Archive for September, 2007
On Monday, Apple warned iPhone owners to hack at their own risk, making it undoubtedly clear that unlocking programs used to connect the iPhone to nonsanctioned wireless carriers could cause irreparable damage.That “damage” could make the device inoperable when the Apple software updates are released. Apple said iPhone customers that decide to make unauthorized modifications to the device’s software violate the software license agreement and render the warranty null and void.
“The permanent inability to use an iPhone due to installing unlocking software is not covered under the iPhone’s warranty,” the company said in a statement. “Apple strongly discourages users from installing unauthorized unlocking programs on their iPhones.”
Click here to read the rest of this story on TopTechNews.
September 27th, 2007
Anybody who thinks innovation 
in the social networking realm is tapped out should think again. MTV is getting into the game with some big-name backers.Viacom’s MTV joined forces with Case Foundation, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Goldhirsh Foundation, and MCJ Amelior Foundation to launch what could become a new movement in youth activism: Think.MTV.com.
MTV is not new to activism. The cable music television channel has built a reputation for engaging young people on issues that matter to them. The Think Community hopes to become the online resource and rally point for young revolutionaries. The beta of Think.MTV.com is a forum designed to help participants get educated, get connected, get heard, get active, and get rewarded.
“The Think Community was built to catalyze a sea change in youth activism and make rock stars out of those young people working to better themselves, their communities and the world,” MTV President Christina Norman said in a statement. Norman called Think.MTV.com a new platform for positive social change.
Click here to read the rest of this story on NewsFactor.
September 21st, 2007
SpiralFrog.com, an ad-supported, free music and video download site, officially launched on Monday. The site, which was in beta testing for months, allows anyone to access and download files from a library of more than 800,000 songs and 3,500 videos.In addition to providing downloads, SpiralFrog lets music fans view millions of artist bios, reviews, discographies, and album art. Avid SpiralFrog users can keep track of the hottest downloaded songs through Facebook.
“College students demand fast access to music and they want it free, but they still want artists to be paid for their work and creativity,” Joe Mohen, chairman and founder of SpiralFrog, said in a statement. “SpiralFrog will let them download songs and video at no cost — other than their time and attention — while compensating music owners by sharing ad revenue.”
Click here to read the rest of this story on NewsFactor.
September 21st, 2007
NBC is taking the gloves off in a blow-by-blow match against Apple’s iTunes that has the digital media world on the edge of its seat. On Wednesday, the “Big Three” broadcaster announced plans to offer limited free downloads of some of its most popular television shows.Dubbed NBC Direct, the company’s latest digital media initiative gives consumers access to programs such as “Heroes” and “The Office” — with advertisements included — beginning in October.
For up to one week after the shows air on television, consumers running Windows can download and view them. Advertisements are embedded in the digital media files, and viewers will not be able to fast-forward through them. Seven days after the broadcasts air, the files expire.
Click here to read the rest of this story on NewsFactor.
September 21st, 2007
Google Gadget Ads made their official debut on Wednesday. Google describes Gadget Ads as nontraditional ad units with rich-media capabilities that let advertisers target audiences and allow users to interact with ad content.Gadget ads can incorporate rich media such as real-time data feeds, images, and video in a single creative unit. Gadget ads can be developed using Flash, HTML, or a combination of both. Designed to act more like content than a typical ad, the ads run on the Google content network, competing alongside text, image, and video ads for placement.
“The introduction of this new advertising format provides advertisers and agencies worldwide with an imaginative, dynamic way to interact with consumers,” Susan Wojcicki, Google’s vice president of product management, said in a statement. “Google Gadget Ads are built on an open platform that enables distribution across the Google content network and can be shared on iGoogle and other personalized Web pages.”
Click here to read the rest of this story on NewsFactor.
September 19th, 2007
Google Docs, a Web-based platform for creating, sharing, storing, and publishing documents, has offered capabilities for word processing and creating spreadsheets, but has been missing a major piece of the Microsoft Office puzzle — until now. On Monday, Google added business presentation software, the element that many analysts said was preventing the Web-based office suite from contending with Office on a larger scale.Google’s business presentation software attempts to answer Microsoft’s PowerPoint with a Web-based twist. The application lets users create simple Web-based presentations that coworkers can update and view from their own computers.
“From student groups to sales teams, people are turning to the Web for help improving both personal and group productivity,” Sam Schillace, director of engineering for Google Docs, said in a statement. “Putting documents in the cloud surrounded by easy-to-use features for collaboration and sharing can save people hours of inefficiency and frustration and even enable new ways of working together.”
Click here to read the rest of this story on NewsFactor.
September 19th, 2007
Five years after the Sarbanes-Oxley Act became law, many companies are still struggling to meet regulatory compliance requirements. Indeed, SOX and other regulations are time-consuming, costly, and, for some, a stressful reality of doing business in a post-Enron world.Public companies have spent billions of dollars in efforts to comply with new government regulations over the past five years. This year alone, according to AMR Research, companies will spend $6 billion on technology products for compliance.
There is at least some relief in sight, though. Thanks to the recent changes to SOX, companies and auditors alike now have more flexibility to reassess and even redesign existing compliance practices. It’s an opportunity to ease the burden, according to compliance gurus, by taking a risk-based approach.
Taking a risk-based approach involves determining which aspects of a business need to be included in an audit versus just trying to find everything that could possibly go wrong and including it in SOX controls.
Click here to read the rest of this story on NewsFactor.
September 18th, 2007
Next Posts
Previous Posts
