Google Android 3.0 Released

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Occurrences Honeycomb faster because to anticipate the presence of the Apple iPad 2.

Google will hold a press conference this week on Wednesday, February 2, 2011, to showcase the latest version of its operating system, Android 3.0 or known by the codename Honeycomb.

Slightly different than previous versions, specifically Honeycomb device will operate on a tablet computer. Google's move is considered quite fast considering the new last week from the Mountain View Internet giant is releasing a preview to the platform SDK.

As is known, the platform SDK is a platform provided to enable the developers to make applications to be operated on Honeycomb.

According to reports All Things Digital, on Wednesday, Google will peel Honeycomb deeper, what's the technology behind it, how they work, and so forth. Google's move fast because Apple has been rumored ready to launch iPad 2 in the near future.

At the same event, Google reportedly will demonstrate Honeycomb which is embedded in the tablet Motorola Xoom. The technicians also will explain in detail the functionality of the Android OS 3.0
Intrigued by Motorola Xoom? This tablet computer is the first device to adopt the Android Honeycomb as its OS. This product also had on display at CES 2011 interrupted some time ago.

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Milestone XT720 dan Quench XT5 diperkenalkan di Taiwan.

Motorola Milestone XT720 (GSM Arena)

VIVAnews - Motorola kembali menambah jajaran ponsel berbasis sistem operasi mobile Android. Melalui jaringan operator Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), vendor ponsel asal Amerika Serikat itu memperkenalkan Milestone XT720 dan Quench XT5 untuk pasar Taiwan.

Kedua ponsel anyar ini telah dilengkapi dengan Android versi 2.1 (Eclair). Menariknya, khusus Milestone XT720, diklaim Motorola sebagai ponsel Android pertama di dunia yang menyematkan kamera beresolusi 8 megapiksel.

Untuk konektivitas data, kemampuan Milestone XT720 tak perlu diragukan lagi. Selain Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g DLNA, ponsel ini dilengkapi akses 3G HSDPA 10.2Mbps dan HSUPA 5.76Mbps. Sementara itu, Quench XT5, setingkat di bawahnya dengan 3G HSDPA 7.2Mbps dan HSUPA 5.76Mbps.

Milestone XT720 akan dipasarkan dengan estimasi harga ritel US$590 atau setara Rp5,3 juta. Sedangkan Quench XT5 dipatok seharga US$400, atau sekitar Rp3,6 juta.

Dengan diluncurkannya Milestone XT720 dan Quench XT5, di Taiwan, Motorola secara total telah menggelontorkan tujuh varian ponsel berbasis Android. Dan, kabarnya masih ada tiga varian lagi hingga akhir 2010.

Sekadar diketahui, untuk perolehan pangsa pasar, Motorola sementara ini termasuk vendor bontot di daratan Taiwan. Seperti dipaparkan dalam keterangan resmi Motorola, vendor ponsel itu berada di posisi ke sembilan dengan 1-2 persen pangsa pasar.

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Kemunculan Honeycomb lebih cepat karena untuk mengantisipasi kehadiran Apple iPad 2.

Motorola Xoom

VIVAnews - Google akan menggelar konferensi pers pada Rabu pekan ini, 2 Februari 2011, untuk memamerkan versi terbaru dari sistem operasinya, Android 3.0 atau dikenal dengan codename Honeycomb.

Agak sedikit berbeda dengan versi-versi sebelumnya, Honeycomb secara spesifik akan beroperasi di perangkat komputer tablet. Langkah Google ini dinilai cukup cepat mengingat baru sepekan lalu raksasa Internet asal Mountain View itu merilis preview untuk platform SDK.

Seperti diketahui, platform SDK merupakan platform yang disediakan untuk memungkinkan para pengembang membuat aplikasi-aplikasi agar bisa beroperasi di atas Honeycomb.

Menurut laporan All Things Digital, pada Rabu nanti, Google akan mengupas Honeycomb lebih dalam, apa teknologi di belakangnya, bagaimana cara kerjanya, dan sebagainya. Langkah Google yang cepat dirumorkan karena Apple telah siap meluncurkan iPad 2 dalam waktu dekat.

Pada acara yang sama, kabarnya Google akan mendemonstrasikan Honeycomb yang sudah tertanam di dalam tablet Motorola Xoom. Para teknisi juga akan menjelaskan secara detail fungsionalitas OS Android 3.0

Penasaran dengan Motorola Xoom? Komputer tablet ini merupakan perangkat pertama yang mengadopsi Android Honeycomb sebagai OS-nya. Produk ini juga sempat dipamerkan di sela ajang CES 2011 beberapa waktu lalu.

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Microsoft Mesir terpaksa harus memindahkan unit kerjanya ke lokasi lain.

Koneksi internet di Mesir masih mati. Perusahaan-perusahaan IT terkena imbas (AP Photo)

Kondisi dalam negeri Mesir yang terus bergejolak, membuat perusahaan-perusahaan di bidang telematika menjadi korban. Koneksi internet yang diblokir oleh pemerintah Mesir membuat perusahaan-perusahaan telematika di sana, termasuk perusahaan global, musti menyiasati kondisi tersebut.

Microsoft, salah satu dari 120 perusahaan teknologi yang bermarkas di Smart Villages, yang merupakan daerah IT Park di Kairo, terpaksa harus memindahkan layanan call center-nya ke lokasi lain.

"Microsoft terus mengkaji impak dari kerusuhan dan masalah koneksi Internet terhadap layanan dan properti kami. Yang membatasi layanan perusahaan kami secara menyeluruh di wialayah ini, terutama layanan call-center, telah didistribusikan ke lokasi lain," kata Microsoft secara tertulis, seperti dikutip oleh ComputerWorld.

Perusahaan lain yang berlokasi di Smart Villages adalah Hewlett Packard, juga telah menginstruksikan karyawan mereka untuk bekerja di rumah masing-masing.

Menurut Phil Fersht, CEO perusahaan riset outsourcing Horses for Sources, sebenarnya beberapa perusahaan papan atas sangat bergantung pada layanan pusat call center maupun layanan dukungan dan pengembangan software di tempat itu.

Sayangnya, matinya koneksi Internet kini menjadi masalah yang sangat besar bagi perusahaan-perusahaan yang bergantung pada layanan ini.

"Mesir telah terbukti memiliki kualitas yang baik di bidang IT, BPO dan layanan call center di lokasi Timur Tengah, Afrika, dan Eropa. Negara ini telah menginvestasikan jutaan untuk mempromosikan kemampuan ini, namun sepertinya investasi itu kini terancam," kata Phil.

Koneksi Internet di Mesir memang mati sejak Jumat pekan lalu. Pemblokiran akses Internet dilakukan oleh pemerintah untuk menghambat aktivis kelompok oposisi yang memanfaatkan jejaring sosial, khususnya Facebook dan Twitter, sebagai media koordinasi dan komunikasi.

Saat ini, satu-satunya penyedia Internet yang jaringannya masih hidup hanyalah jaringan Internet milik kelompok Noor. Jaringan Noor hanya memiliki 8 persen dari keseluruhan pengguna Internet di Mesir, yang menurut data CIA World Factbook, ada sekitar 80,5 juta orang.

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Fernando Torres hits brace against Chelsea

Torres hits brace against Chelsea (UK users only)

Chelsea have broken the British transfer record by paying a reported £50m to seal the capture of striker Fernando Torres from Liverpool.

The 26-year-old Spain international forward signed a five-and-a-half-year contract with the Blues.

"This is the target for every footballer - to try to play for one of the top clubs in the world," he said.

"They [Chelsea] are one of the biggest teams in Europe and are always fighting for everything."

The signing was pushed through shortly before the transfer deadline and came on a dramatic day, with Chelsea and Liverpool involved in the four biggest transfers of the day.

The Anfield club looked to plug the gap left by Torres leaving by signing two strikers - Uruguayan Luis Suarez from Ajax for £22.7m and Andy Carroll from Newcastle for £35m.

Chelsea also brought in Benfica defender David Luiz for a reported fee of £21.3m.

But it will be the capture of Torres that sends out the strongest message that the club remain a force to be reckoned with in the transfer market.

Torres, a World Cup winner in 2010 and European champion in 2008 with Spain, spent three-and-a-half years at Liverpool after joining from Atletico Madrid for a fee of £20m, scoring 81 goals in 142 matches.

"I'm so happy and proud to be here," added Torres, who is available to play in the Champions League having only featured in this season's Europa League and could face Liverpool in the league on Sunday.

"It's been two, three, four very hard days for me. I'm really happy - this is a great club. I'm prepared and ready for the challenge.

BIGGEST WORLD TRANSFERS

1. Cristiano Ronaldo (£80m)
Man Utd-Real Madrid (July 2009)

2. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (£56.5m)
Inter Milan-Barcelona (July 2009)

3. Kaka (£56m)
AC Milan-Real Madrid (June 2009)

4. Fernando Torres (£50m)
Liverpool-Chelsea (Jan 2011)

"I know there are many great players here and I will work hard to win a place in the team.

"I am looking forward very much to helping my new team-mates this season and for many years to come.

"It's my dream to win the Champions League and I'm sure I can, playing for Chelsea."

Torres becomes the fourth most expensive signing in world football behind Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Kaka.

Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck added: "This is a very significant day for Chelsea, capturing one of the best players in the world with his peak years ahead of him.

"We have long admired the talents of a player who is a proven goalscorer in English football and Fernando's arrival is a sign of our continuing high ambitious. I hope every Chelsea fan is as excited as I am with this news."

The Reds rejected a £35m bid from Chelsea after Torres' transfer request was turned down on Friday.

But with Torres clearly intent on a move away from Anfield the Reds finally accepted defeat and cashed in on their prize asset.

Manager Kenny Dalglish said earlier on Monday: "Movement is part and parcel of football but the most important people at Liverpool Football Club are the ones who want to be here."

Liverpool had been angered by the timing of Torres' transfer request last week and reportedly believe the London club "tapped up" the player by encouraging him to express a desire to leave.

Torres had a £50m release clause in his contract that entitled him to leave if the Merseysiders, who are seventh in the Premier League, failed to qualify for the Champions League this season.

Torres, who signed a six-year contract when he joined the Reds, had been linked with Chelsea before.

The west Londoners were reported to be interested in luring the Spaniard from Anfield in the summer of 2008 and made a bid in May 2010, but after helping Spain win the World Cup in June, Torres pledged his future to Liverpool.

He said at the time: "My commitment and loyalty to the club and to the fans is the same as it was on my first day when I signed."

Torres notched three hat-tricks in his first season at Liverpool, scoring 33 goals in 46 appearances, and netted the winner as Spain beat Germany 1-0 to win the European Championship in 2008.

Hamstring injuries plagued him during the 2008-09 season but he still managed 17 goals in 38 games, while groin problems and knee surgery disrupted his 2009-10 campaign, although he still managed to find the net 22 times in 32 games.

Torres picked up a World Cup winners' medal with Spain but he failed to score during the finals in South Africa and pulled up with an abductor problem in the final, having come on as an 89th-minute substitute in the 1-0 victory over the Netherlands.

He has endured an indifferent 2010-11 season, scoring only nine goals in 26 games.

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Didesain untuk mengetahui sampai sejauh mana nyamuk mampu bertahan hidup.

Aedes aegypti, nyamuk penyebab demam berdarah dengue. (www.jakarta.go.id)

Menurut laporan Institute for Medical Research (IMR), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, diam-diam sebanyak enam ribu ekor nyamuk transgenik, yang dikembangkan untuk melawan demam berdarah, dilepas pada 21 Desember lalu. Sama dengan pelepasan nyamuk yang telah dimodifikasi secara genetik di Karibia dan Cayman pada tahun 2009 dan 2010 lalu, pelepasan nyamuk tersebut mengejutkan banyak kalangan dan memicu pro-kontra.

Di Malaysia, nyamuk yang dibuat oleh Oxitec, sebuah perusahaan biologi asal Inggris itu merupakan nyamuk Aedes aegypti--nyamuk pembawa virus dengue penyebab penyakit demam berdarah--jantan yang dimandulkan. Saat nyamuk Aedes betina kawin dengan pejantan-pejantan mandul itu, mereka tidak punya keturunan. Harapannya, populasi nyamuk akan anjlok.

Penelitian yang dilakukan di sebuah kawasan terpencil di Bentong, Pahang, uji coba kali ini didesain untuk mengetahui sampai sejauh mana nyamuk tersebut mampu bertahan hidup dan menjelajah lingkungan.

“Sebanyak enam ribu nyamuk Aedes jantan dilepas untuk diuji coba daya tahannya terhadap lingkungan dan diteliti sampai sejauh mana ia mampu beredar,” kata Luke Alphey, Chief Scientific Officer Oxitec, seperti dikutip dari Sciencemag, 31 Januari 2011. “Penelitian itu sendiri sudah berakhir pada 5 Januari lalu setelah insektisida disemprotkan untuk mematikan nyamuk yang masih hidup."

Oleh sejumlah kalangan, pelepasan nyamuk ini dinilai tergesa-gesa dan terlalu dirahasiakan. Meski demikian, hal tersebut dibantah oleh Oxitec. “Penelitian ini dilakukan oleh pemerintah dan dilaksanakan di Malaysia. Jadi, terserah pemerintah apakah akan mengumumkannya atau tidak,” kata Alphey. “Siapapun yang menyadari bahwa ada 50 sampai 100 juta kasus demam berdarah dengue per tahun di seluruh dunia tentu akan merasakan betapa pentingnya penelitian ini."

Penelitian yang sama yang dilakukan di Grand Cayman tahun lalu sendiri jauh lebih besar skalanya. Di sana, sebanyak tiga juta nyamuk jantan dilepas untuk mengetahui apakah mereka bisa membantu menurunkan populasi nyamuk. Ternyata, dalam laporannya kemudian, populasi nyamuk bisa ditekan hingga 80 persen. “Hasil penelitian yang kami lakukan kali ini telah dikirimkan ke jurnal ilmu pengetahuan,” kata Alphey. (kd)

VIVAnews

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Phisher terus menggunakan umpan baru dan berbeda yang semuanya memiliki tujuan sama.

Phisher terus menggunakan umpan baru dan berbeda yang semuanya memiliki tujuan sama. (msu.edu)

Menurut laporan terakhir Spam Report bulanan yang dirilis Symantec, dalam beberapa bulan belakangan, muncul tren situs penipuan (phising) yang memalsukan merek-merek jejaring sosial.

Dalam upayanya untuk mengelabui pengguna, penipu menggunakan banyak taktik dan umpan baru. Tujuannya agar dapat mengelabui pengguna sehingga mereka memberikan informasi pribadi mereka.

“Salah satu contohnya adalah website phishing dengan nama “Webcam” dan yang menyediakan gambar webcam di halaman phishing-nya,” sebut Symantec dalam laporannya, 31 Januari 2010.

Di sini, situs itu memberi kesan bahwa mereka menyediakan fasilitas webcam untuk pengguna agar dapat berinteraksi satu sama lain di jejaring sosial. Padahal, situs aslinya sebenarnya tidak menyediakan fasilitas itu.

Metode kedua, kata Symantec, penipu memanfaatkan pornografi sebagai umpan untuk mencuri data pribadi pengguna. Caranya, website phishing itu mengklaim bahwa situs jejaring sosial tertentu telah mengeluarkan edisi baru untuk pengguna dewasa.

“Jejaring sosial edisi ‘baru’ tersebut mengesankan bahwa pengguna dapat melihat video dewasa dari skandal-skandal terkenal yang diambil dari kamera tersembunyi,” kata Symantec. “Lebih lanjut, situs phisihing itu mengklaim bahwa pengguna juga bisa berinteraksi dan bergabung dalam chatting khusus dewasa,” sebut Symantec.

Pada metode penipuan ini, situs penipu menyatakan bahwa pengguna bisa mengetahui berita terbaru mengenai skandal-skandal aktris terkenal. Situs juga berisi gambar porno. Tampilan dan nuansa situs dibuat untuk meningkatkan daya tarik pornografi tersebut.

Metode ketiga, umpan yang digunakan adalah penawaran palsu berupa software untuk meng-hack (hacking software). Website penipu yang menggunakan metode ini menyediakan konten yang sudah dimodifikasi sehingga mirip seperti versi alternatif dari sebuah jejaring sosial yang ditujukan untuk hacker profesional.

“Phisher terus menggunakan bentuk-bentuk umpan baru dan berbeda yang semuanya memiliki tujuan yang sama. Membuat pengguna yakin bahwa mereka akan mendapatkan manfaat jika memberikan informasi dan login ke situs yang mereka buat,” sebut Symantec.

Namun demikian, Symantec menyebutkan, tentu saja jika pengguna menjadi korban dari penipuan itu, phisher akan berhasil mencuri informasi rahasia mereka untuk pencurian identitas.

VIVAnews

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China's state broadcaster used footage that appears to have been taken from a Hollywood film in one of its news reports - but not for the first time.

US actor Tom Cruise starred in the 1986 Hollywood film Top Gun

A China Central Television story about the country's air force showed an explosion that was identical to a scene from the 1986 film Top Gun.

The broadcaster often uses film clips in its news reports.

A person familiar with the company said it was currently trying to set up a system to contain this situation.

The disputed scene was aired on CCTV's main news bulletin on 23 January.

It was in a report about a training exercise undertaken by the People's Liberation Army's air force.

There were interviews with senior military figures.

Over pictures of fighter jets in action, the reporter told viewers that this was a live-fire exercise and all targets had been hit.

One scene showed a pilot firing a missile. A plane was then hit before exploding into flames.

But some keen-eyed observers posted comments on the internet claiming that the scene was identical to one in Top Gun, starring Hollywood actor Tom Cruise.

One person familiar with the way CCTV works said this would not be the first time movie footage was used in a news report.

"There are other cases of the deliberate use of inappropriate footage," he said.

Sometimes it happened because picture editors and reporters were being lazy, or the footage was simply too good not to use, said the source.

It occurs mostly in stories about the military, or science and technology. This is because it can be difficult to spot inconsistencies.

CCTV does not always tell viewers the footage is not genuine or pay royalties for the film and TV clips it uses.

A few years ago the European Union's then-trade commissioner, Peter Mandelson, complained that CCTV had never paid any royalties to EU copyright holders.

An editor on the CCTV news programme that broadcast the "Top Gun" footage declined to comment.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12321492

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UN experts believe North Korea has at least one hidden nuclear site, according to leaks of a UN report.

The report relies on evidence from US scientist Siegfried Hecker who visited a secret site in November last year.

He told the UN's panel of experts that the centrifuges he saw probably came from other hidden facilities, say reports quoting unnamed diplomats.

The panel's report, which has not yet been published, was handed to the Security Council last week.

US nuclear expert Siegfried Hecker visited the Yongbyon atomic complex in November

North Korean officials showed Mr Hecker, from Stanford University, an apparently fully functional uranium enrichment plant at the Yongbyon complex in November.

The UN's panel of experts, which assesses the sanctions regime against Pyongyang, was asked to produce the report after Mr Hecker briefed the Security Council on his visit.

Diplomats told Bloomberg that their report concluded that centrifuges and other equipment at the Yongbyon reactor had previously operated at one or more secret locations.

Another diplomat told Reuters: "There's no way they could have outfitted the centrifuge facility between 2009 and now without there being additional secret sites."

According to the diplomats - who were not identified because the report has not yet been published - Mr Hecker told the panel it was unlikely that the North could have manufactured all of the equipment.

He said it was more likely that they had imported some materials and assembled them in at least one secret location, before moving them to Yongbyon.

The panel's report recommends tightening sanctions to include asset freezes and travel bans on nuclear officials, according to leaks from diplomats.

The report is expected to be made public later in the week.

Last December, US officials also expressed concern that the North could have more secret facilities, after a briefing by Mr Hecker.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-12330056

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Jacques Chirac's wife denies Alzheimer's report

French former President Jacques Chirac (27 Jan 2011)

Mr Chirac told a TV reporter he was feeling fine

The wife of French former President Jacques Chirac has denied reports that he is suffering from Alzheimer's disease.

Bernadette Chirac told French radio that she was "scandalised" by the claims, little more than a month before her husband's trial for corruption.

Mr Chirac, president from 1995 to 2007, is facing two sets of allegations from his time as mayor of Paris.

A court in Paris confirmed on Monday that the trial would start on 7 March.

On Sunday, the newspaper Journal du Dimanche reported that the former president, 78, had suffered from memory lapses, according to unnamed friends, and added that his wife feared he had Alzheimer's.

But Mrs Chirac told French station Europe 1 on Monday that the reports were "a lie" and that she had "never spoken of that disease of Alzheimer's regarding my husband".

"If my husband was suffering from that illness I wouldn't hesitate in saying so," she said.

Mr Chirac himself told a reporter from BFMTV outside his home that his health was fine: "Do I look as if I'm not talking well? I am very well, thank you. I wish you the same good health."

End Quote Bernadette Chirac

The former president is accused of embezzlement and breach of trust in a bogus jobs scandal. It involved the funding of party allies with taxpayers' money while he was mayor of Paris. A further charge of illegal conflict of interest was added last November.

Mr Chirac's lawyer, Jean Veil, tried on Monday to have the case delayed pending a complaint by anti-corruption group Anticor. Last September, the Paris city authorities agreed to drop a civil suit in return for a 2.2m euro (£1.89m) payment from Mr Chirac and the ruling UMP party.

The court rejected Mr Veil's request, described by Anticor as "a manipulation".

Mrs Chirac insisted that her husband would go on trial: "He has always said that he wanted to be treated under the law just as anyone else. He must be treated no better but no worse than anyone else too."

While he did suffer from some problems with walking and hearing, Mrs Chirac said it was not clear whether these were linked to his age or a vascular condition for which he had treatment in 2005.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-12322414

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Consumer spending makes up more than two-thirds of activity in the US, the world's largest economy.

Consumer spending in the US grew at its fastest pace in three years during 2010, official figures have shown.

Spending grew by 3.5% from 2009 the Commerce Department said, the best showing since a 5.2% rise in 2007 - before the country went into recession.

The 2010 levels were helped by a strong December, where spending grew by 0.7%, the sixth consecutive month of growth.

Consumer spending makes up more than two-thirds of activity in the US, the world's largest economy.

Rising incomes and the faster increase in spending meant that the savings rate dipped slightly in December, the data showed.

Economists expect that spending and savings will be boosted further in 2011, if the job market continues to slowly improve and with a cut in payroll tax.

"As hiring picks up this year, income gains should accelerate noticeably, providing fuel for both modestly faster spending growth than in 2010 and a renewed rise in the savings rate," said Stephen Stanley, chief economist for Pierpont Securities,

However, there is concern over whether these gains will be enough to offset further cutbacks in government spending and the weak housing market.

Last week, figures showed that US economic growth accelerated in the last three months of 2010 to an annualised rate of 3.2%, up from a rate of 2.6% in the previous quarter.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12327467