Industry Standard Views & Analysis

In Defense of Microsoft

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:14:55 -0500

I know, I know. You hate Microsoft for its bloated, buggy software, its slowness to innovate, and its government-certified, monopolistic bullying. I won't argue with any of those points, or those made last week in the NY Times by former Microsoft VP Dick Brass, who called his former employer "a clumsy, uncompetitive innovator."

But I will say this: All of us in the technology community owe a big debt to Microsoft. Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer shouldered a task that, for all their brilliance, Jobs and his colleagues at Apple didn't take on: making computing ubiquitous.

It's easy to bash Microsoft over its many failings, and I often do--particularly on the consumer front. But the Redmond giant has done an admirable job of getting pretty much every business on earth onto a single, functional platform.

Is that a criticism of Apple? It is not. So hold your fire, fanboys. Apple makes great hardware and software. And not just computers, as its game-changing successes with iTunes and the iPhone--and maybe the iPad--prove. But an essential ingredient in that recipe for success is total control of the platform. Apple has it, Microsoft doesn't. So the very quality that made Apple a better platform than Windows also made the Mac a niche product.

Windows, Windows Everywhere

As computer technology really took hold in the 1980s and 1990s, businesses wanted standard products and standard software at a relatively low price point. Apple didn't offer that. If you wanted to buy an Apple, or later a Mac, you bought it from Apple or an Apple-certified dealer. Except for a very brief experiment, no other company has been allowed to build a Mac.

Since Apple controlled the platform, its products weren't plagued by the panoply of hardware and software incompatibilities familiar to Windows users. But there was a huge tradeoff. Apple had a monopoly on Apple computers. And like all monopolies, it kept prices artificially high. For years, a business-worthy Apple machine cost nearly twice as much as a roughly comparable Windows machine. Faced with that discrepancy, choosing Windows-based PCs was a no-brainer for most companies.

And writing software for the Windows platform instead of the Mac platform was a no-brainer for developers who wanted the largest audience possible. The same was true for makers of all sorts of components and peripherals. Without the ability to sell hundreds of millions of chips for use in hundreds of millions of computers, a company like Intel could never have afforded the immense investment it took to push semiconductor technology so far, so fast. Simply put, Windows spawned a global ecosystem that proprietary Apple couldn't match.

Meanwhile, Microsoft made backwards compatibility a key strategic goal as it revved the Windows platform. Sure, that led to code bloat and a lessening of innovation. But if you were in a business, you didn't have to worry that your old software would suddenly be worthless if you bought a new computer with a newer version of Windows. That was not, and is not, true of Apple.

Over time, the PC became a commodity, which means that the machines were so similar, price became the major differentiator. As those prices continued to drop, computing spread from North America, Europe and Japan, to less developed parts of the world. There are hundreds of millions of computers in use, and the vast majority run Windows and use products like Microsoft Office. And all of those businesses can exchange content because their hardware and software is compatible.

Like it or not, that changed the world in a way that Apple could not.

Now, of course, technology is rapidly leaving the Windows desktop behind and Apple is now leading the charge, changing the world. No one would have thought that a computer company would completely upend the music business--and that's just one example. Dick Brass was right. Microsoft is in danger, not of financial bankruptcy, but of intellectual bankruptcy.

Maybe that won't happen. But whether it does or not, it's worth remembering that Microsoft deserves a vote of thanks along with the well-deserved brickbats.

San Francisco journalist Bill Snyder writes frequently about business and technology. He welcomes your comments and suggestions. Reach him at bill.snyder@sbcglobal.net.

MS Word Tip: Print Multiple Copies of Individual Pages

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:13:31 -0500

Most Word users know how to print multiple copies of a document: Just change the Number of copies setting to the number you need, then click OK.

Okay, but what if you want to print multiple copies of select pages? For example, suppose your five-page document ends with a registration form. You need only one copy of the first four pages, but you want three copies of page five.

The secret lies in the Page range section of Word's Print dialog. As you may know, by selecting the Pages option, you can specify which pages of a document you want for this particular print job. For example, you might enter 1-3, 5, which would print pages 1, 2, 3, and 5.

But you can also use this option to print multiple copies of individual pages. So in my aforementioned example, to get three copies of page five and one copy of everything else, you'd enter the following: 1-4, 5, 5, 5.

In other words, each time you repeat any given page number in that Pages field, Word will print an extra copy of that page.

Neat, huh? Can't take full credit for this one; the tip came from Susan Harkins.

Slew of Critical Updates from Microsoft

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:12:36 -0500

Time flies. Another month has gone by and Patch Tuesday is upon us again. Microsoft is delivering a record-tying 13 security bulletins for February, a virtual avalanche of updates after a relatively quiet January that saw only one security bulletin on Patch Tuesday, and one released out-of-band mid-month to address a zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer that was used to launch attacks against Google and other companies in China.

According to Qualys CTO Wolfgang Kandek, that out-of-band security bulletin saved February from breaking the record for most security bulletins in a month. "Microsoft's February 2010 was slated to be the biggest release for Microsoft patches in the last two years--14 bulletins addressing 34 vulnerabilities. But the Google/CN Internet Explorer 0-day forced Microsoft to accelerate the testing of the planned IE bulletin and release it early, still in January. That leaves 13 bulletins covering 26 vulnerabilities for the February release, which constitutes one of the bigger patch Tuesdays."

Kandek explains "There are 5 critical vulnerabilities for the Windows Operating System family--the newer versions, Windows 7 and Windows 2008 R2, are only affected by three of them. Rewrites of the TCP/IP stack and the URI handling in Windows 7 and 2008 R2 improved on the implementation of these core OS capabilities. Highest on our list for patching are MS10-006 SMB client and MS10-013 DirectShow, which affect all versions of Windows and have a low exploitability index. Next are MS10-007 Shell URI handling, which is critical for Windows 2000, XP and 2003 and MS10-008, an update to the ActiveX Killbit settings, applicable to all platforms."

"The SMB Server pathname overflow vulnerability tops my list this month," said Joshua Talbot, security intelligence manager, Symantec Security Response. "Server-side vulnerabilities aren't too common anymore, but they're a golden goose for attackers when they are discovered. With this one, if an attacker can find a vulnerable remote server that has a guest account set up, just like that, they've got access to the machine and possibly the entire local network--all without any user involvement required."

Golden geese aside, Tyler Reguly, lead research engineer for nCircle, commented via e-mail with a different perspective. "For the end user, the concerns definitely lie with client-side software. From today's advisories, Microsoft Office, Windows Media Player and even Microsoft Paint are the types of tools that most of those users will have. I'm willing to risk sounding like a broken record: patching is a must. Every user should be running automatic updates on their PC and ensuring that their software stays as up to date as possible.

nCircle director of security Andrew Storms echoed Reguly's concern with MS10-0013. "The most important bug by far for all IT security teams is the MS10-0013, a bug in Microsoft media player. The nature of the exploit lends itself to drive-by attacks that leave unsuspecting victims infected. Since media is what excites people most on the Internet today, an exploit of this bug would make it extremely easy to entice users to watch videos that are actually gateways to malware."

Jerry Bryant, senior security communications manager lead at Microsoft, says "As always, it's recommended that customers deploy all security updates as soon as possible. Of the bulletins released this month, customers should prioritize and deploy MS10-006, MS10-007, MS10-008, and MS10-013, given Critical severity ratings and Exploitability Index ratings of 1 ("Consistent Exploit Code Likely")."

Bryant also added some guidance for IT administrators. "The Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC) blog contains additional deployment guidance and the Microsoft Exploitability Index includes exploitability ratings for all vulnerabilities addressed in this release."

Tyler Reguly offered up some additional guidance for IT administrators to educate end-users. "User awareness is vital. Don't open attachments from people you don't know. Better yet, even if you know the person, but weren't expecting the attachment, don't open it. Call them up and ask them if they meant to send it to you. That 30 second phone call could save you a lot of pain and grief. This is important at every level of computer usage, from small and medium businesses right up to the largest fortune 500 enterprises. It's equally important at home. Know what you're clicking on!"

No matter how you look at it, February is a busy month for security bulletins and now the race is on for organizations of all sizes to apply all necessary patches and updates before the bad guys figure out how to exploit the new array of flaws and vulnerabilities.

Tony Bradley tweets as @Tony_BradleyPCW, and can be contacted at his Facebook page.

UC Leads to Cost Savings at Tractor Manufacturer

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:04:45 -0500

About Rs 31,500 crore (US$748.8 million) Mahindra Group is among the top 10 industrial houses in India and the world's third-largest manufacturer of tractors. Its operations, run by 10,000 employees, span the globe. But as the company grew, communications between its staffers became more tenuous.

Highlights

-- It is a single server architecture to provide VoIP services to all users

-- The company needed a common platform to reduce overall communication cost.

"E-mail is good communication tool but it does not facilitate real-time collaboration. Hence a lot of decisions invariably get delayed. And because it was the back bone of our communications, mail volume grew exponentially," says Arvind G. Tawde, senior. VP and CIO, Mahindra & Mahindra. The IT team knew it had to find a less expensive way to connect the company's employees. "Multiple communication devices and the cost of inter-company communication was high," says Tawde. "What we needed was a common platform to reduce overall communication cost. Our objective was to create a unified communication platform which would enable users to collaborate at anytime, anywhere and on any device including computers, laptops, PDAs, IP and analog phones," says Tawde.

Soon, other communication media was added to the platform including traditional telephony, IP telephony, video conferencing, and audio/video calling.

The team also had to ensure that the solution was user-friendly. "The younger generation is more exposed to new technologies and is heavy user of collaboration tools, while the older generation is comparatively less IT savvy. The solution needed to be easy to use to facilitate effective deployment across all segments," says Tawde.

Today M&M staffers can collaborate using IM, online file sharing and real-time editing, user presence and search, audio conferencing, on-demand video conferencing and multi-party engagements. "It is a single server architecture to provide VoIP services to all users. We have provided 100 VoIP connections for enhanced calling features and international calling." Tawde says.

The result of this single platform has been substantial cost savings and improved employee productivity. Staffers no longer have to travel or trawl through e-mail trails. With dependence on e-mail diminishing, the volume of e-mails has also reduced. The company has also eliminated the need for multiple communication devices and its staffers can still multi-task better.

BIA: Future Proofing on Converged Networks

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 19:00:20 -0500

CIO 100 Winner: Bengaluru International Airport aims at making itself one of the most modern airports equipped with state-of the-art information and communication facilities in the world.

Highlights

-- BIA utilizes state-of the-art information and communication facilities to meet the challenge of modernization.

-- Some of the initiatives - installing IPTV across its campus, converging IP network would help.

The next step is to equip the airport with mobile check-ins -- allowing passengers to check in using their Web-based mobile phones

And to get there, S. Francis Rajan, head-ICT, BIAL, consistently comes up with innovative communication technology implementations. Installing IPTV across its campus was one of them. "But, the roll out of IPTV by TRAI approved operators in Bangalore had taken more time than expected. And we had to create a master TV infrastructure if we wanted BIAL to stay ahead," says Rajan.

To take the TV content feed outside the terminal building is a challenge as the airport needed to run coaxial cable across the campus. So, he decided to converge his IP network. "Now we are geared to deploy IPTV as we have a converged IP network across campus and hence IPTV content can be delivered to any office in the BIAL campus on a separate VLAN," says Rajan.

But Rajan didn't want to stop with just that. He also wanted to equip the airport with mobile check-ins - allowing passengers to check in using their Web-based mobile phones - which is a concept only a handful of airports around the world have. The converged network would help them deliver this in the future. "If the security mandate does allow mobile check-ins, then BIAL would be off the blocks with a few international airlines that have the facility for selective routes," he says.

Also, the IATA has an ongoing 'simplify the business' initiative and the mandate is for all airlines operating in India to conform to 2D bar code standards by 2010. IP convergence has made that possible for the airport. BIAL is the first airport to deploy 2D bar code scanners to accept gate check-ins.

But getting there wasn't easy. "This is a new experience for all airlines in the country and for other stakeholders and acceptance of this mode was a challenge. Convincing the management and the board was another issue, but thanks to the confidence reposed by the management, we could see the fruits of our labor," says Rajan.

The project has not only helped the airport become the first one to comply fully with the IATA's mandate but also future-proofed it to accept mobile check-in, the next wave of travel.

Indian Bank Consolidates Data Centers, Saves Costs

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:43:35 -0500

Kotak Mahindra Bank, was established in 1986. Today it has over 450 offices (including offsite branches and ATMs) and a customer base of over 6.4 million. The company was scrambling to cope up with the dizzying speeds at which it was growing. The bank and the rest of the group's companies couldn't curb mushrooming datacenters, all entwined in a sprawled network infrastructure.

Highlights

-- Despite migration of datacenters to a single one, there was no need for different businesses to change their IP addresses and application URLs.

-- With the help of a path-breaking technologies, IT resources can be used optimally used among group companies and across different shifts, reducing real estate and power costs

With 10 datacenters and 5,000 users scattered all over Mumbai, Sanjay Belsare, head-IT infrastructure, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and his team decided to set it all right. A nine storey, five-lakh-sq.ft. facility was setup in a suburb in Mumbai. "We consolidated the datacenters and converged the data and voice network across Kotak Mahindra Bank and other group companies," says Belsare.

Each entity continues with its existing architecture, which blends into the converged architecture Belsare deployed. Despite migration of datacenters to a single one, there was no need for different businesses to change their IP addresses and application URLs. Also, group companies can follow their own operational, compliance and regulatory processes and within a consolidated infrastructure, thereby saving costs.

But because the IT team deployed emerging, cutting-edge technologies, there were some teething issues. These were resolved by the company's internal team. "With the help of a path-breaking technologies, IT resources can be used optimally used among group companies and across different shifts, reducing real estate and power costs," says Belsare. The project cost about Rs 15 crore (US$3.2 million) and went live in April this year. "We expect to achieve ROI in about 13 to 24 months," says Belsare.

Post the deployment, the group saw an increase in employee collaboration, productivity and efficiency due to wireless LAN mobility across all floors. Moving resources from one group company to the other has also become a lot easier than before. Quite obviously, the project has invigorated the IT backbone of Kotak Mahindra Bank and the other companies of the group, equipping them to cope better with business growth.

Carzonrent Sets Industry Standard With Web Platform

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:38:29 -0500

Carzonrent is one of India's largest car rental companies with over 5,000 cars and operations in 13 cities. It offers end-to-end, long- and short-term car rental solutions to individuals and corporates but is also well known for spearheading the organization of the car rental sector.

But back when Carzonrent launched in 2000, the taxi business in India looked very different. It was disorganized and had none of services that consumers have come to expect today including reservations systems, call centers, and polite, punctual drivers. "A few years ago," says R.K. Vij, CEO, Carzonrent India, "India had only metered or non-metered taxis. A non-metered taxi was called 'rent a car' but it was not really the same thing." The company wanted to change that. It wanted to build a technology-driven, nationally networked car rental company and re-shape the industry.

The Business Case

But before it could get there, the company first needed to change the way the sector - and it - did business. Bookings, for example were, managed manually over the phone, or via fax and e-mail, all of which led to bloated costs and lengthy lead times. Customer invoicing was also done manually, which also resulted in increased operational costs. Worse, the company's standalone applications were not integrated with its payment gateway, giving it little control over payments and cash flow.

"Traditionally, players in the industry used paper registers for reservations," says Vikas Marwah, COO, operations, Carzonrent, alluding to a problem that defined the sector's pandemic lack of refinement. "We decided to break from this league because we were an organized enterprise and wanted to set some new ground rules."

The prevailing decentralized approach also impacted Carzonrent's ability to use its fleet of cars optimally. Different locations ran their own cars separately, making reservation tracking impossible. Rajesh Munjal, head-IT, Carzonrent, witnessed how these inefficiencies are into Carzonrent's revenues. "Our cost per reservation was prohibitive. And credit cards were charged post-service, which resulted in huge revenue loss," he recalls.

Highlights

-- Carzonrent wanted to become a technology-driven, nationally networked car rental company and re-shape the industry.

-- A solution was project INSTA, a Web-based platform that was a sophisticated online reservation management and billing system.

In addition to a 35 percent jump in business volume, drastic reduction in operating cost, it has also resulted in a substantial reduction in communication costs, greater control over the business, and more efficiency.

The Project

The need to fix these issues formed the first glimmers of project INSTA, a Web-based platform that was commissioned in 2008. The project's immediate mandate was to be a sophisticated online reservation management and billing system. On the reservation front, it would give the rental company's customers a way to book themselves cars on their own. And on the billing front it set out to create an integrated payment gateway which would enable the pre-authorization of payments (at the time of reservation) and full charging at the end of a rental. But the system needed to do this across a gamut rental types including chauffeur driven cars, self-driven cars, and cars used for airports drops, among others. It also needed to be scalable and provide real-time information to all the company's offices including the allocations of cars, invoices, and collection.

The First Steps

If the car rental business looks simple from the outside, it is actually quite complex due to of a number of permutations in client requests. "Every individual unit offers different packages to meet customer needs. We had to align the application with all those needs," says Munjal.

This forced him to build multiple functionalities in the system. These included functions that allowed users select their own service and batch requests from corporates, and functions that enabled pre-authorization and online charging of credit cards. Other modules dealt with services that were specific to individual units or customer needs and some to support the business. These challenges were accompanied by a significant change management test since INSTA needed to be implemented at all the company's locations. "Convincing the frontline and operational teams on the benefits of a Web-based reservation system was tough," says Munjal. "It was like changing the way car rental business works. Operations were happy using physical registers and standalone applications." Over time Munjal and other top executives rode past these speed bumps allowing for the implementation of INSTA in a phased manner. Today, it is used at over 50 locations including contact centers, branch offices.

The Bottom Line

Carzonrent invested over Rs. 40 lakhs (US$85,128) in INSTA but it has helped it improve reservation levels significantly. "This deployment has helped us bag very prestigious global accounts. We've seen a 35 percent jump in business volume, while being able to reduce operating cost drastically," says Munjal.

It has also resulted in a substantial reduction in communication costs, greater control over the business, and more efficiency. "INSTA helps us with the yield management of our fleet. It helps us frame our pricing policies and fleet usage practices. We have been also able to achieve higher productivity with the same manpower," says Munjal.

INSTA also opened the door for more possibilities. "Over time, we integrated the payment gateway with MasterCard, Visa and American Express. This has provided a cutting-edge to our business. Customers can log on to our micro-site and get direct car allotment or retrieve their invoices and account statements. There is greater transparency," says Marwah.

And in the long run, it's helping the company live up to its promise to re-define the industry.

Can Google Generate Buzz in the Enterprise?

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:23:32 -0500

Google dove into the deep end of social networking this morning with the announcement of Google Buzz. In addition to providing a platform for users to share information, status updates, pictures, and videos with their social network, Google also wants enterprises to embrace Buzz as a business tool.

Google Buzz is an ambitious project for Google, but then Google doesn't ever seem to take on projects that don't challenge established rules and paradigms. Google also seems to be on a quest to dominate every facet of technology, and not at all content to leave the lucrative and exploding social networking market to the likes of Facebook and Twitter.

Google co-founder and president Sergey Brin explained how Google Buzz could provide value in an enterprise. He described a scenario he encountered while writing an op-ed article for the New York Times. Brin wanted to include a broader viewpoint than his own opinion, so he posted the draft article in Google Buzz and quickly generated 50 or more responses, enabling his social network to collaborate in real-time and compress the timeframe normally required for editing and feedback.

The ability to collaborate in real-time is an aspiration for many enterprise solutions. Unified communications platforms like Microsoft Office Communications Server 2007 R2 integrate with Microsoft SharePoint, Microsoft Live Meeting, and other tools to enable peers and partners to work together online in real-time. Google Docs also strives to deliver real-time collaboration, and Google recently acquired AppJet to redefine real-time updates and improve the responsiveness of Google Docs.

Google incorporated real-time Twitter results into searches on the Google Search Appliance back in December. Google product manager Cyrus Mistry stated "Social information is important for businesses: employees searching for information needed to do their jobs benefit from real-time news too. They might be developing a new breakfast cereal, or designing a marketing plan for a clothing line, or writing strategy report for a political campaign. In all of these cases, understanding what is being said just as Twitter users are saying it can be invaluable."

One hiccup facing Google in delivering an integrated social networking experience as a business tool is that many of the popular consumer products do not work with Google Apps Premier Edition. Users on Google Apps Premier e-mail accounts are forced to log out, and log-in using their personal Gmail account in order to access services like Picasa.

On one level that makes sense. There are security and privacy concerns related to social networking, and IT administrators have to be cautious about exposing the network to risk, and the potential for sensitive information being compromised via social networks.

On the other hand, social networking is a valuable tool for businesses to leverage for marketing, public relations, and customer support. Organizations of all sizes are struggling to define the role of social networking in the workplace so it makes sense that Google would draw a line in the sand between its enterprise and consumer offerings.

A tool like Google Buzz, however, relies on the web of connections users have established in their social networks, and loses much of its appeal without the ability to integrate Picasa, YouTube, and other such services. Users don't want to have to manage dual personas, so Google needs to figure out how to integrate the enterprise and consumer services, but provide IT administrators with the tools necessary to restrict or deny access.

Google is rolling out Google Buzz to all Gmail accounts beginning today, but when asked when Google Buzz for enterprise can be expected, the panel of Google execs said there is no established ETA beyond just "soon".

Hopefully Google Buzz, and its enterprise counterpart, can live up to the hype better than recent Google revolutions like Google Wave or the Nexus One.

Tony Bradley tweets as @Tony_BradleyPCW, and can be contacted at his Facebook page.

Google Gives In On Nexus One Fees, Support

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:21:46 -0500

Google may be busy buzzing about new services this week, but behind the scenes, the G-Team is quietly working to fine-tune its last major endeavor.

I'm talking, of course, about the Nexus One. Google has made a handful of significant changes to its first self-sold Android phone over the past several days, slowly but surely responding to criticism and adjusting its approach. From slicing supersized fees to expanding support options, Google seems focused on fixing the negative perception that surrounded the phone's launch.

Google's Nexus One Early Termination Fee

First, the fees: When the Nexus One entered the world, it didn't take long for people to realize this baby was a bit different. Thanks to the atypical sales setup of the subsidized phone -- you're buying the handset from Google, but using it with T-Mobile -- the contract essentially doubled up on early termination fees.

The problem was that both Google and T-Mobile were piling on their own fees: $350 from Google and $200 from T-Mobile if you decided to bail early. All combined, then, you'd face a whopping $550 in penalty charges for cancelling your service within the first four months.

No matter how you look at it, that's a lot of shekels. Even the much-maligned AT&T charges only $175 for cancelling an iPhone contract early, and Verizon's recently doubled rate still reaches only the $350 mark. Heck, the Nexus One itself doesn't even cost $550 -- you can buy the thing unlocked for $529.

Customers weren't the only ones complaining about the oddly high demand; the FCC also started asking questions. Now, Google has changed its game, cutting its fee by more than 50 percent down to $150. T-Mobile's $200 early termination charge still stands, meaning the grand total for getting out of a Nexus One contract within the first four months is now $350 -- the same as what you'd pay on Verizon.

Nexus One Customer Support

Google's other about-face comes in a highly criticized area of its Nexus One approach: customer service. Initially, the phone was supported primarily through an online forum operated by Google. Customers complained about having to wait multiple days for responses; attempts to contact either HTC or T-Mobile directly, users said, left them in a maze of endless call-transfers and cross-company referrals.

Google seemingly listened to the gripes: The company has set up a toll-free support line for Nexus One ordering issues and has also posted a number for technical support via HTC. Both hotlines have live agents available -- and, despite some strange rumors that the operators are actually all goats, communication doesn't seem to be a problem.

Google's Smartphone Future

Farm fun aside, the Nexus One fix-it list rolls on: The phone recently received an over-the-air update that delivered native multitouch functionality and a handful of other software improvements. The improvements included a tweak to eliminate 3G connectivity issues as well as a new synchronization-ready version of the Google Maps Android app.

Following the Nexus One's first week in the wild, I suggested that if Google could fix its customer support and connectivity problems, it might just be sitting pretty. As I pointed out at the time, the Nexus sales estimates may not be through the roof -- but the goals surrounding the phone are likely far broader than any raw numbers can measure.

The Nexus One marks the beginning of a new kind of distribution model headed up by Google. At its launch, Google's Android team hinted at the future growth in mind for the company's new platform-centric phone store. With the initial kinks slowly coming under control, I suspect we'll soon start to see how those big picture goals could begin playing out.

JR Raphael frequently covers mobile technology for both PCWorld and eSarcasm, his geek-humor getaway. He's on Facebook: facebook.com/The.JR.Raphael

Cut in Line for Google Buzz

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:02:25 -0500

So you're pining for Google Buzz, the social-feed addition to Gmail, but you're tired of hitting F5 every 30 seconds to see if it's on your Gmail. Here's how you can try out Google Buzz, get a head start on all your similarly Buzz-less buddies, and, of course, take one more step to Internet infamy by beating the Twitter mob to the punch.

Stick To Your Smartphone

Just because you don't have the Buzz tab added to your Gmail account yet doesn't mean you can't take Buzz for a spin with your smartphone. In most cases, you should be able to simply open up the Google Buzz homepage in your mobile browser and start spamming your buddies with geolocated Buzzes.

Some users have reported difficulty with the Buzz Web app but had no problem Buzzing from the Google Maps mobile Web app. I had no difficulty accessing Google Buzz through the iPod Touch's mobile Safari browser, but it didn't work quite so well for a handful of people using Android phones here at the PCWorld offices.

Since most people don't have full Google Buzz functionality yet, your stream is going to be limited mostly to text comments; the Web app doesn't seem to include support for attaching phone-camera pictures, for example, though YouTube links are embedded just fine. The geolocation features and the Google Maps layer are working, so you can see who else is Buzzing around you. You can also start building your Followers list by going through your Contacts.

Spoof Your User Agent

If you don't have a smartphone handy, you can still play around with some Google Buzz features by spoofing your user agent--basically, telling Google's Web server that you're actually an iPod Touch or an iPhone, so it will show you the Web app instead of the Google Buzz splash page that PC browsers get.

First, download Safari if you don't already have it, open it up, and click on the gear icon in the upper-right corner. Click the Advanced tab and check the box at the bottom that says Show Develop menu in menu bar. Close the dialog box, click the gear icon again, and check Show Menu Bar; then choose the Develop menu, User Agent, Mobile Safari 3.1.2 iPod Touch (or iPhone). Now, all Web sites will treat you as an iPhone--including Google Buzz.

From here, just open up the Google Buzz homepage, and you'll get a king-sized version of the mobile Web app. One caveat: Since your PC doesn't have the GPS information that Google Buzz is looking for, you won't be able to specify your location, and the Google Maps buzz layer probably won't work for you. However, you can still comment on all visible Buzzes and post your own.

Buzz Through Your Profile

You have another way to start using Google Buzz's PC browser-based features without using their smartphone apps, but note that it means you can only edit your Following list, view Buzzes, and comment or "Like" other Buzzes. Since Google Buzz is tied into Google's existing Profiles app (which is, in turn, tied into Google Reader, Picasa, and a whole host of other Google Apps), you can actually access limited Google Buzz functionality through a Google Profile.

You need to start with the URL of a public Buzz--my test Buzz, for instance--and click "Like" or "Comment". If you are already signed into your Google account, it will ask you to go through the normal Google Profile creation process. If you have one and it isn't Public (indexed in Google's search results), it will give you the option of changing it to a Public profile to continue. You need a profile with a first name, last name, and picture to participate in Buzz.

Once you successfully add your Google Profile to Buzz, you'll be able to view and edit the list of people you're following, and view the list of people following you. Google Buzz sticks to a Twitter-like following mode, meaning that people can follow you without your approval. If you want to block users, you'll have to do it from their Google Profile page, not from the Buzz Followers list.

Patrick Miller is a staff editor for PC World. Find him off-duty @pattheflip.

ATI Introduces Radeon HD 5570, Targets Small Desktop PCs

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:01:41 -0500

Following up the recent launch of its Radeon HD 5450, ATI today announced the Radeon HD 5570. This new card supports DirectX 11 and OpenGL 3.2, and is designed with small-form-factor desktop PCs in mind.

ATI pushes the Radeon HD 5570 as an energy-efficient, high-performance card. The company clams that the new card can provide "up to a 60 percent performance improvement over the closest competing product in its class" (presumably, other cards geared toward compact desktop PCs) and that it uses 45 watts at when under a full processing load.

The Radeon HD 5570 may be a good choice if you're interested in building a home theater PC with full 1080p HD video playback and support for HDMI 1.3a with Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio.

Like other new ATI cards, the Radeon HD 5570 supports ATI's Eyefinity technology, and lets you drive three monitors off one card. The Radeon HD 5570 can also handle software that makes use of OpenCL, though you'll have to wait until OpenCL drivers ship later this year.

Pricing and availability has yet to be announced, but in the meantime you can learn more by visiting the Radeon HD 5570 product page.

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Valentine's Day apps for iPhone

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:41:44 -0500

Love is in the air as Valentine's Day approaches. If you prepare carefully, love can also be on your iPhone. I looked at a trio of Valentine's Day-themed apps. My advice? Stick with roses and chocolates.

I recognize that the $1 LoveAffinity from Antonio Curci is most likely meant to be charming and cute, but I found it neither. The app purports to calculate a numerical "affinity" score for you and your (potential?) beloved, based on your zodiac signs and what the app calls "other things"--which I chose to interpret as "other nonsense."

You tap in your name, your loved one's name, and your respective dates of birth, and the app outputs your love quotient. You can generate one for today, and one for your overall relationship. Today, my wife and I scored a 57 percent--we're apparently 64 percent overall. Of course, I'm not entirely clear what that number's supposed to mean, and I shudder to think about the V-Day battles that could ensue if you and your date try the app out and score poorly. Even as a semi-romantic gag, Love Affinity's mediocre design and total lack of genuine usefulness, coupled with its incessant suggestion that you share your affinity level on Twitter or Facebook, hardly seems worth the bother.

iFallinLove, on the other hand, is actually a bit cute. But I doubt you'll keep this $1 offering from Softly Software on your iPhone very long. (It's not iPod touch compatible, by the way).

If you're using the app solo, you'll launch it and tap the heart when you're in a place you love. From then on, when you launch the app, the bright red heart will loom large if you're near that beloved locale, but get progressively smaller the further you move away from the spot.

If you find a friend or loved one with the app, you can both tap your hearts simultaneously, and then they'll theoretically swell when you're close, and shrink when you're apart from one another. I wasn't able to test that.

iFallinLove's interface, like the app's capitalization rules, is minimal at best. There's not much to do other than tap a heart or look at it, though the latest version adds a compass-like arrow that "points you to your love" as well as the ability to send a message to your beloved. If this app sounds like it's up your alley, then by all means snag it. It couldn't hold my interest.

The free Cupidr from Stofle Designs seems to fare slightly better than the other two apps, in that it's at least a smidge more genuinely useful. The app's goal is to help you appear more spontaneously romantic to your significant other, which it accomplishes via push notifications. The idea is, every few days (you configure just how frequently), the app can send you suggestions for a new affectionate, loving gesture, ranging from cheap to expensive.

Just precisely how romantic these gestures are, or how legitimate your relationship is if your claimed spontaneous ideas were actually fed to you from a free iPhone app, strikes me as debatable. The suggestions I've gotten thus far haven't exactly bowled me over:

• "Plan a cruise to somewhere exotic: Pricey but worth it."• "Plan a hot hair balloon ride: $150."• "Take her swimming with dolphins: Depends."

The pricing information obviously isn't overly specific, and these aren't the kind of gestures that interest the mother of my children. But who can decipher the mysteries of what stirs the human heart? Besides cardiologists, I mean.

My buying advice? Get your significant other a box of chocolates. Even better? Loan him or her your iPhone so that he/she can play Frenzic for a while. Now that's love.

[Lex Friedman is a frequent contributor to Macworld.]

IBM, HP servers won't stop x86 onslaught on Unix

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 17:25:53 -0500

The announcement of high-end servers by IBM and Hewlett-Packard this week won't halt declining Unix server sales as the onslaught of x86 servers continues, analysts said on Tuesday.

IBM this week launched four Power servers that are based on its latest Power7 processor, which will support the Unix and Linux operating systems. Hewlett-Packard said it would incorporate Intel's latest Itanium chip into its Integrity servers, which will also support the Unix OS. Both the chips offer twice the performance of their predecessors, while expanding features to deliver better system reliability and uptime.

But even the new chips will have little effect on reviving the declining sales of Unix servers, analysts said. Customers are increasingly opting for servers based on x86 chips, which are getting more powerful and entering markets traditionally dominated by Unix servers.

The Unix market -- including hardware and applications -- is considered to be flat or falling with the onslaught of x86 servers into the server arena. During the third quarter of 2009, IBM was the leader in Unix server revenue with 39.5 percent market share; HP was a close second with a 29.2 percent market share. During the quarter Unix server revenue declined by 23.4 percent to $2.8 billion compared to the third quarter of 2008, according to IDC.

A lot of customers are switching to x86 servers because of lower hardware and software costs attached to acquiring and maintaining the systems, said Jim McGregor, technology strategist at In-Stat. Unix servers may offer better system performance, but they are relevant for a limited set of applications, McGregor said. Comparatively, the x86 servers have broken away from their reputation as weak performers and are now capable of running a plethora of high-end applications, McGregor said.

The Unix market remains a niche for tasks like financial processing that require high-end performance, McGregor said. Some companies invest a lot in the software for Unix servers and may stick with the existing infrastructure instead of switching to x86 servers.

But tying companies into specialized software stacks is pushing the Unix market into a corner, McGregor said. Companies are seeking flexibility and can easily acquire x86 servers off the shelf, he said. The expanding x86 software infrastructure is also a good reason for many companies to switch, analysts said.

Traditional x86 chips don't offer the RAS (reliability, availability and serviceability) features to maintain high server uptime, said Charles King, principal analyst at research firm Pund-IT. But the line is blurring as the x86 chips becoming increasingly powerful and capable, King said. There's a continuing move upward by Intel and Advanced Micro Devices, whose chips are now being used in supercomputers to process complex math calculations.

It will be interesting to see the impact of Intel's eight-core Nehalem-EX servers on Unix servers, King said. Intel claims that the Nehalem-EX server chip will be its fastest chip to date, and could push x86-based machines into the territory of high-end servers. The chip has drawn features like error correction from Intel's high-end Itanium chip.

But Unix servers will continue to maintain their reputation as robust servers for mission-critical tasks, analysts said. IBM will maintain its stronghold in the mainframe space with the Power7 servers, and HP will continue to offer Integrity servers with the Itanium chip as long as they make money, King said.

During the Power server launch, Rod Adkins, senior vice president of IBM Systems and Technology Group, said that as data collection increases, the need for faster and reliable Unix servers will grow. The Unix server market is expanding to the tune of billions of dollars, and Power systems will continue to rule the space, he said. IBM is also providing more aggressive pricing options for Unix servers to compete with x86 servers.

"The Unix market is a pretty sizeable and healthy market," Adkins said.

HP and IBM have also been successful courting customers of Sun, whose chip development program is in disarray after its acquisition by Oracle, Pund-IT's King said. Sun has provided little guidance on where its Sparc chip development program is headed, raising concerns with customers that its chip development has stalled.

Aliph Jawbone Icon, a new kind of headset

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:40:32 -0500

If you had to pick a technology, excluding software, that has caused the biggest transformation of personal productivity, what would you select?

Microsoft Office? Nope, I said not software … come on people!

Laptops? Possibly. Definitely a leading transformer for freeing us from being desk-bound, but the leading one? I think not.

OK, how about GPS? Nope, definitely huge but not the biggest. Pad- or tablet-style computers? Too soon to tell.

It would have to be the cell phone. Sorry, it is kind of prosaic, but given how much we expect to stay in touch wherever we are and how much business we do through and because of cell phones, this is perhaps the one and only truly indispensable high-tech tool.

Now, the one accessory to the cell phone that you need if you are going to make and receive calls while driving (which is definitely not recommended by me or, for that matter, by Oprah, is a headset. And what is the coolest headset? Bluetooth, of course.

Actually, Bluetooth headsets are only cool if you are in the car or on your bike. The problem is that if you go out shopping or to lunch wearing a Bluetooth headset with that flashing light stuck in your ear you're making a huge fashion faux pas; you are, in effect, announcing "I am a complete nerd," or maybe, "I wish I were on 'Star Trek'." Whatever it is you're saying, it's certain that your street cred will fall to zero.

<digression>We're in the process of selling our house. It was early evening and the light was fading and a realtor was showing a couple around. We all got talking and I realized that hidden under the realtor's hairdo was a Bluetooth headset because every few seconds, the hair on the right side of her head flared orange like a small fire was starting. The problem was that no one else could see it and I had to force myself not to start laughing because I starting wondering if someone with bad eyesight might assume she was actually on fire and whip out a fire extinguisher.</digression>

Anyway, over the last few years Bluetooth headsets have become progressively more sophisticated. Here in Gearhead I've covered a few products in the Bluetooth headset category, and the product line that has most impressed me comes from Aliph.

What makes the Aliph Jawbone devices outstanding is the company's noise suppression feature called "Noise Assassin". It works by placing a microscopic accelerometer on your cheek (it is part of the headset) to detect when you're talking. That allows the headset to measure and reduce ambient noise when you're speaking and mute the microphone while you're listening. The results are pretty impressive.

I previously reviewed two Jawbone models, the original Jawbone and the Jawbone 2 and I liked both of them, the latter being distinguished by its much smaller size.

So, what could Aliph do to beat its own success? Well, it released a new line, the Prime & EarCandy last year, which I didn't test, and then in January released the Jawbone Icon, which I've been testing for a couple of weeks.

The Icon seems slightly larger than the Jawbone 2 because, despite being shorter (45 mm compared to 51mm), it is also wider (18.25mm compared to 12.7mm). But crucially, it is lighter (the Icon weighs only 8.2 grams compared to the Jawbone 2's 10 grams).

What's very different about the Icon is the way that it attaches to your ear: As with the previous models, an over-the-ear loop is included, but this version also provides a new ear mount, something Aliph calls "earbuds."

Earbuds are springy, figure-eight-shaped, rubbery things. One loop fits over the earphone part of the Icon while the other nestles inside the fold of your outer ear. And it works! This is the most comfortable Bluetooth headset I have ever tested.

Other difference between the Icon and the older Jawbone models: the Icon is considerably less expensive at $99 (the Jawbone 2 was $129); and there are major changes in the user controls.

The Icon has done away with the press and hold to switch on and off and instead has a tiny power switch -- a much better arrangement. There's also now only a single control button on the top of the headset and the volume control has been done away with; volume is set using the handset controls and the Icon remembers the last setting and restores it when re-connected.

The control button now answers and terminates calls using a short press, and if you're not on a call, that same action also announces remaining talk time. A long press invokes the loaded "Dial App," a feature we'll get to in a moment, or, when you’re on a call, disables the Noise Assassin feature so you can show your friends just how cool the Icon is. (As with wearing a Bluetooth headset in public, demonstrating this feature at, for example, a party will cause most normal people to humor you and then drift away quickly.)

So, what of the technology in this cool package? Well, Aliph claims to have improved the noise reduction and sound quality, and I'll have to accept that for three reasons.

First, the Icon sounds just as good as its predecessors. Second, I'd need serious test gear to confirm the claims and a lot of knowledge about acoustic measurements and instrumentation, which I don’t have. Third and last, almost all of my recent cell calls have been so loaded with warbles, interference and other audible junk that no matter how good the Icon, there's nothing that can be improved. That said, the junk does sound like it is in high fidelity.

Thus it is that the Icon's sound quality is at least as good as its predecessors. But that's not all the tech in this product.

The Icon also features MyTALK, which allows you to configure two of the headset's subystems: Audio Apps and Dial Apps.

Audio Apps are collections of sound samples that can replace the default announcements made by the Icon. For example, the normal start-up sound is a cool sci-fi noise, but load the Aliph configuration application on your computer (Windows and Mac are both supported and the software uses the browser as its user interface) and plug the Icon in via the USB cable and you can change this to, for example, a nerdy sounding female voice.

These Audio Apps also change the voice used for the talk time announcement, the battery low warning, incoming call number announcement, call declined confirmation and redial confirmation.

The current Audio App choices are rather silly and include "Be Sexy -- The Bombshell", "Be Fierce -- The Rogue", and so on. On the other hand, given a big enough market, you can see the potential for voice samples from pop Icons (I might actually like to hear Austin Powers say "Yeah, baby, yeah" on start-up), or the desire to create your own, but alas, no SDK is available yet.

The other configurable subsystem is Dial Apps, which is invoked by a long press on the control button. Dial Apps can apparently (there's no documentation on this yet) do two things: The first is invoke an advanced phone function. This is limited to support for the voice dialing feature of certain phones although how this might work with my test cell phone, the excellent Verizon Droid, is a complete mystery; the MyTalk Web site is in beta and missing a lot of detail.

The other thing a MyTALK Dial App can do is simply dial numbers -- actually a very clever idea. The currently available Dial Apps can dial your carrier's 411 service or, more interestingly, call 1800FREE411, Dial2Do or Jott.

I decided to try out the Jott Dial App because I love Jott -- a service that answers your cell or regular telephone, recognizes you from your caller ID, translates your speech into text and routes the result to lists you create. That makes it possible to update your calendar or send updates to one or more of your social network accounts. You might think of Jott as a digital personal assistant. I first used the service when it was in beta and reviewed it in my Network World Web Applications Alert newsletter.

I set up a new Jott account for testing with the Icon and linked Jott to Ping.fm, a service that routes your updates to one or more social network services. I then did a long press on the control button and voilà! I was connected and said "ping f m". This recorded my voice and sent it via Ping.fm to Twitter, Plurk, and a few other microblogging sites. But if you follow me on Twitter (@quistuipater), you might have noticed the end result was the rather odd tweet, "Who is using my myTalk with the Joe Brown Icon? Let me know." ("Joe Brown" should, of course, have been "Jawbone").

Again, as of writing, there is no SDK for Dial Apps but when it is available I can imagine some cool mashups using Jott's ability to interface with Web services.

It would make it possible, for example, to create a Jott service that sends speech to text data to a Yahoo Pipes application. By only allowing certain keywords to be recognized you could have the output trigger a limited range of Web services to start and stop applications, run processes … pretty much anything you can think of.

When SDKs for both Voice Apps and Dial Apps come out it will be interesting to see just how much both in-house and third-party developers get involved. You can imagine hearing your company catch phrase or advertising jingle at start-up. Or maybe you'd rather not.

Anyway, bottom line: The Aliph Jawbone Icon is excellent. It is not only good value, but also breaks new ground in customizability. In fact, it is probably a sign of things to come as it is certain that more devices, particularly high-tech consumer products, will start to add this kind of personalization.

I'm going to have to give the Aliph Jawbone Icon a rating of 5 out of 5 -- it's that good.

Gibbs hears it all in Ventura, Calif. Connect to gearhead@gibbs.com.

Read more about anti-malware in Network World's Anti-Malware section.

3 encryption apps keep your data safe

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:28:00 -0500

Laptop computers have become mobile stores of massive amounts of information. Add to that the proliferation of removable hard drives, and it becomes crystal clear how much sensitive data is on the move in the world, most of it woefully underprotected.

Many users have tried to safeguard their data with system passwords or other mechanisms. But the cold hard truth is that those protection schemes give a false sense of security. Windows desktop passwords are easily defeated with third-party boot-up tools, which provide access to any file on a drive partition, while other tools exist that can crack passwords on most applications.

A better alternative is to protect the contents of a storage device using a reliable encryption utility, making it almost impossible for a third party to access your data files. There are several ways to do this -- some utilities will encrypt single data files, while others may encrypt directories or archives, and a few will encrypt a complete drive partition.

What you choose to encrypt is only part of the story, though. How the data is encrypted is just as important.

There are several levels of encryption available, and the major difference them is the complexity of the encryption. Simply put, the more complicated the encryption scheme, the more secure your data will be. However, before selecting the most complex, most secure encryption scheme available, you should take into account another factor -- the processing power needed to encrypt or decrypt the data. More complexity means more security, but it also equals more demands on hardware.

Until recently, an inexpensive, easy-to-use, reliable drive-encryption utility was hard to come by. Either the tools available were too complex or expensive to be used by a nontechnical individual, or they impacted performance so severely that the PC slowed to a crawl. Luckily, much has changed over the last few years, and many new and improved products have come to market.

In this roundup, I've looked at three encryption packages: Microsoft's BitLocker, PGP Corp.'s Whole Disk Encryption, and TrueCrypt from the TrueCrypt Developers Association.

BitLocker is the easiest to obtain, at least for Windows users -- it's included with the Enterprise and Ultimate versions of Windows Vista and Windows 7. TrueCrypt is an open-source freeware application that is used by several universities and nonprofit agencies. For users looking for an affordable third-party encryption product that includes support from a leading vendor, Whole Disk Encryption (at $149 per seat) is a top contender.

I installed each product on a Lenovo T61p notebook computer and a Toshiba Portege R600 ultralight notebook. I used a Fujitsu M2010 netbook to read the encrypted storage devices and encrypted files. All three systems were running Windows 7 Ultimate Edition.

I also tested each encryption product with a few Corsair USB drives of varying sizes and a 60GB external Verbatim USB hard drive.

Types of encryption

The two leading types of encryption are private key (also called symmetric key) cryptography and public key cryptography. In private key, a single key is used for both encryption and decryption. Private key algorithms are generally very fast and easily implemented in hardware, so they are commonly used for bulk data encryption.

Public key cryptography involves the use of two distinct but mathematically related keys: a public key and a private key. The public key is not secret and can be shared with anyone; it is used to encrypt data meant for the holder of the private key. The private key (or secret key) is used to decrypt any data encrypted by the public key. Public key cryptography is primarily used for e-mail messages, file attachments, digital signatures and other transaction-related processes.

Most file, directory and partition encryption products rely on private key scenarios, encrypting data files using a single secret key, which only the owner of the data knows. There are two general categories of private key algorithms: stream ciphers and block ciphers.

A stream cipher encrypts each byte of the data stream individually. Stream ciphers are commonly used for wireless communications. For example, A5, the algorithm used to encrypt GSM communications, is a stream cipher. The RC4 cipher and the one-time pad (OTP) are also stream ciphers.

On the other hand, block ciphers encrypt one block of data at a time and are used more often for data encryption. There are several block ciphers used today, all with variations in their approach, such as DES, AES, RSA and Diffie-Hellman.

Many encryption products that use block cipher encryption can integrate with a PC's Trusted Platform Module (TPM). TPM is a published specification detailing a secure crypto-processor that can store cryptographic keys that protect information. A TPM chip handles the secure generation of cryptographic keys using a hardware pseudo-random number generator. TPM also includes capabilities such as remote attestation (which creates a nearly unforgeable hash key summary of the hardware and software configuration) and sealed storage.

BitLocker

First, the good news -- BitLocker is free and does most everything a user could want. However, there's a catch: The full BitLocker product is only available with the Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions (or the Vista Enterprise and Ultimate editions), versions that are rarely installed on netbooks and seldom on notebooks. In addition, the Vista version of BitLocker lacks the ability to encrypt removable media, a very important feature now that USB key drives and external hard drives are common.

I looked at the BitLocker application included with Windows 7, which is broken down into two services: BitLocker, which works with hard drive partitions, and BitLocker to Go, which is meant for removable media.

BitLocker uses the AES encryption algorithm in cyber-block chaining (CBC) mode with a 128-bit key, combined with the Elephant diffuser for additional disk-encryption-specific security not provided by AES.

At a Glance

BitLocker

Microsoft

Price: Free (with Windows 7 Ultimate and Enterprise editions or Vista Enterprise and Ultimate editions)

The application works by encrypting a disk partition; that partition can be located on the system or on a removable device. If you are using BitLocker to secure your system's hard drive, for example, it will create a system partition (which contains the files needed to start your computer) and an operating system partition, which contains your applications, data and Windows. The operating system partition will be encrypted and the system partition will remain unencrypted so your computer can start.

BitLocker reaches its full potential on computers equipped with TPM. BitLocker can use either transparent operation mode (where the TPM automates key entry) or a user authentication mode (where the user must manually input a password). The TPM hardware detects any unauthorized changes to the pre-boot environment, including to the BIOS and master boot record (MBR). If any unauthorized changes are detected, BitLocker requests a recovery key on a USB device or a recovery password entered by hand. Either of these cryptographic secrets will decrypt the Volume Master Key (VMK) and allow the bootup process to continue.

BitLocker offers additional protection in the form of BitLocker To Go, an encryption option that can be used with removable media.

BitLocker is tightly integrated into Windows 7; it launches from the Windows 7 Control panel and includes a wizard-driven setup that simplifies configuration. To get started, I launched the BitLocker application from the Windows 7 Control panel on the Toshiba Portege and chose "Turn on BitLocker." This launched a system requirements wizard, which checked to make sure that the system was compatible with the software and listed any changes that needed to be made. In my case, BitLocker recommended that I turn on the TPM security hardware on my test system, which required me to reboot the system and enable the TPM hardware in the system BIOS.

On my Lenovo T61p, TPM was already enabled, so BitLocker was able to start the drive encryption process immediately.

As part of the encryption process, BitLocker offers a way to save a "recovery key" -- a 40-digit code provided specifically as a means to access your data if there is a problem with your system or you lose your PIN. You can save the recovery key to a USB drive or a local file, or you can print it out. The encryption process can take some time to complete -- it all comes down to the amount of data stored on the partitions, the speed of the hard disk and processor performance. The Toshiba Portege system, which had a solid-state drive with about 30GB of data, took over 3 hours to encrypt (luckily, the encryption process can run in the background). The Lenovo T61p, with 70GB of data stored on an internal 120GB hard drive, took a lot longer -- in fact, I wound up letting the encryption process run overnight.

After encrypting the drives, I found little difference in how the systems performed -- applications seemed to load as quickly, boot times remained about the same and operations such as file copying seemed just as fast. That said, there was some measurable CPU overhead when encrypting and decrypting files, but, as indicated by Windows Task Manager, it was less than 8% and was not noticeable during normal use.

BitLocker To Go

BitLocker To Go proved to be very easy to use. All you do is launch the product and create a passphrase (or use a smartcard) to encrypt/decrypt the drive. The process takes just a few minutes; like its big brother, the utility creates a 40-digit recovery key. Once configured, BitLocker To Go can automatically encrypt USB drives whenever you insert one. That tight integration with the operating system makes it extremely easy to use for removable media. The BitLocker To Go reader automatically launches when a USB drive is inserted into a system, and then it asks for the passkey to access the data stored on the device. I encrypted eight USB key drives of various sizes -- each only took a few minutes to encrypt and all worked flawlessly.

BitLocker To Go allows the removable drive to be used with other systems, such as Windows XP and Windows Vista PCs. The only catch is that the application only allows older OSes to read the data -- new data cannot be added.

BitLocker and BitLocker To Go are a great way to encrypt and protect data files on Windows 7 PCs and should be one of the first choices for mobile and home workers who want to protect their sensitive data files.

BitLocker also supports Windows Networks, and administrators can set up Windows group policies that can enforce the use of Bitlocker on removable storage devices and also encrypt the hard drives on servers and PCs -- which may be a good way to prevent data being taken off a retired piece of IT equipment, just in case the administrator forgets to properly wipe or destroy the hard drive.

TrueCrypt

If you aren't running Windows 7, or you want to use something other than a Microsoft product (and don't want to spend any money), TrueCrypt from the TrueCrypt Developers Association is pretty hard to beat.

The product matches the features offered by Microsoft's BitLocker and offers a couple of interesting additional features, such as the ability to create a virtual encrypted volume that is mounted as a drive letter or associated with a virtual folder. In other words, you can store all of your critical data files on a separate, encrypted disk volume and then access those data files by associating a drive letter with the volume and entering the associated passkey. That way you can allow others to use your PC while your sensitive data is protected from prying eyes.

At a Glance

TrueCrypt

TrueCrypt Developers Association

Price: Free

That method offers several advantages. First off, you can "hide" the encrypted volumes, so other users don't even know that they exist. You can also segregate your data files, only encrypting what you deem important. And finally, you do not need to encrypt your application or operating system files, which means the system won't take as much of a performance hit.

TrueCrypt uses several different encryption algorithms, including AES, Serpent and Twofish. Those algorithms can be combined in many different ways to create complex encryption schemes -- those looking to delve into the technical details of TrueCrypt's encryption algorithms can check out the dozens of pages of information on its Web site. I downloaded version 6.3 from the site; installation was a matter of minutes.

When I launched the application, I was presented with a concise management console that was very easy to navigate. It offered a list of drive letters (which could be associated with encrypted volumes), as well as several buttons used to mount and dismount encrypted volumes. The top of the screen offers several pull-down menus, which include features such as encrypting the system volume, creating rescue media, building keys and so on. Simply put, anything that TrueCrypt could do was right at my fingertips.

One of the first things I chose to do was encrypt my complete hard drive on my system. Selecting that option launched a wizard that made the process ridiculously easy. Like BitLocker, the encryption process ran in the background. It took about two hours to encrypt the contents of the Toshiba Portege system, almost an hour faster than BitLocker. Also, TrueCrypt used negligible amounts of CPU time, as little as 2% or 3% of processor utilization.

TrueCrypt offers several other features that are worth noting. First of all, the product comes with extensive context-sensitive help function, which does an excellent job of illustrating its capabilities and nuances -- in fact, its help is as good as that from the two other products, which have commercial vendors. Secondly, I found TrueCrypt's approach to mounting encrypted devices to be a logical and manageable process.

Simply put, when you want to access an encrypted volume, you just mount that volume with a drive letter. All you need to do then is type in your passkey to access the data. You can also make those connections persistent and automatic, so that you will not have to enter passwords or manually map drives whenever you insert an encrypted device or access an encrypted volume. While that does make things a little simpler, automating password or key entry can defeat the purpose of encryption on a portable system. However, automation does work well with removable media -- that way, when traveling with a key drive, the data is fully protected and only available when plugged into a system that contains the proper passkey.

I tested TrueCrypt's ability to work with removable media by encrypting four USB key drives. While the process was not quite as automated as with BitLocker, it still proved easy. All I had to do was insert the USB drive, select the device from the TrueCrypt menu and then launch the encryption wizard.

Unlike BitLocker, TrueCrypt does not include any type of a reader application -- that means any system that needs to read the encrypted removable media must have TrueCrypt installed. TrueCrypt automatically works with TPM and adheres to the standard.

TrueCrypt also offers a plethora of configuration settings, default options and operational choices. For example, users worried about forgetting their passkeys can create rescue media that will grant them access to an encrypted volume if needed. TrueCrypt works with Microsoft Windows 7/Vista/XP/2000; it is also available for Apple Mac OS X and Linux systems, making it a good choice for users who work with multiple platforms.

In fact, the number of choices can be overwhelming. Luckily, TrueCrypt's extensive documentation helps you to navigate through the choices -- and it's safe to say that the majority of users will only use the basic features of the product.

The only area where TrueCrypt comes up short is networking -- the product does not integrate with Windows server policies or offer the advanced networking capabilities needed by administrators looking to encrypt volumes remotely or across a LAN. Other than that, TrueCrypt is a real winner and comes at a price that can't be beat.

PGP Whole Disk Encryption

PGP Corp. has been around since 2002, but the company's roots go back to 1991, when the code base for Pretty Good Privacy (PGP) was developed. Over the years, PGP has become one of the leaders in encryption technologies. The company offers a wide variety of products that help users encrypt data files, e-mails and many other types of data. For the mobile worker and the individual user, PGP Whole Disk Protection is a very good choice for protecting the data on a hard drive.

PGP Whole Disk Encryption offers all of the same basic features as BitLocker and TrueCrypt. The management console runs as a desktop application -- similar in design to both BitLocker and TrueCrypt -- offering wizards, interactive help and tools to encrypt and decrypt data files stored on encrypted volumes.

Unlike BitLocker, which is bundled with Windows 7, and TrueCrypt, which is free, PGP Whole Disk Encryption comes with a price tag: $149 per seat. However, that price tag delivers some capabilities not found in other products.

At a Glance

PGP Whole Disk Encryption

PGP Corp.

Price: $149 per seat

For example, unlike BitLocker, PGP Whole Disk Encryption works with a number of platforms, including 32-bit and 64-bit versions of Windows 2003, XP, Vista and Mac OS X. Also, unlike TrueCrypt, PGP Whole Disk Encryption can scale for networked environments and can be managed using a networked console, the PGP Universal Gateway, which manages the keys and other enterprise aspects of the platform.

PGP Whole Disk Encryption is available as a standalone, single-user product and is also available in work group, server and managed-services editions, which allows the product to scale from a single-user solution to a large enterprise network.

The product is very easy to install. Adding encryption to a drive or device is just as simple, yet you have a great deal of control over how the product works with your data, thanks to granular menus that allow you to configure options for everything from encryption strength to target devices.

By default, PGP Whole Disk Encryption uses 256-bit AES encryption and leverages PGP's Hybrid Cryptographic Optimizer (HCO) technology. HCO uses improved algorithms and is designed to be very efficient, which helps to improve performance.

PGP Whole Disk Encryption offers many features, including the ability to use single sign-on, a technology that limits the number of times that you have to enter passwords or keys -- ideally, you will only have to enter those at the beginning of your session and then have access to all of your authorized devices without having to authenticate again.

The program also lets you create an encrypted "PGP Zip" file that you can send to others (your recipients will not need a copy of PGP to access the files). PGP also includes a secure data-shredding tool for making any deleted file unrecoverable.

PGP's whole disk functionality allows users to encrypt a complete hard drive in a single step, with no need to separately encrypt the partitions on the hard drive. That makes the concept of encryption much easier to grasp for neophyte users and also makes it easier to apply the product to portable systems.

PGP Whole Disk Protection also works with TPM, if the system is so equipped. When paired with single sign-on capabilities, PGP Whole Disk Protection works transparently, making it very easy to deploy to multiple users without generating requests for help or training.

I found the whole process very easy. Once PGP Whole Disk Protection was installed, all I had to do was launch the PGP Desktop and click on "Encrypt whole disk." The encryption process runs in the background and requires only that you input a password. It only took about two hours to encrypt my Toshiba Portege and about five hours to do my Lenovo T61p. When I rebooted the systems, a PGP screen came up asking for my password; once I entered that, the boot process continued as normal.

PGP Whole Disk Protection is adept at handling removable media. I encrypted six USB drives, and the process was very straightforward. All I needed to do was insert a fresh USB drive into the system and then launch the appropriate wizard from the PGP Desktop. You can encrypt the whole USB drive or create a Virtual Volume. A Virtual Volume allows you to create an encrypted container on the drive, which can then be mounted as a separate drive. Once the password is entered, a Virtual Volume works just like any other storage device.

The product proved to be easier to use than TrueCrypt, although not as easy as BitLocker, thanks to the PGP Desktop, which is laid out in an easy-to-understand fashion and features single-click wizards, such as "encrypt my hard drive," that eliminate many steps for the user.

PGP offers excellent documentation and support, including text and video tutorials and numerous tips.

PGP offers an upgrade path to PGP Desktop Professional, which includes encryption for e-mail and chat, as well as support for creating encrypted disk images. Users looking to encrypt more than just their hard drive contents will want to consider the move to PGP Desktop Professional, which goes for $199 for a perpetual license.

Conclusions

It has never been easier to encrypt your hard drives and removable storage devices, and the excuses not to do so are quickly evaporating. The only difficulty is choosing the correct product.

If you have the latest PC with Windows 7 Ultimate or Enterprise, it makes the most sense to stick with BitLocker and BitLocker To Go -- after all, those applications are included with the operating system. If you are comfortable with open-source products, then TrueCrypt may prove to be the best choice. It's easy to use and it's free.

Finally, if you are looking to protect multiple platforms, have access to additional encryption technologies, such as email and IM session encryption, or want to support encryption on a networked environment, then PGP's Whole Disk Encryption may be your best bet. At a price of $149, PGP Whole Disk Encryption may cost more than TrueCrypt, but it is a bit cheaper than upgrading to Windows 7 Ultimate.

Frank J. Ohlhorst is a technology professional specializing in products and services analysis and writes for several technology publications. His Web site can be found at www.ohlhorst.net.

Enable some missing Snow Leopard Services

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:26:10 -0500

When Snow Leopard first came out, I wrote about the new-and-improved Services feature, including what seemed to be a bug regarding which Services do and do not show up in the contextual menu. For example, try this experiment on your 10.6 machine. Select some text in TextEdit, then Control-click on the selection. In the contextual menu that appears, you should see three entries at the bottom of the menu: New Note With Selection, New Email With Selection, and Make New Sticky Note.

If you don't see these entries, you're experiencing the bug I discussed in the original article--which seems to be alive and well even in these days of 10.6.2. So how do you fix it? Fairly easily, thankfully. Open System Preferences, click on Keyboard, then click on the Keyboard Shortcuts tab. In the left-hand column, click on Services.

In the right-hand column, scroll down to the Messaging section, where you'll see the two entries for New Note With Selection and New Email With Selection. Both will (most likely) have check marks next to their entries; go ahead and remove that check mark by clicking the box next to each item, then click again to put the check mark back. Simply toggling the Service off then on should be enough to get it working again. Repeat this process for the Make New Sticky Note entry in the Text section, then switch back to TextEdit.

Reactivate the contextual menu on your text selection, and you should see those three entries at the bottom of the list. You can try this trick with other entries in the list of Services--for handling tasks other than text selection, for instance--but not all of them will show up in the contextual menu--apparently that's a design decision to prevent the contextual menu from getting too long. So as I wrote in the original piece, if you're looking for a Service, make sure you look at the Services menu too, as it will contain entries that you won't see in the contextual menu.

Personally, I find this behavior confusing, and wish OS X would just list all enabled Services in the contextual menu--I find it much easier to look there than to navigate up to the File -> Services menu any time I want to use a Service (that I haven't assigned to a keyboard shortcut, that is).

LinkedIn Quick Tip: How to Reorder Profile Sections

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 15:24:42 -0500

What It Is:

Last week, LinkedIn announced a new feature intended to give you more control over how you present your profile. The ability to reorder the sections in your profile, says Aaron Bronzan, associate product manager at LinkedIn, was one of the most highly requested profile features. Now, instead of adhering to LinkedIn's templated format, you can arrange the pieces of your profile (such as your summary, experience and recommendations) however you see fit.

Why It's Important:

Arranging the sections in your profile gives you the freedom to highlight the skills, experience and expertise that sets you apart from others. For example, if you lack recommendations from your peers, you may choose to move that part of your profile to the bottom. Or, if your varied work experience is what sets you apart from others, you may choose to move your experience section to the top, making it more prominent and visible to those who visit your profile.

How To Do It:Log in to your account and under "Profile" choose "Edit Profile." To the left of each section head you'll see an arrow icon. To arrange the sections, click the arrow icon and drag and drop the section to the appropriate area in your profile.

One Warning:Make sure that the order in which you arrange the sections of your profile is logical and done purposefully. "Most users like that the profile starts with a summary and ends with contact information," says Eve Mayer Orsburn, CEO of Social Media Delivered, a social media consultancy. "When users explore a profile, they come to expect that things should be in certain places," she says, so be wary of how heavily you reorder the sections.

Staff Writer Kristin Burnham covers consumer Web and social technologies for CIO.com. She writes frequently on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Google. You can follow her on Twitter: @kmburnham.

Read more about web 2.0 in CIO's Web 2.0 Drilldown.

Five sites for smart consumers

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:22:54 -0500

We all have our own opinions about politics, sports, and even technology. We all occupy our own particular neighborhoods, income brackets, and sections of the iTunes store. But the one thing we all have in common is that--whether we're buying necessities, splurging on luxuries, or dealing with everyday financial challenges--we're consumers.

As it has in so many other parts of our lives, the Internet has transformed the way we consume. We can now look up reviews, compare prices, and check on a vendor's reputation, all before we pull out our credit cards or sign on the dotted line. The Web has given us voices we didn't have in the past, to talk back to vendors and tell our fellow consumers what we think. Here are five of my favorite sites for consumer information, advocacy, and savings.

The Consumerist

The Consumerist blog, which covers a wide range of pro-consumer issues, started as a cog in the Gawker Media machine. But it eventually became so popular--and so respected--that the site was purchased by Consumers Union, the organization behind Consumer Reports. Among the most popular articles are reader reports about companies that mistreat their customers; the site has become a sort of crowd-sourced Better Business Bureau. But it also covers personal finance, the banking industry, and maintaining good credit. How influential is The Consumerist? In the past year, the site's editors have twice had sit-down interviews with White House officials about economic and consumer issues. And horror stories about vendors are often followed up with posts along the lines of, "After The Consumerist posted my letter, the CEO of Company X contacted me directly..."

ConsumerSearch.com

If you're looking for reviews of Macs, iPods, iPhones, and related products, you know where to go. But for everything else, the best place to start is ConsumerSearch. For a given type of product--say, LCD TVs--the editors at this meta-site gather review information from all over the Web, compile it into a comprehensive report (ranking each source by its credibility), and provide recommendations--best overall, best value, best budget, and more. A full report for each product type provides background information and useful buying advice.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

The CPSC site isn't pretty, and it certainly isn't fun to read, but if you're thinking of buying a product--for your child or household, or for outdoor, sports, or recreation use, in particular--the site can be invaluable, providing browsable and searchable recall information and safety tips. You can even report unsafe products yourself. The agency also publishes Web videos and occasional podcasts covering recalls and safety and buying tips, and there are RSS feeds and e-mail lists to keep you up to date on the latest safety information.

Dollars & Sense

While it focuses on the San Francisco Bay Area, you don't have to live there to get something out of the San Francisco Chronicle's Dollars & Sense blog. It provides an informative and entertaining take on real-world personal finance--sensible spending, money-saving ideas, timely bargains, and consumer advocacy. As the author puts it, the blog is about "finding new ways to inject dollars, cents, and sensibility into your everyday spending." (Disclaimer: The author of the Dollars & Sense blog is a former Macworld staff member who is married to a current Macworld staffer.)

DealMac

Part of being an informed consumer is knowing where the deals are. When it comes to sales, specials, and coupons for Mac-related products, DealMac has cornered the market. On a typical day, the site points out 70 to 100 current deals on Mac-related items--hardware, software, accessories, you name it. To make that fire-hose of information easier to digest, subscribe to the site's RSS feed, use the site's search engine, or sign up to be alerted via e-mail whenever a particular product (or type of product) is mentioned. The company that runs DealMac also runs similar sites for computer and camera memory, digital cameras, and fashion, as well as a site that gathers up coupons and online coupon codes, and a "master" site that consolidates many of the other sites' deals.

HP Pavilion dm1-1030tu

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 13:32:16 -0500

The HP Pavilion dm1-1030tu is a stylish thin and light, 11.6-inch ultraportable laptop with a slightly larger form factor than most regular 10-inch netbooks. It comes with a low voltage processor but offers better performance than any mainstream netbook available in the market these days.

Like the Pavilion dm3, the HP Pavilion dm1 is part of HP's Thinspiration range. The HP Pavilion dm1 has a 12-inch form factor, similar to some of our large screen netbook recommendations. The Pavilion dm1 has a stylish two-toned black-on-silver color scheme. Its screen lid is glossy black (with a hint of circular patterns) and the keyboard, palmrest and touchpad has a rich silver finish. The laptop's certainly good looking, and despite its slim form factor, the Pavilion dm1 is very well built and weighs a comfortable 1.5-kg--with a six-cell battery. It has a 11.6-inch LED-backlit screen which supports a maximum screen resolution of 1366x768 pixels. The screen is nice and bright, evenly lit and is good for watching movies or reading text. A 1.3MP webcam is recessed on its top screen bezel, paired with a microphone.

The Pavilion dm1's keyboard has keys similar to the kind found on the HP Mini 110-1018tu netbook. The keys are nice and big and have a slight inward curve to them--certainly unique and comfortable to type on. There's no flex to speak about and I had no problem typing on the Pavilion dm1's keyboard for a fairly long time. However, like the Pavilion dm3, the Pavilion dm1's touchpad is poor. It's fairly large and supports virtual scrolling but its smooth--a little too smooth than required--and its feedback isn't optimal. There's a learning curve involved with getting used to the HP Pavilion dm1's touchpad. In short: thumbs up to the Pavilion dm1's keyboard, but thumbs down to its touchpad.

The Pavilion dm1 is quite similar to the Acer Aspire 1410 thin and light laptop in terms of dimensions and internal hardware. The HP Pavilion dm1's offering of an Intel Pentium dual-core SU4100 1.3-GHz processor, 3GB of DDR3 RAM, and a 320GB hard drive is better than the Acer Aspire 1410's configuration. It also comes with Gigabit Ethernet, Bluetooth connectivity, three USB ports, 5-in-1 card reader, VGA-out, and audio jacks. However, the Pavilion dm1 doesn't incorporate Wi-Fi 802.11n connectivity, but it comes with an HDMI-out port--convenient to connect the Pavilion dm1 to an LCD TV or a projector to play digital content. Like the Acer Aspire 1410, the Pavilion dm1 doesn't incorporate a DVD writer, but bundles in Windows 7 Home Basic 32-bit operating system. The HP Pavilion dm1's hardware is definitely better than any netbook we've reviewed, and also the Acer Aspire 1410 for that matter.

The HP Pavilion dm1's performance, as expected from its hardware configuration, is better than any netbook. Our synthetic benchmarks revealed the Pavilion dm1 is better than the Acer Aspire One, the recently reviewed MSI X430, and similar to the Lenovo IdeaCentre C300 all-in-one desktop PC (except in terms of 3D video and graphics performance). Its dual-core processor lets you multitask more efficiently than compared to a netbook: apart from surfing the Web, listening to music, and working on spreadsheets, the HP Pavilion dm1 lets you watch movies without a hitch. We had no trouble playing smooth, stutter-free 720p HD videos. Video on the 11.6-inch widescreen is pretty good, and audio from the onboard Altec Lansing speakers (placed under the front lip, along the chassis' front edge) is better-than-average. However, the sound is muffled when you keep the Pavilion dm1 on your lap, but it sounds fine while it's perched on a desk.

The Pavilion dm1's six-cell battery lasted 2 hours 52 minutes in our battery tests, on high performance preset and full screen brightness -- that's better than the Acer Aspire 1410, but still low compared to what a mainstream netbook offers. Expect close to six hours of Web browsing over Wi-Fi on a single charge. Granted the Pavilion dm1's battery life isn't as good as a netbook, which sells for much less, but it is pretty good nonetheless.

Bottom Line

For Rs. 35,900 (US$764), the HP Pavilion dm1 superior hardware makes sure it outperforms any other netbook we've reviewed. It is slim, stylish, and easy to carry around--given its 12-inch form factor. It does have a clunky touchpad, though--so try it out before buying one. We recommend the Pavilion dm1 to anyone who wants a netbook--only with greater performance levels. It offers good battery life and is a decent pick for people interested in a thin, ultraportable laptop--without spending big bucks.

PCW RATING: 78/100 (GOOD)

Five Ways Early Adopters Have Been Screwed

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:49:15 -0500

Apple executives have hinted that an early price drop for the $500-and-up iPad may be in the works. A Credit Suisse analyst who reportedly met with Apple executives learned that Apple may slash the price of the iPad if demand for the new device is low.

For eager iPad early adopters that could turn out to be a big iBummer, but then again, the news of an iPad price drop should not be coming as a shock. Most technology companies have a history of screwing over their first batch of customers with price cuts and early upgrades, and Apple is no exception. In fact, Apple was behind one of the most famous early adopter scandals of all time.

So before you go spending your money on the first edition of the iPad, let's take a quick look back at just a few times when early adopters were left out in the cold by buying technology products before anyone else.

iPhone

Before the iPad price cut rumor, there was the infamous price drop on the original iPhone. The original Jesus phone launched to critical and popular acclaim in the summer of 2007, with a 4GB model for $500 and an 8GB model for $600. Sales were strong with customers standing in line for hours to get their hands on the device, and iPhones were quickly sold out across the U.S. But by September Apple decided it wanted to sell more devices, so the company dropped the price of the 8GB iPhone by $200 and discontinued the 4GB model altogether.

The end result was that not only did some customers pay more money to get the iPhone, but those initial customers who bought the 4GB iPhone paid a premium for a piece of technology that became obsolete just three months after purchasing it.

"When someone tells you that what you just bought from them isn't really worth the price you paid and they don't even offer it anymore, you felt cheated," one dissatisfied iPhone customer told PC World shortly after Apple announced the iPhone price drop in 2007.

To make up for it, Apple offered a $100 credit to eligible iPhone early adopters, which went a long way to quell customer outrage. However, at least one lawsuit was filed against Apple as a result of the company's abnormally quick price cut.

Blu-Ray

Anyone who's old enough to remember the VHS-Betamax format wars knew the HD DVD versus Blu-ray format war wasn't going to be pretty for early adopters. By early 2008, Blu-ray had won and HD DVD customers were left holding the bag, but it wasn't all fun and giggles for Blu-ray users either. You see HD DVD players came with some great features like picture-in-picture, storage capacity and an Internet connection. But those features didn't hit Blu-ray players until 2007 and 2008 with the minimum Blu-ray disc requirements and BD Live, Blu-ray's Internet connected features.

And guess what happened? Most of those early Blu-ray units couldn't be upgraded to the new software. Well, there was one device that would accept the upgrade: Sony's PlayStation 3. But anyone who bought a Pioneer, Samsung, or Panasonic device before then, while still able to play Blu-ray discs, was left out of the BD Live party. And just to add salt to the wound, Beta News reported that BD Live developers had this to say about Blu-ray 1.0 adopters: "They knew what they were getting into." Ouch. 

Tivo Down Under

Australian Tivo early adopters got a rude awakening after Tivo's 2008 introduction to the Land Down Under. When Tivo first launched in Australia it had a limited hard drive and networking features and you couldn't skip over ads, according to Australian PC Authority. The device cost $700 Australian dollars (AUD), plus you needed to get an $80 AUD Wi-Fi adapter, and at the time Tivo promised Australian users they would be able to purchase an upgrade in the coming months for "tens of dollars." The coming upgrade was supposed to allow you to archive recordings, and access music, videos and photos from computers in your home network.

When the upgrade finally did come it cost a whopping $199, meaning early Tivo adopters paid close to $1000 AUD for their device.

Wal-Mart Music Downloads

Wal-Mart launched its music download service in 2004, and like most digital downloads during that time the music came with DRM copy protection. By 2008, Wal-Mart decided to drop DRM, but all those customers who had been loyally buying up DRM-filled music loaded were told that after October 9, 2008 Wal-Mart was shutting down its DRM servers that made it possible for you to transfer your music between devices. So consumers had a choice: burn all your purchased music onto a CD or eventually lose it. Of course, Wal-Mart wasn't the only company to shaft early adopters of digital music; Microsoft did it with its PlaysForSure (now that's irony) licensing servers, and Yahoo did with its Unlimited Music Store. Apple in 2007 dropped DRM from its iTunes music store, but you can still hold on to your music to this day and Apple will also let you upgrade your DRM music to DRM-free for a nominal fee.

Kindle 2 and DX

Some people probably thought they were being so smart by waiting for the second iteration of the Kindle to come out before jumping into the e-reader gadget game. When the Kindle 2 was first introduced in February, it seemed like the right time to purchase. The second Kindle had new features like annotation and adjustable text sizes, as well a slimmer profile and better physical controls. It looked like the perfect time to buy until three months later when Amazon announced the larger-sized Kindle DX. Some Kindle 2 early adopters felt betrayed, and were upset that the company didn't even mention the Kindle DX was coming. I wonder how they felt in July, just five months after the Kindle 2 was launched, when Amazon knocked $60 off the price of the Kindle 2. I guess early adopters of the Kindle 2 just couldn't catch a break in 2009.

So unless you're an absolute technology nut, and understand the risks going in, it just doesn't pay to be part of that first crowd of gadget buyers. And this time with so many rumors about an iPad price drop, and a clear history of price drops with the iPhone, it will be hard to feel sorry for early adopters if the iPad has a super cheap price tag by the summer.

An Early Adopter Theme Song

Connect with Ian on Twitter (@ianpaul).

iPhone 4G: Rumored Parts Suggest a Slightly New Design

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 12:26:48 -0500

An iPhone repair shop claims to have replacement parts for the iPhone 4G, which leave open some interesting possibilities about the rumored device.

Let's get the caveats out of the way: These parts come from an unnamed supplier, not Apple, so they could be fake, or just a prototype. iResQ doesn't believe the parts are fake, as they come from a source that's proven reliable in the past, but acknowledges that the iPhone 4G's design could change.

iResQ says the iPhone 4G front panel is 1/4-inch longer than its predecessors, but the screen appears to be the same size. Also of note is a "reflective, mirror-like surface," located directly above the speaker. iResQ speculates that the iPhone's proximity sensor, which shuts off the screen when you're making a call, will be housed in the new location above the speaker, instead of next to it.

If these parts are the real deal, something's brewing. I wouldn't expect the iPhone 4G to be drastically different than its predecessors, but there must be reasons for a longer phone with a repositioned component on the front panel.

Last month, Korea Times reported that the iPhone 4G will have a removable battery, an OLED screen, a dual-core processor, more powerful graphics and an improved camera. Video chat will also be supported, the report said, though it didn't specifically mention a front-facing camera.

A longer phone could make room for some of those new internals. What's also interesting about iResQ's front panel is that there's still a hole to the left of the phone's front speaker, where the proximity sensor is located now. If the reflective surface above the speaker merely houses the proximity sensor, why does the hole to the left of the speaker still exist? To thicken the plot, a fuzzy alleged iPhone photo that surfaced last month shows a tiny, ambiguous white dot to the left of the speaker.

If Apple launches a new iPhone this year, as it has every year since 2007, it'll likely happen at the World Wide Developers Conference in June, the same venue where Apple introduced the iPhone 3GS last year. Until then, anything's possible.

Rumor: Core i7 Coming Soon to MacBook Pro?

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:12:15 -0500

Rumors are hinting that an upgrade to Apple's MacBook Pro notebook line could be coming in the near future. The rumor comes courtesy of French site Nowhere Else, which claims that Apple will reveal updated Macbook Pro's featuring Intel's newest Core i7 chips. '

The timing of the rumor coincides with the opening of Macworld Expo, though Apple will be no-show at this year's show.

Nowhere Else claims that an insider at Apple has confirmed the existence of the new laptops.

Meanwhile, a recent benchmark test spotted on the Geekbench Web site is fueling more speculation. The benchmark in question lists a system that identifies itself as a MacBookPro 6,1, a currently unused model identifier.

The Geekbench listing for the mysterious '6,1' system details that the it has a 2.66GHz Core i7 processor, and runs an unreleased build of Mas OS X (10.6.2 Build 10C3067; the current release is 10.6.2 build 10C540). Current MacBook Pros carry 5,x identifiers, and are built around the Core 2 Duo processor.

In past years, Apple has used Macworld Expo to launch a number of high-profule products, including iTunes, Safari, the Macbook Air, and the iPhone. But with no keynote planned and a media event having taken place only two weeks ago, any product announcement would likely be a quiet one.

The anonymous insider tip-off seems unlikely, and Nowhere else has a spotty track record when it comes to rumor accuracy, but other recent rumors, the mystery benchmark report, and the fact that it's been several months since the last MacBook Pro update, do swing things in the report's favor. In either case, watch this space.

[via T3]

Follow GeekTech and Chris Brandrick on Twitter.

Cure an Insomniac PC and Other Tips

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 11:07:30 -0500

As you probably know by now, I just love a good keyboard shortcut. This week I've got a few new ones for you--but first I'll solve The Case of the Mysterious Waking Laptop.

Fix a Computer That Won't Stay Asleep

My buddy Doug had a problem with his laptop: After putting it to sleep (into Standby mode), he'd come back a while later to find it wide awake.

There are countless culprits for this kind of behavior: an accidental swipe of the mouse, a scheduled system task, and any number of other weird settings that reside in Windows' power options.

Doug spent considerable time poring through those options, trying to pin down the system's insomia, but none of the sleep or hibernate settings seemed to remedy the situation.

As it happens, there's another place to look: the settings for the Ethernet adapter. (Doug's machine was plugged directly into his router). Here's how we solved Doug's problem, maybe it'll help you if you've got a similar issue:

Open the Windows Device Manager. Click the plus sign next to Network adapters, then find the Ethernet adapter for your system. (On my system, it's called Broadcom Netlink Gigabit Ethernet.) Right-click the adapter name and choose Properties. Click the Power Management tab, then clear the checkbox next to "Allow this device to wake the computer." Click OK, then restart the computer.

That may or may not solve your problem, but it definitely did the trick for Doug. As it turned out, any kind of Internet access--either inbound or outbound--was causing the system to wake from Standby mode. But by disabling the Ethernet adapter's support for that capability, the system should stay asleep.

Use Keyboard Shortcuts for Faster Aero Snapping

Did you know you can use Windows 7's cool Aero Snap feature to simplify file management? Just open two instances of Windows Explorer, then place them side by side by dragging the windows to opposite edges of the screen. Even better, you can use keyboard shortcuts to do this. Instead of dragging each window to a screen edge, waiting for it to half-maximize, letting go the mouse button, and repeating with the other window, all you need is the Windows key.

Tap Windows-Left Arrow to snap any selected window to the left side of the screen. Naturally, tapping Windows-Right Arrow snaps the selected window to the right side. (This comes in especially handy if you use multiple monitors, as you can't drag a window to the right edge of your lefthand screen or the left edge of your righthand screen.)

While we're on the subject, Windows-Up Arrow maximizes the selected window, while Windows-Down Arrow returns it to its previous location and size.

Make the Most of Your Home and End Keys

Many folks never bother to lay a finger on the Home and End keys--and that's a mistake. Here are three places the Home and End keys come in very handy:

In Outlook: While in Mail view, a tap of the End key jumps you to the bottom of your Folders list, Inbox, or individual message (depending on which pane is selected). Tapping Home jumps you back up top.

In Word: I'd wager Home and End were created with word processors in mind, as most such programs--including Word, of course--make valuable use of them. Tapping End moves your cursor to the end of a line, while Home moves it to the beginning. Ctrl-Home and Ctrl-End, meanwhile, jump you to the top and bottom of your document, respectively.

In Your Web Browser: Borrowing from word processors, Web browsers use Home and End to jump to the top and bottom of a Web page. The only difference: no Ctrl key required.

Move Paragraphs in Word Using Only Your Keyboard

Every time I think I've mastered all the coolest keyboard shortcuts, along comes another one that somehow flew below my radar.

For example, like many folks, I spend a considerable amount of time using Microsoft Word. And I thought I knew all the best shortcuts, like using the Home and End keys to jump my cursor around a document, and, of course, the venerable cut/copy/paste commands. But here's one more great pair of shortcuts for folks who prefer to keep their fingers on their keys and off their mouse: Alt-Shift-Up Arrow and Alt-Shift-Down Arrow.

When you place your cursor anywhere inside a paragraph and press either key combination, that paragraph jumps up or down, effectively switching places with the paragraph above or below it.

Rick Broida writes the PCWorld Hassle-Free PC blog . Sign up to have Rick's newsletter e-mailed to you each week .

Barcodescan Pro for iPhone

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:32:36 -0500

Judging by their growing presence in the App Store, it's clear that barcode scanning apps have struck a nerve with some iPhone users. I recently reviewed RedLaser and found it to be quite useful and fun to use. I thought I would give IDC's $5 Barcodescan Pro a spin next. Unfortunately, I was less than impressed considering that the more reasonably priced $2 RedLaser usually produces superior results.

Barcodescan Pro reads bar codes well enough with the iPhone 3GS's camera but it fails miserably on my wife's older 2G iPhone. (The 2G and original 3G models use a lower quality, fixed focus lens.) Even on the 3GS, grabbing a barcode takes a steady hand, and the app is not as responsive as RedLaser, which also works reasonably well with the previous iPhone models. So, if you have an iPhone 2G or 3G, or an iPod touch, forego the $5 Barcodescan Pro and get the free version of Barcodescan, which is identical to the Pro version except that it lacks a scanner. Instead, you type in the UPC, EAN, or ISBN number. (It seems like a misnomer to call a product Barcodescan when it doesn't actually scan anything; on the bright side, iPod touch owners are better able to use the free version of Barcodescan.)

Once you've captured an item, either by scanning the barcode or by typing it in, Barcodescan returns a wide range of information about the product, including its name, photo and description, price ranges, and reviews; you also get Google and Amazon links to the item. While the breadth of data you get is greater than that provided by RedLaser, I don't think the majority of that information is all that useful. For example, why use up limited screen space with a paragraph of product info when the item is most likely already in your hands? If you're an impulse shopper, then the ratings and price range info can be nice to have. But if you're like me, you've already done your research at this point.

Additionally, if you allow Barcodescan to use your device's location info, it displays the location where you snapped the barcode and plots it on a Google map. While sometimes I may want to know that I snapped a barcode at, say, Borders or Best Buy, Barcodescan only displays an approximate physical address. A text field where I could just type in a store's name would be simpler and more useful.

Luckily, the app groups its info within little collapsible widgets, letting you collapse the categories that don't interest you. However, once I've collapsed all the widgets that I find unnecessary, there's not much left to view.

Barcodescan's biggest weakness is its display of comparative prices. RedLaser excels at this by instantly providing a list of Google and Amazon merchants that carry that item, and displaying their prices with links to their stores. (The latest update has added local resources to the list as well.) Producing something similar from Barcodescan requires clicking on a link farther down in the list. However, these links simply provide Google search results or display the product's page on Amazon.com, which isn't nearly as helpful as RedLaser's info.

Like RedLaser, Barcodescan lets you e-mail product and pricing information to yourself or anyone else. Barcodescan also integrates with the iTunes store to help you locate items for sale there.

Despite its shortcomings, I've decided that the combination of Barcodescan and RedLaser is better than either one alone--RedLaser for its awesome scanner and superb comparative pricing, and Barcodescan for those occasions when I need the more detailed product info, ratings or iTunes integration. For that reason, I keep both apps handy on my iPhone.

[Brian Beam is a smart shopper, web developer and partner with BOLD Internet Solutions, living somewhere near Kansas City.]

Cloud Engines Pogoplug

IDG News Service — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 10:31:47 -0500

Increasingly, people want to share the stuff on their computers with others across the globe. You can accomplished this with OS X’s sharing services. Or you could use a storage/sharing service such as Dropbox or SugarSync to make files available via the “cloud.” Each scheme has its downside, however. Setting up a sharing server is beyond the ken of many Mac users. And convenient though sharing services are, you have to pay a premium for significant amounts of storage space.

Cloud Engines provides an intriguing alternative—the Pogoplug, a $129 pink and white plastic box that lets you easily share the contents of attached USB storage devices (hard drives as well as USB key drives) over the Internet.

Configuration

Set up is a breeze. Just connect a USB storage device to one of the device’s four USB ports (you can attach a USB hub to one of these ports, and add more drives to the hub), string an ethernet cable between your router and the Pogoplug (I used an AirPort Extreme Base Station with no problems), and plug the Pogoplug into a power outlet. The Pogoplug supports drives formatted as NTFS, FAT32, Mac OS Extended Journaled and non-Journaled (HFS+), and EXT-2/EXT-3.

Go to Pogoplug’s Website with a supported browser (Safari, Firefox 3, Internet Explorer 7 and 8, and Chrome), create an account, and your Pogoplug is ready to rock. To share files and folders on the attached devices, simply direct your Web browser to my.pogoplug.com and you’ll see the drives attached to the Pogoplug as well as their contents. Folders are represented by generic folder icons while some media files (mp3 tracks and photos) bear thumbnail images of album art or the image, respectively. Those visiting the page can choose to view items in a list; by small, medium, or large icon; or in a view similar to Cover Flow.

Note that if you view a volume or folder that has a lot of items in it, all those items won’t be displayed on a single page. List view, for example, displays just 32 items. The medium icon view displays 64 items. If the number of items exceeds Pogoplug’s page template, you’ll see numbered and Next links that take you to succeeding pages. Depending on the kind of content you’re sharing, this can be inconvenient.

For example, a music folder I shared contained about 2500 folders (each folder representing an artist). Navigating through these folders was more than a little awkward. In such situations, it makes sense to account for this limitation and better organize your folders before you share them. For example, I could have grouped these artist folders into alphabetical folders—A, B, C, D, and so on—but it would be better if you could, say, jump to a particular letter in the alphabet.

To share an item—a folder full of music, for example—select it and click the green Share icon. On the resulting page you’ll find an Invite People field. Just enter the e-mail addresses of those you want to share the item with (separated by commas), click Invite, and those people will receive invitations that include a link to the item. Those receiving the invitations needn’t create an account and will be able to play shared music files within their Web browser, preview the first several seconds of a movie file, view images you’ve shared (individually or as a slideshow), and download anything you’ve shared. Optionally, they can create a free Pogoplug account, which provides a few additional options—a Search field, for example.

How quickly they receive these shared items depends on the upload speed of your Internet connection. I asked a friend to stream and download some music files stored on a USB hard drive attached to the Pogoplug and he saw transfer speeds of 65KBps, which is just about every bit of upload bandwidth my DSL connection allows. While it’s nice that the Pogoplug can take full advantage of your connection’s upload speeds, it does mean that if someone is downloading or streaming content from your Pogoplug, you could feel the effects elsewhere if you’re attempting to use that connection for other purposes (there’s no bandwidth throttling capability).

Also within the browser, you can configure the Pogoplug so that devices attached to it appear as local drives on your Mac—allowing you to easily move files on and off the drives. Additionally, with the help of the free Pogoplug application you can set up Active Copy folders. These are essentially watch folders. By default, the Pogoplug application has three such Active Copy folders—My Pictures, My Music, and My Movies—but you can create additional Active Copy folders. Put files in them and those files are automatically copied to a location on a drive attached to the Pogoplug.

How it works

Although you can share files using OS X’s built-in tools, the beauty of Pogoplug is that you don’t need to. Setup is transparent. What’s going on under the hood is that your router assigns the Pogoplug an address via DHCP and a UDP port is opened that allows communication between the Pogoplug and the outside world. (Cloud Engine’s support team can help you if you need to assign a static IP to the device or have trouble with the UDP port because of a stern firewall.)

Speaking of items under the hood, the Pogoplug is actually a small Linux box, running a 1.2GHz ARM processor with 256MB of RAM and 512MB of flash storage. This makes the Pogoplug hackable in interesting ways. Visit the OpenPogo Website and you’ll learn that you can add support for Web and Secure FTP serving, PHP, MySQL, Samba, Django, and Ruby on Rails with RubyGems.

Who it’s for

It takes very little imagination to see the benefits of the Pogoplug. You could use it, for example, to store your work files. Should you go on the road and leave a file behind, just fire up a Web browser, log into Pogoplug, and download what you want. MobileMe’s Back To My Mac should provide a similar service, but it’s not always reliable because some routers don’t see eye-to-eye with it. Or parents could place pictures and movies of their children in a special folder and share that folder with the grandparents. Or you could use the free iPhone application to stream music files stored on an attached device at home to your iPod touch. (With the iPhone app you can also upload items from an iPhone or iPod touch’s Photos application to a device attached to your Pogoplug.) And, of course, geeks may be attracted by the OpenPogo projects.

But there are also those for whom a Pogoplug isn’t an ideal match. For example, if your ISP imposes a limit on the amount of bandwidth you can use each month and you share a lot of files (or even a few large files with a lot of people) you could exceed that limit. In such cases you would be better off using a service such as Dropbox and letting it deal with the amount of data you share. And, again, download speeds for those you share with are determined by the upload speed of your broadband connection. Unless your broadband plan offers very speedy upload speeds, a cloud-based service will provides faster file downloads.

Macworld’s buying advice

Keeping the concerns over caps and clouds in mind, those seeking a way to share a lot of files over the Internet with very little muss and fuss will find Pogoplug an affordable and enticing avenue for doing so. If you’ve been stymied or disappointed with other solutions, Pogoplug is definitely worth a try.