Google's challenge of 'Froogles' rejected
Microsoft can stop Lindows though?
WASHINGTON (AP) Â? Google's right to use the name "Froogle" for its online shopping service came into question Friday when an arbitration panel rejected the company's challenge of a Web site named Froogles.com.

Two of the three judges on the panel of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers, or ICANN, rejected Google's argument that Froogles.com was "confusingly similar" to Google.
"The dissimilar letters in the domain name are sufficiently different to make it distinguishable from Google's mark," the panel found. The name Froogles.com "creates an entirely new word and conveys an entirely singular meaning from the mark."
The search-engine company's loss has no immediate impact on its use of the name Froogle. But it means that the Froogles.com name will remain with Richard Wolfe, a disabled Holtsville, N.Y., carpenter who started the Web shopping site in March 2001, before Google introduced Froogle in December 2002.
But in a separate proceeding in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, Wolfe has challenged Google's attempt to register Froogle as infringement of his Froogles.com mark. And in Wolfe's application to register Froogles.com, a trademark office attorney, like the ICANN panel, determined in March that Froogles.com isn't confusingly similar to any other trademark, including Google.
"Google's right to continue to use the Froogle mark is seriously in question," said Wolfe's attorney, Stephen Humphrey. "To the extent they continue to use the mark, they are infringing on Richard Wolfe's trademark rights," Humphrey alleges.
However, the third judge on the ICANN panel dissented, saying the additional letters in Froogles.com "do not distinguish the domain name" from the Google trademark. The name Froogles.com could cause users to believe that the site is affiliated with Google, the judge wrote.
Wolfe is using a confusingly similar name in a bad-faith attempt to compete with Google's business, the judge concluded.
Google didn't immediately return calls and an e-mail asking for comment. But the decision by the ICANN panel, which arbitrates disputes over Internet names, doesn't preclude a challenge in U.S. District Court.
A court would likely hear the case anew rather than as an appeal, according to the ICANN panel's general counsel. Only a handful of cases arbitrated by the panel have been subsequently taken to court.
Humphrey wouldn't comment when asked what Wolfe's next step would be. But he said, "The trademark case continues. We have a lot of options right now."
He added, "This is a variation on David versus Goliath, and the stone has been slung."
Wolfe has said that he would consider settling the matter as his legal bills mount, but that his goal has always been to continue developing Froogles.com.
"It still amazes me that I should have to go through this at all," Wolfe said. "I started my shopping service called Froogles almost two years before Google started a shopping service called Froogle. What more does anyone need to know?"
Recently, Microsoft paid $20 million to settle a trademark case it brought against Lindows Inc. In return, Lindows will change its name.
Google, based in Mountain View, Calif., has filed 18 domain name disputes at the ICANN panel, challenging names like "googlesex.com," "google.biz" and "googleme.com." It has won every challenge but Froogles.com.

ICANN readies IPv6
Source: CNET

International body in charge of doling out IP addresses is set to give out new IPv6 addresses.

The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers said this week that it's ready to start assigning IP addresses and domain names using the latest version of Internet Protocol.

At a meeting in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, this week, ICANN, which is in charge of allocating IP addresses, said that it has added the latest version of Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) to the Internet's Domain Name Servers (DNS) root server system.

IP addresses direct information packets across the Internet to the correct servers. The current IPv4 uses 32-bit addresses (usually represented, for instance, as 123.45.67.89), and eventually there won't be enough to meet demand. IPv6 uses longer 128-bit addresses--thus providing more possible addresses. Until ICANN's root DNS servers can understand those longer addresses, they can't locate them. DNS servers, deployed throughout the Internet, keep track of IP addresses and domain names. Now businesses and individuals who want to sign up for an IPv6 service will be able to communicate with people using IPv4 addresses.

Initially IPv6 support will be seen on Japan's (.jp) and Korea's (.kr) country codes. France (.fr) will be next.

"I was surprised that ICANN had not already been assigning IPv6 addresses and domains," said Michael Howard, an analyst with Infonetics Research. "It is a necessary step in the development and adoption of IPv6."

As more mobile devices come online and new services like Internet telephony gain momentum throughout the world, the need for IP addresses will grow. Asia and Europe are likely to be the first countries to experience an IP address shortage. There are two reasons: First, consumers in these markets are adopting newer technology faster than they are in the United States. Second, Europe and Asia were also originally given a much smaller pool of addresses than the United States, which holds more IP addresses than any other country.

In the United States, the technology will probably be adopted at a much slower pace. But commercial adoption could be accelerated by the U.S. Department of Defense. In June 2003, it set a mandate that all defense agencies be IPv6-ready by 2008. The agency has helped develop the Moonv6 network, which serves as a test bed for service providers and equipment makers testing IPv6 technology.

Experts agree that IPv4 and IPv6 will coexist for many years.

"This is really the first step forward in making IPv6 a useful protocol," Howard said. "A full conversion to IPv6 is still several years away. We won't likely even start to see widespread adoption until 2008 or 2010."

Microsoft needs 7,000 resumes
Source: CNET
Firm expects to hire up to 7,000 workers over the next 12 months, though it's unclear how many will fill new posts.

Microsoft expects to hire roughly 6,000 to 7,000 workers over the next 12 months, the company said Friday, though it is unclear how many of those hires will be filling new posts.

The company said about 3,000 of the hires are expected to be in the Seattle area, but a representative said the company doesn't know how many of the recruits will be for new jobs and how many will fill vacancies created through attrition.

"With more than 28,000 of our 57,000 worldwide employees working at locations throughout the Puget Sound, we remain very committed to the region," a Microsoft representative said in an e-mail.
In its just-completed fiscal year, Microsoft said, it hired 4,000 to 5,000 people and ended the year with 57,086 employees, up from 54,923 a year earlier. That marked a gain of a little more than 2,000 workers, with about half that growth in the United States and about half overseas.

Last July, Microsoft said it planned to add 5,000 workers, including about 3,000 to 3,500 in the United States.

The job plans follow Microsoft's earnings report Thursday, in which the company announced better-than-expected revenue, though earnings fell short of some expectations. The company also on Tuesday announced plans to return $75 billion to shareholders over the next four years through a boosted dividend, a stock buyback and a one-time $32 billion payout to investors.

Religious Message Halts Train
Source: New York Times
Yeah, I like my right violated because of someones free speech
NEWARK, July 22 - For 90 minutes on Thursday morning, passengers aboard an Amtrak train headed to New York and Boston were questioned and videotaped as the seven cars were searched after a note containing Muslim and anti-Semitic phrases was found in a bathroom.

No arrests were made at Pennsylvania Station in Newark, where the train was stopped just before 8 a.m., but all 450 passengers were asked to give their names, addresses, Social Security numbers and other information. They were videotaped before being allowed to continue.

The train, Amtrak Train 170, left 30th Street Station in Philadelphia at 6:55 a.m., on time and without incident, according to passengers. But around 7:45, minutes before pulling into Newark, a public address announcement asked passengers to remain seated, said Al Leckerman, a passenger who was traveling to New York.

"There is nothing alarming," he and another passenger remembered the announcer saying.

Once at Newark's Pennsylvania Station, New Jersey Transit officers boarded the train. And within minutes, the Amtrak and Newark police, as well as two F.B.I. agents, joined them in searching for the note's author, whom the police had not found by Thursday evening.

The note, affixed to a mirror, was discovered by a passenger who notified the cafe car attendant, said Dan Stessel, an Amtrak spokesman. It made statements against Jews and praised God, said law enforcement officials, who would not detail its text but said it made no explicit threats. The F.B.I. is examining the note.

Officers used a computer that appeared to check identification cards, while another waved a wandlike device past luggage in racks above the seats, Mr. Leckerman said. An officer walked the aisles taping passengers with a video camera, said Lynn Martin Haskin, a commuter. A police dog was also used.

It wasn't until the train left Newark for Pennsylvania Station in New York that the usual din of clacking track, cellphone rings and laughter returned to the car's cabin and everyone could relax, Ms. Haskin said. "It felt like a big collective sigh of relief."

The New York Times > New York Region > Religious Message Halts Train

E-Mail in Your Hand, No Matter Where You Go
Source: NYT
As the palmtop computer and the cellphone invade each other's turf, giving rise to devices like the Treo 600 and the BlackBerry 7230 that serve as both communicators and organizers, access to e-mail anytime anyplace seems to go without saying. But suppose you're not ready for convergence.
If you are intrigued by the idea of having mobile access to your e-mail but are not ready for the leap into the world of smart phones, there are other options to consider.

Several of the big palmtop computer makers have strengthened their product lineups, integrating wireless connectivity into higher-priced devices and making it easier to use them for e-mail on the go.

Such palmtops come with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth built in, and they can provide access to e-mail using several different methods. What's more, they offer powerful processors, good-size screens, expandability and various shapes that may add to their appeal for business and personal use.

One of the newest is the Axim X30 from Dell. Introduced in May, the X30 comes in three versions, two of which have built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. With Wi-Fi, e-mail can be received or sent from anywhere within range of a wireless network, whether at work, at home or at one of the growing number of hot spots, or points of access, in places like restaurants and cafes, airports and hotels.

One advantage of Wi-Fi over smart phones can be faster connection speeds. Wi-Fi access points are typically linked to high-speed Internet lines, while cellular carriers often provide data transmission speeds that are closer to dial-up. Faster connection speeds are especially helpful when sending and receiving many messages at once and when working with large attachments.

One disadvantage of Wi-Fi is that connecting to a wireless access point is not always seamless. Extra tapping around on a palmtop may be necessary to establish connections to wireless networks in areas densely packed with access points, for example, and that can take some time. And there is a cost factor.

Service plans from T-Mobile, for example, can range from $30 a month for unlimited access to $6 an hour for a metered option, with access provided at Starbucks, Borders and Kinko's locations.

Pocket Outlook is the default e-mail program on the X30 and other Pocket PC devices. The program is easy to use and can provide access to personal e-mail accounts as well as corporate mail systems (using the POP3 or IMAP4 protocols). Web-based e-mail applications designed for the smaller screens of mobile devices, like those from Yahoo (wap.oa.yahoo.com) and MSN (mobile.msn.com), can be opened by using the devices' Web browsers, another e-mail alternative for travelers.

Like other new Pocket PC devices, the X30 models come with new processors from Intel and the latest version of Microsoft's mobile operating system. The processors offer speeds of 312 megahertz ($280) or 624 megahertz ($350) and power management features designed to extend battery life. The operating system, Windows Mobile 2003 Second Edition, adds new features like landscape mode and the stronger Wi-Fi encryption known as WPA.

Hand-held devices with built-in connectivity exist in the Palm OS world as well. One that has Wi-Fi is PalmOne's Tungsten C ($400). The Tungsten C is slightly thicker than the X30 and its screen is smaller, but it comes with a built-in qwerty keyboard, which some users prefer to using the stylus and on-screen keyboard. It has a 400-megahertz processor and a three-inch screen. The default e-mail program on Tungsten devices, VersaMail, is easy to learn, and it also works with personal accounts and corporate systems.

Another PalmOne unit with wireless connectivity, the Tungsten T3 ($400), has a unique design. The bottom third of the unit slides open to reveal additional screen space. This boosts the screen size to 3.9 inches from 3.3 inches. The T3 takes advantage of the additional screen space by offering either landscape or portrait mode.

The T3, however, uses Bluetooth rather than Wi-Fi to connect to wireless networks. One way to use Bluetooth for e-mail is in combination with a Bluetooth-enabled cellphone. Such cellphones can be used as modems, allowing a palmtop to dial an Internet service provider like EarthLink or Verizon. Once a connection is established, the user can send and receive e-mail, browse the Web and use other Internet applications. Enlisting a cellphone for those tasks usually requires you to add a data service plan to your cellular account at an extra cost of $15 to $20 per month, depending upon the carrier and level of usage.

One drawback of this strategy is that not many cellphones have Bluetooth. Taking advantage of a Bluetooth-enabled palmtop in this way may require buying a new phone or switching to another carrier, which could bring about early termination fees. Another drawback is the shorter range of Bluetooth, which would mean keeping the palmtop within about 30 feet of the cellphone.

A new cordless 56-kilobit-per-second modem from Socket Communications (www.socketcom.com) offers an alternative way for Bluetooth-enabled palmtops to connect to the Internet. It plugs into a phone jack and can be used with such a palmtop to connect wirelessly with an Internet service provider. The compact $120 device, which has a rechargeable battery, is smaller than the palmtop itself and can easily be carried along on a trip for use in a hotel room or between home and office.

Another option is a Bluetooth access point like the F8T030 from Belkin ($120) or the Axis 9010 from Axis Communications ($320). Such devices plug into a network by way of Ethernet, and make network resources like Internet access and local servers available to Bluetooth-enabled devices within range.
Current iPAQ models from Hewlett-Packard offer significant connectivity and other features as well. Next week the company is scheduled to announce new iPAQ units with additional features but so far it has declined to discuss the details. Among the current iPAQ models, the h4155, a Pocket PC, comes with both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

An important feature of the h4155 ($400) is its svelte size. The device is compact considering its built-in connectivity, 400-megahertz processor and relatively large 3.5-inch screen. The bottom corners of the unit are rounded, making it feel light and small in your pocket. At 4.5 inches long and 2.8 inches wide, it is slightly smaller than the Axim X30, which measures 4.8 inches by 3 inches and has a 3.5-inch screen. The iPAQ h4355 ($450), a close relative of the h4155, offers many of the same features plus a built-in qwerty keyboard.

The iPAQ h5555 ($650) also has built-in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, and a biometric fingerprint reader for added security, a 3.8-inch screen and 128 megabytes of RAM

Even with all these wireless options, it's a good idea to have a backup plan for those times when you're beyond the range of an access point. Cables that allow you to connect a palmtop to a cellphone and use it as a modem are available from companies like Gomadic (www.gomadic.com) and SupplyNet (www.thesupplynet.com). It took me only a few minutes to configure a setup using one of these cables with an iPAQ h4155 and a Samsung N400 cellphone. Prices for these cables generally range from $40 to $80.

Finally, if this is your first foray into the world of palmtops, one of your first decisions will be to choose a platform. The two dominant ones, the Palm OS and the Pocket PC, offer similar ease of use for classic palmtop functions like the address book, calendar and to-do lists. It's a tough choice because both are good at handling the basics. A good strategy is to spend a few weeks experimenting with various units at electronics stores, talking to longtime users and researching which platform will provide the software, expandability and third-party accessories that you may want further down the road.

And if your primary goal is mobile e-mail, it is worth keeping an eye on smart phones, which are also being augmented with new features. As more hybrid devices that combine voice and data services are introduced, the line between cellphones and hand-held computers is becoming blurred. And in a signal that growth in the palmtop market is slowing, Sony announced in June that it would stop selling its Clié units in the United States.

Still, devout legions of hand-held aficionados are perfectly happy to keep their cellphones in one pocket and their organizers in another, said John Jackson, an analyst for the Yankee Group, a telecommunications research company. For that reason, the hand-held market is unlikely to disappear anytime soon.

"It's still too early to call it a day for the hand-held space," Mr. Jackson said. "But momentum is certainly swinging toward the smart-phone segment."

Newest Debate
Detroit Plane Terrorists or Band Members?
Interesting article
Followup Story

Still not time to buy an iPod yet I guess
SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- As rivals nip at its market dominance, Apple Computer Inc. introduced its fourth-generation iPod portable music players Monday with lower prices and longer battery life.
Apple said the new models have up to 12 hours of rechargeable battery life, compared to about 8 hours with the current crop. The prices are $299 for a 20-gigabyte model and $399 for a 40-gigabyte model--each $100 less than their earlier counterparts.

Since Apple introduced the first iPod in October 2001, the market for large-capacity, hard drive-based music players has grown increasingly competitive, with rivals such as Dell Inc. and Creative Labs trying to undercut Apple in price.

Competitors also boasted better battery life--the Dell DJ has about 20 hours while the Samsung YP-910GS lasts about 10 hours. The upcoming Creative Zen Touch promises 24 hours of battery life while the new Sony Network Walkman, due to be released in August, promises up to 30 hours of continuous playback.

Despite the challengers, Apple has sold more than 3.7 million iPods and leads with about a 60 percent share of the hard-disk drive player segment in the United States and about a 30 percent share of all portable music players, according to The Yankee Group market research firm.

"Now we're turning the heat up even more, and we're continuing to push the edge in the technology," said Greg Joswiak, Apple's vice president of hardware product marketing.

The new iPod versions are also thinner and have improved software features, including a quicker way to shuffle songs and a variable playback speed of audio books, Apple said.
InformationWeek > Portable Music Players > Apple Introduces New, Cheaper iPod Models > July 20, 2004

PMCrime database changing on privacy fears

Source: Associated Press
NEW YORK Â? The format of a crime and terrorism database known as Matrix is being changed to allay privacy and legal concerns that led several states to drop out of the federally funded project.
As it stands now, the Multistate Anti-Terrorism Information Exchange combines state vehicle and crime records with commercial databases owned by a private company, Seisint, giving investigators quick access to billions of pieces of information on potential suspects.

The $12 million pilot project originally was to include 13 states, covering half the U.S. population. Several dropped out because of privacy concerns or questions about the legality of sending state-owned records to Seisint's supercomputers.

Five remaining Matrix states Â? Connecticut, Florida, Michigan, Ohio and Pennsylvania Â? will now try a method in which each state will maintain its own records, said Mark Zadra, chief investigator for the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which has official responsibility for the program. Software will search each state's records as necessary, he said.

The new setup is designed to allow for more frequent updates of the information and get around obstacles in some states' data laws, Zadra said. The new model also will let investigators sharpen their searches, asking the system to check records in only one state, for example.

"I think it would be attractive to states that might be looking to join," Zadra said Friday. "The more states that would join, the better chance we have at putting missing pieces together."

One prominent Matrix critic said the new model wouldn't alleviate his fears that the system could give law enforcement unprecedented access to details about innocent people.

"Decentralized data which is just as easily accessed as centralized data creates the same privacy problems," said Barry Steinhardt, director of the technology and liberty program at the American Civil Liberties Union.

Steinhardt also said he was concerned that Boca Raton, Fla.-based Seisint is being bought by Anglo-Dutch publishing group Reed Elsevier, which plans to combine Seisint with LexisNexis, its unit for legal, business and government information.

Steinhardt said the combination raises the possibility a huge range of personal information held by LexisNexis could make its way into Matrix.

Matrix organizers have pledged the system is limited to information they have always been able to obtain without a warrant. They say they have rejected broader applications such as a technology Seisint developed that assigned a terrorism-likelihood score to individuals based on data about them.
Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

tommEE on the road again
So I am finding myself on the plane again. This time I will be in Atlanta. If you are in the area, drop me an email and maybe we will grab a bite. I will be in the area Monday thru thursday.

Gateway axes all products except PC
Source: CNet

Gateway will pare down its line of consumer electronics--at least for a time--as it focuses on getting back to profitability.

The electronics maker, which acquired eMachines in March, is looking to be back in the black by 2005. To that end, it is focusing on cutting operating costs and creating computer products that it can sell in mass quantities. In recent months, the company closed its chain of retail stores and announced plans to cut its staff to 2,000, resulting in thousands of layoffs. Now it's looking at its product lines.

Despite having made some headway in consumer electronics, the post-eMachines Gateway is focusing on the business it knows best. Gateway has been developing new PC models, servers and storage products, leaving little room for other products, a company spokesperson said, though it does continue to work on digital televisions.

Gateway set its sights on PCs, but has added an eMachines twist. As it has said, it is working on products such as a streamlined family of desktop PCs for businesses. The machines will share a number of components, such as chassis and power supplies, a practice that eMachines desktops have used for years. Sharing components lowers manufacturing and support costs.

The company will continue to sell plasma screen and liquid crystal display televisions, but many other Gateway-brand consumer electronics product lines have been shelved. Future versions of Gateway's digital cameras, Connected DVD players, MP3 music players, DLP (digital light projector) televisions and even some of its more unusual consumer PCs, including the Gateway 610 Media Center and the 901 Family Room Media Center, are still being evaluated, a spokesperson said. These items will probably sell out without replacements lined up.

The PCs and DLP TV have already sold out. Gateway is still selling one Gateway-brand camera, as well as its Connected DVD players and DVD recorder and some MP3 players.
A number of PC makers unfurled plans to move further into the market for consumer electronics in 2002 and 2003. Gateway's retreat will give some ammunition to skeptics who said at the time that it would be more difficult than it looked. Japanese executives said such companies did not understand the market as well as traditional powerhouses like Sony.

History hasn't been kind either. In 1997, 1999 and 2000, Gateway, Intel and others entered--and then retreated--from this market.

Gateway is also hoping to use eMachines as an avenue into third-party retail stores that would be willing to carry both Gateway and eMachines brands of PCs. The company aims to bring some new Gateway-brand PCs out for the back-to-school season for retailers to sell alongside eMachines PCs. The company has yet to disclose any PC sales agreements but has said Best Buy will sell some consumer electronics items left from the Gateway store closings.

Gateway--whose new CEO, Wayne Inouye, also ran eMachines--has already seen some success in the PC arena. The company upped its second-quarter revenue estimate to a range of $860 million to $880 million from $798 million, thanks in part to retail sales, the bulk of which were eMachines models. Gateway will report second-quarter earnings on July 22.

One more to join the chain gang
Calif. Man Charged with Hacking Gov't Web Sites
source: Reuters
A 20-year-old California man has been charged with hacking government computers, including two agencies within the Defense Department, and defacing government Web sites, the U.S. attorney's office said on Friday.

Robert Lyttle, of Pleasant Hill, California, was indicted on Thursday by a federal grand jury for hacking government computers in April 2002, the United States Attorney's Office in Northern California said.

Lyttle is accused of unlawfully accessing computer systems of the Department of Defense's Defense Logistic Information Service and Office of Health Affairs and NASA's Ames Research Center.

The charges against Lyttle carry penalties that include prison time of up 10 years and fines of up to $250,000, the U.S. attorney's office said.

Lyttle is scheduled to appear before a United States Magistrate Judge in Oakland on July 19 to be arraigned on the charges.

Lyttle could not be reached for comment.

The prosecution is being overseen by the Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property unit of the United States Attorney's Office and is the result of an investigation by agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service and NASA's Office of Inspector General.