Welcome Articles
IT’S OVER!
Toshiba Gives Up On HD-DVD
The greatest war for the next-generation video format has finally come to an end—Toshiba’s pulled the plug on its war with Sony’s Blu-Ray. According to latest reports, Toshiba has formally announced that it would not be continuing its HDDVD business. This race was definitely fiercer than the earlier video battle over Betamax and VHS. This time, it was companies that were deciding what the consumer gets and not the other way round! With companies such as Sony and Toshiba pitted against each other, it was stiff competition all the way through. For Sony, it was a matter of prestige to win this battle, as it had already lost with Betamax to JVC in the VHS days. On one side was the Blu-Ray consortium led by Sony, with Apple, Dell, HP, Sharp, Philips, Panasonic, Hitachi and eight other companies on Blu-Ray’s board of directors. On the other hand, the HD-DVD front was led by Toshiba, followed by Sanyo, NEC and Memory Tech. This time, however, the battle was prolonged, and there was a host of factors that decided the outcome. The most significant decisive factor, however, was the gaming industry. Microsoft, the makers of the Xbox 360 has been a strong supporter of the HD-DVD standard. In contrast, Sony—the makers of the PlayStation 3—have understandably supported the Blu-Ray format. As a result, the soaring sales of gaming applications have yielded a significant rise in the sales of Blu-Ray discs. With half the battle won in the gaming industry, the remaining half of the battle was decided by Hollywood. Till recently, Universal and Paramount Studios were the only Hollywood studios to back HD-DVDs—the majority had backed Blu-Ray. The most significant of them was Time Warner, which switched totally from HDDVD to Blu-Ray, leaving Sony with a virtual monopoly in the DVD format arena. So where does Toshiba go from here? And what about Sony? The latest news says that Sony is in talks with Toshiba to sell its PS3 chip manufacturing plant for an amount to supposedly in excess of $ 858 million. Both Toshiba and Sony Corporation, have reportedly partnered with Sony Computer Electronic Entertainment Inc. (SCEI) for the production of high performance semiconductors. The whole DVD fiasco doesn’t seem to have ended on a bitter note after all... Most technological developments and gadgets enter Indian shores after they have been tried and tested in Europe and the Americas. For example, the iPhone has not yet been launched in India—the average Indian consumer normally complains about this fact. However, this time round we should be thankful for the late entry of the high-definition DVD battle into India—actually it hasn’t got here yet! Overall, Indian consumers have not been significantly affected by all the hue and cry among the Blu-Ray and HD-DVD camps. The average Indian consumer, till now has been happy with the normal DVD format. With significant certainty, now emerging in the DVD arena, Indians can now decide purely by the deals they get!
COME...PLAY
PS3 To Lead In 2008
The gaming industry had witnessed phenomenal growth last year, with major players such as Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft posting massive sales figures. According to research firm iSuppli, the PS3 will pose the strongest growth figures among all video game consoles. The projected worldwide sales figures this year are 10 million units for PS3, 12.2 million units for the Wii, and 7.5 million units for the Xbox 360. With strong sales, lower prices and broader ppeal among audiences, the Wii is all poised to be the market leader with a global installation base of 30.2 million units. On the other hand, the Xbox 360 has struggled in Japan and Europe, where the Sony brand formerly ominated, and is on course to increase its user base to 25.7 million units by the end of 2008. In the light of all conditions, the PS3, which lagged due to its price and lack of blockbuster games for most of last year, would double its installation base to 20.3 million users and by 2011 will be the industry leader. In India, however, the Xbox 360 leads in terms of market share. However, with Blu-Ray getting the upper hand in terms of being the preferred DVD format, Sony has a lot to gain. What happens to Xbox 360 users who use HD-DVD drives with their gaming consoles is still to be seen. The users hit the most, are those who bought external HD-DVD drives for their Xbox 360s. How Microsoft compensates them, is a matter of concern and will be closely watched in the forthcoming days.
WHAT YOU MISSED
MS, Yahoo, And Them
The world is going abuzz with talks between the two eastcoast companies—Yahoo from Sunnyvale, California and Microsoft from Redmond, Washington. Surprisingly, Google was also active in the media, this time around playing spoiler by claiming that Microsoft would use the deal to gain too much of control over the Internet. We have also heard reports about AOL talking to Yahoo! for a likely deal. We believe that’s not coincidence, considering the fact that Google owns a 5 per cent stake in AOL. Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp. also joined in the league, by recently holding talks with Yahoo! The Chinese portal Alibaba, however, is an important factor in the whole deal. For those of you’ll who haven’t heard of it, Alibaba is a Hangzhoubased e-commerce / eauction company, and a significant player in China’s search engine and online marketing industry after Baidu. Yahoo! is a major stakeholder in Alibaba. Softbank, a Japanese telecommunications company, which bought out Vodafone Japan, also owns a 3.9 per cent stake in Yahoo US and 40 per cent of Yahoo Japan. In addition to this, both Softbank and Yahoo, are common investors in Alibaba. Being a dominant player in China, this deal is being closely watched by Chinese authorities—concerned over foreign control of Chinese businesses, especially with Microsoft, considering its monopolistic policies and practices. The deal between the two companies has not yet been signed, and it already has effects on China and Japan. But what are the possible impacts in India? As far as Indian surfers are concerned, Google ranks the highest, followed by Yahoo! at a distant second place, and then MSN. Unlike other countries where the competition is stiff, in India, Google really holds a significant lead over the other search engines. Could this translate into a reduction in PPC rates for online advertising? SEO professionals would surely be watching this closely. So, for India, things don’t seem to be as significant anyway. Surely services are only going to improve with the competition. They’ve got to!
YOU’RE HIT!
The Great Indian Virus
India and technology seem to be in the news quite often these days. A few weeks back, it was low browsing speeds due to the cut in the Middle Eastern optical fibre (FALCON) belonging to FLAG Telecom, under the flagship of the Reliance ADA group. To add to these woes, a recent study on virus activity by a web security services company indicates that India has the highest incidence of virus attacks. As per the study conducted by Message Labs, “Virus activity increased across a number of countries in January, including India, which takes the number one spot with 1 in 30.5 emails”. As compared to India, the Web attack was far less in western countries with figures being one in every 191.5 emails in the US and one in every 158.4 e-mails in Canada. In New Zealand, Web security levels were pretty good—one out of 768 mails was virus infested, while for Australia, the figure was one for every 298.7 mails. The study goes on to reveal that the global spam ratio is 73 per cent. This translates to one in every 1.36 emails. This only further reiterates the need for us to be updated with the latest anti-virus, antispam, anti-spyware and other proactive tools to ensure safety. In taking such measures, not only are we safer as individuals, but rather reduce the risk to others, especially our friends and lose associates.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Question & Answer
Question & Answer
Coffee-cup Holder?
Q. My Samsung CD writer keeps ejecting when I put a CD in it, and only after 5 or 6 attempts, it manages to read a CD. What could be the problem? Do I need to reinstall Windows?
Ans. Your CD writer keeps on ejecting the media because it finds it difficult to read it. The most common reason for this to happen is due to the laser head power deterioration over a period of time, or due to the lens getting dirty. You can try to clean it by using a lens cleaning CD, which you can get at any stationary store. Another possible reason could be that your power connector or data cable is bad, so you should try replacing these with new ones. If all fails, then it is time to get a new optical drive.
Find What You Need
Q. My friend has just bought a new hard drive and installed Windows XP. But she does not know what drivers are required. Please tell me how to find the drivers without opening her cabinet.
Ans. The best and the easiest way to approach your problem is to call up the place from where the computer was bought and ask them the system configuration. Note down the names of the individual components—motherboard, graphics card, network card, etc. and search for their drivers online. You can also download, install and run Everest (any edition) from www.lavalys.com. In the Summary module, you will be able to see all the components of the computer without having to open it. Once again, you must note down the names of the components and search for their drivers online.
Indirect Memory
Q. I had read about setting the DMA mode for an optical drive in your older Q&A section, and have been able to do that with success. But the problem is that I find that my drive keeps going back to PIO mode again.
Ans. To set your device to DMA, go to Start > Run > devmgmt.msc to open the Device Manager. Expand “IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers”. Double-click on Primary IDE, go to Advanced Settings tab and set the Transfer Mode to DMA if Available. Do the same for Secondary IDE as well. Restart Windows, and if you still see the mode as PIO, you should uninstall the Primary IDE and Secondary IDE channels and restart Windows to redetect them. This should solve your problem. In your case, the drive keeps switching back to the PIO mode, and the reason for this is often attempting to read scratched media. Another reason could be that your IDE cable may be faulty or too long. Use only IDE cable with 80 conductors as are commonly available today, as against the 40-conductor cables available earlier. There may also be certain power management issues that may cause this problem when the computer wakes from the Standby mode, but this can be solved by installing the latest chipset driver for your motherboard.
ME No Work
Q. I have recently reinstalled Windows ME and the problem is that System Restore no longer works. I sometimes get a blank window or the following error:
An error has occurred in the script on this page
Line: 14
Char: 9
Error: Object doesn’t support this property or method
Code: 0
URL: res://rstrui.exe/start.htm
Do you want to continue running script on this page?
Ans. It seems that your computer did not create a restore point during the first boot of Windows ME. You should therefore create one manually to get rid of this issue. Run the following command at the command prompt:
C:\Windows\System\Restore\rstrui.exe /makefirstrestorepoint
Now restart the computer and System Restore should work fine.
Stop That Nag!
Q. I want to know how I can stop Automatic Update from nagging me repeatedly to restart the computer after installing an update.
Ans. There are two ways to get around this issue. We will first tell you how you can do this for just the current update. Click on Start > Run, type net stop wuauserv and hit [Enter]. This will stop the Windows Update service until the next time you restart your computer. The second method describes the way to stop these reminders forever. Assuming that you are running Windows XP Professional, click on Start > Run, type gpedit.msc and hit [Enter]. This will launch the Group Policy Editor. Select Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
Double-click on Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations. Change the value to 1440. Close the Group Policy Editor. Click on Start > Run, type gpupdate /force and press [Enter]. This will stop the repeated reminders for this and all future Windows updates.
Twice Isn’t Nice
Q. Help! My Outlook Express sends two copies of any mail I try to send.
Ans. This problem occurs if you have configured Outlook Express Read options to Read all messages in plain text, but are still sending messages in HTML format. Outlook Express creates a dummy attachment with the formatted (HTML) copy of the message, so that you can easily view it if needed and it does so for incoming messages as well. To solve this problem, configure Outlook Express to send messages using plain text—go to Tools > Options and navigate to the Send tab. Deselect Reply to messages using the format in which they were sent. Set Mail Sending Format to Plain Text.
Spyware Attack!
Q. I had installed a 3-day trial of moviepass.tv, but now that the trial has expired, I am unable to remove it and am continuously bombarded with pop-ups demanding that I sign up for a monthly subscription. Please help.
Ans. You can attempt to remove moviepass.tv in one of the following ways:
1. Use System Restore to roll back to the state before you downloaded this adware. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore, select Restore my computer to an earlier time and click on Next. Select a checkpoint date before the moviepass.tv software was downloaded and click Next to continue with the restore. Download, install and scan using a good spyware such as Spybot to remove any residual occurrences of this adware.
2. If the above method does not help, or if you don’t use System Restore, you can do a manual uninstall. Start your computer in Safe Mode. Open the Control Panel, and go to Add or Remove Programs. Uninstall any program with names starting with or similar to the following: AltBill, AltPayments, AltPayV2, DownloadManager, FileGrabber, FSupport, ITBills, License Manager, MediaPipe, MoviePass, MovieLand, MPNotifier, MyAccessMedia, MyWaySA, Notify, Notifier, Notification Utility, OptimumOnline, and P2PNetworks. Now open Windows Explorer, and go to the Program Files folder. Delete any subfolders with names related to the items you just uninstalled. Go to Start > Run, type msconfig and hit [Enter]. Go to the Startup tab. Disable any items with command names related to the items you just uninstalled by clearing the associated check box. Click on OK and restart the computer when prompted to do so.
Coffee-cup Holder?
Q. My Samsung CD writer keeps ejecting when I put a CD in it, and only after 5 or 6 attempts, it manages to read a CD. What could be the problem? Do I need to reinstall Windows?
Ans. Your CD writer keeps on ejecting the media because it finds it difficult to read it. The most common reason for this to happen is due to the laser head power deterioration over a period of time, or due to the lens getting dirty. You can try to clean it by using a lens cleaning CD, which you can get at any stationary store. Another possible reason could be that your power connector or data cable is bad, so you should try replacing these with new ones. If all fails, then it is time to get a new optical drive.
Find What You Need
Q. My friend has just bought a new hard drive and installed Windows XP. But she does not know what drivers are required. Please tell me how to find the drivers without opening her cabinet.
Ans. The best and the easiest way to approach your problem is to call up the place from where the computer was bought and ask them the system configuration. Note down the names of the individual components—motherboard, graphics card, network card, etc. and search for their drivers online. You can also download, install and run Everest (any edition) from www.lavalys.com. In the Summary module, you will be able to see all the components of the computer without having to open it. Once again, you must note down the names of the components and search for their drivers online.
Indirect Memory
Q. I had read about setting the DMA mode for an optical drive in your older Q&A section, and have been able to do that with success. But the problem is that I find that my drive keeps going back to PIO mode again.
Ans. To set your device to DMA, go to Start > Run > devmgmt.msc to open the Device Manager. Expand “IDE ATA/ATAPI controllers”. Double-click on Primary IDE, go to Advanced Settings tab and set the Transfer Mode to DMA if Available. Do the same for Secondary IDE as well. Restart Windows, and if you still see the mode as PIO, you should uninstall the Primary IDE and Secondary IDE channels and restart Windows to redetect them. This should solve your problem. In your case, the drive keeps switching back to the PIO mode, and the reason for this is often attempting to read scratched media. Another reason could be that your IDE cable may be faulty or too long. Use only IDE cable with 80 conductors as are commonly available today, as against the 40-conductor cables available earlier. There may also be certain power management issues that may cause this problem when the computer wakes from the Standby mode, but this can be solved by installing the latest chipset driver for your motherboard.
ME No Work
Q. I have recently reinstalled Windows ME and the problem is that System Restore no longer works. I sometimes get a blank window or the following error:
An error has occurred in the script on this page
Line: 14
Char: 9
Error: Object doesn’t support this property or method
Code: 0
URL: res://rstrui.exe/start.htm
Do you want to continue running script on this page?
Ans. It seems that your computer did not create a restore point during the first boot of Windows ME. You should therefore create one manually to get rid of this issue. Run the following command at the command prompt:
C:\Windows\System\Restore\rstrui.exe /makefirstrestorepoint
Now restart the computer and System Restore should work fine.
Stop That Nag!
Q. I want to know how I can stop Automatic Update from nagging me repeatedly to restart the computer after installing an update.
Ans. There are two ways to get around this issue. We will first tell you how you can do this for just the current update. Click on Start > Run, type net stop wuauserv and hit [Enter]. This will stop the Windows Update service until the next time you restart your computer. The second method describes the way to stop these reminders forever. Assuming that you are running Windows XP Professional, click on Start > Run, type gpedit.msc and hit [Enter]. This will launch the Group Policy Editor. Select Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Update.
Double-click on Re-prompt for restart with scheduled installations. Change the value to 1440. Close the Group Policy Editor. Click on Start > Run, type gpupdate /force and press [Enter]. This will stop the repeated reminders for this and all future Windows updates.
Twice Isn’t Nice
Q. Help! My Outlook Express sends two copies of any mail I try to send.
Ans. This problem occurs if you have configured Outlook Express Read options to Read all messages in plain text, but are still sending messages in HTML format. Outlook Express creates a dummy attachment with the formatted (HTML) copy of the message, so that you can easily view it if needed and it does so for incoming messages as well. To solve this problem, configure Outlook Express to send messages using plain text—go to Tools > Options and navigate to the Send tab. Deselect Reply to messages using the format in which they were sent. Set Mail Sending Format to Plain Text.
Spyware Attack!
Q. I had installed a 3-day trial of moviepass.tv, but now that the trial has expired, I am unable to remove it and am continuously bombarded with pop-ups demanding that I sign up for a monthly subscription. Please help.
Ans. You can attempt to remove moviepass.tv in one of the following ways:
1. Use System Restore to roll back to the state before you downloaded this adware. Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore, select Restore my computer to an earlier time and click on Next. Select a checkpoint date before the moviepass.tv software was downloaded and click Next to continue with the restore. Download, install and scan using a good spyware such as Spybot to remove any residual occurrences of this adware.
2. If the above method does not help, or if you don’t use System Restore, you can do a manual uninstall. Start your computer in Safe Mode. Open the Control Panel, and go to Add or Remove Programs. Uninstall any program with names starting with or similar to the following: AltBill, AltPayments, AltPayV2, DownloadManager, FileGrabber, FSupport, ITBills, License Manager, MediaPipe, MoviePass, MovieLand, MPNotifier, MyAccessMedia, MyWaySA, Notify, Notifier, Notification Utility, OptimumOnline, and P2PNetworks. Now open Windows Explorer, and go to the Program Files folder. Delete any subfolders with names related to the items you just uninstalled. Go to Start > Run, type msconfig and hit [Enter]. Go to the Startup tab. Disable any items with command names related to the items you just uninstalled by clearing the associated check box. Click on OK and restart the computer when prompted to do so.
Buzzword of the Month
Buzzword of the Month
XPERIA X1
Claimed as yet another iPhone killer by Tech evangelists and bloggers, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 has on incredibly high-resolution (800 × 480), 3-inch VGA touch screen display. With a unique arc-slider design, the X1 features a new desktop GUI called ‘Experia panels’, a nine-panel interface that’s eye candy on the high-resolution display. These panels are finger-friendly marvels that permit access to applications running on the phone via the home screen. Navigation is possible either by touch, arc-sliding QWERTY Keypad, 4-way joypad and an “optical joystick”. The X1 also has loads of other features like quadband GSM as well was UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA network support, WiFi, aGPS, microSD (400 MB on phone memory by default) and of course, Windows Mobile 6. X1 aims for the Web convergence market since it runs the Microsoft Windows Mobile OS for blending multimedia with Web communication. All the hype around the X1 leaves Sony Ericsson fans in anticipation, and it is expected to hit markets over the second half of 2008. There’s no way can you expect it to be cheap. Nevertheless, keep drooling!
Dunnington
Move over quad cores, here’s the new hexacore processor from Intel to steal your thunder. Intel has announced that it will be launching a native six core processor named Dunnington based on the Penryn architecture later this year. Altough aimed at servers, we suspect that the migration to desktops and maybe even laptops won’t take long. According to the technical specifications, Dunnington uses a 45-nm die fabrication process. The six cores between them share three 3M L2 caches and a 16-MB Shared L3 cache. It also implements Quick Path interconnects, an Intel patented point-to-point data transfer interface replacing the traditional slower Front Side Bus. Data transfer rates would be 25.6 Gbps. It also has an integrated memory controller and supports DDR3-800 memory. Simultaneous multithreading (SMT) is another feature that is widely touted. SMT enables each core to handle two threads at a time—speeds will see a huge increase. Implementation of this feature in Dunnington means that servers will be able to handle more requests and speed up delivery of pages.
ATOM
It’s all about the mobile these days, and when you want to develop a processor for gadgets that fit in your pocket, you’ve got to think smart. So far, ARM-based processors have been the powerhouse of choice for smartphones and PDAs, but if Intel has its way, the universal language of x86 is set to be spoken in your pocket, too. Intel’s new Atom processor is built with the world’s smallest transistors, sports a shiny new design, and has been built specifically to consume very little power. This, of course, means that it can power mobile phones, PDAs, and other “Mobile Internet Devices” (MIDs). The numbers, if they are to be believed, are astounding: a Thermal Design Power (TDP) that ranges from less than a Watt to a maximum of 2.5 Watts and an idle power consumption of 30 milliwatts. And it’ll be really cheap, too. What’s not to love? Support for the Atom has come in abundance—Acer is expected to show off an Atom-based, ultra-lowcost laptop (though this might be a relative term) sometime in June this year. Around the same time, it’s expected that ASUS will release an updated Eee PC, also based on the Atom. Japanese handset firm Willcom Inc has already released the world’s first Atom-based mobile phone—the D4. What really puts a feather in Intel’s cap is that this little phone runs—wait for it—Vista! Start saving up—it won’t be long before you’ll lay your eyes on the next generation of smartphones.
XPERIA X1
Claimed as yet another iPhone killer by Tech evangelists and bloggers, the Sony Ericsson XPERIA X1 has on incredibly high-resolution (800 × 480), 3-inch VGA touch screen display. With a unique arc-slider design, the X1 features a new desktop GUI called ‘Experia panels’, a nine-panel interface that’s eye candy on the high-resolution display. These panels are finger-friendly marvels that permit access to applications running on the phone via the home screen. Navigation is possible either by touch, arc-sliding QWERTY Keypad, 4-way joypad and an “optical joystick”. The X1 also has loads of other features like quadband GSM as well was UMTS/HSDPA/HSUPA network support, WiFi, aGPS, microSD (400 MB on phone memory by default) and of course, Windows Mobile 6. X1 aims for the Web convergence market since it runs the Microsoft Windows Mobile OS for blending multimedia with Web communication. All the hype around the X1 leaves Sony Ericsson fans in anticipation, and it is expected to hit markets over the second half of 2008. There’s no way can you expect it to be cheap. Nevertheless, keep drooling!
Dunnington
Move over quad cores, here’s the new hexacore processor from Intel to steal your thunder. Intel has announced that it will be launching a native six core processor named Dunnington based on the Penryn architecture later this year. Altough aimed at servers, we suspect that the migration to desktops and maybe even laptops won’t take long. According to the technical specifications, Dunnington uses a 45-nm die fabrication process. The six cores between them share three 3M L2 caches and a 16-MB Shared L3 cache. It also implements Quick Path interconnects, an Intel patented point-to-point data transfer interface replacing the traditional slower Front Side Bus. Data transfer rates would be 25.6 Gbps. It also has an integrated memory controller and supports DDR3-800 memory. Simultaneous multithreading (SMT) is another feature that is widely touted. SMT enables each core to handle two threads at a time—speeds will see a huge increase. Implementation of this feature in Dunnington means that servers will be able to handle more requests and speed up delivery of pages.
ATOM
It’s all about the mobile these days, and when you want to develop a processor for gadgets that fit in your pocket, you’ve got to think smart. So far, ARM-based processors have been the powerhouse of choice for smartphones and PDAs, but if Intel has its way, the universal language of x86 is set to be spoken in your pocket, too. Intel’s new Atom processor is built with the world’s smallest transistors, sports a shiny new design, and has been built specifically to consume very little power. This, of course, means that it can power mobile phones, PDAs, and other “Mobile Internet Devices” (MIDs). The numbers, if they are to be believed, are astounding: a Thermal Design Power (TDP) that ranges from less than a Watt to a maximum of 2.5 Watts and an idle power consumption of 30 milliwatts. And it’ll be really cheap, too. What’s not to love? Support for the Atom has come in abundance—Acer is expected to show off an Atom-based, ultra-lowcost laptop (though this might be a relative term) sometime in June this year. Around the same time, it’s expected that ASUS will release an updated Eee PC, also based on the Atom. Japanese handset firm Willcom Inc has already released the world’s first Atom-based mobile phone—the D4. What really puts a feather in Intel’s cap is that this little phone runs—wait for it—Vista! Start saving up—it won’t be long before you’ll lay your eyes on the next generation of smartphones.
Security Watch
Security Watch
MS Excel Vulnerabilities
The Problem
After studying reported problems, Microsoft has admitted that a vulnerability in MS Excel could allow remote execution of harmful code. As per the official release by Microsoft, an attacker could take complete control of a system by successfully exploiting these vulnerabilities, through a specially crafted Excel sheet. Once, the attacker manages to send the corrupted file to the intended prey, he/she can install programs, create new accounts with full user rights or even view or modify data on the system. This security update is labelled as Critical for Microsoft Office Excel 2000 SP 3 and rated Important for subsequent versions of Excel.
The Solution
Patches specific to the version of MS Excel are available on Microsoft’s Web site. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-014.mspx and download the patch available according to the MS Excel version you are using. If you do not find your version, chances are that you are not affected.
Vulnerabilities in Flash Player
The problem
Adobe recently found critical vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash Player version 9.0.115.0 and 8.0.39.0 and previous versions. If Web sites carrying malware in an SWF file, e-mails or links leading to SWF source files are accessed, then it invites the arbitrarily malicious code to reside on the computer and run remotely.
Solution
Similar to Adobe Reader and Acrobat, vulnerabilities in Adobe products are announced with a solution by Adobe. Well, that’s all secondary—what you need to do is to download and install the latest version of Adobe Flash Player from http://lin.cr/ac. The player must be updated to the latest version 9.0.124.0 either by fresh download or using auto-update. With this update, the potential issues of DNS rebinding attack can be mitigated. The code parameters for the cross-domain policy will be updated from ‘always’ to ‘sameDomain’ for all SWF players from version 7 and earlier. Thus, the process of cross-domain policy files becomes stricter.
Adobe Reader might be infected
The Problem
According to iDefense Labs, in January banner ads have actively been delivering malicious files, and Adobe’s Reader and Acrobat services might have been the prime target of malicious code. Symantec’s security experts have commented that the banners might’ve redirected the users to potentially harmful Web sites by these files. On opening these files, the Zonebac Trojan gets installed on to the system. This trojan, then disables the system’s antivirus software and downloads additional malware. So banner ads can be dangerous, since the hacker might’ve corrupted them with malicious code by exploiting Adobe’s Flash technology.
The Solution
Adobe has issued patches by addressing the vulnerabilities as critical. Update to version 8.1.2 to prevent any malicious code from adversely affecting them. The update is available at http://tinyurl.com/28z9qs. Avoid clicking banner ads and do not open any PDF documents if you’re not sure about its authenticity.
MS Excel Vulnerabilities
The Problem
After studying reported problems, Microsoft has admitted that a vulnerability in MS Excel could allow remote execution of harmful code. As per the official release by Microsoft, an attacker could take complete control of a system by successfully exploiting these vulnerabilities, through a specially crafted Excel sheet. Once, the attacker manages to send the corrupted file to the intended prey, he/she can install programs, create new accounts with full user rights or even view or modify data on the system. This security update is labelled as Critical for Microsoft Office Excel 2000 SP 3 and rated Important for subsequent versions of Excel.
The Solution
Patches specific to the version of MS Excel are available on Microsoft’s Web site. Go to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms08-014.mspx and download the patch available according to the MS Excel version you are using. If you do not find your version, chances are that you are not affected.
Vulnerabilities in Flash Player
The problem
Adobe recently found critical vulnerabilities in Adobe Flash Player version 9.0.115.0 and 8.0.39.0 and previous versions. If Web sites carrying malware in an SWF file, e-mails or links leading to SWF source files are accessed, then it invites the arbitrarily malicious code to reside on the computer and run remotely.
Solution
Similar to Adobe Reader and Acrobat, vulnerabilities in Adobe products are announced with a solution by Adobe. Well, that’s all secondary—what you need to do is to download and install the latest version of Adobe Flash Player from http://lin.cr/ac. The player must be updated to the latest version 9.0.124.0 either by fresh download or using auto-update. With this update, the potential issues of DNS rebinding attack can be mitigated. The code parameters for the cross-domain policy will be updated from ‘always’ to ‘sameDomain’ for all SWF players from version 7 and earlier. Thus, the process of cross-domain policy files becomes stricter.
Adobe Reader might be infected
The Problem
According to iDefense Labs, in January banner ads have actively been delivering malicious files, and Adobe’s Reader and Acrobat services might have been the prime target of malicious code. Symantec’s security experts have commented that the banners might’ve redirected the users to potentially harmful Web sites by these files. On opening these files, the Zonebac Trojan gets installed on to the system. This trojan, then disables the system’s antivirus software and downloads additional malware. So banner ads can be dangerous, since the hacker might’ve corrupted them with malicious code by exploiting Adobe’s Flash technology.
The Solution
Adobe has issued patches by addressing the vulnerabilities as critical. Update to version 8.1.2 to prevent any malicious code from adversely affecting them. The update is available at http://tinyurl.com/28z9qs. Avoid clicking banner ads and do not open any PDF documents if you’re not sure about its authenticity.
W5H
W5H
CinemaDNG
What is CinemaDNG?
Adobe Systems announced an initiative for defining an openfile format for digital cinema files and called it CinemaDNG.DNG (Digital Negative) is aimed at delivering to the video arena what RAW did for still imagery.
Who would be working on it?
The coalition of industry entities like cinema camera manufacturers (Panavision, Silicon Imaging, Dalsa, Weisscam and ARRI), software vendors (Iridas and The Foundry) and codec provider CineFORM would be working together for defining
and publicly documenting the open-file format—CinemaDNG.
Why is it necessary?
Digital cinema requires dealing with a variety of file formats, which needs to be handled by different hardware and applications. With CinemaDNG, a common platform is possible, thereby easing most hassles such as compatibility and archiving.
When will it be finalised?
No specific time frame has been announced, since the initiative is being carried in coalition with camera manufacturers and other industry players.
How will it be beneficial?
Film makers can have a robust format for archiving with the highest quality source in open standards file formats. Manufacturers on the other hand, will enjoy the elimination of developmental costs for proprietary formats and conversion tools.
Which segment will it directly affect?
As a whole, the major beneficiaries of this open format will be the film-making fraternity. The open file format will directly affect prominent film-makers, since the hardware supporting CinemaDNG would yield significantly superior video quality.
Quick Path
What is it?
Quick Path, also known as Common System Interface is a point-to-point processor interconnect which is intended to replace the Front Side Bus used in traditional processor architecture. It has high bandwidth and extremely low latencies. Like TCP/IP it is a combination of five layers: physical, link, routing, transport and protocol (in ascending order). Each of these layers have different responsibilities and some of them may be omitted in less complex systems.
Who is developing it?
Intel is developing this technology as a rival to HyperTransport, another pointto-point interface used for long by many manufacturers in chipsets, routers, processors and servers.
Why is it needed?
With the dominance of multicore systems the need for faster data transfers between different cores are needed so that performance is not bottlenecked. In particular, processors with four or more cores need more bandwidth than the FSB can handle.
When is it going to debut?
Quick Path is going to debut in the second half of 2008.
Where will it be implemented?
It is going to be implemented on Xeon and Itanium platforms and will be first used by Nehalem and Tukwila processors. Quick Path is highly scalable and is designed for laptops as well as server farms.
How will performance change?
With 4.8 to 6.4 Gigatransfers per second and bus widths of up to 20 bits, the theoretical bandwidth is 24—32 Gbps per bus. These high speeds are needed in mission critical applications and eventually be faster than HyperTransport machines technology.
K-NFB READER
What's the K-NFB Reader?
knfbReader is a mobile phone software for the blind, developed by Ray Kurzweil (the father of text-to-speech) in association with National Federation for the Blind.
How does knfbReader work?
It’s a text-to-speech software that takes its input from the mobile phone’s camera and then uses optical character recognition technology and text-to-speech capability to read out text. It displays each sentence and highlights each word while it’s being read out at a user-adjustable speed. Thousands of pages can be saved in text format using memory sticks. Braille support is available on request.
Which phone models can sport knfbReader?
Currently, knfbReader is paired with and designed for the Nokia N82, Symbian Series 60, (3rd Edition) platform with 50 MB of flash storage.
Who's going to benefit from it?
This technology will benefit the visually impaired and those suffering from dyslexia—generally those who need assistance for reading text. It will make them more independent and boost their performance at professional and personal fronts.
Why will it make a difference?
This mobile reader program is expected to eliminate the need to carry multiple devices and ulitmately make the mobile phone a unified solution. The mobile reader can also function with GPS programs and access PDF files. Besides, accessibility to other mobile functions can be improved by using software such as MobileSpeak and Talks, developed specially for the visually impaired.
When will the knfbReader be available for purchase?
knfbReader was released on February 15, 2008. Get it at http://www.knfbreader.com/
CinemaDNG
What is CinemaDNG?
Adobe Systems announced an initiative for defining an openfile format for digital cinema files and called it CinemaDNG.DNG (Digital Negative) is aimed at delivering to the video arena what RAW did for still imagery.
Who would be working on it?
The coalition of industry entities like cinema camera manufacturers (Panavision, Silicon Imaging, Dalsa, Weisscam and ARRI), software vendors (Iridas and The Foundry) and codec provider CineFORM would be working together for defining
and publicly documenting the open-file format—CinemaDNG.
Why is it necessary?
Digital cinema requires dealing with a variety of file formats, which needs to be handled by different hardware and applications. With CinemaDNG, a common platform is possible, thereby easing most hassles such as compatibility and archiving.
When will it be finalised?
No specific time frame has been announced, since the initiative is being carried in coalition with camera manufacturers and other industry players.
How will it be beneficial?
Film makers can have a robust format for archiving with the highest quality source in open standards file formats. Manufacturers on the other hand, will enjoy the elimination of developmental costs for proprietary formats and conversion tools.
Which segment will it directly affect?
As a whole, the major beneficiaries of this open format will be the film-making fraternity. The open file format will directly affect prominent film-makers, since the hardware supporting CinemaDNG would yield significantly superior video quality.
Quick Path
What is it?
Quick Path, also known as Common System Interface is a point-to-point processor interconnect which is intended to replace the Front Side Bus used in traditional processor architecture. It has high bandwidth and extremely low latencies. Like TCP/IP it is a combination of five layers: physical, link, routing, transport and protocol (in ascending order). Each of these layers have different responsibilities and some of them may be omitted in less complex systems.
Who is developing it?
Intel is developing this technology as a rival to HyperTransport, another pointto-point interface used for long by many manufacturers in chipsets, routers, processors and servers.
Why is it needed?
With the dominance of multicore systems the need for faster data transfers between different cores are needed so that performance is not bottlenecked. In particular, processors with four or more cores need more bandwidth than the FSB can handle.
When is it going to debut?
Quick Path is going to debut in the second half of 2008.
Where will it be implemented?
It is going to be implemented on Xeon and Itanium platforms and will be first used by Nehalem and Tukwila processors. Quick Path is highly scalable and is designed for laptops as well as server farms.
How will performance change?
With 4.8 to 6.4 Gigatransfers per second and bus widths of up to 20 bits, the theoretical bandwidth is 24—32 Gbps per bus. These high speeds are needed in mission critical applications and eventually be faster than HyperTransport machines technology.
K-NFB READER
What's the K-NFB Reader?
knfbReader is a mobile phone software for the blind, developed by Ray Kurzweil (the father of text-to-speech) in association with National Federation for the Blind.
How does knfbReader work?
It’s a text-to-speech software that takes its input from the mobile phone’s camera and then uses optical character recognition technology and text-to-speech capability to read out text. It displays each sentence and highlights each word while it’s being read out at a user-adjustable speed. Thousands of pages can be saved in text format using memory sticks. Braille support is available on request.
Which phone models can sport knfbReader?
Currently, knfbReader is paired with and designed for the Nokia N82, Symbian Series 60, (3rd Edition) platform with 50 MB of flash storage.
Who's going to benefit from it?
This technology will benefit the visually impaired and those suffering from dyslexia—generally those who need assistance for reading text. It will make them more independent and boost their performance at professional and personal fronts.
Why will it make a difference?
This mobile reader program is expected to eliminate the need to carry multiple devices and ulitmately make the mobile phone a unified solution. The mobile reader can also function with GPS programs and access PDF files. Besides, accessibility to other mobile functions can be improved by using software such as MobileSpeak and Talks, developed specially for the visually impaired.
When will the knfbReader be available for purchase?
knfbReader was released on February 15, 2008. Get it at http://www.knfbreader.com/
Short Bulletin
Þ Microsoft to stop selling Windows XP operating system to retailers & computer makers soon
Þ PS3 Network will offer News, Weather, Video
Þ Mobile phone operator Orange teams up with Gotwind to produce charger powered by dance energy
Þ Google announces Google Gadgets for Linux
Þ Blizzard Announces Diablo III
Þ US digital music service Rhapsody embraces MP3 Downloads without copy restrictions
Þ Google releases software module that turns Windows PCs into media streaming servers
Þ Yahoo increases annual domain registration fees by $25
Þ Sony Ericsson is greatest Electronics Company; Nintendo is “least green tech firm”
Þ Marc Andreessen, the former CTO of AOL, joins Facebook’s Board of Directors
Þ Citysense allows Cell Phones to track nightlife in US
Þ Distributed computing project for earthquake monitoring coming soon in California
Þ Europe clears use of mobiles on aircrafts
Þ YouTube videos to be added in Google Maps listings
Þ Yahoo’s Flickr expands into video
Þ AT&T says Internet to hit full capacity by 2010
Þ Open standard Linux-based mobile device platform LiMO released
Þ IBM launches Mashup Suite, a mashup application for businesses
Þ Technology that measures smiles released in Japan for use in cameras, robots and medicine
Þ Cartoon Network’s MMOG FusionFall delayed
Þ Pro Chinese hackers threaten to attack CNN because of negative reporting, then cancel plan
Þ Grand Theft Auto IV leaks on to torrent network
Þ Yahoo! to “rewire” itself to bring social networking to the forefront
Þ Now edit Google Docs offline with new Google Gears
Þ PS3 Network will offer News, Weather, Video
Þ Mobile phone operator Orange teams up with Gotwind to produce charger powered by dance energy
Þ Google announces Google Gadgets for Linux
Þ Blizzard Announces Diablo III
Þ US digital music service Rhapsody embraces MP3 Downloads without copy restrictions
Þ Google releases software module that turns Windows PCs into media streaming servers
Þ Yahoo increases annual domain registration fees by $25
Þ Sony Ericsson is greatest Electronics Company; Nintendo is “least green tech firm”
Þ Marc Andreessen, the former CTO of AOL, joins Facebook’s Board of Directors
Þ Citysense allows Cell Phones to track nightlife in US
Þ Distributed computing project for earthquake monitoring coming soon in California
Þ Europe clears use of mobiles on aircrafts
Þ YouTube videos to be added in Google Maps listings
Þ Yahoo’s Flickr expands into video
Þ AT&T says Internet to hit full capacity by 2010
Þ Open standard Linux-based mobile device platform LiMO released
Þ IBM launches Mashup Suite, a mashup application for businesses
Þ Technology that measures smiles released in Japan for use in cameras, robots and medicine
Þ Cartoon Network’s MMOG FusionFall delayed
Þ Pro Chinese hackers threaten to attack CNN because of negative reporting, then cancel plan
Þ Grand Theft Auto IV leaks on to torrent network
Þ Yahoo! to “rewire” itself to bring social networking to the forefront
Þ Now edit Google Docs offline with new Google Gears
Monday, July 28, 2008
Profile
Khalid Fahim
System Administrator
Softronics Computer & Services
09224797006
khalid_fahim@rediffmail.com
Sunday, July 27, 2008
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