DENVER — Readily available, easy-to-use software can encrypt a computer hard drive so thoroughly it would take years for a hacker to break in. But that seems to be no impediment for government prosecutors, who have obtained an order compelling the disclosure of a computer’s contents in one Colorado case.

It’s a case that raises questions about whether requiring someone to unlock a computer’s protected files amounts to a violation of the Fifth Amendment’s protection against self-incrimination.

The judge’s order establishes a “very dangerous precedent that a person may be forced to assist in her prosecution in a way the law has not seen ever before,” said Phillip DuBois, who represents a woman charged in a mortgage and real estate fraud case.

On Tuesday, the 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refused to get involved, saying Ramona Fricosu’s criminal case must first be resolved in District Court before her attorney can appeal.

Fricosu, of Colorado Springs, now has until Monday to turn over an unencrypted version of the hard drive of a laptop.

Federal prosecutors argue that not allowing the government access to encrypted computers would make it impossible to prosecute crimes such…………… continues on msnbc.com

Shanghai — A Chinese computer maker yesterday asked a Shanghai court to bar the sale of Apple’s iconic iPad in the commercial metropolis in a long-running trademark dispute.
Proview Technology (Shenzhen) says it owns the Chinese rights to the “iPad” name and is seeking legal backing to force the US technology giant to stop selling its trendy tablet computer in the city, where Apple has three stores.
It is very rare for a Chinese enterprise to accuse an overseas firm of trademark breaches — although foreign companies frequently complain of intellectual property rights violations in China.
In a half-day hearing at the Pudong District People’s Court, lawyers for both firms exchanged evidence and forcefully presented their cases, prompting the chief judge to interrupt several times, spectators said.
The district court will decide whether the case should proceed to formal trial, a court official said.
The Shanghai case marks the latest round in a lengthy and multi-pronged legal battle between Apple and debt-laden Proview, which has been badly hit by the financial crisis, over the rights to the iPad name.
The Taiwan affiliate of Proview Technology (Shenzhen) registered “iPad” as a trademark in several countries including China as early as 2000 — years before Apple began selling its product.
The US titan subsequently bought t…………… continues on Oman Daily Observer

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) — Dell Inc. issued on Tuesday a forecast for fiscal first-quarter revenue that was below Wall Street’s expectations, stoking fears that the personal computer industry had not fully emerged from its downturn.

The company projected sales would be down 7 percent this quarter compared with those in the previous quarter, when it posted revenue of $ 16 billion. That translates into about $ 14.9 billion, below the average forecast for about $ 15.2 billion.

By ELAINE KURTENBACH

The Associated Press

SHANGHAI — A Chinese company fighting Apple Inc. over its use of the iPad trademark in China took its complaints to a Shanghai court Wednesday, though it says it is willing to talk about a settlement.

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DENVER — A federal appeals court in Denver refused Tuesday to get involved in a mortgage and real estate fraud case that raises questions about whether turning over a computer password amounts to self-incrimination.

The 10th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it lacks jurisdiction because the case hasn’t been resolved in a lower court.

That leaves Ramona Fricosu, of Colorado Springs, obligated to follow a judge’s order to turn over an unencrypted version of her hard drive that requires a password for investigators to examine documents. Her attorney and civil rights groups said it would violate the Fifth Amendment.

Fricosu attorney Phillip Dubois said his client will do her best to comply with U.S. District Judge Robert E. Blackburn’s order. Her deadline is Monday.

“It is possible that Ms. Fricosu has no ability to decrypt the computer, because she probably did not set up the encryption on that computer and may not know or remember the password or passphrase,” Dubois said in a statement.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office declined to comment.

The San Francisco-based Electronic Freedom Foundation has filed documents in the case opposing the government’s actions. Hanni Meena Fakhoury, an attorney for the foundation, said the case sets a dangerous precedent by ordering somebody to testify against themselves and that there are o…………… continues on Washington Post

Computers can reserve your plane ticket, your hotel room and your restaurant table. Why not your place at an intersection?

The concept is simple: a computer in a car calls ahead to the nearest intersection it is headed toward, and says it will arrive at a given time. The intersection checks to see if anyone else is arriving then, and if the slot is open, it tells the car to proceed. If it isn’t, it tells the car that and the car is responsible for slowing down or stopping.

That’s the idea Peter Stone, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Texas at Austin, is presenting at the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

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Rather than trying to keep track of all the cars on the road, all the intersection’s computer does is say whether there is a space for the next vehicle, given a list of time slots.

“It’s a bit like reserving at a hotel room,” Stone said. “When you call a hotel and say you are arriving Friday, they check to see if there is a room. They don’t call up everyone else at the hotel and ask them to change their travel plans.”

If there is no room, the traveler changes the arrival date or finds another hotel. The…………… continues on msnbc.com

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Physicists at Purdue University and the University of New South Wales have built a transistor from a single atom of phosphorous precisely placed on a bed of silicon, taking another step towards the holy grail of tech research: the quantum computer.

Revealed on Sunday in the academic journal Nature Nanotechnology, the research is part of a decade-long effort at the University of New South Wales to deliver a quantum computer — a machine that would use the seemingly magical properties of very small particles to instantly perform calculations beyond the scope of today’s classical computers.

Just last month, the New South Wales team — lead by professor Michelle Simmons — advanced the cause by demonstrating that Ohm’s Law of electrical resistivity extends to the world of very small particles, and now, together with Gerhard Klimeck and his team at Purdue, they’ve made a more…………… continues on Wired News

Feb. 20, 2012

AUSTIN, Texas — Intersections of the future will not need stop lights or stop signs, but will look like a somewhat chaotic flow of driverless, autonomous cars slipping past one another as they are managed by a virtual traffic controller, says computer scientist Peter Stone.

“A future where sitting in the backseat of the car reading our newspaper while it drives us effortlessly through city streets and intersections is not that far away,” says Stone, a professor of computer science at The University of Texas at Austin.

Stone’s research focuses on creating artificially intelligent (AI) computing systems, and he is developing some of the systems that are needed to make autonomous driving a reality. For example, Stone and his students created an autonomous car, named Marvin, in cooperation with Austin Robot Technology that competed in the

Chinese manufacturing giant Foxconn has opened the doors to its massive factory, where China’s largest exporter employs thousands of workers at $ 1.78 an hour to piece together Apple iPads and iPhones — mind-numbing work that may have led to 18 suicides.

Foxconn makes electronics for Sony, Dell, HP, IBM, Toshiba and others, in addition to Apple gear. And despite the rash of recent deaths, the suicide rate at the massive company is well below China’s national average. 

But public attention has focused on Foxconn and Apple — especially as the Mac maker’s stock has soared to record highs and turned the consumer electronics giant into the world’s most valuable company.

To counter growing worldwide concern, Apple offered ABC’s Nightline a glimpse inside the factory, a tour of half a dozen production lines in Shenzhen and Chengdu. The video will air at 11:35 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 21.

“We mostly found…………… continues on Fox News

The Chicago Blackhawks snapped a nine-game losing streak with a two-goal victory over the Ranger in New York Thursday night. The Hawks then flew into Columbus for a more resounding purge.

 

In a matinee played before an announced crowd of 18,663 – the majority wearing red jerseys with an Indian head logo – the Hawks put a 6-1 whipping on the Blue Jackets in Nationwide Arena today. All of the goals were scored at even-strength.

 

“Let’s take some pride going forward, that we can be better,” Hawks coach Joel Quenneville said. “Let’s try to be the best we can be.”

 

Jackets interim coach Todd Richards said, “We weren’t playing. We were going through the motions. I was embarrassed.”

 

The Jackets actually scored first, at 5:13, off an egregious turnover by former Jackets defenseman Sami Lepisto. Derick Brassard intercepted inside the blue line, walked toward the top of the slot and blistered a slap shot past Hawks goaltender Corey Crawford. That was the last puck that would get by Crawford, who made…………… continues on Columbus Dispatch

Tick-tock: No, not the Kesha song. Rather, the sound that a giant clock is undoubtedly making over at Apple headquarters in Cupertino, as employees and enthusiasts gather to count down the days until the App Store hits its 25 billionth download.

That’s right – twenty-five billion.

For those looking to tune in at home, Apple’s set up a fun little counter page on its website that details the impending news as well as the parameters of a contest that Apple’s holding in conjunction with the milestone. The person who downloads Apple’s 25-billionth app – or submits an alternate entry form immediately after the 24,999,999,999th app download (now that’s timing), will win a gift card to the App Store worth a total of $ 10,000.

That’s a lot of $ 0.99 song downloads.

<…………… continues on PC Magazine

 

37,652 News Articles

By Marc Ferranti | 18 February 12

Apple has asked the European Commission to intervene in its patent battle with Motorola Mobility, according to a filing with the U.S. Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) made by Motorola Mobility late Friday.

WASHINGTON – The owner of an electronic wholesale business has been sentenced to a year and a half in prison for selling computers to Iran without obtaining licenses from the U.S. government.

Jeng Shih, a 54-year-old U.S. citizen, was sentenced in Washington federal court Friday along with his company, Sunrise Technologies and Trading Corporation of Queens, N.Y. The company got two years corporate probation and the two parties were ordered to forfeit $ 1.25 million.

Shih and his company admitted in plea agreements to sending computers from the United States through the United Arab Emirates to hide their final destination in Iran.

The Justice Department said Shih and Sunrise sent 526 computers and related goods to Iran through Dubai in April 2010, then later sent 185 computer-related goods on the same route.

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• Keep your comments civil. Don’t insult one another or the…………… continues on Sacramento Bee

It looks like Twitter may have an even brighter future given that it’s the social network of choice for Apple’s latest operating system Mountain Lion. VentureBeat.com reports:

Apple has integrated Twitter into OS X Mountain Lion, the next-generation operating system for Macs announced Thursday and slated for summer release. The decision has profound implications for Twitter and will, should recent history repeat itself, help it dramatically increase signups and tweet volume across the world.

Twitter will be backed into the new Mac operating system in much the same way that is weaved into the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad experience today.

After signing into Twitter once, members can tweet links, photos, and content from the share button built into Apple’s Safari, Notes, Reminders, Photo Booth, and iPhone apps, and from third-party apps that update to support the integration. Twitterers will also receive notifications for Twitter mentions and direct messages on the desktop, and notifications will appear in the new Mountain Lion Notification Center.

If this all sounds trivial, consid…………… continues on Washington Post

(Updates with company comment in fifth paragraph.)

Feb. 17 (Bloomberg) — Motorola Mobility Holdings Inc. said Apple Inc. filed a complaint with the European Union’s competition authority accusing the company of violating a pledge to license industry-standard patents on fair terms.

Motorola Mobility said in a regulatory filing that it was notified of the complaint today by the European Commission. Jennifer Erickson, a Motorola Mobility spokeswoman, said the company is willing to negotiate a patent license with Apple.

Apple and Motorola Mobility have sued each other in the U.S. and Europe over technology used in smartphones, a market that researcher IDC said grew 55 percent last year. Motorola Mobility won two out of three rulings in lawsuits it filed against Apple in a Mannheim, Germany, court, and in one case forced Apple to remove some older iPhone and iPad models from its online store in Germany.

Companies often collaborate on standards that are used to make products work together, with participants pledging to fairly license any patents on the standards they help create. Apple contends Motorola Mobility is violating that commitment. Motorola Mobility, which has said it’s been in licensing talks with Apple since 2007, denied the charge.

“MMI has a long-stand…………… continues on BusinessWeek

BANGALORE: Tech-savvy Karnataka will offer Rs.5,000 per annum to its government employees for becoming computer literate, as knowledge of using computers has been made compulsory for its staff below 50 years.

“Knowledge of operating computers in Kannada, the state’s official language, is a must for all government employees. Prospective employees have to pass an exam in computer literacy within three months of joining service,” law minister Suresh Kumar said after a cabinet meeting here.

The state government has, however, exempted primary school teachers, police constables, nurses, forest watchers, excise guards, health assistants, group D employees and drivers from the essential qualification.

“Serving employees above 50 years will also be exempted from the mandatory computer learning on age considerations,” Kumar said.

As part of its e-governance initiative to provide as many of its services online using network of computers, the government has also decided to make computer knowledge a pre-requisite for promotion and annual increments.

“Employ…………… continues on Times of India