Google Inc. will sell the online services of other business software makers in an effort to fill its own product gaps and persuade more companies to rely on applications piped over the Internet. The online store that was announced late Tuesday marks another step in Google’s crusade to convert the world to “cloud computing”, the idea of running applications in Web browsers instead of installing them on individual hard drives. The information entered in the programs also is stored in data centers run by third parties such as Google.
If you use Google Docs and Microsoft Office, you’ll appreciate the new Outlook sidebar from Mainsoft. Called Harmony, and currently in beta, the sidebar lets you share, e-mail, download, upload, and edit your Google Docs right from your desktop using Outlook 2007. Starting on Tuesday, Harmony is available as a free download from Mainsoft’s Website, and there is also a version for Microsoft SharePoint users
Apple’s latest move in its big App Store spring clean is to get rid of Wifi scanning applications. It’s already removed porn apps, but now it’s turned its feather duster on ’stumbler’ applications that seek out available Wifi networks. Users can still search for hotspots using apps which take advantage of the iPhone’s GPS capabilities – the ban only applies to those applications which actively search for a connection. The reason isn’t clear, but may be related to the fact that it is in certain circumstances and certain territories illegal to hook into an open Wifi connection – if you’re using your neighbor’s connection, for example. Alternatively, it may be a technical issue related to 802.11 radio functionality.
Evidence from the recent Aurora hack attacks on major American corporations suggest that many may have tightly locked virtual front doors, but no cybersecurity inside their systems, a McAfee expert warned on Wednesday. In a Security Insights blog post, Paul Kurtz, McAfee’s chief technology officer, discussed his study of the December-through-February attacks on Google, Intel, Adobe Systems, and other large firms.
He concluded that “Many organizations have tight security around financial systems and other mission-critical systems, but leave their intellectual-property repositories broadly accessible. The company might have strong perimeter security, but once you’re in, the [source code] is readily available.”
North Korea has reportedly developed its own version of the Linux operating with a graphical user interface that closely resembles Microsoft Windows. Although the operating system is still considered stable, it was easy to set up, taking around 15 minutes to install, however it comes with a single language option: Korean. The desktop interface shown in the screenshots closely resembles Windows, and appears to be based on a recent version of the K Desktop Environment (KDE). The Red Star browser, which Mikhail said was called My Country, is based on Mozilla’s Firefox browser, and allows users to access North Korea’s closed network , called My Country BBS. Other features of Red Star include a word processor, an e-mail client, antivirus software, multimedia players for audio and video, as well as several games.
Some 100 million Europeans using Microsoft software will be asked to choose among rival Web browsers by mid-May under a deal the company struck to settle antitrust action. Microsoft Corp. is starting this month to send updates to Windows computers in Europe so that when computer users log on, they will see a pop-up screen asking them to pick one or more of 12 free Web browsers to download and install, including Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.
Symantec Corp. released the findings of its global 2010 State of Enterprise Security study. The study found that 42 percent of organizations rate security their top issue. This isn’t a surprise, considering that 75 percent of organizations experienced cyber attacks in the past 12 months. These attacks cost enterprise businesses an average of $2 million per year. Finally, organizations reported that enterprise security is becoming more difficult due to understaffing, new IT initiatives that intensify security issues and IT compliance issues. The study is based on surveys of 2,100 enterprise CIOs, CISOs and IT managers from 27 countries in January 2010.
February 26th, 2010
admin
Popular instant messaging, voice chat, and video conferencing client Skype and Skype Lite are no longer available on Windows Mobile devices. The company says, “We’ve chosen to withdraw Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile because we want to offer our new customers an improved mobile experience — much like the version that has proved so popular on the iPhone, and which is now available on Symbian phones. Our focus is on providing a rich user experience that allows you to enjoy free Skype-to-Skype and low cost calls as easily on the move as you do at your desktop. We felt that Skype Lite and Skype for Windows Mobile were not offering the best possible Skype experience.”
February 25th, 2010
admin
Software giant Microsoft Corp has won a U.S. court approval to deactivate a global network of computers that the company accused of spreading spam and harmful computer codes. A federal judge in Alexandria, Virginia, granted a request by Microsoft to deactivate 277 Internet domains, which the software maker said is linked to a “botnet”. A botnet is an army of infected computers that hackers can control from a central machine. The company aims to secretly sever communications channels to the botnet before its operators can re-establish links to the network.
February 23rd, 2010
admin
Trying to get rid of the adult content that could be easily accessed by children, Apple decided to remove more then five thousand adult applications from App Store, that contained either sexual context words in their names, or photos of men and women naked or wearing bikinis. Apple will also pay more attention to the new application that will be promoted for App Store sales.