Sources: Windows Vista SP1 beta due this week

HIGHLIGHTS

News: Sources: Windows Vista SP1 beta due this week
News: IBM shakes up sales organization to target SMB market
News: Epson plans Windows Rally wireless products
News: Lenovo retakes No. 3 spot from Acer in Q2 rankings
Related Reading: Desktop PC sales not slowing as predicted, Intel says
Related Reading: PC sales slow ahead of expected Intel price cut
News: Texas state Web site leaks sensitive information
News: Micro Focus offers fast track to SOA
News: Open-Xchange and Ubuntu woo small business
News: Wal-Mart to sell $300 PC with OpenOffice
News: Firefox update fixes problem with Internet Explorer
News: Health experts: E-health records privacy rules needed
Feature: Former spammer: 'I know I'm going to hell'
ITWhirled: Terrifying sea beast emerges from murky Pacific


NEWS UPDATES

Sources: Windows Vista SP1 beta due this week
Microsoft Corp. could pull the trigger on putting out a beta of the first service pack for Windows Vista any day, with a final release by November, sources close to the company said.


IBM shakes up sales organization to target SMB market
IBM Corp. is revamping part of its sales organization to better target the small-to-medium-sized business (SMB) market.


Epson plans Windows Rally wireless products
Japan's Seiko Epson Corp. is planning to develop a range of products based on a Microsoft's Windows Rally technology for wireless networked devices.


Lenovo retakes No. 3 spot from Acer in Q2 rankings
Lenovo Group Ltd. reclaimed the number three spot among PC vendors during the second quarter, pushing rival Acer Inc. back into fourth place. But Acer's exceptionally fast growth means the company is likely to overtake Lenovo as number three for the entire year, if current trends continue.


Related Reading: Desktop PC sales not slowing as predicted, Intel says
Predictions that growing demand for notebook PCs would result in a corresponding slowdown in demand for desktops haven't come to pass, Intel Corp.'s top executive in Asia said.


Related Reading: PC sales slow ahead of expected Intel price cut
Global PC sales have slowed a tad over the past few weeks as the market waits for Intel Corp. to announce new price reductions, market researchers said.


Texas state Web site leaks sensitive information
Troy Aikman may not be happy about it, but the State of Texas has made his address and Social Security number available via the Internet.


Micro Focus offers fast track to SOA
Companies looking to get a head-start with an SOA roll-out are being offered a new service from Micro Focus. The company has launched a new product called SOA Express that provides a way for customers to convert the code for existing services.


Open-Xchange and Ubuntu woo small business
Open-Xchange has released an Outlook-compatible groupware server specifically designed for smaller businesses, and designed as a simple, open-source alternative to the likes of Microsoft Exchange.


Wal-Mart to sell $300 PC with OpenOffice
Wal-Mart Stores Inc. opened its campaign for the back-to-school PC sales season on Wednesday by unveiling a US$298 desktop from Everex that combines three of the most popular industry trends -- open-source software, a power-efficient processor, and a lack of "bloatware."


Firefox update fixes problem with Internet Explorer
A new update for the Firefox browser fixes an unusual vulnerability that could cause malicious code to run if the browser is launched by Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer.


Health experts: E-health records privacy rules needed
The United States needs new medical privacy rules as the country moves toward greater use of IT to store health records, a group of health-care experts said Wednesday.


FEATURE

Former spammer: 'I know I'm going to hell'
"Ed," a retired spammer, built a considerable fortune sending e-mails that promoted pills, porn and casinos. At the peak of his power, Ed says he pulled in US$10,000 to $15,000 a week, storing the money in $20 bills in stacks of boxes.


ITWHIRLED

Terrifying sea beast emerges from murky Pacific
Scientists were baffled by the appearance of an unknown form of undersea life off the big island of Hawaii. The creature appears to be half octopus and half squid, and has been dubbed an "octosquid." Reports that the octosquids were carefully plotting to rise up and conquer the land could not be confirmed at press time.