Motherboard sales slide further ahead of Vista ... PS3 to get software update on launch day

HIGHLIGHTS
News: PC motherboard sales slide further ahead of Vista
News: Lenovo reports slimmer profit as sales rise
News: PlayStation 3 to get software update on launch day
News: Google filing reveals video lawsuit
Security Tip: Three steps toward enclave computing
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: The interface of a cheeseburger


NEWS UPDATES

PC motherboard sales slide further ahead of Vista
Sales of motherboards used in desktop PCs continue to decline ahead of the launch of Microsoft's new Windows Vista OS, a sign that could foretell bargains for users in coming months.

Lenovo reports slimmer profit as sales rise
Lenovo Group Ltd. reported a 10 percent year-on-year increase in the volume of shipments for the second fiscal quarter, but pricing pressure meant that revenue for the quarter increased just 1 percent year on year, to $3.7 billion.

PlayStation 3 to get software update on launch day
Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. will offer the first software update for its PlayStation 3 games console on Saturday simultaneously with the start of sales of the device.

Google filing reveals video lawsuit
Google revealed that its own online video-sharing service is the subject of a copyright infringement lawsuit, adding to worries that the company may become the subject of expensive lawsuits related to the YouTube Inc. video-sharing service it is buying.

Cisco profit, revenue surge ahead in Q1
Cisco Systems Inc. kept growing fast in its fiscal first quarter, posting revenue of $8.2 billion and net income of $1.6 billion or $0.26 per share.

Firefox 1.5 support ending April 24
On April 24, 2007, developers plan to stop issuing security and stability fixes for the open-source browser, Mozilla said Wednesday in a note posted on the Mozilla.com Web site.

Gartner: Consumers to lose $2.8B to phishers in 2006
Browser makers may have added new antiphishing features to their products in recent months, but the criminals are still gaining ground in their efforts to defraud U.S. consumers, according to the Gartner Inc. research firm.

Ozzie: Vista fulfills fundamental OS role
Vista, the next version of Windows' client-side operating system, is designed to fulfill the fundamental role of an operating system today: provide users with a safe environment when they are on the Web, the company's Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie said Wednesday.

AOL wanted to buy YouTube, CEO says
AOL LLC wanted to acquire YouTube Inc. but Google Inc. was the only company in a position to put together the $1.65 billion all-stock offer that landed it the deal with the video sharing maverick, AOL's chief executive officer said Wednesday.

Ask, Microsoft brainstorm ways to topple Google
Plenty of opportunities exist in the search engine sector to make a run at leader Google Inc., executives from Ask.com and Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday. Among the arguments they shared with attendees at the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco is that much potential exists for improvement in the search user experience.


SECURITY TIP

Three steps toward enclave computing
By Brent Huston, MicroSolved, Inc.

Many organizations have identified the move to enclave computing as a viable and logical strategy for their future security architectures. To prepare for this transition, organizations and security teams must start by doing three things.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Vista released to manufacturers ... Nvidia announces new GPU technology ... News Corp. looking for Chinese MySpace partner


ITWHIRLED

The interface of a cheeseburger
One western information architect in Japan had an epiphany while waiting in line at McDonald's. Check out this funny but informative piece on why the Golden Arches has one of the easiest-to-use interfaces you'll ever encounter -- and why the iPod's logo is on the back, not the front.

Skype upgrade to get smart features ... Sun expands support for Ubuntu Linux

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Skype upgrade to get smart new features
News: Sun expands support for Ubuntu Linux
News: Dell puts four-core processors in servers, workstations
News: IDG plans computer games event to fill E3 void
Windows Tip: Outlook merge mail vs. DLs
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: Don't fall prey to "office-itis"


NEWS UPDATES

Skype upgrade to get smart new features
Skype Ltd. will begin testing an upgrade of its free communications software that can automatically detect phone numbers in Web pages and initiate calls.

Sun expands support for Ubuntu Linux
Sun Microsystems Inc. is making its Java Enterprise Edition 5 programming platform available on the open-source Ubuntu Linux distribution.

Dell puts four-core processors in servers, workstations
Dell Inc. will begin shipping its first servers and workstations running quad-core Intel processors in a two-socket configuration next week. Dell will feature the Quad-Core Xeon 5300 processor from Intel Corp. on its PowerEdge rack and blade style servers, and in Precision workstations.

IDG plans computer games event to fill E3 void
IDG World Expo will attempt to fill the void left by the scaling back of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) computer games show by starting a new event in 2007 aimed at gamers, it said Wednesday.

Novell deal to cost Microsoft hundreds of millions
Microsoft Corp will spend more than $440 million in licensing fees and sales and marketing costs over the next five years to keep up its end of the historic Linux agreement it made with Novell Inc., according to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission documents filed by Novell on Tuesday.

Samsung debuts combined mini-PC phone
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. has taken a stab at what the next generation of wireless broadband devices will look like, unveiling a converged computer and mobile phone that uses 3G and mobile WiMax connections.

Seagate cans distributor for blocking third-party audit
Seagate Technology LLC has broken off its distributor relationship with Singapore's eSys Technologies Pte. Ltd., previously the company's largest distributor, after it denied access to its accounts for an audit, the hard-disk maker said in a U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filing.

SAP invests in another NetWeaver partner
SAP AG has made an undisclosed investment in a Visiprise Inc., a company that develops integration software for manufacturing companies that use SAP's NetWeaver platform.

NY Times to expand citizen journalism features
The New York Times Co. plans to add capabilities to the Web site of its flagship newspaper so that readers can submit more content to it, like photos and reports from the field, the company's chairman said Tuesday.

Yahoo tests mobile banner ads
After U.S. mobile subscribers have paid their carriers for data plans, advertisers on Yahoo Inc. mobile services this week will start trying to sell them other things.


WINDOWS TIP

Outlook merge mail vs. DLs
By Mitch Tulloch, MTIT Enterprises

Ever needed to send an email out to a lot of contacts in your organization or customer base in a hurry? Here's a tip that may help if your mail client is Outlook 2003.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
E-voting problems reported in U.S. ... Microsoft to issue domain names ... Intel, Micron plan Singapore memory plant

More podcasts


ITWHIRLED

Don't fall prey to "office-itis"
Just because you sit in front of a computer all day instead of digging ditches for a living doesn't mean that your body doesn't suffer for it. Office workers routinely experience fatigue, headaches, back and neck pain, and stomach and vision problems as a result of their jobs. Only one in three escape unscathed.

She's a 10: Top 10 headphones reviewed

- 10 Useless or even dangerous first aid myths
- 10 Pros & cons of switching from Windows to Mac OS X
- 10 reasons people make stupid decisions
- Top 10 headphones reviewed
- Top 10 controversial pieces of evidence for extraterrestrial life

See all the tens

HP, SAP embark on collaborative research ... PlayStation 3 hits Net auctions

HIGHLIGHTS
News: HP, SAP embark on major collaborative research
News: Ahead of launch, PlayStation 3 hits Net auctions
News: Flash and Firefox to unite
News: NTP files patent infringement suit against Palm
Windows Tip: Planning VoIP deployments
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: Top 10 headphones reviewed


NEWS UPDATES

HP, SAP embark on major collaborative research
The research organizations at Hewlett-Packard Co. and SAP AG will work together to resolve IT issues faced by their joint customers, notably around virtualization.

Ahead of launch, PlayStation 3 hits Net auctions
The PlayStation 3 won't hit store shelves until this weekend in Japan and next week in North America, but that hasn't stopped it already appearing on Internet auction sites.

Flash and Firefox to unite
Adobe Systems Inc. will contribute source code to the Mozilla Foundation as the two organizations aim to establish a standard scripting language that developers can use to create interactive applications for Adobe's Flash Player and Mozilla's Firefox browser.

NTP files patent infringement suit against Palm
NTP Inc. filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Palm Inc., echoing the allegations the patent-holding firm made that nearly shut down Research in Motion Ltd.'s (RIM's) BlackBerry service.

Network Appliance adds to storage lineup
Network Appliance Inc. is introducing midrange network storage platforms Tuesday that it says pose a competitive challenge to storage devices from rivals EMC Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co.

BEA unveils latest SOA integration tools
Middleware vendor BEA Systems Inc. has announced the first three members of its Enterprise Integration Portfolio (EIP), tools aimed at helping users at different stages of their SOA (service-oriented architecture) deployments.

VOIP is step toward open IT
Experts discussing Internet telephony strategies at the Von conference in Berlin view VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) as a key step toward open communication infrastructures.

Siemens looks to UWB for broadband video
IPTV (Internet Protocol television) is no good if it can't get from the broadband router to the TV, so a Siemens AG division is going to use high-bandwidth wireless technology in gear that carriers will distribute to their subscribers.

Microsoft enhances online maps in local search
Microsoft Corp. plans to up the ante in local search by adding 3D models of 15 U.S. cities to the maps of its Live Local service. The 3D models will allow users to zoom into these metro areas and "fly" over and into them using their Web browser, a Microsoft official said.


WINDOWS TIP

Planning VoIP deployments
By Barrie Dempster, WindowsNetworking.com

This article discusses management of the VoIP PBX, and proposes that it be treated as another service which should be comprehensively managed by the network administrator. It will demonstrate how Voice connectivity relates to data networks and how to effectively and securely implement a PBX within the context of a network infrastructure.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
NTP files lawsuit against Palm ... Nvidia acquires PortalPlayer ... NCR ordered to reinstate executive fired over porn


INTERVIEW

Microsoft: Door open to open-source pacts

Last week's pact between Microsoft Corp. and Novell Inc. has led to widespread speculation over the long-term impact on the adoption of open-source software. Under the deal, the companies will work on ways to enable Novell's Linux distribution, Suse, and Microsoft's Windows operating system to work better together. They also reached a patent truce in which users of the other's software can't be sued for infringement, and Microsoft agreed not to sue noncommercial open-source developers. On Monday, Microsoft's Bill Hilf, general manager for platform strategy, spoke further about the deal, addressing how Microsoft views its intellectual property relative to Linux.


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10
10 Useless or even dangerous first aid myths ... 10 Pros & cons of switching from Windows to Mac OS X ... 10 Reasons people make stupid decisions ... Top 10 headphones reviewed ... Top 10 controversial pieces of evidence for extraterrestrial life

Microsoft vulnerability rooted in ActiveX control ... MySpace launches Japanese version

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Microsoft vulnerability rooted in ActiveX control
News: MySpace launches Japanese version
News: Wikipedia hijacked by malware
News: Aruba upgrades products for 'VoFi'
Interview: Security basics: Why process matters
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: FTC's Buddy Builder game teaches social-networking safety


NEWS UPDATES

Microsoft vulnerability rooted in ActiveX control
Microsoft Corp. is investigating reports of a vulnerability in a Windows ActiveX control that could allow an attacker to remotely take control of a computer, according to an advisory issued Friday. One security company rated the vulnerability critical, while Microsoft said it allowed only limited attacks.

MySpace launches Japanese version
News Corp. launched a Japanese version of its MySpace social networking service Monday. The Japanese service becomes the sixth national version and fourth language version of the service.

Wikipedia hijacked by malware
Malware writers have used a Wikipedia article and special storage features to attempt to plant malicious code on unsuspecting users' systems, the online encyclopedia's organizers have confirmed.

Aruba upgrades products for 'VoFi'
Aruba will support voice-quality links on office WLANs, disputing competitors' claims that the job needs a whole new architecture.

DriveSentry offers 'firewall' for storage drives
A Mountain View, California, startup company has developed what it calls a storage "firewall" to prevent computer viruses from wrecking the data on desktop computers.


INTERVIEW

Security basics: Why process matters
'The best technology in the world, not used properly, becomes completely worthless and works against you because it gives you a false sense of security,' says Ira Winkler, author of Spies Among Us and President of Internet Security Advisor's Group. In this interview, Winkler discusses why security is primarily a process issue.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Red Hat decries Microsoft-Novell Linux alliance ... Microsoft cans Codename Max project ... Sony expands PS3 launch plans

More podcasts


ITWHIRLED

FTC's Buddy Builder game teaches social-networking safety
The FTC has launched an online quiz-show style game called Buddy Builder to test users' abilities to spot potential threats on social networking Web sites. In the game, players move through rounds by correctly reacting to common requests found on social networking sites. For example, when the game asks: 'Accept or Deny: Wazzup? I think I know U -- send me your pic (in swimsuit, pls!)?' the correct response (obviously we hope) is to deny the request.