Sprint Nextel to lay off 4,000 after customer losses

Sprint Nextel will lay off about 4,000 employees and close about 125 retail outlets after it suffered a net loss of more than 100,000 customers in the fourth quarter of 2007, the company said Friday. ...continue reading 'Sprint Nextel to lay off 4,000 after customer losses'

Skype flaw turns videos into weapons

A programming error in eBay's Skype communications software could give cyber-criminals a new way to sneak their malicious software onto a victim's PC. ...continue reading 'Skype flaw turns videos into weapons'

China Net population tops 200 million, closes on U.S.

The number of Internet users in China soared past 200 million in 2007, a new report from the country's quasi-government Internet overseer said Thursday. ...continue reading 'China Net population tops 200 million, closes on U.S.'

Greenpeace applauds MacBook Air

Greenpeace has applauded Apple's introduction of the MacBook Air as being 'a winner' because of Apple's focus on making it an environmentally-friendly PC. ...continue reading 'Greenpeace applauds MacBook Air'

Wipro's profit growth down on higher wages and acquisition

India's third largest outsourcer Wipro reported a 32 percent increase in revenue in the quarter ending December 31, but profits grew by only 11 percent over the same quarter last year, reflecting higher salaries in India, and reduced margins as a result of its acquisition last year of U.S. IT services provider, Infocrossing. ...continue reading 'Wipro's profit growth down on higher wages and acquisition'

Dell assures users that laptops' electric jolts are harmless

Dell has assured users of its laptops that there is no danger from electrical jolts sometimes received from the cases of some of its systems. ...continue reading 'Dell assures users that laptops' electric jolts are harmless'

Dell assures users that laptops' electric jolts are harmless

Dell has assured users of its laptops that there is no danger from electrical jolts sometimes received from the cases of some of its systems. ...continue reading 'Dell assures users that laptops' electric jolts are harmless'

Attack code released for critical Windows flaw

In what may be the first step toward a major security problem, security researchers have released attack code that will crash Windows machines that are susceptible to a recently patched bug in the operating system. ...continue reading 'Attack code released for critical Windows flaw'

Mozilla interfaces to get 'humanized,' developer says

Mozilla should soon be experimenting with some novel user-interface technologies for its browser and other products, according to a UI developer that joined Mozilla this week from startup company Humanized. ...continue reading 'Mozilla interfaces to get 'humanized,' developer says'

AMD reports fifth-straight quarterly loss

Advanced Micro Devices on Thursday reported a heavy loss for its fourth quarter, due mostly to charges connected to its acquisition of graphics chip maker ATI. ...continue reading 'AMD reports fifth-straight quarterly loss'

IBM reports strong software, services results for Q4

IBM on Thursday provided more details of its robust fourth-quarter and 2007 financial performance, following an early preview of the figures on Monday. ...continue reading 'IBM reports strong software, services results for Q4'

Time Warner to try tiered cable pricing

Time Warner Cable will try selling consumers broadband service based on how much bandwidth they use, a move that could turn the home broadband pricing model in the U.S. on its head. ...continue reading 'Time Warner to try tiered cable pricing'

Yahoo to support OpenID single sign-on

People with a Yahoo user name and password will be able to use that ID information to access non-Yahoo Web sites that support the OpenID 2.0 digital identity framework, reducing the amount of different log-in information people need to create, remember and enter online. ...continue reading 'Yahoo to support OpenID single sign-on'

Environmental protests take high-tech to the high-seas

When environmental protestors boarded a Japanese whaling ship in the Southern Ocean, images of the action quickly flashed on the world's TV sets, followed by photos from the Japanese ship after the protestors were taken into custody. Getting these images out is crucial if either side is to win the global PR battle, but doing so can be problematic when you're at sea, thousands of kilometers from the nearest cell phone network or broadband connection. ...continue reading 'Environmental protests take high-tech to the high-seas'

Yahoo, T-Mobile partner on mobile ads in the U.K.

T-Mobile subscribers in the U.K. will see advertisements supplied by Yahoo on their mobile phones by July, under a deal the companies announced Thursday. ...continue reading 'Yahoo, T-Mobile partner on mobile ads in the U.K.'

Intel's Classmate PC goes on sale to consumers in India

Intel's Classmate PC isn't just for students anymore. HCL Infosystems plans to sell a version of the Classmate PC to consumers and businesses in India who want a rugged, low-cost laptop. ...continue reading 'Intel's Classmate PC goes on sale to consumers in India'

Ex-Brocade CEO Reyes gets 21 months in backdating case

Former Brocade Communications Systems CEO Gregory Reyes has been sentenced to 21 months in prison and a $15 million fine for fraud related to backdating of the storage networking company's stock options. ...continue reading 'Ex-Brocade CEO Reyes gets 21 months in backdating case'

Sun needs to fix what's broken at MySQL, users say

In agreeing this week to pay $1 billion for MySQL AB, Sun Microsystems Inc. said it hopes to make MySQL's open-source database more attractive to enterprise users. But Sun has a lot of work to do, according to some MySQL users. ...continue reading 'Sun needs to fix what's broken at MySQL, users say'

Firefox, Red Hat more buggy than Microsoft

Secunia has found that the number of security bugs in the open source Red Hat Linux operating system and Firefox browsers far outstripped comparable products from Microsoft last year. ...continue reading 'Firefox, Red Hat more buggy than Microsoft'

Mac users more open, liberal than PC users

People who prefer Apple's Macintosh computers over PCs have long been considered to be on the artsy, hip end of the personality spectrum -- and now a study proves that 'Mac people' indeed are more liberal and open-minded than average folks. ...continue reading 'Mac users more open, liberal than PC users'

MacBook Air -- the day after

Amy Bennett, ITworld

Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Air during his keynote address at the Macworld Expo on Tuesday morning. And one day later the first-blush opinions are in...


Apple's MacBook Air ultra-thin could spawn improved PC
By Joel Shore, ITworld

The envelope, please. No, it's not just an awards-show phrase, it's precisely how Steve Jobs unveiled Apple's latest masterwork, the ultrathin MacBook Air computer at Macworld earlier this week. Just 0.16 inches at its thinnest point, Jobs pulled the computer from a standard-size manila interoffice envelope. I'm no Mac maven, but like the crowd packed into the Macworld keynote address, I'm duly impressed. ...continue reading 'Apple's MacBook Air ultra-thin could spawn improved PC'


Apple's MacBook Air: evolution, not revolution
Scott Bradner, Network World

There was a, for Apple, reasonable level of hype leading up to Steve Jobs' keynote at Macworld 2008. Not like last year when everyone knew that the iPhone was coming (even if they did not know what an iPhone was). Most of the buzz this time was about a possible 'ultra portable. Finally, an hour into the talk, Steve introduced the MacBook Air - the 'world's thinnest notebook.' It's not my dream machine but it's very nice - more of an incremental improvement than something that creates a whole new mold-breaking concept. '...continue reading 'Apple's MacBook Air: evolution, not revolution'


MacBook Air: How incomplete is it?
Harry McCracken, PC World

Steve Jobs is, among many other things, the great denier. But I'm not sure if he's ever denied Apple customers as many features as he will with the MacBook Air. In introducing the Air, Jobs said that manufacturers of other thin-and-light laptops made too many compromises to make their machines sleek, like using small keyboards and screens and wimpy CPUs. But nobody else in the industry would dream of making some of the compromises that the Air makes. ...continue reading 'MacBook Air: How incomplete is it?'


Ultraportable challengers to the MacBook Air
PC World Staff

The MacBook Air is Apple's first foray into a crowded ultraportable market that has seen its share of very light, very capable products from companies including Sony, Lenovo, and Fujitsu, among others. Here's a fast look at how they stack up. ...continue reading 'Ultraportable challengers to the MacBook Air'


Big '08 for Apple with MacBook Air, iTunes
Jim Dalrymple, Macworld.com

After announcing the availability of movie rentals through iTunes, Jobs ended his 101-minute Macworld keynote by taking the wraps off the MacBook Air. It would be hard to gauge from the cheers during the keynote which of the two new announcement made the bigger impression. As for which product will be bigger for Apple in the weeks and months following the keynote, that all depends on who you ask. ...continue reading 'Big '08 for Apple with MacBook Air, iTunes'

Unix Tip: Shuffling file systems with rsync

By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld

I recently found myself needing to move several very large file systems
into roomier data quarters on a disk array and began thinking about the
most efficient and reliable way to get the job done. ...continue reading 'Unix Tip: Shuffling file systems with rsync'

SQL Server Backup Help

By James Gaskin, ITworld

Pity the poor modern DBA, now that SQL Server gets attacked by some of the same scripts that PCs do. Pity the poor modern DBA who has to keep building Microsoft SQL Servers because some idiot vice president up the line bought the Microsoft party line and stopped all higher-end database purchase. Yes, that's the same idiot vice president who won't allow MySQL servers in the building because they're not "secure" enough. ...continue reading 'SQL Server Backup Help'

Apple's MacBook Air ultra-thin could spawn improved PC

By Joel Shore, ITworld

The envelope, please. No, it's not just an awards-show phrase, it's precisely how Steve Jobs unveiled Apple's latest masterwork, the ultrathin MacBook Air computer at Macworld earlier this week. Just 0.16 inches at its thinnest point, Jobs pulled the computer from a standard-size manila interoffice envelope. I'm no Mac maven, but like the crowd packed into the Macworld keynote address, I'm duly impressed. ...continue reading 'Apple's MacBook Air ultra-thin could spawn improved PC'

Intel 'energy-efficient' claim debunked

After Intel CEO Paul Otellini bragged that Intel's Xeon chip was the most energy-efficient processor Neal Nelson compared it to AMD's offering and found that Intel wasn't being exactly truthful. ...continue reading 'Intel 'energy-efficient' claim debunked'

More than half of H-1B visas go to India nationals

More than half of H-1B visas issued are issued to Indian nationals, who received 54% of the total number of temporary visas approved in 2006, according to a government study released Tuesday. And an increasing number of foreign workers who hold these visas -- more than half -- are in computer-related occupations. ...continue reading 'More than half of H-1B visas go to India nationals'

Microsoft warns of new Excel vulnerability

Attackers are exploiting a vulnerability that lies within several versions of the Excel spreadsheet program, Microsoft warned late Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Microsoft warns of new Excel vulnerability'

Oracle fixes critical flaws in quarterly update

Oracle has released 26 fixes across its product line in its latest critical patch update, nine of which repair flaws that are remotely exploitable. ...continue reading 'Oracle fixes critical flaws in quarterly update'

Prize for zero-day Windows flaws set at $20,000

A security research company is offering $20,000 for information on undisclosed security flaws in Microsoft's Windows OS. ...continue reading 'Prize for zero-day Windows flaws set at $20,000'

Sun to acquire MySQL for $1 billion

Sun Microsystems will pay $1 billion for Swedish software company MySQL, whose open-source database is used for some of the most widely visited Web sites in the world. ...continue reading 'Sun to acquire MySQL for $1 billion'

Oracle to buy BEA Systems for $8.5 billion

Oracle has agreed to buy BEA Systems for about $8.5 billion, the companies announced Wednesday. ...continue reading 'Oracle to buy BEA Systems for $8.5 billion'

Weak memory pricing hurts Intel revenue

Intel's revenue increase for the fourth quarter fell short of analysts' estimates in part because of weak prices for memory chips. ...continue reading 'Weak memory pricing hurts Intel revenue'

Microsoft confirms another executive departure

Microsoft confirmed on Tuesday that a long-standing and influential member of the Windows OS team has left, one of several recent and imminent executive departures that together represent a changing of the guard at the company. ...continue reading 'Microsoft confirms another executive departure'

MACWORLD: Apple introduces MacBook Air

During his Macworld Expo keynote address on Tuesday morning, Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduced the MacBook Air Tuesday, a computer that the company billed as the world's thinnest notebook -- small enough to fit inside an interoffice mailing envelope. It's priced starting at $1,799. ...continue reading 'MACWORLD: Apple introduces MacBook Air'

MACWORLD: More map features, multi-person SMS lead iPhone news

Apple expanded the iPhone's capabilities Tuesday with a software update that adds a location finder to the Maps feature, customized home screens, multi-person SMS chats, and Webclips. In addition, video playback on the phone now supports chapters, subtitles and languages, while the music playback adds support for lyrics. ...continue reading 'MACWORLD: More map features, multi-person SMS lead iPhone news'

Researchers control robot with monkey's brain signals

Scientists in Japan have succeeded in controlling a humanoid robot with signals picked up in the U.S. from a monkey's brain and transmitted across the Internet, they said Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Researchers control robot with monkey's brain signals'

Microsoft partners to deliver ads on shopping carts

A partnership unveiled this week between Microsoft, MediaCart Holdings and Wakefern Food will deliver personalized ads to grocery shoppers through computerized carts. The initiative is yet another way that Microsoft aims to derive revenue from ads, even as it continues to struggle with Google to take more of the online advertising market. ...continue reading 'Microsoft partners to deliver ads on shopping carts'

Nokia to close German plant, lay off workers

Mobile phone maker Nokia will lay off 2,300 employees at a German plant and move production to lower-cost European sites, the company announced Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Nokia to close German plant, lay off workers'

Mac security program tries to scare users into buying

Some Macintosh users have encountered a security program whose function and Web site have the tell-tale signs of a scam. ...continue reading 'Mac security program tries to scare users into buying'

Cognos ships BI update on eve of IBM buyout

Cognos shipped the latest version of its business intelligence platform on Tuesday, in what could be the last update before the company's sale to IBM becomes final. ...continue reading 'Cognos ships BI update on eve of IBM buyout'

New Trojan intercepts online banking information

A new Trojan program is targeting unwitting users' bank data by intercepting account information before it is encrypted and sending it to a central attacker database. ...continue reading 'New Trojan intercepts online banking information'

China Mobile reportedly rebuffs Apple's iPhone

China Mobile Communications Corp., which has been talking with Apple Inc. for more than two months about serving as the U.S. company's iPhone partner, has broken off negotiations, news reports said Monday. ...continue reading 'China Mobile reportedly rebuffs Apple's iPhone'

Two-thirds of Oracle DBAs don't apply security patches

Two-thirds of all Oracle DBAs appear not to be installing Oracle's security patches at all, no matter how critical the vulnerabilities may be, according to survey results from Sentrigo Inc., a Woburn, Mass.-based vendor of database security products. ...continue reading 'Two-thirds of Oracle DBAs don't apply security patches'

Kumar completes $52M restitution payment for fraud at CA

CA Inc. chief executive Sanjay Kumar has made the final $2 million payment of the $52 million he owed in restitution for his involvement in a $2.2 billion accounting fraud at the software company, his attorney said. ...continue reading 'Kumar completes $52M restitution payment for fraud at CA'

MuleSource readies open source SOA governance

Branching out in the SOA space, MuleSource will introduce Tuesday its Mule Galaxy software, an open source SOA governance platform with an integrated registry and repository. ...continue reading 'MuleSource readies open source SOA governance'

Nashville laptop theft may cost $1 million

The theft of a laptop containing Social Security numbers of Nashville, Tennessee, area voters is expected to cost local officials about $1 million as they roll out identity-theft protection to those affected. ...continue reading 'Nashville laptop theft may cost $1 million'

Microsoft's SenseCam keeps memories in mind

Over the past several years at Microsoft's research facility in Cambridge, England, the company created a wearable digital camera called the SenseCam. The camera's software is designed to take a low-resolution photo every 30 seconds while dangling from its wearer. The SenseCam has received increasing attention in the medical field as an experimental tool to help those with memory problems, such as Alzheimer's disease. ...continue reading 'Microsoft's SenseCam keeps memories in mind'

Will MacBooks follow iPhone to 3G?

Banners hanging at Macworld Expo on Monday read, "2008: There's something in the air," suggesting wireless news to come in CEO Steve Jobs' keynote Tuesday morning. ...continue reading 'Will MacBooks follow iPhone to 3G?'

Sprint said to be planning layoffs

Sprint Nextel Corp. plans to lay off a few thousand of its 60,000 workers, a report in the Wall Street Journal says, quoting unnamed sources. ...continue reading 'Sprint said to be planning layoffs'

MySpace, states team up for children's safety

An agreement between MySpace and most U.S. state attorneys general will significantly increase the safety of minors on the popular social network and boost the ability of police to catch and prosecute sexual predators who use the Web, said MySpace and several participating attorneys general Monday. ...continue reading 'MySpace, states team up for children's safety'

Microsoft faces two new European antitrust cases

The European Commission has opened two new antitrust investigations of Microsoft's activities. ...continue reading 'Microsoft faces two new European antitrust cases'

10,000 Web sites rigged with advanced hacking attack

A sophisticated hacking scheme seen early last year is affecting an increasing number of Web servers, including one owned by a major online advertising company, the chief technology officer of Finjan Software said Monday. ...continue reading '10,000 Web sites rigged with advanced hacking attack'

iPhone briefly becomes number-one Google user

Google released an update to its offerings for the iPhone, hoping to continue a trend that recently saw the iPhone briefly become the number-one mobile phone hitting Google sites. ...continue reading 'iPhone briefly becomes number-one Google user'

Study: Small businesses moving to Vista fastest

Nearly half of businesses are in some phase of preparing to update desktops to Windows Vista, with small businesses moving the fastest to implement the OS, according to a new report released Monday. ...continue reading 'Study: Small businesses moving to Vista fastest'

IBM Q4 results boosted by exchange rates

IBM on Monday said fourth-quarter revenue, aided by exchange rates and sales outside the U.S., stood at $28.9 billion, an increase of 10 percent over the same period in 2006. ...continue reading 'IBM Q4 results boosted by exchange rates'

HP fattens midmarket server line

Hewlett-Packard has announced four entry-level servers for small and midsize companies, along with updates to its remote management software. ...continue reading 'HP fattens midmarket server line'

CES: Reactrix, Samsung show off Wii-like game system for TVs

Software developer Reactrix Systems showed off a gaming system made for LCD TVs that mimics the Wii game console in that people punch in the air to hit a boxing opponent or swing their arms to return the ball in a game of volleyball. ...continue reading 'Reactrix, Samsung show off Wii-like game system for TVs'

Making power management pay off

Chris Hamlin, Intel

With rising energy costs and growing awareness of the environmental costs of power production, companies of all sizes are increasingly interested in implementing power management and today's PCs make it easier than ever to get work done in a more energy-efficient manner. So why isn't everyone implementing power management? Because understanding the available settings and standards is only half the battle. ...continue reading 'Making power management pay off'

EMC will replace some disks with solid-state drives

EMC plans to introduce a line of solid-state drives using flash memory as an option to replace some disk drives in the company's high-end Symmetrix storage arrays, a company spokesman said Monday. ...continue reading 'EMC will replace some disks with solid-state drives'

Hacked MySpace page serves up fake Windows update

There's now one more reason to be security-conscious while using MySpace.com: fake Microsoft updates. ...continue reading 'Hacked MySpace page serves up fake Windows update'

Google denies infringing search patent

Google responded on Friday to a lawsuit filed against it by Northeastern University, denying claims that its search service infringes on patented technology. ...continue reading 'Google denies infringing search patent'

Tech companies share environmental patents

A group of technology companies is offering to share some of its patents to encourage the development of environmentally friendly technologies. ...continue reading 'Tech companies share environmental patents'

Microsoft trained 200,000 teachers in India

Microsoft has trained 200,000 teachers in India on the use of computers, ahead of its original target to train 80,000 teachers in the country during the five-year period ending December this year, it said. ...continue reading 'Microsoft trained 200,000 teachers in India'

Fortisphere release aims at virtualization 'sprawl'

Startup firm Fortisphere on Monday plans to launch a product suite aimed at managing virtualization 'sprawl.' ...continue reading 'Fortisphere release aims at virtualization sprawl'