jenniferleclaire.com » 2009

Conficker Unlikely To Trigger Doomsday on April 1

April Fool’s Day is just around the corner. Will malware make a fool of millions of computer users, or is the release date of the next version of the menacing Conficker worm just a red herring? And if so, what is really in store for computer security this spring?”It’s quite possible that Conficker will not do anything significant on April 1,” said Graham Cluley, a senior security consultant at Sophos. “The truth is that Conficker is not set to activate a specific payload on that date. Rather, on April 1 Conficker will begin to attempt to contact the 50,000-a-day potential call-home Web servers from which it may receive updates.”

Indeed, Cluley said it’s just as likely that Conficker will do something on March 28, or April 2, or April 14 as it will on April 1. He called the emphasis by some media outlets on April 1 “really unfortunate.”

Click here to read the rest of my story on NewsFactor.

March 28th, 2009

Microsoft’s New Ad Says Apple’s Mac Costs Too Much

With the Jerry Seinfeld era behind it, Microsoft is moving ahead with a new Windows advertising strategy that aims at Apple’s Achilles’ heel: Higher prices. The commercial appears to be the first in a series called Laptop Hunters, and it puts Microsoft on the offense instead of the defense.Microsoft’s just-released Windows commercial taps into the price-conscious, recession-driven consumer mind-set by following a woman on a mission to find a laptop that’s fast and has a comfortable keyboard and a 17-inch screen — for $1,000 or less.

In the ad, the voice-over says Microsoft told Lauren, a redhead with glasses, that if she could find a computer that met her demands, she could keep it. In other words, Microsoft would buy it for her. With that, she becomes a laptop hunter.

Click here to read the rest of my story on NewsFactor.

20 comments March 28th, 2009

New Dell Products Bring Efficiency To Data Center

Dell threw down the enterprise gauntlet Wednesday with 14 new products to help customers cut costs and simplify management. It’s a data-center move that Dell promises will help businesses become more efficient throughout the IT life cycle by maximizing people, time and money.The product announcement includes the 11th Generation PowerEdge servers and Precision workstations based on the next generation of Intel’s Xeon processors. The new PowerEdge portfolio features virtualization , system management, and usability. The servers include the new Dell Lifecycle Controller that delivers integrated manageability through a single access point.

“Today’s economic realities are placing a premium on value and efficiency from technology. We are unlocking customers from proprietary technology and services, and yesterday’s IT economics,” said Steve Schuckenbrock, president of Dell Large Enterprise. “Whether through next-generation blades with onboard systems management or modular services, we’re putting them on the path to today’s Efficient Enterprise.”

Click here to read the rest of my story on NewsFactor.

Add comment March 27th, 2009

Patent Lawsuits, App Store Refund Fuss Bug Apple

Apple is all over the news this week, for better or worse. Two lawsuits have been filed against the company, a hubbub is brewing over the App Store refund policy, and a new application rolled out in the midst of it all.First the lawsuits. Affinity Labs has filed suit against Apple for allegedly infringing on the 772 patent entitled Audio System and Method by “selling digital audio through the iTunes software application on a personal computer and through the iTunes mobile software application on the iPhone and iPod touch line of products.”

Affinity also alleges Apple has infringed on its patents that cover the System and Method for Communicating Selected Information to an Electronic Device and Content Delivery System and Method. Affinity is seeking financial recompense and a court order to stop Apple from violating its intellectual property.

Click here to read the rest of my story on NewsFactor.

Add comment March 27th, 2009

Blockbuster Joins TiVo Party Where Netflix Waltzes

In a move to compete with Netflix, Blockbuster on Wednesday announced a partnership with TiVo to deliver its library of digital-movie titles direct to the television set.Essentially, Blockbuster is integrating its OnDemand service, which offers content to buy and rent, into TiVo Series2, Series3, TiVo HD, and TiVo HD XL DVRs. The partnership aims to make it easier for broadband-connected TiVo subscribers to download Blockbuster’s content through a single remote control.

“Ultimately, our vision is to work with TiVo so that their subscribers can access movies not only through our OnDemand service but also from our stores and through our by-mail service as well,” said Jim Keyes, Blockbuster chairman and CEO. “Regardless of a film’s availability — through VOD or on DVD — we want to work with TiVo to provide their subscribers unprecedented access to movie content.”

Click here to read the rest of my story on CIO Today.

Add comment March 27th, 2009

New Features Aim To Improve Google Search ResultsNew Features Aim To Improve Google Search Results

Next time you pull up Google.com, you’ll find something a little different. On Tuesday, the search giant rolled out two improvements to Google search.First, Google integrated an expanded list of related searches that its search technology thinks will be useful. Second, Google is offering longer search-result descriptions. The new features aim to help guide users more effectively to the information they are searching for.

“We’re deploying a new technology that can better understand associations and concepts related to your search, and one of its first applications lets us offer you even more useful related searches (the terms found at the bottom, and sometimes at the top, of the search-results page),” Ori Allon, technical lead of Google’s search quality team, and Ken Wilder, Google’s snippets team engineer, wrote in the company blog.

Click here to read the rest of my story on CIOToday.

Add comment March 27th, 2009

Wireless Zeebo Brings Gaming to Emerging Markets

A new wireless video-game console is debuting in Brazil. Dubbed Zeebo, its makers are billing it as the first affordable 3-D game console designed specifically for emerging global markets — and it’s backed by Qualcomm.Secure 3G wireless game delivery is one of Zeebo’s hallmarks. The console fills a gap in emerging markets where content for the Microsoft Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, and Sony PlayStation 3 is too expensive for the middle class, or is not culturally or locally relevant. Software piracy also makes these markets unattractive for content providers.

“The Zeebo console will deliver a truly engaging and entertaining gaming experience to a potential billion new consumers around the world, many of whom have never experienced gaming in the home,” said John Rizzo, CEO of Zeebo. “The system provides an intuitive, quick and easy-to-use home-shopping user experience featuring popular, culturally optimized content from leading game publishers and developers around the world. It also delivers high value and warranty protection compared to gray-market products, with no need for a separate wireless access plan.”

Click here to read the rest of my story on NewsFactor.

March 25th, 2009

Archive for March, 2009

Conficker Unlikely To Trigger Doomsday on April 1

Microsoft’s New Ad Says Apple’s Mac Costs Too Much

New Dell Products Bring Efficiency To Data Center

Patent Lawsuits, App Store Refund Fuss Bug Apple

Blockbuster Joins TiVo Party Where Netflix Waltzes

New Features Aim To Improve Google Search ResultsNew Features Aim To Improve Google Search Results

Wireless Zeebo Brings Gaming to Emerging Markets