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Making Progress by Making Peace
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62360.html
Too many of us -- and I include myself -- are too willing to go to war and not willing enough to find harder, but often more successful, collaborative ways to solve problems. I often look at both the U.S. and Microsoft as similar entities in their respective spaces, and I'm often fascinated by how examples of good and bad judgment can be applied to both.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
Laptop Lockdown: How to Secure the Data Vaults
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62362.html
There are few greater hassles for computer users than the loss of a laptop -- whether it was stolen from the airplane or left lying in a bus. Yet in many cases, the data contained in the machine is considered more valuable than the computer itself. One way to ease these concerns is to take steps to make data inaccessible to third parties.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
Jooce: Subtly Seeking a Billion Customers
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62364.html
It's a conundrum that the best and brightest of the tech industry haven't yet solved: how to get computers to the "next billion" customers in developing countries. The highest-profile effort to date, One Laptop Per Child, has run into a series of setbacks.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
No More Punching In, Yet Workers Unhappy
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62358.html
Some workers are doing it at Dunkin' Donuts, at Hilton hotels, even at Marine Corps bases. Employees at a growing number of businesses are starting and ending their days by pressing a hand or finger to a scanner that logs the precise time of their arrival and departure -- information that is automatically reflected in payroll records.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
Teach a Man to Phish and He'll Feed on Fools for a Lifetime
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62357.html
Phishing is a tactic known to malicious hackers ever since the first one crawled out of a swamp and onto dry land. It's another variation on social engineering. The phisher's goal is to get people to open themselves up to technical vulnerabilities through nontechnical means. However, even though most e-mail users have become more savvy about obvious scams, phishing is evolving.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
Business IT Grads Have No Trouble Finding Jobs
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62353.html
For job-searching college seniors, the weeks before graduation are sometimes spent retouching resumes, suiting up for interviews and nervously awaiting offers. Brian Tajo, however, is sitting pretty. The Virginia Beach native, one of 105 seniors graduating with a degree in business information technology, has already scored a job with IBM Global Services.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
Scrabble for the iPod: Old-School Gaming at Its Best
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62331.html
My sister-in-law, Mary, thinks she is God's gift to Scrabble tiles. No kidding: This woman believes she can divine key tiles from the bag so that she can create killer words. She plays as if the existence of mankind depends on it. Playing Scrabble against her is both nerve-racking and satisfying.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
GPS Device Spots Traffic Trouble by Talking to Its Friends
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62351.html
A newly launched global position system service allows its users to access real-time traffic data -- generated by the customers -- in cities around the country. The GPS service, run by Sunnyvale, Calif.-based Dash Navigation, helps drivers find directions; however, the Internet-based service constantly updates driving directions based on information gathered from other area drivers.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
AT&T Mobilizes Television on Two New Handsets
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62346.html
AT&T will launch AT&T Mobile TV on Qualcomm's MediaFLO in May. The service will be available on two new handsets available exclusively at AT&T, the LG Vu and the Samsung Access. AT&T Mobile TV will offer full-length TV content and sporting events from CBS Mobile, Comedy Central, ESPN Mobile TV, Fox Mobile, MTV, NBC 2Go, NBC News2Go and Nickelodeon.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
Dell Gets Down to Basics With Low-Cost Blu-ray Laptop
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62339.html
Sony won the high-definition DVD format war with Blu-ray. Now, Blu-ray is becoming more mainstream by edging into a budget-friendly Dell laptop. Dell is now offering a Blu-ray-equipped laptop -- the Inspiron 1525 model -- starting at $879. The 1525 features a 15.4-inch high-definition wide-aspect display with 720p resolution and an HDMI port for connectivity to HDTVs.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
Hackers Knock the Air Out of MacBook
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62341.html
A computer with a sky-high public profile these days -- the much talked-about and often coveted MacBook Air from Apple -- was the first laptop to get cracked in a security hacking contest Thursday. While headlines around the Web are claiming that it took only two minutes, there's more to the story. The cracking went down at the CanSecWest security conference in Vancouver, British Columbia, at the PWN to OWN 2008 contest.
Mon, 31 Mar 08
Big Iron Keeps on Trucking, Part 1
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62320.html
So old-school uncool, the mainframe computer -- the workhorse of the IT world running the majority of today's global business transactions, the mission-critical platform of choice for virtually every member of the Global 2000 as well as local, state and federal governments -- is said to be going the way of other '60s artifacts like the vinyl LP.
Wed, 26 Mar 08
Google Plays Openness Card to Slip Broadband Between TV Channels
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62292.html
Having induced the Federal Communications Commission to open up the C block of wireless spectrum at the recent wireless auction, Google is now seeking access to another set of airwaves in pursuit of openness. This time, it wants to open up the unlicensed parts of the TV broadcast spectrum, the so-called white space, for wireless broadband Internet access.
Wed, 26 Mar 08
Yahoo and MySpace Dance With Google in OpenSocial
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62293.html
Google, Yahoo and MySpace are forming the nonprofit OpenSocial Foundation to support Google's OpenSocial platform, which allows developers to build software that can run on different social networks. The companies want to "ensure the neutrality and longevity of OpenSocial as an open, community-governed specification for building social applications across the Web" by establishing the foundation, they said.
Wed, 26 Mar 08
Aussie ISP Wails on WiMax
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62289.html
An Australian WiMax operator -- or rather former operator -- reportedly lambasted the technology last week at the WiMAX World Asia 2008 international conference held in Bangkok, Thailand. Buzz Broadband's CEO Garth Freeman told the audience the technology is a "disaster" which, when deployed, "failed miserably," according to a report from telecom publication CommsDay Australasia.
Wed, 26 Mar 08
Virtual Appliances: A Safety Zone in the Virtual Environment
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62273.html
As corporations increasingly virtualize their environments, they are finding that traditional physical security and network applications are not adequate for their needs. "Most network security solutions are based on custom-made ASICs running customized software, and don't provide adequate security in a virtual environment," said Mark Boltz, senior solutions architect at Stonesoft.
Wed, 26 Mar 08
Database Engine Flaw Makes Word Attachments Dangerous
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62280.html
Don't open that Word file attached to your e-mail; it might contain malware. And don't click on that e-mail or Web site links from strangers. Heck, don't even open Word e-mail attachments from trusted sources unless you're expecting them. Attackers are embedding malware in Word documents that causes a buffer overflow in their victims' computers, letting them take over the computers.
Wed, 26 Mar 08
Linux: A Tempting Target for Malware?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62275.html
The Linux operating system is not immune to virus infections, although Linux-specific viruses are extremely rare. Linux servers face more risk of virus attack than Linux desktops. That said, IT security and control firm Sophos recently issued a warning about potential virus infections targeting Linux servers that could pose risks to the Linux operating system.
Wed, 26 Mar 08
NIH Loses 2,500 Unencrypted Medical Records
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62287.html
Lawmakers are questioning why the government waited almost a month to warn 2,500 patients enrolled in a National Institutes of Health study that some of their medical records were in a stolen laptop computer. The laptop was stolen from the locked trunk of a researcher's car on Feb. 23, but the NIH didn't send letters notifying the patients until March 20.
Wed, 26 Mar 08
Facebook Blushes as New Privacy Controls Falter
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62284.html
A security lapse made it possible for unwelcome strangers to peruse personal photos posted on Facebook's popular online hangout, circumventing a recent upgrade to the Web site's privacy controls. The Associated Press verified the loophole Monday after receiving a tip from a Byron Ng, a Vancouver, Canada computer technician.
Wed, 26 Mar 08
NASA Hobbles Rover Program to Save a Buck
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62281.html
Scientists plan to put one of the twin Mars rovers to sleep and limit the activities of the other robot to fulfill a NASA order to cut $4 million from the program's budget, mission team members said Monday. The news comes amid belt-tightening at NASA headquarters, which is under pressure to cover cost overruns of a flagship Mars mission to land a Hummer-sized rover on the Red Planet next year.
Wed, 26 Mar 08
Can CRM Handle Web 2.0?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62278.html
Having your customers comment on your policies, products or employment practices is one thing. Having them suggest ideas for improving said policies and products -- in a public forum where participants can vote on these ideas, no less -- is an entirely different matter.
Tue, 25 Mar 08
Blu-ray Phase 2: New Discs, New Firmware, New Players
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62272.html
Flush from its high-definition DVD format war victory over Toshiba, Sony is beginning to enhance its Blu-ray platform with new interactive features and discs that take advantage of them. The company's movie division, Sony Pictures, plans to release its first two Blu-ray discs April 8, enabled with new technology it calls "BD-Live."
Tue, 25 Mar 08
VPNs: Network Data Deadbolts
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62211.html
Technological advances have prompted changes to corporate communication needs. Employees working in hotel rooms, field offices or even abroad often require access to network and system resources. Also, admission to company networks is no longer limited to individuals on your payroll. Increasingly, suppliers, contractors and customers require real-time access to information.
Tue, 25 Mar 08
Tech and the Recession: Less Green All Around
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62252.html
I was working on two things last week. One was the impact of the recession on the tech market and what would likely happen to tech spending; and the second was the release of Windows Vista SP1, which I've been using for several months on a number of machines. On the recession side, I've been particularly focused on what is likely to be an adverse impact on some, but not all, "green" initiatives.
Tue, 25 Mar 08
Mozilla Chief: Safari Push Borders on Malware Tactics
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62269.html
Even though Apple just upgraded its Safari Web browser to version 3.1 and made it wicked fast -- the company calls it 1.9 times faster than Internet Explorer and 1.7 times faster than Firefox 2 -- Apple is getting blasted as being just plain wicked. Last week, Mozilla CEO John Lilly slammed the company for violating the trust of its iTunes customers by slipping Safari into an Apple Software Update application.
Tue, 25 Mar 08
There's No Honor Among Data Privacy Thieves
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62264.html
The news that all three of the front-running candidates for president of the U.S. have been victims of privacy breaches at the passport office may have a silver lining. Sure, Sens. Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and John McCain have good reason to be irate, and their campaigns are right to bring pressure to bear on the State Department.
Tue, 25 Mar 08
Shocking Expose: Why We *Really* Love Linux
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62255.html
It's not often that we here at LinuxInsider get to write exposes, shocking or otherwise. This, however, is one of those rare occasions. Back around Valentine's Day, faithful readers may remember, we celebrated the boundless love Linux geeks feel for their favorite operating system, including all the many aspects about it that they love.
Tue, 25 Mar 08
Sorting Out Life's Little Complexities With Bento Personal Database
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62253.html
Bento is one of those applications that's an enigma -- it's mysterious, puzzling and yet astoundingly simple at the same time. It's a personal database for regular people, not the kind of database used for big business. As you might expect from any Apple-related product, it's easy to use. Bento is made by FileMaker, which is a subsidiary of Apple.
Tue, 25 Mar 08
OoVoo Aims to Bring HD Videophone to the Living Room
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62257.html
Will the high-definition TV set be the new picturephone? Quanta Computer, a leading contract maker of laptop computers, and OoVoo, a maker of video chat software, are announcing plans Monday to take high-definition videoconferencing to the living room with a gadget that plugs into the HDTV and connects it to the Internet.
Tue, 25 Mar 08
Switching to Mac? If It Ain't Broke, Don't Fix It
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62262.html
While I believe Apple's hardware is very good, and the Mac operating system is better than either version of Windows, I also believe that average users whose operating system works well for them, and who can buy new hardware that runs the same system, shouldn't feel pressure to change. That's especially true when they have a ready source of support.
Tue, 25 Mar 08
Saturn Moon Titan May Have Life-Sustaining Underground Oceans
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62259.html
Scientists say they have found the best evidence yet that an ocean of liquid water may be hidden below the surface of Saturn's giant moon Titan. If the results are confirmed, it would be a starting point for further study into whether the ocean could be capable of supporting life. The latest evidence of an underground ocean is indirect and is based on analyzing radar images and Titan's spin rates.
Mon, 24 Mar 08
Video 2.0 Goes Pro With Hulu
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62212.html
The major television networks and movie studios, tired of seeing their programming pirated online, have been gradually moving to offer it via legal Web sites and download services. There are two models for this legal Internet distribution. Some shows and movies can be purchased or rented from services like Apple's iTunes or Amazon's Unbox.
Mon, 24 Mar 08
Where Art Imitates (Second) Life
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62229.html
A bit of background might be needed: Second Life was launched in 2003, inspired by the sci-fi novel Snow Crash. The concept: allow users to unleash their creativity, to live as they want to live. Thus, their avatars can fly or teleport, and they may take any form -- or many forms -- though most avatars tend to be turbocharged physical ideals, voluptuous and lithe or muscled and super-masculine.
Mon, 24 Mar 08
Apple and Security: Pride Cometh Before the Fall
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62179.html
Just as those living in shiny houses of self-righteous glass often end up surrounded by shards of their former sanctimony, so Apple now finds itself the increasingly appealing target of software hackers. For years, Apple's marketing has consisted of accentuating the positive and ignoring everything else.
Mon, 24 Mar 08
In Search of the Right Web Video Ad Formula
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62177.html
Frank Harper is well aware that all those free video clips on the Internet come at a price: advertising. However, that doesn't mean he sits idly as short video ads precede many of the dozen or so clips he watches each day at sites like Microsoft's MSN. "For the most part, I just mute the volume," said Harper, 55, who runs a security consulting firm in Sterling, Va.
Sun, 23 Mar 08
Same Foot, Smaller Footprint With Virtualization
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62249.html
The potential to increase server utilization is the primary reason virtualization has been gaining traction in the enterprise. Cost reductions -- through greater data center efficiency, flexibility, lower energy usage and space needs -- are others. Though it does not directly impact the functional footprint of IT systems, virtualization can enable organizations to manage them more efficiently.
Sun, 23 Mar 08
IE8 vs. Firefox and Flock: Which Is the Better Browser?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62245.html
Many people now create and share content on the Internet or blend services from various sites in their daily tasks, reflecting the medium's clear evolution from a place for simply consuming Web sites. The upcoming version of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, version 8, embraces those trends by adding an "Activities" feature.
Sun, 23 Mar 08
Spicing Up Restaurant Reviews With Web Videos
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62239.html
"Check, Please!" has become a foodie's favorite in its seven years on public TV. However, the Emmy Award-winning show, which features a trio of ordinary people dishing about local Chicago restaurants, isn't doing much for its founder and chief executive, David Manilow. Indeed, with less than $200,000 in annual revenue from fees, the program generates only a tenth of what an average McDonald's pulls in.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
Driver Issues, Blue Screens Prompt Barrage of SP1 Gripes
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62250.html
Three days have passed since Microsoft released its first service pack for the Windows Vista operating system, but feedback from many users on the Vista Team blog point to a variety of issues with the software. While the majority of commenters on the site reported no problems with the download and installation, a growing number of users have described both minor and major problems.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
After the Auction, the Real Wireless Wrangling Begins
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62248.html
The wireless spectrum auction is over and the big boys have won the day -- America's two biggest carriers, Verizon Wireless and AT&T, shelled out a total of more than $16 billion for tons of spectrum. AT&T, America's largest wireless carrier, has to dig deep to pay the $6.64 billion it owes, and is tapping operating funds and taking out a loan.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
Ubuntu's Hardy Heron Receives Its Beta Wings
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62251.html
The Ubuntu developer community moved its long-awaited upgrade, Hardy Heron, into beta release on Friday. Ubuntu is a Linux-based operating system designed for general consumers. The development of the OS, first released in 2004, has been sponsored by Isle of Man-based Canonical and the company's owner, Mark Shuttlesworth.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
Pirates of the Caribbean? Antigua Firm Cracks Blu-ray DRM
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62242.html
A small company based on the tiny Caribbean island of Antigua in the West Indies has broken the highly vaunted BD+ copy protection scheme for Blu-ray discs. The company, SlySoft, produces software that helps customers rip DVDs, HD DVDs, and now, of course, Blu-ray discs into a digital format that's not hindered by copy-protection shackles.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
IT Auditing Shouldn't Be 'Groundhog Day' All Over Again
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62206.html
Have you seen that movie "Groundhog Day?" You probably have, but on the off chance that you missed it, it's the movie where Bill Murray's character -- who's kind of a jerk -- wakes up every morning to find that it's the same day over and over again. It's a great movie, but I'm not actually calling your attention to it to recommend watching it. Instead, I'm bringing it up because it makes a great metaphor for IT audit.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
File-Sharers Fight Back, Apple Mulls Subscriptions, China Cracks Down
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62240.html
Since the RIAA and record companies began their campaign of suing college students, grandmothers, children, single moms and anyone else who might have shared a song over peer-to-peer networks, most people on the receiving end of the lawsuits have meekly agreed to pay settlements amounting to far less than the RIAA warned they could be sued for. A handful have fought back, though.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
Tech Market of the Future: The Brain
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62200.html
The Alzheimer's Association recently reported that one out of eight baby boomers is expected to get Alzheimer's disease, creating a total of 10 million victims. This staggering prediction underscores the need for brain health and augmentation, a new market that tech players are fortunately beginning to enter.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
Healthy Centro Sales Fail to Lift Palm
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62241.html
Smartphone maker Palm lost money in the third quarter, even though the company was reporting the strongest product launch in its history. Palm posted a third-quarter loss of $31.5 million, or 30 cents per share, compared with a profit of $11.8 million, or 11 cents per share, in the third quarter of 2007.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
ITC to Hear Prof's David v. Goliath Patent Case
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62247.html
Only weeks after having won a digital format battle against HD DVD, Sony finds itself entangled in a legal fight over the technology behind Blu-ray. The U.S. International Trade Commission will hear a case filed by a retired university professor and 50-year engineer against Sony, Motorola, Nokia and more than 25 other companies for patent infringement.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
Citrix, HP Crossbreed XenServer With Proliant Line
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62230.html
Citrix and HP announced a deal Thursday that integrates the virtualization company's XenServer into HP's 64-bit ProLiant Servers. The jointly developed server virtualization solution, Citrix XenServer HP Select Edition, will be available to both HP and Citrix customers.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
Mac Bloggers Surf Safari 3.1, Fuss Over Flash, Swoon for Unlimited iTunes
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62221.html
It may be some time before any Apple news rivals the iPhone software development kit or the MacBook Air, but it's nonetheless been a busy week for Apple-focused bloggers. Apple updated its Airport Express WiFi mini router to the faster 802.11n standard, delivered a new version of Safari, fixed dozens of security weaknesses, and saw Mac sales shoot through the roof in February.
Sat, 22 Mar 08
YouTube Honors the Beautiful, the Bizarre and the Baritone
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62238.html
And the winner for best music video: "Chocolate Rain." Tay Zonday morphed from an unknown musician to an Internet superstar who got booked on national TV shows after his song "Chocolate Rain" -- an amateur clip of his baritone crooning -- went viral last year. Now he's among the 12 winners of the second annual YouTube Video Awards, recognizing the top user-created videos of 2007.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
Microsoft Fashionably Late to Virtualization Party
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62227.html
Battling furiously to catch up to market leader VMware in the hypervisor market, Microsoft has unveiled what it calls a "feature-complete" version of its Hyper-V product. A hypervisor is a virtualization platform that lets multiple operating systems run on one host computer at the same time.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
Google Gives Spreadsheet Junkies Doc Gadget Fix
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62222.html
Google has introduced a new set of tools to let Google Docs users amp up their online documents -- particularly their spreadsheets. Gadgets for spreadsheets now lets users embed graphical representations of their data directly in their spreadsheets, as well as publish the gadgets on the Web.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
White House Hands Tech Entrepreneur Cybersecurity Reins
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62226.html
The U.S. government is tapping into the private sector to head up a new bureaucracy to help fend off cyber-attacks. The Bush administration is bringing in Silicon Valley entrepreneur Rod Beckstrom to head up the National Cyber Security Center, according to news reports. The new center was created in January amidst reports of increased fears that computer systems across the U.S. were susceptible to attacks.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
The Mainframe Lives, Part 1
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62178.html
IBM has found one way to sidestep the mainframe vs. distributed computing dilemma by simply calling its mainframes something else. Today, IBM refers to its larger processors as large servers and emphasizes that they can be used to serve distributed users and smaller servers in a computing network.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
Intel Looks Closer to Home for Classmate 'Netbook' Sales
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62220.html
Intel's low-cost Classmate PC, originally focused on emerging markets, will soon be available to U.S. and European consumers. Intel is working with original equipment manufacturers to bring the second-generation Classmate to mature markets in the developed world later this year at prices likely between $300 and $400, Agnes Kwan, an Intel spokesperson, told LinuxInsider.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
Adobe Turns Down Heat on iPhone Flash
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62225.html
A day after Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen let the news slip that Adobe was working on building a version of its Flash Player for the iPhone, Adobe tried to temper the expectations that Shantanu's remarks spawned. News that some form of the Flash Player would be coming to the iPhone came during a quarterly earnings call Tuesday.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
EU Links New Broadband Target to Economic Prosperity
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62218.html
In Europe, broadband Internet access is seen as a ticket to economic freedom and prosperity. That's one of the key ideas behind the European Commission's announcement Wednesday of its intention to increase broadband penetration from the current 20 percent to 30 percent across the bloc by 2010.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
Verizon Wins Big in FCC Auction; Google Leaves Empty-Handed
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62223.html
The nation's cell phone companies won big in a record-setting government airways auction, the Federal Communications Commission announced Thursday. AT&T and Verizon Wireless, the nation's two biggest cell phone carriers, bid a combined $16 billion of the record $19.6 billion pledged in the auction, according to an AP analysis of the results.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
Android, Schmandroid: Linux on the iPhone
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62209.html
Since its launch, renegade developers have been working to make the iPhone a Linux workstation, porting tools to the device. And why not? It has enough RAM and hard disk space to make the work worthwhile. "My iPhone has 16 GB of disk space, 128 MB of RAM, a 600-plus MHz processor and a much better display than my original computer, and it has Darwin open source ported to it," said Brian J. Fox of the Okori Group.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
Verizon Unveils Blueprint for Open Wireless World
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62217.html
Verizon Wireless detailed its plans to open part of its network to third-party devices Wednesday, saying the carrier could begin certifying devices within weeks and that the open portion of its network could be in operation by the second half of this year. At its first-ever Open Development Device Conference, Verizon said it is moving quickly to deliver on the open wireless network access it promised last fall.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
Training Your Sights on Online Fraud
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62197.html
Fraud is big business. Well-funded, well-orchestrated, sophisticated fraud rings aggressively change tactics and invent new technologies to cash in on the unprotected assets awaiting plunder. Every organization that provides individual service to its customers, employees, members or community is faced with the very real concern of gaining and keeping their users' trust.
Fri, 21 Mar 08
Social Security, Social Anxiety
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62167.html
Having your private information leaked is bad enough, but having it put on BitTorrent is really the final insult. It happened before with MySpace photos. By most accounts, the private images made available earlier this year via peer-to-peer networks consisted mostly of poorly snapped photos of people you didn't know getting drunk at parties you weren't at. Then there's the incident with Harvard.
Thu, 20 Mar 08
Intel, Microsoft: The Future of Computing Is Parallel
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62199.html
Laying the groundwork for their continued business health, Intel and Microsoft have coughed up $20 million to fund research into desktop and mobile parallel computing for consumers and businesses. The money, to be paid out over the next five years, will be split evenly between new research centers at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Thu, 20 Mar 08
Crucial Block Goes Unsold as Wireless Auction Nets $19B
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62204.html
The Federal Communications Commission raised a record US$19.5 billion with its wireless spectrum auction, which officially closed on Wednesday. The auction, which started Jan. 24, consisted of 261 rounds of bidding for five blocks of the 700 MHz spectrum. The revenues will be transferred to the U.S. Treasury by no later than June 30.
Thu, 20 Mar 08
Facebook Gives New Heft to Privacy Promise
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62202.html
Alec Saunders has 1,400 people he calls "friends," at least on Facebook. Some are truly friends from his real life -- many are business contacts, and some are people he met online. Until today, Saunders -- who founded Iotum, developer of the popular Free Conference Calling application for Facebook -- had little way of segmenting his friends and regulating what they could see.
Thu, 20 Mar 08
Huffing and Puffing, Vista Reaches SP1 Milestone
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62183.html
Microsoft rolled out the first service pack for its latest operating system, Vista, on Tuesday. Those eager to download the update can do so via the Windows Update site; Vista users in no hurry to get the service pack can wait until the software maker pushes the update out to users via its Automatic Updates tool in mid-April.
Thu, 20 Mar 08
Eclipse's Equinox Smooths Out Runtime Issues
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62186.html
Tony Baer has a great rundown of Monday's EclipseCon OSGi-based runtime Equinox news. Extending the Eclipse community's unity to runtimes makes a ton of sense, given that developers can focus on the applications and business logic and become far less concerned with complex deployment issues.
Thu, 20 Mar 08
The Virtualization Challenge, Part 5: Virtualization and Security
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62189.html
The concept of virtualization is so relatively new that there's a lot of uncertainty as to just how and where to implement security. "The debate goes back and forth; like any technology, you can argue that virtualization makes things more secure or less secure," said Kevin Epstein, vice president of products for Scalent Systems.
Thu, 20 Mar 08
A Mixed Bag in Orlando
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62172.html
Microsoft Convergence is a very large show. Last week in Orlando, Fla., there were in excess of 9,500 people, most from outside of the United States, and by that measure alone it was a successful event. Convergence is one of Microsoft's chances to meet face to face with its partners and customers for the usual mix of training, new product announcements and the like.
Thu, 20 Mar 08
Blu-ray to Add Bells and Whistles for Movie Buffs
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62196.html
The high-definition-video war may be over now that Toshiba has conceded defeat for its ailing HD DVD format, but those interested in buying a high-def Blu-ray player still might want to wait for new features coming in the fall. Sure, existing Blu-ray machines can play the nearly 500 Blu-ray discs available. They can deliver gorgeous, top-of-the-line 1080p resolution on compatible high-def televisions.
Thu, 20 Mar 08
Can You Smell What the iPod Touch Is Cooking?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62169.html
Since it first unveiled the iPhone more than a year ago, Apple has been heading down a new path. Having developed a version of the OS X operating system that runs not only on a Macintosh but also on a device that fits in your pocket, Apple has blurred the distinction between what we know of as a "computer" and what we think of as a "consumer electronics" device.
Thu, 20 Mar 08
Apple Sews Up Holes in Safari, OS X Security
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62194.html
Apple has issued a major security update for Mac OS X and Safari. The update addresses 86 common vulnerability and exposure CVE entries in 30 applications for Mac OS. Among the components addressed by the update are vulnerabilities in the Printing and Preview components, which could allow encrypted PDF files to be viewed without authentication.
Wed, 19 Mar 08
EU Endorses DVB-H as Mobile TV Standard of Choice
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62184.html
There's a winner in the high-stakes mobile TV market in Europe, although the issue is far from decided in other global markets. On Monday, the European Commission said it was backing Finland-based Nokia's Digital Video Broadcasting Handheld as its choice for mobile TV technology across Europe.
Wed, 19 Mar 08
Intel Maps Out Course to Eight-Core Nehalem
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62182.html
Intel this week laid out its lineup of new products, which take dead aim at some of the latest hot buttons in computing. One is the Dunnington CPU, with six cores, which will be introduced in the second half of this year, and will support FlexMigration, a technology that allows live virtual machine migration across server platforms.
Wed, 19 Mar 08
Web 2.0 and VCs: Is the Gold Rush Over?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62188.html
A Dow Jones VentureSource report released Tuesday indicates that Web 2.0 investment may be peaking in the United States despite an 88 percent increase in money investment in 2007 over 2006. Even though venture capitalists threw a record $1.34 billion into 178 Web 2.0-related deals in 2007, the Dow Jones data reveals that the number of deals has finally slowed after several years of rip-roaring activity.
Wed, 19 Mar 08
Answering Smartphone Users' Calls for Backup
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62164.html
As our reliance on smartphones continues to grow, so does the fear of losing all the information they contain -- and for good reason. Fierce competition among handset manufacturers and carriers has resulted in a chaotic, seemingly impenetrable jungle of incompatible makes and models with backup and recovery functionality that often proves complicated to use.
Wed, 19 Mar 08
Apple Releases Speedier Safari
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62175.html
As Apple labors to keep pace with competitors in the smartphone, digital music and personal computer fields, the Cupertino, Calif.,-based company is unleashing an updated Web browser to stay in step with its rivals. On Tuesday, Apple made its updated Safari 3.1 browser available for Mac and Windows users.
Wed, 19 Mar 08
JS-Kit: Building Web 2.0 One Brick at a Time
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62165.html
Web 2.0 technology is revolutionizing the way businesses display their wares on e-commerce sites. The service delivery model of Web 2.0 presents a pressing challenge to Web designers in small businesses and home-based businesses. Anyone with a community-based information and public comment Web site is often hard-pressed to offer the look and feel of a modern, interactive portal.
Wed, 19 Mar 08
SourceForge's Larry Augustin: A Better Way to Build Web Apps
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62155.html
Larry Augustin strives for collaboration. Augustin and James Vera launched VA Research in 1993 with the hope of providing a Linux-based operating system for personal computers. After the company bought out its biggest rival -- Linux Hardware Solutions -- the company changed its name to VA Linux Systems and went public.
Wed, 19 Mar 08
Tesla's Sought-After Electric Roadster Enters Production
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62171.html
Tesla Motors, the Silicon Valley electric-car startup, said Monday it has begun "regular production" of its first car, the 2008 Roadster. The car is being assembled at a Lotus factory in Hethel, England. Tesla said it has taken more than 900 deposits for the $100,000, two-seat, zero-emissions Roadster.
Wed, 19 Mar 08
Mozilla's Security Guru Window Synder on Openness as a Padlock
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62170.html
In 2006, Mozilla's Firefox Internet browser boasted a mere nine days of vulnerability compared with Internet Explorer's whopping 284 days. While the latter reigns as the most popular browser for U.S. users, it's clear that Mountain View, Calif.-based Mozilla is working feverishly to ensure that cyber-surfers using its system are kept safe from hackers, phishers and other online threats.
Wed, 19 Mar 08
The Sims Bowling: Entertaining but Not Thrilling iPod Action
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62174.html
As you surely know, last week was spring break for most schoolkids. In our family, that means at least a dozen hours spent on airplanes and in airports. So before we took off, I stocked my iPod Classic with a couple of new games -- "The Sims Bowling" -- reviewed here -- and "Texas Hold 'em."
Wed, 19 Mar 08
Mac in the Enterprise: Dealing With Culture Shock
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62151.html
Hindsight, as they say, is always 20/20. Less than five months after going public with plans to immediately start replacing its Windows-based PCs with Macs, Auto Warehousing was forced to push back the project by more than a month. That was last December. The reason was not a lack of money, manpower or executive support.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
Japanese ISPs Agree to Shut Down Illegal File-Sharers
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62163.html
Japan's four major Internet service provider organizations have agreed to cut off Internet access for users who repeatedly copy gaming software and music illegally online. The organizations, which include the nation's Telecom Service Association and the Telecommunications Carriers Association, represent about 1,000 large and small domestic providers, Daily Yomiuri Online reported on Saturday.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
IBM's Tiniest Yet Switch May Make Optical Network on a Chip Possible
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62161.html
Researchers at IBM have moved a step closer toward the creation of an on-chip optical network, the tech giant said Monday. Calling it a "significant advance," IBM announced the development of the world's tiniest nanophotonic switch designed to route optical data between cores on next-generation high-performance multi-core microprocessors.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
Net Effect on Journalism: More Outlets, Fewer Insights
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62159.html
Traditional advertising business models may not sustain the news business as companies -- and independent bloggers -- seek out niche markets, found a study conducted by the Project for Excellence in Journalism. The State of the News Media study focused on seven areas.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
China Blacks Out YouTube After Tibetan Riot Videos Appear
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62157.html
As Tibetans -- led by Buddhist monks -- rioted in the capital city of Lhasa, burning Chinese-owned businesses and attacking Chinese, Beijing clamped down on YouTube and other media outlets depicting the violence. The trouble began a week ago, when Buddhist monks demonstrated peacefully March 10 on the anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
Microsoft Brightens Windows Mobile With Flash Lite
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62154.html
Microsoft has licensed Adobe's Flash Lite and Reader software for users of its mobile phone technology. "People want vibrant Web experiences and access to entertainment and information anywhere, anytime," said John O'Rourke, general manager of Microsoft's mobile communications unit.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
Apple Widens AirPort Express Runway With 802.11n
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62158.html
Apple says it is taking its wireless technology up another notch with its unveiling of the next-generation AirPort Express. The updated AirPort Express -- which retails for $99 -- has 802.11n wireless technology and is five times more powerful than the previous model, the company says. The new AirPort Express also has Apple's AirTunes application, which enables users to stream iTunes music via computer from room to room.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
Before You Virtualize: Five Steps to Success
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62122.html
While IT journalists debate whether or not 2008 will indeed be "the year of virtualization," an October 2007 report from Gartner named "Virtualization 2.0" one of the top ten strategic technologies for 2008. There is no doubt that recent years have seen a steady increase in enterprises adopting server virtualization.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
BMC Bolsters IT Management Assets With $800M BladeLogic Buy
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62153.html
Software maker BMC will buy data center automation firm BladeLogic in a move that could help it fend off incursions into its core market from rivals such as EMC. BMC will use BladeLogic's products to round its own business service management software portfolio. When combined, the platform will include tools to help businesses manage information technology assets across a business, from data centers to corporate networks.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
HP vs. Acer vs. Apple: The Fight to Come
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62141.html
Over the last two weeks, I attended a huge HP lab event, watched Apple launch the iPhone SDK brilliantly, and saw one of the strongest consumer laptop lines launched by Acer. All three vendors are growing in the 30 percent range in the PC market; Acer just passed Dell for the No. 2 spot in the notebook market; and all three vendors have smartphone efforts in their infancy.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
3Tera: Building Virtual Data Centers With a Click and Drag
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62130.html
3Tera, based in Aliso Viejo, Calif., has made a sizable step forward in the on-demand or utility computing market. The company provides other enterprises, both large and small, with a new technology called "disposable infrastructure." This technology forms the foundation of its AppLogic product, a first-of-its kind grid operating system that runs and scales existing Web applications.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
Linux in the Mainstream: Why Does It Matter?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62142.html
Ah, Spring. It's the time of rebirth, renewal and hope, and it's almost here! Too bad, then, that so many hopes were dashed last week when Wal-Mart announced it was pulling the Linux-driven Everex Green gPC from its retail store shelves. That PC's original inclusion at Wal-Mart created enormous excitement throughout the Linux world.
Tue, 18 Mar 08
Egg-Like Portable iPhone Speakers Handy On the Go
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62114.html
When on the go, DLO's new Portable Speakers for the iPhone connect and attach together in a handy egg shape that's easy to toss in a bag. You don't have to worry about damaging the speaker face, and when it comes time to listen, cracking them open reveals a surprisingly stylish two-speaker system with a base designed to hold an Apple iPhone.
Mon, 17 Mar 08
Social Media Burnout
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62086.html
I have social media fatigue. I once had fun trying to amass a quality collection of virtual friends. No more. I once enjoyed peering through my friends' friends to find interesting people to become my friends. Now that's tedious. I once changed profile pictures as often as Chicago's weather turned. However, this winter has lasted forever.
Mon, 17 Mar 08
Exponential Storage: Security Through Openness
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62113.html
A small Annapolis, Md., startup is using free software developed by scores of online users to build a data storage company that it claims will be secure enough to store sensitive government data like satellite images of terrorist hideouts in Afghanistan. Exponential Storage hopes to one day persuade the National Security Agency and other government bureaus to hire the company for its data storage network.
Mon, 17 Mar 08
Apple: Kicking Down a Back Door to the Enterprise
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62062.html
Guido Sacchi, CIO and senior vice president of corporate strategies at CompuCredit, decided to go with the flow. He's allowing Macintoshes into the business when the requester makes a valid business case. "If they think they can get better productivity on a Mac, so be it. Who am I to stop them?" he says.
Sun, 16 Mar 08
How Big Should Your IT Footprint Be?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62102.html
The word "footprint" has gained a lot of currency of late, particularly when talking about carbon consumption and emissions, but also within the IT world. Seen in its original and primary form, a footprint contains lots of information about the identity and nature of the beast that made it.
Sun, 16 Mar 08
Flash Sticks: Medical Data's New Home
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62136.html
Having already pushed floppy disks and zip drives into obsolescence, USB flash drives could soon replace another device past its prime: The medical bracelet. One Lakeland, Fla., startup plans to help spur the transition. InfoMed Technologies has launched a line of USB devices that give doctors and rescue workers fast access to the owner's medical information.
Sun, 16 Mar 08
Web Standards: How to Untangle the Web We Weave
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62119.html
Microsoft has given testers their first glimpse of its next-generation Web browser -- and said Internet Explorer 8 will adhere to the same standards as competitors' programs. Microsoft's browsers, including the current Internet Explorer 7, gained notoriety among Web developers for handling Web page code differently than others.
Sun, 16 Mar 08
Time Capsule: What It Does, It Does Well
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62054.html
With its new Leopard operating system, Apple tried to solve one of the most nagging problems faced by home-computer users: how to regularly back up their computers completely and painlessly. Leopard includes a feature called "Time Machine" that automatically and continuously backs up a Macintosh computer's entire hard disk without requiring the user to do any tedious setup or have any technical knowledge.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
Verizon Greases P2P's Wheels With New File-Sharing Tech
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62138.html
One of the nation's largest Internet service providers, Verizon Communications, is working to make peer-to-peer file-sharing networks more efficient for transferring large files than ever before. In fact, the company is working to encourage a new protocol so that other ISPs and content owners can get in on the speedy sharing action too.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
SXSW Crowd Grows Restless, Developers Flock to iPhone SDK, EA Gets Hostile
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62129.html
Things got a little heated at the South by Southwest conference in Austin. During Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's keynote, in which he was interviewed by Business Week writer Sarah Lacy, the crowd became frustrated with the way the discussion was going -- or not going.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
PS3 Gets Blu-ray Bump in February Sales Figures
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62137.html
Consumers sent the video game hardware and software industry a $1.33 billion valentine for the month of February, a 34 percent increase over sales during the same time period in 2007, according to figures released by the NPD Group, an independent market research firm. The Wii's reign continued as the No. 1 video game console, while Sony's PlayStation 3 beat out the supply-constrained Xbox 360 for the second month in a row.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
The Evolution of US Mobile Broadband Wireless
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62101.html
In the U.S. mobile broadband market, all major mobile carriers except T-Mobile have launched 3G mobile networks. At the end of 2006, out of the 225 million cellular subscribers in the United States, 15 million used a 3G-based mobile broadband service via cell phone, PDA, laptop or other device. Also, we estimate there were 3.5 to 4 million data card service subscribers in the U.S. in mid-2007.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
Mac Bloggers Oscillate on Office, Toss Around Slingbox, Puzzle Over Patents
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62123.html
The iPhone software development kit has been dominating the world of Apple-focused bloggers this week, in no small part due to an Apple announcement that its SDK was downloaded 100,000 times in a mere four days. In other blogging activity, Microsoft delivered its first update to the Office 2008 for Mac suite, and Apple got sued over its iTunes/iPod model.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
Sweden Aims to Shed Status as Haven for Pirates
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62140.html
Sweden, long the home of Internet pirates, may not be a safe haven for them any more. The Swedish government is working on legislation that will force Internet service providers to disclose IP addresses used for illegal file-sharing to the legal owners of those rights. However, the owners of the rights must get a court order and furnish proof supporting their allegations of infringement.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
Asus Eee PC to Get a Little Less Linuxy
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62127.html
The miniature-sized Asus Eee PC has been selling around the world with Linux preinstalled, but the Taiwan company's little laptop will soon start selling loaded with Microsoft's Windows XP. Previously, customers could install XP on their own Eee PC with their own license, but XP would not ship out of the box.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
GAO Lambastes FCC for Lousy Complaint Response System
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62134.html
To say the Federal Communications Commission isn't responsive enough to citizen complaints about telemarketers or TV programs likely would be an understatement of monumental proportions, if a new study from the U.S. Government Accountability Office is accurate. On Thursday, the GAO issued a report that blasted the FCC for a lack of responsiveness to complaints.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
SEO Tricks of the Trade
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62100.html
Search engine optimization experts pretty much agree that there are a few important steps to improving your search engine rankings and, surprisingly, no technical knowledge is required for any of them. Step No. 1: Incorporate keywords into the title tag. This is the number one factor in achieving high search rankings.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
Will Your Next New Car Have Linux Inside?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62112.html
In the 1980s, auto manufacturers began using simple computers called the "engine control unit," or ECU, to monitor and regulate such things as fuel mixture and spark plug timing. Since then, a cottage industry has developed around hardware and software to bypass, tinker with or replace this system.
Sat, 15 Mar 08
Gates Sees Tech Growing at Breakneck Speeds Over Next Decade
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62126.html
Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said Thursday he expects the next decade to bring even greater technological leaps than the past 10 years. In a speech to the Northern Virginia Technology Council, Gates speculated that some of the most important advances will come in the ways people interact with computers.
Fri, 14 Mar 08
Acer Enters Blue Period With Stylish High-End Notebook
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62115.html
Just 10 months after launching its Gemstone line in May 2007, Acer has introduced refinements to that line's design, unveiling two new notebooks in the Aspire Gemstone Blue line, the 6950 and the 8950. Both are equipped with a Blu-ray Disc drive, full high-definition LCD screens and native 16:9 resolution. The color blue dominates in these notebooks, which have holographic 3-D covers.
Fri, 14 Mar 08
New PDF Converter Has Office-Caliber Muscle
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62099.html
Plano, Texas-based Docudesk, which makes software tools to convert proprietary file formats such as Adobe's PDF, recently introduced an enterprise version of its deskUNPDF document conversion line. The launch of deskUNPDF Professional provides users with new feature options and conversion formats to address a wide array of PDF document conversion needs on both Intel and PowerPC OS X systems.
Fri, 14 Mar 08
New MacBook vs. First-Gen MacBook: What's the Dif?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62090.html
Apple's refresh of its MacBook laptop is just that -- a refresh -- and yet, expectations for any new Apple technology run high. Is it much faster than previous generations? Is it a much better buy? Does it include any new software? If a customer already owns a MacBook, is a new MacBook worth buying? Previously, I owned a Titanium PowerBook, followed by an iBook G4, which I replaced with a first-generation MacBook.
Fri, 14 Mar 08
AOL Places $850M Bet on Bebo
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62110.html
Time Warner's AOL will buy the social network Bebo for $850 million in cash, acquiring a worldwide user base of 40 million as well as a developer-friendly platform. Bebo was known to be shopping for a buyer, but the move came as something of a surprise because the social networking site already has a relationship with Yahoo, which won a contract last fall to deliver advertising to it.
Fri, 14 Mar 08
EA Gets Hostile in Quest to Take Over Take-Two
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62111.html
Electronic Arts has issued a hostile $2 billion tender offer for rival video game firm Take-Two Interactive Software. The offer represents a 64 percent premium over Take-Two's closing stock price on Feb. 15, the last day of trading before EA issued a revised proposal to the New York-based company.
Fri, 14 Mar 08
Game Developers Making a Play for iPhone
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62108.html
The iPhone is already shaking up the wireless industry. The video game industry may be next. Following Apple's move to open the device to outside programmers, some of the top developers and publishers are already making games for it. The iPhone's high-tech hardware and Apple's plans to distribute software for it over iTunes give it a lot of potential as a game machine, they say.
Fri, 14 Mar 08
Go to Hollywood With 'American Idol' on the Wii
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62106.html
For all you amateur singers thinking "I can do that!" every time you watch "American Idol," here's your chance to show your stuff -- or at least get personally berated by Simon Cowell. "Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol Encore" for the Wii puts the mic in players' hands and challenges them to stay in tune while singing 40 hits from various decades.
Fri, 14 Mar 08
Fosdem: A Festival of Free
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62105.html
The Free and Open Source Software Developers' European Meeting in Brussels, Belgium, attracts about 3,000 people every year, and last month marked its eighth edition. With all the hype surrounding free and open source tools the operating system Linux, the Web server software Apache, the Web browser Mozilla Firefox, it is easy to forget the men -- and, occasionally, women -- who develop them.
Fri, 14 Mar 08
Astronauts Assemble Spacewalking Robot
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62103.html
After linking up with the international space station, Endeavour's astronauts got right to work Thursday unloading the parts they'll need to build a giant robot that will help maintain the orbiting outpost. Astronauts Robert Behnken and Gregory Johnson were using the station's robotic arm to pull a pallet containing the Canadian robot, named "Dextre," from Endeavour's cargo bay and install it temporarily on a station girder.
Fri, 14 Mar 08
Facebook Takes Another Shot at Product Recommendations
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62104.html
Facebook's popular online hangout so far has proven to be a better place for promoting fun and games than peddling products. But a new application aims to inject more commerce into the social playground by paying Facebook members who help merchants sell to their friends.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
Study: Dark Data Shadow Follows Everyone
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62096.html
The "digital universe" of data was bigger than expected in 2007 and continuing to explode in size, according to a new study from IDC. The study, sponsored by EMC, found that there were about 281 billion gigabytes -- or 281 exabytes -- in the digital universe in 2007, exceeding original estimates.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
YouTube Gives Developers Video Takeout Option
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62093.html
YouTube has opened up its application programming interfaces to the world. This will let developers build what amounts to their own mini-YouTubes on their Web sites, blogs or Wikis. "We now support upload, other write operations and internationalized standard feeds," wrote Stephanie Liu of the YouTube APIs and Tools Team on the YouTube blog.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
Nortel to Widen the Pipeline With New Optical Tech
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62094.html
Nortel debuted a new optical network technology designed to provide four times the capacity of current systems and as much as 10 times the capacity in the future. The 40G/100G Adaptive Optical Engine boosts transmissions from 10 gigabits per second to 40 Gbps, and will go as high as 100 Gbps by the end of 2009, Nortel said, using the existing infrastructures of telecommunications companies.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
The Virtualization Challenge, Part 4: Implementing the Environment
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62076.html
Before you implement a virtualized environment, you have to plan. A lot. Not only must you map out what you need to and can virtualize, but you must also step back and take virtualization as part of an enterprise-wide strategy. "It's a commonly held belief that, because you're virtualizing, all your problems go away," John Humphreys, vice president of virtualization research for IDC, told TechNewsWorld.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
OSS Traffic Management: Open Road Ahead?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62075.html
Open source software is making its way into the systems that touch our everyday lives, from our banks to the stores where we shop. Open source is also found in some of the IT systems that manage traffic flow on city streets, state highways and in the skies. In fact, throughout the overlapping transportation and travel industries, open source has a very big footprint.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
100,000 SDK Downloads Foretell Glut of iPhone Apps
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62092.html
Three months ahead of its official launch, the test version of iPhone's Software Development Kit is luring developers by the thousands -- tens of thousands, actually. More than 100,000 developers downloaded the beta version of the iPhone 2.0 software, which bears the enterprise-supporting SDK, in the first four days it was available, Apple said Wednesday.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
TiVo Opens Channel to YouTube
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62087.html
TiVo and Google have struck a deal that will enable the digital video recorder maker's users to watch Web-based YouTube videos on their television sets. The service will be available later this year to consumers who own its Series 3 devices connected to the Internet through a broadband link, TiVo said.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
Will Developers Turn the iPhone Into a Gaming Platform?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62041.html
Is Apple finally getting serious about games? Could be. When Apple unveiled its platform for letting outside developers create software for the iPhone and iPod touch last week, some of the first programs shown were games from Electronic Arts and Sega. More game developers seem likely to hop on the Apple cart, since the iPhone and its cousin the iPod touch are both tremendously popular.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
Researchers: Implanted Medical Devices Open to Hack Attacks
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62084.html
A common new technology for monitoring defibrillators is vulnerable to hacking and even to reprogramming that could stop the devices from delivering a lifesaving shock, according to research to be released Wednesday. In the past couple years, more than 100,000 patients in the U.S. alone have been implanted with newer devices that reduce medical visits by sending information on a patient to a doctor.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
Endeavour Astronauts Prep for ISS Home Improvement Project
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62081.html
The seven-man crew of the shuttle Endeavour maneuvered toward the international space station early Wednesday, with the astronauts spending their first full day in orbit carefully examining the ship for any launch damage. Endeavour was set to dock with the station late Wednesday to deliver a giant robot and the first piece of a new Japanese lab.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
Want Safer Surfing? Try Firefox
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62085.html
Web browsers are like surfboards for Internet users. Internet Explorer is still the most widely distributed browser, but it doesn't take much scratching beneath the surface to discover that other programs provide better protection from phishers and other cyber-criminals.
Thu, 13 Mar 08
iPhone's Future Has No Room for Small Minds
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62083.html
Now that the Apple iPhone has full enterprise support and an amazing business model that developers will flock to, those with feet of clay and small minds are dragging out every possible excuse to avoid one core idea: The iPhone is the best smartphone on the planet, and it's going to become a major force in the mobile phone world. It's like watching kids squirm when they don't want to take a bath before bedtime.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
Sprint Revs Up Speed in HTC Mogul, Readies to Tune Up Touch Next
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62079.html
Sprint has provided a software upgrade to the HTC Mogul smartphone that will let it be the first smartphone to use Sprint's 3G EV-DO Rev. A network, which has previously been limited to laptop PC cards. EV-DO Rev. A is much faster than its widely used predecessor, EV-DO Rev. 0. EV-DO Rev. A lets users send and receive data at broadband speeds comparable to basic DSL.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
Live From SXSW: More Zuckerberg, Less Lacy
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62069.html
After a tumultuous weekend filled with mobile social network culture clashing with panel discussions and keynotes, the discourse at the South by Southwest Interactive Conference and Festival returned to civility as attendees' attention returned to the variety of platforms available for content creation, distribution and monetization.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
AI Program Thinks Like a 4-Year-Old
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62073.html
Researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have created a reasoning virtual four-year-old child. The "child," named "Eddie," can reason about his own beliefs to draw conclusions in a manner that matches human children of that age. To test Eddie's reasoning powers, the group created a demo in Second Life.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
Hulu to Open Doors for General Admission
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62070.html
Hulu, the video Web site from NBC Universal and News Corp., will open its virtual viewing rooms to the public Wednesday. Announced nearly one year ago, the free video streaming site launched in October with an invitation-only beta. Hulu offers its users a wide variety of video content from NBC Universal and News Corp.'s Fox networks and movie studio.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
Wal-Mart's Linux PCs Vanish From Shelves
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62074.html
Only a few months into a relationship with Linux-powered PCs, Wal-Mart is pulling the plug on the products. The retail giant has sold out its stock of Linux-driven and price-friendly Everex Green gPC systems, and says it won't be restocking its shelves with replacements -- although several models can be found on Walmart.com.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
The Perils of Nanotech, Part 2: Reining In Runaway Research
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62055.html
Advances in nanotechnology have given flight to some seemingly fanciful, and also alarming, projections and fictional scenarios. Yet the applications of nanotech are so diverse and far-reaching that scientists agree that the widespread ability to manipulate matter on the nano scale -- one-billionth of a meter -- opens up possibilities to completely transform every sector of the world's economic systems.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
Oracle Ventures Into Web 2.0 Universe With On Demand v15
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62063.html
With the launch of On Demand, version 15, Oracle is introducing robust new Web 2.0 functionality -- and it's sending a strong signal that more of this type of application development is on the horizon. Oracle's message is that Web 2.0 is now part of the CRM family, Beagle Research founder Denis Pombriant told CRM Buyer.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
Guitar Rig 3 Turns a Mac Into an Amp Stack
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62050.html
Guitarists out there know that finding that perfect sound, tone or depth from your electric guitar can be an expensive and painstaking process. With the digital age now in full swing, many manufacturers have tapped into computer emulation as a way to duplicate the sounds of guitar setups and amplifiers through software.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
CRM Bloggers Are People Too
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62053.html
Bloggers -- especially those whose traffic volumes can rival a minor newspaper's -- are getting used to the royal treatment. Consumer electronic vendors, hotels, auto manufacturers -- heck, even politicians -- are reaching out to the people who have made it their avocation to blog about them. Everywhere, it would seem, except in the CRM industry.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
Anonymity: The Enemy of Civil Online Discourse
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62042.html
Ten days ago, I coheadlined a Commonwealth Club of San Francisco debate with Jimmy Wales, the founder of the hugely popular open source Internet encyclopedia Wikipedia. This was a much-hyped dialectical wrestling match -- pitting wiki-crusader Wales, the wannabe slayer of the Encyclopedia Britannica, against me.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
Scientists Solve Big Problem in Small Transistor
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62064.html
Researchers at IBM claim to have cleared a major hurdle in the building of nanoscale transistors. The company has solved an interference issue which had been perplexing researchers and preventing the construction of transistors from tiny particles of graphite. The issue arises when scientists attempt to construct circuits with graphene, a 2-D grid structure constructed from carbon atoms.
Wed, 12 Mar 08
Shuttle Lifts Off for Longest-Ever Space Station Mission
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62058.html
Shuttle Endeavour and a crew of seven blasted into orbit Tuesday on what was to be the longest space station mission ever, a 16-day voyage to build a gangly robot and add a new room that will serve as a closet for a future lab. The space shuttle roared from its seaside pad at 2:28 a.m., lighting up the sky for miles around as it took off on a multinational flight involving Canada and Japan.
Tue, 11 Mar 08
Live From SXSW: Pop Culture and Social Media Collide
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62045.html
The South by Southwest Interactive Conference and Festival kicked off last weekend as roughly 9,000 Web designers, Web developers, academics, bloggers and social media participants gathered for the five-day event. The 15-year-old conference features scores of panelists throughout the day, the Screen Burn gaming center, keynote addresses from luminaries involved in new media projects.
Tue, 11 Mar 08
Paramount Rolls Clips on Facebook
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62047.html
Paramount Pictures and developer FanRocket have teamed to bring Paramount Pictures movie clips to Facebook's user profile pages. Using the third-party developer's VooZoo application, available Monday, subscribers to the social networking site will have access to clips from a gamut of films including "Forest Gump" and "Mean Girls."
Tue, 11 Mar 08
Online Behavior Tracking: No Such Thing as Enough
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62051.html
Every time you go online, you leave electronic footprints -- and someone is following them. When you display a page, enter a search query, play a video or click on an ad online, that information is logged by the servers of the companies that own the site or serve the video or ad or search results.
Tue, 11 Mar 08
Live From SXSW: Zuckerberg Keynote Crumbles Into Chaos
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62044.html
Mark Zuckerberg, 23-year-old Facebook founder, and technology journalist Sarah Lacy squared off with angry attendees who were upset with the direction -- and style -- of the much publicized keynote conversation. Back-channel conversations on Twitter turned the keynote conversation into an audience-driven revolt.
Tue, 11 Mar 08
New Camera Uses T-Rays to See What You're Keeping Under Wraps
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62043.html
A British company has introduced a new camera that can peak under clothing to detect weapons, explosives or drugs. Called the "T5000" and created by ThruVision, the camera has a range of over 80 feet and works with moving subjects, making it particularly applicable for the security industry. To see, the camera emits natural electromagnetic rays called "T-rays," or terahertz.
Tue, 11 Mar 08
Capturing the Elusive URL: There's Gotta Be a Better Way
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62026.html
Everywhere you look today, you're hit right between the eyes with an URL. They pop up in TV ads, in ads on the big screen, on billboards, posters, soup cans, cereal boxes, on the sides of buses -- just about anywhere. If you see one that's interesting, and have pen and paper to hand, you may jot it down. But what if you're walking or driving?
Tue, 11 Mar 08
The Beginning of the iPhone Rebirth
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62024.html
Last week was filled with what could represent the beginning of one of the biggest overall changes to the cell phone market. The short-term change was the announcement of a solid and apparently well-controlled developer platform coupled with the long anticipated Exchange integration announcement.
Tue, 11 Mar 08
You Know It's a Tough Project When ...
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62029.html
So daylight-saving time has just begun in various parts of the world, and that means many of us -- including the normally razor-sharp team here at LinuxInsider -- may be reeling a little bit. An hour's sleep is a big deal, so "springing ahead" -- which always sounds so chipper and perky -- can actually make the ensuing days feel long and tough. Which brings us to the topic of today's column: Tough projects.
Tue, 11 Mar 08
The Enterprise and the iPhone
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62016.html
Even as the Apple iPhone has drawn praise for its design and music- and video-playing capabilities, the handset has also borne criticism for what it lacks. Sure, the iPhone looks good and lets users elegantly go from listening to songs to surfing the Web. However, from the time it was introduced more than a year ago, detractors immediately wondered: What's the iPhone's appeal for business users?
Tue, 11 Mar 08
Sprint Puts HTC Smartphone Data Speed Into Overdrive
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62032.html
Sprint Nextel is upgrading one of its cell phone models so that it can connect to a faster data network, doubling its download speeds and boosting upload speeds by about eight times. Both Sprint and Verizon Wireless operate so-called EV-DO Rev. A networks, but have used them only for laptop cards. Their fastest phones have used the older and slower EV-DO Rev. 0 network.
Tue, 11 Mar 08
With SDK, iPhone Naysayers Have Few Arguments
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62036.html
Apple's iPhone SDK announcement last week was met with a mixture of glee and trepidation. If it weren't for continued problems in the subprime mortgage crisis, AAPL would have shot up $20. The fact that it didn't and the fact that Apple has had enterprise problems in the past is leading to a false sense of confidence by the naysayers that Apple cannot succeed fabulously. It's an irrational wish.
Tue, 11 Mar 08
Cell Towers and Backup Power: Who Foots the Bill?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62034.html
When Hurricane Katrina assaulted the Gulf Coast in 2005, wind and flooding knocked out hundreds of cell towers and cell sites, silencing wireless communication exactly when emergency crews and victims needed it. To avoid similar debacles in the future, the Federal Communications Commission wants most cell transmitter sites in the U.S. to have at least eight hours of backup power in the event main power fails.
Mon, 10 Mar 08
10 Technologies Not Yet Ready for SMBs
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61974.html
As I grow older, it seems like I get ignored more often. Much more. My wife, who used to be so attentive to my needs, barely listens to half of what I say. My kids, now in middle school, stare at me blankly when I ask about their homework. The guy at the Verizon Wireless store couldn't care less when I complain that not as many people can hear me now. It's no different at work.
Mon, 10 Mar 08
Life as a Full-Time Second Lifer
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62028.html
Sometimes it pays to NOT keep your head in the real world. Almost four years after the launch of the online world Second Life, some people are reaping the rewards. From businesses to individuals, nonprofits to colleges, they're using the online space to reach out to each other, customers, givers and students, creating an online life that is a mirror of the real thing -- and yet totally different.
Mon, 10 Mar 08
iPhone: Not So Cool in Japan?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61993.html
Unlike much of the rest of the world, Japan is unlikely to embrace the iPhone, Apple's Internet-enabled multimedia mobile phone, said Nahoko Mitsuyama, a telecom analyst at Gartner Japan who attended the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, in February. Most Japanese consumers, she said, are more likely to remain content with what they already have.
Mon, 10 Mar 08
Creating Virtually Unique Fashions Online
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61990.html
"Sure, there's such a company. I heard of something like this way back, even as far back as the bubble. This, after all, is precisely what the Internet is for." This is the thought that naturally comes to mind, when hearing about e-commerce startup StyleShake, which enables any visitor to the site to design their own clothes and order them online.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
The Never-Ending Struggle for Malware Containment
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61942.html
The IT security front is like any war: Secure one battle line and a breach may occur on another. Red flags about malware have become almost a daily occurrence in the virtual world, and the malware lexicon has mushroomed in recent years. Terms like "zombie," "rootkit," "worm," "Trojan," "spyware," "botnet" and others are descriptors of some of the most worrisome IT issues extant.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
Bridging the Linux Gap for Windows Admins
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62027.html
Xandros, which makes intuitive Linux solutions and tools to manage mixed environments, announced two new products that will make it easier for Windows systems administrators to manage Linux platforms in their IT environment. One is the Xandros BridgeWays Management Console for Red Hat Enterprise Linux. The other is Opsi4xandros, an all-in-one solution developed jointly with Opsi.org.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
iPods and iCrime
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61959.html
It's easy to see why iPods would be alluring targets for criminals: The music players are valuable and easy to resell, and people absorbed in their personal soundtracks can be vulnerably oblivious to their surroundings. However, could the temptation for stealing iPods be so strong that they're behind an increase in the crime rate? Researchers at a public policy institute say yes.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
Google's Street View of Army Base Unnerves Pentagon
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62017.html
Google's Street View, a mapping feature that has caught flak over privacy issues in the past, apparently has crossed forbidden security boundaries. The Pentagon has banned Google street mapping teams from taking photographs inside military bases after street images from inside Fort Sam Houston in Texas were posted on the Web site.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
Making Sense of IT's Swirling Trends
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62002.html
Information technology managers are facing a massive rollout of new demands and computing models that could potentially make inroads in enterprise computing in 2008. As the technology continues to evolve and the landscape continues to change, IT managers have to pick and choose carefully in deciding which new, talked-about technologies to implement in their enterprises.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
CBS, AOL Stream Together in Radio Deal
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62022.html
CBS Radio is hoping to step up its Internet presence through a deal it announced Friday with AOL. CBS, the second-largest radio broadcaster in the U.S., plans to offer advertising-supported streams from 150 online radio stations to listeners free of charge over AOL's online radio portal.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
HP Gives Research Labs Extreme Makeover
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62023.html
HP head Mark Hurd on Thursday announced big changes for the company's research division, HP Labs. The reorganization will see the research facility concentrate its focus in five core areas: information management, cloud computing, content transformation, intelligent infrastructure and sustainability.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
Negroponte Goes Fishing for an OLPC Chief
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62031.html
In Search Of: CEO to turn IT organization that operates like a terrorist group into a Microsoft-like outfit. Vision and big-picture mentality not required. Management, administrative and detail skills sorely needed. Ability to deal with a chairman who occasionally goes off reservation during press interviews a big plus.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
Ballmer MIXes Serious Talk With Silly Dance
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62013.html
Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer offered frank answers -- and a few dance moves -- on a host of topics Thursday, addressing his company's bid for Microsoft and sharing his thoughts on rivals such as Google and Apple. Venture capitalist Guy Kawasaki interviewed Ballmer at the Microsoft MIX Conference -- a gathering of developers who work on the Microsoft platform.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
Brain-Scanning Tech May Reveal Mind's Secrets
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62012.html
Through a study using brain scanning technology called "functional magnetic resonance imaging," which records mental activity, neuroscientists at the University of California at Berkeley have gained greater insight into how the human brain "sees" objects, according to an article published in the peer review publication Nature.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
iFund Gives iPhone Devs a $100M Leg Up
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62019.html
Alongside Apple's launch of its software development kit and roadmap for its iPhone 2.0 beta software Thursday, Apple's CEO Steve Jobs introduced a "one more thing" announcement -- a $100 million private investment fund earmarked just for iPhone and iPod touch development efforts.
Sat, 8 Mar 08
Health 2.0: A Promising Prescription
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61968.html
Google's recent announcement that it is creating a home for personal health records online is a natural outgrowth of Silicon Valley's Web 2.0 consumer Internet focus. The question this raises is whether a market-driven system is better for keeping health records than one run by the government.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
RIM Adds Dipdive to Its Crew in Social Net Push
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62003.html
Research In Motion has opted to intensify its challenge to rivals in the smartphone competition by calling in some celebrity help in the effort. Looking to increase its consumer retail market share for its BlackBerry devices, Canada-based RIM said in published reports that it is aligning with Dipdive, a politics-heavy online music service and social network.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
Microsoft Gives Web Devs New Tools in IE8 Beta
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61999.html
Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 8 beta 1, four months ahead of schedule. The browser is aimed at developers, the software giant said, but anyone can download the beta from its sites. It was originally scheduled to be released in June. Microsoft announced the release at its annual Mix 08 conference, which runs through Friday.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
iPhone Lets Developers Inside
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62005.html
In a special media event for journalists and industry analysts Thursday, Apple unveiled its iPhone Software Roadmap. As was widely expected, Apple announced details for its Software Development Kit for the iPhone and in a surprise move went even farther than expected by announcing significantly beefed up support for enterprise environments.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
New Tech Fights Chip Piracy With Virtual Lock and Key
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62001.html
A new technology unveiled Wednesday aims to prevent hardware privacy by protecting microchips with the virtual equivalent of an embedded "lock" that can be opened only by the patent owner. Called "EPIC" -- short for Ending Piracy of Integrated Circuits -- the technique relies on established cryptography methods.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
Survey Pegs Cell Phone as Americans' Most Valued Tech Tool
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61998.html
Americans would rather give up their televisions or the Internet rather than do without their mobile phones, according to a report released by the Pew Internet & American Life Project Wednesday. Researchers found that a little more than half of respondents who use wireless phones said it would "be very hard to give up" their cell phone versus 43 percent for whom ditching television would be a struggle.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
Otellini Vows Flash Will Flourish
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/62000.html
Just days after warning that its first-quarter profit would be hit by weakness in its flash memory business, Intel assured analysts that it was committed to fixing the problems. CEO Paul Otellini used the chipmaker's annual two-day analyst gathering Wednesday and Thursday to clarify the factors behind the profit margin erosion in the NAND flash chip unit and to reassure investors that the problems would be addressed.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
Green IT: Behind the Buzzwords
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61966.html
Conserving energy, reducing floor space and managing utility costs are becoming major priorities for IT organizations. As the number of servers continues to grow and demand for storage capacity increases, companies are faced with the challenge of powering and cooling these systems while controlling their energy consumption and complying with environmental regulations.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
What Are All Those Logs Trying to Tell You?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61980.html
Gaining more insights early and often into what vast arrays of servers, routers and software stacks are actually doing has long been on the top of the IT wish list. Traditional IT management approaches force the trade-off between depth and comprehensive reach, meaning you can't get the full, integrated picture across mixed systems with sufficient clarity.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
What Can .Mac Do for You?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61978.html
Apple's multi-facted .Mac service is a conundrum, a riddle in and of itself. What is .Mac, exactly? What can it do for me? Is it worth it? The problem is that .Mac is more than one thing -- it's e-mail, photo and video sharing, Web site hosting, backup, and a synchronization tool all in one. .Mac is a suite of Internet Web services where the sum of its parts creates a value far greater than any individual piece.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
Reports: RFID Ripe for Supply Chain
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61996.html
RFID has gained ascendancy in the corporate world more by fiat than through efforts to persuade suppliers that the technology could deliver internal returns -- at least, in the beginning. With the requirement to deploy it or lose contracts handed down by such entities as Wal-Mart and the Department of Defense, partners scrambled to comply.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
Raymond Conference: Collaboration With a Focus on Design
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61991.html
Open innovation has been a hot management phrase for the past five years. So far, though, these collaborations have generally been focused on small-scale research and development, or technology ventures between giant global brands and smaller partners. Think Proctor & Gamble's collaborations with universities and suppliers or IBM's embrace of an open source software language.
Fri, 7 Mar 08
Web-Based Call-Recording Service Costs a Bundle
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61987.html
This call may be monitored for quality assurance. It has a familiar ring. However, given the exasperating encounters many of us have after hearing those words, you may wish you were the one monitoring the exchange. RecordMyCalls.com permits you to do just that, without installing software or requiring you to get one of those cheap suction-cup microphones, much less more-elaborate telephone recording equipment.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
MS's Live Workspace Keeps the Cloud Tethered to the Desktop
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61964.html
Microsoft launched its Office Live Workspace to the online world Monday, though the free document sharing and collaboration service is still officially in beta -- and limited to English. Essentially, Office Live Workspace is a Web-based extension of Microsoft Office that lets people access their documents online and share their work with others.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
Microsoft Loosens Fist With New, Open IE8
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61958.html
Last December, Microsoft's Windows Internet Explorer group announced that Internet Explorer 8, the next iteration of its Web browser, would be standards compliant, interoperable and backward compatible when it's released in the second half of 2008. The group announced that IE8 has rendered correctly in Acid2, a complex Web page design.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
Yahoo Bookmarks Mobile Web With onePlace
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61957.html
Hoping to become the portal of choice into the mobile Web, Yahoo on Tuesday unveiled onePlace, a content and services management tool meant to become a customized mobile Web starting page. onePlace's bookmarking tools will enable users who access the Internet from smartphones and other handheld devices to automatically organize content they seek out while on the go, Yahoo said.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
AMD Targets Medium-Core Gamers With Hybrid GPU
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61960.html
AMD on Tuesday introduced its latest motherboard GPU, the AMD 780 Series, in Hanover, Germany, at CeBIT 2008. Styling it as the most advanced motherboard GPU in the industry, AMD said the platform is intended to provide a "rich computing experience" for both casual gamers and multimedia enthusiasts running mainstream, low- and mid-cost PCs.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
The Perils of Nanotech, Part 1: Dancing in the Dark
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61936.html
There's probably no field of applied scientific research with applications as diverse and implications as profound as nanotechnology. Advances are coming fast and the research environment is heady as billions of dollars each year go into nanotech research and development.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
Microsoft, Nokia Shine Silverlight on Smartphones
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61954.html
Microsoft is bringing its video technology to millions of smartphones in collaboration with Nokia, the largest cell phone manufacturer in the world. Microsoft's Silverlight brower plug-in first will come to handsets built on Nokia's S60 platform, and soon thereafter will be available on Nokia's S40 phones, as well as on Internet tablet devices.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
Flash Memory Glut Eats at Intel Profits
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61956.html
Semiconductor giant Intel has lowered its profitability forecast, sending stock prices tumbling across the board. The company cut its first-quarter gross margin forecast from 56 percent to 54 percent "due to lower than expected prices for NAND flash memory chips," Intel said. All other expectations remained unchanged.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
Volunteer Computing and the Search for Big Answers
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61943.html
The Space Sciences Laboratory at the University of California at Berkeley is nestled into the Berkeley Hills just off the fire trail where runners from around the area come to take on the brutal 3.5-mile climb. The lab, though, doesn't feel like it's part of Berkeley.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
MacBook vs. MacBook Pro: The Agonizing Choice
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61938.html
Ever since Apple first introduced the MacBook in May of 2006, the decision between the low end and the high end of Apple's laptop line became the most agonizing choice for Mac laptop buyers -- with a couple of caveats, of course. For consumers looking for basic portability and basic computing, there's no problem: the MacBook fits the bill. The MacBook Pro is a shoo-in for artists and photographers.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
Walking the Green Walk at CeBit
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61947.html
Amid the sharp displays and booths offering up the latest gadgets and gizmos at the annual CeBIT trade and technology fair in Hanover, Germany, the key undercurrent is the greening of the industry. The agenda for the international industry gathering March 4-9 has given a nod to concerns about climate debate worldwide.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
What's in Store for SOA in 2008?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61937.html
SOA has been increasingly adopted during the past five years, with its promised benefits validated by early adopters. One of the clearest lessons learned is that SOA is all about finding a better approach for enterprise application development. In 2008, we will see a critical emphasis on establishing a new IT culture in which SOA-based projects have a better chance of success.
Tue, 4 Mar 08
It Takes More Than Luck to Get to Hollywood
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61950.html
In the late '70s, the only way to catch Steve Martin's wild-and-crazy Saturday Night Live performances was to stay up late. But today, the Internet makes a comedy skit's original home a launching pad for an endless global orbit. Jimmy Kimmel found that out when his music-video spoof about his "affair" with Ben Affleck went viral after it aired on his ABC post-Oscar telecast.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
'The Big Switch': Welcome to the Worldwide Computer
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61905.html
A quiet revolution in computing is taking place as you read this. It'll change the way we work, socialize and function as people, communities and nations. It will have an impact on how we make war and peace. Some say it's the biggest thing since electricity became a utility -- yet most of us won't see it coming.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
Wishing Apple Into the Enterprise Won't Get It There
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61881.html
A while back, I read a heated discussion about Apple's supposed moral obligation to the enterprise. The context was that Apple should endeavor to make products that are both fun to use, compelling and check all the enterprise boxes. The failure to fully penetrate the enterprise was presented as a deficiency of Apple's. I am going to tell you that the problem is not with Apple.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
Gates: Computers Won't Fix All the World's Problems
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61859.html
Some people see baldness as a big issue. Not Bill Gates, and not because he has hair. "Malaria kills 1 million people a year; baldness hasn't killed anyone yet," he said last week, telling the young minds at the University of Chicago that our priorities need a fresh look. "Less than 10 percent of the money spent on curing baldness is spent on fighting malaria."
Sun, 2 Mar 08
E-Marketers Getting Crafty in Spam-Flooded World
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61892.html
Even in a post CAN-SPAM world, where legal protections and technological advances give consumers more control than ever over their inboxes, e-mail remains a key component of many interactive marketing strategies. Commercial e-mail remains a cost-effective way to reach consumers, especially for businesses that are eager to reach out to their existing or past customers.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
Every Click You Make, Your Boss Is Watching You
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61914.html
Employees who regularly use company computers to surf the Web, sign on to business accounts for personal e-mail, make calls from company phones or use the corporate car to run errands run the risk of losing their jobs, according to a new survey released by The ePolicy Institute and the American Management Association.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
Google Gives Voicemail to Homeless in SF Trial Run
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61909.html
Google is working with homeless shelters in San Francisco to let them offer free phone numbers and voicemail boxes to their clients for life. The aim is to let shelters provide these facilities directly to their clients instead of requiring the homeless to register individually for a free phone number and voicemail box as they do now.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
SyncWizard Offers Free Cloud Space for Personal Data
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61908.html
A new free Web-based product, SyncWizard, aims to change the way people store and access their own personal data and files. SyncWizard scans PCs or Macs for the most valuable data and uploads it to a variety of Web-based storage sites, then makes it accessible via live, customized Web page. It's a product of Ajax13, a company helmed by MP3.com founder Michael Robertson.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
Video 2.0's Blossoming Impact on Advertising
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61890.html
If the 2006 online video market was still in the traffic-building stage, 2007 marked the beginning of the monetization stage. This new media platform engages a prime audience group for marketers. Online publishers and their technology partners large and small were pressed hard in the last few years by these marketers for quality ad inventory, flexible ad serving technologies, and efficient ad management tools.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
MacBook Gets Pumped, Microsoft Gets Fined, YouTube Gets Blocked
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61902.html
Apple has been developing a habit of putting out new stuff each Tuesday. Exactly what it comes out with is almost always a surprise, but since the beginning of the year, it's really taken a toll on the nerves of Apple followers who've been anxiously awaiting a refresh of the MacBook Pro. They finally got their wish; Apple has updated the MacBook Pro and the standard MacBook.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
Can Linux Stage a Coup D'Etat?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61858.html
Give office workers familiar with the Microsoft XP operating system an opportunity to try the same navigational tasks at a Linux-based desktop. Then step back and wait for the reaction. First will come the surprised look. Then questions like "where did the command line go?" will soon follow.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
Mac Bloggers Toast iTunes, Probe Penryn Processors, Sweat iPhone SDK
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61889.html
The long-awaited -- and perhaps overdue -- refresh to the MacBook Pro lineup finally came Tuesday morning, and along with it, a laptop surprise: Apple beefed up its consumer-grade MacBooks too. The announcements set the Apple-focused blog world on fire, with some commenters noting they were just happy to see the MacBook Pro holdouts finally get something they could spring for.
Sun, 2 Mar 08
TI Developers Gather to Map the Future of Cell Phone Tech
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/61904.html
The Apple iPhone, which brought touch screens to the masses, demonstrated how much consumers want better user interfaces. The Texas Instruments Developer Conference, which opened Tuesday at the Hilton Anatole in Dallas, demonstrated some amazing possibilities. The annual event also provided a launch pad for new chips from the Dallas-based company and a showcase for innovative TI customers.