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Dell has announced that it would introduce a smartphone on the AT&T network. The smartphone will use Google Android.
Dell expects to launch the smartphone next year. If the AT&T deal materializes, all the major US cellular carriers would be carrying phones running Google Android. Without doubt. this will be a major boost for Google which is already dominating the search market.
This is Dell’s first attempt to tap into the cell phone market which is already saturated with a number of companies. Dell announced that the cell phone would be touchscreen based and will feature a keypad and camera as well. Earlier in August, Dell displayed a device in China–Dell’s AT&T phone will be quite similar to it but will come with some different features.
Dell’s smartphone will also come with software such as a web browser, a music player and games.
Google Android is slowly gaining in the market with more and more phone makers preferring to use it. Till date, nine Android based smartphones have been announced across 32 carriers in 26. Android is expected to start appearing in even smaller markets around the world, like with the Asian provider “Telephone Systems International“, as its reach expands further and further.
AT&T is the US’s second-largest wireless carrier in terms of the number of users. Verizon Wireless, the largest carrier in the US has announced that it would launch its first two Android based devices this year.
Google Android is free to use and so won’t generate any direct revenues for Google. However, expects to benefit from the operating system by pushing its other products such as maps and mobile search in the long term.
Dell is also currently negotiating with other carriers in the US. It may possibly offer its device with T-Mobile USA Inc. as well. However, T-Mobile has not revealed any information about this. Dell already sells netbooks which use cellular networks to access the Internet.
In the recent years, Dell’s revenues have been on a decline as it has been facing a heavy competition from rivals in the PC market. Dells plans to expand into lucrative markets to reverse that drop.
Dell has identified smartphones as an important area as more and more users are buying them, Earlier in August, Dell had announced that it would be developing handsets for China Mobile Ltd., the largest cellular carrier in China.
Sony has introduced the Vaio L Touch Series. These are all-in-one computers that feature a built-in 24-inch widescreen LCD.
Sony expects the L Series to provide true all-in-one user experience. The computers in the series will feature 1080 HD capability, touch screen monitor, Blu-ray options, ATSC/HDTV tuner and HDMI port.
The L Series make complete use of the touch-screen technology that Windows 7 provides. The L Series will replace older the older LV line of Sony desktops.
The L Series computers will feature processors up to a Core 2 Quad and come with up to 1 terabyte of storage, a wireless remote control, and VESA mounting kits. Other hardware include 802.11b/g/n Wi Fi. Nvidia graphics, wireless keyboard and mouse. The computers will ship with Windows 7 Home Premium or Professional. In addition, they will also come with Sony’s Media Gallery software which allows users to use digital media such as photos, music and videos easily by using the touch screen.
The Sony VPCL11FXB will ship in November 2009. It will feature an Intel Quad Q84002 processor, 6 GB of memory, 1 terabyte of storage, a Blu-ray reader/DVD burner combo drive, Nvidia GeForce GT240M graphics, 802.11/b/g/n, HDMI input, ATSC/HDTV tuner, and Bluetooth.
Other computer manufacturers such as HP, Gateway, ASUS and MSI have already announced all-in-one touchscreen PCs. Sony is going to face a stiff competition from these products. The models from these companies have larger sized monitors and have the potential to replace TVs in the home. For instance, the Gateway One ZX6810-01 offers the same Windows 7 touch screen capabilities and comes with HD options. It was announced by Gateway on Tuesday.
Sony’s all-in-one PCs start at around $1300. More information is available on Sony’s official website.
Data from the latest Hotmail phishing attack indicates that many users do not take security seriously and use weak passwords.
In the phishing attack more than 10,000 hotmail accounts were hacked and their passwords displayed on PasteBin.com. The most common password was “123456″. Traditionally, the most common password is “password” itself!
Among the 10,000 passwords that were posted, “123456″ appeared 64 times. The second most popular password was “123456789″ which appeared 18 times.
After the passwords were posted on PasteBin.com, the list was deleted as soon as it was discovered. However, hackers can still retrieve the list using search engine caches and possible mirror websites.
In the phishing attack, users were enticed to reveal their credentials on a fake web site that looked remarked similar to Hotmail.com.
Users commonly use their date of birth as their password. The data posted on PasteBin.com indicates this to be a very common practice. This should be avoided as it is very easy to guess.
Most of the usernames and passwords in the list contain Spanish words and names. This is indicative that the data was harvested at least in part from a Spanish language phishing message.
Other common passwords in the list include iloveyou and tequiero, which has the same meaning in Spanish. Security experts believe that the list posted online to demonstrate the hackers’ skills.
Many users often use the same password on multiple websites. This makes their other accounts particularly vulnerable. If one account gets hacked, the hacker will be access all other accounts–including PayPal and bank accounts. For this reason, it is advisable to use different passwords for different accounts.
It is time to reconsider the traditional advice on how to choose passwords. Earlier, it was said that the best way to stay safe is to never write the password down. Now it advisable to use a long complex password that include small case, upper case letters, numbers and other symbols, and then write part of it down and store in your wallet.
If the wallet gets stolen, the person will still not be able to break the password as it is not complete. Three initials of the name or postal code in the beginning or end will do the trick.
There are reports that a second dump of at least 30,000 email credentials has also been posted on PasteBin.com. The list contains credentials of Gmail and Yahoomail accounts as well.
Amazon’s Kindle e-book reader will be available in the UK in the coming few days. Additionally, it will also be available in more than 100 other countries across the world.
Amazon’s Kindle was available only in the US ever since it was launched in November 2007. Amazon has high sales expectations for the Kindle–it expects to sell more than 1 million units by the end of this year.
Amazon Kindle will work globally by using the 3G network. However, Amazon has not provided any information on the networks that will provide connectivity to the Kindle.
Amazon’s Kindle store offers more than 200,000 ebooks in English. Users can access ebooks from hundred of publishers such as Penguin, Faber and HarperCollins. Additionally, users will also be able to access more than 85 US and international magazines and newspapers using the Kindle.
Amazon states that it has millions of customers who read English books. Kindle will enable these readers to download books in an instant. Penguin expects Amazon’s Kindle to play a pivotal role in kickstarting digital book sales in Europe. In the United States, the publishing industry is seeing a tremendous growth in digital book sales.
The Amazon Kindle which will be available outside the US will have the same look and feel as the US version, except that it will access a different network. Amazon initially attempted to make Kindle’s Whispernet wireless download system available in the Europe. However due to difficulties in implementation, it decided to switch to the 3G network.
Earlier this year, Amazon launched a new version of its ebook reader with support for magazines, newspapers and other documents. This version is known as “Kindle DX” and is currently available only in the US.
The version of the Kindle available in the UK will cost £175. It will be available on October 19th.
The European Commission and Microsoft have reached an agreement with respect to inclusion of Internet Explorer in Windows 7. Windows 7 has been cleared to ship with Internet Explorer preinstalled later this month.
Microsoft announced that Windows 7 will be shipped as planned. Users will get Windows 7 and then sometime later they will get a Windows update which will enable them to launch the ballot screen and choose a browser of their choice.
PC manufacturers are free to install any browser that they think will be useful. Users can also install and uninstall any browser of their choice. Users who have Internet Explorer installed as their default browser will be displayed with a ballot screen for the next five years. This will allow them to download and install any browser of their choice and set it as the default.
Microsoft’s ballot screen is a web page and not a separate software application. Microsoft has clarified that this won’t be an issue to users.
To conform to the regulations in the European Union, Microsoft plans to include a screen to explain what browsers are to users. This screen will also provide more information on each of these browsers by using “Tell Me More” buttons. The European Union can review the screen in the future to ensure that Microsoft complies with its antitrust regulations.
Opera has welcomed Microsoft’s new proposal. Earlier, the Norwegian browser was one of the main critics of Microsoft’s monopoly in the web browser market.
Opera commented that it was fully in favor of the ballot screen concept. However, it stated that it was still studying the announcement from the European Commission and would comment it at a later stage. Opera considers the question of how the ballot screen is implemented as a serious issue.
IBM Research is now targeting genetic sequencing. It is aiming to develop a new genetic sequencing method. IBM aims to bring genetic testing into the computing era and lower costs of gene sequencing to something like $1000.
DNA-sequencing involves measuring the electrical properties of biochemicals on the DNA strands as they pass through a nanopore to determine the genetic information. IBM is working on ways to slow this down to improve its precision.
The new technology will be called “DNA Transistor”. It will be unveiled by IBM Chief Executive Sam Palmisano is the coming days. The goal of the project is to make genetic sequencing very affordable. The technology which will be available in the next five or ten years will make genetic sequencing a common thing.
IBM believes that such technology will have widespread uses in healthcare. By knowing the patient’s genotype on the spot, doctors will be able to determine how the patient will react to a specific drug. In addition to IBM, several other companies are also working on similar technologies.
IBM has been developing this technology since the last three years. An earlier prototype which IBM developed was not successful and so IBM has developed another prototype which overcomes the minus points of the former.
IBM Research is also pursuing research in other fields such as nanotechnology and biotechnology. The outcomes in these fields may not be evident so fast. However, IBM hopes to make quick progress.
The FTC has announced new rules for bloggers–now bloggers have to disclose paid endorsements to their readers.
Many bloggers receive a small fee from companies for reviewing their products. Under FTC’s new rules, bloggers engaging in this practice have to disclose that they are receiving a fee for the blog post. Bloggers also have to disclose any gifts, free gadgets, samples etc. as well as these also count as compensation.
Many bloggers disclose paid reviews and posts on their blogs. However, paid posts are often obvious even when they are not disclosed. If you are reviewing a product on your blog, you must clearly mention the typical results users can expect from the product. If your experience was not normal, you simple can’t say results were not typical of the product.
FTC had set new rules for not just bloggers, but also for users of social networks and microblogging services such as Twitter.
These rules may sound very straightforward. However, suppose you work for a company and at the same time love the products the company makes and endorse them on your blog. So, since you are receiving monetary compensation from the company, should you declare everywhere that you work for the company? You should be safe as long as you don’t have huge traffic, but if you do, it is advisable to disclose your affiliations.
These rules do seem to be excessive. However, the FTC is not all interested in targeting individual bloggers with heavy fines. These rules are meant for corporations and companies who do false advertising about their products. A paid post with exaggerated benefits does count as false advertising.
The FTC is more bothered about how advertisers pay for endorsements rather than the individual bloggers themselves. However, the FTC can levy fines up to $11,00 for potential violations. If you are a big time blogger or have large followings on Twitter, it is advisable to play by the rules.
Thousands of hotmail accounts have been hacked by a massive phishing operation.
Over the weekend reports emerged that many hotmail accounts were compromised. After investigating the reports, Microsoft has stated that it had traced the thefts to a phishing website which gathered user data by tricking the users. Microsoft has clarified that this was not due to some intrinsic vulnerability in hotmail. Internal systems of hotmail have not been compromised.
Neowin.net, a news website that covers developments at Microsoft, reported on Monday that login credentials of more than 10,000 hotmail accounts had been posted on pastebin, a code-sharing service. The majority of the compromised hotmail accounts are believed to be from Europe.
Microsoft has advised users whose accounts have been compromised to change the passwords immediately. In addition, it is also suggested to change the password recovery questions and alternative email IDs.
Phishing attacks can be prevented by checking the URL and content of web pages which ask for log-in information. Always type the URL in the browser address and do not click on links in suspicious emails. Browsers such as Firefox and Internet Explorer 7 & 8 comes with a security feature which provides a warning message when a phishing attack is suspected.
In the recent months, phishing activities have become very low due to improved security. However, industry experts predict phishing to catch on with the approaching holiday season.
The latest version of AVG i.e. version 9 has finally become available. The latest version features significant enhancements that improve speed and performance and at the same time make the antivirus very light on system resources.
AVG 9 features a simpler and streamlined installation process. Developers at Grisoft have reduced the number of clicks needed to install the software to 11 from 22. The installation procedure is now much simpler and faster.
AVG has also launched a new service known as Identity Theft Recovery Unity. This service will allow the paid and free users of AVG to access a 800-number to obtain information on identity theft. It will also guide users through the process of restoring their credit scores if they fall victim to identity theft.
The latest version features an improved scanning engine. Grisoft, the company that develops AVG, claims that version 9 scans as much as 50% faster when compared to earlier versions. In addition, it also reduces Windows boot lag by as much as 10-15%.
AVG 9 also comes with a more intuitive and less intrusive firewall. This is one of features that many users wished for.
The paid versions of AVG 9 can be downloaded from www.avg.com. However, users have to wait until October 15th for the free version of AVG 9.
The first phones running on Windows Mobile 6.5 will become available from today. Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.5 is an updated version of its popular operating system for smartphones.
The first three phones based on Windows Mobile 6.5 are HTC Imagio, HTC Pure and HTC Tilt 2. Microsoft said that phones running Windows Mobile 6.1 can be upgraded to the 6.5.
Microsoft claims that Windows Mobile 6.5 comes with a number of improvements. Additionally, it also allows users to access many new online services such as Windows Marketplace for Mobile and My Phone.
There will be about 200 applications for download on Windows Marketplace for Mobile. More applications will be added later. These applications range from business software to games.
My Phone is a new backup service that allows users to synchronize directly with a computer to restore lost data if the phone is lost or stolen. The service also allows users to track their lost phone with the help of GPS. My Phone will be available initially only in the US.
Using the My Phone service, users can remotely lock the phone and then add a “please return to” message to the screen. If this fails in convincing the finder to return it back, the phone will vibrate annoyingly and then delete all the data.
Windows Mobile 6.5 has quick access to Windows Live, Bing and Mobile Office Communicator. Users can also access Microsoft Online Services i.e. Exchange and SharePoint.
More information on Windows Mobile 6.5 will be available shortly.
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