Mozilla's Firefox 4 bags 1M downloads in 3 hours

New open-source browser off to strong start

By Gregg Keizer

March 22, 2011 01:14 PM ET

Computerworld - Firefox 4 got off to a strong start today, with 1 million copies of the new browser downloaded in the first three hours.

If it keeps up the early pace, Firefox 4 will easily beat Microsoft's claim that users downloaded 2.4 million copies of its Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) in the first 24 hours of availability last week.

Users of Firefox 3.5 and 3.6 will see this Firefox 4 upgrade offer after selecting "Check for updates" from the browser's Help menu.

Although Firefox 4's out-of-the-gate download tally was impressive, Mozilla executive Mike Beltzner said that it was behind the launch numbers of Firefox 3.6, which shipped in January 2010. During the first three hours, downloads averaged between 5,000 and 6,000 copies per minute, less than half the 12,000-per-minute pace of the previous version.

At around 9 a.m. PT Beltzner noted that it was just the start of the day on the west coast of the U.S., and noon on the east. He encouraged users to hit Mozilla's download servers.

"What better way to spend your break than by downloading Firefox 4," said Beltzner during a live Webcast hosted by Mozilla.

Mozilla has posted a real-time download calculator on its site.

When the new browser reached one million downloads, Mozilla developers and employees rang cowbells, cheered, and watched as someone dressed in a Firefox mascot costume danced around the room.

Tuesday's release marked the end of more than a year of development by Mozilla, which issued the first "alpha" edition of the browser in February 2010. Firefox 4 was originally scheduled to ship last November, but bugs and other delays forced it to announce in October that it would instead wrap up development early this year.

The code designated as final today was identical to Firefox 4 Release Candidate 2 (RC2), a last-minute update that Mozilla issued last Friday.

Mozilla's Firefox 4 was the second major upgrade shipped by browser makers in just over a week. On March 14, Microsoft launched the final version of Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).

Firefox 4 features a new tab manager, dubbed "Panorama," boasts an overhauled interface that resembles Chrome's minimalist design, and supports GPU acceleration to boost page composition speeds.

Hardware acceleration has become a point of contention between Mozilla and Microsoft. The latter has touted IE9 as the only browser to "fully hardware accelerate the entire Web platform," while Mozilla has criticized its rival for abandoning Windows XP users. IE9 runs only on Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Microsoft today again defended that decision.

"The developer community has been vocal that they want to push the Web forward," a Microsoft spokesman said in an e-mail. "The browser is only as good as the operating system it runs on and a browser running on a ten-year-old operating system tethers the Web to the past. The time has come to stop focusing on lowest common denominator, and to really push what's possible with innovations like full hardware acceleration."

Some Mozilla developers have used stronger words to describe Microsoft's argument that IE9 is the best browser on Windows.

"Microsoft's message that IE9 is the apex of what a browser can do with the GPU is nonsense," said Robert O'Callahan, a New Zealand employee of Novell who works full time on Mozilla's graphics infrastructure. In a post to his personal blog, O'Callahan said, "Microsoft's PR about 'full hardware acceleration' is a myth."

Mozilla technology evangelist Asa Dotzler was even more blunt. "Microsoft, stop making bull**** claims about hardware acceleration," Dotzler titled a post to his personal blog two weeks ago.

Users can download Firefox 4 for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux from Mozilla's site.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com.

Mozilla's Firefox 4 bags 1M downloads in 3 hours

New open-source browser off to strong start

By Gregg Keizer

March 22, 2011 01:14 PM ET

Computerworld - Firefox 4 got off to a strong start today, with 1 million copies of the new browser downloaded in the first three hours.

If it keeps up the early pace, Firefox 4 will easily beat Microsoft's claim that users downloaded 2.4 million copies of its Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) in the first 24 hours of availability last week.

Users of Firefox 3.5 and 3.6 will see this Firefox 4 upgrade offer after selecting "Check for updates" from the browser's Help menu.

Although Firefox 4's out-of-the-gate download tally was impressive, Mozilla executive Mike Beltzner said that it was behind the launch numbers of Firefox 3.6, which shipped in January 2010. During the first three hours, downloads averaged between 5,000 and 6,000 copies per minute, less than half the 12,000-per-minute pace of the previous version.

At around 9 a.m. PT Beltzner noted that it was just the start of the day on the west coast of the U.S., and noon on the east. He encouraged users to hit Mozilla's download servers.

"What better way to spend your break than by downloading Firefox 4," said Beltzner during a live Webcast hosted by Mozilla.

Mozilla has posted a real-time download calculator on its site.

When the new browser reached one million downloads, Mozilla developers and employees rang cowbells, cheered, and watched as someone dressed in a Firefox mascot costume danced around the room.

Tuesday's release marked the end of more than a year of development by Mozilla, which issued the first "alpha" edition of the browser in February 2010. Firefox 4 was originally scheduled to ship last November, but bugs and other delays forced it to announce in October that it would instead wrap up development early this year.

The code designated as final today was identical to Firefox 4 Release Candidate 2 (RC2), a last-minute update that Mozilla issued last Friday.

Mozilla's Firefox 4 was the second major upgrade shipped by browser makers in just over a week. On March 14, Microsoft launched the final version of Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).

Firefox 4 features a new tab manager, dubbed "Panorama," boasts an overhauled interface that resembles Chrome's minimalist design, and supports GPU acceleration to boost page composition speeds.

Hardware acceleration has become a point of contention between Mozilla and Microsoft. The latter has touted IE9 as the only browser to "fully hardware accelerate the entire Web platform," while Mozilla has criticized its rival for abandoning Windows XP users. IE9 runs only on Windows Vista and Windows 7.

Microsoft today again defended that decision.

"The developer community has been vocal that they want to push the Web forward," a Microsoft spokesman said in an e-mail. "The browser is only as good as the operating system it runs on and a browser running on a ten-year-old operating system tethers the Web to the past. The time has come to stop focusing on lowest common denominator, and to really push what's possible with innovations like full hardware acceleration."

Some Mozilla developers have used stronger words to describe Microsoft's argument that IE9 is the best browser on Windows.

"Microsoft's message that IE9 is the apex of what a browser can do with the GPU is nonsense," said Robert O'Callahan, a New Zealand employee of Novell who works full time on Mozilla's graphics infrastructure. In a post to his personal blog, O'Callahan said, "Microsoft's PR about 'full hardware acceleration' is a myth."

Mozilla technology evangelist Asa Dotzler was even more blunt. "Microsoft, stop making bull**** claims about hardware acceleration," Dotzler titled a post to his personal blog two weeks ago.

Users can download Firefox 4 for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux from Mozilla's site.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@ix.netcom.com.

Mozilla sets Firefox 4 release for Tuesday

Wraps up year-plus cycle, calls current RC suitable as final code

By Gregg Keizer

March 17, 2011 06:51 AM ET

Computerworld - Mozilla on Wednesday announced it would ship the final version of Firefox 4 on March 22.

The upgrade will be available for downloading at approximately 7:00 a.m. PT next Tuesday.

Originally scheduled to ship last November, Firefox 4 will wrap up a development cycle that started in February 2010 with several developer previews, but began in earnest last July when Mozilla released the first of what would eventually be a dozen betas.

Wednesday, Mozilla developers called the current Release Candidate, or RC build of the browser, good enough to ship as the final. Traditionally, it has run through multiple release candidates before settling on the latest as the shipping code. More than a year ago, for example, Mozilla issued two release candidates of Firefox 3.6.

"Today's triage session concluded with all systems go for a Firefox 4 launch on March 22," said Damon Sicore, Mozilla's senior director of platform engineering, in a message on a company forum.

Mozilla CEO Gary Kovacs congratulated the troops on the same forum.

"We set a goal in December, we stressed toward the goal. At times, many thought we, I, us, were crazy, or too aggressive ... but in the end, we were able to get it done in March," Kovacs said.

Firefox 4 will reach users eight days after Microsoft issued Internet Explorer 9 (IE9).

Before it began cranking out Firefox 4 betas, Mozilla had set an aggressive schedule that was to end with a final edition no later than November 2010. Last October, however, the open-source developer admitted it had underestimated several bugs, and said it was delaying the release until 2011.

Firefox 4 features a new tab manager, dubbed "Panorama," supports GPU acceleration to boost page composition speeds, and boasts an overhauled interface that resembles Chrome's and IE9's minimalist designs.

Mozilla is already prepping for the next version of Firefox. According to plans now circulating among developers, the company is considering an ambitious schedule that will ship a major upgrade every three or four months.

Firefox 4 is Mozilla's best shot at reclaiming some of the browser usage share it's lost in the last year. Recent statistics from Web analytics company Net Applications had Firefox's share at 21.7% in February, down from 24.5% 12 months before.

Anyone running Firefox 3.5 or 3.6 can grab the upgrade March 22 by selecting "Check for updates" from the Help menu. Users running Firefox 4 RC, however, won't need to download anything next week because Mozilla deemed that build identical to the final.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

Firefox follows Chrome lead, eyes faster releases

Not copying Chrome, says Mozilla exec, just wants to get features in users' hands faster

By Gregg Keizer

March 18, 2011 01:04 PM ET

Computerworld - Once Firefox 4 is out the door next week, Mozilla will likely shift to a faster development cycle for its browser, one that resembles the way Google rolls out a constant line of updates for Chrome.

But don't ask Mozilla if it's copying its rival.

"No one invented fast," said Johnathan Nightingale, director of Firefox development, when asked whether Mozilla's new faster-paced scheme was a response to Google. "We're developers, we want to get our features out there as quickly as possible."

According to a detailed proposal published earlier this week, Mozilla is considering a multi-channel scheme where new features are added to a series of versions -- nightly, experimental, beta and Firefox -- each of which feeds into the next-most-stable build until a polished edition is released.

The pace should result in a new Firefox every 16 weeks, meaning that Mozilla will ship Firefox 5 and 6, perhaps even Firefox 7, during 2011.

Google uses a similar process to continually feed features to Chrome, relying on a four-channel line of development: nightly, dev, beta and stable. The result? A new version of Chrome every six to eight weeks.

Al Hilwa, an analyst with IDC, praised Mozilla's plan. "It is great to see Mozilla looking hard at streamlining their development to achieve a faster release cycle," said Hilwa. "There are a lot of benefits to smoothing and streamlining the development process to release it from the tyranny of dates."

But Mozilla's clearly reacting to the pressure from Chrome, Hilwa added. "Chrome's development model has been a successful experiment in terms of getting production releases with improvements and new features out quickly and much faster than in the past," Hilwa said. "This is causing waves in the industry, specifically for direct competitors."

The change Firefox users would immediately notice under the faster scheme is that new features will regularly appear in the browser, rather than waiting for months while work on the next edition is completed.

"Each release happens regardless of whether a given feature is ready, and releases are not delayed to wait for a feature to stabilize," said the planning document, which was posted by Firefox developer Rob Sayre. "The goal of the process is to provide regular improvements to users without disrupting longer term work."

"'Switch to tabs' was done in September," said Nightingale, referring to a new feature that will debut in Firefox 4 when it launches next Tuesday. "That killed [the feature's developers], having to wait."

Google announced a speedier development cycle in July 2010, when a Chrome program manager explained that the change meant "if a given feature is not complete, it will simply ride on the next release train when it's ready."

Since then, Google has issued five new "stable" versions of the browser, most recently Chrome 10 last week.

Mozilla's move would be a major departure for the open-source company. Firefox 4, for example, was in development for over a year, while Firefox 3.6 took about the same amount of time to complete.

The company has experimented with delivering less ambitious, but faster upgrades before, although not with much success. In January 2010, for example, Mozilla shipped Firefox 3.6, a relatively minor update that was to be quickly followed by Firefox 3.7. However, the company ended up dropping Firefox 3.7 from the schedule, and decided instead to introduce new features in its security patch updates.

Mozilla did the latter with June 2010's Firefox 3.6.4, which shipped with a new crash protection feature, but did not use the tactic again.

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More: Browser Topic Center

To replicate Chrome's rapid release schedule, said Sayre's planning document, Firefox will need to include a "silent update" feature that automatically delivers upgrades in the background, a practice Google uses for its browser. "This proposal also requires changes to our software update behavior to make them happen more automatically in the background and interrupt the user less often," said Sayre.

Nightingale, however, denied that silent updates was a requirement for the faster pace.

In August 2010, Mozilla had listed silent updates as one of the features that would make it into Firefox 4. But later, the company yanked the feature from the browser. In an interview Wednesday, Nightingale confirmed that silent updates didn't make it into the final of Firefox 4, and said developers are still working on the tool.

"We have a lot of patches [for silent update] under way," said Nightingale.

It's unclear how Mozilla will ship Firefox security updates if it pulls the trigger on the frequent-update plan, or how long the company will support earlier editions. Currently, Mozilla frequently delivers Firefox patches: In 2010, for instance, it shipped 13 security updates for Firefox 3.6, which launched in January of that year.

Nightingale said discussions are continuing about how best to serve up security fixes for Firefox in a faster-paced development process.

Google delivers Chrome patches with the stable version of the browser, which is updated every few weeks.

Mozilla's plan hasn't been formally adopted, but Nightingale hinted it would be. "Smaller, tighter releases will motivate all of us," he said yesterday.

The company will roll out Firefox 4 next week, and if it adopts the faster schedule, will start the clock on Firefox 5 "very soon" after, said Sayre.

Firefox 5 could ship as early as mid-June, according to Mozilla's plan.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@computerworld.com.

Elgan: Why Digg failed

The Digg social bookmarking site is now so obsolete that even its founder and former CEO prefers Twitter

By Mike Elgan

March 19, 2011 08:00 AM ET

Computerworld - OK, I'm going to call it: Digg is dead.

No, the site hasn't gone dark. It still functions and has millions of users. But then so does MySpace.

I used to be a very active Digg user -- as were many of my techno-journalist-pundit type friends. Five years ago, Digg was the future of content discovery. But now I don't personally know anyone who's still an active user. We've all moved on.

Now, it turns out, even one of the site's founders and former CEOs, Kevin Rose, barely uses Digg anymore.

In a devastating analysis this week, TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington exposed Rose's Digg usage. According to Arrington, Rose uses Digg less than once every four days or so. He hasn't submitted a story in more than a month. And he went more than three weeks in December without using Digg at all.

Arrington pointed out that Rose is 26 times more active on Twitter than on Digg, having tweeted 181 times in the past month.

Arrington's numbers have been called into question by blogger Taylor Buley, who says Rose is twice as active as claimed. In other words, he's only 14 times more active on Twitter than Digg.

To me, the most telling bit in all this is that, as of this writing, the story about Rose not using Digg hasn't even made it to the front page of Digg. And Rose defended himself not on Digg but on Twitter, tweeting to Arrington that "I think you forgot we shoot a weekly podcast about digg stories. "

Even the Internet's most important conversation about Digg isn't taking place on Digg.

What went wrong? How did Digg become so unappealing that even its founder and former CEO didn't want to use it?

Digg was undemocratic

Digg always wanted to be the democratic alternative to the oligarchic media in determining which stories got the best exposure. The idea was simple. Anybody could submit a story, then anyone else could vote it up or down. The cream would rise to the top, and the great masses could have their stories selected by the crowd.

It was supposed to be a "People's Choice Awards" for news and content.

Unfortunately, the initial design was fundamentally flawed. There is no possibility of democracy when anyone can rig the elections. And that's what happened.

In Digg's heyday, you could collect friends by the boatload, then mass-mail them to up vote your stories. Anyone with a lot of friends had a much better chance at having those stories hit the front page.

Getting on the front page of Digg was everything, because the site's millions of users used to read the front page like it was the morning paper. The early movers who collected a lot of friends were able to get even more friends by getting on the front page. A Digg aristocracy emerged. Influence on Digg became a winner-take-all system, with the majority locked out of meaningful participation.

An ordinary user might post the most important story of the day on Tuesday, and get three "Diggs." But on Friday, if MrBabyMan (King of the Digg Super Users) noticed the story on Friday and posted a duplicate link, it would be on the front page with 10,000 diggs in three hours.

The super users made the front page because they had a lot of friends. They had a lot of friends because they made the front page.

Because Digg had no way to verify users, many became super users by creating dozens of accounts, then repeatedly digging their own content. Digg tried to police all this, but the system was easily gamed.

"Brigades" of users banded together to quash stories by down-voting them when they disagreed with their political opinions, or views about say, Linux or Apple products.

Digg outsourced social

Digg "solved" the super user problem by simply preventing users from messaging their friends. As alternatives, they offered up Twitter and Facebook, which was a huge error. Digg itself could have become a real social network. All it needed to do was get rid of the universal front page in favor of Twitter- and Facebook-like individual front pages, where everyone has a different front page based on who he or she is following.

Digg could have been Facebook and Twitter combined, becoming a hot social network and micro-blogging site. Instead, it outsourced social networking to these two sites, and thereby became somewhat irrelevant.

Digg content categories were crazy

Digg is about content, and content needs to be categorized. For most of its existence, Digg categorization was bizarre and heavily biased according to the founder's semi-adolescent world view. For example, "Tech" was a category. And so was "Apple." Why was one company singled out for special treatment? There were no categories for things like "Religion" or "Research," but six categories for gaming.

Digg has improved content categories by offering fewer, more general ones. But its "Media type" categories are "News," "Image" and "Video." The first isn't a media type, but a content type. For example, video can be news, Why isn't it "Text," instead of "News." And why shut out "Audio"?

Digg has always struggled with simple categorization.

Digg was anti-blog

Digg always had an inexplicable bias against blog content. In an age when CNN and the New York Times take blogs very seriously, a site like Digg should simply allow blog posts and let the users decide if they're "weighty" enough.

This is how Digg alienated the bloggers.

Digg was anti-opinion

Digg doesn't recognize the opinion concept. Let's say some news event takes place -- "Google In Talks to Acquire Glopware." A newspaper site posts a story, someone posts the link and it goes on Digg.

The next day, an editorialist writes her opinion about the merger, analyzing the benefits and risks, and coming to some conclusion about its prospects for passing regulatory hurdles. If someone were to post the opinion piece on Digg, it would often be shouted down as a duplicate story.

This is how Digg alienated the opinion columnists.

Digg was anti-how-to

Digg was originally a content site for geeks. That's why it has always been strange that the site had no category for how-to content. Why?

This is how Digg alienated the hackers, do-it-yourselfers and how-to nerds.

Digg was anti-self-promotion

The Digg community, not the company, has always had an unexplainable opposition to people posting stories they've written.

This had two effects. First, it made stories old. A self-promotional journalist might post his own story on Digg minutes after being posted online. If well-received by the Digg user community, it could rise to the front page, and generally make Digg a hot source for breaking news.

But posting your own content is a no-no on Digg, so the stories are often old and stale by the time they reach the front page. (I just checked the top story on the Digg front page, and it's three days old. Incoming stories on my Reddit and Twitter feeds are minutes old.)

The second effect of the Digg community's bias against posting one's own content is that it drove all the shameless self promoters to Twitter. That makes Twitter far more timely, and also the location where stories are actively discussed and discovered. The story about Rose's lackluster Digg usage comes to mind.

Digg was killed by 'mission creep'

Most of all, however, Digg was killed by mission creep. At first, it was a geeky site for geeky geeks to share geeky stories about gaming and technology. Then it encompassed an arbitrary selection of non-geeky subjects. Then, with recent changes, it tried to become all things to all people, and so has in fact become a confusing mess to a shrinking number of people.

Digg feels like it was designed by a committee with the purpose of pleasing investors. Digg is complex, arbitrary and uninviting.

Meanwhile, its social bookmarking rival, Reddit, has remained true to its purpose and mission.

Digg was created as an act of rebellion against the media elite. But it ended up being suffocated by control. You can't post this. You can't post that. If you're the wrong kind of person, or have the wrong interests, you're not welcome on Digg. Go away.

Well, we got the message.

Mike Elgan writes about technology and tech culture. Contact and learn more about Mike at Elgan.com, or subscribe to his free e-mail newsletter, Mike's List.

Read more about Web 2.0 and Web Apps in Computerworld's Web 2.0 and Web Apps Topic Center.

AMD's Llano could heat up chip war with Intel

By Agam Shah

March 18, 2011 01:49 PM ET

IDG News Service - The chip war will heat up as Advanced Micro Devices prepares PC processors to rival Intel's Sandy Bridge chips, which have already started appearing in laptops, analysts said this week.

Intel's new Core i3, i5 and i7 chips are now available in consumer laptops such as Dell's Inspiron R-series models, which were introduced on Thursday and priced starting at $499. AMD, meanwhile, plans to release new A-series chips, which are code-named Llano, for consumer laptops and desktops in the second quarter.

The A-series processors could intensify the chip battle between Intel and AMD as consumers evaluate laptops based on price and performance. The Intel and AMD chips both combine a CPU and graphics processor inside a single chip, but have unique strengths, analysts said.

Intel's Sandy Bridge chips are generally considered to provide better CPU performance and have a capable graphics processor, but PCs with AMD's Llano are thought to better handle graphics-intensive tasks.

Laptops with A-series chips could be priced above $499, higher than laptops and netbooks carrying AMD's low-end E-Series and C-Series chips, which started shipping earlier this year, an AMD spokeswoman said. But the pricing of laptops will ultimately depend on PC makers, the spokeswoman added.

The A-series chips will include between two and four cores, according to the company's road map.

Beyond price, laptop selection will likely depend on the type of PC a user is looking for, said Nathan Brookwood, principal analyst at Insight 64. If a buyer needs to run programs that stress CPUs they may prefer laptops with Sandy Bridge, which has a CPU core that is faster and more advanced than the CPU in AMD's Llano, which is based on an architecture that is six to seven years old.

"That's not even up for debate," Brookwood said.

Intel's new Core i3, i5 and i7 chips can render high-definition video and are good for mainstream gaming, Brookwood said. Analysts said that Intel has looked beyond the graphics processor, implementing instruction sets to process 3D graphics and accelerators in the integrated chips to quickly decode and encode video.

But AMD's Llano will have a better graphics engine and offer a superior movie playback and gaming experience, Brookwood said. Llano's integrated graphics processor supports DirectX 11, which is a set of tools that help generate more realistic images when playing games on PCs running Windows 7. Most of the recent high-end games released support DirectX 11, Brookwood said. Intel's Sandy Bridge chips support a version of DirectX 10, which puts it almost a generation behind AMD.

AMD's superior graphics capabilities could also give it a price advantage, Brookwood said. PCs based on Intel's Sandy Bridge chips may require a dedicated graphics card to handle high-end graphics, which could increase the price of laptops.

But few users need high-end graphics, and the consumer market is trending to lower-end laptops where price matters more and graphics matter less, said Dean McCarron, principal analyst at Mercury Research.

"If you want to compare CPU versus GPU performance ... that depends on the price you are willing to pay," McCarron said.

McCarron said he expects AMD to use Llano's powerful graphics core as a means to gain market share from Intel, as opposed to changing its pricing model. AMD typically has a price advantage over Intel, with laptops selling for comparably lower prices.

AMD lost market share to Intel in the fourth quarter last year, according to an IDC study released in February. Intel had an 80.8% processor market share, compared to 80.5% in the fourth quarter of 2009. AMD's market share was 18.9%, declining from a 19.5% share the previous year.

Graphics chips are being increasingly used in high-performance systems for parallel execution of some scientific, math and video applications. But many programs for desktop operating systems like Windows have been written for processing on multicore CPUs.

Intel may be "overweight" on CPUs, but AMD is making a bigger bet on graphics as computing becomes more visual, said Godfrey Cheng, director of product marketing at AMD's client technology unit.

A lot of the Web browser processing goes through a CPU, but the latest versions of Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Google's Chrome and Mozilla's Firefox offload tasks such as Internet video to the graphics processor.

AMD is also providing tools for programmers to write applications for execution on graphics processors, Cheng said. AMD's graphics processors also support OpenCL, a programming standard for parallel execution of tasks across multicore CPUs and GPUs.

But graphics processors are also known to be power-hungry, which could hurt laptop battery life. To tackle the issue, AMD has added some power-saving features such as power gating and the ability to shut down blocks of the graphics processor.

"We're giving [consumers] more power, capability to process videos," Cheng said.

Intel spokesman Dave Salvator said that rather than talking CPU versus GPU, it is more useful to look at what people do regularly with PCs. Sandy Bridge chips are good for mainstream gaming, and have advanced power-saving and security features.

"If you're an enthusiast gamer, then Intel Core i7 with a high-end discrete 3D card is the right solution for high-end gaming," Salvator said.

AMD may have an aging CPU in Llano, but a price advantage and a better graphics processor could help it compete with Intel's Sandy Bridge, Mercury's McCarron said. AMD will provide a much-needed upgrade to the CPU to the new Bulldozer core next year, but consumers may not wait.

"Upgrade when you feel the need to upgrade," McCarron said. "If you wait for [new] technology, you'll be waiting continuously."

Caution urged in wake of RSA security breach

By Jaikumar Vijayan

March 19, 2011 08:00 AM इत

The relatively scant information released by EMC's RSA security group on Thursday in connection with the theft of SecurID authentication technology code is fueling considerable speculation about the nature of the breach and its impact on enterprises.

Several security analysts today urged companies that are using SecurID to review their authentication measures and to shore them up if necessary. Until RSA releases further details on the breach it is best to assume that SecurID is vulnerable, they added.

"Don't panic," said Rich Mogull, an analyst with Securosis. "Until we know the attacker, what was lost, the vector of a potential attack," and the extent to which SecurID may have been compromised, it's hard to make a risk assessment, Mogull said.

But for the moment at least, enterprises should assume that SecurID is no longer an effective second factor of authentication, he said. "Review passwords tied to SecurID accounts and make sure they are strong," Mogull said. "Consider disabling accounts that don't use a password or PIN and set password attempt lockouts."

In an embarrassing admission for a security company, RSA said on Thursday that unknown intruders had stolen information relating to its SecurID technology in what it described as "extremely sophisticated cyber attack against RSA".

The company expressed confidence that the stolen information would not enable a direct attack against SecurID. But it added that the information could potentially be used to reduce the effectiveness of the technology.

SecurID is used for two-factor authentication purposes. The technology is available from RSA in the form of hardware and software tokens that are capable of generating random one-time passwords every 60 seconds.

The technology is designed to be used in conjunction with passwords to deliver a second layer of authentication for accessing systems and networks. Over 25,000 enterprises, many of them in the financial sector and government, currently use SecurID tokens to protect access to high-value applications and data.

Though RSA has not disclosed which or how much SecurID information was stolen, the mere fact that the company is warning of reduced effectiveness is troubling, said John Pescatore, an analyst with Gartner.

That statement guarantees that the breach is a "big deal for SecurID users," Pescatore said.

"SecurID tokens are very expensive and users dislike them, but they have always been a strong replacement for reusable passwords," he said. "[But] if the security provided is at risk, the pain may be more than the gain."

Pescatore dismissed RSA's claim that it was the victim of a sophisticated Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) attack, a kind of low, slow highly targeted attack most commonly associated with Chinese hackers.

RSA's claim is "disingenuous," Pescatore said. "It is trying to deflect attention from RSA's failure to protect their systems. Any security company with any threat experience has been dealing with targeted threats for several years."

SecurID is a proprietary algorithm that is designed to produce random numbers in a pre-determined sequence, according to a description of the technology by the Intrepidus Group. The sequence is used by an RSA authentication server to essentially validate that a person logging in, actually has the token in their possession, Intrepidus said in a blog post today.

Each token features a "seed" that determines the sequence of 6-digit numbers generated by that token. The seed ensures that the numbers are produced in a sequence that is unique to each token. The SecurID algorithm ensures that there are literally an infinite number of potential sequences that can be generated by each token, making them almost impossible to crack, says Intrepidus.

Even so, there are circumstances under which this assurance can be weakened, Intrepidus noted. One example is where an attacker somehow manages to get a list of all seeds and their associated token serial numbers. Another scenario is if attackers manage to get a list of seeds and the corporations to which they have been assigned.

The worst case scenario is if hackers found any documentation showing an inherent weakness in the algorithm that would allow them to generate valid pass codes for hardware and software tokens, said Jeremy Allen, principal consultant with Intrepidus.

"Unless something is fundamentally broken there is no need to panic", Allen said.

Aleksandr Yampolskiy, director of security and compliance at Gilt Groupe, said that even if the hackers had managed to steal the SecurID algorithm, pulling of attacks will still remain very hard.

"Even if details of the pseudo-random number generator are advertised to the world, unless the seeds plus [the token holder's passwords] are revealed," attacks are not possible, he said.

"The individual customer passcodes are stored on servers in individual companies -- not in RSA," Yampolskiy said. "So hackers should not be able to get access to these."

"I would recommend people follow general security recommendations," Yampolskiy said. In addition to ensuring strong password and PIN policies companies should also ensure their critical systems are properly patched.

"Closely monitor access to critical systems, and implement log aggregation to monitor their access," he said. "Consider installing host-intrusion detection systems on critical servers which use machine learning algorithms to differentiate good software from the bad unknown viruses."

Jaikumar Vijayan covers data security and privacy issues, financial services security and e-voting for Computerworld. Follow Jaikumar on Twitter at @jaivijayan or subscribe to Jaikumar's RSS feed . His e-mail address is jvijayan@computerworld.com.

Read more about Data Security in Computerworld's Data Security Topic Center.

Hands on with iPad 2

Immediately after Steve Jobs introduced the iPad 2 Wednesday at the Yerba Buena Theater in San Francisco, California, he invited members of the media to visit a special hands-on area right behind the theater—the same set-up Apple used a year ago to introduce the original iPad. While the iPad 2 won’t be available until March 11, we were able to spend some quality time with the iPad 2 today. Here’s what we found.iPad 2 is thinner and lighter than its predecessor. People who have been following Apple’s product designs will not be surprised by this. What’s interesting is the effect this has on the “grippability” of the product. The original iPad was one of the most solid pieces of hardware we’ve seen from Apple, but the combination of its weight, thickness, and the curve of its backplate made it a bit hard to hold—and made a case pretty much necessary.

It’s much more comfortable to hold the iPad 2 in one hand. The slight decrease in weight helps, no doubt, but it’s also the thinness—and most notably the fact that the back side of the device tapers to a flat surface in a much shorter distance than its predecessor.

In terms of materials, the iPad 2 and the iPad are cut from the same cloth (figuratively speaking): There’s a glass front and an aluminum back. The device still seems solid, though palpably thinner. The big difference when looking at it from the front is that you can’t see the edge of the aluminum frame, which is quite noticeable around the edge of the original iPad when viewed from the front.

The reduced thickness of the iPad 2 means that we can’t say the iPad’s buttons and ports are on its side—there really is no side, unlike on the original iPad. There’s a front and a back, really, with a very small amount of curved space on the back where it meets the front piece. That’s where the buttons and ports are. It’s a very different feel from the original iPad. However, the buttons and ports are in more or less the same places as they were on the original iPad.

Beyond the device’s physical redesign, the major outward difference in the iPad 2 is the addition of a pair of cameras: one on the front and one on the back. As on the latest iPhone and iPod touch, these cameras can shoot pictures, record video, and be used for FaceTime video conferencing. However, they’re definitely of lower quality than the iPhone 4’s 5 megapixel camera, and more in line with the cameras on the current-model iPod touch. The test images we shot in the hands-on room were grainier and with more evident jagged edges than those shot with an iPhone 4. Even a FaceTime conference with an Apple rep across the room looked a bit soft, though some of that could have been the result of heavy Wi-Fi traffic.

Along with the cameras, there are a couple of minor changes related not to sight but to sound. Instead of the pinhole microphone residing near the original iPad’s headphone port, the microphone has been shifted to the top back of the iPad 2 (on the 3G models, it’s actually right in the black plastic that covers the 3G antenna). And since there’s no real “edge” on the iPad 2, the speaker has been moved to the back, and sports a grille design more like that of a MacBook Pro speaker. It was impossible to gauge the speaker performance in the crowded hands-on room, but we’d guess it’s roughly comparable to that of the original iPad.

Dan Moren tests out the iPad 2 camera.

There were white and black iPads on display Wednesday, and while this isn’t evidence that the white iPad 2 is real—we’ve held a white iPhone 4, after all—Steve Jobs seemed to indicate they would definitely ship on day one. Personally, I think I like the look of the black iPad 2 better, but that’s why they make the iPad 2 in both versions. Isn’t choice great?

Beyond the two colors, there are also three different variations of the iPad 2 based entirely on wireless configuration. There’s the Wi-Fi version, of course, and then two separate versions with 3G cellular connections as well—one for AT&T and one for Verizon. Both of the 3G versions have a black plastic strip on the back, at the top, just like the 3G versions of the original iPad. The only way to tell them apart is the presence of a microSIM slot on the AT&T version.

As ridiculous as it is to focus on something a simple as a cover when there’s new technology to be had, the fact is, Apple’s new iPad 2 Smart Covers are a pretty interesting and notable feature: so notable, in fact, that iOS 4.3 includes a feature designed specifically to support them. (How very Apple is that?)

The Smart Cover itself is a rectangle exactly the size and shape of the iPad’s screen, folded in four parts. The side that faces inward is made of soft microfiber cloth; the outside is either leather or polyurethane in one of five colors each. On one side is a metal hinge with small magnetic parts at both ends; these magnets attach to magnets embedded in the iPad 2 when you drag the Smart Cover near the iPad’s edge (it only affixes to the left-hand side of the device, however). One Apple representative referred to attaching the Smart Cover as a foolproof operation, but we proved him wrong by failing to do it the first couple times we tried. After we figured out how it worked, it all went smoothly.

iPad 2 Smart Cover in action.

The inside of the Smart Cover on the edge opposite of the hinges also has an embedded magnet; when you close the cover over the iPad’s screen, it snaps closed and stays closed. But there’s more going on here: the iPad 2 senses that the Smart Cover has been closed, and immediately locks itself. That’s cool, but even cooler is what happens when you peel the Smart Cover back and disengage that magnetic clasp: the iPad 2 automatically wakes back up, bypassing the lock screen in the process. (There’s an option in the Settings app to turn this feature off.)

As with Apple’s case for the original iPad, the Smart Cover can be folded up to provide a gentle incline for typing, or flipped around to make a stand for watching video. In this latter regard, it’s vastly superior to the case for the original iPad, which always felt a little bit wobbly in this configuration.

Lest we judge the iPad 2 by its (Smart) Cover, let’s remember that it’s what’s inside that counts. In this case, it’s an Apple-designed dual-core A5 processor. It’s very hard to test speed of a device like this, especially in a controlled environment like a demo room. The iPad 2 certainly felt fast—really fast. GarageBand and iMovie, both apps that presumably tax hardware to its limits, moved smoothly. While we don’t know for sure how much memory the iPad 2 contains, 512MB—the same as the iPhone 4—seems like a reasonable guess.

Apple also spent some time touting the iPad 2’s graphics performance, an improvement that is subtly visible when you fire up the new Photo Booth application and are greeted with nine previews of real-time effects, ranging from thermal vision and x-ray to twirl and mirror. A brief tour through Epic’s Infinity Blade RPG and Gameloft’s N.O.V.A. 2 yielded likewise impressive results.

These are just a few of our impressions after spending some time in a room packed with journalists and a few iPad 2 demo units. We’ll have much more to say, obviously, when the iPad 2 arrives and we write our full review. In the meantime, check out our hands-on video below:

The Week in iPad Cases: The iPad 2 has landed

Posted on Mar 19, 2011 7:15 pm by Marco Tabini, Macworld.com

The iPad 2 is finally here, in all its greatness and glory! That, however, is not the only reason for celebrating—many a vendor has also announced that it's in the process of creating and producing protective accessories specifically for the newest magical device. In the best Scandinavian tradition of buffet eating, tuck in and help yourself at this veritable feast of fashionable protection covers. It's all in this week's iPad case roundup.

Beiza Cases: Straight from Europe, Beiza brings us the Wave (iPad 2), a luxurious sleeve series that takes its name from its unique wavy design. Made entirely of genuine leather and soft canvas, and available in sixteen different configurations, the Wave usually retails for €140, but is on sale for €105 for a limited time.

Blackbox Case: This company's iPad 2 Case ($99) is handmade in Colorado from solid oak, combining tough protection with a killer old-world look.

CleverWraps: When a case is a beautiful (and expensive) work of art, it becomes unsuitable for some uses. It's one thing to take your leather accessory to work, and quite another to take it to the beach, for example, where it's unlikely to provide much in the way of protection from sand and seawater anyway. Luckily, that's where CleverWraps comes into play with its line of disposable iPad 2 sleeves (three for $15). These waterproof, plastic wrappers keep moisture and dirt out of the way without preventing you from fully enjoying your device (although you will lose access to the iPad's ports and jacks). Best of all—or perhaps worst of all, for those of us concerned about the environment—when you're done, you simply throw them away.

Gelaskins:: This manufacturer is bringing its popular line of printed protective films ($30) to the iPad 2. Each of the several hundreds styles of skins is imprinted with a unique design and provides protection for both the back of the device and the bezel around the screen. The company even provides for download a matching custom background picture for a seamless, all-over look.

Griffin Technology: The Powerdock Dual is a clever charging dock that accommodates two devices simultaneously: an iPad or iPad 2 along with an iPhone or dock-connector iPod. As a bonus, this $60 stand includes a valet area where you can conveniently store your keys and pocket change.

Griffin's Cinema Seat 2 ($40; iPad 2) allows you to strap an iPad 2 to the headrest of a car seat for handsfree viewing. It also features a webbed pocked for accessories and cables and openings for each of the tablet's controls and connectors.

Finally, the Elan Folio Slim ($40; iPad 2) can be used both as a case and as a stand. It comes in black and features openings in all the right places to ensure that you maintain access to the iPad 2's various controls.

Gumdrop: I don't know if it's on purpose, but judging from the amount of engineering that has gone into its design and construction, the Drop Series ($60; iPad 2) may be very aptly named, because it looks like it could protect your iPad from anything short of the Apocalypse. Luckily, safety doesn't come at the cost of style, and the case is available in black/red, black/black, pink/white, or white/black.

The more traditional-looking Surf Convertible ($45; iPad 2) features an animal-friendly, faux-leather exterior and combines the protection of a cover with the convenience of a stand. It comes in black, blue, or red.

iSkin: The iPad accessories in the company's Q.West collection, which combines protection with style in a number of rather unique sleeve and bag designs, are now compatible with the iPad 2.

The Sling ($125) is a handy bag that, in addition to being waterproof, can accommodate a variety of devices, including the MacBook Air. It comes in black, blue, green, violet, or red, and features plenty of extra space for accessories.

If protection is your thing, you may want to check out the Summit, which is probably what the landing airbag of the Mars Pathfinder would look like if Jean-Paul Gautier had designed it. It's shiny; it's puffy; it comes in black, red, teal, green, purple, or white; and it costs $95.

Speaking of fluffy, the 3 Degree ($80) is not quite as shiny as the Summit, but packs plenty of padding to keep your iPad 2 safe and sound. It comes in black, teal, red, purple, or green.

The Ballistic, as its name subtly implies, is made entirely out of ballistic nylon for tough and durable protection. It also features a small external pocket—ideal for a sync cable—and comes in black or gray for $90.

The Monty from iSkin

For a stylish and thin look, the Monty ($50) features leather construction, a microfiber interior, and two straps for easy closure to keep everything safely in place. Available in black, it's not as flashy as its companions, making it ideal for a business-oriented setting (unless you're Lady Gaga).

Finally, the Memo is a sleek leather sleeve that uses a strong elastic band to hold its closure in place. Its minimalistic but luxurious looks—available in black, blue, ping, gray, or white—will set you back a cool $110.

iStyle: Like Gelaskins, iStyles sells vinyl skins in a great variety of styles and designs; the company also makes available matching wallpapers for each design. iStyle's skins cost $20, with an optional matte/satin coating available for an extra $5. Versions of the coverings are now available with the iPad and iPad 2.

Macally: In addition to an unpronounceable name, Macally's Bookstand2BL Microfiber Cover & Stand ($30; iPad 2) features all-around protection and a Smart Cover-like flip design that makes it work both as a stand and a typing platform. The blue/orange color makes for a warm, welcoming contrast, and the price is reasonable.

Marware: The Microshell ($40; iPad 2) is made of thin but sturdy rubberized plastic. It preserves the aesthetic lines of the iPad 2 without skimping on protection, and it can be used in combination with a Smart Cover.

Orbino: The hand-stitched Padova Due ($209 to $689) looks exactly like what one would expect from the union of luxury and convenience. It comes in a variety of Italian leathers and exotic materials such as crocodile or ostrich skin, and it features a removable metal stand and flipcover that allow the Due to work as a stand in either landscape or portrait orientation, or as a typing platform. The company is currently taking pre-orders, with delivery expected in five to seven weeks.

Skinit: As yet another "skin" alternative, Skinit now offers completely customizable vinyl-film coverings for the iPad 2. You can choose from a wide variety of professional designs, or even upload an image to create your own. The skins are priced starting at $30, with an optional screen protector currently available on sale for $12 (regular $26).

Just looking at Speck's iGuy makes you want to hug someone.

Speck: Let's start with my favorite from Speck: the iGuy Standing Cover ($40; iPad & iPad 2). Speck markets it as "the funnest iPad cover available," hinting that it's designed to be child-friendly; I suspect, however, that many an adult will find it terminally adorable.

Getting back to more traditional products, the PixelSkin HD Wrap ($50; iPad 2) is a wraparound hardshell case with a front cover that looks—and functions—much like Apple's own Smart Cover. The cover can be folded back to be used as a stand or as a typing platform, and the case provides complete protection to both the front and back of the device.

The PixelSleeve ($30; iPad & iPad 2) is a stretchy, neoprene sleeve with a soft interior. The sleeve is lightweight but impact resistant; comes in black, purple, or pink; and features a convenient handle for easy carrying.

The PortPack 10 and the CorePack 10 ($50 each; iPad & iPad 2) are convenient carrying bags that fit any device up to 10 inches in size. They offer a number of extra compartments and plenty of padding.

Speaking of bags, Speck also offers the A-Line ($60; iPad & iPad 2), which is available in black/gray, gray/purple, or brown/red. Its stylish construction features lots of space, plenty of padding, and fits both iPad models as well as other devices up to ten inches in size.

USBFever: The Soft-Silicone Case costs just $10 and offers snap-on protection for your iPad 2. It comes in smoky black, blue, crystal clear, purple, or frost white.

USBFever's Crystal Case, which will also set you back $10, is a hardshell, snap-on case that provides protection without adding too much bulk. It comes in smoky black, crystal clear, blue, or rose red.

USBFever also offers a range of screen protectors for the iPad 2, including the Anti Glare Protector ($13) and the Ultra Clear Protector ($14).

Waterfield Designs: Waterfield is introducing seven—count them, seven—cases, starting with the iPad Wallet ($79; iPad & iPad 2). Available in six different colors (green, red, brown, teal, gray, or black), the iPad Wallet is a travel case for your iPad that features a separate pocket for a Bluetooth keyboard as well as room for a few other accessories. Its iPad pocket has enough room to accommodate a Smart Cover.

The Smart Case ($59; iPad & iPad 2) comes in the same choice of colors and also provides an extra pocket for a keyboard, but it cuts down on the storage space in the name of compactness. (Though it still offers several layers of padding and a scratch-free liner.) The lack of any visible stitching keeps the case looking smooth and sleek.

The Muzetto from Waterfield Designs

The Ultimate SleeveCase ($55 to $60; iPad & iPad 2) features a thin design that doesn't compromise the safety of your iPad. It's available in lead indium or brown leather and can be fitted with an optional shoulder strap ($5–$22) and pouch ($25–$27).

The iPad Slip Case ($29; iPad & iPad 2) features a simple but elegant construction and a minimalist look. It comes in black, blue, green, brown, or pink and can accommodate a Smart Case.

For an even more minimalistic look, you may want to check out the iPad Suede Jacket ($19–$25; iPad & iPad 2), which is as simple as simple can get—and thin to boot. Its stretch-memory construction ensures a snug fit every time, and the optional pocket gives you some extra space for cables and keyboards.

Finally, the Muzetto is an all-purpose shoulder bag that comes in a variety of sizes, including one that fits both the original iPad and iPad 2 for $199. The Muzetto's construction is all leather with one of six accent colors; in addition to a comfortable fit for your device, this bag includes a generous number of pockets and extra compartments for everything from documents to extra accessories.

Wrapsol: The Wrapsol Ultra screen-protection film is now offered in a version for the iPad 2. It comes in both dry- or wet-application versions and in front-only or front-and-back film combinations (but, curiously, not in the back-only configuration that would be ideal for an iPad with a Smart Cover). Prices start at $30.

X-Gear: The 360 Shield (price unavailable) is a polycarbonate cover that features a unique design to both protect the iPad 2 from damage and act as a stand and a typing platform. The product, available either in white or black, will be available for preorder at the end of March.

The Week in iPad Cases: The iPad 2 has landed

Posted on Mar 19, 2011 7:15 pm by Marco Tabini, Macworld.com

The iPad 2 is finally here, in all its greatness and glory! That, however, is not the only reason for celebrating—many a vendor has also announced that it's in the process of creating and producing protective accessories specifically for the newest magical device. In the best Scandinavian tradition of buffet eating, tuck in and help yourself at this veritable feast of fashionable protection covers. It's all in this week's iPad case roundup.

Beiza Cases: Straight from Europe, Beiza brings us the Wave (iPad 2), a luxurious sleeve series that takes its name from its unique wavy design. Made entirely of genuine leather and soft canvas, and available in sixteen different configurations, the Wave usually retails for €140, but is on sale for €105 for a limited time.

Blackbox Case: This company's iPad 2 Case ($99) is handmade in Colorado from solid oak, combining tough protection with a killer old-world look.

CleverWraps: When a case is a beautiful (and expensive) work of art, it becomes unsuitable for some uses. It's one thing to take your leather accessory to work, and quite another to take it to the beach, for example, where it's unlikely to provide much in the way of protection from sand and seawater anyway. Luckily, that's where CleverWraps comes into play with its line of disposable iPad 2 sleeves (three for $15). These waterproof, plastic wrappers keep moisture and dirt out of the way without preventing you from fully enjoying your device (although you will lose access to the iPad's ports and jacks). Best of all—or perhaps worst of all, for those of us concerned about the environment—when you're done, you simply throw them away.

Gelaskins:: This manufacturer is bringing its popular line of printed protective films ($30) to the iPad 2. Each of the several hundreds styles of skins is imprinted with a unique design and provides protection for both the back of the device and the bezel around the screen. The company even provides for download a matching custom background picture for a seamless, all-over look.

Griffin Technology: The Powerdock Dual is a clever charging dock that accommodates two devices simultaneously: an iPad or iPad 2 along with an iPhone or dock-connector iPod. As a bonus, this $60 stand includes a valet area where you can conveniently store your keys and pocket change.

Griffin's Cinema Seat 2 ($40; iPad 2) allows you to strap an iPad 2 to the headrest of a car seat for handsfree viewing. It also features a webbed pocked for accessories and cables and openings for each of the tablet's controls and connectors.

Finally, the Elan Folio Slim ($40; iPad 2) can be used both as a case and as a stand. It comes in black and features openings in all the right places to ensure that you maintain access to the iPad 2's various controls.

Gumdrop: I don't know if it's on purpose, but judging from the amount of engineering that has gone into its design and construction, the Drop Series ($60; iPad 2) may be very aptly named, because it looks like it could protect your iPad from anything short of the Apocalypse. Luckily, safety doesn't come at the cost of style, and the case is available in black/red, black/black, pink/white, or white/black.

The more traditional-looking Surf Convertible ($45; iPad 2) features an animal-friendly, faux-leather exterior and combines the protection of a cover with the convenience of a stand. It comes in black, blue, or red.

iSkin: The iPad accessories in the company's Q.West collection, which combines protection with style in a number of rather unique sleeve and bag designs, are now compatible with the iPad 2.

The Sling ($125) is a handy bag that, in addition to being waterproof, can accommodate a variety of devices, including the MacBook Air. It comes in black, blue, green, violet, or red, and features plenty of extra space for accessories.

If protection is your thing, you may want to check out the Summit, which is probably what the landing airbag of the Mars Pathfinder would look like if Jean-Paul Gautier had designed it. It's shiny; it's puffy; it comes in black, red, teal, green, purple, or white; and it costs $95.

Speaking of fluffy, the 3 Degree ($80) is not quite as shiny as the Summit, but packs plenty of padding to keep your iPad 2 safe and sound. It comes in black, teal, red, purple, or green.

The Ballistic, as its name subtly implies, is made entirely out of ballistic nylon for tough and durable protection. It also features a small external pocket—ideal for a sync cable—and comes in black or gray for $90.

The Monty from iSkin

For a stylish and thin look, the Monty ($50) features leather construction, a microfiber interior, and two straps for easy closure to keep everything safely in place. Available in black, it's not as flashy as its companions, making it ideal for a business-oriented setting (unless you're Lady Gaga).

Finally, the Memo is a sleek leather sleeve that uses a strong elastic band to hold its closure in place. Its minimalistic but luxurious looks—available in black, blue, ping, gray, or white—will set you back a cool $110.

iStyle: Like Gelaskins, iStyles sells vinyl skins in a great variety of styles and designs; the company also makes available matching wallpapers for each design. iStyle's skins cost $20, with an optional matte/satin coating available for an extra $5. Versions of the coverings are now available with the iPad and iPad 2.

Macally: In addition to an unpronounceable name, Macally's Bookstand2BL Microfiber Cover & Stand ($30; iPad 2) features all-around protection and a Smart Cover-like flip design that makes it work both as a stand and a typing platform. The blue/orange color makes for a warm, welcoming contrast, and the price is reasonable.

Marware: The Microshell ($40; iPad 2) is made of thin but sturdy rubberized plastic. It preserves the aesthetic lines of the iPad 2 without skimping on protection, and it can be used in combination with a Smart Cover.

Orbino: The hand-stitched Padova Due ($209 to $689) looks exactly like what one would expect from the union of luxury and convenience. It comes in a variety of Italian leathers and exotic materials such as crocodile or ostrich skin, and it features a removable metal stand and flipcover that allow the Due to work as a stand in either landscape or portrait orientation, or as a typing platform. The company is currently taking pre-orders, with delivery expected in five to seven weeks.

Skinit: As yet another "skin" alternative, Skinit now offers completely customizable vinyl-film coverings for the iPad 2. You can choose from a wide variety of professional designs, or even upload an image to create your own. The skins are priced starting at $30, with an optional screen protector currently available on sale for $12 (regular $26).

Just looking at Speck's iGuy makes you want to hug someone.

Speck: Let's start with my favorite from Speck: the iGuy Standing Cover ($40; iPad & iPad 2). Speck markets it as "the funnest iPad cover available," hinting that it's designed to be child-friendly; I suspect, however, that many an adult will find it terminally adorable.

Getting back to more traditional products, the PixelSkin HD Wrap ($50; iPad 2) is a wraparound hardshell case with a front cover that looks—and functions—much like Apple's own Smart Cover. The cover can be folded back to be used as a stand or as a typing platform, and the case provides complete protection to both the front and back of the device.

The PixelSleeve ($30; iPad & iPad 2) is a stretchy, neoprene sleeve with a soft interior. The sleeve is lightweight but impact resistant; comes in black, purple, or pink; and features a convenient handle for easy carrying.

The PortPack 10 and the CorePack 10 ($50 each; iPad & iPad 2) are convenient carrying bags that fit any device up to 10 inches in size. They offer a number of extra compartments and plenty of padding.

Speaking of bags, Speck also offers the A-Line ($60; iPad & iPad 2), which is available in black/gray, gray/purple, or brown/red. Its stylish construction features lots of space, plenty of padding, and fits both iPad models as well as other devices up to ten inches in size.

USBFever: The Soft-Silicone Case costs just $10 and offers snap-on protection for your iPad 2. It comes in smoky black, blue, crystal clear, purple, or frost white.

USBFever's Crystal Case, which will also set you back $10, is a hardshell, snap-on case that provides protection without adding too much bulk. It comes in smoky black, crystal clear, blue, or rose red.

USBFever also offers a range of screen protectors for the iPad 2, including the Anti Glare Protector ($13) and the Ultra Clear Protector ($14).

Waterfield Designs: Waterfield is introducing seven—count them, seven—cases, starting with the iPad Wallet ($79; iPad & iPad 2). Available in six different colors (green, red, brown, teal, gray, or black), the iPad Wallet is a travel case for your iPad that features a separate pocket for a Bluetooth keyboard as well as room for a few other accessories. Its iPad pocket has enough room to accommodate a Smart Cover.

The Smart Case ($59; iPad & iPad 2) comes in the same choice of colors and also provides an extra pocket for a keyboard, but it cuts down on the storage space in the name of compactness. (Though it still offers several layers of padding and a scratch-free liner.) The lack of any visible stitching keeps the case looking smooth and sleek.

The Muzetto from Waterfield Designs

The Ultimate SleeveCase ($55 to $60; iPad & iPad 2) features a thin design that doesn't compromise the safety of your iPad. It's available in lead indium or brown leather and can be fitted with an optional shoulder strap ($5–$22) and pouch ($25–$27).

The iPad Slip Case ($29; iPad & iPad 2) features a simple but elegant construction and a minimalist look. It comes in black, blue, green, brown, or pink and can accommodate a Smart Case.

For an even more minimalistic look, you may want to check out the iPad Suede Jacket ($19–$25; iPad & iPad 2), which is as simple as simple can get—and thin to boot. Its stretch-memory construction ensures a snug fit every time, and the optional pocket gives you some extra space for cables and keyboards.

Finally, the Muzetto is an all-purpose shoulder bag that comes in a variety of sizes, including one that fits both the original iPad and iPad 2 for $199. The Muzetto's construction is all leather with one of six accent colors; in addition to a comfortable fit for your device, this bag includes a generous number of pockets and extra compartments for everything from documents to extra accessories.

Wrapsol: The Wrapsol Ultra screen-protection film is now offered in a version for the iPad 2. It comes in both dry- or wet-application versions and in front-only or front-and-back film combinations (but, curiously, not in the back-only configuration that would be ideal for an iPad with a Smart Cover). Prices start at $30.

X-Gear: The 360 Shield (price unavailable) is a polycarbonate cover that features a unique design to both protect the iPad 2 from damage and act as a stand and a typing platform. The product, available either in white or black, will be available for preorder at the end of March.

Microsoft urges Office users to block Flash Player attacks

Mar 18, 2011 04:12 pm | Computerworld

Suggests configuring advanced blocking tool to protect Excel 2007 and older
by Gregg Keizer

Microsoft yesterday urged users of older Office suites to install and run a complicated tool to protect themselves against ongoing attacks exploiting an unpatched bug in Adobe's Flash Player.

"For users of Office prior to 2010, the Enhanced Mitigation Experience Toolkit (EMET) can help," said Andrew Roths and Chengyun Chu, a manager and security engineer, respectively, with the Microsoft Security Response Center (MSRC). "Turning on EMET for the core Office applications will enable a number of security protections called 'security mitigations'," the pair wrote in a Thursday post to the company's Security Research & Defense blog.

EMET is a tool designed for advanced users, primarily enterprise IT pros, that manually enables ASLR (address space layout randomization) and DEP (data execution prevention) for specific applications. ASLR and DEP are two anti-exploit technologies included with Windows.

On Tuesday, Adobe confirmed that attackers were exploiting an unpatched bug in Flash Player by sending potential victims malicious Microsoft Excel documents.

Excel is the spreadsheet bundled with the Office suite.

According to Roths and Chu, Excel 2010, the version included with Office 2010, is not susceptible to the attacks now in circulation because that edition of the spreadsheet has DEP enabled. "The current attacks do not bypass DEP," they said.

Excel 2010 further protects users by isolating malicious files inside Office 2010's "Protected View," a "sandbox" that prevents attack code from escaping the application.

But people running older versions of Excel -- including the versions in Office 2007 and 2003 -- are not protected by DEP or Protected View.

Microsoft has recommended EMET before as a stop-gap defense when Adobe zero-days have hit the street. In September 2010, Microsoft told users to configure EMET to block attacks exploiting a then-unfixed flaw in Adobe Reader.

EMET 2.0 is a free download available from Microsoft's site. After downloading and installing EMET, users must manually configure the tool to add protection to Office's applications, Excel included, and perhaps their browser(s) as well.

Adobe plans to patch the Flash Player vulnerability sometime next week.

Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is gkeizer@computerworld.com .

Read more about security in Computerworld's Security Topic Center.

Sun.com name could fetch Oracle $1 million

Mar 18, 2011 04:08 pm | IDG News Service

Now that Oracle is decommissions Sun.com, it could reselling the domain name for big profit
by Joab Jackson

Last year, when Oracle purchased Sun Microsystems, it got a wealth of customers, technologies and personnel for its US$7.4 billion. It also obtained one of the choicest domain names on the Internet, Sun.com.

Now that Oracle is actively decommissioning the site, it could, if it chose to do so, sell off the domain name and pocket a million or even more, experts estimate.

The Sun.com domain name could be worth between $1 and $2 million, estimated Jeff Kupietzky, CEO of Oversee.net, a broker of much sought-after domain names.

"At just three letters it is short and memorable," he said, in an e-mail interview. "It is a positive word that has a high search volume."

"Sun.com is appealing because it could be used in a number of ways," said Paul Nicks, director of domain aftermarket services for the Go Daddy registrar. "Solar power companies, companies with 'sun' currently in their name, domain name investors or anyone looking to leverage the history behind the name could have a bidding interest."

Nicks estimated that, should the name be auctioned, it could fetch between $800,000 and $900,000.

Last Thursday, Kemer Thomson, an Oracle senior manager of product development, announced in a blog post that Oracle will decommission Sun.com on June 1, and move the remaining content it deems relevant over to Oracle.com.

At present, browser inquiries to Sun.com get redirected to Oracle's home page, though many of the individual blogs and technical pages under the Sun domain are still accessible.

Additional third party sites have sprung up to archive the obsolete material that Oracle probably won't move over to Oracle.com

While pretty much a non-issue in terms of impact on Sun and Oracle shops, the decommissioning of the site still sparked nostalgia for many a seasoned computer technician.

"Sun.com was the first website I ever visited on the internet at [The Cyberia] cafe in London in 1995. It was advertised on the back page of a magazine in the U.K. if I remember correctly," one poster on the Sun blog reminisced.

Registered on March 19, 1986, Sun.com is the 11th oldest .com name still in operation; oddly enough, Oracle now also owns the third oldest, Think.com. In .com's nascent days on the Internet of the late 1980s, Sun Microsystems beat Intel and AT&T to the domain name registrars.

Oracle has not responded yet to inquiries about what it plans to do with Sun.com, but it has a variety of options.

Should CEO Larry Ellison fret over meeting analyst estimates during a tough quarter, the company could also "park" the name, to use the parlance of domain name resellers. This means Oracle would contract with a third-party service to fill the site with ads. Internet monitoring service Alexa estimates that Sun.com traffic is still considerable: It is the 2,277th most popular destination on the Web.

It could hold on to it for a future brand centered around the name. Or it could just to hold onto it as an asset that it could sell outright later. "Many people look at domain names as great investments," Kupietzky said. The name "can be held for future sale in the expectation of a rising valuation."

Kupietzky's Oversee.net is one of a number of companies that brokers the resale of such domain names. While registrars such as Network Solutions offer the ability for anyone to own a previously unclaimed Internet domain name, usually for less than $20, a secondary market of already claimed but seemingly valuable domain names has long existed.

"It's a phenomenal domain name. When you have a one word domain name like this, it has multiple meanings," and thereby could be used in any one of a number of different industries, noted Jason Miner, senior vice president of sales and business development for NameMedia, which operates a domain name marketplace.

Miner estimates that Sun.com could sell for $1 million, if not more. Such a sale would not be unprecedented. In 2010, Zip.com sold for over $1 million, Dating.com sold for $1.75 million and T-Shirts.com garnered $1.26 million.

Of course, any of these scenarios would depend on Oracle re-registering the domain name, which, on latest check, expires on March 20, 2012. If Oracle forgets to do so for some reason, then anyone could pick it up for around $10. Now that would be a wise acquisition.

(IDG News Service reporter Chris Kanaracus contributed to this report.)

Joab Jackson covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Joab on Twitter at @Joab_Jackson. Joab's e-mail address is Joab_Jackson@idg.com