Ng Khai Computer Solutions Blog

Instead of Blacklisting, vendors are talking about Whitelisting.

Will you be ditching your antivirus app anytime soon? CNET News.com

Antivirus programs, as we know them today, are based on 20-year-old technology of pattern matching. Pattern matching may have worked in the days of the Micheangelo virus and even as recently as Netsky, but methodically matching each and every file on a computer against a list of known malware is getting tedious, if not archaic. In 2007, Symantec detected more than 1 million viruses, with two-thirds created within the calendar year. Loading 1 million signatures, or even a percentage of that if generic signatures are used, is a pretty serious undertaking.

Yesterday, a research firm noted that IT staff would be one of the more recession proof jobs.

Maybe not, according to this.

3rd party professional services seems like the place they would be cutting….

Study: IT jobs will drop in 2009

IT staff jobs are at increasing risk — both for contractors and in-house workers — according to a survey of top CIOs by Goldman Sachs & Co. released last week. Global services companies will also feel the pinch because of the slowing economy.

A second survey showed that basic PC and network hardware, as well as professional services providers, would bear the largest proportion of spending cuts. It also showed that CIOs planned to emphasize economizing measures over investments in new technologies, with cloud computing emerging as the last item on their priority lists, despite the hype around it.

It does seem that people are still buying computers

PC shipments grew faster than expected in 2Q - Yahoo! News

Computer shipments rose faster than expected in the second quarter, fueled by exceptional demand in emerging markets and a decline in prices in the U.S. and Western Europe, two research groups said Wednesday.

Worldwide shipments increased 16 percent from a year ago to 71.9 million PCs, according to Stamford, Conn.-based Gartner Inc. The company had predicted 11.2 percent growth.

"Not content with dominating the PC and smartphone market in the realm of operating systems, Microsoft has apparently now set its sights on PNDs. Today the folks in Redmond announced a new OS aimed directly at GPS units, dubbed Windows Embedded NavReady 2009. The software is based on Windows Embedded CE, and combines navigation tools enriched with Live Search, MSN Direct, and Windows SideShow integration, coupled with an emphasis on Bluetooth connectivity. The company says that the system is shipping to OEMs and developers as we speak, which will yield consumer devices in time for the 2008 holiday season."Engadget

In an exclusive chat behind the scenes at HP’s conference in Berlin, a top exec from HP hinted that touchscreen tech is going to play a big part in the company’s future road map.

She said: "We’ve got a lot of heritage in touch and development for the TouchSmart started three or four years ago".

"And there will be even more focus on experience and touch in the future."

"We are definitely planning more products so watch this space." Read more

Linksys announced the new Wireless-G Broadband Router WRT54G2 – the successor of CiscoWRT54G router. The new router features the same sleek industrial design as sported by the recent Ultra RangePlus family of Wireless-N routers (WRT160N and WRT310N).

The new router’s design complements any trendy home entertainment or SOHO setting. It features an internal antenna technology which integrates the antenna into the router body without compromising signal coverage. Read more.

Despite speculation and forecasts that Microsoft was going to adopt a new strategy for Windows development as far as future releases go, with a strong focus placed on modularization, the company promised that Windows Vista would not be the last of its kind. Windows 7, the next monolithic iteration of the Windows client, is already available to Microsoft’s closest partners for testing as a Milestone 1 release, with M2 up next. But, at the sam… Read more…

IBM will expand its portfolio of managed wireless services for the Blackberry platform with a suite of services that include hosting, consulting, systems integration and deployment of enterprise applications on the converged platform.Forbes

Microsoft Corp said on Thursday it sold 188,000 units of its Xbox 360 video game console in in the United States in April. Microsoft also said the Xbox version of Take-Two Interactive Software Inc’s “Grand Theft Auto 4″ sold 1.8 million units in its first five days, making it the best-selling game in April.Reuters

Offering a new supercomputing technology for the enterprise, IBM (NYSE:IBM)
Wednesday expanded its High Performance Computing (HPC) product line
with the release of the IBM BladeCenter QS22, which is aimed at
providing financial services, digital content creation and medical imaging applications.
The QS22 is based on the new IBM PowerXCell 8i multi-core processor that is compliant with Cell Broadband Engine (Cell/B.E.) architecture
that was jointly developed by IBM, Sony and Toshiba and was originally
intended for cutting-edge gaming applications, and used in products
like the Sony Playstation 3.More

Market leader, Cisco, has reached a major milestone: it has shipped its five millionth Aironet AP, which began shipping in 2000. AP #5,000,000 had the distinction of being part of the prestigious Mayo Clinic’s WLAN.Wi-fiplanet

Most Web developers know better than judging a
Microsoft product by its first iteration. For this reason, I was
intrigued by the recent beta release of Silverlight 2.0.
Silverlight
provides a platform for Rich Internet Applications (RIAs) to build
dynamic user interfaces that are platform and browser agnostic. It
competes in the same space as technologies such as Adobe Flash and OpenLaszlo. Here’s a quick overview of what you’ll find in the latest version of Silverlight.Read the rest of this entry.

Microsoft Corp has launched a new online service in 20 countries which will allow users to watch video clips at the same time as a network of friends and chat via Windows Live Messenger. The new service called Messenger TV will offer a range of clips on MSN Video including MTV shows and music clips from providers such as Sony BMG. The firm hopes the ability to watch clips with friends on different computers will create a new social experience and attract users who already spend hours on social networks.Reuters

Microsoft Corp filed suit Monday in federal court against eight resellers of its software, including Pronet Cyber Technologies Inc., for piracy.

Microsoft claims Alexandria-based Pronet sold unlicensed software
and counterfeit activation codes and certificates of authenticity to
its customers through its two Web sites, Pronetcd.com and USSoftware.com.
The company, owned by Joseph Teshome, is certified by the Small
Business Administration as a minority- and woman-owned small business.
Teshome could not be reached for comment.BizJournal.