Computerworld Philippines

D-Link Cloud Router Streamlines Remote Network Management via mydlink Mobile App

Fei Lumbania — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:19:18 +0000

By Computerworld Philippines Staff
May 22, 2012

D-Link International Pte Ltd, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of networking products today introduced the latest member to its D-Link Cloud product line, the DIR-600L Wireless-N 150 Router. The DIR-600L Cloud Router creates a home network for delivering broadband Internet, sharing files, and more using D-Link’s mydlink Cloud Services platform. Easy to install and configure, it supports wireless speeds of up to 150 Mbps and includes four fast Ethernet ports for expanded connectivity.

Managing routers and ensuring their security has often been a daunting and complex process - most homes might not even know when their network had been compromised and accessed without authorization. D-Link Cloud routers, DIR-600L help to demystify network management, offering an interface that is easy to understand and simple to navigate.

“Our customers have voiced their concerns over the threats to their home network from Wi-Fi intruders and how they can control web access of their children,” said Mr Christopher Neo, Sales Director of D-Link International Pte Ltd. “We pulled out all the stops to make it easier for users to rest easy, knowing that they have total control over when and how people access their network, all from a simple and convenient interface.”

The D-Link Cloud Router allows control and monitor remotely via Android/ iOS App “mydlink lite”. It also supports the capability of providing push event, user control and real-time browsing record via mydlink Cloud Services. This allows home user to monitor/control the network clients via Android/iOS App. You can also check the visited website record of network clients while they are doing the net-surfing. Besides, any wireless intruder who intends to break into your home network will trigger push messages to your cellphone and you are able to choose to block the connection via mydlink Cloud Services.

For more information on D-Link Cloud, visit http://cloud.dlink.com/

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Windows Phone Marketplace Now Available in the Philippines

Fei Lumbania — Tue, 22 May 2012 08:15:13 +0000

By Computerworld Philippines Staff
May 22, 2012

Consumers and developers in the Philippines can now access local and global top apps and games with the expansion of Microsoft’s Windows Phone Marketplace. The Philippines is one of 28 new consumer markets where Windows Phone Marketplace has recently been made available.

“Microsoft constantly strives to bring the best experience to its customers, and by making the Windows Phone Marketplace available to Filipinos, we are enabling access to a wide range of apps for local consumers”, said Jerry Bongco, Operator Channels lead, Microsoft Philippines.

The expansion of the Windows Phone Marketplace into the Philippines coincides with the launch of the formidable range of Nokia Lumia smartphones. Operating on the Windows Phone platform, the Nokia Lumia devices will open the door to new price points and customer segments in the already phone-savvy Philippine market.

“We are happy about the recent expansion of the Windows Phone Marketplace to include the Philippines. With the recent release of the Nokia Lumia devices, Filipinos will be able to choose and purchase a smartphone that is right for them, and load them with useful and fun apps at a very affordable cost,” said Rhomel Marcojos, Ecosystem and Developer Experience Manager, Nokia Philippines.

There are currently over 34,000 local and global apps available for download on Marketplace. If you are a new Windows Phone user, simply activate your smartphone with a local Windows Live ID (Hotmail.ph) and you can download free apps or purchase paid apps from Marketplace with your local credit card. Activation is just as easy for existing users. You can get a new local Windows Live ID, reset your phone, and reactivate to gain access to the local Marketplace. Among the thousands of apps available on Marketplace are the universally popular Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Foursquare and virtual storage app SkyDrive from Microsoft. Local apps are also available such as the useful MMDA for WP, ABS-CBN News for real-time updates on local news, weather app Storm Tracer, and other games and fun apps like XMT PhotoMagic.

The recent Marketplace expansion brings up the market total to 63 worldwide where Windows Phone apps can be downloaded, increasing the total addressable market for Windows Phones by 60%. With the simultaneous production of new devices in major markets around the world in recent months, Microsoft continues to evolve the developer experience as well. Alongside the regular addition of developer markets is the improvement of the App Hub experience to make the submission process a little easier.

“Starting February, the App Hub opened submissions from developers in the new markets. While we don’t yet offer full App Hub developer support in every new market, local developers are still able to build and publish their apps to Marketplace through our Global Publisher Program,” explains Bongco. Under the Global Publisher Program, a Global Publisher or a third-party company works with a developer as an intermediary in regions where the App Hub is not yet available.

As a result of efforts geared towards strengthening local developers, there has been a significant increase in the number of new apps published every day. Through the opportunities offered by the Windows Phone Marketplace, more local developers will have the chance to create exciting apps that would suit the Filipino consumers’ needs and taste.

For more information on the availability of Windows Phone Marketplace in new markets and guidance, visit the Microsoft News Center – Windows Phone Newsroom.

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Exist to Host Cebu Healthcare Panel

Fei Lumbania — Tue, 22 May 2012 01:33:15 +0000

By Computerworld Philippines Staff
May 22, 2012

Cebu Philippines - Cebu is on its way to becoming a medical tourism and healthcare hotspot in Asia Pacific. However, there are challenges — such as an increasing customer base with rising quality expectations, long patient wait time, and low patient volume throughput amongst others that the industry has to bring under control.

As one hospital Chief Information Officer (CIO) had shared, “There are big challenges in the healthcare sector — but this is the place where you can really cast your vision from an Information Technology (IT) standpoint. Healthcare is where you can explore the most advanced technology, or at least think about it.”

To examine issues and discuss healthcare IT initiatives, opportunities, and strategies, enterprise healthcare applications developer Exist Software Labs in partnership with Mediag8way, the information authority on Information Communications Technology (ICT) and publisher of Computerworld Philippines and PC World Philippines, will lead an executive panel that will be held on June 15, 2012 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Cebu City. Joining this panel, themed “IT Enabling Cebu Hospitals and Healthcare Providers,” are IT executives from Cebu Doctors Hospital, Chong Hua Medical Hospital and Perpetual Succour Hospital.

Dr. Mike Muin, a healthcare IT professional and the CIO of The Medical City (TMC), also joins the exclusive panel. He will talk about the different clinical IT projects in TMC and how these impact hospital operations and patient care delivery.

Key topics to be explored include rising consumer power (personalization), healthcare systems and technology adoption (electronic medical record, electronic health record, mobile health solutions, cloud computing, analytics), interoperability and integration, facilitating access to healthcare, and funding of IT innovations.

“This panel provides a fantastic opportunity for Cebu hospital decision makers, especially heads of IT and Finance teams, to share experiences and understand real-world strategies being implemented by their peer organizations,” said Jerry Rapes, CEO of Exist Software Labs.

Jerry, who is also member and Chair for the ICT and Tourism committee at the Cebu Chamber of Commerce and Industry, added that “the combination of Cebu’s infrastructure, location, and competitive health costs has caught the eyes of the world. To move quickly onto the top spot, Cebu hospitals and healthcare providers must be cognizant of technology developments.”

“I am excited to have the opportunity to share our experiences with TMC’s clinical IT projects,” said Dr. Muin. “If we want to build the Philippine medical tourism market, stakeholders must play a part in propagating (this) continuous education.”

The panel is a rerun of the “IT Enabling Hospitals in the Philippines” chat room organized originally in Manila by Mediag8way. Visit http://bit.ly/ITcuringclutter for a write-up of the previous panel.

Contact Macel Legaspi at macel@exist.com or +63917.6277681 for information about reserving a seat in the panel.

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Apple files for preliminary injunction against Galaxy Tab 10.1

Fei Lumbania — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:53 +0000

By Marc Ferranti
IDG News Service (New York Bureau)
May 22, 2012

NEW YORK - In the latest move in a complex series of patent-related cases, Apple filed a motion in a California district court late Friday to ban Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy Tab 10.1 in the U.S.

The Apple filing came in the wake of an appeals court ruling earlier in the week that sided with Apple on the validity of an iPad design patent. Meanwhile, Apple and Samsung are scheduled to go into court-mandated settlement negotiations, set for May 21 and May 22, so the injunction is not likely to be granted over the next few days.

The motion for a preliminary injunction against the Galaxy Tab 10.1 was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, where Judge Lucy Koh is presiding over several cases involving Apple and Samsung patent claims for tablets and smartphones.

Koh had earlier in the year said that Apple was unlikely to win its patent claim against the Tab 10.1, siding with Samsung’s contention that Apple’s iPad-related design patent claim in question would be considered invalid. Samsung has said that aspects of the iPad design patent are too obvious to be patented.

However, earlier this week, the Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit sided with Apple on the likely validity of the iPad design patent.

“While this Court had concluded that Apple had failed to establish likely success on the merits, the Federal Circuit held instead that Samsung had failed to raise a substantial question as to validity of the D’889 patent based on obviousness,” Apple said in its motion to Koh Friday.

In the motion, Apple pointed out that even though Koh had initially said that Apple’s patent was likely not valid, she did agree that Apple would suffer harm from competition with the Galaxy Tab 10.1. In addition, Apple stressed that the appeals court also agreed that Apple would suffer from competition with the Galaxy Tab.

“This Court should now promptly enter a preliminary injunction to protect Apple from the continuing irreparable harm that this Court found five months ago was likely to occur in the absence of such relief,” Apple concluded.

The Friday motion was first reported by Florian Mueller’s Foss Patents blog.

If the court-mandated settlement talks between the two companies fail, Koh could grant Apple’s request for the injunction to be handed down without a hearing.

However, Koh is scheduled to hear arguments on June 7 for a separate injunction Apple has requested, against Samsung’s Galaxy Nexus smartphone. She could also hear further arguments on the Tab 10.1 injunction at that time, Mueller suggested.

Apple sued Samsung last year for violations of multiple patents and trademarks in Android-based smartphones and tablets. Samsung has countersued. Apple filed a separate suit against Samsung this year on products released after the first suit was filed.

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Loss of Apple chip contract sees Samsung value decline

Fei Lumbania — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:53 +0000

By Karen Haslam
Macworld U.K.
May 22, 2012

LONDON - Samsung shares slipped after a report appeared claiming that Apple has switched its chip supplier to Elpida from Samsung.

We reported back in March that the RAM inside the new iPad is 1GB DRAM comprised of two 4GB Elpida LP DDR2 parts.

Now DigiTimes has reported, citing industry sources, that Apple has placed large orders for DRAM with Elpida. The orders apparently account for half the Elpida’s total chip production at its Hiroshima, Japan plant.

It is claimed that Samsung lost $10 billion of its market value following news that Apple switched suppliers. Wednesday’s decline was the biggest daily fall in nearly four years for Samsung.

“It looks like Apple doesn’t want to see Samsung and hynix dominate the chip market. Apple wants to maintain its bargaining power by keeping Elpida running,” LIG Investment & Securities analyst Choi Do-yeon told Reuters.

Citing lower-than-anticipated sales memory supplier Elpida is currently seeking a $1.2 billion lifeline from the Japanese government.

Micron Technology Corp, reported to be talks to acquire Elpida’s business, saw its stock rise on the report that Elpida had secured Apple’s contract.

To make matters worse for Samsung, Apple has won an appeal in its patent battle with Samsung, taking it closer to an injunction on Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1. The court had initially rules against Apple’s claims, but the appeals court disagreed with the earlier ruling that the patent in question should not have been granted to Apple, reports Reuters.

Apple and Samsung are currently locked in a dispute over patent infringement in dozens of countries around the world, with Apple claiming that Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 infringes on several patents it owns.

On 1 May, Apple filed a motion alleging that Samsung intentionally destroyed documents it was obligated to hand over as part of the discovery process, an act referred to as “spoilation of evidence” in the legal parlance.

Apple and Samsung Electronics have agreed to attend a settlement conference in the ongoing patent lawsuit between the two companies, according to court documents.

Last year we reported claims that Apple had turned away from Samsung for the manufacture of its iOS processor chips. We reported that Taiwan’s TSMC has started trial manufacturing of next generation A6 chips for Apple.

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Reports: Nasdaq admits technical bugs affected Facebook IPO trading

Fei Lumbania — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:26 +0000

By Juan Carlos Perez
IDG News Service (Miami Bureau)
May 22, 2012

MIAMI - Technical problems at the Nasdaq exchange affected the trading of Facebook shares on Friday, the much-anticipated day of its IPO (initial public offering), Robert Greifeld, chief executive of Nasdaq OMX Group Inc., told reporters on Sunday, according to published reports.

The problems, which centered on order cancellations, have “humbly embarrassed” Nasdaq, which as a result is not having its “finest hour,” Greifeld said, according to The Wall Street Journal.

Facebook shares were expected to start trading at 11 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time, but the process was delayed by about 30 minutes, and other glitches surfaced throughout the trading day, which led to confusion among investors, according to published reports.

Nasdaq’s board met on Saturday to address the issues and plans to adjust its IPO auction process in light of the problems encountered on Friday, Greifeld said, according to the Journal.

However, the technical problems had no impact on the performance of Facebook shares,Greifeld said, according to The New York Times. Facebook’s first day of trading was largely considered underwhelming because its shares closed almost flat, up only $0.27 at $38.27.

Greifeld pegged the initial trading delay on poorly designed software for IPO auctions, as systems tasked with setting an opening price buckled under a flood of order cancellations and updates, according to Businessweek.

Neither Facebook nor Nasdaq immediately responded to requests for comment on Sunday.

On Friday, the Bloomberg financial news agency reported that the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission plans to look into the Nasdaq problems that affected Facebook trades.

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Judge tells Apple and HTC to talk settlements

Fei Lumbania — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:10 +0000

By Karen Haslam
Macworld U.K.
May 22, 2012

LONDON - Just a day after Apple succeeded in stopping the HTC One X and Evo 4G LTE smartphones being shipped into the US, the two companies have been told to discuss a possible patent settlement.

As we reported this week, the HTC devices are being held back at customs. Now, the Court has ordered Apple and HTC’s lawyers, and other ‘decision makers’ such as their CEOs, to discuss a patent settlement, reports FOSS Patents.

The court “expects the parties’ full and good faith cooperation with the mediation process” and “encourages all participants to keep an open mind in order to reassess their previous positions and to find creative means for resolving the dispute”.

Apple and Samsung are also set to meet to deliberate over a settlement next week.

Late last year, the ITC found that HTC was infringing an Apple ‘data tapping’ patent and issued an injunction against the importation of offending HTC products. HTC said it would remove the technology from its phones but the ban would suggest that it has failed to do so.

Apple accused HTC of infringing 20 patents and filed a complaint, which alleged unfair importation practices back in 2010. HTC was the first Android device maker to be sued by Apple. Apple has attacked makers of devices using Google’s Android OS. Jobs famously said he would go “Thermonuclear” over Android.

Apple also claimed several of those same patents in a suit against Nokia, which the companies settled out of court.

The Commission found that HTC had violated the law with two products that infringed claims 1 or 8 of U.S. Patent 5,946,647, “System and Method for Performing an Action on a Structure in Computer-Generated Data.”

Apple is said to have spent $100m on its ongoing patent disputes with HTC.

HTC also accused Apple of selling products that violate its patents relating to power management methods and phone number directories.

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Renewable sources will power Apple’s data centre by 2013

Fei Lumbania — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:07 +0000

By Ashleigh Allsopp
Macworld U.K.
May 22, 2012

LONDON - Apple has announced that its North Carolina data centre will be powered entirely by renewable energy sources by the end of 2012.

On Thurdsay, Apple announced its environmentally friendly plans on its website, and revealed that its Maiden, North Carolina data centre will have 60 per cent of its power produced on site from renewable sources. The other 40 per cent will be purchased from local and regional renewable sources.
Greenpeace infiltrated Apple’s Cupertino campus this week, projecting messages from Twitter and Facebook users who are dismayed at Apple’s use of coal at the data centre that powers its iCloud sources.
“Apple’s announcement today is a great sign that Apple is taking seriously the hundreds of thousands of its customers who have asked for an iCloud powered by clean energy, not dirty coal,” said Greenpeace International Senior IT Analyst Gary Cook. “Apple’s doubling of its solar capacity and investment in local renewable energy are key steps to creating a cleaner iCloud.”

“Greenpeace will continue to campaign to push Apple - and other IT giants like Microsoft and Amazon - to clean the cloud until Apple has policies to ensure that as Apple’s North Carolina data centre and others continue to grow, they will grow using exclusively clean energy,” said Cook. “To garuntee that, Apple must adopt a firm siting policy to prioritize renewable energy when it chooses locations for new data centres. Only then will customers have confidence that the iCloud will continue to get cleaner as it grows.”

Apple is building the largest non-utility fuel cell installation in the US, and the nation’s largest private solar arrays, in order to provide the green energy, said the company.
Businessweek reports that CFO at Apple, Peter Oppenheimer, said in an interview: “We are leading the industry. All three of our data centres will be coal free, which is an industry first for anybody our size.”
Oppenheimer said that Apple’s plans have been in place since last year, and wouldn’t comment on whether the changes were made following Greenpeace’s recent protests.

In April 2011, Greenpeace slammed Apple’s Maiden data centre in its How Dirty is your Data report.
Recently, Greenpeace has protested across the globe. In April, the environmental organisation covered Apple’s Regent Street Store windows with its own poster to highlight Apple’s use of coal, and protested outside Apple’s Ireland HQ.

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Big data equals big business opportunities: Survey

Fei Lumbania — Mon, 21 May 2012 23:00:05 +0000

By Hafizah Osman
Australian Reseller News
May 22, 2012

SYDNEY - Organisations are viewing big data predominantly as a business prospect rather than an IT challenge and are moving fast to do something about it, according to a recent global survey by data integration software provider, Informatica Corporation.

It showed that nearly 70 per cent of organisations are now considering, planning or running big data projects — with 44 per cent now considering, 22 per cent planning, 13 per cent testing or 20 per cent running big data projects.

The survey report, Balancing Opportunity and Risk in Big Data, was drawn from poll of almost 600 IT and business professionals worldwide and assessed the state of big data projects and understanding of big data strategies.

In the survey, most respondents cited the management of growing transaction volumes (74 per cent) as the most relevant aspect of big data to their organisation. The company claimed that this statistic indicated significant challenges in the more traditional enterprise data realm.

However, other respondents picked newer technologies as well, with 46 per cent selecting technologies such as Hadoop and NoSQL for efficiently processing big data.

It also found that the management of big interaction data, including social media data (35 per cent), mobile device data (31 per cent) and machine-generated data (22 per cent), is rising in relevance.

“The reality is, big data represents both opportunities and challenges,” Informatica chief products officer, Girish Pancha, said.

According to the study, the lack of maturity in big data tools was the top challenge (52 per cent) that respondents face in big data projects, including a lack of support for reuse and metadata in current Hadoop environments.

The absence of support for real-time streaming data was another key challenge (39 per cent), followed by concerns over poor data quality (38 per cent), data security and privacy (38 per cent) and the limited availability of skilled developers to manage big data (35 per cent).

Other top concerns are overly difficult development for Hadoop (34 per cent), and lack of data governance capabilities (32 per cent).

So, what do organisations intend to get from their big data efforts?

Informatica said that 71 per cent of the respondents intend to improving efficiency in business operations by doing more things with more data. This is followed by increasing business agility (51 per cent).

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Giada MI-N2600D launches Mini ITX motherboard

Fei Lumbania — Mon, 21 May 2012 05:06:09 +0000

By Computerworld Philippines Staff
May 21, 2012

The new MI-N2600D Mini ITX motherboard from Giada is purpose-built for industrial, monitoring and control applications.

A wealth of connectivity options make this motherboard a perfect choice for all applications that require a reliable, hardworking PC to control machinery and other equipment and receive sensor data, including: IPC, the factory floor, scientific, monitoring, control, and embedded computing.

Built around Intel’s dual-core Atom N2600 CPU, NM10 Express chipset and the Cedar Trail technology platform, this tiny, fanless motherboard boasts strong performance, low power usage, and an almost unlimited range of connectivity options, including support for legacy devices. It also provides all the industry-standard features of a desktop PC. Up to 4GB of memory can be installed, and onboard integrated graphics and audio support are included.

There are 6 standard serial COM ports, 1 on the back panel, plus 5 internal COM headers on board. There’s a Line Printer (LPT) port on the back panel. Two Realtek RTL8111E Gigabit LAN connectors are also on the back panel for connection to high speed networks. There’s an 18-bit LVDS connector header on the board for direct LCD panel control or other compatible industrial applications. Traditional PS/2 connectors are on the back panel for legacy mouse or keyboard support.

There are eight fast USB 2.0/1.1 connectors, 4 on board and 4 on the back panel. These can be used to connect a huge range of compatible equipment and other devices such as keyboards, mice, printers, and cameras. USB can also be used to supplement the internal SATA storage with removable storage for backup, data recording, and mass data transfer.

The totally fanless board design means there are no moving parts on the motherboard to fail – perfect for tough environments with severe vibration, or dust and other atmospheric pollutants. The compact 17cm square Mini ITX format is the ideal heart of a PC that’s tiny enough to hide away in almost any available space with minimal maintenance after installation.

This motherboard has a wealth of internal expansion options, despite its tiny dimensions. There are two Mini PCIe slots and 1 standard PCI slot. One Mini PCIe slot can support a WiFi and/or Bluetooth card, while the other allows users to add a mSATA drive.

For data storage, there are also sockets to connect up to 2 SATA II storage devices, such as hard disk drives, SSDs, and CD/DVD/BD optical drives, with transfer rates up to 3.0 Gb/s. There’s a SO-DIMM memory slot for up to 4GB of speedy 1066MHz DDR3 DRAM.

While it is purpose-built for industrial roles, this motherboard can also handle standard desktop PC applications when required – like server, internet, email, and office. The MI-N2600D has graphics support integrated on board, with VGA video output. The 18-bit LVDS interface is also available for direct LCD panel control. The board also supports sound recording and output with its high definition audio codec.

This tough but tiny powerhouse is perfect for industrial control, monitoring and automation applications and offers full compatibility with all key industry standards. The MI-N2600D can easily take care of almost any task you throw at it, while keeping operating costs very low. Shenzhen JieHe is very happy to begin offering this new industrial mini-PC to the global market. The company welcomes inquiries from new and existing customers around the world.

Find out more about the new Giada MI-N2600D at
http://www.giadatech.com/index.php?app=product&act=show&id=98

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