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Apple Is Now The World's Top PC Vendor (If You Include The iPad)
MacBook Air Upgrade Coming
A Windows User's First MacBook
SOPA Drops DNS Blocking After White House Wades In
Official White House Statement On Combating Online Piracy While Protecting An Open And Innovative Internet
Rupert Murdoch Slams White House Over SOPA in Twitter Rant
UK Student Faces Extradition To US, Possibly Five Years Jail Time, After Piracy Case Ruling
Sell Secondhand MP3s At Your Peril - Legal Expert
We're Stuck With Passwords, And Maybe They're Best Of A Bad Lot
IDrive Announces Universal Online Backup for an Unlimited Number of PCs, Macs, Smartphones and Tablets on One Plan
DriveSavers Dedicated to Solid State Data Recovery
Apple Is Now The World's Top PC Vendor (If You Include The iPad)
asymco's Horace Dediu says that if you include tablets, Apple is now likely the world's number one personal computer vendor.
Dediu notes that, according to Gartner, HP shipped 14.7 million PCs in the last quarter, and while he doesn't have the total global figure for Apple, his estimates are 5.2 million Macs and 14.7 million iPads, for a total of 19.9 million computers in the same period, and the provisional estimate of Apple in front by over five million units is unlikely to disappear as the statistical metrics form up.
He further observes that iPad excluded, Apple went from a 3.42% global market share at the end of 2008 to a 5.6% share today, but with the iPad in it now enjoys a 17.6% share. Meanwhile HP went from 19.3% in 2008 to 16% today or just 13% if iPad is included.
For the full report visit here:
http://bit.ly/xmWAWM
MacBook Air Upgrade Coming
Computerworld's Jonny Evans says that Apple is it's preparing to a next-generation MacBook Air to better defend its pre-eminance in the light-and-thin notebook category it created with the MacBook Air four years ago, and in the face of some 75 PC "ultrabook" notebooks expected to be released in 2012.
Evans notes that some of these machines even look pretty, especially ones featuring designs imitatively based on the work of Apple's Sir Jony Ive, but that Apple is expected to introduce new configurations of the MacBook Air when Intel introduces new Ivy Bridge versions of its Core i processors, which he suggests means all those competing machines unveiled at CES are already essentially D.O.A. and headed for the obsolete, bargain basement and discount stores.
He further observes that while Intel is subsidizing ultrabooks with a $300 million incentive pot, something Apple has ever been compelled to do, and suggests that a March release around the time the iPad 3 (or 2S) is expected to debut. Your editor thinks that's a bit optimistic, if for no other reason than that Ive Bridge silicon is unlikely to be available by then, and that late April, May, or even the WWDC in June are more likely for a new MacBook Air release.
For the full commentary visit here:
http://bit.ly/yIfh47
A Windows User's First MacBook
CNET Australia's Craig Simms has launched a multi-part series report on his adventures as a recent switcher from Windows to a MacBook.
In Part 1, Simms notes that for the first-time OS X user, long-time Windows user, being presented with the OS X Lion desktop can be a little jarring, and proceeds to walk fellow Mac newbies through the adaptation process.
In part two he tackles keyboard shortcuts, offers some tips on text editing, explains how to get OS X to write to NTFS volumes, and covers file management, codecs and network connectivity.
Coming up in future installments: using the network, making a Lion back-up, running Windows through BootCamp and much more.
Check out Part 1 at:
http://bit.ly/yyawYf
and Part 2 here:
http://bit.ly/ygJmZT
SOPA Drops DNS Blocking After White House Wades In
The Register's Andrew Orlowski reports that U.S. Rep. Lamar Smith, sponsor of the anti-piracy bill SOPA has agreed to drop DNS blocking of websites from the proposed legislation after a joint statement from leading White House officials, noting that Smith said in a statement that:
"After consultation with industry groups across the country, I feel we should remove Domain Name System blocking from the Stop Online Piracy Act so that the Committee can further examine the issues surrounding this provision."
SOPA, one of two similar bills currently before Congress, contains a range of measures against foreign digital piracy sites and Orlowski notes it is strongly backed by unions, and entertainment and software businesses who rely on intellectual property, while Silicon Valley web companies have come out swinging against the legislation and the White House is getting nervous.
For the full report visit here:
http://bit.ly/ztL06X
Official White House Statement On Combating Online Piracy While Protecting An Open And Innovative Internet
In an official White House statement ( http://bit.ly/vZYhv0 ), spokespersons Victoria Espinel, Aneesh Chopra, and Howard Schmidt note that Congress is currently debating a few pieces of legislation concerning the very real issue of online piracy, including the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the PROTECT IP Act and the Online Protection and Digital ENforcement Act (OPEN), and that:
We want to take this opportunity to tell you what the Administration will support - and what we will not support. Any effective legislation should reflect a wide range of stakeholders, including everyone from content creators to the engineers that build and maintain the infrastructure of the Internet.
While we believe that online piracy by foreign websites is a serious problem that requires a serious legislative response, we will not support legislation that reduces freedom of expression, increases cybersecurity risk, or undermines the dynamic, innovative global Internet.
Any effort to combat online piracy must guard against the risk of online censorship of lawful activity and must not inhibit innovation by our dynamic businesses large and small. Across the globe, the openness of the Internet is increasingly central to innovation in business, government, and society and it must be protected. To minimize this risk, new legislation must be narrowly targeted only at sites beyond the reach of current U.S. law, cover activity clearly prohibited under existing U.S. laws, and be effectively tailored, with strong due process and focused on criminal activity. Any provision covering Internet intermediaries such as online advertising networks, payment processors, or search engines must be transparent and designed to prevent overly broad private rights of action that could encourage unjustified litigation that could discourage startup businesses and innovative firms from growing.
We must avoid creating new cybersecurity risks or disrupting the underlying architecture of the Internet. Proposed laws must not tamper with the technical architecture of the Internet through manipulation of the Domain Name System (DNS), a foundation of Internet security. Our analysis of the DNS filtering provisions in some proposed legislation suggests that they pose a real risk to cybersecurity and yet leave contraband goods and services accessible online. We must avoid legislation that drives users to dangerous, unreliable DNS servers and puts next-generation security policies, such as the deployment of DNSSEC, at risk.
Let us be clear: online piracy is a real problem that harms the American economy, and threatens jobs for significant numbers of middle class workers and hurts some of our nation's most creative and innovative companies and entrepreneurs. It harms everyone from struggling artists to production crews, and from startup social media companies to large movie studios. While we are strongly committed to the vigorous enforcement of intellectual property rights, existing tools are not strong enough to root out the worst online pirates beyond our borders. That is why the Administration calls on all sides to work together to pass sound legislation this year that provides prosecutors and rights holders new legal tools to combat online piracy originating beyond U.S. borders while staying true to the principles outlined above in this response. We should never let criminals hide behind a hollow embrace of legitimate American values.
This is not just a matter for legislation. We expect and encourage all private parties, including both content creators and Internet platform providers working together, to adopt voluntary measures and best practices to reduce online piracy.
So, rather than just look at how legislation can be stopped, ask yourself: Where do we go from here? Dont limit your opinion to whats the wrong thing to do, ask yourself whats right. Already, many of members of Congress are asking for public input around the issue. We are paying close attention to those opportunities, as well as to public input to the Administration. The organizer of this petition and a random sample of the signers will be invited to a conference call to discuss this issue further with Administration officials and soon after that, we will host an online event to get more input and answer your questions. Details on that will follow in the coming days.
Washington needs to hear your best ideas about how to clamp down on rogue websites and other criminals who make money off the creative efforts of American artists and rights holders. We should all be committed to working with all interested constituencies to develop new legal tools to protect global intellectual property rights without jeopardizing the openness of the Internet. Our hope is that you will bring enthusiasm and know-how to this important challenge.
Moving forward, we will continue to work with Congress on a bipartisan basis on legislation that provides new tools needed in the global fight against piracy and counterfeiting, while vigorously defending an open Internet based on the values of free expression, privacy, security and innovation. Again, thank you for taking the time to participate in this important process. We hope youll continue to be part of it.
Victoria Espinel is Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator at Office of Management and Budget
Aneesh Chopra is the U.S. Chief Technology Officer and Assistant to the President and Associate Director for Technology at the Office of Science and Technology Policy
Howard Schmidt is Special Assistant to the President and Cybersecurity Coordinator for National Security Staff
The statement can be found here:
http://bit.ly/vZYhv0
Rupert Murdoch Slams White House Over SOPA in Twitter Rant
The Register's Iain Thomson reports that multinational media mogul Rupert Murdoch has posted a series of rants on Twitter, accusing the White House of bowing to lobbying pressure over its lack of support for the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA).
Thmpson cites Mr. Murdoch posting: "So Obama has thrown in his lot with Silicon Valley paymasters who threaten all software creators with piracy, plain thievery," having apparently been inspired to respond after the White House issued a response to an online petition over the forthcoming SOPA legislation, the PROTECT IP Act and the Online Protection and Digital ENforcement Act (OPEN), saying the White House couldn't support the current legislation as it would interfere with the use of the DNS architecture which underlies most current internet use.
For the full report visit here:
http://bit.ly/A1Sqmi
UK Student Faces Extradition To US, Possibly Five Years Jail Time, After Piracy Case Ruling
The Register's Iain Thomson reports that 23-year-old Sheffield Hallam University student computer science student Richard O'Dwyer, a British national, is facing extradition to the US, and possibly five years in a federal prison, after the British courts ruled he should face charges of copyright infringement for linking to websites hosting pirated content. O'Dwyer had set up the TVShack.net website in 2007, hosting no content, but linking to sites that showed world television programs illegally - or enabled their download.
For the full report visit here:
http://bit.ly/zNwPVp
Sell Secondhand MP3s At Your Peril - Legal Expert
OUT-LAW.COM reports that Opinion Redigi, an American startup company, has found itself in trouble for selling legally downloaded digital music tracks secondhand, and last week was on the receiving end of a copyright infringement suit in the US.
For the full report visit here:
http://bit.ly/w0vWJn
We're Stuck With Passwords, And Maybe They're Best Of A Bad Lot
The Register's John Leyden notes that despite a recent IBM prediction that biometrics will replace the password within the next five years, new research from Microsoft's Cormac Herley and computer science professor Paul van Oorschot explains why, despite the tech industry's best attempts, this is not likely to be the case.
The prediction was part of a series ( http://ibm.co/rGxJmp ) that also speculated that the digital divide would cease to exist and that mind-reading technology would become a possibility. But, at least on the subject of passwords
IBM Fellow and Speech CTO David Nahamoo had contended that user IDs and passwords are not foolproof. They can be stolen and our mobile devices can also be lost or stolen.
Nahamoo maintains that over the next five years, your unique biological identity and biometric data facial definitions, iris scans, voice files, even your DNA will become the key to safeguarding your personal identity and information and replace the current user ID and password system. He suggests that biometric data will allow you to walk up to an ATM and access your bank account by simply speaking your name and looking into the camera, and that we'll be able totake advantage of the advanced technology being used in the smart devices, such as microphones, touch screens and high definition cameras to fully employ biometric security options.
However, in a joint paper, Microsoft's Herley and Van Oorschot, a computer science professor at Ottawa's Carleton University, argue that passwords are here to stay because alternatives such as PKI and biometrics have come up short, adding that lessons not learned from these failures have left the industry stuck in a rut, with a succession of rival technologies going back over 20 years having failed to fulfil their potential, that even password tech has not really improved during this time, and that memorising secret strings of characters is here to stay.
For the full Channel Register report visit here:
http://bit.ly/zKkVsB
Herley and van Oorschot's paper, "A Research Agenda Acknowledging the Persistence of Passwords," published in the IEEE Security & Privacy Magazine, can be downoloaded here (PDF):
http://bit.ly/AlNcre
IDrive Announces Universal Online Backup for an Unlimited Number of PCs, Macs, Smartphones and Tablets on One Plan
IDrive has made public the latest versions of its Windows, Mac and mobile software - home users and small businesses can now protect as many computers, iOS and Android devices as they own with one easy plan - only at:
http://www.idrive.com
"We're excited about the latest updates to IDrive," says Raghu Kulkarni, founder and CEO of Pro Softnet Corp. "With a single account new customers can back up as many computers and mobile devices as they want and then view their files from any of those connected devices or on our website. Plus, the mobile app can now back up contacts, photos and videos and make them available online as well."
Those interested can create a free account and store their first 5GB at no charge.
IDrive offers two plans for home users: 150 GBs for $4.95/month or 500 GBs for $14.95/month, with no limits on the number of Windows, Mac, iOS or Android devices that can be protected or the length of time for file retention. For businesses, plans range from 50GB to 1TB starting at $9.95/month with priority customer support. Customers can receive two months free by paying annually and IDrive also offers 50% discounts for teachers, students and faculty.
Not All Backups Are Created Equally
"Many backup services offer 'unlimited' storage space for a single computer at a flat rate, like $50 per year per computer - it sounds like a good deal at first, but back up 100 GBs from that one computer and you pay $50/year, back up just 50 GBs and you still have to pay $50/year: that's where they get you," says Stephen Gold, Business Development Manager. "Not only that, 'unlimited' storage plans almost always have very limited file retention, meaning they automatically remove data from your backup after you delete the files from your computer, usually just 30 days later. The question is, 'What use is a backup that doesn't contain files you accidentally deleted, say, six months ago?' On the other hand, IDrive allows people to actually use all of the online storage they are paying for."
A quick summary of IDrive's features and benefits:
- Get full access to files from any PC, Mac, iOS or Android device,
- Share any file/folder using an email address - easily swap large files with others,
- Intelligent incremental backups/restores over a secure connection,
- Available private key encryption for maximum security,
- "True Archive" storage - data is never automatically deleted and the last 30 versions of each file are held without counting against GBs stored,
- Continuous Data Protection for real-time backup of commonly used files,
- No file size or type limitations - no bandwidth throttling,
- Rapid Serve Restore - large restores can be physically shipped for quick disaster recovery,
- IDrive builds its own hardware and software; the speed and performance can rarely be matched,
- Live phone and 24-hour chat support.
IDrive Online Backup Mobile App Gets New Features
The IDrive mobile app makes it possible for users to access their account and share files while on the go. New updates bring the ability to back up contact information, photos and videos over a Wi-Fi or 3G connection to the IDrive cloud from iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices running iOS 4.0 or later as well as Google Android devices running 1.6 or later. The information is then made available via other connected computers and mobile devices as well as on the IDrive website.
IDrive is available for home and server editions of Windows and Mac OS X and for mobile devices in the Apple App Store and Android Market.
Why EVS (Encrypted, Versioned File System) for developers?
- EVS was built to be faster, easier to secure and more affordable than other cloud platforms like Amazon S3, Rackspace and others.
- As low as $4.95/month for 150 GBs of storage and no bandwidth fees - build and test apps using the free 5GB IDrive Basic plan,
- Efficient and built-in 256-bit AES encryption with the option for a private user key for maximized security,
- Upload/download thousands of files and folders with a single line of code,
- The past 30 versions of each file are archived indefinitely - storage is calculated only for the most current version,
- Incremental and compressed data transfers make uploads and downloads quick.
The EVS development team actively assists developers and partners with integrating APIs into their applications and new API codes can be created based on special needs.
To learn more about creating applications using EVS, visit http://evs.idrive.com
For more information, visit:
http://www.idrive.com
DriveSavers Dedicated to Solid State Data Recovery
DriveSavers Data Recovery has announced that it has formed a dedicated research and development team to conquer the challenges of solid state drive (SSD) data recovery. DriveSavers began working with solid state storage technology around 1995 when SmartMedia cards were introduced with some of the first consumer-priced digital cameras. Since then, DriveSavers has aggressively researched and developed unique techniques for SSD and NAND flash recoveries, as well as partnered with premier SSD manufacturers including Samsung and SandForce.
Storage manufacturers currently use non-volatile flash memory for portable USB drives, camera cards, SSDs, Apple iPhones and iPads. One of the greatest benefits of flash memory is that it doesnt require power to retain data it stores, unlike other types of memory chips such as DRAM or SRAM. Because SSDs have no moving parts, they eliminate common problems experienced with typical hard drives that employ flying read/write heads such as: head crashes; bad motors and damaged head stacks.
"As SSDs continue to grow in popularity and market share, everyone wants the speed and quick boot times, but have questions about reliability and trusting a new technology with their precious data," says Chris Bross, Strategic Technical Alliance Engineer at DriveSavers. "Having years of experience in achieving early data recovery success with SSD technology, DriveSavers can provide a safety net should the unexpected SSD failure happen and data loss occurs."
"Nevertheless, for all that you gain from a SSD; data is still at risk. The technology is still relatively new and failures do occur. These devices are susceptible to problems such as bad chips, directory corruption, virus attacks, accidental file deletion, impact damage, electrical spikes and fire or water damage.
"SSD data recovery can be challenging for a number of reasons. Data is stored across multiple memory chips, similar to the way data is striped across multiple hard drives in a RAID 0 configuration. The SSD controller is the brain of the device and determines how and where the data is to be written on the flash media via complex proprietary algorithms. And many of these SSDs are self-encrypting as well. For a successful recovery to be achieved, we must understand the controller technology and be able to access all the NAND chips on the drive. Some or all chips may be removed from the printed circuit board and make repairs as needed. One-of-a-kind solutions must often be developed very quickly to satisfy our customers needs.
"We have a long history of understanding complex data structures, overcoming technological challenges and generating successful SSD recoveries. We continually invest in SSD data recovery research and development to ensure our engineers and technology are ahead of the curve as these devices continue to gain market share."
For more information about DriveSavers and our SSD data recovery services, visit Imaging USA booth #1241, or:
http://www.drivesaversdatarecovery.com/
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