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The Next E-Book Reader: Color, Video and Nearly Unbreakable

Yardena Arar — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

If you thought the E-Ink screen on your Kindle or Sony Reader was the epitome of high-tech for the printed page, hang on to your hat. By the end of this year, newer models--with newer display technologies--will start to make today's e-book readers look like Model T versions. These next-generation readers will sport color displays with refresh rates capable of supporting video. They'll also use flexible display technologies--but that doesn't mean you'll be able to roll them up (yet). Rather, they will make the devices a lot less fragile.

Samsung 3D Glasses: Fast, but only for Samsung TVs

Robert S. Anthony — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Samsung's nifty new 3D glasses for its 3D LED, LCD and plasma TVs will cost you a pretty penny if bought alone and you won't be able to use them with other TV brands, company representatives confirmed at a press event Tuesday.

Sony, Samsung, Panasonic 3D TVs: So What's On?

Jeff Bertolucci — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

If you're the early-adopter type who doesn't mind paying top dollar for the latest tech gear, 3D TV may tickle your buying bone. But once you've shelled out thousands of dollars for 3D-enabled hardware, such as a Panasonic, Sony, or Samsung 3D TV, a 3D-capable Blu-ray player, and two or more pairs of 3D glasse, well, what's on 3D TV anyway? Here's your 3D programming guide for 2010.

Cloud and The Death of the Sysadmin

Bernard Golden — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

As software becomes more complex, and demands the scalability of the cloud, IT's auto mechanic of today, the sysadmin, will disappear. Tomorrow's sysadmin will be more like a physician, says CIO.com's Bernard Golden.

New Guitar Game Features Real Guitar

Sarah Jacobsson — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

A new twist to the popular music game genre will bring players one step closer to the rock icons they seek to emulate -- Power Gig: Rise of the Sixstring features a guitar controller with real strings (instead of buttons).

Samsung’s 3D TVs: Bold and Bright

Robert S. Anthony — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

If you watched the Oscars on Sunday, you knew a new wave of Samsung 3D TVs were coming thanks to the commercial that aired, but you didn't know what you'd have to pay for them. On Tuesday Samsung tore open the envelope and rolled out a raft of 3D-capable LCD, LED and plasma TVs.

Gov't should focus on Web benefits to get Brits online

Carrie-ann Skinner — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

The government needs to spell out the benefits of the internet, such as finding bargain on eBay, in a bid to encourage Brits to get online, says Consumer Focus.

Group test: The Top 5 Power PCs of March

Pc Advisor Staff — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

We review the best 5 desktop PCs you can buy in the UK right now, if money is no object.

Online industry unites against Digital Economy Bill

Mike Simons — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Google, Yahoo, eBay, Facebook, Orange, Talk Talk and BT have singed an open letter to the Financial Times condemning a bill in parliament that they say “threatens freedom of speech and the open internet”.

Facebook, Google slam amendment to Digital Economy Bill

Carrie-ann Skinner — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Google, Facebook and eBay are among the tech giants that have slammed the government's plans to tackle internet piracy, claiming it will "threaten freedom of speech".

Google adds Street View 'edit location' function

Carrie-ann Skinner — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Google is giving web users the ability to edit the locations of businesses that appear in its Street View service.

Apple iPhone app fine print hurts developers

Siobhan Chapman — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

iPad and iPhone developers beware. Apple reserves the right to kill an app at any time with no reason, and Apple's liability in any circumstance is limited to $50.

FileMaker intros FileMaker Pro 11, FileMaker Pro Advanced 11

Nick Spence — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

FileMaker has announced FileMaker Pro 11 and FileMaker Pro Advanced 11 with a range of new features and enhancements.

British hopeless at backing up PCs

John E. Dunn — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Europeans differ in their approach to PC backup, a new survey has found. The Germans do it efficiently, the French with enthusiasm, while the British sometimes have trouble taking it seriously at all.

LogMeIn intros Pro2 remote access for Mac

Nick Spence — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

LogMeIn has announced Pro2 remote access for Mac with a range of new features and enhancements.

Wait, Computer Games That Look Like Productivity Apps

Matt Peckham — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Pilot a spaceship, paddle a ball, even play horizontal Tetris, all while crafting reports, cutting costs, and scanning monthly performance charts...or at least appearing to. It's the latest way to avoid work while looking like you're furiously engaged in it.

Reader exploit prompts Adobe update alert

John E. Dunn — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Users of Adobe PDF Reader should check they are running the latest version of the software after the discovery of an exploit that takes advantage of a serious flaw patched only two weeks ago.

IT disaster recovery goldmine

Lexton Snol — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

The business IT disaster data recovery market to hit $39 billion by 2015

GDC: Ngmoco hopes to rule with new mobile games

Chris Holt — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

What's better than being king? Being a god. Ngmoco's new mobile games will let you do both.

Need an Extra Terabyte for Your TiVo?

Robert S. Anthony — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

If you're a TiVo aficionado, you know that there's no such thing as too much storage. And now you can let your TV show and movie collection spill out of the box, across your home network and into an HP MediaSmart server.

TeamViewer brings its remote control offering to App Store

Philip Michaels — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

TeamViewer already offers a remote control and desktop sharing program for desktops. Now the software maker wants to go mobile, with a similar offering for iPhone and iPod touch users that lets them access and control remote computers from their handheld mobile device.

Facebook, Twitter Ready Location-Based Features

Daniel Ionescu — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Facebook and Twitter are preparing to flip the switch on features that will allow you to share your location with your friends at any time. Facebook is reportedly revving up to introduce the feature, while Twitter is ready to enable the changes on its site any moment now.

Bike Directions Added to Google Maps

Ian Paul — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Google on Wednesday launched bicycle directions for Google Maps making it easier for cyclists to plan routes in 150 U.S. cities including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Portland and Washington, DC. You can use Google Maps to find cycling-specific directions in urban areas, and by default Google Maps will plan your route to avoid steep hills whenever possible. The new maps feature can also be used as a map layer to get an overall sense of cycling accessibility in a particular city.

Create your own unique icons

Chris Mcveigh — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Icons have come a long way in the past decade, evolving from tiny, pixelated pictures into glossy, gorgeous artwork. Adding a custom icon to an application, document, or folder has evolved, too. You no longer need to use special utilities to build icons at tiny sizes; instead, you can take just about any photo or illustration and convert it into an icon.

HP Slate vs. iPad: Focus on Flash

Tony Bradley — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

With the iPad presale beginning in just a few days, and the clock ticking down to the much-anticipated Apple tablet finally hitting the streets, HP launched a renewed campaign for its Slate tablet PC debuted at the 2010 CES by Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer. Each platform has pros and cons, but so far the debate seems to center entirely around support for Adobe Flash.

HP focuses on "critical" work as strikes continue

Anh Nguyen — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

HP has prioritised critical projects as it tries to mitigate the impact of the two-day strike by members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) Union.

What Are the Most Overrated Security Technologies?

Bill Brenner — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Which security technologies are IT shops putting too much faith in? Some readers weigh in.

Scareware will be most costly security scam of 2010

Carrie-ann Skinner — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Scareware or fake antivirus programs that encourage web users to part with their hard-earned cash and download hoax security software, is likely to be the most costly scam of 2010, says McAfee.

Vodafone cuts 375 jobs, including IT

Anh Nguyen — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Vodafone is cutting 375 jobs, primarily in back office functions, starting this month.

Citrix centralizes management, adds Android with XenApp 6

Mikael Ricknäs — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Citrix Systems has launched version 6 of XenApp, its platform for centralized application delivery that features centralized management and access to Windows applications from Android-based smartphones and Apple computers, the company said on Wednesday.

Vodafone cuts 375 jobs in cost cutting measure

Nick Spence — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Vodafone is cutting 375 jobs across its business from this month although new "customer-facing" jobs are being created.

Group test: Top 5 mid-price laptops of March

Pc Advisor Staff — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

We review the best 5 laptops you can buy in the UK right now, for between £501 and £1,000.

Cyberattacks raise e-banking security fears

Jaikumar Vijayan — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Increasing cyberattacks against the online bank accounts of small and mid-size businesses has prompted growing calls for improved online banking security.

EFF dubs Apple a 'jealous feudal lord' over iPhone dev contract

Gregg Keizer — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Apple's agreement with iPhone developers contains several "troubling" clauses that paint the company as a "jealous and arbitrary feudal lord," the Electronic Frontier Foundation said Tuesday.

Counterfeit card fraud drops by half in the UK

Jeremy Kirk — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Fraud losses due to counterfeit payment cards fell by half in 2009 from the year prior in the U.K., but online banking losses continued to rise, according to new banking industry figures released Wednesday.

Street Fighter IV arrives in the App Store

Chris Holt — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Students of the hadouken have a new venue to test their fighting mettle: Street Fighter IV launched Wednesday for the iPhone and iPod touch. This seminal arcade fighter brings high-end graphics, complex combos, and a memorable cast of characters to the mobile platform.

Arm sees over 50 new iPad-like devices out this year

Dan Nystedt — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

The launch of Apple's iPad will pave the way for a slew of rival products this year, an Arm executive said Wednesday, predicting over 50 tablet PC devices will be launched globally.

Indian banker charged with online funds fraud

John Ribeiro — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

A senior Indian banker has been arrested by Indian police for an online fraud in which hackers siphoned close to 2.7 million Indian rupees (US$60,000) from a bank account, a senior police official of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu said on Wednesday.

Procter & Gamble tries a bring-your-laptop-to-work program

Patrick Thibodeau — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Procter & Gamble Co. is letting several hundred of its employees use their own laptops at work as part of an experiment -- one of numerous efforts by companies trying to keep workers happy.

Google opens marketplace for cloud apps

Sharon Gaudin — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

In another move to work its way into the enterprise, Google has unveiled an online store where users can buy cloud-based applications designed to work with Googles own apps.

Google opens Google Apps Marketplace

Paul Krill — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Third-party developers can integrate with Google's own applications

Twitter to begin screening some links for phishing

Owen Fletcher — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Twitter launched a new link-screening service on Tuesday aimed at preventing phishing and other malicious attacks against users of the popular microblogging service.

3G buildouts push up mobile network investment

Stephen Lawson — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Mobile networks may not be getting upgraded as fast as some subscribers would like, but carrier spending on infrastructure is expected to rebound slightly this year after falling in 2009.

Ex-Sun chief dishes dirt on Gates, Jobs

James Niccolai — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Don't expect Jonathan Schwartz to go quietly.

Choose an Event Date That Works for Everyone

Rick Broida — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Planning a dinner party? An important business meeting? A weekend camping trip with the guys? Half the battle is finding a date that works for everyone involved.

Cisco Router Supports 322Tbps, Designed for 'Net Video

David Coursey — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

What can you do with 322 terabits per second? Cisco Systems says it's enough bandwidth to allow every person in China to make a video call--simultaneously. And if that's something you want to do, Cisco says it now has hardware capable of the task.

Data issue hits BlackBerry devices for second day

Nancy Gohring — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

Some BlackBerry users are complaining of an inability to use data services for the second day in a row.

Samsung Introduces eReader

Robert S. Anthony — 2010-03-10T12:00:00-04:00

At a splashy event in New York's Time Warner Center, Samsung dove headlong into the electronic book market with the Samsung eReader, a $299 device which allows you to take notes in the margins and share content with other Samsung eReaders.

Net filters could put ISPs $1M out of pocket

Darren Pauli — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

The Federal Government’s Internet content filter scheme could put many Internet Service Providers (ISPs) up to $1 million out of pocket.

Survey: Pay rise for half of Asia Pacific security pros

Computerworld Hong Kong Staff — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Defying expectations amid a global recession, the (ISC)2 2010 Career Impact Survey found that half of information security professionals surveyed in both Asia Pacific and worldwide received salary increases in 2009, while less than five percent of participants lost their jobs.

Six Great iPhone Cases

Tom Kaneshige — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

When you leave the house, do you grab your iPhone even before you search for your keys? Once you have an iPhone, it goes everywhere with you. The kind of case you choose for your iPhone says a lot about where you're going.

Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11: Controller upgrade, two-man cover

Dave Rudden — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

When Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 hits the links on June 8, the game will have two major new additions the series has never had before--Sony Motion Controller compatibility and another player on the cover.

Jagged Alliance franchise acquired by bitComposer

John Davison — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Publisher bitComposer, the group behind Ninja Blade and S.T.A.L.K.E.R: Call of Pripyat have announced today that they have acquired the right to the storied strategy game franchise Jagged Alliance.

Facebook Updates May Share Your Location Soon

Jared Newman — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Facebook users may no longer have to type out their whereabouts in status updates, as the site may soon let them tag their locations automatically.

GamePro's Final Fantasy XIII launch party report

Dave Rudden — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Final Fantasy XIII launched with a gala befitting the epic scope of the series. GamePro was at the game's official launch party, snapping pictures and keeping tabs on the night's events.

Codemasters' Bodycount is the spiritual successor to Black

John Davison — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Serving as a spiritual successor to Criterion's popular 2006 first person shooter Black, Codemasters' upcoming Bodycount shares much with its forebear, including creative director Stuart Black.

Accidental shooting linked to Wii controller

John Davison — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

A three year-old in Wilson County, TN has tragically died after shooting herself on Sunday evening. Early reports link the shooting to the child mistaking a handgun for a Wii controller.

Battlestar Galactica Online announced

John Davison — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

At GDC 2010 today, NBC, SyFy, and developer Bigpoint announced a browser-based massively multiplayer online game based on the hit SyFy (previous Sci-Fi Channel) show Battlestar Galactica.

PS3 Final Fantasy XIII includes Final Fantasy XIV goodies

John Davison — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Sony Computer Entertainment senior VP of publisher relations Rob Dyer announces exclusive Final Fantasy XIV goodies for those of you that buy Final Fantasy XIII for PlayStation 3.

Acer storms up on lagging Dell in 2009 PC market

Sharon Gaudin — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Dell Inc. had better take a look over its shoulder since rival Acer Inc. is coming up fast from behind and is on the verge of overtaking Dell as the number two PC maker in the world.

New Browser Won't Save Amazon's Kindle e-Reader

David Coursey — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

It will take more than an "innovative Web browser" to save Amazon's Kindle e-reader from the onslaught of competitors, including tablets from Apple, HP, and seemingly every company in China that owns a soldering iron.

How Not to Shut Down Your Laptop, and Other Tips

Rick Broida — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Imagine my horror the other day when I saw an otherwise sharp friend of mine shut down his laptop by holding down the power button until the system turned off. Why is that a really bad idea? I'll explain this week--and I'll also tell you about a Web service that could very well save your life.

Apple's Lawsuit Against HTC is Working

Jared Newman — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Apple is already reaping the benefits of its patent infringement lawsuit against HTC, according to one analyst.

FCC to propose national digital literacy corps

Grant Gross — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission will propose a National Digital Literacy Corps to help U.S. residents get online as part of a national broadband plan due out next week.

Samsung finding new ways to push 3D to users

Agam Shah — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Samsung on Tuesday introduced new 3D home entertainment devices and said it is researching new 3D technologies while finding new ways to deliver 3D movies to TVs.

Parallels Desktop update adds support for Chrome OS

Nicholas Bonsack — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Parallels, whose Desktop offering lets you run a variety of operating systems without ever having to leave Mac OS X, has updated Parallels Desktop 5.0 to include support for Google’s Chrome OS.

Sentilla's energy management tool gets chargeback feature

James Niccolai — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Sentilla has released an update to its data-center energy management tool, which lets IT and facilities staff track the energy usage of servers and other equipment. The latest version is a software-only product that adds a chargeback capability, allowing companies to bill individual business units for the energy they use.

FCC Drives Need for National Broadband Plan

Tony Bradley — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

The FCC is in overdrive selling Congress, industry providers, and American citizens on the need to address the growing crisis faced by the United States. Today, the FCC unveiled more details of its National Broadband Plan, which will be officially presented to Congress next week.

Microsoft skips patch for PowerPoint add-on

Gregg Keizer — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Microsoft fixed eight flaws in Windows and Office today, but passed on patching one Windows component because it cannot be automatically updated.

Excel vulnerabilities revealed on 'slower' Patch Tuesday

Denise Dubie — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Coming off a record-making Patch Tuesday in February, Microsoft announces a lighter load of bulletins and advisories targeting client operating systems, Microsoft Office and Internet Explorer.

Your guide to all those damn smartphone lawsuits

Network World Staff — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Having trouble keeping track of who is suing whom among smartphone and mobile technology players over the past few months? Here's a quick rundown:

Sun's open source chief leaves following Oracle merger

Jon Brodkin — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Sun open source chief Simon Phipps announces his departure in a blog post.

P&G's clout with HP reaches to the CEO's office

Patrick Thibodeau — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

A Proctor & Gamble IT executive talks about the company's mega outsourcing pact with Hewlett-Packard and about how the consumer products company uses simulation to find ways to increase sales.

NASA space shuttle gearing up for big phase out

Michael Cooney — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

NASA is working to finish out the space shuttle program with some key missions. First, the next space shuttle, Discovery, currently is sitting on Launch Pad 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Analysts 'especially nervous' on weak UK IT spending

Leo King — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

This year will see a two percent decline in UK software and services spending, in "real terms", analysts have warned.

Are Your Outsourcer's Prices Too Low?

Stephanie Overby — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

It's always a good idea to benchmark your outsourcer's prices periodically against the market. But what if you find that your IT service provider's rates are too low?

Cisco exec touts new core router's 100G Ethernet, energy efficiency

Jim Duffy — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Cisco's new CRS-3 core router, which the company has boasted will "forever change the Internet," will come with 100Gbps Ethernet interfaces and 322Tbps multichassis interconnect capability at first customer shipment.

IE 6 and 7 Bug Allows for Attacks via Poisoned Sites

Erik Larkin — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

A new security hole in Internet Explorer 6 and 7 can be targeted via code on a poisoned Web site, Microsoft warned today. A successful attacker could install malware on a victim PC or run any other remote command.

Excel, Movie Maker Flaws Fixed by Microsoft

Erik Larkin — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

In a relatively light Patch Tuesday, Microsoft closed holes that could allow a poisoned Excel or Movie Maker file to install malware on a vulnerable PC. However, a new flaw involving VBScript and Windows Help files that can be targeted through Internet Explorer remains unfixed.

Expert Guidance for New Microsoft Security Bulletins

Tony Bradley — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

As predicted last week in the Microsoft Security Bulletin Advance Notification for March 2010, Microsoft released two new security bulletins today for the March 2010 Patch Tuesday. The two security bulletins bring the total number of security bulletins for 2010 up to 17.

HP Touts Flash as Killer App Against Apple's iPad

David Coursey — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

What will HP's Slate Tablet have that Apple's iPad won't? It's Adobe Flash, a key Internet technology that HP is touting as the key difference between the two platforms. And, HP is right, though how Flash support will translate into sales remains to be seen.

VMware unveils experimental projects on new Web site

Jon Brodkin — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

VMware is making experimental projects available to developers through a new "VMware Labs" Web site.

Curt Schilling's game company signs with EA Partners

John Davison — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

World Series MVP Curt Schilling joins forces with Todd McFarlane, and R.A. Salvatore on an "epic role playing game" that will be published by EA Partners. The game dubbed 'Project Mercury' is the first from Schilling's 38 Studios.

Lip-reading technology to be used in mobile phones?

Carrie-ann Skinner — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Researchers are working on lip-reading technology which could be integrated into mobile phones, allowing users to have 'silent conversations'.

Office updates patch Excel security flaw

Philip Michaels — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Microsoft rolled out minor updates to the 2004 and 2008 editions of its Office suite of productivity tools on Tuesday that patch a security vulnerability in the Excel spreadsheet application.

HP workers begin two-day strike

Anh Nguyen — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union began a 48-hour strike at HP today over a dispute over job security and pay.

British Medical Association in renewed attack on NHS records

Leo King — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

The British Medical Association has renewed calls for the NHS to inform patients better about electronic care records.

Windows 7 adoption plans: Computerworld survey results

Computerworld (us) Staff — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Computerworld's survey about Windows 7 implementation plans ran online from Jan. 13 to Feb. 10, 2010. Most of the questions and answers appear below. (The main story about Windows 7 implementation plans appears here.)

Windows 7 Service Pack 1 Rumors Fly

Tony Bradley — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Windows 7 has been officially available for less than five months. In that time, it has established itself as the fastest-selling operating system in history--selling over 90 million copies. Despite that tremendous success, Microsoft has to continue to update and evolve the platform, which is why rumors and speculation are already beginning to mount regarding a Service Pack 1 (SP1) release.

IT gives Windows 7 the green light

Robert L. Mitchell — 2010-03-09T12:00:00-04:00

Jim Thomas said no to Windows Vista -- but Windows 7 is an entirely different matter.