Hackers rumored to have cracked Windows 7 activation (CNet)

Microsoft only just released final code for Windows 7 to manufacturers and the company is already facing a security risk. The Windows Genuine Advantage antipiracy system in the Windows 7 Ultimate release to manufacturers (RTM) has reportedly been compromised by some Chinese hackers, according to a variety of Chinese forums, and first reported by Neowin.com. This means the user can fully activate the software offline without connecting to Microsoft's activation server.

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How to use electrical outlets and cheap lasers to steal data (Network World)

If attackers intent on data theft can tap into an electrical socket near a computer or if they can draw a bead on the machine with a laser, they can steal whatever is being typed into it. How to execute these attacks will be demonstrated at the Black Hat USA 2009 security conference in Las Vegas later this month by Andrea Barisani and Daniele Bianco, a pair of researchers for network security consultancy Inverse Path. The equipment to carry out the power-line attack could cost as little as $500, and the laser attack gear costs about $100 if the attacker already owns a laptop with a sound card, says Barisani. Carrying out the attacks took about a week, he says.

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Online buyers confused over security, research shows (ComputerWorld HK)

People are increasingly dependent on e-commerce sites, but they do not have a good understanding of online security. That is the key verdict of new research, which found 70 percent of online buyers blame themselves for security problems, but keep on buying. Under a quarter blamed the website or technology for security issues, according to the report 'Online security: a human perspective', commissioned by Oracle and conducted by consultancy Foviance. Some 550 people were interviewed. The report highlighted issues over consumers' understanding of security, stating that perceptions were "press-led". They had "no desire" to learn more about IT security, and unrealistic expectations about their rights if their security is compromised, it said.

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Google Image search gets usage rights filter (ZDNet Asia)

In an effort to keep people from incorrectly reusing or repurposing images found on its image search tool, Google has added new options that let users filter results by usage rights. Users can now filter photos by whether they're available for reuse, commercial reuse, reuse with modification, or commercial use with modification. Its system for determining the rights on various shots is not foolproof though, and as such the company is recommending that those who are interested in republishing or reworking any of the images check with the content owner first (if possible).

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Firefox 3.5 and the potential of Web typography (CNet)

In addition to new features such as support for HTML 5, geo-location, and a noticeably faster engine, Firefox 3.5 added a new CSS rule that makes Web typography much more attractive. @font-face is a CSS rule that allows Web designers to reference fonts not installed on end-user machines. Just as you would have a pointer to a server-based stylesheet or JavaScript file in your Web page code, you can now make reference to a hosted typeface.

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How much did Michael Jackson rock the web? (New York Times)

As news of Michael Jackson’s death began to spread last Thursday, the crush of people flocking to the Web for information overloaded several Web sites and services, causing AOL’s instant messaging service, news sites, Twitter and Wikipedia to buckle under the strain. But just how much traffic are we talking about? Compete, a Web analytics firm based in Boston, crunched some numbers and came up with a few data points to help illustrate the surge.

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Microsoft opens mega data center in Dublin (ZDNet Asia)

Microsoft launched a new data center in Dublin, describing it as the largest it has built outside the United States. The site is what Microsoft calls a "mega data center", a class the company has constructed previously only in the United States. The company plans to open another mega data center in Chicago on Jul. 20, it said in a blog post. The Chicago facility covers more than 700,000 square feet, with 30 megawatts of power initially available, expandable up to 60 megawatts, Josefsberg said. Two-thirds of the facility is intended to house containerized servers--shipping containers full of servers that can be cooled more efficiently than a conventional building.

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Bing's first month produces small share gain (CNET)

Bing took a baby step up the search engine ladder in its first month on the Internet. Microsoft's share of the search market increased from 7.81 percent prior to the launch of Bing to 8.23 percent for the month of June, according to data from Statcounter picked up by Reuters. Bing got a noticeable bounce during the first few weeks of June, but settled back after the novelty wore off. Google's share dropped ever so slightly, from a dominant 78.72 percent of the search market in May to a perilously shaky 78.48 percent of the market in June. Statcounter was a lone voice suggesting that Bing surpassed Yahoo during its first week of existence, but now reports that Yahoo actually gained share during June in maintaining its second-place position, up from 10.99 percent in May to 11.04 percent in June.

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Google Toolbar for IE speaks your language (ZDNet Asia)

Google Toolbar for Internet Explorer has now introduced revamped translation tools, giving users one-click powers of conversion over many languages. The toolbar now detects the user's default language setting, and using the Translate button will attempt to convert the page to it. Forty-one languages are supported so far, from Spanish, French, Italian, and German to Chinese, Japanese, Hebrew, Hindi, Ukranian and Vietnamese.

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Can the Internet handle big breaking news? (ZDNet Asia)

It's quite obvious at this point that the Internet has muscled its way into the lives of anyone who needs information. And Michael Jackson's death Thursday had as great an impact on the Internet as anything in the history of the medium that didn't involve the World Trade Center. The statistics are amazing: Akamai said worldwide Internet traffic was 11 percent higher than normal during the peak hours between 3 p.m. PDT and 4 p.m., when news of Jackson's death was breaking. That traffic forced even Google to its knees for a brief period of time Thursday afternoon. Can a system that has trouble keeping up with ever-increasing demand for its services be considered a reliable source of information when a true crisis emerges?

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Android gets voice search in Google Maps

Google has updated the version of Google Maps found on its Linux-based Android software platform to include voice search, along with a bug fix and a new feature. The new version of Google Maps, available for download via the Android Market, understands English voice searches in American, Australian and British accents. Transit and walking directions have also been added to the software with public-transport directions available for more than 250 cities, including New York and San Francisco.

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Just click for a century of news (BBC News)

The British Library has put two million digitised pages from 19th century newspapers online, taking research out of its dusty reading rooms into people's homes. The pay-as-you-go service brings a century of history alive from Jack the Ripper to WG Grace. So what was in the news on this day exactly 200 years ago? The Examiner from Sunday, 18 June 1809, carries the story of a boatman who had shown "signs of mental derangement". The same paper has a detailed account of the latest developments in the Napoleonic Wars between France, Britain and other European nations.

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Intel, AMD take battle to ultra-thin laptops (ITNews)

Laptops an inch thick that multitask and edit multimedia content, but cost only USD500? Intel and AMD are betting they aren't too good to be true. The world's thinnest laptops, usually the province of executives and the well-heeled, may this year go mainstream thanks to cheaper but still-powerful processors from the two major chip firms. The flip side? If the less-pricey ultra-thin form takes off, it may eat into revenue and profit for Intel's and AMD's blazing-fast high-end processors, analysts say. Most people would never need the unbridled processing power that advanced, larger processors offer, they say.

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Google to highlight Web's need for speed (Cnet)

Few would disagree that faster is better when it comes to the Web, and Google wants to get Web publishers hooked on speed. Webmasters looking for ways to speed up page loading times will have a host of tips and tricks to peruse later Tuesday when Google launches a new Web site designed to emphasize the importance of speed on the Web, said Richard Rabbat, a product manager at Google. Google has already spent a great deal of time over the last year or so evangelizing technologies such as HTML 5 and JavaScript, pointing toward those improvements as a way of making the Web faster and more enjoyable. Now the company wants to share some of what it's learned with the outside world.

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Faster SD cards could read devices next year (ComputerWorld HK)

Memory cards based on a new specification will boost storage of consumer electronics to as much as 2TB, the SD Association said recently. Secure Digital memory cards based on the new SDXC (extended capacity) specification could be out as early as next year with a capacity of 64GB, with 2TB available at some future point, said Kevin Schader, director of communications at the SDA. The SDXC specification was announced in January, but the SDA couldn't then provide a time frame for the release of products. The specification was released to SDA member companies in April, Schader said.

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OLPC Software To Power Aging PCs (BBC News)

Software originally developed for the One Laptop per Child (OLPC) project can now be used on any old PC. Sugar on a stick, as it is known, can be run from a USB drive to give aging PCs a new interface and access to collaborative educational software. The software, designed for use by children, was launched at the LinuxTag conference in Berlin. The interface emphasises collaborative learning, allowing children to share material between different machines. For example, they can write documents or make music together. It includes 40 programs, including a word processor, drawing application and games. The software can be downloaded for free from the Sugar Labs website.

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