Fujitsu's ultraportable shows up outside of Japan

HIGHLIGHTS

News: Fujitsu's ultraportable shows up outside of Japan
News: Battle of the overclockers
News: Tech CEOs push priorities with politicians
News: Samsung opens biggest chip plant in Texas
News: Symantec 'Project Nextgen' to merge compliance tools
News: Wall Street Beat: IPOs stress IT health, not bubble
News: IT consultants jump on green bandwagon
News: After hacker dissection, Safari beta is patched
News: Novell to release SMB workgroup suite by September
News: Flat-rate mobile phone music service to compete with iPhone
News: Microsoft claims mystery trio thwarts disk pirates
Feature: EBay store owners voice concerns
ITWhirled: Geek Comic of the Week: xkcd's electromagnetic spectrum


NEWS UPDATES

Fujitsu's ultraportable shows up outside of Japan
Fujitsu Ltd.'s recently launched convertible ultra portable PC is starting to appear outside of Japan as the company widens sales of the pocket-size device.


Battle of the overclockers
Overclockers waged a battle of ice against fire last week in Taipei, pushing the performance limits of Intel's CPUs to 5GHz. The hobbyists, who are becoming an increasingly common sight at IT trade shows, are perfecting the art of pushing processors to their limits.


Tech CEOs push priorities with politicians
An advocacy group representing several tech vendor CEOs has been meeting with U.S. presidential candidates and getting a positive reception to the policies it's pushing, the group's executive director said.


Samsung opens biggest chip plant in Texas
Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. opened a US$3.5 billion memory chip factory in Austin Thursday, the biggest such plant in Texas.


Symantec 'Project Nextgen' to merge compliance tools
Symantec Corp. plans to integrate two of its compliance assessment products to make it easier for IT administrators to manage the software, a company executive said Thursday.


Wall Street Beat: IPOs stress IT health, not bubble
Though business demand for IT products remains moderate, initial public offerings (IPOs) point to a healthy sector that is instilling confidence among investors.


IT consultants jump on green bandwagon
IT research organizations have started weighing in with advice for CIOs, including brief podcasts, market research, and weighty practical guides to cutting data center power costs and emissions.


After hacker dissection, Safari beta is patched
Three days after releasing Safari 3.0, Apple Inc. has issued its first patch of the beta software.


Novell to release SMB workgroup suite by September
Novell Inc. will release its first desktop-and-server suite for small businesses in September, an offering clearly aimed at taking market share from rival and sometime partner Microsoft Corp.


Flat-rate mobile phone music service to compete with iPhone
A U.K. startup hopes to compete with Apple Inc.'s new iPhone by offering a flat-rate music service that can run on most of today's mobile phones.


Microsoft claims mystery trio thwarts disk pirates
Microsoft Corp. has clarified the identity of the mysterious trio on the installation disks for the business version of Windows Vista.


FEATURE

EBay store owners voice concerns
When Sandy Scarce began selling apparel on eBay Inc. three years ago, she planned to use the company's marketplace as her only sales channel, but today, deeply discouraged, she is moving away from it.


ITWHIRLED

Geek Comic of the Week: xkcd's electromagnetic spectrum
Sure, you learned about the electromagnetic spectrum in high school, but there were a few details that they probably left out. Where does Superman's heat vision fit in? The Death Star's main laser? The Wave that drunken sports fan enjoy doing at stadium? This comic has the answers.

Google cancels party after eBay yanks ads ... Sun's Schwartz wants sit-down with Torvalds ... Linspire signs patent deal with Microsoft

HIGHLIGHTS

News: Global chip sales growth sputters, estimate slashed
News: Linspire signs Linux patent deal with Microsoft
News: Sony Ericsson to unveil 9GB Walkman mobile phone
News: Azul turbocharges its 'computing appliance'
News: Gartner: Two-year timebomb for ad-hoc multisourcing
News: Schwartz to Torvalds: Dinner at my place?
News: After eBay pulls ads, Google cancels offending party
News: McAfee readies enterprise e-mail, Web appliances
ITwhirled: Top 10 funniest "Get a Mac" spoofs ... Top 10 essential road trip gadgets



NEWS UPDATES

Global chip sales growth sputters, estimate slashed
The global chip market is suffering from falling prices in microprocessors and memory chips, bad news for companies but great for users.

Linspire signs Linux patent deal with Microsoft
Linspire Inc. has signed an intellectual-property agreement with Microsoft Corp. that shields the Linux company's customers from patent claims.

Sony Ericsson to unveil 9GB Walkman mobile phone
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB will launch late Thursday in Berlin six new phones, including a high-end Walkman-branded handset with around 9G bytes of internal Flash memory, according to a company spokeswoman.

Azul turbocharges its 'computing appliance'
Azul Systems Inc. is doubling the capacity of its "computing appliance," a device that uses multiple multicore processors and is a departure from the typical server-based approach to large scale computing.

Gartner: Two-year timebomb for ad-hoc multisourcing
Australian organizations are sitting on multisourcing time bombs as they manage at least six concurrent outsourcing contracts at any given time that were created on an ad-hoc basis.

Schwartz to Torvalds: Dinner at my place?
A day after Linux creator Linus Torvalds publicly questioned the authenticity of Sun Microsystems Inc.'s interest in serving the open-source community, Sun Chief Executive Officer and President Jonathan Schwartz invited Torvalds for a sit-down over dinner to discuss how Sun and the overseers of the Linux kernel can join forces.

After eBay pulls ads, Google cancels offending party
A contrite and repentant Google Inc. canceled a party that irked eBay Inc. and that a source said led eBay to remove all of its ads from Google's U.S. network earlier this week.

McAfee readies enterprise e-mail, Web appliances
McAfee Inc. plans to deliver more scalable versions of its e-mail and Web security appliances, designed for enterprise users.


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10
Top 10 funniest "Get a Mac" spoofs ... Top 10 essential road trip gadgets

EMC, Wipro form marketing and services alliance

HIGHLIGHTS

News: EMC, Wipro form marketing and services alliance
News: With Windows port, a bug-hunting Safari for Apple
News: Microsoft clarifies virtualization licensing -- for now
News: Experts: Displaced workers need more benefits
News: Standards will help users keep their virtual clothes on
News: Nokia's ultra low-power Wibree joins Bluetooth
Feature: TOKYO EDGE: June's coolest gadgets
ITWhirled: Top 10 funniest "Get a Mac" spoofs


NEWS UPDATES

EMC, Wipro form marketing and services alliance
EMC Corp. will train more than 1,000 Wipro Ltd. staff in the use of its storage technologies as part of an alliance announced by the companies on Wednesday.


With Windows port, a bug-hunting Safari for Apple
Security researchers have jumped on Apple Inc.'s beta version of the Safari browser, digging up as many as 18 bugs in the software, just one day after its release.


Microsoft clarifies virtualization licensing -- for now
Microsoft Corp. has released a white paper clarifying how licensing for its current version of Windows Server works when paired with virtualization software. However, customers may face a whole new set of licensing rules once the next version, Windows Server 2008, is released later this year.


Experts: Displaced workers need more benefits
The U.S. government needs to do a better job of supporting and training IT and other workers who have lost jobs to offshore outsourcing, two economists on the opposite side of the offshoring debate said Tuesday.


Standards will help users keep their virtual clothes on
As the number of virtual environments increases, standards and vendor collaboration will help make teleporting between different worlds a smooth experience, ensuring, for instance, that your avatar arrives in a new world still wearing the clothes it donned in your home world.


Nokia's ultra low-power Wibree joins Bluetooth
Ultra-low power is being added to the features of short-range Bluetooth technology.


FEATURE

TOKYO EDGE: June's coolest gadgets
Summer is finally on the way to Japan and the products are designed to match. This month Sanyo Electric Co.'s Xacti video camera has gone waterproof -- perfect for those days on the beach or even snorkelling -- and Casio Computer Co. Ltd. has packed a high-res digital still camera function into its new cell phone -- great for when you're wearing light clothes and don't have a million pockets for gadgets.


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10
Top 10 funniest "Get a Mac" spoofs ... Top 10 essential road trip gadgets

Indian CIOs have to offshore work, says Gartner

HIGHLIGHTS

News: Indian CIOs have to offshore work, says Gartner
News: Google bends to EU privacy concerns
News: JasperSoft BI suite speaks more languages
News: VMware Windows-on-a-Mac product close to launch
News: AOL spammer pleads guilty
Related Reading: DDOS knocks antispam sites offline
News: After Amero porn case, group sees more fights ahead
News: Safari for Windows: Released and hacked in a day
News: WWDC: Apple's iPhone open to software developers
News: Law puts damper on web security research
News: Fujitsu Siemens launches mini-mainframe servers
ITWhirled: Second Life not immune to bullying, study says


NEWS UPDATES

Indian CIOs have to offshore work, says Gartner
It may now be the turn of Indian companies to offshore their IT services requirements.


Google bends to EU privacy concerns
Google Inc. will make the data it stores about end users anonymous in its server logs after 18 months, part of an effort to deflate concerns about privacy raised last month by a European Union working group.


JasperSoft BI suite speaks more languages
JasperSoft Corp.'s open-source business intelligence products are speaking more languages than ever since the launch of an internationalization project in January.


VMware Windows-on-a-Mac product close to launch
VMware Inc. is pricing its upcoming new software to run Windows on a Mac similar to rival Parallels Inc.'s software announced last week.


AOL spammer pleads guilty
Adam Vitale pled guilty Monday to sending unsolicited e-mail to 1.2 million AOL LLC subscribers, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York Michael J. Garcia said.

RELATED READING: DDOS knocks antispam sites offline
Several antispam organizations have been targeted by an attempt to knock them offline, according to the SANS Institute.


After Amero porn case, group sees more fights ahead
A volunteer effort led by lawyers, security researchers and educators wants to stop the next Julie Amero from becoming a spyware casualty.


Safari for Windows: Released and hacked in a day
Apple is becoming a favorite target of security researchers these days. In April, there was the US$10,000 CanSecWest hack a Mac contest, and on Monday there was the Safari Web browser. Or the public beta of Safari for Windows, anyway.


WWDC: Apple's iPhone open to software developers
Third-party software developers can create Web 2.0 applications to run on Apple Inc.'s forthcoming iPhone, company CEO Steve Jobs said Monday.


Law puts damper on web security research
Web security research is being seriously hampered by laws that punish researchers for even attempting to locate flaws in web software, much less disclosing those flaws, according to a new study.


Fujitsu Siemens launches mini-mainframe servers
Fujitsu Siemens Computers (FSC) has launched a brace of server series in its B2000 Business Server range, the SX100 aimed at entry-level mainframe users, and the SX160 with what FSC calls medium performance. They slot below FSC's existing mainframe range, and are based on Sparc64 processors, which FSC also uses in its high-end UNIX servers.


ITWHIRLED

Second Life not immune to bullying, study says
Not even the virtual world is safe anymore. Researchers from the University of Nottingham have discovered in a recent study on cyber-bullying that so-called "griefing" may have negative consequences for users in both Second Life and the real world.

Mobile Linux group releases first specs

HIGHLIGHTS

News: Mobile Linux group releases first specs
News: SAP to offer hosted Business One in India
News: Google hostile to privacy, group says
News: AMD will continue supplying graphics to Intel
News: Reports: Google weighs Microsoft antitrust fight
News: Adobe Apollo becomes AIR, goes into beta
News: Beware of fake Microsoft security alerts
News: Microsoft tests tool for assessing hardware with Vista
News: Tech groups urge return of immigration reform bill
News: Dell pushes Texas e-cycling law
News: IBM undeterred by setbacks to ODF adoption
ITWhirled: 3,333,360: A perfect Pac-Man score


NEWS UPDATES

Mobile Linux group releases first specs
The Linux Phone Standards (LiPS) Forum planned to release its first mobile phone specifications on Monday, in hopes of encouraging more applications for Linux phones.


SAP to offer hosted Business One in India
SAP AG will announce a partnership shortly to offer a hosted version of its Business One applications to small businesses in India, a spokesman for SAP India said on Monday.


Google hostile to privacy, group says
When it comes to protecting the privacy of its users, Google Inc. ranks worse than any other Internet company, according to an interim report by Privacy International. The international watchdog group also accused Google of engaging in a smear campaign in response to its findings, and demanded an apology.


AMD will continue supplying graphics to Intel
Advanced Micro Devices Inc. will continue to supply ATI graphics chips for PCs based on Intel Corp. microprocessors despite the fierce competition between the two companies, AMD's chief technology officer said in an interview.


Reports: Google weighs Microsoft antitrust fight
Google Inc. may be seeking a reopening of state and federal government antitrust action against Microsoft Corp., but a U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) official has recommended against it, newspaper reports indicated Sunday.


Adobe Apollo becomes AIR, goes into beta
Adobe Systems Inc. has officially named its new Apollo runtime "Adobe AIR" and will release a beta of the technology Monday along with a beta of the next version of the company's Flex development environment.


Beware of fake Microsoft security alerts
With Microsoft Corp.'s monthly patch release expected on Tuesday, scammers are sending out fake security bulletins that attempt to install malicious software on victim's computers.


Microsoft tests tool for assessing hardware with Vista
Microsoft Corp. has released the beta of a tool that will test business PCs to see if they are compatible with Windows Vista.


Tech groups urge return of immigration reform bill
Three major technology trade groups on Friday urged the U.S. Senate to resurrect a wide-ranging immigration reform bill that would expand a controversial skilled-worker visa program.


Dell pushes Texas e-cycling law
Electronics manufacturers will have to collect and recycle outdated PCs -- but not TVs -- from consumers in Texas, according to a bill working its way through the state legislature that could become a model for other states.


IBM undeterred by setbacks to ODF adoption
You might think the steady defeat of bills in several U.S. states to mandate the use of free interoperable file formats might dampen the spirits of IBM Corp., one of the prime supporters of the OpenDocument Format (ODF). Far from it, said IBM's Bob Sutor, who sees the recent news as par for the course in the evolution of any open standard.


ITWHIRLED

3,333,360: A perfect Pac-Man score
Yes, it's possible to get a perfect score in Pac-Man -- if you eat every dot, every ghost, and every bonus fruit for 256 levels. In 1999, Billy Mitchell was the first ever to achieve this triumph, and thought he was ready to give up the game, but fans keep challenging him. Now he's one of ten finalists in a world championship.

Special Weekend Edition: Computex Roundup

The annual Computex exhibition in Taipei, Taiwan, last week offered a clear view of what we can expect in new computer systems over the next year. Considered an important barometer of hardware trends, this is where some of the largest companies that manufacture and supply many of the components and finished computers sold by HP, Dell, and others show off their latest and greatest products.

In case you missed any of the developments at the show, this special weekend edition of the ITworld.com Daily Newsletter highlights all of last week's Computex news.


HIGHLIGHTS

Computex Preview: Hardware makers prepare for Taipei showdown
Servers: Server makers show first Barcelona systems
Notebook Computers: Asus, MSI laptops double as HD players
Notebook Computers: Asustek and Intel working on $199 laptop
Notebook Computers: Hands on with Asustek's $199 Eee PC
Notebook Computers: Asustek previews Net radio, overclocking laptop
Ultramobiles & Handhelds: Ultramobiles are pricey, power hungry, AMD says
Ultramobiles & Handhelds: Ubuntu mobilizes tablet software
Ultramobiles & Handhelds: Intel shows more advanced ultraportable
Ultramobiles & Handhelds: IPhone to ignite smartphone use, Arm chief says
Ultramobiles & Handhelds: Via NanoBook takes aim at ultramobile market
Ultramobiles & Handhelds: Acer wheels out Ferrari PDA
Ultramobiles & Handhelds: Taiwan's FIC to debut ultraportable PC
Storage: Flash guys show certified ReadyBoost drives
Storage: Solid-state disks coming on strong
Storage: Toshiba develops laptop HD DVD-RW drive
Computer Design & Engineering Trends: Intel's rumored graphics chip a no-show
Computer Design & Engineering Trends: Chipsets to survive integration with CPU
Computer Design & Engineering Trends: AMD keeps Barcelona specs under wraps
Computer Design & Engineering Trends: Via develops namecard-sized PC board
Computer Design & Engineering Trends: Via CEO promises even smaller motherboards
Computer Design & Engineering Trends: Bearlake chipsets hit the market


COMPUTEX PREVIEW

Hardware makers prepare for Taipei showdown
Intel Corp. and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. will square off this week at the annual Computex exhibition in Taipei, where many of the world's largest hardware makers will be showing off products slated for release later this year.


SERVERS

Server makers show first Barcelona systems
Server makers are showing their first systems based on Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s upcoming quad-core Opteron chip, known as Barcelona.


NOTEBOOK COMPUTERS

Asus, MSI laptops double as HD players
Two Taiwanese companies are making laptop PCs users can hook up to their high definition (HD) TVs to make more use of the laptops' internal high definition optical drives, either Blu-ray Disc or HD DVD.


Asustek and Intel working on $199 laptop
Taiwanese hardware maker Asustek Computer Inc. is working with Intel Corp. on a line of notebook PCs priced as low as US$199, according to one of the chipmaker's top executives.

Related Reading: Hands on with Asustek's $199 Eee PC
Asustek Computer Inc.'s US$199 Eee PC is turning out to be one of the stars at Computex 2007, grabbing attention for its small size and even smaller price.


Asustek previews Net radio, overclocking laptop
If the Internet radio with iPod port and laptop PC built for microprocessor overclocking that Asustek Computer Inc. showed off on Monday are any indication of things to come at the Computex Taipei 2007 trade show, then be prepared for a few surprises.


ULTRAMOBILES & HANDHELDS

Ultramobiles are pricey, power hungry, AMD says
Ultramobile PCs, the new product category developed by Microsoft Corp., have been unsuccessful so far because they're too expensive and their batteries don't last long enough, a top Advanced Micro Devices Inc. executive said Friday.


Ubuntu mobilizes tablet software
Canonical, the corporate sponsor of the Ubuntu Linux distribution, has revealed the specs for a mobile version of its software, due in October.

Intel shows more advanced ultraportable
Just two months after Intel Corp. unveiled a package of chips codenamed McCaslin for ultramobile computers, the company rolled out a prototype device running McCaslin's successor, Menlow, at Computex.


IPhone to ignite smartphone use, Arm chief says
The iPhone is about to do for smartphones what the iPod did for digital music players: put one in everyone's pocket.


Via NanoBook takes aim at ultramobile market
Via Technologies Inc. has developed an ultraportable notebook reference design that will soon hit European markets.


Acer wheels out Ferrari PDA
Acer Inc. plans to start selling a Ferrari PDA (personal digital assistant), adding to a line of Ferrari-branded computer gear that already includes notebook PCs and a monitor.


Taiwan's FIC to debut ultraportable PC
Taiwan's First International Computer Inc. will unveil an ultraportable PC at the Computex show that begins on Tuesday in Taipei.


STORAGE

Flash guys show certified ReadyBoost drives
Flash memory stick makers are showing off USB (Universal Serial Bus) drives at Computex that have been certified to work with Windows Vista's ReadyBoot and ReadyBoost functions, which improve boot-up times and the software start-up speeds in PCs.


Solid-state disks coming on strong
If you're in any doubt that flash memory-based solid-state disks are on a course to quickly replace hard-disk drives in laptop computers, just take a look along the aisles of this year's Computex trade show.


Toshiba develops laptop HD DVD-RW drive
Toshiba Corp. will unveil in Taipei on Tuesday a slim HD DVD rewriter suitable for use in laptop computers.


COMPUTER DESIGN & ENGINEERING TRENDS

Intel's rumored graphics chip a no-show
One of the biggest rumors to come out of Computex this week is that Intel Corp. is developing a new high-end graphics processor, which it will begin sampling to graphics cards makers in Taiwan in the next year or two. Graphics card makers at the show said they've seen no signs of it, however.


Chipsets to survive integration with CPU
Computers are getting smaller and functions that once required multiple chips will increasingly be combined or move to the processor. But Intel Corp. said one component is going to survive these changes: the chipset.


AMD keeps Barcelona specs under wraps
Some of the first servers based on Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s (AMD's) upcoming Barcelona quad-core chip are on display at Computex, but details of the chips are being kept tightly under wraps.


Via develops namecard-sized PC board
Taiwan's Via Technologies Inc. has a knack for making motherboards smaller, and its latest design pushes the boundary of what's possible further than ever before.


Via CEO promises even smaller motherboards
Via Technologies Inc. plans to develop PC motherboards that are even smaller than the business card-sized Mobile ITX product it announced on Tuesday.


Bearlake chipsets hit the market
Motherboards that use Intel Corp.'s 3-series chipsets, codenamed Bearlake, seem to be everywhere at the Computex exhibition -- signalling they will soon find their way to store shelves and hardware makers around the world.