bing

A new service uses the power of 400 virtualized computers in the cloud to test the security of your WPA WiFi password. They only charge $34. But Donald is afraid of how this penetration testing might show up on his credit card bill. But forget WiFi. WiGig is coming promising 7Gbps transfer speeds. Take that Ethernet cable!

WiGig alliance creates next-generation wireless networking standard http://venturebeat.com/2009/12/10/wigig-alliance-creates-next-generation-wireless-networking-standard/ http://gigaom.com/2009/12/10/coming-soon-to-your-hd-home-theater-7gbps/

Microsoft finally open sources … Read more

Navteq announced a partnership Monday under which it will supply 3D map data for Microsoft's newly expanded mapping online services.

Last week, Microsoft took its first steps building 3D imagery into Bing Maps with data from about 100 cities to start with in the Streetside feature that gives a driver's-eye view of the world. But slogging down innumerable streets the world over is an arduous process--Google has been doing it for years with Street View and still has a ways to go to add its first data, not to mention the challenge of keeping views up to date. … Read more

Google is offering a public DNS service (DNS is the address book for Internet domains) that will resolve the domain names you type into a Web browser to servers you want to visit. But that could really give Google a complete picture of who you are. Do you want that? We also chat about the World Cup coming in 3D and the effects of BitLocker encryption being broken.

Google Public DNS service not ideal for everyone http://arstechnica.com/security/news/2009/12/google-public-dns-service-not-ideal-for-everyone.ars … Read more

A cable giant becomes an entertainment star, while a search giant gets into the DNS business and a software titan becomes map maker.

Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, is buying a controlling stake in the TV network and movie studio NBC Universal in a deal valued at $37 billion. The deal will make Comcast a major media player with several very profitable cable channels, including USA, CNBC, MSNBC, and Bravo. It will also have control over NBC's broadcast networks and TV stations, its film studio, and its amusement parks.

The deal is likely to be scrutinized by … Read more

Microsoft said that a configuration change that was mistakenly moved from testing onto the live Bing.com site was to blame for an outage Thursday that left Microsoft's search engine completely inaccessible for more than half an hour.

A Microsoft representative told CNET on Friday that the problem appears to have come when something being tested was moved onto the live site.

"A configuration change was mistakenly propagated to production from staging," the representative said. "It was supposed to stay in the test environment--it was a mistake."

In a blog posting that went up late … Read more

In what could be a blow to its image, Microsoft's main Bing search site suffered through an outage on Thursday evening.

Visitors to Bing.com were getting a browser error message rather than a search bar. Service was down for at least 45 minutes before being restored around 7:10 p.m. PST.

Microsoft acknowledged the issues on its Twitter feed and said it was looking into the matter. It later offered the following explanation, posted to a Bing blog by Satya Nadella, senior vice president of the Online Services division:

CNET News reporter Ina Fried talks about what a Microsoft Bing app for the iPhone might look like. Plus, we run down other headlines of the day, including an official announcement of the Comcast/NBC Universal deal and some good news for online retailers.

Today's stories:

Comcast snags NBC Universal to build $37 billion venture

ComScore: So far, online holiday sales are up

Study: 'Digital abuse' hits half of youth

Google Earth peers into California's eco-future

Google wants to unclog Net's DNS plumbing

Phone photo quality interests Google, Microsoft

Bing's iPhone plans (and more)

Bing Maps Beta: Very cool, but limited… Read more

Turns out Dell says it never deleted complaints from its forums about throttled processors, and it is working hard to fix the issues with updated BIOS. Donald suggests that the folks who claimed they were deleted by Dell probably lost a lot of street cred. We also speculate on the meaning of the Comcast acquisition of NBC Universal. Will "Heroes" become more Comcastic?

Comcast gets NBC from G.E. in deal that reshapes TV http://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/04/business/media/04nbc.html … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--Although Microsoft would rather everyone ran out and bought a Windows Mobile phone, the software maker is aware of reality. And, since it wants people to use Bing on their phones, it knows it needs to have software that works on other devices.

"Everyone understands the popularity and the pervasiveness of the platform," said Microsoft principal group program manager David Raissipour, following a Bing event Wednesday. "We are actively working on it."

Raissipour confirmed Microsoft is working on a mobile Bing application that will combine a number of features--more than just mapping and search. However, … Read more