Archive for February, 2009

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Phorm unleashes legal attack on critics

28th February 2009, 11:08 | No Comments | Filed in Technology News

News articles based on a survey indicating public opposition to Phorm’s web snooping and advertising system have been withdrawn after the firm made legal threats to their publishers.

The independent consumer watchdog Which? sent a press release to newspapers earlier this week entitled "Internet users say: Don’t sell my surfing habits". It detailed survey findings that UK internet users are opposed to plans by BT, TalkTalk and Virgin Media to monitor and profile their browsing in collaboration with Phorm.

The findings contradicted market research repeatedly cited, but not published, by Phorm that the majority of people want the more "relevant" web experience it claims its "Webwise"-branded technology will provide.

BT is much further along the route to rolling out the system than rival ISPs, having conducted two secret trials without customer consent in 2006 and 2007, and a third trial with consent at the end of last year.

The Which? survey was covered yesterday by the Press Association, Channel 4 News, The Telegraph, and The Daily Mail. The press release, however, was swiftly followed by this statement:

Urgent withdrawal of press release from Which? – Internet users say: don’t sell my surfing habits

Which? has received further information and representations from Phorm about the proposed Webwise service, and it has agreed to withdraw the above press release, issued under embargo on 24 February 2008, while we consider them. Some of the information in the press release and related article is said to be inaccurate and as a consequence may be defamatory. You are strongly urged not to write an article based on the press release or the related article ‘Online privacy matters’ in Which? magazine.

The Press Association, Channel 4 News and Telegraph stories have all been removed (here, here and here). The Daily Mail has edited its story to online to remove all references to the negative survey findings. A Which? spokeswoman declined to comment on what specically in its press release had drawn Phorm’s legal attack.

Phorm said its libel lawyers, who it declined to identify, were working with Which? to "correct" the press release. In the past Phorm has employed Schillings, a well known media law firm offering "reputation management" services.

A Phorm spokesman said that the survey had been based on inaccurate information and that the press release itself contained inaccuracies. "It repeatedly stated the Webwise system collects and sells on data which is misleading. We also wouldn’t allow the creation of advertising channels on sensitive subjects such as for medical products," he said.

News Source: The Register

Microsoft release Windows 7 application compatibility update

26th February 2009, 22:52 | No Comments | Filed in Windows

Following on from the Internet Explorer 8 update that Microsoft released for Windows 7 Beta a day ago, another update has been released targeting application compatibility.

Judging by these two updates released, Microsoft is progressing nicely, and the most recent update targets mainly games that did not run before hand, or had to be opened via compatibility-mode. Interestingly, Microsoft didn’t state which applications were targeted in this update, but it is of no doubt that users will find out soon enough.

If you’re currently having problems with gaming, or have had problems with it, in the Windows 7 Beta, install these updates and post in the comments to show which games now work, or still don’t. As Ars Technica is reporting, this update have no affiliation what-so-ever with the Windows 7 test updates that have been released. You can choose to download the updates from the links below, or as usual, update using Windows Update.

Download: Windows 7 Beta (x86) Update
Download: Windows 7 Beta (x64) Update

Source: Neowin.net

Facebook reaches out to users about policies

26th February 2009, 22:49 | No Comments | Filed in Facebook

Facebook is following up on recent news about them changing their Terms of Service, with a backlash from users worldwide in an uproar about Facebook owning people’s content, than an update to revert back to the old Terms of Service.

Facebook’s new introduction includes "Facebook Principles" and "Statement of Rights and Responsibilities". The Principals serves as the guiding framework behind any policy Facebook considers, or the reason for not considering others. The second Statement of Rights and Responsibilities will replace the existing Terms of Service.

Before Facebook makes any of these documents official, they are looking for user’s feedback and comments on the new changes. There are also groups about either policy on Facebook to voice your opinion directly to the Facebook team.

With a costly mistake last time that could have cost Facebook the race for dominance in the social networking game. It doesn’t come as a surprise that Facebook is reaching out to users for feedback before making any changes that could critically damage the company’s reputation.

Source: Neowin.net

Windows 7: Changes since beta for the RC

26th February 2009, 14:28 | No Comments | Filed in Windows

After a long post yesterday by Steven regarding Windows 7 feedback, which focussed heavily on how Microsoft was gathering the feedback for Windows 7 and the feedback process, the E7 blog has posted the changes that users will see from Windows 7 beta to RC.

Steven emphasized in his last post that Microsoft takes users feedback very seriously and are committed to it

“The work of acting on feedback responsibly and managing the development of Windows through all phases of the process is something we are very sincere about. Internally we’ve talked a lot about being a learning organization and how we’re always learning how to do a better job, improve the work we do, and in the process work to make Windows even better. We take this approach as individuals and how we view building Windows. We know we will continue to have tough choices to make as everyone who builds products understands and what you have is our commitment to continue to use all the tools available to make sure we are building the best Windows 7 we can build.”

Chaitanya from the E7 team has posted a detailed list of various changes in Windows 7 from beta to RC based upon customer feedback. Though there are number of bug fixes, performance improvements, compatibility fixes, we are more concerned on the changes in these three areas – User Experience, Find and Organize and Devices and Media. Below are some of the impressive changes amongst the various other changes highlighted in the blog post

Aero Peeks meets Alt-Tab
Many users who love aero peek (including me) wanted to have it implemented when flipping windows using the Alt-Tab keys. Now, this change has been added to RC. Users can still quickly flip through all the windows, but when you want to see more information about a particular window, aero peek would appear and this is triggered by a time delay while flipping windows.

More Shortcuts
One of the areas where Windows 7 received positive feedback was the new keyboard shortcuts introduced. As usual, we users wanted more (and still want more!) and here are few more shortcuts added to RC:
Windows Logo + <#> – opens an application corresponding to its order in the superbar (this is already present in the current beta)

  • Windows Logo + <#> and Windows Logo + <#> (pressing twice) – Switches to the corresponding application to its order in the superbar
  • SHIFT + Windows Logo + <#> – Opens application corresponding to its order in the superbar
  • Holding the Windows Logo + tapping the <#> – Cycle through various windows in the same application, like tabs in IE
  • ALT + Windows Logo + <#> – Access programs’ Jump List
  • CTRL + Windows Logo + <#> – Flip back to last active window
  • CTRL + mouse click on a superbar button – Flip back to last active window

Needy Window
In the current beta, the flashing animation which alerts when users require attention, like the messenger window when you receive a message, is very limited to 3 flashes. It is very easy to miss the alert and thus now it is increased to seven flashes!

Improvements to Color Hot-Track
One of the ways to differentiate between running and not-running applications in superbar is using the color hot-track. But this color hot-track is lost when the mouse hovers over taskbar thumbnails. In RC, the color hot-track stays active even when the mouse hovers over taskbar thumbnails!

Desktop Icons and Gadgets improvement
In Beta it was impossible to separate desktop icons from gadgets under the View setting available by right-clicking on the desktop. In RC, users can opt to hide just the gadgets or just the desktop icons.

User Account Control
This change was obvious as Microsoft had already confirmed that they are going to implement the change in RC. Due to this change, now users will get a prompt for any modification made to the UAC Control Panel

Cleaner Now Playing view in Media Player
Microsoft has responded with a visual update that is more lightweight and compact to the Now Playing view in WMP, based on customers’ feedback. However, there is no screenshot posted to see those changes.

Easier access to advanced settings
I myself was frustrated when I couldn’t find the Advanced Settings (equalizer, visualisations, enhancements) options in the Windows Media Player from the main window. However, they were accessible only via the List Pane Options in the Now Playing mode. Microsoft has responded to this and these options are now available via the Now Playing context menu under Enhancements.

Windows Logo+E shortcut
In Vista, Windows Logo+E launches “Computer” Explorer, but in current Windows 7 beta, it launches Libraries which is quite confusing and a change in a behavior which was prevalent for a long time! Microsoft has changed back this behavior and now in RC, Windows Logo+E will launch “Computer” Explorer.

These are not the only changes that are to be made available in the Windows 7 RC. To know more about the other changes, visit the E7 blog post.

Having seen the various feedback submitted by other users and by myself for Windows 7 , I am very much satisfied with these changes for the RC. It is not possible for Microsoft to satisfy every user, but the changes highlighted here clearly shows that Microsoft is indeed taking an open approach to the Windows 7 feedback program.

Lets all hope now that Windows 7 RC gets released as expected and move to RTM soon!

News source: Neowin.net

Windows 7 RC set for April 10, 2009

20th February 2009, 21:16 | No Comments | Filed in Windows

There have been so many dates flying around concerning the upcoming Release Candidate for Windows 7, and it’s beginning to become a daily subject in the blogosphere. Just when you thought that we were going to see a Windows 7 RC by the end of February, a trusted source within Microsoft has informed Neowin that the RC will not be ready by the end of February.

At this time, Windows 7 RC is internally being tested and the official release date is set for April 10, 2009. The Windows team is right on schedule with development, and if there are no significant problems over the next few weeks the April 10, 2009 release date will remain in tact.

Not much information is available at this time. We’re uncertain if the release will be a world-wide, and Microsoft is expected to do more testing before releasing a RC build to the public. With that in mind, TechNet and MSDN subscribers should be the first to receive the RC build. A recent email conversation between Paul, over at GeekSmack, and Steven Sinofsky, Microsoft Senior Vice President of Windows, revealed that there have been over 500,000 suggestions since the public launch of the Windows 7 Beta.

Sinofsky mentioned that, “recently we’ve seen people talk about ‘RC Builds’ and the like. First, all builds since the beta are RC builds since by definition that is the next milestone. But by far the most humorous element has been that the build numbers blogged about are higher than our current build. Today’s build is 7046, but it hasn’t completed yet :-).”

Other than the UAC fixes that were highlighted earlier this month, not much is known as to what has been changed or fixed in these internal builds, we’ll keep you up to date with more information as it comes our way.

Update (1:14 PM -6 GMT): Emil Protalinski over at Ars Technica has apparently spoke with Steven Sinofsky, and he has said, “The build will be available broadly”. This isn’t a normal thing for Microsoft to do, however we will wait and see what Microsoft has in store for us in the coming weeks.

News Source: Neowin.net

Windows 7 RC expected at the end of February

19th February 2009, 6:00 | No Comments | Filed in Windows

WinnFuture, a German website reports that the one and only RC build of Windows 7 will be ready at the end of February to be sent to select testers.

According to WinFuture’s sources, the first-RC build has been compiled by now. The build number currently under test is not known, however WinFuture reports that 7048 was the latest build of Windows 7 and might be the RC, created a few days before and confirms that work is currently going on around the Windows 7 RC build.

The German website also reports that MSDN/TechNet subscribers along with the other private beta testers, would receive the RC build after 27th February, but not sure about the public beta which ended few weeks back.

Neowin earlier reported that we could be seeing the Windows 7 RC in early April, but with the rumor that Windows 7 is set to hit RTM in August, no wonder we can expect the RC build very soon!

News source: Neowin.net

Well, I can’t wait to get my hands on this :-)

Facebook reverts back to old Terms of Use

18th February 2009, 8:12 | No Comments | Filed in Facebook

Facebook recently made changes to their Terms of Use on their web site, which gave Facebook all permissions of your images, videos, and content when submitting anything to the web site.

The social networking web site received a tremendous response to the update of the policy, which caused a lot of caution flags to go up. The company has responded by removing their recently updated Terms of Use and replacing it with their old Terms of Use while the web site makes adjustments to their policy.

The message posted on the web site reads:
“Over the past few days, we have received a lot of feedback about the new terms we posted two weeks ago. Because of this response, we have decided to return to our previous Terms of Use while we resolve the issues that people have raised.

If you want to share your thoughts on our new terms, check out our group Facebook Bill of Rights and Responsibilities.“

During the writing of the article, Facebook had updated their message again to this:

The revised Terms of Use, now restored to the original, angered a lot of users that posting their content was essentially giving Facebook full rights to the content users submit, including personal stuff such as images, comments and videos.

The Terms of Use is now set back to the old policy, with the stamp on the last revision set to September 23, 2008.
View: Facebooks Terms of Use

Source of article: Neowin.net

Facebook: We own your content forever, and ever

16th February 2009, 21:03 | No Comments | Filed in Facebook

According to The Consumerist, Facebook made a small but significant change to its TOS (“Terms of Service”): now they claim complete ownership of all of the content you upload for all time and can use it for any purpose, including making money off it, even if you close your account.
A read-through of key points in Facebook’s TOS shows just how extraordinary their claims are to your creations (words, photos, videos, audio–even your name!).

1. “You are solely responsible for the User Content that you Post on or through the Facebook Service…. You represent and warrant that you have all rights and permissions to grant the foregoing licenses.”

In other words, if you infringe someone else’s copyright by uploading material for which you do not have the right, then it is your fault and not Facebook’s. And you assert that all the content you upload is yours to hand over forever to Facebook. “Hand over forever”?

2. “You hereby grant Facebook an irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, fully paid, worldwide license (with the right to sublicense) to (a) use, copy, publish, stream, store, retain, publicly perform or display, transmit, scan, reformat, modify, edit, frame, translate, excerpt, adapt, create derivative works and distribute (through multiple tiers), any User Content you (i) Post on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof subject only to your privacy settings or (ii) enable a user to Post, including by offering a Share Link on your website and (b) to use your name, likeness and image for any purpose, including commercial or advertising, each of (a) and (b) on or in connection with the Facebook Service or the promotion thereof.”

Yes, “hand over forever”. They can do anything they want with it, even if you close your account. The previous TOS made it clear that, once you cancelled your account with Facebook, they would no longer retain these rights over your uploaded materials. However, things have changed. Now, even if you have left Facebook, the company can use your name and any photos or other content you uploaded in their advertising or “in connection with the Facebook Service”. But what is the “Facebook Service”?

3. The “Facebook Service” is much more than what people normally think of as “Facebook-the-website”. It can include any medium currently existing (books, films, audio, or whatever) and any medium developed in future. As detailed in the company’s new TOS, “The ‘Facebook Service’ means the features, services and properties that Facebook makes available through (a) www.facebook.com or any other Facebook-branded or co-branded website (including, without limitation, any and all sub-domains and all international, mobile versions and successors thereof), (b) the Facebook Platform and ( c ) other media, devices or networks now existing or later developed.”

In other words, once you upload it, they own it and can do whatever they like–however they like–with it until the end of the universe.

News source: Neowin.net

Well good job I don’t really upload anything to 3rd party websites and just tend to link to content hosted on my own web server that I have total control over then.

Windows 7 moves toward August 2009 RTM

15th February 2009, 18:43 | No Comments | Filed in Windows

Cnet has come up with a report saying that Microsoft is set to release Windows 7 by the end of this year’s holiday shopping season based on PC industry sources in Asia and the U.S. According to the ZDNet Taiwan site, Taiwan hardware vendors are certain about Windows 7′s final official release in 2009.

As pointed out by some computer manufacturers, the official version of Windows 7 will be available ahead of the planned schedule, that is before October this year. The English version of the OS will be available to system operators in August, and the Chinese version in October. Microsoft will officially pre-market Windows 7 now by labeling Windows Vista computers with Windows 7 ready stickers.

Even though Microsoft has denied any such rumors on an early release, it still sticks to its original schedule of Windows 7 official release, which is January 2010. Hardware vendors interpret that Microsoft does not want Windows 7 listed ahead of the schedule due to the economy downturn.

Microsoft’s senior VP Bill Veghte cautioned in CES 2009 that the release still could be pushed into 2010, depending on customer feedback. Microsoft will ship Windows 7 when the quality is right, and earlier is always better, but not at the cost of ecosystem support and not at the cost of quality.

Microsoft has already said that there is no Windows 7 beta anymore and will go ahead with the RC build for Windows 7. Microsoft stopped offering the Windows 7 beta downloads this week. According to an official hint we could be seeing the Windows 7 RC build in early April but nothing has been confirmed yet. And not to forget that the company is also planning on allowing users who purchase new PC/laptop hardware (with Vista) from 1st July 2009 onwards, a free upgrade to Windows 7.

News source: Neowin.net

Microsoft releases Windows Live Essentials build 8064

13th February 2009, 17:04 | No Comments | Filed in Windows Live

As we reported a few weeks ago, Microsoft has officially rolled out an update to Windows Live Essentials (Build 8064). If you’re not familiar with Windows Live Essentials, it is a suite of applications that include: Windows Live Mail (Desktop Version), Windows Live Messenger, Windows Live Photo Gallery, Windows Live Writer, Windows Live Toolbar, Windows Live Family Safety, and Windows Live Movie Maker Beta.

The updates don’t appear to have any new features, but contain lots of fixed bugs especially for Windows 7 users. Microsoft has announced that users still using Windows Live Messenger 8.1, 8.5, and the latest 9.0 (build 1202) will be asked, not required, to update to 14.0.8064.0206.

Other than nit-pick bug fixes, it appears that the Windows Live Messenger team has not fixed the jump list bug for Windows 7 users. So you’re still going to need to run Windows Live Messenger in “Vista Compatibility” mode.

Download: Windows Live Essentials build 8064

Screenshots:

News source: Neowin.net

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