Google Launches Paid Premium Version of Analytics

Google has developed a paid version of its Analytics website usage monitoring service that offers better performance, more sophisticated features and broader technical support than the free product, the company said on Friday.

Analytics Premium is designed for sites with very heavy traffic that need "extra processing power" behind their analytics software so that they can collect more data, perform more complex analysis and generate more granular reports, Google said.

The paid version of Analytics will also feature advanced service offerings for things like custom implementations and around-the-clock technical support, the company said in ablog post. Google also offers service level agreements for Analytics Premium.

While developing Analytics Premium, Google worked with some of its biggest Analytics users, including Travelocity and Gucci. The service is available in the U.S., Canada and the U.K. for an undisclosed annual fee. Companies can sign up for it directly with Google or through Analytics resellers.

Google Analytics used to be a paid service back when it was called Urchin on Demand, but after Google acquired the company in 2005, it made it a free product.

Google's decision to offer Urchin on Demand as a free product rocked the website analytics market at the time, since most vendors charged for their wares. Urchin on Demand, for example, cost US$199 per month.

Since acquiring Urchin Software, Google has continued to develop and sell an on-premise version of the software, which in its most recent version -- Urchin 7 -- costs $9,995 in the U.S.

However, Google from the start has encouraged customers to use Analytics, whose software is hosted by Google in its data centers in a software-as-a-service cloud model.

It's interesting to see Google come around after six years and reintroduce a paid version of the cloud-hosted product to the market for heavy-duty users who rely on Analytics to constantly evaluate the effectiveness of ad campaigns or the popularity of website content. The decision may in part reflect the increased importance websites play in businesses, and the need for companies to closely track usage to fine-tune marketing campaigns, e-commerce initiatives and content strategies.

Google said on Friday that it will continue to develop and enhance the free version of Analytics.

Google to open a new data centre in Dubli

Internet giant Google is to open a new data centre in Dublin to run its search engine, Gmail and Google Maps services.

The multinational has bought 11 acres of land and an existing building in the Profile Park in the west of the city in a 75m euros investment.

The search giant said Ireland's naturally cool climate contributed to its decision as it will use outside air to cool equipment, instead of costly air-conditioning units.

It should take 12-15 months to build.

Google said construction work will start soon on the specialised, energy-efficient data centre full of computers that will run the three main online services.

Announcing the jobs on Friday, the Irish jobs minister Richard Bruton said the data centre would be "a powerhouse of Google's expansion".

Energy-efficient

"As I have said repeatedly, the global cloud computing industry offers Ireland a massive opportunity for jobs and economic growth," he said.

"The decision by Google, one of the most important multinational companies in Ireland, to locate a state of the art data centre in Dublin, is an endorsement of our policies in this area, and a sign of what is possible if we continue our focus."

The project will create more than 200 jobs during the construction, and up to 30 full-time and contractor jobs once operational.

Positions at the centre will include computer technicians, electrical and mechanical engineers, and catering and security staff.

John Herlihy, head of Google Ireland, said the company was very happy to continue investing in Ireland and to build a further presence.

"The new data centre will be one of the most energy-efficient in Google's global fleet," he said.

Motorola DEFY+ lands in the UK, costs £240

Motorola DEFY+ is the upgraded version of the last year's rugged droid - DEFY. It keeps almost everything the same but the chipset - it goes from TI OMAP 3610 to TI OMAP 3620. This means now you get a 1GHz single-core Cortex A8 as opposed to the 800Mhz one in the previous model but with the same PowerVR SGX530 graphics.

In case you need a refresh, Motorola DEFY+ comes with a 3.7-inch WVGA display, 512MB RAM, 2GB internal storage, a 5 megapixel snapper with HD video recording and all-round connectivity package.

Motorola DEFY+ runs on Android 2.3 Gingerbread out of the box and has the same IP67 certifications as its predecessor. The latter means dust and water proof, but doesn’t include shock resistance of any kind.

The carrier-independent Motorola DEFY+ is now available in the UK through The Smartphone Centre andClove on about P240.

Sharp returns to the Euro market with the 3D Aquos PHONE SH80F

The Japanese electronics manufacturer Sharp is about to make a return to the European cell phone market. The announcement was jointly delivered by Sharp itself, Orange France and NTT DOCOMO.

Sharp is obviously taking this thing seriously as the first smartphone they are going to release in Europe is looking smoking hot. Dubbed Sharp Aquos PHONE SH80F (we know, a bit of a mouthful) the Android 2.3 Gingerbread smartphone comes with a glasses-free 3D screen and stereo cameras that allow you to capture your own stereoscopic content.

The Sharp Aquos PHONE SH80F LCD measures 4.2" in diagonal and has qHD resolution. The two 8 megapixel cameras can do 1080p video in 2D mode or 720p in 3D, while the VGA front-facing camera enables video-chatting.

Sharp Aquos PHONE SH80F has quite a lot to offer in terms of connectivity, too. You get 3G with HSPA, Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, Infrared and HDMI as well as a microSD card slot.

There's a Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset inside this droid, which sports a 1.4 GHz Scorpion CPU (single-core we assume).

If you are interested and you are lucky enough to be living in France, you will be able to get the Sharp AQUOS PHONE SH80F from Orange for €199 with a €59/month contract. Sharp has also said that it's possible that this beauty hits other countries, but it didn't give a timeframe for that.

Amazon's $199 Kindle Fire sparks supply, margin questions

The rock-bottom price of the new Kindle Fire tablet computer is raising questions about Amazon.com Inc's ability to keep up with demand and the device's effect on the company's already razor-thin profit margins. 

Amazon's billionaire Chief Executive Jeff Bezos unveiled the Fire on Wednesday at a lower-than-expected price of $199. 

Bezos said Amazon is making "millions" of the tablets, without being more specific. However, he urged customers to pre-order the device early. 

"When Bezos quipped that people should get their pre-orders in quick, that wasn't just a sales pitch," said Brian Blair, an analyst at Wedge Partners. "That was him warning this will sell out." 

When the first Kindle came out in 2007, Amazon hadn't made enough and the e-reader sold out in less than a week. That meant the company missed out on sales and got the device into fewer customers' hands, limiting quick adoption. 

"I hope they learned their lesson from the last time," said Vinita Jakhanwal, an analyst at IHS iSuppli, which tracks electronic component supply chains. 

Amazon spokeswomen didn't respond to a request for comment on Thursday. 

Amazon has lined up about four to five million screens for the Fire in the fourth quarter, which is a "fairly significant" amount, Jakhanwal added. 

The technology that is being used for the Fire's screen has been around for at least a year and already has been produced in high volume, reducing the chances of supply shortages, Jakhanwal said. 

One of the components that was in shorter supply in the first half of 2011 was the 10-inch screen, mostly because of Apple Inc's blockbuster-selling iPad, according to Bradley Gastwirth of technology research firmABR Investment Strategy. 

"This is probably one of the main reasons why Amazon started off at the 7-inch form factor," he said. 

Still, other specialized components may be in short supply and that could limit how many Kindle Fire's can be made quickly, Jakhanwal said. 

Other components aren't known yet, according to Wedge's Blair. But he expects a re-run of 2007, with the Fire selling out quickly. 

QUANTA CONNECTION 

Taiwan's Quanta Computer Inc , the world's top contract laptop PC maker, is the assembler of the Fire, according to a source close to the company and several analysts, and makes it at a plant in China. 

Quanta recently scaled down its production line in Taiwan, reportedly on a drop in orders from BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd for its struggling PlayBook tablet device. 

Some US analysts have suggested that Quanta may be able to use some excess inventory from the RIM tablet for the Fire, thus helping avoid possible shortages. 

But the source and analysts said this theory was wrong. "It's impossible to share because they use very different components, for example for the CPUs and panel sizes," said Fubon Securities analyst Arthur Liao. 

Shares of Quanta jumped on Friday, closing up 5.7 per cent, versus a 0.6 per cent rise in the broader market .

Nokia launches new range of smartphones on Symbian Belle

Nokia on Friday launched three new smartphones - Nokia 700, Nokia 701 and Nokia 600 – powered with Symbian Belle’s 'Just Tap’ Near Field Communication (NFC) technology.

At an event in Bangalore, Nokia along with Divum, a Bangalore based developer firm controlled an all-terrain vehicle using the Nokia 701. The App running on the Symbian Belle device allows users to steer the vehicle through WiFi and lets them control the drive from anywhere on the globe. The camera fitted on the vehicle streams live video back to the Nokia device. This also brings motion sensing technology to real life, enabling users to steer and manoeuvre the vehicle by simply tilting the device.

At the launch, T. S. Sridhar, Regional General Manager- South, Nokia India said, “The smartphone market in India has rapidly evolved and is at a very interesting stage. Consumers are looking beyond basic functionality, seeking innovative technology in all smartphones. We believe our latest range will push the boundaries for future devices in this segment.”

Each of the three smartphones represents a distinct set of features - the Nokia 700 with the most compact touch screen, the Nokia 701 with the brightest mobile display and the Nokia 600 is touted as the ‘loudest entertainment smartphone’.

With the launch of these products, Nokia now has four NFC-enabled smartphones in the market in addition to NFC enabled accessories.

The Nokia 600 is priced at Rs. 12,999, the Nokia 700 at Rs. 18,099 and the Nokia 701 at Rs. 18,999. All three models are available across the country.

Nokia 700 - At 50 cubic centimetres, weighing 96gm and at 110 x 50.7 x 9.7 mm, the Nokia 700 is Nokia’s most compact smartphone in the Symbian range. Equipped with single-tap NFC sharing and pairing capabilities, a 1Ghz processor, 3.2 inch AMOLED screen ClearBlack display, 2GB of internal memory (with the option of using a 32GB microSD card for a total of 34GB), HD video capture and 5MP full focus camera with LED flash.

Nokia 701 - Incorporates Nokia’s brightest ever mobile phone display, based on a 3.5 inch ClearBlack display. It has active noise cancellation, provides single-tap NFC pairing and sharing capabilities, allowing content to be shared and sound to be streamed wirelessly to headphones and NFC-enabled speakers. The 701 also has a 1GHz processor, 8MP full focus camera with dual LED flash and 2 X digital zoom, 2nd front-facing camera and HD video capture.

Nokia 600 - Nokia’s loudest at 106 Phons. Built-in FM radio antenna for listening to radio without headphones and FM transmitter to broadcast music from your phone to any FM radio. Comes with 60 hours of music playback time.

Nokia readies Linux OS for low-end smartphones

 Nokia has underlined the importance of low-cost smartphones and now it appears that the company is developing a Linux-based OS for smartphones that will cost less than $100 without subsidies.

The new OS is code-named "Meltemi," and the project is being led by Mary McDowell, Nokia's executive vice president in charge of mobile phones, according to sources familiar with the matter, the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday.

The company has been hinting at plans for a reboot of its low-end smartphoneportfolio. At its Connection event in Singapore, Nokia said that Qt, a Linux-compatible cross-platform application and user interface framework, would be a good fit for lower-end devices, and before that McDowell said that Nokia needs to find a replacement for Series 40, according to Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner.

"So if you put the two together, we can see where this would fit in," said Milanesi.

Series 40 is the OS Nokia today uses on its feature phones, a product segment that is going away as users want smartphones.

On the record, Nokia is keeping mum about its plans.

"Of course, we don't comment on future products or technologies. However, I can say that our Mobile Phones team has a number of exciting projects in the works that will help connect the next billion consumers to the Internet," a spokesman said via email.

Nokia choosing Windows Phone over Android has put the company in a tight spot when it comes to low-end smartphones. There is no question that Android is pushing the price of smartphones to levels that are considerably lower than that of smartphones based on Windows Phone in the near-term, which means that Nokia has a gap in its portfolio, according to Ben Wood, director of research at CCS Insight.

"That means Nokia either needs to scale up Series 40 and make it a more robust competitor with a smart-like experience or look at alternative options, and [Meltemi] could be one of the other options," said Wood.

Nokia can't afford to bet its entire future on Windows Phone and if it wants to remain the volume leader it needs to step up its efforts in the low-end smartphone segment, he said.

The low-end smartphone market is increasingly important and will become the largest smartphone market segment, according to Francisco Jeronimo, research manager at IDC. Sales of less expensive smartphones are already growing faster that high-end models in Western Europe and the availability of low-end smartphones will be crucial to increase sales in emerging markets, he said.

The opportunity is so big that no one can afford to ignore it, not even Apple, Jeronimo said, adding that he won't be surprised if the company releases a cheaper version of the iPhone next week.

For Nokia, a logical venue for the public launch of Meltemi would be at Nokia World in London at the end of October. The drawback is that Meltemi risks being drowned by the expected launch of Nokia's first Windows Phone, according to Wood.

I PHNE 5 PREVIEW

CLICK ON THE BELOW LINK TO WATCH IPHONE PREVIEW

                 I PHONE 5 LEAKING AHEAD OF RELEASE

Samsung announces 1.5GHz Exynos chipset, 16MP camera

Samsung have the luxury of making their own chips and they are quick to put out new and better versions of them. The Exynos chipset, which debuted with the Samsung Galaxy S II at a 'mere' 1.2GHz is getting a 1.5GHz version, called the Exynos 4212

Samsung also has a pair of high-end mobile cameras headed for the production line. One is a 16MP main shooter with a back illuminated sensor for better low-light performance (expected to ship in November) and the other is a 1.2MP module with 720p@30fps capture capabilities for front-facing cameras.

We can't quite make out the Google-translated press release but it seems the front facing camera will have 1/8.2 sensor (that sounds pretty small, but we'll see) and the ISO of the main shooter goes up to 1,600.

Going back to Exynos, it's built using the 32nm process and was designed with 3D performance in mind. Gameloft is apparently showing interest and will offer several titles to put the new SoC to good work.

The Korea-bound Galaxy S II LTE and Galaxy S II HD LTE will sport Exynos chipsets with the CPU clocked at 1.5GHz, which makes them the most likely candidates for being the first phones with the new chipset.

Samsung already has a 1.4GHz version of Exynos that's powering the Galaxy Note and the Galaxy Tab 7.7, but there's no info what kind of change in performance we can expect in the 3D department (beyond the obvious gain from the faster clock speed).

Airtel, Nokia Siemens in deal

Telecom giant Bharti Airtel said it has signed an agreement with Nokia Siemens Networks to expand its second generation (2G) network and deploy third generation (3G) network in seven African countries.

Nokia Siemens will manage end-to-end network operations, including planning, designing and implementing the 2G and 3G networks for Airtel.

The vendor will provide its energy-efficient base stations to expand network coverage to under-served areas, including smaller towns and villages in the seven countries.

However, the companies did not disclose the details of the financial transactions.

"We believe Nokia Siemens' global expertise in managed services and compact energy-efficient network equipment are a perfect fit to our long-term goal to be the leading telecommunications provider in the African continent," said Bharti Airtel chief executive officer (International) and joint managing director Manoj Kohli.

"This partnership will further enable us to rapidly expand our network coverage and provide high-speed wireless internet connectivity to our customers," he added.

Nokia Siemens will use its FlexiHybrid microwave radio to address growing data traffic and provide the platform for a cost-effective transition to 3G, and potentially 4G networks in the future.

The company will also provide its NetAct network management system for network monitoring and management.

Nokia to cut 3,500 jobs

Nokia Oyj , the world's largest cellphone vendor by volume, is cutting 3,500 jobs partly through the closure of its plant in Cluj, Romania, as it struggles with falling sales and profits.
The company said the planned closure of the Cluj factory would result in 2,200 job losses, while a further 1,300 jobs would be cut at its Location & Commerce business unit, which includes the world's largest digital mapping business Navteq.
The latest redundancies announced on Thursday are on top of plans set out in April to save 1 billion euros by measures including laying off 4,000 staff.
Nokia has struggled this year with falling sales and profits after the group said in February it would switch to Microsoft Corp software for its smartphones, but the first of these models will reach the market only later this year.
Nokia's share price has halved since it announced the Microsoft deal on worries the company will lose so much market share before the new phones come out that it might never make up lost ground.
The shares were down 1.1 percent at 4.132 euros by 0746 GMT, in line with a weaker European technology sector.
Elsewhere Nokia supplier Digia said it had agreed to cut 170 jobs in its Finnish operations, and could cut up to 80 more as it revamped its business.
Nokia also said it and Siemens AG will both inject 500 million euros ($680 million) into their 50:50 telecom gear venture Nokia Siemens Networks .
Nokia also said Jesper Ovesen would take over as executive chairman of Nokia Siemens Networks, replacing former Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo.

Microsoft, Samsung to share mobile patents

 Microsoft Corp, the software maker seeking to challenge Apple Inc and Google Inc's dominance in smartphones, agreed to share patents with handset-maker Samsung Electronics Co.

Microsoft will receive royalties for mobile phones and tablets built by Samsung that use Google's Android operating system, according to a statement today. The companies also agreed to cooperate on the development and marketing of Windows Phone, Microsoft's mobile software.

Smartphones with Microsoft's revampedWindows Phone 7 software have struggled to compete with Apple's iPhone and Android-based devices. Microsoft, whose Windows Mobile software licenses were doubling annually before the iPhone was introduced in 2007, announced an alliance with Nokia Oyj in February to develop smartphones.

Microsoft, based in Redmond, Washington, fell 10 cents to $25.58 at 4 p.m. New York time in Nasdaq Stock Market trading. Suwon, South Korea-based Samsung added 0.4 percent to 807,000 won in Seoul trading.

How does Windows 8 take mobile computing forward?

Microsoft announced their latest version of Windows couple of weeks back at the BUILD Conference and Windows 8 had gotten everyone excited. There's a brand new UI and a couple of major improvements but does it make mobile computing a fresh experience all over again?
The latest version of Windows comes with the popular Metro UI, which runs on Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 devices and Zune. Microsoft has integrated the Mobile, Tablet and PC platforms, building an all new ecosystem which would function well with each other and grow with mutual support. But will it really change the Tablet experience? Actually, it might not. The Windows Store has just been launched, at a time when iTunes already has 95,000 apps and 3 flagship devices (iPod Touch, iPhone &iPad) dependent on it. Initial impressions of Windows 8 on non-touch devices have been pretty negative, due to the lags and poor scrolling efficiency issues on the Start screen on Metro UI with a keyboard and mouse. However, this is just the Developer preview and the newer versions will have a fix, most likely. There's an all new browser, control panel and Music screen, all designed based on the Metro UI with hints of Microsoft Office coming soon too. Microsoft has decided to go with Metro UI, full-time and so far, it has been proving out success.

Microsoft has indeed entered the race late, but they might be winning this one still. The whole mobile computing experience and it's neatly and deeply integrated with desktop/laptop accessibility and allows one touch sharing, posting and syncing. Changing just a couple of lines of code on a Windows Phone 7 App would make it a Windows 8 App that can be run on Tablets and PCs, claims Microsoft. That's an interesting way to get a lot number of apps, but it the right strategy to adopt? Developing native apps for the tablet alone has been really successful with the iPad, whereas Honeycomb failed, precisely for more or less the same reason. Though Microsoft has decided to keep the resolution optimized for the tablet screens, there's very little probability of a Windows Phone 7 app having tablet centric features and/or iconography.

There's an application for almost everything on Windows, but how many of the developers would actually make them based on the Metro UI is a highly debatable point. Functionality blends well with the design of Metro UI, but a huge number of software’s on Windows just cannot make the shift. Despite that, the Windows 8 platform would have a lot of apps, and the numbers might inch closer to iOS' much sooner than expected. Mobile, Tablet and PC- Yes, it's a single ecosystem and that's what matters.

Google+ online traffic spurts 1269 per cent in a week

Search giant Google's social networking site has reached a new high as the number of visitors to the site has grown by 1,269 percent. 

According to web traffic tracking firm Experian Hitwise, number of visitors to Google+ has increased rapidly since the site invited users to join without an invite from a friend. 

"Opening access created a massive spike in market share of visits for the site, with a 1269 per cent growth from the week ending September 17 to the week of September 24," the Courier Mail quoted Director of Research at Hitwise, Heather Dougherty, as saying. 

"In just one week, Google+ went from ranking as 54th most visited site in our Social Networking and Forums category to eighth place," Dougherty added. 

According to the report, Google+ still has a long way to go before it gets close Facebook's 1,758,098,904 visits compared to its 14,977,469 visitors. 

However, if the site continues to grow at this rate it is expected to quickly overtake some other social networking sites like MySpace and LinkedIn.

Kindle Fire ignites tablet market

Amazon’s hotly awaited challenger to Apple’s iPad, Kindle Fire, was introduced in New York on September 28, 2011. With the Kindle Fire, Amazon seeks to launch an integrated device that will allow users to consume media, browse the web, shop Amazon’s online store and use the company’s other services.

Iceland's 'zero-emission' data center

 A cloud-computing company is building what it calls "the world's first zero-emission data center" in Iceland.

The British company Colt says the data center will be powered fully by geothermal and hydroelectric sources of energy, which Iceland has in spades. The blog Earth2Tech, where we spotted this story,says Iceland could become a "magnet" for data centers because of the wide availability of renewable energy sources there.

"Why is a country, which blipped on the global news radar in recent months because of its ash-spewing volcano and hard-hit financial markets, such a hot place to construct data centers that could house thousands of servers and run web services for Internet giants?" asks Katie Fehrenbacher from that GigaOm network blog. "First off: location. Its placement between Europe and the U.S. means that companies in the U.S. can run their Web services for both continents in one location, potentially saving money," says Fehrenbacher.

"Secondly, because of its abundant hydropower and geothermal power, Iceland can offer data center services powered by 100% clean power for the same price or less than Web services powered by fossil fuel-based grids in other locations. Internet companies can use the clean power to market their green services, or take advantage of green subsidies in certain markets."

Bernard Geoghegan, an executive at Colt, says his company chose Iceland because of renewable energy:

"The location of this data center has been strategically placed so that it will be the first in the world to use 100% dual sourced renewable energy sources," he writes in a company blog post.

This development is significant because data centers -- giant warehouses of computers that store information that's on the Internet -- use lots of electricity. In the United States, these info factories account for about 1.5% of all energy use, according to a2007 report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Total data center energy use was expected to double by this year.

Worldwide, data center energy use increased 56% from 2005 to 2010, according to a report from Stanford's Jonathan Koomey, which was commissioned by The New York Times. That's less than was expected, but is still significant, the report says.

Colt expects its Iceland data center to be up and running within four months.

Other data centers have claimed to purchase their energy from 100% renewable sources in the past, and there's some debate about what role renewable energy should play in the greening of data centers. More important than purchasing green power is using less of it, writes Ian Bitterlin at the blog Datacenter Dynamics. To this point, the EPA recently created a program to help data centers go green.

The construction of the "zero-emission" data center in Iceland highlights another trend in information processing: Data centers are often located in bizarre places.

When WikiLeaks was all over the news earlier this year, it was revealed that the secrets-leaking website stored at least some of its files in a James-Bond style data center inside a mountain in Sweden.

In the U.S., these data center are often placed near rivers, so they can use the water to cool down the computer servers, or in rural areas, where they don't attract too much attention.

Avoid taking your laptop with sensitive info to China: Experts

Going on a business trip to China? Take your passport and visiting cards but not your laptop loaded with sensitive corporate information as the sophisticated Chinese electronic surveillance systems may access them in a giffy, experts say.

China's booming market beckons to American businesses as the Communist giant is the United States' second-largest trading partner. However, many are increasingly concerned about working in China amid electronic surveillance that is sophisticated and pervasive, the Washington Post reported.

China's brazen use of cyber-espionage stands out because the focus is often corporate, part of a broader government strategy to help develop the country's economy, the report quoted experts who advise American businesses and government agencies as saying.

"I've been told that if you use an iPhone or BlackBerry, everything on it -- contacts, calendar, e-mails -- can be downloaded in a second," said Kenneth Lieberthal, a former senior White Houseofficial for Asia who is at the Brookings Institution.

But Chinese officials say cyber-spying is a problem in much of the world. "It's advisable for all international travelers to take due precautions with their computers and cellphones," Chinese embassy spokesman Wang Baodong said.

"China is not less insecure than other countries," Wang said.

Travelers to China often tote disposable cellphones and loaner laptops stripped of sensitive data. Some US officials take no electronic gear. Other travelers hide files on thumb drives, which they carry at all times and use only on off-line computers, the report said.

"It's real easy for them [the Chinese] to read everything that goes in and out of the country because the government owns all the networks," said Jody Westby, chief executive of Global Cyber Risk, a consulting firm.

"The real problem here is economic espionage," she said.

Ahead of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Joel Brenner, then the US national counterintelligence executive, first issued government safety guidance to overseas travelers.

Though no country was named, "it was really directed at countries like China and Russia," Brenner said recently.

He based his 2008 warning on cases in which Chinese malware was remotely inserted into cellphones; the malware then infected computer servers in the US. He said the networks in every major hotel are monitored by security agencies.

"What's at stake is not only the security of your current communications, but the security of your secrets back home," said Brenner, who advises clients on data security at the law firm Cooley LLP. "That's the real danger."

Intrusions into computer networks also have been reported at the US State, Commerce and Defence departments; they allegedly originated in China, the report noted.

Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update starts rolling out

The long-awaited Windows Phone 7.5 Mango update has started rolling out to devices. Microsoft is taking the cautious route by rolling it out to select handsets in the first week, followed by more handsets getting the update if everything goes smooth the first time.

Devices getting the update will see a notification on their phone and after that they will be required to connect the device to their PC or Mac and use the respective clients to update the software on the phone.

For those who are not aware, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango brings the much needed and highly-requested multitasking functionality. Post-update, you will be able to press and hold the back button on your device and scroll through tiles of recently used apps. Applications can now save their state when you switch, so you can for example switch from a game to email and then back to the game and continue from where you left off. Of course, for this to work, the application must support multitasking.

Other additions include Groups in which you can add a bunch of people and see their updates and send messages to everyone in the group simultaneously, Twitter integration, which shows the tweets of the people you follow in the People hub, Local Scout that uses Bing Maps and Search to show you interesting places around you based on your current location, visual voicemail (requires operator support), improved Live Tiles, persistent camera settings that don't go back to default values when you close the camera app, Wi-Fi hotspot functionality and much more

Nokia promises continued software support for N9

Nokia may have announced that the N9 will be the last of the MeeGo phones from them but just in case you were planning to buy it rest assured you won't be left out in the cold.

Devices getting the update will see a notification on their phone and after that they will be required to connect the device to their PC or Mac and use the respective clients to update the software on the phone.

For those who are not aware, Windows Phone 7.5 Mango brings the much needed and highly-requested multitasking functionality. Post-update, you will be able to press and hold the back button on your device and scroll through tiles of recently used apps. Applications can now save their state when you switch, so you can for example switch from a game to email and then back to the game and continue from where you left off. Of course, for this to work, the application must support multitasking.

Other additions include Groups in which you can add a bunch of people and see their updates and send messages to everyone in the group simultaneously, Twitter integration, which shows the tweets of the people you follow in the People hub, Local Scout that uses Bing Maps and Search to show you interesting places around you based on your current location, visual voicemail (requires operator support), improved Live Tiles, persistent camera settings that don't go back to default values when you close the camera app, Wi-Fi hotspot functionality and much more

iPhone 5: Top 5 Features Reported for New Apple Smartphone

The only thing -- the only thing --Apple has publicly said about the much-awaited announcement of its new iPhone 5 is that it will hold a press briefing Oct. 4 at its headquarters in Cupertino, Calif.

What will they discuss there? "Let's talk iPhone," said the emailed invitations.

Beyond that, everything is speculation -- but there is a whole cottage industry devoted to speculating about how Steve Jobs' little California startup will next change the world.

The new iPhone, if you believe what they're saying ... will have an 8-megapixel camera ... a rounded back ... a larger screen ... won't disconnect calls if you touch the edges ... will fly -- well, it won't fly, but the rumors do.

In that spirit, here are some of the top features of the new phone, as reported by some of the more industrious Apple followers out there, including 9to5mac, AppleInsider, MacRumors and many others.

One critical caveat: Nothing here -- nothing at all -- has been confirmed or denied by Apple. The company cheerfully but categorically declines comment before product announcements.

Of course, if it didn't, all those other sites wouldn't have nearly as much fun trying to ferret out just what's coming.

Nokia N9 shipments start, pricing might be a problem

Nokia has just reported that the first Nokia N9 units have started leaving factories in Finland and are heading to shops around the globe. At this point we are just a few days from the actual availability of the first MeeGo-running smartphone.

What seems a bit worrying though is the Nokia price estimates. According to the Finns, the 16GB Nokia N9 will cost €480, whereas the 64GB version will go for €560. And those are prices before taxes, so they would actually end up higher.

Unless carriers embrace the phone and offer heavy subsidies on it, that is. With the N9 being the platform flagship, it will be quite important for it to gain some significant market share in order to attract developers, who are the beating heart of every ecosystem. And, frankly, we can't see that happening at the prices quoted by Nokia.

Not even with the ultra-cool design, the rich feature set and the innovative and intuitive OS that impressed us so much, when we met a while ago.

Here’s hoping we are wrong and the N9 turns out a success. MeeGo is such a cool platform that it will be a shame for it to follow the webOS footsteps.

Apple Sends Out Invite For IPhone Event On Oct. 4

NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--Apple Inc. (AAPL) invited reporters to an iPhone-related event Oct. 4, setting the stage for the widely anticipated launch of its latest smartphone.

On Tuesday, Apple sent reporters an email with the message, "Let's talk iPhone," inviting them to an event at its Cupertino, Calif., headquarters. Apple has traditionally held an event in the early fall to update iPod products, as well as its iTunes digital music jukebox software.

Apple shares recently rose 0.6% at $405.68 Tuesday.

The event next week follows what analysts say has been a blowout quarter for Apple's iPhone 4. The device, which was released in June of last year, has been a hit with consumers despite initial customer complaints that the device's antenna was prone to malfunctioning when held a certain way.

Overall, the iPhone has helped to drive Apple's revenue and profit growth to record levels and has become the best-selling smartphone in the world.

Despite its high ranking, however, the iPhone's sales pale in comparison to the mountain of devices sold around the world that are powered by Google Inc.'s (GOOG) Android operating system. The software, which powers phones made by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (SSHNY, 005930.SE), HTC Corp. (HTCXF, 2498.TW) and Dell Inc. (DELL), is used by 43% of U.S. smartphone subscribers, according to the latest surveys by Nielsen. The iPhone, by comparison, represents 28%.

Still, analysts expect the new iPhone will likely follow a similar path of success as its predecessor, drawing enthusiastic customers to its stores on its release day.

"We believe a refreshed iPhone 5 will boast enough physical improvements to drive another strong adoption cycle," UBS analyst Maynard Um wrote in a note shortly after the invitation was sent. He added that demand for the phone had likely built up because Apple took 16 months to refresh the line rather than the typical 12 months.

Um has a buy rating on Apple shares and a $510 price target.

While Apple's next-generation iPhone is expected to be a success with customers, the device's arrival comes at an unusual time for the company. Steve Jobs, Apple's co-founder and leader, stepped down on Aug. 24, after a prolonged medical leave for an undisclosed illness.

Jobs, a pancreatic cancer survivor, was succeeded by Tim Cook, then the company's chief operating officer. Cook is widely respected among his peers in the industry and employees who report to him. Several Apple employees say the company has not changed since Cook took the helm, and that the enthusiasm among employees remains strong.

The event also comes as interest in the company's iPod continues to wane. Released in 2001, the digital music player became a centerpiece of Apple's renaissance, powering the company's surge last decade.

Recently, however, its sales have been falling. Apple said iPod unit sales fell by a fifth in its third quarter when compared with the same time a year ago.

Apple's invitation suggests that the iPod will take a back seat to the iPhone at the event, underscoring a shift in customer's interest of Apple's product

Google Turns 13: Its Biggest Hits and Misses

Google on Tuesday celebrated its 13th birthday with a homepage doodle featuring the search engine’s logo surrounded by presents and a cake.

Google has celebrated its birthday with doodles for the past few years, including a throwback to the original logo for its 10th birthday and a painting of a cake from 89-year-old Los Angeles painter Wayne Thiebaud last year. But doodle milestones aside, Google has accomplished a mind-boggling amount of work in the last 13 years—building the company to almost 30,000 employees and $9.03 billion in revenue last quarter.

With over a decade in the business, it’s natural that there will be hits and misses. We love Gmail and 43 percent of Americans are now using Android phones, but Google might want us to forget certain missteps like Google Wave and Buzz.

Google TV is also not the blockbuster hit the company probably hoped it would be, but then again, even Android got off to a slow start. Google had some trouble in the social arena, facing confusion and privacy complaints surrounding Wave and Buzz, but it might be able to make up for it with its nascent Google+ social network.

Google is still thriving with its original product—search. And what better way to access Google.com than through Google’s own Chrome Web browser, which captured more than 15 percent of the market recently.

Samsung announces Omnia W

Windows phone 7 Mango update is coming any moment now and so are the first phones that will have it stock right out of the box. HTC has already announced the Mango-based Titan and Radar, so today is the Samsung's turn - meet the Omnia W.

The Omnia W packs a 3.7-inch WVGA Super AMOLED screen and is based on the Qualcomm MSM8255 Snapdragon chipset with a 1.4GHz Scorpion processor, Adreno 205 graphics and 512MB RAM. Since Microsoft has strict policy about the hardware there is very little space Samsung to innovate.

The rest of the specs are pretty much standard - a 5 megapixel snapper with a LED flash, a 720p camcorder, a front-facing VGA camera, 8GB internal storage, a 1500mAh battery and the usual connectivity (Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth).

Samsung Omnia W runs on the latest Windows Phone 7 Mango version and there are just few Samsung apps you can download for free to get something unique with your phone, since Microsoft forbids customizations.

According to GSMInfo.nl the Omnia W is expected this November for about €450 for the unlocked device.

We also got a chance to play around with the Omnia W. It's nicely compact and not too heavy. The battery cover is made out of brushed metal (a nice touch!) but the rest of the body is plastic. Still, the Omnia W feels solidly built.

On the front, there's the 3.7" SuperAMOLED screen with WVGA resolution. Below that is the Windows key flanked by capacitive back and search keys. There's a half-pressable shutter key on the side as it's customary for Windows Phones.

Unfortunately, the phone had a rather bad case of a dead battery, so we can’t share any impressions about actually using the phone. We bet, however, it won't be long before we get one-on-one with the Omnia W again