Goldman Sachs invests in UK software company

Goldman Sachs has made a $ 70 m £ 43 m investment in British software and services firm AppSense.

Darron Antill, chief executive, said the company would use the funds to expand company geographic and grow business in advance of a possible initial public offering.

Appsenses clients include BT, ESPN, JP Morgan Chase and United Airlines and the Department for work and pensions (.DWP). It is specialized in "user virtualization" – tailor work software, so your employees can access their work and programs use the anywhere on any device.

Antill said the increasing use of mobile devices, Tablet computers, and portable computers meant the user virtualization is driving sales. The company now has offices in New York and London and Manchester, Germany and Australia. Income was just under $ 50 m last year and the company is on track for 60% growth this year.

Antill said the company had focused on North America in the last 12 months. He said the investment would allow AppSense to extend its reach at the same time develop Cloud-based, mobile and other services. "Users today would like to be able to manage their work independently of any particular platform or device," he said. "Goldmans investment is a step change in our business and a recognition that we are a leader in this space."

Pete Perrone, CEO of Goldman Sachs, joins the company's Board of Directors. "With the increasing mobility of the workforce and the need to be able to access information from any device Goldman Sachs sees a clear demand for user virtualization solutions that span multiple desktop delivery methods," said Perrone. "Appsenses strong customer traction, innovative solutions in desktop computing and record the growth it has experienced over the last two years, additional story solidified our decision to invest in the company."

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Longer of publishers eye Apple

There was a time not so long ago, Apple da was heralded as the Savior of the publishing industry. Steve Jobs company would miraculously convince a generation to pay for online news. Its "tablet", "iPad Jesus" would be so popular with consumers that they would be seduced into paying for a new generation of apps publishers.

It was until last week, when Apple's relationship with the media industry came to a head. With a new set of terms and conditions for digital subscriptions, described as "shamelessly" of one national newspaper Executive, turned against the company by intrinsic publishers quickly to a deep distrust.

Drama, however, was yet to begin. While the media bosses still get their heads around Apple's strict new regime, Google fired a shot across its rival bow with its own, very different attempts to woo newspaper and magazine publishers.

Within 24 hours the landscape looked online news radically different. Apple's natural clock is charming to media types – the commands a 70%-plus chunk nascent tablet market – was shaken. And Google had potentially opened the door to more paywall products.

Apple's new terms of service dictated, the company keeps 30% of revenue from the growing number of publishers in its App Store, including the New York Times, the Daily Telegraph and the Guardian. Publishers can specify price and duration of a subscription, but they are not allowed to offer cheaper quotes outside Apple's bjergomgivne delete the garden. All lucrative customer information remains with Apple.

Google's One Pass, on the other hand, allows publishers to charge for as much or as little content as they wish, mobiles, online and on tablet computers. Specified clearly in opposition to Apple's monolithic approach, allows Google publishers to set their own payment schedule, keep 90% of revenues, and all the lucrative customer information.

But Google's strategy is not without shortcomings – advertisement were clearly rushed out a day after Apple's statement, in an attempt to recruit publishers to its Android platform.

The distinction could hardly be Es. And if Apple could feel his ears burning on Thursday, it should look to Heathrow, where an influential industry body, International newsmedia Marketing Association (INMA), host a hastily convened the Summit with digital leaders from nearly 60 news organizations, including the Daily Telegraph, Le Monde, Dow Jones and Axel Springer.

Mark Challinor, Telegraph Media Group's Director of mobile, was there. "Apple's new policy has certainly made publishers sit and say" Is 30% fair? "," he says. "We got no problem with paying Apple a fee, but the question in the light of Google's One Pass is, is 30% fair?

"I do not think this is about Apple trying to be forceful or anti newspapers-, it is simply a case of them learning as you go-they have not had customers like us before. There is an assumption that Apple has all the answers – they are really not, "adds Challinor, which is also the European Board Director of INMA. "There is a definite need for a dialogue, not monologue, with Apple here."

Financial Times, which generated a tenth of its new digital subscriptions from its iPad app last year, expressed "concerns over changes to an approach that has worked well for our readers and the broader publishing ecosystem around tablet devices, and that can compromise our business model".

Although Google's premature launch seems to have rankled with some publishers – Daily Mail parent company associated newspapers, Google only publicly named UK launch partner, was not even ready to discuss his plans one Pass last week – Apple's Move seems to have done more lasting damage.

IPad-maker's new requirements brought fore hanging concerns about its Hailes forced philosophy. "From conversations I have had with publishers, Apple should experience some doubt [on its subscription policy]," says James McQuivey, an digital media an analyst with Forrester. "The way Apple has dealt with this very offputting for editors – dictating terms and pulls the rug from under their feet.

"There has definitely affected the way publishers will see Apple from now on. We're not going to see any more major publishers – except maybe Rupert Murdoch – stand up and say Apple are doing us a favour. These days are gone. "

Reverberations in Apple's five-paragraph order felt was carefully elsewhere across the creative industries. The nascent music subscription market with Spotify, We7 and Rhapsody, was immediately rendered "profitable", according to Steve Purdham, chief executive of Oxford-based We7. Richard Jones, co-founder of last.FM, put it more bluntly: "Apple hard just over online music subs for iPhone."

' It is no surprise that the answer across the Board is a feeling of absolute shock and horror, ' says Purdham. "But if you take a step back, it is not an unexpected tactics. All Apple's doing is putting a stake in the ground and says, "we have a platform you operate on this platform, so we would like to have a share of your revenues please". "

INMA will resume his industry-wide meeting in may in the meantime, Apple. is expected to come under intense pressure from publishers to review its terms of service, in the light of Google's less prescriptive way of doing things.

"In the big picture, this is very interesting," McQuivey said. "Content companies are cautious both Apple and Google – they do not want either to win. But I would characterize this week as a footnote in chapter one – with 10 chapters left to go ".

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"It is time to do battle with astroturfing"

Each month more evidence immensely up, suggesting that online comment threads and forums are being hijacked by people who are not what they seem.

Anonymity of the web provides businesses and Governments golden opportunities to run astroturf operations: fake grassroots campaigns, create the impression that large numbers of people demanding or opposing specific policies. This deception is most likely to occur where companies or Governments interests come into conflict with public interests. For example, there are a long history of tobacco companies, which create astroturf groups to fight attempts to regulate them.

After I wrote about online astroturfing in December, I was contacted by a whistleblower. He was part of a commercial team, hired to internet infest forums and comment threads on behalf of serves corporate clients, promote their causes and argue with who opposed them.

Like the other members of the team asked he as disinterested members of the public. Or to be more accurate as a crowd disinterested members of the public: he used 70 personas, both to avoid detection and to create the impression, there was widespread support for his pro-corporate arguments. I will reveal more about what he told me when I am finished with the survey I'm working on.

Now it seems that these operations are more widespread, more sophisticated and more automated than most of us had guessed. E-mails obtained by the political hackers from U.S. cyber-security firm called HBGary Federal propose to a remarkable technological Arsenal inserted drown out the voices of real people.

As the Daily Kos has reported shows the e-mail messages that:

• Companies now use "persona management software", which multiplies efforts each astroturfer, create the impression that there is strong support for what a corporation or Government is trying to do.

• This software creates all online furniture a real person would possess: a name, e-mail accounts, Web pages and social media. In other words, it automatically generates what is similar to authentic profiles, makes it difficult to tell the difference between a virtual robot and a real commentator.

• False accounts can be kept up to date by automatically reposting or create links to content generated elsewhere, reinforcing the impression that its account holders are real and active.

• Human can then be assigned these astroturfers "pre-aged" accounts to create a back story, suggests that they have been busy linking and retweeting months. No one would presume that they came in on stage for the first time a moment ago, with the sole purpose of attacking an article about climate science or argue against new controls on salt in junk food.

• With some clever use of social media, astroturfers can, in vagtselskabs words, "makes it appear as if a persona actually was at a Conference and introduce themselves to key individuals as part of the exercise … There are a number of social media tricks we can use to add a level of realness to fictitious personas. "

The most disturbing revelation is perhaps this. Us Air Force supply for companies to provide it with persona management software, which will perform the following tasks:

a. create "10 personas per user, full of light, history, supporting details and cyber forms which are technically, culturally and geographically contiguous … Personas should be able to show the origin of almost any part of the world and can interact through conventional online services and social media platforms. "

(b). automatically provide its astroturfers with "randomly selected IP addresses through which can get access to the Internet" (an IP address is the number which identifies a person's computer), and these are changed every day "hide the existence of the action". The software should also mix up astroturfers ' web traffic with "traffic from the multitudes of users from outside your organization. This traffic blending modes offers excellent coverage and powerful spanner. "

c. create static "IP addresses" for each persona, enables various astroturfers "look like the same person over time". It should also allow "organisations that frequent the same site of service often too easy to switch IP addresses to resemble common users as opposed to one organization."

Software like this has the potential to destroy the Internet as a forum for constructive debate. It threatens the concept of online democracy. Comment threads about issues with large commercial consequences are already being destroyed by what look like armies of organised ogres – as you can sometimes see on guardian.co.uk.

The Internet is a wonderful gift, but it is also a bonanza for corporate lobbyists, viral marketers and Government spin doctors, which can operate in cyberspace without regulation, accountability, or fear of detection. So let me repeat the question, I have added in previous articles, and which has yet to be answered satisfactory: what should we do to fight these tactics?

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ACS: Law ceases claims against illegal filesharers

ACS: Law says, it will no longer chasing alleged copyright infringers. Photo: Claudio Bresciani/Scanpix/SCANPIX/PA photos

The controversial London-based law firm which sent tens of thousands of letters demanding payment from people the accused of the file sharing illegal has dramatically Quit his copyright litigation claims death threats causing the "enormous effort" lead solicitor's family.

Andrew Crossley, founder and lead solicitor by ACS: Law, announced in a statement to the patents county court in London yesterday afternoon, that his company would no longer chasing alleged copyright infringers.

"I have ended my work. I have been the subject of criminal attack. My e-mail messages been hacked. I have had death threats and bomb threats, "said Crossley, read in the sentence to the Court by barrister, Tim Ludbrook, acting on behalf of copyright licensee MediaCAT. "It has caused immense inconvenience me and my family."

ACS: Law is at the heart of a long-running row above its method in so-called "speculative invoicing", where thousands of generic letters sent Internet users to the suspected of illegal file sharing. Solicitors Regulation Authority is currently examining its practice as hundreds of accused the claim has been erroneously identified.

In September last year was the personal details of thousands of Britons after a devastating attack on ACS: Law Homepage leaked online. The details, including telephone numbers and addresses, measuring spot online under a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack on your company's servers. Information Commissioner is exploring the data breach and be authorised to charge a £ 500,000 fine, if ACS: Law is found to have held the information the system administrator.

Crossleys revelation came at the end of yesterday's patents county court hearing in 27 people accused of illegally sharing copyrighted pornography, which is exclusive licensee MediaCAT.

Of thousands of letters have, ACS: Law sent to prosecuting these alleged 27 cases are the only to be heard before a judge. ACS: Law tried to release the event just days before its first Court hearing earlier this month, but was told that the first requirement, for the Court's permission.

Judge Birss QC called the situation "absolutely extraordinary", and said: "I am not happy about this. My impression, distinct on each twist and turn there is a desire to avoid judicial control.

"It seems to be the first instinct is to avoid judicial control. There have been thousands of letters and only 27 cases have had to be dropped – I doubt. Copyright infringement is a serious matter, but this is just mindboggling. "

Lengthy hearings have further complicated by the recent emergence of a separate law firm issuing similar payment requirements on behalf of MediaCAT, known as a British Ltd. ACS: Law claims to have no connection with UK Ltd, with the exception of two of its former employees founded the newly established law firm.

Judge Birss said, he had considered the prohibition of ACS: Law's client, MediaCAT, from sending any more payment requirements until its claims and renteansøgere clarified. "It would be an extraordinary order, to do," he added. "But these are exceptional circumstances".

Patents Court expected to rule later this week about whether or not ACS: Law should be allowed to cancel the event, and whether or not the owner of copyright – understood to be Sheptonhurst, the owner of the UK's biggest sex shop chain, Private – have to join the case as a creditor.

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Google fight Spanish requirements to Remove ' libellous ' links

Google will challenge Spain's privacy regulator in court this week. Photo: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Google will this week challenge a Spanish demand will remove links to articles in newspapers, including El País and official journals, the items that have complained about violate their privacy.

Technology-giant has been ordered to remove nearly 100 online articles from its search listings by Spanish data protection authority, which Google warns would have a "deep," chilling effect on freedom of expression.

Google will challenge the orders in a Madrid Court on Wednesday, the result of which could constitute a precedent for controversial new for the release of internet in Spain.

Injunction against search engines is the only way to block access to sensitive materials published by these sites, the Spanish authorities argue that newspapers in the country legally can refuse to comply with more informal requests.

Google says, however, it works only as an intermediary, and therefore it cannot be held responsible for all content on the Internet.

Peter Barron, Google's Director of external relations for Europe, told the guardian: "we are disappointed by the Spanish privacy regulator acts. Spanish and European law rightly hold the Publisher of the material that is responsible for its content.

"Require intermediaries like search engines to censor material published by the other would have a profound, chilling effect on free expression without to protect people's personal information."

The event covers the five contested articles will reach Madrid magistrates ' court this week. Google will be ordered to remove articles from its search results, if its Court challenge has failed. However, the articles would still be available at newspaper sites should Google loses.

Requirements Follow a burgeoning public debate in Spain on the "right to be forgotten" – or to the right of people to delete their internet data "trails". Complaints from the public about their representation online has jumped 75% year after year, the country's privacy regulator said in June last year.

Padraig Reidy, news editor at index on censorship, said the ruling would have "massive ramifications" for freedom of expression. "What is worrying is the reason why they should go to Google, rather than the people who put up this content — some of which are legally bound.

"It intervenes in privacy law, and has massive ramifications on freedom of expression and how the Internet works. If Spain punish search engines for indexing content, how can there be freedom of speech? It looks like a level of people who don't know how the Internet works. "

Spain Agencia Española de Protección de Datos – national data protection agency – declined to comment.

• This article heading and the first subparagraph was amended on 17 January 2011 reflects the fact that complaints against Google is about invasion of privacy, rather than libel, as previously stated

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Facebook goes back, address and phone number API

Facebook has disabled the API that share users ' mobile phone and address details with developers in response to a wave of what it calls "feedback", and what I would call a legitimate concern.

A carefully worded statement on the Facebook Developer Blog listed the potential benefits of using this data in the apps-speeding up the payment process on a shopping website, for example, or to permit the Groupon property-type concerns should be sent directly to your phone. And the post says, users must give permission to each app that may be using these data, it does not share the friends details and there is a program dashboard, where each user can control how their information is used.

Photo by andymangold on Flickr. Some rights reserved

Despite these precautions and benefits ... Facebook admits now, "that we could make people more clearly when they grant access to this data".

"We are making changes to ensure that you only share this information when you intend to do it," said Douglas Purdy in official record. "We must work in order to launch these updates as soon as possible and want to temporarily disable this feature until these changes are ready. We look forward to thawing this improved feature in the next few weeks. "

Facebook's ' seek forgiveness not permission ' strategy is a high risk, but ultimately successful. On the one hand, it means a steady stream of what could be perceived as ' controversy ', as some of the more privacy-related features are rolled out, responded, and rolled out again in some modified form.

But it is the nature of iterating in an innovative company. The strategy also means that the number of problematic launches in relation to the total number of functions that can be rolled out, is very small.

Facebooks incredibly rapid development and growth have a lot to do with this process, and these kind of ' adjustments ' are a sign of a company that constantly pushes his own business forward. Tensions arise where activities overlap with our sense of public and private-an area where Facebook is on the line front redefine what personal information does for us.

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Apple secretive on ' polluting and poisoning ' supply chain, says report

Apple is secretive about its supply chain than almost all of its rivals, says a report from leading Chinese environment groups. Photo: Kimberly white/Reuters

Apple is secretive about its supply chain in China than almost all of its rivals, according to a new report by durability of activists, who accuse the company's products degrading environment and poisoning workers.

Despite its claim to be a leading promoter corporate ethics worldwide, maker iPads and iPhones came joint bottom among 29 large firms in transparency study drawn up by a coalition of China's leading environmental groups.

"Behind their stylish image Apple products have a hand, many do not know – pollution and married. This page is hidden deep within the company's secretive supply chain, "claims a declaration from the 36 groups involved in the Green choice initiative.

Their report — for the fourth to look at the effects of global brands on China's environment – view of the openness, enterprises and their reactivity reports of environmental violations at suppliers.

It follows a series of occupational poisoning, heavy metal contamination incidents and suicides at Chinese factories that provide materials and components for mobile phones and computers.

Many leading brands Outsource production to little-known Chinese enterprises, where labour costs may be lower, weaker and environmental safety standards more lax than in the West.

Foreign companies say they promote global levels of corporate social responsibility. The Apple supplier code of conduct claims to draw on "internationally recognised standards to advance social and environmental responsibility".

But it is difficult for third parties to keep foreign companies to account, because they tend to be secretive about their suppliers, pasting corporate confidentiality. This lack of transparency, combined with official corruption and dire political accountability has made China a haven for polluters.

In recent years has more than 3000 children diagnosed with unsafe levels of lead in their blood in a series of heavy metal contamination outbreaks near melting plants. Many of the facilities, provided the materials used in batteries and casings for foreign IT companies.

None of the 29 companies in examination required for their suppliers to disclose information of the discharges, waste, even though there were great differences in their responses to public inquiries and reported environmental problems. Apple was ranked – in parallel with other major consumer electronics companies – which are at least willing to provide data or to answer questions about suppliers.

The authors say Apple's suppliers have been involved in the violation of environmental regulations. The report noted waste discharge violations in recent years by several Chinese companies, which is believed to be a part of Apple's supply chain.

Labour conditions were also called into question, when at least a dozen workers jumped to their deaths last spring at Foxconn electronics complex in Shenzhen, which makes parts for Apple and other foreign companies.

Critics say, foreign firms are mainly responsible for the pollution because they insist on low prices, which puts pressure on suppliers to reduce costs, and corners. This is disputed by the companies.

Apple's reticence was heavily criticized in May last year, when at least 62 workers fell ill after inhaling n-hexane is used to clean the touch screen on a Wintek electronics factory in Suzhou. Leaders on the allegedly changed the harmful chemical – which can damage nerve in up to two years — apparently because the dried faster than alcohol, Taiwan-owned factory thereby increasing efficiency.

Hospitalised victims, quoted in the new green choice video, said they made products to Apple and has written for the company's chief executive, Steve Jobs, asking for an explanation.

"We will ask you whether or not you should be responsible for the supplier companies you have chosen?" you ask in the letter. "When you look at the Apple Phone do you use in your hand and you a swipe it with your finger, it is possible that you may feel as if it is no longer a beautiful screen to show off, but life and blood of us employees and victims? You supervise audit staff to ensure that they were responsible and diligent? "

Nokia and Motorola answered questions about their involvement with Wintek soon after poisoning was unveiled. Apple has yet to confirm or rule out a relationship. The company said it would not comment on individual claims.

The report's authors say they tried months raising Wintek with Apple, but it refused to comment directly.

"This position means it is impossible to have any official supervision over their entire supply chain. Without, how can we trust them? "Ma Jun said of the Institute for public and environmental affairs. "When environmental violations becomes public knowledge, they should not use commercial confidentiality as an excuse for silence. This is different from other leading brands. "

Hewlett Packard, British Telecom, Samsung, Sony, Siemens and Alcatel was credited as being most responsive to third-party queries about alleged environmental violations.

"Apple can say, it is completely ' green ', because it is a brand with no factory, but if we do not manage its supply chain, these are just empty words," said Ma Jun of the Institute for public and environmental affairs. "Far from the best on the planet, it is at the bottom among 29 the tags. Apple should be a leader. If it can move on this, it can change the entire industry. "

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Cheezburger Network raises $ 30 m

Cheezburger network: a smart idea for investors?

It is an online publishing empire built out of bored workers, stare at the cute kitten photos on their office computers. But the three-year-old Cheezburger network – home to Lolcats, as well as the fail Blog and other amazing to no more than 35 – internet crazes this week announced it had raised $ 30 m (£ 18.7 m) funding, will see quirky start aim to become the largest network of humor websites in the world.

Lolcats has become one of the Internet's most enduring crazes, combine cute pictures of animals – in General – cats with funny captions mis-spelled. The original Web site was created by Eric Shoichi Nakagawa and his girlfriend Kari Unebasami in 2007, who had been inspired by the irreverent Community site 4chan.

A year later, Ben Huh, now Chief Cheezburger network and the man credited with taking internet "memes" (thoughts) to the mainstream, bringing angel investors together to buy site for $ 2. 25 m. Three years on Huh has extended Seattle-based company to the point where it employs 50 employees and has launched almost 50 niche humor sites including graph jam, with its witty pie charts and Engrish Funny, home to the good observed translation errors.

Eking out that investment for three years, managed to ensure the company Huh was profitable from the start, flood the site with advertisements on 375 m page views it generates each month as well as selling merchandise such as Lolcat t-shirts, mugs and fails Cheezburger desktop calendars. Its popularity could rival many mainstream media organisations; a masterclass in the art of aggregation simple, cheap content created by users, letting its popularity careful distribution and building as much revenue as possible around.

Foundry group – which also has invested in Farmville game company Zynga – led the new $ 30 m investment round, together with Avalon Ventures, SoftBank capital and Madrona Venture Group. Madronas Executive Director, Greg Gottesman, told the Seattle Times Company was "a great entrepreneurial history". He added: "Funding allocated, the size of the has built with such limited capital, so few people are really impressive."

The company's plans to move to larger offices and double its staff to 100 by the end of the year. The investment will also finance the extension of the Web site's international audience, but the company scales down its strategy for quickly kærning out experimental new sites. That approach has had mixed success, allows the company to exploit and respond rapidly growing internet memes and virals with a failure rate of only one in five.

James Whatley, marketing director of analysts 1000heads, said Lolcats investors was not as crazy as you may think, because the network had room for growth. "If you spend any amount of time on any of the above sites, it is immediately clear that they are behind on the social functions. The whole network needed a declutter and tidy up, and before you begin the element the whole inventory and in advertising. With the right investment, there is a lot more money made. "

But other analysts were less impressed and reckoned Cheezburger fundraising was as much about the amount of cash, are seeking a home as the prospects for a Facebook-style business success.Reuters breaking views blog said investors "skirmishing to finance oddball ideas" illustrated venturekapitalindustriens problems. "The result of not having cash is that entrepreneurs can command immense prices for their babies. In view of the risk associated with start-up companies and the need to lock up capital, is it not strange, new commitments to venture capital funds fell four years in a row. You can have too much money chasing too few Cheezburgers. "

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' I felt great after I have lost my mobile phone»

In front of our eyes, Eric ... Stoltz with Paula Malcomson in Caprica. Photo: Syfy

What is your favorite piece of technology, and how it has improved your life?
TV-B-gone. It is a wonderful little device that has one button – which when pressed, will turn off any tv within 15 metres. It is ideal when you are sitting in an empty pub and a television is blaring ads too high. A simple device that brings peace.

When was the last time you used it, and what for?
Last week. Turn off a TV.

What additional features do you want to add, if you could?
It would be nice if the company expanded their repertoire a little. "People-who-speak-on-cellphones-in-shops-B-Gone" would be album swell. Not to mention "Taxes-B-gone".

Do you think, it will be obsolete in 10 years time?
' No '.

What always frustrates you about technology in General?
All that cursed convenience.

Is there any particular piece of technology that you have owned and hated?
I have a love-hate with just about all the technology in my life. My first typewriter in particular. I had a helluva time put new tape on it.

If you had a tip to get the best out of new technology, what would it be?
Please wait until the next version comes out – price drops, and they work normally some of the kinks.

You consider yourself to be a living or a nerd?
Both at different times in my life. Recently I directing an episode of hopeful of this and I lost my cellphone – and I devote time to buy a new one for three weeks. Well, could the first few days in was eager as hell, a little delirium tremens, didn't think I make it through, and so on. Then been kind of curious something – I began to feel great. Really great. Completely untethered, almost giddy. I had not had this feeling, because I learned to ride a bike, when I was a kid – it was fantastic. Later this week, my Twitter account suddenly and inexplicably deleted all my incredibly interesting speech. I took this as a sign, and decided to leave Luddites and end the modern age once more. But I am still thought-provoking about the entire experience.

What is the most expensive piece of technology you've ever owned?
My car or my piano, they were both pretty animals.

Mac or PC, and why?
Mac. I have been on them for 13 years and never had a virus.

Buy you still physical media such as CDs and DVDs, or you download? What was your last purchase?
I still buy them, even if it is stupid. A DVD Store near me went out of business last year, so I favoritspillet up a lot of older and foreign films. CDs not so much, I download them. my last purchase was you are not listening to the rescue operations.

Robot butlers – a good idea or not?
Let us not kid ourselves here, robots that are already running most of our world. We want to be their butlers quickly enough.

What piece of technology would you most like to own?
The emerging nanotechnology, which is able to deliver treatment to (and trigger death) malignant cancer cells in your body while leaving the healthy cells untouched.

• Eric Stoltz stars in tv series Caprica, season, one which is out now on DVD

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Social networks under fresh attack as tide cyber-sweeps us scepticism

An American student control on his smart phone. Critics of social networking to say, it has an insulating effect on users. Photograph: Najlah Feanny/Corbis

Way, as desperately people communicate online via Twitter, Facebook, and instant messaging can be seen as a form of modern folly, according to a leading American sociologist.

"A behaviour that has been typical can still express the problems, once caused us to see it as pathological," writes MIT professor Sherry Turkle in her new book, alone together, which leads an attack on the information age.

Turkles book, published in the UK next month, has caused a sensation in the Americas, which is usually more obsessed with the merits of social networking. She appeared in the last week on the Stephen Colbert late night Comedy Show, The Colbert Report. When Turkle said, she had been at funerals, where people controlled their iPhones, Colbert leave: "We all say goodbye in our own way."

Turkle's thesis is simple: technology threatens to dominate our lives and make us less human. Illusion to allow us to communicate better it actually isolate us from real human interactions in a cyber-reality is a bad imitation of the real world.

But Turkles book is far from the only work of its kind. An intellectual backlash in the United States calls for a rejection of some of the values and methods of modern communications. "This is a major setback. The various forms of communication, people are using has been something that frightens people, "said Professor William Kist, expert training in the Kent State University, Ohio.

The list of attacks on social media is long and come from all corners of the academic circles and popular culture. A recent bestseller in the United States, the legislative proposals, by Nicholas Carr, suggested that the use of the Internet changing the way we think, to make us less capable of digesting large and complex datasets information, such as books and magazine articles. The book was based on an essay, Carr wrote in the Atlantic magazine. It was very clear and was headlined: is Google making us stupid?

Another strand of thought in the field cyber-skepticism is found in the net of delusion, by Evgeny Morozov. He claims that social media has produced a generation of "slacktivists". It has made people lazy and enshrined the illusion, clicking a mouse is a form of activism equal to real world donations of time and money.

Other books include the Dumbest Generation by Emory University professor Mark Bauerlein – in which he claims "United States intellectual future looks dim" – and we have met the enemy by Daniel Akst, which describes problems with self-control in the modern world, where the proliferation of communication tools is a key component.

Downturn has crossed the Atlantic Ocean. In Cyburbia, published in the United Kingdom last year, James Harkin inquired of the modern technological world and found some dangerous possibilities. While Harkin was no clean cyber-skeptic, he was found many reasons to be concerned, as well as happy about the new technological era. Elsewhere, is the hit film social network was seen as a thinly disguised attack on the social media generation, suggests that Facebook was created by people who could fit into the real world.

Turkles book, however, has triggered the most debate so far. It is a cri de coeur to put BlackBerry down, ignores Facebook and Twitter disclaimer. "We have invented, inspiring and improving technologies, yet we have allowed them to reduce the US", she writes.

Colleague critics point to numerous episodes to back up their argument. Recently, focused media coverage of his death in Brighton by Simone back on a suicide note she had posted on Facebook, which was seen by many of her "friends" 1,048 on site. Yet no one reads help – instead of the traded insults with each other on her Facebook wall.

Turkles book has also hit home, because her earlier works, the other Self and life on the screen, seemed more open to technological world. "Alone together reads as if it were written by Turkles evil living twin," joked Kist.

But even setbacks now have a setback with many kreering in defence of social media. They point out that e-mail messages, Twitter and Facebook have led to more communication, no less — especially for people who may have trouble meeting in the real world because of the great distance or social difference.

Defenders say their is just another form of communication, as people may have difficulty in getting used to. "When you walk into a café, and all is silent on their laptops, I understand what she is saying about are not talking to each other," said Kist. "But it still communicates. I disagree with her. I can not see it as so black and white. "

Some experts believe that the debate is so sharp, because social networks is a new field that has yet to develop rules and etiquette, as everyone can respect and why events such as Simone Back death appears so shocking. "Let's face it, I see no signs of any link," said Kist. "But, perhaps, we need to involve a ' Netiquette ' to deal with the whole".

He also pointed out that the "real world", as many social media critics hark back to never actually existed. Before all raised on the bus or train with their heads buried in an iPad or a smart phone, traveled the normally only in silence. "We do not see people spontaneously talk to strangers. They just keep itself, "said Kist.

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London 2012 OLYMPICS face increased cyber attack threat

London Olympic organizers say the threat of cyber attacks has increased since the Beijing Games. Photo: Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images

London OLYMPICS organizers warned today of increased threat of cyber-attacks that could fatally undermine the technical network that supports everything from recording the world records for relaying results for commentators.

London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games (Locog) said it was "inevitable" that its systems were to turn off malicious attempts by hackers to bring them.

Reveal a new lab running simulations of millions of scenarios by venues with 200,000 hours of testing prior to 2012, chief information officer had Locog Gerry Pennell said the threat has increased since the OLYMPIC GAMES Beijing 2008.

' It is clear that cyber-security rises up agenda in this country and others. We take it very seriously. It occupies a significant portion of my time, "he said.

Patrick Adiba, chief executive of Locog's partner Atos Origin Iberia, said that during the Olympic Games in Beijing were 14 m "events" a day, around 400 who were "relevant events that could have been a problem that may have impacted on the games". All of them were blocked, he said.

"We want to get cyber attacks, secure. We are working very closely with our partners and with Government to ensure that we have been given the right level of defense against cyber attacks, "added Pennell.

"It would be, where typically a malicious Group launches an attack to bring down the game itself or the website. These kind of malicious attacks you can imagine people try to try. "

In December last year, a government safety review of the Olympic Games in monitored by Lady Neville-Jones warned that "the need for a reinforced strategy in mitigating the risks of cyber threats were identified".

It said an action plan was developed by Cyber-Security Office to meet the threat.

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Hipstamatic: app that adds instant nostalgia to your iPhone snaps

Snap happy: with Hipstamatic, now also can you your vacation pics look like Beach House press shots.

As technology speeds past us, it is perhaps not surprising that we retain an affection for analog clunkiness. Hipsters have shown a taste to take everything from vinyl crackle to laset Barbour jackets and drag them back in fashion. It is this tendency to thrift-store artiness, responsible for one of last year's biggest selling iPhone apps, Hipstamatic. For just £ 1.19 lets Iphone's digital camera produces images that look something like your parents 1972 holiday Snaps.

App itself recreates the look of an old square-frame camera and take Polaroid-style pictures. With a swipe of a finger, you can change its virtual lenses and film formats to create a series of over-tangerine or discolored effects. See the results, check any number of Twitter profiles or press shots for bands such as summer camp and vaccines.

After Hipstamatics success is a new exhibition based on Hipstamatics, a blog of the app's best shots in Orange Dot Gallery. Started last summer by photography enthusiast Jack Thomas hosts his own shot, grew it to accommodate other he found online. It was not long before people started submitting their own images.

"I realized, I had this ever-growing online photo reel," Thomas says, "and natural progression was to showcase best prints.

Like pictures of your own is Hipstamatic history a little blurry. The official "story" is that developers Ryan Dorshorst and Lucas Buick found a website dedicated to Wisconsin brothers Bruce and Winston Dorbowski, who in 1982 had the idea to make a cheap, plastic camera. The brothers spent months in a hut makes 157 cameras, before they were both killed in a freak drink-driving incident. Fast Forward to 2009 and Dorshorst and Buick approach Dorbowskis ' brother, Richard, to create the Hipstamatic app.

Just a little digging online reveals that narrative does not check in. But cute piece of viral marketing or not, the imaginative tale adds yet another layer of vintage taste to the camera.

Hipstamatic won greater legitimacy in November, however, when the New York Times snapper Damon Winter used his iPhone to a shoot in Afghanistan. Winters unobtrusive photographs of us soldiers subsequently made the paper cover.

For exhibition selected Thomas 157 best pictures (magic number of original Hipstamatics) submitted to the blog. "I love the idea of taking something banal or unclear and makes it beautiful," he said, summing up Hipstamatics popularity – it manages to make every moment captured, however, boring, like perfect sunny memories of your childhood.

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BlackBerry maker agrees to net filters

RIM has agreed that filter web access on its BlackBerry phones in Indonesia

BlackBerry-maker Research in motion is to carry out internet pornography filters in Indonesia after being threatened with a blackout for its 2 million users in the country.

RIM said today, it would apply a internet censor in the country "as soon as possible" after the Indonesian Minister for communications Tifatul Sembiring warned, BlackBerry Internet access would be "close" If it failed to comply with.

This is the first time that the Canadian company has agreed to filter the Internet on its high-security BlackBerry phones.

Indonesia, which is the world's most populous Muslim nation, recently stepped up its internet punishment with requirements on all Telekom companies that block access to adult material.

Sembiring has given RIM a two-week period to block access to porn sites. RIM has also been commissioned to configure a server in the country, which will bring all uploaded user messages during local jurisdictions, in contrast to the current situation where most of the servers based in the West.

"We have repeatedly asked them to do it, and we have given them some time," he told the Jakarta globe on the weekend. "If they keep the delay, we will close their operation because they fail to comply with our love".

Ministry spokesman Gatot Dewa Brata confirmed the news agency AFP that BlackBerry users would not be able to browse the Internet on their device, unless RIM installed its censor.

"Research in the resolution confirms that the share minister Tifatul Sembiring sense of urgency in this case, and it is fully committed to working with Indonesia's air carriers to introduce a prompt, compliant filtering solution for BlackBerry subscribers in Indonesia as soon as possible," said RIM in a statement.

Corresponds to the FÆLGS Declaration of intent, Sembiring told Reuters: "So do it."

Most other Telecom companies in the country is understood to have already deployed Internet filters, block access to adult material for the country's 40 million Internet users.

Detention caused by Indonesia's anti-porn bill, passed in 2008 by conservative Islamic parties to slow down the flow of a perceived increase in immorality in Indonesian society.

The Indonesian ultimatum, selects the latest developments in FÆLGS three years of struggle in Asia and the Middle East, as increased security fear has prompted the Government concerns in several countries through BlackBerry encryption of e-mails and messages.

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Digital video recorders: turn on, tune in and not out of pocket

Lansbury and Stelling: imagine a television system that unites this dream team. Photograph: Rex/Cloud

January is definitively month to live in, and a digital video recorder or personal video recorder could help make these evenings on the couch bit more tempting.

This week the price check looked at the deals starting from £ 60. Some models are listed as grade A, which means that it has been returned to the manufacturer and repair, if necessary, and usually comes with a warranty. If you find better prices elsewhere or have come across models that you think readers should consider, please post the details below.

Humax PVR9150T has a 160 GB hard drive, which can store up to 100 hours of footage. You can watch one channel while recording another, and pause and rewind TV. And if you eagerly look murder she wrote, or some other Saturday Stapling and want to keep an eye on the football scores you can split the screen and do both.

Many shops have started to run low of stock themselves, as we publish this, but the best price is with Richer sounds, who charge £ 119.95 in the store until tomorrow NIGHT (when it returns to the £ 129.95 online price), followed by Argos or online with Comet at £ 129.67.

You can get a grade a version of the same machine, which comes with a one-year warranty and is usually either a postback or repaired box, from Humax direct to £ 81.65 plus shipping (starting at £ 6). Although currently out of stock, Tesco Direct has a lower cost £ 59.97 plus Postage, and is due to a delivery next week.

LG DRT389H is dvd recorder equipped with a built-in Freeview tuner. It will register with DVD-RAM, DVD-R/RW or DVD + R/RW discs. This is generally priced at £ 172, but Pixmania is charging £ 99 with Porto starts at £ 6.70. Best in the shop price is with Richer sounds £ 79.95.

Panasonic DIGA DMR-EX 773EBK dvd recorder and Freeview tuner is compatible with many types of blank disc. It also has a built-in 160 GB hard drive. With a unit price £ 270 in many outlets charged Pixmania £ 195.70 including Postage, while in the store by Richer sounds are £ 209.95.

Become an early IFRS might get you the latest gadgets, but delaying your purchase for a few months can often be financially wise. Last June we featured the Philips HDT8520 at £ 295 – it is now available for £ 220 with Laskys.

Panasonic DMR-EX 83 with its 250 GB hard drive is widely available for around £ 270, but Richer sounds sells this for £ 229.95 both in store and online.

Humax HDR-FOX T2 is a recorder with free access to HD channels from BBC, ITV, Channel 4 and S4C Wales, if you are in a Freeview HD signal area. It has a 500 GB hard drive, which can store up to 125 hours HD programs (300 hours of standard definition) and twin tuners, which let you record two channels while watching a program that is stored on your hard disk.

Priced as high as £ 357, is this available for £ 299 by John Lewis and for a further 95 p by Richer sounds.

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All today's technology stories

iPhone and other smartphones are 4s are resold in increasing numbers, gets up to £ 430, which the owners are looking for quick cash. At the Jill Insley

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The Government's online data portal ' convicted '»

Data.gov.uk was launched a year ago by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, British inventor of the world wide web. Photograph: Sarah Lee to guardian

One year after the Labour Government launched the data.gov.uk portal, designed to provide a front door to a library of government data, there is unrest, the initial enthusiasm has worn and the officials calmly blocks the widespread release of useful information.

"Forgive me, but believes that this project is doomed", says one contributor to the site's discussion forum, which was highlighted today on the front page of the website, which was launched to enormous fanfare a year ago tomorrow by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, British inventor of the world wide web.

Poster, Peter Austin, Web Developer, said: "I was a member of this community almost a year ago. I wanted to use my programming skills to the public good …[but] I can only describe it as Yes Minister data. Harmless. Unlikely to generate controversy. "

Launched by Gordon Brown, is transparency project has been a large part of the coalition Government plans: use of the Big society included a key line, that "we want to create a new ' right to data '". Downing Street promised to "trigger a tsunami data" in the world, which would hold Government to account-and kick-start a £ gags industry.

Since then, the published significant datasets including all public expenditure over £ 25,000 and civil servant salaries. In June released Treasurys secret coins spending database.

Says a source in Downing street: "with regard to the political will to do so, we are full steam ahead. In the next two months even more will be released on crime and Government contracts.

This month each Council in England have to publish expenditure data over £ 500. So far only 200 out of around 360 Councils made. "We might have to get big stick out on this one," said one Downing Street source.

Professor Nigel Shadbolt, as with Berners-Lee was instrumental in getting the data.gov.uk portal created, said: "there is a huge amount still to be done. We must change the behaviour of officials and Ministers, so that they make data available without prompting. "

Concerns have also been raised about the role and objectives of the public Data Corporation (PDC), a Government-owned entity will distribute data-perhaps for profit. "It only sounds Orwellian," said one involved in the open data movement, who asked not to be named.

Jonathan Raper, chief executive of Placr, which has built a number of applications that use transport data, in particular from London Datastore warned Ministers at a recent public meeting, to the levying of charges for the data via the PDC would be "regressive".

Cabinet Office said: "one of our objectives is to make more data free for use, where this is appropriate and represents good value for taxpayers ' money; and where data is charged for we would aim to make it on a consistent basis "

The largest effects can perhaps be a full reconstruction of data.gov.uk, according to Downing Street source. "It's just not as good as it should be".

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Lush site hack leaves customers risk

Edge says it became aware of hacker attacks in late December. Photo: guardian

Handmade cosmetics group at the edge has admitted, was its website hacked repeatedly by fraudsters over the past three months, putting thousands of customers at risk of their card information stolen. But only, the company informed customers last night.

At the edge has taken down its website and replaced it with a statement: "We would like to all customers who place online orders with us between 4 Oct 2010 and 20 Jan 2011 to contact their banks for advice, which can be compromised their card information."

The company beauty warned: "24-hour security surveillance has shown us that we are still being targeted and who continue to try to retype".

Customers will be able to make purchases, until a new site is launched "in a few days" accept only PayPal payments, but orders are still being taken through its mail order telephone service, as cosmetics group said had been unaffected by the "crisis". Customers who paid by card in lush stores are also unaffected.

Rik Ferguson, a consultant at security firm Trend Micro, said he knew person had used the site for an order and subsequent seen fraudulent orders of £ 1,700 made against. "Risk of these card numbers being used is already moved from the theoretical to reality," he said.

The fact that the edge is warning customers to contact their banks can specify it has failed to encrypt the details held on its site – which if true, could mean it has failed to comply with the regulations known as PCI compliance, which regulate the storage of card details by websites in Europe.

On the other hand, could in the worst case scenario, see the edge deprived of its ability to accept credit card payments online. Site to lush said, it would launch a separate site "in a couple of days", which would accept PayPal payments only. PayPal transactions do not require PCI compliance. The company did not respond to a request to explain whether it had adapted PCI standards, before this story was published.

At the edge of the posted a video of lemmings in parallel with his dance Declaration to "try to share a smile" and added a funny message for hackers: "If you read this, our Web team would like to say that your talents are formidable. We would like to offer you a job – was not it, that morality is not clear is compatible with our or our customers ".

Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at your computer and web security company Sophos and a respected blogger on the subject, said: "If there was a customer of the edge's website would I feel like smiling this morning. It would certainly be interesting to hear, when at the edge of the first discovered that they had suffered from a breach of security. It was at the same time as the posted message on the front page of their website, or have the known in a longer piece? "

Many customers also wonder why it took so long at the edge of time to inform customers, if the site was first hacked in October, especially as its declaration specifies it has 24-hour web security.

One record on Twitter read: "so that the edge of the known they were hacked since Christmas and you have just decided to share info? Disappointed, really am ". Another Tweet said: "I don't care if lush products eco friendly or not. I care if they keep my banking information safe ". Another claimed: "I still have my emails from lush dates back to 2007, where they admit to have serious bugs and ' Gremlins ' with their website".

Patrick Taylor, a lush customer from Blackpool, told the guardian: "at the edge of the makes nice stuff and seem to be a cool company, but as soon as you have noticed the hack should have close website and communicated to customers. Thousands of us would have been affected by this. My girlfriend now had to check his credit card information. "

Victims also posting messages on the page lush Facebook. A wrote: "we have had our cards compromised, and used in fraudulent transactions only three days ago. It is now been canceled and we have no way to get access to our money.

There was also speculation to, how long at the edge of the holding had client's financial data in an unsafe environment. One lush victim said: "we used Lushs site back in late Nov. they must have holding our details unencrypted since then."

At the edge of the said in a statement: "we were aware in late December that www.lush.co.uk had been subject to attack by malicious users. Our customers ' safety is of utmost importance to us and as soon as we realized this was the case, we immediately took down our UK website and a thorough investigation, followed and extra security measures in place.

"24-hour monitoring has shown that another attempt to hack our UK Web site is done, and again, we have taken down our UK homepage as a precautionary measure.

"We are horrified that this has happened, understand we need interested, and we value our customers continue to support, while we resolve the matter. We will continue to work with our credit card acquirer to undertake a complete review of this hacking attempt. "

The edge was previously praised by green campaigners for do not use animal fats in its products, as well as its position on animal testing — it performs tests with human volunteers instead. The Group has also sold products, disclose full purchase price for charitable organisations and promoting various charities on its product packaging.

Loyal customers defend company and praise it for the way its declaration was written. A Twitter user wrote: "I like the way at the edge of the handling of hackers, who closes its online marketing". Another wrote: "some terrible people have hacked lush home page … they need to get a life and leave the lovely peeps on the edge of the alone".

Cluley said at the edge of the appeared to adopt a "social media response" to the security breach. "Although news for customers is very worrying, they are trying to present the news in a warm and cosy way," he said. "I wonder, however, is how well customers will take the news that their credit card details might have injured – and can not appreciate the Lushs attempt to smooth the waters."

He added that it would have been more useful if the edge had linked to information that shows people how to tell if your credit card be misused and next steps affected customers should take. Lush customers are advised, instead just the company to contact their bank or credit card provider for advice.

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iPhone 4s sold on as owners feel the pinch

iPhone 4s are resold for £ 430 on eBay. Photo: Kin Cheung/AP

Mobile phone recycling companies have seen a steep increase in the number of phones will be redeemed in, with the iPhone 4 among the most popular traded.

SellMyMobile.com, a site that compares prices from mobile recycling sites, have seen a 70% increase in inquiries about mobile phone recycling in the last week of last year, while site traffic continued to increase in January.

Smartphones have covered tables with the Nokia 5800 Xpress music, BlackBerry 8520 Curve and iPhone 3GS 8 Gb commonly recycled. These models are all between 18 months and two years old, but can still fetch around £ 150, and the owners are likely to have come to the end of their contracts and are able to upgrade.

More surprising is 844 iPhone 4s and 113 HTC Windows 7 that owners have recovered since 26 December. These are relatively new models with HTC phone launched just three months ago. Nine iPads have been sold.

SellMyMobile.com relates to the recycling of these models to the high prices they command: £ 360 for iPhone 4 32 Gb.

Keir McConomy, CEO of SellMyMobile.com, said: "to sell consumers on iPhone 4s can mean only one thing: they need cash, and fast. There are simply not a more desirable phone on the market, so the only possible explanation for their sudden resale popularity is that people really need a extra £ 360 in their pockets as VAT hike pieces. "

Mazumamobile.com has bought between 60 and 100 iPhone 4s each day. Charlo Carabott, Executive Director of the company, says: "we were intrigued when we saw people offers iPhone 4s to us, so asked them why they want to reuse. Some of them have received cash problems, while others have been offered upgrades to the iPhone 4s, but decided they were satisfied with their existing phone and decide to sell the iPhone to fund their monthly mobile costs.

Many people use the online phone recycling collection, because they are quick and easy, but they could get better prices by selling on eBay. 16 Gb iPhone 4 would have retrieved approximately £ 315 from mazumamobile.com and Envirofone.com on Friday, but the same model downloaded £ 430 on eBay.

A spokesman for the consumer credit counselling service said, selling an expensive phone may facilitate cash flow problems in the short term (especially if the phone is "pay as you go"). But he said: "who are suffering from the ongoing liquidity problems would do better to come into contact with a free debt advice service as CCCS for help in working out of a long-term solution."

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Spam bounces back from record low

All spam from February 2010. Click for larger image

A dramatic decline in levels of e-mail advertising Viagra products and herbal medicinal products has caused a precipitous drop in global spam levels – but today the unsolicited messages showed the first signs of a huge comeback.

Pharmaceutical promotions typically account for around 64% of all e-mail spam globally – around 60bn messages a day. This fell to as low as 0.1% in the period from Christmas, accounts for a relatively small 70 m messages. "It is a drop in the ocean compared [previous spam levels]," said Paul Wood, senior analyst at cyber security company Symantec.

Volume of total email spam fell to its lowest point in two years last month from 200bn a day in August for around 30bn daily at the end of December.

But today that number has risen sharply to 70bn e-mails in the first signs of a resurgence since spam levels flatlined for two weeks ago.

The majority of spam sent by networks of virus-infected computers, known as botnets. Botnet responsible for just under half of all spam, known as Rustock, ceased activity on Christmas day, send pharmaceutical spam to a new one.

Percentage of spam produced from the Rustock botnet.

However, increased activity, that accommodation Rustock prompting security experts to predict that spam levels in the next 24 hours could increase exponentially. Yesterday Rustock accounted for 1.5% of all global spam, while this afternoon, the figure stands 30% and is rising all the time.

"This is a marked increase. It is still not the same as spam levels before Christmas, but its a sign that the Rustock simply had gone quiet, for whatever reason, the "wood told the guardian.

"It is very unusual that they would go quiet of their own accord – which is why this eye-catching much more than previous occasions – but there must be a reason for it, as I suspect, we get a sense of it in a timely manner."

Rustock botnets and other is connected to the recently closed the site Spamit.com, which was credited with served up a large amount of global spam.

Those who are running spam campaigns, the most popular which is unsolicited Viagra advertising, can measure their campaigns via Spamit success and then get paid on the basis of its performance.

Exact figures for the monetary value of the global spam industry are difficult to come, but some Court documents from former prosecutions have quoted a "conservative" figure of $ 100bn (£ 64bn) a year, according to wood.

Targeting unwitting Internet users via their email inbox is the primary route for spammers. But increasingly, scammers move to social networks such as Twitter and Facebook.

Hundreds of Twitter users found themselves accidentally tweeting advertising for an acai berry diet last month, as hackers broke into the accounts of users whose password had been exposed by an attack on make Magazine Web sites.

Social networks are an easy target for spammers is due to set up a plausible-looking profile and hide malicious hyperlinks by using the popular URL shorteners like bit.LY to ease of use.

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Hackers will not be deterred by the UK cyber defences, new report warns

The report comes at a time of heightened awareness of online attack following hacking protests against businesses caught in the WikiLeaks controversy. Photo: Corbis

Military "cyber weapon" will be commonplace this century, but it would be unlikely to deter attacks by "hacktivists" and criminal gangs, and could easily be used for State-sponsored cyber attacks instead of the Organization for economic cooperation and development warns.

British authors of the study, which were released today, also caution "explicit lurid language" and lobbying the Government's technology companies distorts plans to protect the United Kingdom against cyber attacks.

Professor Peter Sommer of LSE and Dr. Ian Brown Oxford University internet Institute was commissioned by the OECD for one of a series of studies of potential "future global shocks".

Their report comes at a time of heightened awareness of online attack following hacking protests against businesses caught in the WikiLeaks controversy.

Answers to other hacking attacks from groups inside China and Russia, is military preparations started to gather pace, the study says. But it also warns: "it is not too difficult for nation States to configure discrete cyber attack units. Any agency that researcher for defensive purposes, the nature of cyber-attacks have all the knowledge required to originate attacks and disguise the fact they are doing.

"Little capital investment required … [en] almost all cyber attacks use hijacked, innocent zombie machines."

Brown says State-supported cyberwar will probably be more common because "cyber weapon will play a key role alongside more conventional and psychological attack of nation States in future warfare". However, the report warns: "a predominantly military [reply] to cyber security is a mistake. Most of the targets in the communications, energy, finance, food, Government, health, transport and water critical national infrastructure is in the private sector. Because it is often difficult to be certain who is attacking you from cyberspace, defence of deterrence is not. "

The authors suggest that "lean, just-in-time delivery systems", supplying supermarkets and manufacturers expose them to serious disturbance if large computer network go down.

"More effective is increasing resilience and robustness of critical systems and society in General … Add redundancy to systems allow some service must be continued, while damaged components in isolation, repair and replacement. Public panic buying can quickly enlarge these interruptions. During 2000 the fuel protests in the United Kingdom stores some imported food rationing. "NATO has created a pole of excellence on cyber defence in Estonia, and last year United States appointed its first cyber warfare General.

"UK [created] office of assurance cyber security and information (Ocsia) and a cyber security operations centre. At European level is Enisa, the European network and information security agency, "the report says.

Ocsia has approximately 20 persons working for it, to bring together experts from military, police and intelligence services. It is the lead agency coordinating £ 650 m cyber security program as the coalition Government announced in October last year.

Summer added: "we do not help us by using the ' cyberwar ' to describe espionage or hacktivist block or unreadable by websites, as seen recently in response to WikiLeaks. Nor is it useful to group the trivially avoidable events like virus and fraud with resolute attempt to interfere with the national infrastructure. "

Cyber warfare strategies and weapons include: unauthorized access to systems [hacking], viruses, and worms that spread across the Internet, Trojan horses, distributed denial of service attack that uses botnets, root-kits and use of social engineering.

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Amazon takes full control of Lovefilm

Girl with the Dragon tattoo ... one of the films are available for Lovefilms subscribers to stream online

Amazon took today full control DVD rental and online video company Lovefilm, in a deal to buy at 58% of the company, as it does not already own a released sum.

The world's largest online retailer has adjust to bid for a full stake in Lovefilm for some time, and today's deal is believed to value the business at around £ 200 m.

Amazon bought a 42% stake in Lovefilm in 2008.

"Lovefilm has to innovate on behalf of the movie rental customers across Europe for many years and with the advent of Lovefilm player, they are further delighting customers by streaming digital movies to their immediate enjoyment," said Amazon's Vice-President of European retail, Greg Greeley. "Lovefilm and Amazon have had a strong working relationship since Lovefilm acquired Amazon Europe's DVD rental business in 2008, and we look forward to a productive and innovative future."

LOVEFiLM will remain a leading player in DVD rentals since the launch in the United Kingdom in 2004, and has 1.4 million subscribers across Europe. The company tripled its sales in 2009 to almost £ 100 million, and in March last year launched its digital streaming service, enabling viewers to Rent and watch movies over the Internet.

The acquisition will be subject to European regulatory approvals and is expected to close in the first quarter of 2011.

Lovefilm chief executive, Simon Calver, said: "deal is a win for the members who love Lovefilm because of its value, choice, convenience and innovation in home entertainment

"With Amazon's unequivocal support we can significantly improve our members experience throughout Europe."

Within the last 12 months, Lovefilm has stepped up its movie streaming business, while leaving service its physical DVD rental continues its growth. Lovefilm announced in 2009 that online now was its "primary" company – despite online rentals, representing a 10th of DVD and Blu-ray rentals.

LOVEFiLM customers can now also stream movies over a number of internet-connected living room devices, including Sony and Samsung TV sets and PS3 games console.

Takeover bids conversations between companies means rushed when Lovefilm was reported to be approaching a public offering. Investers in Lovefilm include European venture capital firms DFJ Esprit, Balderton capital, Arts Alliance Media and Index Ventures.

Dharmarsh Mistry, a partner at the Balderdon capital, said today the acquisition was "great" for both companies. "Lovefilm is Netflix Europe, and it will be central to Amazon's European and global strategy."

Rise and rise of us movie rentals fixed Netflix, which have a market capital of $ 9.97bn (£ 6.23bn) – believed to be another leading cause of Amazon's Move. Netflix announced its intention to expand globally, with Europe and the United Kingdom a natural next step. Netflixs film library is believed to be nearly twice the size of Lovefilm 's.

LOVEFiLM was formed by the merger of two European DVD rental businesses, Arts Alliance Media and Video Island, in 2006. Two years later, privately owned Lovefilm acquired Amazon in UK and German movie rental business, with online retail giant takes a stake in the business world as a part of the deal.

The company now operates in five European countries: UK, Germany, Sweden, Denmark and Norway.

Saul Klein, a partner at Index Ventures and co-founder of Video Island, said process opens the door for a series of "mouthwatering Palatinate" integration opportunities with Amazon's existing assets, including movie database IMDB.

"When you get to the level of activity as a Lovefilm — makes £ 100 m in revenue, profitable and growing, not only in the United Kingdom – you end up having a lot of [future business] elections," said Klein.

"Amazon, will be one of the best ecommerce companies in the world has an incredible platform, including IMDB take Lovefilm to the next level and accelerate its growth.

"The great thing about Lovefilm is, it has been a stable and growing core activities in DVD by post, and, however, quickly [internet] streaming arrives, most people would say, there is still a pretty good long-term business in sending people DVDs through the mail."

"It is the customers, who shall decide on the go to digital or physical rentals – that's why we develop a hybrid proposition" Calver told the guardian. "We see no change in our strategy or approach, the basic things will accelerate growth. There are plenty of opportunities, but it is still early days, so there is no concrete plans and both companies see opportunities. "

Calver said, Lovefilm has seen "very, very strong" dissemination in streaming from video game consoles, which it introduced in March last year, but to physical rentals was also performing "safely" and "continued at pace".

Amazon's initial plans for Lovefilm is to continue to expand its presence on the internet-connected devices Greeley said, with Lovefilms European base complement Amazon's existing only U.S.-video on demand (VOD) offering.

Physical DVD rentals will remain an important part of the Lovefilms service under its new owner, he told the guardian: "as long as we offer a service across three fronts [streaming via game consoles, and internet rentals physical view], we are not concerned about cannibalisation."

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Ask Jack: Cloning a Windows hard disk

Data on the computer hard drives can be copied or cloned. Photo: Scenics & science/Alamy

After replacing my laptop work, had I not reinstall Windows 7
Once, but several times. (PC was replaced under warranty, and think
OK now.) Given the time to install Windows, Microsoft Office, and
a load of specialised stuff used for work, I wonder if I should
Cloning an entire hard drive on a regular basis. To give it a try,
I would use the same make (WD) and their software. Is this totally
brainless?
Andrew Whitehouse

There are two ways to back up Windows and other operating systems. The traditional way is to copy all files to a separate hard disk, and the somewhat newer method is to carry out a bit for bit copy or "clone" of the entire hard drive. Copying can cause problems, because Windows will lock and refuse to copy any of the files, it is using, and when Norton Ghost appeared shortly after Windows 95, this gave a very simple and quick way for users to clone and restore their drive. Acronis software was later, popular for the same purpose. It is somewhat easier to clone Windows, if you do it under the control of another operating system, typically Linux or a separate server.

Many large companies have today, their own Windows "disk images", as the copy to new PCs. This makes it possible for them to get Windows and all their corporate software installed in the time it takes to copy the image to your hard disk. The same idea is used by many spilleklubber and some libraries and schools: instead of trying to clean up an operating system, there may have been compromised or misused, they can just start each day with a fresh image. Microsoft provides free Windows Steady State software for this purpose, but there are commercial alternatives such as ' Faronics Deep Freeze and Fortres ' clean slate.

"Disk image" or snapshot approach is ideal if you want to return a system to a known state. As well as is useful for schools and libraries, it is good for journalists to test a lot of software or work with malware, and I am sure at least a couple of home users do the same with computers their children use. For most users is periodic or continuous file-based back-ups is probably still the best approach. However, the trend is towards the back-up software that supports both.

If you pay for the software, Acronis True Image Home probably 2011 still the system of choice. The latest version can do disk imaging. file backups, and full, incremental and differential backups. There is also a free version for the Western Digital hard disk: Acronis True Image WD Edition software.

There are also some good free clone applications including Paragon Backup & Recovery free and PING (Partimage is not Ghost). (Perhaps I should admit that use Clonezilla from a Linux-GParted Live CD, but if you do not already know about this program, you probably should not use it).

When you are lucky to using Windows 7, you can, however, use the built-in Windows backup and restore program. This is not the most sophisticated software, but it seems to be reliable, and it is very easy to use. If you take brain-free option to let it do whatever it likes, it will make both a copy of the file-level and a clone of your hard disk. The minor restrictions is that it will always back up the system partition either you like it or not, and that it only works with NTFS drives.

If you have a couple of PCs, you can also consider purchasing a Windows Home Server. This is sold as a network device storage (NAS) and a media server, but it will also automatically back up multiple Windows PCs and MACS.

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Tech weekly podcast: Evgeny Morozov

There is an international flavor to this week's program. We start
turned off by hearing from Evgeny Morozov, Stanford scholar, who has doubts
whether or not the web can bring democratic change. Despite reports
Noting the importance of Facebook in the current Tunisian protests
and 2009 Twitter revolution in Iran, Yevgeny believes the new
technology could end the contamination far more problems than it solves.
Charles Arthur finds out from this cyber-skeptic, daily tools we of
use for shopping and personalised could end up limiting the
the Internet in authoritarian States.

And even though Aleks is away this week, she still has been busy – speaks to Indian business blogger Nikhil Pahwa from MediaNama.com. He is first
The public servant from her recent trip to the country, and sets the scene,
explains what the digital sector is like in the country, what
There are opportunities for British businesses in India, and how
mobile internet is the next great hope.

Jemima Kiss presents the Show, and there is also this week
technology headlines with news about Steve Jobs
latest health problems, a Facebook flotation, rotate, and how
Nokia does not come to music and more.

Don't forget to ...

• Mail us on tech@guardian.co.uk
• Download our Twitter feed to program updates or Follow our Twitter list
• Like our Facebook page
• See our pics on Flickr/post tech pics

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Outbound Google boss Eric Schmidt sells shares

Eric Schmidt stepping as chief executive of Google but becomes Executive Chairman photograph: Graham Turner for guardian

Outbound Google boss Eric Schmidt said, he is preparing to sell shares in the search engine worth more than $ 326 m £ 200 m on the day after he raised from the top job.

The sale comes after the company announced that Google co-founder Larry Page would replace Schmidt as chief executive in April, take over the day-to-day running of the company. Schmidt becomes Executive Chairman. Share sale would be his first in more than three years.

Plan stock-trading, filed with the u.s. financial regulator the Securities and Exchange Commission, States that Schmidt plans to sell as much as 534,000 class a shares in the course of the year. Google's shares were worth $ 611.75 yesterday, making sales worth $ 326. 67 m to today's prices.

Sales represent only a fraction of Schmidt's Google fortune. His 10 years at the company has 55-year-old built a holding of 9.2 m Google shares worth $ 5.8bn.

The surprise announcement that Schmidt leaving chief executive job shocked Wall Street and Silicon Valley. He has worked closely with page and co-founder Sergey Brin for a decade to take the company public and build it into one of the most effective and successful companies in the world.

He intensified after tweeting that it no longer required "adult supervision". On a conference call with analysts Schmidt said: "I think Larry is ready. His ideas are very interesting and clever, and it is time for him to have shot at running this. "Last year Google was eclipsed by Facebook as the most visited site on the planet and Google have suffered setbacks in social media. Analysts believe the move may signal the company attempts to regain lead in innovation.

Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC financial, wrote in a note to investors: "while Google has grown under Eric Schmidt's tenure as CEO, a case can also be made that it was not built any new material revenue streams, was intended for the construction of late mobile market has no effective social solutions, overbuilt its Headcount is placed and the Government regulators cross hairs."

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British developer and buy nab Apple's 10 billionth app download

Paper glider: the ten billionth app downloaded from Apple's App Store

A small UK app developer and a woman from Orpington were today's winners as Apple announced 10 billionth app from its iTunes App Store.

Gail Davis of Orpington in Kent downloaded app, paper glider from Cirencester-based iPhone app developer Neon play. As the winner of Apple's App Store countdown to 10 billion Apps, Davis will receive a $ 10,000 iTunes gift card.

"We have eagerly discussed 10 billion app countdown in our games studio, so when I got a call from Apple Cupertino says, they had some good news, I trøde that they might tell us, the featuring one of our apps on the App Store," said Oli Christie, CEO of Neon play.

"So when they said that Neon play paper gliders was the 10 billionth app, I was completely so. It is a big piece of news for the whole team playing Neon. Paper glider is currently number one app in the UK, so this is a double piece of great news for our studio.

Apple opened its App Store in July 2008, have earlier suggested for developers, that it would not be necessary, because they could develop applications to run on the World Wide web instead-but then agreed.

Have an "app store" now seen as crucial for any platform, smartphone success: Nokia, Google Android phones, BlackBerry maker RIM, Microsoft's Windows phone 7 and other rivals, have all competing stores compete to attract developers and buyers are using their phones. Androids are closest to it in the apps, even if a greater number of its apps is advertising-supported rather than paid for-although overall the majority of apps offered free of charge.

Apple said earlier this week, to more than 160 m iOS devices that can download and run apps have been sold, although the number of active units is between 120 m and 130 m, when they were introduced, the first is the iPhone in June 2007.

Said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of worldwide product Marketing "with more than 10 billion apps downloaded in just two and a half years – an amazing seven billion apps alone — the App Store has surpassed our wildest dreams, last year". "The App Store has revolutionized how software is created, distributed, discovered and sold. While the other attempt to copy the App Store, it will continue to offer developers and customers the most innovative experience on the planet. "

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CES 2011: Tablet and uncover new strategies

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Four new tablets on show at CES 2011, clockwise from top left: the Motorola Xoo, the Dell Streak 7 4G, Panasonic's Viera, and the Samsung 7 Series sliding PC. Photograph: AP Photo/Julie Jacobson, (first and third photos), Isaac Brekken, (second and fouth). Photograph: AP

The stands have been broken down, the sun has set in Las Vegas, and the Consumer Electronics show is over - having attracted around 140,000 visitors, up around 40% on last year. It really is big: split among three halls, and spilling over into multiple hotels, with 1.5m square feet of exhibits, 2,500 exhibitors (of whom 1,200 came from outside the US), with 20,000 products launched.

So here's the wrap-up. What are the topics? They fall pretty neatly into a few categories.

What a lot of tablets. Around 80 were launched, almost all of them running Android. Motorola wowed the show by announcing its 10-inch (1280x800) Xoom, which will run Android 3.0 (aka "Honeycomb"). You couldn't actually see it running Honeycomb, though; all the stand had was a sort of video demonstration running on the device. Battery life? Price? Ship date? "Competitive", "competitive" and "aiming for Q1".

Presumably it can't determine the battery life or shipping date because that depends on Google getting the software ready, and to announce the price would offer a hostage to fortune at the hands of all the rivals. The Xoom does look very nice, though, and Honeycomb looks like an OS that has tablets in mind; it's not just a blown-up phone interface. I was less convinced by RIM's PlayBook: I simply couldn't see what it would do especially for a business that couldn't be done cheaper and leveraging the Android developer community on Android. That's going to be a tough sell for RIM, I think. HP's forthcoming tablet, meanwhile, is a completely unknown quantity, but the challenge will be the same: getting the developers on board.

Asus also said it would ship a Honeycomb tablet, but didn't even waggle that under our noses; I'd suspect that Motorola is slightly better favoured by Google on this.

The absence: tablets running Windows 7. I did find one (the iTablet from AHX Global, which is a British company) which said that Windows 7 interest was actually greater than for its Android tablet. Then again, the 80-1 interest might indicate that there were other Android tablets; with so many, you'd be hard-pressed to pick one over the others without a detailed review.

And Steve Ballmer did not do the much-expected relaunch of Windows 7 for tablets. The announcement that the next version of Windows (dubbed Windows 8 by the press and analysts, though Microsoft treated the idea of naming it at all as toxic) would run on both Intel's x86 and ARM's RISC architecture. That's a huge move, but it also means that with at least 18 months before you see WindowsNext, other tablet companies will have a chance to go after that market and possible saturate it.

What's not entirely clear, even yet, is what Microsoft is aiming at. To unify the codebase? Possibly, suggested Ron Burk, former editor of Windows Developer's Journal: it might not be such a split for the Windows/Intel monopoly as people have been making out. His suggestion: it's a play for the embedded market, offering developers who have written for the desktop the chance to access that space without having to go through too much pain. Except, as he pointed out to me in an email, "there's no great value to be had from trying to claim you can take applications designed for 1600x1200 screens, keyboards, and mice, and run their binaries unchanged on a cellphone. You have to redesign your UI (at a minimum) for the mobile device anyway, so the fact that you have to set the compiler flag for "ARM" is the least of your worries. If you want the flood of apps to Windows phones that the iPhone has seen, you really want tap the large number of Windows desktop developers that have never written a Windows CE program in their lives."

Which still leaves Microsoft outside the tablet market looking in - and Intel too, because it's got nothing to offer to the tablet market as it is now shaping up. Windows tablets will barely grow in absolute numbers for 2010 (from the 1m-odd they sold to niches in 2009), even as the sector has exploded.

And Intel was offended by Microsoft's non-move at tablets: CNet reported an Intel executive saying "Hey, we tried to get [Microsoft] to do a tablet OS (operating system) for a long time. Us, and others like Dell." That from Tom Kilroy, senior vice president and general manager of Intel's Sales and Marketing Group. And I've heard the same from a separate, unconnected source: there is real irritation within Intel, and within Dell, at the fact that Microsoft seems to have promised to go big on tablets, but then done nothing that would push them along to the wider market. That has hurt the hardware partners - and those are expensive mistakes on both sides.

For instance, there were plenty of netbooks on show at CES - but it's hard not to feel that the steam has gone out of that market. Quite aside from Apple's iPad (which will have had a Christmas boost from all the phone operators suddenly offering it with 3G plans - funny, that), Samsung is reporting that it has sold 1.5m of its Galaxy Tab tablets, which I find remarkable given that its performance (especially on Flash) really isn't that good; there are better and cheaper options out there if you want a 7-inch Android 2.x tablet, such as the Viewsonic: see my review comparing them.

So what will tablets do to the netbook market? Is every tablet sold going to be sold along with a new netbook? Will people who presently don't have a netbook wait and buy one of those first, and then get a tablet later? I suspect not - I think tablets and netbooks are in a zero-sum game, given their very similar pricing. Given the choice, you'll buy one or the other. They're additive to your desktop or laptop - but they're mutually exclusive.

(Please don't protest that you can't see the point of a tablet. Nobody is forcing you to buy one. But clearly people are doing so.)

However, for Microsoft, it's not a zero-sum game. Every Android tablet or iPad sold represents lost revenue, whether through a Windows licence on a netbook, or an Office licence, or simply the chance for people writing Windows software to benefit. Microsoft offers no software for the iPad, and nothing for Android tablets. For Windows developers, and also for Windows Phone developers, that's lost money. Why would you spend time developing for Windows Phone (which runs on ARM, so could run on an ARM-based tablet) when you could develop for Android first, and make some cash there?

Gordon Kelly, a British freelance journalist, pointed out to me the problem with Windows Phone 7: the name. If Android were called "Google Phone OS", you'd feel a bit odd about having it on a tablet; for the marketing team, it confuses the message. "Android" doesn't say anything about the device. (Apple of course barely acknowledges that its devices have an OS.)

However, the branding problem is acute with trying to run Windows Phone 7 on a tablet - even if the Windows division were to allow it, which it seems not to want to do. The logic behind the latter thing is that a Windows licence generates about $40, while a Windows Phone licence generates about $5. Sensible then not to license WP7 on tablets? Except if you don't sell any of them, your revenue is $40 x 0. Compare that to the revenues from tablets: imagine if those 1.5m Galaxy Tabs were running WP7. It's better than the nothing Microsoft gets now.

But the branding problem is a hassle too: if it were called something portmanteau like "Windows Portable" (because Windows Mobile is tainted), that would make it usable on a tablet without giving the marketing people migraines.

There doesn't seem to be a simple solution for Microsoft. In the meantime, even if tablets kill off netbooks and then die themselves in a year or two, and a different form factor takes over, it will still have been a victory for Apple and Android, and a rout for Microsoft. We'll watch and compare PC sales this year with the forecasts made last year with a lot of interest.

Yes, 3D TV is still happening. Sony, Samsung, LG and others are pretty sure they can persuade us to dump our HD sets and buy a new one requiring strange heavy glasses (or possibly not - Sony has a 3D TV that doesn't need glasses waiting in the wings) some time in the next five years. And if you thought your front room was dominated by your TV now, here's the next bit: 3D TVs are only available in 40-inch sizes and up. Aesthetically, you've got to have a really big room or the thing's in your lap.

Two questions arise: can a 3D TV work as a 2D set? (Yes.) Is this something that consumers are banging on the manufacturers' doors and demanding? (No.) Then again, people don't know what they want until you offer it, as HDTV showed - though many people still aren't getting the benefit of that.

Sony is betting big on this - 3D camcorders and cameras, and 3D computers, quite beside the TVs. The problem is that 3D TV still just feels like multiple flat planes sliding around in front of you.

If we accept that 3D will become popular then it won't take long to become a commodity, meaning Sony's investment will be hard to recoup. For Howard Stringer, Sony's chief executive, 3D might be what makes or breaks him: there have been mumblings about whether other parts of the executivocracy in Sony want him out. So if you want him to stay, buy a 3D TV.

Rumours that Google TV would be absent from CES turned out to be wrong: instead it's undergone something of a rebranding as "smart TV", which gets away from the G-word, and focusses on the internet element. Certainly it has potential, being app-based (Android and Linux again: a missed revenue opportunity for Microsoft, again); what will be key will be how much access content owners such as TV stations and film streaming companies such as Netflix allow, or (in the latter case) are allowed to allow. One of the companies showing off products was Logitech; I'm bringing back one of its Revue boxes (for smart TV) so we'll put it through its paces and see how it goes.

Apple is, in case you hadn't noticed, a consumer electronics company. However, it wasn't at this, the biggest consumer electronics show in the world - possibly the universe. Las Vegas is too loud, and anyway it wouldn't have anything to show. Yet it's fascinating to note that everywhere you turned, there were accessories for iPhone and iPads; there were so many exhibitors trying to show off iPad-related stuff (such as cases and screen covers; not what you'd call essential by any stretch of the imagination) that some company has got a nice job making iPad shells - just the metal back cover and a cardboard block with a picture of the home screen in the front. In fact sometimes it felt like 19,000 of the new products being launched were add-ons for iPa/o/phone/d/s. Actually, not so much iPods: those are now reckoned to be a dead market.

The size of that hardware ecosystem should be making Microsoft pause a bit. It's interesting too (as Griffin Technology, one of the longest-running accessory companies told us) that the best-selling Android tablet accessories are for the Samsung Galaxy Tab: proof that it's not necessarily the best that emerges from such races.

Another little piece of anecdotal evidence came from walking around the show: a surprisingly large number of people (and this is a trade show, so these are buyers for retailers and/or distributors) were sporting iPads or Apple computers. Again, the sort of thing Microsoft might feel a bit itchy about.

Overall? The scene is set for a fascinating battle this year between Android Honeycomb-based tablets and the iPad 2 (which we can reasonably expect will offer front and rear cameras); and to find out whether smart internet-connected TVs are going to enhance our lives, or whether we'll be fighting for the remote as one person tries to tweet and the other tries to change the channel. And 3D TV? Until they can ensure they'll work in screens of 32 inches or less, it's going to remain a niche.

Oh, and one last thing: at your request, I headed over to the Nokia stand to find out about MeeGo devices, and I tried to find Notion Ink to ask about the Adam e-reader. Struck out on both: Nokia was only talking about its Qt software, and Notion Ink wasn't distributing; it seems to be saving money on a stand by demonstrating it only to a selected few. We weren't among them. If they're in money-saving mode, that might not be the greatest news. Perhaps we'll know for sure in a year.

And for now - CES is officially closed. Thanks for all the comments and reading.

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