Telus Mobility announced recently that it is expanding its next-generation 1X wireless data network in Atlantic Canada. Through a reciprocal roaming/resale agreement with Aliant Mobility – Atlantic Canada’s major service provider – Telus is providing wireless service to centres in New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island.
Telus’ 1X network offers mobile communications to the Internet and other data networks, and delivers business-focused mobile computing and productivity solutions, and consumer applications such as interactive gaming, ringtone and image downloads, and other multimedia applications.
Double-check that Microsoft patch
The latest software patch issued by Microsoft Corp., which addresses a security hole in the company’s Windows 2000 platform can actually do more damage than good, causing the system to fail, the company said. The Redmond, Wash.-based company said that the patch released last month is incompatible with 12 other software patches for Windows 2000, and added that users will be unable to reboot systems once running the latest fix.
Microsoft recommended that customers running Windows 2000 with Service Pack 2 should verify the version of a file called “ntoskrnl.exe” before applying the patch. Versions of this file from 5.02195.4797 up to and including 5.0.2195.4928 are not compatible with the patch.
Critical flaw discovered in Samba
A potentially critical flaw in earlier versions of the open-source Samba file server product has prompted the developer to warn users to “immediately” upgrade to the latest version. Samba – a Windows server alternative designed for Unix and Linux servers – is a freely available open source software suite which enables file and print services to Server Message Block/Common Internet File System (SMB/CIFS) clients.
The Samba organization reported that the security flaw appears in versions 2.0.x to 2.2.7a of the software, and recommended users upgrade immediately to version 2.2.8. Unchecked, the flaw enables unauthorized users unrestricted privileges and remote access to the server running Samba. The latest Samba release can be found at: www.download.samba.org/samba/ftp.
Dell printers take aim at HP
Dell Computer Corp. and Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) will square off in yet another hardware market next week, when Dell announces a new line of printers, a company spokeswoman said. The two companies are vying for dominance in the PC market, but HP has enjoyed a comfortable advantage over other rivals in the printer market. Dell announced last year that it would sell its own line of printers developed in a partnership with Lexmark International Inc.
Dell has managed to grow its PC revenue as overall shipments drop, but the company has been looking to other markets for new growth opportunities among client devices. At Comdex in November, the company unveiled its Axim line of personal digital assistants. HP recently said it sees the PC market in 2003 as “a two-horse race” between itself and Dell. The companies also compete in markets such as servers based on Intel Corp. processors, storage and handheld devices.
Two-horse race in Tablet market: IDC
Through the end of December, Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP) was virtually tied with Acer Inc. in worldwide shipments of Tablet PCs, according to research released by IDC. Around 72,000 units had been sold through December, IDC said.
Both HP and Acer shipped about 17,000 units of the Compaq Tablet PC TC1000 and TravelMate 100, respectively, said Alan Promisel, an analyst with IDC in Framingham, Mass. Fujitsu Ltd. was third with shipments of about 15,000 Stylistic ST4000 Tablets, and Toshiba America Information Systems Inc.’s Portege 3500 came in fourth with about 10,500 units, Promisel said. Those early adopters have come mainly from users with specific needs for mobility, such as health care workers, traveling salespeople, and warehouse managers, he said. Corporations are still evaluating the devices, and probably won’t start adopting them in significant numbers for another six to 12 months, he said.
Corel puts itself up for auction
Software vendor Corel Corp. is talking to two venture capital firms about a possible take over of the company, it announced in a statement Monday. Vector CC Holdings LLC recently bought 22.89 million shares of Corel previously held by Microsoft Corp., representing around 20 percent of Corel’s share capital. Corel, based in Ottawa, Canada, has also engaged investment bank CIBC World Markets to sound out other possible buyers.
If a buyer is found, it will spell the end of the independent existence of one of the PC industry’s longest-lived companies. Founded in 1985 by Michael Cowpland, Corel helped kickstart the PC graphics market with its CorelDraw product, released in 1989.