Several MySpace pages offer what appear to be YouTube videos that trigger the installation of adware when played, a security company has warned.

The sexually explicit videos can be found on a number of user pages on the MySpace social-networking Web site, Websense said in an alert Monday. They look like YouTube videos, but are in fact hosted on a copycat “Yootube.info” Web site, Websense said. That Web site was still online as of Tuesday evening.

“When users click on the video, they are directed to a copy of the video,” Websense said. People are then redirected to the Windows Media Player, which will pop up a license agreement with installation of an adware program called Zango Cash, it said.

View: Full Story
News source: c|net

We briefly mentioned back in the spring that Daylight Savings was going to be changing for 2007 under the 2005 Energy Act Policy. This past week we received confirmation: “Under the new regulations, next year people will set their clocks forward three weeks earlier on March 11 and will fall back on November 4.” This is, of course, designed to conserve energy by taking advantage of the daylight. Dr. David Prerau, who was a consultant for Congress on this bill, states that by adding this extra time to DST will shave one percent – 3 billion kilowatt hours – off of the United States’ power bill. Apparently DST has been credited with more than just saving energy. It’s also been known to decrease crime rates and the number of traffic accidents and increase participation in outdoor activities.

News source: TreeHugger.com

Microsoft Corp. will unlock the digital-distribution capabilities of its next-generation console, Xbox 360, to Hollywood studios beginning November 22.

Xbox 360 gamers in the U.S., totaling at least 3 million, will be able to purchase TV shows and download them to their gaming hard drive as well as rent and watch movies on their consoles.

The first wave of content will include dozens of high-definition and standard-definition offerings from such partners as Warner Bros. (“Batman Forever,” “V for Vendetta,” “The Nine”), Paramount Pictures (“Nacho Libre,” “Jackass: The Movie”), MTV Networks (“South Park,” “SpongeBob SquarePants”), CBS (“CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Survivor”) and Turner Broadcasting (“Aqua Teen Hunger Force,” “Robot Chicken”).

View: Full Story
News source: Washington Post

Following the lead of rivals Yahoo Inc. and Microsoft Corp., top Internet search engine Google Inc. on Thursday is expected to release a downloadable version of its Gmail email feature for cell phones.

The free software, to be available only in the U.S., is compatible with more than 300 cell phones, and can be downloaded by pointing a phone’s Web browser to gmail.com/app or by text messaging the software to a phone from a personal computer.

Unlike its wired Web version, cell phone Gmail does not come accompanied by ads.
“We want to provide relevance and targeted ads, but with a cell phone’s small screen and all that, it’s tricky,” said Tony Hsieh, a product manager with Google’s mobile team.

View: Full Story
News source: MarketWatch.com

Electronic Arts Inc. is taking the wraps off of a major overhaul to its download service for computer games, signaling the largest video game publisher’s commitment to the growing trend of online distribution.

The Redwood City-based company said it plans to officially announce the new portal, EA Link, on Friday, though the retooled service was running Wednesday.

It replaces an earlier service called EA Downloader, the company’s admittedly clunky year-old effort at offering downloadable content for its PC games.

With EA Link users can download materials faster, search for products in a more organized fashion, launch purchased games directly, and have their payment information, including a new online payment option through PayPal, linked to their accounts.

View: Full Story
News source: NewsVine.com

Take a look at how the Windows Vista packaging will open up to reveal the media inside. Also, it is our first peak at what the Windows Vista discs will actually look like.

I like what they’ve done with the disc. The design on the disc is unique and fresh. Microsoft has adopted pretty much the same looking holographic CD/DVD’s since Windows 2000 and its nice to see it be given a fresh new look – which seems to be a reoccurring theme with the Windows Vista packaging in general.

View: Vista Packaging and Disc
View: Full Story
News source: MSTech Today

The Windows Vista journey is about to reach the end of the beginning, with the official launch date of November 30 announced for the simultaneous launch of Office 2007 and the business version of Windows Vista.

A Microsoft spokesperson has confirmed that the planned release dates for Vista and Office are indeed November 30 after all, fulfilling Microsoft’s promise of delivering Vista in 2006.

That said, the general consumer versions of Vista are still planned for a January (30th?) 2007 release. With the rumoured date of January 30 said to be on the verge of confirmation over the next few days.

View: Full Story
News source: iTWire