Top Tech News

Another Porn App Gets Booted From Apple's App Store

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:40:38 -0500

Week after week, Apple sees controversy swirl around its App Store like no other smartphone maker. Yet again, the controversy has focused on pornographic content.

The latest application to attempt to make its way into the App Store is called BeautyMeter. The app lets iPhone and iPod touch users view user-submitted images of men and women, then rate them based on anatomy and clothing. One image up for rating was of a topless 15-year-old girl. Apple booted the application on Thursday.

But that wasn't the first time a pornographic application made its way through Apple's approval process. The App Store has a policy that prohibits pornography or explicit content of any kind.

Last week, Apple removed an application called Hottest Girl because it published photos of topless women. In both cases, the applications got by the approval process because the developers slipped in the nude pictures after the program was vetted.

Controversial Apps

The list of applications Apple has rejected continues to grow. In some cases, Apple initially approved an application, only to ban it later. In others, Apple originally banned the application and then accepted it after a firestorm of negative publicity. Still others were rejected for good.

In May, Apple rejected the Me So Holy App for having "objectionable" content. The application let iPhone users choose their religion, take a picture of themselves, and insert their face in a messianic image, among other religious scenes. Users could also add a message and e-mail their personalized Jesus to friends or upload it to Facebook. Hindu figures, priests and nuns were also available.

Apple initially approved and later removed the controversial Baby Shaker application in April. Sikalosoft developed Baby Shaker, which featured a drawing of a crying baby, and the object of the game was to get the baby to stop crying. This was accomplished by...

Hybrid Cellular Satellite Will Boost Rural Coverage

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:07:11 -0500

European space transportation provider Arianespace launched its largest satellite ever on Wednesday on behalf of TerreStar Networks -- a Virginia-based company that intends to inaugurate a hybrid satellite/cellular service in the United States and Canada later this year.

TerreStar Networks has already developed a Windows Mobile smartphone with QWERTY keyboard and touchscreen capabilities for its new hybrid service. The handset will automatically switch from AT&T's terrestrial cellular network to a satellite link at any location within the 50 U.S. states where AT&T's local coverage is unavailable.

"We believe there are tremendous opportunities ahead -- in both the commercial and government sectors," said TerreStar President Jeff Epstein. "And we remain focused on our promise to help solve the critical communications and business-continuity challenges faced by government, emergency responders, enterprises and rural communities."

Creating a New Paradigm

The new TerreStar-1 satellite is equipped with an 18-meter reflector capable of sending and receiving signals via about 500 spot beams, each of which will function as a cellular tower in the sky for a specific localized area. Moreover, each individual spot beam can be custom controlled to increase the available capacity for emergency personnel responding to a natural disaster like Hurricane Katrina, which decimated a large part of southern Louisiana's communications infrastructure.

"TerreStar-1 has the capability to increase both power and capacity dynamically across spot beams with advanced ground-based beam-forming technology," a company spokesperson said. "This feature will be especially important to emergency responders and other critical users."

TerreStar's $300 million satellite also has the potential to fulfill one of the priority objectives of the national broadband plan currently under development at the FCC. Later this year, the fledgling network operator intends to begin providing core voice, data and video services to rural businesses and consumers in areas where cellular coverage is spotty or even nonexistent.

"We are creating...

Facebook Will Simplify Confusing Privacy Controls

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 12:10:33 -0500

Facebook will again tweak its privacy controls to give its 200 million users simplified control over what they want the public and their friends to see. In the past months, Firefox has added multiple privacy controls that confused and angered its members.

Chief Privacy Officer Chris Kelly said Wednesday that Facebook will begin a series of tests to simplify choices. "With the test we're announcing today, we'll move toward simplifying these settings and putting them all on the same page," Kelly said.

Facebook users will soon begin to see the move to new settings. During the process, Facebook will ask offer a Transition Tool so users can select their level of sharing.

The settings will be tested by 40,000 U.S. Facebook users in week one, using one of the six versions of the Transition Tool. Tests in week two will include 80,000 users worldwide.

In week three, Facebook will slowly begin rolling out the final product to all users.

Easing Confusion

"I think that Facebook very much needed to revamp its user interface, the many mechanisms that deal with privacy controls," said Ray Valdes, a Gartner analyst. "This had become complex due to a steady accumulation of features over the years that needed to be put back in order toward a more cohesive user experience."

The slew of updates and changes to the social-networking site included the "everyone" option in March, which allowed users to share all information, including photos and posts. Last week, Facebook launched a beta version of the Publisher Privacy Control, which allows users to decide who can see their published content on a per-post basis.

Combined, those features enable users to allow some posts to be seen by everyone and other posts to be seen only by select friends.

"You will have the choice of being as open...

Sentencing Scheduled for Mom in MySpace Hoax

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 11:23:36 -0500

A Missouri mother faces up to three years in prison at her sentencing Thursday in Los Angeles for her role in a MySpace hoax directed at a 13-year-old neighbor girl who later killed herself.

Lori Drew was convicted in November on three misdemeanor counts of accessing computers without authorization. A defense motion to dismiss the convictions has received a lengthy review from U.S. District Judge George Wu, who delayed Drew's sentencing in May to review the testimony of two prosecution witnesses.

Much attention has been paid to Drew's case, primarily because it was the nation's first cyberbullying trial.

Prosecutors say Drew sought to humiliate Megan Meier by helping create a fictitious teen boy on the social networking site and sending flirtatious messages to the girl in his name. The fake boy then dumped Megan in a message saying the world would be better without her. She hanged herself a short time later in October 2006 in the St. Louis suburb of Dardenne Prairie, Mo.

Drew was not directly charged with causing Megan's death. Instead, prosecutors indicted her under the federal Computer Fraud and Abuse Act, which in the past has been used in hacking and trademark theft cases.

Drew's attorney, Dean Steward, said charges should have never been brought against his client and prosecution's decision to seek a three-year prison sentence for misdemeanor convictions was "shocking."

"The government's case is all about making Lori Drew a public symbol of cyberbullying," Steward said in a previous court filing. "The government has created a fiction that Lori Drew somehow caused (Megan's) death, and it wants a long prison sentence to make its fiction seem real."

Judge Wu acknowledged in May he was concerned that sending Drew to prison for violating a Web site's service terms might set a dangerous precedent. Wu noted that millions of people either don't read...

Bing Searches Up-To-the-Minute Tweets on Twitter

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:13:46 -0500

Bing is now doing Twitter. The recently launched Microsoft search engine is now allowing users to search for various kinds of real-time data, including tweets from Twitter.

Sean Suchter, general manager of Microsoft's Search Technology Center, wrote on the Bing blog Wednesday that the search engine is "unveiling an initial foray into integrating more real-time data into our search results, starting with some of the more prominent and prolific Twitters from a variety of spheres."

Gore, Seacrest, More

These initial Twitterers, he wrote, include former Vice President Al Gore, American Idol host Ryan Seacrest, and notables in search technology and business. Microsoft will update Twitter results every 60 seconds, using the Twitter API. Initially, Bing will only be indexing a few thousand Twitterers, based on follower count and number of tweets.

As an example, Suchter said a user could type "Kara Swisher Twitter," "Kara Swisher Tweets," or even "@karaswisher" as a search query and the results would show the latest tweets for Swisher, as well as a link to "see more tweets." Swisher is a Wall Street Journal tech columnist.

Brad Shimmin, an analyst with industry research firm Current Analysis, said Bing is joining the parade of search engines that allow users to query real-time information, with some engines specifically designed for that function. Twitter profiles and older tweet streams are searchable on many engines, but Bing is reportedly the first to allow Twitter to be searched in this way.

"This isn't revolutionary," he said, but is part of a search-industry trend as it recognizes that the Web isn't static, but includes many forms of real-time or near-real-time communications. The realization, he said, began with search engines including blogs, and has now moved to include Facebook postings and other very frequently updated, Web-based communications.

He added that this new feature is also Microsoft trying to offer more...

Celebrity Deaths Drive Spam, with Jackson Pervasive

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:11:24 -0500

With recent celebrity deaths, spammers are shifting strategies in hopes of cashing in on the misfortunes of others. Although several celebrities have passed away in the last few weeks, pop star Michael Jackson's death is driving the greatest spam volume.

Less than eight hours after Jackson's untimely death, Sophos began to intercept spam campaigns using the singer's name. Sophos also discovered cybercriminals taking advantage of 1970s TV icon Farrah Fawcett's death to spread fake antivirus software.

Mass Mailing Worms

Since then, Sophos reports large volumes of more spam, malware and other scams. For example, Sophos reports a mass-mailing worm that spams out messages with subject lines such as "Remembering Michael Jackson" with an attached file called "Michael songs and pictures.zip."

The e-mail, which claims to come from sarah@michaeljackson.com, says the attached ZIP file contains secret songs and photos of Michael Jackson. However, the reality is that opening the attachment exposes recipients to infection -- and if a computer is victimized, it spreads the worm to other Internet users.

Attackers have also set up a bogus Italian YouTube site link in an e-mail. When users click on the e-mail they get an error message indicating a Flash player upgrade is required in order to view the video. The download link ushers the victim to a fake codec that downloads a Trojan.

Exploiting Human Misery

How does the rash of celebrity deaths compare with other major world events? It's not at all unusual for the bad guys to try and take advantage of big international news stories in their attempts to infect computers and steal money, according to Graham Cluley, a senior security consultant at Sophos.

Cluley points to hackers in the past taking advantage of the death of the pope, the incarceration of Saddam Hussein, the death of kung-fu actor David Carradine, a Concorde crash in Paris,...

Kenexa Enhances Interview-Assessment Solution

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:24:51 -0500

WAYNE, Pa. (June 29, 2009) -� Kenexa (NASDAQ:KNXA), a global provider of business solutions for human resources, today announced the latest version of its Kenexa Interview Builder� assessment solution. This release provides a powerful online reference library of more than 3,000 questions that increase interviewers' accuracy and efficiency in choosing the best employees. Kenexa Interview Builder also provides a range of job analysis tools, job description templates, interview guides and competency profiles.

Cost-effective recruitment and retention of the right talent has taken on critical importance in the currently weakened economy. Kenexa's updated solution provides corporate recruiters and hiring managers with better tools and training for identifying, hiring and retaining the best employees, which reduces employers' hiring costs. The updated version also helps organizations comply with fair and ethical hiring policies by bringing a higher degree of standardization to interview question development and scoring, ensuring that all candidates are asked appropriate questions and scored on the same criteria.

This Web-based solution significantly improves the interviewing process for specific job roles and positions, producing a more accurate measure of candidates' fit as well as their impact on future business results. It enables the quick and efficient creation of interview question sets and interview guides that can be customized to specific job descriptions and responsibilities within an organization. Once created, the guides can be downloaded, printed or e-mailed and used multiple times by anyone in the organization. Built into the enhanced solution are 20 ready-to-use interviews developed by Kenexa, in addition to the more than 3,000 behavioral, situational, attitudinal and job knowledge questions that organizations can use in custom interviews.

"At Kenexa, we believe that when you multiply the right individual by the right environment, success is inevitable. Kenexa Interview Builder enables employers to find the right employees for their organizations, supporting business success," said Rudy...

ZHMICRO Unveils Linux Visual '09 IDE

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:25:03 -0500

Plano, Texas, 2009-06-19 -- ZHMICRO LLC, a leading provider of enterprise software development tools based on the C++ Software Development Language, today announced availability of the new Linux Visual '09 IDE (Integrated Development Environment). ZHMICRO has created a familiar but easier way for software development organizations to create Mobile, Desktop, and advanced Enterprise Applications that meet todays cost and time sensitive requirements. This Linux version is the only "Complete" IDE available in the market today and has all the same features and functionality as the Z++ Visual '09 Windows version. Its features include a built-in Text Editor, Debugger, Compiler, Memory Leak Detection, and many other features that focus on simplifying the software development process allowing Developers greater ease in the creation and building of complete end to end solutions. A complete list of these features are available at http://www.zhmicro.com.

"This latest product release of the Linux Visual '09 continues ZHMICRO's commitment to provide Software Developers with a truly "Complete" Linux IDE that is feature rich, easy to use, and gives Software Development Organizations a "One Stop" solution that allows them to greatly reduce their development costs and make the most efficient use of their development resources," said Daniel Hatton, VP of Mobile Sales, ZHMICRO LLC.
ZHMICRO's Visual '09 (Windows and Linux) offers a comprehensive Integrated Development Environment (IDE) which gives a software developer unmatched capabilities by extending the capabilities of C++. When used with the Z47 Virtual Processor, applications written with Visual '09 are capable of running on multiple Desktop and Enterprise Operating Systems such as Microsoft Windows, LINUX, and UNIX as well as Mobile Operating Systems such as Palm, Windows Mobile, and Pocket PC. This combination of applications written with Visual '09, and the use of the Z47 Virtual Processor, allows for the rapid development of Enterprise, Desktop, and Mobile...

Proxio Announces 23,000 New ProxioPro Members

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:19:13 -0500

PALO ALTO, Calif., June 30, 2009 �- Proxio, the first international MLS and global referral network for real estate professionals, today announces partnerships with three major multiple listing services (MLSs), resulting in over 23,000 new members for ProxioPro�. Joining the ProxioPro� network to maximize on international market opportunities are the Hilton Head Island MLS in South Carolina, Regional MLS in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida and the Realtor Association of Miami Dade County, also in Florida.

"Our members understand the large opportunity that exists in international real estate today, however they do not have the time or resources to travel extensively. Proxio has removed this roadblock and enables us to connect our members to thousands of real estate professional around the world to forge lasting, lucrative business relationships. We truly believe that Proxio's services increase the income potential of each of our REALTORs�," says Martha Bullman, CEO of the Realtor Association of Miami-Dade County, the largest Realtor association in Florida and the 5th largest in the United States.

Proxio's global marketing and networking platform provides MLSs with a simple and inexpensive way to take their services to the next level. Each member is provided with a detailed profile so he or she can create a professional online presence, network one-to-one with outbound or inbound referral agents, and participate within communities of agents with similar interests worldwide. Property listings are automatically loaded and translated into 11 languages for MLS members, providing them with a way to share inventory globally and serve diverse clients.

"Some MLSs and Associations are very progressive in providing additional services to members to help them grow their businesses," says Janet Case, Proxio's CEO. "In this market, agents need every tool they can get. We are delighted to be partners with Hilton Head Island MLS, Regional MLS in Florida and...

CyberShift Releases Paper on Absence Management

Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:45:30 -0500

PARSIPPANY, N.J. (June 29, 2009) � CyberShift, a global provider of workforce management and expense management software and services, today announced the availability of its newest white paper titled "Time is Money: How Organizations Can Effectively Monitor and Manage Absences to Improve Productivity and Mitigate Risk." The paper shares insight on how automating absence management can help organizations better manage employee absences, thereby improving efficiencies, reducing operating costs and mitigating risks.

All organizations must deal with worker absences, whether planned or unplanned. In today's economy, with fewer resources available, absences have an even more profound impact on productivity. By utilizing an automated workforce management solution with absence management capabilities, organizations can analyze data and identify frequencies or patterns of absences, determine why absences are happening, and proactively optimize scheduling.

"Employee absences cost organizations money in direct payroll expenses as well as lower productivity and diminished morale. By automating the tracking of absence occurrences, employers are better equipped to proactively ensure the right people are at the right job at the right time. In certain vertical markets such as retail and healthcare, proper scheduling and absence management means customer expectations and patient needs can be met," commented Morn� Swart, vice president of Product Management at CyberShift.

Automating absence management can also ensure better compliance with a multitude of federal, state and local regulations, union rules and company guidelines.

"The time and money cost savings associated with properly administering FMLA and other rules and regulations is a benefit to most organizations. A workforce management system, like CyberShift's Workforce Management 3G suite, can track multiple types of leave, centralize absence-related data and help employers to manage policies and effectively comply with laws and regulations," Swart said.

CyberShift's Web-based Workforce Management 3G rules-based platform delivers fully integrated solutions for all aspects of workforce management. Its time and attendance...