Technology News and Gadgets Updates: 01/05/11

Wednesday, January 5, 2011

Microsoft Windows vulnerable to new type of attack

Some versions of Microsoft Corp's Windows operating system are vulnerable to attack from hackers exploiting a flaw in the software that could allow them to remotely take control of a personal computer.

The software giant warned of the problem on Tuesday in a special alert. It said it has yet to develop software to plug the hole in Windows or to figure out a workaround to the problem.

Microsoft said it is not aware of any attacks that tried to use the vulnerability, which involves the way Windows renders graphics on versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

The problem does not affect Microsoft's most-recent PC operating system, Windows 7, and its newest operating system for servers, Windows Server 2008 R2.

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Microsoft Alliance With Intel Shows Age

The technology industry's most lucrative partnership—the long-running alliance between Microsoft Corp. and Intel Corp.—is coming to a day of reckoning.
Sales of tablets, smartphones and televisions using rival technologies are taking off, pushing the two technology giants to go their separate ways.

The clearest sign that their interests are diverging: Microsoft on Wednesday is expected to unveil a future version of the company's flagship Windows operating system that runs on microprocessors designed by Intel rival ARM Holdings PLC, according to people familiar with its plans.

Microsoft still plans to make versions of Windows that also run on Intel chips, but the company's ARM plans amount to a huge bet on a chip technology that has become the de facto standard for smartphones, tablets and other mobile products.

The marriage of Intel chip designs and Windows—what became known as the "Wintel" alliance—has shaped the PC business since the early 1980s, defining the standard for which software developers created applications. But both companies have struggled to capitalize on newer growth markets.

While Windows still powers more than 90% of global personal computers, research firm Gartner says Microsoft software ran less than 3% of smartphones in the third quarter. Despite pushing tablets for the past decade, no Wintel tablet has caught on with consumers.

The success of Apple Inc.'s iPad has driven a deeper wedge between Microsoft and Intel. The two companies, in collaboration with hardware makers, haven't been able to come up with any tablet products that match the performance, power efficiency and ease-of-use of the iPad, a worrying trend as the Apple device has come to nibble into mobile PC sales.

Microsoft Chief Executive Steve Ballmer will kick off the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas Wednesday. The new version of Windows Microsoft is expected to show off there will be better suited to touch-screen interfaces and the power limitations of tablets, people familiar with the matter said.

Technology industry veterans say the move by Microsoft is a milestone in the slow decay of the Wintel alliance. "I think it's a deep fracture," says Jean-Louis Gassee, a venture capitalist and Silicon Valley executive.

A Microsoft spokeswoman declined to comment. Bill Kircos, an Intel spokesman, said the relationship between the two companies is "deep and strong."

"While we can't comment specifically on any future Windows plans, there is a tremendous business opportunity for both of us in the projected billions of devices, gadgets and machines going online in the next five years, above and beyond the more near-term tablet area," Mr. Kircos said.

CES - Toshiba plans big push on glasses-free 3D TV

Toshiba Corp will begin selling large-screen glasses-free 3D television sets in fiscal 2011 and plans to start marketing the groundbreaking devices beyond its home turf of Japan, executives said on Tuesday.

The Japanese conglomerate also announced an ambitious target for a one-third increase in its TV unit sales for the financial year starting in April, to 20 million.

Toshiba, whose products range from household appliances to nuclear power stations, has already launched 12-inch and 20-inch versions of its glasses-free 3D TV in Japan.

The need for special glasses is considered a major factor hindering sales of 3D TVs, but rival companies have said the viewing angle for glasses-free technology is too restrictive.

Atsushi Murasawa, Toshiba's head of visual products, told reporters at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas on Tuesday that the reaction to the sets had been favourable.

The company will be showing off prototypes of 56-inch and 65-inch glasses-free 3D TVs at CES and will probably launch two models, one over 40 inches and another over 50 inches, a Toshiba spokesman said.

"These will not only be for the Japanese market, but also America, Europe and China," Murasawa said. He gave no details on launch dates or prices for the new products.

Toshiba makes liquid-crystal display screens in-house for its small glasses-free 3D TV models, but the company said it would need to work with an external supplier for the larger screens.

The company also sells 3D-capable televisions for use with customary glasses, along the lines of those offered by rivals such as Sony Corp.

Toshiba is seeking to boost television sales in developing countries and to grab a 10 percent share of the U.S. TV market, compared with about 7 or 8 percent at present, Murasawa said.

Facebook fund tests SEC resolve: Analysis

The efforts by Facebook to raise as much as $1.5 billion outside of regulated markets is the latest test of the walls between private and public markets.

Goldman Sachs (GS.N) this week approached its best private wealth clients with a tantalizing offer: a special fund that will own shares in the fast-growing social networking giant. Goldman gets to offer clients a hot investment opportunity, while Facebook gets to remain a private company.

It is the latest in a growing trend: the blurring of public regulated markets and hands-off private markets.

That trend had drawn the attention of the Securities and Exchange Commission, which now must determine if it can build an enforcement case cracking down on investors and companies potentially skirting the rules on the books, or if it needs to clarify those rules itself.

"You have a lot of people who could probably create private markets that rival the public ones to deliver large amounts of capital to big companies without triggering all the burdens of being a public company," said Donald Langevoort, a professor of securities regulation at Georgetown University.

Small companies traditionally launch with the ultimate goal of completing an initial public offering and obtaining a listing on a national exchange. Yet reporting requirements and other regulatory hurdles have made that path less attractive, while new technology and alternative sources of capital make going public less critical.

That has contributed to a rise in online trading platforms that match buyers and sellers of privately held companies.

SecondMarket Inc, an online platform that hosts the trading of shares in Facebook and other private companies, on Monday told Reuters it received a request for information from the SEC on Friday. The SEC declined to comment on a potential probe into private market trading.

Under U.S. securities law, if a company's private shares are held by more than 500 holders of record, the company is required to register with the SEC and file public disclosure statements. But the rules generally define the term "record holder" as the name displayed on the company's stock record, and not the beneficial owner of the stock.

That means firms like Goldman Sachs can potentially skirt public disclosure rules through the use of a special investment vehicle. These funds can offer numerous investors the opportunity to buy stock, but the shares are all listed in the name of Goldman Sachs and only count as one shareholder of record.

Some securities lawyers say the SEC could choose to intervene if it concludes Facebook intends to skirt disclosure rules.

Lenovo 'LePad' combines tablet, laptop in one

Chinese computer colossus Lenovo on Tuesday unveiled an IdeaPad computer that serves as a laptop for work tasks then converts to a touch-screen tablet for play time.

The IdeaPad U1 hybrid, with a "LePad" slate that serves as a laptop screen but unplugs to become a tablet computer, made its debut on the cusp of the Thursday opening of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.

"It is one device to balance life and work," Lenovo product manager Leo Li told AFP.

"A keyboard is more important and Windows software more powerful for a lot of things you need to work, especially productivity and creating content," he continued. "At the same time, people want to enjoy music, see videos, go to websites, read e-books, and play games in their personal lives."

The LePad tablet is powered by Android software backed by California Internet giant Google and a Snapdragon chip from Qualcomm .

Once plugged into the keyboard base, the computer switches to Windows 7 operating software by Microsoft and a beefier Intel processor.

Lenovo is targeting consumers who embrace today's mobile lifestyle.

"Use the light-weight slate when you're mobile, and then simply slide it into the U1 base when you need to create and edit content," Lenovo Idea Product Group vice president Liu Jun said.

LePad has a 10.1-inch (26 centimeter) color screen, weighs less than two pounds (one kilogram) and connects to the Internet using 3G telecom service.

It has a front-facing camera for video chat and promises as many as eight hours of battery life.

IdeaPad U1 with LePad will be available in China by the end of March but won't be available in the United States until next-generation Android mobile software is available for use in the tablets.

IdeaPad U1 with LePad will be priced at 8,888 Chinese yuan (1,340 dollars) and the tablet will be sold separately for 3,499 Chinese yuan (528 dollars).

Dell buying IT security firm SecureWorks

US computer giant Dell said Tuesday it has reached an agreement to buy information technology security firm SecureWorks.

Financial details of the transaction were not disclosed.

"The frequency and sophistication of attacks on technology infrastructure and malicious attempts to access data, requires reliable, capable and innovative information security," Peter Altabef, president of Dell Services, said in a statement.

" SecureWorks is a recognized industry leader in information security services and its offerings and expertise will immediately enhance our solutions portfolio," Altabef said.

SecureWorks, founded in 1999, has 700 employees and projected 2010 revenue of more than 120 million dollars.

The Atlanta , Georgia-based firm has more than 2,900 clients in 70 countries including mid-sized businesses and companies in the financial services, utilities, health care, retail and manufacturing sectors.

"Dell's global scale and relationships with clients provides a tremendous opportunity to rapidly expand SecureWorks' business," SecureWorks chairman and chief executive Michael Cote said.

Dell said the acquisition is expected to close in early 2011.

Parrot makes 'smart' car radio for Internet Age

French mobile technology firm Parrot on Tuesday showed off a "smart" car radio that can find cheap fuel, free parking, and speed traps while taking music requests and placing phone calls.

The Asteroid in-dash receiver will be available in Europe by the end of March and the company is working to get it to the United States by the middle of this year, according to project manager Hocine Belkhoudja.

Parrot is in Las Vegas to show off Asteroid at a major Consumer Electronics show that officially opens on Thursday.

Asteroid has USB ports for MP3 players, GPS devices, and the types of 3G network wireless Internet service keys that people use for laptop computers.

The 3G keys link the radios to the Web, enabling applications to access online services or data and allowing motorists to use the radio to make hands-free telephone calls, according to Belkhoudja.

"You can listen to all the radio in the world on the Web," he said. "You can search for coffee or restaurants nearby, gas stations with the lowest prices or free parking."

The radios can also provide maps and driving routes.

Parrot tailored a version of open-source Android mobile operating software for Asteroid to handle a host of software applications.

Music features on the radios include taking spoken requests for specific songs or artists, with the device scouring connected devices and the Internet for tunes.

Parrot did not reveal the price it would charge, but Belkhoudja promised it would be "very impressive."

Parrot also demonstrated a touch-screen, dash-mounted version of Asteroid that it is working on as a "next step" but would not discuss when it might come to market.

China police use micro-blogs 'to connect with public

Hundreds of police across China have set up micro-blogging accounts in an effort to improve relations with the tech-savvy public, state media report.

The force is seeking to "ease tensions usually caused by improper handling of complaints", Xinhua said.

Twitter, which enables users to post 140-character messages, is banned in China but similar Chinese sites have attracted millions of users.

China has 450 million internet users, according to official figures.

At least 500 police bureaux have set up micro-blogs and are sending out messages, the People's Daily reported.

'Fiery' conversations
The "Safe Beijing" micro-blog, which shows a cartoon of a smiling Beijing policeman giving the thumbs-up, has nearly 330,000 followers.

The latest message (number 1,482) warns that blocking or hiding vehicle licence-plates intentionally is illegal and could result in a fine and licence penalty points.

Previous messages include a notice about roadworks, accompanied by a map, and a warning about burglaries.

It alerts citizens to a spate of break-ins overnight in one-storey courtyard-type houses.

"Please beware," it says, "close windows and doors securely, don't leave valuables around." There are 24 retweets of this and 21 comments.

In the eastern city of Jinan, police are using micro-blogs to collect public opinion on issues such as traffic laws, visa applications and fire prevention.

Officials quoted by Xinhua described the online conversations as sometimes "fiery".

The proliferation of such sites follows a call last month by China's top police official Meng Jianzhu for police to embrace new media to "to hear [citizens'] complaints and criticism, and to provide better services".

News of police misdeeds can prompt heated online debate, as many Chinese view police negatively amid reports of harsh, corrupt or flippant treatment.

Wireless power development kit touts Qi certification

The bqTESLA wireless power development kit from Texas Instruments is the first in the industry to get Qi certification, the company said.
The kit's key components are the bq500110 wireless power transmitter manager, bq25046 single-input, 5-V power supply IC and MSP430bq1010 wireless power control and communications. It targets applications requiring 5W of power or less, such as in digital cameras, smartphones, MP3 players and global positioning systems, along with infrastructure apps.

The bqTESLA is available at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2011 at a promo price of $250. After the show, its regular price will be $499.

Russians find social networking sites hot, step up their exposure

What do the Russians want from Facebook? And what, for that matter, do they want from other hot, and currently private, US companies like Zynga, Groupon and Twitter .

For people with money in the Russian investment company DST Global, the focus is social networking.

The private company, which is generally known here as DST, may seem but a footnote in the move by Goldman Sachs to invest $450 million in Facebook. But DST’s additional $50 million now raises it and its sister company’s combined stake in Facebook to about $500 million – or slightly less than 10% of the company, making the DST siblings among Facebook’s biggest owners.

When DST, previously known as Digital Sky Technologies, first started putting money into Facebook in 2009, some analysts chalked it up to an effort by novice Russian investors to burnish their technology credentials and gain entry into Silicon Valley. But DST, which is bankrolled by a coal and steel mogul with Kremlin ties, has placed some ambitious, and so far successful, bets. It now owns about 5% of the popular online gaming company Zynga and about 5% of the prominent shopping-coupon company Groupon. And it is said to be interested in investing in another privately held phenomenon, Twitter. A DST representative did not answer phone calls about the deal Monday, which was a holiday in Russia.

But DST’s chief executive, Yuri Milner, has said his focus on social networking reflects insights gained from watching the Russian Internet market develop in the past few years. In 2005, DST began investing in internet companies in Russia and Eastern Europe , where, as in parts of Asia, people adopted social games and the trading of virtual goods faster than in the United States. This, Milner, has said, led to an understanding that social networking business models involving tiny payments from large numbers of users have vast potential in emerging markets. “We chose a strategy of total and unconditional focus on the consumer internet, and I would say, even the social internet,” Milner said.

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Wednesday, January 5, 2011