Canada seeks access to detained Iranian-Canadian blogger

Canada has not been granted consular access to detained prominent Iranian-Canadian blogger Hossein Derakhshan in Iran, a foreign affairs spokesman said in Ottawa.

"Consular officials have been in contact with Iranian authorities, including by diplomatic note, to obtain confirmation of Mr. Derakhshan's arrest and to seek consular access," Canadian foreign ministry spokesman Rodney Moore told AFP.

"To date, we have not received a response from the Government of Iran."

"Consular officials will continue to press Iranian authorities for access to Mr. Derakhshan, consistent with the provisions of the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations," he added.

The Iranian judiciary confirmed earlier Tuesday that Derakhshan, whose highly political "hoder.com" blog has not been updated since October 30, is under arrest over remarks he allegedly made about key figures of the Shiite faith.

Derakhshan's "case is under preliminary investigation and he is in custody," Iran's ILNA news agency quoted judiciary spokesman Ali Reza Jamshidi as saying. Jamshidi did not say when and where Derakhshan was detained.

Some reports outside Iran said he was arrested on November 1 shortly after arriving in Tehran on a private visit. Moore said Canada learned of his reported arrest in mid-November.

A conservative Iranian website said in November that Derakhshan had been arrested on suspicion of spying for Israel.

Dubbed the "father" of Iranian blogging, Derakhshan, 34, sparked a blogging revolution in the Islamic republic by posting precise instructions in 2001 on how to set up Persian-language blogs, which have burgeoned to around 70,000 in recent years.

Derakhshan visited Iranian arch-foe Israel using his Canadian passport in 2006 and chronicled his experience on his Persian and English blogs, saying he sought to show Israelis and Iranians a different image of each country.

In the past, Derakhshan was strongly critical of Iran's conservatives but he expressed support in 2008 for hardline President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and his defiant stance against the West.

He has also criticized the positions of Israel and the United States on Iran's controversial nuclear program, and has criticized Iranian reformists and human rights activists.

Android runs (on) free(runner) - Open OS on open hardware

Google's mobile phone platform, Android, has been ported to the OpenMoko's open-sourced hardware platform, though it's not quite the perfect combination as yet.

The OpenMoko Neo is an open source handset - the hardware design is freely available for implementation, or modification, by anyone conforming to the open source licence. It comes with a Linux-based OS and interface, but porting Android was an obvious, and welcome, development.

According to the screen-shots at iMAndroid the OS and user interface are both running on the Freerunner, licensing restrictions prevent the open-source handset from implementing 3G technologies, or even EDGE, so it would probably be best to use wi-fi when running the network-intensive applications bundled with Android.

The Freerunner has been available for a while, and it would be surprising to see OpenMoko selling a version with Android pre-installed given their devotion to customer choice - the whole point is that customers can install an OS of their choice, in the same way that when I buy a PC I can install an OS of my choice: Microsoft bundling not withstanding. Android is simply another choice, and possibly quite a good one.

We now have more platforms for mobile phones than we do for desktop computers, and that's not counting all the proprietary options, some consolidation is no doubt coming, so it makes sense for OpenMoko to demonstrate its hardware can support a range of options.

India Postpones Auction of 3G Spectrum

India has postponed to Jan. 30, 2009, the auction of 3G spectrum to give potential bidders more time to study bid documents and rules for the auction, a government agency said Tuesday.

Potential bidders requested an extension from the originally scheduled date of Jan. 16, according to India's Ministry of Communications. The final date for applications to bid in the auction also has been extended to Jan. 15 from the earlier Jan. 5, it said.

An auction of spectrum for broadband wireless is scheduled to be held two days after the close of the 3G spectrum auction. The auction for 3G spectrum is likely to be hotly contested by both Indian and foreign companies.

India's mobile market is booming, adding over 10 million new users a month, even as the global economic downturn affects demand in the country for other products and services, including PCs.

"The mobile phone is now seen as a necessity," said Kapil Dev Singh, country manager at research firm IDC India.

Winning a 3G license will also enable bidders to get 2G spectrum to offer services, the government has indicated. While 3G is not expected to be a revenue spinner immediately, the market for 2G services has already been opened by existing players, analysts said.

Google Suggests Gmail Users Dump IE

Google Inc. is pushing users of its Gmail e-mail service to dump Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer for its own Chrome browser or Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox.

When users of IE6 reach Gmail.com, a "Get faster Gmail" message appears in the Web-based service's menu bar. The message, in turn, links to a page on Google's Web site that touts Chrome and Firefox 3 as being "twice as fast" at running Gmail.

 

Google currently lists IE7, Firefox 2.0 and later releases, Chrome and Safari as the only supported browsers for Gmail . Others, including Opera and older editions of IE, Firefox and Safari, can be used to access the e-mail service but aren't able to handle some of its features.

Corporate Safe Specialists Announces Kiosk Self-Service Software Upgrades

Corporate Safe Specialists (CSS) announces a significant upgrade to the MenuSOS software module for its Kiosk safe. The CSS Kiosk software platform has been upgraded to include .net framework 3.05, Windows Presentation and Communications Foundations (WPF and WCF) and SQL Express.

 

CSS Kiosk solutions are designed to help small and medium-sized businesses quickly implement self-service systems with a lower initial investment. MenuSOS is offered as an enhancement to the CSS Kiosk platform, which is the only kiosk system to accept credit/debit cards AND cash, validate and count currency, and store it directly to a business-rated safe. Notes are deposited directly into a business-rated safe and CSS Kiosk security can be made ready for armored car pick-up.

 

 

 

 

MenuSOS offers rapid self-configuration through a scripted, user-friendly ocess hat non-technical users can complete within a few hours. Restaurant and retail stablishments would then have a working kiosk platform that would provide benefits to both the business owner and customers.

For customers, they will now have the ability to order and pay for products and services through a touch-screen interface. The design objective for the user interface was a superior customer experience that shed associations with order entry via personal computer.

Business owners are able to service a greater number of customers without hiring additional staff. The MenuSOS will also enable small business owners to offer their customers the self-service options that have become increasingly popular at larger competitors. The MenuSOS module can also be used as a digital chalkboard to communicate daily specials and other information to customers.

CSS sells a variety of innovative security products including patented, smart-safe technologies that control access to safes remotely, and customer-facing solutions, such as kiosks, that manage transactions and handle cash payment directly from the customer. If you are seeking an entry-level kiosk solution to your business needs that you can implement quickly, confidently and cost-effectively, MenuSOS is designed for you!

About CSS: CSS is an industry leader providing innovative security solutions to retail and restaurant industries globally. CSS safes, smart safes and kiosks feature electronic or biometric locks and can be configured to provide closed-loop cash management processes to minimize risk of armed robbery, burglary and theft. Visit http://www.corporatesafe.com or call 800-342-3033 x300 to discuss your business needs.

SOURCE Corporate Safe Specialists

Telecom Marketing and Sales Veteran Robert King is Named Executive Director, Business Development at Tollgrade

Tollgrade Communications, Inc. (Nasdaq: TLGD) announced that telecom marketing and sales veteran Robert King has joined the company as Executive Director, Business Development. King joins Tollgrade from Sunrise Telecom where he was most recently President and General Manager of Sunrise's Broadband Products Group. Rob King brings to Tollgrade more than 23 years of experience in the telecom test and measurement market.

Most recently, Rob King spent the past decade at Sunrise Telecom where he successfully led the company's selling efforts in North America followed by his role in general management of its Broadband Products Group since 2006. In his most recent role, King is responsible for leading Sunrise's engineering and marketing efforts to bring new test and measurement products and services to the marketplace, including its next generation triple and quad-play solutions. Prior to Sunrise, King was a Regional Sales Manager for Ameritec Corporation where he was the top sales producer for nine consecutive years.

 

"We're pleased that Rob King is now a part of Tollgrade's strategic business development efforts where he will work closely with our sales and marketing teams on customer acquisition and retention as well as our partnership programs," said Joseph Ferrara, Tollgrade's President and CEO. "Rob is well known among key customers throughout the industry and we look forward to benefitting from his customer focus and technical expertise," added Ferrara.

About Tollgrade

Tollgrade Communications, Inc. is a leading provider of service assurance products and services for centralized test systems around the world. Tollgrade designs, engineers, markets and supports centralized test systems, test access and status monitoring products, and next generation network assurance technologies. Tollgrade's customers range from the top telecom and cable providers, to numerous independent telecom, cable and broadband providers around the world. Tollgrade's network testing, measurement and monitoring solutions support the infrastructure of cable and telecom companies offering current and emerging triple play services, as well as for power distribution companies. For more information, visit Tollgrade's web site at www.tollgrade.com

SOURCE Tollgrade Communications, Inc.

Industry Veteran Dennis Huff Joins INFINITE as VP Sales

INFINITE Software Corporation (Pink Sheets: IFSC), a global IT integrator and software provider, announced today that Dennis Huff has accepted the position as Vice President of Sales for North America of INFINITE Technology Group, a subsidiary of INFINITE Software Corporation.

"As we round out our senior management team here in North America, adding talent like Dennis makes perfect sense," said Bruce Acacio, CEO of Infinite. Dennis Huff is a former Vice President of Agilysys, a national reseller of HP server equipment. He has a background building and managing a national sales force.

 

INFINITE Technology group is the HP Business Partner unit of INFINITE Software. This unit has significant growth plans in 2009 and is executing joint plans with HP.

About INFINITE Software Corporation

INFINITE Software is a global provider of software and services for the legacy extension and financial services markets. The company is headquartered in Orange County, CA and operates globally from offices in Asia, North America, South America and Europe. The Company's products are marketed under the brand names INFINITE and LPS. INFINITE Software enjoys over 100,000 installations in 56 countries.

Safe Harbor Statement

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This release includes forward-looking statements intended to qualify for the safe harbor from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements generally can be identified by phrases such as California Software or its management "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "foresees," "forecasts," "estimates" or other words or phrases of similar import. Similarly, statements in this release that describe the Company's business strategy, outlook, objectives, plans, intentions or goals also are forward-looking statements. All such forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in forward-looking statements.

For additional information, see www.infinitesoftware.com

SOURCE INFINITE Software Corporation

Online Backup Service IDrive Introduces Time-Line Restore, Sort of an Online 'Time Machine' for the Windows Platform

IDrive, a leading online backup service provider, today announced that IDrive online backup (http://www.idrive.com) has introduced a new functionality called 'Time-Line Restore' that lets users restore all the selected data from a point in time.

While IDrive always had the versioning capability where an individual file can be restored from any one of the 30 available versions, having a capability to restore a set of files/folders from a particular point in time provides an added advantage. This lets users restore related data from a point in time.

"This is similar to the 'Time Machine' or the 'Snap Shots' concept applied to the Windows platform. Often users have related data whose status changes as a unit based on time and there is a need to be able to restore data as a unit with a time reference," said Raghu Kulkarni, President and CEO of Pro Softnet Corp.

 

IDrive continues to update its offering with functional and performance improvements. Based on internal tests and some professional reviews conducted recently, IDrive outperforms the competition by a significant factor in both backups and restores. Performance is a key factor, especially for online backup where large amounts of data have to be pushed through a thin internet pipe available at the user end.

The advantages of the IDrive online backup service are now being recognized by major online and traditional media publications. In a recent review of online backup services by PC Pro, IDrive was also mentioned as the best performing online backup among competitors that included EMC's online backup service.

IDrive also offers a Mac version, both in Basic and Pro form (for consumers and businesses) and has been one of the few options available on the Mac platform (http://www.idrive.com/idrive-for-mac.htm).

About IDrive:

IDrive (http://www.idrive.com), a service of Pro Softnet Corp., is one of the leading services in the field of online backup for consumers and small businesses and is possibly the world's most popular online backup service (courtesy: Alexa). PC World recently named it as one of the Best 101 Freebee products for 2008. The technology behind IDrive has received many accolades, among which is the "Best of the Bunch" rating by PC World, the PC Magazine Editor's Choice pick and the PC Pro award winner.

SOURCE Pro Softnet Corporation

Intel releases quad-core notebook processor

- The problem with computer chips? You can't run just one, these days. Seems like everything's got multiple chips or dual cores—it's enough to make your head spin. The current king of the heap for the Mac is, naturally, the Mac Pro, boasting your choice of one or two quad-core Intel Xeon chips.

And, as legally obligated by that Moore fellow, processor companies continue to release new chips like clockwork (Get it? Because processors have clock spe—oh, never mind). Intel's newest line, quietly unveiled this week, features five new mobile processors, including one quad-core model. In fact, PC maker Acer has already gone ahead and released their first notebook with the new Intel Core 2 Quad Q9000, running at 2.0GHz (pictured). With an 18.4-inch screen, the $1,799 Acer Aspire 8930G-7665—and won't that be on the tip of the tongue of every kid this year—is classed as a gaming rig and desktop replacement.

Among the other chips in Intel's new mobile line are the 2.93GHz T9800, the 2.66GHz P9600 Core 2 Duo, the 2.66GHz T9550, and the 2.53GHz P8700. The chips range in price from $241 to $530.

Intel is, of course, Apple's exclusive chip supplier, so there's a pretty good chance that some of these powerhouses will make it into Apple's portable line before too long. With its four cores, it seems likely that the Q9000 would be destined for the 17-inch MacBook Pro, but the other chips of the line could be candidates for the rest of the MacBook series as 2009 rolls around. 

Gawker Media sells Consumerist blog (CNET)

- Gawker Media announced Tuesday that it has sold its Consumerist blog to Consumers Union, the publisher of Consumer Reports.

The blog, which is often an outlet for consumer complaints, will become a new division within the publisher. The current editorial staff is expected to remain, and there are no plans to change coverage, according to a report in The New York Times.

"We don't want to acquire the Consumerist and then squelch it in some way," Kevin McKean, vice president and editorial director of Consumers Union, told the newspaper.

Terms of the deal, which is expected to close Thursday, were not revealed.

Nick Denton, founder and president of Gawker Media, put the blog up for sale in November, on the same day he made public his decision to shut down Valleywag, the blog network's Silicon Valley gossip title. He also announced Tuesday his plans to sell the gossip site Defamer.

Denton, who also sold off three of its smallest blogs in April, said the softening online advertising market led to the decision to sell the blogs. On the same day he announced his intentions to sell the Consumerist blog, Denton published a detailed missive about his dire predictions for the online ad market.

"I think people have generally been too optimistic" about online ads, Denton told the Times on Tuesday.

Denton's handling of Gawker has been frugal, continually consolidating resources toward the blogs that were pulling in traffic and ad dollars. Early in October, Denton orchestrated a personnel shuffling that saw 14 percent of the company's editorial staff laid off but new hires made at some of the most successful titles like gadget blog Gizmodo and feminist chronicle Jezebel.