Anti-piracy group under fire for piracy themselves

Sometimes, the world presents you with a piece of news so drenched in irony that it’s a joy just to write about it. Anyone familiar with those anti-piracy ads that play behind some major motion picture DVD’s? They’re annoying and you cannot even skip them. But turns out that they’re more than that – the makers of the ad have been pirating something themselves.

Torrentfreak gives us this scoop that a composer from Netherlands Melchior Rietveldt purchased a Harry Potter DVD and realized that the anti-piracy group BREIN have been using his music in the ad campaigns without his permission or payment. He had created the music with the group under the agreement that it would be used strictly for a local film festival but that clearly wasn’t honored. As a result, the guy is now asking for €1 million in return. But that’s not the end of it.

When Rietveldt approached a local music royalty collecting agency Buma/Stemra to help him out, the board member Jochem Gerrits threw an interesting proposal at him – he would help him get the money he’s asking for in return for – wait for it – a whopping 33 percent of that share. The conversation they had was recorded and you can check it out at the link above. Riveting stuff. Gerrits has temporarily resigned after this.

It’s a great case study on double standards that companies like these have and I’m glad it’s now out to the public.

What do you think?

Read More

RIM execs handcuffed to seats for being too drunk

Two employees of Blackberry manufacturers Research In Motion have been suspended following an incident aboard an Air Canada flight from Toronto to Beijing. CTV News is reporting that the executives were so drunk aboard the flight that it “took the entire crew to subdue the men, who were eventually handcuffed to seats on the plane.”

The two executives, George Campbell, 45, and and Paul Alexander Wilson, 38, pled guilty to mischief and have been ordered to pay $71,757 in restitution. RIM has also announced that the two men have been put on suspension pending an investigation.

“Based on the limited information available at this time, RIM has suspended the individuals involved pending further investigation,” RIM said in a statement.

The jet had to be diverted to Vancouver and it’s passengers housed in hotels until the flight resumed 18 hours behind schedule.

Read More

Fight the robot uprising in EPOCH

EPOCH brings third-person cover based shooting to the iPad and iPhone in a robot post-apocalypse. In-Game's Todd Kenreck reports.a

Read More

Pengguna iPhone, BlackBerry, Gmail Jadi Target Mata-mata

Pengguna iPhone, BlackBerry, Gmail Jadi Target Mata-mata

Jakarta - Pendiri situs whistle blower WikiLeaks Julian Assange kembali melontarkan pernyataan mengejutkan. Kali ini, terkait para pengguna smartphone yang dikatakannya terancam jadi korban pengintaian massal.

Menurut Julian, hal ini sebagai imbas dari serangan teroris 9/11, sehingga mereka yang berkuasa jadi selalu waspada terhadap berbagai ancaman.

"Siapa yang memiliki iPhone? Siapa pengguna BlackBerry? Siapa yang menggunakan Gmail? Well, Anda semua kena," tukasnya, ketika berbicara di City University of London.

"Faktanya adalah saat ini perusahaan intelijen telah menjual secara massal sistem pengintaian ke banyak negara di dunia." ia menambahkan.

Peringatan ini pun muncul seiring dengan peluncuran situs Julian yang diberi nama proyek Spyfiles.

Dalam proyek itu, diungkap aktivitas sekitar 160 perusahaan di 25 negara yang mengembangkan teknologi untuk melacak dan memantau setiap individu dari ponsel, email, serta rekam jejak browser internetnya.

"Ini merupakan investigasi yang dalam dan menunjukkan bahwa fenomena ini bukanlah industri yang kecil sejak 10 tahun lalu," jelas Julian.

"Kejadian 9/11 telah membuat negara-negara di Eropa, AS, Kanada, Afrika Selatan, dan lainnya untuk mengembangkan sistem mata-mata kepada kita semua," pungkasnya, dikutip detikINET dari National Post, Sabtu (3/12/2011).



( ash / ash )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Facebook Buys Gowalla

A new report featured in CNN states that the location sharing site Gowalla has been bought for an undisclosed sum by the mighty Facebook.

An unnamed source who is said to be ‘close to Gowalla’ confirmed the report and also added that a majority of the employees of Gowalla even founder Josh Williams, will move to Facebook’s offices in Palo Alto. The new team is pegged to work on the recently unveiled timeline feature of facebook. A feature unveiled earlier this year and still in the process of making its way to over 800 million facebook users.

It remains to be seen what will happen of Gowalla and it’s app as Facebook has, in the past, been notorious for sending teams from existing start-ups to work on their own projects while killing off the start-ups. Vaughan Smith, Facebook director of corporate development had earlier said that Facebook aims to make 20 purchases in 2011. Well, the clocks running down and it looks like Gowalla was one of those 20.

Read More

BPPT Buka Jalan Ekspansi Awan Fujitsu

BPPT Buka Jalan Ekspansi 'Awan' Fujitsu

Jakarta - Keberhasilan Fujitsu memenangkan tender cloud computing di Badan Pengkajian dan Penerapan Teknologi (BPPT), membuka jalan bagi perusahaan teknologi asal Jepang itu untuk mengekspansi sektor pemerintahan dan usaha kecil menengah (UKM) yang jumlahnya puluhan ribu di Indonesia.

"BPPT adalah instansi pemerintah pertama yang mengadopsi komputasi awan dan menjadi pengguna Fujitsu Cloud pertama di Indonesia," kata Achmad S Sofian, Presiden Direktur Fujitsu Indonesia, dalam media gathering di Hotel Phoenix, Yogyakarta, akhir pekan ini.

Fujitsu dipilih untuk membangun infrastruktur berbasis cloud yang dikonfigurasikan sepenuhnya untuk data center dan knowladge management system melalui tender yang digelar BPPT pada Oktober 2011 lalu. BPPT sendiri menggunakan model private cloud yang akan digunakan oleh Balai Jaringan Ilmu Pengetahuan dan Teknologi (IPTEKnet) dan Pusat Data Informasi.

"Proyek ini kami perkirakan selesai dalam waktu dua bulan dan akan rampung pada Januari 2012. Namun infrastruktur awan BPPT sudah beroperasi 80% saat peresmiannya Desember ini," papar Achmad tanpa mau menyebut nilai tender yang dimenangkan Fujitsu.

Platform Fujitsu yang digunakan BPPT antara lain terdiri dari server PRIMERGY dan sistem storage ETERNUS yang didukung oleh ServerView Resource Orchestrator V3 (ROR V3). Fujitsu juga menyediakan jasa studi kelayakan, serta merancang arsitektur sistem dan implementasi yang jadi bagian dari Fujitsu Cloud Profesional Services.

"Cloud yang kami tawarkan bersifat cloud-enabler, sebab BPPT sebelumnya juga sudah memiliki hardware yang bisa menunjang pembangunan komputasi awan," papar Rully Indra Kelana T, Country Head Infrastruktur Integration Services, Fujitsu Indonesia.

Pengadopsian komputasi awan diharapkan dapat mempercepat penerapan e-Government di Indonesia. Efisiensi yang ditawarkan diyakini bisa memangkas jalur birokrasi di pemerintah kota/kabupaten sehingga bisa meningkatkan layanan publik lebih cepat dan lebih baik.

Melalui adopsi Fujitsu Cloud ini, diungkapkan oleh Rully, BPPT sudah memperoleh kepercayaan dari Pemkab Cimahi dan Pemkab Pekalongan untuk meningkatkan layanan publik mereka yang berbasis infrastruktur awan.

"Ke depannya, BPPT akan menargetkan untuk memperluas layanannya ke pemerintah kota/kabupaten lainnya, serta segmen usaha kecil dan menengah lainnya yang jumlahnya diperkirakan mencapai puluhan ribu di Indonesia," pungkasnya.


Keterangan foto: Presdir Fujitsu Indonesia Achmad S Sofwan saat ikut membangun rumah korban Gunung Merapi di Yogyakarta dalam program corporate social responsilibility (CSR).



pungkasnya.


Keterangan foto: Presdir Fujitsu Indonesia Achmad S Sofwan saat ikut membangun rumah korban Gunung Merapi di Yogyakarta dalam program corporate social responsilibility (CSR).


( rou / ash )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Report: Google Treading Into Amazon's E-Commerce Waters

Never content to rest on its search-engine dominance alone, Google is reportedly moving into yet another industry giant's space. This time, it's Amazon that may have to look over its shoulder.

The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Google plans to challenge the throne of the e-commerce legend, which has itself branched out into manufacturing products. Google is reportedly in talks with major retailers and shippers about developing a new service that would let consumers shop for clothes, electronics and other consumer goods online and get their order within a day.

Google's move is a direct assault against one of Amazon's competitive advantages: Amazon Prime. Amazon Prime is a membership program that gives Amazon customers unlimited fast shipping, such as free two-day shipping and one-day shipping for $3.99 per item. The annual fee is $79.

What Would Amazon Do?

"The fact that Google is getting in on the retail and shipping business is an indicator that it's a service people are willing to pay for but it's also something that they expect," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT. "Offering to deliver goods within a day keeps Google in the ballpark as a direct competitor with Amazon, but it also brings up the subject of what is Amazon doing next to stay ahead of the game."

King makes a valid point. In the early days of e-commerce, Amazon differentiated itself by offering lower prices than bookstores. Amazon later aggregated similar products from various sellers and allowed consumers to choose from various price options. Amazon also gained market advantages with one-click shopping, which allows customers to make online purchases with a single click.

"As more retailers got on the bandwagon, you saw Amazon making some interesting moves in order to stay ahead of the pack. First they offered Super Saver free shipping and then later the offered Amazon Prime," King said. "The e-commerce market is a pretty lively and constantly changing one."

What's at Stake?

Constantly changing is a true assessment, especially when the likes of Google enters the mix. The Wall Street Journal reports that Google is talking with Macy's, OfficeMax and UPS. Google was not immediately available for comment. The Journal reported Macy's confirmed that Google approached it with the concept. Gap and Office Max declined to comment to the Journal.

"In a way, Google is trying to step up as knowledgeable partner for retailers and help them compete more effectively with disruptive first movers like Amazon," King said. "Working with a partner like Google may be a better model for some retailers to pursue than to try to create their own online commerce sites. The vast majority of those traditional big box retailers haven't done very well."

One thing is certain: there is plenty at stake. Forrester Research estimates the online retail industry will grow 12 percent, to a whopping $197 billion in 2011. Amazon is the industry giant. If The Wall Street Journal report is true, Google is vying for a piece of that growing pie.
 

Read More

Facebook Caplok Pesaing FourSquare

Facebook Caplok Pesaing FourSquare

Jakarta - Facebook semakin melebarkan kerajaan internetnya. Aksi korporasi terbaru adalah dengan mengakuisisi penyedia layanan berbasis lokasi yang juga pesaing FourSquare, yakni Gowalla.

Laporan CNN Money yang dikutip detikINET, Sabtu (3/12/2011) menyebutkan, sumber dari internal Gowalla menyebutkan bahwa seluruh pegawai perusahaan yang berbasis di Austin ini -- termasuk sang pendiri Josh Williams -- nantinya akan pindah kantor ke markas Facebook di Palo Alto, California, Amerika Serikat.

"Ini adalah perpaduan yang sempurna," kata sang sumber.

Ia menambahkan, tugas pertama mereka nantinya adalah mengembangkan fitur Timeline Facebook dengan suntikan teknologi dan layanan yang mereka miliki.

"Visi Gowalla adalah mengenai orang bercerita, sementara visi Facebook untuk Timeline berkaitan dengan cerita mengenai momen penting dalam kehidupan pengguna," tambahnya.

Diluncurkan pada 2009, Gowalla yang berkantor pusat di Austin ini bersaing ketat dengan Foursquare. Tampaknya, persaingan di ranah ini dimenangkan oleh Foursquare.

Gowalla lantas mencari jalan alternatif, mengubah layanannya menjadi travel guide. Situsnya mendapat kucuran dana sekitar USD 10 juta dari para investor, di antaranya Founders Fund dan Greylock Partners.

Facebook sendiri melihat akuisisi merupakan cara yang bagus untuk membangun sumber daya berbakat untuk perusahaannya. Raksasa jejaring sosial ini berencana mencaplok 20 perusahaan di tahun ini, naik dari tahun sebelumnya 10 perusahaan.

Namun baik Facebook maupun Gowalla menolak berkomentar secara resmi. Keduanya masih bungkam menanggapi laporan tersebut.






( rns / ash )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Team claims $50,000 for decoding shredded messages

DARPAa

The $50,000 DARPA Shredder Challenge called on participants to reconstruct handwritten messages that have been shredded beyond recognition, including this one.a

By John Roach

A team of San Francisco-based sleuths claimed a $50,000 prize from the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency today for correctly reconstructing a series of five shredded documents.a

The accomplishment comes just 33 days after the DARPA Shredder Challenge was announced in a bid to improve the ability of warfighters to glean information quickly from confiscated, shredded documents.a

The challenge also provides insight to the potential vulnerabilities in the current practice of shredding sensitive national security documents, not to mention your own financial statements and personal notes.a

The winning team, All Your Shreds Are Belong to U.S., used custom-coded, computer vision algorithms to come up with suggested fragment pairings, which were then sent along to human assemblers for verification, the DARPA announcement explains.a

They spent a total of 600 worker-hours developing algorithms and piecing together the documents, which were shredded into more than 10,000 pieces.a

"Lots of experts were skeptical that a solution could be produced at all, let alone within the short time frame," Dan Kaufman, director of DARPA's Information Innovation Office, said in the statement. a

In all, nearly 9,000 teams registered to participate in the challenge. The most effective approaches used a blend of computational and old-fashioned detective work, the agency said.a

The fact that the challenge has been completed should come as good news to soldiers attempting to read shredded documents — like the papers found, for example, in a Bin Laden hideout.a

However, it also might make you pause next time you shred your latest bank statement. The practice may no longer be enough to keep your secrets safe. a

More on DARPA challenges:a

2005: Stanford team wins robot race 2007: Driverless SUV wins $2 million Pentagon prize 2009: Balloon hunt nets $40,000 for MIT-led team 2011: DARPA wants to recycle space junk into new satellites

 a

John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.a

 a

Kids' play has moved to tablets and PCs. In this new age, toy makers and researchers alike are sorting out the benefits â€" and detriments â€" of playful educational interaction in virtual space.a

Read More

Bos HP: Apple Bisa Rebut Tahta Industri PC di 2012

Bos HP: Apple Bisa Rebut Tahta Industri PC di 2012

Jakarta - Selain memuji Apple telah melakukan pekerjaan hebat, CEO Hewlett-Packard (HP) Meg Whitman, mengakui perusahaan asal Cupertino, California, Amerika Serikat itu akan menjadi pemimpin vendor komputer di 2012.

Pernyataan Whitman tersebut mengemuka saat wawancara dengan surat kabar Prancis Le Figaro. Saat itu, Whitman mengomentari prediksi firma riset Canalys yang menyebutkan penjualan Mac dan iPad akan membuat Apple menjadi vendor komputer nomor satu tahun depan. 


"Saya rasa sangat mungkin jika kita mengintegrasikan produk penjualan. Apple telah bekerja hebat. Kami perlu meningkatkan permainan dan produk kami untuk mengambil alih posisi pemimpin," kata Whitman seperti dilansir TG Daily dan dikutip detikINET, Jumat (2/12/2011).

Ditambahkannya, Apple sangat mungkin melangkahi HP tahun depan. Hal itu memacu HP berusaha lebih keras menjadi pemenang di tahun berikutnya. "Perlu waktu bagi sebuah produk untuk mempengaruhi pasar," jelasnya.

Whitman juga memberi catatan, hingga saat ini tablet belum bisa dibandingkan dengan PC, mengingat penggunaannya yang lebih condong untuk media hiburan dan email. Sementara PC, menjalankan software yang lebih mendukung produktivitas seperti Microsoft Office. "Ini adalah area penting yang ingin kami capai," tegasnya.




( rns / fyk )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Verizon Spends $3.6 Billion To Buy Cable's Spectrum

In a $3.6 billion deal, three top cable companies have agreed to sell spectrum to Verizon Wireless and to sell each other's products. The agreement will have a big impact on the wireless industry as it shifts into the next generation of high-speed data access ,

The deal for 122 advanced wireless system licenses is widely viewed as capitulation by companies who have tried unsuccessfully to gain a foothold in a market dominated by Verizon, AT&T , T-Mobile and Sprint.

"It's really hard for a cable company to expect to compete in a highly competitive wireless market," Time Warner Cable spokesman Alex Dudley told the Associated Press. "We got a good price for the spectrum. An arrangement like this makes a lot of sense."

Reaching 259 Million

The other cable companies in the deal are Comcast Corp. and Bright House Networks. The trio formed SpectrumCo, LLC as a joint venture to try to break into the exploding wireless industry. Smartphone use has grown from 46 percent in the third quarter of 2010 to 59 percent during the same quarter this year, according to figures from NPD Group.

The deal, which Verizon noted is subject to approval by the Federal Communications Commission and review under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act, includes spectrum that reaches 259 million Americans and allows the cable companies to sell Verizon services and products. It also puts Verizon at an even bigger advantage over top rival AT&T as it struggles to salvage its $39 billion merger deal with T-Mobile. The Justice Department has filed suit to block the deal, saying it will hurt fair competition.

Acquisition of T-Mobile's wireless spectrum was a prime motivation for the proposed merger, as the No. 2 carrier launches a long-term evolution (LTE) high-speed data network for 4G phones, to compete with Verizon's year-old LTE network.

In addition to beefing up Verizon's capacity, the deal also takes spectrum off the shelf that could be used by competitors.

Not For Amateurs

"Wireless is confusing," said technology consultant and analyst Jeff Kagan. "It is growing so rapidly and it looks like it is such an easy business , but only if you understand the rules of the game.

"The cable television industry has tried to get into wireless in recent years and they have failed. This is the end of the big speculations that the cable television industry would become a powerhouse in wireless."

The approximate breakdown gives Comcast, which owns 63.6 percent of SpectrumCo, $2.3 billion from the deal, while Time Warner, which owns 31.2 percent, would get $1.1 billion, and Bright House, which owns 5.3 percent will get $189 million.

"Spectrum is the raw material on which wireless networks are built, and buying the AWS spectrum now solidifies our network leadership into the future, and will enable us to bring even better 4G LTE products and services to our customers," said Dan Mead, president and CEO of Verizon Wireless.
 

Read More

Axis Genjot Layanan Data dengan Eksis

Axis Genjot Layanan Data dengan Eksis

Jakarta - Layanan data benar-benar sudah diincar untuk menjadi primadona di bisnis seluler. Salah satu yang getol untuk mencoba peruntungan di segmen ini adalah Axis. Dimana dalam waktu berdekatan merilis paket layanan datanya.

Sebelumnya, anak usaha Saudi Telecom Company itu baru memperkenalkan paket data unlimited Axis Pro. Kini, tak lama berselang giliran Eksis yang dikedepankan.

Dalam keterangannya, Axis Eksis merupakan paket layanan data unlimited ke jejaring sosial yang berbanderol Rp 9.900 per minggu atau Rp 29.900 per bulan.

Daniel Horan, Chief Marketing Officer Axis mengatakan, dengan pertumbuhan pengguna jejaring sosial di Indonesia, layanan data seluler juga meningkat pada popularitas dan penggunaannya.

"Kami telah menerima respons positif untuk layanan data Axis dari para pelanggan dan kami mengerti bahwa banyak di antara mereka yang mencari paket data yang simpel dan terjangkau sehingga anak-anak mereka dapat berkomunikasi melalui jejaring sosial seperti Facebook, Twitter, atau LinkedIn dan browsing internet tanpa perlu membobol tabungannya," lanjutnya.

Axis sendiri telah memiliki rencana perluasan jaringan mobile broadband yang agresif melalui lebih dari 5.000 BTS, di mana 4.000 di antaranya adalah 3G dengan teknologi HSPA.




( ash / ash )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Persiapan Berwirausaha di Bidang IT

Persiapan Berwirausaha di Bidang IT

Jakarta - Apa yang harus disiapkan bila ingin berwirausaha di bidang IT?

(Ivan, Pria, 19th)

Jawaban :

Wirausaha dalam bidang apapun, sebenarnya memiliki pondasi yang sama yaitu passion dan patience. Anda harus memiliki hasrat, kecintaan, kegairahan atas hal yang menjadi obyek usaha Anda.

Selain itu Anda harus memiliki kesabaran ekstra agar benih dari kewirausahaan Anda dapat tumbuh dan makin subur. Jika Anda sudah memiliki passion (kegairahan) dan patience (kesabaran) tersebut, maka berikutnya Anda tinggal melihat peluang.

Di sinilah nanti Anda akan bisa memutuskan apakah model usaha Anda akan focus pada produk/layanan yang big head (memanfaatkan momentum atau tren) ataukah long tail (mengedepankan hal yang sudah rutin). Baru kemudian gunakan IT khususnya untuk membangun jejaring promosi produk atau layanan Anda.




( jsn / ash )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Tumbangkan Firefox, Chrome Buntuti Internet Explorer

Tumbangkan Firefox, Chrome Buntuti Internet Explorer

Jakarta - Laporan terbaru dari firma riset StatCounter, browser Chrome untuk pertama kalinya bertengger di urutan kedua sebagai browser yang paling banyak digunakan di komputer secara global. Firefox yang sebelumnya di posisi kedua pun terjungkal.

Dilansir Digital Trends dan dikutip detikINET, Jumat (2/12/2011), Chrome mengambil jatah 25,7 persen pangsa pasar browser global pada November. Padahal dua tahun lalu, browser milik Google ini hanya menempati porsi 4,5 persen dan menghadapi persaingan ketat dengan para 'senior' seperti Opera dan Safari milik Apple.

Lantas, siapa yang memuncaki pasar ini? Sudah bisa ditebak, Internet Explorer ternyata masih mendominasi dan belum bergeser dari singgasananya. Browser milik Microsoft ini tercatat menguasai 40 persen pasar browser di dunia.

Sementara popularitas Chrome melejit dan Internet Explorer masih berjaya, Firefox besutan Mozilla terus mengalami tren penurunan tren yang dimulai sejak akhir 2010. Pangsa pasar Firefox saat ini jatuh menjadi 25,23 persen sehingga harus terjungkal ke posisi ketiga.

Di ranah mobile browser untuk smartphone dan tablet, fluktuasi terus dialami browser Android dan Opera Mini, sementara BlackBerry dan Symbian sama-sama memperoleh porsi tiga persen di pangsa pasar ini.

Keberuntungan masih menyelimuti Safari yang bertahan di posisi puncak dengan pangsa pasar 55 persen. Dominasi ini didukung penggunaan Safari di perangkat iPhone dan iPad.

Sementara itu, penggunaan browser untuk perangkat konsol masih dikuasai PlayStation 3. Browser untuk konsol lainnya termasuk Opera, WebTV dan Internet Explorer.




( rns / fyk )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Google Chrome Passes Firefox In Global Browser Market

Chrome has moved past Firefox to become the world's second-most popular Web browser after Internet Explorer, according to StatCounter. Chrome grabbed a 25.69 percent share of the global browser market in November -- a major increase from the 4.66 market share it held two years earlier, the Dublin, Ireland-based Web metrics firm said Thursday.

In the United States, IE currently holds a 50.66 percent market share, a slight increase from one year earlier. By contrast, Firefox usage among U.S Web users is 20.1 percent -- down from 26.75 percent in the same month last year, StatCounter said.

Google's popular browser -- which held a 17.3 percent share of the U.S market at the end of November -- is clearly benefiting from Firefox's slide. At the beginning of 2011, only 10.9 percent of all U.S.-based Web users were using Chrome.

"We can look forward to a fascinating battle between Microsoft and Google as the pace of growth of Chrome suggests that it will become a real rival to Internet Explorer globally," said StatCounter CEO Aodhan Cullen Thursday.

Stalled Firefox Growth

On a global basis, however, Chrome's gain of 7.5 percentage points in browser market share during 2011 has come at Microsoft's expense, primarily.

However, the latest data from Net Applications shows Firefox has also lost 1.5 percentage points on the desktop so far this year. Net Applications shows that IE's global market share, which stood at 52.6 percent at the beginning of December, has fallen by more than 6 percentage points this year.

Unlike StatCounter, the U.S.-based Web metric firm still shows Firefox in second place with a 25.7 percent global market share, followed by Chrome at 18.2 percent.

Despite Mozilla's decision earlier this year to emulate Chrome by introducing more frequent and more automated browser updates, the growth rate for Firefox has stalled.

The shorter development cycles for Firefox may be attractive to individual users but in the enterprise space it usually takes a while for corporations to accept and implement software changes, noted Net Applications Vice President Vincent Vizzaccaro.

In fact, the shorter development cycles for Firefox may even be inhibiting the browser's enterprise growth, Vizzaccaro said. This may especially be the case "if older versions are not supported for a long period of time," Vizzaccaro added. (continued...)

1  |  2  |  Next Page >

 

Read More

Awal 2012, Nikon Pulih Kembali

Awal 2012, Nikon Pulih Kembali

Jakarta - Laporan terbaru datang dari vendor kamera asal Jepang, Nikon terkait banjir Thailand yang menghambat produksi kamera mereka. Kini Nikon siap untuk kembali melakukan produksi pada awal tahun depan.

Banjir yang melanda Thailand memang membuat banyak perusahaan yang mendirikan pabrik di sana mengalami hambatan produksi. Nikon sendiri terpaksa harus menunda perilisan model-model kamera tertentu, tak terkecuali lensanya juga.

Kerugian secara finansial juga mendera Nikon. Dikatakan oleh Nikon yang dikutip detikINET dari TechRadar, Jumat (2/12/2011) bahwa pihaknya 'kehilangan' uang sekitar 65 miliar Yen. Pendapatan mereka pun juga mengalami kemerosotan hingga 25 miliar Yen akibat bencana di Thailand.

Namun kini Nikon memastikan bahwa pihaknya telah siap memulai produksi kembali pada Januari tahun depan. Dari pernyataan terakhir Nikon, kesiapan Nikon ini karena aksi penyedotan air yang dilakukan oleh Rojana Industrial Park sudah tuntas pada 26 November.

Dengan 'bangkitnya' pabrik-pabrik Nikon di Thailand pada tahun depan, Nikon menargetkan mereka mampu mengapalkan jajaran DSLR dan interchangeable lens dalam jumlah normal pada bulan Maret 2012.

Tak hanya Nikon, produsen kamera lain seperti Sony juga terkena dampak banjir Thailand dan menunda pemasaran produknya. Akibatnya konsumen yang menunggu datangnya kamera compact system NEX-7 dan Alpha 65 masih harus bersabar.




( sha / fyk )

Sumber detik com

Read More

AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile use Carrier IQ, but don't collect personal info

The nation's privacy and technology community is buzzing about software embedded in millions of smartphones. There are new concerns that it's tracking nearly everything a user does. NBC's Pete Williams reports. a

By Suzanne Choney

Updated at 6 p.m. PTa

Three of the nation's four largest wireless carriers — AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile — say they use Carrier IQ's controversial key-logging software, say they do not use it to monitor subscribers' activities. The Carrier IQ program is an analytical tool, strictly to "improve wireless network and service performance," not to track users' personal data, said AT&T.a

Sprint said in a statement that Carrier IQ software helps "analyze our network performance and identify where we should be improving service," but it does not "and cannot look at the contents of messages, photos, videos, etc., using this tool. The information collected is not sold and we don't provide a direct feed of this data to anyone outside of Sprint."a

T-Mobile, contacted by msnbc.com, said late Thursday it uses Carrier IQ strictly as a "diagnostic tool to troubleshoot device and network performance with the goal of enhancing network reliability and our customers'  experience." The carrier "does not use this diagnostic tool to obtain the content of text, email or voice messages, or the specific destinations of a customers' Internet activity, nor is the tool used for marketing purposes."a

Verizon Wireless told msnbc.com it doesn't put Carrier IQ  "on our phones, nor do we use any Carrier IQ data." Asked whether it uses similar programs from other companies, a Verizon Wireless spokesperson said it does not.a

Meanwhile, Sen. Al Franken, D-Minn., chairman of the Senate's subcommittee on Privacy, Technology, and Law, is asking Carrier IQ to clarify exactly what its software can and can't do.a

One wireless industry representative, who asked to remain anonymous, said Carrier IQ software is "not an Orwellian plot to gather people's information. It's to help us see if someone is dropping calls, where there are dead spots," and other network issues; "it's not to gather people's personal information or to see what you're doing or where you're going."a

Still, if the software can do those things, as one researcher contends, there are concerns about whether Carrier IQ is violating federal wiretap laws.a

“If Carrier IQ has gotten the handset manufactures to install secret software that records keystrokes intended for text messaging and the Internet and are sending some of that information back somewhere, this is very likely a federal wiretap," Paul Ohm, a former Justice Department prosecutor and law professor at the University of Colorado Law School, told Forbes. “And that gives the people wiretapped the right to sue and provides for significant monetary damages.”a

Carrier IQ, in a statement late Thursday, said it is "aware of various commentators alleging Carrier IQ has violated wiretap laws and we vigorously disagree with these assertions."a

Carrier IQa

Carrier IQ is on more than 141 million cellphones, according to the company.a

Meanwhile, Research In Motion, maker of the BlackBerry, said Thursday it doesn't install Carrier IQ on its phones, and doesn't authorize wireless carriers to use the program.a

That counters the finding of the security researcher, Trevor Eckhart of Connecticut, who said that Carrier IQ software is installed on many Android, BlackBerry and Nokia phones. His YouTube video of the software in action has stunned many as it shows Carrier IQ logging information, including text messages, as the information is tapped onto the phone keyboard. But RIM and Nokia said Carrier IQ is not used on their devices.a

"RIM does not pre-install the Carrier IQ app on BlackBerry smartphones or authorize its carrier partners to install the Carrier IQ app before sales or distribution," RIM told Reuters. "RIM also did not develop or commission the development of the Carrier IQ application, and has no involvement in the testing, promotion or distribution of the app."a

The iPhone, too, may have the software on it, albeit in a more benign way. According to The Verge, Grant Paul, aka "Chpwn," a "well-known" iPhone hacker, said that Carrier IQ's software on the iPhone may only be active when the phone is in "diagnostic mode," which is normally set to off as a default.a

Apple, in a statement to Cult of Mac, said "We stopped supporting CarrierIQ with iOS 5 in most of our products and will remove it completely in a future software update. With any diagnostic data sent to Apple, customers must actively opt-in to share this information, and if they do, the data is sent in an anonymous and encrypted form and does not include any personal information. We never recorded keystrokes, messages or any other personal information for diagnostic data and have no plans to ever do so."a

Eckhart says Carrier IQ's software, designed to monitor the performance of a cell phone on a network, is a "rootkit," spying on unsuspecting users. Carrier IQ says it is not.a

The Mountain View, California company, which said it has been inundated with "thousands" of requests for comment," issued a lengthy statement late Thursday about its software.a

"We measure and summarize performance of the device to assist Operators (wireless carriers) in delivering better service," Carrier IQ said in the statement.a

"While a few individuals have identified that there is a great deal of information available to the Carrier IQ software inside the handset, our software does not record, store or transmit the contents of SMS (text) messages, email, photographs, audio or video. For example, we understand whether an SMS was sent accurately, but do not record or transmit the content of the SMS. We know which applications are draining your battery, but do not capture the screen."a

Carrier IQ also says "privacy is protected" when its software is used. "Consumers have a trusted relationship with Operators and expect their personal information and privacy to be respected ...  The data we gather is transmitted over an encrypted channel and secured within our customers’ networks or in our audited and customer-approved facilities."a

While Carrier IQ's "in-network tools deliver information such as the location of calls and call quality, they do not provide information on the most important aspect of the service — the mobile device itself."a

We'll continue to follow the issue. For those "tinfoil hat people," as Gizmodo called them, they're not alone. WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, speaking at a panel discussion, said Thursday:a

"Who here has an iPhone? Who here has a BlackBerry? Who here uses Gmail? Well, you're all screwed. The reality is, intelligence contractors are selling right now to countries across the world mass surveillance systems for all those products." Perhaps this is merely a first glimpse of what's to come.a

Related stories:a

Researcher: Secret software tracks phone users Red Tape: German officials admit using spyware on citizens Track cheating spouse with phone spying software

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.a

Read More

Mengintip Model Bisnis LinkedIn

Mengintip Model Bisnis LinkedIn

Jakarta - Hampir seluruh fitur dalam dalam LinkedIn bisa dimanfaatkan oleh para penggunanya. Lantas jika begitu, dari mana jejaring sosial asal Negeri Paman Sam itu mendapat rupiah?

Dengan jumlah pengguna yang mencapai 135 juta bukanlah hal mudah untuk merawat LinkedIn. Apalagi pengguna jejaring sosial ini diklaim bertambah 2 orang tiap detiknya, angka yang lumayan bagi situs yang hanya ditujukan bagi para profesional.

Nah, meski bisa digunakan secara gratis, ternyata ada beberapa fitur LinkedIn yang berbayar. Seperti yang diutarakan Clifford Rosenberg, Managing Director LinkedIn Asia & Australia di JW Marriot Hotel.

"Pertama, kami bisa menawarkan ke sejumlah perusahaan agar dapat dengan mudah mencari tenaga profesional. Dalam hal ini perusahaan tersebut harus membayar, sedangkan para pengguna tetap tidak dikenakan biaya," kata Rosenberg.

Kemudian pendapatan LinkedIn lainnya ada pada iklan. Di sini situs tersebut mampu menawarkan data penggunanya kepada calon pengiklan, sehingga diharapkan iklan yang ditawarkan tepat sasaran dan efektif.

Sedangkan pemasukan lainnya ada pada keanggotaan premium. "Anda yang mendaftar dan ingin mendapatkan fitur lebih bisa membayar kepada kami," tandas Rosenberg.

LinkedIn sendiri baru saja mengukuhkan ekspansinya di pasar Indonesia. Hal itu ditegaskan dengan hadirnya layanan LinkedIn berbahasa Indonesia.



( eno / ash )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Google Maps Is Going Indoors

You're on the last leg of your business trip, wondering how to find your gate in a strange airport. Google might be able to help you.

The technology giant has released a beta version of Google Maps Floor Plans, which allows users to create floor plans of the interior of a building, such as a retail store or an airport terminal. After finding the building on the map, someone with floor plans or blueprints can upload them, line up the interiors with satellite images, and share with others who are using Google Maps 6.0 for Android 2.2 and above.

No release date was given for the same functionality on other platforms that offer Google applications.

The Blue Dot

The interior map automatically appears when a user zooms into a building that has a floor plan uploaded. When the user has a blue dot to indicate his or her location, the floor plan will automatically display the correct floor in a multi-store building.

The blue dot-indicated My Location, which was launched in 2007, uses cell tower identification to provide approximate location for those smartphones without GPS . My Location can supplement GPS, or work indoors on occasions when GPS does not.

To get the ball rolling, Google has partnered with a variety of retailers, airports, and transit stations to begin populating Google Maps with interiors. Airports include the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Chicago O'Hare International Airport, San Francisco International Airport, and Narita International Airport in Japan.

Retailers include the Mall of America in Minneapolis, IKEA, some Macy's and Bloomingdale's stores, and Daimaru, Takashimaya and Miksukoshi in Japan. In all, there are about three dozen participating locations so far in the U.S., and approximately another three dozen in Japan.

Mashups Coming?

In a posting on the Official Google Blog, Vice President Brian McClendon noted earlier this week that this new functionality could become a common substitute for freestanding "you are here" map directories in an office building or mall, or the time-honored practice of asking someone who works there.

Given that it's Google, one might expect mashups in the near future to take advantage of interior maps -- especially value-added data overlaps, such as ones for which Google can sell advertising or other services, such as placement fees.

There could also be a number of tie-ins with third-party products. For instance, a California-based startup called Euclid Elements announced a new platform last month that picks up Wi-Fi signals from smartphones of customers in stores, to track their traffic flow. The service currently can only track a customer within 60 feet of the in-store sensors, but one can easily imagine a shopping mall submitting its interior map to Google Maps, and then using sensors to track traffic.

Indoor maps are a new frontier in mobile device -based guides. Ericsson Labs, for instance, has released an Indoor Maps and Positioning API for Android developers, with tools needed to create indoor location-based services.
 

Read More

German pilsner? Spanish lager? Test has answer

SINCa

Researchers at the University of Seville have developed a technique based on chemical patterns for identifying the country of origin of beer. a

By John Roach

Beer snobs wishing to know the provenance of their favorite European pilsners and lagers are in luck: Scientists have developed a new chemical test that can tell you where the brew originated.a

Though such tests have long existed for products such as wine, spirits, coffee and tea, one hasn't been developed yet for beer, noted Jose Marcos Jurado, a chemist at the University of Seville in Spain.a

"That surprised me because beer is one of the most consumed beverages in the world," he told me in an email today. a

Jurado and his colleagues developed a test that identifies chemicals in the beer that relate to various raw materials such as water and hops. A set of algorithms recognize data patterns in those chemicals that point to the beer's country of origin.a

In experiments, the researchers tested their model on pilsners and lagers — blonde-colored beers — from Germany, Spain, and Portugal and found it to be accurate 99.3 percent of the time.a

Some brewers manipulate the chemicals in their water to produce the style of beer they want. For example, brewers of pale ales around the world often try to match the salt content of the water in England's Burton-upon-Trent where the style was perfected.a

Jurado noted that additions of salts could trick the part of the test designed to detect iron, potassium and phosphate, but the test also measures chemicals such as polyphenols from hops, a plant that gives beer its characteristic bitterness and aromas.a

"It is always possible to fake a beverage," he noted, "and this model can fail." Though, he added, the addition of more chemical parameters to the test could make it even more tamper-proof.a

And there might even be reason for doing so. There is a growing movement in Europe to put beers on a list of products with Protected Geographical Indication. This test could be used to certify the authenticity of listed beers.a

"This practice [of chemical fingerprinting] is much extended in products like wine and its influence in marketing is well known," Jurado said. "We have given a first step in that direction, trying to point out the importance of these kinds of studies in products like beer."a

Findings are published in the journal Food Control.a

More on beer science and technology:a

Brewer to turn spent grains into energy Beer mystery solved! Yeast ID'd At ancient 'takeout' window, bullets and beer to go Ancient beer from shipwreck too salty to drink

 a

John Roach is a contributing writer for msnbc.com. To learn more about him, check out his website. For more of our Future of Technology series, watch the featured video below.a

 a

 a

Kids' play has moved to tablets and PCs. In this new age, toy makers and researchers alike are sorting out the benefits â€" and detriments â€" of playful educational interaction in virtual space.a

 a

Read More

Acer confirms Tegra 3 tablet to launch next year

Acer’s president Jim Wong has announced that Tegra 3 quad core processors will find their way into an Acer tablet in 2012. As quoted in T3 Mr.Wong goes on to say:

“Acer was the first to follow Motorola with a Honeycomb tablet in 2011 after the launch of the XOOM and we intend to remain very aggressive on that front. You may have seen some leaked stories in the media relating to Acer launching a new quad-core tablet and I can confirm these stories are true.”

The coming tablets will no doubt feature Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and are said to be the successor to the Asus Transformer Prime.

“Tablets are a very important category to expand our business. We are the only company selling Windows 7 tablets in volume and next year we will continue to do the same thing with second generation windows tablets on the way in addition to our Android tablets.” Said Mr. Wong

By the looks of it CES 2012 (In January) and the Mobile World Conference in February will feature some rather interesting devices.

Read More

Colbert: Apple's Siri 'is clearly an arch conservative woman'

Comedy Centrala

By Rosa Golijan

Apple's Siri — the virtual assistant built into the iPhone 4S — refuses to help its users find abortion clinics and tends to ignore folks with foreign accents. Sure, there could be an innocent explanation for those things — such as a series of glitches — but Stephen Colbert has an alternate theory.a

According to Colbert, Siri is obviously an arch conservative woman, "like Laura Ingraham — but less robotic."a

You can check out that theory — and its context — in the clip below. Don't forget that it's from a recent episode of "The Colbert Report" and all in good humor — so don't let it ruffle too many feathers.a

Related stories:a

Apple explains why iPhone won't find abortion centers How to make your iPhone look like HAL 9000's nicer sister Careful! Your iPhone's Siri could easily embarrass you My iPhone says the darndest things (thanks to Siri)

Want more tech news, silly puns, or amusing links? You'll get plenty of all three if you keep up with Rosa Golijan, the writer of this post, by following her on Twitter, subscribing to her Facebook posts, or circling her on Google+.a

Read More

Chrome overtakes Firefox for the first time, IE still in the lead

According to the guys over at StatCounter, their latest global report on web browser usage shows that for the first time ever, Google’s Chrome browser has overtaken Mozilla’s Firefox. Though both browsers still don’t hold the position of top dog, an honour reserved for Internet Explorer for now, it still marks a milestone in the growth of Chrome.

The stats go on to show that during November, google’s market share went up to 25.7% a rather large number considering that back in 2009 chrome only had 4.66% of the market. Firefox raked in 25.2% for november while both browsers were dwarfed by Internet Explorer who boasted a comfortable 40.6%.

Engadget goes on to show that Chrome seems to be the only browser experiencing such drastic growth with both IE and firefox seeing their numbers dwindling.

 

 

Read More

Nokia Siemens Networks unloads WiMax division

As Nokia looks for more ways to bring the company’s stubborn bottom line in order, Engadget is reporting that the company is looking to rid itself of it’s WiMax Division. This wont be the first time they look to shed unwanted weight as just last month Nokia Siemens announced a staggering 17,000 workers would be laid off as part of global restructuring.

NewNet Communication Technologies is said to be the company willing to take the dead-weight WiMax technologies off Nokia’s hands for an undisclosed sum. 300 NSN employees are also said to be bundled in the deal.

 

 

Read More

Dealgoing Ungkap Fitur Baru

Dealgoing Ungkap Fitur Baru

Jakarta - Dealgoing.com, situs pengumpul daily deals di Indonesia merilis sejumlah fitur baru yang disebut sebagai versi 1.2.

"Baru dalam waktu empat bulan sejak diluncurkan, Dealgoing telah bertumbuh sangat cepat. Kami bertumbuh 900% sampai saat ini," ujar Edward Kim, pendiri sekaligus CEO Dealgoing.

Kim menambahkan, pertumbuhan pengguna internet di Indonesia sangat cepat. Data terakhir dari Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informasi Republik Indonesia menyebutkan, pengguna internet di Indonesia saat ini sudah mencapai 45 juta orang.

Sementara itu, Kim menduga nilai transaksi e-commerce saat ini masih sangat kecil dibandingkan dengan jumlah pasar yang sedemikian besar itu. Ini berarti ruang untuk pertumbuhan pasar e-commerce di Indonesia masih sangat besar.

Karena itulah banyak pemain internasional melirik pasar Indonesia, terutama di ranah social commerce. Hal itu memaksa pelaku industri ini untuk bergerak cepat, maka langkah-langkah pembaruan yang direncanakan pun harus cepat diluncurkan.

Adapun fitur baru dalam Dealgoing versi 1.2 terdiri dari 2 fitur tambahan yang dibagi dalam 7 fungsi, antara lain:

1. Promo seru: Fitur yang berisi informasi voucher gratis dan event
2. Komunitas: Fitur yang berisi hal-hal yang berhubungan dengan Dealgoing kepada user. Bagian-bagian dari fitur ini meliputi pemberitahuan, dealgoing event, kritik dan saran, daily deals testimonial dan polling dealgoing.

Sementara 7 fungsi yang diungkap di atas adalah untuk voucher gratis/diskon, info event, notifikasi, event DealGOing, saran, testimonial, daftar postingan dan polling.

Selain untuk Dealgoing Indonesia, saat ini juga sedang dipersiapkan versi baru untuk Dealgoing Singapura (sg.dealgoing.com). Dealgoing juga telah meluncurkan layanan beta version untuk Filipina dan Malaysia.

Di Indonesia sendiri Dealgoing telah memiliki lebih dari 2.000 member, dengan presentase member wanita lebih dari 60%, jangkauan usia antara 18-30 tahun.



( ash / ash )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Cari Kerja Diklaim Lebih Mudah via LinkedIn

Cari Kerja Diklaim Lebih Mudah via LinkedIn

Jakarta - Banyak fasilitas gratis yang bisa dimanfaatkan para pencari kerja, termasuk via jejaring sosial LinkedIn yang konon memang dirancang untuk keperluan tersebut.

Dengan LinkedIn, selain pengguna bisa memasukan profil pribadi dan prestasi, situs tersebut juga memungkinkan siapa saja untuk membuat halaman khusus yang berisikan porfolio mereka. Misalnya para desainer atau fotografer yang ingin memperlihatkan karyanya.

Selain itu, kemudahan LinkedIn yang bisa diakses secara mudah melalui ponsel juga diklaim memiliki nilai tambah tersendiri.

"Para profesional itu tidak hanya duduk di depan komputer saja, tapi mereka lebih banyak mobile. Itulah yang membuat platform ini pas untuk mereka," kata Clifford Rosenberg, Managing Director LinkedIn Asia & Australia.

Rosenberg juga mengklaim bahwa tak hanya para pencari kerja saja yang bisa memanfaatkan LinkedIn, namun juga para perusahaan yang sedang mencari karyawan berpotensi.

"Di LinkedIn memverifikasi profil pengguna itu lebih mudah, apalagi jika sudah terhubung dengan beberapa teman yang sudah dikenal. Jadi keaslian datanya bisa dipertanggungjawabkan. Inilah indahnya LinkedIn," tambah Rossenberg.

Pada acara temu media yang digelar di di Jw Mariott Hotel, Kamis (1/12/2011), Rossenberg juga semapt mendemonstrasikan bagaimana mudahnya memanfaatkan LinkedIn, baik untuk pekerja atau perusahaa.

"Bagi perusahaan mereka bisa membuat halaman khusus tentang informasi perusahaan, sedangkan bagi para pencari kerja profil mereka berkesempatan untuk dilihat oleh jutaan pengguna kami di seluruh dunia," tambah Rossenberg.

Hingga kini LinkedIn memiliki lebih 135 juta dari seluruh dunia dan terus tumbuh secara cepat. Bahkan diklaim setiap detik ada 2 pengguna yang mendaftar di jejaring sosial ini.




( eno / fyk )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Transformer Prime is a quad-core stunner

The world's first quad-core tablet has more than meets the eye. In-Game's Todd Kenreck reports.a

Read More

Google helps develop early warning system for earthquakes

As part of the work carried by Google’s philanthropic arm ‘Google.org’, recent developments have emerged that could soon change current early warning systems for earthquakes.

Researchers from UC Berkely, the USGS and other universities have begun testing of the prototype system which relies on a network of seismological sensors embedded throughout the american west-coast. These are used to detect P-waves, the initial tremors that precede the more destructive S-waves.

Google’s involvement also comes in when the time has come to alert the public of an impending earthquake and according to Engadget, Google has also teamed up with other companies such as Deutsche Telekom’s Innovation Center to find ways to disseminate the information across computers, cellphones, and community alert systems.

Read More

Anggota DPR Sibuk, Rapat Kasus Pencurian Pulsa Mundur

Anggota DPR Sibuk, Rapat Kasus Pencurian Pulsa Mundur

Jakarta - Komisi I DPR RI sedianya akan menggelar Rapat Dengar Pendapat (RDP) dengan Badan Regulasi Telekomunikasi Indonesia (BRTI) siang ini terkait pengusutan kasus pencurian pulsa pengguna seluler. Sayang, lantaran anggota dewan banyak yang sibuk, rapat tersebut harus diundur.

"Rapat ditunda minggu depan karena banyak anggota Komisi I kebetulan sedang berhalangan," kata Ketua Panitia Kerja Pencurian Pulsa Komisi I DPR RI, Tantowi Yahya kepada detikINET, Kamis (1/12/2011).

Pengunduran jadwal RDP ini sendiri hanya berlaku bagi BRTI. Sebab pada pagi harinya, Komisi I telah bertemu dengan beberapa lembaga yang berkepentingan seperti YLKI dan korban pencurian pulsa.

"Kalau pagi harinya sudah dilakukan. Namun siang harinya kebetulan berhalangan jadi daripada yang datang sedikit rapat kami tunda, " imbuh Tantowi.

Sebelumnya, Komisi I mengaku sudah tidak sabar untuk bertemu dengan BRTI untuk segera menuntaskan kasus yang merugikan masyarakat kecil ini.

"Yang lelet itu BRTI sebagai lembaga regulasi dan supervisi. Kasus ini menggantung di BRTI. Panja akan bertanya ke mereka dalam RDPU (rapat dengar pendapat umum)," tukas Tantowi, dalam kesempatan sebelumnya.



( fyk / ash )

Sumber detik com

Read More

iSpit Diagnostics for your iPhone?

OCD? Well, this isn’t for you. The latest bit of research coming out of Korea claims that the capacitive touchscreens on our phones and tablets could actually be used to analyse and diagnose the diseases in our saliva.

Taking self diagnostics to a whole new level, the scientists claim that it works through the screens ability to detect minute capacitive differences in the liquids (saliva) placed on its surface. The scientists, Hyun Gyu Park and Byoung Yeon Won at the Korea Advanced Institute for Science and Technology in Daejeon have, according to Engadget, managed to detect chlamydia microbes in three concentrations it tested.

The diagnosis is not yet fool proof as the read outs could be compromised by other moisture on the screens such as moisture and sweat. A proposed solution to this is the application of a disposable film placed on your devices screen.

Adds a whole new dimension to the fear of buying second-hand phones doesn’t it?

Read More

Tagih Soal Pencurian Pulsa, DPR Panggil BRTI

Tagih Soal Pencurian Pulsa, DPR Panggil BRTI

Jakarta - Pengusutan kasus pencurian pulsa pengguna seluler yang beberapa waktu lalu memuncak dan akhirnya dilakukan unreg massal terhadap layanan konten premium, terus bergulir. Kini, setelah satu setengah bulan moratorium dilakukan, Komisi I DPR RI akan menagih BRTI (Badan Regulasi Telekomunikasi Indonesia) terkait hasil evaluasi yang telah mereka lakukan.

"Ya, besok (Kamis, 1/12/2011) akan kita panggil sejumlah pihak. Untuk paginya kita panggil dari YLKI (Yayasan Lembaga Konsumen Indonesia) sedangkan BRTI pada siangnya sekitar pukul 14.00," tukas Ketua Panja Pencurian Pulsa Komisi I DPR RI, Tantowi Yahya.

Kasus pencurian pulsa sendiri ditengarai tidak dilakukan oleh satu pihak. Melainkan banyak pihak yang terlibat sehingga bisa disebut sebagai organized crime atau kriminalitas terorganisir.

"Tidak mungkin kasus ini terjadi dilaksanakan oleh satu orang saja, ini seperti organized crime. Seperti mafia yang terkait satu sama lain," ucap Tantowi, pada acara Ngopi Bareng detikINET, Rabu malam.

Komisi I pun saat ini telah membuat panitia kerja (Panja) yang berambisi mengusut tuntas kasus ini sekaligus mengakomodir pengaduan dari masyarakat.

"Target kami untuk penyelesaian kasus ini paling lama tiga bulan, tuntutan masyarakat sudah sedemikian besar," lanjutnya.

Aksi nyata BRTI memang tengah dinanti untuk menuntaskan kasus pencurian pulsa. Padahal anggota dewan dan banyak pihak berharap hasil evaluasi yang dilakukan regulator telekomunikasi tersebut cepat selesai.

"Yang lelet itu BRTI sebagai lembaga regulasi dan supervisi. Kasus ini menggantung di BRTI. Panja akan bertanya ke mereka dalam RDPU (rapat dengar pendapat umum)," kata Tantowi, gregetan.

BRTI sendiri mau tak mau harus mempersiapkan diri dalam lawatannya ke gedung kura-kura Senayan, jika tak mau jadi bulan-bulanan. Beberapa hari lalu, rapat pleno internal BRTI pun digelar untuk koordinasi lebih lanjut.

Termasuk mungkin untuk memberi update hasil evaluasi kepada ketua BRTI Sukri Batubara yang baru saja pulang setelah menunaikan ibadah ke Tanah Suci.




( ash / sha )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Spotify Aims to Amp Up Music with Apps

Spotify is amping up its streaming service with a platform that lets third-party developers build music-based apps . Dubbed Spotify Platform, the company is calling it the next big step in musical enjoyment.

Time will tell if the free apps live up to the hype. Currently, there are 16 partner apps to choose from in the U.S. Twelve of them are available now and come from some of the biggest brands in music, including Billboard and Rolling Stone.

"Once you take a look, you'll see why we believe this is truly the beginning of something game-changing for digital music," said Spotify CEO and founder Daniel Ek. "We think this will lead to integrations that keep Spotify beautiful and simple, but layer in great musical experiences designed to be social and fun. It's what our users have been asking us for."

Beyond Facebook

Spotify is announcing the new apps on the back of its integration with Facebook. Spotify started streaming music via the Facebook platform in September. That gave Spotify a quick membership boost. The company reports adding more than 7 million new users in just more than two months because of the deal.

The integration lets Facebook users find friends who also use Spotify and subscribe to their friends' playlists and send songs in a tweet or Facebook message. In short, Facebook integration made Spotify more social. Now, the Spotify Platform aims to make it more social and mobile .

As Ek suggested, the ultimate goal of Spotify Platform is to drive innovation on top of music and add more layers of music enjoyment in the process. Spotify hopes DJs will create the best lists and virtual clubs where people can gather together to hear them, dance and sing along. Spotify wants fans to get closer to their favorite artists.

Spotify's other global partners are Fuse, The Guardian, Last.fm, Moodagent, Pitchfork, Songkick, Soundrop, TuneWiki and We Are Hunted. Top10 and ShareMyPlaylists apps are coming soon. Spotify also has three Nordic partners launching local apps, including Tunigo in Sweden, Gaffa in Denmark and Dagbladet in Norway.

Getting Critical Mass

RIM has tried to make music more social and mobile with its BBM service. Apple has tried with Ping. Can Spotify do what others haven't? Rob Enderle, principal analyst at Enderle Group, isn't sure but he sees Spotify's move outside of music as a smart one.

"We've got a lot of music vendors in the space and it's very easy to get lost in the noise. This might be a way for Spotify to dig out and discover a new opportunity," Enderle said. The key is going to be to get people to use the apps. Social-mobile music initiatives have largely failed, he said, because vendors approach the problem with technology rather than social engineering.

"You are trying to engineer something around people, but using people who are trained with technology and not with people," Enderle said. "The services that have failed so far have thrown concepts at the market but they haven't really thought through how people will use it. For any type of social engineering effort to work, you have to get the critical mass."
 

Read More

Ponsel Android Mata-matai Semua Aktivitas Pemakai?

Ponsel Android Mata-matai Semua Aktivitas Pemakai?

Jakarta - Smartphone Android dilaporkan diinstal dengan software mata-mata sebelum dijual ke pasaran. Hal itu ditemukan oleh sebuah pengembang aplikasi Android di Amerika Serikat.

Software bernama Carrier IQ tersebut mampu membaca pesan SMS privat, pencarian Google yang dilakukan pengguna sampai lokasi mereka. Software ini diinstal oleh para manufaktur Android sehingga operator bisa memonitor penggunaan ponsel.

Developer aplikasi Android bernamaTrevor Eckhart menunjukkan bahwa Carrier IQ bisa membaca apa saja yang diketik user di handsetnya. Semua data kemudian dikirim ke operator.

Pembuat Carrier IQ pun membantah semua klaim Trevor. "Kami melacak soal performa ponsel, bukan merekam apa saja yang diketik oleh pengguna," kata mereka, seperti dikutip detikINET dari DailyMail, Kamis (1/12/2011).

Namun dalam demonstrasinya, Eckhart menunjukkan bahwa software tersebut tidak hanya dapat merekam hampir semua informasi penting, namun juga mentransmisinya. Hal ini dinilai dapat mencederai privasi pengguna.

Selain di Android, Carrier IQ juga diinstal di beberapa merek handset BlackBerry, Nokia dan iPhone. Belum ada informasi apakah handset yang dijual di luar Amerika Serikat juga membawa software serupa.




( fyk / rns )

Sumber detik com

Read More

Geeky gifts for gamers

ThinkGeeka

Have a gamer you're trying to buy the perfect gift for this holiday? We have some great/goofy ideas for you.a

By Winda Benedetti

The gamer in your life has probably already given you an extensive list of the many video games he or she would love to find wrapped up in a gift box this holiday season.a

But there's more to life than just video games. Or rather, what I mean to say is ... when it comes to giving gifts to gamers, I've been thinking outside the box.a

What follows is a look at some fun, if not downright goofy game-themed toys, trinkets, odds and ends sure to put a smile on the face of the game enthusiast you know and love.a

Portal 2 Aperture Laboratories Shower Curtain - $20, ThinkGeeka

ThinkGeeka

What gamer doesn't love the "Portal" games? More importantly, what we have for you here is gift that will help encourage the gamer geek you love to belt out "Still Alive" while showering in the morning.a

You'll be happy to know that this "Portal 2"-themed shower curtain "contains less than 1% mercury" and is most likely not radioactive. Though, as the sales pitch suggests, you might want to consider wearing your lead underwear when you're in the shower ... just to be safe.a

Speaking of neat-o "Portal"-themed gift ideas, check out these nifty Portal bookends as well as this Portal 2 Cave Johnson Talking Portrait. In fact, here's a handy link to all of ThinkGeek's Portal-themed gift items.a

iCade iPad Arcade Cabinet – $80, ThinkGeeka

Know someone who'd enjoy playing some old-school Atari games on their new-school iPad ... but may not be too excited about the touch-screen interface? The iCade cabinet offers an eye-catching, retro-cool solution.a

Download this Atari's Greatest Hits app, then simply slide the original iPad or iPad 2 into this desktop-sized cabinet and fire up retro hits like "Centipede," "Asteroid," "Missile Command," "Tempest" and loads of other old-school faves.a

Meanwhile, for a slightly less expensive way to add joystick controls to your iPad games, check out the $18 Joystick-It iPad Arcade Stick.a

Video game controller charms - $7, Etsy.com a

Etsy/Outpost8a

advertisement

Here's a surefire way to charm the girl (or boy) gamer in your life. These hand-made charms come in the shape of Sega Genesis, Wii, PlayStation, NES, Xbox 360 and Atari controllers. But the seller — Alia B. at Outpost8 — says she can custom make other controller charms as well.a

Lootiful.coma

iPWN! 4 Case - $18, Lootiful.comHere's a little something for the Nintendo/Apple fanboy or fangirl in your life. The iPWN! 4 case transforms your iPhone into an old-school Game Boy – at least on the outside. Lootiful also offers a silicone model and is taking pre-orders for a case that turns your iPad into a giant Game Boy.a

Meanwhile, you can find a couple of similar offerings over at Etsy. Check out this hand-sewn Game Boy-themed iPad case ($50).a

Etsy/DigitalSoapsa

 a

Game controller soaps — prices vary, EtsyDoes someone you know spend too much time playing "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim" and too little time taking care of, oh, personal hygiene? Well, here's the perfect gift (and not-so-subtle hint) for that particular gamer in your life.a

Etsy seller DigitalSoaps offers a variety of scented soaps in the shape of various game controllers. There's the NES controller ($11) and the PlayStation 3 controller ($22) as well as soap in the shape of an Xbox 360 ($9).a

And speaking of nifty controller-themed items on Etsy, check out these very cool controller ornaments ($30).a

Jinx.coma

advertisement

T-shirts, T-shirts, T-shirts - price variesWhether the gamer in your life adores "Minecraft," "Warcraft" or "Starcraft," you can't go wrong with a gift that lets them wear their love of gaming on their sleeve (literally).a

Several websites offer a variety of gamer T-shirts and clothing items. Check out the "Minecraft" tees at Jinx.com, the 8-Bit Dynamic Life shirt at ThinkGeek, or the various video-game-themed tees at Splitreason, SharkRobot and Threadless.a

Zynga/Best Buya

FarmVille plush toys - $10, Best BuySpeaking of game addictions, surely the "FarmVille" player in your life will love you for making their Facebook gaming habit just a little bit more tangible with these collectible "FarmVille" toys.a

"FarmVille" creator Zynga has partnered with Best Buy to sell a series of eight plush farm animals. And the good news for the gamer you'll gift these trinkets to is that each plush animal unlocks an exclusive virtual animal within the Facebook game and comes with 10 Farm Cash to use in the game as well.a

Angry Birds: Knock on Wood - $30, various retailersa

Rovio/Mattela

Here's a painless way to ease the "Angry Birds" addict in your life away from playing the game on their smartphone or tablet ... and into playing it with you out here in the so-called real world.a

That's right, the hit game app has been turned into an officially licensed board game complete with bird-flinging sling-shot, building blocks and tiny pig enemies to knock down. But no matter how hard you try, you won't be able to download this game. You'll find it at retailers such Amazon, Target or ToysRUs.a

ThinkGeeka

advertisement

Pac Man Plush Hat - $30, ThinkGeeka

It's cold outside. This hat is warm. This hat is awesome. This hat is also ... a little creepy. Surely, someone you know and love should have this hat.a

For more holiday gift ideas for the gamer in your life, check out these stories:a

5 great games for people who love a good story 5 great games for the art lover 5 great games to play with the whole family Black Friday games you've got to grab

Winda Benedetti writes about games for msnbc.com. You can follow her tweets about games and other things here on Twitter or join her in the stream here on Google+.  And be sure to check out the In-Game Facebook page here.a

Read More

44 Tahun, Indosat Gaet 51,5 Juta Pelanggan

44 Tahun, Indosat Gaet 51,5 Juta Pelanggan

Jakarta - Indosat merayakan hari jadinya yang ke-44 tahun dengan raihan 51,5 juta pelanggan. Pada perayaan ini, anak usaha Qatar Telecom itu juga mengganjar peraih medali emas Sea Games dengan BlackBerry Bellagio. Tak perlu antre!

"Pelanggan selalu menjadi prioritas utama kami, baik pelanggan ritel maupun pelanggan korporat. Beragam layanan komunikasi Indosat seperti seluler, komunikasi data, internet, telepon tetap dan satelit, disediakan bagi pelanggan," tukas Presdir & CEO Indosat Harry Sasongko.

Selain raihan 51,5 juta pelanggan di Q3 2011, Indosat juga mengklaim mencatat pertumbuhan EBITDA, laba bersih, free cash flow serta pengurangan hutang perusahaan secara berkesinambungan.

Tak lupa, dengan kemenangan Indonesia sebagai juara umum Sea Games XXVI, Indosat bekerja sama dengan Research in Motion (RIM) mengganjar 235 penyabet medali emas Sea Games dengan BlackBerry Bold 9790 yang kemarin sempat bikin ricuh itu ketika penjualan perdananya.

"Kami meyakini bahwa pencapaian dan pengakuan bagi perusahaan tidak lepas dari kesetiaan pelanggan dalam menggunakan layanan Indosat serta dukungan seluruh stakeholder perusahaan," lanjut Harry, dalam keterangannya, yang dikutip detikINET, Kamis (1/12/2011).

"Untuk itu di 44 tahun usia Indosat, kami tetap berkomitmen untuk terus berinovasi, memberikan layanan terbaik bagi pelanggan, memberikan kinerja terbaik bagi pemegang saham serta memberikan manfaat terbaik bagi seluruh stakeholder dan masyarakat Indonesia," pungkasnya.





( ash / ash )

Sumber detik com

Read More

FCC Merger Report Release "Improper," AT&T Claims

AT&T expressed its dismay Tuesday over the release of a new Federal Communications Commission report concluding that the carrier's proposed merger with T-Mobile raises significant competitive concerns due to the increased likelihood of unilateral and coordinated effects.

Though AT&T withdrew its merger application before the FCC last week, the commission nevertheless released its preliminary report on Tuesday. The U.S. wireless operator called the action "troubling."

According to AT&T Senior Vice President Jim Cicconi, the report merely raises questions of fact that would have been addressed in an administrative hearing if AT&T hadn't already withdrawn its application. "It has no force or effect under law, which raises questions as to why the FCC would choose to release it," Cicconi said Tuesday.

Cicconi also complained that the FCC had not provided AT&T with a copy prior to its release. "We have had no opportunity to address or rebut its claims, which makes its release all the more improper," Cicconi said.

According to FCC member Mignon Clyburn, however, this week's release of a preliminary report on AT&T's proposed merger with T-Mobile was entirely proper. Among other things, he said, it "promotes federal agency transparency."

Pricing Consumers Right Out of Broadband

According to Clyburn, the U.S. wireless industry in general deserves to know what the FCC's staff had concluded. "Several outside parties have spent considerable time and resources to respond," Clyburn noted, "and they deserve to see the staff's analysis of the record."

In light of AT&T's continuing efforts to acquire T-Mobile's assets through negotiations with U.S. antitrust authorities, Clyburn said both wireless carriers would benefit from knowing what the FCC staff had learned after seven months of research. From AT&T's point of view, however, the FCC report has made its path to a successful merger even more daunting due to the scope and number of the potential objections it raises.

For example, the report expressed concern about the competitive effects that T-mobile 's merger with AT&T would have on wireless markets ranging from roaming, wholesale and resale services, to backhaul access and handset availability.

What's more, T-Mobile's current business model specifically targets budget-conscious consumers, and there would have been no guarantee that the proposed merger would have continued to serve the needs of lower-income Americans. (continued...)

1  |  2  |  Next Page >

 

Read More