GPS helps you find you friends

Location-based services appeared here, there and everywhere at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week, as service providers maneuvered to take advantage of the increasing number of mobile phones shipping with integrated GPS (Global Positioning System) modules. Many of the services put the emphasis on finding your friends, not finding your way, as GPS evolves into more of a social tool. ...continue reading 'GPS helps you find you friends'

Four newspaper companies form online ad partnership

Four major U.S. newspaper chains launched an online advertising network on Friday that will let advertisers book national campaigns through a single point of contact, reaching 50 million people a month across the U.S. ...continue reading 'Four newspaper companies form online ad partnership'

Report: Yahoo board reported split over Microsoft bid

Yahoo Inc.'s Chairman Roy Bostock is leading a group of the company's board members in favor of accepting Microsoft Corp.'s unsolicited $44.6 billion takeover bid, according to a new report. ...continue reading 'Report: Yahoo board reported split over Microsoft bid'

OLPC, IDB to launch pilot project in Haiti

The One Laptop Per Child Foundation (OLPC) has teamed up with the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) to launch a pilot project in Haiti, the first time the group will be able to comprehensively evaluate the idea of giving laptops directly to students as a learning tool. ...continue reading 'OLPC, IDB to launch pilot project in Haiti'

Successful SOA implementations are on the increase

Most SOA implementations are now successful, with nearly four out of ten enterprises meeting all their goals and 60 percent meeting most of them. ...continue reading 'Successful SOA implementations are on the increase'

Microsoft executive shakeup prepares for Yahoo acquisition

Microsoft confirmed a number of high-level executive changes, moves that could be designed to better position the company to digest an acquisition of Yahoo, an analyst said. ...continue reading 'Microsoft executive shakeup prepares for Yahoo acquisition'

HP settles pretexting cases

Hewlett-Packard settled cases with The New York Times Company and three BusinessWeek journalists Wednesday after being caught spying on reporters in 2006. ...continue reading 'HP settles pretexting cases'

Red Hat's JBoss dons Black Tie to target BEA Tuxedo

Red Hat Thursday revealed a JBoss middleware project aimed at displacing BEA's Tuxedo transaction-monitoring engine, which has a significant legacy install base. ...continue reading 'Red Hat's JBoss dons Black Tie to target BEA Tuxedo'

SCO to get $100M bailout; McBride out if deal goes through

Five months after filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection as part of a reorganization effort last September, The SCO Group Inc. Thursday unveiled a potential $100 million cash infusion and a plan to take the embattled company private. ...continue reading 'SCO to get $100M bailout; McBride out if deal goes through'

Most analog cellular to fade away on Monday

You may think of sunsets as something nice to look at, but if you have an older cell phone or a home alarm system, there's one coming up on Monday that may not be so pretty. ...continue reading 'Most analog cellular to fade away on Monday'

SIIA sues eBay-based software sellers

Online auction giant eBay has been slow to respond to concerns about pirated software being sold there, prompting the Software & Information Industry Association to file nine lawsuits against eBay-based oftware sellers, an SIIA official said. ...continue reading 'SIIA sues eBay-based software sellers'

'Critical' Linux kernel bugs discovered

Security researchers have uncovered 'critical' security flaws in a version of the Linux kernel used by a large number of popular distributions. ...continue reading 'Critical' Linux kernel bugs discovered

Investment firm extends offer to buy Transmeta

An investment firm on Wednesday extended its unsolicited offer to buy the remaining shares in Transmeta, keeping Intel's former chip-making rival on its toes. ...continue reading 'Investment firm extends offer to buy Transmeta'

BenQ to start T80 mobile near field communications trial

Next month, residents of a Farglory Land Development housing project in Taiwan will be invited to test a new mobile phone from BenQ, the T80, that uses NFC (near field communications) technology to access home security systems and pay for items including subway rides. ...continue reading 'BenQ to start T80 mobile near field communications trial'

Yahoo tightens on staff quality in India

Yahoo has trimmed some staff in India as part of an exercise to improve the quality of its research and development (R&D) team in the country. The company has removed less than 5 percent of staff after they failed in a performance appraisal, according to an informed source. Yahoo employs 1,500 staff in India in R&D and its sales and marketing operations. ...continue reading 'Yahoo tightens on staff quality in India'

Yahoo sends letter to shareholders over Microsoft bid

Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang cited the growing online advertising market and his company's position to take advantage of that growth as reasons for shareholders to reject Microsoft's acquisition bid, he said in a letter to shareholders Wednesday. ...continue reading 'Yahoo sends letter to shareholders over Microsoft bid'

Woman hits Best Buy with $54M suit for losing laptop

A Washington, D.C., woman has filed a lawsuit seeking $54 million in damages from Best Buy after the electronics retailer lost her laptop computer last year. ...continue reading 'Woman hits Best Buy with $54M suit for losing laptop'

Report: News Corp., Yahoo in talks to fend off Microsoft

Yahoo may team up with News Corp. to fend off Microsoft's bid to buy the struggling Web portal, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday. ...continue reading 'Report: News Corp., Yahoo in talks to fend off Microsoft'

Attack code posted for Microsoft Works bug

Just one day after Microsoft issued a massive set of security patches for its software, hackers have begun posting code showing how to exploit one of the flaws. ...continue reading 'Attack code posted for Microsoft Works bug'

Unix Tip: Stripping file extensions with the basename command

I recently discovered a new trick for using basename to extract filenames from a full pathnames. This can be useful if you want to extract some portion of a file's name and then reuse it. For example, if you want to find the differences between a number of files with .old extensions and the original files. ...continue reading 'Unix Tip: Stripping file extensions with the basename command '

Learn to shut up. 6 ways to speak more concisely

Mike Staver, The Staver Group

Shutting up is a valuable skill to learn in business, in personal relationships -- really, in all areas of life. Shutting up makes you appear more confident and intelligent, and you may actually learn something. ...continue reading 'Learn to shut up. 6 ways to speak more concisely'

What Google's Android means to the tech industry

Don Reisinger, ITworld.com

If nothing else, Google's Android platform is a by-product of where the tech industry is in its development phase. Instead of being the scary beast from years ago where people didn't want to know about tech and couldn't care less how to get the most out of it, we've entered a phase where people want to tinker with their gadgets just as much as they want to fix up their homes. ...continue reading 'What Google's Android means to the tech industry'

The best Internet Explorer add-ins

To get the most out of the Web, you need add-ins that give your browser plenty of extra features. Firefox is well known for its plug-ins, but there aren't as many available for Internet Explorer. Still, IE users needn't feel left out in the cold. In fact, there are plenty of add-ins for IE as well. Here are some favorites. ...continue reading 'The best Internet Explorer add-ins'

Report: News Corp., Yahoo in talks to fend off Microsoft

Yahoo may team up with News Corp. to fend off Microsoft's bid to buy the struggling Web portal, according to a Wall Street Journal report on Wednesday. ...continue reading 'Report: News Corp., Yahoo in talks to fend off Microsoft'

Attack code posted for Microsoft Works bug

Just one day after Microsoft issued a massive set of security patches for its software, hackers have begun posting code showing how to exploit one of the flaws. ...continue reading 'Attack code posted for Microsoft Works bug'

Lockheed wins 10-year FBI biometric contract

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has awarded Lockheed Martin a $1 billion contract to build a next-generation biometrics-based identification system. ...continue reading 'Lockheed wins 10-year FBI biometric contract'

Microsoft to offer subscription-based PCs in Russia

A Russian mobile-phone operator is the latest service provider to team with Microsoft to offer Windows-based PCs on a subscription basis through the company's Unlimited Potential program. ...continue reading 'Microsoft to offer subscription-based PCs in Russia'

Top 10 mobile trends

There's something to interest almost everyone at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona this week. ...continue reading 'Top 10 mobile trends'

Mozilla delivers Firefox 3 Beta 3

Mozilla Corp. released the third beta of Firefox 3 Wednesday, eight weeks after it made the last major milestone for its open-source browser, and right on a schedule it set a dozen days ago. ...continue reading 'Mozilla delivers Firefox 3 Beta 3'

Valentine's Day-themed Storm worm attacks

A Valentine's themed outbreak of the Storm worm has been detected. Malicious emails are being received across the globe - they contain a weblink, which directs users to a website where they can supposedly download a Valentine's card, but in fact are infected with the Storm bug. The virus mirrors the fake Christmas and New Year messages seen in previous months. ...continue reading 'Valentine's Day-themed Storm worm attacks'

Danish ISP prepares to fight Pirate Bay injunction

One of Denmark's largest ISPs said on Wednesday it will fight a court injunction mandating that it shut off access to a file-sharing Web site, in what could be a closely-watched battle with the music industry in Europe. ...continue reading 'Danish ISP prepares to fight Pirate Bay injunction'

Outage gives BlackBerry a black eye

The second lengthy BlackBerry outage in less than a year has one consulting company advising clients not to rely solely on the popular smart phones for critical e-mail messages. ...continue reading 'Outage gives BlackBerry a black eye'

T-Mobile dumps Google for Yahoo

T-Mobile announced on Tuesday that it will soon begin using Yahoo as its preferred mobile search provider in Europe, ending the operator's existing relationship with Google for mobile search. ...continue reading 'T-Mobile dumps Google for Yahoo'

Intel and antitrust: A brief history

Tuesday's raid on Intel's Munich office by European Commission investigators marks the latest development in one of several antitrust cases that have dogged the world's largest chip maker for years. Here's a rundown of Intel's brushes with antitrust investigators and lawsuits around the world since 1990. ...continue reading 'Intel and antitrust: A brief history'

IBM says it will continue large-scale hiring in India

IBM plans to continue hiring global services delivery staff in India by the thousands, adding to the 73,000 it already has in its global services and other operations in the country. ...continue reading 'IBM says it will continue large-scale hiring in India'

HP lands $675M outsourcing contract from Unilever

Hewlett-Packard's outsourcing business has scored an extended contract with Unilever worth $675 million, HP said Wednesday. ...continue reading 'HP lands $675M outsourcing contract from Unilever'

Microsoft releases massive set of security updates

Microsoft released 11 security updates Tuesday fixing critical flaws in its products, including a publicly known ActiveX bug that affects users of the Visual FoxPro database. ...continue reading 'Microsoft releases massive set of security updates'

Vista SP1 prerequisites rolled up in Patch Tuesday update

Microsoft is including a set of nonsecurity updates that prepare customers to install Windows Vista Service Pack 1 as part of its monthly 'Patch Tuesday' security fixes. ...continue reading 'Vista SP1 prerequisites rolled up in Patch Tuesday update'

Yahoo buys Maven for $160 million

Yahoo has acquired Maven Networks for US$160 million in a deal that will help the search provider boost its video advertising capabilities. ...continue reading 'Yahoo buys Maven for $160 million'

RIM probing cause of BlackBerry outage

Research In Motion still doesn't know why its BlackBerry service went down for several hours on Monday. ...continue reading 'RIM probing cause of BlackBerry outage'

European Commission raids Intel offices in Munich

Intel offices in Munich were raided by the European Commission on Tuesday as part of an ongoing antitrust investigation. ...continue reading 'European Commission raids Intel offices in Munich'

Nokia integrates Google into its search application

Nokia will integrate Google's search engine into its own search application on four of its latest phones unveiled at the Mobile World Congress, the companies said on Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Nokia integrates Google into its search application'

Groups call for passage of health IT legislation

The U.S. Congress needs to pass health-care IT legislation before private companies develop multiple systems that don't talk to each other, two advocacy groups said Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Groups call for passage of health IT legislation'

Vodafone CEO calls for mobile OS consolidation

The wide variety of operating systems on mobile phones is hindering the growth of cool mobile Internet applications, according to Arun Sarin, CEO of network operator Vodafone. ...continue reading 'Vodafone CEO calls for mobile OS consolidation'

8 Must-watch geek Valentine's Day videos

Valentine's Day is traditionally imagined as a holiday for romantics and smooth operators, and geeks are traditionally imagined as, well, not romantics or smooth operators. As with any stereotype, there's a germ of truth to this, but we know that geeks can reach the same heights of passion as anyone else -- sometimes, they just express it differently. And so, in honor of building understanding towards our community this Valentine's Day, we offer this collection of videos that will help you better understand the love between two geeks, or between a geek and a non-geek, or between a geek and ... some toys. ...continue reading '8 Must-watch geek Valentine's Day videos'

Only in Japan: The best technologies you can't buy

Just a few years ago Japan's lead in all things digital was easy to see. Japanese consumers could buy new domestic gadgets from companies like Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic, often a year or two before they hit the market in other countries. But now things have changed. With gadgets increasingly coming out at the same time around the world, it's no longer the hardware that makes something cool, but what you can do with it. ...continue reading 'Only in Japan: The best technologies you can't buy'

5 ways to flirt online

Finding a mate online doesn't have to entail filling out endless forms, dropping hefty fees at matchmaking services, or navigating the seven circles of social networking hell. It starts with flirting, which you can do cheaply, easily, and at a distance. Better yet: All the rejection happens offline, so you'll never have to suffer the embarrassment of seeing your best lines fall flat or learning that you have spinach stuck in your teeth. Here are five of the right places to look for love--or something approximating it. ...continue reading '5 ways to flirt online'

What's behind Yahoo's rejection of Microsoft bid?

Yahoo's rejection of Microsoft's acquisition bid is likely a negotiating strategy to elicit a higher offer and shouldn't be seen as an attempt to resist a deal at all costs, according to analysts. ...continue reading 'What's behind Yahoo's rejection of Microsoft bid?'

Android comes to life in Barcelona

Google's Android software platform for mobile phones is coming to life in Barcelona, with a number of chip manufacturers showing it running on prototype or proof-of-concept phones at the Mobile World Congress on Monday. ...continue reading 'Android comes to life in Barcelona'

Microsoft buys mobile software company Danger

Continuing its push into the mobile consumer market, Microsoft announced that it plans to acquire Danger, the developer of software and services that run the Sidekick. ...continue reading 'Microsoft buys mobile software company Danger'

Touch-based interfaces infect show with 'iPhoneitis'

Sony Ericsson, LG and Samsung have all caught 'iPhoneitis,' joining in on one of the hottest trends at the Mobile World Congress -- touch-based user interfaces. ...continue reading 'Touch-based interfaces infect show with 'iPhoneitis''

Forrester slashes global IT outlook

Forrester Research said Monday that it is downgrading its 2008 forecast for IT purchasing in both the U.S. and around the world. ...continue reading 'Forrester slashes global IT outlook'

Encryption could make you more vulnerable, warn experts

The use of data encryption could make organizations vulnerable to new risks and threats, a panel of security experts warned Monday. ...continue reading 'Encryption could make you more vulnerable, warn experts'

Zeemote wants mobile gamers to let go of their phone

You might think the last thing you'd need to play games on your mobile phone would be a wireless remote control, but Zeemote's JS1 is just that. The Bluetooth device has four buttons and a thumb-operated analog joystick, and can be held in the left or right hand, leaving the other hand free to hold the phone. ...continue reading 'Zeemote wants mobile gamers to let go of their phone'

Bored astronauts to play with paper airplanes

Sure, space travel sounds exciting - but when you're on the International Space Station for months and months you're not actually going anywhere, so you can imagine that it might get a bit tedious. Now Japanese scientists are anticipating ways to stave off space boredom, by working on a series of origami airplanes that astronauts can actually launch out into space. ...read more

Poll: If you were Microsoft, would you buy Yahoo?

- Yes - MSN isn't cutting it, they need to catch up
- No - It's throwing money at winning the last Internet battle
- They should make a play for AltaVista or HotBot

Vote now!

Facebook privacy chief: Data portability dangers overlooked

The launch of Facebook's Beacon advertising system in November put the social networking site in the middle of a controversy over privacy, as Beacon was criticized for being too aggressive and stealthy in collecting and broadcasting information about users' activities online. For that reason, few people would probably envy the job of Chris Kelly, Facebook's chief privacy officer and the person most responsible for explaining the site's policies to the public. In this interview, Kelly answers questions about Beacon and other hot topics, including the company's efforts to protect minors from sexual predators, and data portability. ...continue reading 'Facebook privacy chief: Data portability dangers overlooked'

Yahoo rejects Microsoft offer

Confirming weekend rumors, Yahoo rejected on Monday Microsoft's $44.6 billion cash-and-stock offer, saying the unsolicited proposal substantially undervalues the company. ...continue reading 'Yahoo rejects Microsoft offer'

Report: Motorola, Nortel in wireless infrastructure talks

Nortel Networks on Monday declined to comment on a news report that the company is negotiating with Motorola to combine wireless infrastructure units. ...continue reading 'Report: Motorola, Nortel in wireless infrastructure talks'

Attacks aimed at Adobe Reader, Acrobat flaws intensify

The flaws disclosed last week in Adobe System's Reader and Acrobat programs have been used to exploit computers since at least January via malicious banner advertisements, security analysts are reporting. ...continue reading 'Attacks aimed at Adobe Reader, Acrobat flaws intensify'

Sony Ericsson to make Windows Mobile phone

Sony Ericsson will begin selling its first phone using Windows Mobile software this year, Microsoft was due to announce on Sunday, just ahead of the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. ...continue reading 'Sony Ericsson to make Windows Mobile phone'

Razr, others designated LiMo Linux phones

The LiMo Foundation plans to announce 18 phones based on its platform, including some that are already on the market, on Monday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. ...continue reading 'Razr, others designated LiMo Linux phones'

Dell moves AMD consumer PCs offline to retail

Dell has scaled back the range of consumer PCs with processors from Advanced Micro Devices that it sells on its Web site, focussing almost exclusively on systems with Intel processors. ...continue reading 'Dell moves AMD consumer PCs offline to retail'

Red Hat, Ubuntu top vendor's usage study

Ubuntu and Red Hat are the most used Linux distributions among the 35,000 members of content-management vendor Alfresco's community, the company found in its second survey of trends in enterprise open-source software usage. ...continue reading 'Red Hat, Ubuntu top vendor's usage study'