Enterprises uncertain about mobile security ... Cisco gives Apple more time for iPhone response

HIGHLIGHTS
News: Enterprises are uncertain about mobile security
News: Vonage subscriber growth slows
News: Cisco gives Apple more time for iPhone lawsuit response
News: Microsoft CEO dampens Vista sales forecast
Unix Tip: Wake up and patch the OSes
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
Geek Comic of the Week: Legostar Galactica



NEWS UPDATES

Enterprises are uncertain about mobile security
Uncertainty about how to secure mobile phones in the face of increasing threats is slowing enterprise adoption of mobile applications, experts exhibiting at the 3GSM World Congress in Barcelona this week said.

Vonage subscriber growth slows
Vonage Holdings Corp. lost less money in the fourth quarter of 2006 than a year earlier, but it didn't attract as many new subscribers to its VOIP (voice over Internet Protocol) service despite heavy marketing.

Cisco gives Apple more time for iPhone lawsuit response
Cisco Systems Inc. has given Apple Inc. a further extension on the deadline to respond to its lawsuit concerning the iPhone name, the company said late Thursday. "Cisco has agreed to give Apple an extension until Wednesday, Feb. 21," the company said in a brief statement. "Cisco is fully committed to using the extra time to reach a mutually beneficial resolution."

Microsoft CEO dampens Vista sales forecast
Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer believes that sales forecasts for its new Vista operating system may be "overly aggressive." In a conference call Thursday with financial analysts, Ballmer said lower selling prices, limited new corporate sales, and software piracy may combine to temper Vista sales.

Microsoft patches include a surprise
There was a little surprise buried in Microsoft's monthly security bulletins Tuesday. It turns out that Microsoft had quietly slipped out one of the February fixes, just days before its Jan. 30 Vista launch.

Wall Street Beat: BEA offers peek into market psyche
Market reaction to BEA Systems Inc.'s stock options backdating inquiry this week provided a clue to investor psychology, while RealNetworks Inc. and Microsoft Corp. offered a look at the future of aspects of the software and services business.


UNIX TIP

Wake up and patch the OSes
By Sandra Henry Stocker, ITworld.com

Time is running out for anyone planning to ready their systems for the biggest time-related change since Y2K -- the 2007 Daylight Savings Time change. As Americans turn their clocks ahead one hour this year -- three weeks earlier than previously, systems administrators will be well advised to ensure their systems will do the same. Timezone configurations on systems from Solaris and Linux to Windows will require updates if not already updated through a patch, OS upgrade or service pack, to accommodate the new dates for switching to and then back off daylight savings.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Microsoft launches video upload service ... Nokia reshuffles its staff ... Piracy lawsuit against teacher dropped


ITWHIRLED

Geek Comic of the Week: Legostar Galactica
Oh my goodness: Do Legos and various sci-fi franchises and webcomics combined create some kind of geek nirvana? Well, yes, and they make a darn funny read to boot.