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INTEREST: Report: Apple: No.1 mobile phone vendor in US
by Wayne Billing 03 Feb '13

03 Feb '13

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2013/02/01/report-apple-has-become-the-1-mobile-phone-ve… Report: Apple has become the No.1 mobile phone vendor in US for the first time ever<http://9to5mac.com/2013/02/01/report-apple-has-become-the-1-mobile-phone-ve…> [cid:01328534-0DDC-43F7-B491-FBA86D85441B]Seth Weintraub<http://9to5mac.com/author/sethweintraub/> * iOS Devices<http://9to5mac.com/category/ios-devices/> FEBRUARY 1, 2013 / 12:48 AM * SHARE<http://9to5mac.com/> * 15 COMMENTS<http://9to5mac.com/2013/02/01/report-apple-has-become-the-1-mobile-phone-ve…> [Screen Shot 2013-02-01 at 12.40.29 AM]. According to research firm Strategy Analytics<http://blogs.strategyanalytics.com/WDS/post/2013/02/01/Apple-Becomes-Larges…>, Apple overtook Samsung to become the No.1 phone vendor in the United States in Q4 2012. The report, released this evening, shows that Apple sold 17.7 million iPhones in the quarter against 16.8 million for Samsung and 4.7 million from No. 3 LG. That’s not smartphones. That’s phones. Samsung has been the No. 1 vendor for phones in the U.S. for 5 years. Apple’s sold more than one out of every three phones in the quarter in the U.S., a feat made even more remarkable when taken with the fact that Samsung and LG sell a great deal of feature phones and very inexpensive low-end smartphones. Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca>

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Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 3
by Andre Worms 01 Feb '13

01 Feb '13

http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads Microsoft Office for Mac 2011 Service Pack 3 (14.3.0) This update fixes critical issues. For detailed information about this update, please visit the Microsoft Web site. Applies to: Office 2011, Office 2011 Home and Business Edition, Word 2011, Excel 2011, PowerPoint 2011, Outlook 2011, Office for Mac Standard 2011 Edition, Microsoft Office for Mac Home & Student 2011, and Microsoft Office for Mac Academic 2011 Known issues for installation of Office 2011 File Name: Office2011-1430UpdateEN.dmg Date Published: Tuesday, January 29, 2013 Size: 106 MB Andre Worms IT Support Specialist Help and Solutions Centre Client Services, IST University of Manitoba (204) 474-8400 Andre.Worms(a)ad.umanitoba.ca

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FYI: JAVA on OS X: Safari's blocked it; FireFox to block all plugins
by billing 31 Jan '13

31 Jan '13

"No amount of talking or smoothing over [Java's security problems] is going to make anybody happy or do anything for us. We have to fix Java." - Milton Smith, Sr. Principle Product Security Manager - Java at Oracle (conference call with worldwide Java User Group, January 25th, 2013) ....from: https://blogs.oracle.com/theaquarium/entry/oracle_speaks_up_on_java Oracle Speaks up on Java Security By reza_rahman on Jan 25, 2013 As many of you are keenly aware, there has been a veritable media firestorm around the recent Java vulnerability. As you know, the vulnerability pertains to Java on the browser, not server-side Java, desktop Java or emdedded Java. You may also have been frustrated with Oracle's relative silence on the issue. Hopefully it comes as some relief that Oracle is now starting to openly speak up on the issue. The lead for Oracle Security Martin Smith and Doland Smith from the OpenJDK team very recently had a conference call with worlwide JUG leaders. The recordings of the meeting is available [at http://java.net/downloads/jugs/Jan24_JUGLeaderCall.mp3]. This was a frank two-way discussion with Java community leaders about Java security, bundled software installers, openness, communication and the technical/journalistic quality of recent press coverage in some venues. As Donald and Martin indicate on the call, we can expect this to be the tip of the iceberg of what will be done on the Java Security and communication fronts. We encourage you to participate in this crucial dialog and provide your feedback. John Spragge offers his opinions on these very issues in his intelligent, insightful blog post: A passionate defence of Java's virtues. We think it is well worth a read if you are a fan of GlassFish, Java EE or Java. = - = - = - = How to disable the Java web plug-in in Safari: https://support.apple.com/kb/HT5241 = - = - = - = ...from: https://blog.mozilla.org/security/2013/01/29/putting-users-in-control-of-pl… Mozilla Security Blog Putting Users in Control of Plugins JAN 29 2013 Mozilla is changing the way Firefox loads third party plugins such as Flash, Java and Silverlight. This change will help increase Firefox performance and stability, and provide significant security benefits, while at the same time providing more control over plugins to our users. Previously Firefox would automatically load any plugin requested by a website. LeveragingClick to Play Firefox will only load plugins when a user takes the action of clicking to make a particular plugin play or the user has previously configured Click To Play to always run plugins on the particular website. More User Control Users should have the choice of what software and plugins run on their machine. Click to Play allows users to easily choose if they wish to run a plugin on a particular site. Users can also configure sites to never run plugins or conversely always run plugins. This change puts the user in control. Increased Performance & Stability Poorly designed third party plugins are the number one cause of crashes in Firefox and can severely degrade a user’s experience on the Web. This is often seen in pauses while plugins are loaded and unloaded, high memory usage while browsing, and many unexpected crashes of Firefox. By only activating plugins that the user desires to load, we’re helping eliminate pauses, crashes and other consequences of unwanted plugins. Significant Security Benefits One of the most common exploitation vectors against users is drive by exploitation of vulnerable plugins. In this kind of attack, a user with outdated or vulnerable plugins installed in their browser can be infected with malware simply by browsing to any site that contains a plugin exploit kit. We’ve observed plugin exploit kits to be present on both malicious websites and also otherwise completely legitimate websites that have been compromised and are unknowingly infecting visitors with malware. In these situations the website doesn’t have any legitimate use of the plugin other than exploiting the user’s vulnerable plugin to install malware on the their machine. The Click to Play feature protects users in these scenarios since plugins are not automatically loaded simply by visiting a website. In addition to the security benefits provided by Click to Play Mozilla also strongly recommends that users keep their plugins up to date. The following website can be used to determine if plugins are current. https://www.mozilla.org/plugincheck/ Implementing this change Our plan is to enable Click to Play for all versions of all plugins except the current version of Flash. Click to Play has already been enabled for many plugins that pose significant security or stability risks to our users. This includes vulnerable and outdated versions of Silverlight, Adobe Reader, and Java. More specifically, our next steps are the following: 1. Click to Play old versions of Flash (versions <=10.2.*) and slowly add more recent insecure Flash versions to the Click to Play list. Note: The most current version of Flash will NOT have Click To Play. After we complete final UI work: 2. Click to Play current versions of Silverlight, Java, and Acrobat Reader and all versions of all other Plugins. During this change we will monitor the results and feedback of the new settings and UI to ensure we’re providing a quality experience and delivering the many benefits of Click to Play to Firefox users. Michael Coates Director of Security Assurance Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca

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FYI: THX Tune-Up for your home theatre
by Wayne Billing 31 Jan '13

31 Jan '13

...from: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/thx-tune-up/id592624594?mt=8 Open iTunes to buy and download apps. Description THX tune-up (TM) allows you to properly adjust your TV, projector and speakers, helping you get the most out of your entertainment system. THX tune-up features custom video test patterns, carefully selected photos and tutorials to help you adjust and confirm the best picture settings on your display based on your room lighting. Using special test sounds, THX tune-up also lets you check your external speakers to make sure they are working in phase and are connected properly for 2-channel stereo or 5.1 surround sound systems. THX tune-up is completely interactive and you will be able to go through it at your own pace and in any order. Use your iPad 2 (or later) or iPhone 4 (or later) to connect to your display or sound system with an AppleTM Digital AV Adapter and HDMI cable or through a wireless Apple TV. To get started, locate the adjustment buttons on your television and audio video receiver (AVR) remote controls and then simply follow the THX app tutorials which will walk you through your “THX tune-up.” The app offers tips about your remote control, room lighting, viewing distance and other helpful advice. Video adjustments • Aspect ratio – ensure your TV displays shapes and sizes correctly • Brightness – make certain shadow details and night scenes are clearly visible • Contrast – confirm white detail is distinct on your television • Color – make sure colors are bright and vibrant but not cartoonish • Tint – check skin tones look natural and are not too green or red THX tune-up uses your iPad or iPhone camera to set color and tint with a special built in color filter. Just point your device camera at the TV screen and see if your color or tint is adjusted correctly. Audio adjustments • Speaker assignment – ensure speakers are connected to the correct AVR output and intended sound is coming from the correct speaker • Speaker phase – confirm that positive and negative speaker wires are connected correctly and all speakers are in phase Extras • Turn “moo can” on and tilt the iPhone or iPad to hear your device “moo” • Play extraordinary THX trailers (just like the ones in THX Certified cinemas) to show off your newly tuned TV and sound system to friends and family • Show off your audio system with the push of a button by playing “THX Deep Note” in 5.1 surround sound, just like in the theater • Have a question for THX, or just want to provide feedback? Ask Tex! Founded in 1983 by legendary director George Lucas, THX was born out of the desire to improve cinema audio and video capabilities. Since then, THX has taken this knowledge and translated it to other areas – including the home. THX believes everyone should have the best possible viewing and listening experience, regardless of the size and cost of the system they own. [cid:E873A856-49CF-4232-9CBD-88BF0ADEBAFD] [cid:683F31B7-0AF4-4EA5-B64F-85D74AA4CC37] Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca>

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INTEREST: BlackBerry 10 Release Today Critical to Research in Motion
by billing 30 Jan '13

30 Jan '13

...from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/30/technology/blackberry-10s-debut-is-a-crit… BlackBerry 10 Critical to Research in Motion By IAN AUSTEN Published: January 29, 2013 FACEBOOK TWITTER GOOGLE+ SAVE E-MAIL SHARE PRINT REPRINTS OTTAWA — Research in Motion’s introduction on Wednesday of a new BlackBerry phone will be the most important event in the company’s history since 1996, when its founders showed investors a small block of wood and promised that a wireless e-mail device shaped like that would change business forever. Enlarge This Image Eric Risberg/Associated Press Thorsten Heins, chief executive of Research in Motion, demonstrated functions of the BlackBerry 10 in California. Now with just 4.6 percent of the global market for smartphones in 2012,according to IDC, RIM long ago exchanged dominance for survival mode. On Wednesday, the company will introduce a new line of smartphones called the BlackBerry 10 and an operating system of the same name that Thorsten Heins, the president and chief executive of RIM, says will restore the company to glory. But Frank Mersch, who became one of RIM’s earliest investors after seeing the block of wood, is far less excited by what he sees this time around. “You’re in a very, very competitive market and you’re not the leader,” Mr. Mersch, now the chairman and a vice president at Front Street Capital in Toronto, said of RIM. “You have to ask: ‘At the end of the day are we really going to win?’ I personally think the jury’s out on that.” The main elements of the new phones and their operating system are already well known. Mr. Heins and other executives at RIM have been demonstrating the units for months to a variety of audiences. App developers received prototype versions as far back as last spring. While analysts and app developers may be divided about the future of RIM, there is a consensus that BlackBerry 10, which arrives more than year behind schedule, was worth the wait. Initially RIM will release two variations of the BlackBerry 10, one a touch-screen model that resembles many other phones now on the market. The other model is a hybrid with a keyboard similar to those now found on current BlackBerrys as well as a small touch screen. The real revolution, though, may be in the software that manages a person’s business and personal information. It is clearly designed with an eye toward retaining and, more important, luring back, corporate users. Corporate and government information technology managers will be able to segregate business-related apps and data on BlackBerry 10 handsets from users’ personal material through a system known as BlackBerry Balance. It will enable an I.T. manager to, among other things, remotely wipe corporate data from fired employees’ phones while leaving the newly jobless workers’ personal photos, e-mails, music and apps untouched. The system can also block users from forwarding or copying information from the work side of the phone. Messages generated by e-mail, Twitter, Facebook, instant messaging and LinkedIn accounts are automatically consolidated into a single in-box that RIM calls BlackBerry Hub. Charles Golvin, an analyst with Forrester Research, called the new phones “beautiful” and described the operating system as “a giant leap forward” from RIM’s current operating system. Ray Sharma, who followed RIM’s glory years as a financial analyst but who now runs XMG Studio, a mobile games developer in Toronto, has been similarly impressed. But both men are among many analysts who question the ability of BlackBerry 10, whatever its merits, to revive RIM’s fallen fortunes. “If it’s good, it will help inspire the upgrade cycle,” Mr. Sharma said. “But it has to be great in order to inspire touch-screen users to come back. If it’s good, not great, I will be concerned.” Mr. Golvin was more blunt. “They’ll need to prove themselves in the face of a simultaneous onslaught of marketing from Microsoft, not to mention the continued push from Apple plus Google and its Android partners,” he wrote. “This is a gargantuan challenge for a company of RIM’s size.” In the year since he took over from the founders, Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis, Mr. Heins has certainly remade RIM. He cut 5,000 jobs in a program to reduce operating costs by about $1 billion a year. Along the way, he also replaced RIM’s senior management and straightened out its balance sheet. While unprofitable, RIM remains debt-free and holds $2.9 billion in cash. With BlackBerry 10, RIM not only started over with its operating system, it also rebuilt the company through acquisitions. Its core operating system comes from QNX Software Systems, the design of the user interface is largely the work of the Astonishing Tribe in Sweden while other main components, like the touch-screen technology, came from smaller companies that are now part of RIM. Integrating all of those acquisitions, analysts and former RIM employees say, added to the delays that plagued BlackBerry 10. Now that the new phones are finally here, Mr. Heins is counting on RIM’s remaining base of 79 million users globally to eagerly upgrade. But where those customers reside may be as important in their numbers in determining the success of that plan. In the United States, which leads the world in setting smartphone trends, about 11 million BlackBerry users switched to other phones between 2009 and the middle of last year, according to an analysis by Horace Dediu on Asymco, a wireless industry blog he founded. Until the final months of 2012, RIM continued to increase its subscriber base through sales of low-cost handsets to less developed countries like Nigeria and Indonesia. Although BlackBerry 10 will be made available worldwide, the initial phones will be too expensive for a majority of BlackBerry fans in those regions. RIM may also have confused its loyalists, particularly in North America and Europe, in the run-up to the BlackBerry 10 debut. Many of those users stuck with BlackBerrys because of their physical keyboards. But public demonstrations for BlackBerry 10 were centered on the touch-screen-only version and its virtual keyboard. While some corporations have remained loyal to BlackBerry, RIM not only has to sell them on the new handsets, it also must persuade them to upgrade server software to accommodate the new operating system, a costly and time-consuming process. Companies whose employees continue to use older BlackBerrys will have to run two separate BlackBerry servers. Mr. Heins’s pitch to those corporations is that the BlackBerry 10 server software will also allow them to manage and control data on employees’ Android phones and iPhones. But any corporation or organization that allows those phones to connect with its systems long ago installed mobile device management software from other companies, including Good Technology and SAP. RIM is likely to find that the competition in device management software is as severe as it is in the handset business. This article has been revised to reflect the following correction: Correction: January 30, 2013 An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated that Frank Mersh is the chairman and a vice president at First Street Capital in Toronto. Mr. Mersh is the chairman and a vice president at Front Street Capital in Toronto. Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca

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INTEREST: Microsoft Reports Drop in Profit, Sales
by billing 25 Jan '13

25 Jan '13

...from: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/25/technology/microsoft-reports-drop-in-prof… Microsoft Reports Drop in Profit By NICK WINGFIELD Published: January 24, 2013 FACEBOOK TWITTER GOOGLE+ SAVE E-MAIL SHARE PRINT REPRINTS SEATTLE — Microsoft’s biggest product in decades, Windows 8, helped lift sales of the company’s flagship operating system business, but not enough to rejuvenate overall growth. Enlarge This Image Don Emmert/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images Microsoft’s pop-up store in Times Square was set up for the fall release of its Surface tablet, which was available only in the company stores until recently. Microsoft, based in Redmond, Wash., said on Thursday that its profit declined 4 percent in the holiday quarter as its entertainment and office divisions posted double-digit declines in revenue. While Microsoft has a sprawling portfolio of technology products, like the Xbox game console and programming tools, Windows 8 was its star offering over the holidays, the product’s first quarter on the market. Windows 8 features one of the most radical redesigns of the operating system, with a tile-based interface intended to take better advantage of computers with touch screens, including tablets. Apple’s iPad has been nipping into sales of low-end laptop computers for some time, a trend Microsoft and its partners in the PC business desperately want to stop. There have been mounting signs in recent weeks that sales of new computers running Windows 8 have been sluggish. This month, IDC reported that worldwide PC shipments declined 6.4 percent in the fourth quarter, as Windows 8 failed to reverse a slide in PC sales that continued throughout most of 2012. Microsoft’s sales of Windows, which powers the vast majority of personal computers, appeared to be healthier than those numbers would indicate. It said its revenue from its Windows business, which accounts for more than a quarter of total company revenue, rose 24 percent to $5.88 billion for the fiscal second quarter ended Dec. 31. Those figures, however, included revenue from Windows sales before the product was officially available last November. Microsoft was required to defer that revenue because of accounting rules. Without it, Windows sales would have grown only 11 percent. While sales of Windows tend to closely track the performance of the PC market, Microsoft also sells Windows 8 upgrades to people who already have PCs. For the first time last quarter, the company’s Windows business also included sales of Microsoft’s own tablet computer, Surface, which it was not offering in the same period a year earlier. In an interview, Peter Klein, the chief financial officer of Microsoft, said that in some cases, sales of Windows 8 were hurt by the limited availability of computers with touch screens that more fully exploit the capabilities of the software: “We need to do more of those.” “I think we’ve learned a lot,” Mr. Klein said. “Business PCs are growing faster than consumer, emerging markets are growing faster than developed.” He declined to say how many Surface tablets Microsoft had sold, but he suggested the number was small because of the limited retail distribution of Surface, which was only available in Microsoft’s own stores until recently. The company said its net income for the quarter was $6.38 billion, or 76 cents a share, compared to $6.62 billion, or 78 cents a share, in the same period a year earlier. Revenue rose 3 percent to $21.46 billion from $20.89 billion a year ago. Analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, on average, had expected Microsoft to report earnings of 75 cents a share and revenue of $21.53 billion. The company’s shares were down 0.4 percent in after-hours trading. Microsoft’s results showed far more vitality in areas in which the company caters to big business customers, rather than consumers — a market that has eluded Microsoft many times over the years. Its best performing business was its server and tools division, which had a 9 percent increase in sales in the quarter. While its Office suite of applications showed weakness overall, as some customers delayed purchases ahead of the release of a new version of the product, business revenue from that division was up 2 percent and consumer revenue declined 2 percent, excluding deferred revenue. Other consumer-oriented divisions struggled, including entertainment and devices, the group dominated by the Xbox game console, which had an 11 percent decline in sales. Microsoft and its partners sold four times as many Windows Phones during the holiday quarter as they did a year earlier, Mr. Klein said. That is good news for Microsoft’s struggling mobile phone initiative, though the company still has a negligible share of the market. Revenue from Microsoft’s online services, which Bing is a part of, grew 11 percent, but the division continues to hemorrhage money. “It shows that Microsoft is evolving really into an enterprise software company,” said Bill Whyman, an analyst at ISI Group.

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INTEREST: Apple reports the largest corporate earnings in the history of the earth, stock down 10%
by Wayne Billing 23 Jan '13

23 Jan '13

…from: http://9to5mac.com/2013/01/23/apple-reports-the-largest-corporate-earnings-… Apple reports the largest corporate earnings in the history of the earth, stock down 10% Apple today posted its earnings for the final quarter of 2012, which was ‘disappointingly’ the largest corporate earnings year in human history by a tidy margin, causing many investors to panic as Apple clearly circles the drain in what will be the first step in a short road to the demise of the most valuable company in the world (If Exxon hasn’t indeed surpassed it tomorrow morning). Apple’s 13.1B in earnings this quarter was the 4th largest of all time according to the same metric. Apple stole the top-ranking spot on the corporate earnings list from ExxonMobil, who held the top three spots until this quarter, and was previously ousted by Apple as the world’s most valuable company. Apple’s stock has dropped nearly 11% in after-hours trading during the hour and a half earnings call, costing the company $50 billion in market value.

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FYI: Fwd: [C-REPS] REMINDER Wireless Access Update
by Wayne Billing 23 Jan '13

23 Jan '13

IST is making some changes in the wireless security. This will force an "accept this new certificate" dialog when you connect. The only information given is for Windows XP, Windows 7, and iOS devices. Presumably the same challenge will be given for an OS X machine using wireless connections. This change is happening tonight. Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca> Begin forwarded message: From: Help and Solutions Centre <support(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:support@umanitoba.ca>> Subject: [C-REPS] REMINDER Wireless Access Update Date: 23 January, 2013 12:11:57 CST To: <ist-alerts(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:ist-alerts@lists.umanitoba.ca>>, um-compureps _lists.umanitoba.ca <um-compureps(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:um-compureps@lists.umanitoba.ca>>, <all-students(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:all-students@lists.umanitoba.ca>>, <all-employees(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:all-employees@lists.umanitoba.ca>> Information Service and Technology would like to inform users of an upcoming change to wireless access. There will be an update performed on January 23rd, 2013. When users first connect to wireless following the upgrade a new validation certificate message will be displayed. Please see the sample screenshots below. NOTE: You MUST ACCEPT the new certificate to be able to successfully use the wireless network. Windows XP [cid:image001.png@01CDF4B4.D61CBA70] Windows 7 [cid:image002.png@01CDF4B4.D61CBA70] iPhone / iPad [cid:image003.png@01CDF4B4.D61CBA70] Please contact the Help and Solutions Centre at 204 474 8600 for further information and assistance. IST Help & Solutions Centre 123 Fletcher Argue 204-474-8600 support(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:support@umanitoba.ca> To sign up for IST-Alerts please visit the following link: http://lists.umanitoba.ca/mailman/listinfo/ist-alerts Updated information is also available on Facebook, Twitter and the IST Blog. Please visit http://umanitoba.ca/ist/help and click on the corresponding links. _______________________________________ um-compureps mailing list um-compureps(a)lists.umanitoba.ca<mailto:um-compureps@lists.umanitoba.ca> http://lists.umanitoba.ca/mailman/listinfo/um-compureps

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INTEREST: Google phone by FOXCONN coming….
by Wayne Billing 17 Dec '12

17 Dec '12

...from: http://cens.com/cens/html/en/news/news_inner_42351.html Foxconn Allegedly Manufacturing Amazon’s Smartphone Model 2012/12/14 Taipei, Dec. 14, 2012 (CENS)--Foxconn International Holdings Ltd., an affiliate of Hon Hai Group, has allegedly manufactured a new smartphone model for Amazon on an exclusive basis, according to industry sources. Some smartphone parts makers involved in the supply of Amazon’s new smartphone model, which is scheduled to be launched between the second quarter and the third quarter of 2013 at a unit price of US$100-200, said that Foxconn is expected to ship as many as five million units of the new device in the year, given the fact that Amazon has shown ambition to extend its business reach to the fast-growing market after succeeding in diversifying from e-books and readers to tablet PCs to drive its growth. In fact, Foxconn has reportedly actively scrambled for Amazon’s contract order for the smartphone model earlier, in order to seek a new driver for its handset shipment after witnessing its major customers, such as Nokia, bested by other smartphone vendors. Now that Foxconn is reportedly working on Amazon’s smartphone, a couple of Taiwanese parts suppliers maintaining close business ties with the electronic contract manufacturer, including J Touch Corp. and Young Fast Optoelectronics Co., Ltd. (touch panel makers), are very likely to share the huge business pie. Market observers pointed out that Amazon has emerged as one of the most competitive players in the global market for mobile Internet devices, mostly thanks to its low pricing strategy. Backed by its huge loyal consumer base and successful marketing strategies, the U.S. brand is believed to quickly gain its ground in the segment for smartphones in the short term. In addition to the upcoming budget-priced smartphone model, the U.S. brand has been developing a new-edition Kindle Fire, which is scheduled to land on the market in the third quarter of 2013 and will be allegedly supplied by Quanta Computer Inc. and Compal Electronics Inc. (by Steve Chuang) Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne_Billing@umanitoba.ca>

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FYI: Fwd: [C-REPS] Discontinuation of Wireless 802.11b support
by Wayne Billing 04 Oct '12

04 Oct '12

Begin forwarded message: From: IST Help & Solutions Centre <support(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:support@umanitoba.ca>> Subject: [C-REPS] Discontinuation of Wireless 802.11b support Date: 4 October, 2012 10:56:23 CDT Information Services and Technology would like to inform users that 802.11b wireless support will be discontinued at 8am on Tuesday October 9th. Over the past four weeks, IST has been monitoring the wireless network for any 802.11b devices. Out of 8,000 wireless clients only three 802.11b devices had been identified. 802.11b was the first generation of the IEEE Wifi standard introduced in 1999. Most of the 802.11b-only clients are now being phased out in favor of 802.11a/g/n devices. 802.11g/n clients are greatly impacted by the presence of 802.11b clients using the same access point. The mechanism that allows the older and newer technologies to coexist reduces the overall efficiency of the wireless network. We thank you for your understanding. Should you have any questions or concerns please contact the IST Help & Solutions Centre. Updated information is also available on Facebook, Twitter and the IST Blog. Please visit http://umanitoba.ca/ist/help and click on the corresponding links. Thank you -- Help and Solutions Centre Information Services & Technology University of Manitoba 123 Fletcher Argue Ph: 474-8600 support(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:support@umanitoba.ca> Fax: 474-7983 http://umanitoba.ca/ist To view our hours of operation, or a map to our location, please see: http://www.umanitoba.ca/ist/help/schedule.html -------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Help and Solutions Centre will never ask you to disclose your password to us nor will send you attachments without prior contact and approval. --------------------------------------------------------------------------

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