Microsoft and Google are living up to a promise they made in February by showing signs of OpenID support in its product code. Microsoft Passport and Google Accounts apparently have nothing on OpenID. The online account tool is showing signs of adoption in Microsoft’s new HealthVault beta as well as in Google Maps code
With many business and individual PC users rejecting Windows Vista, Microsoft took an unprecedented step this week by promising patches and updates for Windows XP for a full 13 years
Nokia has acquired the remainder of Symbian for $410 million and opened the popular mobile platform to challenge Google’s Android, Microsoft’s Open Windows, and even Apple’s iPhone
More recently, challenges to the ethos of multitasking have begun to emerge. Numerous studies have shown the sometimes-fatal danger of using mobile phones and other electronic devices while driving, for example, and several states have now made that particular form of multitasking illegal. In the business world, where concerns about time-management are perennial, warnings about workplace distractions spawned by a multitasking culture are on the rise
George Carlin, who died of heart failure Sunday at 71, leaves behind not only a series of memorable routines, but a legal legacy: His most celebrated monologue, a frantic, informed riff on those infamous seven words, led to a Supreme Court decision on broadcasting offensive language
Since launch last week in excess of 17.3 million downloads of Firefox 3 have taken place. The browser saw 8 million downloads within the first 24-hours of its release, more than ever downloaded in a single day before and a statistic currently being considered for inclusion within the Guinness Book of Records. Firefox 2 was downloaded 1.6 million times in its first 24 hours of release; to date, it has been downloaded more than half a billion times, according to Mozilla
The Macintosh platform is again under attack by malicious code writers. This time, it’s multiple variants of a Trojan horse that could compromise machines running Mac OS X 10.4 or 10.5. The Trojan, distributed as either a compiled AppleScript called ASthtv05 or as an application bundle called AStht_v06, exploits a recently discovered vulnerability with the Apple Remote Desktop agent. The ARD allows the Trojan to run as root
Finnish handset maker Nokia has taken GPS a step further with the announcement that it is acquiring Plazes, the developer of a social-networking Web site that lets friends locate each other
In an response to the new wiretapping law that was introduced in Sweden this week, The Pirate Bay will ask international ISPs to block traffic to Sweden, to protect their customers. In addition, the BitTorrent tracker will add SSL encryption to their site, and roll out a new VPN service
Scientists have developed a technique for retrieving fingerprints from bullet casings and bomb fragments after they have been fired or detonated. The new method, which relies on subtle corrosion of metal surfaces is already being applied for the first time anywhere in the world by two British police forces. The patterns of corrosion remain even after the surface has been cleaned, heated to 600°C or even painted over. This means that traces of fingerprints stay on the metal long after the residue from a person’s finger has gone
Hotmail’s full version doesn’t work with Firefox 3. Users get the following message when they try to log in: You are temporarily on the classic version of Windows Live Hotmail due to an error encountered during login. Before trying again, please clear your cache and cookies. (Clearing cache and cookies doesn’t fix it.) The fault apparently lies with the Hotmail site, not Mozilla — via Slashdot
The trickle of senior executives leaving Yahoo has turned into a flood. People close to the company confirmed on Thursday that three more senior executives — Qi Lu, Brad Garlinghouse and Vish Makhijani — were leaving. All were responsible for critical areas of Yahoo’s business
Professor Stephen Hawking has revealed that he turned down the offer of a knighthood over 10 years ago. The Birthday Honours List 2008, released to coincide with the Queen’s official birthday, once again contained nothing for Hawking, which has been puzzling some observers for many years. However, the scientist has released correspondence showing that he was approached with the offer of a knighthood over a decade ago but refused it on principle
US physicists are using particles called excitons to develop transistors that could be better suited to fast communication. By eliminating the need to convert signals from electrons to photons, the new exciton-based transistors are expected to break traditional speed barriers between computing and communications signals
ISPs’ methods for managing P2P traffic have come under intense scrutiny in recent months after the Associated Press reported last year that Comcast was actively interfering with P2P users’ ability to upload files by sending TCP RST packets that informed them that their connection would have to be reset. Although Comcast has said it doesn’t actively block any P2P protocols and merely “delays” P2P uploads during times of heavy congestion, the company has agreed to change its P2P traffic management policies and stop targeting traffic such as that of BitTorrent
A British journalist won a legal test case over the confidentiality of reporters’ contacts Thursday, after judges ruled against a court order seeking all his notes for a biography of a former Islamist radical. Civil liberties campaigners had feared the so-called production order
, obtained by the Greater Manchester Police under anti-terrorism laws, could undermine the future of UK journalism
Sweden has adopted legislation that will give military intelligence sweeping powers to eavesdrop on all crossborder e-mail and telephone communications. After heated debate and last-minute changes late Wednesday, lawmakers approved the bill, which has outraged some lawmakers and prompted protesters to hand out copies of George Orwell’s novel 1984
outside Parliament. Lawmakers approved the bill in a 143-to-138 vote Wednesday. One lawmaker abstained. The bill will become law in January
Anyone who persists in illicit downloading of music or films will be barred from broadband access under a controversial new law that makes France a pioneer in combating internet piracy. Under a cross-industry agreement, ISPs must cut off access for up to a year for third-time offenders
Dell will charge customers up to $50 for factory-installed Windows XP on some PCs after Wednesday. Buyers of the low-priced Vostro line of desktops and notebooks will pay $20 to $50 more for Windows XP Professional installed as a downgrade
from Windows Vista Business or Vista Ultimate than they would for Vista only
More than 1.6 million copies of Firefox 3 were downloaded from the Mozilla site in the first five hours. That eclipsed the downloads total for Firefox 2 on its first day. Mozilla said its open-source Firefox 3 browser has more than 15,000 improvements, including a smart location bar, malware protection, and faster performance
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