Apple waiting on 4G?

Though there is apparently an iPhone heading to Verizon, and in all likelihood, a new model iPhone next summer, neither model will run on any wireless carriers' 4G networks, according to a report in TechCrunch today.
The post cites "sources" that say that the iPhone Apple is making with CDMA chips won't support the Long Term Evolution, or LTE 4G standard, and neither will the iPhone 5 -- or whatever Apple calls the next-generation device it builds. CDMA is the the wireless technology used by Verizon and Sprint.
That's because, according to the report, Apple doesn't want to have to work with the first round of LTE chips and is concerned that they'll be "bulky" and "power hungry."
Instead, Apple will reportedly make an iPhone that has a combination of GSM and CDMA chips next summer, which will allow one phone to operate on all carriers.
It's not out of character for Apple to skip brand new technologies in its products. The company did the same thing with its first iPhone in 2007, opting to introduce the phone on AT&T's 2G Edge network and not 3G, even though it was available in dozens of markets across the U.S. at the time.

4G networks are becoming available in many markets, but the roll out won't be near completion until near the end of 2011. At that point, 4G will be standard and Apple probably won't need much convincing to offer an compatible iPhone by 2012.

Microsoft unveils Windows Phone 7 devices

Microsoft on Monday unveiled its plan to battle the iPhone, Android and BlackBerry smartphones with its new Windows Phone 7 mobile operating system.

At a press event in New York, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said that Windows Phone 7 smartphones would be available in the United States on AT&T's (T, Fortune 500) network.

"When Microsoft first showed us Windows Phone 7, we knew it was going to be a winner," AT&T CEO Mobility and Consumer Markets Ralph de la Vega said at the event. "It was different than anything we've seen."

Microsoft (MSFT, Fortune 500) also announced partnerships with Samsung, LG and HTC, which will make devices to run the new smartphone software.

Samsung's phone, called the Focus, will be available on November 8, and the Surround from HTC and Quantum from LG would be in stores in time for the holidays, Microsoft said. All three phones will cost $199.99.
The Windows Phone 7 lineup will eventually include nine phone models available in 30 countries, Ballmer said.
"It's a different kind of phone," he said. "It gets you in, gets you out, and back to life as fast as humanly possible."
Instead of the typical smartphone user interface -- a series of small icons to launch applications -- Windows Phone 7 uses large, dynamic tiles that Microsoft hopes will be both intuitive to use and easy to navigate.

Social networking is baked in, with a "people hub" that tracks updates across a user's contact list. A camera button wakes the phone into shooting mode quickly, so that it is able to almost instantly begin snapping photos. Games are a focus: Xbox Live players can take their accounts on the go, and Electronic Arts is a launch partner, bringing the Sims game to the phones.
Windows Phone 7 integrates deeply with other Microsoft products. Notes taken on phone with OneNote automatically sync to the cloud with Office Live. Along with top-notch support for Microsoft Outlook and Exchange -- which should make corporate IT departments very happy -- the phones offer a spell check that automatically underlines misspelled words with the red squiggly line familiar to Word users.
But one feature was noticeably missing at launch: copy/paste. Microsoft didn't put that in the original code because it didn't think it would be needed, thanks to auto-links between applications, a company executive said. But developers demanded it, and Microsoft plans to add it in an update in early 2011.

Battling rivals: Microsoft has struggled to sell smartphones since Apple's (AAPL, Fortune 500) iPhone and Google's (GOOG, Fortune 500) Android came storming onto the scene in the past few years. Windows Mobile commands less than 11% of the U.S. smartphone market, down from nearly 20% at the same time last year, according to comScore.

Over the past several years, many consumers thought that Windows Mobile began to feel outdated, both in the software itself and the phones that ran it, compared to its suddenly more successful rivals.
As a result, Microsoft opted to scrap its mobile operating system entirely, giving it a new name, a unique look and some compelling features that differentiate it from the competition.

The phone is also important for AT&T, which in all likelihood will be ending its exclusivity agreement with Apple for the iPhone in January.

AT&T is looking to bolster its lineup by the end of the year, and is very committed to throwing a tremendous amount of marketing muscle behind the Windows phones, according to Lloyd Walmsley, senior analyst at Primary Global Research. That should be good news for Microsoft, especially as consumers start to plan holiday gift purchases.

But Microsoft has a lot of ground to make up against its rivals. Research in Motion's (RIMM) BlackBerry now has more than triple the market share of Microsoft, and the iPhone and Android are both twice as big.

"Microsoft is way behind, and knocking Android and the iPhone out of the top spots will be almost impossible," Walmsley said. "I think it's even going to struggle to be a No. 3, but you can never count them out."

To succeed, Microsoft will have to convince potential customers that its unique offerings are compelling enough to pass up an iPhone, an Android phone or even a BlackBerry. 

Facebook unveils new Groups tool



PALO ALTO, Calif. (CNNMoney.com) -- Facebook unveiled three new features on Wednesday to give users better tools for communicating with sheltered groups and increased control over the information that they share on the social network.
"Until today, we've made it pretty easy to share with everyone on the site publicly," said Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO. "But for a lot of people, just your friends isn't actually private."


One new feature, called Groups, allows users to target their updates to specific sets of friends, without posting the information to everyone in their network.
Facebook created what it called "a social solution" to the problem. Users can create groups on the fly, similarly to how they tag photos on Facebook, and other group members can add additional friends.
"Sometimes you don't want to post something to all of your friends, not because you don't want them to know, but because you don't want to annoy them," Zuckerberg at a press gathering at Facebook's headquarters in Palo Alto, Calif. "The naive solution is to do something like friend lists. Almost no one wants to make lists."
Users can manually create friends' list subsets on Facebook today, but Zuckerberg said that fewer than 5% of the site's users have done that.
Instead, Facebook's new Groups approach will mimic its photo system.
"The majority of Facebook users do not upload photos -- but 95% have a photo of them that they've let users tag," Zuckerberg said.
Another new Facebook application, called "Download Your Information," allows Facebook's 500 million users to export all of the personal information that they upload to Facebook to a file on their computer. The app lets Facebook users port their information to another social network or simply browse everything that has been uploaded to their online profiles, including photos, status updates and wall posts.
"Philosophically, that's a core thing that people want from Facebook," Zuckerberg said. "People want to be able to easily take their information to another service and do that in safe way."
Facebook also introduced "Dashboard," which gives users the ability to see all of the apps that they use on one page. Dashboard can help users to monitor and manage all of their Facebook tools, including adjusting the privacy settings and deleting unwanted apps.
Both new features are very similar to privacy functions that Google added in 2009.
The new features will begin rolling out Wednesday, and Zuckerberg said more product updates will be released soon. Facebook employees have been in "lockdown mode" for the last two months, cranking out a blizzard of across-the-board enhancements.

"We just wanted to double down," Zuckerberg said. "We had a really productive summer improving the quality of a lot of things we've been working on."  

Why itunes songs samples still only 30 seconds

Apple's plan to extend the length of song samples doesn't appear to be dead.

"We are in active negotiations with Apple," about the length of song samples, said Hanna Pantle, a spokeswoman for Broadcast Music Inc., (BMI) one of the performing-rights organizations that collects royalties on behalf of songwriters and music publishers. She declined to provide any details.

"We are in active negotiations with Apple,"

--Hanna Pantle, BMI spokeswomanAt BMI's rival, the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), a spokesman declined to comment. A source close to the company, however, said Apple has a license with ASCAP that doesn't appear to put any time limits on song samples. Apple also has agreements with the four major record companies to allow iTunes to boost the length of song samples from 30 seconds to 90 seconds, according to multiple sources with knowledge of the deal.

So what went wrong? Why didn't Apple CEO Steve Jobs roll out the longer samples, as expected during his company's media event last Wednesday?

Turns out that even with all the labels on board, Apple didn't have all the licenses iTunes needed. Leaders at the National Music Publishers Association, the largest trade trade group representing music publishers, informed Apple that it couldn't offer extended samples until reaching an agreement with them. But that's not the whole story. Some from the music sector say Apple simply tried to rush a deal through and misjudged its ability to get it done without agreements from all the necessary parties. Apple has made it clear that the company doesn't want to pay to license song samples, insiders say, and even they acknowledge that Apple also wants to avoid the nightmare that other music services have gone through when trying to acquire publishing rights. It typically involves tracking down untold numbers of rights holders.

Ping isn't enough

What all this means is that Apple has more work to do--possibly much more--before it can offer longer samples. Meanwhile, Google is paying close attention to Apple's efforts, according to the music industry sources. The search engine plans to launch a music service perhaps as early as this fall, the sources said. How the recording sector responds to longer song samples could give Apple and Google insight into how many hoops they may have to jump through to license cloud music services.

Both companies have talked to the major labels about storing copies of their users' music libraries on the companies' servers so that they can be accessed from any Web-enabled device, sources have told CNET. One source said because these kinds of cloud services are unprecedented for the music sector, the licensing process could prove complex.

When it comes to lengthening song samples, Apple is breaking ground. For years, the music industry has defined a sample as 30 seconds. But Apple has plenty of reasons to provide bigger samples. When it comes to helping users discover new music, the iTunes Store has not kept pace with services such as YouTube and Vevo, which offer a smorgasbord of music videos. Clicking on these, and a music buyer gets to hear free, full-length songs.

Apple's iTunes may be the No. 1 music retailer, but it is apparently not where the music-buying process begins for many iTunes users. Apple obviously recognizes the problem and tried to address it on Wednesday by adding to iTunes a music-focused social-networking service called Ping. This feature, however, has been met with a wave of criticism. Complaints range from the amount of spam found there to Ping's inability to integrate Facebook.

We don't know exactly why Apple pulled the song samples from Wednesday's presentation. But Jay Rosenthal, the NMPA's general counsel, said last week that he and David Israelite, the NMPA's chief executive, read on Monday on CNET that Apple had struck deals with the major labels to boost the length of song sales and wondered why Apple had not come to them about a deal.

On either Monday or Tuesday, Israelite sought an outside legal opinion and was told that Apple couldn't legally offer longer samples without permission from the music publishers. On the day before Apple's event, Israelite informed Apple of the NMPA's position.

"We believe that a license is necessary, and conversations must occur before song samples are extended," Rosenthal told CNET last Wednesday. NMPA representatives declined to comment for this story.

Here come publishers

It's clear that the NMPA isn't pleased about being left out of the negotiations between Apple and the major labels. There's some history here: The top four labels own the largest publishing companies and have much to say about publishing deals, as well as agreements over recording rights. But not the final say.

Here's how these things often work: Many by now have heard the version of the song "Creep" used in the trailer for the upcoming film about Facebook, "The Social Network." The song in the trailer is a cover version sung by a women's choir. To include the song, the filmmakers likely had to obtain the rights to the song's lyrics and music composition from the song's publishers.

Had the filmmakers wanted to use the version recorded by Radiohead, the band that made "Creep" famous, they would have presumably needed to acquire the recorded-music rights from EMI, Radiohead's former record label. They would still be required to pay for the publishing rights as well. When the movie appears on TV or cable, the filmmakers will need to pay a public performance feel (take a deep breath).

It's important to note that publishers get a taste in practically every situation. That's partly why some in the music business guess that Israelite, from the NMPA, jumped into the middle of Apple's song sample deal and why he's asserting himself, according to two music sector sources. For years, the publishers were treated as an afterthought, while the major labels drove most of the important deals. Israelite did not respond to interview requests for this story.

When it comes to song samples, Israelite told CNET last week that the NMPA "has not raised any substantive objection to the concept of longer song samples." That may be, but some powerful members of his organization have said publicly that they want Apple to pay for the right to offer song samples.

"In the U.S., while we do get paid a mechanical (licensing fee) from iTunes, we are not getting any performance income from Apple yet," David Renzer, chairman of Universal Music Publishing Group, said in an interview last year with entertainment industry publication Encore. "[On iTunes], you can stream radio, and you can preview [tracks], things that we should be getting paid performance income for."

So some publishers want Apple to pay for samples, and Apple has refused to make such an agreement, arguing that a 30-second sample is promotional. What Apple and the publishers have to determine is, what happens when a song sample is 60 seconds or 90 seconds long?

It's going to be interesting to see if Apple gets the longer song samples. That may tell us a lot about whether iTunes still has the weight to dictate terms to the music sector. As the executive from the music-publishing arena said, Apple is the only game in town. Unlike the film studios, which have multiple Internet outlets from which to sell, including Netflix, iTunes, and Hulu, the music industry--after all these years--really only has Apple.

Jailbreaking your iPhone? Change your passwords

Since the U.S. Copyright Office declared last month that it's legal to jailbreak your iPhone, lots of iPhone users have been doing just that -- nearly 9 percent of them as of late July.

But jailbreaking your iPhone -- tweaking it to run applications not approved by Apple -- is serious business. That's not just because jailbreaking can void your Apple warranty, but because it can put you at risk of data theft, malware or other significant problems.

In November, TUAW reported that a Dutch hacker proved this point by using port scanning -- using software to probe a network host for open ports -- to find jailbroken phones. From there, he sent unsuspecting users a message that read, 'Your iPhone's been hacked because it's really insecure! Right now, I can access all your files.' "

He then directed his victims to PayPal and requested €5 (about $10) in exchange for instructions to remove his hack.

At least he let his victims know they'd been hacked. Your iPhone won't notify you about that on its own.

If you jailbreak your iPhone, one crucial way to protect yourself is to change the phone's default passwords. But be forewarned: It's not a simple process.

In the latest episode of the Boulder Open Podcast, hosts Dave Taylor and Michael Sitarzewski discussed this concern. Recently both of them jailbroke their iPhone 4s.

"I've gotta say, this was not a compelling experience. It was complicated as heck to figure out how to jailbreak the phone and then change the default passwords," said Taylor, a longtime tech expert.

"Once you jailbreak your phone, it's accessible via laptops. Someone can log into your phone and monkey with it. The process for changing the passwords is really quite a production. Like a lot of the open-source technology I've used in past 30 years, this is not something you want to get involved with unless you're willing to spend the time to learn how to do this safely."

A "root password" is a fundamental part of the geeky Unix back-end of the iPhone's slick operating system. It's something that non-jailbroken users never have to worry about because Apple's walled-garden iPhone experience prevents this particular kind of incursion.

Sitarzewski explained, "Every Unix system on the planet has a root account, and the default password for that account is the same on every iPhone on the planet ('alpine').

"When you jailbreak your phone, sometimes one of the requirements for an app is secure shell (SSH). That's the only way you're opening yourself up to this particular vulnerability. So you don't absolutely have to change your root password if you don't install SSH protocols -- but it's a good idea anyway."

Taylor added: "Not only is the default root password the same on every iPhone, but the default mobile user account password also is the same on every iPhone ('dottie'). So you should change them both."

If you venture beyond Apple's iPhone garden walls, you can follow these instructions to change your default passwords from the Just Another iPhone Blog.

Alternatively, TiPb offers instructions on using the JailbreakMe mobile site to simplify the jailbreaking process.

They note that as of early August, some jailbroken iPhone users running iOS4 reported problems with the terminal (a command-line interface that lets you access system-level functions), and pointed to a TiPb discussion forum for instructions on fixing that problem.

How to create a 'super password'

Say goodbye to those wimpy, eight-letter passwords.


The 12-character era of online security is upon us, according to a report published this week by the Georgia Institute of Technology.

The researchers used clusters of graphics cards to crack eight-character passwords in less than two hours.

But when the researchers applied that same processing power to 12-character passwords, they found it would take 17,134 years to make them snap.

"The length of your password in some cases can dictate the vulnerability," said Joshua Davis, a research scientist at the Georgia Tech Research Institute.

It's hard to say what will happen in the future, but for now, 12-character passwords should be the standard, said Richard Boyd, a senior research scientist who also worked on the project.

The researchers recommend 12-character passwords -- as opposed to those with 11 or, say, 13 characters -- because that number strikes a balance between "convenience and security."

They assumed a sophisticated hacker might be able to try 1 trillion password combinations per second. In that scenario, it takes 180 years to crack an 11-character password, but there's a big jump when you add just one more character -- 17,134 years.

Passwords have gotten longer over time, and security experts are already recommending that people use full sentences as passwords.

Here's one suggested password-sentence from Carnegie Mellon University:

No, the capital of Wisconsin isn't Cheeseopolis!"

Or maybe something that's easier to remember, like this:

"I have two kids: Jack and Jill."

Even though advances in cheap computing power are making long, complicated passwords a necessity, not all websites will accommodate them, Boyd said.

It's best to use the longest and most complex password a site will allow, he said. For example, if a website will let you create a password with non-letter characters -- like "@y;}v%W$\5\" -- then you should do so.

There are only 26 letters in the English alphabet, but there are 95 letters and symbols on a standard keyboard. More characters means more permutations, and it soon becomes more difficult for a computer to generate the correct password just by guessing.

Some websites allow for super-long passwords. The longest one Boyd has seen is at Fidelity.com, a financial site that lets users create 32-character passwords.

On a Microsoft website devoted to password security, the tech giant tells the password-creating public not to use real words or logical combinations of letters. That keeps you safer from a "dictionary attack," which uses a database of words and common character sequences to try to guess the code.

The Georgia Tech researchers carried out a "brute force" attack when they determined that passwords should be at least 12 characters long.

To do so, they deployed computer graphics cards, which are cheap and can be programmed to do basic computations very quickly.

The processors in those cards run simultaneously, trying to guess all of the possible password combinations. The more characters in a password, the more guesses are required.

But if your password has to be really long in order to keep up with this computational power -- and if you're supposed to have a new password for each website you frequent -- then how are you supposed to remember everything?

That's a real problem, the Georgia Tech researchers said.

There are a few solutions, however.

A website called Password Safe will store a list of passwords for you, but Boyd and Davis said it may still be possible for a hacker to obtain that list.

Other companies sell tokens that people carry around with them. These keychain-sized devices generate random numbers several times a minute, and users must enter those numbers and a shorter password to log in.

Some sites -- Facebook for example -- are marketing their log-ins and user names as a way to access sites all over the Web.

That's good for the user but is potentially dangerous because if hackers figure out a single password, they can access multiple banks of information, the researchers said.

The reason passwords have to keep getting longer is that computers and graphics cards are getting faster, the Georgia Tech researchers said.

"These things are really inexpensive -- just a few hundred dollars -- and they have a performance that's comparable to supercomputers of only just a few years ago," Boyd said of fast-processing graphics cards.

Maybe our brains will have to get bigger and faster, too. We'll need some way to remember these tome-like character strings.

Reports: Google considering iTunes-like music service

Apple may get a nasty surprise this holiday season; rumors are swirling that Google's Andy Rubin is planning on a holiday-season launch for the search behemoth's new music download service.


According to a Reuters report, Rubin, the Google VP Engineering who oversees Android development, has been deep in talks with record labels and "hopes to have the service up and running by Christmas."

Google's service would be an iTunes challenger that would be deeply connected to the Android mobile operating system. As we reported over the summer, it seems the company plans to first launch a music download service and progress to an online subscription service by next year.

Ultimately, "Google Music" would be a cloud-based subscription service with the ability to stream directly to Android mobile devices.

An anonymous record label exec confirmed to the newswire that Google was, indeed, in talks with labels about launching such a service and that labels aren't at all upset about the prospect.

"Finally here's an entity with the reach, resources and wherewithal to take on iTunes as a formidable competitor by tying it into search and Android mobile platform. What you'll have is a very powerful player in the market that's good for the music business," the source said.

Right now, the ever-more-popular swarm of Android phones have an integration with Amazon's MP3 store, but it's not the best-integrated solution.

If Google can perfect a music downloading system and include some of the mobile-desktop syncing features we saw at Google I/O, they just might have a killer app on their hands -- one that would continue to allow Android to successfully challenge Apple's iPhone in the mobile market, too.

Google began its work in the music space last year with the launch of a music search feature. When users searched Google for any kind of music, among search results would be streaming audio previews and music discovery features from music-centric companies including Pandora and Rhapsody.

With the recent launch of iTunes 10 and built-in music social network Ping, Apple is aiming for a major revitalization of its music offering. But so far, users' reactions to the new software has been lukewarm at best.

Do you think Google could emerge in just a couple months with a winning approach to music downloading? How do you think this move might ? or might not -- affect Apple's bottom line? Let us know your opinions in the comments.

The six iPhone 4 Bumper Cases rock by removing the antenna woes

iPhone 4 is pleasing every one with its FaceTime Video Calling and 3.5 inch Retina Display screen. Being equipped with bundle of applications this piece needs care while using. And the antenna woes faced by it are really annoying. But no more as the new Apple iPhone 4 Bumper Cases are out which remove these antenna woes easily.

Bumper cases complement the iPhone 4 tremendously. They provide protection against scratches and give full freedom to hold your iPhone 4 the way you desire without worrying about the dropping signals.

There are six scintillating colors available; the Royal Black, Serene White, Baby Pink, Soothing Green, Sky Blue and Juicy Orange. So you have variety of colours to decorate your iPhone.

They are prepared using two types of plastic, a hard shiny plastic band in the middle and a more elastic and non glossy finish plastic in surrounding band. Recessed area for speakers, USB port, mute switch, headphones jack and mic and metal buttons for power and volume are added advantages.

The merger of rubber and molded plastic enables iPhone 4 to slip easily in the pocket and give good grip without the grip-pants-pocket feeling unlike the other rubber cases

The dimensions are 5.7 x 2.8 x 0.5 inches with 5 ounces weight making it comfortable carrying anywhere. And the beautiful splashes of color make it attractive too. So why waste time searching the boring cases just go and get Bumper Cases for your iPhone 4 and jealous everyone!

Speed has never been a limit for mankind and when it comes to processors that speed up your machines then the likes of IBM, Intel and AMD (to some extent) have always been breaking their own records. Well, it has happened again and this time it is IBM that claims to have come up with world’s fastest processor namely z196. This chip is said to be of 5.2 GHz capacity and (hopefully) delivers its top notch speed.

From a performance standpoint, the zEnterprise System is the most powerful commercial IBM system ever. The core server
in the zEnterprise System — called zEnterprise 196 — contains 96 of the world’s fastest, most powerful microprocessors, capable of executing more than 50 billion instructions per second. That’s roughly 17,000 times more instructions than the Model 91, the high-end of IBM’s popular System/360 family, could execute in 1970.

z196 won’t require any liquid nitrogen based assistance which could be an added advantage as its capacity won’t be due to super cooling systems. The chip is said to handle over 50 billion instructions per second whereas it has been claimed that Fujitsu’s Venus CPU can handle over 128 billion calculations per second. It is clear that IBM will have to face tough debate before z196 is officially the fastest.

Innovative E-rope plug modules that look cool and save power

Innovative designs and latest gadgets are always exciting, and if innovation teams up with splendour and also saves electricity isn’t it all the more appealing? Who wouldn’t want to own such an amazing looking e rope, and replace it with the old boring stereo typical plugs? These e rope plug modules join together to form different shapes and angles. They can be twisted and adjusted according to your need.

When any plugged in electrical appliance is not in use, it is on standby mode, but still it consumes a certain amount of electricity. Using an E-rope plug will save that extra cost in your electric bills, by reducing the use of unwanted wastage of electricity
 
The E-rope is a modular strip that saves on power and is highly utility based. When plugged in and in use it lights up and this enhances its beauty all the more. Miju kim has designed this socket such that on twisting 90 degree it will stop consuming electricity. The amazing design won her a Bronze Award from IDSA.

ASUS G53 AND G73 gaming machine now have 1.5GB NIVADIA GTX 460 grunt

the notion in this fast changing market and every possible gadget undergoes an upgrade even before you have completely understood its previous configurations. Same is the case with ASUS G53 and ASUS G73 gaming machines which have recently been upgraded with the best possible configurations for game lovers. Both the machines should be capable of 3D work and attractive graphics if the specifications are to be believed.

Read more: ASUS G53 and G73 gaming machines now have 1.5GB NVIDIA GTX 460 grunt
GadgetLite - Latest gadgets and technology news http://www.gadgetlite.com/2010/09/08/asus-g53-g73-gaming-machines-1-5gb/#ixzz0yzbBLKwg

Brought to you by GadgetLite.com
 

The Sony Ericsson EP900 for optimal safety, quality and performance

Now catch up with your favourite music and game all day even without missing on any of the TV programmes, with the Sony Ericsson Micro USB Battery Charger EP900 tucked in your bag. The Sony Ericsson charger is of international standards and made using state of art technologies. It is complaint with the EPA’s Energy star v.2.0 requirements and a quality product one can rely on.

Features


• Compliant with the EPA’s Energy Star v.2.0 requirements

• Reduces global energy consumption

• Optimal performance with quality and safety

• Easy to recharge anywhere and anytime

Star achievements: IT was chosen as a front runner by the Greenpeace for successful attempts in efficient use of materials and environment friendly properties, phasing out of hazardous substances and reduced energy consumption

The Sony Ericsson EP900 charger is compatible with Aspen™, Cedar™, Vivaz™, Vivaz™ pro, Xperia™ X1, Xperia™ X10, Xperia™ X10 mini pro, Xperia™ X2 and Yendo™ Ericson phones.The Sony Ericsson charger EP900 has stunning sleek looks and can be flaunted amongst friends and acquaintances. It is sure to get some envious glares. You can safely recharge batteries with minimal consumption of energy. It is a greener choice for your batteries. And it even saves you the money. All the Sony Ericsson accesories are developed to provide optimal performance with equally superior safety and quality.

Toshiba AC100 AndroidSmartbook

What we got here is Toshiba's AC100 another Android device, no, it's not a tablet but rather a smartbook boasting Toshiba's custom Android interface, 10.1-inch display, 1GHz Tegra 250 SoC, a 32GB SSD, 512MB of DDR2 memory, 802.11n WiFi, optional 3G, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR, a 1.3 megapixel webcam and an HDMI port all weighs 1.9lbs. Check out the video after the break.


Toshiba's AC100 isn't yet land in the U.S., however if you're in U.K. you can grab this smartbook for £292.52 (around $450) for the non-3G model on Amazon UK.

iPod nano Review (6th Generation)

We're now on 6th generation of Apple's iPod nano, thinking back 2005 since its debut we got here the first complete redesigned product. We obviously see that the clickwheel was gone together with its light, slim form factor and larger screen display. The new nano is set forward with touchscreen and dedicated operating system, looking like an infused old shuffle and iPod Touch. We compiled a series of reviews after the break.

CNET Review

The good: The iPod Nano (sixth generation) is nearly half the size of the previous model, uses unique multitouch screen navigation, and includes a built-in clip.

The bad: Many features have disappeared, including video playback, camcorder, microphone, speaker, games, calendar, contacts, notes, and alarm clock. The touch-screen interface is overkill, requiring more attention than the time-tested click wheel design without delivering many practical benefits.

The bottom line: The sixth generation of the iPod Nano is the smallest yet, but it comes at the expense of valuable features and practical controls.

Engadget Review

Ultimately, if you've had the same iPod nano for the past few years, this new device will probably make you feel like you need a replacement. While there isn't slew of fresh additions (in fact, there are notable subtractions), the re-think about what the nano is supposed to be feels right to us. It's still not exactly your cheapest option if you're looking for pure MP3 playback, but something tells us that if you're looking at the nano, you're living in Apple's ecosystem, and that makes this a pretty attractive choice. We ultimately would like to see the capacities on these guys grow a bit, and those prices drop, but there's no sticker shock here. The new nano is a smart, fast, capable player that should please a lot of people looking for something new this holiday season.
 
The new iPod nano is a bit of an enigma. On the one hand, its size and touchscreen interface are sure to generate oohs and aahs, and in many cases provide genuine—and substantial—benefits. On the other hand, the new interface suffers a bit from being confined to a tiny screen, features found on previous models are missing, and the lack of physical playback controls (or at least Apple’s inline-remote earbuds, standard on last year’s model) means the device is less usable than it could be, especially in precisely the environments where it should excel: at the gym and on the go. A slightly larger screen and either basic physical playback controls or Apple’s remote-equipped earbuds would have made for a stellar music player, despite the "lost" features.


Perhaps it's better to think of the new iPod nano as version 1.0 of a completely new device, rather than the sixth generation of an existing iPod. If you’ve always wanted the touchscreen interface of the iPod touch on a smaller, audio-only device, the new nano is a pretty good 1.0 product, but it's got enough room for improvement that I’m already looking forward to next year's model.

How easy is it to hack a mobile

Continuing scrutiny of the methods used by some News of the World journalists (NoW) to listen to private voicemails has turned the spotlight on mobile security. But how easy is it to hack a handset?


"It depends on how much money, time and effort you want to put into it" said Nigel Stanley, a mobile security analyst at Bloor Research.

Mr Stanley said the number of ways to get at information on a handset was growing, even as it got far less likely that the method used by the NoW journalists would still work.

The journalists are believed to have listened to voicemail messages but, said Mr Stanley, changes introduced by UK network operators in recent months made it harder for anyone but the correct customer to listen to those messages.

Some have also questioned whether the use of default pin codes to get at those voicemail accounts could be considered hacking.

In addition, said Simeon Coney, a spokesman for mobile security firm Adaptive Mobile, the declining use of voicemail made it a less tempting target.


"Rather than leave a voicemail, people will more likely send a text," he said. "It's more immediate."
By contrast to voicemail, said Mr Coney, tapping texts was far trickier.


"It's very, very hard to get access to people's text messages without putting something on the device," he said. "It's a separate architecture that the operators run to manage text messages."

Access All Areas

Key to handset hacking, he said, was installing software on a device either by getting physical access to the mobile, tricking its owner into downloading a booby-trapped application or making them visit a page that inserts malware onto a device.

Mr Coney said commercial software, known as spyware, was available that could take copies of everything on a phone, log its location and switch on any of its components. All without revealing its presence on a handset.

"They give remote access, take copies of text messages and can turn the telephone into an audio bug," he said.

The hard part, he said, was getting hold of a device for a few minutes to insert the software. Alternatively, he said, targets could be sent an e-mail they read on their phone that contains a link to a website that looks benign but, in the background, is installing spyware.

Security researchers have demonstrated such an attack working on high-end smartphones, he said.


"It only required a user to look at a website," said Mr Coney. "That loaded the software on the device. It would not be hard to target someone like that."

Bugs in the Bluetooth short-range radio technology common on many smartphones could also mean that some information about a handset could be "sniffed" from only a few metres away.

The BBC has also shown now straightforward it is to create a booby-trapped code by creating a game that had spyware buried inside. Security firms also report a growing number of cases in which games and other applications have been found to contain code that steals more information than it should.

Leaving aside the technology, modern smartphones leak information about their owners in a way that can be hard to control, said Mr Coney. Anyone sending tweets via their phone could be revealing their location and some of the apps that can be loaded on phones report where in the world they are at that moment.

Such low level surveillance could be very useful if it was about high-value targets, said Mr Coney.

Human factors

Mr Stanley said flaws in the early versions of mobile network software meant that it was possible for skilful attackers to build hardware that pretended to be a mobile base station

The flaws in the mobile network software made it hard for phone owners to be sure they were connecting to a legitimate base station. Control of that fake base station would give attackers access to everything a mobile owner was doing.


3G networks removed this flaw, said Mr Stanley, but the equipment needed to pose as a mobile base station was getting cheaper, smaller and easier to use all the time.

A similar research project was also in the process of producing an easy to use kit that contains, among other things, all the encryption keys used on 2G networks that would give attackers access to tap into mobile calls.

Mr Stanley pointed out that setting up the equipment to pose as a base station or crack phone conversations broke several UK laws. It is also illegal to carry out surveillance as the prison sentences handed down to the NoW journalists shows.

Mobiles were only likely to become more tempting for attackers as people do more with them, said Mr Stanley. Getting hold of the data on a handset could unlock access to much more intimate details such as Facebook accounts, private e-mails, instant messages, photos, videos and much more.

"People live their lives through their phone, they are more relevant and personal than a computer." he said. "If I were to target someone I would go after the phone."

Finally, he added, the easiest way to get at a mobile was perhaps to avoid technology all together.

"Why not just bribe one of the folks that work for the operators?" he said. "Get them to get the information for you

iPhone Changing Lives of Autistic Children

Kristen Guilfoos


NewsChannel 10

Amarillo, Texas - It's being used to help kids with autism, kids who are behind on speech development, people with traumatic brain injuries and stroke victims.

New technology is helping revolutionize speech therapy. Apple's iPhone, iTouch and iPad are quickly gaining the attention of the medical community... Local speech pathologists say they've seen first hand the difference this new app can make in the lives of those who have trouble communicating what they're thinking.

WT's Associate Professor of Special Education says, "That's one of the defining characteristics of autism and other communication disabilities is communication problems. But the iPad, the iPhone the iPod all give them a way of communicating that can be personalized. It sets them free. It gives them a voice."

The app is designed to let them tell others what they're thinking... They touch the picture of what they want on the screen and the app says it out loud... Things like "I want to watch TV", "Hello. My name is Kristen" or "I'm hungry."

Speech Pathologist Donna Phillips says, "They have several very realistic voices that are male, female and children's voices and the child can then using touching that picture to communicate that message."

The most basic version of this app costs seven or eight dollars, but the most high-tech version runs around $200... Significantly less than the ten thousand dollar price tag that came with previously used large computer systems.

15 Android widgets that will make iPhone users jealous

One of the biggest advantages of Android over iPhone is widgets. Android has them, iPhone does not.


Widgets are valuable because they can provide an at-a-glance look at lots of different kinds of information and quick access to valuable apps and configuration settings.

To help you find some of the most useful widgets, I’ve put together my list of the top 15. The best way to way this list is in the screenshot gallery. But, you can also view it in list form below.

A couple things to keep in mind with widgets: 1.) They can sometimes hog resources, bandwidth, and battery life so you should make sure you’re using a task killer to regularly refresh your open apps; 2.) Widgets can take up a lot of screen real estate and so you may need to use an alternate home screen launcher, such as Launcher Pro, to give yourself some extra space

The list1. Extended Controls


Android comes with a “Power Control” widget (bottom) that I’ve always liked because it lets you quickly toggle Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Brightness, and more. However, I recently discovered the “Extended Controls” widget, which allows you to create a customized version of Power Control with a lot more toggle options.

2. Battery Watcher

This widget provides a battery percentage visual. Since you can’t add the battery percentage to the notification icon in Android, I always anchor this simple widget on my primary home screen on any Android device. I like that it is the size of an app icon, so it doesn’t take up too much screen real estate.

3. Picture Dial

This is a smartphone speed dial app that allows you to set up your most important and most frequently-dialed people or numbers based on photos. You can see the two sizes of the widget, one with two numbers and one with four. You can also stack multiple widgets on the same page. The default configuration is that you select a contact and then assign phone, text, or email to the speed dial button.

4. Analytics Widget

If you use Google Analytics to track Web site traffic, this little widget makes it easy to get a get quick glance at your traffic metrics. It takes up the same amount of space as an app icon and you can set up multiple widgets to track multiple metrics.

5. 3G Watchdog

As most people are aware, “Unlimited Bandwidth” data plans are not unlimited. Most of them are capped at 5GB. Plus, companies like AT&T are moving away from unlimited plans altogether. That means people are going to need to be more conscious of the bandwidth usage. The 3G Watchdog is a widget that can track it for you. The widget is available in two sizes, as you can see in the screenshot.

6. System Info

This widget provides a great little system monitoring function for battery life, over-heating, memory, and storage.

7. Pure Calendar

There’s a built-in widget that can provide a quick glance at your calendar but Pure Calendar is far more detailed and customizable.

8. Pure Messenger

The cousin of Pure Calendar is Pure Messenger, which can provide a quick glance at your inbox. It can even integrate SMS messages, Twitter DMs, and Facebook mail.

9. Buzzbox

Buzzbox offers a no-frills widget for quickly glancing at the news. There are a bunch of pre-configured RSS sources (including some good ones for tech) and you can easily add your own.

10. SMS Unread Count

The basic premise here is that this widget replaces your Messaging (SMS) icon with a widget that looks like an icon but includes a little red circle in the upper right corner with the number of unread messages you have (mirroring the iPhone UI). The app can also do this for Gmail and Phone (missed calls).

11. Last Call

This widget provides a glance at your last call, which makes it easy to redial or to call back a missed call. You can also click on the widget to go to your full Call Log.

12. FlightView

For travelers, the FlightView widget is very handy. Rather than digging through apps or Web pages to get a flight status update, you can enter your airline and flight number into this app and it will track it for you.

13. Twitter

As I’ve said before, Twitter is a terrific real-time intelligence engine. Now that there’s an official Twitter Android app, there are also a couple Twitter widgets (large and small) for scanning your Twitter stream.

14. Scoreboard

This is a Google widget that lets you keep track of the scores from your favorite sports teams. It shows the last game and the next game (or current game).

15. Pandora

Pandora is a custom streaming “radio station” for the Internet age. You simply search by an artist or song and it will create a running playlist based on that one piece of information. This widget makes it easy to control Pandora, including play/pause, thumb up, thumb down, and skip-track buttons

iPad competitors are lining up

(CNET) -- Apple's iPad may finally have some competition.


With the gadget, Apple started the craze for building devices that are smaller than notebooks and bigger than standard smartphones, feature touch-screen interfaces, and enable people to browse the Web and download apps.

And the iPad took off quicker than most people anticipated, selling 3 million units in its first 80 days. The device is expected to keep tight hold of its market-leading position for at least the next year.

But beginning this fall (with several new devices launching at IFA Berlin last week) and stretching through next year (with the Consumer Electronics Show in early January), there are going to be far more consumer touch-screen tablets to choose from. And not just from small niche manufacturers.

Some of the world's largest makers of consumer electronics and PCs are jumping into the fray -- companies with the resources (including, in many cases, Google's rapidly proliferating Android operating system) to take on the Apple mobile-device juggernaut.

The big players in the developing tablet race will be familiar: they're many of the same people who are tussling for consumers' dollars and attention in the smartphone realm.

As with smartphones, choosing a touch-screen tablet will mean deciding between different operating systems: Apple's iOS, Google's Android, Palm's WebOS, Research In Motion's BlackBerry operating system, and Microsoft's Windows 7 -- except, in some instances, without having to also decide on a wireless carrier.

Here's a look at some of the iPad's competitors. It's not a comprehensive survey, of course. But it's a good look at the tablets coming from companies with the tech chops and marketing clout to compete with Apple.

Samsung Galaxy Tab

The Samsung Galaxy Tab is emerging as a top rival to the iPad. Just officially unveiled at IFA Berlin, it's an Android-based touch-screen tablet. At 7 inches, it's smaller than the 9.7 inch iPad, and it's also lighter.

The initial reviews of using the tablet have been positive, and it's not an iPad clone. The specs include Android 2.2 (Froyo), Flash 10.1, 16GB or 32GB of memory, GPS, and a gyroscope, accelerometer, and a 3.2-megapixel camera, with autofocus and a flash. (See my colleague Stephen Shankland's hands-on video here.)

The biggest difference between the Galaxy Tab and the iPad is that you can buy the device only through a carrier. So, yes, that means there's a phone in the Galaxy Tab. Think of it like a smartphone on steroids, similar to Dell's slightly smaller Streak, which debuted this summer. The cost will be left up to the individual carriers.

Toshiba Folio

The Toshiba Folio also debuted at IFA as an Android tablet ready to take on the iPad. As with Apple's tablet, you don't have to buy it through a wireless carrier, but you do have the option for WI-Fi only or Wi-Fi and 3G.

There's a 10.1-inch multitouch screen, an Nvidia Tegra processor, stereo speakers, a 1.3-megapixel Webcam, two USB ports, an SD card slot, an HDMI connector for sending video to other screens, Bluetooth communications, and 16GB of memory. Like the Galaxy Tab, it comes with Adobe Flash 10.1 and Android 2.2.

The price is 399 Euros ($511), but (so far) it's been announced only for Europe.

The Streak

With the 5-inch Streak, Dell was one of the first major competitors of Apple to bring out a tablet using Android. The device is more of a phone than a tablet, but it's shown that Dell is being aggressive in getting out early in this category.

Though the Streak has been reviewed as a solid Android device, its software is already old; the gadget comes with Android 1.6 (whereas most new tablets will hit store shelves with version 2.2).

The Streak is available only in the U.K. and the U.S. In the states you can get it for $299 on a two-year contract with AT&T, or get it unlocked for $549.

The Blackpad

The Blackpad, a tablet from Research In Motion, is still a rumor, but it's a pretty solid one.

The maker of the BlackBerry is reportedly readying the device and intends it as a sort of companion gadget to the BlackBerry -- it will come only with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity options, and for 3G service would need to be tethered to one of RIM's smartphones.

Another report has the device not running the BlackBerry OS at all, instead featuring software from a company called QNX that RIM bought earlier this year. It's not clear whether this device will be ready for consumers this holiday season or sometime next year.

HP Slate

The HP Slate with Windows 7 is supposedly still being worked on by Hewlett-Packard, which announced the gadget at CES in January. While we're not holding our breath for that one, there's another potentially interesting touch-screen tablet coming our way from HP.

The company has been making PC tablets for years, but the reaction from customers to Apple's iPad must have clearly demonstrated the demand for a lightweight, non-Windows tablet.

A few months after the iPad's debut, HP went out and bought itself its own mobile operating system. Now it says it's planning to unveil a tablet based on Palm's WebOS sometime early next year.

Though very few details are known, the company has filed a trademark on the name PalmPad, which may or may not turn out to be the name of its impending tablet.

Apple's obviously not sitting still either.

While hardware updates are likely to come early next year, we also know there will be some significant software updates by November, as Steve Jobs showed us at the company's fall event last week. Wireless printing, AirPlay media streaming, and multitasking will arrive when iOS 4.2 is ready.

A Linux for everyone (and everything)!

Yesterday, I was on one of my many bike rides (those rides where I do most of my “what should I write about now” thinking) and I was doing the old word association game with myself. During this word association game I said “Windows” which lead to “MS Linux”. Of course we all remember the time when the rumors were running rampant that Microsoft was working on a version of Linux that would take the world by storm. It would have the stability, security, and reliability of Linux and all the applications of Windows! Wow, what a idea…that of course, amounted to nothing more than a poorly constructed rumor.


Of course that thought lead me to something altogether different — a thought that could have traction, could have meaning, could have serious implications.

What if a distribution of Linux was developed that included everything people needed to run standard Linux applications as well as everything they would need to run Windows applications…even games! Stick with me, it could work.

Here’s what would this magical distribution would need to include:

Standard Linux distribution: Let’s say Ubuntu since it still reigns as the user-friendly king.

Open Office: In case the user doesn’t want to pay for MS Office.

The GIMP: (Or Inkskape or Blender) In case the user doesn’t want to pay for Photoshop.

Cedega: So the user could play Windows-based games.

CrossOver Linux: So the user could run MS Office.

Browser plugins: So the user does NOT have to worry about installing any plug-ins themselves.

Multimedia codecs: For all popular multimedia types.

WINE: As a catch-all for other Windows apps.

It would, of course, be best to have everything installed and ready to go. It would be completely self-defeating if the user had to install any of the above (not including the Windows applications or games) to get them to work. What you would have would be the Swiss Army Knife of operating systems. This baby could do anything…and do it well.

Now, here’s the kicker…a distribution like this COULD (and should) come with a price. I’m not talking Windows 7 level of price structures…but a single-level price (say $49.99) that would include licenses for Cedega and CrossOver. That would cover the cost of the work as well as any licensing costs the distributor would have to pay out to the creators of the products.

I wouldn’t, however, want this product to forsake all things that make Linux what it is. I would want to see the desktop remain as it is (and not Windows-ified). The desktop would need to continue to reflect all that is unique (and right) about Linux. Of course the choice of desktop could be up to the user.

People would buy this. PC makers might even distribute it on new PCs. Who knows. But ultimately the consumer would be the big winner because they would be getting an operating system on their machine that is stable, secure, reliable, AND runs Windows applications. What more could a use need or want?

Something like this is certainly feasible. It wouldn’t take a Canonical much work at all to roll the above application set into a retail version of Ubuntu and start selling it. I would buy it…if only to support the cause. Would you?

HP Officejet All-in-One: An unlikely spy tool

I read an interesting post by Michael Sutton on the Zscaler web site. He discovered that networked HP Officejet products can be exploited to steal potentially-sensitive information. Thankfully, the cure is simple.


The problemWhen I started reading Mr. Sutton’s post, I wasn’t that concerned. Not many users know about configuration of web servers or how to access them. The only negative experience I’ve encountered was when someone mistakenly changed the static IP address, knocking the printer off line.

Besides, web servers are only accessible from computers on the internal network. That means an attacker has to be an insider or penetrate perimeter defenses. In either case, there is more to worry about than the configuration of an Officejet All-in-One.

Not necessarily trueIt seems that many home and company networks aren’t setup properly. As Officejet web pages are showing up on the Internet. Mr. Sutton came up with a clever way to find them. Since the web servers are facing the Internet, all that’s required is to run a search query for common phrases used on these particular web pages. For example:

“Estimate only. Actual ink levels may vary.”
inanchor:”page=printerInfo”
“Estimated Ink Levels”, “HP Photosmart”, “Items Needing Attention”
hp photosmart status, “product serial number”, “product model number”\
 
HP Officejet products by default are not password protected. So a vast majority of the devices I found were wide open. I could change any of the settings that I wanted to. Then if I wanted to be nasty, I could create an admin password, locking the respective users out of their own Officejet printer/scanner.


To make matters worseThe newer versions of HP Officejet products incorporate a feature called Webscan. This gives remote users the ability to initiate a scan and retrieve the scanned image. That may seem fairly harmless, but Mr. Sutton has this to say:

“What many enterprises don’t realize, is that their scanners may by default allow anyone on the LAN to remotely connect to the scanner and if a document was left behind, scan and retrieve it using nothing more than a web browser. Ever left a confidential document on the scanner and sprinted back to retrieve it when you realized? Thought so.”

At the end of Mr. Sutton’s post he has several images that he was able to retrieve using Webscan.

Test resultsMy neighbor has an Officejet J6410. I asked him if he knew about the configuration web server. He did not as the Officejet was set up using the HP software package that came with the J6410. That meant the hardware did not have a password and could be accessed remotely.

I asked permission to run a few tests and this is what I found. The first slide presents all the device information and notice that the J6400 has the Webscan feature

The next slide shows how easy it would be for me to change the IP address and DNS server information
 

 
I went to the security web page and, as you can see, no password is set
 

 
Next, I opened the Webscan page and hit the preview button. It could not have worked out better. There was a picture still in the scanner and I was able to save the digital image on my computer
 

 
The Officejet spy toolYou can see by my tests and the earlier search results that an Officejet printer/scanner has the potential to be quite a spy tool. Using the web interface, information about the network can be gleaned and if lucky, sensitive information can be obtained via the scanner.


Mr. Sutton feels it would be simple to write a script to regularly run the scanner:

“As everything is web based, an enterprising but disgruntled employee could simply write a script to regularly run the scanner in the hopes of capturing an abandoned document. The URL used to send the web scanned documents to a remote browser is also completely predictable as shown:

http://[scanner/ IP]/scan/image1.jpg?id=1&type=4&size=1&fmt=1&time=[epoch time]

A script could therefore also be written to run once per second to capture any documents scanned using the Webscan feature.”

Simple fixAs I mentioned earlier, the solution is to create an admin password for the web server. That should prevent any access to the configuration or Webscan. For enterprises that have a significant number of printer/scanners, Mr. Sutton has written a Perl script that will determine if any networked devices are running HP web servers.

In my research for this article, I came across another possible solution for larger companies. ICSA Labs has developed a Network Attached Peripheral Security program. Where ICSA Labs works with vendors and companies to make sure devices are configured correctly.

Final thoughtsWe have to get the word out. Forgetting to use access passwords or not changing default passwords on network devices is too prevalent. In this case, the cost for disregarding that advice could be anything from just embarrassing to all out identity theft.

Update: Apparently, Ricoh and Kyocera printer/scanners have a feature similar to Webscan. Any further information about those brands would be appreciated.

Making sense of Microsoft System Center licensing

If your IT department needs to overhaul and centralize the organization’s management and monitoring capabilities, you might consider adopting Microsoft’s line of System Center licensing. Microsoft has added eminent flexibility to System Center licensing but, unfortunately, with that flexibility comes significant complexity.


To help IT pros make sense of the convoluted System Center licensing, I put together this guide of general information. But before you commit to anything, I strongly encourage you to work with your reseller’s Microsoft licensing specialist.

Terminology and notesOperating System Environment (OSE): An OSE can be physical or virtual. For example, suppose you have a Hyper-V server running nine Windows virtual machines; in this instance, you would have a total of 10 OSEs — one physical and nine virtual. In many cases, Microsoft has transitioned from per device licensing to per OSE licensing.

Management License (ML): A management license is required for each managed system, regardless of System Center product. There are different classes of MLs for each product, and the classes are described below. An ML is often required for each OSE you intend to manage.

All of the pricing in this article is list pricing.

The descriptions listed here are from Microsoft’s licensing pages and include the details and the benefits of each item, such as individual MLs and server licenses.

Individual product licensingHere is a brief overview of the System Center products I’ll discuss in this article. This is not intended to be a full product brief, but rather to serve as a reminder for each product’s purpose.

System Center Configuration Manager (SCCM) 2007 R2/R3

SCCM is a client-focused tool that provides centralized administration of software updates, software deployments, and more. SCCM requires at least two licenses to be compliant.

SCCM server license

First, you need a server license; for this, there are two options

SCCM management license


SCCM has three client management license options: Client ML, Standard ML, and Enterprise ML. License cost is per managed user or OSE depending on the licensing program under which the product is obtained, except with the client ML, which can be on a per-device or a per-user basis. SCCM Client MLs are included in the Core CAL offerings of Microsoft’s various license agreements, so check with your Microsoft licensing reseller before you buy

System Center Operations Manager 2007 (SCOM)


SCOM is an infrastructure- and server-focused tool that provides powerful monitoring services.

SCOM server license

As is the case with SCCM, servers running the SCOM software must be licensed

SCOM management license


SCOM has three management licenses (Client ML, Standard Server ML, Enterprise Server ML) that are licensed on a per user or per OSE basis. The following table from Microsoft outlines the various capabilities of the SCOM management licenses. Remember, the Client ML is for clients running desktop workloads, while the Standard and Enterprise MLs are server focused

Data Protection Manager (DPM) 2010


DPM, Microsoft’s answer to the data protection question, provides full backup services to servers as well as other Microsoft products such as Exchange and SharePoint. Unlike SCCM and SCOM, DPM does not have a server-side license requirement; instead, each DPM management license includes rights to stand up a DPM server.

The table below shows you full details from Microsoft regarding each DPM ML. In simplest terms, Microsoft says:

to use the Client ML to back up desktops.

to use the Server Standard ML to back up operating system and files only; this ML also provides for bare metal recovery.
if you want to back up applications such as SQL, Exchange, or SharePoint, you need the Server Enterprise ML
 

System Center Virtual Machine Manager (SCVMM) 2008


SCVMM provides centralized virtual machine management capabilities and is licensed like DPM: server and client are (sort of) licensed together. SCVMM comes in two overall editions: an Enterprise License and a Workgroup Edition. The Workgroup Edition can manage up to five physical hosts with no additional licensing required. Beyond five hosts, you need the Enterprise license for a host. An unlimited number of OSEs can be managed on each host

Note: I have not been able to figure out the $40 Client License on Microsoft’s licensing page for SCVMM. If you use SCVMM in your organization and know what this client ML is for, mention it in the discussion, and I’ll update this section with credit to you.


System Center Service Manager (SCSM) 2010

SCSM, the newest entry in the System Center line, is a help desk ticketing system that tightly integrates with other System Center products to help automate IT service management. SCSM has server and client licensing requirements.

SCSM server license

SCSM client license

Any OSE monitored or managed under SCSM requires a management license of some kind. SCSM includes client and server management licenses as described below
 

Suite licensingYou can see that licensing System Center by itself would get quite expensive pretty fast. In many cases, organizations are already using other Microsoft products and have Microsoft enterprise licensing agreements; many of these agreements include some or all of the MLs that are needed to use System Center products. Because there are too many different licensing agreements to detail here, I focus on two suite-based licensing methods that Microsoft makes available for System Center management: server management and client licensing.


Server management suites
There are two server management suites available and each one supports the use of Configuration Manager, Operations Manager, Data Protection Manager, Service Manager, and Virtual Machine Manager. The System Center Server Management Suite Enterprise (SMSE) suite is licensed per physical host, while the System Center Server Management Suite Datacenter (SMSD) edition is licensed on a per host processor basis with a two processor minimum quantity. With SMSE, you are able to manage up to four virtual OSEs plus the host OSE. With SMSD, once you license the host processors, you’re allowed to manage an unlimited number of OSEs; if you plan to go “all in” on System Center, this is probably your best bet.

Client licensing suite


With the server side covered in the SMSE or SMSD, Microsoft also makes available a client licensing suite that bundles all of the client MLs for the various products into one purchase

SummarySystem Center licensing can be quite complex, especially as you add multiple server products to the mix. If you’re going to make extensive use of the System Center line, seriously consider using the suites because this will save your IT department a lot of money