Vendors scramble to rein in virtual environments
BMC, HP, Embotics, Fortisphere and VKernel update management products to take on virtual environments.
Microsoft, Red Hat, HP, Sun give desktop virtualization a boost
If there is any doubt that vendors want to poke desktop virtualization into the psyche of corporate IT then last week's rash of vendor announcements should put all that to rest. Microsoft, Red Hat, HP, Sun all moved to improve their standing in terms of enterprise desktop virtualization software.
Wall Street Beat: Yahoo slumps, strategic M&A continues
As economic worries battered tech stocks in a brief post-Labor Day week, Yahoo hit a 52-week low, Oracle continued its buying spree to strengthen its SOA (service-oriented architecture) offerings, and Red Hat snapped up an open-source company to get a better hold on virtualization technology.
How will Google's Chrome shine?
Now that Google has its Chrome browser available in beta, the question is: Will it shine in corporate environments?
Zoho adds Google Docs-like file management
Zoho has finally added a central document management page called Zoho Docs to tie together its many useful online apps. The clean-looking, functional page looks much like the Google Docs start page, with a folder view on the left and all files - spreadsheets, documents, presentations, etc. - listed on the right.
FCC wireless tests aim to end debate
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission may gather enough data through wireless testing this week in Seattle to quiet debates over the potential interference that could result from a proposed spectrum auction.
Open Text to buy Captaris
Content management vendor Open Text plans to buy document and data capture software maker Captaris for roughly US$131 million, the company announced Thursday. The deal is expected to close by the end of the year.
The state of scripting
Scripting used to be a quick fix or a spare-time hobby; today it's become a must-have for even the Java-based developer's toolkit. Get perspective on what's next for dynamic languages, from leading lights in JavaScript, Rhino, Perl, IronRuby, Python, and Tcl.
Chip imitates ear to clean up cell calls
If instead of writing this story I were telling it to you on my cell phone, while rushing through San Francisco International Airport past crying babies and the boarding announcements for Delta Flight 7867 to Seoul, you probably wouldn't understand half of what I'm about to say.
Plan rolling to improve vehicle-based Wi-Fi nets
The "Vi-Fi" protocol's goal is to improve interactive Wi-Fi connections dramatically for moving vehicles.
Comcast appeals FCC's network management order
Comcast, the second-largest broadband provider in the U.S., has filed a court appeal of a U.S. Federal Communications Commission ruling last month saying the company couldn't delay some peer-to-peer traffic on its network.
Motorola may connect Sierra Leone's government offices
Motorola Israel Limited (MIL) has sought an official invitation letter from the Sierra Leone government for a team of its experts to visit the country, a source from the country's Ministry of Information and Communications wrote in an e-mail to Deputy Minister Mohammed Koroma on Wednesday.
New Business Objects user group forming
The Americas' SAP Users' Group (ASUG) is forming a new global community for customers of Business Objects, the business intelligence vendor that SAP bought earlier this year, the organization announced this week.
AppleJack 1.5
As someone who's written books and many articles on Mac troubleshooting, one of my favorite utilities has long been The Apotek's AppleJack, a clever utility that lets you perform a number of troubleshooting procedures at startup--without requiring a Mac OS X or third-party CD or DVD. Unfortunately, Leopard rendered the previous version of AppleJack inoperable, so I've done without for nearly a year.
Data security now 10% of IT operating budgets, Forrester says
Abstract: IT security budgets are on the rise, reflecting growing concern over data breaches and increasing CEO involvement in the task of protecting sensitive data.
USB tuners deliver HD to your PC
Love the idea of HDTV but hate the idea of shelling out big bucks for a big-screen television set? A TV tuner for your PC or laptop can save you cash and add the twin benefits of portable size and the ability to record shows. I tested the latest versions of two USB HDTV tuners--Pinnacle's PCTV HD Pro Stick and Hauppauge's WinTV-HVR-950Q--to see how well they converted my computer into a high-definition TV.
Microsoft to release four critical patches
Microsoft will release four critical updates to several software packages next Tuesday, the company said.
How carriers batten down the hatches for hurricanes
Picture what would happen if the multitude of hardhat-wearing network technicians you see in a typical Verizon commercial got swept up in a "Wizard of Oz"-style twister. In other words, think about how spread out telecom carrier infrastructure is and about how many different bases telcos have to cover to protect it all during natural disasters.
Web development with Wicket, Part 3: Many ways to persist
Wicket's fierce independence leaves you with lots of options for persisting your data. Find out how Wicket makes the marriage work, whether you want to settle down with Spring/Hibernate or live on the edge with Databinder and ActiveObjects.
Virtual Computer targets corporate laptops
Virtual Computer, a newly minted start-up, is promising to extend the benefits of desktop virtualization to mobile computers.
Emperion explores link with Uganda's Data Fundi
Danish broadband operator Emperion A/S is looking to enter East Africa's IT scene through a partnership with Uganda's Data Fundi, a consulting and systems integration company.
Behavior-driven development with easyb
Get a quick introduction to this Groovy DSL for behavior-driven development. Find out how easyb lets developers and domain experts speak the same language - easily!
Red Hat buys desktop-virtualization vendor Qumranet
Red Hat Thursday extended its virtualization wares to the desktop, spending $107 million in cash to acquire open source vendor Qumranet.
Mobile carrier's users cry foul on unsolicited texts
MTN Uganda has instructed its content partners to stop sending unsolicited SMS (Short Message Service) messages to their clients' phones following a public outcry over the messages.
Survey: VARs concerned about cybersecurity, health care
Many U.S. businesses fail to take cybersecurity protection seriously and are unwilling to spend money on additional protection, according to a recent survey of value added resellers (VARs) by the Computing Technology Industry Association.
Dell Inspiron Mini 9 Mini-Notebook
At first glance, the Inspiron Mini 9, Dell's entry into the mini-notebook category, looks like what you might get if you left a notebook from Dell's full-size Studio line of laptops in the dryer too long. But the sub-US$500 Mini 9 carries a 1.6-GHz Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, and a solid-state drive, making it a good starter machine for basic computing at a reasonable price.
Ex-CA CEO Kumar points to others in accounting cover-up
Former CA CEO Sanjay Kumar, now serving a jail sentence following a high-profile accounting scandal at the software vendor, implicated a number of other current and former CA officials in an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court-New York Eastern District on Aug. 27.
Safaricom and PesaPoint sign banking agreement
Safaricom and PesaPoint have entered into a partnership that will allow M-PESA registered customers to withdraw money from PesaPoint ATMs using their Safaricom phones, eliminating the need for ATM cards.
Office 2008 survival guide
If you've recently upgraded to Microsoft Office 2008, you may like the productivity suite's new features, but you may also face a few conundrums: some things just don't work the way they used to, and others don't work at all. We talked to Macworld editors and scoured newsgroups and forums to find out which problems were plaguing users. Here are answers to some of the most common questions that came up.
File storage and viewing apps for iPhone
Storing media like photos, music, and video on your iPhone is a snap: after all that's what the device was designed for. But when it comes to carrying around other types of documents, or files that aren't in your iTunes or iPhoto library, the iPhone falls woefully short. You can always send PDFs, Microsoft Word documents, and Excel spreadsheets to yourself, but since the Mail app lacks a search function, finding the one message with the file you want often means picking through long lists of e-mails.
Hear 1.0
JoeSoft's Hear mission is to take the pure audio flowing through a Mac--movie soundtracks, music tracks, and game audio--and alter it in a variety of ways with the end result being something that's more pleasing to the listener's ears. For some purists, this kind of enhancement is considered cheating because it augments the intended experience. But to others who are not offended by such sugar coating, there's a lot to be gained from Hear 1.0.3.
Microsoft's lab cooks up photo collage program
Microsoft has released a simple, stand-alone program from its U.K. research lab that assembles photos into a collage.
Online trading systems at NSE to be integrated
Online trading systems in commercial banks and stockbrokerage firms will soon be integrated to facilitate online trading transactions at the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE).
Equity Bank launches mobile banking
Equity Bank has launched a mobile banking service, allowing its 2.6 million customers to access their accounts remotely.
Zain launches Ramadhan package
In its zeal to become a world-class mobile service provider, Zain has launched a specialized offer for Muslim faithful in the holy month of Ramadhan.
Red Hat buys Qumranet to extend virtualization reach
Red Hat has expanded its support for virtualization technologies with the acquisition of Israeli software company Qumranet, developer of the open-source KVM (kernel-based virtual machine) project, for US$107 million.
Sun updates xVM virtualization software
Sun has released a new version of xVM VirtualBox, its platform for desktop virtualization, and is also starting to offer enterprise support for the platform, the company said on Thursday.
Online ad targeting progresses in UK, lags in US
U.K. Internet surfers will likely soon see the deployment of a controversial behavioral ad targeting system, while the concept appears to be faltering due to privacy concerns in the U.S.
Sony recalls 73,000 Vaio laptops due to burn hazard
Sony is recalling 73,000 Vaio TZ laptops because of a possible manufacturing defect that may cause them to overheat, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said Thursday.
OLPC's dual-boot Linux, Windows laptop due out soon
A low-cost XO laptop from the One Laptop Per Child Project that carries both Windows and Linux will be out within the next month or so, according to an OLPC official.