ChewOnTech.com - ChewOnTech

Amazon reports stunning revenue but profit drops

2012-02-01T09:45:00.002+08:00

Amazon's net sales increased 35% to $17.43 billion in the fourth quarter, compared with $12.95 billion in fourth quarter 2010.

Profits at the web giant fell to $260 million in the fourth quarter, compared with $474 million in fourth quarter 2010. This could be due to the sale of the Kindle Fire, which they are reportedly being sold at a loss.

Sales of the Kindle Fire and e-reader devices registered growth of 65% in terms of unit volume.

They predict sales to be between $12.0 billion and $13.4 billion, or to grow between 22% and 36% compared with first quarter 2011. While operating income is expected to be $100 million, representing a 69% decline compared with first quarter 2011.

Amazon

Kinect prototype for laptops

2012-01-30T15:15:00.001+08:00

Microsoft teamed up with Asus on the first range of laptops that would intergate the Kinect sensor into laptops. The laptops are running Windows 8 and was shown in CES a few weeks ago.

Like how it license it's Windows platform to other developers, Microsoft would be licensing the Kinect technology for other laptop manufacturers.

It has opened up the development of the Kinect SDK software to the open source market. It would take an estimated 2-3 years before it can hit a affordable entry price point for consumers to step in.

More at The Daily

Apple reports stellar Q1 results

2012-01-25T09:26:00.001+08:00

Apple set a new record for it's revenue and profit, earning a total of $13.06 billion on the back of a $46.33 billion in revenue. This represents about half of the company's annual profits, double of the last quarter. In total the company shipped 15.4 million iPads, 15.4 million iPods and 5.2 million Macs this quarter. That last number is particularly surprising since it represents a growth of 26 percent over last year, bucking trends that indicated PC growth would remain flat. Even the Apple TV enjoyed a record quarter, selling 1.4 million units.

Perhaps more importantly, though, the company sold just over 37 million iPhones -- a 128 percent increase over the same quarter last year and greatly exceeding industry estimates. This also moves Apple back into the number one slot, ahead of Samsung which sold a stunning 35 million units this last quarter. Sales of iPhones and accessories accounted for 24.4 billion of the quarter's revenue. Apple also anticipates to have a strong Q2, though maybe not a record-breaking one, thanks to "some amazing new products in the pipeline." But even if Q2 turns out to be a slow one, Cupertino should be perfectly fine thanks to its $97 billion in cash on hand.

Check out the full press release at Engadget

The great battle between Congress and the web

2012-01-20T15:15:00.000+08:00

Congress and the internet had a big battle this week. It started with the US congress trying to shut down the web by pushing to implement the anti-piracy law which includes SOPA and PIPA. The web collectively as a group decided to protest against this passage of the bill by either shutting down the entire website, like what Wiki did, or like what Google did by censoring their front page. Other promitant sites like Time, Wired, Reddit and other reputable sites. All web companies called it an censorship bill which will snuffle the growth and innovation of technology companies.

Whereas media mogul like Rupert Modorch is calling Google a company that is making off money from selling ads off those illegal links.

Within a day, the congress lost the support of 35 senators and the number of tweets was 1% of all tweet traffic for the day. Anonymous are taking down websites like DOJ, MPAA, RIAA and Universal Music, though massive DDoS request to their sites, one of the largest attack being conducted by the group.

Feds took down file-sharing site Medaupload and accused it of hosting illegal files. The founders made a handsome profit of $42 million from this site alone, which generate revenues from advertising and subscribers who want to download files at a faster speed.

I would say not to mess with the cyber world regarding this bill. The music and movie industry have to shake up their business model in order to survive, stop going behind the legal barrier to squeeze the last dollar from the pirates. Those who are determined to get your content for free will continue to do so even if you erect a million pay barriers. They should make music and movies as cheap as how iTunes did it. They should start making users to make impulse purchases in order to sell by volume and earn more from a new method of distribution.

Samsung is set to improve battery life by a huge mile

2012-01-18T11:27:00.002+08:00

Samsung is setting a target to improve smartphone's battery life to last at least a day under moderately heavy usage, which may includes light usage of 3G web surfing and a little gaming.

They are targeting every aspect of the phone, which includes the way that it hunts for WiFi and how it powers up it's LTE radio.

Samsung had a good year this year, after it's phone eclipse the iPhone in terms of number of shipments. It also leapfrogged HTC in terms of the phone design and have successfully captured a portion of the iPhone users who got frustrated at iPhone's poor battery life.

Check out the entire article at Cnet

Apple's Co-Founder thinks that Android is better!

2012-01-18T11:10:00.001+08:00

Apple's Co-Founder admits that he is a fan of Android phones. The open eco-system has enabled Android to leapt ahead in terms of some of the technologies. Some of which includes the voice commands for Android and the built-in navigation system.

Could a similar story play out for Apple? They have a model that is similar to IBM in earlier years whereby they wanted to control both the hardware and the software aspect of computers, whereas in the case of Microsoft, they licensed it out to other computer markers like what Android is doing now. Apple and IBM may have created the market themselves and make huge gross profits per machine sold, however they suffered in terms of the amount of profits and revenue growth.

Another key thing that he has to grapple with is the poor battery life and the Siri technology that is not as "smart" as Google's version.

While we applaud Apple for coming out with certain technology that the Android eco-system have improved on, it's closed eco-system would prove to be a major stumbling block for Apple's growth.

To read more on the interview with Apple's Co-Founder Steve Woz, read on to the article at The Daily Beast

CES Babes by Techwarelabs

2012-01-14T10:36:00.001+08:00

Techwarelabs have done a very good job in the extensive coverage of the babes at CES. Here are some samples. For the full coverage, you can head on to Techwarelabs for more posts and photos

HTC Sensation XE White Edition Review

2012-01-12T23:06:00.000+08:00

The third phone that is coming out from HTC after their initial investment in Beats Audio! Audio quality is not bad, but the camcorder's sound quality is poor (See my introduction and end of video, both are taken with the front facing camera). If you have extra cash, you should buy the phone for it's sound quality!

ImTOO

2012-01-08T00:08:00.000+08:00

With more and more people using their iPad, Tab or even the Kindle Fire to watch Youtube, more users would tend to find problems with running Youtube on their devices as some devices like iPad does not support flash. As such, one would want to download the flash video and convert it to the format that their media player can work with. A software that I would recommend is the FLV Converter from imtoo, the software is smart enough that it allows you to capture the still frame image for a movie.

They also have another software that converts the movie or file to the format that is best suited for various devices like the iPod or the iPhone or even the iPad. There is no use in me blabbering so much on the strength of the software that they make, you should drop on by their website. I have used their software and would say that it is fast and uses the multiple cores if one has it.

They also have a software that allows you to backup all your data that you have on your iPod to your computer This would ensure that you save all your data or even allow you to dync the music across various iPods you have. This would make your life easier. They can also do iPod to iPod syncing. Very powerful indeed

Check them out today!! They have test versions of the software, so no harm trying!!!

Lego for girls!

2011-12-23T22:36:00.002+08:00

Lego is introducing a new line of Lego toys for girls, with a targeted release date somewhere in 2012. With a price tag from $5.99-$99.99, which I would say is a decent entry price level for children toys.

The new product that they are coming out is called Lego mini-doll figure. There would be a pipeline of 29 new dolls in 2012. Parents are glamouring for a toy that mimics that of the boys-targeted toys that Lego makes, this is after research shows that it helps to build children's mind.

The storyline of the mini-doll line is along the lines of five girls in a fictional hometown called Heartlake City. Each of the friends—Olivia, Mia, Andrea, Stephanie and Emma—has a distinct personality and interests, such as animals, performing arts, invention and design, that are reflected in the models. Building sets reflect different parts of town where the girls’ adventures take place—downtown, suburbs, beach, camping grounds and mountains.

With Lego reporting $1 Billion in total revenue just recently. I think that they might just catch the waves with girls! Although it would be a largely smaller market.

First with Kinect, now with mind control!

2011-12-21T09:54:00.001+08:00

New technologies like using motion to control your console (Kinect) and using voice to control your phone is now nothing exciting. What IBM is planning in stores is something that would excite the geeks more, which is using your mind to control your computer.

As part of IBM's "5 in 5" forecasts of predictions, the company says that "minding reading" (more like mind control) will no longer be a science fiction dream and that within five years, we'll all be controlling our computers and smartphones by just wiggling our brains.

Well, the technology may come true in 5 years, but it could well take another couple of years before it reaches entry level price for the consumer market.

IBM Research News and A Smarter Planet, via CNET

Mozilla is safe for now

2011-12-21T09:49:00.001+08:00

Mozilla is safe from now as it manages to sign a new licensing deal with Google to be it's default search engine. Many wondered what would happen to Mozilla, now that Google has Chrome on their cards. This combined with the rising popularity of Chrome is set to bury IE into the dust.

No details on the transaction was given.

Mozilla

Google set to release new tablets

2011-12-20T09:31:00.000+08:00

After announcing it's intention to acquire Motorola not so long ago, Google is set to take on the tablet battle with Apple and release a line-up of tablet products within the next 6 months.

Exact details of the upcoming tablet were not revealed, and it’s unclear whether the slate will be specifically branded with Google’s Nexus nomenclature or be another manufacturer’s model that the search giant will champion. A similar strategy was put in place earlier in the year, when Google worked with Motorola to launch the XOOM, the first Honeycomb tablet on the market.

Two technology giants launch cloud-based solutions for consumers

2011-12-14T17:38:00.002+08:00

Two technology giants have released cloud-based solutions to the consumer market today. Microsoft introduced Skydrive for Windows Phone and the iPhone platform, while Sony have released it's cloud music for non-Walkman phones.

Skydrive on both platforms allows you to move your files from the phone into SkyDrive and access it from any web browser anywhere in the world. Running on the latest web technologies (like HTML5 and CSS3) to give you better speed.

They have been working on making the Skydrive experience better for Windows phones and making folders so that users can access their files easily. With the ability to share folders and files with other users.

Sony's connected Music Unlimited offering is already available online, on gaming devices, on Android phones and tablets, so nice to see it's finally available on its, you know, Walkman music players. In what feels somewhat like an afterthought, "compatible Walkman devices" (currently just the NWZ-E465) can play your favorite channels and playlists on the move -- no connection required. Only those paying the $9.99 premium, however, get to add songs from the actual Unlimited music catalogue. Plug-in at home, sync the music, and listen at your leisure offline via the dedicated app, but with so many other competing ways of enjoying your music from the cloud, on a plethora of connected devices, it really is surprising this wasn't already possible. Still, if you own an NWZ-E465, and subscribe to the Music Unlimited, you can feel all gooey knowing Sony has your back. Hit the PR after the break for more info.

Source: Engadget

Dell unveils Alienware Aurora gaming rig, will serenade you for $2,200

2011-12-14T17:29:00.001+08:00

Dell has just taken the wraps off a brand new addition to the Alienware family, hailing it, rather poetically, as "a serenade to raw gaming power." It's called the Alienware Aurora, and it's staring at you with a Cylon-like grin in the image above. Beneath its menacing veneer lurks Intel's six-core, 3000 seriesCore i7 CPU, an X79 Express chipset and quad-channel DDR3 memory, all of which are kept in check by Dell's liquid cooling and active venting technologies. The gaming rig also supports both multi-display and 3D configurations, with GDDR5 memory-laced graphics cards. In case you're not satisfied, you can always get under the hood and tinker with it yourself, without even busting out your tool belt. The Alienware Aurora is available now for prices starting at $2,200

Apple's founding documents pull in $1.6 million at auction

2011-12-14T17:22:00.002+08:00

The documents that Apple founders signed when they founded the company is officially being sold to an anonymous phone buyer who offered $1.59 million at Sotheby’s (BID) in New York today. Although it has a starting bid of $70,000, the final auction price did not surprise any.

Wayne was initially one of the co-founders but he quit 12 days later as he figured out that the rollarcoaster ride that both Jobs and Wozniak was a little too much for him. He was paid a total of $2,300 for his 10% stake which is worth more than $36 billion today.

Command and Conquer General revamp coming soon!

2011-12-13T01:07:00.001+08:00

The highly successful expansion from the Command and Conquer series is now back with a new update. Command and Conquer Generals 2 is coming soon! I kinda of bet you would have read of this news online already.

This piece of good news comes amidst the online backlash that EA Games faced when they decided to drop Westwood Studios. Loyal fans complained about the lousy gameplay that Command and Conquer 4 and Red Alert 3 have, some have even gave up on the Command and Conquer series totally.

A quick shot of an EU tank rolling down the street toward the convoy. We can't be sure if it's a Crusader or a Paladin -- if it's either one, it's been heavily redesigned -- but it's definitely a tank. It may have fired the shell that destroyed the Technical, but we're not sure. Those treads are amazingly detailed -- so many moving parts!

EA Games have decided to team up with BioWare to create the new series with Frostbite 2, with a release date slated to be around 2013. It is slated to be only for the PC platform. Although I believe EA would release a slimdown version for mobile devices running on Android or Apple's iOS platform, given that PC game sales would not be spared from the industry shift to mobile gaming devices and platforms.

Can EA come out with other factions rather than playing with the 3 common factions, mainly USA, China and GLA? Given that the terror threat for terrorist organisations have died down quite recently, the GLA faction would not be an compelling idea. Maybe the inclusion of India and Russia to replace GLA would do this franchise good. The inclusion of EU into the picture give new breath into the gameplay. As for me, I am excited as I am a loyal fan of Command and Conquer, especially the Generals Zero Hour edition.

Why webOS failed to take off?

2011-12-10T13:44:00.001+08:00

Bye Touchpad!

HP has recently announced plans to sell the remaining of their Touchpad inventory for the last firesales. But mind you, those are refurbished units, so it is a sort of buyers beware situation. The great news aside, why has HP failed in a tablet market whereby Apple and Samsung is succeeding? Don't get me wrong, I think webOS is great with better browsing experience than other tablets out there, in addition, I am receiving favourable comments from my geeky Touchpad users about how good it's battery life is. But I think it's failure is HP's failure to capture the minds and hearts of consumers.

It could be due to it's late foray into the tablet market when everyone is already in the game. But it is highly unlikely, given that Samsung still succeeded despite being late into the game. I believe that it is due to the software that they have on the tablet that marked the table's doom.

The reason is simple, consumers in the tablet market is looking for either something that is cool or are looking at the flexibility of the operating system whereby they can customise their operating system in order to fit their needs or to place add-ons.

With the former being Apple fans who would glamour for any phones that are released by Apple and care less about the specifications of the gadget that they buy. Have you realised that Apple does not release much details of the hardware inside the iPhone? Instead, they focus on the wow aspect of the new phones that they release. Initially with the multi-touch screen and maybe in the future with the crack-resistant screens that they have patented.

The latter group of people that I describe would be those geeky fans in the Android marketplace. They seek to custom-rebuild whatever they brought. They seek to tear down the barrier that mobile applications company errect in order to force you to buy their awesome game. That is why you see an very active community of people that is actively trying to break the legal barrier and provide those software for free. There is a smaller group of people doing that for Apple.

Even the one of the world's most successful Android phone manufacturor is not immune to it. They faced massive backlash and decided to unlock the bootloader of all the phones that they sell earlier in the year.

So where does HP place in the two community? It's Touchpad is neither glamorous or sexy to start with, in fact it looks a little like the Galaxy Tab rip-off. So it is good-bye to Touchpad for good! For those adventurous Android users, you can pick up the Touchpad and port it over to Ice-Cream Sandwich as the kind folks at Cyanogenmod has successfully done it quite some time back.

High Resolution iPad3 Coming In February: Analyst

2011-12-09T09:41:00.001+08:00

The iPad3 will be released in February with a high-resolution screen, a new selling point for the entertainment and productivity device that will drive Apple shares up 27 percent to $500 in 12 months, according to an analyst with Citi Investment Research.

“Current iPad builds are up sequentially in 1CQ12 (the current quarter) thanks to the February launch of a new iPad with double the screen resolution of the current model,” wrote Richard Gardner in a note to clients. “Several sources have confirmed the timing of this launch and there do not appear to be any significant technical hurdles remaining.”

iPad2’s current display is 132 pixels per inch. A doubling of that resolution would put it well ahead of the current displays for Amazon.com's Kindle Fire and Barnes & Noble's Nook, which sport tech specs of 169 pixels per inch each. (Note: Their screens are 7 inches, compared to 9.7 inches for the iPad2.)

Another reason for Gardner’s bullishness is that he believes there will be an upside surprise in iPhone shipments this quarter on strong holiday demand. Apple shares rose as the rest of the market fell Thursday, in part because of Citi’s bullish note.

Still some investors have their doubts that the iPad can maintain its tablet supremacy without more bells and whistles than just a better screen for watching movies, playing games and reading books.

“Apple will not be able to continue to get away with this ‘evolutionary’ $500 tablet thing for much longer as very good and much cheaper products like Amazon’s Fire at $200 are available,” wrote Dan Nathan, an investor and editor of RiskReversal.com.

Still, the growth numbers for the iPad brand have been more than impressive. The original iPad, launched in April 2010, sold 3 million units in its first 80 days, making it the most quickly adopted non-phone electronic product ever. Last quarter, the Apple sold 11.1 million iPad2s, a 166 percent jump from the same period a year ago.

Toshiba Excite Android tablet gets release date

2011-12-09T09:36:00.001+08:00

When the first Toshiba Android tablet was released, it seemed like a really big deal – at one point it was even rumored that they’d be the ones to host the tablet-centric Android 3.0 Honeycomb as a hero – alas that did not happen, and now that the first iteration (call the Toshiba Thrive, just so you know) is both too fat and unwieldily to sell as a top dog, the big T is sending out a new generation called Toshiba Excite. This tablet was revealed a few weeks ago as a contender for the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 with its dual-core 1.2Ghz Texas Instruments OMAP4 processor and its 10.1-inch display at 1280 x 800 resolution – and today Mobile Syrup relays Toshiba information that it’ll be on sale come February 2012.

By that time we expect Toshiba to once again be in the same boat – with a tablet that on its own is certainly worth the cash that a person dropped on it, but compared to the rest of the current Android tablet lineup just does not compete. Even though this tablet will still be 7.7mm thin, will have a 5 megapixel camera on the back, a 2 megapixel camera on the front, and will of course have a 16GB and a 32GB option, will certainly be shut out by such masterpieces as the Asus Transformer Prime. A brighter screen, twice as powerful a processor, and two color choices to boot? I think so, yes.

That said, the OMAP4 is certainly nothing to scoff at, and this unit does look quite enticing to the eye with its stark aluminum silvery back and its microSD card slot, not to mention its miniHDMI-out port. Like the original Toshiba Android tablet, we’ll certainly have a few options for connections. With a market of consumers looking to get the tablet that suits them perfectly, it’ll be the people who trust the name TOSHIBA that pick this bad boy up — other than that, those who love things that are SHINY.

HTC's revenues in November drops 20% (My views and outlook)

2011-12-07T15:45:00.001+08:00

HTC reports that it's revenues in November is set to drop 20%, although it's total revenue from January to November 2011 was NT$439,432 million, up 78.87% YoY.

Despite this gloomy news, HTC's revenue has risen significantly over the past new years. I remember when I first found out about HTC when I first came into this industry was in 2006. The range of products that were available was limited and unsexy. It's main selling point was for enterprise users with a very Dopod like look. However, ever since the release of Android, their phones became sexier and had lots of other functions that other phone manufacturer do not have.

But could this mark the fall of HTC from the robust growth that they have been enjoying over the past few years? They have reported over 400% of growth annually over the past few years, slower growth would be inevitable for the company as other platform like Windows 7 and iOS works to fight back the competition for the Android platform.

Having signed the cross-platform licensing deal with Microsoft quite some time back, Nokia is now back in the game and is endorsing the Windows platform. As it tries to get it's mojo back in the smartphone market, it would be committed to release a constant stream of new Windows phone in order to win more market share. This would help Windows platform to gain traction, since the other phone manufacturer have neglected the Windows platform by releasing 1-2 phones. This would help steal some market share from Android to Windows.

As for iOS, Apple is set to have a massive revamp of it's iPhone product, this is after it was reported that Steve Jobs have racially redesigned the phone months before his death. I suspect the delay in launch is due to him wanting to perfect the design of the phone before it is being released to the market. However, Apple have to keep up with the product lifecycle, hence they copied Microsoft's strategy of releasing a small upgrade and crossed their fingers that it would catch on, luck for them, it caught on.

I think what HTC can do to avoid having anymore revenue falls is to streamline the number of products that they are currently having. To demystify the range of products that they are currently having. I do not really understand why HTC wants to have XE / XL, maybe it is to go around the brand of Sensation, whereby they are trying to maket it as a multimedia phone that is capable of watching movies, playing games.

HTC should have released one new product name for the Beats phone, combining the best of two worlds in the Sensation XE and XL together. This is because both phones have specifications that users would want. One phone has a single core whereas the other has a dual core chip. The phone with the dual core chip has a small internal memory whereas for the single core phone, it has an internal memory of 16GB.

Xbox 360 250GB Kinect Bundle Thoughts and Comments

2011-12-02T22:56:00.001+08:00

I laid my hands on the Xbox 360 250GB Kinect bundle yesterday. The purchase of the Xbox 360 was after careful deliberation and consideration between the 3 different gaming platforms which includes the Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3. The difference that makes Xbox's Kinect stand out from the crowd is that is does not require any controller to control the games or the controls in the Xbox, unlike the other two competitors' console which requires either a controller that you can wave to or something that you need to hold so that you can swing the tennis racket. Hence my inclination to get the Xbox 360 instead.

It is retailing at $649 and $449 in Singapore and United States respectively. For those who are torn between buying the 4GB bundle and the 250GB bundle, I would suggest getting the 250GB bundle instead. This is primarily due to two reasons. Firstly, given that there would be updates to the games you play, it is likely that you would run out of space very soon. In addition, some games require you to download it from the store and the redemption code is provided instead. Secondly, I read online that there are some problems with the 4GB mode. I brought Fruit Ninja, Battlefield 3 and Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3, preordered Halo 3 as it was out of stock.

Inside the bundle

Inside the bundle includes Kinect Adventures, Carnival Games: Monkey See, Monkey Do, Xbox 360 Wireless Controller (For the Singapore region, we were given another wireless controller for free) and a Three-Month Xbox LIVE Gold Membership. A headset was also provided.

My thoughts on the Kinect sensor

My initial encounter with the Kinect sensor was rather hilarious, the device was stiff and could not be adjusted, hence I decided to retain the protection. When I fired up my calibration tools for the Kinect sensor, it gave me an error message saying that something was blocking the sensor, only the did I realise that the Kinect sensor could move.

Initial setting-up of the Kinect and Xbox was a little of an hassle, you had to sign in with your Xbox account before you could start playing on your console, if you do not have an account, you can sign up for one for free. Keying in my details was tedious, as I had to use the controller to scroll through the on-screen keyboard to key in the keys individually.

After setting up the Xbox, it was time for the setting up of the Kinect sensor. The system played various sounds to test how big the room is. It also tested the background noise that the room had. After which, I was told to stand in front of the Kinect sensor to set-up the system. I was given a various sets of instructions to follow, the most essential one is to wave to the Kinect sensor to activate it everytime.

Kinect Games (Adventure)

The buttons on the Xbox were touch sensitive, hence a gentle touch would do the trick. I inserted the Kinect Adventures disc and played River Rush. It took be a while before I got used to the pace of the game. Afterwhich, it was all hell break lose as I immersed myself in the games and were literally sweating 30 minutes into the game. Games like River Rush, Reflex Bridge and Rallyball are games that are more suited for youngsters who want a workout while playing. The constant jumping made me sweat in no time. Whereas 20,000 Leaks is suitable for elderly who wants something slow and manageable, as you are given more time to patch the cracks in the water tank.

Kinect Carnival

I tried the Gold-Rush Mountain. The game is basically set in a roller coaster, the objective of the game is to catch coins with your both hands but avoid those red stars or you will lose points (10 points for each red star). It’s going really fast and it’s pretty fun.

Fruit Ninja

The game I brought which was not included in the package. Fruit Ninja is an
iPhone game that was brought to the Xbox platform. Imagine the fun of slicing fruits on screen. True enough, it was fun and had new additions like the freeze mode whereby the fruits drop vertically downwards only. There was also the other special fruits you can cut to slow the speed of the fruits. There are a few levels you can unlock and each level gives you a better blade each time. Other then that, it is a rehash of the iPhone application, but the ability to use your two hands make it really attractive.

Battlefield 3

Battlefield 3's single player's experience was nothing as compared to the online experience it can offer. When I first started the game, it was a nice slow start which was suitable for me as I tried to get use to the controller. Afterwhich, the games starts to pick up pace which was about the time I started to get used to the controller. There are some chapters of the game that take place in dark areas like the start of the game where it occurs inside the train tunnel. This can prove challenging when you are playing in low-light condition. For a limited time only, you can get a limited edition map from Electronic Arts when you purchase the Battlefield 3 game during this period.

Call of Duty

Like Battlefield 3, the start of the game was slow and is suitable for people who just brought the game and is getting a hang of things. Afterwhich, the amazing storyline and gameplay makes me yell for more as I completed the game. Online gameplay was amazing too!

Conclusion

Having shell out $649 for the Kinect bundle and another $150 for 3 more games, I would say it is a good buy. Kinect is suitable for all ages and is fun even for hardcore gamers like me.

Hope you find this useful for making an decision on your next console purchase for this upcoming Christmas!!! Enjoy and have fun!

Change of Email subscription provider

2011-12-02T22:42:00.000+08:00

Dear readers,

I would be moving to the new email notifications widget provided by Blogger, please reenter your email address into the new widget found on the right sidebar. Thank You

Revamp!

2011-11-30T15:06:00.001+08:00

Dear readers,

I am currently reviving this website and would be posting new reviews and do a site overhaul. Stay tuned!

Apples new marketing strategy?

2011-09-10T08:20:00.003+08:00

Apple has done it again, losing the phototype of the latest iPhone 5, leading to a scramble to get i back. This happened just before the launch of iPhone 5, a similar incident for the iPhone 4. The timing is just too coincidental to be true, losing the phone just 1-2 months before the launch date? Remember what happened during the iPhone 4 incident? They claim to have lost the phone at a pub by an engineer and the phone was brought by Gizmodo. The police were called and there was a mad scramble for the phone. Couldn't they have disabled the phone remotely given that they could track where the phone was? Given that they disabled the phone, it will render it useless and the guy who picked it up will not be able to sell it to the technology blog. Is this the new marketing tactic deployed by Apple in addition to "leaking" out details of the latest specs of the iPhone? Get Daily Updates via Email

The Pirate Bay Returns With Guns Blazing

2009-08-26T17:47:00.002+08:00

Slashdot It! After initially being taken offline by Swedish authorities, and after its first escape route failed, The Pirate Bay has returned with all guns blazing. With a modified copy of one of Churchill’s most famous speeches, The Pirate Bay team tells the public that they will defend the Internet, with or without the si When The Pirate Bay was shut down yesterday many believed that this was the end for the Internet’s largest BitTorrent tracker. However, despite the fact that the site is set to be sold later this week, the Pirate Bay team worked around the clock to serve their users in these final hours. A mere three hours after it went offline the site reappeared from a different location, but because of technical issues at the new ISP a full comeback took almost a day. The site is back online and the tracker is expected to follow soon. The Pirate Bay team has always anticipated an unwanted disconnection of the site. After their servers were raided in 2006 several measures were taken to ensure that the site could simply come back online from a new location in a few hours, and this is the first time that this backup plan had been executed. With its reemergence the people behind the site hope to show the authorities and the entertainment industry that the war is not over just yet. Perhaps it’s only the beginning of a battle on a different front. The future will tell. A few minutes ago, the Pirate Bay team released the following statement, adapted from Churchill’s famous “We Shall Fight On the Beaches” speech. Make of it what you will. We have, ourselves, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once more able to defend our Internets, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. Even though large parts of Internets and many old and famous trackers have fallen or may fall into the grip of the Ifpi and all the odious apparatus of MPAA rule, we shall not flag or fail. We shall go on to the end, we shall fight in France, we shall fight on the ef-nets and darknets, we shall fight with growing confidence and growing strength in the air, we shall defend our Internets, whatever the cost may be, we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the baywords.org, we shall fight on the /. and on the digg, we shall fight in the courts; we shall never surrender, and if, which I do not for a moment believe, the Internets or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the Anon Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in Cerf’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old. Signed; The Pirate Bay Crew – Now until needed. Update: Users of the anti-virus program Avast report that TPB has been blacklisted as a malicious site after the site returned. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Apple to retain, redesign plastic MacBook family

2009-08-26T17:47:00.001+08:00

Slashdot It! Once rumored for extinction, Apple's entry-level polycarbonate MacBooks are on the verge of a refresh that will solidify them at the base of the Mac maker's notebook offerings for the foreseeable future, AppleInsider has learned. People familiar with Cupertino-based company's plans say the 13-inch portables are presently undergoing an industrial design overhaul that will see them reemerge in the coming months with a slimmer, lighter enclosure and restructured internal architecture to boot. It'll be the first time in more than three years that the plastic Mac notebooks will receive a visual tune-up. Introduced in May of 2006, the white and black systems replaced the PowerPC-based iBook and 12-inch PowerBook as part of Apple's transition to Intel processors and quickly became the best selling Mac of all time, according to statistics from NPD Group. The MacBooks were also among the first Macs to adopt Apple's MagSafe power connector while pioneering several other features that would become staples of future Mac notebook designs, such as shrunken soft-touch keyboards, glossy displays, and a non-mechanical magnetic latches (see: Magnet madness to hit Intel iBook line - Feb 2006). Earlier this spring, Apple restructured its notebook offerings by repositioning its aluminum unibody MacBooks as premium offerings under the MacBook Pro moniker, adding long-requested features such as FireWire and higher-quality displays. This left the company with just a single MacBook offering, a white polycarbonate model that retails for $999 but sticks out like a sore thumb when positioned alongside its peers. Still, sales of the sub-$1000 system have remained surprisingly brisk amid the economic crunch, leaving management little choice but to allocate R&D expenses in its favor. As of press time, Apple's online store indicates that the white MacBook is outselling all other Macs with the exception of the iMac, while similar rankings from high-volume resellers like MacMall also consistently place it in the top 10 best selling Apple-related products overall, ahead of all desktop-based Macs. While it's unclear how many models or configurations Apple will introduce as part the redesign, Ben Reitzes -- an analyst with Barclays Capital who's been following the Mac maker for years -- sees the company offering several, at various price points. "We [...] believe the MacBook line needs to be revamped (there is only one MacBook available now, an old white model) and that we could see a lower priced line soon, positioned below the new MacBook Pro models," he said. Reitzes' comments on price points echo expectations laid out by AppleInsider this past April in its report on more affordable Macs. More specifically, it's believed that Apple is well-positioned to begin offering a model at considerable discount to the $999 entry-level model that exists today, further narrowing the gap with its Windows-based competitors. MacBook Introduced in May of 2006, the current MacBook design has about run its course. Though details are few and far between, Apple is expected to achieve these markdowns through largely existing tactics, such as using lower-end components and previous-generation Core 2 Duo chips and architectures from Intel Corp. Battery life should receive a boost from cutting-edge technology that recently found its way into the company's other notebook offerings, while high-end legacy features like FireWire connectivity are likely to be sacrificed in the tradeoff. This strategy more closely conforms to Apple's DNA than alternatives that were under consideration late last year. For instance, AppleInsider has heard from multiple sources that the company toyed with the prospect of throwing an Intel Atom processor into the existing white MacBook enclosure as interim solution aimed at delivering a low-cost Mac portable for those consumers eying a Mac but hit hard by the recession. However, at least one person familiar with the matter claims the initiative was abandoned indefinitely earlier this year, around the time that management solidified the forthcoming Newton web tablet for a first quarter 2010 roll-out and instituted a significant restructuring of the Apple TV development team. Regardless of how the pieces fell into place, AppleInsider believes the bigger story is how Apple, once discounted for its role as a niche player in the market for premium computing products, is rapidly adjusting to having been broadsided by the sudden economic downturn. In a matter of mere months, it's successfully applied the same fundamentals and expertise that made it king of the luxury computing market to the space reserved for those strapped for cash. And it's doing so with class. Q2CY2010 Lineup An assessment of Apple's portable computing lineup for Q2CY10 based on information presently available to AppleInsider. Come the second quarter of next year, the company -- whose repertoire three years ago lacked a compelling offering for under a grand -- will off a staggering array of portable solutions ranging from $99 to $999. This includes the $99 iPhone 3G, $199-$499 iPhone 3GS, a sub-$999 MacBook family, and a multi-touch tablet device wedged between the latter two when fully subsidized. Apple's new line of low-end MacBooks could be viewed as the last piece to the puzzle in Apple's top-to-bottom line of product offerings, transitioning the company from a premium PC and phone manufacturer to one that offers truly competitive prices on products in both categories. Considering chief executive Steve Jobs's comments just last year that Apple is incapable of making a $500 computer to compete with netbooks that wouldn't be a "piece of junk," such a move would complete a subtle but significant metamorphosis for the Silicon Valley heavyweight, positioning it as an electronics maker offering a compelling portfolio of feature-rich products at virtually every price point. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

20 of the Worst Designed Websites In the World

2009-08-26T17:46:00.001+08:00

Slashdot It! We all come across some seriously bad websites in our day-to-day lives on the Internet. It’s just an unavoidable fact of life, like coming across monsters on the way to the market in video games. When you come across these things, you should approach them with a modicum of fear, for it is something you don’t know, after all. But, more than that, you need to be brave, and you need to relish the experience with full sense of humor employed. These are the 20 worst websites we could find from across the world. Space Is The Place 01 Visit the Page Upon entering this magnificent Canadian specimen of web-dominance, your eyes will immediately be drawn to the one of two key things: The rocket-launch gif image from 1992, or the floating head of the site’s patron saint, the departed Mr. Head. Both are hideous, but at least with the floating head you can spend a solid 20 minutes laughing inappropriately. If the yellow on blue on blue-r approach to color schemes isn’t your style, then you may want to steer clear of this place. Read More>>> http://www.manolith.com/2009/08/25/worst-website-designs/ Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Google patches severe Chrome vulnerabilities

2009-08-26T17:44:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Google has fixed two high-severity vulnerabilities in the stable version of its Chrome browser that could have let an attacker remotely take over a person's computer. With one attack on Google's V8 JavaScript engine, malicious JavaScript on a Web site could let an attacker gain access to sensitive data or run arbitrary code on the computer within a Chrome protected area called the sandbox, Google said in a blog post Tuesday. With the other, a page with XML-encoded information could cause a browser tab crash that could let an attacker run arbitrary code within the sandbox. Chrome 2.0.172.43 (click to download for Windows) fixes the issues and another medium-severity issue. Once Chrome is installed, it retrieves updates automatically and applies them when people restart the browser. Google won't release details of the vulnerabilities until "a majority of users are up to date with the fix," Engineering Program Manager Jonathan Conradt said in the blog post. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Put Ad on Web. Count Clicks. Revise.

2009-06-02T12:39:00.001+08:00

Slashdot It! ON a recent Thursday, Darren Herman, the president of Varick Media Management, was sequestered in his SoHo office. He wasn’t scrutinizing a television ad or images from a photo shoot. He was combing through graphs and Excel spreadsheets. Mr. Herman had run 27 ads on the Web for his client Vespa, the scooter company. Some were rectangular, some square. And the text varied: One tagline said, “Smart looks. Smarter purchase,” and displayed a $0 down, 0 percent interest offer. Another read, “Pure fun. And function,” and promoted a free T-shirt. Vespa’s goal was to find out whether a financial offer would attract customers, and Mr. Herman’s data concluded that it did. The $0 down offer attracted 71 percent more responses from one group of Web surfers than the average of all the Vespa ads, while the T-shirt offer drew 29 percent fewer. And Mr. Herman didn’t just compare the messages in the ads — he also looked at the sites where they ran, when they ran and what groups of people responded. From the “Mad Men” era until now, advertising has been about a catchy tagline, an arresting image, the Big Idea. But Mr. Herman and his competitors are bringing some Wall Street-like analysis to Madison Avenue, exploiting the huge amounts of data produced by the Internet to adjust strategy almost instantly. “It’s putting numbers to an industry that never had numbers before,” says Mr. Herman, 27, who started and sold three media and technology companies before founding Varick last summer. “It’s nice to be able to tell your brand manager or the chief marketing officer which audience is interacting with the unit, what time of day, what day of the week, and what the response is on certain types of offers. Before, nobody could really tell you that.” This approach turns marketing “upside down,” says Ron Proleika, the vice president of marketing communications at Windstream Communications, an Internet service provider and a client of Mr. Herman’s. “It forces marketers to stay on their toes and think of thousands of small great ideas instead of one great big one." Major advertising holding companies like WPP, the Publicis Groupe, Havas, MDC Partners and the Interpublic Group are starting data practices, hoping to latch onto what is expected to be the fastest-growing category of online advertising in the next five years. Where the data guys were once an afterthought in a marketing presentation, now they are at the core of the online strategy. What’s more, they can help advertisers save money in traditional media by testing different phrases or images online to see what works before producing an expensive television commercial or magazine ad. Who attracts more clicks in a grape juice ad, for example — the blond girl or the brown-haired boy? The shift to data-based campaigns is forcing marketers to learn new skills and drawing a new breed of worker to Madison Avenue. While most data executives now in the field came from media backgrounds, they are recruiting Wall Street math geniuses because the job requires hourly adjustments in strategy based on numbers. Mr. Herman is trying to hire people from Citigroup and Bank of America, and he hopes that the layoffs in the financial industry will help him do it on the cheap. “It mirrors the financial markets in many ways,” he says, so “that’s where we go." Still, getting advertising agency employees to rely on data is difficult, agencies say. And as people trained on Wall Street migrate to Madison Avenue, executives anticipate battles between creative types and wonks. Traditional ad agencies still don’t have budgets that allow for a lot of digital experimentation, Mr. Herman says. He notes that most traditional agencies “make the bulk of their money in print, radio and television.” So even as this area becomes increasingly technology-driven, old ways of doing business and clients reluctant to embrace radically new approaches mean that the advertising culture won’t change overnight. “At the end of the day,” Mr. Herman says, “the entire process isn’t digital because our clients aren’t.” UNTIL the Internet, advertising required heavy research at the front and back ends. Millions of dollars went into television and print ads, so the advertisers had to get the idea right before they produced one. Determining the effectiveness of those ads was hard. It required follow-up surveys and interviews. And once advertisers began a campaign, they were locked into it — they usually booked TV spots four months before the season began, for instance, and even if a show tanked, they couldn’t always abort their plans. Via NYT Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Cellphone Locator System Needs No Satellite

2009-06-02T12:38:00.002+08:00

Slashdot It! Wanderers with phones and other devices that have GPS chips can figure out where they are using signals from satellites thousands of miles up, but those are easily blocked by walls or trees. The founders of Skyhook Wireless discovered some alternative navigational beacons: the signals coming from the Wi-Fi network in the coffee shop across the street, or the apartment upstairs. Skyhook uses the chaotic patchwork of the world’s Wi-Fi networks, as well as cell towers, as the basis for a location lookup service that is built into every iPhone, making it easier to pull up a map or find Chinese food nearby. The start-up was founded in 2003 by Ted Morgan and Michael Shean, who traveled frequently for work and noticed the proliferation of wireless signals each time they cracked open their laptops to check their e-mail. “We were amazed by the sheer growth of Wi-Fi,” Mr. Morgan said in an interview in April at the company’s offices here. “We knew there had to be a new model for mapping location using those signals.” Wi-Fi signals travel only a few hundred feet at most, so if you have a map of the Wi-Fi networks in a given area, you can use those signals to pinpoint a phone’s location. Making that map is the tricky part. When Mr. Morgan and Mr. Shean decided to pursue their idea, they started building a database of Wi-Fi access points, along with cellphone towers, which have much more powerful signals. At first they tried paying taxi drivers to carry equipment that silently recorded the locations of networks as they roamed the streets, Mr. Morgan said. Then they hired full-time drivers to cover ground systematically, much as Google does for its Street View service. Skyhook says it has scanned areas containing 70 percent of the country’s population. “It doesn’t seem realistic to drive up and down every street in the U.S.,” Mr. Morgan said. “But you can.” Skyhook now employs a fleet of 500 drivers to feed a database that spans North America, Asia and Europe. The landscape of signals changes constantly as people and businesses set up and take down wireless networks, so the scanning process never ends. Each Skyhook car contains a laptop outfitted with antennas and equipment that sends out short blasts of radio waves, called probe requests, to detect nearby cell towers and Wi-Fi networks. The system calculates the source of the signals based on their strength and the location of the car. That information is logged in the Skyhook database, which includes more than 100 million wireless networks and 700,000 cellular towers. Skyhook’s big break came in August 2007 when Steven P. Jobs, Apple’s chief executive, requested a meeting with the company. Mr. Morgan said he initially deleted Mr. Jobs’s voice mail message, dismissing it as a prank, but soon realized his mistake. Since then, Apple has sold 37 million iPhones and iPod Touches worldwide, all with Skyhook’s software on them. Mr. Morgan declined to detail specifics of Skyhook’s financial agreement with Apple, other than to say that his company collects a commission for each device sold. When an iPhone owner starts up an application that involves location — like the restaurant finder Urbanspoon or the forecast service WeatherBug — the phone calculates whether it is likely to get the best and fastest information from its own GPS chip or from Skyhook’s system. Skyhook says it can provide a fix on location in seconds, versus up to a minute for GPS, although Skyhook is less useful in areas with few Wi-Fi networks. Skyhook checks a list of nearby Wi-Fi access points and cell towers against its database and triangulates the device’s location within 30 to 60 feet. The company says it is not connecting to those Wi-Fi networks, just detecting their presence. (As a backup, the iPhone can also use cell tower information from Google.) Any new access points and cell towers detected by the iPhone are automatically added to the Skyhook database, making it, in Mr. Morgan’s words, “self-healing.” Apart from Apple, Skyhook also has partnerships with AOL to allow people to see the location of their chat buddies, and with Navteq, a maker of car navigation systems. Skyhook is even embedded into Eye-Fi memory cards for digital cameras, where it keeps track of where photos are taken. The company says it handles 250 million location requests a day. Skyhook has raised $16.8 million in venture capital financing from investors including Bain Capital Ventures and Intel Capital. Mr. Morgan said it was not seeking more financing right now and was working on expanding the business. “If we do that successfully, there will be plenty of good choices for us,” he said, perhaps including a public offering. As Skyhook finds success and more gadgets become “location-aware,” competitors are likely to stake out their own share of the market, said Chetan Sharma, an independent telecommunications industry researcher. Mr. Sharma says that Mexens Technology has a system that relies on user contributions to build a signal map. And a Google service called My Location works on many phones and uses a combination of GPS, cellphone towers and Wi-Fi. A Google spokeswoman, Katie Watson, said the company collected its signal data from several sources, including phones running its software. “Skyhook is certainly ahead of the curve with its service,” Mr. Sharma said. “Whether they will sustain their momentum for the next five years remains to be seen. But they have a lot of opportunities to make it work.” Charles S. Golvin, a principal analyst at Forrester Research specializing in mobile devices and telecommunications, agreed that Skyhook was well positioned. “There are so many more phones coming to the market that have GPS and Wi-Fi,” he said. Mr. Golvin added: “Think about all the other devices with Wi-Fi, like the Nintendo DS, Sony PSP, netbooks, digital cameras.” Mr. Morgan and Mr. Shean are trying to get Skyhook onto as many devices as they can. Programmers who want to build location-based applications for phones other than the iPhone can license its software, and several do. The company has deals to put its software into chips made by Qualcomm and Broadcom, and it plans to announce a partnership with a major manufacturer of netbooks by the end of the year. Mr. Morgan is aware of the competition. “There’s always the threat that Google or some other company will just give that information away for free,” he said. To that end, the company has filed for multiple patents, including ones to protect its methodology for updating its database. Several framed patents hang on the walls of its offices. “But we’re hoping that our six years of driving around in cars, mapping out the various countries, will pay off,” he said. “We’ve done more than 2,000 cities. They have a long way to go.” Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Sony Agrees to Provide Its Older Songs to eMusic

2009-06-02T12:38:00.001+08:00

Slashdot It! In another example of struggling major music labels and Internet services finding common ground, Sony Music Entertainment has agreed to make its back catalog of songs available on eMusic, one of the largest music retailers on the Web. EMusic, a company based in New York City, has some 400,000 subscribers who pay a monthly fee to download a certain number of songs. Its service is primarily aimed at adults who are fans of music from independent labels. The company plans to announce on Monday that it will add all Sony Music tracks that are more than two years old, including material from artists like Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. The major labels had long been skeptical of the economics behind eMusic’s proposition to consumers. Subscribers to eMusic’s “basic” plan, for example, pay $11.99 a month to download 30 songs — or about 40 cents a song, far below the prices on Apple’s iTunes. Songs are in the MP3 format and do not have restrictions against copying. As part of the deal, eMusic says it will slightly raise prices and reduce the number of downloads for some of its monthly plans. Danny Stein, eMusic’s chief executive, said he had been talking to the major labels about adding their music for several years. Talks continue with Warner Music, the Universal Music Group and EMI, he said. He added that many of the independent labels had been asking the company to raise its prices. “We have been looking for a catalyzing event to do it, and we think introducing this vast, quality catalog from Sony is that event,” Mr. Stein said. The deal highlights several shifts in the online music landscape. The major labels gave up their objections to selling songs in the unprotected MP3 format in 2007. They also prevailed upon Apple this year to move to variable pricing in its iTunes store. Apple now sells older songs for 79 cents and new tracks for $1.29. The major labels have also been more willing lately to strike more flexible and less expensive deals with start-ups like Imeem that are trying new approaches to online music. Sony Music and eMusic would not disclose the particulars of their deal. An executive at Sony Music, a subsidiary of the Sony Corporation, said the company was interested in seeing multiple models for digital music coexist on the Web. “We think the model of buying a set amount of music each month under an MP3 allowance is an attractive subscription option for consumers,” said Thomas Hesse, president of Sony’s Global Digital Business unit. “We are supportive of offerings that encourage fans to dig deep into the repertoire of our artists and discover the richness of our catalog.” Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Preparing to Sell E-Books, Google Takes on Amazon

2009-06-02T12:37:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Google appears to be throwing down the gauntlet in the e-book market. In discussions with publishers at the annual BookExpo convention in New York over the weekend, Google signaled its intent to introduce a program by that would enable publishers to sell digital versions of their newest books direct to consumers through Google. The move would pit Google against Amazon.com, which is seeking to control the e-book market with the versions it sells for its Kindle reading device. Google’s move is likely to be welcomed by publishers who have expressed concerns about the possibility that Amazon will dominate the market for e-books with its aggressive pricing strategy. Amazon offers Kindle editions of most new best-sellers for $9.99, a price far lower than the typical $26 at which publishers sell new hardcovers. In early discussions, Google has said it would allow publishers to set a suggested list price, but that Google would ultimately set consumer prices. “Clearly, any major company coming into the e-book space, providing that we are happy with the pricing structure, the selling price and the security of the technology, will be a welcome addition,” said David Young, chief executive of Hachette Book Group, which publishes blockbuster authors like James Patterson, Stephenie Meyer and Nicholas Sparks. Google’s e-book retail program would be separate from the company’s settlement with authors and publishers over its book-scanning project, under which Google has scanned more than seven million volumes from several university libraries. A majority of those books are out of print. The settlement, which is the focus of a Justice Department inquiry about the antitrust implications and is also subject to court review, provides for a way for Google to sell digital access to the scanned volumes. And Google has already made its 1.5 million public-domain books available for reading on mobile phones as well as the Sony Reader, the Kindle’s largest competitor. Under the new program, publishers give Google digital files of new and other in-print books. Already on Google, users can search up to about 20 percent of the content of those books and can follow links from Google to online retailers like Amazon.com and the Web site of Barnes & Noble to buy either paper or electronic versions of the books. But Google is now proposing to allow users to buy those digital editions direct from Google. Google has discussed such plans with publishers before, but it has now committed the company to going live with the project by the end of 2009. In a presentation at BookExpo, Tom Turvey, director of strategic partnerships at Google, added the phrase: “This time we mean it.” Although Google generates a majority of its revenue from ad sales on its search pages, it has previously charged for content. Three years ago, it opened a Google video store, and sold digital recordings of N.B.A. games as well as episodes of television shows like “CSI” and “The Brady Bunch.” This year, Google said it might eventually charge for premium content on YouTube. Mr. Turvey said that with books, Google planned to sell readers online access to digital versions of various titles. When offline, Mr. Turvey said, readers would still be able to access their electronic books in cached versions on their browsers. Publishers briefed on the plans at BookExpo said they were not sure yet how the technology would work, but were optimistic about the new program. Mr. Turvey said Google’s program would allow consumers to read books on any device with Internet access, including mobile phones, rather than being limited to dedicated reading devices like the Amazon Kindle. “We don’t believe that having a silo or a proprietary system is the way that e-books will go,” he said. He said that publishers would be allowed to set list prices but that Google would price the e-books for consumers. Amazon also lets publishers set wholesale prices and then establishes its own prices for consumers. In selling e-books at $9.99, Amazon effectively takes a loss on each sale because publishers generally charge booksellers about half the list price of a hardcover typically, around $13 or $14. Mr. Turvey said that Google would probably allow publishers to charge consumers the same price for digital editions as they do for new hardcover versions. He said Google would reserve the right to adjust prices that it deemed “exorbitant.” Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Weight management pills

2009-06-02T11:17:00.000+08:00

Are you looking for ways to lose the extra weight under the big tummy or belly? then you better read this reviews as I am going to review this website that is going to sell something similar to what you are finding for. safe weight loss pills The website I am going to review today is called getdietsolutions.com They had reviewed all the best website that are selling the thing that you are finding to shed the fats. Check them out.

Weight loss pills

2009-06-02T10:54:00.000+08:00

Are you looking for ways to lose the extra weight under the big tummy or belly? then you better read this reviews as I am going to review this website that is going to sell something similar to what you are finding for. weight loss pills The website I am going to review today is called consumerpricewatch They had reviewed all the best website that are selling the thing that you are finding to shed the fats. Check them out.

Four found guilty in landmark Pirate Bay case

2009-05-16T23:35:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Four men behind a Swedish file-sharing Web site used by millions to exchange movies and music have been found guilty of collaborating to violate copyright law in a landmark court verdict in Stockholm. The four defendants -- Fredrik Neij, Gottfrid Svartholm Warg, Peter Sunde Kolmisoppi and Carl Lundstrom, three founders and one patron of The Pirate Bay -- were sentenced to one year in jail and also ordered to pay 30 million kronor ($3.6 million) in damages to several major media companies including Warner Brothers, Columbia, Twentieth Century Fox, Sony BMG and EMI. The Pirate Bay allows users to exchange files including movies, music, games and software, but does not host the files itself. It claims more than 3.5 million registered users. The court case, which involved both a criminal case and a civil claim brought by the media companies, marks a key victory for anti-piracy campaigners, who had long targeted the Web site. Should the perpetrators of Internet piracy be punished? Have your say The year-long prison terms are for violating Swedish law, while the damages are compensation to the media giants in the civil case -- though the court ordered the men to pay just one-third of the 110 million kronor ($13 million) which the companies had asked for. Friday's verdict did not include an order to shut down The Pirate Bay site. Its owners have consistently shrugged off legal threats and police raids, posting letters from entertainment industry lawyers on their Web site with mocking responses. When Dreamworks studio demanded that the site act over file-sharing of Dreamworks' movie "Shrek 2," The Pirate Bay threatened to sue for harassment and lodge a formal complaint "for sending frivolous legal threats." "It is the opinion of us and our lawyers that you are ... morons," the response continued, suggesting that studio representatives perform a sexual act. The response closed with an obscenity. Site owners dismissed the effects of a police raid in 2006, saying the site had been down longer on other occasions due to illness or drunkenness than when "the U.S. and Swedish government forces the police to steal our servers ... yawn." Don't Miss * Is online piracy a good thing? * 'X-Men Origins: Wolverine' leaked to Web * Background: A-Z of Internet piracy * Quest: Internet piracy: Is it theft? But Magnus Eriksson, who in 2003 co-founded the "loosely formed group of theorists, artists and programmers" that spawned The Pirate Bay, says there are serious issues at stake. He does not think copyrighted material should be free for everyone, "but that it already is." "The control over what people communicate is lost and we have to adapt to this new state of things," he said via e-mail. "To monitor all communications, fight all new digital technologies and spread a culture of fear in what should be a free and open communication network is not a desirable option." Entertainment companies claim The Pirate Bay has hurt their box office profits, part of an annual loss the Motion Picture Association of America claims to be about $6 billion a year worldwide. "Hollywood studios are businesses. They're there to make money," said association lawyer Thomas Dillon. "It costs $100 million to make a feature film, so of course they're quite keen to get some back. So I don't accept this argument that there's some benefit to culture in allowing people to make copies of commercial films and getting them for free." Monique Wadsted, a Swedish lawyer for the MPAA, said The Pirate Bay was also harming individual artists. A victory for the entertainment companies "will, of course, be for all authors all around the world, some kind of redress... because what is going on now is actually a plundering of the author's works," she said via e-mail. "If some authors find it good to market their products using file-sharing or whatever, they are free to do that," she added. "But that is not what is happening at the moment. What's happening at the moment is that authors' and rights holders' works are file-shared against their will and that is not acceptable." She argued that The Pirate Bay "is specifically tailored for copyright infringement." The prosecution claims the site provides a search engine that helps people find and download copyrighted material including movies, music and games -- in effect, enabling copyright theft. The site's supporters say they're doing nothing wrong under Swedish law because the site doesn't actually put the copyrighted material on the Web site. Internet piracy and illegal downloading from peer-to-peer systems are some of the biggest piracy problems in Europe, the MPAA argues. Internet piracy is growing at a faster rate in Europe than anywhere else in the world, the MPAA says, because of increased broadband use, weak laws, and lenient public perceptions. Sweden's official efforts to battle online piracy have been weak, the MPAA says. Eriksson, the co-founder of the group that led to The Pirate Bay, says the MPAA's argument that file-sharing hurts movie studio revenues is "nonsense." "Cinema is doing better than ever," he said by e-mail. "They only claim this because they calculate losses by looking at the number of downloads and imagining that all of them would have been a purchase if they hadn't been downloaded first." Eriksson said what was at stake in the Swedish courtroom was the future of the Internet itself. "The Internet revolution meant that we created a global network where any digital entity could connect and exchange information with any other," he said. "Anti-piracy efforts must be seen in the light of a counter-revolution against this that goes all the way to the very infrastructure of the net." He suggested that even if The Pirate Bay is convicted of facilitating making works public through its indexing service, which he does not expect, Internet piracy will not stop. advertisement "The prosecution can't understand that The Pirate Bay is just one stratification of a social and technological change that is decentralized," he said. "Piracy does not have a head that you can cut off, and The Pirate Bay is just a technology allowing communication, a part of the Internet infrastructure." Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Fennec Alpha 1 for Windows Mobile

2009-05-16T11:44:00.002+08:00

Slashdot It! We are pleased to announce that Fennec Alpha 1 for Windows Mobile 6 is available for download by developers and testers. This is an early developer release intended for testing purposes only. We would like to invite interested Windows Mobile developers and users to join with Mozilla’s developer and user community to help develop, test and refine the product. Since we started getting Fennec compiling on Windows Mobile a few months ago, we’ve made good progress: * JeMalloc, the memory management library developed by Jason Evans and used by Firefox, has been ported to Windows CE and turned on for Fennec. This allows Fennec to manage memory much more efficiently. * Fennec’s user interface controls have been rebuilt to be entirely CSS based. This will allow us to more easily adjust our UI for various screen sizes and resolutions in the future. Its also demonstrates how web technologies can be used to create compelling user interfaces. The look and feel will continue to evolve as we develop the product, but this release should give uses a sense of the direction its going in. * Finally, this release also supports Add-ons. Add-ons are integral to promoting openness and innovation on the web and are unique to Fennec in the mobile space. Its been amazing to see how many great Add-ons have popped up already. Take for instance the gestures module created by Felipe . As with previous releases, Madhava Enros has created a video walk through of this release. Installation This release has been targeted and tested on the HTC Touch Pro. We will be adding support for more devices in future releases. To install on your device, you can either navigate to this cab installer from your phone’s current browser or download it to your desktop and copy it to your device via ActiveSync. Once on your device simply click on the cab and it will install to your device. For more detailed installation instructions, look here and of course, please read the release notes. Again, please note that some carriers filter web traffic to prevent their users from downloading cab files. If downloading the cab simply hangs or you get a message reading “This page contains erros and cannot be displayed,” this is probably what’s happening. In this case you will either need to be connected via WiFi or use the ActiveSync method. The first time you run Fennec it will spend some time creating your profile. This may take a minute or two, please be patient. Known Issues It is not yet recommended to use this release for daily browsing tasks. Certain performance problems will become immediately apparent to the user. Panning has a noticeable delay between the user first touching the page and the page moving. We are certain that other less obvious bugs exist and we invite you to help bring them to light. You can find detailed information on how to file a good bug in bugzilla , our bug tracking system, here . Looking Forward Following the same path we took on Maemo, where the browser now performs quite well, development will now focus on performance improvements. There are known and suspected performance hot spots that need to be investigated and optimized. There are very talented people working on the core Mozilla platform who will continue to speed up things like JavaScript, graphics and the DOM. We are excited about a set of optimizations for drawing that take advantage of graphics processors, which will help Fennec’s graphics performance (i.e. panning and zooming). We are also looking at enhancements to our networking layer to optimize for high latency networks. Now that we have gotten to this point, the fun really begins. If you would like to help us by testing or developing the product, please visit the Mobile Firefox wiki . There you will find some information that we hope is useful in helping you find where to “plug in” to the effort. As always, you can find us on irc in the #mobile channel . Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Meizu talks M8 followup: 3G, GPS, 5-megapixel camera

2009-05-16T11:44:00.001+08:00

Slashdot It! The Meizu M8 may have only just recently ceased to be a figment of our collective imagination, but the always talkative J. Wong (Meizu's CEO, if he needs any introduction) is already dropping some hints about the next version of the phone, which may or may not actually be the M9. While there's no word on any changes to the design of the device just yet, it will apparently get a much-needed 3G upgrade (as earlier rumored), along with built-in GPS, a new and improved 5-megapixel camera with an LED flash and, no doubt, entirely new levels of KIRF. Still itching for more vague details?Just wait a bit, Meizu has this down to an art at this point. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Fujitsu, the world's fastest SPARC64 CPU "SPARC64 VIIIfx"

2009-05-16T11:34:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Fujitsu, May 14, 15, two days have been held at Tokyo International Forum in Yurakucho, "Fujitsu Forum 2009" at the world's fastest CPU is being developed to refer to the exhibit. Development code name "Venus (Venus)" "SPARC64 VIIIfx" So the speed of floating point calculations 128GFLOPS. 45nm production process is about 2cm in the number of cores integrated on the die angle, around for quite a conventional 4 to 8 and the speed to increase.MERUMORIKONTORORA and also has a memory chip. According to the company's current Intel-made CPU and about 2.5 times the high-speed operation and power consumption is less that one-third. Year 2008 the company shipped about SPARC64 VII than three times the relative performance. The world's fastest CPU was developed by Fujitsu, the CPU vector VPP5000 since it's about 10 years. The test chips on 300mm wafers SPARC64 SPARC64 VIIIfx image of SPARC64 VIIIfx in comparison with current and SPARC64 VII Fujitsu Forum 2009 at the exhibit and future technology "to support technical computing science", "Challenges to the Dream Project," an exhibition of 300mm wafer chip testing. "Space weather, astronomy, science and protecting the global environment of advanced technology to support a project aimed at building future dreams are rich" are introduced. Is expected to deliver a next-generation supercomputer, the environment, weather, transportation, chemical, medical, and will be used in areas such as space. Inoue Aiitirou head of Fujitsu's next-generation TEKUNIKARUKONPYUTINGU Development Division, "the current JAXA SPARC64 VII with (JAXA) in supercomputers running FX1, the world's execution efficiency and 91.2% also achieved the world record time of 60 hours run. 12,000 parallel cores, running on high performance and reliability. SPARC64 VII are generic, 40GFOPS have realized, this will further develop and strengthen the capacity of the floating-point operations for supercomputers, SPARC64 VIIIfx be. As well as high-speed processing, high throughput device to make the most of it has evolved in the lower power consumption. The FX1 JAXA, Japan's performance in the world ranked No 17.In the meantime, the supercomputer is Japan's second billing to the worship, by utilizing the CPU, you can dramatically develop the world's fastest supercomputer, the Community global be. To regain its position as the fastest in the world do. " SPARC64 VIIIfx Basic Overview SPARC64 VIIIfx with the system board. Four-node, and only realized it 512GFLOPS. The system board has a 24 rack units enter Head of Fujitsu's next-generation TEKUNIKARUKONPYUTINGU Inoue Aiitirou Development Division Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

RV

2009-05-16T11:26:00.003+08:00

With the recession looming to the very extent where companies collapse and your earning drops, and yet u would want to have some fun in a nice RV? Then look no further, I am able to provide u with a review on a website selling RV. They are a nice bunch of people whom I had brought RV from. The website I am reviewing today is called http://www.rv.net/. They sell a huge range of RVs that you can live comfortably in. They are also having a sweepstakes now where u can stand a chance of winning a brand new RV. They are also having promo codes for Goodyear products when you buy their RVs Check them out

Plug-in Standards Necessary for Consumer Acceptance of Electric Vehicles Like the Chevy Volt

2009-04-17T23:35:00.002+08:00

Slashdot It! Next week during the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) conference in Detroit, the SAE J1772™ Task Force will continue its work by committee to standardize the components that will soon become part of one of the most common driver interactions with a plug-in electric vehicle - plugging in and charging the battery. In order for plug-in electric vehicles to become part of the mainstream, a plug-in “ecosystem” must be in place when vehicles like the Chevy Volt extended-range electric vehicle hit the market. And for this ecosystem to be robust, there must be commonality, especially when owners are plugging into the electrical grid. Outlet voltages won’t always be the same and the weather will vary based on location, but the vehicle’s charge cord plug and how you use it should always remain the same - regardless of make or model. A vehicle charge cord plug is one of the standard components being developed by automakers under the new committee. A vehicle charge cord plug is one of the standard components being developed by automakers under the new committee. That’s where SAE J1772™ comes into play. You’re already aware we’re working to make the Volt as efficient as possible, but we’re also helping lead the standardization of this plug and how you interact with it as well as the electrical grid. With SAE J1772™, we’re defining what a common electric vehicle conductive charging system architecture will look like for all major automakers in North America, but more importantly, we’re working to resolve general physical, electrical and performance requirements so these systems can be manufactured for safe public use. Through SAE, our industry is working together to answer fundamental questions about plug-in electric vehicles such as battery electrochemistry, optimal battery-size and state of charge, and lifecycle among other issues, but zeroing in on the ergonomics, safety and performance of the charging interface is one of the most basic ways we can help build consumer confidence in plug-ins. Think about it, if you have no reservations or confusion about charging your vehicle, you’re probably going to be more likely to drive one. Drivers shouldn’t have to worry about electromagnetic compatibility, emission and immunity when they need to plug-in - that’s what engineers like me get paid to do. Only by consensus can we ensure the ownership experience of plug-ins will meet all of our customers’ expectations, and fit into the broader ecosystem we all need for plug-ins to be successful. Safe and convenient vehicle charging is just another step to reaching our shared goal, and we expect to have this standard completed by the end of this summer. I look forward to reading your thoughts and comments. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Car parts

2009-04-17T23:31:00.001+08:00

Are you looking for some Ferrari parts that you can buy online and you want some really good parts but at extremely low prices? Then you had came to the right area as I am going to review this website that sell exactly what you are looking for. vauxhall insignia vauxhall corsa vauxhall dealer The website I am reviewing today is called perrys.co.uk. They are selling parts at record low prices and their pricing cannot be beaten by many other websites. They sell things like car mats, oil change kits and many more. You name it, they have it. They also include other high end names also. They also talk about the latest news happening in the car industry so that you can be informed and make the right deals and decision. You can even know when the industry is bottoming out and make a right judgement on the cars that you can buy. Check them out

Web Hosting

2009-04-17T23:14:00.002+08:00

With the current economic crysis, it is no wonder people cut back on their spending and stop investing all together. But here is the good news, setting up a business in gloomy time would allow you to iron out some of the major knicks so that you can better take advantage of the next major upswing. What's better than setting up an online business with low or no capital at all. Here is the review for cheap web hosting sites. web hosting The website I am reviewing today is called webhostingchoice.com. They review the best and the cheapest web hosting sites that are on the market so that you can make an informed choice on the cheapest deals in town. They even rate their service level and they also categories them into various themes like Adult, Blog, Email and Business. They also have several articles on scams, quick start and basically how to get started on your new online business. It is good that they can provide you with so many free info. Do they them out before you buy any web hosting plans from other websites. About them Web Hosting Choice is a free research guide to help users choose the right web host for their personal or business website. Our focus is on providing a simple, easy to follow site to help users choose the best web hosting plan most suitable for a small site or for a large e-commerce website.

EYE cream

2009-04-01T17:32:00.002+08:00

Are you looking for some eye cream? The prices available at other websites are far too expensive for you to take it? Then you better read this review as I am going to review this website that best fits your requirement to buy the cheapest and best eye cream. eye cream The website I am reviewing today is called eyecream.org. They are a nice bunch of people who are selling eyecream at rock bottom prices and they even include some reviews on the different products available online. Check them out

NY City tickets

2009-04-01T17:23:00.002+08:00

Are you looking to fly to NY Yankees now? Do you have sufficient cash on hand? Well, no worries, as I am going to review this website that is selling tickets to NY Yankees for a very cheap price. New York Yankees tickets The website I am reviewing today is called selectaticket.com. They sell the tickets at a very cheap price for you and it is no scram. They are verified by major websites like godaddy, control trust and many more. They also have gift cards for you to buy and give as gifts for your friends

Digital Frame

2009-04-01T17:16:00.002+08:00

Are you looking to buy a digital frame? Then look no further as I am going to review this website that is selling digital frame at extremely cheap prices but with good quality. digital frame The website I am reviewing today is called buy.com. They are selling a bunch of digital frames at extremely low prices. However, they come from names like Viewsonic and Coby. All very famous brand names. They also sell all kinds of electronics and appliances. Check them out.

Ferrari parts

2009-04-01T16:52:00.002+08:00

Are you looking for some Ferrari parts that you can buy online and you want some really good parts but at extremely low prices? Then you had came to the right area as I am going to review this website that sell exactly what you are looking for. Ferrari parts The website I am reviewing today is called ricambiamerica.com. They are selling phones at record low prices and their pricing cannot be beaten by many other websites. They sell things like car mats, oil change kits and many more. You name it, they have it. They also include other high end names also. Check them out

Bathroom Faucet

2009-04-01T16:37:00.001+08:00

Are you looking for some bathroom fixes now? Then you better read this review as I am going to reveal this website that is selling the things that you are looking for at a cheaper price and a better quality then the rest. bathroom faucet The website I am going to review today is called faucet.com. They are selling things like Kitchen and bathroom fauce. Free Shipping They also have a free shipping offer where they offer free shipping for people whom spend more than 99 dollars on their purchase. Check them out

Discovery hits Amazon with Kindle patent suit

2009-04-01T09:30:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Discovery Communications, parent company of the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, has filed a complaint against Amazon.com alleging that some security and copy protection features in the Kindle and Kindle 2 violate the company's patents. In the lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, Discovery has asked for unspecified monetary compensation. Amazon representatives were not immediately available for comment. According to a copy of the suit, Discovery charges that Amazon violated its patent for Electronic Book Security and Copyright Protection System. The patent, U.S. 7,298,851, was issued to Discovery Communications by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Nov. 20, 2007, per the lawsuit filing (PDF). It was initially filed in 1999. The technology "provides for secure distribution of electronic text and graphics to subscribers and secure storage," Discovery said in the lawsuit. My question is, why did Discovery create technology for an e-book reader? Is the entertainment company preparing to follow Amazon, Sony, and Hearst Corp. into the e-reader space? After talking to a Discovery spokeswoman, she explains that the company's founder, John Hendricks is a bit of an inventor. In the 1990s, Hendricks tried his hand at coming up with systems to digitize content. He explored technologies involving the digitization of TV content as well as e-book systems. In 2004, he sold the TV patents but Discovery kept the e-reader patents. When asked whether Discovery could build an e-book reader, the company's spokeswoman said "We are only focused on the Kindle at this time." Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Angry shareholders say Microsoft squanders billions on pointless R&D projects

2009-04-01T09:29:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Welcome to the second article in a series on Microsoft shareholder activism. These posts examine why investors, through the power of the stock price, aren't buying the idea that Microsoft has a great future. In this post, one of the top Microsoft securities analysts weighs in, Brendan Barnicle from Pacific Crest Securities. (To summarize his take, "Yeah a lot of people are frustrated … the stock should have grown."). We reveal more details on what activist Craig Montgomery wants Microsoft to change. We'll give you a sneak peek of the third post in the series, a candid interview with an outspoken shareholder who likens Steve Ballmer and Bill Gates to fraudster Bernard Madoff. When we last left off, we had explained Montgomery's viewpoint that Microsoft's lagging share price was not a result of the soft economy. Montgomery of The Crandrea Group is creating a grassroots shareholder activism movement. He thinks – and others interviewed for this story agree – that Microsoft's stock is underperforming and has been for years. One of the biggest problems, Montgomery says, is the astronomical amount of money that Microsoft spends on R&D. Not that he wants Microsoft to stop all R&D spending, but he, like the other investors we talked to, want an R&D reality check. By trimming the now-nearly $8 billion annually R&D budget, it is their belief that Microsoft frees up cash to do something truly game changing – like purchasing a mobile carrier. "During 2007, Apple spent $782 million on R&D, Oracle spent $85 million while Microsoft spent about $7.5 billion. In 2007, Apple annual revenue amounted to $24 billion and net income totaled $3.5 billion," says Montgomery. "According to 2008 annual report, Apple increased revenue to $32 billion and net income to $4.8 billion. During the same period Microsoft spent $8 billion on R&D and increased revenue from $51 billion to $60 billion. Therefore, Apple has a R&D budget that equates to approximately 10% of Microsoft’s; however, during this period Apple increased revenue by $8 billion and Microsoft increased revenue by $9 billion." Some of these billions have gone to Windows Live (and other cloud computing initiatives) and MSN. This should make sense. As software moves from the fat desktop to the cloud, it moves from software licenses to a subscription (which few are willing to pay) and advertising-supported freeware. Ergo, Microsoft needs to create a healthy cloud/advertising/search business Problem is, activists say that what Microsoft has been doing isn't paying off. Montgomery notes that Google has spent about $1 billion annually on R&D in '05 and '06, increasing to $2 billion in '07. Meanwhile, in '05 its online advertising revenue was about $6 billion. In '07 that rose to $16 billion while its market share moved from about 30% to today's range of over 50%. He contrasts that to, in 2005, Microsoft generating online advertising revenue of $1.5 billion (compared with Google's $6 billion), reporting a mere 8% market share. In 2007, Microsoft reported revenue of $2 billion, which it says represents an even tinier 6% of the market. "Google within this period has increased revenue by $10 billion and increased market share by 20%. Despite a larger R&D budget, however, within the same period, Microsoft has increased revenue by $500 million and potentially has lost 2% market share," Montgomery spells out. So, then, if you can't develop your own home grown, you can always buy your way into a potential market with brilliant futures, right?. Wrong again, for Microsoft, says Montgomery. It has bought Motionbridge, Medstory, Jellyfish, Fast Search and Transfer (that one for over 1 billion) and paid an astronomical sum of $6 billion for aQuantive. Then there's investments like Onfolio, bought in 2006, which was integrated into the Windows Live toolbar "and by 2008, Microsoft announced that this was discontinued," Montgomery recounts. "Microsoft needs to stop telling the consumer what it wants and start asking what the customer wants. It is very ironic and yet a very sad commentary that Microsoft is a company that sells CRM software to clients (Microsoft Dynamics CRM)," he says. While Montgomery would like to see Microsoft strike a deal with Yahoo on search – which would give Microsoft an instant about 30% market share in advertising -- he knows that if the company doesn't understand how to aptly serve advertisers, then it would simply be wasting more money. In agreement is shareholder Mike McDonald. McDonald owns 118,000 shares of Microsoft, bought in 2000 at an average price of $36 share (adjusted for splits and dividend payouts). He has since seen the company grow its revenue and profits while his equity has been halved. And he's ticked about it. "I still hold Microsoft so I still hold hope it will achieve what I think is its potential. By now it should have been $100+ per share. We've seen Apple rise and I remember when MS was handing out Apple oxygen because we didn't know if it would survive. (Funny. I don't even use Windows … I love the Mac.) I also believe Bill Gates is a charlatan because what he has said, implied, promised to shareholders and stakeholders and all of these visionary things that he mumbles and jumbles about and doesn't make reality of. MS is spending billions of dollars on R&D. Where is the return on investment? Who is there saying, as IBM eventually did, 'We need to get a return on our R&D, we're a business'?" One big part of the solution, in Montgomery's eyes, is for Microsoft to buy a mobile provider – and not simply to partner with one, as it did with Verizon last month. He notes the math (per Citi analyst Mark Mahaney) that says Microsoft's recent deal to provide search to Verizon mobile users won't be a winner for Microsoft, as it will require each user to conduct 17 searches per month on their phones in the next five years just to break even. He wants Microsoft to leverage its R&D money to buy a mobile carrier – in his mind, the perfect one would be the beleaguered Sprint, with $40 billion in revenue, 40 million mobile subscribers and trading at about $3 per share (at that rate, a market valuation of $7 billion). McDonald agrees that a mobile acquisition would be good for Microsoft – though thinks Research in Motion is a better fit. Pacific Crest Securities' Barnicle isn't gung-ho on either idea. "As for buying a mobile carrier like Sprint, we just saw Microsoft divest itself in cable, its Comcast investment. It didn't work out. They didn't lose much money on that, but it's a similar principle to own its own mobile network so it can then control it … Buying something like Sprint is not something the shareholders would be happy about ... it would send the stock lower." He doesn't see investors wanting Microsoft to buy into any business that the company doesn't know how to run, and when it comes to wireless, operating margins are deterorating even faster than on Windows products. Barnicle says that Microsoft's main problem is an image battered by Vista. "There's the perception that Vista wasn't a successful product launch but it's been fairly successful from a financial standpoint. There have been mounting concerns all decade that Microsoft's business is going to be hurt from open source and that has never materialized, hurt from Google's Web Office application offerings, from open source versions of Office and those things never materialized," he said. "Microsoft has made its numbers. If you look at the Discounted Cash Flow (DCF) analysis, the stock price is suggesting that cash flow is going to decline at 3% a year in perpetuity and that's not going to happen." Barnicle believes that the stock is also suffering from a nostalgia effect -- people remembering its glorious reputation in the 1990s and think it can't grow like that again. "It was a huge growth stock in the 1990s and it has experienced multiple compressions year over year. …Yeah a lot of people are frustrated … the stock should have grown -- if you look objectively at the numbers Microsoft has put up the last couple of years. In 2008 it grew revenue 18% and earnings 21%, it is expected to grow revenues at 2% in 2009, which is good in this economy, and earnings per share is down maybe 6% which is pretty stable. Plus, given its enormous cash position, [the stock is definitely underperforming]." But McDonald says the numbers don't lie and investors are not fooled. Microsoft is losing market share on its high-margin products. Barnicle confirms this, "As for declining net operating revenues, that's part [of the reason the stock has underperformed]. Also declining margins. Investors are also frustrated with Microsoft's investments in its online business and entertainment devices." In the company's defense, he says management is listening to its shareholders and doing what they ask of it. "There are lots of activist shareholders – and these are big, institutional investors. So you see management doing things like the Dutch auction [on a $20 billion buyback of shares in 2006], increased dividends, increased buybacks. They've done all the things investors have asked for and the stock is still underperforming. Shareholders are frustrated and management is frustrated." Shareholders also aren't buying it. Stay tuned for the next installment where we will explore McDonald's guest blog entitled "How to screw up a monopoly." Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Cisco buys Pure Digital Technologies

2009-04-01T09:23:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Pure Digital Technologies thought small and simple, and it paid off big time. The tiny, eight-year-old start-up famed for its inexpensive and easy to use Flip video cameras has defeated a down economy. On Thursday, the 100-person company wasbought by Cisco Systems, a technology infrastructure giant, for $590 million in stock. The deal caps off a bumpy and unpredictable rise for Pure Digital, which bested the Asian companies that dominate the camera industry from an office located above the Gump’s department store in the heart of San Francisco. “At a time when everybody has just been hammered with stories of misery, this is a really fabulous tale of what is possible against all odds,” said Michael Moritz, a venture capitalist at Sequoia Capital, which invested in Pure Digital. Over the last couple of years, Cisco has expanded beyond selling networking equipment for large computing centers, making inroads into the home via set-top boxes, routers and — most recently — digital stereos. The company has been clear about building upon these efforts by aiming much of its nearly $34 billion in cash at future acquisitions. In Pure Digital, Cisco found a local talent to complement its consumer ambitions and extend its business videoconferencing technology to mobile devices. Pure Digital started selling the Flip line of products in 2007 and has since shipped more than two million units, which cost $150 to $230, depending on the model. The device’s claim to fame has been its minimalism. The Flip recorders have just a few buttons, weigh a few ounces and have 1.5-inch screens. In addition, they arrive without cables, relying on a built-in connector that plugs into a computer’s U.S.B. port for both recharging and transferring video files. Along with the device, Pure Digital offers software that helps shift videos from a personal computer to online services like YouTube and Facebook with the click of a couple of buttons. The simple software, simple design and low cost opened digital camcorders to people put off by more complex devices but still hungry to pass around their videos. “They were able to capitalize on an opportunity to reach consumers that had traditionally shied away from camcorders,” said Ross Rubin, an analyst for NPD Group. Over the last few years, the sales of digital camcorders have either stayed flat or declined, according to Mr. Rubin. Meanwhile, Pure Digital tripled its sales of the Flip products over the last year and now holds close to one-fifth of the market. Sony, the market leader, has since mimicked Pure Digital’s products, as have a host of smaller competitors. The no-nonsense Flip design set Pure Digital’s path on a new trajectory. “We became a profitable business from the day we launched Flip,” said Jonathan Kaplan, the company’s chief. The company started off selling single-use digital still cameras at drugstores. Customers would rent the cameras and bring them to make prints. The business worked, at first. But as nondisposable cameras became increasingly affordable, Pure Digital’s sales tumbled. “The market demand for that product just melted away,” Mr. Moritz said. “We found ourselves selling disposable cameras into a market that was shrinking by the hour.” The company next moved to single-use digital camcorders, also distributed through drugstores, where the videos could be burned onto DVDs. Despite trying various approaches, Pure Digital remained in search of a big hit. Luckily, the company’s partners — and, somewhat surprisingly, computer hackers — helped to nudge it in the right direction. For example, hackers were removing the memory chips from the single-use recorders so they could put videos onto their PCs. In addition, the drugstores asked Pure Digital to limit the accessories it shipped with its cameras, a demand that gave rise to the built-in U.S.B. connector. With such prodding, Pure Digital’s staff hit upon the idea of a cheap, easy-to-use digital camera that could funnel videos between the device, PCs and Web sites. Ever since, the company maintained its simple approach while working to make products more attractive via colorful designs and better-quality video. Cisco’s deep pockets could help Flip, financed by close to $70 million, succeed outside of the United States and Britain, according to Mr. Moritz. “You have to scale up your inventory to satisfy demand in lots of different countries, and that is a very expensive proposition,” he said. Such a consumer play is still a curious one for Cisco. The company tends to operate in the background, providing products that companies use to link phones and computers to the Internet. But Cisco has also made large investments in videoconferencing. The more the Flip encourages consumers to videoconference, the more money the company looks to make selling the routers and switches needed to process the large video files flying off Flip devices and onto YouTube. Less than 5 percent of Cisco’s $40 billion in annual sales comes from consumer products, said Brent Bracelin, an analyst with Pacific Crest Securities. Cisco is already familiar with Pure Digital’s product. The family of John T. Chambers, the chief executive at Cisco, owns eight of the Flip devices, and executives at the company often post their own videos to an internal version of YouTube. In the future, it is expected that Cisco will release versions of the Flip recorders that can connect to wireless networks. There are other surprises in store as well, said Mr. Kaplan. “The Flip will find its way into some very obvious places and maybe some not-so-obvious ones,” he said. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Office Depot Associates Routinely Lie about Notebook Stock

2009-03-26T09:31:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Times are tough—apparently so tough that some associates at Office Depot are willing to turn notebook customers away if they aren’t spending enough on extras. According to several LAPTOP readers, including a current Office Depot employee we interviewed, the retailer’s sales staff are under such intense pressure to sell such “attachments” as Product Protection Plans and Tech Depot Services, that many will tell customers who turn down these services that the computer they asked for is not in stock, even when it’s sitting right in the stock room. We first became aware of this problem a few weeks ago, when we went to our local Office Depot, looking for a Gateway LT1004U netbook. We were surprised by how aggressively the sales associate tried to convince us not to buy the system and then, when we said we still wanted it, how aggressively he tried to convince us to buy its corresponding tech services. When we posted about our experience on the LAPTOP blog, some surprising comments starting coming in from several different readers claiming to work for Office Depot. Readers Raise the Alarm “Not only do [we] sales people depend on the extra cash we earn from add-ons, if we do not sell them and make a quota, we get the shaft from our bosses and their bosses and their bosses,” reader Chris H. wrote. A reader going by the moniker Office Depot Employee was more direct. This commenter wrote, “At store level, OD puts too much pressure on sales consultants and managers to sell the PPPs (Product Protection Plans) & TDS (Tech Depot Services). I know of several stores in my market that will ‘feel out’ the customer to see if they are the type to purchase these services. If the customer lets on that they only want the computer and no services … then that store simply claims to be out of stock! We are required to sell 30% + on both of these services or we get PIP’d (Performance Improvement Process) (or Written up) and get ultimately fired.” Another reader using the alias OD tech sales Manager wrote, “Unfortunately, what you all have been commenting is very close to the truth of the matter. But not all Office Depots practice this unethical decision making … I don’t hesitate from selling my laptops even though they deny wanting these services. Why? Because like you said before. (sic) the quota is 30% so I can lose out on 7 laptops but get 3 and be okay still.” Current Salesperson Spills the Beans While e-mails sent to these first three commenters went unreplied, we were able to make contact with a fourth reader named Rich (last name withheld), who was willing to talk to us and even provided us with a pay stub to prove that he currently works at an Office Depot. In an extensive phone and e-mail interview, Rich said that he was always honest with customers but had been instructed to lie about notebook stock both by one of his four store managers and by a district manager. “I have witnessed lying about the availability of a notebook, and have been told to do so myself,” Rich told us. ” Once I was talking to the customer and, while I am actually speaking, my manager comes on the radio and tells me to say it is out of stock if they aren’t getting anything with it. I always ignore him and sell it anyway because lying to the customer is flat-out wrong.” Sales Quotas for Associates, Percentages for Managers Rich told us that although lying about notebook stock is not official Office Depot policy, the chain’s tough quotas lead many managers and sales associates to game the system any way they can. Rich said that store managers are held to a strict minimum “attachment rating,” which is determined through a complex formula that weighs the value of “attachments”—services such as warranties and service plans or accessories like printer cables—against the number of tech products sold. If a store’s attachment rating falls below 30 percent, the manager could face disciplinary action from higher-ups. Sales associates like Rich, however, are not held to a percentage, but to a weekly dollar amount. Rich said his current dollar amount is $200, and if he doesn’t hit that number, he faces warnings, and then termination in short order. “Basically they drill it in your head that if you don’t sell PPPs, you’re gonna get fired. It’s gotten so bad to the point where the managers are starting to find loopholes in the system. They would rather sell one laptop with a PPP than ten laptops with nothing. They don’t care,” he said. Tough Weekly Goals Determine Commissions In addition to the stick of losing their jobs, Office Depot sales associates have the carrot of commissions for themselves and all of their co-workers if the store reaches or exceeds its attachment sales numbers. According to Rich, each store has its own daily sales goal for PPPs ($200 for Rich’s store; as much as $450 for others he knows). The daily goals are determined by a number of factors, including that store’s previous performance. At the end of each week, the commission rate for all of the store’s sales associates is determined based on where the total amount of PPP sales stands in relation to the store’s goals for that week. If the store achieved more than 120% or more of its goal, all associates get 15% commission for the previous week’s sales. If the store achieved 100 to 120%, they get 10% commission. Eighty to 99 percent nets a 5% commission for associates, while falling below 80% of the goal means that associates get no commission at all, no matter how much they sold as individuals. “One PPP could make or break how the entire store gets paid for commission that week,” he said. “That’s why they put such an emphasis on it.” According to Rich, the price of a PPP ranges from $100 on the low end to as much as $495 for a multiyear plan on an expensive notebook. Rich told us that Office Depot typically charges $125 for extended protection on a $300 netbook. Tech Depot Services vary widely in price. A local Office Depot associate tried to sell us software installation on an optical-driveless netbook for $30 per program, but Rich told us the most common services for notebooks are trialware removal, “optimization,” and a year of McAfee Anti-Virus. All three services combined cost $99, though trialware removal alone starts at $29. The Tech Depot Services are an especially vibrant profit center for Office Depot, with little cost and effort involved. According to Rich, some services are performed by remote workers who do little more than push a few buttons to install software. “The software installation the associates do. We will install everything,” Rich said. “The service where we install McAfee and get rid of all the trialware—the way it works is that we hook it up to our tech bench and a remote person will take over the computer and then they’ll basically run a little uninstall wizard that does everything for them. They’re basically just clicking a few buttons and it just does it.” Why Associates Lie Rich also told us that there is no commission at all just for selling a notebook without any attachments. So there’s no financial incentive for salespeople to help customers who don’t want protection plans or tech services. Considering that the manager is held to a minimum attachment rating, but the associates are only held to a total dollar amount, we wondered why the associates would lie to customers and tell them a notebook was out of stock when it neither harms nor helps their individual stats. Rich explained that sales associates are both concerned about the store’s attachment rating and about losing the opportunity to sell each an individual laptop to a PPP or TDS-buying customer. “Ideally, they want every single laptop to go out with a warranty, so if you sell one, that’s one opportunity that’s gone,” Rich said. “They figure if they don’t sell it, someone else will come in and get it, especially if it’s a laptop that’s in the ad that a lot of people are going to come in . . . They figure they’re going to sell it eventually. You might as well do it to someone that’s going to get something with it.” Rich said that a typical Office Depot has at most one or two of each regular-priced notebook in stock at any given time, with a maximum of 5 units for sale circular items. He told us that employees aren’t too concerned about running out of stock, because a truck comes with new supplies at least three times a week, more frequently during peak sales times such as back-to-school. The Scope of the Problem Without doing a comprehensive survey of dozens or hundreds of Office Depot employees, it’s difficult to tell just how widespread the problem of lying sales associates has become. We know from our reader comments that the problem is not limited to Rich’s store alone, but we hear from Rich that not every associate lies and not every manager encourages their sales people to lie. “As far as not-selling, I’ve heard about it from other stores. The original one [store] that I worked at, it wasn’t really too bad. They only time they told me not to sell something to someone was a customer who came in once a week and bought a computer and then returned it two days later. Other than that, that store was pretty good,” Rich recounted. “This one [the manager at his current store], his thing is to really get the warranty, to get as much as possible. He’s told me repeatedly to not sell a computer if you’re not getting anything with it.” According to Rich, the district manager once visited his store and told all the associates to lie. “We did get told by the district manager one time to talk to the customer, figure out what they want, do your normal sales routine, and figure out what they’re going to get,” he said. “Offer them the PPP. Offer them the TDS and then, if they’re going to get it, go check to see if we have it in stock and, if we do, bring it out to them. If they’re not going to get anything with it, just go check to see if we have it and then come back and say ‘oh, we’re out of stock on it.’” We tried more than once to investigate this very claim by visiting a local Office Depot branch here in Manhattan, but were told that the laptop we wanted was in stock when we sent a LAPTOP staff writer undercover to purchase a notebook without any PPP or TDS plans. So either our local Office Depot is an honest branch or we got an honest sales associate. Office Depot’s Response We contacted Office Depot corporate and shared some of the things Rich had told us, along with our other reader’s comments. Their response in its entirety is as follows: We certainly appreciate your bringing this situation to our attention. Our objective is to sell merchandise and to offer and recommend solutions to our customers, without regard to whether a customer purchases or does not purchase a service warranty or a software package. Office Depot has been recognized with numerous awards for our commitment to customer service, so please know that we take this issue very seriously and will take the necessary steps to ensure that we continue to enhance the customer experience and promote quality in our customer-related processes. With respect to your inquiry, we intend to look into the situation further, as part of our continuing commitment to ensuring customer satisfaction and consistent selling practices. Update: Office Depot has issued a more detailed response. How to Get What You Want So what do you do if you want to buy a notebook at Office Depot, but you don’t want a protection plan or Tech Depot Services? You have a few options: * Be honest with the sales associate in telling them you don’t want the services and hope that they are being honest with you about the stock. There’s a good chance they are. * Lie to the sales associate, tell them you want an extended warranty, and then pretend to change your mind after he brings your notebook out of the back room. * Use the store’s own inventory computer to check stock. Rich says that there are computers throughout the store that associates use that are also meant for customer use. If you grab the merchandise ticket for the notebook you want and enter its 6-digit SKU number into the item lookup box on the inventory computer, a screen will appear that shows whether the notebook is in stock. If the number of items in stock is either 1 or 0, it’s out of stock because item #1 is the floor model. Of course, it’s always possible a sales associate could still lie to you and tell you the remaining notebooks are on hold for another customer or that the computer is wrong. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Palm Posts a Loss for a 7th Quarter

2009-03-26T09:27:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Palm reported a wider third-quarter loss that fell short of analysts’ estimates. The net loss expanded to $95 million, or 89 cents a share, from $54.7 million, or 53 cents, a year earlier, Palm said in a statement on Thursday. Excluding costs for stock-based compensation and other items, the loss of 86 cents a share missed the average 57-cent estimate of analysts surveyed by Bloomberg. Sales in the period ended Feb. 28 fell 71 percent, to $90.6 million, from $312 million. Palm is preparing to release its new Pre smartphone in June and hopes the model will revive plummeting sales by winning over fans of the Apple iPhone and BlackBerry, made by Research in Motion. Palm has reported losses in the last seven quarters. The company, which introduced the pioneering Pilot device more than a decade ago, said on March 3 that sales declined because of dwindling orders for its older models. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Welder

2009-03-25T10:23:00.002+08:00

Are you looking for a welder for your job? Then look no further as I would recommand this website that I am reviewing today. They sell high quality welders at unbeatable prices. mig welder The website I am reviewing today is called asedeals.com. They are a nice bunch of people who sell extremely good quality goods at very reasonable prices. Payment methods includes using major credit cards like Mastercard, Visa American Express and Discover. They also provide free shipping for many things. Check them out

Furniture

2009-03-25T10:11:00.002+08:00

Did you just brought a house at bargain bottom prices? And you need to buy some sofas to fill up the house? Well, look no further as i have this perfect website that sells what you need at a very cheap prices while you are getting good quality goods discount sofas The website I am going to review today is called furnitureesuperstore.com. They sell all kinds of furniture like sofa, beds and tables. There are free shipping on all the items so no worries. It also accept all major payment methods like Paypal, Google Checkout etc etc. Check them out

Ultra-High-Power Lithium-Ion Batteries

2009-03-21T11:33:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! A lithium-ion battery electrode described this week in the journal Nature can deliver electricity several times faster than other such batteries. It could be particularly useful where rapid power bursts are needed, such as for laser weapons or hybrid race cars. Test batteries based on the new electrode--developed by Gerbrand Ceder, a professor of materials science at MIT--can be discharged in 10 seconds. In comparison, the best high-power lithium-ion batteries today discharge in a minute and a half, and conventional lithium-ion batteries, such as those in laptops, can take hours to discharge. The new high rate, the researchers calculate, would allow a one-liter battery based on the material to deliver 25,000 watts, or enough power for about 20 vacuum cleaners. This level of power output would put these batteries on par with ultracapacitors, gadgets that can rapidly discharge power but can't carry much energy for their size, says John Miller, a vice president for systems and applications at Maxwell Technologies, a manufacturer of ultracapacitors, who wasn't involved in the research. The new batteries would store nearly 10 times as much energy as an ultracapacitor of the same size. The combination of small size and extreme power could make the batteries particularly useful for race cars, he says. (Starting this year, new Formula One racing rules will allow race cars to store energy from braking to deliver very brief jolts of acceleration.) To improve the batteries, the researchers modified an electrode material called lithium iron phosphate to allow electrons and ions to move in and out of it much more quickly. The advance is based on computer models that Ceder developed in 2004. The models suggested a way to improve conductivity by directing lithium ions toward particular faces of crystals within the material. To exploit this, Ceder included extra lithium and phosphorus. This helps form a layer of lithium diphosphate, a material known for its high lithium-ion conductivity. He says that ions encountering the material are quickly shuttled to faces that can pull them in, allowing for very fast discharging. The fast-discharging materials may also recharge quickly, raising the possibility of cell phones that charge in seconds, Ceder says, but this would require expensive chargers. Ric Fulop, vice president of business development at A123 Systems, a battery maker based in Watertown, MA, that has licensed Ceder's new material, says that it could be useful for hybrids or for delivering the power needed for laser weapons. (Fulop notes that A123 is not developing batteries for the latter application.) Other researchers have already modified lithium iron phosphate to achieve power levels high enough for power tools and for most hybrid vehicles. Indeed, iron phosphate batteries are already being sold by more than one battery maker for such applications. Ultimately, the energy capacity of lithium iron phosphate is lower than that of other lithium-ion battery materials, making Ceder's advance of limited value, says Jeff Dahn, a professor of physics at Dalhousie University, in Halifax, Nova Scotia. This battery is good for acceleration, but not as much for long range. "A real breakthrough . . . would be a new positive electrode material with quantum-leap performance specs" in energy storage, Dahn says. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

AMD launches AM3 Phenom II CPUs

2009-03-21T11:27:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! You might think that launching a new processor socket in the current economic climate would be a decision bordering on the suicidal, but AMD is trying to make the transition to AM3 as upgrade-friendly as possible. As you probably already know from the AM3 motherboards that have already been announced, AM3 is AMD's first foray into DDR3 memory support. As Phenom CPUs have integrated memory controllers, it's more accurate to say that it's the new range of Phenom II CPUs (see below) that are DDR3-compatible. However, the new DDR3-compatible Phenom II range is also compatible with DDR2 memory. As the new CPUs and the new AM3 socket are pin-compatible with the current AM2+ socket, you can put a new AM3-compatible CPU into an existing AM2+ motherboard. This means that you can upgrade your CPU now without needing to change your motherboard or buy pricey new DDR3 memory. AMD has today announced six new 45nm Phenom II CPUs that use the AM3 socket, and they all have a quoted maximum TDP of 95W, as well as the usual 512KB of L2 cache per core. Each core also gets 64KB of L1 data cache and 64KB of L1 instruction cache, although the amount of shared Level 3 cache varies between the range, with some chips getting 4MB and others getting 6MB. Of particular note is the Phenom II X3 720 Black Edition, which has an unlocked multiplier and is aimed at taking on Intel’s Core 2 Duo E8400 with the advantage of an extra core under its belt. Overclockers currently has these CPUs available for pre-order for £126.49 inc VAT. Meanwhile, the quad-core Phenom II X4 810 is available for pre-order for £156.39 inc VAT. This chip has less cache than the 720, which has helped AMD to get the price down, and AMD is hoping that it will rival Intel’s Core 2 Quad Q8200. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Researchers find ways to sniff keystrokes from thin air

2009-03-21T11:21:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! That PC keyboard you're using may be giving away your passwords. Researchers say they've discovered new ways to read what you're typing by aiming special wireless or laser equipment at the keyboard or by simply plugging into a nearby electrical socket. Two separate research teams, from the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne and security consultancy Inverse Path have taken a close look at the electromagnetic radiation that is generated every time a computer keyboard is tapped. It turns out that this keystroke radiation is actually pretty easy to capture and decode -- if you're a computer hacker-type, that is. The Ecole Polytechnique team did its work over the air. Using an oscilloscope and an inexpensive wireless antenna, the team was able to pick up keystrokes from virtually any keyboard, including laptops. "We discovered four different ways to recover the keystroke of a keyboard," said Matin Vuagnoux, a Ph.D. student at the university. With the keyboard's cabling and nearby power wires acting as antennas for these electromagnetic signals, the researchers were able to read keystrokes with 95 percent accuracy over a distance of up to 20 meters (22 yards), in ideal conditions. Laptops were the hardest to read, because the cable between the keyboard and the PC is so short, making for a tiny antenna. The researchers found a way to sniff USB keyboards, but older PS/2 keyboards, which have ground wires that connect right into the electric grid, were the best. Even encrypted wireless keyboards are not safe from this attack. That's because they use a special algorithm to check which key is pressed, and when that algorithm is run, the keyboard gives off a distinctive electromagnetic signal, which can be picked up via wireless. Vuagnoux and co-researcher Sylvain Pasini were able to pick up the signals using an antenna, an oscilloscope, an analog-digital converter and a PC, running some custom code they've created. Total cost: about US$5,000. Spies have long known about the risk of data leaking via electromagnetic radiation for about 50 years now. After the U.S. National Security Agency found strange surveillance equipment in a U.S. Department of State communications room in 1962, the agency began looking into ways that radiation from communications equipment could be tapped. Some of this research, known as Tempest, has now been declassified, but public work in this area didn't kick off until the mid-1980s. The idea of someone sniffing out keystrokes with a wireless antenna may seem ripped from the pages of a spy thriller, but criminals have already used sneaky techniques such as wireless video cameras placed near automated teller machines and Wi-Fi sniffers to steal credit-card numbers and passwords. "If you are a company using highly confidential data, you have to know that the keyboard is a problem," Vuagnoux said. If pulling keystrokes out of thin air isn't bad enough, another team has found a way to get the same kind of information out of a power socket. Using similar techniques, Inverse Path researchers Andrea Barisani and Daniele Bianco say they get accurate results, picking out keyboard signals from keyboard ground cables. Their work only applies to older, PS/2 keyboards, but the data they get is "pretty good," they say. On these keyboards, "the data cable is so close to the ground cable, the emanations from the data cable leak onto the ground cable, which acts as an antenna," Barisani said. That ground wire passes through the PC and into the building's power wires, where the researchers can pick up the signals using a computer, an oscilloscope and about $500 worth of other equipment. They believe they could pick up signals from a distance of up to 50 meters by simply plugging a keystroke-sniffing device into the power grid somewhere close to the PC they want to snoop on. Because PS/2 keyboards emanate radiation at a standard, very specific frequency, the researchers can pick up a keyboard's signal even on a crowded power grid. They tried out their experiment at a local university's physics department, and even with particle detectors, oscilloscopes and other computers on the network were still able to get good data. Barisani and Bianco will present their findings at the CanSecWest hacking conference next week in Vancouver. They will also show how they've been able to read keystrokes by pointing a laser microphone at reflective surfaces on a laptop, such as the screen. Using the laser's very precise measurements of the vibrations on the screen's surface caused by typing, they can figure out what is being typed. Previously researchers had shown how the sound of keystrokes could be analyzed to figure out what is being typed, but using the laser microphone to pick up mechanical vibrations rather than sound makes this technique much more effective, Barisani said. "We extend the range because with the laser microphone, you can be hundreds of meters away," he said. The Ecole Polytechnique team has submitted their research for peer review and hopes to publish it very soon. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Executive From Google to Replace Two at AOL

2009-03-21T11:16:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Time Warner abruptly fired the two top leaders of its struggling AOL unit Wednesday and replaced them with one of the top executives from Google. AOL’s new chairman and chief executive will be Tim Armstrong, who joined Google in 2000 to start a sales operation for the then-tiny search engine. Since then, Google has grown to sell more advertising than any newspaper, magazine or television network. Mr. Armstrong, who was the president of American operations, looked after both advertising sales and relationships with publishers. He replaces Randy Falco, a former top executive of NBC, who was brought in to run AOL in November 2006 by Jeffrey L. Bewkes, Time Warner’s chief executive. Ron Grant, a former aide to Mr. Bewkes who was the No. 2 executive at AOL under Mr. Falco, was also fired Wednesday. Mr. Falco’s reign has been marked by turmoil in AOL’s ranks, with many top executives leaving of their own accord and others fired by Mr. Falco. He also oversaw the elimination of thousands of jobs, as the company’s revenue from its original subscription business dwindled. AOL today is a different company than when it was the country’s leading Internet access provider, helping a generation learn how to send e-mail and instant messages and use the Web. It still has a large number of users of its e-mail service and portal and has developed specialized Web sites, like Engadget for technology news and TMZ for celebrity gossip. AOL has also bought a series of companies that sell advertising on other Web sites. Mr. Falco’s biggest move was to buy Bebo, a social network popular in Britain, for $850 million last spring, just a bit before the stock market began its free fall. Many in the Internet industry say that Mr. Falco paid far more for Bebo than it was worth, especially given Facebook’s continued rise in social networking. In a short interview, Mr. Armstrong declined to say much about his plans but said that the company, despite its troubles, has potential. “You can argue about its reputation, but everybody in the world knows AOL,” he said. On a personal level, he said that he had left Google in order to take advantage of a better opportunity. “I’m 38 years old, and this gives me the opportunity to move on my own and lead a company forward,” he said. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Hitachi Fined $31 Million For LCD Price Fixing

2009-03-21T11:15:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! It's not like Hitachi Displays really needs any bad news considering just how poorly LCD sales are going right now, but regardless of that, it's still facing a fine that none of us would be fond of facing. The Japanese electronics manufacturer has just agreed (begrudgingly we're sure) to pay a staggering $31 million fine for its role in a conspiracy to fix prices in the sale of TFT-LCD panels sold to Dell, Inc. The United States Department of Justice made the proclamation, and details show that Hitachi has plead guilty to a one-count felony. The charge, which was filed in the U.S. District Court in San Francisco, blames Hitachi Displays Ltd., a subsidiary of Hitachi Ltd., with "participating in a conspiracy to fix the prices of TFT-LCD sold to Dell for use in desktop monitors and notebook computers from April 1, 2001 through March 31, 2004." We're also told that according to the plea agreement -- which is subject to court approval -- Hitachi Displays has agreed to cooperate with the Department's ongoing antitrust investigation. If you're thinking this all sounds familiar, you'd be correct. Hitachi is disgracefully joining three other multinational companies who have "admitted to their involvement in fixing prices for LCD panels sold to U.S. companies and that have already paid criminal fines totaling more than $585 million," in the words of Scott D. Hammond, Acting Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Department's Antitrust Division. We tend to agree with his thoughts that this case should sent a stiff message to companies even considering pulling this trick while doing business in the United States of America. Specifically, the following is what Hitachi Displays has been charged with carrying out: Participating in bilateral meetings, conversations and communications in Japan, Korea and the United States to discuss the prices of TFT-LCD to be sold to Dell; Agreeing, during those bilateral meetings, conversations and communications, to charge prices of TFT-LCD to be sold to Dell at certain predetermined levels; Issuing price quotations in accordance with the agreements reached; and Exchanging information on sales of TFT-LCD sold to Dell, for the purpose of monitoring and enforcing adherence to the agreed-upon prices. This is the fourth plea agreement by a company charged with participating in conspiracies to fix the prices for TFT-LCD. On Dec. 15, 2008, LG Display Co. (LG) pleaded guilty to participating in a worldwide conspiracy to fix the price for TFT-LCD and was sentenced to pay a $400 million criminal fine -- the second-largest fine in Antitrust Division history. On Dec. 16, 2008, Sharp Corp. pleaded guilty to participating in three separate conspiracies to fix the prices of TFT-LCD sold to Dell, Apple Computer Inc. and Motorola Inc. and was sentenced to pay a $120 millionJan. 14, 2009, Chunghwa Picture Tubes Ltd. (Chunghwa) pleaded guilty to participating in the same worldwide conspiracy as LG, and was sentenced to pay a $65 million criminal fine. criminal fine. On In February 2009, former Chunghwa CEO Chieng-Hon "Frank" Lin and two Chunghwa executives, Chih-Chun "C.C." Liu and Hsueh-Lung "Brian" Lee, pleaded guilty to and were sentenced for participating in the same conspiracy as LG and Chunghwa. Lin was sentenced to serve nine months in prison and pay a $50,000 criminal fine. Liu was sentenced to serve seven months in prison and pay a $30,000 criminal fine. Lee was sentenced to serve six months in prison and pay a $20,000 criminal fine. Also in February 2009, LG executive Chang Suk "C.S." Chung$25,000 criminal fine. pleaded guilty for his role in the same conspiracy as LG and Chunghwa. Chung was sentenced to serve seven months in prison and pay a On Feb. 3, 2009, a federal grand jury in San Francisco returned an indictment charging two former Chunghwa executives, Cheng Yuan Lin, aka C.Y. Lin, and Wen Jun Cheng, aka Tony Cheng, and one former executive from LG, Duk Mo Koo, for their participation in the same conspiracy as LG and Chunghwa. Warrants have been issued for the arrest of all three individuals. Today's charge is the result of a joint investigation by the Department of Justice Antitrust Division's San Francisco Field Office and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in San Francisco. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Pet Beds

2009-03-21T09:32:00.000+08:00

Are you looking for beds for your pets? Then look no further as I am going to review this website that sells exactly what you need. no doubts about it, they sells the top quality pet beds. pet beds The website I am reviewing today is called jefferspet.com. They sell a various range of pet beds like the outdoor ones, the round ones and those with cooling purposes. They sell dog food too. They also cater to other animals that you might have. Check them out

Toll Free

2009-03-20T10:44:00.000+08:00

Do you own a business and cannot find a toll free operator now? Then read no further as I am going to introduce this company that does the job perfectly. No worries on their quality. toll free The website I am going to review today is called get800today.com. They are a nice bunch of people whom would handle your toll free operations so you do not have to worry much on what is needed. They offer premium toll free number, 1800 and 1888 toll free numbers. With the trustguard certification, trust them on doing a good job for you.

Insurance

2009-03-13T21:30:00.000+08:00

With so many car accidents happening everyday, you might be one of the victims of one of the accident. It may not be your fault, but you must be saved from all this problems and a least get an insurance to save your loved ones or at least your ass. insurance quotes This is more serious if you are the sole brandwinner. Actually, cutting all the crap, this is a website you should go to for your next insurance plan buy. You can buy many of insurance plans from them. That includes auto, home, health and many more. All fully covered, just give them the cash and they would settle everything for you. Quick Quote You can get a quick quote from them just by entering your zip code number and done. Blog With the world so into blogging, what is a company without a blog? This is the company you might want to look into. Because they have a blog for you. Yes, you heard me right. Set up for customers like you. It is a wordpress blog and is frequently updated. They also do a lot of explanation of rules and the industry in depth to allow you to be more informed. I seriously recommend them. Check them out

#80 NTegrity 2GB Biometric Thumbdrive

2009-02-28T23:59:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! The video review of the NTegrity 2GB Biometric Thumbdrive Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

#79 ESportsNova SliderX Mouse

2009-02-28T23:50:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Here is the video review of the ESportsNova SliderX Mouse Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Zune expands

2009-02-14T09:23:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! If you’re pressed for time, here’s the short version: * We are combining the Zune software team with the Connected TV organization (Windows Media Center, Mediaroom) to create a single group focused on creating software and services that enable great entertainment experiences across the PC, TV, mobile phones and Zune devices. * The Zune device hardware team joined the mobile communications business group to create a center of excellence in portable hardware. This will bring people who live and breathe hardware together. * The priority now is to focus on delivering against our current product roadmaps across each team in the new organization. That means new software, services and devices for Zune customers. In a nutshell, this is an extension of the way we’ve been taking the business for some time. We’ve said before the strategy for Zune is to provide a great entertainment experience across multiple screens and devices and this move will help us deliver that. We’re looking at how the powerful features of Zune can be combined with the work in the TV space to deliver a broader entertainment experience. As Enrique put it, “The goal is to make non-gaming entertainment a first-class citizen within Microsoft's business, that means building better software and gaining scale a little further out than just in Redmond." For our current customers, this internal, organizational adjustment won’t result in any changes. Like I said above we’re still committed to delivering the next wave of the Zune hardware, software and services – and we will do so this calendar year, so stay tuned. But now our charter is broader, and more exciting, and we can’t wait to take Zune to the next level for customers! Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Google Ends Its Project for Selling Radio Ads

2009-02-14T09:22:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Google entered the radio advertising business with grand ambitions three years ago. On Thursday, those ambitions fizzled. Google said it was ending its radio project, Google Audio Ads, because it had failed to live up to expectations. Up to 40 people are expected to lose their jobs. It was the second time in two months that Google had killed a program meant to expand its advertising business offline, suggesting that the appeal of Google’s automated model for selling ads may be far more limited than the company once hoped. The company had planned to revolutionize the way radio ads were bought and sold. In 2006, Eric E. Schmidt, the chief executive, said he foresaw a day when Google would have more than 1,000 employees serving a thriving radio advertising business. “While we’ve devoted substantial resources to developing these products and learned a lot along the way, we haven’t had the impact we hoped for,” Susan Wojcicki, a vice president for product management, wrote on a blog announcing the end of Audio Ads. Ms. Wojcicki said Google would apply some of its radio advertising technologies to selling ads on online audio programs. She also said that Google would try to find jobs for most of the people involved in the radio ads program but that up to 40 people might be laid off. A Google spokesman declined to say how many people worked on the radio initiative. The announcement on Thursday also highlighted Google’s efforts to cut costs and focus on fewer, more promising projects as its core search advertising business has slowed sharply during the recession. Three weeks ago, Google ended its Print Ads program, which sold spots in newspapers. Only one of Google’s offline advertising initiatives survives — the more ambitious effort to sell TV ads. Ms. Wojcicki said Google would continue to invest in it. While Google has had middling success so far in TV advertising, analysts say, the company is not likely to give up on the effort quickly, because the market is so large and the initiative could help YouTube, Google’s video site. Google is selling a relatively limited number of ads on the Dish Network, some cable networks owned by NBC Universal and a small cable provider in Northern California. But Google has not reached deals with any of the major cable companies. “Clearly the TV industry isn’t queuing up to be helpful,” said Jeffrey Lindsay, an analyst with Sanford C. Bernstein & Company. Google Audio Ads had faced challenges since it began in 2006, when Google acquired dMarc Broadcasting, a radio advertising technology company. The next year, the dMarc founders left Google amid culture clashes and a chilly reception to Google in the radio industry. Many radio stations feared that Google would turn their advertising business into a commodity. Some refused to do business with Google, while others offered Google only small slivers of their air time. In April 2007, Clear Channel Radio, the largest radio station owner in America, agreed to let Google sell about 5 percent of its advertising space. The agreement included prime-time spots in major markets. Still, the program did not take off, as Google was not able to persuade a large number of its online advertisers to also advertise on radio. “With the exception of Clear Channel, this is an insignificant event for radio stations,” said David Bank, an analyst with RBC Capital Markets. Mr. Bank added that even for Clear Channel, the deal fell short of expectations. A Clear Channel spokeswoman said it was “disappointed that Google is ending the program.” Google paid $102 million in cash for dMarc, but the agreement included additional payments of up to $1.1 billion based on the radio ads initiative achieving certain performance targets. Google declined to say whether it had made any additional payments. Still, the company invested heavily in the Audio Ads program and hired several prominent radio ad sales employees. Google said it planned to sell the software that automates broadcast radio programming. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Free upgrade to Windows 7

2009-02-14T09:20:00.002+08:00

Slashdot It! Microsoft issued a draft of the Windows 7 Technical Guarantee Program to their OEM partners on December 10, giving them exactly one month to provide their feedback before Microsoft finalizes the program details. We managed to obtain a copy of the draft, which tentatively refers to the program as the "Windows 7 Upgrade Program". Let's take a look at the key points outlined in the draft. Interim Name The official name for the program has yet to be determined. Microsoft is using "Windows 7 Upgrade Program" as the place-holder for the Windows Vista to Windows 7 upgrade program, which was also known as the Windows 7 Technical Guarantee Program. Microsoft will announce the final program name at a later date. Overview Of The Windows 7 Upgrade Program The Windows 7 Upgrade Program is designed to assist Microsoft's OEM partners in minimizing the number of end users who may postpone acquiring a new computer because of the impending release of the Windows 7 operating system. This program allows OEMs to offer an upgrade to Windows 7 to end users who qualify. This is a consumer-oriented program targeted at individual consumers and small businesses that have purchased eligible PCs during the Program Eligibility Period. End users will have to meet these requirements to be deemed eligible for the upgrade to Windows 7 when it is released : * End users must purchase a new PC that is pre-installed with an eligible Windows Vista Operating System (OS), during the program eligibility window. * The PC must have a valid Certificate of Authenticity (COA) attached. * The only Windows Vista® versions eligible for the program are : 1. Windows Vista® Home Premium 2. Windows Vista® Business 3. Windows Vista® Ultimate * Microsoft Windows Vista® Home Basic, Windows Vista® Starter Edition, and Windows® XP (all editions) are not qualifying products under the program. * The Program does not support multiple upgrades for medium, large, or enterprise customers. Customers that want to upgrade multiple PCs should use the appropriate Microsoft Volume Licensing program. See www.microsoft.com/licensing for more details. * The following are the only valid upgrade paths under the program : 1. Windows Vista® Home Premium -> Windows® 7 Home Premium 2. Windows Vista® Business -> Windows® 7 Professional 3. Windows Vista® Ultimate -> Windows® 7 Ultimate Do note that this is an optional program, so not all OEMs may choose to participate. OEMs that choose to participate in this upgrade program will have the freedom to determine how to best provide qualifying end users with the details. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

wireless security systems

2009-02-14T09:16:00.002+08:00

Are you looking for a wireless security system? then look no further as I am going to review this website that sells everything that you need under the sun. They are selling wireless security systems from a large number of vendors like GE and DSC. wireless security systems The website I am reviewing today is called securitysystempro.com. They also sell things like alarm systems for the varies needs etc etc. Good news they areproviding free shipping for orders 150 and above. Limited time only

Business Resumes

2009-02-14T09:05:00.000+08:00

With the current US recession reaching it's peak, it is time to look for a job before the news comes to your desk and says you are FIRED. It is better to be mentally prepared and always be ready to find a new job. If you do not have the website to find for a job instantly, then you better read this review as I am going to have a job website in recommendation. business resumes The website I am reviewing today is called businessworkforce.com. They are a nice bunch of people providing service of helping you to get a job easily. For example, they had helped close to 300,000 people since they started in 1997. They even write an resume for you for a flat fee of only $9.95. It is so cheap. Your applications get approved in a matter of seconds. This is crucial in this competitive job market.

Luggage

2009-02-14T08:52:00.000+08:00

Are you looking for a luggage now? Then you better read this review and look at what you can find for this best luggage deals in the world. Delsey luggage The website I am reviewing today is called http://www.luggageuniverse.com They are a nice bunch of people whom had done all work you can ever want to do to find the cheapest luggages What they promise you is to provide you free shipping for all your orders no matter how small your orders are. They also have a wide range of brands for you to choose your next luggage brand Check them out

Fujitsu Siemens offers free laptop upgrades for life

2009-02-12T18:02:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Fujitsu Siemens is offering its customers free laptop upgrades for life, with its Lifebook4Life scheme. Customers buying a Fujitsu Siemens Lifebook will be offered a free upgrade three years after their original purchase, and every subsequent three years for the rest of their life - as long as they purchase an extended three-year warranty. "Fujitsu Siemens Computer customers are entitled to a replacement Lifebook every three years for the purchaser's lifetime, at no cost," claims the terms and conditions of the scheme, which cunningly excludes customers from passing the contract on to their offspring in a will. Customers will have to hope that the UK manages to avoid high levels of inflation, though; the value of each new notebook cannot exceed the value of the previous one, adjusted 10% for inflation. A Fujitsu Siemens spokesperson assured PC Pro today that the scheme is a profitable venture, once the sale of future warranties and upgrades is taken into account. Only Fujitsu Siemens modifications are allowed, so upgrading with cheap third-party RAM is out of the question. Of course, the company is also banking on a certain number of customers failing ADVERTISEMENT to take advantage of the deal once their three years are up. If customers fail to register their notebook within 21 days of purchase, they lose out, and if the initial sales receipt is lost then they will not be able to claim a replacement notebook. If at any point a customer fails to take an upgrade, then they will also be ineligible for any future laptops. The company says it is still working on establishing the price of the three year warranty. The company is also launching another interesting scheme with its Esprimo range, offering a complete refund of the original sales price if the customer needs to send the notebook back to Fujitsu Siemens for any repairs. This offer is far from comprehensive, though, as it excludes case cracks, small numbers of dead pixels, broken keys, smashed screens, software issues, virus infections or failed batteries that are older than one year. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

AMD plans supercomputer with 1,000 GPUs

2009-02-12T17:56:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Thanks to multi-core processors, GPGPU computing and innovations such as the Cell architecture and Creative’s Zii processor, parallel computing is starting to become much more mainstream. In fact, AMD now reckons that it can use over 1,000 Radeon HD 4870 GPUs to create a supercomputer capable of processing one petaflop. Not only that, but the power of the supercomputer will be available as an online powerhorse for everyone from gamers to 3D animators. AMD’s president, Dirk Meyer, revealed the plans for the supercomputer, called the Fusion Render Cloud, at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The colossal machine will be powered by AMD Phenom II processors and 790 motherboard chipsets, along with over 1,000 Radeon HD 4870 GPUs. The company claims that one purpose of the system is to ‘deliver video games, PC applications and other graphically-intensive applications through the Internet “cloud” to virtually any type of mobile device with a web browser.’ The idea is that the Fusion Render Cloud will do all the hard work, so all you need is a machine capable of playing back the results, saving battery life and the need for ever greater processing power. AMD also says that the Fusion Render Cloud will ‘enable remote real-time rendering of film and visual effects graphics on an unprecedented scale.’ Meanwhile, game developers would be able to use the supercomputer to quickly develop games, and also ‘serve up virtual world games with unlimited photo-realistic detail.’ The supercomputer will be powered by OTOY’s software, which allows you to render 3D visuals in your browser via streaming, compressed online data. Meyer said that the supercomputer ‘is being designed to break the one petaFLOPS barrier, and to process a million compute threads across more than 1,000 graphics processors.’ According to Meyer, it will be ‘the fastest graphics supercomputer ever,’ and AMD plans to have it up and running before the second half of this year. Meyer revealed a number of interested parties during his speech, including people from Lucasfilm, EA, HP and Dell, who joined him on stage. Although the project is mainly aimed at mobile devices at the moment, it also shows the potential for online processing power. Is AMD on the right track here, and what would you use the supercomputer for if you had access to it? Let us know your thoughts. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

TV Mounts

2009-02-12T17:18:00.001+08:00

With the number of huge TV mounts growing more and more and even growing in size. It is growing from 60 inches to 107 inches now. It is time to buy an mount for your own TV. a strong and reliable mount so that your TV would not drop and spoil. tv mount The website I am reviewing today is called standsandmounts.com It is a website that is providing this service of selling TV mounts and stand to you. They even have free shipping on all the pieces that you are buying, no min purchases or gimmicks. Payment WIth all the major payment methods being allowed, it is no wonder it is easy to pay them. Check them out.

Sunlight illuminates LG’s latest notebook LCD

2009-02-12T11:51:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Sunlight is usually something you want to avoid when working with a notebook outside. In the case of LG’s new 14.1” LCD, however, you actually want sunlight - and lots of it: The LCD is driven by sunlight, features an increased contrast ratio and can save up to 75% power over regular LCD panels. LG Display may have one of the more interesting LCD innovations at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show, which will open its doors in early January. The company said it will demonstrate a new TFT LCD for notebooks that is specifically designed for outdoor use: The 14.1” panel is illuminated by sunlight instead of the standard backlight unit when used outside. What makes this panel special is the integration of selective reflection plates in existing backlight panels, which enable the switch from reflective mode in a high luminance setting (sunlight) to transmissive mode in a low luminance setting (indoors and at night). LG claims that the display achieves an outdoor contrast ratio that is up to four times higher than what regular LCDs can provide in a similar setting. The switch from sunlight to backlight mode is simply done “with the touch of a button”, LG said. Running a notebook LCD with the help of sunlight sharply cuts the power consumption of the most power hungry hardware in today’s notebooks as well. In sunlight mode, the display will use only 25% of the power used in backlight mode, LG promises. Since LCDs consume considerable amounts - typical 14.1” LCDs can consume somewhere between 50 and 70 watts – a power reduction of about 75% is significant. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

#78 Seasonic LR4 Laser Presenter

2009-02-04T17:44:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! This presenter has the LCD display that is elevated and lights up when you use it. The presenter can also act as a mouse and the Alt Tab function can also be found on this presenter. Editor's Choice Rating|ChewOnTech Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

#77 Sensonic Proview 7120 Webcam

2009-02-04T17:42:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! This webcam allows you to adjust the focus using the focus ring and also have the one snap button. It has an ultra long wire. Editor's Choice Rating|ChewOnTech Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Franchise

2009-02-04T16:52:00.000+08:00

Are you looking for ways to earn money? Then look no further because I am reviewing this website that is proving you opportunities to earn money via this thing called franchise where you set up the shop in the other locations under their brand. franchise The website I am reviewing today is called franchisegator.com. Welcome to Franchise Gator! We pride ourselves on linking real people with real franchise opportunities. Search franchises, opportunities and business for sale listings to locate profitable home based business ideas, top franchise concepts for 2007, or high income business opportunities. Newsletter IF you want to have updates on their products via email, you can do so via your email address. Check them out

Microsoft, Symantec, more sued over OS permissions patent

2009-01-28T17:56:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Microsoft, Symantec, and 20 other companies have been sued by a small Texas firm for patent infringement. The firm was granted patents in the mid-'90s over systems for governing application and data permissions, as well as ensuring application integrity, and is now seeking to bar the companies from making use of the patents. And some monetary damages would be nice, too. The firm, Information Protection and Authentication of Texas (IPAT), owns two patents cited in its complaint, the latest of which is US patent 5,412,717, which was filed in May 1992 and granted on May 2, 1995. This is a continuation of a previous patent, US number 5,311,591, granted in May, 1994. Titled "Computer system security method and apparatus having program authorization information data structures," the former patent essentially describes a system of authorization and permissions when executing applications and processing user data. In IPAT's patent, a system monitor "limits the ability of a program about to be executed to the use of predeﬁned resources (e.g., data ﬁles, disk writing capabilities etc.). The system monitor builds a data structure including a set of authorities deﬁning that which a program is permitted to do and/or that which the program is precluded from doing." The "program authorization information (PAI)" database that this system builds is used to limit not only the execution of a program, but also what data a program may have access to. IPAT's invention also takes digital signing into consideration to provide another layer of security and authorization protection. Language in IPAT's 1995 patent distinguishes it by noting that systems in prior art are "typically designed to protect data from computer users." A good example is the permission systems of OSes like Unix that dictate whether one user can access files and folders of another, run a specific application, or modify OS files. Other systems are also designed to protect system files from being modified by an application (say, a virus), but IPAT's patent goes one step beyond that, with a system that can prevent programs from modifying a user's files. IPAT, which apparently purchased these patents from their listed inventor of Addison M. Fischer, filed its complaint in the Eastern District of Texas on December 30, 2008. Other companies like AVG Technologies USA, INC., F-Secure, Inc., Novell, Inc., and PC Tools, Inc. are all accused alongside Microsoft Corp. and Symantec Corp. Barely a week later, however, Judge John Ward recused himself from presiding over the suit and cited Symantec Corp. in his signed order of recusal, presumably because he may own stock in the company. A response from any of the defendants is still forthcoming, and it is unclear whether the authentication and permissions systems that IPAT's patent describes are precluded by prior art. Even if IPAT has a leg to stand on in court, however, it certainly didn't take the easy route to recovering any damages by suing 22 companies. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Thumbdrive

2009-01-28T17:17:00.001+08:00

With the Chinese New Year just over, it is time to get a new USB thumbdrive. A bigger and better one. Did you run out of memory when you are about to transfer the picture of the fireworks or when you are try to transfer a song? external hard drive But no worries, because there is always someone to help you. Which is buy.com. They are a nice bunch of people getting reviews done for different products and telling you their opinion before you can choose to buy it from them or not. What a nice service

Zune sales plummeted during holidays

2009-01-28T17:16:00.003+08:00

Slashdot It! There were plenty of weak spots that led to Microsoft's disastrous December quarter, but one that didn't get much attention Thursday was how badly the Zune did. Tucked away in Microsoft's quarterly filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, however, was a startling figure. "Zune platform revenue decreased $100 million, or 54 percent, reflecting a decrease in device sales," Microsoft said. That's quite a drop. Apple, by contrast, saw its iPod unit sales up 3 percent, while revenue dropped by 16 percent. It still racked up $3.3 billion in revenue, as compared with less than $100 million for the Zune. In an interview Friday afternoon, Zune marketing director Adam Sohn said a number of factors were to blame. "It's the category, it's the business, it's the economy," Sohn said, noting that despite a software upgrade, Microsoft entered the holidays with essentially the same hardware it had a year earlier. In November, Microsoft chopped the prices on its flash-based Zune devices amid both competitive and broader economic pressures. That meant that revenue was somewhat lower than Microsoft had projected, although Sohn insisted that unit sales were basically in line with what the company had figured on. "We met our internal plan for (the) holiday," he said, adding that a year ago the company was also boosted by strong sales of a heavily discounted, older 30GB hard drive-based model. With Microsoft announcing a variety of big cost cuts on Thursday, there were plenty of people suggesting Microsoft should just exit the Zune hardware business entirely. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Monster.com Reports Theft of User Data

2009-01-28T17:16:00.002+08:00

Slashdot It! Monster.com is advising its users to change their passwords after data including e-mail addresses, names and phone numbers were stolen from its database. The break-in comes just as the swelling ranks of the unemployed are turning to sites like Monster.com to look for work. The company disclosed on its Web site that it recently learned its database had been illegally accessed. Monster.com user IDs and passwords were stolen, along with names, e-mail addresses, birth dates, gender, ethnicity, and in some cases, users' states of residence. The information does not include Social Security numbers, which Monster.com said it doesn't collect, or resumes. Monster.com posted the warning about the breach on Friday morning and does not plan to send e-mails to users about the issue, said Nikki Richardson, a Monster.com spokeswoman. The SANS Internet Storm Center also posted a note about the break-in on Friday. USAJobs.com, the U.S. government Web site for federal jobs, is hosted by Monster.com and was also subject to the data theft. USAJobs.com also posted a warning about the breach. Monster.com has been checking for misuse of the stolen information but hasn't yet found any, it said. It has made changes since discovering the break-in but won't discuss them because it doesn't discuss security procedures publicly and because it is still investigating the incident, Richardson said. She also would not disclose the volume of data stolen, but said the company decided it would be prudent to alert all of its users via its Web site. The company advised users to change their passwords and reminded them to ignore e-mails they may get that purport to be from the company and that ask for password information or instruct the user to download anything. Monster.com was also hit by hackers in mid-2007. At that time the hackers obtained log-in credentials for companies seeking employees and used them to access Monster.com's database of job seekers. An automated Trojan then transmitted the personal information to a rogue server. Monster.com users were then targeted with scams via the stolen e-mail addresses. In addition, the Monster.com site was the subject of an attack that same year that inserted malicious code onto certain pages of the site, automatically downloading a virus onto computers that visited the pages Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Cooling Chips with Thermoelectrics

2009-01-28T17:16:00.001+08:00

Slashdot It! If you could remove the layers of circuitry in your computer and touch the main processor while it's running a video, you would feel its blistering heat, which can exceed 100 °C. Such heat, a natural by-product of shuttling electrons through transistors, can impede performance and even damage the processor in the long run. Traditionally, engineers have used simple copper plates to pull away the heat, and fans or liquid-based cooling systems. But these systems are bulky and can sap energy. Now researchers at Intel, RTI International of North Carolina, and Arizona State University have shown that it's possible to build an efficient microrefrigerator that can target hot spots on chips, saving power and space, and more effectively cooling the entire system. Their work also demonstrates, for the first time, that it is possible to integrate thermoelectric material into chip packaging, making the technology more practical than ever before. A paper detailing the research was just published in Nature Nanotechnology. The fundamental technology used to chill the chip, a thermoelectric cooler, isn't new, explains Rama Venkatasubramanian, senior research director at the Center for Solid State Energetics at RTI International. In a Nature paper from 2001, he and his team showed that a material called a nanostructured thin-film superlattice has superior thermal properties to other types of thin thermoelectric materials: the superlattice conducts electricity well but impedes the flow of heat. When an electric current zips through the material, its temperature can drop to about 55 °C. "People have been talking about using high-efficiency thermoelectric materials for cooling hot spots on chips for years," says Intel manager Ravi Prasher. He says that part of the reason he and his colleagues were able to succeed is because they used a material that has shown exceptional thermal properties, and they relied on Intel's knowledge of chip packaging to build an integrated thermoelectric system that was engineered to fit within the confines of a chip's housing. To put the microrefrigerator in the chip package, the engineers integrated the cooler onto a square of copper, just like the type that's already used in chip packaging to disperse heat. Usually this piece of copper is in close contact with the chip, but the researchers put the 0.4-millimeter-square cooler in between the chip and the copper. When the microrefrigerator was turned on, it cooled a localized region on the chip by about 15 °C. This is significant, says Venkatasubramanian, because generally speaking, for each five-degree increase in chip temperature, there is a marked decrease in reliability and performance of a chip. In the demonstration, the researchers only used one microrefrigerating unit but foresee using three or four per chip, to cover the hottest areas. Via TR Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Microsoft To Kill Windows 7 Beta On Feb. 10

2009-01-28T17:16:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Computer enthusiasts who want to get their hands on the trial version of Microsoft's next operating system have just two more weeks to do so. Some of the most influential cloud players discuss the future challenges and opportunities in Cloud Computing on stage at the Web 2.0 Summit. BlueCat execs describe their approach to managing IP addresses. Nat Semi's CIO discusses his aggressive use of virtualization, and why it's good for a CIO to fail. Some of the most influential cloud players discuss the future challenges and opportunities in Cloud Computing on stage at the Web 2.0 Summit. There are a couple of loopholes, however. Users who started to download the OS before that date will have until Feb. 12 to complete the process. Also, Microsoft will continue to distribute product keys beyond Feb. 12 to users who have previously downloaded Windows 7 Beta but have yet to obtain a key. "We are at a point where we have more than enough beta testers and feedback coming in to meet our engineering needs, so we are beginning to plan the end of general availability for Windows 7 Beta," said Brandon LeBlanc, Microsoft's in-house Windows blogger, in a post Friday. Microsoft will post warnings on its Web site that the download program for Windows 7 is about to end starting Tuesday. A final version of Windows 7, Microsoft's follow-up to Windows Vista, is expected to be available in late 2009 or early 2010. Perhaps due to Vista's unpopularity, computer users have been downloading Windows 7 Beta in droves. Microsoft dropped limits on the number of available copies of the software after a crush of download requests for the new operating system brought the company's servers to a halt during the first weekend of availability earlier this month. Windows 7 offers numerous new features, including native support for touch-screen interfaces and more than 20 hotkey combinations designed to simplify use. Microsoft needs Windows 7 to be a hit. Vista has failed to catch on with mainstream computer users and businesses have shunned it outright. Many users have complained about Vista's hardware requirements, intrusive security measures, and lack of compatibility with older applications. Dissatisfaction with Vista has allowed Apple to gain share against Microsoft in the computer operating system market in recent months. Windows' market share in November fell below 90% for the first time in years while Mac OS is now flirting with the 10% mark, according to market watcher Net Applications. It's all taking a toll on Microsoft's bottom line. Last week, the company said second quarter profits tumbled 11%. It also announced a restructuring plan that will see it lay off 5,000 full-time employees and an additional 5,000 contract workers. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Best Fat Burner

2009-01-28T17:10:00.001+08:00

Want to burn your fats now in the midst of a recession worldwide? Then you beter read this review as I am going to review this website that is going to have the cheapest solution you can take in order to burn your fatts. best fat burner The website I am reviewing today is called fatburner.net. They are a nice bunch of people whom had gone through the same thing as you, they understand your problem and your need to save money. So they had reviewed for you the top 25 slimming pills and rate them for youu, so you do not have to buy the lousy brands and waste your money. Check them out

Basketball trophies

2009-01-28T17:01:00.000+08:00

Are you planning to have a basketball tournment at your school and has yet to buy a trophy for the winner? Then you better read my review on this website that might save you for the time being. basketball trophies The website I am reviewing today is called quicktrophy.com They are a nice bunch of people whom can customise the trophy for your sporting event. You can pay through Paypal, Mastercard and other major credit cards. Check them out

Treadmills

2009-01-28T16:54:00.001+08:00

With the number of people whom are obese on the rise, you better watch out for your weight now then never. If you do not know what you should do, you should buy an treadmill now. Are you looking for a treadmill now? Then you better read this review as I have a website that I am going to recommend to you. treadmills The website I recommend is called Nordictrack. It is the best website to buy treadmills. Do it now before it is too late.

#76 Chinavasion Portable Solar Charger

2009-01-13T16:13:00.002+08:00

Slashdot It! This Chinavasion Portable Solar Charger allows you to charge your handphone, PSP and other gadgets using solar power. Editor's Choice Rating|ChewOnTech Buy it here Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

#75 BlueAnt Z9i Bluetooth Headset

2009-01-13T16:10:00.001+08:00

Slashdot It! This bluetooth headset allows you to connect up to 5 phones, it allows you to connect 2 phones simultaneously. It also has excellent noise isolation properties. Editor's Choice Rating|ChewOnTech Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Apple Failed To Copyright Mac OS X, Psystar Claims

2009-01-11T21:28:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Mac clone manufacturer Psystar said that Apple's copyright suit against it should be dismissed because Apple has never filed for copyright protection for its Mac OS X operating system with the U.S. Copyright Office, according to court papers. Apple "is prohibited from bringing action against Psystar for the alleged infringement of one or more of the plaintiff's copyrights for failure to register said copyrights with the copyright office as required" by law, Psystar claims. March Madness 2008 Was Carried In Full On The Internet, On Demand Thanks To The Technology Innovations of CBS Sports and CBS Interactive Interviews with the winner and a runner up of the first annual MIT Sloan CIO Symposium Innovation awards Government agencies must protect private data. The CIO of California's Public Utilities Commission talks about her concerns about privacy in the cloud computing model. March Madness 2008 Was Carried In Full On The Internet, On Demand Thanks To The Technology Innovations of CBS Sports and CBS Interactive The stunning claim, if true, could undermine Apple's ability to restrict third parties, such as Psystar, from selling clones that run the Mac OS on generic PC hardware. InformationWeek was not immediately able to verify the claim. Psystar made the allegation in documents filed last week in U.S. District Court in San Francisco, as part of its response to Apple's latest charges of copyright infringement. Psystar also claimed that Apple's Mac OS X 10.5 "Leopard" operating system contains undocumented code designed to render inoperable personal computers that aren't running on Apple-approved hardware. Psystar claims Apple uses so-called stealthware to protect what Psystar claims is an illegal monopoly in the Mac computing market. Specifically, Psystar contends that OS X runs a startup routine that checks whether the host computer is running on a particular line of Intel dual-core processors that are included in genuine Macs. Psystar sells unauthorized Mac clones from a nondescript warehouse in a Miami industrial park. Apple sued the company earlier this year for copyright violation. Psystar countersued in response, claiming that Apple's control of the Mac market violates antitrust laws. Last month, a judge rejected Psystar's counterclaim -- leading Psystar to file revised claims. Psystar is now asking the judge overseeing the case to declare Apple's Mac OS copyrights invalid. In court filings, Apple has said it believes Psystar is backed by a silent third party that's presumably seeking to enter the Mac market. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Google Hands Out 'Dogfood' as Christmas Bonus

2009-01-11T21:26:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Groans are issuing from the Googleplex over this year's holiday bonus. In the past, the search engine paid cash — as much as $20,000 or $30,000 per Googler, we hear. This year? A cell phone. Oh, but not just any cell phone: A version of the G1 currently sold for $179.99 by T-Mobile, which runs Google's Android operating system. Android is the fruit of Google founders' Larry Page and Sergey Brin's strange obsession with the wireless market, launched in a fit of jealousy over the growing number of phones running Microsoft's Windows Mobile. (Imagine that: Google, jealous of Microsoft for a change.) In an email, Google management blames the economic crisis and suggests that this is a great opportunity to "dogfood" the phones — an unappetizing tech-industry euphemism for testing products in-house. This is what has become of the company that was once deemed the best place in the world to work: Cancelled bonuses and unpaid labor. Here's the memo: Googlers, The holiday bonus is a Google tradition - it's a great way to thank everyone for their hard work. In the past, we've done this in cash. This year, we've decided to give Googlers a different kind of present - a Dream phone (this is the same device T-Mobile markets as the G1). We're really excited about getting the phone to more Googlers in more countries, and also seeing all the cool new things you do with it. Shipping these special edition phones in such a short time frame (they were designed especially for Googlers with a 'droid' on the back) and making sure they would work anywhere in the world was no small feat. So a big thank you to the Android and Legal teams for making this happen. While these phones do not have SIM cards, they are unlocked so they can be used with the network provider of your choice. Plus - thanks to more fancy footwork from the Android team - they'll work immediately as WiFi devices! Sadly, despite all our best efforts, there are some countries - India, China, Brazil, Korea, Israel, Russia, Argentina, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Mexico, Turkey, Kenya, United Arab Emirates, South Africa, Egypt, Chile, and the Ukraine - where even our legal team could not work their magic. Googlers in these countries will receive the cash equivalent of the phone in their December paychecks, which is about $400 USD. Overall though almost 85% of Googlers globally will be able to receive the phone - including the United States, Western and Central Europe, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Japan. The holiday gift team in your office will be sending out an email with logistical information on distribution shortly. We know that some of you are already on your holidays - don't worry - your phones will be waiting for you when you come back! For more information, check out the FAQ here. Some of you will of course be wondering why we decided to change from a cash bonus to the Dream phone. Here are the reasons. First, we've never developed anything like the Android software before and this represented a unique opportunity to celebrate that achievement. Googlers globally have been asking for the Dream phone and we're looking forward to seeing all the different things that you do with them. This is a chance for us to once again dogfood a product and make it even better! Second, as we discussed in our email this week, the current economic crisis requires us to be more conservative about how we spend our money. We felt that giving the Dream phone would be a great holiday present - something we could all celebrate. Thank you for all that you do to make Google the company that it is. We hope that you will enjoy using your Dream phone in 2009 and have a very happy holiday! One tipster notes: The boxes appear to have magnets to keep them closed, instead of tape — open box discount for Google? Since the phones are customized for Googlers, the suggestion that these are leftover G1s which went unsold at retail is unlikely. Can you get your hands on one? It will take some bravery to put them up for sale on eBay, magnets or not. But hey, times are tough all over. Even at the Googleplex. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

iGo(R) Will Debut Seven Products at CES Including the First Green Laptop Charger Plus New Netbook Chargers

2009-01-11T11:42:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! iGo, Inc. (Nasdaq: IGOI), a leading developer of multi-device chargers for laptop computers and mobile electronic devices (e.g., mobile phones, PDAs, digital cameras, MP3 players, etc.), and creator of the patented iGo(R) intelligent tip technology will debut seven products at CES including the first green laptop charger that virtually eliminates vampire power, as well as a line of new netbook chargers. iGo Power Products with iGo Green(TM) Technology save energy and money by significantly reducing the amount of power used by devices in off or standby modes. iGo power products with Green Technology automatically use 80% less standby power than standard power products. The three Green Technology products debuting are: -- iGo Laptop Charger: Charge your laptop and other devices from any standard wall outlet, including automatic shut-off and recovery to reduce vampire power. -- iGo Surge Protector: An eight outlet surge protector with shut-off and recovery to reduce vampire power. -- iGo Wall Outlet: A wall outlet with automatic shut-off and recovery. "iGo is excited to be a first-time exhibitor at the 2009 International CES," said Walter Thornton, V.P. of Product Management and Supply Chain for iGo. "We're going to unveil more innovative products and technology at CES than we've introduced in the past few years combined. CES has the power to build buzz for the industry's hottest new electronic devices. iGo has chargers to power them all, in the easiest, most energy-efficient way possible." Also debuting are the iGo netbook chargers for travel and home/office which simultaneously power a netbook with an additional device. iGo will also launch their premium accessories line. This includes: -- iGo international travel adapter: Universal design covers more than 150 countries with US/UK/EU/AU plugs. Plus integrated USB outlet allows for charging devices. -- iGo multi card reader: Convenient 39-in-1 design reads and writes virtually any memory card format and includes integrated USB and native microSD slot. -- iGo laptop cleaning kit: Premium cleaning kit with six tools to safely clean your laptop and other devices. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Google, Apple, Microsoft sued over file preview

2009-01-11T11:06:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! A small Indiana company has sued tech heavyweights Microsoft, Apple, and Google, claiming that it holds the patent on a common file preview feature used by browsers and operating systems to show users small snapshots of the files before they are opened. Cygnus Systems sued the three companies on Wednesday saying that they infringed on its patent with products such as Windows Vista, Internet Explorer 8 and Google Chrome, which allow users to view preview images of documents on the computer. Mac OS X, the iPhone and Safari also infringe, the company said in court filings. Apple uses this technology in its Finder and Cover Flow Mac OS X features, the filings state. While Cygnus has sued three very high profile companies, there may not be the only vendors in Cygnus’s sites. “They were a logical starting place for us,” said Matt McAndrews, a partner with the Niro, Scavone, Haller & Niro, law firm, which is representing Cygnus. “We’ve identified many other potentially infringing products that we’re investigating,” he added. Cygnus’s owner and president Gregory Swartz developed the technology laid out in the patent while working on IT consulting projects, McAndrews said. The company is looking for “a reasonable royalty” as well as a court injunction preventing further infringement, he said. The lawsuit was filed in federal court in Arizona, where Swartz resides, McAndrews said. Google, Microsoft and Apple did not return messages seeking comment on the lawsuit. Cygnus applied for its patent (# 7346850) in 2001. It covers a “System and method for iconic software environment management” and was granted by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in March of this year. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Windows XP allowed to live again

2009-01-11T08:45:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Microsoft has given yet another reprieve to its seasoned Windows XP operating system. The cut off date for PC makers to obtain licenses for the software was 31 January 2009. But now Microsoft has put in place a scheme that will allow the hardware firms to get hold of XP licences until 30 May 2009. Previously Microsoft extended XP's life until 2010 - provided it was installed on netbooks and low-cost laptops. Windows XP was originally due to disappear off shop shelves on 30 January 2008. It was to be removed so as to make way for Windows Vista which went on sale to consumers early in 2007. Despite Microsoft's claims that Vista has sold well, consumers have reacted badly to its release. Microsoft granted the reprieve largely because of customer's preference for XP. Many PC makers also got around the restrictions by exploiting a clause in Microsoft's licensing terms that allowed them to offer a "downgrade" licence. Issued with a new PC running Vista it allowed customers to replace it with XP. The latest reprieve affects PC makers and resellers who were working to a 31 January 2009 deadline to order licences for XP. Many feared they would have to stockpile licences before the cut-off and hope they could sell them in the coming months. Now, Microsoft has changed the terms allowing the resellers to order before 31 January but take delivery at any time up to 30 May. The change in policy is another indication of the general resistance to Windows Vista. Early versions of Windows 7, the replacement for Vista, are due to appear in late 2009. Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

#74 Mimobot Domo 2GB Thumbdrive

2009-01-05T23:13:00.001+08:00

Slashdot It! This Domo thumbdrive features the character domo. It is very cute and comes in a red casing. Editor's Choice Rating|ChewOnTech Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

#73 Mimobot 2GB Halo Thumbdrive

2009-01-05T23:12:00.002+08:00

Slashdot It! This halo thumbdrive has a read speed of 16MB/s. It also have the halo design which looks very cool. Editor's Choice Rating|ChewOnTech Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

#72 Spire HandyBook 3 5' External HDD Docking Station

2009-01-05T22:42:00.000+08:00

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Happ New Year

2009-01-01T08:30:00.001+08:00

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Windows XP: The OS That Won't Quit

2008-12-30T23:44:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! Phasing out an old operating system is nothing new for Microsoft, but Windows XP is unique in that it may be too good to die. This week, Dell announced it will offer systems with the aging Windows XP for a surcharge of US$150 over the newer Windows Vista--this only five months after it stopped offering XP on its Inspiron consumer desktop and laptop PCs. The deadline for Windows XP downgrades has been pushed back twice now, remaining in effect until July 31, 2009-a strong indication that enough users want to stay with the aging XP rather than give Vista a chance. Though market share for Windows XP dropped nearly 10 percent in 2008 as Vista slowly made gains, XP still has a market share of 66 percent, according to Web metrics company Net Applications. XP downgrade fees from Dell and other OEMs will no doubt continue to irk customers in 2009, while businesses that want to stay with Windows XP will do the downgrades themselves. Industry analysts agree that Microsoft's downgrade fees are a minor problem compared to the bigger problem of so many users still wanting an older, now discontinued OS on hardware that it wasn't designed for. Don't Penalize XP, Incentivize Vista Industry analyst Rob Enderle, president of tech consulting firm the Enderle Group, says the XP downgrade fees will ultimately be counter-productive and possibly disastrous for Microsoft because they trade off short-term revenue for long-term customer loyalty. "The fix for this should be to focus like lasers on demand generation for Vista but instead Microsoft is focusing aggressively on financial penalties," Enderle says. "Forcing customers to go someplace they don't want to go by raising prices is a Christmas present for Apple and those that are positioning Linux on the desktop." As the economic recession deepens in 2009, the price of laptops and desktops, as with all retail items, will be closely watched by consumers and businesses. A recent IDC report predicts that the price of PCs will drop by close to 10 percent in 2009. Enderle said the XP downgrade charge and the resulting pressure to move to Vista will put a magnifying glass on Microsoft in the coming year. "Instead of charging a penalty for XP, Microsoft should provide incentives for Vista," he says. "They are too focused on margins for one product and are forgetting the damage they are doing to their brand." Worse than the downgrade fees is taking away a buyer's freedom of choice, says Roger Kay, president of consulting and research firm Endpoint Technologies. "People never like being 'forced' to do anything. They tend to resent it," he says. Is Windows 7 the Solution? Vista's successor, Windows 7, has been regarded as a solution to the Vista stigma, although whether or not users choosing XP over Vista is enough to move up the Windows 7 ship is still anyone's guess. Enderle predicts that Microsoft will change its estimated Windows 7 ship date of January 2010 and drop it sometime next year. "Windows 7 is designed to fix this problem [the Vista stigma], but it will need stronger demand generation marketing than Microsoft has yet proven it can provide," Enderle says. Kay, on the other hand, is not convinced that customer reliance on XP and the shunning of Vista affects Microsoft's OS release schedule. "Sinofsky [Windows senior VP Steven Sinofsky] is pretty clear about how his process works. Windows 7 code won't ship until it's ready." Charging users for Windows XP downgrades may be Microsoft's short-term solution to drive users to Vista and Windows 7, but what else should the software giant do to get its customers to move forward? Enderle says it's mostly a matter of better marketing. "They have to step up to Apple-level demand generation marketing and work to remove the stigma from Vista more aggressively," he says. "They had an interesting start earlier this year with the Mojave project but it seems to have tailed off of late and Apple continues to out execute them sharply." As Windows XP fees add up and the OS continues to get pulled from OEMs, the desire to keep using the OS will likely wane in 2009. But that the desire is there at all should be disconcerting for Microsoft, says Enderle. "Were this Apple, you wouldn't have the option to use an old OS at all. Granted you probably wouldn't want to, which speaks to the problem here." Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare

Bush's exit to put new e-records system to the test

2008-12-30T20:48:00.000+08:00

Slashdot It! For members of the Bush administration, Jan. 20, 2009, marks the end of a job. However, for the staff of the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), it's just the beginning of a project unprecedented in size and scope: sorting, indexing, preserving and ensuring access to all the records, both paper and electronic, created by the administration over the past eight years. In some ways, this is nothing new. Since 1978, when the Presidential Records Act was established, NARA has been tasked with taking custody of, controlling, preserving and providing access to all presidential and vice presidential records that have administrative, historical, informational or evidentiary value. The act requires that the day the president leaves office, presidential records become the legal responsibility of the archivist of the U.S. However, given the rise in electronic communications, the volume of electronic records has exploded. Consider that NARA received only a few hundred thousand e-mail messages from the first Bush presidency and 32 million from the Clinton White House, according to Ken Thibodeau, director of NARA's Electronic Records Archives (ERA) Program, whose mission is to meet the many challenges stemming from increasing use of computers in government, including building a new archiving system, scheduled for completion in 2011. In comparison, it expects a whopping 140TB of data from the current Bush administration, more than 50 times what it received from the Clinton years. About 20TB of that is e-mail, Thibodeau says. It hasn't helped that the Bush administration has been slow in providing NARA with needed information about the types and volume of data that will need to be archived. It wasn't until this summer that an intensive effort began to share information, Thibodeau says. Much of the discussion has centered on how the White House will provide records in a format that is reasonably easy to use, since some of the systems are highly proprietary. "There's still some risk that some of it may not work exactly right, but we have a contingency plan: If that happens, we'll re-create the systems they have and access the records that way," he says. Adding to the drama, questions have been raised about millions of missing e-mails from between March 2003 and October 2006. In early November, a lawsuit brought by Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington and the National Security Archive was upheld, challenging the White House's failure to properly store and recover millions of emails. In 2002, the Executive Office of the President stopped using the Automated Records Management System that had been in place since 1994, which automatically backed up all e-mails, but failed to install any other backup program. But despite the controversy and opinions to the contrary, Thibodeau says NARA is prepared. In 1998, NARA began the process of building a system to preserve all types of electronic records created anywhere in the U.S. government, enable online transactions and collaboration with other agencies over the life cycle of government records, and provide access to these records to the public and government officials. The system, scheduled to be built in five increments, is slated for completion in 2011. The first increment, just completed in June, provides functional archives to preserve electronic data in its original format, enables disposition of agreements and scheduling, and receives unclassified and sensitive data from federal agencies. It will be nearly impossible to get it [presidential electronic document archival] under control without a massive expenditure of human resources because the technology is not there. Deb Logan, analyst, Gartner Inc. By Dec. 5, the second increment that will handle the presidential records portion of the ERA system will be ready for the onslaught -- or as ready as it can be "when you're staring at 100TB of data bearing down on you," Thibodeau says. Even in this increment, however, the system will be used just by NARA staff and four pilot agencies, with public access slated for a later release. The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) has questioned the ERA's readiness, especially since the project has endured some bumps along the way, including delays and cost overruns estimated at $16.3 million. The life-cycle cost for the complete ERA system, scheduled to be completed in 2011, has been estimated at $453 million, including development contract costs, program management, research and development, and program office support. As recently as September, after studying the system's progress, the GAO urged NARA to create a mitigation plan in case it could not process the incoming records by Jan. 20, 2009. In a report to the congressional committees (download PDF), the GAO said, "If it cannot ingest the electronic records from the Bush administration in a way that supports the search, processing and retrieval of records immediately after the presidential transition, it will not be able to meet the requirements of the Congress, the former and incumbent presidents, and the courts for information in these records in a timely fashion." Thibodeau says there is no noteworthy risk that the system would not be ready. If there are data formats the system can't ingest and index in a reasonable amount of time, he says, the short-term solution will be to recreate the applications used for those records and preserve and provide access for them that way. The human element But as Deb Logan, an analyst at Gartner Inc., points out, system readiness is one thing; human limitation is another. According to Logan, the onerous task will be sorting through the unclassified and unprocessed data that the Bush administration will leave behind. The fact is, she says, the federal government itself has insufficient records management practices and systems in place, which means they'll basically be dumping raw data on NARA. "It would be one thing if the stuff had to be moved seamlessly to a records repository, but it's just eight years of stuff," she says. "It will be nearly impossible to get it under control without a massive expenditure of human resources because the technology is not there." According to NARA, it took about 400 days to process just the 2TB of data it received from the Clinton administration. Since it had no system at the time, it archived this data by recreating the Clinton administration's computer systems that originally held the records -- 17 in all -- and developed simple search interfaces that NARA personnel could use to access requested information. Logan says part of the blame lies with federal agencies themselves, pointing to a GAO survey that concluded federal agencies have failed across the board to fulfill their records management obligations, "not out of malice or neglect but out of the nature of the volume of electronic communications and the time frame in which they have to do it," she says. "Anyone who's putting an optimistic face on the job is not being realistic." Optimism may be relevant from a technology point of view, Thibodeau acknowledges, but not from an information management point of view. "From my side of NARA, I don't deal with what's in the records, just whether we can get them into the system," he notes. "We allow the library staff to deal with the content." An unprecedented effort The system itself had its challenges, which Thibodeau says are a natural outcome of creating a system the scope and scale of the ERA. After all, the system is not just intended to preserve presidential records. Under the Federal Records Act, it also works with federal agencies to preserve all of their relevant records, which amounts to about 2% of all the records they create. These records are submitted, appraised and archived continuously, not in batch modes at the end of each term, as presidential records are. The system is charged with the following: * Ingesting electronic records from federal agencies. * Managing records storage in a way that guarantees their integrity and availability. * Enabling users to search descriptions and business data about all types of records and to search and retrieve their contents. * Supporting records management functions such as scheduling, appraisal, description and requests to transfer custody. * Preserving records in the formats in which they were received, as well as creating backup copies for off-site storage. To that end, the system is a mix of off-the-shelf and custom-built components, based on a service-oriented architecture and incorporating Oracle Corp.'s database technology, EMC Corp.'s Documentum for records management, search technology and a Web-based front end. It also incorporates a hierarchical storage system from Hitachi Ltd. that blends servers from EMC, Hitachi and Sun, as well as the Hitachi Content Archive Platform, which automatically indexes records as they enter the system, enabling immediate search capability. The first glitch with the system was a missed deadline by Lockheed Martin Corp., which NARA contracted with to build the system, in September 2007 (see timeline at the end of this story). Thibodeau says this occurred in part because shortly after rewarding the contract to Lockheed, NARA discovered it needed to cut the budget in half, which resulted in rescoping the system's initial capabilities. This effort took the better part of a year, according to Thibodeau, as well as the time and attention of Lockheed engineering management. To speed things up, NARA and Lockheed also decided to use a two-pronged approach to developing the system. In this approach, the first prong -- or the base system, which was completed in June -- manages record schedules, requests record transfers and stores records. NARA plans to beta-test this system for a year, working with just four agencies from which it accepts records. So far, Thibodeau says, there have been 16 records transfers. Other functionalities, such as the ability to automatically inspect and appraise records, were delayed for later increments. The second prong is the system dedicated to the presidential records, originally called the Executive Office of the President (EOP) system, and now referred to as Search and Access ERA. This system is being developed in parallel with the base system, and the two will be merged as originally envisioned by 2011. Testing was completed in early November, Thibodeau says, although security testing is still ongoing. "There were no show-stoppers, so we're optimistic that we'll turn it on in December before the onslaught in January," he says. Other functionality will continue to be built through 2011. If NARA is rewarded its next appropriation of money, it expects to build the public-access capability within a year, Thibodeau says. Other slowdown factors Adam Jansen, president of Dkives Consulting in Spokane, Wash., agrees that the phased approach is the way to go. Formerly the digital archivist for the state of Washington, Jansen built an electronic records archiving system for the state that serves 750 users and stores 75 million records -- from 150-year-old census books to e-mails accumulated over the most recent governor's eight-year term. The system stores a million Web pages from 400-plus agencies, and the state is about to release several hundred hours' worth of searchable full text, digital audio and tape of legislative committee hearings. ERA timeline Here are the key events in the long history of NARA's project to build the ERA system * 1998: NARA researches feasibility of an electronic records management system. * 2000: It commits to building a system and begins a two-year effort to develop a program management competency to support the effort. * 2001: The government hires a contractor to develop policies and plans to guide the overall acquisition of an electronic records system, including a three-year requirements-gathering phase. * December 2003: NARA releases a request for proposals for the design of ERA. * August 2004: It awards two firm-fixed-price contracts for the design phase, totaling about $20 million, one to Harris Corp. and the other to Lockheed Martin. * Sept. 8, 2005: It announces the selection of Lockheed Martin to build the ERA system. * September 2007: Original deadline for Lockheed Martin to deliver an initial operating capability (IOC), with completion of a second phase to follow in November 2007. The project is delayed, and a revised strategy and schedule is created, splitting the project into parallel development efforts, using separate development teams and deferring certain functions to subsequent phases of the project. * June 2008: Completion of the ERA base system, which is the first increment of the planned five-increment system. The system provides functional archives to preserve electronic data in its original format, enables the disposition of agreements and scheduling, and can receive unclassified and sensitive data from federal agencies. * December 2008: Scheduled completion of the second increment, which is the system that can handle presidential records. This release includes the content searching and basic case management for special access requests. * By 2011: The second release of Increment 2, as well as Increments 3 through 5, will provide additional ERA functionality, such as public access. He calls NARA's project "a hugely ambitious project, and it's very difficult to bite off that big of a chunk all at once," he says. While with Washington's state government, Jansen says his team started with a few types of records and expanded from there. In four years, he says, the system went through three distinct iterations, with tweaking and reinventing along the way, especially when it came to ingesting records. As for the ERA's bumpy history, Jansen also faults government bureaucracy and NARA's failure to seek out advice from others who had implemented such systema. "There were people who'd done research, and I'm not sure the lessons learned were researched and taken to heart," he says. "Having run a program similar to this for five years in Washington, I got almost no interaction with them despite efforts to do so." But Thibodeau says when the project began in 1998, there was little information available. At that time, it took the agency two years just to research the feasibility of developing such a system, and it created a program management office to support it. "The biggest system we'd acquired before this was under $10 million," he says. "When you're doing something over $100 million, it's much more complicated, so we wanted to make sure we were competent to do it." NARA also dedicated three years to eliciting and validating requirements, which culminated in inviting both the IT industry and the general public to comment on the requirements, he says. During this phase, NARA also organized two conferences, one for prospective users and another for industry, to discuss its plans and get feedback. "We wanted there to be no question of what we were building," Thibodeau says, claiming there have been no changes to the requirements over the course of the system build. Countdown to January Logan says the problem of managing electronic records won't be resolved until the government agencies themselves do a better job of electronic records management, including classifying, de-duplicating and purging data through the use of systems such as archiving, records and policy management, content monitoring/filtering, and content analytics tools. Right now, she says, it's too easy to just keep buying more storage and keeping everything, and what's important to keep is intertwined with what's trivial. Not to mention that with no clear guidance or policy on data handling, she says, there's the risk of political appointees in outgoing administrations shredding data rather than turning it over. "We've created a huge volume of stuff, and it's going to be impossible to sort it with any level of precision," she says. "The longer it sits around, the more you lose context and run the chance that the data formats will become extinct. I think the result will be a great loss of information for the future." Logan apologizes for seeming so pessimistic, "but I've been covering this for nine years, and the progress has been minimal." Get Daily Updates via Email Protect your computer with Windows Onecare