Technology World
Main 
Technology
Army TechnologyCyberwarsMilitary TechnologyNewsfactor TechnologyTechnology WorldYahoo TechnologyRandom FeedsArchives
|
Oct 2008 |
Sep 2008 |
Aug 2008 |
Jul 2008 |
Jun 2008 |
May 2008 |
Apr 2008 |
Mar 2008 |
Feb 2008 |
Jan 2008 |
Dec 2007 |
Nov 2007 |
Sun, 31 Aug 08
Computer Control on the Tip of Your Tongue
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64319.html
The tireless tongue already controls taste and speech, helps kiss and swallow and fights germs. Now scientists hope to add one more ability to the mouthy muscle, and turn it into a computer control pad. Georgia Tech researchers believe a magnetic, tongue-powered system could transform a disabled person's mouth into a virtual computer, teeth into a keyboard -- and tongue into the key that manipulates it all. "You could have full control over your environment by just being able to move your tongue," said Maysam Ghovanloo, a Georgia Tech assistant professor.
Sun, 31 Aug 08
A Handful of Free and Cheap PDF Workarounds
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64330.html
PDF files are a lot like democracy, to paraphrase Winston Churchill. PDFs are a lousy way to move documents around, but the alternatives are worse. I hate PDF files. Portable Document Format is a benevolent monopoly by Adobe, which created the format and sets the standards for its development. They distribute an Adobe Reader, free, but if you want to create and edit PDFs, you have to buy a version of its big brother, Adobe Acrobat, starting at $299. Acrobat is a wonderfully descriptive name for the entire PDF situation.
Sun, 31 Aug 08
Mobile Apps: Salvation for Internet Radio?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64284.html
Internet radio station operators are concerned that skyrocketing royalty fees could zap an industry that's still in its infancy. However, technology may be bringing some solutions to the vexing problem of paying artists a royalty fee each time a listener hears a song. It just may take some time -- and it may be a painful wait for the thousands of Internet radio stations that pipe their programming to global audiences via the Web.
Sat, 30 Aug 08
Amazon Closes Book on Rumors of New Kindle
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64357.html
Rumors of a second-generation Kindle from Amazon.com before 2009 have been greatly exaggerated, Amazon said Friday. Although many fans of the e-book reader have been abuzz this week with rumors that Amazon.com planned to release an updated version of its Kindle, the retail giant will not, in fact, have a new device out before the new year, according to Heather Huntoon, an Amazon.com spokesperson. "Don't believe everything you read," she told TechNewsWorld.
Sat, 30 Aug 08
Android Market Debuts - Now Let's See Some Phones
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64338.html
Google is gearing up to launch its Android Market -- the open source phone software's answer to Apple's iPhone App Store. Staying true to the open model, the platform will allow more instant developer access compared to Apple's approval-based system and will also offer a set of tools for developers to track their business progress. Perhaps most significant, though: The Android Market won't be the end-all for Android-based application distribution.
Sat, 30 Aug 08
Comcast Rations Broadband Use at 250 GB per Month
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64358.html
Comcast has announced that it will impose a monthly cap of 250 GB on customers' Internet usage. The company acknowledged it has been evaluating a specific monthly data usage or bandwidth threshold for its Comcast High-Speed Internet residential customers for some time. "Today, we're announcing that beginning on Oct.1, 2008, we will amend our Acceptable Use Policy ... and establish a specific monthly data usage threshold of 250 GB/month per account for all residential customers," reads a notice on the company's Web site.
Sat, 30 Aug 08
WAN Optimization: It's Not All About the Cost
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64326.html
Aberdeen's benchmark report, "Optimizing WAN for Application Acceleration," found that Best-in-Class organizations are 69 percent more likely to outsource optimization of their WANs to third parties as compared to Laggards. This research also reveals that these organizations realize that the effectiveness of different WAN optimization initiatives varies based on the types of applications being managed and the internal capabilities that organizations have in place.
Sat, 30 Aug 08
Wikis in Education: Teaching Students to Share Knowledge
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64335.html
Teaching and learning have always had a collaborative element, but wiki technology has in recent years made collaboration central to the method of many educators. Since they can be edited by anyone with access to them, education wikis are ever-changing and evolving documents that ideally represent the wisdom of the student crowd. Teachers are constantly finding new and creative ways to use wikis. One college new media class is writing its own textbook, for instance. Science classes are using wikis to develop research proposals.
Sat, 30 Aug 08
Drops, Crashes and Freezes: Is the iPhone Worth It?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64329.html
Given my reputation as a Mac "expert," I am often asked for advice about purchasing Apple products. In recent weeks, the question I have most often been asked is a disconcerting one: "I am thinking about buying an iPhone. But I have been hearing reports about its unreliability. Should I be worried? Should I wait for the problems to be fixed before I purchase an iPhone? Should I not get an iPhone at all?" My answer is no. That is, no, you don't have to wait. And no, you certainly don't have to abandon your plans to get an iPhone altogether.
Sat, 30 Aug 08
Tools for the Tech-Savvy Shopper
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64300.html
"Smart" shopping carts have been around for a while, but until recently, they haven't managed to gain much traction. Now, some momentum is building, according to proponents of the computer-rigged market baskets that -- with a swipe of a card -- can flash an alert that a customer's favorite brand of ice cream is on sale, display nutritional values of products, and even point out the aisles where items are located. Wireless touchscreens also can compile shopping lists based on a customer's own history or provide insight into an individual's caloric intake.
Sat, 30 Aug 08
Price Cuts Bite Dell in Bottom Line
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64342.html
Computer maker Dell said Thursday its fiscal second-quarter profit fell 17 percent, hurt in part by PC price cuts. Both earnings and margins fell short of Wall Street estimates, and Dell shares plunged. For the three-month period that ended Aug. 1, Dell's earnings dropped to $616 million, or 31 cents per share, from $746 million, or 32 cents per share in the same period last year. Excluding amortization and business realignment charges, Dell said it would have earned 33 cents per share. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters had forecast a profit of 36 cents per share.
Fri, 29 Aug 08
Microsoft Shows Off IE8's Ad-Blocking, Page-Tabbing Chops
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64337.html
Microsoft rolled out the second beta of its upcoming Web browser, Internet Explorer 8, Wednesday. When finalized, IE8 will be the first new version of the browser the software maker has released since 2006. While the browser looks much the same, Microsoft has been tinkering under the hood to bring IE users new features and functionality. "It's great to see Microsoft moving forward with IE and trying to innovate in the browser," Matt Rosoff, an analyst at Directions on Microsoft, told TechNewsWorld.
Fri, 29 Aug 08
One Giant Leap for Malware
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64333.html
Call it proof that no one's above the common malware attack: NASA's own International Space Station laptops fell victim to an infection attempt, the space agency has revealed. The bug was caught and stopped before any damage was done, but the incident is raising awareness of just how easily harmful code can reach any computer -- and how important is really is to take preventative precautions before your own system is hit. The virus detected at the Space Station is believed to be W32.Gammima.AG worm, a year-old bug designed to steal passwords from online gamers.
Fri, 29 Aug 08
Copyright Law and the Web, Part 2: Who Are the IP Police?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64298.html
The Internet has made it much simpler for companies to reach potential customers. However, this wide open channel has come at a cost. Companies now expose more of their assets to outsiders who can misuse them. While the law helps -- at least to a degree -- companies increasingly find they need to take steps to monitor and protect their digital assets. Daily, corporations put time, money, and effort into differentiating themselves from competitors. Once that work is done, they want to make sure that knock-off businesses do not arise and render all of their hard work meaningless.
Fri, 29 Aug 08
Cable Network, Meet Social Network: Match Made in News - or Marketing - Heaven?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64332.html
The moment may have passed way under your media radar, seeing as how it happened on a Sunday night in late August, when TV viewers were just coming down from a Beijing Olympics high. On CNN, anchor Rick Sanchez was previewing the Democratic National Convention about to get under way in Denver, grilling senior political analyst Bill Schneider about the latest poll numbers showing John McCain and Barack Obama in a tight race, when Sanchez turned to his audience for a question.
Fri, 29 Aug 08
Ruling Sinks Piracy Suit Against Veoh as YouTube Grins
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64334.html
A federal judge in San Jose, Calif., has thrown out a copyright infringement lawsuit launched by Io Group against Veoh Networks. Io Group, which also does business under the name Titan Media, produces adult video content. Veoh is a site similar to YouTube where users can upload and watch user-generated videos as well as television show and movie clips. Io Group filed its suit against Veoh in 2006, alleging that Veoh had not done enough to stop users from uploading copyrighted material to its site. The copyrighted material in question included clips from 10 of Io Group's adult films.
Fri, 29 Aug 08
Taking the Pulse of the Eclipse Ecosystem
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64320.html
Java training and education has never been easy. Not only are the language and its third-party and community offerings constantly moving targets, each developer has his or her own preferences, plug-ins inventory and habits. What's more, the "book knowledge" gained in many course settings can vary wildly from what happens in the "real world" of communities and teams. MyEclipse maker Genuitec developed Pulse last year to monitor and update the most popular Eclipse plug-ins.
Fri, 29 Aug 08
VoIP Goes Mobile
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64318.html
Scott Goldman uses his mobile phone to call friends and business contacts all over the world, from Britain to Australia. But the Southern California-based consultant doesn't pay a dime in international tolls to his mobile phone carrier, AT&T, the biggest in the U.S. Instead, Goldman places the international portion of the calls -- roughly 100 minutes a month -- through a service called "Gorilla Mobile" that relies on Internet-based technology to route wireless calls virtually toll-free. Goldman, a user of Apple's iPhone, estimates that he saves hundreds of dollars a year.
Fri, 29 Aug 08
Astaro: Tapping the Channel for Security Revenue
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64317.html
Why sell somebody else's product line when you can do a better job offering your own? That was the question that ultimately pushed Jan Hichert, CEO of Astaro, and two other cofounders to develop their own Internet security solutions for a market they viewed as needy of attention -- the small- to medium-sized business segment. Prior to deciding to go his own way, Hichert was a reseller, dealing in other vendors' security products. However, in his view, the products were too complex to use and were aimed at the enterprise market, leaving the SMB space untapped.
Fri, 29 Aug 08
New Firefox Plug-In Double-Checks So-Called Unsafe Sites
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64328.html
Intercepting Internet traffic and spying on the communication between two computers is a gold mine for hackers. Now Carnegie Mellon University researchers hope software they've built will make it harder for criminals to hit that jackpot. The software, a free download for use with latest version of the Firefox Web browser, creates an additional way for people to verify whether the site they're trying to visit is authentic. Most browsers already alert users when a site appears bogus.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
Dell Takes Aim at Emerging Markets With Simplified PCs
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64314.html
Dell is going after emerging markets with a new line of low-cost computers. The Vostro notebooks and desktops are the company's first models targeted specifically at China, India and a handful of other Asian, African and Latin American nations. The systems will sell for about the equivalent of $440 to $475. The move marks a distinct shift in strategy for Dell, which has previously focused on building standard products that stay constant from country to country. The change follows similar steps by competitors such as HP and IBM, which are pushing low-cost models of their own.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
UK Watchdog Nixes iPhone Ad Over 'All Parts of the Internet' Claim
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64323.html
Less than a week after a representative for Orange in Poland revealed that actors were paid to stand in line the night the iPhone launched there, another kerfuffle has arisen over Apple-related marketing, this time in the UK. The UK's Advertising Standards Authority has pulled an iPhone commercial after it received complaints from two viewers that the ad was misleading. "[Apple is] having two issues -- one probably more important than the other," said Mary Beth Kemp, a Forrester Research analyst.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
New Version of Xen Hypervisor Hits the Streets
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64324.html
Xen.org, the developer of the open source Xen project, on Wednesday announced the release of the Xen 3.3 hypervisor engine. The product is the result of a distributed development effort by senior engineers from more than 50 leading hardware, software and security vendors. Xen 3.3 includes enhancements that further advance its position as a fast, scalable and secure virtualization engine for a broad range of server and PC chipsets from supercomputers to PDAs.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
Psystar Stares Down Apple With Antitrust Suit
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64325.html
Psystar has turned up the heat in its legal battle with Apple. The small computer vendor first burst on the scene several months ago by audaciously offering for sale a line of Mac computer clones called "OpenComputer." After a few weeks of silence, Apple unleashed its legal hounds on the startup, seeking to shut it down for good. Since then, Psystar has shown little sign of backing down from Apple -- a company that's seldom shy about using the legal system to protect its intellectual property.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
Mozilla Introduces New Ubiquity Mashup Machine
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64322.html
Mozilla Labs launched a new prototype Tuesday aimed at giving Internet users new ways to create mashups of online content. Dubbed "Ubiquity," the technology is Mozilla's solution what it sees as a common and time-consuming problem Web surfers face when they try to compile information from the Web. "Most people do not have an easy way to manage the vast resources of the Web to simplify their task at hand. For the most part they are left trundling between Web sites, performing common tasks resulting in frustration and wasted time," Aza Raskin, head of user experience at Mozilla, wrote on his blog.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
Web Entrepreneurs Offer Qik Some Wealth and Some Wisdom
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64321.html
Qik, a company that has developed live video streaming services for certain smartphones, has received a boost in its financial backing from Netscape veterans Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz. The duo, which have made a "significant investment" in the company, are also joining Qik's board of advisors. Bhaskar Roy, cofounder of Qik, declined to tell the E-Commerce Times how much Andreessen and Horowitz have invested in the company. Qik means to use the investment to expand its customer base to every mobile phone type.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
Fuel Cells, Part 1: Powering Up a Revolution
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64308.html
Over the last decade, mainstream automakers with the right foresight have put their money on technologies like gasoline-electric hybrids in order to offer consumers what they desire more and more with each visit to the gas pump: a more efficient personal vehicle. A little further out, plug-in hybrids that need even less gasoline will perhaps become a more common sight on the road, further reducing users' dependency on fossil fuels. Beyond that, fuel cell vehicles may be the next step.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
Will Consumers Swallow a Greener Apple?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64307.html
Greenpeace certainly ranks as the highest-profile environmental group to take on Apple, the hip kid on the computer block. The organization is not Apple's only environmental adversary, though, and certainly not it's only worry in a marketplace rife with green claims and green concerns. In fact, the company has moved its "Environment" page up to the top-level navigation of its Web site, right alongside its "Hot News" and "Job Opportunities" pages.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
One Less Windows User
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64306.html
As editor for LinuxInsider for more than a year now, I figured the time was right to start walking the walk with my personal machine. So I took my Dell Inspiron 1150 to this year's LinuxWorld Conference & Expo with the intention of switching my operating system to one of the many Linux distros. I visited the booths of several distros, Ubuntu, Suse, Red Hat and even BSD, grabbing disks along the way. The plan was to give each a test drive, then choose one based on my experience.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
Microsoft Receives $21M Feedback Payback
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64315.html
Microsoft will receive nearly $21 million from Immersion, a company that develops "tactile-feedback" technology, after the two companies agreed to settle a lawsuit. San Jose, Calif.-based Immersion has developed tactile feedback technology which makes video game controllers vibrate when there is an explosion or some other game action event on screen, Sid Parakh, an equity analyst with McAdams Wright Ragen, told the E-Commerce Times.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
The Bid for International Cyber Property Rights
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64299.html
Who would like to bid the highest amount for the exclusive global rights to the new domain suffix, .dubai, under ICANN's latest policy? Such a suffix will create a powerful domain root that will corner some 180 services underneath it, like go.dubai, hotel.dubai, job.dubai, cars.dubai or fly.dubai. Who would be the next global cyber-branding leader of this new millennium? Are auctions the right methods to sell such mega marketing channels? ICANN, the Internet authority, is looking into auctioning off such popular name identities.
Thu, 28 Aug 08
FAA Software Slip-Up Delays Flights Nationwide
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64310.html
Numerous flight delays caused by an electronic communication failure at a Federal Aviation Administration facility drew new criticism for an agency that has been scrutinized over air traffic controller staffing levels and inspection standards for its ground-based equipment. The Northeast was hardest hit by the delays prompted Tuesday by a glitch at a Hampton, Ga., facility that processes flight plans for the eastern half of the U.S. As of Wednesday morning, the FAA said that the situation around the country had returned to normal.
Wed, 27 Aug 08
Photoshop Tries to Win Over the Web 2.0 Crowd
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64302.html
What should photo imaging software giant Adobe be focusing on in a Web 2.0 world? Judging from some new products, it's not just taking on the likes of Apple's iPhoto and Aperture; it's learning to work and play well with social networks like Facebook and digital media storage Web sites such as Flickr. Those could be the chief takeaways from Adobe's announcement this week that it will be releasing Photoshop Elements 7 in late September, along with the imminent launch of Photoshop.com, a photo upload/storage site, and a beta version of a mobile software product.
Wed, 27 Aug 08
Citrix Revs Up Virtual App Software
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64303.html
Citrix has announced the upcoming availability of XenApp 5, the latest version of its application virtualization software. The new release, formerly dubbed "Presentation Server," is part of the software maker's effort to consolidate its product line around XenServer, which it acquired with the purchase of XenSource in 2007. The software boasts improved application start times, the company said. "It really enhances the XenApp technology that has been in the hands of Fortune 500 companies for years," Natalie Lambert, a Forrester Research analyst, told TechNewsWorld.
Wed, 27 Aug 08
Firefox to Gulp JavaScript Faster With New TraceMonkey Feature
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64305.html
Mozilla has announced the launch of a new feature for its Firefox Web browser designed to make it perform faster. Called "TraceMonkey," the feature is an evolution of Firefox's SpiderMonkey JavaScript engine and will be built into Firefox 3.1, according to the company. To increase JavaScript speeds by an order of magnitude or more, Mozilla designed TraceMonkey with a new type of just-in-time compiler. The company has measured speeds up to 37.5 times faster for specific "micro-benchmarks," according to Brendan Eich, Mozilla's chief technology officer.
Wed, 27 Aug 08
Picking the Audience's Brain With ResponseCard Anywhere
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64286.html
Anyone looking to make a decent presentation, speech or lecture in front of an audience needs the ability to perceive, judge and play off viewers' reactions. Sometimes that can be done just by keeping one's ears open. In other circumstances, though, the presenter wants hard numbers. The audience must be polled to find out exactly how many people like or dislike a certain idea, what their top choice of a given set of options would be, or which of a given set of responses they most agree with.
Wed, 27 Aug 08
Internet Explorer 8's Privacy Controls Worry Advertisers
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64296.html
Microsoft's upcoming Internet Explorer 8 will offer a new set of privacy features designed to give users more control over personal information, the company has revealed. The "InPrivate" feature will build in options for turning off history and cookie collection and will also allow users to see what external sites could access that data -- and then disable them from doing so. The move is drawing mixed reactions: While privacy advocates are cheering the easily implemented controls, advertisers are expressing concern the feature could create a roadblock to effective online ads.
Wed, 27 Aug 08
Application Maintenance: Controlling Complexity Creep
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64288.html
Application portfolios automate the operations of every organization. Business processes from core banking to claims processing have become indistinguishable from the applications that execute them. As a result, it is essential that these applications align with the business strategies and goals of the organization. A bank may launch an exotic finance product. Its loan processing applications must be able to adapt quickly to support the new initiative. This could be by extending functionality, integrating with other systems or perhaps by adjusting the behavior of business processes.
Wed, 27 Aug 08
Thunderbird: Way Beyond E-Mail
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64285.html
While postal services want to promote letter writing, the trend is clearly working against them. With a push of the button, an e-mail lands in the inbox of its recipient before a letter writer can even moisten the stamp. The tools of the trade are e-mail programs known as "clients." They are used to manage correspondence on the computer, but nowadays they can often do far more. An estimated two-thirds of all computer users over the age of 14 have their own e-mail address. "Most people use standard e-mail programs from Microsoft or simply Thunderbird," says Holger Bleich of c't magazine.
Wed, 27 Aug 08
Professor iPod
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64278.html
A Chapel Hill, N.C., middle school could become the first in the country to give an iPod to every teacher and student, an experiment that would challenge teachers and administrators to ensure the hand-held devices are used as learning tools, not toys. It's still not clear how the iPod touches would be used at Culbreth Middle School. And school officials know that students may use the iPod touches more to download the new Jonas Brothers single than to tap the riches of human knowledge.
Wed, 27 Aug 08
RightNow Continues Move to Web 2.0
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64293.html
With the release of its August '08 version, RightNow Technologies continues to shift both its platform and its lineup of products and features to Web 2.0. This latest upgrade includes a customer portal that offers widgets, video, forums and blogs. Its studio development environment now allows users to integrate the application with Adobe Dreamweaver. August '08 also has more collaboration tools, such as co-browsing and chat. These features build upon developments RightNow introduced in May '08 -- specifically, the addition of chat functionality.
Wed, 27 Aug 08
Facebook Cutoff Leaves India Last Bastion of 'Scrabulous'
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64292.html
A highly popular "Scrabble" clone already pulled from Facebook in the United States and Canada continued its tumble over the weekend as the online hangout extended its block of the game throughout most of the world. Facebook said Monday it was forced to disable "Scrabulous" after one of "Scrabble's" rights owners, Mattel, made a formal removal request and the developers of "Scrabulous" took no action themselves. The "Scrabulous" application remains available in India, where its developers live and where Mattel has filed a lawsuit claiming violations of intellectual property.
Tue, 26 Aug 08
AMD Claims Gold in VMware's Virtualization Performance Event
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64287.html
AMD announced Monday it took the No. 1 spot on the VMware VMmark virtualization benchmark for x86 servers with its quad-core Opteron processor running HP ProLiant DL585 G5 servers. The hardware maker's 16-core chips now own the top three rankings for the VMmark benchmark, said AMD. The DL785, with 8 sockets and a total of 32 cores and 32 total threads running VMware ESX v3.5.0 Update, earned a score of 21.88 @16 tiles. VMware's Rapid Virtualization Indexing technology facilitates fast switching between virtual machines, according to AMD.
Tue, 26 Aug 08
Solar-Powered Plane Stays Airborne for Record 3 Days
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64279.html
A high-tech plane has reached new heights in the world of solar energy, flying a record-setting 82 hours and 37 minutes on the power of the sun. The QinetiQ Zephyr aircraft more than doubled the world record for an unmanned, solar-powered flight in its jaunt within the West Coast, the company announced over the weekend. While the flight isn't likely to snag the official world record spot, it does mark a new milestone in solar energy research that could have long-lasting effects.
Tue, 26 Aug 08
Analyst: Amazon to Kindle Market for E-Textbooks
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64281.html
In a move that could free up backpack space on college campuses nationwide, Amazon is reportedly looking to enter the school textbook market with the release of a new, student-friendly version of its Kindle electronic book reader. The Seattle Post-Intelligencer quotes a McAdams Wright Ragen analyst as saying that the company is already at work on new Kindles and sees an opportunity in the $5.5 billion textbook market. Amazon has previously confirmed that there will be Kindle updates but isn't commenting on targeting specific markets.
Tue, 26 Aug 08
Hackers Get Under Red Hat's Skin
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64282.html
Red Hat issued a security advisory Friday notifying customers that some of its servers were compromised last week due to a network attack. The company called the advisory critical and said it sent out the alert primarily for those who may obtain Red Hat binary packages via channels other than those of official Red Hat subscribers. The servers -- for both the company's commercial products and free versions of Linux -- were breached; however, immediate action on the part of Red Hat prevented the attacker from gaining access to Red Hat Network, according to the company.
Tue, 26 Aug 08
Hard Gadgets for a Hard World: What Makes Rugged Electronics So Tough?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64256.html
Portable electronics like smartphones and laptops aren't generally known for their ability to withstand drops, splashes and harsh conditions. Yet the portable nature of these devices means they're often in the line of fire -- swimming pools and toilets for cell phones, dusty places like construction sites for laptops, or even dairy farms with kicking cow hooves, milk and, well, greenish-brown pies. Some companies specialize in "ruggedizing" electronics to make them ready for harsh elements and the occasional accident.
Tue, 26 Aug 08
Intel Steers Aggressive Course While Apple Appears Rudderless
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64272.html
Last week was kind of amazing -- I knew a number of things that were going to be happening at IDF but was blindsided by an announcement Intel made that could change the world as we know it. Nikola Tesla turned over in his grave, and we are one step closer to his Tower of Power. Intel also fleshed out its Atom platform, which I think forms the basis of a new class of cloud computing-based client devices. Apple, on the other hand, appears rudderless all of a sudden. The new iPhone -- recall I suggested you avoid this product -- is having a massive number of problems.
Tue, 26 Aug 08
AMD Aims to Shape Up by Unloading Digital TV Biz to Broadcom
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64277.html
Chipmaker Broadcom has agreed to acquire Advanced Micro Devices' digital television chip business for $192.8 million. About 530 AMD employees will join Irvine, Calif.-based Broadcom after the transaction closes, which is expected to take place sometime during the fiscal quarter ending Dec. 31. AMD is based in Sunnyvale, Calif. "As we announced in our Q2 earnings call, we evaluated the strategic fit of our non-core businesses and determined to divest our consumer electronics group," said AMD spokesperson Jo Albers.
Tue, 26 Aug 08
Fliqz CEO Benjamin Wayne on the Allure of Online Video
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64264.html
In 2005, as Web content was beginning to grow more dynamic and audiences more sophisticated, Benjamin Wayne hatched the idea of offering video delivery services to companies for their Web sites. The result was Fliqz, which counts among its clients Monster.com, PBWiki and Friendster. The E-Commerce Times spoke with Wayne about how video can help drive traffic to your site, keep visitors there longer and enhance the overall user experience.
Tue, 26 Aug 08
Microsoft and Seinfeld: A Comedy of Errors?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64273.html
It's not often we here at LinuxInsider get to write about celebrities -- other than the Richard Stallman variety, of course -- and indeed, many of the geeks who grace our pages from time to time seem to shun the limelight rather than seek it out. So it was with great glee this week that we found cause to mention none other than Jerry Seinfeld. Indeed, as our sister publication reported on Thursday, the comedian famous for his stories about nothing will soon be a spokesman for much the same.
Tue, 26 Aug 08
The iPhone's Robust Body of Health Apps
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64269.html
Cell phones can't actually get hot enough to pop popcorn, regardless of what you may have seen on YouTube. But some do have other unexpected abilities that just might help improve your quality of life. Dozens of new health and fitness Web applications are now available for use with the Apple iPhone. The apps, which likely will eventually be available on other phones that will run on a Google-based operating system, enable third-party software developers to create a new breed of health services.
Mon, 25 Aug 08
Keeping the Landline Relevant
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64201.html
Remember the home phone? It's back. Cable companies and wireless carriers are trying to reinvent residential phone service, pumping fresh life and new features into those old-fashioned landlines that were once ubiquitous in U.S. households. By year-end, for example, Comcast is planning to launch an "enhanced cordless telephone" that assumes characteristics of a mobile phone, such as the ability to e-mail, instant message and access local weather and news.
Mon, 25 Aug 08
Online Sharing With Creative Commons
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64197.html
Not long after Joichi Ito uploaded a photo he had taken of Internet pioneer Vinton Cerf to the online encyclopedia Wikipedia last year, he noticed something odd. Most of the Internet luminaries and technology gurus who had write-ups on Wikipedia had poor-quality photos or none at all. It wasn't just that. "I realized that some famous people have no free photos online," says Ito, a U.S.-educated Japanese venture capitalist and cofounder of Digital Garage, a Tokyo Net startup incubator.
Sun, 24 Aug 08
Readin', Writin' and Web 2.0
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64260.html
The enhanced degree of communication that Web 2.0 utilities enable is changing the corporate world, for good or for ill, as enterprises decide whether to reject or embrace concepts like wikis, blogs, social networks and video-sharing. The trend has touched the academic world in similar ways. Web 2.0 utilities have raised concerns about security in nearly all IT fields, and educational institutions are no exception. "The biggest worries schools have are hackers getting into the Web site," Steve Yin of Web security appliance firm St. Bernard told TechNewsWorld.
Sun, 24 Aug 08
30 Days and 30 Nights With the iPhone 3G
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64271.html
As I wrote in my July 15 review of the iPhone 3G, the latest version of Apple's handheld computer, the best way to judge a device like this is to use it for a while. It's been more than a month since I bought my iPhone 3G, switching from my trusty Samsung BlackJack. After more than 30 days of relying on it as a phone, e-mail reader, Web-surfing platform, information retriever and time-killer, I've found it to be both remarkable and maddening. It really is a breakthrough product.
Sun, 24 Aug 08
The Trouble With Twitter
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64258.html
Twitter's business model is starting to show. An early sign came in April, when the popular microblogging service launched in Japan and the home page for every Japanese user included a big banner ad in the top right corner. Then, on Aug. 7, Twitter made another change, this time in the U.S., by limiting the number of people a single user could connect with, or "follow," to about 2,000. Most recently, on Aug. 14, Twitter made the biggest move yet to slash costs. It killed outbound message delivery to mobile phones via short message, or SMS, in all countries except the U.S., Canada, and India.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
Intel Talks Up Our Wire-Free, Robot-Ruled Future
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64265.html
Intel outlined an ambitious vision of future technologies Thursday at this year's Intel Developer Forum held in San Francisco. In his keynote address Justin Rattner, Intel's chief technology officer, spoke about and demonstrated several technologies he said would be part of an evolution that closes the gap between humans and machines by 2050. Key concepts demoed during Rattner's talk included a wireless power source for recharging devices, shape-shifting devices made with so-called programmable matter, and personal robot prototypes.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
AT&T Enlists Army of Home Installation Pros
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64262.html
AT&T has launched a 50-state in-home technology services organization designed to help everyday consumers install or troubleshoot all of their connected home technology -- HDTVs, wall-mount speaker systems, new PC installation, PC repair, and home network installation. The new service, called "AT&T ConnecTech," will even trickle down into peripheral products like digital cameras and MP3 players. "AT&T has long been a familiar face in the homes of Americans -- first installing phone service, high speed Internet service and now AT&T U-verse TV," noted AT&T's Carmen Nava.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
iPhonies: Fake Customers Line Up for Poland's iPhone Debut
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64266.html
They are not iPhone enthusiasts. They just play them when paid by marketers. That's the case in Poland, at least, where wireless carrier Telekomunickacja Polska has reportedly confirmed it paid actors to stand in line in order to create buzz and interest in Apple's iPhone 3G mobile handset, which launched there on Friday. The actors filed in line at some 20 retailers around Poland as part of a marketing campaign launched by TP, which is owned by France Telecom and operates under the Orange brand.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
Vote-Dropping Software Bug Could Gum Up Elections
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64259.html
One of the nation's largest electronic voting systems has a software flaw that can cause it to drop ballots, its manufacturer has revealed. Premier Election Solutions -- a subsidiary of Diebold -- says its machines that operate in 34 states are affected by the glitch. The problem, it is believed, has been present in the program for the past decade. The company says it's "confident" election workers would have caught the mistakes during certifications over that time period and thereby prevented any votes from being excluded.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
IBM, HP, Dell See Boost in Server Sales While Sun Lags
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64270.html
Worldwide shipments of servers grew 12.2 percent while revenue grew 5.7 percent in the second quarter, according to new data released by Gartner. Server vendors including Dell, IBM, Sun Microsystems and HP shipped 2.3 million units during the quarter, generating sales of $13.8 billion. IBM held onto its position as the industry leader with a 31.2 percent share of the market and $4.3 billion in sales. Next was HP with 27.6 percent of the market and $3.8 billion in sales. Dell stood at third place with 13 percent of the market and $1.8 billion in sales, according to Gartner data.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
Google May Take Up Residence on All Verizon Cell Phones
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64261.html
Google and Verizon are nearing a deal that would make Google the default search engine on all Verizon mobile devices. The two companies would split advertising revenue from the new mobile search service. The tie-up is important for Verizon "because Google has 70 percent share of the search market on the PC," said Laura Martin, an analyst with Soleil Securities Group. "Signing an ad revenue deal early would give Verizon an advantage over its competitors."
Sat, 23 Aug 08
Dusting for Copyright Clues With Digital Fingerprinting Tech
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64249.html
Digital age, and the stealin' is easy. Regardless of the content type -- be it a text, audio or video file -- computer users can seemingly download and upload copyrighted content with near impunity. After all, it doesn't cost anything to share this material. It's there for the taking. Besides, what's the harm, and who cares anyway, right? That thinking represents the attitude of many computer users. Sure, in those long-ago days before the Internet, people made facsimile copies of published material and reproduced them in small quantities to share with associates.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
Who Deserves the Tech Vote?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64250.html
Nine months after Barack Obama, John McCain has unveiled his own technology plan for America. At last, both candidates can be graded for their long-term friendliness to the tech sector. Lost beneath the theatrics of Obama's pledge to announce his VP choice via text messaging and McCain's successful YouTube "fan club" videos are the real issues that matter most to the tech sector. One gets a clear sense of how the candidates think about technology from their opening sentences.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
Mobile Devices for Enterprise Apps, Part 2
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64255.html
Device makers are hard at it trying to crack the market for mobile enterprise software applications. While BlackBerry devices put Research in Motion in a front-running position, enterprise users have an increasingly wide range of choices when it comes to high-end smartphones and mobile devices. Recent enhancements and lower prices continue to fuel buzz about Apple's iPhone in the enterprise, but Nokia, Motorola and Sony Ericsson, as well as RIM, continue to develop closer ties with enterprise software vendors and telecom carriers.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
Print Media vs. E-Media: The Battle Is On
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64244.html
Most people are aware that print media is in trouble. Nationally, thousands of employees of print media companies, especially newspapers, have been laid off. How do print media stay vital? Alternatively, will print media even exist 20 years from now? Print media have some pretty obvious strengths, like brand recognition. For example, take publications like The New York Times, The Washington Post, Newsweek and Time. All of these are established brands with millions of loyal readers. As to readability, I usually enjoy picking up a newspaper rather than reading its contents online.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
Mac Bloggers Dis Dell, Mash on MobileMe, Probe Spontaneous Nano Combustion
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64251.html
Summer might be winding down, but the Apple-focused blogosphere is as hot as ever. Mac bloggers didn't seem too worried over rumors that Dell is cooking up a music alliance intended to topple Apple, and Apple's PC-topping customer satisfaction index seemed obvious enough. MobileMe, on the other hand, got hammered again this week, and Apple even acknowledged that some iPods could spontaneously combust. Meanwhile, for some iPhone 3G owners, the only solution to their connectivity problems appears to be a class action lawsuit.
Sat, 23 Aug 08
Open Source: The Key to a Software Meritocracy
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64247.html
Remember the good old days? Like back in 1999 when you could, as a friend of mine put it, "make a hundred thousand dollars a year for being able to spell Java." Those were the days, back when programmers driving Porsches had become a cliché. Now, more than a decade after the dot-com boom began, tech people once again find themselves earning less money despite bringing significantly more value to their employers. Instead, as demands on technology workers increase each year, we see diminishing returns on our labor.
Fri, 22 Aug 08
New Microsoft Tech Converts Photo Soup Into 3-D Image
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64248.html
Microsoft on Wednesday launched a new technology and service called Photosynth. The system, currently available to users through a Web site, uses multiple snapshots of a scene to create a seemingly 3-D representation. Careful using it, though -- any image "synthed" by users on the site become viewable to anyone. In the works at Microsoft Live Labs since 2006, the technology makes it possible for anyone with a digital camera, PC and a broadband connection to create 3-D scenes from a collection of standard, one-dimensional photographs, according to Microsoft.
Fri, 22 Aug 08
Copyright Law and the Web, Part 1: A Hazy Intersection
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64238.html
Technology often evolves more rapidly than the laws needed to regulate it, especially in the realm of copyright law. The Associated Press, Viacom and YouTube are just some of the parties involved in a variety of lawsuits and accusations focused on Internet copyright issues. Guidelines are in place concerning the fair use of copyrighted materials, but their interpretations have often left lawyers, judges, corporations and everyday consumers wondering and arguing about what exactly is legal and what is not.
Fri, 22 Aug 08
Seinfeld Peddles Vista From Milan to Minsk
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64243.html
What's the deal with those new Windows ads? In what looks to be another shot at saving Vista's troubled reputation, Microsoft has brought comedian Jerry Seinfeld aboard as a spokesperson for the struggling software. Seinfeld will star in a series of ads launching early next month, the Wall Street Journal reports. He's rumored to be getting $10 million for his troubles. Research shows only about 39 percent of new computers shipping with Vista last year, compared to 67 percent with XP in 2002, its first year. So, can Seinfeld save the ship from sinking?
Fri, 22 Aug 08
Lawsuit Takes a Swing at Wii Motion Controller
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64245.html
Nintendo has been hit with a lawsuit alleging patent infringement. Hillcrest Labs has filed a complaint with the International Trade Commission and a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Maryland against the video game giant. Hillcrest Labs makes and licenses many handheld interactive media devices for consumer electronics companies. The suit alleges that Nintendo infringed four patents owned by Hillcrest related to a handheld, motion-sensitive device similar to the Wii game controller.
Fri, 22 Aug 08
Top 10 Stupid iPhone Tricks
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64230.html
By just about any measure, the Apple iPhone App Store has been an astounding success. It reportedly did $30 million in business in its first 30 days, during which time users downloaded 60 million applications. For a store that didn't exist before the launch of the 3G iPhone in July, that's pretty damn impressive. Still, by lighting up the world with so many cool third-party iPhone applications, Apple has also opened the door to deeper, dumber issues -- like the $999 "I Am Rich" application that eight people managed to buy before Apple had the sense to yank it from the store altogether.
Fri, 22 Aug 08
DrumChannel: Finding the Rhythm of a Community
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64237.html
There's something both primal and communal about the beat of a drum, whether it's just one or 2,008 of them -- as the world experienced at Beijing's Opening Ceremony to kick off the Olympics -- which might be called the ultimate global social networking event. A drum's beat seems to capture people from the inside out, turning something as individual and personal as a heartbeat into a collective experience. And it strikes me as very similar to what many Web sites want to do -- take something as individual as an online browsing and shopping experience and make it communal, make it social.
Fri, 22 Aug 08
Data Portability: Carefully Chipping Away at the Garden Walls
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64231.html
A lot of effort in recent months has been expended toward something people are calling "data portability." Just about everywhere you look; you'll bump into people pontificating about it. In case you've been out of the loop -- perhaps hiking in the Himalayas -- you can run the term through your favorite search engine to pull back numerous articles and blog posts on the subject. You might even want to dip into the Twitter and FriendFeed streams to see the ebb and flow of the micro debate.
Fri, 22 Aug 08
Made-Over PSP to Get Brighter Screen, Built-In Mic
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64240.html
Consumer electronics giant Sony announced a new version of its PlayStation Portable handheld games console that can be used as a telephone, to go on sale in Europe and the United States in mid-October. The PlayStation Portable 3000, which has been the subject of speculation on technology Web sites, will have a built-in microphone and a new screen which has more colors and is better suited for use outdoors, Sony said at a video games convention in Leipzig, Germany, on Wednesday.
Thu, 21 Aug 08
With New Unlocked Treo, Palm Offers Freedom for a Price
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64236.html
Palm has debuted the latest addition to its Treo line of smartphones, the Treo Pro. The announcement comes less than a week after photos and details about the new handset were leaked on the Web. Aimed at business users, the mobile device will be available in Europe in September through carriers Vodafone and O2, as well as in an unlocked configuration. It will also be offered by Australian provider Telestra, which will offer the Treo Pro free with a contract. In the U.S., the smartphone, remains carrier-less and is available only in an unlocked, unsubsidized version.
Thu, 21 Aug 08
American Takes Lead in Sky-High WiFi Race
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64233.html
The race is over for domestic airlines looking to turn their planes into flying WiFi hotspots; American Airlines is first off the runway. But can offering onboard Internet access help smooth out passenger turbulence created by additional charges for carry-on bags, food, even blankets and pillows? American on Wednesday began looking for the answer to that question as it rolled out in-flight broadband access on 15 of its 767-200 jets now flying transcontinental routes. The carrier, using technology called "Gogo," developed by Colorado-based Aircell, will charge $12.95 for that access.
Thu, 21 Aug 08
Intel Lays Out Plans for TV, Smartphone Push
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64229.html
Intel is sharing its vision for the future of computing at its Intel Developer Forum, which is taking place in San Francisco. Put simply, the products under development have three major focuses: superfast, superportable and superconnected. Revelations include details about the much-hyped Nehalem high-speed processors, new uses for the efficient Atom microprocessor, and plans for a smartphone-style chip -- plus a cutting-edge multimedia concept kept under wraps until now. The newest announcement takes Intel into new territory: television.
Thu, 21 Aug 08
CSO: One Tough Job
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64214.html
Ever heard of Themistocles? In case you haven't, it's a tragic story. Themistocles was an Athenian statesman and general who lived around 500 B.C. He was one of the leading political minds of his time, and perhaps one of the most brilliant military strategists of his -- or any -- time as well. As a direct result of his actions, Athens became the largest center of commerce in Greece and it's arguable that his policy of naval superiority ultimately lead to the establishment of the Athenian Empire.
Thu, 21 Aug 08
Microsoft Pumps Another $100M Into Novell Deal
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64232.html
Microsoft is bumping up its monetary investment in its controversial partnership with Novell. Styling the deal as a so-called incremental investment increase, Microsoft will buy up to $100 million in Suse Linux Enterprise Server support certificates. The certificates are sold and exchanged for IT support from Novell for its Suse Linux Enterprise Server. Microsoft and Novell struck their deal in November 2006 in an effort to boost interoperability between Microsoft's applications and Novell's open source operating system.
Thu, 21 Aug 08
Virtualization Reality Spurs Microsoft to Change Licensing Rules
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64226.html
Microsoft announced Tuesday it is easing licensing restrictions for server applications. Companies will no longer be required to pay additional fees to move software within a server farm, the company said. The move is an attempt to remove barriers in order for its enterprise customers to develop more dynamic data centers and enterprise IT systems using virtualization software, according to the software maker. The revamped licensing is Microsoft's response to the growth of virtualization in enterprises, said Roger Kay, president of Endpoint Technologies Associates.
Thu, 21 Aug 08
Medical Research and Open Source: Competition Trumps Collaboration
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64222.html
Proponents of open source software are trying to make a case for using the collaborative approach to conquer the world's most vexing medical problems. However, established practices of avoiding the spotlight and protecting vested interests in breakthrough results still hamper the collaborative process. This kind of proprietary work ethic leads to researchers arriving at similar discoveries independently. The possibility of pooling such research to go even further together is not a main priority among many researchers.
Thu, 21 Aug 08
Portable Power Packs Give Tired iPhone Batteries a Jolt
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64220.html
Because the iPhone 3G doesn't have a user-replaceable battery -- and because it's so easy to burn through a full charge before the end of a day -- some users may need a variety of power charging solutions. They need to keep the included universal serial bus cord or dock handy at home, and perhaps have one in the office. One also might need a car charger and might seriously consider an external portable battery. There are several external portable batteries on the market, and I chose two different types of portable battery power from reputable dealers to evaluate.
Thu, 21 Aug 08
Google to Dig Up $10M for Geothermal Energy
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64228.html
Representatives from Google and General Electric said Tuesday that widespread use of renewable energy in the United States would be possible -- if it were cheaper. Renewable energy options will remain "boutique" industries unless their costs are cut to make them competitive with coal and other widely used power sources, said Dan Reicher, director for climate change and energy initiatives at Google.org, the company's philanthropic arm. Reicher spoke to a group of politicians and energy experts at the National Clean Energy Summit in Las Vegas.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Metrics Mavens: Vista Gets Dumped From One-Third of New Enterprise PCs
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64218.html
An independent software development company claims to have statistics showing that one out of three new enterprise PCs purchased are running Windows XP, not Windows Vista. The numbers from Devil Mountain Software, based on a study of more than 3,000 machines, found that enterprises are purchasing new machines with Vista pre-installed and downgrading them to Windows XP. The data, compiled by Craig Barth, chief technology officer at Devil Mountain, was culled from information provided by the company's exo.performance.network project.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Japan Demands Probe Into Cause of Nano Flameouts
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64224.html
There have been at least two recent incidents in Japan in which iPod nanos overheated and caused minor fires, prompting the country's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry to issue a warning about the popular portable music player. In all, there have been 14 such incidents in the country, according to news accounts, including one that occurred in March. The latest meltdowns prompted the Ministry to order Apple to investigate the device's safety and report its findings within a week.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
The Growing Trend Toward Shrinking Devices
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64207.html
It's not every day you hear scores of men arguing over whose is the smallest. But in the modern world of mobile computing, it's a conversation that's becoming increasingly common. The nature of today's business environment means needing to stay connected wherever you are. From ultraslim notebooks to ultramobile PCs and smartphones, the options to have high-tech tools in the pocket of your pants are growing by the month. And one thing's for sure: In this field, size definitely matters.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Google Goes Grassroots in FCC Lobbying Push
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64221.html
Call it a digital land rush -- a stampede along the broadcast spectrum, the invisible areas of the air where TV signals, phone calls, wireless Web access and emergency alert frequencies roam. Google has its sights on some potentially lucrative tracts of the spectrum, so it's asking YouTube users to help sway the Federal Communications Commission. On Monday, Google launched FreetheAirWaves.com, a lobbying Web site detailing its position on "white spaces," the areas on the broadcast spectrum between television channels that could provide ground for a superfast wireless Internet.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Did Software Update Cure iPhone's 3G Sniffles?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64223.html
After weeks of criticism lodged by a small but vocal group of users who claim the iPhone 3G drops calls and picks up weak signals when trying to connect to 3G networks, a software update recently issued by Apple may help nurse some devices back to health. The computer maker said its latest update improves the device's 3G abilities. Not everyone, however, is convinced the fresh software has sufficiently done the trick. It's also unclear what exactly is causing the supposed 3G problems in the first place.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Do Second-Hand Apples Taste as Sweet?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64198.html
Just because the iPhone 3G is storming the marketplace, don't expect the first-generation iPhone to disappear. Quite the contrary. Used iPhones, and iPods as well, are finding a ready market for refurbished Apple products. But it really is an Apple marketplace. "I don't see any other brand being able to build that kind of market in refurbished products," In-Stat analyst Stephanie Ethier told MacNewsWorld. "Apple is the only brand I see being able to pull off something like that. I don't see any other brand being able to have that kind of following for refurbished products."
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Google Gives Android Devs a Kit to Tinker With
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64215.html
Google is finally seeing the light at the end of the tunnel with its long-awaited and much-hyped Android phone platform. This week has seen two significant developments: the first Android-powered device officially being approved by the FCC, and the beta version of the Android software development kit being released by Google. Both moves mark the end of months of speculation. Rumors have popped up every few weeks suggesting problems and potential delays with the first Android phone's shipment.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Patent Office Casts Shadow on Dell's Claim to 'Cloud Computing'
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64211.html
To the surprise of few, Dell is losing its preliminary approval to trademark the phrase "cloud computing." The Patent and Trademark Office has sent the company a "non-final" refusal of its application to own the term. Dell has six months to submit counter-arguments or the PTO will abandon the application. The office's grounds for refusal is that the term is too generic. Generally speaking, commonly used words cannot be trademarked unless they are being used in an unexpected way.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Google Tries Milking Mobile YouTube for Ad Money
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64217.html
Search engine giant Google has begun testing video ads on its mobile version of YouTube in the U.S. and Japan. The move is an attempt by the Mountain View, Calif.-based search engine to monetize YouTube's video ad potential. Google bought YouTube for $1.65 billion in October 2006. The move is typical for Google, reflecting its penchant for experimentation, said Laura Martin, an analyst with Soleil Media Metrics. "They're being aggressive because they're looking for the killer app for video ads. They're just trying a lot of different things."
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Ubuntu Sponsor Canonical Falls In With Linux Foundation Crowd
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64216.html
Canonical, the commercial sponsor of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, is now a member of the Linux Foundation. The foundation, a nonprofit organization supporting the accelerated growth of Linux, announced Canonical's membership on Tuesday. Ubuntu community members have been active participants in a variety of workgroups at LF, including the Linux Standard Base, Desktop Architects and Driver Backporting groups. In addition, Canonical supports a range of other open source projects including Bazaar, Storm and Upstart.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Obama Shifts Gears, Endorses $2B NASA Funding Boost
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64212.html
Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama's position on space exploration continued to evolve Sunday as the Illinois Democrat endorsed a congressional plan to add $2 billion to NASA's budget and agreed to back at least one more space shuttle mission. In a policy paper released Sunday, the presumptive Democratic nominee said his goal was to "minimize the gap" between the end of the shuttle program and the beginning of future manned missions. He also hopes "to ensure retention of" thousands of NASA workers in Texas and Florida whose jobs are threatened.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
US Consumers Buying Fewer but Fancier Phones
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64209.html
U.S. consumers have been buying significantly fewer cell phones but paying higher prices for them, according to a research firm. The NPD Group said in a report Tuesday that 28 million cell phones were sold in the United States in the second quarter, a decline of 13 percent from the same period a year ago. It was the third quarter in a row with a year-over-year decline, and the lowest number of phones sold since NPD began tracking the category in 2005, said Ross Rubin, the firm's director of industry analysis.
Wed, 20 Aug 08
Apple Gives MobileMe Users 60 More Days, Pleads for Patience
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64210.html
Apple took another step to acknowledge the issues surrounding MobileMe reliability by extending current subscriber memberships an additional 60 days. The company previously extended memberships 30 days, which means qualifying subscriber renewal dates have been extended 90 days. The MobileMe team sent current subscribers an e-mail on Monday that stated, in part: "We are working very hard to make MobileMe a great service we can all be proud of. We know that MobileMe's launch has not been our finest hour, and we truly appreciate your patience as we turn this around."
Tue, 19 Aug 08
Plan B for Toshiba: The Low-Cost Road to High Definition
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64203.html
After losing the high-definition DVD format war to Sony's Blu-ray, Toshiba is digging in around the standard definition DVD market. The company has launched a new upscaling DVD player, the XD-E500, which promises to bring standard DVD quality closer to high-definition than ever before. The company has even launched a new Web site to help show consumers about the new player and a new upscaling technology that runs on it. Toshiba's new $150 XD-E500 features Toshiba's new eXtended Detail Enhancement technology.
Tue, 19 Aug 08
If Users Are 'Integrating' TV, Web News, Why Can't Journalists?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64204.html
When I covered the 2007 Consumer Electronics Show for CNN, I wasn't just peeking into the future of technology. I was getting a very personal look at how technology is changing journalism and the consumption of news. For the four days I was in Las Vegas, I was a true multi-platform journalist. Not only was I providing traditional live reports for CNN, Headline News and CNN International, I was also blogging for CNN.com, uploading digital photos and, thanks to a flash memory-based microphone, I was providing audio podcast interviews that ended up on Apple's iTunes.
Tue, 19 Aug 08
Microsoft Ratchets Up Enterprise Support With High-End Service Plan
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64199.html
Microsoft announced its new Microsoft Services Premier Ultimate support service Monday. The new plan joins the Microsoft Services Premiere Support line of offerings with an enterprise-class support system. The Premier Ultimate service bundle is aimed at enterprise customers willing to dig deep to pursue a proactive support strategy concentrated on attaining and maintaining IT health, according to Microsoft. The new service level combines unlimited problem resolution support with other bundled Premier features.
Tue, 19 Aug 08
Picking Up the Pieces in the Fragmented Universe of Online Video
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64176.html
Online video is currently the buzz topic dominating news cycles -- technology, content, search, distribution, syndication, aggregation, advertising, widgets ... OK, I think you get it. The migration of content delivery has done just that: migrated. Consumption of online video has shifted from cable TV, to satellite and digital video recorder, and now to the Internet. Because of this, individuals are taking the term "on-demand" much more seriously. People have less time and don't want to be limited in what they are able to view.
Tue, 19 Aug 08
Technology's New Olympic Record
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64175.html
These were great games, and I particularly got a kick out of the initial U.S. swimming team win, which came in the face of the French team, who said they would "smash" us. I couldn't help but draw a parallel from that to the Apple reaction I got from suggesting that Dell might be able to address a market need that Apple didn't on a project that I'd helped with. But we've talked enough about that, and this week let's look at some of the technologies that have helped make this Olympics unique from vendors like Cisco, AMD, Microsoft and Lenovo.
Tue, 19 Aug 08
Money Talks: Wikis for Investment and Finance
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64192.html
Wikis are sprouting up everywhere, so it's not surprising that the world of investing, finance, business and money management is getting in on the act. If you're looking for stock tips, industry analysis, information about how to start a home business, or advice about paying off credit card debt, you might turn to one of these money-related wikis to benefit from the wisdom of the digital crowd. One of these sites, Wikinvest, was founded in 2006 and launched in 2007 as a one-stop shop for all things related to stocks, bonds and other investments.
Tue, 19 Aug 08
Customer Data and Wireless Payments: Does Convenience Trump Security?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64187.html
Warning: Your personal data may be at risk. As RFID devices work their way into consumers' everyday lives, the potential for data breaches grows rapidly. RFID technology used to be used primarily to track warehouse operations and perform inventory control through. Now, this same technology is finding its way into smart keys -- keys that merely need to come close to a lock in order to unlock it. RFID transponders now speed travelers through toll booths and gas stations without requiring users to whip out credit cards or old-fashioned cash.
Tue, 19 Aug 08
Kensington Charger Makes iPhone One With Car
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64179.html
With the iPhone 3G's lackluster battery performance, a car charger is no longer an optional accessory -- it's a requirement. There are two basic types. There are those that go into the lighter socket and are composed of basically a wire with a plug on either end. Then there's the Kensington Car Charger Deluxe for iPhone and iPod. The Kensington charger is both a battery charger and a dock that cradles your iPhone or iPod, holding it in position in your vehicle for easy access.
Tue, 19 Aug 08
Microsoft Format Plows Ahead as XML Protests Lose Steam
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64195.html
Microsoft's Open XML format overcame its final stumbling block and is moving forward as an official ISO standard. The file format had been held back earlier this year by claims that the voting process was rushed and that Microsoft's specification information was incomplete. Open XML got the green light to move forward after appeals from Brazil, India, South Africa and Venezuela failed to gain enough support from the other national standards bodies. Microsoft's file format will now also be known as ISO/IEC DIS 29500, Information technology -- Office Open XML formats.
Mon, 18 Aug 08
How Not to Handle Yourself Online
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64191.html
The new Consumer Reports serves up what it labels, in big letters on the magazine's cover, the "7 biggest online blunders." They're mostly about compromising the security of your identity, things that can lead to your bank account being emptied, your credit card being enjoyed "offsite," your computer being debilitated. The list itself wasn't online at consumerreports.org, but it boils down to notions that are common sense and ought to be second nature by now: Employ and update security software, don't use the same password for all accounts, etc.
Mon, 18 Aug 08
The Case Against Case-Mate Clear Armor for iPhone
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64152.html
Case-mate Clear Armor for iPhone is yet another product in the increasingly crowded clear-film-covering-for-your-iPhone category. I've reviewed two similar products in the past year -- InvisibleSHIELD and BodyGuardz -- and know of several others that appear to be pretty much the same. All three products offer pretty much the same pitch -- their product is fabricated from high-grade protective film originally designed to protect Apache helicopter blades from sand damage in Desert Storm and/or to protect the fronts of cars from stones and other abrasive elements.
Sun, 17 Aug 08
The Olympics, Part 2: Gold-Medal Network Performance
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64180.html
Online media coverage of this year's Summer Olympic Games on MSN is shaping up to be a breakout event for Internet TV, as well as quite a big hit for NBC and its tech partners. The network reported 12 million hits and 70 million page views on its Olympics Web site -- and that was before the opening ceremony. Things got even better from there: 62.7 million page views were recorded on the auspicious Chinese date 08-08-08, the Games' opening day. NBC on Tuesday reported 132.6 million page views through the Games' first two days.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Microsoft Talks Up Windows 7 - But Only a Little
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64193.html
Although it is not officially scheduled to be released until 2010, Microsoft is starting to talk up Windows 7, its next OS. To that end, it has started a blog hosted by the two senior engineering managers for the Windows 7 product, Jon DeVaan and Steven Sinofsky, and is promising to release in-depth technical specs in October, first at the Professional Developers Conference and then at the Windows Hardware Engineering Conference. DeVaan and Sinofsky demonstrate that Microsoft has learned from the Vista experience.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Intel Draws Outline for Speedy Next-Gen USB
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64184.html
Intel has announced revised details for next-generation USB 3.0 technology, dubbed "SuperSpeed." The updated draft specifications for USB 3.0 software and hardware interface provide a standardized method for USB 3.0 controllers to communicate with SuperSpeed USB software. The specifications give manufacturers and software developers something to work with as they prep for the transition. The specs also aid in establishing interoperability between devices from multiple manufacturers, an important step in terms of consumer adoption of USB 3.0.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Wrangling and Roping Network Traffic With App Delivery Controllers
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64163.html
Information technology plays a vital role in today's business environment. Well-designed and developed applications are a key element for success -- particularly for organizations that rely on the Web and intranet for conducting business with customers and communicating with partners and employees. The process for launching new applications begins with software developers' handing off their applications to network professionals for deployment over IP networks. However, in most cases the applications have not been optimized to run on a network.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Beacon Blunder Returns to Haunt Facebook as Users Sue
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64190.html
Facebook continues to feel the ramifications of its controversial Beacon advertising platform, which for a short while last year broadcast information about the social networking site's users' activities without their express permission. A class action lawsuit has been filed against Facebook as well as several partners that participated in the program, including Fandango, Blockbuster, Overstock.com and Hotwire. After a significant user backlash, Facebook put in place more stringent controls for users to keep certain activities private.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Will HTC and T-Mobile Get Android's Gears Spinning?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64182.html
T-Mobile may be partnering with cell phone handset manufacturer HTC to deliver the first smartphone running Google's Android platform, according to reports. Unnamed sources briefed on T-Mobile's plans have said the carrier could announce the phone as early as September -- and would almost certainly have an offering out in the wild as early as October, in time for the holiday selling season. Another report goes a few steps further: It cites an unofficial T-Mobile blog that claimed the new phone, to be called the "G1," would launch Sept. 17 to T-Mobile customers only.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Universal Remotes: Do Brand Names Turn Consumers On?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64145.html
Brand is always among the top factors for consumers when they purchase a product. However, rankings between the top factor categories change by specific product. Brand has power for gaming and laptops but lower importance for digital photo frames and NAS. Where brand power is high, price sensitivity drops, and strong awareness of available brands exists. Where it is low, the reverse is true. Universal remote controls are at the weak side of the middle. The weaker the importance of brand to a buying consumer, the less likely that consumer is to remain loyal to a specific brand.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Mac Bloggers Get Dropped, Get Apps, Get 48 Hours
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64173.html
The Apple-focused blogosphere has been dominated this week by iPhone 3G reception and connectivity issues. Speculation as to the cause has been rampant, Apple's not talking, and most -- but not all -- carriers are keeping their lips zipped, too. Meanwhile, the iPhone money train keeps picking up steam, ringing up $30 million in App Store sales in its first 30 days. So somebody, apparently, is getting enough connectivity to download and install a lot of iPhone apps.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Sun Gives Mobile Devs Shiny New Toolkit
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64178.html
Sun has released a new development kit aimed at mobile software developers. The toolkit will allow developers to create user interfaces for Java-based mobile phone applications. The package is being made available for download by the company under the title "Light-Weight UI Toolkit" or LWUIT. The company hopes that the open-source LWUIT will make it easier for Java developers to create applications for the Java ME mobile phone platform, further developing the growth of Java on mobile phones and smartphone handsets.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
The Legal Perils of Social Networking
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64171.html
Every blogger should know the story of Heather B. Armstrong, nee Hamilton. In February 2002 she was fired from her job for blogging about her job. Blogs were relatively new at that time, and they were on few employers' radars. Hamilton, though, crossed an invisible line -- one not explicitly defined by her employer -- and paid for it. She coined the term "dooce" as a label for anyone fired for blogging. Five years later, most people online know the drill: Don't blog about work, unless your employer approves.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Mobile Devices for Enterprise Apps, Part 1
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64169.html
The emergence of smaller, more powerful handheld devices and the spread of high-speed mobile networks have enterprise software developers scrambling to meet demand for portable versions of their flagship applications. Research In Motion got a jump on the market with the BlackBerry's secure and reliable e-mail delivery capabilities. Competitors, including Motorola, Nokia and Sony Ericsson, are all vying for a share of the market. Given recent enhancements made to the iPhone, Apple has to be added to the list of contenders.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Italy Bans Access to Popular Pirate Hangout
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64177.html
An Italian judge has ordered the country's Internet service providers to block access to The Pirate Bay, a Swedish file-sharing Web site, as part of a probe into copyright law violation, officials said Thursday. Since last week, Italy's anti-fraud police have been informing providers they must heed the order of a judge in the northern city of Bergamo, police Col. Alessandro Nencini said. Nencini said the judge had granted a request by Italian prosecutors, who have placed four Swedes under investigation for organizing the Web site. The ruling can be appealed.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
Technical Glitch Chokes Off Flow of Netflix DVDs
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64174.html
Netflix said Thursday that major technical problems over the past three days have severely limited the number of DVDs it could send out. The unspecified problems affected all of the Los Gatos, Calif.-based company's 55 shipping centers and marked the biggest disruption in service since Netflix launched its DVD-by-mail subscription business nine years ago. Normal shipments from the online DVD rental leader were expected to resume on Friday, according to Netflix spokesperson Steve Swasey.
Sat, 16 Aug 08
'Tabula Rasa': A New Frontier for Virtual Worlds
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64162.html
The real and virtual worlds mingle in fascinating ways, but it's rare and remarkable when they leave planet Earth. And that is exactly what will happen when Richard Garriott, one of the most high-profile and storied computer game designers around, blasts off into space this fall, packing the digitized DNA of online gamers as well as their computerized characters with him. "Most children in some point in their lives fantasize about travel into space or becoming an astronaut," Garriott said. "Most people, I think, grow out of it."
Fri, 15 Aug 08
US Air Force Grounds Cyber Defense Unit
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64170.html
Top United States Air Force officials announced Thursday they are considering putting the military branch's Cyber Command program on hold. The Secretary and Chief of Staff of the Air Force have considered delaying current activity and development for the Air Force Cyber Command in order to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the AFCC's mission and to synchronize that mission with other key Air Force initiatives, they said. News of the program's possible suspension has arisen at the same time as high-profile cyber attacks have been leveled against the nation of Georgia.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
Intel Shows Way to Nudge a Napping PC
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64168.html
Intel will begin rolling out motherboards next month that support Remote Wake technology -- the ability for a computer to be turned on from sleep mode remotely. Applications that have already been designed around this technology include PC-based phone service and content delivery. Users of computers with Remote Wake will not have to keep their computers on 24/7 to use a particular service or product. In short, it gives Intel and its partners a powerful sales pitch: You can save money by leaving your computer in sleep mode until needed.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
Virtual 'Time Bomb' Blasts VMware Systems
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64166.html
A glitch in VMware's most recent update had customers scrambling this week. A problem caused by a bug from the beta version of the software that engineers failed to remove or deactivate left VMware users unable to power on virtual machines running the hypervisor software. The bug, also known as a "time bomb," is code that developers insert in beta software to push users to upgrade to an application's final version. It's a commonly used tool for developers; however, it must be removed from anything into which it has been inserted prior to final release.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
The Lifecycle Approach to Shaping Up Flabby Mission-Critical Apps
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64148.html
"The 2008 Aberdeen Report: The State of the Market" reveals that investments in new enterprise applications are the top IT initiative for 2008. Aberdeen's research also shows that, on average, organizations are using six business-critical applications and are planning to roll out four new applications over the next two years. The research also shows that 58 percent of organizations surveyed are unsatisfied with the performance of their current applications.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
Hardware, Software or Network: What's Eating iPhone 3G?
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64167.html
While the iPhone 3G has been selling millions of units around the world, a small but vocal percentage of customers have been having irritating -- if not debilitating -- experiences with their shiny new phones. Their issues reportedly include dropped calls when using 3G networks and weak or flaky 3G reception. Reports of the cause are wide-ranging and rife with speculation, if not outright rumor. Apple, for its part, isn't talking to anyone, it seems.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
Open Source Wins Landmark Legal Validation
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64164.html
Open source developers now have newly clarified protection, thanks to an appeals court ruling over the validity of their licenses. A judge with U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled Wednesday that programmers who "engage in open source licensing" and copyright their work do "have the right to control the modification and distribution" of their products. The case draws clear lines around what had until now been uncertain territory.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
Looking for the Human Element in Enterprise Search
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64147.html
George Orwell didn't specifically mention enterprise search in his visionary book 1984, but he made a statement that still resonates today. When it comes to relevant search query results, "it's not about the statistics." Sanity comes from the human element. Until recently, this concept was mostly ignored by enterprise search solutions. Instead, search was based on text-matching algorithms and models that methodically sifted through link structures or categorization schemes.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
If You Love Your Data, Set It Free
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64142.html
In the past, data was structured, secure and tightly controlled. The bad news is that the data was limited by the firewall of personnel, technologies and process rigidity. Today, however, the demand is for just-in-time and inclusive data, moving away from a monolithic data system mentality to multiple sources of data that provide real-time inferences on consumers, activities, events and transactions. The move is in the ownership of data value to the very people who really need it, who help define its analysis, and who can best use it for business and consumption advantage.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
Researchers Step Way Back From Earlier Online Video Ad Estimate
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64165.html
Internet market researcher eMarketer has drastically lowered its estimates on how much businesses will spend on online video advertising in the near future. The New York City-based firm expects spending on online video ads to reach $505 million by the end of this year, down from the $1.35 billion eMarketer predicted earlier this year. eMarketer also sharply reduced projections for future spending on online video ads from earlier estimates of $4.3 billion by 2011 to $1.9 billion by 2011.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
NBC Online Olympic Coverage Pumps Up TV Audience
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64159.html
Live sports coverage on the Internet, far from threatening TV networks, might let some lucky networks become sports giants bestriding the earth. Amid unprecedented live online Olympic coverage in the U.S., we have the umpteenth example -- following the proliferation of sports radio and TV highlight shows and events appearing live online. When it comes to sports coverage, enough is never enough. First, some basics. Monday, NBC produced its highest-rated prime-time coverage from Beijing -- drawing 19.9 percent of U.S. households.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
Nvidia Shares Rise on Bright Future Despite Dim Q2
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64160.html
Nvidia this week released second-quarter earnings that its CEO deemed "disappointing." However, future projections of growth, as well as an increase to its stock buyback program, boosted its stock price by about 10 percent on Wednesday as Wall Street decided to focus on the firm's future prospects. In Q2, which ended July 27, revenue sank to $892.7 million, compared to $935.3 million for the second quarter of the previous year, a decrease of 5 percent. The company realized a net loss of $120.9 million, or a loss of 22 cents per share.
Fri, 15 Aug 08
Stix Game Controller Takes Wii-Style Play to the PC
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64161.html
Looking at its size, shape, white wrist strap and B-button on the bottom, it's easy to compare the Stix with the Wiimote, the wireless controller for the popular Nintendo gaming console. Except the Stix is for your PC. The Stix comes from Playhut, a toy company that also makes cute little indoor tents for kids. The Stix 200 remote, which began selling for $49.99 at Target, Costco and other retailers this week, promises to "redefine the PC and online gaming experience" with the motion-sensing controller.
Thu, 14 Aug 08
Facebook Stands Atop Social Networking World
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64154.html
Facebook has overtaken MySpace as the top global social network with 132 million unique visitors for a staggering 153 percent growth rate, according to comScore. MySpace is second at 113 million visitors, and Hi5 grew its global audience 100 percent to land at 56 million unique visitors. A new report from the online tracking company shows global usage of social networking sites growing 25 percent since June 2007. The U.S., however, saw the phenomenon cool off somewhat to 9 percent growth year-over-year.
Thu, 14 Aug 08
You Call That Broadband? Group Decries Plodding Pace of US Net Speed
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64157.html
A nationwide study released Tuesday by the Communications Workers of America labor union found that Internet connection speeds in the United States have increased little over the past year. The nation's median data download speed gained just 0.4 megabits per second, it reported. At that rate, it will take more than 100 years before the U.S. attains speeds currently found in Japan, according to the CWA. The CWA's findings are based on aggregated data culled from some 230,000 Internet users who participated in the organization's Speed Matters Speed Test.
Thu, 14 Aug 08
Patch Tuesday Fixfest Plugs 6 Critical Windows Weak Spots
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64153.html
Microsoft's August Patch Tuesday security update was a whopper. The software maker released 11 fixes for 26 vulnerabilities, six of which are critical. The remainder were classified as important. The batch of patches was the largest security update from the software company in two years. While 26 vulnerabilities may seem like a large number, it is not atypical, said Richard Wang, U.S. manager at SophosLabs. "It is higher than the last couple of months but by no means unprecedented. February this year also saw six critical and five important updates," he told TechNewsWorld.
Thu, 14 Aug 08
Yahoo's Fire Eagle Soars Out of Beta
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64150.html
Yahoo is helping make location more global with the launch of its new Fire Eagle platform. Fire Eagle lets users update their location in one centralized place, then have that data broadcast to a number of services. The launch opens up new possibilities for developers. Because the platform is open, any service can put the data to use -- and plenty already are. Fire Eagle offers users the ability to provide physical location information either manually or automatically, using a GPS-enabled device or other mobile system.
Thu, 14 Aug 08
A Voice for Tech: Carly Fiorina's Political Ambitions
http://www.technewsworld.com/rsstory/64139.html
If John McCain wanted a strong woman on his side, he couldn't have done much better than Carly Fiorina, the former CEO of HP who has recently been making a name for herself on the political scene. Fiorina has been serving as an economic adviser and advocate for the McCain campaign, and there have been rumors that she is a vice-presidential hopeful. In March of this year she was appointed to serve as the Victory Chairman for the Republican National Committee.
Thu, 14 Aug 08
Stud
