Is AOL shopping itself to Microsoft?

Posted by Ahmed on 11:23 AM

AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong this week said the company is beginning talks on a new search deal, but a speculative report at Business Insider suggests that the company could end up selling itself outright to Microsoft.

Although I have no knowledge that's where things are headed, it certainly seems logical. Microsoft is looking to gain search share, and AOL is one of the biggest chunks available. Meanwhile, some of its display ad and Web presences seem as if they could mesh with Redmond's, while at the same time perhaps creating enough redundancy for some cost savings.

Plus, Microsoft's pockets are deep enough to afford such a deal, should it decide that it wants to. The company at one time was willing to pay north of $30 a share for Yahoo, though that company brought with it far more search share than would be acquired with AOL.

Google is obviously the other contender, though it's probably more interested in a renewal of a search deal than in AOL's myriad other Internet assets, including mail, instant-messaging networks, and various content sites.

On the right is a video of Armstrong speaking at this week's D: All Things Digital conference.

During her years at CNET News, Ina Fried has changed beats several times, changed genders once, and covered both of the Pirates of Silicon Valley. These days, most of her attention is focused on Microsoft. E-mail Ina.

Malware found lurking in apps for Windows Mobile

Posted by Ahmed on 11:22 AM

Scammers are distributing apps for Windows Mobile-based smartphones that have malware hidden inside that makes calls to premium-rate numbers across the globe, racking up expensive bills unbeknownst to the phone's owner, a mobile security firm said on Friday.

The apps--3D Anti-Terrorist game, PDA Poker Art, and Codec pack for Windows Mobile 1.0--are being distributed on as many as nine popular download Web sites, including DoDownload, GearDownload, and Software112, according to John Hering, chief executive and founder of mobile security provider Lookout.

Someone has copied the programs and repackaged them with the malware inside, he said. Once the app is installed the virus wakes up and starts dialing premium-rate numbers like in Somalia and the South Pole, Hering said. He added that victims may not know about the problem until they get their phone bill and see that it's $50 or $100 higher than it should be.

Auto-dialer scams are common in Russia and other countries but are still relatively rare in the United States. But that will change. Six months ago, Lookout saw four pieces of malware per 100 phones. Now, that figure has more than doubled to nine pieces of malware for every 100 phones, Hering said.

Hering said Microsoft had been contacted about the issue, but that the problem is not due to any vulnerability in the Windows Mobile software and therefore can't simply be patched.

"Users need to be aware of what they are downloading and make sure it is a reputable source and from a reputable developer," he said. Lookout is one of a growing number of companies that offer software and services to help protect mobile devices from malware and other threats.

Microsoft is aware of the issue and is currently investigating it, said Jerry Bryant, group manager for Response Communications at Microsoft.

"As always, Microsoft continues to encourage customers to follow all of the steps of the 'Protect Your Computer' guidance of enabling a firewall, applying all software updates and installing antivirus and antispyware software," he said. "While Microsoft does not have a mobile AV product we do detect and protect in certain scenarios. The general protect guidance also applies to mobile phone users: http://www.microsoft.com/protect/."

The hidden auto-dialing malware incidents are noteworthy because they signal a shift from attackers seeking mere notoriety to profit-motivated fraud, Hering said.

"What took 15 years for malware to evolve on the desktop is accelerated on the mobile platform," he said. "We're seeing it move from early proof-of-concept (malware) to things that are driving profit."

Updated 4:35 p.m. PDT with Microsoft comment.

Electric car goes 623 miles on single charge

Posted by Ahmed on 11:21 AM

(Credit: Japan EV Club)

A car group in Tokyo recently drove an electric car 1,003.184 kilometers (about 623 miles) on a single charge, breaking its own record for greatest distance traveled without recharging.

The Japan Electric Vehicle Club has asked Guinness World Records to certify the event, held at a track in Shimotsuma, Ibaraki Prefecture, last month.

The modified Daihatsu Mira ran on a Sanyo lithium ion power system containing more than 8,320 batteries. The car ran for 27.5 hours at about 25 mph. Seventeen drivers took turns at the wheel.

Guinness recognized the club's 345-mile journey from Tokyo to Osaka in November 2009 as the longest on a single charge, according to Kyodo News.

I'd like to know how many times the drivers stopped--and how this affected battery performance. Also, how do you fit more than 8,320 batteries (albeit small ones) into a car as tiny as the Mira? I doubt that there was much leg room left.

(Via Gizmag)

Coming soon: WWDC 2010 live blog

Posted by Ahmed on 11:21 AM

Workers set up for WWDC 2010, which begins Monday morning.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

On Monday morning Steve Jobs will take the stage at Moscone West in San Francisco to kick off Apple's Worldwide Developer Conference 2010. In all likelihood, he will be introducing the next version of the iPhone. And we will be there to bring you live coverage of the event.

Jobs' keynote will start at 10 a.m. PDT Monday. I'll be live blogging all the news from his speech, along with CNET's iPhone reviewer Kent German and CNET News' Josh Lowensohn. For a reminder of when the event will start, sign up below. You can also bookmark this page and come back here Monday morning.

Though the iPhone is widely expected to be the star of the show, expect more details about iPhone OS 4, theiPad, and lots about apps. The theme of this year's conference is, after all, "The Center of the App Universe."

Until the show starts, check out more photos of workers setting up for the event on Friday at Moscone West.

Erica Ogg is a CNET News reporter who covers Apple, HP, Dell, and other PC makers, as well as the consumer electronics industry. She's also one of the hosts of CNET News' Daily Podcast. In her non-work life, she's a history geek, a loyal Dodgers fan, and a mac-and-cheese connoisseur.E-mail Erica.

Week in review: Movement on mobile front

Posted by Ahmed on 11:20 AM

AT&T this week overhauled smartphone pricing as we know it, while bigwigs at a prominent tech conference focused on phones, tablets, and everything in between. All this came amid buzz about the new iPhone Apple's Steve Jobs is expected to unveil during a keynote speech Monday at the company's Worldwide Developers Conference.

AT&T, which is still the only U.S. wireless provider offering Apple's iPhone, caught some industry watchers off guard Wednesday by announcing it is doing away with unlimited wireless data starting Monday--yes, the same day as the Jobs keynote. AT&T will now offer two-tiered data plan pricing.

The move has some praising the carrier for offering a plan that aligns costs with customer data usage and helpsbrings smartphones to the masses, while others are calling AT&T greedy and criticize it for potentially stifling future mobile application usage and innovation.

The shift affects new AT&T smartphone subscribers who sign up for service on or after Monday. Current smartphone subscribers, including iPhone and iPad customers who have already signed up for the $30 unlimited data plans, are grandfathered in. They can continue to use those unlimited plans until their contracts run out. But if they want to switch their plans to the new $15 and $25 plans they can.

See our FAQ for details on the new pricing structure and a clearer explanation of what it means to wireless customers.

Verizon Wireless, the largest wireless operator in the U.S. and AT&T's chief rival, wouldn't comment on AT&T's new pricing plans. But if history is any indication, it won't take long before Verizon begins offering tiered service for its smartphones, as well.

Meanwhile, at the D: All Things Digital this week, it was all things mobile and all hail the iPad, especially following the opening speech by Jobs. The Apple CEO said the day is approaching when not everyone will need a traditional computer. He also talked Google, Windows, iPhonegate, AT&T, and more.

AT&T: iPad 3G shortage won't bar getting unlimited data plan

Posted by Ahmed on 11:20 AM

By Nick Bilton
The New York Times
8 comments

Since AT&T announced this week that it would eliminate its unlimited monthly data plans beginning Monday, June 7, some customers have been scrambling to get an iPad 3G with the hopes of signing up for the unlimited plan, which would be grandfathered in.
But the iPad 3G is still in short supply. When asked about this problem on Thursday, an AT&T press representative said, "We are looking into this situation and how we can accommodate these customers."
According to an executive at the company, who would not be identified because the company's efforts were still being discussed internally, AT&T was exploring allowing customers who pay for an iPad before June 7, but don't get the device in hand, to still sign up for an unlimited data account. And on Friday, a company spokesman said the decision had been made.
"AT&T will honor the $29.99 unlimited data pricing for customers who order iPad by June 7," he said.
So now consumers have until 11:59 p.m. on June 6, just three days from now, to order an iPad with 3G capability and sign up for the unlimited plan when they receive it.
In an e-mail, Natalie Harrison, an Apple spokeswoman, wrote: "Demand for iPads has been off the charts. We are working hard to get iPads into customer's hands as quickly as possible."
According to clerks at two Apple stores in Manhattan, small, sporadic shipments of 3G iPads are making it into Apple stores nationwide, while ordering online takes from 7 to 10 days to ship.
Customers who do not order a 3G iPad in time will have to make do with two gigabytes of data transfer for $25 a month, which can be used up extremely quickly on the full Web expanse of the iPad.
Users of the iPhone are not facing the same problem; iPhones are available, and in addition, many shoppers are likely waiting for the next generation iPhone 4G, which is expected to be unveiled on Monday at Apple's worldwide developer conference.
Also, data usage on an iPhone is much lower than on an iPad because the iPad's larger screen enables a fuller Web browsing experience. So iPhone users are not expected to be clambering to sign up for the unlimited plan.
Entire contents, Copyright © 2010 The New York Times. All rights reserved.

RIAA asks court to close down LimeWire

Posted by Ahmed on 11:19 AM

The music industry has asked a federal court in New York to order a shutdown of the LimeWire service, according to documents obtained by CNET.

Lawyers working for the Recording Industry Association of America, the trade group for the four top record companies, filed documents on Friday requesting that a U.S. District Court in Manhattan grant them a permanent injunction against the country's largest commercial file-sharing service.

"Every day that Lime Wire's conduct continues unabated guarantees harm to plaintiffs that money damages cannot and will not compensate," RIAA lawyers wrote to U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood. "The scope of the infringements that Lime Wire induced...boggles the mind."

Last month, Wood granted summary judgment in favor of the music industry's claims that Lime Group, parent of LimeWire software maker Lime Wire, and founder Mark Gorton committed copyright infringement, engaged in unfair competition, and induced copyright infringement. According to legal experts, Wood's decision was probably"fatal" for the nearly 10-year-old file-sharing service.

The RIAA and representatives of Lime Wire on Monday will appear before Wood. The judge could choose to grant the injunction and then give Lime Wire a date by which they had to cease operating. She could also choose to ask both sides to provide her with written arguments before deciding LimeWire's fate.

"Lime Wire's liability undoubtedly will run into the hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars."

--RIAA in court docs

Said a Lime Wire spokeswoman: "We are looking forward to an opportunity to address the Court for the first time in two years and show that as a matter of fact and law there is no support for this motion."

The RIAA told Wood in Friday's filing: "In every case in which a perpetrator of massive online infringement has been held liable on summary judgment, the courts have promptly issued an injunction to try to stop the continued harm to the plaintiffs....Lime Wire's liability undoubtedly will run into the hundreds of millions or even billions of dollars."

The top labels appear worried that Gorton has tried for years to put his money out of reach of the music industry in anticipation of a legal setback like this.

"Recognizing this exposure," the RIAA wrote, "Lime Wire started funneling its assets to Mark Gorton's "family partnerships" within mere days of the Supreme Court's Grokster decision, and the court has cited evidence that Gorton directed these transfers to shield Lime Wire's assets from a money judgment. Whatever dollars remain after trial will not come close to satisfying the legal judgment Lime Wire will owe.

"An injunction must issue," the RIAA implored Wood.

Mom finds her kidnapped kids via Facebook

Posted by Ahmed on 11:18 AM

A Southern California mother was recently able to locate her long-ago kidnapped children via Facebook, according to numerous media reports.

An unnamed San Bernardino woman lost her son and daughter in 1995 when her then-husband made off with the 2- and 3-year-old toddlers. But the intervening years brought the advent of the World Wide Web, along with, eventually, social-networking sites.

In March, according to a report on KCCI.com, the mother searched for her now-teenaged daughter on Facebook and discovered her profile. The two began exchanging messages, but, MSNBC reported, things cooled.

"The teenager said, 'Not interested in a relationship. We just have a happy life. Leave us alone,'" San Bernardino Deputy District Attorney Kurt Rowley told MSNBC. The profile disappeared, and the mother got in touch with Rowley and his investigators, who eventually located the children in Florida.

The father was arrested and charged with two counts of kidnapping and two counts of violating child custody orders, MSNBC said, and the mother, according to the KCCI report, was eventually given custody of the kids, who were initially watched over by the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The ending, however, may not immediately be a happy one. Both the aforementioned reports cite Department of Children and Families spokeswoman Carrie Hoeppner on the reunion of mother and children.

"There is no relationship there. You don't have that immediate joyful reunification," Hoeppner said, adding that if a relationship is to form, it certainly won't happen overnight.

iPhone triples Android in mobile market share

Posted by Ahmed on 11:18 AM

The battle between Apple and Google in the mobile space has been heating up lately, but new market share numbers from research firm Nielsen show the race isn't even close.

According to a report released late Friday that compares the fourth quarter of 2009 and the first quarter of 2010, Apple's iPhone OS has more than triple the market share Google's Android operating system has. Nielsen puts the iPhone OS market share at 28 percent, while Android's is at 9 percent.

The numbers put Apple in second place behind BlackBerry maker Research In Motion, which has a 35 percent share. In third place is Microsoft Windows Mobile with 19 percent, followed by Google, Palm (4 percent), Linux (3 percent), and Symbian (2 percent).

Apple and Google both moved up by 2 percent in the first quarter of 2010. In the same period, RIM and Microsoft both lost 2 percent market share.

(Credit: Nielsen)

The study also shows that iPhone and Android users are very loyal to their brands. Nielsen says 80 percent of iPhone users want their next device to run the iPhone OS and 70 percent of Android users want another Android phone. Those numbers drop to 47 percent and 34 percent for RIM and Windows Mobile, respectively.

Adobe reports 'critical' flaw in Flash, Acrobat

Posted by Ahmed on 11:17 AM

Adobe has issued a security advisory about a "critical" vulnerability in its Flash Player and Adobe Reader and Acrobat products that it says could let attackers take control of people's computers.

The company said late Friday that there had been reports of the hole actually being exploited and that an official patch was not yet available.

Affected software includes:

Adobe Flash Player 10.0.45.2, 9.0.262, and earlier 10.0.x and 9.0.x versions for Windows, Macintosh, Linux, and Solaris
Adobe Reader and Acrobat 9.3.2 and earlier 9.x versions for Windows, Macintosh, and UNIX

The company said the Flash Player 10.1 Release Candidate does not seem to be vulnerable and that Adobe Reader and Acrobat 8.x are confirmed not vulnerable.

Adobe didn't say when an official fix would be released, but according to the company, computer users can mitigate the Flash issue by downloading the release candidate mentioned above. The Acrobat and Reader issue can be addressed by "deleting, renaming, or removing access to the authplay.dll file" that ships with those products, Adobe said. This will, however, cause a nonexploitable crash or error message if a user opens a PDF file that contains SWF content. The .dll file is typically located at C:\Program Files\Adobe\Reader 9.0\Reader\authplay.dll for Adobe Reader or C:\Program Files\Adobe\Acrobat 9.0\Acrobat\authplay.dll for Acrobat, Adobe said.

The complete security advisory is available here.