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EBay seller pleads guilty to software piracy charges

Grant Gross — 2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

A 23-year-old Oregon man has pleaded guilty to charges that he used identity theft to set up bogus accounts on eBay, where he sold counterfeit software with a retail value of more than US$1 million, the U.S. Department of Justice said.

The top 10 social networking annoyances

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

The same question people used to ask about PCs can be asked of social networks: Were our lives easier or harder, better or worse, simpler or more complex, before they came around? The answer is yes. For some folks, social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace seem nearly as indispensable as e-mail, but creating and maintaining these virtual circles of friends turns out to be quite a bit of work, often necessarily so. Here are the ten things that bug me most about today's social networking services.

Icahn takes on Yahoo board

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn has sent a letter to Yahoo's board announcing he is nominating 10 candidates to replace all incumbent directors at the company's shareholders meeting in July.

It's a hard-knock life: 3 rugged notebooks take a beating

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Anybody who has spent any amount of time working on the road has probably witnessed their share of notebook disasters: dropped from a hotel desk, shaken beyond repair in the trunk of a rental car or doused by a knocked-over cup of coffee. Too often, the result is a worthless chunk of plastic, glass and metal.

Intel to develop e-commerce PC with China's Alibaba

Sumner Lemon — 2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba.com and Intel plan to jointly develop a computer designed to get small and medium-sized Chinese businesses online, the companies said this week.

Gov'ts must intervene to end IP address shortage, says OECD

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Businesses alone are not doing enough to avert an impending shortage of Internet Protocol addresses, and governments must work with them to secure the future of the Internet economy, according to a report published Thursday by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

EU raises privacy issue for Google Street View

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Europe's data protection supervisor, Peter Hustinx, urged Google Thursday to respect local privacy rules as it prepares to launch its Street View function this side of the Atlantic.

Non-tech criminals can now rent-a-botnet

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Online fraudsters that aren't highly skilled in the arts of cybercrime can now rent a service that offers an all-in-one hosting server with a built-in Zeus trojan administration panel and infecting tools, allowing them to create their own botnet.

With H-1B in limbo, Congressional backers push Green Cards

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Efforts to increase the H-1B cap have been stuck in a legislative swamp, but U.S. Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) has introduced three bills in the last few weeks to help foreign nationals already working in the U.S. to obtain permanent residency. She announced her latest legislative effort late Wednesday.

BULLETIN - Icahn makes bid to control Yahoo board

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn plans to replace Yahoo's entire board with a 10-member slate, he informed company Chairman Roy Bostock in an open letter. Icahn wants Yahoo to reopen merger negotiations with Microsoft.

CBS to buy CNET Networks for $1.8 billion

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

CBS has agreed to pay US$1.8 billion in cash for online media company CNET Networks in a deal that has the backing of both companies' boards.

Twitter restored after outage

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Twitter resumed normal service just before 6 p.m. PDT Thursday following an unscheduled outage, the company confirmed on its blog.

IBM boosts BlackBerry access to Cognos, Lotus software

2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

IBM has released software that allows BlackBerry users to access more of its applications, including its Cognos business intelligence software and Lotus Connections.

Did Twitter beat media with earthquake news?

Martyn Williams — 2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Over the last few days the Web has been abuzz with discussion about how users on Twitter, the online social messaging system, beat the mainstream media with news of the devastating earthquake in China. Most of the discussion has centered around how users were fast in getting information out against mainstream media Web sites, but does the claim really hold-up?

NATO to set up cyber warfare center

Robert McMillan — 2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

NATO plans to set up a cyber defense center in Estonia later this year to research and help fight cyber warfare, the organization announced Wednesday.

Comcast to buy Plaxo for social networking

Stephen Lawson — 2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Comcast will acquire social-networking company Plaxo to power upcoming community features on its TV, broadband data and phone services.

Sharp reveals progress in consumer-use fuel cells

Martyn Williams — 2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Sharp has developed a prototype direct methanol fuel cell (DMFC) that can output more power for its size than others developed to date, it said Thursday.

Pictures of Asustek's Atom-based Eee PC 901 appear online

Sumner Lemon — 2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

A French blog has posted pictures of what looks to be Asustek Computer's Eee PC 901, an upcoming version of the low-cost computer that is likely based on Intel's Atom processor.

Collecting money regularly

James E. Gaskin — 2008-05-15T00:00:00Z

Every business owner and accounting manager asks the same question: How can I bill and collect more money with less hassle?

Quickly Identifying And Solving Software Bugs

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Nearly every IT project manager, designer, DBA and developer wants to build the perfect software application: the seamless union of hardware and software, intuitive and robust, with eye-popping performance and rock-solid logic. While this pinnacle is difficult to reach, and flaws will be found-there are steps you can take to resolve them more quickly.

MPP controls spam for Mac e-mail servers

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Message Partners has announced the release of MPP for Mac OS X e-mail and collaboration servers. MPP is an antispam system designed for small and medium-sized businesses and service providers.

Apple to showcase OS X iPhone 2.0 platform at developer conference

Brad Reed — 2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Apple will showcase the OS X iPhone 2.0 platform at its annual Worldwide Development Conference scheduled to occur in San Francisco next month.

Battling information-security Stockholm syndrome

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Corporate America has been battered by ineffective information security for a long time, with untold billions of dollars in collective losses through the years. Sites that tracked defaced Web pages stopped listing them when they become too numerous to enumerate. Similarly, data breaches are now so common that even large breaches barely make the news.

More GPS tracking adventures

Keith Shaw — 2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Last month I wrote about the GPS Snitch, a portable device you can carry around or place in a vehicle then track through the Web via its GPS and cellular connectivity. Here are two more services and devices that do similar things.

Apple shows off new flagship Boston store

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Apple has big plans for its latest retail store and its first in downtown Boston--literally. The new brick-and-mortar outlet, opening Thursday on Boston's tony Boylston Street, will be the largest Apple Store in the United States with three floors of retail space.

Right for the job

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Sanjeev Bikhchandani, CEO and co-founder of InfoEdge, says that IT can help his company with product innovation.

UPDATE -- Verizon snares $678 million federal network deal

Carolyn Duffy Marsan — 2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Verizon Business has captured one of the largest federal network deals of 2008: a 10-year contract to provide managed network and security services to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that is valued at $678.5 million.

Gemalto, McAfee introduce simple two-factor authentication

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Gemalto and McAfee announced a new integrated solution that enables PC and laptop users secure and convenient access to fully encrypted disks through strong, secure, hardware-based, two factor authentication.

Lenovo offers free extended-warranty upgrade

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

This May, Lenovo is coming up with its 'Peace of mind' offer. The offer is a free warranty upgrade from one year up to three years on select consumer PC offerings.

Phishing botnet expands by hacking legit sites

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

A botnet is now using a SQL-injection attack tool designed to hack legitimate Web sites, a move meant to add more hijacked PCs to its collection, according to a security researcher.

Philly won't fight to save Wi-Fi network

Stephen Lawson — 2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

The city of Philadelphia is moving on after its brief municipal Wi-Fi relationship with EarthLink, no longer trying to find a way to keep the network up and running.

Report: Icahn to launch proxy fight against Yahoo

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Billionaire investor Carl Icahn will proceed with his plan to replace Yahoo's entire board in an effort to force the company to reopen merger negotiations with Microsoft, the Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

What software plus services means for Microsoft (and you)

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

In early March, during an annual conference in Seattle, Microsoft announced it was launching Microsoft Office SharePoint Online. While the idea was to provide a lightweight version of SharePoint as a hosted offering, analysts say the product has been presented in a way to avoid cannibalizing Microsoft's bread-and-butter installed software product, Office.

Virgin USA in talks over mobile operator Helio

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Virgin Mobile USA is in talks with SK Telecom over a possible deal involving Helio, the U.S. mobile operator that gears itself toward affluent youngsters but has struggled to make a profit since its launch.

iPhone headsets

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Upgrading your iPod's headphones is the easiest way to improve your on-the-go music listening. But when it comes to the iPhone, upgrading isn't as simple a task, because the iPhone's stock earbuds are more than just headphones. They include an inline microphone for talking on the phone, and an inline controller for taking and ending calls and for basic music-playback control. In addition, the iPhone's recessed headphone jack means that not all headphone plugs will fit. If you've already got a favorite set of headphones, we recently reviewed a number of headset adapters that add the microphone and controller button along with an iPhone-compatible plug. But if you're in the market for new headphones and want those features built-in, you need a true iPhone headset.

Hacker writes rootkit for Cisco's routers

Robert McMillan — 2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

A security researcher has developed malicious rootkit software for Cisco Systems' routers, a development that has placed increasing scrutiny on the routers that carry the majority of the Internet's traffic.

SEC charges former Broadcom executives with backdating

Grant Gross — 2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has charged two current and two former officers of semiconductor vendor Broadcom for their alleged participation in a supposed five-year scheme to backdate stock options granted to almost all of the company's employees.

SEC moves toward requiring interactive data filings

Grant Gross — 2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has taken a major step toward requiring publicly traded companies to submit their reports to the agency in an interactive data format, with backers saying the change will make financial reports easier to analyze.

Craigslist countersues eBay, escalating legal fight

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Classified-advertising site Craigslist is countersuing eBay, accusing the online auction company of using its stake in Craigslist to misappropriate proprietary information and engage in false advertising, trademark infringement and a host of other wrongdoings.

SBTS offers e-payment system in Sierra Leone

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Software services and applications provider SBTS Group is set to introduce in Sierra Leone an electronic payment network that allows for the transfer of money through the use of bank cards and other means.

FCC takes first step toward spectrum re-auction

Grant Gross — 2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

The U.S. Federal Communications Commission has taken a first step toward re-auctioning a band of spectrum that failed to sell in the 700MHz auctions that ended in March.

Glitch mars launch of Wi-Fi on high-speed trains

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

The train was on time, but the commercial launch of Wi-Fi Internet access service on high-speed trains between Brussels and Paris was marred by a technical glitch that kept many travelers offline for much of the inaugural journey.

ITU AFRICA - Africa has outsourcing in its sights

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Like many parts of the developing world, Africa wants a piece of the IT outsourcing market, and while problems in India have opened the way for that to happen, challenges stand in the way of a big breakthrough.

AU, India make progress on pan-African systems network

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

The African Union (A.U.) in collaboration with the Indian government is moving forward with a plan to build a pan-African network to establish and link systems specialized in areas such as telemedicine and tele-education.

Oracle's planned AdminServer buy seen as significant

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

In an announcement overshadowed by Hewlett-Packard's US$13.9 billion bid for services provider EDS, Oracle on Tuesday announced it plans to buy AdminServer, a Pennsylvania company that makes policy administration software for the insurance industry, for an undisclosed sum.

Comparing new iMacs to older models

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Macworld Lab benchmarks serve a couple different purposes. First and foremost, we're attempting to chart the progress of each new Apple hardware release against the previous generation. That way, we can determine if a new desktop or laptop represents a big step forward, modest progress, or no measurable difference at all.

Gates to show off vertical Surface at CEO Summit

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates is expected to show off new technology on Wednesday that is designed for the board room and is a spin-off of Microsoft's Surface computer.

Sheltering the customer

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Third-party service centers left LG India's clients exposed to the glare of poor support. HQ urgently needed to supervise service staff in remote locations -- before brand loyalty dried up.

EC approves TomTom buy of Tele Atlas

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

The European Commission gave the go-ahead for Dutch satellite navigation (satnav) company TomTom to buy Dutch digital map maker Tele Atlas Wednesday after an in-depth probe of the planned deal.

Understanding Microsoft SharePoint in a Web 2.0 world

2008-05-14T00:00:00Z

Microsoft's answer to Web 2.0 - technologies such as wikis, blogs and social networks - can be found in SharePoint, the software platform tied to the Microsoft Office suite that the vendor hopes will become the one-stop destination application for enterprise collaboration.