Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Well, if what is being reported by Fortune Magazine is anything go by, Microsoft is probably giving a hint to the Linux world out there that the party will be over soon. While Microsoft had been saying all along that Linux infringes some of it patents, this is the first time it had come up with specific numbers of those infringements even though the Redmond company will not say which specific patents are violated, yet.

The business world should view this new development with caution. If Microsoft does go ahead and pursue the matter in court, Linux world will definitely suffer to a certain extent. For one, new clients may put a hold on any new Linux purchases until the issue is resolved. However, everyone knows what Microsoft wants. Royalty. But who is going to pay for that? The Linux operating system is not owned by any specific party and is available for free. The consultants who implement Linux do get paid but they don’t own Linux. They definitely will not pay any royalty. That leaves only one interested party… the customer. But will they pay any royalty for using the products that don’t have any owner? Unlikely… but in IT world, anything can happen. It is interesting to wait and see how Microsoft will play this game.

Stay tuned to Gadgetell as more develops.

Read [Information Week]

By the end of May 2007, Dell will begin shipping personal computers that are pre-installed with Ubuntu version of Linux operating system. The options for selected models of laptop and desktops will be available for US market.

“Today, we are excited to tell you that Dell will begin offering Canonical’s latest version, Ubuntu 7.04, as an option on select Dell consumer models in the U.S. in the coming weeks”

The decision to offer Ubuntu apparently made upon Dell’s consumers feedback on its IdeaStorm site, where 80 percent of its customers that had wanted Linux preferred Ubuntu.

While no PC makers have had any considerable success in pushing for Linux in their offering, Dell believe this time around is going to be different in their second attempt to breath Linux operating system into their products. The results, however, remain to be seen. Good luck to Dell and Ubuntu.

Read [ZDNet]

Cisco is partnering with Intelsat General to provide the routing software technology for an on-board router in a space project Intelsat General is working on for USA’s Department of Defense. The Internet routing in space (IRIS) project will allow direct IP routing over satellite thus eliminating the need for routing via a ground-based teleport. As a result, this will increase the efficiency and flexibility of the satellite communications link.

The project may lead to a completely space-based Internet. Internet traffic between satellites or space vehicles is currently routed through a remote terminal on Earth. IRIS will allow space-to-space Internet traffic to avoid traveling back to Earth, unless it needs to be finally delivered here. It’s possible the project could lead to a faster global IP network, since traffic could travel in space and only come back for delivery.

Back on Earth, Cisco is struggling to patch mulltiple vulnerabilities in its Wireless Control System (WCS) networking software and Wireless LAN Controller (WLC).

The WCS vulnerabilities, according to the company’s advisory, could lead to information disclosure, privilege escalation and unauthorized access. The patches apply to versions prior to 4.0.96.0, and are available through links in the advisory.

Read [TopTechNews]

The good news is that it will not affect me since my trusty old Pentium 4 clone PC is still running on Windows XP Professional. The new vulnerability opens up the possibility for an attacker to send an email with a malicious link. When the link is clicked by the email recipient on a PC running Vista, it will execute a program on the personal computers without warning. The possibilities to inflict damage on your computers are endless, including but not limited to, loss of personal information, damage to your files stored on the local hard disk and so on.

Windows Mail is the successor to Outlook Express, Microsoft’s free e-mail client, and ships with Vista. The risk however is mitigated due to the fact that Vista is not widely accepted and used, yet, a fact that Microsoft has to accept with a pinch of salt.

Read [CNet News.com]

These suckers are interesting stuff nevertheless. If you are having trouble trying to save some money to buy the upcoming Limited Edition Black Xbox 360, then you should not think twice about getting these money sucking time machine. BanClock will definitely change your spending habit to saving habit and it does that tirelessly everyday at exactly the same time… provided you don’t forget to set the alarm clock timer that is.

You set the timer,  then go to sleep and be prepared to wake up the next morning with loads of coins because the suckers wont stop annoying you until you feed them with change. The more you hit snooze, the more money you save. How’s that pay out?

Read [Hip Tech Blog]

At least, that’s what the sales figures for American consumer games market share in February shows as compiled by NPD Group. Nintendo blew away competitors by the thousands. The company sold 485,000 DS units and 335,000 Wii consoles in the month. Microsoft, on the other hand, only managed to sell 228,000 of its Xbox 360, while Sony was struggling to move 127,000 units of its PlayStation 3 out of its stores.

The popularity of the Wii console was evident in the impact its sales had on the company’s supply chain, Nintendo said. Gamers were “snapping up virtually every system available in America,” the company added.

Combined, Nintendo game systems “represented 54 percent of all hardware sales in February, more than those of all other manufacturers combined,” noted the company.

Nintendo’s success was attributed to the simplicity of it’s products.

“The DS has games that go down to pre-school level and the Wii has games where you don’t even need to crack the instruction manual at all to play.”

Xboxers and Playstationers…. what say you?

Read [Tech News World]

Google’s European top executives had confirmed, two days ago, that the much talked about Google phone rumors is in fact not a rumor after all.

“Mobile is an important area for Google and we remain focused on creating applications and establishing and growing partnerships with industry leaders to develop innovative services for users worldwide. However, we have nothing further to announce.”

Now that the news has been confirmed, everyone will be wondering what the phone would look like and what kind of features it will have. I would certainly guess that searching for content will be part of the main functionality of the phone knowing that it will come from Google, a company that is known for its search engine technology. I wouldn’t be surprised if Adsense is incorporated as well, allowing phone users to earn money in similar way web publishers earn commission when the visitors click on Adsense advertisements. Other rumors included: Google and Samsung were building this phone together, a VoIP offering, a Java or C++ operating system, and more. Until it is released we expect the rumors to be in full effect.

Read [CNet]

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You wouldn’t buy this if you are a hardcore Xbox or Wii fan, but Sony’s Phil Harrison tried his luck anyway. In his keynote address at the recent Games Developers Conference (GDC) in San Francisco, Harrison had offered ten reasons why you should part with your £425 for a PS3.

1. Home and LittleBigPlanet
2. It’ll probably be easier to get hold of a PS3 than a Wii come 23 March (ok, maybe not this one)
3. It’s another reason to buy an HD TV
4. MotorStorm really does look rather good
5. Affordable games
6. It’s a good-value Blu-ray player
7. SingStar and online content
8. The PS3 controller might get its rumble back
9. Your old PS2 games will work on it - almost
10. Resistance: Fall of Man

Are these enough reasons to do it? I’m sure many of you have more than a top 10 of why not to purchase a PS3…

Read [Reg Hardware]

ASI Computer Technologies had been selected by Seagate to be the first computer manufacturer to ship computers equipped with Seagate’s hard disk drive with encryption technology. The Fremont, California-based computer company will be rolling out its ASI C8015 model starting next month to a number of its partners including Newegg.com, PowerNotebooks.com and ZipZoomfly.com.

The Seagate drives are equipped with the company’s new “DriveTrust” technology, which the company promotes as a simpler way to safeguard data stored on laptops. The encryption technology is designed to make life tougher for computer thieves and to prevent embarrassing breaches.

More deals with other worldwide major computer manufacturers are also in the making and should be announced soon. The latest Seagate’s Momentus 5400 FDE.2 offers up to 160GB of capacity, a Serial ATA interface, and hardware-based Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption.

Read [ZDNet]

Paul Mercer, a former Apple engineer and iPod interface designer, had been hired by Palm. However the executives at Palm remain tight lipped about the project Mercer will be working on. It is not hard to guess though, considering Palm’s highly popular Treo lineup is ageing with time, Mercer should be looking into breathing a new life into Treo’s platform design. I wouldn’t be surprised too if Mercer helped Palm to come out with a new product that would compete directly against Apple’s iPhone. If you are thinking of buying any new Palm device, I would suggest you hold your breath a while longer, who knows what Mercer has in his mind could really be worth waiting for. For record, Mercer also contributed his share in the design of Samsung’s YP-Z5.

Read [Top Tech News]