Lotus Notes has almost 140 million licensed users. The announcement opens the door for more than 80 million Nokia S60 3rd Edition devices to connect to corporate e-mail accounts through Lotus Domino Server software known as Lotus Notes Traveler. The software provides real-time access to e-mail, calendars, address books, journals and to-do lists.
According to Soren Petersen, senior vice president at Nokia, the deal with Big Blue is another affirmation of the company's business mobility vision: To establish partnerships with the world's leading enterprise vendors.
"This collaboration means nearly 90 percent of business e-mail can be mobilized with Nokia devices, without needing to purchase additional servers, middleware or licenses," Petersen said. "With the presence, position and technology that IBM has in the corporate e-mail market, they are an essential partner for us in enterprise."
According to IBM's Institute for Business Value, this year, for the first time, more people in the world will have a mobile device than a landline telephone. In fact, Big Blue predicts one billion mobile Web users by 2011 and a significant shift in the way the majority of people will interact with the Web over the next decade. Mobile devices already outnumber television sets, credit cards and personal computers.
While Nokia casts the announcement as affirmation of its vision, IBM calls it a major development in its efforts to expand mobile support for the Lotus software portfolio. Secure connection to e-mail is an example of IBM's Tomorrow at Work, an initiative that examines a changing work environment and anticipates trends in technology, business, society and culture.
Lotus Sametime for instant messaging... Read More...
Glitches Reported as BlackBerry Storm Nears U.S. Debut
The BlackBerry Storm has been debuting around the world, but rumors are spreading about a possible shortage in the U.S. News reports also indicate Research In Motion discovered a security flaw in the Storm that has left Verizon Wireless scrambling to update the firmware in the final hours before its U.S. release on Friday.
Neither RIM nor Verizon were immediately available for comment. The much-anticipated BlackBerry Storm will be available exclusively from Verizon in the U.S.
"The BlackBerry Storm is big deal for Verizon Wireless customers," said Avi Greengart, an analyst at Current Analysis. "There's pent-up demand for a touchscreen BlackBerry and there's pent-up demand for a touchscreen smartphone at Verizon, especially since AT&T has the corner on the iPhone."
The Storm was designed to appeal to both consumers and businesses. Ir combines the communications features, global connectivity, and productivity tools expected from a BlackBerry with a touchscreen technology to make typing easier and more precise.
RIM is billing the BlackBerry Storm as having the world's first "clickable" touchscreen. It does qualify as RIM's first attempt at an iPhone-like experience. The company said it responds much like a physical keyboard and also supports single-touch, multi-touch and gestures for intuitive and efficient application navigation.
"The BlackBerry Storm is a revolutionary touchscreen smartphone that meets both the communications and multimedia needs of customers and solves the longstanding problem associated with typing on traditional touchscreens," said Mike Lazaridis, president and co-chief executive officer at RIM. "Consumers and business customers alike will appreciate this unique combination of a large and vibrant screen with a truly tactile touch interface."
BlackBerry Storm customers can tap into a full HTML high-performance browser that works in either portrait or landscape orientation. Users will navigate Web sites with the touchscreen interface that lets them double-tap to zoom in and slide... Read More...
Hewlett-Packard Intros Notebook with Multi-Touch Screen
Hewlett-Packard has taken the wraps off the TouchSmart tx2 -- the PC maker's first convertible notebook screen to include capacitive multi-touch technology.
The machine's touch-sensitive screen and MediaSmart software work together to recognize and execute commands based on motions such as pinch, rotate, arc, flick, press and drag, as well as single and double taps. The technology combo enables users to more naturally select, organize and manipulate photos, music tracks, video clips and other Web content by touching the screen -- including content from 10 cable-TV channels and online brands owned by MTV Networks.
"With the introduction of the TouchSmart tx2, HP is providing users with an easier, more natural way to interact with their PCs," said Ted Clark, the manager of HP's notebook group.
Empowered by Windows Vista Home Premium, the tx2 sports an AMD Turion X2 dual-core mobile processor, a built-in Webcam with integrated microphone, and a rechargeable digital ink pen. The laptop's convertible design also incorporates a twist hinge that enables the machine to be configured in three different modes: PC, display and tablet.
Users can transform the tx2 into a tablet PC in order to write, sketch, draw, take notes or graph right onto the screen, with handwriting automatically converted into typed text. The tx2 also ships with a notebook stand that elevates the unit while stationary, which enables the user to put the machine in an upright position to allow for full interactivity with the device's touchscreen.
Rival Dell blazed a trail in the multi-touch notebook field late last year with the introduction of the Latitude XT -- a convertible tablet PC priced at $1,829 that features both pen and capacitive touch capabilities. However, HP's TouchSmart tx2 is available now at a base price of $1,149.
With its release of the tx2, HP has... Read More...
NASA Successfully Tests 'Interplanetary Internet'
Although the crew of the spacecraft Endeavour experienced a glitch in the first space walk when an astronaut accidentally let her tool bag float away, NASA had a lot to celebrate as it announced success with a high-tech space program.
NASA, along with Vinton Cerf, a Google vice president, successfully tested a deep-space network modeled after the Internet. Engineers from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Pasadena, Calif., have transmitted dozens of images to and from the spacecraft located 20 million miles from Earth using disruption-tolerant networking (DTN) software.
DTN, which sends information differently from the TCP/IP protocol used by the Internet, was developed a decade ago by NASA engineers and Cerf, who is known to many as the "father of the Internet" and is a visiting scientist at JPL.
"This is the first step in creating a totally new space communications capability, an interplanetary Internet," said Adrian Hooke, team lead and manager of space-networking architecture at NASA.
The month-long experiment is the first of many planned tests to qualify the technology for use on future space missions. If NASA continues to succeed with DTN, astronauts on manned missions will be able to communicate with researchers worldwide. NASA is planning its next round of testing next summer, using DTN software on the International Space Station.
"We have been doing this test for a month and it has been working well and it's exciting getting the word out that we had a good round of testing," said Leigh Torgerson, manager of the DTN experiment operations center at JPL, in a phone interview.
"We needed some way of automating and routing this process in a standard way so any other space agency can pick up the protocol and use it," Torgerson said. "The more nodes you have, the more paths you have to get data back and... Read More...
T-Mobile's Web2go Will Use Yahoo's oneSearch
Yahoo has won another wireless carrier for its mobile Internet search tool. The company joined T-Mobile in announcing Thursday that oneSearch will be the search utility for T-Mobile's web2go service.
Yahoo said more than 70 mobile operators worldwide are now using its mobile search tool.
T-Mobile said oneSearch will provide web2go users a better Web-browsing experience "by making it easier to view and navigate the Web through a customizable home page," as well a simplified shopping and download experience.
oneSearch enables users to search for a variety of information on the Web. It also allows users to find content on the T-Mobile store, including ringtones, wallpaper and games.
The search results will place relevant ads at the customer's fingertips, with either sponsored search results or display ads.
Since a mobile user's display space is limited, the Yahoo tool has been designed to provide results grouped around a given search term. For instance, a search for a movie title returns theaters with show times, reviews, information on the actors, and related articles. Or a search on a sports team returns relevant scores, schedules, profiles for teams, news, and a link to the team's Web site.
The basic idea is that, rather than having to use a mobile device to drill down into search links as one might do on a computer, the most common collection of related data comes to the top on the first search. This approach, said T-Mobile USA Chief Development Officer Cole Brodman, "delivers a more intuitive mobile experience that places the most relevant information at the fingertips of T-Mobile customers."
Sean Ryan, an analyst at industry research firm IDC, noted that efforts have been ongoing to determine the most useful way to search on a mobile device. "It's limited, of course, by the small screen, alphanumeric... Read More...
MySpace Hoax Trial Resumes After Mother Testifies
The trial of a Missouri woman charged in a tragic MySpace hoax resumed Thursday. Testimony began Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles in the controversial trial of Lori Drew, who is charged with one count of conspiracy and three counts of computer fraud.
The charges stem from her alleged participation in a MySpace hoax which may have caused the suicide of 13-year-old Megan Meier. Drew is being tried under the Computer Abuse and Fraud Act.
Tina Meier, Megan's mother, took the stand on the first day of the trial. She told the court her daughter, who was battling depression and had attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, took her own life after reading a message from a fictitious boy on the social-networking site named Josh Evans, according to the Associated Press.
"Josh Evans" was not who he said he was for the six weeks he and Meier communicated on MySpace.com. Instead, he was a fictitious person allegedly created by Lori Drew, her then-13-year-old daughter, and her then-18-year-old personal assistant, Ashley Grills.
The case involving Drew has drawn much attention from families in the Missouri town where Drew and Meier live and across the nation as families learned about the cyberbullying that may have caused Meier to hang herself in her bedroom closet.
Attorneys for Drew and the judge have made it very clear that Drew is not on trial for homicide. Drew, however, faces charges that she broke MySpace's terms, which prohibit users from creating false identities. The case is being tried in California, where MySpace's servers are located.
Grills admitted on live television that she created the online account, but added that Drew and her daughter participated in the six-week-long ruse.
As a result of Meier's suicide, Missouri has passed a cyberbullying law. That law defines harassment as knowingly communicating with another person... Read More...
Microsoft's Morro Could Challenge Security Giants
McAfee and Symantec could be affected as Microsoft moves to provide free antivirus software. If the software, code-named Morro, successfully protects against viruses, analysts said, it could mean an exodus from well-known security brands.
On Tuesday, Microsoft announced a security offering focused on protecting against malware. The software giant is addressing what it sees as a growing need for a security solution that meets the unique needs of emerging markets and smaller PC form factors.
"This could be third-time lucky for Microsoft in regards to an antivirus product," said Graham Cluley, a senior security consultant at Sophos. "They tried with MSAV in Windows 3.11/MSDOS 6.2, which wasn't terribly successful -- especially when it detected Windows 95 as a virus."
The secret sauce for Morro is in the architecture. It will offer comprehensive protection from various forms of malicious software, including viruses, spyware, rootkits and trojans, by focusing on a smaller footprint that uses fewer computing resources.
Microsoft said Morro is ideal for low-bandwidth scenarios or less-powerful PCs. By targeting the core anti-malware features that most consumers don't keep up to date, Microsoft said, Morro will provide the essential protection that consumers need without overusing system resources, and provide better protection against online threats.
As Morro comes on the scene, Microsoft will discontinue retail sales of its Windows Live OneCare subscription service, effective June 30, 2009. OneCare was Microsoft's second attempt at security. Although it was much better at detecting malware, Cluley said, it didn't capture a large home-user audience.
"Anything which encourages more home users to defend their PCs has to be encouraged, provided innovation and competitiveness is not stifled," Cluley said, "but consumers will have to wait until next summer to find out how good the product actually is."
Microsoft is moving early to educate the market about the product. Morro is... Read More...
Sprint Affiliate Backs Down on WiMAX Suit
A wireless affiliate of Sprint Nextel Corp. has pulled its request that an Illinois judge block the planned spinoff of Sprint's new broadband network.
Schaumburg, Ill.-based iPCS Inc. said Monday in a regulatory filing that it withdrew its motion for a temporary restraining order preventing Sprint's WiMax network from being combined with Kirkland, Wash.-based Clearwire Corp. The decision came after Clearwire said it didn't plan to offer high-speed wireless Internet service in iPCS's markets before July 1, 2009.
Clearwire shareholders are scheduled to vote Thursday on the merger. The new Clearwire company, which will deploy a network based on WiMax technology, will also include billions of dollars in investments from Google Inc., Intel Corp. and a group of cable companies.
IPCS filed suit against the plan this year, claiming it would violate an exclusivity agreement it has with Sprint in its territory. The company covers parts of Michigan, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa and Nebraska.
While iPCS has now abandoned its hope for an injunction, iPCS said its original lawsuit challenging the merger will continue. Clearwire has agreed to give iPCS 60 days' notice if it plans to enter the iPCS territory before the court enters a final ruling on the lawsuit.
IPCS and Sprint are fighting a similar legal battle over Sprint's 2005 acquisition of Nextel Communications Inc. The Illinois Supreme Court last week refused to consider an appeal of a lower court's decision that the purchase violated the iPCS exclusivity agreement. The court did extend the 180-day limit for Sprint to sell Nextel assets in iPCS's territory to 360 days.
Sprint faced similar lawsuits from most of its affiliates after the Nextel acquisition and ended up buying most of those companies. It has not said whether it would consider buying iPCS. Read More...
Upgrading Your Wireless System
Years ago, I set up a wireless system for my laptop. This worked great at the time, but now that the speeds of everything else have increased, I realized recently that the time had come to upgrade the wireless system.
When wireless systems first came out, you had to buy something called a "wireless access point," which was basically a transmitter/receiver that plugged into your existing cable or DSL modem or network router.
This was pretty straightforward and simple, as there were few choices since wireless technology was in its infancy. Now, two or more generations later, there are dozens of choices: Wireless-G, Wireless-N, gigabit networks, integrated wireless/wired routers, and even combo modem/wireless/wired network boxes.
Obviously, a combo unit would simplify installation; but for people like me, who have several devices on the network and a router that has more ports than most all-in-one boxes, that won't work.
I purchased a Netgear WNR854T, a 4-port wired and Wireless-N router for $45 (on sale), with the hopes of just installing it in the same way as my old access point since no one offers "just" an access point anymore.
Boy, was I wrong. These new devices are designed to be easy-to-install, integrated network solutions. They give you a high-speed combination of Wireless-N and four wired ports, all in one box.
Searching the web for solutions only turned up suggestions for a couple of older models. I tried these and found they worked with limited function. I was able to access the web but not the other devices on the main router; it was almost like a separate network.
A quick email to the Netgear tech support team got me detailed, step-by-step instructions on how to do exactly what I needed. It took me about 15 minutes to install it as an access point with full functionality.
One of the... Read More...
Firefox Extensions Add New Functionality
Mozilla Firefox is the second most-popular browser on PC and Mac platforms (after their respective default browsers, Internet Explorer and Safari) for a few reasons. First, it is secure and blocks pop-ups. It is also free and open source, so a large community is always working to improve it.
My personal favorite reason is its extensibility: The open source code lets users develop extensions (or add-ons) that add new functionality to the browser. [In this article], we'll take a look at two useful Firefox extensions. If you don't use Firefox and these features sound good to you, maybe it's time to switch.
(https://addons.mozilla.org/ en-US/firefox/addon/7661)
What is it? A Firefox add-on that simplifies bookmarking Web pages to read later.
Who cares? Overwhelmed info addicts and anyone using Firefox.
How does it work? Read It Later adds a checkmark icon to the end of the browser's address bar that can be clicked to add a page to your To Read list. It also adds a button to the toolbar that can be configured to open the To Read list or to simply load the next unread page. If you right click on a link, a context menu item called Read This Link Later lets you add the target Web page to your list. When you're finished reading a page, click on the checkmark icon again for a list of options, including Mark as Read & Add to Delicious, Mark as Read & Digg, and just Mark as Read.
What makes Read It Later most useful is that To Read lists can sync across multiple computers. So when you are at work and glance at the news, you can add the stories to your To Read list and then read them in their entirety at home when you have more time.
I've found using Read It... Read More...
P&G, Google Team Up To Swap Jobs, Trade Knowledge
The world's largest consumer products company and the online search leader are working together to learn more about each other and about targeting customers.
Procter & Gamble Co. said Wednesday it has done job swaps with Google Inc., and Google employees have been at P&G's Cincinnati headquarters helping with training.
P&G spokeswoman Allison Yang said the company wants to reach more consumers who are increasingly online.
"This is all about learning," she said. "It's about putting consumers in connection with our products in the right spots."
The Wall Street Journal reported in Wednesday's editions that discussions on an employee swap began last year between P&G and Google executives.
The swaps began in January, with two Tide detergent brand managers visiting Google and a pair of Google officials coming to Cincinnati.
P&G, the largest U.S. advertiser with a global advertising budget of nearly $9 billion, has been emphasizing value in marketing that says products such as Charmin toilet paper and Tide laundry detergent get more done with less than other brands.
The company also has been expanding its online reach, including offering digital coupons.
Yang said an early project with Google was drawing more attention to online video of Tide to Go's "Talking Stain" commercial, which made its television debut during the Super Bowl. Pampers diapers managers and a digital marketing manager were next to participate, and some 15 P&G employees from different areas spent time with Google last month.
She said P&G has shared information with Google visitors about its consumer research, planning and operations.
"The relationship will certainly continue, and we'll continue looking at what the opportunities are," Yang said.
A message for comment was left with Google, based in Mountain View, Calif. Analysts have predicted slower revenue growth for Google in the worsening economy, amid signs that Internet users are growing less likely to click on advertising links.
P&G, meanwhile,... Read More...
Cloud Computing: No Longer Pie in Sky
Failed technology trends tend to be recycled every five or so years in hopes that businesses and consumers eventually will be ready to adopt what surely is a great idea.
The idea of the "thin client" -- a processor and monitor setup that loads all files and even the operating system from a central server -- has been trumpeted as the next big thing at least three times since I replaced my baseball mitt with a keyboard and mouse.
The latest incarnation of the thin client finally is starting to gain a hold as a "netbook," an incredibly portable notebook.
Perhaps more than netbooks, the idea of storing data and applications on the Internet rather than on your hard drive has failed time after time. Whether it's call "on-demand computing," "grid computing" or "software as a service," many consumers have not been quick to give up boxed software for Internet applications. They especially had no interest in saving documents on a remote server.
That was then. The idea now is called "cloud computing," and it's starting to gain traction.
Storing data "in the cloud" means no longer having to transfer a file from desktop to laptop via a thumb drive, network connection, disk, etc.
Also, while a failed hard drive means an afternoon of reinstalling the operating system, you're files are safe on some big server in the sky.
What's not to love?
File storage is only half of the cloud computing equation. Applications, too, are being shifted from the hard drive to the Web.
The first wave was the transition from mail programs to Web-based services, such as Gmail or MobileMe.
The second phase has been pushing applications, such as word processors, spreadsheets and news readers, to the cloud.
For 90 percent of the Microsoft Office-using world, Google Documents or Microsoft's upcoming online version of Word will suffice. Neither is... Read More...
File-Based vs. Image-Based Backup Software
[Q] I'm getting a new computer for my family and want software to back up whatever we put on it. What's the difference between file-based backup and image-based backup software?
[A] File-based backup software generally works like this: The program saves copies of files and data on the computer to an external hard disk, recordable disc or removable drive after someone tells it what files to back up. Many file-based programs aimed at home users can be set up to automatically back up just certain files and folders or all the files on the drive, but usually do not back up installed programs and the actual operating system itself.
Image-based backup software makes a snapshot or "disk image" of the computer's entire hard drive and everything on it, including programs, settings and the operating system. An image-based backup can come in handy if the computer's hard drive completely dies, for example, because the backup can be copied into a brand-new hard drive and the computer's contents are fully restored.
Backup sessions with file-based backup software tend to be faster because not as much overall data is being backed up. Online backup services usually use file-based software for size and speed. Image-based backup software may take longer and need more room, but there's no worry about possibly forgetting to mark a file or folder for backup since everything is copied to the disk image.
New Windows and Macintosh systems include file-based backup software. Microsoft has information for Windows Vista (and XP) at www.microsoft.com/protect/yourself/data/backup.mspx, while Apple's instructions for using the Time Machine backup program in Mac OS X 10.5 are at support.apple.com/kb/HT1427.
If the built-in offerings aren't satisfactory, there are plenty of other software choices out there. PC Magazine has a roundup of backup software reviews at snipurl.com/56l3n and About.com has several Mac backup programs are listed... Read More...
Yahoo! News: Technology News
Dell 3Q profit falls as PC spending slows
(AP)
AP - Dell Inc.'s fiscal third-quarter profit sank 5 percent as concerns about the deepening economic crisis crimped corporate spending on computers and other technology products. Read More...
Google empowers users to edit search results
(AP)
AP - If Google delivers useless search results, just erase them and you won't see them again. Read More...
Google's virtual world Lively to die next month
(AP)
AP - Lively, a virtual reality service from Google Inc., is dying. Read More...
Web ad sales rise slightly from prior quarter
(AP)
AP - Despite the bad economy, U.S. Internet advertising revenue rose in the third quarter, according to an analysis released Thursday. Read More...
Report: Obama's cell records improperly accessed
(CNET)
CNET - President-elect Barack Obama's cell phone billing records were improperly accessed by employees of Verizon Wireless, CNN reported late on Thursday. Read More...
Google to shut down virtual world website
(Reuters)
Reuters - Google Inc said it would shut down its three-dimensional virtual experience website by year end to focus more on its core search, advertisements and applications business.
Reuters - Verizon Wireless said on Thursday that some employees had gained unauthorized access and viewed a personal cell phone account held by President-elect Barack Obama that is now inactive.
Reuters - NBC News has made a big pitch to the Facebook generation, offering users of the social-networking site the chance to test their knowledge using video from the network's vast archives.