Microsoft Q1 2011 by the numbers: Beats consensus but not Apple

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews
[Editor's Note: This was a live document from about 4:36 p.m. EDT to 5:50 p.m. Refresh page for updates.]Microsoft started fiscal 2011, which first quarter closed on September 30, ahead of analyst consensus. Slower PC shipment growth didn't take the spark out of Windows revenues, and Office 2010 delivered during its first full quarter of license sales. Microsoft announced earnings after the bell, setting a record executives won't be touting: Revenues fell below Apple, by more than $4 billion, yet another sign that the aging Office-Windows-Windows Server applications stack is declining in relevance before cloud-connected mobile devices.Microsoft revenue rose 25 percent to $16.2 billion, year over year. Operating income: $7.12 billion, up 59 percent. Net income: $5.41 billion, or 62 cents a share. Net income rose by 51 percent and earnings per share by 55 percent year over year. However, Microsoft stated growth rates when counting a $1.47 billion deferral related to Windows 7's launch. Without the deferral, revenue grew by 13 percent, operating income by 20 percent, net income by 16 percent and earnings per share by 19 percent.For more than 18 months, Microsoft has provided no guidance to Wall Street analysts, in a move that is highly unusual for so large and so successful a public company. As such, Wall Street analysts had to rely solely on their wits to call the quarter.�Average consensus was $15.8 billion revenue and 55 cents earnings per share. Revenue estimates ranged from $15.32 billion to $16.18 billion. So Microsoft topped the Street.Fiscal 2011 ChallengesBy comparison, Apple reported $20.34 billion in revenue during the same quarter. However, and not surprisingly, Microsoft's net income beat Apple's net income of $4.3 billion by about $1.1 billion. Microsoft's greater net income isn't surprising, given how much richer margins are for software than hardware. Apple generates most of its sales from hardware (and bundled software and services), while Microsoft largely licenses software.In April and June posts, I asserted that with the new revenue stream opened up by iPad Apple revenue could pass Microsoft as early as second calendar quarter. Apple fell short by about $340,000. However, for third calendar quarter Apple easily whizzed past Microsoft, in a gesture that is as much symbolic as financially relevant. Apple has better adapted to the new mobile paradigm than has Microsoft -- and not just with iPhone. In just two quarters, iPad generated nearly $5 billion in new revenue for Apple. Combined, during third calendar quarter, iPad and iPhone accounted for 57 percent of total revenues. Apple is among the companies successfully selling a full stack of integrated hardware, software and services -- an approach Microsoft has taken for Xbox and Zune but not PCs or connected devices, like smartphones and tablets.Microsoft's major revenue streams today are pretty much what they were a decade ago: Office and Windows, with Windows Server making successive gains over many quarters. By comparison, in 2000, the Mac was Apple's major revenue stream. Since 2001, Apple came to dominate the markets for music players, digital music sales and mobile applications stores, also wildly succeeding with smartphones and media tablets. Microsoft's challenge, as it embarks into fiscal 2011, will be the successful expansion or extension of its push into cloud services, mobile operating systems, search and supporting services and desktop and mobile gaming. The point: Apple has reinvented its business and profited, while Microsoft has not.Q1 2011 Revenue by Division
Windows & Windows Live: $4.76 billion, up 66 percent from $2.88 billion a year earlier (13 percent growth when adding deferral). Server & Tools: $3.96 billion, up 12 percent from $3.5 billion a year earlier. Business: $5.126 billion, up 14 percent from $4.5 billion a year earlier. Online Services Business: $527 million, up 8 percent from $487 million a year earlier. Entertainment & Devices: $1.8 billion, up 27 percent from $1.4 billion a year earlier.
Microsoft's most immediate challenge remains mobile, where upstarts like Apple and Google body slammed Windows Mobile into fifth place in global smartphone market share, according to Gartner. One week ago, Gartner forecast that, by 2014, mobility would be a trillion-dollar business. Among handsets, smartphones will play the most important role. For businesses, Gartner predicts that by 2015, IT management will no longer define corporate mobile strategy."Many mobile business systems will exploit contextual cloud services hosted by others," Nick Jones, Gartner distinguished analyst, said in a statement. "It will also be a major commercial battleground with powerful vendors such as Nokia, Google, and Apple striving to own the consumer's context. Context will also be bound up with social relationships and social networks, illustrated today by services such as location-tagged posts to Facebook and Twitter."From that perspective, Microsoft's approach to Windows Phone 7, which emphasizes social and business and personal lifestyle contexts, is fresh and forward-looking. Microsoft also is investing heavily in cloud services. Mobile and the cloud are among the major topics being discussed at Microsoft's 2011 developer conference, which convened this morning for two days.Q1 2011 Income by Division
Windows & Windows Live: $3.32 billion, up 124 percent from $1.5 billion a year earlier (20 percent growth when adding deferral). Server & Tools: $1.63 billion, up 32 percent from $1.24 billion a year earlier. Business: $3.39 billion, up 20 percent from $2.83 billion a year earlier. Online Services Business: Loss of $560 million, up 17 percent from $477 million loss a year earlier. Entertainment & Devices: $382 million, up 47 percent from $260 million a year earlier.
Segment by Segment ResultsMicrosoft reports revenue and earnings results for five divisons: Windows & Windows Live, Server & Tools, Business, Online Services and Entertainment & Devices.Windows & Windows Live. Microsoft revealed that OEM licensing now accounts for 75 percent of revenues, down from the longstanding 80 percent threshold. The 5-percent shift reflects a licensing change Microsoft implemented with Windows Vista and continues with version 7: Businesses must adopt Software Assurance annuity licensing to obtain licenses for Windows Enterprise Edition. The change is hugely significant. Microsoft long ago shifted about 40 percent of Office license revenue to annuity licensing and about 50 percent for Windows Server. Software Assurance customers pay upfront for upgrades, in yearly installments, which helps smooth out Microsoft revenues, insulating sales from changing market conditions. When customers buy software on new PCs, Microsoft is more susceptible to slow downs in computer sales. Two weeks ago, Gartner and IDC released calendar third-quarter preliminary PC shipment data that foreshadowed weaker-than-expected Windows license shipments. But Windows licenses rose above slower sales, buoyed in part by annuity license sales.IDC put year-over-year global PC shipment growth at about 11 percent, or nearly 3 percent below forecasts. Gartner gave a more tepid growth figure of 7.6 percent, rather than the forecast 12.7 percent. Microsoft projected PC shipment growth to be between 9 percent and 11 percent for third calendar quarter. Still, even with slower PC shipments, Windows OEM licenses sold surprisingly well, up 93 percent -- $1.8 billion -- year over year. Microsoft said that PC shipments to emerging markets grew three times that of emerging markets.Server & Tools. The division is most insulated against economic maladies, because about 50 percent of revenues come from contractual volume-licensing agreements; annuity revenue grew by 15 percent year over year. Product revenue grew 12 percent, or $343 million, buoyed by Windows Server, SQL Server and Enterprise Client-Access License sales. Because of corporate layoffs, Microsoft has seen customers renewing license contracts at lower levels. However, IT spending is up. Microsoft estimated that server hardware shipments grew in the mid teens, year over year. Azure subscriptions increased 40 percent sequentially; there is no year-over-year comparison.Business. Microsoft's other cash cow division reversed several quarters of year-over-year declines, buoyed by Office 2010's release. Consumer sales also reversed a weak sales trend, with revenue growing 26 percent, or $216 million, on strength of Office 2010. More broadly, the division's revenue grew 14 percent.Online Services Business. The division's loss lessed, buoyed by ad sales increases. Online advertising revenue rose 13 percent, or by $55 million, to $473 million. However, cost of revenue increased by $74 million, largely related to Microsoft's agreement to provide Yahoo with search services.Entertainment & Devices. Microsoft shipped 2.8 million Xbox consoles during the quarter, up 38 percent, from 2.1 million a year earlier. Halo Reach generated $350 million revenue.{Editor's Note: Correction to Online Services net income.]
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010





Apple

Review: Parallels Desktop 6 Switch to Mac Edition

Following the increased popularity of Apple's MacBook laptops, Parallels has aimed to make it easier than ever for Windows users to move to a Mac with its Desktop 6 Switch To Mac Edition software/hardware solution. Combining Parallels Desktop for Mac software ? letting you install Windows as a separate application within Apple's OS X operating system ? with a high-speed USB cable for transferring your entire Windows installation, data and programs, switching to a Mac has never been easier. Once the software has been installed on both your Windows-based laptop and your new Mac, you connect both machines via the included cable and can then migrate your entire Windows installation to your Mac in less than 20 minutes. With the migration complete, your old Windows installation can then be opened in a separate window directly from within the Mac OS X operating system. Allowing access to all your favourite Windows software, fi les and folders alongside your new Mac software, it truly is the easiest way we've seen for a Windows user to comfortably migrate to a Mac. As well as accessing Windows as a virtual machine within its own window, Parallels takes its simplicity a huge step further thanks to its Coherence mode. Running Windows in the background, it allows you to open and use your Windows software as if they were native Mac applications ? again working seamlessly. If you do not want to import an old Windows installation and merely wish to install and run a second operating system on your Mac, then Parallels also allows that. Using your OS installation disc, the process is as simple as migrating an old laptop. While more complex setting are automated, you can override them to configure settings as you wish. Smooth integration Whichever method you use to install your second ? or third, or fourth etc ? operating system, the integration between it and your OS X software is smooth and easy to use. Files and folders can be dragged back and forth between each OS and, in most cases, the virtual machine immediately detects and utilises your internet connection with no input required. Finally, Parallels also lets you control your virtual machines remotely from your Apple iPhone, iPad or even your iPod Touch. Accessed via the Parallels Mobile Application, all you need to do is ensure that both your Mac and your mobile device are connected to the internet. Providing an intuitive and staggeringly easy way for new Apple users to migrate to a Mac laptop, Parallels Desktop 6 demonstrates how all software should be ? accessible and great to use.Related LinksTechRadar Reviews GuaranteeRead more software reviewsRelated StoriesOffice 2010 beta expiry date is this SundayOffice 2010 beta expiry date is this SundayReview: Webroot Internet Security CompleteReview: Norton Internet Security 2011In Depth: 6 of the best Mac Twitter clientsBiography

Mixi Profile Link Lets Users Syndicate Facebook Content to the Japanese Social Network

Facebook has released a version of its Profile Link product which allows users to syndicate their content to the Japanese social network Mixi. This follows up on the recent release of the product for Google’s Orkut, and we expect more similar integrations to roll out as well. Users can syndicate Facebook status updates, Notes and [...]Affiliate-Marketers

Here's AOL's Now-Live New Homepage (And Welcome Back to the Adorkable Lindsay Campbell)

Today, BoomTown interviewed AOL CEO Tim Armstrong, along with NPR CEO Vivian Schiller, at the Online News Association Conference in Washington, D.C., about the future of journalism on the Web.
Afterward, I talked to him about the future of content on AOL, most particularly its new homepage revamp that focuses intently on editorial ?curation,? rather than a more social direction being taken by rival Yahoo.
I also got a short demo of the new homepage, which is rolling out right now, instead of Monday as has been reported.
The new version?with a clean and spare design and a rotating logo?prominently features local news, video and content from AOL?s network of sites, such as Engadget.
It also launches three original video shows: A morning promotional feature called ?You?ve Got?; a two-minute news program called ?Daybreak,? with former ?Wallstrip? host Lindsay Campbell?yay!?and produced by Ben Silverman?s Electus; and ?The One,? an expert/opinion segment, done by Next New Networks.
The redo is yet another splashy move by AOL and Armstrong to push the company into a new direction of growth as its core access business declines.
It?s one wrapped almost completely around content, in hopes that creating premium branded content will attract lucrative advertising.
So far, not so good, as AOL?s ad revenues continue to lag in the midst of a difficult turnaround effort.
Presumably, Armstrong hopes a new look will help goose results in a better direction.
Here is a screenshot of the page, which is now available to users (click here to see the full image):







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Tagged: BoomTown, Internet, Silicon Valley, Yahoo, advertising, digital, entertainment, innovation, interview, media, video, AOL, Ben Silverman, conference, content, curation, demo, design, editorial, Electus, Engadget, feature, homepage, journalism, local, logo, network, news, Next New Networks, NPR, Online News Association, program, revenues, screenshot, show, social, The One, Tim Armstrong, turnaround, version, Vivian Schiller, Washington DC, You've Got | permalink








Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS FeedsDecorating for Christmas

Cheaper Wi-Fi-only Samsung Galaxy Tab revealed

As we approach the launch date of the new Samsung Galaxy Tab tablet PC, it looks like we could soon be seeing a cheaper, Wi-Fi only version of the new slate.A cheaper Samsung slate on the, err, slate, is clearly good news for those of us that were considering buying Sammy's iPad-alternative, but don't really want to shell out for a costly 3G contract.Cheaper Tab for the home-birdThe FCC page details the Samsung Galaxy Tab GT-P1010. No further official details on the pricing of the machine has yet been issued by Samsung.Samsung's WiFi-only Galaxy Tab GT-P1010 will run Anroid Froyo, just like its 3G big brother. US pricing for the 3G version is rumoured to be $499.99. Again, this is still to be confirmed by Samsung.The Galaxy Tab listed on the FCC page under the model number GT-P1010 has also been certified by Bluetooth SIG.Related StoriesFirst 3G Windows 7 tablet PC arrivesBuying Guide: Best cheap netbook: which should you buy?Buying Guide: Best cheap netbook: which should you buy?Acer launching Tablet PC range next monthmovies

Sixers Kick Off Season Against Heat Team Coming Off a Northern Cold Front

They most likely will not pack the Wells Fargo Center every night this season in South Philadelphia, far from it, but they will have close to a full house this evening to watch the three superstars the Miami Heat bring to town. Second overall pick Evan Turner will not immediately join that superstar strata for the Sixers. As a matter of fact, he's not even in the starting lineup for the first game of the season. Doug Collins has said Jason Kapono will get the start to give the team a guy who can shoot in the starting five. Those five will feature Spencer Hawes at center, Elton Brand at power forward, Jason Kapano at strong forward, Andre Iguodala at the shooting guard, and young Jrue Holiday at the point. "I've got a very flawed team. I don't have a legit shooting two guard and I really don't have what you would consider a legit power forward in this league," Doug Collins said this afternoon on WIP of his squad. But he does have 10 or 11 guys that can all play. How he works with and develops those guys will be his biggest test this season. As for his best player this preseason? Collins says that would be Lou Williams who is now his scoring threat off the bench. They'll get a challenge right from the first tip this season, facing the ridiculously hyped Heat team that walked out of the TD Garden in Boston to chants of "Oh-ver-rate-ed!" last night. You think LeBron wants to bounce back in a big way? The Sammy D. and Willie Green era is behind us. The new story starts tonight with a new cast of characters against a formidable Heat foe. Photo by Getty >>Not Exactly No. 1, But Sixers Excite Some in Philadelphia >>Previewing the Sixers' 2010-'11 Season

Atkins Diet

Poll: Will You Watch the World Series and Are You Pulling for Clifton Phifer Lee?

You may not be fully aware, but there's a baseball game tonight out in San Francisco. The Giants, a scrappy team that defeated your Philadelphia Phillies in the NLCS, will take on Cliff Lee and the Texas Rangers in game 1 of the World Series. We've got a two part question for you. First, will you watch/are you interested in the 2010 Fall Classic now that your team is out of it? And second, are you pulling for last year's Phillies playoff savior Cliff Lee to win it all? Or would that be too painful? Lee admitted yesterday that he was torn while watching the NLCS, also noting you kind of end up rooting against the team that got rid of you. Understandable. Perhaps Phillies fans would rather root for old friend Pat Burrell? We purposefully left the poll questions simple, but definitely feel free to explain your reasoning further in the comments. Will you watch the 2010 World Seriescustomer surveys Are you pulling for Cliff Lee and the Rangers?Market Research

Affiliate Marketing on the internet

Photo: "The Great Pukemunkin"

Just when you thought you've seen it all ... The rabble-rousers over at Philebrity have what appears to be a jack-o-lantern reenactment of the miserable Pukemon incident from earlier this season at Citizens Bank Park complete with a blackeye, Yuengling, and pumpkin vom. Head over there for the full-size version.

After school activities

Let's Try This Again: Flyers Look to Herd Buffalo and/or Rattle the Sabres

So, game 1 of the non-Phillies winter abyss went absolutely crappily for those of us looking for some relaxing regular season action on Monday night. The Flyers let us down, and we're betting they got an earful from a disappointed Lavvy after the game. They're lucky this is a game night, or there might've been a pretty heavy practice today.� Commenters in this morning's recap were as angry as we've seen since before the 2009 playoff run. We're not a town that tolerates underperformance well, and that's exactly what we got in last night's loss to the Blue Jackets. Tonight, on home ice, it better not happen again. No Phillies across the parking lot. No Eagles. Just a packed building of people who want to see the team that marched through the Eastern Conference side of the playoff brackets last spring. Sergei Bobrovsky gets the nod in net for the home side, and he'll face America's son, Ryan Miller. The Sabres have been good on the road, and terrible at home, but ya know what? It's really way too early to look at splits that are often misleading anyway. Last night's loss in Columbus had little to do with the Blue Jackets, although they played pretty well. And tonight's prep shouldn't be about Ryan Miller or Thomas Vanek or anyone else in the road whites. It should be expected that they'll come to play, and if the Flyers play like they did last night, they'll get rung up like the Devils did on Saturday (a 6-1 loss to Buffalo).� The Flyers just need to play their game, and do it a lot more thoughtfully than we saw yesterday. They sent the waves as usual, and although giveaways will come with that strategy at times, there were too many last night, leading to too many odd-man rushes. This thread wouldn't be complete without the customary "don't take so many goddamn penalties" key to the game either. It's easy to wring our hands over the lack of production from forwards not on the Briere line, but what kind of chemistry can they develop when so much time is spent on the kill, or, with any luck, on the powerplay? We're not kicking the latter out of bed, but the Flyers need as much 5-on-5 time as they can get right now.� Hopefully Bob can pick up where Brian Boucher left off. Boosh was easily the best player on the Flyers' ice last night. His defense let him down some after a great game against Toronto, so who knows what will happen in front of Bob.� Philly needs a win right about now, or at the very least a battle we can appreciate.�

Ebay

LimeWire Shutters File Sharing Services After RIAA Win

LimeWire on Tuesday finally shuttered its file sharing services, months after a federal judge sided with the Recording Industry Association of America and found the New York company liable for a ?substantial amount of copyright infringement? that the music industry claims amounts to $1 billion.
The 4-year-old case, brought by the RIAA, alleged that as much as 93 percent of LimeWire?s file sharing traffic was unauthorized copyright material. LimeWire?s obituary was written by U.S. District Judge Kimba Wood of New York, who ruled in May the site knowingly played host to massive infringement. Tuesday, she ordered it to stop ?searching, downloading, uploading, file trading? and to cease its ?file distribution functionality.?
It was the first case targeting a file sharing software maker following the 2005 Grokster decision, in which the U.S. Supreme Court cleared the way for lawsuits targeting companies that induced or encouraged file sharing piracy.
?It?s a sad occasion for our team, and for you ? the hundreds of millions of people who have used LimeWire to discover new things,? the company said on its site.
Limewire claimed 50 million unique monthly users. Its website had said its file sharing software is downloaded hundreds of thousands of times every day and boasts millions of active users at any given moment.
See Also:
LimeWire Crushed in RIAA Infringement Lawsuit
Recording Industry Says LimeWire on Hook for $1 Billion
LimeWire Begs Music Industry for Second Chance
Feds Can Search, Seize P2P Files Without Warrant
Comcast Sued Over BitTorrent Blocking ? UPDATED
Supreme Court Eyeing RIAA ?Innocent Infringer? Case
Copyright Lawsuits Plummet in Aftermath of RIAA Campaign
Authors Guild: ?To RIAA or Not to RIAA?
Judge Guts Whopping RIAA File Sharing Verdict
Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS FeedsBasics of investing

EagleBank Bowl Gets a New Name, Supports USO

‘_MG_6253′
courtesy of ‘dbking’
Entering its third season as an official bowl, Washington DC’s college football postseason game will be kicking off this December with a new name. According to the Washington Post, an announcement is expected that will change the name of the EagleBank Bowl to the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman. EagleBank will remain [...]music video

Five Yelp Business Listings We Like, And Why

Last week, nearly 1,000 business owners attended a webinar we hosted to describe the process of building a business listing on Yelp. We?ve talked often about how and why businesses should take advantage of the free tools on Yelp, even...software

Glasgow gets UK first 3G Underground coverage

The UK's first 3G and Wi-Fi network on an underground transport network has arrived for Glasgow Subway ? with The Cloud and Arqiva partnering to bring connectivity to the commute. Although the wait remains for London's Tube to be given network coverage, Glasgow's Subway has now been connected up ? with the first service of its kind in the UK. "There are around 14 million passenger journeys on the Glasgow Subway each year," explained Andy Norris, Services Director for Arqiva's Government, Mobile & Enterprise business unit.Widespread adoption"The widespread adoption of smartphones and other cellular hand held devices means that more and more consumers want an 'always on' experience from these devices," he added. "The addition of Wi-Fi to the existing 3G network demonstrates our ability to design and deploy communications infrastructure that can be used for more than one purpose. "It also demonstrates our expertise in deploying communication networks in some challenging environments. "From the onset of the project, we were aware that Wi-Fi was necessary to allow commuters to enjoy seamless connectivity at rush hour as well as quiet periods and The Cloud was the clear choice to help us achieve this goal."All 15 stations and subway platforms are covered by the partnership's effort, but although The Cloud is offering the first 15 minutes of Wi-Fi free to all ? further minutes will need to be bought on PAYG. Related StoriesAndroid 4.0 'to be called Ice Cream', planned for 2011Android 4.0 'to be called Ice Cream', planned for 2011EA buys Angry Birds publisher for $20 MillionEA buys Angry Birds publisher for $20 MillionGlasgow gets UK first 3G Underground coverageCake Decorating

So Who's Hungry?

...Here's hoping the Phillies are. Phils pizza pic via The Food Chain.

Christmas shopping

Free Food Alert: Red Velvet Cupcakes in Reston today!

‘Buon Appetito!’courtesy of ‘LaTur’
Restonites, arise! The new Red Velvet Cupcakery at Reston Town Center is giving out free cupcakes today as part of their grand opening. They start in just about an hour, so DC folks, you can still pile in your cars and head out the toll road in order to capitalize on the [...]Boarding

Eagles-Titans: Kolb's Quest, King Britt at the Club, and Stopping CJ

Coming off a huge win over one of the best teams in the NFC, another tough matchup awaits the Eagles in Week 7's trip to Tennessee. After a blowout of the Falcons not many people expected, the Eagles now have to prove it wasn't just a fluke. Kevin Kolb, in particular, will be looking to quiet any such notions, and maybe take his job back. Andy Reid has said that Michael Vick is the team's starter, but we're only a little more than a month removed from his saying the same thing about Kolb, then turning over the reigns to Vick. So if Kolb can put together another strong outing and lead the Eagles to a win heading into the bye week, then what?� THE QB QUESTIONKolb has started and finished four NFL games. In three of them, including last week's, he has thrown for more than 300 yards and twice been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. There are still plenty of unanswered questions, but the impressive win over the Falcons left little for the critics to downplay. This wasn't garbage time when the Eagles were down to the eventual champs, nor a hapless defense like the 2009 Chiefs. The Falcons were 4-1 and playing impressive football on both sides, and Kolb picked them apart. And as happy as we were to see that performance from Kolb after a shaky preseason and a horrific half in the opener, the victory was obviously a lot more a team win than anything else. The Eagles have now had two different quarterbacks be named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week (and Vick was Player of the Month) in just six weeks of play. Say what you will about Andy, but those accolades being awarded to two very different QBs shows that his offense is high-powered and multi-dimensional no matter which of his hand-picked signal callers is under center.� But it also begs the question of which of the two should be running this offense right now. As much as anything else, injuries have been the most concrete answer. Vick earned the starting job with his play, but he did so in part as a result of an injury to Kolb. Aside from the obvious goal of beating the Titans, Kolb will be playing with the same aspiration in mind this week. Whether the job is actually up for grabs, we don't know. What kind of performance this week would force Andy's hand once again? THEY MIGHT BE TITANSThe Titans pose some threats on defense, as we've come to expect over the years. They rank in the middle of the pack in overall yards allowed and toward the bottom in passing yards allowed, but they've limited the overall damage through the air, allowing only 6 passing TDS. The Titans lead the NFL in sacks, so it could be a long day for the Eagles O-line. Obviously the Birds are a pass-first team, and this is a major test for them. The loss of DeSean Jackson certainly slows down that attack, allowing the Titans to key on Jeremy Maclin more. But the Falcons weren't able to execute on that last week, with Maclin gashing them for a career day (to date), and the Eagles still have plenty of weapons in the passing attack.� Tight ends haven't produced much against the Titans this season, so if Brent Celek will absolutely have to make more of his opportunities to have a big game and help to turn around an overall disappointing season so far. However, with injuries to the offensive line still an issue, Celek may also spend a fair amount of time staying back to block. Part of the reason TEs have been limited against the Tennessee is the Titans' ability to get to the quarterback.� Although the Titans are strong against the run, the Eagles don't run the ball in a traditional way. LeSean McCoy has done it all this season, and he's proving to be a matchup problem similar to the one posed by his predecessor in the Birds backfield. Today should be a true challenge for the running game, which is second in the league in YPC at 5.0. It will also be a test for McCoy's improved blocking capabilities.� DJ KING BRITTKenny Britt is a talented young receiver for the Titans, but he's a disciplinary mess who has found himself in Jeff Fisher's doghouse several times in his short career, including to start the season after an unimpressive showing in camp. So, after scoring touchdowns in four straight games, all that was probably behind him, right? Eh, not so much. Earlier this weekend, Britt was involved in a fight at a nightclub where he allegedly threw some punches. Absolute genius, this kid.� Fisher has said that Britt won't start this game, but we don't know if that means a play, a series, a quarter, or what. His patience with the player is thin, but so too is his receiving corps, and he needs Britt on the field. The Titans benefit from getting Justin Gage back from injury this week, but it's rookie Damian Williams that will line up opposite Nate Washington. Tight end, a position that often gashes the Eagles, is a sore spot for the Titans. Bo Scaife didn't practice this week, though he's going to play today. These aren't necessarily receivers that should pose particular matchup problems for the Eagles secondary, and neither should the guy throwing them the passes. More on that in a minute. But Britt's third-man-in penalty could be a big key to this game, because he's been the team's best weapon not named Chris Johnson this season. His "benching" is also a factor because Chris Johnson is historically very effective when his team lines up in 3-receiver sets. With Gage back and Britt emerging, the running game could be the biggest benefactor?if Britt plays most of the game.� FANTASY STUD, REALITY NIGHTMARE Speaking of which, Johnson remains an absolute beast. His offensive line has had trouble opening up holes for him this season, and he's twice been contained fairly well (by Pittsburgh and Denver). However, even when the front lets him down, the smaller-than-you'd-think RB can bounce it outside or reverse the field as well as anyone ever has. CJ has 7 TD in 6 games, and has rushed for the fantasy bonus four times already. With a depleted defensive line up the middle, this is the challenge that will most dictate the Eagles' ability to control the game. The Titans aren't usually going to beat you with a high-powered, multi-faceted attack, but they can keep the Eagles' O off the field if CJ can get going. Sean McDermott needs another huge week from Anthony Dixon and some disciplined play from his linebackers, who can't overpursue this guy or he'll be in the end zone. McDefense also needs to factor for CJ in the Titans pass-protection, because as talented as he is with the ball, he continues to make a difference with his ability to stay back and pick up blitzes. This guy can do it all. The Eagles have stopped several Pro Bowl rushers already this season in MJD, Frank Gore, and Michael Turner. And I mean STOPPED them. CJ is another animal though. The Birds will need to manhandle the Titans offensive line to have any hope of stopping Johnson, because if he gets any room, they may not have the personnel to keep up with him.� SO... COLLINS?However, they do have the personnel to absolutely pick apart the QB they're set to face today?PSU alum Kerry Collins. Vince Young was hurt in a botched snap fiasco on Monday Night Football, and it's expected that Collins will get the start today despite also being nicked up with an injured finger on his throwing hand. Whether he has Britt for most of the game or not, this should mean good things for the Eagles secondary, which is coming into its own as we approach the midway point of the season. These guys make QBs pay for mistakes, and Fisher will be looking to minimize their ability to change the game with turnovers.�Johnson limits the Eagles' ability to be overly aggressive in their pursuit of Collins and his passes, but it only takes a few big plays to change a game.� EVERYTHING ELSEOf course, the Eagles have every ability to beat themselves out there too. It's a tough matchup in a raucous stadium, and they simply must find a way to limit their miscues. The penalties have to be cut down, and the special teams coverage needs to improve. The Titans, like most any offense, are much more effective with a short field. Several of the scoring drives against the Eagles so far have come as a result of the kick coverage ceding half the field to the opposing return game. Can't continue to happen. Simply can't. We're all smarting from a huge disappointment last night, one that will not get any easier to deal with even as time passes. But we turn the page around here. We move the hell on, and I love that it's an Eagles game day. A win can salvage the weekend. Somewhat.� (Photos by Jed Jacobsohn and Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

Back pain

Mappr Lets Users Share Their Location with Facebook Groups

Cartomapic‘s�Mappr is an iPhone and web app which lets you publish check-ins to a specific Facebook Group you?re a member of. One of the first apps to integrate the Groups API, it allows users to select which subset of friends to share their location with on a check-in by check-in basis. The Mappr check-ins are [...]Cruise Ships

No, We Don?t Hate WikiLeaks

We interrupt our regular coverage to address a rare dispatch from WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange that crossed the WikiLeaks Twitter feed this morning.
In it, Assange slams Wired.com, and this writer in particular, for what he labels a false report that WikiLeaks is preparing to release a database of nearly 400,000 U.S. military documents on the war in Iraq.
Where do all these claims about WikiLeaks doing something on Iraq today (Monday) come from? A single tabloid blog at Wired Magazine!
That?s right. Over 700 articles, newspapers all over the world, and newswires fooled by a tabloid blog?and each other.
Of course you won?t see this blog cited, generally, in the mainstream press articles, because that would lessen the credibility of these articles back to where the belong ? unsubstantiated, and indeed, false claims made by a source that is not credible. What is journalism coming to?
We first reported last month, based on information provided by former WikiLeaks staffers, one of whom we named, that WikiLeaks is preparing to release nearly 400,000 secret U.S. Army reports from the Iraq War. In a second article on Friday, we explored how the largest leak in U.S. military history might affect WikiLeaks? fortunes at a time of controversy and internal conflict at the secret-spilling organization.Measured by size, the database will dwarf the 92,000-entry Afghan war log WikiLeaks partially published last July. ?It will be huge,? says a source familiar with WikiLeaks? operations, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Former WikiLeaks staffers say the document dump was at one time scheduled for Monday, October 18, though the publication date may well have been moved since then. Some large media outlets were provided an embargoed copy of the database in August.
We stand by that report. Assange is in control of his own publication dates, and it?s no surprise that he would opt to delay the Iraq release until his website, which has been down for ?scheduled maintenance? since September, is again functioning. (What else is he going to do? Upload it to RapidShare?) As with virtually every story we?ve done on WikiLeaks in the last three-plus years, we gave Assange a chance to comment before publication.
Ordinarily all of the above would go unsaid; if you don?t see a correction on a Threat Level story, it?s because no substantive factual errors have come to our attention.
But Assange goes on to suggest that we have an anti-WikiLeaks bias, and that?s worth addressing.But, Wired?s blog is not just any source that lacks credibility. It is a known opponent and spreader of all sorts of misinformation about WikiLeaks. This dramatically ramped up since we demanded an investigation into what role they played in the arrest of the alleged journalistic source, US intelligence analyst, Bradley Manning [...]We condemned Wired magazine for that conduct and the magazine has been oppositional ever since. The two blogs concerned, ?Threat Level? and ?Danger Room?, while having produced some good journalism over the years, mostly now ship puff pieces about the latest ?cool weapons system? and other ?war tech toys? as befits their names ? ?Threat Level? and ?Danger Room?.
These two blogs, and in particular editor Kevin Poulsen, have been responsible for a tremendous amount of other completely false information [about] WikiLeaks.
I, of course, am not the editor of our esteemed sister blog, Danger Room, and you won?t find any posts about cool weapons systems here. We run more toward cool warrantless surveillance programs, awesome FBI tracking devices, and bitchin? government abuses of the state secrets privilege.
You?ll also find that we?ve been covering WikiLeaks since January 2007. The idea of applying the cypherpunk ethos and technology to the mission of disseminating sensitive documents, and protecting their sources, was fascinating to us well before Julian Assange was packing rooms at the National Press Club. In some 70 stories over the years, I and my staff have diligently charted WikiLeaks? successes, and its setbacks.
Those stories cut both ways. When reports circulated that WikiLeaks was squandering its funds on business class flights and luxury hotel rooms, we investigated, and found that it?s actually an enormously frugal organization, and that Assange flies coach.
But when WikiLeaks was being lauded for its bulletproof, encryption-based infrastructure, we investigated that as well, and found that its security infrastructure had actually been fraying, and its submission system was offline for weeks without explanation.
Assange is notoriously sensitive to critical press. He has a strong personality, and at times his reaction reflects that.
I won?t claim that I wasn?t affected by Assange?s accusations last June ? mostly channeled through proxies ? that I played a role in the arrest of accused WikiLeaks? source Bradley Manning. But Assange is wrong to think that those false claims have changed the tone of our WikiLeaks coverage. Collectively, I and the rest of the Threat Level team have decades of experience covering powerful agencies, people and organizations ? I?ve been at it for 12 years. We?re all accustomed to catching flack for our work.
In the end, you shake it off. Keeping a cool head is one of the most valuable disciplines in journalism in the internet age. It?s the one that keeps you open to new perspectives, new information and even new contacts ? every working journalist knows that their harshest critics can sometimes become their most valued sources. I?m not counting on having Assange as a source anytime soon, but keeping our coverage fair and accurate is crucial if we?re to�continue�reporting on WikiLeaks.
Since its launch, WikiLeaks has grown from an edgy experiment into an organization of inestimable significance; Assange routinely ranks on lists of the most influential people on the planet. It?s a powerful organization, with little transparency or accountability. We?re pleased to be among a handful of news outlets that regularly break news about it, and we plan to go on, without favor or animosity.
(Photo: Julian Assange. By Lily Mihalik/Wired.com)
See Also:
Will 400000 Secret Iraq War Documents Restore WikiLeaks? Sheen
Unpublished Iraq War Logs Trigger Internal WikiLeaks Revolt
WikiLeaks Posts Mysterious ?Insurance? File
WikiLeaks Cash Flows In, Drips Out
Mississippi Lawyer Drawn Into WikiLeaks Intrigue
Wikileaks Releases Stunning Afghan War Logs ? Is Iraq Next?
Wikileaks Reopens for Leakers
With World Watching, Wikileaks Falls Into Disrepair
Suspected Wikileaks Source Described Crisis of Conscience Leading to Leaks
U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe
WikiLeaks Was Launched With Documents Intercepted From Tor
Secret Document Calls Wikileaks ?Threat? to U.S. Army
Wikileaks Closes Operations Temporarily Due to Budget Woes
German Cops Raid Home of Wikileaks and Tor Volunteer
Wikileaks Forced to Leak Its Own Secret Info
WikiLeaks Posts More Prison Docs ? This One from Iraq Prison
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Review: AMD Radeon HD 6850

AMD's Radeon HD 6870 hit the streets yesterday along with this, the cut-clocked Radeon HD 6850. But where does the smart money go?A lot can happen in twenty-four hours. And indeed a genre-shifting amount has come to pass since yesterday in the frenetic world of graphics cards. As ever, it all comes down to money.Read our AMD Radeon HD 6870 reviewIn light of AMD's impending launch of it's second-generation DX11 graphics card, Nvidia slashed the prices of its GTX 460 and GTX 470 graphics cards. AMD then launched its 6870 and 6850, quickly followed by a similar slashing of its pricing. This has meant there is a surprising gamut of prices being charged for the 6850 ? ranging from �133 up to �159. For this reason we've held off on our 6850 review until now, as we're sure that the dust is finally starting to settle.AMD is pitching the Radeon HD 6850 as "the best performing graphics card in the sub-$200 budget." In other words pricing is absolutely key to the very reason for this card. The problem is, thanks to Nvidia's shenanigans, it's finding itself squeezed from above and below, trapped (price-wise at least) between the 768MB rendition of Nvidia's GTX 460 (available for as little as �117) and the full 1GB variant. It needs to pull some serious magic out of its svelte silicon to compete there.The AMD Radeon HD 6850 doesn't boast a completely new core though, more of a revamped version of the Cypress core, as found in the HD 5850. Codenamed Barts Pro, the 6850's core has 960 stream processors, running at 775MHz. That's two-thirds of the shaders you'll find in the 5850, a difference the 50MHz faster clock speed is ill-equipped to make up. The fact that AMD can run this core at higher clock speeds is due to a smaller die-size, 255mm2 as opposed to the 334mm2 found on the previous generation. You do get the full 32 ROPS mind, plus a slightly overhauled tessellation engine that improves performance at the more reasonable tessellation factors.The 6870 and 6850 boast a new anti-aliasing mode too, termed MorphoLogical Anti-aliasing, or MLAA for short. The interesting thing here is that it uses DirectCompute to process the full scene after it has been rendered, to produce results similar to 4x MSAA but faster and at a reduced memory footprint. There have been some improvements to the anistropic filtering engine too to smooth the transition between different levels of detail to reduce the effects of stepping. Subtle improvements then, but improvements all the same.In terms of the core specification then, the AMD Radeon HD 6850 (note that dropping of the ATI branding, it's not a mistake) ships at a core frequency of 775MHz coupled with 1GB of GDDR5 running at 1,000MHz (effectively 4GHz). You'll need a single six-pin power cable for this dual-slot card, and you're good to go. You can expect card manufacturers to produce overclocked, non-reference design versions from the get-go too.The Radeon HD 6850 has been blessed by some last minute price shuffling to make it a much more interesting proposition that it was initially (AMD has shaved �30 off the price of the card). Even so, against the slightly more affordable GTX 460 768MB it struggles to impress in our tests ? losing out in our top three benchmarks. Only the Heaven 2.0 benchmark really puts the card in a good light, thanks to the improved tessellation engine. All benchmarks ran at 1,680 x 1,050 and the highest settings.DirectX 11 Tessellation PerformanceDirectX 11 Gaming PerformanceDirectX 10 Gaming PerformanceThe AMD Radeon HD 6850 isn't quite the must-buy card that we expected it to be, especially at its initial pricing. Now that the dust has settled a little on the pricing front it's a much a more interesting prospect, producing playable frame rates at what would have been the sweet spot for most gamers only a few days ago. It's certainly not the worst graphics option out there.Graphics cards aren't released into a vacuum though, and you're spoiled for choice if you've got between �100 and �150 to spend on your next graphics card. The 6850 finds itself sandwiched between the two 460s, which makes for some tricky comparisons. It's not woefully out-matched, but those that can afford the shift up to a 1GB GTX 460 will reap the benefits, whilst a �20 saving and plumping for the 768 version produces similar performance. Ultimately, which card you go for it largely defined by the value you place on the likes of Physx, CUDA and Eyefinity.The spectre of Cayman-powered Radeon 6900s isn't a direct threat to the 6850, as such cards will undoubtedly appear north of the �200 barrier. Even so, their release may have Nvidia cutting into its margins yet again, something that the 6850 looks ill-placed to weather. We liked:Rolls in at the right price point (eventually), producing playable framerates in most recent games. Power consumption is low, as is noise production ? although under full load it does reach a heady 81oC on the stock cooler.We disliked:Value for money lags behind the GeForce GTX 460s, and in straight cash terms a better bargain can be had in the form of the 768MB GTX 460. The reduced shader count affects raw performance too much, especially given the marginal frequency increase over its predecessors.Related LinksTechRadar's Review GuaranteeRead more graphics card reviewsRelated StoriesMSI R6800 series graphics cards announcedHIS releases Radeon HD 6850 and 6970 graphics cardsAsus unveiled EAH6800 graphics cardsAsus unveils EAH6800 graphics cardsIn Depth: Can Nvidia compete with AMD's new graphics chips?Choosing the right Golf Clubs

First Look: Rustico Ballston

‘Rustico: Coming Soon’courtesy of ‘tbridge’
The paper is still up at Rustico in Ballston when I arrive just a few minutes early for the evening’s events. The block of Wilson Boulevard is mostly in transition and Rustico sits in the center of the restaurant cocoons, looking like it will be first to arrive. Across the plaza [...]Digital camera

Cause Of The Moment: NFL Player Safety

I want player safety. Really, I do. I'm not watching on Sunday because I want to see people get hurt, nor do I get some sort of perverse satisfaction from a player's injury. What the sport needs are rules that make sense governing player safety. Oh, wait. They've actually done an excellent job on the creation end of the rules, as no period in league history has seen this kind of attention paid to protecting its athletes, from concussion testing overhaul to the protection of defenseless receivers. Enforcement is another story. In the mad rush to remove injury as much as possible from America's game, we invariably see one or two penalties every week in every stadium that were at the very least questionable, if not outright bad calls. Now they're handing out huge fines and discussing suspensions for all offenders. That would be acceptable (maybe) if it actually solved our problem and nobody was ever harmed. Unfortunately, that's just not going to be the case. How can anybody legislate every play? Just look at Dunta Robinson's hit on DeSean Jackson, for which the Falcons' cornerback was penalized 15-yards and fined $50,000.�At first glance, Robinson's hit looks totally illegal. When you break it down though, I'm not really so sure. It's difficult to classify DeSean as a defenseless receiver on the play, because he was in the act of catching the football. From one angle, it appears the defender leads with his head, but from the other he actually initiates contact with his shoulder, which seems to indicate there should not be a foul for leading with the helmet. (Note: impact from the helmet is not a penalty when contact begins with the body.) He doesn't launch himself at the receiver either, but merely runs through him. At the risk of being unpopular, what about that was wrong? Robinson's job is to separate the receiver from the ball, and he did that. Unfortunately, Jackson was moving at the speed of light, while the defender had a head-on angle to the ball carrier. It was like a couple of freight trains colliding from opposite directions on the same track. Whether we like it or not?and I certainly don't want any more members of the Eagles' roster taking shots like that?it is part of the game. You can't take hits out of football. It's the very definition of a contact sport, where the play isn't over until the defense puts the ball carrier on the turf. How do you think that's going to end? And the players know it. They've always known it. Football can be a barbaric game. Injuries have always been a part of it. Lives are shortened as a result. Some men are never the same when they retire from a career in professional football. But the athletes are also prepared for that going in. There isn't a football player alive who doesn't understand the inherent risk he's taking every time he puts the pads on. That's why so many hold out, and fight, and scream for every guaranteed penny they can get their hands on, knowing full well it could all be over in an instant. That's football. The commissioner can crack down on illegal hits as often and as hard as he wants, but as long as the object of the game is to knock the other guy down, people are going to get injured. It's completely unavoidable.�Doesn't mean they shouldn't try to make the game safer; I just don't buy the outrage every time somebody gets their head knocked off. Know who else attempted to make their product safer? Gun manufacturers. Despite the presence of a "safety" switch, how many accidental shootings are there in the United States every year? It happens because people like guns, but they are incredibly dangerous by their very nature. The way I see it is this: the NFL should do whatever it can to make its sport as safe as possible, in a manner that does not fundamentally change how the game is played. In turn, the league and its fans need to accept that, yes, bad things are going to happen to men when they wear armor and run into each other at full throttle. If you still can't reconcile the brutality of the game with your values, stop watching, and if the league can't prevent it up to their standards without switching to two-hand touch, they should just shut down. The players, on the other hand, made the compromise a long time ago. That's why you don't see too many who willingly walk away.

Biography

Opera 11 launches in alpha, offers new features to test

By Tim Conneally, Betanews
Opera Software has released the first build of Opera 11, the first browser in the software family to support browser extensions."Opera has always been customizable, but now you can personalize your browser in a new way through Opera extensions," said Opera Co-Founder Jon von Tetzchner in a statement Thursday. "We take pride in introducing new
features to the browser. Now, other developers can join in the fun and share their innovations with millions of people. Everyone using Opera 11 will be able to personalize their browser in myriad ways, which opens up so many possibilities for making the Web a more personal experience."In addition to extensions, Opera 11 has a new drag and drop mail panel, a new bookmarks bar, support for HTML5 events and websockets, and an overall performance improvement, and the new "Enable plug-ins only on demand" preference, which makes plug-ins such as Flash and Silverlight load only when clicked upon. Download Opera 11 Alpha for Windows from Fileforum now.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010





College Scholarship

App Store comes to Mac in 90 days, new iLife Suite and trimmer MacBook Air available now

By Joe Wilcox, Betanews
Inside the new MacBook AirToday in San Francisco, Apple unveiled a new MacBook Air, updated iLife digital media suite and beta of FaceTime for the Mac. The company also previewed Mac OS X 10.7, aka "Lion," which will bring features found in iOS "Back to the Mac," playing off the title to today's media event. Apple CEO Steve Jobs shared the stage with other executives to demo the new products. Not since October 2008 has Jobs spent so little time on stage during a major Apple event. But in sharing the stage, he strongly delivered the big announcements: 11.6-inch MacBook Air, Lion and a shocker -- Apple will launch an applications store for Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard) within 90 days.Jobs explained how from Mac OS X Apple created iOS, adding many new features not found in the desktop operating system. Now Apple wants to bring these features "back to the Mac," Jobs said. "Mac OS X meets the iPad," he emphasized. Lion will support multitouch gestures, the iOS App Store, full-screen applications, auto-saving applications and auto-resume, among other features. Applications will be "licensed for use on all your personal Macs."The approach is simply brilliant because of integration of the App Store into Mac OS X. As previously explained, I made a similar recommendation to Microsoft more than five years ago, back when working as an analyst. Incorporating an applications store into the operating system offers important strategic benefits to Apple, its developers and customers:1. Applications can be made available across multiple-sized devices -- Macs, iPads, iPhones and iPod touches. 2. Developers can now scale their applications across devices.3. Developers can sell apps for which they will be paid; the app store deters piracy.4. Rights protection is built in so that customers aren't exposed to onerous piracy-deterring activation mechanisms.5. The store makes applications easily available to customers and more easily searched for than scouring the Web.Apple will "release Lion summer 2011," Jobs said. But existing customers won't have to wait for the big feature. The App Store's coming to Snow Leopard in 90 days is hugely significant. Apple just raised the bar for all multi-device operating systems.In another iOS meets Mac OS X announcement, Apple introduced FaceTime for the Mac, which also supports video calling with iPhone 4s and iPod touches with front-facing cameras. "A beta release will be available today," Jobs said. To date, Apple has sold 19 million FaceTime-capable iOS devices.Lighter Than AirAs widely rumored, Apple updated MacBook Air. There is a new 11.6-inch model, while the 13.3-incher gets hardware upgrades that include 1440 x 900 resolution display. Pricing is aggressive. The 11.6-inch Air starts at $999 with 64GB of flash storage, or $1,199 for 128GB. The 13.3-incher is $1,299 with 128GB flash storage or double that for $1,599. The smaller MacBook Air weighs 2.3 pounds with claimed battery life of 5 hours. The larger model weighs 2.9 pounds with claimed battery life of 7 hours. "Both are available starting today," Jobs said.The Mac Octoberfest is now something of an annual event. Two years ago, I watched a fraile-looking Steve Jobs launch the unibody MacBook Pro from the audience of reporters. His health, as much as the new computers, was big topic in news stories and blog posts following the event. A few months later, Jobs took medical leave before undergoing a life-saving liver transplant. Last year's October Mac launch was clearly about beating back Windows 7 competition. I blogged: "Apple declares war on the entire PC industry." Given the Macs surprising sales resilience against Windows 7 PCs -- as measured by consecutive quarters of record shipments -- Apple's guerilla tactics are working.iMovie `11Timing couldn't be better for today's announcements. Macintosh performed surprisingly well during third calendar quarter. Globally, Apple shipped 3.89 million Macs during the quarter, up 27 percent year over year, according to the company. The real strength was mobile, where Apple portables outsold desktops more than two to one -- 2.64 million units to 1.24 million, respectively. In the United States, Apple's PC market share climbed above 10 percent, according to Gartner and IDC. Globally, Apple's share was 4.5 percent, according to IDC. More numbers: The Mac made up about 33 percent of Apple's revenue during fiscal 2010, generating $22 billion, Apple COO Tim Cook said during today's event. He observed that the Mac install base is "50 million users around the world." Apple's gains came against slower-than-forecast growth for the PC sector. During third quarter, IDC put year-over-year global PC shipment growth at about 11 percent, or nearly 3 percent below forecasts. Gartner gave a more tepid growth figure of 7.6 percent, rather than the forecast 12.7 percent. During today's Apple event, Cook said that the Mac outgrew the industry for "18 quarters in the row."The numbers are surprising from one perspective, but not from another. The analysts cited slower back-to-school sales in the United States and Apple's iPad sacking netbook sales as factors behind the growth figures. But there is another. Both analyst firms measure shipments going into the channel rather than sales out to businesses or consumers. Calendar second quarter shipments proved to be stronger than anticipated. In that context, inventory management is one factor likely affecting the broader industry, assuming that PC manufacturers shipped more units during Q2 in anticipation of back-to-school sales.Apple CEO Steve Jobs introduces iLife `11But there's more to the differences. Based on August U.S. retail sales from NPD, "one in five PCs sold in the United States is a Macintosh," Cook said. NPD tracks sales, not shipments. "The momentum on the Macintosh has never been more," Cook emphasized.iLife enters the Tween YearsAs widely, and not surprisingly, rumored, Apple announced iLife `11. Among the changes is emphasis on presentation. "You can live in full screen in iPhoto," Jobs asserted. Sharing features are enhanced, such as slideshows, photo book printing and social sharing connections to services like Facebook. A new Info Panel shows the services where photos have been shared and even with whom on Facebook. The new iMovie introduces new audio editing capabilities, an in-video people finder (e.g. face recognition) and the ability to create movie trailers (gasp, there aren't enough home-made ones on YouTube?) New movie sharing options include CNN iReport and Vimeo. I chuckled at the so-called new audio effects feature, which really brings back stuff removed after iMovie 6 (granted, the new stuff looks to be more easily applied). Apple also updated GarageBand. The new digital media suite is available starting today for $49, and will continue to be free on new Macs.The new iLife comes at an interesting time, competitively. Earlier this month, Microsoft released Windows Live Essentials 2011, which is the first version of the suite offering credible competition to iLife. More importantly, Microsoft is aggressively marketing the suite -- and compellingly. Over the last several nights I've seen Microsoft commercial "Family Photo -- to the Cloud," which is simply endearing. A mother difficultly tries to take a family portrait. She rushes "to the cloud," using Windows 7 and Windows Live to swap out grumpy faces for happy ones.�"Windows gives me the family that nature never could," the mom exclaims.�The TV ad recognizes something camera manufacturers have known for more than a century -- that women tend to be the keeper of the family's memories. Like recent TV�advertisements�for Bing, Internet Explorer 8, Windows Phone 7 and Windows 7, "Family Photo" is a charmer. Microsoft is on a marketing roll that Apple executives should envy and should worry about. I've often asserted that in business, marketing and perception are everything. Apple reinvigorated its brand during the early 2000s with compelling, aggressive and often solo TV advertising. For years, only Apple aired MP3 player�commercials�in the United States; is it any wonder then that iPod sold so well after a long marketing build up that made it appear like the only choice? TV advertising is but an anchor to any marketing campaign, but one Microsoft long overlooked. Apple, you've been warned.That said, a little Apple competitive marketing could go far, particularly considering some of the amazing new features demoed today. Jason Dunn aptly tweeted during the event: "The iLife suite really is the secret weapon on the Mac. Windows Live is getting better, but has so far to go -- iLife `11 looks pretty killer." I will save final evaluation until after using the product. But I agree, iLife `11 looks pretty good.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010





Body detox

Exclusive: Yahoo's Head of Mobile, North America Leaves, as U.S. Unit Reorgs

Today in Yahoo?s third-quarter earnings conference call with Wall Street analysts, Yahoo CEO Carol Bartz said tersely of a flood of exec departures at the Silicon Valley Internet giant:
?Some people leave, some get promoted and some good people arrive.?

Yes, indeedy, and this afternoon, it was David Katz?s turn to say goodbye. He was Yahoo?s VP for Mobile, North America. (He is pictured here, and you can read his bio here.)
The move, said sources, is part of a reorganization in the wake of the departure of David Ko, SVP Audience of Mobile and Local, North America.
He was replaced by Raymond Stern, who also heads business development.
If it seems a little confusing, it is because it is.
But there are all kinds of management rejiggering discussions going on after the additional departures of U.S. head Hilary Schneider and Media VP Jimmy Pitaro.
Mobile is an important arena for Yahoo, as Bartz also stressed in the call today.
Let?s hope Dave lands somewhere good, as he seems so nice from this recent video from the CTIA conference just two weeks ago, posted by Yahoo:







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Tagged: BoomTown, Internet, Kara Swisher, Silicon Valley, Yahoo, digital, financial, hardware, mobile, telecom, analyst, audience, bio, business development, Carol Bartz, conference call, CTIA, David Katz, David Ko, departure, earnings, Hilary Schneider, Jimmy Pitaro, local, North America, Raymond Stern, third quarter, Wall Street | permalink








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Ben Gibbard and Zooey Deschanel Sing at Game 3 in San Fran

There weren't many enjoyable on-field moments for the Phillies in game 3 of the NLCS yesterday in San Francisco. I guess you could say being treated to Zooey Deschanel singing God Bless America was one of the highlights. Sad. Stereogum has videos of both singers performances.

Backyard Activities

Apple brings FaceTime to Macs [TNW Apple]

As we guessed, Apple is bringing FaceTime to your Mac, complementing its rollout to Apple?s mobile handhelds, the new iPhones and iPod Touches.
This will surely be a Mac fan-favorite, and is going to turn the video calling war onto full burn as Skype is surely not going to take this update sitting down. Apple�announced�that they have shipped 19 million FaceTime enabled devices.
It is interesting to note that with this integrated solution, OS X and iOS are going to be linked in a very new and deep way, they will communicate in real time with live video. No other platform for desktop and mobile can challenge that level of integration.
Apple will be releasing a beta of FaceTime for the Mac in beta today, which you can find on Apple.com
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Top 20 Gaining Facebook Pages: YouTube, Eminem, Shakira and ?The Simpsons?

We had a few big name brands, a handful of TV and movie Pages and lots of musicians on our list of Top 20 Gaining Facebook Pages this week. Music Pages made up more than half of the list, leaving little room for brands and media to slip their way in ? although nothing can [...]movies

Happening Elsewhere: 1-2-3, Look At Mr. Lee

Ooh boy, could this get interesting in a few weeks. As much as the nation might want the World Series to end up being a Phillies-Yankees matchup (except for New Yorkers and baseball fans over the age of 60, who probably want an old school Yankees-Giants series), for my money, Cliff Lee has now made Phillies-Rangers the far juicier proposition. After dominating the Rays in both the series opener and clincher of the ALDS, last night Lee stole back home-field advantage from the Yankees, shutting down the AL's best offense to the tune of eight innings pitches, zero runs, two hits, one walk, and a stunning thirteen strikeouts, as the Rangers won 8-0 to take a 2-1 series lead. Where it ranks among Doc's no-hitter and Lincecum's 14-Karat debut is irrelevant--all that matters is that the dude's beast credentials are beyond legit, and that the Phils' decision to trade him last off-season could be coming to a head real soon. The best illustration I've seen of the Phife Dog's dominance this post-season was from Nationals blogger Mark Zuckerman comparing Lee's '10 post-season to Dodgers immortal Sandy Koufax's legendary three-game performance in the '65 World Series--the two lines are, somewhat needless to say, virtually identical. Between this post-season and the last, Clifton is now 7-0 in eight playoff starts, with a 1.26 ERA and a 0.73 WHIP. Lee has already ensured his immortality in Rangers lore by pitching them to their first-ever postseason series win, if he manages to get them to the World Series, he could go down as one of the great big-game pitchers of recent years, not to mention one of the best mid-season acquisitions in baseball history, two years running. And what of the Phillies, who jettisoned Lee in Ruben Amaro Jr.'s now-infamous Operation Restock the Cupboard trade of February '10? Well, the smart from that one has certainly lessened due to Amaro's atonement deal for Roy Oswalt at mid-season, not to mention the resurgence of Cole Hamels and the unquestioned awesomeness of Roy Halladay, the man who essentially supplanted Lee in the first place. But were the Phillies to face Lee in the World Series--a situation many of us joked about at the deadline, but few of us believed we'd ever actually see--some of those old questions are bound to come bubbling back to the surface. (And don't think for a second that Cliff isn't gearing up for the possible challenge himself). Of course, there's still much to do on both sides to make this matchup a possibility--the Phillies have to start by following the Rangers' lead against the Giants tonight, and the Rangers are going to need more than last night's flesh wound to finish off the Yankees. But man. Lee. Halladay. Game one and/or seven. Sends a little tingle down the ol' spine, doesn't it?

cell phones

Will 400,000 Secret Iraq War Documents Restore WikiLeaks? Sheen?

After a brief quiescence, the secret-spilling website WikiLeaks is about to explode again onto the global stage with the impending release of almost 400,000 secret U.S. Army reports from the Iraq War, marking the largest military leak in U.S. history.
Measured by size, the database will dwarf the 92,000-entry Afghan war log WikiLeaks partially published last July. ?It will be huge,? says a source familiar with WikiLeaks? operations, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Former WikiLeaks staffers say the document dump was at one time scheduled for Monday, October 18, though the publication date may well have been moved since then. Some large media outlets were provided an embargoed copy of the database in August.
In Washington, the Pentagon is bracing for the impact. The Defense Department believes the leak is a compilation of the ?Significant Activities,? or SIGACTS, reports from the Iraq War, and�officials�have assembled a 120-person taskforce that?s been scouring the database to prepare for the leak, according to spokesman Col. Dave Lapan.


Superbombs and Secret Jails: What to Look for in WikiLeaks? Iraq Docs
The Afghanistan war logs were just the beginning. Coming as early as next week, WikiLeaks plans to disclose a new trove of military documents, this time covering some of the toughest years of the Iraq war. Up to 400,000 reports from 2004 to 2009 could be revealed this time ? five times the size of the Afghan document dump.
It?s a perilous time in Iraq. Politicians are stitching together a new government. U.S. troops are supposed to leave by next December.
Pentagon leaders were furious over the Afghanistan documents, but the American public largely greeted them with yawns. Iraqis might not be so sanguine.
It?s hard to imagine Iraq will fall back into widespread chaos over the disclosures. But they can?t be good for the United States, as it tries to create a new postwar relationship with Iraq, or for the 50,000 U.S. troops and diplomats still over there.
We don?t know what?s in the documents. But here?s what we?ll be looking to find in the trove ? and some unanswered questions that the documents might address.
Continue reading on Danger Room ?

?They?ve been doing that analysis for some time and have been providing information to Central Command and to our allies, so that they could prepare for a possible impact of the release [and] could take appropriate steps,? says Lapan. ?There are ? things that could be contained in the documents that could be harmful to operations, to sources and methods.?
The Iraq release comes at a crucial time for the 4-year-old WikiLeaks, which has been rankled by internal conflict, shaken by outside criticism and knocked off-message by a lingering sex-crime investigation of its founder, Julian Assange, in Sweden. At least half-a-dozen staffers have resigned from the organization in recent weeks, including key technical staff, according to four ex-staffers interviewed by Wired.com. A ?scheduled maintenance? of the WikiLeaks website that began September 29 has stretched to more than two weeks.
The beleaguered Assange was cautious in a Sept. 30 public debate at City University in London, where he asked organizers to bar attending journalists and students from recording, photographing or videotaping his appearance.
The controversies dogging the site followed a string of triumphs: a series of high-profile leaks aimed at U.S. and NATO war efforts. In April, the site published a highly controversial classified video of a 2007 Army helicopter attack in Baghdad.
The attack killed two Reuters employees and an unarmed Iraqi man who stumbled onto the scene and tried to rescue one of the wounded. The man?s two children suffered serious injuries in the hail of gunfire. WikiLeaks titled the video ?Collateral Murder,? and raised $150,000 from supporters in two days following its release.
Then in July, the site published the Afghan logs, generating headlines around the world. But WikiLeaks? handling of that release garnered its first widespread criticism from ideological allies. Although the organization withheld 15,000 records from publication to redact the names of Afghan informants who might be at risk of Taliban reprisal, names of some collaborators were still found in the thousands of documents that were published.
Although there?s no evidence that anyone has suffered harm as a result of the names being exposed, WikiLeaks? handling of the matter drew criticism from human rights organizations and the international free press group Reporters Without Borders, which accused the site of being reckless. Not surprisingly, the Pentagon was also displeased and issued formal demands that WikiLeaks ?return? all classified documents in its possession.
Undaunted, Assange secretly inked deals with media outlets in several countries in August to provide them with embargoed access to the much larger database of Iraq War documents, according to ex-staffers. The agreements created strife inside WikiLeaks.
Former Icelandic WikiLeaks volunteer Herbert Snorrason told Wired.com last month that he was alarmed by the aggressive timetable for the release, which provided WikiLeaks? volunteers too little time to redact the names of U.S. collaborators and informants in Iraq.
?The release date which was established was completely unrealistic,? said 25-year-old Snorrason. ?We found out that the level of redactions performed on the Afghanistan documents was not sufficient. I announced that if the next batch did not receive full attention, I would not be willing to cooperate.?
Wired.com was not able to determine what, if any, portion of the Iraq database WikiLeaks plans to withhold from its website.
Another criticism behind the recent resignations from WikiLeaks is the charge that Assange has neglected hundreds or thousands of small, regionally important leaks submitted from around the world, in favor of headline-making leaks targeting the U.S. government. The Iraq War log, says former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg, would continue that focus. Although publication of the documents will likely garner praise from WikiLeaks supporters, it won?t fix the problems that are endemic to the organization, he says.
?It might distract from the issues at hand for a bit if it happens,? says Domscheit-Berg. ?But it doesn?t change a thing about the situation. WikiLeaks is supposed to be more than those releases. I think it might rejuvenate WikiLeaks if WikiLeaks started to pump out all those others docs that are waiting.?
In addition to the potential impact publication of the war log will have on the U.S., NATO allies and the nascent Iraqi government, it could also jolt the pending court martial case against Army Pfc. Bradley Manning.
Bradley Manning (Facebook.com)
Manning, a 23-year-old former Army intelligence analyst, was arrested last May after confessing to a former hacker that he?d supplied WikiLeaks with classified videos and documents, including the ?Collateral Murder? video, and a database of 260,000 State Department diplomatic cables.
It was Manning?s online chats with former hacker Adrian Lamo ? who turned him in to authorities ? that provided the first indication that WikiLeaks possessed the Iraq log. Manning described leaking a database of half-a-million reports from the Iraq War dated from 2004 through 2009, which he said included date stamps of events, latitude and longitude, and casualty figures.
The Army formally charged Manning with the ?Collateral Murder? leak in July, and the Pentagon describes him as a ?person of interest? in the Afghan war log leak, though Manning did not mention leaking a database of events from the Afghan war.
His attorney did not return a phone call for this story.
Manning is being held in solitary confinement in the Marine Corps brig at Quantico, Virginia. Assange has never confirmed that Manning was a source of leaked data to WikiLeaks, but has pledged financial assistance for Manning?s criminal defense, which supporters estimate could cost $100,000.
The non-profit Wau Holland Foundation in Germany, which manages the bulk of WikiLeaks? contributions, confirmed to Wired.com that Assange has authorized the release of money for Manning?s defense, but did not provide any other details. In all, WikiLeaks has about $1 million in contributions in its coffers.
Top photo by Spc. Joshua E. Powell

See Also:
Unpublished Iraq War Logs Trigger Internal WikiLeaks Revolt
Cyberwar Against Wikileaks? Good Luck With That
Wikileaks Releases Stunning Afghan War Logs ? Is Iraq Next
WikiLeaks Cash Flows In, Drips Out
WikiLeaks Suspect?s YouTube Videos Raised ?Red Flag? in 2008
Suspected Wikileaks Source Described Crisis of Conscience Leading To Leaks
U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe
Powered by WizardRSS | Full Text RSS Feedsmovies

How Not to Dress for Phillies Games

I'm not sure, but these shirts may be illegal at the ball park due to potential blinding of players, much like green laser beam man. Also, really? Just... really?

business

Apple's 14.1m iPhone 4 sales push revenue to $20bn

Apple made a massive $20 billion in revenue in the last quarter, with the company selling 14.1 million iPhone 4s and just under 4.2 million iPads to smash expectations. Apple's position as one of the biggest companies in the world was underlined in their quarterly earnings announcements, with Steve Jobs confirming some stellar numbers. Although the headline for the financial centres will be the $20 billion (�12.4bn) in revenue, for gadget numbers it will be the rise and rise of the iPhone, Mac and iPad that resonates. Sold outSteve Jobs explained that his company had sold as many iPhone 4s as it could manufacture, a 91 per cent unit growth and beyond RIM's 12.1 million BlackBerrys. "We are blown away to report over $20 billion in revenue and over $4 billion in after-tax earnings-both all-time records for Apple," said Steve Jobs, Apple's CEO. "iPhone sales of 14.1 million were up 91 percent year-over-year, handily beating the 12.1 million phones RIM sold in their most recent quarter. We still have a few surprises left for the remainder of this calendar year."ThrilledCFO Peter Oppenheimer added: "We're thrilled with the performance and strength of our business, generating almost $5.7 billion in cash flow from operations during the quarter."Looking ahead to the first fiscal quarter of 2011, we expect revenue of about $23 billion and we expect diluted earnings per share of about $4.80."Jobs also took the opportunity to cast some barbs at Google for characterising Android ("our biggest rival) as open and iOS as closed, describing the assertion as "disingenuous". Jobs also spoke about his feeling that the spate of 7 inch tablets arriving as iPad rivals would be dead in the water, because they were too small and revealed that a quarter of a million Apple TVs had been sold.Related StoriesApple 'Back to the Mac' event scheduled for 20th OctoberT3 iPad edition goes on saleLong-term test: a month with the Magic TrackpadRumour: MacBook Air netbook this weekJobs fires warning for 'too small' 7 inch iPad rivalsCoin Collecting

Sharp HP90S 3D Blu-ray player gets UK release date

Sharp has announced the UK availability of its first-ever 3D Blu-ray player ? the BD-HP90S.First shown off at IFA 2010, the HP90S is one of the slickest BD machines we have seen. Measuring just 218mm thin, the player weighs in a 2.3KG and can be wall mountable.It comes with a built-in wireless connection with DLNA and direct connection to YouTube. It is also compatible with BD, DVD, CD, DiVX-HD, MP3 and JPEG formats.Super Sharp shooterThe player has been made to complement Sharp's fancy new Quattron 3D TV, the 60-inch LE925, which is due to come out in the UK this month for �3,500.As you would expect from a 3D Blu-ray player, it is backwards compatible so even if there is a bit of a dearth of 3D content and the moment, your Blu-ray and DVD collection will play just fine on the machine.Sharp has also made it easier for you to control the player, by allowing basic controls of the device to appear on screen, allowing simple navigation of the BD player.The BD-HP90S has a UK release date of November and will be priced at �379.99.Dog training

Facebook hits back on latest data 'leak'

Facebook has quickly responded to stories that some third-party applications are sharing user data, accusing the press of exaggerating the implications of what was put public. It has come to light that certain applications are sharing the User ID (UUID) of their subscribers ? something which is against the Facebook developers' policy. However, the UID is not an especially critical piece of information, and Facebook believes that some sections of the media is making a mountain out of a molehill. Protecting user data"Our policy is very clear about protecting user data, ensuring that no one can access private user information without explicit user consent, blogged Facebook's Mike Vernal. "Recently, it has come to our attention that several applications built on Facebook Platform were passing the User ID (UID), an identifier that we use within our APIs, in a manner that violated this policy. "In most cases, developers did not intend to pass this information, but did so because of the technical details of how browsers work."Press reports have exaggerated the implications of sharing a UID. Knowledge of a UID does not enable anyone to access private user information without explicit user consent. "Nevertheless, we are committed to ensuring that even the inadvertent passing of UIDs is prevented and all applications are in compliance with our policy."Public scrutinyFacebook is well aware that its privacy policy is now under massive scrutiny and that any breach or loophole will come to the media's attention. The company's past transgressions mean that it may well never get the level of trust it desires, although the public's capacity for uploading every nook and cranny of their lives has never been bigger. "Ensuring that Facebook users are in control of their information is essential for the success of your application and the rest of Facebook Platform," concludes Facebook's statement. Related StoriesTutorial: How to add Twitter to your websiteUK's 'Get online week' kicks offBroadband crunch IS coming, says researchInternet IPv4 adresses to run out in early 2011Internet IPv4 adresses to run out in early 2011Crafts articles

Video: DeSean Jackson Takes Brutal Hit By Dunta Robinson, Leaves Game

Scary stuff during today's Eagles-Falcons game. Both players walked off the field with some assistance, so hopefully that's a good sign.

Collectible Dolls

Will 400,000 Secret Iraq War Documents Restore WikiLeaks? Sheen?

After a brief quiescence, the secret-spilling website WikiLeaks is about to explode again onto the global stage with the impending release of almost 400,000 secret U.S. Army reports from the Iraq War, marking the largest military leak in U.S. history.
Measured by size, the database will dwarf the 92,000-entry Afghan war log WikiLeaks partially published last July. ?It will be huge,? says a source familiar with WikiLeaks? operations, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Former WikiLeaks staffers say the document dump was at one time scheduled for Monday, October 18, though the publication date may well have been moved since then. Some large media outlets were provided an embargoed copy of the database in August.
In Washington, the Pentagon is bracing for the impact. The Defense Department believes the leak is a compilation of the ?Significant Activities,? or SIGACTS, reports from the Iraq War, and�officials�have assembled a 120-person taskforce that?s been scouring the database to prepare for the leak, according to spokesman Col. Dave Lapan.


Superbombs and Secret Jails: What to Look for in WikiLeaks? Iraq Docs
The Afghanistan war logs were just the beginning. Coming as early as next week, WikiLeaks plans to disclose a new trove of military documents, this time covering some of the toughest years of the Iraq war. Up to 400,000 reports from 2004 to 2009 could be revealed this time ? five times the size of the Afghan document dump.
It?s a perilous time in Iraq. Politicians are stitching together a new government. U.S. troops are supposed to leave by next December.
Pentagon leaders were furious over the Afghanistan documents, but the American public largely greeted them with yawns. Iraqis might not be so sanguine.
It?s hard to imagine Iraq will fall back into widespread chaos over the disclosures. But they can?t be good for the United States, as it tries to create a new postwar relationship with Iraq, or for the 50,000 U.S. troops and diplomats still over there.
We don?t know what?s in the documents. But here?s what we?ll be looking to find in the trove ? and some unanswered questions that the documents might address.
Continue reading on Danger Room ?

?They?ve been doing that analysis for some time and have been providing information to Central Command and to our allies, so that they could prepare for a possible impact of the release [and] could take appropriate steps,? says Lapan. ?There are ? things that could be contained in the documents that could be harmful to operations, to sources and methods.?
The Iraq release comes at a crucial time for the 4-year-old WikiLeaks, which has been rankled by internal conflict, shaken by outside criticism and knocked off-message by a lingering sex-crime investigation of its founder, Julian Assange, in Sweden. At least half-a-dozen staffers have resigned from the organization in recent weeks, including key technical staff, according to four ex-staffers interviewed by Wired.com. A ?scheduled maintenance? of the WikiLeaks website that began September 29 has stretched to more than two weeks.
The beleaguered Assange was cautious in a Sept. 30 public debate at City University in London, where he asked organizers to bar attending journalists and students from recording, photographing or videotaping his appearance.
The controversies dogging the site followed a string of triumphs: a series of high-profile leaks aimed at U.S. and NATO war efforts. In April, the site published a highly controversial classified video of a 2007 Army helicopter attack in Baghdad.
The attack killed two Reuters employees and an unarmed Iraqi man who stumbled onto the scene and tried to rescue one of the wounded. The man?s two children suffered serious injuries in the hail of gunfire. WikiLeaks titled the video ?Collateral Murder,? and raised $150,000 from supporters in two days following its release.
Then in July, the site published the Afghan logs, generating headlines around the world. But WikiLeaks? handling of that release garnered its first widespread criticism from ideological allies. Although the organization withheld 15,000 records from publication to redact the names of Afghan informants who might be at risk of Taliban reprisal, names of some collaborators were still found in the thousands of documents that were published.
Although there?s no evidence that anyone has suffered harm as a result of the names being exposed, WikiLeaks? handling of the matter drew criticism from human rights organizations and the international free press group Reporters Without Borders, which accused the site of being reckless. Not surprisingly, the Pentagon was also displeased and issued formal demands that WikiLeaks ?return? all classified documents in its possession.
Undaunted, Assange secretly inked deals with media outlets in several countries in August to provide them with embargoed access to the much larger database of Iraq War documents, according to ex-staffers. The agreements created strife inside WikiLeaks.
Former Icelandic WikiLeaks volunteer Herbert Snorrason told Wired.com last month that he was alarmed by the aggressive timetable for the release, which provided WikiLeaks? volunteers too little time to redact the names of U.S. collaborators and informants in Iraq.
?The release date which was established was completely unrealistic,? said 25-year-old Snorrason. ?We found out that the level of redactions performed on the Afghanistan documents was not sufficient. I announced that if the next batch did not receive full attention, I would not be willing to cooperate.?
Wired.com was not able to determine what, if any, portion of the Iraq database WikiLeaks plans to withhold from its website.
Another criticism behind the recent resignations from WikiLeaks is the charge that Assange has neglected hundreds or thousands of small, regionally important leaks submitted from around the world, in favor of headline-making leaks targeting the U.S. government. The Iraq War log, says former WikiLeaks spokesman Daniel Domscheit-Berg, would continue that focus. Although publication of the documents will likely garner praise from WikiLeaks supporters, it won?t fix the problems that are endemic to the organization, he says.
?It might distract from the issues at hand for a bit if it happens,? says Domscheit-Berg. ?But it doesn?t change a thing about the situation. WikiLeaks is supposed to be more than those releases. I think it might rejuvenate WikiLeaks if WikiLeaks started to pump out all those others docs that are waiting.?
In addition to the potential impact publication of the war log will have on the U.S., NATO allies and the nascent Iraqi government, it could also jolt the pending court martial case against Army Pfc. Bradley Manning.
Bradley Manning (Facebook.com)
Manning, a 23-year-old former Army intelligence analyst, was arrested last May after confessing to a former hacker that he?d supplied WikiLeaks with classified videos and documents, including the ?Collateral Murder? video, and a database of 260,000 State Department diplomatic cables.
It was Manning?s online chats with former hacker Adrian Lamo ? who turned him in to authorities ? that provided the first indication that WikiLeaks possessed the Iraq log. Manning described leaking a database of half-a-million reports from the Iraq War dated from 2004 through 2009, which he said included date stamps of events, latitude and longitude, and casualty figures.
The Army formally charged Manning with the ?Collateral Murder? leak in July, and the Pentagon describes him as a ?person of interest? in the Afghan war log leak, though Manning did not mention leaking a database of events from the Afghan war.
His attorney did not return a phone call for this story.
Manning is being held in solitary confinement in the Marine Corps brig at Quantico, Virginia. Assange has never confirmed that Manning was a source of leaked data to WikiLeaks, but has pledged financial assistance for Manning?s criminal defense, which supporters estimate could cost $100,000.
The non-profit Wau Holland Foundation in Germany, which manages the bulk of WikiLeaks? contributions, confirmed to Wired.com that Assange has authorized the release of money for Manning?s defense, but did not provide any other details. In all, WikiLeaks has about $1 million in contributions in its coffers.
Top photo by Spc. Joshua E. Powell

See Also:
Unpublished Iraq War Logs Trigger Internal WikiLeaks Revolt
Cyberwar Against Wikileaks? Good Luck With That
Wikileaks Releases Stunning Afghan War Logs ? Is Iraq Next
WikiLeaks Cash Flows In, Drips Out
WikiLeaks Suspect?s YouTube Videos Raised ?Red Flag? in 2008
Suspected Wikileaks Source Described Crisis of Conscience Leading To Leaks
U.S. Intelligence Analyst Arrested in Wikileaks Video Probe
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Review: AMD Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition

AMD has been prolific lately and the next in its line to fall under our spotlight is the dual-core Phenom II X2 560 Black Edition.As a result of its labours, AMD certainly has a lot of flavours of processor on the market these days, but as a gamer on a budget do you really need anything with more than two cores yet? There's still a dearth of multithreaded titles out there really taking advantage of the hex-core marvels AMD has recently launched, so you could be forgiven for sacrificing cores for cash.The lads and lasses at AMD obviously understand that too, since the company's bolstering its dual-core lineup with another Black Edition CPU, now hitting the 3.3GHz mark. We've already seen the Phenom II X2 550 and 555 chips, which managed 3.1GHz and 3.2GHz respectively.Quite why we need another CPU with such a small incremental increase is rather beyond us. Sure it's a Black Edition, with all the unlocked multiplier joy that entails, but then so was the 3.1GHz 550. Why push it further?There's practically zero difference in performance terms between the two low-end Black Edition Phenom IIs. That's not surprising, since there's also little difference between the two architectures. The extra megahertz don't really give you anything but a small increase in the video encoding score ? a score that's easily bettered by the quad-core Athlon II X4 620.Video encoding performanceX264 v3 ? FPS: higher is betterPhenom II 560BE ? 10.9Phenom II 550BE ? 10.4CPU rendering performanceCinebench R11.5 ? Index: bigger is betterPhenom II 560BE ? 1.89Phenom II 550BE ? 1.89DX10 gaming performanceJust Cause 2 ? FPS: higher is betterPhenom II 560BE ? 45Phenom II 550BE ? 45The budget end of the AMD processor spectrum is a tricky one to negotiate ? there are a host of CPUs on offer for incredibly low prices. The Athlon II X4 620 is one of the cheapest quad-core processors you'll ever see and it's definitely no slouch at 2.9GHz. For some decent multithreaded application performance, or video tweakery, then the quad is always going to prove a boon over the more remedial dualies.That said, the lack of decent cache levels means it's not going to give you any joy in games, which is where the dual-core Phenom IIs really take over. They also give you rather stellar overclocking performance too.Then there's the looming spectre of AMD's core unlocking feature, although that increasingly is looking redundant in the latest chip samples we've had a play with. One of our 550s went all the way and unlocked two extra cores giving us a bargainous quad-core, but the other stubbornly refused to. The same happened here with our 560 sample ? it just wouldn't boot with any extra cores unlocked.So what do you really get for your extra cash if you pick up the 560 over the Phenom II X2 550? Honestly, very little. Despite the new stepping, there's no change in the power rating of 80W and we could garner no extra overclocking performance out of it either. Both CPUs would happily hit 4GHz on air, but try as we might we couldn't get a stable clock any higher than that. At �65, then, the 550 Black Edition looks like a far better bet for those after a budget gaming setup, and that's easily achievable when twinned with a bargain AMD motherboard. You can also drop more on the motherboard with a view to upgrading your CPU if and when you can afford it thanks to AMD's single-socket platform.Which leaves the Phenom II X2 560 a rather unnecessary addition to AMD's CPU lineup, lacking the multithreaded performance of chips with more cores or any extra overclocking headroom.We likedThe Phenom II X2 560 is still able to hit 4GHz on air-cooling alone, as long as you've got a decent cooler, and the gaming performance isn't bad for a cheap chip either.We dislikedThe fact that there's little tangible difference between this newer chip revision and the cheaper dual-core 550 Black Edition makes this processor practically irrelevant.VerdictAn unnecessary addition to the low-end Phenom II range.Related LinksTechRadar's Reviews GuaranteeBest budget processorsRelated StoriesReview: Advent Sienna 510Review: Asus GeForce GT 430Apple shares hit all-time highReview: Packard Bell Dot UViewSonic 24-inch 3D monitor unveiledAikido

Borders targets bloggers with new e-book publishing platform

By Tim Conneally, Betanews
Following last week's debut of "Kindle Singles," a new shorter-form publishing format exclusively for Amazon's Kindle e-reader, book retailer Borders has announced its own blogger-centric e-reader publishing platform called "Borders -- Get Published."Powered by BookBrewer, "Get Published" will let independent authors publish and sell their e-books through the Borders e-book store in a quick and easy fashion. Borders is specifically targeting bloggers with this service, promising "Blog to e-book in 10 minutes." Users simply copy and paste their document or import their blog into the BookBrewer Web interface. The service offers tools to edit content, add images, and break content into chapters, and documents are published in ePub format,The service, however, is not free, and Borders takes a cut from e-book sales too.The two publishing packages include the $89.99 Basic Publishing option, where BookBrewer assigns the book an ISBN, and makes it available to all major eBook stores at a price set by the writer. The $199.99 Advanced Publishing Package gives Authors full rights to their ePub file, which they can distribute in any way they choose.Because Borders will take a cut from every book sold from the Basic Publishing program, it is unsurprising that it would open the content up for sale in competitors' e-book stores."Everyone has a story to tell, pictures to share or advice to give. It turns out that those are exactly the kinds of things people want to buy and read as eBooks," said BookBrewer CEO Dan Pacheco in a statement today. "We're thrilled to have the opportunity to work with an iconic brand like Borders, which not only has an incredible customer base, but also has a great local community focus."Borders - Get Published goes live at borders.bookbrewer.com on October 25.
Copyright Betanews, Inc. 2010





Colic