Thursday 18 September 2008

IBM Shows off Taiwan Design Center

IBM on Tuesday announced plans to expand a hardware design center in Taiwan due to the strong engineering work being done at the fledgling operation.
The company's Taiwan Systems and Technology Laboratory (TSTL) has grown from a small lab in 2004 to become a major Asia-Pacific design center for IBM, now responsible for several major server products, IBM executives said at a news conference Thursday.
Next year, IBM will start hiring more engineers for the lab to handle an increasing work load, said Jan Janick, vice president of modular server and storage development at IBM. The company plans to expand the lab to 400 workers, up from just over 200 now.
TSTL has developed over 30 new products in the past two years, including BladeCenter servers, DataPower products, single socket tower/rack systems, retail store kiosks and digital cash registers as well as other hardware.
The lab has also been taking a central role in developing servers aimed at emerging markets. TSTL created the X3100 tower and X3610 rack servers, low-cost servers for businesses in developing countries.
The lab has won two patents so far, including one for a Method and Apparatus for fastening heat exchanger.
Most of IBM's design and development work is still done in the U।S., an executive said, but transferring some of the work overseas both shortens development time and ensures there are IBM engineers able to work with customers anywhere in the world.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151207/.html?tk=rss_news

VMware’s VirtualCenter coming to Linux, iPhone

VMware CTO Stephen Herrod drew a cheer at the VMworld conference Wednesday by announcing plans to bring the next version of VMware’s VirtualCenter management software to Linux and the इफोने
In a speech opening day two of the VMworld show in Las Vegas, Herrod also described improvements to VMware’s core virtual machine technology that should allow businesses to run larger, more demanding applications on virtualized servers.
VirtualCenter Management Server, the control node for VirtualCenter, today runs only on versions of Microsoft’s Windows Server OS. VCenter, an updated and renamed version planned for next year, will also be available as a “virtual appliance” that runs on Linux, Herrod said.
The company is also working to bring the VirtualCenter client, which currently runs on Windows PCs, to Linux, the Mac OS and also devices like Apple’s iPhone. Herrod showed only a slide photo of the iPhone interface, but it was enough to get him some applause.
VMware has been emphasizing application performance and availability throughout the show. “The focus for VMware is to make sure we can run any application at all, no matter how much performance it demands,” Herrod said.
To that end VMware will increase the compute capacity its virtual machines can address next year to four CPUs and 64G bytes of RAM, from two CPUs and 4M bytes of RAM today. I/O throughput will increase to 9G bytes per second, from 300K bps today.
IT staff will be able to put up to 64 server nodes in a virtual resource pool cluster—the pool of computers available for use in a virtual environment.
Herrod walked through VMware’s plan to deliver next year a “virtual data center OS,” a set of technologies for aggregating all resources in a data center, including storage and networking, and for moving virtual machines between them more easily with their policies attached.
He demonstrated VMware Fault Tolerance, which was previewed at VMware last year and is also expected in 2009. It uses what VMware calls vLockstep technology to make a constantly updated copy of a virtual machine on a different physical server.
Herrod demonstrated the technology running a one-arm bandit application (the slot machine being endemic to Las Vegas)। He showed how if the primary server goes down, because someone kicks a cable or switches it off by accident, the workload switches to the remote server and the application keeps running without interruption, with the same data available to it.
Reference : http://www.macworld.com/article/135600/2008/09/vmware.html?lsrc=rss_main

Sixteen Charged With Exporting Electronics to Iran

Eight people and eight companies from Dubai, Iran and Malaysia have been charged by a Florida grand jury with exporting sensitive electronics equipment from the U.S. to Iran, the U.S. Department of Justice said.
The 13-count indictment, returned on Sept. 11 and unsealed Wednesday in U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, includes charges of conspiracy, violations of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the U.S. Iran Embargo, and making false statements to federal agencies in connection with the export of thousands of U.S. goods to Iran.
The indictment accuses the defendants of purchasing, then illegally exporting, numerous "dual use" products -- items that have commercial applications but could also be used by other countries' military or nuclear programs.
The defendants participated in the export of 120 field-programmable gate arrays, more than 5,000 integrated circuits, about 345 GPS (Global Positioning System) devices and 12,000 micro-controllers. The items all have potential military applications, including use for the construction of explosive devices, the DOJ said.
In addition to the Florida charges, the U.S. Department of Commerce's Bureau of Industry and Security announced Wednesday that it has identified 75 people or companies that are part of a global procurement network seeking to acquire dual-use and military components for the Iranian government. The charges came from an extensive U.S. government investigation into homemade bombs used against U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan, the DOJ said.
"I urge any domestic supplier who may have unwittingly helped the defendants, or others like them, to come forth and report the matter to federal law enforcement," R. Alexander Acosta, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of Florida, said in a statement. "We cannot profit at the expense of our soldiers' safety abroad."
Acosta's office and other agencies continue to investigate the matter, he said.
The U.S. has banned most imports from Iran since 1987, due to its alleged support of international terrorism. In 1997, former President Bill Clinton banned virtually all trade with Iran, although the restrictions were relaxed in 2000 to allow U.S. import of Iranian carpets and some food items.
The businesses charged in Florida are: Mayrow General Trading, Atlinx Electronics, Micatic General Trading, Madjico Micro Electronics, and Al-Faris, all Dubai-based businesses; Neda Industrial Group, an Iran-based business; and Eco Biochem Sdn BHD and Vast Solution Sdn BHD, Malaysian businesses.
People charged are: Ali Akbar Yahya and Farshid Gillardian, both Iranian nationals who are naturalized British citizens; F.N. Yaghmaei, Bahman Ghandi, Ahmad Rahzad, all Iranian nationals; Kaam Chee Mun, a resident of Malaysia; Djamshid Nezhad, a resident of Germany; and Majid Seif, an Iranian national residing in Malaysia.
If convicted on the conspiracy charges, the defendants each face up to five years in prison. If convicted of violating the International Emergency Economic Powers Act and the Iran Embargo, the defendants each face up to 20 years in prison. The false statements charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.
The defendants each face fines of up to US$1 million।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151198/.html?tk=rss_news

One Google Data Center Idea That Really Floats

Google, which has been building out its data center inventory for the past few years, is literally floating its latest idea for the location of such facilities at the U.S. Patent Office.
The company filed a patent application for a "water-based data center" detailing a floating data center, complete with an energy supply fed by a wave-powered generator system, and a wind-powered cooling system using sea water.
The patent application, published Aug. 28, describes a modular setup that calls for "crane removable modules" that store racks of computers. The modules would facilitate adding, subtracting and moving the computing power.
The patent application also details tapping waves and water motion to generate power and the ability to configure the system in many different ways, including on-ship and on-shore data centers, various cooling mechanisms, backup systems and even temporary housing and helicopter pads to support IT maintenance staff.
Google is not the first to consider alternatives to the power-sucking data centers that it and others are constructing around the globe, to suggest unique locations, or to tap the sea for innovative IT ideas.
Both Google and Microsoft are already using hydro-electric power options in the Northwest.
A couple in Nebraska that lives underground in a 1960s-era Atlas E Missile Silo wants to turn 15,000 square feet of their bunker into a highly secure data center.
And a company called SeaCode a few years ago proposed Hybrid-Sourcing, a venture that loads a fully staffed luxury liner with software engineers to get around H-1B visa restrictions and provide U.S. businesses with high-end tech workers.
Google officials say there is nothing to announce now regarding its water-based data center idea.
"We file patent applications on a variety of ideas that our employees come up with. Some of those ideas later mature into real products, services or infrastructure, some don't. We do a lot to make our infrastructure scalable and cost efficient," a company spokesman said in response to an e-mail.
The idea, however, is fully outlined in the patent application.
Google says computing units could be mounted in shipping containers, which could be stored on ships or floating platforms and loaded/unloaded via cranes and equipment already used in shipping ports.
The computers in the containers or "modules" could easily be replaced or updated as technology advances and adverse sea conditions exact their toll.
Proposed configurations include putting the modules on land next to a body of water.
Water is key for generating power, according to the patent, which cites the use of Pelamis machines and other devices such as wind generators to create energy.
The Pelamis machines use a series of hydraulics powered by water motion to drive motors connected to electrical generators. Other devices such as a floating power-generation apparatus use tethers and a spring-loaded hub to gather power from the rise and fall of water levels.
Google also proposes the option of building tidal basins with channels to the sea that are used to control the rise and fall of water that would engage the tethered power-generating devices.
The power supply methods could be used for floating data centers or wired into on-shore data centers.
Google says such data center options can help satisfy the growing public use of the Internet and the need for bandwidth to support graphics, video and Web 2.0 applications.
But it also says highly flexible and mobile computing centers would provide "transient data centers" that could be used in times of natural disasters, military maneuvers or special events to provide temporary computing and telecom services.
Google's application also details cooling options using sea-powered or wind-powered pumps and seawater-to-freshwater heat exchangers
Another option outlined is tapping at shoreline into the existing communication's infrastructure that runs under the ocean, and adding housing and helicopter access on floating data centers.
The plan also calls for a backup system that could rely on a fuel-based power generation system or use energy stored by the Pelamis system or wind turbines. A solar collection system could also be used, Google says. The patent states, "As one example, banks of batteries may be used to store electrical energy. As another example, fuel cells may be used with hydrogen kept in a reservoir, which is filled by electrolysis when wave energy is available."
Whether Google gets a patent or not, the message is that the need to satisfy bandwidth demands and to locate computing power near users may grow beyond even what pundits today are expecting।
रेफरेंस : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151185/google_data_center.html?tk=rss_news

Cisco Broadens Data Center Role

Cisco this week launched several products designed to expand the capabilities of its switches and routers in further virtualizing data center systems and processes.
The broadened lineup includes virtual machine (VM) switching software, SAN switching modules and operating system enhancements, as well as extensions to its WAN application acceleration portfolio to virtualize branch offices and desktops. The new products underscore Cisco's intention to assume more general and overall IT functions within compute-intensive data centers beyond its traditional switching and routing role.
Some of the new products were expected.
The VM switching software is called VN-Link and it comes in two flavors: Nexus 1000V, which is a software-only version for multivendor servers; and hardware embedded into Cisco's Nexus 5000 data center switch.
VN-Link runs with VMware's ESX server software and is a replacement for that software's VM switching capability. VN-Link features policy-based VM connectivity and mobility, by taking a VM's network and security properties with it while it is moved around the data center.
This is intended to provide consistent operations of the mobile VM environment, Cisco says.
The new SAN products include three 8Gbps Fibre Channel switching modules for Cisco's MDS 9000 SAN switches, and new capabilities in Cisco's SAN operating system, which has been re-branded NX-OS. The modules are intended to upgrade MDS 9000 customers to higher speeds from the 2G and 4Gbps speeds the switches now support.
The modules sport 24, 48 or four 8G/44 4Gbps ports -- for consolidation of standard servers -- and support line-rate encryption of Fibre Channel data between any Cisco MDS 9000 8Gbps module, Cisco says. The modules adhere to Cisco's TrustSec Fibre Channel security architecture, which defines role-based access to networked resources.
The Cisco SAN operating system, SAN-OS, has been renamed NX-OS to reflect Cisco's goal of developing a single data center operating system optimized for a unified -- or Fibre Channel over Ethernet (FCoE) -- switching fabric for both LAN and SAN traffic. Enhancements to NX-OS include support for the new 8Gbps modules; consistent policy, visibility, and diagnostics for both physical and virtual server environments; virtual machine awareness through VN-Link; and data erasure.
The new Cisco 8Gbps SAN switch modules are expected to be available in the fourth quarter. Pricing will be set by Cisco's storage partners, which will be offering the new modules.
The enhancements to Cisco's Wide Area Applications Services (WAAS) appliance include new platforms with blades that feature desktop virtualization capabilities. These models are designed to lower branch office desktop operations costs by reducing bandwidth consumption and improving performance across the WAN by virtualizing desktop applications among remote users.
The new models of WAAS with the virtual blades are called the WAVE 574 and 474. Cisco also unveiled a lower end version -- the WAVE 274 -- for small-to-midsize businesses.
VN-Link and the WAVE appliances are expected to be available in the first quarter of 2009। Cisco says it has not yet determined pricing.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151183/cisco_vm.html?tk=rss_news

New Casio Digital Camera Has Burst Shooting Mode

Casio America has introduced its Exilim EX-FH20. The new point-and-shoot digital camera costs $599.99 and will be available in October.
The Casio Exilim EX-FH20 can record high-speed videos and shoot up to 40 frames at a time in burst mode.The EX-FH20 features a 9.1 megapixel sensor and a 26mm-equivalent wide angle lens with 20x optical zoom. It also features anti-shake capabilities, a night scene setting and the ability to record movies at 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second (AVI format).
The EX-FH20 is the latest Casio Exilim model to feature a high-speed "burst" shooting mode. It can capture up to 40 frames per second at 7 megapixels, in a single burst. The camera can also record high-speed movie footage -- you can set the recording speed at 30 fps, 210fps, 420 fps or 1,000 fps, recording motion you can't actually see.
The camera records still images in raw or JPEG format, and writes data to an SDHC memory card. It's also compatible with SD memory cards, MultiMediaCards and MultiMediaCardPlus.
Casio's Web site had not been updated with information about the EX-FH20 as Macworld posted this article।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151181/casio_exilim.html?tk=rss_news

New Casio Digital Camera Has Burst Shooting Mode

Casio America has introduced its Exilim EX-FH20. The new point-and-shoot digital camera costs $599.99 and will be available in October.
The Casio Exilim EX-FH20 can record high-speed videos and shoot up to 40 frames at a time in burst mode.The EX-FH20 features a 9.1 megapixel sensor and a 26mm-equivalent wide angle lens with 20x optical zoom. It also features anti-shake capabilities, a night scene setting and the ability to record movies at 1280 x 720 pixels at 30 frames per second (AVI format).
The EX-FH20 is the latest Casio Exilim model to feature a high-speed "burst" shooting mode. It can capture up to 40 frames per second at 7 megapixels, in a single burst. The camera can also record high-speed movie footage -- you can set the recording speed at 30 fps, 210fps, 420 fps or 1,000 fps, recording motion you can't actually see.
The camera records still images in raw or JPEG format, and writes data to an SDHC memory card. It's also compatible with SD memory cards, MultiMediaCards and MultiMediaCardPlus.
Casio's Web site had not been updated with information about the EX-FH20 as Macworld posted this article।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151181/casio_exilim.html?tk=rss_news

HP Takes Google Model to Heart in New Storage System

Hewlett-Packard is getting ready to launch the ExDS storage system, which will use up to 820 1T-byte drives for file-based storage, packaged in two 42U cabinets.
The system is an online content repository that comes in the shape of an appliance, according to Jim Haberkorn, whose job description as a director at HP's StorageWorks division includes hyping the system to potential customers.
"We first designed the product specifically for streaming media and for static media. We've got a company called Snapfish, and they have over 5 billion online images. We were kind of thinking of them when we designed it, and it wouldn't take much to go from static to streaming media, and it actually works really well for that," Haberkorn said.
But as HP has started to show the ExDS to potential customers, more ways of using it have come to light, including oil and gas companies that want to use it for seismic research. But in the end, many industries are thinking of ways to handle fast data growth.
Most likely companies that are interested in the new system have already looked at their old kind of storage, but have found it too expensive, that it takes up too much space or uses too much power for what they want to do, according to Haberkorn.
"Maybe they want to start an online backup service or start saving their customer's videos, or their snapshots themselves -- traditional storage doesn't allow them to reach the right economies in order to make that viable," Haberkorn said.
The system will cost less than US$2 per gigabyte or US$2,000 per terabyte. "That includes everything, so it includes the software, the hardware, the infrastructure, the cabinets, all the installation and all the services," Haberkorn said.
HP has tried to make it as easy as possible to manage. "We can install this in hours, and the customers can then install the storage and the compute power themselves," he said.
To keep costs down, HP's storage division has taken advantage of what already exists at HP, instead of starting from scratch. The system uses HP blade servers, and the drives are of course their own. "The hardware was the easiest thing to solve," Haberkorn said.
Both the number of blade servers and the number of drives can be scaled independently, depending on how much performance and storage are needed.
The model for building these kinds of storage systems is Google. By and large, how the search giant has managed to grow its infrastructure remains a closely guarded secret, according Haberkorn, but he is convinced ExDS can deliver better performance than Google's in-house system. "We, for example, get double the density, they get 6T bytes per U, we believe, and we get 12T bytes," said Haberkorn.
Haberkorn doesn't want to specify a launch date for the ExDS, other than saying it will be out later this year।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151179/ExDS_filestorage.html?tk=rss_news

Canon Expands PowerShot Digital Camera Line

Canon on Thursday announced four new models for its line of PowerShot point and shoot digital cameras. The new models include the G10, the SX10 IS, SD990 IS and SD880 IS. Prices range from $299.99 to $499.99, and they're all expected to go on sale in October.
The PowerShot G10 is Canon's new flagship point and shoot digital camera.The G10 is Canon's new flagship model for the PowerShot line, and it replaces the G9. It features a 28mm wide-angle lens, 5x optical zoom, 14.7 megapixel sensor and 3.0-inch LCD display. Like all of the new PowerShot models introduced today, it features optical image stabilization.
The G10 controller wheel has a dedicated Exposure Compensation dial, and the camera features a form of continuous focus tracking to help keep the camera in focus on moving subjects. It's coming for $499.99.
The SX10 IS has a 28mm - 560mm (35mm format equivalent) wide-angle lens with 20x optical zoom, 10 megapixel sensor, 2.5-inch LCD display and "MovieSnap" mode for recording video while shooting still images. It will cost $399.99.
The SD990 IS and SD880 IS round out Canon's new PowerShot offerings। The new Digital Elph models feature the same image processors and optical image stabilization as the other new PowerShot designs. The SD990 IS features 14.7 megapixel resolution, 3.7x optical zoom and "Quick Shot" mode for faster shutter speed. The SD880 IS has a 10 megapixel sensor and 4x wide-angle optical zoom. It comes in a two-toned black and silver body with a 3.0-inch LCD display on the back. The SD990 IS and SD880 IS will cost $399.99 and $299.99 respectively.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151173/.html?tk=rss_news

Microsoft and Cray Team up to Bring High Performance Computing Mainstream

For the first time in the two companies history, Microsoft and Cray have teamed up to offer a powerful mix of what each company does best - - the Cray CX1! What is the CX1, you ask? It’s a compact supercomputer running Windows HPC Server 2008, that’s what. It’s the most affordable supercomputer Cray has ever offered, with prices starting at $25,000. This exciting new product is available today and is being announced by Microsoft, Cray and a few others via live webcast at 8:00am, check it out! It’s high performance and productivity computing that meets the needs of users, IT pros and developers by providing a highly integrated, familiar environment that is the right size and price for departmental and workgroup needs. The CX1 combines compute, storage, and visualization in a single integrated system that’s designed for non-traditional environments like labs, offices. If space is a problem, not to worry, it’s compact enough to fit in a broom closet.
How can you get one?! It’s as easy as shopping on Amazon.com. Customers can go online, order the CX1 system using a configurator and pay with credit card. If that’s not making supercomputing mainstream, I don’t know what is.
Continue At Source
Reference : http://blogs.technet.com/windowsserver/archive/2008/09/15/microsoft-and-cray-team-up-to-bring-high-performance-computing-mainstream.aspx

Windows 7 Paint and WordPad: New UI, New Functionality

Yes, both Paint and WordPad have finally received the royal treatment. Via permission given to me to remotely access build 6780 to play around a bit, Paint and WordPad both look great and have much-needed updates. I've got to work within the permissions granted to me by my source and unfortunately, screenshots don't fall within those permissions (yet), so you all will still have to wait to actually see this stuff. (Don't worry, there is a LOT of chatter about this build going around by people who have it. I can't help but think the next week or two will be quite fruitful for the community in terms of information, screenshots, and perhaps the build even leaking if someone is brazen enough. Just beware the wrath of Sinofsky if any of you dare the latter of the aforementioned choices...) Something I have been given the liberty to do is give a very broad teaser explanation of Paint and WordPad in their current 6780 state, so here goes.

Full Story At Source
Reference : http://uxevangelist.blogspot.com/

XNA Game Studio 3.0 Beta is GO!

That's right! You can download it now! We'll be asking your help to put this baby through her paces as we lead up to the official release later this year. It is your input that makes us stronger, faster and better. Download XNA Game Studio 3.0 Beta at Launch Center
If you do find any bugs or just have a suggestion on ways we can make XNA Game Studio 3.0 more awesome head over to Microsoft Connect to submit them to us.
Continue At Source
Reference : http://blogs.msdn.com/xna/archive/2008/09/16/xna-game-studio-3-0-beta-is-go.aspx

Adobe Creative Suite 4 details emerge

Adobe next week will unveil Creative Suite 4, a new version of its media design bundle set to ship the following month with features such as enhanced options for working with 3D objects in Photoshop, new Flash document exports from within InDesign, and a new animation model for Flash, AppleInsider has learned।
The San Jose-based software developer has confirmed the package to include new versions of Dreamweaver, Fireworks, Flash, Flash Player, InDesign, Photoshop, and Soundbooth, but will also bundle minor updates to the suite's remaining components. Nothing revolutionaryPeople privy to private demonstrations of Creative Suite 4 say the update will generally be minor, with only a few new features tacked on to each application. "The lack of compelling new features has been the discussion among many employees and customers that are testing the software," one of those people said, "with many relating CS4 to a maintenance release rather than a complete new version." Photoshop CS4Photoshop's new 3D feature, which allows 3D objects to be imported as wireframes, stands to benefit only a small group of users such as architects, engineers, and package designers, according to those familiar with the software. Some also describe the application's new interface (shown below) as a step backwards. Information from entire screens and dialog boxes is now fitted to a small palette with the goal of making the interface look consistent with the other applications, they say.The new version of Photoshop will also feature a Flash services panel, natural canvas rotation, content aware image resizing and deliver 64-bit support for Windows users.InDesign CS4One of the big features of InDesign CS4 will be a new Flash export option, but those familiar with the product say the feature is somewhat impractical, given that text can only be edited one line at a time after it's exported. InDesign files exported to Flash may also not contain any multimedia content such as movies because they'll get stripped out in the conversion process and need to be re-added using Flash.Unlike the new Photoshop interface (detailed below), InDesign CS4 uses a more conventional layout, with a standard document window and Office-style floating palette menus.
Flash CS4Among the new features of Flash CS4 are a completely new "and proper" timeline dubbed Motion Editor, as well as a new object-based motion tween model. While some have praised the Flash's new animation model as "the best thing" to happen to the software, others believe it may present a new learning curve that further fragments the Flash community. "The reengineered file format means that the Flash community, still split between ActionScript 2 and 3, will now be split with new source file formats," one person said.Screen SharingAnother big push behind CS4 will be collaboration. Leveraging its web conferencing business and Connect software, Adobe has built a new feature into all CS4 applications that will allow users to initiate a screen-sharing sessions from the File Menu.Kuler CorrectionKuler, Adobe's color creation and sharing product, will also be available across all the CS4 programs, and each product in the suite will ship with a feature called Adobe Drive to help share files between programs. New Tabbed Window InterfaceThe user interface for each application will also see minor changes. The most notable differences include a tabbed interface to switch between open documents, and a workspace switching menu to choose which menus and palettes are displayed. Also somewhat controversial is Adobe's effort to rework the title bar on both Windows and the Mac to a new design that doesn't follow the human interface guidelines of either, although this is only carried forward in specific applications in the suite. In a confidential note to beta testers, Adobe wrote "the advantages of this new unifying App bar are: On Windows, it saves vertical real estate by combining title bar, main menu bar, and windowing controls in a single row; emphasizes task-based workspaces; up-levels and exposes commonly used View controls (currently hidden in bottom status bars or in menus); allows for cross-suite common controls such as UI Search and Multiple Monitor controls; unifies user experience across the CS applications.""On the Mac," Adobe said, "the main menus are not moving to the Application bar but instead remain at the top of the main monitor."Photoshop CS4 (below) shows the new title bar with tools adjacent to the close, minimize, and zoom buttons, as well as the tabbed document interface, 3D menu, and other pulldowns.
Pricing People familiar with Adobe's plans say the company will continue to offer multiple versions of the Creative Suite, continuing with the same suite configurations। Upgrades for the most popular suite, Design Premium, are expected to be priced at $699.
Reference : http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/08/09/17/adobe_creative_suite_4_details_emerge.html

India Wants to Secure Wi-Fi Hotspots, Citing Terror Threat

Security experts and other citizens in Mumbai, India, are planning a drive to make people in the city and the rest of the country more aware of the need to secure their Wi-Fi networks.
The Indian federal government is also planning to direct Internet service providers to ensure the security of Wi-Fi connections, according to sources close to the situation.
The moves come after terrorists in India reportedly used a hacked Wi-Fi account in Mumbai to send an e-mail message to news organizations claiming responsibility for a series of bombs that went off in Delhi late on Saturday.
"If you do not lock your car and expect the police to protect it, that is going a bit too far. That's how it is with Wi-Fi," Mumbai's police commissioner Hasan Gafoor said on Tuesday at the launch of a citizen awareness program in Mumbai.
Officials at the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell of the Mumbai police declined to be interviewed for this story.
The revelation of the Wi-Fi hack further confirms the suspicions of the Indian government that terrorists in the country are using technologies such as mobile phones and the Internet to plan and execute attacks.
Another Wi-Fi account in Mumbai was reportedly hacked by terrorists to send mails to news organizations in July even as bombs were going off in Ahmedabad on the west coast of India.
A group calling itself Indian Mujahideen sent an email to several news organizations on Saturday claiming responsibility for the Delhi attacks. The same group had claimed responsibility for the attacks in Ahmedabad.
A family in Mumbai whose Wi-Fi was reportedly hacked told the Press Trust of India (PTI), a news agency in India, that police had traced the mail from the terrorists to their IP (Internet Protocol) address. The family did not feel the need to secure or protect their Wi-Fi account with a password, they told PTI on Sunday.
As the number of mobile phones in India and the number of Internet connections in the country grows, terrorists are increasingly turning to these technologies.
In a number of earlier terrorist attacks, mobile phones embedded in bombs were used to trigger off explosions, according to the police. The terrorists usually called up the number of the mobile phone inside the bomb to set it off.
Police in some states have taken measures to curb misuse of cyber cafes by terrorists and other criminals, including requiring users to produce proof of identity। Some social activists have however criticized the move as curbing the freedom of Internet users. The federal government is also planning to tighten the rules for the issuance of mobile phone connections, particularly insisting on stronger proofs of identity, according to sources.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151171/.html?tk=rss_news

India Wants to Secure Wi-Fi Hotspots, Citing Terror Threat

Security experts and other citizens in Mumbai, India, are planning a drive to make people in the city and the rest of the country more aware of the need to secure their Wi-Fi networks.
The Indian federal government is also planning to direct Internet service providers to ensure the security of Wi-Fi connections, according to sources close to the situation.
The moves come after terrorists in India reportedly used a hacked Wi-Fi account in Mumbai to send an e-mail message to news organizations claiming responsibility for a series of bombs that went off in Delhi late on Saturday.
"If you do not lock your car and expect the police to protect it, that is going a bit too far. That's how it is with Wi-Fi," Mumbai's police commissioner Hasan Gafoor said on Tuesday at the launch of a citizen awareness program in Mumbai.
Officials at the Cyber Crime Investigation Cell of the Mumbai police declined to be interviewed for this story.
The revelation of the Wi-Fi hack further confirms the suspicions of the Indian government that terrorists in the country are using technologies such as mobile phones and the Internet to plan and execute attacks.
Another Wi-Fi account in Mumbai was reportedly hacked by terrorists to send mails to news organizations in July even as bombs were going off in Ahmedabad on the west coast of India.
A group calling itself Indian Mujahideen sent an email to several news organizations on Saturday claiming responsibility for the Delhi attacks. The same group had claimed responsibility for the attacks in Ahmedabad.
A family in Mumbai whose Wi-Fi was reportedly hacked told the Press Trust of India (PTI), a news agency in India, that police had traced the mail from the terrorists to their IP (Internet Protocol) address. The family did not feel the need to secure or protect their Wi-Fi account with a password, they told PTI on Sunday.
As the number of mobile phones in India and the number of Internet connections in the country grows, terrorists are increasingly turning to these technologies.
In a number of earlier terrorist attacks, mobile phones embedded in bombs were used to trigger off explosions, according to the police. The terrorists usually called up the number of the mobile phone inside the bomb to set it off.
Police in some states have taken measures to curb misuse of cyber cafes by terrorists and other criminals, including requiring users to produce proof of identity। Some social activists have however criticized the move as curbing the freedom of Internet users. The federal government is also planning to tighten the rules for the issuance of mobile phone connections, particularly insisting on stronger proofs of identity, according to sources.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151171/.html?tk=rss_news

Nortel Sees Q3 Revenue Down, Will Sell Metro Ethernet Unit

Nortel Networks lowered its revenue expectations for the third quarter on Wednesday, blaming delays in delivering certain products, and said it will consider selling its metro Ethernet networking business
The metro Ethernet business is in need of consolidation, Nortel said, and selling the division will provide funds for further restructuring to cut costs and maintain margins.
Nortel will continue to invest in research and development of metro Ethernet products while it looks for a buyer for the division, and will maintain its timetable for introducing new products, it said.
Nortel now expects third-quarter revenue to total around US$2.3 billion, a drop from $2.7 billion in the third quarter last year.
Performance for the rest of the year will also be lower than expected, Nortel said, as carriers are cutting their capital expenditure plans and some enterprise customers have deferred investments in IT and optical networks। It expects full-year revenue to drop by between 2 percent and 4 percent compared to last year, whereas in August it forecast that it would grow by a similar percentage.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151170/.html?tk=rss_news

IBM to Work With Taiwan Researcher on Racetrack Memory, Cell

IBM and a key Taiwanese research group agreed Wednesday to further develop racetrack memory chips and to find more product areas for Cell processors.
Racetrack memory chips are a new technology developed by IBM to replace today's hard disk drives (HDDs) and NAND flash memory to store songs, photos and other data in products ranging from iPods and iPhones to PCs.
A joint development team led by Stuart Parkin of IBM, who came up with the idea for racetrack memory, and the vice president of Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Ian Chan, will study new materials and structures that can be used to further develop the memory chips.
IBM's desire to work with the Taiwanese group shows how serious the company is about developing and selling products related to racetrack memory and Cell technology. Taiwanese companies are responsible for the design and manufacture of much of the world's IT hardware, including for companies such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell.
Working with ITRI will help improve the chances racetrack memory chips and Cell processors will be used in new products designed in Taiwan.
IBM has long been lauded for its research efforts but some analysts have criticized the company for not always being able to turn costly research into profitable products. Chip development is especially tricky. Companies often develop powerful chips that ultimately end up in the IT graveyard because nobody can figure out a cost-effective way to mass-produce them.
"Finding cost efficient ways to manufacture IT products is one of Taiwan's strengths," said Lee Chih-kung, executive vice president of ITRI.
ITRI is a publicly funded Taiwanese research center that has a long history of working with Taiwan's IT industry, including developing new industries.
The founder and chairman of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing (TSMC), Morris Chang, formerly ran ITRI and even started his company on ITRI's grounds.
As part of the development effort around racetrack, researchers from IBM will travel to Taiwan a few times each year, officials said. At least one ITRI researcher will spend three years at IBM in the U.S. working on related projects.
IBM has said it may take up to four years to develop working racetrack memory chips that can be commercially manufactured.
The company says racetrack memory runs faster than current storage memory, costs less, uses less power, gives off less heat, can store 100 times more data, and won't wear out no matter how many times data is erased and rewritten. One weakness of NAND flash, for example, is that some varieties can only be written on 10,000 times.
IBM's development work with Sony and Toshiba on the Cell Broadband Engine, a processing chip with nine independent cores on board, is an example of collaborative success for the U.S. giant. The chip and related technology are now found in a range of Japanese products, including Sony's PlayStation 3 game consoles.
ITRI plans to open a Cell product development center at its campus in Hsinchu, the Silicon Valley of Taiwan, so companies from around the island can find ways to use the technology in new products।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151169/.html?tk=rss_news

At Adobe's request, hackers nix 'clickjacking' talk

After Adobe Systems asked them to keep quiet about their findings, two security researchers have pulled out of a technical talk where they were going to demonstrate how they could seize control of a victim's browser using an online attack called 'clickjacking।'
Robert Hansen and Jeremiah Grossman had been set to deliver their talk next week at the OWASP (Open Web Application Security Project) conference in New York. But the proof of concept code they'd developed to show how their clickjacking attack worked divulged a bug in one of Adobe's products. After a week of discussions with Adobe, the researchers decided last Friday to pull the talk.
Although Hansen and Grossman believe that the clickjacking flaw ultimately lies in the way that Internet browsers are designed, Adobe convinced them to hold off on their discussion until they could release a patch. "Adobe thinks they can do something to make the hack harder," said Grossman, CTO with White Hat Security, in an interview.
In a clickjacking attack, the attacker tricks the victim into clicking on malicious Web links without realizing it. This type of attack has been known for years, but had not been considered to be particularly dangerous. Security experts had thought it could be used to commit advertising click fraud or to inflate Digg ratings for a Web page, for example.
However, in writing their proof-of-concept code, Hansen and Grossman realized that clickjacking was actually more serious than they'd first thought.
"When we finally built it and got the proof of concept it was quite nasty," said Grossman. "If I control what you click on, how much bad can I do? It turns out you can do a number of really, really bad things."
Neither Grossman nor Hansen, CEO of consultancy SecTheory, wanted to get into specifics of their attack. However, Tom Brennan, the OWASP conference organizer said that he has seen the attack code demonstrated and that it allows the attacker to take complete control of the victim's desktop.
The researchers say that they were not pressured by Adobe to drop their talk. "This is not an evil 'the man is trying to keep us hackers down' situation," Hansen wrote Monday on his blog.
Late Monday, Adobe posted a note, thanking the researchers for keeping the bug private and indicating that the company is working on patching the problem.
Even if disclosing the bug may help attackers, OWASP's Brennan said that the researchers should still go ahead and give their talk in order to give IT professionals an opportunity to understand the real nature of the threat. "There is a zero-day problem in browsers that is affecting millions of people today," he said. "When a person discusses it, it puts everyone on the same playing field."
Hansen and Grossman say that they also expect Microsoft to patch a related bug in Internet Explorer, and that many other browsers are also affected by the clickjacking problem। "We believe it is more or less a browser security problem," Grossman said.
Reference : http://www.macworld.com/article/135587/2008/09/clickjack.html?lsrc=rss_main

Canon updates EOS 5D with high-def video

Canon has updated its three-year old EOS 5D digital SLR (single lens reflex) camera with a new model, the EOS 5D Mark II, that features the ability to record high-definition video।
Until recently the high-def video function had never been available on a digital SLR camera but that changed in late August when Nikon debuted its D90 camera. The D90 can record 1,280 pixel by 720 pixel resolution video, which is the lower of the two high-def video modes, while Canon's new camera manages the higher resolution 1,920 pixels by 1,080 pixels resolution.
The EOS 5D Mark II will hit stores in late November in Japan and the U.S., where it will cost $2,699. The camera packaged with a 24-105 millimeter lens will cost $3,499. European launch plans have not been announced. Canon has pegged monthly production at 40,000 units.
Behind the lens sits a full-frame 21.1 megapixel sensor. A full-frame sensor is the same size as a 35mm film frame and is about double the size of the sensors used in most other digital cameras with interchangeable lenses.
Images from the sensor are processed using Canon's Digic 4 image processor, which can manage continuous shooting of 3.9 full-resolution pictures per second until the memory card is full or burst shooting of up to 310 shots, according to Canon's tests.
The screen on the rear of the camera has been updated and at 3-inches and 920,000 pixels, is both larger and higher resolution.
With the new camera Canon is launching a wireless file transmitter that can transfer images to a server via Wi-Fi or Ethernet. The WFT-E4 will cost ¥100,000.
The camera will compete with other recently launched digital SLRs including Nikon's D90 and Sony's Alpha 900।
Reference : http://www.macworld.com/article/135585/2008/09/eos5d.html?lsrc=rss_main

Zune brings powerful new entertainment features to every Zune portable media player with software release

Internet access provider Wayport enables wireless music downloads for Zune customers in Wi-Fi hot spots at more than 9,800 McDonald’s restaurants
Zune, Microsoft's end-to-end music and entertainment service, today released its much anticipated free software update that will bring new features to every Zune portable media player. Revealed last week, the new software will allow Zune users to wirelessly stream and download music from the Zune Marketplace store on the go; tag and purchase songs directly from the built-in FM radio; and tap into new, personalized music recommendations and programming. To allow customers to take full advantage of the new wireless functionality, Zune today announced that it is working with high-speed Internet access provider Wayport Inc. to deliver Zune users free, wireless access to the Zune Marketplace from more than 9,800 participating McDonald’s®restaurants across the U.S.
“Wayport is pleased to be working with Microsoft to make it easier for Zune users to access music on the go,” said Dan Lowden, vice president of business development and marketing for Wayport. “Our ability to enable and manage applications and devices over converged networks creates exciting new opportunities for our clients to attract new customers whose digital lifestyle extends beyond their home and office.”
Continue At Source
Reference : http://www.zune.net/en-us/press/2008/0916-fall2008.htm

Zune brings powerful new entertainment features to every Zune portable media player with software release

Internet access provider Wayport enables wireless music downloads for Zune customers in Wi-Fi hot spots at more than 9,800 McDonald’s restaurants
Zune, Microsoft's end-to-end music and entertainment service, today released its much anticipated free software update that will bring new features to every Zune portable media player. Revealed last week, the new software will allow Zune users to wirelessly stream and download music from the Zune Marketplace store on the go; tag and purchase songs directly from the built-in FM radio; and tap into new, personalized music recommendations and programming. To allow customers to take full advantage of the new wireless functionality, Zune today announced that it is working with high-speed Internet access provider Wayport Inc. to deliver Zune users free, wireless access to the Zune Marketplace from more than 9,800 participating McDonald’s®restaurants across the U.S.
“Wayport is pleased to be working with Microsoft to make it easier for Zune users to access music on the go,” said Dan Lowden, vice president of business development and marketing for Wayport. “Our ability to enable and manage applications and devices over converged networks creates exciting new opportunities for our clients to attract new customers whose digital lifestyle extends beyond their home and office.”
Continue At Source
Reference : http://www.zune.net/en-us/press/2008/0916-fall2008.htm

Report: T-Mobile to Announce Google Phone Sept. 23

T-Mobile USA will become the first company in the world to announce a mobile phone based on Google's Android OS at a New York press conference Sept. 23, the New York Times reports, citing T-Mobile.
The handset was manufactured by Taiwan's High Tech Computer (HTC), the Times said. HTC representatives in Taipei declined to comment on the report.
Several other Web sites are also reporting the Sept. 23 event, including Gizmodo, which is displaying what appears to be an announcement from T-Mobile.
HTC has already said it is developing a mobile phone developed around Android and plans to call the handset "Dream."
The handset maker may end up being first in the world to put out an Android-based mobile phone, but other companies are also developing handsets around Android, including Samsung Electronics.
HTC's Google handset is just over 5-inches long and 3-inches wide, with a keypad underneath the screen that either slides out or swivels out. The aim of the keypad is for easy e-mail, note-taking and writing Web addresses.
Internet navigational controls are situated below the screen on the handset.
Android is an open source software platform that includes an OS and is designed to take advantage of Internet services for mobility। The software could become a potent new rival to Windows Mobile and other handset operating systems. At the launch ceremony early this year, Google announced that over 30 companies had joined the Open Handset Alliance.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151165/.html?tk=rss_news

Report: T-Mobile to Announce Google Phone Sept. 23

T-Mobile USA will become the first company in the world to announce a mobile phone based on Google's Android OS at a New York press conference Sept. 23, the New York Times reports, citing T-Mobile.
The handset was manufactured by Taiwan's High Tech Computer (HTC), the Times said. HTC representatives in Taipei declined to comment on the report.
Several other Web sites are also reporting the Sept. 23 event, including Gizmodo, which is displaying what appears to be an announcement from T-Mobile.
HTC has already said it is developing a mobile phone developed around Android and plans to call the handset "Dream."
The handset maker may end up being first in the world to put out an Android-based mobile phone, but other companies are also developing handsets around Android, including Samsung Electronics.
HTC's Google handset is just over 5-inches long and 3-inches wide, with a keypad underneath the screen that either slides out or swivels out. The aim of the keypad is for easy e-mail, note-taking and writing Web addresses.
Internet navigational controls are situated below the screen on the handset.
Android is an open source software platform that includes an OS and is designed to take advantage of Internet services for mobility। The software could become a potent new rival to Windows Mobile and other handset operating systems. At the launch ceremony early this year, Google announced that over 30 companies had joined the Open Handset Alliance.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151165/.html?tk=rss_news

No Virtual Bridge From Xeon to AMD, Intel Says

VMware customers are getting a bit more freedom in the way they can transfer virtual machines from one Intel-based server to another, but they shouldn't hold their breath waiting for a bridge between Intel and AMD-based systems, an Intel executive said Tuesday.
With its line of Xeon 7400 processors released this week, Intel is enabling customers using VMware's vMotion technology to move virtual machines between two servers even when they are based on different families of Intel chips.
VMotion is VMware's technology for moving running virtual machines onto a different physical server. It's used by some customers for load balancing or for building fault tolerance into applications.
Before the 7400 series, also known as Dunnington, the two servers had to use the same family of Intel chips for vMotion to work, said Doug Fisher, vice president with Intel's Software Solutions group, at the VMworld conference in Las Vegas. With the 7400 and future chip families, that restriction is lifted.
VMware CEO Paul Maritz mentioned the development in his speech at the start of VMworld Tuesday. "Now you'll be able to buy hardware essentially independent of your vMotion strategy," he said.
The compatibility goes back only to the previous processor family, the 7300 "Tigerton" series, and will extend to the next generation, known as Nehalem. "We'll always give at least three generations of compatibility," Fisher said.
Intel made a big deal about the news, but AMD said its Opteron processors have had a similar capability for years. AMD doesn't change the microarchitecture of its processors as frequently as Intel, so compatibility between different Opteron lines is not an issue, said Margaret Lewis, AMD director of commercial solutions.
Customers looking to move virtual workloads between AMD- and Intel-based servers are out of luck, however, at least for the foreseeable future, according to Fisher.
"It's not going to happen," he said on the sidelines after his speech. The companies' chip architectures, while both x86, are too different and change too frequently to be made compatible. "We'd have to slow the pace of innovation to make it happen," he said.
Lewis suggested it was only Intel, not AMD, that changes its architecture frequently. "We'd need to sit down with Intel and VMware and discuss how to make it happen, and we would welcome that discussion," she said.
AMD would stand to gain the most from such compatibility, since it would give companies one less reason to buy Intel-based servers.
Dunnington is a six-core processor with a larger, 16M byte Level 3 cache to boost performance. VMware CTO Steve Herrod said VMware will keep its per-socket pricing the same for Dunnington, "so customers can get more virtual machines per processor" without paying more in licenses.
It was one of several ways Fisher said Intel is working with silicon to usher in a "second wave" of virtualization. The first wave was using the technology for server consolidation and building virtual environments for software testing, and the second is to use it for load balancing, high availability and disaster recovery.
Citing IDC figures, he said that in 2007 about 12 percent of all servers in production were using virtualization, up from 8 percent in 2006 and 4 percent the year before. Virtualized servers run at 52 percent capacity on average, he said, compared to 10 percent to 15 percent for non-virtualized systems.
VMworld continues through Thursday।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151163/.html?tk=rss_news

Regulators Would Reject Samsung Deal for SanDisk

Samsung's US$5.85 billion offer for flash memory chip developer SanDisk will probably be rejected by government regulators fearful such a tie up would harm competition, analysts said Tuesday.
With such an acquisition, Samsung would likely gain control of the majority of the global supply of NAND flash memory chips and could squelch potent rivals, said Jim Handy, memory chip analyst at researcher Objective Analysis.
Apple and other major buyers of NAND flash memory would likely find their price negotiating power "severely constrained" if Samsung and SanDisk combine, he added.
Cheng Ming-kai, chip analyst at CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, said a Samsung/SanDisk alliance would likely be viewed as uncompetitive by the U.S. Justice Department, based on measures the regulator uses to determine market competitiveness.
iPod and iPhone lovers could feel the brunt of any increase in NAND flash memory prices caused by the acquisition because the chips are at the heart of those devices as well as other digital music players and digital cameras, storing songs and other data.
For example, the 16G byte iPod Nano, at US$199, costs $50 more than the 8G byte Nano ($149), according to Apple's Web site, and the only difference between the two devices is the amount of NAND flash memory inside. Similarly, the 16G byte version of Apple's iPhone 3G costs $299 while the 8G byte version is $199, and the main difference is the amount of NAND flash memory.
Last year, Samsung and SanDisk together supplied nearly 50 percent of the world's NAND flash memory chips, Handy said, measured in either dollars or gigabytes.
"Objective Analysis is very doubtful that the government would allow such an acquisition to proceed, even in today's dire market," Handy said.
Samsung, already the world's largest producer of NAND flash memory chips, could also increase its production at the expense of SanDisk's current manufacturing partner, Toshiba.
Toshiba and SanDisk have co-invested in NAND flash production lines in Japan and share chip output for their products. It's unclear what would happen to Toshiba in a Samsung deal for SanDisk, but Handy speculates that the Japanese company may be pushed aside as Samsung produces all the chips needed for a combined Samsung/SanDisk on its own.
Toshiba representatives declined to immediately comment on Samsung's offer for SanDisk.
CLSA's Cheng said Toshiba will likely see how Samsung's offer for SanDisk unfolds before making any comments.
SanDisk has already rejected the offer as too low.
Samsung first approached SanDisk about a deal in May, and indicated it might be willing to pay a "significant premium to the SanDisk $28.75 per share closing price on May 22, 2008," SanDisk said in a statement.
The $26 per share offer Samsung made on Tuesday is lower than the May indication and 55 percent below SanDisk's 52-week stock market high. SanDisk shares ended regular trading Tuesday at US$15.04 on the NASDAQ, up 4.4 percent on talk of an offer from Samsung and a possible rival bid from Toshiba.
SanDisk shares soared after Samsung made its bid public, rising $7.89, or 52.5 percent, in after market trading to $22.93 per शेयर
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151162/.html?tk=rss_news

SanDisk Says No to Samsung Takeover Bid

SanDisk has rejected an unsolicited takeover bid from hardware maker Samsung Electronics, saying that it undervalues the Milpitas, California, maker of flash storage cards.
The two companies had been in takeover talks for about four months, but Samsung went public with its offer Tuesday, apparently after discussions had broken down.
"Our offer insulates your shareholders from the risk of market conditions that have severely deteriorated and are expected to remain challenging," Samsung Vice Chairman and CEO Yoon-Woo Lee wrote in a letter to SanDisk executives that Samsung released Tuesday.
SanDisk Chairman and CEO Eli Harari responded quickly, saying in a statement his company is willing to discuss a takeover, but that the US$26 per share offer "is opportunistically timed at the trough of an industry-wide downturn" and undervalues the flash card maker.
SanDisk's stock (SNDK), which had been trading in the $30 dollar range just four months ago, has dropped in recent months as a result of a global glut of flash memory chips. The stock closed Monday at $15.03, but was up more than 50 percent in after-hours trading after news of Samsung's offer broke.
SanDisk also suggested that the offer may be a "calculated negotiating ploy" aimed at gaining the upper hand in an ongoing patent-licensing dispute between the two companies.
The company's board of directors sent a letter to Samsung Monday stating that it had unanimously rejected the deal.
Samsung argues that a combination of the companies would create a powerful global brand and allow the resulting company to position Flash as the preferred technology for delivery and storage of content.
While Samsung said that SanDisk is a technology leader and has an innovative culture, it also argued that independently investing in the necessary facilities required to further technology innovation would be a significant tax on SanDisk's business.
Should the deal go through, Samsung would continue to operate SanDisk as a separate subsidiary and would not plan to lay off workers, it said।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151159/.html?tk=rss_news

Apple Releases Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update

Apple released Digital Camera Raw Compatibility Update 2.2, bring compatibility for new cameras to its photo applications.
Specifically, the update adds iPhoto and Aperture support for the Canon EOS Digital Rebel XS/Kiss Digital F/1000D; Kodak DCS Pro SLR/n; Nikon D700; Olympus EVOLT E-420; Olympus EVOLT E-520; Olympus SP-570; Samsung GX-10; Samsung GX-20; Sony DSLR-A300; and the Sony DSC-R1.
The update is available from the software update mechanism in Mac OS X or from Apple's Web site
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151151/.html?tk=rss_news

Group: US DHS Should Lose Its Cybersecurity Authority

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security has been ineffective in coordinating government cybersecurity efforts and should be stripped of its authority in the area, members of a private cybersecurity task force told members of the U.S. Congress.
The authority for coordinating government cybersecurity efforts and enforcing mandates should be moved to the White House, members of the Center for Strategic and International Studies' (CSIS) cybersecurity commission told lawmakers Tuesday. DHS doesn't have the authority to force other government agencies to strengthen their cybersecurity efforts, said James Lewis, director of the Technology and Public Policy Program.
"We are under attack, and we are taking damage," Lewis told the House of Representatives' Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emerging Threats, Cyber Security and Science and Technology. "The U.S is disorganized and lacks a coherent national [cybersecurity] strategy."
President George Bush's National Cybersecurity Initiative, announced in January, contains many good ideas, but more work is needed, Lewis said. Officials with DHS, the White House and other executive agencies offered details about the initiative during a private event Monday, with major focuses on improving the government's network defense capabilities and on revamping acquisition rules to protect against malicious code installed in electronic devices during the manufacturing process.
In June, DHS hosted a meeting to discuss ways the government could work with the private sector on cybersecurity, but several DHS officials argued about ways to accomplish that in front of their private-sector guests, said Paul Kurtz, partner and chief operating officer at Good Harbor Consulting and a former White House cybersecurity aide.
"What was so discouraging about that day ... we had infighting between the DHS senior leadership as to how to proceed," Kurtz said. "It demonstrated in spades the lack of leadership and the fact that no one was in charge [of cybersecurity] at DHS."
Part of the problem is that there are four officials at DHS claiming responsibly for cybersecurity, said Representative Bill Pascrell Jr., a New Jersey Democrat,
While most lawmakers avoided assigning blame for the government's cybersecurity efforts, Pascrell pointed the finger at the Bush administration. "There is no national strategy," he said."We are still at risk in this area. This administration has been a disaster when it comes to cybersecurity."
While talking to people in the private sector about sharing information with government, the CSIS commission heard several times that there's a lack of trust in DHS, Lewis added.
A DHS spokesman wasn't immediately available to comment on the CSIS recommendations. Lewis and the other members of the CSIS commission defended the Bush administration, however, saying the administration has recently focused more on cybersecurity. Bush's cybersecurity initiative contains several good ideas, he said.
"They do have a lot of work to do, I couldn't agree more, but there are folks who are trying," Lewis said.
David Powner, director of information management issues at the U.S. Government Accountability Office, echoed many of the concerns expressed by members of the CSIS commission. DHS has several organizational problems, and it's been slow to address issues identified by cyber attack exercises, he said.
Results of a March exercise called Cyber Storm haven't yet been documented, even as DHS plans for the next exercise, Powner said. "The nation's focal point for cybersecurity cannot and should not be viewed as a slow-moving bureaucracy," he said.
Asked about the government's cybersecurity readiness, Powner suggested there are major holes. "We're not prepared for major, significant events" such as a long-term Internet outage, he said.
CSIS, a nonpartisan Washington, D।C., think tank, launched the cybersecurity commission in October in an effort to make recommendations to the next U.S. president. More than 30 cybersecurity experts serve on the commission, and the recommendations Lewis and others made Tuesday are preliminary. The group expects to finish its work by the end of the year.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/151148/.html?tk=rss_news

VMware Chief Says the OS Is History

VMware's CEO made his pitch on Tuesday for a new type of operating system for the data center, and in the process assigned the "traditional OS" to the dustbin of history.
Speaking at the start of the VMworld conference in Las Vegas, CEO and President Paul Maritz described VMware's plans to offer a "virtual data center OS" for managing server applications more flexibly and efficiently.
The VDC OS is an attempt to extend the use of virtualization beyond the server, where it is widely used today, and apply the same principles to all the other hardware in a data center, including network switches and storage.
By creating this virtual environment, Maritz said, IT departments will be able to move application workloads to new hardware easily when extra capacity is needed, and set up new environments for running applications more quickly. It will create an "internal cloud computing environment" for the data center.
VMware announced the VDC OS on Monday, and Maritz's job Tuesday was to sell it to a cavernous hall packed with VMware customers. Most of the products that will make up the VDC OS don't exist today; VMware says it will roll out the new software throughout 2009, including products such as vNetworks and vStorage, for managing virtual pools of switches and storage equipment.
Maritz barely mentioned Microsoft in his hour-long speech, but his implication was that Microsoft, which is emerging as VMware's biggest competitive threat, will have no advantage from bundling its own Hyper-V virtualization software with its Windows OS.
"The traditional operating system has all but disappeared," Maritz said, making his first public speech since taking charge at VMware in July. It will be "deconstructed" and "reassembled" to make it more useful for data center environments.
Asked at a question-and-answer session later if VMware is building its own OS, Maritz replied, "Yes and no, it depends what you mean by an operating system."
"It is an operating system in the following sense," he said. "It abstracts away application loads from the underlying infrastructure, like traditional operating systems do, but the application loads it handles are different. This is drawing a line at a different point in the hierarchy."
"It has many parallels with an OS, in the sense that it has APIs and services," he said, "but it is not a traditional OS. What we expect is that people will increasingly use the services of the virtual data center OS to construct new types of application loads that will fulfill the capabilities that you see in traditional operating systems."
The company "agonized long and hard" about whether to describe the VDC OS as an operating system, and also considered "virtual infrastructure" and "meta operating system." "The reason we chose virtual data center OS is because in our interactions with customers we'd try to outline what we were doing, and they would say 'You are building an OS.'"
"We could grow the hypervisor into a traditional OS, that's still an option for us down the road," he added. "But that's not what we've currently decided to do."
Maritz acknowledged that VMware is embarking on a "big endeavor" and said it will depend on working closely with partners. He was asked what will be the biggest challenges for VMware in the year ahead.
"As with all things there's the small matter of execution," he said. "We'll have to mature as an organization in several ways to do that." They include learning to manage "multiple internal technical endeavors" and meeting deadlines for delivering the new products, he said.
The company has gone from being "the only game in town" in virtualization to facing new competitors such as Microsoft. He joked that Microsoft, where Maritz once worked, lacks critical virtualization features that "won't ship until Windows 3000, or whenever."
"But clearly you can't count Microsoft out," he said।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151147/.html?tk=rss_news

Microsoft to Boost SQL Scale After DATAllegro Buy

Within the next 12 months, Microsoft will start extending SQL Server to support very large volumes of data, based on technology it acquired from DATAllegro.
Microsoft announced plans to acquire the developer of large-volume data warehouse appliances in July and said on Tuesday that the deal has closed.
It plans to begin by offering community technology previews within the next 12 months of a product that integrates DATAllegro technology so that SQL Server users can support hundreds of terabytes of data, Microsoft said. The final product should become commercially available in the first half of 2010, the company said.
At the time of the acquisition announcement, Microsoft said that DATAllegro's technology will allow it to compete with the highest-end enterprise data warehousing solutions, surpassing Oracle's capabilities.
Microsoft may reveal more details about its plans for DATAllegro's technology at its business intelligence conference in Seattle in early October. Customers are likely interested to find out more about how Microsoft plans to integrate the technologies, given that DATAllegro's appliance is based on the open-source Ingres database.
That could also be an issue for Microsoft if it hopes to retain DATAllegro's existing customer base, which might have to migrate to SQL Server in favor of Ingres in order to continue using technology from DATAllegro in the future. Microsoft says it plans to support existing DATAllegro customers.
As previously announced, Microsoft will retain most of DATAllegro's staff and will maintain its headquarters in Aliso Viejo, California. The companies have not revealed terms of the deal.
The acquisition reflects market demand for better and more cost-effective products for managing and mining very large volumes of data। Microsoft has also recently acquired Zoomix, a developer of data quality technology.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151134/.html?tk=rss_news

Kensington Offers New Laptop, IPhone and IPod Accessories

Accessory-maker Kensington released some new products for use with Apple's notebooks, iPhones and iPods.
The US$29.99 Kensington 4-Port USB Charger uses one wall plug and allows you to power iPhones and iPods. The $59.99 Media Sharing Cable allows users to share data between two computers without installing extra software.
Kensington also introduced several car mounts for iPod and iPhone। All mounts cost $29.99 and include a variety of methods for connecting the device to the car.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151133/.html?tk=rss_news

Will Apple ever fully liberalize Mac OS X virtualization?

Over the past two years, running Windows and Windows apps virtually on Apple hardware has become a popular way for consumers to dump their PCs in favor of Mac gear.
Microsoft’s liberal attitude, while hurting hardware partners such as HP and Dell, has also enabled the spread of Windows to Apple’s previously-inaccessible hardware.
In contrast, Apple has only grudgingly allowed Mac OS X to be run on virtual machines. The regular client version of Leopard cannot be run virtually, whether on Apple’s hardware or not.
Only the server version of Mac OS X 10.5 Leopard can be turned into a virtual machine, or guest. That must be on Mac hardware, though desktops, laptops or servers are all allowed. The VMs must also run on top of the base Leopard server OS.
The implications of these limitations on price are huge. It costs a minimum of $499—the retail price for Apple’s smallest 10-pack of OS X Server Leopard licenses—to run Leopard virtually today. Meanwhile, a 5-pack of regular Leopard licenses retails for $129.
Pete Kazanjy, marketing manager for VMware’s Fusion (read First Look: VMware Fusion 2.0 Beta 1) Mac-Windows virtualization software, says that from a technical standpoint, there’s “no difference” between the client and server versions of Leopard.
Users have not been stopped by the barriers to circumventing Apple’s license.
A small vendor, DiscCloud, released software last month it claims can be used to legally enable non-Apple PC servers to host Leopard-client virtual machines.
“It’s on a lot of peoples’ minds,” said Kazanjy. “Apple has built its business model of pairing really wonderful hardware with their wonderful software. They are really leery of letting things slide in there.”
“We’ve heard requests from our customers” to virtualize the Leopard client, said Ray Chew, senior product manager at Parallels, which earlier this summer released the first software to enable Leopard Server to be virtualized. “We have to tell them you can’t do anything against Apple’s EULA [End User License Agreement.]”
An independent technology analyst, Laura DiDio, recently completed a survey of 700 businesses and found 23 percent were virtualizing Windows on at least some of their Macs. She said she heard from several respondents who were interested in virtualizing the Mac OS X client, mostly for software testing purposes.
She said one respondent wasn’t letting the higher cost of virtualizing Leopard Server stop its plans of streaming out Leopard virtual desktops from Mac servers to 4,000 Mac client computers.
Kazanjy is hopeful that as customer demand builds for virtualizing the Mac OS, Apple will relent.
“Apple is a very reasonable company. If they see the market opportunity, they will open up,” he said. Especially if it involved “cementing” the Leopard client to Apple hardware, as the server version is, Kazanjy added.
“We have our fingers crossed,” he said. “If it happens, we will be all over it, as we have a bunch of very sharp engineers rarin’ to go.”
Others think the demand won’t ever be large.
“This is going to be a minor, minor scenario,” said Brian Madden, an independent desktop virtualization analyst. The main reason users want to virtualize Windows is to run Windows apps that are unavailable on the Mac. There are very few Mac apps, especially in the business area, that aren’t also available on Windows, he said.
The ones that are unique to the Mac tend to be big, weighty design and animation apps that are so resource-intensive that they aren’t good candidates for virtualization, especially Virtual Desktop Infrastructure (VDI), which involves streaming VMs over a network from a server to a client machine, Madden said. He argues that Macs continue to lack the management software that would make virtualizing Macs attractive to enterprises.
“A lot needs to happen first,” Madden said.
Parallels’ Chew thinks that Apple’s licensing now only makes virtualizing Leopard attractive to software developers. To encourage use of Mac OS X for VDI, he suggests a possible compromise: to let Leopard clients be virtualized but require users to buy a license for every individual piece of hardware that would receive a VDI stream, which is what Microsoft does.
“We’re working very closely with Apple to see if we can expand the scope of virtualization,” Chew said. “But this is something that customers need to take to Apple.”
Reference : http://www.macworld.com/article/135569/2008/09/osx_virtualization.html?lsrc=rss_main

HP Announces 24,600 Layoffs in Wake of EDS Acquisition

Hewlett-Packard will lay off about 24,600 employees over the next three years in an effort to streamline the company following its US$13.9 billion acquisition of Electronic Data Systems last month, the company announced Monday.
The layoffs will be part of a three-year restructuring program, HP said in a statement. The company will lay off about 7.5 percent of its workers during that time, with nearly half of the reductions coming from HP's U.S. workforce, HP said.
About half of the positions will eventually be replaced, the company said.
The restructuring program is expected to save HP about US$1.8 billion each year, HP said. HP will take a $1.7 billion charge in the fourth quarter of 2008 related to the restructuring program.
The acquisition of systems integrator EDS was intended to give HP a comprehensive portfolio of IT products to help customers manage and improve their technology systems, HP said.
"HP now has the broadest technology capabilities in the market to meet customer needs today and in the future," Mark Hurd, HP chairman and CEO said in a statement. "HP has a strong track record of making acquisitions and integrating them to capture leading market positions."
The company is holding a meeting with financial analysts Monday afternoon at which it is also discussing its plans for integrating EDS।
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151102/HP_EDS_Layoffs.html?tk=rss_news

VMware Fusion 2.0 Available

Virtualization specialists VMware on Tuesday released VMware Fusion 2.0, the company's application that allows Mac users to run Windows on their Intel-based Macs.
According to VMware, the new version adds over 100 new features and enhancements. Among the changes is AutoProtect, a new feature VMware described as being like Time Machine for your virtual machine.
Fusion 2.0 also comes with an enhanced Unity. Unity 2.0 allows you to run Windows without seeing the Windows Desktop -- it's a seamless way to access to the Windows applications and still be in the Mac environment.
In addition to allowing application sharing between the Mac and your virtual machines, Unity 2.0 also features mirrored folders. The folders on your Mac (Desktop, Documents, Music, and Pictures) will match the corresponding folders on Windows (Desktop, My Documents, My Music, My Pictures).
Improved graphics and support for Mac OS X Leopard Server as a virtual machine have also been added to Fusion 2.0.
Fusion 2।0 is a free update for all registered users of Fusion 1.x. For new users the application costs $79.99.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151120/.html?tk=rss_news

Consumers Connect to a World of Entertainment at Home or On the Go with New HP PCs and Accessories

HP today announced new consumer notebook and desktop PCs and accessories that push the boundaries of personal computing design and experience while making it even easier for people to enjoy their photos, music and other content with anyone, anywhere.
Striking new designs and innovative features distinguish the entertainment-rich HP HDX16 and HDX18 Notebook PCs, which deliver high-definition photos, videos and music on the go.(1)
The HP TouchSmart IQ800 series PC with a 25.5-inch diagonal screen is a versatile entertainment system that puts the digital lives of consumers right at their fingertips. Additionally, an array of PC accessories, such as HP Digital Picture Frames and HP SimpleSave backup for music and data, help protect and enhance the digital entertainment experience.
“HP’s new consumer notebooks and TouchSmart PC deliver smart and creative ways to engage the wealth of photos, videos, music and entertainment that was previously stuck on our PCs gathering digital dust,” said Stephen DeWitt, senior vice president, Personal Systems Group, HP. “HP is developing new products and solutions that help make connecting to people and information simple and fun and create a truly personalized computing experience.”
Notebooks offer premium design and high-definition experience
For people who want access – wherever they are – to friends and family, TV, photos, movies, music, games and online information, HP has introduced the powerful HP HDX16 and HDX18 Notebook PCs.
These notebooks provide a truly mobile, high-definition(1) experience while featuring striking designs, vividly bright 1,080-pixel displays, built-in TV tuners(2) and Blu-ray(3) disk capabilities. Both notebooks include built-in Wi-Fi(4) networking, along with home-theater-quality audio/video options that include Altec Lansing speakers, an HP Triple Bass subwoofer and Dolby Home Theater software.
The HDX16 is a midsize notebook with a 16-inch diagonal widescreen with 720- or 1,080-pixel resolution display. The HDX18 is a powerful and visually captivating full-size notebook with an 18.4-inch diagonal Ultra BrightView 1,080-pixel screen and enthusiast-class graphics capabilities.
Additionally, the HP HDX notebook PCs feature HP MediaSmart, which allows consumers to enjoy photos, listen to music and watch movies in high definition.(1)
A stunning new high-definition, touch-enabled screen for the ultimate user experience
The new HP TouchSmart IQ800 series PC is a sleek all-in-one touchscreen desktop that can double as a TV with a huge 25.5-inch diagonal high-definition(1) widescreen. With the natural user touch interface of the HP TouchSmart, users can quickly check the weather; play music and create playlists; crop, edit and share photos; or watch TV(2) – with only a tap or swipe of a finger. The wall mountable TouchSmart PC includes an image resolution of 1,920 x 1,200 pixels and a slot-load Blu-ray(3) player, providing a stunning high-definition experience(1)
The IQ800 series also features a powerful, energy-efficient Intel® Core™ 2 Duo processor(5) and uses HP power management technology to provide up to 45 percent energy savings compared to PCs without power management enabled. Other features built into the sleek IQ800 series include a webcam(6); colored HP Ambient Light; media card reader; large-capacity, high-speed hard drive; an HP Pocket Media Drive Bay for adding an additional hard drive; and premium speakers.
New accessories personalize and protect the digital experience
HP also introduced a wide variety of accessories, including digital picture frames, SimpleSave solutions, mice, keyboards and flash storage that enhance the PC experience.HP has expanded its easy-to-use digital picture frame portfolio to help consumers show off photos, create slide shows and play videos – with no computer needed. The picture frames come in a variety of sizes, including a portable, 3.5-inch pocket frame and an attractive 10-inch cherry wood-finish frame. The frames feature clock and calendar options, support MP3 and other audio formats, and play music through stereo speakers.
A variety of interchangeable, double-matting options give HP frames a more professional look and allow easy personalization. PictBridge functionality allows consumers to print photos right from the digital picture frame.
HP SimpleSave for music and data provides an easy way to back up digital music or important documents in three steps. Simply insert the SimpleSave disk into the DVD drive and the solution finds all music or documents and saves them to the DVD. In the event of a hard drive crash, the HP SimpleSave restore process is as quick and easy as the original backup process. The solution is compatible with hundreds of music, music video, document and file formats.
Designed for expert gamers, HP’s new gaming mice – the HDX Laser Mouse and Laser Gaming Mouse with VoodooDNA – offer up to five levels of on-the-fly sensitivity, allowing gamers to adjust dots-per-inch (dpi) settings up to 3,200 dpi in-game. Using the five programmable buttons and VoodooDNA GUI software, gamers can preset five different macros with five unique profiles for up to 25 different combinations of ultimate game-playing flexibility.
The spill-resistant HP Wireless Comfort Keyboard and Mouse combo provides wave-shaped keyboard design, cushioned wrist rest and three different adjustable heights designed for better comfort while typing. The keyboard features 31 hotkeys – including instant access to the Web; enhanced Windows Vista® experience; and programmable buttons for multimedia controls. The mouse features a four-way-tilt scroll wheel and two programmable buttons along with an asymmetric design for better ergonomics and comfort.
Pricing and availability(7)
The HP HDX16 starts at $1,299, while the HP HDX18 starts at $1,549. Both are expected to be available starting later this month.
The HP TouchSmart IQ804 PC starts at $1,899 and is expected to be available Sept. 21, while the HP TouchSmart IQ816 PC starts at $2,099 and is expected to be available Oct. 12.
Available now, HP Digital Picture Frames come in 3.5-inch, 7-inch, 8-inch and 10-inch sizes and range in price from $59 to $219.
HP SimpleSave is available in a five-pack for $14.99 from major electronics retailers.
The HP HDX Laser Mouse and Laser Gaming Mouse with VoodooDNA mice are priced at $39.99 and $59.99, respectively.
HP Wireless Comfort Keyboard and mouse combo are available now and are priced at $79।99.
Reference : http://www.hp.com/hpinfo/newsroom/press/2008/080916a.html?mtxs=rss-corp-news

Peru to Be First With New OLPC Laptop With Windows

The government of Peru will run the first ever trial of the One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) association's low-cost XO laptop running on Microsoft's Windows XP operating system, putting the nation at the heart of a software controversy.
The little green laptop, which OLPC is trying to reduce to just US$100 per device, will be given out to school children throughout Peru for use over the next nine months as part of the trial. Currently, the XO costs around $200 each to build.
Kids and their teachers in the country will use the laptops as part of efforts to introduce more technology into classrooms in Peru, including Microsoft's Student Innovation Suite of software, which includes Microsoft Office 2003 as well as Learning Essentials 1.0 for Microsoft Office.
The groups did not say how many laptops would be handed out as part of the trial nor when it would start.
The program puts Peru at the heart of a software controversy that has been raging for years between those who advocate making software and its source code free, such as Linux OS developers, and those who charge for software and keep the development recipes secret, such as Microsoft.
OLPC started out offering the XO with Linux because the OS cost nothing and organizers believed it made the device run more efficiently. Some open-source software advocates hoped the XO would spread the use of Linux and the open source philosophy to the 5 billion people living without computers in the developing world.
Microsoft also wants to capture the next 5 billion people for its future market potential.
The decision to put Windows on the laptops came about because officials in some countries, such as Egypt, feared a non-Windows laptop would ill prepare students for the real world, in which Microsoft software dominates.
OLPC ultimately decided to ignore the controversy and follow its mission of delivering laptops to kids in developing nations to help ensure they don't get left out of the global computing revolution.
The group now offers XO laptops with either Linux or Windows XP. Within the next few months, laptops armed with both operating systems will be available.
OLPC was started by professors from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and is led by Nicholas Negroponte.
Microsoft launched a company program a few years ago called Unlimited Potential, with a similar goal of spreading computing throughout the developing world। Microsoft hopes to introduce technology to one billion more people by 2015.
Reference : http://www.pcworld.com/article/151105/.html?tk=rss_news

DRAM production cuts fail to pull up market

A few DRAM makers cut production last week, hoping that reducing supply might spur a price recovery, but the action is too little, too late, analysts say।
Elpida Memory of Japan and Powerchip Semiconductor of Taiwan both trimmed DRAM production last week as market prices plunged to new all-time lows. But while the actions slowed the pace of DRAM price declines, they didn’t stop the fall.
DRAM makers have been in trouble all year due to a chip glut. They built too many new factories last year on hopes that DRAM demand would continue to rise with strong sales of new PCs and Microsoft’s Windows Vista OS. But DRAM demand hasn’t kept pace with output.
The oversupply has been a bane to suppliers, many of which are losing money on the chips they sell, but a bonus for users.
DRAM is often a bottleneck for speed in computers because most vendors only add the minimum required for each system. But when DRAM prices drop, PC vendors often add a lot more DRAM. A quick look at Dell Deals, for example, shows PCs with 1GB to 3GB of mainstream DDR2 (double data rate, second generation) DRAM. For users that like to open multiple windows and use memory-intensive programs, the more DRAM the better.
The production cuts by Powerchip and Elpida won’t have much impact on DRAM prices because it takes months for a supply cut to take effect and because the actions represent only 2.3 percent of global DRAM production, says Andrew Norwood, DRAM analyst at market researcher Gartner.
Reducing DRAM production today won’t affect output until November, he wrote in Gartner’s Semiconductor Monday DQ Report.
“By then, the peak buying season for the holiday [PC] build will be winding down,” he said.
Given current high inventory levels, the industry probably won’t see any shortages for the rest of this year, he added.
Powerchip said it will reduce DRAM production by 10 percent to 15 percent, while Elpida said it will cut production by 10 percent at one of its main factories in Hiroshima, Japan.
Elpida plans to convert some production lines to make chips used in LCD displays instead of DRAM, said Kumi Higuchi, vice president of corporate communications at the company.
The main problem for the two companies is that their rivals do not plan to follow their cuts.
Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest maker of DRAM chips, has no plans to reduce DRAM production this year, said Eunhee Lee, a spokeswoman at the company.
In fact, Samsung is taking advantage of the downturn to put more pressure on rivals by increasing its planned spending on new factories this year. Samsung estimates it will spend 7 trillion Korean won (US$6.32 billion) on new memory chip lines this year, compared to 6.91 trillion won last year.
Hynix Semiconductor, the second largest DRAM maker by revenue, also has no plans to cut DRAM production, said Seongae Park, a spokeswoman at the company. Other major DRAM makers, including Qimonda AG of Germany and Micron Technology of the U.S., also have no plans to trim DRAM production, representatives of the companies said.
The best hope DRAM makers have in the short run is for one company to go out of business or be taken over by a rival. Longer term, DRAM market prices will likely remain low for at least the next four or five months, analysts say.
DRAM makers won’t see better prices until next year, when the amount of new DRAM supply coming on the market slows down, said John Lei, chip industry analyst at iSuppli. Overall, DRAM makers have reduced spending on new factories this year by about 50 percent compared to last year.
The capital spending cuts will boost DRAM market prices next year and in 2010, Lei said।
Reference : http://www.macworld.com/article/135547/2008/09/dram.html?lsrc=rss_main

Nasser Hajloo
a Persian Graphic Designer , Web Designer and Web Developer
n.hajloo@gmail.com

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