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Google Will Continue To Oppose China Censorship
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71383
After weeks of back-and-forth negotiations between Internet search giant Google and the Chinese government, Google says it will continue to oppose China's efforts to censor information on the Internet. For the past several years, Google has censored results on its Google.cn search engine as requested by the Chinese government. But recently, Google decided to pull the plug.
Google's decision came after a China-based cyberattack that Google said resulted in stolen intellectual property. Two weeks ago, Google CEO Eric Schmidt threatened to pull Google's business out of China if the government did not allow uncensored search results and information. But since then, Schmidt and the government have attempted to find some middle ground.
If it pulls out of China, Google stands to lose its 700 employees in China and anger advertisers. Advertisers may decide to move to Google competitors based in China, such as Baidu and Alibaba Group.
China, however, may have more to lose. China stands to lose its footing toward becoming a world technology leader, and it needs help from companies such as Google and Microsoft.
Schmidt reiterated his efforts to stop China's censorship at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland. He said the company plans to apply some pressure to change censorship while still benefiting from what China has to offer the company.
His comments come a week after Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked U.S. companies to stand their ground against countries that censor information and to protect those who are threatened by countries that stop the free flow of information. Clinton pointed to several countries, including China, Tunisia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, that have increased Internet censorship.
"The Internet has already been a source of tremendous progress in China, and it is fabulous," Clinton told an audience at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. "But countries that restrict...
Sat, 30 Jan 10
IT Execs Now Favor Regulations for Cybersecurity
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71382
Around the globe, laws are too weak to deter cyberattacks and countries are incapable of preventing attacks. Those pessimistic findings are among the results of a worldwide survey of industry executives funded by McAfee and conducted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The study, In the crossfire -- Critical Infrastructure in the Age of Cyber War, surveyed 600 executives and talked to dozens of security experts. The executives were questioned about their practices, attitudes and policies on security, the impact of regulation, their relationship with government, specific security measures employed on their networks, and the kinds of attacks they face, McAfee said.
The respondents indicated that government does have a role to play in cybersecurity, which is a change in industry thinking. "I have sensed for a year or more that industry, which used to think that the government didn't need to get involved, doesn't have any confidence that they can solve this problem on their own," said Stewart Baker, a distinguished visiting fellow at CSIS and a partner at law firm Steptoe & Johnson.
Government regulation has "sharpened [corporate] policy and improved security," according to 58 percent of the respondents. But opinions varied widely by national politics. In China and Germany, more than 60 percent supported government regulation, while few in Italy and Australia did.
Globally, public-private partnerships have not taken off, with only a third of respondents saying they are participating. In the United States, where participation is higher, many executives voiced concern about "information sharing being a one-way street," the report found.
The survey results come just two weeks after Howard Schmidt took the reins as U.S. cybersecurity chief. In an interview after his first public appearance, at the State of the Net conference in Washington, Schmidt honed in on the China-based breach of Google....
Sat, 30 Jan 10
Steve Jobs Says Publishers Not Happy with Amazon
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71381
The iPad won't make its market debut until March, but Apple CEO Steve Jobs is already jockeying for e-reader leadership. Jobs told The Wall Street Journal that publishers are withholding their e-books from Amazon.com -- because they aren't happy with the digital book-selling giant.
Apple's iPad is preparing to move into the territory dominated by Amazon.com and its Kindle e-reader. Apple launched the iBooks app for the iPad along with the iBookstore, which Apple is billing as the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device. Apple hasn't listed its e-book prices yet, but Jobs is priming the pump for a battle.
"Steve Jobs is right. The publishers aren't happy with Amazon," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group. "Amazon did give some concessions to publishers shortly before the iPad launched, but the Kindle has not been a publisher favorite. Newspapers and magazines aren't happy with the device, either, because it doesn't offer the text in columns with embedded advertising."
Analyst predictions for iPad sales range from four million to 10 million in the first year. Enderle's projections range from four million to six million, depending on the competitive response. Amazon isn't likely to roll over and let Apple take over the e-book publishing world like it did the digital music world. But Amazon may have to make adjustments to compete with the iPad and the third generation of e-readers from competitors.
"Amazon and Kindle are going to have to dramatically up their game if they are going to hold. The Kindle is supposed to go through a refresh at the end of the year," Enderle said. "It's supposed to get a better display in the five-inch product than the iPad has, which would, if true, address the rendering problems."
Amazon can make changes to its licensing and...
Sat, 30 Jan 10
Cell-Phone Bans Haven't Reduced Crashes, Study Says
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71379
As more states consider controls on cell-phone use in vehicles and Congress mulls a nationwide texting-while-driving ban, a study released Friday suggests the bans have not reduced the number of accidents. The Highway Loss Data Institute compared insurance claims in four states that have bans with areas where drivers can talk freely and found no significant difference.
"The laws aren't reducing crashes, even though we know that such laws have reduced handheld phone use and several studies have established that phoning while driving increases crash risk," said Adrian Lund, HLDI president.
The institute is an affiliate of the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an influential nonprofit agency funded by the auto industry that crash-tests new cars to provide safety ratings for insurance companies and consumers.
Bans against handheld cell-phone use are in effect in 17 states and the District of Columbia. The survey wasn't intended to undermine such laws, but to point out that they may not have teeth.
The studies looked at claims in New York, Connecticut, California and Washington, D.C., both before and after the bans went into effect and compared them with claims in neighboring states with no ban. This method was intended to take into account factors not related to the bans, such as seasonal and economic variations and driving patterns.
The data go back to 2001, when New York adopted the nation's first ban.
A previous IIHS study looked at drivers' phone records and found that drivers using the phone were four times more likely to be in a crash. That makes the findings of the latest study something of a paradox.
"If crash risk increases with phone use and fewer drivers use phones where it's illegal to do so, we would expect to see a decrease in crashes," said Lund, who is president of both...
Sat, 30 Jan 10
VoIP Providers Unleash 3G Connections for iPhone, iPad
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71372
VoIP providers fring and iCall announced this week that their apps for the iPhone 3G are ready to run in 3G mode on AT&T's network. Moreover, Skype recently indicated that it will soon offer a 3G-capable version of its software for Apple's iPhone 3G.
Previously, all three iPhone apps were restricted to Wi-Fi only. In response to the Federal Communications Commission's investigation into Apple's reluctance to approve Google Voice for the iPhone, however, AT&T announced last October that it would open its 3G network to third-party Internet voice applications on Apple's iPhone.
This week Apple amended its developer agreements to enable VoIP apps for the iPhone 3G on the Apps Store. "I commend Apple's decision to open its platform to 3G calling -- an action that will create new opportunities for entrepreneurs and provide more choices for consumers," said FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski on Friday.
Existing users of iCall's app don't need an upgrade to start placing or receiving voice calls over AT&T's 3G network, wrote iCall CEO Arlo Gilbert in a blog. "The 3G block was a server-side block on our end, and it has now been removed," Gilbert wrote. "The only caveat here is that AT&T's 3G network is overloaded big time and call quality will depend upon the 3G signal you are able to get."
Still, having VoIP capabilities on the iPhone doesn't necessarily mean users will be swift to change their calling habits en masse. Among other things, the peer-to-peer calling technology that Skype and other developers currently use is less reliable than the voice capabilities that 3G smartphones deliver directly, noted Lisa Pierce, an independent wireless analyst at the Strategic Networks Group.
In theory, VoIP over 3G "could be quite cannibalistic," but the combination currently features "a lot of latency -- more than the magic cap...
Sat, 30 Jan 10
Apple Turns To Developers To Create iPad Apps
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71371
Now that Apple's iPad has launched, what can you do with it? What kind of new and existing applications will we see on this new Apple product line? Apple has released an updated software development kit with an iPad simulator to encourage developers to create new applications or revised versions of existing ones.
The iPad, with an updated version of the iPhone operating system, can utilize the approximately 140,000 applications currently in Apple's App Store, but there are limitations. The main one is that those applications were developed for the smaller screens of the iPhone and iPod touch.
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, attended the iPad launch and tested "a lot of applications." He noted that existing apps run on the iPad in a boxed window. Within the box, he said, the resolution is fine, "but it's just too small" when seen on the iPad. He noted that an on-screen button enables doubling the pixels of the app, so it fills the screen.
"For some apps," Greengart said, "that works fine," such as the popular Bejeweled game, where the small jewels become larger. But for other applications, he noted, this artificial resolution is not very satisfactory.
The additional screen real estate also gives more room for interaction and information. Greengart noted that office-productivity programs are available for the iPhone and iPod touch, but the screen size and lack of a keyboard greatly restrain a user's ability to accomplish work. On the iPad, users can work more normally. In addition to the larger screen size, an iPad dock for connecting a keyboard is being released.
Greengart also pointed to a Major League Baseball application designed specifically for the iPad, which was shown at the launch. The iPhone version, he said, is intended for "quick hits of information,"...
Sat, 30 Jan 10
Google Offers Click-to-Call Feature for Mobile Ads
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71360
Google on Thursday launched a click-to-call feature for its mobile advertisements. The new function works with the iPhone, Android-based devices, and other smartphones. The AdWords function lets consumers call a vendor by clicking on a link that displays the phone number rather than clicking through to a web site and searching for the number.
"Sometimes when you're searching for a local business on your mobile device, you're not looking for their web site, but rather to connect by phone," said Surojit Chatterjee, product manager for Google's mobile-ads team. "After searching for a restaurant, you might want to call and make a reservation. Or after searching for a video store, you might want to find out if they have the video you want."
Chatterjee added that the ads and phone numbers displayed are based on the smartphone user's location. So if a store or restaurant has multiple locations, the user will be calling the nearest one.
Users can also use Google Maps with the My Location feature to make sure they get search results tailored to their location. The feature takes information broadcast from mobile towers near users to approximate their current location. Google admits it's not quite GPS, but insists it comes pretty close.
Meredith Papp, a product marketing manager for the Google mobile-ads team, said advertisers can benefit by allowing users to click to call right from an ad just like they can click through to the advertiser's web site.
"Not only does this feature offer helpful information for users, but advertisers who participated in our beta trial saw really great results, ranging from five to 30 percent increases in their click-through rates," Papp said. "The cost of the click on the phone number is the same as the cost of a click to visit your web site."
Sat, 30 Jan 10
Netflix Adds 1.1 Million Customers Amid Profit Boost
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71350
Netflix Inc.'s fourth-quarter profit surged 36 percent as its DVD-by-mail service surpassed 12 million subscribers, and the company announced an upbeat outlook for 2010 that sent its shares soaring Wednesday.
The results reflect the growing popularity of Netflix plans that bundle DVD rentals with unlimited video streaming over the Internet for as little as $9 per month.
Netflix added more than 1.1 million customers during the quarter -- the most in any three-month period during its 11-year history.
Management is expecting an even bigger beginning to this year. The company projects an additional 1.2 million to 1.5 million customers by the end of March. And Netflix provided forecasts for the first-quarter and the full year that exceeded analysts' current estimates.
Netflix shares soared $5.31, or more than 10 percent, in extended trading after finishing Wednesday's regular session at $50.07, up $1.02.
The company earned $30.9 million, or 56 cents per share, in its latest quarter. That compared to $22.7 million, 38 cents per share, in the same period of 2008. The performance topped the average estimate of 45 cents per share among analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters.
Fourth-quarter climbed 24 percent to $444.5 million, falling about $1 million below analyst forecasts.
Netflix, based in Los Gatos, Calif., got a big boost in the fourth quarter from Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 3 video game console, which became an outlet for showing the company's roughly 17,000 streaming titles. The company already had a similar deal with Microsoft Corp.'s XBox 360 and in the spring will begin to link up with Nintendo's Wii console.
The streaming technology is being embraced by more Netflix subscribers as they wait for their DVDs to be delivered through the mail. About 48 percent of the customers streamed at least 15 minutes of Internet video in the fourth quarter, up from 28 percent in the prior year.
Sat, 30 Jan 10
Chipmaker TSMC Says Profit More Than Doubles
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71346
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest contract chipmaker, said Thursday its fourth quarter profit more than doubled after a rebound in global demand for computers.
Net income for October-December surged 162 percent from a year earlier to 32.67 billion New Taiwan dollars ($1 billion) on revenue of NT$92 billion ($2.9 billion), TSMC said.
Fourth quarter sales jumped 43 percent from a year earlier, the company said, and it forecast a double-digit expansion in sales this year as the global economy recovers.
Weak demand early in 2009 dragged down full-year sales 11.2 percent from 2008 to NT$295.7 billion, the company said.
Sales improved with "computer-related applications growing strongly" amid the emerging global recovery, despite a seasonal decline in demand for consumer-related applications, the company said.
TSMC's chips are used in devices ranging from mobile phones to computers. Demand plunged following the 2008 onset of the global crisis but began to recover during the second quarter of last year.
Chairman Morris Chang was upbeat about 2010 at an investor conference, forecasting a 14 percent increase in global computer sales and a 12 percent increase in handset sales during the year.
The company forecast an 18 percent growth in the global semiconductor market in 2010, Chang said. The market contracted about 9 percent in 2009.
Foundry, or contract manufacturing, would outperform the overall chip market, with an expected 29 percent growth in 2010, Chang said.
The overall foundry industry contracted 17 percent in 2009, he said.
The company is expected to run at full capacity throughout 2010, while preparing to begin mass production using the cutting-edge 28-nanometer process technology in the first half of 2011, he said.
The advanced process enables more features to be integrated into smaller chips. TSMC wafer productions now involve mainly 0.13-micron, 40- and 65-nanometer technologies.
Sat, 30 Jan 10
AT&T Adds 2.7 Million Wireless Customers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71343
Maybe AT&T's new slogan should be "More books in more places." The phone company added a near-record 2.7 million wireless customers in the last quarter, defying expectations with the help of new e-reading devices.
AT&T said Thursday it added 1 million non-phone devices with built-in cellular service in the fourth quarter. AT&T has deals to support the latest version of Amazon.com Inc.'s Kindle, Sony Corp.'s Reader and Barnes & Noble Inc.'s Nook.
AT&T also said it activated 3.1 million iPhones, the second-highest quarterly total so far, demonstrating the continuing allure of the Apple Inc.'s phone. AT&T achieved that number despite the lack of a new iPhone model in the quarter, and in the face of an aggressive ad campaign by Verizon Wireless. Complaints about dropped calls and poor service in some areas didn't dissuade buyers either.
AT&T's 2.7 million new wireless customers exceeded the 2.2 million that Verizon Wireless signed in the same period. However, AT&T added just 910,000 customers under contract, compared to 1.2 million at Verizon. Customers on contracts pay far more than others. In particular, AT&T probably gets relatively little revenue from each e-reader device.
Even so, AT&T is taking clear leadership in providing service for non-phone devices, which are seen as the next big growth area for wireless.
The country's largest telecommunications provider earned $3 billion, or 51 cents per share, in the last three months of the year. That was up 26 percent from a year earlier, and matched the average analyst expectation as polled by Thomson Reuters.
Revenue fell 0.7 percent to $30.9 billion, also matching expectations.
AT&T is the sole U.S. carrier for Apple's iPhone. The companies haven't said how long their contract lasts, but Apple appeared to reaffirm its commitment to AT&T on Wednesday, when it announced that AT&T will be the sole U.S. data provider for its new...
Sat, 30 Jan 10
Smartphones Boost Nokia as Profits Grow
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71342
The world's biggest mobile phone maker, Nokia Corp., on Thursday said strong sales of smart phones and lower costs helped profits rise 65 percent in the fourth quarter despite a drop in total revenue.
The better-than-expected report sent Nokia shares surging and suggested that the cell phone industry is recovering from the impact of the global financial crisis.
Nokia's net profit was euro948 million ($1.3 billion) in the last three months of 2009, up from euro576 million in the last quarter of 2008 although sales fell 5.3 percent to euro12 billion from euro12.7 billion.
CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo predicted that total global mobile phone sales would grow 10 percent in 2010, and that Nokia would retain its market share. Four of 10 cell phones sold worldwide are Nokia products.
"This quarterly result shows that there is a quite a lot of momentum in the mobile phone market at the moment, and that was also apparent in Nokia's result," Kallasvuo said.
Nokia shares rose 10 percent to euro9.89 ($13.85) on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.
Nokia said its share of the global handset market grew to 39 percent in the fourth quarter, from 38 percent in the previous quarter and 37 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008.
In smart phones, where competitors include Research in Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry and Apple's Inc.'s iPhone, Nokia said its market share rose from 35 percent to 40 percent.
"This was the surprise. Many had expected Nokia's share of smart phones to fall even lower from earlier figures but in fact it was up," said Michael Schroeder from FIM Bank. "And across the board Nokia did pretty well."
The company's results were also boosted by the fact that special items, one-time costs which include restructuring charges, were significantly lower than in the comparable quarter in 2008.
The mobile phone industry was hit hard by the financial crisis,...
Sat, 30 Jan 10
It's Like a Running Coach in Your Shoe
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71341
One thing, and one thing only, got Jim Stritzinger to take up running. It wasn't new running shoes or a desire to trim down or get away from the computer, he says.
It was a small sensor in his shoe that he is not even aware of anymore.
Stritzinger, 45, belongs to a growing number of fitness fanatics who rely on wireless technology to monitor workouts, offering them real-time coaching and a social network. Where pedometers once ruled exercise gadgets, these virtual workout buddies are taking off and adding more capabilities (prices range from $50 to $700).
Adidas introduces one this month (miCoach Pacer, $139) that could give the Nike+ model Stritzinger uses a run for its money.
Three devices are among the top 100 sports and outdoor products sold at amazon.com.
Amy Reinink of Silver Spring, Md., a runner and running blogger, says, "These devices are standard issue for serious recreational runners who do marathons or half marathons." She wears a Garmin for its accuracy measuring distance.
While Stritzinger is pounding the pavement and listening to music playlists, the Nike+ sensor ($30) sends information to an application on his iPod, allowing him to hear audible updates about how far he has run and how fast. A bonus: He gets a shout-out from Lance Armstrong through his iPod when he needs a boost.
"I joke with my sons that I ran with Lance today,'' Stritzinger says. "Trust me, I work a little harder when Lance tells me to step it up. He busts my butt."
An electrical engineer in Columbia, S.C., he says the technology spoke to him when he was shopping with his teenagers. A novice to running until March 2008, he now runs 40 miles a week and will run a Feb. 13 qualifier for the 2011 Boston Marathon.
"I really want to improve...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
McAfee Warns of Cyberattacks on Critical Infrastructure
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71357
On Thursday, McAfee shed light on the cost and impact of cyberattacks on critical infrastructures such as electrical grids, oil and gas production, telecommunications and transportation networks. More than half of 600 IT security executives from critical infrastructure enterprises worldwide report large-scale attacks or infiltrations from organized crime, terrorists or nation-states.
The average estimated cost of downtime associated with a major incident was a jaw-dropping $6.3 million per day.
"In today's economic climate, it is imperative that organizations prepare for the instability that cyberattacks on critical infrastructure can cause," said Dave DeWalt, president and CEO of McAfee. "From public transportation to energy to telecommunications, these are the systems we depend on every day. An attack on any of these industries could cause widespread economic disruptions, environmental disasters, loss of property, and even loss of life."
The report, titled In the Crossfire: Critical Infrastructure in the Age of Cyberwar, warns of the rising risk of cyberattacks. Thirty-seven percent of IT executives said the vulnerability of their sector has increased over the past 12 months, and two-fifths expect a major security incident in their sector within the next year. Only 20 percent think their sector is safe from serious cyberattack over the next five years.
Many of the world's critical infrastructures were built for reliability and availability, McAfee noted, not security. Traditionally, these organizations have had little to no cyber protection, and have relied on guards, gates and guns. Today, however, McAfee said computer networks are interconnected with corporate IT networks and other infrastructure networks accessible from anywhere in the world.
"The recently identified Operation Aurora was the largest and most sophisticated cyberattack targeted at specific corporations, but it could have just as easily targeted the world's critical infrastructure," DeWalt said. "The attack announced by Google and identified by McAfee was the most sophisticated...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
Wait -- iPad Won't Support Flash for YouTube Videos
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71356
Apple's new iPad is pretty cool. After all, what's not to love about a giant iPod touch that will make watching movies, reading books and newspapers, and browsing the web a much more compelling experience?
But considering that the iPad must be considered first and foremost an entertainment device, there are a few holes. Like the iPhone, the iPad will not have support for Adobe Flash, the technology that drives YouTube and most other web videos. On top of that, Netflix has announced that its streaming video service, Watch Instantly, will not support the iPad in the foreseeable future.
Adobe urged developers to convert Flash-based apps to iPad-compliant versions through its new Packager for iPhone tool. The conversion will allow apps to run just fine on the iPhone and iPod touch, but they still won't be able to take advantage of the iPad's larger 1024x768 screen resolution. Apple's other mobile devices have 480x320 screen resolution.
While the tool won't immediately support the larger screen size, "it is our intent to make it possible for Flash developers to build applications that can take advantage of the increased screen size and resolution of the iPad," Adobe's Michael Chou said on a company blog.
Converting Flash apps for use on the iPhone or iPad is a start, but the absence of native support for Flash continues to be a hole in Apple's version of mobile web browsing, especially considering the iPad is touted as the most satisfying way to surf the web on the go. This was embarrassingly obvious in CEO Steve Job's demonstration of the iPad browsing The New York Times. The Times site features Flash-based videos, which Jobs was unable to play.
"Not having Flash is an issue, given the fact that about 70 percent of web games and...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
Oracle Moves To Calm Customers' Post-Acquisition Jitters
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71355
It has been only one day since Oracle announced details of its $7.4 billion acquisition of Santa Clara, Calif.-based Sun Microsystems, and the dust is far from settling. Oracle, a software company, needs to pacify Sun's customers and build confidence in those asking how they will conduct business with a hardware company operated by a software company.
Sun's hardware customers may especially be questioning Oracle's devotion to Sun's hardware business since Oracle CEO Larry Ellison in the past attempted to acquire only Sun's software assets.
Ellison, who built Oracle by focusing on software and looking away from hardware built by companies like Sun, attempted to calm customers' jitters by telling them that Oracle is headed in a new direction. That new direction includes both software and hardware, Ellison said.
The company plans to rely less on partners and instead build its own hardware and software systems. Oracle will sell those systems directly to customers instead of through resellers. Currently, the company sells only one system that combines Oracle software and Sun hardware -- the Sun Oracle Database Machine with blade servers, Flash memory, and storage.
The package combines hardware from Sun, Oracle 11g Release 2, and Oracle Exadata Storage Server software. Oracle said it is a completely scalable and fault-tolerant package for all of a customer's data-warehousing and online-transaction applications.
The machine was developed with Sun's hardware not long after the company first announced plans to acquire Sun. The product has a pipeline of more than $100 million in sales, according to published reports.
"We are confident that Oracle's [Sun] Solaris support strategy will not change post-acquisition, but Sun users need to validate the demonstrable increase in commitment to Solaris on the part of Oracle's core engineering groups," said Gartner analyst Andrew Butler in an analysis of the acquisition.
Another suggestion by Butler...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
Despite Record Sales, Nintendo Is Hurting
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71354
Nintendo's Wii gaming console is still blasting its competition, with sales reaching record levels during the 2009 holiday season, but the popular, motion-sensing system is losing ground to Sony's PlayStation and Microsoft's Xbox.
The Kyoto, Japan-based company saw revenues drop 9.4 percent and earnings drop 23 percent in the three-quarter period ending in December 2009, compared to last year, according to figures released Thursday.
In the fiscal year ending in March, the company anticipates a drop in profits from $6.1 billion last year to $4.1 billion.
Although holiday shoppers grabbed a whopping 3.81 million Wii systems, far more than the 1.31 million Xbox 360s and 1.36 million PlayStation 3 units sold in December, profits dropped because Nintendo lowered the console's price from $250 to $200. Converting weak dollars into the stronger Japanese yen also impacted the company's bottom line.
Although it introduced a new version of the DS portable console last year, overall sales of the handheld device were down about two million from the year prior, with more than 23 million sold. Wii sales reached more than 17 million in the period ending Dec. 31, about three million less than the previous year.
Nintendo's troubles could be a sign that gamers are looking ahead to a new era.
"We are several years into the current generation of home consoles, and at this stage most of the people who want a Wii already have one," said Steve Koenig, director of industry analysis for the Consumer Electronics Association. "The reason Microsoft and Sony are gaining is because the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation are really media portals, and there is media content that comes with Xbox Live."
Koenig said the recent partnership of Nintendo with Netflix to offer streaming movies through the console reflects the trend that games alone are no longer enough.
"The Wii has...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
AT&T Sets Lower Prices for 3G Data Plans on iPad
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71353
AT&T Wireless has agreed to provide 3G connections for Apple's new iPad tablet with prepaid plans priced at $15 a month for 250MB of data and $30 a month for unlimited data access. Analysts see AT&T's latest deal with Apple as a significant development for the wireless carrier, which beat out Verizon Wireless for the contract.
"Certainly being able to hang on to its exclusive relationship with Apple is quite a coup for AT&T -- especially given all the recent complaints lodged about the wireless carrier's 3G network -- and this indicates confidence on the part of Apple," said Lisa Pierce, an independent wireless analyst at the Strategic Networks Group.
Apple said Wednesday it will begin shipping a Wi-Fi version of the iPad for U.S. buyers in March at prices that start at $499. Versions with 3G are slated to launch 30 days later and be priced at $629 and above.
However, Pierce isn't sure most potential users will value 3G enough to be willing to pay about a 30 percent premium for 3G. "Some will, obviously, but it will be interesting to see just how many do," Pierce said.
The additional strain that a successful iPad debut could place on AT&T's 3G network is a legitimate concern, Pierce noted. "The expectation is that iPad users will make heavy use of Wi-Fi, and I certainly think they will," Pierce said. "But that's not exactly an endorsement of AT&T's 3G network, is it?"
On the downside, the device's advanced capabilities will clearly encourage downloading of huge multimedia files. "I think that's a natural," Pierce said. "The only question is, how much of this will need to be done in real time?"
Still, AT&T is expected to have plenty of lead time to beef up its U.S. network. "With the iPad straddling multiple...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
Google Lets You Track Friends' Posts with Social Search
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71352
Let's say you wanted to find out what your friends or your business associates think of a new product. Google Social Search, now available in beta form to general users, lets you search for that information in the blogs, Twitter tweets, Facebook public pages, and other musings by your social circle.
Social search, first announced late last year, was available as a Google Labs project, and the company said Wednesday it's now being offered for wider use. When you query a term using social search and you're signed into your Google account, the results include related content created by your declared social circle.
That social circle includes your contacts and one level into their contacts, as specified in your public Google profile, your Google chat buddies, and your Google Reader. The social contacts you've indicated are not available to anyone but you.
The searches return results in blogs, Facebook updates, Twitter, Blogger and images, such as from Flickr or Picasa. In the profile, the user can add or delete anyone in the social circle.
In a posting on the Official Google blog, Maureen Heymans, technical lead for social search, and Terran Melconian, technical lead for social image search, noted that their team in Mountain View, Calif., recently had two babies, and a third is on the way.
"With social search," they wrote, "when we search for [baby sleep patterns], [swaddling] or [best cribs], not only do we get the usual web sites with expert opinions, we also find relevant pages from our friends and contacts." This has included, they noted, a posting in a friend's blog about a "great baby shop."
In social-search results, a user can go to "my social circle" and see his or her extended network of online contacts and how they are connected. There's...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
iPad's Versatility Challenges E-Readers and Netbooks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71333
It's not an iSlate, but it is a tablet computer. On Wednesday, Apple CEO Steve Jobs was in peak form when he introduced what was hyped as one of the company's most important product launches to date -- the iPad.
The tablet with prices starting at $499 won't be available until March, so it's too soon to gauge consumer response. But some analysts expect Apple to sell millions of the high-resolution multi-touch devices this year.
"iPad is our most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price," Jobs said. "iPad creates and defines an entirely new category of devices that will connect users with their apps and content in a much more intimate, intuitive and fun way than ever before."
With the iPad, Apple is trying to create a product that naturally fits into a consumer's life, according to Bryan Gonzalez, a technical project specialist at the Entertainment Technology Center at the University of Southern California.
"I think because the iPad is so versatile, different people will use it different ways. Honestly, Apple just needs to have their fan base purchase the product and use it," Gonzalez said. "Only then will the iPad be put through its paces. And just like the iPhone and iPod, word of mouth, product reviews will speak for the product."
Apple has done well with appeals to its loyal fan base and the word of mouth that historically follows. Now Apple is moving into a territory dominated by Amazon.com and its Kindle reader. Apple also launched the iBooks app for the iPad along with the iBookstore, which Apple is billing as the best way to browse, buy and read books on a mobile device. Will it work?
"The Kindle is designed for one specific task: reading. It has an E Ink screen that...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
AT&T Settles Class-Action Over Termination Fees
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71320
AT&T Inc. is paying $18 million to settle claims that it imposed unfairly high fees on wireless customers who wanted to end their contracts.
The settlement covers customers from as far back as 1998. Those who were charged an early termination fee, or ETF, could get as much as $140 back, if they canceled a two-year contract just before it was about to expire. Those who canceled earlier would get less.
Those who were never charged an early termination fee can get an AT&T long distance phone card with up to 200 minutes, or if they have a AT&T contract, choose to have the ETF changed from a $175 flat rate to one that is prorated.
AT&T used to charge an ETF of $175, regardless of how long the customer had left on the contract. Like other carriers, it started prorating the fee in 2008, so customers canceling after a year of service paid less.
Early termination fees recover some of the subsidies that carriers pay to reduce the price consumers pay for new phones. But in several suits AT&T and other carriers faced around the country, customers claimed the fees were illegal because they bore no relation to the carrier's actual costs, and discouraged customers from switching carriers. The consumers also complained that carriers would extend the contract periods, sometimes secretly, when customers asked to change minor provisions in their contracts.
Dallas-based AT&T said it "strongly" denies any wrongdoing, and said no court had found it at fault. It's settling to avoid further litigation, it said.
Sprint Nextel Corp. settled similar claims in August for $17.5 million.
On Tuesday, the Federal Communications Commission sent letters to AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Communications Inc., T-Mobile USA Inc. and Google Inc., asking whether they give customers adequate notice about ETFs.
Fri, 29 Jan 10
Verizon Wireless-AT&T Competition Heats Up
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71313
Competition heated up in the fourth quarter between Verizon Wireless and AT&T, the largest U.S. mobile-phone service providers, figures released Jan. 26 show.
Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications and Vodafone Group, said its average revenue per retail user declined 2.2 percent to $50.75 in the fourth quarter. AT&T, due to release earnings figures Jan. 28, may say its average revenue per user was at $51.07 in the fourth quarter, according to analysts at Credit Suisse. This year, AT&T's ARPU may slip to $50.78, Credit Suisse says.
The falling per-user revenue figures reflect intensifying price competition among mobile-phone service providers, analysts say. Rivalry will increase if, as some analysts expect, Verizon Wireless begins carrying the iPhone, the smartphone created by Apple . "If every carrier is offering the iPhone, you [will have to] ask which one is offering the best price," says Dunston Almeida, an analyst at Tracer Capital, a hedge fund manager.
Currently, AT&T is the only U.S. carrier of the iPhone. Apple won't say whether it plans to widen the circle of iPhone partners, though Verizon Wireless says it has made upgrades to ensure its network would be ready in the event AT&T stops being the lone iPhone carrier.
Per-subscriber revenue is also under pressure as a result of gains in the number of so-called prepaid subscribers, who tend to pay less each month for mobile-phone service. Thanks in part to a new agreement to carry traffic from prepaid brand TracFone, Verizon Wireless added more prepaid subscribers than analysts expected last quarter.
Other evidence of the carriers' competition came in the final months of 2009, when Verizon Wireless flooded TV screens with commercials highlighting what it said are weaknesses in AT&T's wireless network. Better-than-expected customer gains in the fourth quarter signal that Verizon Wireless may have gotten its message...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
Mobile-Ad M&A Frenzy May Continue
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71311
Michael Bayle has been fielding a lot of phone calls in the two months since Google bought mobile-ad company AdMob for $750 million. Bayle is a vice-president at Amobee, also in the business of placing ads on wireless handsets. "Our phone has been ring-ringing off the hook," Bayle says. "We are speaking to a number of parties."
Startups that specialize in mobile advertising are getting a lot of phone calls these days. Possible acquirers are gunning for a slice of an industry that according to ABI Research may generate $1.14 billion in sales this year, almost four times the $297 million spent in 2008. "Mobile ads are [one of) the hottest areas in technology right now," says M&A expert Tom Taulli.
There's especially high demand for so-called mobile-ad networks, such as Amobee, which act as middlemen between advertisers and wireless service providers to broker the placement of ads in games, videos, and other mobile content. Then there are mobile-ad exchanges, such as RingRing, which often get involved earlier in the process, helping connect advertisers with mobile-ad networks.
On Jan. 20, mobile Web browser software provider Opera bought ad exchange AdMarvel. Earlier this month, Apple snapped up mobile-ad network Quattro Wireless for $275 million to $300 million, according to published reports. AdMob was Google's third-biggest acquisition to date. Other mobile-ad companies may fetch far less than $250 million, Taulli speculates. Still, the dealmaking is far from over.
Analysts say potential targets include ad networks Millennial Media, Jumptap, Greystripe, and Tapjoy, and ad exchanges such as Mobclix. "The AdMob acquisition blew the roof off [valuations)," says Sunil Verma, co-founder of Mobclix, which soon expects to close a funding round. "It validates the market size and potential, and that's sparked a trickle-down effect on others." Verma declined to discuss funding details. To date, Mobclix has received $4...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
The Post Emerging-Market World of Tech
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71310
Two trends seem to consistently dominate business coverage. One is the continued ability of new technologies to astound consumers and power businesses. The other is the stunning growth of emerging-market economies, from China and India to Brazil and South Korea, among others. Consider that in 1995, only 20 companies from emerging markets were listed on the Global Fortune 500. Today that number stands at 91.
The next trend, which is already taking shape, is how these two stories converge. Technologies such as cloud computing, mobile communications, and collaborative computing, in concert with the momentum of emerging-market growth, have formed a tipping point. As millions of new consumers and small-business operators -- even in the most rural villages -- become participants in the global economy, the economies we now call emerging will no longer merit the title. They will have fully emerged. Economic power will then be truly dispersed in a multipolar world, and the implications for businesses everywhere are profound.
If you travel to any of these countries, you can't help but see how technology has enabled quantum leaps in the economies of emerging-market countries. While I have been to India many times, on a recent trip I was particularly impressed by the ways in which technology is enabling Indians to overcome challenges in their infrastructure, which has long been seen as one of the country's greatest obstacles to real growth. Wireless telecommunications is connecting hundreds of millions of India's rural citizens to the wider world, obviating the need for the time-consuming and costly effort of building a fixed-line network to every corner of the country. This same scenario is playing out all over the world, and is but one example of the stunning changes that are occurring.
A report recently published by Accenture, "Global Connection to Global Orchestration: Future Business Models...
Fri, 29 Jan 10
Dutch Software Helps Kill Personal Data on Internet
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71308
Imagine you could delete all your personal data from social network sites like Twitter or Facebook. New software, developed by a team of young Dutch artists, now helps you take the principle of "unfriending" to a different level.
Initially, the three graduates from the Piet Zwart Institute in Rotterdam developed their tool Suicide Machine Web 2.0 to make a statement about how social networks compromise personal privacy.
But what initially began as a practical joke for Danja Vasiliev, Gordan Savivic and Walter Langelaar, has become an unexpected success since the software was first launched on December 19.
By late January, their Web site had received more than one million hits. Thousands of people have downloaded the software, while 1,500 people have effectively used it.
"We have already removed more than 90,000 friends and 300,000 tweets," Langelaar told the German Press Agency dpa.
"We started this project because each of us felt uncomfortable with social network sites," he said.
"Several years ago, when LinkedIn was just launched, a friend told me he made a profile for me on that Web site. That was an awkward experience for me. I trusted this man, yet suddenly all my personal data were online.
"Back then it was not yet possible for LinkedIn users to delete their account. It subsequently took me more than two weeks of intensive e-mail correspondence with the LinkedIn staff before they agreed to delete my data," Langelaar added.
Most social network sites have since developed their own privacy policies and also enable their users to delete their accounts.
"But all your data remains in cache, sometimes for many years," Langelaar says, adding that computer-savvy people could retrieve such information easily.
"Also, whatever you have written from your social network account on other pages, remains visible."
And more dangers are looming, says Langelaar.
"Facebook plans to introduce a paid service, perhaps by making...
Thu, 28 Jan 10
3G Patch for Nexus One Expected From Google
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71332
After being flooded with complaints that the Nexus One can't stay on 3G networks, a Google employee has told users that it will soon offer a patch to repair the technical glitch responsible.
"Our engineers have uncovered specific cases for which a software fix should improve connectivity to 3G for some users," a Google employee named Ravi posted on the Nexus One Forum, which is not affiliated with Google but describes itself as an "enthusiast site."
The employee said Google has worked with its hardware partners on the remedy. "We are testing this fix now, initial results are positive, and if everything progresses as planned, we will provide an over-the-air software update to your phone in the next week or so," he wrote.
But Ravi did not say the Nexus One was completely to blame for connectivity issues. "It may be, however, that users are experiencing problems as a result of being on the edge or outside of 3G coverage, which a product fix cannot address," he said, while thanking users for their patience.
Connectivity problems with the 3G, or third-generation network, which allows simultaneous data and voice transmission at faster speeds, have created a logistical hassle for Google as it tries to market its first smartphone, manufactured by HTC and sold unlocked via its online store or subsidized through T-Mobile. Rather than call their wireless carrier, thousands of users brought their concerns to Google.
It's unclear if the patch will be transmitted automatically or must be downloaded via the Google Android Market. But it is a timely response to the problem, said IDC Research mobile-devices analyst Ramon Llamas.
"The phone only came out about three weeks ago," Llamas noted. "I didn't expect a patch overnight, but after less than a month they are on course and doing their due diligence."
He added that Apple's...
Thu, 28 Jan 10
Is Bill Gates Batting for Team China Against Google?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71331
Google might think Chinese censorship of the Internet is unacceptable, but Bill Gates says it's not that bad. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC's Good Morning America, Gates called China's attempts to censor the Internet "very limited," and said its controls are not much different than other countries' policies.
Chinese media was glad for the support. On Wednesday, the English-language Global Times, a tabloid published by the People's Daily, the official Communist Party newspaper, trumpeted, "Bill Gates Bats for China," The Wall Street Journal reported. Gates was also the front-page topic of the Chinese-language People's Daily and China Daily, the leading English-language newspaper in the country.
Gates said it's "easy to go around" the Chinese government's system of controls. "And so I think keeping the Internet thriving there is very important," he said. Other countries also censor the Internet -- to ban porn, for example, or the way that Germany censors references to the Nazi Party. "And so you've got to decide: Do you want to obey the laws of the countries you're in, or not?" Gates asked.
Make no mistake, Gates' comments are directly aimed at Google. He told The New York Times that Google has "done nothing and gotten a lot of credit for it."
"What point are they making?" he mused. "Now, if Google ever chooses to pull out of the United States, then I'd give them credit."
Aside from these sorts of media swipes, however, don't look for Microsoft to take a strong position with regard to China, says Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle. "Google took a rather bold two-step in this situation. Not only did they claim a state-sponsored cyberattack, but also retaliation by bringing Chinese Internet censorship back to the front line. Who wants to get in the middle of...
Thu, 28 Jan 10
Rumors Have Apple Dumping Google for Bing on iPhone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71330
Rumors abound that Apple is thinking about further severing its ties with its new competitor in the smartphone market, bouncing Google and giving Bing premium search placement on its mobile Safari browser. If the rumors are true and Bing becomes the default search engine, there could be a reversal of mobile-search fortunes.
Consider the implications behind the statistics. According to Chitika Research, Google is pulling healthy numbers from iPhone users. Specifically, Google search makes up just more than half of all Internet traffic on the iPhone.
That number is even more significant when placed in this context: It outnumbers the entire genre of non-search traffic. Non-search traffic includes typing a URL directly into the browser, navigating to bookmarks, and clicking links from any non-search site.
If those numbers aren't enough to get the mobile industry's attention, consider how Google's iPhone stats compare with the general Internet. According to Chitika, non-search traffic makes up 65 percent of all web usage for non-iPhone users (mostly people surfing the Internet on PCs). And Google search traffic makes up about 31 percent of overall Internet traffic. Chitika points out that this is 20 points lower than Google's iPhone stats, yet it is still considered the dominant source of search traffic.
In all, Google sees 1.46 million impressions on the iPhone each month. By contrast, Yahoo sees nearly 36,000 impressions, and Bing gets a mere 2,387 impressions. Bing is climbing up the mobile-search ranks, though, already surpassing Ask with its 2,348 impressions and AOL with 401 impressions. The iPhone also dominates total smartphone traffic, with about 28 percent. Android is closing in on Apple, however, with 27 percent, while Research in Motion holds only 10 percent.
"How can Google be so dominant on the iPhone?" Chitika researchers asked. "Simply put, the way people browse through...
Thu, 28 Jan 10
Wal-Mart Says Online Offering of Nexus One Was an Error
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71329
A day after Wal-Mart's Web site was discovered promising the Nexus One as "coming soon," the world's biggest retailer said the posting was a mistake and it has no plan to offer Google's troubled smartphone.
"Due to a technical error, [the Nexus One] was erroneously displayed on our site," Wal-Mart spokesperson Anna Taylor said in a brief phone interview Wednesday. "We are working with our partner, Let's Talk, to have it removed as quickly as possible. We have no plans to carry the Nexus One in Wal-Mart stores or online at this time."
She declined to comment further when asked if a future deal is possible.
Google responded to a request for comment with a statement via e-mail: "We currently have no plans to distribute the Nexus One through any channel other than our Google-hosted web store."
The telecommunications company Let's Talk, which manages Wal-Mart's online wireless sales, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The page on Wal-Mart's web site was discovered by a blog that covers the Android operating system, and another blog speculated that the Nexus One could be sold for as little as $99.
The technical data listed with the smartphone, which is manufactured by HTC, indicated that the Nexus One from Wal-Mart would be compatible with the Sprint Nextel, AT&T and Verizon Wireless networks. The current model sold directly by Google for $530 is unlocked, while T-Mobile sells a version for $180 with a two-year plan.
Early sales of the smartphone have been slow, with about 20,000 handsets sold in the first week, compared to smartphone leader Apple's iPhone 3G, which sold more than a million in the first week. The Nexus One's touchscreen design is meant to mimic the iPhone, but it has unique features such as dual microphones for noise reduction and a one-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor....
Thu, 28 Jan 10
Apple Debuts iPad, with Prices From $499 to $699
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71328
In another of its legendary product-launch events, Apple unveiled its long-rumored tablet computer Wednesday. If the legend plays out the way the launches of the Mac, the iPod, and the iPhone did, the iPad tablet will reshape the landscape of its competitors.
That landscape could include the emerging categories of netbooks, e-readers and other tablets, all of which have seen a flurry of product releases in the last few months -- at least some of which were in anticipation of Wednesday's event.
The presentation at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco followed the form of previous Apple launches, with Apple CEO Steve Jobs appearing in his trademark black turtleneck and jeans.
He said Apple wanted to kick off the new year with a "truly magical and revolutionary product" to go alongside laptops and smartphones, and he described the iPad as "a third category of device." Jobs told the packed auditorium that surfing the web on the iPad is like "holding the Internet in your hands."
At half an inch thick and 1.5 pounds, the iPad builds on the success of the iPod touch and the iPhone, and runs an updated version of the iPhone operating system. The device features a 9.7-inch LCD touchscreen and is optimized for movies, games, books, web browsing, and other media.
There's a built-in calendar and address book, access to iTunes, a built-in e-mail client, and an on-screen QWERTY keyboard. There is also a new iPad Keyboard Dock, so the user can employ a regular keyboard.
The device is based on a custom Apple-designed one-GHz chip, called the A4, and features 802.11n Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 2.1, an accelerometer, a speaker and mike, and a 10-hour battery.
The pricing of the device has been the subject of much discussion, with many expecting a price...
Thu, 28 Jan 10
Oracle Plans To Invest in Sun's UltraSPARC Servers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71326
In a move that could transform the IT industry, Oracle on Wednesday announced it has finalized its $7.4 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems. Oracle held an all-day event to offer more details on its plans, which include delivering open and integrated systems where all pieces fit and work together out of the box.
Oracle's initial plans are to invest in Sun's hardware business, which includes adding 2,000 new sales and engineering professionals. The other side of the labor coin is that Oracle will lay off less than 2,000 of Sun's 27,596 employees over the next few months. Long-term layoff plans have not bee revealed.
Oracle will focus on UltraSPARC Solaris-based servers, along with storage and networking products and clustered offerings around Intel and AMD x64 solutions. Oracle also plans to continue supporting existing Sun product lines.
"Given their 20-plus-year history and numerous shared customers, surely Oracle 'gets' Sun's technologies and company culture in ways that other vendors cannot. Right? Maybe and maybe not," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. "On the plus side, the pair's long, close association should aid their integration and help drive new and future synergies and product development. In other words, the pairing looks good technologically."
Despite the plus side, King said truly merging Oracle and Sun will have its share of challenges. For starters, there are sharp differences between the software and hardware businesses. Oracle has never demonstrated much understanding of the hardware business, King said, and a successful merger will depend on experienced people who not only have that understanding but who can also navigate the personnel issues on the Sun side.
There's also the challenge of Sun customers thinking UltraSPARC is on a short road to nowhere. In the short term, King said, falling faith in Sun hardware would impact
Oracle's bottom line -- not to...
Thu, 28 Jan 10
HTML5 Frees Google Voice from Phone App Stores
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71306
Google said Tuesday that it's harnessing HTML5 to deliver Google Voice to Palm webOS and iPhone OS 3.0 and higher smartphones. As the next major revision to the web's core hypertext markup language, HTML5 introduces a number of new elements and attributes that let developers construct powerful new services with the look and feel of stand-alone mobile apps.
Google, which released an HTML5-based version of its Chrome browser Monday, noted that handset load times and network requests are significantly reduced for web services based on the new hypertext language. "Overall, this results in a much faster and smoother user experience," a spokesperson said.
Among other things, the latest HTML5 tags deliver new functionality through a standardized interface that can enable voice mail, for example, to be played directly from the Google Voice web page. What's more, the AppCache stores the HTML, CSS and JavaScript capabilities needed to run the application right in the browser, which means that even when a network connection isn't present, users will still be able to interact with the app, Google said.
With HTML5, moreover, local databases securely store Google Contacts locally. "So even if you close the browser, Contacts load more quickly after your first use of the web app," Google's spokesperson noted.
Even better for Google, Tuesday's launch of an HTML5-based version of Google Voice means that the search giant need not rely on Apple's App Store for approval or distribution. It also renders moot the concerns that Apple raised last summer as the reasons why it did not approve the stand-alone version of Google Voice for the iPhone.
"As submitted for review, it appears to alter the iPhone's distinctive user experience by replacing the iPhone's core mobile telephone functionality and Apple user interface with its own user interface for telephone calls, text messaging,...
Thu, 28 Jan 10
Malware Research Group Spins Off from Harvard
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71303
A research organization that tries to warn computer users about programs that do sneaky things on their computers has spun off from Harvard University.
StopBadware says it will operate as a standalone nonprofit with funding from Google Inc., eBay Inc.'s PayPal and Mozilla, which makes the Firefox Web browser. It was initially set up as part of Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.
StopBadware issues what it calls "badware alerts" about corporations whose applications do what the organization deems unwanted and harmful things to users' computers. For instance, it once put AOL on its badware list because downloads of the AOL program automatically came with other software the group said consumers don't necessarily need or want.
The organization also targets purveyors of spyware and other forms of malicious software.
The idea is to warn users before they access a site with such a program. The Firefox browser, for instance, has used the StopBadware list to power some of its built-in security tools. The list also is meant to pressure companies to change their tactics.
The group, based in Cambridge, Mass., said it decided to break off from Harvard because it had grown beyond its roots as a research project.
"There is still much to do," executive director Maxim Weinstein said. "Badware remains a growing problem, but in the past few years, there's also been a growing sense that this is a problem we -- the Internet community -- can and should work together to address."
Thu, 28 Jan 10
Pope Says Priests Must Move in Cyberspace
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71296
Pope Benedict XVI in a message issued Saturday, urged priests to use modern digital technology including the Internet, to interact with the faithful and to seek out new converts.
Jesus' "word can traverse the many crossroads created by the intersection of all the different 'highways' that form 'cyberspace,' and show that God has his rightful place in every age, including our own," the pontiff said.
"Thanks to the new communications media, the Lord can walk the streets of our cities and, stopping before the threshold of our homes and our hearts, say once more: 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me,'" Benedict said, citing the New Testament book of Revelation.
Benedict's message was prepared for the Catholic Church's World Day of Social Communications which falls on Sunday, the feast-day of the patron saint of journalists, St Francis de Sales.
Since the 82-year-old Benedict's election in 2005, the Vatican has increased its presence on the Internet, creating an Internet site dedicated to the pontiff, www.pope2you.net, on the web video-sharing channel YouTube and on the social networking site Facebook.
More than 2 million hits were registered by visitors to www.pope2you.net, during the Christmas season, according to the president of the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Monsignor Claudio Maria Celli.
Thu, 28 Jan 10
DOT Bars Commercial Drivers From Texting at Wheel
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71294
The Transportation Department said Tuesday it is prohibiting truck and bus drivers from sending text messages on hand-held devices while operating commercial vehicles.
The prohibition, which applies to drivers of interstate buses and trucks over 10,000 pounds, is effective immediately, the department said in a statement. Truck and bus drivers who text while driving commercial vehicles may be subject to civil or criminal penalties of up to $2,750, the department said.
Nineteen states and the District of Columbia already prohibit all drivers from texting behind the wheel, according to the Governors Highway Safety Association. Another 10 states restrict texting by novice drivers.
Trucking and bus industry officials said they support the texting ban.
"A lot of our members already have policies in place. It's just safe and smart," said American Bus Association President Pete Pantuso.
The prohibition doesn't apply to onboard devices that allow dispatchers to send text messages to truck drivers, but most of those devices have mechanisms that prevent their use while a truck is in motion, said Clayton Boyce, a spokesman for the American Trucking Association.
The trade association for the wireless industry, CTIA, also supports a ban on texting and e-mailing while driving, said Amy Storey, a spokeswoman for the association.
"While mobile devices are important safety tools, there's an appropriate time and an inappropriate time to use them," Storey said.
Research by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration shows that drivers who send and receive text messages take their eyes off the road for an average of 4.6 seconds out of every 6 seconds while texting, the department said. At 55 miles per hour, this means that the driver is traveling the length of a football field, including the end zones, without looking at the road, the department said.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood has been campaigning against texting and cell phone use while driving....
Thu, 28 Jan 10
EMC Returns To Profit Growth, Net Income Rises
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71288
EMC Corp. said Tuesday that its net income jumped 58 percent in the latest quarter, the first time since the spring of 2008 that profit has risen at the information-management company.
Revenue also ticked higher, and its 2010 forecast was above Wall Street's projections. EMC shares rose 3 percent in pre-market trading.
EMC's results offered the latest signs that corporations' spending on technology is rebounding from depressed recession levels. The same pattern also appeared this month in the latest numbers from Intel Corp., which reported strong sales of chips for computer servers, and IBM Corp., whose revenue grew for the first time in a year and half.
EMC is the top maker of data-storage machines, and research firm IDC says parts of the storage market that had been declining have started showing "renewed vigor."
David Goulden, EMC's chief financial officer, said in a statement that EMC is in "the best financial and operational shape ever" coming out of the downturn.
EMC, which is based in Hopkinton, Massachusetts, said before the market opened that it earned $426.5 million, or 20 cents per share, in the last three months of 2009. That compares with $269.9 million, or 13 cents per share, a year earlier.
Excluding one-time items, EMC earned 33 cents per share. That was 3 cents per share higher than the average estimate of analysts polled by Thomson Reuters.
EMC's net income had fallen in each of the previous five quarters as companies tightened their budgets in the financial crisis.
Revenue was $4.1 billion, an increase of 2 percent. Analysts were expecting flat revenue.
FBR Capital Markets analyst Daniel Ives wrote in a note to clients that EMC's results were "solid" and that EMC should get a lift from the better-than-expected performance reported Monday by from VMware Inc. EMC owns a majority of VMWare, a maker of software used in...
Thu, 28 Jan 10
eBay Trying To Encourage People To Sell More Items
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71285
EBay hopes to lure more sellers by essentially doing away with "listing" fees for people who occasionally auction items on its site. Instead it will take a cut of the final selling price.
EBay has tinkered with its fee structure in recent years in hopes of improving the experience people have on its site and reinvigorating its growth. Changes like the ones being announced Tuesday are meant to encourage more people to list items for sale.
EBay Inc. told sellers Tuesday that starting March 30 they will be able to post up to 100 items for auction every 30 days without paying fees to list them. The items must have a starting bid of less than $1, and when they sell eBay will take 9 percent of the final price or $50, whichever is less.
Currently, eBay lets occasional sellers -- who make up the majority of the 28 million people who sell on its main site -- auction up to five items for free every 30 days. It charges them 8.75 percent of the final price or $20, whichever is less.
For sellers that only auction the occasional vintage Pez dispenser or designer handbag, Tuesday's change could mean they pay eBay more. But Lorrie Norrington, the president of eBay Marketplaces, thinks the change will be easier overall for people who want to auction off items that are sitting around the house.
"Our customers have consistently told us, `We love free and we love simple,' and that's what we think these changes are about," she said.
EBay made a similar change in fees in some European markets in 2008.
Once sellers exhaust the number of items they can list for free, they are subject to listing fees and commissions that vary, depending on the starting price of the item and the price at which it sells. Those...
Thu, 28 Jan 10
Lessons To Learn from a Year of Big Data Breaches
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70729
Heartland Payment Systems. Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Aetna. These are just a few of the organizations that were victims of major data breaches in 2009. While groups like the Privacy Rights Clearinghouse compile the final numbers to quantify the financial and personal impact for a year of blockbuster data breaches, security researchers and software vendors are looking back at what we can learn from 2009.
With 20-20 hindsight, enterprises can better secure their organizations from the next wave of attacks malicious hackers are undoubtedly already preparing for 2010 and beyond, whether from amateur hackers or criminal masterminds.
Perhaps ironically, the criminal mastermind behind 2009's most well-recognized data breach was amateur hacker Albert Gonzalez, who gained access into the systems of credit-card processors, including Heartland Payment Services and retailers such as OfficeMax, Sports Authority, and TJX. Gonzalez used a drive-by hacking technique called wardriving.
Wardriving is an amateur hacking technique in which the hacker uses wireless access points to find vulnerable networks. Once Gonzalez connected to a vulnerable network, he used another simple technique called SQL injection to trick web applications into delivering private information. This scheme gave him further access to sensitive data. This strategy helped Gonzalez gain access to millions of credit- and debit-card numbers.
"Businesses need to ensure multiple security measures and security layers are in place to block hackers' attempts to invade the network. The biggest lesson with this outage in 2009 is that an amateur hacker was able to access millions of credit- and debit-card numbers because basic security measures and technologies weren't in place to prevent them," said Citrix Systems Chief Security Strategist Kurt Roemer.
In this example, technologies like web application scanners or web application firewalls could have been utilized to prevent a security breach, Roemer said. A web application scanner...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
Wal-Mart Prepares To Sell Nexus One, Maybe at $99
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71305
In a move that could invigorate weak sales of Google's Nexus One smartphone, Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, appears ready to start selling the device. According to one online report, the cost could be as low as $99 -- much lower than the subsidized $179 price from T-Mobile with a two-year plan.
Describing the Nexus One as "an Android powerhouse ready to raise the bar for mobile devices and poised to unseat Apple's iPhone," Wal-Mart features the smartphone in the wireless section of its online store, but it's listed as "Coming Soon," with an option to be notified by e-mail when it's available. The offering was first discovered by a blog focused on the Android operating system, Android and Me.
The Wal-Mart specifications show the phone is compatible with the 3G networks of Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel, and AT&T, which would separate that version from the one Google sells that is compatible only with T-Mobile or unlocked for $530.
A distribution deal with the retail giant (fiscal 2009 sales were $401.2 billion) can't help but boost the prospects of a smartphone whose initial sales have been disappointing. Despite some attractive features, like a one-GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, front-and-back microphones for noise cancellation, and the ability to search and transcribe via voice recognition, Google only sold an estimated 20,000 Nexus Ones in the device's first week despite a marketing blitz, according to Flurry. By contrast, Apple sold 1.6 million iPhone 3GS devices at its launch in June.
That means it has a long way to go to live up to the hype of being "poised to unseat Apple's iPhone."
"No doubt being in Wal-Mart will help the presence of the Nexus One," said Interpret Vice President Michael Gartenberg. "But consumers will need to be evangelized and marketed to regarding the benefits of going with...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
Google Voice Slips Onto iPhone, Palm Pre Via Web
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71304
Google has launched a new version of Google Voice for mobile handsets running Palm's webOS and iPhone OS 3.0 and higher. The new browser-based offering is immediately available to owners of compatible iPhones and Palm Pre handsets who also have Google Voice accounts.
The functionality delivered by the new Google Voice app is largely the same as it would be on a native mobile app like the one available for Google's Android-powered smartphones. "The main difference is that the web app uses your Google Contacts, which are stored in the cloud, rather than using the phone's local contacts," a Google spokesperson said.
The release of Google Voice on Tuesday follows Google's rollout Monday of the latest version of its Chrome web browser, which incorporates advanced HTML5 capabilities. According to Google, one of the benefits of HTML5 is that it allows running faster, smoother and richer web-based applications in the browser by significantly reducing load times and network requests.
"The new web app also lets you display your Google Voice number as the outbound caller ID, so return calls come back to your Google Voice number," wrote Google Software Engineer Michael van Ouwerkerk in a blog. Additionally, users can "send and receive text messages for free, and place international calls at Google Voice's low rates."
Certainly it's no secret that Google intends to be very disruptive in the mobile space, noted Lisa Pierce, an independent wireless analyst at the Strategic Networks Group. "Although many observers have been focused on what Google might do from the perspective of the big carriers, it is also clear that Google has Apple in its sights," Pierce said.
Apple's App Store has not approved Google's free Google Voice application for the iPhone as submitted. Apple appeared to leave the door open for a modified version to be offered.
Google's...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
AT&T Gets Support from Apple on iPhone Complaints
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71300
AT&T, the exclusive wireless carrier for the Apple iPhone in the U.S., will improve its 3G network. The San Francisco-based company's network has been at the core of many iPhone user complaints since the smartphone's launch in 2007.
AT&T, however, argues that between 2008 and the third quarter of 2009, the company spent $19 billion toward its wireless program. Its investments have resulted in providing 3G national call retainability of 98.92 percent, meaning that only 1.08 percent of calls are dropped nationwide, according to internal company data.
Earlier this month, AT&T announced plans to enhance the network with an upgrade that would improve consistency in accessing data and prepare the network for faster speeds and network efficiency. The plan is to work on this upgrade throughout this year and 2011.
Apple COO Tim Cook mentioned the planned network improvements during Apple's earnings call on Monday.
"AT&T is a great partner and we have been working with them since well before we announced the first iPhone to get it out," Cook said. "AT&T has acknowledged that they are having issues in some cities and have detailed plans to address these. We have personally reviewed these plans and have very high confidence that they will make significant progress toward fixing them."
It has been more than two years that AT&T has held exclusive rights to the iPhone in the U.S. and iPhone owner complaints, including dropped calls and not being able to access the network, have been mounting since. So why take so much time to improve the network?
Analysts say AT&T may not have been prepared for the amount of data usage by iPhone owners, and Cook echoed those thoughts.
"Seems like the trend is that there is so much data being used and I think they anticipated the volume of users, but not the amount...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
Jump in Chip Sales Puts PC Industry Back on Track
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71297
In what may signal brighter days ahead for PC manufacturers, worldwide PC microprocessor shipments in the fourth quarter of 2009 rose modestly compared to the third quarter, according to IDC's latest PC processor study. But despite the down economy, worldwide PC microprocessor shipments set all-time records for a single quarter in the October through December period.
Compared to a year ago, shipments in the fourth quarter were up 31.3 percent. And for the full year of 2009, total PC processor shipments grew 2.5 percent. The only low spot was declining revenue. In total, revenue dipped 7.1 percent to $28.6 billion.
"Compared to 3Q09, the modest rise in shipments in 4Q09 indicates that the market is returning to normal seasonal patterns," said Shane Rau, director of semiconductor research at IDC. "Compared to 4Q08, the huge rise in shipments indicates that the market has put the recession behind it. Both comparisons indicate that the PC industry anticipates improvement in PC end demand in 2010."
In addition to overall shipments, IDC also examined the market performance by PC form factor. It found that both mobile PC and server processors posted healthy growth. Mobile PC processors, which include Intel's Atom processors for netbooks, gained 11.7 percent from the third to the fourth quarter. By contrast, x86 server processors grew 14.1 percent quarter over quarter while desktop processors grew 4.8 percent.
On the client side -- mobile and desktop -- IDC noted that mainstream and performance processors rose modestly as a percentage of the total mix, compared to value processors. This, the firm said, caused the overall market average selling price of processors to rise 6.7 percent quarter over quarter.
"The sequential rise in mainstream and high-end client processors points to the new products, like Core i5 and Athlon II, that Intel and AMD were shipping into...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
Apple's Sales and Profits Strong as Big Event Approaches
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71292
So far, Apple is having a very good week. On Monday, the company announced profits were up nearly 50 percent in its fiscal 2010 first quarter. This good news comes just before Wednesday's big event, when the Cupertino, Calif.-based company is expected to unveil a much-awaited tablet computer.
The quarter, which ended the day after Christmas, brought in $15.68 billion in revenue and a net quarterly profit of $3.38 billion. In the same quarter a year ago, revenue was $11.88 billion and profit about $2.26 billion.
Apple's gross margin increased from 37.9 percent a year ago to 40.9 percent, and international sales were about 58 percent of total revenue.
Two of Apple's three main product lines showed increases. Sales of Macintosh computers rose 33 percent compared to a year ago, and iPhone sales were up 100 percent. iPod sales, however, dropped eight percent.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs said that, if the quarterly revenue were annualized, "it's surprising that Apple is now a $50+ billion company." He added that the "new products we are planning to release this year are very strong, starting this week with a major new product that we're really excited about."
A tablet computer from Apple has been rumored for years, with the buzz getting more intense and specific in the last few months. Assuming the company does unveil a tablet at Wednesday's event in San Francisco, it could come at exactly the right time to propel Apple into its next wave of products.
In a flurry of recent announcements, a variety of other companies have released new e-book readers, netbooks and tablets. If Apple unveils what is essentially a bigger iPod, it could address all three categories at once.
A recent report from Flurry Analytics indicates that Apple is targeting consumers, and emphasizing applications for games, entertainment, news and...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
Cisco, NetApp and VMware Join for Dynamic Data Centers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71279
Cisco Systems, NetApp and VMware are joining forces to bring new design architectures to market. The goal is to develop virtualized data centers that are more efficient, dynamic and secure.
The trio on Tuesday introduced an end-to-end Secure Multi-tenancy Design Architecture that works to beef up security in cloud environments by isolating the IT resources and applications of different clients, business units, or departments that share a common IT infrastructure.
"Our visions are aligned around the concept of a dynamic data center that will be the foundation of cloud computing and that will enable enterprises, integrators and service providers to deliver IT as a service (ITaaS)," said Tom Georgens, president and CEO of NetApp. "In this scenario, IT becomes a dynamic asset that is more efficient and can better adapt to changing business needs."
The companies describe the architecture as a validated design that isolates IT resources for enhanced security in shared virtual and enterprise cloud environments.
The companies promise the architecture will help enterprise customers, systems integrators, and service providers develop internal and external cloud services that isolate clients, business units, departments or security zones for enhanced security across the computing, networking, storage and management layers of a unified infrastructure.
They also insist that the architecture will increase business agility by helping IT administrators to establish the appropriate quality of service for each resource layer and deliver consistent service performance levels for the applications in each layer.
As VMware President and CEO Paul Maritz sees it, the collaboration will build a foundation for both private and public clouds and the ability to move data and applications between these clouds.
"A shared virtual infrastructure requires that resources for different tenants are isolated while delivering on promised service levels," Maritz said. "We have integrated our technology with Cisco and NetApp not only to...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
Business Travelers Gain Net Advantage
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71267
More business travelers are getting what they say they want most from hotels: free Internet access in their rooms.
Corporate business travel managers are taking advantage of the downturn in travel to negotiate the prized service, says DeAnne Dale, a sales executive at online business travel management firm Travelocity Business.
They're also getting free service from big hotel groups such as Hilton, Marriott and Starwood. And they're getting it at the same time the chains say they're not changing their policies and will continue to charge guests from $9.95 to $14.95 a day for Wi-Fi.
Some upscale hotels, such as Hyatt's new Andaz chain, are including it in their rates. Some others, such as Fairmont and Omni, provide it free to members of their loyalty programs.
Having a free Internet connection is something that corporate business managers say their travelers want most, Dale says.
But hotels, which are suffering from their worst year financially in more than 20, are reluctant to make Internet connections free for everyone.
"It's an easy way to make money," Toni Hinterstoisser, general manager of the Andaz Wall Street in New York, says of charging extra for the service. The cheapest room at the Andaz, which opened last week, costs $275.
According to industry tracker Smith Travel Research, hotels had the worst performance in 2009 since Smith started tracking the industry in 1989. Upscale and luxury hotels suffered even more.
Revenue per available room, a common industry measure, fell 17 percent last year compared with 2008. Among the highest-priced hotels, it fell 24 percent.
Slashing room rates was mainly to blame for hotels' bleak performance, says Jan Freitag, a Smith executive. "Hoteliers have always been reluctant to include (Internet access)," Freitag says. "This might be a stop-gap measure to hold the slide of the rate."
However, Freitag says, hotels that include the service are able to...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
New Netbooks Boast Windows 7 and More Storage
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71265
The second generation of netbooks is here and they've brought more storage with them.
The pint-sized mobile computers typically now come pre-loaded with Windows 7, but consumers should remember that not every netbook running Windows 7 is quicker than older models with Windows XP. Models released onto the market in the Christmas run-up are often running on the same hardware as their predecessors.
More powerful models are only now trickling onto the market. The newer devices typically have bigger hard drives, with 250 gigabytes (GB) as the new unofficial standard. Because netbooks are sold as highly affordable and mobile web-surfing machines with good battery life, Thomas Rau from Germany's PC Welt magazine doesn't anticipate any "exorbitant upgrades." "Most manufacturers want to keep the basic price below 400 dollars," Rau says.
While computer maker Acer hasn't revealed prices yet, it has indicated that new netbooks are on the way -- and soon. The new models include the Aspire One 532 with a 10.1-inch display and, optionally, with WSVGA or WXGA resolution (16:9). The major difference from previous devices is the 250 GB hard drive. The processor once again is an Intel Atom chip from the N series.
The new Eee PC 1005PE netbook from Asus also has an Atom processor and a 250 GB hard drive. Yet Rau doesn't see netbooks suddenly mutating into multimedia machines. Manufacturers don't want to cannibalize the market for their bigger, more powerful -- and somewhat more expensive -- laptops with CULV energy-saving processors.
Netbooks continue to sell briskly around the world, reports the industry association BITKOM. And the trend is pointing upward. The experts anticipate that Windows 7 will bring another bump in 2010.
As usual, the new operating system comes in various versions. The starter edition is the one typically installed on new netbooks. It is not slower than the...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
Free Software for Windows 7 Functionality
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71264
You can run the majority of existing commercial applications under Windows 7. But finding free programs that work well with Microsoft's newest OS is a bit more challenging. They're out there, though -- tools ranging from simple synchronization applications to full-fledged interface makeover kits. Read on to learn more.
Q: I like the Windows 7 interface better than Windows XP. But I still prefer the Mac. Is there an application out there that will make Windows 7 feel more Mac-like?
A: Yes. The free ObjectDock (http://www.stardock.com/products/objectdock) will make your Windows 7 desktop feel more like a Mac, thanks to its animated object dock on which you can organize shortcuts, programs, and running applications. With ObjectDock, you can say good-bye to the Start menu altogether, if you wish. You can also determine how to display your running tasks -- either as icons only, with thumbnails of the applications' contents, or both.
There's a feature called "mini applets" that allow you to place miniature applications on your desktop -- much like the "widgets" that Microsoft introduced with Vista. ObjectDock's applets can display the time, the weather, a Web search form, among other things. Animations in ObjectDock are smooth, and the application is easy on system resources, so you should not notice a performance hit when it's installed.
While on the topic of alternate docks, the free CircleDock (http://circledock.wikidot.com) is worth mentioning as well. As its name implies, CircleDock puts all of your application shortcuts, files, and folders in a circular pattern on your desktop, arguably making them easier to see and access. It's completely compatible with Windows 7.
Q: I appreciate the new backup tools in Windows 7, but I don't see a way of easily synchronizing files between two computers. Is there some good freeware that will accomplish this?
A: Microsoft's own SyncToy (http://bit.ly/17AYut) will do the...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
Ericsson To Cut 1,500 More Jobs as Profit Plunges
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71260
Wireless equipment maker LM Ericsson AB on Monday said it will cut another 1,500 jobs this year after reporting a 92 percent drop in fourth-quarter profit as mobile operators slashed spending.
Ericsson said net profit in the October-December period was 314 million kronor ($43.4 million), down from 3.9 billion kronor in the same three months 2008, while full year profits dropped 67 percent to 3.7 billion kronor ($512 million).
Quarterly sales fell by 13 percent to 58.3 billion kronor ($8.1 billion), from 67 billion a year earlier. Sales for 2009 fell by 1 percent to 206.5 billion kronor ($28.6) from 208.9 billion kronor.
The company, based in Stockholm, raised the target for its savings program to 15-16 billion kronor ($2.1-2.2 billion) in annual savings from 10 billion kronor before. It said the expansion of the savings program will increase total layoffs to 6,500 from the 5,000 previously planned.
The scheme, which was launched a year ago, is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2010 at a cost of 13-14 billion kronor ($1.8-1.9 billion).
Network sales were hit by reduced operator spending in several markets, but Ericsson managed to maintain market share, the company's new CEO, Hans Vestberg, said in a statement.
Vestberg said the downturn in investments coincided with an anticipated decline in sales related to the GSM cellular standard, as telecommunication operators shifted their focus from voice telephony to mobile broadband.
Vestberg replaced Carl-Henric Svanberg as Ericsson's president and CEO on Jan. 1 as Svanberg took over as chairman of oil major BP Group PLC.
Greger Johansson, an analyst at research firm Redeye, said the result was largely in line with expectations, although in the lower end of forecasts.
"Professional services were weaker than expected and network sales somewhat worse than forecast," he said.
However, he added the expansion of the savings program was positive news.
Shares...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
Facebook's Virtual Farm Game Attracting Millions
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71258
Even while calling Chicago home, Laura Hawkins Grimes is a country bumpkin. Her scenic rural spread has three dairy farms, two ponds and a log cabin, all skirted by a white picket fence as scarecrows stand sentry over her blackberries.
And the best part is the 40-year-old sex therapist never has to leave her computer to tend to it all.
She's one of tens of millions of occupants of FarmVille, a near-utopian, wildly popular online fantasy game where folks rush to another neighbor's aid, ribbons readily come as rewards, plants don't get diseased and there's never a calamitous frost, flood or drought.
Since its launch last summer, the cartoonish simulation game seeming to meld "Leave it to Beaver" and "Green Acres" has become a Facebook phenomenon, luring in everyone from urbanites like Grimes to actual farmers while gently nudging people to think more about where their food comes from.
"It's kind of what you don't see every day," Grimes said of FarmVille by Zynga, a San Francisco-based developer of games widely played at online hangouts such as Facebook. "I have to say, living in Chicago, what appeals to me about FarmVille is it's not urban."
FarmVille -- with more than 72 million monthly users worldwide, the most talked-about application in Facebook status updates -- heads a growing stable of simulated agriculture that also includes SlashKey's Farm Town on Facebook and PlayMesh's recently launched iFarm for the iPhone.
Purposely simplistic, FarmVille lets players build and trick out their farms, starting with a tiny parcel they till and seed with a range of crops including berries, eggplant, wheat, soybeans, artichokes and pumpkins. Players can add pigs, cows and chickens and accouterments such as barns, chicken coops, windmills and greenhouses.
As is the case on real farmland, attentiveness in FarmVille is vital. Players who diligently tend to their crops see...
Wed, 27 Jan 10
Mozilla Leader Worries About Internet Limits
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71257
The leader of the Mozilla Project, whose Firefox Web browser now has 350 million users, said Sunday that she is concerned that legal restrictions could limit Internet expansion.
Mitchell Baker said she worried about "the increase in laws that make it difficult to run an open network," especially rules about content.
"You suddenly become liable for anything that gets downloaded, whether it's legal or not," she said. "If you said to a municipality, if you build a road, you have to guarantee nothing illegal happens on it -- that's what's happening on the Internet now. So that's the kind of regulatory disruption that's going to have some long-term consequences."
Baker spoke at an opening panel of a three-day conference on digital innovation and creative ideas.
The DLD conference -- which stands for Digital-Life-Design -- is chaired by Hubert Burda of Germany, owner of Hubert Burda Media, and digital investor Yossi Vardi, who co-pioneered instant messaging and chaired the panel, titled "Disruptive."
Niklas Zennstrom, co-founder of Skype which now has over 500 million users, said successful companies can't become complacent and must continue to make improvements and not be afraid "of disrupting themselves."
Vardi asked J.P. Rangaswami, chief scientist of the BT Group in Britain, what he thought of what Skype was doing to telecommunications companies like his.
"Watch this space," Rangaswami replied cryptically.
Vardi then asked Rangaswami whether he sees the industry following Skype's efforts to set minimal charges for phone calls around the world.
"I think those parts of the industry that don't follow what Niklas is doing will either find themselves out of a job or working for him," he replied.
American entrepreneur Jimmy Wales, whose nonprofit charity founded Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia that has 350 million users, said it was a "very, very bad business" to try to compete against because the reference work is offered...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
Analyst Sees iPhone Spreading To AT&T's Rivals
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71278
Fueling speculation that an unlocked iPhone is in the cards, Oppenheimer telecommunications analyst Tim Horan predicted Monday that Apple will not renew its exclusive agreement with AT&T when the wireless carrier's contract expires in May.
"We believe AT&T's iPhone exclusivity arrangement with Apple will be expiring by mid-2010," Horan wrote. "For wireless carriers, customers are demanding the device and they need to remain competitive."
AT&T has been the exclusive carrier of the iPhone since its debut in 2007.
Horan sees an Apple agreement with T-Mobile as soon as this summer, followed by deals with Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel in the fall and Clearwire in 2011.
But that won't mean instant profits for those carriers: Subsidizing the iPhone's cost and market it with their voice and data plans will be costly, while upgrading networks to cope with the increase in data usage may cost the industry $3 billion.
Apple, on the other hand, would see an increase of millions of units sold annually, to $25 million.
Currently, the most widely marketed unlocked phone is Google's Nexus One, released last month, which sells for $579, or $179 with a two-year T-Mobile plan. The unlocked version is being sold directly through Google.
Ramon Llamas, senior mobile device analyst for IDC Research, said Apple is likely paying close attention to sales of the Nexus One.
"You can be sure Apple is looking closely at how Google is making a run of it, and if they are not looking at it for innovation, you can bet they are looking at distribution," Llamas said. "Don't underestimate the number of people who will go into Apple stores or who shop directly from Apple."
But Llamas isn't convinced the unlocked iPhone is inevitable. "There are rumors," he said. "But in our research we haven't heard anything to suggest that Apple is looking at...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
New Chrome Browser Has Extensions, Bookmark Sync
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71277
In the highly publicized aftermath of a Microsoft Internet Explorer vulnerability that opened the door for malicious hackers to tap into Google's infrastructure, the search giant on Monday rolled out a new "stable" release of its Google Chrome for Windows. Although the timing of the new release probably isn't connected to the security issues facing IE, Google nonetheless is pressing ahead in its efforts to grab market share from IE and Firefox, the market-leading browsers.
Google Product Manager Nick Baum said Google Chrome 4 includes two of the browser's most frequently requested features: Extensions and bookmark sync. Extensions are small programs that aim to add useful functionality, such as alerts, notifications and quick access to Internet sites.
Google previously launched extensions on the beta channel, and has since paved the way for developers to contribute extensions for the increasingly popular browser. In all, Chrome 4 users can now browse through 1,500 items in Google's extensions gallery and install them on the stable version of Google Chrome.
"Extensions let you add new features and functions to your browser. Some provide one-click access to some of your favorite web applications like eBay and Digg, or news and information sources such as NPR and Time.com," Baum said. "Others are useful tweaks for performing common online tasks such as browsing photos, getting directions, or shopping."
Baum said extensions on Google Chrome take only seconds to install, and can be uninstalled just as easily. That means users can experiment with various extensions and decide to keep or discard them through the extensions tool.
Baum described bookmark sync as a "handy feature" for users who rely on several computers, such as a laptop at work and a desktop at home. Users can enable bookmark sync to synchronize bookmarks on all of their computers, Baum said, so that when they...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
Gates Urges Innovation To Save Lives, Improve Education
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71276
The 2009 recession was a "huge setback" for the world's poorest people, Microsoft cofounder and Chairman Bill Gates wrote in his 2010 annual letter from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. "Although the acute financial crisis is over, the economy is still weak and the world will spend a lot of years undoing the damage, which includes lingering unemployment and huge government deficits and debts at record levels," Gates wrote.
But Gates wrote that he is "still very optimistic about the progress we can make in the years ahead." The key to that optimism is scientific and technological innovation.
It's innovation that will make the difference between a bleak future in which donor funds deliver little measurable benefit to the developing world and a bright one, in which governments, nonprofits and private companies can "do a lot more for the same cost," Gates wrote.
Without innovation, Gates wrote, "the picture is quite bleak. Health costs for the rich will escalate, forcing tough trade-offs and keeping the poor stuck in the bad situation they are in today." The poor will be hurt both by rising energy costs and the impact of climate change, and the poor will suffer food shortages, he wrote.
"However, I am optimistic that innovations will allow us to avoid these bleak outcomes," Gates wrote. "In the United States, advances in online learning and new ways to help teachers improve will make a great education more accessible than ever. With vaccines, drugs and other improvements, health in poor countries will continue to get better, and people will choose to have smaller families."
"With better seeds, training and access to markets, farmers in poor countries will be able to grow more food," he wrote. "The world will find clean ways to produce electricity at a lower cost, and more people will...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
AOL Adds Video Capabilities with StudioNow Acquisition
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71275
AOL has closed on its acquisition of StudioNow, a provider of video creation, distribution and storage technology. AOL, which recently spun out of media giant Time Warner, said Monday that it paid nearly $36 million in cash and stock for the Nashville, Tenn.-based StudioNow.
AOL will use StudioNow's assets to add video capabilities to its Seed.com content-management system.
Seed.com purchases and distributes work for all of AOL's properties, including entertainment, news, sports, lifestyle, technology and finance. Seed.com also enables contributors' work to be seen, heard or read on AOL's more than 80 niche content sites. Until now, Seed.com has put out calls for text and photos from its network of professionals.
"StudioNow and AOL share a passionate commitment to high-quality content, services and technology, and that makes us a natural fit for this new partnership," said David Mason, cofounder and CEO of StudioNow. "This new chapter for StudioNow presents a tremendous opportunity for our growing professional creative network to reach new audiences, diversify their assignments, and increase their income as the number of projects coming from the numerous AOL properties will create a surge in video assignments."
While AOL has the technological expertise to develop its own technology for the Seed.com platform, it decided not to.
"I think there are times to build IT in-house -- i.e., Seed.com -- and times to leapfrog through an acquisition like StudioNow," said Caroline Campbell, vice president of AOL corporate communications. "You'll see this type of mix from us going forward -- build it/buy it -- aligned to our strategy and aimed at making the company successful long-term."
In this case, AOL may have gained an additional perk with the acquisition. AOL plans to tap into StudioNow's national network of more than 3,000 professionals, who will be asked to produce video at the request of content...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
New AMD Chips Target Entertainment on Desktop PCs
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71274
Advanced Micro Devices has taken the wraps off five multi-core processors optimized for Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system. The new Phenom and Athlon chips are designed to appeal to PC buyers interested in high-definition video entertainment, casual gaming, digital file editing, and social-media networking, the company said.
For example, AMD's 3.2-GHz dual-core Phenom II X2 555 Black Edition processor, which is priced at $99, is intended to appeal to consumers looking to adopt Windows 7. And the new quad-core Athlon II X4 635 processor, priced at $119, targets multitasking users.
AMD's decision to continue to drive down pricing on chips for desktop PCs is significant, given that notebooks and netbooks currently dominate global PC sales. Matthew Wilkins, a principal analyst at iSuppli, said the desktop PC remains an important market segment for AMD and other processor makers.
"Despite the growth in the notebook segment, the desktop market is still a very significant business opportunity," with sales of about "130 million units shipped worldwide in 2009," Wilkins said.
AMD Senior Manager Simon Solotko said he expects we will continue to see innovation in fixed-location PCs, particularly in the integration of computing and entertainment experiences within the home. "We are at the dawn of digital entertainment; there are still huge problems in storing, processing and distributing entertainment and information that a desktop PC can help solve," Solotko explained.
AMD's Phenom II X2 is its fastest dual-core desktop processor to date, but clock speed today "is just one metric of processor performance, whereas it used to be 'the' metric," Wilkins noted. "Multi-core processor designs and cache memory are other key metrics for processor performance."
Solotko believes the combination of CPU and GPU capabilities is going to solve the greatest challenges, which include delivering and processing HD content and demanding tasks like Flash playback and...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
Data-Breach Costs Rose in 2009 Despite Fewer Incidents
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71273
PGP and the Ponemon Institute have just announced results of the fifth annual U.S. Cost of a Data Breach Study. The overarching conclusion is that breaches are getting more expensive.
Data breaches cost U.S. companies $204 per compromised customer record in 2009. That compares to $202 in 2008. Despite an overall drop in the number of reported breaches -- the Identity Theft Resource Center reports 498 in 2009 vs 657 in 2008 -- the average total per-incident cost in 2009 was $6.75 million. In 2008, that number was $6.65 million.
"In the five years we have conducted this study, we have continued to see an increase in the cost to businesses for suffering a data breach," said Dr. Larry Ponemon, chairman and founder of the Ponemon Institute. "With a variety of threat vectors to contend with, companies must proactively implement policies and technologies that mitigate the risk of facing a costly breach."
The bad news is that data breaches as the result of malicious attacks and botnets in 2009 were the most costly and severe. The most expensive data breach in last year's study cost a company nearly $31 million to resolve. The least-expensive cost for a company was $750,000.
Noteworthy is the fact that third-party organizations accounted for 42 percent of all breach cases, a 44 percent decline from 2008. These remain the most costly form of data breaches, due to the need for additional investigation and consulting fees. The study also revealed organizations are spending more on legal defense in the face of increasing fears about successful class-action suits related to data breaches.
The good news is that negligent insider breaches have decreased in number and cost, most likely resulting from training and awareness programs that are making a positive impact on employee sensitivity about protecting personal information. And...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
Salesforce.com Builds War Chest for Acquisitions
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71263
The cloud-computing market may get hotter this year as Salesforce.com appears to be paving the acquisitions road. The enterprise cloud-computing company last week moved to raise $500 million, adding to its billion-dollar cash reserves.
Since then, speculation has been fierce about what the company plans to do with the money. Some are betting Salesforce will scoop up e-mail marketing-software company Constant Contact. Others are predicting the firm will acquire the likes of a SuccessFactors or Taleo. Still others expect Salesforce to purchase RightNow.
"Salesforce is sitting on a war chest right now," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. "The consensus of opinion seems to be that the company may be planning to pick up some additional Software-as-a-Service vendors. But that really depends on exactly how much money they want to pay and whether they are trying to consolidate their hold in the CRM/SaaS base."
A less-discussed but more intriguing concept to King pictures Salesforce expanding its position in business-centric social networking. Salesforce.com CEO Marc Benioff said late last year that the company was looking to grow its revenues from $1 billion to $10 billion over the next few years. The company only reached the $1 billion mark a year ago.
"That type of market growth suggests to me that they are taking on this extra debt to make some sort of dramatic play. Simply consolidating by bringing more existing SaaS vendors into the Salesforce tent is not what I would think of as a dramatic-enough move to really spark that growth," King said.
"Whenever the economy hits tough times or uncertain times, it creates interesting consolidation opportunities, and certainly SaaS and social networking are areas where I think there are some intriguing smaller companies."
Still, SaaS consultant Bob Warfield thinks it's about time the SaaS world did some acquiring. Salesforce.com, he...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
Flurry Analytics Detects 'Proof' of Apple Tablet Testing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71253
It may not be in the same category as proof that aliens are visiting Earth, but it's probably the next best thing. On Sunday, a company named Flurry Analytics said it has proof that about five dozen devices matching "the characteristics of Apple's rumored tablet device" are being tested on the company's Cupertino, Calif., campus.
Flurry tracks the use of third-party applications on portable devices, and uses that information to calculate the numbers of a given model. Recently, Flurry announced that its tracking technology revealed Google had sold 20,000 units of its Android-based Nexus One smartphone in the first week, a number that some observers took as impressive, and others said was not so good. Google has not confirmed sales figures.
Flurry said it was able to "reliably 'place'" the Apple devices geographically on Apple's campus, and was thus able to infer that Apple is testing prerelease devices. According to Flurry, the testing began in October and has "increased dramatically" this month.
On Wednesday, Apple will make a presentation in San Francisco, although the invitation has said only "Come see our latest creation." After years of speculation about Apple's development of a tablet computer, many industry observers believe a tablet will be the central focus of the event.
Assuming Apple does release a tablet this week, a key question has been the operating system. If it is a version of the iPhone OS, then applications for that device will also work on the tablet, and the tablet will be seen as an extension of the iPhone/iPod product line rather than a totally new device. Currently, there are more than 130,000 applications in Apple's App Store.
Flurry related that its analysis shows the devices are running the iPhone/iPod OS 3.2, which has not yet been released. Currently, the latest released OS for those devices...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
Apple in Talks with McGraw-Hill, Hachette over Tablet
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71242
Apple is in talks with the McGraw-Hill Companies and Hachette Book Group to include educational and trade titles on its planned tablet computer, according to people familiar with the negotiations.
McGraw-Hill Education, the third largest educational publisher in the U.S. by sales, is discussing getting electronic textbooks and parts of its online learning system onto the tablet, say two people. Apple has also held talks with trade book publisher Hachette Book Group about distributing e-books on the tablet, says one person involved in the discussions.
Apple's tablet, due to be introduced Jan. 27, is likely to feature content from a wide range of book, magazine, and newspaper publishers, as well as entertainment. "Everyone is expecting e-book capabilities and services," says Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies Associates. "This generation of tablets is all about the consumer and media consumption." As it has pushed deeper into consumer electronics, Apple's strategy is to combine cutting-edge hardware design with access to music, video, games, and other applications.
The company's interest in educational content underscores the longstanding popularity of Apple products among schools and institutions of higher learning.
Publisher John Wiley & Sons also has talked with Apple about including Wiley content on Apple devices, says Peter Balis, director of digital content sales at Wiley. "We have had ongoing conversations with Apple about their interest in including educational content," Balis says. "We will continue to support their efforts in whatever iteration it takes next week." He declined to comment specifically on the tablet.
Apple's talks with McGraw-Hill cover how the two companies can market textbooks for the tablet and ways their software development teams can collaborate to publish digital textbooks and educational content on Apple's latest device, two people say. "The talks are as much about marketing as they are about software development," says one of...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
Configuring a New Notebook Computer
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71241
Despite the rise in popularity of netbooks, many people still use the slightly larger notebook computers to get the bulk of their daily work done.
But if you're in the market for a new notebook today -- whether because Windows 7 is out or simply because you need a faster machine -- prepare to be confused.
There may never have been a time when notebook purchasers have had more choices to sort through, more micro-decisions to make, before settling on a model.
By far, though, the most perplexing choices when configuring a notebook today must be made in the areas of processors, screens, and memory. Here's a rundown of what you'll encounter -- and some tips on how to decide.
Notebook chips these days are both powerful and perplexing. Intel offers a seemingly endless array of processor choices and naming schemes. Available are Corel 2 Duo T-series and P-series processors, Core i3, Core i5, and Core i7 chips -- and an array of speeds within each model.
The Core 2 Duo T-series of chips have a 677-800mhz front side bus (FSB), while the P-series sports a 1066-mhz FSB. A "front side bus" is the path that carries data between the processor and a motherboard's primary chipset, which in turn feeds data to other internal components.
A higher FSB typically translates into faster overall performance. The P series, which uses 25 watts of power, is more power efficient than the T series by about 10 watts.
In short, the T series is older technology than the P series but is still widely available. In real-world use, you're unlikely to notice a great deal of difference between T-series and P-series Core 2 Duo chips, so if price is critical, you could opt for the cheaper T series and spend your money elsewhere.
You'll also find notebooks today built around Intel's...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
Be Careful Who You Befriend on Facebook
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71240
People who use a symbol -- a rubber duck or a pair of cats, for example -- as their profile photo on Facebook couldn't be all bad.
That must have been what quite a few recent Facebook users thought when they received friendship requests from people with just such profile photos. They accepted them without checking who they were and thereby got themselves into some unpleasant business. That's because not every friend request is from a person of a similar age and with good intentions.
When in doubt, reject the request, is a good rule of thumb. Not every person that a user knows fits into every friendship list.
The Facebook profiles with the rubber duck and cats in fact didn't belong to a bad person. The IT security company Sophos of Mainz, Germany was behind them. It wanted to find out how generous Internet users are with their data.
The answer is they are seemingly quite generous. Almost half -- 46 percent -- of the 100 Facebook users who were sent the messages added them as friends. Similar to other Internet-based social networking services designed for professionals, friending gives the person access to the user's profile. The profile is where users have the option to fill in information about themselves such as marital status, hobbies, religious beliefs, political preferences and where they have worked in the past. The information is only a few clicks away and, depending on how thoroughly the user has described himself, can provide a lot of personal data.
Who would be interested in getting listed as a friend or added as a contact by a complete stranger? Often it's the same people who are interested in gathering e-mail addresses: Spammers.
"Behind these friend requests is an interest in finding out more about you," said Guenther Ennen of Germany's federal office for...
Tue, 26 Jan 10
Google's 4Q Profit Soars on Rising Online Ad Sales
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71236
Google Inc. reeled in more Internet advertising during the holiday shopping season and approached $2 billion in quarterly profit for the first time, providing the strongest sign yet that the online search leader has shaken off the recession's doldrums.
The fourth-quarter earnings announced Thursday topped analyst estimates, but revenue only matched forecasts.
Investors initially reacted with disappointment, but seemed to reconsider as they had more time to digest the results. By late Thursday, the company's shares were only 40 cents below their closing price of $582.98 after initially sagging by as much as $33.98, or nearly 6 percent, in extended trading.
Google made $1.97 billion, or $6.13 per share, in the final three months of 2009. That was up dramatically from income of $382 million at the same time in 2008, when Google's earnings were deflated by charges to reflect the eroding value of some investments.
Fourth-quarter revenue totaled $6.7 billion, a 17 percent increase. The revenue was also up by more than 10 percent from the previous quarter, the first time Google's sequential growth has climbed by double digits since the U.S. recession began in December 2007.
"Given that the global economy is still in the early days of recovery, this was an extraordinary end to the year," said Eric Schmidt, Google's chief executive.
The quickening growth pace indicates Google is regaining the pre-recession stride that enabled the company to consistently increase its quarterly revenue by at least 30 percent. Google is so large now that it will be difficult to get back to that level, but analysts still think revenue could rise by nearly 20 percent this year -- up from 9 percent for all of 2009.
The brightening outlook has encouraged Google to loosen its pursestrings to hire more employees, make more acquisitions and mine new business opportunities such as mobile phones. Investors aren't...
Mon, 25 Jan 10
Nokia's Free GPS Is Already Shaking Up PND Market
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71245
The stock prices of TomTom and Garmin fell Thursday in the wake of Nokia's rollout of a free mobile app that delivers turn-by-turn navigation voice guidance in 74 countries. Nokia's Ovi Maps currently can be downloaded onto 10 Nokia smartphones, including the Nokia E72, N97 mini, 5800 XpressMusic, and 6730 classic.
What's more, Nokia expects to ship new smartphones beginning in March that will come preloaded with local country map data for the new Ovi Maps app, which will also include free travel-guide content from Lonely Planet and Michelin. IDC Research Manager Francisco Jeronimo believes the free Ovi Maps will end up being a huge "game changer" for the personal-navigation device (PND) market.
"It will have a strong and very negative impact on companies selling navigation products or applications," Jeronimo said. "Competing with Nokia is difficult, but competing with Nokia's free services is almost impossible!"
Google's decision last year to offer free navigation on Android-powered phones in the United States was the first notable setback for PND makers TomTom and Garmin, which suffered significant stock-price declines at the time. Jeronimo thinks Nokia's free navigation offering is an even bigger threat.
"The only way navigation companies will be able to survive is by selling location-based services or selling their applications to other manufacturers forced to deliver a similar offering, like Apple," Jeronimo said. The danger is that navigation will quickly become a commodity that consumers will no longer be willing to pay for, he added.
"The question is whether or not consumers will prefer to buy a PND because it has a bigger screen, the battery lasts longer, and the signal is better," the IDC analyst said. "In my opinion, consumers will shift to mobile phones as their primary GPS devices because what they are saving is a significant amount of...
Mon, 25 Jan 10
Firefox 3.6 Released with Better Performance, Security
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71234
Mozilla released an update Thursday to its popular Firefox browser. According to the Mozilla Foundation, the new version 3.6 -- the latest of what it unabashedly calls "The World's Best Browser" -- offers better performance, better security, and HTML5 support.
This is the first update to the free browser since early summer. Other new features include "browser skins" called Personas, and support for full-screen video and the open-source Web Open Font Format (WOFF).
The new version is available free for Windows, Mac and Linux in more than five dozen languages. In the U.S., Firefox 3.6 can be downloaded from http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/.
Version 3.6 was first previewed as an alpha for developers in August, and was originally scheduled to ship in November. The plan had been for Firefox 3.6 to be the first part of a pair of minor upgrades, but this final version includes some of the features that had been scheduled for the second upgrade.
The next version isn't expected until later this year or early in 2011. After midyear, Mozilla is expected to discontinue offering security patches for Firefox 3.5.
The latest version also includes a new security check to verify that plug-ins are the most recent ones, which are expected to be more secure. Outdated plug-ins are a better target for hackers, since the security updates to them are less frequent. Plug-in checking was included in earlier versions of Firefox 3, and this is an update.
Firefox 3.6 also offers a variety of performance improvements. Browser bootup time is faster, the JavaScript is about 12 percent faster than in version 3.5, and page loading can be up to 20 percent faster. Mike Beltzner, head of the Firefox team, told news media that "users will feel the speed." He also cited user customization and stability as reasons users should upgrade.
Mon, 25 Jan 10
Surveys Find Price, AT&T Plan Could Hurt Apple Tablet
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71229
There may be plenty of media buzz about Apple's expected tablet launch next week, but only a small number of people surveyed in advance are likely to buy one. A poll of 3,314 consumers released this week by ChangeWave Research found that four percent said they are likely to buy the Apple tablet, while 14 percent were somewhat likely. That's not bad considering no one outside Apple's Cupertino, Calif., headquarters has actually seen the device.
But clearly Apple has some brand building to do, and with low-cost netbooks, smartbooks and Amazon's Kindle to compete with, Wednesday's launch will have to quickly set the new device apart from the pack.
"Consumers are on a quest for value, and that's one reason the netbooks and smartbooks have been so popular in the $300-500 range," said Steve Koenig, director of industry analysis for the Consumer Electronics Association. "They offer a lot of features that consumers want and adequate performance."
"The key to getting consumers to open their wallets is continuing the value proposition of the tablet above and beyond standard netbooks, and that may be a challenge to articulate," he added. "Consumers have limited experience with touchscreens and the key is really communicating why you should pay more to a have [an Apple] tablet."
Industry analysts expect that Wednesday's new Apple product will be the iSlate, a Wi-Fi device with a 10-inch touchscreen, a 3-D interface, a virtual keyboard designed to easily interact with the iTunes Store and the App Store, and available in March. Apple is reportedly making deals with numerous entertainment providers for content. Some analysts say the device will likely cost in the $1,000 range, or slightly cheaper than a MacBook.
The ChangeWave survey and another by Retrevo Pulse, a consumer electronics shopping site, found that most consumers would not pay more than $700...
Mon, 25 Jan 10
New Malware Exploits Vulnerability in Internet Explorer
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71228
Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the Internet Explorer browser waters, a new threat has emerged despite Microsoft's speedy out-of-band security patch. Symantec has confirmed a new exploit for the security hole used in the recent high-profile attacks against Google and other companies. The new exploit is in the wild and IT administrators who haven't applied Thursday's emergency patch are at risk.
The new threat is not the same Trojan.Hydraq malware that was used in the recent attacks against Google.
The malware replaces the code of "MessageBeep API" so that the Internet Explorer process which attempts to play a beep sound will be terminated. After that termination, Symantec said the malware causes the IE window to be displayed again with code to avert API hooking. This can cause some security products to miss some monitored APIs. The result is that a malicious file is downloaded.
"The new exploit is being hosted on hundreds of web sites, and Symantec detects the malicious HTML pages as Trojan.Malscript!html," said Josh Talbot, security intelligence manager for Symantec Security Response. "The pages contain a shell code that bypasses a warning dialog shown after a downloaded file gets executed."
Suddenly, the Internet community has become aware of what security experts have always known, said Andrew Storms, director of security operations at nCircle: Breaches like the ones at Adobe Systems and Google happen every day, even to companies with excellent security practices. The only difference here, he said, is that the dimensions and details of this breach are being discussed publicly.
"Probably the most interesting thing about this security event is the absence of participation by the new cyber czar or anyone in the Obama administration. What level of infiltration is required to get the cyber czar off his throne and into the action?"...
Mon, 25 Jan 10
More Givers Going Online To Donate
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71221
Online contributions for Haiti earthquake-relief efforts are setting giving records, topping early totals for other major disasters and opening new support sources for humanitarian groups.
Electronic donations for the first five days after the Jan. 12 disaster totaled 19 percent more than during the same time frame after the 2004 Asian tsunami and 109 percent higher than the equivalent following Hurricane Katrina in 2005, according to Blackbaud, a software and services provider for 22,000 non-profit groups.
Similarly, users of the online-payment system PayPal raised more than $1.8 million for Haiti relief efforts in the first five days of fundraising after the tragedy. That surpassed the $1.5 million contributed via PayPal in the month after the devastating 2008 earthquake in China.
"The Haiti disaster is yet another example that when major disasters strike, it's online where givers increasingly turn first," said Steven MacLaughlin, Blackbaud's Internet solutions director.
Especially since online often means mobile.
As part of an American Red Cross campaign supported by first lady Michelle Obama, celebrities and athletes, cellular phone users who texted the word Haiti to 90999 could donate $10 to the relief agency's Haiti effort. The amount is charged to the user's phone bill.
As of Wednesday evening, the campaign had raised roughly $25 million in pledges. That dwarfs the $250,000 the American Red Cross got via texts for 2008 hurricane season aid. It also represents almost a fifth of the $137 million in total Haiti-related pledges the agency said it had received.
Verizon is speeding delivery by forwarding customers' mobile donations before they pay their bills, said Jonathan Aiken, an American Red Cross spokesman.
"We're blown away," he said. "None of us anticipated anything like this."
Other relief agencies, including CARE and AmeriCares, reported millions in Haiti-related online giving, though less than after the tsunami. "Haiti is not tracking quite as high. But it's definitely...
Mon, 25 Jan 10
Palm's New Pre Plus Is a Pretty Cool Tool
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71220
The hottest pocket computer for a time last year wasn't an iPhone, BlackBerry or Android device. It was the Palm Pre from Sprint. Despite the raves Pre received upon its debut in June, Palm's smartphone was overshadowed by a new iPhone and phones based on Google's mobile operating system.
Palm aims to reclaim the glitter with the Palm Pre Plus, introduced recently at the Consumer Electronics Show. Verizon Wireless makes it available Monday, along with a fewer-frills version called Palm Pixi Plus.
As with the first Pre, I like the Pre Plus a lot. But there are drawbacks: a battery that surrenders a bit too soon, way fewer apps than the iPhone and, alas, a few crashes. (Full disclosure: I am author of Palm Pre: The Missing Manual, published by O'Reilly.)
Pre Plus costs $150 after a $100 rebate and with a two-year data plan; Pixi Plus fetches $100 after rebate and with plan. Though Sprint has a more robust network then it often gets credit for, Verizon's endorsement of the Pre provides Palm a major boost. (AT&T has also expressed interest in the Pre.) Many regular folks I talk to favor Verizon over rivals.
Just know you'll pay for the privilege. The details:
*Higher tab. A monthly plan on Verizon with 450 talk minutes plus texting costs $60 a month; a plan with unlimited voice minutes and texts commands $90 a month. And you'll pay $30 a month on top of that for data. On Sprint, the combined tab for unlimited voice and data is $100.
Moreover, to take advantage of a new Verizon "Mobile Hotspot" feature that lets you share a Wi-Fi signal with up to five other devices you'll have to spend $40 more a month for a "tethering" subscription that permits up to 5 gigabytes of data. Now you're facing $160 a...
Mon, 25 Jan 10
Microsoft Office 2010: What's in It for You?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71212
When Microsoft releases Office 2010 later this year, will it be an upgrade worth pursuing, or will it, like Office 2007, be one that you can easily let pass? That's a question that's no doubt on the minds of many existing Office users -- as well as more than a few executives at Microsoft.
Office 2010 can easily be seen as analogous to Windows 7 in that it represents Microsoft's latest chance to convince people that they've really been listening to their concerns.
Like Windows Vista, Office 2007 was an upgrade that relatively few bothered to adopt. The interface changes in Office 2007 seemed both radical and gratuitous. And for many, the additional features underlying the release were simply not compelling enough to warrant the move away from Office 2003, its predecessor.
Office 2010, like Windows 7, is a do-over. Microsoft, in fact, took a page from the lengthy Windows 7 beta program when, last year, it made the beta of Office 2010 widely available to the public.
To date, over 2 million people have downloaded Office 2010, according to Microsoft. The feedback has been encouraging. Office 2010 is stable, fast, and packed with productivity-enhancing innovations. The only question that remains is whether those innovations are enough to make you want to upgrade.
The "ribbon bar" was Office 2007's most controversial feature -- and one that dissuaded many from upgrading to Office 2007. The ribbon bar did away with conventional menus in favor of a tabbed, context- specific top row that grouped functions likely to be needed or wanted. The idea was to unearth the many features of Office applications that many never found because those features were buried deep within menus or dialog boxes.
Menu addicts will be disappointed to hear that not only has the ribbon bar not disappeared in Office 2010,...
Mon, 25 Jan 10
Tetris Passes 100 Million Paid Mobile Downloads
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71208
More than 25 years after its birth, Tetris is the best-selling mobile game of all time, having surpassed 100 million paid downloads on cell phones around the world.
Adam Sussman, vice president of worldwide publishing at Electronic Arts Inc.'s mobile unit, said the milestone marked "a huge moment not just for EA but for mobile gaming in general. It speaks to the evergreen appeal of Tetris."
EA Mobile and the company it licenses the game from, Blue Planet Software, plan to formally announce the milestone on Thursday in Montreal. The companies disclosed it to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Created by a Soviet programmer in 1984, Tetris rode to popularity on Nintendo Co.'s Game Boy -- a mobile gaming device -- in 1989. Millions of people have continued to play it since, on gaming consoles and over the Web, or on mobile gadgets such as the iPhone or simple cell phones.
The game's neat interface, simple controls and addictive nature make it especially well-suited for mobile gadgets. Alexey Pajitnov, the creator of Tetris, said the game itself is simple, and it's easy to get hooked on it. But getting really good results is difficult.
"It is appealing to all demographics, all cultures," he said.
EA won't say how much money it has made off Tetris. On the iPhone, it costs $5 to download.
Sussman said Tetris is available in 60 countries on about 64,000 different handsets, about 20 percent of them smart phones.
Mon, 25 Jan 10
YouTube Is Getting Into the Movie-Rental Business
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71207
YouTube's coming attractions now include movie rentals.
The Internet's most popular video channel will make its debut as a rental outlet Friday to help promote some of the movies that will be shown at the upcoming Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah.
It's part of a test that YouTube hopes will encourage more studios to rent movies through its site, eventually creating a new financial stream to supplement the Internet ads that bring in most of its revenue.
The first five films available to rent through YouTube will cost $3.99 for a 48-hour viewing period. Movie studios will be able to set their own prices, with rental viewing windows ranging from one to 90 days. YouTube will get an unspecified commission from each rental.
The expansion announced Wednesday marks the latest step in YouTube's evolution from a quirky and sometimes edgy Web site that showed free clips posted by wannabe stars, showoffs, bored teens, lonely hearts and video pirates.
While YouTube still has plenty of eclectic entertainment, the site increasingly has been trying to reel in more traditional fare from movie, television and music producers.
The reason: most major advertisers are more comfortable placing their commercials next to professionally produced videos than alongside wacky -- and potentially offensive -- clips posted by amateurs.
The strategy appears to be paying off for YouTube and its owner, Google Inc. Barclays Capital analyst Douglas Anmuch expects YouTube to generate about $700 million in revenue this year, an estimated 55 percent increase from 2009. If YouTube hits that target, it likely will turn profitable, helping to justify the $1.76 billion in stock that Google paid for the site more than three years ago.
YouTube says it is diversifying into movie rentals to meet user demand and provide an alternative means of distribution for movie makers that don't want ads cluttering up...
Fri, 22 Jan 10
Hacking Is Easy When Your Password Is 123456
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71226
The hacking of a web site last month that resulted in the theft of 32 million passwords has offered security analysts a rare opportunity to study password-selection patterns. A hacker breached the firewall of RockYou, a site that offers widgets and applications for social-media networks, and harvested the passwords. Later the hacker posted the passwords online without identifying the users.
When Imperva, a California-based data-security firm, analyzed the passwords, it found that users made alarmingly simple choices. The most popular password was 123456, which was chosen by 290,731 users. Another 61,958 users chose Password as their password, while 17,542 chose abc123.
Other unsophisticated passwords included iloveyou, qwerty and the name of the site, rockyou.
While the data on RockYou may not be an identity thief's dream, Imperva, in a white paper released Thursday, cited studies that show "about half of users use the same (or very similar) password to all web sites that require logging in."
Simple passwords using sequential numbers or letters are a hacker's delight, Impreva said, because they are easily vulnerable to a brute-force attack, in which the invading computer enters multiple randomly chosen passwords until it hits the jackpot.
"The combination of poor passwords and automated attacks means that in just 110 attempts, a hacker will typically gain access to one new account every second, or a mere 17 minutes to break into 1,000 accounts," Imperva said.
Imperva recommends that users follow NASA guidelines, which suggest passwords longer than eight characters with letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers and symbols, and without using a slang word, a name or word in the dictionary, or any part of the user's e-mail address.
The hacking caused some red faces at RockYou, formerly called RockMySpace. The site now carries an advisory telling users to change their passwords for e-mail and other online accounts if...
Fri, 22 Jan 10
Clinton Raises Google Attacks To an International Issue
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71225
The attacks by Chinese hackers on Google's systems have entered the realm of international relations. In a speech on Internet freedom in Washington on Thursday, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on China to make a "transparent" probe of the situation.
"Countries that restrict free access to information or violate the basic rights of Internet users risk walling themselves off from the progress of the next century," Clinton said at the Newseum journalism museum. The U.S. and China "have different views on this issue, and we intend to address those differences candidly and consistently," she said, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Earlier this month, Google announced it had suffered an unusual series of attacks emanating from China. "We have evidence to suggest that a primary goal of the attackers was accessing the Gmail accounts of Chinese human-rights activists," Google's chief lawyer, David Drummond, wrote in a blog post. "We have discovered that the accounts of dozens of U.S.-, China- and Europe-based Gmail users who are advocates of human rights in China appear to have been routinely accessed by third parties."
These politically based attacks, Drummond announced, "have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all."
Clinton said China is one of several countries -- including Tunisia, Uzbekistan, Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam -- where there has been a recent "spike in threats to the free flow of information" over the past year. "Some countries have erected electronic barriers that prevent...
Fri, 22 Jan 10
Law Proposed To Build Confidence in Cloud Computing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71224
Microsoft has taken a step toward getting the federal government to pay attention to cloud-computing services. The Redmond, Wash.-based company is asking for a cloud-computing law.
Microsoft's senior vice president and top legal counsel, Brad Smith, has proposed that Congress institute the Cloud Computing Advancement Act to help foster trust in cloud-computing services and address privacy concerns.
"The world needs a safe and open cloud -- a cloud that is protected from the efforts of thieves and hackers and also that serves as an open source of information to all people around the world," Smith said during the Brooks Institution Policy Forum. "Neither goal may be fully achieved today -- but we have to keep striving to achieve them over time."
Cloud computing has received a bad rap from consumers and privacy groups who have found holes in cloud-computing services offered by Internet companies such as Google.
Microsoft, IBM, Google and several other top-tier technology companies see benefits in cloud computing and 86 percent of senior business leaders are excited about cloud computing, according to a Penn Schoen Berland survey commissioned by Microsoft. But those business leaders need to convince Internet application users to see the same benefits.
"We need to build confidence in the cloud," Smith said. "And that requires a new conversation about the opportunity -- and need -- for industry and government each to take new steps to move forward."
The Electronic Privacy Information Center, a Washington, D.C.-based nonprofit privacy group, has been vocal about cloud computing. Last March, EPIC filed complaints with the Federal Trade Commission against Google, alleging privacy holes in its cloud-computing services, which include Google Docs, Picasa and Gmail.
Security experts and computer researchers, including the European Network and Information Security Agency, have supported EPIC's findings. An ENISA report considers whether people's personal data...
Fri, 22 Jan 10
Amazon Opens Kindle To Apps From Developers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71223
At a time when everything -- even Bluetooth headsets -- is becoming a platform for third-party applications, Amazon.com has decided to make its Kindle e-reader part of the crowd. On Thursday, the online retail giant said it's encouraging developers to build and upload content to the Kindle Store and promised a Kindle software development kit (SDK) soon.
The company said the SDK, due as a limited beta in February, will give programmers access to the Kindle's interface, tools and documentation. It will also include a Kindle Simulator to let developers test applications by simulating the six-inch Kindle and 9.7-inch Kindle DX on Mac, PC and Linux computers.
Ian Freed, vice president of Amazon Kindle, said the company looks forward to "being surprised by what developers invent." As examples of products, Amazon pointed to Handmark, which is creating an "active Zagat guide" for restaurants, and to Sonic Boom, which is developing word games and puzzles.
Coming in the wake of news that Amazon will sweeten its royalty deal with publishers and authors, the move can be seen as positioning against e-book and tablet announcements at the recent Consumer Electronics Show and preparation ahead of Apple's expected announcement next week of a tablet computer/e-reader.
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said he isn't sure if the announcements of potential competitors were a factor. In any case, he said, "Amazon is taking the steps it needs to, in order to remain competitive."
"Virtually every product line these days needs applications," he noted. Greengart pointed to Aliph's Jawbone ICON Bluetooth headset, as well as downloadable applications for the Samsung Blu-ray player, new TV sets, and smartphones, iPods and computers. "All of these devices are effectively computers," he said, "or variations on smartphones."
The Kindle at first was a relatively single-purpose...
Fri, 22 Jan 10
Free Nokia World GPS Could Be a Game Changer
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71197
Nokia unveiled a free version of its Ovi Maps navigation software Thursday that provides turn-by-turn navigation on the company's smartphones. Analysts expect the move will have a major impact on the mobile-communications and personal-navigation industries, and could potentially be more disruptive than Google's navigation offering.
"While free Google navigation is only available in the U.S. on certain Android phones, free Ovi Maps is rolled out globally on a large number of Nokia smartphones," said Dominique Bonte, practice director at ABI Research. "At the same time, Ovi Maps is based on state-of-the-art NAVTEQ digital maps and proven navigation software, making it very difficult to compete against with premium offers."
"The pressure is mounting and like many other things in mobile, we are moving to a model where you give the basics for free and you make money either on added services or on advertising," said Gartner Research Director Carolina Milanesi. Given that turn-by-turn navigation is an important service to attract customers, IDC Research Manager Francisco Jeronimo said Nokia's free service "will prevent the Finnish maker from seeing a stronger decline in its smartphone market share in the future."
Nokia's free software covers 74 nations in 46 languages, provides detailed maps for 180 countries, and delivers detailed traffic information for more than 10 countries, so it no longer makes sense for consumers to purchase and use multiple devices that work in only one country or region, said Nokia Executive Vice President Anssi Vanjoki.
"Unlike the legacy car-navigation manufacturers, we don't make you buy maps for different countries or regions, even if you're only visiting for a few days," Vanjoki said.
The number of people worldwide using GPS navigation on mobile phones last year was approximately 27 million, according to Canalys. However, Nokia expects its free Ovi Maps release will help grow the installed user...
Fri, 22 Jan 10
Microsoft Releases Out-of-Band Patch for IE
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71196
Microsoft released a rare out-of-band patch Thursday morning. The emergency patch fixes the Internet Explorer zero-day security vulnerability that hackers have used in several high-profile targeted attacks, including the recent Trojan.Hydraq cyberattacks waged against Google and other large U.S. companies.
As Microsoft previously noted, the vulnerability affects Internet Explorer 6, 7 and 8, which make up the bulk of the versions consumers use today. However, it said the only in-the-wild exploit code for this vulnerability detected so far impacts IE 6. Still, Microsoft isn't taking any chances. Because of in-the-wild exploits and the amount of media and customer attention on this exploit, Microsoft decided it was in customers' best interests to issue a patch before the next Patch Tuesday on Feb. 9.
"The most likely attack vector used in the incidents seen thus far is targeted e-mails containing legitimate-looking attachments or links to web sites sent to high-level employees," said Joshua Talbot, security intelligence manager at Symantec Security Response. "When the attachment is opened, an exploit for the vulnerability springs into action and the computer becomes infected."
Microsoft also confirmed that all current versions of Internet Explorer contain a Data Execution Prevention (DEP) bypass vulnerability. If not bypassed, DEP can help in stopping the exploit code. Therefore, newer versions of Internet Explorer running on Windows Vista and Windows 7 are less vulnerable to an active exploit, according to Don Leatham, a senior director of Business Development at Lumension.
"These versions of Windows have Address Space Layout Randomization (ASLR) that provides an extra level of protection beyond DEP," Leatham said. "This is a clear, real-world example of the superior security model implemented in Windows Vista and Windows 7, and should be a wake-up call to organizations still running Windows XP to accelerate their migration plans."
Given the in-the-wild exploit code, Lumension is recommending...
Fri, 22 Jan 10
EC Approves Oracle's $7 Billion Acquisition of Sun
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71195
The European Commission on Thursday approved Oracle's $7 billion acquisition of Sun Microsystems. After heated debate among patent activists and technology and consumer groups, the EC decided the transaction will not significantly hinder software and hardware competition in Europe.
Sun owns MySQL, and opponents argued that having Oracle own the world's leading open-source database would stifle competition. If Oracle was allowed to acquire MySQL, opponents said, it would limit the development and performance of the platform and harm companies who use the software. But the EC sided with Oracle.
"I am now satisfied that competition and innovation will be preserved on all the markets concerned," Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said. "Oracle's acquisition of Sun has the potential to revitalize important assets and create new and innovative products."
The EC took its time in reviewing the case. The in-depth investigation launched Sept. 3 focused on Oracle's acquisition of MySQL. The concern was that the database market is highly concentrated, with the three main proprietary database vendors -- Oracle, IBM and Microsoft -- accounting for approximately 85 percent of the market in terms of revenue.
The EC's investigation concluded that although MySQL and Oracle compete in certain parts of the database market, they are not close competitors in others, such as the high-end segment. The EC also examined the open-source nature of MySQL and Oracle's incentive to constrain MySQL after the merger, as well as the extent to which this constraint could be overcome by other database vendors. The EC decided the open-source PostgreSQL database is a viable alternative to MySQL.
The EC further investigated the potential impact of Oracle's acquisition of the intellectual-property rights connected to Sun's Java development platform. Regulators decided Oracle's ability to deny competitors access to important IP rights is limited by the Java Community Process.
Finally, the commission examined the...
Fri, 22 Jan 10
Verizon Wireless-AT&T 'Price War' May Boost Revenues
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71186
Don't be fooled by the latest round of price cuts by Verizon Wireless and AT&T. The two biggest U.S. mobile-phone companies said on Jan. 15 they'll cut monthly prices on unlimited voice calling packages by $30.
While the decreases make voice calling cheaper, they and other price moves announced the same day are designed to get subscribers to opt for data plans that typically carry higher price tags and fatter margins for mobile-phone service providers. So the net effect may be increased revenue, analysts say. "We could see a move upwards rather than downwards," says Jennifer Fritzsche, an analyst at Wells Fargo Securities in Chicago, who recommends buying shares of AT&T and Verizon Communications, co-owner with Vodafone Group of Verizon Wireless. "Any kind of voice pricing is very much a commodity," Fritzsche tells Bloomberg News. "Data is the future."
Verizon Wireless, for example, may sacrifice $540 million in voice revenue while generating an additional $630 million in data plan sales, according to Credit Suisse analyst Jonathan Chaplin. That suggests a net gain of $90 million. Only about 2 percent of wireless subscribers will see lower bills as a result of the price changes, according to estimates by JPMorgan. Effective Jan. 18, Verizon Wireless and AT&T will charge about $70 apiece for unlimited voice calls.
In some cases, lower prices on voice plans may make users more comfortable paying the extra fees for data plans. At the same time, the carriers introduced policies designed to encourage customers to sign up for non-voice services from the get-go. New AT&T customers who buy certain non-smartphone devices, for instance, will now be required to spend at least $20 a month on unlimited texting or data plans. Those customers weren't required to buy data plans before.
Verizon Wireless is forcing more subscribers to pay for data, as...
Fri, 22 Jan 10
New Tech Tools Help Haiti Quake Relief
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71177
Hundreds of tech volunteers spurred to action by Haiti's killer quake are adding a new dimension to disaster relief, developing new tools and services for first responders and the public in an unprecedented effort.
"It really is amazing the change in the way crisis response can be done now," said Noel Dickover, a Washington, D.C.-based organizer of the CrisisCamp tech volunteer movement, which is central to the Haiti effort. "Developers, crisis mappers and even Internet-savvy folks can actually make a difference."
Volunteers have built and refined software for tracking missing people, mapping the disaster area and enabling urgent cell phone text messaging. Organizations including the International Red Cross, the United Nations, the World Bank and the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency have put the systems to use.
Tim Schwartz, a 28-year-old artist and programmer in San Diego, feared upon learning of the disaster that, with an array of social-networking sites active, crucial information about Haitian quake victims would "go everywhere on the Internet and it would be very hard to actually find people -- and get back to their loved ones," he said. So Schwartz quickly e-mailed "all the developers I'd ever worked with."
In a few hours, he and 10 others had built http://www.haitianquake.com, an online lost-and-found to help Haitians in and out of the country locate missing relatives.
The database, which anyone can update, was online less than 24 hours after the quake struck, with more than 6,000 entries because Schwartz and his colleagues wrote a "scraper" that gathered data from a Red Cross site.
The New York Times, Miami Herald, CNN and others launched similar efforts. And two days later, Google had a similar tool running, PersonFinder, that the State Department promoted on its own Web site and Twitter. PersonFinder grew out of missing-persons technology developed after Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans in...
Fri, 22 Jan 10
India Outsourcers Hiring Staff as U.S. Demand Grows
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71172
India's top three outsourcing companies are ramping up hiring and increasing pay as global corporations, mainly from the U.S., send more work offshore to cut costs as they emerge from the downturn.
Tata Consultancy Services, Infosys, and Wipro expanded their global workforces by an average of 5.1 percent last quarter, together adding 16,701 employees, company documents show -- an early sign that the Great Recession may ultimately benefit India as cost-conscious companies outsource more work, just as they did after the dot-com bust.
"Our expectations are for flat to marginally stronger IT budgets with a greater share of offshore spend," Wipro chairman Azim Premji said in a conference call Wednesday. "Our customers remain focused on cost reduction."
The employment revival in India's outsourcing sector, which counts on the U.S. for about 60 percent of global sales, comes as unemployment in the U.S. stagnates around 10 percent -- near a 26-year high. Inflation-adjusted wages in the U.S. last year fell 1.6 percent, the biggest decline since 1990.
"When there is a downturn the compulsion to control costs increases," said Dipen Shah, an analyst at Mumbai's Kotak Securities. "The demand for offshoring will increase. That will play to the advantage of Indian IT companies."
He argues that the cost savings from offshoring has helped U.S. companies survive -- and that's good for the American worker.
"You might say jobs in the U.S. are getting displaced by jobs in India, but because of the value provided by Indian companies and lower costs, there are firms who are able to keep their heads above water and continue to employ their existing employees," he said.
TCS, Infosys and Wipro, whose clients include leading companies like Goldman Sachs and General Electric as well as U.S. government agencies, can do everything from call center management and claims processing to software development and consulting. All...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Sprint, Verizon Get Highest Marks in Business Survey
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71194
Sprint Nextel and Verizon Wireless got the highest ratings in overall satisfaction among the four largest wireless carriers in a survey of business owners released Wednesday by the Yankee Group and Mobile Enterprise magazine. The two carriers also showed the most consistency in categories of satisfaction.
"Among large businesses, these two carriers are neck and neck for both wireless voice and data service relationships, and Verizon holds a slight advantage in the SMB voice space," wrote Eugene C. Signorini, a vice president of the Boston-based Yankee Group.
Survey respondents gave Sprint an average 7.32 rating on a one-to-10 scale, and 7.22 to Verizon, the nation's largest wireless carrier. AT&T, the second biggest network, got a 6.90 rating, while T-Mobile was ranked in the middle with 7.19.
The survey found that the big four control 99 percent of "primary carrier voice relationships" among large businesses and 92 percent among small to midsize companies, with Verizon and AT&T the most common for both voice and data. Sprint and T-Mobile came in second and third, respectively, among both large businesses and SMBs for voice and data.
The survey found that most business users are satisfied with their carriers, with only 12 percent of large businesses and 16 percent of SMBs considering switching their voice plan. Only 10 percent of large businesses and 12 percent of SMBs said they were considering switching data plans.
The data was collected in November from a Yankee Group panel of business decision-makers and Mobile Enterprise readers. Among the respondents, 274 were from companies with more than 500 employees, and 292 were from SMBs.
The survey projected that while most of the smartphone initiatives in recent years have been aimed at individual consumers, some 78 million wireless subscribers are business users, with that number expected to grow to 90...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Survey Finds Children's Media Use Jumps in Five Years
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71193
According to a survey released Wednesday by the Kaiser Family Foundation, American youths are spending far more time consuming media on a daily basis than just five years ago. The foundation's latest survey of more than 2,000 children between the ages of eight and 18 found that daily media consumption averaged seven hours and 38 minutes across a typical day in 2009 -- equivalent to more than 53 hours a week.
That is an hour and 17 minutes more than in 2004, the last time the foundation conducted a similar survey. Researchers said the dramatic uptick is driven in large part by ready access to smartphones, iPods, handheld gaming machines, and other portable gadgets.
"The bottom line is that all these advances in media technologies are making it even easier for young people to spend more and more time with media," said foundation Vice President Victoria Rideout, the report's author. "It's more important than ever that researchers, policy-makers and parents stay on top of the impact it's having on their lives."
The percentage of young children and teenagers with cellular phones has grown over the past five years from 39 percent to 66 percent. Young people now spend an average of 49 minutes a day listening to music, playing games, or watching TV on cell phones -- far more than the 33 minutes they typically spend talking on their handsets.
What's more, ownership of iPods and other MP3 players has risen from 18 percent to 76 percent among children. Researchers said this is significant now that these devices have evolved into multimedia machines.
TV still reigns supreme among the media platforms available to the nation's youth, with consumption averaging four hours and 29 minutes -- up by 38 minutes from 2004. However, the amount of time that children spend watching...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Microsoft Will Issue Out-of-Band Aurora Patch for IE 6
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71192
Microsoft will release a patch for Internet Explorer 6 on Thursday morning that addresses the so-called Aurora exploit used in the China-based cyberattacks against Google and other companies.
"Given the significant level of attention this issue has generated, confusion about what customers can do to protect themselves, and the escalating threat environment, Microsoft will release a security update out of band for this vulnerability," Microsoft's George Stathakopoulos said Wednesday.
"We take the decision to go out of band very seriously, given the impact to customers, but we believe releasing an out-of-band update is the right decision at this time," he added. "We will provide the specific timing of the release tomorrow."
In an updated security advisory, Microsoft said IE 6, IE 7, and IE 8 running on Windows XP, Server 2003, Vista, Server 2008, Windows 7, and Server 2008 R2 are all vulnerable. IE 5.01 SP 4 on Windows 2000 SP 4 is not affected.
The company offered this technical explanation of the vulnerability: "It is possible under certain conditions for (an) invalid pointer (in the browser) to be accessed after an object is deleted. In a specially-crafted (sic) attack, in attempting to access a freed object, Internet Explorer can be caused to allow remote code execution."
Microsoft said the only attacks seen so far target IE 6. "We have not seen attacks against other versions of Internet Explorer," the advisory said.
The software giant said it is "actively working" with partners in the Active Protection Program and Security Response Alliance to "provide information that they can use to provide broader protections to customers." Microsoft and its partners will continue to "monitor the threat landscape and take action against malicious sites that attempt to exploit this vulnerability," the company said.
The good news is that attackers have to convince users...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Sony Delays Release of PS3 Motion Controller Until Fall
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71191
Sony Computer Entertainment has slammed the brakes on its PlayStation 3 motion controller. The Tokyo-based company pushed back the controller's release to the fall, about the time that rival Microsoft plans to launch similar Xbox 360 technology dubbed Project Natal.
The motion controller will be made available in Japan, Asian regions, North America, and Europe/PAL territories in the fall, Sony said. It added that the delay involves several factors, including making changes to the device.
"The decision to release the new motion controller in fall of 2010 was in efforts to deliver consumers a comprehensive portfolio of software titles to choose from at launch," said Sony spokesperson Julie Han. "The development of games for the motion controller is well under way and we're working closely with our third-party developers and publishers as well as our first-party studios to deliver innovative games for the motion controller launch."
Delaying the launch will also allow consumers to use the motion controller on all PS3 games rather than just new games. "We will be launching new games for the motion controller as well as updating select games that are already available by adding motion-control functionality," Han said.
Some observers said pushing back the launch of the controller lets Sony take more time to perfect the device so the design, user interface, and software are all in sync and working perfectly. Others say the delay is to take the spotlight away from Microsoft's Project Natal.
"It's always hard to say what is the real cause behind a delay, but given the buzz and enthusiasm around Project Natal and what Microsoft is doing, it's not surprising that Sony may want to make sure it has a compelling answer to what Microsoft is doing," said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret.
Project Natal, which was introduced by Microsoft...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Amazon Offers Authors Higher Royalties for E-Books
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71189
In a move to stem the rising Apple tide, Amazon on Wednesday outlined a new program that gives more money back to authors and publishers who use the Kindle Digital Text Platform (DTP). The new paradigm aims to motivate more authors to make their books available for the world's most popular e-reader.
Authors can now choose a new 70 percent royalty option. That means for each Kindle book sold, authors and publishers can now earn 70 percent of list price, net of delivery costs. However, there are certain criteria they must qualify for in the new program, which won't become available until June 30. The existing DTP standard royalty option will remain intact.
"Today, authors often receive royalties in the range of seven to 15 percent of the list price that publishers set for their physical books, or 25 percent of the net that publishers receive from retailers for their digital books," said Russ Grandinetti, vice president of Kindle Content. "We're excited that the new 70 percent royalty option for the Kindle Digital Text Platform will help us pay authors higher royalties when readers choose their books."
To qualify for the 70 percent option, books must satisfy a set of requirements, including price restrictions. The author- or publisher-supplied list price must be between $2.99 and $9.99, and that list price must be at least 20 percent below the lowest list price for the physical book.
Books must also be offered at or below price parity with competitors, including physical book prices. Amazon will provide tools to automate that process, and the 70 percent royalty will be calculated from the sales price. The 70 percent option is for in-copyright works and not available for works published before 1923 (public-domain books). At launch, the 70 percent option will only be...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Opera Acquires AdMarvel To Monetize Mobile Products
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71188
On Wednesday, Opera Software revealed its latest interest: mobile advertising. The Norwegian browser maker has acquired AdMarvel with an eye toward monetization of Opera-branded mobile products and services offered by mobile operators and content partners.
Based in San Mateo, Calif., AdMarvel works with a broad set of advertising players to improve the performance of mobile advertising. The startup was founded in 2006 by a team of mobile veterans led by CEO Mahi de Silva.
AdMarvel connects mobile publishers and operators to source, provision, manage and track advertising from most ad networks or direct-sourced advertising inventory. Its services work across mobile and in-application modes.
"We are very excited about joining forces with Opera," de Silva said. "Combining our monetization and analytics platform with the Opera browser and widget platform will create a new intelligent platform where local and global advertisers can interact with a highly instrumented mobile audience."
AdMarvel may be an upstart, but it has found its measure of success. The company struck a deal with ClearSky Mobile Media last year to deliver performance ad-management solutions to millions of mobile customers in ClearSky's portfolio of regional carriers. AdMarvel has also developed an iPhone Advertising Toolkit.
AdMarvel works with global and regional ad networks, including AdMob, Admoda, BuzzCity, Google, JumpTap, Millennial Media, mKhoj, Mojiva, Movoxx, Nokia, Quattro Wireless, Ringleader Digital, RingRing Media, Smaato, Third Screen Media, and Zestadz.
"In our fast-growing industry, mobile advertising represents an interesting long-term revenue opportunity," said Lars Boilesen, CEO of Opera Software. "Every month, nearly 50 million people access the web use Opera on their mobile phones and, together with AdMarvel, we think we can play an important role in the evolution of mobile advertising."
Opera's mobile-advertising deal follows in the footsteps of both Google and Apple. In November, Google agreed to acquire mobile-ad...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Google-Apple Split Widens with Rumor of Bing on iPhone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71168
In the mobile world, alliances are shifting as fast as a good season of the Survivor TV series. The latest shift, possibly seismic, is Apple versus Google, and a new report suggests that the growing competition between the purported allies includes the possibility of Microsoft's Bing search engine becoming the default choice on the iPhone.
According to Wednesday's Business Week online, the iPhone maker is talking with the giant from Redmond, Wash., about Bing. Currently, Google is the default choice for web search on the iPhone, as well as the provider of other iPhone services, such as maps and an iPhone-optimized YouTube player.
Like two college guys splitting up their friendship over a girlfriend, Apple and Google have a considerable history together. On the friendship side, for instance, they have shared a common rival in Microsoft, whose Windows operating systems and office-productivity applications have dominated the desktop.
In addition, Google CEO Eric Schmidt served on Apple's board until resigning last August. Dr. Arthur Levinson, chairman of Genentech, served on both Apple's and Google's boards until resigning from the Google board last October. Levinson continues on Apple's board.
The "girlfriend" could be Android, Google's open-source operating system that is rapidly gaining strength as a smartphone and netbook platform. A variety of Android-based smartphones have been released in recent months -- including Google's own Nexus One -- and there is a growing Android Market.
There are also reports that Apple is investigating how to manage ads on iPhones, which would put it into direct competition with Google's cash cow. This is no small matter for Google, as the majority of mobile ads are viewed through the iPhone or the iPod touch. On those devices, Google shares ad revenue with Apple.
According to Business Week, a Microsoft deal might mean that new iPhone owners...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Computer Scammers Solicit 'Donations' for Haitian Relief
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71156
Scammers have descended on the Internet in an all-out effort to dupe people into sending them money intended for victims -- this time, after the devastating earthquake in Haiti.
Amid warnings from the FBI and computer-security companies, a wave of dodgy e-mails and Web sites soliciting charitable donations has popped up.
Suspicious links to Web sites, for example, are up 400 percent in the past few days, says computer-security firm Proofpoint.
"People want to jump in and help others, and scammers take advantage of that," says Andy Hayter, anti-malware program manager at ICSA Labs.
A common swindle is e-mail that purports to come from the British Red Cross, seeking at least 250 British pounds. The e-mail includes the address of the Red Cross in London and implores that donations be wired there via Western Union. It also asks donors to reply in e-mail with details of their transaction.
But the e-mail contact for the British Red Cross is wrong, and the organization does not collect donations using Western Union, says Kevin Haley, director of Symantec Security Response.
Cybercrooks are also manipulating online searches so that results for terms such as "Haiti relief fund" and "Haiti donations" direct people to phishing sites or pages laden with malware, Haley says.
At the same time, computer-security firm F-Secure says hackers have fashioned fake donation sites that download viruses to the PCs of would-be-donors.
The FBI cautions consumers to "make contributions directly to known organizations rather than relying on others to make the donation on your behalf."
E-mail security firm Goodmail Systems, meanwhile, is part of an industrywide initiative to ensure the e-mail of legitimate organizations, such as the Red Cross, isn't blocked inadvertently when security vendors filter bogus e-mail.
Online scams and disasters are not new. After hurricanes Katrina and Rita battered the Gulf Coast, so many misleading Web sites sprouted that...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Symantec, McAfee, Checkpoint Await Spending Surge
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71151
McAfee executive Mike Carpenter hasn't had much downtime at work since Jan. 12, when Web-search giant Google said its computers were hacked in China. "I've been in meetings from morning till night without breaks" since the news broke, says Carpenter, senior vice-president for McAfee's public sector business. "There's been tremendous interest" in the company's software, designed to protect computers from malware and security breaches.
The cyberattack against Google isn't the only source of interest in security software and the vendors that sell it. Shares of McAfee, Symantec, and Checkpoint Systems are getting a general lift amid signs that spending on information technology is rebounding after last year's slump. Investors expect businesses and government agencies to boost buying of computers and software.
One area that could benefit most is security software designed to guard machines and networks against cyber intruders. "Security will be a very good sector for 2010," says Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets. "Investors are viewing it as a positive investment theme for 2010 with Symantec, McAfee, and Checkpoint being front and center."
On Jan. 15, Symantec stock closed at 18.85, its highest since early October 2008. The same day, Checkpoint rose to 34.41, capping a 64 percent increase over the past year. (During the same period, the Nasdaq Composite Index climbed 51 percent.) McAfee stock has climbed 40 percent in the past 12 months and on Jan. 15 slipped 29 percent, to 40.98.
Information technology spending may increase 3.2 percent, to $1.5 trillion, in 2010, after declining by nearly as much last year, according to market researcher IDC. Worldwide spending on security products and services is expected to grow by more than 9 percent annually from 2008 to 2013, to $37.8 billion, IDC says.
Government spending on computer security has been an area of...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Intel Outlook Points To PC Industry Recovery
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71150
Intel's fourth-quarter earnings breezed past Wall Street's expectations, and its rosy profit outlook for 2010 was another sign that a lasting recovery for the recession-battered personal computer market is under way.
As the first major technology company to report its results for the last quarter, Intel is seen as a barometer for the PC market and for technology spending in general. Its revenue beat the Street, as did its gross margin, which can measure how well Intel managed costs.
Investors were restrained in their enthusiasm. Shares of the No. 1 maker of computer microprocessors edged up less than one percent in after-hours trading. Earlier, the stock had gained 2.5 percent to end the regular session at $21.48.
PC shipments grew more sharply than expected in the fourth quarter, a promising sign after a brutal year for the industry during the recession. Intel, which supplies the vast majority of the "brains" inside computers, rode the resurgence of consumer PC shopping to a profit of $2.3 billion, or 40 cents per share.
That was more than nine times as much as it earned in the year-ago quarter, when profit totaled $234 million, or 4 cents per share.
Intel also posted its highest gross profit margin in history, at 64.7 percent. A higher gross margin number means the chipmaker was able to turn more revenue into profit. It's a key measure for a manufacturing-intensive company such as Intel because it reflects how well costs are held in check.
Revenue climbed 29 percent to $10.6 billion, as Intel sold more chips, many at higher prices than in the past.
Analysts expected a profit of 30 cents per share and $10.2 billion in revenue, according to a Thomson Reuters survey.
It's never clear whether chip sales line up with demand for new computers. PC makers might be buying more than they need to...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
Network Flaw Causes Scary Web Error
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71132
A Georgia mother and her two daughters logged onto Facebook from mobile phones last weekend and wound up in a startling place: strangers' accounts with full access to troves of private information.
The glitch -- the result of a routing problem at the family's wireless carrier, AT&T -- revealed a little known security flaw with far reaching implications for everyone on the Internet, not just Facebook users.
In each case, the Internet lost track of who was who, putting the women into the wrong accounts. It doesn't appear the users could have done anything to stop it. The problem adds a dimension to researchers' warnings that there are many ways online information -- from mundane data to dark secrets -- can go awry.
Several security experts said they had not heard of a case like this, in which the wrong person was shown a Web page whose user name and password had been entered by someone else. It's not clear whether such episodes are rare or simply not reported. But experts said such flaws could occur on e-mail services, for instance, and that something similar could happen on a PC, not just a phone.
"The fact that it did happen is proof that it could potentially happen again and with something a lot more important than Facebook," said Nathan Hamiel, founder of the Hexagon Security Group, a research organization.
Candace Sawyer, 26, says she immediately suspected something was wrong when she tried to visit her Facebook page Saturday morning.
After typing Facebook.com into her Nokia smart phone, she was taken into the site without being asked for her user name or password. She was in an account that didn't look like hers. She had fewer friend requests than she remembered. Then she found a picture of the page's owner.
"He's white -- I'm not," she said with...
Thu, 21 Jan 10
DIY Cybercrime Kits Power Growth in Phishing Attacks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71125
Do-it-yourself cybercrime kits are driving a surge in Internet-borne computer infections.
DIY kits have been a staple in the cyberunderground for some time. But now they've dropped in price and become more user-friendly.
"If you know how to download music or a movie you have the necessary experience to begin using one of these kits," says Gunter Ollman, senior researcher at security firm Damballa.
Indeed, newbie cybercrooks and veterans alike are using DIY kits to carry out phishing campaigns at an accelerated rate, security researchers say. They've been blasting out fake e-mail messages crafted to look like official notices from UPS, FedEx or the IRS; or account updates from Vonage, Facebook or Microsoft Outlook; or medical alerts about the H1N1 flu virus.
The faked messages invariably ask the recipient to click on a Web link; doing so infects the PC with a banking Trojan, a malicious program designed to steal financial account logons. Often, the PC also gets turned into a "bot": The attacker silently takes control and uses it to send out more phishing e-mail.
The rapid development and aggressive marketing of DIY cybercrime kits has emerged as a big business. "It's possible that the people creating and selling these kits may be the same groups already profiting from cybercrime, and they could see this as yet another revenue stream," says Marc Rossi, Symantec's manager of research and development. Generally sold for $400 to $700, the kits come with everything you need to begin infecting PCs. Selling software is legal; what you do with it can get you in trouble.
Most kits can be easily upgraded to customize phishing messages or bypass anti-virus defenses. Purchasing the latest kits requires spending time in Web forums populated by cybercriminals, says Fred Touchette, senior researcher at e-mail security firm App River.
The increased availability of such kits in the...
Wed, 20 Jan 10
Microsoft Slashes Bing Data Retention to Six Months
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71148
The latest twist in the search-engine wars is revisiting privacy policies. Pressure from the European Commission is behind the latest industry move as Microsoft agreed to rework Bing to discard user data after six months.
Microsoft's Chief Privacy Strategist Peter Cullen framed the change as an ongoing evaluation of the company's Internet search privacy practices. That evaluation, he said, led to the change in Microsoft's data-retention policy that will see the company delete the entire Internet Protocol address associated with search queries at six months.
Microsoft has been deleting the information after 18 months. The software giant lagged behind Google, which cut data-retention times to nine months from 18 months in August 2008. In December 2008, Yahoo announced a data-retention policy that promised to anonymize user log data within 90 days, with limited exceptions for fraud, security and legal obligations.
"This change is the result of a number of factors, including a continuing evaluation of our business needs, the current competitive landscape, and our ongoing dialogue with privacy advocates, consumer groups, and regulators -- including the Article 29 Working Party, the group of 27 European national data-protection regulators charged with providing advice to the European Commission, and other European Union institutions on data protection," Cullen said.
In 2008, EU privacy regulators asked Google, Yahoo and Microsoft to delete user data, including text entered into search-engine boxes and the computer's IP address and location, after six months. Microsoft moved last year to make searchers' unique IP addresses anonymous after six months, and with the new announcement Bing becomes the first company to fully cooperate with requests from EU countries.
"Under our current policy, as soon as Microsoft receives a Bing search query we take steps to de-identify the data by separating it from account information that could identify the person who performed...
Wed, 20 Jan 10
Getting Electronics Cables in Order
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71141
Disorderly and dangerous is the best way to describe the tangles of cables that live around computers, television, or stereo equipment. The unsightly mess is good only for dust bunnies.
And getting tripped up in the wire jungle is actually one of the most common causes of PC-related household accidents, according to a recent study by the Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
There are two options for avoiding gnarled cards. "You can bind up loose cables behind and attach them to the side of a desk or use cable tubes or cable hoses," says Dusan Zivadanovic, a writer for German computer magazine c't. The same technique can be used for cable connections between TVs and DVRs or between stereo equipment and speakers.
"You thread multiple cables together into a tube or hose so that the various cables are reduced to one single strand," Zivadanovic explains. There's nothing wrong with a bit of improvisation, either. "An empty roll of toilet paper or the like functions just as well as the commercial conduits," he notes.
Professional cable hoses and tubes are available at most home improvement or electronics shops in a variety of models. Not all cables are the same size, though, meaning extra steps are often needed to bring real order.
"Cables that hang over the ends of the pipes because they're too long are folded into loops and fixed with cable binders," recommends German IT consultant Heinz Nothofer. Cable ties are available in wire, metal, and Velcro versions. "A strong piece of tape works, too," he adds.
There are times when the spot you choose for your devices is nowhere near a plug. "Cables snaking across the floor are a real tripping hazard," Nothofer warns. The cables themselves can also be damaged if they lie around unprotected.
"The cords are subjected to a lot of stress...
Wed, 20 Jan 10
Notebooks, Hard Drives Among Newest Tech Gadgets
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71140
The Eee PC 1005P and the Eee PC 1005PE are the latest notebooks to be released by Asus. Both come with an Intel Atom N450 processor and are guaranteed by the manufacturer to have 11 hours of battery life.
Both measure 25.1 centimeters diagonally. The main difference between them is their memory capacity and wireless access speed. The Eee PC 1005P has 160 gigabytes (GB) of capacity and uses the g Standard for its wireless connection, while the Eee PC 1005PE has 250 GB of capacity and uses the faster 802.11n standard.
Equipped with Windows 7, the notebooks cost 279 and 299 euros ($402 and $430), respectively.
Canon is coming out with two new compact digital cameras: the PowerShot A495 and A490. The first comes with 13 automatic settings, while the A490 has 18. Both can manage resolutions of 10 megapixels and have 3.3X optical zooms. They cost 109 and 139 euros ($157 and $200), respectively.
Western Digital is bringing out an external hard drive with a USB 3.0 connection. Data can be transferred to the 1-terabyte (TB) My Book 3.0 Desktop at speeds of 5 gigabits per second. It retails for less than 200 euros ($288). A newer model with two terabytes of capacity is planned.
Wed, 20 Jan 10
Apple and Google Lay Battle Lines in Mobile Internet War
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71139
When tech gurus try to project the big trends for 2010, they keep coming back to one topic: mobile Internet connections.
People want to be able to surf the web with their multimedia mobile or their netbook. Google and Apple are both lining up to be the primary provider of such services, creating a showdown between the search engine powerhouse and the creator of the iPhone.
Google's latest salvo is the Nexus One mobile, the first mobile created by the company. Apple is expected to respond by the end of January with the introduction of its tablet computer, slated for a late March release.
Thus, two companies that have had friendly relations until now are likely to start acting more like rivals.
Apple is currently the undisputed No 1 in portable Internet services. Its iPhone and multimedia player iPod Touch have shown that surfing the Internet on the go can be fun, even on a small screen. Its perfectly designed hardware and software exemplify Apple's approach. Its tablet will likely attempt to set a new industry milestone.
Despite Apple's usually secrecy, US blogs and media claim to have some advance details. The tablet's core is a touch-sensitive screen, measuring 25 to 28 centimeters diagonally, making it larger than Amazon's e-book reader Kindle.
But, the tablet-shaped computer -- which has no keyboard, as is standard for such devices -- should be easier to navigate than most notebooks. It should cost between 700 and 1,000 dollars, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Observers suspect that Apple will give its yet-to-be-named device a direct connection to its online App store, where users can download additional programs to turn the tablet into an all-purpose device. With access to the iTunes store, it would become a multimedia device.
After all, virtual commerce is about more than music and videos. More media companies are using...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
Nvidia GF100 Will Power Immersive 3-D Gaming
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71147
Nvidia is poised to roll out an advanced graphics processor unit that aims to usher in a new era of 3-D gaming. Called the GF100, the new graphics chip is expected to deliver the horsepower for running games across three panels featuring high-definition resolutions of up to 1920x1080 pixels -- an immersive gaming environment that the company has dubbed "3D Vision Surround."
Earlier this month at the Consumer Electronics Show, Nvidia demonstrated its technology on desktop PCs equipped with LCD panels from Acer, Alienware and others. Though the GF100 only supports two displays per chip, Nvidia expects to implement 3D Vision Surround through the company's Nvidia SLI platform, which intelligently scales graphics performance by combining multiple graphics chips on an SLI-certified motherboard.
"This is because to drive the three 3-D displays, we effectively have to draw upward of 250 million pixels -- or six times the norm," said Nvidia spokesperson Bryan Del Rizzo.
Integrating three billion transistors, the GF100 will be the first Nvidia GPU based on Fermi -- a third-generation architecture featuring streaming multiprocessor technology. Among other things, Fermi offers support for up to 512 processor cores based on Nvidia's CUDA (Compute Unified Device Architecture) platform, which enables software programmers to code sophisticated algorithms with the standard C programming language and simplified extensions.
According to Nvidia, graphics chips are no longer only about the fast rendering of triangles and pixels. Though programmable shading techniques have allowed PC games to mimic film in per-pixel effects, the company noted that geometric realism has lagged behind -- with the most advanced PC games today using one million to two million polygons per frame. By contrast, a typical frame in a computer-generated film uses hundreds of millions of polygons, Nvidia said.
"This disparity can be partly traced to hardware," wrote...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
Reporters Invited To an Apple Event Set Next Week
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71146
"Come see our latest creation." Thus reads the Apple invitation appearing in reporter's inboxes on Monday. The e-mail -- with the text displayed against a splashed-paint background -- invites reporters to a Jan. 27 event at the Yerba Buena Gardens in San Francisco.
The Financial Times reported some weeks ago that Apple would announce on Jan. 26 a long-rumored tablet computer. Monday's invitation -- one day later than the Times reported but in the same location -- indicates the newspaper had the story right and Apple may announce the tablet next week.
Of course, it's not over 'til the fat lady -- or in Apple's case, skinny CEO Steve Jobs -- sings, and it's worth remembering that Apple has yet to announce a product. "Until Apple actually shows us a new product on Jan. 27, the tablet is still a rumored product," Tim Bajarin, principal strategist for Creative Strategies, pointed out.
But with at least half a dozen tablets demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show earlier this month, "there is clearly a strong industry push to make tablets the next major mobile computing platform," Bajarin said.
New York magazine has reported The New York Times is close to announcing a new pay model for the newspaper's online offerings. A few years back the Times tried to charge for select content, such as its most popular columns, but abandoned that effort.
The magazine reported Chairman Arthur Sulzberger Jr. is set to make the decision within days or weeks, fueling speculation that the announcement will come at Apple's event. Back in October, Times Executive Editor Bill Keller made reference to an "Apple slate," which most Apple tea readers took to mean that Apple and the Times were cooking up some sort of content deal for the tablet.
The expected introduction of an...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
New York Times May Charge for Its Online Content
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71145
The future of newspapers in the age of online content is not an abstract notion, but a real issue for the floundering industry. That future could mean that regular readers will need to pay for The New York Times online.
According to a Sunday report in New York Magazine online, the Times' Chairman, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., is on the verge of announcing that the venerable publication will charge for access to its web site. The magazine cited unnamed sources, both inside and outside the Times.
Instead of the "pay wall" used by The Wall Street Journal, the new pay-to-read structure at the Times will be closer to the one used by the Financial Times. Under that system, users can read a certain number of free articles before being required to pay.
The Journal's approach walls off some sections of its site as free and some as pay-only, as opposed to requiring payment after some articles have been read. A NPR-style membership model was also considered, but rejected. Diane McNulty, spokesperson for the Times, said the newspaper will "announce a decision when we believe that we have crafted the best possible business approach."
Because the Times announcement is expected within a week and Apple's announcement of a tablet computer is rumored for later this month, the magazine speculates that the two may be connected. Major publishers, including the Times, have reportedly been in discussions with Apple about providing content designed for the tablet.
The options have reportedly led to debate within the flagship newspaper, with some, such as digital head Martin Nisenholtz, arguing for the continuation of a free site. The Times has 20 million unique users, and the argument for keeping things as they are rests on the idea that its readership -- and ad rates -- could grow as other newspapers fail...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
Pro-Palestinian Group Hacks Jewish Paper's Site
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71144
In the latest of a string of cyberattacks tied to Middle East strife, a pro-Palestinian group believed to be based in Turkey hacked the web site of the London Jewish Chronicle during the weekend. Visitors to the site on Sunday were greeted with a large Palestinian flag accompanied by anti-Israel and anti-Semitic messages from a group calling itself Palestinian Mujaheeds.
"Aren't you ashamed of giving tolerance to Jewish [sic] who is the main actor of wars with being of children killers?" the message read in part. "Aren't you ashamed of giving support to vampire who doesn't care any human life? Aren't you ashamed of showing respect to Jewish who makes revenge, hatred and rivality [sic] feelings between the people?"
The group was apparently protesting the blockade of the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces, which pulled out of that area in 2005.
The newspaper's staff was quickly alerted to the security breach and took it offline promptly, the Chronicle reported. The site was down about 18 hours while the breach was investigated.
"By 4.40 p.m., a mere 20 minutes after the site was breached, senior executives had received dozens of text messages and phone calls alerting them; from synagogues, the CST, Jewish organizations, and individuals," said the paper, which also said police were investigating. CST, or Community Security Trust, is an organization that works with local and international authorities to safeguard the Jewish community in the United Kingdom.
The Chronicle quoted its information-technology staff as saying there was no penetration of the paper's servers. "The version of the site that was running at the time was addressing a virtual file system only. It was similar to viewing a cached version of a page. It was temporary until rebooted. The file system on the server was not affected at all. No one had managed to write...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
iPhone App for California Bar Exam Is Priced at $999.99
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71142
A California-based developer is hoping to cash in on the most expensive application on Apple's App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch. Former law student Michael Gharray created BarMax, a $999.99 application to help law students study for exams while on the go, according to published reports.
Currently the most expensive application for the iPhone, BarMax is a study guide for the California bar exam. The largest app to hit the App Store at 1GB features lectures, outlines and exam questions from past bar exams.
Prices on the App Store vary, with some apps free. The only app similar to BarMax is BarBri, but in order to use the mobile application users must be enrolled in that company's bar-review classes, which cost $3,000 to $4,000. The second most expensive iPhone app is iRa Pro, a video-surveillance application, at $899.99.
The most expensive application to hit the App Store to date was the I Am Rich application, which cost $1,000. The app by Armin Heinrich drew a lot of attention by displaying a red ruby to indicate to others that you could afford it, but didn't get a great response. As of August 2008, Heinrich's app mysteriously disappeared, leaving users wondering if I Am Rich made it to a rumored Apple blacklist or if Heinrich pulled the plug.
Users weren't willing to pay big bucks for an app that provided no value, and analysts wonder if BarMax will offer enough value to match its cost.
"I think that with this kind of pricing you need to have a very high quality app behind it," said Carolina Milanesi, a Gartner analyst based in the U.K. "Generally, however, I would think that it will take a much higher degree of trust for someone to pay that kind of money without trying the app...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
ASUS Color E-Reader Moves Closer To Tablet Market
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71136
While the computer industry waits for Apple to release an expected color tablet computer later this month, ASUS is already there. According to news reports, the company is releasing a six-inch OLED color touchscreen tablet e-reader called the DR-570 that includes Adobe Flash, either 3G or Wi-Fi -- and a capacity of 122 hours on a single battery charge.
With the addition of color and additional computing power, the emerging categories of e-readers and tablet computers may begin to merge. The DR-570 is expected to be released by the end of this year.
The Taiwan-based ASUS is a leader in netbooks, the subcompact laptops that have been one of the bright spots in computer sales for the last year. In addition to the color DR-570, ASUS will reportedly release 5.7-inch and nine-inch black-and-white e-readers.
The e-reader category, led by the Kindle from Amazon, several devices from Sony, the nook from Barnes & Noble, and other products, saw new entries at the recently concluded Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. A dual-screen e-reader from MSI, for instance, is based on the Intel Atom chip used in many netbooks and will have enough power to compete with most netbooks. Samsung showed six- and 10-inch touchscreen devices, each offering text to speech and, since they use Digital Living Network Alliance standards, could be viewed on compatible TVs.
Plastic Logic showed the Que, a lightweight e-reader that is the first commercial device based on plastic transistors. In addition to less weight, this means physical flexibility. Hearst's Skiff Reader offered the first product with a display that uses a flexible sheet of stainless steel, providing a resolution of 1200x1600.
The categories of e-readers and tablet computers are "definitely moving at a fast rate," said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret Research. But...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
Internet Explorer Warning Hurts Microsoft in Europe
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71124
Just as Microsoft finally settled its browser issues with the European Commission, the software maker is standing by helplessly as European countries warn consumers not to use Internet Explorer because of a critical vulnerability. Microsoft has issued a workaround.
The warning comes after Google traced cyberattacks against U.S. companies to a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability in IE. Microsoft investigated and determined that IE was one of the vectors used in targeted and sophisticated attacks against Google and possibly other corporate networks.
On Sunday, Microsoft said it is only seeing a "very limited number" of targeted attacks against a small subset of corporations. George Stathakopoulos, general manager of Microsoft's Trustworthy Computing division, explained that the attacks detected to date, including public proof-of-concept exploit code, are only effective against Internet Explorer 6.
"Based on a rigorous analysis of multiple sources, we are not aware of any successful attacks against IE7 and IE8 at this time. This is likely due to improved security protections provided by newer versions of Internet Explorer and Windows," Stathakopoulos said. "In summary, we are not seeing any widespread attacks by any means, and thus far we are not seeing attacks focused on consumers."
Despite the "very limited number" of targeted attacks, Microsoft pledged to remain vigilant about the evolving threat and urged customers to take appropriate action to protect themselves. Microsoft is recommending that users with IE6 or IE7 upgrade to IE8 as soon as possible to get improved security.
"Customers who are using Windows XP SP2 should be sure to upgrade to both IE8 and enable Data Execution Protection (DEP), or upgrade to Windows XP SP3 which enables DEP by default, as soon as possible," Stathakopoulos said. "Additionally, customers should consider implementing the workarounds and mitigations provided in the security advisory."
Stathakopoulos said Microsoft has teams working...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
Patent Battle Between Nokia and Apple Escalates
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71123
The patent duel between Apple and Nokia is getting decidedly more aggressive in the new year. Both handset makers took swings over the past few days in a legal battle that shows no signs of simmering down before it gets hotter.
On Friday, Apple filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), an independent federal agency that, among other things, directs actions against unfair trade practices involving patent, trademark and copyright infringement. The commission has the authority to order U.S. customs officials to block goods from entering the U.S.
In filing a complaint with the ITC, Apple is fighting fire with fire. In late December, Nokia filed a similar ITC complaint against the iPhone maker for allegedly infringing on its patents in virtually all of Apple's mobile phones, music players, and computers. Apple's tit-for-tat move suggests it has no intention of backing down without a fight.
"Nokia will study the complaint when it is received and continue to defend itself vigorously," a Nokia spokesperson told Reuters. "However, this does not alter the fact that Apple has failed to agree to appropriate terms for using Nokia technology and has been seeking a free ride on Nokia's innovation since it shipped the first iPhone in 2007."
The battle began Oct. 22 when Nokia filed a complaint in U.S. District Court in Delaware alleging the iPhone infringes on Nokia's patents for GSM, UMTS and wireless LAN (WLAN) standards. The patents cover wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption, and Nokia said they are infringed by all Apple iPhone models shipped since the iPhone was introduced in 2007.
On Dec. 11, Apple responded with a countersuit charging Nokia with infringing on 13 Apple patents. At that time, Bruce Sewell, Apple's general counsel and senior vice president, said, "Other companies must compete with us...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
Google-China Standoff Sheds Light on Global Net Intrigue
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71114
Google's bombshell announcement that it might pull up stakes in China because of cyberattacks and censorship points up a concern long overdue for higher scrutiny, security experts say.
For more than a decade, China and other nations have been ramping up state-sponsored cyberintrusions of commercial and military targets. Public outrage has been muted mainly because victimized organizations have disclosed as little as possible.
"Google's great gift is, it is helping us realize the breadth and depth of these attacks, something other companies have been trying to keep secret," says Alan Paller, managing director of the Sans Institute security think tank.
The search giant on Tuesday revealed details of systematic probes of its databases, as well as those of 20 other companies. On Thursday, security firm McAfee disclosed that it has isolated a sample of the attackers in action.
Meanwhile, a Los Angeles law firm has disclosed that it has come under attack a week after filing a $2.2 billion lawsuit against China on behalf of a California-based software company called Cybersitter. The lawsuit accused China of pirating computer code created by the company and using it in a state-sponsored child-protection censorship service.
On Monday, partners at Gipson Hoffman & Pancione began receiving personalized e-mail ruses routed through Internet addresses located in China that were poised to deliver data-stealing programs, says Gregory Fayer, an attorney at the firm.
Attackers used a very similar attack against Google and the 20 companies. They began by sending e-mails or instant messages addressed to senior technical managers, enticing them to click on a Web page link, says George Kurtz, McAfee's chief technical officer. Doing so activated a newly discovered flaw in Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser.
The attackers used the browser flaw to take control of the PC and "began probing the network for high-value intellectual property," Kurtz says. Extracted data were...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
Cisco Powers Through the Recession
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71113
Flanked by a coterie of gadgets in a private suite at the USA's biggest consumer electronics show, Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers might seem like the proverbial fish out of water.
Yet the leader of the computer-networking giant had delivered a keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show [and] was outlining its consumer plans.
It's all part of Cisco's audacious gambit to plunge into new markets, spend billions to snap up companies and partner with others, despite a sour economy.
"We were never more aggressive than we were last year, during one of the worst economic crises we have ever seen," Chambers said in an interview with USA TODAY.
He predicts 12 percent to 17 percent annual growth for Cisco in the next five years, regardless of the economy. "You never want to waste a good crisis," he says.
Chambers -- and Cisco -- seem to be everywhere.
Last week, it was the sprawling CES in Las Vegas. In September, he was in New York, speaking on education reform in the U.S. That same month, he rubbed shoulders with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones at the team's $1.2 billion palatial stadium. Cisco is technology partner at the stadium.
In April, Chambers addressed leaders of General Electric and Florida Power & Light in Florida about a smart-grid project. And he has frequently huddled with the Obama administration on the use of technology in the $787 billion stimulus package.
A buoyant Cisco is even planning a new hardware-software platform -- the Cisco Unified Computing System -- in pursuit of the multibillion-dollar business for equipping thousands of data centers run by corporations.
Numerous acquisitions have thrust Cisco into new markets such as computer servers and business-collaboration software, where the company now finds itself in direct competition with traditional business partners such as Hewlett-Packard, IBM and...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
Broadband Helps Create Jobs, Not Higher Wages
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71110
Increased access to high-speed Internet connections helps create jobs, though it doesn't always result in higher wages, according to a new research report from the Public Policy Institute of California.
Areas of the U.S. that went from having no broadband provider to as many as three in the period from 1999 to 2006 had faster job growth than the rest of the country, according to the study, presented in Washington, D.C., at an event hosted by the New America Foundation, a nonpartisan think tank. Along with more jobs come additional employers and new residents who compete with workers for jobs. That in turn keeps pressure on salaries, the report says.
"This expansion in the labor supply keeps the employment rate from going up, and prevents wages and earnings from rising rapidly," says PPIC fellow Jed Kolko, a former research director at Forrester Research. "While the effect on places seems very clear, the effect on residents is somewhat ambiguous."
Because the population increases at the same time more jobs are created, the rate of joblessness changes little, Kolko says. Existing residents have to compete harder for new jobs and see no change in their chances of getting a job, according to the report.
The results may be useful in assessing the impact of government plans to spend $7.2 billion to fund grants aimed at improving access to broadband in the U.S., especially in areas that have little access to fast Web connections. "We looked at the recent past as our guide for what is likely to happen as a result of broadband stimulus initiatives designed to raise availability," Kolko says.
William Lehr, a research scientist and economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who has researched the economics of broadband access, says Kolko's work may help manage expectations around the benefits of broadband. "It's...
Tue, 19 Jan 10
Amtrak To Add Wi-Fi To Some Trains
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71085
Amtrak will offer wireless Internet service on the high-speed trains that ferry passengers along the busy Northeast corridor, in another bid to lure business travelers away from the airline shuttles.
Wi-Fi access will be available starting in March on Acela trains traveling between Boston, New York and Washington, says Amtrak spokesman Cliff Cole. Initially, the service will be free.
Upping the competition with airlines such as Delta and US Airways, which offer short flights to travelers up and down the East Coast, is one reason for the new service, Cole says.
"That's part of it," he says. But, "It's more about our initiatives to add services for our passengers and create a better riding experience."
He says the efforts are paying off. From September 2004 through June 2009, Amtrak's share of the market between New York and Washington, compared with the airlines, rose to 61 percent from 50 percent. Its share of the market between New York and Boston rose to 50 percent from 39 percent, Cole says. "When you look at what we did compared to the airlines over the last ... year, we made significant inroads," he says. Internet access is "a service people have been asking for. We've been testing it, and we're ready to roll it out in March."
The Acela express service gets passengers from New York to Washington in two hours, 50 minutes -- 30 minutes faster than a regional train. Wi-Fi access can make time fly faster and lets travelers peruse the Internet longer than if they're on a short flight and have to log off for the rides to and from the airport.
Amtrak also plans to add Internet availability to Northeast regional trains, Cole says, and to eventually offer it beyond the East Coast.
By offering Wi-Fi on some of its Northeast runs, Amtrak is moving onto turf...
Sat, 16 Jan 10
Apple's Cease-and-Desist Letter Wins Tablet 'Prize'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71121
Always up for tweaking the breathless blogging that passes for technology journalism in Silicon Valley, ValleyWag this week offered to put up some real money if anyone could provide concrete evidence of the tablet computer that most Apple watchers expect CEO Steve Jobs to unveil at a Jan. 27 press happening in San Francisco.
"We've had enough of trying to follow all the speculation around Apple's impending tablet," ValleyWag's Gabriel Snyder wrote in a blog post announcing the Apple Tablet Scavenger Hunt. "If you can find the first genuine photos, video or -- the holy grail -- the actual messiah machine itself before then and they're exclusive to us, we'll give you a cash prize." The post offered $10,000 for bona-fide pictures, $20,000 for videos, $50,000 for images of Steve Jobs using the device, and $100,000 "to let us play with it for an hour."
After receiving a cease-and-desist letter from the Silicon Valley law firm of Orrick, Huntington and Sutcliffe, ValleyWag has declared the firm the winner of the contest, saying the letter confirms the existence of the tablet.
"You call this the 'scavenger hunt,'" but Apple calls it "offering a bounty for the theft of Apple's trade secrets," attorney Michael C. Spillner wrote. "Such an offer is illegal and Apple insists that you immediately discontinue the scavenger hunt."
ValleyWag's tongue-in-cheek response: The letter "is the most concrete evidence (from Apple itself, no less!) yet that there may indeed be a tablet in the works. Granted, it's no photo of Steve Jobs holding his heavenly device himself (prize: $50,000), but we do feel like it merits some kind of reward," Snyder wrote. The site claims it sent Spillner his reward: a DVD of Legally Blonde 2, a $25 Zune Marketplace gift card, and a "fabulous set of steak knives!"
Far from agreeing to...
Sat, 16 Jan 10
Verizon Requires Data Plan, But Voice Gets Cheaper
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71120
New Verizon Wireless smartphone customers will no longer be able to surf the web without a data plan as of Monday, when new rates take effect. But new voice plans will cost $30 less.
The company, a joint venture between Verizon Communications and the Vodafone Group that has the largest U.S. mobile network, will require a data plan on all its new 3G smartphones.
The company announced Friday that it has eliminated a $19.99 option for 75 megabytes of data, adding a new, unlimited plan for $29.99. The company still offers a $9.99 plan for 25 megabytes of data, but has lowered the cost of overages from 50 cents to 20 cents.
That means a customer who uses 75 megabytes of data per month but does not want an unlimited plan would see no change in the bill, because $9.99 for 25 megabytes plus $10 in overage charges for 50 megabytes would bring the plan up to the previous $19.99 rate. But those who go much over 75 megabytes will likely be drawn to the unlimited plan.
"We're giving people more options," said Brenda Raney, a spokesperson for the Basking Ridge, N.J.-based company. "We are seeing that people who use full-feature phones really use all the features."
She said the new data rates are "a response to current customer usage habits. More customers on multimedia devices want the unlimited data."
The price changes won't affect existing customers unless they switch to another plan.
Verizon has only required data plans on the LG EnV Touch and the Samsung Rogue. Simple feature-phone users have been able to choose to pay $1.99 per megabyte or pick one of the two data plans.
The change is seen as a push to get more people using data phones as Verizon prepares to launch its fourth-generation, 700-MHz Long Term Evolution network later this...
Sat, 16 Jan 10
T-Mobile Drops Nexus One Price $100
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71119
In the latest in the Nexus One saga, Google and T-Mobile have made changes to the pricing policy for the controversial device. The companies are lowering the price of the Nexus One by $100 for some existing customers.
The new pricing paradigm means T-Mobile subscribers who are eligible can get the Nexus One for $279 instead of $379. Google has pledged to give refunds to T-Mobile customers who paid the higher price, though it is not clear whether that refund will come in the form of a T-Mobile billing credit or a gift card.
Like many other aspects of customer service surrounding the Nexus One, though, the eligibility requirements seem less than straightforward. In order to qualify for the lower price or the $100 refund, T-Mobile customers must be eligible for a "full grade" upgrade. That translates to at least 22 months since the customer's last upgrade or new contract. The price cut is not available to family account plans or business users.
"Google has had many issues with the Nexus One in terms of service and support, including users not being able to figure out who to contact and being unable to get a live person to deal with their support issues," said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. "Then there's the pricing debacle in terms of the existing T-Mobile customers who are the most likely customers to use the device. All this shows that getting into the consumer electronics business might be a little more difficult than Google might have thought."
T-Mobile is offering the smartphone to new subscribers for $179 with a two-year contract and plenty of restrictions, including the offensive early-termination fee that made headlines earlier this week. With problem after problem, the Nexus One could tarnish what has been an otherwise fairly sterling reputation for Google....
Sat, 16 Jan 10
FCC Awaits Rebuttals on Net-Neutrality Testimony
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71118
The Federal Communications Commission has a daunting task to complete this spring. The deadline for public comment on the FCC's proposed Net-neutrality rules passed this week, and now the FCC is accepting rebuttals and replies to comments made by Internet companies, industry associations, and government officials.
The proposed Net-neutrality framework or national broadband plan would regulate businesses in an effort to ensure that all people of the U.S. have broadband access. The rule change also means consumers will have more say in which Internet products succeed.
At the core of the debate 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.
More than 150 public comments on the subject were electronically filed on Thursday, the deadline for comments. The FCC, however, has received thousands of comments since first voting to create the rule-making process in October.
People and businesses have until March 5 to file replies to the public comments. Once that is complete, the FCC will have to review all the public opinions on the Net-neutrality debate before developing a framework.
Several technology companies, including Google, Netflix and eBay have openly supported the FCC's proposed rules. And companies such as Twitter and Amazon.com have also come forward in support of the rules.
Wireless companies, however, say government and regulations should not be part of the Internet equation because it's counterintuitive to regulate companies that are being asked to upgrade broadband service to support the overall plan. CTIA - The Wireless Association argues that the FCC's proposed rules will actually stifle innovation, new business, and job creation.
"Quite simply, we believe that these rules are inappropriate for...
Sat, 16 Jan 10
Kodak Hits Hard at Apple and RIM with Patent Lawsuit
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71117
Eastman Kodak filed complaints with the International Trade Commission Thursday against Apple and BlackBerry maker Research In Motion. According to Kodak, mobile devices from both companies infringe on technology pertaining to its patented method for previewing color images.
Kodak is asking the ITC for a limited exclusion order preventing the importation of specific mobile handsets featuring digital cameras. Kodak Chief Intellectual Property Officer Laura Quatela noted that Kodak has a long history of digital-imaging innovation and has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in the creation of its patent portfolio.
"In the case of Apple and RIM, we've had discussions for years with both companies in an attempt to resolve this issue amicably, and we have not been able to reach a satisfactory agreement," Quatela said. "In light of that, we are taking this action to ensure that we protect the interests of our shareholders and the existing licensees of our technology."
Kodak's sales of stand-alone digital cameras have been impacted by the rise in popularity of camera-enabled cellular handsets and smartphones. According to Gartner, a huge number of mobile devices with digital-imaging capabilities shipped in 2009.
"For worldwide in 2009, we expect 78 percent of the handsets will have had some sort of camera functionality," said Tuong Nguyen, a principal analyst at Gartner. "We break this total up into six categories, with handsets under one megapixels accounting for 24.8 percent; one megapixel, 12 percent; two megapixels, 27.6 percent; three megapixels, 22.5 percent; five megapixels, 10.4 percent; and over eight megapixels, 2.7 percent."
In response to the growing mobile-device threat, Kodak has already begun leveraging its patent portfolio to boost the company's bottom line through royalty-generating cross-license agreements such as one with Samsung Electronics that the imaging pioneer announced Monday. Kodak's agreement with Samsung settles patent-infringement proceedings before U.S. and German courts as...
Sat, 16 Jan 10
Another Windows Veteran Preps To Leave Microsoft
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71116
News this week from Microsoft indicates another key executive is leaving the software giant. An e-mail Thursday from CEO Steve Ballmer told employees that Bill Veghte, a 19-year veteran who was senior vice president for the Windows division, will leave at the end of the month.
While Ballmer praised Veghte's contributions to Windows, it appears Veghte may have felt he was passed over in July when another Microsoft veteran, Steven Sinofsky, became president of the Windows division. Both played major roles in the launch of Windows 7, and Microsoft's promise of a new role for Veghte apparently never materialized.
In Microsoft's fiscal first quarter, Windows sales were off 39 percent before the release of Windows 7 in October. Many businesses showed reluctance to commit to the trouble-plagued Windows Vista, choosing instead to stick with tried and true Windows XP.
On New Year's Eve, Alex Kochis resigned as director of Microsoft's Genuine Software program. In a posting on the Genuine Windows Blog, Kochis said goodbye and said it had "been truly great working" at Microsoft.
Other key players who have left Microsoft over the recent past include CFO Chris Liddell, now the CFO at General Motors; Debra Chrapaty, Microsoft's data-center chief; Kevin Johnson, formerly head of the Windows division; Rob Short, who was the Windows technical lead; and Joanne Bradford, who was chief media officer.
In his e-mail to Microsoft staffers, Ballmer thanked Veghte for his important contributions over the past two decades. While not revealing his next destination or specific plans, Ballmer wrote that Veghte "has indicated a desire to run a business in a more end-to-end fashion" somewhere within the broad technology, communications and services sectors.
Sat, 16 Jan 10
Video-Game Sales Soar in December after Rough Year
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71115
If the video-game industry were itself a game, December would be the point where the alien fighters rally to its side. According to a new report from the NPD Group, sales in December "broke all industry records" as a counterpoint to a disappointing year.
Retail sales of software, accessories and both portable and console hardware were about $19.66 billion for 2009, an eight percent drop from $21.4 billion in revenue in 2008. But December was up about four percent, making it the best single month for video-game sales ever. Industry observers had been bracing for flat or even declining sales.
Compared to 2008, however, software dropped seven percent in 2009, while hardware rose 16 percent and accessories rose 15 percent.
Michael D. Gallager, president and CEO of the Entertainment Software Association, said the December results point to "a very strong transition into 2010," and he expects "these solid sales numbers to continue upward through 2010 with a pipeline full of highly anticipated titles."
Nintendo's Wii remained the game hardware leader for December, with about 3.8 million sold. The company also took second place with its DS portable system at 3.3 million. Sony's PlayStation 3 just barely nudged ahead of Microsoft's Xbox 360, with 1.36 million units versus 1.3 million. The last two places were taken by the PlayStation Portable at 654,000 and the still-selling PlayStation 2, at 333,0000.
A year ago December, Nintendo hardware also was tops, but with the DS in first and the Wii in second place. The Xbox 360 was also about 700,000 units higher than the PS3, meaning the PS3 had a year-over-year increase of more than 85 percent.
In software titles, Wii also ruled. New Super Mario Brothers for Wii was king of the December hill with 2.8 million sold, followed closely by Wii Fit...
Sat, 16 Jan 10
IE Opened Door To Attacks on Google, Other Companies
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71107
On Tuesday, Google revealed cyberattacks against it and other U.S. companies. Within two days, security researchers had traced one of the open doors back to Internet Explorer. Microsoft has admitted that a remote code execution (RCE) vulnerability exists in IE.
"Based upon our investigations, we have determined that Internet Explorer was one of the vectors used in targeted and sophisticated attacks against Google and possibly other corporate networks," said Mike Reavy, Microsoft Security Response Center director.
On Thursday, Microsoft issued guidance to help customers mitigate the RCE vulnerability in Internet Explorer. Microsoft has not seen widespread consumer impact from the vulnerability, but may release an out-of-band patch to address the issue. Reavy also said Microsoft is cooperating with Google and other companies, as well as authorities and other industry partners.
McAfee CTO George Kurtz explained how the attack works in a blog post: The intruders gained access by sending a tailored attack to one or a few targeted individuals. McAfee suspects these individuals were targeted because they likely had access to valuable intellectual property. These attacks will look like they come from a trusted source, he said, leading the target to fall for the trap and click a link or file. That's when the exploitation takes place, using the vulnerability in Microsoft's Internet Explorer.
Kurtz said once the malware is downloaded and installed, it opens a back door that allows the attacker to perform reconnaissance and gain complete control over the compromised system. The attacker can now identify high-value targets and start to siphon off valuable data, he explained.
"It's hard to imagine a cyber breach with bigger ramifications than this one unless it involved some infrastructure capacity. The scope and the targeting of this breach should grab every CEO's attention," said Andrew Storms, director of security operations for nCircle. "If Google got...
Sat, 16 Jan 10
HP, Microsoft Team for $250M Cloud Computing Project
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71094
Hewlett-Packard and Microsoft said Wednesday they will jointly spend $250 million to develop hardware and software products that are designed to work together smoothly in their customers' data centers and in cloud computing facilities.
"This is all about integrating technology and making things as close to 'plug and play' as we can," HP CEO Mark Hurd said during a telephone conference call with Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer and other executives, in which they announced a partnership that appears to represent another move toward consolidation in the commercial tech industry.
The two tech giants said they will collaborate in designing a full "stack" of data center hardware, software management tools and other applications, as well as on Windows Azure, which is Microsoft's operating platform for cloud computing, in which customers can access data center services over the Internet.
Microsoft, which is a major provider of business software, said it will use HP hardware in the data centers that run the Azure platform. HP, which is a leading provider of data center hardware, said it will develop products that can be sold pre-loaded with Microsoft's operating system, database program or other software.
"We're driving ahead aggressively with Hewlett-Packard," Ballmer said during the announcement. However, he also noted that both companies will continue to develop products in collaboration with other partners in the tech industry, such as Oracle and Dell.
Both executives also said their companies will continue to develop hardware and software that works with products from other tech vendors.
The announcement comes as most of the big players in commercial technology are increasingly striving to offer a full range of hardware and software products, so they can serve as a one-stop shop for their customers. That has led to several major acquisitions. HP, for example, recently purchased 3Com to expand its portfolio of networking equipment.
Giant software company...
Sat, 16 Jan 10
An Unsung Option for Saving Data
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71083
Network-attached storage, or NAS, may be one of the best-kept secrets in personal technology.
"It is one of the fastest-growing categories of data storage, but most consumers still haven't heard of NAS," said Seema Lindskog, director of product marketing at Western Digital, a hard-drive manufacturer that also sells NAS products. "Most people are still using external hard drives for backup."
For the uninitiated, NAS provides a central hard drive on which you can store, share, and back up all files from multiple computers in the household. The NAS drive connects via an Ethernet cable to a home-network router. Unlike an external hard drive, an NAS device has a processor and uses its own operating system for storage and sharing of photos, music, video and personal files
An NAS drive will cost approximately $75 to $100 more than an external hard drive with the same storage capacity.
"But the value goes up when you have multiple computers in the house -- that's where NAS drives prove their worth," said Ross Rubin, director of industry analysis for NPD Group, a market research firm. "It enables all PCs to access and store files on the drive without having to physically plug in a drive to each computer."
Makers of NAS devices say home users primarily employ the drives for centralized storage and file sharing among multiple computers; data backup; and remote access to photos, video, music and other files.
Most NAS drives enable families to create a centralized, consolidated library of photos, videos and digital music that can be streamed to high-definition TVs and other networked devices in the home. To use it, you will need a digital media adapter or game consoles like the Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 that connect to your HD TV.
NAS drives also have software that can be set to back up every computer...
Sat, 16 Jan 10
Review: Google's Nexus One Wows When You Turn It On
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70968
Here's the thing to know about the Nexus One right off the bat: The much ballyhooed "Google phone" that the search behemoth unveiled this week isn't as cool as the iPhone. Still, it is a very fine smartphone. In some respects it compares favorably to Apple's wunderkind, but it comes up short in other key measures, such as storage for downloadable apps.
It advances the ball compared with previous handsets that run Google's Android mobile operating software, if not dramatically so.
Much has been made of the way Google is selling Nexus, made by HTC: It's $529 as an "unlocked" phone that lets you choose your own wireless carrier, or $179 for a two-year contract with T-Mobile, with monthly voice and data plans of $80.
You've been able to buy other unlocked phones and insert your own so-called SIM card to make them work. But there are limits, at least for now, with the Nexus. It recognizes SIM cards from carriers that use the global GSM standard. But it is incompatible with the frequency used by AT&T for its fastest 3G data network and won't work with Verizon or Sprint, both of which use a rival wireless format known as CDMA. A Verizon version of the Nexus is expected in the spring.
Here's more of what you need to know:
*Aesthetics. Nexus One is svelte like the iPhone and close to the same size and shape, but the gray device is nothing much to look at until you turn it on. I was wowed by its lovely 3.7-inch screen, which is a bit larger than the iPhone's and has superior resolution. I like the animated screen backgrounds. I'm using one with blades of grass that gently sway in the wind.
The device is fast: A zippy Qualcomm processor is on board. You get around via trackball...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
Robust PC Shipments Point To Market Recovery
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71106
Global PC shipments in the fourth quarter of 2009 increased 22.1 percent year-over-year to surpass 90 million units, according to Gartner. However, worldwide shipments were largely driven by sales of low-cost notebooks and netbooks to price-sensitive consumers.
Though the research firm does not yet have a preliminary average selling price for the PCs sold in the fourth quarter, it expects that the decline was steeper this time around than in prior reporting periods, noted Mikako Kitagawa, a principal analyst at Gartner. "The price point is shifting to the lower side in the consumer market."
Low-cost mini-notebooks -- dubbed netbooks by many vendors -- have been accounting for a little less than 20 percent of the total mobile PC market. "Though we do not have mini-notebook numbers for the fourth quarter of 2009 yet, we expect that their share will go up to over 20 percent," Kitagawa said.
According to IDC, the U.S. PC market shipped nearly 20.7 million units in the fourth quarter of 2009 -- equivalent to year-on-year growth of 24 percent. The research firm attributed the rise to the unprecedented duration of price cuts during last year's holiday shopping season, when buyers focused on the vast array of value-oriented notebooks and low-cost netbooks that dominated the channel landscape.
Despite lingering uncertainty over the economy, consumers responded to aggressive pricing, IDC analysts observed. The launch of Windows 7 also provided PC vendors with a modicum of additional help in the United States.
However, the trend toward lower pricing does not bode well for PC makers going forward, noted Jay Chou, a research analyst at IDC. "Without an effective strategy to convey a clear usage model and feature set tied to each segment, the market will inevitably continue down the slippery slope of 'good-enough' computing sold to the lowest bidder," Chou said.
According...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
IBM and Panasonic Ink Largest Cloud-Computing Deal
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71102
In a new marker for outsourced IT services, Panasonic has announced it will adopt IBM's LotusLive suite of collaboration technologies. This is reportedly the largest cloud-computing arrangement ever, involving support for 100,000 Panasonic workers that will eventually expand to more than 300,000 users, including partners and suppliers.
Mitsuhiro Aoyama, vice president of corporate information systems at Panasonic, said the deal will allow the company's employees "to truly function as a globally integrated enterprise" so everyone can work "as if they were in the same location." The terms of the agreement were not released.
Panasonic said the move allows it to increase its IT infrastructure without increasing its internal IT departments as it builds on a decision to unify its brands worldwide under the Panasonic name. The hosted LotusLive suite includes e-mail, conferencing, chat and file sharing.
James Staten, an analyst with industry research firm Forrester, said the deal is more significant as an example of "mix-and-match outsourcing," rather than for its cloud-computing aspect.
He said Forrester is describing this trend as "strategic right-sourcing," in which IT heads will outsource only the services they need when they realize they do not have enough internal resources.
"The old way," he said, "would have been to hand the IT keys to a company" such as IBM, but now IT departments are being "much more selective" and are becoming more open to using hosted solutions. An enterprise can give e-mail to IBM as Panasonic is doing, he said, web operations to someone else, and so on.
In Panasonic's case, Staten noted, handing e-mail to IBM is easier because the company is "already a Lotus shop."
While cloud computing can be part of a growing IT department's solution, he said, it's "unrealistic" that any major enterprise is going to "go 100 percent cloud." Staten said key reasons...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
AMD Offers ATI HD Graphics Card for Less than $100
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71100
In a move to bring high-definition gaming to the masses, Advanced Micro Devices has introduced the ATI Radeon HD 5670 graphics card to support Microsoft DirectX 11 gaming and computing. The new card also offers a new innovation called ATI Eyefinity technology.
Priced at less than $100, the HD 5670 promises superior HD gaming experiences for the latest DirectX 11 titles. The card relies on ATI Stream technology to enhance performance in video playback and productivity applications and, AMD said, helps enable the full Windows 7 experience.
Demonstrating AMD's commitment to gaming, Matt Skynner, vice president and general manager of AMD's Graphics Group, said the company recently shipped its two millionth DirectX 11 graphics chip.
"This is a great example of how higher-end technology -- and there's a gazillion examples of it, everything from microprocessors to high-performance computing -- trickles downstream in lower cost, higher performance products over time," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT.
How powerful is the ATI HD 5670? It delivers up to 620 gigaFLOPS of computing power and GDDR5 memory.
That much memory opens the door to gaming performance that hasn't been a reality for under $100 with titles such as Codemaster's Colin McRae: DiRT 2, EA Phenomic's BattleForge, GSC Game World's S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call of Pripyat, and Battlefield: Bad Company 2, and other DirectX 9, DirectX 10, DirectX 10.1, and OpenGL titles. According to AMD, its new graphics processor showed a more than 20 percent performance improvement over the closest competing product in its class.
With the HD 5670, AMD also said panoramic computing has hit the mainstream. The latest in ATI Eyefinity technology lets gamers use up to three displays with a single ATI Radeon HD 5670 graphics card to offer an immersive gaming experience.
Finally, AMD said ATI Stream technology speeds up video transcoding and...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
iPhone Piracy May Have Cost Apple, Developers $450M
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71098
Apple iPhones that have been jailbroken, modified to allow unapproved applications, have cost the computer giant and its developers some $450 million, according to an analysis released Wednesday by the financial news site 24/7 Wall St. The reports says a staggering 1.53 billion pirated applications have been downloaded, or three for every legitimate, paid download.
Citing research by Sanford Bernstein analyst Toni Sacconaghi, the report says between 13 percent and 21 percent of the three billion downloads from Apple's App Store since it began in July 2008 were for paid applications at an average cost of $3. The store also offers many free apps.
That amounts to income of between $60 million and $110 million per quarter as of the time of the research, when 127,632 applications were available.
The Delaware-based web site said that by modifying the iPhone to circumvent Apple's limitations, tech-savvy users can download similar, pirated software for free or cheaper from sites such as Cydia. Citing the number of visits reported by Cydia and the growth of iPhone use, the authors estimate there are some 7.5 million jailbroken iPhone users who can download whatever they please, although not every user who hacks an iPhone is believed to be pirating apps.
"Assuming the proportion of those that are paid apps falls in the middle of the Bernstein estimate, 17 percent, or 510 million, of these were paid applications," wrote report authors Garrett W. McIntyre and Phil MacDonald. "Based on our review of current information, paid applications have a piracy rate of around 75 percent. That supports the figure that for every paid download, there have been three pirated downloads." At $3 a download, the lost revenue is $459 million, they conclude.
While many developers put security features into their software, 24/7 Wall St. suggests that Apple hasn't done much...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
Universities Will Skip Kindle DX Until Blind Can Use It
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71097
A settlement has been reached between three universities that supported Amazon.com's popular Kindle electronic book reader and the federal government. The U.S. Department of Justice settled with Case Western in Cleveland, Ohio; Pace University in New York City; and Reed College in Portland, Ore., after they agreed to no longer use or promote the Kindle DX or any other electronic reader until the devices are accessible to blind students.
The universities were part of an Amazon.com pilot project to use the Kindle DX in the classroom. Six schools participated in the project.
The three universities agreed that if they use e-book readers, they will be sure that students with vision disabilities can acquire the same materials, participate in the same interactions, and enjoy the same services as other students.
"Advancing technology is systematically changing the way universities approach education, but we must be sure that emerging technologies offer individuals with disabilities the same opportunities as other students," said Assistant Attorney General Thomas Perez. "These agreements underscore the importance of full and equal educational opportunities for everyone."
The DOJ first made a case against the schools after the National Federation of the Blind (NFB) in Baltimore, Md., and the American Council of the Blind (ACB) in Arlington, Va., filed complaints about violating the Americans with Disabilities Act.
Amazon's popular e-reader includes a function to convert text to speech, which could be used by someone with impaired vision. The device, however, does not have text-to-speech features in its menu bar or on its navigation controls.
The Justice Department argued that without access to the menus, blind students have no way of knowing which book to select or how to use the Kindle DX browser. Others have also complained that the software used to convert text to speech is not always clear.
Amazon Vice President Ian...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
China Unlikely To Budge Despite Google's Threat
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71096
Two days after Google threatened to stop doing business in China, the nation's leadership is not budging. A senior Chinese government official left little reason to believe Google can find a compromise with the communist country.
Wang Chen, the minister of the State Council Information Office, did not address the Google incident directly. Rather, his statement was posted on an official government web site and in state-controlled media.
"China's Internet is entering an important stage of development, confronting both rare opportunities and severe challenges. The Internet is bringing massive changes to social life, as well as making life much more convenient for many, but at the same time problems with Internet security are increasingly stark," said Chen, noting a severe threat to the physical and mental health of minors from Internet pornography.
As Chen sees it, ensuring the secure operation of the Internet and its information flow ensures national security and the fundamental interests of the people.
In some sense, he said, the greater the reach and influence of Internet media, the greater are the demands for security and reliability, and the greater the responsibilities officials shoulder for Internet security. He said the Internet must fully grasp the major significance of ensuring security and constantly enhance its sense of responsibility, urgency and mission.
"We must make truly improving our capacity to guide opinion on the Internet a major measure for protecting Internet security. Our country is at a crucial stage of reform and development, and this is a period of marked social conflicts. ... Properly guiding Internet opinion is a major measure for protecting Internet information security," Chen said.
Chen added that Internet media need to make nurturing positive, progressive mainstream opinion an important duty. Currently, he added, the Internet allows spreading rumors, issuing false information, and other actions that diminish confidence, and...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
20,000 Nexus One Sales in a Week Can Be Good or Bad
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71095
Google's Nexus One smartphone, which grabbed the spotlight recently among the wave of new devices based on its open-source Android operating system, sold an estimated 20,000 units in its first week. That sales estimation by a company that tracks applications is being interpreted by some industry observers as disappointing.
The number came from Flurry, which estimates new smartphones by tracking more than 10,000 third-party applications in more than 25 million end-user sessions each day.
Business Week's Peter Burrows, for example, who sees the estimate as disappointing, described the number as "pretty uninspiring stuff" and the launch as a "slow start."
Flurry noted that, by comparison, the iPhone 3GS sold 1.6 million in its first week, and the Android-based Droid and myTouch sold 250,000 and 60,000, respectively.
But others have noted that, if Google sells 20,000 Nexus Ones a week, that's more than a million units a year for a device that has no paid advertising. While it doesn't necessarily compare favorably to the iPhone's sales, a million units a year is not insignificant.
Avi Greengart, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said a comparison to the iPhone may overlook Google's real intentions.
"They are creating a new distribution model," he noted, since the Nexus One can only be bought on Google's web site. Apple, by contrast, insists on its carrier partners selling the iPhone through their channels. T-Mobile, currently the carrier partner in the U.S. for the Nexus One, does not provide distribution or marketing support for the device.
Greengart suggested that Google, which has been known to play multidimensional chess, might have other goals than sales numbers. In a well-known display of its long-term strategy, for instance, Google appears to have gotten its goal of open-device bandwidth by "losing" the 2008 Federal Communications Commission spectrum auction.
Greengart said the...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
Web May Overtake Storefronts for Retailers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71074
The battle for the shrinking American budget is moving online this year with a vengeance. While the recession took its toll on shopping centers and strip malls around the country, the economic downturn has left the Internet poised to enter 2010 as a larger force in retail.
Newly frugal shoppers are turning to the Internet in droves to compare prices, hunt for bargains, download coupons and seek advice from fellow shoppers. Retailers, weary from years of building sprees, are diverting capital away from physical storefronts and to their Web sites, investing in the technology to make online shopping easier, faster and cheaper.
Look no further than Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for a sign that online shopping, historically only 5 percent of U.S. retail sales, is about to get a whole lot bigger. The world's largest retailer announced late last year that it plans to unleash its economic might on its decade-old but often neglected Web site, walmart.com, intent on toppling Amazon.com Inc. from its perch as the world's largest online merchant.
"There's no question the Internet has gone from being a curious sidebar to a main event," said Mark Cohen, marketing professor at Columbia Business School in New York and former chairman and CEO of Sears Canada Inc. "Customers are becoming completely comfortable with doing business on the Net and receiving things in short order. This year is going to be a very good year for online shopping, tempered only by the negative effect of the economy."
Online sales, excluding travel, had been growing at a roughly 20 percent to 25 percent annual clip for much of the decade, before slowing to a 6 percent gain in 2008, according to ComScore Inc., a digital market research firm.
Growth came to a halt last year. When ComScore releases its year-end data this week, 2009 online sales are...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
Pandora Online Radio Service Scores a Hit
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71073
Tim Westergren doesn't have to beat the drum as loudly anymore.
Thanks to the popularity of the iPhone and other smartphones, listenership has quadrupled since 2008 at Pandora, the free online radio service he founded. The private company just had its first profitable quarter and brought in about $40 million in revenue last year. It expects even more growth this year.
Not bad, considering that two years ago Pandora was on the verge of shutting down over new copyright royalties that threatened to bankrupt it before a settlement was reached.
As Pandora's chief strategy officer, Westergren spent last week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas showing off Pandora on TVs, Blu-ray players, clock radios, car audio systems, TV set-top boxes and other devices.
Ford Motor will feature a Pandora app in its next-generation Sync in-car communication system. A Web-connected clock radio from Sony, the $200 Dash, lets you wake up to the time, weather -- and, if you like, your personalized radio station from Pandora. Samsung, LG and Vizio all will be rolling out TVs with built-in access to Pandora.
"We're getting to participate in a much bigger arena, which is anytime, anywhere," says Westergren, 44.
Pandora is morphing into a full-featured radio service available to all, not just computer users, Westergren says. "Broadcast radio's genius a long time ago was, 'Let's get into the car, into the home, on clock radios.' We want to do the same thing with Net radio, and that's happened."
After years of struggle to find an audience, Internet radio is finally coming of age as it expands to cell phones, TVs and other devices. Apple's iTunes dominates the market for digital downloads, but with 43 million registered users and an average 20 million listening monthly, many people are turning to Pandora -- the largest source of online music listening...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
The Remote Control? It Soon Could Be You
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71070
Get ready to say goodbye to your mouse and your remote control.
In the coming months, Microsoft, Hitachi and major PC makers will begin selling devices that will allow people to flip channels on a television or move documents on a computer monitor with simple hand gestures.
The technology, one of the most significant changes to human-device interfaces since the mouse appeared next to computers in the early 1980s, was being shown in private sessions during the immense Consumer Electronics Show [in Las Vegas] last week. Past attempts at similar technology have proved clunky and disappointing. In contrast, the latest crop of gesture-powered devices arrives with a refreshing surprise: They actually work.
"Everything is finally moving in the right direction," said Vincent J. Vincent, the co-founder of GestureTek, a company that makes software for gesture devices.
Manipulating the screen with the flick of the wrist will remind many people of the 2002 film "Minority Report," in which Tom Cruise moves images and documents around on futuristic computer screens with a few sweeping gestures.
The real-life technology will call for similar flair and some subtlety.
Stand in front of a television equipped with a gesture technology camera, and you can turn on the set with a soft punch into the air. Flipping through channels requires a twist of the hand, and raising the volume occurs with an upward pat. If there is a photo on the screen, you can enlarge it by holding your hands in the air and spreading them apart and shrink it by bringing your hands back together as you would do with your fingers on a cell phone touch screen.
The gesture revolution will go mainstream later this year when Microsoft releases a new video game system known at this time as Project Natal. The gaming system is Microsoft's attempt to one-up Nintendo's Wii.
Where...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
Tough First Year for Yahoo's Tough-Talking CEO
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71067
Carol Bartz spent much of her first year as Yahoo Inc.'s chief executive rallying the troops and clearing the decks, often sounding like a salty drill sergeant as she vowed to whip the downtrodden Internet company back into shape.
For all the tough talk, Yahoo remains on shaky ground as Bartz marks her one-year anniversary as CEO on Wednesday.
Revenue has sagged even further since her hiring while Yahoo's share of the Internet lucrative search market has shriveled and the company's stock performance has lagged its most prominent peers.
"Operationally, I don't think you can point to any meaningful success yet, although you can point to some good strategic moves," said Benchmark Co. analyst Clayton Moran.
Yahoo declined a request to interview Bartz.
Bartz's most notable accomplishment so far has been negotiating an Internet search partnership with rival Microsoft Corp., resolving a tense courtship that began under her predecessors.
Moran and other analysts have higher hopes for Bartz in her second year at the helm, largely because they believe a recovering economy will help Yahoo sell more online advertising and bounce back from its sharpest annual revenue decline in eight years.
Yahoo's fourth-quarter results aren't due out until Jan. 26, but management has projected an 11 percent drop in its 2009 revenue.
Convinced the worst is over, Standard & Poor's equity analyst Scott Kessler rates Yahoo as his top Internet stock pick for this year, even though he says Yahoo's financial results so far under Bartz have been "consistently disappointing."
Bartz, 61, can't be entirely blamed for the letdown because Yahoo's profits depend on advertising, a business that suffered as marketers curtailed their spending during the worst U.S. recession in 70 years.
Yahoo's financial funk began in 2006 while Terry Semel was still CEO and deepened even further when company co-founder Jerry Yang took over the top job in June...
Fri, 15 Jan 10
Not-So-Smart Phones Also Offer Applications
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70906
Given the craze surrounding the iPhone, Motorola Droid, Palm Pre and Nexus One, it may seem that nearly everyone has a smartphone.
But most consumers in the United States use simpler, much lower-cost phones.
According to data from the Nielsen Co., about 82 percent of cell phones in use in the United States are limited-function phones, the kind that typically sell for less than $50 or are given away with two-year service contracts.
The cell phone industry prefers to call them feature phones, to distinguish them from smartphones like the Pre or the Droid, but they could just as well be called "kinda smartphones."
Although once easily identified by boxy designs and minuscule, poorly pixelated screens, many feature phones these days more closely resemble their smarter cousins because software improvements enable them to run more sophisticated mobile applications.
"Feature phones are migrating away from the tiny screens that characterized their dominance in the era of the Motorola Razr," said Ross Rubin, an industry analyst with the NPD Group, a market research company. "They have more sophisticated operating systems, touch screens and bigger screens."
Sleek offerings from Samsung, LG and Motorola have attracted the attention of entrepreneurs and software companies hoping to market functions similar to those found on the iPhone. One phone, the LG Vu, for example, has a three-inch, or 7.6-centimeter, touch screen with "haptic feedback" so the user feels a response when tapping on the screen; a two-megapixel camera; and as many as four gigabytes of external memory -- enough to fit hundreds of additional applications.
Another, the Motorola Clutch, has a Web browser and support for GPS functions and is Bluetooth-enabled. These phones typically come loaded with a simple suite of applications selected by the carrier, like puzzle games, a mobile e-mail application, a navigation application and an instant-messaging client. "These companies are trying...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Facebook Users Can Get McAfee Virus Protection
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71082
Responding to the growing threat of malware, Facebook on Wednesday announced a partnership with security giant McAfee that will encourage users to sign up for virus protection. The social network, which says it has 350 million users, has also developed a system with McAfee to scan Facebook messages for hidden malware.
If a threat is detected from a user, Facebook will be able to lock out that user's account until a free scan and clean program is run.
The announcement comes just days after Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg caused a ruckus in the tech and online world by saying that the "social norm" had evolved to the point where people were less concerned about privacy and more inclined to share details of their lives on the Internet.
One expert said the timing, likely coincidental, might help change the conversation.
"Certainly, this would have been in the works for quite some time," said Michael Zimmer, an assistant professor in the school of information studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an associate at the Center for Information Policy Research. "But I wouldn't be surprised if someone at Facebook decided to accelerate the announcement to show that they're taking user security seriously."
Facebook said the deal is an expansion of measures it began taking in July to detect compromised user accounts. The agreement will allow Facebook users a free subscription to McAfee Internet Security Suite software for six months, followed by a discount one-year subscription. The software protects against "viruses, spyware, hackers, online scammers, identity thieves, and other cybercriminals," McAfee says.
Another security software company, BitDefender, announced on Dec. 30 that spyware and malware activity rose drastically at the end of 2009. The company pointed to Trojan.Clicker.CM, which can force advertisements inside users' browsers when visiting nonsecure web sites, as the leading threat. Others include Win32.Worm.Downadup.Gen, ...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Google Expands Docs Storage as Microsoft Bristles
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71081
Google is showing signs that it intends to push harder into Microsoft Office territory. On Tuesday the company announced that users of its Google Docs service will get one gigabyte of free storage and be able to upload all file types, not just word processing, spreadsheet and presentation files.
"Because Google Docs now supports files up to 250MB in size, which is larger than the attachment limit on most e-mail applications, you'll be able to back up large graphics files, RAW photos, ZIP archives, and much more to the cloud," Google Docs product manager Vijay Bangaru wrote on a company blog.
"More importantly, instead of carrying a USB drive, you can now use Google Docs as a more convenient option for accessing your files on different computers," he added.
"Combined with shared folders, you can store, organize and collaborate on files more easily using Google Docs. For example, if you are in a club or PTA working on large graphics files for posters or a newsletter, you can upload them to a shared folder for collaborators to view, download and print," Bangaru wrote.
Microsoft responded to the announcement by reminding reporters that it offers 25GB of free, cloud-based storage. "Just a friendly reminder that Windows Live has been offering its more than 450 million customers 25GB of cloud-based storage space for free through Windows Live SkyDrive since 2008," an e-mail reads.
"For more than a year now, Windows Live customers have been able to upload many different types of files to the cloud -- including large graphics files, MP3s, PDFs, videos and more -- allowing them to access their files and information anywhere and everywhere they have access to the web."
While Microsoft is bristling about the breathless press Google receives over every little upgrade, the immediate impact is on Google's smaller competitors...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Netflix Will Stream Video Content To Wii Game Consoles
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71079
Soon to be playing on your Wii game console: Netflix. The popular movie service announced Wednesday that it has agreed with Nintendo to offer instantly streaming movies and TV episodes on the Wii. The service will be available at no additional cost to Netflix members who have a plan starting at $8.99 per month, and who have a broadband Internet connection for their Wii.
The service, which offers thousands of movies and TV shows, will begin in the U.S. in the spring.
The announcement is part of Netflix's move to embed its service in a wide array of hardware, providing yet another way for the company's 11.1 million U.S. customers to enjoy its TV shows and movies besides the familiar red envelopes with DVDs mailed to members. Currently, only some movies and TV shows in the Netflix collection are available for streaming.
"Our goal," said Netflix cofounder and CEO Reed Hastings, "is to offer Netflix members as many ways as possible" to see movies and TV shows on their TV sets.
Netflix is already available on the other two major game consoles, Sony's PlayStation 3 and Microsoft's Xbox, as well as certain Net-connected TVs from manufacturers such as Sony. On the PS3, Netflix is also free, but, to see the service on the Xbox, you have to have access to the Gold Level of Xbox Live, which has a $50 annual fee.
The three big game console makers have each been positioning themselves as the hub of the home entertainment center, and the addition of streaming movie or TV programs helps support that role. On the PS3, for instance, a user can now play high-definition games, watch movies on the built-in Blu-ray HD video player, listen to music, surf the Net, flip through photos, and download a variety of content from...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Ambitious LG To Boost Market Share with Smartphones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71078
LG Electronics said Wednesday that it has set a goal of selling 140 million cell phones in 2010. The South Korea-based handset maker also revealed that it plans to become one of the top two mobile-device manufacturers in the world by 2012.
To help boost unit sales, LG will focus on the lucrative smartphone market. Hopes are especially high for Android-based phones, which are expected to make up more than half of LG's upcoming smartphone releases, the company said.
"It is still early days for Android as far as sales are concerned, but generally both carriers and consumers have been very positive on the OS and there is a lot of momentum," said Gartner Research Director Carolina Milanesi. "LG might be getting into the game a bit later than HTC and a little more quietly than Motorola, but it is certainly set to take advantage of the momentum we are seeing."
LG increased its global handset shipments from 80 million in 2007 to 100 million in 2008, and to an estimated 116 million in 2009, according to preliminary figures from Gartner. "So 140 million is possible," Milanesi said.
Still, LG has a long way to go before it can challenge market leader Nokia or even the world's second-biggest handset maker, Samsung, which held a 19.6 percent market share in the third quarter -- up from 17.1 percent a year earlier. Samsung's strong third-quarter results were driven by robust sales of touchscreen devices, QWERTY phones, and smartphones in Western Europe and the U.S. as well as steady sales of refreshed older products in emerging markets, Milanesi said.
LG held a 10.3 percent share of the global cell-phone market in the third quarter -- up from 7.8 percent in the year-earlier period. But most of the company's third-quarter sales...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Windows Mobile 7 May Be Ready Sooner Than Expected
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71077
For months, mobile-phone users have heard rumors that Windows Mobile 7 might be delayed. However, Microsoft's mobile operating system may be in the hands of users sooner than expected.
Industry observers expect the software giant to introduce the updated platform next month at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, which is where the company launched its latest version, Windows Mobile 6.5.
Microsoft wouldn't say much about the platform during talks at the Consumer Electronics Show last week, but Microsoft's Robbie Bach, entertainment and devices division president, did say Windows Mobile 7 will set the bar higher. The operating system is the fourth most popular mobile operating system with 7.9 percent of the global market, according to Gartner.
"We certainly have to expect more from 7," said Carolina Milanesi, research director of Gartner's Mobile Devices team. "Microsoft needs to make a drastic change to the user interface rather than evolving from the existing user interface, as was the case for 6.5 from 6.1."
Windows Mobile had seven million users in May. In July the number dropped to 6.6 million, but increased again to 7.1 million in October, according to comScore.
By contrast, rivals such as Apple have seen increases in the number of smartphone users. Apple's iPhone gained 50 percent from May to October, and Research In Motion had a 20 percent increase. Google's Android mobile operating system has done well with a 30 percent increase.
Windows Mobile 6.5 became available in October 2009, too late to have an impact on the third quarter, according to Gartner.
Microsoft needs to focus on making Windows Mobile 7 stand out from the crowd.
"Simplicity and richness are key," Milanesi said. "Sometimes reaching the right balance between the two is not easy, but this is certainly the winning formula. Microsoft also needs...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Adobe, Oracle Make Up for Light MS Patch Tuesday
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71061
Microsoft issued a single security bulletin that addressed just one vulnerability on Tuesday. However, Microsoft rated the vulnerability as critical. Meanwhile, Oracle and Adobe put out patches of their own, making it a busy week for IT administrators.
"The lone Microsoft vulnerability affects everything from Windows 2000 to Windows 7, but is only rated critical for Windows 2000," said Ben Greenbaum, senior research manager for Symantec Security Response. "From XP SP2 onward, Microsoft hardened heap memory with heap memory protection strategies; this makes the vulnerability less of an issue for the later systems."
With only one bulletin, Microsoft is bringing a belated Christmas present to all IT admins in the form of the lightest Patch Tuesday we've seen in years, said Paul Henry, Lumension security and forensic analyst.
"Let's hope that IT admins can savor this unusually reduced patch release as they kick off the new year and use the time to prepare for the numerous updates and patches that are being released this month from other vendors, including Adobe and Oracle," Henry said.
"We also can't forget the patches yet to come to resolve the current SMB denial-of-service problems, the MySQL zero-day rumors, the Adobe PDF issue, and the Apple zero-day that has recently had proof-of-concept code released in to the wild. Just because these flaws aren't being addressed with the first patch bulletin of the year doesn't mean that IT admins should not keep a close eye out for them in the near future."
This is a very light Patch Tuesday from Microsoft and IT security teams should be taking advantage of the situation to address housekeeping items, according to Andrews Storms, director of security operations at nCircle. He suggested IT admins take the time this month to find every out-of-date Microsoft system and...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Attacks Lead Google To Consider Leaving China
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71060
On Tuesday, Google made a strong move against communist China by refusing to continue censoring search results on its Chinese site. In the wake of cyberattacks it linked to China, Google also said it would consider shutting down operations in the Asian nation.
Google revealed a highly sophisticated and targeted attack on its corporate infrastructure that originated from China in December. That attack, Google said, resulted in a theft of the search giant's intellectual property. In its internal investigations, Google discovered it wasn't the only target. Large companies from many industries were also hit. Google is working to notify those companies and is working with U.S. authorities.
"We have already used information gained from this attack to make infrastructure and architectural improvements that enhance security for Google and for our users," said David Drummond, Google's senior vice president of corporate development and chief legal officer. "In terms of individual users, we would advise people to deploy reputable antivirus and antispyware programs on their computers, to install patches for their operating systems, and to update their web browsers."
The cyberattacks, which largely targeted the Gmail accounts of Chinese human-rights activists, seem to have fueled Google's decision to stand up for freedom of speech in the communist nation. Drummond said Google launched Google.cn in January 2006. At that time, he explained, Google believed the benefits of increased access to information for people in China and a more open Internet outweighed the company's discomfort in agreeing to censor some results.
"These attacks and the surveillance they have uncovered -- combined with the attempts over the past year to further limit free speech on the web -- have led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China," Drummond said. "We have decided we are no longer willing to...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Blindness Groups, ASU Settle Suit Over Kindle
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71056
Two organizations representing the blind have settled a discrimination lawsuit against Arizona State University over its use of Amazon's Kindle e-reader device.
Arizona State is among several universities testing the $489 Kindle DX, a large-screen model aimed at textbook and newspaper readers.
Last June, the National Federation of the Blind and the American Council of the Blind joined a blind ASU student in suing Arizona State, alleging that the Kindle's inaccessibility to blind students constituted a violation of federal law.
The blindness organizations and ASU announced the settlement on Monday. It does not involve payment of any damages or attorney's fees. Rather, the groups cited ASU's commitment to providing access to all of its programs for students with disabilities, and noted that the pilot program was already ending this spring.
The university, which denies the pilot program violates any law, agreed that if it does decide to use e-book readers in future classes over the next two years, "it will strive to use devices that are accessible to the blind," according to their joint statement.
Although the Kindle has a read-aloud feature that could help the blind and the visually impaired, turning it on requires navigating through screens of text menus. The federation has said the device should be able to speak the menu choices.
The blindness groups noted that another impetus for the settlement was the fact that Amazon.com Inc. and other companies were already working to improve the accessibility of e-book readers to blind and vision-impaired people.
In December, Amazon said it will add two features to make the Kindle more accessible. The company is working on audible menus, which would let the Kindle speak menu options out loud, and it is creating an extra-large font for people with impaired vision. Both should reach the Kindle next summer, Amazon said last month.
Amazon was not named...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Innovation Made Incarnate
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71052
When Apple unveils its iSlate in late January, the tablet computer will be just the latest wowing of the world by the pioneering computer company. With its iPhone, iPod, and MacBook laptops, plus the original Macintosh computer itself [and the "1984" TV commercial that pitched it], Apple's innovation has changed technology -- and the people who use it.
Often overlooked in these rollouts, though, has been the inspiration behind the products. How does a man -- CEO Steve Jobs, who co-founded Apple with Steve Wozniak -- foster such an upwelling of inspiration? How does a leader motivate teams in the organization and transform consumers into loyalists? More importantly, how can you foster such inspiration in your organization?
Before you can answer these big questions, you need to start with another: How inspired is your organization? In a survey on InnovationCoach.com, a Web site I created with tools and resources for innovators, I asked, "Which elements of an innovation process and/or culture are in place today?" Half the respondents answered "inspiration." The good news was that half realized the need for inspiration. The bad news was that just as many didn't recognize its importance or hadn't put a process in place.
I've worked in innovation for 25 years, and over a 10-year span, I was charged with delivering at least one new product a year. In my new book, Robert's Rules of Innovation, I captured the imperatives of how to create and sustain innovation. In writing the book and creating InnovationCoach.com, I've sought to encourage the creative spark that ignites broader thinking and inspiration, which are vital to the continued growth of any organization. But you must first identify its source within your organization and channel that wellspring.
Inspiration goes beyond the thinking that brought us various Apple products. Inspiration is the creative...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Keep Track of Digital Dangers on the Web
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71011
Dear Action Line: How do I keep track of all the computer software vulnerabilities floating around the Internet? I can't really trust the sellers to keep me informed of their latest glitches and don't see it in the newspaper or on TV. -- H.E., Tulsa.
Two sources of "cyber security news" are US-CERT and Help Net Security.
US-CERT: The Department of Homeland Security's Computer Emergency Readiness Team offers its subscribers periodic "cyber security alerts" at tulsaworld.com/CERTalerts. Recent examples: Dec. 9: Adobe Flash vulnerabilities affect flash player and Adobe AIR ("An attacker could exploit this vulnerability by convincing a user to visit a Web site that hosts a specially crafted SWF file," which is "small Web format" for animations with varying degrees of interactivity and function); Dec. 8: "Microsoft updates for multiple vulnerabilities" (Microsoft releases updates to address vulnerabilities in Microsoft Windows, Internet Explorer and Microsoft Office ("vulnerabilities may allow an attacker to gain control of your computer or cause it to crash"), etc.
Help Net Security: This daily security news site, a Web portal published by HNS Consulting Ltd., has been covering the latest computer and network security news since 1998 at tulsaworld.com/HelpNetSecurity. It covers computer security news from around the globe and focuses on quality technical articles and papers, vulnerabilities, vendor advisories and malware, and hosts the largest security software download area with software for Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.
It is recognized as a media sponsor of leading information security conferences around the globe. Current issues on its site:
"Hacking, The Next Generation": This book report deals with the kinds of attacks emerging from new technologies and ways of using our computers and networks -- social media, an increasingly mobile workforce and cloud computing are just a few of the latest trends increasing the possibility of being breached.
Online fraud: Avoiding the seven...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Internet Scams Go After Those Hit Hardest by Recession
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71008
Debbie Hodges was scanning the Internet when an ad that offered help seeking federal grants caught her eye. She applied for information, hoping to seek aid for the school where she works and the fire department where her husband volunteers.
"I figured it couldn't hurt to try and see what was out there," said Hodges, 47, of Northfield, Conn.
But after providing her credit card information, she said, she lost more than $70 without getting any leads to government grants.
Hodges is one of hundreds of thousands of Americans who filed complaints with the Better Business Bureau last year for alleged rip-offs on the consumer group's new list of 2009's top 10 scams. From bogus government grant offers to phony job-hunting pitches and mortgage-foreclosure aid scams, the annual list is dominated by hoaxes that tried to take advantage of the unemployed and others struggling with the recession.
Although data are still being tabulated, the number of complaints the Better Business Bureau received about consumer rip-offs in 2009 is expected to top the roughly 890,000 logged in 2008. "Consumers are getting bombarded," said Alison Southwick, a spokeswoman for the Council of Better Business Bureaus. "They have to keep their guard up against all sorts of scams."
The top 10 list included:
*Internet ads that featured "free" trial offers for teeth whiteners, anti-aging pills or other purported health products. However, Better Business Bureau regional offices said, many consumers complained they were charged hundreds of dollars.
*Robocalls that falsely claimed car warranties were about to expire or offered purported aid to cut credit card interest rates.
*Bogus mailings disguised as winner notifications from Reader's Digest, Publishers Clearing House or a foreign lottery. The letters typically came with a check for only part of the purported prize. To get the rest, the victim had to deposit the check, then wire hundreds of...
Thu, 14 Jan 10
Samsung's Omnia II Smartphone Works, But Lacks Punch
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70963
The Samsung Omnia II smartphone with Windows Mobile 6.5 on Verizon Wireless is as dependable and exciting as a McDonald's burger.
You know what you're getting, it fills a need and it's sort of tasty if you don't expect too much.
But when you glance over and see your neighbor gorging on a Motorola Droid on the same network, you're going to feel a rumble of indigestion.
Omnia II's failings have nothing to do with its excellent hardware. Rather, the sour taste is due to the clunky and cumbersome Windows Mobile operating system that Samsung tries valiantly to conceal.
The most impressive feature of the Omnia II is the screen. At 3.7 inches, it's a bit larger than the iPhone's 3.5-inch screen and equal in size to the Droid's, and the resolution is just a hair below that of the Droid (800x480 vs. 854x480).
The Omnia II is bright, sharp and easy to look at. The large screen makes it simple to view expansive Web pages and scan numerous e-mails at a time (after you shrink down the oversize default font). The 5-megapixel camera is among the best you'll find on a phone, and it even shoots passable video. From there, though, navigating the software is a chore.
The default Windows Mobile interface (even the latest 6.5 model) is an anachronism, aimed at the PDA market of five years ago, when a stylus was acceptable for interacting with a touch screen. But the iPhone made finger-based systems standard, and Samsung tried to give WinMo 6.5 a face lift with its proprietary TouchWiz 2.0 interface.
The upgrade mostly works, but it feels inconsistent and, in some cases, pointless. For example, to access various entertainment and media apps on the phone, Samsung has created a rotating 3D cube that you spin with your finger. Each side of the...
Wed, 13 Jan 10
Reports Outline OLED iPhone 4G To Battle Android
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71059
Apple has plans to launch the iPhone 4G this spring, according to published reports. The next generation of the popular smartphone will have an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen, video chat, a removable battery, and an ARM-based Coretex-A9 processor and be released in the April-May time frame, an Apple representative has told The Korea Times. The iPhone 4G is also expected to have powerful graphics chips that will provide higher video resolution and better still images when taking pictures.
Reports of an iPhone 4G have surfaced since June when Apple filed several iPhone patent applications, including one for haptic technology for touch feedback and another for radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags to be built into a touch-sensor panel. Additional reports surfaced in November when China Ontrade, an iPhone parts seller, leaked images of iPhone 4G parts.
KT, an exclusive partner of Apple in South Korea, is expected to sell the iPhones to a small number of early adopters who are local corporate clients. The company will then offer the devices to local distributors in June. KT is the same carrier that sold 220,000 iPhone 3Gs from November 2009 to the first week of January. KT's goal is to sell 500,000 iPhone 4Gs in 2010.
An Apple representative told the Times that Apple has been in talks with other telecom carriers to gauge the launch time for the iPhone 4G in South Korea.
A high-ranking executive at KT said he doesn't expect any big hurdles to introducing the iPhone 4G in South Korea because legal issues have already been cleared.
Behind Apple's moves to get an iPhone 4G out is Google's efforts to bring more Android-based smartphones to the market. Adoption of Android-based devices continues to run strong, causing competitors like Apple to pay attention.
While an Apple representative is talking...
Wed, 13 Jan 10
Zuckerberg's Comments Unleash Firestorm of Dissent
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71058
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's assertion that the public is largely giving up concerns about privacy in favor of more online sharing has caused a stir and ignited debate in the tech world. The social-networking giant has persistently clashed with privacy advocates in court.
Among the dissenters is a Stanford law professor who researches and lectures on Internet privacy. He said Zuckerberg's assessment conflicts with recent academic findings.
"The picture is clearly more nuanced than Mr. Zuckerberg's comments would suggest," said Ryan Calo, a fellow at the Center for Internet and Society at Stanford University's Law School. "I've seen several recent studies out of Berkeley and Carnegie Mellon, for instance, suggesting that people continue to value their privacy and are even willing to pay a premium for better privacy."
Calo, author of the forthcoming book People Can Be So Fake: A New Dimension to Privacy and Technology Scholarship, said private speech is a driving force behind the Internet.
"[It] permits a previously unimaginable amount of anonymous speech," said Calo. "And if you look at broader offline trends, we're moving in droves from small towns, where everyone knows our name, to cities, where greater anonymity is the norm."
In an interview during the Crunchies award ceremony celebrating last year's best technology accomplishments, Zuckerberg painted his company as prophetic by reasoning in 2004 that the "social norm" in the near future would be more online sharing.
"People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people," Zuckerberg said.
Michael Zimmer, an assistant professor in the school of information studies at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and an associate at the Center for Information Policy Research who has done extensive research on social media, said Zuckerberg's comments seemed calculated to make users and advertisers feel more at ease...
Wed, 13 Jan 10
Memeo Syncs Files Between Desktop and Google Docs
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71057
Privately held Memeo has introduced a service for Google Apps Premier Edition customers that enables them to access, migrate and synchronize all file types -- including Microsoft Office files -- to Google Docs. Called Memeo Connect, the offering lets subscribers integrate online and offline content.
With Memeo Connect, Office 2003 documents on the desktop can be converted into Google Docs and automatically uploaded to the cloud. Moreover, Google Docs can be converted into local Office files for offline editing.
Both capabilities are important given that many businesses today use Microsoft Office as the primary desktop productivity suite. "Memeo Connect for Google Apps presents our customers with an attractive option to integrate or migrate all of their files into Google Docs," said Google Product Manager Matthew Glotzbach.
File access via Memeo Connect is independent of content location, which means subscribers will be able to open Google Docs files locally as well as online. Customers can select individual documents for download or have all their online files automatically downloaded to the desktop. To add an entire folder residing on the desktop to Google Apps, the user simply drags and drops the folder into Memeo Connect.
Subscribers can also retrieve files uploaded to Google Docs anywhere since Memeo Connect is log-in accessible.
Some businesses have been leery of relying on cloud-based productivity offerings after the high-profile outages that plagued Google's Gmail last year. However, Memeo Connect syncs all files stored in Google Docs -- whether native Google Docs files, Microsoft Office files, PDFs, videos or any file type -- to the user's Windows or Mac desktop, noted Spenser Chen, director of corporate communications at Memeo.
"In the event that a user's network or Wi-Fi is unavailable -- which is the typical case -- those files are already accessible locally," Chen said....
Wed, 13 Jan 10
New Reports Point To a Boffo Year for the IT Industry
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71050
IT industry, get ready to rejoice. According to two new reports, 2010 is going to be a good year. A report from Forrester Research and a soon-to-be-released survey from Information Technology Intelligence Corp. (ITIC) point to a recovery for IT.
The Forrester study said U.S. spending on IT will grow 6.6 percent this year to about $570 billion, following an 8.2 percent decline in 2009. On a global level, the report predicts a rise of 8.1 percent to more than $1.6 trillion.
"The technology downturn of 2008 and 2009 is unofficially over," said Forrester Vice President Andrew Bartels, adding that "the tech recovery will be much stronger" than the overall economic rebound.
Forrester described the IT industry as now entering a six- or seven-year cycle of "growth and innovation" that it calls Smart Computing. The research firm sees the keys of Smart Computing as the marriage of new "technologies of awareness" with advanced business analytics, resulting in a more widespread use of service-oriented architecture, server and storage visualization, cloud computing, and unified communications.
The key areas of hardware and software will drive the growth, the Forrester report said. It projected global purchases of computer equipment to be up 8.2 percent, communications 7.6 percent, software spending 9.7 percent, IT outsourcing 7.1 percent, and IT consulting and systems integration services 6.8 percent.
The strongest growth in dollars is expected to be in Western Europe, rising 11.2 percent. That rise is due, in part, by the decline of the dollar versus the euro. By a similar measure, IT will also grow in Canada, Asia Pacific, and Latin America, by 9.9, 7.8, and 7.7 percent, respectively. Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa are projected to grow only 2.4 percent.
However, when judged by its own currency, the U.S. will see the largest growth.
Wed, 13 Jan 10
Google Scrambles To Fix Nexus One Complaints
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71049
The Google Nexus One continues to make headlines -- for less than desirable reasons. It started with customer complaints about connection fees and developer complaints that the Android 2.1 development kit wasn't released before the device's launch. Now news of wireless-provider early cancellation fees have added to the grumbling.
The series of bad news around the just-released "superphone" has some observers wondering if many consumers will want the Nexus One by the time it becomes available on Verizon Wireless later this quarter. But Verizon may fare better than T-Mobile, which is offering the smartphone for $179 with a two-year contract and plenty of restrictions, including the offensive early termination fee.
Still, users are most concerned about issues with the phone itself. The termination fee may only become an issue if Google, manufacturer HTC, and T-Mobile can't figure out how to solve the connection problem before customers begin demanding their money back.
On Monday night, Google released the Android 2.1 software development kit that developers have been clamoring for.
For Google, it doesn't appear to be about the money. According to iSuppli, the Nexus One costs $174 to make. It's unclear how much, if anything, T-Mobile may be offering Google for rights to sell the device. Still, the Nexus One could tarnish what has been an otherwise fairly sterling reputation for Google. Google was even chosen as the word of the decade earlier this week.
After hundreds of complaints on its forum, Google finally responded to the reported issues. "We are aware of the issues that have affected a small number of users, and are working quickly to fix any problems. We hope to have more information soon. When we do, we will post it to the user forum," a Google spokesperson told us in an e-mail.
Part of the problem is Google's...
Wed, 13 Jan 10
Google Invests in VigLink, Which Turns Links Into Money
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71029
VigLink. It may not become the word of the decade, but it has Google power behind it. The San Francisco-based company announced it has closed a seed investment from Google Ventures, among many others. The amount of the investment was not disclosed.
VigLink's high-profile list of investors also includes First Round Capital, and individual investors such as LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, longtime Google executive and current LinkedIn Vice President of Product Deep Nishar, and noted technology entrepreneurs Niel Robertson, Hadi Partovi, Ali Partovi, Carlos Cashman, and Micah Adler. The financing, which was co-led by First Round Capital and Google Ventures, will be used to accelerate VigLink's market expansion.
VigLink has gained attention for its ability to monetize an ordinary hyperlink via an "install and forget" code snippet. This snippet automatically and transparently secures web publishers revenue from the sites they already link to without any changes to their customer experience.
"We've been impressed with VigLink's monetization expertise," said Rich Miner, a partner at Google Ventures. "The solution is technically sophisticated but, like Google Analytics, it's simple to install, and like AdSense it has the ability to scale from individual bloggers to large web publishers. This ability to monetize any inter-domain click that's not already an ad is a really big idea and VigLink is well positioned to lead these implementations."
VigLink aims to solve a pain point in the affiliate marketing industry. By its measure, more than 7,500 sites, including Amazon.com and eBay, already pay for traffic with commissions totaling about $1.5 billion. However, the company said participating in these programs is labor-intensive and error-prone. VigLink research shows that less than half of all qualifying links are properly enrolled.
"Simply put, there are companies today that are leaving money on the table by not capitalizing on affiliate marketing," said Josh Kopelman, managing...
Wed, 13 Jan 10
AOL To Lay Off Up To 1,200 Workers To Reach Target
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71023
The struggling Internet company AOL was laying off up to 1,200 workers this week because it didn't get enough volunteers to accept buyouts.
AOL spokeswoman Tricia Primrose said Monday that only 1,100 had volunteered to leave. That means AOL would need to shed up to 1,200 positions to reach its previously announced reduction target of up to 2,300, or about a third of its work force.
The cuts, which were on top of thousands of positions shed in recent years, came as AOL separated from Time Warner Inc. last month. AOL acquired Time Warner at the height of the dot-com boom in 2001, but the combination proved disastrous, prompting Time Warner to spin AOL off as a separate company.
In recent years, the company formerly known as America Online has been trying to reinvent itself as a content and advertising company as the legacy dial-up Internet access business that made the company famous steadily declined. But AOL has struggled in that transformation as its advertising revenue has failed to offset the drop in revenue from the dial-up business.
AOL was laying off some employees in the U.S. on Monday, though most will occur on Wednesday, Primrose said. She also said the company started laying off employees in Europe on Monday and planned to close offices in Spain and Sweden, though it will continue to have employees working in Sweden at its ad-serving company, Adtech AG. No further details were immediately available on where the U.S. reductions were occurring.
"We made difficult decisions about products and our profitability profile in different markets and made the decisions we believe will best position AOL to be a long-term, successful company going forward," Primrose said.
The cuts will leave AOL at less than a quarter the size it was at its peak in 2004, when it had more than 20,000...
Wed, 13 Jan 10
Chips Put Qualcomm, Intel on 'Collision Course'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71019
Qualcomm was the chipmaker of choice for some of the highest-profile tech gadgets unveiled the week of the Consumer Electronics Show -- in Las Vegas and elsewhere. Not only do Qualcomm chips run the Google Nexus One smartphone introduced in Mountain View, Calif., on Jan. 5, but they're also under the hood of computers shown off at CES by Hewlett-Packard. HP and Lenovo are working on smartbooks, scaled-down personal computers, based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon processor.
By getting its chips into a broader range of consumer electronics, San Diego-based Qualcomm is poised to compete head-on with Intel, the world's No. 1 maker of semiconductors for computers. "Intel and Qualcomm are on a collision course," says Flint Pulskamp, an analyst at technology research firm IDC.
Nowhere was that more clear than at CES, where for the first time a Qualcomm executive delivered a keynote speech. For years, Qualcomm has devised chips that help cell phones function as minicomputers, Qualcomm Chief Executive Paul Jacobs said in his Jan. 8 address. "Those chips are now going into the consumer electronics devices themselves," Jacobs said a day after Paul Otellini, his counterpart at Intel, touted his own company's foray into chips for mobile phones. In the first half of the year, Intel will start shipping Moorestown, a smartphone processor, Otellini said on Jan. 7.
Qualcomm, the world's largest maker of chips for cell phones, expects its Snapdragon processor to be used in more than 40 devices from 17 manufacturers, a sign that the company is bridging the performance gap between chips that run cell phones and those needed for bigger, more demanding machines previously powered by Intel semiconductors. "Over the last two or three years the partners that we deal with are new," says Steve Mollenkopf, a Qualcomm executive vice-president and head of its CDMA unit, in an...
Wed, 13 Jan 10
Mint Makes a Quick Mark on Intuit
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71016
Four months after Intuit bought personal finance Web site Mint.com, the company is preparing to phase out its Quicken Online software, moving Intuit's Web users to Mint. The software company plans to combine its technology with Mint's, making it easier for users to toggle between the Web and their home computers while managing money.
Intuit plans to discontinue Quicken Online, its Web-based money management product, sometime between April and June, and move those users to Mint.com, Intuit Vice-President and Mint founder Aaron Patzer says in an e-mail. Patzer was expanding on comments he had made in an interview for the NBC Bay Area program Press: Here.
"Quicken Online will be end-of-lifed in the next few months," Patzer said on the program. "We'll transition those users over to Mint.com," while preserving their historical financial data, Patzer's remarks indicate that Intuit is moving swiftly to reshape its software to more closely resemble the Web-based service that gained users at such a brisk clip that it started threatening Intuit's dominance of the personal finance software market. Patzer had hinted at the plans in an early December blog entry.
In the on-air discussion, Patzer said Intuit plans to keep selling desktop versions of Quicken for Windows PCs and Apple Macs for perhaps five years further. That's mainly to appeal to "older" users who "feel more comfortable" with their finances on a personal computer, he said. Within about two years, the company plans to combine the software code of Mint.com and Quicken into a product that would let users readily switch between desktop and online modes.
Patzer said he and his team from Mint have been given lots of leeway to shape Intuit's personal finance products. "They want to learn more from us than us from them," he said.
The Mint team possesses the necessary "intellectual...
Wed, 13 Jan 10
Free Tools Help You Get More Out of Windows
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71010
Windows comes with many programs preinstalled, but it's hardly perfect. No software, however good, can satisfy the diverse needs of hundreds of millions of users at once. One good way to tailor the system to your own tastes is to keep a lookout for free utility programs.
Once the domain of PC geeks, little add-on utilities are ready to help a broader audience add a bit of missing functionality to Windows. Here's a selection of favorite programs.
Most users regard Windows Explorer as the final word in file management. Yet there are other programs available for Windows that handle the same task with more functionality and performance than Explorer itself. One such program is Q-Dir. It provides the same core functionality of Explorer, yet it's quicker. The Q-Dir view window can also be divided into up to four sub-windows. That's helpful for copying or moving files between different folders.
Expicula is another file manager, but with a twist: it allows for filtering. You can set it to display only files or folders of a certain size, for example. You can also just as easily browse based on creation date or name. Other function-rich free file managers of note include SE-Explorer and Total Commander, which includes an integrated FTP client.
The number of portable computers is rising, with more and more consumers opting for notebooks or netbooks. Yet it's in the very nature of portable devices that they sometimes get lost, meaning that a sensible encryption plan should be put in place beforehand in case the worst should occur. One popular program that comes with numerous seals of approval from the experts is TrueCrypt. Depending on the user's desires, the program encrypts either a file container or an entire partition. Because encryption is handled on-the-fly while the data is being stored, TrueCrypt is considered convenient....
Wed, 13 Jan 10
Report: Google Phone $5 Less To Make than iPhone
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71005
Google Inc.'s new Nexus One phone costs about $5 less to make than Apple Inc.'s iPhone, partly because Google's device has far less memory, according to new data from research firm iSuppli Corp.
The firm examined the components inside Google's phone and estimated in a new report that it costs $174.15 to make. The firm estimates that a $30.50 Qualcomm Inc. processor is the most expensive part, followed by the phone's 3.7-inch display, at an estimated $23.70.
By comparison, Apple's iPhone 3GS costs $178.96 to make, according an iSuppli report issued shortly after the device's June release. About $24 of that went toward flash memory. ISuppli was looking at the iPhone version with 16 gigabytes of memory; the iPhone also comes with 32 GB of memory.
Google was able to save money on its phone by including less memory. The Nexus One has just 4 gigabytes of memory but can accommodate more through a memory card slot that the iPhone doesn't have, iSuppli noted. The memory in the Google phone costs an estimated $20.40.
Google's Nexus One sells for $529, though consumers willing to enter into a two-year data plan with T-Mobile USA will be able to buy it for $179. The iPhone 3GS costs $199 or $299, depending on its storage capacity, when bought with a two-year wireless contract from AT&T Inc.
Google Inc. began selling the Nexus One last week in its first attempt to peddle a consumer electronics device. Google is billing the Nexus One as the first "super" phone in an effort to position the device as a cut above the iPhone and other smart phones such as Research In Motion Ltd.'s more utilitarian BlackBerry.
Wed, 13 Jan 10
E-Reader Boom Kindles a Variety of New Options
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70981
When most people think of electronic book readers, Amazon's thin, white Kindle probably springs to mind. But that could be about to change.
A cascade of e-readers will hit the market this year, taking the devices far beyond gray-scale screens with features like touch navigation and video chatting -- and probably lowering prices, too.
It's happening as other gadgets, such as mobile phones and tablet computers, give people even more choices for diving into their favorite books. Perhaps the only downside is worrying you might buy an e-reader from a company that won't stick around.
This week, nearly two dozen companies that make the devices or deliver reading material to them are showing products at the International Consumer Electronics Show, the first time it has devoted a section to e-books.
In a good sign for the mainstream status e-book companies hope to achieve, they are clustered at a prime location in the Las Vegas Convention Center often taken over by the likes of Microsoft Corp. And Amazon isn't even at the exhibition.
E-books make up a tiny portion of book sales, but their popularity is growing rapidly. According to the Consumer Electronics Association, which organizes the trade show, 2.2 million e-readers were shipped to stores in 2009, nearly four times as many as the year before. This year, the group expects 5 million will be shipped.
"It's an incredible growth category," said Jason Oxman, senior vice president of industry affairs at the electronics association.
E-readers from Sony and other companies were around before Amazon released the Kindle in 2007, but the Kindle was the first to offer wireless downloading of books, making impulse buys easier.
Since the Kindle debuted at $399, Amazon has lowered the price to $259 and lured buyers with inexpensive material, such as new releases of books for about $10 each. On Christmas Day, Amazon...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
Facebook CEO Says Privacy Is No Longer a Concern
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71028
Shrugging off his company's long bouts with privacy concerns, Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said during the weekend that sharing information online is the new "social norm."
"When we first started Facebook in my dorm room in Harvard [in 2004], people asked me why would I want to have any information at all on the Internet," the 25-year-old Zuckerberg said at the annual Crunchies awards ceremony sponsored by TechCrunch. "But the social norm has evolved over time."
Clad in jeans, sneakers and a hooded sweatshirt, Zuckerberg told TechCrunch's Mike Arrington that "People have really gotten comfortable not only sharing more information and different kinds, but more openly and with more people ... We view it as our role in the system to constantly be innovating and be updating what our system is to reflect what the current social norms are."
The comments raised some eyebrows, given substantial indications of concerns lately about privacy and Facebook.
"I'm not sure I understand where that comment came from," said Interpret Vice President Michael Gartenberg. "In particular, it seems that Facebook users are taking privacy as an issue and given the response to updated privacy settings recently, it would seem consumers do care quite a bit what they share and who they share it with."
Zuckerberg's comments come just a month after the latest user information flap for the social-network giant, which says it has 350 million users. Last month the company responded to concerns that information -- such as friend lists, geography, networks and fan pages -- could be easily accessed via searches. Users may now make them private.
In 2008, the company settled a class-action lawsuit alleging that its Beacon program, integrating the web site with those of retailers like Blockbuster, Overstock.com, Fandango and Zappos, made users' activity outside Facebook public without adequately warning...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
Nexus One Draws Complaints From Users, Developers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71027
Google's Nexus One "superphone" was highly anticipated, but now some observers are calling it overhyped. Less than a week after the monumental announcement that some thought would change the wireless industry, the Nexus One is getting more complaints than praise. At least the complaints are louder.
Some of the first customers to get their hands on a Nexus One are decrying its superphone status and Google's support forums show hot displeasure. Among the chief complaints are that the Nexus One 3G offers poor connections. Of course, that might fall back on wireless carrier T-Mobile more than Google and is reminiscent of the Apple-AT&T saga with the iPhone.
"My G1 has 3G with full strength, but sitting right next to it, my Nexus has one bar of 3G and keeps switching to Edge. If I let it sit for a while, it may go up to three bars of signal strength, but as soon as I start trying to use it the signal strength drops back down to one bar," a user who calls himself mbaird wrote on the Google Mobile Help forum. (The G1 also runs on T-Mobile's network.)
Mbaird apparently got what he thought was a runaround. "I called T-Mobile to make sure that I didn't need to activate the phone or something to get 3G service," mbaird wrote. "They said my account looked fine and that they couldn't give me any more support since I had a Nexus One, that I had to call HTC," the phone's manufacturer. When he called HTC, he was told the 3G service is a T-Mobile issue.
Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis, has been using the Nexus One for the past week. Although he's had some issues with the device, none of them have to do with connectivity. In fact, he reports...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
Google Apologizes To Chinese Authors
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71026
Google Books took another hit this week, as the company found itself obligated to apologize to Chinese authors for scanning their works without permission as part of its massive book-scanning operation.
Google apologized to the Chinese Writers Association, the group of Chinese writers that complained about the practice. Erik Hartmann, who represents Google Books in the region, read the apology on a news show on the Chinese state broadcaster.
"Due to different starting notions and different understandings of the copyright law systems in China and the U.S., our behavior has caused discontent among Chinese writers," the statement said. "Our communication with Chinese authors has not been good enough. Google is willing to apologize to Chinese authors for this behavior."
In November, the group demanded that Google produce a list of Chinese books that it has scanned -- and compensate Chinese authors for the violations. The association said it had identified 17,000 books scanned by Google.
"Chinese authors have already patiently waited for a long time but have not yet seen a satisfactory result," a statement from the authors' group said.
Ultimately, Google and the authors will find it in their best interest to compromise, said Tim Bajarin, principal analyst with Creative Strategies. "This is a two-edged sword for Google and the authors. Google needs to comply with all copyright laws, but if authors are smart, they will want to have Google as a potential distributor of their works as well. Ultimately, both parties need to resolve the copyright and compensation issues amiably."
Google Books complies with U.S. and Chinese copyright law, a Google spokesperson said, adding that the site shows only snippets of copyrighted books where it doesn't have permission from rights holders. But it's far from clear whether scanning books without permission and showing only snippets of them is a copyright violation. Arguably,...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
CA Buys SLM Provider Oblicore To Challenge Giants
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71025
CA said Monday it has acquired privately held Oblicore, which produces Service Level Management (SLM) software for more than 120 enterprises and service providers, including AT&T, ABN AMRO, British Telecom, Lufthansa and Siemens Medical Solutions. The financial terms were not disclosed.
CA Vice President Jay Fry said the acquisition combines a unique top-down approach to SLM and a strong metrics correlation engine with the CA portfolio of IT management products.
"With Oblicore integrated into its portfolio, CA can credibly close the gap between IT and the business and help realize the goal of IT as a service -- more than any other competitor," Fry said. "The Oblicore capabilities fit nicely with CA's existing service management offerings, as well as the CA tools that can provide information feeds about the status of the IT environment."
The entire service portfolio management (SPM) arena -- which includes SLM, the service catalog, financial management, and project and portfolio management -- has been getting considerable attention from customers, noted Forrester Research Senior Analyst Evelyn Hubbert. "IT planning, IT finance, IT strategy, and IT services have all become additional topics which large enterprises need to address to survive," Hubbert said.
CA's acquisition of its longtime partner is expected to provide the security software vendor with flexibility it did not have when the two firms were operating as separate entities, Hubbert observed. "Partnerships like the one CA and Oblicore had are nice but don't allow tight integration on all areas of the value delivery chain -- sales, marketing, product, services," Hubbert said.
"Oblicore's technology for modeling relationships between services, contracts and metrics is a unique capability in the market," Fry said. "By owning this capability -- rather than simply partnering -- CA can more quickly and richly integrate it into solutions for competitive advantage...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
Microsoft Says Word Ruling Sets Dangerous Precedent
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71024
On Saturday, Microsoft complied with a court order to issue a patch for Word 2003. Microsoft previously issued a patch for Word 2007 in December related to the same legal issue. The patch removes custom XML capabilities from the popular software.
"You must install this update if you have been instructed to do so in a separate communication from Microsoft," the software giant said on its download site. The patches are available on Microsoft's OEM Partner and Download Centers.
Microsoft's patches come in the wake of a court order ordering to change the software or stop selling it. In December, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit in Washington ruled against Microsoft's appeal of a patent-infringement verdict and gave the company a tight deadline to fix the issue.
At the heart of the issue is a Canadian company called i4i. The company claimed Microsoft violated its patents for custom XML in Word 2003 and Word 2007. In August, Texas U.S. District Court Judge Leonard Davis ordered Microsoft to pay in excess of $290 million and issued a permanent injunction against the software giant for what is known as the 449 patent.
The judge ruled that Microsoft willfully infringed on the patent and permanently enjoined Microsoft from selling Word 2003 and Word 2007 in the United States and using any infringing future Word products to open an XML file containing custom XML. The court also ruled that Microsoft can continue to offer technical support to current users of Word, but is not allowed to instruct new users on using the custom XML editor or to sell copies of Word with the disputed feature.
The injunction applies only to copies of Microsoft Word 2007 and Microsoft Office 2007 sold in the U.S. on or after the injunction date of Jan. 11, 2010....
Tue, 12 Jan 10
CES Revival Reflects Industry Trends and Optimism
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71022
The Consumer Electronics Association ended the decade on a happy note with an overall increase in numbers at this year's International Consumer Electronics Show. Having faced a tough economy with decreased sales, more competition, and upset shareholders, technology companies were eager to show the world what they have been working on.
More than 2,500 tech companies unveiled more than 20,000 new products at CES. While the show saw repeat vendors, a record 330 new exhibitors came to display innovations, including wrist PCs, 3-D TVs and new services.
CES 2010 brought in more attendees with about 120,000 people, a six percent increase from last year's 113,085. CES also saw an increase of more than 1,000 international attendees from last year. While that is still less than 2008's 130,000 attendees, it is a strong number given the economy.
Attendees heard keynote speeches from Ford Chairman Alan Mulally, Intel's Paul Otellini and Microsoft's Steve Ballmer.
"This show exceeded expectations with its innovation, optimism and excitement," said Gary Shapiro, president and chief executive of CEA. "What a great way to kick off the new decade."
Government officials, including Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski and Commissioners Meredith Atwell Baker, Mignon Clyburn, and Robert McDowell, attended the show. CES also had a slew of celebrities, from teen singer Taylor Swift to eclectic singer Lady Gaga.
Devices and services unveiled at CES created a lot of industry buzz. Google's Android OS captured people's attention. Intel's new Arrandale and Clarkdale chipsets also captured some attention, as did Microsoft's new controller-free game experience called Project Natal.
"This was very much a year of evolution, not revolution, in consumer electronics," said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. "The biggest new item was 3-D TV, and that is likely to be more gimmick than feature that drives...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
French Telecom Exec Confirms Apple Tablet on the Way
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71020
If Apple is hoping to keep a tablet computer unconfirmed until it reveals the product later this month, a comment made Monday by a France Telecom/Orange executive undermines those plans. In a broadcast interview with French television, France Telecom Deputy CEO Stephane Richard confirmed that a tablet is coming.
In the interview, Richard indicated the tablet will include a webcam that offers real-time video streaming. And his answer of "Oui" to a question about whether Orange customers can use it is being taken to mean that the tablet will have 3G connectivity.
France Telecom/Orange sells the iPhone in more than two dozen countries, so Richard's comment is considered one of the first inside-track, for-attribution confirmations.
The latest rumor is that Apple will unveil the tablet at a major event in San Francisco scheduled for Jan. 27.
Other information is beginning to emerge as well for the product, which may -- or may not -- be called iSlate. For instance, Reuters reported Friday that, according to unnamed sources, AVY Precision Technology of Taiwan will start tablet production for Apple in February.
With a variety of recent tablet announcements at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, 2010 is shaping up to be the year of the tablet. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer showed a Windows tablet expected to be manufactured by Hewlett-Packard and be on sale by midyear.
Freescale Semiconductors has unveiled a seven-inch touchscreen tablet that will sell for "under $200" and be offered to OEMs. A variety of other tablets from other manufacturers have also been announced.
While Freescale is touting its tablet as a kind of netbook, the form factor is also being seen as a new generation of the e-book reader. The e-book reader category has been very active recently, including a stream of announcements about Amazon's Kindle, several...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
Roxxxy Robot Puts Artificial Intelligence to New Use
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=71009
A New Jersey company says it has developed "the world's first sex robot," a life-size rubber doll that's designed to engage the owner with conversation rather than lifelike movement.
At a demonstration at the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas on Saturday, the dark-haired, negligee-clad robot said "I love holding hands with you" when it sensed that its creator touched its hand.
Another action, this one unprintable, elicited a different vocal response from Roxxxy the robot. The level of sophistication demonstrated was not beyond that of a child's talking toy, but Roxxxy has a lot more brains than that -- there's a laptop connected to cables coming out of its back. It has touch sensors at strategic locations and can sense when it's being moved. But it can't move on its own, not even to turn its head or move its lips. The sound comes out of an internal loudspeaker.
Douglas Hines, founder of Lincoln Park, New Jersey-based True Companion LLC, said Roxxxy can carry on simple conversations. The real aim, he said, is to make the doll someone the owner can talk to and relate to.
"Sex only goes so far -- then you want to be able to talk to the person," Hines said.
The phrases that were demonstrated were prerecorded, but the robot will also be able to synthesize phrases out of prerecorded words and sounds, Hines said. The laptop will receive updates over the Internet to expand the robot's capabilities and vocabulary. Since Hines is a soccer fan, it can already discuss Manchester United, he said. It snores, too.
Owners will also be able to select different personalities for Roxxxy, from "Wild Wendy" to "Frigid Farrah," Hines said. He's charging somewhere from $7,000 to $9,000 for the robot, including the laptop, and expects to start shipping in a few months.
A Japanese company,...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
Tablet PC Mania Shakes Up Computer Industry
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70988
Hot new tablet computers are shaking up the stodgy computer industry -- possibly giving consumers reason to buy yet another PC.
Dell, Lenovo and Hewlett-Packard each unveiled tablet PC models at [the] Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Each features a touch-screen that eliminates or reduces the need for a keyboard.
Apple is expected to come out with its own tablet later this month. Apple declined to comment.
It's too soon to say whether the new computers will be a hit. Many models are pricey, and older attempts at tablets have not sold well, says Allen Nogee, a tech analyst at researcher In-Stat.
But the buzz suggests that their time may have come. "More people (are) adapting to small, touch-screen devices, like the (Apple) iPhone ... and more people (are) attracted to netbooks," Nogee says. That makes them more willing to embrace portable, touch-screen computers, he says.
"Is there a market above smartphones and below netbooks? Obviously, we think there is," says Philip McKinney, a vice president at Hewlett-Packard.
Tablets have been around in different forms for a decade, but they make up less than 1 percent of the laptop market, says Mikako Kitagawa, tech analyst at researcher Gartner. Among new models:
* Dell tablet. The No. 2 PC maker showed off a prototype with a 5-inch screen Thursday. The device is expected to come out during the first half of this year. No name or price have been announced.
* Lenovo IdeaPad U1. This tablet looks like an ordinary clamshell laptop with a keyboard and 11.6-inch screen. But the screen can be removed and used separately as a 1.6-pound tablet. It is expected around midyear at less than $1,000.
*HP slate. Few details are available about this prototype that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer showed at CES. But McKinney said it's a real, mainstream product that will appear sometime...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
Greenpeace Gives Apple, Nokia Green Grades
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70986
From sinner to saviour: After years of heat from Greenpeace about its environmental record, Apple has become the example par excellence in the eyes of the ecology group after it studied the issue.
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Thursday, Greenpeace heaped praise not only on Apple but also cell-phone makers Nokia and Sony Ericsson for their products and information technology guidelines.
At the bottom of the list in the Greenpeace study were Samsung, Dell, Lenovo and LG Eletronics.
Greenpeace is pushing for manufacturers of computers and electronic entertainment systems to renounce the use of dangerous chemical substances like PVC and poisonous flame retardants.
Appliances should use as little energy as possible and be recyclable. Greenpeace also demands transparency from producers in their environmental data.
"It's time for a little less conversation and a lot more action on removing toxic chemicals," said Casey Harrell, Greenpeace International Electronics campaigner.
"Apple is leading and HP is playing catch up, but the lack of action from other companies is ensuring that customers and the environment are still losing out."
Tue, 12 Jan 10
Wi-Fi Direct May Alleviate Network Congestion
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70985
For consumers concerned about wireless network congestion, hope may be at hand. That's the message from a group of tech companies backing wireless fidelity, or Wi-Fi, a way to get online without having to go through a traditional mobile-phone network.
The Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry group that includes Intel, Marvell Technology Group, and dozens of other electronics companies, was at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to tout a new technology called Wi-Fi Direct as a way to relieve bottlenecks in wireless networks caused by increased use of mobile devices to access the Internet.
Wi-Fi, available in computers and other electronics for years, lets users get onto the Internet when they're near a Wi-Fi-enabled router, in a so-called hotspot. Users of an Apple iPod touch, for instance, can get online without having to be on a wireless plan.
Yet Wi-Fi has limits -- such as when a user is out of the hotspot's range. What's more, the more people connected to a hotspot, whether it's in a home or a local Starbucks, the slower the Wi-Fi connection can become.
Those drawbacks have led Intel and other companies to develop standards for Wi-Fi Direct, which lets devices wirelessly connect to one another, bypassing not only a wireless network but the Wi-Fi hotspot, as well. A single device that supports the new technology can act as a hub for other Wi-Fi devices, letting them freely transfer video, digital music, and photos between them. "It's a huge breakthrough that will create a paradigm shift in consumer electronics," Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director for the group, says in an interview. The Wi-Fi Alliance approved standards for Wi-Fi Direct in December.
Consumer electronics makers plan to deliver the first Wi-Fi Direct devices by June. Software updates for the installed base of Wi-Fi devices, including cell phones, may be...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
MagicJack's Next Act: Disappearing Cell Phone Fees
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70979
The company behind the magicJack, the cheap Internet phone gadget that's been heavily promoted on TV, has made a new version of the device that allows free calls from cell phones in the home, in a fashion that's sure to draw protest from cellular carriers.
The new magicJack uses, without permission, radio frequencies for which cellular carriers have paid billions of dollars for exclusive licenses.
YMax Corp., which is based in Palm Beach, Fla., said this week at the International Consumers Electronics Show that it plans to start selling the device in about four months for $40, the same price as the original magicJack. As before, it will provide free calls to the U.S. and Canada for one year.
The device is, in essence, a very small cellular tower for the home.
The size of a deck of cards, it plugs into a PC, which needs a broadband Internet connection. The device then detects when a compatible cell phone comes within 8 feet, and places a call to it. The user enters a short code on the phone. The phone is then linked to the magicJack, and as long as it's within range (YMax said it will cover a 3,000-square-foot home) magicJack routes the call itself, over the Internet, rather than going through the carrier's cellular tower. No minutes are subtracted from the user's account with the carrier. Any extra fees for international calls are subtracted from the user's account with magicJack, not the carrier.
According to YMax CEO Dan Borislow, the device will connect to any phone that uses the GSM standard, which in the U.S. includes phones from AT&T Inc. and T-Mobile USA. At a demonstration at CES, a visitor's phone with a T-Mobile account successfully placed and received calls through the magicJack. Most phones from Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel Corp. won't...
Tue, 12 Jan 10
IRS Too Busy To Talk To Three in 10
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70958
Need help with your taxes? Good luck reaching the IRS. Three out of 10 people who call the toll-free help line this tax season won't get through to a human being -- and that's if the agency meets its goals for service.
Callers lucky enough to get through will have to wait on hold an average of nearly 12 minutes, a level of service deemed unacceptable in a report issued Wednesday by National Taxpayer Advocate Nina E. Olson.
Such poor service "will cause problems for taxpayers and the IRS alike, as some taxpayers give up and don't bother to file or they make avoidable errors that the IRS then must devote resources toward resolving," said Olson, an independent watchdog within the IRS.
The IRS said it has been inundated with an unprecedented number of calls the past two years from taxpayers with questions about temporary tax breaks passed by Congress to help revive the economy -- a phenomenon that is expected to continue this year.
To help, the agency has upgraded its Web site, posting answers to frequent questions, including the status of tax refunds.
"Resources available to deliver telephone services are finite and staffing allocations must be made in light of competing demands necessary to meet other customer needs and preferences," the IRS said in a written response to the report.
Some callers could get busy signals while others will abandon calls after being informed of the wait time. Others may be prompted to go to the IRS Web site, or have their questions answered by the automated system.
The agency's goal is to connect 71 percent of callers to a real person, down from a recent high of 87 percent in 2004.
Olson issues a report each year to Congress highlighting the most serious problems taxpayers encountered in their dealings with the IRS. This year, poor...
Sat, 9 Jan 10
Nvidia Targets Tegra Chip for 'Tablet Revolution'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70996
Tablets are front and center at this year's Consumer Electronics Show, and Nvidia wants to be the power behind the trendy devices. Nvidia launched its next-generation Tegra processor on Thursday, marketing it as the first processor for the mobile web and specifically designed for the high-resolution needs of tablets.
Nvidia is betting consumers are going to buy into the tablet phenomenon and its portable, high-resolution Internet experience. The new Tegra processor aims to deliver processor power by making high-speed browsing and streaming 1080p video possible. The chip also supports Adobe Flash Player 10.1 acceleration with a 3-D user interface, and offers days of battery life.
"Consumers can now get the tablet experience they've always dreamed of, and they can leave the power cord at home," says Michael Rayfield, general manager of Nvidia's mobile business. "Only Nvidia can make this happen. We're driving tomorrow's tablets today."
Rayfield is making the anticipated marketing-laden description for the new Tegra. But he's not the only one bullish on the processor. Adobe is also patting Nvidia on the back for its latest effort.
"We are pleased with the quality of Flash-based videos, games and other rich web-based content that we see with Nvidia's Tegra mobile processor," said David Wadhwani, vice president and general manager of Adobe's platform business. "Mobile devices like tablets, smartbooks and smartphones are now able to play smooth HD content, delivering hours of stutter-free video without draining your battery."
Samson Hu, vice president at ASUS, also endorsed the Tegra. He said ASUS chose the Nvidia Tegra processor because it measures up to the stringent design requirements of the company's tablets. "ASUS' newest tablet designs are packed with innovation, demanding sophisticated graphics-processing capabilities, quick touchscreen UI performance, with very low power consumption for long battery life," Hu said.
Battery life is a running...
Sat, 9 Jan 10
Bolstered by Holidays, a Leaner Sony Wades Into Battle
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70995
Sony has had a rough time in recent years, with the global recession especially acute in Japan and currency issues making it difficult to match competitors in other Asian countries. But Sony CEO Howard Stringer, speaking at the Consumer Electronics Show, said things are looking up as the company delivers innovation while cutting costs.
"We are handicapped because of the recession in Japan, and we are handicapped -- as are all of Japanese CE (consumer electronics makers) -- by the high yen, which give us a disadvantage against China and Korea," Stringer said at a press conference.
Sony has struggled in the television business against South Korea's LG Electronics and other Korean and Chinese manufacturers. While Sony is largely swimming upstream because of currency differences, "the pendulum swings both ways on that, and we are getting our costs down considerably," Stringer said. "We are fighting it, we are fighting very aggressively, and so far the roof hasn't fallen in."
Indeed, Sony plans to take a very aggressive stance this summer to sell 3-D high-definition televisions and Blu-Ray Disc players. "Better to go all out, better to take the risk," Stringer said Friday at a briefing at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. "We are working at a different pace from the Sony of some years ago."
All well and good, but especially with the currency headwinds, Sony will encounter tough competition in the new 3-D TV market, according to analysts.
"Competition in the global television market is extremely tough and everyone is looking to win a leading share in 3-D devices," Nobuo Kurahashi, an analyst at Mizuho Investors Securities in Tokyo, told Bloomberg. "The marketing strategy at the beginning will likely give a significant impact in determining who's going to be the leader of the new market."
Sony's competition for 3-D TVs...
Sat, 9 Jan 10
Ford Shows Technology To Keep Car Users Connected
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70994
Amid the companies unveiling new laptops, smartphones and electronic book readers is an auto company that has tapped several partners to help make the automobile a moving technology machine. Ford unveiled a slew of innovative technologies on Thursday at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.
The Dearborn, Mich.-based company made a splash with its MyFord technology, features that will do for the car what touch did for the mobile phone, according to Ford CEO Alan Mulally. The consumer interface was developed to mimic how consumers use the automobile, and the auto giant added touch-sensitive buttons, touchscreens, voice recognition, and thumbwheel controls.
Adding in-auto entertainment has become a trend in the automotive market, and technology companies stand to benefit from competition between the auto giants.
MyFord Touch shows information using two 4.2-inch LCD screens on an analog speedometer and an eight-inch LCD touchscreen at the top of the center stack. It also includes a five-way switch on each side of the steering wheel similar to mobile phones and MP3 players, according to Derrick Kuzak, Ford's vice president of global product development.
Users of MyFord Touch will get built-in turn-by-turn directions, traffic updates, and personalized traffic reports, similar to those found in a stand-alone GPS device.
Car passengers looking for Internet connectivity can tap into Ford's Wi-Fi hot spots to access a built-in browser. The browser is only available when the vehicle is in park. The system includes support for on-screen and USB-connected keyboards, an RSS feed aggregator, and a text-to-voice reader.
Phone connectivity provides the driver with error correction and reporting, phone-book contact downloads and birthday reminders.
Ford designed its MyFord Touch service to keep vehicles safe, too. Drivers have access to direct speech commands, including voice activation of climate control. Users will also be able to speak their preference for most radio functions, including...
Sat, 9 Jan 10
Plastic Logic E-Reader Designed for Business Users
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70993
Plastic Logic unveiled its e-reader for business users at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Thursday. Called the QUE proReader, the portable device will give users instant access to business publications such as The Wall Street Journal, Barron's, the Financial Times, Forbes, USA Today, and regional daily newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the San Jose Mercury News.
Plastic Logic also previewed a new QUE Store in partnership with Barnes & Noble, where users will have access to books, periodicals and other reading content. "Starting today, mobile professionals can look forward to a paperless briefcase, a lighter load, and a better way to work," QUE CEO Richard Archuleta said.
Plastic Logic said the QUE proReader is unlike rival products in that it makes use of a new QUE truVue standard designed to deliver a richer reading experience that better evokes the print layouts of magazines and newspapers. Enabled by the Adobe Reader Mobile SDK, QUE truVue delivers the familiar look and feel of print publications, making reading easier and more enjoyable, the company said.
The ultrathin device -- only one-third of an inch thick -- offers support for the display of business documents generated in Microsoft Office and Adobe Acrobat. As a result, users will be able to quickly convert and transfer Word, Excel, PowerPoint and PDF files to the QUE from PCs, Macs, and even BlackBerry smartphones.
What's more, Plastic Logic said it is partnering with Good technology to bring e-mail and calendar capabilities to the QUE proReader. The goal is to deliver untethered e-mail and calendar updates to users from e-mail services such as Microsoft Exchange.
Featuring a 10.7-inch E Ink display with touchscreen interface, the proReader will ship in two configurations: a Wi-Fi-enabled model featuring 8GB of storage priced at $649,...
Sat, 9 Jan 10
Palm Seeks More Apps with Updated webOS Phones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70992
More than a decade after it made handheld touchscreen devices popular with the Palm Pilot, Palm is struggling to compete in the smartphone arena. The company, headed by former Apple executive Jon Rubinstein, unveiled updated versions of its two webOS-powered smartphones at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Thursday. The devices will be available from Verizon Wireless on Jan. 25, but prices have not been disclosed.
Two Palm smartphones, as yet unnamed, will also be available shortly through AT&T.
Palm released the Pre and Pixi smartphones, with Sprint Nextel as the exclusive U.S. carrier, at last year's CES to great fanfare. But the smartphones were quickly eclipsed by Apple's iPhone 3G.
This year's versions, the Pre Plus and the Pixi Plus, have new features and designs. The Pre Plus has double the storage capacity of its predecessor, from 8GB to 16GB.
Creating more applications for the phones is critical, and the most-talked-about app is HotSpot, which allows both devices to serve as mobile hot spots for up to five other devices via a tethering plan, creating a personal Wi-Fi cloud. An easy-to-use and upload video application is also getting some buzz.
With 1,000 selections in its App Catalog, Palm distantly trails Apple's App Store, which has more than 100,000 apps, and the Android's Market, which has more than 20,000.
Palm is aggressively soliciting more developers, and on Thursday it opened its developer program to the public. Through the Palm Developer Center, approved programs can go directly to the App Catalog for download by users.
Rubinstein suggested that this week's announcement of new carriers will make it easier to attract innovative programming. "As we expand our distribution, it makes our discussion a little bit easier with developers," he told The Wall Street Journal.
Palm released a software development kit...
Sat, 9 Jan 10
TV Makers Gamble on Glasses-Required 3-D HDTVs
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70991
Just in case you've already gotten too complacent about high-definition TV, the manufacturers want to show you Avatar in 3-D -- in your living room. At the Consumer Electronics Show now taking place in Las Vegas, glasses-required 3-D TVs and Blu-ray discs are everywhere.
Some industry watchers are predicting that more than three million 3-D TV sets will be sold in the U.S. this year, following lackluster sales in 2009. In addition, prices for high-definition TVs are dropping rapidly, a situation that delights consumers and worries manufacturers.
DreamWorks Animation's Jeffrey Katzenberg, however, is among those who are tempering industry goals, pointing out that it often takes "five to 10 years" to move from one technology platform to another. Katzenberg has committed to using 3-D movie technology on all the movies coming from his studio.
At CES, 3-D TV sets are being shown by Sony, LG Electronics, Panasonic and others. Sony is also upgrading all its new PlayStation 3 consoles so they can show 3-D.
On the content side, the Discovery Channel has announced it's forming a joint venture with Sony and IMAX to create 3-D TV channels. ESPN said it will have dozens of sports events on its new 3-D channel. DIRECTV will be premiering three 3-D HDTV channels by the summer, and British satellite service BSkyB will be unveiling a 3-D service sometime this year.
The Consumer Electronics Association said that, in a survey, 25 percent of consumers expect to own a 3-D TV within the next three years.
James McQuivey, an analyst with Forrester Research, noted the irony of seeing Taylor Swift at CES' opening night, with her 3-D TV image shown right behind her. "You had to put the glasses on in order to see Taylor Swift in 3-D," he said, "when she was, actually, in 3-D already, right...
Sat, 9 Jan 10
Markets Bet on Nokia Resurgence
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70990
Options traders are betting Nokia Oyj will gain 14 percent by Feb. 19 as the world's biggest maker of handsets returns to profit and investors bet the company is about to introduce technology.
Speculation that Nokia will rise pushed the number of bullish options on the stock to almost double the level of bearish ones, the highest ratio in about a year, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
The contracts may pay off should Nokia's earnings surprise investors this month after the company reported its first quarterly loss in October. Chief Executive Officer Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo is scheduled to give the Jan. 8 keynote speech at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. The wagers come after Fitch Ratings cut Nokia's credit ranking on Dec. 21 and the shares trailed the Standard & Poor's 500 Index by 41 percentage points in 2009, the most ever, data compiled by Bloomberg show.
"Investors are betting that Nokia can't continue to get things wrong," said Michael Yoshikami, chief investment strategist at YCMNet Advisors in Walnut Creek, California. The firm manages about $1 billion and owns Nokia shares. "The iPhone has been a wake-up call for them and they are starting to show that they understand the market has changed."
Nokia, based in Espoo, Finland, has faced slumping consumer demand and mounting competition from Cupertino, California-based Apple Inc.'s iPhone. Google Inc., the Mountain View, California- based owner of the most popular Web-search engine, introduced its own smartphone this week, the Nexus One.
American depositary receipts of Nokia slipped 0.8 percent to $13.15 in New York trading yesterday, extending a 19 percent retreat over the past year. Its share of the smartphone market, the industry's fastest-growing sector, fell to 39.3 percent in the third quarter from 42.3 percent a year earlier, while Apple and Research In Motion Ltd., the Waterloo,...
Sat, 9 Jan 10
Can Google Make the Nexus One a Market Success?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70977
The Nexus One is proving somewhat controversial, and it may be even more challenging to market the device. Some analysts are even questioning whether people will buy the Google phone without the hands-on experience Apple offers to iPhone shoppers in its brick-and-mortar stores.
Beyond ordering from a carrier, Google is offering a new way for consumers to purchase the Nexus One -- on a web store it hosts. The store will also offer other Android-powered devices, but the Nexus One is currently the only product in the new store. And right now, most of the onus is on Google to market the device whose branding bears its trademarked colors.
"How is Google going to market this phone? How will Google support it? The marketing part is not going to be easy," said IDC wireless analyst Will Stofega. "If I were Google, I wouldn't rely on carriers. I'd look to what HTC is doing in terms of reintroducing its brand in North America."
Nearly 70 percent of consumers plan to purchase a new mobile phone in the next 12 months, according to a recent survey from Phoenix Marketing International. And 90 percent plan to purchase a smartphone. That's good news for wireless carriers and handset makers, and could lead to more adoption of Android devices. But there is no guarantee for the Nexus One.
"The recent addition of the Android operating system into the marketplace and the associated 20 new handsets coming to market give consumers a plethora of smartphone devices from which they can choose," said John Schiela, president of Phoenix Marketing International's Converged Technology and Media Practice. "It is too early to forecast the impact on the market-leading RIM BlackBerry and Apple iPhone phones. However, with consumers needing to purchase costly data plans to use their devices, the wireless service...
Sat, 9 Jan 10
FCC Seeks Extension for National Broadband Plan
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70962
The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission is asking for a one-month extension on the national broadband plan the agency is required to submit to Congress.
The plan, mandated by last year's economic stimulus bill, is due to lawmakers by Feb. 17. It will lay out a policy road map for ensuring that all Americans have access to affordable high-speed Internet service.
The agency is asking for an extra month to finish digging through the massive volume of public comments that it has received over the past 11 months as it has gathered input on how to make universal broadband a reality. The team preparing the plan also wants more time to brief the FCC's five commissioners and members of Congress.
"The FCC has been given an enormous responsibility by Congress to create a broadband plan that reflects our highest aspirations as a country," said Colin Crowell, senior counselor to FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski.
The request for an extension needs to be approved by the Senate and House Commerce Committees, which have jurisdiction over the FCC.
Robert McDowell, one of two Republicans on the five-member commission, said in a statement late Wednesday that he is "disappointed that the FCC's broadband team is unable to deliver a national broadband plan to Congress by the statutorily mandated deadline."
Sat, 9 Jan 10
French Panel: Tax Google Ad Revenue
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70954
How to help prop up the ailing music industry? Tax Google, suggests a new report commissioned by the French government.
The report, handed to Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand on Wednesday, says Google, Yahoo! and other Internet portals should be slapped with a new tax on their online ad revenues in France to fund the development of legal outlets for buying books, movies and especially music on the Internet.
The proposal is the latest idea to emerge amid France's efforts to fight illegal file-sharing and impose order -- French-style -- on the free-for-all that is the Internet.
The plan "seemed inevitable to us, if we want to maintain a certain pluralism in the culture world" and prevent the "endless enrichment of two or three world players who will impose their cultural formatting on us," Patrick Zelnik, a record producer who helped lead the mission, was quoted as telling Liberation newspaper.
Google appears cool to the idea, but sought a conciliatory tone. Google France's public affairs director said the company told the mission it wanted "cooperation between Internet players and the cultural fields to develop new models."
Olivier Esper said there were opportunities to promote innovative solutions "instead of continuing on a path that opposes the Internet and the cultural worlds, for example the path of taxation."
The French branch of Yahoo! did not immediately return calls seeking comment.
Critics say the plan would be messy to implement and that Internet portals would shoulder an unfair share of the burden.
"Where does it start and stop? The argument is that Google has culpability for declining music revenues because people start searches for illegal files often by Google," said Mark Mulligan, vice president of Forrester Research. But "what about the computers? Because without the computers people wouldn't be able to download. And then what about the electricity that powers the computer?"
Mulligan...
Sat, 9 Jan 10
Netbook Popularity Expected To Continue in 2010
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70933
Small and inexpensive "netbooks" were some of the most popular computers in the recession, wooing consumers with their portability and prices that were often below $400. Now with the economy improving, consumers will be asked to open their wallets to new styles of computers, including some costing a bit more.
Among the new offerings being unveiled this week at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas: lightweight, medium-sized laptops meant as a step above netbooks in price and performance. There also will be at least one "smartbook" -- a tiny computer that combines elements of netbooks and so-called smart phones.
That is not to say the netbook has reached the end of its line. PC makers including Hewlett-Packard, Lenovo and Toshiba are expected to show off new netbook offerings with such features as touch screens and the latest Intel Atom processors, which offer improved performance over the earlier Atoms that fueled the initial run of netbooks.
But the netbook's popularity has come at a price for the industry: slim profit margins for chipmaker Intel Corp. and the PC manufacturers.
For many PC makers, the rise of netbooks has meant falling revenue and profit from PC divisions. Hewlett-Packard Co., the world's largest computer maker, gets a third of its revenue from its PC business but just 15 percent of the company's operating profit, numbers that are shrinking thanks to netbook sales and price cuts on other machines.
And while netbooks proved that there is an appetite for highly mobile computers, consumers will likely come to want more power, more portability -- or both.
Ever since Taiwan-based AsusTek Computer Inc. got the netbook craze going with its 7-inch Eee PC in late 2007, consumers have been gravitating to the devices. According to data from research company Gartner Inc., netbooks made up an estimated 10 percent of all...
Fri, 8 Jan 10
New Intel Core Processors Boost Speed as Needed
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70976
At the Consumer Electronics Show, Intel announced 25 new chips in its Core family across all price points, based on its 32-nanometer architecture. The 32nm process will be used to "immediately produce and deliver processors," Intel said. Intel will integrate high-definition graphics into the processors.
The new family is the result of a $7 billion investment in new chip technology, the company said. It includes new Core i7, i5 and i3 processors, Intel 5 series chipsets, and Centrino Wi-Fi and WiMAX adapters. Intel expects some 400 laptop and desktop PC designs based on the new chips, as well as 200 designs for embedded devices.
"For the first time, there's a new family of Intel processors with the industry's most advanced technology available immediately at virtually every PC price point," said Sean Maloney, executive vice president and general manager of the Intel Architecture Group.
"I think it qualifies as a pretty big leap," Charles King, principal analyst with Pund-IT, said in a call from the CES floor. "It's a firm move. While they've done multi-core processors in the past, they're adding some very interesting features in the first iterations."
Most interesting, King said, is Intel Turbo Boost technology, which allows processors to substantially beef up clock speed as high-bandwidth applications come online. As Maloney explained it, Turbo Boost allows the new processors to "adapt to an individual's needs, automatically providing a boost of performance for everyday applications. The chips can also save energy by reducing power consumption and shutting down cores when not needed, while providing power when it is needed."
At the Core press conference, Maloney demonstrated an i5 system with a 2.4-GHz base performance dialing up to 2.93 GHz when asked to handle intensive tasks, King said. In a side-by-side comparison with the older Duo technology, an i5-based system...
Fri, 8 Jan 10
Ford Outlines 'Personalized Driving' as CES Opens
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70975
Bursting with optimism over products they hope will reverse slumping revenues, thousands of exhibitors and presenters gathered in Las Vegas Thursday for the keynote addresses opening the Consumer Electronics Show. The stars of the show were Ford CEO Alan Mulally and Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Mulally presented a view into the car of the near future, with interactive dashboards that will not only feature enhanced navigation and satellite radio, but also web surfing and downloading. The browser is only enabled, however, when the car is in park.
Recognizing a growing demand for products that allow greater personalization, Mulally introduced a team of Ford executives who discussed and demonstrated the company's commitment to bringing drivers' "digital lives" into their cars.
"The best bet is to develop products that are versatile and easy to personalize," said Mulally, according to media reports. "By modeling ourselves after the consumer electronics industry, the Ford team has learned it has better results."
Ford has entered into partnerships with Microsoft and Sony for its in-car computing. Microsoft produced the FordSync entertainment and communication system. Ford now boasts that it is the first car company to have an equivalent to Apple's App Store.
The MyTouch control system, available in the 2011 Ford Edge and Lincoln MKX and the 2012 Ford Focus, will greet the driver by name and remember all settings and preferences. In an exclusive agreement with MapQuest, FordSync will also be able to receive maps and directions from the web site.
Microsoft opened with a preview of its virtual arcade, soon to be available on Xbox Live and Windows Live. The preview promised that users will be able to "relive the classics in their original form." The Game Room can be downloaded for free, with games costing $3 to $5, or 50 cents per play. The offerings include Asteroids Deluxe, Combat...
Fri, 8 Jan 10
Lenovo Hybrid Is Both a Laptop and a Tablet Computer
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70960
Lenovo is previewing a new type of hybrid PC at the Consumer Electronics Show this week featuring laptop and tablet capabilities. Called the IdeaPad U1, the hybrid device has a base that functions as a laptop and a detachable screen that doubles as a multi-touch slate tablet. Moreover, each component has its own dedicated processor and operating system.
Lenovo also unveiled two new netbooks this week, including the company's first netbook to offer tablet capabilities. Though Lenovo previously entered the netbook market in the fourth quarter with its IdeaPad S10, the company hopes to differentiate its offerings from those of netbook market leaders ASUS and Acer.
Netbooks accounted for around 15 percent of worldwide notebook shipments in 2009, according to iSuppli. "When you consider that netbooks were not on sale at the beginning of 2007, the segment has grown hugely in a very short space of time," noted Matthew Wilkins, a principal analyst at the research firm. So having a strong presence in netbooks "allows an OEM to capitalize on the growth this segment has achieved," he said.
Featuring a footprint about the size of a sheet of notebook paper and tipping the scale at 3.8 pounds, the IdeaPad U1 sports an 11.6-inch LED screen and Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system. In addition, the U1 comes with a video camera, two stereo speakers, and an integrated microphone featuring echo cancellation.
The notebook and tablet are designed to work in tandem as a clamshell laptop that harnesses the computing resources of both devices. When operating as a combined unit, the two microprocessors become synchronized to work as a single unit.
Lenovo hybrid switch technology enables the processors in the notebook and tablet to toggle back and forth. Additionally, users can be surfing the web in laptop mode...
Fri, 8 Jan 10
Ballmer Dents Apple's Thunder with Windows Tablet
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70949
At least some of the tablet rumors have turned out to be true. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer on Wednesday night introduced a Windows touchscreen tablet computer manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. Ballmer was likely trying to steal some thunder from Apple, which is widely expected to unveil a tablet computer later this month.
"It was interesting that Ballmer used the term 'slate PC' a few weeks after it's been known that Apple registered the name iSlate," said Michael Gartenberg, a vice president at Interpret. "A week ago they were tablets, and now everyone is calling them slates, including Ballmer."
The HP device will begin selling this year, though details are still sketchy. HP has yet to make an official announcement about the device, which runs Windows 7, but Ballmer primed the pump with his demonstration at the Consumer Electronics Show.
"We're talking about something that's almost as portable as a phone and that's as powerful as a PC running Windows 7," Ballmer said. Although the new device isn't HP's first foray into tablets, it is its first touchscreen device.
Beyond HP, the PC industry seems to have renewed its focus on tablet computers. Lenovo introduced the IdeaPad U1, which can work as a clamshell laptop or a multi-touch slate tablet. Hanvon also debuted electromagnetic-touch tablet devices, and others are expected. But analysts said consumers' appetite for the devices remains to be seen.
"Consumers in the past have rejected these types of in-between devices. These are little computers that aren't good enough to replace their big computers; they are not small enough to go in place of their smartphone," Gartenberg said. "If any company is going to be successful in the tablet space, they are going to have to find a way to optimize for this form factor, not take something that was designed for...
Fri, 8 Jan 10
Motorola's Backflip Could Be Lost in Nexus One Buzz
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70948
Despite the buzz around Google's Nexus One smartphone, other Android device makers are working to rise above the noise at this week's Consumer Electronics Show. Motorola's latest Android smartphone is the Backflip, but analysts aren't too sure the market will do cartwheels over the device, especially in the wake of Google's big announcement.
The Backflip promises social savviness and multitasking capabilities with a unique reverse flip design that aims to make it easier for consumers to watch videos, look at pictures, and listen to music. The device offers a QWERTY keyboard and a high-resolution 3.1-inch screen.
"Since introducing our first MOTOBLUR-based device, we've remained focused on differentiating the Android experience and bringing it to new carrier partners around the globe," said Sanjay Jha, co-CEO of Motorola and CEO of Motorola Mobile Devices. "Backflip maximizes the multitasking and multifunctional potential of MOTOBLUR with its unique design elements, making it as smart as it is social."
The phone is called the Backflip because it reverses the traditional design by flipping in the opposite direction. When the device is in reverse-flip, tabletop mode, users can listen to music or watch videos hands-free. And a trademarked feature called Backtrack, a touch panel located on the other side of the device, lets users scroll through the Web, texts, e-mails and news feeds without obscuring the home-page view.
Backflip offers a full HTML browser with a touch display, 3G speed, and Wi-Fi access. The device boasts a five-megapixel camera with flash and the ability to upload photos to social-networking sites. Users can also tap into the Android Market and its more than 18,000 apps and widgets that allow smartphone customization.
The Backflip will be available in North America, Latin America, Europe and Asia in the first quarter. But will it and other yet-to-be-announced Android smartphones be overshadowed by the...
Fri, 8 Jan 10
Free Local TV Soon To Be Available on Cell Phones
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70940
The prospect of watching live, local TV shows on mobile phones and other portable devices is getting closer. Manufacturers this week are showing off gadgets that can receive a new type of digital TV transmissions.
"Mobile DTV" gadgets will be available this spring for consumers in the Washington, D.C., area to try. The devices include a cell phone made by Samsung Electronics Co. and a Dell Inc. laptop. There's also the Tivit, a device about the size of a deck of cards that receives a TV signal, then rebroadcasts it over Wi-Fi so it can be received by an iPhone or BlackBerry.
The devices are being displayed this week at the International Consumer Electronics show in Las Vegas.
Conventional digital TV broadcasts are designed for stationary antennas. So devices that are moving -- because someone's carrying them or because they're in a car -- have a hard time getting a picture. The Mobile DTV technology gets around that problem, letting broadcasters add a secondary signal to the towers they use for sending TV signals to homes. About 30 stations have done so in the last year, hoping to reach viewers on the go as gadgets like smart phones gain in prominence.
So far, only prototype devices have been able to receive these new signals. Cell phones, particularly ones with large screens, would be natural devices for Mobile DTV reception, but U.S. carriers have shown little interest in the technology. The two largest ones, AT&T Inc. and Verizon Wireless, sell phones that are compatible with a rival broadcasting system, FLO TV, run by Qualcomm Inc. It provides 10 channels for $15 per month.
Mobile DTV differs from FLO TV by providing local channels with traffic, weather and sports content, and by being free, at least for some channels. One of the goals of the consumer trial...
Fri, 8 Jan 10
Glitch May Force Mass German Bank-Card Replacement
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70935
A year-2010 problem which surprised software experts is becoming so big that German banks may have to urgently replace millions of customers' payment cards, a bank spokesman said Wednesday.
Fears are growing that the faulty microchips in the new cards may threaten the economy, with a sizeable number of people hampered when they try to withdraw cash at automated teller machines (ATMs) or pay in shops through electronic point-of-sale (EFTPOS) terminals.
Banks have been struggling since Monday to reprogram big national computer servers so that the faults do not block payments.
"If it turns out this is not so feasible, we'll write to the affected customers and ask them to hand in the old cards and receive new ones," said Wolfram Morales, deputy spokesman for the Eastern German Savings Bank Association on MDR Info radio.
Germany has 30 million direct-debit and credit cards with microchips, but not all are affected. ATMs have simply swallowed many of the cards after software concluded that they had expired.
Others have kept their cards, and are still able to obtain cash with them across bank counters or pay in shops by signing their names on direct-debit forms.
"We are hoping that the loss of sales this is causing will remain fairly small," said Ulrich Binneboessel, an expert at the German Retailers' Federation HDE.
Banks said this week that like the year-2000 problem, in which old software was not designed to recognize any date after 1999, the new glitch was caused by a software error that treats the year 2010 as if it does not exist.
The national credit panel ZKA said only one batch of the microchips was causing the problem.
The new anti-fraud technology in the chips was developed by EMVCo. That company says more than 730 million payment cards using the new standard were issued last year around the world.
Fri, 8 Jan 10
Software Maker Sues China on Piracy Accusation
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70932
A U.S. software maker sued China's government and seven computer makers Tuesday alleging piracy of its Internet filtering software.
Cybersitter LLC, whose software is designed to help parents filter content seen by children, seeks $2.2 billion in damages in the federal lawsuit filed Tuesday in Los Angeles.
The company alleges that the Chinese copied its codes and incorporated them into software used to block Chinese citizens' access to sites deemed politically undesirable by the government. Manufacturers including Sony, Lenovo, and Toshiba also were sued for distributing the Chinese program with PCs sold in the country.
"I don't think I have ever seen such clear-cut stealing," said attorney Gregory Fayer, who represents Santa Barbara-based Cybersitter.
He said the alleged piracy was discovered by a university researcher who posted a report on Internet filtering programs online.
Fayer said Chinese software makers appeared to have downloaded the program from the Cybersitter server and copied more than 3,000 lines of code, then incorporated it into their program, Green Dam Youth Escort.
"They did a sloppy job of copying," said Fayer, noting that they included directions on how to get to the Cybersitter site.
Last year, the Chinese government issued an order requiring computer manufacturers to pre-install or supply "Green Dam Youth Escort" software with PCs made for sale in China.
China later backed down after a major outcry from Chinese citizens and computer companies. Although Chinese authorities had said the "Green Dam" system is needed to block access to violent and obscene material, analysts who reviewed the program say it also filters out material the government considers politically objectionable.
The lawsuit says that while the mandate was reversed, the computer makers continued to distribute Green Dam with its computers in China even after learning the software was pirated.
Those named in the lawsuit were Sony, Lenovo, Toshiba, Acer, AsusteK, BenQ and Haier.
The complaint alleges...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
Dell, AT&T Plan New Android Phone Based on Mini 3
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70947
A day after Google launched its Nexus One Android-based smartphone, Dell and AT&T announced another first -- Dell's first mobile handset for the U.S. The new Android phone, which has yet to be finalized, is based on the Mini 3 phone Dell sells in China. That phone is a 3.5-inch, 640x360, touchscreen phone with a three-megapixel camera.
"The Mini 3 is a result of listening to customers and creating products that allow people to do the things they want, whenever and wherever they want to do them," said Ron Garriques, president of Dell Communication Solutions.
The deal for AT&T to be the carrier for the Dell phone appears to have been in place for quite some time. Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets, had mentioned a Dell smartphone, though the company later said he misspoke.
Dell's choice of AT&T may be bad news for iPhone users if the phone takes off. AT&T's network has well-documented problems with 3G. "Given all the complaints with the network, it's going to exacerbate that because Android users are similar to iPhone users in being heavy users of the network," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst with Sterling Market Research.
The release of yet another Android phone -- following quickly after Google's Nexus One and Motorola's Droid -- is ample proof of the broad adoption of the platform. "It's quite dramatic," Sterling said. "While you could view this as expected because of Google's engineering skill, Android seems to be more successful than most people would have anticipated."
Left out in the cold is Windows Mobile. "Microsoft is really getting hammered by the success of Android," Sterling said. "Every few weeks we hear about a new Android handset, a new feature." While handset makers like HTC are doing both Android and Windows Mobile...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
ASUS Outlines a Wrist PC and Debuts a Gaming Laptop
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70946
Computer maker ASUS has touted design and innovation as the core focus for the company, and this year was no different. Jonney Shih, chairman of the Taiwanese company, took the podium at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to declare that ASUS is focused on becoming one of the top three portable-PC vendors by 2011.
Shih wasted no time in sharing the company's latest products and new Waveface initiative. Waveface focuses on flexible-screen technology in three forms -- a wrist PC, a folding tablet and keyboard, and an HDTV entertainment center.
The Waveface Ultra is a high-tech wristband that will be equipped with motion-sensing technology to allow it to respond to the user's gestures. The wrist PC will be designed to provide access to relevant information from anywhere and at anytime, according to the company.
Waveface Light is a notebook that can be used in a conventional screen-keyboard configuration or transformed into a screen-only tablet, according to Shih. It includes a touch-sensitive screen and is backed by a soft and flexible material.
A widescreen display that will be used as an entertainment center and Internet portal has been dubbed Waveface Casa. When the entertainment center is not in use, it will be covered with a decorative cover to hide most of the screen, exposing only small areas that show relevant information.
While Shih hinted that the concepts will manifest into something more concrete this year, he admitted when pressed that the time line is about five years.
ASUS also unveiled several new notebooks with something for everyone.
The U Series Bamboo collection was designed for people with green concerns. The collection is made with bamboo and includes Intel's Core i7, i5 and i3 processors, Microsoft Windows 7, and a Blu-ray drive. It also boasts up to 500GB of storage.
For those who...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
App Store Reaches a Record Three Billion Downloads
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70945
It's surely no coincidence that on the same day Google launched its much-anticipated Android-powered Nexus One phone, Apple had its own announcement: iPhone and iPod users have downloaded three billion applications from its App Store in 18 months. About half those downloads occurred in the last six months, since Apple reported 1.5 billion downloads in July.
"This is like nothing we've ever seen before," said Apple CEO Steve Jobs. "The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon."
The App Store was launched in July 2008 with about 500 apps. Apple now says customers in 77 countries are downloading some 20 categories of apps, from business to sports, news, health, reference and travel. By incorporating it with its successful iTunes, Apple has offered a one-stop shopping experience for both fun and practical, convenience-oriented downloads.
Hanging up a McDonald's-style "three billion-served" sign reinforces the idea that Apple's commitment to user experience will make it difficult for iPhone users to switch to a newcomer.
"Apps are a leading indicator of what the future will bring, and Apple certainly has a head start," said Kirk Parsons, senior telecommunications analyst at J.D. Power and Associates. "The real value currently to customers is the experience of the handset and how that works with the service carrier."
Parsons noted that even with connection problems with AT&T as the exclusive iPhone carrier in the U.S., and the resulting bad publicity, the smartphone is still widely popular.
"I doubt the Nexus model is any real differentiator versus what the [Android-powered] Droid already brings; Some nice features, but it may not equal the user experience of the iPhone just yet," he said.
Yet despite a large and growing inventory of...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
AT&T, T-Mobile Add HSPA+ To Speed Up 3G Networks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70944
AT&T and T-Mobile announced major upgrades to their 3G networks Tuesday that eventually should help both carriers overcome problems arising from heavy data demands by smartphone subscribers.
AT&T said it has completed the deployment of software upgrades to all its 3G cell-tower sites as the first step in its rollout of High-Speed Packet Access 7.2 (HSPA+) technology.
T-Mobile said Tuesday that HSPA+ is now enabled across the wireless carrier's entire 3G network. A spokesperson also noted that the best thing about the upgrade is that it is "backward compatible, so that T-Mobile's 3G-enabled devices will be faster in 2010."
However,wireless carriers migrating to HSPA+ -- and eventually to LTE -- must do more than simply implement base-station upgrades, noted Gartner Research Director Akshay Sharma.
The other needed changes include "backhaul upgrades from the base stations to the core network," Sharma explained. "And the old GGSN and MSC switches in the core will need to be upgraded to the Evolved Packet Core (EPC) and IMS."
T-Mobile said it's continuing to increase its backhaul capacity "in line with its network upgrades" to support the faster speeds offered by HSPA+. So far, however, the wireless carrier has refrained from releasing any timing details or the specific numbers of cell sites involved.
AT&T said its recently completed nationwide software upgrade should improve the level of consistency that 3G network users experience when accessing data sessions. On the other hand, the network operator noted that achieving faster speeds and increased network efficiency will also require the addition of enhanced cell-site connections over the next two years.
AT&T said it intends to dramatically increase the number of backhaul connections primarily through the addition of high-speed fiber-optic links. It said the initial deployments of backhaul capacity to support HSPA+ are already under way in Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
Ballmer Expected To Unveil 'Slate' Tablet at CES
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70941
Whatever other news comes out of the big Consumer Electronics Show opening this week in Las Vegas, the headlines are going to include tablet computers. According to a report Tuesday in The New York Times, one of the most visible ones will be unveiled Wednesday night when Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer announces a tablet computer during his keynote address.
The Times said that what it described as a "slate" computer will be on sale by the middle of this year and will be manufactured by Hewlett-Packard. The use of the term "slate" heightens the rivalry with Apple, which is widely expected to release its own tablet computer later this month, and the name is rumored to be iSlate.
According to unnamed sources, the Times said Microsoft will pitch the device as a new kind of multi-touch, multimedia e-reader. Months ago, some photos and a demo video floated around the web purporting to show Microsoft's Courier, a prototype of an innovative, two-screen tablet device with the screens able to act as one large, virtual desktop.
If Ballmer does pitch the device as a tablet/e-reader, it will represent an attempt by the software giant to get in front of a parade of announcements in recent months relating to both e-readers and tablets.
On the e-reader front, Amazon has been building momentum and alliances with its Kindle, Sony has several e-readers, Barnes & Noble has released the much-panned nook, and smaller players have come out with similar devices. Major publishers such as Conde Nast are organizing an "electronic newsstand" for their magazine properties, in one of several attempts by major content owners to stop Amazon from becoming the dominant electronic player in its sector, as iTunes became in music.
There have also already been several tablet announcements as CES opens, and...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
Amazon Upgrades Kindle DX with Global Wireless
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70934
On Wednesday, Amazon debuted a new Kindle DX with global wireless that aims to drive its stateside e-reader success to nations around the world. The new Kindle DX replaces the Kindle DX with U.S. wireless.
The latest version of the popular Kindle offers a 9.7-inch electronic paper display with 2.5 times more surface area than the regular six-inch display. The Kindle DX's larger electronic-paper display offers 16 shades of gray and more viewing area for graphics-rich content.
The Kindle DX with global wireless can be pre-ordered for $489 and ships Jan. 19. The Kindle with global wireless, Amazon's six-inch reading device, was released in October 2009 and has already shipped to more than 130 countries.
"Kindle DX is great for personal and professional documents, cookbooks and textbooks -- anything that is highly formatted. Documents look so good on the big Kindle DX display that you'll find yourself changing ink-toner cartridges less often and printing fewer documents," said Ian Freed, vice president at Amazon Kindle. "We're excited to be able to offer Kindle DX to customers worldwide so they can carry all of their personal documents along with their whole library in one slender package."
Amazon seems to be gearing up for global competition in the e-reader market. At the Consumer Electronics Show starting Thursday, Sprint and Skiff will preview one of the latest e-readers, the Skiff Reader. The Skiff's differentiator, as the companies explain it, is optimization for newspaper and magazine content.
Google isn't in the e-reader hardware market, but the company has just announced a partnership with Spring Design, developer of the dual-screen multimedia Alex e-reader, to give Alex users access to more than one million Google Books online or downloaded using Alex's integrated Android web browser and search applications.
And DMC Worldwide just introduced an open platform that combines content, social...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
Google Debuts a New Way To Purchase 'Superphones'
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70926
Google officially announced the much-anticipated Nexus One smartphone on Tuesday, along with what it deems a new way for consumers to purchase a mobile phone. The search giant has launched a Google-hosted web store for Android devices.
Mario Queiroz, vice president of product management at Google, said the goal of the new consumer channel is twofold. First, Google aims to offer an efficient way to connect online users with selected Android devices. Second, Google wants to make the overall user experience simple by creating what it believes is a simple purchasing process, simple service plans from operators, and simple, worry-free delivery and startup.
"Android was developed with one simple idea: Open up mobile devices to enable greater innovation that will benefit users everywhere," Queiroz said. "We first executed on this vision a little over a year ago, when we launched Android on one device with one operator in one country. Today, we have 20 devices with 59 operators in 48 countries and 19 languages."
The latest device was designed by Google in its quest to accelerate the pace of innovation. Although Google remains committed to working with its partners to create devices that showcase its software technology, and while Google plans to include other Android devices in its new web store, the first phone on the site is Google's Nexus One.
Queiroz described the Nexus One as a convergence point for mobile technology, apps and the Internet. "Nexus One is an exemplar of what's possible on mobile devices through Android -- when cool apps meet a fast, bright and connected computer that fits in your pocket. The Nexus One belongs in the emerging class of devices which we call 'superphones'," he said. "It's the first in what we expect to be a series of products which we will bring to market with our...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
Obama Administration Seeks More Wireless Spectrum
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70916
The Obama administration is calling on federal regulators to make more radio spectrum available for wireless Internet services so they can compete with broadband plans provided by the major phone and cable companies.
Lawrence Strickling, head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, said in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission on Monday that wireless connections offer the best hope for injecting new competition into the duopoly market for broadband services in the United States.
The NTIA, an arm of the Commerce Department, offered its input as the FCC drafts a plan for bringing affordable high-speed Internet access to all Americans. That plan, mandated by last year's stimulus bill, is due next month.
The NTIA letter draws heavily on a Justice Department analysis of the state of competition in the broadband market, which was filed with the FCC on Monday.
That analysis says it is premature to know whether next-generation, wireless services will be fast enough and reliable enough to become a viable alternative to offerings from phone and cable companies.
But the Justice Department warns that the high cost of building such wire-based networks means there will likely be limited competition -- with at most two choices and, in many places, just one service fast enough to handle applications that require a lot of bandwidth.
Finding more radio spectrum for wireless Internet connections is therefore "a primary tool for promoting broadband competition," Strickling wrote in the NTIA letter.
The NTIA's recommendations to the FCC include exploring ways to make more efficient use of the airwaves -- for instance, by developing new access technologies and encouraging users to share spectrum -- and examining whether to reallocate spectrum now in the hands of other commercial and government users.
The FCC is already considering reallocating some frequencies held by television broadcasters, which have mounted an aggressive campaign to hang...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
Companies Seek Alternatives to the Old Desktop PC
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70908
Tech executive Parikshit Arora had an unconventional response the morning he discovered that his office computer was no longer working. Rather than fixing it himself or calling in help from the information technology department, he discarded the device. "It wasn't booting up," says Arora, vice-president for technology at iQor, a company that handles call-center work for clients. "I didn't even care to find out why. I threw it away and got another one."
The same goes for most of iQor's 11,000 employees. Why the seemingly cavalier take on computers? Two years ago, New York-based iQor ditched most of its Dell and Hewlett-Packard desktop computers and installed a fleet of cheaper, stripped-down machines that lacked hard drives. Also made by HP and known as thin clients, these smaller, virtually disposable devices leave most processing and storage tasks to a centrally located server. "We refer to thin clients as lollipops," says iQor Chief Executive Vikas Kapoor. "If yours isn't working, just get another one." Now, about 75 percent of iQor's employees use thin clients with files and software stored elsewhere. When a machine dies, staffers get a new one and resume work in minutes.
iQor may be a harbinger of things to come in corporate computing. While traditional laptops and desktops reign supreme in the workplace, accounting for the vast majority of employee computers, companies are increasingly willing to consider alternatives. Some are experimenting with thin clients in a bid to cut costs while many others are betting on netbooks. Employees are spending more work time on smartphones, while Apple's Mac -- once viewed as a machine for artists and educators -- is wending its way into corporations. "We've got the most diverse offerings of PCs that we've ever had," says Richard Shim, research manager for IDC's personal computing program, which is now tracking...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
Retailers Tap Into Software To Know Their Customers
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70887
Most people think of the grand challenges in computing as big science projects. But with the holiday shopping season just ended, retail marketing is emerging as a real-world incubator for testing how computer firepower and smart software can be applied to human behavior.
Major retailers have long sifted through in-store sales and demographic information to aim goods at different stores and to tightly manage supplies. What is changing, experts say, is the rapid surge in the amount and types of digital data that retailers can now tap, and the improved computing tools to try to make sense of it.
The data explosion spans internal sources including point-of-sale and shipment-tracking information, as well as census data and syndicated services. Companies also track online visitors to Web commerce sites, members of social networks like Facebook and browsers using smartphones.
The better tools, they say, are ever less expensive and faster computers and so-called business intelligence or analytic software for finding useful information and patterns in that data.
Retailers are increasingly mining huge troves of digital information to improve the decisions they make about pricing, shelf-stocking and offerings.
"This huge and growing ecosystem of data is an asset that some retailers are really beginning to exploit for competitive advantage," said Thomas H. Davenport, a professor of information technology and management at Babson College near Boston. "It brings more science into the business. Relying on gut feel is yesterday's strategy in retailing."
Mountains of data and whiz-bang technology are no cure for tight-fisted shoppers, of course. And this was a challenging holiday season for most U.S. retailers. Even computing enthusiasts acknowledge that the technology is far better at fine-tuning decisions on pricing, product assortments and shipments than the basic merchandising judgments about what goods to make and buy from suppliers.
"In the world of retail merchandising, there will always be a...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
Dealing with Windows 7 Annoyances
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70883
Windows 7 users are generally a satisfied lot -- relieved, no doubt, that Microsoft chose to concentrate on making its new operating system faster and less intrusive than Vista. But that doesn't mean Windows 7 is without its flaws. The good news is that most of the features that people find annoying about Windows 7 can either be turned off or "fixed" with add-on software. Read on for details.
Q: I don't like the new Windows 7 "snap" feature. How can I disable it?
A: Windows 7's Aero Snap feature may take new users by surprise. To see what Snap does, grab an open application's title bar and move it to the left, right, or top of your screen until your mouse cursor touches the edge. Snap will then kick into action, showing you a large translucent rectangle, indicating that if you release the mouse button, the application will "snap" to fill the space occupied by the translucent rectangle.
The main purpose of Snap is to make it easy for you to situate two open applications side-by-side on your screen so that they perfectly fill all available screen space. Move an application to the top of the screen, and Snap will maximize the application -- achieving the same result as double-clicking the title bar.
The trouble with Snap, as you've no doubt discovered, is that it can interfere with efforts to move application around on your monitor. If you inadvertently "snap" one to the side or top, you have to go to the trouble of unsnapping it.
Luckily, it's easy to turn off Snap. Just open the Windows 7 Start menu, type "snap" or "arrange," and then click the search result labeled "Turn off automatic window arrangement." In the resulting dialog box, select the check box labeled "Prevent windows from being automatically arranged when moved...
Thu, 7 Jan 10
Our Devices Will Spin Denser Webs of Data in 2010s
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70632
Ten years ago, we would have been blown away by a cell phone with far more computing power and memory than the average PC had in 1999, along with a built-in camera and programs to manage every aspect of our lives. Ten years from now, the iPhone and its ilk will be antiques.
Over the next decade, the evolution of computing and the Internet will produce faster, increasingly intelligent devices. More of our possessions will contain sensors and computers that log our activities, building digital dossiers that augment our memories, help us make decisions and tame information overload.
Such ideas may sound futuristic and excessive today. And technological predictions are notoriously off-base. Short-term forecasts tend to assume too much change and long-term forecasts underestimate the possibility of sudden, major shifts.
Even so, this vision of interconnected devices that produce and filter massive amounts of data in the 2010s is a logical progression of the Web, computers and gadgetry that emerged in the 2000s. Moore's Law, the principle that computing power doubles every two years without increasing in cost, still rules.
Recall the personal computer, circa 2000. It likely had a "clock speed" -- a measure of how fast it could do things -- just one-sixth of many computers today.
Apple's 1999 iMac came with 64 megabytes of RAM, memory that helps computers switch among programs. Today's iMac today has 60 times as much. The vintage iMac had a 10-gigabyte hard drive for storing digital photos and other files. Now iPods have more space than that, and iMac drives start at 500 gigabytes.
Remember dial-up? In 2000, fewer than 10 percent of U.S. households had broadband Internet, according to Forrester Research. In 2008, 61 percent of homes had it.
As computers and Internet connections got faster, we enjoyed them more. In October 2002, the average American spent about...
Wed, 6 Jan 10
Google 'Converges' on Nexus One with No Surprises
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70925
Under the theme of Web Meets Phone, Google on Tuesday launched its long-awaited direct entry into the smartphone market with its Nexus One, a challenge to the many devices using its Android mobile platform. Taking advantage of one of the world's most popular web addresses, Google began selling the Nexus One with a dedicated page offering 3-D tours, specs and the ability to order the phone and track the order.
The HTC-built device sells for $529.99 unlocked, meaning without a carrier, or $179.99 with a two-year T-Mobile plan. It will also be available later this year through Verizon Wireless and in Europe through Vodafone. Deals with other carriers are also expected.
At an event at the company's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., Mario Queiroz, Google's vice president of product management, said the Nexus One name is meant to imply a point of convergence.
"One question we asked ourselves some time ago was, what if we work even more closely with our partners to bring devices to market which are going to help us showcase quickly the great software technology we're working on here at Google?" Queiroz was quoted as saying. "We've done just that."
Interpret Vice President Michael Gartenberg said Google's entry into consumer electronics is "a big deal. In addition, with the Google store we've learned that all Android devices might be equal, but some are more equal than others, as not every phone or vendor will be in Google's store. In many ways, Google is now in position to control the customer, not the carrier, much as Apple did with the release of the iPhone."
Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA - The Wireless Association, said the announcement was the next phase in a battle for "every single customer in this ecosystem, whether they're network providers, device manufacturers, carriers and...
Wed, 6 Jan 10
Touchscreen Tablet Devices Will Proliferate at CES
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70923
Now that Google has finally announced its Nexus One Android-based smartphone, attention can turn to this week's annual Consumer Electronics Show, traditionally the marquee event for tech gadgets from smartphones to laptops to gaming. This year, organizers expect 2,500 exhibitors and 110,000 attendees, not bad for a recession year and no worse than last year, but still down from pre-recession numbers of 140,000-plus attendees.
The big story this year is flat, touchscreen computers -- call them tablets, e-readers, slates or what have you.
Of course, the biggest news in computer tablets will not be made at CES. Consumers and analysts are looking toward Jan. 26, when Apple is expected to announce its tablet entry, which many observers expect to be named the iSlate.
Greg Sterling, principal analyst with Sterling Market Research, said CES watchers are interested in mobile devices in general, "but tablets are the hot devices this year, with the Apple tablet being the source of the most speculation."
While Apple has said nothing about the device, reports indicate it plans a major product announcement in San Francisco. Observers expect CEO Steve Jobs to announce a sub-$1,000, 10-inch, flat screen, multi-touch PC that has been described as an "iPhone on steroids." It will be focused on delivering movies, music and multimedia entertainment -- and come preloaded with links to magazine, newspaper and television content, as Apple has been reported to be involved in content deals with publishers and broadcasters.
While manufacturers big and small seeking to compete with Apple will have their work cut out for them, that doesn't mean CES won't be loaded with tablet readers. Some tablets, like the OEM platform Freescale Semiconductors announced Monday, will cost $199 for a seven-inch tablet.
Whether low-cost tablets will deliver the computing power necessary for a satisfying user experience is...
Wed, 6 Jan 10
Lenovo Smartbook Stays Connected with AT&T and Wi-Fi
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70922
Lenovo has taken the wraps off Skylight -- the PC maker's first machine based on Qualcomm's Snapdragon chipset for building always-on mobile computing devices called smartbooks. Designed to run for up to 10 hours off a single battery charge, the sleek and slim Skylight is designed to operate via AT&T's 3G network and 20,000 Wi-Fi hot spots nationwide.
The burning question, however, is whether Skyline and other smartbooks will further exacerbate the negative impact that heavy smartphone data traffic is having on 3G networks worldwide. "The uptake in netbooks might give us some idea how popular smartbooks might eventually become," noted Lisa Pierce, an independent wireless analyst at the Strategic Networks Group.
As the nation's wireless carriers have already learned about smartphones, an important criterion is how well the handset's protocols are designed for use on 3G networks, Pierce observed. For smartbooks, "we obviously won't know the answer until customers start using them," Pierce said.
Available in glossy lotus blue and earth red and tipping the scales at less than two pounds, Skylight sports a clamshell design that opens to reveal a 10-inch high-definition color screen and a full-size keyboard. Under the hood, Skylight integrates a one-GHz ARM-based Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm, Wi-Fi and 3G radios, and 20GB of internal memory.
"Skylight combines the long battery life and connectivity of a smartphone with the full web-browsing and multimedia experience of a netbook to create one of the first devices in this developing smartbook category," said Peter Gaucher, Lenovo's executive director of mobile Internet product management.
On the software side, the always-on device is equipped with more than 18 preloaded web gadgets that make it a snap for users to download music and movies, read e-mail, or access social-networking sites. The device also can store up to 2GB of personal...
Wed, 6 Jan 10
Skype Supports High-Definition TV and PC Video Calls
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70921
High-quality video calling, once available only to well-heeled businesses, could be coming to a computer or TV near you. On Tuesday, Skype announced support for video calls using 720p high-definition video. In addition, the company said its software will be embedded into various Net-connected HDTVs from several manufacturers.
The new Skype 4.2 beta for Windows will provide 1280x720 resolution, at up to 30 frames per second. Each user will need a high-speed broadband connection of at least one Mbps on both sides of the conversation, a new HD webcam, and a PC with at least a 1.8-GHz dual-core processor, in addition to the software.
The upgrade in resolution is intended not only for businesses, which have been using high-end telepresence setups to cut down on in-person meetings, but for consumers as well. The new HD Skype video calls, said CEO Josh Silverman, will allow consumers to "see the sparkle of your grandchild's eyes or the setting of your best friend's engagement ring."
Skype-certified HD webcams optimized to work with the new Skype software are being introduced this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, from faceVsion and In Store Solutions. The cameras take care of the video encoding and processing.
Two versions of the faceVsion web cameras go on sale in February, ranging from $69 to $99, and the In Store Solutions cameras will be $120 to $140. The Skype software is free. While some business telepresence setups can handle multiple video feeds from multiple locations, the current incarnation of Skype HD calls only permits conference calls by voice.
Skype software will be available as part of Panasonic's 2010 VIERA CAST-enabled HDTVs, and in various LG Electronics plasma and LCD models with NetCast Entertainment Access. The sets from both manufacturers will be available by the...
Wed, 6 Jan 10
Microsoft Sets Dual Prices for Four Versions of Office 2010
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70917
While much of the technology world is focused on the innovations rolling out at the Consumer Electronics Show this week, Microsoft is priming the pump for Office 2010 sales. The software giant on Tuesday revealed pricing details on the next version of its productivity suite.
Not surprisingly, Microsoft will offer Office 2010 in four versions, Office Professional, Office Home and Business, Office Home and Student, and Office Professional Academic. Microsoft said the multiple packages aim to make it easier for consumers to choose the most appropriate version.
Two pricing schemes are offered for each version: One for the boxed product and another for downloads. The education-only Office Professional Academic sells for $99 on the low end while Office Professional -- with Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote, Outlook, Publisher, Access and Office Web Apps -- sells at $499 on the high end. The digital versions are $69 for Office Professional Academic and $349 for Office Professional.
Office Home and Student includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneNote and Office Web Apps for $149 boxed and $119 digital. Office Home and Business adds Outlook and a business license for $279 boxed and $199 digital.
The Office Home and Student boxed product is also available in a Family Pack, allowing consumers to install the software on three PCs in one house. The purchase rights for Office Home and Business, Office Professional, and Office Professional Academic boxed products allow usage on two PCs. The product key card downloads are valid for a single installation.
"Heading into the new year, the Microsoft Office team is motivated more than ever by what we're hearing about customers' experiences with [beta] Office 2010," said Rachel Bondi, general manager for the Microsoft Office team. "Many people think Office is just for the workplace, but millions of people are using Office at home, at school and for...
Wed, 6 Jan 10
Apple Buys Google Ad Competitor Quattro Wireless
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70900
As Google outlines a smartphone strategy that puts the search giant in direct competition with Apple, the iPhone maker has struck a deal that may tread on Google's turf. Apple has acquired Quattro Wireless, according to a blog posting on Quattro's web site Tuesday.
The Wall Street Journal's D:All Things Digital blog valued the acquisition at $275 million. The move positions Apple as another hurdle in Google's moves to become the dominant player in mobile advertising.
Quattro Wireless is a global mobile-advertising company with a proprietary technology called Q Elevation. Built by a team of mobile and behavioral experts, the technology works to optimize every impression. This ad-serving, tracking and analytics platform has attracted a Fortune 500 client list that includes Microsoft, Proctor & Gamble, Viacom, BP and Disney.
Indeed, Quattro shows plenty of promise, raising nearly $30 million in venture capital from Highland Capital Partners and Globespace Capital Partners. The company's CEO, Andrew Miller, was named the Ernst & Young entrepreneur of the year 2009 in the emerging-company category in New England. In Tuesday's blog posting, Miller identified himself as a vice president of mobile advertising for Apple.
Miller reported that 2009 was a breakout year for the mobile-ad space and for Quattro. The company surpassed the four billion-impressions-per-month mark and revenue grew more than three times from 2008 as the publisher base swelled to thousands of mobile web sites and applications.
"With the forthcoming tablet and the iPhone becoming a larger part of Apple's business and the growing app ecosystem, the company may feel it needs to have some advertising apparatus to help support its developer network," said Greg Sterling, principal analyst at Sterling Market Intelligence. "Apple may want to provide a monetization option for developers who provide apps for the iPhone or the tablet."
Apple's acquisition comes about...
Wed, 6 Jan 10
Apple's iDecade: A Technological Bright Spot
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70892
There's not much I will miss about [the last] decade.
And to think it all began with such promise. At the dawn of the new millennium, optimism abounded. The U.S. economy was roaring, with gross domestic product increasing 6.1 percent in 1999. The Dow Jones industrial average gained 2,300 points in a year. Unemployment was at 4 percent. America was at peace and largely unchallenged.
It didn't take long for things to get ugly. Terrorist attacks, two wars, the burst of the tech bubble; an all-too brief recovery that gave way to the near collapse of the banking system and the biggest financial crisis since the Great Depression. For a period that began with such high hopes, the first decade of the 21st century was by many measures disastrous.
There are a few exceptions. One of the biggest is Apple. If you worked for, held shares in, or bought products from the Cupertino [Calif.]-based consumer electronics maker, you had plenty to love about the past 10 years. The writer Douglas Coupland once called the band R.E.M. "one of the few things that didn't suck about the '80s." And so it is with Apple in the Noughties, or whatever else we're calling the decade that dare not speak its name.
Ten years ago [lst] week, Apple seemed destined for irrelevance. Sales had dropped to $6 billion in 1999 from a peak of $11 billion in 1995. Apple's share of the U.S. PC market plummeted to less than 4 percent in 1999 from 9.6 percent in 1991. And the company's stock lost more than half its value in a single day at the end of September 2000 when the company issued a dour profit warning for its fiscal fourth quarter.
Then again, founder Steve Jobs had only recently begun reasserting his influence over the company he...
Wed, 6 Jan 10
Setting Up Powerline on Your Home Network
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70885
The idea is simple: exchange data among computers and other network-ready devices using the existing electrical wiring in your home. The method is known as Powerline and it's one of the solutions to in-home networking being touted by networking equipment makers today.
A Powerline adapter features a conventional plug on one side and an Ethernet port on the other side to bridge the short distance between adapter and PC. Powerline is considered foolproof, but it can bring some problems of its own.
The major benefit is the technology: it eliminates the need to lay yards of Ethernet cable across an apartment or house, or even to set up a WLAN network. Powerline is particularly helpful, for example, when laying Ethernet cables within an existing single family home would be expensive.
"If I have to send WLAN through several walls, then Powerline is a good alternative," says Michael Link from Germany's Computerbild magazine.
Powerline adapters are easy to install, too. Just plug a network-ready device like a PC or gaming console into a Powerline wall socket and the adapters facilitate communication automatically. Problems are rare and when they do occur it is usually because the wiring is not standard, Link says.
Powerline installations are not limited to just two adapters, either. Up to 256 can be linked onto one network, explains Christoph Roesseler from German hardware maker devolo. The reason: each adapter must be capable of recognizing which other adapters are already on the network. Each adapter's module can hold data for up to 255 other modules.
Powerline products are offered by most of the major home networking equipment makers, including Allnet, Belkin, Linksys, and MSI. The devices generally work with either the HomePlug 1.0 or HomePlug AV standard. The key differences between the two are in transmission speed and encryption. HomePlug 1.0 offers transmission speeds of...
Wed, 6 Jan 10
IT Workers Foggy About Cloud Computing
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70882
Half of IT professionals cannot define cloud computing and many remain confused about the security and cost-saving issues it raises, a survey of more than 200 professionals has revealed.
The study, conducted by Proofpoint, a provider of SaaS email security, email archiving and data loss prevention solutions, along with Osterman Research, suggested that the host of definitions and perceptions around the term "cloud computing" may stall enterprise adoption of cloud technologies.
Nearly 40 percent of respondents said they were confused by the term and its many different definitions. Almost one third thought it was more hype than substance, while 24 percent "weren't sure."
Proofpoint chief executive Gary Steele said: "There's still significant fear, uncertainly and doubt surrounding data security and financial payback issues."
He added: "The understanding of cloud computing isn't any clearer in other areas of the enterprise." For example, 59 percent of respondents thought their chief executive would be unable to define cloud computing. Only 10 percent said their finance directors could define the term accurately.
The study also found professionals split over concerns about cloud's security, with many unconvinced of its fiscal benefits. Around half thought putting sensitive data with a cloud-based provider would violate data protection laws or run a higher risk of being compromised. "The takeaway [message] is that all clouds are not created equal," said Steele. "Enterprises must conduct their due diligence when moving functions to the cloud."
Wed, 6 Jan 10
GPS-Directed Holiday Travel Goes Amiss
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70879
In a holiday hurry, Jeramie Griffin piled his family into the car and asked his new GPS for the quickest way from his home in the Willamette Valley across the Cascade Range.
It said he could shave 40 minutes off the time of the roundabout route he usually takes to his future in-laws' place.
Following the directions, he and his fiancée headed east on Christmas Eve and into the mountains, turning off a state highway onto local roads and finally getting stuck in the snow.
p
They had no cell phone service and ran short on formula for their 11-month-old daughter. After taking exploratory hikes, trying to dig out and spending the night in their car, the distraught couple filmed a goodbye video.
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Like two other parties of holiday travelers who followed GPS directions smack into Oregon snowbanks, Griffin and family were eventually rescued. But their peril left law enforcement officers and travel advisers perplexed about drivers who occasionally set aside common sense when their GPS systems suggest a shortcut.
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Did everybody just get these for Christmas? asked Klamath County Sheriff Tim Evinger, leader of one rescue effort.
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In Griffin's case, in fact, the GPS device was a Christmas gift, from his parents. He used it for the first time to plan the trip to Central Oregon.
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It's one he'd made many times before, following a route travelers have found reliable since at least the days of the Oregon Trail. But, he said, a shortcut the GPS device suggested was attractive.
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We were in such a hurry to get over there, we programmed it in the driveway and went ahead, he said.
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In hindsight, he said, he should have double checked the route against a paper map -- and packed extra formula for the baby. We would be better prepared for the unknown, he said.
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The AAA and the National Association...
Fri, 1 Jan 10
AT&T Requests Transition from Analog to Broadband
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70870
AT&T is joining Verizon Wireless in an effort to even out the costs of wireless and landline services. AT&T has requested that the Federal Communications Commission approve replacing legacy circuit-switched or public-switched telephone networks (PSTN) with broadband and IP-based connections.
AT&T's request comes after the FCC issued a public notice on Dec. 1 asking for input on what it would take to move from the legacy system to Internet protocols.
"In identifying the appropriate areas of inquiry, we seek to understand which policies and regulatory structures may facilitate, and which may hinder, the efficient migration to an all-IP world," the FCC wrote. "In addition, we seek to identify and understand what aspects of traditional policy frameworks are important to consider, address and possibly modify in an effort to protect the public interest in an all-IP world."
At the core of AT&T's argument to replace the worldwide telephone network that carries analog data is that the company is losing landline subscribers each day as more people rely solely on wireless devices. Already 99 percent of Americans have wireless coverage, while 700,000 landline subscriptions are ending each month, according to AT&T.
Between 1999 and 2007 the number of broadband connections rose from less than three million to more than 121 million, according to a report by the FCC. Today, those services are available to nearly 90 percent of American households, and 66 percent of those households subscribe to broadband service.
While the majority of households are making the switch, others will not be prepared to make the change.
"More and more folks are relying on their cell phones or some kind of VoIP service at home, but it's going to be hard to convince an older generation to give up that familiar dial tone that often works even when nothing else does and the...
Fri, 1 Jan 10
Print Publishers Hope To Avoid a Media Meltdown
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70869
The traditional publishing industry is developing strategies to counteract the adverse effects that digital-content providers like Google and Amazon.com are having on its business. Among other things, publishers facing plummeting sales of physical media and advertising are expected to assert more control over when, where and how their content is made available.
However, Forrester Research Vice President Mark Mulligan believes today's pervasive free content means paid content is no longer king and the traditional media meltdown will continue through 2010.
"As the contagion of free continues to infect everything it touches, the old media business models and products are on borrowed time," Mulligan wrote in a recent blog. "Only with a new generation of media products that play to the relative strengths of the various digital platforms will new successful media business models be built."
Mulligan advises the media industry to align its content assets with current consumer behavior and demand by adopting an entirely new framework for media products. "Just erecting a pay wall around your existing content will simply drive the vast majority of your audiences to the nearest free alternative," Mulligan warned.
Content scarcity may be gone, Mulligan observed, but high-quality, unique content experiences are extremely scarce in the digital arena. "When they exist, they prosper," Mulligan wrote.
Mulligan proposes that publishers follow a three-tiered model to monetize their digital content that consists of free, subsidized and premium content offerings -- a model that Amazon is already following. Beyond offering free books and low-priced best sellers, Amazon recently announced that it will offer exclusive e-book deals on the latest releases from best-selling authors such as Stephen Covey.
However, Gartner Vice President Allen Weiner thinks exclusive e-book deals send out a bad message to the majority of publishers not on The New York Times best-seller list....
Fri, 1 Jan 10
Apple's Tablet May Come with Content Subscriptions
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70868
For the first time, Apple won't be at the annual Macworld trade show in January. But CEO Steve Jobs and his team will still make the month interesting. Apple has scheduled a press briefing for Jan. 26 in San Francisco, and Apple watchers are salivating at the prospect of a tablet computer that looks like an iPhone on steroids.
A MacInsider report that Apple registered the domain name islate.com at least as far back as 2007 fueled rumors that the tablet may be named iSlate. While Apple has steadfastly refused to comment on the rumors, there is a consensus among the Apple cognoscenti that the device will be a 10-inch-wide tablet, not much thicker than an iPhone, feature the same multi-touch screen as the iPhone and iPod touch, be keyboard-free, and support music, video, e-books and iPhone apps. The price is rumored to be around $800.
The iSlate is exciting not just Apple "fanboys" but also Wall Street. Apple's stock has reached unknown heights in recent weeks as the rumor mills started going crazy. The stock price has risen from $192 on Dec. 18 to about $211 on New Year's Eve, giving the company a market capitalization of $190 billion.
There are also rumors that Apple is cutting content deals with publishers, broadcasters and movie studios, suggesting Apple intends its device to be a Kindle killer. An influential review in The New Yorker magazine panned Amazon's Kindle e-book reader and said reading books on the iPod touch was a superior experience.
Is the crazed enthusiasm appropriate? Will consumers really flock to Apple stores to pay close to $1,000 -- far more than a Kindle -- just to watch YouTube videos on a larger screen? Some analysts believe that by cutting content deals, Apple could make its tablet a must-have device....
Fri, 1 Jan 10
Electronics Led Jump in Online Holiday Shopping
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70867
More customers chose to point and click rather than park and swipe this Christmas season, with a five percent increase in online shopping over the same period last year, a study by the Internet marketing firm comScore says. By comparison, in-store retail shopping grew only 3.6 percent, according to credit-card spending tracked by Mastercard Advisor's' Spending Pulse.
"Overall this year, we have seen increasing stability in spending, as opposed to the free fall of 2008," noted Michael McNamara, vice president of research and analysis for SpendingPulse.
Cyber Monday, the day after the Thanksgiving weekend when online retailers usually offer their best deals and, often, free shipping, raked in $885 million, up five percent from last year's $834 million.
A significant share of the online boost was in electronics sales, which grew by slightly more than 20 percent, with jewelry and watches also producing solid sales. Overall, an estimated $27 billion was spent online.
Steve Koenig, director of industry analysis for the Consumer Electronics Association, attributed the sales boost to better marketing and promotion by retailers.
"Sellers are trying different things other than just the usual loss-leader approach," Koenig said. "They have used a number of market plays old and new to coax consumers to open their wallets, and the data we have so far suggests they have been successful."
One such successful tactic, Koenig said, is bundling, or selling multiple, related products at one price. For example, he said Best Buy offered a Hewlett-Packard PC, monitor, notebook and netbook, plus a wireless router with home installation for about $1,200.
But he said while unit sales climbed this year, the revenue generated fell because of the abundance of lower-priced items.
"There were fewer large-screen TVs, but more midsize models in the 20- to 30-inch range sold," he said. "I also think there is some trading down...
Fri, 1 Jan 10
Social Networking Will Be a Target for Hackers in 2010
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70862
The year 2009 saw high-profile attacks against social-networking sites -- and we ain't seen nothing yet. Security researchers and social-networking gurus expect more attacks -- and more sophisticated attacks, no less -- on popular social-networking sites in the year ahead.
The impetus for malicious hackers begins with the sheer numbers. Facebook now boasts more than 350 million users. MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn, Ning, Friendster, Badoo and the scores of other growing social networks online mean plenty of opportunity for cybercriminals.
"Criminal toolkits are evolving rapidly to use new technologies that increase the
sophistication of the attack -- leaving even more users blind to the risks," security researchers from McAfee Labs explained in the company's 2010 Threat Predictions report. "Malware authors love following the social-networking buzz and hot spots of activity. That will continue in 2010."
As Google cracks down on search-engine poisoning, McAfee expects Twitter and similar services to be attractive targets for malware authors. But it's not just the social-networking sites themselves that are attack vehicles, it's the third-party tools that consumers use to communicate through them -- namely, URL-shortening services such as bit.ly and tinyurl.com.
"These services now appear in all sorts of communications -- making it easier than
ever to mask the URLs that users are asked to click," McAfee security researchers noted. "This trick will play a more predominant role in 2010. It's the perfect avenue to direct users to web sites that they would normally be wary about visiting."
As user expectations of Web 2.0 services evolve, McAfee expects to see a growing number of rogue services emerge to try to capture credentials and data. The company warns that the widespread availability of stolen credentials could make it easy to launch and share rogue applications across social-networking populations.
"Wherever and whenever a trusted mainstream web site distributes or promotes third-party content,...
Fri, 1 Jan 10
Will Netbooks Steal the Show at 2010 CES?
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70856
Apple tablet rumors may be stealing the electronics thunder in this post-Christmas season, but the 2010 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) promises to showcase plenty of innovative products that offer a sneak peak of what we can expect from manufacturers over the next few months. Despite a down economy, the number of new exhibitors shows a growing confidence in the market.
The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) reports a record number of new exhibitors for this year's Jan. 7-10 show in Las Vegas. More than 330 new companies will join the ranks of exhibit veterans to total nearly 3,000 manufacturers on the showroom floor. In all, more than 20,000 new products will be on display with products in key market categories including apps, green technology, gaming and location-based services.
"With a record number of new exhibitors, scores of new product introductions, several new spotlights on the show floor, and a dynamic lineup of keynote sessions, the 2010 International CES will be our best show yet," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA. "More technology deals will be made during the four days of CES than anywhere else on earth."
Although Apple CEO Steve Jobs is not expected to make an appearance at this year's CES, plenty of top executives from some of the biggest names in technology and business will take the stage. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will offer the keynote address. Ford's Alan Mulally, Intel's Paul Otellini, Qualcomm's Dr. Paul Jacobs, Nokia's Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, and Hisense's Zhou Houjian will speak as part of the CES Technology and Emerging Countries Program.
The CEA has organized what it calls CE Spotlights to cover various technology categories on the show floor, including an iLounge Pavilion. As its name suggests, the pavilion will feature Apple products such as the iPhone, iPod and Mac. Another spotlight dubbed Living...
Fri, 1 Jan 10
Appeals Court Mutes Class Action Against iPod Earbuds
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70855
A federal appeals court judge on Wednesday essentially pushed the mute button on a class-action lawsuit alleging that Apple's iPod earbuds are unsafe. Judge David Thompson of the Ninth Circuit Court in San Francisco upheld a ruling by a lower court dismissing a 2006 suit brought by two men who wanted the company to redesign its earbuds and test iPod users' hearing, in addition to paying damages.
In his decision, Thompson wrote, "The plaintiffs do not allege the iPods failed to do anything they were designed to do, nor do they allege that they, or any others, have suffered or are substantially certain to suffer inevitable hearing loss or other injury from iPod use. At most, the plaintiffs plead a potential risk of hearing loss not to themselves, but to other unidentified iPod users."
Thompson said lead plaintiffs Joseph Birdsong and Bruce Waggoner had demonstrated only that the earbuds, which are inserted directly into the ear canal, could be made safer. They also argued that the iPod itself was dangerous because it can play sound as loud as 115 decibels but does not have a warning on the device itself, only in the user manual.
Apple in early 2006 released a software update that allowed users to set volume limits or for parents to set controls for their children. That led lawyers from the firm Hagens Sobol Berman and Shapiro, representing the plaintiffs, to argue that the company was acknowledging a risk of hearing loss.
They also said in the suit that Apple in 2002 limited the volume in iPods sold in Europe to 100 decibels to comply with a French law, and American users were entitled to the same protections. In September, a commission of the European Union set an 80-decibel limit on music devices.
Interpret Vice President Michael Gartenberg...
Fri, 1 Jan 10
When a PC Won't Connect To New Networks
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70840
Q: I'm having problems picking up any networks that are in a new location. Any networks I've previously been on will work, i.e. at my parents' house, at the hospital, etc. But at any new location, such as when I was at the beach, the computer will not connect to the network. I never see that the new networks are available; the computer just won't show them. I'm running the Windows Vista operating system.
A: There shouldn't be any particular reason why new networks aren't appearing and old ones are, says Dianne Dunlap, a wireless consultant in the Raleigh, N.C., area. But she says there are a few things you can try in Vista to troubleshoot the problem.
First, make sure Service Pack 1 or two Vista patches, KB932063 and KB935222, are installed. There are a number of wireless fixes in those patches and service pack, Dunlap said.
You can determine the service pack you're using by going to the "Start" menu, then "Control Panel" and clicking on the link for the "System" main screen. You can see your patches by clicking on "Control Panel," then "Add or remove programs," "Show Updates" and the "Microsoft Software Update" section.
If all patches have been applied, the next thing to check would be the wireless network interface card drivers, Dunlap said.
You can find your NIC vendor by going to the control panel, selecting the "System" category, clicking on "Device manager," "Network adapters" and "Wireless adapter." The "Driver" tab for the card will show the date of the drivers. You can download updated drivers from the wireless vendor's Web site -- try Googling the manufacturer and "wireless drivers."
Now let's pause for a quick definition: In wireless networks, software called the supplicant is responsible for making login requests to a network and maintaining the connection when the card...
Fri, 1 Jan 10
Top Tech Ideas of the Past Decade
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70837
Just when you thought you could enjoy your iPhone 3G, along comes the iPhone 3GS. VCRs are all but gone, replaced by DVRs. DVDs are on their way out, and Blu-ray discs are in.
Betamax and VHS. Eight-track tapes.
Cassettes and CDs. With technology, nothing lasts forever. As soon as something gets replaced by The Next Big Thing, the next Next Big Thing comes along.
So, before they disappear, here are 10 advances in consumer technology this past decade worth remembering.
Say what you will about Bluetooth: It's unreliable. It's too expensive. A Bluetooth ear piece makes you look like a geek. The wireless system that lets devices talk to each other over short distances has changed how we use our phones, computers and MP3 players. Since the technology hit shelves in 2000, at least 2 billion devices have become Bluetooth-enabled, according to the company.
The digital video recorder came of age this decade, offering TV watchers the chance to pause programming and resume the show at will, which meant -- among other things -- the power to skip commercials. Consumers bought them in droves. Today, some 33 million homes have DVRs, according to industry estimates. What's been happening since is predictable -- Americans are watching more television than ever. How much? A recent Nielsen study pegged it at 151 hours a month.
Men who won't ask for directions collectively breathed a huge sigh of relief in 2000. That's when the accuracy of Global Positioning System technology was significantly improved for public use. Since then, GPS has become so popular that it's a standard feature in many new cars.
The bulky machine that broke your back. The protruding mike. The cassette tape. That was how video cameras used to be. The past decade, however, saw cameras...
Fri, 1 Jan 10
Twitter Cofounder Takes Aim at Mobile Payments
http://www.newsfactor.com/story.xhtml?story_id=70836
Jack Dorsey revolutionized online socializing by co-founding Twitter in 2006. Now he wants to transform the way people exchange money.
Dorsey is leading a new startup called Square. Its first product resembles a cube: a tiny credit card terminal that plugs into the headphone jack of an iPhone. The goal is to make it easier to complete a credit card transaction, whether you're a street vendor selling T-shirts or an individual settling a lunch tab with a friend.
Dorsey, who was Twitter's CEO until October 2008 and remains the social network's chairman, said he came up with the idea for Square nearly a year ago with Jim McKelvey, a glass artist who was frustrated after losing out on a $2,000 sale because he was unable to accept a credit card from a customer.
The two started brainstorming about how businesses and individuals could quickly start accepting credit, debit and prepaid cards over the iPhone and other small electronics, and came up with the idea for a credit card reader that connects to a cell phone.
Eventually, McKelvey and a group of engineers decided they should build a gizmo that hooks up to a standard audio jack, which is common on all sorts of consumer electronics from iPhones to BlackBerrys to laptops.
Many businesses already use eBay Inc.'s online payment system, PayPal, so that they can take plastic on their Web sites, and iPhone applications such as iSwipe and Credit Card Terminal are available for on-the-go transactions.
In January, electronic payment services company VeriFone Holdings Inc. plans to release a service similar to Square's. That service, PayWare Mobile, is aimed at small businesses and fits a credit card terminal and small stylus (for signatures) into an iPhone case.
A business often needs to have its own merchant account with a credit card company to use one of...