Microsoft Launches New Version of MSN

Microsoft plans to start rolling out a redesigned MSN.com on Wednesday in the U.S., the first major update for the page in more than 10 years.
Frequent visitors to the site will immediately notice one major change: The new page has only half the number of links as the old one. That's a sharp departure from the previous design, which featured around 40 links on just the top third of the page. The site has also dropped the trademark blue background for a simpler white page.
The new design aims to address user feedback and complaints, said Erik Jorgenson, corporate vice president for MSN. Customers said they want a single site that is easy to use, he said. "What they don't like is too much clutter," he said. Users also said that they sometimes had a hard time finding what they were looking for, they were dissatisfied with search results prior to the launch of Bing, and they said the site had an outdated look and feel.
Microsoft called Wednesday's launch a preview of the redesign, meaning it will appear for some people immediately but will become widely available in the new year. Those who don't immediately get the new site can visit preview.msn.com to see it.
The site is now divided into just a handful of sections, many of which are fed information that may be personally relevant to the specific user.
For instance, a box in the lower right corner of the home page includes three tabs: Windows Live, Facebook and Twitter. The Facebook tab shows a list of friends' recent updates to Facebook and lets the user update their Facebook status from the MSN page.
A box in the lower left corner of the page displays local weather, headlines and events. Clicking on the local link launches a new page, MSN Local Edition. That page uses Bing search to draw in local news and information. It also displays more detailed weather information and a local map where users can view traffic data. The site draws on users' IP addresses to deliver local information to them.
Microsoft will also be testing out a version of the home page that uses Silverlight. That page won't launch Wednesday, but in the future people who have Silverlight installed may begin seeing the page. In the Silverlight version, clicking on the Twitter link, for example, pops up a box where users can view updates as well as trending topics. Around 50 percent of MSN.com users already have Silverlight, Jorgenson said.
Yahoo, Microsoft's biggest portal competitor, also recently redesigned its home page, but with different results. The Yahoo page still includes a long list of links to other pages and otherwise mainly features a list of links to news stories. Yahoo users can build themselves a customized page to include instant messaging, stock quotes, e-mail, weather, calendar and other tools.
MSN will also still offer MyMSN, a customizable page, but Microsoft has found that not many people use it. "A large majority of users aren't willing to put time into customizing and personalizing," Jorgenson said.
The new design represents a change in thinking at MSN. "We've moved away from the days of being an Internet directory of everything to everyone," he said. Instead, MSN wants to deliver useful content across areas that it believes users find most important, Jorgenson said.
As many as 100 million people in the U.S. visit MSN.com each month, Microsoft said.

Java, BlackBerry Desktop Get Security Bug Fixes

Sun Microsystems and Research In Motion have issued critical bug fixes for security issues with their products.
The patches were issued separately on Tuesday, with Sun releasing version 6 Update 17 of its Java Runtime Environment and BlackBerry updating its BlackBerry Desktop Software, used to sync data between the BlackBerry and a PC.
Both updates include fixes for critical security bugs that could be abused by attackers to run unauthorized software on a victim's computer, although none of the flaws appear to have been publicly known before Tuesday.
Sun patched 12 Java bugs in total, including flaws that could be exploited to crash a computer or allow untrusted applications to run as though they were trusted.
Sun estimates that there are about 800 million Java desktop users worldwide, so Sun's updates are important. Hackers have increasingly turned to third party software such as Java as Microsoft has made it harder to attack the core Windows operating system.
There is just one BlackBerry bug fix. The problem lies in a Lotus Notes DLL that is included by default in all BlackBerry Desktop 5.0 and earlier installations. RIM warned that the flaw could be used to run unauthorized software on a victim's PC.
As with the worst of the Java bugs, an attacker could take advantage of the BlackBerry bug by first tricking the victim to visit a specially crafted Web page.

Produce A Heart From Inkjet Printer

Prof. Makamoto Nakamura make an awesome effort, he successfully make his Inkjet printer able to secrete a thousand cell per second. Furthermore, he hope that it can be able to form a 3D organt.

Nakamura is hoping that he can produce a heart using his inkjet printer. He also said that it will need about 20 years to develop this kind of technology. Nowadays, Nakamura already able to create a cylinder of living cell. This idea is come acrross his mind when realize that an ink drop in printer has same size with human cells.

In 2002, using his office printer Nakamura try to eject cells using that printer. But he failed. After that he called Epson, and after he called many times an Epson officer who interested with his project promise him with technical supprot.

A year after that, he can produce cells from mold process.

Sony Pull 440.000 Vaio Laptop Out Of Market

Since Thursday ( 5 September ), Sony pull almost 440.00 Vaio Laptop out from market. This is because Sony found deformity in their product which possibly can make heating problem.

The famous electronic device company from Japan told that this problem because of mistake in placing circuit between laptop body and the screen. EBcause of this, circuit protector is easily damaged, and can make high possibility of over heating. There is laso a problem found inside screen circuit which also make over heating problem.

There is almost 209 problem reported to Sony regarding this kind of problem, moreover, there are seven case till light burn result. Thus kind of problem is found since TZ type which produce from May 2007 until July 2008.

Two years ago, Sony also need to pull out their product because of same problem. In that time problem found in the laptop battery.

Intel Demonstrate Wireless Electricity

Usage of wireless technology in electronics device is no longer such a dream. Intel, a company that we know as a king of computer processor producer already introduced a laptop battery which can be charged without plug it into electricity.

Intel called this WREL (wireless resonant energy link). Before this, this kind of technology is called WiTricity. Combination of wireless and electricty. Intel demostrate this kind of technology in Intel Developer Forum in San Fransisco.

Intel researcher, Alan Sample, demonstrate how 60 watt lamp still on even without electricity. This technology use induction magnetic technique. This kind of technology is firstly demonstrate by Marin Soljacic, a physician from MIT.

This technology work using antena that will flow the energy to make a magnetic field. A receiver that plug in electronic devices will receive the energy from this magnetic field and keep it. Nowadays, efficientcy rate is up to 90 %.

How To Defeat Scratched CD

Don't you feel like crying every time you add another disc to your pile of scratched discs. Trashing that disc which contained your favorite songs, pics, files, games or videos is not easy.

Read-on, if you find yourself wishing for a miracle every time your fav CD is scratched:

Home Remedy :
here's an easy home remedy, which might give you the desired results. Rub a small amount of toothpaste on the scratch and polish the CD with a soft cloth and any petroleum-based polishing solution (like clear shoe polish). Squirt a drop of Brasso and wipe it with a clean cloth.

Technology to the rescue
There are many softwares available on the net, which enable the recovery of the CD data. BadCopy Pro is one such software, which can be used to recover destroyed data and files from a range of media.

Just a few clicks is all it requires to recover the disc from almost all kind of damage situation; be it corrupted, lost data, unreadable or defective.

DiskDoctors is another popular company, which offers both software and solutions to recover data from a scratched CDs and DVDs.


General Tips:
* Always wipe the CD from the center outward with stratight spoke-like strokes. Wiping CDs in circles will create more scratches.

* Do not scratch the graphics layer as you cannot repair the disc. HINT: Hold the disc up to a light with the graphics layer facing the light source. If you can see light thru the scratches at any point then the disc may be irreparable and or exhibit loading or playing errors.

* Clean your Disc players lens regularly with a suitable product to ensure optimal viewing pleasure.

* Make sure to use a soft, lint-free cloth to clean both sides of the disc. Wipe in a straight line from the centre of the disc to the outer edge.

* If wiping with a cloth does not remove a fingerprint or smudge, use a specialized DVD disc polishing spray to clean the disc.

* Only handle the disc by its outer edge and the empty hole in the middle. This will help prevent fingerprints, smudges or scratches.

Statistics:
*Fingermarks/prints cause 43% of disc problems!
* General wear & tear causes 25% of disc problems!
* Player-related issues cause 15% of disc problems!
* User-related issues cause 12% of disc problems!
* PlayStation 2 machine scratches cause 3% of disc problems!
* Laser rot (a manufacturer error) causes 2% of disc problems!

How To Install MacOS On Windows Vista

If you still think that you need macintosh computer to try MacOS, that's already in the past. Now you can try MacOS on Windows Vista. How to do it ? Check this out !

First thing that you need to do is you need to have VM Player that can be download from VM Player Free and of course DVD installer MacOS X version 10.4.5 or 10.4.6 or 10.4.7 or 10.4.8.

1. Run VM Player, Start -> All Programs -> VM Ware -> VM Player.
2. Create new virtual machine, by click New Virtual Machine.
3. Then click next
4. Then choose Custom, and click next then next again.
5. Then choose Other and FreeBSD for the version. For Core 2 Duo and Core Duo user
with 945 pm (Calistoga) you need to choose Windows NT. This step is needed to
prevent the processor to failed in boot DVD MacOS. Then click next.
6. Give your new virtual machine with MacOS for easier identification.
7. Then answer one, if there is a question that asked you about how many virtual
processor that will be created. (Still answer one although there are 2 processor
on your computer)
8. Then you need to set how many memory that you will allocated for MacOs, you suggest
to set it to 256 mb ( 512 mb from 1.5 gb is very recommended). Then next.
9. Then choose [Use bridged networking] and next then next again.
10. Then choose create new virtual disk and next.
11. Then you need to set what kind of your virtual disk, IDe or SCSI. Then next.
12. After that you need to set the capacity of your new virtual disk.
13. After you click next, you need to decide where your virtual disk will placed.
Choose place that different with place where your main operation system place,
14. Then click finish, and close VM window.
15. Now you need to open windows explorer, and find VM ware setting. The default
location is on Documents\Virtual Machines\MacOS X. Then open configuration file
( with .vmx) using notepad.
16. Add paevm=”true” on the last row. If with this configuration failde to boot
virtual machine, you can change scsi0.present = “TRUE” with scsi0.present =
“FALSE”.
17. Save the configuration .vmx file.
18. Now insert DVD MaacOS and Power On This Virtual Machine.
19. When booting MacOS take process, press F8 and type -v. This will bring you to
verbose mode, that will make easier to detect if there is something wrong with
the installation.
20. After GUI (graphical user interface) screen appear, follow step by step until you
need to choose hard disk. Click Utilities, then Disk Utility.
21. Choose VM drive on the left panel, and partition on the right panel.
22. Change partition volume to 1 and give it a name. Make sure that format will be
created is Mac OS Extended (Journaled) and make sure that the space is sufficient.
23. Click partition and click partition ones again. After your disk formating is
finish, you can close Disk Utility window and your partition will show up on
set up page. Continue to next instalation step.
24. If you use Intel processor with SS2, make sure you choose customize and put a
check mark on patch.
25. After you only need to click continue and wait until instalation process finish.
And you can enjoy Apple operation system on Vista.

Happy trying !!

Yahoo Reject Microsoft ! Glance At New Corp.

As we know, Microsoft is aggressively try to overtaking Yahoo. They launch 44,6 billion dollar AS bid ! This is the biggest offer that ever made in Internet history. But Yahoo decided to reject it, cause they think contract offered was too small.

After refuse Microsoft's offer, Yahoo was reported doing serious talk with News Corp. (My Space). Such was reported by Wall Street Journal (AWJ), Wednesday (2/13). According to AWJ, Yahoo and News Corp. are discussing possibilities of unite My Space service with another services that under Yahoo.

For many people, Yahoo is already such a symbol on internet world. Firstly emerge on 1994 by some student from Stanford University, and go public at 1996. This site was developed to portal that offered many information. Now, Yahoo was recorded as the sites with the most visitor in the world.

Microsoft Offers to Buy Yahoo for $44.6 Billion

Microsoft has offered to buy Yahoo for around $44.6 billion in cash and shares, to better compete with Google in the market for online services.

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer made the offer in a letter to Yahoo's board of directors on Thursday, telling the board that he would release the letter Friday morning.

'Keep Online Ads Competitive'

On a conference call Friday, Kevin Johnson, president of Microsoft's platforms and services division, called a combination of Microsoft and Yahoo a more "credible" alternative to Google in the online advertising and services market.

"By combining the assets of Microsoft and Yahoo we can offer a more competitive choice for consumers, advertisers and publishers," he said.

It was Yahoo's board that first approached Microsoft, in February 2007, Microsoft said.
Jerry Yang, cofounder and CEO of Yahoo

Yahoo, in a statement, said its board will carefully evaluate Microsoft's proposal, which it described as unsolicited.

Microsoft expects the market for online advertising to almost double in size over the next three years, from $40 billion in 2007 to $80 billion by 2010. A merger will allow it to realize economies of scale and reduce capital costs as it addresses this market, it said.
Urging R&D, Innovation

Microsoft expects to cut costs by $1 billion a year by realizing synergies with Yahoo in four areas: obtaining economies of scale as its audience increases; combining its research and development efforts with Yahoo's to innovate faster; eliminating operational redundancy to cut costs, and pooling expertise to innovate in video and mobile.

The companies will work together to develop the merger plan, Microsoft said.

It intends to pay key Yahoo engineers and other staff to stay following the merger.

The offer represents a 62 percent premium over Yahoo's closing price on Thursday. Microsoft expects to receive all necessary approvals in the second half of this year.

Despite the potential for short-term gain, Yahoo, in its statement, said its goal will be to maximize long-term value fori ts shareholders.

At this premium, even if Yahoo's top managers were opposed to the acquisition, Yahoo's board of directors has an obligation to consider the offer on behalf of shareholders, said industry analyst Greg Sterling from Sterling Market Intelligence.

http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142083-page,1/article.html

If Microsoft Buys Yahoo: What We'd Love--and Hate

It's the year 2010. Microsoft owns Yahoo and has just changed the name of Flickr to Microsoft Flickr Live Photo-Sharing Service for Digital Camera Enthusiasts. The service is still free, but Windows Vista users will have to validate their copy of Vista as "genuine" first to use it. What has Microsoft wrought?

That's just one of the nightmares we can foresee from a Microsoft-Yahoo merger. But some good things could ensue for computer users too. Here's what we'd love - and hate - to see happen.
Love: Sending a Wake-Up Call to Google

Google has been untouchable in many aspects when it comes to search, Web innovations, and free cool services such as Google Maps. But perhaps Google has grown too complacent. While we are waiting to see what becomes of Google's mobile strategy, we're less enthralled by services such as Knol. We want to see the combined force of Microsoft and Yahoo give Google an honest run for its money when it comes to innovative online services.
Hate: Goodbye, Beloved Services

The shuttering of Yahoo or MSN services is something we'd hate to see (actually, we wouldn't shed any tears over Windows Live), but it's inevitable some will get the axe, given the overlapping services owned by Microsoft and Yahoo. The merged company would simply create too many redundant services and the odds are some of our beloved services would be killed. Branded services such as Yahoo Mail and Hotmail would survive, but there is a good chance they'd share one development team. Over time the services would become virtually identical, sharing features, functions, bugs, and limitations. Microsoft's instant messaging system sneezes, for example, and Yahoo Messenger catches a cold.
Love: Yahoo Boosts Microsoft Live

We think both behemoths could learn a lot from the other especially when it comes to the look, feel, and usability of Web pages and services. We'd like to see Windows Live integrated into simpler interfaces. Right now there is Windows Live and Microsoft Office Live Small Business. Both are not tied to directly either to the Windows OS or Microsoft Office. Both Microsoft Live sites seem so disconnected.

Yahoo was best in the early days at keeping the interface simple on services such as Yahoo Travel. Today's Yahoo can't match the minimalism of many Google offerings, but it still has designs that are simpler and easier to use than many counterparts at Microsoft.
Hate: Microsoft Yahoo Chaos

Combining the two giants will create confusion. Could you use your MSN Messenger ID to login to Yahoo Mail? Will your Passport be accepted at Yahoo's border?

From : http://www.pcworld.com/article/id,142114/article.html

Tips To Buy Perfect Notebook For You (4)

16: Modern conveniences
Some common desktop features have made their way into notebooks. Quick-launch keys
are a perfect example. You can program these buttons to launch your favourite apps,
turn on your wireless radio, or switch to a power-saving mode. A few of our other
favourite luxuries are built-in TV tuners, and, for photo junkies, multiformat
memory-card readers.

17: Turn on, tune out--instantly
Want to listen to music or watch a DVD without having to wait for your notebook to
power up? An instant-on feature lets you do just that, so you can get right down
to, um, business, without the boot time. Plus, going this route usually helps
extend battery life. Although this isn't a necessary feature, it can come in handy
on long flights.

18: Connect the docks
A docking station quickly turns your notebook into a desktop. You connect your
peripherals (monitor, keyboard, mouse, and serial devices) to the dock, which
stays at your desk. Simply attach the notebook to the dock, and you instantly get
the conveniences of a desktop without having to unplug everything when it's time
to go.

Another advantage of a docking station is its inclusion of legacy ports many newer
notebooks leave out, such as parallel, serial, and PS/2 ports. If you don't need
all the features of a dock, but could still use the extra connectivity, check
whether the notebook maker offers a port replicator, which is basically a
pared-down version of a dock.

19: When good notebooks go bad
Every notebook is susceptible to accidents and system failures. We recommend
paying for a good three-year warranty with express service. If you can afford it,
get coverage for damage caused by spills, drops, electrical surges, or any other
accident.

20: Essential accessories
When pricing a notebook, set aside cash for important extras. These include a
laptop bag, an extra battery, a mouse and keyboard, and software for office work,
Internet security, and system maintenance. You may even want to consider an
external hard drive for backup.

CNets Asia

Is Microsoft Cracking Down on DVD Ripping?

Is Microsoft trying to thwart DVD-ripping on PCs using Windows Vista with the new beta of Vista Service Pack 1?

As I tested the public beta release of Vista SP1, I noticed the update crippled a popular DVD cracking program called DVD43.

DVD43 is a free utility that disables a DVD's Content Scramble System (CSS) copy protection technology. Once a DVD's copy protection is disabled, you can copy its content using one of several third-party programs. You may be using DVD43 and not realize it, because it often is the engine of other ripping programs.

When I updated my Windows Vista operating system with the beta of Vista SP1, DVD43 wouldn't load. Instead, I saw an error message about a missing driver--even after I uninstalled and then reinstalled DVD43. A colleague of mine had a similar experience on a PC that also had been updated with the latest beta release of Vista SP1.

Stripping DVD copy protection (CSS) from a DVD is illegal but many people do it.

I've made formal requests for comment from Microsoft and the company behind DVD43. So far, I've heard nothing back. I'll let you know what either say, if and when they reply.

Intentional?

It's hard to say whether Microsoft is intentionally disabling DVD43. Certainly the software giant doesn't mention anything about DVD copying in its documentation for the beta of Vista SP1. But given Microsoft's interest in making friendly with Hollywood movie studios, it wouldn't surprise me if Microsoft intentionally disabled a popular and free tool that aids in ripping DVDs.

DVD43--and programs like it--have long been a thorn in the side for Hollywood, as DVD-ripping is one of the first steps in cracking and distributing copyright-protected movies online.

Despite the Motion Picture Association of America's efforts to crack down on DVD-ripping and despite U.S. copyright laws that make it illegal, sales of software that bypass DVD copy protection continue online and at retail stores.

Many of these DVD programs have been, and still are, sold by major retailers. However, when purchased, some of the programs can't copy DVDs equipped with copy protection. You must use an Internet search engine to find and download a program, such as DVD43, that empowers your DVD copy program to duplicate the contents of any CSS-protected DVD.

It's my experience in reporting past stories on DVD-ripping that many DVD-ripping programs recommend DVD43 to their customers. DVD43.com, a Web site that lists download sites for DVD43 as well as the DVD-ripping packages it works with, is owned by a company based in Beijing, China, according to Internet domain registration records.

In further tests, I did find that at least one other popular DVD utility, AnyDVD, which promises to "unprotect encrypted movie DVDs," did work with the beta of Vista SP1 installed--as its product description asserts. However, this is not free software: It will cost you 49 Euros, or about $72.

At least for now, it appears that casual DVD rippers will be stymied if they choose to update their Vista PCs with the Vista SP1 beta--and that those who want SP1 and copies of their Hollywood DVDs will have to pay up to keep ripping.

From : PC Wolrd

MacBook Air: How Incomplete Is It?

Steve Jobs is, among many other things, the great denier. Second mouse buttons, floppy drives, 56-kbps modems--for decades, he has been perfectly willing to release products lacking one or more features that are standard equipment on everyone else's computers, if he thinks they're unnecessary or they offend his design principles or aesthetic sense.

Typically, the news that a new Mac is missing a feature is met by yelps of protest. But then, sooner or later, the rest of the industry follows Jobs's lead. (Okay, usually--I haven't seen any one-button mouses on PCs lately.) Jobs, in other words, tends to figure out that we can live without something before the rest of the world does.

I'm not sure if he has ever denied Apple customers as many features as he will with the MacBook Air, the superthin notebook that he unveiled at this morning's Macworld Expo keynote. In introducing the Air, Jobs said that manufacturers of other thin-and-light laptops made too many compromises to make their machines sleek, like using small keyboards and screens and wimpy CPUs. But nobody else in the industry would dream of making some of the compromises that the Air makes.

So what's missing? And how big a deal is it?

An optical drive
Mildly annoying omission
This is the one thing everybody assumed the Air would leave out, although I was holding out hope that Apple would take its cue from Toshiba's optical-drive-bearing featherweight Portege 500. There's a long history of subnotebooks skipping the optical drive to shave off weight and space, so the Air's doing so won't strike anyone as shocking. And Jobs is right in that a lot of things people do with optical drives--such as watch movies and install software--can be done these days without one. (Apple's new Remote Disc feature will help in the latter instance.)

Me, I mostly use my MacBook's Superdrive for two things: ripping CDs into MP3s and making data CDs and DVDs to distribute files to friends and colleagues. I guess I could do the former on another computer and then move the MP3s to an Air--sorry, Steve, I'm not ready to buy all my music from iTunes. And cheap thumb drives can probably do the trick when I want to hand out copies of files. Still, if I were to buy an Air, I suspect I'd spring for the $99 external Superdrive.

Ethernet
Seriously annoying omission
In the old days, no notebook had built-in ethernet; you had to futz with external adapters. Then it became standard equipment. The fact that the Air lacks it makes the machine a throwback.

Jobs spoke of the Air as a machine built to be used wirelessly. But most of the hotels I stay in assume that my computer has ethernet. It's also damn handy at work. I can't imagine there are that many people who can spring for a $1799 Air who won't need ethernet at least from time to time. Apple sells an external adapter, but if I traveled with an Air, I'd probably just toss my Airport Express travel router into my briefcase, giving me a form of ethernet compatibility that doesn't actually make me plug an ethernet cable into the Air.

Multiple USB ports
Mildly annoying omission
I'm not sure when I last owned a computer with only one USB port, but it's been a very, very long time. On the other hand, it's rare that I want to plug two USB devices into my MacBook at once, and at least one of the ones I use (a SanDisk MicroMate card reader) blocks access to both of the MacBooks ports when I use it anyhow. So I wouldn't not buy an Air because of its solo USB.

Macworld 2008 Impression

The Macworld 2008 keynote is now behind us and it left a really bad taste for some of us. I think most existing iPod Touch users are a little upset with a couple of the announcements yesterday. The first announcement which I thought was good turned out to be sour. Steve Jobs said they will be adding five “new” apps to the iPod Touch, this includes: Mail, Maps, Stocks, Weather, & Notes. My initial thought was, “About time!”. Then that is when he said existing iPod Touch owners will have to pay $19.99. However, anyone buying a new iPod Touch yesterday and onward will have the five “new” apps already installed at the same price I paid a few months ago. I’m hoping Apple will see all the complaints and do the right thing by offering the five apps for free.

You can watch the keynote here

Here is what Macworld 2008 announced:

-> MacBook Air
-> iPhone Enhancements
-> iPod Touch (Five “new” Apps - Firmware 1.1.3)

Latest Vista SP1 Beta Opened Up to Public

Microsoft has reversed field and opened public access to the latest beta build of Vista Service Pack 1. Users can now download
Vista SP1 RC Refresh from Microsoft's Web site.

Users can install the beta via Windows Update, but Microsoft is providing a list of procedures users should follow to avoid problems.

Microsoft originally released the Refresh beta on Jan. 9 to approximately 15,000 beta testers that included corporate customers, consumer enthusiasts, software and hardware vendors, and others, according to a company spokesman.

The spokesman said on Jan. 10 Microsoft decided to make the beta open to everyone with an interest via its TechNet Web site. Microsoft said its intention was to get the widest and deepest feedback it can before releasing the software.

The spokesman said Vista SP1 is still slated for release before the end of March.
More Popular in Businesses?

The beta news comes on the heels of the third phase of a year-long study conducted by Walker Information for IT services and product supplier CDW, which shows Vista gaining popularity in the business market. The study shows that 48% of respondents are using or evaluating Windows Vista -- up from 29% in the previous poll from February 2007 and from 12% in the first poll taken in October 2006.

Microsoft first made Windows Vista SP1 RC Preview available on Nov. 14 to 15,000 testers as part of its private beta program. In December, the company opened the beta to the public.

Microsoft hopes to align SP1's availability with Windows Server 2008, which Microsoft hopes to ship on or before its Feb. 27, 2008 launch event in Los Angeles.

Vista SP1 will include a number of bug fixes and performance enhancements but no new features, Microsoft said. Microsoft also is updating its set of Vista migration tools, including the Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0, Windows Vista Hardware Assessment 2.1 solution accelerator (formerly called Business Desktop Deployment), and Microsoft User State Migration Tools 3.0.

Microsoft officials said the Vista SP1 RC includes changes that streamline setup and installation. It also includes all previously released updates since RTM, performance and reliability improvements such as file copy, network browsing and improved response time to resume from sleep, and change to administration features, including changes to BitLocker that allow encryption for multiple volumes.

Over the years, SP1 versions of any Microsoft products have become a traditional milestone that some corporate users wait for before they even consider rolling out the software.

Uptake of Vista has been slow by corporate users, many of whom have standardized on XP and are reluctant to undertake another migration.

CES 2008: Intel Debuts 16 New Processors

We knew they were coming…just not this many. Intel kicked off this year's CES in a big way, introducing 16 new processors all based on the chipmaker's 45 nanometer (nm) process technology. We've been hearing a lot about 45 nm lately and, admittedly, it's kind of hard to get excited about semiconductor fabrication -- especially when there's all manner of shiny new gizmos vying for your attention. (For a layman's overview of 45 nm, see the company's somewhat creepy video,Intel's 45nm Secret 'Revealed' ) But make no mistake, the debut of these new processors is a big deal.

First, it marks Intel's considerable lead over rival AMD. While AMD is expected to move the 45 nm sometime in the second half of 2008, Intel began mass-producing these chips in November 2007. In a general sense, 45 nm fans the flames of Moore's law , allowing Intel to double the number of transistors in the same silicon space. According to the chipmaker, it also allows the company squeeze more performance out of smaller transistors and increases the overall energy efficiency of a given processor. How small are we talking about? Well, there are 1 billion nanometers (nm) in one meter. And while the original Bell Labs transistor could be held in your hand, you can actually fit hundreds of 45nm transistors on the surface of a single red blood cell. So, yeah, small.
One of the other noteworthy aspects about Monday's announcement is the fact that more than a quarter of these new processors are aimed at the mobile arena. Anyone who's been following Intel knows the company is keen on expanding more into this space, both with its continued WiMax push and in the form of its newfound love of the mobile internet device (MID). And with five new 45nm dual core mobile processors slated for release this month that are (in some cases) up to 25 percent smaller, you can not only expect new notebooks equipped with these processors, but also new form factors.

In fact, Intel says it's also planning on using these new teeny tiny transistors and manufacturing advances to spur on this MID category of small form-factor, low-powered devices later in the year.

In the end, Intel's focus on mobility is understandable. With 30 percent annual growth, the laptop market is consistently exceeding expectations. During a pre-CES briefing, the company reiterated that notebooks alone are expected to start outselling desktops for the first time on a worldwide basis in 2009. And with these new processors being absorbed into its Centrino lineup, you'll see better performance and better battery life.

If you're interested in hearing more about Intel's mobile push, CEO Paul Otellini's keynote is scheduled for 4:30 this afternoon. You'll likely get the WiMax spiel again and hear more about these so-called MIDs and "internet in your pocket." Oh, and there will also be some sort of virtual Smash Mouth jam. You won't want to miss that...

Danger In IE and Firefox

Michal`Zalewski find that hacker can steal cookies sign-in of online bank user through IE. Beside that hacker can monitoring whatever user do in firefox.