InformationWeek Weblog

AOL Has A New Logo!

Jonathan Salem Baskin — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:35:15 -0500

AOL is offering up a tantalizing taste of its post-Time Warner business strategy: a new brand identity, which it plans to formally introduce when it lists on the NYSE on December 10.

AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon All Offering Black Friday Sales

Eric Zeman — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 13:25:03 -0500

At least three of the four major network operators in the U.S. have announced sales on devices for the Black Friday shopping bonanza. Here's a round-up of what AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless are offering. My favorite deal is the buy-one-get-one BlackBerry offer that Verizon has scheduled for Friday, November 27.

Best Buy Rolls Out $99 Android Sale

Eric Zeman — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:45:11 -0500

The holiday shopping season has fully arrived, and stores across the country will be opening early and offering bargains. If you're brave enough to hit the big box retail stores this weekend, Best Buy is offering five different Android handsets for $99 each.

Be Transparent To The (Open) Core

Serdar Yegulalp — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 11:33:24 -0500

"Transparency" is a vital term in open source: how easy is it to find out about some aspect of an open source project or product? Matthew Aslett of the 451 CAOS Theory blog went to find out how a number of vendors of open core products stacked up in this regard.

A Chink In Apples App Store Armor

Ed Hansberry — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:08:31 -0500

I've said before the iPhone is nice but what really makes the platform stand out is the App Store that now has over 100,000 apps available. There are grumblings however from an increasing number of developers not happy with the way Apple is treating those that keep the App Store's shelves stocked.

Exploit Code Targets Internet Explorer Zero-Day

George Hulme — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:42:14 -0500

There's exploit code circulating that can be used to target certain versions of Internet Explorer, Microsoft says it's working on a fix.

IT Owns E-Discovery

Andrew Conry-Murray — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:19:20 -0500

Organizations are realizing technological expertise is just as essential as sharp legal analysis when it comes to e-discovery.

Older Android Phones Get Free Google Navigation

Eric Zeman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:20:30 -0500

One of the coolest features that comes with the Motorola Droid is the new Google Maps Navigation application. It provides free, voice-guided navigation for the Android 2.0 platform. Google decided to spread the Maps Navigation love around a bit and recently made the app available to devices running Android 1.6.

HP Picks Worst Name Ever For New Smartphone

Eric Zeman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 13:42:46 -0500

Hewlett Packard has occasionally tossed a new iPAQ-branded smartphone into the market more as proof that it can still make them than to scare up any real sales. Its latest smartphone is perhaps one of the best-looking it has ever crafted, but HP crippled it with a terrible, horrible, no-good name.

Google's New Chrome OS Partner: Ubuntu

Serdar Yegulalp — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:58:04 -0500

Among the people Google's partnering with to build Chrome OS, there's now a very familiar name: Canonical, the folks behind Ubuntu. In their words: "Canonical is contributing engineering to Google under contract" (for Chrome OS).

Apple Says Users To Blame For iPhone Virus

Eric Zeman — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 10:07:35 -0500

Did your iPhone catch the new "Duh" iPhone virus? If so, Apple says it's your own fault for jailbreaking the iPhone. iPhones that have not been jailbroken are not susceptible to the virus, and jailbreakers can take steps to protect themselves.

The Future Of Storage As A Virtual Machine

George Crump — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:49:40 -0500

In our last few entries we looked at what can be done today with storage software running as virtual machines. In this entry we will consider what the future holds for storage as a virtual machine. Storage as a virtual machine may be the only way you apply data services in the future.

iPhone And Android Dominate Mobile Web Browsing

Ed Hansberry — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:03:16 -0500

The iPhone and devices based on Android make up 75% of mobile web traffic according to a recent report by AdMob. These two devices together don't make up anywhere near 75% of the device sales, but they have a disproportionate share of web browsing.

Prepare for IE9 -- Or Not

Dave Methvin — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:48:00 -0500

Internet Explorer 8 may have just shipped, but last week Dean Hachamovitch who is General Manager for Internet Explorer provided some hints about what is coming with IE9. A release date wasn't one of the hints that was dropped; I think it's far away.

Microsoft, News Corporation Plan Foot-Shooting

Thomas Claburn — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:06:42 -0500

Microsoft is reportedly discussing a deal that would see News Corporation remove its Web sites, such as the Wall Street Journal, from Google's index.

Apple Steps Into AT&T-Verizon Ad War

Eric Zeman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 15:59:47 -0500

AT&T just got a partner it its fight with Verizon Wireless. Apple is stepping into the advertising fray with two new commercials that point out features that the iPhone has that Verizon's phones iDon't.

Can IT Help New Cancer Screening Guidelines?

Marianne Kolbasuk McGee — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:36:35 -0500

New recommendations from a federal task force last week about breast cancer screenings have infuriated many cancer survivors as well as medical professional organizations, including the American Cancer Society. The guidelines were based on data analysis of the risks and benefits of mammograms for women under age 50.

AT&T's iPhone Stranglehold Ending June 2010?

Eric Zeman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 13:32:45 -0500

Neither AT&T nor Apple has ever admitted how long the exclusive sales arrangement is for the iPhone. Despite their silence, at least one person strongly believes the deal will end in June 2010, which means the iPhone will then become available via more carriers in the U.S.

Why Force.com Is Important To Cloud Computing

Mary Hayes Weier — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:01:15 -0500

Shortly before Salesforce.com's Dreamforce conference started last Wednesday, the San Francisco Fire Department had locked the doors to Moscone Center to let the crush of bodies entering it disperse before letting in more attendees. I thought, are you kidding me? All this for a mid-size software company? But as I talked to attendees over the next few days, I began to understand what was stoking such enthusiasm I haven't seen in years in the enterprise software industry.

Proprietary Software: Still Not Doomed, Sorry

Serdar Yegulalp — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 10:50:27 -0500

These days, I can scarcely click a mouse without running headlong into some variety of punditry regarding the imminent death of proprietary software thanks to open source. Sorry, I don't believe proprietary software is digging its inevitable collective grave any more than the sun is about to go nova.

Verizon Snags Samsung's Omnia II With WinMo 6.5

Eric Zeman — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:35:13 -0500

Samsung adds to Verizon Wireless' inventory of Windows Mobile 6.5 devices with the new Omnia II. This media monster packs social networking powers, a five-megapixel camera, support for Divx and Xvid, and comes with a budget-friendly price of $200.

Will Android Survive?

Ed Hansberry — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:55 -0500

With the Apple iPhone setting the market on fire, it seems difficult to imagine another platform replicating its success. That isn't going to stop people from trying though. If even only half as successful, there is a lot of money to be made. The latest platform to catch fire is Android. Will it succeed, or be an also ran?

Encryption Can Get Board's Attention

Chris Murphy — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 23:07:35 -0500

There are lots of good reasons for IT leaders to pay attention to even the finest details of encryption policies. One of the more practical is that encryption's a board-level concept. As in, the board of directors will feel no hesitation in second guessing decisions not to encrypt data that ends up exposed.Which makes the findings in this week's cover story on encryption all the more surprising.

Does Ellen Following Me Mean Twitter's A Fad?

Allen Stern — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 13:06:02 -0500

Earlier this month talk-show host Ellen began following me (and other tech people) on Twitter. Did her move display something more than just a simple follow?

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Up With Virtual Grid Power

Elias Khnaser — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 11:50:49 -0500

I recently wrote a column for InformationWeek Analytics that got some e-mail responses, and I thought the discussion was interesting enough to post the column and some of the comments that sparked the discussion. So here goes.