Top 2 week news:
Teen commits suicide on live video site
We have all heard of Cyber Bullying where a group of users online would taunt and stalk helpless users until they break down online and even offline
but this is a case where it went a bit too far. 19 Year Old Abraham K.Biggs was broadcasting live on Justin.TV a popular live video site where he was
being cheered on by users of a bodybuilding forum to do outrageous things, the stunt went too far when they saw Abraham take a dose of pills and hours
later noticing no activity and had to call the EMT's and Police to the address. Later, a Broward County Examiner, confirmed the death to
newteevee.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
21.11.2008Apple releases iTunes 8.0.2 and iPhone 2.2 updates
Apple has released iTunes 8.0.2 and iPhone software 2.2 today. According to Apple, iTunes 8.0.2 improves stability and performance and provides a
number of bug fixes. The new version addresses a quality issue creating MP3s on some computers; fixes a connectivity issue with the iTunes Store when
using some Internet proxies with Mac OS X; and improves accessibility with VoiceOver. Apple also introduced iPhone v2.2 today. The update was
rumoured to be released today and the promised features are present. The new iPhone 2.2 Software update features enhancements to maps and mail
allowing users to now use Google street view.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
21.11.2008Google may offer Chrome detailing on new PCs
We've watched the
rapid evolution of Google's
beta Chrome browser since it first appeared. Chrome, apparently, will not remain in an indefinite period of beta testing for the rest of its life.
Speaking to
The Times, Sundar Pichai, Google vice president, stated that the browser will exit beta in January. Google, meanwhile, is
exploring its distribution options and examining the
various ways it might improve its market share. "We will probably do distribution
deals,” Pinchai told
The Times. "We could work with an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) and have them
ship computers
with Chrome preinstalled."
View Full Article:
Ars Technica..
winbeta.org -
22.11.2008AMD Phenom II hits 5GHz stable
A sneak peek given to the press by AMD, showcased their upcoming line of processors known as the "Phenom II". The Phenom II are AMD's answer
to Intel's newest chipset, the Core i7. Hoping to compete in the market with the Core i7 the Phenom II line of quad-core processors will be AM2+
compatible. The first two models to be released will have a clock speed that starts at 2.8GHz. However, one of the key bragging areas for AMD's
line of Phenom processors is its overclockability. AMD claims a 30-40% reduction in power consumption under full load thanks to their transition to a
45nm fab process.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
21.11.2008Google launches its SearchWiki semantics plug-in
Today, Google launched its SearchWiki feature, which adds an aspect of personalization and quasi-semantic enhancement...
betanews.com -
22.11.2008Four out of five adults agree on TCP/IP
Harris Poll results released this week give an overview of who in the US is online, where they log in, and who's still lagging...
betanews.com -
19.11.2008Let WALL-E be your tour guide to the universe
Microsoft Research and the Disney-owned Pixar are offering you a virtual tour of the universe. Your tour guide? WALL-E, the animated robot from
Pixar's latest film. You'll need the WorldWide Telescope (WWT), a Virtual Earth for the sky and beyond, if you want to download and use the
WALL-E tour. Since WALL-E doesn't have its own voice, Academy-Award-winning director Andrew Stanton narrates the tour. Curtis Wong, manager of
Microsoft's Next Media Research Group, explained why Microsoft went with WALL-E: "WorldWide Telescope is about making science fun for everyone.
By working with Disney/Pixar, we're enabling kids and families to discover the magic of the universe for themselves in an even more engaging way.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
19.11.2008Hurd's the word in Ballmer's e-mail nightmares
A letter from HP CEO Mark Hurd to Steve Ballmer after the release of Vista gives observers a sense of how miserable life became thereafter at HP --
plus that delicious feeling of snooping into someone else's cranky e-mail...
betanews.com -
23.11.2008Google Launches SearchWiki
Tired of getting Google search results that are offensive, useless, or not relevant to your interests? You can end that today by using Google's new
"SearchWiki" service.
When you are logged into your Google account, three buttons are displayed beside each search result: a
"promote" and "remove" link, as well as a "comment" button.
Promoting results makes them more likely to appear near the top of the
results in other relevant searches, and likewise, prevents other results from appearing.
Using the comments allows you to write notes and
attach them to particular sites.
These changes are stored on your Google account, thus preventing it from affecting other users: the
changes you make to your Wiki are yours.
Although search placement is specific to your account, over-all rankings are provided after you
rank a site. This is a great way to convey whether or not information on a specific site is useful, and how many people like/dislike the site.
Google's SearchWiki has a lot of potential, and is something unique. Many people are bound to like it. Another great job, Google.
View:
Google's Blog Post 
News Source:
In-House..
jcxp.net -
22.11.2008Google admits that its iPhone voice search breaks Apple's rules
A Google spokesperson confirmed to BetaNews today that the company's new voice search for iPhone violates the terms of Apple's SDK. But questions
still linger around why the updated Google Mobile app still appears on Apple's App Store...
betanews.com -
27.11.2008Teacher must still surrender license in bizarre 'exposure to porn' suit
A week after the close of the four-year case of Julie Amero, the Connecticut substitute teacher accused exposing middle-students to online smut,
Sunbelt Software CEO Alex Eckelberry doesn't see any real win in the settlement...
betanews.com -
29.11.2008Kernel vulnerability found in Windows Vista
A flaw has been found in Windows Vista that could allow rootkits to be hidden or denial-of-service attacks to be executed on computers using the
operating system.
The vulnerability was found by Thomas Unterleitner of Austrian security company Phion, and announced on Friday.
Unterleitner told ZDNet UK on Friday that Phion told Microsoft about the flaw in October, but he understood that a fix would only be issued in the
next Vista service pack.
View Full Article:
ZDNet.co.uk..
winbeta.org -
23.11.2008Google violates iPhone API guidelines
Google has recently released a new version of it's Google Mobile application for the iPhone. This is the first time Google has made voice search
available on a mobile device (Google Android users were not the first). In order to initiate a search, the iPhone is placed by your ear, as if making
a call. The iPhone's proximity sensor detects this and the voice search initiates. While seemingly harmless, Apple has prohibited developers from
using the iPhone's proximity sensor, and therefore never released an API for it. Google has, in effect, violated the App Store guidelines.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
27.11.2008SQL Server 2008: Turbocharging the Database
SQL Server users gather at the PASS Community Summit 2008 in Seattle this week to learn more about SQL Server 2008s solutions to real-world data
management challenges...
microsoft.com/presspass -
20.11.2008Google Sorts 1 Petabyte In 6 Hours
Google has announced that they were able to
sort one petabyte of
data in 6 hours and 2 minutes across 4,000 computers. According to the Google Blog, '... to put this amount in perspective, it is 12 times the
amount of archived web data in the US Library of Congress as of May 2008. In comparison, consider that the aggregate size of data processed by all
instances of MapReduce at Google was on average 20PB per day in January 2008.'
View Full Article:
Slashdot..
winbeta.org -
23.11.2008Microsoft exec: No job cuts here
Not everyone is slashing jobs in these grim economic times. Microsoft Corp. has no plans to cut back on research spending and plans to add workers in
the coming year, senior executive Craig Mundie said Friday.
"Right now we're still on a plan to complete 100 percent of our
college recruitment plan globally," he told The Associated Press. "The ability to get top talent has actually improved" as the world enters what
could be a punishing recession.
View Full Article:
BusinessWeek..
winbeta.org -
22.11.2008iPhone Firmware 2.2 Jailbroken! QuickPwn 2.2 Released
Once again, anything Apple can make, the enterprising Dev Team can break: the brand-new firmware 2.2 has been jailbroken. QuickPwn should take care
of everything, unless you're one of those unfortunate owners of the second-generation iPod touch, in which case you're out of luck at the
moment. But everything else seems to be running fine—anybody here broken the new firmware yet? Let us know in the comments. News source:
Gizmodo
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
24.11.2008From out of the Amazon Cloud, an AWS winner emerges
Yieldex, a service that forecasts online ad inventories and aids publishers in making their systems work smoothly, took the top prize in Amazon's
second annual Web Services Start-Up Challenge...
betanews.com -
22.11.2008Improving Global Access to Core PC Protection
Q&A: Amy Barzdukas, senior director of product management, discusses Microsofts strategy to provide broader access to critical anti-malware
protection...
microsoft.com/presspass -
19.11.2008Shift Linux: A New Direction
Since its incarnation in 2006, Shift Linux has had an ambitious team behind it. We have always strived to be "more than just another linux
distribution", a goal which has never been more important than it is now. Over the next little while, Shift will be reborn and redefined, moving
farther away from traditional Linux roots, and into something newer. Linux will always be our core, but on top of that, we need to use new
technologies, both those that exist and those which we can only imagine, to build something fresh. Today, Shift Linux will move forward. We have
several new goals that are being set. First of all, Shift needs to be streamlined.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
23.11.2008Five big things Microsoft got right
With so many people pointing out the external challenges and internal missteps from Microsoft, it is easy to pile on criticism.
One longtime watcher of the company, Directions on Microsoft, has a new report out looking at five big things the software maker has done
right.
The analysis is
on the
Internet and worth a read.
View Full Article:
CNET News..
winbeta.org -
27.11.2008Microsoft to Google: Get Off of My Cloud
The world's top software maker plans to build about 20 state-of-the-art data centers as it tries to outpace cloud computing rival Google,
BusinessWeek has learned.
Corporate America is increasingly leaving computing to the experts. Why go to the trouble and
expense of building and managing complex systems to handle your spiraling data-crunching needs when another company can do it for you? And who better,
faster, or cheaper than Google (GOOG)?
View Full Article:
BusinessWeek..
winbeta.org -
24.11.2008Free 24-hour ZoneAlarm Pro 2009 download
Need a firewall freshener? Tuesday marks Check Point Software's 15th anniversary, and to celebrate, it's offering free copies of Check Point
ZoneAlarm Pro 2009 to all comers...
betanews.com -
18.11.2008New Adobe Media Player ushers in AIR 1.5
The latest version of Adobe's stand-alone player for Flash media appears only cosmetically different, and we've noticed a few bugs in our tests. But
the big changes are under the hood, with Flash 10 and the latest AIR platform...
betanews.com -
22.11.2008Microsoft details the Windows 7 Taskbar
Chaitanya Sareen, Windows Team at Microsoft, has produced a blog post detailing the new Windows 7 Taskbar. In the post Sareen highlights the
following areas of evolution: Refreshed LookPinningUnificationInteractive, Grouped ThumbnailsAero PeekJump ListsCustom Window Switchers Thumbnail
ToolbarsNotification AreaOverlay Icons and Progress BarsColor Hot-trackStart MenuIn the post, Sareen also posts screen shots of one of the latest
builds of Windows 7 at Microsoft, Build 6948.fbl_shell_dex.081112-1755. Most of the features we already know about from PDC but one interesting
addition, that Microsoft didn't demonstrate at PDC, is overlay icons and progress bars in the taskbar. Microsoft now allows application developers
to give feedback about progress by having their taskbar button turn into a progress bar.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
21.11.2008Microsoft says "no" to Yahoo buy-out, only wants search deal
Microsoft told Yahoo today that it is not interested in a takeover of the company, and only interested in making a search engine deal with the
company. The decision came from Steve Ballmer, the CEO of Microsoft. The announcement made Yahoo's stocks plummet to $9.14 a share, from
$11.57. Steve Ballmer told Yahoo that it was only interested in a search engine only deal, and would not be interested in a takeover of the
company. The original offering of $33 a share to purchase Yahoo was turned down by Jerry Yang, back in early May. The renegotiation's of
Microsoft to acquire Yahoo came about after the announcement that Jerry Yang, the former CEO of Yahoo stepped down.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
20.11.2008Microsoft: New software not Symantec, McAfee rival
Microsoft Corp's upcoming security software is not designed to take sales from Symantec Corp and McAfee Inc as it is a stripped-down, free product
that focuses purely on anti-virus protection, a Microsoft executive said.
Shares of Symantec and McAfee tumbled on Wednesday on
concerns that Microsoft's new anti-malware program, to be launched in the second half of 2009, would compete with their products.
View Full Article:
Yahoo News..
winbeta.org -
20.11.2008How is Internet advertising faring in this bad economy?
With many news services, it's the dire predictions that make the boldest headlines; but if the headline happens to be, "Advertising Growth
Declines," then suddenly the news looks a little more...measured...
betanews.com -
22.11.2008Microsoft Offers Black Friday Office Discount
Microsoft's MacBU will be offering a special 70 percent discount on Office 2008 for Mac: Special Media Edition on Thursday, November 27 and Friday,
November 28. Shoppers will receive an instant US$350 rebate when they purchase the Office suite on the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday, or on "Black
Friday" from Apple retailers, Best Buy, or Amazon.com.
View Full Article:
The Mac Observer..
winbeta.org -
26.11.2008Microsoft Adds jQuery IntelliSense to Visual Studio
Two months after stating its intent to support the open-source jQuery JavaScript library, Microsoft announces support for jQuery IntelliSense in
Visual Studio and Visual Web Developer Express for application development. IntelliSense is Microsoft's implementation of auto-completion.
View Full Article:
eWeek..
winbeta.org -
22.11.2008IE Mobile 6 coming, but only on new models
Microsoft has revealed that the next version of Internet Explorer Mobile will only be released on new models. There will be no official way for
current users to get this upgrade. This is because, according to the Windows Mobile team, IE Mobile 6 requires "more powerful, advanced devices."
This new version of the default Windows Mobile web browser was announced last spring, and Microsoft promised to introduce it before the
end of this year. Which it is, but only on a few devices as they launch.
New features in IE Mobile 6 include: -
Improved fidelity (support for full fidelity desktop rendering)
- Layout fixes to accommodate a mobile screen (text wrap)
- Enhanced
Script and AJAX support (Jscript v5.7 from Internet Explorer 8)
- Improved multimedia experience (Adobe Flash Lite 3.1 for Adobe Flash content)
- Deeper integration with search
- Enhanced cursor navigation model
- Touch and gesture support – pan support
- Multiple zoom
levels
- Easy switching between mobile / desktop versions of sites by specifying UA strings.
You can test out IE Mobile 6 using the
Windows
Mobile 6.1.4 emulator.
News Source:
Bink.nu..
jcxp.net -
20.11.2008Banks Need to Innovate Across Channels to Gain Share Amid Economic Downturn, Microsoft Reports From Leading Banking Conference
Q&A: Microsofts U.S. Financial Services General Manager Colleen Healy says the current economic crisis puts pressure on todays bank to attract new
customers and retain existing ones. To do so, banks must link themselves to their customers digital lifestyles and work styles...
microsoft.com/presspass -
18.11.2008USB 3.0 Specifications released
The new standard for USB (Universal Serial Bus) 3.0, also known as SuperSpeed USB, has released the specifications for its next major upgrade. USB
3.0 is meant to surpass its current predecessor USB 2.0, which supports up to 480 Mbps data transfer. The USB 3.0 will support speeds up to 4.8 Gbps,
roughly 10 times faster than USB 2.0. The new standard is expected to be more power-efficient over its predecessor. Your old devices will not be
garbage just yet, since USB 3.0 will be fully backwards compatible with your old devices, supporting USB 1.0, 1.1 and 2.0.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
18.11.2008'SuperSpeed' USB 3.0 expected to be widespread by 2010
A much faster USB specification is finally about to be implemented, replacing the eight-year-old USB 2.0 standard for connecting printers, mobile
phones, drives, and other consumer devices...
betanews.com -
20.11.2008PSP hacked again, Sony firmware upgrade announced
Sony has informally announced its PlayStation Portable handheld console will be receiving another firmware upgrade. Conspicuously, the announcement
came on the same day as news that the "unhackable" PSP 3000 had been hacked...
betanews.com -
20.11.2008Connecting the Black Friday dots: What to expect from CE retail
In anticipation of the coming annual Black Friday spending surge, analysts have come out of the woodwork to voice their predictions. This afternoon,
we took some time to parse some of them...
betanews.com -
27.11.2008Google adds to search
Google has begun rolling out 3 new additions to its search engine on November 20th. The search engine giant added a Promote, Remove and Comment
buttons beside each search to help users define their results better. The Promote feature will allow you to move results up to the top of the list
of your results, for future searches. This little addition to the search engine will help users by adding their favourite web sites to the top of
each individual search result, that brings back that page.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
22.11.2008Ballmer to be deposed in Vista Capable case
U.S. District Court Judge Marsha Pechman ruled this afternoon that Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer will be deposed in the ongoing Windows Vista Capable
class action lawsuit. He must be deposed within 30 days and plaintiffs attorneys will have up to three hours with Microsoft's top executive.
Microsoft issued the following statement...
View Full Article:
The Seattle
Times..
winbeta.org -
22.11.2008Google integrates Earth-like controls in new Maps interface
The Google Maps interface has been redesigned, putting ever greater emphasis on the Street View tool...
betanews.com -
27.11.2008Spambots edge back online post-McColo
It was just too good to last: Researchers report that spam levels that dropped in the wake of a high-profile takedown are edging back up -- and that a
particularly pernicious botnet made it back online Wednesday night...
betanews.com -
27.11.2008Asus P6T Deluxe Intel X58 motherboard review
Having just recently examined the new Intel Core i7 processors, the timing seems perfect to also show you in detail a motherboard designed to take
advantage of these CPUs. The Asus P6T Deluxe sports the new Intel X58 chipset and is one of the first production Core i7 motherboards available in the
market. Because of the added cost inherent of moving to a new platform, building a new Core i7 computer is going to be quite steep.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
24.11.2008Intel's Nehalem: The 'tock' heard 'round the world
There's a list of features which have historically pertained to Intel processors -- a list that's now
smaller today than ever before. It's
the list of features AMD has and Intel doesn't, leaving AMD at a widening disadvantage...
betanews.com -
18.11.2008Microsoft dissed Intel's 915 chipset before making 'Vista Capable' changes
Months before it bowed to pressure from Intel Corp. and relaxed the requirements for its "Vista Capable" marketing program, Microsoft Corp.
published an article on its TechNet Web site recommending that users avoid Intel's 915 graphics chipset if they planned on upgrading to Windows
Vista, internal e-mails at Microsoft show.
View Full Article:
Computerworld..
winbeta.org -
20.11.2008Win $6000 of gadgets in the HP Magic Giveaway
At a time when less is in reach for most, HP and Microsoft want to help spread the magic through the HP Magic Giveaway, a program that enables 50 top
blogs to run their own contests to give away 50 prize packages whose value exceeds $6000. Microsoft and HP have decided, Neowin is one of the top
blogs, and we will be participating in this giant giveaway.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
25.11.2008"New Xbox Experience" Launched
Starting today, users with their Xbox 360's connected to the Live network will be greeted with a rather large update to the Dashboard interface -
dubbed the "New Xbox Experience"
(NXE for short). Oh, best of all, it's completely free.
NXE introduces an entirely revamped
user interface for the Dashboard (shown below), the integration of Netflix, allowing users to rent or buy movies and TV shows directly from the
console, the addition of "Xbox Avatars" which replaces the standard display picture with customizable characters, "Parties" which allows users to
get together without having to launch a game, similar to the group conversation feature in Windows Live Messenger, as well as the ability to download
games from your discs to the console's hard drive.
But of course,
an update never goes through without some disapproval. Users are already flying to the Xbox community forums in swarms, complaining about their
dislike of the new interface. Many users describe the new interface as "childish". Some are also showing their dislike of the new Avatars for, once
again, their cartoonish and childlike design as well as their lack of customization options.
The update is also facing criticism from
users around the globe due to the lack of international support for the Netflix integration. Since Netflix only currently provides their services in
the United States, only US residents are able to access the feature. Many are complaining that the price of Gold Xbox Live memberships should be
reduced for users who do not reside in the US, due to the overall lack of Marketplace content and lack of Netflix integration.
Forum:
"New Xbox Experience" Discussion View:
Xbox NXE Home Page News Source:
In-House ..
jcxp.net -
20.11.2008Mac OS X Snow Leopard (10.6) Due in Q1 2009?
Apple's Director of Engineering of Unix Technologies Jordan Hubbard spoke at
LISA '08 last week. LISA (or Large Installation System Administration Conference) is a technical conference targeted at
engineers and system administrators. This year's conference
invited
Apple's Jordan Hubbard to speak about the evolution of Mac OS X from large servers to embedded platforms. While technical readers may find the
content of Hubbard's
presentation slides (PDF) quite
interesting, the most surprising revelation is a more specific target date for Apple's Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard): 1st Quarter 2009.
View Full Article:
Mac Rumors..
winbeta.org -
19.11.2008Whats Next for IE8
Dean Hachamovitch, General Manager for Internet Explorer, has posted today on the
IEBlog about
whats next for IE8. Dean and his team have been busy
analyzing all the data sent in since the release of Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 (which is a
huge amount data). Based on feedback received on
the transition from the IE7 Beta to final release “ the IE Team wants to be clear about the plan for IE8. Dean highlights whats next for IE8...
View Full Article:
Windows Experience Blog..
winbeta.org -
20.11.2008Apple investigating graphics issues with new MacBooks
Early purchasers of Apple's new unibody MacBooks are reporting crashing and graphic corruption during gameplay. Users are reporting that their
screens turn to black upon loading a game and shortly after the computer locks up and the sound enters into an infinite loop. Users state that once
the systems lock up there is no other method of recovery but to restart the MacBook. The issue occurs under both Windows and Mac OS X affecting
titles including but not limited to World of Warcraft, Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and Company of Heroes.
Read full story.....
neowin.net -
28.11.2008PayPal takes another crack at tightening security
EBay's PayPal service wants users to take security more seriously. To that end, it's combining an old security concept with a device most of us
don't associate with security at all. Has PayPal chosen wisely?..
betanews.com -
26.11.2008First beta tests of AOL mail synchronization
AOL has begun open beta testing of AOL Sync, a feature that allows Outlook contact and calendar updates to be synchronized wirelessly with a user's
address book and calendar both in his AOL account and on his mobile device...
betanews.com -
21.11.2008
