MPEG-LA targets Google’s VP8 Video Codec
First, Google opened up its VP8 video codec. Then, Google removed built-in support for the MPEG-LA patent encumbered H.264 video codec from its Chrome Web-browser in favor of VP8. After that it was only a matter of time before the MPEG-LA patent consortium came gunning for Google VP8.
As a MPEG-LA representative told ZDNet’s Ed Bott, “Yes, as we have said in the past, we believe VP8 uses many patents owned by different parties. To the extent VP8 includes technology owned by others, then a pool license which removes uncertainties regarding patent rights and royalties by making that technology widely available on the same terms to everyone would be beneficial to the market.” Read more...
Security concerns over new Thunderbolt I/O technology
Security experts are casting a critical eye over Intel's new Thunderbolt high-speed interface, which is first scheduled to become commercially available with Apple's new MacBook Pro. The experts say the interface offers insufficient protection against potentially malicious devices.
Unlike such technologies as USB, Thunderbolt doesn't use a master/slave concept in which the PC controls communication. Rather, the new technology's concept is similar to that of Firewire, where a connected device can access a PC's working memory, for instance via DMA. Researchers such as those working in forensics have for some time taken advantage of this to create memory maps of the PCs they investigate. Vendor HBGary, for example, who was recently compromised by Anonymous, provided the US authorities with a framework that allows spyware to be injected into an unprotected but locked notebook via the Firewire port. Read more...
Google moves to shuffle down low-quality sites
Google has made a significant change to its search engine that will push further down in its rankings websites that pilfer content from other places on the Internet or do not offer high-quality information, the company said in a blog post on Thursday.
The changes to its algorithms impact 11.8 percent of all queries, a significant change considering most people barely notice incremental changes the company makes. Initially, the change only applies to Google users in the U.S. but the company said it plans to roll it out further. Read more...
Java EE 7 work focusing on the cloud
Work on the next enterprise edition of Java is proceeding at Oracle, with the company eyeing improvements for cloud computing, REST Web services, and other capabilities, an Oracle representative confirmed on Friday.
Java EE (Java Platform, Enterprise Edition) 7 is due in 2012. Capabilities for deploying cloud computing applications and infrastructures will be key to the upgrade. "[Version 7] will be the basis for how to make Java EE relevant for the cloud," said Oracle's Ajay Patel, vice president of product management, in a webcast last week. Read more...
Moving to IPv6: Now for the hard part (FAQ)
Today is the beginning of the end of the Internet as we know it.
That's because the rules that govern how data is sent across the Net, a standard called Internet Protocol version 4, just became significantly more obsolete. The central Net authorities just handed out the last batches of IPv4 addresses at a ceremony today in Florida, beginning the cascade of scarcity that eventually will mean the computing industry must make the painful transition to the newer but incompatible IPv6.
It's not an urgent problem for average consumers with broadband or even for many businesses with lots of servers. But it is a problem of unprecedented magnitude since ultimately it involves anything that touches the Internet, from the lowliest smartphone to the most powerful router shuttling data packets. Read more...
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 RTM Build 7601.17514.101119-1850 Of
Microsoft continuously improves Windows
7® and Windows Server® 2008 R2 by providing ongoing updates while working with software and hardware vendors to deliver application compatibility and hardware compatibility improvements. Service Pack 1 (SP1) is another vehicle through which Microsoft provides operating system improvements to customers.
SP1 is an update to both Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2 that, along with improvements delivered to users via other channels, addresses feedback from our customers. As with previously released updates, SP1 contains changes that are focused on addressing specific reliability, performance, and compatibility issues, supporting new types of hardware, and adding support for several emerging standards. SP1 also continues to improve upon the IT administration experience. SP1 is not intended to be a vehicle for releasing new features; however, some existing components do gain slightly enhanced functionality in SP1. Read more...
Splashtop Linux: A Free Chrome OS Alternative
Web surfers tired of waiting for the official release of hardware featuring Google's Chrome OS now have a browser-based alternative right at their fingertips: Splashtop Linux 1.0, a downloadable instant-on operating system tailored to life in the cloud.
Splashtop Linux has already been around for some time as an OEM-installed Linux distribution on hardware from vendors including Acer, ASUS, Dell, HP, Lenovo and LG. On Wednesday, however, its maker released the instant-on operating system as a free download, making it widely available to anyone.
"For people who spend all their time using Web apps and services like Facebook, Twitter, Dropbox Google Docs and Gmail, adding a fast, safe and secure browser-centric environment to the traditional desktop-oriented environment makes total sense," said Phil Sheu, CTO and co-founder of Splashtop Inc. "With Splashtop OS, users don't need to buy new dedicated hardware, and they don't need to wait for six months." Read more...
Google sweetens Android with full Honeycomb SDK
Google has released a full SDK for Android 3.0, aka Honeycomb, Mountain View's mobile operating system targeted squarely at fondleslabs.
"The APIs are final, and you can now develop apps targeting this new platform and publish them to Android Market," SDK Tech Lead Xavier Ducrohet announced in a post on the Android Developer blog. Read more...
Microsoft announces plans for Kinect SDK
Microsoft announced plans today to release a software development kit for its Kinect game motion controller later this spring.
In a move that was widely rumored, Microsoft said the Kinect for Windows SDK will allow third-party developers to create software titles that use a Kinect motion sensor plugged directly into a Windows PC. This noncommercial "starter version" SDK will give users access to deep Kinect system information such as audio, system application-programming interfaces, and direct control of the Kinect sensor, Microsoft said. The company also plans to release a commercial version at a later date. Read more...
Photos: Virtual reality, avatars probe consciousness
For fans of creaky 1992 Pierce Brosnan movie The Lawnmower Man, a research project in Switzerland should strike a chord.
However, unlike the film - in which the local odd-job man becomes a threat to mankind as the result of virtual reality experiments aimed at boosting intelligence - the research project at the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) is looking at the effect virtual reality has on people's perceptions of themselves and their bodies. Read more...
Windows 7′s first service pack arrives
Today marks an important milestone for Windows 7: the arrival of its first service pack since the operating system's release in late 2009.
Service Pack 1 was released to manufacturers earlier this month, with the announcement that it would arrive in consumers' hands this week. The software is set to hit Windows Update later today, with it already posted as a 1.95GB download bundle for all versions on Microsoft's Download Center. TechNet subscribers and Microsoft volume license customers got access to the update last week. Read more...
Skype and Facebook: When Social Media Collide
Back in October when Skype 5.0 client software appeared, it was heralded as a good thing all round. It integrated Skype's audio and video conferencing into Facebook's social media management, allowing Skype users to view and comment on Facebook friends' posts, and to communicate with them via SMS and Skype's voice service.
So far so good, but just over a month ago, a strange quirk emerged at many companies and schools that cast a shadow over the whole thing. As of the aftermath of Presidents' Day, that shadow is still looming. Read more...
All Apple Products Should Be Cheaper: 10 Reasons Why
Numerous reports have been swirling over the past few weeks saying that Apple could be planning to launch a cheaper iPhone later this year. Originally, rumors suggested the device would also be smaller, but as of late, reports suggest it will be the same size as previously released versions of the smartphone.
In either case, a cheaper iPhone is nice to hear. For years, Apple has been the premium provider of premium products at a premium price. Even talk that the company is just thinking about selling its marquee device at a reduced rate speaks to the changes that must be going on in Cupertino.
But what about its other products? A cheaper iPhone is great, but most would agree that Apple's other products tend to be overpriced. Wouldn't it be a good idea for Apple to reduce the price of all of its products?
Yes, it would.
Read on to find out why: Read more...
Microsoft offers free Azure trial
Recalling all those AOL disks promising hundreds of hours of free usage (minus the disks), Microsoft is offering up to 750 free hours of use on its Azure service as an enticement for developers to try cloud computing, the company announced Tuesday.
"This extended free trial will allow developers to try out the Windows Azure platform without the need for up-front investment costs," a Microsoft blog entry explained.
The offer arrives but a few weeks after Microsoft promoted Satya Nadella to head its $15 billion server and tools business, which includes the Azure offering. The company extolled Nadella's experience in ramping up large-scale consumer-focused cloud services like Bing and hoped he could bring the same magic to getting Microsoft cloud services into the enterprise as well. Read more...