Changes to OOXML draft standard waved through

About four-fifths of the proposed changes to a draft standard for the OOXML document format were waved through, undiscussed, at the conclusion of a weeklong meeting in Geneva. ...continue reading 'Changes to OOXML draft standard waved through'

Microsoft cuts retail Vista prices

Microsoft Corp. on Thursday said it plans to slash prices for retail copies of Windows Vista up to almost 50% for certain editions in poorer countries, in order to boost sales that one analyst said have failed to meet expectations. ...continue reading 'Microsoft cuts retail Vista prices'

Green computing finds its place at Cebit

Cebit is taking on a green tinge this year, with the Climate Savers Computing Initiative playing a central role at the trade show, which opens March 4 in Hanover, Germany. ...continue reading 'Green computing finds its place at Cebit'

U.S., Canadian agencies seize counterfeit Cisco gear

U.S. and Canadian law enforcement authorities have seized more than $78 million worth of counterfeit Cisco Systems networking equipment in an ongoing investigation into imports from China, the U.S. Department of Justice and other agencies announced Friday. ...continue reading 'U.S., Canadian agencies seize counterfeit Cisco gear'

Spam King trial set to start next month

Notorious spammer Robert Soloway will get his day in court next month when his criminal trial kicks off in Seattle. ...continue reading 'Spam King trial set to start next month'

Yahoo sued again by Chinese dissidents

Yahoo and at least one subsidiary face their second major lawsuit by Chinese dissidents claiming the company aided Chinese authorities by handing over e-mails and other electronic communications that ended up landing one plaintiff in jail. ...continue reading 'Yahoo sued again by Chinese dissidents'

Take-Two garners more takeover interest after EA bid

The publisher of the popular Grand Theft Auto video game series has received more takeover interest after its $2 billion offer from Electronic Arts (EA), the company said Thursday. ...continue reading 'Take-Two garners more takeover interest after EA bid'

Dell plans more low-cost models in Asian notebook push

Dell will introduce more low-cost notebooks in Asia this year as the company steps up the introduction of new models across its entire notebook line, a senior company executive said Friday. ...continue reading 'Dell plans more low-cost models in Asian notebook push'

With mobile browser, Mozilla hopes to shake up market

Mozilla is in informal talks with mobile operators about its mobile Firefox project, which the organization hopes will shake up the market as much as the introduction of the desktop browser did in 2004. ...continue reading 'With mobile browser, Mozilla hopes to shake up market'

Top 10 Ballads for Product Launches

By Shane Schick, Computerworld Canada

As I waited for Microsoft to launch Windows Server, SQL Server and Visual Studio 2008, I imagined how much better the world (or at least the IT industry) would be if some innovative company were to use ballads, instead of dance music, to introduce their breakthrough products. Sure, a lot of IT guys are metalheads, but even the heaviest thrash-rockers have been known to take it down a notch or two occasionally. And so, here's a list of ballads that could help set the tone for a new kind of relationship between vendors and the kind of IT managers they hope to woo. ...continue reading 'Top 10 Ballads for Product Launches'

Intel plans dual-core version of Diamondville

Intel's low-power processor code-named Diamondville will initially be available as a single-core processor, but the company is planning a dual-core version, said a source familiar with Intel's plans. ...continue reading 'Intel plans dual-core version of Diamondville'

LinkedIn users question Gates query

LinkedIn users responded in force to a question posed by Bill Gates, but some also wondered about his intentions. ...continue reading 'LinkedIn users question Gates query'

Dell revenue falls short of analyst estimates

Dell reported revenue of nearly $16 billion for the fourth quarter of 2008, up 10 percent from a year ago, but fell short of analyst estimates. ...continue reading 'Dell revenue falls short of analyst estimates'

Over 50% of companies fire workers for e-mail, 'Net abuse

Half of companies polled in a new survey say they've fired workers for violating e-mail and Internet policies. ...continue reading 'Over 50% of companies fire workers for e-mail, 'Net abuse'

EBay settles patent dispute with MercExchange

EBay has settled a patent dispute with MercExchange that in 2006 was heard by the U.S. Supreme Court, which sided with the online auction house in what is considered to be an important ruling on intellectual property. ...continue reading 'EBay settles patent dispute with MercExchange'

DOJ clears Oracle's BEA acquisition

The U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission gave the green light to Oracle's proposed acquisition of BEA on Wednesday, taking the deal one step closer to becoming final. ...continue reading 'DOJ clears Oracle's BEA acquisition'

Decision against Qualcomm in Nokia case stands

A December decision against Qualcomm's bid to keep some Nokia phones out of the U.S. will stand, Nokia said Wednesday. ...continue reading 'Decision against Qualcomm in Nokia case stands'

Apple's Safari lags in security features, PayPal warns

If you're using Apple's Safari browser, PayPal has some advice for you: Drop it, at least if you want to avoid online fraud. ...continue reading 'Apple's Safari lags in security features, PayPal warns'

Ballmer launches Windows Server 2008, lauds user base

Besides launching a set of updated products Wednesday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer lauded the company's IT user base, calling them the "heart and soul" of the industry. ...continue reading 'Ballmer launches Windows Server 2008, lauds user base'

Opera chooses Google as default search in mobile browser

Opera Mobile and Opera Mini users will start seeing a Google search bar on their browser start pages, based on an agreement between the companies. ...continue reading 'Opera chooses Google as default search in mobile browser'

McNealy: Telcos falling behind in Internet race

Telecommunication companies need to go beyond just providing bandwidth and look into acquiring Internet destination sites that are heavily trafficked, says Sun Microsystems Chairman Scott McNealy. ...continue reading 'McNealy: Telcos falling behind in Internet race'

Ballmer launches Windows Server 2008, lauds user base

Besides launching a set of updated products Wednesday, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer lauded the company's IT user base, calling them the 'heart and soul' of the industry. ...continue reading 'Ballmer launches Windows Server 2008, lauds user base'

Opera chooses Google as default search in mobile browser

Opera Mobile and Opera Mini users will start seeing a Google search bar on their browser start pages, based on an agreement between the companies. ...continue reading 'Opera chooses Google as default search in mobile browser'

Lawmakers debate mobile consumer rights bill

A proposed consumer rights bill for mobile telephone service drew mixed reviews during a hearing in Congress Wednesday, with detractors saying the legislation would place too much regulation on a competitive industry. ...continue reading 'Lawmakers debate mobile consumer rights bill'

Debate on OOXML standard continues behind closed doors

With 6,000 pages of text subject to 1,100 modifications, all to be approved by 120 delegates from 37 countries in just five days, the task facing the standards committee discussing Microsoft's Office Open XML (OOXML) document format in Geneva this week is mammoth. ...continue reading 'Debate on OOXML standard continues behind closed doors'

Nortel cutting 2,100 jobs

Nortel said it will cut 2,100 jobs and shift 1,000 more to 'higher growth and lower cost geographies' after fourth quarter results fell short of Wall Street expectations. ...continue reading 'Nortel cutting 2,100 jobs'

European Commission approves Acer's buying Packard Bell

The European Commission Wednesday gave the go-ahead for the takeover of Dutch computer maker Packard Bell by Acer of Taiwan, after a one-month examination of the deal. ...continue reading 'European Commission approves Acer's buying Packard Bell'

Verizon's first open-network specs coming March 19

Verizon Wireless will release Version 1.0 of the technical specifications for devices to use on its 'Any Device, Any App' service at its developer conference on March 19. ...continue reading 'Verizon's first open-network specs coming March 19'

E.U. fines Microsoft another $1.3B for antitrust abuse

The European Commission fined Microsoft a massive €899 million ($1.3 billion) for continued failure to honor the 2004 antitrust ruling against it, Commissioner for Competition Neelie Kroes said Wednesday. ...continue reading 'E.U. fines Microsoft another $1.3B for antitrust abuse'

Sony shows off concept hand-powered gadgets for kids

Sony has developed a hand-powered digital still camera prototype envisaged for children in developing countries where electricity or batteries might not always be readily available. ...continue reading 'Sony shows off concept hand-powered gadgets for kids'

Google ad drop may not signal problems

A report by Internet market researcher ComScore detailing a 7 percent decline in the number of times U.S. consumers clicked on ads next to Google search results in January sent analysts scurrying to explain the decline. ...continue reading 'Google ad drop may not signal problems'

Server revenue could slow in 2008, after strong 2007

The global server market could be headed for a slowdown this year, market researcher IDC said Wednesday, after one of the strongest years ever in 2007. ...continue reading 'Server revenue could slow in 2008, after strong 2007'

Mundie: Google owes business to Microsoft

Microsoft's Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie said Tuesday that competitor Google owes its business in part to Microsoft, and that his company is not concerned about losing its position as an innovator in the technology market to the search and advertising leader. ...continue reading 'Mundie: Google owes business to Microsoft'

'Out of office' spam dodges filters

Spammers have found a new trick that gets around many current anti-spam filters: abusing the 'out of the office' auto-respond feature found in legitimate webmail services. ...continue reading 'Out of office' spam dodges filters

HP aims to simplify midsize company life with storage array

As more medium-sized companies consolidate their storage, Hewlett-Packard seized an opportunity on Tuesday with a disk array it says is easier to work with than large-enterprise gear, but delivers more capabilities than entry-level storage. ...continue reading 'HP aims to simplify midsize company life with storage array'

50 ways to make your software do more

Christopher Null, PC World

Stuck with a boring browser? Wish that Word could handle more tasks? Feel hemmed in by Photoshop? You don't have to toss (or upgrade) your existing software to get new features and tools. Sometimes a plug-in, an add-on, or even a simple tweak can enable your computer to do tricks you never even thought of before. We rounded up more than 50 of our favorite tools and tips for unlocking extra value from popular browsers, productivity applications, and multimedia tools. ...continue reading '50 ways to make your software do more'

Yahoo releases APIs for more detailed search results

Yahoo is opening up its search platform to enable publishers to serve up more task-oriented, detailed search-page results as part of a larger strategy to encourage third-party development on its Internet platform. ...continue reading 'Yahoo releases APIs for more detailed search results'

Jonathan Schwartz talks up MySQL buy

Sun announced Tuesday that its $1 billion deal to buy open-source database vendor MySQL has closed, and with the news came a bold proclamation from Sun CEO Jonathan Schwartz. ...continue reading 'Jonathan Schwartz talks up MySQL buy'

EMC plans to release online services software after Pi buy

EMC will roll out software for online services this year from its acquisition of Pi, aimed at boosting its cloud computing strategy, Pi CEO Paul Maritz said Tuesday. ...continue reading 'EMC plans to release online services software after Pi buy'

Embedded virtualization set to lure SMBs

Some of the biggest server vendors are starting to ship machines with built-in support for VMware virtualization software. Fujitsu-Siemens began to ship servers with embedded VMware technology Tuesday, while Dell, Hewlett-Packard and IBM will jump on the bandwagon within 60 days. ...continue reading 'Embedded virtualization set to lure SMBs'

Siemens to cut 3,800 jobs in telecom unit

Siemens plans to cut 3,800 jobs at its Siemens Enterprise Communications (SEN) subsidiary, including 2,000 jobs in Germany, the company announced Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Siemens to cut 3,800 jobs in telecom unit'

Network Solutions sued over domain name policy

A class-action lawsuit filed on Monday against Network Solutions alleges the company has unfairly profited from its domain name registration business. ...continue reading 'Network Solutions sued over domain name policy'

IBM launches z10 mainframe

IBM Tuesday is set to launch the System z10, its next-generation mainframe, featuring quad-core processors and aimed at computing-intensive tasks. ...continue reading 'IBM launches z10 mainframe'

U.S. judge pokes hole in file-sharing lawsuit

Legal experts say a recent U.S. court ruling could force the music industry to provide more evidence against people accused of illegal file sharing. ...continue reading 'U.S. judge pokes hole in file-sharing lawsuit'

Sharp, Sony to team on advanced LCD panel production

Sharp and Sony have reached a basic agreement to form an LCD manufacturing joint venture, in a move that continues a months-long realignment of key players in the LCD panel business. ...continue reading 'Sharp, Sony to team on advanced LCD panel production'

Dell's new gaming desktop allows more hardware tweaks

Dell on Monday announced a quad-core gaming desktop that allows gamers to not only overclock the CPU, but also monitor and tweak the performance of components like fans and power supplies. ...continue reading 'Dell's new gaming desktop allows more hardware tweaks'

BlackBerry stumbles over words in Taiwan

BlackBerry sales in Taiwan in 2007 disappointed the local vendor of the popular devices, but the company expects a big improvement this year because people on the island will be able to type mobile e-mails in their own language. ...continue reading 'BlackBerry stumbles over words in Taiwan'

BlackBerry stumbles over words in Taiwan

BlackBerry sales in Taiwan in 2007 disappointed the local vendor of the popular devices, but the company expects a big improvement this year because people on the island will be able to type mobile e-mails in their own language. ...continue reading 'BlackBerry stumbles over words in Taiwan'

Lenovo unveils ultrathin ThinkPad X300 laptop

Lenovo on Monday launched the much-anticipated ThinkPad X300 ultraportable, challenging Apple's MacBook Air as the lightest and thinnest notebook available today. ...continue reading 'Lenovo unveils ultrathin ThinkPad X300 laptop'

YouTube outage underscores big Internet problem

Sunday's inadvertent disruption of Google's YouTube video service underscores a flaw in the Internet's design that could some day lead to a serious security problem, according to networking experts. ...continue reading 'YouTube outage underscores big Internet problem'

FCC hearing weighs net neutrality

Advocates on both sides of the net neutrality debate descended on Harvard Law School Monday for a U.S. Federal Communications Commission hearing that multiple speakers suggested was crucial to the Internet's future. ...continue reading 'FCC hearing weighs net neutrality'

Lessig decides not to run for Congress

Cyberlaw author and professor Lawrence Lessig has decided not to run for the U.S. Congress after briefly flirting with the idea, he announced on his blog Monday. ...continue reading 'Lessig decides not to run for Congress'

Yesterday's SQL worms, today's problem

Brent Huston, MicroSolved, Inc.

For the last few weeks I have been watching old versions of SQL attacks, worms and probes continue to circulate around the Internet. According to popular sources like ATLAS, these SQL worms represent nearly 70% of all malicious traffic on the Internet today. 70% is a large number, especially for vulnerabilities that date back to 2002. ...continue reading 'Yesterday's SQL worms, today's problem'

New Windows Server will lead march to 64-bit OS

The launch of a new family of Windows server products this week will kick-start a broad shift among customers to 64-bit versions of Microsoft's server software, analysts and customers said. ...continue reading 'New Windows Server will lead march to 64-bit OS'

YouTube blames Pakistani ISP for global site outage

Many users around the world could not access the YouTube site for about two hours on Sunday. The company blamed the outage on erroneous routing information introduced by a Pakistani Internet service provider. Pakistani authorities ordered ISPs there to block the site on Friday. ...continue reading 'YouTube blames Pakistani ISP for global site outage'

Microsoft kills off HD DVD drive for Xbox 360

Microsoft will stop making external HD DVD drives for its Xbox 360 game console, but won't say whether it will offer a Blu-ray Disc drive instead. ...continue reading 'Microsoft kills off HD DVD drive for Xbox 360'

Novell bids $205 million for virtualization management firm

Novell Monday announced it had signed a definitive agreement to acquire for $205 million PlateSpin, a maker of tools to help companies adopt, extend and manage server virtualization in the data center. ...continue reading 'Novell bids $205 million for virtualization management firm'

Windows Vista SP1's error-filled saga

The latest turn of events in Vista SP1's rocky ride to market -- and to be sure, this journey changes course daily -- has Microsoft recommending workarounds for rebooting issues caused by a recent Windows Vista update that was meant to prepare systems for SP1 -- which is supposed to happen in mid-March. ...continue reading 'Windows Vista SP1's error-filled saga'

Microsoft to measure 'engagement' with online ads

Microsoft has introduced a reporting tool for its online advertising platform that it claims measures the impact of online ad campaigns rather than merely counting clicks. ...continue reading 'Microsoft to measure 'engagement' with online ads'

Researchers dream up mobile chameleon device

Imagine tapping out text messages on a device the size of an index card and as flat as a piece of paper, then folding it in thirds to hold it to your ear and make a phone call. Refold it in a slightly different shape and wrap it around your wrist, where it becomes a watch and also communicates with an ear bud that lets you talk hands free. ...continue reading 'Researchers dream up mobile chameleon device'

SAP ships 'enhancements' for ERP

SAP is expected on Monday to ship a third 'enhancement package' to its ERP (enterprise resource planning) application, with new features focusing both on core functionality, such as financials and procurement, and functionality aimed at verticals like the retail and manufacturing industries. ...continue reading 'SAP ships 'enhancements' for ERP'

Hackers ramp up Facebook, MySpace attacks

Hackers are actively exploiting an Internet Explorer plug-in that's widely used by Facebook Inc. and MySpace.com members with a multi-attack kit, a security company warned Friday. ...continue reading 'Hackers ramp up Facebook, MySpace attacks'

Microsoft accidentally leaks SP1

On Thursday, some Windows Vista users began finding Service Pack 1 in Windows Update, even though the upgrade isn't supposed to be available broadly until the middle of March. ...continue reading 'Microsoft accidentally leaks SP1'

Goolag makes Google Hacking a snap

The hacking group Cult of the Dead Cow has released a tool that should make Google hacking a little easier for novices. ...continue reading 'Goolag makes Google Hacking a snap'

EA offers $2 billion for Grand Theft Auto publisher

Take-Two Interactive Software, publishers of the popular Grand Theft Auto series of games, has received and rejected a $2 billion acquisition bid from Electronic Arts but left the door open to a possible acquisition later. ...continue reading 'EA offers $2 billion for Grand Theft Auto publisher'

Microsoft letter hopeful, vague on Yahoo deal

In a letter to employees, Microsoft put an upbeat spin on its attempt to take over Yahoo. ...continue reading 'Microsoft letter hopeful, vague on Yahoo deal'

Developers: OpenSocial OK, but needs tuning

Google's OpenSocial initiative to simplify the creation and adaptation of applications for social-networking sites pursues a valuable goal, but its technology platform needs further improvement. ...continue reading 'Developers: OpenSocial OK, but needs tuning'

Motorola finds new counter for shrinking pile of beans

Motorola President and CEO Greg Brown added another piece to the company's new nmanagement team on Friday with the announcement that Paul Liska will become executive vice president and chief financial officer. ...continue reading 'Motorola finds new counter for shrinking pile of beans'