Microsoft Expands IE7 Phishing Filter
Microsoft announced at the RSA security conference this week that it has expanded the number of data providers for the phishing filter built into Internet Explorer 7, which warns users when they are about to visit a potentially risky Web site.
Australian Computer Emergency Response Team (AusCERT), BrandProtect and MySpace.com are joining current partners Cyveillance, Digital Resolve, Internet Identity, Mark Monitor, and RSA. Netcraft has also agreed to provide Microsoft with data it obtains through its own anti-phishing toolbar for both IE and Firefox.
Apple's Steve Jobs Calls for End of DRM
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has made a surprise call for the end of digital rights management technology, which is designed to stop copyrighted music from being shared illicitly. Jobs says Apple would sell only DRM-free music on iTunes if it could.
The revelation came in an open letter published on Apple's Web site, which largely responds to concerns over DRM that have come from European countries such as Norway and France. Jobs offers three possible outcomes for the future, but highlights the abandonment of DRM by record companies as the best possible solution for consumers.
AOL Preparing Netscape Browser 9.0
Although it hasn't seen a major update in well over a year, the Netscape browser is about to get a makeover, according to a teaser posted to the Netscape blog. Version 9.0 of the software, which
Caption Contest Winners Selected!
After scouring through over 800 comments with suggested captions for our contest to win Windows Vista Ultimate and Office 2007 Home and Student, we have selected two winners. If you weren't chosen, worry not, we will have more giveaways shortly!
And the winners are...
MS Open XML, ODF Converter Finished
The open source project to build a translator between Microsoft's new Office Open XML format and OpenDocument, the standard backed by OASIS, reached its first milestone Friday, releasing 1.0 of the technology for both Microsoft Word and competing ODF-compatible office suites.
The Open XML Translator is available at no cost to all users and is compatible with Office 2007, Office 2003 and Office XP. The idea, says Microsoft, is to let users choose whether to save their documents in Open XML or ODF no matter what productivity suite they choose to use.
Microsoft Releases New WPF/E CTP
The arrival of February has brought with it a new Community Technology Preview of WPF/E, which has frequently been referred to as a Flash competitor, but has more to do with blending Windows applications with the Web.
WPF/E is a subset of the Windows Presentation Foundation that utilizes cross-browser Web technologies and is designed to run on multiple operating systems and even mobile devices. Like Flash, WPF/E works as a browser plug-in and can display vector-based graphics, animation and video.
Dell CEO Resigns, Michael Dell Returns
Dell CEO Kevin Rollins, who on Monday stood on stage in New York City to accept a commemorative Windows Vista plaque from Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer, resigned abruptly on Wednesday, and will be replaced by the computer maker's former CEO Michael Dell.
Rollins joined Dell in 1996 and was appointed CEO in July 2004. During his tenure, however, Dell was unable to retain its status as the leading PC manufacturer due to increased pressure from Hewlett-Packard. The company also warned Tuesday that its fiscal fourth quarter revenues would miss analyst expectations.
Frames Trip Up IE7 Phishing Filter
A feature dating back to the Internet's HTML 3.0 era is causing problems for Internet Explorer 7, forcing Microsoft to issue an update for Windows Vista just one day after its public launch. Web sites using frames causes IE7's phishing filter to evaluate the page multiple times simultaneously, leading to high CPU usage.
Microsoft encourages anyone experiencing this issue, which might not be obvious except to knowledgeable computer users, to download the update. A patch for IE7 on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 will arrive during February's Patch Tuesday next week, although a direct download is available now from the Knowledge Base article.
Vista Application Compatibility Kit Out
Although Windows Vista officially launched for businesses back in November, Microsoft waited until today to release the final version of its Application Compatibility Toolkit for the new operating system. The software is designed to diagnose any potential problems that may arise from upgrading.
ACT version 5.0 can be deployed on current Windows 2000 and XP machines to take an inventory of applications and see whether or not they are compatible with Windows Vista. A built-in Standard User Analyzer checks to see if the new security settings in Vista will affect applications, namely those running as an administrator.
Caption Contest: Win Vista and Office!
UPDATE: The contest is now over! View the winners here. Want a copy of Windows Vista Ultimate or Office 2007, but don't want to fork over the cash? You're in luck: we're giving away one copy of each! All you need to do is come up with a witty caption for the following two pictures from the Vista Launch event in New York City.
Leave your caption ideas in a comment below, but only leave a single comment. We will select the best caption for each picture. The user with the best Bill Gates caption will win a retail copy of Windows Vista Ultimate, while the best Steve Ballmer caption will win Office 2007 Student and Teacher Edition. More giveaways will follow, so keep checking back in the coming weeks.
Windows Vista Launches to Consumers
Monday night marked the public launch of Windows Vista, and both Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer were on hand in New York City to officiate the festivities. A number of stores held "midnight madness" events, but did consumers bite?
Not yet. Unlike the launches of Sony's PlayStation 3 and the Nintendo Wii, those interested in being the first to install Vista were few and far between. A handful of stores around the country reported late-night lines, but most customers said they showed up for the other discounts being offered alongside Vista. Low temperatures on the East coast likely didn't help either.
Report: Verizon Passed on iPhone Deal
According to a report in USA Today, Verizon was offered exclusive access to Apple's recently unveiled iPhone almost two years ago, but rejected the deal due to its stringent terms. Apple ended up partnering with Cingular for the $499 iPhone, which debuts in June.
According to the paper, Apple insisted on limited distribution of the iPhone: CEO Steve Jobs wanted the device sold only in Verizon retail stores and Apple stores. All other distribution partners, including Wal-Mart, Best Buy and smaller resellers would have been left out.
Adobe Lightroom 1.0 Completed
With the help of more than 500,000 beta testers, Adobe on Monday announced it had completed development of Photoshop Lightroom 1.0, the company's image processing application for professional photographers.
The software utilizes Adobe's Camera Raw technology to support over 150 native RAW file formats, in addition to JPEG and TIFF. Users can also import their photos to DNG, an industry-wide initiative to create a universal file format for solving workflow and archiving incompatibilities.
YouTube to Add Pre-Roll Video Ads
Touting the effort as a way to "reward creativity," YouTube founder Chad Hurley confirmed to BBC News that the company plans to add commercials to the start of uploaded videos, and give users a cut of the profits. But details are still scarce at the moment.
The effort isn't surprising: Google has begun making a foray into video advertising, partnering with a number of Web sites to deliver Flash-based movies within ad boxes. When it purchased YouTube last year for an astounding $1.67 billion, Google was clear that it planned to recoup the investment through advertising.
Microsoft Revs Up for Vista Launch
With Windows Vista set to become available nationwide at 12am this evening and already on store shelves across Asia, Microsoft is preparing a slew of events to kick off its next-generation operating system, including a celebration in New York City today with both Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer.
After an industry luncheon hosted by Steve Ballmer concludes, Microsoft will open the doors at 1515 Broadway in Times Square to a crowd of invitees who have come to hear Bill Gates herald the arrival of Windows Vista more than 5 years after Windows XP launched down the street.
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