China Puts Three More Online Activists in Prison

A Chinese court in the city of Fuzhou has sentenced three Chinese Internet activists to prison terms for posting material to the Internet in hopes of pressuring authorities to re-examine a case involving the death of a young woman. The court found the activists guilty of slander, saying that that their actions went against the interests of the Chinese state.

According to the Associated Press, one of the activists—Fan Yanqiong—was sentenced to two years in prison, while two others—Wu Huaying and You Jingyou—were sentenced to one year prison terms.

The three activists had posted online videos and information in an effort to help an illiterate mother, Lin Xiuying, get Chinese authorities to reopen an investigation into the death of her daughter. Police had ruled her death the result of an abnormal pregnancy, but Lin contended her daughter died from injuries resulting from a gang-rape by criminals with ties to local police.

According to multiple reports, Fan met Lin as she was sobbing outside a government office in summer of 2009; he took down details of her story and posted them online You and Wu later conducted a video interview with Lin and posted it online.

The trial became something of a spectacle, with several hundred people turning up at the Mawei District People’s Court in a show of support—police cordoned off the area. Some online reports put as many as 2,000 people at the scene, many of whom where shooting cell phone video of events and posting updates to Twitter.

The case is another example of Chinese authorities targeting online speech and growing street-level, grass-roots activism enabled by new Internet technologies. The Chinese government frequently blocks and bans information it believes to be against the interest of the Chinese state.

Motorola, Android Bing Deal Reached

A deal that has been done for phones that Motorola, Google's Android use, Microsoft corp that will put Bing search and mapping services on its phone.

Motorola said the partnership with Microsoft means that a Bing bookmark and search widget will be loaded on cell phones, starting in the coming weeks with phones in China. The move follows shortly after Motorola struck a similar deal to let consumers in China use Baidu Inc, among others, as the default Web search instead of Google on Android based phones.

The partnerships come against a backdrop of Google's dispute with China over censorship, which, if it leads to Google withdrawing from the country, could cause big headaches for Motorola. Motorola is banking on its ties to Google's Android and its sales in China to help in a big turnaround effort. Having search alternatives on the Android phones should lessen Motorola's dependence on Google, in China or elsewhere, analysts have said.

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Interview with CEO McAfee, Santa Clara: Security tactics for technology's new threats

Interview with CEO McAfee, Santa Clara: Security tactics for technology's new threats
The President and Cheif Executive of McAfee and santa clara. He gave the answers of the three question that are asked by him.

Q: Last week during the security industry's annual RSA Conference in San Francisco, many researchers presented their research and speculated about the next challenges in the security field. What are your top concerns?

A: Whether it's mobile computing, social networking, analog-to-digital conversion projects to digitize our infrastructure, or new types of operating environments like virtual environments, we've seen all kinds of new technologies that have created new threats as well.

In some cases it's an increase in cybercrime; in others it's now moving to political and religious-type terroristic threats to espionage and a kind of nation-state cold war cyberwar.

Most people believe that the next plane flying into a building won't come in that form like it was in 9/11, but potentially a much more disastrous cyberattack that could critically affect our infrastructure and our relations with nations around the world.

Q: What are the areas of growth and the business opportunities you detect from them? In what are you investing and wanting to expand?

A: I think of them in two vectors. No. 1 is the cloud and what it can do for us in terms of our intelligence.

Our goal was to create the most intelligent database in the world for solving security threats that first came in the form of knowledge about content and malware. We call it Artemis.

We then added things like Web reputation in the cloud so that anytime users could access the Web site, we could instantaneously give it a reputation and say how good or bad that site could be.

The second major strategy is what we call "silicon to satellite." We have created partnerships to put security on a chip, a silicon wafer, things like removable storage, USB sticks, operating systems and printers, to potentially automobiles and aircrafts, and all the way up to satellites.

With some of the Global Positioning Systems in the sky, they need security. So our goal there is to create a model that allows for elasticity of our sensors from the largest of IT infrastructure to the smallest.

Q: Every day we hear about the increased volume and sophistication of cyberattacks and the growing threats they present to national security. Are we losing the battle?

A: I'm very optimistic that we are making a lot of strides in solving the world's problems related to cyber. Despite all the obstacles - the lack of a governing architecture for the Internet, the lack of cross-border law enforcement that can govern the Internet - we have made tremendous strides in stopping major attacks.

The biggest obstacle is education in some cases. But we feel optimistic that there are remedies for these things.

AT&T my Wireless Mobile App Available for BlackBerry

On BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Curve devices

Mobile phone carrier AT&T announced on Thursday the expanded availability of its AT&T myWireless Mobile application, which is now compatible with the BlackBerry Bold and BlackBerry Curve customers. The software solution enables users of such a device to easily manage family and individual accounts directly from their smartphone, the carrier notes.
According to AT&T, the mobile app edition is meant to offer greater ease and simplicity when wireless account management is involved. Among the features of the AT&T myWireless Mobile application we can count Bill Payment, enabling users to pay their bill directly from their phone; Voice and Data Usage, which offers them the possibility to view usage for minutes, data and messaging; and Features, through which one can add or remove features, such as new texting plans and more, all straight from the mobile phone.

Those interested in downloading the application will find it available at www.att.com/mybb, which can be accessed from the browser on their BlackBerry handsets. Those who would like to learn more details on the software solution should find an interactive video plus additional information at www.att.com/mybbmobile. Users will have to own a myWireless account to benefit from the application's features, the carrier notes, adding that they can create an account on the wireless carrier's website here.

The AT&T MyWireless Mobile app, now available for BlackBerry devices too, is compatible with the following smartphones from Research In Motion: BlackBerry Bold 9700, BlackBerry Bold 9000, Blackberry Curve 8900, BlackBerry Curve 8520, BlackBerry Curve 8320, and BlackBerry Curve 8310. Moreover, it should also be noted that the application is available for download for free, and that the BlackBerry smartphones need to run under the 4.3 operating system or above.

AT&T is a leading provider of services in the US and around the world, including wireless, Wi-Fi, high speed Internet and voice services, and the expanded availability of its AT&T myWireless Mobile application to BlackBerry devices is meant to demonstrate its leadership in the wireless market.

Officially, Windows Phone 7 Won't Support WM Apps

Developers will have to use .NET and Silverlight

Ever since Microsoft announced at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona the launch of Windows Phone 7 Series, most people were wondering whether existing applications for Windows Mobile 6.5 will enjoy support in the new OS. Speculations emerged, some suggesting that they might while others saying that there is no chance for that to happen, and now it is all official: no application written for Windows Mobile 6.5 will be compatible with Windows Phone 7 OS.
Charlie Kindel, Microsoft Partner Group Program Manager for the Windows Phone Application Platform & Developer Experience, stated in a recent blog post that existing apps wouldn't run on the new platform. It seems that Microsoft changed the developer experience with the new operating system, and those willing to create applications for the new Windows Phone 7 will have to base them on .NET, Silverlight, XNA platform, Microsoft’s developer tools and Web 2.0 standards.

“Different is often good. Especially when it’s different for good reasons. Windows Phone 7 Series is different because we reset everything we were doing to focus on end user experience. This extends directly to the developer platform. […] To enable the fantastic user experiences you’ve seen in the Windows Phone 7 Series demos so far we’ve had to break from the past. To deliver what developers expect in the developer platform we’ve had to change how phone apps were written. One result of this is previous Windows Mobile applications will not run on Windows Phone 7 Series,” he says.

As stated above, some of the previous rumors on the matter already suggested that existing applications would not be supported on the upcoming mobile client, and that the OS would bet a lot on Microsoft technologies, including .NET and Silverlight. “If you are a .NET developer today your skills and much of your code will move forward. If you are Silverlight or XNA developer today you’re gonna be really happy,” Kindel notes. He also adds that those developers who are new to the platform will find all the necessary tools available for them, so that they can start building as soon as possible.

All the needed information on what developing applications for Windows Phone 7 OS is all about was said to come at the MIX conference in mid-March. Although Kindel unveiled some details on the matter, he also noted that developers would learn more on this at the event. “At MIX you will find out that it’s never been easier, more fun, or more rewarding to create beautiful & compelling phone experiences. Windows Phone 7 Series is a different kind of phone and the development platform offers a different kind of opportunity,” he concludes.

Nexus One Event in China Never Planned, Google States

Google mobile applications on Android postponed for China

Mountain View-based Internet giant Google was reported a few days ago to have canceled plans on hosting a developer lab in Beijing, following the issues it has with the Chinese government, yet it seems that the company has never had any plans to hold the event, at least this is what a company's spokesperson stated recently. However, Google will still hold such events in a series of Asian cities, including Hong Kong, Singapore and Taipei.
“The reports are incorrect. There was not a Nexus One launch event scheduled in Beijing. Google is hosting 3 Android Developer Labs in Asia over the next couple weeks in Singapore, Taipei, and Hong Kong. These are technical events for developers who want to build applications for Android. We never planned to hold an Android Developer Lab in Beijing, and suggestions that we did plan one are not true,” a Google spokesperson stated recently, reports All Things Digital.

According to a previous post on Reuters, Google has canceled the launch of Nexus One in China, as well as the planned meeting with Android developers in the country, while moving forth with other planned events for Hong Kong and Taiwan, but it seems that things are not this way in the end. However, Google is still reticent to delivering its Android solutions to the country, even if mobile phone makers can deliver handsets powered by the mobile operating system to China.

“Regarding the distribution of Android phones in China, nothing has changed. Android is an open source mobile platform, so anyone can bring Android-powered devices to market. At this time, we are postponing the availability of Google mobile applications on Android devices from operators in China,” Google's official also stated.

As most of you might already know, it all started with Google threatening to shut down its operations in China following a series of cyber attacks against Gmail accounts of human rights activists in the country. The company entered a dispute with the Chinese government over the censorship of search results in the country, and has since postponed the launch of two Android based smartphones from Motorola and Samsung.

Samsung Caliber Lands at MetroPCS

Wireless carrier MetroPCS has just launched a new mobile phone for its users, the Samsung Caliber, a touchscreen-enabled handset that also sports the unique TouchWiz user interface from Samsung. Moreover, the handset comes with fast access to popular social networking sites through applications like Facebook and MySpace, and also offers a full HTML web browsing experience, not to mention enhanced messaging features like mobile IM and personal email.

The specifications list of the new mobile phone now available for MetroPCS users, we can count a 3.0-megapixel photo snapper with video recording capabilities, as well as stereo Bluetooth wireless technology and speakerphone for enhanced communications features, built-in video and music players, and a microSD memory card slot with support for up to 16GB of additional storage space. The new device also comes with appealing productivity and entertainment capabilities, its maker states.

The handset sports a 3.2-inch WQVGA touchscreen display that supports 262K colors, while its productivity features include:
Samsung’s TouchWiz User Interface
Customizable Widgets
Full HTML Web Browser
Bluetooth Wireless Technology
Advanced Voice Recognition
MetroNavigator GPS navigation system
Metro 411 Directory Assistance
MetroWEB

When it comes to entertainment, we can count the handset's digital camera and the large amount of storage space users can add into the equation, as well as its Text Messaging (SMS), Multimedia Messaging (MMS) and E-mail and Mobile IM Applications. Moreover, the handset comes with a 1080mAh Lithium Ion battery that can offer up to 4.5 hours of talk time or up to 300 hours of stand by time.

The new mobile phone from Samsung comes with CDMA 1x800 MHz/1900 MHz, EVDO Rev 0, AWS Band 1700/2100 MHz frequencies support, measures 2.2 x 4.5 x 0.47 inches and weighs in at 3.74 ounces (with a standard battery inside). The price tag for the device has been set at $249 before a $90 mail-in rebate, with no contract agreement required. Additional details are available on the carrier's website here.