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Wi-Fi technology provides the freedom to access the Internet from virtually any location using increasingly sophisticated portable devices. The “cool” factor of e-mailing and instant messaging when you’re out and about is so compelling that protecting the device from malevolent invaders is often overlooked. Unfortunately, the same network access that makes online mobility easy for you is also convenient for computer criminals, and even a quick browse can attract damaging codes.

Securing mobile applications requires more effort up front than securing your wireless home network, for two reasons: First, desktops and laptops run on a full-featured operating system that often comes with varying levels of built-in security. Mobile devices, on the other hand, generally leave Internet security up to the user. Second, as each device comes with its own operating system, security software can take time to track down. For instance, BlackBerrys run on a proprietary operating system; Pocket PCs run on Windows Mobile; and Palm devices, like the Treo, run on the Palm operating system. Interoperability is still on our wish list, but here are three steps for protecting your BlackBerry, your Palm device, or your Windows Mobile/Pocket PC from Internet threats.

Step 1: Secure the network

Airscanner Mobile AntiVirus can defend against Trojan horses as well as viruses.It’s hard to overemphasize the importance of online security for any network. Since going online is a secondary function for most mobile device users (surfing and sending data come first), securing the connection may not seem as urgent–and that’s exactly what exploitation architects are counting on.

The good news is that mobile wireless security is a growing sector, and some solid programs exist to keep the worst network infections at bay. Owners of a Palm device or a Pocket PC can deflect wandering enemies with Trend Micro’s reliable PC-cillin Internet Security.

Windows Mobile users have other options at their fingertips with F-secure Anti-Virus and Airscanner Mobile AntiVirus Pro. Symbian smart phones get an extra boost with Commander Mobile Anti-Virus. JiWire SpotLock supports AvantGo handhelds.

Step 2: Block out thievesThe physical world is another source of threats to handheld security. The most recent spate of corporate laptop thefts are a harsh reminder your sensitive data can fall into the wrong hands. Though odds are thankfully low, a thief could conceivably use your information to assume your identity or swipe your e-mail contact list to fuel a spam campaign. At the very least, you’ll want to keep out the boldest of snoops.

The most straightforward method is to enable the password lock found in your handheld’s native system settings. You’ll want to ensure you set and test a strong password that will frustrate any thief who has gotten

Step 3: Protect your data

Setting the password on your device is an important physical security layer to which software applications provide stronger support. One way to keep your data personal is to use a lockbox program that requires a password each time you access your information. eWallet Professional for Pocket PC helps you create and organize a wealth of information–including credit card, bank account, and car details– into password-protected categories. CryptMagic performs a similar service for BlackBerry users, and Palm aficionados may appreciate Secret.

As reported earlier, Mozilla has been working on v3 of its browser for almost a year now. They have now reached their first alpha and have released it as a showcase for the technologies it will be packing in. The alpha has been released, under the code-name Minefield, while project 3.0 itself is called Gran Paradiso, is expected to feature better support for a crucial graphic standard namely Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) language.

Firefox 3.0 will also support the Cairo graphics library project, which has been designed to make Web pages look the same, irrespective of the platform. Pages compiled under this new library, will look the same on both PC and mobile devices. Another new feature planned called “places”, which takes a new approach to bookmarks and page history. This feature is supposed to be similar to IE7’s favorite approach.

In terms of improvements to tabbed browsing, the new browser will include the ability to move around and reorder tabs in a single browser window and will also add a button right next to the last open tab that brings up a new tab, taking yet another few pages out of the IE7 list of features. In an update to a feature that was first shown in Firefox 2, version 3.0 will have increased session saving capabilities, including the ability to save all data logged in a single session, such as data entered into forms and posts, and the entire page viewing history.

PUNE: Wire and Wireless India Limited (WWIL), now a restructured arm of Zee Network, is getting ready to dot Indian C&S (Cable & Satellite) landscape with triple plays services through a single Set Top Box (STB) and claims to be the only company so far for a digital cable licence in India.

“Our STBs would be of three types and thus capable of offering triple play that would mean Video, Voice and Data together. These would range from plain STBs to RF & IP STBs and even RF cum IP cum VOIP ones that would take digital telephony and interactivity to bigger and more real-time levels. We have also got the first HITS (Headend In The Sky) licence for rolling out digital cable in India. The infrastructure is in place and we would roll out our services in Januray or February after clearnces are done,” Jagjeet Singh Kohli, CEO, WWIL, informed a press conference here.

The company has unveiled its digital video, data and voice broadcasting system in Pune after Mumbai and Delhi. This would entail high-speed broadband Internet, VOD (Video On Demand), PPV (Pay Per View), EPG (Electronic Programming Guide), VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol).

These offerings are touted to unleash the vast and untapped capabilities in the typical nature of cable layout in India. “In our cables RF is capable of 4GBPS (Giga Byte Per Second) while ethernet is capable of 100 MBPS (Mega Byte Per Second) thus enabling gretaer bandwidth and video downloads,” said Kohli.

Sourcing these VAS (Value Added Service) STBs is not a major concern area but components and chips are a big hurdle. While the demand of these boxes is pegged at around 9.6 million in the next five years, the company has its pipeline ready. “Till now we were sourcing STBs from TVS in Chennai and have placed significant orders for two lakh with BHEL too. The assembly will ultimately be moved out of India and Korea has already started supplying STBs.” added Kohli. For the VoiP technology, WWIL has Broadband Pacenet as a vendor.

Kohli estimates the HITS market to be worth $4 billion today and $10 billion five years hence, and hopes to corner a major chunk of the same soon. The company currently has 35 cities under its umbrella and it aims to cover 45 cities by the end of this year and 66 cities, in total, in the next three years.

 

RTX, developer of wireless communication has introduces the Dualphone 3088, which can be used as a normal telephone as well as for calling via Skype — without a PC. The new Dualphone helps people to save money on their phone bill and gives them more flexibility when using Skype.

The Dualphone 3088 is a convenient cordless phone which removes the need of a computer when making Skype calls. The phone also allows the user to decide whether to make a free call via the Internet between Skype users, or to use the regular landline connection. The Dualphone has a Skype user interface and possesses nearly all the Skype voice features. The phone base station connects easily to the broadband router and the phone line. The new Dualphone 3088 has a colour display and an operating time of more than 10 hours of talk time as well as up to 140 hours at standby.

“The former USB Cordless Dualphone was our first Skype Certified USB cordless handset,” said Manrique Brenes, director of Hardware Business Development at Skype. “It has been available for three years and has been a very successful phone. We are therefore delighted to join RTX in taking Internet calls a step further with cordless embedded phones for Skype.”

“We see the greatest opportunity in the price-conscious mass market, where ease-of-use is essential,” said Tage Rasmussen, CEO of RTX Telecom. “This is why we have developed a platform for low-cost cordless phones for both Skype Internet calls and regular phone calls, with the added benefit of being able to use a cordless handset without a PC. We will also provide the new platform and product as a design service or OEM/ODM product for global brand manufacturers.”

While the Dualphone 3088 includes a regular landline connection, Skype itself is not to be used as a replacement for your ordinary telephone service and does not support emergency calls.

The Dualphone 3088 will be available at RTX’s distribution partners and at www.dualphone.net. The product will be also be available at selected European retailers and at the Skype Online Store from December 1, 2006 at a recommended retail price of EUR 159, including VAT.

Microsoft Corp. has announced a global storage upgrade for MSN Hotmail’s active e-mail accounts – expanding the storage capacity to 1 gigabyte and extending the expiration period for inactive accounts from 30 days to 60 days for those accounts that are more than two years old.

The storage upgrade and extension of the expiration period for e-mail accounts is part of Microsoft’s ongoing commitment to meet the evolving needs of Hotmail users as they transition to Microsoft’s next generation email service, Windows Live Mail.

The storage upgrade, which began rolling out in Asia on November 7, will affect Hotmail users in ten markets in the region including Australia, China, India, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Singapore

SemIndia, a consortium with investments from strategic partners, will roll out its first batch of chips by June 2007 from its Hyderabad facility and has already procured orders to the tune of $400 million.

The consortium is setting up the first phase of the project, an ATMP (assembly, testing, mark and packaging) plant with an estimated investment of $100 million, which would be funded through $30 million equity and $70 million debts.

Talking to CyberMedia News in Chennai, Bob Kondamoori, managing director of Sandalwood Partners, an India-specific venture fund, said that while Flextronics and Sandalwood Partners, an India specific venture fund, is taking $10 million each in equity and the promoters would fund the remaining $10 million.

“For the debt portion of 70 per cent the company had tied-up with ICICI Bank and the State Bank of India,” he informed.

“Andhra Pradesh government has already allotted 75 acres for the company,” he said adding that the building construction would be completed by March 2007.

Kondamoori said, “The major order is from AMD and we have already worked out on the technology transfer for the wafer fab to be set-up in the second phase,” he said.
“The company is awaiting the Union government’s semiconductor policy, which is likely to be announced by November, to implement the second phase,” he added.

The company plans to employ about 1000 people in the first phase, and most of them would be diploma holders.