Monthly Archives: August 2011

Maxis moves into cloud computing services

Published: Monday August 29, 2011 MYT 2:23:00 PM
Updated: Monday August 29, 2011 MYT 2:24:28 PM

 

GOING PLACES: Fitri (left) and MDeC chief executive officer Datuk Badlisham Ghazali at the launch of Maxis Cloud.

By JO TIMBUONG
bytz@thestar.com.my

Telecommunications company Maxis Bhd has launched its Maxis Cloud service, making it the latest player in the cloud-computing ­marketplace.

Maxis is offering infrastructure-as-a-service, where businesses can rent computing resources from the telco from RM900 a month.

At the launch, Maxis senior vice-president of business services Fitri Abdullah said the company’s latest offering is designed to support the growing computing needs of Malaysian businesses.

“We’ve designed Maxis Cloud to enable businesses with better IT solutions and offer tools for skilled software developers to develop more cloud solutions,” he said.

Maxis invested about RM7mil and spent about seven months building the system.

Through a collaboration with Telekom Malaysia (TM), Maxis Cloud will offer its services to areas covered by TM’s Unifi High Speed Broadband Service.

Maxis is also looking into ­increasing the number of cloud applications by working with various agencies, including the Multimedia Development Corp (MDeC), which is in charge of the country MSC Malaysia initiative.

Such collaborations are also aimed at developing cloud ­applications to promote the ­adoption of cloud-computing ­services in the country.

Maxis and MDeC plan to select ­talented independent ­software ­vendors to develop such ­applications. They will also provide market and technology insights, as well as funding, to these developers to get their products off the ground.

Both parties will also be ­developing a framework and ­standards for the overall ­development of the Malaysian cloud industry.

The MSC Malaysia initiative is tasked with developing the nation’s knowledge-based ­economy.

 

 

source:http://techcentral.my/news/story.aspx?file=/2011/8/29/it_news/20110829143356&sec=IT_News

 

GCSA boon for IT security sector

Published: Monday August 29, 2011 MYT 2:08:00 PM
Updated: Monday August 29, 2011 MYT 2:13:05 PM

 

HUSIN:’There are many questions about cyberspace that we need to answer and I think we will be on the losing end if we don’t learn how to deal with it.’

By JO TIMBUONG
bytz@thestar.com.my

PETALING JAYA: The proposed Global Cybersecurity Alliance (GCSA) is set to be a platform for Malaysia and other countries to exchange ideas and expertise that will lead to a better, more secure cyberspace.

Cybersecurity Malaysia chief executive officer Lt Col (Rtd) Prof Datuk Husin Jazri said the GCSA will focus on developing more IT security products and professionals, as well as raise the awareness for cybersafety.

“There are many questions about cyberspace that we need to answer and I think we will be on the losing end if we don’t learn how to deal with it,” he said at a media briefing to announce the 12th International Common Criteria Conference here.

The platform will also enable Malaysia to strengthen the local cybersecurity marketplace which Husin said is currently worth RM1bil.

“With expertise from this alliance, we could improve our local IT security products and make the segment a new source of (economic) growth. If such care is taken, the local IT security market may even contribute about RM3bil to the country’s gross national income in 2015,” he said.

Husin said turning cybersecurity into a new economic area would also create more than 5,000 high-income jobs.

Calling

Another step Cybersecurity Malaysia is taking to boost the IT security industry is by becoming an authorising member of the Common Criteria Recognition Arrangement (CCRA). The CCRA is an international group that ensures IT security products meet the proper standards and certification.

It enables IT product vendors to evaluate and certify their products as ISO standard 15408, which is regarded as the international benchmark for IT security evaluations.

This standard addresses product functionality, development environment, documentation, and product-testing measures.

Husin said Cybersecurity Malaysia has been a participating member of the group since 2007 and hopes that Malaysia will be accepted as an authorising member at the coming 12th International Common Criteria Conference.

“The difference between being a participating member and an authorising one is products that have passed through an authorising member’s lab are more likely to be accepted by the global community than those that passed through a participating member’s lab,” he said.

“This can lower the entry barrier some local businesses may encounter when entering the international market.”

If accepted as an authorising member, Malaysia will join an elite group of nations, that includes the United States, Japan, France and Britain, to be able to operate a CCRA-approved certification scheme. Cybersecurity Malaysia is also calling for delegates for the conference, which will run at a Petaling Jaya hotel from Sept 27 to 29.

For more information on the conference, go to http://12iccc.cybersecurity.my/contact.html.

 

 

source:http://techcentral.my/news/story.aspx?file=/2011/8/29/it_news/20110829141712&sec=IT_News

 

HTC showcases its first 3D phone

Wednesday August 24, 2011

 

HTC has unveiled its latest Android smartphone, the Evo 3D, which features a 3D display. Users can watch 3D movies and play 3D games on the 4.3in touchscreen which has a qHD resolution (960 x 540-pixels) without having to wear special glasses.

You can also make your own 3D content with the Evo’s dual 5-megapixel autofocus digital cameras. The smartphone can snap 3D photos and record 3D HD movies with a resolution of 720p.

You can output your 3D videos to a 3D HDTV via a HDMI connection or stream over-the-air to any device that supports the DLNA (Digital Living Network Alliance) standard.

The Evo also has a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera for making video calls. In terms of specifications, the smartphone has a dual-core 1.2GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor and 1GB RAM.

For storage, it has 1GB of memory which can be expanded with a microSD card.

The smartphone also has a new Sense interface that features an interactive lock-screen that allows users to access commonly used apps faster. Also, the Evo’s personal WiFi hotspot feature allows the phone to share its Internet connection with other devices.

The Evo retails for RM2,199.

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www.htc.com

 

 

source:http://techcentral.my/news/story.aspx?file=/2011/8/24/it_news/20110824151236&sec=IT_News

 

Steve Jobs resigns as Apple CEO

Thursday August 25, 2011

 

STEPPING DOWN: Jobs waving to his audience at an Apple event in San Francisco in a March 2011 file photo. Jobs is resigning as CEO, effective immediately. – AP

SAN FRANCISCO: Apple’s legendary co-founder and top ideas man Steve Jobs resigned as chief executive in a move long expected after he began a dramatic fight with cancer.

COOK: Will take over as CEO. – AP

In a written statement, Apple, the world’s second most valuable company by market capitalisation, announced that chief operating officer Tim Cook would take over as chief executive officer but that Jobs would stay on as chairman of the board.

Jobs is seen as the heart and soul of Apple, with analysts and investors repeatedly expressing concern over how the Cupertino, California-based company will fare without the figure seen as its driving force.

“Steve’s extraordinary vision and leadership saved Apple and guided it to its position as the world’s most innovative and valuable technology company,” board member Art Levinson said in a statement.

Gartner analyst Van Baker saw no reason for investors to panic. “My suspicion is that Apple will do just fine,” Baker told AFP. “There are so many talented people there and Steve’s attention to detail is baked into the culture.”

Jobs will still be around as chairman of the Apple board and the company has product plans mapped, according to the analyst. Apple is expected to launch a fifth-generation iPhone in September or October.

“Apple is an execution monster, and that includes products, supply chain and marketing,” Baker said. “Their roadmap is in place; I’m sure they are already working on the next iPad.”

No reason was given for Job’s resignation, but his health problems, including a lengthy medical leave for a liver transplant in 2009 and his gaunt appearances at public events, fuelled speculation he would have to give up the everyday running of the company he co-founded in 1976.

Cook ran Apple when Jobs went on medical leave and has essentially been running day-to-day operations since early this year with the company racking up record revenue and profit.

“The board has complete confidence that Tim is the right person to be our next chief executive officer,” Levinson said.

“Tim’s 13 years of service to Apple have been marked by outstanding performance, and he has demonstrated remarkable talent and sound judgment in everything he does,” Levinson continued. Cook was previously responsible for Apple’s worldwide sales and operations, including management of the supply chain, sales activities, and service and support in all markets and countries.

Jobs is a living legend in Silicon Valley. He is the beloved visionary behind the Macintosh computer, the iPod, the iPhone and the iPad as well as the iTunes online shop.

Born on Feb 24, 1955 in San Francisco to a single mother and adopted by a couple in nearby Mountain View at barely a week old, he grew up among the orchards that would one day become the technology hub known as Silicon Valley.

Jobs was 21 and Steve Wozniak 26 when they founded Apple Computer in the garage of Jobs’s family home in 1976.

While Microsoft licensed its software to computer makers that cranked out machines priced for the masses, Apple kept its technology private and catered to people willing to pay for superior performance and design.

Under Jobs, the company introduced its first Apple computers and then the Macintosh, which became wildly popular in the 1980s.

Jobs was elevated to idol status by ranks of Macintosh computer devotees, many of whom saw themselves as a sort of rebel alliance opposing the powerful empire Microsoft built with its ubiquitous Windows operating systems.

Jobs left Apple in 1985 after an internal power struggle and started NeXT Computer company specialising in sophisticated workstations for businesses.

He co-founded Academy-Award-winning Pixar in 1986 from a former Lucasfilm computer graphics unit that he reportedly bought from movie industry titan George Lucas for US$10mil (RM30mil).

Apple’s luster faded after Jobs left the company, but they reconciled in 1996 with Apple buying NeXT for US$429mil (RM1.28bil) and Jobs ascending once again to the Apple throne.

Since then, Apple has gone from strength to strength as Jobs revamped the Macintosh line, revolutionising modern culture and launching a “post-PC era” in which personal computers give way to smart mobile gadgets. – AFP/Relaxnews 2011

 

 

 

source:http://techcentral.my/news/story.aspx?file=/2011/8/25/it_news/20110825104138&sec=IT_News

 

RIM unveils new BlackBerrys

Thursday August 25, 2011

 

9900

By TAN KIT HOONG
bytz@thestar.com.my

Research In Motion (RIM) has released four new BlackBerry devices, namely the Bold 9900, Torch 9860, Torch 9810 and the Curve 9360.

All the new smartphones feature the latest BlackBerry 7 operating system, which has enhanced graphics capability as well as up to 40% improvement in web browser speed.

The Bold 9900 is touted as the “ultimate BlackBerry,” with a 2.8in (640 x 480-pixel resolution) touchscreen, large Qwerty keypad, 5-megapixel digital camera with 720p HD video recording, GPS, WiFi a/b/g/n and HSPA support.

Next up is the Torch 9860, which features the largest screen ever built into a BlackBerry phone, a 3.7in display.

9860

The Torch 9860 is a completely touchscreen driven device with no physical Qwerty keypad.

If you like a physical keypad, then perhaps the Torch 9810 is the one you want – this device has a slightly smaller 3.2in touchscreen but also comes with a slide-out keypad.

Finally, RIM also unveiled the Curve 9360 for the first time.

9360

The Curve 9360 is a very slim device – it’s thinner than the Bold 9900 – and comes with a 2.44in (480 x 360-pixel resolution) display, GPS, WiFi b/g/n and microSD card slot.

The prices and availability of the Torch 9860, Torch 9810 and Curve 9360 have yet to be finalised, but the Bold 9900 will be available from Celcom, DiGi and Maxis starting Sept 15. The list price for the Bold 9900 is RM2,188

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www.blackberry.com.my

 

 

 

source:http://techcentral.my/news/story.aspx?file=/2011/8/25/it_news/20110825140247&sec=IT_News

 

Huawei has a Vision

Thursday August 25, 2011

 

Huawei’s latest smartphone, the Vision, features Android 2.3 (Gingerbread), 1GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 5-megapixel autofocus camera with LED flash capable of shooting 720p videos, and WiFi b/g/n.

This smartphone also features an aluminium alloy unibody design which is only 9.9mm thick at its thinnest point.

The smartphone comes in a choice of rose gold, silver and charcoal colours.

The Vision will be available in Malaysia before the end of the year and will come preinstalled with popular Android games like Angy Birds, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, Order & Chaos Online and Guerrilla Bob HD.

As this is an Android smartphone, the Vision comes with all the usual Google services such as e-mail, instant messaging and maps, amongst others, built in. The price has yet to be announced.

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www.huawei.com/device

 

 

source:http://techcentral.my/news/story.aspx?file=/2011/8/25/it_news/20110825152309&sec=IT_News

 

One for the road

Thursday August 25, 2011

 

THE Samsung Series 3 300V is a stylish notebook with a long battery life of nine hours, making it not only easy on the eyes but also a great companion on the road.

The notebook is targeted at students and the younger generation, and will help them stay connected and keep them entertained virtually all day long, according to Samsung.

Also, a feature called Fast Start will allow users to start using the notebook within seconds of booting it up.

The screen for the 14in notebook can be either glossy or anti-reflective. A glossy display is great for games and movies because images will appear extremely clear and vivid.

An anti-reflective display, on the other hand, promises better readability even under bright sunlight and this also helps reduce eye strain when working on the notebook over extended periods.

The notebook is powered by a second-generation Intel Core i7 processor and has an nVidia GeForce GT 520MX graphics chips, up to 4GB RAM and up to 640GB hard disk space.

There notebook will be available in five colours – orange, raspberry pink, blue, black and smoky silver.

It’ll be bundled with Samsung Duracase casing with a special scratch-resistant surface that’ll keep the notebook protected and looking new.

This price for the 300V starts at RM2,499.

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www.samsung.com/my