Prototype of first virtualized ATM: Diebold calls it 'a game changer'
Diebold, the United States' largest manufacturer of Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) will be unveiling its prototype of a virtualized ATM today, the first day of the annual VMworld conference in Las Vegas.
Like most of the products coming out of VMworld this week, the virtualized ATM was developed jointly by Diebold and VMware. Unlike the traditional standalone ATM model, the virtual ATM has no onboard computer driving it, and it is effectively a thin client tied to a central management server.
Samsung to challenge Apple's iMessage with new ChatON service
Samsung is expected to launch a new cross-platform mobile chat service called ChatON* this week at the IFA Conference in Berlin. Like Apple's new iMessage, ChatON will be very similar to RIM's BlackBerry Messenger, letting users set up individual or group chats that support multimedia messaging, as well as location, calendar and contact sharing.
The service will also include some unique features, such as Animated Message Service (AMS), short animations which can be sent like e-cards; and Interaction Ranking, a metric that shows how often you interact with certain contacts.
Don't look for big changes in Thunderbird 7 beta and 8 'Earlybird'
Mozilla has released beta and alpha versions of Thunderbird for testing purposes, mirroring the release cycle of Thunderbird’s sister project, Firefox. Thunderbird 7 Beta, which will install over the top of any existing Thunderbird installation, has no major headline changes – the release notes mention support for printing a summary of selected email messages, but this functionality is already present in the current stable release, Thunderbird 6 Final.
Other reported changes are minor fixes and interface tweaks, including various fixes related to the way Thunderbird handles attachments. Also appearing on Mozilla’s download server is Thunderbird’s alpha build, which has a different name -- Earlybird 8.0a2 – and which installs alongside an existing beta or stable build.
Steve Jobs' health is a private matter
Now that he's no longer Apple CEO, it is.
During Jobs' two medical leaves, starting in early 2009 and 2011, I argued that his health was not a private matter. Apple is a public company, majorly owned by shareholders -- not Jobs, the company's board or any other executive or employee. In Jobs' role as chief executive, and as someone so closely identified with Apple, health impacted his ability to perform daily duties and, therefore, could affect Apple operations and financial performance. Jobs is no longer chief executive. He remains an Apple employee, according to a recent 8-K filing but in unspecified role, and is Chairman of the Board. But he is no longer directly responsible for Apple operations.
CCleaner update supports newest browser versions
Piriform Inc has released version 3.10 of CCleaner, its popular free cleaning tool for Windows-based PCs. CCleaner 3.10, which is also available as a portable version, adds support for Internet Explorer 9.0.2, Firefox 6.0 Final and Firefox 7.0 Beta.
Version 3.10 also adds a number of new and improved cleaning options, plus promises better accuracy and reliability when wiping free disk space as well as entire drives.
DOJ pharmacy investigation undermines Google credibility
Last week the Department of Justice announced the conclusion of its investigation of Google permitting online Canadian pharmacies to place advertisements through AdWords, facilitating the unlawful importation of controlled pharmaceuticals into the United States. Google's large forfeiture -- fully $500 million -- reveals the gravity of the offense, and as part of the settlement, Google affirmatively admits liability.
These admissions and the associated documents confirm what I had long suspected: Not only does Google often ignore its stated "policies", but in fact Google staff affirmatively assist supposed "rule-breakers" when Google finds it profitable to do so.
I lost my passion for Apple
Earlier this month I sold my 11.6-inch MacBook Air (using Samsung Series 5 Chromebook now) and iPhone 4 (switched back to Google Nexus S). I don't miss either Apple product. Not the least bit. In reflecting, I realize that the spell is broken. Without Apple Chairman Steve Jobs driving innovation or inspiring passion -- the oft-called "reality distortion field" -- my Apple enthusiasm is gone. Perhaps it's return to sanity.
I should have connected the dots sooner, but often people don't easily apply even basic math to emotional matters, because the nuances move swiftly on the surface with many slower currents and fast-churning eddies below. The ocean is an excellent analogy. Yesterday, in viewing Nate Mook's slideshow of 20 products introduced by Jobs, and resurfacing emotions about the different launches, I had an epiphany. I could see how much Jobs' passion infected mine -- his ability to inspire about what Apple products offered.
FCC hurricane update: 12k lost wireline, 5k lost cable, up to 345 cell sites down
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski and FCC Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett gave a brief press conference on Saturday afternoon to give a snapshot of Hurricane Irene's effect on communications networks in the Atlantic coastal area. All data presented here was collected from the FCC's Disaster Information Reporting System (DIRS).
Wireline: 12,000 are out of service, 8,000 in NC, 4,000 in VA.
Apple CEO Tim Cook gets $384M payday
Well, so much for Apple cofounder Steve Jobs' infamous $1 pay.
Just two days after taking the chief executive's chair from Jobs, Tim Cook received a stunning 1 million shares from Apple. It's restricted stock -- meaning shares won't vest for years --- but it's big money, about $383.58 million at today's closing price of $383.58. Thank you Apple for making the math easy for the end of another shockingly busy tech news week. Whatever happened to August vacations and no big biz activity until after Labor Day?
Windows XP changed my life
Seventh in a series. Two short years ago -- not even that yet -- soon after testing Windows 7 for several months, I came home to find a UPS post-it stuck to my front door with "delivery attempt" on it. I live in a small town, so I drove around looking at the major places I might find the UPS guy. SCORE!!! He was at the bank. There I was standing by the brown truck waiting for him to come back. I must have looked a little creepy -- crazy guy physically shaking in anticipation. I’m not sure what the UPS guy thought as he handed the Windows 7 package to the creepy guy with shaking hands.
Many people do not realize how many geeks actually get overwhelming joy when a piece of software or technology gets released -- something that can or will change the world of computing. Now that is said, let’s go back 10 years.
Windows XP made me a chain smoker
Sixth in a series. My Windows XP experiece started in 2003 when I bought my first Laptop. I had delayed jumping on the personal computer bandwagon for years. It was a Dell Inspiron 2500 -- the first and only time I would own a Dell system.
I experienced Windows XP by learning how to install drivers and adding new hardware and dealing with the problems associated with each task. Trust me, there were problems -- like trying to install a new Ethernet adapter driver, having the New Hardware Wizard ask if I was connected to the Internet and for it to fail once I clicked "No". The laptop had no Internet connection. Each time I attempted the driver installation, it would fail at the same place and not just on my system but others.
Master Chief is not happy: After 10 years as Xbox flagship series, next big Halo title is a rehash
This week, we've been looking back at the legendary Windows XP, which launched on August 24, 2001 ten years ago on Wednesday. But you know what Microsoft launched just three months after XP that was just as massive and impactful on tech culture? Halo: Combat Evolved.
The Halo series of video games turns 10 in November, but is getting an early birthday celebration at the Penny Arcade Expo (PAX Prime) in Seattle beginning today. The event, predictably titled Halo Fest is a massive gathering of Halo fans to engage in big multiplayer gaming sessions and contests of skill.
Trend Micro Titanium 2012 targets encrypted malware
Internet security company Trend Micro Incorporated has released its Titanium 2012 range of products, which have been extended with a variety of new features.
Malware detection has been improved with some interesting new technologies. Perhaps the most useful of these allows Titanium 2012 products to detect applications that have been packed (encrypted), in an effort to bypass your defenses; once the file has been unpacked, it’s then scanned in real time using file-based signatures, which greatly improves the chance of detection.
FCC restarts review of T-Mobile/AT&T deal
The Federal Communications Commission told AT&T Friday that it had received enough information on its proposed $39 billion merger with T-Mobile, and would restart the clock on its review. The agency had already spent 82 days of the 180 it typically takes for large deals.
FCC officials "stopped the clock" in July, saying they needed more information on the economic modeling of the deal vis a vis its possible anticompetitive effects. Competitors such as Sprint have been the most vocal about the negative effects, even equating it to the return of "Ma Bell."
Apple scoops up Jailbreakme.com developer as intern
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. 19-year-old Jailbreakme.com creator Nicholas Allegra -- better known by his hacker handle "comex" -- has been hired as an intern by Apple, he disclosed on Thursday night.
Allegra had been searching for an internship while taking some time off from studies at Brown University. Up until recently he had continued to develop the website that thousands have used over the past few years to jailbreak their iOS devices. It appears in the end, however, that he felt like he had to move on.
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