iSuppli: DRAM shortage likely coming
According to research firm iSuppli, the DRAM market could see a significant supply shortage in the Q3 2010 due to “limited manufacturing equipment availability” and other challenges.
Says the company (via Barrons):
“A commodity profoundly susceptible to the variable dynamics of supply and demand, DRAM is expected to ship 15.9 million 1Gbit-equivalent units in 2010, up 48.6% from 10.7 million units last year.”
“Most of the year’s growth is forecasted to occur in the second half of the year, with each of the final two quarters of 2010 expected to post sequential bit growth of approximately 11%. In comparison, bit growth in the first two quarters of 2010 topped out at far below the 10% mark. Such high levels of growth, concentrated in a six-month period, will strain the production capabilities of DRAM suppliers.”
Mike Howard, senior analyst for DRAM at iSuppli also adds that two major factors should lead the market into a supply shortage, with the first being limited tooling equipment, especially from ASML Holding. The second is the challenges for manufacturers migrating to below 50 nm.
Microsoft plugs 34 security holes
Microsoft, during their latest Patch Tuesday, has plugged 34 security holes while updating 14 security bulletins.
Four of the most critical bulletins were rated “highest priority” for enterprises.
14 bulletins is the highest amount of security bulletins ever released by the software giant during a Patch Tuesday, and a full eight were rated critical.
The four aforementioned “highest priority” bulletins are (via EW): MS10-052, which resolves a vulnerability in Microsoft’s MPEG Layer-3 audio codecs; MS10-055, which addresses a vulnerability in the Cinepak Codec used by Windows Media Player to support the AVI audiovisual format; MS10-056, which deals with four vulnerabilities in Microsoft Office; and MS10-060, which resolves two vulnerabilities in Microsoft .NET Framework and Microsoft Silverlight.
Joshua Talbot, a security intelligence manager of Symantec Security Response pinpointed one of the none critical bulletins as being potentially very dangerous as well. That bulletin is MS10-054: “The SMB [protocol] pool overflow vulnerability [covered in MS10-054] should be a real concern for enterprises. Not only does it give an attacker system-level access to a compromised SMB server, but the vulnerability occurs before authentication is required from computers contacting the server. This means any system allowing remote access and not protected by a firewall is at risk.
“Best practices dictate that file or print sharing services, such as SMB servers, should not be open to the Internet. But such services are often unprotected from neighboring systems on local networks. So, a cyber-criminal could use a multistaged attack to exploit this vulnerability … [and] this issue affects more than just file servers using the SMB service. Workstations that have enabled file and print sharing are also at risk.”
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Amazon considering getting into media player, smartphone markets
According to sources talking to the NYTimes, Amazon is still actively considering getting into the media player and smartphone markets, moving away from just selling the Kindle e-reader on the hardware side.
The sources say Amazon wants to make it easier for consumers to purchase content from Amazon MP3 and Amazon Video on Demand, just like how Apple has iTunes and the App Store built-in to all their “i” devices.
Amazon’s internal hardware division, known as “Lab 126,” has put out a few versions of the very popular Kindle e-reader but has done little else.
While the company has explored getting into the smartphone market, one source does say that project is out of the “company’s reach,” at this point.
Says the Times: “Internally, Amazon executives have been frustrated with other companies aggressively entering the digital content business, and one person with direct knowledge of the company’s plans said executives there were prepared to do whatever it takes to ensure Amazon remained a major player in the sale of digital content.”
The giant e-tailer is currently looking to expand Lab 126 by hiring new employees.
R.I.P Plastic Logic QUE e-reader
After being shown off first at CES and given an April release date, Plastic Logic delayed their e-reader in March and then again in June frustrating would-be owners who pre-ordered as early as February.
In late June, the company cancelled all pre-orders, making it very clear that the company was in trouble.
Today, Plastic Logic has announced that they are completely canceling all plans for the Que, due to increased competition from Apple, Barnes & Noble and Amazon.
“This was a hard decision, but is the best one for our company, our investors and our customers,” said Plastic Logic CEO Richard Archuleta of the decision.
“We recognize the market has dramatically changed, and with the product delays we have experienced, it no longer makes sense for us to move forward with our first generation electronic reading product.”
Differentiating the QUE from other e-reader was the fact it was aimed at the businessman demographic. The device would have retailed for $650 for the 4GB/Wi-Fi model and $800 for the 8GB/Wi-Fi/3G version. The Que featured a large 10.7-inch screen, and had built-in support for Microsoft Office documents as well as PDFs.
Apple replaces overheating iPod Nanos in Japan
Apple has said today it will begin replacing any iPod Nano that overheats in Japan, improving on their past offer of replacing only the batteries of said devices.
Japan’s trade ministry had ordered Apple to “publish an easy to understand statement” on how owners of faulty devices could receive their replacement batteries.
The first generation Nano models, those sold between 2005 and 2006, are the ones in question, accounting for over 60 incidents of overheating leading to four cases of minor burns.
Apple has blamed the “very rare” occurrences on a single battery supplier.
Says Apple: “We’ve worked closely with METI (trade ministry) to make sure first-generation iPod nano customers who are concerned with their battery have the latest information.”
Android phones hit by first ever Trojan
Google’s Android mobile OS has finally hit the big time; security firm Kaspersky is reporting that users are being hit with the first trojan for the OS.
Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a is being sent around as an SMS, infecting devices while pretending to be a media player application. Infected users will send out SMS texts without consent.
Android owners who receive the text are prompted to install a small 13kb .APK which then infects the device. The trojan will then begin texting out “premium rate phone numbers,” to other users.
Kapersky is quick to note that so far the Android users in most immediate danger are in Russia, where the criminals behind the trojan can actually start charging money to user’s accounts. However, anyone with a device can get infected.
While FakePlayer is the first Trojan for Android, there have been scattered spywares created for the OS.
Adds Kapersky: “The IT market research and analysis organization IDC has noted that those selling devices running Android are experiencing the highest growth in sales among smartphone manufacturers. As a result, we can expect to see a corresponding rise in the amount of malware targeting that platform.”
iPhone owners have more sexual partners?
According to new research from the popular dating site OKCupid.com, iPhone owners are having sex with more partners than BlackBerry or Android owners.
Almost 10,000 smartphone owners were polled and the site found that men with iPhones had an average of 10 sexual partners by the age of 30, higher than the 8.1 partners for BlackBerry owners and 6 for Android users.
For women, iPhone owners had 12.3 partners by the same age, with BlackBerry users at 8.8 and Android owners at 6.1.
While the numbers could of course be skewed, (it is just a dating site and not a scientific journal) the numbers are still interesting.
The results of the survey were released along with OKCupid’s investigation into what type of photographs gor the most positive hits on the site. Unsurprisingly, pics taken with DSLRs, using soft lighting, got the most positive results.
Video Daily: AT&T launches U-verse mobile app
AT&T, the U.S.’ second largest wireless carrier, has announced the launch of their U-Verse Mobile App, now available through the iPhone/Touch App Store.
U-verse subscribers can now download and stream TV shows on their iPhone.
The app will also allow users to manage their DVR and download and watch the selected shows.
Additionally, U-verse subscribers can browse the full U-verse TV program guide, view descriptions of the content, and watch them in full screen mode on the iPhone.
AT&T says 100,000 U-verse subscribers already use the Web app and an early beta of the Mobile App, dubbed Mobile Remote Access.
“We’re making it possible for you to watch TV shows on your iPhone at no extra charge. It’s just one more valuable and innovative feature available on U-verse TV,” added David Christopher, CMO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer Markets. “Our U-verse multi-screen promise is now a reality for millions of U-verse TV customers, with content available on U-verse TV, U-verse Online, and today, U-verse Mobile. No cable provider comes close to matching the cross-platform experience we’re delivering today, and we’ll continue to add unique features that further integrate these screens.”
Jailbroken iPhones get basic Adobe Flash support
The popular developer/hacker Comex, the man behind the Web-based iPhone jailbreaking site, has released Frash today for the smartphone, certain iPod Touch models and the iPad allowing for Adobe Flash support on jailbroken devices.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs has long said that the company will not support Flash on “i” devices.
If you own the iPhone 3GS with iOS4, the iPhone 4, the iPod Touch 3G or the iPad you can now run Flash from within the Safari browser.
The installation is pretty simple. Add a custom Cydia repository, install the program and reboot your “i” device.
While the app is a great start, the developer is quick to note that the beta (version 0.02) can only support very simple Flash animations, making it useless for the most part unless you love invasive Web ads.
Google expands social gaming reach, purchases Jambool
Google has continued its strong expansion into the social gaming market, purchasing the virtual currency start-up Jambool for $75 million.
Jambool was founded in 2006 and has been a hit with its Social Gold virtual currency product.
Social Gold can be used in MMOs, virtual worlds, regular online games and social gaming applications.
The company was started by former Amazon execs Vikas Gupta and Reza Hussein.
Neither company has confirmed the purchase price but multiple sources place the price at $55 million, with another $20 million based on incentives.
Last week, Google purchased the social gaming developer Slide, for $182 million and earlier in the year, Google invested about $150 million in developer Zynga, the company behind hits like Farmville.
