Latest technology news, updates and reviews: 2009

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Shares Rise in Graphics Firms After Intel Delays Chip

Shares of Nvida and Advanced Micro Devices jumped higher on Monday after the companies’ mighty foe Intel revealed a lengthy product delay.

Intel had once looked to get a product code named Larrabee out the door this year or next. Larrabee marked Intel’s move into the standalone graphics chip market and posed a real threat to Nvidia and A.M.D., which sell most of the graphics chips. But Intel’s graphics project has now shifted from “soon to be released” to “please standby.”

“Larrabee silicon and software development are behind where we had hoped to be at this point in the project,” Intel said in a statement. “As a result, our first Larrabee product will not be launched as a standalone discrete graphics product, but rather be used as a software development platform for internal and external use.”

Text Messages: Digital Lipstick on the Collar

There is a question that has crossed the mind recently of anyone who has sent a cellphone text message while cheating on a spouse: What was I thinking?

Text messages are the new lipstick on the collar, the mislaid credit card bill. Instantaneous and seemingly casual, they can be confirmation of a clandestine affair, a record of the not-so-discreet who sometimes forget that everything digital leaves a footprint.

This became painfully obvious a week ago when a woman who claims to have had an affair with Tiger Woods told a celebrity publication that he had sent her flirty text messages, some of which were published. It follows on the heels of politicians who ran afoul of text I.Q., including a former Detroit mayor who went to prison after his steamy text messages to an aide were revealed, and Senator John Ensign of Nevada, whose affair with a former employee was confirmed by an incriminating text message.

A Web of Classified Ad Rivals Challenges Craigslist

Fabrice Grinda is bullish on Brazil and betting big on Internet classified ads in South America's largest country. This year, Grinda's New York-based company OLX opened an office in São Paulo, hired locals to translate the OLX site into Portuguese, asked top real estate brokers and auto dealers to offer low-priced listings, and recruited an executive from eBay (EBAY) in Latin America.

That approach has worked well for OLX in Mexico, Spain, Portugal, Russia, and a handful of other countries. And in September, OLX became the leading classifieds site in Brazil, surpassing local rival QueBerato in visitors, according to researcher comScore (SCOR). Craigslist, which has come to dominate the U.S. and other markets by charging no fees for most ads, is a distant No. 42 in Brazil, according to comScore. "I would like to think we have a chance to become the Craigslist of the rest of the world," Grinda says.

Why Google should buy Sprint

Google should buy Sprint and lead the drive to making ubiquitous wireless data access available, affordable, and capable. Why Google? Because the major U.S. carriers -- Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, and T-Mobile -- certainly won't. They've been promising a mobile data future for more than a decade.

Yet what do we experience? Poor 3G coverage from AT&T, which unfortunately happens to offer the mostly widely used mobile device to access the Web, the iPhone. So AT&T's puny 3G network has to be overwhelmed.

Intel Puts Larrabee Chip on Ice

Just one month after setting a new processing speed record with its Larrabee project, Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) has shelved plans to put out a new graphics chip based on that technology.

Instead, it will use the technology as a software development platform for internal and external use in high-performance computing.

However, Intel has not killed plans for Larrabee-based graphics chips entirely. "Additional plans for discrete graphics products will be discussed sometime in 2010," Intel spokesperson Nick Knupffer told TechNewsWorld.

Congress probes Visa, AmEx role in Web scam

For years, baffled consumers looked to Visa, MasterCard, and American Express for answers when mysterious charges from "shadowy companies" began appearing on their credit card statements.

Even though all three card companies have rules designed to protect users from unauthorized charges as well as to weed out problem-plagued merchants, thousands of people appear to have complained to their card companies for years about three post-transaction marketing companies: Webloyalty, Vertrue, and Affinion. Perhaps as many as 30 million people were affected, according to a government report.

The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation launched an investigation last May after learning of the thousands of consumer complaints from online shoppers. As a result of the investigation, lawmakers have concluded that the three marketing firms employed deceptive practices in order to fool consumers into signing up to loyalty programs and paying monthly fees. Now, the commerce committee wants Visa, MasterCard, and American Express to explain how all this went on for years under their noses.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Genesis Of A Genius Community

Thekkiam, an online company based out of Bangalore runs an interesting monthly contest/quiz called ‘IAmAGenius’ that’s spread over 3 levels with a total of 12 questions. The website was launched in October 2008 and receives visitors from around 58 countries with an average of 800 hits per day. “Almost 95% of the people who visit this site / play this quiz are from premium institutions such as Harvard, Georgia tech, IIT, IISC, IIM etc. and from offices such as IBM, Dell, Infosys, Wipro, Texas instruments etc.” according to Mr. Dhananjay, Director at Thekkiam.

IAmAGenius’ monthly winners are showcased on the ‘Hall of Genius’ section within the website and every participant that passes level 1 has the chance to become the member of a parallel digital world called ‘Digital Geniuses’. Launched on the 26th of September 2009, the digital world received close to 4000 hits a day and is meant specifically for the quiz contestants. When asked about the purpose behind the website, Dhananjay said, “Imagine how it would be if the able, interested, intelligent and knowledgeable like minded souls get to interact with one another freely. It would definitely make a world of a difference to the real world that we live in. Thekkiam and Digital Geniuses would definitely help bring this above said community closer to one another. This site helps one send & receive mails within the community, create and join Groups and Companies, make friends, Blog, 2weet, Advertise, inform events, hold their thoughts etc., – all under one roof. Also, DeeGees (digital money earned through ‘IAmAGenius’ contests) helps one determine their strength in the community.”

Building the Google smartbook dream machine

The netbook promises convenience and capability in a small, lightweight, and generally inexpensive package, and the concept of a smartbook goes even further: a handy-dandy combination of smartphone and notebook. Alas, most netbook offerings come burdened with a full-blown Windows operating system, which runs slowly on performance-limited netbook hardware and saps battery life. And Windows is not exactly smartphone-oriented.

Could Google's Android come to rescue the netbook and enable the smartbook vision? After all, Android is a fast, lightweight OS, proven in the mobile phone market, with an elegant user interface and application portability. It's a natural candidate for the OS inside your dream netbook.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Promoting the Car Phone, Despite Risks

Martin Cooper, who developed the first portable cellphone, recalled testifying before a Michigan state commission about the risks of talking on a phone while driving.

Common sense, said Mr. Cooper, a Motorola engineer, dictated that drivers keep their eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

Commission members asked Mr. Cooper what could be done about risks posed by these early mobile phones.

“There should be a lock on the dial,” he said he had testified, “so that you couldn’t dial while driving.”

Can Google really hack it in business?

After conquering the search world, Google is now pushing hard to be a major provider of business software, tackling longtime dominator Microsoft over productivity and collaboration apps. But does this company, most famous for free consumer-oriented offerings like search and basic apps, have what it takes to be taken seriously by business? Can you really rely on Google Apps?

Ken Godskind thinks so. The chief strategy officer at AlertSite moved his company's 45 employees to the Premier Edition of Google Apps in late 2008. He likes the fact that he gets not only e-mail but word processing, spreadsheets, a Web-based calendar, Web-based collaboration, Google Talk, and Google Video for $50 a year per user. That's a third or less of what he would pay to get the same from an internal, Microsoft-based environment.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Webmail services should help protect against scams

A friend of mine has lost her life savings in an online scam. She had attempted to buy a car via AutoTrader.com, a reputable car sales site. The seller offered the perfect car for my friend -- at a substantial discount, of course, with free shipping.

Had I heard these words before my friend had gone through with the transaction, I would have warned her off the deal. Better yet, had her Webmail providers used their mail-snooping technology for good rather than just generating targeted ads, she might still have her life savings.

Microsoft and Yahoo finalize search deal

Microsoft and Yahoo have finalized the terms of a broad search and advertising agreement intended to help them compete more effectively with Google.

The companies announced the agreement in July, in which Microsoft’s Bing search engine would power Yahoo’s search results, and Yahoo would provide premium search-advertising services for both companies.

They had hoped to finalize the deal in late October but needed more time to work out the details.

In a statement on Friday, the companies said they hope that the transaction will close in early 2010 and that they welcome the broad support the deal has gotten from key players in the advertising industry.

Nokia E72 Out In Stores Now

Nokia E72 has been a device that has been made for business as well as personal usage in the greatest ways. This is quite available in stores right now with their well tailored features now out there to bring you all the necessary help that you can expect from Nokia E72.

There has been much going on with the people relying on emails and text messages currently rather than making traditional phone calls. This greater response has been one of the most revealing experiences for today’s generation and the way people relate to communicating now-a-days.

Ukko Lappalainen has seen that researches have come up with some heavy relying on texting and their easy accessibilities in recent times. There have been great results showing that people are spending more days per year at full work and so responding through emails or text messages have become a priority. The report has also shown that 46% has chosen emails over voice messages and this can be of greater importance for most. Nokia E72 has been designed with particular thought to these recent developments among people’s kind of use.

What Do You Hate About Backing Up Your Data?

Backup is one of those things that we rarely think about until it is far too late. It’s usually a task that’s somewhere buried on your to-do list. It may even be a high priority task on your list, but somehow weeks and months pass and still, no backup. Could it be because too much pain is associated with the process? Or maybe it’s just being a bit lazy? Or more likely, we are all too busy and just don’t make the time.

Here, we take a look at some of the painful aspects of backing up our PCs and laptops and how we can easily overcome that pain to make sure we don’t end up losing our valuable data.

Information Builders Upgrades Performance Management Software

Information Builders released a new version of its performance management software Thursday. Enhancements include features related to predictive analysis and forecasting alert management and businessprocess management.

Performance management is a new area for business intelligence software vendors including Information Builders (IBI) Cognos and Hyperion. Performance management refers to the use of data analysis and business scorecard applications to set goals for a business and then measure progress toward meeting those goals. While most vendors have concentrated on financial performance management IBI has focused more on operational performance management and linking business strategy to operations.

The WebFocus Performance Management Framework is based on IBI's core WebFocus business intelligence platform and uses that tool to deliver performance management information to users through reports and dashboards. The product also uses IBI's iWay connectivity software to tap into multiple data sources including realtime data feeds from applications and other operational systems.

Comcast-NBC deal shows future is in content

PHILADELPHIA – Comcast Corp. is buying control of NBC Universal from GE largely because Comcast wants to own more movies and TV shows. The point is to give it a position of strength if fewer people sign up for its cable TV services and watch more video online.

It's understandable why the strategy might seem dubious: Another media company, Time Warner Inc., just gave up on that and spun off its cable TV division.

Yet while Comcast seems to be taking a different approach — marrying entertainment content with the largest cable TV system in the nation — it and Time Warner have arrived at the same conclusion: The future is in content, and the pipes that carry it matter less.

That's why Time Warner could jettison the business of selling subscription TV service and focus on the Warner Bros. movie studio, cable channels such as CNN and HBO and magazines such as People and Sports Illustrated.

Web ad group launches privacy education campaign

A group of leading Internet publishers and digital marketing services on Thursday launched an online campaign to educate consumers about how they are tracked and targeted for pitches on the Web.

The Interactive Advertising Bureau, based in New York, unveiled its "Privacy Matters" Web site. The site explains how Internet marketers track where people go and what they do online and then mine that data to serve up targeted ads. The practice, known as behavioral advertising, has raised concerns among privacy watchdogs and lawmakers in Congress.

A number of IAB members plan to run banner spots on their Web pages linking back to the Privacy Matters site. Those include Internet-only players such as Yahoo Inc. and Google Inc. and traditional media outlets such as Walt Disney Co. and The New York Times Co.

Sony signs 3-D video deal for 2010 World Cup

Sony Corp. said Friday it has signed a deal with FIFA, the international football governing body, to record up to 25 World Cup games in 3-D — a technology that gives viewers an illusion of depth on the screen.

The Japanese electronics and entertainment company is one of several electronics makers planning or working on 3-D technology for TVs and movies. Sony makes 3-D capable video cameras, and plans to sell 3-D TVs for homes next year.

People wear special glasses to see 3-D footage because the illusion of dimension is created by sending different images to the left and the right eye, although manufacturers are working on upgrades that will show 3-D without glasses.

Bing's iPhone plans (and more)

Although Microsoft would rather everyone ran out and bought a Windows Mobile phone, the software maker is aware of reality. And, since it wants people to use Bing on their phones, it knows it needs to have software that works on other devices.

"Everyone understands the popularity and the pervasiveness of the platform," said Microsoft principal group program manager David Raissipour, following a Bing event Wednesday. "We are actively working on it."

Raissipour confirmed Microsoft is working on a mobile Bing application that will combine a number of features--more than just mapping and search. However, he declined to say what all of those features are or when the software will be ready.

Panasonic to invest $1 billion in green tech

Panasonic plans to invest $1 billion by 2012 to develop green technologies for the home that would include energy-monitoring systems, marking a major shift in the company's focus.

Panasonic President Fumio Ohtsubo said in an interview with the Bloomberg news service this week that growing consumer interest in more efficient products has led Panasonic to decide to develop new core businesses.

"Our growth is not enough . So we want to change our fighting ring from our current categories to a different field," Ohtsubo told Bloomberg.

The company plans to offer home energy management systems, as well as develop existing interests in lithium ion batteries for electric cars, solar panels, and smart appliances.

Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that the world's leading plasma-TV manufacturer is getting rid of its star product.

Google wants to unclog Net's DNS plumbing

Google wants to speed up a key part of the Internet's inner workings called the Domain Name System and is inviting technically savvy folks to try their ideas out.

The DNS is a crucial part of the Internet. It converts the text addresses people can remember into the numeric Internet Protocol addresses actually used to locate information on the Internet. For example, CNET.com's IP address is 216.239.122.102.

When you visit a Web page, a DNS server that's part of a vast distributed network often must perform that conversion--called resolving a host--many times. With the Google Public DNS service, Google wants to be that server.

Web Site Directory Has Been Launched

Now, a lot of people and businesses don’t care to have their profiles/pages made public. These kinds of people and businesses are happy with their inner circle of friends and aquaintances, which is fine, but I find an ever increasing amount of people and businesses such as myself want to get the word out not just of their website(s) but their social networking profile(s). This is how the Socialrific Social Networking Web Directory was born.

It all started when I was looking for a web directory that would allow me to list my social networking profiles as well as my websites. Well I don’t have to tell you I couldn’t find any. Not one. So I decided to create my own.

I created a new web directory with a new format and new layout. It took me awhile to get everything working properly. I knew it was a good idea to let people and businesses promote their social networking profiles but I increasingly felt it was a mistake to change the look and feel of a web directory. I mean, everyone knows how to navigate and use a traditional web directory. It isn’t very hard.

My web directory was finished, but always having this issue of usability eating me up I decided to test my new web directory on a few people. I purchased a few commonly known web directory scripts, got them up and working properly and was ready for a good ‘ol fashioned test to see which web directory was the easiest to use.

You can add your website links to this directory at free of cost: CLICK HERE TO SUBMIT

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

W3C Validation: It's Not Just About Rankings

In the world of search engine optimization, a perennial argument is whether Google's (Nasdaq: GOOG) ranking factors look for clean code in a Web site. The W3C has developed two popular tools that check Web sites for errors: The W3C validation tool looks at HTML code, while the CSS validation tool checks the CSS Style Sheet. These free tools scan all of a site's code to make sure it is compliant with current Web standards. [*Correction - Nov. 12, 2009]

Not long ago, Matt Cutts, a Google software engineer, said -- not for the first time -- that W3C Validation does not affect search engine rankings.

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen diagnosed with cancer

Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen has been diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, more than 25 years after he was treated for Hodgkin's disease, a spokesman at his company Vulcan Inc. told CNN on Monday.

Allen, 56, "received the diagnosis early this month and has begun chemotherapy," Vulcan CEO Jody Allen said in a memo to Vulcan employees. The memo was posted Monday evening on CNET's news site.

"Doctors say he has diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, a relatively common form of lymphoma," Jody Allen, who is Paul Allen's sister, said in the memo. "This is tough news for Paul and the family. But for those who know Paul's story, you know he beat Hodgkin's a little more than 25 years ago, and he is optimistic he can beat this, too."

Back to Basics: 5 Things IT Could Do Better in 2010

Well, it's November again -- which means that it's just about time for this year's set of New Year's predictions. Every year around this time, everyone from antimalware companies to analyst firms line up to tell us about the top IT and security trends -- what they are and why we should care. This year, chances are they'll tell us all about cloud computing, virtualization and social networking and why these technologies are the new best (or worst) friends for security folks in 2010.

Now if you're sensing a bit of snarkiness here, you're right -- I find these lists a bit frustrating. That's not because of inaccuracies in the lists themselves (to the contrary, many of them are dead-on), but instead because they sometimes inappropriately drive how IT managers make budgeting decisions. Don't get me wrong, keeping abreast of the new areas is always valuable -- and I'm always fully on board with keeping us and our staff up to date and capable of reacting to new types of threats. But it's also important to keep in mind that what's new isn't always what's most critical. Where should you be investing budget dollars? At critical areas, not just what's new and shiny.

Online Maps: Everyman Offers New Directions

Mr. Hintz, a 62-year-old engineer who lives in Berkeley, Calif., has tweaked the locations of more than 200 business listings and points of interest in cities across the state, sliding an on-screen place marker down the block here, moving another one across the street there. Farther afield, he has mapped parts of Cambodia and Laos, where he likes to go on motorcycle trips.

Mr. Hintz said these acts of geo-volunteerism were motivated in part by self-interest: he wants to know where he’s going. But “it has this added attraction that it helps others,” he said.

FAQ: Recognizing phishing e-mails

If you have received an e-mail from the Internal Revenue Service or the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, chances are it was a phishing attempt. If you received e-mail from your bank, PayPal, or Facebook urging you to immediately verify information or risk having your account suspended, it was undoubtedly phishing.

Phishing attacks have spiked this year, according to recent reports. The Anti-Phishing Working Group reports that there were more than 55,600 phishing attacks in the first half of 2009 alone. Phishing is particularly dangerous because once criminals get a victim's password for one Web site they can often use it to get into other accounts where people have re-used the password.

Man Who Steals Bus Posts Video On YouTube

A man steals bus from Vermont and even brings something very interesting to put out in the world in the form of a YouTube video to entertain and interest the residents. Brigham Young as well as John Deere have been involved in infamous acts coming from this state but everything seems stale with the recent contribution from Jacob Rehm in terms of something fascinating and extraordinary.

Rehm stands with accusation of illegally borrowing a tour bus worth $500,000 with some form of a greater spin coming across with the former employee of the particular bus company. The two made their appearance in Vermont District Court on Tuesday with some new court appearances with the recent allegations against them.

How to Manage Multiple Displays with ATI Catalyst Control Center

Recently I’ve switched to dual monitor setup to improve productivity, and additional LG Full HDTV for movies, I’ve three screens: 2 No.s of Dell 2209WA and third is a 42” Full HD LG LH70YR and I’ve connected all these three screens to the Palit ATI 4870 Dual Sonic graphics card using two DVI port for Dell Monitors and TV with RGB Analog, here I will tell you how to manage multiple screens with ATI Catalyst Control Center, But there is one catch you can only drive 2 screens at a time with 48xx series of cards, the current generation of cards like 5850 and 5870 could run upto 3-6 screens at a time, the procedure is same.

Ninite: Install Multiple Applications at Once

Recently, my computer required fixing, and by fixing, I mean reinstalling everything from the operating system on up. Installing all of the extra software that I use (Firefox, Pidgin, GIMP, Adobe Reader, Microsoft Security Essentials, Evernote, Notepad++, and so on) was time consuming and tedious. It seemed to take forever.

Next time, I will not be installing each tool individually. Through Twitter, I found Ninite, an online tool that allows you to select from more than 60 software packages and, based on those selections, creates a personalized installer for you. Download, click a few buttons, and all of the tools you selected will be installed at one time. No more download, click, click, wait, download, click, click, wait. Just download, click, click, walk away, and do something better with your time.

Windows 7 – Network Problems during upgrades

Many Windows users have reported network problems while moving from Vista to Windows 7 or even during an upgrade from Windows 7 Beta to the RC version. Networking issues range from missing network icons on the system tray to VPN connection problems and homegroup problems.

The Network icon on the system tray may sometimes be hidden within the list of taskbar icons. Expand the hidden taskbar icons and if you find the network icon, drag and place it on your taskbar.

Users have also reported that occasionally after a reboot or wake from sleep state, internet connectivity is lost, despite the icon status indicating that the system is still connected to the net or has limited connectivity. A manual intervention is required at this point to set the issue right, as the connectivity is not automatically detected.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Google to replace HTTP and make web twice as fast

Google's Chromium group has announced an effort to replace the traditional Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP) web browser language with a new protocol that supposedly boosts Internet browsing by up to 55 percent. HTTP currently is the protocol used by all web servers and browsers, hence the "http" in front of web addresses. But, as noted by Ars Technica, HTTP becomes inefficient when transferring many small files on many modern websites.

By contrast, Google's cleverly named SPDY protocol can compress and handle the individual requests via one connection that's SSL-encrypted. That allows higher-priority files to slip through immediately without becoming backed up behind large files.

Scientists Build First Frequency Comb

Scientists at the University of Konstanz in Germany and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States have built the first optical frequency comb — a tool for precisely measuring different frequencies of visible light — that actually looks like a comb.

The "teeth" of the new frequency comb are separated enough that when viewed with a simple optical system — a grating and microscope — the human eye can see each of the approximately 50,000 teeth spanning the visible colour spectrum from red to blue. A frequency comb with such well-separated, visibly distinct teeth will be an important tool for a wide range of applications in astronomy, communications and many other areas.

Does 120hz or 240hz Really Make A Difference?

Carla Rowland wants to know how important the refresh rate is when shopping for an HDTV

A 120 or 240hz refresh rate can certainly improve the look of an LCD HDTV, especially when dealing with fast-moving content like sports or action movies. But the difference may not be all that significant.

It's worth remembering that there's no such thing as 120hz or 240hz content--just 24hz and 60hz, because film is shot at 24 frames per second (fps) and video at 60. One key advantage of that faster refresh rate is that it can show both types of content at their native speed, since both 24 and 60 divide evenly into 120 and 240. This results in better-looking film-originated content, although the difference is only occasionally noticeable.

Intel unveils supercomputer chip, NEC partnership

Intel on Monday disclosed a version of its Xeon processor line optimized for supercomputers and announced a partnership with NEC to develop future supercomputers.

At Supercomputing 2009 in Portland, Ore., Intel unveiled a future version of its "Nehalem-EX" processor optimized for supercomputers. The six-core chip will run at higher speeds than eight-core versions of the Nehalem-EX processors and will offer advantages for supercomputer specific tasks, Intel said in a statement. Intel also refers to supercomputing as high-performance computing, or HPC.

The chip architecture will offer greater memory speeds and capacity and will allow customers to build single computers or "nodes" with up to 256 such processors, according to Intel. This will be available next year, Intel said.

Intel said Monday that four out of every five supercomputers on the Top500 list published Monday are powered by Intel processors.

Hulu's backers bicker as Web video soars

Woo wee, did Hulu's fortunes flip-flop fast.

The Web's deepest stockpile of full-length TV shows and feature films is seeing some very public infighting over its future. The disagreements are over how Hulu should generate revenue and even how to sell ads, according to a report in Mediaweek.

Things were going so well. Since Hulu's October 2007 launch, the Web video site founded by NBC Universal and News Corp., has grown its audience, generated big ad revenue, and been bathed in positive press.

Google launches Go programming language

Google has released an experimental programming language to the open source community.

Go is an attempt by the web giant to mix the dynamic, web-friendly attributes of scripting languages like Python with the performance and security benefits of compiled languages like C++.

The move follows similar attempts to gain a foothold in the world of core IT infrastructure, which include the creation of the Android mobile operating system (OS), the Chrome PC browser and the as yet unreleased Chrome OS.

Work on Go actually started two years ago, but it was only last year that it was assigned a dedicated full-time development team.

Weighing Social Media's Risks

"Enterprise 2.0" is my term for the use of Web 2.0 technologies such as blogs, wikis, social networking software and microblogs like Twitter within companies. It's becoming clear that Enterprise 2.0 brings real advantages in productivity, agility, innovation and satisfaction, but it also seems risky to many people.

Concerns around Enterprise 2.0 fall into two broad categories: fears that people won't use the newly available ESSPs [emergent social software platforms], and fears that they will. The latter, which stem from the lack of upfront control common to ESSPs, tend to crop up first. When first exposed to these technologies, business decision makers voice concerns about what happens when direct control is surrendered and many people can freely contribute to information platforms. The scenario of broad participation in these platforms behind the firewall gives rise to a consistent set of worrying questions:

Web 2.0 Expo: The Power Of Less

The Web 2.0 Expo New York returns to the Javits Convention Center on Nov 16- 19 with a show focused on the power of less.

The Expo's "Power of Less" theme isn't merely a concession to the reality of tight budgets and lingering economic uncertainty. It also recognizes that realignment presents opportunities and that Web companies benefit from focus.

"A lot of companies are being forced to make do with less right now," said Jennifer Pahlka, Web 2.0 Expo general manager and co-chair. "We realized when the economy started collapsing that we might be in unique position to help companies embrace it rather than fear it."

IBM's new service jumps on cloud computing bandwagon

IBM launched a new cloud computing service on Monday, aiming to take on companies such as Amazon.com Inc, Google Inc, Microsoft Corp and Salesforce.com Inc.

Cloud computing allows companies to run software and store information in remote, large-scale data centers that can be accessed over the Internet. That means users can cut back on hardware, as well as space and electricity.

International Business Machines Corp said it was launching a service called "Smart Analytics Cloud," its biggest cloud computing service yet and that it would first be adopted internally.

Posiflex Acquires Protocol Solutions

Posiflex Technologies, a professional POS (point of sales) hardware solution provider, has acquired a majority stake in Bengaluru(INDIA)-based Protocol Solutions—one of their leading distributors in India. With this, Protocol Solutions will now be called Posiflex India.

This strategic move will help shorten the lead time of delivery, increase brand awareness and expand market share. Posiflex will not only acquire the existing channel resource, but also give access to the Indian software development industry to bundle with their hardware. It is expected to offer low TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) solution from India to global channels eventually.

Genius Launches Latest EasyPen Graphic Tablets

Genius launched its latest range of Graphic Tabletsthe 4 x 5.5 EasyPen i405 and the 6 x 8 MousePen i608. The new offerings are perfect to express oneself on the computer.

As a company, it is our constant endeavor to offer best of the products in terms of technology, quality and user-friendliness. These two products enable one to showcase his creativity in a simple, easy and fun way, commented Sandeep Ramani, Country Manager, OBM Sales Division, KYE Systems.

Are Apple's App Store policies ruining everything?

There's been much ado lately about Apple's App Store policies stifling development and hurting coders. The main problems seem to be the long acceptance process and Apple's self-appointed right to deny an application that isn't in its best interests.

The concerns presented by Facebook app developer Joe Hewitt are real, but I simply cannot agree with his statement that "the review process needs to be eliminated completely." If this were a perfect world where you could trust anyone, I might buy into it. But in the world we live in, there are very good reasons why Apple has a team of 40 or so employees to test and vet every application that appears in the store.

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Monday, December 7, 2009

Friday, December 4, 2009

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Monday, November 16, 2009

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