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Friday, December 10, 2010

Gift Guide: The best cameras for every budget (AP) : Technet

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Gift Guide: The best cameras for every budget (AP) : Technet

Gift Guide: The best cameras for every budget (AP)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 11:17 AM PST

By DANA WOLLMAN, AP Technology Writer Dana Wollman, Ap Technology Writer – Fri Dec 10, 2:17 pm ET

NEW YORK – Digital cameras have been popular gifts for a decade, but enthusiasm is waning, as most households already have one. The good news is that if you do know someone who could use a fresher model, it's hard to go wrong: Today's big-name cameras are almost uniformly good buys. Whether you're looking for a simple, compact point-and-shoot or a high-end digital SLR that accepts interchangeable lenses, here's a selection we think stands out from the crowd.

Best Budget Option:

Kodak EasyShare C195 ($100)

Pros: It used to be nearly impossible to find a quality digital camera for just $100. Now, Casio, Canon and Kodak sell them, with Nikon offering one that costs closer to $110. Of these, Kodak's 14.5-megapixel C195 is the only one that has 5X optical zoom; all the others have a measly zoom factor of 3X. Whether you're shooting from the sidelines of a Little League game or snapping candids from across the room at a party, that versatile lens will make a difference.

Meanwhile, the camera's "Smart Capture" feature, which was borrowed from Eastman Kodak Co.'s higher-end cameras, automatically detects the shooting conditions and sets the camera to one of 21 scene modes. My test photos, which included close-ups with blurry backgrounds, looked decent, although I recommend turning the flash off indoors.

The camera has a large 3-inch display, a rarity on cameras this cheap. People can also select photos and movies on the camera so that they'll upload to sites such as Facebook, Flickr and YouTube when they plug the camera into a computer.

Cons: The C195 records standard-definition — not HD — movies, typical of cameras in this price range. It also takes AA batteries, not a rechargeable lithium-ion one, but some people might like the flexibility of being able to swap out dead batteries while on the go. It also claims less sensitivity in dimly lit conditions than competing cameras. Then again, just because another camera claims a higher level of low-light sensitivity, that doesn't mean it actually fares any better in those situations.

Best Mid-Range Point-and-Shoot:

Sony CyberShot WX5 ($270)

Pros: Camera manufacturers crank out scads of models in the $100 to $300 range, so the selection of prettily designed cameras that shoot high-definition video is overwhelming. Still, the WX5 from Sony Corp. takes strong photos and also crams a bevy of attractive features.

It can shoot sweeping 295-degree panorama shots, a boon if you find yourself in a scenic place. Bonus: the panorama feature is much easier to use than on competing cameras. The camera also enhances photos by playing up the bright parts while keeping the shadow areas rich, but not too dark. The camera also makes it easy to blur the background in a photo, a technique that will make even a beginner's pictures look more artistic.

It also shoots crisp video at full HD resolution (1920 x 1080). A dedicated movie button makes it easy to start recording quickly.

Design-wise, the WX5 is small and light, even for a point-and-shoot, with easy-to-navigate menus.

Cons: The buttons are tiny. It records HD movies as AVCHD files, which can be difficult to play back and edit on a PC. While the camera's 5X optical zoom will be sufficient for many, photographers who like to take scenic or sports photos might want a camera with more oomph, such as the Kodak EasyShare M580 ($170), which has an 8X lens.

And it doesn't promise durability; other cameras in this price range such as the Pentax Optio W90 ($299) or the Panasonic Lumix DMC-TS2 ($399) can better survive being dropped, dunked in water and taken on cold expeditions such as ski trips.

Best Point-and-Shoot, Period:

Canon PowerShot S95 ($400)

Pros: About as compact as a deck of cards, the S95 looks like any other point-and-shoot, but its photos are lovely enough that even people used to carrying bulkier, more advanced digital SLRs will be impressed. Although it's the same size as other cameras, the body feels particularly solid, well-made.

This camera from Canon Inc. has an unusually large sensor for a small camera, which means clearer, sharper pictures, especially in low light. It takes generally beautiful shots and does a better job of blurring the background than other point-and-shoots. The camera also shoots HD video (1280 x 720) and has an HDMI port, enabling people to connect the camera directly to a high-definition television. Serious photographers looking for a lighter camera will enjoy the various manual controls.

Cons: The S95's battery life is relatively short: Canon says it can take up to 200 photos on a charge, whereas competing models such as the Panasonic Lumix-DMC LX5 ($399) claim to take up to 400. The shutter button is small. Also, the S95's 3.8X optical zoom — about what you'd get on a $99 camera — might be too shallow for some people.

Best Digital SLR for Beginners:

Nikon D3100 ($700)

Pros: Nikon Corp.'s digital SLRs consistently take beautiful photos, and the company has made them easier to use, thanks to simplified menus designed to guide newbies. The 14-megapixel D3100, in particular, records full HD movies, something other DSLRs in this price category don't do. Just as important, the D3100's autofocus function works in video mode, something that's true of few other DSLRs, even Nikon's more expensive models.

Cons: The optical viewfinder — what you see when you put your eye to the camera — is relatively small. At its fastest, the camera can fire off three shots per second, which is actually slow compared with other cameras in its class. Still, the burst shooting will come in handy when capturing, say, your child's next soccer game. The screen is fixed and doesn't fold out of the body, which makes it harder to maneuver when capturing video.

Best Splurge for Serious Photographers:

Sony Alpha A55 ($850)

Pros: Although the 16.2-megapixel A55 looks like a DSLR, it's technically not: While a DSLR is defined by its internal mirror that snaps open to let light in when you take a photo, the A55 has a translucent mirror that doesn't need to move because light can simply pass through it. That means the A55 focuses continuously whereas a DSLR loses focus in the instant its internal mirror flips open.

The A55 shoots an impressive 10 photos per second, takes gorgeous photos and records full HD movies, focusing continuously in both cases. The large viewfinder makes it easy to frame shots. A built-in GPS receiver tags photos with the shooting location. Like the WX5, it snaps panoramic photos and enhances highlights and lowlights. A less expensive version of this camera, the A33 ($750), is available with 14.2-megapixel resolution, burst shooting at up to seven, not 10, frames per second and no GPS.

Cons: Again, the AVCHD file format for high-definition movies might cause playback and editing headaches. No optical viewfinder, although the electronic viewfinder is sharp, with 1.4 million-pixel resolution. Because the lens doesn't flip open, any dust or grime on it could affect picture quality. It's also relatively heavy compared with cameras such as Sony's less expensive Alpha NEX-3 and NEX-5 ($550 and $700, respectively, with an 18-55mm lens), which aren't quite DSLRs either, but do let photographers change lenses.

Former WikiLeaks worker: rival site under way (AP)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 06:29 AM PST

By LOUISE NORDSTROM, Associated Press Louise Nordstrom, Associated Press – Fri Dec 10, 9:29 am ET

STOCKHOLM – Wikileaks soon won't be the only secret-spilling game in town.

A former co-worker of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange plans to launch a rival website Monday called Openleaks that will help anonymous sources deliver sensitive material to public attention.

In a documentary by Swedish broadcaster SVT, due to be aired Sunday and obtained in advance by The Associated Press, former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg said the new website will work as an outlet for anonymous sources.

"Openleaks is a technology project that is aiming to be a service provider for third parties that want to be able to accept material from anonymous sources," Domscheit-Berg said rare interviews conducted in Berlin.

Ever since WikiLeaks burst on the international news agenda last spring there's been speculation about possible copycat sites.

In Berlin, Domscheit-Berg was not available to talk Friday as he was focusing on a book about his time at Wikileaks.

SVT reporter Jesper Huor said Openleaks will be launched on Monday from a base in Germany as part of a yet-undisclosed foundation, run by a board of directors.

The timing of the new site comes as pressure mounts for both WikiLeaks and its 39-year-old Australian founder Assange after the start of publication of some 250,000 secret U.S. diplomatic cables last month.

The WikiLeaks site has come under attack, while Assange, who is now in a British jail fighting extradition to Sweden on sex crime allegations, has been threatened. Swiss Postfinance, MasterCard Inc., Visa Inc., PayPal Inc. and others have cut ways to send donations to the group, impairing its ability to raise money.

Assange, a 39-year-old former computer hacker from Australia, has denied the Swedish accusations.

Domscheit-Berg, who during his time with WikiLeaks often went under the pseudonym Daniel Schmitt, said he quit the project after falling out with Assange over what he described as the lack of transparency in the group's decision-making process.

"If you preach transparency to everyone else you have to be transparent yourself. You have to fulfill the same standards you expect from others, and I think that's where we've not been heading in the same direction philosophically anymore," he said in the documentary.

Domscheit-Berg said the main problem was how the WikiLeaks website began handling bigger leaks, such as the disclosures of some 400,000 classified U.S. war files from Iraq and 76,000 from Afghanistan earlier this year.

Too many resources went into these disclosures, he said.

"I think the wisest thing to do would have been to do this slowly, step by step, to grow the project. That did not happen," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Raphael G. Satter in London and Kirsten Grieshaber in Berlin contributed to this report.

Sleeper hit of holiday-shopping season: Blu-ray players (Ben Patterson)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 10:54 AM PST

iPad 2 rumors mount: dual cameras, sharper display, SD card slot? (Ben Patterson)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 08:49 AM PST

By Ben Patterson ben Patterson – Fri Dec 10, 11:49 am ET

It's been almost a year since Steve Jobs first announced the original iPad, so it shouldn't come as any surprise that rumors of a sequel are reaching a fever pitch. The latest iPad 2 buzz echoes chatter we've been hearing for months: two cameras, a thinner design, and maybe even an SD card slot.

Taipei-based tech site DigiTimes (registration required; and note that it has a spotty record when it comes to Apple rumors) sparked the latest round of rumors earlier this week, reporting Tuesday that Chinese manufacturer Foxconn was set to ship the next iPad "within the next 100 days," possibly as soon as February.

Then came a pair leaked iPad 2 cases, each of which had rear-facing holes bored in the upper-left corners — right about where the rear cameras sit for the iPhone and the new iPod Touch.

Meanwhile, the image of a second purported iPad 2 case revealed a couple of telltale notches on the bottom edge, near the location of the current iPad's speaker. Could the second notch be an opening for an SD memory-card slot? Perhaps, iLounge speculates.

Finally, we've got a fresh report from Reuters, which reported early Friday (based on the word of a source from one of Apple's component suppliers) that yes, the iPad 2 is coming, and it'll have both front- and rear-facing cameras, similar to the new Samsung Galaxy Tab.

A second source in the Reuters story couldn't confirm the cameras (different iPad component suppliers work on different iPad components, Reuters points out), but was able to bolster another tidbit that we've heard before: that the new iPad will boast a slimmer and lighter design, along with a "better resolution" display, meaning perhaps that the iPhone 4's Retina display is iPad-bound.

While word has it that freshly minted iPad 2 units could ship as early as February, that doesn't necessarily mean that it will arrive in stores at the same time.

An analyst quoted by Reuters has it right, if you ask me: Jobs will probably announce the new iPad in January, about a year after the first iPad was unveiled, with the revamped tablet shipping to stores in April — again, a year or so after the original iPad hit the streets.

The latest iPad 2 buzz comes just a few days after Andy Rubin, the head of Google's Android division, wowed audience members at a mobile confab in San Francisco with a prototype Android 3.0 "Honeycomb"-powered Motorola tablet.

Boasting a dual-core Nvidia graphics processor under the hood and no hardware buttons whatsoever, the unnamed tablet had no trouble rendering Google's latest creation: a revamped, vector-graphics version of Maps with a 3-D view, including moving shadows on buildings as you pan around the screen.

The new iPad will also face competition from BlackBerry's upcoming PlayBook tablet, not to mention a WebOS-powered tablet from HP. Meanwhile, more Android tablets are rumored from the likes of Samsung, Archos and Acer. If 2010 was the Year of the Tablet, 2011 is shaping up to be the Year of More Tablets — lots more.

Apple hasn't officially announced a new version of the iPad yet, but it's worth noting that Apple just cut prices on refurbished iPads by up to $100 — a clearance sale, perhaps?

So, what features would you most like to see in a new iPad?

Related:
Apple suppliers point to new camera-toting iPad in 2011 [Reuters]
First iPad 2G case shows rear camera, new curves? [iLounge]

— Ben Patterson is a technology writer for Yahoo! News.

Follow me on Twitter!

Remains of the Day: Three's a trend (Macworld)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 04:30 PM PST

Dan Moren Dan Moren – Fri Dec 10, 7:30 pm ET

Rumor has it the iPad 2 will continue the FaceTime trend in 2011; the iPad 1 had its fair share of trendiness in 2010; and BlackBerry sales are trending downwards from 2009. Which, I guess makes the remainders for Friday, December 10, 2010 a trend of trends—a metatrend, if you will.

Apple preps new camera-toting iPads: sources (Reuters)

Speculation about the next model of iPad has accelerated in the past few weeks. The latest entry comes from Reuters, which says that sources claim the device will have front- and back-mounted cameras, likely for use with Apple's FaceTime video-chatting system. Wow. Amazing prediction, Kreskin.

A new green file format: WWF (WWF)

Concerned about paper waste, the World Wildlife Federation has unveiled WWF, a PDF-based format that cannot be printed. Laudable, but I would have called it "WTF, mate?"

Fastest rising queries of 2010 (Google Zeitgeist)

Google's put out its annual year-end picture of search queries the world over, and "iPad" was the second fastest rising term of 2010. Amazingly, it actually beat out Justin Bieber, but sadly it lost to Chatroulette. Sometimes I despair for humanity.

Verizon's cure for CrackBerry addiction: Android (All Things Digital)

And now our entry for Depressing Chart of the Day. As late as October 2009, RIM held 90 percent of Verizon's smartphone sales. Now, with the influx of Android devices, BlackBerry sales on the carrier have plummeted: as of November it's fallen to under 20 percent. Remember that sound it made when Wile E. Coyote looked down and found himself standing on thin air? Yeah.

Qualcomm (Investor's Business Daily)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 03:32 PM PST

– Fri Dec 10, 6:32 pm ET

Qualcomm (NMS:QCOM) will shut down its wireless FLO TV subscription service in March and is offering refunds to customers who bought its portable TVs. FLO TV launched in 2007 but flopped. Shares rose 0.8%.

Pa. college: Social media blackout wins converts (AP)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 02:58 PM PST

By KATHY MATHESON, Associated Press Kathy Matheson, Associated Press – Fri Dec 10, 5:58 pm ET

PHILADELPHIA – A social media blackout at a small Pennsylvania college won over some skeptical students who initially disliked it, with some reporting better classroom concentration and less stress during the weeklong experiment, school officials said Friday.

Forty-two percent of students responding to surveys at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology ended up supporting the exercise, which temporarily blocked sites like Twitter and Facebook on campus. Only 23 percent approved before the blackout.

"Even though people initially were angry ... even the most cranky student had to admit some good came out of it," Provost Eric Darr told The Associated Press.

Results released Friday showed that 25 percent of respondents reported better classroom concentration that week, while 23 percent found lectures more interesting and 6 percent reported eating better and exercising more.

The 800-student private school in Harrisburg, about 95 miles northwest of Philadelphia, had drawn both ridicule and admiration for the blackout in September. Staff and students alike were affected by the ban, which included social networking sites and instant-messaging but allowed e-mail, texting and other Web surfing.

Critics noted students could visit the sites with smartphones or by walking to nearby buildings with free WiFi. But Darr said the point was not to prevent access so much as to get people to think critically about the role of social media in their lives.

The statistics released Friday were based on in-house surveys conducted before and after the blackout, with additional anecdotes gathered from focus groups, e-mails and personal conversations.

One-quarter of students and 40 percent of faculty and staff responded to the surveys. Though Darr acknowledges the results are far from scientific, he said the trends and personal accounts are evidence that social media "can take over your life."

About two-thirds of respondents said they use Facebook each day, while 10 percent reported daily use of Twitter. Thirteen percent of students said they used Facebook to avoid boredom between classes.

But during the ban, 33 percent of students reported feeling less stressed. Twenty-one percent said they used their normal social networking time to do homework, while 10 percent said they read online news.

Some students changed their study methods. Darr cited a Facebook-based tutoring effort that was failing to explain a complex biology process to students; they grasped the concept only after a face-to-face meeting during the blackout, he said.

In another account, students who had been using Facebook to work on a business plan found a better way to collaborate during the ban. They realized Facebook made it difficult to manage documents and to distinguish between social- and work-related posts, the report said.

Ashley Harris, a senior, said in a September interview that the blackout helped her focus better because she didn't feel pressured to constantly check tweets and status updates.

On Friday, Harris said surviving — and in some ways thriving on — the ban gave her the strength to go back on a social media diet this week as she studied for exams.

"I've been able to really cut back on it during finals I think because of not using it during blackout week," Harris said.

Darr noted social media are integral parts of modern life that he both uses and monitors in his roles as an administrator and a parent. The blackout served its purpose by starting a conversation about these powerful tools, he said.

"To all the social scientists out there," said Darr, "this is a fertile ground for research."

___

Online:

http://www.harrisburgu.edu

Justin Bieber most-streamed music artist of 2010: TubeMogul (Reuters)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 05:36 PM PST

By Glenn Peoples Glenn Peoples – Fri Dec 10, 8:36 pm ET

NEW YORK (Billboard) – Justin Bieber was the world's most-streamed music artist in 2010, according to numbers shared by video analytics company TubeMogul.

Bieber collected 1.07 billion streams through December 7. TubeMogul's figures include streams from YouTube and MySpace for the five biggest publishers of music video content (EMI, Hollywood Records, Sony Music, Universal Music Group and Warner Music Group).

Bieber is common on YouTube's all-time list, too. His video for "Baby," featuring Ludacris, is YouTube's all-time most viewed video with 405 million streams through December 8. "Never Say Never," featuring Jaden Smith, is 16th with 118 million views and "Never Let You Go" is 20th with 106 million views.

Just as impressive as Bieber's dominance in 2010 streams is his market share. Bieber's 1.07 billion streams in 2010 represent an incredible 6.9 percent of the 14.8 billion videos streamed by the top five publishers this year. In other words, about one of every 14 streams for the top five publishers was a Bieber video.

In a distant second place in 2010 was Lady Gaga with just under 879 million streams and a 5.7 percent share of the top publishers' total streams. Her video for "Bad Romance" ranks second on YouTube's all-time list with 316 million views.

Eminem was third in 2010 with 709 million streams and a 4.6 percent share of the top publishers' total streams. He has two videos in YouTube's all-time top 10: "Love the Way You Lie" is fifth with 228 million streams and "Not Afraid" ranks seventh all-time at YouTube with 163 million.

Here's the entire top 10 list:

1. Justin Bieber: 1,071,022,618

2. Lady Gaga: 878,963,098

3. Eminem: 709,772,549

4. Rihanna: 521,468,879

5. Shakira: 404,118,932

6. Black Eyed Peas: 345,090,199

7. Miley Cyrus: 323,186,543

8. Taylor Swift: 241,860,978

9. Linkin Park: 186,235,206

10. David Guetta: 178,714,947

(Editing by Bob Tourtellotte)

Niche Job Board Finds Opportunity in Temporary Employment (Mashable)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 03:19 PM PST

Jennifer Van Grove Jennifer Van Grove – Fri Dec 10, 6:19 pm ET

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark. If you would like to have your startup considered for inclusion, please see the details here.

Name: Urban Interns

Quick Pitch: Urban Interns is a national marketplace that connects growing companies with people looking for part-time jobs, internships and freelance positions.

Genius Idea: Online job sites date back to the early days of the web, but most focus on helping companies and job seekers fill and find full-time positions. However, in the aftermath of the economic downturn, more and more growing companies need to fill temporary posts just as much, if not more, than full-time jobs.

Enter Urban Interns, a site that emerged in early 2009 to satisfy small and medium-sized businesses' needs around intern, part-time and freelance positions.

The site caters to companies and job seekers in large metropolitan areas such as Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, Seattle, Austin, Dallas, Miami, Chicago, Atlanta, Washington D.C. and Philadelphia, with more city releases planned for the immediate future. It's meant to be both a low-cost solution for businesses and a convenient tool for part-timers to get discovered and find more short-term work.

Intern and part-time job seekers can search for open temporary positions or use the site a build an employer-searchable profile that includes their photo, bio and links to social networks. Employers pay $49.95 for each listing; the one-time fee also gets them access to the site's job seeker database for 30 days.

Co-founder Cari Sommer says that its users skew younger and its businesses need to fill social posts, which means there's lots of college students looking for internships and plenty of social media work to be had. In fact, 50% of listed posts are related to social media, she says. Temporary event, sales and business development work is also readily available.

Sommer was reluctant to share revenue figures, so we can't say how well the startup is doing on the business side of things. It would seem, though, that Urban Interns has a promising future, considering its growth and database of job seekers. The business has matured from a bootstrapped idea isolated in New York to an angel-funded startup serving 12 cities and roughly 10,000 job seekers.

Series Supported by Microsoft BizSpark

The Spark of Genius Series highlights a unique feature of startups and is made possible by Microsoft BizSpark, a startup program that gives you three-year access to the latest Microsoft development tools, as well as connecting you to a nationwide network of investors and incubators. There are no upfront costs, so if your business is privately owned, less than three years old, and generates less than U.S.$1 million in annual revenue, you can sign up today.

Further details emerging about iPad 2 (Appolicious)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 10:35 AM PST

Appeals court reverses McAfee CFO's conviction (AP)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 03:18 PM PST

By PAUL ELIAS, Associated Press Paul Elias, Associated Press – Fri Dec 10, 6:18 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – A federal appeals court on Friday tossed out the securities fraud conviction of the former chief financial officer at McAfee Inc.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco on Friday said federal prosecutors had failed to show Prabhat Goyal did anything illegal in the way he accounted for millions of dollars in revenue and in his dealings with customers.

Goyal was named CFO in late 1997 when Santa Clara-based McAfee was still known as Network Associates. He resigned in early 2001. He was indicted three years later on charges of illegally misstating revenue and lying to auditors.

A jury convicted him in 2007 and he was sentenced to a year and a day in prison. Goyal was allowed to remain free while his appeal was pending.

The appeals court overturned a conviction that was largely based on interpreting complicated accounting rules.

Prosecutors alleged that Goyal covered up $330 million in losses at the security software company with illegal accounting procedures that fell outside of industry guidelines.

Prosecutors presented no evidence that Goyal's action were illegal, said Judge Richard Clifton, writing for the unanimous panel.

"Even viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the prosecution, no reasonable juror could have found Goyal guilty beyond a reasonable doubt of any of the charges against him," Clifton wrote.

Chief Judge Alex Kozinski wrote a concurring opinion criticizing federal prosecutors for pursuing the case.

"This is just one of a string of recent cases in which courts have found that federal prosecutors overreached by trying to stretch criminal law beyond its proper bounds," Kozinski said.

Jack Gillund, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in San Francisco, said prosecutors are reviewing the decision to determine whether to appeal.

McAfee is being bought by microprocessor maker Intel Corp. The $7.68 billion deal announced in August is the biggest acquisition in Intel's history.

Business Highlights (AP)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 02:51 PM PST

– Fri Dec 10, 5:51 pm ET

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AP Enterprise: FAA loses track of 119,000 aircraft

NEW YORK (AP) — The Federal Aviation Administration is missing key information on who owns one-third of the 357,000 private and commercial aircraft in the U.S. — a gap the agency fears could be exploited by terrorists and drug traffickers.

The records are in such disarray that the FAA says it is worried that criminals could buy planes without the government's knowledge, or use the registration numbers of other aircraft to evade new computer systems designed to track suspicious flights. It has ordered all aircraft owners to reregister their planes in an effort to clean up its files.

About 119,000 of the aircraft on the U.S. registry have "questionable registration" because of missing forms, invalid addresses, unreported sales or other paperwork problems, according to the FAA. In many cases, the FAA cannot say who owns a plane or even whether it is still flying or has been junked.

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TJX to close A.J. Wright brand, cut 4,400 jobs

NEW YORK (AP) — TJX Cos' move to shutter its A.J. Wright discount stores and convert them to other brands such as T.J. Maxx will cost 4,400 workers — many of them part-time — their jobs by mid-February.

Ninety-one stores will be converted into T.J. Maxx, Marshalls or HomeGoods stores, and 71 will close entirely, along with two distribution centers. About 3,400 staffers will remain employed at the converted stores.

TJX said the move allows the company, based in Framingham, Mass., to focus on its more profitable businesses. T.J. Maxx and Marshalls chains have become better at attracting the lower-income customers that A.J. Wright targeted.

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Trade deficits narrows to 9-month low in October

WASHINGTON (AP) — The U.S. trade deficit fell to its lowest level in nine months, as growing demand for American goods overseas and a falling dollar pushed exports to their highest level in more than two years.

The trade deficit narrowed to $38.7 billion in October, the Commerce Department reported Friday. The figure was 13.2 percent below September's deficit of $44.6 billion.

U.S. exports rose 3.2 percent to $158.7 billion, the highest level since August 2008. Sales of American-made machinery, farm products and autos fueled the growth. Imports dipped 0.5 percent to $197.4 billion, with lower demand for oil and foreign-made cars.

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Stocks edge higher on encouraging economic signs

NEW YORK (AP) — An encouraging trade report and signs that a tax cut package would pass the Senate sent stocks to their highest levels in two years Friday. Bond prices fell for another day as investors expected the tax deal to lead to economic growth and higher budget deficits.

The Commerce Department reported that the U.S. trade deficit fell to its lowest level in nine months in October. Growing demand for American goods overseas pushed exports to their highest level in more than two years.

Separately, the Treasury Department said the federal government's budget shortfall hit $150.4 billion in November. Treasury prices dropped after the report was released, pushing their yields higher. The yield for the 10-year note rose to 3.33 percent, up from 3.21 percent late Thursday.

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Top GM exec says federal pay limits hurt company

WASHINGTON (AP) — The top executive at General Motors said Friday that the automaker's attempt to rebound from its bankruptcy is being hindered by salary limits the government has clamped on executives at companies that accepted federal bailouts.

GM CEO Dan Akerson said in a speech to the Economic Club of Washington, D.C., that the company faces many challenges, including the retention of top talent in its executive ranks. He suggested relaxing the pay limits, and said he was meeting later in the day with federal officials who oversee executive compensation for companies that received bailouts.

Akerson said he recently informed executives there would be no salary increases in 2011 for about 26,000 white-collar workers.

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Occidental to increase focus on US assets

NEW YORK (AP) — Occidental Petroleum Corp. said Friday it will sell its operation in Argentina while focusing more on U.S.-based oil and gas fields in separate deals worth billions of dollars.

The Los Angeles company said it will buy several assets in the U.S. from Royal Dutch Shell and a private owner for a combined $3.2 billion.

Shell's south Texas fields are worth about $1.8 billion. They currently produce about 200 million cubic feet per day of gas equivalent. Occidental also will buy from a private seller about 180,000 acres in North Dakota for $1.4 billion. Those fields produce about 5,500 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

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NY trustee seeks nearly $20B in latest action

NEW YORK (AP) — The trustee seeking to recover money for investors who lost billions of dollars in jailed financier Bernard Madoff's fraud said Friday he has filed civil racketeering charges against an Austrian banker and 55 other defendants, demanding they give up nearly $20 billion as a penalty for their "criminal relationship" with Madoff.

Court-appointed trustee Irving Picard also announced Friday that he reached settlements with a number of charities and nonprofit organizations to recover more than $80 million and resolve civil claims against charities that withdrew more money than they deposited in accounts with Madoff.

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Stock sales help government offset bailout losses

WASHINGTON (AP) — Stock sales are helping the government offset projected losses from its $700 billion rescue of the financial system.

The Treasury Department has brought in $35 billion in revenue over two years, boosted by ongoing sales of Citigroup stock, new data show. But the Congressional Budget Office projects taxpayers will still lose $25 billion for bailing out the financial sector and U.S. automakers.

The new total for revenue generated by the Troubled Asset Relief Program is up from the nearly $30 billion in income shown in the previous report covering the program's finances through October. Much of the additional income came from the sale of Citigroup common stock. The Treasury sold off the last of its stake in the banking giant Tuesday, ending up with receipts of $12 billion above the government's investment of $45 billion.

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Citing liver damage, Pfizer withdraws Thelin

NEW YORK (AP) — Pfizer Inc. said Friday it is pulling its blood pressure drug Thelin off the market and stopping all clinical trials because the drug can cause fatal liver damage.

Thelin is sold in the European Union, Canada, and Australia as an oral treatment for severe pulmonary arterial hypertension, or high blood pressure in the pulmonary artery.

Pfizer said two patients who were taking Thelin died during a clinical trial, and a review of data from clinical studies and post-marketing reports showed a new link to liver injury.

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By The Associated Press

The Standard & Poor's 500 index rose 7.40, or 0.6 percent, to 1,240.40. It was the third straight day that the S&P index closed at a new high for the year. The index has gained 11.2 percent this year and is now trading at the same price it did the week before Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy in September 2008.

The Dow Jones industrial average rose 40.26, or 0.4 percent, to 11,410.32. The Nasdaq composite index rose 20.87, or 0.8 percent, to 2,637.54.

The Dow was the weakest of the three main stock average for the week, gaining just 0.3 percent. The S&P 500 added 1.3 percent and the Nasdaq rose 1.8 percent.

Crude has climbed about 5 percent in the past 10 days, and on Tuesday it topped $90 for the first time in over two years. On Friday, benchmark oil lost 58 cents to settle at $87.79 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange.

In other trading on the Nymex, heating oil fell 0.93 cent to settle $2.4575 a gallon, gasoline gave up 3.12 cents to settle at $2.3093 a gallon and natural gas dropped 1.8 cents to settle at $4.417 per 1,000 cubic feet.

In London, Brent crude fell 51 cents to settle at $90.48 a barrel on the ICE Futures exchange.

Google, Microsoft Ad Networks Briefly Hit by With Malware (PC World)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 07:00 PM PST

Robert McMillan Robert Mcmillan – 2 hrs 25 mins ago

For a brief period this week, cybercriminals managed to infect Google's and Microsoft's online ad networks with malicious advertisements that attacked users' PCs, according to security consultancy Armorize.

The attacks started around Dec. 5 and lasted a few days, sending victims who clicked on the ads to malicious Web pages. Those pages took advantage of known software bugs to install backdoor programs that gave the attackers control of the victims' PCs, or to install software that made it appear as though the PCs were filled with malicious software.

Google acknowleged Friday that it had experienced some issues on its DoubleClick network but said it had put a stop to them quickly.

"[T]he DoubleClick Ad Exchange, which has automatic malware filters, independently detected several [ads] containing malware, and blocked them instantly -- within seconds," Google spokesman Jay Nancarrow said via email. "Our security team is in touch with Armorize to help investigate and help remove any affected creatives from any other ad platforms."

Nancarrow wouldn't say how the malicious ads got onto Google's ad network, but Armorize Chief Technology Officer Wayne Huang [cq] said cybercriminals may have tricked Google by serving the ads from a domain similar to that used by a legitimate ad-serving company, AdShuffle, based in Irving, Texas. AdShuffle couldn't be reached for comment Friday.

Armorize and others spotted similar ads on Microsoft's Hotmail service, according to Huang. Microsoft said via email Friday that it was was looking into the matter and could not comment in time for this report.

The ads exploit bugs in Adobe Reader, Java and other PC software, Huang said. The bugs have been previously identified, which means people with up-to-date software and antivirus products should not be at risk.

Criminals have slid malicious ads into circulation before. Last year, the New York Times was tricked into running a fake ad for the Vonage VoIP service. It generated fake antivirus warnings that encouraged readers to buy bogus security software.

The Doubleclick and Hotmail ads appear to have been more dangerous, however, in that they attacked computers and installed malicious software, such as the HDD Plus fake system optimization tool.

"This time it's different. It's using drive-by downloads," Huang said. "You visit a site and then you see a fake antivirus pop up." It looks like a genuine antivirus message, he said, and is already installed on the victim's computer. ""Even if you reboot, it's already there."

If the cybercriminals were able to get their bad ads on Google's and Microsoft's networks, they'll probably try to do the same thing on other networks too, he said.

Amorize planned to publish a blog post about the infection here on Friday evening.

Robert McMillan covers computer security and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Robert on Twitter at @bobmcmillan. Robert's e-mail address is robert_mcmillan@idg.com

Apache quits Java group, picks up Wave (Digital Trends)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 11:36 AM PST

Geoff Duncan Geoff Duncan – Fri Dec 10, 2:36 pm ET

In a controversial move, the Apache Software Foundation (ASF) has Harmony) complies with Java language standards because Oracle won’t release the required test suites under an appropriate open license.

“The Apache Software Foundation concludes that that JCP is not an open specification process—that Java specifications are proprietary technology that must be licensed directly from the spec lead under whatever terms the spec lead chooses.” the ASF wrote on its blog. “The recent Java SE 7 vote was the last chance for the JCP EC to demonstrate that the EC has any intent to defend the JCP as an open specification process.”

The dispute over the test suites dates all the way back to 2006, when Java creator Sun Microsystems—whose acquisition by Oracle was finalized at the beginning of the year—refused to grant a license to the Technology Compatibility Kit (TCK) on terms compatible with the Apache license. The TCK is one of three components required to certify a Java implementation; Sun’s license allows the TCK to be used in any GPL Java implementations that derive substantially from Sun’s OpenJDK, but not from any other independent sources.

The ASF’s resignation casts doubt over the future of Harmony as well as Java-based open source projects supported by the Apache Software Foundation. The ASF has been a member of the Executive Committee for 10 years, and had recently tried to persuade other EC members to block the ratification of Java Standard Edition 7 as a protest over TCK licensing. In the past, EC members have opted to set aside disputes over the TCK licensing to focus on advancing the platform; while the ASF did garner some support, it was not enough to black ratification of Java SE 7.

In other news, the Apache Software Foundation will serve as an incubator for Google’s now-abandoned Wave product. Google Wave was supposed to revolutionize email, instant messaging, and document collaboration, but failed to find traction with everyday computer users, who were mostly befuddled that Wave seemed to just do things they could already do…just not as well. Nonetheless, some folks who live and breath by online collaborative processes found a lot to like in Wave, and Google has announced that Wave will continue as the open source Apache Wave as part of Apache’s incubator program. Significant code contributors outside Google have already signed on to the project with an eye towards advancing the Wave in a Box product and the Wave Federation protocols.

Could the Wikileaks Scandal Lead to New Virtual Currency? (PC World)

Posted: 10 Dec 2010 04:30 PM PST

Keir Thomas Keir Thomas – Fri Dec 10, 7:30 pm ET

It's not an exaggeration to say that the recent Wikileaks scandal has shaken the Internet to its core. Regardless of where you stand on the debate, various services have simply refused to handle Wikileaks' business--everything from domain-name providers to payment services--and this has led to many questioning how robust the Internet actually is.

Hackers have already stated their aim to create their own DNS system, which will bypass officialdom. This uses peer-to-peer technology to get around the problem, a favorite of hackers because it's impossible to regulate.

But how about an entire currency based on peer-to-peer technology?

That's what's on offer from Bitcoin, a decentralized virtual currency that could either be the best idea since they figured out how to slice bread, or just another hacker's daydream. As the Wikileaks debacle continues, it's being increasingly discussed in various sections of the Web as a possible solution to the PayPal online payments monopoly.

Bitcoin is the creation of Japanese programmer Satoshi Nakamoto, and is a real, actual currency through which you can buy services and goods, right now. If you don't believe me, take a look at the Trade section of the Bitcoin website.

Newcomers can earn Bitcoins by downloading the Bitcoin client software and running computationally intensive tasks on their computer. In other words, the longer your computer is left running the Bitcoin client program, the more Bitcoins you'll incur. It runs in the background, and is polite to other software so you shouldn't realize it's there. According to the FAQ, the current rate of earning Bitcoins is about 50 every three weeks.

In Video: Chrome OS Laptops, Wikileaks, Facebook and More

Bitcoins gain their value simply by the fact people are prepared to accept them as payment for services and goods. This sounds weak but this is not entirely dissimilar in nature to the major Fiat currencies such as the Dollar, Euro and Sterling. The only reason we're prepared to accept our wage in dollars is the fact that we know that shops and service providers across the United States (and other countries) are prepared to let us spend it.

You can amass additional Bitcoins just like you can earn real-life currency--by offering services or goods and accepting Bitcoins as payment. Doing so will increase the integrity of the Bitcoin system--something which, as a potentially Bitcoin wealthy person, it's in your interest to do.

Virtual currencies aren't a new idea, of course. Those with long memories will remember Beenz.com and Flooz.com, denizens of the dot.com boom that fell flat on their faces as the new century got underway. Additionally, some online games offer their own currency system that have virtual exchange rates for real money. However, Bitcoin differs because there's no central bank or other kind of controlling interest. It's entirely decentralized.

Bitcoins are transferred between individuals or businesses by specifying their Bitcoin address. Transactions travel through the peer-to-peer network created by those who are running the Bitcoin client software.

There's no single point of weakness. Nobody can stop the Bitcoin system or censor it, short of turning off the entire Internet. If Wikileaks had requested Bitcoins then they would have received their donations without a second thought.

Of course, you should make of that what you will. You might also want to ponder the fact that practically anybody in any country can send and receive Bitcoins in an entirely unpoliced way.

Should your business be looking to accept Bitcoins? That depends on how valuable you think they are, of course, and that's going to depend on what you can get for the Bitcoins you accumulate--in terms of goods and services that can be bought for Bitcoins. The current Bitcoin-to-dollar exchange rate appears to be about 20 cents, and you can trade currencies courtesy of the various sites that let users both buy and sell Bitcoins.

However, purely as an intriguing idea that might indicate a possible future in an Internet heavily regulated by government, Bitcoins are worth taking a look at.

Keir Thomas has been writing about computing since the last century, and more recently has written several best-selling books. You can learn more about him at http://keirthomas.com and his Twitter feed is @keirthomas.
at 9:35 PM

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