Samsung becomes first to unveil Windows Phone 8 handset

Samsung becomes first to unveil Windows Phone 8 handset:

Samsung announced a new range of products under the name Ativ last night, making it the first manufacturer to reveal its Windows Phone 8 mobile device.

The Ativ S smartphone was unveiled at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, beating Microsoft’s major partner, Nokia, which is due to launch its own device at a press event in New York next Wednesday.

Samsung’s version houses a 1.5GHz dual core processor, comes with a choice of 16GB or 32GB memory – with support for a microSD card – and two cameras, a forward-facing 1.9MP and a rear-facing 8MP shooter.

The device itself measures in at 137.2mm x 70.5mm, with a 4.8” HD Super AMOLED display, is 8.7 mm thick and weighs just 135g, making it a similar build to Samsung’s Galaxy S III flagship mobile, but with less power inside.

It is not clear when the device will hit the shelves but rumours from the trade show floor claim the end of October is a likely launch date.

As well as the Ativ S smartphone, Samsung also unveiled a new tablet device based on the upcoming Windows 8 light version known as Windows RT. The Activ Tab will have a 10.1” display but weigh 570g and measure 8.9mm in thickness, making it both thinner and lighter than the latest Apple iPad.

It will run on a 1.5GHz dual core processor, come with either 32GB or 64GB memory – as well as support for up to 64GB on a microSD card – and have two cameras, the forward-facing 1.9MP and the rear-facing 5MP device.    

“Samsung is a highly-valued partner and it’s great to see this investment in a global brand for its Windows-based tablets and phones,” said Nick Parker, corporate vice-president of original equipment manufacturers for Microsoft.

“This gives us an increased opportunity to inspire our customers with excitement and confidence as they enjoy Windows experiences across their beautiful Samsung devices, including entertainment scenarios, mobile productivity and cloud services.”

Smartphones to kill off landlines within five years

The majority of UK CIOs believe the work landline will be redundant within the next five years due to the rise in adoption of the smartphone.

The figure was revealed in research from Virgin Media Business, which saw 500 CIOs questioned by Vanson Bourne on its behalf.

A significant 65% of respondents believed landlines would no longer be an everyday tool in corporate environments by 2017, while the vast majority (87%) said smartphones would live on through technology changes in that timeframe.

“The pace of change with technology is having a transformative effect on the way we work,” said Tony Grace, chief operating officer of Virgin Media Business. “A decade ago it would have been unthinkable to suggest an office without telephones. Now it’s hard to imagine being separated from our smartphones.

“Mobile connections to the internet are getting better by the day, and almost everywhere we go we’re able to check-in at the office, social networking sites, or simply contact friends and family. Because of this, businesses have recognised the importance of the mini-computers that smartphones have essentially become. This is leading us to rely increasingly on our smartphones and less on our landlines.”

Despite mobile devices being a key business tool, the rise of the tablet still has some doubters in the corporate world.

Just under a quarter of respondents to the survey (24%) claimed the likes of the iPad would “fall out of fashion” in the next five years, despite 62% of the CIOs believing the PC would follow the landline in becoming redundant, leaving a space for something to take its place.

“The sophistication of mobile technology is also having an impact on the PC,” said Grace. “It’s never been easier to work on the move, making stationary PCs significantly less useful than laptop counterparts.

“However, tablet technology still has a long way to go to justify itself and sit alongside smartphones as essential business equipment.”

FBI arrests another Sony hacking suspect

FBI arrests another Sony hacking suspect:

The FBI has arrested another suspected member of the now-defunct hacking group LulzSec in connection with a breach of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s computer systems.

The 20-year-old Raynaldo Rivera surrendered to US authorities after a federal grand jury in Los Angeles charged him with conspiracy and unauthorised impairment of a protected computer.

If convicted, Rivera faces up to 15 years in prison.

Co-conspirator Cody Kretsinger, 24, who was arrested in September 2011 and pleaded guilty to the same charges as Rivera in April, is scheduled to be sentenced on 25 October.

Rivera and his co-conspirators are accused of stealing information from Sony Corp's Sony Pictures' computer systems in May and June 2011 through a SQL injection attack on the company’s website.

Authorities suspect Rivera of helping to post the stolen confidential information on the website of LulzSec, an offshoot of the hacking collective Anonymous.

The data included the names, birth dates, addresses, emails, phone numbers and passwords of thousands of people who entered Sony competitions.

The attack, clean up and compensation is expected to ultimately cost Sony more than $600,000, according to Reuters.

In March, five other suspected leaders of Anonymous, all them alleged to be LulzSec members as well, were charged by federal authorities with computer hacking and other offenses.

In June, a federal grand jury indicted UK hacker, Ryan Cleary, on charges related to LulzSec attacks on several media companies, including Sony Pictures.

But US prosecutors have said they will not seek to extradite Cleary, leaving him to be dealt with by the UK courts, according to the Telegraph.

Cleary, who has confessed to launching a string of cyber-attacks on major institutions in the UK with fellow hacker Jake Davis, will be tried on further charges in April next year.

VMware demos Horizon for workspace aggregation

VMware demos Horizon for workspace aggregation:

VMware has fleshed out its desktop virtualisation strategy with a suite of products designed to make desktop computing more manageable by using workspace aggregation.

As 30 June, 2014 – the end of support date for Windows XP – looms ever closer, IT departments need to migrate from their legacy desktop Windows platform. But while some CIOs may prefer to deploy the now mature Windows 7 operating system (OS), IT departments have more choice including skipping Windows 7 altogether. They can deploy Windows 8 or desktop virtualisation. Moreover, unlike in October 2009, when Windows 7 launched, supporting desktop IT has changed. Locking down corporate PCs and laptops is no longer acceptable for end users. They want to use their own software and often prefer their own devices.

“The dramatic influx of mobile devices and applications is quickly subverting existing IT policy and management,” said Brett Waldman, senior research analyst at IDC. “Modern solutions will need to have an integrated approach that holistically manages users, applications and devices to satisfy radically changing requirements to be well accepted by today’s IT organisations.”

VMware sees an opportunity to push its flavour of desktop virtualisation. “Migration to Windows 7 and 8, bring-your-own-device (BYOD), and the cloud are challenging IT organisations with new complexities and risks,” said Boaz Chalamish, senior vice-president at VMware.

During the annual VMworld 2012 conference in San Francisco, the company demonstrated the alpha version of its Project Horizon initiative which supports new ways of delivering desktop computing through a technique experts call workspace aggregation. Due to be ready by Q4 2012, according to VMware, Horizon will offer a flexible corporate workspace in the cloud for mobile workers to connect from anywhere using any device.

Horizon provides a web management console which IT departments use to build a service catalogue containing company data and applications. It also holds information on a user’s environment (device, location and connectivity level). According to VMware, Horizon uses this information to control access to applications and data, based on location and the capabilities of the end user’s device.

Analyst Gartner categorises technology like Project Horizon as a workspace aggregator, which unifies the delivery of desktops (local, full hosted virtual desktops or published desktops), applications (software as a service [SaaS], Windows, and native mobile) and data through a single user interface. Other companies offering this type of software include Centrix and Citrix.

In its Hype Cycle for Virtualisation report, Gartner noted: “Workspace aggregators will enable IT organisations to better manage and control access to applications being consumed by their users.

Basic functions such as audit, security, single sign-on, dynamic provisioning, and licence reclamation are some of the functions that get enabled through a workspace aggregator.”

However, in the report, Gartner analysts Terrence Cosgrove, Nathan Hill and Federica Troni warned that current workspace aggregator software was still quite immature and products offered limited application support. The analysts also raised concerns over licensing and security in the current generation of product.

VMware is also offering cloud-based desktop virtualisation, specifically for small and mid-sized businesses. It has partnered with Dell to deliver virtual desktop infrastructure (VDI) bundles based on VMware View and certified Dell hardware.

Other companies providing preconfigured VMware appliances include Cisco, HP and Intel. Cisco announced it would offer support for VMware’s new vCloud Suite 5.1 product as part of its own Unified Computing Systsem (UCS).  The new vCloud offers what VMware describe as a software-defined datacentre architecture. This aims to abstract all hardware resources and pools them into aggregate capacity, enabling automation to safely and efficiently dole it out as needed for applications.

WordPress boosts security with authentication service

WordPress boosts security with authentication service:

Open source blogging tool and content management system WordPress has boosted its security by incorporating the Mydigipass authentication service into its platform.

This means owners of the 54 million web and blog sites that have been built using WordPress now have the option of protecting access with a username and password combination.

Website owners do not need to worry about password encryption, management or storage, while website developers only have to download, install and configure a free plug-in.

“Once added, users are able to secure access to their account with strong authentication to avoid account theft,” according to the WordPress plug-in download site.

The authentication service helps users secure online accounts by using a portable device that is running free two-factor authentication software from Vasco Data Security International.

The software is used to generate one-time passwords to enable users to access online accounts without having to remember complex passwords.

The move is aimed at bolstering security for users of the WordPress platform, which has been a popular target for malware authors, according to security researchers.

Saudi Aramco oil firm claims to be over cyber attack

Saudi Aramco oil firm claims to be over cyber attack:

International oil company Saudi Aramco claims to be over a cyber attack on 15 August and maintains that oil production was not disrupted.

The company said around 30,000 workstation computers that were hit by a virus attack are back online, although remote access is still being restricted “as a precaution”.

Saudi Aramco has also not yet restored its website, displaying a message apologising for any inconvenience instead.

"We have isolated all our electronic systems from outside access as an early precautionary measure that was taken following a sudden disruption which affected some sectors of our network," the message reads. “Most of the damage has now been repaired."

A group named the Cutting Sword of Justice – which blames the Saudi Government for “crimes and atrocities” in several countries – has claimed responsibility for the attack in an online forum.

The group said the state-run oil firm was hit because it was a key source of income for the government, according to the BBC.

Last week, cybersecurity researchers uncovered a new threat called Shamoon that they said was targeting infrastructure in the energy sector, but Saudi Aramco has not said whether this was the malware involved in the attack on its network.

Researchers at security firm Symantec said Shamoon, also known as W32.Disttrack, corrupts files on a compromised computer and overwrites the MBR (Master Boot Record) in an effort to render a computer unusable.

The attack is designed to penetrate a computer via the internet and then target other computers on the same network. Data on the targeted computers is replaced with image files to prevent data recovery.

Shamoon is the latest in a line of attacks that have targeted infrastructure. It follows Stuxnet – which was designed to hit nuclear infrastructure in Iran – and Duqu, Flame and Gauss, that have all sought to infiltrate networks to steal data.

With the increasing computerisation of critical infrastructure services, the energy and utility industries have never been more vulnerable to cyber attacks, according to security firm LogRhythm.

Samsung lashes out at Apple after patent defeat

Samsung lashes out at Apple after patent defeat:

Samsung has lashed out at Apple after losing its high-profile US court battle over patents that led to a $12bn loss in market value for Samsung as investors withdrew support.

Samsung’s share price fell 7.5% in Seoul, South Korea on Monday as shareholders reacted to the $1bn fine imposed by a US court on Friday for copying key elements of Apple iPhone.The embattled South Korean company is hoping its drive to innovate will retain the loyalty of consumers. In closing arguments last week, Samsung’s lawyers said that victory for Apple would mean less choice for consumers.

In an internal memo issued after the verdict, Samsung management said: "History has shown there has yet to be a company that has won the hearts and minds of consumers and achieved continuous growth when its primary means to competition has been the outright abuse of patent law, not the pursuit of innovation.

“We trust that the consumers and the market will side with those who prioritise innovation over litigation, and we will prove this beyond doubt."

Ahead of the verdict, analysts said a victory for Apple could lead to the company broadening its attack on other handset makers that use Google's Android operating system and could boost Microsoft partner, Nokia, which is expected to announce new smartphones next month. 

In line with those predictions, Google’s shares fell 1.4% while Nokia shares gained 9% on Monday in New York, according to the Guardian.

Apple’s shares gained almost 2% on news of the patent battle victory.

Samsung has said it will appeal against the verdict, but Judge Lucy Koh could triple the fine because the jury found Samsung's infringement of Apple's patents and designs was "willful".

Apple will also be able to apply for an injunction against the 24 smartphones and tablets named in the suit at a hearing scheduled for 20 September.

In a similar trial that also ended last week, a South Korean court ruled that Apple and Samsung Electronics infringed each other's patents.

Both parties were ordered to pay compensation. Samsung must pay Apple $22,000 while Apple must pay its rival $35,000.

Samsung to power 3’s 4G network

Samsung to power 3’s 4G network:

Samsung today announced it would be providing the backbone for 3 when it rolls out its 4G network in the UK.

The deal is Samsung’s first commercial mobile network deployment in Europe, which will see it install an LTE radio access network (RAN) along with a number of key back-end infrastructure components necessary for 4G roll-out.

It will also be responsible for installing new base stations across the UK and all the kit involved with making them operational.

“[Our] customers will start benefiting from this investment in our core network early next year, and those benefits will grow further as we deploy new spectrum,” said Dave Dyson, CEO of 3. “Samsung’s advanced network technology will help us to continue to deliver the most enjoyable smartphone experience.”

Samsung and 3 will trial the network as early as this year, but it won’t be fully operational until later in 2013. This works with the operator’s schedule for roll-out of its 4G network though, which isn’t expected to begin until September next year.

It was announced this week that 3 had secured a portion of 1800MHz spectrum from Everything Everywhere, just afterOfcom had announced it would allow the spectrum to be liberalised and used by the operator for 4G services.

EE had to sell off some of the band following a European Commission stipulation, put in place when the company was formed out of the merger of Orange and T-Mobile back in 2010.

However, even though it has to sell it off, the spectrum doesn’t have to be cleared and made ready for 3’s use until September 2013, meaning that although 3 has spectrum ready for 4G, it can’t incorporate it into its network for at least another year.

This isn’t stopping 3 from being prepared though.

“This contract is a demonstration of 3’s desire to provide the best possible service and solutions for its customers,” said Mark Thompson, sales and marketing director for Samsung’s European network operations – the division formed in 2011 to push for more mobile deals in the region.

“Currently, one in four LTE connections globally are brokered through Samsung’s LTE infrastructure. 3 will be the first of many European operators to benefit from this wealth of experience.”

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Dell expects tough next quarter

Dell expects tough next quarter

PC maker Dell has warned that it expects third-quarter revenue to be down between 2% and 5% on second-quarter levels because of the “uncertain economic environment”.

Dell also blamed “competitive dynamics” and “soft consumer business” for its negative outlook for the third quarter, and said it expects a “challenging” user computer environment in the second half of the year.

The warnings came in second-quarter financial results in which Dell reported revenue of $14.5bn, down 8% on the same period a year ago and narrowly below the level that analysts had estimated.

Dell also saw its profits dive 33% in its first financial quarter of 2013 as consumer and large enterprise sales fell 12% and 3% respectively. Total sales in the first quarter were worth $14.4bn, compared with $15bn in the same quarter last year, a fall of 4%.

The second-quarter results caused Dell’s shares to fall by 3.7% in after-hours trading to $11.88, after closing at $12.34, according to the BBC.

Despite the warnings, Dell also said it expects continued solid growth in its enterprise solutions, services and software divisions.

Dell Enterprise Solutions and Services revenue grew 6% year-on-year to $4.9bn, which the company said represents 50% of margin and more than a third of revenue. The company also reported growth of 14% in its server and networking revenues.

"We're transforming our business, not for a quarter or a fiscal year, but to deliver differentiated customer value for the long term," said Michael Dell, chairman and chief executive.

Brian Gladden, Dell chief financial officer, said: “Our performance in the second quarter provided another proof-point that our long-term strategy is right.

“We continued our progress in shifting the mix of our business to higher-margin enterprise solutions, led by solid growth in our server, networking, services, and Dell IP storage businesses.

South Korean court bans Samsung and Apple sales

South Korean court bans Samsung and Apple sales:

A South Korean court has ruled that technology giants Apple and Samsung Electronics infringed each other's patents.

The Seoul Central District Court ordered a partial ban of their products covered by the ruling in South Korea, according to US reports. Recently released products including Apple's iPhone 4S and Samsung's Galaxy S3 are not affected.

This means Apple must stop selling the iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4, iPad 1 and iPad 2 because the court ruled that the products infringed two of Samsung's five disputed patents.

The South Korean court denied Apple's claim that Samsung had illegally copied its design. The court found the shape and big display screen existed in products before the iPhone and iPad.

But the court ruled that South Korea-based Samsung had infringed on one of Apple's patents, related to the screen's bounce-back feature, which causes the screen to bounce back when a user scrolls to an end image.

The court banned sales of products using the technology, including the Galaxy S2, in South Korea.

Both parties were ordered to pay compensation. Samsung must pay Apple $22,000 while Apple must pay its rival $35,000.

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Latest Cyber Security Challenge to address Linux skills shortage

Latest Cyber Security Challenge to address Linux skills shortage:

The UK national Cyber Security Challenge has launched another competition aimed at addressing a critical Linux security skills gap.

The majority of internet infrastructure is based on Linux, but Linux is rarely taught in schools and Linux security experts are scarce, according to competition organisers.

Cyber Security Challenge UK runs a series of national inspirational competitions aimed at attracting talented people into the profession and informing them about cybersecurity careers and training.

The latest Sophos Linux Forensics Challenge, which begins on 27 August, will test contestants' skills in identifying security issues on a Linux system. 

As well as detecting a series of attacks against the server, competitors will be asked to detail how it has been compromised and make recommendations on how to fix the problems. 

Competitors will need to be familiar with the configuration of Linux operating systems, as well as typical daemons configured on this platform.

Successful competitors will be able to show potential employers that they have the essential skills needed to protect businesses' crucial web systems, organisers said.

"There have been some steps towards improving the ICT curriculum in schools, but we can no longer stick our heads in the sand," said James Lyne, director of technology strategy at Sophos.

"The web is the main tool used by cybercriminals to target both businesses and consumers, so we still need to do much more to teach vital skills such as Linux programming in schools and universities and to nurture the young Linux generation," he said.

The recent trend of stealing passwords and password hashes has been enabled by the fact that organisations are still not securing their data effectively, said Lyne.

"The frustrating thing is that weak password hashes, malware distribution and database theft can often be easily prevented with simple best practice, which is further evidence that the right focus and skills aren't often in place," he said.

The lack of deep technical skills in cybersecurity is the principal reason that many organisations are unable to defend their computers and networks and data, according to Alan Paller, director of research at the Sans Institute, one of the sponsors of the UK Cyber Security Challenge.

ICO to probe privacy concerns about Tesco website

ICO to probe privacy concerns about Tesco website:

The Information Commissioner's Office is to investigate claims that Tesco's website does not offer sufficient privacy protections to customers.

The UK privacy watchdog's probe comes after security experts raised a number of privacy concerns about the retailer's main website.

The main concern is about the way in which Tesco stores the passwords of shoppers after security researcher Troy Hunt revealed in a blog post that he had received a password reminder in an email from Tesco that contained his password in plain text.

This shows Tesco's password data is not being stored cryptographically, he told the BBC.

Security professionals agree that a more secure method of password recovery is for websites to email users instructions on how to reset their password, rather than revealing the password itself.

Hunt has also criticised Tesco for not using HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) across its entire site to protect users from phishing attacks and data theft.

Although users log into the Tesco website over HTTPS, the browser reverts to HTTP, which does not give users any security assurances, Hunt said.

“HTTP is stateless so the only (practical) way a state, such as being logged in, can be persisted is by passing cookies backwards and forwards between the browser and the website.

“Because they’re being sent over a HTTP connection, anyone who can watch the traffic can see [those] cookies. And copy them. And hijack your session,” he wrote.

In a subsequent blog post, Hunt claims that Tesco have security problems that go far beyond what he originally wrote about, including unverified SQL injection vulnerabilities and verified cross-site scripting vulnerabilities.

Hunt wrote that he has passed the details of cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability to multiple people in senior technology roles at Tesco, but the vulnerability remains unfixed.

"Interestingly, it seems that Tesco’s rather unique approach to security is now coming under scrutiny from the Information Commissioners Office in the UK. Whilst a statement such as 'We are aware of this issue and will be making inquiries' is far from a damning indictment, it will be interesting to see how this unfolds and whether the company may actually be called on those 'lousy' practices," he said.

In various statements issued to the media, Tesco maintains that its security is "robust". The company claims it is never complacent and says there is no evidence to suggest Tesco has been targeted by hackers or that customers' personal details are at risk.

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IBM acquires Texas Memory Systems

IBM acquires Texas Memory Systems:

IBM has announced it is buying Texas Memory Systems (TMS) for an undisclosed sum.

Texas Memory Systems (TMS) was founded in 1978 and has become one of the most prolific suppliers in the flash storage market, specialising in its RamSan range of rack-mounted SSDs and PCIe cards.

Now IBM will integrate TMS's technology into its own server and storage ranges.

“The TMS strategy and solution set align well with our smarter computing approach to information technology, by helping clients realise increased performance and efficiencies at lower costs,” said Brian Truskowski, general manager of systems storage and networking at IBM.

“Solid state technology, in particular, is a critical component of our new smarter storage approach to the design and deployment of storage infrastructures, and part of a holistic approach that exploits flash in conjunction with disk and tape technologies to solve complex problems.”

IBM has promised to invest in TMS to continue to build the products. However, when Computer Weekly spoke to Erik Eyberg, senior analyst at TMS, he would not confirm what would happen to the company name or whether its employees would be kept on board.

“We are looking at several avenues in the integration progress,” Eyberg said, “but we cannot comment on it at this time.”

Eyberg was keen to highlight the endorsement of SSD technology represented by the deal.

“The I/O bottleneck has been holding back computing for years and hard disks are not getting any faster,” Eyberg said.

“This deal is a huge validation of the technology and the potential it has to change the industry.”

Simon Robinson, principal analyst at The 451 Group, agreed on the validation aspect of SSD, claiming it was a “white hot technology that is transforming storage.”

“The deal comes hot on the heels of similar moves from other players, most notably EMC with XtremIO,” Robinson told Computer Weekly. 

“The obvious difference between the two is that XtremIO was a very young company without a general availability product, while TMS is almost 35 years old.”

However, Robinson thinks the older company is a better fit for IBM, adding: “It has a broader set of SSD products that can reside in both the host and as a shared storage system.

“SSD ultimately is going to reside in all levels of the stack so all systems and storage players are going to have to make organic and inorganic investments here. IBM now has its hands on this industry's most venerable player.”  

IBM already partners with other SSD companies, including Fusion IO. However, the company claimed TMS would “complement IBM’s current portfolio”, rather than replace it.

The deal is expected to complete by the end of 2012.

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RIM plans new contact management features on BB10 devices

RIM plans new contact management features on BB10 devices

Research In Motion plans to provide BlackBerry users with an easy way to tap their contacts' public profiles including blog posts, tweets, emails and other details in its latest push to regain ground in the smartphone market.

The new contact management feature, which pulls in contact details from social media and other Internet sites into a single Blackberry page, will be available on RIM's next generation of smartphones that are set to launch early next year, the company said on Thursday.

RIM has seen its once dominant position in the smartphone market slip away to rivals including Apple Inc and Samsung  and the company's fate depends on the success of the BB10 devices.

"BlackBerry has always had this heritage of productivity ... We are just going to make it better yet again, when we launch BB10," said T.A. McCann, who is spearheading the development of the contacts and BlackBerry Messenger applications for the new platform.

The new smartphones that will replace RIM's current line-up of aging devices will run on the BlackBerry 10 operating system that is currently in development.

McCann said the built-in contacts app on BB10 will aggregate all contact information, status updates and meetings for a contact in one place. It will also pull in any current status updates from contacts on Facebook, Twitter and other places giving users a wealth of up-to-date information on their contacts.

Waterloo, Ontario-based RIM is hoping that its new line of devices will help it regain market share that has been ceded to snazzier devices such as Apple's iPhone and others that run on Google Inc's Android operating system.

McCann, who was the founder and Chief Executive of Seattle-based Gist that was acquired by RIM in early 2011, promises that BlackBerry users will get to enjoy many of Gist's innovative contact management ideas on the new BB10 platform.

McCann said many of the features have already been built into the contact management system on the latest version of the operating system that powers RIM's PlayBook tablet device.

Videogame players, the next Olympians?

It's not exactly an Olympic sport - not yet, anyway - but as the London Games drew to a close this past Sunday, thousands of professional videogame players geared up for an event that for some can be as lucrative as winning a gold medal.

Videogamers have gathered in Cologne, Germany this week for the Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) competition, a professional videogame tournament that runs through August 19.

Professional electronic gaming, or eSports, is relatively new and has been gaining popularity around the world in recent years. Germany and South Korea are two hot markets, and the United States is quickly catching up.

Pro gamers can earn anywhere from $20,000 to $100,000 or more in winnings and make even more in product endorsements, teaching and other sponsorships. Videogame makers say participating in an event can boost a game's popularity.

The IEM event in Germany is expected to attract over 250,000 fans, about 10 percent more than last year, to watch the best videogamers in the world compete in games such as "StarCraft II" and "League of Legends". An additional 20 million people from more than 180 countries will tune in to streams on the Web provided by ESLTV, TwitchTV and CBS Interactive (CBSi) Games.

More than 20,000 fans packed the Anaheim Convention Center in California in June to watch gamers compete for over $200,000 in the Major League Gaming Spring Championship. An additional 35 million online viewers streamed matches for games like "Mortal Kombat", "Soul Calibur V" and "The King of Fighters XIII".

"The Internet streaming phenomena is probably the biggest reason eSports is having a huge rise right now," said Sean "Day(9)" Plott, a leading "StarCraft II" eSportscaster - pro gaming's play-by-play sportscaster. "Streaming has allowed this huge international representation to view matches live or recorded at any time of day."

Multiple leagues now exist with names such as IGN Pro League (IPL), North American Star League (NASL), Dreamhack, Electronic Sports League (ESL), Global StarCraft II League (GSL) and EVO Championship Series (EVO). And some multiplayer tournaments are set up to mimic any professional sports league.

Indeed, one game gaining traction among fans is "League of Legends", in which teams of five compete in multiplayer online battle arenas (MOBA). Teams vie for $5 million in prizes in a format that replicates a real sports season and playoffs.

"Just like the NBA (National Basketball Association), we expect the competition to intensify in the playoffs - the Regional Finals and the Season Two World Championship," said Brandon Beck, co-founder and CEO of Riot Games, which created "League of Legends".

BEERS AND 'BARCRAFT'

Games from Riot and other makers such as Blizzard Entertainment have found success as spectator sports because they have features allowing fans to watch the competitions live in arenas, online at home or in places like sports bars. In fact, Blizzard's "StarCraft II" has become so popular at local watering holes that some gamers have dubbed it "BarCraft".

"We've seen a fair amount of anecdotal evidence that people who discover 'StarCraft II' through eSports eventually purchase and play the game," said Mike Morhaime, co-founder and CEO of Blizzard. "One primary reason we support eSports is to build community and create long-term interest."

Social media also have had a big role in the gaming leagues' growth by allowing pro players to connect with their fans and even play against them.

And even though men dominate the players' groups, women such as Florence "flo" Yao, Sasha "Scarlett" Hostyn, and Madeleine "MaddeLisk" Leander are rapidly working their way to the top.

Kelly "Mrs. Violence" Kelley, a professional "Call of Duty: Black Ops" player who works with CBSi Games, believes these young women will encourage more female gamers to go pro and compete in the male-dominated eSports arena.

Sponsors have taken notice. Big brands including Dr. Pepper, Sony Ericsson and Bic Razors pay anywhere from $500,000 a year in multimillion-dollar, multi-year deals to connect with the growing audience at league events.

Energy drink Red Bull has organized its own competitions, such as the Red Bull Battlegrounds Invitational in Austin, Texas where 16 of the world's top "StarCraft II" players competed for $41,000 in front of 5,000 paying fans.

"I think in the future we're going to see more of these types of events with sponsors getting directly involved and connecting with not only the professional players, but also this growing fan base," eSportscaster Michael "Husky" Lamond said.

Playing music and video wirelessly with AirPlay.

Playing music and video wirelessly with 

AirPlay.

Not so long ago, you needed your computer and portable devices to be directly 

connected to the speakers and screens you wanted to play their content on. 

AirPlay frees you from that need, allowing you to stream audio and video via Wi-Fi 

from your iTunes library to AirPlay-enabled devices--like Apple TV, audio 

systems from a variety of manufacturers that have AirPlay built-in, and systems 

connected to an AirPort Express on your Wi-Fi network. iTunes on the computer 

and the Music, Video, and other apps on the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch 

automatically detect AirPlay-enabled devices on the local Wi-Fi network and 

present them for you to choose from. Tap or click it and pick the system you want 

to send the stream to. You can even pause while you're in one room, then tap 

AirPlay again to pick a different system in another room and tap Play.

Apple to drop YouTube app from iPhone

Apple to drop YouTube app from iPhone

Apple has confirmed that the latest version of its iOS mobile operating system will not include an app for accessing Google's YouTube video service by default.

The move represents another step away from Google, after Apple previously announced that Google Maps will be replaced with Apple's own application using mapping technology from Dutch satnav partner TomTom in iOS6, which is due out later this year.

Apple said in a statement: "Our licence to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended. Customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store."

This means YouTube fans will need to download the app as they would for every other service they want access to on their phone.

YouTube said: “We are working with Apple to ensure we have the best possible YouTube experience for iOS users.”

Since Google's Android operating system emerged as a strong rival to iOS, Apple has been seeking to reduce the iPhone's links with its former partner.

With Google Maps and YouTube gone, speculation is now mounting that Apple will remove Google as the default search button on the iPhone's Safari browser, according to the Guardian.

Apple has already dropped Google in China for local firm Baidu, and news of a change elsewhere could come when Apple is expected to unveil the latest iPhone in September, the paper said.

Apple's deal with Facebook to integrate the social network into iPhones and iPads is also being regarded by some analysts as another challenge to Google, according to theTelegraph.

Acer sees sales stall

Acer sees sales stall

Acer saw sales stalll in its second quarter, down 2.2% compared to the first three months of the year.

The Taiwanese company said it didn’t expect revenue to pick up until its fourth quarter.

But Acer will start shipping products for the launch of Microsoft Windows 8 in August and September, therefore anticipates revenues to rebound, and consequently expects third quarter revenues to be about the same as the second quarter, said the company.

The company also said a one-time tax settlement of NT$410m affected its income.

The news follows record sales from Chinese rival Lenovo, which saw a  44% year-over-year in its latest results.

Andrew Buss, service director analyst at Freeform Dynamics said the results reflect a tumultuous last few years at the company.

“Acer had a policy of pile it high and sell it cheap, which worked in the boom time but when the downturn happened it was  left with a lot of stock it had to write off,” he said.

“Also the lower end of the market, which it has typically targeted, has cannibalised by things like iPad, as people look to purchase tablets instead of netbook and lower cost PCs.  

“Alternatively Lenovo has focused on the mid- to upper end of the market and only recently moved into the consumer space.”

Buss said Acer should see an increase in sales with the release of Windows 8, but shouldn’t rely on that as a long-term strategy to improve sales.

Nokia fuels hopes of phone launch ahead of Apple:

Nokia  said on Wednesday it will hold a joint media event with Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) in New York on September 5, boosting hopes that it will unveil its long-awaited Windows smartphone upgrade before rival Apple Inc (AAPL.O) rolls out its next iPhone.

The Finnish company gave no details about the September event, but Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said earlier on Wednesday the company would unveil soon a new smartphone using Microsoft's latest smartphone software known as Windows Phone 8.

The joint event with Microsoft will occur a week before Apple is expected to unveil its own hotly anticipated iPhone 5.

Nokia has been fighting for survival after ceding vast ground to rivals Apple and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) in recent years. In 2011 it forged a software alliance with Elop's former employer, Microsoft, which also fell behind in smartphone software.

Both Nokia and Microsoft are pinning their hopes on the next Windows-based phone to challenge Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy smartphone.

Nokia has not commented on specific plans for its Nokia World trade show event in Helsinki on September 5 and 6.

Elop did not deny a September launch when he spoke to reporters earlier on Wednesday. He said only that Windows Phone 8 smartphones would be released in the "relatively near term."

Nokia shares, which have been trading near all-time lows, rose sharply in Helsinki after Elop's comments and gained 3.4 percent to close at 2.0760 euros in Helsinki on Wednesday. Its U.S. shares closed up 6 percent at $2.64 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Also on Wednesday, Standard & Poor's downgraded Nokia's credit rating to BB- with a "negative" outlook.

Elop, who was brought in from Microsoft two years ago to lead Nokia's fight against Apple and Samsung, said he was sticking to his strategy of using Microsoft software despite the limited success of Windows phones so far.

Nokia decided in early 2011 to ditch its home-grown Symbian software in favor of software from Microsoft.

"I don't think about rewinding the clock and thinking about competing elsewhere," he told reporters in Oslo.

"In today's war ... (between) Android, Apple and Windows, we are very clear, we are fighting that with the Windows phone," said Elop, who was in Oslo for a meeting with Telenor ASA (TEL.OL) Chief Executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas.

Nokia lost 1.53 billion euros in the second quarter and sold just 4 million Windows phones in the period, well short of Apple's sales of 26 million iPhones and Samsung's 50 million smartphones.

Nokia shrugged off S&P's downgrade, saying it had sufficient liquidity and was saving money. S&P cut Nokia's rating in April to BB+ -- junk status -- meaning conservative investors like pension funds will consider it too risky to hold.

Cisco boosts sales and income in 2012

Cisco boosts sales and income in 2012

Cisco today announced its fourth quarter and fiscal year results for 2012, showing a rise in both sales and the resulting income.

Sales for the quarter rose a modest 4% year-on-year to reach $11.7bn, but over the entire year Cisco recorded a 7% increase from 2011 to hit $46.1bn.

This equated to net income of $1.8bn for the fourth quarter – up 56% from the same quarter in 2011, but down from $2.2bn in the previous three months – and $8bn for the year – a rise of 24% year-on-year.

Cisco CEO John Chambers claimed the company’s strategy of providing network and datacentre solutions on integrated products had seen the company through tough economic times and was the right path for the long term.

However, he said he knew the firm needed to keep up with the pace if it was to continue to compete.

“There is no question that our industry and our world are evolving quickly, [but] Cisco is squarely at the centre of major technology market transitions – cloud, mobile, visual, virtual and social,” said Chambers.

Cisco completed two acquisitions over the year. First was ClearAccess, which provides software to service providers for managing home networks and mobile devices. Second was Truviso, which enables analysis of network data. It also signed an agreement with Citrix to join forces in their channel strategies.

In Cisco’s last results filing, Chambers claimed the Euro crisis would affect figures for the year. "We are still in an uncertain environment economically," he said during the results call, blaming European economic issues and fears around a lack of growth in India for the climate.

He tried to reassure those listening to the call, however, adding it would "muddle through" with a few "bumps on the road”.