By Alessondra Springmann
April 21, 2010

By Tony Bradley
March 17, 2010

By Rosemary Hattersley
February 9, 2009

LONDON – X2 Technology has capitalised on Apple’s decision not to call its tablet the iTablet. Its X2 iTablet will run Windows or Linux and support Flash.

Apple may have eschewed the obvious moniker for its new tablet PC and chosen instead to call it the iPad, but laptop maker X2 has been keen to seize the opportunity and brand its new touchscreen devices the iTablet range.

The Windows 7- and Linux-based portable devices will be offered in 10.2in and 12.1in widescreen versions with up to 250GB hard disks and 1.6GHz Intel processors. They will have multi-touch screens, 3 USB ports and a 1.3Mp webcam. HDMI output is offered as an option, while 802.11 b and g Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and stereo speakers are part of the standard specification list. A 3G module will be a further option.

Interestingly, X2 says the iTablet will natively support Adobe Flash – something the Apple iPad does not. The 102.in X2 iTablet weighs a fairly portable 1.1kg and is 35mm thick.
The 252x192x35mm tablet computer will be offered in a choice of black, white, blue, pink, yellow, red or grey. Accessories will included battery packs, mains adaptors and a stand, while X2 will also produce a screen suitable for use in bright daylight and other challenging light conditions.

“iTablet will empower users with unlimited technology and advanced multimedia access across multiple platforms without being restricted to exclusive content providers,” added Jonathan Wharrad, R&D Director of X2 Computing. “This new breed of Windows-based computer takes design, functionality and solution fit to new and higher levels.”

X2 is an industrial product design company whose technical director, Robin Daunter, was formerly the head of R&D at Evesham Technology.

By Matt Egan
January 7, 2009

LONDON – Bluetooth specialist manufacturer Parrot has been wowing visitors to the Consumer Electronics Show here in Las Vegas with its AR.Drone: toy helicopter and real-life video game that’s controlled with an Apple iPhone.

The AR.Drone is in fact a ‘quadricopter’, with four 15-watt rotors that spin as fast as 1,500rpm, allowing the device to travel at up to 11 miles per hour. It is controlled by Wi-Fi signals, and includes four wireless cameras. Using these gamers stream video to an Apple iPhone or iPod touch – these will require a simple software update, and Parrot plans to add more phone platforms soon.

Using the images streamed, the device and software creates an “augmented reality” video game, which allows gamers to selet mundane objects in their environment and use them for point-scoring target practice. (Tired of your spouse? Here’s the perfect, safe way of working off some frustration!

The AR.Drone device is made of carbon fibre and PA66 plastic. According to Parrot it is robust enough to be used outdoors, and it comes with a shield to allow it to be used indors without damaging the rotors (or the aforementioned spouse).

The AR.Drone runs Linux, and Parrot is making the platform available to developers here at CES. According to Parrot, the AR.Drone has a three-cell, 1,000 mAh lithium polymer battery, and a 15-frame-per-second (fps) front camera as well as a high-speed (60fps) camera that looks straight down. It will be available ‘later this year’, and pricing is not yet known.

By Tony Bradley
January 6, 2009

SAN FRANCISCO – In the most recent Web browser market share statistics from Net Applications, Google’s Chrome Web browser sneaked past Apple’s Safari to claim third place. The ascent up the market share ladder is more impressive when you consider that Chrome has only been around a little over a year.

Chrome’s 0.7 percent jump from November to December can probably be attributed to the beta versions of the Chrome Web browser for Mac OS X and Linux finally being released. Google also gave Windows users more reason to switch to Chrome with the release of expanded features and functionality for the Windows version of Chrome.

Chrome was marching pretty steadily up the chart even before the recent releases, though. Since January of 2009, Internet Explorer’s share of the pie has dropped just over seven percent. That seven percent has been snapped up primarily by Firefox and Chrome, with Chrome making the biggest jump of them all. Chrome has increased over three percent since January, more than tripling its share of the Web browser market in under a year.

Google is virtually synonymous with Web surfing, so it stands to reason that Google should know a thing or two about how to optimize the Web surfing experience. The Chrome Web browser is not a revolutionary shift from other browsers like Internet Explorer or Firefox, but the incremental improvements are enough to make it worth taking a look at.

The one thing Chrome offers that all users want is speed. Time after time since its release Chrome has come out on top in tests that compare the speed at which the different Web browsers are able to load pages. The difference in time may be mere milliseconds, but for hardcore Web surfers those milliseconds add up, and faster page loading equates to less frustration and stress.

As with all statistics, these can be taken with a grain of salt. Finnish tech site Afterdawn.com claims that recent statistics for users that visit its sites put Firefox on top with just over 42 percent, Internet Explorer in second place just under 40 percent, and Chrome strongly in third with almost nine percent. That is a more tech-oriented site with a much smaller sampling, though, than the statistics compiled by Net Applications.

What does all of this mean to you? Well, nothing really. At nearly 63 percent of the browser market, Internet Explorer still holds a dominant position even though it has lost a significant chunk in 2009. The real battle is still between Internet Explorer and Firefox–a distant second with less than half of Internet Explorer’s stake…at least for now.

The success of Windows 7, which comes with Internet Explorer 8 pre-installed as the default browser (except within the European Union where Microsoft is providing users with a choice of browsers as part of a settlement to avoid antitrust litigation) may help curb Microsoft’s eroding share of the browser market.

As I mentioned above, though, Chrome is a rapidly rising competitor. Google’s reputation and presence on the Web will contribute to the continued growth of the Chrome Web browser, as will Google’s various endeavors, including the Chrome operating system expected to be released before the 2010 holiday shopping season.

Firefox has been climbing as well, and has five times the share of the Chrome Web browser, but Firefox has also been around for more than five years. Odds are fair that Chrome will pass Firefox and steal second place long before either of them threaten to pass Internet Explorer.

By Carolyn Duffy Marsan
Network World
October 9, 2009

Web Browser Milestones

The Web browser turns 15 on Oct. 13, 2009 – a key milestone in the history of the Internet. That’s when the first commercial Web browser – eventually called Netscape Navigator – was released as beta code. While researchers including World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee and a team at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications created Unix browsers between 1991 and 1994, Netscape Navigator made this small piece of desktop software a household name. By allowing average users to view text and images posted on Web sites, Netscape Navigator helped launch the Internet era along with multiple browser wars, government-led lawsuits and many software innovations. Here are 15 highlights in the history of the Web browser.

September 2, 2008

Google Chrome introduces
Google announced the beta release of its open source Chrome browser for Microsoft Windows systems. Google offered a developer’s version that supports Linux and Apple Macintosh systems in June 2009. Now, Google is on Version 3 of Chrome, which aims at being speedier than competitors with a cleaner layout and design. So far, Google has attracted more press than users with Chrome. Currently, Chrome has 3.7% browser market share, according to Janco Associates.

March 19, 2009

Microsoft responds to rivals, enhances IE
Responding to innovations in Firefox, Safari, Opera and Chrome, Microsoft released Version 8 of Internet Explorer. Microsoft said it was the company’s fastest, most stable and secure Web browser. One innovation is Web slices, which notify users when a favorite site is updated. Another improvement makes it easier for users to refer to multiple tabs. IE also offers InPrivate browsing, which has the nickname “porn mode.” Microsoft was prompted to improve its Web browser by shrinking market share, which is down to 68%, according to Janco Associates.

June 30, 2009

Mozilla ships faster Firefox
Mozilla released the latest version of Firefox, which offers several performance enhancements, particularly for Web developers. Though not the fastest browser, Firefox 3.5 is more competitive against Chrome and Safari in this area. Firefox 3.5 features location-aware browsing so it’s easier for users to find nearby retailers or restaurants. This version also supports private browsing, which was already available in Chrome, Safari and Internet Explorer. Mozilla says more than 300 million people around the world use Firefox.

August 13, 2009

Netscape founder discloses browser start-up
Marc Andreessen, leader of the NCSA Mosaic project and founder of Netscape, admits to the New York Times that he is backing a browser start-up called RockMelt . The article caused much speculation in the tech press about what RockMelt will be, with many believing that the new venture will create a browser customized for social networking sites such as Facebook.

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By Carolyn Duffy Marsan
Network World
October 9, 2009

Web Browser Milestones

The Web browser turns 15 on Oct. 13, 2009 – a key milestone in the history of the Internet. That’s when the first commercial Web browser – eventually called Netscape Navigator – was released as beta code. While researchers including World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee and a team at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications created Unix browsers between 1991 and 1994, Netscape Navigator made this small piece of desktop software a household name. By allowing average users to view text and images posted on Web sites, Netscape Navigator helped launch the Internet era along with multiple browser wars, government-led lawsuits and many software innovations. Here are 15 highlights in the history of the Web browser.

January 7, 2003

Apple enters the browser fray with Safari
Apple released a beta version of Safari, which would become its standard Web browser built into the Mac operating system later that year. In June 2007, Apple released a version of Safari for Windows XP and Vista systems. Safari also is the browser used in Apple’s iPhone. In June 2009, Apple released Safari 4 featuring speedier performance, enhanced integration with Windows and an at-a-glance view of a user’s favorite Web sites. More than 11 million copies of Safari 4 were downloaded in the first three days of availability, Apple said. A niche player, Safari has less than 1% market share, Janco Associates says.

February 9, 2004

Firefox released, gains mindshare with techies
The Mozilla Foundation released a beta version of Firefox – dubbed Firebox 0.8 – that would soon catch on as a speedy alternative to Internet Explorer. By 2004, Microsoft had more than 87% of the browser market, according to Janco Associates. But within six months of this release, Firefox was the preferred browser among techies, winning awards at Linuxworld Expo and being dubbed hot by Wired Magazine. Firefox grew in popularity, and today this free, open source browser has 19.2% market share.

December 13, 2007

Opera files antitrust complaints against Microsoft
Opera filed a complaint with the European Commission (headed by Neelie Kroes, shown here), claiming that Microsoft violates antitrust laws by integrating Internet Explorer into the Windows operating system and by failing to follow open Web standards. Microsoft has offered to provide its customers with a menu of available browsers to download rather than installing Internet Explorer by default in Windows 7. The EC says it hopes to settle the case before year’s end.

January 14, 2008

Web browsers top Internet vulnerability list
For the first time, Web browser attacks top the list of the Top 10 Cyber Security Menaces for 2008 compiled by SANS Institute. The infosec research group says malicious code placed on popular, trusted Web sites is exploiting components of Web browsers, such as Flash and QuickTime. These attacks are gaining in sophistication and becoming more common. In December 2008, Microsoft would announce a “ huge increase ” in Internet Explorer attacks, one of several times Microsoft must scramble to patch a browser vulnerability.

By Carolyn Duffy Marsan
Network World
October 9, 2009

Web Browser Milestones

The Web browser turns 15 on Oct. 13, 2009 – a key milestone in the history of the Internet. That’s when the first commercial Web browser – eventually called Netscape Navigator – was released as beta code. While researchers including World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee and a team at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications created Unix browsers between 1991 and 1994, Netscape Navigator made this small piece of desktop software a household name. By allowing average users to view text and images posted on Web sites, Netscape Navigator helped launch the Internet era along with multiple browser wars, government-led lawsuits and many software innovations. Here are 15 highlights in the history of the Web browser.

January 1, 1997

Opera introduced, targets mobile devices
Based in Norway, Internet Opera Software released its first Web browser for Windows, dubbed Opera 2.1. Opera has been a minor player in the Web browser market since then; it currently has 1.1% of the market, according to Janco Associates. Version 10 was released on Sept. 1, 2009. Opera Software claims 40 million users on Windows, Mac and Linux machines. Its mobile version - Opera Mini - claims 30 million users, including many BlackBerry users.

February 23, 1998

Netscape creates open source Mozilla Project
Netscape created the Mozilla Organization as an open source developer that would provide a free version of its browser. By February 1998, Netscape – which had 28% browser market share – had been vanquished by Microsoft – which had 69% market share – in the first browser war. In July 2003, the Mozilla Organization would morph into the Mozilla Foundation, a nonprofit. In 2005, the for-profit Mozilla Corp.- was created and would eventually deliver the popular Firefox browser.

May 18, 1998

Feds sure Microsoft over bundled browser
The U.S. Justice Department filed an antitrust case against Microsoft alleging that Microsoft abused monopoly power by bundling its Internet Explorer Web browser into its Windows operating system. Working for DOJ, attorney David Boies (shown here) won the trial, and the verdict was upheld on appeal. DOJ reached a settlement with Microsoft in 2001, requiring Microsoft to share its APIs with other companies. Microsoft is required to meet this obligation until November 2009.

November 24, 1998

AOL buys Netscape
AOL announced plans to buy Netscape for $4.2 billion. The deal was a stock-for-stock transaction that ended up being worth more than $10 billion when it closed in March 1999. The merger required approval by the U.S. Department of Justice on antitrust grounds. AOL was not successful at helping Netscape regain market share for Navigator. In December 2007, AOL announced that it would no longer support Netscape Web browsers.

By Carolyn Duffy Marsan
Network World
October 9, 2009

Web Browser Milestones

The Web browser turns 15 on Oct. 13, 2009 – a key milestone in the history of the Internet. That’s when the first commercial Web browser – eventually called Netscape Navigator – was released as beta code. While researchers including World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee and a team at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications created Unix browsers between 1991 and 1994, Netscape Navigator made this small piece of desktop software a household name. By allowing average users to view text and images posted on Web sites, Netscape Navigator helped launch the Internet era along with multiple browser wars, government-led lawsuits and many software innovations. Here are 15 highlights in the history of the Web browser.

October 13, 1994

First commercial browser released
Mosaic Communications Corp. – later renamed Netscape Communications Corp. – releases the beta version of its Web browser, called Mosaic Netscape 0.9. It was based on the Mosaic code developed by the NCSA, and Mosaic co-author Marc Andreessen was a co-founder of Netscape. The browser was later renamed Netscape Navigator. Version 1.0 was released on Dec. 15. Navigator was the first commercial Web browser to be wildly successful, rapidly achieving 90% market share before Microsoft entered the fray and took over the market. By 2000, Netscape’s market share would fall under 1%, Janco Associates says.

April 30, 1995

Web traffic dominates Internet
Six months after Netscape released its browser, Web traffic became the leading type of traffic on the Internet. For example, Web traffic accounted for 21% of the traffic on the National Science Foundation’s NSFNET backbone, while the No. 2 usage, File Transfer Protocol, traffic accounted for 14% of the traffic, according to livinginternet.com . This was a sign of the rapid adoption of Navigator, which saw 50 million copies distributed in its first two years, according to BusinessWeek.

August 24, 1995

Microsoft muscles into the browser market
Microsoft released Internet Explorer 1.0 in its Windows 95 Plus! Pack. Internet Explorer was built upon software licensed from Spyglass, an offshoot of NCSA that owned the technology behind the Mosaic browser. Microsoft bundled Internet Explorer into its operating system and provided it free of charge. Microsoft’s approach was smart; two years later Microsoft had replaced Netscape as the leading browser provider, with 49% of the market compared with 46% for Netscape, according to Janco Associates.

Kaspersky Lab, a leading producer of secure content management solutions, announces the beta-version release of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Linux File Server 6.0.

Malicious programs are capable of passing through Linux file servers before targeting other components of a heterogeneous network, e.g., workstations running Microsoft Windows. Although they may be renowned for their reliability, Linux operating systems still require protection; every year, there is an increase in the amount of malware being developed for Linux systems.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Linux File Server 6.0 is a solution offering antivirus protection to the vast majority of Linux file servers. It supersedes two earlier products – Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Linux File Server 5.7 and Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Samba Server 5.5, combining their functionalities with a number of new capabilities.

The architecture of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Linux File Server 6.0 provides multi-layered protection for file systems in Linux/heterogeneous networks, functioning simultaneously on the entire file system level and on the Samba server level.

The product offers a substantially wider set of management solutions. Kaspersky Web Management Console, the new web-based interface, provides full-scale management capabilities available from any computer via a web browser. The final release of the product will support all centralized management services via Kaspersky Administration Kit.

Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Linux File Server 6.0 supports all modern 32-bit and 64-bit distributions of Linux-family operating systems, including Red Hat, Fedora, SUSE, openSUSE, Debian GNU, and Ubuntu. Another improvement on the previous product versions is the added support of Novell Open Enterprise Server 2 and Novell NSS, making it easier for Novell NetWare users to migrate to the new operating system.

Kaspersky Lab invites all Linux file server users to participate in the beta testing of Kaspersky Anti-Virus for Linux File Server 6.0. The company’s developers are interested in receiving constructive feedback about all aspects of the product, especially the new innovations. All users are welcome to send their feedback to linuxfs@kaspersky.com. Please ensure that any feedback addresses both the product and Kaspersky Web Management Console.

The beta version of the product is available at http://www.kaspersky.com/beta.