tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91121092661250872702024-03-08T12:52:36.013-08:00Technology modrnfree gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.comBlogger22125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-37218184822626430772009-02-10T18:09:00.000-08:002009-03-16T18:05:16.468-07:00FAA says Hackers broke into agency computers<p style="font-weight: bold;"> WASHINGTON - Hackers broke into the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234273544_0">Federal Aviation Administration</span>'s computer system last week, accessing the names and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234273544_1">Social Security numbers</span> of 45,000 employees and retirees.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">The agency said in a statement Monday that two of the 48 files on the breached computer server contained personal information about employees and retires who were on the FAA's rolls as of the first week of February 2006.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">The server that was accessed was not connected to the operation of the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234273544_2">air traffic control system</span> and there is no indication those systems have been compromised, the statement said.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"The <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234273544_3">FAA</span> is moving quickly to prevent any similar incidents and has identified immediate steps as well as longer-term measures to further protect personal information," the statement said. The agency said it is providing a toll-free number for employees "who believe they may be affected by the breach."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Tom Waters, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3290, said FAA officials told unions representing agency employees at a briefing Monday that the second breached file with personal information contained encrypted medical information.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"These government systems should be the best in the world and apparently they are able to be compromised," said Waters, an FAA contracts attorney. "Our <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234273544_4">information technology systems</span> people need to take a long hard look at themselves and their capabilities. This is malpractice in their world."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">The FAA statement said the data theft has been reported to "<span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234273544_5">law enforcement authorities</span>," who are investigating.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">All affected employees will receive letters notifying them of the breach, the statement said.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Waters said FAA officials told union leaders the incident was the first of its kind at the agency. But he said his union complained about three or four years ago about an incident in which employees received anti-union mail that used names and addresses that appeared to be generated from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234273544_6">FAA computer files</span>.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">He said the union complained to the FAA and the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234273544_7">Transportation Department's inspector general</span> but no action was taken.</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-44639956623422003322009-02-10T18:08:00.000-08:002009-03-05T23:46:35.559-08:00Hundreds of Houston computers infected by virus<p style="font-weight: bold;"> HOUSTON - A virus is playing havoc with the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234281101_0">municipal court operations</span> in Houston.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">The court system had to close down Friday afternoon after a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234281101_1">computer virus</span> affected access to data on <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234281101_2">court cases</span>. <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234281101_3">Courtroom</span> operations aren't expected to be back in business before Thursday morning.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">People can pay fines and conduct other court business, but judges will not call dockets. Those with court dates for misdemeanor cases will be notified by mail of their new dates.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">The virus hit 475 of the city's 16,000 computers and infected part of <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234281101_4">Microsoft Windows</span> that handles the login process.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Gwendolyn Goins, spokeswoman for the court system, says she does not know how many cases have been affected. She said there's no evidence the virus was released deliberately.</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-76296112421772528382009-02-10T18:06:00.000-08:002009-02-28T20:40:12.960-08:00Must-Have Security Fixes for IE7, Microsoft Servers<span style="font-weight: bold;">Today's montly patch batch from Microsoft fixes a critical flaw in </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_0">Internet Explorer 7</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> that could allow a malicious Web site to install malware on a vulnerable PC, along with a patch for the Visio </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_1">diagramming software</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">. And businesses that run a </span><span style="font-weight: bold;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_2">Microsoft Exchange</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> or SQL server will want to apply essential fixes right away.</span> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/musthavesecurityfixesforie7microsoftservers/30917111/SIG=1222as9j2/*http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS09-002.mspx"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_3"></span></a>"can be crafted easily," so be sure you get this one via <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_4">Windows Update</span>. <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/musthavesecurityfixesforie7microsoftservers/30917111/SIG=11hmeht4j/*http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=5836&rss"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_5"></span></a> that there aren't yet any known attacks, but it affects both XP and Vista. But only IE7, interestingly, and not earlier versions of the browser.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> You'll also find a fix for the Visio software which can allow an attacker to run any command if you open a hacked Visio file. The program is popular among network and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_6">server administrators</span> who typically have far-reaching permissions on their networks, so I wouldn't be at all surprised to see a targeted attack come along that goes after this flaw. Get more info and the patch from <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/musthavesecurityfixesforie7microsoftservers/30917111/SIG=1224kah9p/*http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS09-005.mspx"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_7"></span></a>The other two fixes are for servers - Exchange and SQL server. There has been exploit code out there for the SQL server flaw since December, <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/musthavesecurityfixesforie7microsoftservers/30917111/SIG=11hmeht4j/*http://isc.sans.org/diary.html?storyid=5836&rss"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_8"></span></a>, so if you have a publicly accessible SQL server at your company (via a Web site) schedule an emergency fix to prevent a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_9">SQL injection</span> or other attack. Get details at the <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/musthavesecurityfixesforie7microsoftservers/30917111/SIG=1228t5gip/*http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms09-004.mspx"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_10"></span></a>.</p> <span style="font-weight: bold;"> Do the same for your company Exchange server, which could be taken over by specially crafted TNEF message sent to it by an attacker. No known attacks against this one just yet, according to the ISC, but don't wait for one to show up. This one's</span><a style="font-weight: bold;" href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/musthavesecurityfixesforie7microsoftservers/30917111/SIG=1225fsi70;_ylt=AhC7KL6m8k2swnISc8z.8cPiS5A5/*http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS09-003.mspx"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234313228_11"></span></a>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-82287385037094628972009-02-10T18:05:00.000-08:002009-02-15T01:07:03.064-08:00DirecTV subscriber adds beat view, sees strong '09<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="yn-story-content"> <p>NEW YORK (Reuters) – DirecTV Group added more subscribers than expected during the fourth quarter and forecast strong growth for 2009 as increased marketing and a new <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_0">AT&T</span> partnership helps offset the weak economy.</p> <p> The No. 1 <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_1">U.S. satellite TV provider</span>, controlled by <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_2">cable TV mogul</span> John Malone's Liberty Entertainment, said on Tuesday it added more than 301,000 net subscribers in the United States in the quarter. Barclays Capital analyst Vijay Jayant had forecast net additions of 240,000.</p> <p> "These are nice additions," said Thomas Eagan, analyst at <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_3">Collins Stewart</span>. "Despite cable operators losing or being forecast to lose significant subs, DirecTV has managed to grow -- that makes these adds that much more impressive."</p> <p> The El Segundo, California company said it would see strong net subscriber growth in the first quarter, with gross additions at or above the year-ago period. In the first quarter of 2008, DirecTV added 275,000 net subscribers.</p> <p> Chief Executive <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_4">Chase Carey</span> said that despite the economic turmoil and increasing competition, the company expects <span style="background: transparent none repeat scroll 0% 0%; cursor: pointer; -moz-background-clip: -moz-initial; -moz-background-origin: -moz-initial; -moz-background-inline-policy: -moz-initial;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_5">earnings per share growth</span> of over 15 percent in 2009 on revenue growth under 10 percent.</p> <p> "Their outlook looks pretty strong relative to this environment and in line with expectations," said Kaufman Bros analyst Todd Mitchell.</p> <p> DirecTV, which now has 17.62 million U.S. subscribers, said fourth quarter <span style="border-bottom: 1px dashed rgb(0, 102, 204); cursor: pointer;" class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_6">net profit</span> fell 5 percent to $332 million from $348 million. Profit was impacted by higher marketing and customer installation costs, as well as increased depreciation expenses on its installed customer equipment such as DVRs.</p> <p> <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_7">Earnings per share</span> from continuing operations rose to 31 cents from 30 cents a year earlier, when DirecTV had a higher number of outstanding shares. Wall Street analysts had on average been expecting 33 cents a share, according to Reuters Estimates.</p> <p> Revenue rose 9 percent to $5.31 billion during the quarter. Analysts had on average been expecting $5.34 billion.</p> <p> Shares of DirecTV initially rose on the results, before they turned negative in a broad market downturn and ended the day down 1.24 percent at $22.30.</p> <p> WIRELESS SERVICE</p> <p> DirecTV outperformed the slowdown in growth analysts expected at most pay TV companies due to the weaker economy as well as the impact of the end of a marketing partnership with <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_8">AT&T Inc</span> in April last year.</p> <p> DirecTV and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_9">AT&T</span> rekindled that partnership on <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_10">February 1</span> after rival satellite operator <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_11">Dish Network</span> Corp lost out in a bid for the lucrative contract.</p> <p> Carey said the new AT&T contract would have a positive impact on growth in 2009 and was an opportunity to look at developing wireless partnerships to compete with the cable industry's triple package of video, Internet and home phone services.</p> <p> "Building our AT&T relationship to its full potential is a key objective," said Carey. "We also think there are real opportunities for us to put cable on its heels by developing relationships with the cellular industry as mobility becomes an increasingly central theme in people's lives."</p> <p> U.S. monthly customer churn, or the rate at which customers left the service, was down to 1.42 percent during the quarter. Average revenue per user (ARPU) was up to $90.46. Jayant had forecast monthly churn of 1.5 percent and ARPU of $91.15.</p> <p> <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234303884_12">Subscriber acquisition costs</span> rose to $724, up by $8 from the prior quarter.</p> <p> DirecTV Latin America also saw strong growth, adding more than 160,000 net new subscribers during the quarter. </p><p> (Reporting by Yinka Adegoke; Editing by Derek Caney, Dave Zimmerman and Bernard Orr)</p> </div>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-87258538008973918082009-02-10T18:04:00.000-08:002009-02-10T18:05:24.429-08:00How Will $99 iPhone Impact Phone, Music Businesses?Apple iPhone has been a game changer since day one. So it's to be expected that the phone would transform the competitive landscape if it were to hit $99. And I'm not just talking about the handset landscape. <p> Consumers would clearly win out in a $99 <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_0">iPhone</span> scenario. Even if the phone had reduced functionality (really, when did you last use <em>all</em> of the features in your phone?), it would ultimately get the powerful general capabilities and broad features of the iPhone out to mainstream audiences. So long as you get the basics -- the full, app-enabled iPhone operating system, the multitouch screen, the music player -- many users may not miss the GPS, or a better camera. For that matter, many would probably be willing to sacrifice 3G connectivity -- it's just my luck that 3G speed remains hit and miss, six months after the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_1">iPhone 3G</span>'s release. </p> <p> Presumably, enthusiasts will benefit from a $99 iPhone, too. Why? Because <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_2">Apple</span> will be forced to give the second-generation <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/howwill99iphoneimpactphonemusicbusinesses/30918593/SIG=124sv7diu/*http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/31941/review/iphone_3g.html">iPhone 3G</a> a beefier set of new features, to make it appealing vis-à-vis the low-end offering. Let's face it: Beyond iPhone 3G's faster 3G radio, GPS, and a few cosmetic and light design changes, the iPhone 3G was a dramatic change from its predecessor. </p> <p> So, who gets squeezed in a $99 iPhone 3G world? Well, Apple, for one: the company's iPhone <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_3">profit margins</span> will likely take a hit -- a hit that may, or may not, be made up for in sheer volume. More critically, at 99 bucks, suddenly iPhone is an attractive alternative to a dedicated MP3 player. A Shuffle costs just $20 less and lacks all of the fancy accoutrements of an iPhone. Of course, there's the pesky issue of the service contract, but if priced right, service providers should find interested consumers interested in a middle ground between the class act of iPhone 3G and the lower cost model.</p> <p> Why? Because most people use a cell phone, no matter what. When the cost delta narrows between a low-end iPhone and competing cell phones, more people are bound to consider it as a viable alternative. That means that music-centric cell phones will also get the squeeze: Phones like <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_4">Sony Ericsson W350</span> and other music phones from <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/pcworld/tc_pcworld/storytext/howwill99iphoneimpactphonemusicbusinesses/30918593/SIG=12d1srktu/*http://www.wireless.att.com/cell-phone-service/cell-phones/music-phones.jsp"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_5"></span></a> and T-Mobile (like the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_6">Nokia 5310</span>, the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_7">Nokia 7510</span>, and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_8">Nokia 5610</span>) will have to struggle to find an audience. They'll be going up against the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_9">Apple iPod</span> juggernaut. </p> <p> I wouldn't want to be one of those phone companies when <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234315356_10">Apple drops</span> the price on the iPhone.</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-88156392134224219102009-02-10T17:59:00.000-08:002009-02-10T18:04:29.162-08:00Apple Reportedly Asked Google To Avoid Multi-Touch<span style="font-weight: bold;">When the Android-powered T-Mobile G1 emerged last year, numerous reviewers took an obvious potshot at the hot new smartphone: No flicking, swiping, pinching, unpinching, or other fun finger movements popularized by Apple's iPhone. An explanation for that omission has been reported, but it leaves more questions than answers. </span> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> According to VentureBeat, <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234308461_0">Apple</span> simply asked <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234308461_1">Google</span> not to implement multi-touch capabilities in its Android <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234308461_2">mobile platform</span> for the G1, even though the phone's touchscreen can support it. The information allegedly came from a member of the Android team, who said Google agreed to Apple's request. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Google's decision was apparently a huge relief for the Android team, which was concerned that a hard-headed approach would embroil Android in a messy patent fight that could have delayed the rollout of the G1 for months, if not years. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> Avoiding a Patent Fight </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Michael Gartenberg, vice president of strategy and analysis for Interpret LLC, said it made sense for Google to heed Apple's wishes, at least in the short term. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"Apple appears to have several patents for the concept of multi-touch as it relates to phones," Gartenberg said. "But it's also important to note that while Apple competes with Google to some extent in this space, Google is also an important partner for Apple on the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234308461_3">iPhone</span> and elsewhere." </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> Among other things, Google has made a concerted effort to format many of its services specifically for the iPhone, and just this week took the unprecedented step of licensing Microsoft's Exchange software so that it could provide real-time synchronization of contacts and calendars on the iPhone. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Google's approach is in stark contrast to Palm, which incorporated multi-touch capabilities in its newest smartphone, the Pre. The ability to swipe and pinch content on the Pre helped make it one of the hot items at last month's <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234308461_4">Consumer Electronics Show</span>, but Palm (which, interestingly, is well-stocked with former Apple employees) may find itself facing patent-enforcement litigation. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> Is That Your Final Answer? </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> As last year's criticisms by tech analysts amply demonstrates, the multi-touch capability introduced by Apple on the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234308461_5">iPod touch</span> and the iPhone was a true game-changer. The movements are so intuitive and efficient that they have become the new standard for smartphone interfaces. That's at least part of the reason that Palm is willing to risk Apple's wrath. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Given its relationship with Apple, Gartenberg thinks Google may be able to work out a deal to incorporate multi-touch in future Android-based phones. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"I'd suspect that if Google were concerned about this as an issue and wanted to implement it," Gartenberg said, "they'd figure out some license terms to make it happen."</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-52684044360366093252009-02-10T17:57:00.000-08:002009-02-10T17:59:18.998-08:00TeamViewer desktop collaboration app now Mac-compatible<span style="font-weight: bold;">TeamViewer added Mac compatibility to its self-named desktop sharing application, giving the browser-based TeamViewer V4 cross-platform capabilities.</span> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> TeamViewer uses log in via the Web to connect with other partners listed on their account for easier collaboration and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234316518_0">information access</span>. By using a Web-based approach, TeamViewer says its program is ideal for mobile users.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> The Windows edition of TeamViewer V4 was launched a few weeks ago, introducing a partner list that displays the online status of each user and a multi-screen presentation feature that allows up to 10 participants to join desktop presentations. Tuesday’s announcement extends Mac compatibility to TeamViewer for the first time.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> TeamViewer is free for non-commercial use. Pricing starts at $249 for a six-month <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234316518_1">Business license</span> or $699 for a lifetime license. A Premium license costs $1,399.</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-62155326618798621402009-02-10T17:55:00.000-08:002009-02-10T17:57:10.773-08:00IBM climbs further into the computing cloud<p style="font-weight: bold;"> SAN FRANCISCO (AFP) - IBM on Tuesday went deeper into <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310087_0">cloud computing</span>, expanding offerings aimed at businesses interested in taking advantage of software managed online as services.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> US-based IBM announced new products, partnerships and clients for a Blue Cloud Initiative it launched slightly more than a year ago.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> "Enterprise clients need economically compelling solutions that help them run their businesses in smarter ways, while never taking their eyes off of security, resiliency and compliance," said IBM enterprise initiatives general manager Erich Clementi.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> "Cloud computing leverages many of IBM's core strength ... and gives clients the opportunity to leverage cloud computing's considerable cost advantages, while maintaining the highest levels of integrity, responsibility and control."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> Industry-tracker IDC projects that the cloud computing market will grow to 42 billion dollars in the next three years.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> Cloud computing refers to computer applications or <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310087_1">data storage</span> offered online as services hosted online by technology firms instead of being installed and maintained on users' machines.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> The <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310087_2">economic meltdown</span> is being credited with fueling a shift to cloud computing because it lets businesses cut costs by essentially renting networks instead of having to buy them.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> New cloud computing customers announced by IBM included Elizabeth Arden, Indigo Bio Systems, Nexxera, and the US Golf Association.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> IBM said it is offering Global Services data protection software as a service "through the cloud" as well as providing businesses online arenas to safely test applications.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> IBM also unveiled an "overflow cloud" that can act as a computing safety net in instances when business networks are overwhelmed.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> "Enterprises are now facing a breaking point with their IT systems," IBM said in a release.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> "Some systems can't share information and workloads, servers are highly underutilized and the cost of energy is becoming greater than the value of the systems the energy powers. Cloud computing changes these economics dramatically."</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-41920644179586942332009-02-10T17:53:00.000-08:002009-02-10T17:55:08.018-08:00College friends take fraternity dorm humor to TV<p> NEW YORK (Reuters) - In the latest example of how a small online video-sharing site has turned into a pop culture hit, a website featuring <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310117_0">American college humor</span> took its fraternity pranks to television this week.</p> <p> The website <a href="http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/nm/wr_nm/storytext/us_college/30917900/SIG=10p457iel/*http://CollegeHumor.com"><span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310117_1"></span></a>, which was founded in a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310117_2">dorm room</span> in 1999 by two high school friends to share humorous photos and videos, premiered on <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310117_3">MTV</span> on Sunday night as "The <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310117_4">CollegeHumor</span> Show."</p> <p> The site featured user-submitted videos of late-night college escapades before moving to original comedy sketch videos and a short talk show targeted for a college age-viewership. It now attracts six million Web visitors a month, according to <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310117_5">Nielsen Online</span>.</p> <p> "It's incredible that what started out as an online hobby between friends has since grown and diversified its ever expanding business model," Josh Abramson, the 27-year-old co-founder of the site, said in a statement.</p> <p> He started the site, which also produced a live comedy tour, books and clothing, with his friend Ricky Van Veen, 28.</p> <p> The television show is scripted offbeat humor that features actual CollegeHumor.com employees in their offices and a frat-house attitude, according to producers of the show.</p> <p> Ratings for the premiere were not immediately available.</p> <p> But a move to television may not signal further success, according to <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310117_6">YouTube</span>, the biggest example of an online video-sharing site that became a <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310117_7">pop culture phenomenon</span>.</p> <p> YouTube's co-founder <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310117_8">Chad Hurley</span> predicted just over a week ago that advertisers will turn to the Internet as firms seek cheaper ways to advertise their products in the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234310117_9">global economic downturn</span>.</p> <p> (Reporting by Christine Kearney; editing by Patricia Reaney)</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-53771097236909954052009-02-10T17:48:00.000-08:002009-02-10T17:52:59.212-08:00Cuba looks to expand Internet access<p style="font-weight: bold;"> HAVANA (Reuters) - <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234312215_0">Cuba</span> wants to expand access to the Internet but has been held back by <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234312215_1">economic problems</span> and <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234312215_2">bandwidth limitations</span>, Cuban communications minister Ramiro Valdes said on Tuesday.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> Valdes, speaking at a computer exposition in Havana, said the situation was expected to improve when socialist ally <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234312215_3">Venezuela</span> completes a 930-mile-long fiber optics line to the communist-run island next year.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> He told reporters that "conceptually" the government has no problem with making the Internet widely available.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> "The restrictions are technological and economical," said Valdes.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> Internet use in Cuba is limited mostly to government officials and academics, and comes to the island through a slow, costly satellite connection.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> According to the <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234312215_4">United Nations' International Telecommunications Union</span>, only 2.1 percent of the population has access to the Internet.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> The Cuban government has blamed the United States for its lack of connectivity, saying the 47-year-old U.S. trade embargo against the island forbids it from linking to a nearby fiber optics line that stretches from <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234312215_5">Florida</span> to <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234312215_6">Mexico</span>.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> The completion of the Venezuela fiber optics cable will make more, less expensive bandwidth available to Cuba, Valdes said.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> Vice minister Boris Moreno said last week in an interview in state-run press that the Cuban government had no political qualms about allowing more Internet in Cuba, but would place some limits on its use.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> "As happens in all the countries of the world, we're not going to permit access to sites that stimulate terrorism and encourage subversion of the established order," he said.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;"> (Reporting by Esteban <span class="yshortcuts" id="lw_1234312215_7">Israel</span>; editing by Jeff Franks and Vicki Allen)</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-19848824471276274092009-02-08T19:01:00.001-08:002009-02-08T19:01:58.905-08:00Mobile Gadgets may Beat Both Phones, Netbooks<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="articleBodyContent"><p>Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) may supplant both smartphones, such as , and such as the , according to a survey of US consumers released last week.</p> <p><span class="image rtmd"><img src="http://images.pcworld.com/shared/graphics/cms/mobileWebServices_92.jpg" alt="netbook, handheld, blackberry" /><div class="artCaption"><span class="credit">Artwork: Chip Taylor</span></div></span>In November 2008 ABI Research carried out a survey of more than 1,000 adult US consumers, aimed at identifying their attitudes to netbooks and Mobile Internet Devices.</p> <p>The research,, suggests that some people will value a separate device with a bigger screen for the web browsing, that they can choose when to carry. The more interesting promise offered by MIDs without cellular voice will be their repackaging in the form of specialized Internet-connected CE devices such as media players or personal navigation devices.</p> <p>MIDs have been proposed by some as mobile phone replacements. Does the public agree? In this survey, almost half did, lending support to new MIDs incorporating voice capabilities. 34 percent said they would continue to use a standard mobile handset.</p> <p> <a href="http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/index.cfm?ReviewID=2145" target="_blank"><br /></a> </p> <p>"This is going to become a question for MID vendors and consumers alike," says Philip Solis, principal analyst at ABI Research. "There will be little difference between a smartphone such as the Palm Pre which uses an OMAP 3 processor and a MID with cellular voice, except for screen size. Understanding of what consumers want from stand-alone MIDs without cellular voice will be important."</p> <p>Intel announced a prototype MID at the Intel Developer Forum in Spring 2007 in Beijing. A Moorestown model contains a 45nm Intel Atom processor (codenamed Lincroft).</p> <p>This links to . Ubergizmo reveals a patent application leak from Apple that shows off a "DISPLAY HOUSING FOR COMPUTING DEVICE" that it reckons "looks pretty much like a touchscreen tablet complete with the familiar Apple logo behind".</p> <p>There's also a worrying touch of Apple's 1998's Wall Street PowerBook G3 styling to bother the astute Apple patent watcher.</p></div>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-2051496004325499312009-02-08T18:59:00.000-08:002009-02-08T19:01:02.916-08:00Google, IBM Team on Health Records Project<span style="font-weight: bold;">google Inc., IBM and the Continua Health Alliance last week unveiled jointly developed software designed to from a doctor's mobile device to online data stores.</span> <p style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="image ltmd"><img src="http://images.pcworld.com/howto/graphics/146122-ghealth02add-small.jpg" alt="" /></span>The two tech giants worked with the Beaverton, Ore.-based health care provider to extend the value of and other<a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9103498" target="_blank"> </a> offerings, and to ensure that are up-to-date, according to an statement.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"Our partnership with IBM will help both providers and users gain access to their device data in a highly simplified and automated fashion," said Sameer Samat, director for , in a statement. "IBM has taken an important step in providing software that enables device manufacturers and hospitals to easily upload recorded data into a <a href="http://www.computerworld.com/action/article.do?command=viewArticleBasic&articleId=9083479" target="_blank"> </a> such as Google Health."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Google Health is designed to enable users to store, manage, and share their medical records and personal health information with health care providers online. It is available without charge to individuals.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Last May, Google opened its hosted online patient medical records service to the public, seven months after the online giant announced plans to . Right off the bat, thequestions about privacy and security.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Both IBM and Google, however, contend that e-health technology will give patients, doctors and family members access to better information.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Using the new software to connect personal medical devices to Google Health, for instance, will enable people to more easily exchange information about their health with their doctors and caregivers in real-time. IBM noted that an adult child can receive updates on the status of an aging parent who is living alone and dealing with a chronic condition like diabetes or heart disease.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Maria DeGiglio, vice president of Advanced Services at The Experture Group, said the new software could prove beneficial to people dealing with a chronic illnesses.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">"Since Google Health will be using IBM's analytical capabilities, eventually a patient could see health trends and begin to learn what lifestyle or other behaviors are affecting his or her glucose levels or blood pressure," said DeGiglio. "This kind of information would be useful to a physician to determine if the patient should be on a certain medication, if dosage should be adjusted, if the medication is having minimal or no affect, etc. In addition, the adult child of a parent with a chronic health condition could also monitor his or her parent's glucose or blood pressure remotely -- should the parent grant access to that adult child."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">She added that the tool could prevent costly and frightening visits to the emergency room.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Using guidelines from Continua Health Alliance, the new tool integrates the capabilities of IBM's Information Management, Business Intelligence and the Premises Server sensor event platform with Google Health, the companies said.</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-67680183463439754172009-02-08T18:57:00.000-08:002009-02-08T18:59:19.384-08:00Swedes Harbor Pirates, But Don't Use Their Warez<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="articleBodyContent"><p><span class="image ltmd"><img src="http://images.pcworld.com/shared/graphics/cms/piracy_92.jpg" alt="piracy, pirate, software, legal" /><div class="artCaption"><span class="credit">Artwork: Chip Taylor</span></div></span>More people use pirated software in Australia than in Sweden -- home of according to a report by research firm IDC.</p> <p>A separate telephone survey of 1100 Australians conducted last month by Galaxy Research and commissioned by Microsoft Australia, found up to 64 percent would <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/155136/what_the_pirates_are_really_up_to.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>for personal use.</p> <p>Of the 82 percent of respondents that owned a computer, more than half (59 percent) draw no distinction between pirated and genuine software.</p> <p>Some 47 percent reported they are unsure or are unable to verify if their software is legal.</p> <p>Microsoft Australia business consumer product manager Steve Johns said users are jeopardizing computer security by using pirated software.</p> <p>"While the survey found that virtually every [respondent] considers it important to keep their computer safe from viruses and online threats, people are putting themselves at risk by using pirated software," Johns said in a written statement.</p> <p>A security consultant based in Sydney speaking on the condition of anonymity said pirated software distributed through the "most popular" torrent trackers are "often virus-free."</p> <p>"The nature of [BitTorrent sharing] means that a lot of bad applications that contain malware or viruses are not shared... and die off," he said, adding that security holes may still be present in pirated software that has had its patch update services or tamper protection disabled.</p> <p>Software updating can be used by vendors to issue security fixes, feature upgrades and to check for pirated versions.</p> <p>The 2007 Global Piracy Study, the latest joint research from IDC and the Business Software Alliance, found that 25 percent of software in Sweden is pirated, compared to 29 percent in Australia.</p> <p>The<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,152274/article.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>were charged by local authorities last month under copyright law after a series of long-standing legal battles with media industry authorities.</p> <p>Peter Sunde, co-founder of torrent hosting site The Pirate Bay, told Computerworld US creative commons licensing is more appropriate for the Internet than traditional copyright laws.</p> <p>"I do see things that can work in a copyright, but for commercial aspects. It's very important to not infringe on personal life due to copyright. Creative Commons and other licences are a better way than today's copyright laws, however, I do feel that Creative Commons is not reaching far enough," Sunde said.</p> <p>Further BSA claimed an additional 3929 jobs and A$672 million (US$435.1 million) in taxes would be created if Australian software piracy fell by 10 percent from 2008 to 2011.</p> <p>Microsoft has launched its Office Genuine Advantage tool to help Australian Microsoft Office users to validate their software. The tool can be downloaded through the company's automatic updates service and will issue a pop-up alert if a pirate copy is detected.</p> <p>The company said the tool will not affect the operations of pirate Microsoft Office applications. </p> </div>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-69366580898566748492009-02-08T18:55:00.000-08:002009-02-08T18:56:43.661-08:00Runic Games CEO Speaks<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="articleBodyContent"><p><span class="image ltmd"><img src="http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/159140-Runic_Games_logo_original.jpg" alt="" /></span><em>Last week, I had a chance to speak with Max Schaefer, the CEO of the newly formed Runic Games. Schaefer is a Blizzard veteran, having played a major role in the creation of Diablo, before moving to Flagship Studios and producing and the free-to-play action-RPG Mythos.</em></p> <p><em>With, and the Hellgate London and Mythos IPs moved to new owners, Runic Games is hard at work on a secret new project that will be a spiritual successor to Mythos, itself a spiritual successor to Diablo. In my correspondence with Schaefer, I learned exclusive first details about his upcoming (still untitled) action-RPG, the challenges facing independent developers in a shaky global economy, and his anticipation of Blizzard's own It's a great, informative read for any fan of Diablo, Mythos, Blizzard, or the action-RPG genre.</em></p> <p><strong>GamePro:</strong> So how is life at ? What's it like out there for an upstart young developer in this typhoon of an economy?</p> <p><strong>Schaefer: </strong>These are tough times for any developer, especially small, independent ones. We've been able to establish a good, strong partnership with a publisher so we're one of the lucky ones. Given the state of things, however, we're watching every penny, and developing with an extra sense of urgency and effort.</p><p>Mythos never made it past a beta stage, but Runic's new game will pick up where Mythos left off.</p> <p><strong>GamePro:</strong> Regarding Mythos, it sounds like that project now belongs to the ages. What is Runic Games working on now? Is it in the spirit of Mythos?</p> <p><strong>Schaefer: </strong>We've begun work on a game that is very much in the spirit of Mythos. We're starting from absolute scratch, of course, but we're still committed to the idea of an easy to play, action-RPG. This time we plan to start with a single-player version, and then expand to an MMO.</p> <p><strong>GamePro: </strong>Does Runic consider itself to primarily be a PC developer? Is there any potential interest in something like Xbox Live or PSN?</p> <p><strong>Schaefer: </strong>We are primarily a PC developer, but we still have interest in other platforms. Right now, however, the PC is the best platform for us, and is still the best option for games where you might want to chat with other people. Secretly, however, we'd love to do an iPhone version!</p> <p><strong>GamePro: </strong>I've heard only a few details about your latest project, but it sounds like a free-to-play model with microtransactions. Do you expect to release it on store shelves as well? What steps have you taken to evolve in the face of the changing PC game market?</p> <p><strong>Schaefer: </strong>That is correct. We love this model for MMOs for a lot of reasons, among them that people can play the game and decide if they like it or not at no cost at all. We fully expect a good portion of our players to never pay a penny. Those who want to speed things up or buy extras for their characters can do at their discretion. Done properly this is a fantastic way to run an MMO.</p> <p>Like I mentioned above, we also plan to a single player version first, though. This will be sold at a low price point, and primarily available by digital download. We'll probably get boxes on shelves as well -- we'd like to get it as widely available as possible.</p> <p><strong>GamePro: </strong>What's the style of the new universe you're working in? Will it have the "softer" look of Mythos, or do you think it'll lean towards the darker, gorier look of Diablo? Are you forming any seeds for a storyline?</p> <p><strong>Schaefer: </strong>It will have a more light-hearted look and feel than Diablo, and be like Mythos in that respect but with a very different style. We have a rough storyline worked out, one that will have your character adventuring in all kinds of cool places. We'll fill in the story details as we go, however.</p> <p><strong>GamePro: </strong>Do you expect to follow the same basic gameplay guidelines that you laid out in the Diablo games and Mythos? Action-RPG, multiple character classes, skill trees?</p> <p><strong>Schaefer: </strong>Yes. We're constantly tweaking this formula, but it's one that works and it's one that people are familiar with. Plus, it's what we're good at.</p> </div>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-12134632105615309382009-02-08T18:51:00.000-08:002009-02-08T18:54:40.836-08:00IBM Readies Monster Supercomputer<span style="font-weight: bold;">IBM is to build a hugely powerful supercomputer capable of performing at 20 petaflops per second, twenty times faster than namely the t delivered back in June to Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.</span> <p style="font-weight: bold;"><span class="image ltmd"><img src="http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/147866-ibm-logo.jpg" alt="" /></span>IBM has been contracted by the US government to build the machine, dubbed Sequoia, and is still developing the technology needed. It has also been asked to build a smaller computer called Dawn. Both machines will be constructed at its Blue Gene facilities in Rochester, Minnesota.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">According to Big Blue, Sequoia will have the power of 2 million laptops. Its closest rival, the world's first petaflop machine, Roadrunner, can only perform at speeds equivalent to 100,000 laptops combined.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Understandably, a machine of this nature will occupy a lot room, namely 3,422 square feet (or 318 square metres). That is roughly the size of a large house, and although IBM claims it will be highly energy-efficient for the job it does, machines of this nature consume tremendous amounts of electricity and it is expected to occupy 96 refrigerator-sized racks.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Inside the beast itself, Sequoia is expected to contain more than 1.6 million processors, thought to be IBM Power chips. The system is also reportedly to have 1.6TB of memory and will run Linux. The open source operating system commands approximately 85 percent market share in the high performance computing field. Windows meanwhile is relegated to less than five percent market share, according to industry estimates.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">The smaller machine, Dawn, is expected to be a 500-teraflop computer. A teraflop equals a trillion floating points a second; a petaflop meanwhile is 1,000 trillion (one quadrillion) sustained floating-point operations per second.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Sequoia will be used for simulating nuclear tests by the US Department of Energy at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. Supercomputers are necessary for this task, as it allows scientists judge the safety and reliability of the US nuclear weapons stockpile without doing live tests.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">That said, Sequoia should have peacetime applications as well, namely weather forecasting or oil exploration. And the ability to conduct multi-scale science simulations would also allow, say, the pharmaceutical industry to simulate the effect of drugs on the human body, or by Wall Street to simulate the impact of events on the stock market.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">IBM has a rich history in the supercomputer sector, and has been building supercomputers for more than 50 years now. It dominates the Top 500 supercomputer rankings, and Big Blue believes that the 20-petaflop computing power of Sequoia will be so powerful, it will exceed the combined systems of every machine on the Top 500.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">The Sequoia machine is slated for delivery sometime in 2011.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">IBM did not reveal what it would cost, although one can safely assume that if you need to know the price, you almost certainly couldn't afford it.</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-48404448782812764232009-02-08T18:49:00.001-08:002009-02-08T18:51:27.030-08:00Five Ways Amazon Could Improve Kindle<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="articleBodyContent"><p><span class="image ltmd"><img src="http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/159154-Kindle2_main_180.jpg" alt="kindle, amazon, reader" /></span>When it launched last year, <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/30957/review/kindle.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>gave new life to the flagging world of e-books. And rightly so: had a flawed industrial design, but it nonetheless had two distinct benefits that no other competing device had. </p> <p>The first secret weapon: Kindle's 3G cellular radio and Whispernet EvDO service (supplied by Sprint), which provides <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/139829/amazon_kindle_review_igniting_interest_in_ebooks.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>to the Internet. The second: Kindle's seamless integration with Amazon's storefront, which Amazon says now offers 150,000 titles in both paper and print versions. </p> <p>This double salvo has kept the Kindle in a class all its own. But with the second-generation Kindle, Amazon has a chance to really to reshape Kindle and the role it could play in the<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/139829/amazon_kindle_review_igniting_interest_in_ebooks.html?tk=rel_news"> </a></p> <p>as to the features we'll find in Kindle 2. Those rumors should be put to rest at a press conference on Monday morning, where Amazon is expected to officially unveil Kindle 2. From the looks of the <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/159154/leak_amazon_kindle_2_pictures_and_pricing.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>the new Kindle will be notably thinner and less angular--which means Amazon has addressed at least part of the first item on our list for Kindle improvements. </p> <p>So what else could Amazon offer in Kindle 2? The wish list below considers not only Amazon's need to stay <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/159067/google_makes_iphone_the_new_ebook_reader_watch_out_kindle.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>but also takes into account the competitive pressures Kindle could face from other mobile devices, like the <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,158268/article.html?tk=rel_news"></a> (I, for one, enjoy reading news and books on my mobile handset, and am thrilled by the prospect of a news that Amazon is too. </p> <h2 class="articleBodyContentSubHed">1. Better Design</h2> <p>The first Amazon Kindle was boxy and angular. It had a tapered depth, but that thickness ultimately became an albatross. When inside its leather case, the Kindle's spine indeed resembled that of a book--but that was the last thing I was looking for. I stopped carrying books while on-the-go years ago, simply because of the room it required in my gear bag. And while the Kindle's built-in storage and SD Card slot together mean I have what feels like infinite space for e-books, the reality is, it still was another device for me to carry.</p> <p>The <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/159154/leak_amazon_kindle_2_pictures_and_pricing.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>indicate that Amazon has indeed improved its design dramatically. The unofficial pictures show a more rounded design, and one that's significantly slimmer (no scuttlebutt on the weight or dimensions). The buttons for paging through texts look smaller, too; I was among those who liked the larger buttons (it meant I didn't page through with just one finger or part of my hand; but, I, like everyone, found those buttons also meant I inadvertently paged ahead when I didn't intend to). The keyboard also appears to have undergone a dramatic change: Gone are the angled, more QWERTY-style keyboard; instead, the keys are smaller, more round, and mushed together--reminiscent of the keys now common to cell phones.</p> <p>The presumed design changes may help make Kindle more attractive for road warriors. While <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/159155/amazon_kindle_a_road_warriors_best_friend.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>has become, this road warrior found herself using her Kindle at home more than she did while traveling (ahem--I already regularly push the allowable carry-on weight limits for some airlines, thank you). Its bulk and weight were just two reasons I skipped traveling with the Kindle regularly. But size and weight weren't my only reasons for removing Kindle from my travel kit. The next reason was . . . </p> <h2 class="articleBodyContentSubHed">2. Power </h2> <p>The next Kindle needs to take advantage of the USB power revolution. That the first Kindle relied on its own power connector (albeit one shared with some Sprint phones) was an annoyance and a travesty; that meant remembering yet one more charger, and having yet one more charger on hand to jack in my messy power strip. Yes, I can go buy an for my iGo charging system, but ultimately, I'd rather be able to simply jack in a mini-USB cable, same as I use for countless other devices. This would open me to charging the Kindle off a USB-powered battery pack, such as the mobile battery pack that Kensington cells; charging from my laptop; or even charging via USB on my Monster Outlets-to-Go power strip, (OTG300 USB) which includes a USB connection.</p> <h2 class="articleBodyContentSubHed">3. Faster Speed</h2> <p>Rumor has it that Kindle 2 will use the latest <a href="http://blogs.pcworld.com/staffblog/archives/007317.html?tk=rel_news" target="_blank"> </a>with a chipset from Broadsheet. Already found in the newest of Sony's Digital Book Readers, the new chipset is faster, so pages redraw faster than before. </p> <h2 class="articleBodyContentSubHed">4. Better File Handling </h2> <p>Kindle needs this desperately. Unlike its competition from Sony's Digtal Book Readers, Kindle doesn't have integrated PDF reading. Its PDF handling is downright kludgy, as its Word and Excel document handling is nearly as poor (with all of these formats, and others, you have toto yourself).</p> <p>By opening up Kindle to handle other file types, Kindle broadens its usefulness and moves beyond being a one-trick gadget. And its flexibility. Suddenly, you could store all of your device manuals in PDF on a Kindle; you could use the Kindle to proof documents; or, you could use the Kindle in ways heretofore unimagined, but mad viable by something as simple as universal file handling.</p> <h2 class="articleBodyContentSubHed">5. Integration With Amazon S3 Storage</h2> <p>If Amazon gets the document handling under control, what's to stop the developers from taking things one logical step further, and allowing you to access your files stored online using the ? Imagine a service offering that lets you use your Kindle to handle documents you store documents online, only to access them as needed via your Kindle or your PC. It's a minor thing, perhaps, today, but it could also open up how Kindle can be used--and could expand Kindle's usability beyond just being a digital book reader. That, in turn, could make broaden its appeal. </p> <p>While Kindle could easily run the risk of trying to be trying to do too much, and do none of it well, the idea of broadening Kindle's scope and capabilities has potential, too. In tight times, even a gadget that does one thing very well will become more appealing to buyers if it can also do a few more things well, too.</p> </div>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-87594102173086817662009-02-08T18:47:00.000-08:002009-02-08T18:48:57.676-08:00BlackBerry Courts the Enterprise<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="articleBodyContent"><p>While competitors like the and the budding have garnered a lot of attention lately, Research in Motion (RIM), maker of th<a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,159106/article.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>sees itself as the right choice for businesses, a company official stressed Friday.</p> <p><span class="image ltmd"><img src="http://images.pcworld.com/shared/graphics/cms/iPhoneBlackberry_180.jpg" alt="" /><div class="artCaption"><span class="credit">Artwork: Chip Taylor</span></div></span>RIM officials held a press session in San Francisco Monday to tout the tenth anniversary of the BlackBerry as well as promote the company's <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,124200/article.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>of varying sizes. Asked how BlackBerry stacks up against Alan Panezic, vice president of the RIM platform product management group, emphasized business benefits for a corporate audience, where security, usability and connecting to corporate assets are paramount.</p> <p>[ While RIM is promoting its signature smartphone, the company is also<br /></p> <p><span class="image rtmd"><img src="http://images.pcworld.com/news/graphics/145119-BlackBerry7290_SatinBlue.jpg" alt="rim blackberry enterprise" /></span>"From our perspective, we really see [BlackBerry] as head and shoulders above anything that's out there in the marketplace," said Panezic, who later noted BlackBerry also can be used as a consumer-oriented device. The BlackBerry Storm model could be regarded as the functional equivalent of the iPhone, although it was not designed with that intention, said David Heit, director of software product management at RIM.</p> <p> As far as Android, Panezic said, "To be quite to be quite honest, it's a wait-and-see attitude. It's an open device-centric platform." He also emphasized BlackBerry as offering a platform with behind-the-firewall capabilities and push technology.</p> <p>The BlackBerry has expanded beyond its roots as a wireless tool to read e-mail, now offering such capabilities as business collaboration like social networking and the sharing of data and documents, Panezic said. "That's an example of things that 10 years ago were quite frankly a dream," he said.</p> <p>While smartphones like the BlackBerry are only a relatively small portion of the overall cell phone population, the volume is growing, Heit stressed. The smartphone has been a disruptive technology to devices like the laptop computer and desktop phone as it adds more capabilities, such as reading and editing of documents, he said.</p> <p>"I'm starting to eliminate the use cases why I carry a laptop," Heit said. Eventually, the BlackBerry could be expanded to such diverse uses as remotely controlling the temperature in a home swimming pool or as a TV remote, he said.</p> <p>The company plans to open in March an application store for third-party and RIM applications for BlackBerry. Applications for the BlackBerry were noted, such as the Pyxis Mobile application for mortgage-banking and the Salesforce.com CRM system.</p> <p>RIM officials also detailed company technologies including , for pushing e-mail and data to the BlackBerry. Previously referred to as "Argon," version 5.0 is due in the second quarter of this year, featuring enhancements in scalability and application deployment as well as high availability.</p> <p>BlackBerry Professional Software provides smaller scale version of Enterprise Server, for small and mid-sized businesses. BlackBerry Mobile Voice System, meanwhile, allows calls to an office desktop phone to be channeled to a BlackBerry.</p> </div>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-39038973449870013022009-02-08T18:46:00.000-08:002009-02-08T18:47:19.785-08:00Firms Fear Online Gossip<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="articleBodyContent"><p> <span class="image ltmd"><img src="http://images.pcworld.com/shared/graphics/cms/communications_92.jpg" alt="" /></span>Bosses are afraid their companies' reputations are being hurt by employees <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,131864/article.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>about their employer on the Internet, according to a new report conducted by Weber Shandwick Research and the Economist Intelligence Unit. However, top execs are often clueless about the specifics -- and sometimes even contribute to the problem themselves. </p> <p> is based on interviews with 703 senior executives representing more than 20 industries in 62 countries spanning North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. </p> <p> Nearly seven out of 10 of the executives said they <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142721/article.html?tk=re"> </a>as incidents of employees spreading bad will on sites such as and sensitive e-mails accidentally sent to the wrong people grow in number. In fact, a new acronym of sorts has sprung up to address the problem: online reputation management, or ORM. </p> <p> However, top leaders are often naïve about the precise ways in which their employees might be sabotaging their <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142915/article.html?tk=rel_news"> </a>Two-thirds were either unaware or did not want to admit that they were being badmouthed online, said the report. Only a third admitted to knowing of an employee who posted something negative online about their company at a site such as JobVent, which lets visitors rate their employers anonymously. According to a story in The Columbus Dispatch, 70 percent of posted comments at JobVent fall into the "I Hate My Job" category. </p> <p> The majority of executives admitted to having accidentally contributed to another problem: damaging e-mails which go astray. Almost 90 percent said they had sent or received at least one e-mail, text or Twitter by mistake. </p> <p> Weber Shandwick is using the results as a springboard for offering their reputation management services to companies to help them reduce their vulnerability. The services consist of early warning tools, online reputation monitoring and rapid response strategies. </p> <p> "Risks that did not exist a decade ago are now on full display--internal e-mails going astray, negative online campaigns by dissatisfied customers, and online grumblings from disenchanted employees, bloggers and anyone else who has an opinion to voice," said Leslie Gaines-Ross, chief reputation strategist at Weber Shandwick. </p> </div>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-77061750594800073402009-02-08T18:44:00.000-08:002009-02-08T18:45:40.750-08:00Clean Up Duplicates With File Replicator<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="articleBodyContent"><p> a nifty, sparse, little--and free--utility which can be of great use to anyone who has a lot of duplicate copies of the same file scattered hither and yon across their hard drive. This can be a set of default data, a "Readme" which is the same for many different programs, a license agreement, or many other things. </p><p><span class="image large"><img src="http://images.pcworld.com/reviews/graphics/158608-FileReplicator-large_350.jpg" alt="" /></span></p><p>Using File Replicator, you can pick one version of this file (ideally, the latest) and set the program scurrying through your hard disk, finding all other copies of the file. It can then replace them all with your chosen version. File Replicator includes many safeguards to keep you from accidentally stomping on the wrong thing--you choose a root folder for the search, you can choose to search only and not replace, and before you replace, you're shown a list of the files to be replaced. </p><p>File Replicator can be useful in corporate environments to make sure that all copies of an important document--for example, HR policies or vacation schedules--are up-to-date. </p></div>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-42445985429713509312009-02-08T18:43:00.000-08:002009-02-08T18:44:46.858-08:00Ten Best PC Games Ever<p style="font-weight: bold;">Released: September 24, 1993. Developer: Cyan. Publisher: Brøderbund Software.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">It's hard to find a game simulataneously as successful and as misunderstood as . Cyan's landmark adventure is both revered and reviled in different quarters of the gaming industry. As the un-(serious theme, no inventory) and the anti-(serene pace, nobody dies), Myst seriously challenged the gaming status quo of the early 1990s.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">This dark-horse title from the forests of Washington represented everything that hated, and everything that hard-core adventure fans resented. Nevertheless, it sold 6 million copies.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">In a in Wired, Jon Carroll wrote, "The reason for all the success was stunning in its simplicity: Myst was good. Myst was better than anything anyone had ever seen. Myst was beautiful, complicated, emotional, dark, intelligent, absorbing. It was the only thing like itself; it had invented its own category."</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Today, it's easy to dismiss Myst as a glorified slide show. But that's actually the core of Myst's brilliance: A small group of people with a tiny budget managed to weave a series of beautiful pictures and puzzles into an utterly compelling and enveloping experience that transcended the limitations of the budding CD-ROM medium. That kind of magic makes the best computer games.</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-72390313441923356692009-02-08T18:42:00.000-08:002009-02-08T18:43:22.038-08:00What Makes a PC Game Great?<p style="font-weight: bold;">What elements push a game beyond mere goodness and into greatness?</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">To this author, PC games are best when they deliver a transcendent gaming experience that is possible only with the aid of a personal computer: They don't simulate board or card games, reproduce real-world sports, or try to approximate movies. They are an art form unto themselves. </p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">I surveyed dozens of PC game developers, asking them to share their picks for the ten greatest PC titles of all time. In addition to weighing their opinions, I took into account factors such as influence, innovation, design, and replay value.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">To be considered, a game must have achieved most of its prominence on a PC platform. (This explains why Tetris, for example, didn't make the cut: It was clearly the Nintendo Game Boy's killer app). I defined a "PC" as any consumer computer that has a keyboard the user can program with arbitrary code--not just a PC of the IBM variety.</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">If you're into PC games, check out " too. And if you want to stay current with the latest games, tune into PC World's ace gaming blog</p> <p style="font-weight: bold;">Without further ado, here are our ten greatest PC games of all time, counting down from Number 10, Trade Wars 2002.</p>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9112109266125087270.post-25523698999701599772009-02-08T18:38:00.000-08:002009-02-08T18:40:07.550-08:00LG Previews Arena Flagship Cell Phone<div style="font-weight: bold;" class="articleBodyContent"> <p>LG Electronics offered a glimpse on Sunday of its new flagship multimedia cell phone, called Arena, that will debut at next week's Mobile World Congress expo in Barcelona.</p><p>The Arena KM900 handset features a new LG user interface based around the concept of a cube. The user can switch screens within the three-dimensional interface by turning from one face of the cube to the next. Underneath the main display are four icons that provide quick access to functions such as phone calls and e-mail, according to an image released by the company.</p><p>The phone is the latest in a line of handsets from major manufacturers that feature highly graphical user interfaces. Many of them take design cues from Apple's successful iPhone. Like the iPhone the Arena also has a large display that occupies most of the front face of the phone.</p><p>Other features of the handset include Dolby and Divx support, HSDPA (High-speed Downlink Packet Access) data at 7.2Mbps, Wi-Fi and GPS (Global Positioning System).</p><p>It is scheduled to be officially unveiled at a news conference on Feb. 16.</p></div>free gameshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15326689899777000398noreply@blogger.com1