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Sheldon, I had the same
thought about an hour ago and noticed we're still listed as a NextBend partner:
http://www.nextbend.com/partners.htm
OT: barge, I thought you'd be interested:
Digital TV takes over the world
“Beginning in 2004, digital TV is going nowhere but up,” says Riddhi Patel, analyst at market research company iSuppli. The breakthrough will come after ten years of delays in digital TV’s introduction. Until now, the televisions have been too expensive, there has been too little digital content and lawmakers have not set up the appropriate laws. “Now, however, there are new and better display technologies such as LCD or plasma, which are especially suited to digital TV – and are becoming increasingly more affordable,” said Patel in various US media. The analyst believes that in 2005, sales of the new digital TVs will increase three-fold over 2004 sales. As the market research company Informa Media Group predicts, Digital TV will reach one-third of households worldwide by 2010. In 2010, the US will have the highest proportion of digital homes, with 91% coverage, Informa said. According to their figures, Great Britain currently has the highest digital TV penetration of any country. Almost 15 Million UK households (59%) will be receiving digital TV by the end of 2004.
Slowly but surely, digital TV will also penetrate other European countries, says Forrester Research. “In 2009, some 50% of all European households will be watching digital television,” says Forrester’s Hellen K. Omwando. Currently, this figure is ca. 22%. Lower prices and better programs will increase acceptance of digital television.
Digital TV: Benefits
There are three ways of transmitting digital TV: via terrestrial transmission, cable or satellite. As experts say, digital television has a number of advantages over analog television:
It is less subject to interference than analog television
Up to ten times more programs and many additional services such as digital radio, Internet access, home banking or video-on-demand can be transmitted
Software updates: the digital TV set-top boxes can download new operating software from time to time by themselves along with incoming television programs. On-screen menus and operating functions can continually be optimized
The Electronic Program Guide (EPG) broadcasts additional information on offerings to the screen
Better image quality: theoretically, it is possible to send images which are as good as those obtained with DVD players. The image quality depends on the data rate used by the provider to transmit programs. The problem with this, however, is that the higher the data rate, the fewer the programs.
Digital content must be protected
Digital content can be copied an infinite number of times. This is why providers are faced with the major task of protecting their products from unauthorized access. Digital Rights Management (DRM) is used for content protection when transferring content from one medium to another. Conditional Access Technology, a combination of hardware and software, is used for authorized decryption of protected content.
To implement this technology, digital TV must be received using an additional device, the television receiver, which transfers the signal to the television. The receiver can either be built into the television or contained in a so-called set-top-box (STB).
The security module used for the decryption of the transmitted programs can either be embedded within the STB, a PC card that plugs into the STB, or a smart card which is inserted into the STB.
Digital TV providers have developed many different encryption systems, all requiring different modules or chip cards. And one module only fits one encryption system. The most important systems are:
Next steps
Politicians are beginning to help set a clear course for digital television. The USA's FCC (Federal Communications Commission) will require manufacturers to fit all set-top boxes from 2005 onwards with a common interface for the conditional access module. South Korea has also passed comparable regulations. In Europe, Digital Video Broadcasting (DVB) is establishing itself as the international standard-of-choice. This means, for example, that by 2010, all households in Germany should be able to receive digital television. In the Berlin region, which is serving as the model for this project, analog television signals received via antenna were terminated in summer 2003. All inhabitants of this region who did not have cable or satellite reception had to refit their televisions with a receiver.
Solutions by Silicon Trust partners
Security Controller - PayTV so secure only authorized persons can watch
Providing content in a secure way implies the use of security devices. Infineon offers highly protected smart card controllers for conditional access applications, containing state-of-the-art barriers against attackers. More than fifty different security mechanisms are used today in high-end products; these are tested thoroughly and certified by independent third parties. For international security certification, Infineon's controllers are classed at the Common Criteria Level EAL 5+ (high), the highest available level for smart card controller certification. During the design of the smart card controllers, new threats including spike and glitch attacks as well as different fault induction and power analysis methods have been taken into account in order to create the highest-level security products: the 'SLE66' and 'SLE88' series smart card controllers. "We protect the revenue of conditional access providers and their customers with our leading edge product portfolio and state-of-the-art process technology," says Timo Grassmann of Infineon.
Laptop reception of terrestrial digital TV
SCM Microsystems has started to deliver the 'Mobile Terrestrial Receiver'. "This receiver lets users of mobile devices such as laptops or PDAs watch terrestrial digital TV," says Manfred Müller of SCM Microsystems. The company developed the receiver along with German mobile Carrier T-Systems and the German public TV broadcaster ZDF. "The receiver also enables consumers to use wireless data services including Internet access on mobile gadgets with a PCMCIA interface," Müller continues. While the first model targets the German market, the receiver can be adapted for use in every country with DVB-T broadcasting. "This includes Asia and the United States," Müller says. In addition to Germany, DVG-T is already available in some Scandinavian countries and the UK.
Tuner chip supports all digital TV satellite reception standards
Infineon offers a tuner chip for digital TV, the 'TUA6120'. "The chip reduces the number of active external components to zero while simplifying the design of RF front-end systems to a plug-and-play set-up," said Thomas Pollakowski of Infineon. According to him, the chip eliminates the need for image-reject filtering and a surface acoustic wave filter. "This solution meets receiver manufacturers' requirements for leading-edge chips with easy RF-to-baseband implementation," Pollakowski continues.
New chip reduces standby power use
A new chip designed by Infineon promises to significantly reduce power consumption of consumer products and portable computing devices operating in standby mode. Standby power consumption of devices equipped with the new 'Coolset F3' chip is one-third lower than that of other products, said Infineon. The Coolset F3 chip can also improve power efficiency in numerous products, including LCD (liquid crystal display) television sets and digital video cameras as well as the power supply units of notebooks and other portable devices. The chip, for instance, achieves standby power consumption of 100 milliwatts in a DVD player designed to use 30 watts of power, according to Infineon.
Links
Infineon www.infineon.com
Informa Media Group www.informamedia.com
iSuppli www.isuppli.com
Forrester Research www.forrester.com
SCM Microssystems www.scmmicro.com
OT: IN THE CARDS?
http://www.24x7updates.com/FullStory-News-Cars_Cards_and_a_Secret_Startup-ID-37673.html
Eli Harari, founder, president and CEO of SanDisk (SNDK ), the world’s largest supplier of flash memory cards used to store data in everything from still cameras to cell phones, could soon start stepping on his customers’ toes. In the past, these cards were mostly pretty dim devices, capable only of storing files. But on Jan. 7, SanDisk announced U3, a card that offers more security features and is being hailed as the first step toward turning memory cards into, essentially, smart computers.
You heard that right. In a few years, Harari believes all computing power will reside on memory cards, containing everything from work files to digital music to medical records. The cards will be inserted into whatever device is most convenient, be it a cell phone or a computer (the latter will be but a shell of its current self, simply a monitor and a keyboard).
"We’re looking to create a completely new market of trusted devices," Harari tells BusinessWeek Online. He isn’t carrying one in his pocket just yet: SanDisk has only a few prototypes, developed jointly with M-Systems Flash Disk Pioneers (FLSH ). The first U3s will become available this summer.
Expect security leap after Longhorn, says HP exec
http://www.infoworld.com/article/05/01/11/HNsecurityleap_1.html
HP will release Virus Throttler technology next month
By Scarlet Pruitt, IDG News Service
January 11, 2005
While the computing industry has been working to tighten up the security of its products amid increasing threats from viruses and hackers, a truly trustworthy infrastructure is still a few years off, Hewlett-Packard's (Profile, Products, Articles) security head said in an interview this week.
"The old architecture is too open for today's open world. We need the hardware, operating systems, and applications to all be tightened up and work together to give us true trustworthy computing," said Tony Redmond, vice president and chief technology officer of HP Services and the HP Security Program Office, during an interview in London Monday.
But it will take time, not just due to the amount of cooperation it requires of the vendors, but also because the average three-year corporate buying cycle delays adoption of new products into the market, Redmond said.
There's at least one security product that HP hopes will immediately grab customers' attention, however -- its much talked about Virus Throttler technology, which is designed to slow the propagation of viruses or worms by limiting the number of network destinations that an infected server can attempt to reach. While it doesn't completely stop the attack, it gives administrators time to identify and address the problem.
HP said late last year that the technology would be introduced in early 2005, but Redmond zoomed in on a launch date, saying that it would be available around the time of the RSA security conference, taking place in San Francisco Feb. 14 -18.
Because Virus Throttler will be available through a network driver, it serves as a "retrofit" to current technology and can be applied immediately, without waiting for an upgrade, he said.
HP is making the technology available for ProLiant servers with Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2000, as well as ProCurve switches. Administrators will be able to download the technology and manage it through ProLiant's Insight Manager.
"We are putting it at the first points of infection," Redmond said.
Microsoft (Profile, Products, Articles) has already certified the driver and HP is currently doing testing to make sure the throttler doesn't slow network traffic, he added. The technology could also be used on PCs, Redmond said, but he indicated that it may be awhile before the company tries to move the technology to the desktop.
Like many other security fixes, a lot seems to depend on Microsoft and what the next version of its operating system, Longhorn, due out in 2006, will support.
"I expect you'll see an acceleration of security work when Longhorn goes into beta at the end of this year," Redmond said.
One area HP plans to focus on once Longhorn goes live is further development on its embedded security hardware chip. The chip, which it calls Trusted Platform Module (TPM), is deployed on the motherboard and offers file and folder encryption, access control and other security functions. It's an option already available on some HP PCs and notebooks but requires the user to do the setup work because it is not supported by the operating system, Redmond said.
That could change with Longhorn.
"Our conversations with Microsoft have led us to believe that Longhorn will be much better able to take on trusted platforms," Redmond said.
HP is also looking to extend TPM to its Unix servers, but that may have to wait until Microsoft readies the server version of Longhorn, due out in 2007.
Microsoft isn't the only industry player guiding the future of secure computing, however, as governments around the world, particularly in China and Germany, are also seeking to get their seats at the table, Redmond said. They want to make sure that the technology isn't controlled by one group or government, not just for security reasons but as in the case of China, for commercial reasons as well.
"The Chinese government is very aware of the strength they have in this market. They have a huge market and want to have a strong voice," he said.
And while a dramatic leap in computing security provided by more tightly integrated hardware security, a ferociously patrolled perimeter and improved management functions, appear a ways off, Redmond was confident that progress was under way.
In the meantime, HP's security services business is booming.
"The most consistent thing we are seeing is CIOs looking to increase their spending on security," Redmond said.
guv, from TCG's FAQs
Trusted Network Connect
What is Trusted Network Connect?
Trusted Network Connect refers to a new effort by the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) to define and promote open solution architecture that will enable network administrators to enforce security policies for endpoint host connections to their multi-vendor networks. This effort spans:
Determining the level of security and "safe-computing" policy compliance of users and devices seeking to attach to a network, and
Providing an appropriate level of network access based on the detected level of policy compliance: full access, partial access or directed access, or no access.
When will a Trusted Network Connect specification be available?
TCG anticipates that the initial specification will be available later this year.
Why is Trusted Network Connect necessary?
Products based on the Trusted Network Connect specification are expected to help managers of enterprise and public networks protect their networks from compromises occurring within the network or at its endpoints. Compromise and damage to endpoint configuration, including applications and other data, may be detected and remedied at the time of connection establishment. This approach helps limit the spread of malicious code (e.g., viruses, worms, Trojans horses) throughout networks and reduces the costs associated with containment and remediation.
What relationship does Trusted Network Connect have to the Trusted Platform Module (TPM) and other TCG efforts?
TCG’s mission is to develop specifications for products that let users protect critical data and information. The benefits of products based on the Trusted Network Connect specification are highly complementary to TCG’s mission and will augment other TCG efforts to secure the platform. Trusted Network Connect specifications will not require a platform with the TPM but will leverage the added security of the TPM if present.
When will Trusted Network Connect solutions be available?
Some of the companies that have joined TCG to work on Trusted Network Connect have been working on the general concept and have developed initial solutions that provide some of the benefits of the anticipated Trusted Network Connect specification, which will be available from TCG later this year. Some of these have been demonstrated earlier this year. These currently available products represent the collaboration that is already in place and demonstrates that a standards-based approach to the problem is realistic and achievable in a reasonable time fame.
How will Trusted Network Connect compare with other efforts in this area?
The technical framework for Trusted Network Connect provides a comprehensive network security solution that incorporates fundamental aspects of trusted computing. This framework will provide customers with interoperable solutions from multiple vendors, giving them greater choice in selecting components best suited for their requirements. Importantly, this framework will be an open industry standard that will enable development of products suitable for heterogeneous environments.
What is the relationship of efforts by Cisco and Microsoft in this area?
TCG is focused on industry standards to enable interoperable solutions and welcomes input from vendors who have technical contributions in this area.
What other work is the TCG Infrastructure Work Group involved in?
The Infrastructure Work Group is working on the adoption and integration of TCG platform-specific specifications into Internet and enterprise infrastructure technologies to enable various business models in a mixed environment of open platform architectures. Conventions for representing and exchanging information useful in making trust decisions will be established by leveraging existing Internet and related infrastructure standards. Considerations shall be made for representing platform roots of trust, trust chaining, key lifecycle services and the relationship these may have to owner policies. The work group will define an architectural framework, interfaces and metadata necessary to bridge infrastructure gaps.
The year ahead ... in technology
Trusted Computing Group (TCG) officials are also working on an open, multivendor industry specification for endpoint security called Trusted Network Connect. It could be available by the second half of 2005.
http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2005/0110/feat-techahead-01-10-05.asp
cpa,
what'd you say to him??
barge, you might be right!:
DJ Convergence Finally A Reality At CES
By Mark Boslet and Donna Fuscaldo
Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES
(This article was originally published Thursday)
LAS VEGAS (Dow Jones)--The long-promised convergence of home entertainment
and personal communications seems a step closer to reality at this year's
Consumer Electronics Show.
New devices combined many of functions consumers have up to now considered
separate. Cell phones played games, televisions linked to personal computers
and to home security systems, microwaves searched the Internet for cooking
instructions, and DVD players displayed photos.
Company executives said Wednesday they, too, were building new business
strategies for a world where consumers would gain access to digital content
through a single service. It is a changing marketplace that is putting
telecommunications, cable and consumer-electronics companies on a collision
course.
"It is here. It's real," said SBC Communications Inc. (SBC) Chief Executive
Edward Whiteacre Jr. during an address at the show. "2005 will be a
transformational year for consumers."
For years, industry pundits have predicted the coming together of
communications and computing into single devices and into combined services.
But technical roadblocks and immature business plans kept postponing that from
happening.
Some of the technical hurdles seem to have been cleared.
"Last year, it would not have been possible to do a stream of
(high-definition) TV with a wireless router," says Netgear Inc. (NTGR)
Marketing Director David Jones.
This year, Netgear, a home-networking vendor, demonstrated technology
powerful enough. Its RangeMax technology should be available in products by
March.
Other companies showed wireless technology to simplify connecting devices to
one another, even while the user is driving a car. Some of the wireless
technology was unreliable, even a year ago. Nokia Corp. (NOK) said its
Bluetooth technology allowed a driver to make phone calls and adjust devices,
such as a radio, with voice commands.
Evolving business models also appeared to be playing a role in the coming
convergence. Telecommunications and cable companies have begun more quickly
rolling out services to keep customers from defecting.
For Intel Corp. (INTC) Chief Executive Craig Barrett, the personal computer
was the foundation for the converged home. A PC connected to the
high-definition TV can be set up to display alerts about auctions on eBay Inc.
(EBAY) or to monitor home security, Barrett said during a show keynote.
"I'd say it's going even faster than we expected," said Microsoft Corp.
(MSFT) Chairman Bill Gates, referring to something he called the digital
lifestyle.
He sketched a scenario where consumers would soon use Microsoft's IPTV
technology to choose professional football game broadcasts on Sunday and to
choose among camera angles for viewing. SBC plans to use the Microsoft
technology and inked a 10-year $400 million deal with the software company.
But Barrett's PC-centric view of home entertainment was not the only vision
offered at the show. Cable operator Comcast Corp. (CMCSA, CMCSK) offers a
set-top box merging high-definition TV and program recording.
Convergence has moved ahead, said Page Thompson, a Comcast marketing vice
president.
"I think there's great progress in that direction," he said. "There's a way
to go to get to a truly converged network," with phone services and devices of
all types connected.
The paybacks of convergence could be significant. The Consumer Electronics
Association predicts that industry sales in 2005 will grow 11% to $125.7
billion from $113.5 billion. Flat TVs alone should generate $15 billion in
sales, up from $12 billion in 2004.
The beneficiaries are obvious. For companies such as Intel, it means finding
new markets for chips that will require more processing power. For Microsoft,
it means selling software to manage digital photos, video or songs. For the
telecommunications companies, it means branching into new businesses to
replace a shrinking telephone business.
But this week's show wasn't only a bonanza of digital devices. It drew
celebrities, both for public presentations and behind closed door
performances. Conan O'Brien took the stage with Gates. Robert Redford promoted
his Sundance festival while Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler belted out a song
for Barrett. Rod Stewart, meanwhile, was said to be singing at a party held by
Monster Cable Products Inc.
barge:
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20560
Music is obviously a key part of the digital media future, and the INQ gave a short gasp when a video shown by Gates mentioned the 'i' word (that's iPod). Gates said that whilst people looked at Microsoft and saw that they weren't first in the market, they looked to them to do something different and better. He said that he wanted to provide a rights management system that would allow your music to go everywhere and everywhere. Whilst most people didn't necessarily have huge digital music collections, Gates suggested that enabling subscriptions for music would make a big difference here. With the new Windows Media Playsforsure DRM technology, users could be assured that they could take their subscription music with them, a shortfalling of current devices.
BILL GATES gave his keynote speech to a packed CES audience last night at the Las Vegas Hilton.
Cunningly foiled by Late Night's Conan O'Brien, Gates took the opportunity to speak about the future of media and Microsoft's vision for the entertainment of the decade to come.
Whilst there would be numerous portable devices to enable people to take their media with them wherever, the role of the PC in the future would be as the place where 'it all comes together'. Gates said that he likes Microsoft to think less about software and hardware and more about usage scenarios - leading the technology to solve everyday problems.
Music is obviously a key part of the digital media future, and the INQ gave a short gasp when a video shown by Gates mentioned the 'i' word (that's iPod). Gates said that whilst people looked at Microsoft and saw that they weren't first in the market, they looked to them to do something different and better. He said that he wanted to provide a rights management system that would allow your music to go everywhere and everywhere. Whilst most people didn't necessarily have huge digital music collections, Gates suggested that enabling subscriptions for music would make a big difference here. With the new Windows Media Playsforsure DRM technology, users could be assured that they could take their subscription music with them, a shortfalling of current devices.
Media Center is also a key part of the vision of the future, and Gates announced a number of new partners that are teaming up with Microsoft. XM Satellite Radio, Yahoo, Fox Sports and Discovery are all providing exclusive services for Media Center users, including expanded programme information and behind the scenes features. Pioneer and Digitrex displayed TVs which have wireless hardware built in to connect to a Media Center box somewhere else in the house, whilst SBC demonstrated their prototype IPTV offerings, which include picture in picture, fast channel switching and video on demand.
Having recently launched Portable Media Center with partners Samsung and Creative, Microsoft are keen to expand this market. They announced a partnership with Tivo which will allow Tivo users to download recorded programmes to PMC devices, and the MTV network - encompassing MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central - has committed to providing exclusive portable downloads.
Disappointingly, Bill didn't mention anything specific about Xbox 2, contrary to what was expected. However, he did mention that he thought the future of games would be high definition, lending further support to the information published in the American Official Xbox Magazine this month that Halo 2.5 will be available on launch for the Xbox 2, running at a High-Def resolution.
Bill ended up by saying that he was very excited about the future direction of this market. "This industry is moving fast," he enthused. "I want these things myself
iPods Pose Enterprise Security Threat
By Jason Lopez
Enterprise Security Today
July 7, 2004 1:49PM
http://www.snpx.com/cgi-bin/news55.cgi?target=81166065?-2622
iPods and other digital-music players -- as well as PDAs, smartphones, USB flash hard drives and other tiny data-storage devices -- pose a security threat to the enterprise, says Gartner.
iPods and other MP3 devices pose a security risk that many companies have not anticipated. That is the conclusion of industry experts who say policies on access to company data need to be updated and the presence of digital music players banned.
Research firm Gartner is attempting to jolt enterprises into attention with its new paper entitled, "How to Tackle the Threat From Portable Storage Devices." In the report, analyst Ruggero Contu says that USB flash drives, MP3 players and other portable storage devices can be used not only to steal data from within the perimeter of a company's I.T. infrastructure , but also to introduce viruses into the company network.
Goodbye Data
A race for bigger storage capability could be underway as Sony -- the company that started the consumer-electronics category of miniature devices with its Walkman cassette player in 1979 -- has entered the hard disk MP3 market with a vengeance. Until recently, Apple has enjoyed the market almost all to itself, having taken a page from Sony's book by creating the iPod, which not only works but also looks sexy.
Sony's new Network Walkman boasts the ability to store 13,000 songs as opposed to iPod's 10,000. The capacity to hold more songs has security analysts worried. They envision employees bopping into work with their MP3 players and leaving with critical data, with network administrators none the wiser.
Enterprises need to update policies to keep pace with new technologies, says Gartner. For one, staff should not be given free rein to bring portable storage devices to work. With devices getting smaller and storage getting bigger, the amount of data at risk is huge.
Tiny Things
"I agree that businesses have not thought through risks associated with iPod devices," Yankee Group analyst Phebe Waterfield told NewsFactor. "However, note that there are many other devices that carry similar risks, although maybe less storage capacity [such as] PDAs , USB flash hard drives -- tiny things! -- cell phones with built in camera and video capture, for example."
One device that has given infrastructure managers fits is the simple keystroke logger, which can be inserted in the line between a keyboard and a PC tower. Some security solutions can detect them, but physical inspection is the primary way the gizmos are discovered.
PC makers like ClearCube and Hewlett-Packard are betting that some companies will not want to fuss with specific policies and will trade in their conventional fleets of PC towers for a blade system. Blades essentially remove the tower -- with all its input and output plugs -- from the desktop, and stacks hardware in a secure room instead.
ThinkPads with fingerprint readers now widely available
http://www.gcn.com/vol1_no1/daily-updates/34749-1.html
By John Breeden II
GCN Lab
LAS VEGAS—Instead of relying on long passwords that can be guessed or forgotten, selected models of IBM Corp.’s ThinkPad T42s notebooks, aimed at the government market, are starting to ship with biometric fingerprint readers, company officials told GCN Labs this week at the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show.
The notebooks also ship with an embedded security subsystem to drive even more powerful security protection.
“We raised the bar on security for the entire PC industry,” said Fran O’Sullivan, general manager of IBM’s personal computing division, soon to become part of China-based Lenovo Group Ltd.
“What was once considered sci-fi technology is now available to all enterprises, large and small,” O’Sullivan said. “The first biometric ThinkPad combines a fingerprint reader with an embedded security subsystem, providing a layer of security that is built-in, not bolted on.”
The fingerprint reader is included on select models of the ThinkPad T42s series. With the new reader, located on the wrist rest below the arrow keys, users swipe their finger across a small, horizontal sensor to log on to their systems, software applications, Web sites or databases. This type of fingerprint reader captures more data than a traditional reader because it scans more of the fingertip’s surface area, helping to prevent misidentification.
The security subsystem runs IBM’s Client Security Software Version 5.4, which allows fingerprint identification and complex pass phrases to be used interchangeably or in combination. The new software and the embedded security chip are integrated with the fingerprint reader, protecting vital security information, such as encryption keys, electronic credentials and pass phrases, and guarding against unauthorized user access.
The T42s notebooks are available now on most government schedules. Models start at $1,699.
thanks flyer... e/
OT: Symantec Seeks To Go Beyond Anti-Virus
Symantec seeks to parley its anti-virus fortunes into an asset and change management dynasty. But will it offer any advantages over the incumbents?
By Art Wittmann and Art Wittmann Courtesy of Network Magazine
(That's weird, sorta like the two Nelzonis)
http://www.snpx.com/cgi-bin/news55.cgi?target=80922962?-2622
Claim: Symantec intends to build an enterprise asset and change management architecture. It will combine products from PowerQuest, ON Technology, pcAnywhere, and Ghost into a single framework known as LiveState. Eventually, asset protection will be automated so that newly discovered threats can be proactively mitigated.
Context: Security vendors and incumbent asset management vendors are working to create more integrated asset protection solutions. Most enterprises have some type of asset management solution, so in order for Symantec to successfully compete, it will need to unseat incumbent vendors. Therefore, its value over the incumbents must be significant.
Credibility: Symantec has brought together a stable of best-of-breed products. Its challenge will be to maintain a competitive edge, while simultaneously integrating the products into a single architecture. Few vendors have successfully done that.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Regardless of whether you're a glass-half-full or glass-half-empty type, Symantec's future promises to be challenging. Arguably, the company's anti-virus business amounts to a license to print money, which the company exercised to the tune of $1.8 billion in 2004. On the other hand, signature-based attack detection isn't perceived to be as useful as it once was, and Microsoft is poised to enter the market. However, Symantec's business is still strong and growing, so it has the wherewithal to drive into new markets and use its lead in security to stay a step ahead, even with the Redmond mob on its tail.
To that end, the company announced its Symantec Enterprise Architecture (SEA) platform this past April and is beginning to deliver products based on that announcement now. According to Symantec, SEA will bring together network, storage, and systems management to enable a better managed--and therefore more secure--enterprise infrastructure. By integrating existing security products with newer administration tools, Symantec believes it can increase its foothold in the enterprise.
Symantec faces some monstrous challenges because this market already has some well-entrenched players. Symantec's goal is to parley its security relationship with many midsize and large companies into a broader asset management relationship. It plans to do this over the next two years by building an infrastructure management solution that takes desktop and server systems from purchase to production to retirement.
SYMANTEC'S SEMANTICS
Symantec must first deal with the fact that the industry tends to think of network, storage, and systems management differently than it does. The company still sees its business through a security lens. To Symantec, storage management means protecting data through security-driven snapshots and backup, not managing a complex storage environment such as a SAN. Systems management means provisioning and patch management, not user and application access administration, or server utilization and virtualization. Finally, network management to Symantec means network-born threat management, not managing infrastructure gear such as switches and routers.
Despite these nomenclature issues, Symantec is out to solve an interesting problem. SEA's grand vision combines inventory, disk imaging and provisioning, patch management, software distribution, and backup and disaster recovery management all under one umbrella. This bundled functionality will take the name LiveState and seek to manage systems from cradle to grave. Symantec is looking to do this for Windows servers, desktops, and handhelds in the first quarter of 2005, Linux servers late in the year, and Linux desktops should the market ever present itself. There are no plans to bring Macs under management.
Symantec's next step is to increase the level of automation for tasks within its architectural framework. For example, it will automate the generation of system snapshots before new software or patches are rolled out. Also to that end, the architecture will see improved process management functionality late in the year, standardizing such processes as how IT departments handle newly released patches, and how new systems are configured to meet corporate guidelines.
All these features are essentially table stakes to compete in the asset management market. To differentiate itself, Symantec will begin integrating the threat discovery side of its business with its enterprise administration side some time in 2006. The goal is to assure security policy compliance, as well as automate the protection process when new critical vulnerabilities are discovered. For instance, the discovery of new self-propagating malware such as a worm can prompt Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPSs) to lock out any attacks, and imaging software to generate system snapshots of potentially affected systems with greater frequency until a patch is developed.
FIRST, THE PIECES
Before Symantec could build its enterprise asset management brainchild, it needed to gather up the right set of components, so off on a buying spree it went. Adding to its previous acquisitions of Ghost and pcAnywhere, Symantec more recently purchased ON Technology and PowerQuest. ON's iCommand product forms the basis of Symantec's LiveState products. Ghost provides imaging and image deployment, pcAnywhere provides remote control, and PowerQuest brings sector-based backup and disaster recovery to Symantec.
iCommand, which will take the name LiveState Delivery, is a centralized configuration management and process automation system. It uses agents and a typical three-tier architecture to centrally manage geographically distributed environments. The primary management interface is a snap-in to the Microsoft Management Console (MMC). There's also a Java interface and a command line interface and scripting language. While iCommand can be used to adjust parameters on servers and workstations or deliver packaged software to them, ON had positioned the product mostly as an enterprise-wide end-user configuration and software management tool.
ON's approach made a lot of sense. While there's a significant need for provisioning and system configuration management in the data center, the tools typically look different and come from a different set of vendors than end-user system management tools. Provisioning in the data center must take into account more than the security posture of systems, and the process becomes more manual the closer it gets to the unique application end of the stack. By contrast, rolling out patches, OSs, and new applications to users and devices around the globe is a sweet spot where tools such as iCommand truly shine.
ON realized what it was up against in the data center, so rather than compete it included the ability to integrate with systems management frameworks such as IBM's Tivoli, HP's OpenView, and Computer Associates' Unicenter. Symantec plans to carry this practice forward as it releases new versions of LiveState Delivery.
PowerQuest's disk-to-disk backup and recovery technology is a logical compliment to iCommand's functionality. PowerQuest isn't intended to replace offline backup systems; instead, it can be used to rapidly create snapshots, either on a regular basis or before new software is deployed on the system. Renamed LiveState Recovery, PowerQuest's technology also captures system state information so that a recovered system can be ready to run immediately.
PowerQuest's arsenal also featured a number of other tools, including disk partition managers. These will have a home in Symantec's product line as standalone products.
THEN THE PRODUCT
The challenge for any company attempting to buy its way into a new market is deciding how to treat the product lines of the new acquisitions. Putting an emphasis on integration usually means slowing the development of new features, giving the competition a chance to catch up. The alternative--allowing development as usual without regard for broader integration--defeats the original purpose of the purchase. Symantec has taken something of a hybrid approach, integrating technology from PowerQuest, Ghost, and pcAnywhere into iCommand, while allowing those products to continue on in their development.
The result can be confusing to the marketplace, however. In patch management, for instance, Symantec has two solutions. iPatch was part of the ON purchase and continues to be developed. However, LiveState, with its iCommand and Ghost technology, is the real enterprise-capable solution. Ghost by itself is widely used to deploy system images across servers and tightly controlled end-user systems such as point-of-sale devices. Here again, LiveState is touted as the better enterprise solution because it addresses much more than image distribution. Then again, that's a bit like saying a Swiss Army knife is a better knife than a scalpel because it does more than just cut stuff.
The road to Symantec's vision of asset management nirvana isn't particularly short. iCommand will re-emerge as Live-State Delivery around April, but Symantec doesn't expect all products to adhere to its new user interface specification until roughly a year later. The next release will still be based on MMC. However, Symantec wouldn't say whether MMC would remain the primary management framework in subsequent versions.
THE COMPETITION
While Symantec is certainly spinning an interesting story, it's also going up against some formidable competition from the likes of LANDesk Software, Novell, Altiris, and Microsoft. To a large degree, enterprises interested in structured asset management have already picked a vendor, so Symantec's job is to convince enterprise architects that since they're already buying Symantec's anti-virus software, they may as well limit the number of vendor relationships they have and trust Symantec with asset and change management, too.
The Holy Grail for Symantec is integration with its threat discovery and security management business. The problem is that this won't be a reality for two years. Meanwhile, Altiris is already there with software distribution, asset discovery and management, remote control, backup, and configuration management. Are the tools in Altiris' arsenal as good as Symantec's best-of-breed products? Possibly not in all cases, but Altiris' solutions are already integrated and only need a connection to a third-party threat discovery operation to have everything Symantec hopes to have. Also, since Symantec plans to continue to produce standalone versions of its systems, it's likely that the versions of pcAnywhere or Ghost found in LiveState won't be as capable as the standalone versions.
Furthermore, Altiris has a better to story to tell with regard to server management, including broad Unix support and a joint development arrangement with HP.
LANDesk will also lay claim to all the critical systems management pieces (other than backup), as well as take the additional step of managing non-computer assets, including phones and other office equipment.
The company is also venturing into Symantec's space with its recently announced Security Management Suite. The new product seeks to find and remove malware and spyware, improve patch management, block unwanted applications such as peer-to-peer sharing programs, and more. This eats into some of the value that Symantec brings to the table.
Novell's ZENworks recently got Linux support and better patch management through the company's continued partnership with PatchLink. ZENworks isn't for everyone. It requires Novell's eDirectory and Console-One, but for those shops that remain loyal to Novell, ZENworks is a logical choice.
Finally, you can't count out Microsoft. Its Systems Management Server (SMS) continues to mature as an asset and change management platform. Of course, cross-platform support to Microsoft means Windows CE, Windows 98, and Windows 2000, but for many smaller enterprises that's just fine. For those that have chosen to broadly use Microsoft's end-user and back-office applications, SMS is certainly a valid choice.
WAY OT!: Flyerguy, can you check this out?
Booth IP 561
Now you can see wide-screen 3D -
with neither special red-green glasses nor heavy headsets with high-powered
battery packs and complex interface electronics.
eMagin Corporation (AMEX:EMA), the leading manufacturer of OLED (organic
light-emitting diode) microdisplays, is introducing the first personal display
system to combine OLED technology with head-tracking and 3D stereovision. The
result gives gamers, designers, or any computer user a truly immersive
experience. The company is demonstrating its Z800 3D Visor in booth IP561 of
the Innovations Plus Pavilion at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas
through January 9.
Tony, that's fantastic. Congrats e/
OT: SafeBoot(R) Device Encryption(TM) Selected As SC Magazine Global Awards Finalist; Product to Compete in Best Encryption Solution Category
NAPLES, Florida, January 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Control Break International
(CBI), developer of SafeBoot(R) solutions and a market leader in mobile data
encryption technology, announced today that its SafeBoot(R) Device
Encryption(TM) product was named a finalist in the 2005 SC Magazine Global
Awards in the "Best Encryption Solution" category.
"This recognition reflects the devotion of our staff to develop, market,
and serve precisely what our clients need to encrypt their data and centrally
enforce security policies," said Eric Sommerton, vice president of marketing
at CBI. "What's exciting is that real users - some of the two million SafeBoot
users - and encryption experts around the world, narrowed down the list to
five finalists. The SC Magazine awards are considered to be among the premier
security awards in the industry."
SafeBoot Device Encryption won the "Best Encryption Solution" category in
the 2004 SC Magazine Global Readers' Trust Awards competition.
The competition, now in its ninth year, will announce the winners at a gala
dinner to be held February 16, 2005, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco,
in conjunction with the RSA Show. The SC Magazine Global Awards saw its
highest level of activity in history during the voting period in November and
December with more than 56,000 individual visits to its Web site. For more
information on finalists and the gala reception, please visit
http://www.scawards.com.
About Control Break International
Control Break International designs, develops, supports and markets
leading-edge data security solutions for network systems and mobile devices
such as the SafeBoot(R) brand device encryption and content encryption
technologies. The SafeBoot suite of technology provides state-of-the-art
encryption technology for laptops, PCs, tablet PCs, PDAs, Smartphones, and
other handheld devices. SafeBoot solutions are integrated into a centralized
administrator console that enables security personnel to manage security
protocol efficiently.
Founded in 1991 and headquartered in The Netherlands, Control Break
International operates several offices in the United States, United Kingdom,
Sweden, The Netherlands, Germany and France and hosts a network of more than
40 certified distributors worldwide. The privately held company, in which ABN
AMRO bank holds a minority stake, saw corporate sales increase dramatically in
2003 and 2004. Visit http://www.safeboot.com/ for more information.
Please folks,
Bring this board back to the topic of Wave.
thanks,
Kevin_s5
unixguy,
Why don't you send Steven an email stating that as a concerned shareholder he should have the meeting at his house! Heck, maybe he could put 'em all up for the weekend and get a frozen lasagne from WalMart.
Oh, wait, I forgot, you're not a shareholder.
New Fujitsu TPM'd machine?
I've noticed the references on the board to the t4000s, but haven't seen anything on the T4010:
http://www.fujitsu-siemens.lu/upload/documents/products/0412_ds_lifebook_t4010.doc
Wave Sys Says Regains Compliance With Nasdaq Rule > WAVX
WASHINGTON (Dow Jones)--Wave Systems Corp. (WAVX) said Wednesday that it has
regained compliance with Nasdaq Stock Market listing requirements.
The company's share price had dipped below $1 a share for 30 consecutive
business days, threatening its Nasdaq listing. The exchange notified Wave
Systems in September regarding the share price non-compliance, the company
said in a Securities and Exchange Commission filing.
Since then, the closing bid price of Wave Systems' stock has been at or
above $1 a share for at least 10 consecutive business days.
Shares of the digital security company traded recently at $1.17, down 3
cents.
-By Shira Ovide, Dow Jones Newswires; 202-862-1356; shira.ovide@dowjones.com
This is interesting:
TCX - Trusted Computing Exemplar Project
http://cisr.nps.navy.mil/projecttcx.html
The Center for Information Systems Security Studies and Research
RESEARCH
Projects
Laboratories
Sponsors
The purpose of the Trusted Computing Exemplar project is to provide a working example to show how trusted computing systems and components can be constructed. A prototype high assurance development framework will be created first, and then used to produce a reference implementation trusted computing component, the Embedded MicroKernel Prototype. A third-party evaluation of the component will be initiated during development (e.g., once the high-level design documentation is written). The documentation, source code, development framework and other deliverables will be made openly available as they are produced. We will develop a high assurance, embedded micro-kernel and a trusted application built on top of the micro-kernel as a reference implementation exemplar for trusted computing. Because the product as well as the process will be showpieces for trusted computing development, high assurance methodologies and techniques will be applied during the entire lifecycle. The goal is to produce a very small, portable component that will provide users with correct security operation and an a priori assurance against system subversion.
Trusted Computer Exemplar (Executive Summary)
A National Trusted Computing Strategy
Trusted Computing Exemplar Project (White Paper)
Trusted Computing Exemplar Project (Quad Chart)
Snackman, that is true
If you place a "cash" trade which, if executed, settles the same day........ just fyi
Kevin
Today's action related to this??:
http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800354993_499481,499495.HTM
Atmel subsystem provides ultra-security
Posted : 28 Dec 2004
Atmel Corp. introduced a single-chip hardware security subsystem designed specifically for embedded systems such as voting machines, gaming systems, PDAs, STBs, POS terminals, ATMs, portable mass storage devices and industrial controls.
Based on Trusted Computing Group industry standards, the AT97SC3201S Trusted Platform Module (TPM) offers embedded systems ultra-security that, according to Atmel, has only been available for PCs.
The new embedded TPM is the only TPM on the market to offer a system management bus (SMBus) interface, said the company. Most embedded systems use the SMBus, while all competing TPMs use the Low Pin Count (LPC) bus used with Intel- and AMD-based PCs. As a result, embedded systems were simply unable to take advantage of TPM hardware-based security without difficult and time consuming bus translation or had to rely on less secure software-based security solutions, explained Atmel.
Kevin Schutz, the company's product line manager for TPMs, commented, "The AT97SC3201S gives embedded systems the capability to provide a variety of software integrity measurements, perform mutual authentication processes, and present credentials that have not been available to embedded systems designs before. Now any embedded system can take advantage of hardware security based on TCG standards."
The AVR-based TPM includes, on-chip, a 500ms, 2,048bit crypto accelerator and a random number generator that can generate an unlimited number of asymmetric encryption/decryption key pairs on the fly, and execute data encryption and decryption. A tamper-resistant EEPROM on the chip permits the secure storage of up to twenty encryption and signature key pairs.
Additional system security is provided by SHA-1 hash functions that provide the ability to create, store and compare a "safe" system software profile. The hashed value is stored in the TPM's Platform Configuration Registers (PCRs) and can be compared to the current state of the system's software. In addition, the ability to immediately detect changes in a system's software profile allows the owner to detect a compromised system and prevent theft by denying access to or even shutting down the system. A change of even a single bit will be detected.
Atmel added that a real time clock on the AT97SC3201S provides unique date stamping for authentication and attestation processes. This feature is essential for STBs in which order time and delivery time of pay per view content must be time stamped. The TPM detects any undesirable event, allowing the system to shut down anytime one is detected.
Housed in a 6-by-6mm multi-lead frame (MLF) package, the 3.3V AT97SC3201S is priced at $4.50 in quantities of 10,000.
Some fear virus threat to cellphones
By MATT MOORE
http://www.snpx.com/cgi-bin/news5.cgi?target=www.newsnow.co.uk/cgi/NGoto/80367430?-2622
STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Malicious programs that can delete address books. Junk messages that flood a cellphone's inbox. Stealthy code that uses Bluetooth wireless technology to sneak onto handsets. Scared yet?
Security experts say plagues like these will target mobile phones, but others contend cellphone viruses are the tech equivalent of smallpox: To the best of anyone's knowledge, they exist only in labs.
"We've had no reports of people actually seeing these viruses in their daily use," said Graham Cluley, a senior technology consultant with London's Sophos PLC. "The only reports we've seen documented are antivirus researchers sending them to each other in their labs."
Japanese phone company NTT DoCoMo already sells phones with built-in antivirus software from McAfee Inc., and McAfee expects similar phones to be available in the United States and Europe in 2005.
But worried chatters should know that security experts this year found only five viruses that target mobile phones, and all of them were created and contained within labs, Cluley said.
Despite names like "Cabir" and "Skulls," the cellphone viruses created in the labs aren't as lethal as viruses that have attacked PCs.
For Skulls to work, it had to be downloaded and activated. After that, it rendered a user's programs inoperable and replaced the icons with skulls.
Earlier this year, Russian antivirus company Kaspersky said Cabir could affect Bluetooth-enabled phones that run on the Symbian operating system. According to the company, the virus could easily send itself as a file from its host phone to others, provided their Bluetooth reception was on.
Like Skulls, and unlike most PC viruses, Cabir has to be installed by the phone's user before it does anything. When it's installed, it creates several files on the phone and sends itself to other phones via Bluetooth. Even when installed, though, antivirus company TrendMicro Inc. ranks it as having low damage potential and says it can be removed fairly easily.
Although the virus threat to cellphones is, for now, purely academic, it doesn't take much to scare mobile phone users.
In Lebanon this year, an e-mail, which spread rapidly, warned of a virus that could appear on a cellphone through a phone call.
It read: "If you receive a phone call and your phone displays "UNAVAILABLE" on the screen (for most of digital mobile phones with a function to display incoming call telephone number), DON'T ANSWER THE CALL. END THE CALL IMMEDIATELY!!! BECAUSE IF YOU ANSWER THE CALL, YOUR PHONE WILL BE INFECTED BY THIS VIRUS."
Mikko Hypponen, director of Finland's F-Secure Corp., said viruses can't spread that way.
Mobile phones could eventually be susceptible to viruses because they use operating systems that turn them into minicomputers, virus watchers say.
"You look at the phones that run Microsoft applications, like Excel. These can be e-mailed from a computer to a phone or a PDA (personal digital assistant) and that opens the risk to a virus on the phone," said Brian Petersen, managing director of Copenhagen, Denmark-based Virus112.
The organization, which monitors computer viruses worldwide, added threats to mobile phones to the list of what it tracks earlier this year.
Other threats come from Bluetooth, which lets people connect their phones and send messages, sync with programs like Outlook and read e-mail. The technology is handy for those who want to use wireless headsets with their phones or send data from a phone to Bluetooth-enabled printers. Wireless keyboards and computer mice also employ it.
In the past, people have used Bluetooth to send messages to unsuspecting people just yards away, a practice known as bluejacking.
"If you don't know about bluejacking these messages can be quite a shock," Cluley said. "Unexpected messages on your mobile may lead you to believe you are the victim of a new mobile phone virus, or receiving cellphone spam."
Hypponen says virus writers could try to exploit cellphone users' unfamiliarity with their device.
"Once it gets hit by something malicious, that virus could use the phone to send messages or make toll calls while you're sleeping," he said.
But no virus yet has actually done that.
New on Wave's Product page:
http://www.wavesys.com/products/esc.html
Sprint Jumps into Streaming Music Market
Some say that limitations remain, however. For instance, a group of tech heavyweights that includes IBM (NYSE: IBM) , Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) and some mobile phone makers recently came together to push for a specification for a "trusted" platform that will enable secure mobile purchases.
http://www.ecommercetimes.com/story/Sprint-Jumps-into-Streaming-Music-Market-39154.html
By Keith Regan
E-Commerce Times
12/21/04 10:34 AM PT
The Music Choice service will come as part of an overall Sprint Multimedia package that also includes access to headlines, sports and entertainment clips, picture mail and text messaging, for $25 per month. Or users can subscribe to the Music Choice service on its own for $5.95 per month.
Taking a stab at being near the forefront of the mobile commerce and streaming music movements, Sprint (NYSE: FON) today launched Music Choice, a mobile music service that gives users of its multimedia phones access to a catalog of digital music feeds.
The service, the first streaming music service available for mobile phones in the U.S., will give customers access to streaming music feeds on their phones even when they are folded up, turning the handsets into portable music players for short stints.
The Music Choice service will come as part of an overall Sprint Multimedia package that also includes access to headlines, sports and entertainment clips, picture mail and text messaging, for US$25 per month. Or users can subscribe to the Music Choice service on its own for $5.95 per month. There will be six music channels at first, offering R&B and hip-hop, top hits, '80s, '90s, country and traditional rock.
Baby Steps
Sprint Vice President Jeff Hallock said the service extends the popular Music Choice brand to mobile devices, something that Sprint has tried to do by pushing mobile content from the likes of CNN and ABC News, the Weather Channel and Cartoon Network through its multimedia service.
Analysts say the service is an example of the mobile industry starting out by crawling before it can learn to walk -- and eventually run -- in the fiercely competitive mobile music niche.
They point out that at the launch, only one Sprint Vision phone -- the MM-7400 from Sanyo -- will be able to access the service. They note that bandwidth and battery limitations means such streaming will have limited value at first.
Still, they say it's important for mobile carriers to show customers that such services will be an option in the near future. It might also be a shrewd competitive move, since Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) is said to be working with Motorola (NYSE: MOT) to create ways for mobile users to access the iTunes Music Store through their phones and other hand-held devices.
Overall Puzzle
Meanwhile, XM Satellite Radio recently released a portable version of its popular services billed as the MyFi.
In-Stat/MDR analyst Clint Wheelock called the launch of the Music Choice service a "significant milestone."
"Broadcast music is a critical piece of the overall mobile-music puzzle, and in our consumer research is one of the most popular multimedia content categories," Wheelock said.
The Sprint launch might also be a glimpse of what many analysts expect to be a barrage of mobile-commerce related offerings starting in 2005 and beyond.
Some say that limitations remain, however. For instance, a group of tech heavyweights that includes IBM (NYSE: IBM) , Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) and some mobile phone makers recently came together to push for a specification for a "trusted" platform that will enable secure mobile purchases.
Booming Market
However, there are signs that things might not wait too long. The Yankee Group, for instance, predicts the music-over-mobile market -- which includes everything from full-song downloads and streaming to the hugely popular ring-tone sound-bites -- will grow from $200 million this year to $1.2 billion within three years.
"The entire industry -- carriers, phone makers, content producers -- is pushing in the same direction of offering more services over the mobile networks and on handsets," Jupiter Research analyst Joseph Laszlo said. "The question that remains is how fast consumers will pick up the technology and which particular options they'll gravitate towards."
With that question up in the air, being early into a market is a key consideration, he added.
Some Holiday reading
Trusted Computing for Enterprise and Govt, from Wave
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/html/itp/CNET_WP_1_TC_Overview_final.pdf
TPM and Key Recovery, from Wave
http://i.i.com.com/cnwk.1d/html/itp/CNET_WP3_TC_Man_Recov_final.pdf
From TCG, Nov, 2004
https://www.trustedcomputinggroup.org/downloads/background_docs/TCG_Backgrounder_November_2004.pdf
Helloooooo Howie! e/
greg_s,
you read my mind. Thanks for the description.
Eamonnshute, have you heard of a 915GMS?
Dell readies raft of Intel Latitude notebooks
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=20330
Thin and light, deep and bright
By Eva Glass: Tuesday 21 December 2004, 11:40
SOURCES I met skinny dipping in a lake near Austin tell me Dell is readying a whole raft of Latitude notebooks based on Intel's new notebook chipsets next year.
First out of the starting gate are expected to be the performance based D810 and D610 in January or February. The former will have a 15.4-inch widescreen LCD display, use ATI graphics and have Gigabit Ethernet on board. The 610, using the 915GM/PM chipset will also use ATI 64MB graphics and have 14-inch LCD screen.
Probably in February, the naturists from Round Rock hint, we'll see a Dell ultra portable, the D310, using the 915GM, having a 12.1-inch screen, integrated graphics and the like.
Perhaps in April, Dell will introduce a machine tentatively dubbed the X1. This will use the 915GMS chipset and Intel's ultra low voltage Dothans. This one sounds nice.
Before then, we'll see the D510, a Celeron M or Pentium M based machine with options for 14.1-inch and 15-inch screens, and the 110L, a "value" machine which can use Pentium 4Ms and Celeron chips.
VH
I hope you know I'm kidding!!!
VH, a question
Do you skip over my posts?? LOL
http://www.investorshub.com/boards/read_msg.asp?message_id=4883999
Very Nice! Check out page 64:
and 41, 82, and 96
http://www.silicon-trust.com/pdf/handbook_04_05/5_identification.pdf
oknpv, you're absolutely correct,
they have eight weeks after the end of the year to post results. Thanks for catching that.
Doma, while I don't agree w/ dig
I think I understand his point. He's saying it might be better to spend that extra $30,000 now "just in case" rather than having to replace 10,000 machines at a much larger expense a year from now just to upgrade to TPMs.
dig space
But what if you're buying for an enterprise or govt agency and the size of your purchase in tens of thousands? It sure makes a difference then.... I think that is what Doma is talking about.
zen
by the end of the second week in Feb. If the news is better, maybe sooner??
El Dude, what ARE you talking about?:
Dell rep can say this:
"We can sell you 100's of PC's and will add a TPM for free, so do not buy from HP, because they do not even have TPM's"
and he'd be lying..............
Have you looked at eamonshute's matrix?
http://www.tonymcfadden.net/tpmvendors.htm
Ramsey
IBM has been good about committing to the hardware but weak on educating the buyer/user.
Remember the govt agency that ordered 40,000 ThinkPads unaware that they contained TPMs? Perfect example of what you describe!
warbil, monthly:
http://www.nasdaq.com/asp/quotes_full.asp?mode=&page=&symbol=WAVX&symbol=&symbol=&am...
Nov. 15, 2004 3,132,390 177,821 17.62
Oct. 15, 2004 3,268,643 365,631 8.94