying."
The second upgrade in Windows 7 is the capability of encrypting at the USB and FOB drive level. When Vista was designed, the amount of data that these portable drives could hold was comparatively small. That, of course, has changed and Microsoft will enable these drives to be more safely used.
The third advance focuses on mobile devices. In earlier versions of Windows, Storms said, fingerprint reading capability for notebooks was added through vendor software. In Windows 7, he said, it is integrated into the OS and looks "like another device."
Storms also pointed to two general changes. In Vista, two important security features were introduced into the OS kernel: Data randomization and data execution prevention. Functionality has been added around these features in Windows 7, he said.
Finally, he pointed out that Windows 7 is the first of a new breed of products from Microsoft. "They live and breathe by the new security life cycle management program," he said. "Windows 7 is the first release that is built from the ground up using the new system." He said the program focuses on writing secure code.
However, Storms said the significance of the upgrades is hard to assess before the OS is released. "The...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
A Flurry of Lobbying on Net-Neutrality Proposals
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69602
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski is being bombarded this week with letters from all sides over his Net-neutrality proposals. The FCC is closing public comments on the chairman's proposals for new rules that would limit the abilities of Internet service providers and wireless providers to discriminate against certain uses on their networks.
On Monday, a coalition of Silicon Valley executives sent a letter to Genachowski applauding his proposals and praising the virtues of the open Internet. The letter -- signed by Google CEO Eric Schmidt, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Craigslist founder Craig Newmark, IAC Chairman Barry Diller, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg, and about a dozen other company heads -- followed a more detailed letter by Internet luminaries led by Vint Cerf, who is currently on staff with Google.
Meanwhile, AT&T executives called on employees to participate in the debate by posting comments on the FCC's blog. With all that back and forth, "It's really hard to tell how this will flush out," said Tim Bajarin, principal strategist with Creative Strategies. "The telecoms have the strongest lobbyists in the industry. The telecom concerns will be heard. With AT&T urging its employees to do this viral communication, that story will be heard."
Ultimately, this week will not provide final answers but only better-honed questions, Bajarin added. "They'll probably bring more key questions to the table and fine-tune the arguments. Nothing will be decided this week."
The technology leaders said the industry has "been able to develop new online products and services with the guarantee of neutral, non-discriminatory access by users, which has fueled an unprecedented era of economic growth and creativity."
"An open Internet fuels a competitive and efficient marketplace, where consumers make the ultimate choices about which products succeed and which fail. This allows businesses of all sizes, from the...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
With XP Dying, Businesses Should Prepare for Windows 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69601
Microsoft's launch of Windows 7 on Thursday promises to have a far bigger impact on the enterprise space than the software giant's release of Vista, according to industry observers. The good news for Microsoft this time around is that businesses have far more incentive to upgrade.
"Windows XP won't be around forever, and the anticipation for commercial adoption of Windows 7 is reaching a boiling point," notes Forrester Research Senior Analyst Benjamin Gray in a new report. However, application compatibility testing and remediation can take up to 18 months for global organizations that support thousands of applications worldwide, which is why "IT professionals should start preparing for it now," Gray said.
Recent surveys indicate that the majority of businesses are still running Windows XP, which has been around since the beginning of the decade. A new Forrester survey shows that Windows XP still powers almost 80 percent of all commercial PCs.
However, Microsoft's support for XP service pack 3 will no longer be available free after July 2010. What's more, the extended support phase of both Windows XP SP2 and SP3 "will end on April 8, 2014, and new security updates and patches will no longer be released," Gray said.
The Forrester analyst is advising IT departments to either begin or accelerate application-compatibility testing with the Windows 7 RTM code. They also should plan to roll out Windows 7 in small batches on new hardware initially, Gray said.
The good news is that Softchoice recently conducted an analysis of more than 450,000 corporate PCs in which it found that 88 percent support the minimum system requirements for Windows 7. Moreover, 65 percent of corporate computers will be able to run Windows 7 in its optimal configuration, the technology-services provider noted, whereas only six percent of corporate computers were capable of running Windows Vista...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
New Mac Hardware Follows Record Apple Earnings
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69600
After announcing record-breaking earnings for the third quarter, Apple is looking for a repeat performance with a slew of hardware products: A new iMac line, a lighter MacBook, a Mac mini, and a Magic Mouse.
First up, a new MacBook with a polycarbonate unibody design that makes the laptop lighter and more durable. It features a non-skid bottom, weighs just shy of five pounds, and features an LED-backlit display with the same wide-angle viewing technology used in the MacBook Pro line.
The new MacBook comes with a 2.26-GHz Intel Core 2 Duo processor, 2GB RAM, a 250GB hard drive, and Nvidia GeForce 9400M integrated graphics. Apple is marketing the new laptop as ideal for students and new Mac users. The price is $999.
"Apple is taking some MacBook Pro features and moving them down market," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. "It's not unusual to see companies sell premium features at a premium until they reach a certain level of maturity, then start using those features or technologies to pump up the quality of lower-end products and also raise the prices of those lower-end products."
Apple also unveiled an all-new iMac line featuring LED-backlit 21.5- and 27-inch widescreen displays in an edge-to-edge glass design and an all-aluminum enclosure. Starting at $1,200, the new line boasts Intel Core 2 Duo processors and Core i5 and i7 quad-core processors for up to twice the performance of older models.
"The iMac is widely praised as the best desktop computer in the world, and today we are making it even better," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing. "With brilliant LED displays and the revolutionary Magic Mouse, the new iMac delivers an amazing desktop experience that we think customers will love."
The 27-inch iMac features a 2560-by-1440-pixel display that offers...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
Barnes & Noble Steals Kindle's Spotlight with Nook
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69597
Book retailer Barnes & Noble is taking the spotlight away from online competitor Amazon.com. Photos and details of Barnes & Noble's electronic book reader, dubbed Nook, surfaced Tuesday, just one day after Amazon made the new international version of its Kindle e-reader available.
The new e-book reader, priced at $259, features touchscreen controls and a white and gray display, according to an ad from Barnes & Noble to be featured in The New York Times Book Review on Oct. 25. The Nook will give users access to more than one million electronic books, magazines and newspapers, according to the ad released to publishers on Monday.
The market for connected and Wi-Fi e-readers is a growing opportunity for big players such as Amazon, Sony and Barnes & Noble and the smaller players, including Astak, Interead and iRex Technologies. Along with price, how vast the catalog is will be factored into consumers' decisions on which device to buy, according to ABI Research analyst Jeff Orr.
"Certainly, this means more choice and more access to content (for consumers)," Orr said.
Barnes & Noble' Nook will compete directly with Amazon's Kindle, which currently leads the market, and Sony's Reader, along with some of the newer e-readers. Consumers in the U.S. will be able to choose from the Kindle, which is now also priced at $259, down from $299, the Nook, and the Reader, priced at $279.
The crowded market has had enough impact on the Kindle that Amazon has had two price cuts, bringing the cost of the Kindle down $100.
Analysts said there is still a lot of mystery around the Kindle and how well it is doing because Amazon doesn't publish any numbers on its sales.
"Amazon, as a channel, will remain such, but there will be other sources from which...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
Sidekick Data Restoration Has Started, Microsoft Says
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69594
Like a character you thought was dead and gone, at least some lost Sidekick data is coming back. That's the news from Microsoft, which said Tuesday that it has begun restoring personal information that it had earlier said was accidentally lost during a service outage.
In a statement, the Microsoft/Danger team said it was "now ready to make the first phase of content restoration," beginning with personal contacts.
Sidekick users can log into the My T-Mobile web site and use a recovery tool to restore contacts. The tool allows users to view contacts on the device as of the first of this month, and, with "a few clicks and a confirmation," the contacts can be restored.
For users who have already re-created the contacts, the tool allows keeping both sets, merging them, or just keeping the set now on the device. A user can also edit any duplicates after data has been restored.
The statement said the team continues "to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week to restore your data," and that it was "making solid progress on the next phase" of restoration, which includes photographs, notes, to-do lists, marketplace data, and high scores.
Earlier this month, Microsoft and T-Mobile announced that Danger, a Microsoft subsidiary, experienced a "data service disruption" that erased all Sidekick users' contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists, and photos. The Sidekick smartphone features social connectivity, so the personal data is essential to many users.
T-Mobile had said it would send a $100 "customer appreciation card" to customers who experienced significant loss. The card, which can be used toward products and services from T-Mobile, was in addition to a free month of data service that had already been offered. The card was available if there was a permanent loss of data, so, as data...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
Sun Acquisition Foes Fear Oracle Will Stifle MySQL
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69583
Oracle is seeing fierce opposition from the European Union against its proposed Sun Microsystems acquisition. Technology and consumer groups alike are pushing the European Commission to block the deal for one reason: MySQL.
Sun owns MySQL, and opponents are concerned that Oracle's ownership of the open-source database will stifle competition.
The EC is investigating Oracle's planned $7 billion Sun acquisition and is expected to announce a decision to approve or deny the deal by Nov. 19. The commission has expressed concerns about Oracle's acquisition affecting competition in the database market, and it has supporters in the private sector.
"If Oracle is allowed to acquire MySQL, it will predictably limit the development of the functionality and performance of the MySQL software platform, leading to profound harm to those who use MySQL software to power applications," wrote the Open Rights Group, Knowledge Ecology International, and software developer Richard Stallman in an Oct. 19 letter to Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.
As these foes see it, while Oracle's database is the dominant player for the old database market, MySQL is the dominant player in emerging markets. Oracle competes primarily with IBM and Microsoft in the enterprise market.
"Defenders of the Oracle acquisition of its competitor naively say Oracle cannot harm MySQL, because a free version of the software is available to anyone under GNU GPL version 2.0, and if Oracle is not a good host for the GPL version of the code, future development will be taken up by other businesses and individual programmers, who could freely and easily 'fork' the GPL'd code into a new platform," they wrote.
The concern is that Oracle will put MySQL on the back seat to protect its proprietary database interests. Oracle CEO Larry Ellison recently said Oracle will not spin off MySQL after the merger. The authors of the letter...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
A Chip for the Gap: CULV Devices Rival Netbooks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69562
Netbooks are selling like hotcakes. They're small, mobile, and with prices ranging from $350 to $450, they're not expensive either. It used to be that laptops at that price were probably underpowered, discontinued, or both. To fill the gap between cheap netbooks and bigger, better performing notebooks, manufacturers are now pushing a new class of devices: laptops with so-called ULV or CULV processors.
ULV stands for Ultra Low Voltage. The processors work with a truly low voltage, meaning that they consume less power than laptops packing a dual core processor. The ULV chips also work at lower temperatures, explains chipmaker Intel from its Munich offices.
Less cooling is required for the processors, which translates into smaller or silent passive fans and ultimately into less power consumption by the computer. It also means that less space is required within the case. This allows much of the computer's thickness to be eliminated, earning them the moniker "ultra thins."
From a technical standpoint, ULV processors are nothing new. They've been around for a while, says Thomas Rau from Munich-based PC Welt magazine. "Until recently they were almost always built into sub-notebooks for business users," Rau says. Those machines, built for the needs of frequent travelers, are relatively expensive. They cost $1,500 or more.
The current hunger for netbooks has shown on the one hand that consumers are interested in affordable mobile computers with long battery lives, even if they are less powerful than a PC. On the other hand is the lingering dissatisfaction on the part of netbook owners with their devices. That was the findings of a survey by US market researchers NPD. Among 600 users surveyed, only 58 per cent of them expressed satisfaction with their netbook.
All of which explains the rise of a new laptop class priced similarly to netbooks at $600 to $800....
Wed, 21 Oct 09
Customize Your Windows 7 Installation
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69561
If you'll be among the millions to get Windows 7 when it's released later this month, you'll no doubt want to get started right away with making the new operating system feel like your own.
That means learning how to customize how Windows 7 looks, feels, and operates. Luckily, Microsoft has made Windows 7 more customizable than any previous version of Windows. Here's how to get started.
Open the Windows 7 Start menu, and type the word "adjust." Up will pop pointers to several areas of the operating system in which you can adjust how Windows performs and appears.
Start by clicking "Adjust the appearance and performance of Windows." Doing so opens the Performance Options dialog box, where you can make some almost magical adjustments that will make Windows 7 feel a lot faster.
On the Visual Effects tab of the Performance Options dialog box, you have two options. You can select one of the performance presets by clicking the appropriate radio button -- either "Adjust for best appearance" or "Adjust for best performance." Or you can use the check boxes below these option buttons to make your own customizations, feature by feature.
The latter option is the one that gives you the most control, so start there. Remove the check mark next to any entry that refers to "animation," "fading," or "sliding" of windows, tool tips, or menus. While these visual effects may initially seem cool, ultimately they're just time-wasters, and turning them off will make Windows 7 feel as zippy -- or zippier -- than Windows XP on identical hardware.
You enable or disable other features in this dialog box to taste. If you're running a reasonably new machine, it probably doesn't hurt to leave Aero Peek or the "transparent glass" features enabled. They are, after all, what helps to gives Windows 7...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
For Online Bargains, Working Together Yields Deals
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69558
From karaoke to kickball, some things just don't work without a group of people. A startup wants to add one more to that list: Online bargain hunting.
Groupon, whose name combines "group" and "coupon," offers daily deals on products and services, such as tailored shirts, meals at restaurants and paintball games. There is a catch: A certain number of people in a given city must sign up for the deal to go through.
So far, Groupon is succeeding where others have failed. In less than a year, its group-buying business has turned a profit and is expected to be available in more than two dozen cities by the end of the year.
Groupon began in late 2008, growing out of a startup called The Point that lets people organize groups around raising money or taking action on an issue once they reach a certain target -- such as a dollar amount or a number of members. For instance, a band raised $1,000 to go on tour and group of nearly 300 people formed to urge a cosmetics company to stop testing on animals.
Andrew Mason, The Point's 28-year-old founder, noticed that people were using the site to gather groups to get better deals on things such as magazine subscriptions. He decided to find a way to turn that into a business.
Mason, a former University of Chicago graduate student who dropped out to run The Point, knew he was hardly the first to roll out an online group-buying service. Several companies -- including one called Mercata, which was backed by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen -- failed during the dot-com boom.
Mercata had offered name-brand consumer products such as DVD players and power tools. Mason bet that by mostly focusing on local deals, and especially on discounts for activities and services, Groupon could prosper. He also figured...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
Wal-Mart and Amazon.com Trade Price Cuts on Books
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69556
Taking a page from its original playbook, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. launched a full-fledged price war with Amazon.com Inc. and a nation of book retailers, lowering online prices on certain highly anticipated hardback titles to $9.
The volley of discounts, which began Thursday when the retailer listed prices for some upcoming hardcover releases such as Dean Koontz' "Breathless" and Stephen King's "Under the Dome" at $10, was answered with a similar price cut by Amazon, the largest online bookseller. Then the two competitors lowered the prices even further to $9.
The book discounts, the latest in a series of aggressive online maneuvers by the world's largest retailer, could position the company to do to the online marketplace what Walmart stores did to local merchants decades ago.
"While it's the largest retailer in the United States, it's not the dominant online retailer in the United States," said Albert Greco, professor of marketing at New York City's Fordham University. "And this appears to be an attempt to increase its position in the online space."
The price war also is foreboding news to the large chain bookstores Borders Group Inc. and Barnes & Noble Inc., which have been squeezed by Amazon.com's discounting and a decline in their music business.
In the past seven weeks, Bentonville, Ark.-based Wal-Mart has racheted up the competition in several retail arenas, beginning with an Amazon.com-like announcement in late August that it would allow outside retailers to sell nearly 1 million items -- from baby products to sports memorabilia -- through its Walmart.com site.
Next came news that the low-price specialist would fill 90-day supplies of some 300 generic prescriptions by mail for as little as $10 and was launching its own cell phone plan.
And just this week, the company said it would begin selling health and beauty products online.
But it was the announcement about books...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
RIM's Vastly Improved BlackBerry Storm
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69542
Over the past few weeks, I have used about a dozen smartphones. The experience has convinced me that touchscreens will soon be the main way we control phones -- and that the days of miniature keyboards may well be numbered. This would seem to be bad news for Research In Motion. Even though its keyboard-centric BlackBerrys have gained market share in the face of Apple's iPhone onslaught, those little keys feel very last year. RIM is now demonstrating that it has the problem licked.
The company introduced its first touch model, the Storm, about a year ago, earning strong sales but mixed reviews. (I liked it a lot better than most.) Now, RIM is back with a vastly improved Storm 2, available from Verizon Wireless and Vodafone later this fall.
The Storm 2 appears almost identical to its predecessor. It's a bit shorter and thicker than an iPhone, with a slightly smaller display. The biggest change is in the touch mechanism. The original Storm used a microswitch under the center of the display to activate an onscreen selection -- pressing a key on the virtual keyboard, launching an app, or going to a Web link. The Storm 2 replaces the switch with sensors at the display's corners. When you tap for an action, you get a tactile click so convincing you will swear the glass has moved, though it hasn't.
This small change produces a huge difference in usability. When typing on the original, you had to lift your finger to release the switch before you could press the next key, which had a nasty effect on the rhythm of typing. The new keyboard feels much more natural, and I found that both my speed and accuracy improved significantly. In addition, the display is now completely sealed around the edges,...
Wed, 21 Oct 09
Android's Spread Could Become a Problem
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69530
For the mobile-phone software Android, popularity may carry a high price tag. The operating system created by a Google-led consortium is being adopted by a growing number of mobile-phone manufacturers and wireless service providers.
Yet as Android is woven into more phones, developing add-on tools and games and other software-based features for it may become more difficult. "We are very careful about not splintering the code," says Eric Heiser, director of business development at Kyocera Communications, one of the manufacturers that plans to build Android into devices next year. "That's definitely a concern, that's something Google has been talking about every day." What's more, the widening variety of Android devices could have the unintended consequence of confusing consumers and diluting its brand appeal.
Manufacturers, carriers, and developers have grown more concerned about the prospects for Android amid news that the operating system is being adopted by a who's who of wireless players. Motorola, Samsung, Verizon Wireless, and Sprint Nextel are just some of the companies that have recently become big supporters, joining the ranks of early adopters HTC and T-Mobile USA, owned by Deutsche Telekom. PC giant Dell and Sony Ericsson are working on devices based on the operating system.
As many as 20 phones based on Android are likely to be released this year, and Gartner analyst Ken Dulaney expects to see 40 more devices in 2010. "There's a lot of horsepower behind it," he says. Android's share of the mobile operating system market is expected to skyrocket to 14.5 percent in early 2012 from 1.6 percent in the first quarter, he estimates. That would make Android the world's second-most popular mobile operating system, behind the current leader Symbian.
The more wireless service providers behind Android, the greater the likelihood of one-upmanship. Carriers and handset makers are already competing...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
Virgin America and Google Offer Wi-Fi for the Holidays
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69581
Virgin America and Google are wasting no time in offering recession-stricken passengers a little something for the holidays: The companies are teaming up to give passengers free Wi-Fi.
Since May, Virgin America has offered Wi-Fi access on its fleet of airplanes, but for a fee. "Virgin America was the first airline to offer travelers Wi-Fi on every flight, as well as power outlets at every seat," said Abby Lunardini, corporate communications director at Virgin America.
Now the airline is giving travelers who fly with Virgin from Nov. 10 to Jan. 15 free access to its Gogo Inflight Wi-Fi service. Virgin America executives hope the free offering will generate more business by allowing passengers to have a free run at the service.
Heavily marketing its Wi-Fi service during the holidays is also a way to generate business from new passengers who want to utilize Wi-Fi in the sky.
A recent survey of Virgin America frequent fliers showed that more than half of respondents said the availability of Wi-Fi would influence their choice of airline.
Providing Wi-Fi service is also a way to give back to its passengers during the holiday season by enabling them to keep in touch with family via e-mail and social-networking services, complete online shopping, and use the service for other personal and business needs.
"And as two California companies known for connecting people in new ways, we thought it was a perfect fit to team up with Google to give holiday travelers the gift of staying in touch with family and friends wherever they go -- even at 35,000 feet," Lunardini said.
"As millions of people pass through airports this holiday season in order to celebrate with their families, we wanted to give our users a gift -- one that makes their travel easier and more convenient," said...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
Verizon's First Android Goes After Apple iPhone iDon'ts
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69580
An Android is targeting Apple's iPhone. Verizon Wireless has begun running ads comparing the iPhone to its upcoming Droid, a Motorola-made phone based on Google's Android 2.0 open-source operating system.
"iDon't have a real keyboard," the ad says, touting other "iDon't" feature shortcomings of the iPhone. The ad, which ran on TV this past weekend, ends with what may be the Droid's tagline: "Everything iDon't ... Droid Does."
The Droid, the first Android device from Verizon, is expected to be released at the end of this month. Although specifications haven't been announced, a minimalist Droid page on the Verizon Web site indicates the new device will have a five-megapixel camera, speech recognition, video, multitasking and high resolution. In addition, Flash is supported by Android 2.0, and is not currently available for the iPhone.
By implication through the iDon'ts, the new Verizon phone may also have a real keyboard, take night shots, allow customization, use interchangeable batteries, and allow simultaneous running of applications and multitasking.
While images and prices haven't been released, photos that purport to be the Droid have appeared on several technology sites. Boy Genius Report, for instance, said it has used one. It described the Droid as "easily the most impressive" Android device yet, calling it "the most impressive phone we've used since the iPhone."
Verizon has said it will launch various Android-based feature phones, PDAs, notebooks and specialty devices in the near future as part of a partnership with Google. At least two of the phones are scheduled before Christmas.
As Verizon creates products and ads for Google's open-source OS, the companies are showing new affection for each other. After Google pushed for open-access requirements for new bandwidth that the Federal Communications Commission auctioned last year, Verizon won the bid and began showing new enthusiasm for the...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
QUE E-Reader Will Be Aimed at Business Readers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69579
On Monday, Plastic Logic announced plans to unveil an e-book reader aimed at business professionals at the Consumer Electronics Show next January. The QUE won't make it to store shelves in time for the holiday shopping season, but Plastic Logic is betting it will make some noise in the first quarter.
Plastic Logic is positioning the QUE as a "proreader" designed for business professionals. In doing so, the company is hoping to expand the e-reader category from a leisure-reading device to a business-oriented device.
Plastic Logic said QUE is designed to streamline the modern businessperson's varied lifestyle and to literally lighten the workload. The device will connect users with business and professional newspapers, books and periodicals, as well as support the document formats that business users need, such as PDF, Word, PowerPoint and Excel. The device also offers tools for interacting with and managing the content.
"The QUE brand stands for a premium reading experience," said Richard Archuleta, CEO of Plastic Logic. "The QUE proreader enhances business performance and gives you a competitive edge. More than an e-reader, QUE means business."
QUE comes with a shatterproof plastic display and the battery can last days. It's the size of an 8.5x11-inch pad of paper, less than one-third inch thick, and weighs less than many magazines. The proreader has a touchscreen and access to a file cabinet's worth of documents.
QUE users will be able to connect to content and download wirelessly via Wi-Fi and AT&T's 3G network. Plastic Logic promises its store will offer the most significant collection of business reading available on any e-reader. The QUE store is powered by Barnes & Noble.
"The e-reader space hasn't heated up like this for more than a decade. There will definitely be a few winners, but most likely there are going...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
Tight IT Budgets Will Challenge CIOs, Boost Failure Rates
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69578
With IT budgets on pace to decline more than five percent this year, IT departments have been delaying purchases of servers, PCs and printers, and this trend is likely to continue into 2010, according to Gartner. However, enterprises that pinch their IT dollars may end up paying a price over the long haul due to increased failure rates.
About one million servers already have had their replacements delayed by a year, which amounts to three percent of the global installed base, noted Gartner Senior Vice President Peter Sondergaard. And by next year, this number is expected to exceed two million servers worldwide.
Organizations must start to assess the impact of increased equipment failure rates and determine whether their current financial write-off periods are still appropriate, Sondergaard advised. "If replacement cycles do not change, almost 10 percent of the server installed base will be beyond scheduled replacement by 2011," and "that will impact enterprise risk," he said.
Gartner forecasts that IT spending will rise 3.3 percent year over year to $3.3 trillion in 2010. However, Sondergaard cautioned IT leaders attending this week's Gartner Symposium/ITxpo in Orlando, Fla., not to be overly optimistic. "While the IT industry will return to growth in 2010, the market will not recover to 2008 revenue levels before 2012," Sondergaard said.
Next year will be all about balancing the focus on cost, risk and growth, Sondergaard said. "For more than 50 percent of CIOs, the IT budget will be zero percent or less in growth terms," and this "will only slowly improve in 2011," he said.
As a result, Sondergaard said many IT departments will need to learn how to make compelling business cases for IT spending proposals by demonstrating "true line of sight to business objectives" for every investment decision. "IT leaders can no longer look at IT...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
First Android E-Reader Has Dual Screens, Hyperlinks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69576
On Monday, Spring Design announced the first e-reader based on Google's Android operating system. Dubbed Alex, the device features full browser capabilities and a patented dual-screen interaction technology called Duet Navigator.
Alex aims to bring content to life with multimedia links that let users interact with other online materials as they read, opening the door to a potential industry for secondary publications, audio and video that augment the original text. Users can also create their own images and notes and capture them or just grab relevant content with Link Notes, the device's multimedia authoring tool.
"This is the start of a whole new experience of reading content on e-books, potentially igniting a whole new industry in multimedia e-book publishing for secondary authors to create supplementary content that is hyperlinked to the text," said Dr. Priscilla Lu, CEO of Spring Design. "This gives readers the ability to fully leverage the resources on the web, and the tools available in search engines to augment the reading experience."
Alex features a six-inch E Ink EPD display and a 3.5-inch color LCD display, earphones and speakers. The device also comes equipped with a removable SD card to free up space and give users room to archive content. Spring Design customized the Android OS to support integration between the color and monochrome displays while preserving battery life.
Spring Design patented its dual-screen device with what the company calls "touch and extend" capabilities in 2007. With the browser, users can capture and cache Web content and toggle to view it on the screen without taxing battery life. Users can also bookmark content, see a history, and customize built-in security settings.
The device taps into full Internet browsing over Wi-Fi or mobile networks such as 3G, EVDO/CDMA and GSM. Spring Design is currently enlisting major content...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
Technology Giants Support FCC Net-Neutrality Rules
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69571
Executives from Google, Twitter, Amazon.com and several other giant technology businesses have joined to support an open Internet. Twenty-four executives signed a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski.
The letter was a response to a slew of letters received by the FCC opposing the proposed rules, which would stop Internet service providers from charging more money for certain types of Internet traffic and discriminating against certain Internet users. Letters from 72 House Democrats have warned the FCC about the negative consequences that government involvement might have on network investments.
For the past four years, the FCC has followed Net-neutrality principles. Last month, however, Genachowski announced a plan to make those principles rules.
The FCC is expected to release additional information on the Net-neutrality debate during its meeting Thursday where it will take a vote on issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which is the first step it must make in the process.
At the core of the controversy are proposed rules that would guarantee Internet users access to any Web site and any online service they choose. Cable and phone companies, for example, would not be allowed to block users from using less-expensive Internet calling services or block competing video Web sites.
"For most of the Internet's history, FCC rules have ensured that consumers have been able to choose the content and services they want over their Internet connections," said the technology giants' letter, made available by The Wall Street Journal. "Entrepreneurs, technologies and venture capitalists have previously been able to develop new online products and services with the guarantee of neutral, non-discriminatory access by users, which has fueled an unprecedented era of economic growth and creativity."
The letter adds that America's leadership in technology has been due, in large part, to an open Internet. The...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
AMD Sales Better Than Expected, CPU Demand Rises
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69548
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. lost money in the third quarter but said Thursday that sales were stronger than expected, adding to mounting evidence that consumer spending is fueling a turnaround in the personal computer market.
AMD sells about 20 percent of the world's computer microprocessors, which are the brains inside PCs. Although AMD was hurt by weak consumer and business spending on computers in the first half of the year, the chipmaker said shipments rose from the previous quarter thanks to strong demand for processors used in laptop computers.
That's in line with what PC industry researchers reported earlier this week.
The recession has squelched consumer demand for high-end PCs, but they continued to snap up inexpensive laptops and tiny "netbooks" in the third quarter. That pushed PC shipments into positive territory for the first time this year, according to IDC and Gartner Inc.
AMD and analysts also reported demand in China bolstered results in the quarter.
Businesses, however, aren't expected to replace old computers until sometime next year. In a conference call, AMD CEO Dirk Meyer said executives that make technology-buying decisions are more positive about spending in 2010, and some may even start buying again this year.
"Clearly, the wallets are starting to free up," Meyer said.
It's not possible to tell from AMD's report whether PC makers were stocking up on chips to replenish low supplies, or because the computer makers expect to see a boom in sales through the holiday season. Microsoft Corp.'s next operating system, Windows 7, goes on sale next week, but Meyer said the company did not see signs that consumers had held off buying PCs in anticipation.
AMD's larger competitor, Intel Corp., has been more optimistic than AMD in predicting a 2009 turnaround for the PC industry since spring. The chipmaker said earlier this week that the year will end...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
IBM Sees Better Profit Despite Tech Sales Slump
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69545
IBM Corp. is a rare example of a company that has kept boosting profit even as the recession has sapped its sales.
The ability comes from IBM's transformation from a hardware company on the brink of collapse in the 1990s to a one-stop technology shop that rivals are trying to emulate.
IBM now focuses on outsourcing and other services that save clients money are more profitable than selling hardware. A flurry of recent acquisitions from Hewlett-Packard Co., Dell Inc., Xerox Corp. and Oracle Corp. have thrust those companies deeper into IBM's turf.
IBM's latest results, reported Thursday, show why its business model might be attractive to rivals.
Revenue dropped 7 percent in the July-September quarter, but profit jumped 14 percent and IBM raised its 2009 forecast for the second time.
IBM expects at least $9.85 per share in profit in 2009, ahead of analysts' average forecast of $9.78 per share, according to Thomson Reuters. IBM had raised its guidance in July to at least $9.70 per share.
Still, shares fell $5.92, 4.6 percent, to $122.06 in trading Friday morning. Some investors were apparently disappointed the increase wasn't bigger.
"A lot of us thought you might get even better than this," said Peter Misek, an analyst with Canaccord Adams. "But these results are solid."
IBM's net income in the quarter ended Sept. 30 was $3.2 billion, or $2.40 per share, versus $2.8 billion, or $2.04 per share, a year ago. Analysts expected $2.38 per share.
Sales were $23.6 billion, slightly better than the $23.4 billion expected by analysts polled by Thomson Reuters. Revenue would have been down 5 percent instead of 7 percent if it were not for currency fluctuations.
IBM's numbers show that corporations are still reluctant to spend on some kinds of technology. Accenture, an IBM rival in consulting, and Intel Corp., which makes most of the world's computer...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
Windows 7: The Difference Is Black and White
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69544
It is fitting that Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system arrives ahead of Halloween. When Microsoft buries Windows Vista for good on Oct. 22 and replaces it with Windows 7, the ghostbusters in Redmond will have exorcised a demon.
If you haven't experienced the frights of Vista firsthand, you've no doubt heard about them: how it takes forever to power up and shut down, how the software constantly nags you, how it hogs precious PC resources and how it's incompatible with all-too-many third-party peripherals and programs.
Throngs of PC users found Vista so scary that they stuck with the Windows XP operating system Microsoft launched in 2001, a lifetime ago in the tech world.
Microsoft doesn't have to apologize for Windows 7. Vista's replacement represents a monster leap forward. It's Vista done right -- at last. Microsoft claims hundreds of small improvements, and a few big ones.
"We'll see what happens when Windows 7 is with (customers) all day every day, but I'm cautiously optimistic that we really have hit the right note there," Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer told me in a phone interview.
What you'll notice is that Windows 7 is snappier than its predecessor, more polished, and simpler to navigate. Screens are less cluttered. It has better search. Windows 7 rarely nags. I've been testing various versions for months on numerous computers. It sure seems more reliable so far. With a few exceptions, compatibility hasn't been a major issue.
It's worth pointing out that Vista received decent notices when it first came out, and Microsoft repaired some problems with the much maligned operating system over time. Despite the fact that it periodically drove me bonkers, I'll probably invite scorn by suggesting Vista sometimes got a bad rap.
But make no mistake. Windows 7 is better. I've run a bevy of third-party programs on Windows 7...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
Kingston Sees Better Year As Industry Regulates
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69541
Kingston Technology Co. is emerging from a rough patch of plummeting prices and a glut of memory chips.
The Fountain Valley[Calif.]-based company is the biggest maker of memory modules -- circuit boards loaded with memory chips that speed the performance of computers and consumer electronics.
Kingston's growth has been crimped by a year-long surplus of memory chips made by big chipmakers in Asia and Europe.
As the price of these chips fell, so did prices -- and profits -- on Kingston's products.
"This was perhaps the worst we have seen," said Al Soni, vice president of alliances for Kingston. "The declines were very steep and lasted for many months."
Kingston, which has 25 percent of the market for memory products, saw 2008 revenue fall 11 percent to $4 billion. The privately held company doesn't disclose profits or losses.
The price declines were in part due to a fire sale on memory chips, as chipmakers rushed to get rid of their stockpiles in fear of even lower prices.
Things have improved since then with some predicting better days ahead.
"I think the worst happened at the end of last year," said Jason Liang, director of supply chain for memory products at Kingston. "The overall price had reached such a level that revenue was hard to sustain. Our situation is improving, so our overall performance should start to get better."
Since the start of the year through July, the most recent data available, average selling prices for a gigabit of the most common type of memory chip were up 27 percent, according to Semico Research.
Overall, prices still are down 19% from August 2008 through July of this year.
For most of this year, the going price of dynamic random access memory chips has been below the cost of producing them, which hovers at around $1.50 per 1 gigabit chip, according to...
Tue, 20 Oct 09
Southwest Says Passengers Flee Bag Fees
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69526
The $15 you fork over at the airport to check a suitcase helps a financially ailing airline's bottom line. Perhaps it persuades some families to drive instead. But can this $15 -- and the other fees airlines are piling on -- be prompting passengers to switch airlines?
That, at least, is what some fee-less airlines are reading into September passenger traffic figures. All U.S. carriers aggressively pushed cheap fares this summer to fill seats. They largely succeeded, even if profits suffered. For much of the industry, traffic last month fell off, as vacations wound down and most legacy airlines cut seats from their networks. The bulk of U.S. airlines are likely to report losses for the summer, quarter while a few are expected to show small profits.
But there were a couple of notable outliers in the traffic data for last month: Southwest and JetBlue saw outsize traffic gains. Southwest reported an 8.8 percent increase in revenue passenger miles (RPM), while JetBlue saw a 9.8 percent jump in passenger miles. (An RPM is a standardized industry metric of one paying passenger flown one mile.) Southwest's load factor, the percentage of seats that were filled, surged more than 11 percentage points from a year ago, to 74.7 percent -- a stunning increase for a month in which schools reopen and summer vacation travels stop.
"That was an incredible load factor," says Stifel Nicolaus analyst Hunter Keay, considering that Southwest for years had September loads of 60 percent to 67 percent. JetBlue's load factor rose about one percentage point from the prior year, to 77.6 percent.
Southwest and JetBlue are also the most prominent airlines to eschew first-checked-bag fees.
"You're starting to see that connecting of the dots" between bag fees and traffic, contends Kevin Krone, Southwest's vice-president for marketing and sales....
Tue, 20 Oct 09
Making Smart Use of Mobile Customer Data
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69524
If the customer is king, then the customer's data are the crown jewels.
Over the past two decades, mobile operators have been privy to increasingly detailed information about their users. Aside from people who buy prepaid service with cash, mobile operators have always known the identity and location of customers. Now, thanks to big advances in the capabilities of mobile devices and the sophistication of applications and services, mobile users are leaving ever more wireless footprints all over the place.
Credit the arrival of the true mobile Internet. With capabilities such as location-based services, wireless social networking, and pay-by-mobile for travel, ticketing, and myriad other transactions, mobile operators today have the means to establish a fairly complete profile of their subscribers.
Yet to date, operators haven't exploited this treasure trove of user data -- and now they're facing new rivals as Internet companies start to build direct relationships of their own with mobile users. Online service providers, or OSPs, are muscling into the act: Skype serves more than 400 million users and carried more than 8 percent of the world's international calls last year. Apple has sold over 40 million iPhones and iPod Touch devices, with more than 2 billion apps already downloaded from the iTunes Store. Facebook has more than 300 million active users, with 120 million logging on to the social networking service at least once a day. Some 65 million actively access the service every month via mobile devices, and 4 million-plus do so on a daily basis.
Each one of these "new kids on the mobile block" is, of course, building its own user data banks. As such, they're challenging the operators' claim to mobile customers. With no networks to maintain and no geographical constraints, Internet companies can deliver services to a huge number of users at low...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
Apple OKs App Store Purchases From Free iPhone Apps
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69553
Apple confirmed Friday that it is allowing App Store purchases from within free applications. Until now, the company had only allowed purchases from paid applications on the iPhone and iPod touch.
Insiders agreed that Apple has made a prudent move.
John Muchow, founder of 3SixtySoftware.com and iPhoneDeveloperTips.com, wrote in an e-mail that the idea is solid. "I think this is a fantastic update and several clients have already contacted me to talk further about how to best leverage this capability into both existing applications as well as applications on the drawing board," Muchow wrote.
The key is efficiency. Lee Barney, a professor of computer information at Brigham Young University in Idaho, said the new approach will lead to significant simplification for customers and developers. He is the creator of the QuickConnect Framework -- a way for application developers to employ JavaScript libraries on hybrid projects.
"It means that I could distribute one app that is both the demo app and the
fully functional app," he said.
The new policy may draw more corporate application developers to the App Store, Barney said. "Right now, a lot of developers are single individuals working out of their homes," he said. "This could encourage corporate group development. A company could produce an app and distribute it. It gives them an easy revenue stream. It makes it easier for customers to contribute to the revenue stream because they don't have to download the paid version."
Everybody is a winner, said Derek Kerton, principal analyst for The Kerton Group. "A common business model for software sales is the 'free-mium' version, which is giving away a free version in which levels and features can be unlocked at a later time if the customer chooses to purchase. Although this is a well-developed model in the software world, it wasn't...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
Economy May Slow Windows 7 Adoption in Enterprises
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69552
Microsoft is preparing to finally close the book on the dark chapter called Windows Vista next week, as it officially releases its next-generation operating system, Windows 7. One of the biggest problems with Vista was the hardware cost for enterprises. Only six percent of PCs were capable of running Vista's advanced features at the time of its release, Gartner reported in 2006. Only half of PCs were capable of running even the minimal Vista installation.
The situation is much improved today, Softchoice reported in a research note Thursday. The firm said 88 percent of PCs are capable of running Windows 7 -- and 65 percent can run the operating system's advanced features.
"We've seen a sea change compared to the landscape in which Vista was introduced," Softchoice Services Development Manager Dean Williams wrote in the note. "The natural PC refresh cycle has more or less eliminated system requirements as a potential stumbling block to deploying Windows 7."
The migration question is about "understanding the benefits of switching" and "implementing a plan to minimize any potential deployment headaches," Williams wrote.
Not so fast, Michael Cherry, vice president of research for Windows operating systems at Directions on Microsoft, said in a telephone interview. "Microsoft finally has a product corporate customers want, but I'm not convinced (enterprises) have the budgets to upgrade."
In the current economic situation, "IT budgets are under increasing pressure, IT is under pressure to do more with less," Cherry said. "If the economy wasn't so bad, you might have enterprises doing massive rollouts, but in this environment I believe they'll do more of a rolling rollout."
Corporations won't rush out to buy new machines for Windows 7, nor will they rush to upgrade older machines running Windows XP. "They'll remove prohibitions from acquiring machines with the new operating system...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
Amazon Offers Same-Day Delivery in Seven Cities
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69551
In a move to compete with brick-and-mortar retailers this holiday shopping season, Amazon.com on Thursday announced new shipping options that aim to get goods to consumers much faster with local express delivery in seven major cities. The new option gives customers what many have clamored for since the early days of e-commerce: Same-day delivery.
Amazon will initially offer the service in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, Baltimore, Las Vegas, Seattle and Washington, D.C. The company said it will extend the service to Chicago, Indianapolis and Phoenix in coming months.
"We want to make online shopping as convenient as possible," said Girish Lakshman, vice president of transportation at Amazon. "We're continuously working to speed up delivery times, and customers receiving items on the same day as ordered is an exciting step. Now, if a customer needs a last-minute present for a birthday or wants a copy of their book-club book before the weekend starts, they can order from Amazon instead of the hassle of a last-minute trip to the mall."
Amazon's entire online inventory won't qualify for same-day delivery, but the e-commerce giant is making thousands of items available for local express delivery. Customers will pay $19 per item for the privilege, unless they are Amazon Prime members. Amazon Prime members pay $6 per item. Amazon Prime is a $79 annual membership program that gives customers faster shipping.
Of course, Amazon does have some rules and restrictions for its new same-day delivery service. In most cities where the service is offered, consumers need to order by 10 or 10:30 a.m. Las Vegas consumers can order as late as 11 a.m., and folks in Seattle as late as 1 p.m.
Amazon has also expanded Saturday delivery options. Items ordered before the cutoff time on Thursday using two-day shipping will be delivered on Saturday instead of...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
Jump in Profits Means More Innovation for Google
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69550
Google executives told financial analysts Thursday that revenues rose seven percent year over year to $5.94 billion in the third quarter, easily beating expectations on Wall Street. Net income climbed 27 percent to $1.64 billion, or $5.13 a share, compared to $4.06 per share in the year-earlier period.
Google CEO Eric Schmidt said the strong results give the search giant the confidence to immediately begin stepping up investments in personnel, acquisitions and innovation.
"While there is obviously a lot of uncertainty about the pace of economic recovery, we believe the worst of the recession is behind us and we're seeing lots of signs of that in all of the industries that we pay attention to," Schmidt told investors. "We now have the business confidence to invest heavily in the next phase of innovation."
Seeing "huge opportunities ahead," Schmidt said Google has the resources and expertise to invest in long-term growth. "We're already stepping up our hiring," he said, but "the technological precondition for growth, if you will, is this investment in innovation."
One ongoing company goal is to get to the perfect Google search engine. "We made about 120 search-quality improvements in the third quarter with more, of course, coming this quarter, and then we hope every quarter," Schmidt said. "And we're working to create much better ads. Many of our advertisers would like to find more ways to spend money with Google if our products would allow them to do that -- and we want to make that possible."
Google's investment push includes the development of new ad formats, such as the local listings the company is already beta-testing in San Francisco and San Diego, Calif. For this, users basically sign up with just a simple one-page form without having to deal with keywords or manage bids, said Senior...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
Sidekick Loss Heightens Fears About Cloud Computing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69549
There have always been questions about the reliability of data stored in the cloud, and now the cloud has become darker after the personal data of T-Mobile Sidekick users disappeared last weekend. Much of that data has since been restored.
The concept behind cloud computing is to make computer resources scalable with applications and data on third-party servers accessible on the web. In the Sidekick case, Microsoft's Danger subsidiary hosted the data.
Other companies, including Google and IBM, have embraced cloud computing. Worldwide, cloud-computing revenues are expected to total $17.4 billion this year, according to a Sept. 29 report by IDC. By 2013 that number is expected to jump to $44.2 billion.
"It's clear that cloud computing is of growing interest, not just to the technologists, but to the money people -- the CFOs, CEOs, procurement VPs, as well as senior IT execs -- who think about the capital and cost implications of IT," IDC analyst Frank Gens said.
But some observers say cloud computing isn't a safe way to store data. The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington, D.C.-based public-interest group, has long questioned cloud computing.
"There are many risks for cloud-computing customers that should be explored and new legislative and regulatory frameworks developed to assure the confidentiality and privacy of data," the group's web site says.
In May EPIC filed a complaint with the Federal Trade Commission against Google and its cloud-computing services, saying Google had not properly explained the risks involved in storing users' personal information in the cloud.
That complaint came after Google announced it had unintentionally disclosed user-generated data.
As of September, nearly 70 percent of Americans were using webmail services, storing data online, or using applications whose functionality resides on the web, according to EPIC.
Organizations such as the Pew Internet and American Life Project have...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
Google Will Challenge Amazon with E-Book Service
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69540
Google will roll out a new online service for booksellers in the first half of 2010. Dubbed Google Editions, the service will allow readers to buy books from various e-book vendors and read them on a broad array of devices, from cell phones to e-readers.
Consumers will be able to purchase e-books directly from Google or from existing e-book stores such as Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com. Books sold through Google Editions will be hosted by Google, so they will be searchable in a web browser.
The store will launch with about 500,000 e-books through partnerships with publishers that have digital rights to the works they represent. Google so far has no plans to manufacture a dedicated e-book reader that carries its brand name.
Google doesn't need to develop its own e-reader, just as it didn't need to develop its own smartphone to become a player in the wireless market. Google's Android operating system, which is technically open source, will be used in many devices, including e-readers, according to Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence.
For example, Barnes & Noble is venturing into the increasingly popular e-reader market. The Wall Street Journal reported the giant book retailer could roll out an e-reader as early as next month in the U.S. The device will be built on Android. Sterling said the Barnes & Noble reader looks quite polished, though he has only seen images.
As Sterling sees it, the Google Editions platform could pose a very strong challenge to Amazon if it builds a large consortium of publishers and related inventory. The technical advantage that it offers is apparent compatibility with any e-reader versus the Amazon Kindle, he noted.
"In my current view, Kindle, though a market maker of sorts, is not a sufficiently superior device to dominate the market in the way the iPhone...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
Eager To Upgrade To Win 7? Be Sure PC Can Take It
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69533
You're tempted by Windows 7, the superior operating system Microsoft delivers next week. But you're not sure if your computer can run the latest software, or if you can avoid the palpitations that typically accompany the upgrade ordeal.
It depends on where you're coming from. If you're running Windows Vista, Microsoft's current operating system, the move to Windows 7 should be relatively stress-free. If you're traveling from the older XP, brace yourself for a more exasperating time.
Not all of you should upgrade an existing PC to Windows 7, even if you pine for a better computing experience. (Windows 7 is far friendlier than the Windows Vista operating system it replaces on Oct. 22 -- my full review is coming shortly.) There are risks, however small, associated with surgery, and migrating from one computer operating system to another qualifies as a big-time operation.
If your computer is getting close to retirement anyway, take the plunge and buy a new PC if you can afford one. A new machine in which Windows 7 comes installed arrives with far fewer hassles, naturally. In this troubled economy, there are almost certainly deals to be had. Versions of Windows 7 even run on sub-$500 computers.
If you're inclined to upgrade, the procedure doesn't have to be painful. My own experience has been smoother than any Windows upgrade I've performed in the past. It costs $120 to upgrade to the Home Premium version of the software, sure to be the most popular. What you need to know:
*Does my computer have what it takes? Most PCs bought in the last few years should handle Windows 7 just fine. But keep in mind you'll need at least 1 or 2 gigabytes of RAM and 16 to 20 GB of free disk space (more is better, of course). The sums depend on...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
For Social Networks, It's Game On
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69532
Life on FarmVille has had a transformative effect on Laura Phillips.
For 45 minutes a day, Phillips, a 41-year-old marketing contractor in the Silicon Valley town of Morgan Hill, Calif., gets lost in the digital game on Facebook, managing crops and animals on her virtual farm.
"This is my escape from city life; it's my relaxation," she says. "Since Day One, I've been a complete addict. I lose sleep at night, worrying about my farm."
Phillips is one of more than 56 million monthly users of the game created by Zynga, a company that specializes in social games for platforms including Facebook, MySpace, iPhone and Bebo. FarmVille had just 354 users on June 20, the day after it launched. It's widely believed to be the largest and fastest-growing social game ever.
FarmVille's addictive qualities tend to sneak up on the casual interloper. Then again, so has its entire genre: Games are the killer app on social networks. Tens of millions of consumers are opting to play simple, quick games on Facebook, MySpace and elsewhere -- often via their mobile devices. An estimated 100 million people are recent devotees of social games such as FarmVille, Mafia Wars, Sorority Life and Bejeweled.
The gamers, many of whom eschewed traditional video-game consoles, have spurred revenue for Facebook. The 5-year-old social-networking site recently announced it was operating in the black -- a major feat in an industry beset by doubts about its ability to be profitable.
Meanwhile, the radical change in the way Americans play games has had a ripple effect on the $45 billion gaming industry. Developers large and small are designing easy-to-play diversions in hopes of capitalizing on the craze. For some, such as Nintendo and Electronic Arts (EA), it's a return to simpler graphics and elementary objectives.
Social games are expanding the audience beyond traditional young male video-gamers...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
Oracle's Ellison: Fusion Will Dawn in 2010
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69531
After spending years and years gestating a significant new lineup of business software, Oracle Chief Executive Larry Ellison said on Oct. 14 that the company's long-awaited Fusion applications would make their debut next year.
Ellison, delivering a keynote address at the company's OpenWorld conference in San Francisco, also tried to reassure customers who have been concerned that they might be forced to switch from older software to Fusion if Oracle were to discontinue supporting old iterations of its software. For the next 10 years, he said, Oracle will continue to develop and enhance older software from PeopleSoft, Siebel Systems, and other brands of the almost 60 companies it has acquired for $30 billion in the past half-decade.
"We're going to enhance those applications for the next decade," Ellison said. "We're a pretty large software company. We can afford not only to maintain the software you're running today, but to build the next generation of applications. We don't think all customers are going to replace what they have today with Fusion."
The promise of 10 years' further support for software that Oracle has acquired, as well as its own current E-Business Suite, could ease some concerns on the part of customers who say that as Oracle expands in scope and market power, it is presenting them with fewer choices of software suppliers, raising prices, and holding a tough line on price negotiations. Companies use business applications from Oracle, its rival SAP, and others to manage human resources departments, plan manufacturing schedules, and track their financial performance.
Customers have also been skeptical that Oracle could deliver new Fusion versions of its business applications, built on the industry-standard Java programming language, in a timely fashion. Kris Kutchera, vice-president for information technology at Alaska Air Group -- which runs Oracle's databases, PeopleSoft HR systems, Siebel...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
Cyber Consortium Gets $2.7 Million Grant
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69519
The National Science Foundation has awarded a $2.7 million grant to an eight-state consortium of technology centers and community colleges that is working to block cyber attacks and stop the loss of high-tech jobs in the U.S., officials said Wednesday.
The three-year grant to the Cyber Security Education Consortium will help train a new generation of cyber warriors whose job it will be to prevent potentially crippling Internet-based attacks and stop the drain of knowledge and jobs to nations such as China and India, where 2 million technological workers have U.S.-related jobs, the officials said.
Richard M. George, technical director for information assurance for the National Security Agency at Fort George G. Meade in Maryland, said cyber security experts fight to preserve national security and the nation's way of life.
"This education is critical," George said. "Today the race is for cyberspace. The adversary is unrelenting."
Phil Berkenbile, director of the Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Education, said the consortium was launched in Oklahoma in 2002 to build cyber security programs at technology centers and two-year colleges across the state.
It has since expanded into seven other states and includes 32 institutions, including the University of Tulsa, with 105 instructors and more than 1,250 students. Besides Oklahoma, the consortium includes the states of Arkansas, Colorado, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, Tennessee and Texas.
Programs funded by the grant will offer cyber education security and work force development training at two-year institutions in the eight states. The consortium will also create centers of excellence in the strategic areas of secure coding, automation and control systems as well as mobile communications devices.
The consortium's primary objective is to provide high-quality cyber security programs in at least 19 metropolitan areas within the eight-state region and provide advanced cyber skills to 2,500 students and 3,000 workers to halt the outsourcing of high-tech...
Sat, 17 Oct 09
Twitter Launches Japanese Mobile Site
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69513
Twitter Inc. is turning Japanese. Or at least trying to.
The popular microblogging service on Thursday launched a Japan-based mobile version, hoping to penetrate a country where other U.S. social networking sites including Facebook and MySpace have failed to capture much ground.
Japanese is Twitter's sole foreign language platform so far, and the company's efforts here indicate it's serious about making it in Japan.
Twitter teamed up with Tokyo-based Internet firm Digital Garage Inc. in early 2008. It launched a Japanese-language platform for cellphones and other mobile devices in the spring of 2008, and hired a Japan country manager earlier this year.
The company is experimenting with making money from features it doesn't use on its English language site, such as banner ads.
While early adopters were mainly male tech geeks, the messaging service is finally gaining some traction in mainstream Japan. Between January and June, the number of users jumped almost fourfold to 783,000, according to Internet research firm NetRatings.
Japanese celebrities and politicians are starting to sign up. So are traditional media outlets like newspapers and radio stations as well as municipalities and companies eager to take advantage of Twitter's marketing potential.
Lawmaker Kenzo Fujisue first heard about Twitter from a friend in Silicon Valley and now tweets regularly throughout the day. He has more than 5,400 followers, and his 140-character messages -- all in Japanese -- range from serious policy issues to the more mundane, like what he ate for dinner.
"People don't really know what politicians do," he said. "Twitter helps me give people a glimpse of the lawmaking process."
Still, Twitter remains a mystery to the vast majority of Japanese Web users. Mixi, the country's top social networking site, has 17 million users and is aiming for 30 million within four years.
The key to expansion in Japan is to go mobile, Digital Garage's Rocky...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
Google Wave Has Business Value -- But Not From Google
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69539
Google Wave is great, and companies should consider offering its functionality to their employees, a consultant says. But only when the concepts come from companies without Google's baggage and with enterprise track records.
The tool from Google, announced in late May, aims to merge virtually all real-time and non-real-time online communications, including e-mail, IM, wikis, blogs and social networks. It's designed to work in real time, be flexible, and accept add-ons. Recently, the first 100,000 invitations to try Wave were sent out.
"I love the concept," said Irwin Lazar, a vice president at Nemertes Research. "We've been talking about the uses of unified communications. This represents the integration of real-time voice, video and IM with non-real-time things such as e-mail and document sharing."
There's a wide gap, however, between a good idea and something that businesses should roll out. The question of whether Google Wave is a good idea for businesses in both the long and short term was answered by Lazar as well as Scott Yates, who follows Google Wave for Examiner.com.
Yates, who got one of the invitations, said companies should be careful about adopting Google Wave for the time being. He agrees that its potential is great, but said the service is complex to use.
"The problem is that it is just not soup yet," he said. "People should not be trying to get into Google Wave unless they are pretty technical. It's just hard to use."
Yates added that the service's reach is limited. "The fundamental reason to hold off right now is that it is a communications tool -- but you can't get invitations for everyone you want to communicate with," Yates said. "The potential is huge, but it just needs more time."
Companies also should be reluctant to plan their communications infrastructure around Google Wave....
Fri, 16 Oct 09
Ellison Dares IBM To 'Make Our Day,' But Is It Bluster?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69538
Oracle CEO Larry Ellison may have got his heroes mixed up, but there was no mistaking his message at Oracle's OpenWorld on Wednesday as he challenged IBM on business software performance. "IBM, you are more than welcome to enter," he said in his keynote speech. "If you'd like to take us on, make our day."
The line comes from actor Clint Eastwood's portrayal of Dirty Harry in Sudden Impact, but Ellison was joined on stage by actor and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. At least Ellison didn't say, "I'll be back," Schwarzenegger's line in The Terminator.
Schwarzenegger came to tout California as a technology hotbed and praised Oracle's planned $7.4 billion purchase of Sun Microsystems. "Technology's impact is flesh and blood," Schwarzenegger told the conference, according to an Agence France report. "I've seen the infinite limits of technology. Even though we're going through tough times, I've never been more confident about the future."
IBM and Hewlett-Packard have been attempting to steal business from Sun while European antitrust regulators decide whether to approve the purchase. Sun has lost more than a percentage point of market share, while IBM has increased its lead as the number-one seller of servers, according to IDC.
IBM has released numbers indicating that twice as many Sun customers migrated to IBM in the second quarter than in the first quarter, IT analyst Charles King said in a telephone interview.
Ellison put his money where his mouth is, offering $10 million to anyone who can prove that Oracle software doesn't run twice as fast on Sun systems as on IBM's. That dare came after Oracle incurred a $10,000 fine for "jumping the gun" by announcing the latest performance benchmarks from the TPC-C (Transaction Processing Performance Council), King said. Oracle announced the news in a Wall Street Journal ad ahead of the...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
PC Sales Reverse Declines, with Windows 7 in the Wings
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69537
The global PC market is showing signs of a recovery, according to industry analysts. Gartner reports that worldwide PC shipments totaled 80.9 million units in the third quarter -- a 0.5 percent increase from the year-earlier period and a reversal of the research firm's expectations for a 5.6 percent decline in the quarter.
"Sequentially, third-quarter shipments grew 18 percent, which is higher than the historical seasonal growth from the second to third quarter," said Gartner Principal Analyst Mikako Kitagawa.
IDC analysts pegged global PC unit sales even higher at 2.3 percent growth -- a dramatic reversal from year-on-year declines of 6.8 percent and 2.4 percent in the first two quarters this year. "The competitive landscape, the transition to portables, new and low-power designs, growth in retail and consumer segments, and the impact of falling prices are all reflected in the gains by HP and Acer, as well as overall market growth," said IDC analyst Loren Loverde.
No one was surprised to see Hewlett-Packard continue to lead the global PC market in terms of shipments with a 20.2 percent market share. What caught some industry observers off guard, however, was Acer's ability to grab 14 percent of the global market -- good enough to unseat Dell (12.7 percent) as the world's number-two shipper of PCs in the third quarter.
Analysts say demand for low-cost systems in the back-to-school season drove consumer sales of Acer's mini-notebooks, which helped the company outperform the PC market in virtually all regions. However, Kitagawa observed that mini-notebook sales weren't the only reason for Acer's growth.
"They were very aggressive on entry-level notebook pricing" and "they have low-priced consumer notebooks, which put tremendous pressure onto competitors," Kitagawa said. "Our rough estimate is that Acer's mini-notebook percentage would range between 20 to 30 percent of their total shipments."
Kitagawa also...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
Snow Leopard Gets Ready To Pounce on Windows 7
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69535
Businesses, schools and individuals are gearing up for the Oct. 22 launch of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows 7. While Microsoft prepares for the rollout and users prepare for changes, Apple is preparing to cash in.
Apple has been mocking Microsoft's Vista operating system in marketing campaigns for more than a year in its Mac-versus-PC advertisements. Now with the anticipated rollout of Windows 7, Apple is planning to boost marketing to slam its rival's new operating system while pushing Mac OS X Snow Leopard.
Apple plans to use the challenging process of upgrading to Windows 7 as ammunition. In order for Windows XP users to upgrade to Windows 7, they must first back up all their files and settings to external media, reformat their PC, reinstall all applications and backed-up files, and reconfigure settings.
Executives at Cupertino, Calif.-based Apple hope PC users will want to avoid that process and instead make the switch to a Mac, Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing, told Business Week.
Apple has already started by introducing programs to help users move from PCs to Macs. People who pay $99 for Apple's One to One training program can bring in their PCs and have all their files transferred to Macs.
Apple has seen an increase in the number of households using Macs, according to a NPD Group report, which will be an advantage for the company. Approximately 12 percent of all U.S. computer-owning households have an Apple computer, up from nine percent in 2008, according to NPD.
Apple was also able to tap into complaints of bad performance by Vista users.
Windows 7, however, has been touted by both Microsoft and early adopters as a strong and efficient operating system, which puts Apple at a disadvantage. And while Apple...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
Walmart Takes on Wireless Carriers with Low-Cost Plans
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69534
Walmart is launching a new solution for the no-contract cell-phone world that may have competitors worried. Dubbed Straight Talk, Walmart's wireless service will be offered through its 3,200-plus stores across the nation, starting Oct. 18. The program offers two prepaid plans at $30 and $45 a month.
"It has been very encouraging to see the excitement and response to the Straight Talk pilot in 234 stores that began last summer at Walmart," said Greg Hall, vice president of media devices for Wal-Mart Stores. "In light of the savings customers continue to need, we have worked very quickly to extend this offering to all of our Walmart customers nationwide, and just before the holidays."
Walmart's latest venture seems to be all about savings. The company points to Nielsen Mobile Bill Panel Data that reports the average U.S. adult spends $78 for 1,000 minutes of cellular minutes a month. That's not even counting data packages. By switching to the $30 Straight Talk plan, Walmart said, the average 1,000 minutes-per-month consumer could save more than $500 a year and still be on a reliable nationwide network.
For $30 a month, the Straight Talk "All You Need" 30-day plan includes 1,000 minutes, 1,000 texts, and 30MB of mobile Web access. The $45 plan includes unlimited minutes, unlimited text, and unlimited mobile Web access. Both tiers of the Straight Talk service include nationwide coverage and 411 information calls at no additional charge.
Despite its deal with Apple to sell the iPhone, Walmart's new endeavor has it selling ultra-low-cost phones as part of the Straight Talk service, which was developed as an exclusive offering with TracFone Wireless. Consumers can buy a range of phones, from the entry-level LG 220 flip phone at $39.98 to the LG Slider 290 at $79.98 to the Samsung 451 QWERTY keyboard phone...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
BlackBerry Storm2 Debuts with Enhanced Features
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69509
There's a new Storm coming. On Wednesday, Research in Motion and Vodafone announced the BlackBerry Storm2 smartphone for Europe and South Africa. The newest version of the Storm line has improved touchscreen technology and enhanced features.
The new device will be available initially in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain, France, Italy and South Africa.
RIM said Storm2 offers its new SurePress technology, in which a user receives tactile feedback after pressing the touchscreen. Pressure applied at any point on the screen receives the same feedback, and the company also said the virtual keyboards are "easier, more comfortable and more accurate."
A letter can be typed into the keyboard with one thumb, even though another finger might be touching or resting elsewhere on the screen, such as on another letter. RIM said this allows faster typing and Shift-, Alt-, or other multi-key combinations.
The screen is a 3.25-inch, 360x480 capacitive display, with Send, End, Menu and Escape as integrated functions. Connectivity is Wi-Fi, UMTS/HSPA (2100 MHz), and quad-band EDGE/GPRS/GSM, and the 3.2-megapixel camera has video recording, variable zoom, autofocus and flash. The microSD/SDHD memory card slot supports 16GB cards now, and will support 32GB cards when they're available.
There's also built-in GPS, Bluetooth and such BlackBerry software as Media Sync for syncing iTunes and Windows Media Player music and Desktop Manager for syncing with PCs and Macs.
Storm2 comes with BlackBerry's OS 5, which RIM said also enhances ease of use. The enhancements include "spin boxes" to allow easier setting of time and dates, a greater use of animation, shaded buttons, refined typing accuracy, faster JavaScript and CSS processing, and support for Gears and BlackBerry Widgets.
The OS also enables the user to use the device to manage Microsoft Exchange e-mail folders, such as Add or Delete, as well...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
Data Losses May Make Microsoft, Apple Users Wary
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69508
Good news for Sidekick users -- Microsoft is restoring lost data. But the high-profile data loss and another involving Mac OS X Snow Leopard may leave Microsoft and Apple customers with a bad taste for some time.
Microsoft reports it has recovered most, if not all, data for Sidekick customers whose personal information was affected by a weekend outage. Microsoft plans to begin restoring users' data as soon as possible, starting with personal contacts, after the company validates the data and its restoration plan.
Microsoft will then continue working around the clock to restore data to all affected users, including calendar, notes, tasks, photographs and high scores, as quickly as possible, according to Roz Ho, corporate vice president of premium mobile experiences for Microsoft.
"We now believe that data loss affected a minority of Sidekick users," Ho said. "We have determined that the outage was caused by a system failure that created data loss in the core database and the backup. We rebuilt the system component by component, recovering data along the way. This careful process has taken a significant amount of time, but was necessary to preserve the integrity of the data."
Ho said Microsoft will continue working closely with T-Mobile to restore user data as quickly as possible and is taking steps to ensure it doesn't happen again. Microsoft has already made changes to improve the overall stability of the Sidekick service and initiated a more resilient backup process to ensure that the integrity of backups is maintained.
Meanwhile, Apple is still grappling with data-loss issues of its own. On Oct. 12, Apple acknowledged a critical error in its new Mac OS X Snow Leopard that caused massive data loss for some users. The company insisted that the issue "occurs only in extremely rare cases" and it is...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
IBM To Apply Analytics To War on Terror
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69501
Can the analytic science that powers operations at Wal-Mart and Federal Express make inroads against terrorists? IBM is going to give it a shot. Big Blue's Global Services Div. just landed a five-year, $20 million contract to apply its analytical know-how to the U.S. Special Operations Command [USSOCOM], the key military force in the battle against terrorism.
For years, industry has been using analytics to make so-called supply chains run well, ensuring companies are able to pull together all the pieces they need, at the right time, to build everything from airliners to chip fabs. But according to Kevin P. Green, a retired Navy vice-admiral who heads up defense consulting for IBM Global Business Services, the military has lagged behind. "In the past, they've had to depend on heroic administration, people responding on very short notice and putting together disparate systems," Green says. An operation in Afghanistan, for example, requires pulling up data on manpower, repair parts, weapons, food, and is often carried out piece by piece on different computers in place.
The new approach, which will take years to fully implement, would start with a model of the operation, and then suggest the most efficient and effective deployment of all the parts.
It's surprising that the military would be a latecomer to industrial analytics. It was during World War II that British and U.S. mathematicians began using problem-solving approaches that would later evolve into what's now known as business analytics. At the time, these scientists were trying to confront the challenge posed by German U-boats that were sinking the ships carrying arms and provisions to Britain. These teams came up with large-scale mathematical models, and figured out how to deploy them to keep attrition at a minimum. This was called optimization, and the process gave birth to operations...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
ESET Security Software Gets Positive Feedback
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69498
Anton Zajac is enjoying a sustained wave of revenue growth at ESET, the security software company he heads as president and CEO. Zajac says a recent study by United Consultants surveying 20,000 security software users found those using ESET products have a "much higher" confidence rating over those of competing products.
The second bit of information out of the study that Zajac liked was that ESET products are popular among computer experts. To him, that's the highest product endorsement possible. "They can filter out the hyperbole of the major players in the market," he says.
And recently, he got a firsthand report from a Florida customer he helped over the phone. After answering the customer's question, Zajac asked him why he bought the ESET product. "He says, 'A friend bought it and I used it fraudulently for three months. But it was so good, I decided to buy it.' "
In 2001, he got an e-mail from somebody at Microsoft wanting to know technical questions about the company's security software. They exchanged 10 e-mails or so and then Zajac says, "I didn't hear back for two weeks. I thought I had made a mistake."
Turned out the Microsoft guy's computer had been hit by the "love letter virus."
Zajac couldn't help but notice the irony. "Our product would have protected him from that," he says.
ESET's growth has earned national recognition from Inc. Magazine as among the country's fastest-growing private companies for the past three years. This year, the magazine ranked it No. 379 on its list of 500 companies.
The Business Journal ranked ESET No. 6 on its 2009 list of Fastest-Growing Private Companies for its 228 percent growth from 2006 to 2008, growing from $33.9 million in '06 to $111.4 million in revenues last year.
And even though this year's financials for the company aren't...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
Kindle Lightens Textbook Load, But Flaws Remain
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69497
It's an experiment that has made back-to-school a little easier on the back: Amazon.com gave more than 200 college students its Kindle e-reading device this fall, loaded with digital versions of their textbooks.
But some students are finding they miss the decidedly low-tech conveniences of paper -- highlighting, flagging pages with sticky notes and scribbling in the margins.
"I like the aspect of writing something down on paper and having it be so easy and just kind of writing whatever comes to my mind," says Claire Becerra, a freshman at Arizona State University.
Becerra tried typing notes on the Kindle's small keyboard, but when she went back to reread them she found they were laden with typos and didn't make sense. After a month, she says she takes far fewer notes and relies on the Kindle's highlighter tool instead.
Amazon wants to adapt the Kindle to academia, where it could reduce the notoriously high cost of textbooks. The Kindle DX, with a larger screen than the regular model, costs $489, but digital books can cost less than half what physical ones do.
While it might be the future of textbooks, Amazon or any other e-reader company has a long way to go to make it happen -- even for a technology-saturated generation that should be more receptive to the shift.
When The Associated Press hit five of the test campuses to ask students how they felt about the Kindle, the responses were lukewarm.
Most said they liked the prospect of having anytime access to a semester's worth of reading on the Kindle, which can wirelessly download books or get material by being plugged into a PC.
But several disliked taking notes on a keyboard with Tic-Tac-sized keys that sits under a 9.7-inch screen.
Students can also highlight text or bookmark pages -- the digital equivalent of dog-earing -- then...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
Intel Stokes Hopes for PC Recovery; Shares Jump
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69493
Intel Corp. has been asserting for months that the personal computer business is rebounding from its deepest slump in nearly a decade. Its stock surged Wednesday on signs that things are picking up faster than expected, despite a few lingering trouble spots.
Intel reported after the market closed Tuesday that its profit and sales both dipped 8 percent from July through September as spending by corporations remained weak, a trend that has dragged on throughout the recession and probably won't ease until next year.
The price for Intel's chips also fell. One reason is that "netbooks," little laptops that cost a few hundred dollars and have limited functions beyond surfing the Internet, have caught on but aren't big moneymakers. Another is that PC makers have slashed their prices on full-sized computers, and aren't willing to pay as much for the chips that go into them.
The results easily surpassed Wall Street's forecasts, however, and Intel's guidance for the October-December quarter of $9.7 billion to $10.5 billion in sales also topped projections.
Intel shares jumped 61 cents, or 3 percent, to $21.10 in morning trading Wednesday.
As the first major technology company to report third-quarter earnings, Intel's numbers lend insight into the strength or weakness of PC makers' demand for new chips. What the figures don't necessarily show, though, is whether PC companies are stocking up on chips to replenish low supplies, or whether they expect especially brisk sales of computers. That will begin to play out in the coming weeks, as the holiday season gets under way and a new edition of Windows is released Oct. 22.
Intel had bumped up Wall Street's expectations twice ahead of Tuesday's report.
In August, the company raised its guidance, and last month CEO Paul Otellini predicted that PC sales could defy predictions by growing in 2009, which would avert the...
Fri, 16 Oct 09
PepsiCo iPhone App Draws Fire for Stereotyping
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69492
PepsiCo Inc. is facing criticism for an iPhone application that promises to help men "score" with two dozen stereotypes of women by giving users pickup lines and a scoreboard to keep track of their conquests.
An apology by the company -- which is using the app "Amp up before you score" to market its Amp energy drink -- is igniting more online criticism.
Spokespeople at the company's Purchase, N.Y., headquarters did not immediately return messages seeking comment Wednesday. Despite the apology, the application was still available Wednesday morning.
The application lets users select from stereotypes of women, like the "foreign exchange student" or "nerd" or "cougar." Then it offers possible pickup lines like, "Wasn't I in Space Academy with you?" for the nerd.
It also offers other hints, like links to world news for the foreign exchange student. For the "rebound girl" -- who has just broken up with her boyfriend -- it offers maps of local ice cream shops.
The app then lets users add women -- along with name, date of the conquest and comments -- to the user's "brag list," which can be shared online on sites like Facebook and Twitter.
Social networking blog Mashable and other sites have been voicing outrage about the application. Mashable's headline Monday about the application said "Alienate your female customers? Pepsi has an app for that."
The article, and other criticisms, prompted the Amp brand to apologize on its Twitter page. It said the application, which is featured prominently on Amp's Web site, tries to show the "humorous lengths guys go 2 pick up women."
But it ignited a firestorm when it included the tag "pepsifail" on its apology this week. Twitter users use tags to mark their posts and track conversations. That tag linked the company -- not just the Amp brand -- to the situation and implied...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Michael Dell Says Netbooks Lead To Buyer's Remorse
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69507
Dell Chairman and CEO Michael Dell took some serious swipes at netbooks in a speech Tuesday to the Churchill Club in San Jose, Calif. The question is whether he really doesn't believe in the category, or just doesn't believe in it as it exists today.
The Register quoted Dell as saying that a purchase could lead to a fast case of buyer's remorse. "If you take a user who's used to a 14- or 15-inch notebook and you say, 'Here's a 10-inch netbook,' they're gonna say, 'Hey, this is so fantastic. It's so cute. It's so light. I love it,'" Dell said. "But about 36 hours later they're saying, 'The screen's gonna have to go. Give me my 15-inch screen back.'"
Observers had differing views on what was behind Dell's comments.
John Jacobs, director of notebook market research for DisplaySearch, painted a picture of a company facing difficult choices in how it approaches the category.
A study he wrote that was released last week suggested the danger netbooks represent. The research showed that the devices are increasing their market share in the overall notebook category. However, because they are cheaper than ful-fledged notebooks, they are depressing the category's revenue.
With this as background, Jacobs said that pushing netbooks could create problems with three significant constituencies: Customers, Intel and Microsoft.
He said research by DisplaySearch's parent, the NPD Group, indicate that a significant portion of people who claim to understand the limitations of today's netbooks still report disappointment with their performance. That unhappiness, Jacobs said, will grow if the most obvious approach -- bolting bigger displays onto the same hardware and software packages -- is taken.
"Even if you take the netbooks of today and give it a better display, that's only a piece of the puzzle," Jacobs said.
Intel and Microsoft...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Wi-Fi Direct Aims To Easily Connect Hardware Devices
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69506
The Wi-Fi Alliance is working on a new specification that will let computing devices interconnect with mobile phones, cameras, printers, keyboards and mice, and other PCs over Wi-Fi connections. Called Wi-Fi Direct, the new specification promises to make it far easier for devices to share, display and print information.
Previously code-named "Wi-Fi peer-to-peer," the fledgling technology will enable devices to make a one-to-one connection, or enable a group of several devices to connect simultaneously. Slated to be added to Wi-Fi chips beginning in the second half of 2010, the technology also will be able to create connections with the hundreds of millions of Wi-Fi legacy devices already in use, according to Wi-Fi Alliance Executive Director Edgar Figueroa.
"Wi-Fi users worldwide will benefit from a single-technology solution to transfer content and share applications quickly and easily among devices -- even when a Wi-Fi access point isn't available," Figueroa said. "The impact is that Wi-Fi will become even more pervasive and useful for consumers and across the enterprise."
But device makers don't need to wait until next year to offer Wi-Fi peer-to-peer capabilities. Atheros Communications, which first demonstrated its peer-to-peer Wi-Fi technology at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2008, is already shipping a similar technology for integration into mobile products.
Called Atheros Direct Connect, the company's technology is designed to work with any legacy Wi-Fi device. Moreover, Direct Connect is expected to be forward-compatible with Wi-Fi Direct, which will feature enhancements for power management and device discovery.
Atheros began shipping Direct Connect technology "in the second half of 2009 with Atheros' XSPAN and Align 11n chips for Microsoft Windows 7-enabled netbook, notebook and desktop PCs," a company spokesperson said. "Regarding the mobile market, the products that are shipping with this capability today include the NEC N-06A smartphone and the Huawei iMo."
Given the wireless...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Android Powers New Acer Smartphone and Netbook
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69505
Google's Android operating system isn't just for cell phones anymore. Number-three PC maker Acer has announced two new Android-based products -- a touchscreen smartphone called Acer Liquid and a netbook version of the Aspire One laptop that boasts a dual-boot system, running both Android and Windows XP Home.
Android is a mobile operating system based on the Linux kernel which allows developers to access it via Java libraries.
The Liquid is the latest touchscreen phone to try for a piece of the market dominated by Apple's iPhone. It boasts Android 1.6, the latest version of the operating system, code-named Donut, as well as Qualcomm's new Snapdragon processor. Liquid supports high-speed Web access via High Speed Packet Access (HSPA) mobile networks.
Android will "clearly be a major OS for smartphones, and Acer's decision to use it on their new phones is a smart one," said Tim Bajarin, principal strategist at Creative Strategies, in an e-mail.
But just having Android won't be enough in the highly competitive race for the top of the smartphone market. Acer must distinguish itself through a user interface that is "easy to use and easy to navigate," Bajarin said.
The phone features a high-definition capacitive touchscreen, improved power management for longer battery life, a new user interface that emphasizes entertainment and web access, a camera with geotagging so users can easily identify where photos were taken, and sharing with friends, Acer said.
Liquid is clearly a Web 2.0 phone. Acer said it features "smart integration" with social-networking applications like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Flickr, and provides real-time update notifications. It's also meant to compete with the iPhone on style, with an elliptical form factor, a choice of colors, and ergonomic design.
But, Acer said, the real breakthrough will occur in the future with an expected explosion of Android apps...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Nokia Offers Long Battery Life for Booklet 3G Mini-Laptop
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69504
Nokia joined the netbook crowd with the release Tuesday of its Booklet 3G mini-laptop. The new Windows 7 product is being offered with a data plan from AT&T, and will be in Best Buy stores next month.
The company "recognizes that the most powerful device is the one that doesn't have you running for the power plug or network point," said Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo. In addition to 3G, the Booklet also has Wi-Fi, an HDMI port for high-definition video out, a front-facing camera, Bluetooth and a SD card reader.
The netbook will have "an introductory price" of $299.99, with a two-year AT&T data plan that adds a commitment of about $1,400.
Best Buy will offer a free service called Walk Out Working, similar to the one provided for smartphones, in which store personnel help customers activate the Booklet, get a tour of Windows 7, and an introduction to the mini-laptop's features. Those features include Nokia's Ovi Suite of software and the Ovi Maps gadget, which are also available on Nokia smartphones.
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, called the Booklet 3G "a premium product with a couple of standout features." Chief among them is a battery that Nokia said delivers 12 hours of battery life.
Greengart, who said he hasn't tested the battery life yet, speculated that 12 hours is probably with some of the connectivity in operation, but, if using the 3G connection all the time, it's "probably more like eight hours."
Even eight hours is impressive, he said, especially compared to other netbooks that only offer a few hours of battery life. "I have never seen this much claimed battery life in a device this small," Greengart said.
In its appearance, Greengart said, the Booklet 3G "looks like a product...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Apple May Turn on FM Radio in iPhone and iPod Touch
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69503
iPhone and iPod touch users could be dancing to a different tune with a new application from Apple. The Cupertino, Calif.-based company is reportedly working on bringing FM radio to the devices.
The application is rumored to operate in the background and will have the same functionality as the FM radio found in the new fifth-generation iPod nano, a source told 9to5Mac. The application will also reportedly integrate mobile iTunes Store purchases. So if a user likes a song on the radio and the station supports tagging, the user will be able to get information on the song.
Both the iPhone and iPod touch are able to receive FM radio signals through transmitters already installed in the devices, but the signals are only activated in the Nike + iPod application.
"It'll cater to those looking for FM radio on their mobile phones, but I don't see this as a broad application that will turn people more toward the iPhone in droves," said Ramon Llamas, IDC's mobile analyst. "This will appeal to niche-market segments."
Having mobile access to FM radio may not be interesting to mobile-phone users who have other music options, Llamas said.
"The iPod touch and iPhone are music-centric, allowing users to listen to their own music as much as they want," he said. "Users have also been treated to a sweet application from Pandora which streams music to a user's device at low cost."
Mobile-phone users blogging about the news echo Llamas' thoughts on other means of music, but say having the option for FM radio is great.
"Much of my listening behavior has been circumvented by Pandora, Stitcher and NPR apps, but I'd still like the option of using good old frequency modulation, especially if it could run as a background app," Michael73 posted on the MacRumors forum.
The...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Microsoft Patches New and Old Software Flaws
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69490
Microsoft released its largest-ever batch of security updates Tuesday, fixing 33 vulnerabilities in Windows, Internet Explorer, and other popular software. Eight of the updates are rated critical and five are rated important.
All the critical vulnerabilities are labeled as remote code execution, which would require system restarts and impact a very broad range of Windows platforms and applications, according to Lumension security and forensic analyst Paul Henry. But, he noted, IT administrators should pay attention to two particular security bulletins, as their vulnerabilities are being exploited in the wild: MS09-050 and MS09-053.
MS09-050 is a critical vulnerability that impacts both Vista and Windows 2008 platforms. While only rated as important, Henry said, MS09-053 should be considered a priority for organizations running public-facing FTP servers. He said organizations that use the Internet daily should also pay close attention to the high-priority critical client-side issues that could allow drive-by hacking exploits.
"Because of the large number of issues covered in this month's patch release, it is important that organizations carefully review the bulletin in its entirety and then carefully plan their patch-management priorities and process based on the impact on their given product utilization and the likelihood of exploitation," Henry said. "Simply put, the administrative burden of flaw remediation today is clearly beyond that which can be handled without full flaw-remediation process automation."
Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle, has a different take. As he sees it, the bug that is likely to have the biggest impact on Microsoft users will be MS09-051, the speech-codec bug that already has limited exploits in the wild. This is a typical file-parsing issue and similar vulnerabilities have allowed attackers to create drive-by attacks that infect unsuspecting video viewers.
"MS09-056 isn't a critical vulnerability and it doesn't rate high on the exploitability index, but it does...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Adobe Fixes 29 Vulnerabilities in Acrobat and Reader
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69489
While IT administrators around the world had their hands full planning to implement the largest-ever set of patches from Microsoft on Tuesday, another software maker quietly rolled out a massive fix of its own.
On what will go down in IT admin history as a day of headaches, Adobe Systems rolled out updates for Acrobat and Reader on Tuesday. The updates address 29 critical security vulnerabilities for the PDF applications, which are used across business and consumer PCs around the world.
Despite a hyper-focus on Microsoft's patches, security researchers warn not to put off dealing with Adobe security fixes. The one-two punch spells long nights for IT administrators.
"Compound Tuesday's Microsoft release with the Adobe quarterly release and we are certain to see some enterprise teams become flustered," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle. "The key for security and IT organizations managing today's deluge of patches is to maintain focus and diligence with patch-management practices."
According to Adobe's security bulletin, critical vulnerabilities have been identified in Adobe Reader 9.1.3 and Acrobat 9.1.3; Adobe Reader 8.1.6 and Acrobat 8.1.6 for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX; and Adobe Reader 7.1.3 and Acrobat 7.1.3 for Windows and Macintosh.
Adobe said these vulnerabilities could cause the applications to crash and potentially allow an attacker to take control of a PC. The vulnerabilities are many, ranging from heap-overflow issues to memory-corruption issues to invalid-array-index issues to remote-exploitation issues. Adobe acknowledged reports that some of the issues are being exploited in the wild.
Adobe recommends that consumers who use Adobe Reader 9.1.3 and Acrobat 9.1.3 and earlier versions update to Adobe Reader 9.2 and Acrobat 9.2. The company also recommends users of Acrobat 8.1.6 and earlier versions update to Acrobat 8.1.7, and users of Acrobat 7.1.3 and earlier versions update to Acrobat 7.1.4. For Adobe Reader users...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Cisco's Web Site Filtering Tool Stops Surfers at Work
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69477
Cisco has rolled out new technology it says can help employers be much more effective at stopping employees from surfing to porn sites or to other sites deemed non-productive.
Meanwhile, a new study asserts that as many as 54 percent of U.S. companies ban workers from using social-networking sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and MySpace on company time. A survey of 1,400 CIOs by Robert Half Technology, an IT staffing firm, also found that 19 percent of companies allow social-networking use only for business purposes; 16 percent allow limited personal use.
These developments suggest it could soon become much harder to access favorite Web haunts while using corporate networks.
Cisco product manager Kevin Kennedy says that the Web content-filtering tools now used by companies have an Achilles' heel. Only 20 percent of active Web links are accounted for on the blacklists used by such tools. And many workers, he says, have figured out how to use anonymous proxies -- links that obfuscate the true Web address -- to circumvent Web filtering.
That's how Iranian protesters accessed their Twitter accounts, despite a blackout imposed by authorities to quell protestors during the Iranian presidential elections last June.
Cisco's new tool is called Cisco IronPort Web Usage Controls. It analyzes each Web link an employee clicks to in real time, and can spot -- and block -- anonymous proxies that exist in what Cisco calls "the dark Web," the 80 percent of URLs that aren't accounted for by any blacklists.
So if your anonymous proxies can no longer circumvent your company's Web filters, you'll know why.
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Paris Fashion Week Goes Online
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69474
Bad-boy British designer Alexander McQueen's Oct. 6 runway show was the talk of Paris Fashion Week -- and you didn't have to be a magazine editor, high-powered buyer, or Hollywood celebrity to get a front-row seat. A video of the event, featuring a dramatic, aquatic-themed multimedia display and models in reptile-patterned clothing and shoes resembling crab claws, was streamed live via McQueen's Web site. Tens of thousands of fans logged on -- so many that the site repeatedly crashed during the show.
Such technical glitches won't deter McQueen and other designers from continuing to harness the power of the Internet. Louis Vuitton, Burberry, and Emporio Armani were among a growing crowd of fashion houses that began offering live video streams of their ready-to-wear shows this year. Vuitton's was streamed onto Facebook, where users were invited to comment.
Other houses, such as Dolce & Gabbana, have aired online videos, including footage of backstage preparations for the shows and interviews with their designers. Alexander McQueen also launched a Twitter site "to build up anticipation" of its show, says Jonathan Akeroyd, the fashion house's chief executive.
The Web's allure for the fashion industry is easy to understand: Designers can present their collections directly to customers without relying on reports in fashion media outlets that may not be positive. And they can save money on advertising -- a crucial consideration now that many fashion houses have trimmed their marketing budgets during the economic downturn. "The use of Internet for us is absolutely crucial," says Robert Polet, chief executive of Gucci Group, which owns the McQueen brand. "Interaction and involvement with customers are key words."
But as more and more fashion houses throw open the doors of once-exclusive shows, the industry may be in for an even bigger shake-up. Traditionally, the major houses...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Low-Cost Airlines All A-Twitter with Customers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69472
A Seattle woman tweets from an airport that JetBlue's birthday present to her was forgetting to put her wheelchair on her flight. Seven minutes later, an airline official tweets back that the crew will work quickly to make things right.
On a Facebook page used by Delta Air Lines, a traveler suggests Delta wrap its Wi-Fi fee into its ticket price rather than charge separately. The airline doesn't respond. The page mainly promotes the airline, talks up new services and offers travelers tips on popular things to do in the cities Delta flies to, like Las Vegas.
Discount airlines have traditionally outflanked the big network carriers in customer service and low fares, and it appears they're extending their advantage to social media. The discounters often respond with quick feedback to travelers' concerns on social networking sites, while traditional network carriers peddle last-minute fare deals but seem slow to embrace Twitter and Facebook to beef up customer service.
Customers crave good service and reward airlines that provide it.
A survey cited in a July report by Forrester Research showed that 68 percent of U.S. online leisure travelers say they'd be willing to recommend carriers to family and friends if the company made them feel like a valued customer.
That's a tantalizing incentive for airlines to transform customer service from the dull telephone and e-mail route into the online networking channel -- where every customer can speak his mind to the masses -- at a time when the weak economy has caused their revenue to plummet.
The Internet has opened the door to millions of people to beam their views across the planet on everything from the quality of airplane food to how long they waited on the tarmac to take off. This presents a conundrum for some airlines.
It takes manpower to troll social networking sites that are...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
FBI Delves Into DMV Photos in Search for Fugitives
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69471
In its search for fugitives, the FBI has begun using facial-recognition technology on millions of motorists, comparing driver's license photos with pictures of convicts in a high-tech analysis of chin widths and nose sizes.
The project in North Carolina has already helped nab at least one suspect. Agents are eager to look for more criminals and possibly to expand the effort nationwide. But privacy advocates worry that the method allows authorities to track people who have done nothing wrong.
"Everybody's participating, essentially, in a virtual lineup by getting a driver's license," said Christopher Calabrese, an attorney who focuses on privacy issues at the American Civil Liberties Union.
Earlier this year, investigators learned that a double-homicide suspect named Rodolfo Corrales had moved to North Carolina. The FBI took a 1991 booking photo from California and compared it with 30 million photos stored by the motor vehicle agency in Raleigh.
In seconds, the search returned dozens of drivers who resembled Corrales, and an FBI analyst reviewed a gallery of images before zeroing in on a man who called himself Jose Solis.
A week later, after corroborating Corrales' identity, agents arrested him in High Point, southwest of Greensboro, where they believe he had built a new life under the assumed name. Corrales is scheduled for a preliminary hearing in Los Angeles later this month.
"Running facial recognition is not very labor-intensive at all," analyst Michael Garcia said. "If I can probe a hundred fugitives and get one or two, that's a home run."
Facial-recognition software is not entirely new, but the North Carolina project is the first major step for the FBI as it considers expanding use of the technology to find fugitives nationwide.
So-called biometric information that is unique to each person also includes fingerprints and DNA. More distant possibilities include iris patterns in the eye, voices, scent and even...
Thu, 15 Oct 09
Cyberthieves Find Workplace Networks Are Easy Pickings
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69436
It took only a modicum of skill for a cybergang to steal 94 million credit and debit card payment records from the TJX retail chain -- and follow that up by hauling in 130 million records from credit card processor Heartland Payment Systems.
Court records reveal that those record-setting break-ins were almost too easy. Even more surprising: The thieves were able to take their sweet time extracting the data, in each case going undetected for more than a year.
What happened to TJX and Heartland was not unusual. And details unveiled in the prosecution of gang members involved in both thefts have shed fresh light on a business truism demanding more scrutiny: Workplace networks have turned out to be much more porous and difficult to defend than anyone ever anticipated.
Overly complex IT systems are producing endless opportunities for cyberthieves, who need only to master simple hacking techniques to get their hands on sensitive data. The result: Data breaches continue to plague companies, hospitals, universities and government agencies -- any entity that collects data and conducts business on a digital network.
The vast majority of organizations routinely fail to take simple defensive measures, such as shoring up common Web site weaknesses or uniformly enforcing the use of strong passwords. "Networks have become a hodgepodge of components stitched together, creating security holes that can easily be taken advantage of," says Barmak Meftah, senior vice president at applications security firm Fortify Software.
Though companies are loath to publicly disclose data losses, about 656 data breach cases made headlines in 2008, up from 446 in 2007, according to the non-profit Identity Theft Resource Center. Through nine months this year, ITRC has archived new stories chronicling 391 data thefts.
With IT staffs stretched thin -- and concentrating on adding digital services -- data heists are going unreported, or unnoticed, security...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
New HP Hardware Features Touchscreen Technology
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69488
Hewlett-Packard launched a variety of new PCs and computing devices today, featuring market-leading touchscreen technology. The new offerings include three all-in-one PCs -- the TouchSmart 300, TouchSmart 600, and the TouchSmart 9100 Business PC -- plus the TouchSmart tx2 notebook; and, the LD4200tm 42-inch widescreen monitor.
The new PCs offer a long list of built-in touch-based applications, including a Hulu Desktop, a touch-enabled Netflix app, Twitter, the Rhapsody-based HP Music Store, Pandora Internet radio, the TouchSmart Recipe Box, TouchSmart Live TV, and the TouchSmart Canvas and TouchSmart Link photo applications.
HP said the TouchSmart 9100 offers a Digital Visual Interface (DVI) for connecting to full HD format displays and projectors, 32- or 64-bit versions of Windows 7, two NVIDIA graphics choices, FireWire and a variety of other options.
The tx2 is the first consumer notebook to enable two-finger navigation of entertainment applications, HP said. The notebook offers many of the same features as the desktops and adds touch-enabled games and a Corel art application.
The LD4200tm, which will not be available until December, is a black signage device designed to bring touchscreen functionality to kiosks, retail environments, malls, terminals and similar locations, according to the company.
Steve Baker, vice president of industry analysis for The NPD Group, said touchscreens are going to be a hot topic going forward. "I do think that touch is the wave of the future, especially in the last few months of this year and in 2010," he said.
The key theme through the announcements is the idea that Windows 7 will make touchscreens more feasible. In the Windows XP or Vista environments, Baker said, touch functionality was "bolted" on by OEM or VARs. "The integration into the OS saves the OEMs [and VARs] lots of money in terms of programming and makes it easier," he...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Nokia's Booklet 3G Will Run 12 Hours on AT&T's Network
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69483
On Tuesday, Nokia introduced its Booklet 3G to U.S. consumers. Nokia has partnered with AT&T, Best Buy, and Microsoft to launch its first device that aims to breach the chasm between personal computer and mobile device.
The Booklet 3G runs on Microsoft Windows 7 and is powered by an Intel Atom processor. Nokia promises the device will deliver up to 12 hours of battery life so users can leave their power cable behind and still stay connected and productive.
"Our alliance with Nokia is advancing on multiple fronts and the Nokia Booklet 3G is an important step," said Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. "We are excited with Nokia's decision to launch its first PC with Windows 7. By combining the value and simplicity of the operating system with the all-day mobility of the Nokia Booklet 3G, we are bringing new and valuable experiences to consumers and businesses."
The Booklet 3G offers full-function PC features inside an ultra-portable aluminum chassis. Described as a mini-laptop, the device weighs less than 2.76 pounds and measures slightly more than two centimeters thin. Consumers can connect to the Internet at high speeds using embedded 3G/HSPA or Wi-Fi.
Nokia President and CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said the most powerful device is the one that doesn't have you running for the power plug or network point. The Booklet 3G aims to answer that call.
"By combining the Booklet's sleek design, impressive features, and competitive price together with the new Windows 7 operating system from Microsoft, AT&T's nationwide 3G coverage, and Best Buy's unmatched national retail footprint, we believe we have a winning combination for U.S. consumers," Kallasvuo said.
The mini-laptop also comes with an HDMI port for HD video out, a front-facing camera for video calling, integrated Bluetooth, and an easily accessible SD card reader. Other features include the glass 10.1-inch...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Google Docs Now Has Shared Folders for Collaboration
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69482
Google has followed through on its promise in July to enable Google Docs users to establish shared folders. Far and away the most requested Google Docs feature, shared folders promises to make it far easier for groups to collaborate on documents.
Previously Google Docs users had to set the access permission status for documents, spreadsheets and presentations one at a time. But once Google has finished rolling out its latest round of Google Docs changes, all users will have to do to share items with others is to put them into a shared folder.
"We're rolling out these updates gradually, so they should be available to everyone soon," said Google Docs product manager Vijay Bangaru. "As you'd expect, if you add an item to a shared folder, it will automatically be shared, and if you add someone to an existing shared folder, they will instantly get access to all of the folder's content."
Google has also made it easier for users to upload multiple items to its Google Docs cloud-computing environment. "Instead of picking one file at a time, our new upload page lets you choose multiple files and upload them simultaneously, in just a couple of steps," Bangaru said.
During the upload process, files are automatically converted to the Google Docs format, with a status bar displaying a progress report on the transfers. Alternatively, multiple files can be uploaded through the Google Docs List Data API, which enables client applications to upload documents to Google Docs and list them in the form of Google Data API feeds.
Additionally, Google has reintroduced a feature called "items not in folders," which many Google Docs users have been employing as a work flow tool. "We've made one change to ensure the filter functions as expected in light of the new shared...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Windows 7 Release Could Boost Sales of Apple's Macs
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69481
Microsoft is hoping to make a big splash with the release of its Windows 7 operating system, but the features and functionality may not be enough to outdo rival Apple. In fact, a report says new Windows releases by Microsoft mean a boost in Apple's sales.
So if history repeats itself, Microsoft's release of Windows 7 on Oct. 22 will not have a negative impact on Apple and may instead increase Mac sales. Past releases of Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows 2000, and Windows 98 have had no negative impact on Apple's bottom line, according to a report by Broadpoint AmTech analyst Bill Marshall.
In the report to clients, Marshall said new operating-system launches from Microsoft increase sales of Apple computers. He predicted Apple could double its global PC market share from four percent to more than eight percent in the next five years.
"We have concluded that no negative correlation exists on Apple's hardware sales when Microsoft launches a new OS," Marshall wrote in an excerpt of his report published by Brainstorm Tech. "Ironically, we believe new OS launches from Microsoft may have even acted as a delayed accelerant to Apple's s computing sales."
Microsoft's Windows 7 has been getting overall good reviews by developers and early users, but good reviews may not be enough to keep existing customers and sell Windows 7 computers.
"The world is changing, and companies are changing," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Interpret. "For the first time we are seeing Apple and Microsoft go head-to-head with operating systems. And you have a combination of factors: For a Windows user Windows 7 is strong; for Mac users (Mac OS X) Snow Leopard is strong."
But the question is whether Microsoft will be able to gain any new customers from its rival.
"Microsoft has...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Cisco Goes Mobile with $2.9B Starent Networks Deal
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69480
In a move to compete for business from wireless carriers, Cisco Systems has reached an agreement to acquire Starent Networks for $2.9 billion. Starent supplies IP-based mobile infrastructure solutions.
With the Starent acquisition, Cisco is preparing for mobile Internet growth. The company noted the mobile Internet is at an inflection point as IP-enabled smartphones and other mobile devices see rapid market adoption. Service providers have been actively investing in this market to accommodate a spike in global mobile data traffic, which the Cisco Visual Networking Index expects to more than double every year through 2013.
"We are very pleased that Starent Networks will be joining the Cisco team, and we believe their products and engineering talent will greatly benefit our service-provider customers as they build out their mobile Internet offerings," said Cisco Chairman and CEO John Chambers.
Starent solutions help service providers scale their mobile infrastructure. The company provides multimedia intelligence, core network functions, and services to manage access from any 2.5G, 3G, and 4G network to a mobile operator's packet core network. Starent's access-independent technology is deployed in CDMA2000 (1X, EVDO), UMTS/HSPA and WiMAX networks.
"Cisco and Starent Networks share a common vision and bring complementary technologies designed to accelerate the transition to the mobile Internet, where the network is the platform for service providers to launch, deliver and monetize the next generation of mobile multimedia applications and services," said Pankaj Patel, senior vice president and general manager of Cisco's service provider business.
Starent was founded in 2000 and had an initial public offering in 2007. The company has about 1,000 employees worldwide. For the year ended Dec. 31, 2008, Starent reported revenue of $254.1 million, up 74 percent from 2007.
Cisco's acquisition is expected to close during the first half of 2010. Until then, the companies will continue to...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Sidekick Users May Get Some Data Back and a $100 Card
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69479
Can T-Mobile and Microsoft turn around the Sidekick wipeout? The companies are making an effort with an announcement Monday that they will offer some payment to those who lost all their personal data. They also offered some hope for restoring data.
On Saturday, the companies said a Microsoft subsidiary -- aptly named Danger -- experienced a "data service disruption" that erased all Sidekick users' contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists, and photos. The Sidekick smartphone features social connectivity, so personal data is particularly important to many of the device's owners.
Late Monday, the companies announced that "recent efforts indicate the prospects of recovering some lost content may now be possible." In its previous announcement, the companies had said only that a team was working "around the clock" to figure out how to recover the information.
T-Mobile is also now saying it will send customers who "have experienced a significant and permanent loss of personal content" a $100 "customer appreciation card." The company said the card, which can be used toward products and services from T-Mobile, is in addition to a free month of data service that has already been offered to Sidekick data customers.
T-Mobile said details about the card will be sent within the next two weeks, and no action is needed on the part of customers.
Some industry observers say the Sidekick wipeout could be a fatal blow to the device, especially as it faces additional competition from other smartphones that may have greater appeal to the same youth market, such as Motorola's CLIQ.
The episode is also raising questions about cloud computing in general. Although Microsoft/Danger hasn't revealed details, it is hard to imagine that such data loss would happen if there were backup and other disaster-recovery mechanisms in place. In fact, when Microsoft purchased Danger last year,...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Tech Takes Home Offices To Extremes
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69463
Katy Leakey rises early in the morning, has breakfast with her husband, Philip, and heads to the 12-foot-by-12-foot office where she spends much of her workday.
Like many other entrepreneurs, she keeps her jewelry and home accessories business running smoothly by checking in with customers and distributors through phone calls, e-mail and the VoIP service Skype.
Unlike many entrepreneurs, she works out of a tent in Kenya.
Katy and Philip Leakey, son of the famous archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey, hire rural Kenyans to create the eco-friendly products that make up The Leakey Collection. The couple, who live among the Maasai people in the Kenyan bush, sell the goods online and in U.S. retail stores. They reinvest a portion of revenue on local projects such as building roads and schools.
Kathy Levinson's office environment is vastly different. The real estate agent works in a 10-foot-by-12-foot refurbished storage closet in the basement of her Port Washington, N.Y., home. She made the windowless office cozy by adding carpet, fresh paint and soft lighting.
Leakey and Levinson are part of a surging group: business owners who work from home or in remote or mobile offices. Nearly 9 percent of all North American adults operate a business out of a home, according to Forrester Research. And the number of people who work remotely will continually increase worldwide, according to research firm IDC.
Many factors will contribute to the continued growth of remote working. They include technological advances, workers' urges for more life/work balance and the desires of retiring Baby Boomers and older adults to keep working for personal and financial reasons.
Folks in their 60s, 70s and 80s "have 35 or more years (of life) to enjoy and pay for, but not everyone wants to be a greeter at Walmart," says Joanne Pratt, a futurist and researcher who has studied the...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Office IT, from Mad Men to Now and Beyond
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69455
Sexist comments. Bourbon at 10 a.m. Lighting up a Pall Mall whenever you want. No, this isn't the Mets locker room. It's the way of life on the TV show Mad Men, and boy, did those guys at Sterling Cooper (the show's fictional advertising firm) have it made. No one cared about cancer. All the secretaries and stewardesses had hourglass figures. And if you were Senior Partner Roger Sterling, you could even pinch one of their tushes with impunity.
How times change. The only tush I can pinch is my dog's. And he's not happy about it, either. I have to steal my drinks from a flask in the men's room. And smoking those Pall Malls? I'll leave that to the President.
But most of us who work in an office have noticed something else on Mad Men: the technology shift. Gone are those big, black phones. Also those IBM typewriters. A copy machine was new technology then. If Don Draper, the firm's creative director, was suddenly transported to today's office, he would be shocked by how much of the technology that he used every day in 1963 is long gone.
Would the same be true of a business owner from today hypothetically transported ahead 50 years? Try five years. Because in just that short amount of time, a lot of the technology we use now won't be around, at least not as much. So if you're thinking of investing in something new, you may want to consider a few technologies that are changing right before our eyes.
Let's start with Macs. Apple technology is gaining traction in the workplace. There's a whole new generation of workers weaned on Macbooks hitting the job market. In a recent survey of 750 businesses by research firm Information Technology Intelligence, 73 percent of respondents...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Netbooks Facing Competition from Cheaper Notebooks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69454
Netbooks have turned plenty of consumer heads in the computing world lately by virtue of being so small, light and affordable.
Indeed, few customers can say no to a computer for between 350 and 550 euros (515 to 810 dollars). A German consumer research agency has reported that netbooks enjoyed a three-figure percentage growth rate between January and July of this year to a point where they now claim 21 per cent of the market.
But traditional notebook computers are fighting back, in some cases by dropping their prices to netbook levels.
"In the meantime, there are entry-level notebooks with prices under 400 euros," says Manfred Breul of Bitkom, a German computer industry group based in Berlin.
But more choice means shoppers have to ask even more questions about what's right for them. "Just like with every purchasing decision, one has to ask oneself 'What do I want to do with this device?'" says Georg Tryba of Verbraucherzentrale Nordrhein-Westfalen, a consumer protection agency in central Germany.
Netbooks are designed for people always on the go. They can fit into most pockets and can support most office and Internet applications. That makes them best for simple tasks and basic surfing. But anyone looking for something more might be disappointed.
"Anyone who wants to run computing-intensive applications or relies a lot on CDs and DVDs will not be happy with a netbook," says Tryba. First of all, netbooks don't come with CD or DVD drives, meaning an external device is necessary.
Additionally, a netbook's computing power is generally not to the same standards as a notebook's.
"In many cases, a notebook can replace a PC. Not so with a netbook," says Breul. Thus, if you're looking for a replacement for your desktop, you're best off with a notebook.
There are other drawbacks to a netbook. Hard drive capacity is usually limited...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Taiwan's Acer Denies Brazil Notebook Plant
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69452
Taiwan's computer giant Acer Inc. on Sunday denied a press report which said it planned to open a notebook personal computer plant in Brazil.
"The company has no information on that. Personally, I think it is unlikely," Acer spokesman Wang Tao-hsiung said.
"It is totally unlikely that Acer plans to build a notebook PC plant in Brazil. If you say it is a desktop PC plant, that could be remotely likely, even though that is not being planned either," he said.
Wang was responding to Saturday's report in Brazilian newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, which said that Acer, after withdrawing from Brazil for 15 years, plans to return to local market and open a notebook PC plant.
The stated reason was that currently Acer ships its notebook PC and the smaller netbook PC to Brazil via Paraguay and sells them at low price in Brazil, which has made its computers popular in Brazil.
However, Brazil has cut tariffs on information products and is offering incentives to retailers, which has made Acer's transshipment through Paraguay unnecessary, Folha said.
Established in 1976, Acer reported 2007 revenues of 14 billion US dollars. It has a worldwide staff of 5,000 employees.
In 2007, Acer overtook Dell and became the world's No 2 notebook computer vendor after buying US computer maker Gateway in October of that year.
The purchase also helped Acer overtake Lenovo as the third-biggest personal computer maker in the world. Acer hopes to overtake HP as the world's leading laptop seller by 2011.
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Tough Choices for Feds Giving Out Broadband Money
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69448
The federal government will soon start handing out the first $4 billion from a pot of stimulus funds intended to spread high-speed Internet connections to more rural communities, poor neighborhoods and other pockets of the country clamoring for better access. The challenge is that the government has received $28 billion in requests.
So the reviewers at the Commerce and Agriculture Departments who will award the broadband money must make hard choices. The 2,200 applications each envision something different -- more fiber-optic lines, for example, or computer labs or municipal wireless networks. But they all promise that their proposals will create jobs and bring new economic opportunities.
What follows are snapshots of four projects representing a cross section of the broadband stimulus hopefuls. It's too soon to know which plans will win federal grants or loans, either in this round of funding or in the next, as the total broadband stimulus expands to $7.2 billion. Those that do get picked may not get the full amount they are seeking.
But perhaps one -- or more -- of these projects has a chance.
---
For the Coeur d'Alene Indian tribe in the Idaho panhandle, the stimulus money could mean a lifeline to the outside world.
The tribe is asking for $12.2 million for a ring of fiber-optic lines that could connect up to 3,500 homes on one side of its rural reservation, which is about half the size of Rhode Island.
Right now, the tribe's landline broadband options are limited. The local cable company has pulled out of the market. And the phone company, Verizon Communications Inc., offers digital subscriber line (DSL) service to just a small slice of the reservation.
Although the tribe launched its own wireless network in 2005 with the help of Agriculture Department funding, that network reaches less than half the reservation and slows to...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Slacker Gets Busy on BlackBerrys
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69413
Internet radio service Slacker isn't slacking anymore, thanks to the BlackBerry.
When Research In Motion decided to make its BlackBerry phones less corporate and more entertainment-oriented, it tapped Slacker as its first music app, over powerhouse rival Pandora.
The explosive growth of mobile has paid off handsomely for Slacker, which originally tried marketing its own portable media player, the $199 Slacker G2, with little success. About 35 percent of new Slacker registrants each day are BlackBerry owners. Slacker has 10 million listeners, up from 6 million when it launched with BlackBerry in January.
"We're in a place where we thought we would be, but not necessarily on the platform where we thought we'd be," Slacker CEO Jim Cady says.
Slacker is also available for the iPhone but is way more popular with the BlackBerry crowd, which now also can get Pandora.
Like Pandora, Slacker lets music fans "create" their own stations by typing in the names of artists they like. Slacker's twist: It also offers DJ-programmed "genre" stations (rock, country, jazz, blues, etc.) and a bigger music library (nearly 3 million songs vs. 700,000 for Pandora).
And BlackBerry users can store the stations on a memory card, so they can listen in places with no wireless coverage (such as airplanes), save on battery power and listen to music while answering e-mail.
For years, rivals to Apple's dominant iTunes have tried to gain a foothold with various forms of on-demand music programs.
Music subscription services such as Rhapsody and Napster tout unlimited access to millions of songs on demand. Satellite radio offers more music choices for monthly fees. Neither has caught on in a big way, while online radio has now come of age thanks to mobile.
"Our world has completely changed because of mobile," Pandora founder Tim Westergren says. "It's just gone berserk."
Pandora, with 35 million listeners and nine...
Wed, 14 Oct 09
Review: Wireless Charging Lets You Cut the Cords
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69408
It's a pain to keep track of the chargers that go with cell phones, media players and other small electronics. It's even more annoying to stuff multiple power cords and adapters in your bag when you go out of town.
What if you could charge things without plugging them in?
I've started doing just that. I tested two mats that juice up small devices like iPods on contact, with only the mat plugged into an outlet rather than each gadget. The mats are far from perfect, requiring special sleeves and adapters for electronics. But there's something thrilling about cutting (most of) the cords.
The first product I tried came from Powermat USA, which started selling two $100 mats this month.
One of them is an oblong mat designed for home and office use, which impressed me right out of the box because it was easy to set up and compatible with lots of popular gadgets. Powermat also sells a rectangular one that folds into thirds for traveling.
Both are available at Best Buy and Target, and are expected to start selling through Amazon.com next week.
Each Powermat comes with a little white cube that sports a miniUSB connector -- the kind that goes into BlackBerrys and numerous other phones -- and eight different tips that fit the charging port on an iPhone, iPod, Sony PSP and other small electronics. Once you connect your gadget to the cube with the appropriate tip, you drop the cube onto the mat to start charging.
You can skip the step of using the cube, but that will cost more money. Powermat sells plastic cases for devices such as the iPhone, iPod Touch and Nintendo DSi, along with special back covers for some BlackBerrys. All these let you charge the devices by simply plopping them down on the pad. There's also a...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
No Refunds for App Store May Mean Quality Problems
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69466
Apple's policy of offering almost no refunds for applications purchased from its App Store may have implications for business users beyond the waste of a few dollars, according to In-Stat analyst Allen Nogee. He said the policy may be a yellow flag that applications are being poorly tested and more likely to carry malware.
Apple's ground rules are clear. Section 12b of the App Store's terms and conditions, highlighted in a New York Times blog posting on Oct. 12, refers only to delay or non-delivery -- not subpar performance -- as a reason for a refund.
Nogee was a victim of the harsh policies. "I purchased a printer application that allows you to print directly to a printer," he said. "It cost $6.99, which is fairly expensive for an app. The reviews were glowing, but it didn't work at all. You couldn't do anything, such as select a printer. I read the reviews again and it appears that they were written by the author of the application. It was clear that in this case it was not just a small bug. The application just couldn't perform what it was supposed to do."
After reading the terms and conditions from Apple, Nogee realized he had wasted $6.99. "I was pretty much stuck," he said.
Nogee pointed out that there is an issue here beyond annoyance. Apple's desire to bulk up the number of applications that are available may be undercutting quality control.
In the desktop world, brand-name software can't be returned. But in most cases, those products have commercial developers standing behind them. Conversely, shareware usually can be tried for periods between 60 and 90 days before it is paid for. Those checks and balances aren't built into online application marketplaces.
Security is a major concern. "I'm not sure that...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
Google Voice Call Limits Blamed on 'Exorbitant' Rates
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69464
Google quickly responded to a Federal Communications Commission letter released Friday requesting further information about its policy on blocking calls to selected telephone exchanges. While Google admits to having a policy that restricts Google Voice calls to phone numbers in a small number of rural areas, Google counsel Richard Whitt said the reason behind the policy is simple.
Telecom providers not only charge exorbitant termination rates for these calls, but they "also partner with adult sex chat lines and 'free' conference calling centers to drive high volumes of traffic," Whitt said. "Google Voice is a free application and we want to keep it that way for all our users -- which we could not afford to do if we paid these ludicrously high charges."
Among other things, the FCC's letter asked Google to describe how Google Voice places restrictions on calls to particular telephone numbers. The commission also asked the search giant to explain the methods it employs to inform Google Voice users "about any restrictions in the numbers to which calls can be placed," wrote Sharon Gillet, chief of the FCC Wireline Competition Bureau.
Late last month, AT&T complained in a letter to the FCC that allowing Google to restrict selected Google Voice calls gives it an unfair advantage over traditional telecom providers. Those providers are banned from implementing call blocking and other self-help actions under a policy introduced by the bureau in June 2007.
"Google casually dismisses the bureau's order, claiming that Google Voice 'isn't a traditional phone service and shouldn't be regulated like other common carriers,'" AT&T Senior Vice President Robert Quinn told the FCC. "But in reality, Google Voice appears to be nothing more than a creatively packaged assortment of services that are already quite familiar to the commission."
Google Voice incorporates a calling...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
Google Director Resigns To Continue on Apple's Board
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69461
On Monday, Google announced that Dr. Arthur Levinson has resigned from the company's board of directors, effective immediately. Levinson has been on the Google board since April 2004.
His resignation comes on the heels of Google CEO and Chairman Eric Schmidt's resignation from Apple's board in August. Schmidt served on Apple's board since 2006 and resigned, citing conflicts of interest.
"Art has been a key part of Google's success these past five years, offering unvarnished advice and vital counsel on every big issue and opportunity Google has faced," Schmidt said. "Though he leaves as a member of our board, Art will always have a special place at Google."
Levinson has served as a corporate director of Apple since 2000 and is the president and chairman of Genentech, a biotech company. "Working with Eric, Larry, Sergey and the whole Google team has been a remarkable experience for me," Levinson said. "I greatly admire what they've built and have no doubt that Google has a terrific future."
While neither Schmidt nor Levinson offered a reason for Levinson's departure, a Federal Trade Commission inquiry into the board overlap between Google and Apple seems to have motivated the recent splits. The FTC launched an inquiry in May to investigate whether there were opportunities for collusion between the two companies.
When Schmidt resigned from the Apple board, Apple said it was a mutual decision. Apple CEO Steve Jobs spelled out in no uncertain terms that Google was entering into more of Apple's core business with its Android and Chrome operating systems. Although Schmidt was a valued board member, Jobs said, his effectiveness would be significantly diminished since he would have to recuse himself from even larger portions of Apple's meetings due to potential conflicts of interest.
Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret, isn't surprised by...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
Sidekick Data Lost -- And Vendors Say Oops, Sorry
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69459
In the annals of company failures that permanently affect a product, the Sidekick wipeout may have its own chapter. On Saturday, T-Mobile and Microsoft announced that a Microsoft subsidiary had suffered a "data-service disruption" that wiped out all Sidekick users' contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists, and photos.
The Sidekick phone emphasizes its social connectivity, so the personal data is particularly important to most owners. Sidekick's data is maintained by a company appropriately named Danger, a subsidiary of Microsoft. For more than a week, the phones have been suffering data outages, and there have been reports of some users trying to reboot their phones by removing the battery -- which erases saved info on the device.
A joint statement said T-Mobile and Microsoft/Danger "express our apologies" for the wipeout.
Apologies may not be enough for the estimated one million T-Mobile Sidekick customers. Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, called the episode "an unmitigated disaster."
In fact, he said, "this may prove to be a fatal blow to the Sidekick brand." Greengart pointed out that this was "much worse than just a service outage."
At the very least, he said, Sidekick will take a "very large hit," but it may well turn out to be a final hit. The phone is already facing serious competition, he noted, from "flashier smartphones" such as Motorola's CLIQ, which has more to offer the same young customer who wants a socially connected device.
"I wouldn't buy a Sidekick today," he said, adding that T-Mobile will survive this disaster even if the device doesn't.
Greengart said a big reason that the episode is such a head-slapping failure is a rumor he's heard that Danger didn't have a backup for the servers that went down. "I've been hearing from a lot of IT people, from small shops and...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
LG Display Develops Solar Power for E-Readers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69442
In a move toward eco-friendliness, LG Display unveiled a new e-book reader technology on Sunday that is powered by the sun. Sony has installed the solar cell in its Sony Reader as a proof of concept.
Developed in-house, the thin-film solar cell within the e-book reader is 10 centimeters long and wide, and was developed to fit the six-inch display panel for e-books. The solar cell itself is 0.7 millimeter thick and weights just 20 grams. It's thinner than a credit card and weighs the same as a fountain pen.
"E-books are attracting a lot of attention because they offer the advantage of storing thousands of books' worth of contents in an easy-to-carry device," said Ki Yong Kim, head of the solar-cell office at LG Display. "The idea of e-book combined with solar cell will offer users the added benefit of longer usage."
Some observers see thin-film solar cells as a solution to the problems associated with widely adopted crystalline solar cells that employ silicon wafers, such as a scarcity of materials and high cost.
Unlike widely solar cells that use silicon wafers, LG said, the thin-film solar cell is generally lightweight and easily adjustable in size and form for applications such as e-books or mobile phones.
By placing electrodes onto a glass or plastic substrate rather than a silicon wafer, LG said, manufacturers can make the screens larger. According to LG, the new technology makes the entry barrier relatively low for LCD manufacturers.
The energy-conversion efficiency rate of LG's solar cell is nearly 10 percent. According to the company, exposing an e-book reader with the solar solution to sunlight for four or five hours will extend the e-book battery's running time by a day -- without the need for additional charging. That translates to longer outdoor use of the...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
Google Book Plan Divides World Publishing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69434
French and German publishers are at odds with the US book industry over how to respond to search engine giant Google's audacious bid to monetize nearly a century of semi-forgotten books.
The continentals hope a proposed 125-million-dollar settlement between Google and the Authors Guild and Association of American Publishers will collapse. A US court in New York is to hear the issue anew next month.
Alexander Skipis, chief executive of the Boersenverein, Germany's publishers' and booksellers' association, said a court adjournment to hear more than 350 objections, including a challenge from the US Department of Justice, had shown the deal was a "failure."
But the Germans and French have not been able to propose any alternative way to build a world library of out-of-print books online, other than appealing for their governments to take over the task, an unlikely prospect in the current recession.
At a September 7 Brussels hearing, EU officials spoke up for the public interest in bringing so-called "orphan works" back into circulation, saying Google was offering a solution.
The orphans are the nearly forgotten books that never became best sellers. The authors are dead. The files have been lost. Often, the publishing companies no longer exist. A handful of people still need the information in the books, but cannot find any copies.
Under copyright law, private enterprises are not supposed to scan old books and offer copies to people who need them. They are supposed to first mount investigations into the provenance first, reconstructing the rights history and tracking down heirs to ask.
That is a lot of work, just to provide a few pages from a library book. Under some jurisdictions, copyright extends 75 years from the death of an author. So some books written when authors were young, back in the 19th century, are still tied up by these laws.
US publishers...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
Adobe's Uphill Climb Off the Desktop
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69432
Adobe Systems Chief Technology Officer Kevin Lynch had good news on Oct. 5 for attendees of his company's annual conference in Los Angeles. The next version of Flash, the company's flagship Web video software, could be used in applications for Apple's iPhone -- developers the world over could use Flash to create downloadable games and other tools for one of the most popular smartphones.
But in the back of the minds of many of the 4,000 designers, software developers, and computer-industry execs was the bad news -- that because of an ongoing dispute between Adobe and Apple, iPhone users still can't view Web pages built with Flash. The upshot: While Flash can be embedded in software downloaded and used on the device, it won't show up for people who use the iPhone to surf the Internet. "They see [Flash] as a mixed blessing," Adobe Chief Executive Shantanu Narayen said of Apple in an August interview. On one hand, iPhone users want access to videos and Web pages built in Flash. But Apple says the software slows the device down.
The conundrum illustrates the chief hurdle facing Adobe, the world's fourth-largest software maker by market value. Under CEO Narayen, Adobe wants to keep its products relevant in a world where computing is shifting away from traditional PCs and laptops toward handheld devices. The company wants to ensure that Flash and other marquee products are as useful on smartphones, netbooks -- even car dashboards and TVs -- as they are on desktops. By keeping Flash off the Web for iPhone users, the impasse with Apple doesn't help.
Adobe has long been a key supplier of software for PCs and Macs and is expected to sell $2.91 billion worth of software, including Flash, Photoshop, and Acrobat, in its 2009 fiscal year, which ends...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
EU Countries Urged To Step Up Fight Against Spam
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69429
Brussels on Thursday urged national governments to step up their fight against spammers amid data showing that the majority of Europeans keep on being pestered by unsolicited emails.
Although spam has been illegal in the European Union since 2002, a recent Eurobarometer poll showed that 65 per cent of EU citizens still receive spam on a regular basis.
At national level, the figure ranges from a high of 83 percent in Portugal to a low of 31 percent in Slovakia.
"We need to step up our fight against spammers and make sure that the EU adopts legislation that provides for strong civil and criminal sanctions against spammers," said Viviane Reding, the EU's commissioner for information society and media.
"If we can end the spam plague within Europe we will set the example for our neighboring countries and other parts of the world which are as responsible for spam we receive in Europe," Reding said.
According to industry figures, one in six spam emails are sent from the United States. And the commission is currently negotiating an agreement with the US administration of Barack Obama to improve international cooperation on the enforcement of consumer protection laws.
A study commissioned by EU officials in Brussels found that member states treat spam differently, with the Netherlands imposing the highest fine on offenders (1 million euros (1.48 million dollars)) and spammers in Romania, Ireland and Latvia getting away with only modest fines of several hundred euros.
The EU executive is currently working on a new provision that would require penalties for breaking national laws on online privacy to be "effective, proportionate and dissuasive."
The commission also wants to oblige EU governments to allocate the necessary resources to national enforcement authorities.
Tue, 13 Oct 09
Tech Industry Braces for More Antitrust Scrutiny
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69428
After eight years of light antitrust scrutiny under a Republican White House, the technology and telecommunications industries are bracing for stepped up oversight by the Obama administration's Justice Department.
Christine Varney, the head of the department's antitrust division, vowed in a May speech that her office will take a tough look at potential abuses of market power across some of the nation's biggest industries, including high tech and telecom.
Now the U.S. government is putting out feelers to determine whether one industry giant, IBM Corp., has exploited its dominant position in the market for massive data-processing computers known as mainframes. The probe, which the Justice Department has not yet publicly acknowledged but has been confirmed by IBM and an industry trade group, is still in a very preliminary stage and will not necessarily lead to a formal investigation.
But it is part of a broader fact-gathering effort by the feds, who are seeking to get their arms around a rapidly changing sector that is a major engine for U.S. economic growth. No matter where the IBM review leads, the entire industry is on notice that the current Justice Department is likely to take a much more active approach to antitrust enforcement than the previous one.
"The last administration was not focused on competition, but with the Obama administration there is a recognition that overconcentration in the economy can have unhealthy consequences," said Ed Black, head of the Computer and Communications Industry Association, a trade group that helped bring concerns about IBM's behavior in the mainframe business to the attention of the Justice Department. "They recognize that there is value in having multiple players in a market."
In scrutinizing the technology and telecom industries, antitrust enforcers have a huge market to examine. They are expected to look at everything from consolidation in the wireless sector --...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
U.K. Hacker's Latest Extradition Appeal Fails
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69427
A British man accused of hacking into U.S. military computers has failed in his latest bid to avoid extradition to the United States, his lawyer said Friday.
Gary McKinnon is charged with breaking into dozens of 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. U.S. prosecutors have spent seven years seeking his extradition.
McKinnon claims he was searching for evidence of alien life, although prosecutors say he left a message on an Army computer criticizing U.S. foreign policy.
Friday's decision denies McKinnon the possibility of taking his case to Britain's new Supreme Court -- the latest in a series of blows to his campaign to remain in Britain. Lord Justice Stanley Burnton said that extradition was "a lawful and proportionate response" to McKinnon's alleged crimes.
McKinnon's attorney, Karen Todner, said she was not giving up.
"The legal team are now considering our position and we will exhaust every avenue to prevent Gary's extradition," she said after the ruling.
McKinnon's supporters argue that the 43-year-old is autistic and should not be put through the ordeal of a custodial sentence across the Atlantic.
McKinnon's case has attracted significant attention in Britain, where it has served as touchstone for debate about the country's fast-track extradition treaty with the United States -- signed in the wake of Sept. 11 -- and wider U.S.-British relations.
McKinnon's mother, Janis Sharp, said that her government was too willing to send its citizens to the United States "as sacrificial lambs" to safeguard the pair's "special political relationship."
"To use my desperately vulnerable son in this way is despicable, immoral and devoid of humanity," she said after the ruling.
Britain's Home Office, which would ultimately be responsible for handling McKinnon's extradition, said only that it had noted the decision.
Tue, 13 Oct 09
AP, News Corp Bosses Tell Search Engines To Pay Up
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69426
The leaders of two of the world's major news organizations said Friday that it is time for search engines and others who use news content for free to pay up.
The comments from Tom Curley of The Associated Press and News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch come as the media industry struggles in the Internet age. Many news companies contend that sites such as Google have reaped a fortune from their articles, photos and video without fairly compensating the news organizations producing the material.
"We content creators have been too slow to react to the free exploitation of news by third parties without input or permission," Curley, the AP's chief executive, told a meeting of 300 media leaders in Beijing.
"Crowd-sourcing Web services such as Wikipedia, YouTube and Facebook have become preferred customer destinations for breaking news, displacing Web sites of traditional news publishers," Curley said. "We content creators must quickly and decisively act to take back control of our content."
He said content aggregators, such as search engines and bloggers, were also directing audiences and revenue away from content creators.
"We will no longer tolerate the disconnect between people who devote themselves -- at great human and economic cost -- to gathering news of public interest and those who profit from it without supporting it," Curley said.
Murdoch also told the opening session of the World Media Summit in Beijing's Great Hall of the People that content providers would be demanding to be paid.
"The aggregators and plagiarists will soon have to pay a price for the co-opting of our content. But if we do not take advantage of the current movement toward paid content, it will be the content creators -- the people in this hall -- who will pay the ultimate price and the content kleptomaniacs who triumph," the News Corp. chief executive said.
Curley said in...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
Zappos-Inspired Startup Is All About Men's Pants
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69424
Brian Spaly's quest for the perfect pair of pants led him and former roommate Andy Dunn to start a Web-only clothing company that wants to sell men's trousers that fit -- without the need for fitting rooms.
Business is good for their company, Bonobos Inc., though it's too early to tell whether the startup can achieve the heights of another online apparel store with a remarkably similar beginning.
That company is Zappos, which Amazon.com Inc. recently snapped up in a $850 million deal. A decade earlier, Nick Swinmurn spent a fateful hour schlepping around a San Francisco mall looking for the right pair of shoes. When he didn't find them, he went on to create Zappos.com Inc., a Web-only shoe retailer known for its broad selection of items, generous return policy and quirky culture.
Bonobos, named after the endangered ape, was likewise born out of a do-it-yourself project. Spaly, like many men, had a hard time finding pants that fit well despite his athletic build.
Mass-market pants, the kind you find at chain stores, are often baggy and frumpy, with lots of extra fabric around the thigh, Spaly says. He calls this "khaki diaper-butt." High-end designer pants, meanwhile, are expensive and too tight, cut for pencil-legged fashionistas and runway models.
Bonobos aims for the comfy middle ground. Its pants, most of which cost $118, have a curved waistband, less fabric in the thighs than the frumpy pants its founders frown on, and a slight boot cut. They come in classic men's colors like khaki, blue and gray, but also in orange, pale lavender and jungle green with bright flowers.
The company is so confident in its designs it accepts pants for return, free of postage for the buyer, no matter when they were bought and even if they've been washed, worn and hemmed.
That is yet another...
Tue, 13 Oct 09
BPO: Higher Quality, Competitive Costs
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69067
The quality revolution that is underway in organizations -- focusing on customer retention by delivering excellent service rather than costlier acquisitions -- is making its way through to business process outsourcing. Firms are now selecting suppliers on their abilities to deliver high customer satisfaction plus cross-sell/upsell revenues, instead of just on price alone. While the downturn has dampened, volumes more organizations are interested in BPO because these vendors can provide the higher quality being sought at lower costs than in-house operations.
"Price stopped being the 500-pound gorilla in the room in talks between outsourcers and clients," reports Peter Ryan, contact center outsourcing and services analyst, Datamonitor. "Companies want to make sure that they will come back to use them. If people have a bad customer service experience whether in-house or outsourced they are likely to churn."
Top tier providers that have greater capabilities than their clients in technology processes, scale, global footprint, and efficiency will benefit, reports Mike McMenamin, associate partner, contact center services, TPI. They drive greater agent productivity and they use technology, tools and process to efficiently and intelligently route calls, capture customer information and address and solve customer needs, and achieve client service levels. Budget cuts have led to clients' internal centers not receiving adequate investments to provide topnotch service while staff have been laid off.
"Many companies are now admitting 'we're not that good at running these contact centers anymore' so they are handing this work off to companies whose core capabilities and single focuses are on contact center operations and customer service," explains McMenamin. "The top tier service providers have tens of thousands of agents in major centers [worldwide] equipped with some of the best available tools, technology and standardized processes. They have built global delivery platforms to leverage their scale and efficiency in ways clients cannot compete...
Sat, 10 Oct 09
Adobe Warns of PDF Woes, But Fix Is on the Way
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69440
Adobe issued a security advisory Thursday about vulnerabilities in its Adobe Reader and Acrobat products. The company labeled the vulnerabilities critical, reflecting the highest level of severity, and indicated that software updates will be available on Tuesday, Oct. 13.
A number of Adobe products and all platforms are involved. The update will cover Adobe Reader 9.1.3, Acrobat 9.1.3, Adobe Reader 8.1.6, and Acrobat 8.1.6 for Windows, Macintosh and UNIX. The updates also will cover Adobe Reader 7.1.3 and Acrobat 7.1.3 for Windows and Macintosh.
If unpatched, malicious code carried in downloaded PDF documents can be executed and damage can be caused by viruses, Trojans or other malware if the file is opened by the user. Attacks have been seen in the wild targeting Windows using Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.1.3. The advisory said that computers with Data Execution Prevention (DEP) enabled on the Windows Vista operating system are not impacted.
The alert also said the variants observed in the field are neutralized if JavaScript is disabled. However, the company warned that the base vulnerability may be used for exploits that don't involve JavaScript.
Brad Arkin, director of product security and privacy for Adobe, said the company has information on "about a half-dozen" attacks. He said next Tuesday's security update is the second of two on the company's schedule. The first was released June 9. A response to the attacks has been folded into the second update, he said.
Ryan Naraine, a security evangelist for Kaspersky Labs, said the attacks seem to be aimed at corporate and business types. "This is a big deal for two reasons. One is that it is not patched yet, and two is that there already are attacks happening. That means that malicious hackers got hold of this vulnerability before Adobe did."
Researchers agree that Adobe is a...
Sat, 10 Oct 09
Wireless Carriers Urged To Stop Subsidizing Devices
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69439
Industry analysts are advising wireless network operators to stop subsidizing devices. While the subsidies let them draw in consumers with free or low-cost devices in exchange for lengthy service commitments, the deals end up squeezing their profit margins, according to Andy Castonguay of the Yankee Group.
"AT&T's iPhone model is a prime example of the negative effects of the subsidization model," Castonguay said. "It shows that an AT&T iPhone account with high data usage doesn't break even until month 17 of a 24-month contract."
The late 2008 burst of sales for the iPhone made global headlines despite being a relative drop in the bucket for an industry that sold 1.25 billion handsets last year, Castonguay observed. "The danger of this early success is that operators, OEMs and other companies can quickly become enamored with the titillating burst of media attention and begin to lose sight of the longer-term ramifications of their decisions -- namely, shrinking profitability," Castonguay said.
The estimated financial burden on AT&T for acquiring a new iPhone user on a two-year contract is a staggering $859. "Assuming that an iPhone user maintains voice usage comparable to AT&T's average customer and data usage of 5GB per month, Yankee Group estimates that AT&T would achieve an operating margin per account of approximately 47 percent, leading to a total profit margin of 16.1 percent per user," Castonguay said.
Eliminating the subsidy on the iPhone would generate a total return for AT&T of 33.4 percent over two years and shrink the time to break-even status on the account to eight months, Castonguay observed. "With this dynamic change, AT&T could begin to offer more flexible contracts to its customers, designing the total cost of ownership structure to reward specific behaviors such as long-term loyalty with better monthly terms," he said.
What's more, the subsidization model's...
Sat, 10 Oct 09
Nvidia Stops Research on Chipsets for Intel Architecture
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69438
Nvidia is taking its ongoing legal battle with Intel to a new level. The chipmaker has announced it will halt the research and development of new chipsets that work with Intel's microprocessors.
Nvidia attributed its decision to "unfair business practices" by Intel, and the move comes as both companies are battling over licensing violations. Intel and Nvidia reached an agreement in 2004 relating to communication between a CPU and various parts of a computer. Nvidia's chipsets, which are also made for Intel competitor Advanced Micro Devices, help a processor talk with various components.
In mid-February, Intel filed a motion in a Delaware court to prevent Nvidia from producing chipsets for any Intel processors that use integrated memory controllers. This includes Intel's Nehalem processor and, most likely, most or all of Intel's upcoming processors.
Intel said it had been in negotiations with Nvidia, but to no avail. Nvidia said the 2004 agreement allowed it to build chipsets for Intel processors with integrated memory controllers.
Nvidia's decision to stop working on Intel-related chipsets could in the short run mean the company could take in revenue from its existing chipsets, without spending money on research and development. In the long run, of course, it could leave Nvidia with few or no chipsets for the vast number of products that run on Intel technology.
Some industry analysts are suggesting that, since Intel is integrating more and more functionality into its own chips, it wants to restrict Nvidia's realm to older devices. Nvidia is pushing the idea that its graphics-processing units are becoming more CPU-like. In other words, which of the two companies represents the future for computer architecture?
Martin Reynolds, an analyst with industry research firm Gartner, said it would be "difficult to argue that the center of gravity for the PC...
Sat, 10 Oct 09
Barnes & Noble Expected To Launch E-Book Reader
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69437
On the heels of Amazon.com taking its Kindle to international markets, Barnes & Noble is venturing into the increasingly popular e-reader market. The Wall Street Journal reported the giant book retailer could roll out an e-reader as early as next month in the U.S.
In what the Journal described as setting the stage for a showdown between Barnes & Noble, Amazon and Sony, the retail chain may launch an e-reader with a six-inch screen from E Ink, which also supplies displays to Amazon and Sony. The device is said to have touch input and a virtual keyboard.
"We have made no announcement about a device," a Barnes & Noble spokesperson told the Journal. "Barnes & Noble believes that readers should have access to the books in their digital library from any device, anywhere, at anytime."
Citing "people briefed on the matter," the Journal said the device will likely use a wireless connection to download books from the online e-book store that Barnes & Noble opened in July. There is no word on how much the device will cost.
Amazon just lowered the price of its Kindle to $259 for the U.S. version and launched a $279 international version this week. It's not clear whether the Barnes & Noble device will support international capabilities, but it is expected to use AT&T's wireless network. The Kindle also uses AT&T.
"Barnes & Noble inevitably had to do this, but it's going to be a tough job to catch up with Amazon because Amazon has a lead that's pretty substantial," said Phil Leigh, a senior analyst at Inside Digital Media. "It will be interesting to see whether this leads to price competition for the Kindle. If Barnes & Nobles comes in at a lower price, it might force some reductions in the Kindle pricing, particularly for...
Sat, 10 Oct 09
Patch Tuesday Will Be Biggest Ever with 13 Bulletins
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69423
Microsoft is preparing for its biggest-ever Patch Tuesday next week -- and analysts said IT administrators should do the same. The software giant will issue 13 bulletins to address 34 security vulnerabilities across a wide range of products. Eight of the bulletins come with critical ratings, including two for vulnerabilities that are already being exploited.
The patches cover Office, SQL Server, Internet Explorer, and Microsoft developer tools, as well as all currently supported versions of Windows, including the yet-to-be released Windows 7. The previous largest Patch Tuesdays were 12 bulletins in October 2008 and November 2007.
"Microsoft is releasing a heavy load of patches to organizations next Tuesday with eight critical and five important vulnerabilities," said Paul Zimski, vice president of market strategy for Lumension. "Overall, the advanced bulletin from Microsoft further illustrates the importance of a strong patching solution, as IT administrators will spend a lot of extra time patching this month if they don't have a proper process in place."
Zimski pointed to several standout bulletins coming Tuesday. One he highlighted is Bulletin 13, which is labeled as critical. Zimski said this bulletin raises a red flag because it affects a large number of operating systems, core services, and applications.
"It is most likely a low-level vulnerability shared within the operating system itself that needs to be fixed," Zimski said. "Before deploying this patch into production environments, however, it will be important to test it vigorously to ensure services are not impacted by unexpected results."
Bulletin 5 presents an increased threat for what is typically called drive-by malware -- which users download without understanding the consequences or browser exploitation without the user's knowledge.
Zimski sees an increased threat because the bulletin concerns the most current versions of Internet Explorer -- versions 7 and 8 -- on multiple operating-system platforms. That,...
Sat, 10 Oct 09
Different Operating Systems Color Smartphones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69412
Funny how a pair of smartphones from the same handset maker come across so differently. The Hero from Sprint is generally a pleasure to use and a credible new rival against BlackBerrys and iPhones. AT&T's Pure, on the other hand, reminds me of cranky child. The two phones are sired by HTC of Taiwan.
The disparity has less to do with hardware genes -- or the wireless carriers peddling the new devices -- and more to do with the mobile operating systems at their core.
Hero, which arrives Oct. 11 for $180 after rebates, represents a fresh approach to Google's still relatively youthful Android operating system. The Pure, available now for $150 after rebate, runs the latest Microsoft Windows Mobile operating system, version 6.5.
Android is primed to make some noise. Besides Hero, a bevy of devices are set to arrive shortly, including the Cliq from Motorola. This week Google and Verizon Wireless announced a partnership that will result in more co-branded Android smartphones. And, though neither company is commenting, a report in The Wall Street Journal says a Dell-AT&T Android phone is coming next year.
And then there's Microsoft. A lot of Windows Mobile phones have been sold through the years, many to corporate customers. But the cumbersome software lacks mass appeal.
Version 6.5 is prettier than previous iterations: You can slap on a "Start" page designed by Isaac Mizrahi, for example. But in too many respects, the phone is a clunker. Not only is there a stylus, I actually had to use it to tap the tiny X to close out of some screens. The keyboard drove me nuts.
*Hero. The stately Hero is packed with features you expect from a smartphone: Wi-Fi, GPS navigation, music downloads (via Amazon's MP3 Store), stereo Bluetooth, and push e-mail -- which works...
Sat, 10 Oct 09
Next: The Pill Bottle Cap with a Cell Phone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69409
"Hi! This is your aspirin bottle calling. I haven't seen you in a while. Why don't you come see me soon? I'm good for the heart, you know."
That's the spirit, if not the wording, of the calls that will come from new pill bottle caps that connect to AT&T Inc.'s wireless network.
A Cambridge, Mass.-based startup called Vitality Inc. was set to announce the pill-bottle system Thursday, saying it helps solve one of the biggest problems in medicine: that people don't consistently take the drugs they're prescribed.
That costs the U.S. $290 billion in added medical spending each year, according to a study published in August by the New England Healthcare Institute. Mortality rates are twice as high among diabetes and heart disease patients who don't take their pills properly, it said.
With Vitality's system, when a pill-bottle cap is opened, it uses a close-range wireless signal to tell a base station in the home. That station, which looks like a night light, essentially has a cell phone inside that can send messages through AT&T's network.
If the bottle isn't opened at the appointed time, the cap and night light start blinking to remind the owner to take the medication. If that doesn't serve as enough of a hint, they start playing jingles as well. If the bottle stays unopened, the night light will send a message to Vitality's system, which can then place an automated phone call or send a text message with a reminder.
That points to another possibility opened by the wireless bottle cap: making the pill-taking routine more than just a matter between the patient and the bottle. Vitality's system can be set to alert a relative if someone isn't taking medicine.
"The social aspect of this is important," Vitality CEO David Rose said. "Almost every successful behavior change program, the academics...
Sat, 10 Oct 09
Air Controllers Say Computers Prone To Problems
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69406
A new computer system that is crucial to modernization of the U.S. air traffic control system has run into problems, raising doubts about whether it can be operational 15 months from now when current computers must be replaced, union officials said Wednesday.
The Federal Aviation Administration tried unsuccessfully to deploy the new computer system last weekend at a regional air traffic control center in Salt Lake City, Utah, the first of 20 regional facilities where the computers need to go into operation before the end of 2010.
That is when FAA's contract with IBM to maintain the present computer system expires. The present system used by controllers to guide air traffic relies on a unique computer language called Jovial that is understood by a dwindling number of technicians.
"They are racing the clock here. They have to get this to work -- failure is not an option," said Doug Church, a spokesman for the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
The computer system is an important part of FAA's plan to switch from an airspace system that tracks aircraft using World War II-era radar technology to one based on satellite technology. Full deployment of the GPS-based system is expected between 2015 and 2020 at a combined cost to the government and the airline industry of about $35 billion.
The switch from the old computer system to the new system was made at the Salt Lake center shortly before midnight last Friday. The new system was shut down about nine hours later after it misidentified an airliner, controllers said.
A Continental Airlines plane that had just taken off from Salt Lake City International Airport was identified as a recently landed Skywest Airlines plane even though there was no similarity between the aircraft, they said.
The controller handling the Continental plane spotted the problem right away, but his workload was...
Sat, 10 Oct 09
Changing Focus Leads Dell To Close NC Plant
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69404
A massive Dell Inc. computer assembly plant once seen as a job generator worthy of the promise of more than $300 million in state and local inducements will go dark in four months, a victim of new corporate calculations and changing customer tastes.
Dell announced Wednesday it will close its desktop computer manufacturing plant near Winston-Salem by the end of January, shedding 905 workers. The announcement came two days after the plant, which produces desktop units primarily for business customers, marked four years in operation.
Five years ago, politicians cited studies estimating the plant would not only employ 1,500 and generate about 500 more related jobs, it would have a $24.5 billion economic impact over 20 years. For that reason, they lavished what by some measures was the richest incentives package in state history -- a deal worth up to $318 million in tax breaks and grants.
Since then, consumers moving to laptops and handheld devices have thinned a market for desktops that has also been battered by the recession and sharper competition.
"If you look at it from a holistic perspective, this is a desktop manufacturing facility and we've seen the customer prefer laptop computers," Dell spokesman Venancio Figueroa said. "Given the dynamics at play across the landscape, we made the difficult decision to shut this down."
The Round Rock, Texas-based company said it was part of an effort to simplify operations and improve efficiency, while retaining U.S. plants in Miami, Fla.; Nashville, Tenn.; and Austin, Texas. The company had announced a drive to save $4 billion a year by 2011. Dell previously sold its Lebanon, Tenn., remanufacturing plant in June and is moving its Ireland manufacturing operations to Poland.
Dell is also joining fellow tech bellwethers Hewlett-Packard and IBM in moving away from hardware and into more profitable technology services. Dell said last month...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Huge International Phishing Ring Busted
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69420
Fifty-four people in the U.S. have been indicted in connection with a multinational bank phishing scheme, according to the Department of Justice, which said it's the largest number of people ever charged in a U.S. cybercrime case. One of the suspects, a woman, was charged separately by the Los Angeles district attorney, according to an FBI spokesperson.
In addition, 47 people have been charged in Egypt in connection with the case, which has been named Operation Phish Phry.
The U.S. arrests were in California, Nevada and North Carolina, according to Thom Mrozek, a Department of Justice spokesperson. As of Thursday afternoon, 36 U.S. suspects had been taken into custody. The woman in Los Angeles was still at large.
Among those arrested was the alleged U.S. ringleader, Kenneth Joseph Lucas, who was named in each of the indictment's 51 counts. Two other Californians, Nichole Michelle Merzi and Jonathan Preston Clark, were also arrested and described as key participants.
Lawmen described a fairly simple scheme in which the Egyptian suspects used bogus e-mails to lure victims to fake bank web sites, where they were tricked into revealing account numbers and other data. That information was sent to accomplices in the U.S., who transferred money to other accounts. Part of those funds were withdrawn and sent to the Egyptians.
"At the end of the day, it's a very simple scheme," Mrozek said. "I think it is very well understood by the average citizen. Everyone out there with a computer has seen e-mails that say, "Hi, we're from your financial institution. Come to our web site and fill out this information."
The scheme, Mrozek said, is known to have targeted the Bank of America and Wells Fargo, although other institutions may also have been targeted. The scam was led from Egypt, Mrozek added, and the amount...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
DOJ Probing IBM's Mainframe Business Practices
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69419
The U.S. Department of Justice has begun a preliminary investigation of IBM's mainframe business, which rivals say has been engaging in anticompetitive practices. The Computer & Communication Industry Association -- which counts Microsoft, Google, Oracle and Red Hat among its members -- said Thursday that its members have received DOJ requests for information.
"We do know that the DOJ is looking at a pretty broad range of issues concerning the overall mainframe ecosystem and the possible abuses taking place," said CCIA Chief Executive Ed Black. Investigators want to know "how locked in do customers feel, whether they would like to migrate from IBM, and to what extent has IBM's withdrawal of IP licensing been used to intimidate other companies," he said.
Earlier this year, the CCIA asked the incoming Obama administration to direct the FTC and the DOJ to investigate IBM's mainframe practices. Part of what creates a mainframe "lock-in" for IBM, Black said, is that many large businesses with complex systems have written specialized programs that are highly dependent on the mainframe operating system.
"If the barriers of entry and migration were lower, a lot of people would make use of other alternatives," Black said. "But IBM has made this difficult."
However, it's not clear whether the DOJ investigation will extend beyond the preliminary phase. A lawsuit charging anticompetitive behavior filed against IBM by rival mainframe hardware and software maker T3T, which is also a member of the CCIA, was recently dismissed by a U.S. District Court in New York. In his summary judgment, Judge Lewis Kaplan ruled that IBM's refusal to license its mainframe technology to others did not constitute anticompetitive behavior in and of itself.
On the other hand, Black said T3T's lawsuit has only been temporarily dismissed on standing grounds, and not on the...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Can Dell Take on Apple in Crowded Smartphone Market?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69418
The Dell smartphone rumors have resurfaced, this time with a little more credibility. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Dell plans to introduce a smartphone based on Google's Android operating system and running on the AT&T network.
The Journal cited "people briefed on the plans" as revealing that a Dell smartphone could hit the market as early as next year. A Dell Android phone would be AT&T's first to use the emerging mobile operating system and also would be Dell's first smartphone.
"It's always hard to handicap mythical products, but the Android market is getting very crowded with some of the best-of-breed Android devices coming from companies like HTC," said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. "If Dell plans to get into the market, they are going to have to find some significant way to differentiate their offering and leapfrog ahead of their competition."
To be sure, Dell is late to the smartphone game. What's more, Dell hasn't demonstrated the core competencies of smartphone manufacturing. For Dell to succeed in an already-crowded market dominated by less than a handful of players, the PC maker needs an aggressive, differentiated strategy, Gartenberg said.
Dell's strategy, as the Journal describes it, is to offer a device that is somewhat similar to Apple's iPhone, with a touchscreen rather than a keypad, and a camera. Dell showcased a phone in China in August. The Journal reports that the new device is similar, but has different features.
Dell is reportedly also talking to other wireless carriers, including T-Mobile, about offering the device. Dell does have some carrier relationships through which it sells netbooks, but analysts said getting into the smartphone market is a much different game.
"As phones become more like little computers, the PC background can help, but it can hinder as well because you may...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Sony Unveils What It Calls the 'World's Lightest Notebook'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69417
In the race to create a notebook that has no weight at all, Sony has taken the lead. On Thursday, the electronics giant unveiled what it described as "the world's lightest notebook," the Vaio X. The model was first shown in September at a European trade show.
Weighing in at a lithe 1.6 pounds -- and that's dressed, with a standard battery -- the Vaio X is only a half-inch thin. There's an 11.1-inch screen with a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio and LED backlight technology, 3G mobile broadband, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and a solid-state drive. The notebook, designed primarily for business users, will run Windows 7 Pro and will be available next month, with prices starting at $1,300.
Since gravity has been trumped, the next goal for a laptop is electricity. The standard battery lasts for up to 3.5 hours, but a super-extended-capacity battery can keep the
Vaio X in juice for up to 14 hours.
Sony Senior Vice President Mike Abary said that "it's one thing to make a notebook thin," but the inclusion of "industry-leading battery life and wireless WAN" means the X Series is "a game changer."
For Sony, the Vaio X's extremely thin profile is an opportunity for elegance. The laptop's body is built of seamless brushed aluminum and carbon fiber, with a perimeter featuring grooved edging. The model is offered in black or gold, and the keyboard is designed to offer a "comfortable typing experience," he said.
The X also offers a multi-touch touch pad, which allows the user to zoom in and out, rotate items, flip through photos, and scroll vertically or horizontally.
Sony notes that the Vaio X's touch pad is "commonly associated with touch-enabled smartphones." Andrew Hanson, an analyst with industry research firm IDC, pointed out that, as "notebook computers are becoming more like mobile devices,"...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Twitter Talking To Google, Microsoft About Search Dollars
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69396
Twitter is in late-stage talks with both Microsoft and Google about a content-sharing deal. The rivals appear eager to tap into Twitter's strength for disseminating real-time information.
All Things Digital, a blog owned by Dow Jones, cited "sources familiar with the situation" in a report that revealed Microsoft and Google are looking to strike a data-mining deal that would see Twitter feeds integrated into their search results.
In July, Microsoft added Twitter search to its new Bing decision engine, but Bing only streams messages from a few Tweeters. Microsoft launched the service with well-known bloggers, including John Battelle, Danny Sullivan, and Kara Swisher. At the time, analysts said Microsoft's service was ahead of the curve.
Part of Twitter's discussion with Microsoft and Google reportedly deals with payment structures. Figures such as "several million dollars" are being tossed around, as well as revenue-sharing agreements that would offer Twitter a piece of the search-revenue pie from Microsoft and Google.
News reports suggest Twitter won't make an exclusive deal with one or the other, but could remain neutral in the search wars by signing agreements with both companies if terms are agreeable. And although talks are reportedly in advanced stages, sources say it's just as possible that Twitter won't come to terms with either company.
Twitter has yet to make large profits, yet the company continues to capture the interest of media, consumers and investors. Twitter raised $100 million in new funding last month. The company had already raised $55 million.
Twitter, Microsoft and Google couldn't immediately be reached for comment. But as Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence, sees it, the motives of all parties in these discussions is clear: Twitter wants the exposure that this deal could bring and the search engines want the data.
"Twitter can't really compete...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Is Windows Mobile 6.5 Good? Is it Enough?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69395
Earlier this week, Microsoft consolidated its mobile-phone initiatives under the Windows phone brand. The company also introduced three phones with the Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system and announced an application store.
The upgraded operating system is being used in three phones initially: The HTC Pure from AT&T, the HTC Imagio from Verizon Wireless, and the Samsung Intrepid from Sprint, which will be available on Oct. 11. Microsoft said there may be as many as 30 Windows phones -- i.e., phones driven by Windows Mobile 6.5 -- by the end of this year.
The new operating system is seen by many observers as a stopgap before the release of Windows Mobile 7.0.
With the upgrade from 6.1 to 6.5, the primary features of the Windows Mobile family remain intact, such as the ability to work seamlessly with Windows applications like Microsoft Office and Outlook, according to Sean Westcott, IT administrator for Fairfax, Va.-based construction engineering firm McDonough Bolyard Peck and author of the book Digitally Daunted.
The question is whether the new features will be enough. Westcott likes the My Phone feature, which provides some semblance of Microsoft Exchange functionality without requiring the investment.
"The most intriguing thing is through the My Phone app you can track the phone," Westcott said. "You can hit a button and log into a Web page and find out where in the world the phone is" -- a very practical feature to have when that phone goes missing. "It also has the ability to blank the phone or to lock it," he said.
While such features may be useful, they aren't likely to make headlines with consumers and enterprises in the age of Apple iPhones and Palm Pres.
Roman Fichman, a technology attorney in New York City, said the new operating system offers only incremental changes from Windows...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Sprint, Virgin Mobile Agree To Settle Lawsuits
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69388
Sprint Nextel Corp. said Wednesday it has reached a "memo of understanding" that would settle a series of shareholder lawsuits challenging its $483 million acquisition of Virgin Mobile USA.
In a regulatory filing, the Overland Park, Kansas-based company said it and Virgin were releasing additional details about the structure of the deal and the negotiations that led up to the two companies reaching an agreement.
In return, the filing said, the plaintiffs in five cases filed in New Jersey state court have agreed to withdraw their lawsuits once a judge approves the settlement and the acquisition is completed. They have also agreed to withdraw two cases filed in New Jersey federal court.
The plaintiffs in the cases had initially opposed the acquisition, saying the terms were not in the financial best interest of Virgin Mobile shareholders.
Sprint and Virgin Mobile still face a legal challenge from Sprint affiliate iPCS Inc., whose subsidiaries have asked an Illinois state court to block the acquisition.
Schaumburg, Illinois-based iPCS claims the deal would allow Sprint to compete within iPCS' Midwestern markets in violation of an exclusivity deal.
Sprint has called the case "without merit" but the strategy worked for iPCS last year when an Illinois judge agreed Sprint's 2005 acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. violated the exclusivity agreement and ordered Sprint to divest its Nextel-branded operations in iPCS markets.
Wednesday's filing also said for the first time that Virgin Mobile estimates the deal could create more than $100 million in administrative, sales, customer service, product development and handset subsidy savings over two years.
Virgin Mobile shareholders and federal regulators still must approve the acquisition, which calls for Sprint to pay $5.50 in stock for each Virgin Mobile share.
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...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Google and Verizon Wireless: A Potent Smartphone Team
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69377
Move over Apple and Research In Motion. Rivalry in the smartphone market has just heated up.
For a while it seemed the bloodiest battle in smartphones would be fought between Apple, maker of the iPhone, and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. But an emerging alliance between Google and Verizon Wireless has the potential to create a potent alternative to the BlackBerry and iPhone in the U.S. smartphone market.
On Oct. 6, Verizon Wireless and Google said they will collaborate on mobile devices, services, and software for the Android mobile operating system that's being developed by a Google-led consortium. The pairing gives Android its largest-yet wireless industry backer and is likely to accelerate the development of Android-based devices and of applications tailored to the Android operating system.
Analysts expect Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone and the largest U.S. wireless service provider, to unveil at least three Android-based phones from such makers as Motorola, Samsung, and HTC later this month.
Backing from Verizon Wireless, which boasts 87.7 million users, could encourage other handset makers to build for Android, too. All told, device manufacturers may unveil 30 Android-based devices by yearend, says Stifel Nicolaus analyst George Askew. Last summer, Google's top Android manager, Andy Rubin, said he expected up to 20 devices to debut in 2009.
Depending on how aggressively Verizon Wireless begins marketing Android handsets, BlackBerrys and other smartphones could be forced to play second fiddle in Verizon Wireless stores, says Kaufman Bros. analyst Shaw Wu.
An increasingly important selling point for smartphones is the availability of applications, such as games and productivity tools, often developed by third-party programmers. Android Market, which sells games and productivity apps for phones such as the T-Mobile G1 and myTouch 3G, currently offers about 10,000 apps. The Apple App Store has more than...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Samsung's Q3 Earnings May Herald Rosy Days Ahead
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69376
TVs and mobile phones helped Samsung Electronics' earnings soar earlier this year. Now, South Korea's electronics giant is riding high as prices of memory chips and liquid-crystal display (LCD) panels gain in early signs of recovery in the information technology sector. Samsung, the world's largest maker of memory chips and LCD panels, said on Oct. 6 that its operating profit almost tripled in the three months through September from a year earlier.
In earnings guidance for the third quarter, Samsung said its operating profit would be between $3.3 billion and $3.7 billion. That's up sharply from a profit of $2.2 billion from the previous quarter and $1.3 billion a year earlier. "It is likely to be the record quarterly profit," says Michael Min, technology sector specialist at fund manager Tempis Capital Management. The previous high was set in the first quarter of 2004, when its profit was $3.4 billion, excluding financial results of its subsidiaries whose earnings contributions were negligible. (Samsung has since amended its accounting method, and the latest results reflect performances of subsidiaries.)
The better-than-expected profit guidance indicates the Korean electronics company's strategy of pulling away from rivals during an industry slump is beginning to pay off. Industry watchers reckoned Samsung would be the first beneficiary of a recovery, as it had kept investing in the latest production technologies and equipment while others cut back in spending. "Payoffs will continue in coming quarters," says Min. Samsung's share price closed slightly lower, in line with a 0.5 percent fall of the benchmark Kospi index on the Korea Exchange. The company's stock has jumped 67 percent so far this year, against a 42 percent Kospi gain.
Samsung, which is also the largest TV maker and the No. 2 mobile-phone maker, said its third-quarter sales rose about 11 percent, to $31 billion, from the...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Digital Record-Keeping: Quill and Ink Not Required
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69374
Derek Leiner's workplace is densely packed with the latest technology.
At the University of Virginia Medical Center's emergency room, doctors have access to electrocardiogram machines and bedside ultrasounds and are just steps away from a CT scanner and MRI machine.
Yet Leiner's job title harks back to the days of the pharaohs.
He's a scribe.
"When I tell my friends I'm a scribe, they ask me if I use a quill," says Leiner, 22, a University of Virginia graduate who plans to apply to medical school.
Instead of pens, scribes here use laptops as they trail doctors from bed to bed, taking detailed notes that will form part of each patient's electronic medical record. Experts say the scribes' peculiar role -- with one foot in 2009 and one in 2000 B.C. -- illustrates hospitals' often bumpy transition from clipboards and closets of paper charts to digital records.
While most other businesses scrapped their paper files decades ago, hospitals have lagged. Several of the health reform proposals being considered in Congress would push the industry to convert to electronic records, says Ashish Jha of the Harvard School of Public Health.
"Most doctors and hospitals are in the olden days," he says. "In the average physician's practice, you are still going to see closets full of paper charts."
Congress dedicated $30 billion of the economic stimulus package to help hospitals and doctors create electronic records, Jha says. That investment should save the country $10 billion over time, according to the Congressional Budget Office. Doctors and hospitals who convert to electronic records can receive bonus payments from Medicare and Medicaid beginning in 2011; those who aren't using them by 2015 will face penalties.
Today, only 1.5 percent of hospitals have a "comprehensive" electronic health record, and 8 percent have a basic version, according to Jha's March study in...
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Web Tool Helps Advise When Flu Needs a Doctor
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69371
Wondering if swine flu's bad enough to require a doctor's attention? An interactive Web site may help you decide, using the same type of triage calculations that doctors at Emory University use.
Microsoft Corp. unveiled the site Wednesday at http://www.h1n1responsecenter.com. Type in your age -- it's only for people over 12 -- and answer questions about fever, other symptoms and your underlying health.
The program may conclude you've probably got swine flu -- known as the 2009 H1N1 strain -- but that rest and fluids should be enough care, or that you need a non-emergency call to your own doctor.
But answer that you've been short of breath -- or that you felt better but then the fever came back with a worse cough -- and the program flashes: "You might be very sick! Call your doctor now."
It's part of efforts, including local hot lines, to keep people who aren't that sick from flooding already crowded emergency rooms.
Microsoft licensed the self-assessment tool from Emory, which based it on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has determined are key risks factors for a bad flu outcome. A large insurer tested the tool against more than 2,500 records of patient visits for flulike symptoms in Colorado, and only two people deemed low-risk were hospitalized within the following two weeks.
"It reflects the best available science," said Emory emergency medicine specialist Dr. Arthur Kellermann.
Fri, 9 Oct 09
C'Est What? Microsoft's Ballmer Speaks French
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69370
If Steve Ballmer ever tires of Redmond, Washington, he'll always have Paris.
The Microsoft chief executive wowed an audience of hundreds of company executives and government ministers by giving a 10-minute speech in French at the opening late Tuesday of the software giant's new corporate headquarters and research center just outside the French capital.
"I thank you for coming here to celebrate an important date for our company and its relations with France. It's so important that I am daring to speak to you tonight in the language of Moliere," Ballmer said in careful, well-pronounced French.
It's not the first time Ballmer has deployed his language skills in Europe; he also made comments in decent French at a mostly English news conference in Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium in April, 2008.
Ballmer asked for the French audience's understanding for what he called "my bad French," and switched into French to say "France means so much to me. I love your country."
During Ballmer's speech, someone in the audience dropped a glass, and without missing a beat he raised his own water glass and ad-libbed a joke: "A la votre!" or "Cheers!"
Ballmer's performance impressed Finance Minister Christine Lagarde, who took the microphone after him. Noting that "your French has improved a lot since the last time," Lagarde presented him with a document making him a permanent legal resident in France "for exceptional service to the economy."
"Steve, France loves you, so you can come and visit any time, because you are one of us," Lagarde said.
Fri, 9 Oct 09
Judge Sets Deadline for Amended Google Book Deal
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69368
A federal judge set a Nov. 9 deadline Wednesday for submitting a revised agreement in the battle over Google Inc.'s effort to get digital rights to millions of out-of-print books.
U.S. District Judge Denny Chin set the deadline after a lawyer for authors told the judge that Google and lawyers for authors and publishers were working around the clock to reach a new deal by early November.
A $125 million agreement was being renegotiated after the U.S. government said it seemed the existing agreement would violate antitrust laws. The hearing Wednesday was originally set as a fairness hearing but was changed to a scheduling conference after all sides agreed that a new deal was needed.
The original deal was announced by Mountain View, Calif.-based Google and the publishing industry last October to resolve two copyright lawsuits contesting the book scanning plans.
Michael Boni, a lawyer for authors, told the judge that the new agreement would contain amendments to the original deal to make it more acceptable to the U.S. Justice Department, which had questioned its legality.
William F. Cavanaugh, a deputy assistant attorney general, told the judge that the Justice Department has been in continuing discussions with the parties.
However, he said the government was not yet aware of what the final deal will look like.
He said he expected "meetings in the near term to go over whatever their proposal is."
Cavanaugh asked that the judge give the government a week to 10 days after any deadline for objections to be submitted for the Justice Department to prepare its analysis of the new deal.
At one point, Chin asked what will happen if negotiations break down and no deal is reached.
Google lawyer Daralyn Durie reassured the judge, saying: "The parties' expectation is we will be able to reach agreement."
Chin did not set deadlines for when objections will be...
Thu, 8 Oct 09
Mobile Networks Face a 'Spectrum Crisis,' FCC Chief Says
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69393
A "looming spectrum crisis" threatens the future of mobile networks in the U.S., Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski told a CTIA meeting Wednesday in San Diego, Calif. He said that while the short-term outlook for 4G networks is "adequate, the longer-term picture is very different."
Mobile data usage, the FCC chief said, is growing fast. He cited estimates that by 2013, mobile traffic will grow to 400 petabytes (one million gigabytes) per month from six petabytes today.
Handling that traffic, Genachowski said, will require reallocating spectrum now used for other purposes to 4G networks. He cited the recent change in 700-MHz spectrum from analog television to mobile networks as an example of what needs to be done.
The FCC is ready to cut red tape and help operators overcome obstacles to robust 4G networks, Genachowski told the industry group that has opposed his network-neutrality stand. He promised the operators that the FCC will work to obtain the best sites for cellular towers and process 4G paperwork.
He also reaffirmed his commitment to an open broadband network and promised that the FCC's hearing later this month will seek clear rules. "There shouldn't be any confusion," Genachowski said. "I believe firmly in the need for the FCC to preserve Internet openness, whether a person accesses the Internet from a desktop computer or a wireless laptop or netbook. I also believe the question of how we accomplish that goal, particularly in the wireless context, poses some difficult questions."
Consumer transparency is also a key FCC goal, the chairman said. He said the goal is to ensure that consumers have the information they need, and he added, "The same day we launched our competition and innovation and investment inquiries, we also launched an inquiry on consumer information and disclosure ... the timing was not coincidental."
Genachowski told the...
Thu, 8 Oct 09
Eolas Sues Industry Giants for Violating Browser Patents
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69391
Eolas Technologies filed a lawsuit Tuesday charging 22 companies with infringing on two key patents governing advanced web browsing technology. The high-profile defendants include Internet giants Adobe Systems, Amazon.com, Apple, eBay, Google and Sun Microsystems.
According to Eolas -- an acronym for "embedded objects linked across systems" -- the patent awarded to the company in 1998 enabled browsers to act as platforms for interactive embedded web applications. Today this advanced browser technology provides rich interactive online experiences for more than a billion web users worldwide, the company said.
"We developed these technologies over 15 years ago and demonstrated them widely -- years before the marketplace had heard of interactive applications embedded in web pages tapping into powerful remote resources," said Eolas Chairman Michael Doyle. "Profiting from someone else's innovation without payment is fundamentally unfair. All we want is what's fair."
The technology that Eolas said it first demonstrated in 1993 -- and for which it received a U.S. patent in 1998 -- concerns a "distributed hypermedia method for automatically invoking an external application providing interaction and display of embedded objects within a hypermedia document." The bad news for the defendants is that this patent has already passed two separate re-examinations at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, with the most recent concluded in February.
A court dispute over the Eolas patent resulted in a $565 million federal court judgment against Microsoft in 2004 that was partially overturned on appeal the following year. Though a new trial was scheduled in 2007, Microsoft and Eolas settled privately under undisclosed financial terms. Eolas later told its shareholders that it expected to pay a substantial dividend as a result of the settlement.
The second patent for which Eolas is claiming infringement, and which the company says is a continuation of its initial patent filing,...
Thu, 8 Oct 09
AT&T Will Allow VoIP Calls From Apple's iPhone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69389
VoIP over 3G is coming to the iPhone. On Tuesday, AT&T announced that it had "taken the steps necessary" so Apple can enable Voice over Internet Protocol calls on the iPhone through the carrier's 3G network. Before this announcement, VoIP on the iPhone could only work with Wi-Fi.
AT&T has allowed VoIP apps to work on some of the other wireless devices it offers over 3G, 2G and Wi-Fi.
AT&T President and CEO Ralph de la Vega said the move came "after evaluating our customers' expectations and use of the device compared to dozens of others we offer."
Sometimes called Internet telephony, VoIP allows voice and video communications over IP networks such as the Internet. This contrasts to using the public switched network, through which ordinary phone calls are made.
The leading free VoIP application is Skype, which allows a user to make free phone calls to another Skype user and charges a small amount to call a regular wireless or landline phone. Various commercial services, such as Vonage, also offer VoIP. Until now, AT&T has blocked Skype on the iPhone.
Because Skype-to-Skype calls are free, and Skype-to-phone calls are very cheap, the Skype application has been seen as a key driver in lowering the cost of voice calls. Because of this, carriers are trying to add as many non-voice, paid services as possible. Even with Skype on the iPhone, however, the user must still subscribe to a wireless data plan.
Bill Ho, an analyst with Current Analysis, said he was "both surprised and not surprised" by AT&T's announcement. He said he's surprised because carriers have made "the technical argument that VoIP calls occupy the entire data channel" and it was better to keep the data channel open to be used for other things as well. But, Ho surmised, "technology...
Thu, 8 Oct 09
Microsoft Will Give European Users a Choice of Browsers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69387
In a move to close a decade-long chapter of competition concerns, Microsoft on Wednesday agreed to provide a choice of browsers in the European Union. The software giant usually configures Internet Explorer as the default browser for its Windows operating system, but agreed to test-market measures to give consumers an option to download and install competing browsers like Google Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox.
"We welcome today's announcement by the European Commission to move forward with formal market testing of Microsoft's proposal relating to web browser choice in Europe," said Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith. "We also welcome the opportunity to take the next step in the process regarding our proposal to promote interoperability with a broad range of our products."
Microsoft will offer consumer choice through what it is calling a ballot screen. As Smith described it, the ballot screen will be displayed automatically and PC users can make any browser the default.
Users can even turn Internet Explorer off, although Smith said there's no need to turn it off to make another browser the default. If the market testing is positive, the EC said it plans to make the ballot screen legally binding for the next five years.
"The commission's concern has been that PC users should have an effective and unbiased choice between Internet Explorer and competing web browsers to ensure competition on the merits and to allow consumers to benefit from technical developments and innovation both on the web browser market and on related markets, such as web-based applications," EU officials said.
The ballot screen seems a reasonable compromise to Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. Microsoft's plan to ship an operating system without a Web browser was silly, he said, because if consumers don't have a web browser, they can't go online to get another...
Thu, 8 Oct 09
Amazon Lowers Kindle Price, Launches Global Edition
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69373
The Amazon Kindle just got cheaper -- and available to a global customer base. On Wednesday, Amazon cut the price of its e-reader from $299 to $259 and offered the device to international markets.
Amazon also launched a new edition of the Kindle that boasts U.S. and international wireless services for $279 in a deal with AT&T. The new model aims to help readers access books more quickly and from more places.
Kindle wirelessly downloads books, newspapers, magazines, blogs and personal documents to a high-resolution six-inch electronic ink display. Since the Kindle runs on the same 3G wireless technology as smartphones, readers don't need to hunt for a Wi-Fi hot spot or synchronize with a PC.
"Kindle is the most wished for, the most gifted, and the number-one best-selling product across the millions of items we sell on Amazon, and we're excited to be able to lower the price," said Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder and CEO. "We're also excited to announce a new addition to the Kindle family -- Kindle with global wireless. At home or abroad in over 100 countries, you can think of a book and download it wirelessly in less than 60 seconds."
Until Wednesday, the Kindle was only available to U.S. customers. That meant competitors had the upper hand in international markets. Amazon is looking to grab the world's attention with its Kindle by launching it in countries around the world. The international version sells for $279.
"We have millions of customers in countries all over the world who read English-language books," Bezos said.
More than 50 top U.S. and international newspapers such as The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, The Washington Post, Financial Times, The Times (U.K.), Le Monde, Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, and the Shanghai Daily are available in the Kindle Store...
Thu, 8 Oct 09
U.N. Report: Mobile Broadband Overtaking Fixed Line
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69358
More people are using cell phones and other portable devices for high-speed Web access than are signing up for fixed line subscriptions to the Net, according to U.N. figures published Tuesday.
Mobile broadband subscriptions are expected to reach 600 million, leapfrogging the estimated 500 million fixed line subscriptions by the end of this year, the International Telecommunication Union said.
"There was a 50 percent increase in mobile broadband subscriptions just over the past year," said Susan Teltscher of ITU's statistical bureau.
The agency expects growth to continue at this rate for several years, she said.
Most mobile broadband connections are still considerably slower than fixed line alternatives, and offer a more limited range of services at a higher price. Experts say that competitive advantage could soon tilt in mobile's favor, too.
Industry representatives at ITU's Telecom World trade show in Geneva this week are touting two next-generation technologies as potential nails in the coffin for fixed-line broadband.
The first is LTE, or long-term evolution, which cell phone companies are considering as the replacement for 3G some years down the line.
In the other corner is WiMax, a standard being pushed by the computer industry that works like Wi-Fi but over much greater distances.
Russia-based company Yota unveiled a dual-use phone Tuesday that runs on both WiMax and standard cell phone networks. Users can browse the Web at ultrahigh speeds in those Russian cities already covered by Yota, or connect at slower cell phone speeds elsewhere, chief executive Denis Sverdlov said.
U.S. rival Clearwire Corp. meanwhile announced a foray into the Spanish market with plans to provide citywide WiMax in Malaga and Seville. Clearwire's Barry West said the Kirkland, Washington-based company will eventually offer voice services, a move that is likely to irk European cell carriers whose business still relies heavily on voice for the greater part of their income.
The...
Thu, 8 Oct 09
Will Google's Wave Replace E-Mail -- and Facebook?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69356
Google has big plans for Google Wave, its new online communication service -- and they won't all come from Google.
The Web search giant is hoping that software developers far and wide will create tools that work in conjunction with Wave, making an already multifaceted service even more useful. Google is even likely to let programmers sell their applications through an online bazaar akin to Apple's App Store, the online marketplace for games and other applications designed for the iPhone. "We'll almost certainly build a store," Lars Rasmussen, the Google software engineering manager who directs the 60-person team in Sydney, Australia, that created Wave, told BusinessWeek.com. "So many developers have asked us to build a marketplace -- and we might do a revenue-sharing arrangement."
Combining instant messaging, e-mail, and real-time collaboration, Wave is an early form of so-called real-time communication designed to make it easier for people to work together or interact socially over the Internet. Google started letting developers tinker with Wave at midyear and then introduced the tool on a trial basis to about 100,000 invited users starting on Sept. 30. Invitations were such a hot commodity that they were being sold on eBay. For Google the hope is that Wave, once it's more widely available, will replace competing communications services such as e-mail, instant messaging, and possibly even social networks such as Facebook.
If Wave takes off, applications created by outside developers could make it more useful, and an app store would give those programmers and their financial backers a share in Wave's success. Already, independent software developers have built and tested Wave applications that handle such tasks as teleconferencing, videoconferencing, and multiplayer gaming.
Wave wouldn't be Google's first stab at an app store. Google runs Android Market, which sells third-party software for phones such as the T-Mobile myTouch 3G and...
Thu, 8 Oct 09
Net Neutrality Rules Face Mounting GOP Opposition
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69355
Republican opposition is mounting as federal regulators prepare to vote this month on so-called "network neutrality" rules, which would prohibit broadband providers from favoring or discriminating against certain types of Internet traffic flowing over their lines.
Twenty House Republicans -- including most of the Republicans on the House Energy and Commerce Committee -- sent a letter to Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski on Monday urging him to delay the Oct. 22 vote on his net neutrality plan.
Genachowski, one of three Democrats on the five-member commission, wants to impose rules to ensure that broadband providers don't abuse their power over Internet access to favor their own services or harm competitors.
Democrats say the rules will keep phone companies from discriminating against Internet calling services and stop cable TV providers from hindering online video applications.
But in a letter to Genachowski on Monday, Rep. Cliff Stearns of Florida, the top Republican on the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, and his colleagues warned that new net neutrality regulations could discourage broadband providers from investing in their networks. The letter said that if Internet service providers can't manage traffic on their networks to ensure efficient service, consumers could suffer.
The Republicans are calling on Genachowski to conduct a "thorough market analysis" to determine whether new regulations are necessary.
Their points echoed those made in a letter that House Minority Leader John Boehner of Ohio and House Republican Whip Eric Cantor of Virginia sent to President Barack Obama on Friday.
Genachowski's office had no comment on the letters.
Meanwhile in the Senate, the top Republican on the Commerce Committee, Kay Bailey Hutchinson of Texas, is considering legislation that would prohibit the FCC from developing net neutrality rules.
Genachowski's proposal calls for the FCC to formally adopt four existing principles that have guided the agency's enforcement of communications laws since 2005....
Thu, 8 Oct 09
Ask.com Mines Online Coupons with New Aggregator
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69354
Ask.com hopes to persuade consumers that are fond of discount Web sites to bring their bargain hunts to its search engine.
On Tuesday, Ask is rolling out Ask Deals, a service that will let visitors search for online coupons and bargains that it indexes from several dozen popular coupon Web sites, along with retail Web sites, message boards and blogs.
Ask, which is owned by Barry Diller's IAC/InterActiveCorp, will be integrating the deals with regular search results on Ask.com -- denoting deals with special icons -- and making them available on a separate page devoted to bargain hunting, Ask.com/deals.
Ask Networks President Scott Garell said the company decided to focus on the bargain market because so many people use coupons. According to coupon-processing company Inmar Inc., use of electronic discounts and coupons more than doubled in the first half of 2009 from the same period last year, as overall coupon use rose 23 percent. Electronic coupons now account for more than 3 percent of all coupons used, up from about 2 percent last year.
Ask wants to save frugal consumers time and money, he said. The company determined that existing sites vary in quality and comprehensiveness, with some containing coupons that are fraudulent or invalid.
To make sure Ask Deals isn't posting out-of-date deals, Ask will use software to filter the results, Garell said. An editorial team will also point out special deals and help determine bargains are valid.
There are plenty of sites out there that sift through the best deals -- and shopping is one focus of Microsoft Corp.'s retooled Bing search engine, for example. But Garell thinks Ask's plan to aggregate bargains from many places will lure savvy consumers.
"When you look at the raw scale and quality of what we're doing, it's better," he said.
Thu, 8 Oct 09
Big Japanese Brands Readying 3-D Flat-Screen TVs
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69352
Japan's big-name electronic manufacturers are readying flat-screen TVs that can show high-definition movies and video games in 3-D for launch next year.
At the country's biggest consumer electronics show, which opened Tuesday just outside of Tokyo, all the major makers had large 3-D prototypes on display. Visitors to company booths at the CEATEC show donned special electronic glasses and watched as soccer balls flew toward them in sports clips and virtual heroes dodged deep into the background of video games.
Sony Corp. and Panasonic Corp. have both said they will bring their first models to market next year. Details about what will be available to watch on the new TVs are still sparse, though the companies said they want to begin with movies and games.
"Content is the most important thing," said Masanobu Inoe, a Panasonic engineer who worked on his company's new 3-D plasma sets.
The companies are working on standards for broadcasts and discs, which may end up as an enhancement of Blu-ray, the high-definition format designed to supersede standard DVDs. Sony, which also runs a large movie studio, plans to release selections from its holdings.
"They will be in a standard format that can be viewed on other companies' TVs as well," said Sony spokeswoman Satsuki Shinnaka.
Some companies such as Sharp Corp. displayed 3-D sets but are waiting until more content and TV broadcasts are available before they set a product launch date.
Most 3-D technology involves showing two images, one for each eye, that viewed together are seen as a single three-dimensional scene.
Movies have been shown for decades using an older technology that requires bicolored glasses to filter out an image for each eye. The new generation of 3-D TVs uses a technology that rapidly flickers between two images, together with electronic glasses that allow each eye to see only one. Without...
Thu, 8 Oct 09
Airports Spread Out Check-In Kiosks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69347
Airports have a new message for frequent travelers: Move along.
To ease crowds jamming airline counters, more airports are installing self-service kiosks farther from the terminal lobby for travelers who don't print their boarding passes at home.
"Off-site" check-in kiosks are appearing at airport rental car offices, hotel lobbies, parking garages and other outdoor locations near -- but not in -- the terminal. "It leads to reduced lobby 'dwell time.' It's good for everybody," says Todd VanGerpen of Seattle-Tacoma.
The trend is consistent with other industry efforts to handle passengers via automated processes that help airlines reduce labor costs and lines at check-in counters. The share of travelers using self-service check-in, such as kiosks or airline Web sites, grew about 20 percent in 2009, says a survey by airport technology company SITA. At Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, the world's busiest airport, about 46% of travelers used airport kiosks.
Travelers can find off-site kiosks in:
*Hotel lobbies. They're an ideal choice because hotels don't provide printers in rooms for customers wishing to have boarding passes before leaving the hotel. The Venetian and Luxor hotels in Las Vegas feature "common-use" kiosks in the lobby that spit out the boarding passes of several airlines, says Michael Picco of Arinc, a kiosk maker. Some hotels near airports, such as Hilton Chicago O'Hare and Hyatt Regency DFW in Dallas, provide them as an amenity.
*Rental car offices. More airports are building a consolidated rental car garage, where rental agencies are housed under one roof. Common-use airline kiosks will be an integral feature at such facilities, Picco says. Las Vegas McCarran's rental car garage has jumped on the trend, and Seattle-Tacoma will do the same when its facility opens in 2012.
*Near the terminal. Some airports have tinkered with off-site kiosks near the terminal. Seattle-Tacoma has put six in its parking garages.
Technology company NCR and...
Thu, 8 Oct 09
Scammers Profit from Warnings of Dangerous Web Sites
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69316
Firefox users should carefully review any security warnings they receive from their browsers. That's because such warnings are not always indicators of a real threat, says Germany-based antivirus firm Gdata.
The impetus behind the fake messages is profit, not security. Hackers are currently attempting to use so-called Trojans to trigger fake security warnings in Firefox, Gdata says. The software then redirects the user to a different Web site where they are encouraged to buy "counterfeit" antivirus software that pretends to find an infection on the computer.
No matter what the site claims to find, users shouldn't be tempted to download the "scareware." The best thing to do instead is to update a reputable virus scanner and re-scan the computer.
Hackers have also come up with a way of preventing users from realizing they're being redirected. They do so by ignoring the user's individual computer and instead going after DNS servers on the Internet. DNS servers are part of the infrastructure of the Internet, converting Web site names into versions that machines can read.
Hackers can sometimes manipulate the servers to send browsers to the Web site of the hacker's choice, even if the correct Web site URL is entered into the browser. Therefore it's a good idea to keep an eye on the browser's address bar. It shows what page the surfer has really visited.
Wed, 7 Oct 09
Massive E-Mail Phishing Attack Hits Web
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69366
In a situation that may still be developing, major phishing exploits have hit webmail services over the past few days, including Gmail, Hotmail, Yahoo, AOL Mail, and others. As usual with mass phishing attacks -- which aim to trick people into surrendering personal details about their online identities -- it's unclear what group or groups are behind the initiatives.
The one thing that is certain is the attacks are big.
"This is on a scale that is incredibly rare," said Mike Halsey, who runs The Long Climb, a PC support site in the U.K. "I don't think it's ever happened to this extent before, at least that I'm aware of."
The situation is unfolding rapidly. Halsey said a couple of days ago the site www.neowin.net reported that PasteBin.com had posted personal details of about 20,000 users of Microsoft's Hotmail, MSN and Windows Live services. Then on Tuesday, details about an additional 20,000 subscribers to Gmail, Yahoo, AOL Mail, Verizon and others were posted at the same site. The posts are now off-line.
It's possible the criminals have details on many more users that they haven't disclosed.
Details are sketchy, and there is no certainty that the problems are over. Sean-Paul Correll, a threat researcher with Panda Security, said he didn't see any of the data from the attacks. But he noted that phishing attacks are often precursors to other initiatives.
"It is fairly common that this would be the first stage of a larger attack. They use these e-mail addresses for something else," he said. Correll added that identifying what group or groups are responsible depends upon seeing more of the infrastructure -- such as the scripts they are using -- than just e-mail addresses. He wasn't sure what information might be available to researchers.
The next...
Wed, 7 Oct 09
New Western Digital Drives Sport E-Paper Labels
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69365
Western Digital has rolled out new external hard drives that will make it easier for users to know exactly what's on their drives, as well as how much storage space remains available. Known as My Book Elite (Windows) and My Book Studio (Mac), the new product families feature a customizable label based on e-paper technology which reads like ink on paper.
Western Digital's new drives are designed to give consumers and creative design professionals "an elegant and practical way to organize their content while enjoying the peace of mind that their data is backed up and secure," said Dale Pistilli, Western Digital's vice president of marketing. Users "can easily see at a glance what is stored on their drive, how much capacity is available, and whether the drive is locked."
The new external drives are aimed at consumers who generate, store and back up massive amounts of digital content. According to research firm Parks Associates, the average U.S. broadband household currently has digital media and files that consume more than 120GB of storage -- a number that is forecast to reach one terabyte by 2013.
Identification problems often arise whenever data is stored on multiple external drives, which can make it difficult for users to know just where the content they are looking for resides. The SmartWare software that ships with the new drives enables users to create a custom name to remind them about the specific content stored on each device. The resulting e-label -- which is always visible, even when the drive is unplugged -- can be changed as often as the user desires.
The drives also incorporate password protection and 256-bit hardware-based encryption features to help keep users' data safe. The devices are designed to lower internal drive power consumption by up to 30 percent. For...
Wed, 7 Oct 09
IBM's DNA-Reading Chips Herald Personalized Medicine
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69364
IBM Research may help bring DNA sequencing to the masses. The company has discovered a way to read information within the genetic code of DNA strands.
Big Blue scientists are building a nanoscale DNA sequencer by drilling nano-sized holes in computer-like chips and passing DNA strands through them. The company said its effort to demonstrate a silicon-based "DNA transistor" could help pave the way to read human DNA easily and quickly, generating advancements in health diagnosis and treatment.
Of course, there are challenges. In the case of DNA transistors, scientists are charged with slowing and controlling the motion of the DNA through the hole so the reader can accurately decode what is in the DNA.
If successful, IBM expects the project could improve throughput and reduce the cost to achieve personalized genome analysis to $100 to $1,000. By comparison, the first sequencing ever done by the Human Genome Project cost nearly $3 billion. A human genome sequencing affordable for individuals is the ultimate goal and is commonly referred to as the "$1,000 genome."
Having access to an individual's personal genetic code could advance personalized medicine by using genomic and molecular data to facilitate the discovery and clinical testing of new products, and help determine a person's predisposition to a particular disease or condition.
"The technologies that make reading DNA fast, cheap and widely available have the potential to revolutionize biomedical research and herald an era of personalized medicine," said IBM research scientist Gustavo Stolovitzky. "Ultimately, it could improve the quality of medical care by identifying patients who will gain the greatest benefit from a particular medicine and those who are most at risk of adverse reaction."
This targeted-solutions approach is nothing new for IBM. The company has been creating optimized server solutions tailored to explore specific kinds of...
Wed, 7 Oct 09
VMware Optimizes Fusion 3 for Mac OS X Snow Leopard
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69362
VMware has made aggressive moves toward the cloud, but the virtualization solutions provider hasn't abandoned its quest to optimize the Microsoft Windows experience for Apple Macintosh users. VMware is rolling out VMware Fusion 3 on Oct. 27 and aims to make it easier for users to run Windows applications, including graphics-intensive games, alongside Mac applications. In total, VMware Fusion 3 offers more than 50 new features and enhancements.
Jocelyn Goldfein, vice president and general manager of VMware's desktop business unit, promised Fusion 3 will make it easier for users to run Windows applications on the Mac.
"For more than 10 years, VMware virtualization has given users the choice of where to run their favorite applications," Goldfein said. "We are excited about the rapid adoption of VMware Fusion in the Mac community since its introduction just over two years ago, making it the number-one choice to run Windows on a Mac."
Some of the key new features in Fusion 3 include optimization for Mac OS X Snow Leopard, a full Windows experience, simple switching, and 3-D graphics support.
VMware said Fusion 3 was built from the ground up for the Mac. It leverages Snow Leopard's architecture with a new 64-bit core engine and native support for the 64-bit kernel. According to VMware, the result is an even better Windows on Mac performance than previous Fusion versions.
"The critical point to optimize the experience for Mac users is to be as up to date as possible on the Mac OS, and Snow Leopard is the OS du jour," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. "Having Fusion optimized for Snow Leopard is a critical point."
Fusion 3 will be the first software of its kind to give users the full Windows 7 experience, side by side with a Mac, complete with Windows Aero and Flip...
Wed, 7 Oct 09
Verizon Wireless Joins Google in Android Development
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69343
Another major wireless carrier will offer Google's open-source Android mobile platform as Verizon Wireless agreed to collaborate on "leading-edge mobile applications, services and devices." With this agreement, Android will now be offered by three of the four major U.S. carriers.
AT&T is the only carrier not yet on the Android train. T-Mobile was first, and Sprint Nextel has also climbed aboard.
The joint announcement doesn't detail specific devices, services or applications, but talks broadly of the collaboration. The companies said they will co-develop "several" Android-based devices to be manufactured by leading handset makers with applications from both companies and third-party developers. Verizon said Android-based handsets will be unveiled "within the next few weeks."
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said the collaboration is "not a surprise." Up to this point, he noted, Verizon hasn't been an official member of the Open Handset Alliance which promotes Android as a platform, but "they are now."
Verizon, he said, "clearly needed to offer better devices to compete with Apple and AT&T," which exclusively distributes the iPhone in the U.S., "and to reduce its overall reliance on Research in Motion," the maker of BlackBerry smartphones.
Greengart said Google had been "hurting for distribution" of Android devices, but now, with three carriers onboard, that is no longer a problem. Android should now be able to "jump-start" its movement toward a larger installed base, he said.
Earlier this year, Google successfully convinced the Federal Communications Commission to make part of the wireless spectrum it offered at auction open to any device. While Google bid on that spectrum, Verizon ended up with the winning bid. Now Verizon is becoming part of the Google open-access platform.
The spectrum win and other factors "do seem to have affected Verizon's strategic thinking," Greengart said. In addition to becoming...
Wed, 7 Oct 09
FTC Requires Bloggers To Disclose Product Ties
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69342
In a move that impacts testimonial advertisements, bloggers and celebrity endorsements, the Federal Trade Commission announced Monday final revisions to advertiser guidelines. The rules aim to keep endorsement and testimonial ads in line with the Federal Trade Commission Act.
Last updated in 1980, long before the Internet was mainstream, the notice introduces key changes to the FTC's Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. The guides address endorsements by consumers, experts, organizations and celebrities, as well as the disclosure of important connections between advertisers and endorsers.
Under the revised guides, advertisements that feature consumers or consumer experiences with products and services must be clear about typical results. For example, if the endorsement features stellar results -- but those results are not common -- the advertiser will be required to clearly disclose the results that consumers can generally expect.
By contrast, the 1980 version of the guides allowed advertisers to describe unusual results in a testimonial as long as they included a disclaimer such as "results not typical." The bottom line: The revised guides no longer contain this safe harbor.
What's more, the revised guides offer new examples to illustrate a long-standing FTC principle that "material connections" (read: payments or free products) between advertisers and endorsers must be disclosed. These examples specifically address what constitutes an endorsement when the message is conveyed by bloggers or other "word-of-mouth" marketers.
Although decisions will be reached on a case-by-case basis, a blogger who receives cash or in-kind payment to review a product is considered an endorsement -- and bloggers who make an endorsement must disclose the connections they share with the seller of the product or service.
Likewise, if a company refers in an advertisement to the findings of a research organization that conducted research sponsored by the...
Wed, 7 Oct 09
UW-Madison's Patenting Arm Settles Suit with Intel
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69334
The University of Wisconsin-Madison's patenting arm has settled its infringement lawsuit against computer chip maker Intel Corp. involving technology used in a popular computer processor.
The case was expected to go to trial Monday in U.S. District Court in Madison, but both sides notified the court Friday they had reached a settlement. Details were not released and Intel spokesman Chuck Mulloy said he could not comment because the terms were confidential.
The Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation sued Santa Clara, Calif.-based Intel in February 2008, alleging that technology used in Intel's Core 2 Duo Processor and others was created by university researchers but used by Intel without a licensing agreement.
The lawsuit claimed the microarchitecture of the Intel Core family of processors infringed on a 1998 patent based on work by four researchers including Gurindar Sohi, a computer science professor. Intel had supported Sohi's research with about $90,000 in gifts in the 1990s and argued it was entitled to the intellectual property that resulted from the funding.
U.S. District Judge Barbara Crabb rejected Intel's argument in a ruling last month and ordered the case to trial. She said the funding agreements did not specifically give Intel the right to use patents resulting from the work but any infringement by Intel was not willful because the funding agreements were ambiguous.
A jury was expected to decide whether infringement occurred and, if so, how much damages to award the foundation, which manages the university's patents and funds research at the school. The lawsuit claimed the Intel Merom processor, which was developed by the company beginning in 2001, was the first to infringe.
Sohi and WARF spokeswoman Janet Kelly declined to comment on the settlement.
The technology in question increased the speed and efficiency of processors, including the Core 2, which was launched in 2007 and delivers as much as...
Wed, 7 Oct 09
Devices Locate Kids, Parents Find Peace of Mind
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69328
With a computer or cell phone and an electronic tracking device, you can locate a missing pet, follow the path of a stolen car, find a skier buried in an avalanche and rescue a hiker lost in the woods.
So what about a child snatched by a stranger?
About 800,000 children are reported missing in the U.S. each year. The vast majority are runaways, followed by parental abductions, said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. About 58,000 children are kidnapped by strangers, and 99 percent of those come home fairly quickly, often victims of sexual abuse.
Then there are the approximately 115 children a year like Jaycee Dugard, who are snatched then murdered, ransomed or kept for several years.
Ever since Dugard's recovery in August after nearly two decades of allegedly being held in a Northern California backyard, parents and others have written on blogs and commented online to articles about ways to protect kids.
There are technological tools that give parents some peace of mind, from clip-on alarms to GPS locators that can be dropped in a backpack or stuffed in a teddy bear, but experts caution that the gadgets are not without their limitations and can even raise safety concerns of their own.
"Tracking devices can be useful to parents," said Allen. "Our concern is that they will be viewed as more than they are."
Myths about successful child-tracking items include implantable GPS-enabled microchips, but industry experts say they do not exist on the market. And there are concerns, such as whether electronically tethering children makes them anxious for their safety or makes parents lazy.
Companies that sell locators say they do not substitute keeping an eye on your kids and they do not prevent kidnappings or guarantee recovery after an abduction.
"This is not tag and release," said Todd Morris,...
Wed, 7 Oct 09
Credit Crunch Delaying Next-Gen Mobiles
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69327
The telecommunications industry has escaped the worst of the global economic downturn but a lack of funding is slowing the rollout of next-generation mobile networks, a U.N. report said Monday.
Governments should consider investing some of their stimulus funds in cell phone networks, fiber-optic connections and broadband infrastructure as part of an effort to boost the wider economy, the International Telecommunication Union said in a 90-page report.
The financial crisis has "cut directly across many operators' investment plans to upgrade existing networks and roll out various next-generation networks," the ITU said.
Telecoms companies are also struggling with the long-running problem of regulatory uncertainty because governments are slow to approve technical innovations for widespread use. At a time of funding shortages, this means companies have become even more cautious about investing in new technology, the report said.
On the positive side, over two-thirds of governments have approved or tolerate the use of voice-over-IP technology, which allows calls to be made over the Internet and has drastically cut into the revenue streams of some state-owned monopolists, ITU said.
The report was published at the start of a weeklong telecoms industry event hosted by ITU in Geneva. Many of the world's major telecoms companies -- including Nortel, Ericsson and Siemens -- are staying away from this year's event, citing tightened budgets.
Wed, 7 Oct 09
Olympics Urged To Learn from YouTube, Pop Idol
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69323
The Olympic movement needs to learn from the likes of YouTube or risk losing young viewers for life, IOC members were told Monday.
Communications guru Martin Sorrell advised global sports leaders to release their grip on exclusive broadcast rights and hand them over to a new generation of technology-savvy fans.
"If they are going online, you go online," Sorrell said in a keynote speech on digital media at the International Olympic Committee's Congress. "You have to let them play -- with your content, your assets -- in their own way."
Sorrell, chief executive of London-based agency WPP Group, the world's largest advertising company by revenue, said sports federations had to learn from how the entertainment industry engaged with viewers.
He urged sports to let passionate fans buy access to archive footage, and held up Major League Baseball as an example of how to make money online.
"They are now driving nearly $200 million directly from subscription revenues to their Web site," he said.
IOC President Jacques Rogge described Sorrell, a Harvard-educated Englishman, as the world's most influential man in advertising and communications.
"He has definitely opened up new ways for us," Rogge said.
Sorrell said 1.4 billion people had Internet access and 4 billion used mobile phones.
People with mobile wireless devices were "no longer satisfied" with just consuming content created by television networks. They wanted to make their own images and communicate through social networking sites, he said.
"The digital revolution has already changed the media landscape and the way in which sport is consumed will never be the same again," Sorrell said.
"Give content to youth in formats they want -- short and fast, customizable and easy to share. Don't deny it or file it in the 'too difficult' folder."
Sorrell said sports must learn from franchises such as Pop Idol (American Idol), in which viewers vote for their favorite...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
Free Security Apps from AVG, Microsoft Get Mixed Review
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69341
There are two sayings that conflict: "The best things in life are free" and "You get what you pay for." It remains to be seen which best describes newly released free security offerings from Microsoft and AVG, including the AVG 9.0 release that was announced Monday and Microsoft Security Essentials, which launched Sept. 29.
While it has long been possible to use virus protection without spending a cent, the new releases suggest that the sophistication of the free software is growing. The issue is whether the quality is there as well.
Industry contacts haven't formed too much of a reaction to the AVG release yet, but there are some early indications. Ben Howard, an IT consultant for NSK, has used Microsoft Essentials since its release last week and has significant experience with AVG 8.5. He offers a mixed review of the Microsoft product.
"I haven't detected anything wrong," he says. "It seems to be running seamlessly and hasn't shut down or crashed. I did notice that the auto-update feature got five or six days out of date before I clicked on it to manually update."
It's clear that Howard wants to see a significant improvement between AVG 8.5 and 9.0 before advocating the upgrade. "I have used AVG 8.5 extensively," he said. "It is relatively painless for users. But from the administrator's point of view, it misses quite a few viruses. Just last week I uninstalled 8.5 for one of my clients and installed another product. I instantly found dozes of viruses that AVG missed."
G.F. Bryant, president and CEO of The Bryant Group, a consultancy in Wilmington, N.C., said his clients that are using AVG are doing well with it, and he doesn't advocate changing packages unless there is a specific problem or issue. Bryant says it's a bad idea to use...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
Microsoft Confirms Hotmail Data Posted on Web Site
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69340
Thousands of Hotmail usernames and passwords were posted on pastebin.com, Microsoft has confirmed. The post by an anonymous user has since been taken down.
Microsoft said its internal data for Windows Live Hotmail was not breached and the user credentials were likely obtained through a phishing scheme. According to Neowin.net, the list of usernames and passwords appeared to be mostly based in Europe and included hotmail.com, msn.com and live.com accounts.
"Over the weekend Microsoft learned that several thousand Windows Live Hotmail customers' credentials were exposed on a third-party site due to a likely phishing scheme," a Microsoft spokesperson said. "Upon learning of the issue, we immediately requested that the credentials be removed and launched an investigation to determine the impact to customers. As part of that investigation, we determined that this was not a breach of internal Microsoft data and initiated our standard process of working to help customers regain control of their accounts."
Microsoft recommended that users update antivirus software and renew LIVE ID passwords every 90 days.
Tue, 6 Oct 09
FTC: Bloggers Must Disclose Payments for Reviews
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69339
The Federal Trade Commission will try to regulate blogging for the first time, requiring writers on the Web to clearly disclose any freebies or payments they get from companies for reviewing their products.
The FTC said Monday its commissioners voted 4-0 to approve the final Web guidelines, which had been expected. Violating the rules, which take effect Dec. 1, could bring fines up to $11,000 per violation. Bloggers or advertisers also could face injunctions and be ordered to reimburse consumers for financial losses stemming from inappropriate product reviews.
The commission stopped short of specifying how bloggers must disclose conflicts of interest. Rich Cleland, assistant director of the FTC's advertising practices division, said the disclosure must be "clear and conspicuous," no matter what form it will take.
Bloggers have long praised or panned products and services online. But what some consumers might not know is that many companies pay reviewers for their write-ups or give them free products such as toys or computers or trips to Disneyland. In contrast, at traditional journalism outlets, products borrowed for reviews generally have to be returned.
Before the FTC gave notice last November it was going to regulate such endorsements, blogs varied in the level of disclosures about these potential conflicts of interest.
The FTC's proposal made many bloggers anxious. They said the scrutiny would make them nervous about posting even innocent comments.
To placate such fears, Cleland said the FTC will more likely go after an advertiser instead of a blogger for violations. The exception would be a blogger who runs a "substantial" operation that violates FTC rules and already received a warning, he said.
Existing FTC rules already banned deceptive and unfair business practices. The final guidelines aim to clarify the law for the vast world of blogging. Not since 1980 had the commission revised its guidelines on endorsements and...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
Analysts: Dump Exclusivity and Double iPhone Sales
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69338
Apple could be selling up to twice as many iPhones if it weren't bound to exclusive contracts with wireless carriers, according to Morgan Stanley analyst Kathryn Huberty.
In a research note, Huberty said Apple could see its iPhone market share rise to an average of 10 percent in the top six iPhone markets if it signed agreements with multiple carriers to sell the popular device. The iPhone currently has four percent of the smartphone market.
UBS investment research analyst Maynard Um agreed that the iPhone should see more sales when Apple's exclusive deals with AT&T and international carriers end. Maynard upgraded Apple stock from "neutral" to buy and raised his target price on the shares from $265 from $170, while Huberty pegged the stock at $210 a share.
Given analyst expectations, that means the iPhone's sales could skyrocket in 2011, when most of Apple's exclusive deals end. One example is Asia. When the exclusive deals with Asian carriers expire in 2011, consumers could purchase an additional 20.3 million iPhones. That's a significant number, considering that Apple sold about 5.2 million iPhones globally in its fiscal third quarter ended June 27.
What's more, Apple's iPhone margins appear healthy. Um said consumer demand does not appear to be moving toward the less expensive $99 3G device. He predicts Apple will enjoy 36 million iPhone shipments in 2010 and 40.5 million in 2011.
Considering that some consumers may be ready to trade in first- or second-generation iPhones in 2011, the future for Apple looks bright. In fact, Um expects at least 20 percent of the 2010 shipments will be from repeat buyers.
Neither Apple nor AT&T could immediately be reached for comment.
As Current Analysis analyst William Ho sees it, Apple could surely sell more iPhones if it didn't have an exclusive deal...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
T-Mobile Will Offer Android-Powered Samsung Behold II
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69337
T-Mobile USA is prepping Samsung's new Behold II smartphone for an exclusive launch in advance of this year's holiday shopping season. The touchscreen-enabled 3G handset based on Google's Android platform will provide users with direct access to Google Search, Google Maps, Gmail, YouTube videos, and Google Talk as well as thousands of applications and games from the Android Market, T-Mobile said.
The Samsung Behold II will sport a 3.2-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display featuring the latest active-matrix technology and a five-megapixel camera that doubles as a camcorder. "The premium screen and quality camera coupled with Samsung's innovative cube menu makes the Behold II a multimedia powerhouse that's made even stronger by T-Mobile's high-speed 3G network," said T-Mobile USA Product Marketing Director Travis Warren.
The Behold II is part of Samsung's strategy to maintain its second-quarter position as the number-one phone provider in the U.S. Strategy Analytics said Apple's iPhone was "a wake-up call" for manufacturers "to increase their focus on the user experience."
"All cell-phone makers still face several challenges to implementing this focus on user experience, including implementing cohesive internal processes to design and develop a holistic experience," said Strategy Analytics Vice President Kevin Nolan.
The Behold II's TouchWiz user interface is an offshoot of the Croix software that the handset maker initially developed in response to Apple's iPhone interface. With TouchWiz, the goal is "to provide our consumers with a more rewarding and engaging user interface; one that's more fun, easier to use, and more personal," said Geesung Choi, president of Samsung's telecommunication business.
TouchWiz features expanded options in a cube-menu format, including a widget system that enables users to customize and personalize their phones. The unique widgets menu displays functions such as the clock, radio player, and music player. It also integrates more personal elements such...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
Vonage Offers International Calls on Smartphones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69336
On Monday, Vonage launched a mobile calling application for smartphones. Dubbed Vonage Mobile, the free downloadable application offers smartphone users low-cost international calling over Wi-Fi or cellular networks. Vonage Mobile is available for the iPhone and BlackBerry.
Vonage estimates smartphone users can save more than 50 percent on calls to many countries, compared to current wireless carrier rates. Vonage is also pointing to convenience. Cost-conscious consumers can dial direct from the phone rather than using calling cards for lower international long-distance rates.
"Our new mobile app is an important step in establishing Vonage as a software technology company that enables high-quality voice and messaging across any device in any location, providing great value over any broadband network," said Marc Lefar, CEO of Vonage.
Vonage Mobile lets globe-trotters call home from wherever they are or make calls from home base to friends, family and clients in dozens of countries. Vonage aims to make it easy, with no access numbers or distinct phone numbers to give to friends and family.
Here's how it works: Smartphone users enter an international number or select a contact from the contact list on the iPhone or BlackBerry and hit send. Vonage works behind the scenes to make the international connections. The rates are lower than both traditional wireless and landline carrier rates and allow calls on the go. For example, smartphone users pay two cents per minute to call China and between two and three cents a minute to call Germany.
In the fourth quarter, Vonage plans to enhance the app to include its Vonage World plan that was introduced for home service in August. Vonage World will let users make unlimited calls to more than 60 countries for one flat monthly fee.
"When developing Vonage Mobile, we focused on creating a more convenient alternative for customers...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
AT&T Offers Two HTC Windows Mobile 6.5 Smartphones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69333
AT&T and mobile-phone maker HTC have rolled out two new smartphones based on Microsoft's Windows Mobile 6.5 operating system. AT&T said the HTC Pure and HTC Tilt 2 will lead its mobile-phone lineup into 2010.
The Pure and Tilt 2 use AT&T's 3G network and have core features of voice, text and e-mail. With these phones, AT&T will be one of the first U.S. wireless carriers to support Windows Mobile 6.5, according to Mike Woodward, vice president of mobile phones at AT&T.
Users of the new phones will have access to Windows Marketplace for Mobile, where they can purchase applications and charge them to their monthly billing statement, according to AT&T.
While HTC and AT&T worked together to bring the smartphones to market, Ramon Llamas, an IDC analyst, said they will be unfairly compared to Apple's popular iPhone. "That is going to be one of the biggest criticisms leveled against" the devices, he said.
On the positive side, consumers and enterprise customers will be interested in what the Windows Mobile 6.5 experience will bring, since previous versions haven't gained much attention.
"Apple iPhone is interesting, Palm Pre is the same, but when you bring up Microsoft, the reception is not as warm and people shrug their shoulders," Llamas said.
Windows Mobile 6.5, however, has several upgrades. It includes a touch-friendly user interface and an improved browser with support for Flash. Application and content are accessible through a redesigned Start menu and Internet Explorer Mobile will support rich Web-page experiences, according to AT&T.
"The key to unlocking the potential in HTC Pure and HTC Tilt 2 is in the experience. And 6.5 is ready for prime time," Llamas said.
Why bring to market two smartphones at once? AT&T said it wanted to give mobile-phone users variety.
Using HTC's TouchFLO 3D technology, the HTC...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
Adobe's Mobile Flash Player Will Skip Apple's iPhone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69315
Adobe Systems' Flash technology is ubiquitous on desktop and laptop computers, but its availability on smartphones and other mobile devices is spotty. Adobe is now looking to change that, with its announcement Monday of a public developer beta of Flash Player 10.1 for "smartphones, smartbooks, netbooks, PCs and other Internet-connected devices." One device left off the list: Apple's iPhone.
The beta player will be available later this year for devices using Windows Mobile and Palm webOS, with versions for Google's Android and Symbian OS expected early next year. The player will also run on computers using Windows, Mac and Linux OSes, and Adobe has joined with Research in Motion to collaborate on bringing the Flash player to RIM's BlackBerrys.
By using the Flash platform, developers can reuse code and assets across a wide variety of devices, for high-definition and standard-resolution video, interactive animation, and media-based applications.
The player is the "first consistent runtime release" of the Open Screen Project, according to Adobe. The project is a joint effort of various companies to have a consistent user experience for content across devices, especially media-based content. Participants include Atlantic Records, BBC, Cisco, Comcast, Conde Nast, Disney Interactive, Google, HTC, Intel, LG Electronics, Lionsgate, MTV Networks, NBC Universal, and others.
"We are excited about the broad collaboration of close to 50 industry leaders in the Open Screen Project," said David Wadhwani, an Adobe vice president. He added that the collaboration includes 19 of the top 20 handset manufacturers worldwide.
Although he didn't specify, the 20th manufacturer is Apple. Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said he wouldn't "read too much" into the iPhone not being part of this announcement. "Apple knows this is an issue," he said, "and it likes to make its own announcements."
But,...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
How an Enterprise Moved To a Cloud-Coverage Solution
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69305
Until recently, our company was like most small- to medium-size companies in terms of its computer technology infrastructure. Our e-mail was managed via a Microsoft Exchange server; our corporate data was housed on another server within our network; and we gained remote (out-of-office) access via a Citrix connection. There were some firewalls and routers thrown into the mix to complete the system. This is a very common server architecture, yet it is expensive to build, takes very specialized training to manage, and must be updated periodically as new Internet threats appear, or as holes in its software are exploited. Furthermore, servers -- like all computers -- age and break down over time. Because servers typically run 24/7 without rest, they might last only 3 to 5 years, depending on dozens of factors.
At my company, we were at the point when our servers were aging enough that we began looking for solutions for replacements. To accomplish this, I first solicited bids to replace the existing servers and migrate e-mails and data from the old system to the new. I walked away with sticker shock. A four-year analysis of anticipated server costs and maintenance came in at $320,000! This analysis assumed several conditions that were unlikely to happen: (1) no increase in our maintenance costs; (2) no increase in the cost of replacement servers in 4 years; (3) no disasters. In other words, the $320,000 cost estimate was low, probably by a factor of at least 15 to 25 percent. I therefore began searching for an alternative that would be as reliable but more cost effective.
I found the solution in cloud computing, also called Software as a Service (SaaS). You may not know this but you may already be practicing cloud computing. For example, do you use Yardi or Onesite for...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
Google Refines Search Results To Counter Microsoft
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69304
Google Inc. is giving Web surfers a few more ways to refine their search results, signaling its resolve to ward off rival Microsoft Corp.'s aggressive campaign to lure traffic.
The changes announced Thursday might be hard to notice because they require clicking on a "show options" link above Google's search results. The feature has been around since May, making it possible to focus the results exclusively on videos, discussion forums, reviews or books. Now news and blogs are joining the list of options.
Microsoft introduced similar features for limiting search results to specific categories as part of a June upgrade that renamed its search engine as Bing.
In another new wrinkle, Google is allowing users to limit the listed results to information indexed within the past hour. Google already had options that restricted results to the past day, week or year.
Google's users also will be able to tell the search engine whether they want to see more or fewer results geared toward shopping.
The extra bells and whistles are being introduced while Bing has been helping Microsoft gain momentum in search, a lucrative field because it drives so much of the advertising on the Web.
Helped by a $100 million marketing campaign, Microsoft's U.S. share of the search market climbed to 9.3 percent in August from 8 percent in May, according to comScore Inc. Meanwhile, Google has been able to maintain its huge lead, handling 65 percent of U.S. Web searches.
Microsoft hopes to process even more requests beginning next year by handling searches for Yahoo Inc., which has been processing 19 percent of U.S. search queries. Even though it plans to rely on Microsoft's technology, Yahoo also has been adding more features to its search results in hopes of gaining more traffic, too.
Google said its latest changes were driven by the shifting demands of its...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
Sony's PSPgo Delivers Tighter Handheld Gaming
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69302
Sony's PlayStation Portable is the most high-powered handheld video-game machine on the market, but it's usually my third choice when it comes to on-the-road action.
It's all a matter of size. Apple's iPhone, which has become a solid casual-gaming platform, slides easily into a pants pocket. Nintendo's DS fits a little more snugly. But even the slimmest version of the old PSP is still nearly 7 inches long and too bulky to carry on everyday errands.
The newest model of Sony's handheld, the PSP go ($250), is less demanding. Only 5 inches long (by 2.75 inches tall by a half-inch thick), it's just a little bigger than an iPhone.
Sony has accomplished this feat with a number of tricks. The video screen is about a half-inch smaller (diagonally), though it has the same wide-screen ratio and looks as sharp as ever. The controls that were once on the sides of the screen are now on a panel that slides out from under the screen.
Most significantly, there's no longer a slot or a drive for the Universal Media Discs that contain PSP games and videos. There's no longer a need to carry a UMD for each game; instead, all your media can be stored on the PSP go's 16-gigabyte hard drive or on a tiny memory stick.
That also means no more trips to the game store. Instead, you have to download software from Sony's PlayStation Store -- a process that shouldn't be too alien now that Apple has trained everyone to download media through iTunes. Sony says there are more than 225 games available, as well as 2,300 movies and 13,300 TV episodes.
The game library runs the gamut from elegant puzzlers like "Echochrome" to elaborate role-playing dramas like "Jeanne d'Arc." There are PSP originals like "Patapon 2" and remakes of PlayStation 1 classics like...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
Get Everyone in U.S. Online, High-Level Panel Says
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69300
The nation needs to give the same urgency to making sure all Americans have broadband access as the Eisenhower administration did in building an interstate highway system a half-century ago, a report released Friday concluded.
The Knight Commission on the Information Needs of Communities in a Democracy expressed worry about whether the news industry's financial woes will make for a less educated citizenry and considered whether the government should prop up independent journalists.
The commission includes two former FCC chairmen, newspaper publishers, a top Google executive, the NAACP president and a former CNN president. It concluded that a free flow of information "is as vital to the healthy functioning of communities as clean air, safe streets, good schools and public health," and that it's time for leaders to give it a higher priority.
It drew parallels to both the Eisenhower administration's building of roads and the Lincoln administration's effort to build the transcontinental railroad.
Considering how much business is done on the Web, including the process of applying for jobs, it's vital to get as many people plugged in as possible, the commission said. More than a third of Americans do not subscribe to broadband services and, in many rural communities, they don't even have the option.
"You have to have access in order to be socially first class, economically first class and politically first class," said Alberto Ibarguen, former Miami Herald publisher and president and CEO of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation.
He said he is encouraged that the Obama administration appears to be making the effort a priority.
Government should also provide incentives to broadband and cable television service providers so they quickly wire areas that are underserved. Michael Powell, a former Federal Communications Commission chairman and member of the Knight group, said he would like to see the FCC be less...
Tue, 6 Oct 09
An iPhone Gets Zipcar Drivers on Their Way
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69260
The iPhone can do many things. Now it can even lock and unlock a car and start the engine.
Cambridge, Mass.-based car-sharing service Zipcar this week launched an app that lets you locate and reserve one of its vehicles, unlock it using the iPhone's touch-screen and drive it off the lot.
"The iPhone is a pipeline for almost one-third of our members," says Luke Schneider, Zipcar's chief technology officer. "This is something they have been asking for."
While there are many iPhone apps for autos, most are focused on directions, traffic, roadside assistance and games. Zipcar's app is the first to control the operation of a car, which is why David Cole, chairman of the Ann Arbor, Mich.- based Center for Auto Research, calls it a "breakthrough."
"Once you have this kind of electronic ability in a cell phone, there's no end to the type of technology you could bring to cars," he says.
Zipcar operates mostly in big urban areas, in 13 major cities and 120 university campuses. Members pay a $50 annual fee plus around $7 an hour to rent a car for a few hours, including gas and insurance.
To reserve a car, Zipcar offers telephone or Web-based tools. Now, a reservation can also begin from the iPhone. The transaction is completed with a map and directions to the nearest Zipcar parking lot.
Once there, Zipcar members find their car by using the iPhone to honk a virtual horn, which in turns triggers the real horn on the reserved Zipcar.
Next: Swipe the membership card over the dash to get access to the car keys, which are left in the car but are powerless without the authorization.
Once the member card has been swiped, Zipcar members can use the virtual iPhone to unlock the car doors and drive away for the duration of their...
Sat, 3 Oct 09
Red Hat Takes Software Patents To Supreme Court
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69314
On Thursday, Red Hat filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court seeking to reject software patents. In what will be an uphill battle for the Linux-based software developer, Red Hat sought to explain the practical problems software patents pose to developers.
The Red Hat brief is part of the Bilski v. Doll patent-law case, which involves the standard for patenting a process. The case concerns a business method patent, but involves many of the same issues as software patents.
In short, Red Hat's brief asks the Supreme Court to adopt a lower court's machine-or-transformation test and to make clear that it excludes software from patents.
"Red Hat continues its commitment to the free and open-source software community by taking a strong position against bad software patents," said Rob Tiller, vice president and assistant general counsel for Red Hat. "Our patent system is supposed to foster innovation, but for open-source and software in general, it does the opposite. Software patents form a minefield that slows and discourages software innovation. The Bilski case presents a great opportunity for the Supreme Court to rectify this problem."
Here's the quick history as Red Hat offers it: The practice of patenting software exploded in the 1990s based on judicial decisions changing the test for patentable subject matter. As a result, software patents now number in the hundreds of thousands and cover abstract technology in vague and difficult-to-interpret terms.
Red Hat said that because software products may involve thousands of patentable components, developers face the risk of having to defend against weak but costly patent-infringement lawsuits. A new class of business enterprise -- patent trolls -- has developed to file lawsuits to exploit this system.
When a patent troll is unable to obtain a licensing agreement with another company, Red Hat said, it threatens or enters patent-infringement...
Sat, 3 Oct 09
IBM To Launch Web-Based E-Mail Platform
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=69313
IBM is slated to launch a Web-based version of its Lotus Notes e-mail platform, which is expected to aid the tech giant's plans to go head-to-head w