November 27, 2007

Mozilla releases Firefox version 2.0.0.10

by Jan Harris

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Mozilla has released version 2.0.0.10 of its Firefox browser. The new version features bug and security fixes, including a memory error patch.
The latest version is also better at handling digitally signed pages and includes a workaround to […]



Rumours of Google ‘Gdrive’ launch

by Jan Harris

A report in the Wall Street Journal claims that Google’s online storage service, dubbed ‘Gdrive’, should be available in a few months time. The report cites unnamed sources.
The service stores a user’s data on Google servers, the user can then access the data via the internet from any computer. Some free storage […]



November 26, 2007

Operax promotes tools to prevent web slowdown

by Jan Harris

In response to a recent report predicting that the Internet will soon start to slow significantly, broadband resource provider, Operax, has suggested that investment in new networks is not the only solution.
The report, which was produced by Nermetes Research suggested that the internet would be unable to cope with the scale of […]



November 23, 2007

ICO site offers web-advice for young surfers

by Jan Harris

The Information Commissioner’s Office has launched a new website to help young people manage their online information and raise awareness of potential risks.
A recent survey of 2,000 young people, by the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) found that over half of them revealed personal details on Internet sites. The survey covered people aged between 14 […]



M2E Power uses motion to charge mobile devices

by Jan Harris

With the help of a major venture capital investment, M2E Power of the USA has developed a mini-generator for mobile devices, which turns kinetic energy into electricity through the process of induction.
The mini-generator has a chargeable battery, and can be integrated into mobile devices.
When the device is in normal use, hand movements […]



November 22, 2007

Government boosts Information Commissioner’s powers

by Jan Harris

Following HM Revenue & Customs’ loss of personal data belonging to the 25 million recipients of child benefit in the UK, the government has given the Information Commissioner the power to conduct spot checks on data security.
The Information Commissioner will be able to carry out security checks across all Government departments and agencies, which […]



Weather widgets available from Met Office

by Jan Harris

The UK’s Met Office has launched free-to download web widgets providing weather information directly from the desktop.
The weather gadgets can be customised to provide local weather information, severe weather warnings, marine warnings and radar images, which update automatically while a user is working on other tasks.
Clicking on the information takes the user to […]



November 21, 2007

Data to clog Internet by 2010

by Jan Harris

Analyst firm Nemertes Research Group predicts a substantial slowing of the Internet by 2010, as it become unable to cope with the scale of data being exchanged.
A year long study by the company into data flows and Internet infrastructure, concluded that severe bottlenecks could occur in just three to five years.
While core fibre and […]



November 20, 2007

Mozilla releases Firefox 3 beta 1

by Jan Harris

Mozilla has released the first beta version of its upgraded Firefox Internet browser.
The new version of the browser is designed to be easier to use than the earlier version and features enhanced security, including the ability to integrate antivirus software with downloads.
Other security features include the verification of Web site identities with […]



November 19, 2007

Paglo launches ‘Google for IT’

by Jan Harris

Paglo has launched a public public beta of a search engine designed to help IT administrators manage their networks.
The search engine, which was launched today, allows users to easily find information about the network - how many iPhones are being used, for example, or whether a machine’s security is up to date.
It helps […]



November 16, 2007

Microsoft releases Vista service pack

by Jan Harris

Microsoft has released Windows Vista SP1 Release Candidate Preview to around 15,000 private beta testers, and plans to extend this to a broader group of testers.
The company is on schedule to release the service pack for commercial use in the first quarter of 2008.
So far, testers seem positive about the upgrade, which is […]



November 15, 2007

IBM to announce ‘cloud computing’ strategy

by Jan Harris

IBM is set to announce a new strategy to exploit the concept of ‘cloud computing’ - the use of Web-based applications and information stored in the ‘cloud’ of the Internet.
IBM hopes to develop this concept for mainstream corporate customers, through large data centres equipped with IBM technology, which can be searched and programmed from […]



November 14, 2007

Credativ offers open-source support in UK

by Jan Harris

Rugby-based software consultancy, Credativ Ltd, has launched a UK Open Source Support Centre (OSSC), which will provide support for all major open source distributions, including Debian, Ubuntu, SUSE, Red Hat, Xandros, Gnome and KDE, PostgreSQL, MySQL, Kolab Groupware, eGroupware, Asterisk, Apache, Samba, Nagios and Xen.
The company will also provide support for free software that […]



November 13, 2007

Microsoft offers security tool for Office 2007

by Jan Harris

Microsoft is planning to release a tool which will help business users improve the security of Office 2007.
The Office 2007 Security Guide will be launched today, at the Microsoft TechEd conference in Barcelona.
It will provide a detailed description of the security settings available in Office 2007 together with Group Policy Object Accelerator - a […]



IBM ‘Roadrunner’ will offer petaflop computing

by Jan Harris

IBM’s Blue Gene/L supercomputer heads the Top500 Supercomputer Sites list, and the company is developing a computer that is twice as powerful as Blue Gene/L - the ‘Roadrunner’.
The Top500 Supercomputer Sites list was released at the SC07 conference in Reno, US. It uses the Linpack measurement to assess a computer’s performance. This requires each […]



November 12, 2007

Microsoft unveils Dynamic IT tools

by Jan Harris

Microsoft revealed new Dynamic IT products and tools at the TechEd IT Forum 2007 in Barcelona.
The products, which are designed to help companies manage their physical and virtual IT systems are based on Hyper-V, a virtualisation technology within Windows Server 2008 originally code-named Viridian.
At the event, Bob Kelly of Microsoft’s Server and Tools […]



Intel releases Penryn chips

by Jan Harris

Intel has released 16 servers and high-end PC processors featuring its latest Penryn chip technology. The semiconductors are sold under the Intel Core 2 Extreme and Xeon brands.
The new transistor is energy-efficient and greener than its predecessors as lead and halogen materials have been eliminated from the design. It also offers improved performance.
It uses a […]



November 9, 2007

SME’s spend £3bn on sites search engines can’t find

by Jan Harris

New research by Microsoft’s adCenter unit finds that although UK SME’s are investing in websites, they are failing to help customers find them online.
The study found that small and medium sized businesses in the UK spend around £3bn on websites that cannot be found by search engines.
There are around 2.79 million websites belonging […]



November 8, 2007

Yahoo! focuses on mobile advertising

by Jan Harris

Yahoo!’s Connected Life division has secured major phone distribution deals in a strategy to expand its mobile advertising market.
The company expects advertising on mobile phones to become as important as web advertising, and is entering partnerships with device makers and network operators.
Yahoo! already offers a mobile search service, and hopes partnerships with handset […]



AMD to demo FireStream processor

by Jan Harris

AMD will demonstrate its FireStream 9170 processor at the SC07 supercomputing show in Reno, Nevada, November 10–16, 2007.
The 9170 is based on the concept of ’stream computing’ and provides the ‘parallel’ performance more usually associated with a graphics chip.
Parallelism allows data to flow down multiple outlets, rather than being channelled through a single path. […]