Microsoft warns of software flaws in Word, Windows

Microsoft has warned users of three new security flaws in its Windows and Word software and issued patches to fix the flaws, which could allow attackers to take over a computer system.

The Reuters report in The New York Times (12 July) says that all three of the "critical" -rated security patches could potentially allow an attacker to take control of a personal computer and use it to steal data or launch other attacks.

The Reuters/NYT report says that two of the flaws are related to imaging technology used by Windows, which could potentially allow an attacker to take control of a system simply by having the user view a digital image that contains software code that exploits the flaw, which could be installed on a computer without the user's knowledge.

The Word flaw, which affects various versions of the word-processing program released in 2000 and 2004, could let an attacker take over a personal computer if a user opens a document file containing software code designed to exploit the flaw.

Firefox update completes busy patching day

Firefox users are urged to update their web browser software following the discovery of a slew of security vulnerabilities. Version 1.0.5 of the popular web browser addresses nine security bugs while also incorporating stability improvements.

The Register reports (13 July) that security notification service Secunia rates the cross-platform update as "highly critical". The Mozilla Foundation promises to release a related sub-set of patches for its Thunderbird email client. A security update for Mozilla's internet software suite covering a separate group of security vulns is also promised for later this week.

According to The Register, Tuesday also brought three critical security patches from Microsoft and the release of security fixes from Apple making it an exceptionally busy day.

Apple updates Mac OS X Tiger

Apple has released Mac OS X 10.4.2, the latest version of its 'Tiger' operating system.

The Register reports (13 July) that the update - made available as a standalone installer alongside the version accessed through the System Preferences pane, Software Update - addresses dozens of issues with the core operating system and the applications Apple bundles with it.

The publication says that an extensive list of the fixes and enhancements included in the 10.4.2 update can be found at Apple's web site).

The report says that Mail, iChat, Safari, Preview, iCal, Address Book, Finder, Internet Connect and Automator are all tweaked, and users who file these applications away in Applications folder sub-folders may wish to move them back into their original locations to ensure a smooth update. Similarly, Disk Utility, Installer and Printer Setup Utility should be returned to the main Utilities folder, as they too are updated in 10.4.2.

The Register adds that headline tweaks to the core OS include improvements to AirPort and wireless networking; better authentication and sign-on in Active Directory environments; better AppleShare and SMB/CIFS file-sharing; updated Nvidia and ATI graphics drivers, along with adjustments to Tiger's Core Graphics, Core Audio and Core Image engines; Finder's Slideshow function has been modified; iDisk synchronisation is improved; and Dashboard Widgets are now easier to manage, apparently.

HP launches new printer technology

Hewlett-Packard, striving to remain the market leader in computer printers, has just launched a new technology for inkjet printers that cuts photo printing time in half.

An Aassociated Press report in The New York Times (12 July) says that the first printer with a printing head made with the new technology will be a US$199 machine that can print a 4-by-6-inch photo in 14 seconds. It goes on sale later this month.

HP is following up with a heavier-duty printer intended to supplant color laser printers for office use and a multifunction machine that also scans and faxes.

The AP/NYT report says that the new technology comes at time when HP, while still the largest maker of inkjet printers, is fighting aggressive competitors. Its share of the US inkjet market dropped 12 percentage points to 35 percent in the first quarter this year, according to research group Gartner.

Despite former chief executive Carly Fiorina's drive to diversify the company, printing and imaging accounted for 60 percent of HP's operating profit in the quarter ended 30 April.

The report says that competitors, particularly Dell and Lexmark, have been encroaching on HP's lead by cutting their prices and bundling printers with computers, said Gartner.

It cost HP US$1.4 billion to develop the new inkjet head and it took five years, an investment HP says it is sure will pay off.

According to AP, the new process is much more precise, making for more efficient print heads with more nozzles that print faster. The new printers have more than 3,900 nozzles spitting out 93 million ink droplets per second. Another advantage of the new technology is that it makes it easier to make large inkjet heads with even faster printing speeds for industrial applications.

Europeans step up investigation into Intel

The European Commission turned up the heat in its antitrust inquiry into Intel on Tuesday, conducting unannounced visits to company offices around Europe, a commission spokesman said.

The New York Times reports (13 July) that besides the early visits to Intel offices, commission officials also conducted dawn raids on computer makers and retailers, seeking evidence that Intel, the world's No. 1 chip maker, has been abusing a rebate program intended to keep PC makers from buying chips from Intel's competitors.

A spokesman for the European Commission, refused to say which computer makers and retailers were involved.

"Officials are conducting inspections of several premises of Intel, as well as the premises of PC manufacturers and retailers in Europe," the Commission said, without giving details.

The newspaper says that the commission, Europe's pre-eminent antitrust authority, first looked into Intel's business practices at the end of 2000, after receiving complaints from rival chip makers that Intel was abusing its dominant position to keep them at bay.

But two years later, the commission set its investigation aside for lack of evidence. The case lay dormant until June 2004, when the commission reopened the file after antitrust authorities in Japan started to raise questions about the company.

Applied Materials eyes new markets amid sales drop

Applied Materials, the world's biggest supplier of tools used to make microchips, on Tuesday introduced an upgraded line of etching equipment aimed at fast-growing consumer electronics markets.

A Reuters report in The New York Times (12 July) says that the new etch line will allow memory chip producers to build flash memories that, for example, would allow Apple Computer to quadruple capacity of its one gigabyte iPod that can now store 240 to 300 songs, an Applied official said.

At a meeting with Wall Street analysts and investors on Tuesday, the company showcased the new silicon etch systems targeted at makers of flash memories used in mobile phones and digital music players, a key growth market for Applied Materials.

The Reuters/NYT reporrt says that the circuit-etching systems and a strategic pact with General Electric in which GE will finance equipment purchases by Applied Materials customers are part of a drive by Applied to stoke growth amid a cyclical decline in its sales.

Applied Materials' sales for the second quarter ended in April declined 7.7 percent from a year ago to US$1.86 billion.

Reuters says that the upgraded line of etch equipment, which expands the usable area of silicon wafers aims to boost Applied's share of a segment where it ranks No. 3 behind bigger players Lam Research and Tokyo Electron.

Flash memory, which is used to store data in consumer electronics ranging from mobile phones to the latest digital music players, has emerged as the new driver of technology advance in microchips.

The Reuters/NYT report says that Applied has already shipped 40 units of the US$3-$5 million etch machines for use by customers in high-volume production, as the chip equipment industry is set to decline by roughly 12 percent after a banner year in 2004, according to industry forecasts.

Venture to put live shows on internet and radio

In a bid to widen significantly the audience for concerts and live events, America Online and XM Satellite Radio are backing a venture that will deliver live performances to internet, satellite and wireless customers and through other media.

The New York Times reports (13 July) that the venture is expected to start offering its performances this fall (US). Many of them will originate from arenas and theatres owned by the AEG division of the Anschutz Company, a concert promoter that also holds a stake in the venture. .

AEG said it was aiming to offer up to 40 concerts from major acts this year and develop its own brand-name series, which could then be distributed or downloaded to an array of devices.

The company plans to generate revenue by licensing its events to various distributors, including AOL and XM, and by selling advertising and corporate sponsorships tied to its concerts.

The NYT says the accord creating Network Live comes as distributors of digital entertainment are trying to add programming to attract customers. AOL, for instance, has been developing new content for its revamped service in a race against Yahoo and other rivals. XM has been trying to one-up its smaller rival, Sirius Satellite Radio, by adding new radio talent.

It also arrives as the concert industry, reeling after a slide in attendance last year, is trying to determine how to use the Internet to make more money, says the newspaper.

Keeper of expired web pages being sued

The Internet Archive was created in 1996 as the institutional memory of the online world, storing snapshots of ever-changing web sites and collecting other multimedia artifacts. Now the nonprofit archive is on the defensive in a legal case that represents a strange turn in the debate over copyrights in the digital age, according to a report in The New York Times (12 July).

Beyond its utility for internet historians, the Web page database, searchable with a form called the Wayback Machine, is also routinely used by intellectual property lawyers to help learn, for example, when and how a trademark might have been historically used or violated.

According to the NYT, that is what brought the Philadelphia law firm of Harding Earley Follmer & Frailey to the Wayback Machine two years ago. The firm was defending Health Advocate, a company in suburban Philadelphia that helps patients resolve health care and insurance disputes, against a trademark action brought by a similarly named competitor.

In preparing the case, representatives of Earley Follmer used the Wayback Machine to turn up old Web pages - some dating to 1999 - originally posted by the plaintiff, Healthcare Advocates of Philadelphia.

The newspaper reports that last week Healthcare Advocates sued both the Harding Earley firm and the Internet Archive, saying the access to its old web pages, stored in the Internet Archive's database, was unauthorised and illegal.

The lawsuit, filed in Federal District Court in Philadelphia, seeks unspecified damages for copyright infringement and violations of two US federal laws: the Digital Millennium Copyright Act and the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act.

The NYT says that the Internet Archive uses Web-crawling "bot" programs to make copies of publicly accessible sites on a periodic, automated basis. Those copies are then stored on the archive's servers for later recall using the Wayback Machine.

Animator warns on profit

Shares of DreamWorks Animation tumbled 13.2 percent after the company lowered its earnings estimates because of disappointing DVD sales and also pulled back on a planned US$500 million stock offering, reports The New York Times (12 July).

In addition, the company said the Securities and Exchange Commission had started an informal investigation into the trading of its securities after a report on 10 May that news of disappointing first-quarter earnings had been released before the company announcement.

The newspaper says that the announcement was the second time in two months that the company, led by its chief executive, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and the co-founders Steven Spielberg and David Geffen, with a blue-chip roster of investors that includes the Microsoft billionaire Paul G. Allen, had revised earnings forecasts downward.

The company said that it was lowering its earnings estimates for the year to 80 cents a share, from 90 cents. That compares with an earlier forecast of US$1 to US$1.25 a share. The company now expects to show a loss in the second quarter of 7 to 9 cents a share, repoprts The NYT.

CBS News to expand web news component

In the US, TV network,CBS News is aggressively expanding its internet capabilities to offer a 24-hour news network with a "video jukebox" that allows consumers to construct their own online newscasts, the network announced Tuesday.

The Reuters reoprt in The New York Times (12 July) says the revamped CBSNews.com site also includes a web log, "Public Eye," where CBS News executives and journalists respond to questions and complaints from the public.

The advertiser-supported web site gives consumers free access to more than 25,000 video clips. CBS journalists will be encouraged to frequently contribute video reports to the site instead of simply waiting for the next television broadcast..