These days most people have more than one e-mail account. If one of yours is a Gmail account, you can use it as your primary inbox, checking the mail for all of your POP3 accounts in your Gmail browser window. Note that you'll be able to check other POP3 accounts only; you won't be able to check Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo Mail, or other Web mail accounts. And since not all POP3 servers work with Gmail, you may want to check with your ISP beforehand.
400)this.width=400" align=right border=0>To get started, open your Gmail account, and click Settings, Accounts. In the 'Get mail from other accounts' section, click Add another m
ail account. Enter the e-mail address of the account you want to add, and click Next Step.
Enter your user name, password, and POP server. If you plan on continuing to access the account through a mail client or through the ISP's own Web interface, in addition to picking them up in your Gmail account, check Leave a copy of retrieved message on the server. This allows you to read the mail in Gmail, but the mail will stay on the server so that you can download it with your mail client or read it through the account's Web interface. If you intend to access the mail for the account only through your Gmail account, leave the box unchecked.
Check Always use a secure connection (SSL) when retrieving mail to to keep mail snoops at bay. In some instances, a POP3 account may not work with an SSL connection; if so, you may have to leave this box unchecked.
If you want all of your incoming messages from the account to carry a label--such as the name of the account--select Label incoming messages. In Gmail, a label works much like a folder: You can view all mail that carries the same label by clicking the label. Gmail automatically creates a label for the address of the new account. You can select a different label or create a new one by selecting the appropriate entry from the drop-down list. Another option is to have messages bypass your inbox and go straight to your Gmail archive--a good choice if you want to use Gmail primarily for searching through mail. When you've made all your selections, click Add Account.
You can compose mail in Gmail and have it appear to the recipient as if it were from the account you just added. When a message appears asking whether you want to create a custom From address, click Yes and follow the instructions.
Gmail will check your account, and any mail will appear in your Gmail inbox. To stop Gmail from checking the mail, click Settings, Accounts and choose delete next to the account.
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Microsoft adds .Net to give Silverlight a shine
Microsoft Corp. is integrating the .Net framework into its new Silverlight browser technology for running multimedia applications on the Web, the company revealed Monday. The move is part of an expanded effort to build a significant developer base so Microsoft can catch up to Adobe Systems Inc. in providing a revenue-generating business in the rich Internet applications (RIAs) market.
Chief Software Architect and CTO Ray Ozzie made the announcement in a keynote speech to kick off the MIX 07 conference in Las Vegas. He said Microsoft is shipping a cross-platform version of the .Net framework for the browser in Silverlight, which went into its first beta Monday.
Both the Silverlight 1.0 Beta and Silverlight 1.1 Alpha are immediately available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight.
Silverlight, unveiled a few weeks ago, is essentially a cross-browser, Web-based version of Microsoft's Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), the user-interface framework in Windows Vista. Silverlight is a cross-platform delivery mechanism that competes with Adobe's Flash player, which is an enormously popular way for developers to add multimedia content to Web sites.
Microsoft is encouraging developers to build applications for it through both the Microsoft Expression toolset and Microsoft Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE). In fact, the company Monday updated the currently available alpha of the next version of Visual Studio, code-named Orcas, by adding Silverlight to it in an offering called Silverlight Tools for Visual Studio "Orcas."
Microsoft hosted its first MIX show last year as an appeal to Web designers and developers of RIAs, an audience whose respect the company has yet to win. Microsoft has made several stops and starts in offering Web authoring and design tools over the years, but has always had far better success with client-side developers. Leveraging .NET developer community to build application for Silverlight is a clever strategic move for the company so it can gain ground its lost to Adobe and others by its long-time reluctance to accept the Web as a development platform.
Ozzie also Monday unveiled a Silverlight companion technology, Microsoft Silverlight Streaming by Windows Live, a hosting and repository service that lets Web designers and developers stream cross-platform, cross-browser RIAs on both Windows and the Apple Macintosh OSes.
The company also said it opened up APIs to Windows Live services through new licensing terms so they can be integrated intro the Silverlight Streaming service and delivered on Silverlight applications.
Microsoft also said that its Microsoft Expression Studio toolset is now shipping. A preview version of the 2.0 version of one of the tools in the suite, Expression Blend, also was made available at the show. Blend allows developers to build applications that combine both Web and desktop features.
Ozzie tried to redefine the acronym for software as a service, SAAS, as "software and a service" during his keynote, stressing Microsoft's strategy to combine both client software and Web-based services to provide a comprehensive platform for developers, and services for end users.
"Even SAAS providers have found the need to expand offerings to include an offline [client] edition," he said. "SAAS [version] 1 meant the Web; SAAS [version] 2 has come to embrace the unique value of the client [as well]."
Given Microsoft's long-time dependence on selling client software and building a strong developer community around the client, it certainly behooves Microsoft to downplay Web-based strategies to provide services and instead promote a combination software/services strategy. The company has lagged behind competitors such as Adobe, Google Inc. and Salesforce.com Inc. in adopting the Web as a developer platform, and some believe in the long term it will seriously hurt the company.
The company also needs to position .NET and Silverlight as a viable competitor to AJAX, a technology that developers also use to build RIAs.
"Microsoft hasn't always kept up with what others have been able to do," in Web development, said Bola Rotibi, a senior analyst with Ovum.
She said Microsoft's sudden ramp up in Web strategy -- with its combination of Windows Live, Silverlight and Microsoft Expression all being released in a flurry in the past 18 months -- shows Microsoft has recognized "there's no point in sticking your head in the sand about this."
Combining its background in software and tools to leverage new Web-based technologies is the most logical strategy for the company to catch up to competitors in promoting the Web as a platform, Rotibi added.
"It's the path of least resistance," she said. "They’re never going to leave their customers. Any vendor would be stupid to do that. So Microsoft is leveraging the innovative skills they've built up and given [customers and developers] access to newer technology, but have done it in such a way that they won't lose the investments they've made."
Though Microsoft said the MIX 07, being held at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, was sold out, Ozzie's keynote Monday morning had plenty of empty seats. Waggener Edstrom, Microsoft's external public-relations agency, did not respond to a request for the number of attendees the company expected at the conference.
Chief Software Architect and CTO Ray Ozzie made the announcement in a keynote speech to kick off the MIX 07 conference in Las Vegas. He said Microsoft is shipping a cross-platform version of the .Net framework for the browser in Silverlight, which went into its first beta Monday.
Both the Silverlight 1.0 Beta and Silverlight 1.1 Alpha are immediately available for download at http://www.microsoft.com/silverlight.
Silverlight, unveiled a few weeks ago, is essentially a cross-browser, Web-based version of Microsoft's Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF), the user-interface framework in Windows Vista. Silverlight is a cross-platform delivery mechanism that competes with Adobe's Flash player, which is an enormously popular way for developers to add multimedia content to Web sites.
Microsoft is encouraging developers to build applications for it through both the Microsoft Expression toolset and Microsoft Visual Studio integrated development environment (IDE). In fact, the company Monday updated the currently available alpha of the next version of Visual Studio, code-named Orcas, by adding Silverlight to it in an offering called Silverlight Tools for Visual Studio "Orcas."
Microsoft hosted its first MIX show last year as an appeal to Web designers and developers of RIAs, an audience whose respect the company has yet to win. Microsoft has made several stops and starts in offering Web authoring and design tools over the years, but has always had far better success with client-side developers. Leveraging .NET developer community to build application for Silverlight is a clever strategic move for the company so it can gain ground its lost to Adobe and others by its long-time reluctance to accept the Web as a development platform.
Ozzie also Monday unveiled a Silverlight companion technology, Microsoft Silverlight Streaming by Windows Live, a hosting and repository service that lets Web designers and developers stream cross-platform, cross-browser RIAs on both Windows and the Apple Macintosh OSes.
The company also said it opened up APIs to Windows Live services through new licensing terms so they can be integrated intro the Silverlight Streaming service and delivered on Silverlight applications.
Microsoft also said that its Microsoft Expression Studio toolset is now shipping. A preview version of the 2.0 version of one of the tools in the suite, Expression Blend, also was made available at the show. Blend allows developers to build applications that combine both Web and desktop features.
Ozzie tried to redefine the acronym for software as a service, SAAS, as "software and a service" during his keynote, stressing Microsoft's strategy to combine both client software and Web-based services to provide a comprehensive platform for developers, and services for end users.
"Even SAAS providers have found the need to expand offerings to include an offline [client] edition," he said. "SAAS [version] 1 meant the Web; SAAS [version] 2 has come to embrace the unique value of the client [as well]."
Given Microsoft's long-time dependence on selling client software and building a strong developer community around the client, it certainly behooves Microsoft to downplay Web-based strategies to provide services and instead promote a combination software/services strategy. The company has lagged behind competitors such as Adobe, Google Inc. and Salesforce.com Inc. in adopting the Web as a developer platform, and some believe in the long term it will seriously hurt the company.
The company also needs to position .NET and Silverlight as a viable competitor to AJAX, a technology that developers also use to build RIAs.
"Microsoft hasn't always kept up with what others have been able to do," in Web development, said Bola Rotibi, a senior analyst with Ovum.
She said Microsoft's sudden ramp up in Web strategy -- with its combination of Windows Live, Silverlight and Microsoft Expression all being released in a flurry in the past 18 months -- shows Microsoft has recognized "there's no point in sticking your head in the sand about this."
Combining its background in software and tools to leverage new Web-based technologies is the most logical strategy for the company to catch up to competitors in promoting the Web as a platform, Rotibi added.
"It's the path of least resistance," she said. "They’re never going to leave their customers. Any vendor would be stupid to do that. So Microsoft is leveraging the innovative skills they've built up and given [customers and developers] access to newer technology, but have done it in such a way that they won't lose the investments they've made."
Though Microsoft said the MIX 07, being held at The Venetian Resort Hotel Casino, was sold out, Ozzie's keynote Monday morning had plenty of empty seats. Waggener Edstrom, Microsoft's external public-relations agency, did not respond to a request for the number of attendees the company expected at the conference.
Apple's iPhone open to software developers
Third-party software developers can create Web 2.0 applications to run on Apple Inc.'s forthcoming iPhone, company CEO Steve Jobs said Monday.
Jobs told an enthusiastic audience at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2007 in San Francisco that developers could write applications that work and look like iPhone applications from Apple, including those for making calls, sending e-mail and other functions.
The iPhone, a combination of cell phone, Web browser and video and music player, goes on sale June 29.
Developers will be able to create applications for the iPhone by using Web 2.0 programming tools like Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) and taking advantage of the full version of Apple's Safari Web browser incorporated into the devices. A separate, special software developer kit is not needed, Jobs said.
The software development announcement was the last item in a 90-minute keynote address devoted mostly to the new OS X version 10.5 operating system, code-named Leopard and scheduled for release in October. Jobs highlighted 10 of what he said were 300 new features for Leopard, an upgrade from the present "Tiger" OS. Leopard will sell for US$129.
Also, Apple's updated Web browser, Safari 3.0, will be available to run on Windows Vista and Windows XP, Jobs said. Apple is releasing a public beta of Safari 3 for Mac OS X and Windows Monday, said Jobs.
Jobs said the company took a cue from its experience enabling the iTunes Web music and video store to run on Windows. Safari has only 5 percent of the market for Web browsers, compared to 78 percent for Windows and 15 percent for the Firefox browser. Jobs said running on Windows could increase Safari's market share.
Some in the audience of an estimated 5,000 literally "oohed" and "ahhed" as Jobs demonstrated new features of Leopard, including a feature called "Stacks." In order to reduce clutter on computer desktops, "Stacks" can hide application icons behind the main icons on the application dock at the bottom of the screen. Click on one of those icons, and others behind it shoot up towards the top of the screen in a stack.
Leopard will also run 32-bit and 64-bit applications side-by-side, Jobs said.
He also demonstrated a new Leopard feature called "Core Flow" in which images of files flip quickly across the screen from side to side, allowing users to find the image they want, click on it and see that file open up full screen.
"This is an amazing way to find things and it's incredibly useful," Jobs said.
Apple said in April that it would delay Leopard's launch until October because it was devoting time and energy to bringing the iPhone to market.
Apple is gaining attention because of TV commercials featuring a character called "Mac" and another called "PC." In a video prior to Jobs' keynote, John Hodgman, the comedian who plays the dim-witted Windows PC user in the commercials, appeared onscreen wearing Jobs' trademark black turtleneck and blue jeans, trying to pass himself off as Jobs. "I'm quitting," he declared, saying that he was closing down Apple because the Windows Vista OS was just too popular.
"They have sold tens of ... dozens of copies," Hodgman said.
Jobs told an enthusiastic audience at Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference 2007 in San Francisco that developers could write applications that work and look like iPhone applications from Apple, including those for making calls, sending e-mail and other functions.
The iPhone, a combination of cell phone, Web browser and video and music player, goes on sale June 29.
Developers will be able to create applications for the iPhone by using Web 2.0 programming tools like Ajax (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML) and taking advantage of the full version of Apple's Safari Web browser incorporated into the devices. A separate, special software developer kit is not needed, Jobs said.
The software development announcement was the last item in a 90-minute keynote address devoted mostly to the new OS X version 10.5 operating system, code-named Leopard and scheduled for release in October. Jobs highlighted 10 of what he said were 300 new features for Leopard, an upgrade from the present "Tiger" OS. Leopard will sell for US$129.
Also, Apple's updated Web browser, Safari 3.0, will be available to run on Windows Vista and Windows XP, Jobs said. Apple is releasing a public beta of Safari 3 for Mac OS X and Windows Monday, said Jobs.
Jobs said the company took a cue from its experience enabling the iTunes Web music and video store to run on Windows. Safari has only 5 percent of the market for Web browsers, compared to 78 percent for Windows and 15 percent for the Firefox browser. Jobs said running on Windows could increase Safari's market share.
Some in the audience of an estimated 5,000 literally "oohed" and "ahhed" as Jobs demonstrated new features of Leopard, including a feature called "Stacks." In order to reduce clutter on computer desktops, "Stacks" can hide application icons behind the main icons on the application dock at the bottom of the screen. Click on one of those icons, and others behind it shoot up towards the top of the screen in a stack.
Leopard will also run 32-bit and 64-bit applications side-by-side, Jobs said.
He also demonstrated a new Leopard feature called "Core Flow" in which images of files flip quickly across the screen from side to side, allowing users to find the image they want, click on it and see that file open up full screen.
"This is an amazing way to find things and it's incredibly useful," Jobs said.
Apple said in April that it would delay Leopard's launch until October because it was devoting time and energy to bringing the iPhone to market.
Apple is gaining attention because of TV commercials featuring a character called "Mac" and another called "PC." In a video prior to Jobs' keynote, John Hodgman, the comedian who plays the dim-witted Windows PC user in the commercials, appeared onscreen wearing Jobs' trademark black turtleneck and blue jeans, trying to pass himself off as Jobs. "I'm quitting," he declared, saying that he was closing down Apple because the Windows Vista OS was just too popular.
"They have sold tens of ... dozens of copies," Hodgman said.
Nokia taps into Silicon Valley
Looking to merge mobile phones with PCs, Nokia Corp. has expanded its presence in Silicon Valley and is exploring a wireless network that local developers can use to try out new applications.
At its recently opened Nokia Research Center in Palo Alto, California, the Finnish mobile giant is opening up its local research efforts by bringing in startups and developers to talk about new ideas. Previously, Nokia's work here was focused on supporting the company's internal efforts, said Tero Ojanpera, Nokia's executive vice president and chief technology officer.
Ojanpera and other executives spoke at Nokia's Mobile Mash-Up event on Tuesday in Santa Clara, which brought together venture capitalists, developers and partners to discuss new mobile applications. The world's largest mobile handset maker is reaching beyond phones into handheld data devices such as the N800 Wi-Fi computer and sees mobile platforms at the heart of future computing, they said. Along with that, they want a more open development culture similar to that of the PC industry, in which ideas percolate up from many small startups.
"As long as it touches mobility, we're interested in it," said Bob Iannucci, senior vice president and head of the Nokia Research Center.
The company is studying the possibility of a wireless network on which developers and selected consumers could try out new applications, Iannucci said. The network might use 3G (third-generation) cellular, WiMax, Wi-Fi or a combination of those and other technologies and could be available in several linked areas, such as Palo Alto, Berkeley, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Nokia has another development facility, he said. It would initially be limited to a few thousand developers and users, such as university students. The plan is long term, possibly building up to serving 1,000 people within two years, he said.
One example of mobile innovation that Nokia showed off at the event was Point&Find, based on technology the company acquired along with a startup called Picto. Point&Find lets people point a camera phone at an object or picture and find out more about it, or buy it, just by clicking once when its name comes up on the screen. It works by linking a set of image properties with a URL (uniform resource locator) for information about what's in the image. When a user points the phone's camera at something, the system compares what the viewfinder sees with sets of image properties in a database. Also taking into consideration the user's location, it then delivers useful information about what the user is looking at.
For example, pointing the phone at a movie poster and pressing a key could make a page pop up that offers an ad for the movie and a way to buy a ticket at the theater nearest the user. Pointing the phone at the street might bring up a contact page for a local cab company. The system could give retailers, transit agencies, manufacturers and others the chance to reach consumers while making it easier and more intuitive for consumers to find things, Nokia said. Point&Find was demonstrated at Mobile Mash-Up but is still under development.
At its recently opened Nokia Research Center in Palo Alto, California, the Finnish mobile giant is opening up its local research efforts by bringing in startups and developers to talk about new ideas. Previously, Nokia's work here was focused on supporting the company's internal efforts, said Tero Ojanpera, Nokia's executive vice president and chief technology officer.
Ojanpera and other executives spoke at Nokia's Mobile Mash-Up event on Tuesday in Santa Clara, which brought together venture capitalists, developers and partners to discuss new mobile applications. The world's largest mobile handset maker is reaching beyond phones into handheld data devices such as the N800 Wi-Fi computer and sees mobile platforms at the heart of future computing, they said. Along with that, they want a more open development culture similar to that of the PC industry, in which ideas percolate up from many small startups.
"As long as it touches mobility, we're interested in it," said Bob Iannucci, senior vice president and head of the Nokia Research Center.
The company is studying the possibility of a wireless network on which developers and selected consumers could try out new applications, Iannucci said. The network might use 3G (third-generation) cellular, WiMax, Wi-Fi or a combination of those and other technologies and could be available in several linked areas, such as Palo Alto, Berkeley, California, and Cambridge, Massachusetts, where Nokia has another development facility, he said. It would initially be limited to a few thousand developers and users, such as university students. The plan is long term, possibly building up to serving 1,000 people within two years, he said.
One example of mobile innovation that Nokia showed off at the event was Point&Find, based on technology the company acquired along with a startup called Picto. Point&Find lets people point a camera phone at an object or picture and find out more about it, or buy it, just by clicking once when its name comes up on the screen. It works by linking a set of image properties with a URL (uniform resource locator) for information about what's in the image. When a user points the phone's camera at something, the system compares what the viewfinder sees with sets of image properties in a database. Also taking into consideration the user's location, it then delivers useful information about what the user is looking at.
For example, pointing the phone at a movie poster and pressing a key could make a page pop up that offers an ad for the movie and a way to buy a ticket at the theater nearest the user. Pointing the phone at the street might bring up a contact page for a local cab company. The system could give retailers, transit agencies, manufacturers and others the chance to reach consumers while making it easier and more intuitive for consumers to find things, Nokia said. Point&Find was demonstrated at Mobile Mash-Up but is still under development.
Apple bringing YouTube to Apple TV
Apple CEO Steve Jobs on Wednesday said the company is bringing the Google-owned YouTube video service to Apple TV. A software update will be available in mid-June, which will enable the service.
YouTube will be offered as an item in the Apple TV main menu. Using the Apple Remote users can browse, find and watch free videos from YouTube. Apple said that thousands of the most current and popular YouTube videos will be available on Apple TV at launch in mid-June, with YouTube adding thousands more each week until the full YouTube catalog is available this fall.
Users will be able to navigate through YouTube's categories and members can also log-in to their YouTube accounts on Apple TV.
In addition to YouTube support, Apple is offering a new build-to-order option for Apple TV. The new configuration adds a 160GB hard drive -- four times the current storage for up to 200 hours of video, 36,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each.
Apple TV costs US$299 or $399 for the 160GB model.
YouTube will be offered as an item in the Apple TV main menu. Using the Apple Remote users can browse, find and watch free videos from YouTube. Apple said that thousands of the most current and popular YouTube videos will be available on Apple TV at launch in mid-June, with YouTube adding thousands more each week until the full YouTube catalog is available this fall.
Users will be able to navigate through YouTube's categories and members can also log-in to their YouTube accounts on Apple TV.
In addition to YouTube support, Apple is offering a new build-to-order option for Apple TV. The new configuration adds a 160GB hard drive -- four times the current storage for up to 200 hours of video, 36,000 songs, 25,000 photos or a combination of each.
Apple TV costs US$299 or $399 for the 160GB model.
Apple TV
The diminutive 8-inch-square and 1-inch-high Apple TV works a like a charm and is a cinch to set up. Just plug everything in, note the five-digit code that it displays on the TV screen, and enter that number into iTunes on your computer. Things get a bit more complicated with Wi-Fi, but even here the Apple TV's setup is easier than most--if you stick to the established 802.11g standard. Interoperability issues between some current draft-n products forced me to use Apple's own AirPort Extreme Base Station to get the Apple TV to operate over an 802.11n network (it's the only 802.11n media streamer in the group reviewed here).
If you can play a file in iTunes on your PC, you can play it through the Apple TV. But that means no .wma music or Xvid videos, without converting them first. Aside from a few video podcasts, 720p movie trailers are about the only HD content currently available for the Apple TV. Most iTunes Store videos are encoded at what the company describes as "near-DVD" quality. They still looked pretty darn good in my tests, but as Apple says, they are not quite at DVD level.
The Apple TV uses iTunes to transfer selected video and music to its built-in hard drive (40GB on our $299 review unit, or 160GB on the $399 model). You can transfer photos by directing iTunes to a folder on your PC, or by using software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0.
The Apple TV connects to wide-screen TVs only, via an HDMI, component, or analog connection. Apple TV decodes movie files at up to 720p resolution, and it can up-convert them to 1080i, the maximum resolution it can display.
The minimalist but easy-to-use remote has a ring-shaped section for playback control and a Menu "go back" button.
Test files that the Apple TV could play looked great. I saw no blockiness in the streaming video, and images looked naturally sharp without any signs of artificial edge enhancement. Using 802.11g Wi-Fi produced some unwanted video pauses, but everything moved smoothly with ethernet or 802.11n wireless. Soundwise, I detected a very slight harshness in Pink Floyd, but nothing I was likely to notice with the volume set at a regular listening level; Itzhak Perlman sounded perfect.
Apple plans to improve the Apple TV's features over time (as evidenced by the YouTube streaming update); meanwhile, a number of unofficial hacks (including keyboard/mouse support, the ability to install OS X, and DivX and Xvid file playback options) have surfaced online. See "Hacking the Apple TV" for more details.
If iTunes and an iPod are the beginning and end of your PC-and-Internet media world, the Apple TV is a great choice. But if you dislike those limitations, keep looking
If you can play a file in iTunes on your PC, you can play it through the Apple TV. But that means no .wma music or Xvid videos, without converting them first. Aside from a few video podcasts, 720p movie trailers are about the only HD content currently available for the Apple TV. Most iTunes Store videos are encoded at what the company describes as "near-DVD" quality. They still looked pretty darn good in my tests, but as Apple says, they are not quite at DVD level.
The Apple TV uses iTunes to transfer selected video and music to its built-in hard drive (40GB on our $299 review unit, or 160GB on the $399 model). You can transfer photos by directing iTunes to a folder on your PC, or by using software such as Adobe Photoshop Elements 5.0.
The Apple TV connects to wide-screen TVs only, via an HDMI, component, or analog connection. Apple TV decodes movie files at up to 720p resolution, and it can up-convert them to 1080i, the maximum resolution it can display.
The minimalist but easy-to-use remote has a ring-shaped section for playback control and a Menu "go back" button.
Test files that the Apple TV could play looked great. I saw no blockiness in the streaming video, and images looked naturally sharp without any signs of artificial edge enhancement. Using 802.11g Wi-Fi produced some unwanted video pauses, but everything moved smoothly with ethernet or 802.11n wireless. Soundwise, I detected a very slight harshness in Pink Floyd, but nothing I was likely to notice with the volume set at a regular listening level; Itzhak Perlman sounded perfect.
Apple plans to improve the Apple TV's features over time (as evidenced by the YouTube streaming update); meanwhile, a number of unofficial hacks (including keyboard/mouse support, the ability to install OS X, and DivX and Xvid file playback options) have surfaced online. See "Hacking the Apple TV" for more details.
If iTunes and an iPod are the beginning and end of your PC-and-Internet media world, the Apple TV is a great choice. But if you dislike those limitations, keep looking
Microsoft solves iPhone e-mail flaw
An update to Exchange 2007 released by Microsoft should solve problems that may have prevented e-mail from Exchange Server 2007 from being received by Apple's iPhone.
Thursday the software maker released Rollup 3, the third update to the Exchange Server 2007. The update, which should address issues some have with Apple Mac Mail, came just ahead of Friday's U.S. release of the iPhone.
It will hopefully resolve some of the issues users have encountered, including certain Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) clients being unable to open e-mail messages accessing mailboxes on a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 server.
The update will be available via Microsoft Update and at the Microsoft Download Center.
Thursday the software maker released Rollup 3, the third update to the Exchange Server 2007. The update, which should address issues some have with Apple Mac Mail, came just ahead of Friday's U.S. release of the iPhone.
It will hopefully resolve some of the issues users have encountered, including certain Internet Message Access Protocol (IMAP) clients being unable to open e-mail messages accessing mailboxes on a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 server.
The update will be available via Microsoft Update and at the Microsoft Download Center.
Windows worm targets Harry Potter fans
Sophos has warned Harry Potter fans not to open an e-mail which claims to contain the final instalment of the boy wizard book series.
Security companies have intercepted an e-mail promising a copy of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' -- which is not due for release until July 21. But rather than getting a sneak preview of the book, impatient muggles who click on the file will instead find their PC infected by the W32/Hairy-A worm.
"The W32/Hairy-A worm can automatically infect a PC when users plug in USB drives, which carry a file posing as a copy of the eagerly anticipated novel - 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'," said Sophos. "If the users have allowed USB drives to 'auto-run' they will see a file called HarryPotter-TheDeathlyHallows.doc."
Instead of the full text of JK Rowling's highly anticipated book, the Word document includes the phrase: 'Harry Potter is dead.'
After infecting Windows computers, the worm creates a number of new users -- namely the main characters from JK Rowling's celebrated series of books about student wizards: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
In addition, every time infected users open Internet Explorer they will find their start page has been redirected to an Amazon.com web page selling a spoof book entitled 'Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes.'
"Much of the world is waiting with bated breath for the final Harry Potter novel, and the premiere of the new movie is looming too. There is a real danger that muggles will blindly allow their USB flash drives to auto-run and become infected by this worm," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Using such social engineering at this time is a trick dastardly enough for Lord Voldemort himself."
Security companies have intercepted an e-mail promising a copy of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' -- which is not due for release until July 21. But rather than getting a sneak preview of the book, impatient muggles who click on the file will instead find their PC infected by the W32/Hairy-A worm.
"The W32/Hairy-A worm can automatically infect a PC when users plug in USB drives, which carry a file posing as a copy of the eagerly anticipated novel - 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'," said Sophos. "If the users have allowed USB drives to 'auto-run' they will see a file called HarryPotter-TheDeathlyHallows.doc."
Instead of the full text of JK Rowling's highly anticipated book, the Word document includes the phrase: 'Harry Potter is dead.'
After infecting Windows computers, the worm creates a number of new users -- namely the main characters from JK Rowling's celebrated series of books about student wizards: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.
In addition, every time infected users open Internet Explorer they will find their start page has been redirected to an Amazon.com web page selling a spoof book entitled 'Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes.'
"Much of the world is waiting with bated breath for the final Harry Potter novel, and the premiere of the new movie is looming too. There is a real danger that muggles will blindly allow their USB flash drives to auto-run and become infected by this worm," said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant for Sophos. "Using such social engineering at this time is a trick dastardly enough for Lord Voldemort himself."
Jobs: iPhone supply may not meet demand
The number of iPhones manufactured by Apple may not be enough to meet customer demand when the smart phone goes on sale tomorrow, CEO Steve Jobs said in an interview.
"We had to make our best guess as to what the demand was going to be and what supply we were going to put in place many, many months ago. We built factories to build these things and everything. We've taken our best guess but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it ain't enough," Jobs told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.
The iPhone, which combines the functions of an iPod with a smart phone, goes on sale in the U.S. at 6 p.m. and is one of the most anticipated gadgets in recent years. Two models will offered, the 4G-byte model costs US$499 and the 8G-byte model is priced at $599. Users also have to sign a two-year contract with carrier AT&T. The cost of those plans range from $59.99 per month to $99.99 per month.
Some prospective buyers have been camping outside stores in hope of being among the first to own one of the new smart phones. A surge in demand for the iPhones could mean the devices are hard to come by at first, depending on the number that Apple and AT&T have in stock.
A shortage of iPhones would not be unusual. Vendors often have a limited number of units to sell when a new product hits the market. In the case of products where demand is particularly high, such as for new game consoles, limited product availability -- whether intentional or not -- and long lines outside stores help build buzz and generate media coverage.
Jobs also downplayed concerns over the iPhone's dependence on AT&T's EDGE network, which is slower than 3G (third-generation) networks.
"You know every (AT&T) Blackberry gets its mail over EDGE. It turns out EDGE is great for mail, and it works well for maps and a whole bunch of other stuff. Where you wish you had faster speed is on a Web browser. It's good enough, but you wish it was a little faster. That's where sandwiching EDGE with Wi-Fi really makes sense because Wi-Fi is much faster than any 3G network," Jobs told the Wall Street Journal.
He said the iPhone had been designed to switch to Wi-Fi when such networks are detected.
"We had to make our best guess as to what the demand was going to be and what supply we were going to put in place many, many months ago. We built factories to build these things and everything. We've taken our best guess but it wouldn't surprise me at all if it ain't enough," Jobs told the Wall Street Journal in an interview.
The iPhone, which combines the functions of an iPod with a smart phone, goes on sale in the U.S. at 6 p.m. and is one of the most anticipated gadgets in recent years. Two models will offered, the 4G-byte model costs US$499 and the 8G-byte model is priced at $599. Users also have to sign a two-year contract with carrier AT&T. The cost of those plans range from $59.99 per month to $99.99 per month.
Some prospective buyers have been camping outside stores in hope of being among the first to own one of the new smart phones. A surge in demand for the iPhones could mean the devices are hard to come by at first, depending on the number that Apple and AT&T have in stock.
A shortage of iPhones would not be unusual. Vendors often have a limited number of units to sell when a new product hits the market. In the case of products where demand is particularly high, such as for new game consoles, limited product availability -- whether intentional or not -- and long lines outside stores help build buzz and generate media coverage.
Jobs also downplayed concerns over the iPhone's dependence on AT&T's EDGE network, which is slower than 3G (third-generation) networks.
"You know every (AT&T) Blackberry gets its mail over EDGE. It turns out EDGE is great for mail, and it works well for maps and a whole bunch of other stuff. Where you wish you had faster speed is on a Web browser. It's good enough, but you wish it was a little faster. That's where sandwiching EDGE with Wi-Fi really makes sense because Wi-Fi is much faster than any 3G network," Jobs told the Wall Street Journal.
He said the iPhone had been designed to switch to Wi-Fi when such networks are detected.
RIM posts record highs in Q1, iPhone to help drive future
BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd. (RIM) announced record high subscriber growth and strong device shipments in its first quarter, a sign that some users aren't putting off smartphone purchases ahead of Friday's iPhone launch.
In fact, RIM says the hype around Apple Inc.'s iPhone has helped its business by focusing attention on multi-function handsets.
"I think [Apple] did us a great favor because they drove attention to the converged appliance base...we think the attention given to [the iPhone] and its impact on the dynamic has been overwhelmingly positive for us," said Jim Balsillie, co-CEO at RIM, in a conference call on Thursday.
RIM signed up 1.2 million new BlackBerry subscribers in the three month quarter ending June 2, pushing its total to over 9 million accounts. RIM executives cited strong growth in India, in particular. Sales and net profit at the company both hit all time highs, with sales at US$1.08 billion, up 76.5 percent year-over-year, and net profit up 73.2 percent to US$223.2 million.
The company expects to break more records in its second quarter. RIM forecast that it will add 1.325 million to 1.375 million new subscribers in the quarter with the potential for sales to reach almost US$1.4 million.
"The momentum we are seeing in terms of product launches, carrier support in terms of product launches of BlackBerries, and subscriber additions is exceptional, and we believe it will continue on into the second half of the year," said Balsillie.
Device shipments will also continue to soar. RIM expects to ship 3 million units in the second quarter, up from 2.4 million in the first quarter, due mainly to new products such as the BlackBerry Curve, as well as continued strength in older models such as the BlackBerry Pearl and 8800, RIM executives said.
In fact, RIM says the hype around Apple Inc.'s iPhone has helped its business by focusing attention on multi-function handsets.
"I think [Apple] did us a great favor because they drove attention to the converged appliance base...we think the attention given to [the iPhone] and its impact on the dynamic has been overwhelmingly positive for us," said Jim Balsillie, co-CEO at RIM, in a conference call on Thursday.
RIM signed up 1.2 million new BlackBerry subscribers in the three month quarter ending June 2, pushing its total to over 9 million accounts. RIM executives cited strong growth in India, in particular. Sales and net profit at the company both hit all time highs, with sales at US$1.08 billion, up 76.5 percent year-over-year, and net profit up 73.2 percent to US$223.2 million.
The company expects to break more records in its second quarter. RIM forecast that it will add 1.325 million to 1.375 million new subscribers in the quarter with the potential for sales to reach almost US$1.4 million.
"The momentum we are seeing in terms of product launches, carrier support in terms of product launches of BlackBerries, and subscriber additions is exceptional, and we believe it will continue on into the second half of the year," said Balsillie.
Device shipments will also continue to soar. RIM expects to ship 3 million units in the second quarter, up from 2.4 million in the first quarter, due mainly to new products such as the BlackBerry Curve, as well as continued strength in older models such as the BlackBerry Pearl and 8800, RIM executives said.
Microsoft's PDF Rival Draws Interest
Standards body Ecma International has formed a technical committee to develop a standard built on Microsoft's XML Paper Specification (XPS), a rival file format to Adobe Systems' Portable Document Format (PDF).
According to Ecma's Web site, the goal of the TC46 - XPS Technical Committee is to create "a formal standard for an XML-based electronic paper format and XML-based page description language which is consistent with existing implementations of the format called the XML Paper Specification."
XPS is one of many file formats natively supported in Microsoft's Office 2007 productivity suite and was developed internally by the company. Currently, Microsoft has the only implementation of XPS. Microsoft had planned to include PDF -- used widely as a de facto document standard for years but only submitted to a standards body earlier this year by Adobe -- as a native file format as well, but Adobe put the kibosh on that plan. Microsoft does offer PDF as an add-on file format for Office.
Microsoft has been criticized by rivals for how it has handled submissions to standards bodies, though the company has instituted a formal interoperability effort across all its product groups in the last 18 months in what is says is an effort to be more effort. Open XML, another Office 2007 file format for documents, already has won Ecma approval and will be put before the International Organization for Standards (ISO) toward the end of the year for a final vote as an international technology standard.
But critics -- mainly those who support Open Document Format for XML (ODF) as the standard format rather than Open XML -- have complained that Microsoft is too controlling when it comes to ensuring the technology it submits to Ecma as a "standard" looks the way Microsoft wants it to at the end of the approval process. And since the company didn't allow third parties to create implementations of Open XML before it was submitted to Ecma, critics say Microsoft has misused the standards process, which is meant to be more open.
Naysayers and rivals are using the creation of TC46 to discourage approval of Open XML -- now known as Ecma 376 in the standards approval process-- as an ISO standard.
"If [Open XML], and now Microsoft XML Paper Specification, each sail through Ecma and are then adopted by ISO/IEC JTC1, then I think that we might as well declare 'game over' for open standards," said Andrew Updegrove, an intellectual property attorney and outspoken open-standards and ODF advocate on his blog. "It's time for the national bodies to draw a line in the sand and reject Ecma 376 before it's too late."
IBM Corp.'s Vice President of Open Source and Standards Bob Sutor, also a vocal proponent of ODF -- particularly since his company supports it as a default file format in software products -- also criticized Ecma and Microsoft on his blog. He said Ecma will create a "standard" of XPS that goes along with Microsoft's wishes for the technology rather than letting an impartial group develop the standard.
"The standard must be compatible with Microsoft's implementation, which is the only implementation," Sutor said. "How open. How independent. How collaborative."
Neither Microsoft nor Adobe could be reached for comment Friday.
According to Ecma's Web site, the goal of the TC46 - XPS Technical Committee is to create "a formal standard for an XML-based electronic paper format and XML-based page description language which is consistent with existing implementations of the format called the XML Paper Specification."
XPS is one of many file formats natively supported in Microsoft's Office 2007 productivity suite and was developed internally by the company. Currently, Microsoft has the only implementation of XPS. Microsoft had planned to include PDF -- used widely as a de facto document standard for years but only submitted to a standards body earlier this year by Adobe -- as a native file format as well, but Adobe put the kibosh on that plan. Microsoft does offer PDF as an add-on file format for Office.
Microsoft has been criticized by rivals for how it has handled submissions to standards bodies, though the company has instituted a formal interoperability effort across all its product groups in the last 18 months in what is says is an effort to be more effort. Open XML, another Office 2007 file format for documents, already has won Ecma approval and will be put before the International Organization for Standards (ISO) toward the end of the year for a final vote as an international technology standard.
But critics -- mainly those who support Open Document Format for XML (ODF) as the standard format rather than Open XML -- have complained that Microsoft is too controlling when it comes to ensuring the technology it submits to Ecma as a "standard" looks the way Microsoft wants it to at the end of the approval process. And since the company didn't allow third parties to create implementations of Open XML before it was submitted to Ecma, critics say Microsoft has misused the standards process, which is meant to be more open.
Naysayers and rivals are using the creation of TC46 to discourage approval of Open XML -- now known as Ecma 376 in the standards approval process-- as an ISO standard.
"If [Open XML], and now Microsoft XML Paper Specification, each sail through Ecma and are then adopted by ISO/IEC JTC1, then I think that we might as well declare 'game over' for open standards," said Andrew Updegrove, an intellectual property attorney and outspoken open-standards and ODF advocate on his blog. "It's time for the national bodies to draw a line in the sand and reject Ecma 376 before it's too late."
IBM Corp.'s Vice President of Open Source and Standards Bob Sutor, also a vocal proponent of ODF -- particularly since his company supports it as a default file format in software products -- also criticized Ecma and Microsoft on his blog. He said Ecma will create a "standard" of XPS that goes along with Microsoft's wishes for the technology rather than letting an impartial group develop the standard.
"The standard must be compatible with Microsoft's implementation, which is the only implementation," Sutor said. "How open. How independent. How collaborative."
Neither Microsoft nor Adobe could be reached for comment Friday.
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