My Updates On Things Technical!

[Campo1988]

I have several updates available here, so instead of putting them into their own thread, I shall use them in their own post here.

CONTENTS

MICROSOFT HOBBLES LOW-COST WINDOWS XP LAPTOPS (http://forum.worldstart.com/showpost.php?p=1284745&postcount=2)
Steep discounts on Windows XP come at a cost

DEVELOPERS SNUB WINDOWS VISTA FOR XP (http://forum.worldstart.com/showpost.php?p=1284749&postcount=3)
Only eight percent are writing apps for Vista

GATES SHOWS OFF NEW SURFACE COMPUTER (http://forum.worldstart.com/showpost.php?p=1284751&postcount=4)
Touchscreen wall destined for the boardroom

BOGUS GRAND THEFT AUTO IV CONTAINS TROJAN (http://forum.worldstart.com/showpost.php?p=1284752&postcount=5)
Hackers release files on P2P networks

BLACKBERRY BOLD 9000 BEATS iPHONE TO 3G (available on request)
RIM handset offers 3G, Wi-Fi and GPS

[Campo1988]

One or more of these are one or more days out-of-date, so forgive me about that.

May 12, 2008
Microsoft limits spec of low-cost Windows laptops
Preventing competition with higher-spec systems
Agam Shah

Microsoft is launching a programme to promote the use of its Windows OS in ultra-low-cost PCs. One aspect of this scheme will be to limit the hardware capabilities of this type of device.

Microsoft plans to offer PC makers steep discounts on Windows XP Home Edition to encourage them to use that operating system (OS) instead of Linux on ultra low-cost PCs (ULPCs). To be eligible, however, the PC vendors that make ULPCs must limit screen sizes to 10.2in and hard drives to 80GB, and they cannot offer touchscreen PCs.

The program is outlined in confidential documents that Microsoft sent to PC makers last month, and which were obtained by IDG News Service. The goal apparently is to limit the hardware capabilities of ULPCs so that they don't eat into the market for mainstream PCs running Windows Vista, something both Microsoft and the PC vendors would want to avoid.

Imposing the limitations solves a number of problems for the PC industry, said industry analyst Roger Kay, president of EndPoint Technologies Associates. "It allows PC makers to offer a low-cost alternative, and it prevents eroding of pricing and margins in the mainstream OS market," he said.

Microsoft declined to comment on the documents. "We don't speak publicly about our agreements with [PC makers]," the company said in a statement via its public relations agency.

ULPCs are an emerging class of laptops that carry low price tags - about £125 to £250. Early examples include the Asus Eee PC and One Laptop Per Child's XO machine. The systems already have limited hardware configurations. Microsoft's programme appears designed to ensure that distinction is maintained and to prevent ULPCs from cannibalising sales of higher-end systems, Kay said.

Twenty or more other designs are expected to enter the market over the next six months, and Microsoft expects 10 million to 13 million of the devices to sell this year, according to the documents. IDC's forecast is more modest: On Thursday it said it expects ULPC sales to hit nine million units by 2012, up from 500,00 last year.

Microsoft notes that the OSes under consideration for the devices include Windows and Linux. Some PC makers have expressed a preference for Linux because it helps them keep down the cost of the devices.

Microsoft says PC makers are keen to enter the market but want to keep ULPCs as a distinct category from "value" and mainstream PCs. The company's new program, scheduled to launch by the end of June, is designed to help make that happen.

Microsoft plans to charge PC makers US$26 for Windows XP Home Edition for ULPCs sold in emerging markets such as China and India, and $32 for those sold in developed markets, the documents show. PC makers who are eligible for its Market Development Agreement, however, can get a discount of as much as $10 off those prices, the documents say.

That's where the hardware limits come in. Besides limits on the screens and hard drives, to be eligible, the systems can have no more than 1G byte of RAM and a single-core processor running at no more than 1GHz. The program makes an allowance for some chips, including Via Technologies' C7-M processors, which run between 1.0GHz and 1.6GHz, and Intel's upcoming Atom N270.

By offering Windows XP Home Edition at bargain prices, Microsoft hopes to secure its place in the ULPC market and reduce the use of Linux, according to an official at one PC maker, who asked not to be identified because he was not authorized to discuss the program.

"[Low-cost PC makers] have made some good inroads with open-source, and Microsoft wants to put a stop to it," the official said.

The official did not seem opposed to the program. It should stimulate more competition between Windows and Linux in the ULPC market, and it could invigorate sales because consumers who want an easy-to-use PC are likely to prefer Windows, the official said.

Microsoft has said it plans to stop selling new Windows XP licenses after June 30, but it has made exceptions, including for the use of XP Home in ULPCs.

[Campo1988]

May 15, 2008
Developers snub Windows Vista for XP
Only eight percent writing apps for Vista
Heather Havenstein, Computerworld US (http://www.computerworld.com/)

Software developers in North America are still not targeting Windows Vista when writing new applications, according to a survey released by Evans Data Corp, with many still focusing their energies on Windows XP.

Only 8 percent of 380 developers surveyed by Evans Data Corp in April were writing applications for Windows Vista, while 49 percent were still writing apps primarily for XP. In addition, 11 percent said they write developing applications mostly for Windows 2003, while 9 percent are focused on Linux-based apps.

Many developers have taken a "wait and see" approach before deciding to write applications that can take advantage of new features in Vista, said John Andrews, president and CEO of Evans Data.

"The general theme has been a slower uptake [of Vista] in the user market so most people at the corporate enterprise and commercial world are staying with XP," Andrews said.

"Open source alternatives like Linux continue to take on interest," he added. "As well, Mac OS is also acquiring significant interest among North American developers. Although unlikely to displace Windows volume, MacOS experienced 50 percent growth as a primary development platform and 380 percent growth as a targeted platform during the period."

Microsoft did not reply to a request for comment.
The survey also found that 29 percent of the developers surveyed will primarily target XP next year, with 24 percent targeting Vista. Overall, 67 percent of developers will primarily target a Windows version while 15 percent write applications for Linux.

"[Developers] see a market shift from XP to Vista and that is why they are saying they are going to be moving from XP to Vista (in 2009)," he added.

[Campo1988]

May 14, 2008
Gates shows off new Surface computer
Touchscreen wall destined for the boardroom
Nancy Gohring

Bill Gates is expected to show off new technology today that's designed for the board room and is a spin-off of Microsoft's Surface computer.

TouchWall, a prototype device developed by Microsoft Research and Office Labs, is a vertical representation of Surface, the multitouch tabletop computer from Microsoft. TouchWall could be used by business people to give presentations. They can touch the panel that would hang on the wall to drag, scroll and enlarge documents, photos or videos on the screen.

TouchWall is comprised of integrated hardware that includes laser and infrared lights that recognise the touch of fingertips on the screen. It is run by software, called Plex, that lets users manipulate the content.

Gates will show off the prototype to around 115 CEOs who will gather on Microsoft's campus in Redmond, Washington, as part of the 12th annual CEO Summit. It is an invitation-only event and, as in the past, only a few attendees have agreed to share their identities. This year, former General Electric Chairman and CEO Jack Welch, billionaire philanthropist and investor Warren Buffet and author Thomas Friedman plan to attend. Tom Brokaw, Charlie Rose and Michael Kinsley are lined up to moderate some of the scheduled sessions.

In his keynote speech, Gates is also expected to talk about his ideas for the future of user interface technology, a common theme for him. At a recent speech addressing students at the University of Washington, Gates said that the keyboard and mouse have a certain utility and efficiency that will probably always be justified. But recently new devices like the Nintendo Wii, the iPhone and Microsoft's Surface show that new ways of user interaction can work well.

"We think it's time to amend our slogan of a computer on every desk, because with this we want a computer in every desk," he said at the university, referring to the Surface computer.

Recently, AT&T became one of the first users of Surface, installing the computers in stores where customers can set phones on the screens, which recognize the devices and display information about them. Customers can touch screens to select boxes that detail information about pricing plans and capabilities of the phones.

During his speech at the university, Gates hinted at the TouchWall when he referred to a whiteboard that might be like Surface. He also described a mirror that might reflect what you look like and then show what you might look like if you had on different clothes.

Gates, who is just a couple months shy of the date when he'll start spending less time at Microsoft and more at his charity foundation, came up with the idea for the CEO Summit as a way to bring together business leaders to discuss new technologies that might impact the future of their businesses, said a spokeswoman with Microsoft's public relations firm.

[Campo1988]

May 15, 2008
Bogus Grand Theft Auto IV contains Trojan
Hackers release files on P2P networks
Carrie-Ann Skinner

Hundreds of Grand Theft Auto IV fans eager to get their hands on a free copy of the game have been targeted by a Trojan virus, according to DriveDentry.

Hackers planted the virus in bogus game files, which are being illegally downloaded from P2P networks by those keen to experience the game without purchasing it.

John Safa, chief technical officer of DriveSentry (http://www.drivesentry.com/) said: "People are exploiting the popularity of GTA IV in a way which could bring mayhem to the internet."

"Hackers are increasingly sophisticated in the way they disrupt the web. They will piggyback on anything popular to wreak havoc. The only thing that many gamers can think of at the moment is GTA IV and hackers are using that interest to try to generate chaos as quickly as they can," he added.

Former hacker Safa highlighted that within two minutes of logging on to P2P network Limewire he found evidence of Trojan viruses disguised at GTA IV files.

"Such computer viruses have the potential to wipe out or steal sensitive information such as a user's bank details or wipe out important files. Some of these links were offering free downloads for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto IV even though it is not available yet."

"I would urge anybody to tread very carefully around these links, as some links are designed to look official – or even better invest in a good anti-virus package that is capable of protection from the latest threats for their computer."

See Also:

GTA IV launches as Trojan targets fans (available on request)

and

Critics hammer GTA IV as violence flares (available on request)