Sony Ericsson to launch smartphone for China Mobile

Mobile phone maker Sony Ericsson has announced that it would introduce its first smartphone for the Chinese market that runs on the network of China Mobile, the world's biggest mobile carrier.

Sony Ericsson, owned by Ericsson and Sony Corp, said it had developed the A8i with China Mobile to operate on its TD-SCDMA network.

"China is a hugely important market for Sony Ericsson and we are committed to maintaining our strong position and driving growth by continually introducing new and exciting products into this market," Sony Ericsson Chief Executive Berg Nordberg said. Smartphones have been garnering a bigger share of the handset market as users look for functions like gaming and video on their mobiles.

Sony Ericsson's strategy is to grab a bigger slice of the higher-priced smartphone market to boost profitability.

3M to acquire Cogent for $943 million

3M Co, the conglomerate whose products range from Post-Its to respirators, computer arms and films for LCD TV screens, is trying to expand into the security market by buying Cogent Inc. for about $943 million.

Cogent develops automated systems that read finger and palm prints, and it makes iris and face recognition systems used by government, law enforcement and border patrol agencies.
Cogent's board of directors already has agreed to the deal and is recommending that shareholders accept it.

3M already operates a division for identification and authentication systems. Ming Hsieh, Cogent's founder and CEO, said the acquisition would help 3M compete in border control and law enforcement markets.

"Together, we'll deliver a broader range of identification and authentication solutions to the security industry and to our customers," Hsieh said in a statement.

Nicholas P. Heymann, an analyst with Sterne Agee, said Cogent would complement 3M's existing business of making border-management products such as passports, visas and document readers and laminates.

As smart phones begin to replace credit cards as methods of payment, Heymann said Cogent should help put 3M supply biometric security authorization products - that is, systems that use characteristics such as palm prints or the eyes to identify people.

Massive solar storm to hit Earth in 2012

Astronomers are predicting that a massive solar storm, much bigger in potential than the one that caused spectacular light shows on Earth earlier this month, is to strike our planet in 2012 with a force of 100 million hydrogen bombs.

Several US media outlets have reported that NASA was warning the massive flare this month was just a precursor to a massive solar storm building that had the potential to wipe out the entire planet's power grid.

Despite its rebuttal, NASA's been watching out for this storm since 2006 and reports from the US this week claim the storms could hit on that most Hollywood of disaster dates - 2012.

Similar storms back in 1859 and 1921 caused worldwide chaos, wiping out telegraph wires on a massive scale. The 2012 storm has the potential to be even more disruptive.

"The general consensus among general astronomers and certainly solar astronomers is that this coming Solar maximum (2012 but possibly later into 2013) will be the most violent in 100 years," said astronomy lecturer and columnist Dave Reneke.

"A bold statement and one taken seriously by those it will affect most, namely airline companies, communications companies and anyone working with modern GPS systems.

"They can even trip circuit breakers and knock out orbiting satellites, as has already been done this year," added Reneke.

No one really knows what effect the 2012-2013 Solar Max will have on today's digital-reliant society.

Dr Richard Fisher, director of NASA's Heliophysics division, told Reneke the super storm would hit like "a bolt of lightning", causing catastrophic consequences for the world's health, emergency services and national security unless precautions are taken.

NASA said that a recent report by the National Academy of Sciences found that if a similar storm occurred today, it could cause "1 to 2 trillion dollars in damages to society's high-tech infrastructure and require four to 10 years for complete recovery".

The reason for the concern comes as the sun enters a phase known as Solar Cycle 24.
Most experts agree, although those who put the date of Solar Max in 2012 are getting the most press.

They claim satellites will be aged by 50 years, rendering GPS even more useless than ever, and the blast will have the equivalent energy of 100 million hydrogen bombs.

"We know it is coming but we don't know how bad it is going to be," Fisher told Reneke.

"Systems will just not work. The flares change the magnetic field on the Earth and it's rapid, just like a lightning bolt. That's the solar effect," he added.

The findings are published in the most recent issue of Australasian Science.

Bank of America and Visa Inc to test cell phone payment

The largest U.S. consumer bank, Bank of America Corp and Visa Inc, the world's largest payment processor, are planning to begin a test program that lets customers use smartphones to pay for purchases in stores.

The program, to run from September through the end of the year in the New York area, is the biggest step yet by the two companies toward creating a "digital wallet" with a host of financial capabilities built into the latest, most sophisticated mobile phones.

Major U.S. banks, technology companies and cellphone providers are jockeying for the lead in the technology, which some say could become a primary means of everyday purchases.

Visa also plans to conduct a similar test program with US Bancorp this year. It would begin its pilot in October.

While mobile payments have been used for years in countries such as Japan, the United States has been much slower to adopt the technology.

The program will allow select New York-area employees and customers to install small chips, supplied by Visa and its technology vendors, in their smartphones that emit radio signals over very short distances.

Customers would then "bump" their phones with point-of-sale devices in stores - actually they need only wave the phones near the devices - and their bank account data would be collected and their purchases completed.

Visa said in February that it planned to start testing technology that would allow customers to make in-store payments using smartphones.

Latest developments on the matter suggest that Verizon Wireless, AT&T, T-Mobile USA and Discover Financial Services are working on forming a joint venture aimed at offering mobile payments services, people familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Bank of America, which introduced mobile banking in 2007, has more than 5 million customers conducting $15 billion in transactions via their phones - primarily bill payments and account transfers.

Facebook adds location-based feature

Facebook users carrying their smart phones will soon be able to "check in" to real-world locations such as bars, parks and live concerts as the social network makes its first foray into the location services craze.

"Where are you?" is joining "What's on your mind?" as Facebook lets its users declare their whereabouts to their friends and people nearby.

With the much-anticipated launch of Facebook Places, the world's largest social network joins a growing number of services that let users find coupons, earn quirky merit badges or simply share with friends where they are.

These location services from various startups, including Foursquare and Gowalla, have grown in popularity with the widespread availability of smart phones that have GPS and other means of determining the user's location.

Facebook's version initially works through the site's iPhone application; users will need to download a free update of the Facebook app. Owners of other touch-screen gadgets can get the feature through visiting touch.facebook.com on their mobile Web browser. Facebook says it will add Places to other smart phone apps later.

By nature, check-ins are "opt in" - that is, you won't be forced to check in to a location if you don't want to. When you do, your check-ins will be shared with your friends by default, but not the broader public unless you decide to do so.

If you're out and about with friends, you'll be able to "tag" them using the (at) symbol, much the same way you can already tag them in your status updates. Your friend will then be notified that you have tagged them and can choose to check in too, or reject it.

A feature called "Here Now" lets anyone who has checked in to a place see who else has done the same. Other Facebook users who have checked in to the same location will be able to see you even if they are not your friends, but you can turn this feature off.

The first time you check in, a message will pop up letting you know that your locations will be visible to your friends and to others who have also checked in there. You'll need to either accept or deny this.

Though they are still new, location services present "endless possibilities" to businesses. Marketers want to reach consumers when they are at the point of making a purchase decision and locations services offer that opportunity.

It also holds promise for shoppers - if they are willing to share their location with nearby businesses.

Even so, it could take some time before checking in becomes as common as posting photos and adding status updates. Although Facebook's iPhone app has more than 20 million active users, and a similar number use the touch.facebook.com site from another touch-screen phone, that's still a small portion of the 500 million users Facebook has worldwide.

Facebook created Places by looking at the way people already use the site, says Ana Yang Muller, product marketing manager at Facebook. Users have already been saying where they are, and who they are with, in their status updates. Places is a natural extension of that by making location easier to declare with a check-in.

Facebook says it will eventually let restaurants or shops claim their locations, which could open the possibilities for targeted ads, deals or coupons for loyal customers.

China Unicom to launch Apple iPhone 4

China Unicom has planned to launch Apple's latest iPhone 4 very soon. According to the state run media, the proposed launch may take place next month in the world's largest mobile market.

Apple also has agreed to let China Unicom, the country's second-largest mobile operator, distribute the iPad Tablet Computer in China.

Although, no fixed timetable has been set for the iPad launch.

China Unicom has said previously it is in talks with Apple to sell the iPhone 4 and the iPad, which have launched around the world to much fanfare and are already available in China's flourishing grey market for Apple products.

The company started offering the iPhone 3GS model with wireless Internet capability earlier this month, with Apple's Beijing store selling out of the phone on the first day.

IBM to acquire Unica Corp

IBM Corp has announced that it has agreed to buy the marketing services company Unica Corp in a $480 million deal that would give IBM more tools to meet its customers' growing demand for targeted advertising.

The all-cash acquisition brings IBM deeper into the advertising business, a relatively new area for the company.

It also expands IBM's software business, its most profitable division and the main focus of a $20 billion acquisition spree for IBM over the past few years.

Unica, based in Waltham, Mass., offers software that automates the process of predicting customer preferences, designing advertising campaigns based on that information and measuring how effective they are.

“The rise of the Web as an advertising platform has heightened demand for marketing that has a measurable impact. And IBM wants to provide the tools for doing that kind of targeting” says IBM's general manager for Industry Solutions, Craig Hayman.

Unica generates annual revenue of more than $100 million and has more than 1,500 clients, including Best Buy Co. and eBay Inc.

Samsung Yepp to take on iPod Touch

It’s been more than a year since Samsung trotted out its last touchscreen competitor to the iPod Touch, but word has it that a new Samsung Yepp - powered by the Android OS, with hardware based on the new Galaxy S line of Android smartphones - might be waiting in the wings. Archos's 3.2-inch Android "tablet" has also been revealed.

Buzz about the Yepp YP-MB2 has been building for a couple of months now that the rumored media player would boast a 4-inch Super AMOLED WVGA display - the same screen as on Samsung’s latest "Galaxy S"-class phones, such as the Captivate and the Vibrant - along with Wi-Fi, GPS, Bluetooth, and a 3.2-megapixel camera. The only thing missing would be the part where you make cellular calls or sign a wireless contract.

Android 2.1 goes on to fill in a few more blanks, like a 1GHz processor, storage capacities up to 32GB, an FM radio, a DMB TV receiver and support for media playback of everything from MP3s and FLAC files to DivX and XviD.

Another Android-friendly competitor could be Archos, the longtime PMP manufacturer whose upcoming 32 Internet Tablet - an Android-powered handheld with a 3.2-inch display, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and GPS - was recently outed by the FCC.

Of course, any Android-powered media player like the rumored YP-MB2 or the Archos tablet would have to contend with soon-to-be-updated Touch, which many believe will end up with the iPhone’s "Retina Display," dual cameras, and video chat.

SMS-Sending Malware detected on Android Phones

According to Kaspersky Labs, an SMS-sending piece of malware has hit Android phones.

The so-called "Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer.a" appears as a "normal media player application," according to Kaspersky, but can send SMS text messages to premium numbers without the user's consent. It is the first such piece of malware to target Android devices, and it is already in the wild.

Kaspersky, however, did not name the innocuous media player application, although the firm did say that it is about 13 Kbytes in size.

Not surprisingly, Kaspersky has added it to its antivirus database, although the company does not currently offer an antivirus solution for the Android OS, just versions of Windows Mobile and the Symbian operating system. An Android version is on the way, however.

"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," said Denis Maslennikov, mobile research group manager at Kaspersky Lab, in a statement. "As a result, we can expect to see a corresponding rise in the amount of malware targeting that platform. Kaspersky Lab is actively developing technologies and solutions to protect this operating system and plans to release Kaspersky Mobile Security for Android in early 2011."

Maslennikov said that users should keep a close eye on what services an app says it will request before they install it, which implies that it will not spread without a user's permission.

Malware threats reach a new high

The No. 2 security software maker, McAfee Inc, said production of software code known as malware, which can harm computers and steal user passwords, has reached a new high in the first six months of 2010.

McAfee said total malware production continued to soar and 10 million new pieces of malicious code were catalogued.

McAfee also warned users of Apple's Mac computers, considered relatively safe from virus attacks, that they may also be subjected to malware attacks in the future.

For a variety of reasons, malware has rarely been a problem for Mac users. But according to McAfee, “those days might end soon”.

In April, McAfee Labs detected the Mac-based Trojan known as "OSX/HellRTS," which reads or modifies the contents of the clipboard or plays tricks on the user like opening and closing the CD drive.

After reaching a high point last year, the spread of spam messages has plateaued in the second quarter.