Latest Technology News

Looking to slash development times and further blur the lines between Mac and PC, not to mention mobile and fixed, several efforts are afoot to bring virtualization to your mobile phone.

The possibilities are tantalizing. For instance, Citrix is said to be nearing the Apple App Store (metaphorically speaking) with virtualization software for the iPhone. If the makers of the popular GoToMyPC app can deliver, the new number-two smartphone vendor could offer a powerful push for adoption to business folk using Wintel systems at work.

There appears to be good news, according to a Microsoft support site: Office Web applications can run on operating systems besides Windows. But the questions of how and why were left unanswered, and not even Microsoft can explain.

A blog post to a Microsoft-managed site, turned up this morning by Computerworld reporter Gregg Keizer, seems to indicate that the Web applications in Office 14 will run in a Mac- or Linux-based Web browser. That information contradicts what BetaNews was told two weeks ago at PDC 2008 in Los Angeles, where attendees were given the first peek at Office 14's Web applications suite.

Do your earphones ever fall out of your ears? Is your headset too heavy on your head? Vendors will show some intriguing new options at CES 2009, ranging from Acoustibuds adapters to a NxSET "neckband."

Tossing aside any worries you might have about money, health, politics, or anything else, how do you feel about your earphones these days? Are you pleased with them? Guessing that a lot of people aren't, vendors will be on hand at CES with new designs aimed at raising comfort levels as well as just making earphones more interesting to wear.

They're not guaranteeing users the coveted top spots on search results, but Google's got a free guide for those looking to make their Web pages as tasty as possible to the search giant's robot spiders.

Posted Wednesday, the Search Engine Optimization Starter Guide (PDF available here) explains for SEO novices how to structure your pages so search engines -- any search engine, not just Google -- can best find and parse them.

Yesterday, amid the launch of the new Windows Live services, which included the update to Games for Windows Live, the Microsoft Store officially opened for US businesses.

Having previously launched in the UK, Germany, and Korea, the Microsoft Store sells both hardware and software, and offers the option to purchase software either as physical media or as a download.

The mobile-phone scene is looking a little bleaker for this year's holiday season, as Nokia made an out-of-cycle adjustment on Friday to its expected fourth-quarter earnings, and issued some unpleasant industry-wide predictions.

The announcement dims overall expectations for the industry, since the company's previously positive outlook for the end of 2008 was one of the factors fueling what signs of hope were seen for the sector.

IBM this week made yet another play in broadband over powerline (BPL) technology, signing a deal for a system targeted to rural areas in the eastern US. But meanwhile, the overall powerline market seems to be fading away.

In a move to bring broadband services to consumers in rural America, IBM this week inked a $9.6 million agreement to install broadband over powerline (BPL) technology at electric cooperatives throughout the eastern part of the US. Meanwhile, many consumers, even in rural areas, have already turned to other broadband technologies.

Rather than see the chairmanship of the key subcommittee on intellectual property pass onto a users' rights supporter, the head of its parent committee has decided instead to abolish and absorb the subcommittee entirely.

When Congress resumes its full sessions after the holidays and following the inauguration of the new President, the chairmanship of one of the most important House subcommittees overseeing a multitude of contentious technology issues -- including patent reform and intellectual property rights, royalty rates for digital performances and Internet radio, and government protection of digital rights management -- might have fallen to one Rep. Rick Boucher (D - Va.), an outspoken critic of current policy.

Aside from generating savings for participating shoppers, Microsoft's Cashback program is drawing more advertisers and higher conversion rates for Live Search. But is Microsoft boosting its search share against Google? Quite possibly not.

It's costing Microsoft a bundle. But the Cashback program for Live Search might possibly be helping to meet a self-identified need to boost the company's position in the search market versus Google. The answer depends on what's being measured, and by whom.

Wednesday's announcement by the Justice Dept. that three international LCD panel manufacturers will plead guilty in a price fixing scandal, could result in the resumption of civil proceedings against them.

LG (which had been doing business jointly with Philips), Sharp, and Chunghwa -- three of the world's major producers of LCD displays -- will plead guilty to specific charges of conspiracy to artificially prop up the wholesale prices of their products, from the spring of 2001 to the winter of 2006. This despite the fact that those prices were on historic declines throughout that period.

In an exclusive deal with Russian carrier Scartel's Yota network, HTC has premiered its first GSM/WiMAX handset, indicating how rapidly the evolution of the world's communications infrastructure may be leaving the US behind.

Logically called the MAX 4G, HTC's Windows Mobile 6.1 device offers a 3.8" (800 x 400) WVGA tactile display with the company's TouchFLO 3D user interface, the UI of HTC's Touch Diamond, Pro, and HD devices.

A proposal by the Department of Homeland Security attempts to address one potential security problem with RFID-chipped passports, but leaves more obvious problems hanging fire.

In an effort to detect attempts to clone the data stored on RFID chips used on US Passport Cards, DHS on Wednesday announced that it is recommending that manufacturers supplying these RFID chips include a "unique identifier number," or Tag Identifier (TID).

Today, Sun Microsystems announced a restructuring plan that involves reducing its global workforce by 5,000-6,000 employees, or 15%-18% of its total staff. Under this plan, the MySQL division may be more protected.

When Sun reported its first quarter 2009 earnings, it said diminished hardware sales to the financial sector had an unmistakable effect on the company's North American and European revenue. It posted a loss of $1.67 billion and did not even announce its guidance for the next quarter.

The takedown of the McColo hosting service led to a gratifying, if temporary, decrease in spam this week -- but it could also portend a rise in malware infections.

As with the September takedown of Atrivo (nee Intercage), users around the net are currently enjoying the kind of respite from spam that comes when a major "evil ISP," as MessageLabs senior anti-spam technologist Matt Sergeant puts it, bites the dust.

Download Apple Safari for Windows from FileForum now.

Today's round of updates to Apple's Safari contains just four patches that affect the Mac OS X edition, but eleven for Windows Vista and XP, several of which would forestall some very familiar sounding exploits.