Not all countries have the resources needed to communicate with the outside world through online means, and this is what is exactly happening in Iran, Sudan, and Cuba.

Software exports

In an effort to help address this issue, U.S. officials have released in a statement that they are permitting technology companies in the country to make chat and social media software exports to the said countries. After a request has been passed by the State Department to release waivers under existing sanctions, the U.S. Treasury Department made the decision to allow technology companies to send mass-market types of software overseas for free. Some of the companies include Google Incorporated and Microsoft Corp.

U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Neil Wolin has stated recently that such actions by the American government will allow the citizens of Iran, Sudan, and Cuba to exercise their basic rights, as far as communication and online interaction is concerned.
 
Internet and social networking
 
The Treasury has furthermore stated that the waiver will result in the easy downloading of software for Internet browsing purposes, as well as for email, chat, blogging, and instant messaging. And with the current trend on social networking and photo and movie sharing, citizens of Iran, Sudan, and Cuba will have an easier means of reaching out to a vast global network.

The case on Iran

In the previous year, the Internet played a major role when Iranian protesters disputed the results of the elections. The United States, in reply, blamed Iran for not providing enough Internet access to its citizens.

Because Iran calls itself a democratic state, Hillary Clinton, U.S. Secretary of State, says that its government should allow its citizens to exercise democratic rights and respect the rights to free expression. This statement followed the news conference held recently with the president of Gabon.

Ms. Clinton states furthermore that expression and assembly are now made possible through online means as well as in person. She is adamant about supporting Iranians who have the desire for free expression and communication, without having to experience pressures from their own government.

Collective national interest

The State Department has made a request to the Office of Foreign Assets Control to slacken their export rules, making a reference to the collective interest of the American nation to help citizens in the aforementioned countries to have access to the programs. This request was mentioned in a letter to the chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee, Carl Levin, on December 15, 2009.

The U.S. Institute of Peace supports these actions of the U.S. Government, with Sheldon Himelfarb, technology expert at the said agency, stating that the move does not necessary mean that the governments of those countries no longer have the authority to control or censor what is being posted on the Internet as far as domestic issues are concerned. At the very least, the citizens of those countries will have access to the most outstanding communication tools, generally designed and developed in the U.S.

Today, Microsoft made the announcement that Office 2010 will be officially launched to the business world during an event scheduled on May 12. Furthermore, businesses with volume license agreements will also be able to acquire the product during launching day. The general sale of the Office 2010 however is slated for June, and this will essentially involve sales to individual consumers and enterprises that do not have licensing deals.

Free upgrade program

It has been expected that Microsoft will release a program that allows a free upgrade to Office 2010, and the company made good on their word, offering the upgrade tool to consumers who will purchase Office 2007 beginning now until September 30.

The chief financial officer from Microsoft has announced that the launching of the Office 2010 Technology Guarantee Program will be during this month. This statement has been confirmed earlier this week. A news leak has reached the World Wide Web last month about the aforementioned free Office 2010 upgrade program. This was when a Microsoft technology professional posted some information on Microsoft’s partner community website.

Thus, any customer who has bought a legitimate copy of Office 2007 will be able to make free downloads of the Office 2010 edition, when the latest business suite will be finally available for general use come June. This offer however is good only for customers who purchase Office 2007 from March 5 to September 30, 2010.

Customers who purchase Office Home and Student 2007 will be eligible to receive a copy of Office Home and Student 2010 for free. Furthermore, customers who purchase Office Standard 2007 and Office Basic 2007 will be able to receive a copy of Office Home and Business 2010 for free. The Office Home and Business 2010 is a fresh addition to the range of Microsoft Office suites.

A copy of Office Professional 2010 is also available for free to buyers of Office Small Business 2007. In the same way, those who purchase Office Professional 2007 as well as Office Ultimate 2007 will receive a free, legitimate copy of Office Professional 2010, as long as the purchase date is no earlier than March 5 and no later than September 30.

Single license activation keys

Microsoft is releasing Office 2010 as the first of its line of business suites to do away with the lower-priced upgrade editions. The company has disclosed in an earlier statement that no upgrade editions will be available to consumers. Rather, Microsoft will be selling single-license activation keys online and in land-based retail stores to consumers who plan to upgrade from the older edition. The Office Starter 2010 will also be readily installed in new computers.

Free upgrades are limited to 25 per person, a regular practice done by Microsoft to prompt business with multiple copies to take up volume licensing deals. To explain the upgrade edition better, Microsoft has put up a website that caters primarily to this.

Is it possible for the iPad developers to design outstanding apps by simply using a simulator? Well, it’s virtually impossible, so great, functional apps may be a far reality for now.

Some iPad potholes

More than two years ago, the original iPhone shipped with just a total of 16 applications, with all of these applications having been created by Apple. This measly number is quite difficult to comprehend, now that the total number of applications has already reached thousands, and Apple has no qualms about using the statistics to its benefit. For quite some time, Mac’s software catalog has been accused of being less extensive than that of Windows, but now it is clear that the tides have turned. The recent generation of mobile computing relies on functional apps for almost everything. With the release of the iPad however, some potholes are to be expected, especially with the ability of the iPhone apps to run on the new gadget.
 
Steve Jobs released a demo on the iPad on January, and during this time he showed how the 140,000 applications of the iPhone will run on the iPad. However, the apps do not run as perfectly as expected. If you run the apps in actual size, you will have to deal with a surrounding frame of black space. However, if you choose to blow up the size, doubled pixels render the screen into an almost comical appearance.
 
The crux of the problem

Now the crux of the problem is brought to light. It is almost impossible for developers to design great, functional applications when they have barely tried out the device for themselves. How will they be able to verify on the functionality of these apps if they are unable to run them on a real functioning iPad?

This was never the case with the iPhone, since everyone had become familiar with its features when the App store finally came into the picture, which was one year after the device was introduced into the market.
 
It is important to take note moreover that with the iPad’s touch interface, you are actually presented with more space for software interaction, and not simply for information display. Apple allowed the iWork office suite to run on the iPad, prompting developers to capitalize on the device’s bigger control surface.

However the central problem remains. Even though it is possible to run the iPhone apps on a virtual simulator, it remains impossible for developers to duplicate the actual experience derived from using an iPad, for the simple reason that nobody has ever used one yet.

Three options are currently presented.  The first is to create a twisted version of an iPhone app and second, for the developers not to produce any app until they have tried the device for themselves. A third option has been offered by developer Marco Arment, and that is for Apple not to allow third-party apps on the first day.

The US-CERT has warned the public that the software sold alongside the Energizer DUO USB battery charger may infect PCs with a Trojan virus.

Trojan infection

Just recently, the Department of Homeland Security has announced that the Energizer Bunny contaminates PCs with malware infection. This announcement was backed by studies done by the researchers at US-CERT. US-CERT stands for United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team. The software that comes with the Energy DUO USB charger contains a Trojan horse. This means that a Windows PC becomes fodder to a lot of hackers out there, once this software is installed.

Discontinued use

Energizer Holdings, manufacturer of the Energizer DUO USB-powered battery recharger, has confirmed the discontinued use of the aforementioned product, affirming furthermore that the software has been infected with malware. The DUO is actually a nickel-metal hydride recharger and is powered by a USB. Nonetheless, Energizer Holdings has remained quiet as to how the Trojan malware might have found its course into the software. They have released an official statement saying that Energizer is presently at work with the U.S. government and CERT researchers, in an attempt to find out which may have caused the infection or how the code may have been introduced into the software.

Beginning 2007, Energizer DUO was already sold and marketed in Europe, Asia, and the North American and Latin American markets.

How the trojan operates

The Windows software that comes with the battery charger is meant to display the charging status of the battery. In this case however, the file "Arucer.dll" is created once the software is installed in the charger. The file is in reality a trojan that works on command through TCP port 7777. Once instructions have been given, the trojan is able to download files and to execute them accordingly, spread files obtained from the PC, and even alter the Windows registry. The trojan executes every time the computer is powered on. It furthermore remains active, and does not need the Energizer charger to be connected to the computer for it to maintain its activities.
 
Users urged to uninstall

Due to the menace brought about by the trojan, users who have already installed the Energizer software into their PCs are urged by the US-CERT personnel to uninstall it without delay. Uninstalling the software leads to the immediate execution of the trojan, so that hacking is no longer possible. Another way to terminate the infection is by removing the Arucer.dll from Windows' "system32" directory, after which the machine will need to be rebooted.
 
Advisories about the trojan in Energizer DUOs have been published by US-CERT and Symantec. Also, Energizer has released a statement saying that the software is no longer downloadable from its website.

With people lacking the necessary knowledge on computer security, the U.S. government is now trying to find a way to address this ubiquitous problem. This dilemma has so perplexed the government that it has created a competition to find someone able to design an effective means for people to acquire sufficient computer security education.

Infected computers

The problem has been in existence for quite some time. Case in point: In Spain and Virginia, a legal battle has been ensuing against Mariposa botnet and the Waledac botnet. These two botnets are just a fraction of the ten largest botnets which control hijacked computers, often numbering in the millions. With such a huge number of infected computers, the statistics have become more alarming. What is even more alarming is the fact that even computers in corporations and banks, along with personal machines, are placed in jeopardy as well.

There is more to computer security education than simply helping computer users recognize that malware infections can come in the form of spam email messages or those messages that have funny subject lines. Software patching is of significant importance as well, and should not be disregarded outright.
The trouble with software patching

Although patching may seem like a good solution, the average computer user may find it too perplexing to begin with. Not only is software patching confusing, it demands a lot of time too, particularly with the frequency involved in the process. As a result, users are still divided as to their ability and willingness to invest in software patching. This has been the conclusion of the research paper authored by Stefan Frei and Thomas Kristensen at Secunia, released at the recent RSA Conference.

Included in the research paper was this statistic: Half of the users surveyed are actually using software from 22 various vendors, all of which are actually distressed by 75 security advisories released by Secunia annually.

The paper moreover states that an average computer user will need to administer the software host for a whopping total of 75 times a year, which means the user will need to handle an approximate number of 22 various update tools as a way to keep a system in a secure state.

The solution in sight

It is clear that a single automatic updating system is necessary. Nonetheless, automated updating has its own share of troubles as well, especially since it does not need real-time consent, and relies only on past notice and consent. When done by a reliable party, this often does not lead to any serious problem but there is always the risk of abuse.

According to Kristensen however, Secunia is bent on releasing a software that will alter the way that Microsoft Window systems are being updated. Secunia is planning to release a preview of their Automatic Updating System, marketed specifically to private computer users.

The mobile operating system showdown is entering into a new level of competition as the iPhone, Windows Phone 7 Series, and Android platforms all take the stage to battle it out.  The Android has been quite a resounding success, despite the seeming monopoly of Apple and the iPhone.  Android is a Linux-based mobile operating system that is now owned by Google.  Since its first release in 2007, Android has garnered much success and acclaim, especially due to its open-source, free nature.  It has gotten much support from application developers.  In this article, we will cover some of the best apps currently available for the Android mobile operating system.

ASTRO File Manager

In practically any gizmo or gadget that deals with file structures and large amounts of data, a file manager is one of the most essential and useful software that you will need.  For Android phones, one of the best file manager solutions is ASTRO File Manager, which allows you to navigate through the files and data on your phone's internal memory, as well as your memory card.  The best part about this app is that it isn't just a well-developed file manager, but it also has some other great features.  With ASTRO File Manager, you also get a task killer, shortcuts for sending files as e-mail attachments, and a means of backing up your applications and data.  This file manager can also work as an image and file viewer, it has support for .zip and .tgz files, and it has handy search functions--all for free.

Listen

Listen is an application that has been developed by Google for the Android.  This app has had some ups-and-downs in the past, but now it has been revamped and fixed into a more formidable and more impressive podcast app.  With Listen, you can search for, subscribe to, and manage podcasts with ease.  You can even back up your subscriptions through the export features, then you can manage them through Google Reader.   There are a number of other great podcast apps out there, but what makes this one interesting is that it is made by Google, so you can expect that it will continue to be developed to have increased functionality and compatibility with other Google and Android services.

Layar

Layar has come to be known as one of the best augmented reality apps out there.  This Android version has many of the features and services that you will find in the iPhone version of the app.  Basically, what this app allows you to do is view various types of information in an augmented reality interface, meaning that all you have to do is point your phone's camera around and the screen will display information based on Internet and positioning services.  Layar works through "layers," which are the parameters for your augmented reality information.  For example, you can get Tweeps, which shows information about Tweets posted by Twitter-users in nearby locations, or you can try MIMOA, which shows information on nearby restaurants, museums, sights, events, etc.

Media streaming is a great technology that allows you to view or listen to various forms of media from remote locations.  This service is usually provided over Wi-Fi, although there are other networking technologies, such as Bluetooth and 3G, that have streaming capabilities.  If you are into media streaming, especially for your music, then you may want to check out some of these popular media streaming services:

Lala

Don't be fooled by this web-based service's simple and playful name.  When it comes down to it, Lala is a convenient, easy-to-use, solid, and cheap music streaming service.  What makes Lala a powerful music streaming web app is that it has a two-in-one solution to all of your audiophile needs.  First, it offers a free, web-based music streaming client, which means you can stream music from your computer at home to practically any device that has Internet browser compatibility.  Second, Lala has its own music database where you can purchase DRM-free MP3 music files for $0.79, or you can purchase them for online play at $0.10 each.

Grooveshark

Like Lala, Grooveshark is a web-based, free music streaming service.  One of the main advantages of Grooveshark, however, is its impressive interface and its ease of use.  The interface looks just like a software music player and it works much like one too.  The unique thing about Grooveshark is that you can start compiling playlists as soon as the website loads, or you can create a free account with the site to access more features, such as saving and sharing of playlists, song flagging, and music suggestion services.  You can also access the Grooveshark Radio or upload your own music files to add to the Grooveshark database.

Pandora

Pandora is a much-celebrated web-based music streaming platform.  As a part of the Music Genome Project, Pandora has a huge database of songs and song information.  For example, you can analyze up to 400 different music attributes to look for songs that you search for and song suggestions that are similar to whatever your search is.  The great thing is that you can search using phrases and sentences, such as, "Play the song 'Red House' from the 'Blues' album by Jimi Hendrix," which will then probably result in a perfect match for the song you were looking for as well as a number of other similar songs to choose from.  Also the Music Genome Project allows you to easily rate and create personalize streaming radio stations.  You can use a basic version of Pandora for free or pay $36 per year for the fully-featured premium version.

Other choices

Some of the other great music streaming services out there include Spotify (although Spotify no longer provides services to US residents due to legal disputes), Last.fm, and Slacker Radio.

If you are a PC user who has relatively good experience and technical know-how about Windows operating systems, then you are probably well aware of what is called the registry.  If you have ever encountered problems on your computer such as your system slow downs, malware, or the dreaded blue-screen-of-death (BSOD), then you've probably come across troubleshooting guides that talk a lot about the registry.  However, even for well-experienced individuals who are familiar with Windows operating systems and how they work, the registry can be quite a confusing and mysterious thing. In this article, we are going to cover the basics of what the registry is, what it's purpose is, and how you can maintain your registry in good shape.

What is the registry and what does it do?

The registry is a part of the Windows operating system that acts as a database for storing settings such as Windows settings, application settings, passwords, device driver information, and other settings and options on your computer.  The main advantage of this type of system is that the Windows operating system can recall and manipulate the data stored in the registry much faster than if it used separate files for storing such data.  Typically, the registry makes use of files called .reg files, which are simply tiny files that contain information to be added to the registry.  To access the registry on your machine, all you have to do is click on the start menu and use the "Run..." feature to run the program called "regedit.exe."  You can also access the "Run..." feature by using the shortcut Win+R.  In the registry, you will find a hierarchy folder structure with many of the folders containing registry entries that you can edit from the regedit interface.  It's extremely important that you be careful about editing data in your registry or your system or certain application may cease to work properly.

Backing up your registry

A good practice to keep your registry well-maintained is to back up your registry periodically to ensure that you can always revert your registry to a previous state if things go wrong on your system.  Your registry is composed of numerous files, which means it would be hard to track down all of these files to backup the registry.  Microsoft has implemented the System Restore feature in the latest versions of Windows, making it easy to back up your registry and other system information.  All you have to do is create a restore point and you are set to go.  You can also use a system maintenance suite that has features for backing up, restoring, and cleaning your registry.  Just remember that it can be quite dangerous to make use of so-called "registry cleaners," because they may delete, move, or duplicate registry entries and cause performance problems on your system.  The best way to clean your registry is typically to perform a fresh install of your operating system for a fresh start on your computer.

These days, interconnectivity between devices is one of the most sought after feature by consumers.  It would be quite useless to have a bunch of gadgets and gizmos with great features without the compatibility to communicate, transfer data, and "speak" with one another.  As such, a number of standards for interconnectivity, networking, and data transfer have been developed, such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Infrared.  One of the best uses of these networking platforms is to use portable devices, such as mobile phones or laptops to control desktop systems.  In this article, we will be taking a look at some of the iPhone apps that have been designed with this concept in mind: to use your iPhone as a remote control for your Mac or PC.

Snatch

This helpful app is compatible with either Mac or PC systems.  With this app, you can use your iPhone or iPod Touch as a wireless keyboard, trackpad, and remote control.  Like many of the other similar apps out there, Snatch can be used as a multi-touch trackpad, a full keyboard, and a customizable remote control.  You can design your own layouts, place your own remote control keys, and save various layouts as you please.  This app also allows you to see a list of some of the applications running on your system, so that you can easily access them.  This works in both landscape and portrait mode.  It costs $3.99, or you can download the trial version to check it out.

HippoRemote Pro 2.0

HippoRemote Pro 2.0 is one of the most popular remote controls for the iPhone.  One of the best things about this app is that it comes in three versions, first is the Lite edition, which is a limited version that comes for free, then the basic version that costs $0.99 and has the bare necessities, and the Pro version for $4.99, which has all of the features offered in the program.  This is compatible with Mac, Linux, Windows-based systems.  Like Snatch, HippoRemote Pro allows you to create app profiles and customized remote control layouts.  You can create macros, wake up devices through LAN, use international keyboards, and switch apps easily.  There are also some nice plugins such as a browser, Boxee, and Twitter plugin.

Remote Jr.

Like HippoRemote, Remote Jr. comes in multiple versions, two to be exact.  First is the full version that costs $7.99 and other is the lite version for $1.99.  Although this app doesn't have support for keyboard, trackpad, or airmouse functionality, it does work as a Virtual Network Computing (VNC) app.  This basically means that you can see and control the interface of your remote computer, and manipulate it just as though you were right in front of your desktop.  Remote Jr. can connect to your Mac or PC through 3G, GPRS/Edge, or Wi-Fi.  Also, the newest version of the app has support for audio streaming and Apple TV functionality.

In this segment, we continue our weekly tradition of giving you the scoop on the top app releases for the iPhone and iTouch.  Continue reading for some of the best releases on the Apple App Store for the first week of March 2010.

Gibson Learn & Master

Playing the guitar is loads of fun and the iPhone currently has a bunch of guitar-centered applications that can be used to help you out in your guitar playing, wherever you go.  Gibson Guitars, one of the most well-known guitar manufacturing companies in the world, has partnered up with a software development company named Legacy Learning Systems to create and release one of the newest iPhone apps for guitar players and other musicians.  This application is called Gibson Learn & Master, a handy application that has essential features such as a tuner with various tuning schemes, sample tones for tuning, metronome with various time signature settings, support for tap-tempo setting, a chord library, links to video lessons from the Learn & Master Guitar course, and links to Gibson.com, where you can find news, updates, and events on everything Gibson.  Although this application isn't particularly better than GuitarToolKit (one of the leading apps for guitarists), it is a feature-packed package that comes free of charge.

Vogue Stylist

Vogue Stylist is great for the fashionable woman who likes to keep up with the cutting edge fashion industry.  This app was produced and released by the internationally-acclaimed fashion conglomerate Vogue.  Basically, Vogue Stylist is a fashion adviser and stylist that presents you with pictures and information on some of the hottest monthly trends in fashion.  You can use the app to mix and match different clothes and looks from Vogue catalogues, you can create virtual wardrobes by taking pictures of your own clothes and adding them to your library.  You can save products from the Vogue catalogue to your virtual wardrobe, and you can look for stores near you that sell some of the products featured and advertised in Vogue.  This is a great lifestyle and fashion app that you can download all for free.

Final Fantasy 1 and 2

Final Fantasy is one of the best-known and most highly acclaimed franchises in the realm of role-playing games.  Final Fantasy 1 & 2 are the first two parts in what is soon to be a 14-part franchise that has taken the world by storm.  If you want to get a little nostalgic with these two classics, the iPhone how has some worthy ports of both Final Fantasy 1 & 2.  Final Fantasy 1 comes with five bonus dungeons, such as the Labyrinth of Time and the Soul of Chaos, and Final Fantasy 2 also comes with five bonus dungeons, like Arcane Labyrinth and Soul of Rebirth.  You can buy each game for $8.99.