The PDA Guerilla: Enter the UPC

Lately I have been struggling with a connectivity problem. I dropped and broke the WiFi case for my PDA, leaving me without Internet connectivity on my Palm T3. Of course if Palm had been smart enough in its product design to build WiFi into the T3 I would not have that problem, but that is actually symptomatic of another problem. Palm's product direction clearly does not fit my needs. Palm seems to have moved totally away from PDAs to Treo smart phones. This may work well for many people, who basically want a device to get calls, read emails and perhaps do occasional searches for restaurant locations. What I need is much closer to a computer in my pocket, that I can take notes on in interviews and meetings, write articles in, get every web site, not just ones formatted for tiny Treo screens and that work with the Treo's limited software. And I need a machine that can use the much faster speeds of WiFi networks when that is available, for instance in my home office, as well as the much more pervasive cellular network when WiFi is not available.

The PDA Guerilla: Enter the UPC

Lately I have been struggling with a connectivity problem. I dropped and broke the WiFi case for my PDA, leaving me without Internet connectivity on my Palm T3. Of course if Palm had been smart enough in its product design to build WiFi into the T3 I would not have that problem, but that is actually symptomatic of another problem. Palm's product direction clearly does not fit my needs. Palm seems to have moved totally away from PDAs to Treo smart phones. This may work well for many people, who basically want a device to get calls, read emails and perhaps do occasional searches for restaurant locations. What I need is much closer to a computer in my pocket, that I can take notes on in interviews and meetings, write articles in, get every web site, not just ones formatted for tiny Treo screens and that work with the Treo's limited software. And I need a machine that can use the much faster speeds of WiFi networks when that is available, for instance in my home office, as well as the much more pervasive cellular network when WiFi is not available.

Symantec CEO sees more acquisitions ahead

John Thompson named data-loss prevention as one category the company is interested in. Rumors have been flying that Symantec will purchase Vontu, a software vendor in that field.

Apple releases iMac updates, but lockups continue

Apple Inc. on Thursday released updates to correct locked-up screens on the company's new iMac line-up, but the software may not have solved the problem. Apple is still looking into the matter.

Ellison: Let BEA's shareholders decide on sale

Oracle CEO Larry Ellison says BEA shareholders should decide on the company's fate.

Microsoft sees Windows Vista growth phase underway

One analyst forecasts Windows revenue to grow by 15% in this fiscal year ending in June, and Microsoft says it's selling more Premium versions.

Organizers apologize for Olympics ticket system crash

The allocation of 1.85 million tickets ground to a halt after the Web site received 20 million hits in the first three hours of sale Tuesday.

Cisco to buy policy management vendor for $100M

Securent's software will enable Cisco customers to protect application data regardless of vendor, platform, or operating system while still allowing access to content that workers need, Cisco said.

Researcher: Humans will love, marry robots by 2050

Artificial intelligence researcher receives a Ph.D. for his thesis, predicting that in less than 50 years, robots will advance to the point that humans will fall in love with them.

AOL to let users opt out of targeted online ads

AOL will allow users to opt out of online ads that are targeted to them based on their Web surfing habits.

Microsoft continues its pursuit of software pirates

The company has filed 20 more lawsuits against alleged software pirates and set up a Web site that gives users clues on how to tell whether products are legitimate or not.

Leopard apps and system tools offer subtle, yet powerful, changes

With the release of Leopard, Apple's Mail and iCal apps get significant updates that will make them much more productive for virtually all users. And Parental Controls gets some teeth at last.

ODF group abandons file format in favor of W3C alternative

The OpenDocument Foundation, which was set up to promote its namesake file format as a universal choice for storing documents, is switching its allegiance to the Compound Document Formats created by the World Wide Web Consortium.

Microsoft shows off future Project features

At a conference for users of its Project software, Microsoft demonstrated a variety of features that will likely be in the next version of the project management application.

Shark Tank: Questions, Questions, Questions

Who Needs It? User buys his own laptop and brings it to this IT pilot fish to load VPN software on it. But the machine comes with Windows Vista Home, and the VPN client software refuses to install -- instead, it gives an error message saying that it needs an upgrade to Vista Professional first. "I voice-mailed the user and explained that our VPN software wasn't compatible with Windows Vista Home so I couldn't install it," fish says. "The voice mail I received back: 'I don't even know what that Windows Vista thing is anyway, so you have my permission to remove it from my laptop so I can get the VPN software.' Yeah, OK, I'll do that, but you're going to have bigger issues. ..."

Shark Tank: Questions, Questions, Questions

Who Needs It? User buys his own laptop and brings it to this IT pilot fish to load VPN software on it. But the machine comes with Windows Vista Home, and the VPN client software refuses to install -- instead, it gives an error message saying that it needs an upgrade to Vista Professional first. "I voice-mailed the user and explained that our VPN software wasn't compatible with Windows Vista Home so I couldn't install it," fish says. "The voice mail I received back: 'I don't even know what that Windows Vista thing is anyway, so you have my permission to remove it from my laptop so I can get the VPN software.' Yeah, OK, I'll do that, but you're going to have bigger issues. ..."

Shark Tank: Questions, Questions, Questions

Who Needs It? User buys his own laptop and brings it to this IT pilot fish to load VPN software on it. But the machine comes with Windows Vista Home, and the VPN client software refuses to install -- instead, it gives an error message saying that it needs an upgrade to Vista Professional first. "I voice-mailed the user and explained that our VPN software wasn't compatible with Windows Vista Home so I couldn't install it," fish says. "The voice mail I received back: 'I don't even know what that Windows Vista thing is anyway, so you have my permission to remove it from my laptop so I can get the VPN software.' Yeah, OK, I'll do that, but you're going to have bigger issues. ..."

Global Dispatches

Microsoft drops its appeal of a European antitrust ruling after it is found to be in compliance with the ECs requirements; and HP buys a Middle Eastern services firm in an effort to expand its business in the region.

Short Takes

Brief IT news items.

Microsoft and Open-Source Backers Eye Each Other Warily

Microsoft and the open-source community continue to have a "frenemy" relationship characterized by the company's efforts to ingratiate itself with open-source advocates and by its ongoing patent claims.