Blockbuster offers up to $1.33 billion for Circuit City

Blockbuster has offered to buy Circuit City Stores for as much as $1.33 billion in a deal aimed at taking advantage of the global trend of putting media content on electronic devices. ...continue reading 'Blockbuster offers up to $1.33 billion for Circuit City'

Fujitsu to show laptop with wooden case

Could this be the environmentally friendly laptop PC of the future? Fujitsu will unveil later this week a laptop PC with a case manufactured from wood rather than the more traditional plastic or metal. ...continue reading 'Fujitsu to show laptop with wooden case'

Sun claims big leap with MySQL upgrade

MySQL developers should be able to get their hands on a major update to the open-source database this week when Sun Microsystems hosts its first MySQL conference since acquiring the company earlier this year. ...continue reading 'Sun claims big leap with MySQL upgrade'

Report: ActiveX, QuickTime are buggiest browser plug-ins

ActiveX controls accounted for an overwhelming majority of all browser plug-in vulnerabilities in the second half of 2007, Symantec Corp. said this week in its semi-annual Web security report. ...continue reading 'Report: ActiveX, QuickTime are buggiest browser plug-ins'

Microsoft proposes tiered privacy in online advertising

Microsoft has proposed a tiered approach to protecting the privacy of people targeted by online advertising, saying advertisers should get permission before using sensitive, personally identifiable information to deliver ads. ...continue reading 'Microsoft proposes tiered privacy in online advertising'

AMD chief technology officer resigns

Advanced Micro Devices Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer Phil Hester has resigned to search for new opportunities, AMD said Friday. ...continue reading 'AMD chief technology officer resigns'

A new kind of Web -- don't miss these 11 sites

Here are 11 Web 2.0 sites or mashups or whatever you want to call them that show what the new Web can do, from helping you organize your life to adding some personalized fun to it. ...continue reading 'A new kind of Web -- don't miss these 11 sites'

Centrino 2 processor details leaked by PC maker

Details of the first few processors belonging to Intel's latest Centrino 2 mobile platform have been leaked on a PC maker's Web site, preempting Intel's official launch of the platform at the middle of this year. ...continue reading 'Centrino 2 processor details leaked by PC maker'

Seven Free Geek Tools--and a Quick Tip

You like messing around with your PC, right? The deeper you can drill into its insides, the better. And the right tools can dig into the far reaches of the Registry or uncover obscure portions of the file system, improving performance and avoiding trouble. I can tell you all about some of those tools--and they're free. ...continue reading 'Seven Free Geek Tools--and a Quick Tip'

Price pressure prompts STMicroelectronics, NXP joint venture

Chip vendors NXP and STMicroelectronics have announced a joint venture to deliver cheaper chips for phones. ...continue reading 'Price pressure prompts STMicroelectronics, NXP joint venture'

Oracle to ship critical database fixes next week

Oracle will release patches for a slew of products next week, including fixes for two nasty vulnerabilities for its database software. ...continue reading 'Oracle to ship critical database fixes next week'

U.S. presidential election can be hacked

This year, the U.S. will pick a new president using electronic voting machines that can be hacked, security experts said Thursday at the RSA Conference in San Francisco. ...continue reading 'U.S. presidential election can be hacked'

Retailers fined for breaking DTV transition rules

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has handed out more than US$6.6 million in fines to 11 retailers and television manufacturers, accusing the companies of violating its rules for the U.S. transition to all-digital broadcasts in early 2009. ...continue reading 'Retailers fined for breaking DTV transition rules'

After arrest, Roberto Preatoni to stay at WabiSabiLabi

Five months after being arrested by Italian authorities on hacking and wiretapping charges, the founder of a controversial company that sells unpatched computer vulnerabilities says he'll remain on board. ...continue reading 'After arrest, Roberto Preatoni to stay at WabiSabiLabi'

Opera previews mobile browser for Google Android

Opera on Thursday added Google's Android to the list of platforms that can run its mobile browser. ...continue reading 'Opera previews mobile browser for Google Android'

Symantec to buy AppStream

Symantec plans to buy AppStream, a seller of software that is used to deliver applications to the corporate desktop on demand. ...continue reading 'Symantec to buy AppStream'

Intel sheds optical communications assets, selling to Emcore

Intel shed more of its optical business assets on Thursday, selling the enterprise and storage assets of the unit to semiconductor company Emcore. ...continue reading 'Intel sheds optical communications assets, selling to Emcore'

IBM to buy FilesX for data protection software

IBM has signed an agreement to buy FilesX, a storage software company in Haifa, Israel, and Newton, Massachusetts, it announced Thursday. Terms of the deal, which IBM said will close shortly, were not disclosed. ...continue reading 'IBM to buy FilesX for data protection software'

IPhone has hurt Palm, BlackBerry

Palm is facing deep challenges to compete with Apple's iPhone, while Research In Motion's BlackBerry also seems set to lose market share to the device, at least in the consumer market, an analyst reports. ...continue reading 'IPhone has hurt Palm, BlackBerry'

When roses won't do, e-mail a fragrance with NTT

After satisfying the senses of sight and sound through video streams and music downloads, NTT Communications aims to tap into the sense of smell with a new system that allows users to send fragrances from their cell phones. ...continue reading 'When roses won't do, e-mail a fragrance with NTT'

Yahoo, AOL may tie-up; News Corp. may make bid

Yahoo is in talks with Time Warner on a deal to combine Internet operations with AOL, while News Corp. is in talks with Microsoft to jointly bid for Yahoo, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. ...continue reading 'Yahoo, AOL may tie-up; News Corp. may make bid'

Yahoo to test Google search ads

Yahoo will test displaying Google search ads in a small number of its search engine queries, a move likely to be interpreted as the latest in a series of Yahoo maneuvers to resist Microsoft's acquisition attempt. ...continue reading 'Yahoo to test Google search ads'

Fujitsu to monitor data center heat with optical fiber

Fujitsu is looking to optical fiber to help increase efficiency in the cooling of large data centers. The company has developed a prototype monitoring system that can measure the temperature in up to 10,000 points using a single optical fiber connected to a measuring device. ...continue reading 'Fujitsu to monitor data center heat with optical fiber'

Europe rejects plan to criminalize file-sharing

The European Parliament rejected attempts to criminalize the sharing of files by private individuals, and threw out the idea of banning copyright abusers from the Internet, in a plenary vote Thursday. ...continue reading 'Europe rejects plan to criminalize file-sharing'

Startup pushes virtual labs as a service

Seattle startup Skytap is set to debut virtual labs-as-a-service software that will let development teams create multiple test machines in various configurations without tying up much hardware. ...continue reading 'Startup pushes virtual labs as a service'

Symantec to buy AppStream

Symantec plans to buy AppStream, a seller of software that is used to deliver applications to the corporate desktop on demand. ...continue reading 'Symantec to buy AppStream'

Microsoft: Let's talk about trust

Microsoft can't build the next generation of trusted computer systems on its own, the company's chief research and strategy officer said Tuesday at the RSA Conference. ...continue reading 'Microsoft: Let's talk about trust'

Europe set to award contracts for Galileo system

The process of picking technology companies to build the satellites and ground stations for Europe's satellite navigation system will begin in the next two months, the European Commission said Tuesday. ...continue reading 'Europe set to award contracts for Galileo system'

HP ships ultraportable laptop with Via inside, not Intel

Hewlett-Packard unveiled its Compaq 2133 ultraportable laptop, which uses a C7-M microprocessor from Taiwan's Via Technologies instead of a chip from Intel. ...continue reading 'HP ships ultraportable laptop with Via inside, not Intel'

Microsoft releases some of promised Office documentation

Microsoft has released preliminary documentation for how several of its Office business products interact with each other, part of the company's plan to appease regulators by releasing proprietary protocols that help developers make its products more interoperable. ...continue reading 'Microsoft releases some of promised Office documentation'

AMD announces layoffs, drops revenue forecast

Advanced Micro Devices on Monday said it plans to lay off 10 percent of its work force by the third quarter of 2008 in an effort to cut costs. ...continue reading 'AMD announces layoffs, drops revenue forecast'

Europe mulls six-month limit for search engine data storage

Search engine companies may be set for a clash with European regulators over how long personal data related to searches should be retained. ...continue reading 'Europe mulls six-month limit for search engine data storage'

Google offers to host services on App Engine

Google is offering to host enterprise web applications on its own infrastructure with a new tool for developers, App Engine. ...continue reading 'Google offers to host services on App Engine'

Amazon Web Services has another outage

Amazon's cloud computing service was down on Monday morning for more than an hour, following an outage on its hosted storage service two months ago. ...continue reading 'Amazon Web Services has another outage'

Researcher: Web page can take over your router

Researcher Dan Kaminsky has spent the past year studying how design flaws in the way that browsers work with the Internet's Domain Name System (DNS) can be abused in order to get attackers behind the firewall. But at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, he will demonstrate how this attack would work on widely used routers, including those made by Cisco's Linksys division and D-Link. ...continue reading 'Researcher: Web page can take over your router'

Microsoft to resume Vista 'endless reboot' update Tuesday

Microsoft Monday said it would resume automatic distribution of a Windows Vista update on Tuesday that two months ago sent some users' PCs into an endless wave of reboots. ...continue reading 'Microsoft to resume Vista 'endless reboot' update Tuesday'

Samsung committed to torch relay despite protests

Samsung Electronics says it remains committed to its sponsorship of the Olympic torch relay despite large protests in London on Sunday that dogged the progress of the torch through the city. ...continue reading 'Samsung committed to torch relay despite protests'

Orange launches TV service for PC, TV and mobiles

Mobile operator Orange will roll out a 'cinema series' service where customers will be able to watch six TV channels and video-on-demand on their TV, PC and mobile device. ...continue reading 'Orange launches TV service for PC, TV and mobiles'

New attack targets ActiveX bugs

Hackers are using a new multiple-attack package composed of seven ActiveX exploits, many of them never seen in the wild before, said a security company on Friday. ...continue reading 'New attack targets ActiveX bugs'

In-flight mobile phone use approved across Europe

The European Commision has opened the door for mobile phones on planes, introducing measures to harmonize the technical and licensing requirements for mobiles services in the sky. ...continue reading 'In-flight mobile phone use approved across Europe'

Motorola, Icahn reach agreement on board

Motorola and Carl Icahn have reached an agreement that ends the activist investor's long battle to install members on Motorola's board and break up the company. ...continue reading 'Motorola, Icahn reach agreement on board'

Application-sharing exchange takes cue from Salesforce

Following a path laid out by companies such as Salesforce.com, risk-compliance software vendor Archer Technologies is opening up the Archer Exchange, an online marketplace and community site for applications built with its development framework, SmartSuite. ...continue reading 'Application-sharing exchange takes cue from Salesforce'

Not Just an Experiment: Guy Kawasaki's Alltop.com

Dan Blacharski, ITworld.com

It's not an experiment, it's not a demonstration site, it's just a commercial web property designed to provide something useful, gain readership and make some money. Guy Kawasaki's two new Web companies, Truemors.com and Alltop.com, represent a new direction not just for Guy Kawasaki, but for the entire community of Web entrepreneurs. Guy talks about how the Web has changed, and how it's a lot cheaper today to start a Web company than it used to be. ...continue reading 'Not Just an Experiment: Guy Kawasaki's Alltop.com'

Yahoo again rebuffs Microsoft in letter

Yahoo called Microsoft's threat of a hostile takeover 'counterproductive' on Monday, while also saying it is open to a deal but only at a higher price. ...continue reading 'Yahoo again rebuffs Microsoft in letter'

Yahoo previews online ad management platform

Yahoo said Monday it will have a Web-based system in place to buy online ad space across some 600 newspapers and other online sites as soon as July. ...continue reading 'Yahoo previews online ad management platform'

Microsoft to Yahoo: Make deal or face proxy fight

Microsoft Saturday threatened Yahoo's board of directors with a proxy battle if it won't agree to a buy-out in the next three weeks. ...continue reading 'Microsoft to Yahoo: Make deal or face proxy fight'

Jury: Microsoft must pay Alcatel-Lucent $367 million

A jury in San Diego ordered Microsoft to pay Alcatel-Lucent US$367.4 million for infringing on two patents, adding a new chapter to a long-running dispute between the companies. ...continue reading 'Jury: Microsoft must pay Alcatel-Lucent $367 million'

Spectrum auction unlikely to shift carrier balance

Both Verizon Wireless and AT&T won enough spectrum licenses in the U.S. government's 700MHz auction concluded last month to roll out services a cut above what they offer today, though how fast they are for subscribers will be up to the carriers. ...continue reading 'Spectrum auction unlikely to shift carrier balance'

Companies struggle as Safari pops up on networks

Network administrators are complaining that Apple's recent decision to offer users its Safari Web browser as part of an iTunes and QuickTime update has made their lives harder, as they struggle to remove the software from PCs on their networks. ...continue reading 'Companies struggle as Safari pops up on networks'

Good aims to manage all enterprise mobile devices

Enterprises don't want to have to use two different management systems to support mobile devices in the warehouse and smartphones for executives, and so Good Technology, with sister company Symbol, plans to offer products that can support all types of mobile devices. ...continue reading 'Good aims to manage all enterprise mobile devices'

Hero computer devours school grades

Students at four Indiana schools got a report card reprieve when a computer crash erased all grading records for a month's worth of work. An IBM engineer says the data loss resulted from "an unfortunate and very rare combination of hardware problems and backup configuration settings." We dare you IT pros to run that one through your BS-o-meter. ...read more

Windows XP sales extended through 2010 for ultra-low-cost PCs

Microsoft confirmed Thursday that it will extend the sales of Windows XP Home to OEMs beyond the current deadline of June 30, 2008, to accommodate a new class of ultra-low-cost PCs (ULCPCs) that are just beginning to pepper the market. ...continue reading 'Windows XP sales extended through 2010 for ultra-low-cost PCs'

Dell looks to emerging markets, services

Dell, the world's second largest PC seller, will move faster into emerging markets and increase its services offerings as part of a plan to reverse poor financial performance, top executives said Thursday. ...continue reading 'Dell looks to emerging markets, services'

April to be another big Microsoft security patch month

Microsoft plans to release eight security updates next Tuesday, five of which are rated critical by the software vendor. ...continue reading 'April to be another big Microsoft security patch month'

Adobe claims it knew of 'PWN 2 OWN' Flash bug

Security researchers at Adobe Systems Inc. claimed that they knew of a Flash bug before it was used to crack a Windows Vista laptop last week in the 'PWN To OWN' hacker challenge. ...continue reading 'Adobe claims it knew of 'PWN 2 OWN' Flash bug'

Google CIO changes his tune, heads for EMI

EMI Music has hired Google's Chief Information Officer Douglas Merrill to be president of its digital business division, the latest high-profile executive to seek greener pastures away from the Googleplex. ...continue reading 'Google CIO changes his tune, heads for EMI'

Symantec, Microsoft resolve spat over storage tech

Microsoft and Symantec have asked a U.S. federal court to dismiss a two-year-old lawsuit after the companies settled a dispute over storage technology. ...continue reading 'Symantec, Microsoft resolve spat over storage tech'

IBM, Linden plan to give enterprises a Second Life

IBM and Second Life creator Linden Lab are jointly building private virtual worlds designed to help employees collaborate more effectively. ...continue reading 'IBM, Linden plan to give enterprises a Second Life'

AT&T jumps on board with Android

AT&T plans to sell phones based on Google's Android operating system, after being assured by the search giant that it won't be forced to offer all-Google applications, the operator's chief executive said on Wednesday. ...continue reading 'AT&T jumps on board with Android'

Intel gives Classmate PC a makeover

Intel unveiled an updated version of its Classmate PC laptop at the Intel Developer Forum (IDF) in Shanghai, but changes made to the device are largely cosmetic -- at least for now. ...continue reading 'Intel gives Classmate PC a makeover'

Intel has a chip, but where are the MIDs?

For all the fanfare surrounding the launch of Intel's Centrino Atom chip package at the Intel Developer Forum in Shanghai, there was a notable shortage of new products based on the chips, apart from a few concept designs rolled out for the occasion. ...continue reading 'Intel has a chip, but where are the MIDs?'

Apple plugs QuickTime with 11 patches

Apple released 11 patches for its QuickTime multimedia program on Wednesday, fixing a variety of problems that could allow a hacker to execute malicious code on a machine. ...continue reading 'Apple plugs QuickTime with 11 patches'

RIM ships record number of BlackBerries in Q4

Research In Motion (RIM) shipped 14 million smartphones last year, including a record high 4.4 million in the fourth quarter, the company said Wednesday. ...continue reading 'RIM ships record number of BlackBerries in Q4'

Google to cut DoubleClick jobs, sell Performics piece

Less than a month after closing its DoubleClick acquisition, Google on Wednesday announced significant but expected changes in the ad services company that include reducing its staff and selling part of its Performics division. ...continue reading 'Google to cut DoubleClick jobs, sell Performics piece'

Scientists link laptops to detect earthquakes

The Quake-Catcher Network (QCN) harnesses seismic data from sensors on Internet-connected laptops in different locations to help capture earthquakes. When the laptop isn't being used, special software on laptops collects sensor data, which along with the laptop's location, is sent over the Internet to an earthquake data repository where the data is analyzed. ...continue reading 'Scientists link laptops to detect earthquakes'

Microsoft cofee-table PCs 'surface' at AT&T stores

AT&T will soon be the first company to use Microsoft's touch-enabled, tabletop Surface computers as customer-service kiosks in stores. ...continue reading 'Microsoft cofee-table PCs 'surface' at AT&T stores'

Mozilla launches final Firefox 3.0 beta

Mozilla unveiled the final beta of Firefox 3.0 Wednesday and will move on to the release candidate stage by freezing changes as early as next week. ...continue reading 'Mozilla launches final Firefox 3.0 beta'

Google lays off some U.S. DoubleClick employees

Google said Wednesday it is laying off some of the employees at recently acquired DoubleClick and placing others in transition roles. ...continue reading 'Google lays off some U.S. DoubleClick employees'

Questionable search ads slip by Yahoo

Yahoo recently expanded the list of products that can't be advertised on its search engine, but it appears the company could be more stringent in enforcing its ad rejection policies. ...continue reading 'Questionable search ads slip by Yahoo'

Pro baseball Web video woes continue

Major League Baseball's MLB.TV online broadcasting service encountered serious technical difficulties for the second straight day on Tuesday, as affected paying subscribers fumed about missing games. ...continue reading 'Pro baseball Web video woes continue'

Intel exec: Programming for multicore chips a challenge

Adding more cores is desirable to meet growing computing demands, but it could create more challenges for programmers writing code that enables applications to work effectively with multicore chips. ...continue reading 'Intel exec: Programming for multicore chips a challenge'

EMC dives into consumer storage -- in China

EMC, a maker of high-end storage arrays, is adding a storage device designed for consumers to its product lineup. But instead of launching the device in Europe or the U.S., the storage vendor is first releasing the product in China. ...continue reading 'EMC dives into consumer storage -- in China'

ISO confirms approval of OOXML, gives two months to appeal

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) announced that its members have approved adoption of a draft standard based on Microsoft's Office Open XML document format, a day after the company itself declared victory. ...continue reading 'ISO confirms approval of OOXML, gives two months to appeal'

Apotheker named co-CEO of SAP

SAP announced Wednesday that deputy CEO Leo Apotheker has been promoted to co-CEO and will serve along with CEO Henning Kagermann, a move that positions Apokether as Kagermann's likely successor atop the enterprise software giant. ...continue reading 'Apotheker named co-CEO of SAP'

PWN 2 PAWN: Why the Vista hacker turned to eBay

Curious about what a market price would be for a zero-day exploit, Shane Macaulay tried to sell the Fujitsu U810 laptop (complete with exploit code) that he won in a hacking contest last week. Soon after it was posted, the listing was pulled from eBay. In this interview, Macaulay explains that Adobe Systems plans to patch his Flash bug on April 8, the day his auction was set to end, and so he would have been practicing responsible disclosure, releasing details of a flaw that had already been patched. ...continue reading 'PWN 2 PAWN: Why the Vista hacker turned to eBay'

MIDs will run Windows XP and Vista, Intel says

Mobile Internet Devices (MIDs) based on Intel's Centrino Atom chip package will be available with Microsoft's Windows operating system in addition to Linux, according to the chip maker. ...continue reading 'MIDs will run Windows XP and Vista, Intel says'

OOXML approval only first step in road to adoption

The International Organization for Standardization's approval of Microsoft's OOXML as an international standard is just the beginning of what could be a lengthy process before the file format can be widely and successfully implemented for exchanging documents, according to critics and supporters of OOXML. ...continue reading 'OOXML approval only first step in road to adoption'

Microsoft updates Windows Mobile, IE Mobile

Responding to increasing pressure from other mobile phone platforms, Microsoft on Tuesday planned to introduce updated versions of Windows Mobile and Internet Explorer Mobile and also make its new enterprise device management software available to all medium-size and large businesses. ...continue reading 'Microsoft updates Windows Mobile, IE Mobile'

Microsoft updates Windows Mobile, IE Mobile

Responding to increasing pressure from other mobile phone platforms, Microsoft on Tuesday planned to introduce updated versions of Windows Mobile and Internet Explorer Mobile and also make its new enterprise device management software available to all medium-size and large businesses. ...continue reading 'Microsoft updates Windows Mobile, IE Mobile'

Council of Europe, ISPs draft anti-cybercrime tactics

A set of guidelines to help European ISPs and law enforcement agencies cooperate on cybercrime investigations are close to being complete. ...continue reading 'Council of Europe, ISPs draft anti-cybercrime tactics'

Windows XP to get reprieve for low-cost laptops

Microsoft plans to extend the availability of Windows XP for low-cost laptops beyond June 30, with an announcement expected later this week, according to a source familiar with the situation. ...continue reading 'Windows XP to get reprieve for low-cost laptops'

EBay yanks sale of laptop with Vista attack code

Shane Macaulay's attempt to sell a hacked laptop complete with Windows Vista attack code did not last long. ...continue reading 'EBay yanks sale of laptop with Vista attack code'

IBM fine-tunes model for disaster management

IBM's research laboratories in the U.S. and India have fine-tuned technology to help model and manage natural disasters such as wildfires, floods, and diseases. ...continue reading 'IBM fine-tunes model for disaster management'

SaaS vendor NetSuite launches e-commerce editions

NetSuite furthered its verticalization strategy recently with the release of two new editions of its on-demand ERP platform specifically geared towards e-commerce vendors. ...continue reading 'SaaS vendor NetSuite launches e-commerce editions'

Linux kernel community grows, but elite group remains

While Linus Torvalds' name is synonymous with the Linux kernel, Al Viro's may be one day, too. Viro has contributed 1,571 changes to the kernel, which sits at the core of the Linux operating system, over the past three years. ...continue reading 'Linux kernel community grows, but elite group remains'

ISO adopts OOXML format as international standard

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has adopted an international standard based on Microsoft's Office Open XML document format, according to documents circulated by a member of a Dutch national standards committee. ...continue reading 'ISO adopts OOXML format as international standard'

Dell eyes $3 billion in cost savings in 3 years

Dell, the world's second largest PC vendor, plans to cut costs by $3 billion as it slashes the price of materials and components going into its gadgets and reduces operating expenses, including jobs, the company said Monday. ...continue reading 'Dell eyes $3 billion in cost savings in 3 years'

Microsoft signs on to MIT Kerberos Consortium

Microsoft has joined the MIT Kerberos Consortium, an organization that develops the widely-used network authentication standard. It joins Apple, Google and Sun on the consortium's executive board. ...continue reading 'Microsoft signs on to MIT Kerberos Consortium'

IBM served by US Attorney's Office, gov't contracts hit

IBM has received a grand jury summons from the U.S. Attorney's Office over possible procurement violations between employees of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and certain IBM employees, the company said Monday. ...continue reading 'IBM served by US Attorney's Office, gov't contracts hit'

Google brings offline access to Docs and Apps

Google is rolling out a much-awaited feature for its hosted applications: the ability for people to use them even when they aren't connected to the Internet. ...continue reading 'Google brings offline access to Docs and Apps'

The internet has a trash problem

Somewhere between 1 percent and 3 percent of all traffic on the Internet is meaningless packets of information, used in distributed denial of service attacks to knock Web sites offline. ...continue reading 'The Internet has a trash problem'

Report: Number of GPL v3 projects tops 2,000

The number of open-source projects that use the GNU General Public License Version 3 has grown to more than 2,000, according to Palamida, which sells software and services for tracking open-source code within a customer's code base. ...continue reading 'Report: Number of GPL v3 projects tops 2,000'

CAN-SPAM still gets mixed reviews

Just days after so-called spam king Robert Soloway pleaded guilty in Seattle to a number of criminal charges, the FTC announced a record $2.9 million settlement with online marketing firm ValueClick. But despite these recent court cases, some critics don't see a lot of value in CAN-SPAM. ...continue reading 'CAN-SPAM still gets mixed reviews'

Balloting ends for close OOXML ratification vote

Balloting on whether Office Open XML (OOXML) should become an international document standard closed at midnight Saturday in Geneva, in an apparently tight vote. The results have not yet been officially announced. ...continue reading 'Balloting ends for close OOXML ratification vote'

Adobe joins Linux Foundation, develops Air for Linux

Adobe Systems released an early alpha version of its rich Internet application platform AIR for Linux on Monday, and announced that it has joined the Linux Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes and standardizes Linux. ...continue reading 'Adobe joins Linux Foundation, develops Air for Linux'

With Vista breached, Linux unbeaten in hacking contest

The MacBook Air went first; a tiny Fujitsu laptop running Vista was hacked on the last day of the contest; but it was Linux, running on a Sony Vaio, that remained undefeated as conference organizers ended a three-way computer hacking challenge Friday at the CanSecWest conference. ...continue reading 'With Vista breached, Linux unbeaten in hacking contest'

Toshiba shows prototype home control robot

If you've become hostage to a clutch of remote controls in your living room, never quite sure what all the buttons do and confusing different controllers for different gadgets, then Toshiba might have the answer. It's developed a prototype robot that can act as a voice gateway to just about anything in the room that has a remote control. ...continue reading 'Toshiba shows prototype home control robot'

Sophos warns of Mac Trojan malware

Security consultant Sophos is warning of the appearance of money-grabbing Trojan Horse malware aimed at Macs. ...continue reading 'Sophos warns of Mac Trojan malware'

Apple testing Mac OS X 10.5.3

Apple has begun testing Mac OS X 10.5.3, releasing the software to its developer community for widespread testing. ...continue reading 'Apple testing Mac OS X 10.5.3'

Microsoft 'white spaces' prototype shuts down

For the second time, a device submitted by Microsoft for U.S. Federal Communications Commission testing of wireless 'white spaces' technology has stopped working and been taken out of the process. ...continue reading 'Microsoft 'white spaces' prototype shuts down'