Multimedia August 31, 2006

Will Microsoft mount a defense to the just-announced Google Apps suite of web services? More importantly, is Google gunning for more than Microsoft as it rolls out more pieces of the Google Apps suite in the coming year? Symantec? Intuit? Anyone is up for game against Google and its apparent voracity of trying to be everything (possibly) to everyone — all over the Internet and all though a single, billion-dollar vessel — the web browser. (more…)

Multimedia

Google Inc is making a concerted move beyond search and advertising into the business software market, starting with a set of Web programs for email, scheduling and communications.

The online search leader said it has created a software platform to run basic business activities - based on programs it already offers separately. (more…)

Multimedia

“This announcement will give 802.11n a really big shot in the arm,” said Michael Hurlston, the vice president of chipset maker Broadcom’s wireless LAN division. “We’re expecting a market shift in terms of market share away from standards a/b/g and towards n. We think this accelerates that process.” (more…)

Virus news August 29, 2006

IT managers in Australia have strongly come out in support of the use of keylogger technology for staff monitoring purposes after it was revealed a government agency watched its employees for more than a year in a surveillance operation. The operation yielded spectacular results, uncovering misuse of personal records contained in a national ID database on a massive scale. (more…)

Multimedia

“What I am going to tell you is going to seem preposterous and unbelievable.”

Those are a few of the first words of a video posted on YouTube by former Lockheed Martin engineer Michael De Kort, claiming that the defense contractor had built and the Coast Guard had accepted a number of boats that fall far short of government standards and leave our national security in question. (more…)

Security news

AT&T Inc. said on Tuesday that computer hackers illegally accessed credit card data and other personal information from several thousand customers who bought DSL equipment from AT&T’s online store. The phone company said it is notifying “fewer than 19,000″ customers whose data was accessed over the past weekend.

The company said it noticed the hacking “within hours,” immediately shut down the online store, notified credit card companies and is working with law enforcement agencies to investigate the incident and find the hackers. (more…)

Multimedia

FastStone Image Viewer is a free image browser, viewer, converter and editor that supports all major graphic formats. Other features include a batch image converter / resizer, a Full Screen image viewer with Select-Zoom support, a clear magnifier and a slideshow with 150+ transitional effects. (more…)

Internet news

The recent Sony battery recall, which has seen Dell switch to sourcing batteries from Simplo Technology, has boosted Thinking Electronic Industrial’s thermistor shipments by 20%, according to the company.

As Simplo’s thermistor supplier, Thinking Electronic has admitted that the shift of Dell’s battery orders from Sony to Simplo has boosted the company’s shipments. A notebook battery normally requires one or two temperature-sensing resistors, and the current ratio of thermistors to Thinking Electronic’s overall revenues is 14%. (more…)

Internet news, Multimedia

Google launched today a hosted software package of productivity tools that places it closer into competition with Microsoft’s Live products.

Google Apps for Your Domain is a software bundle aimed at small and midsize businesses. The free package combines Google’s e-mail, calendar, IM and page creation software. The package creates a private label suite all hosted by Google. Aaron Ricadela at InformationWeek has a good in-depth story (although he doesn’t even mention MS Live and focuses on Office instead). (more…)

Internet news August 27, 2006

Мodem spy is handy utility for phone calls recording. Features: 1) records phone conversations. 2) records from microphone. 3) plays back recorded mesages via phone line. 4) Plays back recorded mesages via sound card. 5) Can record ALL incomming phone calls. 6) Has built-in software automatic gain control. 7) Detects and logs Caller ID. 8) Pops up caller ID information. 9) Super Spy mode will hide Modem Spy behaviour. (more…)