TechnologyNews

China defends porn blocking software demand

2009-06-13T07:44:00.000-07:00

BEIJING - China has defended a new requirement that personal computers sold in the country carry a software that filters online content, saying the program is targeted at preventing the spread of pornography and other "unhealthy" content.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology posted on its website Tuesday a notice to all PC makers that they will be required to pre-load the "Green Dam-Youth Escort" filtering software on units to be sold in China as of July 1, including imported PCs.

The move has been met with criticism by at least one U.S.-based industry trade group, which denounced China's efforts "to build censorship capabilities right into the hardware."

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang defended the government's administration of the internet, saying it was in accordance with the law and that the software "is aimed at blocking and filtering some unhealthy content, including pornography and violence."

China, which has the world's largest population of internet users at more than 250 million, also has one of the world's tightest controls over the internet.

Beijing routinely blocks political sites, especially ones it considers socially destabilising such as sites that challenge the ruling Communist Party, promote democratic reform or advocate independence for Tibet.

The government also bans internet pornography and this year launched a nationwide crackdown that led to the closing of more than 1,900 websites. websites including Google and Baidu, China's most popular search engine, also have been criticised for linking to suspect sites.

"If you have a child, or if you're expecting a child, I think you could understand the concerns of parents about the unhealthy contents on the internet," Qin said at a regular briefing.

The IT ministry's notice to computer makers said the "Green Dam" program would either be installed on the hard drive or enclosed on a compact disc. The notice said PC makers would be required to tell authorities how many PCs they have shipped with the software, which is made by a Chinese developer under contract with the government.

"Blocking access to pornography sounds like an acceptable goal," said Washington-based Computer & Communications Industry Association's president, Ed Black. "But the problem is that it's all too easy to use the same technology to expand the censorship."

Although porn sites are initially targeted, the program could be used to block other websites, too, including those based on keywords rather than specific web addresses, although its developer said users could disable blocking of any site on the list or even uninstall the software completely.

- AP

Juniper revs Ethernet to 100Gbps

2009-06-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

Juniper Networks has announced the industry's first 100Gbps Ethernet router interface card.

The networking company unveiled the 100Gbps Ethernet interface on Monday. The card will be sold as part of Juniper's T1600 core router, which is a high-performance product aimed mostly at telecommunications providers, but also usable by cloud-infrastructure companies and others rolling out large-scale virtualization.

"[100Gbps Ethernet] has always been inevitable, it has just been a question of when--now trends such as cloud computing, data center consolidation and virtualization are making the need for [100Gbps Ethernet] more acute and urgent than ever before," Opher Kahane, Juniper's general manager of high-end systems, said in a statement.

The 100Gbps Ethernet standard has not been published yet. Right now, it is being incubated, alongside 40Gbps Ethernet, by the IEEE's P802.3ba Ethernet task force, with final publication not expected for a year, at least. The fastest currently published Ethernet standard is 10Gbps.

Juniper's 100Gbps Ethernet interface card is "expected to be deployed in customer pilot networks before the end of 2009", the company said, but did not say why the product was being released before the standard is finalised.

David Meyer of ZDNet UK reported from London.

AMD Shrugs Off Netbook Craze for Ultra-light PC

2009-06-11T06:53:00.000-07:00

AMD is waving away claims that it plans to pursue the "netbook" category. Instead, the company said it remains committed to a sweet spot it believes resides between standard notebooks and netbooks: the ultra-thin and ultra-light notebook market.

The ultra thin and light market isn't new, as Jon Peddie, president of Jon Peddie Research points out. Sony came out with a Vaio 505G notebook in 1998 that fit the bill. But it had serious shortcomings as well, like a 10-inch screen.

The concept of an ultra-thin and -light notebook limped along until Apple came along and breathed new life into the market, much like it did with the MP3 player and smart phone. The MacBook Air made a notebook the size of a magazine look sexy, and others have followed suit.

This is where AMD (NYSE: AMD) is aiming, currently with its Neo platform, and in the future with upcoming releases codenamed "Geneva" and "Ontario".

As AMD sees it, the problem with netbooks is that the low-cost, low-power systems don't deliver a full PC experience.

"We think we're going to see a market change where people who may have gone for a netbook spend not a whole lot more money to get an ultra-thin notebook and get a much better experience," Bob Grim, director of client product marketing at AMD, told InternetNews.com.

"With the ultra-thin market, we see it blending a different set of purchase drivers, where someone desires mobility first, and the experience, the horsepower they need second," Grim said.

Neo, with its 20-watt power envelope, is aimed at ultra-thin laptops. A more powerful core, codenamed "Geneva," is planned for 2010, and in 2011 comes the first Fusion-based chip, "Ontario." This will be a dual-core CPU plus a GPU, all on the same silicon. It will have about 1MB of L2 cache and be manufactured on the 32nm process.

But no plans exist for an answer to Intel's (NASDAQ: INTC) Atom processor, which has found converts among many netbook PC manufacturers.

"It's all about the allocation of resources," Grim said. "We have to be careful what we spend our resources on. We felt there's more of a future in the ultra-thin space and feel over time people will gravitate toward that space. So we chose to gravitate there."
Creating confusion?

AMD will release a second generation of its ultra-thin chipset platform in the third quarter of this year and expects to expand its partner base. Its biggest partner now is HP, which sells the dv2 laptop.

But while the company has a clear stance on netbooks, its partners may not. Grim said he had been at this year's Computex show in Taiwan, where numerous new hardware designs were on display -- and he noted about half of the OEMs called their Neo-based designs "netbooks," while the other half said they were "notebooks."

"Will the lines get blurred? Maybe. So far, we see the purchase drivers of the different form factors holding," he said. "With netbook, the primary purchase driver we believe is price, followed by mobility. With ultra-thin, we see the primary purchase driver being mobility followed by entertainment/visual experience."

Peddie also said he thinks the lines will be blurred -- on purpose.

"With all the different product categories for the same thing, and the OEMs have to do that to try and get some market differentiation and avoid commoditization, because if the category gets commoditized, then lowest price wins," he said.

There's no defining what a netbook is, be it by screen size or processor, because "the marketeers won't allow that," he said. "As soon as you lay down a line, someone's going to cross it."

Peddie added that he thinks AMD's strategy is "terribly smart."

"There's higher margins and [average selling prices] in thin and light, and AMD has done a really good job in identifying some holes in the market," he said. "The way they present it is there's a big gaping hole between laptop and netbook, and said, 'We have the right parts for that.'"

internetnews.com

DTV transition is nearly here. Are you ready?

2009-06-11T06:34:00.000-07:00

In less than 24 hours all full-power broadcast TV stations in the U.S. will flip a switch to stop broadcasting their analog TV signals and will only broadcast TV signals in digital. And for millions who are unprepared, it could mean lights out on their favorite TV shows.

I know what you're thinking. "We've heard this before." In fact, you've probably been hearing about the transition to digital television for the last decade. You likely started seeing public service commercials last year encouraging you to buy a digital converter box to turn your old analog TV into one that could receive digital signals.

In early February another supposed deadline loomed. And then it didn't happen. Congress, fearing that too many people weren't prepared, postponed the switch, and more than 6 million procrastinators were saved.

But now the new deadline of June 12 is upon us once again. And this time it's for real. President Obama himself issued a statement last week:

"We have worked hand in hand with state and local officials, broadcasters and community groups to educate and assist millions of Americans with the transition...I want to be clear: there will not be another delay."

So here we are, less than a day away from the final transition. And despite months of public service announcements and more than $2 billion spent by the U.S. government to help people prepare, millions will still face a blank screen when they hit that little power button on their TV remotes starting Friday at 12:01 a.m.

The good news is that delaying the switch from February to June has given the Federal Communications Commission some time to ramp up efforts to get the public prepared. The agency has enlisted the help of dozens of groups including volunteers from AmeriCorps, civil rights groups, and even firefighters to help people purchase and install their converter boxes and antennas.

Congress also kicked in additional cash, about $650 million on top of the $1.5 billion that had already been allocated for DTV readiness. The bulk of the $650 million was given to the Commerce Department to fund its voucher program. And Congress authorized $90 million of the $650 million to be used by the FCC for outreach programs. So far, the FCC has received $65.7 million of that money, and the Commerce Department has authorized another $9.65 million to help pay for call centers that are in place to address consumers' questions and concerns.

The Commerce Department has been issuing $40 vouchers to help people pay for the new equipment necessary to turn their older analog TVs into ones that can receive digital TV signals. But just before the February deadline, money for the program ran dry and more than 2.5 million people were left on a waiting list for vouchers.

In its most recent report to the FCC, representatives from the Commerce Department said that the program is in good shape, and there is enough money in the program to provide vouchers to all households that still need them until the final deadline of July 31.

It looks as though these last ditch efforts to prepare Americans for the DTV switch have made a big difference. The number of households that are unprepared for the June 12 transition has been cut in half from what it was in February, according to the Nielsen Co., which has been tracking the number of households prepared for the transition

But even though most people are prepared, millions will still not have access to TV on June 12. In its final update before the June 12 deadline, Nielsen reported that 2.8 million American households, or 2.5 percent of the television market, are completely unready for the transition. As of the end of May, another 9 million homes that subscribe to cable or satellite services but that have spare television sets, in bedrooms or kitchens and that are not connected to a paid TV service, are expected to lose reception.

Vulnerable markets
The FCC has targeted 49 markets that it considers particularly vulnerable. These markets include New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Boston, and Dallas-Fort Worth. Aside from inner cities where many low-income people live, people living in rural areas, particularly in the West where fewer subscribe to cable and satellite services, are the least prepared for the transition, according to Nielsen's latest report.

Acting Federal Communications Chairman Michael Copps has said that he is pleased and impressed by the cross-agency and volunteer group collaboration and cooperation over the past few months.

"In January I feared where we were headed with this transition," he said during a recent public meeting. "But it has turned into an inspiring and enjoyable experience to see how these different agencies can work together. "

He also acknowledged that many people will still face problems during the transition.

"Even though we are better prepared this time," he said. "There will still be disruptions for some consumers. And candor compels us to inform viewers of these issues."

Not only are some households completely unprepared, but officials also say that millions of people who have already bought converter boxes and/or antennas will still experience problems, such as poor reception. These problems may occur from improperly installed antennas or people using the wrong kind of antenna for their region. But it may also be due to the fact that digital signals travel differently through the air than analog signals. So some TV viewers who may have been able to tune in analog channels may not be able to receive digital channels.

Because many TV broadcasters have already been transmitting some or all of their channels already in digital, some viewers who made the switch early and are watching digital TV should rescan their boxes. And they may need to readjust their antennas to get signals after June 12. The reason for this is because some stations will have to move some digital channels when spectrum is vacated. And some broadcasters may also be broadcasting the signals at different power levels to avoid interference.

To help answer questions and deal with confused and frustrated TV viewers before and after the transition, the FCC has staffed nearly 4,000 call centers at a cost of more than $40 million. The voucher program, which provides up to two $40 coupons per household to help defray the cost of digital converter boxes, will also be extended to July 31.

The switch to broadcasting in digital instead of in analog was mandated to free up wireless spectrum so that it could be used for other purposes. Digital signals use up far less spectrum than analog signals. The FCC has already auctioned off the spare spectrum in its 700MHz auction, which raised $19.6 billion for the government.

This auction generated more revenue for the government than any other wireless auction the FCC has ever held. Not a bad tradeoff considering that the government spent a total of about $2 billion to help get people ready for the transition. The Bush administration spent about $1.5 billion on DTV transition preparation, and Congress allocated another $650 million when it delayed the transition in February.

The move to digital TV has also proved to be a big boon for retailers, TV makers, and other consumer electronics makers. Millions of consumers have bought digital TVs, converter boxes, and antennas to prepare for the switch. The Consumer Electronics Association says that TV sales are up about 32 percent in 2009 compared to the same period in 2008, and this is despite the fact that the U.S. is in a recession. But some experts attribute the uptick in new digital TV sales to lower prices and more digital programming.

Even though buying a new TV, an antenna, or a digital converter box for an older TV is a hassle and an expense, consumers also benefit from the transition to digital TV. These signals provide better picture quality. And because digital consumes less wireless spectrum when it transmits, broadcasters can offer viewers several more channels of programming. Many stations throughout the country that have already been broadcasting some or all of their signals in digital have already added channels.

The FCC has also been emphasizing to consumers that if they're already subscribed to a paid TV service, they will not have to worry about the transition at all. The DTV transition applies only to full-power broadcast television stations. These are stations that use the public airwaves to transmit their programming to viewers through a broadcast antenna. That said, satellite customers who receive local stations through an antenna, rather than by satellite, may be affected. The FCC recommends checking with the provider.

"Analog nightlight" services
So in short, the vast majority of Americans are already prepared for the digital TV transition. But for the small percentage of people who are still unready, all hope is not lost.

About a hundred TV stations around the country serving nearly 70 percent of all households are providing "analog nightlight" services. The "nightlight" program is a voluntary program in which TV stations agree to keep an analog signal turned on in addition to their digital signals to provide information about the DTV transition and to notify unprepared TV viewers of emergencies, such as hurricanes. More than half the stations broadcasting the "analog nightlight" service will remain on air for 30 days. And the rest will be on for at least two weeks. In total, these stations will reach 69 percent of TV households.

And only high-power broadcasters are required to switch to digital, a few low-power analog stations and rural relay stations known as "translators" will still be available in some areas.

The FCC and the Commerce Department also won't leave DTV laggards in the lurch after the June 12 deadline. Converter box coupons will still be available, while supplies last, until July 31. But consumers must keep in mind that the coupons expire 90 days after they are mailed, so they are urged to act quickly to redeem them. The FCC also recommends calling retailers ahead to confirm availability of coupon-eligible converter boxes on the day people go shopping.

And if you're still confused and frustrated and you don' t know what to do, the FCC is also planning to provide assistance to TV viewers after June 12. In some areas the FCC will continue to offer free in-home installation services and walk-in centers to consumers who need technical assistance. These programs will be available until the end of June, and in some locations, through July. And the FCC will keep its call center available to consumers at least through the end of July for anyone who has questions.

cnet.com

How Intuit managed to hold off Microsoft

2009-06-11T06:25:00.000-07:00

The defeat of Microsoft Money at the hands of Intuit's Quicken marks a rare chapter in the annals of software history.

Intuit is one of the few companies to take Microsoft head-on on its home turf--packaged software--and come out on top. Even more notably, Intuit has managed to do it several times, with Quicken of course, but also with QuickBooks and TurboTax.

Of course, it was more than just Intuit's success that led to Money's demise, which CNET News on Wednesday. The product was ultimately doomed by several factors, including a shift away from packaged software, the rise of Internet-based rivals like Mint.com, and a brutal economy that has forced Microsoft to scale back ambitions in several areas.

In its heyday, though, the battle between Intuit's Quicken and Microsoft's Money was a fierce one. While Quicken dominated in retail sales, Microsoft landed some key deals with banks and was able to get many computer makers to pre-load Money on new PCs.

Robbie Cape, who ran the Money business from 1999-2001 said that while the company could keep pace on the software end, it could never duplicate Intuit's marketing prowess or its dominance of the retail market.

"It really has very little to do with technology," said Cape, who is now CEO of Cozi, a Seattle-based start-up. "What Intuit and Scott Cook were so formidable at was consumer marketing. He treated marketing Intuit very much the same way as one would treat marketing a bar of soap or bottle of shampoo. He made Quicken a household name. He spent outrageous dollars to get there."

Intuit spokesman Scott Gulbransen said his company simply had the better product. "Customers voted with their wallet," he said.

NPD analyst Stephen Baker said that Intuit won out because it was aggressive and built critical mass in the finance software arena, adding a number of adjacent products and dominating the retail channel.

Whatever the case, it was an epic battle that stretched on for years. Microsoft tried to buy Intuit in the mid-1990s but saw that effort halted by regulatory disapproval.

In the wake of the failed takeover bid, Microsoft doubled down in its efforts to take on Quicken. The company added a ton of partners, revamped the product's design, and tried to integrate a host of new financial planning tools.

Cape said the pinnacle of its effort came in 2000 when Wall Street Journal reviewer Walt Mossberg gave Microsoft Money the edge over Quicken in his review.

However, even with some positive reviews, Money never managed to overtake Quicken and Microsoft's product has been on the wane for some time. The clear sign that the end might be near came last year, when Microsoft announced it would stop annually updating the product and would shift to an online-only sales model as opposed to also offering the product at retail stores.

"The writing was kind of on the wall," Gulbransen said.

Baker says Microsoft's inability to make a viable business out of the online-only sales model shows that a Web-based sales approach isn't enough to keep all consumer software alive.

"While the retail packaged software market is tough it is not easier to be online only," Baker said. "Your audience is much more limited and (the) potential customer base is much smaller when you go to the cloud. That business model is not a panacea when you are in a struggling market."

Still up in the air is another Microsoft product that aimed to take on Intuit but fell short--Microsoft's small business accounting product. It was launched amid some fanfare in September 2005, but struggled to make inroads in a field dominated by Intuit's Quickbooks. Microsoft discontinued boxed sales of the product and last year made it available for free download as Office Accounting Express 2009 for free download.

A modest payoff from Money
As for Money, while it was never the dominant player, it did break some technical ground for Microsoft. It was one of the first programs at Microsoft to merge Internet content directly into a desktop application and it was also among the first PC-based programs to include advertising directly from a CD.

In many ways, Money was the precursor to Microsoft's "software plus services" strategy, in which the company posits that desktop software won't be replaced by online options, but will rather lead to hybrid products.

Indeed, when Microsoft was plotting the future of its consumer software lines earlier this decade, it often pointed to Money as the archetype of how advertising and online content could merge with locally run code to form the hybrid application of the future. In a series of ThinkWeek papers seen by CNET News, Microsoft researchers argued that the company might need to even take things further and make many of its desktop products free, tapping advertising to support their development.

Of course, the question that lingers is what went wrong with Money. Was it that the strategy itself was wrong? Was Microsoft just too far behind, or did the company just not go far enough. Microsoft never opted to make Money entirely free, though it did offer a $20 Money Essentials product and included it in one of the Microsoft Works bundles often included on new PCs.

For his part, Cape moved on from Microsoft in 2001 and now runs Cozi, whose online tool aims to help families juggle a busy calendar. Cape said he learned a lot from working on Microsoft Money. Chief among those lessons was that user experience matters.

"Managing your family logistics and your family calendar is about as fun as managing your personal finances," Cape said. "It's not exciting. What we've done at Cozi, which is very much like what we tried very hard to do on Money, is to take that mundane, ho-hum experience and not only make it fun but also make it beautiful."

As for Microsoft and Intuit, the longtime rivals are now working together--building a tool that will allow Money users to move their information over to Quicken.

"We're working with Intuit to help develop a file conversion process that will help Money customers more easily convert their existing data files to Quicken," Microsoft director Adam Sohn said. "Both Intuit and Microsoft hope this will be ready to go for the new release of Quicken this fall."

Intuit says it is happy to have the business.

"We look it as an opportunity to show Microsoft Money customers what they have been missing...over the years," Gulbransen said.

Conroy welcomes Telstra's conciliatory approach

2009-06-11T06:23:00.000-07:00

FEDERAL Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has welcomed Telstra's renewed focus on stronger government relations.

Senator Conroy said he welcomed statements made by the telco's newly appointed senior management about constructive relations with government as plans are drawn up for a national broadband network (NBN).

Telstra chief executive David Thodey took over from the combative Sol Trujillo in May, and has repeatedly highlighted the need for open dialogue with the federal government.

A government owned company will build and run the NBN, with up to 49 per cent investment from the private sector.

"I've had one very quick catch-up with David, a very positive meeting," Senator Conroy told reporters in Sydney on Wednesday.

"I think if you look at all his public commentary, he's been very positive ... we really welcome that.

"Certainly, the sense we are getting from the new board and the new CEO is that they want to engage with the government."

Delivering a speech to the Australian Industry Group's Digital Technology Summit in Sydney, Senator Conroy reinforced the importance of the government's plan, which aims to provide high-speed broadband to 90 per cent of Australian homes and businesses.

"We welcome (Telstra's) positive engagement with the government," he told reporters after his speech.

"That's not to say that we agree with each other at this stage, but we think there is sufficient encouragement from what they're saying to have a meaningful dialogue."

Senator Conroy forecasted the NBN would come in under budget and ahead of schedule while still creating thousands of jobs across the country.

AAP

IBM says NBN should start in the country

2009-06-11T06:20:00.000-07:00

AUSTRALIA should focus its broadband investment outside the main cities to avoid creating a city-country divide in information technology, a regional boss of global computer firm IBM says.

The world's increasing reliance on computers meant investing in "keyboard-ready" projects was as important as building roads and railways, the managing director of IBM in Australia and New Zealand, Glen Boreham, says.

But the federal government needed to be aware of a possible new divide between the city and country as it prepared to set up a $43 billion national broadband network.

"In terms of rolling it out, I would like personally to see priority on regional and rural Australia," Mr Boreham told the National Press Club in Canberra.

"One of the things, quite openly, I'm concerned about, is ... we need to be cognisant of ... the digital divide. There are the haves and have-nots."

Mr Boreham said investing in "keyboard-ready" projects was just as important as "shovel-ready" projects.

"I do think the term 'shovel-ready' is indicative of our traditional mindset," he said.

"None of us can argue with the requirements to do with our roads or our rail ... but just as we need shovel-ready projects, we need keyboard-ready projects."

The $43 billion national broadband network would help more people than spending measures such as the Rudd government's $6.2 billion car industry package, he said.

"Now I'm not suggesting for a moment that's not the right thing to do, but $6.2 billion for protecting one industry, and we have a national broadband network that literally touches all of us - every state, every business large and small," he said.

"All of us can be more productive, more efficient and more innovative."

australianit.news.com.au