Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

AT&T Navigator 1.5i Hits the iPhone Categories:   Maps & GPS, Mobile Apps Tags:   AT&T, GPS, iPhone apps, navigation

TeleNav has unveiled AT&T Navigator 1.5i for the iPhone. The latest revision to the popular turn-by-turn GPS app includes road speed limit signs, speed limit alerts, and improved route avoidance options that account for high occupancy vehicle (HOV) lanes and toll roads. The app also finally includes a nighttime map mode, an improved pedestrian mode, and the ability to return to the origin of the last trip taken via the Recent Places Menu. Finally, AT&T Navigator 1.5i includes Shake-to-Go, which lets users shake the iPhone in order to instantly cue up a route back home. I've been testing 1.5i over the weekend. So far it has crashed a couple of times, but the speed limit indicators were accurate across an 80 mile round trip, and the nighttime mode looked sharp. I also noticed something odd with both AT&T Navigator 1.5i and the TomTom app: both of them continually lost position in eastern Massachusetts (near Boston), to the point where they were unusable, on my own iPhone 3GS. Both of these apps were quite accurate during my PCMag.com reviews last summer (on a different, loaner iPhone 3G). I'm currently investigating the issue.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

A new SAP management team will focus on restoring trust inside and outside of the enterprise application software company that was lost over the past couple of years as a result of business polices that resulted in discontent among SAP employees as well as customers, Hasso Plattner, chairman of the company’s Supervisory Board. 

Plattner said making SAP a “happy company again” was a key objective after company on Feb. 7 named co-CEOs, Bill McDermott, head of SAP’s field organization and Jim Hagermann Snabe, head of product development to replace the former sole CEO Leo Apotheker, who resigned over the weekend. Apotheker resigned after he and the SAP Supervisory Board “reached a mutual agreement” not to extend his contract as CEO and as a member of the SAP Executive Board. 

Plattner emphasized that there “was no difference of opinion between Leo and myself on strategy” and claims to the contrary are false. But Plattner indicated that the Supervisory Board decided that something needed to be done to get SAP back on a path to solid growth. Apotheker’s resignation came barely a week after Germany-based SAP announced a 12 percent non-GAAP decrease in operating income for the full year 2009, while total non-GAAP revenue for the period declined 9 percent. 

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

Energized by the debut of the Apple iPad, the global tablet market is poised to move some 50 million units in 2014, according to a new report from In-Stat.

Released Monday, the research firm said the boost to the niche tablet segment also spells significant opportunities to component manufacturers.

Pointing to the iPad as an example, In-Stat said the success of Apple's device would help inject an additional US$4.1 billion into the semiconductor industry in 2014.

In an earlier report, IDC analyst Richard Shim estimated that Apple would sell 4 million to 5 million iPad devices this year, compared to a forecasted 1.3 million tablet PCs running Microsoft Windows. Of these tablet PCs, 170,000 will be slates; the majority are expected to be convertible laptops that have touchscreens and keyboards.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

Did Verizon block access to the Web's most infamous message board? 4chan thinks so. Christopher Poole, founder of the site that brought the world rickrolling, claims that Verizon has been "explicitly blocking" access to 4chan.

"Over the past 72 hours, we've been receiving reports from Verizon Wireless customers having difficulty accessing the image boards," Poole wrote. "After investigating, we found that Verizon is dropping traffic... only on port 80 (HTTP). No other subdomain/IP/port is affected, which leads us to believe this block is intentional."

Verizon over the weekend told Read Write Web that, while it was being bombarded with calls about the issue, it could neither confirm or deny that it had intentionally blocked the access to the site.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

Apple announced that it would prevent third-party iPhone developers using its Core Location framework from designing apps that deliver targeted ads to iPhone users. Normally, the Core Location framework is used to build apps that leverage the user’s location, such as ones that locate restaurants or other nearby points of interest. Apple's reported attempt to purchase mobile display specialist AdMob in 2009 suggests that the company could be exploring ways to port advertising on its mobile devices, although that rumored maneuver could have also been part of the escalating battle between Apple and Google over the smartphone space.

Apple announced on Feb. 3 that it will prevent third-party iPhone developers from leveraging the popular smartphone’s GPS to display mobile advertising. In a news item on its developer site, Apple announced that it has placed particular feature restrictions on its Core Location framework, which allows developers to build applications that geo-locate users and deliver information to them there.

The framework can be used for apps that pinpoint nearest restaurants and other points of interest, for example, or to deliver local weather. But Apple also wants to prevent that technology from being used to create location-based mobile advertising.

“If you build your application with features based on a user’s location, make sure these features provide beneficial information,” reads the posting on Apple’s developer site. “If your app uses location-based information primarily to enable mobile advertisers to deliver targeted ads based on a user’s location, your app will be returned to you by the App Store Review Team for modification before it can be posted to the App Store.”

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

NASA officials gave a thumbs up Feb. 5 for the Feb. 7 launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, which is currently set for a 4:39 a.m. liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

NASA officials gave a thumbs up Feb. 5 for the Feb. 7 launch of the space shuttle Endeavour, which is currently set for a 4:39 a.m. liftoff from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. As things currently stand at NASA the mission to the ISS (International Space Station) is the first of five last missions for the shuttle mission.

Five shuttle missions are planned in 2010, with the last flight currently targeted for launch in September. After that, the fleet goes into mothballs as NASA determines in what direction the future of U.S. manned spaceflight is headed.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

Apple has a fairly infamous track record when it comes to the language it allows in its App Store. Words like "boobs" and "booty" are out. Now "Android" is apparently the latest in a long line of deadly words. According to one developer, Apple has requested that the name of Google's mobile operating system be removed for an app description.

The original preview for Tim Novikof''s Flash of Genius SAT flashcard app mentioned that it had been a "finalist in Google's Android Developer's [sic] Challenge."

So, what's the problem here? Does Apple think that people might be confused by the mere mention of Android? Nope, Apple's request simply stated that "providing future platform compatibility plans or other general platform references are not relevant in the context of the iPhone App Store."

App Store rule number one: don't talk about anyone but the App Store.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

As we reported earlier, Facebook today rolled out a revamped homepage, providing new icons for notifications and extending the left-hand bar. The update is still rolling out to the majority of Facebook members, but a PCMag staffer who got the latest upgrade took a few screen shots of the new features for us.

Screen shots and more details after the jump.

The old Facebook include links to the News Feed, status updates, photos, links, and any of the friend groupings created by the user. The update streamlines that a bit, placing your photo and the option to view your profile on the left-hand bar, with links to the News Feed, messages, events, photos, and friends underneath.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

T-Mobile USA could be spun off or sold as an IPO from parent company Deutsche Telekom, according to reports. T-Mobile currently ranks fourth in the United States, behind Verizon, AT&T and Sprint. Although T-Mobile recently upgraded its 3G network and introduced a selection of high-profile smartphones, service issues involving Google's Nexus One and the Sidekick mobile device have left any number of customers vocally unsatisfied.

T-Mobile USA may be sold or spun off from its parent company, Deutsche Telekom, according to reports.

A Feb. 4 report in The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, said Deutsche Telekom was feeling out potential underwriters preparatory to divesting itself of the struggling unit, which ranks behind Verizon, AT&T and Sprint in the United States. One logical scenario for an IPO (initial public offering), according to the Journal, would involve selling 20 percent of T-Mobile to another company.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

The FBI is pressing Internet service providers to record which Web sites customers visit and retain those logs for two years, a requirement that law enforcement believes could help it in investigations of child pornography and other serious crimes.

FBI Director Robert Mueller supports storing Internet users' "origin and destination information," a bureau attorney said at a federal task force meeting on Thursday.

As far back as a 2006 speech, Mueller had called for data retention on the part of Internet providers, and emphasized the point two years later when explicitly asking Congress to enact a law making it mandatory. But it had not been clear before that the FBI was asking companies to begin to keep logs of what Web sites are visited, which few if any currently do.

The FBI is not alone in renewing its push for data retention. A CNET News survey of state computer crime investigators found them to be nearly unanimous in supporting the idea. Matt Dunn, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent in the Department of Homeland Security, also expressed support for the idea during the task force meeting.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

The latest provider to offer Apple’s iPhone in the U.K. wants the iPad.

Vodafone chief executive Vittorio Colao said he was “very interested” in the iPad, which will be available in the U.K. in late March for the Wi-Fi model, and April for the Wi-Fi and 3G option.

“I have not, personally, touched one but I really look forward to it. I believe it is going to be another important piece of the - mobile - data experience. I think anything that improves the customer experience with mobile data is welcome and as such I would be very interested in having it,” Colao said.

The company have likely set a good precedent to offer the iPad in the U.K. Vodafone started selling the iPhone last month, with over 100,000 sales notched up in just over a week.

On Thursday, Vodafone reported that revenue from data services exceeded £1 billion (US$1.58 billion) for the first time during the last three months of 2010, but that only partially helped offset lower voice revenue.

Vodafone reported revenue of £11.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of 10.3 percent, for its fiscal third quarter, which ended 30 December. However, organic growth—which excludes favorable exchange rates, for example—was down 2 percent, according to Vodafone. The telecoms company does not report profit on a quarterly basis.

Apple has yet to announce partners for the iPad in the U.K. and notes in the small print: “International carrier availability to be announced. 3G data plan may be sold separately.”

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

The news has everyone speculating that a color touch screen could be coming soon to the Kindle. Before you jump on that current wave, though, keep in mind that Touchco had yet to ship anything. So, perhaps Amazon is just trying to guarantee that it could be competitive if needed, or maybe the company is indeed preparing to go touch? According to the articles I’ve read, Touchco barely had six employees. This screams research to me, and since Touchco will now join the Kindle hardware group, I would expect that it’s going to be research for a while still.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

Barracuda offers businesses the NG Firewall line of hardware and virtual appliances designed to protect enterprise network infrastructure, improve site-to-site connectivity and simplify administration of network operations.

Security, storage and networking solutions specialist Barracuda Networks Inc. announced the launch of the Barracuda NG Firewall. The Barracuda NG Firewall is a line of virtual and hardware appliances designed to protect enterprise network infrastructure, improve site-to-site connectivity and simplify administration of network operations. This product launch is the first since Barracuda Networks' acquisition of phion AG, a firewall provider based in Austria, in September 2009. The NG Firewall is offered in seven hardware models ranging from small branch office to large enterprises and datacenters as well as a corresponding offering of virtual appliances. U.S. prices range from $599 to $40,000

The Barracuda NG Firewall combines Web and email filtering, intrusion prevention, Layer 7 application profiling, and network access control into a platform that can be centrally managed, across all enterprise network locations, including remote, home and branch offices, as well as regional headquarters and datacenters. Administrators can control application-level routing and prioritization of traffic across multiple links, tunnels and traffic conditions. To back up WAN connections, Barracuda NG Firewall appliances support a variety of links via most including T1/T3, DSL, ISDN, and 3G wireless mobile data standards. In the event of a WAN link loss VPN traffic is automatically reprioritized over the remaining WAN links. Barracuda NG Firewall appliances support the traditional IPSec protocol for cross vendor compatibility.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

It is not uncommon for Microsoft to launch a "technology guarantee" program ahead of a new version of Office or Windows, offering buyers of a product late in one cycle an upgrade to the new version once it comes out. So it's not a shocker that Microsoft has one planned for Office 2010.

That said, Microsoft wasn't quite ready to tell the world about the program. Nonetheless, an employee briefly posted details of the planned upgrade offer on a blog. It was quickly pulled down, but the cat is out of the bag. (The post also lives on in a Google-cached version, as noted by Ars Technica.)

According to the now-removed posting, the program will kick off March 5, meaning people who purchase Office 2007 between March 5 and September 30 can get a free upgrade to a comparable version of Office 2010. Users will be able to download Office 2010 as soon as it is made broadly available. Customers can also order a DVD, for a small fee.

Buyers get one copy of Office 2010 for each eligible copy of Office 2007 they buy, with a limit of 25 free upgrades per person.

Link: http://news.ecombizcenter.com

Microsoft is planning to fix 26 vulnerabilities for February's Patch Tuesday. Most of the vulnerabilities are related to Windows.

Microsoft is planning to release 13 security bulletins Feb. 9 as part of this month's Patch Tuesday.

Five of the 13 bulletins are rated critical, seven are rated important and one is rated moderate. All but two of the bulletins address security issues in Windows, with the other two dealing with issues in Microsoft Office. All told, the updates address 26 vulnerabilities.