Microsoft's Security Freeware Poised for Beta Launch

Microsoft said Thursday it plans to release a beta test of its free computer security program next week and is on track to launch a finished product in the fall. The program, Microsoft Security Essentials, is designed to find and kill malicious software that can steal passwords and other personal information or turn PCs into spam distribution hubs. Once the PC security software is installed, Microsoft said it will download updated lists of identified malware daily, but will keep a low profile unless it detects dangerous software. [More...]

Neutralizing the Smartphone Security Threat

There are many common, but inaccurate, assumptions about the security and privacy of smartphones and other handheld converged devices. For many corporate employees today, mobile phones and PDAs have replaced PCs. Enterprise workers are now performing the same functions they previously carried out on their desktop PCs on much smaller devices, virtually anywhere and anytime. [More...]

Beware of the Information Security Inertia Syndrome

We all know that some things are easier to do than others. In fact, what separates an average manager from a great one is the ability to balance decisions based on two almost totally unrelated sets of criteria: ease of accomplishment on the one hand vs. value to the organization on the other. [More...]

Friend or Fraud? Security and Social Networks

Back in January, friends of Seattle, Wash., resident Bryan Rutberg were stunned when they read e-mails from his Facebook account accompanied by his photo. In the messages, Bryan appeared to claim he was in big trouble and that he needed their help. At least one friend wired him money. However, Rutberg wasn't really in trouble and was in no need of assistance. [More...]

Watch Your Word of Mouth

Blogs and online review sites have proliferated in recent years, as ostensibly "with-it" influencers offer "independent" reviews, endorsements and testimonials that increasingly drive consumer traffic to a wide variety of product sellers. However, many of those serving up rave online comments are being compensated in some fashion. [More...]

iPhone Software, Hardware and Carrier: 2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad

The Apple-focused blogosphere is positively hopping this week, and it's all about the new iPhone 3G S and new iPhone OS 3.0 -- with a little sprinkle of AT&T action thrown in. Early reviews have been largely positive about the new 3G S, pegging it as a evolutionary upgrade rather than anything revolutionary. [More...]

No Circus as iPhone 3G S Hits Shelves

The new iPhone went on sale Friday morning, greeted by much smaller lines and less hoopla than previous models. A few hundred people were in line just before the 7 a.m. opening of Apple's flagship store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, a fraction of the people who lined up around the block for last year's launch. That launch turned into a debacle as Apple's servers failed to cope with the load of new customers trying to activate their phones. People who already had iPhones were trying to install a software update on the same day, adding to the pressure. [More...]

EnterpriseDB Smooths Way for Oracle App Migration

EnterpriseDB, which has commercialized the PostgreSQL open source database, announced on Tuesday the fifth version of its Postgres Plus Advanced Server. This latest version of EnterpriseDB's relational database management system is designed to let users easily migrate more Oracle applications in order to cut costs. [More...]

Wind River Releases Hard and Heavy Hypervisor

Wind River on Tuesday announced the availability of a high-performance Type-1 hypervisor as the latest addition to its VxWorks product portfolio. The Wind River Hypervisor Multicore Software Solution for device development supports virtualization on single and multicore processors. [More...]

Smartbooks: Embracing Linux With Open ARMs

Asus notwithstanding, netbooks have received a great deal of attention in the Linux community for their role in gaining wider acceptance for our favorite operating system. So, when Freescale and Qualcomm recently debuted a line of what they call "smartbooks" at Computex -- featuring ARM processors and a low price point -- the blogosphere had no choice but to sit up and take notice. [More...]

Dell Drums Up Virtualization-in-a-Box

Less than three months after announcing a slew of products and services to propel its thrust into the data center market, Dell on Wednesday released several out-of-the-box virtualization solutions targeting both enterprises and SMBs. These are aimed at simplifying virtualization and helping customers cut their costs. In addition to hardware and hypervisors, Dell is offering virtualization, lifecycle and system management capabilities. Dell also announced a set of flexible, modular virtualization consulting services. [More...]

No Circus as iPhone 3G S Hits Shelves

The new iPhone went on sale Friday morning, greeted by much smaller lines and less hoopla than previous models. A few hundred people were in line just before the 7 a.m. opening of Apple's flagship store on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue, a fraction of the people who lined up around the block for last year's launch. [More...]

iPhone Software, Hardware and Carrier: 2 Out of 3 Ain't Bad

The Apple-focused blogosphere is positively hopping this week, and it's all about the new iPhone 3G S and new iPhone OS 3.0 -- with a little sprinkle of AT&T action thrown in. Early reviews have been largely positive about the new 3G S, pegging it as a evolutionary upgrade rather than anything revolutionary. [More...]

A Week of Free Updates, Free Advice and Free Speech

Friday - June 19, 2009What we're seeing in Iran could be the beginning of some big political changes. Fishy results in the presidential election last week have led to massive protests, some of which have turned violent. The way the news about the country's turbulence is reaching other parts of the world is monumental in its own right -- symptomatic of the changes that have been brewing ever since the term "Web 2.0" moved into cliché territory. [More...]

Google Hustles to Meet China's Porn-Blocking Demands

Google has stepped up its efforts to fight Internet pornography in China, following Beijing's move on Friday to block some Chinese-language results delivered by its search engine. "We are undertaking a thorough review of our service and taking all necessary steps to fix any problem with our results," said Google spokesperson Scott Rubin. [More...]