Creative MP3 Players Shipped with Windows Virus

Creative MP3 Players Shipped with Windows Virus

Multimedia company Creative acknowledged that 3,700 of the company's Zen Neeon MP3 players that shipped from a company factory in late July contain a Windows worm.

The 5GB Neeon digital audio players contain a copy of W32.Wullik.B, according to a statement posted on Creative Technology Ltd.'s Japanese language Web site.

The worm file doesn't pose a serious threat of spreading, but could potentially infect Windows systems that are connected to the Neeon, according to anti-virus company F-Secure Corp.

Wullik is a mass-mailing worm that first appeared in November, 2003, and makes copies of itself in random locations on machines it infects.

BBC NEWS | UK | Wales | Computer alert for drowning girl

BBC NEWS | UK | Wales | Computer alert for drowning girl: "A 10-year-old girl has been saved from drowning by a computer system designed to raise the alarm when swimmers get into difficulties.
The girl, from Rochdale, was at the deep end of the pool in Bangor, north Wales, when she sank to the bottom.
The �65,000 system, called Poseidon, detected her on the pool floor and sounded the alarm. A lifeguard pulled her out and she recovered in hospital.
It is thought to be the first such rescue in the UK.
The girl had just entered the water and she had swum only a few strokes before appearing to black out.
One of the safety system's four underwater cameras showed her sinking without any sign of a struggle into the 12ft 6in deep end.
Once she had lain motionless on the pool floor for three seconds, the computer sounded an alarm which also pinpointed which part of the pool the girl was in to the five lifeguards on duty. "

Chinese mobe sellers bundle smut to boost sales | The Register

Chinese mobe sellers bundle smut to boost sales | The Register: "Enterprising mobile resellers in eastern China's Anhui Province are bundling free porno clips in order to boost sales of the latest multimedia handsets. Xinhua, China's official news agency, reports that one of its staffers was offered mucky clips as a purchase incentive when he asked for a demo of the video playing feature of a Motorola E398 handset in a store in the city of Bengbu. Sadly the content of the clips remains a mystery."

Develop 'super-human' like powers... fast! | The Register

Develop 'super-human' like powers... fast! | The Register: "Spammers are capitalizing on Hollywood's love affair with superhero flicks to lure gullible email readers with offers of phenomenal superhuman powers.
Clearswift's latest monthly spam index has found spammers are making tall offers for software they claim would 'automatically motivate, empower and re-educate your mind to develop 'super-human' like powers... fast!' Also on the table are magic coins that would 'change your life.'
August's most outlandish offer combines the promise of x-ray vision and telepathic powers to serve nefarious anti-social and anti-government purposes.
One spam promised readers the ability to: 'Use your computer to investigate almost anyone!' Yes, almost anyone - except, possibly, the spammer themselves. The offer continued: 'Find our what's in your FBI file. Check out an employee, a neighbor or your daughter's date!'"

Hidden-code flaw in Windows renews worries over stealthy malware | The Register

Hidden-code flaw in Windows renews worries over stealthy malware | The Register: "Last week, the Internet Storm Center, a group of security professionals that track threats on the Net, flagged a flaw in how a common Microsoft Windows utility and several anti-spyware utilities detect system changes made by malicious software. By using long names for registry keys, spyware programs could, in a simple way, hide from such utilities yet still force the system to run the malicious program every time the compromised computer starts up.
Already, some spyware authors seem to be playing with the rudimentary technique to try and hide their programs, said Tom Liston, a handler for the Internet Storm Center and a network security consultant for Intelguardians.
'We have seen indications that someone is trying this technique out,' Liston said. 'Basically, we have seen code that is stuffing a key in the registry with a huge length. Yet, the author still doesn't have it working.'
A Microsoft representative said that the company is investigating the report, but does not consider the problem an operating system flaw.
'Our early analysis indicates that this attempt to bypass these features is not a software security vulnerability, but a function within the operating system that could be misused,' the company said in a statement. 'Microsoft is reviewing the report to determine further details and whether there is any potential impact for customers and will provide appropriate customer guidance if necessary.'"

Hollywood, Microsoft align on new Windows | CNET News.com

Hollywood, Microsoft align on new Windows | CNET News.com: "As Microsoft readies the next version of its Windows operating system, called Vista, the software giant is building in unprecedented levels of safeguards against video piracy.
For the first time, the Windows operating system will wall off some audio and video processes almost completely from users and outside programmers, in hopes of making them harder for hackers to reach. The company is establishing digital security checks that could even shut off a computer's connections to some monitors or televisions if antipiracy procedures that stop high-quality video copying aren't in place.
In short, the company is bending over backward--and investing considerable technological resources--to make sure Hollywood studios are happy with the next version of Windows, which is expected to ship on new PCs by late 2006. Microsoft believes it has to make nice with the entertainment industry if the PC is going to form the center of new digital home networks, which could allow such new features as streaming high-definition movies around the home.
PCs won't be the only ones with reinforced pirate-proofing. Other new consumer electronics devices will have to play by a similar set of rules in order to play back the studios' most valuable content, Microsoft executives say. Indeed, assuring studios that content will have extremely strong protection is the only way any device will be able to support the studios' planned high-definition content, the software company says. "

F-Secure: Commwarrior claims first big victim | CNET News.com

F-Secure: Commwarrior claims first big victim | CNET News.com: "The first serious outbreak of a mobile-phone virus in a company has been detected, according to security specialist F-Secure.
F-Secure security expert Patrick Runald said Tuesday that an outbreak of the Commwarrior.B virus occured at an unnamed Scandinavian company last Wednesday.
'This is the first time a mobile virus has infected an organization,' Runald said. 'It's a particularly nasty version of Commwarrior, as it just doesn't give up.'
Commwarrior targets mobile phones that use the Symbian Series 60 operating system, and the bug spreads using Bluetooth and multimedia messaging technology, or MMS."

Google's book plan drawing ire | News.blog | CNET News.com

Google's book plan drawing ire | News.blog | CNET News.com: "Yet another publishing industry group is marshalling support to put a crimp into Google's plans to make the contents of many books available via its search engine.
The latest group to join the protest against Google's Library Print Project is the Text and Academic Authors Association, which maintains that the company's plan to scan the collections of five major libraries and make those materials accessible through its search engine is 'backwards' and 'in conflict with both the spirit and the law of copyright.'
The TAA joins at least two other publishing groups that have criticized Google's plan, the Association of American Publishers and the American Association of University Presses. All three of the groups contend that Google is essentially ignoring copyright law by making the published works available freely over the Internet. "

Google: Microsoft suit could crimp China efforts | CNET News.com

Google: Microsoft suit could crimp China efforts | CNET News.com: "Losing the services of Kai-Fu Lee for the rest of this year would have a profound effect on Google's recruiting efforts in China, the search engine company has argued in its legal battle with Microsoft.
In court papers filed last week, Google also claimed that Microsoft's lawsuit over Lee's defection is driven by the Redmond, Wash.-based company's fear that, because of Lee's 'powerful reputation' among Chinese students, 'many of the students both companies seek to recruit would go to Google, not Microsoft.'
The two tech giants are locked in a complex and bitter dispute over Lee, who left an executive post at Microsoft in July to lead a new Google research and development center in China and serve as president of its Chinese operations. Microsoft promptly sued, claiming Lee would be breaking a noncompete agreement in assuming his new role.
A Washington state judge has temporarily barred Lee from performing work at Google that competes with what he did at Microsoft--including planning for the Chinese search market. The judge is slated to hear arguments next week on whether to extend the ban until a trial set for January. "

Alternative browsers pose challenge for cybersleuths | CNET News.com

Alternative browsers pose challenge for cybersleuths | CNET News.com: "The advent of Firefox and other Web browser alternatives to Internet Explorer means cybercops have to learn new tricks for their investigations.
Internet Explorer hides nothing from cops and other investigators who examine PCs to discover which sites the user has visited. They know the location of the IE browser cache, cookie files and history and know how to read those files. Also, popular forensics tools can help out.
But that story changes when it comes to alternative browsers such as Firefox and Opera. These programs use different structures, files and naming conventions for the data investigators are after and files are in a different location on the hard drive, which can cause trouble for examiners. Furthermore, forensics software may not support the Web browsers.
Though Microsoft's IE remains the most widely used browser, these alternatives are gaining in popularity. The open-source Firefox browser in particular has been able to nibble at Microsoft's dominant share of the market. Web browser data can be important in criminal investigations because browsers keep track of a suspect's online activity. "

Microsoft Claims BizTalk Outpaces Enterprise Service Bus

Microsoft Claims BizTalk Outpaces Enterprise Service Bus

Microsoft is addressing the applications integration issue with a strategy that goes beyond the ESB standard, according to a paper the company has posted.

ESB (enterprise service bus) is an emerging standard for integrating enterprise applications in an implementation-independent fashion, at a coarse-grained service level via an event-driven and XML-based messaging engine.

The term is considered a catch-all by some. Recently, in an attempt to develop an open-source Web services framework, companies such as Iona Technologies, WSO2, Infravio Inc., Sonic Software Corp. and Blue Titan Software Inc. teamed up to bring together various projects to deliver what would amount to an open-source ESB.

However, sources said there was heated debate as to what to call it. While some wanted to call it an ESB, others did not. They settled on calling it a "Web services mediation framework."

According to a paper cited on a Weblog by Scott Woodgate, group product manager for BizTalk Server at Microsoft Corp., Microsoft's integration strategy is to go beyond the ESB to meet user needs for messaging. The paper is entitled "Microsoft on the Enterprise Service Bus (ESB)."

MSN Adds Antiphishing, Games Capabilities to IE

MSN Adds Antiphishing, Games Capabilities to IE: "On Wednesday morning, Microsoft's MSN division began offering two new add-ins for the MSN Search Toolbar. The first, a beta version of Microsoft's Phishing Filter add-in, helps protect users against Web-based scams. The second, the Games add-in, helps connect consumers with online gaming services at MSN Games. When the MSN Search Toolbar was first released earlier this year, Microsoft promised that it would be extending the product with a number of add-ins. These two are among the most full-featured released thus far.
'Our on-going mission for MSN Search is to help people find precisely what they want and seamlessly access the information they care about.' Says Dane Glasgow, the product unit manager for MSN. 'These latest add-ins provide people with unparalleled opportunity to add value to their MSN Search Toolbar for one of the most popular online activities---online games--while protecting their browsing experience.'"

Nokia makes the case for mobile TV | The Register

Nokia makes the case for mobile TV | The Register: "Nokia says that data from one of the world's first commercial mobile TV pilots in Helsinki, Finland shows that 41 per cent of pilot participants would be willing to purchase mobile TV services, and that a monthly fee of �10 ($12) is a reasonable price to pay.
Over half (58 per cent) said that they believed broadcast mobile TV services would be popular. The trial was carried out with Digita, Elisa, MTV, Channel Four Finland (Nelonen), Nokia, TeliaSonera Finland and YLE jointly between March and June 2005 with 500 users accessing mobile TV using the Nokia 7710 smartphone using DVB-H.
Most surveys on mobile TV are with phone users that have never seen live services. They have so far concluded that the idea is a lame duck. This is the first genuine European evidence that the desire is there for consumers to buy into the idea.
Pilot participants not only wanted to watch familiar program offerings, but they would also welcome mobile TV content that is suitable for short and occasional viewing. Familiar programs, available through national Finnish television channels proved to be the most popular, followed by sports and news channels.
The Ice Hockey World cup games, the San Marino and Monaco Formula One motor racing, as well as the UEFA Champions League soccer match between Liverpool and AC Milan, were among the top 10 programs viewed during the pilot.
In general, mobile TV users spent 20 minutes a day watching mobile TV, although more active users watched between 30 to 40 minutes per session. Participants also watched mobile TV at different times from traditional TV peak hours and the services were most popular while traveling on public transport. Mobile TV also proved popular at home for entertainment and complementing main TV watching.
Pilot members were charged a monthly "

MSN Toolbar Roaming Favorites First Look

The Hotfix - WindowsXP SP3 Service Pack 3 Fixes, Betas, IE7, Windows Vista, Media Center - MSN Toolbar Roaming Favorites First Look: " Released to beta testers earlier today, the MSN Toolbar Roaming Favorites Add-In Beta 1 is Microsoft's first attempt at allowing users to access their internet bookmarks (a.k.a. Favorites) remotely without having to be signed up to the MSN Internet service. Because the MSN Toolbar is free, anyone will be able to install this addition once it's released. The only major requirement is that you have a Microsoft Passport account and the free MSN Toolbar, which anyone can get for free by going to http://memberservices.passport.net/ and http://toolbar.msn.com/ "

Bush's approval rating falls to new low - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com

Bush's approval rating falls to new low - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com: "Rising gas prices and ongoing bloodshed in Iraq continue to take their toll on President Bush, whose standing with the public has sunk to an all-time low, according to the latest Washington Post-ABC News poll.
The survey found Bush's job approval rating at 45 percent, down seven points since January and the lowest ever recorded for the president in Post-ABC surveys. Fifty-three percent disapproved of the job Bush is doing."

Chinese go mental for nude web chat | The Register

Chinese go mental for nude web chat | The Register: "Pity if you will the poor old Chinese authorities in their fight to stem the tide of internet-provoked social destabilisation. First up, you've got Sister Furong flaunting herself like a two-bit hussy, then there's the thousands of addicts relentlessly gaming themselves into online degeneracy.
But it gets worse. One researcher has found that up to 20,000 Chinese regularly log on to chat rooms completely stark bollock naked - a small percentage of the country's estimated 87 million net users, 'tis true, but more than enough to set Beijing alarm bells ringing.
That, at least, is the conclusion of China Youth Association researcher Liu Gang, who told the Shanghai Daily: 'At first, we thought it was merely a game for a few mentally abnormal people. But as our research continued, we found the problem was much larger than expected.'
Yup, there's actually thousands of mentally abnormal people out there flashing their privates and 'performing provocative poses'. The basis for this shocking statistic is Liu's investigation of '10 site participants, eight of whom were single men aged 25-35 without steady jobs'."

Creative Technology beats Apple on MP3 patent | Channel Register

Creative Technology beats Apple on MP3 patent | Channel Register: "Creative Technology has been crowing after it was awarded a patent for MP3 player interface technology used by devices like rival Apple's popular iPod.
Creative, maker of the Creative Zen and Nomad Jukebox MP3 players, said Tuesday it was 'very excited' by the patent award, adding this 'recognized' the company's innovation in this highly competitive and lucrative field.
The chuffed Creative reminded the MP3 buying public and a fickle industry, that it - and not its sexier, market leading rival Apple - was first to market with an MP3 player.
News of Creative's successful application is the second patent blow to Apple's iPod this month. AppleInsider reported in early August that a three-year battle by Apple to patent the iPod's menu-based interface had proved unsuccessful, thanks to a prior filing by inventor and Microsoft research scientist John Platt.
Platt's application described a system to 'generate playlists for a library collection of media items via selecting a plurality of seed items, at least one of which is an undesirable seed item.'
After Apple's original filing was rejected, the company sought a review of an amended set of claims to its patent, whose primary creators are listed as chief executive Steve Jobs and vice president Jeff Robbin. That review proved unsuccessful."

MSN buys into Net calling future | CNET News.com

MSN buys into Net calling future | CNET News.com: "Microsoft plans to announce Tuesday that it has purchased a small Internet calling start-up called Teleo, as part of a move to expand the capabilities of MSN Messenger.
The move comes as all the major portal and IM companies are moving more heavily into Internet calling. Last week, Google launched its own instant-messaging service, dubbed Google Talk, with a focus on voice chatting.
Microsoft has its eyes set on something more like Net phone company Skype's service, however. A key part of Teleo's technology is focused on making calls from a computer to an ordinary telephone, a feature that company executives said would start finding its way into MSN Messenger before the end of 2005.
'We've been making a lot of investments in voice, but as we looked at continuing...we had that build or buy discussion,' said Brooke Richardson, lead product manager for MSN's communication services division. 'We decided that if we wanted to do things rapidly, Teleo was a good fit.'
The acquisition underlines the growing importance of voice services, increasingly indistinguishable from an ordinary telephone, to the instant-message platforms that have been one of the Internet's most popular applications.
This has tracked the explosive growth of Net calling, or voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) services over the past several years. Just as VoIP has been available for years to hobbyists and early technology adopters, voice chat has been an option inside most instant-messenger applications for some time. "

Tech Biz: Free wi-fi? Get ready for GoogleNet - Aug. 19, 2005

Tech Biz: Free wi-fi? Get ready for GoogleNet - Aug. 19, 2005: "What if Google wanted to give wi-fi access to everyone in America? And what if it had technology capable of targeting advertising to a user's precise location?
The gatekeeper of the world's information could become one of the globe's biggest Internet providers and one of its most powerful ad sellers, basically supplanting telecoms in one fell swoop. Sounds crazy, but how might Google (Research) go about it?
First it would build a national broadband network -- let's call it the GoogleNet -- massive enough to rival even the country's biggest Internet service providers. Business 2.0 has learned from telecom insiders that Google is already building such a network, though ostensibly for many reasons. "

Neowin.net - Microsoft sets its sites on Google Talk, Skype, and beyond

Neowin.net - Microsoft sets its sites on Google Talk, Skype, and beyond: "Microsoft is about to announce that it is acquiring an Internet start-up called Teleo. Teleo is developing a voice over IP technology that is similar to what is found in Skype and the new Google Talk.

Sources say that Microsoft intends to integrate this technology into an upcoming version of MSN. Teleo's voice over IP technology revolves mostly around making calls to normal phones. Presently, Teleo offers a monthly $4.95 service that allows users to make calls to traditional phones for 2 cents per minute world-wide. It also provides users with their own unique phone number that allows users to call them via a regular phone (imbound calling). In essence, users receive their own universal net phone number and users can call it with their regular phones.

Other features include being able to insert click-to-call commands in email and webpages, conferencing, call forwarding, voice mail, and more.

The acquisition puts MSN in a more direct head to head competition with Skype and Google's recently released 'Google Talk'. When these features will first show up in MSN is anyone's guess."

Yahoo unveils new e-mail search functions | CNET News.com

Yahoo unveils new e-mail search functions | CNET News.com: "Yahoo on Tuesday announced the phased rollout of new search functions for the company's free Web-based e-mail service. New features include the ability to search e-mail header, body, and attachment content; display snippets or short excerpts with highlighted matches on search terms; view thumbnails of all the pictures and documents saved in their e-mail account. "

New Windows file system enters testing | CNET News.com

New Windows file system enters testing | CNET News.com: "The company made the test version of the system, called WinFS, available to Microsoft Developer Network subscribers. The software giant had originally planned to release WinFS--which it said would make for better desktop file searching--as part of the next version of Windows, once called Longhorn but now known as Vista. However, roughly a year ago, Microsoft announced it was pulling WinFS out of Longhorn in order to let the OS ship in 2006. Of WinFS, the company said only that it would be in beta form by the time Longhorn shipped.
That left many with the impression that a test version of the file system would not come until next year. However, a WinFS developer said he would not consider the long-delayed system to be early.
'I would certainly not characterize WinFS as being ahead of schedule,' said Quentin Clark, director of program management for the new file system.
Operating systems such as Windows, Unix, Linux and others, use file systems to organize and store information. File systems, such as Windows' current NTFS, make it possible for people and computer programs to find documents, photos and other data. "

Microsoft's leaner approach to Vista security | CNET News.com

Microsoft's leaner approach to Vista security | CNET News.com: "Microsoft is talking up support for hardware-based security in Windows Vista, though only a sliver of the company's original plan will make it into the operating system.
Three years ago Microsoft unveiled Palladium, renamed Next-Generation Secure Computing Base (NGSCB) after the original name became tainted with controversy over privacy and fair-use issues and because another company claimed rights to the Palladium name. The technology was to be part of the next Windows release.
NGSCB promised to boost PC security by using hardware and software that would allow parts of a computer to be isolated from malicious code such as viruses and worms. It also would foil attacks that use logging devices by encrypting data as it moves between a PC's hardware components. NGSCB required significant changes to hardware and software. "

Coffee is number one source of antioxidants

Coffee is number one source of antioxidants: "'Americans get more of their antioxidants from coffee than any other dietary source. Nothing else comes close,' says study leader Joe Vinson, Ph.D., a chemistry professor at the university. Although fruits and vegetables are generally promoted as good sources of antioxidants, the new finding is surprising because it represents the first time that coffee has been shown to be the primary source from which most Americans get their antioxidants, Vinson says. Both caffeinated and decaf versions appear to provide similar antioxidant levels, he adds.

He cautions that high antioxidant levels in foods and beverages don't necessarily translate into levels found in the body. The potential health benefits of these antioxidants ultimately depends on how they are absorbed and utilized in the body, a process that is still poorly understood, says Vinson, whose study was primarily funded by the American Cocoa Research Institute. "

Intel, Cisco team up on Wi-Fi enhancements - Computerworld

Intel, Cisco team up on Wi-Fi enhancements - Computerworld: "Intel Corp. and Cisco Systems Inc. are looking to improve the use of Wi-Fi, initially by delivering better technology for voice over IP and enabling users to automatically connect to the best nearby network, company officials said yesterday.
The partnership's first offering, called the Business Class Wireless Suite, will become available next year, company officials said in a keynote address at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco. Sean Maloney, Intel's executive vice president and general manager of the Mobility Group, also demonstrated a next-generation handheld processor and announced a partnership with Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. aimed at developing longer battery life. "

Microsoft offers Web services development pack beta | InfoWorld | News | 2005-08-26 | By Paul Krill

Microsoft offers Web services development pack beta | InfoWorld | News | 2005-08-26 | By Paul Krill: "Microsoft in June had released Community Technology Preview (CTP) builds, which are less stable, pre-beta versions, of WSE 3.0. �This beta represents the evolution that takes into consideration the valuable customer feedback received so far, especially through the MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) product feedback center,� Microsoft said in a prepared statement on Friday afternoon.
�The core features remain unchanged from the CTP. However, this beta release brings improved diagnostics, the ability to generate ASP. Net proxies from Web services hosted over TCP, improved security, and the integration of the SoapHttpRouter with declarative policy files,� Microsoft said in its statement. �This beta release is another step in the product cycle to enable developers to see how the product is evolving and receive more feedback. WSE 3.0 will be released by the end of the year.� "

Nokia N90 review - infoSync World

Nokia N90 review - infoSync World: "It's official: there's no tomorrow. Or at least that's what Nokia must have decided, given the pace at which the company is now churning out new smartphone models. The latest to enter the fray is the fully featured N90, which among other goodies boasts a 2 Megapixel camera with Carl Zeiss optics and a best-of-breed high-resolution display that makes it a compelling choice for those inclined to document every moment of their life - if they don't mind lugging it around, that is.

And the next thing I knew, it bit me in the hand

At 112 x 51 x 24 mm and 173 g, the N90 is a behemoth of a smartphone - larger than all previous incarnations of the Series 60 platform from the Finnish manufacturer. The reason for its exuberant dimensions is simply a trade-off, however, as the clamshell device contains a 2 Megapixel digital camera equipped with swiveling Carl Zeiss optics and a built-in flash at the point of its hinge, and is also Nokia's first clamshell smartphone to include an external display.

Of the 65K colour variety with a resolution of 128 x 128 pixels, it doesn't hold a candle to the internal display, yet handily shows the signal strength and remaining battery; a wallpaper; the time; caller ID; and lets users view incoming SMS messages. Furthermore, it also does a good job of doubling as a viewfinder for the built-in camera, providing an interface to the full imaging functionality available through manipulation of a five-way joystick and the N90's dedicated capture key. "

Lenovo Sees Itself as Top PC Maker in Five Years

Lenovo Sees Itself as Top PC Maker in Five Years: "Top Chinese personal computer maker Lenovo Group will start to sell its namesake personal computers outside China in the first quarter of next year as part of its long-term plan to build the world's leading PC brand, its chief executive told Reuters.
Lenovo's PC shipments in China were three times those of its closest rival in the second quarter, but it has only recently broken into the international market in a big way, with its $1.25 billion acquisition of International Business Machines Corp.'s PC unit.
Lenovo will make IBM's flagship Thinkpad laptops available in Lenovo stores shortly. The acquisition has made it the third-biggest global PC vendor behind Dell Inc. and Hewlett-Packard Co. "

CoolTechZone::Plasma Displays: An Overview

CoolTechZone::Plasma Displays: An Overview: "Since the day television was invented, TV technology has certainly been refined quite a bit, but the core concept has remained the same. Even today most of the televisions are built on the age old Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) technology which no doubt has been modified to make bigger, better screens to give a larger crisper picture and subsequently, a much better viewing experience. There are limitations to CRT that are being felt increasingly as the need for higher resolution televisions increase each day. For instance, consider that even the lowest resolution that you can get on the computer monitor you are viewing is 640x480 whereas the best resolution that the finest analog TV can give you is a maximum of 480 horizontal lines. Compare this to at least 1024x768 resolution that we are used to seeing on our desktops and you can see why there is such a hue and cry about finding a whole new system for televisions."

BetaNews | 8 Hour Laptop Battery Due in 2006

BetaNews | 8 Hour Laptop Battery Due in 2006: "The need to change a laptop battery every few hours may soon be an annoyance of the past. Intel and Matsushita, the maker of Panasonic brand products, are jointly developing technology that would produce laptop batteries with 8 hours of power per charge.
To be finished by next April, the battery is based on lithium-ion technology that can store up to 30 percent more power and has a lower end-of-discharge voltage, which means it can run longer before needing a recharge. The battery would work with current power-saving techniques used by Intel in order to extend its usable life."

BetaNews | Microsoft's Halo to Become Movie

BetaNews | Microsoft's Halo to Become Movie: "It's been a successful video game, and thanks to two deals signed Wednesday it could become a successful motion picture. A spokesman for Universal Pictures said that its studio, along with Twentieth Century Fox, had struck a deal with Microsoft to produce a movie based on the 'Halo' and 'Halo 2' video games.
The studios will pay Microsoft $5 million plus 10 percent of domestic ticket sales. According to reports, this number is lower than Microsoft wanted - the company had initially asked for $15 million and 15 percent of ticket sales. The studios hope to have the film released in the summer of 2007."

BetaNews | Can IM Reshape the Future of AOL?

BetaNews | Can IM Reshape the Future of AOL?: "In order to rebuild its brand image while establishing new revenue streams, AOL has turned to its most valuable asset: AIM.
With Google's entry into the instant messaging space this week, rivals AOL and Microsoft are wasting no time planning their future moves. MSN Messenger 7.5 shipped with minor improvements on the road to version 8, while AOL is already mapping out its second generation Triton client for next spring.
Triton, the code-name for the next iteration of AIM that will replace version 5.9, entered beta testing in April. Like its competitors, the Triton client goes beyond IM to offer a suite of communications tools from voice to video."

BetaNews | MSN Begins Work on Modular Web Site

BetaNews | MSN Begins Work on Modular Web Site: "A visit to MSN's beta site indicates that the online service has recently begun work on a new version of its homepage. The new site appears to be taking cues from MSN's Start.com test bed, as well as moving some features from its My MSN customizable page to the front page.
From the current design, it appears that users will be able to collapse, add, move, and delete content modules.
Search boxes still appear at the top and the bottom of the site, and the listing of content sections has been moved from the left sidebar in the current design to the top. Prominent links have been given to Hotmail, Messenger and MSN in this top bar."

The Hindu Business Line : The world's within reach

The Hindu Business Line : The world's within reach: "THE owners of the British India Submarine Telegraph Company, which rolled out India's first submarine telegraph cable between Bombay and the UK in 1870, would have never imagined that Indians could ever control this huge goldmine buried deep under the dark ocean floor.
One hundred and thirty five years later, Indian telecom operators Videsh Sanchar Nigam Ltd, Reliance Infocomm, Bharti Televentures and Bharat Sanchar Nigam Ltd, with ownership of six major under-sea cable systems, are all set to become the new barons of international bandwidth, a status that was enjoyed by US operators such as Cable & Wireless, AT&T and MCI until a few months ago.The reason for this change in balance of power has been a spate of acquisitions by the Indian operators in recent months.
It all began with Reliance Infocomm acquiring 100 per cent equity in FLAG Telecom for $207 million (about Rs 1,000 crore) with a view to garnering market share in the global infrastructure segment.
FLAG had a market capital of $7 billion at its peak and has laid submarine cables of around 50,000 km across the globe and is a major provider of American connectivity into key regions such as West Asia and South Asia, with hubs in West Asia. "

Techworld.com - The Linux v Windows debate is growing up

Techworld.com - The Linux v Windows debate is growing up: "The old argument about which is cheapest, Linux or Windows, and which is best for the enterprise, refuses to go away. In one camp live those who are comfortable with a commercial licence which has its own advantages and disadvantages, while in the other sit open source proponents, who argue that the best products arrive via a collaborative route.
Both however are starting to agree that the parameters of the debate moved on from straightforward cost of acquisition to the total cost of ownership sometime ago, as reflected by the popularity of Techworld's own white papers on this issue. "

Wired News: New Intel a Media Mastermind

Wired News: New Intel a Media Mastermind: "Trying to repeat the success of its Centrino brand for notebook computers, Intel said it will launch a set of technologies geared specifically for entertainment PCs.
Computers carrying an 'Intel Viiv' sticker will feature the chipmaker's microprocessors along with other Intel (INTC) hardware and software. Viiv systems will ship early next year with a remote control. Intel recently introduced a computer 'platform' for businesses, and its offering in the area of entertainment PCs had been expected."

PCWorld.com - Windows Vista Looks Slicker, Safer

PCWorld.com - Windows Vista Looks Slicker, Safer: "The first beta of Microsoft's Windows Vista clearly shows where the operating system is headed. Rather than a dramatic departure from Windows XP, Vista seems to refine the OS with sharper graphics and improved search and security. The new interface and other changes are definitely for the better, but some aspects of Vista--including its Virtual Folders--are a bit puzzling.
Described by company executives as 'a plumbing release' containing only about half the features users will receive in the shipping version (still said to be on track for rollout in late 2006), Build 5112, aka Beta 1, was released on July 27 to 10,000 technical testers, with an additional half million IT pros and developers gaining access to the code (if not to tech support) via their respective Microsoft support groups."

Bink.nu | Intel chooses Windows XP Media Center as default OS for the new Viiv technology platform

Bink.nu | Intel chooses Windows XP Media Center as default OS for the new Viiv technology platform: "You may have seen that Intel just announced Viiv technology, a new platform for digital entertianment. As part of this announcement Intel selected Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition as the default operating system.
This means that all Viiv enabled pcs will ship with the Media Center Edition operating system enabling users to control all their video, music and photos with one remote control. Also nice to know is that Media Center Extender devices including the upcoming XBox 360 have been Viiv certified. "

BetaNews | Google Opens Gmail Service to Public

BetaNews | Google Opens Gmail Service to Public: "When Google unveiled its instant messaging client yesterday, there was only one problem: Google Talk requires a Gmail account, which has been invitation-only since its beta debut in 2004. This changed on Thursday, however, as Google opened Gmail to anyone in the United States with a mobile phone.
The mobile phone requirement was designed to prevent Gmail accounts from being created by robots and stop spammers from signing up multiple times. Google will send an invitation code via SMS, which can then be used to register with Gmail. Only one account may be created per phone number."

IBM unveils software for real-time data backup | CNET News.com

IBM unveils software for real-time data backup | CNET News.com

Hitachi to unleash terabyte DVD recorder | News.blog | CNET News.com

Hitachi to unleash terabyte DVD recorder | News.blog | CNET News.com: "Hitachi is thinking ahead to the days when people will want to save a lot of high-definition television shows to watch later.
The company unveiled plans to ship a new hard disk drive DVD recorder that can store one terabyte of data on two 500 gigabyte hard disk drives. That's enough space for about 128 hours of high-definition digital broadcasting, according to the good folk over at Reuters who did the math.
The device will initially be available in Japan next month for 230,000 yen ($2,089.95). Hitachi is also offering models able to store 160 gigabytes ($1,181.38), 250 gigabytes and 500 gigabytes of data. "

Microsoft MSN offers scam site detector | CNET News.com

Microsoft MSN offers scam site detector | CNET News.com: "Aiming to step up its battle against malicious Web sites, Microsoft said Wednesday that its MSN unit will offer a browser add-in that will help identify both known scam sites as well as those that appear suspicious.
Microsoft is already building similar 'antiphishing' features into Windows Internet Explorer 7, the next version of its browser. In the new browser, users will be interrupted and warned when they try to go to a site that is known to deceptively try to grab personal information, a practice known as phishing. Those who go to sites not known as scam sites, but whose behavior appears suspicious, will see a warning.
MSN product manager Justin Osmer said that his unit will offer the same technology in a similar manner to users of the current Internet Explorer 6 browser via a plug-in to the free MSN toolbar that works in conjunction with IE6. "

Intel announces 'desktrino' home PC platform | The Register

Intel announces 'desktrino' home PC platform | The Register: "Unsurprisingly, it's founded on a dual-core processors, and it's based on Windows Media Center Edition, VP and General Manager of Intel's Digital Home Group, Don MacDonald, revealed at Intel Developer Forum today.
VIIV will formally launch in Q1 2006, presumably when Intel has its 65nm dual-core 'Presler' processors on the market. The platform was fomerly known as 'East Fork'.
MacDonald didn't detail the VIIV spec - but it's likely to include the processor, chipset, connectivity, supporting software infrastructure, a mandatory remote control unit and 'maybe other things as we go forward', said MacDonald.
The Pentium D and 945 chipset have been mentioned in connection with the VIIV platform, as has Intel's 'Tekoa' Gigabit Ethernet controller. To that we'd add the 'Yonah' mobile processor and its 945M Express chipset. Likewise, the Pentium Extreme Edition/955X chipset combo."

Brute force attack planned by Intel to blunt AMD's edge | The Register

Brute force attack planned by Intel to blunt AMD's edge | The Register: "Intel's enterprise chief Pat Gelsinger took the stage today at the Intel Developer Forum to convince customers, developers and media jackals that the chipmaker has embarked on one of the grandest turnarounds in IT history. After failing to gauge the immediate impact 64-bit extensions and dual-core chips would have on x86 servers, Intel has decided to flood the market with dual-core chips, four-core chips, specialized technology for handling system management and partitions and a vast portfolio of software meant to improve partner applications. Cool chips, smart chips, complex chips, fast chips - Intel will have them all.
In a candid moment after his keynote, Gelsiner confessed to The Register that 'it took awhile' to realign 'the whole product line.'
Intel executives made mistakes by growing too fond of GHz and reliant on increasing cache sizes to make up for delays between processors and memory. Insiders say that engineers warned Intel's brass that it too would need to produce dual-core chips and use lower-power processors more quickly than expected, but management ignored such warnings, believing a manufacturing miracle would save the company."

Wired 13.09: The Super Network

Wired 13.09: The Super Network: "Returning home after a vacation in 2004, Andy Volk dumped his luggage in the hallway and settled into an armchair for an evening of his favorite shows: The Simpsons, Futurama, and The Streets of San Francisco. But when he called up the Now Playing menu on his TiVo, he discovered a couple of things he'd never seen next to the usual items. A friend who'd been house-sitting had loaded the DVR with a whole new world of television. At the top of the list was Dr. Terror's House of Horrors, something Volk, a product manager at Yahoo!, had never considered watching. He pushed Play. And he loved it."

Relax, Bill Gates; it's Google's turn as villain | CNET News.com

Relax, Bill Gates; it's Google's turn as villain | CNET News.com: "For years, Silicon Valley hungered for a company mighty enough to best Microsoft. Now it has one such contender: the phenomenally successful Google.
But instead of embracing Google as one of their own, many in Silicon Valley are skittish about its size and power. They fret that the very strengths that made Google a search engine phenomenon are distancing it from the entrepreneurial culture that produced it--and even transforming it into a threat.
A year after the company went public, those inside Google are learning the hard way what it means to be the top dog inside a culture accustomed to pulling for the underdog. And they are facing a hometown crowd that generally rebels against anything that smacks of corporate behavior."

How Microsoft 95 Became Microsoft 2005

How Microsoft 95 Became Microsoft 2005: "In 1995, Microsoft was in trouble. Big trouble.
OS/2, despite its fans, was going nowhere. Windows 3.11 was, at best, a great GUI for running Microsoft Excel, but not a whole lot else. And then, as now, Apple owned the graphical desktop with the Mac. ADVERTISEMENT If that wasn't bad enough for Bill Gates and his pals, the Internet was turning out to be a much, much bigger deal than they had ever dreamed it was going to be: Netscape was already riding its browser to becoming, albeit briefly, a billion-dollar company. "

From Melissa to Zotob: 10 Years of Windows Worms

From Melissa to Zotob: 10 Years of Windows Worms: "The names roll of the tongue like characters in an episode of 'American Gladiators.' Klez. Blaster. Slammer. Sasser. Zotob. Computer viruses and worms, all targeting users of Microsoft Corp.'s Windows operating system.
ADVERTISEMENT The first sign of computer worm activity dates back to 1982, when a program called Elk Cloner squirmed through Apple II systems. The SCA virus and Brain, written for IBM PC compatibles and Amigas, would pop up in the late 1980s, followed by the Morris Worm, the first documented 'in the wild' proof-of-concept that infected DEC VAX machines.
Those worms hardly registered on the mainstream media radar but, with the arrival of Windows 95, all that changed in a hurry. The computer world has never been the same."

IE Turns 10: Oh, What a Decade!

Microsoft's Internet Explorer turns 10 on Wednesday. That's 10 years, not the version number, which is just now approaching 7. While it's arguably the most important piece of software to hit user desktops during the decade, its arrival has been a mixed blessing. Some may consider it a curse.

Internet Explorer has influenced Windows to some extent and even changed the way we connect to our data files. At the same time, it's also paved the way for plenty of problems on the security front. ">IE Turns 10: Oh, What a Decade!: "Opinion: Despite the browser's well-reported security problems, Internet Explorer still has changed the world for the better.

Vibe of the Tribe

Vibe of the Tribe: "We recently have heard through the grapevine that the 3 billion dollar (US) offer from News Corp. was not enough money to convince the wonder twins over at Skype, Niklas Zennstr�m and Janus Friis, to sell. This is not just about money for Niklas and Janus. There must be a passion for technology. Look at Kazaa. Illegal file sharing is a hard business to make money at. At this point, it seems that any way they go, they stand to make a boat load of money when Skype hits the market, but it will be in a way they want.
Now step in the super boys, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, of Google. Google does not have a great VoIP and Instant Message option. Jabber is fine, but it is no Skype. Technology-wise, Skype fits Google very well. A closed sourced open API environment that really just works. Look at Google maps. Look at AdSense and AdWords. They just work and on any platform, much like Skype."

Nokia dominates 3G | The Register

Nokia dominates 3G | The Register: "Some 9 million 3G handsets were shipped globally during the second quarter of 2005 with Nokia claiming the top position on the vendor table for the first time.
That's according to figures released by research firm Strategy Analytics, which reveal that the Finnish mobile phone giant captured 17 per cent of the 3G handset market during the three months from April to June. Nokia's 17 percent share of the 3G market is almost half of its global overall share in the global mobile market, which stands at 33 per cent, according to Chris Ambrosio, director of the Strategy Analytics wireless device strategies service.
'WCDMA (3G) technology, which accounted for just 5 per cent of total handset sales during Q2 2005, remains a market in the early stages of development, but it is worrying for a cluster of aspiring Asian vendors that Nokia has already become best in class,' said Ambrosio."

Sony to launch P2P music swapping network | The Register

Sony to launch P2P music swapping network | The Register: "In one of the most significant digital music announcements of the year, Sony BMG has partnered with British digital music outfit Playlouder MSP to make its music catalog available online. Subscribers will be able to exchange licensed music freely, in any bitrate they want, since a portion of the subscription fee goes to a digital pool which is divided amongst Sony and other artists. Playlouder MSP will supply the broadband connection itself, and attempt to monitor leakages.
In essence, it's a privatized attempt to create a 'digital pool' of revenue to compensate artists - a time-tested idea applied to radio, public broadcasting and other technologies. Privately, many rights holders accept the idea as inevitable, although they're loathe to voice support for a mandatory compulsory license in public. Or at least, not until they've demonstrated that technical and legal countermeasures to control music sharing have been tried and failed."

Google joins instant-messaging fray | CNET News.com

Google joins instant-messaging fray | CNET News.com: "Not content with being the top Internet search provider, Google is churning out some high-profile new products amid a flurry of punches aimed at Microsoft, Yahoo and America Online.
Late Tuesday, Google unveiled an instant-messenger program called Google Talk that allows text and computer-to-computer voice chat. However, observers questioned what Google innovation could be added to lure loyal users and their millions of buddies away from established instant-messaging applications.
Google Talk appears to be based on the Jabber open-source standard, which would allow consumers to connect with other IM systems that work with Jabber. Google's site also said a Gmail account was necessary to use Google Talk. "

BBC NEWS | Technology | Sony frees music for file-sharers

BBC NEWS | Technology | Sony frees music for file-sharers: "The first net service provider aimed at people who want to share music legally has struck a significant deal with global music giant Sony BMG.
Playlouder MSP, launching at the end of September, will let its customers share Sony licensed music with others on its network.
In return, Playlouder will pool some of its broadband subscriptions to share with music rights owners.
The deal is seen as a groundbreaking move to use file-sharing legally.
'Ensuring record companies are adequately and reliably recompensed for the use of their copyrights on the internet is the number one issue for our business,' said British Phonographic Institute (BPI) chairman Peter Jamieson.
'The BPI welcomes the innovative thinking which has gone into the creation of Playlouder MSP and we give it our full support.'
Acts under the Sony BMG umbrella include Beyonce, David Bowie, Macy Gray, Oasis, Travis, Will Young, Outkast, Alicia Keys and Dido. "

Toshiba heads toward HD DVD launch | The Register

Toshiba heads toward HD DVD launch | The Register: "Clear some extra space on the video shelf. The backers of Blu-ray and HD DVD are pushing ahead with product launches after failing to reach an agreement on merging the two next generation DVD formats.
Both camps had been discussing how to produce a single standard since earlier this year, with discussions punctuated by regular spats before collapsing all together.
Toshiba said this week it will move its HD DVD standard towards a launch, after talks with Blu-ray backer Sony proved fruitless. Sony, presumably, will shrug off the failure of the talks and press on with its own launch. According to reports, both companies have suggested talks can restart, but with both formats due to appear late this year, corporate name-calling appears more likely."

Microsoft Buffs Sparkle 'Flash Killer'

Microsoft Buffs Sparkle 'Flash Killer': "At its upcoming Professional Developers Conference next month, Microsoft Corp. is set to shed more details on its developer-oriented graphics tool, code-named Sparkle.
Sparkle will be one element of the upcoming Expression Studio suite of design and developer tools for the Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), formerly known as Avalon. Expression Studio also is expected to be unveiled at the PDC, sources said. ADVERTISEMENT Expression Studio also will feature a design tool Microsoft has code-named Acrylic, which Microsoft said last week will support the Microsoft Extensible Application Markup Language (XAML). Other components of Expression Studio will be delivered over time, sources said."

DigitalCamera@101reviews � Urine-Powered Batteries

DigitalCamera@101reviews � Urine-Powered Batteries: "Urine-Powered Batteries for Biochip Devices
Singapore Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology develops first paper battery that generates electricity from urine
Scientists at the Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) have developed the first urine-activated paper battery for use in biochip devices. This battery could potentially be the perfect power source for cheap, disposable healthcare test-kits for diseases such as diabetes."

NCSA edges away from Google-Yahoo! study | The Register

NCSA edges away from Google-Yahoo! study | The Register: "A widely discredited report that cast doubt on claims made for Yahoo!'s search engine is in even more trouble. The study appears to have been disowned by the university that published it, although a history professor originally credited as a co-author is continuing to host the material.

After Yahoo! boasted that it now used a much larger search index than Google, two students at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois conducted a study that suggested otherwise. Matthew Cheney and Mike Perry concluded that only in 3 per cent of test cases did Yahoo! return more results.

However the students' methodology came under attack almost immediately. Researchers including Seth Finkelstein and Jean Veronais drew some quite different conclusions. The NCSA researchers had used pairs of words at random picked from a word list, which skewed the results towards web pages consisting of word lists. In other words, Google was simply returning more junk than Yahoo!"

Canon EOS 5D, full-frame 12.8 megapixel: Digital Photography Review

Canon EOS 5D, full-frame 12.8 megapixel: Digital Photography Review: "The biggest surprise of the day (not) will be Canon's much-leaked EOS 5D. Yes, the specifications floating around for the last two weeks were accurate, this camera slots in above the EOS 20D but below the EOS-1D series with its full-frame (35 mm negative size) 12.8 megapixel CMOS sensor. Other key specifications; 3.0 fps continuous shooting, Spot metering, Custom settings mode, Picture Style parameters, 2.5' wide viewing angle LCD monitor, marginally larger than the EOS 20D, USB 2.0 High-speed, compatible with WFT-E1 wireless transmitter. The EOS 5D is certainly unique and will no doubt be of great interest to a great variety of photographers. The EOS 5D will be priced at $3299 (US) / �3459 (EU)."

Intel Has Multicores Inside

Intel Has Multicores Inside: "Intel will have a multitude of multicore processors on hand this week at its fall developer forum, which opens Tuesday. ADVERTISEMENT Paul Otellini, CEO of the Santa Clara, Calif., chip maker, will kick it off by unveiling what is likely to be the biggest news from this year's fall event. Otellini will open the three-day fall Intel Developer Forum with a keynote address that will include the first details of a new processor architecture. The architecture will present a new take on the circuitry that underpins the bulk of Intel Corp.'s future PC and server chips.
The architecture, whose planned announcement has already sparked much discussion, is expected to draw heavily from the circuitry behind Intel Pentium M notebook processor. It is likely to focus on attaining a mix of performance and energy efficiency for multicore processors, which pack more than one processor core into a single chip. "

BBC NEWS | Technology | Google tool watches as you work

BBC NEWS | Technology | Google tool watches as you work: "Google's desktop search software is being overhauled to become a digital helper that reacts to what users do.
The move is likely to intensify competition between Google and rivals Microsoft, Yahoo and AOL.
The revamped software will suggest web links, personal documents and images that might be relevant to whatever someone is doing with their computer.
The tool also automatically subscribes to feeds from weblogs and news sites that a user visits. "

BBC NEWS | Technology | ID theft spyware scam uncovered

BBC NEWS | Technology | ID theft spyware scam uncovered: "Thousands of computer users have been caught out by a huge ID theft ring.
Security firm Sunbelt Software said it stumbled across a US-based server storing megabytes of data stolen from compromised computers while researching spyware infections.
The server held passwords for online accounts from 50 banks, Ebay and Paypal logins, hundreds of credit card numbers and reams of personal data.
The FBI has reportedly now started investigating the ring of ID thieves. "

CNN.com - Digital music king may lose crown - Aug 22, 2005

CNN.com - Digital music king may lose crown - Aug 22, 2005: "That is the message to Apple Computer CEO Steve Jobs from almost every other company in the digital music space vying for consumer attention after several years of domination by the iPod and iTunes.
Apple's successful combination of sexy design and elegant usability has propelled the iPod to the top of the digital music market as the undisputed king.
Every move Apple makes these days results in victory. As the rest of the flash-player market floundered, Apple took over the category in a day with the release of the iPod Shuffle. It turned podcasting from a cool-sounding technology that nobody used to a legitimate format by adding it to the new version of iTunes -- and generating 2 million subscriptions in less than a week."

Where Does Google Plan to Spend $4 Billion? - New York Times

Where Does Google Plan to Spend $4 Billion? - New York Times: "In all the speculation that followed the announcement from Google on Thursday that it planned to raise an additional $4 billion by selling stock, no one seemed to recall the space elevator.
The elevator - a fanciful alternative to rocket boosters to reach earth orbit - is one of the dozens of business ideas that have been considered by the company's wide-eyed founders, Sergey Brin and Larry Page. It also is one of the ideas that the company's chief executive, Eric E. Schmidt, has taken pride in keeping 'below the line.'"

Google uses Sidebar to sideline rivals | The Register

Google uses Sidebar to sideline rivals | The Register: "In an aggressive move that will pit Google against both Microsoft and Yahoo, the search giant has released an upgrade to its desktop search programme.
Dubbed Sidebar, the free programme will sit on a user's desktop pulling news stories, photographs, weather reports, stock quotes and other features onto a user's computer without the need to open a web browser. Google Desktop is also bundled into Sidebar, allowing users to search for files on their desktop directly from the toolbar.

Some elements of the new programme are similar to Yahoo's popular My Yahoo, a customisable web page that features content such as weather updates, stock quotes and news, relevant to the user.

Unlike My Yahoo though, Sidebar does not require the user to select content relevant to them, rather it observes what kind of content the user is interested in and serves it up. If this type of Big Brother element does not appeal to users, they can simply turn off many of the customisable functions."

Google dominates in machine translation tests | CNET News.com

Google dominates in machine translation tests | CNET News.com: "Search giant Google's ambitions to make the Web more international got a slight boost from a U.S. government-run test in which its machine translation software beat out competitors from IBM and academia.
Google scored the highest in Arabic-to-English and Chinese-to-English translation tests conducted by the National Institute of Science and Technology. Each test consisted of translating 100 articles from Agence France Presse and the Xinhua News Agency dated from Dec. 1, 2004, to Jan. 24, 2005. The results were posted earlier this month.
Although computerized translations historically have read more like broken English, increased processing power and larger data samples have allowed scientists to improve the accuracy of these systems.
Start-up Language Weaver, for instance, has created software that can translate Al Jazeera broadcasts. Research on the topic is being tackled at Carnegie Mellon's Language Technology Institute and other universities. (Neither Language Weaver nor CMU participated in the recent test.) "

Lee Says He Never Saw MSN Search Code

Lee Says He Never Saw MSN Search Code: "'Can't spend what you ain't got. Can't lose what you never had,' Gregg Allman sang, and that seems to mirror Dr. Lee's defense in the trial pitting Microsoft against Google. A recent report on Silicon.com cites court records, where Dr. Lee acknowledges working for Microsoft in China, but denies working on search. Since he didn't work on search, he can't be considered in violation of his non-compete agreement by taking a job with Google.

Dr. Lee further disputes ever being a resident of Washington state, home of Microsoft and the location where Microsoft filed its suit against him and Google. Since that filing, Google has attempted to sue in California court to free Dr. Lee from the Microsoft contract. California law tends to be against non-compete agreements. "

Apache expands Web services reach | CNET News.com

Apache expands Web services reach | CNET News.com: "The Apache Software Foundation is expected to launch on Monday an open-source integration server project, part of a bigger effort to create a full suite of Web services infrastructure software.
Called Apache Synapse, the proposed project will create server software that processes XML documents as they travel between two machines.
Called a 'Web services broker' or an enterprise service bus (ESB), Synapse will be designed to perform tasks such as translating between different XML document formats and routing information based on its contents. The initial code for the project will be donated by integration software vendor Sonic Software and Web services management company Infravio.
By itself, the Synapse software is not an alternative to full-featured commercial ESBs, a loosely defined term for integration software based on standards, including Web services protocols. "

On Windows Vista, DRM, and new monitors

On Windows Vista, DRM, and new monitors : Page 1: "One of the more touchy subjects crowding my inbox lately relates to how Windows Vista will fail to render High Definition video in 'pure' High Definition on most existing monitors. There's quite a bit of hemming and hawing over the probability that Windows Vista users will have to buy new monitors to see HD content. Let's get a few facts out on the table before we oil our rags and tie them to our spears, because there's a considerable amount of misinformation out there.
First of all, High Definition content is not what you get on a DVD today. Most DVDs are 480i (upsampled to 480p by many quality players), the same as broadcast TV (but without the distorted colors). HD content is essentially everything above the 480 lines: 720p, 1080i, and 1080p (the last one is currently rare). "

MS05-039 and the Zotob summary - .tHE pRODUCT

MS05-039 and the Zotob summary - .tHE pRODUCT: "Quite a lot has happened in the last few days, some of it is significant and some of it is just media hype. The Chief asked us to rant about it. In this summary I will try and cut through the hype and see if there are any important lessons or theories that can be taken from this incident. "

Wired News: How Mobile Phones Conquered Japan

Wired News: How Mobile Phones Conquered Japan: "Blue-haired Harajuku high schoolers thumb-text distant pals on stickered keitai. Cell phones become cookie brokers, beaming snack requests to vending machines that zap back digital payment demands. Teen girls book illicit 'compensation dates' with salarymen, sending snapshots to potential johns via camera-phones."

Microsoft Offers Zotob Removal Tool

Microsoft Offers Zotob Removal Tool: "Microsoft has made available a free software tool to help victims of the worms that hit Windows computers in the past days clean their systems.

The Zotob worm started spreading on Sunday. Since then, the worm, its variants, and other worms that take advantage of the same security flaw have hit Windows computers, especially those running Windows 2000. Systems at ABC, CNN and The New York Times were among those infected.

The cleaning program, released Wednesday, is an updated version of Microsoft's Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, said Debby Fry Wilson, a director at the company's Security Response Center. 'You click on it and it will tell you if you are infected,' she said. 'And if you are, it will clean the worm off your PC.'"

Toshiba Releases First Hard Disk Drive Based on Perpendicular Magnetic Recording

Toshiba Releases First Hard Disk Drive Based on Perpendicular Magnetic Recording: "Toshiba Storage Device Division (SDD) is announcing the shipment of the world's first HDD-based on perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR). The new 1.8-inch HDD, used primarily in consumer electronics (CE) devices, enables up to 10,000 songs or 25,000 photos on a single 40GB platter.

The MK4007GAL HDD 1.8-inch HDD packs 40GB on a single platter, making this the largest single-platter capacity yet achieved in the 1.8-inch form factor. The average seek time is 15msec (milli seconds), with suppor for Ultra DMA/100. The platter spins at 4,200 RPM. The whole HDD size is 54 x 78.5 x 5mm weighing only 51g.

According to the company, this technology sets new benchmarks for data density with the highest areal density currently on the market at 206 megabits per square millimeter (133 gigabits per square inch). The 1.8-inch PMR HDD is now shipping in Toshiba's new Gigabeat F41, enabling the MP3 player to store up to 10,000 songs. "

Webcam lets you make over your video IM | News.blog | CNET News.com

Webcam lets you make over your video IM | News.blog | CNET News.com
Separate groups of hackers are releasing a barrage of worms in a battle to seize control of Windows PCs that remain vulnerable to the now infamous Windows Plug-and-Play vulnerability.

The Bozori worm attempts to remove infections by earlier versions of the Zotob worm and other malware, so it can take control of a compromised computer for itself. A family of IRC bots that exploit the same Microsoft (MS05-039) Plug and Play vulnerability likewise try to remove competing PnP bots, as explained in a diagram by Finnish anti-virus firm F-Secure here. It reckons 11 different types of malware are exploiting the vulnerability.

The upswing in malware creation - and competition between various PnP worms - echoes the competition between NetSky and Bagle worms for control of vulnerable Windows PCs that first flared up in March 2004. Then, as now, it's all about turning Windows PCs in zombie spam bots.

Worm War II | The Register

Worm War II | The Register: "Separate groups of hackers are releasing a barrage of worms in a battle to seize control of Windows PCs that remain vulnerable to the now infamous Windows Plug-and-Play vulnerability.
The Bozori worm attempts to remove infections by earlier versions of the Zotob worm and other malware, so it can take control of a compromised computer for itself. A family of IRC bots that exploit the same Microsoft (MS05-039) Plug and Play vulnerability likewise try to remove competing PnP bots, as explained in a diagram by Finnish anti-virus firm F-Secure here. It reckons 11 different types of malware are exploiting the vulnerability.
The upswing in malware creation - and competition between various PnP worms - echoes the competition between NetSky and Bagle worms for control of vulnerable Windows PCs that first flared up in March 2004. Then, as now, it's all about turning Windows PCs in zombie spam bots."

Sony counters iPod Shuffle with the Bean | The Register

Sony has launched a curvy, palm-sized portable music player dubbed, not inappropriately, the Bean.

We'll resist the opportunity to suggest the Japanese giant's move is somewhat half-baked. Instead, we'll point out that the design is certainly more Mister Bean than Sean Bean.

More formally monikered the NW-E205, the 512MB Flash-based Network Walkman Bean supports Sony's own ATRAC3 Plus format and MP3. It's available in four colours: blue (aka 'Tropical Ice'), pink (Cotton Candy), black (Licorice) and white (Coconut), all selected to suggest jellybean styling rather than a more haricot heritage. The unit has a one-line OLED screen.

Mac OS X security fix breaks 64-bit code | The Register

Apple's most recent Mac OS X Security Update, released on Monday, causes 64-bit applications to malfunction, it has emerged.

However, the Mac maker today issued a fix for the problem, posting Security Update 2005-007 version 1.1 via its Software Update tool.

Software developer Wolfram Research, which was one of the first companies to ship 64-bit Mac software after last year's release of the Power Mac G5, alerted users of its Mathematica application to the problem on Tuesday.

AOL techie jailed for selling email database to spammers | The Register

A former AOL engineer was sent to jail for 15 months yesterday after he confessed to stealing 92m screen names and email addresses belonging to an estimated 30m AOL members and selling them to spammers.

Jason Smathers, 25, was sentenced on Wednesday after pleading guilty in February to conspiracy and theft charges and to violation of federal anti-spam laws. District Judge Alvin Hellerstein also ordered Smathers to pay $83,000 in compensation or three times the $28,000 he made flogging off AOL screen names and email addresses to a spammer, named in court as Sean Dunaway, 22, of Las Vegas.

Microsoft CRM 3.0 Screenshots (Sneak Peek): Sonoma Partners

Microsoft CRM 3.0 Screenshots (Sneak Peek): Sonoma Partners

Vista feature exposes beta machines | CNET News.com

Windows Vista beta testers have stumbled upon a networking feature in the operating system that could pose a security risk to them--but they say they're not worried.

After installing the first beta release of the upcoming Windows client, some testers noticed suspicious network traffic to their machines. Concerned about a possible attack, these people last week contacted the SANS Internet Storm Center.

"There was very curious traffic that did not match anything that they had seen before," said George Bakos, a security expert at the Institute for Security Technology Studies at Dartmouth College who is associated with SANS. "The concern was that this may be some new type of attack, or somebody scanning for a vulnerability we were unaware of."

Google Has Your Data: Should You Be Afraid? Part Two

As Part One of this story discussed, Google is bent on monetizing users through keeping a careful watch on every Web page users access and every file users open on local machines, a strategy that has begun to raise red flags among privacy advocates.

It is in sharing users' private information that one of the greatest potentials for loss of privacy can occur. The Google privacy statement indicates that the company does not rent or sell information. But it declares that sharing information is definitely an option under specified limited circumstances with the users' consent.

Users give their consent in most cases when they click the "I agree" option when signing up for a Google service. And what are those specific sharing conditions? Google shares collected data with third-party companies to process Google's specific instructions. It also shares user account information with all of its member services, according to the policy statement, to provide users "a seamless experience." Under unspecified conditions, Google shares account information with other people or nonaffiliated companies.

Google ups number of ads | News.blog | CNET News.com

Google ups number of ads | News.blog | CNET News.com

RSS 'repositioned' by Microsoft | The Register

RSS 'repositioned' by Microsoft | The Register

Google unites Blogger and Microsoft Word

Google released this week a Blogger for Word toolbar that lets people post musings directly to their Google Blogger sites from Microsoft Word.

Blogger for Word is a free downloadable plug-in that enables users to easily save a Word document as a post to their Blogger blog without having to open a browser, as well as save drafts of blogs and edit their work offline for later posting.