Apple Said To Be Launching New Cloud Service

Apple's products may have increasingly large capacity for storage , but the next big thing from the Cupertino, Calif.-based computer giant may eliminate much of the need to save songs, movies and other large data files. Reports this week said Apple has purchased the domain name iCloud in preparation for a push into the growing cloud -based services market. Cloud computing allows users to store all their data on commercial servers and use products and applications without buying them. To Debut at WWDC? Sources told the website AppleInsider that the company will expand its MobileMe service that currently allows bookmarks,...

Read More

Google Pulls Apps from Android Market Without Warning, Explanation

The Android Market, Google's version of Apple's App Store, "is an open service" that lets developers publish their apps for users to download. In contrast to the App Store's restrictive terms and review processes, the Android Market lets app developers publish apps instantly, without waiting for anyone's permission. Every now and then, though, Google does pull an app from the Market after the fact. And while these "rejections" aren't as numerous as Apple's, nor as controversial as the time Apple rejected progressive political cartoons from the App Store, they do happen. Here are just a few examples: ...

Read More

PlayStation Hacked: What Should You Learn from the Recent Sony Security Breach?

COMMENTARY | Earlier this week, Sony announced publicly that portions of its PlayStation Network and Qriocity service account databases were illegally accessed by hackers and would be down for servicing. While Sony acknowledged in the company's online blog and in account holder notifications that encrypted credit card information was not believed to have been placed at risk, the personal information of its 75 million plus users was compromised. What does this mean for affected PlayStation and Qriocity account holders — and what lessons should other online account holders learn from the Sony security breach? ...

Read More

Rumor: Apple’s cloud service to be called iCloud

According to blog GigaOM, Apple’s still-underwraps cloud-based service will be called iCloud – not that we expected it to be called anything else. Apparently, Apple has purchased the domain name iCloud.com from Swedish company Xcerion, who promptly changed their own service’s name from iCloud to CloudMe. Now why would they do that? A $4.5 million cheque supposedly did the trick. As usual, Apple is yet to respond to the rumors....

Read More

YouTube's Royal Wedding Broadcast Outclassed Traditional Media

Live events broadcast to a large-scale audience should never be quite the same again after the royal wedding. The April 29 event was broadcast all over the globe on network TV, via traditional news media websites, and at the online video destination YouTube. Traditional media has always had a monopoly on visual event broadcasts, but the YouTube addition to the mix more than justified why that should never be the case again. Depth of Coverage The Royal Channel on YouTube provided stellar coverage of the wedding through the BBC. While other venues forced fans interested in viewing...

Read More

Sony's S1 and S2 'PlayStation Tablets' vs. the iPad

For decades, Sony's brand has stood for entertainment. So now that Sony's releasing its own tablets to compete with the iPad, which it's calling the S1 and S2 for now, you'd naturally assume two things: That there's some reason to buy one instead of an iPad, and that that reason is entertainment, whether it be music, movies or video games. As it turns out, the Sony "PlayStation tablets" will have all three, but they'll probably leave something to be desired. Qriocity killed the cat Instead of Apple's iTunes for music and video, Sony's S1 and S2 tablets will ship with Qriocity,...

Read More

Verizon Restores LTE, But Puts Second 4G Phone on Hold

Verizon Wireless said Thursday that the outage on its fledgling high-speed 4G Long Term Evolution network has ended. But the wireless carrier postponed the launch of its newest LTE smartphone. "Our 4G LTE network is up and running," Verizon spokesperson Jeff Nelson told us in an e-mail. "Our network engineers and vendors quickly identified the issue and solved it." Reconnect Your Modem "Customers using the Thunderbolt have normal service," Nelson said, referring to HTC's LTE smartphone, the only 4G handset currently available from Verizon. "Laptop users with USB modems may need to reconnect to the network when moving...

Read More

Go and Sin No More: DOJ Oversight of Microsoft Ending

Microsoft won't be under a microscope any more come May -- at least not from the Department of Justice. The software giant has been dealing with regulators for 13 years, after the DOJ filed an antitrust lawsuit. The DOJ accused Microsoft of using its market heft to roll over competitors. Words like monopoly were used. But judges in the case seem ready to allow that oversight to end, and the DOJ will stop scrutinizing Microsoft's moves as of May 12. "And so May 12 will close an important chapter in the history of antitrust law," said Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly during the last oversight hearing on Wednesday at the...

Read More

Survey Finds Mobile Services Influence Buying Habits

How do smartphones fit into buying decisions? That's the key question behind a new survey undertaken by -- who else? -- Google, whose name is now synonymous with online advertising. The survey, conducted with independent marketing firm Ipsos OTX, asked 5,013 U.S. adult smartphone users through the end of last year about their mobile habits in relation to ads, shopping and searching. Google said that, for businesses, the survey showed mobile search, location-based products and services, and a cross-channel strategy are important for marketing to mobile users. Local Information To no one's surprise, the survey found...

Read More

3D Apps Thrust Westminster Abbey, Royals into Modern Age

The fanfare surrounding the royal wedding has led the venerable Westminster Abbey into the tech age. Here's a look at the high-tech gadgetry surrounding the festivities: Abbey 3D Westminster Abbey released the Abbey 3D app (price: £2.99/$4.99) to Apple iTunes users with the iTouch or an iPhone and will shortly release the same to the Android Marketplace for Android phone users. The app features a stellar 3D journey through the Abbey. You can choose to do a full flyover or tap your way from one section of Westminster Abbey to the other. As you progress through the church you can...

Read More

Oman most spammed country in the world

Press release: Symantec today announced the publication of its April 2011 MessageLabs Intelligence Report. This month analysis reveals that targeted attacks intercepted by Symantec.cloud rose to 85 per day, the highest figure since March 2009 when the figure was 107 per day in the run-up to the G20 Summit held in London that year. Simultaneously, in the aftermath of the Rustock botnet takedown, global spam volumes continued to fall and decreased by 6.4 percentage points since March to 72.9 percent in April. MessageLabs Intelligence has also revealed that shortened URLs have become increasingly popular recently, being used to lure people to click on advertising links; a practice known as click-fraud. In April, 1 in 168.6 emails contained malware and targeted attacks accounted...

Read More

Gitex to introduce new features for this year

Press release: In a month which has seen predictions of double digit technology growth and unprecedented ICT investment across the Middle East, GITEX TECHNOLOGY WEEK 2011, taking place between 9 â€" 13 October at the Dubai World Trade Centre, has announced its special features this year are already ahead of the curve with up and coming trends for the region. Total Middle East IT spend is estimated to reach US$14 billion in 2011 and in order to meet industry demands and drive business in the ever-evolving ICT sector, GITEX 2011 is introducing brand new elements to reinforce its position as the MEASA region’s leading ‘finger...

Read More

Sony getting sued over PSN data breach

Apparently the first lawsuit is hereby knocking SCEA’s doors, as the electronics giant is getting sued over the ongoing PlayStation Network breach. The lawsuit was filed against the corporation by Kristopher Johns from Birmingham, Alabama, allegedly for failing to take “reasonable care to protect, encrypt, and secure the private and sensitive data of its users.” Johns, 36, he demands in his lawsuit free credit monitoring and monetary compensation. Moreover, he seeks to hoist the suit to class action status. “This action arises from SONY’s failure to maintain adequate computer data security of consumer personal data and financial data, including, but not limited to credit card data and the reasonably foreseeable exploitation of such inadequate security at defendant SONY...

Read More

Sale of MySpace Could Benefit Social Media in the Long Run

COMMENTARY | In a move that has been anticipated for months, News Corp. has officially put MySpace up for grabs to the highest bidder. The asking price is rumored to be around the $100 million mark, which represents a sizable drop from the $580 million the company purchased the social network pioneer for back in 2005. A little company called Facebook has reduced traffic and use to MySpace, which means the company goes up for sale as a work in progress. Over the past few years, 1,200 employees have been laid off from MySpace. Revenue for the company, which was $900 million in 2008, is expected...

Read More

Nokia Trims Workforce In Anticipation of Phone 7 Shift

As it prepares to load its phones with Microsoft 's Windows Phone 7 operating system, Finnish cell-phone giant Nokia is ditching control of its Symbian platform and cutting 7,000 jobs in a major restructuring. Accenture, a global technology consulting and outsourcing firm, will take over development of the Symbian platform, which hasn't gained traction in the important U.S. market as Apple's iOS and Google's Android have captured consumers. While no employees will lose their jobs this year, the job cuts will affect workers next year in Finland, Denmark and Britain. Losing Ground The 12 percent reduction in its...

Read More

Apple's White iPhone 4 Is Coming -- Only a Year Late

At long last, Apple is rolling out a white iPhone 4. The white model of the popular device will make its way to market on Thursday via Apple's online store, retail stores, carrier stores, and other authorized retailers. "The white iPhone 4 has finally arrived and it's beautiful," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product marketing. "We appreciate everyone who has waited patiently while we've worked to get every detail right." A Year Later ... Waiting patiently may be an understatement. It took Apple nearly a year to roll out the white iPhone 4. Apple encountered problem after problem...

Read More

Is the LG Thrive the 'Android iPod Touch'?

Studies that show iPhone and Android marketshare miss an important fact: iPhones aren't the only things that run iOS. There's also the iPod Touch, perennial favorite of teenagers, which is basically an iPhone without the phone. It's been selling like hotcakes, and Android doesn't have anything like it. Until now, that is! Introducing the LG Thrive There have been Android-powered media players from companies like Archos and iAudio. These tend to be slow and clunky, however, and to lack features taken for granted in Android smartphones ... like capacitive, multitouch screens, and...

Read More

iPad 2 officially arriving in the UAE on 29th April

The UAE will see the official launch of the iPad 2 in just two days as per the press release posted on Apple’s website. The prices mentioned in the PR are the same as US- so $499 (AED 1,832) for 16GB, $599 (AED 2,200) for 32GB and $699 (AED 2,567) for the 32GB versions of the Wi-Fi only models. Add US$130 or AED 477 to each one of those for the Wi-Fi + 3G model. While this will certainly excite the buyers, except resellers like Jacky’s and Souq to start panicing on their grey imports with insanely high prices. I see a “Deal of the day” on the iPad 2 coming pretty soon. —– CUPERTINO, Californiaâ€"April 27, 2011â€"Apple® today...

Read More

Royal Wedding Apps Offer News, History and Multimedia to Fans

Royal Weddings, an official Royal Collection App was featured on April 6 on the Royal Wedding website. This app joined a few other notable options for users of tablets, smart phones and the iTouch. Each application has enough original content to merit a download instead of employing a pick and choose approach. Royal Weddings The official Royal Wedding app is by Antenna Audio, Inc. and carries a price tag of $2.99 ( £1.79). If any non-productivity related application is worth a monetary investment, this is the one. It features video commentaries on each major royal wedding since the marriage of...

Read More

Rumor: Sharp to produce LCD for iPhone 6

While Apple has yet to officially announce the iPhone 5, rumors of the iPhone 6 are already making the rounds. According to AppleInsider, Sharp Electronics have been selected to produce LCDs for Apple’s next-next iPhone. The information comes via Japanese newspaper Nikkan, who said that Sharp will be making p-Si LCD displays for the iPhone, and not OLED as previously (hoped) rumored. p-Si LCDs are supposedly lighter, have higher aperture ratios, better durability and few connecting pins. The report states that Sharp’s Kameyama Plant No. 1 will be making the displays. There is no word on the size or pixel density yet, but you know...iPhone 5 is yet to release....

Read More

EVO to launch online Apple store in the Middle East

EVO, an Apple retailer in the UAE, today announced it will soon launch its own online Apple store in the Middle East. The portal, www.applemall.ae, will be an extension of EVO’s existing retail outlets in Dubai and will sell new and used Apple products. For used products, the website will offer a classified-esque section were users must fill a form detailing the product they want to sell, which will then be approved by the PRO Assist team and posted on the site. The website will also facilitate authentication, repair and upgrade services, which will be offered by Pro Assist, and Apple-authorized service center. “As EVO continues...

Read More

ViewSonic’s latest ViewPad 10s feature Tegra 2 dual-core chip

Press release: Always at the forefront of the industry with its breakthrough technologies, USA-based ViewSonic announces the launch of its latest intelligent tablet PCs in the Middle East â€" the highly mobile ViewPad 7 and ViewPad 10s designed specifically for working professionals. Apart from the positive reviews from critics, not only does ViewSonic establish the Smart Pad milestone, it is the only 3C brand in the world that boasts the most complete tablet PC portfolio. Riding on this success, ViewSonic unveils the latest Tablet, ViewPad 10s, powered by NVIDIA Tegra 2 dual core 1GHz processor. Packed with powerful hardware...

Read More

Oracle's President Replaces Resigned CFO

Oracle Chief Financial Officer Jeff Epstein has resigned after less than three years in that role. The position will be filled by current President and ex-CFO Safra Catz, who will remain as president. Catz, who was CFO from November 2005 until September 2008, has been Oracle's president since 2004 and on the board of Directors since 2001. The company made the announcement Monday, and said Catz' appointment as CFO was "permanent and effective immediately." No reason was given for Epstein's departure. 'No More Logical Choice' Oracle CEO Larry Ellison said Catz "already has the long-standing confidence of our employees,...

Read More

Deals on Facebook Challenges Groupon's Daily Deals

Watch out, Groupon. Facebook is moving deeper into your territory. Maybe Groupon should have seen it coming when Facebook launched Check-In Deals a few months ago. That offering has evolved into Deals on Facebook, a direct Groupon rival. While Check-In Deals helped Facebook users get special offers when they check in at local businesses from mobile devices, Deals on Facebook goes one step further. The new feature aims to help Facebook users find fun experiences to share with friends. "While many Deals on Facebook offer discounts, it's more important to us that you find interesting experiences around you to do with...

Read More

Xperia Play vs. PSP: Sony's Battle for Your Pocket

Sony's PlayStation Portable, or PSP, is meant to be the only device in your pocket. After all, with it you can play games, watch movies, listen to music, and make Skype calls. You can even browse the Internet with it at a Wi-Fi hotspot, using its tiny thumbstick and face buttons to click on links. Does that sound like an ideal web browsing experience to you? (To say nothing of the idea of listening to music on a device the size of a paperback book.) It didn't to Apple, which is why it invented the iPhone and iPod Touch. And now thanks to Google's Android operating system, other companies can make their own...

Read More

Abu Dhabi becomes the world’s first capital city entirely connected to fibre optic networks

Press release: Etisalat today announced that Abu Dhabi is now the first capital city in the world which is entirely covered with a fibre optic network (FTTx). The completion of this project marks new milestone for Etisalat and an achievement for the country, and has contributed to the UAE being ranked amongst the top five countries in the Arab world in the Network Readiness Index (NRI) and ranked 24th in the world according to the Global Information Technology Report 2011 issued by the World Economic Forum, outperforming many countries. This new achievement opens the doors for a new era in the telecommunications sector due...

Read More

Iran attacked by second computer virus

Iran has confirmed that they are once again under attack by a computer virus, in what is being described as a “cyber war” waged by its enemies. Last year, the country was hit by a Stuxnet virus that aimed to cripple its nuclear program. Iran’s commander of civil defense, Gholamreza Jalali said “Fortunately, our young experts have been able to discover this virus and the Stars virus is now in the laboratory for more investigations. The particular characteristics of the Stars virus have been discovered.” “The virus is congruous and harmonious with the (computer) system and in the initial phase it does minor damage and might be mistaken for some executive files of government organizations.” He did not specify the target of Stars or its intended impact. The Stuxnet worm,...

Read More

Sony makes Playstation tablets official, S1 and S2 incoming

Sony has announced two new “Sony Tablets” at a press event in Tokyo today. Codenamed S1 and S2, the two tablets are powered by nVidia’s Tegra 2 chip and will run on Google’s latest Android 3.0 Honeycomb operating system. The S1, a 9.4″ device, is designed like a ‘folded magazine’ and features a “Quick and Smooth” touch panel UI and a ‘Swift’ web browser. It can also be used as a remote control for Sony hardware like TVs, AVs, etc. The second tablet, the S2, is a dual-screen clamshell with a pair of 5.5″ display with 1024,480 resolution. Much like the Sprint Kyocera Echo, the dual screens can work as one large display or split...

Read More