CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – President Barack Obama boldly predicted Thursday his new plans for space exploration would lead American astronauts on historic, almost fantastic journeys to an asteroid and then to Mars — and in his lifetime — relying on rockets and propulsion still to be imagined and built.
"I expect to be around to see it," he said of pioneering U.S. trips starting with a landing on an asteroid — a colossal feat in itself — before the long-dreamed-of expedition to Mars. He spoke near the historic Kennedy Space Center launch pads that sent the first men to the moon, a blunt rejoinder to critics, including several former astronauts, who contend his planned changes will instead deal a staggering blow to the nation's manned space program.
"We want to leap into the future," not continue on the same path as before, Obama said as he sought to reassure NASA workers that America's space adventures would soar on despite the impending termination of space shuttle flights.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100416/ap_on_sc/us_obama_space;_ylt=AtQKQ21SUlUue9GDS01hUkIjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJpaW1wZmNpBGFzc2V0Ay9hcC8yMDEwMDQxNi9hcF9vbl9zYy91c19vYmFtYV9zcGFjZQRwb3MDMgRzZWMDeW5fdG9tYnN0b25lBHNsawNvbnRvbWFyc29iYW0-
San Francisco – MySQL, the open source database now property of Oracle, has stayed the same in such aspects as its availability under the GPL, but some traits will change under its new management. For example, Oracle will be more tight-lipped about product plans, a MySQL official said Thursday.
Devotees of the database also can expect continued improvements in areas such as performance and a stronger emphasis on Windows, said Kaj Arno, vice president of the MySQL community for the still-functioning Sun Microsystems branch in Munich. (Oracle's Sun acquisition has not been completed yet in Germany.)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/infoworld/20100415/tc_infoworld/120913;_ylt=AqVaLWE49DLfcXmTPLpo2V4jtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJqM2F1MWRmBGFzc2V0A2luZm93b3JsZC8yMDEwMDQxNS8xMjA5MTMEcG9zAzEwBHNlYwN5bl9hcnRpY2xlX3N1bW1hcnlfbGlzdARzbGsDbXlzcWxvZmZpY2lh
SHATTERING ASSUMPTIONS: New study finds that young adults generally care as much about online privacy as older Americans, despite all their raunchy postings.
THE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT: Researchers say young adults are sometimes encouraged by sites to reveal personal information to participate in social networks, even though they may prefer not to.
WHAT THIS MEANS: Lawmakers and educators shouldn't assume that young adults aren't looking for privacy protections.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_young_adults_privacy_summary_box;_ylt=Aq6w4WdrOD9_hUZoZqbe2NIjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNjN2t1dm1pBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE1L3VzX3RlY195b3VuZ19hZHVsdHNfcHJpdmFjeV9zdW1tYXJ5X2JveARwb3MDOARzZWMDeW5fYXJ0aWNsZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3N1bW1hcnlib3hzdA--
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Advanced Micro Devices Inc reported better-than-expected first-quarter revenue as PC and server spending rebounded, but investors cashed out of a rally triggered by stellar Intel Corp results.
The company -- which had posted 12 consecutive quarters of losses until the previous quarter -- said on Thursday its second-quarter sales would be seasonally weaker, striking a muted tone in contrast with Intel's bullish comments on corporate spending bouncing back in 2010.
Shares of AMD, which in Thursday's regular session hit levels not seen since November 2007, slid 5 percent as investors sold out. The stock had added 8 percent since Intel's better-than-expected results.
"The stock was a little ahead of itself," said Broadpoint Amtech analyst Doug Freedman. He said the company's real earnings growth will come in the back half of the year.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100416/tc_nm/us_amd;_ylt=ArdyisHYFf_Wm1q3oTfQKaojtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJiNjVrcjZjBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDE2L3VzX2FtZARwb3MDNQRzZWMDeW5fYXJ0aWNsZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA2FtZHJldmVudWViZQ--
One week after a critical bug was made public, Oracle has patched its Java virtual machine to fix an exploit that could be used to sneak malicious software onto a computer.
That's a good thing, because earlier this week, security vendor AVG said that it had spotted the exploit for this bug being used in a real-world cyber-attack.
Oracle released its Java SE 6 version 20 update Thursday morning. It addresses three security bugs in Java, including the vulnerability exploited in AVG's attack, which was made public last week by Google researcher Tavis Ormandy.
That flaw affects the Windows version of Java 6 10 and later, Ormandy said in a note disclosing the problem, posted to a security discussion list last week.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20100415/tc_pcworld/afterattacksoraclepatchesjavabug;_ylt=AolDYZgE9ndKvL8TkfuiS5MjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNhamR0MWgyBGFzc2V0A3Bjd29ybGQvMjAxMDA0MTUvYWZ0ZXJhdHRhY2tzb3JhY2xlcGF0Y2hlc2phdmFidWcEcG9zAzMEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNhZnRlcmF0dGFja3M-
Toshiba, the world's fifth-largest personal computer maker says it will launch slate devices later in 2010, including models that run either the Microsoft Windows 7 or Google Android operating systems.
Jeff Barney, general manager of digital products for Toshiba America, tells Reuters that his company is exploring several tablet form factors, including a dual-screen tablet that runs Windows, and another slate with a 10-inch display. He predicts that these new tablets won't cannibalize netbook sales, despite the overlap in functionality. The Android-based device would cost less than the Windows tablet, Reuters reports. Both tablets, like the Apple iPad, would be used primarily for media consumption, including online video, music, e-books, and other digitized content.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20100416/tc_pcworld/toshibatodebutipadstyletabletslaterthisyear;_ylt=Ajx2Vbvi0fuK48ADJ5iR0WAjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTNsdXE1c2M5BGFzc2V0A3Bjd29ybGQvMjAxMDA0MTYvdG9zaGliYXRvZGVidXRpcGFkc3R5bGV0YWJsZXRzbGF0ZXJ0aGlzeWVhcgRwb3MDMQRzZWMDeW5fYXJ0aWNsZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3Rvc2hpYmF0b2RlYg--
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Sales of video game gear and software in the United States climbed 6 percent in March, industry tracker NPD said on Thursday, bouncing back somewhat after declining for two straight months.
Hardware sales slipped 4 percent in the month, but software sales jumped 10 percent.
Nintendo Co Ltd's Wii was the top-selling home console in the month, selling 557,500 units, while Microsoft Corp's Xbox 360 console came in second with 338,400 and Sony Corp's PlayStation 3 was third with 313,900 units.
The top-selling game in March was Sony's "God of War III."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100415/media_nm/us_npd_videogames;_ylt=AgCBgQZ6MPEH_IGh47fS2qojtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJuOXY4M2JqBGFzc2V0A25tLzIwMTAwNDE1L3VzX25wZF92aWRlb2dhbWVzBHBvcwMxNwRzZWMDeW5fYXJ0aWNsZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3ZpZGVvZ2FtZXNhbA--
NEW YORK – Before it bought online video service YouTube, employees of Google Inc. believed YouTube's business was risky because it relied on pirated content and recommended pursuing a different strategy, newly released documents showed Thursday.
The internal Google documents, marked "highly confidential," were obtained and released by media company Viacom Inc. in part to bolster its case in a $1 billion copyright lawsuit against Google and YouTube.
Viacom alleges the companies built YouTube's success by promoting the unlicensed use of video taken from Viacom cable channels such as MTV, Comedy Central and Nickelodeon, rather than paying the creators.
Google bought YouTube for $1.76 billion in November 2006.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100416/ap_on_hi_te/us_viacom_youtube;_ylt=AlvTZI30bt.KextgXdKbaRYjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJuajJ0cTMyBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE2L3VzX3ZpYWNvbV95b3V0dWJlBHBvcwMxNQRzZWMDeW5fYXJ0aWNsZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA25ld3JvdW5kb2Zkbw--
Television has changed a lot over the years--from black-and-white tube sets to Technicolor consoles to plasma and LCD high-definition TVs.
But the medium is still evolving. Tech companies are producing bigger (yet thinner) TV screens and immersive, customizable viewing experiences with Internet connectivity, widgets, and apps; and broadcasters are looking at ways to move beyond high-definition.
We still have a long way to go before our home entertainment systems look like something out of Minority Report, but some of the new technologies are pretty impressive: 3D TV that approximates what you'd get in a movie theater, multiple monitors designed to present a wall-size picture, and ultra-definition resolution are just some of the innovations you can look forward to.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/pcworld/20100416/tc_pcworld/thefutureoftv3dwindowwallsvisiblelightcommunicationandmore;_ylt=AqKdxcD.Pbb3ES5WHt8AdfMjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTQ1czdtcDkwBGFzc2V0A3Bjd29ybGQvMjAxMDA0MTYvdGhlZnV0dXJlb2Z0djNkd2luZG93d2FsbHN2aXNpYmxlbGlnaHRjb21tdW5pY2F0aW9uYW5kbW9yZQRwb3MDMTEEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawN0aGVmdXR1cmVvZnQ-
NEW YORK – All the dirty laundry younger people seem to air on social networks these days might lead older Americans to conclude that today's tech-savvy generation doesn't care about privacy.
Such an assumption fits happily with declarations that privacy is dead, as online marketers and social sites such as Facebook try to persuade people to share even more about who they are, what they are thinking and where they are at any given time.
But it's not quite true, a new study finds. Despite mounds of anecdotes about college students sharing booze-chugging party photos, posting raunchy messages and badmouthing potential employers online, young adults generally care as much about privacy as older Americans.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_young_adults_privacy;_ylt=AuhNHsO9vcBwpzJiG6Z4bhwjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTMwNTl2dG0yBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE1L3VzX3RlY195b3VuZ19hZHVsdHNfcHJpdmFjeQRwb3MDNQRzZWMDeW5fYXJ0aWNsZV9zdW1tYXJ5X2xpc3QEc2xrA3N0dWR5eW91bmdhZA--
The ambitiously named Incredible doesn't quite scale the heights of HTC's recently announced Evo 4G (or at least on paper it doesn't), but hey — it still looks impressive in its own right. (Maybe "HTC Impressive" would have been a better name?)
The blogosphere has been rife for the past week or so with leaked details about Verizon's third Android smartphone (set for release on April 29; $199 with a two-year contract and after a mail-in $100 rebate), but now we finally have the official Incredible specs, courtesy of Verizon.
Weighing in at about 4.5 ounces and measuring a little less than a half-inch thick, the Incredible gets off on the right foot with an eye-popping, 3.7-inch WVGA AMOLED display. In back, you'll find the 8-megapixel camera and its dual LED flash for snapping pictures in low light — nice, although the Incredible lacks the Evo 4G's front-facing camera for video conferencing.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ytech_gadg/20100415/tc_ytech_gadg/ytech_gadg_tc1634;_ylt=AvXx6cwp1edMNXXi920EPjkjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ1ZWJrMzJvBGFzc2V0A3l0ZWNoX2dhZGcvMjAxMDA0MTUveXRlY2hfZ2FkZ190YzE2MzQEcG9zAzMEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNhbmRyb2lkLXBvd2U-
Attention to whomever is trying to send faxes to my voice line from the phone number identified by my Caller ID as "000-000-0000:" That activity has just been made illegal by the federal government.
On Wednesday, the House passed the Truth in Caller ID Act of 2010, which nearly completes this bill's movement through the legislative process. The Senate already passed a version of the bill in February. And, as with the Do Not Call List legislation several years back, this is a bill that has nothing but broad support from the people and minimal cost associated with it. There's no real obstacle preventing the president from signing it into law pretty soon.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ytech_wguy/20100415/tc_ytech_wguy/ytech_wguy_tc1637;_ylt=AnpNnXWc_vY2rIL0aQmPK6kjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJ1ZnYyZzkwBGFzc2V0A3l0ZWNoX3dndXkvMjAxMDA0MTUveXRlY2hfd2d1eV90YzE2MzcEcG9zAzEEc2VjA3luX2FydGljbGVfc3VtbWFyeV9saXN0BHNsawNwaG9ueWNhbGxlcmk-
SAN FRANCISCO – Coming off a stellar first quarter, Google Inc. seems to have regained the momentum that it lost shortly after the U.S. recession started in December 2007.
But it looks like it's going to take a lot longer for the Internet search leader's stock price to rebound to its pre-recession levels.
The shares fell nearly 5 percent late Thursday after the company released first-quarter results that exceeded analyst expectations.
Earnings rose 37 percent and revenue surged 23 percent. The latter figure represented Google's highest growth rate since the summer of 2008.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100416/ap_on_hi_te/us_earns_google;_ylt=Amu5HJvoFONsfp6XJybgmpYjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTJnYjdkM2ZqBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE2L3VzX2Vhcm5zX2dvb2dsZQRjcG9zAzEEcG9zAzIEc2VjA3luX3RvcF9zdG9yeQRzbGsDZ29vZ2xlMXFncm93
The steady rain of leaks about HTC's Incredible smartphone has turned into a downpour, and the buzz has become a steady drone. If the Incredible is Verizon's next launch, the company is making a smart move, said 451 Group analyst Chris Hazelton. It will give consumers their first opportunity to actually handle a phone that is expected to be strikingly similar to the much-ballyhooed Nexus One.
With a name like "Incredible," you'd better be good.
Based on leaked documents published on Tuesday, phone enthusiasts are buzzing over prospects that what's rumored to be Verizon's next big phone will live up to its name and more.
Various Web sites published what were purported to be manuals and spec sheets for the new phone. They indicate that the Incredible will share many similarities with Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) well-received -- but lightly bought -- Nexus One, including its 1 Ghz Snapdragon processor and 3.7-inch OLED capacitive screen. It will feature the HTC Sense user interface layered over Android 2.1.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Will-HTC-Incredible-Live-Up-to-Its-Name-69764.html
A sensor in your cellphone could alert you to a toxic leak in your immediate vicinity -- or it could alert government officials to a major terrorist attack with a chemical weapon. Putting the crowdsourcing concept to work, it would be possible to assess the location, nature and the severity of such an attack in seconds. It's unclear how many citizens would want such a capability on their phones, however.
If the Department of Homeland Security has its way, cellphones will soon do more than transmit calls, GPS information and a host of data from the Web. They'll also monitor the air for toxic substances that could be part of a chemical warfare attack.
Anywhere a chemical threat breaks out -- a mall, a bus, subway, or office -- Cell-All will alert the authorities automatically. (Image by Paul Wedig. Click to enlarge.)
Just as antivirus software springs to life when it spies suspicious activity, so Cell-All, from the DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), regularly sniffs the surrounding air for certain volatile chemical compounds.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Air-Sniffing-Cellphones-Could-Aid-Chemical-Warfare-Defense-69760.html
GIMP is one of the most able-bodied open source photo manipulation apps in the world, and its feature set rivals those of many proprietary -- and often downright expensive -- offerings. Its features will fix flaws in photos as well as enable the user to artistically manipulate images in a multitude of formats. However, most photo editors this advanced do require a bit of a learning curve, and GIMP is no exception.
The Linux world is filled with numerous capable packages for just about every computing category. Graphics manipulation applications are no exception. In any list of able-bodied graphics candidates, GIMP 2.6 should be one of the top three contenders.
GIMP is Linux Speak for GNU Image Manipulation Program. It is a free powerhouse that sets the standard for displaying and tweaking all things photographic on a computer screen. It is a very close first cousin to the not-so-open-source program known as Adobe's (Nasdaq: ADBE) Photoshop.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/GIMP-Is-No-Lame-Photo-Tool-69753.html
President Obama will attempt to defuse the growing controversy over his administration's plans for space exploration in a speech on Thursday. The critics' arguments were bolstered this week by the publication of an open letter from renowned astronauts Neil Armstrong, James Lovell and Eugene Cernan, who called the president's decision not to go back to the moon "devastating."
Obama on Thursday will speak at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida about his plans for drastically changing the direction of the nation's human spaceflight program.
Included in those plans is a decision -- originally announced back in February -- to end the Constellation moon program and shift NASA's focus to developing new technologies for deeper space exploration instead.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Obama-to-Defend-Space-Vision-Against-Mounting-Criticism-69772.html
Application delivery controllers and server load balancers are devices that optimize Web and application infrastructure. These appliances can help reduce data center costs and optimize operations. While large enterprises often use purpose-built hardware-based load balancers, smaller organizations may be able to reap most or all of the same benefits by using virtual load balancers.
Today Web and application infrastructure continues to expand applications for e-commerce and communications with customers, partners and internal employees. For those responsible for deploying, maintaining, and supporting these network applications, there is an increasing need to get their highest performance out of data center equipment while simplifying the complexity that causes excess overhead and unnecessary costs.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Server-Load-Balancing-Not-Just-for-the-Big-Guys-Anymore-69767.html
The International Space Station will get its first humanoid robot this fall. Though R2 is only half a man -- he's got nothing from the waist down -- he's a lot stronger than the real people he's designed to help. Also, he'll be better suited to undertake some tasks that are too dangerous for ordinary mortals.
Moving slowly and deliberately, a pair of white-gloved hands reach out, grasp a white cloth and carefully pull it back, revealing a manila envelope. The hands then deftly move to the envelope, pick it up and present it to onlookers.
The scene is from a NASA video, and the hands belong to a character known as "R2," or Robonaut 2 -- a startlingly humanoid looking robot currently prepping to fly to the International Space Station aboard the last scheduled space shuttle mission in September.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/R2-Lands-Space-Station-Gig-69771.html
Opera made an unexpected appearance at the App Store this week. Submitting its Mini browser to Apple for approval seemed like a long shot, yet here it is. Opera certainly feels faster on its feet than Safari when it comes to loading pages. It also has a few features you won't find on the iPhone's built-in browser. Zoom control, however, just isn't the same.
Opera Mini, an application from Opera Software, is available for free at the App Store.
Opera Software can be quite the prima donna when it wants to, and apparently it knows how to use that attitude to get the results it wants. This company was a main player in the recent effort to require Microsoft (Nasdaq: MSFT) to offer a full menu of Web browsers each time Windows is installed in Europe. Not only must Windows ask the user which browser he or she wants to set as default (Internet Explorer or one of several rivals, including Opera), but the options must be listed in random order. Enough people picked Opera that the company considered the effort a success.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Opera-on-iPhone-Prestissimo-but-Just-a-Little-Flat-69762.html
Linux can't be around forever, can it? For that matter, what does the future hold for operating systems in general? "If you asked me to predict what operating systems would look like in the future, I would probably give you quite a pessimistic answer," said blogger Jeremy Visser. "I think that future OSes will be more and more locked down, and you will be doing less with them while thinking you are doing more."
Human beings are a naturally curious species, most would surely agree, and for as long as we've had cards to punch or keyboards to type on, we've wondered what computing technologies the future might bring.
Linux bloggers are no exception -- indeed, they might even be created a little more equal in this respect, shall we say, particularly when it comes to their favorite platform.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/The-Life-Expectancy-of-Linux-69775.html
Twitter can be a useful tool for job searching, and not only for networking. It also provides candidates with a vehicle for demonstrating their skills and displaying their personalities. "People get hired for who they are, not just what they do. Your digital footprint is your resume," said Susan Whitcomb, president of the Career Coach Academy.
The constant drumbeat of bad economic news didn't stop Jennifer Cloud from pursuing a job in her chosen field of interactive marketing . Armed with a degree in communications and a desire to learn new technologies, she started using Twitter.
"I was wondering if the resumes I was blindly submitting online were launched into a vortex," Cloud said. "With Twitter you meet people at all levels of management and get an opportunity to present yourself as a person rather than a piece of paper."
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Tweet-Your-Way-Into-a-Job-69774.html
The Library of Congress has decided to add Twitter's vast collection of tweets to its archive. Once methods of searching and researching the collection are developed, the tweets could lend valuable insights about historical events and cultural trends. "We think there are discoveries that are going to be made that we can't even conceive of right now," said Matt Raymond, director of communications for the Library.
Next time you tweet, you may want to consider your role in history. The Library of Congress plans to archive all public posts from Twitter, dating back to the 2006 debut of the popular social networking service.
Details on tweet availability will be worked out within the next several months, according to Matt Raymond, director of communications for the Library of Congress. Although some posts will be accessible online at the Library's Web site, you'll need to travel to Washington, D.C., to access the bulk of the billions of tweets.
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/Library-of-Congress-to-House-Billions-and-Billions-of-Tweets-69781.html?wlc=1271390199
Welcome back again! We're here, still. Tell your friends. Anyway, this week we finally give our final thoughts on Facebook...Final. OK, they're probably not our final thoughts, but we go so in depth, we won't need to even mention Facebook for at least a few episodes. New drinking game: Take a sip every time Dong says "Facebook" in this ep.
Also, I attempt to talk game theory with Dong, but as usual, he fails miserably. He then goes on all about some easy to use router. I mean, this is nothing new. He does it every week. Don't say you haven't noticed.
http://www.cnet.com/8301-17914_1-20002653-89.html
Don Walsh and Jacques Piccard wave after surfacing from their dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the worlds deepest spot. The mission, in 1960, was the first--and only--manned dive to the bottom of the trench. Now, ocean exploration has fallen off the map, but new technologies promise to recharge a once promising field of research.(Credit: Thomas Abercrombie, National Geographic Society)
On January 23, 1960, two men, diving in a small deep-sea submersible, reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench, a spot about 200 miles southwest of Guam that, at 35,800 feet below the surface of the Pacific Ocean, is the deepest point on Earth.
It was the first time humans had gone that deep, and when Navy Lt. Don Walsh and his co-pilot, Jacques Piccard, took the bathyscaphe Trieste all the way down, they surely must have felt like pioneers, the first of many who would make their way there.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20002563-52.html
Bill Gates is going back to college, and Beyond Binary is going along for the ride.
Next week, the Microsoft chairman and philanthropist is doing a three-state college tour, meeting with students and faculty to encourage more people to join efforts to solve society's biggest global challenges.
Bill Gates is headed on a three-day college tour next week and Beyond Binary will be following along with coverage of the speeches, behind-the-scenes notes, and an interview with Gates.(Credit: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation)
In a blog post this week, Gates noted that he's done similar tours during his time at Microsoft, but that this is the first time he's done it in his capacity as head of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
"I'm most looking forward to my conversation with students about how we can get more of the world's brightest people to focus on the world's biggest challenges, like poverty, global health, education, energy and climate change," Gates wrote.
Gates will be in the San Francisco Bay Area at the University of California at Berkeley and Stanford University, and then travel to the University of Chicago, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20002540-56.html
The Pentagon is looking for a few good flying machines.
The U.S. Department of Defense, in the form of its DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) division, is calling on the research community to create a flying vehicle that can travel both by land and air, lift off without a runway, carry up to four personnel, and handle itself in the battlefield.
With land vehicles vulnerable to ambushes, attacks, and explosives, the objective of the program known as Transformer is to provide soldiers with a vehicle that can travel freely in the air to avoid problems on the ground. Such a vehicle would be used in combat for raids, reconnaissance, insurgency/counterinsurgency, and other types of missions. It would also be deployed to evacuate the wounded and deliver supplies, according to DARPA's solicitation.
Additionally, DARPA is looking for something with VTOL (vertical takeoff and landing), meaning it can lift off like a helicopter requiring no runaway, and reach altitudes as high as 10,000 feet. But to traverse rough road conditions when on the ground, the agency wants the vehicle to handle like an SUV with at least four wheels for stability and heavy-duty suspension. And like the rest of us, it wants a car that's fuel-efficient--able to run for 250 miles on a single tank of gas.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13639_3-20002587-42.html
Uh-oh. Just a month after Gina Bianchini, co-founder of build-a-social-network service Ning, departed the company, it's cutting 40 percent of its staff and axing its free, ad-supported service.
Bianchini had co-founded Ning with Valley legend Marc Andreessen, and it had raised $119 million in venture capital, including a whopping $60 million round in early 2008 that Andreessen famously characterized as a stockpile for the "nuclear winter" that would help get it through the economic recession.
Jason Rosenthal, the Ning COO who took over as CEO from Bianchini, sent an e-mail memo to company staffers on Thursday that somebody forwarded to industry blog TechCrunch. He explained that Ning will be focusing on premium networks--which come with additional features and are not ad-supported--because that's where the company's business successes have been, thus far.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-20002611-36.html
LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif.--By Mitch Jackson's telling, the handful of electric vehicles that FedEx is testing are wonderful, offering sufficient range and one-third the operating cost.
But because an electric truck costs three or four times more than a conventional truck, FedEx's worldwide fleet of all-electrics is only 19 out of about 40,000 trucks.
"We want those trucks. We believe in energy independence," said Jackson, vice president of FedEx environmental affairs and sustainability. "We have a deep belief in electrification, but the capital (needed) has inhibited us to what we have now."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20002571-54.html
For Marc Maiffret, the turning point in his life came when--at the age of 17--he woke up to an FBI agent pointing a gun at his head.
A runaway and high school dropout, he had just returned home and landed his first professional job using his computer skills for the good of companies instead of for mischief. But his past was still catching up to his present.
Young, articulate, and outspoken, Maiffret went on to become a celebrity hacker wunderkind, testifying before Congress on security issues, featured in cover stories in numerous magazines and newspapers, appearing in MTV's "True Life: I'm a Hacker," and being named one of People Magazine's 30 People Under 30.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27080_3-20002317-245.html
Google put out a pair of small, but useful Gmail updates on Thursday that make it both easier to use and more integrated with the company's free Calendar service. Notably, both have skipped a trial through the service's "labs" section, and gone straight through to the final product.
The first is drag-and-drop attachments, a feature which lets you drag files from your desktop machine right into your e-mail message to have them begin uploading. It works the same as the system Google implemented in its Wave service for photos and other media types. It also has the same requirement of the user having to run Google Chrome or Firefox 3.6.
To use it within Gmail, users just drag any file from their hard drive (or from within an open application) into a new green box that appears within the compose menu. The service then uploads it in the background, which--just like uploading any other attachment--lets you do other things as the bits are being pushed.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-20002619-248.html
Microsoft said on Thursday that it has dispatched a team of auditors to a facility in China that is accused of requiring its teenage employees to work long hours in poor conditions for take-home pay that amounts to just 50 cents an hour.
"As a company that sells a wide range of hardware and devices, we take very seriously our corporate responsibility to ensure that the manufacturing facilities and supply chain operations that we use comply with all relevant labor and safety requirements and ensure fair treatment of workers," according to a blog post from Brian Tobey, corporate vice president of manufacturing and operations for Microsoft's entertainment and devices unit. "We were therefore very concerned when we saw a report by the National Labor Committee (NLC) alleging that conditions at a factory operated by KYE in Dongguan, China, were adversely impacting workers."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13860_3-20002622-56.html
Advanced Micro Devices delivered a first-quarter profit in the latest sign that the PC and server upgrade cycle is gaining momentum.
AMD delivered net income of $257 million, or 35 cents a share, on revenue of $1.57 billion, up from $1.18 billion a year ago (statement). AMD's revenue was down a bit from the $1.65 billion delivered in the fourth quarter. On a non-GAAP basis the chipmaker reported a profit of 9 cents a share.
Wall Street was expecting AMD to report a loss of 5 cents a share. In a statement, AMD CEO Dirk Meyer credited new graphics and server chips for boosting the company's prospects.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-20002634-92.html
Cablevision, Comcast, and Time Warner Cable are teaming up to allow their subscribers in New York City and the surrounding area to roam onto each other's Wi-Fi networks.
All three companies currently offer free Wi-Fi service to their cable subscribers in areas surrounding the Big Apple, including parts of Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut. Starting Thursday anyone who subscribes to broadband from any of these providers will get free Wi-Fi access on the two other cable operators' Wi-Fi networks.
The blog Broadband Reports notes this is particularly good news for Time Warner Cable customers. Time Warner has relatively few Wi-Fi hot spots, and it is the predominant cable operator in the city. Cablevision is investing about $310 million to deliver free Wi-Fi to much of its territory including Amtrak and commuter train stations in its region. Additional free cable-sponsored Wi-Fi hot spots can be found in other public places such as parks.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30686_3-20002644-266.html
KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla.--President Barack Obama flew to the Kennedy Space Center Thursday to sell his new space policy, a radical change of course for NASA that would cancel the Constellation moon program and shift manned launches to private industry while NASA studies options for future deep space exploration.
For the first time, the president laid out a rough timeline for expeditions beyond low-Earth orbit and even the moon, calling for manned missions to nearby asteroids by the mid-2020s, flights to orbit Mars by the mid-2030s, and manned landings shortly after.
"The bottom line is, nobody is more committed to manned spaceflight, to human exploration of space, than I am," he said. "But we've got to do it in a smart way and we can't just keep on doing the same old things we've been doing and thinking that somehow that's going to get us where we want to go."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-19514_3-20002641-239.html
For the first time in months, video game industry executives can exhale.
That's because, according to industry analyst The NPD Group, the video games business as a whole saw a 6 percent year-over-year increase in March, and turned in the third-best nonholiday period month on record. Industry sales had been down 14 percent and 13 percent, year-over-year, in February and January, respectively.
But not all the news was good. While revenues for video game software and accessories were up significantly in March, hardware revenues took a hit.
For the month, the industry posted total sales of $1.52 billion, up 6 percent from $1.44 billion. On the software side, sales were $875.3 million, up 10 percent from $795 million a year earlier. But hardware sales came in at just $440.5 million, down 4 percent from $457.1 million in March, 2009.
A major reason for the dollar decline in hardware, said NPD analyst Anita Frazier in a written report Thursday, was that average prices for video game console hardware were down 16 percent nationwide, putting significant pressure on revenues.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-20002647-52.html
Viacom says newly released documents in its copyright fight with Google over its YouTube subsidiary help prove its case against the search engine.
(Credit: Greg Sandoval/CNET)
We've heard these kinds of sweeping declarations from both sides throughout the legal standoff, which began when Viacom filed a $1 billion lawsuit against Google in 2007. A review of the documents filed with the court on Thursday shows that much of the material, such as Google employees making critical statements about YouTube's "rogue" business model before buying it in October 2006 for $1.65 billion, have been well covered.
But Viacom said in a statement that the new documents show Google "made a deliberate, calculated business decision not only to profit from copyright infringement, but also to use the threat of copyright infringement to try to coerce rights owners like Viacom into licensing their content on Google's terms."
http://news.cnet.com/8301-31001_3-20002620-261.html
Google continues to demonstrate that an online advertising recovery is well under way, at least when it comes to search advertising.
For its fiscal first quarter, which ended March 31, Google on Thursday reported revenue of $6.77 billion, up 23 percent from the same period last year. Financial analysts evaluate Google's revenue performance by excluding traffic-acquisition costs paid to Google's partners, which totaled $1.71 billion. That puts net revenue at $5.06 billion, slightly ahead of analyst estimates of $4.95 billion for the quarter.
Net income was $1.96 billion, up 38 percent from last year's first-quarter net income of $1.42 billion. Excluding special one-time costs, that translates to $6.76 in earnings per share, as compared to analyst estimates of $6.60 in earnings per share.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-30684_3-20002630-265.html
"Microsoft has revealed that its latest round of patches won't install on XP machines if they're infected with a rootkit. In February, a security patch left some XP users complaining of endless reboots and Blue Screens of Death. An investigation followed and Microsoft discovered the problems occurred on machines infected with the Alureon rootkit, which interacted badly with patch KB977165 for the Windows kernel. Now Microsoft is blocking PCs with the rootkit from receiving its new patches. 'This security update includes package-detection logic that prevents the installation of the security update if certain abnormal conditions exist on 32-bit systems,' Microsoft cautions in the patch notes."
http://it.slashdot.org/story/10/04/15/1839236/Microsoft-Refuses-To-Patch-Rootkit-Compromised-XP-Machines
"The American Lung Association is jumping on board the ban-E-cigs-train. From the article: 'So, while the ALA admitted that electronic cigarettes contain fewer chemicals than tobacco cigarettes, they refuse to acknowledge the obvious health benefit that lack of the most toxic chemicals provides to the smokers who switch. Are lives and lung health the real issue here or is nicotine addiction? The ALA must know that numerous studies show that, absent the tobacco smoke, nicotine is relatively harmless and comparable to caffeine. The American Heart Association acknowledges that nicotine is "safe" in other smoke-free forms such as patches or gum.' For those of you not in the know, electronic cigarettes (also called personal vaporizers) are a nicotine delivery device that resembles a cigarette in shape and size, but does not burn tobacco. It is less a expensive alternative to the traditional tobacco cigarette that is by all appearances (though not thoroughly researched) also healthier."
http://yro.slashdot.org/story/10/04/15/1850246/American-Lung-Association-Pushes-For-Ban-On-Electronic-Cigarettes
"Here is another troubling anecdote on the iWeb front: 'This week cartoonist Mark Fiore made Internet and journalism history as the first online-only journalist to win a Pulitzer Prize. Fiore took home the editorial cartooning prize for animations he created for SFGate, the website for the San Francisco Chronicle... But there's just one problem. In December, Apple rejected his iPhone app, NewsToons, because, as Apple put it, his satire "ridicules public figures," a violation of the iPhone Developer Program License Agreement, which bars any apps whose content in "Apple's reasonable judgement may be found objectionable, for example, materials that may be considered obscene, pornographic, or defamatory."' Whether or not you agree with Fiore's political sentiments, I believe we can all agree that the censorship of his work should be denigrated."
http://apple.slashdot.org/story/10/04/15/2059238/Apple-Blocks-Cartoonist-From-App-Store
"I have been the victim of (Visa) debit card theft. I do not know where they stole or got the number, but it was used one day on the other side of the country and the next day was used in Europe until they cleaned out my account. I had been monitoring my account online and immediately went to the bank and filed a claim. I was told at that time it would be 3 to 5 weeks for them to investigate the claim before they could return my money. Recently I tried to make a purchase with a debit card and was told that they couldn't use the card since it wasn't a Visa or MasterCard check card; this led to a discussion of why I no longer have a Visa or MasterCard check card. Which then led to the question of 'What can be done about it?' Currently I have a separate account for debit usage for my personal safety. But I also think that those producing these check cards should be required to advertise the hazards of having one of these cards (not in small print and maybe required in advertisement of these cards, similar to what is required with pharmaceutical drugs on television) and/or that if a debit or check card is issued a separate account should be required for its use, and users informed of the issues of placing all of their money in the same account that their debit card has access to. What other precautionary measures should be required or taken?"
http://ask.slashdot.org/story/10/04/15/2256259/What-Can-Be-Done-About-Security-of-Debit-Cards
People call 911 after witnessing a meteor shower and sonic booms.
http://news.yahoo.com/video/us-15749625/19162074
A push in Congress to prevent another financial meltdown is itself at risk of a political meltdown.
Democrats and Republicans are at odds over how much to rein in Wall Street’s unregulated practices and avoid more federal bailouts of “too big to fail” financial firms. And President Obama, the self-proclaimed bridge-builder, is trying to intervene.
But this debate would be less polarized – as during the health-care debate – if lawmakers didn’t simply try to pit “Main Street” against “Wall Street.” This distinction ignores just how much those two realms of commerce depend on each other to bring security and wealth to America. And by setting up such simplistic stereotypes, lawmakers ignore how much each “street” is in need of similar and overlapping reforms.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20100414/cm_csm/294506;_ylt=Ahf3w0zhGxpeAHO7m90dtz6s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFla2trZ3FtBHBvcwMyMTYEc2VjA2FjY29yZGlvbl9vcGluaW9uBHNsawNmaW5hbmNpYWxyZWY-
COPENHAGEN (Reuters) – A Danish hotel is pioneering a pedal-power electricity generation scheme it hopes will catch on in other countries.
The Crowne Plaza Copenhagen Towers, 15 minutes from the center of the Danish capital and five minutes from Scandinavia's main airport, is installing two exercise bicycles hooked up to generators.
Guests will be invited to jump on and start pedaling -- and if they produce enough electricity they will be given a free meal.
From June, they will be able to race against the 366-room hotel's solar panel system in a bid to produce the most electricity.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100414/od_nm/us_hotel_electricity;_ylt=Ama1ZTVZbQ9Fao_5Re7HkoCs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFmdjE0M2V0BHBvcwMyMDIEc2VjA2FjY29yZGlvbl9vZGRfbmV3cwRzbGsDaG90ZWxvZmZlcnNx
PITTSBURGH – One game, and the Pittsburgh Penguins already know this. Nothing comes easy for a defending champion, not even the playoff series opener against a seemingly overmatched opponent.
Erik Karlsson and Chris Kelly scored on power plays in the second period and the Ottawa Senators ignored their underdog tag and the Penguins' recent playoff success, surprising the Stanley Cup champions with a 5-4 victory in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference first-round series Wednesday night.
"Nobody's picking us to win the series," Ottawa forward Jason Spezza said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_sp_ho_ga_su/hkn_senators_penguins;_ylt=AmV_chdTrhZnfnD9QVtgsmOs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFkcGZkNXFtBHBvcwMxODkEc2VjA2FjY29yZGlvbl9zcG9ydHMEc2xrA3NlbmF0b3Jzc3VycA--
LAS VEGAS – Las Vegas has been picked as next year's site for an international tourism summit expected to attract government and industry leaders from around the world.
The London-based World Travel & Tourism Council announced Tuesday that the American destination will host the 2011 Global Travel & Tourism Summit.
The announcement comes the same day the primary agency in charge of promoting Las Vegas, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, voted to spend $1.5 million to host the May 15-19 meeting. Officials say the summit will be held at the Aria Resort & Casino, the centerpiece of the $8.5 billion CityCenter complex that MGM Mirage opened on the Las Vegas Strip in December.
This year's summit is being held next month in Beijing.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap_travel/20100413/ap_tr_ge/us_travel_brief_global_tourism_vegas;_ylt=Atu2b_db6r_0qTSwZ0eRjmes0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFkYmdxb2hzBHBvcwMxNzYEc2VjA2FjY29yZGlvbl90cmF2ZWwEc2xrA2xhc3ZlZ2FzcGljaw--
LOS ANGELES – MySpace is trying to get on your social calendar — or at least take over how you manage it.
The social networking site, in the midst of an overhaul to regain its lost mojo, is rolling out a service Thursday that blends nearly 1 million concert listings with a calendar and new links to buy tickets from partners or artists. Other pop culture events such as movie debuts and album releases are expected to appear on the calendar as well.
Users can add or subtract which events they see on their personal calendars on MySpace by clicking on categories such as music or friends' events. They even could list or remove events they were notified of on Facebook, the rival social networking giant. Listings can be tailored to a user's favorite artists and location.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_techbit_myspace_events;_ylt=ArkbIarjk8QdDruR5OAeaLus0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFoaGdoZG9mBHBvcwMxMzIEc2VjA2FjY29yZGlvbl90ZWNobm9sb2d5BHNsawNteXNwYWNlbGF1bmM-
Make no mistake: The big cable, satellite, and telco carriers are still sitting pretty with more than 100 million TV subscribers. Nevertheless, a new report claims that more and more viewers are "cutting the cord" in favor of watching their favorite shows via over-the-air antennas (remember those?), Netflix, or the Web.
TechCrunch has the scoop on a new report from the Toronto-based Convergence Consulting Group, and though the figures may not be a "serious threat" to the big cable and satellite carriers yet, the trend might eventually spell trouble for the like of Cablevision, Comcast, DirecTV, and Time Warner Cable.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ytech_gadg/20100413/tc_ytech_gadg/ytech_gadg_tc1598;_ylt=AviVvaBNOPfG.9R7ukf0wX.s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTFpMjMxY24yBHBvcwMzNgRzZWMDYWNjb3JkaW9uX21vc3RfcG9wdWxhcgRzbGsDbmVhcmx5ODAwMDAw
LOS ANGELES – "American Idol" viewers were cruel to Andrew Garcia and Katie Stevens.
The 24-year-old musician from Moreno Valley, Calif., and the 17-year-old high school student from Middlebury, Conn., received the fewest viewer votes Wednesday on the Fox singing contest.
Both failed to wow the judges with Elvis Presley tunes Tuesday. Stevens received a mixed reaction to "Baby What You Want Me To Do," while Garcia was lambasted for "Hound Dog."
"I'm glad I've been through what I've been through," Garcia said after his dismissal.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_en_tv/us_tv_american_idol_results;_ylt=An_MEd8EBeVhsv3vzOGwyQ2s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTN2MGNlaW0wBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE1L3VzX3R2X2FtZXJpY2FuX2lkb2xfcmVzdWx0cwRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzkEcG9zAzYEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl9oZWFkbGluZV9saXN0BHNsawMybW9yZWlkb2xjb24-
WEST HOLLYWOOD, Calif. – A woman who said she had an affair with Tiger Woods was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of driving on a suspended license in West Hollywood, authorities said.
Jaimee Grubbs was taken into custody after a random license plate check of her 2004 Ford Mustang showed she had three outstanding warrants for driving on a suspended license, Los Angeles County sheriff's Deputy Jeff Gordon said.
Grubbs was issued a new citation after it was determined she was still driving on a suspended license, Gordon said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_sp_ot/us_jaimee_grubbs;_ylt=AqZdSVKohz.JPI3TdCTmuf6s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNrNmljazdpBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE1L3VzX2phaW1lZV9ncnViYnMEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwM4BHBvcwM1BHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5faGVhZGxpbmVfbGlzdARzbGsDYWxsZWdlZHRpZ2Vy
LONDON – Officials say ash clouds drifting from Iceland's erupting volcano have disrupted air traffic across Britain.
Flights have been suspended at the English cities of Manchester and Birmingham, as well as in Belfast in Northern Ireland and the Scottish airports at Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.
The ash has also disrupted operations at London Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, where at least 150 flights were canceled. Another 138 flights have been canceled at Britain's second-busiest terminal of London Gatwick.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_re_eu/eu_iceland_volcano;_ylt=Ajotxavcneh7GD0gTEmEzZSs0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNpNG0xcWR1BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE1L2V1X2ljZWxhbmRfdm9sY2FubwRjY29kZQNtb3N0cG9wdWxhcgRjcG9zAzIEcG9zAzgEcHQDaG9tZV9jb2tlBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA2FzaGZyb21pY2VsYQ--
MADOI, China – Rescue teams fought gusty winds and altitude sickness Thursday as supplies of food, water and almost everything ran thin after strong earthquakes left more than 600 dead in a mountainous Tibetan area of western China.
Survivors, many of whom spent the night outside in freezing weather, wandered bleeding from their wounds through Jiegu township for a second day, witnesses said. Rescuers, tired from the high winds and thin oxygen, pulled some survivors and many bodies from the pulverized remains of the town flattened by Wednesday morning's quakes.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/ap_on_re_as/as_china_earthquake;_ylt=ArM.fcH4BrppbMbg4cYlgZ6s0NUE;_ylu=X3oDMTNqazNtbzFnBGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNDE1L2FzX2NoaW5hX2VhcnRocXVha2UEY2NvZGUDbW9zdHBvcHVsYXIEY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMyBHB0A2hvbWVfY29rZQRzZWMDeW5fdG9wX3N0b3J5BHNsawNib2RpZXNwaWxldXA-
Western Digital has doubled the capacity and improved performance with its new VelociRaptor hard drives. The latest enterprise-class VelociRaptors come in 450GB and 600GB versions for servers and high-performance PCs. An analyst said storage devices are outstripping Moore's law. The VelociRaptors are expected to cost $299 and $329.
Western Digital is busting Moore's law with its latest hard drive. The VelociRaptor 450GB and 600GB -- the next generation of its 10,000 RPM SATA family of hard drives -- offer new storage possibilities for a range of platforms.
The only 10,000 RPM SATA drive on the market, VelociRaptor targets blade servers, high-performance PCs, Macs, professional workstations, and 1U and 2U rack servers. The new model offers twice the capacity and up to a 15 percent performance increase over the previous generation.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/New-VelociRaptors-Double-Capacity/story.xhtml?story_id=0330025JCM46
In an industry-first offer, Paramount is teaming with Seagate to offer hard drives pre-loaded with the latest Star Trek movie along with 20 others. The special offer includes a 500GB Seagate hard drive retailing for $100 -- while an empty 500GB Seagate hard drive usually sells for $140. The sale comes as Hollywood struggles with falling DVD sales.
Paramount Pictures is exploring a new frontier by participating in an offer to sell Seagate Technology hard drives with a copy of the latest "Star Trek" movie and 20 other films already on board.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Paramount-and-Seagate--New-Frontier/story.xhtml?story_id=0330025JCOQL
Research In Motion is acquiring QNX Software Systems, whose open Neutrino operating system is used across many industry verticals, including autos. RIM may plan to let its BlackBerry smartphones control automotive and other functions. The QNX technology has been licensed for more than 17 million in-vehicle systems worldwide.
Research In Motion has put its buying power in motion with the acquisition of QNX Software Systems. The Waterloo, Canada-based phone maker reached an agreement with QNX's parent company, Harman International, to acquire the company, RIM announced Friday.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/BlackBerry-May-Control-Car-Functions/story.xhtml?story_id=033001XWADUU
Despite the introduction of iAd, which could track iPhone users for advertising, Apple has made it possible for iPhone OS 4.0 users to control tracking. Arrows will alert iPhone OS 4.0 users when an app is tracking them. Apple's privacy feature in iPhone OS 4.0 may be a trend. But Apple's blocking could reduce the value of mobile advertising.
Two months ago, Apple began rejecting content for its App Store that used the iPhone's GPS capabilities to provide location data for advertising. This fueled speculation that the computer giant was getting ready to roll out its own mobile advertising platform.
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=033003AGWHIC
Google has added features to Google Docs as it prepares to take on Microsoft Office 2010, which is due next month with online functions. Google wants its cloud-based Google Docs to "feel like desktop applications." Google has added speed and better collaboration to Google Docs. While Office costs as much as $500, Google Docs is free.
The Battle for Cloud Apps moved forward Monday, as Google announced new features for Google Docs. The enhancements help prepare Google's cloud -based office applications for the release next month of Microsoft 's Office 2010, which will offer web-based functions.
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=033003AGWJ36
The Cyber Command would oversee military networks and take on a growing national security threat: cyber terrorists. But difficult questions about how and when the U.S. military conducts electronic warfare have stalled the creation of the Cyber Command as senators dig into cyberattack scenarios involving the rules of the digital battlefield.
When hackers a continent away attack a military computer system , using computers belonging to unsuspecting private citizens or businesses as cover, what are the rules when the U.S. fights back?
As U.S. officials struggle to put together plans to defend government networks, they are faced with questions about the rippling effects of retaliation. Taking action against a hacker could affect foreign countries, private citizens or businesses -- ranging from hospitals to power plants -- whose computers might get caught up in the electronic battle.
While Microsoft fixed 25 vulnerabilities on Patch Tuesday, Oracle joined in with 47 vulnerabilities and Adobe Systems released Acrobat and Reader security updates. Microsoft's WinVerifyTrust validation can be forged, while malware attacks are focusing on video. One analyst said it may be time to switch to the less-vulnerable Windows 7. On April's Patch Tuesday, Microsoft issued 11 security bulletins to address 25 vulnerabilities. Nine of those flaws are rated critical. On the same day, Oracle and Adobe Systems also released security updates. Oracle addressed 47 vulnerabilities and Adobe is issuing fixes for both Acrobat and Reader, making this month a nightmare for IT administrators in most enterprises.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Multiple-Fixes-Mean-an-IT-Nightmare/story.xhtml?story_id=0330014YZAI0
Intel unveiled its all-in-one Queensbay line of processors and predicted a bright future at its annual Intel Developer Forum. One day after reporting its best first quarter, Intel said it plans further development of its SoC processor for consumer electronics. Intel is also working with telecommunications companies to deal with network demand.
Intel used its annual Intel Developer Forum to unveil its new line of microprocessors and big plans for a booming future. At the IDF in Beijing, Intel revealed its Queensbay line of microprocessors to be used in a slew of different products, including electronic car dashboards, digital signs, and IP phones. The plan is to also use the microprocessors in electronic cash registers and digital blackjack machines.
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=033003DQSDKU
Are consumers dumping their Kindles in favor of Apple's versatile iPad? As iPad buyers seem poised to use their iPads as e-readers, Amazon may need to cut prices or add features to its Kindle to compete with Apple's color-touchscreen tablet, analysts say. The iPad is also stealing attention from Barnes & Noble's Nook and Sony's Reader.
Internet retailer Amazon.com may need to write a new chapter for the Kindle in the face of fierce competition from Apple's iPad.
Since Apple announced on Jan. 27 that it would sell a versatile tablet computer that lets users read electronic books and perform a range of other computing tasks, analysts have said the iPad would likely take a bite out of sales of dedicated e-book readers such as Amazon's popular Kindle. In light of Apple's Apr. 8 announcement that it sold 450,000 iPads in less than a week, Wall Street analysts are already slicing their forecasts for Kindle sales.
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=0330031QJNBO
Facebook has revamped its safety center to protect young users on the social-networking site. Working with its new advisory board, Facebook's safety center provides content on a variety of safety topics. Facebook's Elliot Schrage promised more safety innovations to come. An analyst said Facebook's efforts "stop short" of an online version of 911.
In the wake of growing concerns about safety for young users on social-networking sites, Facebook on Tuesday launched a new version of its safety center. The company said it was the first collaboration between the popular social-networking site and its global safety advisory board, which was formed in December.
The safety center offers content on a variety of safety topics, as well as interactive multimedia and a new interface design.
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=03300417MGYL
A buyer for Palm might come from outside the smartphone market, but would face stiff competition. Palm's value lies not in its handsets but in its webOS and other intellectual property. Established smartphone makers are already committed to other paths and seem unlikely to want Palm. And a buyer also faces free mobile OSes like Android.
Having failed to make a deep impact on the mobile market through the release of the Palm Pre smartphone and its successors, Palm is reportedly seeking a buyer for the company. However, the company's acquisition value may not be Palm's handsets but the software and other intellectual property that ships with Palm's phones, industry analysts say.
Rhapsody wants to head the pack when it comes to cloud-based music services, so it is dropping its monthly price to $9.99 to entice iPhone users to pay for all-you-can-listen access. While subscription music plans have yet to really take off, fast cell phone networks are prompting more companies to offer cloud-based music services.
Subscription music service Rhapsody is dropping its monthly price to $9.99 from $14.99, hoping that loads of iPhone users who sampled it will now pay for all-you-can-listen access.
Several companies have announced their intention to launch similar music plans that let people listen to songs that are stored on remote computers and streamed to their smart phones wirelessly. Such music services, based on so-called "cloud " computing , are challenging Apple Inc.'s system of having consumers buy and download tracks for playback on iPhones and iPods.
http://www.toptechnews.com/news/Rhapsody-Cuts-Subscription-Rates/story.xhtml?story_id=033000JOQB4I
Apple's new MacBook Pro laptops are proving popular, as the cheapest 13-inch model was reported sold out. The MacBook Pro comes with 13-inch, 15-inch and 17-inch screens, with prices from $1,199 to $2,299. Apple's robust iPad sales are not expected to impact MacBook Pro sales. A long time between updates appears to be fueling demand. Booming first-day sales of MacBook Pro laptops continued Apple's hot streak Wednesday, as the cheapest model, with a 13-inch screen, reportedly sold out at some locations. The new laptops are the first new MacBooks since October and were introduced on Tuesday.
http://www.toptechnews.com/story.xhtml?story_id=033001WSZU9U
