Business school swaps Google Apps for Microsoft Live@edu
By Peter Sayer Jun 28, 2010
A French business school plans to trade Google Apps, used by around half its staff and students, for Microsoft's rival Live@edu service.
Skema Business School's 6,250 students, 500 administrative staff and 128 teaching staff will have access to Microsoft's Live@edu hosted e-mail service, which includes calendar and contact management, instant messaging, video conferencing and 10GB of storage space, the school announced Wednesday.
Staff and students will also be offered Microsoft Office 2010 under a site-wide licensing program, and access to Sharepoint Online, giving them each 25GB of storage space for documents, whether shared or their own. The applications will run in Microsoft's European data centers.
The school is making the move as part of a three-year collaboration agreement with Microsoft, which will also see the company offer internships to Skema graduates and supply staff to teach elements of a course on social networking, the school said.
Skema describes itself as a pioneer in the use of online collaboration tools for its work. It was created last November from the merger of two French business schools, CERAM and ESC Lille.
ESC Lille, with around 3,000 students, adopted Google Apps Education Edition in April 2008, one of the first schools in France to do so.
Switching to Live@edu will allow Skema to harmonize the IT systems used by staff and students of the two schools, and will also enable it to integrate them with the software used to run the school, also developed using Microsoft's software.
Staffers are migrating to Microsoft Office 2010 now; students will move to the new software in the third quarter, the school said.
The win will be particularly sweet for Microsoft International President Jean-Philippe Courtois, who graduated from CERAM in 1983, before it became part of Skema. He is also a member of the school's Council of Strategic Direction.
In addition to its French campuses in Paris, Lille, and Sophia-Antipolis, Skema has one in Suzhou, China, and recently opened another in Raleigh, North Carolina.
IDG News Service (Paris Bureau)
2010年6月30日星期三
iCable makes the simple difficult
By Joseph Waring Jun 23, 2010
Bad customer service is everywhere, especially in the telco industry. But iCable in Hong Kong seems to excel like few others.
On Sunday morning I received a call at nine something from an iCable customer service representative following up on my request to change my billing method. Seems I had inadvertently included my reference number instead of my account number on the auto-pay form.
The matter was so urgent that the agent had to call me Sunday morning (don’t they know there’s a World Cup going on!). And in the age of CRM, it’s shocking that with my name, phone number and reference number they couldn’t easily access my account number without having to contact me. Seems they also left two voice messages on my work number on Saturday.
After giving the agent the missing information, he explained that I’d have to re-fax the form. Do what? I asked: “You now have the info, so why is it necessary for me to spend time faxing and for your people to have to process a fax submission at some point in the future? It wastes everyone’s’ time.”
He couldn’t explain why but said it was the policy. I told him I was sure he could handle the matter over the phone and said “thanks and goodbye”. He then added that setting up auto-pay from a bank account required three months payment in advance.
The auto-pay form didn’t mention anything about prepayment, so this was news to me. I said I was sure this could be waived since I’d been a customer for ten years. As you’d expect, he said he needed to check with his supervisor to get it approved.
Again, I said I was sure it would be waived and that if it wasn’t I’d be happy to cancel my service (after the World Cup). He kindly informed that I’d have to call another number to cancel.
Bad customer service not only creates ill will among your customer base, but just as important, it wastes scarce resources and costs loads. If the billing department was able to access my account number and complete the simple auto-pay form without calling me, those three calls could have been used to improve relationships with customers or add business, instead of disturbing a loyal customer.
This comes just two weeks after an even more frustrating experience. After canceling a card credit in April, I waited 45 days for a notice to arrive (I don’t receive a monthly bill by email or post) so I could pay by an alternative means.
But I noticed my normal HK$202 bill ($26) was HK$322. After 35 minutes on its Cantonese IRV system (I had selected English so the endless local conversation was most unwelcome), I was cut off. Lucky I was connected to an agent quickly on my next attempt and learned they had added (without itemizing on the late-payment notice) a HK$60 fee for rejecting the credit card payment and another HK$60 for late payment – a whopping 60% of my monthly bill.
Of course the added charges would be waived, but only after I paid the full amount -- immediately, before my service is cut off.
By Joseph Waring Jun 23, 2010
Bad customer service is everywhere, especially in the telco industry. But iCable in Hong Kong seems to excel like few others.
On Sunday morning I received a call at nine something from an iCable customer service representative following up on my request to change my billing method. Seems I had inadvertently included my reference number instead of my account number on the auto-pay form.
The matter was so urgent that the agent had to call me Sunday morning (don’t they know there’s a World Cup going on!). And in the age of CRM, it’s shocking that with my name, phone number and reference number they couldn’t easily access my account number without having to contact me. Seems they also left two voice messages on my work number on Saturday.
After giving the agent the missing information, he explained that I’d have to re-fax the form. Do what? I asked: “You now have the info, so why is it necessary for me to spend time faxing and for your people to have to process a fax submission at some point in the future? It wastes everyone’s’ time.”
He couldn’t explain why but said it was the policy. I told him I was sure he could handle the matter over the phone and said “thanks and goodbye”. He then added that setting up auto-pay from a bank account required three months payment in advance.
The auto-pay form didn’t mention anything about prepayment, so this was news to me. I said I was sure this could be waived since I’d been a customer for ten years. As you’d expect, he said he needed to check with his supervisor to get it approved.
Again, I said I was sure it would be waived and that if it wasn’t I’d be happy to cancel my service (after the World Cup). He kindly informed that I’d have to call another number to cancel.
Bad customer service not only creates ill will among your customer base, but just as important, it wastes scarce resources and costs loads. If the billing department was able to access my account number and complete the simple auto-pay form without calling me, those three calls could have been used to improve relationships with customers or add business, instead of disturbing a loyal customer.
This comes just two weeks after an even more frustrating experience. After canceling a card credit in April, I waited 45 days for a notice to arrive (I don’t receive a monthly bill by email or post) so I could pay by an alternative means.
But I noticed my normal HK$202 bill ($26) was HK$322. After 35 minutes on its Cantonese IRV system (I had selected English so the endless local conversation was most unwelcome), I was cut off. Lucky I was connected to an agent quickly on my next attempt and learned they had added (without itemizing on the late-payment notice) a HK$60 fee for rejecting the credit card payment and another HK$60 for late payment – a whopping 60% of my monthly bill.
Of course the added charges would be waived, but only after I paid the full amount -- immediately, before my service is cut off.
2010年6月29日星期二
What does Google, Facebook, Windows, the iPhone and sliced bread have in common?
By Zack Whittaker June 28, 2010, 2:42am PDT
Summary: They may not be the very best at what they do, but they are certainly the most popular. Are they unstoppable, or could they only be overtaken ‘by design’?
I’m going to make a clear cut statement which is of my own personal opinion, but seems to be equally and adequately reflected in statistics widely available and accessible.
Google is the most used search engine in the world. Facebook is the largest social network the world has ever seen. Windows still runs on the vast majority of computers worldwide. The iPhone is second to none to any other single mobile phone or handheld device in modern times. And sliced bread has yet to be improved after its initial conception proved well enough.
These may not be the very best of what their each respective category can achieve, but they are certainly the most popular. One could ask simply “why?” as someone who studies a social science, I usually throw that around the office at least twice a day. But a more interesting question is “when?” - a reference to a time where they could no longer be the superpower of their each technological area.
It’s not to say that it would be impossible for a product or device to replace the aforementioned, but let’s face it - it’s unlikely. Mac’s will never replace Windows, and Google will always be ahead of Bing. The BlackBerry can try, but the iPhone will get stronger each time it’s revamped, and sliced bread is just… well it’s just wonderful, isn’t it?
In my view, because these are the top of their game and are raking in more money per annum than most Western governments can lose in a financial year, it would be almost impossible for a rival product to replace them.
A new way of using mobiles and operating systems will eventually render Windows ‘useless’, or rather the software companies will simply replace it with an alternative like ‘Midori’. Maybe Google will switch focus from search to something else, though it’s unlikely as it’s heart is in search and has created a brand of which nobody else could compete with. Perhaps Facebook will collapse under intense pressure from future governments over serious data breaches or privacy concerns?
We can only guess. These products do have an end game, but the chances of them being overtaken by a rival just seem so very unlikely.
From here, it’s difficult to even contemplate the future of the technology industry as we see it today. So many variables and with so much time and economic uncertainty, along with a blend of public perception and marketing techniques, it is near impossible to gauge where it will take us.
Though I think many of a subjective and unbiased perspective will agree that, almost whether we like it or not, these ‘companies on top’ are probably not going to change any time soon. There is a reason why sliced bread didn’t develop any further; there was no need. If something isn’t broken, why change it?
By Zack Whittaker June 28, 2010, 2:42am PDT
Summary: They may not be the very best at what they do, but they are certainly the most popular. Are they unstoppable, or could they only be overtaken ‘by design’?
I’m going to make a clear cut statement which is of my own personal opinion, but seems to be equally and adequately reflected in statistics widely available and accessible.
Google is the most used search engine in the world. Facebook is the largest social network the world has ever seen. Windows still runs on the vast majority of computers worldwide. The iPhone is second to none to any other single mobile phone or handheld device in modern times. And sliced bread has yet to be improved after its initial conception proved well enough.
These may not be the very best of what their each respective category can achieve, but they are certainly the most popular. One could ask simply “why?” as someone who studies a social science, I usually throw that around the office at least twice a day. But a more interesting question is “when?” - a reference to a time where they could no longer be the superpower of their each technological area.
It’s not to say that it would be impossible for a product or device to replace the aforementioned, but let’s face it - it’s unlikely. Mac’s will never replace Windows, and Google will always be ahead of Bing. The BlackBerry can try, but the iPhone will get stronger each time it’s revamped, and sliced bread is just… well it’s just wonderful, isn’t it?
In my view, because these are the top of their game and are raking in more money per annum than most Western governments can lose in a financial year, it would be almost impossible for a rival product to replace them.
A new way of using mobiles and operating systems will eventually render Windows ‘useless’, or rather the software companies will simply replace it with an alternative like ‘Midori’. Maybe Google will switch focus from search to something else, though it’s unlikely as it’s heart is in search and has created a brand of which nobody else could compete with. Perhaps Facebook will collapse under intense pressure from future governments over serious data breaches or privacy concerns?
We can only guess. These products do have an end game, but the chances of them being overtaken by a rival just seem so very unlikely.
From here, it’s difficult to even contemplate the future of the technology industry as we see it today. So many variables and with so much time and economic uncertainty, along with a blend of public perception and marketing techniques, it is near impossible to gauge where it will take us.
Though I think many of a subjective and unbiased perspective will agree that, almost whether we like it or not, these ‘companies on top’ are probably not going to change any time soon. There is a reason why sliced bread didn’t develop any further; there was no need. If something isn’t broken, why change it?
Should Google worry about Facebook social search?
Summary: In a word, yes. It’s not quite as dramatic as All Facebook makes it out to be. They call Facebook’s Social Graph-based search “a full scale attack on Google on all fronts at this point.” I’m inclined to believe that it’s more of a wakeup call for Google in terms of really needing to tackle [...]
In a word, yes. It’s not quite as dramatic as All Facebook makes it out to be. They call Facebook’s Social Graph-based search “a full scale attack on Google on all fronts at this point.” I’m inclined to believe that it’s more of a wakeup call for Google in terms of really needing to tackle social and semantic search, not a harbinger of doom for the search giant.
CNET’s Tom Krazit takes a more reasoned approach to the growing competition between Google and Facebook:
If you’re spending money to place ads next to search results, you want assurances your ad will appear next to the most relevant results, and Facebook search has a long way to go on the relevance factor.Display ads are a different story, as Facebook continues to turn itself into a sticky destination site. There’s no question that Google is watching Facebook closely as it turns into a Web powerhouse…
Google is already surfacing search results from your social networks in its standard searches, but Facebook, despite the inaccuracy and unpredictability of the web search results appearing in its “Social Graph” search, has hit on an important tool. The search results from Facebook are based on web properties that Facebook users “like.”
As social networks become ubiquitous among much broader demographics, leveraging the web viewing patterns of users rather than links from other sites (essentially the core of Google’s PageRank algorithm) will become increasingly accurate, relevant, useful, and, more importantly, monetizable. If Facebook (or any other social network, or Google, or whomever) could find the right algorithms to match ads with user interests (accessible from social media profiles and users’ web traffic) and search, then there’s some serious money to be made.
This is really the heart of semantic search. Google has managed to leverage search histories and location fairly well, but nobody has discovered the secret sauce for true semantic search, some of the most important drivers for which will be in users’ social networks. Frankly, Google remains in the best position to do this given their analytics capabilities and extensive investments in PageRank and search history data collection. Facebook isn’t going to displace them in the search market, but will hopefully drive them to further innovations in semantic and social search.
As usual, this means that we’ll need to cede additional privacy to Google (or whatever group manages to find that secret formula for semantic search) since they’ll need to know our deepest darkest thoughts to make the web more “personal.” However, as the web continues to grow, it will become vital for search results to be refined based on our interests, preferences, and needs.
An iPhone wish list looks more like an Android feature list
What do iPhone users want most? According to the results of a survey released today, the top four things that U.S. iPhone users want most are already available from Google’s Android.
The survey, conducted by interactive research firm Vision Critical, lists a choice of wireless network (39 percent) as the number one thing that smartphone buyers in the U.S. would most like to have in the Apple iPhone. Android devices, of course, are available across multiple wireless carriers while the iPhone can only be used (without jailbreaking) on AT&T in the U.S.
Also on the list:
There have been rumors of Apple enabling a dormant FM Tuner on the iPhone and iPod Touch, but it still hasn’t been turned on. When and if Apple ever does announce an FM tuner for the device, the company is sure to get cheers for offering something that others have already been offering - just as iPhone enthusiasts have cheered for things like tethering, MMS support and cut-and-paste in the past.
Those things weren’t new when Apple announced them. They were just new for the iPhone. Here’s the full wishlist from Vision Critical:
The survey, conducted by interactive research firm Vision Critical, lists a choice of wireless network (39 percent) as the number one thing that smartphone buyers in the U.S. would most like to have in the Apple iPhone. Android devices, of course, are available across multiple wireless carriers while the iPhone can only be used (without jailbreaking) on AT&T in the U.S.
Also on the list:
- A 4G Network (38 percent): HTC’s Evo 4G for Sprint has hit the market, even if 4G service by Sprint isn’t widespread yet.
- An 8-megapixel camera (33 percent): HTC’s Evo 4G and Droid Incredible both have 8-megapixel cameras.
- FM Radio Tuner (30 percent): Yup, Android has one already.
There have been rumors of Apple enabling a dormant FM Tuner on the iPhone and iPod Touch, but it still hasn’t been turned on. When and if Apple ever does announce an FM tuner for the device, the company is sure to get cheers for offering something that others have already been offering - just as iPhone enthusiasts have cheered for things like tethering, MMS support and cut-and-paste in the past.
Those things weren’t new when Apple announced them. They were just new for the iPhone. Here’s the full wishlist from Vision Critical:
2010年6月28日星期一
阿婆婆問什撘西鐵
今日 28 June 有個阿婆婆問什撘西鐵到兆康，我便教她這個那個，
當大家遇到困難都會找朋友或親人，
施比受更幸福，這個道理十分容易理解，但有多少人會做呢?
當大家遇到困難都會找朋友或親人，
施比受更幸福，這個道理十分容易理解，但有多少人會做呢?
2010年6月26日星期六
Apple: Don't hold your iPhone 4 that way
Now that the iPhone 4 has been out for more than a day (at least in some parts of the world), it’s only logical that a number of bugs have popped up. It seems the biggest one has to do with reception. Apple’s response? It’s you’re probably holding the phone the wrong way.
Yesterday, a number of new iPhone owners reported dropped calls and bad reception when holding their shiny new smartphones in their left hands. Apple has responded to some of the glitches already, saying to “avoid gripping it in the lower left corner in a way that covers both sides of the black strip in the metal band.”
I thought the new exterior antenna design was supposed to actually reduce reception issues rather than make them more confusing. After spending $200-$300, now they’re trying to re-teach customers how to hold a mobile phone? I don’t own an iPhone 4, but I think if/when I buy one, I should only be worried about blocking the speaker and microphone considering the most basic purpose of this device is to act as a telephone.
Or maybe the reason behind this is that Apple just doesn’t like lefties.
Related coverage on ZDNet:
Handicapping Apple's iPhone 4 debut: 77 percent upgrades; 1.5 million units or so
Apple’s iPhone’s 4 debut is meeting its advanced billing: The device is creating a powerful upgrade cycle.
Analysts on Friday were busy handicapping the first day sales for the iPhone 4. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said his firm surveyed 608 people in line for the iPhone 4 and found that 77 percent of buyers were existing iPhone owners, compared to 56 percent in 2009 and 38 percent in 2008.
All iPhone coverage and scenes from the iPhone 4 launch
What’s notable here is that only 16 percent of iPhone 4 buyers were switching carriers to go to AT&T, down from 28 percent last year. In a nutshell, if you haven’t moved to AT&T for the iPhone you probably aren’t going to.
Other details of note from Munster’s survey:
Related: Analysts drool over Apple iPhone 4 upgrade cycle
Analysts on Friday were busy handicapping the first day sales for the iPhone 4. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster said his firm surveyed 608 people in line for the iPhone 4 and found that 77 percent of buyers were existing iPhone owners, compared to 56 percent in 2009 and 38 percent in 2008.
With 77% of our surveyed iPhone buyers upgrades, Apple is effectively building a recurring revenue stream, where iPhone users pay on average $200 year to stay current with the latest iPhone. While it’s true that iPhone 4 is a more significant feature upgrade compared to the 3GS, and we expect this upgrade rate to decline next year, Apple has in three years built brand loyalty in the phone market that compels users to upgrade to the latest version and wait in line for one to six hours to pick up their iPhone. While we think Apple will sell between 1.0m to 1.5m iPhones in the first three days (including preorders), the actual number is largely irrelevant.
All iPhone coverage and scenes from the iPhone 4 launchWhat’s notable here is that only 16 percent of iPhone 4 buyers were switching carriers to go to AT&T, down from 28 percent last year. In a nutshell, if you haven’t moved to AT&T for the iPhone you probably aren’t going to.
Other details of note from Munster’s survey:
- 54 percent of buyers bought the 32GB phone;
- 28 percent of buyers also owned an iPad;
- Of the 72 percent of iPhone buyers that didn’t own an iPad, 39 percent of that group said they would likely buy one in the next year;
- 90 percent of buyers cited new features for the primary reason they were standing in line for the iPhone.
- 76 percent of iPhone 4 buyers already had the iPhone;
- 26 percent of respondents bought the iPhone because their old phone was failing them (desire over need);
- Android was seen by respondents as the best iPhone alternative. Previously, RIM’s BlackBerry was the choice.
Related: Analysts drool over Apple iPhone 4 upgrade cycle
社交媒體成CIO最大顧慮
Symantec助企業 面對IT環境變遷挑戰
Symantec助企業 面對IT環境變遷挑戰
文: Daisy Leung / 新聞中心
2010-06-25
企 業愈來愈流行利用社交媒體進行協作和通訊，然而， Symantec 的 2010 企業保安研究報告郤發現，全球有 84% 的 CIO ( 資訊總監 ) 和 CISO ( 資訊安全總監 ) 認為社交網站對企業安全構成嚴重威脅，為了解除有關威脅， Symantec Data Loss Prevention 加強了對 Web 2.0 網站，包括， Twitter 、 YouTube 、 MySpace 、 Facebook 、 LinkedIn 及 Meebo 等的兼容性，以阻截敏感數據的流通。
Symantec Data Loss Prevention 為終端用戶帶來更具透明度的網上體驗，即使不用造成會導致用戶疑惑的斷線情況或錯誤訊息，也能有效預防數據外露，並把 IT 支援成本減到最低。
此外，企業日漸傾向採納私人雲端來協助它們節省伺服器及儲存成本，即使雲端存在於企業的防火牆內，安全仍然成了它們採 用雲端的主要顧慮， Symantec 為運行虛擬應用和桌面系統，包括 Citrix XenApp 及 Citrix XenDesktop 的工作站，新增了全新的終端事件覆蓋功能。
而事實上，現今的企業亦要面對多不勝數的非結構性數據，為了協助企業解決這個日益高漲的數據， Symantec 現已把較早前推出的 Symantec Data Insight ，整合到 Symantec Data Loss Prevention 中 ，方便企業找出最關鍵資訊存在的地點，監察其使用情況，並會自動推論數據的擁有權以加快事故復原和數據清理過程，並加強保護。
Symantec Data Loss Prevention 10.5 新增對 64 位元 Windows 7 的支援， Symantec data Loss Prevention Data Insight ，以及 Symantec Data Loss Prevention Standard Edition 現已有售。
2010年6月MessageLabs網絡安全報告
全球世界盃狂熱 網民務必提高警惕
全球世界盃狂熱 網民務必提高警惕
文: Daisy Leung / 新聞中心
2010-06-24
http://www.hkepc.com/5097Symantec 23 日發表 2010 年 6 月份 MessageLabs 網絡安全報告，亦發現世界盃現象影響到垃圾郵件的攻擊方式，有關報告指出，由 2010 年 6 月至今， MessageLabs 在全球所所攔截的垃圾電郵，有 25% 與足球或與足球相近的關鍵字有關。
據 MessageLabs 高級分析員 Paul Wood 表示，垃圾郵件製造者非常善用周遭能引起廣泛公眾注目及能刺激其視覺神經的垃圾郵件主題，當中首推世界盃這個近期最熱門項目。
透 過今次全球盛事，垃圾郵件製造者公然透過為用戶提供世界盃產品優惠的網上連結，讓受害人在毫無預警的情況下被攻擊，例如當中大部分垃圾電郵的主旨雖然都是 以世界盃為主題，然而其內容卻與電郵的主題毫無關連。
早於 6 月初， MessageLabs 已接到與世界盃有關的攻擊報告，黑客的目的是希望部分電腦用戶在世界盃熱潮下減低對惡意程式的防範，從而透過垃圾電郵的惡意連結突破企業系統的門禁並盜取 企業的重要資料。
這種攻擊主要透過兩種方法完成，包括採用 PDF 附件及一個含惡意網站的連結，假若內含惡意程式的 PDF 檔被防毒軟件攔截，黑客仍有機會透過這個惡意連結進行系統滲透，這樣便可大大提高垃圾郵件的攻擊命中率。
另外， MessageLabs 亦發現暗藏惡意 JavaScript 的垃圾郵件數目亦有所增長，其攻擊方式同樣透過以世界盃為主旨的電郵引起收件人的興趣並開啟當中的 HTML 附件，然而其實暗藏在附件內的 JavaScript ，卻會引渡用戶到另一個意惡網站，達到其不法目標， Paul Wood 估計，於世界盃舉行期間以暗藏 JavaScript 的攻擊的手法將會變得愈來愈多。
2010年6月24日星期四
蘋果新品熱賣Google推新服務反擊
http://www.smb.com.hk/content/蘋果新品熱賣google推新服務反擊
Vincent Wong, 24 June 2010
美國蘋果公司透露，其平板電腦iPad自今年4月在美國推出以來，至今已賣出超過300萬部。隨著iPhone 4將於美國時間星期四推出，預期蘋果產品的影響力將進一步擴大。
蘋果公司新一代手機iPhone 4將於今日先後在美國、日本、英國、法國、德國開售，多間蘋果專門店及分銷商，幾日前已有顧客排隊，希望搶先買下心頭好；另一些已在網上辦了預訂手續的顧客則可早一天拿貨。
這款新產品規格較過往三代iPhone更先進，並引入更多功能，例如配備高清畫面及視像對話，而且機身更加纖薄。據悉在上星期二，當iPhone 4開始接受預訂時，一日之內就接到超過60萬張訂單，破了iPhone單日預售紀錄。
至於iPad，蘋果公司稱這款新品在美國僅推出80日，至剛過去的星期二，銷量已突破300萬部。下月起，行貨還會正式登陸包括香港在內的多個地區。有分析預計，到今年底，蘋果可能會在全球賣出970萬部iPad，連同iPhone 4為蘋果帶來豐厚回報。
為抗衡蘋果強勢，Google計劃今年較後時間，推出網上音樂商店，傳言甚至稱，Google有意先提供音樂付費下載，其後進階至雲端式服務，訂購者不必下載，透過手機上網來直接聽音樂。此舉無疑是跟蘋果的iTunes正面競逐網上音樂市場，是蘋果和Google兩大IT強豪可能白熱化的搏擊戰。
【編輯觀點】：蘋果產品能掀起熱潮，除出色的產品設計和應用配套，還有出色的市場推廣，令消費者不斷對蘋果出品保持熱情和寄望，這令Android陣營即使步步進逼，蘋果還是能在智能手機以至手提設備領域，繼續引領市場不斷進步。
http://www.smb.com.hk/content/蘋果新品熱賣google推新服務反擊
Vincent Wong, 24 June 2010
美國蘋果公司透露，其平板電腦iPad自今年4月在美國推出以來，至今已賣出超過300萬部。隨著iPhone 4將於美國時間星期四推出，預期蘋果產品的影響力將進一步擴大。
蘋果公司新一代手機iPhone 4將於今日先後在美國、日本、英國、法國、德國開售，多間蘋果專門店及分銷商，幾日前已有顧客排隊，希望搶先買下心頭好；另一些已在網上辦了預訂手續的顧客則可早一天拿貨。
這款新產品規格較過往三代iPhone更先進，並引入更多功能，例如配備高清畫面及視像對話，而且機身更加纖薄。據悉在上星期二，當iPhone 4開始接受預訂時，一日之內就接到超過60萬張訂單，破了iPhone單日預售紀錄。
至於iPad，蘋果公司稱這款新品在美國僅推出80日，至剛過去的星期二，銷量已突破300萬部。下月起，行貨還會正式登陸包括香港在內的多個地區。有分析預計，到今年底，蘋果可能會在全球賣出970萬部iPad，連同iPhone 4為蘋果帶來豐厚回報。
為抗衡蘋果強勢，Google計劃今年較後時間，推出網上音樂商店，傳言甚至稱，Google有意先提供音樂付費下載，其後進階至雲端式服務，訂購者不必下載，透過手機上網來直接聽音樂。此舉無疑是跟蘋果的iTunes正面競逐網上音樂市場，是蘋果和Google兩大IT強豪可能白熱化的搏擊戰。
【編輯觀點】：蘋果產品能掀起熱潮，除出色的產品設計和應用配套，還有出色的市場推廣，令消費者不斷對蘋果出品保持熱情和寄望，這令Android陣營即使步步進逼，蘋果還是能在智能手機以至手提設備領域，繼續引領市場不斷進步。
2010年6月23日星期三
80 後買居屋, 政府, 納稅人, 政黨支持和幫助?
80 後可以要政府(納稅人)補貼買居屋，這樣可以要大家支持和政黨幫助。
但失業，綜援人士救助就被人 label和歧視，是他們為社會的負纍，沒有人幫助和支持, 大家話政府只幫助地產商，你們(政黨 人士) 是不是只幫一些特權或有自身利益的人呢，大家應看遠一點兒。市場是會自然調節。
80 後想快 D買樓是不是他們覺得現在快 D買可以有得Win，
但失業，綜援人士救助就被人 label和歧視，是他們為社會的負纍，沒有人幫助和支持, 大家話政府只幫助地產商，你們(政黨 人士) 是不是只幫一些特權或有自身利益的人呢，大家應看遠一點兒。市場是會自然調節。
80 後想快 D買樓是不是他們覺得現在快 D買可以有得Win，
2010年6月22日星期二
Adobe launches Flash 10.1 for Mobile: More than half of all smartphones by 2012?
Summary: Adobe launches the long-awaited Flash Player 10.1 to mobile phone makers and Android’s latest operating system will lead the charge. Adobe on Tuesday will launch the long-awaited Flash Player 10.1 to mobile phone makers and Android’s latest operating system will lead the charge. For Adobe, the stakes are high as it seeks to put Flash into every smartphone surrounding Apple’s iPhone, which doesn’t do Flash.
With the move, Adobe is trying to position Flash as a platform that “just works” across the desktop as well as mobile devices. The latest Android operating system, Froyo, will be the proving ground for Flash’s mobile debut. Flash is expected to start out on Motorola’s Droid, multiple HTC devices as well as the Dell Streak. Later, Adobe plans to roll out Flash on the BlackBerry, webOS,
Windows Phone 7 Series, LiMo, MeeGo and Symbian platforms “in coming months.”
Indeed, the stakes are high for Adobe. Everything from battery life to stability to security will be closely scrutinized. Al Hilwa, an analyst at IDC, agreed that Flash’s mobile rollout will be put under the microscope. “Flash will be highly scrutinized and needs to perform well,” said Hilwa. “Everyone will be watching, but the odds are that Flash was tested well and it should work well.”
Anup Murarka, director of technology strategy and partner development at Adobe, said that the company will have 19 of the top 20 mobile OEMs as partners. Murarka added that Flash on mobile devices will work with existing Web content and offer features such as double tap options on Web pages and better integration with chipmakers. “We laid the groundwork for innovation with 10.1,” he said.
So what’s the plan? Murarka outlined the following:
With the move, Adobe is trying to position Flash as a platform that “just works” across the desktop as well as mobile devices. The latest Android operating system, Froyo, will be the proving ground for Flash’s mobile debut. Flash is expected to start out on Motorola’s Droid, multiple HTC devices as well as the Dell Streak. Later, Adobe plans to roll out Flash on the BlackBerry, webOS,
Windows Phone 7 Series, LiMo, MeeGo and Symbian platforms “in coming months.”
Indeed, the stakes are high for Adobe. Everything from battery life to stability to security will be closely scrutinized. Al Hilwa, an analyst at IDC, agreed that Flash’s mobile rollout will be put under the microscope. “Flash will be highly scrutinized and needs to perform well,” said Hilwa. “Everyone will be watching, but the odds are that Flash was tested well and it should work well.”
Anup Murarka, director of technology strategy and partner development at Adobe, said that the company will have 19 of the top 20 mobile OEMs as partners. Murarka added that Flash on mobile devices will work with existing Web content and offer features such as double tap options on Web pages and better integration with chipmakers. “We laid the groundwork for innovation with 10.1,” he said.
So what’s the plan? Murarka outlined the following:
- Initially, Flash 10.1 will be available on Android 2.2.
- It will be available as a download in Android market, but as system software.
- Flash 10.1 is expected to really start taking off on tablets in the second half a year when it is preinstalled.
- Adobe is hoping Flash 10.1 will be on 9 to 10 percent of smartphones this year.
- By 2011, Flash 10.1 should be on a third of smartphones.
- By 2012, Adobe plans to have Flash 10.1 on more than half of all smartphones shipped assuming no major market share changes.
- Flash Lite will continue on other mass market phones.
2010年6月20日星期日
Demystifying Microsoft's mobile operating system roadmap
Summary: Microsoft announced Windows Embedded Handheld on June 17, bringing the company’s mobile OS count to six (or more) different offerings. How many is too many? When Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer recently criticized Google at the D8 conference for having two different mobile operating systems, it’s surprising so few challenged the pot for calling the kettle black. Microsoft doesn’t have just one or even two mobile operating system (OS) offerings. As of today, it has a half dozen, by my count.
Microsoft announced the newest addition to its mobile OS list on June 17. The newest family member, known as Windows Embedded Handheld, is powering the new Motorola’ES400 enterprise digital assistant (EDA), launched today in New York.
Windows Embedded Handheld, like most of Microsoft’s mobile OSes (other than Windows 7), is built on top of the Windows Embedded Compact (formerly known as Windows Embedded CE) core. The first version of Windows Embedded Handheld, which is going to be shipping before the end of this year, is tailored for what are known as “enterprise handheld mobile devices” — i.e., ruggedized computers that are for custom line-of-business applications, like bar-code scanning, RFID reading, etc. A second version of the Windows Embedded Handheld platform — built on top of the Windows Embedded Compact 7 core — is due out in the second half of 2011.
Gallery: Running on Windows Embedded
With today’s announcement, Microsoft now has at least six different OS offerings for mobile phones and devices. It has two different phone operating systems — Windows Mobile 6.x (the last of the line in the Windows Mobile OS family) and Windows Phone OS 7.0. (It has three if you count the Kin phone OS, which is a modified version of Windows Phone OS 7.0.) It has the just-launched Windows Embedded Handheld OS. It has an OS for TVs, set-top boxes, kiosks and other embedded tasks, known as Windows Embedded Standard 7. It has Windows 7, which it is positioning as its OS for tablets and netbooks. And, as company officials said last month at Computex, it has Windows Embedded Compact 7 (which isn’t going to be released to manufacturing until Q4 2010) for PC makers who want to create slates and other consumer mobile devices that run on non-Intel processors and use less battery power.
Here’s my best attempt to explain what’s part of Microsoft’s mobile OS six pack:
What’s with the multiplying Microsoft mobile OS SKUs? Wouldn’t just one or two choices result in less PC maker and customer confusion? On the mobile front, it seems the thinking in Redmond is that more specialization and more choices will give mobile device makers more options.
The place where Microsoft is consolidating its story is on the Windows Embedded Compact front. Windows Embedded Compact/Windows Embedded CE is the lowest level platform upon which Microsoft builds its phone and mobile device operating systems. Currently, the majority of the six different mobile OS offerings run a variety of different versions of Embedded Compact/Embedded CE. Microsoft is working to get more of its mobile OS platforms to run on top of the Windows Embedded Compact 7 core.
On the development tools front, Microsoft also is working to consolidate its offerings. In the second half of next year, when the Windows Embedded Handheld 7 platform ships, it will support the same set of development tools that Windows Phone 7 will be supporting: Visual Studio 2010, Silverlight and the XNA platform, according to Microsoft officials.
Why a dedicated ruggedized mobile OS?
Today’s launch of Windows Embedded Handheld marks the debut of a new brand and new nomenclature for Microsoft in a market where it already plays. Microsoft already has a handful of OEMs, including Motorola, Honeywell and Intermec, who sell ruggedized mobile PCs and devices that run Windows CE and/or Windows Mobile.
Microsoft announced the newest addition to its mobile OS list on June 17. The newest family member, known as Windows Embedded Handheld, is powering the new Motorola’ES400 enterprise digital assistant (EDA), launched today in New York.
Windows Embedded Handheld, like most of Microsoft’s mobile OSes (other than Windows 7), is built on top of the Windows Embedded Compact (formerly known as Windows Embedded CE) core. The first version of Windows Embedded Handheld, which is going to be shipping before the end of this year, is tailored for what are known as “enterprise handheld mobile devices” — i.e., ruggedized computers that are for custom line-of-business applications, like bar-code scanning, RFID reading, etc. A second version of the Windows Embedded Handheld platform — built on top of the Windows Embedded Compact 7 core — is due out in the second half of 2011.
Gallery: Running on Windows Embedded
With today’s announcement, Microsoft now has at least six different OS offerings for mobile phones and devices. It has two different phone operating systems — Windows Mobile 6.x (the last of the line in the Windows Mobile OS family) and Windows Phone OS 7.0. (It has three if you count the Kin phone OS, which is a modified version of Windows Phone OS 7.0.) It has the just-launched Windows Embedded Handheld OS. It has an OS for TVs, set-top boxes, kiosks and other embedded tasks, known as Windows Embedded Standard 7. It has Windows 7, which it is positioning as its OS for tablets and netbooks. And, as company officials said last month at Computex, it has Windows Embedded Compact 7 (which isn’t going to be released to manufacturing until Q4 2010) for PC makers who want to create slates and other consumer mobile devices that run on non-Intel processors and use less battery power.
Here’s my best attempt to explain what’s part of Microsoft’s mobile OS six pack:
What’s with the multiplying Microsoft mobile OS SKUs? Wouldn’t just one or two choices result in less PC maker and customer confusion? On the mobile front, it seems the thinking in Redmond is that more specialization and more choices will give mobile device makers more options.
The place where Microsoft is consolidating its story is on the Windows Embedded Compact front. Windows Embedded Compact/Windows Embedded CE is the lowest level platform upon which Microsoft builds its phone and mobile device operating systems. Currently, the majority of the six different mobile OS offerings run a variety of different versions of Embedded Compact/Embedded CE. Microsoft is working to get more of its mobile OS platforms to run on top of the Windows Embedded Compact 7 core.
On the development tools front, Microsoft also is working to consolidate its offerings. In the second half of next year, when the Windows Embedded Handheld 7 platform ships, it will support the same set of development tools that Windows Phone 7 will be supporting: Visual Studio 2010, Silverlight and the XNA platform, according to Microsoft officials.
Why a dedicated ruggedized mobile OS?
Today’s launch of Windows Embedded Handheld marks the debut of a new brand and new nomenclature for Microsoft in a market where it already plays. Microsoft already has a handful of OEMs, including Motorola, Honeywell and Intermec, who sell ruggedized mobile PCs and devices that run Windows CE and/or Windows Mobile.
Going forward, Microsoft won’t be offering its partners the CE toolkit and/or Windows Mobile; instead, it will morph these things into a single OS known as Windows Embedded Handheld, explained David Wurster, Senior Product Manager with Microsoft’s Windows Embedded business.
The first release of the Windows Embedded Handheld OS isn’t going to include new features or technological changes. Instead, “it’s more about aligning policies and support,” Wurster said. It’s a case of “driving confidence back into the (enterprise handheld device) ecosystem,” he added.
The second iteration of the platform, Windows Embedded Handheld 7, will include new functionality as a result of it being built on top of the Windows Embedded Compact 7 core. This version, due in the second half of 2011, “will support richer experiences and richer applications,” Wurster said. In addition to supporting a stylus for input, it also will support multi-touch, he said.
Microsoft set the stage for the launch of the Windows Embedded Handheld platform back in April of this year, when the company moved responsibilities for the platforms for ruggedized devices from its Mobile Communications Business to the Windows Embedded Business. At that time, the Softies said to expect the move to result in a “closer connection between the Windows Embedded CE and Windows Mobile product line.”
What about consumer handheld devices?
The new Embedded Handheld platform is not Microsoft’s OS for slates or consumer mobile devices.
“If you want to look at creating a slate, or an ARM-based (mobile) platform, and you want to create your own solution, you could do that by building on Windows Embedded Compact 7,” Wurster said. He added that the Embedded Compact 7 OS also is a better solution for GPS providers and certain industrial applications, but not for dedicated, line-of-business applications, like transportation and logistics, for example.
For those building consumer-facing platforms, Microsoft is providing tools with Embedded Compact 7 (a public technical preview version of which was released last month) for PC partners who want to build their own custom user interfaces. Silverlight for Windows Embedded is the primary creation tool for building a shell for these kinds of mobile devices, Wurster said.
Microsoft has begun telling its OEM partners if they are building small-screen consumer-focused devices that are primarily meant for content consumption, they should think about Windows Embedded Compact 7 as their primary Microsoft choice. If they want to build consumer mobile handhelds that are good for both consumption and creation of content, they should think Windows 7, and not Windows Embedded Compact 7, according to Microsoft. (Where does that leave HP, which was, as of January, planning to build a Windows 7 slate? In limbo.)
Because Windows Embedded Compact 7 isn’t slated to be released to manufacturing until the fourth quarter of this year, that would seem to imply we won’t see any slates based on that OS until next year. Microsoft management’s insistence on getting its PC partners to go with Windows 7 instead of a lower-power, multi-platform offering like Embedded Compact, on these form factors is going to come back to bite the company (just like what happened with the iPhone), a number of company watchers say.
The one wildcard in all this is whether Microsoft is readying some kind of shell for Windows 7 — and/or Windows Embedded Compact 7 — which would make those platforms more attractive to PC makers and customers looking for touch-centric slates. If that’s happening, no one at Microsoft is talking about it….
The first release of the Windows Embedded Handheld OS isn’t going to include new features or technological changes. Instead, “it’s more about aligning policies and support,” Wurster said. It’s a case of “driving confidence back into the (enterprise handheld device) ecosystem,” he added.
The second iteration of the platform, Windows Embedded Handheld 7, will include new functionality as a result of it being built on top of the Windows Embedded Compact 7 core. This version, due in the second half of 2011, “will support richer experiences and richer applications,” Wurster said. In addition to supporting a stylus for input, it also will support multi-touch, he said.
Microsoft set the stage for the launch of the Windows Embedded Handheld platform back in April of this year, when the company moved responsibilities for the platforms for ruggedized devices from its Mobile Communications Business to the Windows Embedded Business. At that time, the Softies said to expect the move to result in a “closer connection between the Windows Embedded CE and Windows Mobile product line.”
What about consumer handheld devices?
The new Embedded Handheld platform is not Microsoft’s OS for slates or consumer mobile devices.
“If you want to look at creating a slate, or an ARM-based (mobile) platform, and you want to create your own solution, you could do that by building on Windows Embedded Compact 7,” Wurster said. He added that the Embedded Compact 7 OS also is a better solution for GPS providers and certain industrial applications, but not for dedicated, line-of-business applications, like transportation and logistics, for example.
For those building consumer-facing platforms, Microsoft is providing tools with Embedded Compact 7 (a public technical preview version of which was released last month) for PC partners who want to build their own custom user interfaces. Silverlight for Windows Embedded is the primary creation tool for building a shell for these kinds of mobile devices, Wurster said.
Microsoft has begun telling its OEM partners if they are building small-screen consumer-focused devices that are primarily meant for content consumption, they should think about Windows Embedded Compact 7 as their primary Microsoft choice. If they want to build consumer mobile handhelds that are good for both consumption and creation of content, they should think Windows 7, and not Windows Embedded Compact 7, according to Microsoft. (Where does that leave HP, which was, as of January, planning to build a Windows 7 slate? In limbo.)
Because Windows Embedded Compact 7 isn’t slated to be released to manufacturing until the fourth quarter of this year, that would seem to imply we won’t see any slates based on that OS until next year. Microsoft management’s insistence on getting its PC partners to go with Windows 7 instead of a lower-power, multi-platform offering like Embedded Compact, on these form factors is going to come back to bite the company (just like what happened with the iPhone), a number of company watchers say.
The one wildcard in all this is whether Microsoft is readying some kind of shell for Windows 7 — and/or Windows Embedded Compact 7 — which would make those platforms more attractive to PC makers and customers looking for touch-centric slates. If that’s happening, no one at Microsoft is talking about it….
iPhone 4 packing serious heat (512MB RAM)
Summary: The iPhone 4 will ship with 512MB of RAM, double the amount in its predecessor, the iPhone 3GS and the iPad. The additional RAM may be the reason that the iMovie app and multi-tasking aren’t making it to older devices.
MacRumors has confirmed that the upcoming iPhone 4 will ship with 512MB of RAM — twice that of the iPhone 3GS and iPad. The post notes that the iPhone 2G and 3G packed 128MB of RAM, while the iPhone 3GS and iPad ship with 256MB.What’s more surprising, perhaps, is that Apple intentionally suppresses technical details of the iPhone:
Since the launch of the original iPhone, Apple has made efforts to hide some of the actual tech specs of the device from consumers. Apple has never advertised or even published the processor speed or amount of RAM found in the iPhone. Arguably, Apple is trying to shield customers from these technical distractions and instead trying to focus on overall functionality.Apple confirmed the 512MB figure during WWDC last week in a session video (147, Advanced Performance Optimization on iPhone OS, pt 2) which is now available to registered Apple developers.
Nice catch by MacRumors and a nice little bonus for iPhone 4 customers.
Photo: Gizmodo
Hulu weeks away from offering subscription service, support for iPad, Xbox 360. Will you pay?
Summary: It’s no secret that Hulu has been readying a subscription service for the older shows it offers for online viewing, but Reuters reports that the site is now just a month or two away from launching. In addition, Hulu is readying support for additional devices, such as the iPad and Xbox 360.The moves will put [...]
It’s no secret that Hulu has been readying a subscription service for the older shows it offers for online viewing, but Reuters reports that the site is now just a month or two away from launching. In addition, Hulu is readying support for additional devices, such as the iPad and Xbox 360.
The moves will put Hulu more in competition with Netflix for the streaming video market. Netflix supports both the Apple tablet and Microsoft’s videogame console, but Hulu currently won’t work with the iPad’s browser, which everybody knows does not support Adobe Flash. New episodes of popular TV shows will still be free on Hulu, at least for the time being.
Whether the paid service will succeed ultimately comes down to how cheap the subscription is, and what kind of restrictions Hulu puts on it—for instance, what constitutes “older” content that would fall under the subscription plan. With people already paying for TV and probably videos through Netflix, Redbox, or Blockbuster, is there room in the old wallet for Hulu’s content? How much would you pay for a Hulu subscription, if anything? Let us know your opinion by voting in the poll below.
http://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-tw/Hulu
Hulu，名字源於大陸普通話「葫蘆」的發音, 是一個免費觀看正版影視節目的網際網路網站，它和全美許多著名電視台以及電影公司達成協定，透過授權點播模式向使用者提供視訊資源。由於各國對版權的法規 有差異，其視訊節目目前只對美國本土使用者開放。公司在洛杉磯、紐約和北京三地辦公。2010年6月18日星期五
iPhone易被「黑」 英專家促大臣勿用
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/100616/4/inyg.html
(明報)2010年6月17日 星期四 05:10
【明報專訊】英國 《每日電訊報》昨稱，英國官方保安專家已促請政府大臣避免使用iPhone來傳送敏感資料，因為iPhone不夠安全，可能遭到黑客入侵，套取資料。
英國新政府不少大臣及顧問都是iPhone擁躉，但英國官方保安專家早前已向公務員體系發出建議，指iPhone容易被入侵或干擾，建議公務員各部門不要發放iPhone給職員。報道稱，保安專家建議一眾大臣和職員，應使用黑莓（BlackBerry）及其他獲認可的手機。
隨著智能手機及流動器材普及，保安專家發現這些器材及軟件的保安漏洞也愈來愈多。根據美國 商務部數據，保安專家去年在蘋果、諾基亞及RIM等公司的智能手機，發現30個保安漏洞，較前年的16個大增。雖然暫時未有證據顯示有黑客大規模利用這些漏洞發動襲擊，但上周AT&T網站泄漏iPad用戶資料（漏洞是由黑客組織找出來），卻顯示黑客開始針對流動器材。
流動版Safari去年揭22漏洞
今年3月，盧森堡大學研究員利用網頁，成功取得一部iPhone的整個短訊資料庫，當中更包括刪除了的短訊，贏得黑客比賽。他們沒透露襲擊細節，蘋果要在3個月後，才透過更新瀏覽器Safari，堵塞該漏洞。根據美國商務部數據，保安專家去年在流動版Safari發現22個漏洞，較前年的5個大增。
手機商反應慢半拍難阻黑客
跟其他公司一樣，蘋果發放保安更新來堵塞漏洞，但堵塞漏洞有如貓捉老鼠遊戲，有些漏洞可能要數月才被發現。一家流動保安公司總裁赫林（John Hering）說﹕「真正的考驗是反應時間。若公司行動不夠迅速，那就很難應付。」
智能手機生產商其中一道防範黑客的板斧，便是利用所謂虛擬沙盤（Sandbox），來阻止第三者應用程式看到彼此及取得手機某些特定數據。但有保安專家稱，這並非一定萬無一失。瑞士 保安專家塞里奧（Nicolas Seriot）2月便發表研究稱，他利用一個SpyPhone的軟件來取得iPhone的私人數據，包括iPhone識別碼、電郵以及網絡搜尋近期紀錄等。研究員相信，蘋果在iPhone 4推出後，將發布最新的保安更新來堵塞漏洞，但蘋果拒絕評論。
每日電訊報/華爾街日報
http://hk.news.yahoo.com/article/100616/4/inyg.html
(明報)2010年6月17日 星期四 05:10
【明報專訊】英國 《每日電訊報》昨稱，英國官方保安專家已促請政府大臣避免使用iPhone來傳送敏感資料，因為iPhone不夠安全，可能遭到黑客入侵，套取資料。
英國新政府不少大臣及顧問都是iPhone擁躉，但英國官方保安專家早前已向公務員體系發出建議，指iPhone容易被入侵或干擾，建議公務員各部門不要發放iPhone給職員。報道稱，保安專家建議一眾大臣和職員，應使用黑莓（BlackBerry）及其他獲認可的手機。
隨著智能手機及流動器材普及，保安專家發現這些器材及軟件的保安漏洞也愈來愈多。根據美國 商務部數據，保安專家去年在蘋果、諾基亞及RIM等公司的智能手機，發現30個保安漏洞，較前年的16個大增。雖然暫時未有證據顯示有黑客大規模利用這些漏洞發動襲擊，但上周AT&T網站泄漏iPad用戶資料（漏洞是由黑客組織找出來），卻顯示黑客開始針對流動器材。
流動版Safari去年揭22漏洞
今年3月，盧森堡大學研究員利用網頁，成功取得一部iPhone的整個短訊資料庫，當中更包括刪除了的短訊，贏得黑客比賽。他們沒透露襲擊細節，蘋果要在3個月後，才透過更新瀏覽器Safari，堵塞該漏洞。根據美國商務部數據，保安專家去年在流動版Safari發現22個漏洞，較前年的5個大增。
手機商反應慢半拍難阻黑客
跟其他公司一樣，蘋果發放保安更新來堵塞漏洞，但堵塞漏洞有如貓捉老鼠遊戲，有些漏洞可能要數月才被發現。一家流動保安公司總裁赫林（John Hering）說﹕「真正的考驗是反應時間。若公司行動不夠迅速，那就很難應付。」
智能手機生產商其中一道防範黑客的板斧，便是利用所謂虛擬沙盤（Sandbox），來阻止第三者應用程式看到彼此及取得手機某些特定數據。但有保安專家稱，這並非一定萬無一失。瑞士 保安專家塞里奧（Nicolas Seriot）2月便發表研究稱，他利用一個SpyPhone的軟件來取得iPhone的私人數據，包括iPhone識別碼、電郵以及網絡搜尋近期紀錄等。研究員相信，蘋果在iPhone 4推出後，將發布最新的保安更新來堵塞漏洞，但蘋果拒絕評論。
每日電訊報/華爾街日報
2010年6月16日星期三
Five tips for improving Linux security
Summary: Protecting a networked computer is a never-ending challenge even in Linux. These simple measures from TechRepublic’s Five Tips blog will help protect your Linux box.Protecting a networked computer is a never-ending challenge — even in Linux. These simple measures from TechRepublic’s Five Tips blog will help protect your Linux box. The advice is timely given the hubbub over Linux security.
What’s that you say? You don’t need to do anything about security on your Linux box because it’s Linux? Think again. Linux is an operating system that begs to be online, so it wants to be secure. Sure it’s fairly secure out of the box, but NO operating system is 100% secure if it’s, well, turned on. Here are five crucial Linux security tips.
1: Take advantage of the keyring
To many, this is an annoyance. You log in to your machine, your machine requests a connection to a network (or LDAP server, etc.), and you have to enter your keyring password. The temptation is to disable this feature by giving it an empty password and dismissing the warning that you’ll be transmitting unencrypted information (including passwords). This is not a good idea. Although you might think it a hassle, this feature/functionality is there for a reason — to encrypt sensitive passwords when they are sent over the wire.
2: Enforce user password update
If you run a multi-user environment (as Linux is wont to do), you should make sure that your users change their passwords every so often. To do this you use the chage command. You can check the expiration with the command sudo chage -l USERNAME (where USERNAME is the name of the user you want to check). Let’s say you want to expire a user’s password and make him change it upon next login. To do this, you could issue the command sudo chage -E EXPLICIT_EXPIRATION_DATE -m MINIMUM_AGE -M MAXIMUM_AGE -I INACTIVITY_PERIOD -W DAYS_BEFORE_EXPIRATION (where all options in CAPS are user defined). For more information on this command, see the man page (issue the command man chage).
3: Don’t blindly disable SELinux
Similar to the keyring, SELinux is there for a reason. SE stands for Security Enhanced and it provides the mechanism that controls access to applications. I have read of a number of “solutions” to problems that involved disabling SELinux. If this is seen as a solution, it will only lead to more, uglier problems. If a particular program isn’t running properly, look into modifying an SELinux policy to fit your needs rather than disabling SELinux. If you don’t want to do this via the command line, you might want to check out a GUI tool called polgengui.
4: Don’t log in as root
It may sound as if I’m a broken record with this one, with good reason. I can’t stress enough that Linux users should NOT be logging in as the root user. If you need to do administration on a machine, log in as your regular user and either su to the root user or take advantage of sudo. When you log in as the root user, you effectively bypass a major security hurdle and allow access to systems and subsystems that normally wouldn’t be accessible when logged in as a standard user. Do not do this. Log in with your regular account. Period.
5: Install security updates quickly
There is a HUGE difference between the way Linux and Windows handle updates. Where Windows typically does an infrequent massive update, Linux does frequent smaller updates. Ignoring these updates can be disastrous if the right security hole is not patched on your system. You have to remember, some of those updates are in fact security patches and need to be applied immediately. Never ignore that icon indicating updates are available. And if you are using a GUI-less server, make sure you set up a cron job to check for updates or check them manually either daily or weekly. Stay up to date and you stay more secure.
Small steps
Do you and your Linux box already feel more secure? You should. With these five tips alone you have taken your Linux box to a new level of security. Mind you, this isn’t a complete to-do list. It’s just the start. The security of a networked computer is ongoing and ever-changing. But with tips like these, you’ll be better prepared to meet that elusive goal.
Check out Five Tips… the newsletter
Get a concise roundup of solutions and techniques that will make your IT job go more smoothly. TechRepublic’s Five Tips newsletter, delivered every Tuesday, gives you instant access to the information you need.Automatically sign up today.
Can Google Music and Froyo overthrow the iPod-iTunes-iPhone monarchy?
Summary: Google is reportedly gearing up for a launch of Google Music, a move to go head to head with Apple and iTunes, starting this fall.
The one thing I’m most looking forward to in my forthcoming Android update - aka Froyo - is the enhanced music feature that promises to unleash wireless streaming from my personal iTunes music library to my Droid Incredible.
Like many others, I’m deeply entrenched in Apple’s music ecosystem, an iPod player populated with music purchased from or ripped into iTunes, indexed and cataloged in Apple’s format. Now that I’ve plunged into the world of Android, though, I’d like to turn my device into a true iPhone replacement - and that includes music.
When I saw Google demo the Froyo feature at Google I/O last month, it started to make sense - Google marched in to the mobile device scene with a small (and growing) army of devices and targeted the iPhone-deprived consumers, those of us non-AT&Ters. First, they sold us on Android as a phone. Then came the big push into Apps. Now, as the Android army has grown bigger, it’s time to head into the next battlefield: music.
CNET’s Greg Sandoval is reporting that Google could launch a music service with song downloads and streaming music by this fall, citing music sector insiders. Granted, it’s not the first to try to take on iTunes. Amazon, for example, has a nice digital storefront - but hasn’t been able to gain enough traction to become a threat.
But Amazon was missing something that Google now has: a device with a brand name that is spreading like wildfire as the iPhone alternative. Actually, it’s a brand for the platform, not any of the devices (Droid excluded). But that’s just a technicality for the consumer who can walk into any wireless carrier store and simply ask for an Android phone and have the clerk point one out - now, alongside the brand spanking new iPhone 4 at AT&T stores.
The deeper I find myself getting into the world of Android, the more I look for ways out of the iPod-iTunes world. Why? In a sense, I feel like Apple has moved on and is leaving behind those of us unwilling to hop on board the AT&T bus to get to the next level of the iPod experience.
Sure, I have an iPod Touch and it’s a great experience when I’m home or someplace else where there’s WiFi. But what I really wanted was an iPhone - and only those willing to pay for poor service were allowed to take the next step with the company. I wasn’t willing to do that.
As Google ups its offerings with Android, it continues to squash reasons for me to want to stay locked into Apple’s world of music.
I wonder if craigslist will see a jump in “iPod Touch For Sale” ads once Froyo is widely deployed.
Apple: 600,000 iPhone preorders crashed systems
Apple said Wednesday that it took more than 600,000 preorders for the iPhone 4 in one day.
In a statement (Techmeme), Apple said that the number of preorders was “far higher than we anticipated, resulting in many order and approval system malfunctions.”
Apple then apologized for everyone that was turned away.
There’s a good news, bad news situation here. First, it’s good that Apple sold a lot of iPhone 4 devices. In fact, it’s already more than halfway to Piper Jaffray’s estimates after a few hours.
The bad news: Apple’s planning with its partners was too conservative and its capacity and IT systems fell short. AT&T also took a lot of heat on Tuesday.
Also: iPhone 4 pre-orders sell out; Apple bumps ship date for new orders
Indeed, AT&T said in a statement that it stopped taking preorders so it could meet demand.
In a statement (Techmeme), Apple said that the number of preorders was “far higher than we anticipated, resulting in many order and approval system malfunctions.”
Apple then apologized for everyone that was turned away.
There’s a good news, bad news situation here. First, it’s good that Apple sold a lot of iPhone 4 devices. In fact, it’s already more than halfway to Piper Jaffray’s estimates after a few hours.
The bad news: Apple’s planning with its partners was too conservative and its capacity and IT systems fell short. AT&T also took a lot of heat on Tuesday.
Also: iPhone 4 pre-orders sell out; Apple bumps ship date for new orders
Indeed, AT&T said in a statement that it stopped taking preorders so it could meet demand.
iPhone 4 pre-order sales yesterday were 10-times higher than the first day of pre-ordering for the iPhone 3G S last year…More:
Given this unprecedented demand and our current expectations for our iPhone 4 inventory levels when the device is available June 24, we’re suspending pre-ordering today in order to fulfill the orders we’ve already received.
The availability of additional inventory will determine if we can resume taking pre-orders.
iPad e-mail hackers defend attack as ethical
By Gregg Keizer | Jun 15, 2010The hackers who harvested an estimated 114,000 Apple iPad 3G owner e-mail addresses defended their actions Friday as "ethical" and said they did nothing illegal.
The hacking group Goatse Security obtained the e-mail addresses using an automated PHP script that collected iPad 3G owners' ICC-ID numbers and associated addresses from AT&T's servers using a publicly-available feature of the carrier's Web site.
AT&T disabled the feature last Tuesday, a day before the Valleywag Web site first reported the story.
"We believe what we did was ethical," said Goatse member Escher Auernheimer in a telephone interview today. "What we did was right."
Goatse waited until AT&T had closed the hole before revealing its findings, said Auernheimer, who defended the release as "responsible disclosure" -- the term given to security revelations made public only after a vendor has patched a bug or otherwise prevented a vulnerability. "We followed the disclosure process, which is more than you can say for at least a third of security researchers," he argued, referring to researchers who post bug details before a patch is available.
"It was in the public interest to have this disclosed," Auernheimer continued. "If someone had a Safari exploit for the iPad, for example, they could have gotten this information. It was in the public's and AT&T customers' interest [for the latter] to be able to mitigate this instantly."
Rather than contact AT&T directly with what they'd uncovered, Goatse tipped off an unnamed third party, who in turn reported the design flaw to AT&T. Goatse took that route, Auernheimer said, to prevent AT&T from preventing the group from publicizing the e-mail address exposure. "We didn't want an injunction [from AT&T] that would have kept us from disclosing the data. And we didn't see the necessity of contacting AT&T directly."
Goatse contacted several media outlets whose employees showed up on the list of e-mail addresses they'd obtained, including Fox News, Reuters and others. None responded to their messages.
Instead, Goatse contacted Gawker Media, the company that operates ValleyWag and other technology sites and blogs. "We gave the data only to Gawker," said Auernheimer "They were the only one willing to dedicate resources to [the story]." According to Auernheimer, Gawker assigned several interns to the task of pouring over the list of 114,000 e-mail addresses.
Bloggers who have slammed Goatse over its disclosure are jealous that the group gave Gawker and ValleyWag an exclusive, Auernheimer said. "A majority of the people who have been critical are just upset that we went to Gawker with it," he added.
Only iPad 3G owners' ICC-ID numbers and e-mail addresses were obtained from AT&T's servers, Auernheimer said, confirming what the carrier claimed earlier this week.
Since then, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has launched an investigation into the address acquisition. The FBI said it was trying to decide if Goatse violated US laws.
But according to Auernheimer, the agency has not contacted anyone belonging to Goatse. "No, we have had no contact with law enforcement," he said, adding that he doesn't believe the group broke the law.
In a blog post earlier today, Auernheimer spelled out Goatse's case. "All data was gathered from a public webserver with no password, accessible by anyone on the Internet," he wrote. "There was no breach, intrusion, or penetration, by any means of the word."
But Auernheimer wasn't sure that he and the other member of Goatse would not be prosecuted. "Hopefully, we aren't, but a [prosecutor] can get a grand jury to do anything," he said.
"We stand by what we did," Auernheimer said. "We love America and did this in the public interest."
AT&T declined comment, and referred Computerworld to the statement it issued earlier this week. In that statement, AT&T made no mention of any illegalities, saying only that, "The person or group who discovered this gap did not contact AT&T."
Apple has not responded to requests for comment on the iPad owner e-mail disclosure.
Computerworld (US)
Microsoft confirms critical Windows XP bug
By Gregg Keizer | Jun 15, 2010Microsoft on Thursday confirmed that Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 contain an unpatched bug that could be used to infect PCs by duping users into visiting rigged Web sites or opening attack e-mail.
The company said it has seen no active in-the-wild attacks exploiting the vulnerability.
The bug in Windows' Help and Support Center -- a component that lets users access and download Microsoft help files from the Web -- doesn't properly parse the "hcp" protocol handler, Microsoft said in an advisory issued Thursday afternoon. Attackers can leverage the vulnerability by enticing users to malicious or hacked Web sites, or by convincing them to open malformed e-mail messages.
Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server and Windows Server 2008 R2 are not vulnerable to the attack.
Microsoft plans to produce a patch, but has not set a release date. "Microsoft is currently working to develop a security update for Windows to address this vulnerability," the advisory stated. July 13 is Microsoft's next scheduled Patch Tuesday, but it sometimes issues patches outside its monthly plan. The last time it did so was in late March when it fixed a bug in Internet Explorer that attackers were aggressively exploiting.
The advisory was prompted by the bug's disclosure early Thursday , and the release of proof-of-concept attack code. Tavis Ormandy, a security engineer who works for Google in Switzerland, defended the decision to reveal the flaw only five days after reporting it to Microsoft. But Microsoft and other researchers questioned the quick publication.
Microsoft made no distinction between Ormandy and his employer in a blog post Thursday.
"This issue was reported to us on June 5, 2010 by a Google security researcher and then made public less than four days later, on June 9, 2010," said Mike Reavey, the director of the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC). "Public disclosure of the details of this vulnerability and how to exploit it, without giving us time to resolve the issue for our potentially affected customers, makes broad attacks more likely and puts customers at risk."
According to the time stamp on Ormandy's message to the Full Disclosure mailing list, he posted it at 1:46 a.m. Swiss time on Jun 10, or 4:46 p.m. PT on June 9.
The two companies have traded blows this year that have included public arguments about the quality of each other's software suites -- Google Docs and Microsoft Office -- and about reports that Google wants to phase out Windows inside the company over security concerns.
Some security researchers blasted Ormandy for going public when Google's policy is to not reveal a bug until the affected vendor has a chance to fix the flaw. "Google can't have their cake and eat it too," said Robert Hansen, the CEO of SecTheory, in an interview yesterday.
Microsoft on Thursday confirmed that Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 contain an unpatched bug that could be used to infect PCs by duping users into visiting rigged Web sites or opening attack e-mail.
The company said it has seen no active in-the-wild attacks exploiting the vulnerability.
The bug in Windows' Help and Support Center -- a component that lets users access and download Microsoft help files from the Web -- doesn't properly parse the "hcp" protocol handler, Microsoft said in an advisory issued Thursday afternoon. Attackers can leverage the vulnerability by enticing users to malicious or hacked Web sites, or by convincing them to open malformed e-mail messages.
Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server and Windows Server 2008 R2 are not vulnerable to the attack.
Microsoft plans to produce a patch, but has not set a release date. "Microsoft is currently working to develop a security update for Windows to address this vulnerability," the advisory stated. July 13 is Microsoft's next scheduled Patch Tuesday, but it sometimes issues patches outside its monthly plan. The last time it did so was in late March when it fixed a bug in Internet Explorer that attackers were aggressively exploiting.
The advisory was prompted by the bug's disclosure early Thursday , and the release of proof-of-concept attack code. Tavis Ormandy, a security engineer who works for Google in Switzerland, defended the decision to reveal the flaw only five days after reporting it to Microsoft. But Microsoft and other researchers questioned the quick publication.
Microsoft made no distinction between Ormandy and his employer in a blog post Thursday.
"This issue was reported to us on June 5, 2010 by a Google security researcher and then made public less than four days later, on June 9, 2010," said Mike Reavey, the director of the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC). "Public disclosure of the details of this vulnerability and how to exploit it, without giving us time to resolve the issue for our potentially affected customers, makes broad attacks more likely and puts customers at risk."
According to the time stamp on Ormandy's message to the Full Disclosure mailing list, he posted it at 1:46 a.m. Swiss time on Jun 10, or 4:46 p.m. PT on June 9.
The two companies have traded blows this year that have included public arguments about the quality of each other's software suites -- Google Docs and Microsoft Office -- and about reports that Google wants to phase out Windows inside the company over security concerns.
Some security researchers blasted Ormandy for going public when Google's policy is to not reveal a bug until the affected vendor has a chance to fix the flaw. "Google can't have their cake and eat it too," said Robert Hansen, the CEO of SecTheory, in an interview yesterday.
3G success will kill off DVB-H, says SpeedCast
John C. Tanner | June 16, 2010
CommunciAsia Show Daily
Mobile TV has a bright future in Asia, but not for broadcast technologies like DVB-H, says satellite firm SpeedCast.
Asia has all the ingredients for mass market takeup of mobile TV services: low-penetration markets for free-to-air and pay-TV broadcast services and growing 3G penetration, said Stephane Palomba, head of Asia Pacific sales for SpeedCast.
“In many emerging markets, pay-TV penetration is less than 2%, and TV set penetration of households is under 30% in markets like Pakistan,” Palomba said during a conference session on mobile VAS yesterday.
Meanwhile, the dropping costs of 3G handsets and services will translate to 40% of mobile users in Asia using 3G-level services by 2013, he added.
But the rise of 3G as a mobile TV enabler comes at the expense of broadcast mobile TV technologies like DVB-H, which has seen few deployments worldwide.
“The main selling points of DVB-H was that it delivered high-quality video and better battery life for longer viewing times,” Palomba said. “But 3G handsets have improved battery life quite a lot, and even with a HSPA network, you can achieve video streams of 256-328 kbps, which is similar quality to DVB-H.”
Palomba said SpeedCast –which still offers a hosted DVB-H solution – is taking a wait-and-see approach to DVB-H, but added: “I’m rather pessimistic about DVB-H in the future.”
Not everyone is ready to give up on broadcast mobile TV, however. Earlier this month, Qualcomm formed a JV with KDDI to build a MediaFLO multimedia platform for the Japanese market. The MediaFLO Broadcasting Service Planning JV will bid for a national VHF license for mobile TV scheduled to be issued by the MIC next month.
“It won’t just be about broadcast TV, but broadcasting interactive content like e-reader services and music,” said Ali Zamiri, Qualcomm’s Asia business development director for MediaFLO technologies.
SpeedCast booth 6H2-01
訂閱：
文章 (Atom)