Google’s $500 M. budget for defending YouTube?

The wave of rumours flooded the IT community, and the player everybody talks about right now isn’t anyone smaller than Google with his new acquired videosharing portal YouTube. Google Inc Chief Executive Eric Schmidt on Tuesday denied a widely circulated rumour that his company had set aside $500 million to settle copyright claims by media companies as part of its deal to acquire video-sharing site YouTube Inc. Speaking to more than 500 Internet industry insiders at the annual Web 2.0 Summit, Schmidt said an anonymous blog post asserting YouTube has reserved $500 million for legal claims, out of the $1.65 billion take-over price, was “not true.” Web and sports entrepreneur Mark Cuban, an outspoken critic of the Google-YouTube deal, late last month posted a claim from an anonymous blogger that he had inside information on the secret reserve plan.

In a two-part question, Battelle, organizer of Web 2.0 Converence in San Francisco, asked whether Google’s deal included a secret reserve for legal claims and, secondly, what progress Google was making in striking licensing deals with media companies to avoid threats of legal action. “The former is not true,” Schmidt said in response to the question of whether a “very large sum of money was set aside to buy peace” between YouTube and big media companies. “The latter is,” the Google CEO continued. “We have visited as many media companies as we can” to reach copyright licensing deals that can insulate both YouTube and Google, he said. Television and video producers, along with music labels, are angry that pirated versions of their copyright programming are frequently posted by people to YouTube’s site and have become a prime attraction of the video site. We all know YouTube is full of licensed, but is there someone who wants to start the war?

Windows Vista finally Gold

Microsoft announced today that Windows Vista has been released to manufacturing. Vista will mark the first big shift in Microsoft consumer operating systems in over 5 years. According to Neowin, the RTM version of Vista will be available for MSDN subscribers sometime after November 10, while businesses should begin receiving their copies on or shortly after November 30. Vista will be launched into the retail sector on January 30, 2007.

With Vista, Microsoft promises increased security with an improved firewall and Windows Defender and User Account Control. Other fresh additions include integrated desktop search, Internet Explorer 7.0, Windows Sidebar, Windows Sideshow, built-in system diagnostics, improved gaming support, fully integrated Speech Recognition as well as support for Windows SuperFetch, Windows ReadyBoost and Windows ReadyDrive.

Windows Vista will be available in four distinct retail versions:

• Windows Vista Home Basic, $199/$99.95 (full/upgrade) - Provides a basic platform for home users who want to keep tabs on email and Internet activity. Comes standard with Vista’s new Search Explorer, Sidebar and Parental Controls.
• Windows Vista Home Premium, $239/$159 - Builds on Home Basic by adding the Windows Aero interface, Windows Media Center functionality, Windows Tablet PC technology and integrated DVD burning.
• Windows Vista Business, $299/$199 - Supports the Aero user interface, offers improved document managing and Windows Tablet PC functionality.
• Windows Vista Ultimate, $399/$259 - Vista Ultimate combines the functionality of Vista Home Premium and Vista Business.

And then one special version: Windows.Vista.Corporate.Edition.CRACKED-SomeGroup for $0.00

Microsoft adds 3D Maps into Live Search

Microsoft on Monday took the wraps off Virtual Earth 3D, a new version of the company’s mapping application that enables users to “fly” through three-dimensional models of cities from directly within their Web browser - complete with virtual billboards. The idea is that users can type a query into Windows Live Search and click on the “maps” tab to bring up results in a local context, with the ability to view two-dimensional aerial and bird’s-eye imagery, or the new 3D models offered by Virtual Earth. As part of the change, Windows Live Local is being re-branded Windows Live Search Maps.

The service is poised to compete with Google Earth, a standalone application that complements the search giant’s online mapping service. But Microsoft says its offering takes the concept to another level, by bringing the virtual world closer to the physical world. Instead of grey scale boxes of buildings like in Google Earth, Virtual Earth 3D uses photographs to create realistic, textured buildings. Microsoft says it developed the cameras it uses to capture the images in house, as well as creating an algorithmic program to build the textured 3D models. The only glitch on this nice new features is that 3D maps are now offered only for 15 cities in the USA. Kinda big glitch…

Flash code donated to Mozilla by Adobe

There are still quite surprising news in the world of tough software & internet business: Adobe announced at the Web 2.0 conference on Tuesday that it was donating the scripting language engine from Flash to the Mozilla Foundation, where it will become an open source project called Tamarin as well as being integrated directly into the Firefox Web browser. Specifically, Adobe is opening up its ActionScript Virtual Machine, which forms the core of Flash Player version 9. The most recent release in June added improved debugging, faster start times, full runtime error reporting, and better performance. The code is the largest contribution to Mozilla since the organization was founded in 2003. The basic idea of the effort is to accelerate the development of the standards-based language in order to promote the development of rich Web applications, along with making them run more smoothly in Firefox.

“Now web developers have a high-performance, open source virtual machine for building and deploying interactive applications across both Adobe Flash Player and the Firefox web browser. We’re excited about joining the Adobe and Mozilla communities to advance ECMAScript,” commented Mozilla Corporation CTO Brendan Eich. Great partnership…

Alcohol Version 1.9.6.4629 is out

Alcohol Software has updated it’s Alcohol 120% to version 1.9.6.4629. Changelog is as following, containing some nice new features:

- SPTD driver version 1.35.
- Full Windows Vista RC2 (Build 5744) compatibility 32Bit and 64Bit editions.
- RMPS V2, a totally new generation of our RMPS feature
- Option to install Alcohol with or without Virtual drive function.
- EWSS (Enhanced Weak Sector Scanner).
- Shell Context Menu support in all x64 platforms. (XP, Windows Server 2003 and Vista RC2).

The most interesting new feature, even if not stated in changelog, is that now it’s possible to burn a disc and use the disc instead to mount an image on a virtual drive. The cracked version isn’t out yet, the last one is four weeks old release Alcohol_120_v1.9.5.4521-DIGERATI.

Microsoft Office 2007 finished

Microsoft has wrapped up development of its forthcoming Office 2007 productivity suite and released the code to manufacturing. The application is slated for release to businesses on 30 November, together with Windows Vista and Exchange 2007. The consumer launch is scheduled for early next year. Office 2007 was originally scheduled for release by “late 2006″ but the product’s roll out was moved back to coincide with the forthcoming launch of Windows Vista. The productivity suite has been in beta since November last year and has since been downloaded by more than 3.5m people, touted Microsoft.

The suite’s main new feature is a user interface that Microsoft chairman Bill Gates unveiled last year at the Professional Developer Conference in Los Angeles. The interface is designed to change with the current task being performed, which Microsoft expects will better inform users of the available features. Internal Microsoft research had shown that the features most requested by users were already available in the software but were difficult to find. Office 12 will also offer new business intelligence tools to help employees find and analyse information. I was playing a bit with some beta version of this new Office and although it takes some time to get used to these new functions, they make working with this much easier…

NVidia Forceware 93.71 WHQL Drivers

A new WHQL Forceware graphics drivers v93.71 (dated November 2nd, 2006 - download - Win2k/XP ~ 40.5MB) are available for download from the official NVIDIA download page. As always, updating to this version is highly recommended for all owners of newer graphic accelerators. Some changes from release notes:

• Single-GPU Issues Resolved (Error message occurs when running the NVIDIA Control Panel Television Setup Wizard.)
• NVIDIA Quadro FX 4400: After changing the color settings from the NVIDIA Control panel, the settings revert to the default.
• GeForce 7950 GX2, NVIDIA Control Panel: The Multi-GPU performance mode default is set to Custom when initially creating a new application profile.
• GeForce 7950 GX2: In the NVIDIA Control Panel, Multi-GPU antialiasing modes are available when Multi-Display rendering mode is selected.
• GeForce 7900 GT: The new NVIDIA Control Panel lists the product name as GeForce 7900 GT/GTO, instead of the correct GeForce 7900 GT.
• GeForce 7600 GS, NVIDIA Control Panel/Classic Control Panel: HDTV component-out output is split vertically when applying the 1080i resolution.
• GeForce 7600 GS, GeForce 6150/6100: During video playback in VMR mode, video is corrupt and shaky when noise reduction is enabled.
• GeForce 6800 GT 256MB: Windows Media Player 10 video becomes corrupt when rotating the screen while playing a video.
• GeForce 6600 128MB: Windows Media Player 10 crashes when changing the resolution while playing a DVD.
• GeForce 6600 128MB: The secondary Dualview monitor flickers while playing any NTSC DVD.

Grant T. Stanley, the man behind the Elite Torrents BitTorrent tracker that came under fire last year for posting a print of Star Wars Episode 3 befor

The freedom of MySpace users became probably little more “wild” than the authors initially intended. News Corp., the parent company of MySpace, said Monday that it would be employing technology aimed at keeping copyrighted material off its pages. Additionally, the site would crack down on violators of the policy, kicking them off the popular social networking site. Technology from Gracenote would scan music uploaded to the site’s profile pages and then compare it to the privately held company’s database. If it detects the file does not match a filing with the company, it would be blocked.

If a user continues to attempt to upload illicit files, it would result in his or her account being deleted. In addition to these moves, MySpace would also remove copyrighted material when requested by the labels and other content owners.”MySpace is staunchly committed to protecting artists’ rights - whether those artists are on major labels or are independent acts,” said Chris DeWolfe, CEO and co-founder of MySpace. “This is another important step we’re taking to ensure artists control the content they create.” Gracenote says that its technology, known as MusicID, is used in several different applications, including content filtering, broadcast monitoring, mobile music recognition, music file recognition and rights clearance. By the way, do you also think that putting some stupid music on background of webpage (which was “in” may be in 1990s) increase your MySpace respect? Well may be if you insterested in respect of similarly oriented geeks, then it’s the right choice, but it’s just and only annoying for normal people…

Sentenced to 5 months of prison for running tracker

Grant T. Stanley, the man behind the Elite Torrents BitTorrent tracker that came under fire last year for posting a print of Star Wars Episode 3 before the film’s theatrical release, will spend five months in jail for his role in running the site. U.S. District Court Judge James P. Jones has sentenced Stanley to a five-month prison term plus five months of house arrest, a $3,000 fine, and three years of “supervised release.”

In other news, four out of eight administrators of the Finnish BitTorrent tracker ‘Finreactor’ have been declared guilty in court and have to pay damages totaling 60,000 dollars each. The lawsuit against Finreactor has just come to a close. This is believed to be only the first of many filed against the site. Three of the four administrators found guilty are under the age of 18. It is unclear how they are going to scrape together enough money to pay their fines. With a little help from Finland’s National Bureau of Investigation (Keskusrikospoliisi), the Finnish equivalent of the RIAA shut down Finreactor in late 2004. It was, at the time, possibly the largest Finnish BitTorrent tracker with more than 37,000 registered members. The Keskusrikospoliisi, after getting the go-ahead from Teosto, raided the administrators’ homes and seized computers and hard drives. The evidence they found was condemning. It looks it’s slowly becoming quite a risky hobby to run a torrent website in some countries :-/.

3 Million Downloads of Internet Explorer 7 in 4 Days

The big companies always know best how to commend their own work: Microsoft is heralding the launch of Internet Explorer 7 as a success, announcing that the new browser has been downloaded three million times in the first four days. Early next month, customers will begin receiving IE7 automatically, at which time adoption numbers will likely skyrocket. There’s a small tool which can disable upgrade to IE7 on your workstation, but Microsoft doesn’t promote thig thing too much, so hardly smoeone knows about this possibility.

To promote the launch of IE7, Microsoft has bought up radio spots and employed mobile billboards in 10 cities across the United States. The new browser brings added security, tabbed browsing and built-in RSS support, and is currently available for Windows XP SP2. “Of course, we’re not done with IE7 yet. Next up are the localized versions of IE7 for Windows XP and, of course, IE7 in Windows Vista,” said Tony Chor, IE7 group program manager. Isn’t it easy to reach 3 millions of downloads when every internet server post an article about your product?

Apple’s FairPlay cracked by DVD Jon

The rule about every protection being beated sometimes has been confirmed once again: the locked ecosystem that Apple has created for its iPod is under threat from the machinations of an innocent-looking geek from Norway who has figured out a workaround to Apple’s DRM. Jon Lech Johansen, known in the blogosphere as DVD Jon for his work cracking DVD copy protection when he was just 15, is licencing technology through his company Double Twist to allow other music distributors the sell tracks for the iPod. By reverse-engineering Apple’s FairPlay copy protection, he’s discovered how to add coding to non-iTunes songs that mimics the FairPlay code, thus tricking the iPod into thinking it’s playing an iTunes track.

“Today’s reality is that there’s this itunes-ipod ecosystem that excludes everyone else from the market,â€? Johansen told Fortune magazine. “I don’t like closed systems.â€? He also said that he hasn’t broken the law because he hasn’t tried to remove Apple’s DRM, but rather has added another level of copy protection. “The law protects copyrights, but it doesn’t keep you locked into the iPod.â€? Good work buddy.

Sony offers doubled Micro Vault Capacity: 8 GB

The competition about smallest miniportable drive with biggest capacity is still on the fire: Sony doubles MICRO VAULTâ„¢ storage capacity - A huge 8GB available in MICRO VAULT ‘Midi’ line-up from October 2006. The Sony MICRO VAULT ‘Midi’ range is available with capacities of 512MB, 1GB, 2GB, 4GB and now 8GB from November 2006, with a Hi-Speed USB (USB2.0) interface for the convenient transfer of large files4. The clear colour coding found running through all Sony MICRO VAULT ranges (MICRO VAULT ‘Midi’, ‘Excellence’ and ‘Tiny’) attributes a specific colour to each storage capacity which is reflected on the packaging as well as the capacity indication on the product itself. Useful piece of hardware, with sizes of new games…

AIM 6 finally supports offline messaging

Although I use mostly MSN Messenger and ICQ, I have AIM also installed to get in touch with certain people who use this application. The one big minus of this instant messaging client was the lack of offline messages. This feature is supported by ICQ for years and the latest version of MSN (Live) Messenger supports it now as well. AOL has returned to number-based versioning after launching AIM Triton last year. AIM 6 is the next iteration of Triton, which was named to emphasize that it was a completely new instant messaging platform rewritten from the ground up, but caused some confusion among AIM users. Beta 2 of AIM 6 introduces a number of user interface changes to the popular IM client. Window buttons, menu items and even the color schemes used by the software have been reworked.

AOL has removed Triton’s “IM Catcher” feature and replaced it with an Away Status window and an Unknown Sender’s curtain.The Away Status window shows up when set as “away” and lets users disable sounds and pop-up notifications. Unlike previous versions of the client, users can remain away and still send messages to buddies. The Unknown Sender dialog catches messages from those not on a user’s list, and can be used to report IM spam. Offline messages, a feature long offered by Yahoo and AOL’s own ICQ service, are a new addition to AIM 6. Messages sent to a buddy who is not connected will appear when they next sign online, accompanied by a System Message that lets the recipient disable the feature if desired. AOL has restricted the functionality to reduce abuse, however, and users can only send and/or receive 40 offline messages in 24 hours. Good work.

Tough internet discussions in China

All flamers living in China should be pretty careful now - China has passed legislation outlawing Internet rumor mongering. According to the law, people who post “defamatory comments” could be fined from 1,000 to 5,000 yuan (about $600) and face jail time. Distributing the comments is also outlawed and organizations like newspapers and websites could face fines of 3,000 to 15,000 yuan ($1500).

The law doesn’t affect the entire nation because it was passed in the Chongqing Municipality province in Southwest China. Other areas could craft similar laws, using the Chongqing one as an example setting precedent. I really can’t imagine something like this in any “internet-active” country - all these discussions under articles would be monitored and people couldn’t use any stronger argument to persuade the others. And everybody can confirm there is a lot of people just attacking others without bringing some sensefull ideas…

Video iPods Shipped with Windows Virus

Quite funny method of daunting Windows users has been seen on some latest Apple iPod Video players. The RavMonE.exe virus installed on some video iPods at the factory should be detected and zapped by any Windows antivirus software with up-to-date definitions, Apple said. While RavMonE.exe doesn’t affect Mac OS X, it will, of course, infect Windows running on an Intel-based Mac via Boot Camp, Parallels, or similar software. The virus in question should be detected and zapped by any antivirus software with up-to-date definitions, Apple said.

The company recommends that Windows users attach their video iPods to their computers, run their antivirus application, and then restore the iPod to its original factory settings through iTunes. The virus uses mass storage devices to propagate, so Apple also advises users to scan other external devices too.While RavMonE.exe doesn’t affect Mac OS X, it will, of course, infect Windows running on an Intel-based Mac via Boot Camp, Parallels, or similar software. Such users should also undertake the steps recommended by Apple, if they are using a Windows-formatted video iPod. How is this even possible? Some crazy bet of bored Apple developers?

MS Internet Explorer 7 available. And?

The big day of Microsoft became true - they released the final version of Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 during this night. The new version is the first upgrade to the web browsing program for more than five years. New features include tabbed browsing, the ability to search the net directly and an anti-fraud system to thwart phishing attacks. The new program is available as a free download on 19 October, but many will get it as an automatic update to Windows XP in November. The new version of the browser has gone through a long testing regime and five test or “beta” versions have been made available in the last 14 months. Despite this IE 7 is still seen as an attempt by Microsoft to catch up with rival browsers as it includes features that have long been seen in competitors such as Firefox and Opera.

But is it even worth installing this new version of IE7? For me, absolutely not. I haven’t launched Internet Explorer for months, Firefox is my default browser without any comments and there’s also Opera installed as a backup. From my point of view, they just implements functions already available in these alternate browsers. But lot of classic MS crap remained. And built-in search box for searching through Microsoft’s crappy search engine? No thanks, there’s still Google guys. And the last line? First exploit for IE7 appeared just few hours after the official release. Really funny…

Iran slow downs internet to cut west’s influence

Pretty crazy news came today from Iran: Iran’s Islamic government has opened a new front in its drive to stifle domestic political dissent and combat the influence of western culture - by banning high-speed internet links. In a blow to the country’s estimated 5 million internet users, service providers have been told to restrict online speeds to 128 kilobytes a second and been forbidden from offering fast broadband packages. The move by Iran’s telecommunications regulator will make it more difficult to download foreign music, films and television programmes, which the authorities blame for undermining Islamic culture among the younger generation. It will also impede efforts by political opposition groups to organise by uploading information on to the net.

The order follows a purge on illegal satellite dishes, which millions of Iranians use to clandestinely watch western television. Police have seized thousands of dishes in recent months. The situation described by one Iranian blogger sounds really weird: “Despite having the telecoms facilities, fibre-optic technology and internet infrastructure, the authorities want us to be undeveloped.” I really wouldn’t like to live in such a country. May be even China is better in terms of limiting access to some western websites, but offering Megabits of internet connection for cheap prices…

MySpace sex offender caught by hacker

There’s another reason why not to think that hackers may do only some harmful acitvities: Renowned hacker Kevin Poulsen has helped police arrest a convicted sex offender on MySpace.com, using results from a Perl script he wrote several months ago. Poulsen, the former news editor for SecurityFocus and now editor at Wired News, correlated data mined from the U.S. National Sex Offender Registry with over a million profiles on MySpace.com. While his automated Perl script resulted in a large number of false positives, he was still able to find 744 confirmed sex offenders with MySpace profiles after examining just one third of the data.

The search ultimately resulted in one arrest, of repeat sex offender Andrew Lubrano in New York. Like many sex offenders, Lubrano registered his MySpace account using his real name. MySpace is increasingly being targeted by sexual predators, as the popular social networking site attracts at large number of children and teenagers. Poulsen’s Perl script, about 1,000 lines in length, is expected to be released to the open source community later this week. By the way, can someone already explain me what’s so interesting on MySpace? I haven’t found its appeal yet…

Nice Firefox tuning tips

The userbase of Firefox is still growing and because of that, thousands of people notices some problems about this browser. Probably the most common one is extreme consumption of RAM, when you browse with Firefox little longer. This bug isn’t bug actually, it’s a feature, although it may sound little weird. There’s a option to configure this cache function, but it’s kinda hidden in Firefox config file. This tip is quite old, but because there’s probably still a lot of people having issues with this, I feel it could be helpfull to post here few recommendations:

Kill the amount of RAM Firefox uses for it’s cache feature
Here’s how to fix it:
1. type “about:config� (no quotes) in the browser.
2. Find browser.sessionhistory.max_total_viewer
2. set it’s value to “0″

Increase the Speed in Which Firefox loads pages
1.Type “about:config� into the address bar and hit return.
Normally the browser will make one request to a web page at a time. When you enable pipelining it will make several at once, which really speeds up page loading.

2. Alter the entries as follows:
Set “network.http.pipelining� to “true�
Set “network.http.proxy.pipelining� to “true�
Set “network.http.pipelining.maxrequests� to some number like 30.

This means it will make 30 requests at once.

3. Lastly right-click anywhere and select New-> Integer. Name it “nglayout.initialpaint.delay� and set its value to “0″.

This value is the amount of time the browser waits before it acts on information it receives. If you’re using a broadband connection you’ll load pages faster now
More options for your about:config (you might have to create some of these entries by Right Click –> New– > Interger or String

network.dns.disableIPv6: set “false�
“content.notify.backoffcount�: set “5″
“plugin.expose_full_path�: set “true�.
“ui.submenuDelay�: set “0″ (zero)

Kill RAM usage to 10mb when FF is minimized
This little about:config hack will drop Firefox’s RAM usage down to 10 Mb when minimized

1. Open Firefox and go to the Address Bar. Type in about:config and then press Enter.
2. Right Click in the page and select New -> Boolean.
3. In the box that pops up enter config.trim_on_minimize. Press Enter.
4. Now select True and then press Enter.
5. Restart Firefox.
Ok I hope this makes a few people’s browsing experience a bit better with Firefox and debunks a myth about their being a bug.

Sony strikes back with new line of Walkman

There’s no company who would want Apple as the king of portable mp3 players. Sony on Thursday took the wraps off a new line of Walkman portable audio players, which the company says offers features not found in competing devices. Five new Walkman models will debut before the end of the year, offering capacities up to 4GB. The players are shaped like a small perfume bottle, with the high-end model priced at 29,000 yen ($240) in Japan. But Sony acknowledges it has a long way to go if it wants to unseat Apple.




“Sony has a lot of strengths that Apple doesn’t have,” said Hiroshi Yoshioka, senior vice president of Sony’s audio division in a press conference Thursday. “This is a device that takes advantage of them.” Yoshioka added that Sony expects to double its market share from 10 to 20 percent. The new Walkman lineup includes the ability to upload music directly from a CD player, as well as a built-in noise cancellation feature. Battery life is just three hours after only three minutes of charging, and the players come in four colors. The design looks pretty stylish on the first pictures, functions should be also better than in case of iPod, so we will see how will this gadget succeed. Do you still have the old sony cassette walkman somewhere in the garbage? I do!

Microsoft releases 26 new patches

Microsoft just confirmed weak security of their software - Microsoft’s Patch Tuesday has seen a record 26 flaws receive a fix through ten different patches. Some computers, however, may not have received the automatic security updates as usual because of a problem with Microsoft’s delivery system, which is it trying to solve. Users worried about a vulnerable system can manually download the patches by visiting Microsoft’s website. The total number of “critical� patches number six, and cover PowerPoint, Excel, and Word flaws, amongst others. Each of the critical vulnerabilities allows remote code execution through a malicious web page or file. One of the most important patches is one that fixes a flaw in the WebFolderView Active X file that affects IE and has already been hacked.

A couple of the fixes also apply to the Windows Vista operating system, which is being trialed by selected beta testers. Microsoft hasn’t said which bugs are being fixed. Two of the patches affect Office software for Apple Mac, and are rated simply “importantâ€?. Microsoft also noted that it expects to release Windows Internet Explorer 7 later this month, with the browser update scheduled to be delivered shortly thereafter via Windows Update and Automatic Update. The company said it is providing a blocker tool that will allow businesses to prevent their computers from receiving the new browser. Better to install it and keep using Firefox…

End of Windows XP SP1 support today

The another milestone to make Windows XP totally dominant operating system has been made: For all the Windows XP users out there that have been refusing to upgrade to Service Pack 2, today is the day support ends for any version of the operating system still running Service Pack 1. Microsoft has gone well beyond what it has stated is an acceptable support time for service packs. In the past, it has said it will support an operating system for a full 5 years after release and service packs for 12 months after the release of the next service pack. Service Pack 1 has been supported for two years; SP2 was released in September 2004.

Those unsure which Service Pack they are running can check by right clicking on their “My Computer” shortcut and selecting the Properties option. The Service Pack version should be listed under the “System” heading on the window that pops up. Updating to Service Pack 2 is free and best done via the Windows Update. Microsoft also released a bunch of new patches through Windows Update today, after some server issues, which caused quite a long delay in updating. The dominance of Win XP with SP2 is totally clear - after all, you need this system for installing the majority of new games, as the older OS aren’t usually supported…

Wild Asia: Chinese hackers attacks US gov

Country with probably the biggest future potential is still kinda wild in terms of internet and illegal software. The U.S. Department of Commerce took hundreds of computers offline following a series of attacks aimed at federal employees’ computer accounts by online thieves that appear to be based in China, according to media reports published on Monday. The department’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) told news agencies that several user accounts had been compromised by the attackers, but no sensitive data had been stolen. The department is the second federal agency to be compromised by attacks coming out of China. In July, the U.S. Department of State also acknowledged that some if its computers had been hit by attackers targeting information about China and Korea. The federal agency also maintained that no sensitive information had been taken. The attacks continue a trend of stealthy, low-volume attacks targeted at individuals inside government agencies and corporations that some security experts believe are sponsored by a country, likely China. In May, security experts discovered that attackers were using a zero-day exploit for a flaw in Microsoft Word to compromise targeted systems. A number of other attacks have also made use of zero-day Office vulnerabilities. The attacks have apparently originated in China or used a Chinese server from which to attack. On the other hand, China and Asia in global are countries / regions with most unsecured computers in the world…

Firefox 2 RC2 Released

All Firefox fans interested in playing around with the latest 2.0 RC2 should visit this download link. The release notes have a detailed list of what’s new in Firefox 2 RC 2. I must admit this new version is the best thing for browsing I’ve tried so far, these Firefox coders really know how to make a good software. Firefox 2 Release Candidate 2 also includes several bug fixes resulting directly from feedback obtained from people using our previous release candidate build. Users running Firefox 2 RC 1 will automatically be updated to Firefox 2 Release Candidate 2 through the Software Update feature, and are encouraged to continue submitting feedback and Talkback reports. List of changes:

• A new theme that updates Firefox’s familiar interface
• Built in Phishing Protection
• Enhanced search engine management and search suggestions for Google, Yahoo! and Answers.com
• Improvements to tabbed browsing, including the ability to re-open recently closed tabs
• Firefox will resume from where you left off after a system crash or browser restart
• Better support for previewing and subscribing to Web feeds
• Inline spell checking in Web forms
• The ability to create bookmarks with “Live Titlesâ€? for Web sites that offer microsummaries
• New Add-ons manager that simplifies management of extensions and themes.
• Support for JavaScript 1.7
• Extended search plugin format
• Updates to the extension system to provide enhanced security and to allow for easier localization of extensions
• Support for client-side session and persistent storage
• Support for SVG text using svg:textPath
• New Windows installer based on Nullsoft Scriptable Install System

Rumours: Google buying YouTube for $1.6bn?

The wave of quite shocking news appeared in majority of internet news servers. The initial report came from Techcrunch.com: Google is close to buying YouTube for $1.6bn, according to this site. the talks are at a sensitive stage and could break off. Which would be madness on YouTube’s part, if it was doing the breaking. This enormously popular bazaar of video pratfalls, US government propaganda and stolen TV and film clips, needs a sugar daddy. The knocks on YouTube have been the problems of monetizing video streams, as well as the battle against content providers who often have their copyrights violated through unauthorized uploads. YouTube has turned to a variety of advertisers, including Google, and media sponsors to help cash in on its popularity without having to pad its videos with actual visual ads.

What we don’t know is whether that will be enough to offset the high costs of running a video site in the first place. Last month’s deal with Warner Music Group (NYSE: WMG) was a good step toward getting content owners on YouTube’s side, but in the end it will only mean more mouths to feed. Google looks like the ideal buyer and gold-mine for YouTube owners. For amazing amount of money, they would have new, extremely strong owner, which shouldn’t have bigger problems with supplying enough of bandwith, server power and propagation. Although there’s already Google Video service, I’m pretty sure it’s very possible this thing will happen…

Doubled BSAA reward to stop software pirates

Pressures on common home users about their filesharing activities are still increasing - another warning came from Australia. The Business Software Association of Australia (BSAA), the Australian software industry’s “pirate hunters” have doubled the reward on offer to anyone willing to turn over pirates using illegitimate business applications. The organization, which claims to be “dedicated to promoting a safe and legal digital world,” has announced that there would now be $10,000 reward offered to anyone dobbing in copyright thieves. BSAA chairman Jim Macnamara said the group realised that the previous $5000 bounty was below international standards, while also conceding that claiming the reward is not a straightforward process.

Those willing to co-operate have to do more than just identify a suspected pirate. Informants are required to sign affidavits and “be involved in a legal process,” Mr Macnamara added, a process which can be time-consuming. Mr Macnamara also believes that Australia’s 31% piracy rate is still too high by world standards. Australia has yet to see any criminal cases for software piracy, but has assisted in some US-initiated actions. It’s quite wise to use applications like PeerGuardian if you live in some of these “hot” regions. Although it can’t block all dangerous connections, it will give you at least some increased level of personal security…

Solution for stolen mobile phone: Scream

Interesting news arrived today from one british company: they invented technology called Remote XT for cellphones which will generate an “ear-piercing screech” when a cellphone is stolen. The thief can only stop the screeching by taking out the battery, and putting a new SIM card in the phone will not reactivate it. The technology, available in the U.K., has been designed to address the growing cellphone theft in the country. In fact, cellphone theft has gotten so bad that one-third of all robberies in the U.K. involve a mobile phone. In addition to the screech, the handset can be locked and all information on the unit wiped. The good news is that the Remote XT technology also backs up the phone’s data in a “secure Government-approved data centre,” so if the mobile is stolen you will simply be able to move your data to a new one.

The stolen phone alert, the remote lock, and the data wipe are initiated by the phone’s owner, who simply contacts the Remote XT call center to notify a rep that the phone has been lost or stolen. The trick to eliminating most crime is taking the profit out of it. Thieves don’t want the risk associated with stealing a mobile phone if they know there is a good chance the phone won’t be usable once taken. Considering that no thief wants a cellphone that can’t be use and only screams, this may indeed have an impact on mobile phone crime in the U.K. and later also in other countries, if these first trials succeed. The only problem is ironicaly this annoying scream - I find often myself angry if some car starts its alarm on the street by some accident and it takes long minutes of loud noise till its owner turn it off. Can you imagine that with mobile phone in overcrowded underground during the peak time? May be some inventions should remain just in the labs…

Microsoft dropped price of Zune to $249

Microsoft’s portable media player, the 30GB Zune, will be released on Nov. 14 with a suggested retail price of $249. This is a $50 drop from earlier reports. According to TWICE, the Zune’s price point is a shot across the bow of Apple, which just announced a new 30GB iPod also priced at $249. Other key differences between Zune and Apple’s iPods/iTunes system include:

• The Zune has Wi-Fi capability.
• Zune offers two pricing plans: $.99 per song or $14.99 monthly subscriptions.
• It comes with a built-in FM tuner.
• Zune has a sharing feature that beams a song to another Zune player and makes it available for a three-day trial period.
• The unit is pre-loaded music, videos, film shorts and images.

And because a portable media player can’t survive without accessories, TWICE reports that a selection of speaker and car add-ons will also be released in time for the Nov. 14 launch. Should we consider this as a first useful product from Microsoft ?

Japanese scientists transferring data at 14 Tb/s

Crazy high-speed news appeared on the website of japanese ISP called NTT. Nippon Telegraph and Telephone has announced data transmission at a rate of 14 terabits per second over a single optical fiber. The value of 14 Tbps (111 Gbps x 140 channels) greatly exceeds the current record of about 10 Tbps and so claims the record of the world’s largest transmission capacity. They had to use a lot of special technologies like wavelenght multiplexing or ultra-wide amplifiers to achieve such a speed. You can read more details about this record at their website if you are interested in technical stuff. I’ll probably consider moving to Japan, this is totally worth it :).

Abacus MobileWear Bluetooth Watch

All techy geeks can get a a nice new gadget now: Bluetooth Watches from Abacus. Very modern look and Fossil’s body makes these watch kinda expensive though, with price about $300. The Abacus was developed from one of Fossil’s bestselling analogue watches. In terms of functionality, it seems very similar to the MBW-100, with auto-pairing to your phone to offer caller ID information on your wrist (and the ability to reject a call) via an OLED screen, along with notification of incoming texts by vibration. There’s an out of range warning if your phone and watch separate, time/date from your phone and it’s water resistant up to 3m. The battery lasts for around 7 days before it needs a charge via AC adapter or USB. Available in two styles, with a stainless steel case and bracelet or with a stainless steel case and black PU strap. You can connect these watches to your mobile phone with special SonyEricsson wireless technology, but hey, I can’t imagine any meaningful use for that. And the idea of putting your watches to charger next to iPod and cell phone is also kinda scaring me

HD DVD will be available for Xbox 360

There’s a good news for all console fans: Microsoft has expanded on its plans to launch an HD DVD drive for its Xbox 360 console to markets in North America and Europe. The drive will be available in mid-November in North America, the U.K., France, and Germany, and will cost US$200 in North America, €200 in France and Germany and £130 in the U.K. The add-on drive was first announced in Japan last week ahead of the annual Tokyo Games Show and Microsoft said it would hit Japanese retail shelves from Nov. 22 and cost Â¥19,800 (US$168).

And why is that so interesting? With the drive Xbox 360 owners will be able to watch high-definition HD DVD movies on their television through the console. Microsoft launched the Xbox 360 just under a year ago with a standard DVD drive and in adding the HD DVD option is making its console more competitive with Sony’s PlayStation 3, which will go on sale in Japan and North America in November and which features a drive for the rival Blu-ray Disc format. At the same event Microsoft also said it is partnering with Academy Award-winning writer, director, and producer Peter Jackson. Jackson, best known for his adaptations of the “Lord of the Ringsâ€? trilogy and “King Kong,â€? will make two interactive entertainment series exclusively for Xbox 360 and Xbox Live. The first will be a collaborative effort with Bungie Studios to create a further chapter in the Halo series and the second will see a new game created. I’m really looking forward to see the quality of this high-definition movies…

All versions of Windows Vista on single disk

Interesting news came from Microsoft today: Microsoft has confirmed that all versions of Vista will be shipped on a single DVD, in a feature called Windows Anytime Upgrade. According to a spokesperson for the company, “The idea is to provide customers with the most convenient user experience possible by enabling them to more easily and directly upgrade to a higher edition of Windows Vista from within their current edition”.Users would only be installing the version of the operating system that they had purchased, as the product key would be version-specific. Versions range from Starter to Ultimate editions.

Asked if this system meant upgrades would be cheaper, as production and retail costs for Microsoft will be lowered, the spokesperson said they could not give any details of pricing at the moment. The spokesperson also denied that Windows Anytime Upgrade would prove an attractive target for hackers, saying Vista was “the most secure version of Windows yet”. I think this may be considered as a great message for all warez users, because the release of some special tool / crack which will enable all versions on the install DVD is more than probable…

ATI Catalyst 6.9 Drivers

All gamers should update their Windows with a new version of ATI Catalyst drivers for September (version 6.9). According to ATi, these drivers add CrossFire support for the Intel 965 Chipset, and also contain a good deal of performance improvements: 3DMark2006 overall performance improves 6.7-23.7% with anti-aliasing enabled and Doom3 performances improves up to 9.3% due to further OpenGL shader complier and transform engine optimizations. You can download it here (35 MB).

Issues Resolved in Catalyst Software Suite 6.9:

Desperados 2: Attempting to play the game with CrossFire enabled no longer results in the game failing to launch and an error message being displayed. Further details can be found in topic number 737-23254

Doom3: Enabling both CrossFire and Temporal AA no longer results in a ghosting effect being noticed when playing the game. Further details can be found in topic number 737-23284

Elder Scolls IV: Oblivion: Setting the in game video option to High Resolution and setting the 3D option in the Catalyst Control Center to Optimal Quality no longer results in corruption being noticed when playing the game. Further details can be found in topic number 737-23057

MS Flight Simulator 2004: Creating a flight and clicking on Fly Now no longer results in display corruption and flashing being noticed when playing the game on a system containing an ATI Xpress 200 series product. Further details can be found in topic number 737-23250

Splinter Cell Chaos Theory: Playing the game on a system running Windows XP and containing an ATI Radeon X1300 or 1600 no longer results in the game failing to respond when enabling AA to 6x. Further details can be found in topic number 737-23264

The Settlers: Heritage of Kings: Setting AA to 4x, AF to 16x, High Quality AF on, and AAA to on/quality, followed by setting the in game video options to high and the display to 1600×1200 no longer results in black or flashing textures being noticed on the surface. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22568

Tiger Woods 2005 or 2006: Playing the game under Windows XP with an ATI Radeon X19×0 series product installed no longer results in the playback of the opening cinematics failing to playback properly. Further details can be found in topic number 737-23006

Tomb Raider: Enabling CrossFire and setting AA to 12x and AF to 16x no longer results in corruption being noticed when playing the game on a system containing an ATI Radeon X1800 series. Further details can be found in topic number 737-22811

Soapbox: Microsoft launches YouTube competitor

The still growing popularity of YouTube.com can’t leave Microsoft sleeping. They decided to launch their own service based on the similar bases, which should compete with YouTube. Soapbox MSN Video, which will allow users to upload and share personal videos with others who use the service, is now available as a beta release in the U.S. for the Internet Explorer (IE) and Firefox browsers. The service initially is available by invitation-only, though users who want to take part in the beta can sign up on a waiting list. The service will let users both watch videos and browse for new ones simultaneously on the same screen, something that differentiates it from YouTube, Microsoft said. Like competing video-sharing services, Soapbox will allow users not only to upload videos to the Web in almost any digital video format, but also to tag and categorize them so other users can find them.

The Soapbox service will work with IE 6 or later browsers running on Windows XP, and the Firefox 1.0.5 browser or later running on Windows XP or Macintosh OS X. This looks like a fine decision, because the growth of Firefox share on browser market could mean a serious problem in case of allowing only visitors with IE to visit this page, as it’s set with some other MS services. And why’s all that buzz? Money, money, money - Microsoft aims for Soapbox to generate revenue by luring online advertisers, the company said. Though it won’t be ad supported in its initial release, Microsoft hopes the service will feature advertising down the line…

Adobe Acrobat 8 with new features

An updated version of Adobe’s Acrobat software will be unveiled today, adding new capabilities including a means for staff to join ad-hoc online meetings. Acrobat 8, due in October, offers better tools for shared reviews and real-time collaboration. It introduces an updated PDF format to package multiple documents into one file; and the free-to-download Adobe Reader can fill out PDF forms on-screen and post the results to a specified email address. Acrobat 8 Professional includes a redaction tool to remove sensitive information, preventing accidental disclosure in PDF files. Users can search long documents for specific keywords. Simply highlighting in black does not remove text from documents – it can still be copied, said Lori DeFurio of Adobe’s Knowledge Worker Solutions group.

Many organisations, including the US Justice Department, have unwittingly leaked sensitive data in the past after botched attempts to censor PDFs. Acrobat 8 also lets users combine portions of files into a single PDF. Source files can be Word documents, spreadsheets, web pages, or emails. However, sensitive documents are often digitally signed, and merging them would invalidate the signature. Acrobat 8 enables multiple PDFs to be stuffed into a single wrapper file. I’m not sure if this message should make me happy, because I sort of dislike Acrobat - the loading time is terrible, and the function of Adobe Reader are very limited. Better to make it free

Apple iTunes 7 - not so good update?

It’s just a few days after the release of iTunes 7 and official Apple forums are being overflowed by complaints and bug reports of unsatisfied customers. It looks that developers didn’t test this version too much, the most common problems include:

• Being unable to playback podcasts
• Some iPod Nanos not being recognized by the Windows version of iTunes 7
• iTunes 7 not being able to save preferences
• Music often becomes jerky or distorted during playback
• Music becomes distorted when switching to another application in the Mac version
• iTunes 7 quitting unexpectedly
• iTunes 7 freezes during library updates
• Next track is played before current track fully finishes
• Different types of coded error messages

This is just a small example of some issues, you can find many more in the forums. Apple should take this little more seriously, the userbase is kinda big for releasing “betas” like that…

Windows Vista: new keyboard from Microsoft

New soon to be released software products from Microsoft enhanced also the hardware portfolio of this manufacturer. Microsoft refreshed its line of keyboards and mice yesterday, introducing a desktop system that includes a keyboard designed for use with Windows Vista and the company’s Windows Live online services. The Ultimate Keyboard comes in the Wireless Entertainment Desktop 8000 package, which also includes a wireless laser mouse. A Windows Live Call button on the keyboard provides one-touch access to a list of Windows Live Messenger buddies online to initiate a videoconference or chat session. It automatically logs a user in to Windows Live Messenger and opens a list of contacts that are currently online.



The keyboard’s Start menu button for Vista or Windows XP is placed below the space bar, replacing the Start menu buttons traditionally found next to Alt buttons on traditional keyboards. A Gadget button on the ergonomic keyboard provides access to Gadgets in Windows Vista, which are windows on the PC desktop that display news, sports, weather and other information. The $250 desktop package will become available in February 2007 in the U.S. The question is, whether are there customers willing to pay quite a lot of money just for few extra buttons, because other top manufacturers like Logitech also offer special configurable buttons for better price…

Apple launching movie downloads over iTunes

Another footstep for the future offering everything on the internet on payed basis has been made. Apple Computer Inc. CEO Steve Jobs said Tuesday that the company will sell movies from its online music store with prices starting at $9.99. The announcement is likely to jump-start a nascent movie-downloading industry, much like Apple’s move into selling music online in 2003 popularized legal song downloads. Many analysts believed Apple would introduce a wider-screen version of the iPod to better showcase movies, and they also expect Apple to soon enter the wireless phone business with a phone that plays music, videos and handles scheduling tasks. Neither product was announced. What was announced, among other new products, was the introduction of a new iPod with 80 gigabytes of storage and a brighter screen for better movie viewing.

Selling movies from the iTunes store “is probably not a game changer” for Hollywood, said Stephen Baker, a consumer technology analyst with the NPD Group. “What is game changing about it is that it’s happening on the most popular platform.” That is significant because Apple has been a pioneer in putting digital entertainment in your pocket thanks to the continued success of the iPod. More than 75 movies are offered at iTunes from Disney and its studios, including Miramax Films, Touchstone Pictures and Pixar. Prices are $9.99 for older titles and $14.99 for new releases that are offered when the DVD versions go on sale. a key question is clearly how many people will want to watch “Pirates of the Caribbean” on a 2 1/2-inch color screen in the age of 60-inch high-definition TVs and surround-sound systems. Or even a better question, will some people change their mind and start downloading movies from internet for money, while they can get it for free now?

New tool for all iPod fans: iBreath

The wide choice of additional equipment for your iPod has been expanded with yet another useful tool iBreath aka iPod Alcohool Breathalyzer ($79). “Just fold out the BAC blow wand and exhale into it for a full 5 seconds. 5 seconds later, this jail-saving gizmo let’s you know if you’re safe to drive,â€? says David Steele, the company selling the product. “It even houses a timer that can be set from 1 minute up to 4 hours in order to remind you when it’s time for the next test. And if keeping you out of the pokey isn’t enough, this cool gadget doubles as a wireless FM transmitter to beam your tunes directly to any FM stereo.â€? Pretty useful tool for all let’s-take-one-shot-before-I-leave drivers…

Webmaster gets 7 years for piracy

It’s not a good idea to risk with selling an illegal software if you live in the USA. The owner of one of the nation’s largest Internet software piracy Web sites has been sentenced to more than seven years in prison. Nathan Peterson, 27, of Los Angeles, sold products copyrighted by companies such as Microsoft Corp. and Adobe Systems Inc. at a huge discount on his site, iBackups.net, prosecutors said. The site began operating in 2003 and was shut down by the FBI in February 2005. In addition to Friday’s 87-month sentence, U.S. District Court Judge T.S. Ellis III ordered Peterson to pay restitution of more than $5.4 million and to forfeit the proceeds of his scheme, which included homes, cars and a boat.Peterson pleaded guilty in December in Alexandria to two counts of copyright infringement.

Justice Department and industry officials called the case one of the largest involving Internet software piracy ever prosecuted. Last month, Ellis sentenced a Florida man to six years in prison for selling illegal copies of computer programs on another site, BuysUSA.com. Big Brother is always watching you…

Samsung’s Website infecting visitors

Security firm Websense warned this week that attackers had apparently broke into the Web site of telecommunications company Samsung, infecting certain portions of the site with a Trojan horse. The firm said it was likely that the site had been infected for some time. “The most current code, which is still available for download, is a Trojan Horse that attempts to disable anti-virus programs, modify registry keys, download additional files, and log keystrokes when connecting to banking websites,” Websense said in an advisory. While the Trojan is dangerous, it requires user interaction in order for it to be installed onto the computer.

The security firm said it believed those infected were being lured to the site through instant messaging or e-mail links. Websense has alerted Samsung of the problem, but as of Friday morning the code was still accessible on the site. The fact that the malware is coming from a reputable source’s actual Web site, rather than some faked version, worries researchers. Samsung has not publicly commented on the situation. You had better to stay with Releaselog

Nokia 8800 Sirocco Edition

Nokia has announced the next generation of both its 8800 and L’amour lines. These phones have evolved to pair high fashion styling with upgraded features. The 8800 has been updated with a slightly curvier form and a better camera, while the L’amour line has been updated with a new phone and new colors - a more masculine bronze and black design and a more feminine pink one. All the models announced today are GSM / EDGE 900/1800/1900.

• 8800 Scirocco: This slider still retains the stainless steel body of its predecessor but adds some new curves and a sapphire-coated display. The camera has been updated to 2 Megapixels and the sounds, previously from Ryuichi Sakamoto, have been replaced by nature-inspired tones from Brian Eno. Also features Bluetooth and comes with a matching Bluetooth headset.
• 7390: A new clamshell-style phone that packs of all of Nokia’s latest features. Includes UMTS 2100, a 3 Megapiixel autofocus camera with flash, a second camera for video calling, music player with external media controls
• 7373: An update to the 7370 spinner upgrades the camera to 2 Megapixels, and includes a new headset and phone charms. Still includes Bluetooth, media player, and stereo speakers.
• 7360: This candybar retains the same specs, and design, only the colors and patterns have been updated. Features a VGA camera and FM radio.

May be it’s the right time to upgrade my Motorola MPx220 to something slightly better

Internet Explorer shows off first RC

Microsoft polished up the latest beta version of Internet Explorer 7 and offered it up today for download as the first release candidate (the step between beta testing and a final version). This new version doesn’t add any new features or major interface changes from the last version. It focuses on bug fixes, along with performance, compatibility and security improvements. You can get RC1 from Microsoft’s IE site for XP SP2, XP 64-bit and 2003 SP1. No release candidate for Vista yet, but Microsoft says “we’re getting close.” The final version is still planned for the fourth quarter later this year.

One little plus over beta 3 is that today’s version will automatically uninstall old betas. This release also adds language support for French and Spanish. The final version will match Windows’ supported languages. If you’re already using an IE7 beta, there’s no reason not to grab RC1. If you’re still using IE 6 for some reason, keep in mind that when IE7 is finished, Microsoft will be distributing it as a high priority update via Automatic Updates. Anyway, Firefox forever!

Logitech introduced revolutionary mouse

Computer peripherals maker Logitech on Thursday announced two new mice that enable users to quickly scroll through long documents and web pages with a flick of its free-spinning scroll wheel. The wheel, dubbed the MicroGear Precision Scroll Wheel, is included in both the MX Revolution and VX Revolution mice. After flicking the wheel, it spins continuously for seven seconds, and can scroll through up to 10,000 Microsoft Excel lines with a single flick. Users can stop the wheel by tapping it.



The mice also include a feature that lets you highlight a word or phrase and then conduct a Web search with a single click. Located under the scroll wheel, the One-Touch Search button can bring up Web search results for a highlighted word or phrase with just a single click. After highlighting a term in a spreadsheet or document, clicking the search button opens a Web browser with Yahoo, Google, or Yahoo LiveWords search results for the term. Suggested retail price is set to 99.99 U.S. dollars, which may seem quite a lot for one mouse, but the good name of Logitech and unique features will probably ensure some popularity for this gadget…

Nintendo Wii may cost less than 250 Euros

Despite some hopes, or perhaps in spite of them, Nintendo did not officially give out the final release date or the price for Wii during its big splash at the Leipzig Games Convention today. “The price has not been decided yet, but I expect it to be … less than 250 euros,” Bernd Fakesch, Nintendo’s German operations head, told Reuters on the sidelines of a gaming industry conference. Wii will also have some new titles coming its way. The sequel to Super Mario Strikers – Mario Strikers Charged – and Battalion Wars 2, or just BWii for short, are slated for some Wii action.

Unlike Microsoft Corp.’s new Xbox 360 and Sony’s PlayStation 3, which boast more power and high-definition graphics, Nintendo aims to win over customers with an affordably priced unit and ground-breaking games. It also hopes to attract a broader audience than the young males who usually make up the console gaming market. We should be only happy because of this small next-gen console war, because the result should be a better price for us, final consumers…

Website of Kevin Mitnick got hacked

The most known hacker on the world was beaten in his own way - his website was hacked by pakistanian hackers. Four websites associated with Mitnick’s various ventures were sprayed with digital graffiti on Monday in an apparently personal attack. The sites defensivethinking.com, mitsec.com, kevinmitnick.com and mitnicksecurity.com (which all run on Linux, incidentally) were defaced with offensive messages that said “hacking was for homos”, among other things.

The techniques used in the attacks are unclear but are likely technical in nature. Mitnick spent five years incarcerated as punishment for attacks against Fujitsu, Motorola, Nokia, and Sun Microsystems, among others, prior to his release in January 2000. It’s not the first time when was Mitnick’s website hacked, but it’s the first time when it was hacked in this rude way, because the previous hacks were more pleasant, just to welcome Kevin released from the arrest…

EA buys Unreal Engine for next-gen games

The famous Unreal Engine achieved another big success. EA has jumped aboard the Unreal Engine 3 bandwagon, announcing it’s shaken hands with Epic Games on a licensing deal allowing the publisher to “adopt” the technology “for use in several next-generation titles”. Sadly, the publisher has chosen not to reveal the names of the next-generation titles in questions, although it has said that the games are currently under development. It’s additionally noted that Epic’s Unreal Engine 3 will be used alongside EA’s own proprietary tools and technology library.

Epic’s CEO Mark Rein said: “They have extremely talented development teams, and we’re excited to see how they apply our technology to their high profile game projects.” Unreal Engine 3 provides the core technology around which developers can create games with minimal programmer assistance. It is used in a wide variety of game genres. The question is, if EA decides to use this engine on the right places - the company is in a dislike of many people because of their way of earning money on expansions discs - it’s quite common to see a new game released by EA just with a few changes from the previous title…

YouTube’s going to publish music videos

The another step to make YouTube the biggest and most popular video website has been taken. YouTube Inc. is talking with record labels to post thousands of music videos online, aiming to move beyond being a site for sharing home videos to a provider of mainstream entertainment like Yahoo and others. “What we really want to do is in six to 12 months, maybe 18 months, to have every music video ever created up on YouTube,” said co-founder Steve Chen. “We’re trying to bring in as much of this content as we can on to the site.”

California-based YouTube accounts for 60 percent of all videos watched online. The site specializes in short, homemade, comic clips created by users. Founded only one year ago, it now counts as much as 100 millions views a day. After the first negotiation, YouTube believes they could offer these music clips for free, without any subscription or special fees. These guys really know how to be a successfull website…

Google launches free WiFi in Mountain View

Google’s slightly another approach is bringing another fruits: after months of beta testing and anticipation, the Internet giant plans to open up its free, wireless Internet network to Mountain View’s 72,000 residents. The network covers about 90 percent of the city’s 12 square miles and offers maximum data-transfer speeds of up to 1 megabit per second — slightly slower than DSL. You can say that’s nothing so special, because the prices of broadband in the USA are already at very affordable level, but still, Google does this for free.

To build the network, Google mounted 380 transceivers, made by Sunnyvale-based Tropos Networks, on light poles throughout the city. The devices will allow residents within 500 feet to connect wirelessly to the Internet. The real purpose of this action is still quite unclear, Google didn’t release any press release, so we can only wait for some other step. On the other hand, the more people on the internet, the more users for Google, as it’s still no. 1 search engine with a huge advance before other competitors…

Another bunch of patches for your Windows

Microsoft Windows is still a pretty unsecure product. There’s over 20 new patches for Windows in latest MS security bulletin, while many of them are pretty serious and there are already some private exploits floating around for weeks. At least 17 of the 23 flaws could be exploited by attackers to hijack vulnerable systems or to install malicious code, the company warned. The SANS Internet Storm Center, which was credited in part with the discovery of this flaw, reported evidence of it being exploited publicly as early as June 30.

So far in 2006, Microsoft has issued more patches than in 2004 and 2005 combined. Some have speculated right now is a prime opportunity for hackers to exploit the backlog of unprotected vulnerabilities. Microsoft recommends people install the critical fixes immediately. The updates are available via the Windows Update and Automatic Updates tools. Temporary workarounds are outlined in the security bulletins for those who can’t immediately apply the patches. I’m still wondering why Microsoft still waits for the beginning of new month while there’s so many known and unpatched flaws…

Sony Mylo, lot of fun and features

The way to build one ideal machine which could work as your mp3 player, mobile phone, and portable game station at once is one step shorter - Sony announced new communicator called “Mylo”. The product which has been especially designed for the youth to stay in touch lays emphasis on their needs. The slim, oblong-shaped device features a 2.4 inch color LCD (measured diagonally) with a slide out QWERTY keyboard for comfortable and quick thumb typing. Available in a choice of black and white colors, It’s ideal for people who want to stay connected to their online friends and family, but not be weighed down by a PC or buffeted by charges for IM and texting on cell phones.

The device which should not be mistaken for a cell phone operates in any Wi-Fi hotspot. The product includes JiWire’s hotspot directory listing more than 20,000 WiFi networks in the United States, so you can find a hotspot near you. The mylo personal communicator boots up in seconds and can scan for available wireless networks right away. The “What’s Up” screen serves as the hub, storing up to 90 of your friends’ avatars so you can quickly see who’s online. You can store up to nine online identities per person which allows you to first choose who you want to chat with then easily initiate conversations using your preferred application.

The embedded HTML browser lets you quickly connect to full Web pages on the Internet. You can also send and receive text emails with web mail services like Yahoo! Mail and the Gmail web mail service. The communicator comes with Skype software built into it, allowing registered Skype users to make free Internet calls with the 113 million other Skype users worldwide. Great batteries provide up to 45 hours of music playback, around seven hours of chatting and web surfing and more than three hours of continuous Skype talk time. It comes with a microphone, stereo headphones,a USB cable and a neoprene case. Mylo looks finally like a pretty cool gadget!