Sony apologizes, details PlayStation Network attack
Sony's PlayStation Network and Qriocity online services will begin a phased resumption this week, after the company took them offline in response to a "very sophisticated" intrusion, the company said Sunday.
Online gaming and access to unexpired movie rentals will be the first services to return on the PlayStation Network, while Qriocity users will be able to use the Music on Demand service. Other functions, including the PlayStation Store, will be available by mid-May, said Kaz Hirai, head of Sony's gaming division, during a rare Sunday news conference.
"We'd like to extend our apologies to the many PlayStation Network and Qriocity users who we worried," said Hirai. "We potentially compromised their customer data. We offer our sincerest apologies." Read more...
IE9 can’t stop Microsoft’s browser slump
The March launches of Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) and Firefox 4 failed to stop Microsoft's and Mozilla's decline in browser share, new Web usage data published Sunday showed.
According to California-based Net Applications, one of a handful of companies that regularly publishes browser usage data, IE lost eight-tenths of a percentage point of share in April, falling to 55.1%, a new low for Microsoft. Read more...
RIM launches two new BlackBerry Bold smartphones
Research In Motion announced two upgraded BlackBerry Bold smartphones plus a updated operating system on Monday as it sought to regain its stride after a profit warning.
RIM said the phones would have more processing power than the original Torch, which RIM touted as a worthy competitor to the iPhone back in August when it last updated its aging platform. Read more...
Android smartphones winning over ‘app’ makers
Google is the new darling of software wizards out to cash-in on the world's love for customizing smartphones with fun, hip or functional applications.
Developers once obsessed with "apps" for Apple's hot-selling iPhones are touting creations tailored for smartphones built on the Google-backed Android platform.
"In the past seven months, Android has become the de facto second platform out there that people are developing for," AppNation chairman Drew Ianni told AFP during the gathering of software entrepreneurs this week in San Francisco. Read more...
Infosys eyes buys in Europe, Japan, and healthcare sector
Infosys Technologies Ltd, India's No. 2 software services exporter, is on the hunt for acquisitions in Europe and Japan and in industries including healthcare and public services, its chief executive said on Sunday.
Speaking to Reuters a day after the company announced changes in its top-level management, S. Gopalakrishnan said Infosys was also seeking acquisitions in new areas like cloud computing.
"Our philosophy has always been that you plan organic growth,"
said Gopalakrishnan, who is set to step down as chief executive and become co-chairman in August.
"You keep your eyes and ears open, you have a dedicated team looking at acquisitions," he said. Read more...
Twitter delivers news of bin Laden’s death first
- Keith Urbahn, once chief of staff for former Defense Secretary Don Rumsfeld, is credited with breaking the story about the death of Osama bin Laden. (Credit: Twitter)
Once again, Twitter carried vital information to Americans ahead of traditional news outlets.
The news that American special forces had killed Osama bin Laden, perhaps the most wanted man in the world, first began to trickle out when the White House communications director posted on Twitter that President Obama planned to address the nation at 10:30 p.m. eastern time, The New York Times reported Sunday evening.
Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks were also where people went to speculate--much of it erroneous--about what the president would discuss during his address to the nation. Read more...
Police bust Adobe pirate, warn of trojan
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) has warned of a new trojan infecting computers via counterfeit Adobe software after arresting a counterfeiter on Friday.
A 40-year old woman has been charged with selling fake Adobe products after the AFP raided her vehicles and her Victorian home, seizing a CD burner and over 200 fraudulent products.
The woman admitted to making fake copies of Adobe software and will front court for breach of the Copyright Act 1968 "at a later date".
The trojan buried within the counterfeit gear is capable of collecting personal information and exposing the victim to identity crime, the AFP said in a statement.
"This case highlights that the money you save from purchasing a cheaper, counterfeit product may come at a high cost to your privacy," said Peter Sykora, AFP commander of crime operations.
"Identity theft could place your personal and financial information in the hands of organised criminals," he added.
(Source: www.zdnet.com.au)