NEWS: Dr Chua wants MCA leaders to Twit and use other social media

KUALA LUMPUR: MCA president Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek made his first tweet, signalling to party members that the new media is the way to go to win friends and influence voters.

Signing up with the user name drchuaSL, he wrote on his Blackberry: “My first attempt on Twitter. Today I have a neck pain but still have to work due to many appointments.”

Minutes later, he made his second tweet: “I’m giving a PC on the new media. All MPs, ADUNs and CC members must be on Twitter.”

Dr Chua signed up for his Twitter account on the spot during a press conference to announce a collaboration on the new media between the party and telecommunications company Celcom at Wisma MCA here.

Speaking to reporters, he said MCA reps and central committee members must be on the new media, including Twitter, to counter any false information by the opposition and to tell the truth to the rakyat.

Admitting that the Opposition was strong on new media publicity as well as better equipped to fight the media war, Dr Chua said: “You can say what you want in new media publicity. You can also spin a lot of hard truth and no truth.

“And the end result is, a lot of people believe what is written in the blog and Twitter.”

He added that the the new media publicity was one of the biggest challenges to the MCA and component parties of the Barisan Nasional.

“We always rely on the traditional news media or the mainstream media. We are so comfortable with it and only a few people are into tweeting and blogging,” he said, advising the people, especially the younger generation, not to believe everything that was being posted on the Internet.

NEWS: Govt's laptop initiative takes off this month

KUALA LUMPUR: The distribution of laptops under the National Broadband Initiative (NBI) will be done in stages, from this month to year end, the Dewan Negara heard.

Information, Communications and Culture Deputy Minister Datuk Joseph Salang Gandum said the move will involve the co-ordination and co-operation of government agencies, small and medium industries, and service providers.

"The ministry has already identified the users who are staying near the 246 broadband community centres nationwide.

"This initiative will help the government increase broadband penetration from 38% to 50% by end 2010," he said in reply to a question by Sen Datuk Rizuan Abdul Hamid who asked about the distribution of laptops under the NBI.

Salang said 65% of the laptops would be distributed to poor students and the remaining 35% to those in the low income group.

"We are targeting students from families with a household income of less RM3,000 for rural and RM5,000 for urban areas.

"Priority is for those in government and government-aided schools without computers and broadband subscription at home," he said.

The low income group, he said, should have a household income of less RM3,000, with no computers and broadband subscription.

Areas targeted are kampungs, new villages and local community centres with one laptop for each household. - Bernama

NEWS: Mobile broadband: Clear, consistent plan for spectrum allocation needed

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should be able to realise its 50% broadband penetration by year-end goal, with help from wireless technologies. But the Government must do more to support these technologies, said the GSM Association (GSMA), which represents the interests of the worldwide mobile communications industry.

The GSMA believes the Government needs to consider developing a clear and consistent plan for spectrum allocation, including the licensing of 2.6GHz spectrum as soon as possible for future LTE deployments.

Malaysia should also not delay the re-farming of existing 900MHz spectrum and the aligning of digital dividend spectrum plans across Asia, the GSMA said.

"While Malaysia has demonstrated keen adoption of mobile broadband - with year on year growth of 118% by end of Q1 2010 - more needs to be done to drive widespread availability across the country," said Jaikishan Rajaraman, senior director for Asia Pacific at GSMA.

"With further support and commitment from the Government facilitating these key spectrum levers, GSM mobile operators across Malaysia have the opportunity to become key innovators driving this broadband uptake."

The GSMA also announced the findings from an exclusive Telecom Advisory Services (TAS) report on mobile broadband taxation.

The report (bit.ly/dniQMI) shows that the Malaysian Government has put in place some of the most flexible levels of taxation on mobile broadband service provision in the world.

This tax regime is having a positive impact on mobile broadband penetration. Malaysian operators benefit from tax levels of just 6.1% of the total cost of mobile services (applied as VAT) on mobile broadband services.

By comparison, in Brazil the additional taxes can be as high as 38% of the total cost of mobile services (33% VAT and 5.1% from other taxes).

The Government is targeting delivery of broadband connectivity to 50% of all households across Malaysia by the end of this year.

With just 1.5 million fixed-line broadband connections currently available, compared to a growing ecosystem of some 31.5 million mobile users, HSPA (High-Speed Packet Access) and LTE (Long Term Evolution) mobile broadband will be instrumental in helping Malaysia achieve its goals.

Spanning 219 countries, the GSMA unites nearly 800 of the world's mobile operators, as well as more than 200 companies in the broader mobile ecosystem, including handset makers, software companies, and equipment providers.

NEWS: Facebook wants ownership suit thrown out

BIG CLAIM: A complaint by Ceglia claims that a seven-year-old contract he signed with Zuckerberg for software development entitles him to 84% of the company. - AP

BUFFALO (New York): Facebook will try to get a New York man's claim for majority ownership of the website thrown out of court, attorneys for the social networking site said.

A complaint by Paul Ceglia of Wellsville, New York, claims that a seven-year-old contract he signed with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg for software development entitles him to 84% of the company.

"No one's ever said it's not his signature or it's a fake contract," Ceglia attorney Terrence Connors said during a federal court hearing here.

Connors said the two men met when Zuckerberg, then a Harvard University freshman, responded to an ad Ceglia had posted on Craigslist looking for someone to develop software for a street-mapping database he was creating.

Zuckerberg offered to take on Ceglia's project for US$1,000 (RM3,400), Connors said, and then told Ceglia about a project of his own, a kind of online yearbook for Harvard students that he wanted to expand.

Ceglia said he gave Zuckerberg another US$1,000 to continue work on Zuckerberg's "The Face Book," with the condition that Ceglia would own a 50% interest in the software and business if it expanded.

The percentage grew to 84% based on a clause that added a percentage point for each day the project went past its Jan 1, 2004, due date.

Zuckerberg's undertaking "at that time was a fledgling project," Connors said. "Who knew it would turn into what it has turned into today."

Facebook recently celebrated its 500 millionth user, Connors said.

Vague

At the centre of Ceglia's claim is a two-page "work for hire" contract bearing the names of both men.

Facebook attorney Lisa Simpson acknowledged yesterday that Zuckerberg and Ceglia had worked together on the street-mapping website but said the contract submitted by Ceglia was full of "inconsistencies, undefined terms and things that don't make sense."

"We have serious questions about the authenticity of this contract," Simpson told US District Judge Richard Arcara. "What the contract asserts is there is a relationship about Facebook and there isn't one."

Ceglia's complaint was filed in state Supreme Court in Allegany County on June 30 and transferred to federal court at Facebook's request.

Ceglia was the subject of a temporary restraining order issued by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo in December 2009, after Cuomo said a wood-pellet fuel company operated by Ceglia and his wife took more than US$200,000 (RM680,000) from consumers and failed to deliver the pellets or refunds. The case is pending.

In 2008, Palo Alto, California-based Facebook settled a lawsuit over its origins brought by three of Zuckerberg's former Harvard classmates, who claimed he turned their idea into Facebook after they hired him to work on a website that later became ConnectU. - AP

NEWS: Yahoo! earnings climb but revenue stays modest

UPHILL BATTLE: Yahoo's lacklustre revenue growth could cause some investors to doubt Bartz, who was hired 18 months ago to lead the company out of a prolonged financial funk that depressed its stock. - AP

SAN FRANCISCO: Yahoo! Inc's turnaround effort wavered in the second quarter as the Internet company's lacklustre revenue growth overshadowed a surge in net income.

The results released yesterday could cause some investors to doubt the strategy of Yahoo!'s no-nonsense CEO, Carol Bartz, who was hired 18 months ago to lead the company out of a prolonged financial funk that has depressed its stock.

Bartz has been able to boost Yahoo!'s earnings by cutting costs, but so far hasn't been able to produce dramatic revenue gains.

Yahoo!'s second-quarter revenue growth of 2% was particularly disappointing, given that Google Inc last week announced its revenue surged 24% in the same period.

Both Google and Yahoo! make virtually all of their money from online advertising, a sector that has been recovering from a recession more quickly than other forms of marketing.

The challenges facing Yahoo! are similar to those at many other companies that have been fattening their bottom lines by trimming expenses while revenue remains lean.

"We still have plenty of work to do," Tim Morse, Yahoo!'s chief financial officer, said in an interview yesterday.

He said the second quarter looked fairly strong until June when several large advertisers suddenly reduced their spending. "That has made us incrementally more cautious," Morse said.

Reflecting that circumspect mood, Yahoo! predicted its third-quarter revenue would either remain unchanged from last year or increase by as much as 4%.

The company earned US$213mil (RM724mil), or 15 cents (51sen) per share, in the three months ending in June. That represents a 51% increase from net income of US$141mil (RM479mil), or 10 cents (34sen) per share, at the same time last year. - AP

NEWS: Malaysia has right mix to be 3D-content Asia hub

Tanner: "From a hardware standpoint, Avatar could have been made here. I have seen many facilities around the region and the equipment at the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia is top notch."

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has the opportunity to be at the forefront of stereoscopic 3D technology in the Asian region, said Craig Tanner, visual effects editor of the hit movie Avatar.

He believes the country has a competitive edge to excel in that segment of movie making. "This is its multilingual, largely English-speaking population and the world-class quality of its post-production facilities," he told In.Tech.

Tanner, who has visited other countries in the region, spent almost three weeks in Kuala Lumpur, and could make Malaysia the regional hub for his 3D studio.

"Malaysia is high on my list. Labour costs here are not cheap, but that's not my only consideration. Your country is a melting pot (of cultures and traditions) which is good for creativity," he said.

"There are other Asian countries that have English-speaking citizens but yours is an attractive multicultural society as well."

Impressive

Tanner, who was also visual effects editor for Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, is president of his company - Digital Revolution Studios (DRS) - which is headquartered in Los Angeles.

During his visit, he has been reviewing demo-reels from many local post-production houses and is impressed by both the talent and the equipment available here.

"From a hardware standpoint, Avatar could have been made here. I have seen many facilities around the region and the equipment at the National Film Development Corporation of Malaysia (Finas) is top notch," he said.

Tanner said an announcement on DRS' regional hub would be made by year end, at the latest.

"We are looking at creating new 3D content for Asia, be it for TV, cinemas, billboards, or whatever. We will provide training and the proper workflow processes," Tanner said.

Fertile

Tanner's wife, Gina, who is chief executive officer of DRS, said Malaysia has untapped creative resources that the company could help develop.

"There are more than a thousand unemployed or under-employed animators in the country," she said.

Tanner said the creative talent that DRS would train needs to have good work ethics and be able to take direction. "It doesn't matter if they have zero experience. It's their attitude that counts," he added.

According to him, his current focus is on expanding his company and he has no plans to be involved in a sequel to Avatar, if any.

"No more blue people for me," he quipped. "It is a great privilege to have worked on that movie. But creating more 3D content is my focus. DRS has the largest library of 3D clips in the world, and we want to keep on adding to that."

Tanner was also in the capital here to speak at a seminar on visual effects, organised by the Association of Post-Production and Animation Companies of Malaysia.

The seminar is sponsored by Finas and the Multimedia Development Corporation, guardian of the country's MSC Malaysia initiative to build a knowledge-based workforce and leapfrog the nation in information and communications technology.

Avatar is a science fiction movie written and directed by James Cameron, which drew accolades for its 3D effects. It broke several box office records and is the highest-grossing film of all time worldwide.

NEWS: MMU, Ericsson and TM building digital-home showcase

SMART DEAL: Guda (left) and Zaharin exchanging contracts at the MoU signing event in Cyberjaya. The ceremony was witnessed by TM Bhd chairman Datuk Dr Halim Shafie (middle).

CYBERJAYA: The Multimedia University (MMU) has inked a deal with Ericsson Malaysia and TM Research & Development (TM R&D) to set up a "digital home."

The "home" is an apartment-like setting on the university's premises that will showcase Ericsson Internet Protocol Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) solutions.

Some of the cool features that visitors will able to see are home users simultaneously viewing a movie on an IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) system while chatting in realtime with other viewers via another part of the TV screen.

They will also be able to see how content such as videos and still images can be "pushed" from smartphones or some other portable device to the TV, and vice versa, at the push of a button.

Ericsson Malaysia said that IMS is an open-standards solution which enables seamless integration and interoperability across various devices and communications platforms.

These include 3G mobile services, wireline broadband access with WLAN (wireless local area network) endpoints, according to Krishnakumar Guda, president of Ericsson Malaysia.

Under the deal, Ericsson Malaysia will furnish the "home" with IMS-based equipment while TM R&D will provide system connectivity and its expertise in other relevant areas.

The showcase will be ready in a few weeks time, Guda said.

He said the partnership will also give students and university staff the opportunity to become IMS application developers.

"Commercially viable applications created by them can be distributed globally via the Ericsson eStore - an online marketplace with up to two billion potential customers worldwide," he said.

MMU president Prof Dr Zaharin Yusoff said this is an excellent opportunity for the students and staff to venture into application development, a skill with which they can earn international recognition and monetary rewards.

"At MMU, we believe in encouraging our students and staff to be innovators and to develop their talents. This latest collaboration opens up global avenues that will help achieve this goal," he added.

NEWS: Sabahans among first to get 1Malaysia laptops

PULAU BANGGI: Sabah will receive 10,000 laptop computers for the first phase of the 1Malaysia Computer programme, to link the rural community to the world of communications.

These machines are part of the one million laptop computers allocated by the Government for distribution to secondary school students who were eligible and the low-income group.

The first phase of the programme will end in December.

"The distribution of the computers reflects the Government's determination to realise the 1Malaysia concept through wider access to the Internet," said Information, Communications and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

"We hope recipients of this facility will subscribe to broadband to enable them to access this sophisticated technology."

The minister was speaking to the press after handing over 100 1Malaysia laptop computers to residents here yesterday.

He also said that one criteria in selecting the recipients was that they must at least subscribe to broadband for the first month.

Lower rates

Rais said his ministry will discuss with broadband service providers the offering of broadband subscription packages at a more reasonable rate, to ensure that everyone involved in the 1Malaysia Computer programme benefited from the broadband service.

The recipients, comprising 65 secondary school students and 35 residents of the village here, are part of the 500 recipients in the Kudat area and are the first group in Sabah to benefit from the programme.

Rais said the move will assist the ministry in achieving a broadband penetration of 30.1% of households in Sabah by year end, from the current 17.3%.

"In this aspect, we must raise the rate of computer ownership and broadband penetration to churn out an ICT (information and communications technology) literate community on par with those in the developed nations.

"With the 1Malaysia Computer programme, as well as other government efforts, I am confident that the Sabah target for the year end will be achieved and subsequently raised to 50% in the future," he said.

Rais also launched the WiFi Village project at Kampung Karakit, near the island's jetty where residents can now access the Internet wirelessly at speeds of up to 4Mbps (megabits per second) within a radius of 300m in the village. - Bernama

NEWS: Global PC shipments up 22%

SEATTLE: Market research group IDC said worldwide shipments of PCs climbed 22.4% in the second quarter as businesses replaced aging computers and consumers continued to show interest in inexpensive laptops.

The growth came in half a percentage point less than predicted because of slightly lower PC shipments in Asia and the United States.

IDC analyst Loren Loverde said the group will likely reduce estimates for the current quarter and the rest of the year slightly, but he still calls the industry's performance in the quarter "quite good."

Businesses that stopped buying new technology during the worst of the recession have started replacing PCs, IDC says. That contributed to the rise in the quarter.

But Loverde said that doesn't mean the industry should expect to see a dramatic surge in demand for PCs in the coming months.

As PC processors become more powerful, it's not as critical for many businesses to furnish employees with the most up-to-date technology. As a result, more companies are hanging on to older computers longer and replacing them on an as-needed basis, the analyst said.

In all, PC makers shipped 81.5 million computers in the quarter. Hewlett-Packard Co remained the top computer maker in the world, followed by Dell Inc and Acer Inc. Lenovo Group Ltd, Toshiba Corp and AsusTek Computer Inc rounded out IDC's top-six list.

Consumers still sought out low-end laptops and netbooks - computers that are even less expensive, but also less powerful. - AP

NEWS: SchoolNet project a boon to students

KUALA LUMPUR: Ninety-nine per cent or 9,618 schools nationwide benefit from the SchoolNet project, Deputy Education Minister Dr Mohd Fuad Zarkashi said.

He said under the project, 6,633 schools had been equipped with computer labs and 3,025 have school access centres.

"Based on these figures, I believe our schools are on par with schools in other countries in terms of SchoolNet and educational technology usage," he said in reply to a question from Tan Seng Giaw (DAP-Kepong) in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Mohd Fuad said the EduwebTV programme introduced by the ministry on March 1, 2008 to create an IT-savvy generation had a positive impact because it enabled students to continue learning from their homes.

EduwebTv has an average of 500,000 hits per month with 33% coming from homes.

"The web TV hits in April, 2009 alone reached 397,977," he said in reply to a question from Datuk Noraini Ahmad (BN-Parit Sulong).

Noraini had asked how far educational TV broadcast through the Internet, or EduwebTV, had benefited rural schools in respect to narrowing the rural-urban digital gap in education.

EduwebTV is aimed at addresssing the limitation of using educational TV where teachers are unable to fit in the school period with the educational TV programme schedule.

"With EduwebTV, the teachers can choose the education TV programme according to their school timetable and the teaching and learning process in the classroom," said Mohd Fuad.

He said EduwebTV is also effective in that students benefit from the Education News (English/Bahasa Malaysia), Academic, Feature, Interview, Curriculum, Interactive segments and archive live broadcast segments.

Mohd Fuad said that up to June 31, 3,185 programmes had been downloaded as EduwebTV content.

He said through EduwebTV, students could also enhance their skills in using the Internet because EduwebTV had to be accessed through the SchoolNet network.

"For those with no Internet facility at home, they can access the EduwebTV programme outside school hours through School Access Centres set up at schools."

To a supplementary question from Noraini, he said that up to early this year, 10,488 teachers and education officers had received training on using EduwebTV in the teaching and learning process. - Bernama

NEWS: China seeks to reduce Internet users' anonymity

BEIJING: A leading Chinese Internet regulator has vowed to reduce anonymity in China's portion of cyberspace. It is calling for new rules to require people to use their real names when buying a mobile phone or going online.

In an address to the national legislature in April, Wang Chen, director of the State Council Information Office, called for perfecting the extensive system of censorship the government uses to manage the fast-evolving Internet, according to a text of the speech obtained by New York-based Human Rights in China.

China's regime has a complicated relationship with the freewheeling Internet, reflected in its recent standoff with Google over censorship of search results.

The Internet is China's most open and lively forum for discussion, despite already pervasive censorship, but stricter controls could constrain users. The country's online population has surged past 400 million, making it the world's largest.

Chen's comments were reported only briefly when they were made in April. Human Rights in China said the government quickly removed a full transcript posted on the legislature's website.

But the group said it found an unexpurgated text and the discrepancies show that Beijing is wary that its push for tighter information control might prove unpopular.

Wang said holes that needed to be plugged included ways people could post comments or access information anonymously, according to the transcript published in the group's magazine China Rights Forum.

"We will make the Internet real name system a reality as soon as possible, implement a nationwide cellphone real name system, and gradually apply the real name registration system to online interactive processes," the journal quoted Wang as saying.

As part of that Internet "real name system," forum moderators would have to use their real names as would users of online bulletin boards, and anonymous comments on news stories would be removed, Wang is quoted as saying.

The State Council Information Office did not immediately respond to a faxed request asking whether certain sections of Wang's address to the legislature were altered in the official transcript.

Wang's comments are in line with recent government statements that indicate a growing uneasiness toward the multitude of opinions found online.

A Beijing-backed think tank this month accused the United States and other Western governments of using social-networking sites such as Facebook to spur political unrest and called for stepped-up scrutiny.

China has blocked sites like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, although technologically savvy users can easily jump the so-called "Great Firewall" with proxy servers or other alternatives. Websites about human rights and dissidents are also routinely banned. - AP

NEWS: Driving high-speed broadband to the public

OFF WE GO: Rais flagging off the convoy to launch the mobile roadshow initiative, known as The Broadband Trail. - Bernama

KUALA LUMPUR: Watch out for convoys of vehicles decorated in the corporate colours of our broadband service providers.

Groups of the vehicles will be roaming all over the country specifically to give as many Malaysians as possible the opportunity to experience high-speed Internet access.

However, the four-wheel-drive trucks will also be "ferrying" the Internet to Malaysians who have not had the opportunity to experience the Web, such as some rural folk.

The nation has been divided into five zones, which will be covered by the convoys. More than 500 locations are in the zones, which include Sabah and Sarawak.

It is part of the National Broadband Awareness and Promotional Programme spearheaded by the Ministry of Information, Communications and Culture.

The minister, Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim, flagged off the convoys today during a ceremony to launch the mobile roadshow initiative, known as The Broadband Trail (or BB Trail). The roadshow is expected to last till year end.

Telco Telekom Malaysia, together with Maxis, Celcom, DiGi, YTL, Packet One, U Mobile and others, provided the mobile squads for the roadshow.

At every stop, the convoys will gather onlookers by hosting interactive games and contests in a carnival-like atmosphere, and by offering attractive prizes. They will also feature local entertainers to liven up the shows.

Onlookers at these stops will be able to get more information on high-speed broadband services, as well as websurf from a variety of portable devices.

"With this roadshow, I'm sure we will achieve our 50% broadband penetration target by year end," Rais said during the launch. Currently, the broadband penetration is 37.7%.

NEWS: Getting careless online could be costly

KUALA LUMPUR: In the age of information and communications technology, where an increasing amount of transactions happen in cyberspace, Internet users need to remain a step ahead of scammers.

They need to be extra careful to not download unknown software and applications, and to never open attachments from unknown senders, while exercising caution when performing online transactions.

This advice comes from Anthony Ung, country manager for SouthEast Asia for network antivirus and content security expert Trend Micro Inc.

"People can do anything online, from shopping to paying bills and conducting business transactions. "You don't have to prove who you are. As long as you have a credit card number, a (personal) indentification number and password, you can buy or download anything," he said.

According to him, identity theft or "phishing" and other computer security issues that can harm your reputation or that of others, are things to watch out for.

Phishing, he said, tricks victims into revealing personal information, which is then used to raid bank accounts, ring up credit card charges and apply for monetary loans.

He said phising scams arrive via e-mail and appear to originate from a legitimate organisation or agency, such as the Inland Revenue Board (IRB).

"The cybercriminals create a fake website which looks just like the original website of the IRB and spread it via e-mail with blank subject lines.

"Instead of using the e-mail address irb.com, they could use 1rb.com, for example. This happens especially when the deadline for filing income tax returns is looming.

"When you are rushing to submit your income tax form, you don't realise that "i" looks like "l." You just click, key in your password and identification number, put in all the data and send it.

"While you think you have submitted the file, it actually goes to the fake website," he said.

In a blur

Ung said most people are still unaware that cybercriminals use e-mail and fake websites to steal money and identities.

He said social networking sites are also popular with cybercriminals, to trick people into divulging personal information or downloading software onto their computers.

"Take Facebook, Google or Yahoo! e-mail systems, for example. Everytime you type your password and identification, the cybercriminals can also log in. When your the computer is not in use or busy, they go to your account and see what information you have. They then use it for something else, pretending to be you.

"Another thing is scams. You may receive an e-mail stating that you have won a lottery or were selected randomly for the prize. They will then request a fee to be paid upfront in order to get the prize. Of course, you will not see your money again, or the prize," Ung said.

To protect themselves from online scams, he said, Internet users are advised to change their identification and password every month, stop opening spam that tries to evade filters by delivering an image instead of just text, and to install anti-spyware technology.

Trend Micro is a global leader with more than two decades of expertise in endpoint, messaging and web security.

It has come up with a solution called Internet Security Pro 2010 for comprehensive protection against viruses, worms, trojans and hackers. It also detects and removes spyware, and blocks spam.

The software includes a firewall, system tuner, remote field lock utility and smartphone protection. It is easy to install and use, and offers good protection while surfing the Internet, the vendor claimed. - Bernama

NEWS: China renews Google operating license

BEIJING: China renewed Google's licence to operate after a months-long standoff over Internet censorship, saying the company had pledged it wouldn't provide "lawbreaking content."

The California-based giant said on Friday that it had received approval to operate in the world's most populous country, after it agreed to stop automatically rerouting users of Google.cn to its site in Hong Kong, which is not subject to China's online censorship.

The company began the rerouting earlier this year when it decided to stop censoring its search results on the mainland site.

Search requests at Google.cn from within mainland China now require an extra click that then takes the user to the Hong Kong site. That small concession was enough to persuade China's regulators to renew the licence, the company said.

An official with Ministry of Industry and Information Technology confirmed the licence was renewed for another year for Beijing Guxiang Information Technology Co Ltd, the operator of Google's China website, the official Xinhua News Agency said on Sunday.

China's decision to allow Google to continue operations has resolved the dispute that had threatened the company's future in the country.

Xinhua said that Guxiang had agreed to "abide by Chinese law" and "ensure the company provides no lawbreaking content" in its renewal application letter.

"After our assessment, we decided that Guxiang had basically met the requirements," the ministry official, who was not identified, was quoted as saying.

The website of the ministry, which regulates the Internet in China, listed Guxiang on Sunday among some 200 companies whose licences had been renewed until 2012.

Guxiang also agreed that all content it provides is subject to the supervision of government regulators, the official said.

The conflict arose in January when Google decided to end its four-year practice of omitting search results that the Chinese government considers subversive or pornographic.

Google made the decision after blaming Chinese computer hackers for an attack it said was aimed at stealing the company's technology and e-mail information from human rights activists.

China is not yet a big moneymaker for Google, accounting for an estimated US$250mil to US$600mil (RM850mil to RM2bil) of the company's projected US$28bil (RM95bil) in revenue this year.

But the number of Internet users in China is estimated at 384 million, more than the nearly 200 million in the United States. - AP

NEWS: Social networks a boon for small businesses

PETALING JAYA: Many businesses are turning to social networks to better connect with their customers and attract potential clients, according to a global survey.

The survey, commissioned by workspace solutions provider Regus PLC, also found that small companies are more likely to use social networking for business purposes, And are the most successful at it.

Regus said 44% of the small companies in its survey successfully acquired new customers through social networks, compared with medium companies (36%) and large businesses (28%).

Companies that do not take advantage of social networks (such as Twitter and Facebook) may be missing out on sizeable business opportunities, Regus said.

The survey polled 15,000 companies worldwide.

Regus operates more than 1,000 business centres across 450 cities in 75 countries.

NEWS; Intel shows off 'invisible computers'

INTRIGUING: Intel Labs brings portable interaction to tablet computers by recognising and reacting to objects placed on tablet screens as well as objects manipulated on the surface around the tablet. - Intel

DURING Intel's annual Research event on June 30 more than 30 research teams showed off their latest inventions in the fields of energy, transportation, user experience, the cloud and platform innovation.

Interaction with computers will become much more natural in the future said Intel, showing a first glimpse at how tomorrow's users will seamlessly interact with "invisible computers" through gesture, voice and touch.

NEW WAY TO INTERACT: Projected displays on everyday household surfaces like kitchen countertops to create interactive "islands." A user could have a movie playing while making dinner or search and display a recipe right there on the counter. - Intel

Some of the projects on show during the event were the Oasis (a "Smart Kitchen Top" that can recognise food products placed on a kitchen bench), a low-cost energy sensor that helps consumers track their energy consumption, and SENS (Socially Enabled Services) - a mobile phone-based social network that shows you what your friends are doing in real time.

Videos of Intel's new, humanized technology can be viewed on Intel's YouTube page, www.youtube.com/user/channelintel. - Relaxnews

NEWS: Free laptops from govt scheme cannot be sold off

KUALA LUMPUR: Recipients of free laptops under the 1Malaysia Computer programme are advised against selling the computers.

Deputy Information, Communications, Culture and Arts Minister Datuk Joseph Salang said action would be taken against those found doing so.

"The (details of the) computers are recorded," he said in response to a supplementary question by Azan Ismail (PKR-Indera Mahkota) in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.

Azan wanted to know the measures taken by the Government to prevent the recipients from selling the laptops.

He said there are some, especially those who do not know how to use it or whose homes are without electricity, being offered RM700 for their computer.

Salang said the laptops are only given to residents in areas with broadband coverage and electricity supply.

Earlier, in response to a question from Nancy Shukri (BN-Batang Sadong), he said the laptops are given to families with a household income of less than RM3,000 for those in the rural areas and below RM5,000 for urban families.

He said 65% of the computers are given to students in government and government-aided secondary schools.

Salang said the programme would be carried out in phases, with the first phase involving 123,000 computers. This was implemented last month. - Bernama

NEWS: All that glitters is not gold

Is Hollywood going bankrupt on new ideas and trying to compensate with technology?

THE GURU SPEAKS: Imhof, seen here giving a seminar at The One Academy, Bandar Sunway, Selangor, says that as much as he is impressed by advances in visual effects technology, he is disappointed at the lack of good stories in Hollywood.

IF YOU think Hollywood has become all dazzle and no substance these days, don't worry. Even some of the guys behind all that glitter think so, too.

Special effects technologies might have changed the way Hollywood makes its movies but according to Swiss digital artist Nicolas Imhof, it's not necessarily for the better.

The former Hollywood-based special effects technical director, who has worked on movies such as Star Trek: Nemesis, Batman & Robin, Along Came A Spider, The 6th Day and Harry Potter, said that as much as he's impressed with the technology available to artists these days, he's disappointed with the lack of genuine creativity.

"When I started doing visual effects, we were still doing it with codes. It wasn't user-friendly at all. I was part of the team that created the first realistic CG fur, for a Coca-Cola ad with polar bears, and it was so complicated! Today you just click-click-click and bam, it's happening.

"But even though I'm totally amazed by the quality (of special effects today), I think Hollywood is forgetting something - you still need a story, a good script and good storytelling," said Imhof.

Imhof was in Malaysia recently along with fellow Swiss artist Christian Lorenz Scheurer, currently based in Hollywood, to speak at a seminar entitled Swiss Design in Hollywood, organised by The One Academy and held at its premises in Bandar Sunway, Selangor.

As an artist still working in Hollywood, Scheurer has an idea of what Hollywood is working on for the next few years and he said in terms of content, not a lot of it is going to be fresh.

"You will see a lot of sequels in the next few years, which is unfortunate. I hope there will be some original things too," said Scheurer, who has lent his talents to movies such as Titanic, What Dreams May Come, The Matrix, Evan Almighty, Superman Returns and Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

COOL: Scheurer has lent his talents to movies like Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.

The most recent project he's worked on is a DreamWorks production called Gardens of Childhood, which he said will be out in 2012.

There is one sequel, and one director in particular, that Scheurer is almost certain we'll be seeing more of in the near future. "I see an Avatar 2 for sure. But I'm just speculating based on its success. And you will see more of James Cameron. He had at least two projects that did not take off before Avatar, so either he'll do those two movies, or he'll do more Avatar," Scheurer added.

Not appreciated

That lack of original ideas is something Scheurer hopes to address among students who attend the seminars.

"I want to show students how original content is created; not just copying old things but creating profoundly new things. When I look at Hollywood today, it's all the same.

"There has to be emotions, because to tell a story and convey emotions - that's why we do what we do," he said.

But even though a lot of movies are becoming more and more CG-based, Imhof said that visual effects companies in Hollywood are still struggling.

According to him, there are only a handful of big VFX companies left today, while there were "50 to 60 smaller companies" around during his time in Hollywood.

NO RESPECT: Scheurer says VFX people don't get enough respect from Hollywood, as evinced by the credits in Avatar when the people behind the effects get billed after the Taco guy. - 20th Century Fox

Imhof returned to Switzerland in 2003 where he worked for a time as an art director on European commercials and feature films.

"Hollywood doesn't respect VFX people enough. Just look at the credits! In Avatar, they come up after the Taco guy or something like that. They're never near the top of the credits with these big movies.

"And VFX companies are very lucky to get a 5%-10% profit margin when they do big movies. They don't make money doing them, they do them just to increase their profile," said Imhof.

In spite the dearth of new ideas, Scheurer predicts a new cinematic experience for audiences in the coming years.

"There will be a lot of 3D - that we know. But I can also imagine a lot of immersion, and it won't necessarily be on the big screen. Maybe it will be on your wii, where you can interact with the movie. I do see a future where we have a hybrid of games and cinema.

"Kids today don't want to just watch Die Hard, they want to play Die Hard. 3D has given a new lease of life to action movies, and they will soon belong to the games. But other movies, like Woody Allen and character-driven movies, that's not going to go away," he said.

(Ian Yee is on the team for The Star R.AGE, a pullout for youths. Check out its website at www.rage.com.my.)

NEWS: Sex.com domain name on sale

ON SALE: The Internet domain name, sex.com, is up for grabs. - Relaxnews/Smit

BERLIN: The world's "most valuable" Internet domain name, sex.com, went up for grabs on Thursday having fetched US$12mil (RM38.7mil) in 2006, a German firm handling the sale said.

"It happens very rarely that an Internet address of this calibre goes on sale," Cologne-based Sedo said. "(The) sale of sex.com offers the new owner a unique opportunity to became market leader."

Sedo, which said it is the world's biggest trading platform for domain names, is selling sex.com on behalf of US firm Escom after creditors filed for insolvency protection, a joint statement said.

Other domain names have also changed hands for huge sums in the past, with vodka.com selling for US$3mil (RM9.6mil), kredit.de for 892,500 euros (RM3.6mil) and poker.org for US$1mil (RM3.23mil), Sedo said.

"Owners of domains like this have a clear competitive advantage. Visitors land automatically on the websites of the owners just by entering what they are looking for.

The listing in search machines is also improved," it added. - AFP/Relaxnews

NEWS: Ministry's antipiracy efforts paying off

KUALA LUMPUR: The Kuala Lumpur enforcement office of the Domestic Trade, Co-operatives and Consumerism Ministry notched up 39 copyright piracy cases, involving the seizure of illegal items worth RM1.5mil and the arrest of 20 people so far this year. State enforcement chief Othman Nawang said the cases involved pirated computer software and illegal ringtone downloads.

He attributed the successes to the national-level campaign to stamp out piracy launched by the minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, on May 10.

"Piracy will tarnish our country's image and incur losses to copyright owners," he told reporters at his office here yesterday.

Othman said the division seized six computers and illegal software valued at a total of RM312,800 from a graphics company during its most recent operation.

The 12.30pm raid, conducted in collaboration with the Business Software Alliance, found that the pirated software was being used for photo editing, animation, antivirus protection, and wordprocessing. - Bernama

NEWS: Facebook, Twitter powerful business tools: research group

NET IMPACT: According to online researcher Nielsen, social media networking sites - Facebook, Wikipedia and YouTube have become powerful tools that influence what people buy. - AFP/Relaxnews

SINGAPORE: Social media such as Facecbook and Twitter or blogging sites have become powerful tools that influence what people buy, online researcher Nielsen said, urging businesses to embrace the trend.

Nearly three in four people worldwide who use the Internet have visited a social networking or blog, spending an average of almost six hours a month on them, The Nielsen Company said in a report.

Of the seven biggest brands online globally, three are social media networking sites - Facebook, Wikipedia and YouTube - it said in its latest report on social media trends in the Asia Pacific region.

"Social media is having a larger and larger influence on purchasing decisions," said Charles Buchwalter, chairman and chief executive of Nielsen Online Japan.

"Everyone understands that social media is hot, it's growing quickly and in very unpredictable ways everywhere in the world," he told reporters in an online media briefing.

According to Nielsen's findings, online product reviews are the third most trusted source of information when consumers decide whether to purchase a product, coming after recommendations from friends and family.

From China and India to Australia, online reviews are a major influence in buying electronics items, cosmetics, cars and food, among other things, it said.

An average 32% access social media sites from their workplaces and 31% access them from the confines of their bedrooms.

"The findings we've uncovered in this social media report highlight, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that social media is here to stay and needs to be taken seriously by the broader business community," said Megan Clarken, managing director of Nielsen's online business in the Asia Pacific.

Clarken added that "businesses can no longer afford to simply observe the social media phenomenon, they need to embrace it." Buchwalter said Facebook "is much more than a poster child for social media" as businesses increasingly use it. "Social media is for real. There's no turning back." - AFP/Relaxnews

NEWS: Govt agencies save RM188mil by going open source

KUALA LUMPUR: Almost all government agencies have adopted open-source software (OSS), resulting in a total cost savings of RM188mil on software licensing fees over the past six years, according to the Malaysian Administrative Modernisation and Management Planning Unit (Mampu).

Datuk Mohamad Zabidi Zainal, Mampu director-general, said 691 public sector agencies (97%) have embraced open-source technologies since the Public Sector Open Source Software Master Plan was implemented in 2004.

"This represents a more than 25-fold increase in government agencies using open-source software," he said at the second annual MSC Malaysia Open Source Conference 2010 here.

Mampu is the central agency under the Prime Minister's Department tasked with increasing the efficiency of the Malaysian public service.

Mohamad Zabidi noted that more than half of the 4,000 ICT (information and communications technology) vendors registered with the Finance Ministry now provide OSS services. "There was none before the Public Sector OSS Master Plan kicked in," he said.

The open-source software in use by the government agencies include server and desktop PC operating systems, all sorts of office productivity software, as well as anti-spam and network security solutions.

System support and maintenance are done in-house, according to Mampu, which resulted in lower expenses for those services.

The plan had been launched by the Government to drive OSS adoption among its agencies.

Under the plan, Mampu had been tasked with establishing an Open Source Competency Centre, which was to be a single point of reference to guide, facilitate, co-ordinate and monitor the implementation of OSS in the public sector.

Mampu has trained more than 5,000 government personnel at the centre to date, The public sector has about one million employees, which includes policemen, soldiers and teachers, said Mampu.

The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), which is guardian of the country's MSC Malaysia initiative, said its companies in the open-source sector generated about RM595mil in local revenue and RM234mil in export revenue last year.

Datuk Badlisham Ghazali, MDeC chief executive officer, said the companies have been achieving double-digit growth over the past few years and will continue to be successful.

The conference is a three-day event featuring talks, tutorials and product demonstrations. It is organised by MDeC, Mampu and the Open Source Developers Club of Malaysia.

NEWS: Socially conscious gaming making the world a better place

GET INVOLVED: Screencap of the Conspiracy for Good website.

Parents who have spent hours telling their kids they are wasting their lives away by sitting in front of a computer screen, playing videogames and networking with their online friends might soon be revising their harsh tone.

A new trend sees online gaming and social networking blurring the line between virtual and real-world situations in the hopes of creating (fun and entertaining) socially conscious movements around the globe.

"Games like World of Warcraft give players the means to save worlds, and incentive to learn the habits of heroes.

What if we could harness this gamer power to solve real-world problems?" questioned Jane McGonigal, an avid gamer and director of game R&D at the Institute for the Future, while speaking at Ted2010 in February this year.

This newfound mentality is spreading in the gaming world. Corporations, eager to follow McGonigal's lead are pushing the concept of socially conscious gaming for a better future.

On June 22 Nokia announced they had teamed up with Heroes creator Tim Kring to launch a movement that "blends online and real-world tasks to effect social change through audience participation."

The project, called Conspiracy For Good (CFG), uses storytelling, social media, mobile devices, alternate reality gaming, music and physical participation to create social and educational change around the world.

"I believe that storytelling has the power to create positive change in the world. Audiences today want to be more involved in stories," said Tim Kring. "Our goal with the Conspiracy For Good is to entice, engage, and inspire the audience to drive real-world change through their participation in a narrative."

Videogame players interested in "changing the world" can also play Superstruct, the massively multiplayer game developed by McGonigal.

Superstruct encourages players to help solve many of the issues societies could be confronted with in 2019.

To see a list of additional socially conscious games, visit www.socialimpactgames.com.

While players in Britain will be able to download Nokia's Conspiracy For Good: DeadDrop application on their Nokia compatible phone from the Ovi Store in mid-July, players around the world will be able to "make the world a better place" by visiting www.conspiracyforgood.com and getting involved. - Relaxnews

NEWS: Mobile learning method

Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) has introduced the short messaging service (SMS) in its learning methods for postgraduate programmes in its School of Distance Education.

The School’s pricipal researcher (Mobile Learning) Dr Issham Ismail said Masters or PhD-level students interested in conducting research on distance learning could obtain information and contact their lecturers using SMS.

“A mobile learning research team was created in 2007 when the Higher Education Ministry provided a grant to conduct research on SMS as a module in the system of distance learning,” he said.

He said, so far, 20 postgraduate students had begun learning and conducting research via SMS.

Issham said the ministry had allocated RM330,000 for the programme.

Following the success of the SMS programme, USM organised a two-day international e-learning conference recently.

The conference, with representatives from 19 countries, saw researchers and academicians presenting their research on the use of telecommunications in learning. — Bernama

NEWS: TV tutor goes on air

IN the hit movie Click, Adam Sandler’s character pressed a button on his special remote control and got transported to the future.

Now, pupils preparing for the UPSR (Ujian Pencapaian Sekolah Rendah) examination can receive some extra help with the click of a button on their Astro remote controls.

Going on air today, Astro Tutor TV may give Year Six pupils more reasons to watch television — with good reason.

A first in the country, the content in Astro Tutor TV is 100% based on the UPSR examination syllabus.

Amy, the animated teacher on UPSR Express with a Science sample question.

The channel broadcasts a 24-hour revision programme, covering four subjects, namely Bahasa Malaysia, English, Mathematics and Science.

In the UPSR Express programme, pupils can first watch the tutorials on the exam topics before answering the model exam questions by pressing the “R” interactive button on the remote control.

Each 30-minute episode features lively animations and interactions between the “teacher” and voice-over by a child, bringing a new dimension to revision.

Astro education head Yasmin Megat shared that this audio-visual approach is used to complement the syllabus taught in classrooms.

A research carried out in the University of Texas demonstrated that children on average remember only 10 to 20% of what they read but they can retain 50% of what they see and hear.

“With Astro Tutor TV, teachers couldn’t have found a better way to teach a science phenomenon such as an eclipse as they can look at the visuals,” said Yasmin.

With two new episodes on a subject every Monday to Thursday, and reruns of the programmes on Friday and the weekend, Astro Tutor TV allows pupils to revise at their own time and pace, from the comfort of their homes.

This is an advantage of Astro Tutor TV as pupils with different abilities who are weaker in a certain topic can watch reruns of the episodes which are shown throughout the day.

“Pupils who have a Astro video recorder at home can record the episodes and play it again,” said Yasmin, adding that the pause and rewind functions are very useful in helping teachers to teach a difficult concept in school.

Yasmin: The pupils can pick up tips on how to tackle tricky exam questions.

According to her, the Astro Tutor TV team has a panel of teachers and revision book publishers on hand to provide input on how to score in the exam.

“The pupils can pick up tips on how to tackle tricky exam questions,” she said.

Besides, they can look at common mistakes often committed in examinations in the segment Silap Lagi.

“The pupils might also be able to relate to the child voice-over who asks questions that probably go on in their head when they are watching Tutor TV at home,” she said.

Taking a holistic approach to revision, Astro Tutor TV also features self-motivation tips, study strategies and a comedy capsule, HA3.

“Laughing is the best way for pupils to destress when they are preparing for examinations,” said Yasmin.

For pupils who need some boost of inspiration, they can also catch Lulus!, a programme which featured five well-rounded pupils who had performed well in UPSR.

By bringing revision to the living room, Yasmin said parents can now play a more active role in helping their children to excel in examinations.

“Based on the feedback we have received, the common complaint among parents is that they know very little about the examination syllabus,” Yasmin said.

She encouraged parents to watch Astro Tutor TV with their children as parental support was an important factor in motivating pupils to perform better.

Astro Tutor TV (Channel 100) is part of the Family Pack and is free to all Astro customers. Channel 100 opens today and closes on September 23. The vernacular versions of the UPSR Express programme for Mathematics and Science will be shown in mid-August.

The channel is also free to all government schools that are equipped with Kampus Astro decoders.

Astro subscribers can log on to
www.astro.com.my to watch the repeat shows and attempt the questions shown on the website.

NEWS: Perak to expand internet, broadband to rural areas

PANGKOR: Perak hopes to expand internet and broadband services in towns and rural areas to enhance Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the state said Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Dr Zambry Abdul Kadir.

Among initiatives to be implemented would be to increase the number of "hot spot wi-fi" centres to enable easy internet access for rural folks.

Usage of computers is vital as an information tool, especially for school children who can use computers to save time on their studies, he said when launching Pangkor Digital Point (PDP) Tuesday.

However, the usage must be assisted and monitored by parents so that their children do not surf websites that are not suitable for children, he said.

Meanwhile, at a programme called Retreat with Penghulu, Zambry said Perak would ensure that the traditional system of Chieftain (penghulu) that has been maintained through generations, would remain relevant as a bridge between the people and the government.

"We are planning to introduce a scheme that will enable penghulu from one village to be transferred to another every five years, based on their performance," he said.

"The (penghulu) system in an institutional heritage and their services are vital to the government," he said. - Bernama