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Saturday, December 4, 2010

US cable: China leaders ordered hacking on Google (AP) : Technet

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US cable: China leaders ordered hacking on Google (AP) : Technet

US cable: China leaders ordered hacking on Google (AP)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 08:29 PM PST

– 1 min ago

BEIJING – A leaked U.S. government cable shows sources told American diplomats that hacking attacks against Google were ordered by China's top ruling body.

The cable said that according to a source, the Chinese government coordinated the attacks on Google late last year. The cable says the intrusions were directed by the Politburo Standing Committee.

The cable was released by WikiLeaks to The New York Times and The Guardian newspapers.

A separate cable released by WikiLeaks showed a Politburo member demanded action against Google after looking for his own name on the search engine and finding criticism of him.

The cable did not identify the leader. The New York Times reported it was propaganda chief Li Changchun, the fifth-ranked official in the country.

WikiLeaks loses major source of revenue (AP)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 05:33 PM PST

By JUERGEN BAETZ, Associated Press Juergen Baetz, Associated Press – Sat Dec 4, 8:33 pm ET

BERLIN – WikiLeaks has lost a major source of revenue after the online payment service provider PayPal cut off its account used to collect donations, saying the website is engaged in illegal activity.

The announcement also came as WikiLeaks is struggling to keep its website accessible after service providers such as Amazon dropped contracts, and governments and hackers continued to hound the organization.

The weekend move by PayPal came as WikiLeaks' release of hundreds of thousands of United States diplomatic cables brought commercial organizations on the Internet that have business ties with the organization under more scrutiny.

WikiLeaks also is under legal pressure in several countries, including the U.S., and a former colleague of founder Julian Assange has said he will launch of a competing platform.

Donating money to WikiLeaks via PayPal was not possible anymore on Saturday, generating an error message saying: "This recipient is currently unable to receive money."

PayPal said in a blog posting that cutting off WikiLeaks' account was prompted by a violation of the service provider's policy, "which states that our payment service cannot be used for any activities that encourage, promote, facilitate or instruct others to engage in illegal activity."

The short notice was dated Friday, and a spokeswoman for PayPal Germany declined on Saturday to elaborate and referred to the official blog posting.

WikiLeaks confirmed the latest trouble in its Twitter account, saying: "PayPal bans WikiLeaks after U.S. government pressure."

WikiLeaks has embarrassed Washington and foreign leaders by releasing a trove of brutally frank U.S. diplomatic cables.

PayPal, a subsidiary of U.S.-based online marketplace operator EBay Inc., offers online payment services that are one of several ways WikiLeaks collects donations — and until now was probably the most secure and convenient way to support the organization.

The other options listed on WikiLeaks' website are through mail to an Australian post office box, through bank transfers to accounts in Switzerland, Germany or Iceland, as well as through one "credit card processing partner" in Switzerland.

WikiLeaks' PayPal account redirects users to a German foundation which provides the organization with the money. The Wau Holland Foundation, named after a German hacker, confirmed Saturday in a Twitter message that its PayPal account had been taken down because of the "financial support to WikiLeaks."

The foundation's president, Winfried Motzkus, earlier this week was quoted by the local newspaper Neue Westfaelische in his hometown of Bielefeld as saying that Wau Holland has collected euro750,000 ($1 million) for WikiLeaks, covering the organization's expenses.

WikiLeaks' recent releases seem to have been a boon for the foundation, which had previously described itself as the organization's main financial backer.

On its website, the foundation said "the huge and in this form unique amount of donations has caused the delay of issuing contribution receipts" — which allow Germans to deduct donations from their taxes.

Messages left for the foundation and for Motzkus were not immediately answered.

While WikiLeaks vows to make the world a more transparent place, very little is known about its day-to-day functioning. It has no headquarters, few if any paid staff and its finances remain opaque.

Wau Holland's vice president, Hendrik Heye Fulda, last month told the German daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung that WikiLeaks operates on a tight annual budget of about $200,000. Fulda could not be reached for comment Saturday.

Meanwhile, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, a former WikiLeaks' spokesman, has announced plans to launch a new and more transparent platform on his own, German news magazine Focus reported.

It will provide the technical infrastructure for anonymous postings and allow informants to choose themselves how and by whom to publish the information, Focus quoted Domscheit-Berg as saying. The 32-year-old Domscheit-Berg, who also has used the name Daniel Schmitt, said he will soon publish a book about his time with Assange at the website.

On Friday, WikiLeaks was forced to move from one website to another as governments and hackers hounded the organization, trying to deprive it of a direct line to the public.

EveryDNS, a company based in Manchester, New Hampshire, stopped directing traffic to the website wikileaks.org late Thursday, saying cyber attacks threatened the rest of its network.

But while wikileaks.org remained unreachable Saturday, it has found new homes. Its German website wikileaks.de was reachable Saturday, and so was its Swiss domain.

The Swiss address directs traffic to servers in France, where political pressure quickly mounted with Industry Minister Eric Besson on Friday, saying it was unacceptable to host a site that "violates the secret of diplomatic relations."

The web hosting company OVH confirmed that it had been hosting WikiLeaks since early Thursday, after a client asked for a "dedicated server with ... protection against attacks," adding it was now up to the courts to decide on the legality of hosting the site on French soil.

French newspaper Le Monde — which was among the publications that were granted full access to the diplomatic cables beforehand — said in one of its online articles Saturday it could not provide links to the relevant cables "as a result of the computer attacks WikiLeaks has suffered and the refusal of some Internet hosts and countries to take in the site."

Media freedom watchdog Reporters Without Borders on Saturday condemned the personal attacks on Assange and "the blocking, cyber-attacks and political pressure" in what it called the first "attempt at the international community level to censor a website dedicated to the principle of transparency."

WikiLeaks has been brought down numerous times this week by what appear to be denial-of-service attacks. In a typical such attack, remote computers commandeered by rogue programs bombard a website with so many data packets that it becomes overwhelmed and unavailable to visitors. Pinpointing the culprits is difficult. The attacks are relatively easy to mount and can be performed by amateurs.

The attacks started Sunday, just before WikiLeaks released the diplomatic cables. To deal with the flood of traffic, WikiLeaks moved to Amazon.com's Web hosting facility.

But Amazon booted WikiLeaks from the site on Wednesday after U.S. congressional staffers started asking the company about its relationship to WikiLeaks.

The U.S. is currently conducting a criminal investigation into WikiLeaks' release of the diplomatic cables.

___

Jamey Keaten in Paris contributed to this report. .

Report: Groupon spurns Google's takeover attempt (AP)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 03:46 PM PST

– Sat Dec 4, 6:46 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Google Inc.'s attempt to buy local-coupon site Groupon Inc. appears to have failed for now, according to published reports.

Groupon, whose ties to local merchants and some 35 million subscribers worldwide made it a company worth potentially $5 billion to $6 billion to Google, has decided to stay independent for now, according to the Chicago Tribune, The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, which cited unnamed sources close to the negotiations. The reports say Groupon may pursue an initial public offering of stock.

Google declined comment Saturday. Messages by The Associated Press for Groupon representatives were not returned Saturday.

Groupon, a 2-year-old startup based in Chicago, dangles a different bargain each day to people signed up for the service.

Google was pursuing Groupon in an attempt to turn the Internet's largest advertising network into an even more powerful marketing vehicle. It would have marked the highest price that Google paid for a company, eclipsing its $3.2 billion purchase of online advertising service DoubleClick Inc. in 2008.

Forrester Research retail analyst Sucharita Mulpuru said Groupon made a mistake if the reported $5 billion figure had been an up-front cash payment "because that was the best the company would do on a valuation standpoint."

But Mulpuru said that if the proposed payout was some kind of staggered deal, subject to Groupon meeting certain performance targets over the next few years, walking away "wasn't such a bad idea, because they probably weren't going to meet those hurdles."

Groupon's aggressive expansion may mean that the site is "already coming up against diminishing returns, and that's been fundamentally one of the biggest challenges of this space," she said in an interview with the AP. "The success of the business is based on great deals, and to get great deals, you have to have a lot of salespeople out there selling, and that's an expensive way to grow a business."

Groupon employs about 3,000 people and is run by its 30-year-old founder, Andrew Mason.

Groupon has spawned numerous copycats, including LivingSocial, CrowdSavings, BloomSpot, Tippr and Scoop St. The mimicry has raised worries among some analysts that Google is paying far too much for a business that can so easily be cloned.

But Google could have easily afforded the deal, with $33 billion in cash as of Sept. 30. Mulpuru said a technology company such as Google might be willing to pay more than the company's value to keep it out of the hands of rivals such as Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp.

The privately held company raised about $165 million in venture capital to get off the ground.

Besides North America, Groupon also operates in South America, Europe and Asia.

The week in iPhone cases: Novelties galore! (Macworld)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 10:37 AM PST

David Dahlquist David Dahlquist – Sat Dec 4, 1:37 pm ET

Along with the standard fare of plastic, rubber, and battery cases, this week's roundup has more than its fair share of what we'll call "novelty cases"—products that favor originality and zaniness over practicality. It makes sense, considering that parents around the globe are on the prowl for affordable, entertaining accessories for the gift-giving season. So if you're looking for a novel case for an iPhone-owning friend or loved one—or for yourself, for that matter—look no further. From the bright and bulky Arkhippo, to Headcase's Etch A Sketch case, these coverings will put a smile on the faces of all but the Grinchiest gift recipients.

AG Findings

AG Findings's Vent Shell Case ($20) is a polycarbonate, snap-on shell that features—you guessed it—a bunch of tiny vents on its back. Though the vents aren't likely to serve a functional purpose, they add a unique design element to this snazzy little case.

Ark

Though most iPhone cases strive to add as little bulk as possible, Ark's Arkhippo does just the opposite. According to the company, the bulky, colorful case, "is huge, easy to handle and offers self standing". The Arkhippo won't be available until mid December—and Ark hasn't listed pricing yet—but if portability isn't an issue, this could be the case for you.

Caze

If you have a penchant for bling—and the money to match it—the unabashedly gaudy BlingFrame ($99) might float your boat. Billed as the world's first Swarovski frame case (read: bumper) for iPhone 4, the BlingFrame is crammed with more than 500 Swarovski crystals, which fully cover every bit of the case. It also comes with a front screen protector, back glass protector, and a microfiber cleaning cloth which, presumably, is not coated with shiny crystals.

Gecko

Gecko's new Edge and Glove cases ($20) offer basic, affordable polycarbonate protection for your device. The Edge is a frame/bumper case with raised edges that help protect the front and back of your phone from drops. The Glove is a silicone case that provides full-body protection against scratches and bumps. The Glove also features Gecko's unique Gecko Grip for a comfortable feel and non-slip footing for your phone on any surface.

Griffin

Griffin has teamed up with online T-shirt retailer Threadless to release a new collection of t-shirt-inspired cases ($35). Threadless is known for its hip, witty, user-submitted shirt designs, and the company has transferred some of the more-popular designs to Griffin's new cases. The cases themselves are rigid-plastic shells that easily snap on and off your phone, providing impact and scratch protection.

Headcase

We previously covered Headcase's clever Etch A Sketch case for iPad, and apparently that case has been popular enough to warrant an iPhone version. The Etch A Sketch iPhone 4 Case ($25) gives the term "shake to undo" a whole new meaning by encasing your iPhone in an Etch A Sketch-inspired case. The case is made of impact-resistant plastic and allows access to all of your iPhone's switches, ports, and buttons. But the real reason to buy it is for the attention you'll undoubtedly receive when people notice you holding a miniature Etch A Sketch up to your face.

Incipio

Incipio's $70 OffGrid battery case, available mid-December, doubles your iPhone's battery life with its concealed 1450mAh internal battery while adding just two ounces of weight and 6mm of extra bulk to the phone. Along with extra battery life, the OffGrid provides impact protection while letting you charge and sync your phone via the included micro-USB cable.

iSkin

iSkin has released a slew of sleek 'n' shiny cases in time for the holidays. The Pebble ($35) hardshell case features shiny, rhinestone-like formations along its back and comes in five bold, glossy colors. The Touch Duo ($40) is aimed at the active iPhone user and sports an extra-protective layer of silicone that wraps around its hard, plastic shell. The Solo FX ($35) is a plastic, slide-in case that boasts a mesmerizing designer pattern on its back and a high-gloss front with a non-slip finish.

If you want to step up your style even more, the $40 Solo Vu might do the job. The case combines clear-polycarbonate and soft-polymer layers for a sleek, seamless design. The transparent, rigid back of the case boasts classy, art-deco tuxedo lines and a fancy-but-subtle designer pattern. Last but not least is the Duet ($40), a holster-and-case combination for those who need their iPhone within reach at all times. The Duet includes the slim-fitting iSkin Solo case, plus a thin, low-profile clip that lets you quickly snap your phone in and out for easy access.

Kalomix

Back in the novelty case department, we have Kalomix's iBlackboard case. As the name implies, this case is actually made of blackboard material on which you can draw and write with regular chalk. Why anybody would need to use their iPhone as a chalkboard is beyond us, but you have to give the company credit for executing such a zany idea. Sadly, details regarding pricing and availability are not yet available.

Mophie

If you need your iPhone to go the distance without a recharge, Mophie's Juice Pack Plus ($100) could be your saving grace. The battery case boasts Mophie's largest battery pack—2000mAh—which should more than double your phone's battery life. The Juice Pack Plus also provides a comfortable, ergonomic design and its dual-injected, hardshell case with shock-resistent, rubberized band delivers protection.

Pad and Quill

Pad and Quill's The Little Black Book ($40 with camera portal, $35 without) lays down the charm with its travel-diary design and hand-crafted wood frame. The folio-style case features black, faux-leather binding, a wrap-around strap to keep your phone safe and snug, and a classic red bookmark to complete the illusion.

Pinlo

Pinlo bills the Slice 3 ($26) as the world's thinnest iPhone 4 case. At just 0.35mm thick, this could be a credible claim. Constructed with precision machinery and plastic-injection technology, this 3.5-gram plastic case should be good for anyone who can't tolerate the extra bulk of standard cases.

Speck

If you're tired of having to remove your iPhone from its case every time you need to dock it, the CandyShell Flip ($35) might be for you. Living up to its name, the case features a panel on its lower back that flips open, allowing you to dock your phone without hassle. Add a rubberized hardshell and a shock-absorbing interior to the mix, and we could have ourselves a winner.

Substrata

Substrata has a new line of finely crafted wood cases that offer tough protection and a unique, classy look that only real wood can provide. The $75 to $95 plain wood cases are available in Maple, White Oak, Walnut, Mahogany, Padauk, and Wenge; the company also sells $100 to $125 striped-wood models for a little extra flair.

SwitchEasy

SwitchEasy's Odyssey ($30) sports a futuristic design that looks like it came straight out of Kubrick's 2001: A Space Odyssey. Along with its sci-fi looks, the Odyssey features a three-piece design that includes an "adaptive dynamic soft polymer" inner casing, a polycarbonate frame, and a scratch-resistant, hydro-polymer back panel.

XtremeMac

The $35 Hybrid case from XtremeMac is half rubber, half plastic, combining the rigid protection of plastic with the grip and impact protection of rubber. The two-piece case comes in three different colors and includes a Tuffshield screen protector to keep your display scratch, dust, and dirt-free.

The Macalope Weekly: Enthusiasms (Macworld)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 07:00 AM PST

The Macalope The Macalope – Sat Dec 4, 10:00 am ET

[Editors' Note: Each week the Macalope skewers the worst of the week's coverage of Apple and other technology companies. In addition to being a mythical beast, the Macalope is not an employee of Macworld. As a result, the Macalope is always free to criticize any media organization. Even ours.]

As a fictitious version of Al Capone once said, "A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms." And then he beat a man to death with a baseball bat to make his point. This week's group of pundits doesn't kill anything other than logic, but they'll still make your head hurt! An InfoWorld pundit shows his lack of enthusiasm for the release of iOS 4.2, Paul Thurrott goes off the rails for Windows Phone 7, and a PC World writer's personal preferences get the best of her.

You can't always get what you want

While the Macalope was pleased to get an update that almost made his iPad seem like a completely new (and free!) device, not everyone was as thrilled. InfoWorld's Galen Gruman, for example, declared Apple's release of iOS 4.2 "an unsatisfying upgrade", saying that multitasking, folders, e-mail threads, and mobile management "are welcome but long overdue…"

You may think it's "long overdue," Galen, but compared to what?

That’s the thing about the market for technology goods. It’s all relative. You only have to be better than your competition. And the iPad’s competition until just recently has been {ERROR: NULL OBJECT}.

Would it have been nice if the iPad had gotten all the iOS 4 features at the same time the iPhone did? Sure! Pandas are nice, too, but you can't keep one in a small, unfurnished apartment (the Macalope found that out the hard way).

Does Gruman think it didn't take effort on Apple's part to bring those features to the iPad? There's nothing wrong with you, personally, wishing you could have everything you want right now. Just don't expect the rest of us to consider it penetrating technology analysis.

Read more...

He who innovates last innovates best!

The horny one rarely wastes his time on Paul Thurrott because he's really more of a Microsoft enthusiast than an analyst. The Macalope doesn't get that, but it's Thurrott's right and he's entitled to his opinions. However wrong and stupid and wrong they are. Just…keep them over there.

But every once in a while the boosterism goes into full-fledged fantasy mode. You have to keep an eye on these things because, well, the Macalope cares and he'd hate to see Paul enter a spiral of delusion.

Well, a bigger one (tip o' the antlers to Shawn King).

Put simply, Windows Phone is already more innovative than anything offered by Apple or Google in the smart phone space.

Oh, totally. Except, you know, when you consider the fact that Windows Phone 7 wouldn't even exist if Apple hadn't invented the iPhone. But other than that…

Look, the Macalope's as big a supporter of Windows Phone 7 as you're likely to find in the Apple world. He frankly doesn't buy into the doom and gloom over the sales figures for the device to date. Moving 40,000 units on the first day of availability isn't a barn-burner, but it's not horrible either.

Thurrott's statement is patently ridiculous, of course. But, to give credit where credit's due, Microsoft eschewed simply making another "me-too" iPhone rip-off and actually thought of something different. Do you have any idea how hard that is for them? Really, really hard. It's totally against their nature.

But let's not kid ourselves. Somewhere very close to this universe is an alternate universe where Apple didn't introduced the iPhone in January of 2007 and Microsoft shipped Windows Mobile 7.0 built on the same old code base, running on BlackBerry-esque hardware like they had planned. We don't live in that universe, but we also don't live in the Windows Phone 7-centered universe Thurrott thinks we do, either.

Penalty for premature end-zone dancing

The Macalope doesn't know about you, but he considers the iPhone to be a pretty big success. Sure, maybe when you add up the sales of all the disparate devices and OS versions that are called "Android" you get a slightly bigger number, but all in all, it's not a bad day when you take home most of the profits.

So, he was a little surprised to see someone claim that Apple is getting desperate in the mobile area. PC World's Katherine Noyes argues that Apple's decision to defend its patents, Android's rising market share, and a magazine allegedly being kept off the App Store because it focuses on Android all mean the company is losing it!

Put it all together, and it's clear Apple is more worried than ever about Android's growing popularity.

Scoff if you wish, but anecdotes like these don't lie! They add up! Like integers. Integers of doom!

Noyes is clumsy in her wording, saying Android's prodigious growth makes it "the No. 2 operating system (OS) on the planet" when she means the No. 2 smartphone operating system. She also says "Apple's iOS, meanwhile, fell from a 17.1 percent market share a year ago to 16.7 percent in this year's third quarter." Careful, Katherine: that's just iPhones. iOS, of course, has a much larger market share because of the iPad and the iPod touch. Care to throw in those, along with similar Android devices, for an overall OS market share? Probably not, since Android tablets are only just hitting the market and there is no real Android equivalent for the iPod touch.

Sorry, go on. You were talking about how Android rules.

I believe Apple's iPhone is rapidly becoming a niche device. Its restrictions are too numerous, its approach too condescending, and its choices too few to have the broad appeal it needs to succeed on a grander scale in the long run.

In short, Apple may always have its share of fans among consumers who don't mind living in its "walled garden," but there's no way it can compete in the market as a whole with the diverse, compelling and powerful platform that is Android.

…

Zzzzzzzzzzz…

…

…

…

BWAHUH WHAT? Oh. Phew. Sorry, the Macalope must have dozed off there in the middle of all those tired old arguments.

In cell phones, Android does have a higher global market share (although not, apparently, in the U.S.) and there are certainly arguments to be made in favor of Android-based phones over the iPhone, but Noyes is apparently less interested in making them than in winning a free set of steak knives from the Trite Generalities Promotion Counsel of Weak Tea, Indiana.

Noyes has no real evidence to back up her anecdote soup. She simply says Android is ascendant because it's more "diverse, compelling and powerful" and ignores some inconvenient facts. Like that the reason that the 30 percent of Android users who'd rather have an iPhone don't just switch isn't anything other than price. Which explains how the iPhone can be the most desired phone while Android still has higher market share. But the fact that carriers are able to give away Android-based phones doesn't support Noyes's argument. No, it's all about choice and freedom from "walled gardens" and open-source puppies and kittens and adorable mutant open-source puppy-kittens.

Apple could try to make a phone that carriers could give away for free. Maybe they're working on that now. Or maybe they've just decided that they can't make one that doesn't suck and, rather than drag down their reputation, they're just going to cede the low end of the market to Android and focus on the juicy, profit-basted end like they do with Macs. Mmm, desperation never tasted so good.

Noyes also doesn't want to talk about fragmentation. It's apparently a "diverse" and "powerful" feature of Android that carriers are not "compelled" to provide timely upgrades, which is why Android 2.2 has only now become the most-used version, a full seven months after its release.

Finally, she probably really doesn't want to talk about the fact that it looks like Android's growth might be slowing in the U.S. Nope, the iPhone is destined to become a niche product because Android is wicked boss, yo.

Take a look at Noyes's Twitter feed and you can see her bias: she's an open-source enthusiast. She even calls herself "Linux Girl," often using the third person. (What kind of crazy nut does that?!) Look, the Macalope knows Tux, he's partied with Tux, Tux is a good friend of his. So he has great sympathy for Linux. But, this isn't analysis, it's boosterism. Not that there's anything wrong with that. It's not like the Macalope doesn't engage in it himself.

What's wrong is that this particular piece is a haphazard collection of loosely connected items that fails to achieve the dramatic effect intended by its creator.

Hey! Kind of like Linux!

Spain's airports, Iberia soothe passengers on Twitter (AFP)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 10:35 AM PST

– Sat Dec 4, 1:35 pm ET

MADRID (AFP) – Spain's national airport operator AENA and flag carrier Iberia launched Twitter PR operations Saturday to soothe irate and bewildered passengers stranded by a wildcat strike.

AENA created a Twitter account just to handle the inquiries flooding in from some of the estimated 300,000 passengers affected by an air traffic controllers strike during a long holiday weekend in Spain.

Within a few hours of announcing the account, AENA had attracted 2,933 followers.

Throughout the day the airport authority posted scores of messages in English, Spanish, Catalan, Basque and Galician on the progressive re-opening of flight operations.

At 1:30 pm (1230 GMT) for example, it called on travellers "not to go to airports while the airspace is closed." Finally at 3:30 pm it said Spanish airspace had reopened.

"Thanks for all these messages you have sent. Now the priority is to give you real-time information so we cannot continue to reply," it said at one point, later buckling and saying it would try to reply as much as possible.

Iberia, whose Twitter account opened in June and already has 13,671 followers, spent the day answering queries in Spanish from passengers trying to plot their way out of the crisis.

"We ask for your patience, our lines are saturated," said Iberia, which was submerged with questions from individual passengers.

For example, it gave a user called "asceide" the number to call Iberia in Senegal. Iberia asked another user, "brom_melia", for her flight number and family name so it could provide more information.

The airline told "vivianaschweike" that all flights from Latin America had been cancelled. And Iberia reminded "pakontalo" that it was the controllers, not Iberia, on strike although it regretted the inconvenience caused.

By late afternoon, one tweet from Iberia was more reassuring: "Passengers affected by the cancellations may request a ticket refund or change in the days ahead."

Limewire music-sharing service to close December 31 (Reuters)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 12:58 PM PST

– Sat Dec 4, 3:58 pm ET

NEW YORK (Reuters) – LimeWire -- one of the world's biggest outlets for people to share music, movies and TV shows free of charge over the Internet -- said it would be shutting down by the end of the year and closing its sole office in New York.

In October, a U.S. federal judge granted the music industry's request to shut down the popular LimeWire file-sharing service, which had been found liable for copyright infringement.

"As a result of our current legal situation, we have no choice but to wind down LimeWire Store operations," LimeWire said in a statement on Friday.

"Despite our dedication and efforts, December 31, 2010, will mark the day when LimeWire Store shuts its virtual doors."

LimeWire also said its plan to bring a separate, legal music service to market had been canceled.

Founded in 2000 by Mark Gorton, LimeWire has been a thorn in the side of record companies because millions of fans used it to download music for free.

The music industry blames online and physical piracy as the primary reasons for declining music sales.

(Reporting by Soyoung Kim, Jonathan Stempel and Yinka Adegoke)

WikiLeaks Cables Show a China Obsessed with, Afraid of the Internet (Mashable)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 10:02 AM PST

Jolie O'Dell Jolie O'dell – Sat Dec 4, 1:02 pm ET

While WikiLeaks goes through a very public period of turbulence and political pressure, its most recent set of leaked documents are giving journalists something to write about.

The Chinese state has long shown a certain uneasiness about allowing free access to uncensored information. In light of cables sent from the American Embassy and diplomats, China's relationship with the web -- and with Google, in particular -- becomes even less certain.

According to a new report from The New York Times, these cables reveal that Chinese leadership turned against Google as they discovered search results critical of the country, the government and specific party members. Political leaders in China began pressuring Google to censor results, to downgrade the resolution of images of government property on Google Earth and more.

Some of the cables even seem to confirm that this year's infamous attack on Google, which was supposed to have originated in China, was conducted with the knowledge and support of members of the Chinese government.

One cable reads, "A well-placed contact claims that the Chinese government coordinated the recent intrusions of Google systems. According to our contact, the closely held operations were directed at the Politburo Standing Committee level."

According to other cables, similar hacks were conducted on German government computers in 2006, something German officials disclosed to Americans in 2008.

Hacking incidents aside, China's attitude toward the web, as characterized by the cables quoted in the above-linked article, comes across as simultaneously paranoid and confident -- paranoid that freedom of information, be that web pages with politically delicate keywords or images of government buildings, would only be used negatively; confident that the Internet can and will be controlled by the Chinese government.

While we have definitely questioned the public usefulness of WikiLeaks's work in the past, these findings from The New York Times make us wish for the resources to read through all 250,000 cables ourselves. Does this news affect your opinion of WikiLeaks -- or of China's government? Let us know in the comments.

Google buys Internet video security firm Widevine (AP)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 03:14 PM PST

– Sat Dec 4, 6:14 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – Google has agreed to buy a company whose software is used to protect Internet video from piracy and make it play more smoothly.

The Seattle-based company, Widevine Technologies Inc., makes so-called "digital rights management" software that's used to secure video content as it makes its way to a variety of consumer devices, such as Internet-connected TVs, personal computers and cell phones. Its software is also used to help make sure the content is delivered seamlessly, known in industry jargon as "optimization."

The purchase price wasn't disclosed.

Google Inc. which is based in Mountain View, owns the video-sharing site YouTube.

Settlement of Enterprise suit angers car owners (AP)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 01:38 PM PST

– Sat Dec 4, 4:38 pm ET

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A St. Louis judge has approved a settlement in a class-action lawsuit against Enterprise Rent-A-Car over vehicles it sold that lacked side airbags.

The cars were once part of the company's rental fleet, and people who bought them will receive $100 vouchers toward Enterprise rentals or car purchases.

The deal has angered car owners, who say the vouchers don't make up for the lost value of their cars. Four law firms who brought the lawsuit will split $1.3 million.

Most of the affected cars are 2006-2008 Chevrolet Impalas in which the airbags weren't installed upon request of the car rental company, even though they were standard safety features.

The Kansas City Star says dropping the option saved Enterprise $15 million over three years.

Suspected Russian spammer denied bond: report (AFP)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 07:27 AM PST

– Sat Dec 4, 10:27 am ET

CHICAGO (AFP) – A 23-year-old Russian man charged with operating one of the world's largest spam e-mail generators has been ordered held without bond, The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported.

The newspaper said the decision was taken at a hearing in federal court in Milwaukee.

Oleg Nikolaenko is charged with violating the CAN-SPAM Act by sending voluminous e-mails with altered header information, The Journal Sentinel noted.

He appeared at Friday's arraignment with his arms and legs chained, the report said.

His attorney, Christopher Van Wagner, entered a not guilty plea on his behalf, the paper pointed out

Assistant US Attorney Erica O'Neil had asked that Nikolaenko be detained because he has no ties to the United States and would be at risk to return to Russia, The Journal Sentinel noted.

He was arrested last month during a visit to Las Vegas.

China Internet cafe explosion kills 6, injures 37: report (Reuters)

Posted: 04 Dec 2010 07:52 PM PST

– 1 hr 13 mins ago

BEIJING (Reuters) – An explosion at an Internet cafe in southwest China killed six people and injured 37 others, state news agency Xinhua said Sunday.

The explosion occurred late Saturday in Kaili city in Guizhou province, Xinhua said, citing local police.

Rescuers said the blast had turned the cafe into "complete ruins" and shattered windows in nearby residential buildings, the agency reported.

Dynamite experts were still investigating the site to determine the cause of the blast, Xinhua said.

(Reporting by Sui-Lee Wee, Editing by Ron Popeski)
at 10:00 PM

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