Nokia Yields Patents to Linux Kernel
Nokia has modified its Patent Statement with an exemption for official releases of the Linux Kernel. For an indefinite period of time, Nokia reserves the right of non-assertion and will effectively turn a blind eye to any new functionality added to the kernel that infringes upon some of its patents.
This is intended to help provide what Nokia refers to as a "framework of certainty" around open source.
Trend Micro Beta Blocks Mobile Malware
With incidents of mobile malware on the rise, Trend Micro is beta testing Mobile Security 2.0, which it bills as an all-around antivirus and spam detection solution for phones and PDAs. Mobile Security provides real-time antivirus scanning, as well as on-access and on-demand scanning. SMS spam detection is also real-time; other vectors for eliminating spam include blacklists and whitelists. Spam messages are segregated into a designated spam folder and logged.
Mobile Security 2.0 supports versions of the Windows Mobile operating system and Symbian OS. A full list of supported devices and surveys to apply to the beta can be found at the Trend Micro beta Web site. The Mobile Security 2.0 beta program is scheduled to run from the end of May through to July 2005.
AOL Releases Second AIM 'Triton' Beta
The second installment of Triton, the next generation of AOL Instant Messenger, has left AOL's beta sandbox.
As first reported by BetaNews, Triton is a replacement for the existing AIM 5.9 series client that has been rewritten from the ground up. Triton adopts an entirely new user interface that includes tabbed messaging corralled within a single window AOL has dubbed "IM Catcher".
Microsoft: WGA to Require Revalidation
A mechanism used by Microsoft to validate genuine copies of Windows and weed out counterfeiters has been bypassed, but Microsoft says the method is ineffective due to required revalidation and expiring keys.
Security researcher Debasis Mohanty produced a proof of concept technique that circumvents Microsoft's Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) piracy check by using an alternate tool provided by Microsoft for customers without ActiveX support in their Web browsers.
Microsoft Nears Avalon, Indigo Beta 1
Microsoft has rolled out an updated release of "Avalon" and "Indigo," two future Windows subsystems. The release, labeled "Beta 1 Release Candidate," adds two new Longhorn technologies that respectively manage digital identity and flesh out a system for document creation, viewing and printing.
The release candidate is a Community Technology Preview (CTP) intended for Microsoft's developers. To recap, Avalon is Longhorn's presentation system and Indigo is the future communications subsystem for Windows. Both components contain aspects of the WinFX programming model, which includes the .NET Framework.
Microsoft Offers Chance to Meet Bill Gates
Microsoft sees a marketing opportunity in rewarding Windows enthusiasts for sharing their experiences. Five customers that qualify as winners in a sweepstakes called "Start Something Amazing" will receive an award and a trip to Seattle to meet Bill Gates.
Start Something Amazing lays the groundwork for a national advertising campaign that will attempt to brighten and revitalize the brand image of Windows.
MS Preps 'Virtual Earth' Mapping Service
Microsoft is firing a shot across Google's bow with a new service called MSN Virtual Earth. Virtual Earth overlays satellite imagery of local buildings and neighborhoods viewed at a 45-degree-angle onto its MapPoint maps and directions Web site. MSN is the second vendor to enhance its mapping services with images from space after an update made to Google Maps in April set an industry first by combining both of those elements.
Microsoft founder and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates announced the service over the weekend during the "D" Conference in California. At present time, the service provides 45-degree-angle views of buildings and neighborhoods within 10 U.S. cities using data provided by Microsoft partner Pictometry.
Newborn Netscape Has Defects
Netscape has updated its Netscape 8 Web browser after it learned that exploits plugged by the latest release of Firefox remained un-patched, leaving users of the one-day-old browser susceptible to attack and the possibility of a malicious user gaining complete control over their PC.
According to America Online, Netscape's parent company, misinformation from a third party security vendor was to blame for Netscape's Firefox foible. The vendor had incorrectly stated that the browser was immune to flaws disclosed by the Mozilla Foundation in three security advisories issued last week.
Webizens Use the Force in Searches
Star Wars mania is spilling over onto the Web. Just one day after the movie's premiere, Star Wars themed searches are leading the AOL Search index. Together, the search terms "Star Wars" and "Star Wars Revenge of the Sith" held the top spot in the index with "Darth Vader" coming in fourth place.
The remaining eight were also related to the last installment of the saga, ranging between the cast and miscellaneous inquiries for pictures, puzzles and games. In spite of his obligations as a senior Jedi knight, "Yoda" did not escape the list. AOL has recorded a total of over 8,000 different Star Wars related terms during the past week.
Google Offers Personalized Homepage
Google aficionados can look no further than Google itself for their own personalized homepage. As part of its 'fusion' initiative, Google has begun to corral its many Web services together into a streamlined portal site.
Users may begin to create their homepage by visiting the Google Labs Web site and selecting the option to "Personalize Your Homepage." Homepages are filled with modules of content such as previews of new Gmail messages, Google Maps, news and entertainment headlines and other available feeds.
IBM BlueGene to Decipher Cosmic Rays
Supercomputing technology from IBM has been turned toward the wild blue yonder, allowing scientists in the Netherlands to record a phenomenon in the Earth's atmosphere that is nearly a million times faster than lightning and 100 times brighter than the Sun.
Astrophysicists at the ASTRON astronomy organization have used a prototype of the LOFAR radio telescope to record the fastest and brightest ultra-high energy cosmic ray particles ever observed. What cosmic ray particles are is not entirely known.
Microsoft Update Beta Draws to a Close
Microsoft Update (MU) is swiftly approaching the end of its beta testing cycle. In a letter addressed to testers, Product Manager Roger Hollander announced the availability of a final release candidate that will set MU's release to manufacturing into motion.
Microsoft Update was first revealed by Microsoft Chairman and Chief Software Architect Bill Gates during a keynote address given at the RSA 2005 conference. The site unifies patching services for Windows and Office, extending the Windows Update philosophy across other product lines.
Netscape 8.0 Final Released
Netscape has released the final version of its Netscape 8 Web browser. The browser toggles between the Internet Explorer and Firefox rendering engines as needed to satisfy compatibility and safety requirements.
The revived browser is based upon Firefox 1.0.3, bundling Firefox's advanced features with a Netscape interface and many other custom enhancements such as integrated RSS feeds and Netscape portal content, as well as enhanced privacy features and a selection of optional toolbars to install.
Google Desktop Search Goes Corporate
Google has taken desktop search corporate, joining X1 and Copernic in the enterprise. But, there is one key differentiator: Google Desktop Search for Enterprise is available free of cost, although it lacks some of the more advanced features ingrained in its competitors' software.
Google Desktop Search Corporate searches across the desktop, intranets and Internet for e-mails, dozens of commonly used file formats, Web history and instant messages. At present, Google is the only desktop search utility that aggregates AOL Instant Messenger (AIM) messages and provides full text search of cached Web pages.
Firefox Goes to the Doctor
Hoping to achieve in healthcare what Quicken has in personal finance, start up SimoHealth is developing personal healthcare management software that keeps track of a patient's medical history, expenses and reconciles what is happening from the top down. Underneath the baseline software lies Firefox.
SimoHealth has turned to Firefox to serve as its backend so that it can integrate rich Internet capabilities into its software. When customers access Internet healthcare resources, the focus remains within the application and the software does not fire off a browser.
© 1998-2025 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.