AVG Free Edition 8.0.176 (51.20MB (Freeware))

AVG Free Edition is the well-known anti-virus protection tool. AVG Free is available free-of-charge to home users for the life of the product! Rapid virus database updates are available for the lifetime of the product, thereby providing the high-level of detection capability that millions of users around the world trust to protect their computers. AVG Free is easy-to-use and will not slow your system down (low system resource requirements).

Highlights include:

• Automatic update functionality
• The AVG Resident Shield, which provides real-time protection as files are opened and programs are run
• The AVG E-mail Scanner, which protects your e-mail
• The AVG On-Demand Scanner, which allows the user to perform scheduled and manual tests
• Free Virus Database Updates for the lifetime of the product
• AVG Virus Vault for safe handling of infected files

HyperSpace : A New Hope [windows user]

Phoenix Technologies Ltd., the world’s leading BIOS provider, has unveiled a new head turning product called HyperSpace. No, it is not a new warp drive to allow Han Solo to break his record setting spice run from Kessel to Corellia. It is a virtualization product that claims to provide a faster, more secure and battery efficient alternative to Microsoft Windows.

HyperSpace is a layer of BIOS embedded software that makes it possible to instantly run applications independently of Windows. These “instant-on” applications will be truncated versions of open-source programs and that are available before, during and after Windows boot up and shut down.

Phoenix is targeting the portable PC market and seeks to capitalize on what critics say are the major faults of Windows: its size, speed, inefficiency and poor security. HyperSpace allows users to bypass the boot up process and instantly access their favorite applications, such as internet browsers, media players and word processors. It also promises to conserve battery life since Vista is notoriously power intensive.

HyperSpace will add value to PC vendors by allowing them to remotely trouble shoot and restore customers’ computers. It also promises to deliver a layer of embedded security that is stronger than the current standards.

The product is based on a form of virtualization, called a hypervisor, that allows a machine to simultaneously run multiple operating systems. Phoenix calls this HyperCore, and it is essentially a pared down hypervisor that uses a Zoned Virtual Machine Monitor (ZVMM) to run their core applications along side Windows. Since HyperSpace is written into the BIOS firmware, its code is essentially secret and more secure argues Woody Hobbs, Phoenix CEO, in an interview with ComputerWorld.

In the same conversation, Hobbs said Phoenix Technologies is working with unnamed PC vendors to make HyperSpace enabled computers available by the second quarter of 2008. Phoenix has partnered with both Intel and AMD to take advantage of built-in processor virtualization capabilities. HyperSpace will be compatible with AMD Opteron, Athlon and Intel Core 2 Duo, vPro and Centrino processors.

info : www.dailitech.com

Mac OS Phanter, Tiger, Leopard Bug Leads To Massive Data Loss

A rather significant and disturbing bug has been uncovered by one Tom Karpik dealing with how Apple's OSX operating system handles file moves. Mr. Karpik details the process on his webpage, gives exact steps to reproduce the bug, and offers a downloadable video of it in action.



The bug dating back to OS X 10.3 is caused by a lack of error trapping in the "file move" process, and only occurs when moving a file or directory to another volume.

The logical file move process is a three-part procedure:

1. Copy the file from SOURCE to DESTINATION.
2. Determine if the file copied successfully to DESTINATION.
3. If the file copied successfully, delete it from SOURCE.

Apparently, Apple forgot the bolded section of Step 3, because as Mr. Karpik shows in a series of screenshots, dropping the connection to the destination -- be it a USB drive being accidentally unplugged, the power cord to a FireWire hard drive being pulled out by an overzealous feline, or a network connection to a Samba share being lost -- causes OSX to abort the copy with a "typically useful error message" and then delete the source files.

With Apple having just shipped over two million copies of Leopard, that's a lot of potential data waiting to go missing. With luck, the Update Manager will be bouncing in Docks worldwide soon.

Incredibly, a similar bug was documented in Windows Vista last month.

Microsoft Records Sharp Increase In Q1 Profits

We've heard from three major tech companies regarding third quarter performance over the past two weeks. Intel and Apple were both up, while AMD reported its third straight quarter of losses.

Today, it's Microsoft's turn and its results for fiscal Q1 2008 were quite impressive. The Redmond, Washington-based company recorded operating income of $5.92 billion USD and net income of $4.2 billion USD on revenues of $13.76 billion USD. Microsoft's revenue for Q1 represented a 27 percent increase from fiscal Q1 2007 and marks its best fiscal Q1 performance since 1999.

"This fiscal year is off to an outstanding start with the fastest revenue growth of any first quarter since 1999," said Microsoft CFO Chris Liddell. "Operating income growth of over 30% also reflects our ability to translate revenue into profits while making strategic investments for the future."

Not surprisingly, Microsoft also attributed a good portion of its growth to the success of Windows Vista which launched in late November 2006 for OEMs and late January 2007 for consumers.

"Customer demand for Windows Vista this quarter continued to build with double-digit growth in multi-year agreements by businesses and with the vast majority of consumers purchasing premium editions," said Kevin Johnson, remarked Microsoft Platform and Services Division at Microsoft President Kevin Johnson.

On a division-specific basis, Microsoft's Client, Server and Tools, Business, Online Service and Entertainment and Devices divisions reported Q1 2008 revenue growth of 25 percent, 16 percent, 20 percent, 25 percent and 91 percent respectively compared to fiscal Q1 2007.

The big jump in the Entertainment and Devices division can be attributed to none other than Halo 3. Halo 3 generated $170 million USD within a 24-hour period and raked in over $300 million USD during its opening week.

The release of Halo 3 also allowed Microsoft's Xbox 360 to outsell Nintendo's Wii console for the first time during the month of September. The company managed to move 527,000 Xbox 360s during September compared to 501,000 Wiis. This marks a dramatic improvement from the Xbox 360's August numbers of 276,000 units -- itself a big jump from July's tally of 170,000 units.

Halo 3's release was so profound that Hollywood blamed that lackluster box office debut of The Heartbreak Kid on Master Chief's third adventure.

Halo 3's financial impact was also enough to lift Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices division from a loss of $142 million USD during fiscal Q1 2007 to a $165 million USD profit.

Thanks to Microsoft's strong fiscal Q1 2008 performance, it's raising its outlook for fiscal 2008 performance. Its revenue forecasts are being adjusted from the $57.3 billion USD to $59.2 billion USD range. Operating income forecasts are also being raised to $23.5 billion USD from $22.45 billion USD.

info : www.dailytech.com