Hardware and Software Forum

[ATTACH=LEFT]15910[/ATTACH]Seagate announced their new NAS system, GoFlex Home, today, and it unites the worlds of portable and network storage. Home enables access to the hard drive dock from a wide array of mobile devices, HTPC setups, and networked computers (Windows or OSX). Seagate notes that their propriety software will make …

The land of maple syrup, curling, Mounties, hockey, Mexican beer's sudsy love child, free healthcare, and self-titled bacon has just obtained another claim to fame: the first Netflix stream-only endeavor. [ATTACH]15908[/ATTACH]Netflix, the world's leading movie and TV subscription service with over 13 million subscribers, is extending its services to Canada …

The co-CEOs of BlackBerry developers Research In Motion, Mike Lazaridis and Jim Balsillie, have accused Steve Jobs of unacceptable behaviour and Apple of avoiding responsibility for its design mistakes. "RIM's customers don't need to use a case for their BlackBerry smartphone to maintain proper connectivity" they say. Meanwhile Nokia insists …

Jim Whitehurst, [URL="http://www.redhat.com"]Red Hat, Inc.[/URL] CEO, believes that [URL="http://www.vmware.com"]VMware[/URL] is its biggest competition in the virtualization and cloud computing space. In a [URL="http://www.pcworld.com/businesscenter/article/199870/red_hat_ceo_vmware_our_biggest_competitor.html"]PCWorld article[/URL], Whitehurst stated Friday at the Red Hat Summit that "When you start thinking about who is defining cloud-based architectures, it's us and them [VMware]," he said. …

[B]Flash Support on the iPad Becomes Reality[/B] Comex, the programmer behind the user-friendly jailbreak tool, Spirit, has unleashed the source for his latest project, [URL="http://github.com/comex/frash"]Frash[/URL]. This little gem enables Flash support (sans video) on the iPad. Frash is still in the alpha stage, so if you run into problems, you …

Big bucks, no whammies, and STARCRAFT II! At least that’s Activision Blizzard CEO’s Bobby Kotick’s take. According to a recent [I]Wall Street Journal[/I] interview with Kotick, Activision Blizzard has exceeded an already belt-busting budget of $100 million on their soon-to-be industry-leading cash cow. Released in March of 1998, the science …

There was a a lot of news coming out Microsoft and Apple last week: * On Monday, Apple released its stellar [URL="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2009/07/21results.html"]earnings report[/URL]. * On Monday, Microsoft opened up the [URL="http://www.mssharepointconference.com/"]SharePoint 2009 Conference[/URL] in Las Vegas * On Tuesday, Apple released its latest [URL="http://www.metro.co.uk/tech/article.html?Apple_launches_new_MacBook,_iMac,_Mac_Mini_and_Magic_Mouse&in_article_id=755089&in_page_id=150"]product lin[/URL]e * On Wednesday, Microsoft announced …

At a recent Q&A session in front of investors at E3, Nintendo of America CEO Reggie Fils-Aime adamantly defended the Wii console’s pace to break the record-setting game sale trends of the Playstation 2, claiming that his console is at the “high watermark” of its existence, with software sales numbers …

[URL="http://redhat.com"]Red Hat[/URL] Enterprise Linux now comes with built-in virtualization ([URL="http://linux-kvm.org"]KVM[/URL]) but is Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization (RHEV) about to go to the virtual mat with [URL="http://vmware.com"]VMware[/URL]? If you look at their [URL="http://www.redhat.com/v/swf/rhev/demo.html"]RHEL video[/URL], you'll come away with a resounding 'Yes' to that question. Red Hat purchased [URL="http://www.redhat.com/promo/qumranet/"]Qumranet[/URL] in 2008 to …

Gentoo has long been a distribution aimed towards the power Linux user. It allows users to foray into the inner workings of their computers, emphasizing total customizability for optimal performance and minimum size. It is not for users who are looking for an operating system as soon as possible. Installations …

The long summer holidays are over here in the UK, and our kids have pretty much all gone back to school this week. Which is good news for providers of anonymous proxies and bad news for the school network admins trying to prevent students from accessing inappropriate sites. One UK …

Most people seem to think that Microsoft is the most insecure vendor while Apple reigns supreme at the top of the good security league. However, a new security report would appear to turn that assumption on its head, claiming that when it comes to the vendor with the most vulnerabilities …

According to a recent survey of Apple iTunes, iPod, iPhone and iPod Touch users, conducted by The NPD Group, more than a quarter of consumers participating had a strong interest in a free cloud-based music option. Many were willing to pay a subscription fee to access their own music libraries …

Maybe Prince was on to something when he recently [URL="http://www.mirror.co.uk/celebs/news/2010/07/05/prince-world-exclusive-interview-peter-willis-goes-inside-the-star-s-secret-world-115875-22382552/"]proclaimed the Internet is dead[/URL]. Steve Rubel, in an [URL="http://adage.com/digital/article?article_id=144867"]Advertising Age article this week[/URL], suggests we prepare for "the end of the web as we know it." "It's hard to believe but soon, if not already the web is going to …

The popularity of Windows 7 features like Touch and Multi-Touch technology means more software developers are developing applications for Windows 7, according to a recent survey conducted by Embarcadero Technologies. [ATTACH=right]15815[/ATTACH]More than half of the 606 software developers surveyed – 54% – stated they are currently developing applications for Windows …

For the longest time there has been an implied, some might even say explicit, connection between computer infection and online pornography. According to one developer of AntiVirus software that connection has now been well and truly broken. Ondrej Vlcek, the CTO at [URL="http://www.avast.com"]AVAST Software[/URL], has announced the results of research …

[ATTACH=right]15786[/ATTACH]At Microsoft's [URL="http://www.digitalwpc.com/"]Worldwide Partner Conference[/URL] in Washington, D.C. this week, the digital diplodocus will announce its lumbering movement into the cloud along with an appeal for its partners to hold hands and make the leap as well. For those partners that are still a little hesitant to make the jump, …

[ATTACH=right]15788[/ATTACH]High-end video accelerator tools now make password recovery twentyfold faster than the current top of the line quad-core CPUs. Unlike current recovery tools, such as those offered by Intel, [URL="http://www.nvidia.com/object/fermi_architecture.html"]these new Fermi-based video boards[/URL] exceed benchmark speeds of even previous NVIDIA Tesla solutions based on the previous-generation chipsets. CPUs will …

Stand up if you like paying your income tax. To all of you who have remained seated, which I will assume is indeed all of you, I have some more bad news: the bogus tax collectors want your money as well, and now they have botnets helping them. [attach]15770[/attach]According to …

In the latest episode of the [URL="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9179007/SCO_appeals_ruling_in_Novell_case"]story that never ends[/URL], [URL="http://www.sco.com"]SCO[/URL] filed an appeal in the [URL="http://www.novell.com/prblogs/?p=2153"]closed[/URL] case against [URL="http://www.novell.com"]Novell[/URL]. Everyone in the Linux and Open Source Communities thought the case was finally brought to a close when the judge declared that Novell is the owner of UNIX copyrights. The …

New [URL="http://www.getsafeonline.org"]research carried out on behalf of Get Safe Online[/URL], a national Internet security awareness initiative backed by the UK Government and the Serious Organised Crime Agency, has revealed that 30 percent of Internet users are putting themselves at risk when they book a holiday online. [attach]15742[/attach]Get Safe Online and …

Microsoft and Apple haven't had a great time of it recently with mobile consumers. For Microsoft, the market roundly rejected the Kin, which just about anyone who follows the cell phone market knew would happen. Meanwhile, Apple is taking it on the chin about how they are handling the iPhone …

Apple had a great week last week when it launched the iPhone 4 to much fanfare. [URL="http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jun/29/business/la-fi-iphone-sales-20100629"]1.7 million units[/URL] reportedly flew out the door in the first three days alone setting sales records. People [URL="http://www.pcworld.com/article/199761/hundreds_wait_in_line_as_iphone_4_goes_on_sale.html"]waited in long lines[/URL]; reportedly longer lines than for the iPad debut or the iPhone 3G …

[ATTACH=LEFT]15719[/ATTACH]The Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) has [URL="http://www.bluetooth.com/English/Products/Pages/Low_Energy.aspx?var=homepageHERO=Bluetoothv4.0"]completed[/URL] work on the new Bluetooth 4.0 specification and is officially ready to begin qualifying new devices for use with the technology. The most notable improvement is the support for devices with low-power consumption. This means Bluetooth can now be implemented in a …

[ATTACH=RIGHT]15718[/ATTACH]After a brief delay, Firefox 4 Beta 1 was officially [URL="http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/all-beta.html"]released[/URL] to the public for all operating systems this afternoon. Mozilla has deviated from their all too predictable design and created a browser that owes more than a few nods to Google’s Chrome, the fastest growing browser on the market. …

According to the Associated Press article, "[URL="http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100706/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_technology_consolidation;_ylt=Aue.2rGwfTjg.EXFBurPtDIjtBAF;_ylu=X3oDMTMwZ2I5cjU2BGFzc2V0A2FwLzIwMTAwNzA2L3VzX3RlY190ZWNobm9sb2d5X2NvbnNvbGlkYXRpb24EY3BvcwMxBHBvcwMxBHNlYwN5bl90b3Bfc3RvcnkEc2xrA3RlY2hjdXN0b21lcg--"]Tech customers question industry's takeover spree[/URL]," large technical companies have absorbed smaller tech companies to the detriment of their customers although these tech "sponges" say they're doing it "for their customers." How can there be such a disparity between the reality of customer pain …

Last week was a tough week for Apple followers as we were bombarded with a slew of stories that sounded dire, but upon further examination maybe weren’t so bad (or maybe they were). Confused yet? You’re not alone. Let’s look at three stories from last week that illustrate this issue. …

I am told, by those who follow the sport, that the Netherlands soccer team stands a pretty good chance of lifting the FIFA 2010 World Cup trophy. The bad news for any Netherlands fans is that their side has already been defeated by India, in the World Cup of security …

Apple released [URL="http://www.apple.com/pr/library/2010/07/02appleletter.html"]a letter[/URL] this morning explaining its infamous iPhone 4 reception issues. I encourage you to read it and then come back. The letter is so bizarre to me I thought at first it was joke or a hoax like Steve Jobs' [URL="http://venturebeat.com/2010/07/01/steve-jobs-calm-down-email-is-a-hoax-says-apple/"]"Relax, It's a Only a Phone email[/URL]." …

Microsoft got some good news this week when new data showed they had gained market share on rivals Firefox and Chrome last month. It might very well be a temporary data glitch, especially when news came out today that [URL="http://www.networkworld.com/news/2010/070110-ibm-employees-use-firefox.html?source=NWWNLE_nlt_daily_pm_2010-07-01"]IBM was recommending that its 40,000 employees use Firefox[/URL] instead of …

Unless you are a techno-luddite of the first order, the chances are that you would agree the Internet has become an integral part of daily life for those blessed with decent access to the thing. But would you agree that broadband access of no less than 1Mbps is your legal …

There's a lot of buzz on the Internet today about some "leaked" [URL="http://www.microsoft.com"]Microsoft[/URL] slides concerning Windows 8. But, like the [URL="http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9178753/_Don_t_get_excited_about_Windows_8_says_analyst"]Computerworld article[/URL] on the subject says, you shouldn't get excited about anything in those leaked slides. You're likely to end up disappointed. If any of you can remember back to …

This month sees the 75th anniversary of one of the cornerstones in the IT industry and it's name is neither Apple nor Microsoft. In 1935 the Fuji Tsushinki Manufacturing Corporation was founded in Japan, although you will probably know it better by the name it adopted later: Fujitsu. [attach]15619[/attach]Quite apart …

[ATTACH=RIGHT]15613[/ATTACH]Many iPhone users had a great deal of issues with AT&T since iPhone4 (which is 3G) was released last week. I don't want to get ahead of myself here but [URL="http://www.businessweek.com/news/2010-06-29/verizon-wireless-said-to-get-iphone-in-january.html"]Bloomberg Business Week is reporting[/URL] that the iPhone will be available through Verizon Wireless come January 2011. It is not …

There's big news in the software patent front from none other than The U.S. Supreme Court. In the case of [URL="http://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=167db2c8-5a72-4f52-8c22-6ae54ff16062"]Bilski vs. Kappos[/URL], handed down yesterday, is a major blow to the anti-patent movement, specifically the [I]no software patent[/I] groups. [INDENT]Florian Mueller, founder of the anti-software patents movement (NoSoftwarePatents) in …

How many people enjoy their service with AT&T? <Peers out into audience holding hand over his eyes> Not many, not many. And AT&T just seems to keep getting more unfriendly all the time. Recently they announced data caps just before the release of iPhone 4 (see [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/news/story287711.html"]New AT&T Data Plans …

I love books. My house is full of bookshelves overflowing with them. I have countless cabinets stuffed with them and they pour off my wife's and my night stands. We have spent many a night in book stores just perusing the shelves, spying the new releases and I've discovered some …

Someone posing as Apple head honcho Steve Jobs on Twitter has managed to fool a major UK newspaper into reporting that the [URL="http://www.apple.com/iphone/"]iPhone 4[/URL] would be recalled after posting a Tweet which said "We may have to recall the new iPhone. This, I did not expect". The Daily Mail website …

It was exactly one year ago today that I published my original "[URL="http://www.daniweb.com/news/story219749.html"]The 10 Best Linux Distributions[/URL]" and it's time to put forth a new list for this year's best. Without looking at the old list, I've decided to compile this one from scratch. This 2009 list takes several factors …

Today, June 22, 2010, The [URL="http://www.openinventionnetwork.com"]Open Invention Network[/URL] (OIN) [URL="http://www.openinventionnetwork.com/press_release06_22_10.php"]announced[/URL] that [URL="http://www.canonical.com"]Canonical[/URL], the company that owns and produces the [URL="http://www.ubuntu.com"]Ubuntu[/URL] Linux distribution, joins its ranks as the first Associate Member. Florian Mueller, founder and former director of the NoSoftwarePatents campaign and the founder of the [URL="http://fosspatents.blogspot.com"]FOSS Patents Blog[/URL] had this …

Just [URL="http://www.daniweb.com/news/story283037.html"]weeks [/URL]after Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales came under criticism for being overly zealous about removing information, particularly images, that could be considered to be child pornography from the electronic encyclopedia, the site is being accused by Fox News of harboring pedophiles. "Wikipedia has become home base for a loose …

Is it true that, if you speak up for GNU/Linux on the Desktop, you get flamed? I just had a virtual conversation with someone who claims that this assertion is fact. I've never experienced this anti-Desktop Linux sentiment or maybe my memory has failed me. I don't think the Linux …

To get down and dirty in mobile phone competition, [URL="http://www.nokia.com"]Nokia[/URL] [URL="http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE65N20Y20100624"]decides[/URL] to take on Apple and Google by adopting the Linux [URL="http://meego.org"]MeeGo[/URL] platform for its new N-Series phones. Back in February of this year, [URL="http://www.intel.com"]Intel[/URL] and Nokia [URL="http://www.nokia.com/press/press-releases/showpressrelease?newsid=1384419"]teamed up[/URL] to create the MeeGo mobile phone platform. This bold move allows …

A researcher has revealed that people are far more likely to tell lies using email than they would do if they were writing on pen and paper it seems. In two studies, Liuba Belkin reached the conclusion that people lie 50 percent more often in emails. This, of course, is …

Many a gadget freak has claimed 'I would kill for an iPad' over the last few weeks, but as the world officially goes iPad crazy ask your self this: would you die for an iPad? That's the rather serious question being asked as the Chinese factory where the iPad is …

There is absolutely no doubt that mobile broadband has been one of those recession bucking sectors which has enjoyed something of a boom in recent years. However, according to new figures from [URL="http://www.Broadband-Expert.co.uk"]Broadband Expert[/URL] that boom would appear to be over. Working on the basis that the number of people …

[URL="http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/23/hp-goes-nutsie-for-melodeo-pays-30-million-for-music-streaming-service/?utm_source=SNSanalytics&utm_medium=Twitter&utm_campaign=Tech+News"]HP purchased streaming music service Melodeo[/URL] today for $30M. Big whoop you might say, but if you look at this purchase in the context of other recent purchases including [URL="http://www.engadget.com/2010/04/28/hp-buys-palm/"]Palm[/URL] earlier this year, it shows a clear pattern. HP wants to be a playah in the mobile market and they …

I know it sounds crazy but the Linux Desktop isn't dead, it's just pining. It's pining for the correct platform--a tablet computer. And, I'm not referring to some cheap imitation tablet that will merely satisfy a few observers and nerdlets who use Linux. I'm thinking of a tablet computer for …

That's right, free. And if it's free, it's for me. Software promoter MacHeist is my new best friend, and for the next five days is giving away [url=http://www.macheist.com/]nanoBundle[/url], a package of six Mac OS X applications including the highly-rated Twitterrific, which normally sells for US$15. In all, $154 worth of …

Interesting that the US Department of Defense has banned thumb drives. The problem is that they can carry viruses and infect computers - and if your nation's defense depends on these systems (and by extension in the case of the US so does the defense of the rest of the …