Twitter, Google & China Concerns

DAVOS, Switzerland - Twitter's co-founder and the head of Google on Friday addressed concerns about Internet censorship in China, speaking at the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland. Google's chief told the meeting that censorship in China has to change but that the internet search giant wanted to stay in the Asian giant despite being the target of cyber attacks from inside China. When asked about reports of China's attempts to block Twitter, the co-founder of the microblogging phenomenon, Evan Williams said he had been told about them but the company had no confirmation. "That's what I've been told," he told AFP. "I have heard reports on that," he added on the sidelines of the Davos forum, but said the company did not have direct confirmation. Williams said China can use a firewall to block the microblogging service used by millions around the world, but that Twitter was not "actively" looking for ways to get around any block. "There are ways for users to get around it, but I'm not an expert on that." When asked about media reports that Twitter was developing ways to get around the firewall, Williams said he had been "misquoted." "We're not actively developing any way to get around it," he said, although he stressed that "we're for the free exchange of information." Asked if his company had noticed cyber attacks, such as those launched against Google from inside China, he said none had been detected. Google has threatened to pull out of China over the attacks as well as over censorship in China which it opposed.

Apple Fixes Alot Of Holes ln Mac OS X

Apple fixes a dozen vulnerabilities affecting Mac OS X 10.5 and 10.6 in its first security update for the year released on Wednesday. The security update addresses several issues with the Flash Player plug-in, including one that could allow an attacker to take control of the computer if the user visits a malicious Web site. Also patched were holes in CoreAudio, ImageIO, and Image RAW that could lead to arbitrary code execution and allow an attacker to take control of the computer if a malicious MP4 audio file were played, or malicious TIFF (Tagged Image File Format) or DNG (Digital Negative) images were viewed. The release also affects OpenSSL, fixing a man-in-the-middle vulnerability that exists in the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) and TLS (Transport Layer Security) protocols used to secure communications over the Internet. The vulnerability, discovered by researchers at PhoneFactor in August 2009, could allow someone to capture data or modify operations performed in protected sessions. In addition, a hole in the CUPS printing service was plugged that could allow an attacker to cause a remote denial-of-service by issuing a malicious get-printer-jobs request. What happened to "secured"?

Intel : PC Industry Recovering

Intel's fourth-quarter earnings breezed past Wall Street's expectations, and its rosy profit outlook for 2010 was another sign that a lasting recovery for the recession-battered personal computer market is under way. As the first major technology company to report its results for the last quarter, Intel is seen as a barometer for the PC market and for technology spending in general. Its revenue beat the Street, as did its gross margin, which can measure how well Intel managed costs. Investors were restrained in their enthusiasm. Shares of the No. 1 maker of computer microprocessors edged up less than one percent in after-hours trading. Earlier, the stock had gained 2.5 percent to end the regular session at $21.48. PC shipments grew more sharply than expected in the fourth quarter, a promising sign after a brutal year for the industry during the recession. Intel, which supplies the vast majority of the "brains" inside computers, rode the resurgence of consumer PC shopping to a profit of $2.3 billion, or 40 cents per share. That was more than nine times as much as it earned in the year-ago quarter, when profit totaled $234 million, or 4 cents per share. Intel also posted its highest gross profit margin in history, at 64.7 percent. A higher gross margin number means the chipmaker was able to turn more revenue into profit. It's a key measure for a manufacturing-intensive company such as Intel because it reflects how well costs are held in check. Revenue climbed 29 percent to $10.6 billion, as Intel sold more chips, many at higher prices than in the past. Analysts expected a profit of 30 cents per share and $10.2 billion in revenue, according to a Thomson Reuters survey. It's never clear whether chip sales line up with demand for new computers. PC makers might be buying more than they need to replenish low supplies or fewer than they need to preserve cash. But Intel clearly sees the fourth quarter as more than a holiday shopping-induced blip.

Zune HD to get XviD

We're getting word that Zune HD users will soon have some good news to shout about. Come Spring, the Zune HD should receive a firmware update providing support for MPEG-4 part 2 Advanced Simple Profile videos, including the torrent junkie's format of choice, XviD. When pressed on whether DivX support would also be added, contacts explained it was unlikely, because of proprietary restrictions. Also unclear is what range of resolutions will be supported, although we did confirm that the new format support will maintain compatibility with the HD AV dock accessory. The firmware update will also bring over a Smart DJ feature, which currently is found only in the Zune's client software. The addition of Smart DJ playlists brings the Zune HD in line with the on-the-fly Genius playlist capabilities of the iPod Touch. Better yet, Zune Pass users within Wi-Fi range will have the ability to create Smart DJ playlists that incorporate streaming content from Zune Marketplace, in addition to songs already stored on the device. Microsoft representatives were also quick to remind us that its mythical Facebook app is on track for early this year. With the Zune HD Twitter app seeing the light of day last month, there's reason for users to keep the faith.