The bMighty ANTenna -- March 2008 Archive

Palm-Sized, Eco-Friendly Servers Coming to U.S. -- Monday, March 31, 2008

Japanese Linux pioneer Plat'Home is set to introduce its tiny OpenBlockS server to the North American market.

Read all of "Palm-Sized, Eco-Friendly Servers Coming to U.S."

Source(s): TechWhack

BlackBerry Curve, Other Smartphones Coming to Verizon -- Monday, March 31, 2008

Verizon Wireless announced that the BlackBerry Curve 8330 smartphone, already available from other carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, will be offered to Verizon Wireless customers starting in May.

Read all of "BlackBerry Curve, Other Smartphones Coming to Verizon"

Source(s): ChannelWeb, PC Magazine, Fierce Wireless

Apple's 3G iPhone Just Months Away From Debut: Analyst -- Monday, March 31, 2008

Summertime and the livin' is 3G for Apple Computer's iPhone, according to a research note issued by a Bank of America analyst.

Read all of "Apple's 3G iPhone Just Months Away From Debut: Analyst"

Source(s): ChannelWeb, Reuters

Adobe Teams With Linux -- Monday, March 31, 2008

The Linux Foundation has a new member: Adobe Systems, which Monday released an early test version of its Adobe Integrated Runtime (AIR) for the open-source operating system.

Read all of "Adobe Teams With Linux"

Source(s): PC World, Techtree

GSM Mobile Security at Risk -- Friday, March 28, 2008

GSM, the world's most popular standard for mobile phones, has a reason to feel insecure.

Read all of "GSM Mobile Security at Risk"

Source(s): Computerworld

Tech Woes Cause BA To Cancel Flights -- Friday, March 28, 2008

Business travelers heading through British Airways' new Terminal 5 building at London's Heathrow airport could be in for another long day -- with technology to blame.

Read all of "Tech Woes Cause BA To Cancel Flights"

Source(s): The Economic Times, InformationWeek

Washington State Bans RFID Data Theft -- Friday, March 28, 2008

The state of Washington has passed the country's first law that makes RFID data theft illegal, carrying with it a penalty of five years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Read all of "Washington State Bans RFID Data Theft"

Source(s): RFID Journal

Contest Hackers Crack MacBook Air -- Friday, March 28, 2008

A three-man security team needed just two minutes to hack a MacBook Air -- and took home $10,000 for doing so.

Read all of "Contest Hackers Crack MacBook Air"

Source(s): The Tech Herald

Amazon Strengthens Hosted Computing Service -- Thursday, March 27, 2008

Amazon will be adding new features to its Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2) to shore up its availability and reliability.

Read all of "Amazon Strengthens Hosted Computing Service"

Source(s): InfoWorld, CNET News

Comcast Backpedals on P2P Traffic Management -- Thursday, March 27, 2008

Comcast has changed its mind about blocking peer-to-peer (P2P) network traffic, announcing that it will treat all types of Internet content equally.

Read all of "Comcast Backpedals on P2P Traffic Management"

Source(s): New York Times, CNET News

Adobe Offers Free Photoshop -- Thursday, March 27, 2008

SMBs can save themselves hundreds of dollars on Adobe Systems' souped-up photo-editing tools when all they really need are such capabilities as cropping, touch-ups and color-enhancing tweaks and effects.

Read all of "Adobe Offers Free Photoshop "

Source(s): Time

AMD Goes Triple Core -- Thursday, March 27, 2008

In its latest strike against Intel, AMD is now shipping the first processors to use three cores.

Read all of "AMD Goes Triple Core "

Source(s): PC Pro

More Approvals for In-Flight Cellphone Use -- Wednesday, March 26, 2008

U.K. telecommunications regulator Ofcom has given its blessing to in-flight mobile phone use on U.K.-registered aircraft, once other agencies agree.

Read all of "More Approvals for In-Flight Cellphone Use"

Source(s): Bloomberg.com, BBC News

Cemaphore Syncs Outlook to Gmail Without Exchange -- Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Cemaphore Systems, specialists in e-mail backup for Exchange environments, is introducing MailShadowG, which provides Exchange-like syncing services without using Exchange.

Read all of "Cemaphore Syncs Outlook to Gmail Without Exchange"

Source(s):  PC Magazine, CNET News

Comcast + Time Warner + Sprint + Clearwire = New Wireless Network? -- Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Cable giants Comcast and Time Warner Cable are reported to be in talks with Sprint Nextel and Clearwire to fund a new wireless company that would create a nationwide WiMax network.

Read all of "Comcast + Time Warner + Sprint + Clearwire = New Wireless Network?"

Source(s): Wall Street Journal

Motorola to Spin Off Handset Business -- Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Venerable mobile communications vendor Motorola announced that it will split into two separate companies, one devoted to mobile handsets and the second to other communications products.

Read all of "Motorola to Spin Off Handset Business"

Source(s): CNET News, Associated Press via New York Times

IBM Invests in Open-Source Database Firm EnterpriseDB -- Tuesday, March 25, 2008

IBM has contributed to a new round of funding for EnterpriseDB, and open-source database vendor that competes with Oracle and MySQL. EnterpriseDB also announced new versions of its database software.

Read all of "IBM Invests in Open-Source Database Firm EnterpriseDB"

Source(s): New York Times

Xerox Helps Businesses Achieve Greener Printing -- Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Xerox has introduced a Sustainability Calculator that enables businesses to assess the environmental impact of their current printer usage and examine ways to reduce it.

Read all of "Xerox Helps Businesses Achieve Greener Printing"

Source(s): CNET News, GreenBiz.com

Microsoft Offers Free Support for Windows Vista SP1 -- Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Microsoft is offering free tech support to anyone encountering problems while installing or running Windows Vista Service Pack 1 (SP1).

Read all of "Microsoft Offers Free Support for Windows Vista SP1 "

Source(s): InformationWeek, Channel Register

Intel Launches New Quad-Core Xeons -- Tuesday, March 25, 2008

In the spirit of green computing, Intel has released a new series of 45-nanometer Xeon processors for workstations and servers.

Read all of "Intel Launches New Quad-Core Xeons "

Source(s): Technology News Daily

Quanta, OoVoo Announce Plans for HDTV-Based Teleconferencing -- Monday, March 24, 2008

Laptop manufacturer Quanta and videoconferencing provider OoVoo will work together on a device to connect a standard HDTV to the Internet for high-def video conferencing.

Read all of "Quanta, OoVoo Announce Plans for HDTV-Based Teleconferencing"

Source(s): Yahoo, Electronista

Google Proposes Universal Broadband Via Unused TV Spectrum -- Monday, March 24, 2008

Google presented the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with a plan for using some of the TV spectrum for low-power mobile broadband access.

Read all of "Google Proposes Universal Broadband Via Unused TV Spectrum"

Source(s): Scientific American, Computerworld

Microsoft Pumps Up Small Business VoIP -- Monday, March 24, 2008

Microsoft is readying a service pack for its SMB VoIP system that will be downloadable for free this summer.

Read all of "Microsoft Pumps Up Small Business VoIP"

Source(s): ChannelWeb

EBay Cuts Workforce -- Monday, March 24, 2008

As part of a move to streamline operations, EBay has laid off 125 employees -- 70 of whom work at the company's headquarters in San Jose, Calif. Cuts also affected positions in Europe.

Read all of "EBay Cuts Workforce "

Source(s): Computerworld, Auction Bytes

Quantas, Emirates Allow In-Flight Cell Phone Use -- Friday, March 21, 2008

Two international airlines have announced plans to permit passengers to use their cell phones in flight: Qanta will permit text messaging and e-mails, while Emirates will become the first airline to allow voice calls as well.

Read all of "Quantas, Emirates Allow In-Flight Cell Phone Use"

Source(s): BBC News, CNET News

Verizon, AT&T Big Winners in 700MHz Spectrum Auction -- Friday, March 21, 2008

With a bid of more than $9 billion in the FCC auction, Verizon took the consumer-oriented C block of the 700MHz spectrum, while AT&T's $6 billion bid netted it regional licenses in the same block.

Read all of "Verizon, AT&T Big Winners in 700MHz Spectrum Auction"

Source(s): The Register, ChannelWeb

Intel Working on More Accurate Security Software -- Friday, March 21, 2008

Intel is taking a personal approach to laptop security.

Read all of "Intel Working on More Accurate Security Software"

Source(s): Technology Review, The Inquirer

LinkedIn Unveils Business Directory -- Friday, March 21, 2008

Professional networking site LinkedIn has gone live with the beta version of its business directory, which indexes more than 160,000 companies and organizations.

Read all of "LinkedIn Unveils Business Directory"

Source(s): Computerworld, TechCrunch

FCC, Comcast, and Net Neutrality: Round 2 -- Thursday, March 20, 2008

The FCC will hold a second public hearing on Comcast's limiting of peer-to-peer traffic on its network, after the communications firm paid people to take up the limited space at the first hearing last month. But Comcast claims the agency can't do anything about it anyway.

Read all of "FCC, Comcast, and Net Neutrality: Round 2"

Source(s): Wired, ZDNet, Ars Technica

Microsoft to Help SMB Solution Providers -- Thursday, March 20, 2008

Small businesses may find themselves better served by Microsoft-oriented product resellers and solution providers, due to the software giant's establishment of a team of local business development managers.

Read all of "Microsoft to Help SMB Solution Providers"

Source(s): ChannelWeb

Tech Data Calls to SMBs With IP Suite -- Thursday, March 20, 2008

Tech Data has put together a suite of IP communications services geared for SMBs that include a hosted option, making VoIP an affordable reality for those that don't have the budget to invest in infrastructure.

Read all of "Tech Data Calls to SMBs With IP Suite"

Source(s): ChannelWeb

Slammer Time for Ex-Brocade Exec -- Thursday, March 20, 2008

Stephanie Jensen, Brocade Communications Systems' former director of HR, now faces four months in prison and a steep fine for stock-option backdating and cover-up.

Read all of "Slammer Time for Ex-Brocade Exec"

Source(s): San Francisco Chronicle

HP Debuts Lower-Cost Telepresence System -- Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Hewlett-Packard hopes to jumpstart demand for telepresence centers by introducing a two-seat, office-size version at half the price of its existing offerings.

Read all of "HP Debuts Lower-Cost Telepresence System"

Source(s): The Register, Computerworld

Dell Defends Reliability of SSD Notebooks -- Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Dell reacted quickly today to dispute an analyst's claim that Dell customers are returning 20 to 30 percent of the solid state notebooks sold.

Read all of "Dell Defends Reliability of SSD Notebooks"

Source(s): CNET News, The Register

Sun Launches SMB Initiative -- Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Sun Microsystems wants to better serve the SMB market, with plans to use CDW as its preferred vehicle to do so.

Read all of "Sun Launches SMB Initiative"

Source(s): ChannelWeb

Dell Debuts SMB Server Duo -- Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Dell has gone to market with two new SMB servers aimed at high-performance applications.

Read all of "Dell Debuts SMB Server Duo"

Source(s): eChannel Line

Microsoft and Aspect to Continue Push for Unified Communications -- Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Microsoft and Aspect Software, maker of customer contact center software, have entered a 5-year partnership to promote unified communications via Microsoft Office Communications Server (OCS) 2007.

Read all of "Microsoft and Aspect to Continue Push for Unified Communications"

Source(s):  Computerworld, InformationWeek

HP Envisions Smaller, Cheaper, Greener Data Center -- Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Hewlett-Packard has announced new servers and virtualization software aimed at enabling customers to combine underused data centers into scalable virtualized facilities, saving money and energy.

Read all of "HP Envisions Smaller, Cheaper, Greener Data Center"

Source(s): The Register, InfoWorld, ZDNet

Adobe to Customers: Uninstall Buggy Photoshop Update -- Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Citing three "unacceptable" bugs, Adobe Systems has pulled the 1.4 update for its Photoshop Lightroom software off its Web site and is advising customers who already installed it to wipe it off their computers.

Read all of "Adobe to Customers: Uninstall Buggy Photoshop Update"

Source(s): Channel Register

Safari 3.1 Out Today, Vista SP1 Tomorrow -- Tuesday, March 18, 2008

The latest version of Apple Computer's Safari browser become available Tuesday for Mac and Windows users, while Microsoft's Windows Vista Service Pack 1 will make its debut Wednesday.

Read all of "Safari 3.1 Out Today, Vista SP1 Tomorrow"

Source(s): Macworld, CNET News

Google CEO: Microhoo "Bad for the Internet"? -- Monday, March 17, 2008

Google CEO Eric Schmidt said that Google was "concerned" that a Microsoft acquisition of Yahoo could threaten the "openness" of the internet.

Read all of "Google CEO: Microhoo "Bad for the Internet"?"

Source(s): BBC News, Computerworld

IBM, Kana Expand Products for Customer Service -- Monday, March 17, 2008

IBM and customer-service solution vendor Kana Software are set to take the next step in their seven-year-old strategic alliance agreement by jointly developing and marketing new SOA-based customer support products.

Read all of "IBM, Kana Expand Products for Customer Service"

Source(s): InternetNews

Windows Mobile Embraces Flash Lite -- Monday, March 17, 2008

Microsoft will support Adobe Systems' Flash Lite software on Windows Mobile devices -- even with its competing Silverlight technology in the works -- the company announced early this morning.

Read all of "Windows Mobile Embraces Flash Lite"

Source(s): Digital Trends, InformationWeek

BMC To Buy BladeLogic -- Monday, March 17, 2008

BMC Software has kick-started its week with news that it intends to buy BladeLogic, whose software automates data center management.

Read all of "BMC To Buy BladeLogic"

Source(s): BusinessWire

Microsoft Buys Online Advertising Vendor Rapt -- Friday, March 14, 2008

Microsoft is acquiring Rapt, a software vendor and consulting firm that helps businesses maximize their yield from online advertising.

Read all of "Microsoft Buys Online Advertising Vendor Rapt"

Source(s): New York Times, CNET News

Sage Software Announces New CRM, Accounting Solutions -- Friday, March 14, 2008

In an attempt to strengthen its market position with small and medium businesses, Sage Software is planning to add Web 2.0 features to its CRM products. The company has also updated its accounting package, intended for the same market.

Read all of "Sage Software Announces New CRM, Accounting Solutions"

Source(s): CNET News, WebCPA

Bush Proposes Increased Funding for Cybersecurity -- Friday, March 14, 2008

President Bush wants to pour more money into cybersecurity for the coming fiscal year, up 10 percent to $7.3 billion.

Read all of "Bush Proposes Increased Funding for Cybersecurity"

Source(s): USA Today, ABC News

Web Startups Offer Telephony Relief to Small Businesses -- Friday, March 14, 2008

Third-party application providers are talking up their Web-based telephony options that work with a company's existing infrastructure -- a viable option for SMBs that don't have the budget to rip-and-replace what they already have.

Read all of "Web Startups Offer Telephony Relief to Small Businesses"

Source(s): InformationWeek

AOL Buys Bebo Social Network -- Thursday, March 13, 2008

AOL internet division is scooping up the international social networking site Bebo for $850 million.

Read all of "AOL Buys Bebo Social Network"

Source(s): BBC News, CNET News

More Digital Content Than Room to Store It -- Thursday, March 13, 2008

As of last year, according to a study from IDC, the volume of digital information that was created, captured, or replicated worldwide was for the first time greater than the amount of available storage.

Read all of "More Digital Content Than Room to Store It"

Source(s): ChannelWeb, Ars Technica

IBM Injects Security Into Mashups -- Thursday, March 13, 2008

While mashups offer a handy way for companies to pull data from multiple source types into a unified view, all that sharing also carries security risks in the form of spreading malicious code. And that's not a risk most SMBs can afford to take.

Read all of "IBM Injects Security Into Mashups"

Source(s): InfoWorld

Hackers Attack Harvard, Gamers -- Thursday, March 13, 2008

As many as 10,000 Harvard graduate students last night found out their personal information was compromised courtesy of a February computer intrusion.

Read all of "Hackers Attack Harvard, Gamers"

Source(s): Computerworld

NEC Unveils SMB-Oriented Unified Communications Systems -- Wednesday, March 12, 2008

NEC announced an assortment of new products based on the company's Univerge360 people-based approach to unified communications.

Read all of "NEC Unveils SMB-Oriented Unified Communications Systems"

Source(s): ChannelWeb, TMCNet

SaaS On the Upswing Among SMBs -- Wednesday, March 12, 2008

The number of SMBs using software as a service (SaaS) in 2007 doubled over 2004, according to new research from AMI-Partners.

Read all of "SaaS On the Upswing Among SMBs"

Source(s): Redmond

iPod Nano Sparks, iPhone Software Cracked -- Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Separate safety concerns have come to light regarding Apple Computer's popular iPod Nano and iPhone.

Read all of "iPod Nano Sparks, iPhone Software Cracked"

Source(s): The Patriot Ledger via AP, Macworld

Microsoft Offers Sneak Peek at ERP App for Midmarket -- Wednesday, March 12, 2008

Convergence 2008 attendees today will get a preview of Microsoft's next-gen ERP application for the midmarket.

Read all of "Microsoft Offers Sneak Peek at ERP App for Midmarket"

Source(s): ChannelWeb

Yahoo White Knights: NewsCorp Says No, Time-Warner Says Maybe -- Tuesday, March 11, 2008

In separate addresses at the Bear Stearns Media Conference in Palm Beach, FL, News
Corporation CEO Rupert Murdoch said he didn't want to go up against Microsoft, while Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes declined to rule out a possible AOL-Yahoo partnership.

Read all of "Yahoo White Knights: NewsCorp Says No, Time-Warner Says Maybe"

Source(s):  SiliconValley.com, CNET News

Microsoft-Nortel Announce New Unified Communications Products -- Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The Innovative Communications Alliance between Microsoft and Nortel has produced four new unified communications solutions, including a hosted solution aimed at SMBs.

Read all of "Microsoft-Nortel Announce New Unified Communications Products"

Source(s): ChannelWeb, Market Wire via Reuters

Oracle Releases New Collaborative CRM Software -- Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The 15th edition of Oracle CRM On Demand will incorporate new "social CRM" features as well as the ability to be used from mobile devices.

Read all of "Oracle Releases New Collaborative CRM Software"

Source(s): CNET News, SearchCRM.com

Windows 7 Examined for Antitrust Compliance -- Tuesday, March 11, 2008

The Technical Committee established by the court to monitor Microsoft's compliance with the 2002 antitrust settlement has begun reviewing Windows 7 to make sure it complies with the terms of the settlement.

Read all of "Windows 7 Examined for Antitrust Compliance"

Source(s): The Register, InformationWeek

FCC Chairman Criticizes Comcast -- Monday, March 10, 2008

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Kevin Martin, has expressed his unhappiness with Comcast's network management practices, calling them "troubling."

Read all of "FCC Chairman Criticizes Comcast"

Source(s): Reuters, CNN Money

Zoho Adds HR Application -- Monday, March 10, 2008

Online application provider Zoho has launched Zoho People, a "people management and recruitment solution," to join its other business-oriented offerings.

Read all of "Zoho Adds HR Application"

Source(s):  CNET News, Computerworld

IBM Makes $1B Commitment to Unified Communications -- Monday, March 10, 2008

Big Blue is making a big investment in the big area of unified communications, to the tune of more than $1 billion during the next three years.

Read all of "IBM Makes $1B Commitment to Unified Communications"

Source(s): CNET News

Momentary Security Panic for U.K. Banking Customers -- Monday, March 10, 2008

HSBC customers across the pond had a scare last week when they logged onto the bank's business Web site and were met with a message saying the site's security digital certificate had expired.

Read all of "Momentary Security Panic for U.K. Banking Customers "

Source(s): The Register

Sun Sees Cheaper Storage Ahead -- Friday, March 7, 2008

A Sun Microsystems executive vice president has predicted that open platforms will do for storage what they did for servers and PCs: make them cheaper and able to be distributed throughout a business.

Read all of "Sun Sees Cheaper Storage Ahead"

Source(s): CNET News

Microsoft Gives Hint of Plans for Yahoo, Danger -- Friday, March 7, 2008

Speaking at Microsoft's Mix '08 conference for Web developers, company CEO Steve Ballmer revealed some of his thinking about what "Microhoo" might consist of, and what the company plans to do with Danger's mobile technology.

Read all of "Microsoft Gives Hint of Plans for Yahoo, Danger"

Source(s): CNET News, InformationWeek

February Job Losses Worst In Five Years -- Friday, March 7, 2008

Another sign of an impending recession: For the second month in a row -- not to mention its fastest pace in five years -- the U.S. economy experienced a decline in jobs.

Read all of "February Job Losses Worst In Five Years"

Source(s): CNN/Money, Los Angeles Times

HP Has Its Head in the Clouds With R&D Restructure -- Friday, March 7, 2008

Hewlett-Packard is redirecting its research efforts all in the name of cloud computing.

Read all of "HP Has Its Head in the Clouds With R&D Restructure"

Source(s): San Jose Mercury News, InformationWeek

Asus Eee Mini-PC to Get Windows XP -- Thursday, March 6, 2008

The extra-cheap, extra-portable Asus Eee, available till now only with a Linux operating system pre-installed, will soon be available with Windows XP.

Read all of "Asus Eee Mini-PC to Get Windows XP"

Source(s):  The Register, DailyTech

iPhone Appeals to Businesses with Support for Exchange -- Thursday, March 6, 2008

Apple has added new features to the iPhone that are intended to make it more attractive to business users who need integration with their companies' e-mail systems.

Read all of "iPhone Appeals to Businesses with Support for Exchange"

Source(s): ChannelWeb, CNN Money

Next-Gen IE, Firefox Bolster Security -- Thursday, March 6, 2008

The next versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox will offer better protection against malware, its makers say.

Read all of "Next-Gen IE, Firefox Bolster Security"

Source(s): CNET

AMD Lets the Cat Out of the Bag About Puma -- Thursday, March 6, 2008

AMD has finally revealed when its long-talked-about Puma platform will see the light of day.

Read all of "AMD Lets the Cat Out of the Bag About Puma"

Source(s): The Register, Laptop Logic

AOL Opens AIM Instant Messaging to Third Parties -- Wednesday, March 5, 2008

With the announcement of Open AIM 2.0, AOL is making its Instant Messenger (AIM) network available to developers and third-party instant messaging applications, giving businesses more options in how they manage communications.

Read all of "AOL Opens AIM Instant Messaging to Third Parties"

Source(s): TechCrunch, CNET News

Silverlight Coming to Mobile Phones -- Wednesday, March 5, 2008

At Microsoft's MIX08 Web developers' conference in Las Vegas, the company announced that its Silverlight rich-media platform will be available on some Nokia smartphones beginning this year.

Read all of "Silverlight Coming to Mobile Phones"

Source(s): InternetNews.com

Samsung Unveils 500-GB Mobile Hard Drive -- Wednesday, March 5, 2008

Samsung is a few weeks away from shipping to retail a 500-GB mobile hard drive that could be paired to provide notebook computers with as much as 1 TB of storage.

Read all of "Samsung Unveils 500-GB Mobile Hard Drive"

Source(s): Computerworld, Gadgetell.com