TheState.com: Technology - Wire

FCC overhaul eyes broadband but could raise bills

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 14:30 EDT

The nation's top telecommunications regulator wants to overhaul the fees that phone companies pay each other to connect calls and the fund that subsidizes phone service in underserved areas. Supporters say the reforms will help bring broadband to places that lack high-speed Internet, but consumer advocates question how much the plan will raise phone bills.

"This could be potentially a billion-dollar giveaway to phone monopolies, paid for out of consumers' pocketbooks," said Chris Murray, an attorney with Consumers Union.

Federal Communications Chairman Kevin Martin is proposing to reform the multibillion-dollar "intercarrier compensation" system, the byzantine menu of charges that telecom carriers pay to access each other's networks. This happens, for example, when a customer of one phone company calls someone who lives in another company's territory.

Martin's plan would also make major changes to the $7 billion-plus Universal Service Fund, a federal program that subsidizes telecommunications service in rural and poor communities through a surcharge on long-distance bills.

Martin, one of three Republicans on the five-member commission, circulated his proposal to his colleagues late Tuesday so the commissioners can vote on it at a Nov. 4 meeting.

All-in-one PC is TV, media center and touchable

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:05 EDT

A single computer can replace several consumer electronic products. A computer can replace a television set, stereo system, telephone and of course still offer everything you get with a computer such as e-mail, web access and more. But a computer typically takes up a lot of room and then there's all those wires so you really don't see them in rooms other than the den or a room that's designated to be the home office.

But just the other day, my wife asked me if we could have a computer in the kitchen so she could look up recipes as well as just surfing around looking for stuff. The light came on when she also asked for a small TV in the kitchen as well. There's a perfect spot in the kitchen for a TV and it's already wired for a satellite box. I've found a flat, all-in-one computer that literally puts you in touch with everything.

The HP Pavilion IQ506 Touchsmart PC looks like a 22-inch diagonal, flat screen monitor. The thing is that the monitor IS the computer. Everything is built inside the screen. That includes the computer itself, a DVD drive, web camera, a TV tuner, WiFi 802.11n for the fastest wireless connections possible and lots more. The screen leans back and adjusts to the proper viewing angle with a touch. All of the controls are built into both sides of the screen that sports a nice wood panel finish. Besides the super-fast wireless ability, the rest of the wires are designed to come directly out of the back so that you can group them into one cable using one of those coiled cable wraps.

The keyboard and mouse are also wireless and the keyboard is designed to slide directly underneath the screen so it's out of the way. There's even an adjustable light underneath the screen so you can easily see the keys in the dark which is an interesting alternative to having a back-lit keyboard. But the thing about the keyboard is that you really don't need it because the Touchsmart's entire 22-inch screen is touch sensitive. With the included Touchsmart software, you can control everything with your finger.

You really have to see the Touchsmart in operation to fully appreciate how the touch sensitivity works but I'll give you some examples. All of your applications appear in a thumbnail menu. Just touch the browser icon to run it. The Touchsmart supports gestures so to browse back a page, you simply swipe your finger across the page to the left. To move forward, slide your finger from left to right across the page. The whole thing is very intuitive to use.

Nissan suit simulates older drivers' difficulties

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:54 EDT

Nissan calls it an "aging suit," a cumbersome, strap-on outfit that gives young auto designers the feel of driving with a bulging belly, arthritic joints and shaky balance.

The suit - including goggles that distort color and mimic the effects of cataracts - is used to simulate the physical effects of aging as designers work to make future vehicles safer and more comfortable.

With the 65 and older population in the U.S. expected to double to 70 million - one in five people - by 2030, Nissan Motor Co. and other automakers are looking at safety and comfort design changes as a way to reach for baby boomers' wallets.

Drivers 65 and older, while not as accident-prone as the youngest drivers, are 16 percent more likely than adult drivers ages 25 to 64 to cause an accident, according to a 2007 report by the Rand Institute for Civil Justice.

Ford Motor Co. also has used what it calls a "Third Age" suit to simulate aging and now uses a virtual reality lab to evaluate vehicle ergonomics and clarity of drivers' views. At General Motors Corp., researchers are working on a high-tech windshield designed to enhance a driver's view.

EBay expects 4Q earnings decline

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:40 EDT

EBay Inc. expects its fourth-quarter earnings to drop, citing upcoming acquisitions and plans to cut 10 percent of its workforce.

On Wednesday, eBay predicted a fourth-quarter profit of 25 cents to 27 cents per share. The company earned 39 cents per share in the fourth quarter of 2007.

Excluding items, eBay expects to earn 39 cents to 41 cents per share. On this basis, analysts polled by Thomson Reuters had anticipated a profit of 47 cents per share.

The company also sees its revenue dipping, as it predicted $2.02 to $2.17 billion in revenue. EBay's revenue totaled $2.18 billion in the year-ago quarter.

Analysts were expecting $2.43 billion in revenue.

Intel expects profits to hold up in 4Q

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 01:05 EDT

Intel Corp. has provided some insight into the state of global PC demand, telling Wall Street that while technology spending may be slumping, the chip maker fully expects its profits to hold steady.

The Santa Clara-based company, the world's largest maker of PC microprocessors, said Tuesday that its third-quarter profit rose 12 percent, beating analysts' estimates by a penny per share.

The increase was driven in large part by technological advances that lower Intel's cost of making each chip, which helps the company wring out more profits even in tough economic times.

Sales, in fact, rose just 1 percent, helped by a 20 percent jump in revenues from laptop microprocessors, but were held down overall by lower sales of desktop and server microprocessors. Intel missed the consensus revenue estimate by about $40 million.

Wall Street was already expecting that Intel's third-quarter results would be in line with analyst forecasts, since a spending freeze by many corporate information technology departments didn't fully emerge until late in the quarter, when the financial crisis worsened dramatically.

Video-game review: ‘Fracture'

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 09:30 EDT

"Fracture"

Reviewed for: Xbox 360 and Playstation 3

From: Day 1 Studios/LucasArts

On paper, "Fracture" reads like a run-of-the-mill third-person shooter with a potentially cool gimmick. Being able to dynamically raise and lower the ground, using nothing more than a special gun designed for that purpose, could yield some interesting gameplay possibilities if utilized well.

In practice, it's significantly more impressive than it sounds. Games centered around the art of destroying or reshaping environments traditionally impose strict, artificial limitations on such activity, but "Fracture" encourages you to run wild. Some extraordinarily liberated physics let you shape terrain like it's clay in your hands: You can forge hills and valleys at will in order to solve puzzles, create cover from enemy fire, and reach areas that otherwise would be out of reach. The degree to which the game stands behind its gimmick, and the degree to which that gimmick delivers, is something one needs to experience to fully appreciate.

Don't give in to ‘scareware'

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:05 EDT

Q. Recently my computer was attacked by a program named Antivirus XP 2008 that, while claiming to protect your computer, is actually a virus itself.

It pops a big red warning block on the screen and asks the user to continue. Pressing continue brings up another screen asking for your Visa number so you can be billed $39.95 to get rid of the threat it has identified. Well, you'd have to be crazy to give them a credit card number.

I was unable to get rid of this attack software. Finally I had to reformat the hard disk, reload the operating system and begin anew. This malware is really bad news. If it should happen again, is there any way to get rid of it other than start all over?

-S.S., Swift Creek, N.C.

A. Antivirus XP 2008 is part of a growing threat category called "misleading applications," "rogue programs" or "scareware." These programs make false or exaggerated claims about the security of your system and request or demand payment to solve them.

Flat-panel TV prices set to dive, analysts say

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:25 EDT

A combination of weak consumer spending and a peak in manufacturing capacity will push prices for flat-panel TVs down to unprecedented lows this holiday season, according to analysts.

David Barnes, analyst at NPD Group's DisplaySearch unit, said prices look set to decrease rapidly starting on "Black Friday," the day after Thanksgiving, and lasting through next year.

It's even possible that 32-inch LCD TV sets, which now usually cost $600 to $700, will go as low as $350 in stores. That's a significant level: It's close to the long-run average price for a TV in the U.S., Barnes said Tuesday.

He believes these smaller sets will be the big sellers this year, as consumers, and possibly also credit-card companies that had fueled big-ticket spending, tighten their belts.

"We're about at the point where the 32-inch set will be the commodity," Barnes said Tuesday.

FCC chair eyes fallow TV airwaves for broadband

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:45 EDT

The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday proposed opening up unused portions of the television airwaves known as "white spaces" to deliver wireless broadband service.

The proposal by FCC chief Kevin Martin appeals to public interest groups and many of the nation's biggest technology companies, including Google Inc. and Microsoft Corp., which hope it will bring affordable high-speed Internet connections to more Americans.

"No one should ever underestimate the potential that new technologies and innovations may bring to society," Martin said in a statement.

His plan could run into opposition from the nation's big television broadcasters, which have argued that the use of the fallow spectrum to deliver wireless Internet services could disrupt their over-the-air signals. The National Association of Broadcasters had no immediate comment.

Shure Inc., a manufacturer of wireless microphones, has also raised concerns about interference with audio systems at concerts and sporting events.

PC shipments in 3Q just miss analyst group's view

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:35 EDT

Shipments of personal computers fell short of analysts' expectations in the third quarter, weighed down by the economic crisis in the U.S.

According to a report Wednesday from the Framingham, Mass.-based research group IDC, worldwide PC shipments from July to September rose 15.8 percent from the year-ago quarter to 80.1 million units, just barely behind the group's forecast of 15.9 percent.

Shipments in the U.S. rose a sluggish 5.3 percent to 18.1 million units. Double-digit growth in the Asia-Pacific region excluding Japan, and strong demand in Europe, the Middle East and Africa helped buoy the results.

"The difficult economic environment accelerated toward the end of the third quarter. The commercial segment has been constrained due to tight IT budgets, while back-to-school spending helped somewhat in maintaining momentum," said IDC analyst Doug Bell in a statement.

Hewlett-Packard Co. maintained its position as the biggest PC vendor in the world, with 18.8 percent of the market, and Dell Inc. held on to the No. 2 spot, with 14.2 percent. Acer Inc. of Taiwan remained in third place, at 12.5 percent.

Researchers expect hackers to prey on cell phones

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 00:30 EDT

Some of the most vicious Internet predators are hackers who infect thousands of PCs with special viruses and lash the machines together into "botnets" to pump out spam or attack other computers.

Now security researchers say cell phones, and not just PCs, are the next likely conscripts into the automated armies.

The mobile phone as zombie computer is one possibility envisioned by security researchers from Georgia Tech in a new report coming out Wednesday.

The report identifies the growing power of cell phones to open a new avenue of attack for hackers. Of particular concern is that as cell phones get more computing power and better Internet connections, hackers can capitalize on vulnerabilities in mobile-phone operating systems or Web applications.

Botnets, or networks of infected or robot PCs, are the weapons of choice when it comes to spam and so-called "denial of service attacks," in which computer servers are overwhelmed with Internet traffic to shut them down. For example, botnets were used against Estonia's government and financial Web sites in a devastating wave of attacks last year.

MIKE CASSIDY: A reason for optimism

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 10:05 EDT

These are dark days in Silicon Valley.

The markets are unsettled. Joblessness is up. In some neighborhoods foreclosure looms around every corner. It's a rough patch for a place that was built on optimism.

Sometimes in the midst of gloom it's wise to step back to take a look at what we've accomplished. The thought struck me as I sat in a hotel ballroom in East Palo Alto last week and listened to the gospel according to the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation.

Robert Atkinson, the foundation president, was in the valley in part to promote the outfit's latest report, "Digital Quality of Life: Understanding the Personal & Social Benefits of the Information Technology Revolution," a sweeping study that looks at how technology has changed our lives.

"When you put it all together and across many, many aspects of our lives or society, you see how big this is," Atkinson said after his presentation to about a dozen tech boosters who work in the industry. "We really are on the cusp of this big, big transformation that is going to just make people's lives a whole lot better and make society work a whole lot better."

Microsoft attempts to sour Apple's laptop launch

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 15:50 EDT

Tactics reminiscent of a close presidential race seem to be popping up in Microsoft Corp.'s rivalry with Apple Inc.

Just a few weeks ago, the software maker, tired of being the butt of Apple attack ads, launched a positive series of commercials highlighting the diversity and coolness of Windows users. But then in the hours before this week's product announcement from Apple, Microsoft went negative.

A Monday evening e-mail from Microsoft's outside PR firm titled "Why You'll Find Better Value in Windows PCs than Macs" aimed to deflate anticipation that that Apple might unveil a cheap-by-Apple-standards $800 laptop. (The rumors were off by $200).

Microsoft laid out its talking points - among them that Windows PCs come with more power and features for lower prices, while Macs are even pricer than they look because they don't come with enough software.

In true political style, Microsoft trotted out a hidden "Apple tax," an extra $1,000 or more Microsoft says people switching from PCs to Macs must pay to "rebuy" software and hardware for their new system.

EBay posts 3Q profit, reversing year-ago loss

Wed, 15 Oct 2008 16:25 EDT

EBay Inc. says it posted a third-quarter profit, reversing a year-ago loss that stemmed from charges to its Skype telecommunications unit. The profit beat analyst forecasts.

The online auction site operator earned $492 million, or 38 cents per share, in the quarter. EBay reported a loss of $936 million, or 69 cents per share, in the year-ago period.

Excluding items, eBay earned 46 cents per share - five cents higher than analysts polled by Thomson Reuters expected.

Revenue rose 12 percent to $2.12 billion, a bit lower than the $2.13 billion analysts anticipated.

EA turns to online games to boost Asian presence

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 08:08 EDT

Electronic Arts Inc. is turning to online games to boost its limited presence in Asia, the regional president of the U.S. video game maker said Tuesday.

EA's main business in the West comes from packaged games software for consoles and personal computers, but online games are more popular in Asia, EA President for Asia Jon Niermann told The Associated Press in an interview.

"It's night and day," Niermann.

Niermann was attending the launch of "Need for Speed Undercover," which features a character played by actress Maggie Q.

The executive says EA hopes to increase its market share in Asia by launching more online games, with 12 editions of different games expected to roll out this year.

New video game releases

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 11:30 EDT

The following games are scheduled for release this week, according to GameSpot.com.

Oct. 13:

Blitz: The League II (X360 and PS3, genre: arcade, rated M)

Avatar The Last Airbender: Into the Inferno (PS2 and Wii, genre: fantasy, rated E10+)

Guitar Hero: Aerosmith (PC, genre: music, rated T)

Apple to offer $999 entry laptop, better graphics

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:40 EDT

Apple Inc. touched up its line of laptop computers Tuesday with a minimal nod to the economic turmoil that might push consumers to be more frugal this holiday shopping season.

Apple did lower its least expensive laptop, the existing version of the entry-level MacBook, by $100 to $999.

But in the updated versions of its MacBook and MacBook Pro machines, Apple focused mainly on adding features. Some had been in the svelte MacBook Air, including thinner laptop casings and a "multitouch" track pad, which, like the iPhone, understands gestures for spinning and zooming.

In an event at Apple's headquarters, Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and CEO, also said Apple broadened its use of graphics chips and associated technologies from Nvidia Corp., at the expense of Intel Corp., which still supplies the computers' central processors. Jobs said the change speeds up processing-intensive activities - playing popular 3-D video games, for example - as much as six-fold.

As at other events in the last few months, Jobs appeared thin but, in a tongue-in-cheek nod to persistent questions about his health, projected a slide with his healthy 110-over-70 blood pressure reading.

Summary: Apple retouches laptop line for holidays

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 16:50 EDT

APPLE'S LINEUP: Apple Inc. tuned up its laptops for the holiday shopping season. The machines generally are sleeker and have more power. Apple avoided making major price cuts, although the most basic MacBook is now $999, down from $1,099.

PRICE MATTERS: Apple's decision to keep most laptop prices well over $1,000 reflects the company's confidence that it can profitably maintain its premium status in a shaky economy. Other PC makers are offering notebooks that cost less than $500.

GRAPHIC ACTION: Apple says it is giving the laptops better graphics performance by expanding its relationship with Nvidia Corp. That's a needed boost for the graphics chip maker, which disclosed a major product failure this summer.

Summary of spam operation crackdown

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 19:10 EDT

HOW MUCH SPAM: The operation targeted by federal authorities generated billions of spam e-mails over several years. The Federal Trade Commission received more than 3 million complaints.

HOW IT WORKED: The FTC says the spam encouraged people to go to various Web sites, including one called "Canadian Healthcare." The sites allegedly used false claims to peddle prescription drugs, as well as "male enhancement" and weight-loss pills.

WHAT LAW APPLIES: The operation allegedly violated the CAN-SPAM Act, a federal law designed to restrict commercial spam. Among other things, it requires that unsolicited e-mails have opt-out links and clearly state their origin.

WHO WAS INVOLVED: On the Internet, the enterprise was known as "Affking." The FTC says the main figures included a U.S. and a New Zealand citizen. They say it involved people in half a dozen countries, including India, China and the United States.

Investigator: Computer likely caused Qantas plunge

Tue, 14 Oct 2008 10:00 EDT

A faulty computer unit likely caused a Qantas jetliner to experience two terrifying midair plunges within minutes last week, an Australian investigator said Tuesday.

More than 40 people were injured when the Airbus A330-300 briefly nose-dived twice during a flight from Singapore to the western Australian city of Perth last Tuesday.

Julian Walsh, chief air investigator at the Australian Transport Safety Bureau, said an initial investigation indicated the cause was a computer unit that detects through sensors the angle of the plane against the airstream. He said one of the plane's three such units malfunctioned and sent the wrong data to the main flight computers.

The flight data recorder indicated the plane, carrying 303 passengers and 10 crew, climbed about 200 feet from its cruising level of 37,000 feet and then went into a nose-dive, dropping about 650 feet in 20 seconds, before returning to cruising level, the safety bureau said last week. The sharp drop was quickly followed by a second of about 400 feet in 16 seconds.

The problem is the latest in a series of malfunctions and near-misses for Australia's flagship carrier in recent weeks.