Submission + - testing cmdrtaco test (cmdrtaco.net) 3
Anonymous Coward writes: "askjdllkjads ljksdakjldsakjl ajklsdakljadsjkl sdalkjdaskljlkdjsakjldasasd"
Submission + - Skype worm infects Windows PCs (computerworld.com)
walterbays writes: "Skype Ltd. warned its users today that a worm targeting Windows PCs is spreading through the service's instant messenger... After hijacking contacts from an infected machine's Skype software, it sends messages to those people that include a live link. Recipients who blithely click on the URL — which poses as a JPG image but is actually a download to a file with the .scr extension — wind up infected."
Submission + - Microsoft delays Office 2008 for Mac until mid-Jan (appleinsider.com)
i_hate_robots writes: AppleInsider is reporting that Microsoft's Macintosh Business Unit (Mac BU) said Thursday that the release of Microsoft Office 2008 for Mac has been pushed back from the second half of 2007 until mid-January. The Redmond-based firm now anticipates showing a final version of the software at the Macworld trade show and conference in January, with global availability to commence in the first quarter of 2008.
"This was a business decision based on the Mac BU's commitment to deliver a high-quality product," said Mac BU General Manager Craig Eisler. "Our number one priority is to deliver quality software to our customers and partners, and in order to achieve this we are shifting availability."
Submission + - Massachusetts adopts Open XML (networkworld.com)
willdavid writes: "By John Fontana, NetworkWorld.com:
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has added Open XML to its list of approved open documents formats.
Critics of Open XML adoption, such as Andy Updegrove, a lawyer, Linux Foundation board member and Massachusetts resident, said Microsoft should not be "rewarded for launching a competing, self-serving standard as a next-best defense against erosion of its dominant position."
Massachusetts officials acknowledged the criticism, but said the importance of open formats could not be denied.
http://www.networkworld.com/news/2007/080107-massa chusetts-open-xml.html?page=1"
Submission + - Google shows cell phone prototype to vendors
taoman1 writes: Google Inc. has developed a prototype cell phone that could reach markets within a year, and plans to offer consumers free subscriptions by bundling advertisements with its search engine, e-mail and Web browser software applications, according to a story published Thursday in The Wall Street Journal.
Submission + - iPhone Battery replacement kit available (hardwaresecrets.com)
musiklvr writes: "hardware secrets have article that
"First iPhone Battery Replacement Kit
The asian Brando launches the first iPhone battery replacement kit. Users who wants to replace iPhone batteries, need to send the gadget to Apple for a fee (USD 79 + USD 6.95 for shipping). This kit costs only USD 20 and comes with an iPhone battery (1400mAh, 3.7V), tools and an instruction manual.
"
http://shop.brando.com.hk/prod_detail.php?prod_id= 02068
Will this void the warranty ????"
Turns Out Ubuntu Dell Costs $225 More 361
An anonymous reader writes "One week ago this community discussed the apparent price advantage of Ubuntu Dell over Vista. The article linked to a Dell IdeaStorm page with the status: 'Implemented.' Today the status has changed on that page to 'Reneged: Ubuntu Dell is $225 More Than Windows Dell.' The full price of a Ubuntu Inspiron 1420N is indeed $50 cheaper than the identical hardware configuration with Vista — except that a $275 free upgrade to 2GB memory and a 160-GB hard drive is available for Windows only."
Apple Plans Cheaper Nano-Based iPhone 343
bigkahunafish writes "It seems Apple is planning a cheaper version of the iPhone possibly based on the iPod Nano. This phone would be priced below $300 making it more affordable than the $500-600 iPhone. This should bring Apple phone technology into the hands of more users, though this cheaper phone could have more limited functionality. From the article: 'Sales of the [original] iPhone are expected to be limited to a small percentage of the market due to its high price tag, particularly in the United States where 85 percent of consumers tend to spend $100 or less on cell phones. But analysts forecast that a cheaper phone from Apple, which leads the digital music player market, could pose a much bigger threat to long-established phone makers such as Nokia, Motorola Inc, Samsung Electronics Co Ltd and Sony Ericsson, owned by Sony Corp and Ericsson.' I just hope they don't make a phone based on the iPod Shuffle."
FCC Rules Open Source Code Is Less Secure 365
An anonymous reader writes "A new federal rule set to take effect Friday could mean that software radios built on 'open-source elements' may have trouble getting to market. Some US regulators have apparently come to the conclusion that, by nature, open source software is less secure than closed source. 'By effectively siding with what is known in cryptography circles as "security through obscurity," the controversial idea that keeping security methods secret makes them more impenetrable, the FCC has drawn an outcry from the software radio set and raised eyebrows among some security experts. "There is no reason why regulators should discourage open-source approaches that may in the end be more secure, cheaper, more interoperable, easier to standardize, and easier to certify," Bernard Eydt, chairman of the security committee for a global industry association called the SDR (software-defined radio) Forum, said in an e-mail interview this week.'"
Submission + - MLB Says Slingbox Illegal, CEA Thinks Otherwise (slingcommunity.com)
The Tie Guy writes: Sling Media's Slingbox allows consumers to watch and control their home television programs from a remote PC or smartphone — a process called "placeshifting". Content owners are typically edgy when it comes to the placeshifting topic. However, most don't view Slingbox as the imminent threat that will destroy the commercial broadcast model.
Major League Baseball is going against the grain by saying that Slingbox owners who stream home games while traveling are breaking the law because it allows consumers to circumvent geographical boundaries written in to broadcast deals. This has sparked a huge debate that has the MLB, baseball fans, and the CEA up in arms. CEA President Gary Shapiro doesn't agree, and is coming to the defense of Sling Media and place-shifting in general.
Major League Baseball is going against the grain by saying that Slingbox owners who stream home games while traveling are breaking the law because it allows consumers to circumvent geographical boundaries written in to broadcast deals. This has sparked a huge debate that has the MLB, baseball fans, and the CEA up in arms. CEA President Gary Shapiro doesn't agree, and is coming to the defense of Sling Media and place-shifting in general.
Vista Security — Too Little Too Late 483
Thomas Greene of The Register has a fairly comprehensive review of Vista and IE7 user security measures. The verdict is: better but not adequate, and mostly an attempt to shift blame onto the user when things go wrong. From the review: "[Vista is] a slightly more secure version than XP SP2. There are good features, and there are good ideas, but they've been implemented badly. The old problems never go away: too many networking services enabled by default; too many owners running their boxes as admins and downloading every bit of malware they can get their hands on."
Lightroom Vs. Aperture 192
Nonu writes "Adobe has officially released its Aperture killer, Lightroom, and the reviews are starting to come in. Ars looks at Lightroom and concludes that it's a better choice for those without bleeding-edge hardware. 'Aperture's main drawback is still performance as it was designed for bleeding-edge machines. On a quad Core 2 Duo Xeon, it is very usable but Lightroom just feels faster for everything regardless of hardware. Since Aperture relies on Core Image and a fast video card to do its adjustments (RAW decoding is done by the CPU), it's limited to what the single 3-D card can do. Lightroom does everything with the CPU and so it is likely to gain more speed as multicore systems get faster.'"
Submission + - Canada, a haven for libel lawsuits
newtley writes: "Why do by plaintiffs outside Canada bring libel suits against non-Canadian defendants such as the New York Post and Washington Post in our courts? Because, "For all the lofty quotes about free speech in Canadian jurisprudence, the reality is that our libel laws are the least protective of free speech in the English speaking world," says media and libel lawyer Dan Burnett in p2pnet."
Submission + - Comcast lying to attract new customers?
jehnx writes: "Apparently, Comcast is trying some new tricks to get people to sign up for its version of VoIP, "Comcast Digital Voice." Wang (of WangScript fame) writes on ReadyResponse.org that,
"Today my wife received a phone call from a Comcast representative who had called to promote their new 'Comcast Digital Voice' service... Ordinarily, we don't mind Comcast calling us from time to time with new offers... [but this time] they proceeded to tell LIE after LIE in an attempt to convice us that Vonage was not as good as Comcast Digital Voice. Imagine how many people would be scared into using Comcast Digital Voice because Comcast makes them believe that Vonage is insecure + only works when your PC is turned on."
Is Comcast going a bit far in their techniques to lure in new customers?"
"Today my wife received a phone call from a Comcast representative who had called to promote their new 'Comcast Digital Voice' service... Ordinarily, we don't mind Comcast calling us from time to time with new offers... [but this time] they proceeded to tell LIE after LIE in an attempt to convice us that Vonage was not as good as Comcast Digital Voice. Imagine how many people would be scared into using Comcast Digital Voice because Comcast makes them believe that Vonage is insecure + only works when your PC is turned on."
Is Comcast going a bit far in their techniques to lure in new customers?"
