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Atari Online News, Etc. Volume 13 Issue 12
Volume 13, Issue 12 Atari Online News, Etc. March 25, 2010
Published and Copyright (c) 1999 - 2011
All Rights Reserved
Atari Online News, Etc.
A-ONE Online Magazine
Dana P. Jacobson, Publisher/Managing Editor
Joseph Mirando, Managing Editor
Rob Mahlert, Associate Editor
Atari Online News, Etc. Staff
Dana P. Jacobson -- Editor
Joe Mirando -- "People Are Talking"
Michael Burkley -- "Unabashed Atariophile"
Albert Dayes -- "CC: Classic Chips"
Rob Mahlert -- Web site
Thomas J. Andrews -- "Keeper of the Flame"
With Contributions by:
Fred Horvat
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=~=~=~=
A-ONE #1312 03/25/10
~ OMG, LOL in Oxford's! ~ People Are Talking! ~ China's Web Clampdown!
~ Asus Launches Tablet! ~ Lime Wire Case, Absurd ~ Mac OS X Turns 10!
~ Firefox 4 Is Available! ~ RIM's Playbook Nears! ~ 2011 Online Tax Scams!
~ Best Buy & Lightsquared ~ Firefox 4 Supports XP! ~ MacBook Air Thief!
-* US Adults Use Facebook: 50%+ *-
-* Cuba: Blogger Part of US Cyber War! *-
-* Facebook Struggles To Block Underage Users *-
=~=~=~=
->From the Editor's Keyboard "Saying it like it is!"
""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Well, my work schedule this week didn't give me much time to get this
week's issue as organized as I'd like. So again this week, we're running
later than usual to get it out. I apologize, but it just couldn't be
helped.
Under these conditions, it wouldn't be fair to you or me to rush trying to
get some editorial comments jotted down and have some sense made out of
them, so I won't attempt to do so. So, in the essence of time, let's just
get to the issue and we'll work on commentary for another time.
Until next time...
=~=~=~=
->In This Week's Gaming Section - Duke Nukem Comeback Delayed, Again!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Nintendo 3DS Could Use Fresher Games!
PS3 Hacker Flees Country?
And more!
=~=~=~=
->A-ONE's Game Console Industry News - The Latest Gaming News!
""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""""
Duke Nukem Videogame Comeback Delayed - Again
The long-delayed comeback of videogame tough guy "Duke Nukem" hit another
snag on Thursday with 2K Games bumping arrival of the latest title back a
month into June.
First-person shooter game "Duke Nukem Forever" has been a work in
progress since 1997, missing a slew of release dates before 2K put it in
the hands of Gearbox Software developers last year for completion.
"We're committed to deliver a laugh-out-loud, politically incorrect
experience that people will talk about for years to come," said 2K
president Christoph Hartmann.
"We thank Duke's fans for their continued patience - I promise this
won't take another 15 years."
The videogame's excruciatingly protracted creation process has made it
prime fodder for jokes in the industry.
The upcoming title is a sequel to a "Duke Nukem 3D" videogame that sold
more than three million copies after its release in late 1996.
The blockbuster videogame franchise was light on storyline, with players
basically battling aliens, monsters and mutants in an urban Earth setting.
2K said "Forever" will be "boiling over-the-top with irreverent humor,
catchy one-liners that will make your mama blush, and frantic,
bone-shaking action sequences that will simultaneously rock your world
and neighbors' walls."
The videogame, which features a notoriously unrefined character and a
"mature" rating, is tailored for play on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
consoles as well as personal computers powered by Windows software.
Solid Nintendo 3DS Could Use Fresher Games
Whether you're watching a Hollywood action movie in an IMAX theater or
college hoops on a 3-D TV, there's no denying the wow factor of current
3-D technology. And the trend isn't lost on video-game companies -
particularly Sony, which has been trumpeting the 3-D environments of recent
PlayStation 3 games like "Killzone 3."
Still, big-screen 3-D isn't for everybody: Those of us with poor vision
will probably never adjust to wearing 3-D glasses on top of our
prescription specs.
That's why Nintendo's announcement last year that it had created
eyeglasses-free 3-D was greeted with such enthusiasm. And its 3DS
portable game machine ($250) lives up to the hype, creating a convincing
illusion of a third dimension beyond its 3.5-inch screen.
The most dazzling demonstration, which comes installed on the device, is
"AR Games." ("AR" stands for "augmented reality.") Place a card on a
table, point the 3DS cameras at it - and a dragon bursts out of the flat
surface. To shoot targets on the dragon, you have to move yourself
around the card to find different angles.
You can also take 3-D photos and add a variety of effects. Or you can
incorporate your friends' images into "Face Raiders," which morphs them
onto a fleet of floating, whirling attack helicopters. Like "AR Games,"
it's simple, but offers a promising glimpse of what we might expect from
future 3DS software.
Nintendo has assembled a solid but derivative lineup of 18 games ($40
each) to accompany the launch of the hardware. Almost all of them are
based on familiar franchises, including Nintendo's own "Pilotwings
Resort," a lighthearted flying game, and "Nintendogs + Cats," a lovable
pet simulator.
The 3-D effect does enhance sports games like EA Sports' "Madden NFL
Football" and Namco Bandai's "Ridge Racer 3D." But it feels superfluous
in Capcom's "Super Street Fighter IV 3D Edition" because its 3-D angles
tend to block your view; it's a good game, but "SF" fans will probably
stick to the 2-D perspective.
LucasArts' "Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars" delivers flashier 3-D
effects: In combat, enemies burst into Lego bricks that look like
they're going to burst through the screen. For the most part, though,
the game plays just as well in two dimensions.
It's easy enough to switch that extra dimension on and off, and I
suspect many players will make frequent use of the device's 2-D/3-D
slider. If you look away from the 3-D screen, it takes a few seconds to
readjust your eyes back to it. More significantly, my eyes got tired
after about 10 minutes of 3-D action, so I spent more time with it
turned off.
So, if the games are just as playable in two dimensions, what's the
point? The 3DS launch lineup doesn't answer that question, but surely
some developers are plotting software that makes 3-D more integral to
gameplay.
Beyond 3-D, the 3DS does sport several new features that will delight
longtime players of Nintendo handhelds. The most welcome change is a
circular thumb pad - at last! - that complements the traditional
plus-sign-shaped directional pad. The 3DS adds a motion sensor so you
can tilt the device to control the action in games like "Super Monkey
Ball 3D." And a retractable stylus can be adjusted to your comfort level.
The whole package is only slightly thicker and heavier than 2008's DSi.
The biggest drawback is battery life: If you have the screen set at
maximum brightness, a charge lasts just three hours.
Before release, I was unable to try out the 3DS' wireless features,
which encourage you to leave the device turned on - in sleep mode -
while you carry it around. SpotPass will detect wireless hotspots and
automatically download information and free software, Nintendo says.
StreetPass will detect other 3DS players and automatically transfer data
such as Mii avatars between devices. And the Nintendo eShop, like the
earlier model's DSi Shop, will let you buy and download new games,
starting in May.
Nintendo's longtime dominance of handheld gaming has been threatened by
the expanding presence of smartphones, especially Apple's iPhone. It
will probably take more than 3-D technology to slow down the
competition, so the eShop and the 3DS' other wireless goodies will be
key. What the 3DS demonstrates is that Nintendo isn't going to give up
the portable market without a fight.
PS3 Hacker Geohot Flees to South America?
And he's off! It looks like PS3 hacker George Hotz, aka Geohot, isn't
taking any chances with Sony's legal juggernaut. He may - and we stress
'may' - have fled to South America. He may also have lied about not
having a PlayStation Network account.
That's the story from Sony, anyway. Here's what Sony claims in an official
legal filing related to the case Sony Computer Entertainment America
LLC v. Hotz et al, noticed by VGHQ (my emphasis).
* Though the evidence establishing personal jurisdiction is already
overwhelming, SCEA has little doubt that there is much more. However,
over the last several weeks Hotz has engaged in a campaign to thwart
jurisdictional discovery at every turn - regardless of whether the Court
has ordered such discovery or not. *
* Most seriously, after Magistrate Judge Spero ordered an inspection of
Hotz's devices and ordered Hotz to appear at a deposition in California,
SCEA learned that Hotz had deliberately removed integral components of
his impounded hard drives prior to delivering them to a third party
neutral and *that Hotz is now in South America*, an excuse for why he
will not immediately provide the components of his hard drives as
requested by the neutral. *
* Hotz's attempts to dodge this Court's authority raise very serious
questions. *
Sony was recently granted subpoena access to Hotz's PayPal account, and
earlier secured a subpoena to view the IP addresses of anyone who accessed
Hotz's site from January 2009 forward.
None of this nullifies the question of whether hacking your PS3 is illegal,
but as not-smart legal moves go, this one could shortly be a top-tenner.
*Update: * The BBC reports that while Hotz is acknowledging he is in fact
in South America, the trip was planned "for months" and that he remains in
contact with his lawyers. On his blog, Hotz wrote:
"Factually, it's true I'm in South America, on a vacation I've had
planned and paid for since November. I mean, it is Spring break; hacking
isn't my life."
Hotz's response leaves Sony's allegations that he left the country to
avoid turning over his hardware unchallenged, but does diminish media
intimations the trip is related.
Sony Ties Hotz to PSN Account, Says He Sabotaged Hardware
Sony has filed a new document arguing that the legal action against the
noted hacker George Hotz should proceed in California. One of the arguments
Hotz's legal team made against California's jurisdiction was the lack of a
PlayStation Network account, which means he didn't agree to the Terms of
Service, but now the company claims to have "proof" that Hotz did in fact
have a PSN account. An interview with a company based in California, and
the number of downloads from California, are being used as evidence.
Sony noted that Hotz had four PlayStation 3 systems in his possession, and
he also provided Sony the serial numbers for each system. "He explained
that he had purchased one of these consoles new in February 2010 and
provided the serial number for that console. SCEA used that serial number
to determine that on February 25, 2010, Hotz purchased the PS3 System at a
GameStop store just miles from his home," Sony stated. Their records show
that system was used on March 10, 2010 to create a PlayStation Network
account with the name "blickmanic."
But that's not all. "The IP address associated with the registration is
located in Glen Rock, New Jersey, where Hotz lives," Sony said. "Hotz's
ownership of the 'blickmanic' account is further supported by the fact
that an Internet search of the user name 'blickmanic' reveals a posting
discussing the jailbreaking of cellular phones - Hotz's original "claim to
fame." Taken together, the evidence is awfully damning. There is more
information needed to create a PSN account, but Sony declined to share the
name or location behind the account.
Sony also argued that the large amount of people who downloaded Hotz'
content in California also creates justification for the jurisdiction.
"In Zippo Mfg. Co. v. Zippo DOT Com, another case relied upon by Hotz,
the court held that the 3,000 Internet users within the forum state who
subscribed to the defendant's website services satisfied the test for
personal jurisdiction," the court document stated. Hotz had his content
downloaded from over 5,000 IP addresses located in California. Sony also
argued that Hotz's website is not passive, but an active way to spread the
infringing content, pointing to messages where Hotz asked others to link
to his site, and his spreading of the content listed on various online
communities.
Just in case this isn't enough for the court to grant jurisdiction in
California, Sony throws in the kitchen sink. "Hotz has also given an
interview regarding his hacking of the PS3 System to The Register, an
online technology publication whose US operation is based in San Francisco,
California," Sony said.
Sony also leveled more serious charges against Hotz. According to the
console maker, Hotz has removed components from his impounded hard drives
and can't deliver the needed hardware to the courts due to his current
location in South America. "Hotzs attempts to dodge this Courts authority
raise very serious questions," Sony stated.
Sony Hacker: I'm Just on Spring Break
George Hotz, the Sony PlayStation 3 hacker who reportedly fled to South
America to dodge discovery in Sony's lawsuit against him, has spoken out
against yesterday's headlines.
It's true that Hotz, better known to the Internet community as "geohot,"
flew to South America, but he says it was for /spring break,/ not to
flee the country. And to prove he will be back, Hotz cheekily wrote on
his blog that he has to return to the U.S. at some point to buy the Sony
Xperia Play, which will probably launch domestically before heading to
South America.
"Apparently, I have fled the country. ROFL," Hotz blogged on Wednesday
night.
"Factually, it's true I'm in South America, on a vacation I've had
planned and paid for since November. I mean, it is Spring break; hacking
isn't my life. Rest assured that not a dime of legal defense money
would ever go toward something like this. And of course Townsend loves
the idea of painting me as an international fugitive. I have been in
contact with my lawyers almost every day; I would not let the case
suffer. That said, I also won't let this ridiculous lawsuit run my life
either. Then the fearmongerers win.
"I will be back, I hear it's hard to come by the Xperia Play down here."
In January Sony Computer Entertainment of America (SCEA) sued Hotz for
posting online the root key of a PlayStation 3, which enables third-party
software to work on the console. SCEA contends that this is a direct
violation of the Digital Copyright Millenium Act (DCMA) passed in 1998.
Since Hotz' arrest in January the SCEA has also sued "Bushing," Hector
Martin Cantero, Sven Peter, and others alleged to be part of the
FAIL0VERFLOW group of hackers that contributed to the root key's exposure.
Earlier this week SCEA claimed Hotz had escaped to South America to
dodge a judge's order to hand over components of his hard drive. Hotz'
next court appearance is scheduled for April 8.
In February, Hotz thanked supporters for donating enough money to cover
his ongoing legal fees.
Hotz: Didn't Flee, Didn't Sabotage
Yesterday, we linked to a story about the most recent allegations Sony
made against George 'GeoHot' Hotz in their ongoing court case.
Supposedly, Hotz has sabotaged the hardware he had to hand over, and he
had fled the country to further stifle the court case, among other
things. Hotz' lawyer, as well as Hotz himself, have responded to these
allegations. The gist? They're all nonsense.
Let's start with the accusation that Hotz sabotaged the evidence -
namely, hard drives - that had to be handed over to Sony. Ars spoke with
one of Hotz' lawyers, Stewart Kellar, and he was pretty clear. "SCEA's
lawyers are using intentionally ambiguous language so that the public,
and the Court, might assume the worst. The 'components' SCEA is talking
about are hard drives' controller cards. The neutral [third party
examining the drives] subsequently had to explain to SCEA the form and
function of hard drive controller cards," Kellar explained to Ars, "It
is a stock part that can be purchased at any electronics hardware store.
Those controller cards have since been provided to the neutral so the
point is moot."
The idea that Hotz had fled the country is even crazier, as Hotz himself
detailed in a short statement on his website. As it turns out, Hotz is
visiting a friend in South America, a vacation that was planned and paid
for in November 2010, even before Sony sued Hotz. "I mean, it is Spring
break; hacking isn't my life," Hotz wrote, "Rest assured that not a dime
of legal defense money would ever go toward something like this. And of
course Townsend loves the idea of painting me as an international
fugitive. I have been in contact with my lawyers almost every day; I
would not let the case suffer. That said, I also won't let this
ridiculous lawsuit run my life either. Then the fearmongerers win."
That part about the defense money is also important: it was said that
Hotz was using money donated for his legal costs to travel, but this is
utter nonsense both Hotz and Kellar claim. "It should be noted that the
donation money George has received is being used exclusively for his
legal defense," Kellar told Ars, "If there are any funds left after the
lawsuit, George is planning to donate the money to the EFF."
Hotz is planning to return to the US soon, because, as he notes, "it's
hard to come by the Xperia Play down here".
All the things mentioned by Hotz and Kellar are easy enough to prove
with receipts, so hopefully, this will go down well during this court
case. Of course, so far, the magistrate handling this matter has sided
squarely with Sony, so I'm not keeping my hopes up.
=~=~=~=
A-ONE's Headline News
The Latest in Computer Technology News
Compiled by: Dana P. Jacobson
Cuba Says Prominent Blogger Part of US 'Cyber-War'
Cuba on Monday accused prominent blogger Yoani Sanchez of taking part in a
"cyber-war" launched by the United States and aimed at destabilizing the
communist government.
The accusations came in a documentary series aired on state TV in which
an engineer from the information ministry and pro-government bloggers
accuse Washington of targeting the country through "cyber-dissident"
proxies.
"There exists on the island a new kind of counterrevolution composed of
bloggers... These cyber-mercenaries constitute a new instrument to
create internal conflicts," the documentary said.
Sanchez, 35, an internationally-known blogger and dissident who writes
on the site "Generation Y" has long traded barbs with a regime that
accuses her of serving foreign agendas.
In a blog video in response to the latest charges, Sanchez and five
other opponents accuse the government of "demonizing" the internet after
revolutions led by online activists brought down longstanding regimes in
Egypt and Tunisia.
"It is nervous because social networks like Twitter and Facebook can
play the same role in Cuba they did in Egypt and Tunisia," it said. The
video can be viewed at www.desdecuba.com/generationy.
Last month Cuba hailed the laying of a new undersea fiber-optic cable to
Venezuela, which it said would allow the country to surmount a
decades-old US embargo that had forced it to rely on more expensive
satellite connections.
But dissidents have said the government keeps a tight grip on
information and communications to stifle dissent.
Earlier on Monday, US President Barack Obama urged Havana to take
"meaningful actions to respect the basic rights of the Cuban people"
during a Latin America visit overshadowed by the popular uprisings in
the Middle East.
The documentary series, entitled "Cuba's Reasons," is being aired
following the conviction this month of a US State Department contractor
on subversion charges, which further strained relations between the
longtime foes.
American Alan Gross was sentenced to 15 years in prison for allegedly
committing "acts against the independence and territorial integrity of
the state" in a verdict Washington has called "an injustice."
He was working under contract for the US State Department when he was
arrested in late 2009 for distributing cell phones and computers to
members of the island's struggling Jewish community.
China's Recent Web Clampdown a Blow to Human Rights
China's latest efforts at tightening its control over the Internet -
including the blocking of Gmail and Web software that can bypass the
censorship - have hampered the work of human rights activists, say
groups based in the U.S.
"The Chinese government is specifically targeting the communications of
human rights activists," said Phelim Kine, an Asia researcher with New
York-based Human Rights Watch. "They've done this before, but this has
been much more prolonged. It is much more intense."
In the past weeks, Internet users in China have reported greater
difficulty with accessing Gmail, posting on microblogs that the service is
slow or blocked. Several companies providing virtual private networks
(VPNs), which can allow users to view sites and content blocked by Chinese
Internet censors,
have also reported access problems in the country.
Human rights activists use both Gmail and VPNs to communicate and access
information over the Web. But the recent blocking has isolated activists
working in China, while making them fearful they will face subversion
charges from the Chinese government, Kine said.
Experts say the increased censorship is tied to the "Jasmine Revolution,"
an online call for the Chinese people to protest the government sparked
by the political unrest in the Middle East. The protest calls originated
last month with a group of anonymous activists. But China has responded
by detaining Chinese human rights advocates and deploying large police
forces across cities to prevent any protests from occurring.
"The current campaign is sending a chill through the community of human
rights defenders in China," Kine said. He added that the activists he
knows in China are all currently detained. "The activist community is
beleaguered, under-resourced and always under threat. Currently it's
under lock and key. That's the state of play for activists in China."
Sharon Hom, the executive director for Human Rights In China, said
communication between activist networks and their families in China has
been unstable with the disruptions to Gmail and the VPNs. "Sometimes we
just haven't been able to get through," she said. "It's made us
concerned about the security of the communication."
China has the world's largest Internet population at 457 million,
according to the latest official count. But information on the Web is
strictly controlled, with content deemed politically sensitive blocked
or deleted from the sites.
VPNs have sometimes been the victim of censorship when highly political
sensitive events occur like the 60th anniversary of Chinese communist
rule back in 2009. But in the past only free services were blocked,
while paid VPNs providers were unaffected, said Phil Blancett, the
president of a VPN provider StrongVPN.com.
However, now paid VPNs such as StrongVPN and WiTopia are also being
blocked. StrongVPN's customers include foreigners as well as businesses,
Blancett said. "They blocked quite a few VPN provider websites from what
we have seen," he said. "We don't understand the Chinese government's
effort to crack down on VPN providers like ourselves."
China's tightening of control over the Web could have greater effect on
businesses operating in the country, said Mark Natkin, the managing
director of Beijing-based Marbridge Consulting. He noted that in recent
days, even commercial sites free of political content have been
inaccessible, a sign that the censorship is spilling over into business
activities.
"I think as long as we continue to see the upheaval that we are seeing
in North Africa and the Middle East, China will continue to be more
sensitive than usual, and so there will be a tighter control," Natkin
said. He added that in the eye's of China's leadership, "The argument
will always come down to the same thing: what sacrifices are necessary
to maintain greater stability?"
But China could start to see some push back from the business and
academic community over the increased censorship, Hom said. On Monday,
Google accused the Chinese government of blocking Gmail after users had
complained for weeks. The search engine company said the blocking was
designed to make it look like the access problems were coming from Google.
"You are getting some companies like Google to go public by speaking
out," Hom said. "Google is exercising leadership in this public arena,
saying that this is a serious problem."
China's Foreign Ministry has denied Google's accusation. On Thursday, a
Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said she had no comment on the blocking of
VPNs because she did not fully understand the situation. But she added
China's Internet is open and operates according to the law.
Taiwan's AsusTek Launches Android-Powered Tablet
AsusTek Computer Inc. unveiled a sleek tablet computer on Friday, after
the Taiwanese firm saw the sales of its once popular line of mini-laptops
stall following the launch of Apple's hit iPad.
AsusTek says the EEE Pad Transformer, which runs on the Android 3.0
operating system, distinguishes itself with an optional keyboard that is
superior to docking options for other tablets because of its light
weight and flexibility.
Its 10.1-inch screen with a front and rear camera can be detached from
the keyboard to allow users on the move quick Web browsing and film
viewing. Plugging it to the keyboard dock, the device can then be used
as a full-fledged laptop.
"In our own pursuit of perfection, we offer users more options," AsusTek
CEO Jerry Shen told The Associated Press. "They can get a full range of
functions including 10-finger touch, Flash supported video viewing,
e-book reading, and a physical keyboard so they don't have to deal with
any inconveniences."
The EEE Pad Transformer, which became available for pre-order in Taiwan
on Friday, goes on sale in the U.K. on March 30, to be followed by U.S.
sales.
In Taiwan, the 16 GB version without the keyboard sells for 14,900 New
Taiwan dollars ($500), while the keyboard version costs NT$17,900
($600). The company did not provide prices for other markets.
Another Asus tablet, the 12-inch e-Slate powered by the Microsoft
Windows operating system, went on sale in January, while two additional
Asus tablet models will go on sale soon. Shen said he expected total
sales of the four models to reach two million units in 2011.
Taiwan's Acer Inc., the world's third largest computer vendor, has
already unveiled four tablet models, as well as a 4.8-inch smartphone
that doubles as a tablet. The company says all will be on sale next
month.
Shen acknowledged Apple Inc.'s current dominance in the rapidly
expanding tablet computer market, but predicted that its market share
would fall to 50 percent by 2012, as devices run on Android and
Microsoft systems pick up steam.
Asus pioneered netbooks - mini-laptops - to great fanfare in 2007. Once
seen as a key to the company's growth, sales remained flat in 2010, Shen
said, following the iPad's appearance in the marketplace.
RIM PlayBook Ready To Contest Crowded Tablet Market
It's official: with the launch of Research In Motion's PlayBook tablet now
just a month away, the BlackBerry maker's battle against Apple and Google
is at the cusp of a fierce new phase.
RIM said on Tuesday its tablet will finally hit store shelves April 19,
seven months after the device was announced.
The North American rollout will come almost a month after Apple's
(AAPL.O) iPad 2 goes on sale outside of the United States, where it sold
up to 1 million units in its first weekend alone.
On Tuesday, Apple confirmed it would start selling the iPad 2 in 25 more
countries from Friday. That eased concerns that the crisis in Japan
might curtail the supply of crucial components for electronic devices.
Shares in both Apple and RIM closed higher.
As it enters the tablet market, RIM has little room for error and a
small window to impress. It was once the undisputed king of mobile
communications, but slicker Google (GOOG.O) Android and Apple products
have become must-haves for young consumers while also threatening RIM's
corporate bastion.
"The big question is the Playbook's appeal to those not already part of
the BlackBerry world," said CCS Insight's Geoff Blaber.
While investors await the consumer's verdict, the Canadian company has
one more set of quarterly results to unveil without the PlayBook.
The report, due Thursday, is likely to show RIM's global growth story on
track. As with recent quarters, the catalysts are sure to be higher
overseas sales of cheaper handsets and U.S. discounts. Turmoil at Nokia,
the leader in the low-end of the market, probably didn't hurt matters
either.
The PlayBook will likely contribute only marginally to sales and
earnings this year. Even so, it represents a nascent opportunity for RIM
in a booming tablet marketplace.
RIM is hoping the PlayBook's natural affinity with its corporate-friendly
smartphones gives sales an early boost and offsets a move by more
companies to allow workers to use their own non-BlackBerry smartphones to
access work-related email and data.
Unlike the almost 10-inch iPad, the 7-inch PlayBook boasts support for
Flash, but the RIM tablet will not ship with its own cellular connection
until mid-year.
The first version of the PlayBook pairs with a BlackBerry smartphone for
features such as corporate email and to any smartphone for connectivity
when not near a WiFi connection.
RIM's tablet will sell in 20,000 retail and wireless carrier outlets
including Best Buy for as little as $499, matching the pricing for the
iPad.
Apple sold nearly 15 million iPads in nine months of 2010, two or three
times as many as analysts had forecast. It is expected to sell 30
million or more this year.
Still, worries remain about the supply of key components. Several key
components in the new version of the tablet come from Japan, including
the battery and the flash memory used to store music and video on the
device, according to research firm IHS iSuppli.
Expectations for the PlayBook are lower, with between 1 million and 4
million sales seen this year.
Scotia Capital analyst Gus Papageorgiou, who expects sales at the high
end of that range, said the expansive distribution network could boost
PlayBook 2011 sales to more than 7.3 million in North America alone.
While RIM is seen as less exposed to Japanese supplies, its conference
call following the numbers could also provide further insight from
mobile industry executives on supply chain disruptions due to the
earthquake.
RIM likely shipped almost 14.9 million devices in the quarter, which
included Christmas and Valentine's Day, according to 12 analysts
surveyed by Reuters. They shipped 14.2 million in the previous quarter.
In its last reported quarter RIM got 44 percent of its revenue from
outside North America and Britain. That portion is expected to grow as
RIM extends deeper into emerging markets.
A shift in mix toward cheaper phones will hit average selling prices and
mean RIM must ship even more phones to boost revenue, but will likely
not hit gross margins, which at 43 percent are among the highest in the
mobile industry.
Meanwhile, a November discount on its Torch model, launched in August
with an improved browser, may have offset RIM's U.S. market share losses
since Verizon started selling the iPhone.
Turmoil at global rival Nokia, which has sidelined its own software
platforms to ink a deal with Microsoft, could bolster RIM in big growth
markets as it sells increasing numbers of its lower-end smartphones, such
as the Curve 8520, in Latin America, South East Asia
and elsewhere.
Mozilla Unleashes Sleek New Firefox Web Browser
A fast, sleek new version of Firefox was released on Wednesday to vie
Microsoft's Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) and Google Chrome in the fiercely
competitive market for Web browsing software.
Nonprofit group Mozilla made Firefox 4 available as a free download to
computers powered by Windows, Mac OS X or Linux operating systems in
more than 80 languages.
Firefox 4 was billed as six times faster than its predecessor and
boasted features including a "Do Not Track" signal to opt-out of having
online activities recorded by websites for targeted online ads or services.
The open-source Web browsing software was also designed as a stage for
rich video or game graphics based on the HTML5 standard being touted as
a boon for online visual experiences.
"Firefox puts users in control of their Web experience, providing a
streamlined user interface, fun new features, a boost in speed and
support for modern Web technologies," Mozilla said in an online message.
Powerful new versions of Chrome and IE9 Web browsers were released
earlier this month by Google and Microsoft, respectively, putting
pressure on California based Mozilla to release a finished version of
Firefox 4.
Microsoft's Internet Explorer is the most widely used Web browser in the
United States followed by Firefox, Chrome and Apple's Safari.
Unlike IE9, Firefox 4 Will Still Support Windows XP
New versions of the two most popular browsers - Microsoft's Internet
Explorer and Mozilla's Firefox - are being released. Among their
competing features is an unusual twist - Firefox, which is being
released Tuesday, will support Microsoft's venerable and still-popular
Windows XP operating system, while IE will not.
IE9 is designed to support Vista and Windows 7, while the new Firefox
also supports XP as well as Windows 2000. Microsoft has said it decided
not to support XP in IE9 because it will utilize the graphics processor,
which isn't possible under XP, which was released in 2001. A Microsoft
executive told news media that supporting XP would have meant
"optimizing for the lowest common denominator."
Like IE, Firefox 4 offers support for hardware acceleration in Vista and
Windows 7 by utilizing Direct2D and Direct3D APIs. XP doesn't support
Direct2D, but Firefox uses Direct3D on XP to provide partial
acceleration in Firefox 4.
According to web-statistics firm Net Applications, XP represents 55
percent of operating systems connected to the web, or 61 percent of all
Windows-based systems. Jonathan Nightingale of the Mozilla Foundation
told news media that "our obligation is to the users, and Windows XP is
not a part we can cut out."
Other browsers, including Apple's Safari for Windows, Opera and Google's
Chrome, will continue to support XP, which Microsoft has essentially
abandoned as it attempts to move users to Vista and Windows 7.
In a video on Mozilla's web site, Nightingale said the new JavaScript
engine in Firefox 4 is up to "six times faster than any previous version
we've shipped." He also pointed to a new "streamlined user interface,
which takes up a lot less space." Another new feature is app tabs, which
pin small site icons for frequently visited sites to the edge of the
interface.
Panorama is a new Firefox feature that allows many tabs to be organized,
instead of searching for them in the tab strip. For customization, an
Add-On Manager includes extensions and plug-ins as well as a
search-engine interface for finding new add-ons. Firefox Sync offers the
ability to sync personal information between devices, with the
information being encrypted locally before moving. Firefox 4 is also
offering new support for HTML5, WebGL, CSS3 and downloadable fonts.
IE9 also offers extensive support for those web technologies, and
Microsoft said its browser rethinks "the concept of fast" and how
"people interact with web sites and web applications."
In IE9, Pinned Sites can be accessed directly from the Windows 7 taskbar
without having to first open the browser. With IE9's JumpList, a
web-site task can be accessed, again without having to launch the
browser first. This assumes the site developer has implemented JumpList
capabilities, and, if so, composing a new e-mail, checking an inbox,
changing a music station, or accepting an invitation can be initiated
outside the browser.
There's also Aero Snap, for positioning two sites side by side in
separate windows. One box incorporates search functionality into the
Address Bar, as well as the ability to navigate to a site, search for a
site, switch between search providers, or access browsing history or
favorites.
Finally, Microsoft pointed to IE9's built-in security, privacy and
reliability technologies. A new Tracking Protection allows a user to
limit the browser's ability to communicate your actions to certain web
sites, as determined by a Tracking Protection List that the user can
determine.
Best Buy To Sell Access to New Wireless Network
LightSquared, a company that's building a new nationwide wireless
broadband network, says Best Buy will resell access to that network,
starting with a trial early next year.
Best Buy Co. is the biggest customer so far to sign up with LightSquared.
The electronics chain will sell the service under its own Best Buy Connect
brand. LightSquared CEO Sanjiv Ahuja announced it Wednesday in a speech at
a wireless show in Orlando, Fla.
On Tuesday, LightSquared said Leap Wireless International Inc., the parent
of the Cricket phone service, plans to use Reston, Va.-based
LightSquared's "fourth-generation," or 4G, network to supplement its own.
San Diego-based Leap is the country's seventh-largest phone company,
with 5.5 million customers.
Facebook Struggles To Block Underage Users
Facebook cancels as many as 20,000 accounts each day, including any it
identifies as being used by underage children, the social-networking
giant said this week. However, Facebook also admitted that it's
struggling to enforce the age restrictions it imposes.
According to Facebook's privacy policy, users must be at least 13 years
old to create an account. The reality, however, is that there are no
government-issued credentials on which the social-networking giant can
draw to confirm the ages of the younger members among Facebook's 600
million users worldwide.
Part of the problem is that age-identification measures in the vast
majority of countries are limited to proving whether someone is an
adult, noted Facebook Chief Privacy Adviser Mozelle Thompson. "In
western countries we don't often have mechanisms for proving if someone
is a kid," Thompson told a select committee of Australia's Parliament
this week. "Facebook uses various methods to identify underage accounts,
including the monitoring of information placed on the site and community
reports from other users."
The Pew Internet & American Life Project reported last year that 46
percent of 12-year-olds in the United States were participating in
social networks. Moreover, 73 percent of teenagers ages 13-17 reported
using a social-networking web site.
Given the widespread popularity of social networking among adults
worldwide, it's no surprise that a significant number of children are
willing to lie about their age to participate in Facebook and other web
sites. To address this problem, Thompson said Facebook is considering
the creation of a social-media product for those under the age of 13 to
provide a safer online space.
Responding to a string of teenage suicides that occurred as a result of
cyberbullying last year, the White House recently held its first-ever
conference for bullying prevention in cooperation with representatives
from Facebook and MTV.
"If there's one goal of this conference, it's to dispel the myth that
bullying is just a harmless rite of passage or an inevitable part of
growing up," President Barack Obama said earlier this month. "It's not.
Bullying can have destructive consequences for our young people."
One of Facebook's new goals is to empower users by giving them the tools
they need to take corrective action on the social-networking site. Among
other things, report buttons are now located across Facebook pages to
let users flag abusive content that violates the social-networking
giant's terms of service.
What's more, Facebook has initiated a social-reporting feature that
enables younger users to receive help from someone they trust, such as a
friend, parent, teacher or mentor. "Safety and child-psychology experts
tell us that online issues are frequently a reflection of what is
happening offline," the Facebook team wrote in a blog. "By encouraging
people to seek help from friends, we hope that many of these situations
can be resolved face-to-face."
Though the new social-reporting features only cover photos and wall
posts right now, Facebook said it plans to extend them to profiles,
groups, pages and events. "Our goal is to encourage a conversation
around safety so people can make smart choices wherever they are," the
Facebook team added.
Manhattan Federal Judge Kimba Wood Calls Record Companies' Request
for $75 Trillion in Damages 'Absurd' in Lime Wire Copyright Case
Does $75 trillion even exist? The thirteen record companies that are
suing file-sharing company Lime Wire for copyright infringement
certainly thought so. When they won a summary judgment ruling last May
they demanded damages that could reach this mind-boggling amount, which
is more than five times the national debt.
Manhattan federal district court judge Kimba Wood, however, saw things
differently. She labeled the record companies' damages request "absurd"
and contrary to copyright laws in a 14-page opinion.
The record companies, which had demanded damages ranging from $400
billion to $75 trillion, had argued that Section 504(c)(1) of the
Copyright Act provided for damages for each instance of infringement
where two or more parties were liable. For a popular site like Lime
Wire, which had thousands of users and millions of downloads, Wood held
that the damage award would be staggering under this interpretation. "If
plaintiffs were able to pursue a statutory damage theory predicated on
the number of direct infringers per work, defendants' damages could
reach into the trillions," she wrote. "As defendants note, plaintiffs
are suggesting an award that is 'more money than the entire music
recording industry has made since Edison's invention of the phonograph
in 1877.'"
While Wood conceded that the question of statutory interpretation was
"an especially close question," she concluded that damages should be
limited to one damage award per work.
"We were pleased that the judge followed both the law and the logic in
reaching the conclusion that she did," said Lime Wire's attorney, Joseph
Baio of Willkie Farr & Gallagher. "As the judge said in her opinion,
when the copyright law was initiated, legislatures couldn't possibly
conceive of what the world would become with the internet. As such, you
couldn't use legislative history. Instead, the overarching issue is
reasonableness in order to avoid absurd and possibly unconstitutional
outcome." Baio, who is scheduled to represent Lime Wire when the damages
trial begins on May 2, joked that the money that the record companies
sought from his client would be better spent on paying for health care
or wiping out the national debt.
Apple Mac OS X Turns 10: A Look Back
Apple's Mac OS X celebrated its tenth birthday today - the day after the
company's chief Mac engineer announced plans to leave Apple. It's been an
eventful 10 years, so let's take a look back at the evolution of Mac OS X.
Mac OS X made its formal debut on March 24, 2001 and has gone through
almost a dozen codenames, from Cheetah to the upcoming Lion. Initially,
those names were only used internally, but as they gained in popularity,
Apple started using them in its marketing materials, beginning with Mac
OS X 10.2 Jaguar in 2002.
Mac OS X, however, dates back to 1994 with Apple's Copland project. That
was eventually ditched for 1997's Apple Rhapsody Developer Release
after Apple's acquisition of Steve Jobs's NeXT Software in late 1996.
Rhapsody evolved into Mac OS X Server 1.0 (Hera) by 1999, and reached
the public beta stage (Kodiak) by September 30, 2000. Six months later,
it was ready for the public.
*Mac OS X: Cheetah*
In a 2001 press release, Jobs said Mac OS X was "the most important
software from Apple since the original Macintosh operating system in 1984
that revolutionized the entire industry." At launch, there were 350
applications for Mac OS X, including iMovie 2, iTunes, and a preview of
AppleWorks 6.1, the company's productivity software. Apple touted the
operating system's new Aqua interface, which included the introduction of
the Mac dock. It was $129, and ran on the iMac, iBook, Power Macintosh G3,
Power Mac G4, Power Mac G4 Cube and any PowerBook introduced after May
1998.
In our review , PCMag said OS X is a great leap forward. "Since its
humble beginning in 1994 under the name Copland, OS X has endured a
variety of dead-ends and name changes before finally making it to the
market. The result, however, is a UNIX-based OS that, in time, should
bring Mac users tremendous gains in stability and performance," PCMag
said.
The OS lacked some printer support and made it difficult to use old
applications, but overall, PCMag found it to be "a reliable,
high-performance system that excels in graphics capabilities and looks
good, to boot."
*Mac OS X 10.1: Puma*
Apple showed off Mac OS X 10.1 during a July 2001 Macworld keynote, and
released it on September 25. Apple promised enhanced performance, a
refined Aqua user interface, and upgraded support for digital media and
devices like DVDs, MP3 CDs, MP3 players, printers, digital cameras, and DV
camcorders. It also cost $129, with an upgrade option available for free
until October 31 and $19.95 thereafter."Mac OS X v10.1 is a stunning
upgrade - and only six months after releasing Mac OS X," Jobs said at the
time.
In our PCMag review, we found that OS X 10.1 "deserves praise, but many
of these enhancements should have been there from the beginning." The
main reason for the upgrade, we found, was the performance boost. "It's
remarkably faster than the sluggish version 10.0," PCMag wrote.
*Mac OS X 10.2: Jaguar*
This upgrade, the first one that used the cat-related codenames in
marketing materials, debuted in August 2002. Apple "unleashed" Jaguar at
Apple retail stores at 10:20pm on August 23 with a variety of
Jaguar-related kick-off events. It incorporated more than 150 new
features and apps, including iChat, junk mail filtering, and Rendezvous
networking technology. The company offered a five-user family pack for
$199 in addition to the regularly priced $129 OS.
Apple later announced that Mac OS X 10.2 Jaguar sold 100,000 copies in
its first weekend, with more than 50,000 people visiting Apple's 35
stores during the kick-off events.
"Apple is clearly serious about enticing Windows PC users to switch,"
PCMag said in 2002. "This release has far more essential improvements for
professionals working in multiplatform environments than for home users."
*Mac OS X 10.3: Panther*
After unleashing Jaguar, Apple followed up more than a year later with
"Night of the Panther" on October 24, 2003. Version 10.3 also included
more than 150 new features, including a new Finder with one-click access
to files and folders, the Exposé window-viewing feature, and iChat AV
video conferencing. The company also released Mac OS X Server 10.3 at
the same time; $499 for 10 clients and $999 for unlimited.
Again, speed was a "big reason to upgrade to 10.3," PCMag found.
Expos also provided "an ideal solution for those who find it a hassle
to switch between open applications." In this release, Apple also added
more Windows compatibility like Active Directory support and allowing
Apple's Mail and Address Book utilities to work with Microsoft Exchange
Servers.
"Suffice it to say that with the speed and usability enhancements, the
$129 (direct) price is more than justified," PCMag concluded.
*Mac OS X 10.4: Tiger*
Apple's Tiger update didn't drop until April 2005, bringing more than
200 features like the Spotlight search function and Dashboard, which
included access to a "dazzling new class of applications called widgets."
"Our competitors will be trying to copy Tiger's more than 200 new features
and innovations for years to come," Apple's Phil Schiller said at the
time.
"This upgrade will be known for the speed it brings to daily tasks, as
well as for the usefulness and creative design of its many improvements
(Apple lists over 200 of them)," PCMag wrote in its review. "While a few
standout additions are grabbing the headlines, it's the systemwide
improvements that will thrill the Mac faithful."
"Once you taste the power of Spotlight, you'll wonder how you ever lived
without competent, easy-to-use desktop search," PCMag continued. "And
since having the latest build of the OS is usually a requirement for
running any other subsequent product upgrades (the next version of iLife
or iWork, for example), you'll want to grab this Tiger by the tail."
*Mac OS X 10.5: Leopard*
Leopard made its debut in October 2007 with a revamped desktop that
included the Stacks file search option, a redesigned Finder, Quick Look,
and Time Machine backup.
"Despite minor problems, it's by far the best operating system ever
written for the vast majority of consumers, with dozens of new features
that have real practical value - like truly automated backups, document
and spreadsheet preview images in folders, and notes and to-do lists
integrated into the mail program," PCMag found.
For the average user, "Leopard is the most polished and easiest to use
OS I've tested," PCMag said.
Still, "its pervasive eye-candy starts out looking dazzling but soon
becomes distracting," making the customization options necessary.
*Mac OS X 10.6: Snow Leopard*
Snow Leopard debuted in August 2009, and Apple said it refined 90
percent of the 1,000 projects that make up OS X. It was half the size of
previous releases, freeing up 7GB of drive space. It included support
for 64-bit processors, while remaining compatible with 32-bit apps.
PCMag found that Snow Leopard was "the brainiest, brawniest, and most
beautiful consumer-oriented OS available anywher - and it ships with the
best built-in applications and utilities you can find."
*Mac SO X 10.7: Lion*
The next generation of OS X is expected to launch later this year,
but Apple has provided a few sneak peeks at Lion. As PCMag software
analyst Michael Muchmore found out last month, Lion borrows a lot from
iOS, but that's because iOS started out as a whittled down version of
Mac OS X, so the tides have turned.
Upcoming features include AirDrop, a wireless file-sharing utility; a
redesigned Mail app; Resume, which presents the OS and apps in the exact
state at shutdown; Versions, which allows app developers to implement a
feature that saves multiple snapshots of any document being worked on;
and AutoSave, which does what its name suggests, saving documents
automatically.
Interface tools include LaunchPad (which is like bringing the iPhone or
iPad screen to the Mac), Mission Control, which replaces Spaces and
Expose, and multitouch support.
Top 5 Online 2011 Tax Scams
You may not want to think about your taxes until Tax Day on April 15,
but online scammers are already plotting to separate you from your tax
refund and your identity. Scams for the 2011 tax season include promises
of tax credits for charitable donations to disaster relief in Japan,
malware-laden Websites optimized for search engines, dangerous e-mail,
and so-called 'likejacking' techniques found on the social network
Facebook.
About 19 million people have already filed their taxes at home in 2011,
an increase of almost 6 percent from the year previous, according to the
Internal Revenue Service. Consequently, this time of year is ripe for
tax-related online scams. Crooks know that taxpayers are looking for
information on deductions and tax laws. They know that this is the time
of year when taxpayers submit personal information online and store
sensitive financial documents on their hard drives.
Jennifer Torode, a spokesperson for the security firm Sophos, says that
most of us wait until the last minute to file our tax forms. Scammers
know this and "take advantage over the next few weeks to find ways to
lure frantic filers into their webs," she says.
Here are five tips to help you avoid getting ensnared by tax scammers
this tax season.
*1. Japan Quake Scam*
Among the newest scams for 2011 are bogus e-mail messages promising a
tax credit applicable to your 2010 tax return if you make a charitable
donation to Japan earthquake relief, according to McAfee consultant and
identity theft expert Robert Siciliano. "The scam is based on the ruse
being similar to a real law passed last year regarding Haiti," Siciliano
said. In January 2010, Congress passed the Haiti Assistance Income Tax
Incentive Act that allowed taxpayers to contribute to Haiti relief from
January 11 to March 1, 2010 and claim it on their 2009 tax return. So far,
the government has not established any retroactive tax rules involving
this year's relief effort for Japan.
*Tip:* You can find many earthquake relief scams online; however, it's
not clear how prevalent this particular scam is. For more information on
how to make tax-deductible donations safely and effectively, consult
this notice on IRS.gov.
*2. Gone Phishing*
One of the most popular ways to scam people during tax season is to set up
Websites that look as if they are an official IRS site or a legitimate
tax preparation service. "We have seen some scammers pretending to be
tax preparation services, abusing brand names such as TurboTax, to
obtain people's personal details," said Richard Wang, manager for Sophos
Labs.
Other sites are designed to trick you into downloading a PDF file laden
with malware, according to Jeff Horne, director of threat research for
the security company Webroot. Horne also warns that sites may try to
sneak malware onto your machine using a technique called a "drive-by
download." Such sites contain code looking for exploits in your browser
that will enable them to download malware onto your system without your
knowledge. Merely by using a vulnerable browser to visit a site, you can
be victimized with bad guys wielding this technique.
Once tax-related malware is loaded on your machine, it can set up a
keylogger to track everything you type into your computer, or it can
search your saved documents for keywords related to tax season such as
"social security" or "1040."
*Tip:* The best defense against drive-by downloads is to make sure that
you always use the latest version of a modern Web browser, such as
Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox.
*3. Black Hat SEO*
One of the tricks that crooks use to lure victims into a scam is to
optimize their sites for Google searches, a technique known as "black
hat SEO" (the acronym stands for "search engine optimization"). Horne
suspects that these sites use resources such as Google Trends and Google
Insights to discover the types of tax-related searches people are
requesting. Once criminals have figured out some of the more popular
keywords for this year's tax searches it's not difficult for them to
optimize their bogus sites for search engines.
*Tip:* "Never use search engines to search for tax documents," Horne
said. Instead, go directly to the government site (such as IRS.gov,
USA.gov, or an individual state government site ending in '.gov') to
look for tax forms and other tax information.
*4. Likejacking*
Facebook and other social networking sites are major targets for online
scammers looking to make a quick buck off tax season. Horne says that
Webroot has seen some examples of 'likejacking' in which scammers try to
trick you into 'liking' their scam site on Facebook. Achieving this
objective may involve hiding a Facebook "Like" button under another
button on a third-party Website or exploiting a weakness in your browser
by using a few snippets of JavaScript to press the Like button for you.
Once you "like" the site, an external link will show up in your Facebook
news feed with a scam message such as, "I just got $500 by using this
free tax preparation service." Friends who see that message may be
tempted to click the link leading them to a phishing site or a spam site
looking to increase its ad revenue by generating Web traffic.Note,
however, that some legitimate tax preparation services are promoted on
Facebook by institutions such as universities as well by individual
friends.
*Tip:* Don't choose a tax preparation service on the basis of Facebook
message attributed to a friend. At the very least, talk to the friend
directly to confirm that he or she endorses the service.
*3 percent of online Americans still using Internet Explorer 6, dump it
for the latest version of IE available for your operating system - or use
a different popular browser such as Chrome or Firefox. *
*3. Never use a search engine to look for government documents. Instead,
go directly to sites such as IRS.gov, USA.gov, or individual state
government sites ending in .gov, and search for forms there. *
*4. Never open or download attachments included with messages claiming
to be from the IRS. The wisest course may be to refrain from opening any
unsolicited tax-related e-mail message, as some poisoned messages use
HTML to exploit weaknesses in your browser and initiate a drive-by
download. *
*5. Never do your taxes over an unencrypted wireless connection such as
free Wi-Fi at Starbucks. At home, even if you use the latest wireless
security encryption standards such as WPA2 there, you are better off
breaking out the LAN cable and using a wired connection when dealing
with sensitive financial information. *
*6. Once you're finished filing your taxes for this year, make sure that
you move all of your tax-related files for safe keeping to a USB key, an
external hard drive, or some other form of removable storage. Then wipe
all tax files off your computer's hard drive. Tax-related malware may
lurk online long after tax season is over, according to Horne. If you
happen to get infected, and you've stored your tax forms in a special
folder on your PC, it won't take much for a scammer to steal your
identity. *
**IRS Advice* *
*The IRS also has a lot of helpful information to help keep you safe
from phishing and other e-mail scams. The IRS emphasizes that it never
asks taxpayers for their passwords, PINs, or other secret data relating
to bank accounts and credit cards. Furthermore, never initiates taxpayer
communication through e-mail. If you receive a dubious e-mail message
claiming to be from the IRS, you can report it by forwarding the message
without altering it to phishing@irs.gov. For more online tax security
tips, check out the IRS's page on how to protect your personal
information. *
More Than Half of US Adults Use Facebook
More than half of US adults use online social networking service Facebook,
according to an upcoming study.
A report by Edison Research and Arbitron Inc. to be released on April 5
includes the finding that 51 percent of US residents age 12 or older
have profiles set up at Facebook.
Facebook terms of service require people to be at least 13 years old to
be members of the online community, which boasts more than a
half-billion users.
"We have been tracking the growth of Facebook since 2008, and have
watched it go from eight percent usage just three years ago, to 51
percent today," New Jersey-based Edison said in a release.
The market tracking firms based the findings on a January survey of
2,020 people. Study findings presented in a webcast will include the
popularity of accessing social networks using mobile phones, according
to Edison.
OMG, the Oxford English Dictionary Added New Words! We 'Heart' It! LOL!
Before you take to the comments to ream us out about the above headline:
"OMG," "LOL" and the symbol for "heart" have all been added to the
Oxford English Dictionary Online.
According to the OED's site, the newest edition of the dictionary (which
comes out online today) revises more than 1,900 entries and includes a ton
of new words - including the neologisms
above.
So what do OMG and LOL mean to the /OED/? In the electronic realm, they're
merely shorthand for surprise and mirth. In the real-world space -
according to the OED's blog post - "The intention is usually to signal an
informal, gossipy mode of expression, and perhaps parody the level of
unreflective enthusiasm or overstatement that can sometimes appear in
online discourse, while at the same time marking oneself as an 'insider'
au fait with the forms of expression associated with the latest
technology."
So, we're going with irony rather than pre-teen sincerity here, huh,
OED? Fair enough.
The OED also reveals that these neologisms aren't as neo as we might
think: The first quotation the dictionary uses for the definition of OMG
is from a letter dating back to 1917, and LOL meant "little old lady"
back in 1960.
The heart sign, however, is perhaps the most interesting addition. As
the post says, "This update may be the first English usage to develop
via the medium of T-shirts and bumper-stickers."
All this is fine and good, but I'm holding out for the next edition,
which will hopefully include some of those symbols all those witch house
bands have been throwing around of late. OMG, I would <3 that! LOL!
Tech-Savvy Student Tracks Down MacBook Air Thief
What would you do if you were a college freshman and your MacBook Air
was stolen? Aside from calling your parents and crying, of course.
Eighteen-year-old "technology entrepreneur" and Bentley College student
Mark Baohad his MacBook Air stolen in February. Unlike other bright-eyed
college freshmen, Bao didn't write his laptop off as gone forever (ok,
maybe he did--he went out and purchased another laptop the very same
night it was stolen), he set out to find the thief.
Using online backup software BackBlaze that he'd installed on his laptop,
Bao was able to see the machine's browser history and track any hard
drive updates.
"Woah. Thanks to @Backblaze, I think I might be able to figure out who
stole my MacBook Air at college. Creeping through the Safari history!"
Bao Tweeted on March 19.
Apparently the first thing the thief did was take a photo of himself
using the laptop's Photo Booth program. Bao discovered this little gem
and took to Twitter: "Wow. The first thing that MacBook thieves do REALLY
IS take pictures on Photo Booth. I didn't think they were that dumb!" Bao
wrote in a Tweet.
After discovering the photo, Bao discovered a video the thief had taken
of himself dancing to Tyga's "Make it Rain." Bao uploaded the video to
Vimeo, managed to hunt down the guy's Facebook page using the
aforementioned Safari history, and then turned everything over to the
police.
Needless to say, the gig was up for our dancing thief, who returned the
laptop to the police and sent Bao an apology note on Facebook (the two
attended the same school and had mutual friends). Bao told the Daily
Mail that he holds no grudges against the thief, because "I don't have
time nor patience to. There are more important things in life."
Mark no longer has any use for his old laptop, so he's selling it and
donating the proceeds to the Red Cross Japan fund.
=~=~=~=
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