Firefox and Adobe Reach the Top on Vulnerable Software List

Firefox reached the top of the most vulnerable software this year, while holes in Adobe software gained thrice the amount of holes that it had last year, according to statistics compiled by Qualys, a vulnerability management provider.

Qualys tallied 102 vulnerabilities that were found in Firefox this year, up from 90 last year. The numbers are based on running totals in the National Vulnerability Database.

However, the high number of Firefox vulnerabilities doesn't necessarily mean the Web browser actually has the most bugs; it just means it has the most reported holes. Because the software is open source, all holes are publicly disclosed, whereas proprietary software makers, like Adobe and Microsoft, typically only publicly disclose holes that were found by researchers outside the company, and not ones discovered internally, Qualys Chief Technology Officer Wolfgang Kandek said late on Wednesday.

"Operating systems have become more stable and harder to attack and that's why attackers are migrating to applications, he said. "Adobe is a huge focus for attacks now, around 10 times more than Microsoft Office. However, other widely used targets like Internet Explorer and Firefox are still far from secure."

Adobe customers will have to wait about a month for a fix to the latest critical zero-day hole in Reader and Acrobat.

The company announced on Wednesday it would not patch the vulnerability until its next scheduled quarterly security update release on January 12.

Federal Trade Commission Sues Intel for Anticompetitive Tactics

The Federal Trade Commission announced Wednesday that it is suing Intel, claiming that the chip giant has illegally used its dominance to stymie competition and to strengthen its own monopoly. FTC says, the company has robbed consumers of both choice and innovation in microprocessors, including those that outshone Intel's own: "Intel's anticompetitive tactics were designed to put the brakes on superior competitive products that threatened its monopoly in the CPU microchip market."

However, the chipmaker says that case should have been settled, not sent into litigation.

In November, Intel settled its antitrust dispute with AMD, in a deal that includes a $1.25 billion payment to AMD.

Sony Ericsson is Launching Xperia Smartphone based on Google Android OS

Sony Ericsson is releasing a new smartphone Xperia X10, which is based on Google's latest mobile operating system Android.

It is being code-named Rachel and the technical specs and an official video has also been released. The X10, or Rachel, has a 1GHz Snapdragon processor, which should make this one of the fastest Android phones yet. The phone will sport version 1.6 of Android--aka Donut--and it will run applications from the Android Market and Sony Ericsson's PlayNow arena. The device will also feature an 8-megapixel camera, with autofocus and an LED photo light.

Expect to see the Xperia X10 in stores in the first quarter of 2010.

Microsoft Signature PC's Hitting the Road

The "Microsoft Signature" PCs that are being sold at Microsoft's retail and online stores contain a bunch of extra Windows Live software, but also feature something rarely found on a PC--a clean desktop.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft has started pushing selling PC's through it's online and retail stores and the difference Microsoft is making is that the PC's being sold contain all Microsoft products, including the complete Windows Live suite, Security Essentials antivirus product, Zune jukebox, and Bing 3D Maps software, as well as Adobe's Flash and Acrobat Reader products. Internet Explorer 8 is the browser, with Bing as its default search provider.

Microsoft calls it "Microsoft Signature Experience". The computers are being sold at Microsoft's two retail stores--the Scottsdale, Ariz., store that opened last week and the Mission Viejo, Calif., outlet that is opening later on Thursday. The software giant is also selling PCs throughout the U.S. via its online Microsoft Store.
The goal of the Signature effort is to give customers what Microsoft feels is the best software experience they can have on a PC.

Windows 7 is here...

With all the anticipated wait for Windows 7, it has finally been released on Thursday, October 22, 2009. Without going into details, I'll describe the top 7 Windows 7 features that will lead you to love Windows 7.

1 - Performance boost
Without a doubt the top Windows 7 feature is performance. On every system that I’ve put Windows 7 on, I’ve seen a performance boost. You'll notice faster boot-up, video encoding and gaming frames per second. In my opinion, this performance boost in Windows 7 is the strongest feature.

2 - More restrained UAC
The User Account Control (UAC) experience under Vista was too much of an annoyance than security. A single simple action could result in a number of warnings annoyed many users. Under Windows 7, UAC is a little more restrained, limiting prompts to specific actions. The best part is that users can customize the level of warnings they wish to receive and so set up the system to best suit their needs.

3 - 64-bit becomes the new default
Today, all the operating system vendors are leading the industry towards 64-bit computing and Steve Balmer Microsoft does not want to be left behind. Given that hardware, software and driver support for 64-bit is now at an all-time high.

4 - Improved troubleshooting tools
Users want to find solutions to the problems rather than just receiving error boxes. Windows 7 excels at it by providing diagnostic features that let users find solutions for the given problem. Whether it's a connectivity issue or compatibility.

5 - UI improvements
Although Windows 7 will look somewhat like Vista but still there are many enhancements that make users believe that everything that was annoying in Vista is done the right way in Windows 7.

6 - Touch support OK. I know you are exciting about iPhone and other touch responsive gadgets. So, now face Windows 7. If you've got a touch responsive LCD (which is not expensive these days), you'll be able to operate Windows 7 and every other application within by your fingers on the LCD!

7 - XP Mode

So you still don't want to leave the old Windows XP? Don't worry, you've got Windows XP mode within Windows 7 and it will let you run Windows XP inside Windows 7 with the ability to run all your applications and games that can only run in Windows XP.