EMC to buy RSA for $2.1 billion ... MS faces class action suit over WGA tool

HIGHLIGHTS

News: EMC to buy RSA for $2.1 billion
News: Microsoft faces class action suit over WGA tool
News: Lawmakers: Two other data breaches at VA
News: Office 2007 delayed
Opinion: File Discovery Gets Easier
ITwhirled: Geek comic of the week: Herzog the Vile

NEWS UPDATES

EMC to buy RSA for $2.1 billion
Continuing its multiyear shopping spree, storage giant EMC Corp. said Thursday it would acquire RSA Security Inc. for about $2.1 billion.

Microsoft faces class action suit over WGA tool
Microsoft Corp. is facing a class action suit over a tool that gathers data on a user's computer in an effort to detect bootlegged copies of its Windows operating system.

Lawmakers: Two other data breaches at VA
U.S. lawmakers said Thursday they have learned of two more data breaches at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) even as the agency announced that law enforcement agencies had recovered stolen computer hardware containing the personal information of millions of U.S. military veterans.

Office 2007 delayed
Office 2007 has hit another delay and will now probably ship a few months later than previously expected, Microsoft Corp. said Thursday.

Wall Street Beat: Networking under pressure
Facing a mature enterprise market and fierce price competition in the telecommunications infrastructure arena, networking vendors are coming under the gun.

Past returns to haunt CA with second delay in results
Seemingly unable to shake its troubled financial past, CA Inc. for the second time is delaying the filing of its final fourth-quarter and full-year 2006 results, the systems management and security software vendor announced Thursday.

OPINION

File Discovery Gets Easier
By James Gaskin

IT folks have always mistrusted people wearing thousand dollar suits. They used to be vice presidents coming to slash the IT budget. Now they're lawyers demanding thousands of files spread across years of data delivered in specific formats in incredibly short periods of time. Who knew we'd miss the budget cutting VPs?

Google launches Checkout payment system ... Yahoo settles click-fraud suit

Today's IT News Audio Update
Google launches Checkout payment system ... Yahoo settles click-fraud suit ... EC suggests telco breakup


HIGHLIGHTS

News: Google to debut Checkout payments system
News: Yahoo settles click fraud suit
News: Researcher publishes details of Amazon.com, MSN holes
News: Red Hat inherits patent claim from JBoss
Research: Mobility Transcends Telephony
ITwhirled: 10 wimpiest cars of 2006


NEWS UPDATES

Google to debut Checkout payments system
Ending more than a year of speculation and rumors, Google Inc. plans to release on Thursday its much-awaited online payments system, likely surprising many because its reach will extend farther than previously thought.

Yahoo settles click fraud suit
Yahoo Inc. agreed to compensate advertisers for click fraud dating back to January 2004 as part of a settlement agreement in a class action lawsuit, the search company said on Wednesday.

Researcher publishes details of Amazon.com, MSN holes
Frustrated with what he calls a lack of response from Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc., a security researcher has gone public with details of flaws on the two companies' Web sites.

Red Hat inherits patent claim from JBoss
Red Hat Inc. faces a patent infringement lawsuit this week over an application that came under its wing as a result of its acquisition of JBoss Inc.

Google loses appeal in Louis Vuitton trademark suit
Google Inc.'s French subsidiary has lost its appeal in a trademark case brought by LVMH Moët Hennessy Louis Vuitton SA, which complained that advertisers were using its name unfairly to sell goods online.

Senate panel narrowly rejects net neutrality
A U.S. Senate committee on Wednesday, with a tie vote, rejected a proposal that would have required broadband providers to give their competitors the same speeds and quality of service as they give to themselves or their partners.


RESEARCH

Mobility Transcends Telephony
By Dan Blacharski

Business mobility means much more than having a cell phone, but the providers haven't yet delivered what business users need.

IBM tops supercomputer list ... Security flaws persist in e-voting systems

Today's IT News Audio Update
Security flaws persist in e-voting systems ... Microsoft revamps reviled WGA ... Indonesia adopts online system to protect children


HIGHLIGHTS

News: IBM tops supercomputer list, Opteron gains ground
News: For spammers, a picture is better than 1,000 words
News: Novell previews Suse Linux Enterprise
Tip: Remote office backup consolidation centrally made easy
Opinion: Physical and cyber security may be converging, but it has a long way to go
ITwhirled: Tales from the trenches


NEWS UPDATES

IBM tops supercomputer list, Opteron gains ground
The Top500 list of the world's fastest supercomputers was released Wednesday, with IBM Corp.'s BlueGene continuing to reign and Advanced Micro Devices Inc.'s (AMD's) Opteron processor powering more systems on the list than last year.

For spammers, a picture is better than 1,000 words
Spam is again on the rise, led by a flood of junk images that spammers have crafted over the past few months to trick e-mail filters, according to security vendors.

Novell previews Suse Linux Enterprise
Novell has released a preview version of its upcoming Suse Linux Enterprise distribution, amid a last-minute delay to the software's final release and wider turmoil at Novell.

Aperi consortium boosted by Novell
Aperi, the IBM-founded open source storage consortium, has taken an important step forward Tuesday as SuSE Linux vendor Novell joined up.


TIP

Remote office backup consolidation centrally made easy
By David Hill, Mesabi Group

You have the responsibility for data protection for a number of geographically distributed branch offices or other remote sites. However, you cannot afford to have a dedicated IT professional at each site. The person assigned to the part-time role of backup administrator may not have the necessary skills to handle the complexity of the job -- monitoring backups, moving backup copies offsite, and performing restores. The complex manual process -- a mismatch of skills with typically available hardware/software for the backup/restore process -- is to blame for a continuing thorn in the side of many central IT. What can you do about it? One solution is to manage the remote office data protection processes centrally.


OPINION

Physical and cyber security may be converging, but it has a long way to go
By Brent Huston

There is a chasm of understanding, culture and respect between physical security and cybersecurity teams. But somewhere along the way, you need to make it work and the key is strong executive leadership, determination and a very strong effort on both sides to find a common starting point.

Intel sells comms biz to Marvell ... Sony to ship notebook with flash drive

Today's IT News Audio Update
Intel sells comms biz to Marvell, unveils dual-core chip ... Microsoft lays out communications integration plan ... Sony to ship notebook with flash drive


HIGHLIGHTS

News: Intel sells comms unit to Marvell
News: Nokia joint venture to secure near-field communication
News: E.U. may fine Microsoft €2 million a day
News: Sony to outfit smallest Vaio with flash-disk
Opinion: The Next Best Thing to Knowing Something...
ITwhirled: Lasers to foil pirates

NEWS UPDATES

Intel sells comms unit to Marvell
Intel Corp. will sell its communications and application processor business to Marvell Technology Group Ltd. for $600 million, the companies announced Tuesday.

Nokia joint venture to secure near-field communication
Nokia Corp. has formed a joint venture with a smart card manufacturer to secure electronic payments made using a short-range wireless technology called near-field communication (NFC) useful in financial transactions such as credit card purchasing or public transportation ticketing.

E.U. may fine Microsoft €2 million a day
The European Commission is about to propose a new fine of up to €460 million (US$577 million) against Microsoft for failing to honor the antitrust ruling imposed on the company in 2004, according to people close to the case Tuesday.

Sony to outfit smallest Vaio with flash-disk
Sony Corp. will replace hard disks with flash memory when it launches a new model of its Vaio U laptop next week, it said on Tuesday.

Retailer CompUSA to offer NetSuite's hosted software
NetSuite Inc. believes it has scored a real coup, clinching a deal with CompUSA Inc. announced Tuesday where the technology retailer will offer NetSuite's on-demand business software in all of its U.S. stores.

Nortel to cut pensions and jobs in search of profit
Nortel Networks Corp. will cut 1,100 jobs worldwide and trim its North American pension plans in a move to cut costs and return the company to profitability, it announced Tuesday.

Microsoft unveils code-sharing Web site
Microsoft Corp. is hoping to fire up a community of developers on a code-sharing forum the company has been testing since May but rolled out officially on Tuesday.

Microsoft tests Office 2007 online
In an unprecedented move, Microsoft Corp. Tuesday will allow users to test the next version of Office online without having to download software.

Intel rolls out 'Woodcrest' chip
As it seeks to fend off competitive threats from Advanced Micro Devices Inc., chip maker Intel Corp. Monday released its dual-core Xeon processor, code-named 'Woodcrest,' the first based on its new Core microarchitecture.

Gartner: Notebook PCs still prone to hardware failure
Nearly one-fifth of all notebook PCs will break down over their lifetime, needing a new hardware component to fix the failure, a study reveals.


OPINION

The Next Best Thing to Knowing Something...
By Sean McGrath

There is a saying I have always liked that goes like this: "The next best thing to knowing something, is knowing where to find it."

Somewhere along the line I read that this little gem is attributed to the great Samuel Johnson.

Read the full article here

Buffet gives Gates foundation $30.7 billion ... Oracle releases PeopleSoft version 9

Today's IT news audio update
Buffet gift makes Gates foundation world's largest ... Stringer taps software designers to boost Sony ... Oracle rolls out next Peoplesoft release


HIGHLIGHTS

News: Prospects fading for single European patent regime
News: IBM aims Sametime at Microsoft users
News: Oracle releases PeopleSoft version 9
News: Salesforce.com's latest offering targets partners
Tip: Getting the Water Out of Your Storage
ITwhirled: Robot ethics: Security, safety, and sex


NEWS UPDATES

Prospects fading for single European patent regime
The prospects for a single, European Union-wide patent regime appear to be dimming, as industry groups representing some of the most innovative companies active in Europe are urging the European Commission to abandon its promise earlier this year to make “one final push” to adopt the so-called Community patent.

IBM aims Sametime at Microsoft users
IBM Corp. is revamping its Sametime enterprise IM system so it can venture better armed into Microsoft Corp. enemy territory, IBM plans to announce Monday.

Oracle releases PeopleSoft version 9
Oracle Corp. released version 9 of its PeopleSoft Enterprise application suite on Monday, an upgrade the company said will prepare customers to move toward a service-oriented architecture (SOA).

Salesforce.com's latest offering targets partners
Salesforce.com Inc. is due to officially announce Monday a version of its on-demand customer relationship management (CRM) software targeting companies looking to better manage their direct and indirect sales organizations.

ClearCube challenges HP with new PC blades
ClearCube Technology plans to launch two PC blade servers Monday, in a bid to compete with Hewlett-Packard Co. for customers in finance, insurance, hospitals and the military.

IBM hopes to Eclipse anti-Aperi group
IBM is placing Aperi, its open-source storage management group, under indirect industry authorization. Aperi will join the Eclipse Foundation, the generic open source community. There will be a formal relationship with the storage networking industry organisation (SNIA).

NetApp sells NetCache to Blue Coat
Blue Coat Systems has splashed out some $24 million in cash and $6 million in shares to buy Network Appliance's NetCache business. The deal brings together the number one and two players in the proxy caching market.

LANDesk jumps into BPM market
LANDesk Software Ltd. on Monday launched its first products for business process management since acquiring the assets of BPM vendor NewRoad Software Inc. earlier this year.


TIP

Getting the Water Out of Your Storage
By David Hill, Mesabi Group

Backups and restores take too long, transmitting data over networks uses up too much bandwidth, and disk drives and disk arrays continue to be purchased at what may seem to be too frequent intervals. What can you do about it? The answer is to move and store less data and the action is on eliminating interfile redundancies.

IT workers sue over H-1B job ads ... Oracle boasts record Q4

Today's IT News Audio Update
Oracle has record fourth quarter ... FTC laptop theft compromises personal data ... EMC commits $500 million to China


HIGHLIGHTS

News: EMC opens software center in China, invests $500 million
News: Increasing deal size, number boosted Oracle's Q4
News: Tech worker group files complaints over H-1B job ads
News: AT&T claims subscribers' data as its own
Opinion: Hidden Collaboration Applications
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: 10 worst products of the decade


NEWS UPDATES

EMC opens software center in China, invests $500 million
EMC Corp. will open a software development center in Shanghai and invest $500 million in China over the next five years, the company announced Friday.

Increasing deal size, number boosted Oracle's Q4
Oracle Corp.'s top three executives Thursday pointed to an increase in both the number of overall deals and the size of individual customer wins as strong contributing factors to what they dubbed a "record" fourth fiscal quarter.

Tech worker group files complaints over H-1B job ads
The Programmers Guild, a group representing IT workers, has begun filing what will amount to about 380 legal complaints against U.S. companies advertising that they prefer to hire foreign workers with H-1B visas.

AT&T claims subscribers' data as its own
On Friday, when AT&T Inc. goes into its next court hearing on a lawsuit about alleged spying on its customers, the carrier will also be instituting a privacy policy for Internet and video services that says it owns subscriber account information.

Google testing cost-per-action ads
Google Inc. is testing an ad model that in theory isn't vulnerable to click fraud, a serious problem that some believe puts in danger Google's main source of revenue: search engine-based advertising.

Altiris gets Wise to virtualization
Altiris has added application virtualization to its Wise software package, in a move that the company claimed could save corporate users both time and money when repackaging applications for internal distribution.


OPINION

Hidden Collaboration Applications
By James Gaskin

How many ad-hoc workgroups are in your company? How many of them use applications developed or purchased by the company? There are probably many more of the first and many fewer of the second than you realize.
Read the full article here:


ITWHIRLED

She's a 10
Top 10 Internet scams ... 10 worst products of the decade ... Top 10 sys admin truths ... Top 10 bad album covers ... 10 ways online gaming will change the world

Novell ousts CEO ... Third Excel attack posted ... Sun starts standards war

Today's IT News Audio Update
Congress investigates data brokers ... Microsoft aims at single sign-on ... Novell ousts CEO


HIGHLIGHTS

News: Novell board ousts CEO Messman
News: Intel CEO: No restructuring news until July
News: Third Microsoft Excel attack posted
News: Sun starts storage standards war
Opinion: Hidden Collaboration Applications
ITwhirled: Tales from the trenches


NEWS UPDATES

Novell board ousts CEO Messman
Novell Inc.'s board of directors has ousted Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jack Messman and Chief Financial Officer Joseph Tibbetts in a move to accelerate growth at the company, Novell announced Thursday.

Intel CEO: No restructuring news until July
Intel Corp. plans additional restructuring, but is unlikely to announce them until next month, Chief Executive Officer Paul Otellini said Thursday.

Third Microsoft Excel attack posted
Excel users have one more reason to worry. On Tuesday, a hacker published code that takes advantage of an unpatched flaw in the Microsoft Corp. spreadsheet software, the third such exploit to be disclosed in the past week.

Sun starts storage standards war
Sun has left Aperi, the IBM-led open source storage management initiative, causing a big fracture in the world of storage standards.

Microsoft plans link between directory, Live services
Microsoft Corp. is planning to sync its Active Directory with its Live Web-based services to give users single sign on for applications and services both inside a company network and on the Web.

Data brokers tell Congress they serve necessary role
Companies that sell private data are necessary even though some sell telephone call records to anyone who will pay for them, two long-time data brokers told a U.S. congressional committee Wednesday.


OPINION

Hidden Collaboration Applications
By James Gaskin

How many ad-hoc workgroups are in your company? How many of them use applications developed or purchased by the company? There are probably many more of the first and many fewer of the second than you realize.

HP axes Global Operations ... Hacker discovers second Excel attack

Today's IT News Audio Update
Intel price cuts expected .... Electronic Arts makes Mythic acquisition ... Philips speeds up spinoff of chip unit


HIGHLIGHTS

News: HP axes Global Operations in realignment
News: Hacker discovers second Excel attack
News: Worm lures victims with 'Naked World Cup'
News: Linux kernel update supports Niagara
Tip: Remotely Forcing Group Policy Refresh
Opinion: Ruin the French economy in 3 easy steps
ITwhirled: Hawking: Humans must settle space to survive


NEWS UPDATES

HP axes Global Operations in realignment
Hewlett-Packard Co. said Tuesday it will dissolve its Global Operations organization and delegate the group's activities to the company's three main business groups as part of an ongoing companywide restructuring.

Hacker discovers second Excel attack
With Microsoft Corp. developers scrambling to patch a security hole in Excel, a hacker has now posted code that exploits a second vulnerability in the spreadsheet software.

Worm lures victims with 'Naked World Cup'
Soccer purists can breathe a sigh of relief. There is no Naked World Cup. IT professionals, on the other hand, may want to be a little more vigilant, as a new e-mail worm is on the loose that preys on the intense worldwide interest in the international sporting event.

Linux kernel update supports Niagara
The latest version of the Linux kernel, 2.6.16, has been released with updates supporting Sun Microsystems Inc.'s Niagara chips and a popular family of Broadcom Corp. Wi-Fi chipsets, among other changes.

Cell 'walkie-talkie' standard approved
The push-to-talk technology that lets mobile callers talk instantly with the push of a button has been standardized, a mobile industry group announced Tuesday at the CommunicAsia conference in Singapore.

Open-source ERP vendor Compiere gets $6 million funding
Compiere Inc. has secured its first external funding to the tune of $6 million and is planning to relocate its headquarters, the open-source midmarket business applications company said Tuesday.


TIP

Remotely Forcing Group Policy Refresh
By Mitch Tulloch

One of the cardinal principles of managing enterprise networks is avoiding having to touch desktop computers unless you really must. Of course, by "touching" a desktop what I mean is having to walk over to where that machine is located and log on interactively to perform some administrative task.


OPINION

Ruin the French economy in 3 easy steps
By Peter Sayer

It's 2009, and the French economy has been ruined by a policy of frivolous tax-cutting and overspending on pork-barrel projects, including homeland security, prison construction and international military action. Public approval ratings are plummeting, the deficit has spiraled out of control, and the citizens are revolting.

Who's to blame? Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin? Uh, no, actually, it was me. I was just trying out some alternative budget scenarios. Sorry. I thought it was only a game.


ITWHIRLED

Hawking: Humans must settle space to survive

This week, physics superstar Stephen Hawking urged mankind to begin settling the moon and other planets as soon as possible. He believes that a major disaster, such as nuclear war or global warming, could wipe out life on this planet, and that space colonies could be essential to our survival as a species.

Microsoft enters the robotics market ... IEEE suspends mobile broadband group

Today's IT news audio update
IEEE suspends standards group over Qualcomm influence ... EC giving iTunes a pass, for now ... Microsoft aims to spur robot market

HIGHLIGHTS

News: Microsoft enters the robotics market
News: IEEE suspends mobile broadband group
News: Yahoo opens IM to external developers
News: Microsoft offers guidance on Excel bug
Opinion: A megabyte, by any other name, would sound as sweet
ITwhirled: Behold the power of the blogosphere


NEWS UPDATES

Microsoft enters the robotics market
Microsoft Corp. released the preview version of a software toolkit for building robot applications on Tuesday, pledging to ignite the robot market in the same way it did the PC market some 20 years ago.

IEEE suspends mobile broadband group
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Inc. (IEEE) has suspended the working group developing 802.20, a wireless broadband standard expected to challenge WiMax, following accusations that Qualcomm was improperly influencing the group's decision-making process.

Spansion puts mobile phone security right in with data
Spansion Inc., a flash memory chip maker, plans to fight mobile phone viruses and data theft with new security technology it puts right into its chips, the company said Tuesday.

Yahoo opens IM to external developers
Yahoo Inc. is opening up its IM (instant-messaging) network so that external developers can extend its functionality with new applications.

Microsoft offers guidance on Excel bug
Microsoft on Monday offered users a few tips on how to avoid falling victim to a critical bug in its Excel spreadsheet software.

RFID rules
Companies using radio frequency identification (RFID) tags on products should always tell their customers and make sure they know whether they can deactivate the tags, according to a set of best practices for RFID deployment proposed by a group of IT vendors, RFID users and consumer advocates.

iPod kerfuffle highlights China issues
Just when you thought outsourcing issues and government relations were sufficiently challenging, companies serious about a China presence must make corporate social responsibility as high a priority as any other marketing or public relations function.


OPINION

A megabyte, by any other name, would sound as sweet
By Sean McGrath

A young child of my acquaintance is very fond of ice pops. I have recently been explaining the basics of money to the aforementioned child. The conversation went like this...


ITWHIRLED

'Snakes on a Plane': Behold the power of the blogosphere
'Snakes on a Plane' was just another b-movie in the making until a few bloggers got wind of it and it became a full-blown Internet meme. The producers have even let fan anticipation guide the production of the movie. The process may be one that other filmmakers will want to imitate -- but reproducing spontaneity is notoriously difficult.

Ultra mobile PC gets mixed reviews ... Nokia and Siemens to merge telecom units

Today's Audio Update
Nokia and Siemens merge net equipment units ... US software pirate pleads guilty ... Drug regulator to require RFID tags


HIGHLIGHTS

News: Initial feedback mixed on ultra mobile PC, says Samsung
News: Nokia and Siemens to merge telecom units
News: Lexar shareholders approve merger with Micron
News: Hackers use Google Pages to host Trojan horse
Opinion: The Blog Hype is Over: Robert Scoble & Om Malik Moving to New Frontiers
Research: Which Mobile Services Do We Really Want?
ITwhirled: The wireless, preemptive repo man

NEWS UPDATES
Initial feedback mixed on ultra mobile PC, says Samsung
Feedback from customers who have bought Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.'s Q1 device suggests that a pre-launch teaser campaign by Microsoft Corp. might have backfired, a Samsung executive said Monday.

Nokia and Siemens to merge telecom units
Nokia Corp. and Siemens AG announced on Monday that they will merge their telecommunications infrastructure units to form Nokia Siemens Networks, the third such combination formed recently and an indication of the growing competitive pressures in the telecom supplier market.

Lexar shareholders approve merger with Micron
Despite opposition from billionaire investor Carl Icahn, shareholders of Lexar Media Inc. agreed to a deal to be bought out by Micron Technology Inc., turning the giant memory chip maker into a stronger competitor in the NAND flash memory business.

Nokia to run managed services business from India
Responding to increased demand in the country, Nokia Corp. has decided to run its worldwide managed services business from India, it announced on Monday.

RFID providers get boost from FDA ruling
Tired of waiting for pharmaceutical companies to improve counterfeit-drug screening, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said last week it will require them to use electronic tags to track products from factory to pharmacy.


OPINION

The Blog Hype is Over: Robert Scoble & Om Malik Moving to New Frontiers
By James Lewin

Two stories have been the buzz of tech meme-trackers over the last few days: "geek blogger" Robert Scoble leaving Microsoft to join a podcasting startup and writer/blogger Om Malik leaving Business 2.0 to develop a multimedia tech news site.


RESEARCH

Which Mobile Services Do We Really Want?
By Dan Blacharski

Mobile carriers are eager to increase ARPU and offer more value-added services to boost their profits, especially in the face of decreasing rates for basic service. But the market for these value-adds is limited.

Gates steps aside; Ozzie steps up ... Oracle's Q4 revenues top expectations

HIGHLIGHTS

Daily IT News Audio Update
Gates to step away from day-to-day role at Microsoft, Ozzie elevated ... Oracle revenues surpass expectations ... Google targets U.S. government and Shakespeare with new search sites

News: Blu-ray Disc players, movies coming next week
News: Oracle's Q4 results to top expectations
News: Vulnerability found in Microsoft Excel
News: Gates to scale back Microsoft role in 2008
Data security tip: Identify What you Need
ITwhirled: Geek Comic of the Week -- White Ninja


NEWS UPDATES

Blu-ray Disc players, movies coming next week
Next week, the high-definition video fight for consumers' hearts, minds, and wallets begins in the U.S. when the first player and content for the Blu-ray Disc high-definition movie disc format will be launched.

Oracle's Q4 results to top expectations
Oracle Corp.'s fiscal fourth-quarter results are set to top expectations, led by a surge in revenue from new software licenses, the company said Thursday.

Vulnerability found in Microsoft Excel
A new vulnerability has been found in Microsoft Corp.'s Excel spreadsheet program, just a few days after the company fixed problems with several of its applications in its monthly patch distribution.

Gates to scale back Microsoft role in 2008
Microsoft Corp. Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates said Thursday he will step out of his daily role at Microsoft in July 2008 so he can take on a full-time role at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the charity organization he runs with his wife.

Ozzie's illustrious IT career takes another turn
Within minutes of the official Microsoft Corp. announcement Thursday that Ray Ozzie has stepped into the role of chief software architect, his official biography at the company Web site was updated to reflect this latest development in what was already an illustrious IT career.

Microsoft WGA program continues to irk users
Microsoft Corp.'s program for testing whether a PC is running a genuine copy of Windows, Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA), has drawn considerable fire from users since it was launched last July.

Wall Street Beat: Apple buzz renewed
Market buzz around Apple Computer Inc. sounded again this week, as better news about chip companies helped break a losing streak on several exchanges.


TIP

Data Security: Identify What you Need
By David Hill, Mesabi Group

When you are evaluating vendor products, look at what part of the data security problem they solve -- data preservation, data confidentiality, or both. For example, an encryption product provides for data confidentiality. However, unless encryption key management is well-handled, there is a risk of the permanent loss of all the encrypted data (as unencrypted data that cannot be read is effectively lost). So you must weigh the need for data confidentiality with the risk to data preservation. Keeping in mind that data security is about data preservation and data confidentiality is the starting point for thinking about data security in greater depth.


ITWHIRLED

Geek Comic of the Week: White Ninja
What to say about White Ninja? Well, he's a Ninja dressed in white ... though he doesn't really do very Ninja-esque things. Mostly, he finds himself in absurd situations -- accidentally turning into a peanut, say, or trying to stop his roommate's habit of collecting newspaper obituaries, or forcing his five-year-old son to get a job.

Netscape.com takes on Digg ... Microsoft gives an ActiveX reprieve

HIGHLIGHTS

News: Motorola and others to launch mobile Linux group
News: Microsoft gives ActiveX reprieve to some customers
News: Netscape Web portal morphs into 'social news' site
Opinion: June's coolest gadgets
Podcast: Today's IT news audio update
ITwhirled: Do you have the Genghis gene?


NEWS UPDATES

Motorola and others to launch mobile Linux group
A group of top mobile phone makers and operators are launching a foundation to create an open Linux-based software platform for mobile devices, they said on Thursday.

Microsoft gives ActiveX reprieve to some customers
Users who are unprepared for changes that Microsoft Corp. has made to the way its Internet Explorer browser handles ActiveX can get a reprieve, the company said Wednesday.

Netscape Web portal morphs into 'social news' site
AOL LLC has retooled its Netscape.com portal as a "social news" Web site where users and Netscape.com staffers can post, vote for, tag and review articles.

Google announces U.S. government search site
Google Inc. unveiled a search site Thursday designed to take the frustration out of trying to find U.S. government information.

Alcatel revises SME convergence product
The latest update of Alcatel's OmniPCX Office server, the fifth for the product, includes IP telephony on a local wireless network, a PC based attendant console and a SIP network interface.

Harnessing resources with collaborative development
In today's networked enterprise, development managers can easily harness resources from any location. Collaborative development platforms allow developers -- scattered around company locations, working from home, or with partner organizations -- to contribute to projects the same way they would from a central site.

OPINION: June's coolest gadgets
When the new ultra-mobile PCs were being unveiled at Cebit in Germany in March, who'd have guessed that Sony Corp. had the neat, little UX50 up its sleeves? The diminutive computer is the smallest Vaio computer yet and runs Windows XP. It's about the size of a paperback book and has a touchscreen display and full keyboard.

PODCAST: Daily IT News Audio Update
HP intros new blade design ... US lawmakers question VA security problems ... Netscape.com relaunched as social news site

More podcasts

ITWHIRLED: Do you have the Genghis gene?
While he was busy conquering huge swaths of Asia and the Middle East, Genghis Khan took some time out to father so many children that scientists are fairly confident they can identify his male descendants by their Y chromosome. The latest individual to discover that he's in the Mongolian imperial family is an accounting professor in Miami. Genghis would be so proud!

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