Many people consider having broadband access a privilege but if you live in Finland, its become a legal right. Starting in July 2010 it will be a
legal right for every person to have a broadband connection of at least 1MB and by 2015 everyone will have access to a 100MB connection. While not
the first country to make broadband a legal right, that title goes to the Swiss, it does show a growing trend of how integrated broadband technologies
are into our lives. Not much else is known about the new law that will make broadband a legal right.
Even as Microsoft's product groups focus on Windows 7 and beyond, its lawyers are still battling disgruntled PC users over the way the company
distributed an anti-piracy tool for Windows XP -- the version of the operating system that debuted nearly eight years ago...
Just days away from an event at Google where the company will reveal more about one of their rumored and now confirmed projects - Chrome OS, package
files and pictures have leaked showing the operating system (or at least the browser part of it) running on top of a Ubuntu install with themes and a
new logo. The files that leaked were hosted on a public Google server, and were found by Living in a Google World earlier this week. The Operating
System which is very unstable (as expected) was leaked for only a few hours, and then taken down - but not before some users got copies of the files.
Whilst it's not okay in Microsoft's eyes for Google to install a plugin into Internet Explorer, increasing the potential surface area of attack,
when Microsoft do it to Firefox, it's a different matter. Now a security hole has been found in
a plugin that Microsoft have been silently installing into Firefox...
Sony took the covers off its new X series range of notebooks yesterday at a press event in London and Neowin was waiting in the wings for an early
hands on. The new X Series is incredibly light and slim, weighing just 0.78KG (including battery). It's hard to describe just how elegant and
slim this notebook is, the chasis measures no more than 13.9mm in width at any point across its body. It's so light that Sony is claiming the X
series is the "world's lightest laptop." Sony has designed this latest notebook for portability, performance and style. Marketed towards
business travelers, this ultra-premium notebook is sexy in a choice of three finishes; gold, black and premium carbon.
Microsoft's Windows 7 operating system is receiving raves in its pre-release testing. While much of the kernel that lies at the heart of the
operating system is based on Vista code, several key advances have been made that get rid of Vista annoyances and greatly improve the user experience.
Inside the kernel, one important change centers on how multithreaded applications are run. The threading advances provide benefits in energy
reduction, scalability, and, in theory, performance...
The upcoming version 3.6 of Firefox will be able to tell if you're listing to starboard--and pass that information along to applications running in
the browser.
That's because the browser will be able to detect the orientation of laptops and mobile devices equipped with
accelerometers that can tell which way is down. The reason for the work: Web applications running in the browser will be able to use the information,
useful for labyrinth-type games with virtual marbles rolling around boards, and any number of other gaming situations.
Over the weekend T-Mobile and Microsoft Danger confirmed a huge outage on its Sidekick devices. In a statement issued to customers T-Mobile confirmed
"we must now inform you that personal information stored on your device - such as contacts, calendar entries, to-do lists or photos - that is no
longer on your Sidekick almost certainly has been lost as a result of a server failure at Microsoft/Danger." According to some reports, the failure
was due to a SAN (Storage Area Network) gone wrong at Microsoft's end. It is claimed that Microsoft does not have a working backup of some of the
data that has gone missing from customers devices.
Watchers of streaming video trends are buzzing after a remark by Netflix CEO Reed Hastings in a Montley Fool podcast that DVDs may lose their number one spot for the company's video distribution after two years.
Although he didn't explicitly say what he thinks will replace DVD, a few of his statements seem to agree with what many have been
saying since the end of the format war. It won't be Blu-ray.
Last month AMD unleashed what went on to become the world's fastest single-GPU graphics card by a convincing margin, the Radeon HD 5870. This was
followed shortly by a slightly watered-down version known as the Radeon HD 5850. The latter has proved to be very competitive, playing second only to
its bigger brother and at just $260, it stands without a doubt as the best value high performance offering available at the moment. Continuing
with the successful rollout of its Radeon HD 5000 series, AMD is now moving to attack the sub-$200 market, and hopes to keep the momentum going
with the Radeon HD 5770 and 5750.
Windows 7 hits retailers around the world today but that hasn't stopped Burger King getting in on the marketing fun. We wish we were joking but an
image speaks a thousands words: Thanks to Neowin member Shayla for the news tip
Microsoft officials last month said they had revised their Microsoft Desktop Optimization Pack (MDOP) plans so as to get a Windows-7-friendly version
of its tools out to businesses around the time of the Windows 7 launch.
On October 20, the MDOP team announced that the newest version of MDOP isready for download.
Software Assurance licensees who’ve purchased MDOP can get the final MDOP 2009 R2, as the revised version
of the pack is known. And those who aren’t already customers but who have MSDN/TechNet subscriptions can try it out today, as well.
CNet.com has benchmarked Windows 7 and Snow Leopard using the same hardware to test both operating systems. The performance test ran using software
available on both operating systems including iTunes 9, QuickTime, Call of Duty 4 Modern Warfare and Cinebench R10; testing multimedia multitasking,
shutdown time, boot time and iTunes encoding. The laptop used was a 15-inch MacBook Pro with 2.5Ghz Intel Core 2 Duo, 4GB of RAM with a 512MB Nvidia
GeForce 9600M GT video card. Snow Leopard was installed on a stock 320GB hard drive (Hitachi model HTS543232L9SA0), while Windows 7 64-bit was
installed on a 320GB Western Digital Scorpio Blue (model WD3200BEVT).
Microsoft Learning has developed a wide range of training and resources for IT Pros that address the benefits and key technical aspects of Windows 7.
With these resources, IT Pros can prepare for deployments and become Windows 7 experts within in their organization. These resources include...
Verizon released a new commercial which takes shots at the missing features for the iPhone. The website droiddoes.com has a countdown timer to the
release of the new Android 2.0 mobile phone. The ad attacks a variety of things Apple doesn't do or won't do on the iPhone. The
advertisement attacks Apple's oversights on the iPhone like a real keyboard, running simultaneous applications, being customizable, allowing
widgets, open source development and interchangeable batteries. The advertisement also takes a stab at the iPhone's camera, saying the Android
based phone will have a 5MP camera and will be able to take pictures in the dark. The Android 2.0 phone will release this November on Verizon.
Windows 7 has proved to be quite the drastic improvement over Vista, enough that it even has XP stragglers crawling out of the woodwork to check it
out. Your chance to test drive the release candidate is now running thin, in fact, if you haven't tried the new OS until now you are better off
postponing your plans for a week and installing the real thing. The final version of Windows 7 has already been sent to partners and is scheduled to
debut publicly later this week on October 22.
Microsoft plans to replicate some processes from the PC industry to try to boost its performance in the mobile market and expects to see a growing
number of applications in its new Marketplace, an executive said this week.
In a wide-ranging interview, Andy Lees, senior vice
president of mobile communications for Microsoft, confirmed that for the first time the company will release hardware reference designs to make it
easier for handset makers to use Windows Mobile.
Linus Torvalds, the father of the Linux Kernel gave Windows 7 the thumbs up in Japan yesterday. Torvalds was in town for the Japan Linux Symposium
exhibition and Microsoft reportedly setup a big promotion booth across the street from the conference center. During a conference break an attendee
dragged Torvalds across the street to "make fun of Microsoft". The result? A somewhat sarcastic thumbs up from Linus Torvalds, it's a picture
that will certainly go down in history though. Thanks to Steven Bink (bink.nu) for spotting this:
News reported on Wired's US website gives details regarding a plan by 'America's spy agencies' to read our blog posts, keep track of
our Twitter updates and check out our book reviews on Amazon. The investment branch of the CIA, a company named In-Q-Tel has invested a sum of money
into a company named Visible Technologies, a software firm which specializes in monitoring social media websites such as Twitter and YouTube.
With the official launch of Windows 7 currently underway around the globe, Microsoft has released four new advertisements to market Windows 7. This
round of advertisements is very simplistic and dubbed "7 Second Demos". Check them out below and let us know what you think. Kudos to
Omen1393 for the tip!
Windows 7 can allow potentially incriminating data (such as child pornography) to be encrypted on a user's hard drive and make detection by police
"impossible", experts in Australia claim. Speaking to News.com.au, Hetty Johnson, a member of the Federal Government, called on Microsoft to act now
and make immediate changes. "If this new product gives paedophiles protection to keep harming children I would be extremely disappointed. I would
expect the company to take moves to rectify this." Australian law states that authorities can obtain warrants to use a Trojan horse to gain access
to a computer's data, but unlike British law, refusing to decrypt data when requested by the police is completely legal.
Apple has come clear on its return policy for the App Store; don't even think about it. Apple has stated that there will be no returning of an
App purchased on the App Store If you want to try out one of the new navigation programs that can run upwards of $100.00 then you better be
willing to part with your money even if you don't like the program. There is only one way to get a refund but don't expect or plan on this
method to work.
Programmers are essential in this day and age. We all rely on technology, and having people who know how to make machines do what they do is a vital
part of our daily activities; Microsoft, being a software company, knows this, and has opened a Kid's Corner education website. In an extension
to the Beginner Developer Learning Center, the Kid's Corner aims at teaching the very basics, helping construct a foundation of knowledge to build
on. Written on the main page of the section is, "Are you a cool kid who wants to impress your friends and family with your mad skillz?
Microsoft is allowing netbook users to download Windows 7, its new operating system, onto a bootable USB or burn it onto a DVD, in yet another move by
Redmond to disseminate the operating system to as many users as possible. Although Microsoft reported yet another quarter of declining revenues,
executives remain hopeful that Windows 7, rising PC sales and a sunnier economic outlook will translate into a more profitable 2010.
The entire personal computer industry is gearing up for Microsoft's (MSFT) Oct. 22 release of Windows 7, by most accounts the best version of its
operating system in years. Yet Apple (AAPL), Microsoft's nearest competitor, is quietly planning to capitalize on the launch, too. "It presents a
very good opportunity for us," says Philip W. Schiller, Apple's senior vice-president for marketing...
TheNextWeb is reporting that Google may be set to announce Google Wave servers for federation later today. Currently Google has two Wave
infrastructures available to those outside the company, the first is the developer preview sandbox which has been available since Google I/O earlier
year and the second is the mass consumer preview which was opened up to 100,000 participants in September. Google is expected to allow companies and
end users to build and host their own Wave servers. These servers will be able to talk to other Wave servers. TheNextWeb claims that Google Wave
co-founder Lars Rasmussen has confirmed Google plans on opening up the sandbox infrastructure for federation later today. More details are expected to
follow shortly.
Today Microsoft Corp. announced the worldwide availability of its new Windows 7 operating system. Windows 7 delivers on a simple premise: make it
easier for people to do the things they want on a PC. The new operating system offers a streamlined user interface and significant new features that
make everyday tasks easier and allow people to get the most out of computers of all styles and sizes...
Apple's official project of porting ZFS to Mac OS X has been cancelled. In a simple message posted by MacOS Forge, Apple stated only "the ZFS
project has been discontinued. The mailing list and repository will also be removed shortly." ZFS is an advanced file system and logical volume
manager originally created by Sun Microsystems. The file system boasts features such as support for high capacity storage devices, continuous
integrity checking, automatic repair and integration of file system and volume management. Apple's interest in ZFS stemmed back to initial
discussions with Sun to use ZFS as a file system in Mac OS X.
In the 15th century Johannes Gutenberg invented the printing process. This new technology changed the world forever. One specific task was made
incredibly easy — the spreading of written words. eBooks take us to the threshold of a possible shift in the way we read books. In this
editorial I would like to share my opinion. Earlier this week, I have already shared my impressions of the newly revealed eBook readers, direct from
the floor of the Frankfurt Book Fair. eBooks were possibly the chief subject under discussion at this year's book fair. Amazon may be the most
prominent player in the growing market of eBook readers, at least in the US.
The Speech at Microsoft group is integrating voice technology into some of Microsofts best-known applications, revolutionizing how people interact
with their computers and mobile devices... microsoft.com/presspass - 28.10.2009
Whilst we don't agree with people picking up party packs and then selling them, this story is rather unique. Neowin member Matthew Elder decided
to list his Windows 7 party pack on eBay and profit from a freeby by selling it on. Initially his auction was taken down after a claim by Microsoft
for "unauthorized distribution of Microsoft Software". Elder wasn't happy with the decision and fired off a reply to the rights holder,
Microsoft's NetSafe team - he received the following reply: "It appears that this auction was reported to eBay because the software that was
being offered is not licensed for retail distribution.
Microsoft CEO says SharePoint business is on fire, looks forward to availability of Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010... microsoft.com/presspass - 16.10.2009
Facebook has been awarded damages of $711 million against Sanford Wallace, who spammed the social network with fake messages. Wallace was sued in
February, alongside Adam Arzoomanian, for obtaining login details for accounts and using them to send links to phishing or commercial sites that paid
spammers for referrals. The U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California came up with the $711 million figure by issuing $50
per violation of the CAN-SPAM Act - of which there would be approximately 1.4 million. According to the company blog, Facebook "doesn't expect
to receive the vast majority of the award" however, they are hoping that a separate criminal action will send him to jail.
A new study has found that if magnetic-based hard disk drives (HDDs) continue to progress at their current rate then by 2020 we'll see a 2.5" HDD
with a capacity of more than 14TB at a cost of about $US40. Flash memory will also become cheaper, but will reach terminal limits before 2020
keeping the ultra-fast technology from replacing HDDs. The study by Professor Mark Kryder and Chan Soo Kim of Carnegie Mellon University, published
in IEEE Transactions on Magnetics, showed that in fact most technologies wouldn't be able to compete with HDDs on a cost-per-TB basis by 2020.
If youve read any reviews of Windows 7, youve seen references to its price list, which ranges
from $120 for a Home Premium upgrade to $320 for a fully licensed copy of Windows 7 Ultimate.
Well, guess what? You dont have to
pay that much. Most people have much better options available, if you know where to look. As Ive detailed here, the best deals go to PC manufacturers, which you benefit from if you buy a
new PC...
Apple has updated its iTunes platform making the current version 9.0.2. While it does add some new support for the newly released Apple TV 3.0
software, the biggest news is that this update breaks the ability for the Palm Pre to sync with iTunes. The cat and mouse game has been going on
since Palm announced that the Pre would have the ability to sync with iTunes, something Apple did not approve. The Pre is able to sync itself by
spoofing iTunes into thinking that an iPod is attached. The less than ethical approach has been given mixed reviews as Palm is clearly using iTunes
as a marketing push when it is not paying royalties to Apple.
This week has been a busy week for Microsoft, from a massive Hotmail phishing attack to the release of the first Windows Phones. Just in case you
missed the action, here's a quick recap. Neowin exclusively revealed that thousands of Hotmail e-mail addresses and passwords were leaked online
due to a massive phishing attack targeting Hotmail users. The list we received initially revealed over 10,000 accounts and passwords, and hours later
it was revealed that over 20,000 accounts had been compromised from services extending from Gmail, Yahoo, Comcast, Earthlink, and a handful of third
party popular web mail services. Microsoft has also been pushing a ton of news out regarding the upcoming release of Office 2010.
Microsofts supplier diversity team is driving landmark business opportunities with government and enterprise customers, who need to stay competitive
in the global economy with robust supplier diversity programs... microsoft.com/presspass - 27.10.2009
Brandon LeBlanc: As many of you have noticed, there is a lot of information out there about Windows 7 now that it is available for everyone. You can
find information on everything from the Action Center to Windows XP Mode on various blogs and web pages all over the Internet. You might want a
concise guide of what Windows 7 has to offer and how it can help you and your business. With this in mind we created the Windows 7
Product Guide. This easy to read guide gives you a clear overview of the features in Windows 7 without a lot of technical jargon that you might
find in other content. The guide was designed to educate and inform readers about benefits you get from adopting Windows 7.
Apple's iPhone is rather popular for a few reasons, and one of those is 'jailbreaking'; that is, freeing your device from Apple's
limitations and installing any software desired. However, it's not all good news, as a hacker has recently broken into some phones and demanded a
ransom. The hacker broke into a few unwary Dutch iPhone users' phones, after they made the mistake of leaving their SSH password default, as
initially discovered in this thread (in Dutch). According to Ars Technica, the hacker then sent SMS messages from the phones in question stating,
"You iPhone's been hacked because it's really insecure! Please visit doiop.com/iHacked and secure
your iPhone right now!
The stylish new phone from Samsung, powered by Windows Mobile 6.5, was unveiled by Giorgio Armani, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, and Won Pyo Hong of
Samsung Mobile... microsoft.com/presspass - 10.10.2009
A few days ago, Amazon and Microsoft declared to the world that a Kindle app was underway for the Windows operating system. Just earlier, the online
retailer has confirmed that an OS X version of the application is coming too, as reported by TUAW, though details are unfortunately bare currently.
The Kindle is, as you may know, a piece of hardware designed to aid with the mobile and digital reading of eBooks, and it is coupled with Amazon's
software which provides a vast range of them ready and available for download over-the-air. It's a handy service for those who use it, though
currently it's limited in the devices it's available on.
Microsoft, meet the "Family Guy." Looking to drum up sales for the upcoming release of Windows 7, Microsoft today announced that it is working with
"Family Guy" creator Seth MacFarlane on an unique television event that will air Nov. 8 on Fox. The variety show -- featuring MacFarlane and Family
Guy co-star Alex Borstein -- will be presented commercial free by Microsoft in the style of the old Texaco Star Theater.
Facebook users have been targeted by a large-scale spam attack that informs them that their password has been reset, and that the attached zip archive
contains their new password. Instead of a new password, users will find a trojan downloader, dubbed "Bredlab" or "Bredolab" by anti-virus
companies. The downloader then downloads additional malware from two servers, including fake anti-virus software, and joins the Bredolab botnet. This
gives attackers full control of the PC, allowing them to steal user information or use the PC to send spam emails. One of the servers is based in the
Netherlands, with the other in Kazakhstan, according to an alert on Websense, a security research company.
Lord Mandelson has clarified plans regarding the "three-strike policy" today, created in an effort to reduce piracy, according to the BBC. Whilst
the plans were initially opposed by many, Lord Mandelson also mentioned some benefits the new plans will provide, such as relaxed copyright laws in
regards to sharing. Lord Mandelson was speaking at the government's digital creative industries conference where he talked about the plans. He
emphasised that cutting off users would be a last resort, and, addressing the fears of some, stated that users would be able to appeal any decisions
to cut off their Internet access, if for instance, the disconnected user believed someone else was using their Internet connection.
News reported on the BBC news website states that Nokia, the world's giant in the manufacturing of mobile phone technology, is suing Apple for
infringing patents on mobile phone technology used in the iPhone. Nokia added that this patent breach applies on all iPhones since its launch in 2007.
Nokia have said that this is due to a lack of compensation from Apple, who they are accusing of "trying to get a free ride on the back of
Nokia's innovation". These alleged infringements, of which there are ten- involve wireless data, speech coding, security and encryption.
Yves Neyrand, the director of test for the Windows Developer Experience team, helped create multitouch functionality for Windows 7 that allows the use
of touch to perform actions normally performed with mouse and keyboard... microsoft.com/presspass - 22.10.2009
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Bishop's Microsoft Blog..