Thursday, September 13, 2007

Microsoft: 'Secret' updates were for Windows Update ... Data explosion shakes up IT ... Gadget giveaway: Swiss Army USB

TOP STORY
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Microsoft: 'Secret' updates were for Windows Update itself
Microsoft Corp. claims updates sent out to Windows XP and Vista machines without users knowing about them were for the Windows Update mechanism, though the company acknowledged it could have been more "transparent" before changing files on user computers.


IN THE NEWS
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Online video popularity keeps climbing
People in the U.S. have steadily increased the amount of time they spend watching videos online, as Google Inc.'s YouTube remains by far their preferred video site, according to a study.

Data explosion shakes up IT
In just three years, the bytes of data generated by digital cameras, mobile phones, businesses IT systems and devices will equal the number of grains of sand on the world's beaches.

Cisco launches VMware-enabled datacentre provisioning system
Cisco has announced that it's integrating its VFrame Data Center with VMware Virtual Infrastructure. The networking company called it "a key solution for the Cisco vision of next generation data centres, called Data Center 3.0".

Court stays import ban while Qualcomm appeals
U.S. mobile users waiting for the next crop of phones could breathe a sigh of relief Wednesday when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit granted a stay on an import ban against handsets that use some Qualcomm Inc. chips.

Aruba set to launch 802.11n access point
Wireless switch vendor Aruba will launch an access point that meets the fast 802.11n draft specification by November, even though customers are expected to adopt the new standard slowly.

Palm shareholders approve partial sale
Palm shareholders have approved the partial sale of the company to private-equity firm Elevation Partners.

HP server-storage appliance targets SMBs
HP is launching a server-storage product targeted to small to midsize businesses, the same $60 billion SMB market targeted by rivals IBM, Dell and others.

BEA upgrades app server with SOA, Web 2.0 capabilities
BEA Systems will fit its Weblogic Server Java application server with improvements geared to Web 2.0, SOA and interoperability with Microsoft's .Net platform, the company said at the BEAWorld San Francisco conference on Wednesday.


OPINION
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Open XML Rejection by ISO Means Status Quo -- For Now
By Joel Shore, ITworld.com

Back in seemingly prehistoric times -- September 2005 -- the People's Republic of Massachusetts announced that it would dump the proprietary file formats of Microsoft's Office applications and adopt the XML-based OpenDocument Format instead. Since Office didn't support ODF, the move meant getting rid of Office from thousands of state-owned computers and replacing it with ODF-compliant applications. Much has happened since then. 'Twas the "Save As" heard 'round the world.


NETWORKING TIP
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Cleaner VoIP
By James Gaskin, ITworld.com

When a Voice over Internet Protocol user complains about a poor connection, what do you do? Most check the network for dropped packets or other errors, find no problems, and tell the user to stop mumbling.

Enter Psytechnics (.com), a company dedicated to measuring responses of both packets and the people relying on those packets for their conversations. It doesn't matter if the packets are happy if the users aren't.


PODCAST
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Daily IT News Audio Update
U.S. import ban stayed for some Qualcomm-based phones ... EMC faces sex discrmination lawsuit ... Cell phones banned for Indian students

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY
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It's Fall, and we have a new gadget giveaway ... just for the heck of it. We've brought back the ultimate geek tool, the Swiss Army knife equipped with USB flash drive, LED light, and ballpoint pen.

Enter now for a chance to win!


ITWHIRLED
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Sign of the times: Fruit-picking robots
According to the California Farm Bureau Federation, harvesting California's crops requires about 225,000 year-round workers (and twice that in summer). But with border-tightening in the offing, some farmers are seeking high-tech help.

Subscribe to the ITwhirled alert - weird tech news direct to your inbox.


TODAY'S POLL
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What's the best thing about Fall?

Kids are finally back in school
Football
Pale, fleshy legs are hidden away
I can breathe the air
I'm not the only one in the office

Answer this poll

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