Friday, September 28, 2007

SCO gets reprieve from Nasdaq ... Microsoft gives XP six more months ... Update breaks hacked iPhones



IN THE NEWS

Huawei, investment fund to buy 3Com for $2.2B
Network equipment vendor 3Com Corp. has agreed to be acquired by associates of Bain Capital LLC and of Huawei Technology Co. Ltd. in a deal worth US$2.2 billion, 3Com said Friday.

SCO gets reprieve from Nasdaq
The Nasdaq stock exchange has given The SCO Group Inc. a little more time to get its financial house in order.

Rival asks FCC to sanction Verizon Wireless
Verizon Wireless Inc. should be sanctioned and possibly barred from bidding in an upcoming spectrum auction for a violation of U.S. Federal Communications Commission lobbying rules, another wireless company has alleged.

Internet link raises visibility of Myanmar protests
The ability of citizens in Myanmar to keep connected to the world via the Internet could make a substantial difference to the outcome of the current protests taking place in the South East Asian country, dissidents living in Japan said on Friday.

Microsoft blogger accidentally leaks Office Mobile upgrade
A Microsoft Corp. employee on Thursday accidentally blogged about an upgrade to Office Mobile that shouldn't be available for another couple of weeks.

Google buys mobile social networking service
Google Inc. has acquired a mobile social networking start-up called Zingku Inc., the search company's latest move to provide more services through mobile phones.

New update breaks hacked iPhones
Users are reporting that a new update to Apple Inc.'s iPhone is making previously unlocked iPhones unusable.

Microsoft gives OEMs five more months to install XP
Microsoft Corp. is extending the time it will allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and retail outlets to sell PCs with Windows XP as customers continue to balk on upgrading to Windows Vista.


OPINION

My PC has appendicitis
By Sean McGrath, ITworld.com

It recently struck me that the years have not been kind to all parts of what is known as a PC. There are bits of the PC that could disappear tomorrow without adversely affecting its performance. Kind of like the appendix. Humans haven't had a use for those things since we stopped roaming the prairies in our loincloths and chewing on switchgrass.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
Apple update hits unlocked iPhones ... Microsoft gives XP six more months ... Microsoft blogger reveals Office Mobile plans

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

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

She's a 10

- Top ten laughably bad tech ads
- Top 10 villains you love to hate
- Top 10 programming concepts for librarians to understand

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


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Google buys mobile social networking service .. MS blogger leaks Office Mobile upgrade .. Top 10 programming concepts



IN THE NEWS

Google buys mobile social networking service
Google Inc. has acquired a mobile social networking start-up called Zingku Inc., the search company's latest move to provide more services through mobile phones.

Microsoft blogger accidentally leaks Office Mobile upgrade
A Microsoft Corp. employee on Thursday accidentally blogged about an upgrade to Office Mobile that shouldn't be available for another couple of weeks.

New update breaks hacked iPhones
Users are reporting that a new update to Apple Inc.'s iPhone is making previously unlocked iPhones unusable.

Microsoft gives OEMs five more months to install XP
Microsoft Corp. is extending the time it will allow original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and retail outlets to sell PCs with Windows XP as customers continue to balk on upgrading to Windows Vista.

Apple does major bug-fix for iPhone
Apple Inc. has released its biggest iPhone security update yet, fixing bugs in the mobile phone's browser, mail client and Bluetooth networking server.

Microsoft, others protest Google's DoubleClick deal
Google Inc.'s proposed merger with online advertising server DoubleClick Inc. would create a giant that would control a huge portion of online advertising and hurt the Internet, opponents of the deal told U.S. lawmakers Thursday.

Nokia selling $25,000 Ferrari phones
Nokia Corp.'s exclusive Vertu subsidiary is selling a €18,000 ($25,400) phone in shops in Paris, London, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Palm rolls out new smartphone brand
Palm Inc. introduced a smartphone with a new brand aimed at a younger audience on Thursday.

Verizon reverses decision to block text messages
Verizon Wireless Inc. has reversed a decision to block text messages on its network from abortion rights group Naral Pro-Choice America after an outcry from net neutrality advocates and others.


OPINION

Apple Controls the Flow of iPhone Apps
By Dan Blacharski

The difference between Apple and Microsoft has more to do with strategic marketing and business model than technology.


GADGET GIVEAWAY
_______________

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
_______________

She's a 10

- Top ten laughably bad tech ads
- Top 10 villains you love to hate
- Top 10 programming concepts for librarians to understand

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


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Thursday, September 27, 2007

Windows stealth update blocks XP patches ... Cisco to buy call-center vendor Latigent ... IBM's Symphony downloaded 100k times



IN THE NEWS

Cisco to buy call-center vendor Latigent
Cisco Systems Inc. has agreed to buy Latigent LLC, a vendor of call center reporting tools, and plans to integrate Latigent's products with its unified customer contact center systems.

Verizon reverses decision to block text messages
Verizon Wireless Inc. has reversed a decision to block text messages on its network from abortion rights group Naral Pro-Choice America after an outcry from net neutrality advocates and others.

Live Search plays to its base
Microsoft Corp. thinks its Live Search can match Google Inc. in some areas now, but the company has been the underdog in search for so long it's not even trying to lure users away from its rival -- at least not yet.

Google picks ex-IBMer to lead expansion in Europe
Google Inc. has appointed a top IBM Corp. researcher to lead the expansion of its engineering group in Europe, the search company announced Thursday.

Microsoft's stealth updates stymie XP repairs
The contentious stealth update that Microsoft delivered to customers this summer blocks 80 patches and fixes from installing after Windows XP is restored using its "repair" feature, researchers said Thursday.

HP offers archive system for legal discovery
Hewlett-Packard Co., which had some well publicized legal troubles of its own not long ago, has unveiled a data back-up system to help other companies when they are hit with a lawsuit or regulatory audit.

Panasonic plans new Toughbook PCs, expects big growth
Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. Ltd. (Panasonic) is refreshing its Toughbook rugged laptop PC line and aiming for a big jump in international sales of the computers over the next three years.

IBM software to scan Chicago streets
The City of Chicago is developing a futuristic video surveillance system designed to scan city streets looking for everything from bombs to traffic jams.

Nokia adding WiMax support to products next year
Nokia Corp. plans to add WiMax connectivity to its N-series Internet tablet next year, the company said Wednesday.


OPINION

My PC has appendicitis
By Sean McGrath, ITworld.com

It recently struck me that the years have not been kind to all parts of what is known as a PC. There are bits of the PC that could disappear tomorrow without adversely affecting its performance. Kind of like the appendix. Humans haven't had a use for those things since we stopped roaming the prairies in our loincloths and chewing on switchgrass.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
IBM's Symphony downloaded 100,000 times ... Dell goes carbon-neutral ... Nokia to add WiMax to products next year

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

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

Note to gamers: Take a break now and then, or risk death
A Chinese man who had been playing online videogames in a cybercafe for three days collapsed at his keyboard and was dead by the time paramedics arrived to revive him, according to the Beijing News. The other customers in the cafe fled en masse - perhaps because they suddenly realized the value of getting some fresh air once in a while.

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


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

New tools for iPhone hackers ... Questions remain about eBay info theft ... Dell sets 'carbon neutral' date



IN THE NEWS

New tools help hack into iPhone
iPhone hackers have some new tools now, thanks to HD Moore, one of the developers of the Metasploit hacking software.

Questions remain about eBay members' info theft
Questions abound over the posting of confidential information from eBay Inc. members on one of the vendor's discussion forums, a sinister incident that has many of the online marketplace's buyers and sellers worried.

Vonage gets partial remand in Verizon case
Vonage is downplaying an appeals court decision affirming an earlier verdict of patent infringement on two patents owned by Verizon.

Dell to go 'carbon neutral' by late 2008
Dell Inc. will neutralize its carbon emissions and become carbon neutral by the end of 2008, Chairman and CEO Michael Dell announced Wednesday.

FCC members call for national broadband policy
Two members of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission called for the federal government to create a wide-ranging national broadband strategy to help small businesses compete on a global level.

Microsoft will replace scratched Halo 3 discs
Microsoft Corp. said Wednesday it will replace discs of its Halo 3 Xbox 360 game that were already scratched when users purchased them.

Gmail zero-day flaw allows attackers to steal messages
Accounts on Google Inc.'s Gmail can be easily hacked, allowing any past -- and future e-mail messages -- to be forwarded to the attacker's own in-box, a vulnerability researcher said Tuesday.

Branches' bigger role drives Cisco roll outs
Enterprise branch offices increasingly need the same IT tools that the head office has, and Cisco Systems Inc. is set to unveil branch networking gear Wednesday to help fill that need.


SECURITY TIP

Five ways that software vendors can boost security
Is your software vendor doing everything it can to secure its products? As Sun Microsystems Inc. learned this week, there is always room for improvement.


GADGET GIVEAWAY

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

Web comic of the week: Subterfuge
This ultramoody (and fairly graphic) comic provides an excellent neo-noir punch, one panel at a time. The dark, black-and-grey graphics evoke the days of Bogart, but the action takes place in some unspecified near-future dystopia. It starts with murder and can't end well...

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


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Symphony downloaded 100,000 times in first week .. Oracle-SAP trial date set .. AIM flaw could allow worm to spread



IN THE NEWS

IBM: Symphony downloaded 100,000 times in first week
People apparently are already tuning in to IBM Corp.'s Symphony. The company reported Wednesday that its free rival to Microsoft Corp.'s Office suite was downloaded 100,000 times in the first week of release.

Oracle-SAP court fight gets February 2009 trial date
Oracle Corp.'s lawsuit against rival SAP AG will move finally to trial on February 9, 2009 - almost two years after the suit was initially filed, SAP said Tuesday.

IBM begins another wave of SOA releases
IBM Corp. released SOA products for integrating software applications and improving business processes, and said more customers are starting to understand the SOA concept.

Researchers say AIM vulnerable to worm attack
A critical flaw in the way that the AOL LLC's instant messaging client displays Web-based graphics could be exploited by criminals to create a self-copying worm attack, security researchers are warning.

Dell to go 'carbon neutral' by late 2008
Dell Inc. will neutralize its carbon emissions and become carbon neutral by the end of 2008, Chairman and CEO Michael Dell announced Wednesday.

Fraud police buckling under mountains of data
Fraud investigators are struggling to cope with vast quantities of data sent to them by financial institutions, meaning some crimes may go uninvestigated or even unnoticed, experts said on Wednesday.


WINDOWS TIP

When the Clipboard Dies
By Mitch Tulloch

Windows Terminal Services is generally a solid platform to use in
enterprise environments but occasionally during a Remote Desktop
Connection session, my clipboard has gone wonky. Here's a quick work
around to the problem.



PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
AIM flaw could allow worm to spread .. U.K. police say they have too much information to fight fraud .. Oracle-SAP trial date set

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

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

Web comic of the week: Subterfuge
This ultramoody (and fairly graphic) comic provides an excellent neo-noir punch, one panel at a time. The dark, black-and-grey graphics evoke the days of Bogart, but the action takes place in some unspecified near-future dystopia. It starts with murder and can't end well...


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Vote now!

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Critical vulnerability found in Ask.com toolbar ... Frontline, AT&T appeal FCC auction order ... Microsoft wants part of Facebook



Critical vulnerability found in Ask.com toolbar
A vulnerability in Ask.com's toolbar for Internet Explorer could allow an attacker to take control of a person's computer, according to security advisories

Frontline, AT&T appeal FCC auction order
Several companies have challenged spectrum auction rules recently set by the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, with Frontline Wireless LLC protesting that the auction of the 700MHz band to be auctioned in January could shut out small bidders.

EchoStar to acquire Sling Media
Sling Media Inc., developer of the innovative SlingBox TV-streaming device, is set to be acquired by EchoStar Communications Corp., which operates the Dish Network direct-to-home satellite TV service in the U.S., the companies said late Monday.

Sun launches first x86 quad-core servers
Adding spark to its Sun Fire line on servers, Sun Microsystems Inc. is expected to announced its first x86-based quad-core systems Tuesday.

Microsoft dates, prices Office 2008 for Mac
"Office 2008 for Mac" will be launched on Jan. 15 in the U.S. -- that's the first day of the Macworld Expo event planned for San Francisco -- and it will be launched in other major markets during the first quarter, the company said.

WabiSabi Labi aims to be more than an eBay for zero-days
WabiSabi Labi Ltd., a Swiss start-up that caused a stir with the creation of an eBay Inc.-like marketplace for software vulnerabilities, plans to offer an intrusion-detection system and will open up its auction site to a wider range of intellectual property, according to a company executive.

Pirate Bay hopes for action by Swedish police
Swedish police are expected to decide later this week whether a criminal case is warranted against 10 major music and movie companies over their alleged efforts to disrupt the Pirate Bay, one of the largest file-sharing search engines.

Single-chip 802.11n promises cheap fast Wi-Fi
Broadcom has put 802.11n wireless networking fast Wi-Fi on a single chip, which could make fast Wi-Fi cheaper in the New Year.


WINDOWS TIP
___________________

When the Clipboard Dies
By Mitch Tulloch

Windows Terminal Services is generally a solid platform to use in enterprise environments but occasionally during a Remote Desktop Connection session, my clipboard has gone wonky. Here's a quick workaround to the problem.


GADGET GIVEAWAY
_______________

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
_______________

Husband and wife have anonymous online affairs ... with each other
You know the song: a man, disenchanted with his relationship, meets a Pina Colada-loving woman through the personal ads, only to find that he's been corresponding with his own girlfriend. A similar scenario played itself out online in Bosnia, where a husband and wife were having anonymous online affairs ... with each other. But when they met in person, things got ugly, fast.


POLL
_______________

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Vote now!

Monday, September 24, 2007

Microsoft releases SP1 beta ... Apple warns unlocked iPhones may become inoperable ... 10 laughably bad tech ads



TOP STORY

Microsoft releases SP1 beta to limited group
Microsoft Corp. released the beta of Windows Vista Service Pack 1 to a private group of testers, taking one step closer to the anticipated official launch in the first quarter of next year.


IN THE NEWS

Microsoft launches campaign against Google-DoubleClick
Microsoft Corp. has teamed with public relations and marketing agency Burson-Marsteller on a campaign to garner industry support for asking regulators to scrutinize and potentially block the proposed merger of Google Inc. and DoubleClick.

Apple warns unlocked iPhones may become inoperable
Apple ended its silence on unlocking the iPhone via third-party hacks with a warning Monday that unlocked iPhones may become inoperable.

Report: Microsoft seeks Facebook stake
Microsoft Corp. has approached Facebook Inc. in recent weeks proposing an investment that would give Microsoft a stake of up to 5 percent in the popular social-networking company, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday.

NY blasts Facebook over predators, subpoenas docs
Facebook Inc.'s safety controls and procedures are deficient and fail to properly protect minors from adult sexual predators in the company's social-networking site, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo charged Monday.

Report: EMC looking to buy online backup service
EMC Corp. may be set to close on a $76 million purchase of the Mozy online backup product from Berkeley Data Systems, according to a report in the TechCrunch blog.

Microsoft packaging scratching Halo 3 discs
Anecdotal evidence suggests that Microsoft special packaging is to blame for scratched Halo 3 discs on arrival.


GADGET GIVEAWAY

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

She's a 10

- Top ten laughably bad tech ads
- Top 10 villains you love to hate
- Top 10 programming concepts for librarians to understand

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


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

Vote now!

DoubleClick launches mobile ad platform ... FBI investigates Unisys over U.S. gov't hack ... OLPC offers give one, get one



IN THE NEWS

OLPC offers give one, get one for $400
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) group has launched a program that will let U.S. and Canadian residents pay $400 for one laptop to keep and one to give to a child in a developing nation.

FBI investigates Unisys over U.S. government hack
IT systems integrator Unisys Corp. is under fire for allegedly failing to detect the hacking of U.S. Department of Homeland Security computers, an incident that resulted in data being sent to a Chinese-language Web site.

DoubleClick launches mobile ad platform
DoubleClick Inc. is expanding its advertising services for mobile phones, it announced Monday, as it continues waiting to find out if Google Inc.'s attempt to buy it will pass muster with regulators.

Verizon Business adds to service-level agreements
Verizon Communications Inc.'s Business unit has expanded its service-level agreement (SLA) options, allowing customers to invoke their SLAs on the last mile of their network connection, even in cases where Verizon doesn't own those pipes.

Chinese retailer Gome to sell Dell computers
One of China's biggest electronics retailers Gome Electrical Appliances Group will soon start selling Dell computers at its chain of stores across China.

Virgin drops Windows Media-based music download service
Virgin Group Ltd. will shut down its online music subscription and download service in the U.S. and U.K. next month, leaving one less competitor for Apple Inc.'s iTunes Music Store.

Check Point touts Skype blocking technology
Check Point Software has beefed up its enterprise security gateways, in an effort to protect corporate networks against the risks associated with IM and peer-to-peer application such as Skype.


STORAGE TIP

Getting more performance out of high transaction-rate databases
By David Hill, Mesabi Group

What seems to be the problem? Your organization may have an on-line transaction processing (OLTP) system with a high transaction rate. High transaction rate databases may place a high I/O resource demand on performance that may result in response times outlined in the SLA not being met, batch jobs take too long, etc. You'll need a solution. Here's what you need to know.


PODCAST

Daily IT News Audio Update
OLPC offers 'buy one, donate one' deal ... Microsoft, Philips test White Spaces device ... CCTV cameras don't solve crimes in London

More podcasts


GADGET GIVEAWAY

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

For sale on eBay: One smallish European country, slightly used

Citizens of Belgium went to the polls more than three months ago, but the nation's squabbling political parties still haven't been able to agree on a new cabinet yet. Since nobody else seems to want to run the place, disgruntled Belgian Gerrit Six put the country up for sale on eBay. The company pulled the auction when someone placed a $14 million bid.

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


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what

OLPC offers give one, get one for $400 ... Mobile Web developers irate at Vodafone ... Network General bought at discount price

TOP STORY

OLPC offers give one, get one for $400
The One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) group has launched a program that will let U.S. and Canadian residents pay $400 for one laptop to keep and one to give to a child in a developing nation.


IN THE NEWS

Mobile Web developers irate at Vodafone move
Mobile developers around the world are in an uproar over a change Vodafone Group PLC has made in the U.K. that dramatically decreases the quality of their products and that they fear could prevent new and innovative mobile services from reaching the market.

Microsoft, Philips retest 'white spaces' device
A group of technology vendors has submitted new test results for a wireless device intended to operate in unused portions of the television spectrum, after an identical device malfunctioned in U.S. Federal Communications Commission tests earlier this year.

Tech executives lard richest Americans list
Technology executives dominated the top 10 of Forbes magazine's list of 400 richest Americans this year, with Microsoft Corp. co-founder and Chairman Bill Gates retaining his place at the top of the annual list for the 14th time. According to Forbes, Gates is worth $59 billion.

Zimbra users vexed by Yahoo deal
Zimbra Inc. customers appalled at the company's planned acquisition by Yahoo Inc. are speaking out, saying they are vexed by the deal and upset over its possible negative consequences.

SK Telecom spends on Helio as EarthLink steps back
Struggling EarthLink Inc. has stepped back from further funding Helio, its U.S. mobile joint venture with SK Telecom Co. Ltd., amid hints that the South Korean cellular carrier may become the majority shareholder.

Network General bought at knock-down price
NetScout is to buy Network General, the company behind the legendary Sniffer, for around $205 million in cash, stock and debt


UNIX TIP

Scanning your messages file for warnings
By Sandra Henry-Stocker, ITworld.com

Too often we sysadmins look through our messages files only when something has gone wrong on our systems and we need some clues that might help us piece together what has happened. Routine scanning or, better yet, intelligent extraction and summarization of important notices and warnings can help alert us to problems when they make their first appearance and sometimes avoid the worst repercussions of a problem on your systems. This article looks at a script that scans for warning messages, collects the text and frequency of appearance of these warnings and presents this information in digested form.


GADGET GIVEAWAY

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

For sale on eBay: One smallish European country, slightly used
Citizens of Belgium went to the polls more than three months ago, but the nation's squabbling political parties still haven't been able to agree on a new cabinet yet. Since nobody else seems to want to run the place, disgruntled Belgian Gerrit Six put the country up for sale on eBay. The company pulled the auction when someone placed a $14 million bid.


POLL

Does the iPhone price cut change your mind about buying one?

- Not really - it's still too much for too little
- I'm holding out - it'll come down another $50 or so soon enough
- Now that it's in the sweet spot, I've got my credit card ready
- It sure made me change my mind about having bought one at the old price, I tell you what