Microsoft to hire 400 Yahoo employees

Microsoft Corp will hire at least 400 workers from Yahoo Inc if government regulators approve the companies' proposed Internet search partnership, and Yahoo will receive $150 million to cover any unexpected costs during the switch to new technology.

The details emerged in a regulatory filing that elaborated on an agreement announced last week. Sunnyvale-based Yahoo said then that an unspecified number of its 13,000 employees would be offered jobs at Microsoft after the Redmond, Washington-based software maker assumes control of the search results and search advertising on Yahoo's Web site.

The transition is supposed to begin early next year, assuming the alliance is approved by antitrust regulators in the United States and Europe.

Microsoft will pay $50 million annually during the first three years of the 10-year contract to supplement the revenue that Yahoo will receive from the ads appearing alongside its search results. The $150 million in guaranteed payments weren't mentioned last week.

The filing said Yahoo can use the $150 million to pay for unforeseen transition costs. Yahoo's stock has fallen by about 15 per cent since it unveiled the Microsoft deal, largely because announced terms didn't include a large upfront payment.

The disclosure probably won't ease the disappointment much, given analysts had anticipated Microsoft paying $1 billion to $2 billion for access to Yahoo's search engine.

Most of the revenue from the Microsoft deal will flow from ad commissions. Yahoo will receive 88 percent of the search ad revenue during the first five years of the contract. After that, Yahoo's commission will range from 83 percent to 93 percent, depending on whether it still handles some of the ad sales in the partnership.

The main reason Yahoo decided to turn over its search engine to Microsoft was to save money. If Yahoo wants to save even more on technology, it has the option of adopting Microsoft's online mapping service replace of its own, according to the filing.

Yahoo Chief Executive Carol Bartz has already made it known she isn't impressed with Yahoo's online maps. As it is, transferring 400 workers to Microsoft would prune Yahoo's current payroll by about 3 per cent.

Yahoo will lay off some workers if the Microsoft deal goes through, Bartz said last week. Tuesday's filing didn't provide any layoff projections. Although it also has been jettisoning workers because of the recession, Microsoft finished its latest fiscal year end in June with 93,000 employees -- an increase of about 2,000 people from the previous year.

Microsoft is counting on the Yahoo partnership to help it reverse years of losses in its online operations and siphon some traffic -- and ad sales -- from Internet search leader Google Inc.

Yahoo's search engine is the second largest, making it the quickest way for Microsoft to gain ground on Google. Even so, Microsoft and Yahoo combined have less than 30 percent of the US search market compared to 65 percent for Google, according to comScore Inc.

To keep Yahoo happy, Microsoft will have to produce ad revenue per search that is within a certain percentage of Google's industry-leading rate. If Microsoft doesn't hit the target, Yahoo can abandon the partnership before the contract expires.

The filing didn't specify how close Microsoft has to come to Google's revenue per search. Microsoft estimates that Google gets 7 cents in ad revenue for every search, while Yahoo gets 4.3 cents and Microsoft gets 3.9 cents, according to a PowerPoint slide Microsoft mistakenly posted online.

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Microsoft banned from selling Word

A US judge has ordered Microsoft to stop selling its popular Word document creation application in the country in 60 days after finding that the software contains technology that violates a patent held by a third party.

Microsoft Office, which includes Word, accounted for more than $3 billion in worldwide sales in Microsoft's most recent fiscal year and is used by literally millions of businesses and consumers for everyday tasks like word processing and making spreadsheets and presentations.

I4i, a Toronto-based software maker, has been battling Microsoft over an obscure patent related to XML or Extensible Markup Language. XML is a key software component of many websites as well as Word and other programmmes.

Upholding a May 20 jury decision Tuesday, Leonard Davis, a federal district court judge in Tyler, Texas, banned the world's largest software from selling Word 2003, Word 2007 and future versions of the software that use i4i's technology without a licence.

The judge also ordered Microsoft to pay several hefty fines to i4i, including $200 million in damages and $40 million in "enhanced damages".

"We feel vindicated with this result," said Michael Vulpe, who co-founded i4i in 1993.

"It is not a question of fear or pride or anything else," said Loudon Owen, chairman of i4i. "We're very respectful of Microsoft, but when you're in the right you have to persevere."

Microsoft plans to appeal. "We are disappointed by the court's ruling," spokesman Kevin Kutz said in a written statement. "We believe the evidence clearly demonstrated that we do not infringe and that the i4i patent is invalid."

The suit involves a patent i4i's founders obtained in 1998 that is the basis for a "customised XML" tool the company supplies to drug and defence companies and other large corporations, said Owen.

XML is a specialised alphabet that can capture any kind of computer file as a regular text. It's designed to make computer data human-readable -- and make it easier for one programme to load and process data created by another programme.

Judge Davis found that Microsoft was aware of i4i's patent and that there was enough evidence of Microsoft "wilfully infringing" on the patent to issue the injunction, pending continuation of the case.

Investors shrugged off the news -- perhaps in anticipation of a higher court overturning the ruling, which arose from the plaintiff-friendly Eastern Texas federal jurisdiction, Information Week reported.

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Google gives one million books for Sony’s eBook store

I’m just curious to know if anyone in the CG audience has either of Sony’s eReaders: PRS-505 or PRS-700. Enjoy those classics!

The eBook Store from Sony, together with Google, today announced it is providing access to more than 1 million free public domain books – from classics such as Robert Louis Stevenson’s Treasure Island to biographies, historical texts, romance novels and hundreds of other genres. The announcement reinforces Sony’s commitment to providing consumers with the largest, most comprehensive selection of eBooks available. These titles, which Google has digitized as part of its Google Books project, are available in EPUB format and are optimized for current models of the Sony Reader Digital Book.

“We are committed to ensuring our customers have the freedom to discover and read content from the widest possible range of sources,” said Chris Smythe, director of the eBook Store from Sony. “We’re proud to offer access to the broadest range of eBooks today – from hot new releases, to New York Times Best Sellers, to classics and hard to find manuscripts such as those available for free from Google.”

From Sony’s eBook Store (ebookstore.sony.com), Reader owners with a U.S. location can download and transfer any of these titles to their PRS-505 or PRS-700 Reader. New eBook Store users can access available titles after setting up an account and downloading Sony’s free eBook Library software.

“As more and more people discover digital reading, it’s important to build an open platform to help them access and read books online,” said Adam Smith, product management director at Google. “We’re pleased to continue our collaboration with Sony so that more people around the world can discover and enjoy these books.”

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iPhone Nano Chinese Version

Internet world has been abuzz about Apple launching iPhone Nano for quite sometime. Every few months, grapevines suggest Apple working on a Nano version of iPhone. In fact, only last month a new patent filed by Apple again fueled iPhone Nano rumors. But all these so far remain mere speculations, with no official confirmation.

However, in faraway Shenzhen (China) an iPhone Nano has actually hit the shelves. The made in China iPhone Nano is widely available in the country including on online stores (may be you can check our own grey markets too!). These iPhone Nano models available from several Chinese companies offer several high-end features and come at an attractive price tag.

Here’s looking into the Chinese avatar of iPhone Nano.

Display and dimensions

* Display: 2.4 inch touchscreen LCD, 260 thousand color; 240 x 320px
* Dimensions: 105x55x10mm (LxWxH)
* Language: English, Chinese (Simplified)
* MP3 & MP4 player
* FM radio

Camera & connectivity

* 5 MP Camera, with video recording;
* ROM: 512MB
* Data Transfer: USB cable/ card-reader/Bluetooth (file transmission, voice, stereo)
* Lithium batteries

Miscellaneous features

* Supports caller’s picture option, group ring tone; 64 chord ring tone
* Telephone directories: 300 groups of contacts
* Messages: Supports both SMS and MMS (150 messages, MMS)
* Schedule power on/off: Supports auto start/close

Pricing and colours

* Standby time: 220-260 hours
* Talk time: 120-180 minutes
* Colours available: Black and silver
* Price $90


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Microsoft Office 2010 Sneak Preview

The Microsoft Office 2010 technical preview is available today through invite only and--though it's not in its final form--there are plenty of feature enhancements to be excited about, if Microsoft can pull it off. According to Microsoft, the focus of this update was on three things: to make work flows more efficient; to effectively use Web applications to make your work available anywhere; and to make collaboration with others much easier. In this CNET First Take, we'll take a look at some of the notable feature changes across many of the applications. Microsoft says Office 2010 will let you use your PC, phone, and the Web to make your projects come together more efficiently. From what we've seen, they might be right and the Web applications might also give Google Docs a run for their money.

The Ribbon (introduced in Office 2007) continues to keep frequently used features handy at the top of your work space. But in Office 2010, you'll have access to the Ribbon across all of the applications in the suite, with contextual tabs and features to help you get the most out of each program. In Outlook 2010, for example, a Quick Steps section of the Ribbon has options to let you quickly create team meetings, move threads to specific folders, or custom forward messages (with premade subjects) to specific recipients. In Excel, you can flip through the tabs to access formulas, insert diagrams and charts, and quickly import data from connected sources. Having an easy way to access the most-used functions of each of the Office applications is very handy, and it's clear Microsoft did its research to make the most of each application's Ribbon.

It's also clear that Microsoft has paid attention to patterns across all of the applications to come up with easier ways to get things done. The new Paste Preview lets you easily switch between paste options so you know your work will be formatted correctly in your document before you commit. In Outlook, it's now possible to turn long e-mail threads into conversations, so you can quickly find information from specific participants without having to scroll through long, confusing threads. Another new feature lets you ignore entire threads including future e-mails on a subject so you can eliminate noise and distractions in your workday. Office 2010 includes many new time-saving features like these across the entire suite, but there's more than just tweaks to existing work flow.

Some of the flashier feature additions will be good news to those who work with media in their documents and presentations. PowerPoint now has options for editing video right within the program. You'll be able to trim video so your audience sees only the video content you want them to see. You also can add video effects, fades, and even create video triggers to launch animations during your presentation. When it's a static presentation you're working on--such as a publication, newsletter, or pamphlet--Office 2010 will let you edit and add effects to images so you won't need a third-party image editor. Microsoft has also added easy access to Ligatures and Stylistic Alternates to fonts in Publisher so you can add your own personal touches to your publications. Like most of the new features in Office 2010, you can find most of these added options in the Ribbon for that particular application.

As more of our data moves into the cloud, sharing and collaboration have become a major part of project execution, and Office 2010 will offer several options to help people work together. Though the Web-based components of the Office suite are not available in the technical preview, adding these options will make sharing information easier--whether it's from your home computer, your phone, or when you're traveling for business. Lightweight Web browser versions of Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote have been announced, and, according to Microsoft, they will preserve the look and feel of a document regardless of the device you're working on--even if it's your smartphone.

New coauthoring in Word, PowerPoint, and OneNote and advanced e-mail management and calendaring capabilities in Outlook will make collaboration much easier, reducing the time it takes to finish large projects with several contributors. Businesses will be required to use Microsoft SharePoint Server 2010 or Microsoft Windows SharePoint Services to gain access, but private users will be able to access their work using Windows Live. Obviously, we can't predict how well the Web components of each program will be implemented or how they will translate to different hardware, but offering access to shared documents in key business applications from anywhere is something any international business or business traveler can appreciate.

One of our favorite improvements to Office 2010 is what Microsoft calls the Backstage view. Offered as a replacement for the File menu, Backstage gives you a launching point to share documents, print out your work, set permissions, and other program specific options to get your project ready for distribution. You'll find all of the usual document management features, like open and save, here as well, but you'll also get a nice layout of templates for new documents, several different ways to share your work, and print settings and page layouts all in one place. We think people might initially be resistant to a new way of doing things (as is often the case), but once you get used to using the Backstage view for all of your file management, we think you'll find it useful and efficient to have access to everything in one place.

Microsoft Office 2010 will be released early next year and it appears Microsoft has made extensive usability improvements across the entire Office suite. We're told the Web components of Office applications will become available for testing later this year, so check back as more information becomes available.

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An Image Projector On Your Smartphone?

Imagine you're on a camping trip with your family, and your kids are bored. They want to watch a movie, but you forgot your laptop at home. Hopeless? Not at all.

You pull out your fifth-generation iPhone--yes, this is a story about future technology--power it up, aim it at the wall of the tent, and start projecting their favorite film there.

This is one of the many potential promises of a new microdisplay technology from Displaytech, a recently acquired division of Boise-based Micron. Known as FLCOS, or fast liquid crystal on silicon, the technology is designed to make it possible to project from a relatively small form factor device, and with high image quality and vibrant colors, just about anything you'd want, be it a Disney flick or a complex PowerPoint presentation.

Today, the technology is still in its prototype stage, and when I visited Micron here this week as part of Road Trip 2009, I was shown a demonstration in which things like YouTube movies or ESPN clips stored on an iPhone were projected onto a screen via a small device with a tiny 3M projection engine in it.

Even that was pretty cool, because the little device probably had about the same volume as a deck of cards, and the image quality--in a very bright room--was fairly good, particularly when it came to showing text-based slides. But the most exciting thing to me about the technology is the promise that by late 2010 or early 2011, there's a good chance that the thumbnail-size chip behind the microdisplay could begin to be embedded in commercially available smartphones, like the iPhone.

And that could mean that not only would it be possible to watch a movie anytime and anywhere, as can already be done on many small devices, but that it would no longer be a solo experience. Instead, using something like an iPhone, it would be possible to share a movie with a room full of people.

The idea behind the technology is that FLCOS microdisplays can mix color over time, blending reds, greens, and blues in very quick sequence, explained Eric Boles, Micron's director of marketing services. The human eye turns such color mixing into full color, meaning that FLCOS obviates any kind of color filtering.

Right now, the projection engine behind the technology is about an inch-and-a-half long and very power efficient, Boles said. Just 1.1 watts can produce 10 lumens.

For now, no mobile phone makers have gotten on board with Micron's microdisplay technology, in part because the chips may still be too expensive, and because smartphones may not yet have the power to allocate to something like FLCOS. But because the projection technology is on a chip, it is likely to follow the traditional silicon curves, Boles said, meaning that the chips will probably get smaller, faster and cheaper quickly.

(The market will likely make it possible for Micron's technology to begin being embedded in smartphones by late 2010 or early 2011, the company said.)

Micron also faces an interesting marketing question: How to market the chips. The company doesn't plan on marketing FLCOS directly to consumers, but rather will work with consumer electronics companies to create the kinds of products they want. In the short term, Boles said, the most obvious market may well be businesspeople who could easily find themselves unable to resist a small device that would let them project a presentation on any surface any time they want.

Other exciting advances--before the microdisplay technology makes its way to the iPhone--could include adding wireless to the device so that it can retrieve content without having to be physically tethered to the content source.

And it's also exciting to imagine the possible roster of things that could be used as projection screens. Boles recalled a visit to a Mexican restaurant at some point recently where one of the prototype devices was used to project onto a tortilla.

There are, of course, other companies working on similar products, but the folks at Micron think they're onto a special approach to tiny projectors because the microdisplays are all-digital. And that means that Micron may be the only company able to embed such technology on a chip.

During my visit we discussed the idea that there is simply no end to the possible applications for the microdisplay technology. But as the Micron folks went through their presentation, it seemed that there was one constant: Each time they talked about a new potential use for it, my reaction was--and I suspect many people's would be--"When can I get that?"

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Yahoo GeoCities going to Die Soon

The Google search result I got around a minute ago was headlined "Yahoo! GeoCities: Get a web site with easy-to-use site building tools." That's gonna change.

Yahoo has put a date on when the service will close, after stating in April that it was no longer accepting new accounts.

"GeoCities is closing on October 26, 2009," the site said. "On October 26, 2009, your GeoCities site will no longer appear on the Web, and you will no longer be able to access your GeoCities account and files.

"If you'd like to move your web site, or save the images and other files you've posted online, please act now by downloading your files or upgrading to Yahoo! Web Hosting," Yahoo said.

For many GeoCities was where our first website lived. It could also be considered one of the web's first communities. Originally divided into neighborhoods (which seemed reminiscent of the worst of California tract housing), it was a place where you could attempt to communicate with the world on a static page you got for free. Later the neighborhoods gave way to a more modern, easier and meaningful means of identifying them: www.geocities.com/username.

With limited tools, obtrusive banner ads and tight bandwidth limitations a popular site risked getting throttled. I can't remember the last time I saw a live GeoCities page.

Yahoo is the current proprietor of the site--a business they purchased in the late 90s for nearly $3.6 billion. Seriously, what were they thinking?

They're suggesting GeoCities' users move to Yahoo Web Hosting. It's one last try to get some cash out of the site. Webring also said in May that they would assist users to move their sites over to its network, giving them 50 Mbytes of free storage or a gigabyte for its premium service.

How sadly final of Yahoo to say "GeoCities site will no longer appear on the Web."

The name GeoCities will continue bring back fond memories for lots of the web's early adopters. Like the recent Compuserve announcement, however, most of us thought it was already gone.

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Microsoft Hohm available today

Microsoft’s new tool - Hohm - is supposed to help you save energy and money. While I signed up for the beta unfortunately I can’t try this odd named thing since I live in Europe. This is why I need your feedback on how Hohm works out for you, so be kind and leave comments with your opinions. Or don’t.

Microsoft^® is delighted to announce the availability of Microsoft^® Hohm™. You are invited to sign up for Hohm and learn how you can start saving energy!

Microsoft Hohm is a free online beta application that helps you save energy and money. With Microsoft Hohm you can better understand your home energy usage, get recommendations to conserve energy and start saving. As with any recommendation engine, Hohm will provide increasingly more accurate and relevant suggestions for energy conservation as its users contribute home energy input and feedback. One of the objectives during our beta period is to refine our tool and further increase the value our product can offer to you. We hope you will help us!

Sign up and start saving now. It’s free: www.microsoft-hohm.com

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Now Ipod's might have Videos around the corner

A rumour is out and about today indicating that iPod’s might be getting embedded video cameras built in. TechCrunch report that a huge order of cheap $10 cameras have been ordered by Apple. Apple are expected to sell 20 million iPhones this year and about 3+ Million iPods/month. If Apple were to include cameras on their range of iPod’s then that 3+ Million per month would give the low end video market a run for it’s money.

The cameras ordered match those found in the iPhone and because of the sheer volume of the order it would appear that Apple are thinking beyond the iPhone.

Putting a camera in the iPod touch, which uses the same operating system as the iPhone, is a logical next step for Apple. But the order size is supposedly so large that some people in Taiwan are speculating that Apple may be planning to put cameras in the lower end of the iPod line, too. “Everything but the Shuffle may have a camera in it soon,” says our source.

We don’t have even close to enough information to speculate that the Nano and Classic iPods could be video-ready anytime soon. But I could easily see these lower end iPods include the camera just for taking pictures. Apple never turned video on in the iPhone 3G, but lots of people were using it via unlaunched apps from Qik, Ustream and others anyway. They could be planning the same thing for the Nano.

I have always liked seeing devices converge in to 1 and Apple bringing video to iPods (if that’s what they are intending to do) would really shake things up.

When we hear more on this we will let you know.

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Make Calls without SIM from your mobile

Cherry from Vincent Battaglia on Vimeo.

The chances of me being genuinely amazed at something I see a Belgian tech company achieve are rather slim. But occasionally, it happens. Last week I went to local entrepreneur meetup BetaGroup and saw five startups pitch their stuff to the 200-person audience.

The last one to get its five minutes of fame was Cherry, a new mobile operator that promised to “revolutionize the telecom world”. Needless to say, I was as curious as I was skeptical.

Then the company’s CEO got up on stage, introduced himself, took out his Nokia smartphone, called some random guy in the audience and had him call him back on his phone afterwards. Projecting his mobile phone screen on a bigger screen for everyone to see, he demonstrated how he didn’t need to launch an application and just browsed his contact list to call the other person. Standard functionality, sure, but the cool part of it was the fact that the phone was lacking the presence of a SIM card, which is supposed to identify you as a subscriber of a telephony service.

I was intrigued. By now you’ll have guessed that the calling was done over Wi-Fi, which I suppose isn’t really unique even if it made me wonder how they did it without launching a third-party app like Skype. Looking to learn more, I went to their official coming-out event the evening after, when they presented the newly founded company to a host of local geeks in more detail, giving them the chance to beta-test the service for a couple of weeks to iron out bugs before launching publicly.

Here’s how it works: Cherry - which is essentially an MVNO - pre-installs software (so yes, in the demo there was actually an application running in the background) on smartphones which it will sell as a packaged product, starting with a Symbian version for Nokia E-Series phones and expanding to other platforms later. Once activated, Cherry lets you call your contacts either over Wi-Fi or the GSM network when you insert a SIM card. Take out the card, and you can only call over a wireless Internet connection.

The funky part? Cherry automatically switches you from one to the other. This process, called a handover, can seriously cut into your current calling and roaming costs when you’re a frequent traveler or on the road often, and it doesn’t even require you to change numbers. You could easily dial your office number from your home over Wi-Fi, leave the house and have the software automatically have Cherry switch you over to a carrier’s cellular network once you’re out of range. There’s no interruption of service during the handover, which means you won’t even notice - until you receive your bill, since it’s obviously cheaper to call over Wi-Fi than the GSM network. Please correct me if I’m wrong, but I think this automatic handover is a quite unique value proposition.

I did a short interview with Cherry CEO Bernard Noël De Burlin and Telco Service Manager aka mobile guru Davy Van De Moere after the event (apologies for the abrupt ending, my Flip’s batteries ran out of juice).

And just in case you don’t have a couple of minutes to watch the video, let me save you the trouble of asking: support for iPhone and Android are on the top of their list and a Windows Mobile-compatible version should be available soon.

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National Cell Phone Courtesy Month in July

The month of July is known for cookouts, family fun, and fireworks, but did you know that July is also National Cell Phone Courtesy Month? So be sure to silence those phones before you go any further, because I want our top three tips to observe this holiday to go uninterrupted.

1. I'll put my phone on vibrate for you. Remember this handy little function? Vibrate allows you to feel the calls without interrupting everyone in the room with Beyonce's hit song "Single Ladies". This function can best be put to use when at dinner with friends, in class and at work, or on the bus. "On a Boat" may be your summer theme song, but others may be in a different zone.

Two more, after the jump.

2. To text or not to text. Similar to how slurping in some countries is considered a compliment; there are some places where texting is rude. Different places and people set the bar at different levels. If you're unsure if sending a quick message to a friend, ask if it's OK to whip out the phone.

3. Talking while ordering. Speaking from personal experience, I know cashiers certainly don't like it when people order their food while talking on the phone. Put down the phone and talk to the person who holds the fate of your burger in his or her hands. Not only will they appreciate it, but I guarantee they will hold the spit.

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Symantec Releases Norton 2010 Beta

The public beta-test editions of Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton AntiVirus 2010 will focus on reputation-based malware detection—a technology that can detect zero-day malware that's never been seen before.

Symantec today released public beta-test editions of Norton Internet Security 2010 and Norton AntiVirus 2010. Featuring a new protection model codenamed Quorum and a new focus in the user interface, these new products "mark a significant shift in the way the global leader in security software will protect computer users from cyber crime," according to Symantec.

The 2010 editions will focus on reputation-based malware detection—a technology that can detect zero-day malware that's never been seen before—but won't discard existing signature-based detection for known threats. Senior Director of Product Management Dan Cole likened the system to a hybrid auto: Just as the auto uses electric power or gasoline based on current conditions, the security software will use reputation-based or signature-based detection as appropriate. SONAR 2, the intelligence system that manages this choice, "harnesses intelligence from all Norton features," Cole explained.

Cole went on to highlight some changes in the infection experience. Previous Norton products worked hard to stay unobtrusive, wiping out threats on sight and quietly notifying the user. If the threat was a Trojan or fake security product—something the user was tricked into downloading—this behavior might be confusing. In the 2010 editions a new experience code-named Autopsy will help the user understand exactly what happened, in as much detail as desired.

Norton Insight, an existing technology that identifies known good programs to speed scanning, gains some serious new features. It will now let users learn about the origins, activities, performance, and reputation for those known good applications, helping users who want to explore. "Anything we know, the user can know," said Cole.

Not every user will want to interact with this new fount of information, though. To keep the main window simple, Symantec has placed much of the detail on the "back" of the window: clicking a corner flips the window over to reveal these additional features.

Parental control and spam filtering have been the Norton suite's weak spots for some years; both get a makeover in the new edition. As part of the license, NIS 2010 users will receive a free subscription to OnlineFamily.Norton, Symantec's recently released Web-based parental-control system. In PCMag's testing, this product was highly effective and easy to use. The new spam filter, based on BrightMail's technology, will more accurately identify spam without requiring any training.

"Symantec is in a unique position to bring this approach to market due to our unmatched installed base and the fact that we've had teams of engineers developing and refining this technology for the past three years," said Rowan Trollope, Symantec senior vice president, Consumer Business Unit. "No other vendor's approach to consumer protection comes close. Our new approach changes the rules by both enhancing traditional security techniques to make them more aggressive and by making it dramatically more difficult for attackers to evade detection by simply changing their malware."

Norton Internet Security 2010 beta is available now at www.norton.com/nis2010beta; Norton AntiVirus 2010 beta is at www.norton.com/nav2010beta. Both products will be fully Windows 7-compatible upon their final release, anticipated in fall 2009. Users with current subscriptions will receive the update at no extra cost.

Look for a hands-on report from PCMag in the next few days.

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Cell Phones for Summer

These sand-proof, water-resistant camera phones make great beach buddies.

Most cell phones hate water. Get a few drops under the case, and that horrible little moisture indicator next to the battery goes red. Next thing you know, your phone doesn't work, and your carrier won't replace it.

So bringing your phone to the beach can be a risky proposition. The good news is that there are plenty of handsets built specifically for active fun. They're not only great for outdoors, but they're also terrific for the accident-prone and those who work in rough environments.

The Casio Exilim C721 on Verizon Wireless is the ultimate summer phone. Why? Because it also doubles as a waterproof, 5-megapixel camera with 3X optical zoom and video capture—so you can leave your fragile digital camera at home, too. The Exilim is wrapped in a protective coating so you can shoot underwater. It's also certified to military specs against shock and vibration. If you spend a lot of time at the beach, this phone will be your best friend.

Starting at $279.99 with a contract, though, the Exilim isn't cheap. Verizon's $129 Casio Gz'One Boulder is also waterproof, and with an even tougher body for a lot less cash. You will, however, have to give up the 5-megapixel camera for a much weaker 1.3-megapixel sensor. Still, for quick snapshots and making calls, this phone is a good value.

Outdoorsy T-Mobilers should consider the unlocked Sonim XP3.20 Quest, which is the world's toughest phone—a claim I tested thoroughly. It can be tossed around violently, submerged, frozen, hit with a chisel, and used to hammer nails. Even if it does break, it comes with a no-questions-asked replacement guarantee. The Quest model I tested in May isn't on the market yet, but the similar XP3.10 is available now.

On Sprint, the Nextel i580 is the way to go if you're worried about durability. Bear in mind: It isn't waterproof, it's water-resistant—it'll survive a quick dunk or splash, but you can't completely submerge it. In my tests, it survived freezing, washing, dropping from a second-story window, and getting run over by a sports car. The i580 also has great call quality and a built-in MP3 player.

AT&T users should go straight for the Motorola Tundra VA76r. This flip phone is not only water-resistant and sand-proof, but it has the best reception and call quality of any AT&T phone we've tested to date. Its 2-megapixel camera takes decent beach shots, and you can pipe music from the Tundra's MP3 player out its beefy speakerphone.

These tough phones will do more than just serve you through the summer; they'll also withstand autumn mists and winter snow. Compare specs for these phones side-by-side and read the full reviews below.

Outdoor-Friendly Phones Featured in this Roundup:

Casio Exilim C721 (Verizon Wireless)

The nation's best beach phone is waterproof and features a 5-megapixel camera with video recording and optical zoom to capture your summer fun.

Casio Gz'One Boulder (Verizon Wireless)

Verizon's other waterproof phone has a much lower resolution camera, but it's also much more affordable.

Motorola Tundra VA76r (AT&T)

Not only is the Tundra water and sand resistant, it's got the best call quality of any AT&T phone out there today.

Nextel i580 (Sprint)

A durable, water-resistant case lets this flip phone go beyond its original target market of outdoor workers needing extra-tough gear, to anyone who's around sand and water this summer.

Sonim XP3.20 Quest (Unlocked)
Hands-on preview. Not rated
The world's toughest phone isn't officially out on any carrier yet, but it works with AT&T and T-Mobile.

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Sites that help you lodge complaints

Whether you want to target politicians, your employers, or companies that have done you wrong, there are a variety of sites across the Web that will help you voice your complaints. But beware that not all of them will actually solve those problems.

Anonymous Employee Those having trouble at the office should try out Anonymous Employee. The service allows you to create a user name and password without requiring an e-mail address. After that, you can input the name of your employer, the person you want to contact, and the issue you want to make them aware of. Anonymous Employee automatically sends the message to the recipient without identifying you.

Unfortunately, Anonymous Employee was buggy and at times, it took too long to send a message. That said, I was impressed by the number of options it offered, including complaints about age discrimination, harassment, or wrongful termination. Once it fixes those bugs, Anonymous Employee will be an even more compelling service.

Better Business Bureau The Better Business Bureau site is one of the best places to lodge complaints. Right from the home page, you can access the organization's complaint tool, which allows you to take issue with your vehicle, your cell phone carrier, a product or service outside of those two categories, or a charity. After inputting information about yourself, you can describe your issue on the site. It's then filed with the Better Business Bureau and investigated.

CongressMerge If you're unhappy with what's going on in your state, CongressMerge can help you out. The site provides you with a search field to find all of your elected representatives. Once you find the politician you want to contact, it gives you a listing of all their phone numbers, a map to their office, and even their fax number so you can be sure to get in touch with them. You can also check out your elected representatives' voting records on the site. It's a great way to find all the means of communication you need to have your voice heard in the political process.

Electronic Frontier Foundation The Electronic Frontier Foundation is a great place to have your displeasure heard. The site's Action Center lists all the issues the organization has identified. You can sift through those issues, find those that matter most to you, and send an e-mail to the appropriate recipients expressing your displeasure with the rest of the EFF community. It's a great way to stage an online protest.

Federal Trade Commission The Federal Trade Commission also lets you submit complaints. You can file complaints about suspect business practices, identity theft, or "episodes of violence." According to the organization's site, it will investigate any complaints that it deems is part of a pattern, but it won't solve individual disputes.

Regardless, the site's complaint service is fantastic. In just a few seconds, you'll be able to describe your gripe after following the step-by-step complaint tool. After you're finished, it gives you the chance to review your complaint and submit it for review. Whether or not anything will come of it is anyone's guess, but at least you know your government might be doing something behind the scenes to stop poor business practices.

Project Vote Smart Project Vote Smart is a great way to research the political process. You can search for politicians, see how they vote, and determine if you're happy with the way they are representing you.

If you're not happy with their job performance, Project Vote Smart provides you with all the contact information you'll need to express your displeasure. From the address of all their offices to phone numbers and key staff contact information, Project Vote Smart has it all. You'll be happy with what it offers.

Ripoff Report Ripoff Report provides an outlet for consumers who have been negatively affected by companies to issue complaints. As of this writing, Ripoff Report has more than 460,000 reports filed on the site.

When you're wronged by an organization, you need only to file a report on the site describing the injustice. It then enters the public forum, so other users can comment, add their own horror stories, and help you get the word out about your complaint. The beauty of Ripoff Report is that it also gives companies the opportunity to rebut any issues raised by customers. It's a really nice give-and-take that's worth checking out.

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Electric Hydrogen Vehicle

The H2GO is a result of 5 years of research and development. The vehicle is powered by Hybrid Electricity and Hydrogen and requires no batteries. Energy to power the car comes from the sun and water.

As well as the car having no batteries, the remote control doesn’t have any either. The energy combined from the sun and water gets put in to what the creators call “super-capacitors”. The super capacitors provide the speed with the electrical energy stored and the hydrogen gives the car cruise power.

Included in the kit you get a solar power plant, hydrogen station, remote control, hybrid electric hydrogen car, and user instruction manual.

It will cost you $147.95 currently and in my opinion it’s not a bad price for a bit of funky technology.

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10 Milestones we crossed in Portable Music

On the 30th anniversary of the debut of Sony's original Walkman, we look back on the most memorable moments in the portable music revolution.

1. Stereobelt	2. Walkman TPS-L2	3. Discman D50	4. MiniDisc
5. MPMan F10	6. Apple iPod 1st Gen.	7. Samsung Upraor	8. Archos Jukebox Multimedia
9. Apple iPhone 1st Gen	10. iTunes App Store

Thirty years ago, back when disco was king, Sony introduced the world to the Walkman, and the concept of portable music as we now know it was born. As we await the latest iteration of the Walkman brand, the slick and loaded touchscreen X Series, it seems like the perfect time to look back to see just how the portable music device has evolved.

Way before the ubiquitous iPod or any other MP3 player, Sony had the world hooked on cassette players that you could take jogging with you. Back when that first Walkman emerged in 1979, taking your music to-go was a novel concept, but today you can't walk a city block without seeing dozens of people piping their own personal soundtrack through a pair of earbuds.

In celebration of its three decades of evolution, check out our slideshow for a look back at some of portable music's most important milestones.

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