Google launches new mobile Gmail

Gmail for Mobile Devices is a free, downloadable Java application. It will work on the nearly 300 types of Java mobile phones in the United States, said Tony Hsieh, product manager for Google Mobile.

The software improves on a version of Gmail released nearly a year ago that lets people access their e-mail through a mobile Web browser. Once the new Java application is installed on a phone, a person can quickly launch Gmail instead of having to open a mobile browser and wait for it to load before signing in, Hsieh said.

In addition to being faster, Gmail for Mobile Devices maintains Gmail functions like threading and search, and adds mobile-specific functionality such as the ability to press a button to make a call to someone who sent an e-mail. People can also view attachments, such as photos, in an optimized full-screen format.

"If it takes someone a minute or two or even longer to check e-mail on their phone, people probably won't do it," Hsieh said. With wireless application protocol browsers, it can take 11 clicks to delete or archive a message, but with the new application it will take just two, he said.

There is no cost to download the application, but people will have to pay data charges to their mobile carriers. People can download the application by sending themselves a text message from the Google Web site, going to Gmail.com/app from their mobile browser or downloading it from the Sprint Nextel home page, according to Hsieh.

Microsoft backtracks on Vista transfer limits

On Oct. 16, Microsoft issued the new user license for Vista, including terms that would have limited the ability of those who buy a boxed copy of the operating system to transfer that license. Under the proposed terms, users could have made such a switch only one time.

However, the new restriction prompted an outcry among hardware enthusiasts and others. Microsoft is returning the licensing terms to basically what they were in Windows XP--users can transfer their license to a new PC an unlimited number of times, provided they uninstall and stop using it on the prior machine.

The software maker said it paid attention to the response both directly to the company and on blogs and decided to reverse course. Microsoft had hoped to use the change to aid its ongoing efforts to thwart piracy.

"We're trying to be really clear about our intention to prevent piracy," said Microsoft product manager Mike Burk. "At the same time, after listening to the feedback that came in, (we) felt that we needed to make this change."

By reversing course, Burk said, Microsoft hoped to assuage users' concerns, particularly those of hobbyists who frequently upgrade the components of their PC, in some cases triggering Windows to consider the machine a new PC.

The plan to limit transfers was part of a series of changes to the terms that apply to boxed copies of Vista, not to the license that comes on a new, Vista-equipped PC. Separate rules apply for the versions of Windows installed on new PCs, which is how the majority of buyers get their copy of Windows. Typically, copies of Windows purchased on a new PC cannot legally be transferred to another PC.

Burk said that Microsoft isn't planning to back off any of its other planned licensing changes, including a move related to virtualization, in which a computer runs multiple operating systems, or multiple copies of the same operating system, at the same time.

Under those new license terms, any Windows version can serve as the primary, or host, operating system. However, only the Business and Ultimate editions of Vista can run as guest operating systems in virtualization.

"We're not planning on making any other changes," Burk said. "We'll keep listening to people's feedback."

Sony to sell world's lightest notebook

Sony said on Wednesday it plans to start selling the world's lightest notebook computer in December in Japan, in a bid to boost its presence among business users.

Weighing 898 grams, Sony's "type G" Vaio computer will be the lightest laptop PC, and comes with a 12.1-inch liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, the electronics and entertainment conglomerate said.

Sony said it expects a basic model of its new "type G" computer, which runs for about 12.5 hours on a battery and is not equipped with an optical drive, to sell for about 220,000 yen ($1,881).

It has no plan at the moment to offer the "type G" models overseas.

Copernic Desktop Search

Plumb the depths of your computer with this powerful search tool.

License Type: Free
Price: Free
Date Added: Oct 2006
Operating Systems: Windows NT, Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows Me, Windows XP
File Size: 4380KB
Author: Copernic Technologies

Copernic Desktop Search--my favorite (and free) searching tool--has been upgraded. I like it even better than before for a number of reasons. The redesigned interface is cleaner and easier to follow. For example, the different search file categories--e-mail, files, music, images, contacts, Internet Favorites, and History--are better in the new version. I can immediately see exactly how many hits were found in each category. And creating and saving custom searches is blessedly easy. The "as you type" search function is cool, too.

If you're not familiar with CDS, here's a brief rundown.

CDS looks into files--Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint docs, PDFs, and other files, such as e-mail messages (including Eudora), as well as videos and pictures. I can search on specific file types, say Word docs, or for exact words within files. The program uses an index of files on the PC in order to make searches nearly instantaneous; it updates itself while the system is idle.

The last version automatically installed itself to the taskbar at the bottom of my desktop as a new toolbar. I wasn't pleased that it did so without asking, and I promptly removed it. The new version, however, gives you an option. If you inadvertently install the features, right-click any empty portion of the taskbar, highlight Toolbars, and click Copernic Desktop Search.

Instant Messaging Without the Hassle

Here is a quick tip.

Do you need to occasionally send and receive instant messages? There's no need to hassle with downloading and installing an IM program. Instead, do it all from Meebo, a Web-based service that gives you access to AIM, ICQ, Yahoo Messenger, Jabber, GTalk, and MSN.

Tricky New Malware Challenges Security Vendor

A tricky malicious program has become more prevalent in spam, but experts don't know what its creators plan to do with it.

Many vendors are rating the malware--called "Warezov," "Stration," and "Stratio"--as a low risk. But they also say that it is tricky to deal with.

New Code Every 30 Minutes

The malware is a mass-mailing worm that affects machines running Microsoft Windows. When the malware infects a computer--usually after the user has opened an attachment containing the worm in a spam e-mail--it sends itself out again to other e-mail addresses found on the computer. The code is then capable of downloading new versions of itself as frequently as every 30 minutes from a batch of Web sites, said Mikko Hypponen, chief research officer at F-Secure, a security company in Helsinki.

Those new versions are created by a program on a server controlled by the hacker, Hypponen said.

In the past, malware has been known to create variations of itself, but the code to create those variations was contained inside the malware. So when a sample was obtained, security analysts could study it and identify potential new versions, he said.

Now, the hacker's program is compiling the code and rapidly churning out new versions, but analysts don't know how the new code is generated.

Security Firms Struggle to Keep Up

That characteristic is a headache for security software firms that issue special updates to their software to detect the malware. F-Secure alone has issued at least 150 signatures for the malware.

"It gets very complex to detect an attack like that because the code keeps changing," Hypponen said.

Security firm Sophos has detected some 300 versions of the malware. For October, the malware was one of the most common pieces of malicious code found in spam messages, said Carole Theriault, senior security consultant with Sophos.

Since infected computers look to other domains to receive updated code, F-Secure has worked with ISPs to shut down domains hosting the new variants. So far, nine of ten domains have been shut down, Hypponen said.

Hacker Setting Up Network

Oddly, the malware doesn't appear to do anything yet on the victim's computers. It's estimated up to a few hundred thousand computers are infected, a sizable number but not quite on the scale of large malware problems from a few years ago, Hypponen said.

A hacker could be waiting to harness enough infected computers to start a denial-of-service attack or send spam or rent out the network to a spammer, Hypponen said.

"We hope to one day find out why they are doing this," Hypponen said. "We hope it's nothing too bad."

Google Buys JotSpot, Offers Free Wiki Pages

In a bid to grow beyond its roots as a search engine, Google has acquired JotSpot, a developer of wiki technology for collaborative Web sites.

Earlier this month, Google announced that it would offer online word processing and spreadsheet applications to its millions of Web searchers. The company also has a blogging service, but hasn't yet introduced a tool for Web-based collaboration.

Now Google has filled that gap by acquiring JotSpot , according to a Tuesday post on JotSpot's blog by its cofounder and CEO, Joe Kraus. He did not disclose the terms of the deal, and Google did not answer requests for comment.

Joining Google allows us "to plug into the resources that only a company of Google's scale can offer," like a huge audience, access to world-class data centers, and a team of incredibly smart people, Kraus said in his blog.

JotSpot's Background

Kraus and his partner, Graham Spencer, founded JotSpot in Palo Alto, California, just three years ago, but they can already boast of customers with big names like eBay, Intel, and Symantec. The term "wiki" is typically used to describe software that allows users to share and edit documents on the Web.

JotSpot has stopped accepting new registrations while it ports its application to Google's software architecture, but it will continue to support those existing users. Visitors and customers of eBay use JotSpot technology to share articles on topics such as the Web site's policies, selling tools, and specialty sites.

Kraus was coy about his plans for future changes. But the companies have already made one change--customers can now use JotSpot for free. That move could help Google retain current customers and quickly attract new ones.

In another change, Google has discontinued the downloadable Wiki Server (beta), a version of the service used by large companies that want to host the wiki on computers inside their own firewalls to ensure better security. Individuals and small businesses have usually relied on JotSpot to host the pages for them.

Free Small Business Suite From Microsoft

Microsoft has turned its accounting suite for small businesses into two separate offerings, one of which users can download for free.

Office Accounting Express 2007, an updated version of Office Small Business Accounting 2006, is now available as a free download at Microsoft's IdeaWins site.Microsoft also expects to begin offering a slightly higher-end version of the software, Office Accounting Professional 2007, from retailers early in 2007.

The professional edition of the software has more robust features than the free version for handling inventory management, budgeting, cash flow and other tasks mature small businesses require, Office Accounting Express 2007 is aimed more at small businesses that are just getting off the ground and need help starting up.