A Wi-Fi virus outbreak? Researchers say it's possible

If criminals were to target unsecured wireless routers, they could create an attack that could piggyback across thousands of Wi-Fi networks in urban areas like Chicago or New York City, according to researchers at Indiana University. ...continue reading 'A Wi-Fi virus outbreak? Researchers say it's possible'

Facebook and Plaxo in data portability tussle

Facebook has reacted swiftly and sternly to an attempt to let members of the social networking site transfer their friends' contact information to Plaxo's address-book-management service. ...continue reading 'Facebook and Plaxo in data portability tussle'

IBM restructures systems division

With the aim to improve company performance and better meet customers' needs, IBM on Thursday said it was realigning its Systems and Technology group around types of clients. ...continue reading 'IBM restructures systems division'

Apple patent reveals docking station for ultramobile PC

A U.S. patent granted to Apple on Thursday seems to support reports that the company is working on an ultramobile PC to compete with Microsoft and its hardware partners in that market. ...continue reading 'Apple patent reveals docking station for ultramobile PC'

Microsoft readies for two Windows security updates

Microsoft plans to issue two security updates for its Windows operating system products next Tuesday as part of its regular software patch cycle. ...continue reading 'Microsoft readies for two Windows security updates'

Extreme IT: Accessing technology in unusual circumstances

We're all accustomed to daily Internet use -- usually at our desks -- but what about when you find yourself in extreme circumstances, say sailing the high seas, driving a racecar, or just routinely flying the friendly skies? ...continue reading 'Extreme IT'

Tell us your Extreme IT story. Our favorite will win a $50 iTunes gift certificate.

Sears puts customers' buying histories on the Web

Sears Holdings has come under fire from privacy advocates for making the purchase history of its customers publicly available on its Managemyhome.com Web site. ...continue reading 'Sears puts customers' buying histories on the Web'

U.S. indicts 11 over pump-and-dump stock spam

Eleven people, including one of the top spammers in the world, were indicted on Thursday for allegedly sending millions of unsolicited e-mails intended to inflate the price of Chinese penny stocks. ...continue reading 'U.S. indicts 11 over pump-and-dump stock spam'

Intel quits OLPC board over pressure to kill Classmate PC

Intel resigned from the One Laptop Per Child Project's board of directors after refusing a request to abandon its Classmate PC program, according to a source familiar with the situation. ...continue reading 'Intel quits OLPC board over pressure to kill Classmate PC'

A Wi-Fi virus outbreak? Researchers say it's possible

If criminals were to target unsecured wireless routers, they could create an attack that could piggyback across thousands of Wi-Fi networks in urban areas like Chicago or New York City, according to researchers at Indiana University. ...continue reading 'A Wi-Fi virus outbreak? Researchers say it's possible'

OLPC: Won't miss Intel's 'half-hearted' laptop effort

Intel's resignation from the One Laptop Per Child Project's board of directors will have 'no impact' on the group's operations, since the chip maker contributed little to the project since joining last year, OLPC President Walter Bender said in an interview. ...continue reading 'OLPC: Won't miss Intel's 'half-hearted' laptop effort'

CES: HP goes high-definition with new multimedia notebook

Hewlett-Packard Thursday introduced a multimedia notebook packed with high-definition features, including a screen that allows users to watch full HDTV movies. ...continue reading 'CES: HP goes high-definition with new multimedia notebook'

Wi-Fi startup to pick up where Google left off in SF

Wireless networking startup Meraki plans to deliver free wireless Internet access, supported by advertising, across San Francisco by the end of the year, it announced Friday. ...continue reading 'Wi-Fi startup to pick up where Google left off in SF'

Study: Open Document Format gained momentum in '07

The Open Document Format saw a marked uptick in use last year across the globe, according to the ODF Alliance's 2007 report. ...continue reading 'Study: Open Document Format gained momentum in '07'

NetApp to buy Onaro to boost storage management

Storage vendor Network Appliance said Thursday it plans to buy Onaro, a Boston company that develops storage management software. ...continue reading 'NetApp to buy Onaro to boost storage management'

How to choose the right application development technologies

By Sean McGrath, ITworld

Application design can involve dizzying oscillations as a result of the power of the available technologies. Should you start with a C# application and embed bits of XSLT as required? Or, alternatively, should you start with XSLT and step out into C# if/when required? ...continue reading 'How to choose the right application development technologies'

CES: Asus unveils terabyte laptop

Asus will unveil a laptop that should satisfy the storage needs of all but the biggest of power users: the M70S comes with 1T byte of storage space. ...continue reading 'CES: Asus unveils terabyte laptop'

Facebook tightens app development platform to curb abuses

Facebook kicked off the new year with additional tweaks to its development platform as it continues to grapple with external programmers who spur adoption of their applications among Facebook members through deceitful and abusive practices. ...continue reading 'Facebook tightens app development platform to curb abuses'

Netflix and LG plan to link TVs directly to Internet

LG Electronics and Netflix will work to develop a set-top box that can stream movies over the Internet directly onto a television screen, the companies announced Thursday. ...continue reading 'Netflix and LG plan to link TVs directly to Internet'

Qualcomm maneuvers around court's chipset ban

Qualcomm is shipping four new wireless chipsets that do not infringe on a video encoding patent held by competitor Broadcom. Qualcomm expects the WCDMA (Wideband Code Division Multiple Access) handsets containing the chips to go on sale in the U.S. by April, it said Wednesday. ...continue reading 'Qualcomm maneuvers around court's chipset ban'

LG.Philips LCD unrolls 14-inch color e-paper display

South Korea's LG.Philips LCD is out to impress at next week's Consumer Electronics Show and will unveil a 14.3-inch color electronic paper display. ...continue reading 'LG.Philips LCD unrolls 14-inch color e-paper display'

Oregon launches data center, virtualization initiatives

The state of Oregon is embarking on a data center consolidation and virtualization project that officials say will save $10 million to $12 million per year. ...continue reading 'Oregon launches data center, virtualization initiatives'

Eclipse reeling in Swordfish as SOA framework

The Eclipse Foundation with its Swordfish project is developing an open source SOA framework intended for applications ranging from enterprise environments to embedded systems. ...continue reading 'Eclipse reeling in Swordfish as SOA framework'

Federal judge orders stop to Qualcomm chip sales

A U.S. federal judge has clamped further restrictions on Qualcomm's ability to sell and support certain wireless chipsets, saying that they infringe on three patents held by rival Broadcom. ...continue reading 'Federal judge orders stop to Qualcomm chip sales'

Researcher says Sears downloads spyware

Harvard researcher Ben Edelman has criticized Sears for failing to meet FTC guidelines with marketing software it installs on users PCs. ...continue reading 'Researcher says Sears downloads spyware'

Holiday electronics sales strong, says SIA

Sales of semiconductors in November indicate that consumer products such as LCD (liquid crystal display) TVs, digital music players and other devices sold well during the holidays, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) said Monday. ...continue reading 'Holiday electronics sales strong, says SIA'

Vonage, Nortel settle patent dispute for no cash

Vonage Holdings and Nortel Networks have preliminarily agreed to cross-license several patents, ending a dispute between the companies without any monetary payments, Vonage said Monday. ...continue reading 'Vonage, Nortel settle patent dispute for no cash'

U.S. bans spare lithium batteries from checked bags

New rules will go into effect on Jan. 1 that prohibit air passengers in the U.S. from carrying spare lithium batteries in their checked baggage. ...continue reading 'U.S. bans spare lithium batteries from checked bags'

Motorola settles patent dispute with Metrologic

Motorola has settled a long-running patent dispute with Metrologic Instruments, a maker of bar-code scanners. ... continue reading 'Motorola settles patent dispute with Metrologic'

OLPC CTO Jepsen quits nonprofit effort

The One Laptop Per Child project suffered a blow this week, with Chief Technology Officer Mary Lou Jepsen quitting the nonprofit to start a for-profit company to commercialize technology she invented with OLPC. ...continue reading 'OLPC CTO Jepsen quits nonprofit effort'

Baidu CFO killed in holiday accident

Shawn Wang, the chief financial officer of Baidu.com, China's top search engine, was killed in an accident on December 27, the company said Saturday. ...continue reading 'Baidu CFO killed in holiday accident'

AOL to end support for Netscape browser

An historic name in software will effectively pass into history in February as AOL discontinues development and active support for the Netscape browser, according to an official blog. ...continue reading 'AOL to end support for Netscape browser'

Preview: Will CES 2008 live up to the iPhone?

Microsoft chairman Bill Gates has a tough job ahead of him when he kicks off the keynote speeches at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2008 in Las Vegas next week. ...continue reading 'Preview: Will CES 2008 live up to the iPhone?'

SCO bumped off Nasdaq

The SCO Group has been removed from the Nasdaq Stock Market because the company declared bankruptcy in September. ...continue reading 'SCO bumped off Nasdaq'