A great many Microsoft Outlook users don't have the benefit of an Exchange server, so their e-mail and calendar are bound to one PC. Now, a gadget just entering beta could help by extending the reach of personal data to the Web, through Google Apps.

More than 2,000 beta testers have reportedly signed up to help Cemaphore Systems test its MailShadow for Google Apps service, which offers real-time synchronization between Microsoft Outlook/Exchange, calendars, contacts, and Google's Gmail.

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A private security researcher well known for turning up cross-site scripting vulnerabilities in Web browsers has discovered another one, and is trumpeting the find as another milestone in Web history.

Truth is, it sounds like a trumpet we've all heard too many times before. On Wednesday, researcher Aviv Raff posted on his Web site the discovery of a vulnerability so open and easy to exploit, that merely mentioning what it is could be enough of an instruction manual for malicious exploiters to try it for themselves.

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False positives and errors have some developers seeing red over Yahoo's new security feature.

Released in beta earlier this month, SearchScan culls search results to find possible malicious sites. Users can either choose to have the sites flagged as such or left out of the results altogether.

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With the smallest subscriber base of the top five wireless carriers (13.3 million) in the US but one of the biggest networks (in 34 US states and parts of Canada), ABI Research thinks Alltel has picked a winner by aligning its future development with GSM-based Long Term Evolution (LTE).

Alltel yesterday announced that it is committed to LTE for the future of its network. Following Verizon Wireless' path, Alltel is now the second CDMA carrier to commit to LTE instead of Qualcomm's Ultra Mobile Broadband (UMB) or Mobile WiMAX, championed by Intel.

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Blocking of BitTorrent traffic is widespread among some ISPs in the US and Singapore, but not in Canada or any other country on the globe, says a new study released this week from German researchers.

The study was conducted between March 18 and May 15 by the German-based Max Planck Institute for Software Systems, with assistance with more than 8,000 users worldwide. Together, they implemented a tool called Glasnost to test whether their BitTorrent traffic was being manipulated.

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Moving right along according to plan, the first release candidate of Firefox 3.0 appeared this morning among Mozilla's beta and candidate downloads. BetaNews has obtained the link, and RC1 is downloadable now.

Download Mozilla Firefox 3.0 RC1 from BetaNews FileForum now.

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Roy Bostock had every opportunity to simply just say no to Carl Icahn, whose open letter yesterday launched his hostile takeover strategy. But instead the Yahoo chairman wrote a candid, curiously unsolicited history of Microsoft's walkout.

It was not an emphatic denial of Yahoo's wish to be acquired that its chairman, Roy Bostock, transmitted to investor Carl Icahn this morning, by way of the rest of the world. It was a rejection of being acquired by Microsoft, certainly, though Bostock's response to Icahn's suggestion yesterday of nominating a powerhouse team of alternate directors was, at best, tepid.

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Cellular operator Orange announced Friday that it will sell the iPhone in most of the markets it serves sometime later of this year.

Two of the countries, Portugal and Egypt, will also see the iPhone available from another carrier, Vodafone. This continues Apple's apparent strategy of choosing broader deployment over exclusive deals.

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Representing a major alignment shift, the One Laptop Per Child project announced Thursday it had come to an agreement with Microsoft to put Windows XP on its XO Laptop.

The move would push the cost of the system up, which the company had been trying to reduce. Currently the "$100 laptop" costs about $188 to produce, however with Windows, that price could increase by $18 to $20.

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The Mayor of Philadelphia has indicated that he will not use city funds to keep the Earthlink wireless network running in the city.

While Mayor Michael Nutter told the Philadelphia Daily News earlier this week that they are far from finished with having discussions with EarthLink, the city won't spend money to save the Wi-Fi network.

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In 2006, Texas game controller company Anascape filed patent infringement suits against both Nintendo and Microsoft. On Wednesday, Nintendo was ordered to pay $21 million to the company.

The company's complaint was that both Microsoft and Nintendo infringed upon some twelve patents for various game controller designs.

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Beta testing firm Centercode is seeking testers to try out a new wireless headset designed for office environments that promises unparalleled range and audio quality. Individuals must work in actual offices in the United States or Europe.

Testers must already be users of an advanced telephone system (PBX,NBX, VoIP), and spend three or more hours a day on the phone. Those who participate in this test will also be eligible to join future beta tests held by Centercode, which works with companies such as Adobe, Apple and Palm. To apply, visit the beta test callout page.

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5:30 pm ET May 15, 2008 - In a blog post today, Facebook developer Charlie Cheever said Facebook will be blocking Google's Friend Connect, citing a revelation about how it distributes users' private information.

Cheever remarked, "Now that Google has launched Friend Connect, we've had a chance to evaluate the technology. We've found that it redistributes user information from Facebook to other developers without users' knowledge, which doesn't respect the privacy standards our users have come to expect and is a violation of our Terms of Service.

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Garmin announced a new lifetime offer to Research in Motion BlackBerry smartphone owners: its complete turn-by-turn, voice direction service for a one-time fee of $99.99, for the life of their BlackBerrys.

The deal will also give BlackBerry owners access to traffic updates, weather information, and local fuel prices. The turn-by-turn directions take into account accidents, traffic congestions, road closures, and other incidents. With a catalog of millions of point of interest (POIs), users can identify a nearby destination and receive custom directions to that specific location.

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To help Dish Network customers seeking to store even more television content when they are unable to watch it live, Western Digital today introduced the My DVR Expander USB Edition 500 GB HDD designed specifically for DVRs.

The HDD is able to store 60 hours of high-definition content or 300 hours of standard content. Users can connect the HDD to their DVR via USB 2.0 connection -- the HDD's predecessor required an eSATA port.

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