NewsFactor Network

EarthLink Backs Out of Philly Wi-Fi Deal

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:57:54 -0500

EarthLink has notified its Wi-Fi customers in Philadelphia that the broadband service provider will soon be terminating its metropolitan Wi-Fi service in the city. The company, which stopped accepting new customers to the network in early May, said it would provide its Philly customers with a 30-day grace period through June 12 to transfer to another provider.

EarthLink incoming CEO Rolla Huff decided last November that there was no money to be made from metropolitan Wi-Fi. "After thorough review and analysis of our municipal wireless business," he said, "we have decided that making significant further investments in this business could be inconsistent with our objective of maximizing shareholder value."

Houston subsequently elected to allow EarthLink to back out of its deal with the city, and the broadband provider is currently in negotiations to ease out of its contract with Anaheim, Calif. However, finding a graceful way of out its agreement with Philadelphia has been problematic.

Finding an Alternative

EarthLink says it has been trying to reach an agreement for months on a free transfer of its entire $17 million Wi-Fi network in Philadelphia. Moreover, the company said it had even offered to sweeten the deal with cash payments and the donation of new equipment.

"Unfortunately, our hope that we could transfer our network to a nonprofit organization that had planned to offer free Wi-Fi throughout Philadelphia will not be realized," Huff said. "Since we have exhausted our efforts to find a new owner of the network, our only responsible alternative now is to remove our network at our cost, and assist our Wi-Fi customers with alternative ways to access the Internet."

EarthLink has filed a proceeding in federal court seeking a declaration that EarthLink may remove its equipment from the city's streetlights. The lawsuit also attempts to limit EarthLink's potential liability in Philadelphia...

WorldWide Telescope Brings Universe to the Desktop

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:06:07 -0500

Where is Saturn in relation to the moon? Does the Milky Way really have a supermassive black hole in the center of the galaxy? Microsoft has some answers.

Indeed, Microsoft likes to think the final frontier got a little closer this week with its public beta launch of the WorldWide Telescope software.

WorldWide Telescope is a rich Web application that brings together images from ground- and space-based observatories across the world to allow people to explore the night sky through their computers.

"The WorldWide Telescope is a powerful tool for science and education that makes it possible for everyone to explore the universe," Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said. "By combining terabytes of incredible imagery and data with easy-to-use software for viewing and moving through all that information, the WorldWide Telescope opens the door to new ways to see and experience the wonders of space."

Navigating the Galaxies

Microsoft Research blended software and Web 2.0 services to create the high-performance Microsoft Visual Experience Engine. This engine allows users to pan and zoom around the heavens. WorldWide Telescope stitches together terabytes of high-resolution images of celestial bodies and displays them in a way that relates to their position in the sky.

The service goes beyond simple browsing of images. Users can choose which telescope they want to look through, including the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-Ray Observatory Center, the Spitzer Space Telescope, or others. They can view the locations of planets in the night sky -- in the past, present or future. They can view the universe through different wavelengths of light to reveal hidden structures in other parts of the galaxy. Taken as a whole, the application provides a top-to-bottom view of the science of astronomy.

Users have two options. They can freely browse through the solar system, galaxy and beyond, or take a guided...

Steve Jobs Keynote Boosts Expectations for 3G iPhone

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:41:36 -0500

Apple's announcement Tuesday that CEO Steve Jobs will keynote the company's Worldwide Developers Conference is fueling speculation that Apple will announce a 3G version of the iPhone. Jobs will speak on Monday, June 9, at 10 a.m. The conference runs June 9-13 in San Francisco.

The timing is certainly right. Rumors have been circulating for most of the year that Apple would release a 3G iPhone in the second half of the year. Those rumors have been stoked by reports that Apple is winding down inventory of the current version. Both the U.S. and British versions of the online Apple Store list the iPhone as currently unavailable.

And sales representatives at Apple retail stores across the country reported the iPhone out of stock. "The iPhone is sold out companywide," a sales representative at the Apple Store in Braintree, Mass., told Computerworld.

iPhone 2.0

"On its own, this means nothing, but we all know that there could never be a major product announcement without Jobs on the stage," Charlie Sorrel wrote on Wired's news site, predicting Jobs would unveil a "proper update to the MacBook Pro line" as well.

The rumor mill has suggested that the price of the new iPhone could be substantially less than the current version's $399 cost.

While the possibility of a 3G iPhone announcement is pure speculation at this point, what is known is that Apple will release version 2.0 of the iPhone software, the final version of the iPhone software developers kit and the App Store, where developers can publish and users can wirelessly download third-party applications.

"I do expect to see a lot of developer focus on the platform and if it weren't for the problems with the lines last time, I'd be certain there would be lines for the phones again this time," said Rob Enderle, principal analyst...

European Commission Clears TomTom's Bid for Tele Atlas

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:42:38 -0500

The European Commission has granted antitrust approval to personal navigation device maker TomTom's proposed acquisition of Tele Atlas, one of two providers of navigable digital maps on a worldwide basis. The deal received U.S. antitrust approval last October.

"After thorough investigation, I am now satisfied that the innovation and competition we have seen in [satellite navigation technology] until now will continue after this merger, and that consumers will continue to benefit from new and innovative products," said EC Competition Commissioner Neelie Kroes.

The EC's ruling "is the best possible outcome for TomTom and Tele Atlas, allowing the new combination to go ahead with the full execution of its strategy" for speeding up and enriching the digital-mapmaking process, the two companies said.

Enriching Digital Maps

The production process at Tele Atlas right now is both lengthy and expensive, with several months often passing before a new map version with corrected data is released. Once the merger closes, however, Tele Atlas will be able to speed up the process by making full use of incremental mapping data gathered by TomTom.

"TomTom has developed unique technologies to collect and process map-related data from our user base of over 15 million GPS navigation devices," explained TomTom Chief Executive Harold Goddijn. "This information will be delivered to Tele Atlas after the proposed merger to allow Tele Atlas to substantially improve its map creation, enrichment and maintenance process."

TomTom's sales of navigation devices are rising rapidly due to steep price reductions. The company said last month that device sales grew 50 percent year over year to two million units in the first quarter at an average selling price of $181.

Changes Ahead

Goddijn believes the navigation industry will change significantly in the next few years as customers give ever-increasing importance to intelligent routing and up-to-date maps. "We are already seeing an...

EDS Catapults HP Right Behind IBM in IT Services

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:41:57 -0500

Analysts are still assessing Hewlett-Packard's announcement Tuesday that it will acquire Electronic Data Systems for $13.9 billion. Together, HP and EDS will be a tech-services behemoth with 210,000 employees worldwide in 80 countries and revenues of more than $38 billion. That figure more than doubles HP's service revenues.

HP's plans are simple: To establish a new business group. That group will be called EDS -- An HP Company. EDS Chairman, President and CEO Ronald Rittenmeyer will lead the group.

"The combination of HP and EDS will create a leading force in global IT services," said Mark Hurd, HP's president and CEO. "Together, we will be a stronger business partner, delivering customers the broadest, most competitive portfolio of products and services in the industry."

Gaining Ground on Big Blue

With this acquisition, HP moves to the number-two position behind IBM in providing IT services to the world's largest corporations.�That catapults HP in front of Accenture and puts it into a strong position to sell solutions to its largest accounts.

Any time you can go into the market and become the No. 1 or No. 2 player is a good move, according to Murray Beach, managing director of TM Capital and chairman of M&A International. Of course, he continued, the deal that would have really given IBM heartburn would have been an HP-Accenture tie-up, but the EDS deal gives HP a nice jump in government and financial services.

"IT outsourcing is also at the heart of the data center, and this is a critical arena for HP.�Becoming significantly more competitive with IBM in this area will [also challenge] IBM's server and data-center position," Beach said. "This is a nice strategic move from this angle. Their new government strength is an area that HP can exploit against IBM, as they should be one of the largest government-services players...

Openness Convert Verizon Joins LiMo Foundation

Wed, 14 May 2008 09:27:13 -0500

The competition between the Android and LiMo open-source mobile platforms heated up as Verizon Wireless joined the LiMo Foundation. On Tuesday, Verizon and the foundation announced that wireless carrier was joining as a core member, with a seat on the board of directors.

"By participating in LiMo," Verizon said, the company "hopes to help LiMo unify the mobile industry around openness and Linux as the key enablers to lowering development costs."

Membership Now Totals 40

LiMo Foundation Executive Director Morgan Gillis added that 40 "major wireless service providers from across North America, Asia and Europe" have become members. Membership is open to all wireless vendors and service providers.

Other new members were also announced by LiMo, including Infineon Technologies, Kvaleberg AS, Mozilla, Red Bend Software, Sagem Mobiles, SFR, and SK Telecom.

LiMo was founded in early 2007 by Motorola, NEC, NTT DoCoMo, Panasonic Mobile Communications, Samsung Electronics, and Vodafone to create an open and global software platform based on Mobile Linux.

The competing Linux-based, open mobile platform is Android, being developed by Google and about 30 other companies in the Open Handset Alliance. Members include LG Electronics, Motorola, Samsung Electronics, China Mobile, NTT DoCoMo, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Telecom India, and Telefonica.

Last month, AT&T indicated it would also support Android, and an Android Software Development Kit was recently released.

Open Development Initiative

Verizon's support of LiMo could play an important role in its Open Development Initiative, which it has said will allow customers to use any device or application on its national network.

In February, the company held an Open Development Device Conference and released version 1.0 of the technical specifications for wireless devices that will work on its "Any Device, Any App" network-only option. The network-only option is expected to become available later this year, and will reportedly allow customers to sign up for network service but use...

MySpace Wins Record $234 Million Spam Judgment

Wed, 14 May 2008 08:09:58 -0500

Spammers, beware. MySpace said Tuesday it has won a record-setting $234 million legal judgment against two well-known spammers who didn't even bother to show up for their court date.

According to news reports, the decision in a Los Angeles U.S. District Court in favor of MySpace was rendered after the popular social-networking site filed suit against Sanford Wallace and Walter Rines because of junk e-mail they sent to MySpace members. The judgment is considered the largest ever against purveyors of unwanted, commercial e-mail, which is flooding inboxes everywhere. The court also issued injunctions against similar activities in the future.

'Better Not Go There'

MySpace chief security officer Hemanshu Nigam told the Associated Press that "anybody who's been thinking about engaging in spam is going to say, 'Wow, I better not go there.'" But some observers have noted that the fact it's a default judgment may indicate that MySpace doesn't know where Wallace and Rines are.

According to the lawsuit, Wallace and Rines created fake MySpace accounts or took control of existing ones by stealing passwords, and then they sent spam from these accounts. To many MySpace members, it looked as if the junk e-mails -- which often asked the reader to visit a Web site or watch a video -- were coming from friends.

The e-mails, which MySpace said numbered more than 735,000, were intended to make money by selling things such as ringtones when someone went to a site or a video, or make money based on hits. MySpace said some of the sites contained pornographic materials, and the spam generated hundreds of complaints and cost the social-networking site money.

Under the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003, each violation can result in $100 in damages, which are tripled if the e-mail can be shown to have been sent "willfully."

'Still Have Murder'

Peter Firstbrook, an analyst with industry...

Many Businesses Still Reluctant To Try Windows Vista

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:11:54 -0500

General Motors may take a detour around Vista, the latest computer operating system from Microsoft. The automaker has encountered so many speed bumps getting Vista to work on its machines that it may just wait for the next version of Windows, due in 2010 or 2011. "We're considering bypassing Vista and going straight to Windows 7," says GM's Chief Systems & Technology Officer Fred Killeen.

Vista taxes all but the most modern PCs with hefty processing and memory requirements. Many of GM's PCs can't even run the system. "By the time we'd replace them, Windows 7 might be ready anyway," Killeen says. Then there are compatibility problems with all the software that needs to run on Windows. GM's software vendors still haven't ensured all their programs will run on Vista trouble-free. So the company is sticking with Windows XP for now. Killeen figures GM could install Windows 7 in three or four years.

Equal Parts Rejection and Acceptance

Many of Killeen's counterparts across Corporate America are finding themselves similarly vexed by Vista. The resulting delay or rejection of Microsoft's flagship product is stepping up pressure on the company to expand other areas of its business, including online software. Vista was first released in late 2006, but the dismay with it has come into sharper focus as slower-than-expected uptake affects Microsoft's bottom line, Google spiffs up its own free versions of competing software, and corporate tech managers move to put more Apple Macs on employee desks.

Microsoft says it has sold 140 million copies of Vista as of Mar. 31, about the same percentage of all PCs as ran Windows XP at this point in its lifetime. The 140 million includes consumers who have to take the latest version when they buy a new PC as well as businesses that are entitled to Vista rights...

Three Charged in Dave & Buster's Restaurant Hacking

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:15:22 -0500

Three men were charged Monday with hacking into a national restaurant chain's computerized cash registers and stealing credit card information from customers.

Eleven Dave & Buster's restaurants at various locations around the United States were hit in the scheme, including one in Islandia, on Long Island, where information was stolen on 5,000 credit and debit cards, causing at least $600,000 (EU390,000) in losses, federal prosecutors said.

The extent of the losses from the other branches was not immediately known.

Maksym Yastremskiy, of Kharkov, Ukraine, and Aleksandr Suvorov, of Sillamae, Estonia, were charged in a 27-count indictment with wire fraud conspiracy, wire fraud, conspiracy to possess unauthorized access devices, access device fraud, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit computer fraud, computer fraud and interception of electronic communications.

The indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court in Central Islip. Separately, a one-count complaint unsealed in Central Islip on Monday charged Albert Gonzalez of Miami with wire fraud conspiracy.

"Operating from locations in the United States and abroad, these defendants hacked into computer systems and stole credit and debit card data from unsuspecting victims for their personal enrichment," assistant attorney general Alice S. Fisher said in a statement from Washington.

Prosecutors say the trio hacked into the cash register terminals in order to acquire "track 2" credit and debit card information. Track 2 data includes the customer's account number and expiration date, but not the cardholder's name or other personally identifiable information, prosecutors said.

The men then sold the stolen data to others who made fraudulent purchases, prosecutors said.

Yastremskiy and Suvorov are accused of gaining unauthorized access to the terminals and installing so-called "packet sniffers," which are computer software codes designed to capture communications between two or more computer systems on a single network. Gonzalez supplied the computer software used in the scheme, prosecutors said.

Yastremskiy was arrested in Turkey in...

Disney To Create High-Tech Ad-Testing Lab

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:19:21 -0500

Will people remember three-second video ads on their mobile phones? Do high-definition commercials on big screens get people's hearts racing more than other pitches? Is the sports ticker crawl distracting or does it add value to the 30-second TV spot?

A laboratory in Austin, Texas, to be founded by The Walt Disney Co. by the end of the year aims to answer these questions and more by testing the biometric reactions of a pool of up to 4,000 people to advertising that takes advantage of the latest technology.

In a controlled living room setting, scientists will measure heart rate and skin conductivity and track the gaze of participants who are exposed to new ad models over the Internet, mobile devices and TV screens.

The first results are expected by early 2009.

The media giant, which owns ABC and ESPN, is seeking to learn whether consumers are more engaged by new and interactive ads and ultimately if the company can charge more for them.

Disney planned to announce the formation of the lab to advertisers attending its upfront sales pitch for the coming TV season in New York on Tuesday.

"One of the reasons for engaging in an initiative like this is to determine, once and for all, if there is additional value," Artie Bulgrin, senior vice president of research and sales development for ESPN, told The Associated Press.

The sports media juggernaut says subscribers to its premium high-definition channels were economically better off and considers them more attractive to advertisers. Now, it will clinically test whether HD ads have more impact, Bulgrin said.

The lab will be headed by Duane Varan, executive director of the Interactive Television Research Institute at Murdoch University in Perth, Australia.

Varan said biometric testing helps cut to the heart of audience reactions to visual ads, which can sometimes be missed by focus group surveys.

"TV...

NATO Allies To Sign Deal on Cyber Defense Center

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:23:33 -0500

Estonia and six NATO allies sign a deal this week to provide staff and funds for a new research center designed to boost the alliance's defenses against cyber terrorism.

The agreement to be signed in Brussels on Wednesday comes a year after the small Baltic nation was exposed to an unprecedented wave of cyber attacks that crippled government and corporate computer networks.

The attacks lasted three weeks and followed deadly riots sparked by the relocation of a Soviet war memorial. Many Estonians suspect the Kremlin was behind the virtual strikes but Moscow has denied involvement.

The attacks showed how vulnerable individual countries are to cyber warfare and underscored the need for a joint NATO response, said Estonian Maj. Raul Rikk, who heads the center.

"The attacks against Estonia last year were cyber terrorism to say the least," Rikk told The Associated Press in a tour of the facility in Tallinn. "The job of the center is to create new capabilities to fight against new threats."

Despite tight security, the low-key appearance of the center makes it look like the offices of an IT company rather than a site where cyber war games are simulated. Rows of computers are lined up in classroom-like offices separated by a long corridor.

The defense ministers of NATO members Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Germany, Italy, Spain and Slovakia are to sign Wednesday's agreement that will ensure funds and staff for the center's operations. The United States will join the project as an observer, Rikk said.

The center will be operational in August, although the formal opening is planned for 2009. A staff of 30 specialists will conduct research and training on cyber warfare. They will also be ready to help NATO members respond to any future attacks against computer networks.

Rikk said the experts will be recruited from various NATO member states and fields...

Microsoft's OOXML Faces New EU Challenge

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:20:21 -0500

A British watchdog agency said Tuesday it had complained to European Union regulators that Microsoft Corp.'s new file format for storing documents discouraged competition.

Britain's agency for education and information technology said it wanted to feed information into an investigation the EU launched in January. That investigation is looking at whether the software giant deliberately withheld information from rivals that the rivals wanted so they could make their products compatible with Microsoft software.

This comes on the heels of EU antitrust action against Microsoft Corp. that has already resulted in US$2.63 billion (EU1.7 billion) in fines.

The watchdog, the British Educational Communications and Technology Agency, said it had told the European Commission that barriers to interoperability -- which would allow different software products work smoothly with each other -- hurt students and teachers.

"Impediments to interoperability limit choice," the agency said. "In the context of the education system, this can result in higher prices and a range of other unsatisfactory effects."

In an e-mailed statement, Microsoft spokeswoman Anne-Sophie de Brancion said the corporation would cooperate with both the British watchdog agency and the European Commission.

"Microsoft is deeply committed to education and interoperability," the statement said. "We believe that more and more schools are upgrading to Windows Vista and Office 2007 as they increasingly recognize the benefits of embracing technology to transform teaching and learning. We have funded the development of tools to promote interoperability between Office 2007 and products based on the ODF (OpenDocument Format) file format."

The watchdog agency was passing on to the European Commission -- the EU executive -- a complaint it initially filed in October with Britain's Office of Fair Trading. That complaint objected to "the existence of impediments to effective interoperability in relation to Microsoft's 2007 product."

This referred Microsoft's new file format, Office Open XML, which stores Word, Excel and PowerPoint...

Chile Probes Data Theft and Posting by Hacker

Wed, 14 May 2008 07:23:10 -0500

A hacker who identified himself as "Anonymous Coward" stole personal data of 6 million Chileans -- reportedly including a daughter of the president -- and posted it briefly on the Internet, authorities said Sunday.

"This is a serious and delicate issue," said presidential spokesman Francisco Vidal.

Police Chief Jaime Jara confirmed that authorities were investigating the theft of the leaked data, which he said included identity card numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, e-mails and academic background.

The data was taken early Friday from servers at the Education Ministry, the electoral service and the military, Jara said. It was not clear when it appeared on the Internet, but it was first reported to police early Saturday by Leo Prieto, the administrator of a local technology-oriented Internet site who discovered links to the information online.

It did not immediately appear that any banking or financial data had been compromised, and the information had been removed by Saturday morning, Jara said.

The incident was first reported Sunday by the daily newspaper El Mercurio.

Among the data was a list of students who receive preferential public transportation rates, including one of President Michelle Bachelet's two daughters, Prieto told Santiago's Radio Cooperativa.

The transportation passes include a photo and the name of the students' schools, but do not contain any other sensitive information.

Despite the information's prompt removal from the Internet, some people may have downloaded it "and it may still be around on the Internet," Prieto said.

El Mercurio reported that it had access to some of the data, including a file in which the hacker said he intended "to demonstrate how poorly protected the data in Chile is, and how nobody works to protect it."

The paper said the hacker identified himself as "Anonymous Coward."