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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Report: Hackers in China hit Western oil companies (AP) : Technet

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Report: Hackers in China hit Western oil companies (AP) : Technet

Report: Hackers in China hit Western oil companies (AP)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 08:52 PM PST

By JOE McDONALD, AP Business Writer Joe Mcdonald, Ap Business Writer – 21 mins ago

BEIJING – Hackers operating from China stole sensitive information from Western oil companies, a U.S. security firm reported Thursday, adding to complaints about pervasive Internet crime traced to the country.

The report by McAfee Inc. did not identify the companies but said the "coordinated, covert and targeted" attacks began in November 2009 and targeted computers of oil and gas companies in the United States, Taiwan, Greece and Kazakhstan. It said the attackers stole information on operations, bidding for oil fields and financing.

"We have identified the tools, techniques, and network activities used in these continuing attacks — which we have dubbed Night Dragon — as originating primarily in China," said the report.

The report gave no indication the attacks were anything other than standard corporate espionage that plagues businesses around the world, which the U.S. and China have both accused each other of being deeply involved in.

The fact that oil companies were targeted may speak more to the value of their inside information than any attempt to cause damage to pipelines. McAfee called the attack methods "unsophisticated," but said the culprits were patient: they may have been inside the networks for years.

"It looked to me like the traditional hack-to-steal-valuable-stuff," said Josh Shaul, vice president of product management at Application Security Inc., a New York-based database security software maker that wasn't involved in McAfee's research. Application Security counts energy companies, including oil firms, among its clients. "It all seemed to me like someone trying to get ahead in the oil industry rather than doing something more nefarious."

The intruders were prolific in their purloining, snatching files including configurations for the oil companies' control systems, but Dmitri Alperovitch, vice president of threat research for McAfee, said they didn't appear to be trying to figure out how to blow up a pipeline or destroy equipment.

"I got a very strong sense that was not their goal," he said. "They expressed a much stronger interest in financial information."

McAfee said it identified an individual in the eastern Chinese city of Heze in Shandong province who provided servers that hosted an application that controlled computers at the victim companies. The report did not identify the man but U.S. news reports citing McAfee gave his name as Song Zhiyue.

Contacted by phone, Song said he was a salesman for a company, Science and Technology Internet, that rents server space. He said some of his customers were hackers but he declined to comment on the attacks cited by McAfee. Song said he has not been contacted by Chinese authorities.

"I recently heard about Chinese hackers using U.S. servers provided by companies like ours to attack oil companies in the U.S. Our company alone has a great number of hackers" as customers, Song said. "I have several hundred of them among all my customers as far as I know."

Critical infrastructure is increasingly a hacking target as its technology is brought into the Internet age.

An attack might be as simple as getting a low-level employee to open a malicious e-mail link. Or, it might involve exploiting well known vulnerabilities in Internet-connected servers, which is how McAfee said the oil companies were attacked. Finding those weaknesses can be simple; programs exist that will scan the Internet and automatically issue an alert when vulnerable servers have been found.

Still, money, not terrorism, appears to frequently be the motive, as it is with most computer crime.

A separate report last year from McAfee and the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington found that more than half of the 600 operators of power plants and other critical infrastructure surveyed said their networks were infiltrated by sophisticated adversaries. Extortion was identified as a common motivation. Oil companies were among the most frequently targeted.

Security consultants say China is a leading center for Internet crime including industrial spying aimed at major companies. Consultants say the high skill level of earlier attacks suggests China's military, a leader in cyberwarfare research, or other government agencies might be stealing technology and trade secrets to help state companies.

Last year, Google Inc. closed its China-based search engine after complaining of cyberattacks from China against its e-mail service.

The Chinese government has denied it is involved.

Officials in the United States, Germany and Britain say hackers linked to China's military have broken into government and defense systems. Attacks on commercial systems receive less attention because companies rarely come forward, possibly for fear it might erode trust in their businesses.

Spokesmen from several American, British and Greek oil companies said they were either unaware of the hacking or that they could not comment on security matters.

McAfee, based in Santa Clara, California, said the hackers worked through servers in the United States and the Netherlands and used techniques including taking advantage of vulnerabilities in the Microsoft Windows operating system.

McAfee said extraction of information occurred from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Beijing time on weekdays. It said that suggested the attackers were "company men" on a regular job, rather than freelance or amateur hackers.

The attackers used hacking tools of Chinese origin that are prevalent on Chinese underground hacking forums, McAfee said.

Google announced last January that cyberattacks from China hit it and at least 20 other companies. Google says it has "conclusive evidence" the attacks came from China but declined to say whether the government was involved.

Google cited those attacks and attempts to snoop on dissidents in announcing it wanted to stop censoring search results in China, which the communist government requires. The company closed its China-based search engine last March.

In 2009, a Canadian research group said a China-based ring stole information from thousands of hard drives worldwide. The Information Warfare Monitor said attackers broke into government and private organizations in 103 countries, including the computers of the Dalai Lama and his exiled Tibetan government.

There are no estimates of losses attributable to hacking traced to China, but McAfee has said previously that intellectual property worth an estimated $1 trillion was stolen worldwide through the Internet in 2008.

McAfee's report was released ahead of the annual RSA Conference next week in San Francisco. Security firms issue a flurry of reports around such conferences to promote their products and call attention to new hacking trends.

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AP researcher Zhao Liang in Beijing and AP Business Writer Chris Kahn in New York contributed to this report.

___

Online:

McAfee Inc.'s report: http://bit.ly/hvV38n

This posting includes an audio/video/photo media file: Download Now

Party over for 'Guitar Hero,' but not music games (AP)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 03:29 PM PST

– Thu Feb 10, 6:29 pm ET

NEW YORK – "Guitar Hero" made ordinary people feel like rock stars, and its plastic guitars have redefined how people consume music and entertain themselves at house parties for the past half-decade. Yet its demise hardly marks the end of music games.

The video game genre remains popular; it has just evolved. Many people these days play music-inspired games on the iPhone, such as "Tap Tap Revenge," and dance games designed for Microsoft's Kinect motion-sensing controller, which hit stores just last fall.

With sales declining, the company behind the iconic "Guitar Hero" games decided it couldn't justify churning out new versions that weren't selling as well as they did in their heyday just a few years ago. Activision Blizzard Inc. said Wednesday it will halt development on the franchise, which made its debut in 2005.

"Guitar Hero" doesn't require any real music skills, just some hand-eye coordination. Would-be rock stars tap color-coded buttons on fake guitars in time with chords that appear on the screen. Players can pick from a broad selection of songs, with some versions, such as "Guitar Hero: Metallica," playing tribute to specific bands or genres. The games offered social entertainment before "social" became a technology buzzword, and at the height of their popularity even gave music sales a boost.

Activision's decision to shutter "Guitar Hero" comes less than two months after Viacom Inc., the media conglomerate that owns MTV, sold the money-losing development studio, Harmonix, behind the "Rock Band" franchise. That game lives on for now.

But the future of Harmonix could lie in "Dance Central," one of the most popular and well-received games for Kinect. The game, which needs no controllers of any kind, has players follow increasingly complex choreographs to songs like Lady Gaga's "Poker Face" and Salt -N-Pepa's "Push It." It might just be the next big thing, just as "Guitar Hero" was five years ago.

"When music games first came out, they were a revelation. It was like nothing anyone had ever seen," said Scott Steinberg, CEO of video game consulting company TechSavvy Global. "They essentially helped make gaming more social, more affable to new audiences."

At one point, the games were even seen as the savior of the music industry, because they got a generation weaned on video games buying music again. "The Beatles: Rock Band," which launched with much fanfare in 2009, was seen exposing the iconic pop band to a whole new audience.

Though it sold well, the game didn't live up to lofty expectations that painted it as almost the second coming of the Beatles.

"Companies took advantage of a moment in time to cash in on the craze," Steinberg said.

This, he added, might have hastened the demise. The game makers put out new versions of the games each year, expecting them to sell better each time. Activision added "Band Hero" and "DJ Hero" to the fold, the former focused on a younger, family-friendly crowd and the latter on players more into turntables than arena rock. "Rock Band," meanwhile, spawned "Lego Rock Band," "Green Day: Rock Band" and others.

In the U.S., "Guitar Hero" sales reached $2.47 billion as of the end of 2010, according to the NPD Group, a market research firm. Sales of the "Rock Band" property, meanwhile, hit $1.28 billion in the U.S. In comparison, Activision's "Call of Duty: Black Ops," which went on sale last November, made $1 billion worldwide in six weeks.

Sales fizzled in the past couple of years, weighing down the entire video game industry. Sure, people are still playing "Rock Band" and "Guitar Hero," rocking out in dens and living rooms around the world. Bars even hold karaoke nights with patrons playing the games instead of singing into a traditional karaoke machine.

But playing does not equal buying. Once you've shelled out $150 for a game and the attached instruments, you probably won't do it again next year. While the games sold without instruments too, and extra songs have been available to download, this wasn't enough to keep the games' momentum going. New choices popped up.

"Tap Tap Revenge," an addictive iPhone game that has players tap tiny balls in time with music, has been downloaded more than 50 million times, in all its iterations. Some versions are free, others cost 99 cents, with extra songs available for sale, generally two for $1. The Walt Disney Co. bought the game's maker, Tapulous, in July.

Bart Decrem, Tapulous' co-founder, called the demise of "Guitar Hero" a "bummer, because in many ways (the game) started it all." But the world is changing. Instead of buying $50 games to play on game consoles, many people have turned to cheaper, bite-sized iPhone games and to "FarmVille" and its various copycats on Facebook.

"Tap Tap Revenge," which recently launched its fourth version, shows no signs of slowing down, Decrem said. The game even briefly overtook the runaway hit "Angry Birds" on Apple's free app store after it launched Dec. 20.

"Music games, rhythm games, have been around since sticks and logs," said Stephen Jacobs, associate professor of interactive games and media at Rochester Institute of Technology. "(They) are not going away by any stretch of the imagination. But like with many 'new' games, when you are lucky in the industry you hit a chord, you hit a moment, and you are the thing. And that moment generally only lasts for a brief moment in time."

Cliff Elion, president and creator of Simi Valley, Calif.-based "You Rock Guitar," said he wasn't entirely surprised to learn of the end of "Guitar Hero." His game is inspired by "Guitar Hero" but seeks to bridge the gap between video games and real music by teaching people how to play real guitar.

"'Guitar Hero' targets people who imagine they are guitarists. We are targeting people who want to become guitarists," he said. The audience for real-life guitar is likely smaller, though; Elion wouldn't disclose sales figures, though he said the company is growing.

"The emotional power of music is huge," Decrem said. Though "Guitar Hero" may be playing its last song, Decrem said music is far from being in a crisis.

"Certain business models around it are in crisis, whether that's "Guitar Hero" or selling MP3s," he said. "It's incumbent on us game makers, people who love music and technology to invent new entertainment experiences that get people connected to music and build a business around it."

Shares of Activision, which is based in Santa Monica, Calif., fell 94 cents, or 8 percent, to close at $10.75 on Thursday. The decline was due to a disappointing earnings outlook from the company, which has a history of beating analysts' expectations.

TMI: If all data were CD stack, it would pass moon (AP)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 11:14 AM PST

By RANDOLPH E. SCHMID, AP Science Writer Randolph E. Schmid, Ap Science Writer – Thu Feb 10, 2:14 pm ET

WASHINGTON – How much information is there, really?

Well, according to a new study, humans were able to store 295 exabytes of information as of 2007.

Now what, you might ask, is an exabyte?

As you may recall, a bit is a single piece of information, "1" or "0," and a byte usually contains eight bits.

An exabyte is 1,000,000,000,000,000,000 bytes.

Martin Hilbert and Priscila Lopez of the University of Southern California say that if all that data were stored on compact discs, the stack of CDs would reach beyond the moon — if the stack didn't topple over.

That's a lot of data, and presumably we have collected a lot more since then. After all, Lopez and Hilbert estimate the storage capacity of the world's computers doubles every 18 months.

Their findings, looking at the growth of information storage capacity from 1986 to 2007, appear in this week's edition of the journal Science.

Naturally, it's coming out first in Thursday's online edition of the journal, with publication on paper to come later.

Hilbert and Lopez also calculated that:

• In 2007 people sent 1.9 zettabytes of information through broadcast technology such as televisions and GPS. A zettabyte is equivalent to 1,000 exabytes. And that's equivalent to every person in the world reading 174 newspapers every day.

• People shared 65 exabytes of information in 2007 through two-way communication systems such as cell phones — the equivalent of every person in the world communicating the contents of six newspapers every day.

• The year 2002 could be considered the beginning of the digital age. It was the first year worldwide digital storage capacity overtook total analog capacity. As of 2007, almost 94 percent of our memory is in digital form.

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Online: http://www.sciencemag.org

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Online:

http://www.sciencemag.org

Apple working on smaller, cheaper iPhone? (Ben Patterson)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 02:43 PM PST

By Ben Patterson ben Patterson – Thu Feb 10, 5:43 pm ET

In the wake of Thursday's somewhat underwhelming Verizon iPhone launch comes word that Apple may have a new, smaller iPhone up its sleeves—one that could sell for $200, without a contract.

The rumored new iPhone is about one-third smaller than the existing iPhone, Bloomberg News reports, and would be built with components "similar" to those on the iPhone 4, rather than any next-generation processors or displays—thus keeping a lid on pricing.

If this all sounds vaguely familiar, perhaps you're thinking of the old iPhone "Nano" rumors that have been bouncing around since … well, since the original iPhone first launched.

Of course, no "Nano" version of the iPhone ever materialized—and indeed, the prototype supposedly spied last year by Bloomberg's unnamed source may yet be scuttled. Then again, it could arrive as soon as the middle of this year, the story claims.

As far as pricing goes, one possibility is to sell the smaller iPhone for $200 without a contract, Bloomberg reports, with Apple reportedly hoping to win back some smartphone market share from Google's Android platform with more variety and aggressive pricing.

You can already buy a new, 8GB iPhone 3GS—a full-size one, mind you—for $49, but you must sign a two-year contract with AT&T in the bargain. Meanwhile, a no-contract iPhone 4 (in the case of those who aren't eligible for early carrier upgrades) will set you back $600 for the 16GB model.

Apple is also at work on a dual-mode iPhone that would work on both GSM and CDMA networks, according to Bloomberg—not a huge surprise, given that a tear-down of the new, SIM-less Verizon iPhone revealed a dual-mode CDMA/GSM Qualcomm chip.

Another old rumor revived by the Bloomberg piece: that the iPhone might be getting a universal SIM card that users would configure via iTunes to work with any carrier they want.

While the idea of the iPhone getting dual-mode wireless technology or a universal SIM isn't that far-fetched, many believe a smaller—and likely smaller-screened—iPhone is out of the question because it (probably) wouldn't be compatible with existing apps in the App Store.

Then again, a cheaper, Nano-sized iPhone might be appealing to the same users who like the iPod Nano—although an iPhone that's just a third smaller (according to Bloomberg, anyway) and still $200 (even on a no-contract basis) doesn't seem small or cheap enough.

That's not to say Apple isn't tinkering with a smaller iPhone somewhere in its top-secret Cupertino lair—but I'd be surprised if it ever saw the light of day.

Anyway, that's just me—what do you think? Would you be interested in a smaller, cheaper iPhone—and if so, how much cheaper would it have to be? $150, without a contract? $99 without a contract? Or how about free, but with a contract?

Related:
Apple Said to Work on Cheaper, More Versatile IPhone Models [Bloomberg News]

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

Follow me on Twitter!

Reports: Nokia “close” to inking Windows Phone deal with Microsoft (Ben Patterson)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 08:10 AM PST

By Ben Patterson ben Patterson – Thu Feb 10, 11:10 am ET

Just days after his remarkable "burning platform" memo came to light, word has it that the new CEO of Nokia will put the ball in the air by announcing a game-changing deal with either Google or Microsoft—and it looks like Microsoft may end up getting the nod.

All Things Digital, Bloomberg News, and the Wall Street Journal are all reporting that Nokia boss and former Microsoft exec Stephen Elop has "held talks" with both Steve Ballmer and Microsoft and Google CEO Eric Schmidt about adopting either the Windows Phone or Android mobile platforms for new Nokia handsets.

Elop is expected to make his intentions clear at an investor meeting Friday, and both Bloomberg and All Things Digital are predicting that Microsoft's Windows Phone OS will get Nokia's business.

The news comes only a couple of days after Engadget published an extraordinary internal memo, purportedly penned by Elop himself, that likens Nokia's still dominant but increasingly precarious position in the wireless market to a man standing on a "burning platform" and facing a stark choice: stay put and "inevitably be consumed by the burning flames," or "plunge 30 meters into the freezing waters."

In case there was any confusion about the analogy, Elop went on to detail how Apple "disrupted the market" with the iPhone, while Android managed to pass Nokia's lead in smartphone shipments in just two years.

Nokia, on the other hand, "had a series of misses," with its promised high-end MeeGo platform still languishing in development and its older Symbian OS having "proven to be non-competitive in leading markets like North America," Elop wrote. "How did we get to this point? Why did we fall behind when the world around us evolved?"

The leaked, unusually frank memo was soon followed by renewed chatter of high-level talks between Nokia, Microsoft, and Android, with Bloomberg reporting that a source "with knowledge of the discussions" claims that Nokia is "close to announcing a software partnership with Microsoft."

Make no mistake—Nokia is still the leader when it comes to worldwide cell phone sales. But in an interview with All Things Digital's Ina Fried last week, Nokia's Elop fretted that the company had essentially ceded the lucrative, high-end North American handset market to the likes of Apple, Google, and BlackBerry maker RIM, and that "we need to be in the United States in one way, shape, or form."

That leaves us with the prospect of something we haven't seen in a long time, if ever: a Nokia smartphone running on an OS besides Symbian. While I personally would've liked to see Nokia's take on Android (and hey—it's still an outside possibility), a Nokia-designed Windows Phone 7 handset could be pretty interesting, especially given Nokia's reputation for building top-notch hardware.

So, if you were in Elop's shoes and you had to pick a new partner for Nokia—Google, or Microsoft—which would you pick? Or would you stay on the burning platform and try to put the fire out with Symbian and/or MeeGo?

Related:
Nokia Appears on Verge of Adopting Windows Phone, as MeeGo, Android Fade From Consideration [All Things Digital]
Nokia Said to Be Near Software Partnership With Microsoft [Bloomberg]
Nokia, Microsoft Talk Cellphones [Wall Street Journal]

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

Follow me on Twitter!

Online Dating for Nerds: Looking for Love in All the Wrong Postings (PC World)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 06:30 PM PST

Sarah Jacobsson Purewal and Alex Wawro Sarah Jacobsson Purewal And Alex Wawro – 2 hrs 44 mins ago

online dating might sound like a viable option.

Armed with nothing but our shining personalities and sexy photos, the PCWorld team took a look at some of the Web's best (and geekiest) dating Websites. In order to test them, we created a female profile (Sarah) and a male one (Alex), and sent out some messages to see what would come back to us. Here's what we found.

Geek2Geek

Who you can expect to find: Geeks galore!

How much it'll cost you: The site has three tiers of membership, ranging from free to $31/month.

Geek 2 Geek calls itself "the best place on the net to meet geeks." It boasts over 200,000 members, growing by about 6000 members each month. Its three levels of membership--free, "silver," and "gold"--allows different levels of communication. While a free membership lets you browse unlimited profiles and receive unlimited messages, you can't send any out (except to paid gold members) until you upgrade to a silver account.

Geek 2 Geek does have a matchmaking service. Signing up is quick and easy, and you don't have to answer all of the questions right away (though you certainly can). A picture is also not a profile requirement. Matchmaking questions include everything from "type of sense of humor" to "areas of interest," and similar geeks are delivered to your "My Matches" inbox.

As for whether you'll actually find geeks on this site, well, a quick look-through says yes. It helps, of course, that the "areas of interest" are all geek-oriented, and include options like "online gaming," "Star Trek," "Tolkien," and "Monty Python." The site itself is decently easy to navigate, though it's rather busy-looking (it looks a lot like a Web hosting site that's trying to sell you something) and not as conducive to browsing as some of the other sites we reviewed.

Sarah's take: This site isn't really limited to geeks--it looks like just about everyone is on here. That makes me think a lot of the profiles are probably outdated and/or not being used. Plus, it takes way too much information to complete your profile.

Alex's take: Yeah, "geek" in this case seems synonymous with "anyone who owns a computer." That's not necessarily a bad thing, and neither is the surplus of seduction toys like video, quizzes, and live chat; just know that Geek 2 Geek is a full-on social network, not just a dating service.

OtakuBooty

Who you can expect to find: Fans of anime, manga, gaming, and cosplay.

How much it'll cost you: Sign-up and browsing are free, but full features (including messaging options) start at $4/year.

OtakuBooty is part online dating and part social networking. The name comes from a Japanese slang term for "nerd" (okay, it's more of a derogatory term), and focuses on a less traditional type of geek--the anime/manga/Japan-fan type.

Signing up is free, and you can receive unlimited free messages--you just can't see who sent them until you sign up for a paid membership. Luckily, paid membership is only $4 per month or $15 per year, and allows you full access to the site.

OtakuBooty keeps the nerd factor alive throughout the site: On the initial sign-up page, required fields are marked with an invincibility star; on the payment page there's a bogus "send ham" option for a "recurring ham subscription."

Unfortunately, this epic nerdiness carries over to the site's layout. OtakuBooty is sort of like the Android OS--a little too rough around the edges. The good news is that this will probably scare off the ungeeky types who are unwilling to deal with anything less than a perfect user interface. The bad news is that there are just so many tabs. The site looks a lot like a bad wiki--and hey, there's even a site wiki.

As for the types of users you'll find, well, they're definitely nerds. And they're all a little weird. Case in point: Last time we checked, a "featured member" on the front page had three moustaches descending down his face (just sit there for a moment and imagine that).

Sarah's take: OtakuBooty's user interface is awful. It really is. It might deter the nongeeks from signing up, but it'll also deter the geeks. It's impossible to navigate the site--I couldn't even contact OtakuBooty, because I couldn't find their contact page.

Alex's take: I'm not into otaku culture, but I really wanted to like OtakuBooty. Sure the wiki-like layout is ugly, but I found its quirky style endearing, and the news, deals, and quasi-legal torrent sections are handy if you're passionate about anime. If you're not, you should probably join me in giving this site a pass.

Cupidtino

Cupidtino describes itself as the first (and only) "Mac-inspired" dating site. That's right--if you love Apple products and the people who love Apple products, this site is for you. (The name is a play on "Cupertino," where Apple has its headquarters.) The philosophy behind this dating site is that people who like Apple products often have a lot in common--they tend to be creative types, such as designers, musicians, and writers, and more likely to be compatible with other creative types.

Sweet on Geeks' tagline is "a space where gray matters." The site's owner, Joyce Dales, created the geek-specific dating site in 2007--she was inspired to do so by her own story, in which she met a geek online and noted that it was hard to find geeks on the Internet (of all places!). The 27,000-member site is particularly balanced in the male-to-female ratio, unlike a lot of places on the Internet, and Dales makes sure she actively markets the site to women.

Sweet on Geeks features a simple, basic layout that's reminiscent of an early (circa 2000) HTML page. Although signing up is free, you'll need a full membership to take advantage of the site's messaging features, and fairly quick, even though a picture (or an avatar of some sort) is required. The initial sign-up sheet puts it all out there, and allows you to enter as much or as little the profile information as you like.

There are no toggles for some of the basics (such as whether you're a drinker/smoker or not), just text boxes for you to describe how you feel about the issues. In other words, Sweet on Geek is less of a matchmaking site--it doesn't give you compatibility scores--and more of a social networking site. Accordingly, profiles can be customized with status updates, blog posts, and friend feeds.

Searching for geeks is basic, and you are able to search within X miles of a zip code. You can also search for geeks by keywords. As for the people you'll find here--the good news is that most of them fill out their profiles, so you'll know a lot about their personalities (or lack thereof). The bad news is that a lot of them also use avatars as their pictures, so if you're shallow...well, perhaps you shouldn't be on a geeky dating site in the first place.

Sarah's take: It's much more about social networking than matchmaking or dating. I think it's weird that you can't filter out searches by, say, nonsmokers.

Alex's take: There's something very charming about Sweet on Geeks; it's a small social network in which the founder still actively participates, and the absence of checklists in favor of text fields seems like an earnest attempt to encourage meaningful discussion. If you're looking to dip your toe in the online dating pool but feel intimidated by the size of a free site like OKCupid (see below), Sweet on Geeks might be the perfect fit.

OKCupid

Who you can expect to find: Just about everyone, and then some.

How much it'll cost you: Free.

OKCupid is full of young singles--about 70 percent of its users are between the ages of 18 and 35. Sure, this is at least partly because of the site's features other than online dating--tests, quizzes, and match-up questions that are created by both the staff and the users.

OKCupid has more steps than Cupidtino, yet it's still relatively easy to create a profile and start browsing matches. OKCupid won't start proactively sending you matches until you upload a photo and answer at least 25 personality questions, but you'll still be able to contact and chat with people.

The site is easy to navigate, and there are multiple ways to find matches. You can do a detailed search, or you can do a "Quick Match." Quick Match is sort of like Hot or Not--you rate users based on their photos and profile, and they're eventually sent an e-mail with a grid of user photos. If they rate you highly (and you rated them highly in the first place), OKCupid connects the two of you.

As for what you'll find on OKCupid, 55 percent of the users are men. Also, users seem to run the gamut and are much freer with instant messaging and e-mailing (probably because it's free). In her few days as a member, Sarah received messages from guys who wanted to talk, pay her bills, and, of course, meet up. The good news is that most of the OKCupid users seemed to be there for the dating aspect--not just the quizzes and fun articles, such as the recent "Best Questions to Ask for a First Date."

Sarah's take: This place is surprisingly hoppin' for an online dating site--there are lots of guys (and cute ones, at that) sending messages and making the first move. Also, I love the quizzes--those keep me around for a long time.

Alex's take: I couldn't care less about the quizzes or the cute guys, but OKCupid still seduced me with an intuitive interface and quick personality tests that get straight to the point. If you have a thick skin, I encourage you to submit a photo to OKCupid's experimental MyBestFace engine and crowdsource the eternal question, "Am I hot or not?"

Match.com

Who you can expect to find: Serious online daters.

How much it'll cost you: Free to look around, full benefits start at $18/month.

When people think of online dating, they often think of Match.com. (If you've been on Match.com for a while, you might also think "lawsuit.") Match.com is a popular site for the more serious online dater. The majority of Match.com's users are between the ages of 30 and 49 (51 percent), though the 50-plus demographic (20 percent) is the fastest-growing.

It's free to sign up for Match.com, search for matches, and browse other people's profiles, but any message exchanges require a paid membership. Paid memberships start at $18 per month (for a six-month minimum) and go up to $35 per month (one month minimum). You don't need to complete your profile right away, but you won't show up in Match.com search results until you've finished it (complete with photo).

Match.com has a very comprehensive search engine--you can narrow down your results by faith, languages, pets, salary range, amount of exercise, and interests, among other things. In case you're having a hard time sorting through all of the prospects (even after you narrow it down), Match.com also offers up potential matches in the form of a "Daily 5." Match.com submits five potential matches to you and asks you to say whether or not you're interested--the site then modifies its matches based on your answers.

Sarah's take: I hate to say it, but all of the matches that Match.com sent me as potentials were just so ugly.

Alex's take: Either I registered too late or I'm just not that compatible, because Match.com didn't send me any matches at all. I guess that's a blessing in disguise? Either way, OKCupid pretty much blows Match.com out of the water in every meaningful way.

eHarmony

Who you can expect to find: People who are looking for a serious relationship. Seriously.

How much it'll cost you: Varies, but a popular subscription is $30/month for six months.

eHarmony is not a dating Website--rather, it's an online matchmaking service. Unlike other sites, which allow users to browse and search for potential matches, eHarmony does all of the legwork for you. That's right--there's no way for you to browse the database of 33 million users, because (let's be serious), if you knew what you wanted, you wouldn't be on eHarmony in the first place.

eHarmony is also a little more complicated to sign up for than other dating sites: Instead of answering a few questions and being paired up with potential matches, each user must fill out a comprehensive relationship questionnaire. The questionnaire helps in the matchmaking process and also indicates that a user is serious about finding a serious relationship (in other words, the questionnaire is in-depth enough that you're not going to just fill it out for fun). And yes, the matchmaking that eHarmony does is based on scientific research of what makes a long-term relationship last.

According to a 2008 study conducted by Harris Interactive, an average of 542 people marry every day in the United States as a result of eHarmony's matchmaking skills. eHarmony doesn't just sit around and wait for its users to meet up, either--they also offer various matchmaking-related services, such as profile advisement (professional writers who will help your profile shine) and secure calling services so users can safely get in touch with each other.

If you're looking for a very serious long-term relationship, eHarmony is the place to be...but if you're looking for anything less, perhaps OKCupid is more your style.

Sarah's take: Well, eHarmony isn't a dating Website--it's a matchmaking Website. This isn't the place to go if you're playing around. Seriously, their questionniare is really long and not for the faint of heart.

Alex's take: So many questions! Online matchmaking is a booming business, and nobody is better at transmuting you into a statistic than the algorithmic alchemists at eHarmony.

So there you have it: no matter what you're looking for, whether it's a serious relationship, a Mac-lovin' honey, or some "OtakuBooty," there's a dating Website out there just for you. That means you have no excuses when February 14 rolls around.

Rumor: Apple working on smaller, more affordable iPhones (Digital Trends)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 04:25 PM PST

Molly McHugh Molly Mchugh – Thu Feb 10, 7:25 pm ET

tiny iphone"According to people who have been briefed on the plans," Apple is developing new, less expensive iPhone models to compete with lower level smartphones. In a move to compete with the rapidly expanding Android market, which integrates on smartphones of various makes and prices, Apple will market a cheaper, smaller version – about one-third smaller than the existing iPhone 4.

Bloomberg claims one of its sources has seen the prototype, and that it will sell for $200 without a contract – as opposed to the iPhone 4, which currently sells for between $200 and $300 with a two year AT&T or Verizon contract.  Apple will be able to cut the price tag so drastically because it will use the same or similar hardware as the iPhone 4, and component prices drop over time, so the phone would be significantly cheaper to manufacture.

According to the insiders, Apple is concerned with fending off Android competition as the Google platform continues to rapidly grow and establish itself as a force to be reckoned with. By even minimally widening its customer demographic, Apple could see monumental sales growth, and the device could be introduced mid-year. But, seeing as no Apple product is a certainty until sitting it's sitting in the palm of your hand, we wouldn't mark your calendars.

In addition to a low-level phone, Apple is reportedly developing a "dual-mode" phone, which could be supported by GSM (used by AT&T) and CDMA (used by Verizon) networks. Apparently this is to eliminate the use of SIM cards, something else Apple is working on. According to multiple outlets, including Bloomberg, Apple is investing in a "universal SIM," which would get rid of the cards entirely and let iPhones operate on different networks. Obviously, this would allow Apple to exist free of carriers and control its customers more directly.

Eliminating SIM cards and carrier-led contracts seems like a lofty goal, even for Apple. But we are interested to see what could become of these more affordable versions. If these versions truly cost Apple next to nothing to produce, they could equate to a whole new demographic that will have access to iOS phones, and more money in Apple's pocket.

Day of reckoning dawns for Nokia's new CEO (Reuters)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 05:53 PM PST

By Tarmo Virki, European Technology Correspondent Tarmo Virki, European Technology Correspondent – Thu Feb 10, 8:53 pm ET

LONDON (Reuters) – Nokia's wisdom in picking outsider Stephen Elop to return it to its former glory will be tested on Friday when the new chief executive reveals his plans to transform the world's biggest cellphone maker.

Following a leaked memo in which Elop candidly described the need to leap from Nokia's "burning platform," speculation has intensified that he will announce a radical switch to use software from rivals Microsoft or Google.

Nokia has rapidly lost share in the higher-margin smartphone market to the likes of Apple's iPhone, and products based on Google's Android platform claimed the top spot from the company last quarter.

In a bid to stem the losses, Chairman Jorma Ollila brought in Elop from Microsoft last September. The 47-year-old is the first non-Finn to head the company.

Nokia's MeeGo platform, its would-be answer to the high-end competition, is as yet unproven, and its workhorse Symbian software has little appeal among developers.

Sources have told Reuters the company has ditched its first MeeGo smartphone project, and Elop himself said in the memo the company might get only one MeeGo device to the market this year.

After Elop raised the possibility of a change in smartphone software, many market followers expect Nokia to adopt either Google's Android or go for Microsoft's Windows Phone 7.

However, picking Android would cede some control to key rival Google, while success in the wireless industry has so far eluded Microsoft.

The Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday that Microsoft and Nokia were in talks about Windows Phone 7. Microsoft and Nokia declined to comment.

Elop is also set to unveil longer-term forecasts, after limiting financial forecasts on January 27 to the first quarter.

He could also unveil a major management shake-up, with some reports suggesting four top managers would be sacked.

(Additional reporting by Jussi Rosendahl in Helsinki and Bill Rigby in Seattle; Editing by Will Waterman, Bernard Orr)

US ambassador to UN hosts town hall at Twitter HQ (AP)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 06:06 PM PST

– Thu Feb 10, 9:06 pm ET

SAN FRANCISCO – The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations held a global town hall meeting from Twitter headquarters Thursday morning where she cited the enormous impact of social media in the recent unrest in Egypt and elsewhere.

Ambassador Susan Rice spoke at the company's San Francisco office, where she fielded questions submitted via Twitter from around the world.

The 370-employee company, which a spokeswoman says tripled in size last year, occupies several floors of a downtown San Francisco office building.

The Rolling Stones blared from speakers before Rice's appearance in front of a young crowd of employees, whose jeans and untucked shirts contrasted sharply with the suits and ties of the ambassador's staff.

Rice sat next to a couch adorned with pillows reading "Home Tweet Home," while Twitter's vice president of international operations and the company's chief counsel read her questions from Twitter posts marked with the hashtag AskAmbRice.

"The power of this technology, the power of social networking to channel and champion public sentiment, has been more evident in the past few weeks than ever before," Rice said.

The U.S. supports an orderly, prompt transition to democracy in Egypt, Rice said.

She declined to comment on speculation that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would soon be stepping down. Mubarak announced later Thursday that he wouldn't step down or leave the country but would hand over power to the country's vice president.

"We need to now see a process in which all elements of the opposition are able to negotiate with the government on a constitutional and responsible path that will lead to free and fair democratic elections," Rice said. "That process needs to proceed and be irreversible."

Rice's visit comes amid worldwide discussion of social media's role in recent uprisings. The U.S. State Department has recently ramped up efforts to leverage social media as a diplomatic tool, including the launch of an Arab language Twitter feed Wednesday.

Despite the focus on the role of Twitter and Facebook in organizing protests in Egypt, Rice said her appearance at Twitter was not meant to convey any symbolism with respect to the protests.

Twitter has hosted other political figures in the past, including former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev.

The company has remained circumspect about its role in Egypt.

"We're humbled by the way the people there have used Twitter to communicate with each other and people around the globe," the company said in a statement. "We've always believed that the open exchange of information can have a positive impact."

___

Online:

Susan Rice on Twitter: http://twitter.com/ambassadorrice

Video of meeting: http://www.ustream.tv/AmbassadorRice

Insiders say RIM will enable Android apps on the PlayBook (Digital Trends)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 04:00 PM PST

Molly McHugh Molly Mchugh – Thu Feb 10, 7:00 pm ET

Playbook-androidAs information about the PlayBook's launch surfaces, Bloomberg is reporting that RIM will open up the tablet to Android applications. According to "three people familiar with the matter," the company is developing technology that will allow the PlayBook's QNX operating system to run Android apps, offering early users a much wider selection. The sources also said that after looking for outside developers to enable this, it's now working internally on the project.

Shortly after CES, an ex-RIM employee said the lack of apps at launch would hinder the PlayBook's success. Instead of using its traditional BlackBerry OS, RIM chose to instead install QNX, which enables the tablet to fully support flash and give designers increased flexibility. RIM in general (and especially its tablet) has become increasingly attractive to app developers lately, but still can't compete with Android's clout, and the PlayBook would not come with the wealth of apps consumers have grown accustomed to. Allowing Android integration for this purpose would fill that hole.

Not that RIM has been terribly fond of apps to begin with. At last year's Web 2.0 Summit, CEO Jim Balsillie notoriously attacked apps, saying "you don't need an app for the Web…you don't need to go through some kind of control point…The Web needs a platform that allows you to use your existing Web content, not apps." Perhaps there's been some reconsideration, and RIM isn't willing to take any chances on losing consumer interest with the PlayBook.

How successful this move is probably depends on RIM's developers. If they are able to allow the PlayBook to seamlessly run Android's 130,000 plus apps, it would be a huge coup for the tablet. Pairing BlackBerry's corporate reputation and security features with a wide selection of apps could be the missing link to a successful launch. According to insiders, the software should be ready in the second half of the year.

Before decided to keep the project in-house, RIM considered and rejected Dalvick, Google's Java software that's used to run Android apps. Reasons most likely stem from infringement claims between Google and Oracle, sources said.

Ebay points to PayPal momentum, pledges innovation (Reuters)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 04:27 PM PST

By Alexandria Sage Alexandria Sage – Thu Feb 10, 7:27 pm ET

SAN JOSE, California (Reuters) – EBay Inc thrust its PayPal business into the limelight on Thursday, saying the online payments unit would surpass its main marketplaces division within three to five years as executives cast the Web company as an innovator.

Shares of eBay, which over the past two years has sought to shed an image of an Internet has-been, jumped nearly 8 percent during an investor meeting at eBay's San Jose, California headquarters, after executives said PayPal revenue could double by 2013.

"PayPal is the star of the company and people we talk to are investing in eBay for the PayPal aspect," said BGC Partners analyst Colin Gillis.

Although eBay has pointed to PayPal as its prime growth driver in recent years -- fueled by more new consumers and businesses adopting the service and using it more frequently -- questions about competition and the regulatory environment for payment processors are still a concern among investors.

At the same time, many investors remain underwhelmed by the more familiar marketplaces unit, a high-margin unit that connects online buyers and sellers but is largely mature.

Executives sought to allay those concerns on Thursday, focusing on innovation and eBay's position at the forefront of shopping and payments.

Those efforts would send adjusted earnings per share up between 10 percent and 14 percent by 2013 on total revenue of $13 billion to $15 billion, the company said.

Chief Executive John Donahoe said eBay was at an "inflection point" in e-commerce that the company would exploit, as consumers use smartphones -- a "store in their pocket" -- to shop and pay in one go.

"This shift is creating new global opportunities for our company," said Donahoe. "We are driving the next generation of e-commerce."

UBS analyst Brian Pitz said eBay's financial targets for 2013 exceeded Wall Street expectations.

"There are more bears than bulls and the guys that are negative will have to raise their numbers," Pitz said.

"They sound good, they're excited and they're making progress," he said of the company.

EBay was the pioneer of the Web auction during the dotcom boom, but the novelty of its marketplaces business eventually waned and growth faltered.

But due to ongoing improvements in search technology and trust and safety that has made shopping in eBay marketplaces easier and more secure, that unit is set to grow into a $7 billion to $8 billion business by 2013 from $5.7 billion in 2010. Operating margins will be 38 percent to 42 percent, executives said, compared with 40 percent in 2010.

At PayPal, revenue is expected to reach $6 billion to $7 billion by 2013, PayPal President Scott Thompson said, from $3.4 billion in 2010. PayPal revenue rose by 23 percent from 2009 to 2010.

Operating margins in PayPal will rise to 24 percent to 26 percent by 2013, up from 21 percent in 2010, Thompson said.

MOBILE OFFENSE

Despite the promise of continued growth at PayPal, eBay investors are anxious to feel reassured that marketplaces can still grow and be relevant in today's competitive environment -- especially as prime competitor Amazon.com, an online retailer, has enjoyed double-digit growth.

"I know the question that's on your mind: 'Can eBay compete in the U.S. market?' I believe we can," said Christopher Payne, vice president of Marketplaces North America.

EBay also has made a big gamble on mobile. Consumers can use eBay's mobile app with its scan technology to compare prices on smartphones while shopping, and use PayPal's app to make speedy purchases. At PayPal, total payment volume from mobile is expected to double to $2 billion this year, Thompson said.

Improvements, along with a strengthening economy and more consumer confidence, helped eBay post better-than-expected profit in its most recent fourth quarter when it reported results in January.

EBay shares are at about half the value of their all-time high in late 2004 despite improvements since 2009.

EBay is valued below other Silicon Valley tech giants, at 16.7 times estimated 2011 earnings. Google and Yahoo, meanwhile, are valued at 18 and 21.6 times forward-looking earnings, respectively.

EBay shares traded at $34.31 after hours on Thursday after closing at $34.49 on Nasdaq.

(Reporting by Alexandria Sage; Editing by Tim Dobbyn, Matthew Lewis and Carol Bishopric)

Hitachi Maxell Enters the Wireless iPhone Charging Arena (Mashable)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 01:15 PM PST

Charlie White Charlie White – Thu Feb 10, 4:15 pm ET

Wireless charging could soon become ubiquitous, and here's another one of the big boys jumping into the fray, Hitachi Maxell.

We tested a similar wireless charging system by Energizer, and found it to be reliable and convenient. It uses the same wireless standard as this Hitachi Maxell unit, called Qi (pronounced "chee"), now adopted by 72 companies, encompassing almost every big name in consumer electronics, well, except for Apple.

Hitachi Maxell offers a unique choice beyond the Energizer charger we tested last month, giving you either a charging station with two places to charge two separate devices at the same time, or a smaller and cheaper unit that charges a single device. However, it lacks the Energizer's extra USB port for those other cellphones and music players that, for now, remain sleeveless.

I've been testing a similar Qi wireless charging system for a while, and think its only weakness is the slightly bulky sleeve into which you must place your iPhone for it to charge wirelessly. However, if this momentum continues, in a couple of years or less, the necessary induction charging wizardry will be built into many portable devices, with no sleeves required.

According to Ubergizmo, Hitachi Maxell is not announcing prices for the double charger or its single-charging little brother yet, saying both products will be available in Japan sometime in late April, hopefully with a U.S. debut soon thereafter. To give you an idea of pricing, its competitor Energizer's inductive charging station retails for $89, and that iPhone 4 sleeve (which will work with any Qi-compliant charging station) can be found for as little as $25.

Is wireless charging worth it? It might seem dumb and lazy to dread plugging in your cellphone, but in reality this wireless charging idea feels like magic. Because of the increased likelihood of my actually using it, my phone hasn't run out of battery power since I started wireless charging.

Android might not be the best-selling OS in smartphones (Appolicious)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 11:27 AM PST

Nokia to call on Microsoft tech (Investor's Business Daily)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 03:46 PM PST

– Thu Feb 10, 6:46 pm ET

The pair will likely announce that the No. 1 cell phone maker will put Microsoft (NMS:MSFT) mobile software in its phones, Bloomberg said. The move is seen as a bet that together they can take on Apple's (NMS:AAPL) iPhone and smart phones using Google's (NMS:GOOG) Android software. Nokia (NYSE:NOK - News) has lost share to its rivals, and the report said Nokia CEO Stephen Elop will unveil the new strategy on Fri. Nokia fell 7.3% to 10.88.

Cisco's Consumer Business Chief Resigns (PC World)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 06:20 PM PST

Stephen Lawson Stephen Lawson – Thu Feb 10, 9:20 pm ET

The head of Cisco Systems' consumer products business is leaving the company less than two years after he arrived with the acquisition of Flip camcorder maker Pure Digital Technologies.

Jonathan Kaplan was chairman and CEO of Pure Digital when Cisco bought the startup in March 2009 for US$590 million in stock. He became senior vice president and general manager of Cisco Consumer Products, which encompasses the company's Linksys home networking products in addition to the Flip camcorders. Cisco also has a consumer version of its TelePresence high-quality videoconferencing system, called Umi.

Kaplan is now moving on, "to pursue other career opportunities," according to a post that appeared Thursday on an official Cisco blog. The Consumer Business Group will now report to Marthin De Beer, who also heads Cisco's TelePresence high-quality videoconferencing unit and its Emerging Technologies business, which looks for new markets for Cisco to enter. Putting De Beer in charge will help to consolidate consumer business organizations, Cisco said.

At the time of its acquisition, Pure Digital was a fast-growing company that had popularized a new type of device, a small camcorder designed to make it easy to shoot, upload and edit videos and then post them to websites such as YouTube. Cisco has promoted the device as a tool for business users to record video messages, in addition to its consumer messages, and has said personal-care giant Procter & Gamble uses it.

Though the Flip was a departure for Cisco, as an inexpensive, cutting-edge consumer product, it did fit in with the company's focus on video products. Like TelePresence and Cisco's Videoscape architecture, which was announced at the International Consumer Electronics Show last month, the Flip has the potential to drive a lot of video onto IP (Internet Protocol) networks, which could boost demand for Cisco's traditional routers and switches.

Stephen Lawson covers mobile, storage and networking technologies for The IDG News Service. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @sdlawsonmedia. Stephen's e-mail address is stephen_lawson@idg.com

Verizon iPhone launch greeted by shorter lines (Reuters)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 05:08 PM PST

By Sinead Carew and Gabriel Madway Sinead Carew And Gabriel Madway – Thu Feb 10, 8:08 pm ET

NEW YORK/SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) – Verizon Wireless' new iPhone drew sparse crowds on Thursday, a far cry from the mania that usually surrounds a nationwide Apple Inc (AAPL.O) product debut.

The No. 1 U.S. wireless carrier had prepared for a huge turnout for its kick-off of store sales of the iPhone, but it still had supplies in stock by the afternoon.

The new phone ends more than three years of U.S. exclusivity on the device enjoyed by No. 2 phone company AT&T Inc (T.N). Many iPhone customers had complained about AT&T's network, citing dropped calls and slow download speeds.

Verizon had said it was preparing for unprecedented demand even after a day of online sales last week. Analysts see the new phone boosting both Apple and Verizon revenue.

Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N) and Vodafone Group Plc (VOD.L), will charge $199.99 for the 16-gigabyte iPhone, with a two-year wireless plan.

The carrier had prepared for long lines by outfitting stores with metal barricades and putting plenty of employees inside. But in New York and San Francisco, the crowds in front of Verizon and Apple retail stores numbered 10 to 20 people, much smaller than the mobs that snaked around Apple stores during the summer launch of iPhone 4.

"We prepared for more," Verizon Wireless spokeswoman Brenda Raney said. "When you have people over for dinner, don't you prepare for more?"

Raney described sales as "brisk and steady" and noted that the device had already been on sale online for two days -- on February 3, which was reserved for existing customers, and Feb 9.

But AT&T and Apple saw much bigger lines last summer after they too had also allowed preorders for the new iPhone.

In New York, where temperatures were well below freezing, lines of about 10 to 40 people waited outside Verizon locations. In San Francisco, where the weather was much milder, only about 20 people were lined up outside the Verizon store on Market Street at 6:30 a.m.

"I came around the corner expecting to see a big line and there was nothing," said Bruce Burbach, 48, who was first in line at 4 a.m.

Burbach is switching to Verizon from AT&T, because "the service, we hate it."

Analysts took note of the smaller crowds.

"It is cold out but it's a surprise that there's not many people showing up for the launch," said BTIG analyst Walter Piecyk, who had visited stores across New York. "They had Verizon store clerks prepared for the masses and the masses just weren't there."

Jim Liu, 25, was sixth in line an hour before doors opened at 7 a.m. at the Verizon Wireless store in Bryant Park, New York. Liu joined eight others on a line that started at 3 a.m.

"I have the AT&T iPhone 4 but I've really had it with the service," he said. Liu was wearing a red woolly hat that Verizon handed out along with handwarmers to help customers fend off the cold as they waited for the store to open.

Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said in a CNBC interview Thursday evening that selling 11 million iPhone this year was "very doable.

He said lines were short on Thursday because frigid weather discouraged consumers from standing outside in markets such as New York. Shammo said the company was beginning to run out of iPhones in stores in warmer-weather markets.

Some analysts believe Verizon could sell 13 million iPhones this year, providing roughly $8 billion in revenue for Apple.

Analysts say there is three years' worth of pent-up demand for the device among Verizon customers who did not want to switch carriers, as well as among disgruntled AT&T customers.

While hefty iPhone subsidies are expected to hurt Verizon Wireless profits, UBS analyst John Hodulik sees the device helping the company to nearly double its revenue growth rate by the fourth quarter of this year, to 10.7 percent.

THE DOORS OPEN

Verizon is selling a version of the iPhone 4 that is compatible with its network. Apple already launched a version of the same model for AT&T's network more than seven months ago. Apple stores were inundated by customers on launch day last June and many sold out of the device.

"I don't think the investment community was expecting a huge blow out line of first day sales. It's not a new device," said Mizuho Securities USA analyst Michael Nelson. "Most of the existing customers have had the chance to preorder the phone."

Verizon shares closed off 26 cents or 0.7 percent on New York Stock Exchange, where AT&T shares rose 27 cents or almost 1 percent.

Verizon began selling the device to existing customers a week ago, but cut off sales after 17 hours as the inventory it had set aside ran out. The company said it had beat its previous launch-day phone sales record that day in a mere two hours.

Apple sold 16.2 million iPhones in its most recent quarter, generating more than $10 billion in sales. The smartphone is available in 90 countries on 185 carriers.

(Additional reporting by Liana B. Baker in New York; Editing

by Kenneth Li, Derek Caney, Bernard Orr and David Gregoro)

Canonical Opens Up Catalog of Linux-Friendly Components (PC World)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 04:10 PM PST

Katherine Noyes Katherine Noyes – Thu Feb 10, 7:10 pm ET

Though hardware compatibility with Linux improves with each passing day, users of the free and open source operating system can still encounter problems with particular devices and components.

Aiming to help both manufacturers and users steer clear of any such remaining headaches, Canonical on Thursday opened up to the public its vast database of components that are certified to work with Linux in general and its own Ubuntu distribution in particular. "There has not been a comprehensive, up-to-date, freely available catalog like this for a long time," said Victor Palau, Canonical's platform services manager. "By making this open and easily searchable, we want to speed the component selection for Ubuntu machines, and allow us and our partner manufacturers to focus on the value-added user experience."

1300 Certified Components

Available on the Ubuntu site, the catalog builds on the work already done by the Ubuntu project to list certified machines across the range of active releases of Ubuntu. More than 1300 certified components from 161 manufacturers are now listed by brand and by category, making the catalog the largest list of Linux-compatible components available, Canonical says.

Listed for chip maker Broadcom, for example--notable in particular for the long-awaited open source driver it released last fall--are numerous controllers and other components, including those supported by the new brcm80211 driver. Also listed for each is which particular Ubuntu versions are supported.

Canonical's move is an exciting one for several reasons, all of which will benefit Linux users.

Benefits for All

First, having such compatibility information readily available in one spot promises to make it quicker and easier for manufacturers of Ubuntu or Linux machines to design and get their products to market. That, in turn, will mean more hardware choices for Linux users sooner rather than later. Companies in the PC and server industries will also have a single place in which to publicize their work in certifying Linux components and make that knowledge freely available.

Business and individual users, meanwhile, can both be sure that the key components in machines they're considering will work with the Linux distribution they like. Last but not least, corporate buyers can specify with greater precision the exact design of the desktops or servers they want to order from manufacturers, sure in the knowledge of a compatible result.

It's a win-win all around, in short, and yet another step toward a fully Linux-compatible world.

Follow Katherine Noyes on Twitter: @Noyesk.

Teradata tops, sees strong '11 (Investor's Business Daily)

Posted: 10 Feb 2011 03:47 PM PST

– Thu Feb 10, 6:47 pm ET

The business data storage company said Q4 earnings rose 10% to 53 cents a share, beating estimates by 3 cents. Sales rose 10% to $548 mil, above views. Teradata (NYSE:TDC - News) sees '11 EPS of $2.10-$2.20, above views. Since NCR spun it off in '07, the data warehousing firm has reinvented itself, investing more in product design and marketing. Still, it faces tough competition from Oracle (NMS:ORCL) and IBM (NYSE:IBM - News).
at 9:44 PM

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