 Three held over virus e-mail plot
Three computer experts have been arrested over an alleged international plot to spread viruses via e-mail. Police say the viruses run without the knowledge of the computer owner and allow criminals to access any stored private and commercial information. The three men are alleged to have targeted UK businesses since at least 2005, and infected computers worldwide. Those arrested are a 63-year-old in Suffolk, a 28-year-old in Scotland and a 19-year-old in Finland.
They are suspected of being members of an online group called M00P, delivering the viruses as attachments on unsolicited e-mails known as spam. The arrests follow a joint operation between the Metropolitan Police and officers in Finland. Detective Constable Bob Burls, of the Met Police's computer crime unit, said: "The international co-operation between the specialist law enforcement units has produced this really significant result. "We believe the suspects created and adapted viruses with the aim of causing massive infection by spamming."
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 28, 2006, 4:44 pm
News Source : BBC News
 Microsoft's WGA Notifications Service Goes Live
Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) notifications service has moved out of pilot testing and will now reach out and touch millions of mainstream Windows XP users in the coming months. WGA is software distributed through Microsoft's Automatic Update and Windows Update that identifies fake or counterfeit versions of Windows and informs those who fail validation how to get a legal copy of Windows. The updated WGA Notifications package was released Tuesday.
One year ago, Microsoft launched WGA Validation, a program that urged customers to check to ensure that their copy of Windows is authentic or legal when using Windows Update. The first phase of WGA Notifications -- which alerts customers that run Windows software deemed to be counterfeit or illegal -- was launched in Norway and sweden in November 2005 and in five additional countries last February. In April, Microsoft expanded the pilot program to a segment of Windows XP customers in the U.S., United Kingdom, Malaysia, Australia and New Zealand. As of this week, the pilot phase of the program ends and Microsoft will do a phased roll-out globally to all Windows XP users, Microsoft said.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 28, 2006, 4:42 pm
News Source : CRN
Microsoft launching a Vista TFT monitor
Microsoft is launching a computer monitor that it claims will best show the new functions and features in its Vista operating system.
The software giant is working with Samsung to build a high-resolution, 22in widescreen Vista Monitor, which is due for release around the same time as the operating system.
Vista has been designed to look best when using a widescreen display, and Microsoft wants to ensure that as far as possible users take advantage of this. By producing a Microsoft-badged monitor, it can promote widescreen Vista use to those who upgrade from Windows XP or buy a new PC running the operating system.
Samsung confirmed it is working with Microsoft to build the monitors. Ami Randhawa, monitor product manager at Samsung, said: ?The demand is being driven by Vista. It will be branded Microsoft, but built by Samsung.?
Microsoft was contacted, but said: ?Microsoft does not comment on rumour and speculation.?
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 28, 2006, 4:41 pm
News Source : PCW
 Apple May Drop iSight, Airport Base Station and eMac in UK
Apple will stop selling Airport Base Stations, eMacs and iSight cameras in Europe after June 30, reports claim. According to reports, the company contacted channel partners this morning to confirm plans to withdraw these products.
If the sources are correct, the cessation of sales of the three products is to ensure that the company complies with new European Union environmental regulation - the Restriction of the Use of Certain Hazardous Substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations 2005 (RoHS).
These new regulations come into force on July 1, and are designed to minimise the impacts of electrical and electronic equipment on the environment during their life times and when they become waste. Among other statutes, the new laws will limit or prevent the sale of CRT-based technologies, such as the eMac, some claim. The move lends some weight to a recent Apple Insider report that claimed a new eMac featuring an LCD screen to be in development.
Producers must be able to demonstrate compliance by submitting technical or other information to the enforcing authority on request. They must retain such documentation for four years. In the UK, the Secretary of State has the duty of enforcing RoHS Regulations. The enforcement powers include a power to serve a compliance notice and make test purchases. Any person who fails to comply with the requirements of the Regulations will be guilty of an offence.
Apple is not the only manufacturer to be affected by the new laws. Other electronic good makers are expected to make similar announcements and remove certain products from their range in the coming weeks.
It?s believed manufacturers of electrical devices will also have to establish systems to safely dispose of legacy products as they reach the end of their useful life, but no more is known on this at this time.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 16, 2006, 4:22 pm
News Source : MacWorld UK
Windows Mobile Device Center Update for Windows Vista Beta 2
Tonight, a update to Windows Vista Beta 2's Windows Mobile Device Center has gone up on Windows Update. This update gives the Windows Mobile Device Center full capability of syncing your Windows Mobile Phone or Device with Outlook. It even supports OneNote 2007 Mobile as well. It offers an impressive UI arrangement giving you full access to syncing your device and accessing its files. It even tells you how many images you have on your Mobile Device when you move your mouse over "Photos, Music and Video". I'm certainly impressed with this update and expect it will only get better here on out.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 16, 2006, 4:21 pm
News Source : Hive.net
 The RIAA Says No Dancing To Music On YouTube
We already know that the entertainment industry loves to try to get people to pay for every possible use of their content. Remember the filmmaker who almost couldn't release his documentary because there was a four and a half second clip of The Simpsons playing in the background in one scene? It seems that with the rise of user-generated video, a lot more people are learning about the fun of licensing rights. The RIAA is apparently sending out cease-and-desist letters to YouTube users who dare to put up videos of things such as themselves dancing to music they haven't licensed.
It's difficult to see how the RIAA can make a credible claim of "losses" in this case. Clearly, some kids videotaping themselves bopping along to some song aren't going to pay a license fee -- and these sorts of viral videos tend to help build up more interest in artists. So what good does it do to go after these videos?
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 16, 2006, 4:21 pm
News Source : Tech Dirt
 New Live.com Beta goes Live
Earlier today, the new Live.com (now featuring Flair/Vapor) went live. As mentioned last week, this upgrade mainly focuses on the new UI and first-run experience. Now it is much easier to get rolling with customized content right from the start.
You can now customize your different pages with uniquely colored Flair headers, to differentiate your types of content.
Microsoft Windows Live is a free service that allows you to personalize your start page content and search directly from it. It is still marked as Beta and currently has no ads or subscription offerings However, this will most likely change when it comes out of Beta.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 16, 2006, 4:18 pm
Bill Gates Leaving Daily Role at Microsoft, Remains Chairman
Bill Gates will be transitioning out of a day-to-day role in the running of Microsoft by July 2008 to spend more time on his global health and education work with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Microsoft Corp. today announced. The two-year transition period will ensure a smooth and orderly transfer of responsibilities.
The Redmond-based company announced that Gates will continue in his role as Chairman, with Ray Ozzie (currently Chief Technical Officer) taking over the Chief Software Architect post with immediate effect. Craig Mundie, also a Chief Technical officer, will assume the newly-created role of Chief Research and Strategy Officer.
?This was a hard decision for me,? Gates said. ?I?m very lucky to have two passions that I feel are so important and so challenging. As I prepare for this change, I firmly believe the road ahead for Microsoft is as bright as ever.?
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 16, 2006, 4:18 pm
News Source : Neowin
Inside Microsoft's new Driver Quality Rating system
It has long been said that one of Microsoft's greatest challenges has been to support the wild and unpredictable PC hardware market, stemming from the fact that unlike Apple, Microsoft has little control over the hardware that its OS comes to reside upon. True or not, one thing is certain: a bad driver can turn an otherwise stable system into a nightmare. To help put an end to this, Microsoft is turning to a Driver Quality Rating (DQR) system that it hopes will motivate both OEMs and device manufacturers to increase their commitments to driver quality.
The DQR system relies on scores to indicate a driver's quality level, and it derives those scores from user-submitted crash reports. Microsoft's Online Crash Analysis Team will analyze crash reports to determine the ratio of crashing systems to non-crashing systems. Drivers that rarely cause crashes will be rated "Green," while moderately problematic drivers will be rated "Yellow." The horrid stuff gets a big, fat "Red" rating. (Microsoft has not revealed the exact methodology for determining these scores, only that "Green" maps to 7-9 points, "Yellow" 4-6, and "Red" 1-3.)
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 16, 2006, 4:17 pm
News Source : Ars Technica
Windows, Mac OS to run side-by-side
Parallels, a start-up whose software enables Macs to run Microsoft Windows and the Mac OS at the same time, says it is ready with a final version of its product.
Apple Computer made headlines back in April when it said it would offer its own software--Boot Camp--for loading Windows onto Macs. However, Boot Camp permits people to run only one operating system at a time, meaning either Windows or the Mac OS can be in use, but not both at once.
Around the same time, Parallels started testing for its Parallels Desktop program, which uses virtualization technology to have Windows programs operate alongside Mac applications. The Windows programs open in a separate window within the Mac OS.
Unlike past software that allowed Windows programs to run on a Mac, Parallels Desktop does not need to emulate the hardware that's inside a PC. That's because Macs and PCs now use the same Intel-based chips. As a result, the speed of Parallels is far better than past efforts at bringing together the two operating systems, the software start-up said. In fact, Parallels says Windows programs can run nearly as fast through its virtualization as running natively on a Windows PC.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 16, 2006, 4:17 pm
News Source : C-Net
 AMD-ATI Merger
Forbes reports Advanced Micro Devices may be looking to buy graphics company ATI Technologies, a move that would benefit the overall graphics industry, according to RBC Capital Markets.
"The synergies of this seem consistent with the recent announcements by AMD to significantly increase capacity over the next few-years," wrote analyst Apjit Walia in a note to investors Wednesday. "We believe ATI is a rare-buy in the semiconductor space right now given the near-term tie-up dynamics."
With the release of AMD Live!, AMD seem set to expand their horizons and tackle Intel in the desktop space full on this year. Dell are due to ship machines with AMD chips in them and a coupling with ATI could mean some interesting prospects for AMD for gaming and performance based systems.
Intels june quarter isn't going too well with revenues down 10% and the next quarter is set to look worse. As Intel starts cutting chip prices to gain market share back will this help in the long term if a partnership with ATI is on the horizon?
We have contacted both companies for an official response but at the time of writing have received no official response regarding the rumours.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 2, 2006, 2:23 pm
News Source : Neowin
AMD: New Socket For Two Dual-Core Processors
Advanced Micro Devices is going to fire back at Intel today in the enthusiast PC market. The Sunnyvale company will unveil a new socket for high-end computers today that will allow it to put two dual-core microprocessors side by side in a PC. The new 4x4 socket will help it compete for the speed crown with Intel, which is poised to launch its new Conroe desktop microprocessors in July.
"This is something we have worked on for a while based on customer feedback," said Brent Barry, director of brand marketing for AMD's FX series of gamer chips.
It's like Gillette adding four razor blades to its razors now. How many is enough? It could get confusing for gamers. But the techies will sort it out, much the same way they have with the Nvidia SLI and ATI Crossfire dual graphics cards: more is better.
While Intel's Conroe chips will allegedly take the performance crown from AMD's own dual-core FX series of microprocessors, AMD can claim leadership in terms of putting four cores into a single PC, allowing for more tasks to be done in parallel. Patrick Moorhead, vice president of global channel marketing, said the new socket would ship in the second half of 2006 and target the high-end gamer segment, which usually means high-priced.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 2, 2006, 2:22 pm
News Source : A + E Interactive
 Ubuntu Linux 6.06 Released
Ubuntu, which has become one of the world's most popular Linux distributions in recent years, launched its latest version on June 1 following months of intense testing. The new release is titled Ubuntu 6.06 LTS (Long Term Support), and has a specific emphasis on the needs of large organisations with both desktop and server versions.
Ubuntu 6.06 LTS introduces functionality that simplifies common Linux server deployment processes. For system administrators setting up large numbers of web, mail and related servers, Ubuntu 6.06 LTS offers the fastest and most consistent path to deployment, combined with the availability of global commercial support where needed. "Ubuntu has a reputation for working well out of the box on desktops, and we have worked to bring that same ease of deployment and configuration to the server marketplace" said Mark Shuttleworth, founder of the Ubuntu project. "Based on our analysis of the ways people were already deploying Ubuntu on servers, we have aimed to streamline their experience while expanding the range of software available to people deploying Ubuntu in the data centre."
The Ubuntu community is built on the ideas enshrined in the Ubuntu Philosophy: that software should be available free of charge, that software tools should be usable by people in their local language and despite any disabilities, and that people should have the freedom to customise and alter their software in whatever way they see fit.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 2, 2006, 2:20 pm
News Source : Neowin
Download : Ubuntu 6.06
Email Viruses Reach New Low While Spam Reaches New High
May of 2006 gave us not one, but two new email records. The first record may surprise you a bit. Emails containing malicious programs (viruses) reached an all time low, accounting for a minute 0.73% of total email traffic, according to the figures released by the security firm, BlackSpider Technologies. On the flip side, however, spam mail accounted for 87.4% of email traffic, also setting a new record, albeit not as positive of a record as the first.
There is an explanation behind the abnormally high spam record, though. In the UK, between May 21 and 23, over 250 million spam emails were sent by computers that had previously been infected by a virus. Combine that with the recent controversial shutdown of Blue Security, and we have one huge reminder that the spam problem continues to worsen, seemingly with each day that passes.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 2, 2006, 2:19 pm
News Source : VNUNet
BBC Pledge to Show World Cup Games Online
The BBC, who struggled to even broadcast online audio commentary of the last World Cup, will be showing their coverage of this year's tournament online.
For the first time ever users in the UK will be able to access the broadband-only stream of the action from Germany in what seems to be a trend-setter for future events. Similarly, Wimbledon will be broadcast online and the BBC has revealed it has the broadband broadcast rights to the next two World Cup competitions.
The BBC Sport website will show all of the group games the BBC has the rights to broadcast, as well as England's quarter and semi-final games should they reach that stage.
BBC Head of Sport Roger Mosey blogged: "From Germany 2006 there'll be all the BBC games streamed live in video; every single match streamed in audio; and then video highlights on-demand, again for every game."
"We may not get all of this right, but our aim is that the BBC should be the most modern provider of content as well as the one with the strongest traditions," he said.
The decision is an interesting move from the BBC which holds the title as the world's biggest public service broadcaster. Despite UK users paying their licence fees to own a television tuner, more and more content is now online for which you don't strictly need a licence.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: June 2, 2006, 2:18 pm
News Source : Neowin
QuickTime flaws put Macs and PCs at risk
Serious flaws in Mac OS X and QuickTime software could put Macintosh and Windows systems at risk of cyber attack, Apple has warned.
In a pair of security alerts released on Thursday, Apple outlined 31 flaws that affect various versions of the operating system and a dozen vulnerabilities in its QuickTime media player software. Security experts have deemed the issues "critical" but Apple does not provide a severity rating. Fixes are available.
Apple's security update 2006-003 for Mac OS X and the QuickTime patch can be downloaded and installed via Software Update or from the Apple Downloads website.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: May 18, 2006, 2:38 pm
News Source : Silicon.com
Windows Media Player 11 Beta Released
Microsoft has today made available the latest beta version of Windows Media Player, version 11.
WMP11 sports an improved UI, better performance and improved library features. The subscription based service, URGE, is intergrated into the client and offers quick and easy downloads of the latest tunes for $14.95 per month.
URGE is currently being offered as a 14 day trial for a limited period.
Microsoft hopes to attract more people into using WMP11 by offering additional features in the Vista client such as Media Center intergration.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: May 18, 2006, 2:38 pm
News Source : Neowin
Download : Media Player 11
Blue Security Gives up the Fight
"According to The Washington Post, Blue Security has closed its doors, which can be confirmed by the Blue Security application failing to work today and their domain no longer resolving. Blue Security's CEO is quoted in the article: "It's clear to us that [quitting] would be the only thing to prevent a full-scale cyber-war that we just don't have the authority to start," Reshef said. "Our users never signed up for this kind of thing." You have to wonder where it goes from here. It seems an effective method has been found but more than a small private company could handle. Will someone else adapt this concept, or does the internet world give up?"
Reshef's Silicon Valley company, Blue Security Inc., simply asked the spammers to stop sending junk e-mail to his clients. But because those sort of requests tend to be ignored, Blue Security took them to a new level: it bombarded the spammers with requests from all 522,000 of its customers at the same time.
That led to a flood of Internet traffic so heavy that it disrupted the spammers' ability to send e-mails to other victims -- a crippling effect that caused a handful of known spammers to comply with the requests.
Then, earlier this month, a Russia-based spammer counterattacked, Reshef said. Using tens of thousands of hijacked computers, the spammer flooded Blue Security with so much Internet traffic that it blocked legitimate visitors from going to Bluesecurity.com, as well as to other Web sites. The spammer also sent another message: Cease operations or Blue Security customers will soon find themselves targeted with virus-filled attacks.
Today, Reshef will wave a virtual white flag and surrender. The company will shut down this morning and its Web site will display a message informing its customers about the closure.
Security experts say the move marks a disheartening development in the ongoing battle by computer users, online businesses and law enforcement against those who clutter e-mail inboxes with a continuous glut of ads for drugs, porn and get-rich-quick schemes. According to Symantec Corp., maker of the popular Norton antivirus software products, more than 50 percent of all e-mail sent in the latter half of 2005 was spam.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: May 18, 2006, 2:36 pm
News Source : Washington Post
Microsoft to spell out Vista's needs
On Thursday, Microsoft is expected to give details of two marketing programs that computer makers and retailers can use to indicate whether, and how well, their computers will run Windows Vista, the successor to the aging Windows XP. The ?Vista-capable? program lists the features needed to minimally run the new operating system. The ?Premium Ready? program will identify PCs that can take advantage of Vista?s high-end features, including its new Aero graphics.
To be Vista-capable, a machine needs at least an 800MHz processor, 512MB of memory and a graphics card that can run DirectX 9 graphics. To carry the Premium Ready designation, a PC must have a 1GHz processor, 1GB of main memory, 128MB of memory and a graphics card that supports Vista?s new graphics-driver model.
The new programs are designed to help PC makers characterize and label new systems, but they also give existing PC owners a better sense of whether it is feasible to upgrade their machines.
The Vista-capable program comes as Microsoft is preparing to offer a broader test version of the Windows update, which the software maker has said will be made available this quarter to about two million testers. The company also hosts its annual Windows Hardware Engineering Conference (WinHEC) for hardware makers next week in Seattle.
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: May 18, 2006, 2:35 pm
News Source : C-Net News
 Now Your Xbox 360 Can Blog
Just when you think you have seen it all. Ever wonder if your Xbox 360 is getting lonely? Now your Xbox 360 can blog all by itself. Even if you don?t turn it on! Find out exactly how your Xbox 360 feels about you.
The blog will be based upon what you do when you are on your Xbox 360. It will track some of your game stats and also let others know how you are spending your time on your Xbox 360. All you have to do is visit 360voice.com and sign up with your Xbox Live gamertag and email address. Your Xbox 360 will take it from there?
News Posted by : GoogleFreak On
: May 4, 2006, 3:14 pm
News Source : 360 Voice
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