Month: February 2008

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Vista SP1 is Complete, Update Available in March

Vista SP1

Windows Vista Service Pack One is ready to ship, Microsoft says. PC manufacturers and consumers can expect the update in March. Microsoft has said that SP1 includes Vista OS improvements including reliability, security and performance. For a first look at those improvements read PC World’s review of beta SP1.

Unlike some of the reports and speculation from last week, Vista SP1 is not officially available today. Microsoft said that it will be available to new volume licensing customers beginning March 1. Existing Vista consumers will have to wait until mid-March, Microsoft says, when the download becomes available through Microsoft’s Windows Update Web site. Windows Vista users who have their systems configured to receive automatic updates will get SP1 automatically delivered in mid-April, Microsoft says.

One small catch is that Microsoft will not offer the update to a small subset of Vista PCs that have been found to have “problematic” device drivers. Those drivers, Microsoft says, were not installed properly initially and when Vista SP1 is installed OS problems ensue. For those systems, “if Windows Update determines that the system has one of the drivers we know to be problematic, then Windows Update will not offer SP1,” according to the Windows Vista Team Blog.

No word on how many systems are impacted by this driver flaw. Microsoft says the fix for those systems is to reinstall the driver in question, however does not indicate what software program(s) create the driver problem.

Also over at the team blog, Mike Nash of the Windows Product Management group gets further into everything SP1 is looking to fix, including software compatibility and security. Many of the updates were made as requested by the consumers with the Customer Experience Improvement Program, Online Crash Analysis, and Windows Error Reporting.

source:pcworld 

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Opera Mobile 9.5

Opera

Opera unleashes innovative technology in latest mobile Web browser — Opera Mobile 9.5

Faster speed, new interface and Opera Widgets bring users closer to a full desktop experience
Exclusive preview at Mobile World Congress 2008 (February 11-14, Barcelona)
Oslo, Norway and Barcelona, Spain — February 5, 2008
Opera Software, the only company that puts the Web on any device, today announced the commercial release of Opera Mobile 9.5 — the latest version of its award-winning Web browser for sophisticated feature phones and smartphones. Participants at the Mobile World Congress 2008 will be the first to experience the improved functionality of Opera Mobile 9.5.

According to high-tech market research firm, In-Stat, the smartphone market will grow at more than a 30% compound annual growth rate for the next five years globally, exceeding unit sales for laptops, as users experience significant value from their smartphones. Users are downloading more applications and generating higher usage as measured by average revenue per user (ARPU) for operators. The main driver that has fueled this growth is overall user experience on the mobile Web.

Built on Opera’s unique core architecture, the Opera Mobile 9.5 desktop-like browsing experience has been enhanced with innovations such as zooming and panning that make it easier to navigate, load pages quicker and get users closer to the Web content and entertainment they want. With Opera Mobile 9.5, users can experience the real Web and interact with content exactly as they do on their PC.

Faster speed
The new version utilizes Opera’s Presto rendering engine to achieve page load speeds comparable to a desktop experience. The Opera Presto engine was modified and improves browsing performance significantly by accelerating the handling of Web pages. It dramatically improves page responsiveness on pages with heavy use of languages such as JavaScript and Ajax, ensuring smooth, hassle-free browsing.

Compelling experience
Opera Mobile 9.5 includes numerous features aimed at elevating the mobile browsing experience. Not only is the user interface (UI) intuitive enough to master in minutes, Opera Mobile 9.5 introduces several new innovations that elevate the Internet experience on a handheld device. Users can take advantage of the intuitive Opera Zoom™ to dive into the page and get closer to the content they want. In addition, productivity tools like the ability to save pages for offline browsing, Web address auto complete and password manager help busy users make the most of their time.

Fully loaded
Web 2.0-enabled, Widget-ready and Flash support turn Opera Mobile 9.5 into a fully loaded browser allowing users to access all their favorite Web sites such as Facebook, MySpace and more. With Opera Mobile 9.5, OEMs and operators will have the capability to include Flash Lite 3, empowering their smartphone users with access to the full Web including the ability to watch videos on YouTube effortlessly. In addition, Opera Widgets, which are mini applications that allow content to be accessed easily from the device idle screen with just a few clicks, are included in the new edition — automatically engaging the user through ease of operation and meeting consumer demands for quick access to information.

New revenue sources, bigger brand
Opera Mobile 9.5’s ability to serve Web content directly on the idle screen gets mobile OEMs or operators closer to users. By greatly reducing the number of clicks required to get to content, there is a real potential for operators to increase data revenue and user loyalty. In addition, access to the idle screen allows operators to place their brand strategically to interact dynamically with users. Opera Mobile 9.5 is everything that handset makers and operators have been trying to achieve for years.

“Opera Mobile is the result of Opera’s unwavering commitment to a vision that puts a true Web experience in the hands of mobile users,” said Jon von Tetzchner, CEO, Opera Software. “The improved functionality of Opera Mobile 9.5 and easy access to information has raised the bar on a more compelling mobile Web browsing experience and will further stimulate mobile Internet adoption.”

The Opera Mobile 9.5 experience includes many of the innovations found in Opera’s trend-setting desktop browser including:

Intuitive user interface
Tabbed browsing
Improved text wrap
Page overview, zooming and panning
Landscape mode
Save Web page for future offline access
Call phone number from Web page
Send link as SMS/MMS
Send image as SMS/MMS
Small Screen Rendering™
Password manager
Web address input auto-completion
History and bookmarks
Copy text
Opera Widgets
Opera Mobile is currently shipped on more than 100 million phones with many of the world’s top mobile OEMs and operators such as HTC, Motorola, Nokia, Samsung, Sony Ericsson, T-Mobile, and others.

Leading software platform provider, UIQ, has realized the potential of Opera’s new mobile browser. “UIQ works with the world’s leading mobile phone manufacturers to create the ultimate user experience. Our long-standing partnership with Opera has given users the ability to access all their favorite Web sites and services,” says Mats Barvesten, EVP Product Planning and Product Management at UIQ Technology. “We look forward to introducing our upcoming handsets, featuring the groundbreaking Opera Mobile 9.5 browser.”

Along with hands-on exposure to Opera Mobile 9.5, Mobile World Congress participants will also have the ability to experience Opera on a variety of devices: Opera Mobile on smartphones, free downloads of Opera Mini 4, improved Web browsing on gaming consoles and the ARCHOS Generation 5 Media players will be just a few of the exciting features of Opera’s 2008 exhibit.

Mobile World Congress will be held on the 11th through the 14th of February in 2008 in Barcelona, Spain. Visit the Opera Booth in Hall 2, 2C76 or email conference@opera.com to book a meeting.

Platform Support and Availability
Opera Mobile 9.5 will be available on all major platforms including Symbian, Windows Mobile and Linux, as both a standalone browser and as a SDK. The public beta release of Opera Mobile 9.5 will be announced separately. For media inquiries, please contact julies@opera.com.

A video demonstration of Opera Mobile 9.5 is available on http://www.opera.com/b2b/solutions/mobile/video/

About Opera Software ASA
Opera Software ASA has redefined Web browsing for PCs, mobile phones and other networked devices. Opera’s cross-platform Web browser technology is renowned for its performance, standards compliance and small size, while giving users a faster, safer and more dynamic online experience. Opera Software is headquartered in Oslo, Norway, with offices around the world. The company is listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol OPERA. Learn more about Opera at http://www.opera.com.

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Ultra Slim Credit Card Sized 1GB USB

USB-drive

Anyone who has ever tried to write down the key points raised in a board meeting or a lecture will know that, despite concerted efforts, unless you’re proficient with short hand, its often impossible to document everything in quite as much detail as one would ideally like – and that’s where gadgets such as this ultra slim USB voice recorder can prove extremely useful.

Compact enough to be stored with ease – thanks to the flip out, flush mounted USB connection the device measures in at a mere 6.5mm in thickness and is approximately the size of a credit card – this digital voice recorder comes with 1GB or internal storage which is enough to record up to 69.3 hours and has a battery life of around 4.5 hours for both recording and playback.

Ultra Slim Credit Card Sized 1GB USB Digital Voice Recorder

Supplied complete with earbuds and a neck strap this compact, stylish digital voice recorder can also serve as a standard USB flash memory drive as well as an MP3 player (would could prove especially useful in particularly boring meetings/lectures) and retails for around $70.

source:reuters 

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Cell Phone Watch

Cell-watch

This digital watch comes with the wireless Bluetooth technology and a cell phone with GSM 900, 1800, and 1900 MHz tri-band functionality.

They’ve also managed to squeeze in a 1,3 megapixel camera, support for MP3 and MP4 files and a place for a microSD card up to 2GB in size.

Specifications:

* Screen: 1.3 inch, 128 x 160 pixels, 262K color TFT LCD
* Network: GSM 900/1800/1900MHz Tri-band
* Interface language: English, Chinese
* SIM card: Unlocked
* Touch screen with handwriting
* Camera: 1.3MP
* Audio format support: MP3
* Video format support: MP4
* Memory extension: microSD card up to 2GB
* Data transfer: GPRS, Bluetooth A2DP (headset included)
* Color: black
* Dimensions: 64 x 45 x 18mm

Package Includes:

* Cell phone watch x 1
* Touch pen x 1
* Battery x 2 (700mAh Lithium)
* microSD card x 1
* Earbuds x 1
* USB connector cable x 1
* Bluetooth headset x 1
* Bluetooth charger cable x 1
* Charger x 1

The Cell Phone Watch is available from Global Sources Direct for $154.

source:reuters 

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LG New Slim SLider at GSMA 2008

LGKF510

GSMA 2008 is almost upon us, and LG has made it amply clear that its new KF510 mobile handset will make its debut at the event. The slim slider has LG’s famous touch-sensitive navigation under its display and is loaded with a 3 megapixel (and possibly auto-focus) camera.

It’s not just the intriguing design, but the colors too – such as Stardust Gray or Sunset Red – that will make the KF510 an eye-catcher. The phone is quite slim at 10.9mm, comes with an MP3 player, and is Bluetooth-enabled.

The LG KF510 will officially launch in March this year. We’ll have to wait a few more days, however, before we get more information on this new slider. Stay tuned.

source:tech2

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Bose’s New Lifestyle HT Systems

BoseBose

Bose has jumped on to the upscaling bandwagon. The mega audio corporation has just expanded its Lifestyle product line with the introduction of the V30 and V20 home theater systems. According to the press release, the two systems “provide high-quality audio and video from almost all entertainment sources available in the market, including those with HDMI.”

The Lifestyle V-Class systems integrate easily with HD televisions and components such as DVD players, cable/satellite boxes, DVRs, MP3 players, and gaming consoles. Each system delivers 5.1 surround sound with the help of five small speaker arrays, a receiver (‘media console’), and a subwoofer (‘Acoustimass module’).

All audio and video sources connect to the media console, which can be hidden away in a cabinet or closet. The included RF remote can control connected sources, and what’s more, it’s a learning remote.

The Lifestyle V30 includes five award-winning Jewel Cube speaker arrays, which deliver performance rivaling many larger speakers. The V20 system includes five Direct/Reflecting cube speaker arrays. Each system features a horizontal center channel speaker array, which helps to provide clear, focused dialog and balanced surround sound.

Both systems include the proprietary ADAPTiQ audio calibration system, which analyzes and automatically adjusts the system’s sound to the room, speaker location, furniture placement, and listener location. Bose Link, an expansion feature, can extend the music benefits of each system to 14 additional rooms.

The V30 and V20 systems are available in black or white. The V30 will sell at Rs 1,91,138, and the V20 will cost Rs 1,29,263. They will be available in Bose stores and from the company website, starting today.

source:tech2 

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LiMo’s Linux Phone Platform Nears Launch

Limo

The LiMo Foundation plans to release the first version of its Linux software platform for mobile phones in March, with handsets running the software due soon.

LiMo’s goal is to offer handset manufacturers an open, hardware-independent software platform that offers a secure environment for downloadable applications.

Publishing the code on time is one thing, but “putting handsets into consumers’ hands is the most important proof point,” said Morgan Gillis, executive director of the LiMo Foundation. That will happen very soon, he said.

On Monday, the Foundation will publish a beta version of the software’s APIs (application programming interfaces) so that developers can begin writing applications to run on it.

The APIs are still beta versions because the underlying software is not yet complete and minor details may change ahead of its release in March, Gillis said.

The LiMo Foundation is focusing on phones’ middleware, leaving handset manufacturers and operators to choose their own user interface and content applications.

That freedom is important, Gillis said, because “the cost of developing the first phone on a platform can be as high as half a billion dollars.”

Phone manufacturers may be unwilling to make that kind of commitment to a new operating system if it will also leave them tied to another company’s user interface or content applications, he said.

“That’s why Windows Mobile and Series 60 didn’t gain broad traction; suppliers didn’t feel comfortable,” he said.

LiMo faces competition from another open platform, Android, supported by Google and the Open Handset Alliance.

For Gillis, the connection between Android and Google’s content make that another example of a tied operating system.

Although the LiMo Foundation’s code is not quite finished, most of it has already been proven in handsets sold or distributed by founder members Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic, Samsung Electronics and Vodafone, Gillis said.

Nevertheless, there are some new elements, notably the security model, Gillis said. “Security in handsets is an area that tends to evolve quite quickly,” he said.

Since development of the platform began, “there are no major new threats, but it’s about evolving approaches and algorithms that address the security situation.”

Although the underlying platform is open, the handsets based on it may not be. The LiMo code includes support for application signing, allowing handset designers or operators to block the execution of unsigned downloads.

“The precise rules used for application signing are usually determined by the operator,” Gillis said.

However, he said, there are signs that operators are moving away from the “walled garden” they favored in the past to a more open approach.

source:pcworld 

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Intel Unveils Silverthorne

Intel Silverthorne processor

Intel will offer a first look at technical details of its low-power Silverthorne processor during a presentation at the International Solid State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) this week, setting the stage for a concerted push into the market for ultraportable devices.

“This is the first detailed technical presentation on Silverthorne,” said Justin Rattner, Intel’s chief technology officer and director of the company’s Corporate Technology Group.

Silverthorne is the first x86 chip designed by Intel specifically for small, portable computers. Until now, the company has taken older processors originally designed for notebooks and adapted them for use in portable devices. For example, Intel’s existing A100 and A110 processors designed for these devices are based on the Celeron M chip.

Intel’s ISSCC presentation on Silverthorne was anticipated. The conference program contained a presentation abstract that described an unnamed 45-nanometer, low-power Intel processor designed for mobile Internet devices. That description is the same that Intel used to describe Silverthorne, although the company earlier declined to confirm or deny if the chip was in fact Silverthorne.

Unlike other processors in Intel’s current product line, Silverthorne uses an in-order processor design, akin to a factory with a single assembly line capable of processing one operation at a time. The chip is the first in-order processor released by Intel since it began shipping the Pentium Pro in 1995. Other Intel processors use an out-of-order design.

Out-of-order chips work like a factory with multiple assembly lines. They can process several operations at the same time and generally offer better performance than in-order processors. Silverthorne will make up some of this difference by using Hyperthreading, a technology that allows the processor to work on two instruction threads at the same time.

Using an in-order design for Silverthorne struck the best balance between performance and power efficiency, Intel said. But don’t expect Silverthorne to match the performance available from Intel’s mobile Core 2 processors, even though Silverthorne consumes less power. The performance of the new chips will be roughly equivalent to the Pentium M processors found in the first version of Centrino, released in 2003, Rattner said.

Intel declined to comment on what clock speed Silverthorne will run at or how much power it will consume when it hits the market in the coming months. But the ISSCC program abstract said the chip will have 512K bytes of cache and use a 533MHz front-side bus.

Observers had expected Intel to offer dual-core and single-core versions of Silverthorne, but Rattner said Silverthorne will have one core.

Over the life of the Silverthorne processor, Intel expects to make a 2GHz chip available and plans to offer a version that consumes 1 watt, Intel said, suggesting these will not be features of the processors set for release in the months ahead.

When Silverthorne hits the market, it could face competition from Via Technologies’ Isaiah processor, a low-power chip that is set for release at around the same time and is designed for the same portable devices makers that are Silverthorne’s target market. Isaiah processors use an out-of-order design, a faster front-side bus, a twice as much cache, which could give the chips an edge over Silverthorne. But an accurate comparison of the two chips won’t be possible until they are released and can be benchmarked by independent observers.

Even if Isaiah outperforms Silverthorne, Via must still compete with Intel for orders and that may prove difficult.

Via is tiny by comparison to Intel and cannot offer the same level of support to its customers in terms of marketing muscle. Via will also need to keep Isaiah’s price relatively low to be competitive with Silverthorne, which is the smallest chip produced by Intel over the last 15 years or so.

“The 486 was a bit smaller,” Rattner said.

The small size of Silverthorne means Intel can produce 2,500 chips on a single 300-millimeter silicon wafer. That keeps unit production costs low and will allow Intel to sell Silverthorne at a relatively low price, as well. It also means Intel can produce Silverthorne without diverting too many manufacturing resources from its flagship Core 2 and Xeon products.

source:pcworld 

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Antivirus Developers Setting Test Standards

Antivirous

Antivirus software companies and software testers created a new organization Monday with the goal of providing consistent information about the effectiveness of antivirus products.

The distribution of malware — including viruses, worms, Trojan Horses, and Web sites exploiting weaknesses in Internet browsers — is now being driven by organized crime for financial gain, and poses an ever more serious threat.

Anti-malware software developers have developed methods to block these threats, but traditional antivirus tests are becoming irrelevant because they don’t take such methods into account, according to Stuart Taylor of anti-malware software vendor Sophos.

Last year, developers of antivirus software called into question a batch of antivirus tests conducted by independent organizations when showed their products failing to detect many security threats. At a meeting in Reykjavik, Iceland, last May, representatives of F-Secure, Panda Software and Symantec decided to design a new testing plan.

The creation of the Anti-Malware Testing Standards Organization (AMTSO) is one of the fruits of that work. It brings together around 40 developers and testers of anti-malware tools, with the aim of hosting discussions about testing, publicizing testing standards, and providing tools and resources for such testing.

Organizations present at the inaugural meeting included antivirus software testers such as AV-Comparatives and AV-Test.org, and antivirus software developers including BitDefender, F-Secure, Kaspersky Lab, McAfee, Sophos, Symantec, Trend Micro and Panda Software, which hosted the meeting. IBM and Microsoft also attended.

source:pcworld 

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Yahoo may consider Google alliance

yagoogle

Sanford C. Bernstein analyst Jeffrey Lindsay wrote in a research note that “the Microsoft bid of $31 is very astute” because it puts pressure on Yahoo management to take actions that could unlock the underlying value of Yahoo assets, which he estimates are worth upward of $39-$45 a share.

Separately, Google Inc fired back on Sunday at Microsoft Corp’s bid to acquire Yahoo Inc, accusing Microsoft of seeking to extend its computer software monopoly deeper into the Internet realm.

David Drummond, a Google senior vice president and its chief legal officer, said in a blog post that the combination of Microsoft and Yahoo could undermine competition on the Web and called on policy makers to challenge the combination.

Microsoft responded to Google’s arguments by saying that a merger with Yahoo would create a “compelling number two competitor for Internet search and online advertising” to market leader Google.

“The alternative scenarios only lead to less competition on the Internet,” Microsoft General Counsel Brad Smith said in a statement.

Drummond argued that Microsoft’s power stems from decades- old monopolies in Windows — the software operating system used to control most personal computers — and Internet Explorer, which is the dominant browser consumers used to view the Web.

Microsoft’s proposed merger with Yahoo would combine the No. 1 and No. 2 suppliers of Web-based e-mail, instant messaging (IM) and portals, which act as starting points for hundreds of millions of users seeking information on the Web.

The Google executive argued in an official blog post that Microsoft could be looking to favor Microsoft and Yahoo services by pushing customers to other Web services they own instead of letting customers elect to use rival services.

“Could a combination of the two take advantage of a PC software monopoly to unfairly limit the ability of consumers to freely access competitors’ email, IM, and Web-based services?” Drummond said in a blog at googleblog.blogspot.com.

 source:reuters