Apple to embed ads in OS

Now, when you boot your Apple notebook, an advertisement is likely to pop up on your screen. The advertisement could be an audio or a plain visual one. Regardless, it may offer you some product or could even offer the operating system (OS), which enables you to start or boot your computer free or at a lower cost.

If Apple Computer has its way, this is precisely what you may get in some years to come. Steve Jobs, CEO and Co-Founder of the company, has aptly titled the patent application as 'advertisement in an OS'. He has listed himself as an 'inventor' of the application (U.S. Patent Application 20090265214).

Jobs is credited with 133 patents, unusual for a CEO of a large company who may have other important issues to handle, of the 1,250-odd patents that Apple has been granted till date.

The current application became available for public inspection on October 22. It was just a day after software giant and rival Microsoft launched the much-touted Windows 7 OS globally. It was also the same day when Nokia filed a complaint against Apple with the Federal District Court in Delaware, alleging that the iPhone infringed some Nokia patents.

Apple's current patent application drafted and filed by the attorneys at Fish and Richardson in Minneapolis explains that 'the OS can disable some aspect of its operation to prompt the operator to pay attention to the advertisement'.

The advertisements may include, a rectangular banner advertisement, an audio advertisement, a video clip, an image file, executable code, embedded information, any other media, content or interactive advertisement.

The application does not appear to be restricted to computer OS. The patent application mentions that in some implementations where the computer device is a cellular phone or music player, the user may be prompted to press a certain button in order to confirm that he is paying attention.

Apple is known for building a mystique around its products like the Mac, iPod and iPhone. The question, of course is, why would the company want to embed advertisements, which irritate most users, in OS? The patent application, of course, does not answer this question.

The Palo Alto-based company is no stranger to patents. A month back, Apple filed a patent application which could tell Apple whether your iPod or iPhone has been subjected to moisture. The new system also covers heat, shock, and tampering.

Google to launch Chrome OS to challenge Microsoft

To compete with the entrenched Windows platform, Google is ready to launch a new computer operating system (OS). Initially, the Chrome OS, designed initially for low-cost netbooks, will offer its program code to developers across the globe and create another 'open source' competition for Microsoft.

Regarding threat to Microsoft, Country Head of products in India, Google said, "Windows XP takes 'forever' to boot up. I can go down, have my cup of tea and come back, it will be ready as it takes four minutes for it to start. Our OS is not about features. We never said that Chrome will have these five features that the others (Windows, Safari) don't have. If you look at the way computing has evolved and look at today's OS, all the popular ones pre-date the Web. People spend 99 percent of their time on browsers, then why is that we are still beholding OS that are 15 years old that were formed with desktop operations in mind? We should move to an application-based system, where it does not matter how many applications are there, boot-up time should be at its minimal. It should be like a TV where you switch it on and voila your programmes start right away. This is really the promise of Google's OS, Chrome."

Since the birth of internet in 1969, it has come long way, and today it has become part and parcel of everyone's life. Goe said, "Today, browsers have become very powerful. For example, look at Google maps and the kind of things you can do with it. It really behaves like a desktop application, although it is fully browser based. And now, we are moving into the next generation which uses the technology of HTML 5 making the browser even more powerful. So, for things that you needed a desktop application like spreadsheets, word documents, modifying photos, etc, you don't need them anymore. It is all browser based. It can all be enabled within the browser. The HTML 5 technology will support any browser and OS and this will be true for Google's Chrome as well. We are trying to make an OS that is fine tuned to the browser and supports whatever it needs. A lot of the OS is built on open source software of Linux, we are trying to marry other stuff to give to the user."

Google is also addressing the local market for search and email in terms of vernacular languages. "We provide search in various Indian languages like Hindi, Telugu, Bengali, etc. However, not all search results are in these languages but are mostly in English. This is based on transliterating where you type the word based on the phonetics and it is converted into the language of the user's choice. The same with e-mail services," said Goe.

iPhone can now be charged wirelessly

The iPhone can now be charged wirelessly. GEAR4 has announced the world's first wireless iPhone charger, the PowerPad. The users can now charge their iPhones wirelessly from any corner of the room without connecting it to the main power.

The PowerPad is basically a flat pad that uses inductive charging to power the iPhone's battery. The users can put the iPhone anywhere on the pad for it to charge up. The phone needs to be sporting a protective rubber case.

GEAR4 is claiming that the wireless system will consume the same amount of time the wired chargers take.
The PowerPad has been carefully designed to provide the ultimate solution in convenient power management, as it fits perfectly into the home or office environment and simply plugs into the mains to transmit charge to the iPhone via the patented receiver case. The case acts as a protective cover when the batteries are out and the iPhone is placed on the charge pad to power it up wirelessly.

The company will take the pre-orders from November 15, and the PowerPad is available for $130.

Google will not integrate Chrome in Windows 7

Google has called off its plans to fully integrate the Chrome web browser with Microsoft's new Windows 7 operating system. The news has come after an announcement by the Mozilla Foundation that Firefox 3.6, the next version of the open source browser, would integrate with Windows 7 features such as taskbar thumbnail previews and jump lists, reports IDG.

According to reports in The Register, Google's internal issue tracking system signals that work on the features has been pushed back to version 5 of the browser. Chrome is currently on the 3.0 release, while version 4 is presently under development.

The work seems to be on progress regarding Google's Chrome OS. An early developer build of the operating system has been leaked on Google.

Phishing..Now from IT dept.

Look this new mail i got...

from India Tax Departament reply-to qzitgo@aol.com to date Fri, Oct 16, 2009 at 4:31 AM subject Tax refund (5416533) 820.50 Rs

hide details 4:31 AM (5 hours ago)

Dear Income Tax Department of India customer,

After the last annual calculation of your fiscal activity we have determined that you are going to receive a tax refund of $820.50 Rupees.
Please submit the tax refund form and allow 3-5 days in order to approve it.

A refund can be delayed for a variety of reasons.For example submitting invalid records or sending the form after the deadline.

To complete the form please Click Here.

NOTE!
For security reasons your ip may be recorded.

Thank you,
Income Tax Department of India Online Department.

Kottation fest....

Phishing..new Techniques..!!

In my previous post i told you about the dangers in the internet banking. Now look at two mails i got this week..

from Bank of India reply-to jgvrdh@yahoo.com to date Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 3:34 AM subject Your Bank of India Account May Have Been Accessed From an Unauthorized Computer

hide details Oct 4 (1 day ago)

Dear Bank of India customer, We recently reviewed your account, and we are suspecting that your Internet Banking account may have been accessed from an unauthorized computer. This may be due to changes in your IP address or location. Protecting the security of your account and of the Bank of India network is our primary concern. We are asking you to immediately login and report any unauthorized withdrawals, and check your account profile to make sure no changes have been made. To protect your account please follow the instructions below: * DO NOT SHARE YOUR PASSWORD WITH OTHER USERS * LOG OFF AFTER USING YOUR ONLINE ACCOUNT Please click on the following link, to verify your account activity: http://www.bankofindia.com/web/internetbank.aspx We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your support in helping us maintaining the integrity of the entire Bank of India system. Please login as soon as possible. Thank you, Bank of India Customer Service. This is a false link..if you click in this it will lead you to a hoax site and ask you to enter your account information. Now look this one.. from PUNJAB NATIONAL BANK ALERT! reply-to no-reply@punjabnationalbank.co.in to date Sun, Oct 4, 2009 at 4:03 PM subject YOUR NETBANKING ACCOUNT STATUS. hide details 4:03 PM (18 hours ago) Account Status Notification Dear Valued Customer, We regret to inform you that some of your internet banking services has been limited. This is due to the Obsolate security protocol still in existence in your account settings in our central database. In accordance with Punjab National Bank User Agreement, all accounts within the suspected range of possible security compromise have been placed on limit. This is to enable us protect your account against unauthorized access. Protecting the security of your Punjab National Bank account is our primary concern, and we apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. To continue, follow the reference below to log into your account : Click here Thank you for using Punjab National Bank This is also a false link..if you enter any of your bank information here, then your account & money will be stolen!!! Actually the mail form site address www.punjabnationalbank.co.in is wrong. The correct site is www.pnbindia.com. Now look the latest one.... from IDBI Security Team reply-to bqsboe@aol.com to date Thu, Oct 8, 2009 at 4:18 AM subject Your IDBI Account May Have Been Accessed From an Unauthorized Computer Dear IDBI Bank customer, We recently have determined that different computers have logged on to your IDBI NetBanking account, and multiple password failures were present before the logons. We now need you to re-confirm your account information to us. If this is not completed by October 9, 2009, we will be forced to suspend your account indefinitely, as it may have been used for fraudulent purposes. We thank you for your cooperation in this manner. To confirm your NetBanking records click on the following link: https://inet.idbibank.co.in/login/SignonBankId Thank you for your patience, IDBI Bank Customer Service. Please do not reply to this e-mail as this is only a notification. Mail sent to this address cannot be answered. Š 2009 IDBI Bank. All rights reserved. So please take care in your internet banking.

Indian spacecraft finds water on the moon

In a sensational scientific discovery, India's maiden lunar mission Chandrayaan-1 has found evidence of water on the moon.

"The moon has distinct signatures of water," top American scientist Carle Pieters confirmed Thursday.

"The evidence of water molecules on the surface of the moon was found by the moon mineralogy mapper (M3) of the US-based National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on board Chandrayaan-1," M3 principal investigator Carle Pieters said in a paper published in the journal Science.

M3 was one of the 11 scientific instruments on board the lunar spacecraft that was launched Oct 22, 2008 by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). The mission was aborted Aug 30 after Chandrayaan-1 lost radio contact with Earth.

Crediting ISRO for its role in the findings, Pieters said: "If it were not for them (ISRO), we would not have been able to make this discovery."

ISRO chairman G. Madhavan Nair had told the media Wednesday that he could not yet confirm the presence of water on the moon, but "before the end of this week, we will let you know".

However, confirming the finding and terming it a major discovery, Pieters said the discovery of water on the lunar surface would reinvigorate studies of the moon and potentially change thinking on how it originated.

"Hydroxyl, a molecule consisting of one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom, were discovered across the entire surface of the Earth's nearest celestial neighbour," claimed Pieters, a planetary geologist at Brown University in Rhode Island.

Though the abundance of the hydroxyl molecules are not precisely known, about 1,000 parts per million could be in the lunar soil, the paper noted.

"Harvesting one ton of the top layer of the moon's surface will yield as much as 32 ounces (907 grams) of water," scientists involved in the discovery said.

As lead author of the M3 findings, Pieters said more evidence of water was found in the moon's high latitudes.

"It greatly expands current thinking about where water in any form was presumed to be located," she pointed out.

The findings give rise to interesting new questions about where the water molecules come from and where they may be going.

Scientists have speculated that water molecules may migrate from non-polar regions of the moon to the poles, where they are stored as ice in ultra-frigid pockets of craters that never receive sunlight.

"If the water molecules are as mobile as we think they are -- even a fraction of them -- they provide a mechanism for getting water to those permanently shadowed craters. This opens a whole new avenue (of lunar research), but we have to understand the physics of it to utilise it," Pieters noted.

The NASA payload found water molecules and hydroxyl at diverse areas of the sunlit region of the moon's surface, but the water signature appeared stronger at the moon's higher latitudes.

Internet has never been more dangerous

There seems to be no end to the proliferation of malware online. Last week i received two mails one from bank of India & another from Punjab national bank saying that due to some server error my account has been disabled. In order to reactivate my account i have to click on the bank website link provided with that mail. The link was valid (www.pnbindia.com & www.bankofindia.co.in) but when you click it, it goes to a phishing site and my browser google chrome automatically blocked the site displaying a warning message. If the browser you are using is not safe, the site will open and the you may enter your user id and password in it and the people behind it will steal all your money!!.

New records are set and security experts are worried. Just between January and June this year, the number of fake antivirus programs detected grew by 585 percent, according to a report released on Wednesday by the Anti-Phishing Working Group.

During the same period, the number of banking Trojans, designed to steal account information for financial sites, increased 186 percent. The number of phishing Web sites reached 49,084, the second highest number recorded since the record of 55,643 in April, 2007. The number of hijacked brands hit an all-time high of 310 in March and remained at a high level through June.

"The Internet has never been more dangerous," said APWG Chairman, David Jevans in a statement. "In the first half of 2009, phishing escalated to some of the highest levels we've ever seen. Of even greater concern is the skyrocketing sophistication and proliferation of malicious software designed to steal online passwords and user names. New malicious software such as the Zeus Trojan, exhibit a level of sophistication that would make the best software programmers envious."

According to the APWG report, the number of infected computers rose by more than 66 percent between Q4 2008 and the end of June 2009 to reach almost 12 million, 54 percent of the computers scanned.

The Finjan Cybercrime Intelligence Report also examines the increasing sophistication of software designed for online banking theft and notes that some of these programs, such as the URLzone Trojan, have developed anti-forensic techniques to conceal account looting from automated anti-fraud systems and from the eyes of victims.

The tech industry's response to these trends can be seen in initiatives like Microsoft's online anti-scam campaign, it's newly released free Security Essentials software, and calls for greater industry cooperation.

Google offer: $10 Million for ideas that can change world

Google has launched a project called, 'Call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible,' and it is offering $10 million for the implementation of the best five ideas that can change the world. The company has already shortlisted 16 ideas that have the potential to help the most number of people.

The 16 ideas such as building a real time, user-reported news service and making educational content free online were shortlisted from thousands of ideas submitted by people from different parts of the world.

As per descriptions available on the website, the user-reported news service would help people find and report timely, important local information. "Implementation of this idea would involve creating a system that enables ordinary citizens to easily report news that's happening around them, from meaningful local events to important global stories," the website said.

Other ideas include creating genocide monitoring and alert system, promoting health monitoring and data analysis and building better banking tools for everyone. The public can vote on these ideas till October 8.

Sony plans to come out with 3-D TV next year

The Japanese electronics company Sony Corp plans to introduce a liquid-crystal-display television capable of playing 3-D programming by the end of next year, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday.

Sony is to announce its plans for the new TV next week at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, an unnamed source familiar with the plans told the Journal.

Movie studios and electronics producers see 3-D video for the home as a big money maker, and Sony's rivals, including South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co and LG Electronics Inc and Japan's Panasonic Corp, have said they plan to introduce 3-D products as well.

At the moment, however, 3-D films in theatres are just getting off the ground, so the initial choice of such movies on video would be limited.

The 3-D plans come as Sony has lost money in its television division for five years in a row and is undertaking cost-cutting measures.

HTC launches Android based phone 'Hero' in India

HTC has announced the launch of the Android-powered HTC Hero in India. The HTC Hero also marks the debut of HTC Sense. The phone is built to last and is equipped with an anti-fingerprint screen coating for improved smudge resistance and a longer lasting, clearer display. The white HTC Hero includes an industry-first, Teflon coating, resulting in an improved, durable white surface.

"The Android-powered HTC Hero further underlines HTC's commitment to push the boundaries in mobile phone innovation and design. HTC Hero introduces a more natural way for reaching out to the people and accessing important information in a much more easier and hassle-free manner. We are also very pleased to introduce a fully customized user interface called HTC Sense with the HTC Hero," said Ajay Sharma, Country Head, HTC India. "HTC Sense is a distinct experience created to make HTC phones more engaging, immersive and intuitive and will be integrated across a portfolio of HTC's phones in the future," he further added.

HTC Hero has a 3.2-inch HVGA display and is optimized for web, multimedia and other content while maintaining a small size and weight. It also has a broad variety of hardware features including a GPS, gravity-sensor, 3.5mm stereo headset jack, a five mega-pixel autofocus camera and expandable MicroSD memory. HTC Hero also includes a dedicated search button that goes beyond basic search, providing users with a more natural, contextual search experience that enables to search through Twitter, locate people in contact list and find emails in inbox or search in any other area in Hero.

The HTC Hero will be available at a market price of Rs.34,600 in the state of Maharashtra and Rs.31,990 in the rest of India at all leading authorized HTC resellers across the country.

Nokia launches $820 Netbook

Nokia has unveiled its Windows 7 powered netbook Booklet 3G for $820, which is as costly as a laptop. Nokia has seen its profits drop over the last few quarters and has taken a huge gamble by entering the already crowded PC market with a costly product. But it's a risk that Nokia had to take since many PC makers are now entering the mobile market. "Nokia had to do it. You see more and more PC guys getting into the mobile operators' shelves. It's kind of the counterattack, it's not just defensive," said Carolina Milanesi, Gartner Analyst to Reuters.

Netbooks are designed for easy carry and are small in size starting around $250, a major factor for their growth in spite of the economic downturn. Many analysts feel that Nokia's high priced netbook will not work. "That is ($820) too high for the general market, you can get a decent laptop for less. As long as the price remains at that level, the market for this device is going to be very limited," said Jack Gold, an independent Analyst.

The Booklet 3G has high definition video capabilities by its HDMI port and 1280x720 pixel screen resolution having a 10 inch screen. This HD functionality is supported by Intel's Poulsbo chipset, which makes 720 pixel and 1080 pixel video work with Atom processors. The netbook can run for 12 hours from a 16-cell lithium-ion battery.

Along with integrated Nokia services like Ovi Suite 2.0, Nokia Music for PC, Ovi Maps and Social Hub which aggregates feeds from online social networks like Facebook and Twitter, the netbook has Internet Explorer 8 as the default web browser.

It has an in-built accelerometer, a sensor that detects the physical orientation of the device, and the soldered 1GB DDR2 RAM makes it impossible for the users to make any change. It also has a 120GB of storage.

The netbook will have GPS embedded to provide access to Nokia's Ovi Maps software and service.

Jessica Beil is most dangerous celeb in cyberspace

If you are thinking of searching for wallpapers and videos of Jessica Beil online then think again. Hollywood actress Jessica Beil has topped the list of most dangerous celeb to search online. According to McAfee's third annual report which lists Hollywood's most "dangerous" online celebrities, fans searching online for Beil will have a one-in-five chance of hitting a web site with malware.

"Cybercriminals are star watchers too--they latch onto popular celebrities to encourage the download of malicious software in disguise. Consumers' obsession with celebrity news and culture is harmless in theory, but one bad download can cause a lot of damage to a computer," said Jeff Green, Senior Vice President of McAfee Avert Labs. McAfee found that searching for photos, videos, wallpaper and screensavers of celebrities in the list can be harmful to the health of computer. Cyber criminals know that Hollywood actresses (and a few actors) are most searched on internet and hence offer free stuff just to spread malware.

Other celebrities that follow the list after Jessica Beil include singer Beyonce at No. 2, 'Friends' star Jennifer Aniston at No. 3 and football hero Tom Brady at No. 4. Singer Jessica Simpson is on No. 5 and is followed by Gisele Bundchen, Miley Cyrus, Megan Fox, Angelina Jolie and Ashley Tisdale. Last year, the list was topped by Brad Pitt who has slipped to number 10 this year. Surprisingly, Pitt and Brady are the only male celeb in the top 10. McAfee was surprised to find U.S President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama ranked so low at 34th and 39th, respectively.

The report shows that hackers use pop culture trends to spread viruses and malicious software. "They really are smart. They can spot a trend as well as anyone else can - as well as Paris Hilton can," said Shane Keats, a research analyst at McAfee.

Nokia to take on Apple, Dell with new Booklet 3G

Nokia started as a computer company in 1980's but sold the business in 1991 to focus on mobile phones. Now after two decades Nokia is all set to launch its booklet called "Booklet 3G" to broaden its product range to survive the tough competition in the declining mobile market.

Nokia is facing tough competition in the mobile market as many new players are now entering in the scene. Dell, Acer and Hewlett Packard (HP) are all interested to launch products in the mobile category. There are many speculations that Apple will soon be launching a tablet-type touch screen by next year. Nokia plans to take on these competitors in their own backyard with the launch of its Booklet 3G.

This booklet will mostly be mistaken for a netbook but it focuses on on-the-go networking. It is powered by a Windows operating system (not clear yet if it is Windows 7) and has a 10-inch color screen. It has both 3G and GPS functionality, as well as Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when there's a network available. It will also have access to Nokia Music store and Ovi maps. Nokia claims that the Booklet will run for 12 hours on a battery charge.

"A growing number of people want the computing power of a PC with the full benefits of mobility. Nokia has a long and rich heritage in mobility, and with the outstanding battery life, premium design and all-day, always-on connectivity, we will create something quite compelling," said Kai Oistamo, Nokia's Executive Vice-President for devices to Telegraph.

Nokia will mostly give further details about pricing early next month at Nokia World '09 in Stuttgart. It is expected that the booklet will be expensive and will be in the range of $700 to $1000.

Men smart while working with smarter women

"Man smart, Woman smarter", the catchy number sung by Harry Belafonte years ago may not be music for all men. According to a survey, 62 percent men are smarter while working alongside bold and aggressive women.

Conceptualized by TV channel CNN-IBN and conducted in several cities including Delhi, Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Patna, Bhopal, Pune, Kochi and Surat, the poll has taken views of men and women in the age group 18-50. "It's a fact that women are more smart, informative and decisive and men are undoubtedly insecure. And I don't have any qualms in accepting that it becomes a pain most of the times working with such women because they constantly tend to circumcise your male ego knowingly or unknowingly," Ateet Aggarwal, a banker, told IANS.

"It becomes intolerable sometimes because at the end of the day there are huge ego hassles," he added.

Mumbai-based Chitresh Sinha agreed with Aggarwal and said: "When men work with women it's usually about proving themselves. It's a natural feeling and when you have a bold, aggressive woman working with you, it becomes much harder for men to prove themselves."

Adding to this, Zubin Kaul, a software professional, said: "I find it really uncomfortable to work with a female boss who is biased against men. They have this feeling that men are good for nothing and they look for opportunities to pull you down."

If we look at today's scenario - we have women at the top posts in every industry playing the lead role of a perfect boss to perfection. Some men feel that a female boss behaves like a "mad woman" if she is single.

"I had this bad experience of having a female boss who was single. She had no life of her own and wanted the staff to be in office till very late. She used to get these mood swings very often that it was very difficult to deal with her," recollected Randeep Singh.

"And things are very difficult to handle when it comes to dealing with a female boss. You just can't argue with them because you don't know how they will behave. Sometimes they are so adamant to prove themselves right that they refuse to even listen to your ideas," he added.

While some men find it really uncomfortable to work with bold women, PR executive Ankur Talwar has no problems working with aggressive women, but he feels that women "sometimes get hyper".

"I think women are great co-workers but at times they just get too hyper or emotional about a situation unnecessarily, which could have been dealt with a cool mind. Their reactions are always very surprising," explained Talwar.

In spite of the possibilities of having ego clashes and regular confrontations, mediaperson Biswadip Mitra doesn't mind working with tough female bosses, "as long as they don't violate office decorum".

"Honestly, I don't mind tough women as my boss or colleague as long as they do not violate office decorum or hurl insults. Simply because I am not used to insulting others. I can differ in my opinions, but there can be sober ways to express it," explained Mitra.

Yahoo Mail still king, Gmail to catch up soon

Yahoo mail continues to be the most popular web mail service, while Google's Gmail which is the fastest growing email service, has surpassed AOL to become the third most visited email service.

As per comScore's latest figures in July, Yahoo added almost 20 million users last year, growing its share of the market by 22 percent from 87.2 million users to 106.2 million users in June. Gmail with its climbing growth rate is on track to pass Windows Live Hotmail, which is the second most widely used email with 47.1 million users, up three percent from last year. In the July 2008 to July 2009 period, Gmail grew at a growth rate of 46 percent with 37 million unique visitors. On the other hand, during the same period AOL's monthly visitor total declined by 19 percent from 45.1 million to 36.4 million.

It's tough competition with all these services stepping up their marketing efforts and making noteworthy upgrades. For instance, Hotmail added the feature of offline access through standard email programmes. Gmail however has been gaining, thanks to its constant upgradation and enhancement. Google apart from getting corporations, organizations and schools to adopt its web services for their own e-mail, scheduling and productivity needs, has also been encouraging businesses to start using Google Apps, which includes Gmail as well as online applications like Google Docs, Google Calendar, Google Sites, and Google Video.

Microsoft Word sales banned for patent violation

A Texas judge has ordered Microsoft to stop selling its Microsoft Word application in its current form, as the software contains technology which violates a patent held by a third party.

Judge Leonard Davis of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas ruled in favor of i4i, a Canadian technology firm that claimed Microsoft violated its intellectual-property rights for custom XML in Word 2003 and Word 2007. The judge has issued a permanent order which prohibits Microsoft from selling or importing to the U. S. any Microsoft Word products that have the capability of opening .XML, .DOCX or DOCM files (XML files) containing custom XML.

Toronto-based i4i, which develops "collaborative content solutions," holds patent number 5,787,449. The company had originally sued Microsoft for patent violation in 2007 alleging that Microsoft has violated the 449 patent.

"We're not seeking to stop Microsoft's business and we're not seeking to interfere with all the users of Word out there," said Loudon Owen, Chairman, i4i.

Microsoft will pay $240 million in damages to i4i, plus court costs and interest.

"We are disappointed by the court's ruling. We believe the evidence clearly demonstrated that we do not infringe and that the i4i patent is invalid. We will appeal the verdict," said Kevin Kutz, Microsoft spokesman.

Microsoft is also prohibited from providing technical support for infringing products sold after the injunction takes effect, or from "testing, demonstrating, or marketing the ability of the infringing and future Word products to open an XML file containing custom XML."

The judge informed that the injunction does not apply to versions of Word that open an XML file as plain text or which apply a transform that removes all custom XML elements, possibly paving the way for Microsoft to issue a patch that rectifies the problem.

I4i has about 30 employees and has been operational since 1993, has products in use by a number of large companies, including pharmaceutical names such as Amgen, Bayer and Biogen.

The new search engine is here: Caffeine

Google has unveiled the preview version of Caffeine, a new search engine technology which promises to "push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and other dimensions."

The new search engine is the redeployment of the computing network that Google uses to connect searchers and results. The search engine can change how the company ranks in its search engine. The companies will have to change their Search Engine Optimization(SEO) to protect their Google ranking.

Google is not changing the user interface as part of the Caffeine update. So the average user is not likely to be surprised by the way results appear. The update does not affect the ranking of ads on the search engine.

"For the last several months, a large team of Googlers has been working on a secret project: a next-generation architecture for Google's web search, it's the first step in a process that will let us push the envelope on size, indexing speed, accuracy, comprehensiveness and other dimensions," wrote the company blog.

"Google makes constant changes to its search algorithms and infrastructure, but such a change in this magnitude has not been done since 2006," said Matt Cutts, Principal Engineer, Google.

The search page is identical to the classic, clean Google web page.

Google is opening a web developer preview to collect the feedback regarding how Caffeine performs compared to its current search engine and is not looking for comparisons to offerings from rival internet firms.

Microsoft has been praising the momentum of its recently-launched Bing search engine and is believed to take long term approach for closing the gap with Google. Microsoft has also announced a tie-up with Yahoo. Google has a two-third share in the search engine market, as Yahoo stands second and Microsoft at third in a search engine market.

Blonde Jokes

1. A Blonde suspects her boyfriend of cheating on her, so She goes out and buys a gun. She goes to his apartment unexpectedly and sure enough, she opens the door and finds him in the arms of a redhead.

Well, the blonde is angry, She opens her purse to take out the gun but as she does so, she is overcome with grief. She takes the gun and puts it to her head.

The boyfriend yells "No, honey, don't do it." The blond replies "Shut up, you're next."

2. I knew a blonde that was so stupid that.......

* she called me to get my phone number.

* she spent 20 minutes looking at the orange juice box because it said "concentrate."

* she put lipstick on her forehead because she wanted to make up her mind.

*she tried to put M&M's in alphabetical order.

*she sent me a fax with a stamp on it.

*she tried to drown a fish.

*she thought a quarterback was a refund.

*she got locked in a grocery store and starved to death.

*she tripped over a cordless phone.

*she took a ruler to bed to see how long she slept.

*she asked for a price check at the Dollar Store.

*she studied for a blood test.

*she thought Meow Mix was a CD for cats.

*when she heard that 90% of all crimes occur around the home, she moved.

*when she missed the 44 bus, she took the 22 bus twice instead.

*when she took you to the airport and saw a sign that said "Airport Left" she turned around and went home

3. A store that sells husbands has just opened in New York City , where a

woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the

entrance is a description of how the store operates. You may visit

the store ONLY ONCE!



There are six floors and the attributes of the men increase as the

shopper ascends the flights. There is, however, a catch . . .. you

may choose any man from a particular floor, or you may choose to go

up a floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building !!


So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband

On the first floor the sign on the door reads: Floor 1 - These men

have jobs.



The second floor sign reads: Floor 2 - These men have jobs

and love kids.



The third floor sign reads: Floor 3 - These men have jobs,

love kids, and are extremely good looking. "Wow," she thinks,

but feels compelled to keep going.



She goes to the fourth floor and sign reads: Floor 4 - These men

have jobs, love kids, are drop- dead good looking and

help with the housework "Oh, mercy me!" she exclaims, "I can hardly

stand it!"



Still, she goes to the fifth floor and sign reads: Floor 5 - These

men have jobs, love kids, are drop- dead gorgeous,

help with the housework, and have a strong romantic streak.



She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor and the

sign reads:



Floor 6 - You are visitor 4,363,012 to this floor. There are no men

on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are

impossible to please! Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.

Watch your step as you exit the building, and have a nice day!

4. A beautiful "Mallu" female( from the heart of Kerala) went for a job interview for the post of a SECRETARY and also said she is good at english. When the manager saw the Mallu's colorful attire, gold, well oiled uncombed jet black hair, his mind was screaming "NOT THIS WOMAN".

Nevertheless, he still had to entertain the Mallu. So he told her "If you could form a sentence using the words that I give you, then maybe I will give you a chance! The words are GREEN, PINK, YELLOW, BLUE, WHITE, PURPLE and BLACK".

The enthusiastic Mallu lady thought for a while and said :
"I hear the phone GREEN GREEN GREEN, then I go and PINK up the phone, I say YELLOW....BLUE'S that? WHITE did you say? Aiye, wrong number....Don't PURPLELY disturb people and don't call BLACK, ok? Thank You."

The Manager fainted........

Pootham Pootham!!

Hi...check this one!! Got it from a site...Just 4 fun only..not for hurting anybody!!

Bharat Sanchar eyes 760 cities for 3G services

State-run telecom operator Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL) plans to provide third generation (3G) mobile services in 760 cities in the first phase with an initial investment of Rs.2,700 crore, parliament was informed on Thursday.

"BSNL has already launched 3G services in 111 cities till date as part of first phase," Minister of State Gurudas Kamat said in a written reply to Rajya Sabha.

The first phase of rollout will be completed by 2010-11, Kamat said.

The other state-owned operator, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam (MTNL), has launched 3G services in Mumbai and Delhi and is in the process of adding 750,000 lines of 3G in both cities, he said.

3G services will enable high end services like video telephony, high speed mobile broadband, mobile TV and a number of other value added services.

Currently, BSNL has total 7,295 3G subscribers while MTNL has about 400 subscribers recorded till May.

Google launches a major offensive against Microsoft

The clash between Microsoft and Google has turned more intense. First, Google announced its first operating system, Chrome. Then Microsoft announced the new version of Office with major cloud applications support. To increase its presence in the search engine market, Microsoft recently announced its deal to take over Yahoo's search business. Now, Google has announced the launch of its new promotional campaign called 'Going Google.'

The main target of 'Going Google' campaign is to topple Microsoft's hold in office applications. Google will soon launch a series of advertisements which will boast why some 3,000 organizations are signing up to use Google applications each day. Google claims that so far over 1.75 million businesses, schools and organizations have signed up to use the various combinations of Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Docs and the other Google apps. Currently, Microsoft Office has the highest market share for office related applications. Google is trying to be proactive in telling people why its solution is better than Microsoft Office.

Google will be heavily investing in the 'Going Google' campaign and it plans to advertise through billboards on four major U.S. highways that will give a new message about Google apps everyday for a month. The billboards will be placed on the 101 in San Francisco, the West Side Highway in New York, the Ike in Chicago, and Mass Pike in Boston.

Google is also attempting to use Twitter platform to spread the 'Going Google' message. At the bottom of its blog post on the matter, Google urges people who use its apps to 'Tweet your story' and provides a link to auto-populate a tweet with the #gonegoogle hashtag. You can also follow the GoogleAtWork Twitter account to follow the Gone Google stories.

Google also plans to use 'Spread the Word' campaign, which will be similar to Mozilla's campaign to promote Firefox. Google will also try to use the conventional way of sending fliers and pre-populated emails to promote its 'Going Google' campaign.

Hackers crash Facebook and Twitter !

Bangalore: Facebook and Twitter were attacked by hackers with denial-of-service attack on August 6. In a denial-of-service attack a Web site or server is bombarded with more traffic than it can handle, effectively causing online congestion. Such attacks are done from multiple computers and usually hackers send malware data to the target site in unison. After initial denial of any such attack, both Facebook and Twitter have now acknowledged attack on their site by denial-of-service attack.

In a blog hosted on an unaffected server, Twitter Co-Founder Biz Stone acknowledged the attack. "Attacks such as this are malicious efforts orchestrated to disrupt and make unavailable services such as online banks, credit card payment gateways, and in this case, Twitter for intended customers or users. We are defending against this attack now and will continue to update our status blog as we continue to defend and later investigate," he added.

Twitter had declared their scaling problems in early 2007. And as much as the great Twitter outages of 2007 and 2008 frustrated users, these outages are much more serious. Twitter has come a long way since 2007 as 45 million people worldwide now rely on Twitter as a communication platform. They will have to scale if they really want to be the 'Pulse of the Planet.'

Facebook issued an early statement on its site saying that, "Earlier this morning, Facebook encountered network issues related to an apparent distributed denial-of-service attack that resulted in degraded service for some users. No user data was at risk and we have restored full access to the site for most users. We're continuing to monitor the situation to ensure that users have the fast and reliable experience they've come to expect from Facebook." As compared to Twitter, Facebook and Google were able to minimize any impact to their sites along with sites such as Blogger, YouTube and other Google Sites.

Pingdom, a site that tracks server uptime, states that Twitter was offline for about two and a half hours. Last time, Twitter was down due to unplanned downtime was on May 30 this year due to a software error. Denial-of-service attacks are becoming common nowadays. According to Information week, Gawker Media sites and AT&T were hit with it earlier this week. Last week, Internet Systems Consortium warned that BIND 9, the most common domain name server, contained a vulnerability that could be exploited to crash the server, leading to a denial-of-service. The company said that the vulnerability is actively being exploited and it urged users of the software to update immediately.

Amongst all this commotion an interesting piece of news has emerged. A pro-Georgian blogger with accounts on Twitter, Facebook, LiveJournal and Google's Blogger and YouTube was targeted in a denial-of-service attack that led to the site-wide outage at Twitter and problems at the other sites, according to a Facebook executive. "It was a simultaneous attack across a number of properties targeting him to keep his voice from being heard. We're actively investigating the source of the attacks and we hope to be able to find out the individuals involved in the back end and to take action against them if we can," said Max Kelly, Chief Security Officer at Facebook to CNET. The blogger whose account was attacked uses the account name 'Cyxymu' (the name of a town in the Republic of Georgia). Kelly declined to speculate on whether Russian nationalists were behind the attack.