Mozilla challenges Android with new web OS

Throws down challenge with Boot to Gecko

Mozilla has announced an audacious project to build an open source smartphone and tablet operating system to rival the increasingly cosy three-way domination of Android, Apple’s iPhone and Windows Phone.

Under the name of Boot to Gecko (B2G), the new OS will take the Gecko HTML rendering engine of Mozilla’s Firefox browser and Thunderbird email client and build around it a wholly open source project capable of running atop Android-compatible hardware thanks to re-use of a few nuggets of low-level code from that OS.

The B2G project is still at a very early stage but the outline of something complex and unusual can be discerned form the blog comments that announced it.

Its foundation will be to use open web standards rather than “single-vendor stacks”, risky given the immaturity of that environment, but consistent with Mozilla’s open web vision.

The development team announced four areas that are needed to get Boot to Gecko off the ground, including new APIs to tie the underlying Android hardware layer to software for interfaces such as telephony, storage, cameras, and networking comms. Security design is also a key issue; source code resulting from all development will be released in real time.

“This project is in its infancy; some pieces of it are only captured in our heads today, others aren’t fully explored. We’re talking about it now because we want expertise from all over Mozilla - and from people who aren’t yet part of Mozilla - to inform and build the project we’re outlining here,” announced the Mozilla project team.

As is the nature of open source, the exact direction of future development will depend to some extent on those who contribute to it.

Whatever B2G turns into, perhaps its biggest challenge isn’t to Android itself but to Google’s model for developing that operating system, which sees source code released at the company leisure in a way that some believe has fragmented application development across different versions. The pointed release of source code as development proceeds is a backhanded reference to frustrations at Google’s approach.

“We want to do Boot to Gecko the way we think open source should be done. In the open, from day 1, for everyone to see and participate,” said Mozilla project leader, Andreas Gal.

Boot to Gecko is also a way of proposing not just a market alternative to established proprietary mobile operating systems, but a different direction altogether, one centred on web applications.
It has some similarities to Google’s own ChromeOS – in other words the belief that web applications will be the foundation of future operating systems – and could turn into a slightly different version of the same thing minus the association with a single commercial interest.
Boot to Gecko will attract a lot of interest but hurdles remain. The pace of development will be watched very closely on the gitub project repository.

They also claim that Facebook has "no penetration into the search market" which ignores Facebook's close ties with Microsoft and integration with Bing, never mind the recent partnership between Bing and Baidu.


Productivity and communication

Google has a plethora of online productivity and communications services: Google Docs, Gmail, Google Chat, Google Voice, etc. Google+ and Google+ Business Profiles will ostensibly give Google an opportunity to integrate these into a cohesive whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Fair enough, but Facebook has Microsoft and Skype (soon to be one and the same). Facebook is already integrated with Microsoft Office Web Apps for productivity, and with Skype for video chat. I don't know the actual numbers, but I am fairly sure that Microsoft Office has a few more users than Google Docs, and my experience with Google Docs left a little something to be desired when trying to work in a Microsoft Office world.


E-Commerce

Mitaru and Wenzel cite the Google Checkout payment system as a factor in favour of Google+ Business Profiles as an e-commerce platform. I see it as limited, and an opportunity for Google to lock businesses in to using Google Checkout.

My peers go on to point out that Facebook only offers e-commerce through third party tools like TabJuice, and paint that as a negative. The e-commerce landscape is much larger than TabJuice, including other vendors such as Payvment, and Facebook has e-commerce ties with both eBay and Amazon who are two of the biggest names in online commerce. The scope and variety of e-commerce options give Facebook the advantage.


Advertising and analytics

Google has a dominant pseudo-monopoly in online advertising to rival its dominant pseudo-monopoly of online search. Google AdWords, and the growing empire of Google online and mobile advertising services, are a force that businesses can't ignore. However, the points made by my peers only explain why Google AdWords will remain a tour de force, they don't have any relation to Google+ Business Profiles.

The same is true for Google Analytics. It is a great service and a valuable tool. It is more mature and has broader reach across the web than Facebook Pages Insights, but the Facebook Pages Insights offer tremendous analytics for all it is intended for: Facebook Pages.


Don't hold your breath

The article by Mitaru and Wenzel has some other questionable points. For example, it speculates that Google will simply integrate Google+ Business Profiles and Google Places, while Facebook is allegedly struggling to get businesses to merge Facebook Places and Facebook Pages to achieve similar synergy.

I don't doubt that Google will just do that, which is part of what makes Google+ creepy and undesirable. Google will take bold liberties in merging and integrating services whether you like it or not, while Facebook leaves it up to each business to merge services, or grant permission to third party services on a case by case basis.

Facebook has the audience with over 750 million users. Facebook has services in place equivalent to virtually everything Google can throw into Google+, some of it just needs to be tweaked or repackaged to shift the focus. If there are gaps, Facebook has can form partnerships and alliances as it has done with Microsoft, Skype, Amazon and eBay.

From a business perspective, Facebook Pages trumps Google+ Profiles because businesses are already invested and established there. Facebook also has an advantage because of its close ties with Microsoft. Google+ is impressive on some levels, and it will most likely be the primary competitor for Facebook for the foreseeable future. But don't hold your breath waiting for Google to crush or trump Facebook any time soon.  

How to digitise your music collection, Rip CDs, records and tapes to high quality audio files

In my lifetime, music has been delivered on vinyl, cassettes, eight track tapes, CDs and audio DVDs. How do I listen to it now? Usually with a PC or a smartphone, and occasionally with an MP3 or other media player. I downloaded much of that music or ripped it from CDs, but the rest of it came from LPs and cassettes.

If you have an analogue turntable, digitising 33-rpm LPs and 45-rpm single re­­cords is straightforward. Old school turntables require grounding and a preamp, so you can't plug them directly into most PC audio interfaces. Instead, connect the turntable to a stereo receiver's phono jacks and the ground wire to the ground screw on the receiver. Then run the re­­ceiver's tape or line out to the line input of your PC's audio interface (normally the light blue mini-stereo jack on the back). You'll need an RCA-to-mini-stereo converter cable.

Tape players (aka tape decks), whether they are cassette, eight-track or reel-to-reel, have line-level outputs that you can attach directly to the line inputs of your computer's audio interface. To convert music from these players, too, you must have an RCA-to-mini-stereo converter cable.

USB-connected audio recording

USB turntables and cassette decks make digitising your LPs, 45s and cassettes a bit simpler by performing the analogue-to-digital conversion onboard, and then transferring the results to your PC via USB cable. If you're not picky about audio quality, these devices work fine. However, none of the units that I tested could create sound files that were up to rigorous audiophile standards.

Crosley Radio's products have a distinctive, appealingly retro look. The CR2413A Memory Master that I tested in­­cludes a turntable (33, 45 and 78 rpm), a cassette player, an FM radio, a CD player and auxiliary line-level stereo audio inputs for other audio devices such as MP3 players, all of them recordable to your PC via a USB connection.

Alas, the quality of the unit's components (especially the turntable) was a tad disappointing. The digitised sound was decent, but again, it did not approach audiophile quality.

Ion LP 2 CD is a turntable with USB connections for analogue-to-digital audio conversion, the unit subsequently transfers digitised recordings to your PC via USB cable. The quality of Ion Audio's LP 2 CD turntable, in contrast, was im­­pressive, offering the anti-skate and tracking pressure adjustments missing from the Crosley CR2413A. The sound from its pre-amped analogue line outputs was very good, but its USB output sounded little better than the Crosley's.

Another Ion product, its Tape 2 PC cassette deck, created middling audio recordings in my tests, regardless of whether I connected it via the USB or via the analogue line outputs.

Editing your sound files

Once you've connected your hardware, use a program such as Audacity to record, edit and save your newly digitised music.

Don't bother trying to separate each song during the recording process, record wholes sides of records and cassettes. Any audio editor or recording app worth its salt lets you select and save individual sections of an audio file. The start and end points of songs are easy to spot by the changes in the visual wave form. The editing software will let you se­­lect and save each individual track to a file that you create on your PC.
You can ditch the larger file once you've split it up. If you intend to apply noise reduction, don't trim your recordings until after you've cleaned them up. Noise reduction software can use the spaces between tracks to "profile" noise for more effective processing with less loss of dynamic range throughout the spectrum.

If you're not especially concerned about the sound quality, saving your recordings to compressed MP3, AAC or WMA is fine. Experts differ on which bit rate sounds best for each format. I use at least 192 kilobits per second for MP3 and AAC files, and 160 kbps for WMA files. For classical music, I bump those rates up to the maximum (320, 256 or 192 kbps, depending on the format) or use the free FLAC lossless codec. For devices that don't support FLAC, and many do not, I use Windows' or Apple's lossless formats.

If you want audiophile quality sound and your audio interface supports doing so, you should record at something higher than the CD-standard 44.1kHz/16 bits, and then save your recordings as uncompressed WAV files. Recording at 24 bits or 32 bits, and at 48kHz or even 96kHz can alleviate the "sterile sound" that audiophiles complain about. It also yields better results when you apply effects and noise reduction. You can always export the files later as MP3, AAC or another format. If you don't have enough drive space to accommodate these larger files, get a bigger hard drive.

De­­spite manufacturers' touting of high definition, surround sound and high bit-rate features, most PCs don't output sound that's audiophile quality. Nor do they handle the analogue-to-digital conversion of in­­put content very well. For dramatically better analogue transfers, use a USB audio interface such as Presonus's Audiobox USB, Avid's Pro Tools Mbox Mini or Focusrite's Saffire 6. Internal sound cards are available, but USB devices are portable and are suitable for use with laptops.

Cakewalk Pyro Audio Creator 1.5 is a program designed specifically for digitising analog music. If the above-mentioned Audacity is a little too geeky for your taste, you can find a number of affordable recording/editing programs such as Cakewalk's Pyro Audio Creator 1.5 and Bias's SoundSaver that are designed specifically for digitising analogue music. Both of these products also offer easier, more effective noise reduction than Audacity.

Noise reduction

The biggest problem with analog audio is noise, which gets digitised along with the music. Vinyl suffers from clicks, pops and scratchiness, while hiss plagues tape.

Recording apps such as Audacity include restoration features that can help remove the noise, but they're difficult to use and can kill the dynamic range of your music if you use them improperly. Most commercial high end sound editors such as Adobe's Audition 3 provide effective noise removal.

If you want the best restoration software, however, you should look to either Bias's SoundSoap 2 or iZotope's RX 2. In my tests, I found SoundSoap 2 simple to use and the audio files that I created with it sounded great. Nevertheless, I got even better results from RX 2, which created audio that blew me away, especially during quiet passages.

Audio and video transfer tips

Clean It

Before digitising your audio, don't forget to clean your vinyl, turntable needle or the playback head of your tape deck (audio or video). Cheap accessories and fluids are available for removing the dust and grunge from your LPs, but Q-Tips and isopropyl alcohol will work just fine for a cassette deck. Eyeglass cleaning cloths also work well on record/playback heads.

Old cassettes and tape (music, video, or data) can be finicky, especially if they haven't been used in a while. Richard Corsello, a professional engineer and transfer specialist of 30 years who currently works with Sonny Rollins, recommends a quick fast forward and rewind through the entire tape to respool and loosen the mechanism before transfer, as well as every couple of years in storage.

Also, believe it or not, giving the tapes an overnight stay in a food dehydrator can pull out the mold or other moisture-related gunk. I did that recently with some old reel-to-reels from the 70s, and it worked like a charm.

Cables

Make sure your audio cables are in good shape, and that there's no rust, corrosion, or junk on the connectors. However, don't go crazy with "pro" audio cables. Vendors play on the subconscious perception that the more valuable the metal, the better anything made with it must be.

To a slight extent this is true. Gold tips reduce oxidation, and the softness of the metal makes for slightly firmer connections. However, in the chart below, look where platinum winds up. According to every blind test ever done, you'll hear no difference between a £5 cable and a £50 cable, as long as they are reasonably well made. In other words, the cables that came with your equipment are most likely all you need.

Metal, specific resistance per cubic centimetre, in micro-ohms*
Silver, annealed, 1.50
Copper, annealed, 1.62
Gold, annealed, 2.05
Aluminum, annealed, 2.91
Zinc, pressed, 5.61
Platinum, annealed, 9.04
*A lower number means less resistance and better conductivity.

Turntables, needles and 78s

There's a ream of information about turntables out there, the features and sound of these marvels were an obsession with audiophiles long before boutique cables, oversampling of CDs and so on. Any decent turntable should do, but tracking and pressure adjustments will reduce degradation of your vinyl and help with records that skip. If the turntable has seen a lot of use, a new needle and/or cartridge might be in order.
However, I've never heard any difference after changing these, but that's with my ears. If there's a problem with warbling (regular pitch changes), the belt might need to be replaced.

While you can play 78 rpm records with a 33/45 needle, 78s have a wider groove and require a specialised needle for best results as well as preserving the record. Needle Finder or Needle Doctor sell these for just about every turntable ever made.

If your turntable doesn't spin at 78 rpm, you may record at 33 or 45 rpm and increase the speed using the recording app. The free Audacity makes this particularly easy, all you have to do is pick the rpm you recorded at and the rpm that the record was made at, for example 33/78, press Enter and the recording will be changed to the proper speed.

Tape decks and belts

That vast majority of tape decks sold to consumers used belts as part of their drive system. These belts tend to stretch with age as well as usage, I've seen older, never used cassette decks come straight out of the box that still needed new belts. Most vendors who sold cassette or tape decks still have belts in stock, and you can buy belts by size at Studio Sound Electronics.

Caveat: While replacing a turntable belt generally requires nothing but lifting the actual spinning turntable that the records lay upon and slapping a new one on, changing the belts on a cassette deck can be more daunting.
Removing the outer case is easy, and many decks require removal of only one or two parts. However, some bury the belts beneath a Rube Goldberg-ian maze of interconnected components. It can be easier just to buy a new deck, though if you like puzzles, solving the order and disassembly methods can be rewarding.

Music OCR and Sheet Music From MP3s

There are some interesting ways to digitise and manipulate any sheet music or recordings you may have.

Hear your sheet music

If musical notation is Greek to you, but you still want to hear what all the sheet music your aunt left you sounds like, simply scan it and convert it to a MIDI file. MIDI files will play back using such readily available programs as Windows Media Player and QuickTime Player. The process is called music OCR.

The big players in music OCR are Neuratron with its PhotoScore Midi Lite 5 and PhotoScore Ultimate 6, and Musitek with its SmartScore Midi and SmartScore X Pro. They not only create MIDI files, but create notation and allow you to edit that notation.

Most users will be fine with the less expensive versions, and you can even get a free music OCR program, the Java-based Audiveris. Audiveris is pretty geeky, though, and you must come up with the required Maestro font on your own if you want to view the results as onscreen notation. The program will still save the results to a MIDI file whether you have the fonts or not.

If your granddad or aunt was an aspiring composer or orchestrator, you may even import the resulting MIDI file into a high-end notation program such as MakeMusic's Finale 2011, Avid's Sibelius 6, or Notion Music's Notion 3, and listen to it played by a full symphony orchestra. Who knows? Maybe Beethoven will finally have to roll over.

If you're interested in better notation editing than that provided by PhotoScore and SmartScore OCR applications, but don't need the sounds of a full orchestra or other advanced features of the pricey editors listed above, more affordable consumer versions are available: MakeMusic's PrintMusic, Avid's Sibelius First and Notion Music's Progression to name three.

Create sheet music from recordings

If you don't have sheet music, but do have audio recordings that you'd like to hear as MIDI files or see as sheet music, there are programs that transcribe your audio to MIDI and notation as well. Though the technology is far from perfect, Neuratron's AudioScore Ultimate 6 and the Intelliscore Ensemble 8 do a much better job recognising the notes in a recording than you might think possible.
The simpler the material and the more diverse the range of the instruments, the better the results, but you should be able to get a broad, usable sketch of just about anything, and maybe even turn that recording of the ditty that Uncle Joe used to sing at the family picnic into a top 10 hit. More likely, you'll wind up with a nice piece of sheet music with Joe's name on it. A treasure in any case, depending, of course, on how much you liked Joe.

By Jon L. Jacobi

Edited by Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez

Internet Explorer 9 hammers rivals in download blocking test

By John E Dunn
Edited By Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez

Firefox and Chrome bested by Microsoft's reputation system

The in-house reputation system used in Internet Explorer 8 and 9 is markedly superior at blocking social-engineering attacks than the Google equivalent used by Chrome, Firefox, Apple’s Safari, an independent test by NSS Labs has found.

Rating the browsers against a sample set of European malware URLs over 19 days in April, IE 8 achieved a mean block rate of 90 percent, leaving Chrome 10, Firefox 4 and Safari 5 in the dust on 13 percent each. Opera, which uses technology from antivirus company AVG, came in last on 5 percent.

When assessing IE 9 with application filtering turned on, the results were even more dramatic, taking that version to a mean blocking rate of 100 percent.

Internet Explorer’s positive showing appears to be thanks to two embedded technologies; Smartscreen URL Filter, a cloud-based system that checks URLs against a master database. This is present in both IE 8 and 9 and seems to work more or less identically in both.

In addition, IE 9 has added a second system, SmartScreen Application Reputation which on the basis of this test offers browser users a remarkably effective level of download block protection. Chrome, Firefox and Safari all use a rival URL checking system, Google’s Safe Browser Feed, which as previous NSS Labs tests have suggested, is now falling some way behind.

“The significance of Microsoft’s new application reputation technology cannot be overstated. Application Reputation is the first attempt by any vendor to create a definitive list of every application on the Internet,” the authors conclude.

“Browsers provide a layer of protection against socially-engineered malware, in addition to endpoint protection products; as this report shows, not all are created equal. The overall lower protection offered by Firefox, Safari, and Chrome is concerning.”

An extra but important dimension also tested was the ‘average response time to block malware’, basically the time it took each browser to add a problem site to the block list once it had been fed in to the test by NSS Labs.

Again, IE 9 with Application Reputation enabled gained a perfect score, adding a site without any delay, the only browser to manage such a feat. Interestingly, however, without the Application layer, IE 8 and 9 sank down the table, taking nearly 14 and 16 hours respectively, behind Safari’s five hours, Chrome’s nearly seven hours, and Firefox’s 8 hours.

Block time is worth paying attention to because the longer protection takes to be activated, the longer the window of possible exposure.

The limitation of the report is that it is only measuring one dimension of the threat users face when using browsers, that of attacks where the user can be tricked - ‘socially-engineered’ in security parlance - into downloading malware. This compares with what are called ‘drive-by’ attacks that seek to exploit specific vulnerabilities in software and which require no user intervention.

Which is more dangerous is a matter of debate although NSS Labs references a separate study by AVG that found socially-engineered attacks to be the most likely way for malware to find its way on to a user’s PC.

A social engineering attack has the advantage that it recruits the user to agree to a download event thereby potentially bypassing Windows controls such as User Access Control (UAC) and even the warnings of antivirus software. A drive-by attack, especially one manipulating a zero-day flaw, can sneak on to the PC without any of these defences being aware but requires more engineering effort to work.

The claim that socially-engineered attacks are the more significant doesn’t entirely accord with the admittedly patchy evidence that exists on the subject.

A recent and revealing assessment by Qualys using its Browsercheck tool found that large numbers of browser users routinely run out-of-date plug-ins for interfaces such as Flash Adobe Reader and especially Java. Many of these have significant flaws that can be attacked by drive-by exploits.

It could be that both sides of this coin – social-engineering attacks and drive-by attacks – are equally perilous but in different ways.

A final qualification is that the test was conducted on Firefox 4, since supplanted by the rapid-development replacement, version 5.0, likewise Google Chrome, which has reached version 13. The URL-filtering systems used by these are, however the same as in the previous versions so would be unlikely to make a difference to their blocking performance.

Mac antivirus firm releases iPhone malware scanning app

By Gregg Keizer
Edited By Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez

VirusBarrier approved by Apple for limited virus protection

A French security company known for its Mac OS X antivirus software today released the first malware scanning app for the iPhone and iPad and iPod touch.

Intego's VirusBarrier for iOS has been approved by Apple, and debuted on the App Store for £1.79.
Because iOS prevents the program from accessing the file system or conducting scheduled scans, as do virtually all Mac and Windows antivirus software, VirusBarrier must be manually engaged and scans only file attachments and files on remote servers, said Peter James, a spokesman for Intego.

"Because of the sandbox, you can't scan the file system," said James. "Since you don't see the iOS file system, the only things you can scan are attachments sent by email or files in, say, your Dropbox folder."
Unlike software written for Android, such as Lookout, VirusBarrier cannot scan apps for possible infection.

When an email attachment is received by the iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch, the user can intercede by calling on VirusBarrier, which then scans the file for possible infection before the file is opened or forwarded to others.

"We've had enterprise customers say that although they know you can't do a full system scan of an iPhone, they don't like the fact that files go through these devices and end up on a Mac or Windows PC," said James. "They want their users to be able to check that an attachment is safe."

He characterised VirusBarrier for iOS as a way for iPhone and iPad users to prevent their hardware from spreading malware. "You don't want your iPhone becoming a 'Typhoid Mary,'" James said.

VirusBarrier for iOS can scan email attachments in a variety of formats, including Microsoft's Word, Excel and PowerPoint, PDF documents, JavaScript files and Windows executables, those files tagged with the .exe extension. It can also scan files in a Dropbox folder, those stored on MobileMe's iDisk or files downloaded via the iOS version of Safari.

The scanning engine and signatures, the digital "fingerprints" used to detect malware, in VirusBarrier for iOS are identical to those used by Intego's Mac OS X product line.

"It's important that people understand what [VirusBarrier] can and cannot do," said James, pointing to the malware scanner's limitations. "Although there is no malware written for iOS today, if attackers do try to exploit the PDF vulnerability, this is something we can scan for."

James was referring to the still unpatched vulnerability in iOS that can be exploited through a malicious PDF document, one of two bugs used last week to "jailbreak" iOS devices.

VirusBarrier for iOS can be downloaded to an iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch from Apple's App Store. It requires iOS 4.0 or later.

Microsoft tells customers to dump Windows XP before support runs out

By Gregg Keizer
Edited By Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez

Aggressive move coincides with 1,000 days of support left

Microsoft on Monday made its most aggressive move yet to convince customers to drop Windows XP and adopt Windows 7, telling them that there were only 1,000 days of support life left in the older operating system.

Stephen Rose, the IT community manager for the Windows commercial team, noted the 1,000 days remaining for Windows XP support in a post to a Microsoft blog.

"Windows XP had an amazing run and millions of PC users are grateful for it. But it's time to move on," Rose said, adding that the operating system exits security support in "less than 1,000 days."

The 10-year-old XP actually has a little longer to live than that: Microsoft has promised to patch XP through April 8, 2014, 1,002 days from Monday.

"Bottom line, PCs running Windows XP will be vulnerable to security threats" after that date, said Rose. "Furthermore, many third party software providers are not planning to extend support for their applications running on Windows XP, which translates to even more complexity, security risks and ultimately added management costs for your IT department."

According to usage statistics and research firm surveys, Microsoft has its work cut out in moving users off XP.

Web metrics firm Net Applications now has Windows 7's usage share at 27%, for example, but XP still powers 51% of the world's personal computers. If the trends of each over the last three months continue, Windows 7 won't pass XP in the race for share until the second quarter of 2012.

Businesses are even more reliant on Windows XP, said Forrester Research when it recently estimated the aged OS's share at 60% of enterprise PCs.

Monday wasn't the first time Microsoft portrayed XP as yesterday's OS. Earlier this year, executives on the Internet Explorer (IE) team called XP the "lowest common denominator" as they explained why the OS wouldn't run IE9 or any future browsers.

And the company has taken firm steps to kill off other products it considers obsolete. Since mid-2009, Microsoft has urged users to give up IE6, the browser that shipped shortly before XP. Four months ago it upped the ante by launching a deathwatch website that highlights IE6's dwindling usage share.

The push to abandon XP coincided with the opening of Microsoft's Worldwide Partner Conference (WPC), the company's annual reseller meet. CEO Steve Ballmer kicked off WPC by celebrating another Windows 7 milestone, selling 400 million licences for the OS.

Tami Reller, head of product marketing for the Windows group, cited that number to compare Windows 7's uptake with XP's in the same span of time. "That is three times the pace of Windows XP," Reller said.
Unmentioned Monday was Windows Vista, the hapless 2007 version that has been called Microsoft's first OS failure since 2000's Windows Millennium. Customers agree. Vista peaked at just under 19% in October 2009, but has lost about half its share since.

Instead, Reller talked up not just Windows 7 as the replacement for XP, but also its successor, Windows 8, which most expect to ship next year. While Reller encouraged corporate customers to continue deploying Windows 7, she promised that Windows 8 would run on the same hardware.

"For our business customers, your customers," she said, speaking to the partners at WPC, "this is an important element because the ability of Windows 8 to run on Windows 7 devices ensures that the hardware investments that these customers are making today will be able to take advantage of Windows 8 in the future."

While neither Reller nor Ballmer mentioned Windows 7's lifecycle, the company will push consumers now running Windows 7 to upgrade to Windows 8, too. According to Microsoft's longstanding practice, it will support Windows 7 Home Premium, the most popular edition for consumers, for five years, half the time slated for enterprise support.

Windows 7 Home Premium will be retired from security support in January 2015.

Sony to restore Playstation Network in Japan this week

By Martyn Williams
Edited by Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez

Gaming network finally resumes after two and a half months of suspension

Sony said Tuesday it plans to restore by this weekend playstation

Sony will fully restore PlayStation Network service to users in Japan this week, ending a two-and-a-half month suspension of service, and bringing to a close an embarrassing incident that began with the largest known loss of customer information by a company.

Users in Japan will be able to access all functions of the PlayStation Store and Qriocity services from July 6, Sony said. The PlayStation Store is an online shopping mall offering games and video to PlayStation users, while the Qriocity service offers video content to Internet-linked consumer electronics devices like televisions.

The services were suspended worldwide on April 20 when Sony detected a sophisticated intrusion had hit one of its data centres.

An investigation established that attackers had managed to bypass three firewalls to steal data on all 77 million registered accounts. The stolen data included user names, email addresses, login IDs and passwords. It was originally feared that millions of credit card numbers had also been leaked, but Sony later said it was unable to find any evidence that the credit card database was accessed.

Sony asked users to change passwords, and to date it says there have been no reports of unauthorised credit card usage linked to the attack.

The attack left Sony reeling, and the services were offline for weeks while the company rebuilt its security system. Sony reintroduced service in stages, with online gaming first being switched on for users in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Australia and New Zealand in the middle of May. That followed for users in Asia in June, and PlayStation Store service was subsequently restored for users in all regions except Japan.

The PlayStation Store remained offline in Japan while Sony discussed the data breach with authorities and briefed them on its new security system, said Satoshi Fukuoka, a spokesman for Sony Computer Entertainment. With progress made in those discussions, Sony is now able to resume service.

When that happens on Wednesday, the service will be fully restored globally to the same level as before April's attack.

The attack and Sony's response to it is estimated to cost the company around ¥14 billion (£108 million) this financial year. That includes the cost of calling in several computer security companies to investigate the attack, the rebuild of its security system, identity theft monitoring for users in some countries, and the offer of several free games to users.

Facebook hits back at Google+ with Skype partnership

By Sharon Gaudin
Edited By Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez

A little more than a week after Google unveiled its own social network, Facebook responded today with upgrades to its site, in an attempt to curb growing enthusiasm for the Google+ project.

After teasing last week that today's announcement was going to be "awesome," Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg took the wraps off a partnership with Skype that brings video chat to the social network. The news also came with the unveiling of a new group chat feature for the site.

The announcement seem to take a swing directly at Google+ , which opened with a "Hangouts" feature that is similar to an online group conference call. Facebook's response to that is to work with Skype for its own group call feature.

That, say industry analysts, is a sign that Google+ may be sufficiently compelling to have Facebook glancing a bit nervously over its shoulder.

"The Skype deal isn't something they cobbled together in a week, but Google's announcement might have accelerated this a bit," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst with Gartner. "I don't think this takes the wind out of the sails of Google+. They're kind of different experiences."

Dan Olds, an analyst with The Gabriel Consulting Group, said Facebook just might have succeeded in taking some of the lustre off Google+.

"This is Facebook both responding to Google's announcement and pointing out to the market that Facebook has at least a 749 million user lead over Google+," Olds said. "And Facebook also is signalling that they aren't going to stand still and watch Google+ come on. So yes, they are taking away some of Google's momentum."

While Google and Facebook have been competitors over the past year, Google's introduction of its own social network raises the stakes to a new level. And that is where Microsoft comes into the mix.
Microsoft and Facebook have been partners for several years, and Microsoft bought an early stake in the social network in 2007. That was a fortuitous move, which has made Microsoft and its partner Facebook common enemies of Google. They can work together to battle Google, and the Facebook/Skype deal is proof of it.

In May, Microsoft agreed to acquire Skype for $8.5 billion. While the deal hasn't closed, upon news of the upcoming buy there was immediate speculation that Facebook would benefit from it.

"We are going to see Facebook work with partners to try to circle the wagons against Google," said Gartenberg. "It does become a little of the enemy of my enemy is my friend. Could Microsoft and Facebook find themselves in competition down the road? Sure. But right now they have a common enemy in the guise of Google."

But despite Facebook's partnership with Skype and Microsoft, Rob Enderle, an analyst with the Enderle Group, said today's announcement does make it look like Facebook is chasing Google.

"Facebook may have started down this path first, but Google made theirs public first, so it makes it look like Facebook is catching up," Enderle said. "Still, both Facebook and Skype have a massive lead in their respective markets and that could render Google+ redundant regardless of how good it is. Facebook and Skype have a massive advantage with respect to customer reach against the very new and unique Google+ offering."

HyperDrive for iPad review

By Cliff Joseph
Edited by Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez


One of the very few complaints levelled at the iPad is that it’s not possible to increase the amount of internal storage built into it. You don’t need a huge library of music and video files to quickly fill up the 16GB and 32GB models, and even the most expensive iPad model has a modest 64GB of storage.

Some people argue that the iPad should contain an SD card slot to enable users to store and access files using expandable storage, something that’s not likely to happen. However, HyperMac’s new HyperDrive is an ingenious if pricey way of getting around that issue.

The HyperDrive is essentially a conventional hard drive, available in sizes between 320GB and 750GB, but it also sports a 3.2in colour screen that displays a series of icons for the main controls. You can connect the HyperDrive to a Mac or PC using a USB cable, and copy photos and video files to it just like an ordinary hard drive.

The HyperDrive also has two slots that take most types of memory card (CF, SD, MMC, MS) so that you can quickly transfer files from a digital camera. HyperMac claims that battery life should last long enough to transfer about 250GB worth of files back and forth.

Finally, a solution to storing more photo and video files for viewing on your iPad

Photos that you transfer onto the HyperDrive can be previewed on its own screen, before you connect it to your iPad. You can only connect the HyperDrive to an iPad by using the USB adaptor that’s part of Apple’s Camera Connection Kit. This costs another £25, but most keen photographers will probably own one already.

You connect the HyperDrive to the Camera Connection Kit and then use the screen on the HyperDrive to locate the folders that you want to transfer onto the iPad. The contents of each folder then appear rather miraculously on the iPad’s screen. You can tap the Import All button on the iPad to import the entire folder, or tap on individual photos or videos you want to import. Your files are added to the Photos app on the iPad, ready for viewing. Want a stock of videos for a long flight? Bring them along on the HyperDrive.

But the HyperDrive does have a couple of rough edges. The on-screen controls are a bit slow, and there was sometimes a pause before it made the connection. You can’t transfer files from the iPad onto the HyperDrive either to free up space.

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Google shuts down Google+ invitation system after massive demand

By Sharon Gaudin

Edited by Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez 

Social network service closes doors after flood of new users

Interest in Google's new social networking service has exceeded not only the company's expectations but its ability to keep up with the new demand.

Late on Wednesday night, Vic Gundotra, a senior vice president of Social for Google, posted on the Google+ network that the company has been overwhelmed with interest and had to stop taking new users. Google+ is no longer taking new users, even if they received invites to join.

"We've shut down invite mechanism for the night," Gundotra posted. "Insane demand. We need to do this carefully, and in a controlled way. Thank you all for your interest!"

The shutdown means people can't invite anyone else to join Google+ right now, and even people who already had been invited onto the network can't get in. "Already invited? We've temporarily exceeded our capacity. Please try again soon," was the message one would-be user who was invited got today.

A Google spokeswoman said she didn't have any information on how many people have signed up to use Google+ or how many invitations have been sent out. She did say that the invitation process will be opened and closed periodically as the company works on getting the network ready for its big public release.

"We launched Google+ in a field trial in order to test the product out and gather more feedback," the spokeswoman wrote. "As part of the field trial, we may open and close Google+ to new users at any time. We're thrilled so many people are interested in trying out a new approach to online sharing."

She added that the goal of the field trial is see exactly how Google+ works outside of the company's own walls. And Google also is looking for user feedback and time to fix any bugs they may find. The spokeswoman did not offer details on what bugs may have been found, and she could not say when Google+ will be released publicly.

Ezra Gottheil, an analyst with CurrentAnalysis, said a limited field test may actually frustrate people who want to get on the network and try it out, but can't.

"It makes [Google] seem like they're not ready for primetime," said Gottheil. "You can't really use a social network unless you have a social network.... They get one chance to get attention, but I think [Google] would have been better off with something like, "Try it with one small circle, limited to 10 or 20 or whatever members, instead of something so limited."

Google took the wraps off its new Google+ project on Tuesday, after months of Internet buzz that Google was working on a social network that could take on Facebook, now the largest social service in the world. Facebook has more than 500 million users.

When Google launched its network, the company didn't open it up to everyone. Instead, a small group of people, including some journalists, were invited to try out Google+ and invite 15 others to join them.

Al-Qaida communications network knocked down by hacker attack

By John Ribeiro

Edited by Anthony Ian Etcobanez

Al-Shamukh web forum taken out in sophisticated assault

Terrorist group al-Qaida has been left without a trusted operational channel on the Internet for distributing its media and propaganda, according to a terrorism expert.

"I really can't say for certain how or why this happened, other than that it involved apparently separate attacks on both the domain name and data server used by al-Qaida's trusted forum, Al-Shamukh," Evan Kohlmann of Flashpoint Partners said. That kind of coordinated event doesn't typically occur by happenstance, he added.
Other jihadi forums left online still allow "the rabble" to communicate with others, but none of them are fully trusted by al-Qaida, said Kohlmann who has spent over a decade tracking al-Qaida and other terrorist organisations. The incident began in earnest about 72 hours ago, he said.

Kohlmann reported earlier this week in a message on Twitter that hackers hijacked the primary web domain used by the Shamukh chat forum, which disseminates propaganda on behalf of al-Qaida. He later reported that the entire website was unavailable, and two more top tier jihadi web forums had also been mysteriously knocked offline, including the Arabic-language Ansar al-Mujahideen network.

Kohlmann said on Wednesday that he was certain that al-Qaida has backup copies of the forum database, and there are various mirrors of their material still available online, such as aljahad.com/vb. But there is no other trusted channel left for al-Qaida to release new material through. Either Shamukh must be resurrected, or else al-Qaida must establish a direct relationship with a new forum, he added.

Shamukh is at present the critical linchpin in the network, Kohlmann said. "I'm sure that Shamukh will eventually be replaced by another forum, just as it replaced the former top tier "al Faloja" forum last year," he added.

The list of potential suspects who may have brought down al-Qaida's online communications channels includes both government-sponsored hackers from the US and the UK, as well as independent cyber vigilantes, Kohlmann said. One frequent hacktivist who launches these types of attacks is known as th3j35t3r, he said.

Known as the Jester, th3j35t3r describes himself on his Twitter account as a "hacktivist for good. Obstructing the lines of communication for terrorists, sympathisers, fixers, facilitators and other general bad guys". Jester did not claim credit for the Shamukh hack on either the Twitter account or on his blog.

 

Google+ challenges Facebook in social network battle

BBC News

Edited by Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez

Online search giant Google has launched a new social networking website in its latest attempt to take on Facebook, which now claims more than 500m users.

Google+ allows individuals to share photos, messages and comments but also integrates the company's maps and images into the service.

It also aims to help users easily organise contacts within groups.

But some analysts say Google has simply reproduced features of Facebook while adding a video chat function.

Google, which handles roughly two out of every three internet searches in the US, has taken several stabs at Facebook in recent years.

But its previous efforts ended in failure, with both Google Wave and Google Buzz proving unpopular with users.

New functions
 
The company is now boasting that four features in Google+ could help make the company a permanent player in social networking:

• Circles - a functionality that allows individuals to place friends into groups, allowing users to share different forms of content with targeted clusters of friends
• Hangouts - live multi-user video conferencing that permits friends to drop in and out of live group conversations
• Huddle - group instant messaging
• Sparks - a feature that connects individuals on the network to others with common interests.

The current version of Google+ has only been released to a small number of users, but the company has said it soon hopes to make the social network available to the millions of individuals that use its services each day.
"Online sharing needs a serious re-think, so it's time we got started," Vic Gundotra, senior vice president of engineering at Google, said in a press release.

"Other social networking tools make selective sharing within small groups difficult," she added, taking what appears to be a jab at Facebook's recent grouping function.

But some analysts have said Google could have a difficult time converting Facebook devotees to their new social network.

"People have their social circles on Facebook - asking them to create another social circle is challenging," Debra Aho Williamson, principal analyst with research firm eMarketer, told the Associated Press news agency.

"The whole idea of a Google social network... they've been throwing stuff against the wall for several years and so forth nothing has stuck," she added.

In April, Google reached an out-of-court settlement with a US policy group over its rollout out Google Buzz, a previous social effort.

The legal action claimed Google deceived users and violated its own privacy policy by automatically enrolling all Gmail users in its Buzz social network without seeking prior permission.

How to transfer data between BlackBerry devices

By Al Sacco

Edited by Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez


Getting a brand new BlackBerry smartphone can be a life-changing experience. But how do you transfer the loads of personal information on your old device to that shiny new Pearl Flip? Fortunately, you can complete the process quickly.

I've covered various aspects of the BlackBerry Desktop Manager in the past, including how to use the program to load, update or remove applications; back up and restore handheld data; add media files to a BlackBerry microSD memory card; and determine the amount of smartphone memory you're using at any given point.


This BlackBerry Tip o' the Week explains how to use Desktop Manager to quickly and easily transfer all or some of the personal data and applications on an existing BlackBerry smartphone to another. All you need to get started are two mini USB sync cables (like the one that came with your BlackBerry,) the Desktop Manager software and the two BlackBerry smartphones. (Note: If you're transferring data to or from a device with a micro USB port, like the new Pearl 8220 Flip, you'll also need a micro USB sync cable.)

Step One: Get BlackBerry Desktop Manager

First things first: You'll want to download or install RIM's BlackBerry Desktop Manager software, if you haven't already. To do so, either insert the BlackBerry user tools disc that shipped with your device and then install the software, or visit RIM's website and download it manually. The latest version of Desktop Manager is 4.6., though earlier versions should do the trick, as well. (Note: BlackBerry Desktop Manager only works on PCs, though RIM has promised similar tools for Mac users in 2009.)

After installing BlackBerry Desktop Manager, launch the program by clicking on the desktop icon created during installation. (If you chose not to create a desktop icon, locate the application in your computer's program files and then launch.)

Step Two: Connect your existing BlackBerry, and select device switch wizard

Next, connect your existing BlackBerry smartphone - the one storing your personal data and applications - to your PC using the USB sync cable, and then close any unrelated dialogue boxes that appear. You know your device is connected when your BlackBerry PIN appears in the bottom left corner of the BlackBerry Desktop Manger screen, next to Device connected (PIN).

When the BlackBerry is connected to your PC and Desktop Manager, choose the Device Switch Wizard option. On the following screen, click Switch BlackBerry devices.

Step Three: Configure BlackBerry device switch wizard

The Switch BlackBerry devices screen displays three columns: Current device ; New device ; and Options . The first field below the Current device heading should be labeled PIN and the value within should match the PIN digits in the bottom left corner of the application screen. If not, open the drop down menu beneath Current device and select the PIN associated with the connected BlackBerry. If your device is password protected, you'll also need to enter your passcode.

Because you new device is not yet connected, we'll ignore the middle column for now.

The Options section lists a number of options related to the device data that you wish to transfer to the new device. For example, you can choose to transfer all device data and options, as well as all third-party applications. Or you can pick just device data or only third-party apps. There are also options for updating existing applications--if updates are available--and you can manually select which apps you wish to transfer. (Note: Some applications are OS-specific, so an app that works with BlackBerry handheld OS v4.3 may not function correctly on a device running OS v4.5.)

Step Four: Transfer data from one BlackBerry to another

When you've specified what data and apps you want to transfer, click the Next button in the bottom right corner of Desktop Manager to proceed. A variety of progress bars will appear on screen as Desktop Manager scans your device and copies its contents for backup. This will take a few minutes, so be patient.
When the backup process is complete, another dialogue box appears asking you to select your new device. At this point, connect the new BlackBerry that you wish to transfer data and applications to and select the corresponding PIN from the drop down menu. Again, you'll need to enter in your passcode here if your device is password protected. Then hit OK. Another set of progress bars then appears to scan the application configuration on the new BlackBerry.

If you checked the Options box for Allow me to select applications to add or update option , a list of all the applications on your existing BlackBerry appears. You can then choose which apps you want to transfer from the old device to the new. To remove an app from the list, simply uncheck the box next to that application. When you're finished, click Next.

Patience comes into play again at this point, as it can take anywhere from five minutes to half an hour to complete the process. So sit back, grab a soothing beverage perhaps, and decide what to do next with your new smartphone.

Two factors worth noting: After transferring personal data and apps to a new BlackBerry, you'll likely have to log back into any programs that require a user name and password, so you may want to have your login information handy. Second, it's not uncommon to come across application errors when attempting to transfer apps from one device to another--especially if those devices are running different OS versions. The simplest way to proceed after receiving an app error is to remove the problem application from the list of programs that will be transferred using the instructions above. Then you can simply download a fresh copy of the problem app at a later time.

Firefox 5 now available to download

By Gregg Keizer
Edited By Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez


One thousand improvements later

Mozilla today delivered the final version of Firefox 5, the first edition under the new faster-release regime it kicked off earlier this year.


The company also patched 10 bugs in Firefox 5, including one in the browser's handling of the WebGL 3-D rendering standard that rival Microsoft has called unsafe.


Firefox 5 met Mozilla's self-imposed deadline of 21 June, notable because the company has historically struggled to ship browser upgrades on time.


Firefox 5 looks identical to its predecessor, Firefox 4, but Mozilla's made changes under the hood.
Shortly after Mozilla launched Firefox 4 in March, the company committed to a faster release schedule that puts the browser on a six-week refresh cycle that lets developers add features as they're completed, rather than hold them until all work on the next upgrade is completed. If a feature presents problems, it's yanked and re-inserted into a later cycle after fixes have been applied.


Mozilla has denied copying Google Chrome's upbeat schedule - that browser was the first to institute a fast-release strategy - but analysts have noted the similarities and pointed out the need of all browser makers to step up the pace.


Because of the shorter development cycle, Mozilla called out relatively few new features in Firefox 5.
Although the company said it added more than 1,000 improvements to the browser, most were minor bug fixes or tweaks. Among the most significant changes were enhanced support for HTML5 and new support for CSS (cascading style sheet) animations.


Firefox 5's user interface is nearly identical to Firefox 4, for instance.


Mozilla also dropped a feature it had touted during the testing phase, dumping a tool that let users change development channels from, say, the final to either Beta or Aurora, rougher builds that precede the most stable edition. The company decided that few were using the channel switcher, and rather than devote time and resources to maintaining the feature, pulled it.


Mozilla did not make a major marketing push for Firefox 5, another departure from past upgrades when it has touted the number of downloads and gotten supporters to throw release parties.


On the security front, Mozilla patched vulnerabilities in both Firefox 3.6 and Firefox 5.


Ten of the 11 bugs fixed in Firefox 3.6, which Mozilla said it will continue to support "for a short amount of time," were rated "critical," the company's most serious threat rating; the one exception was tagged as "moderate."


Seven of the 10 bugs quashed in Firefox 5 were also rated critical, two were labelled moderate and the last was pegged a "low" threat.


One of the moderate vulnerabilities patched in Firefox 5 was in the browser's implementation of WebGL , a 3-D rendering standard that both Chrome and Firefox rely on. The bug was reported to Mozilla by Context Information Security some weeks ago, which has cited several serious security issues with WebGL, including information theft.


Users running Firefox 4 will be offered the upgrade to Firefox 5 through the browser's update mechanism, which is triggered when the "About Firefox" dialog is opened. In Windows, users can select "Help/About Firefox" from the Firefox button at the upper left of the browser Windows. On a Mac, "About Firefox" is the first choice under the Firefox menu.


The next version of Firefox is currently on schedule for an early August release.

Apple posts upgrade instructions for Mac OS X Lion

By Lex Friedman and Serenity Caldwell
Edited by Anthony Ian G. Etcobanez

Business and consumer pricing confirmed

If you're an IT manager worried about how Lion's Mac App Store-only distribution will affect your deployment of the new OS, perhaps some official instructions from Apple will alleviate your fears. On Friday, the company posted a PDF to its sales website detailing exactly how business and education customers can upgrade come July.

First reported by TUAW, the document offers a basic overview for upgrading to Lion in regards to business and education, as well as confirmation regarding newly purchased Macs being eligible for a free OS upgrade. The PDF is available only to authorised purchasers on Apple's sales website, though MacRumors has posted a copy to its servers.

For those of you who don't feel like reading over the PDF, we've broken down the information for you in a few simple steps. The pricing refers to US copies of the operating system, no details of UK pricing are available as yet, aside from the standard consumer pricing of £20.99.

Buying Lion

Business customers: According to the document, business customers will be able to purchase Lion and Lion Server through the online Business Store or by calling Apple's business line. Buyers will be able to purchase volume licences for $30 each (minimum 20 licences).

Maintenance contracts, which offer three free subsequent years of OS updates as part of Apple's Maintenance Program, will cost $50 a licence (minimum 20 licences). Lion Server will be available for an additional $50 from the Mac App Store. If you're currently running Snow Leopard Server, you'll have to buy both Lion and Lion Server at the same time to upgrade.

Education customers: Those buying Lion for a school can upgrade through their Apple Education Account Representative or through Apple's online Education Store. Lion will be automatically bundled with iLife and iWork as part of the company's Apple Software Collection, which starts at $39 per licence (minimum 25 licences).

New Mac owners: The PDF also confirms that customers who recently purchased a Mac should be entitled to a free upgrade to Lion. If you bought a qualifying new laptop or desktop from Apple or an Apple Authorized Reseller on or after June 6, you'll be entitled to a free upgrade to Lion as part of the company's Up-to-Date programme. According to the PDF, you'll have 30 days after Lion's release to request an update code.

Downloading and dissemination

Downloading Lion: Business or education customers that buy the requisite licences will receive a single redemption code for use on the Mac App Store. Once redeemed, this code will download the Lion installer. From there, you can copy the installer to a disk, flash drive or networked drive to transfer it over to another system.

Installing Lion: You can go about actually installing Lion a couple of different ways: by dragging the installer to the computer in question and having it install in place, or if you're running Lion Server by using NetInstall to make the Lion installer a startup disk on your company's local network. If your business has a copy of Apple Remote Desktop, you can use that to automate system installation, as well.
But what about updates? You can download updates for both Lion and Lion Server through Software Update on each respective computer. No Mac App Store patch downloading necessary.

Questions and answers

In its announcement that the Mac App Store would be the exclusive way to upgrade to Lion, Apple raised several concerns among consumers and IT professionals alike. If this document is any indication, however, it looks like the company is beginning to address these issues.
That being said, Apple has yet to discuss upgrade paths for other types of customers, namely people with limited bandwidth or a data-capped Internet connection, who might run into problems downloading large files from the Mac App Store.

Also left out in the cold: Mac users who haven't upgraded to Snow Leopard, as you need to be running Mac OS X 10.6.6 or later to use the Mac App Store. We hope to get more details on those issues from Apple in advance of Lion's July arrival.

NASA looking for new ideas for space travel

By Sharon Gaudin


100 Year Starship Study Symposium looking for bright sparks

DARPA and NASA want the U.S. to be sending humans on interstellar space missions by 2111, and officials are seeking your help in accomplishing that goal.

The two agencies today jointly put out a call today for ideas and abstracts for possible presentation at the 100 Year Starship Study Symposium.

The project pairs up the Department of Defense's research arm, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency or DARPA, with NASA's Ames Research Center. With DARPA footing the bill, the two agencies are working to come up with a plan for creating technology that can help humans travel to the stars within 100 years.


"One hundred years is a pretty good period of time to inspire research, to go out and tackle problems that will have you asking questions you didn't even know to ask at the beginning," said David Neyland, director of the Tactical Technology Office for DARPA. "The investment must have a long term goal and ancillary benefits to the government and NASA."

The overall effort kicked off last year and continued in January with a DARPA-hosted workshop that featured an eclectic mix of sci-fi authors, physicists, educators and biologists discussing why humans should travel to the stars. The group also talked about the physics of interstellar travel and who should go on such a long and perilous trip.

"We want to capture the imagination of folks who might not be thinking of coming into research and development," said Neyland.

Neyland was adamant in contending that technology developed as a result of this project would likely reap great benefits for the US military as well as the population as a whole.

We want to feed research and development" to create technology to use in building starships that would also "have ancillary payoffs," Neyland said. "Clearly, a starship would have to be energy neutral. It's not going to be able to stop off at a gas station on the way. That kind of research could benefit us now."
He also cited technologies that could be used to produce food, water and oxygen in outer space.
The papers can focus on several subjects, such as: time and space manipulation, near speed-of-light navigation, interstellar communication, the religious implications of finding life on other planets, creating medical facilities in space and what items should be taken on starships.

What is the reason behind of Lulzsec cyber attack? - Bloggers Talks

What is the reason behind of Lulzsec cyber attack? - Bloggers Talks

LulzSec hackers take down CIA website

US intelligence agency main public site brought down temporarily.

The CIA's main public facing web site appears to have been taken down by hacking group LulzSec earlier today.

The group, which has previously claimed responsibility for hacking into Sony Pictures, tweeted this afternoon about bringing down the CIA site. "Tango down - cia.gov - for the lulz," the loosely organised group said in the post.

As of late this afternoon, the CIA's main website at cia.gov appeared to be resolving somewhat slowly or not at all in some cases. It is not immediately clear if the intrusion resulted in any information being compromised.

The CIA hack adds to what has already been a very busy week for LulzSec. The group this week also claimed credit for breaking into servers belonging to the US Senate and to game maker Bethesda Software.

A spokesman from the Senate's sergeant at arms had noted that the group had managed to break into an account at a Senator's office and used that access to compromise the Senate server.

LulzSec, which until recently was a relatively unknown group, also announced earlier this week that it would accept hacking requests from anyone who wanted specific websites targeted. "Call into 614-LULZSEC and pick a target and we'll obliterate it," the group announced.

Tweets posted by the group Tuesday and Wednesday suggest that those who dialed the numbers were being automatically redirected to other numbers. "Our number literally has anywhere between 5-20 people ringing it every single second. We can forward it anywhere in the world. Suggestions?" LulzSec said in a tweet earlier today.

The group dubbed yesterday as Titanic Takeover Tuesday and claimed credit for breaking into several gaming sites including Eve Online, Minecraft and League of Legends. "Welcome to #TitanicTakeoverTuesday where everyone is laughing at crybabies getting Lulz Cannoned!," the group said.

The continuing string of attacks show "how just about everyone's perimeter defences are vulnerable to attack," said Josh Shaul, CTO at Application Security.

"Security teams need to focus their efforts on securing data where it lives, in the database, instead of continuing in the failed strategy of protecting the borders of the network," he said. "Hopefully some good will come from this string of high profile hacks. For a long time organisations have vastly under invested in it security. This could be the inflection point where that all changes."

Microsoft Office 2010 Adopted 5 Times Faster Than Last Version

By Dina Bass



Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), the world’s biggest software maker, said corporate customers adopted the Office 2010 product five times faster than the previous version.


Sales to businesses outpaced those of Office 2007 through the first nine months of product availability, Redmond, Washington-based Microsoft said today. The 2010 software suite is the fastest selling update among regular consumers, and almost 50 million of them are using the Web-based versions of Office programs Microsoft released to combat Google Inc. (GOOG)’s Apps.


The company is announcing the numbers in a blog on the one- year anniversary of the product’s release, Takeshi Numoto, an Office vice president, said in an interview.


Microsoft’s Business Division unit, mostly sales from Office, has been exceeding analysts’ estimates, helping revenue growth as the Windows operating-system business loses some consumers to Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPad. Mountain View, California-based Google has been trying to steal corporate and government customers from Office with online word-processing and spreadsheet software.


“The Office business is the one business people feel pretty good about,” said Brendan Barnicle, an analyst at Pacific Crest Securities Inc. in Portland, Oregon, who rates the shares “sector perform.” “It’s not really coming under the same kind of attacks” as Windows and mobile software.


Google Apps has been out for several years and there hasn’t been mass defections, he said in an interview.

Cloud Computing

Deployments of Office 2010 are also beating those of Office 2003 “by a pretty significant margin,” Numoto said. Nine of 10 customers in a Microsoft satisfaction survey said 2010 was the best Office release ever, he said.

Sales in the business division, the company’s biggest, rose to $5.27 billion last quarter, exceeding the $4.9 billion average of analysts’ estimates compiled by Bloomberg.

The Office business is being challenged by the growing popularity of so-called cloud software delivered over the Internet, which is allowing companies to choose from more options, Barnicle said. Delivering software as a service over the Internet may squeeze Microsoft’s profit margins, he said.

Microsoft Office 365 still a beta service, says analyst

Cloud productivity apps still riddled with problems
Microsoft Office 365 cloud service is likely on the verge of exiting beta and entering general availability. CEO Steve Ballmer revealed that the service will launch this month and will be giving a speech about the service's future on June 28.

But is Office 365 really ready to ditch the "beta" tag? One analyst who has been testing Office 365 for a few months says no, and a quick look at Microsoft help forums shows that numerous beta testers are experiencing problems.

"I'm a big fan of Office 365. I think it's going to do well," says analyst Paul Burns of Neovise, who spent 20 years as a software engineer and senior product manager at HP, before becoming an industry analyst. "But if they are moving out of beta at the end of June, then yes, I'm surprised."

Burns signed up for the Office 365 beta for himself and five part time employees, and plans to continue using the service once it becomes generally available. Burns is using Exchange for email as well as SharePoint, Lync, Office Web Apps and the regular version of Microsoft Office.

One missing capability, in Burns' opinion, is the ability to import contacts from, say, an Outlook client into a shared global address list that can be accessed by all employees through an Exchange server. Currently, Microsoft requires Office 365 customers to either manually enter each email address one by one, or use

Windows PowerShell.

Burns isn't the only one complaining about this, as a help forum thread shows.
A Microsoft support specialist told users on May 12, "If you'd like to import a list of contacts into your Global Address List, you'll need an Enterprise subscription. In Enterprise, you can use Remote PowerShell." A week later, the Microsoft moderator followed up and said, "Small Business subscribers can now use Remote PowerShell."

But PowerShell requires users to work in a command line interface, and "not everyone has the expertise to do that," Burns said. It's also time consuming.

Because of the global address list snafu, and another issue that made it difficult to create properly functioning email aliases, Burns says, "I went to download PowerShell, but very quickly I realised this is going to be time consuming, and if I write the script, how do I test it? How do I know it's right? Now I'm afraid to run the script on my data. What if I biff it and delete all my stuff instead?"
One Office 365 beta user complained in the global address list help forum, "This is another example of how such a basic requirement from any business cannot be executed unless you have the Enterprise package. Why the heck should you need to have the Enterprise package simply to be able to import contacts into the GAL?"

Microsoft said it provides tools to small businesses to migrate users and mailboxes from other services. "Office 365 for small businesses is designed specifically for smaller businesses and professionals who are looking for cloud-based productivity tools without the IT hassles," Microsoft said.

At the same time, Microsoft did not deny that it requires PowerShell to import addresses into the Global Address List. PowerShell is also required to create shared mailboxes for email aliases, which for example would let any employee respond from a generic address, such as "sales@company.com."

We received no word from Microsoft on whether this will change once Office 365 exits beta.
"In this beta exchange environment you have to wait an hour before connected mail accounts will be checked. This is unacceptable," a user wrote this week. "Will this change in the final version? If not, I will move on. For me, as a freelancer it is not [a] workable situation."
Another user complained about calendar tasks not syncing properly with a Windows mobile phone, and others had trouble creating SharePoint sites.

Burns also complained about non-delivery of emails, coupled with a status dashboard that is less than informative. In a case where multiple people told him they received bounceback emails while trying to contact him, the Office 365 dashboard insisted there were no problems at all.

"Office 365 can have problems on its side, and I'd like to be informed via an administration tool when that happens," Burns says.

Another nagging issue was configuring Office 365 to work with a website hosted by a non-Microsoft provider. Microsoft offers documentation on how to do this, but Burns says the process was full of snags and took many hours.

Burns temporarily had problems inviting people to Lync meetings via email, until that issue was fixed. He's also struggled with importing Word documents into Office Web Apps while keeping the right format, even though Microsoft has loudly touted its ability to import documents and criticised Google Docs for its failure to do so.

Overall, though, Burns is impressed by Microsoft's new cloud service. "I'm totally impressed with that price, and I'm really impressed that they're letting people even just buy one seat per company," he says.