Nokia Unveils Seven New Mobile Phones
Nokia on Monday introduced seven mobile handsets slated for debut in the second half of 2005 that cover WCDMA, CDMA and GSM markets. Atop the list of new entrants is the Nokia 6280, a $450 USD 3G phone equipped with a 2-megapixel and a VGA camera complete with support for two-way video calls.
The Nokia $360 USD 6270, meanwhile, foregoes the VGA camera but adds a built-in music player capable of playing MP3 and AAC formats through its stereo speakers. It features the same QVGA, 262,144 color display at 320x240 pixels as the 6280, but supports only GSM networks in its slide phone form factor.
Microsoft Preps 10 Security Patches
Microsoft on Tuesday will release patches for 10 security vulnerabilities, 7 of which affect Windows with a maximum rating of "Critical" - the company's highest designation. Microsoft will also issue its monthly update to the Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, which detects and removes malware.
Aside from Windows patches, Microsoft Exchange Server will receive a fix for an "Important" vulnerability while Microsoft Services for Unix and ISA Server each will receive a "Moderate" security update. Apple this week issued its own monthly security update that resolves 12 vulnerabilities in Mac OS X Tiger.
VeriSign Tapped to Manage .net Domain
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) has chosen VeriSign to oversee the .net top level domain, a move largely expected following a third party recommendation. VeriSign retains control of the domain that it has managed since 2000 alongside .com, and has promised to lower .net prices.
VeriSign currently receives $6 annually for each domain, but said it would drop that fee to $4.25; 75 cents goes directly to ICANN. Telcordia, which was tapped by ICANN to review four .net bidders, chose VeriSign in March, sparking claims of favoritism. A revised May report from Telcordia also selected VeriSign as the top candidate, however, leading to final ICANN's selection.
No New Command Line for Longhorn
These days, Microsoft seems to be saying more about what vaunted technologies will not make it into Longhorn than those that will. The latest casualty of pressure to get Longhorn out the door and into the hands of customers is Microsoft's new command line scripting shell, known as "Monad" or MSH (Microsoft Shell).
Monad was slated to replace the command line in Windows with an object-oriented technology that rivals shells found on Unix systems. Beta versions of the software have been available to testers since early Longhorn alpha releases, but now Microsoft is looking further down the road with Monad.
Apple Issues June Security Update
Apple has issued its June security update for both Mac OS X 10.3.9 and Mac OS X 10.4.1, known as Tiger. The update includes 12 patches for Apple's newly released operating system, including fixes for Bluetooth and PHP vulnerabilities, and a fix for a flaw that caused poorly formed PDF files to crash applications.
Microsoft, meanwhile, has not yet issued its standard advanced notice of next week's "Patch Tuesday" update for Windows; however, the company has scheduled its monthly security webcast for June 14. Last month, Microsoft issued one critical update to Windows 2000, while Apple released 20 fixes for Mac OS X 10.3 - mostly correcting flaws in third-party software.
8GB iPod Mini Coming Soon?
Seagate on Wednesday announced the first 8 gigabyte 1-inch drive for portable media players, opening the door for a higher capacity iPod Mini. Apple moved the Mini to the same Seagate ST1 drive in its 6GB form in February, introducing new colors and an improved battery life of 18 hours.
Apple is expected to transition the iPod Mini to a color screen later this year - a move that could also usher in the storage bump. However, iPod software updates are likely to arrive this summer before a hardware refresh.
Finding Answers Beyond Web Search
PERSPECTIVE Sure, there is plenty of great content on the open Web, but it's far from "everything." Plus, even if what you're looking for has been crawled and indexed by Google or Yahoo, there is no guarantee that you'll create the proper search to have it appear at the top of the results page. To find what you are really looking for, all you need is a library card.
Most searchers only look at the first page of results, and as large Web databases grow even larger it will become even more of a crap shoot to find what you're looking for by just entering a couple of words. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, for many searchers time is a massive issue. In other words, if they can't find it in a few minutes or even seconds, it might as well not exist. Sad but true.
Seagate Mobile Hard Drive Hits 160GB
Hitachi isn't the only company getting perpendicular. Seagate rolled out the first 2.5-inch hard drive on Wednesday that utilizes perpendicular recording technology. By standing bits of data on end, rather than flat on the drive's surface, Seagate has achieved 160GB of storage - the largest notebook drive to date.
The new drive is part of Seagate's Momentus line, and will initially bring a speed of 5,400-rpm. A 7,200-rpm version will follow next year. Seagate also rolled transparent hardware-based encryption into the drives to protect data in the face of rising notebook theft.
June 15 Release Set for Windows XP 'N'
Microsoft announced on Wednesday the release timetable for its version of Windows XP without Windows Media Player, simply branded with the additional moniker: N. The slimmed down OS will be available to European computer makers on June 15, with a retail launch slated for July 1.
It's not clear, however, if computer manufacturers will even be interested in the N editions, which carry the same price tag as versions with Windows Media Player.
Microsoft Devices Get TiVo Playback
Portable Media Centers have yet to take off in the marketplace, but Microsoft is hoping a new partnership with TiVo will change all that. Microsoft's Windows Mobile devices, including Media Centers, Smartphones and Pocket PCs, will now support TiVoToGo for playback of recorded TV content while away from home.
To kick off the TiVoToGo extension to Microsoft devices, a chartered American Airlines flight will usher in the "Summer of Mobility" contest, in which TiVo will give one person a Portable Media Center and TiVo set-top box every day from June 21 through Labor Day.
SQL Server, VS 2005 Launch Date Set
Microsoft on Tuesday at Tech Ed 2005 set a definitive launch date for its next wave of server and development tools that include SQL Server 2005, Visual Studio 2005 and BizTalk Server 2006: November 7. Microsoft hasn't yet said when Windows Server 2003 R2 will debut, but some expect a release in the same timeframe.
During his keynote address, Microsoft's senior vice president of Server Applications Paul Flessner said beta releases of SQL Server 2005 and Visual Studio 2005 -- known as Yukon and Whidbey, respectively -- had received rave receptions by customers.
Siemens Sells Cell Phone Unit to BenQ
Siemens said on Tuesday it was selling its mobile phone unit to Taiwanese tech firm BenQ, in exchange for a 2.5-percent stake in the company and an undisclosed sum of money. Siemens has been struggling to turn around its ailing cell phone division, which has accumulated hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
BenQ will retain the Siemens brand name for five years, along with any current sponsorship agreements. The move is expected to give BenQ more market exposure, along with doubling its annual revenues. "With this partnership we have found a sustainable perspective for our mobile phones business. BenQ and Siemens complement one another ideally," Siemens CEO Klaus Kleinfeld said in a statement.
Citigroup Loses Data on 3.9 Million
Citigroup disclosed this week that a box with computer tapes containing personal data on 3.9 million U.S. customers was lost by UPS. The news is the latest in a string of data losses that open the door for identity theft.
Citigroup said the tapes stored Social Security numbers, account numbers and payment histories of both active and closed accounts at the company's CitiFinancial's branch network. CitiFinancial Auto and Mortgage customers were not affected by the loss.
Apple Announces Switch to Intel Chips
Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the stage Monday morning at the company's Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC) and confirmed what was once unthinkable: Apple will be switching from IBM PowerPC chips to Intel's x86 processor line.
The next release of Mac OS X, called Leopard, will usher in the new generation of Apple computers. Jobs said the primary reason for the change was that Apple wants the best computers for end users, and Intel's roadmap "is exceptional" while PowerPC products have lagged.
Microsoft Details Antitrust Concessions
Less than a week after Microsoft submitted its final plan to comply with antitrust remedies imposed by the European Commission in March 2004, EU officials have backed away from harsh rhetoric and are praising the offer. Microsoft says it made "tough concessions," but continues to refuse demands to open source its server protocols.
"I am happy that Microsoft has recognized certain principles which must underlie its implementation of the Commission's decision," European Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes said in a statement.
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