Techno-News Blog

by Deccan Herald (India)

Defence Minister A K Antony today asked the armed forces to be vigilant against the emerging cyber warfare threat and gear up their infrastructure to tackle the security challenge. Antony was addressing defence officials during the centenary celebrations of the Corps of Signal. He also highlighted the Corps’ effort in tackling cyber threats. “The contribution of the Corps in enhancing cyber security is worth a mention. However, the Corps needs to be ever vigilant as cyber threats continue to multiply and intensify by the day,” he said. The minister also praised the Signal Regiments for adopting latest technologies which has helped the Army in becoming a network-centric force. “The Corps has done commendable work, be it in fielding futuristic strategic defence communication networks, or development of state-of-the-art tactical communication systems,” he said.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/138673/antony-asks-army-remain-vigilant.html

by GlobeNewswire

Northrop Grumman Corporation is participating as a platinum sponsor of the 6th Annual Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (CCDC). The event is scheduled for today through Saturday at Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md. The competition pits student teams from two- and four-year colleges and universities against “red team” hackers who are trying to disrupt and compromise their networks. Students are focused on the operational aspects of managing and protecting a network infrastructure. Teams are scored based on their ability to detect and respond to outside threats, maintain availability of existing services (e.g., e-mail servers), respond to business requests (e.g., add user accounts), and balance security needs against business needs.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42009534

by Cameron Glover, Evansville Courier & Press

About 80 percent of teenagers across the country own an electronic device with Internet access on it. In Henderson, more than 90 percent do. And it’s a good bet that parents don’t know the half of what goes on in those little boxes. It could be cyber bullying, a new form of pervavise teenage torment. Or sexting, when students send inappropriate picture messages to each other using their cell phones.

http://www.courierpress.com/news/2011/feb/26/cyber_bullyingsexting/

Maggie Shiels, BBC

HP made its play for the lucrative mobile market with a number of products that will be powered using its own operating system, sending a message to Microsoft that the clock is ticking for its Windows OS. During a two-hour presentation at a disused fort situated by San Francisco Bay, the world’s biggest technology company unveiled two new phones and its long awaited tablet computer that will be driven by its webOS. The Veer is tiny, the size of a credit card and the Pre3 is aimed at the smartphone market. The centre piece of the whole presentation at Fort Mason was the TouchPad. Apart from all the specs, I can’t really say how it handles because the demos in the backstage area were done by HP professionals and we mere mortals were not even allowed to touch them.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/thereporters/maggieshiels/2011/02/hp_to_microsoft_sayonara.html

by the BBC

PC maker Hewlett Packard has unveiled plans to move into the cloud computing market. Chief executive Leo Apotheker says that HP will develop its own internet services and create an application store, for consumers and businesses. The focus on such online services is seen by analysts as attempt by HP to catch up with rivals such as Apple and IBM. Mr Apotheker also said HP was aiming to boost earnings and increase dividends.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12740870

by the BBC

Microsoft has launched the finished version of its Internet Explorer 9 web browser. The company said IE9’s graphics handling, security and privacy features put it on an even footing with Firefox, Chrome, Safari and others. The release comes as Microsoft’s browser market share is being whittled down by a growing roster of rivals. Competition is also coming from non-browser traffic generated by mobile phones and tablets.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12737013

by Odysseyware Blog

In many schools across the country we teach with technology. While our students are learning to plug in the right answers to quizzes delivered electronically, are they also learning to protect their online identity? As they text the answers to discussion questions to their teachers during a history class, are they learning how to manage information in the cloud? We may be a long way from giving every student in every school in every district Internet access and his own computer. The question becomes, once this happens, will they be ready to step up and use the technology in a way that helps them to learn? Will they be able to utilize electronic tools to communicate safely and effectively? Will they understand the implications of leaving digital footprints in cyberspace?

http://www.odysseyware.com/resources/blog/technology-as-content/

by Neal Bascomb, Huffington Post

In his recent State of the Union, President Obama detailed how our current generation faces a Sputnik-moment, where we must “win our future” through innovation and education. Last month, he proposed the formation of a new agency within the Department of Education mirrored after DARPA to invest in educational technologies to improve how we teach our children.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/neal-bascomb/the-education-gamechanger_b_831738.html

By Jenna Johnson, Campus Overload

The lives of college students revolve around technology — yet not enough are studying computer science to keep up with industry demand. Computer science programs across the country are scrambling to change this, often by trying to make coursework more relevant to the lives of students. One example, which I wrote about in today’s paper, is a professor at Virginia Tech who helped his students create a mobile application that tracks city buses. But why the lack of interest in CS in the first place? Here are just a few reasons, according to several professors and others I interviewed for the piece. (I know there are additional reasons, so please share them with me in the comments section.)

http://voices.washingtonpost.com/campus-overload/2011/03/why_so_few_computer_science_ma.html

By John Palfrey, Technology Review

First in Tunisia, then in Egypt, now in Libya: technologically savvy protestors are making extraordinary use of the Internet and digital media to support mass movements against autocratic governments. The Twitter hashtag #jan25 and its corresponding date in history will mark a change in how those seeking to cling to power will look at networked digital technologies for the coming generation.

http://www.technologyreview.com/web/32437/?mod=chfeatured

By Simson Garfinkel, Technology Review

Most of us depend on free Web services, from Google searches to Facebook updates. Unless you’re careful, though, using them has a price: your privacy. Web advertising pays for almost all such services, and this business has become very efficient, delivering ads to grab your attention. That requires tracking who you are and what you do online. Your Web browser reveals a surprising amount about you, and advertisers are keen to find out even more.

http://www.technologyreview.com/computing/32408/?p1=quote

By: Jeffrey Burt, eWeek

The massive earthquake and tsunamis that tore through Japan March 11 and rippled throughout the Pacific region could have significant near-term effects on the semiconductor industry, according to analysts. Japan and Taiwan make up a huge amount of the global semiconductor manufacturing, and even the smallest amount of downtime could have a large impact on chip supply and prices, the analysts said in various reports. The 8.9-magnitude earthquake, which the Japan Meteorological Agency called the largest in Japan’s history, struck the region midafternoon local time March 11. The massive earthquake set off a series of aftershocks, some as high as 6.6, and tsunamis that slammed into the island nation and rolled out as far as the West Coast of the United States.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Infrastructure/Japan-Earthquake-Could-Be-Blow-to-Semiconductor-Industry-157469/?kc=rss

By: Brian T. Horowitz, eWeek

With Apple launching its iPad 2 on March 11, Aptilon, an online marketing firm in Montreal, has released the results of a survey revealing that 79 percent of physicians preferred the iPad, while 12 percent would go for a Windows-based tablet and 9 percent for an Android model. In addition, about 38 percent of physicians plan to buy an iPad in the coming year, and approximately 59 percent of doctors that own an iPad plan to use it for medical purposes. Aptilon offers a mobile marketing service called AxcelRxSM that allows pharmaceutical, biotech and medical-device firms to advertise and communicate with physicians through the Web on an iPad in real time. Aptilon’s ReachNet network allows more than 450,000 health care professionals to connect.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Health-Care-IT/Apple-iPad-Is-Doctors-First-Choice-but-Tablet-Competition-Growing-Survey-192918/?kc=rss

By: Chris Preimesberger, eWeek

The horrific crisis is a clear reminder to IT managers about their own business continuity systems and how well-prepared they are for such an event. The 8.9-magnitude March 11 earthquake off the northeast coast of Japan and its subsequent Pacific Ocean tsunami destroyed and severely damaged several cities and towns on the island of Honshu, knocking out utilities and communications connections that impacted much of the Pacific Rim. It isn’t immediately known how many IT facilities or data centers were washed away in the disaster, but the mere fact that this horrific crisis happened serves to remind IT managers about their own business continuity systems and how well-prepared they are for such an event.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Data-Storage/Japan-Quake-Serves-as-Wakeup-Call-for-IT-Managers-355335/?kc=rss

By: Clint Boulton, eWeek

Analysts consider the notion that Amazon.com could build an Android tablet to compete with Apple’s iPad 2 at a time when the Motorola Xoom, RIM PlayBook and HP TouchPad may struggle. Anyone else for an Amazon.com Kindle tablet based on Google’s Android operating system as a challenger to Apple’s iPad 2? Analysts believe it’s not outside the realm of possibility for the e-commerce giant, which finds it lush e-book business challenged by sales of Apple’s iBooks, which recently crossed 100 million downloads on the iPad and other iOS devices.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/iPad-2-Challenger-Could-Come-as-Amazoncom-Android-Tablet-506110/?kc=rss

By: Clint Boulton, eWeek

Microsoft’s Bing search engine grabbed 13.6 percent search share through February, up from 13.1 percent from January as the company continues to peck away at Google’s search kingdom. ComScore said Google dipped to 65.4 percent from 65.6 percent through January after closing the year at a high of 66.6 percent following a strong holiday season from its 1 billion-plus searchers.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Search-Engines/Microsoft-Bing-Nips-at-Google-with-136-Search-Share-543724/?kc=rss

By: Darryl K. Taft, eWeek

The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) has published a new standard that will enable users to employ XML in new ways, such as in smartphones, embedded systems and a range of devices. The new specification, known as the Efficient XML Interchange (EXI) standard improves the performance, network efficiency, and power consumption of applications that use XML. EXI is a very compact representation of XML information, making it ideal for use in smart phones, devices with memory or bandwidth constraints, in performance sensitive applications such as sensor networks, in consumer electronics such as cameras, in automobiles, in real-time trading systems, and in many other scenarios.

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Application-Development/W3C-Launches-Compact-XML-Spec-for-Smartphones-and-Devices-864934/?kc=rss

By Alex Hudson, BBC Click

Publishers stand accused of “nonsensical” policies on e-book lending to libraries. So, with nearly $1bn spent on e-books last year in the US alone, what does this mean for the institutions already at risk of closure? When publishers “declared war on libraries” last October – according to Luton’s head of libraries – there was uproar. The Publishers’ Association (PA) in the UK has agreed with the major publishing houses to restrict e-lending by either geographical location or the number of readers using an e-book at any one time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/9421996.stm

by the BBC

People relying on home wi-fi are getting significantly slower speeds than from their fixed broadband connection, research suggests. The study ran one million tests over 14,000 wi-fi connections in the UK, US, Spain and Italy. On average, the results showed a 30% drop-off compared to the speed coming into the home. However, the research also suggests that users tolerate slower speeds in exchange for the freedom wi-fi offers. “People are voting with their feet and trading speed for the benefits of mobility,” said Iain Wood, from network

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12688839

by the BBC

US internet firm AOL is to cut 900 jobs, nearly 20% of its 5,000-strong workforce, as part of a move to restructure the company in the wake of its purchase of online newspaper the Huffington Post. AOL bought the Huffington Post in February for $315m (£196m). The job losses are intended to offset duplication between the two companies. Some 200 jobs are expected to go from the company’s US content and technology divisions.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12704855

Video by Kevin Bullis, edited by Brittany Sauser; Technology Review

A leading researcher at the Palo Alto Research Center explains a plan to increase battery storage capacity.

http://technologyreview.com/video/?vid=678