Windows kernel bugs will dominate record-setting Patch Tuesday
Microsoft will patch a large number of Windows kernel-mode device driver vulnerabilities later today, the researcher who reported them said.
Today's security updates will also close a bug in Internet Explorer (IE) that hackers have started exploiting, Microsoft confirmed Monday.
At around 1 p.m. ET, Microsoft will issue 17 security bulletins that fix a record 64 vulnerabilities in Windows, IE, Office, and Visual Studio. Read more...
Only a carrier could trumpet $500 per gigabyte as a price cut
AT&T announced today that it was cutting the price of data access for prepaid customers -- those who don't sign contracts but instead pay as they go -- to $5 for 10MB of data access on select smartphones, a major cut from the previous $5 for 1MB. But press reports haven't done their math: The costs are 50 times what so-called postpaid customers -- those who sign a contract and get a bill each month -- are charged. An AT&T GoPhone customer pays $500 per gigabyte of data usage, whereas a postpaid Android or iPhone user pays $10 per gigabyte.
Of course, there are other plans: One costs $150 per gigabyte if you buy 100MB increments (15 times what regular customers pay), and the other costs "only" $50 per gigabyte if you buy 500MB increments (5 times over the regular customer cost). Such a deal! Read more...
Hands-on: ViewPad 10 dual Android-Windows tablet
While tablets such as Apple's iPad and Motorola's Android-based Xoom are continuing to attract popular attention, there are many workplaces that are still based around Microsoft Windows. Unfortunately, Windows 7 isn't really optimized for use in tablets, and it looks like the next version won't be out for another year. So what can people who want to use Windows on a tablet do?
ViewSonic is hoping to offer businesses a steppingstone with its ViewPad 10 dual-OS tablet. Equipped with both Windows 7 and Android 1.6, it gives companies the flexibility to continue using their existing Windows corporate programs while offering access to Android apps.
A good-looking tablet
Weighing 1.9 lbs. and measuring 0.6 x 10.8 x 6.7 in., the ViewPad is an inch longer and 4 oz. heavier than the Motorola Xoom. Its 9 oz. AC adapter is positively gargantuan compared to the iPad 2's tiny power cube. Read more...
Update: Microsoft, Toyota to jointly build telematics service
Microsoft and Toyota plan to use Windows Azure, the software giant's cloud offering, to build a telematics service that will initially serve people who have the car maker's electric and plug-in hybrid cars.
The companies said they will together invest $12 million in Toyota Media Service Co., a Toyota subsidiary that offers digital information services to Toyota customers. The goal is to build a global cloud platform by 2015 "that will provide affordable and advanced telematics services to Toyota automotive customers around the world," they said.
Telematics technology combines communications technology, like mobile networks, with other information technology like GPS and energy management systems. Read more...
VMware unveils open Cloud Foundry platform
VMware announced today a new cloud application platform called Cloud Foundry, designed to provide developers and organizations alike with ample choices in how cloud applications are created, delivered, and maintained. The company is also making available an open source version of Cloud Foundry, as well as a virtual appliance that developers can run on their Macs and PCs.
"Flexibility" is the operative word in describing Cloud Foundry. The concept is that a developer can create an application in any framework he or she chooses. Through Cloud Foundry, that application could be connected with any number of application infrastructure services -- say, a cloud-based relational database or an in-house database -- and be exposed to users via any number of public or private clouds. Read more...
Good Old Games: DRM drives gamers to piracy
Independent retro games retailer Good Old Games has spoken out about digital rights management (DRM), saying that it can actually drive gamers to piracy, rather than acting as a deterrent.
Speaking to bit-tech for a future feature about DRM in Custom PC, Good Old Games' PR and marketing manager, Lukasz Kukawski, said that the effectiveness of DRM as a piracy-deterrent was 'None, or close to none.'
'What I will say isn’t popular in the gaming industry,' says Kukawski, 'but in my opinion DRM drives people to pirate games rather than prevent them from doing that. Would you rather spend $50 on a game that requires installing malware on your system, or to stay online all the time and crashes every time the connection goes down, or would you rather download a cracked version without all that hassle?' Read more...
Nokia transitions Symbian source to non-open license
Nokia has completed placing the Symbian source code back online at symbian.nokia.com, allowing Nokia and independent developers to view the code which was taken offline when the Symbian Foundation's websites were closed down as part of the ramping down of the Foundation. Nokia is using Git to manage the hosting of the Symbian source code but Nokia requires developers to register for access to the code; this process includes agreeing to terms and conditions. The code itself is under the Nokia Symbian Licence, which is listed at the end of the terms and conditions and is, upon cursory examination, not related to any other open source licence. Read more...