labs

Buzz Out Loud 690: Your stupidity saves dogs

EPISODE_690

Happily ever after for Comcast, BitTorrent? http://www.news.com/newsblog/8301-10784_3-9904448-7.html?tag=nefd.lede

Safari 3.1 for Windows violates its EULA, vulnerable to hacks http://apple.slashdot.org/apple/08/03/27/129236.shtml

YouTube to provide more viewership information http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gWUpmd32wRBFgmwTZO5S1sCRYEZgD8VLRIMO1

Will plug-in hybrids crash the grid? Duke Energy says no. http://www.news.com/8301-11128_3-9904484-54.html?tag=nefd.blgs

Adobe opens shop on Web-based Photoshop Express http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9903446-7.html?tag=nefd.top

Apple settles the amazing multicolor lawsuit http://www.news.com/8301-13579_3-9903602-37.html

iPO Reports - … Read more

Independent antivirus test labs join forces

Corrected at 6:50 a.m. PDT March 26: The last paragraph has been revised to correctly describe a second antivirus partnership.

The Anti-Malware Test Lab and AV-Comparatives.org announced on Tuesday an alliance designed to create one of the most respected sources of objective, independent information about antivirus products.

Together, the pair said, they intend by year's end to create a unique system of integrated tests for determining the effectiveness of commercial antivirus software.

Andrea Clementi, founder of AV-Comparatives, said in a statement that "the partnership with Anti-Malware Test Lab will allow us to evaluate more aspects … Read more

Nokia gives mobile application developers their big break

Mobile applications are turning into big business, and Nokia is looking to launch a few start-ups on their way.

Nokia's developer arm, Forum Nokia, announced the results of its Mobile Rules contest Wednesday night at San Jose City Hall. Nine companies were chosen, representing four application categories, best business plan, and four winners of the best technology innovation.

The winners were judged by a panel of Nokia executives, venture capitalists, and media representatives. They'll get a chance to pitch their ideas to Nokia's higher-ups and the venture capital community. With smartphones and mobile phones growing more and … Read more

SourceLabs gets (back?) into Linux support

CNET's Martin LaMonica is reporting that SourceLabs "enables do-it-yourself Linux support." This is actually what SourceLabs was talking about several years ago when it started. Or, rather, it was talking about offering support for open-source stacks that include Linux.

The real news in this is that SourceLabs is still around at all. That's not intended to be snotty. I just haven't heard from Byron and crew for many years, and haven't seen any press releases/etc. In fact, a quick check of Google News for 2007 suggests that Martin may well be in a … Read more

SourceLabs enables do-it-yourself Linux support

Open-source support company SourceLabs on Tuesday launched a subscription service aimed at Linux developers and IT administrators who do their own support.

Called Self-Support Suite for Linux, the offering includes software that monitors people's machines and a repository of 16 million known issues with Linux and open-source Java, said SourceLabs CEO Byron Sebastian.

The company makes the bulk of its money from supporting open-source Java. But Sebastian said that he was surprised to find that there are a substantial number of people who either do their own support, or are looking for quicker responses to support problems.

The SourceLabs … Read more

Philip Rosedale to step down as Linden Lab CEO

Philip Rosedale, CEO of Second Life creator Linden Lab and founder of the virtual world, announced Friday that he will step down from his post.

He assured Second Life enthusiasts that he would remain on full-time at the company as chairman of the board.

Rosedale, known in Second Life by his avatar's name Philip Linden, did not provide a concrete date for his change in role, only saying that the company has "decided to search for a new CEO."

He continued: "This is a decision driven by my desire to best grow SL and match my … Read more

HP Labs tightens ship, focuses research

PALO ALTO, Calif.--Hewlett-Packard unveiled a new plan for its research arm, HP Labs on Thursday at its Silicon Valley headquarters, saying it will sharpen its focus into fewer specific projects and promising a greater emphasis on exploratory research.

The change is being instituted by new HP Labs chief Prith Banerjee, who came to HP in August after two decades in academia.

"The approach (HP Labs) took before was appropriate for its time," Banerjee said. The change is mostly driven by the speed at which individuals and enterprises demand information today. "As the Internet becomes the primary … Read more

Report: Big changes in store for HP Labs

Hewlett-Packard is expected to announce a major reorganization of its research arm, HP Labs, on Thursday, according to a MarketWatch report.

HP indeed has a midday press conference planned at HP Labs in Palo Alto, Calif., this Thursday, but so far the company has been tight-lipped about what exactly it has in store for attendees. CEO Mark Hurd, CTO Shane Robison, and Prith Banerjee, director of HP Labs, are expected to be on hand for the event.

According to the report, the changes to be announced will represent the biggest reorganization of HP Labs in more than 10 years, and … Read more

How do you find a quiet laptop?--Ask the Editors

CNET reader Georg Frausing asks:

It is difficult to find some of the tested laptops with the lowest noise level. Any suggesting how to find them?

The noisiest parts of a laptop are likely to be its internal fans, the hard disk drive, and the optical drive. The hotter a laptop's internals get, the louder the fans are likely to be. (Note: not all laptops have internal fans.) You can actually play around with this on a MacBook using the freeware utility, smfFanControl. Depending on how good a job the laptop manufacturer did designing the laptop, sometimes a spinning … Read more