Lenovo Acquires Stoneware to Expand Secure Cloud Computing

Press release:

Lenovo Acquires Stoneware to Expand Secure Cloud Computing

Lenovo grows its technology portfolio and advances its PC Plus strategy

Stoneware brings substantial experience and expertise in secure cloud computing

RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, N.C. and Carmel, IN, September 18, 2012: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced the acquisition of Stoneware Inc., to enhance and expand its cloud computing solutions, a key component of Lenovo’s product portfolio. Stoneware has built a strong, profitable, and growing business by delivering innovative software technologies, which are helping people and organizations make the complex environment of cloud computing that much simpler.

 

As a result of this acquisition, Lenovo will add significant new technologies and accelerate its capabilities for both commercial and consumer cloud offerings, particularly the ability to provide secure content across multiple devices in education and government.
 

Lenovo’s product portfolio will benefit from the experience and expertise of the Stoneware team. Stoneware already has several strong, highly innovative cloud products – including webNetwork and LanSchool – that serve millions of users primarily in education and the public sector. Lenovo will help extend the reach of these products as well as new offerings through its global reach as the world’s second largest PC maker and number one commercial laptop company. Lenovo will also help develop the opportunity to extend this technology, beyond the current strongholds that Stoneware has in government and in education, into more consumer-focused offerings over time.
 

“Adding Stoneware cloud computing into the Lenovo line up presents a significant opportunity to leverage their success, and enhance our PC Plus offerings, all to the benefit of our customers,“ said Peter Hortensius, senior vice president, and president, Product Group, Lenovo. “We have a history of innovation and embracing new technologies, and the talented team at Stoneware will fit in perfectly with our long-term strategy.
 

With today’s typical technology user carrying multiple devices, the PC Plus era is here, and Lenovo is aggressively expanding its product offerings and capabilities to help people and businesses connect across any device to the content and communities that matter most to them. Customers simply want a better way to connect their PC with their tablet with their smartphone, and with Stoneware, Lenovo aims to help them get there.
 

The purchase of Stoneware is critical to Lenovo’s broader PC Plus strategy. As a recognized leader in PCs, with the momentum of an expanding tablet and smartphone business and a newly formed joint venture with EMC, Lenovo aims to offer end-to-end secure solutions to business customers and compelling cloud-based technology to consumers.
 

“We are pleased to be joining forces with Lenovo”, said Rick German, CEO, Stoneware. “Lenovo is one of the largest and fastest growing technology companies in the world and for Stoneware, a small company with roots in the heartland of the United States, we are delighted to be given the opportunity to deliver real benefit to customers on a global stage.”
 

While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, the acquisition is not material to Lenovo’s earnings. Stoneware has 67 employees, located in either Indiana or Salt Lake City, Utah. As part of this agreement, it is expected that all U.S.-based Stoneware employees will join Lenovo, and that there will be no job losses as a result of today’s announcement.
 

The acquisition is expected to be completed by the end of 2012 and in the coming weeks the Stoneware team will be fully integrated into Lenovo. The Stoneware team will remain in Indiana and Utah and will continue to sell both webNetwork and LanSchool while serving customers and partners with the same level of dedication and excellence.
 

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $US30 billion personal technology company and the world’s second largest PC company, serving customers in more than 160 countries. Dedicated to building exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile internet devices, Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the Company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, see www.lenovo.com.

Lenovo Announces Smarter, Slimmer Android Tablets at IFA

Press release from Lenovo:

Lenovo Announces Smarter, Slimmer Android Tablets at IFA

 Latest Tablets Offer Optimized Multimedia Experiences at Attractive Price Points

IFA 2012, Berlin– August 30, 2012: Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) today announced that it has expanded its Ideatab® product line with the Ideatab S2110, A2107, and A2109. Powered by the Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) operating system, the new product lineup provides smarter, slimmer tablet designs with a variety of multimedia options at attractive price points.   

 

“The newest line of Ideatab products provides an option for everyone who wants to keep all of their favorite books, songs and movies at their fingertips, no matter where they go,” said Liu Jun, senior vice president, and president, Mobile Internet and Digital Home business.  “Whether consumers crave a pocket tablet with 3G connectivity or seek a premium entertainment tablet for games and graphics, Lenovo has it, and at every price point.” 

  

Ideatab S2110

The Ideatab S2110 is a premium entertainment tablet with an optional detachable keyboard dock to provide a true PC+ experience that moves easily between the tablet and PC worlds. At just 8.69mm and only 580g, it is one of the thinnest and lightest 10-inch tablets available today. The tablet’s IPS (In-Plane Switching) screen with 178-degree viewing angle and unique 10-point multi-touch display is ideal for two-player gaming, and a Micro-HDMI port enables full HD viewing of 1080p on an HDTV. When attached the to the keyboard dock, the S2110 delivers double battery life for up to 20 hours of activity, as well as an SD card reader and USB ports to connect a thumb drive, external hard drive or mouse. The S2110 is also equipped with a 5Mp, auto-focusing rear-facing camera and an LED flash, in addition to a 1.3Mp front-facing camera, 1GB memory, WiFi connectivity, and a textured back cover that provides a more comfortable grip.

 

Ideatab A2107, A2109

The Ideatab A2107 and A2109 are affordable tablets that offer essential entertainment, social media, and productivity capabilities—all protected by the same metal alloy roll cage inspired by Lenovo ThinkPad products.

 

At seven inches—the same size as a standard book page—the A2107 display is designed for on-the-go reading, Web browsing and email. The A2107 also provides hassle-free entertainment with two speakers, a micro-SD card, Bluetooth 4.0, a built-in FM radio, 720p HD resolution, and up to ten hours of active use. In addition to a WiFi model, a 3G version gives users anytime, anywhere information access and fast A-GPS capability.

 

With a powerful quad-core NVIDIA Tegra 3 CPU and graphics card, the A2109 is an optimized entertainment tablet that features a 9-inch, four-point capacitive display with 1280x800 resolution, 1080p output via the tablet’s Micro-HDMI port, and two speakers with SRS TruMedia audio enhancement. At just 570g with a sleek metal shell backing, the A2109 also includes 1.3 megapixel front and 3 megapixel rear-facing cameras, dual microphones, GPS, a Micro USB port, and up to 16GB of storage with MicroSD card support up to 32GB.

 

Pricing and Availability¹

The Lenovo Ideatab A2109 and S2110 are available now with prices starting at $299 and $399 respectively. The A2107 will be available later in 2012. All products will be available through Lenovo sales representatives and business partners in the US.

 

For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter andFacebook.

 

About Lenovo

Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $US30 billion personal technology company – and the second largest PC company in the world, serving customers in more than 160 countries. Dedicated to building exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile internet devices, Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the Company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina.  For more information, see www.lenovo.com.

 

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¹Prices do not include tax or shipping and are subject to change without notice and is tied to specific terms and conditions. Reseller prices may vary. Price does not include all advertised features. All offers subject to availability. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.

Lenovo Ushers in New Affordable, Thin and Light S Series Laptops

Press release from Lenovo:

Lenovo Ushers in New Affordable, Thin and Light S Series Laptops

 Full-featured laptops tout ultraportable design withmainstream performance and price

IFA 2012, Berlin – August 30, 2012: Today at the IFA consumer electronics show in Berlin, Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) announced the expansion its ultraportable IdeaPad® product line with the IdeaPad S300, S400, and S405 laptops. These affordable thin and light laptops strike a balance between portability and performance for consumers who want more computing power than a netbook and longer battery life than a traditional laptop, without the premium price of an Ultrabook™.

Measuring just 21.9mm thin (less than one inch) and weighing 1.8kg (less than four lbs), the S Series features a sleek exterior design with a stylish metallic finish powered by either 3rd generation Intel® Core™ or AMD A-Series processors. The S Series laptops combine comfort, simplicity and responsiveness to give consumers an inexpensive PC with quality construction and solid performance.

“As a global leader in the PC market, Lenovo’s success rests on our ability to deliver consumer-centric innovations in products that deliver a blend of mobility, performance and price,” said Bai Peng, vice president and general manager, IdeaPad Business Unit, Lenovo. “Customers don’t just want a functional product, though; they also want one that speaks to their sense of style and individuality. The new Lenovo IdeaPad S Series laptops give everyday consumers exactly what they need by matching small size and light weight with the power needed for everything from Web browsing to productivity tasks, all in an affordable package.”  

Powerful and intelligent

Equipped with the latest technology, the Lenovo IdeaPad S300 and S400 laptops are available with Intel’s 3rd generation Core™ i3 or i5 processors, while the IdeaPad S405 is packed with up to AMD A8 quad core processors. Up to 500GB hard disk storage capacity (up to 1TB HDD in the S405) offers plenty of space to store music, movies and documents, and an optional 32GB solid state drive on the S400 and S405 can help speed boot time and application responsiveness. In addition, intelligent energy management features not only increase time spent between charges—up to 5 hours—but also protect the long-term durability of the battery.

All of the new S Series laptops offer Microsoft Windows 7 Home Professional and will be eligible for the Microsoft Windows 8 upgrade program. Designed for Windows 8, the updated S Series’ intelligent touchpad gives users a more controlled experience when scrolling and zooming, while the AccuType keyboard with individual rounded keys provides a platform for comfortable and accurate typing.

Users can also take advantage of innovative ease-of-use features such as Lenovo Quick Start “instant on” functionality to get online in seconds. Even data protection is made easy with Lenovo’s OneKey™ Rescue System, which offers an amazingly simple and quick way to back up and restore data, recover corrupted system files and run a complete virus scan.

Slim and stylish multimedia companion

Less than an inch at their thickest point and weighing under four pounds, Lenovo’s new consumer laptops feature a contemporary design with a tactile metallic finish available in a variety of colors including, crimson red, silver grey and cotton-candy pink. With up to a 14-inch HD widescreen display, HDMI output, stereo speakers and Dolby® Advanced Audio™ v2 certification, the new S Series laptops offer premium features for immersive entertainment and multimedia activities. 

Pricing and Availability¹

The Lenovo IdeaPad S300, S400, and S405 will be available starting today through Lenovo sales representatives and business partners in the US starting at $499.  

For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feeds or follow Lenovo on Twitter , Facebook andYoutube.

About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is a $US30 billion personal technology company serving customers in more than 160 countries, and the world’s second-largest PC vendor. Dedicated to building exceptionally engineered PCs and mobile internet devices, Lenovo’s business is built on product innovation, a highly-efficient global supply chain and strong strategic execution. Formed by Lenovo Group’s acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services. Its product lines include legendary Think-branded commercial PCs and Idea-branded consumer PCs, as well as servers, workstations, and a family of mobile internet devices, including tablets and smart phones. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information, see www.lenovo.com

.

¹Prices do not include tax or shipping and are subject to change without notice and is tied to specific terms and conditions. Reseller prices may vary. Price does not include all advertised features. All offers subject to availability. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.

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F.T.C. Seeks Privacy Legislation

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

F.T.C. Seeks Privacy Legislation

By TANZINA VEGA and EDWARD WYATT

The government’s chief consumer protection agency said on Monday that it intended to take direct aim at the vast industry that has grown up around the buying and selling of information about American consumers.

The agency, the Federal Trade Commission, called on Congress to enact legislation regulating so-called data brokers, which compile and trade a wide range of personal and financial data about millions of consumers from online and offline sources. The legislation would give consumers access to information collected about them and allow them to correct and update such data.

The agency also sent a cautionary signal to technology and advertising companies regarding a “Do Not Track” mechanism that allows consumers to opt out of having their online behavior monitored and shared. It warned that if companies did not voluntarily provide a satisfactory Do Not Track option, it would support additional laws that mandate it.

The recommendations, part of a sweeping set of guidelines in an F.T.C. report on Monday, represent the government’s latest move to address the issue of consumer privacy.

On one side of the debate are data brokers like Experian and Acxiom, which collect and sell information, and the huge ecosystem of technology and online advertising companies — including Google, Microsoft and Facebook — that target consumers based on their personal preferences.

On the other side are consumer groups and privacy advocates that are concerned about the volume of data being collected and how little control consumers have over that information.

The government’s Do Not Track efforts are likely to collide with the desire of companies to continue the lucrative business of collecting, using and sharing information about the people who use their services. Although these businesses say they support limits on using this information, they generally still want to be able to collect it.

Senators Want Employers’ Facebook Password Requests Reviewed

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Monday, March 26, 2012

Senators Want Employers’ Facebook Password Requests Reviewed

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Two Democratic senators are asking Attorney General Eric H. Holder Jr. to investigate whether employers asking for Facebook passwords during job interviews are violating federal law, their offices announced Sunday.

Troubled by reports of the practice, Senators Charles E. Schumer of New York and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut said they were calling on the Justice Department and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to begin investigations. The senators are sending letters to the heads of the agencies.

The Associated Press reported last week that some private and public agencies around the country were asking job seekers for their social media credentials. The practice has alarmed privacy advocates, but its legality remained murky.

On Friday, Facebook warned employers not to ask job applicants for their passwords, presumably so they could view applicant profiles on the site. The company threatened legal action against applications that violated its longstanding policy against sharing passwords.

A Facebook executive cautioned that if an employer discovered that a job applicant is a member of a protected group, the employer might be vulnerable to claims of discrimination if it did not hire that person.

Personal information such as gender, race, religion and age are often displayed on a Facebook profile — all details that are protected by federal employment law.

Not sharing passwords is a basic tenet of online conduct. Aside from the privacy concerns, Facebook considers the practice a security risk.

Microsoft Raids Tackle Online Crime

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Monday, March 26, 2012

Microsoft Raids Tackle Online Crime

By NICK WINGFIELD and NICOLE PERLROTH

SEATTLE — Microsoft employees, accompanied by United States marshals, raided two nondescript office buildings in Pennsylvania and Illinois on Friday, aiming to disrupt one of the most pernicious forms of online crime today — botnets, or groups of computers that help harvest bank account passwords and other personal information from millions of other computers.

With a warrant in hand from a federal judge authorizing the sweep, the Microsoft lawyers and technical personnel gathered evidence and deactivated Web servers ostensibly used by criminals in a scheme to infect computers and steal personal data. At the same time, Microsoft seized control of hundreds of Web addresses that it says were used as part of the same scheme.

The sweep was part of a civil suit brought by Microsoft in its increasingly aggressive campaign to take the lead in combating such crimes, rather than waiting for law enforcement agencies to act. The company’s targets were equipment used to control the botnets, which criminals, known as bot-herders, use for ill intent.

Microsoft has a big interest in making the Internet a safer place. Despite inroads made by Apple and others in some parts of the technology business, Microsoft’s Windows operating system still runs the vast majority of the computers connected to the Internet. The prevalence of its software has made Windows the most appealing target for online criminals, and the security holes they discover in the software are a persistent nuisance for Windows users.

Microsoft’s involvement in what had been considered largely a law enforcement function — fighting computer crime — is the brainchild of Richard Boscovich, a former federal prosecutor who is a senior lawyer in Microsoft’s digital crimes unit. That group watches over fraud that could affect the company’s products and reputation.

Press Release : March 21, 2012

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HP Announces Organizational Realignment

Topics:Financial

PALO ALTO, Calif. -- HP today announced an organizational realignment to improve performance and drive profitable growth across the entire HP portfolio.

As part of this realignment, HP’s Imaging and Printing Group (IPG) and its Personal Systems Group (PSG) are joining forces to create the Printing and Personal Systems Group. The combined entity will be led by Todd Bradley, who has served as the executive vice president of PSG since 2005.

Vyomesh Joshi, executive vice president of IPG, is retiring after a highly accomplished 31-year career at HP. Under Joshi’s leadership, IPG has grown revenue from $19 billion to $26 billion, and doubled its operating profit to approximately $4 billion.

“VJ embodies the spirit of HP and his impact on the company has been tremendous,” said Meg Whitman, president and chief executive officer, HP. “Under his leadership, IPG accelerated innovation and pioneered solutions that transformed the printing market. We wish him the very best as he embarks on a new chapter in his life.”

Combining these two entities will rationalize HP’s go-to-market strategy, branding, supply chain and customer support worldwide. This will lead to a better customer experience and drive innovation across personal computing and printing. This realignment is expected to provide opportunities for cost savings and accelerate HP’s ability to pursue profitable growth and reinvest in the business.

“This combination will bring together two businesses where HP has established global leadership,” said Whitman. “By providing the best in customer-focused innovation and operational efficiency, we believe we will create a winning scenario for customers, partners and shareholders.”

In addition to combining PSG and IPG, HP also is taking steps to unify and streamline certain key business functions. 

The Global Accounts Sales organization will join the newly named HP Enterprise Group. This group will be led by David Donatelli and includes Enterprise Servers, Storage, Networking and Technology Services.

The new structure is expected to speed decision making, increase productivity and improve efficiency, while providing a simplified customer experience. A new role for Jan Zadak, executive vice president for Global Sales, will be announced at a later date. Zadak will work with Donatelli to ensure an orderly transition.

HP also announced that it will unify its Marketing functions across business units under Marty Homlish, executive vice president and chief marketing officer, HP. This will allow for even more effective brand-building and marketing activities, and will create efficiencies across the business units.

HP’s Communications employees worldwide also will be similarly unified under Henry Gomez, executive vice president and chief communications officer, HP. Together these two moves will create a more powerful voice to demonstrate the power of “One HP.”

Finally, HP is moving the Global Real Estate function from Finance into Global Technology and Business Processes to address real estate consolidation and improve the workplace experience for HP employees.

“Ensuring we have the right organizational structure in place is a critical first step in driving improved execution, and increasing effectiveness and efficiency,” added Whitman. “The result will be a faster, more streamlined, performance-driven HP that is customer focused and poised to capitalize on rapidly shifting industry trends.”

News Release from HP - LANDesk Management

Press Release : March 12, 2012

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HP Helps Customers Realize Higher Value from PCs with New LANDesk Management Solutions

Topics:Technology and Innovation

PALO ALTO, Calif. == HP today announced it is offering LANDesk management solutions directly to business customers, enabling them to boost end-user productivity and more easily secure and connect devices across their environment.

Through this collaboration with LANDesk Software, HP business customers of all sizes can use LANDesk Management Suite to reduce the PC setup time for end users from hours to minutes.

By eliminating the need to stage deployments through IT departments, LANDesk management solutions help companies to increase efficiency and reduce cost while also resolving IT concerns like energy conservation, device and BIOS management, retail operating system and reporting support, and hardware-failure alerts.

“HP is committed to helping commercial customers mitigate issues that result in lost time, money and productivity,” said Dan Forlenza, vice president and general manager, Commercial Clients Global Business Unit, HP.

“This collaboration brings unique capabilities to HP customers in the area of client management, end-point security and IT service management,” said Mike Hall, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, LANDesk Software. “We look forward to the continued integration of our joint solutions.”

LANDesk software from HP helps save customers time, money
HP business customers can leverage the powerful remote hardware management capabilities of the LANDesk software suite to reduce the need for costly, time-consuming desk-side visits by their IT department.

Automatic acquisition and remote deployment of the latest HP updates allows customers to easily install and deploy drivers and hardware and firmware updates from HP for their PCs.

Customers also can use one-to-many BIOS and firmware configuration changes to modify all settings on supported PCs. Plus, proactive hardware health alerting takes the guesswork out of thermal PC conditions and proactively senses potential hard drive failure.

In addition to the immediate availability of the LANDesk Management Suite, policy enforcement of key HP Professional Innovations, including HP Power Assistant power management tool and HP Connection Manager connectivity interface, is scheduled to be available in June. LANDesk support for HP thin clients will be available in October.

More information on the additional offerings coming throughout the year is available here.

Support for additional client management solutionsFor customers who have standardized on Microsoft® Systems Center Configuration Manager (SCCM), HP will continue to maintain its HP Client Catalog. In October, HP will expand support for Microsoft SCCM with a new deployment pack that helps customers more easily perform scripted operating system installs and configure BIOS settings.

HP also will continue to offer its industry-leading HP Client Automation (HPCA) management solution, which provides high levels of end-client management automation and the lowest cost of ownership in an all-HP solution. HPCA uses desired-state, policy-driven technology to enable dynamic enterprises to ensure their end points are correct and functional, and that they have enhanced security. Fully integrated with HP hardware innovations and new technologies, HPCA provides one solution for all endpoints – physical and virtual, thick and thin. 

New integrated platform driver packs
Responding to customer feedback for a single file that contains all the necessary drivers for a particular platform or model, integrated driver packs from HP are scheduled for release by August for most desktop and notebook PCs and workstations launched since 2010. The driver packs will be available in LANDesk Management Suite, the HP Client Catalog for Microsoft SCCM and HP Softpaq Download Manager.

Additional information on supported PCs is available here.

About LANDesk Software
LANDesk Software is a leading provider of systems lifecycle management, endpoint security, and IT service management solutions for desktops, servers and mobile devices across the enterprise. LANDesk enables IT to deliver business value by gaining control of end-user computing with a single console, light infrastructure, and ITIL solutions that can deliver significant ROI for thousands of customers worldwide. LANDesk is headquartered in Salt Lake City, Utah, with offices located in the Americas, Europe and Asia Pacific, and can be found at www.landesk.com.  

About HPHP creates new possibilities for technology to have a meaningful impact on people, businesses, governments and society. The world’s largest technology company, HP brings together a portfolio that spans printing, personal computing, software, services and IT infrastructure to solve customer problems. More information about HP (NYSE: HPQ) is available at http://www.hp.com.

Tablets May Replace PCs

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Tuesday, March 06, 2012

As New iPad Debut Nears, Some See Decline of PCs

By NICK WINGFIELD

The chief executive of Apple, Timothy D. Cook, has a prediction: the day will come when tablet devices like the Apple iPad outsell traditional personal computers.

His forecast has backing from a growing number of analysts and veteran technology industry executives, who contend that the torrid growth rates of the iPad, combined with tablet competition from the likes of Amazon.com and Microsoft, make a changing of the guard a question of when, not if.

Tablet sales are likely to get another jolt this week when Apple introduces its newest version of the iPad, which is expected to have a higher-resolution screen. With past iterations of the iPad and iPhone, Apple has made an art of refining the devices with better screens, faster processors and speedier network connections, as well as other bells and whistles — steadily broadening their audiences.

An Apple spokeswoman, Trudy Muller, declined to comment on an event the company is holding Wednesday in San Francisco that is expected to feature the new product.

Any surpassing of personal computers by tablets will be a case of the computer industry’s tail wagging the dog. The iPad, which seemed like a nice side business for Apple when it was introduced in 2010, has become a franchise for the company, accounting for $9.15 billion in revenue in the holiday quarter, or about 20 percent of Apple’s total revenue. The roughly 15 million iPads Apple sold in that period was more than twice the number it sold a year earlier.

In the fall, Amazon introduced the iPad’s first credible competitor in the $199 Kindle Fire. Although Amazon does not release sales figures for the device, some analysts estimate it sold about four million in the holiday quarter. Later this year, tablets from a variety of hardware manufacturers based on Windows 8, a new, touch-screen-friendly operating system from Microsoft, could further propel the market.

Facebook: Risk & Riches

Excerpt from an article in

The New York Times

Monday, February 27, 2012

For Facebook, Risk and Riches in User Data

By SOMINI SENGUPTA

SAN FRANCISCO — It is Facebook’s biggest conundrum. As the world’s largest social network, it faces intense scrutiny from consumers, courts and regulators worldwide over how it handles the data it collects from its 845 million users. But as a company preparing to go public, it is under pressure to find new ways to turn that data into profit.

The scrutiny is at its most intense in Europe. Regulators in Ireland, where Facebook has its European headquarters, have already demanded that it give users greater control over their information. A proposed Europe-wide law goes much further by requiring Facebook, along with every other online business, to expunge every bit of personal data at a consumer’s request.

In the United States, Facebook faces government audits for the next 20 years about how it collects and shares data, along with an assortment of lawsuits that accuse the company of tracking users across the Web. Even the White House stepped into the fray last week, demanding that Web companies give users more say in how their personal data is used.

Facebook is not the only company dealing with these issues, but it is especially vulnerable because its very business model relies on the fire hose of information that its users willingly share. “We are in very turbulent and unpredictable times when it comes to privacy regulations,” said J. Trevor Hughes, a lawyer who leads the International Association of Privacy Professionals. “We see regulators with a sense that something needs to be managed better, but without the tools.”

The result is a cloud of uncertainty for Facebook, which is expected to go public this spring. Among the risk factors listed in Facebook’s filing for a public offering is the prospect of “adverse changes in our products that are mandated by legislation, regulatory authorities, or litigation, including settlements or consent decrees.”

Beware of Valentine's Day Malware Distribution

News release from Panda Security:

Beware of Valentine’s Day Malware Distribution Campaigns, PandaLabs reports

• Here are some examples of malware that used social engineering to infect users on this festive occasion
• PandaLabs offers tips to avoid computer viruses on Valentine’s Day

Malware that uses events like Valentine’s Day, Christmas or Halloween as a lure to trick users and infect computers is now a well-established feature of the IT security calendar. Once again, this year it will be no surprise to see numerous emails in circulation with links for downloading romantic greeting cards, videos, gift ideas, or Facebook and Twitter messages related to Valentine’s Day.

Social engineering is cyber-crooks’ preferred technique for deceiving users. In these cases it basically involves obtaining confidential information from users by convincing them to take a series of actions. Crimeware and social engineering go hand-in-hand: a carefully selected social engineering ploy convinces users to hand over their data or install a malicious program which captures information and sends it on to the fraudsters.

Cyber-crooks, however, are also exploiting other channels, such as Facebook, Twitter or Google+, and given the access to millions of users that these social networks provide, they have become just as popular among the criminal fraternity for spreading malware as email.

A new Facebook attack has recently been discovered that uses users’ walls to spread. An apparently harmless message invites users to install a Valentine’s Day theme on Facebook. However, if the user clicks the wall post, they are redirected to a page where they are prompted to install the theme. This installs a malware file which, once run, displays ads from other websites. It also downloads an extension that monitors Web activities and redirects sessions to survey pages that request sensitive information like phone numbers.

Some weeks ago, the PandaLabs blog reported on a link included in a Twitter profile that took users to a dating site: http://pandalabs.pandasecurity.com/sex-lies-and-twitter/. Special dates like Valentine’s Day can see a proliferation of malicious Twitter posts used to steal users’ confidential data and empty their bank accounts through social engineering.

Here is a collection of some of the Valentine’s Day-themed malware campaigns detected by PandaLabs, the anti-malware laboratory of Panda Security, in recent years:

Waledac.C: This worm spread by email trying to pass itself off as a greeting card. The email message included a link to download the card. However, if the user clicked the link and accepted the subsequent file download they were actually letting the Waledac.C worm into their computer. Once it infected the computer, the worm used the affected user’s email to send out spam.

I Love.exe you: This was a RAT (Remote Access Trojan) that gave attackers access to the victim’s computer and all their personal information. The Trojan allowed the virus creator to access target computers remotely, steal passwords and manage files.

Nuwar.OL: This worm spread in email messages with subjects like “I love You So Much”, “Inside My Heart” or “You in My Dreams”. The text of the email included a link to a website that downloaded the malicious code. The page was very simple and looked like a romantic greeting card with a large pink heart. Once it infected a computer, the worm sent out a large amount of emails, creating a heavy load on networks and slowing down computers.

Website that downloaded the Nuwar.OL worm

Valentin.E: This worm spread by email in messages with subjects like “Searching for True Love” or “True Love” and an attached file called “friends4u”. If the targeted user opened the file, a copy of the worm was downloaded. Then, the worm sent out emails with copies of itself from the infected computer to spread and infect more users.

Desktop wallpaper displayed by Valentin.E.

Storm Worm: This worm spread via email by employing a number of lures, one of them exploiting Valentine’s Day. If the targeted user clicked the link in the email, a Web page was displayed while the worm was downloaded in the background.

Web page displayed by Storm Worm

PandaLabs offers users a series of tips to avoid falling victim to computer threats:

• Do not open emails or messages received on social networks from unknown senders.

• Do not click any links included in email messages, even though they may come from reliable sources. It is better to type the URL directly in the browser. This rule applies to messages received through any mail client, as well as those in Facebook, Twitter, or other social networks or messaging applications, etc. If you do click on any such links, take a close look at the page you arrive at. If you don’t recognize it, close your browser.

• Do not run attached files that come from unknown sources. Especially these days, stay on the alert for files that claim to be Valentine Day’s greeting cards, romantic videos, etc.
• Even if the page seems legitimate, but asks you to download something, you should be suspicious and don’t accept the download. If, in any event, you download and install any type of executable file and you begin to see unusual messages on your computer, you have probably been infected with malware.
• If you are making any purchases online, type the address of the store in the browser, rather than going through any links that have been sent to you. Only buy online from sites that have a solid reputation and offer secure transactions, encrypting all information that is entered in the page.

• Do not use shared or public computers, or an unsecured WiFi connection, for making transactions or operations that require you to enter passwords or other personal details.

• Have an effective security solution installed, capable of detecting both known and new malware strains.

Panda Security offers you several free tools for scanning computers for malware, like Panda Cloud Antivirus:www.cloudantivirus.com

Putting a Price on Personal Data

Excerpt from an article in The New York Times
Monday, February 13, 2012

Start-Ups Aim to Help Users Put a Price on Their Personal Data 

By JOSHUA BRUSTEIN

Facebook’s pending initial public offering gives credence to the argument that personal data is the oil of the digital age. The company was built on a formula common to the technology industry: offer people a service, collect information about them as they use that service and use that information to sell advertising.

People have been willing to give away their data while the companies make money. But there is some momentum for the idea that personal data could function as a kind of online currency, to be cashed in directly or exchanged for other items of value. A number of start-ups allow people to take control — and perhaps profit from — the digital trails that they leave on the Internet.

“That marketplace does not exist right now, because consumers are not in on the game,” said Shane Green, who founded a company called Personal in 2009.

The idea behind Mr. Green’s company involves two steps. First, his team created a series of personal data vaults, which contain thousands of data points about its users (the company calls them owners). This data can be as prosaic as birth dates, or as specific as someone’s preference for spicy foods. People control what information they share and remove data they don’t want to share at any time.

The problem is that companies don’t need to pay for the information when they get it free.

“The killer app isn’t here yet,” said William Hoffman, who is working on a multiyear study of the economics of personal data for the World Economic Forum. But with increased consumer awareness of the value of that information — Facebook could be worth as much as $100 billion — that may soon change. “I’m willing to bet that within the next 12 months something big will catch on,” he said.

The concept of treating data like currency has long excited certain computer programmers and academics. But to almost everyone else, it is boring. Personal data management has none of the obvious appeal of social networks or smartphones. But concerns about privacy may be changing that, Mr. Hoffman said.

Safer Internet Day

News release from IBM:

IBM Releases Free Internet Security Training Tools to Educate Students, Teachers and Parents on Digital Responsibility

IBMers Volunteer to Teach Students How to Protect their Personal Data in an Online Environment

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ARMONK, N.Y. - 07 Feb 2012:  IBM (NYSE: IBM) today announced that in conjunction with Safer Internet Day, (#SID2012) it will release free Internet safety training tools for students and have thousands of volunteers working to help raise awareness and educate students and businesses on Internet safety and digital responsibility.

IBM is unveiling three free volunteer kits to better educate students, parents and teachers on Internet safety:

• Control Your Online Identity  - A volunteer education kit, it is designed to help teenagers learn to protect personal data online and reputation online. Teenagers are typically savvy about how to use the Internet, but often unaware about what happens to personal data once it's shared. This presentation and volunteer information helps students learn how to protect personal data and control how they present themselves online.
• Internet Safety Coaching - Aimed at teachers or adults working with children, this is a general primer on Internet safety providing basic information about common Internet activities by young people including instant messaging and social networking.   This kit is designed to raise awareness of Internet safety and how to have a meaningful and open dialogue with children on this topic.
• Cyberbullying -- Aimed at parents or adults who work with children, this activity helps adults learn about how young people use the Internet today and how to recognize cyberbullying symptoms, how to prevent online bullying from happening and how to intervene if it does happen.

"IBMers are committed to helping educate people on ways to safely and securely use the Internet," said Harriet Pearson, IBM Security Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer. "The resources we are donating will help teachers and parents raise awareness that most Internet-based threats to individual and computer security can significantly be reduced by actions that informed users take themselves."

In conjunction with today's announcement, IBM volunteers around the world are educating communities about Internet safety. Some select activities include:

• In Finland, IBM's lead volunteer on Cyberbullying will participate in a national summit at Helsinki City Hall in conjunction with Safer Internet Day. 60 IBM volunteers have already run Cyberbullying workshops for parents in 100 schools across Finland.
• In Germany, IBM will expand its partnership with klicksafe, the national partner of the Insafe network, focusing on the Manage Your Identity Initiative, Already more than 500 IBM, retiree and partner volunteers have delivered over 100 interactive workshops on the topic to more around 3,000 students around the country.
• In Italy, an IBM team will conduct events in local schools using both the IBM materials and afilm from Safer Internet Day to discuss Internet safety and cyberbullying.
• In Romania, IBM volunteers are partnering with NGOs APDETIC and Junior Achievement Romania to deliver an Internet Safety session to students focusing on controlling your online identity and Facebook usage.
• In the United Kingdom, IBM volunteers will use the volunteer kits to promote online safety awareness in schools.  IBMers will partner with non-profit YPNGlobal on their initiative called Cyber Champions. 

Last year IBM employees donated more than three million hours of volunteer service.  The company has donated 34 volunteer kits to help both IBMers as well as community members have meaningful activities and dialogues in the community about various issues.

Since its inception in 2004, Safer Internet Day interest has grown to reach all five continents and almost 80 countries, from Canada to South Korea and Russia to Kenya, including all 27 countries of the European Union. The goal of the day is to help make the Internet a better place for our children and young people.

About IBM

For more information on IBM volunteer and citizenship efforts, please visit www.citizenibm.com

About InsafeInsafe is the European Safer Internet awareness-raising network co-funded by the European Commission. It comprises national contact centres across the European Union and in Iceland, Norway and Russia, with partner organisations around the world. Insafe aims at empowering users to benefit from the positive aspects of internet whilst avoiding the potential risks. Further information is available at www.saferinternet.org or contact info-insafe@eun.org.

About Safer Internet Day

Safer Internet Day is part of a global drive by awareness-raising partners to promote a safer Internet for all users, especially young people. It is organised by INSAFE in the framework of the European Commission's Safer Internet Programme.