Virtualization, Cloud Computing and Mobile: 08/04/10

2010년 8월 4일 수요일

Review: Apple Magic Trackpad a Futile Gesture

A sleek representation in aluminum, plastic, and glass, plus 80 percent more multitouch by area than a MacBook trackpad; what’s not to like about the Magic Trackpad? Everything that really matters.

Android Shipments up Nearly 900%

Research firm Canalys is today reporting a surge in the worldwide shipments of Android smartphones. Thanks to Android-based products from HTC, Motorola, Samsung, Sony Ericssion, LG and others, smartphones running the Android operating system grew 886% worldwide in Q2 2010.

Also in the U.S., the largest smartphone market in the world, Android devices collectively represented a 34% share of the market during the quarter. With growth of 851%, Android became the largest smartphone platform in the country.

Says Canalys VP and principal analyst, Chris Jones, the latest data "clearly reveals the impressive momentum Android is gaining in markets around the world." He notes how heavily carriers are promoting the Android devices, like Verizon Wireless with its line of Droids, for example. "These products have been well received by the market, with consumers eager to download and engage with mobile applications and services, such as Internet browsing, social networking, games and navigation," he says.

My3G Brings FaceTime to 3G

Just hours after a jailbreak for nearly every portable Apple device hit the Web yesterday - including the latest iPhone 4 and iOS 4 - and an app has been released that brings FaceTime to the 3G network.

FaceTime, Apple's video chat app released for use with the iPhone 4, has been restricted to use over wifi connections up until now, but My3G brings face-to-face video chat to the 3G network for newly-jailbroken iPhone 4 users.

The Library of Congress last week added new exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), exempting "jailbreaking" devices as "fair use". A jailbroken device - in this case an iPhone 4 - can install and run apps not approved by Apple or offered in Apple's App Store. Apple has said that jailbreaking its devices will void the warranty, but the process is easily reversed with a device restore.

How to Secure the iPhone and iPad for the Enterprise

iOS is becoming increasingly popular in the enterprise. It's sometimes been a bumpy road, but according to Forrester iOS has reached a level of security that should be acceptable to most enterprises. Forrester released today a new report titled Apple's iPhone And iPad: Secure Enough For Business? In addition to covering seven basic security policies every enterprise should implement, Forrester lists several optional security policies and identifies some high-security areas in which iOS based devices shouldn't be used. The basic settings detailed should also be applicable to Android 2.2.

The seven basic policies are:

1. Require email session encryption.
2. Wipe devices if they are lost or stolen.

3. Protect devices with a passcode lock.

4. Autolock devices after periods of inactivity.

5. Autowipe devices after failed unlock attempts.

6. Protect the configuration profile.

7. Continuously refresh policies.

Network Convergence Requires A Change in the Politics of IT

The network is not as sexy as the world of mobile devices and social technologies. But it is critical for all the voice and data that passes over IP networks in unprecedented amounts.

It's a new challenge. And it is why network convergence technologies are considered to be a foundation for the next-generation enterprise data center.

Even as the need grows, IT is taking a cautious approach. Mike Vizard writes that it is economic and internal political pressures that are having an affect. But the slow down will have to ebb as the data deluge continues to pound networks.

Report: More Than 60% of Phones Web Capable by 2015

From laptops and tablets to smart phones, the Web is going increasingly mobile. While not everyone can afford one of these devices, the Web is even creeping onto other, low-cost devices like feature phones and these are becoming increasingly Web-enabled. According to research firm ABI Research, this is a trend that will only continue, with more than 60% of handsets having mobile Web browsers by 2015.

According to the report, a 60% penetration rate of handsets with mobile Web browsers will double today's rate and bring the total number of Web-enabled phones to 3.8 billion. The phones will have one of two types of browser - a full Internet browser or a proxy-based browser.

BlackBerry Torch 9800 Officially Announced - Too Little Too Late?

After months of speculation, Research in Motion has official announced the BlackBerry Torch 9800 will be available on August 12. There are no surprises in the announcement, as the BlackBerry OS6 based slider has been extensively covered in the run-up to the announcement. The phone is expected to compete with the iPhone, but other than a physical keyboard and BlackBerry Enterprise Server support, this AT&T exclusive phone offers little to compete with the iPhone, which is cutting into RIM's enterprise market share.

While other manufacturers are offering handsets capable of video conferencing and augmented reality, RIM is struggling to compete with older model phones. The Torch has no front facing camera, and the compass necessary to support augmented reality apps isn't expected to hit BlackBerry phones until the Storm 4 (and the Storm 3 isn't even out yet). The Torch looks quite a bit like the Pre, Palm's failed attempt to compete with iPhone, which was released over a year ago.

New iPhone Security Vulnerability Discovered in PDF Viewer

iOS was largely spared the lashes Android received last week at Black Hat and Defcon, and it got good marks for security in a Forrester report yesterday. But today, Gizmodo reports a new vulnerability in iOS: Apple's custom PDF reader. Malicious code can be hidden in fonts that automatically load when a user opens a PDF file, allowing a hacker to take control of the device.

Someone in the comments of the Gizmodo post writes "All of a sudden, a wallpaper application in the Android Marketplace that collects your phone number doesn't seem so bad, does it?", echoing All Things Digital's headline "How's Apple's Walled Garden Look Now?. It's a sobering reminder that those app gardeners aren't omniscient. (For example, there was a security flaw in Citi's iPhone app recently).

Weekly Poll: Are the 3 Common Acronyms for Cloud Services Sufficient?

The three acronyms most commonly associated with cloud computing - SaaS, PaaS, and IaaS - are becoming so ubiquitous that it seems less important to spell them out in their entirety. (For the uninitiated, SaaS stands for Software-as-a-Service. PaaS is short for Platform-as-a-Service. And IaaS is Infrastructure-as-a-Service.)

But we've also heard mention lately of "games-as-a-service" and "data-as-a-service." And we've seen a number of new companies emerge who offer management solutions for those building cloud software services and deploying cloud infrastructure - Cloud.com, Nimsoft, and Abiquo for example.