AIM 6 Debuts, Adds Social Networking
AOL on Wednesday released the final version of AIM 6, the company's latest instant messaging client that includes a number of long-requested features such as offline messages and message logging. AOL has also integrated its AIM Pages social network site into the software.
AOL has returned to number-based versioning after launching AIM Triton last year. AIM 6 is the next iteration of Triton, which was named to emphasize that it was a completely new instant messaging platform rewritten from the ground up, but caused some confusion among AIM users.
Microsoft Issues 5 Critical Patches
November's Patch Tuesday has brought with it five "critical" patches correcting 11 security vulnerabilities, along with an "important" fix for two vulnerabilities related to Novell's NetWare. Among the list of patches is one for a highly publicized flaw in Microsoft's XML Core Services component.
In total, three vulnerabilities were patched in Internet Explorer, one in Microsoft Agent, one in the Windows Workstation Service, in addition to the XML Core Services and NetWare patches. In an unusual step, Microsoft also issued a patch for five vulnerabilities affecting Adobe's Flash Player software. Customers can download all the patches via Windows Update or Microsoft Update.
Microsoft, FTC Sue Spyware Distributor
The Federal Trade Commission said Monday that a court has shut down a spyware operation run by ERG Ventures, which installed malware on millions of consumers' computers. Microsoft followed up the news Tuesday by filing its own lawsuit against the individual behind the company, Timothy P. Taylor.
Taylor allegedly used screensavers and video files as Trojans to surreptitiously install spyware in the background. The program, Media Motor, changed users' home pages, added toolbars and pop-up advertising to the Web browser, tracked Internet activity, put icons on the Windows desktop, and disabled antivirus software.
Windows PowerShell 1.0 Released
At the IT Forum in Barcelona Tuesday, Microsoft announced the final 1.0 version of Windows PowerShell, the company's next-generation command shell for Windows that enables administrators to automate and control tasks on Windows desktops and servers.
PowerShell is a fairly complex endeavor for Microsoft, which has previously focused its attention on the graphical interface while competing server software remains primarily command line based. The idea was to build a Unix-like shell for administrators that offers advanced scripting capabilities while remaining easy to program.
Google, YouTube Deal Closes at $1.775 Billion
Google announced early Tuesday that its acquisition of video sharing site YouTube has closed. The mostly stock deal was initially priced at $1.65 billion, although at Monday's closing price of $481.03 per Google share, YouTube walked away with $1.775 billion.
The hefty profit for YouTube investors lies in the calculation of Google's stock value, which was taken as an average over 30 trading days ending on November 9, 2006. 12.5 percent of the stock will be placed in escrow for one year, Google said, in order to secure certain indemnification obligations.
Beta of Microsoft's Flash Rival Coming
Microsoft is preparing to release a Community Technology Preview of WPF/E, 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 - with capabilities similar to Adobe's Flash.
WPF/E was introduced at PDC 2005 and further demoed at Microsoft's MIX '06 event in Las Vegas earlier this year. Specifically, WPF/E relies on XAML and JavaScript to build pages, and will also contain a small, cross platform subset of the CLR and .NET Framework runs C# or VB.NET code.
CompUSA to Sell Vista November 30
Small businesses looking to get an early start on upgrading to Windows Vista won't need to wait until the new operating system's late January 2007 launch after all. Microsoft has partnered with CompUSA to sell a special kit containing Vista Business and Office 2007 Small Business.
The Small Business Value Program Kit is designed for those needing five or more licenses of the two products. It won't contain any actual software, however, as Microsoft is still in the process of preparing retail packaging for January. Instead, it will contain an activation code and instructions for downloading Vista and Office 2007 from the Web.
Samba Team Blasts Novell-MS Deal
The development team behind Samba, open source software that connects different operating systems and provides file and printer sharing functionality, has published an open letter calling the patent agreement between Novell and Microsoft "divisive."
Samba is the latest open source group to ask that Novell rethink its decision to partner with Microsoft, with much of the outcry stemming from Novell's apparent acceptance of software parents. As part of the agreement, the companies made a covenant not to sue each other over their respective patents.
Allchin Backs Off Antivirus Remarks
Outgoing Microsoft co-president Jim Allchin posted a blog entry Friday apologizing for the confusion surrounding comments he made to reporters Wednesday about being so confident in Windows Vista's security that his seven-year-old son's PC had no antivirus software installed.
As first reported by BetaNews, the remarks came in response to a question about his relative level of confidence that Vista would be more secure than Windows XP SP2. Allchin replied by explaining that Vista includes key security features that could not be added to XP, using his son as an example.
Motorola Buys Wireless Firm Good
Motorola on Friday ramped up its efforts to compete against Research In Motion with the acquisition of Good Technology, a provider of wireless e-mail services that work on existing handsets, including Motorola's popular Q.
While Motorola has been working hard to break into the enterprise market, the manufacturer has barely made a dent into the dominance of RIM's ubiquitous BlackBerry. Good, which is already used by 12,000 companies, could help change that.
Mirosoft Releases 'PhotoSynth' 3D Tool
Microsoft on Thursday released a technology preview of an application it previewed in July, which is capable of taking hundreds of photographs and building a three-dimensional model in which users can "fly" through like a virtual world.
The program, called PhotoSynth, was first announced at SIGGRAPH 2006. Microsoft describes it as "a hybrid of a slide show and a gaming experience that lets the viewer zoom in to see greater detail or zoom out for a more expansive view."
Microsoft to Patch XML Vulnerability
Microsoft said Thursday that it will patch on Tuesday a recently disclosed vulnerability in Windows' XML Core Services component, along with fixing five other security flaws, the highest rating of which is "critical." The XML flaw is being exploited by zero-day attacks, security experts have warned.
The problem affects a COM control called XMLHTTP that enables a script to request and receive XML data using HTTP protocol, from any site that produces XML data. Microsoft on Tuesday will also issue two non-security updates for Windows via Microsoft Update and Windows Update. Per usual, an update to the company's Malicious Software Removal Tool will be made as well.
IEEE to Revise Laptop Battery Standard
Following the recent high-profile cases of laptop batteries exploding and the resulting unprecedented recall of over 10 million batteries, the IEEE announced this week plans to revise its laptop battery standard to make them more reliable while improving performance.
The IEEE is a globally recognized standards organization, which has a portfolio of over 870 completed standards and another 400 in development. The original laptop battery standard, IEEE 1625, was first approved in 2004. It defines controls for battery design and manufacture, as well as verifying quality and reliability.
Sony: Celebrities Like the PlayStation 3
Because consumers apparently follow what celebrities do, Sony last night held an invitation-only party to let Hollywood's hottest young stars play the PlayStation 3 before its official launch on November 17. The company also showed off the Blu-ray disc capabilities of the new console.
Largely an excuse to take photographs of actors and musicians trying out the PS3, Sony held the event in Beverly Hills and invited the likes of David Arquette, Nick Cannon, James Franco, Nicole Richie, and, of course, Paris and Nicky HIlton. Diddy, formerly Puff Daddy, gave a special concert to the A-listers at the end of the night. Microsoft held a similar event for the launch of the Xbox 360 last year.
Like.com Visual Search Engine Debuts
Search company Riya, which has been developing facial recognition technology for locating individuals in photographs, has spun off its image search technology onto a site called Like.com. The service enables users to search for images by appearance - not just text keywords.
Initially, Like.com is focusing on shopping categories -- handbags, jewelry, shoes, and watches -- and is adding items at a rate of 30,000 per day. Users can search using descriptive terms such as a color or feature of a product, or even upload a photo to find similar items.
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