Technology

Ubuntu recently announced that the next release of Linux based Ubuntu 11.04, would use Unity instead of GNOME as its default desktop interface.

Mark Shuttleworth, Ubuntu founder said, “Lots of people are already committed to Unity, the community, desktop users, developers, and platform and hardware vendors.” In particular, he noted, “Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) favor Unity. They’re happy to ship it. Dell, Lenovo and Acer are reported by ITworld support the move.

Ubuntu will aso be switching Ubuntu’s base graphics system from the X Window System to Wayland.

Ubuntu’s Unity interface: What to expect at: http://www.itworld.com/open-source/128540/ubuntus-unity-interface-what-expect

Google has developed a new algorithm that will not reward businesses with bad customer service, according to an article , “Being bad to your customers is bad for business”, on a Google blog.

This was after a recent article by the New York Times “By treating your customers badly, one merchant told the paper, you can generate complaints and negative reviews that translate to more links to your site; which, in turn, make it more prominent in search engines. ”

“In the last few days we (Google) developed an algorithmic solution which detects the merchant from the Times article along with hundreds of other merchants that, in our opinion, provide an extremely poor user experience. The algorithm we incorporated into our search rankings represents an initial solution to this issue, and Google users are now getting a better experience as a result.”

Full article: http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/12/being-bad-to-your-customers-is-bad-for.html

Google has released Earth 6, The upgrade adds integrated Street Views into Google Earth and over 50 species of trees have been added.

“In Google Earth 6, we’re taking realism in the virtual globe to the next level with two new features: a truly integrated Street View experience and 3D trees. We’ve also made it even easier to browse historical imagery. Over the next several days, we’ll be digging deeper into these great new features, but here’s an overview to whet your appetite.”

More: http://google-latlong.blogspot.com/2010/11/introducing-google-earth-6the-next.html

Attachmate Corporation today announced the signing of a definitive agreement to acquire, upon closing, Novell, Inc. for a purchase price of $6.10 per common share in cash. The transaction is valued at approximately $2.2 billion. Novell, a leader in intelligent workload management, helps organizations securely deliver and manage computing services across physical, virtual and cloud computing environments through solutions for identity and security, systems management, collaboration and Linux based operating platforms.

Attachmate Corporation is owned by an investment group led by Francisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital and Thoma Bravo. As part of the transaction, Elliott Management Corporation, one of Novell’s largest shareholders, will become an equity shareholder in Attachmate Corporation. Upon close, Attachmate Corporation will manage a brand portfolio consisting of Attachmate(R), NetIQ(R), Novell(R) and SUSE(R).

“This acquisition will add significant assets to our current portfolio holdings and the Novell and SUSE brands will allow us to deliver even more value to customers,” said Jeff Hawn, chairman and CEO of Attachmate Corporation. “We have great respect for Novell’s business, its employees and its commitment to customers. Moreover, we look forward to maintaining and further strengthening Novell and SUSE solutions to meet market demands.”

“We believe the transaction with Attachmate Corporation will deliver important benefits to Novell’s customers, partners and employees by providing opportunities for building on Novell’s history of innovation and market leadership,” said Ron Hovsepian, president and CEO of Novell. “Novell, SUSE, Attachmate and NetIQ have complementary product portfolios and many shared customers. We are pleased that Attachmate has committed to building on the strengths of the Novell and SUSE brands to address customer needs.”

“We are pleased to be supporting this important business combination,” commented David Golob, partner at Francisco Partners. “The broad portfolio of products and technologies gives Attachmate Corporation the ability to deliver comprehensive solutions ranging from information security to cloud computing for the benefit of leading enterprises globally.”

“From our perspective, we believe there is great opportunity to build upon Novell’s established record of innovation and impressive technology,” commented Prescott Ashe, managing director, Golden Gate Capital. “This is consistent with our charter to partner with world-class management teams to make equity investments where there are demonstrable opportunities to significantly enhance company value.”

“Elliott is pleased to have been a major catalyst in this transaction, enabling Novell’s shareholders to realize substantial shareholder value,” said Jesse A. Cohn, portfolio manager at Elliott Management. “Novell has a robust product set that we believe will create a significant value opportunity as part of the Attachmate Corporation portfolio of products.”

The transaction is currently expected to close in the first quarter of 2011 and is subject to customary closing conditions including antitrust clearance, Novell stockholder approval and certain other regulatory approvals and closing conditions. The transaction is also conditioned upon the concurrent closing of Novell’s planned sale of certain intellectual property assets to CPTN Holdings LLC.

Credit Suisse and RBC Capital Markets are acting as financial advisors and Jones Day is acting as legal advisor to Attachmate Corporation. Financing is being provided by Credit Suisse, RBC Capital Markets, Goldman Sachs and Citadel Securities. J.P. Morgan is serving as financial advisor and Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP is acting as legal counsel to Novell. Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP advised Elliott Management on the transaction.

About Attachmate Corporation Attachmate Corporation, owned by an investment group led by Francisco Partners, Golden Gate Capital and Thoma Bravo, enables IT organizations to extend mission critical services and assures they are managed, secure and compliant. Principal holdings include Attachmate (www.attachmate.com) and NetIQ (www.netiq.com).

About Novell Novell, Inc., a leader in Intelligent Workload Management, helps organizations securely deliver and manage computing services across physical, virtual and cloud computing environments. Novell helps customers reduce the cost, complexity, and risk associated with their IT systems through our solutions for identity and security, systems management, collaboration and Linux based operating platforms. With its infrastructure software and ecosystem of partnerships, Novell integrates mixed IT environments, allowing people and technology to work as one. For more information, visit www.novell.com

Evernote now has over 5 million users according to the companies blog. The cloud memory service service is gaining tens of thousands of new users per day.

Evernote report: twenty two thousand one hundred and thirty new people joined Evernote yesterday.

Highest daily revenue from Evernote Premium subscriptions
Most single-day Windows users ever (thanks to our recent Evernote 4.0 for Windows update)
Most single-day Android users ever (thanks to the awesome, new Evernote 2.0 for Android)
Most single-day BlackBerry users ever (ditto)”

There are Mac and iPhone / iPad updates coming soon.

http://blog.evernote.com/2010/11/10/5-million-evernote-users/

Janco Associates has just published a list of domains that are spamming businesses in the United States. The CEO of Janco, Mr. Victor Janulaitis said, “We have decided to publicly publish a list of frequently spamming domains hoping that this will put pressure on those domains that are listed.” Janulaitis added, “We hope that more businesses and individuals will begin to add domain filters and bounce messages back to those site.”

Janco has found that there are a significant number of sites that do not attempt to follow the CANSPAM requirements. In particular are site in the .ru (Russian) domain. If businesses and individuals who control spam filters begin to add these domains to their filters then it will become more difficult for spammers to distribute their emails. When this begins to impact valid users in those domains then more pressure will be placed on the ISPs who host them.

Janco will dedicate specific pages on its web site to publish not only spammer domains but key words that can be added to filters. Where possible Janco will use wild card characters so that entire ranges of domains and banned words can be used in the process to minimize the amount of spam that users receive. The list are contained in a format that is easily copied with cut and paste directly from Janco’s web pages.

Janulaitis said, “The two primary pages that can be used for as a basis for the cut and paste are http://www.e-janco.com/Banned_email_domains.html and http://www.e-janco.com/Banned_email_text.html.” These pages are available immediately and have directly inks to over a dozen social networking sites.

Janco is a Mountain States based consulting firm that publishes the IT Salary Survey, Browser Market Data, and the IT Infrastructure HandiGuide® series of books used by IT, finance, human resources and other professionals as the source of information on topics from policies and procedures, to job descriptions.

Google has announced a page preview feature, called “Instant Previews,” so you see what’s on a page that’s listed in Google’s search results without having to leave Google.

Instant Previews provides a graphic overview of a search result and highlights the most relevant sections, making finding the right page as quick and easy as flipping through a magazine. To use it, click once on the magnifying glass next to the title of any search result and a visual overview of the page will appear on the right. From there, hover your cursor over any other result to see a preview. For those of you who’ve recently stopped using your mouse to search, now you can navigate to a result, hit the right arrow key to see the preview, and hit the down arrow key to keep browsing.

The Linux Foundation, the nonprofit organization dedicated to accelerating the growth of Linux, today announced that China Mobile Communications Corporation (”China Mobile”), whose holding company is majority shareholder of China Mobile Ltd. (NYSE: CHL), has become a Gold member, marking the first time a Chinese enterprise has joined The Linux Foundation.

China Mobile is the world’s largest telecom operator by market value. It also ranks as the largest carrier in the world in terms of customer base and the scale of its network, through which it provides mobile services including voice data, IP telephony and multimedia. China Mobile has recently been investing in Linux, in its OPhone mobile operating system, and has developed a cloud computing system based on open source software. Its membership in The Linux Foundation shows its further commitment to the Linux platform.

The Linux Foundation is engaged in the worldwide promotion, training and standardization of Linux, fostering technical and marketing cooperation in the computing industry. The Linux Foundation has three levels of membership: Platinum, Gold and Silver. At present, there are approximately 100 members, including seven Platinum members and, with the membership of China Mobile, ten Gold members.

“China Mobile’s decision to join The Linux Foundation and their commitment to Linux could represent a seismic step toward a realignment of OSes in China and in the telecommunications industry,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director at The Linux Foundation. “For The Linux Foundation, the opportunity to present Linux as a choice to 560 million users is a power-packed proposition.”

Bill Huang, General Manager of China Mobile Research Institute, stated: “China Mobile recognizes The Linux Foundation as the world’s foremost nonprofit Linux organization, the focal point for Linux technology, standardization and innovation. We see enormous value in the open architecture of the Linux system and look forward to contributing to Linux on a global scale.”

In recent years, China has played an increasingly important role in Linux. Chinese developers have contributed to Linux kernel development, and Linux has been widely used in commerce and education in China. According to a research report jointly issued by Springboard Research and Spiceworks, the utilization rate of Linux servers among SMEs in the Asia Pacific region now exceeds 25 percent, which is higher than the world average.

Many of the largest Chinese Internet companies – Sina, Shanda, Baidu, Taobao, Netease, and others – are using Linux because of its open architecture, stability and performance. In addition, several hardware manufacturers, such as Huawei and Lenovo, are shipping Linux-based routers, servers, notebooks, mobile phones, and other products.

About China Mobile
China Mobile Communications Corporation (”China Mobile”) was founded on April 20, 2000, with a registered capital of RMB 51.8 billion, and assets of more than RMB 8,000 billion, possessing the largest network and customer base in the world.

China Mobile (Hong Kong) Group Limited is wholly-owned by China Mobile. Its holding company, China Mobile Limited (”listed company” for short), has established wholly owned subsidiary companies in 31 provinces (autonomous regions and municipalities) as well as Hong Kong SAR. And the Company was listed on the New York and Hong Kong stock exchange. Currently, China Mobile Limited is the world’s largest telecommunications company by market value.

China Mobile has been selected in the world’s top 500 by the U.S. “Fortune” magazine for 10 consecutive years, and the latest ranking is 77th. With its brand value rising, it has been named as one of the world’s most powerful brands by the “Financial Times” for four consecutive years. In addition, it was recognized on the Dow Jones Sustainability Index for 2 consecutive years, being the only company selected in Mainland China.

About The Linux Foundation
The Linux Foundation is a nonprofit consortium dedicated to fostering the growth of Linux. Founded in 2007, the Linux Foundation sponsors the work of Linux creator Linus Torvalds and is supported by leading Linux and open source companies and developers from around the world. The Linux Foundation promotes, protects and standardizes Linux by hosting important workgroups, events such as LinuxCon, and online resources such as Linux.com. For more information, please visit www.linuxfoundation.org

Apple takes the lead in the US smart phone market with a 26% share, With a 33% share, Nokia is still the leading vendor worldwide, but Android-based smart phones grab a quarter of the market reports Canalys.

n Q3 2010, the worldwide smart phone market grew an impressive 95% over the same quarter a year ago to 80.9 million shipped units. Nokia retained its leadership position, albeit by a diminished margin, with a 33% share of the market. Apple’s healthy performance this quarter saw it achieve a 17% share worldwide, a little ahead of RIM, which held a 15% share this quarter. In the world’s largest smart phone market, the US, Apple ousted RIM from the top spot, seizing a 26% share as iPhone shipments continued unabated.

More at: www.canalys.com/pr/2010/r2010111.html

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging,y announced that the new Canon EF lenses, the Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens, the EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens and the EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens, will now be available for purchase in March 2011, due to some adjustments in the manufacturing process.

Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens

With its unique focal length range, the EF 8-15mm f/4L USM is the world’s widest fisheye zoom lens. It delivers 180? diagonal angle of view images for all EOS SLR cameras with imaging formats ranging from full-frame to APS-C, and provides 180? circular fisheye images for full-frame EOS models. Professional photographers and cinematographers will revel in the unique perspectives afforded to them through this lens, particularly when coupled with the highly popular full-frame EOS 5D Mark II DSLR camera. Canon’s new Fisheye zoom lens features both UD and aspherical lens elements to enhance image quality and is equipped with rubber gaskets and seals to enhance weather resistance. Canon’s proprietary SWC (Sub Wavelength Structure Coating) is used to minimize flare and a new fluorine anti-smear coating is applied to the front and rear elements to make lens cleaning easier than ever.

The Canon EF 8-15mm f/4L Fisheye USM lens is expected to be available in March 2011 for an approximate retail price of $1,400.
Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens

The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM is the 6th generation of a venerable family of Canon 300mm f/2.8 lenses that began in 1974, and have become famous for their exceptional sharpness, contrast and color fidelity. Ideal for a wide range of applications ranging from professional photojournalism and sports photography to nature and wildlife, Canon’s 300mm f/2.8 lenses have always led the industry with new technical advances in every generation. The EF 300mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens carries on this tradition with improved image quality, lighter weight, improved Image Stabilization and enhanced durability making it a great option for handheld work in the field. The optical formula of the new lens has been upgraded with the inclusion of two fluorite lens elements for improved image quality and reduced chromatic aberration. Helping to reduce arm fatigue, Canon has reduced the overall weight of the lens by 8 percent to 82.9 oz., making it the lightest weight lens in the Canon EF 300mm f/2.8 series. The Image Stabilizer provides an equivalent of approximately four full shutter speed steps of shake compensation and has been enhanced through the incorporation of a rolling-ball-friction system in place of sliding parts in the compensation optics barrel for a minimum-friction structure. The overall durability of the lens has also been enhanced through increased usage of magnesium alloy and titanium for lens barrel components, together with weather sealing for all exterior joints and switches and a new fluorine anti-smear coating applied to the front and rear elements.

The Canon EF 300mm f/2.8L IS USM lens is expected to be available in March 2011 for an approximate retail price of $7,000.
Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM lens

Quintessential for many sports assignments including baseball, football, soccer and golf, Canon’s professional 400mm f/2.8 lenses provide the light gathering capability and long telephoto reach that photographers need to freeze the action and fill the frame . The Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS II USM is the 5th generation in Canon’s 400mm f/2.8 series and the successor to the current EF 400mm introduced in 1999. The new lens has been engineered for the ultimate in optical performance through the use of two fluorite lens elements for improved quality and reduced chromatic aberration. Helping photographers in the field, Canon has reduced the overall weight of the lens by a substantial 28 percent from 189.4 oz to 135.8 oz, making it Canon’s lightest weight 400mm f/2.8 lens ever. The Image Stabilizer provides an equivalent of approximately four full shutter speed steps of shake compensation and has been enhanced through the incorporation of a rolling-ball-friction system in place of sliding parts in the compensation optics barrel for a minimum-friction structure. The overall durability of the lens has also been enhanced through increased usage of magnesium alloy and titanium for lens barrel components, together with weather sealing for all exterior joints and switches and a new fluorine anti-smear coating is applied to the front and rear elements.

The Canon EF 400mm f/2.8L IS USM lens is expected to be available in March 2011 for an approximate retail price of $11,000.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked fourth overall in the U.S. in 2009†, with global revenues of US $35 billion, is listed as number six in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2010 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands” Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei.

Skype is now available on a wide range of Android phones. With the new free app, you can make free Skype-to-Skype calls, and send and receive IMs for free, one-to-one or with a group. You can also call phones at Skype call rates – over WiFi or 3G.

The app works on smartphones running Android version 2.1 or 2.2. Skype tested it on HTCs Desire and Legend phones, Google’s Nexus One, and Motorola’s Milestone and Milestone XT710

You can download Skype from the Android Market, or from skype.com/m on your phone.

More info: http://blogs.skype.com/en/2010/10/android.html

Canon U.S.A., Inc., a leader in digital imaging, today announced the addition of two new high-speed color production format printers – the five-color imagePROGRAF iPF825 and iPF815. Both the imagePROGRAF iPF825 and iPF815 large format printers have been built for high-speed production of full-color and monochrome output to meet the needs of the Geographical Information System (GIS); Computer-Aided Design (CAD); Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC); Reprographics; and other Technical Document markets. The new imagePROGRAF iPF825 will be on display for the first time at the 2010 Graph Expo Show in Chicago at the McCormick Place Convention Center in the Canon booth #2027, on October 3rd.

“We are excited to offer these new imagePROGRAF models with high print speeds and extraordinary image quality that help meet the needs of technical document users” said Jim Rosetta, vice president and general manager, Imaging Systems Group, Canon U.S.A.

Offering a blend of features and functionality, both models are capable of printing two full-density D/A1-sized (23.4 inches x 33.1 inches) color plots in less than one minute, along with being capable of producing 120 D/A1-sized plots per hour1. The new printers can also be paired with an optional in-line 44-inch, 300-sheet capacity plain paper stacker to neatly stack collated sets for unattended printing and easier distribution. Furthermore, the imagePROGRAF iPF825 comes equipped with two media rolls supporting multiple media types and long print runs, while the imagePROGRAF iPF815 includes one roll unit.

A new addition to the imagePROGRAF iPF825 and iPF815 printers, Accounting Manager cost-tracking software serves as a powerful feature used for accurate management of job logs, printing costs, and other information that is increasingly important in production markets and office printing environments. Included in the drivers, this software allows users to collect print job data and calculate printing costs to help minimize their waste and maximize profits by better managing print costs. The built-in Economy Print Mode helps lower the overall cost of production as well by reducing ink consumption for quick check plots and proofs.

Allowing maximum productivity with limited user intervention, these new models are equipped with 330ml or available 700ml hot swappable ink cartridges (pigment-based Matte Black, and dye-based Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black) which can be changed without interrupting a print job, 160GB hard disk with secure erase (DOD compliant) and up to 29 password-protected user inboxes. In addition, both models also come with a high-capacity portable output media basket, self-driven dual rotary blade cutter for accurate and reliable media cutting, USB 2.0 High Speed interface and 10/100 Base-T/TX connectivity. These new models deliver superb image quality even at the highest speed mode. Offering true 1200 dpi high-resolution printing, these models offer a large-printing area with only three mm (0.12″) of margins all around with roll feed paper and, with select paper types (coated and glossy/semi-glossy paper types), four-sided borderless printing is possible up to 42 inches as well.

The new Canon imagePROGRAF iPF825 large format printer is scheduled to be available in late October, and will have a manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) of $7,495, while the imagePROGRAF iPF815 is also scheduled to be available in late October and will carry an MSRP of $5,795.

About Canon U.S.A., Inc.

Canon U.S.A., Inc., is a leading provider of consumer, business-to-business, and industrial digital imaging solutions. Its parent company, Canon Inc. (NYSE:CAJ), a top patent holder of technology, ranked fourth overall in the U.S. in 2009†, with global revenues of US $35 billion, is listed as number six in the computer industry on Fortune Magazine’s World’s Most Admired Companies 2010 list, and is on the 2009 BusinessWeek list of “100 Best Global Brands” Canon U.S.A. is committed to the highest levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty, providing 100 percent U.S.-based consumer service and support for all of the products it distributes. At Canon, we care because caring is essential to living together in harmony. Founded upon a corporate philosophy of Kyosei – “all people, regardless of race, religion or culture, harmoniously living and working together into the future” – Canon U.S.A. supports a number of social, youth, educational and other programs, including environmental and recycling initiatives. Additional information about these programs can be found at www.usa.canon.com/kyosei. To keep apprised of the latest news from Canon U.S.A., sign up for the Company’s RSS news feed by visiting www.usa.canon.com/rss