Google partners with Chinese P2P site ... Adobe to issue Reader patches

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Google partners with Chinese P2P site
News: Adobe to issue patches for Reader vulnerability
News: Drive makers race to be first with 1TB drives
News: VMware for Macs may have limited appeal
Unix Tip: Firmware passwords and the OpenBoot prompt
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: 10 online operating systems reviewed


NEWS UPDATES

Google partners with Chinese P2P site
Google Inc. has struck a partnership with a Chinese peer-to-peer file downloading service, Xunlei Networking Technologies Ltd. of Shenzhen that will give users of the Xunlei service easier access to Google search services and multimedia content via a search link on Xunlei's home page.

Adobe to issue patches for Reader vulnerability
Adobe Systems Inc. will issue patches next week for older versions of its Reader and Acrobat Reader software, which contain a dangerous vulnerability that could be used for phishing attacks or to remotely access files on a computer.

CES: Drive makers race to be first with 1TB drives
Two of the biggest hard-disk drive makers, Seagate Technology LLC and Hitachi Global Storage Technology Inc., both said Thursday that they plan to have drives on the market with the first half of this year that are capable of holding a terabyte (1000G bytes) of data.

VMware for Macs may have limited appeal
VMware Inc. reports strong initial interest in its virtualization software designed to run on the Mac computer platform, but skeptics doubt it will improve Apple's share of the enterprise market.

Researcher: Still risk from QuickTime bug
The QuickTime vulnerability that led to a widespread worm outbreak on MySpace.com last month could be exploited again, according to security researcher Aviv Raff, who has published software that illustrates his point.

Taiwan company sues Apple over lost sales
A Taiwanese manufacturer is suing Apple Computer Inc. for US$100 million after a court ruled it could continue producing a portable music player resembling Apple's iPod Shuffle.

CES: Toshiba readies desktop HD DVD drive
Toshiba Corp. will release a desktop PC version of its HD DVD writer next month in a move to boost support for the next-generation optical disc format. The release will follow the launch of a notebook version last year.

Wall Street Beat: Trading year starts
The New Year holiday, followed by a day of mourning for former U.S. President Gerald Ford, truncated the first trading week of the year. Even so, market events pointed to themes that are due to stay at the forefront in 2007: mergers and acquisitions and relatively strong hardware growth within moderate global IT revenue increases.

DRAM revenue growth to slow in 2007
Despite steady sales volume, DRAM (dynamic RAM) memory chip vendors will see their revenue growth slow dramatically in 2007 thanks to a slump in prices, according to a report released Thursday.

NTT DoCoMo takes stake in Nippon TV
NTT DoCoMo has acquired a 3 percent stake in Nippon Television, one of Japan's largest commercial broadcasters, the companies said Thursday. The acquisition comes 11 months after NTT DoCoMo and NTV began working together on applications that tie together broadcasting and mobile telecommunications services.


UNIX TIP

Firmware passwords and the OpenBoot prompt
By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

A firmware password secures a system against unauthorized changes at
the ok prompt. If you don't have a firmware password set, anyone with
access to your system's console can modify your OpenBoot parameters.
If you do have a firmware password set, be careful not to forget it or
even you may not be able to boot your system. With a restrictive
security setting, accessing a system can be very difficult.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Microsoft readies first security updates for 2007 ... Google updates search appliance ... Seagate to ship 1TB hard disk


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10
Ten best geek quotes ... 10 online operating systems reviewed ... Top 10 point-and-shoot cameras ... Top 10 Web 2.0 crushes ... Top ten invented worlds

Cisco offers $830 million for IronPort ... Patch issued for OpenOffice

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Cisco offers $830 million for IronPort
News: Patch issued for OpenOffice.org WMF vulnerability
News: SanDisk releases 32G-byte drive for notebooks
News: Disk-makers join to push flash-embedded drives
Tip: VPN and domain authentication
ITwhirled: Ten best geek quotes


NEWS UPDATES

Cisco offers $830 million for IronPort
Cisco Systems Inc. has agreed to buy IronPort Systems Inc., a developer of e-mail and Web security products, for $830 million.

Patch issued for OpenOffice.org WMF vulnerability
A patch has been widely released for a vulnerability in the OpenOffice.org productivity suite, a problem rated as "highly critical" by one security vendor.

SanDisk releases 32G-byte drive for notebooks
SanDisk Corp. has launched a 32G-byte solid-state drive using flash memory chips, intended as a replacement for conventional hard disk drives.

CES: Disk-makers join to push flash-embedded drives
The five largest manufacturers of hard-disk drives will work together to promote a new technology that promises to improve system performance, the companies said Thursday.

Google nets search deal with China Mobile
Google Inc. has signed a deal to provide mobile search services for China's biggest mobile phone operator, China Mobile Ltd., the company announced Thursday.

CES: LG to show dual HD DVD/Blu-ray player
LG Electronics Inc. will soon begin selling a high-definition video disc player compatible with both the HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc standards, it said Thursday.

OLPC aims for mass production in third quarter
One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) plans to conclude its third build of the laptop by early April, finalizing any last-minute engineering tweaks and hopes to begin mass production of its low-cost notebooks aimed at children in developing nations in August or September.


TIP

VPN and domain authentication
By Mitch Tulloch, MTIT Enterprises

If your enterprise has multiple small offices but only one domain
controller at each office, how will users at one of your sites log on
if their domain controller goes down? One common approach is to have
users make a VPN connection to one of the other offices using PPPoE
over DSL and authenticate with the domain controller there.


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10
Ten best geek quotes ... 10 online operating systems reviewed ... Top 10 point-and-shoot cameras ... Top 10 Web 2.0 crushes ... Top ten invented worlds

Nokia, Samsung sued over Bluetooth patents ... MySQL on track with new storage engine

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Nokia, Samsung are sued over Bluetooth patents
News: MySQL is on track with new storage engine
News: Dash, Yahoo bring local search to GPS device
News: LG's Shine to make international debut at CES
Opinion: What's on tap in 2007
ITwhirled: Practice doesn't make perfect


NEWS UPDATES

Nokia, Samsung are sued over Bluetooth patents
Just as the number of Bluetooth device users passed the billion mark, a lawsuit threatens the momentum of the short range wireless technology.

MySQL is on track with new storage engine
Open-source database maker MySQL AB will soon release the alpha version of its Falcon storage engine, designed for high-volume Web server environments, a company executive said Wednesday.

Dash, Yahoo bring local search to GPS device
Dash Navigation Inc. will work with Yahoo Inc. to add a local search capability to its forthcoming Internet-connected in-car satellite navigation terminal, Dash announced Wednesday.

IBM: ISVs from emerging markets play bigger role
The IBM team that works with developers is putting a "disproportionate amount of focus on emerging markets," says Buell Duncan, IBM's general manager of ISV (independent software vendor) and developer relations. The stakes are high for IBM, which has invested hundreds of millions of dollars over the years to provide technical, sales and marketing support for ISVs around the world.

LG's Shine to make international debut at CES
LG Electronics Inc. will give the successor to its popular Chocolate cell phone its international unveiling at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

AT&T's big buy could mean new bundles
AT&T Inc.'s acquisition of BellSouth Corp. may reshape wired and wireless telecommunications in the U.S., letting the giant carrier create new product bundles and setting the nation's two dominant providers on a collision course.

Incipient delivers virtualization first for Cisco
SAN storage virtualization vendor Incipient has announced support for Cisco MDS9000 switches, which the company claims is the first true enterprise-class SAN virtualization product.


OPINION

What's on tap in 2007
By Dan Blacharski

It's the beginning of a new year, and the blogosphere is full of armchair futurists speculating on what it will hold. It seems everyone is getting in on the act, with predictions that range from the unlikely to the bizarre. An Associated Press/AOL News poll shows that 25 percent of respondents expect the second coming of Jesus Christ in 2007, and 19 percent think scientists will find evidence of extraterrestrial life in the new year. But before you go out and buy your ascension robes and roll out the red carpet for E.T., let's take a look at what 2007 may hold for the world of technology.


ITWHIRLED

Practice doesn't make perfect
Looks like mom was wrong. Scientists have found that inconsistencies in the brain's behavior means that no amount of practice will make perfect. Bye bye sloth-induced guilt.

Alcatel-Lucent completes purchase of Nortel 3G business ... Apple faces lawsuit over iTunes-iPod link

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Alcatel-Lucent completes purchase of Nortel 3G business
News: Google closes Gmail cross-site scripting vulnerability
News: Apple faces U.S. lawsuit over iTunes-iPod link
Reports: Lawsuit may delay SED TV plans
Opinion: Budget adjustments
ITwhirled: Wii get hurt and have pictures to prove it


NEWS UPDATES

Alcatel-Lucent completes purchase of Nortel 3G business
Alcatel-Lucent SA has closed its acquisition of Nortel Networks Corp.'s UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunications System) mobile infrastructure business, the companies announced Tuesday.

Google closes Gmail cross-site scripting vulnerability
Google Inc. has fixed a flaw that would have allowed Web sites to harvest information from Gmail contact lists, a problem that could have let spammers collect reams of new e-mail addresses.

Apple faces U.S. lawsuit over iTunes-iPod link
Apple Computer Inc. faces a lawsuit in the U.S., following similar charges in Europe, over tying its iTunes music store to the iPod digital music player.

Reports: Lawsuit may delay SED TV plans
A lawsuit filed against Japan's Canon Inc. by a U.S. company could scupper Canon's plans to jointly produce a new type of television with Toshiba Corp., according to Japanese press reports.

CES: LG to demo 1080p content at CES
LG Electronics Inc. will demonstrate "full HD" content at next week's Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the company said. Full HD combines 1080 horizontal lines of resolution with progressive scanning and also goes by the moniker "1080p."

BenQ Mobile still seeks buyer for bankrupt German unit
A Munich court has opened insolvency proceedings against BenQ Mobile GmbH & Co. OHG after the mobile phone maker failed to meet an end-of-the-year deadline to find a buyer.

Open source personal tracking system gets first test
An open source wireless tracking system for following people around buildings got its first public use last week at the Chaos Communication Congress in Berlin.

IBM, Siemens venture lands €7.1B German army IT deal
After more than three years of negotiations with half a dozen vendors, German military officials awarded a 10-year contract, worth €7.1 billion (US$9.2 billion), to a consortium including IBM Corp. and Siemens AG shortly before the end of the year.


OPINION

Budget adjustments
By James Gaskin

Whatever your final budget number for 2007, prepare to slice that number. Continued weakness in the residential housing market (construction spending was down for the seventh month in a row in October), a slowdown in US manufacturing, and warnings about flat retail sales from WalMart and others means your budget will probably get cut next spring.


ITWHIRLED

Wii get hurt and have pictures to prove it
Wii Have A Problem is a site devoted to raising awareness of the latest trend in video game violence -- that is, the injuries gamers cause to themselves and others when they play too hard or too long.

AT&T closes BellSouth acquisition ... Blu-ray, HD DVD copy protection cracked

HIGHLIGHTS
News: With FCC approval, AT&T closes BellSouth acquisition
News: Net neutrality advocates cheer AT&T concessions
News: Hacker: Blu-ray, HD DVD copy protection cracked
News: Apple clears Jobs in options probe, restates earnings
News: "Happy New Year!" worm on the move
Opinion: More than words can say
ITwhirled: Top 10 Web 2.0 crushes


NEWS UPDATES

With FCC approval, AT&T closes BellSouth acquisition
On Friday, the U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced that it had approved the $86 billion deal, one day after AT&T made a number of concessions to help push the acquisition through, including a pledge to maintain a "neutral network" for two years after the merger.

Net neutrality advocates cheer AT&T concessions
Net neutrality advocates celebrated this week after AT&T Inc. said it would pledge to maintain a "neutral network" in exchange for U.S. government approval of its proposed acquisition of BellSouth Corp.

Hacker: Blu-ray, HD DVD copy protection cracked
A computer hacker claims to have broken the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) encryption specification used to control unauthorized copying on HD-DVD and Blu-ray video players.

Apple clears Jobs in options probe, restates earnings
An investigation into past stock option grants at Apple Computer Inc. has found that Chief Executive Steve Jobs was aware of procedural irregularities but did not benefit personally from the grants or understand the accounting implications.

"Happy New Year!" worm on the move
Verisign Inc. is warning of a new e-mail worm arriving in inboxes with the subject "Happy New Year!" The message, currently being spread from 160 e-mail domains, requires users to click on the attached "postcard.exe" file in order to cause damage.

Italians welcome WiMax sell-off
Italian politicians and businesses welcomed the announcement that the government would begin selling WiMax-capable frequencies next June, saying it was an important step toward the technological modernization of the country.


OPINION

More than words can say
By Sean McGrath

Almost a year ago in this column, I opined the general lack of good diagrams on a certain class of Website. Websites that purport to help their readers figure out something physical like changing a tire or tying a Windsor knot or adding a WIFI card to your PC. Websites that might be selling books and supplementing the books with online information.


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10
Ten best geek quotes ... 10 online operating systems reviewed ... Top 10 point-and-shoot cameras ... Top 10 Web 2.0 crushes ... Top ten invented worlds