Software downloads for Iran: Google

Google Blog, January 19, 2011

During the protests that erupted in Iran following the disputed Presidential election in June 2009, the central government in Tehran deported all foreign journalists, shut down traditional media outlets, closed off print journalism and disrupted cell phone lines. The government also infiltrated networks, posing as activists and using false identities to round up dissidents. In spite of this, the sharing of information using the Internet prevailed. YouTube and Twitter were cited by journalists, activists and bloggers as the best source for firsthand accounts and on-the-scene footage of the protests and violence across the country. At the time, though, U.S. export controls and sanctions programs prohibited software downloads to Iran.

Some of those export restrictions have now been lifted and today, for the first time, we’re making Google Earth, Picasa and Chrome available for download in Iran. We’re committed to full compliance with U.S. export controls and sanctions programs and, as a condition of our export licenses from the Treasury Department, we will continue to block IP addresses associated with the Iranian government.

Our products are specifically designed to help people create, communicate, share opinions and find information. And we believe that more available products means more choice, more freedom, and ultimately more power for individuals in Iran and across the globe.

Update Feb 28, 2012: In addition to the products above, we also recently made Chrome extensions available for download in Iran.

Update Jan 16, 2013: In addition to the products above, we’re now making the Google Earth plug-in available for download in Iran. This plug-in enables people to navigate and explore geographic data on a 3D globe using a web browser.

Posted by Neil Martin, Export Compliance Programs Manager

Related Article:

"THE OLD SOUL 2013 TOOLKIT" – Jan 13, 2013 (Kryon Channelling by Lee Caroll) - New

HTC launches smartphones in Myanmar

Want China Times, CNA 2013-01-16

The first new exclusive HTC concept store opens in Myanmar. (Photo/HTC)

Taiwanese handset maker HTC started selling customized smartphones in Myanmar on Monday through a local partner, hoping to establish a presence in the untapped mobile market.

HTC signed a distribution contract with KMD Computer Group, Myanmar's largest IT and mobile distributor, to sell six of its smartphones — the Butterfly, One X+, One X, Desire X, Desire and Desire C — in the Southeast Asian country.

In addition to opening new exclusive HTC concept stores in big cities such as Yangon and Mandalay, KMD also will also set up service centers to serve HTC customers and sell HTC accessories exclusively in the growing market, HTC said in a statement.

HTC worked with Sanmyanmar, a software developer in Myanmar, to customize Google's Android operating system for the new market.

The customized HTC devices will have a Myanmar-language onscreen keyboard and fonts allowing users to read and type more easily, the statement said.

Myanmar users of mobile phones and computers currently need to install fonts in their own language because no unified international standard for Myanmar language symbols exists, making it difficult to integrate the language into software.

China Internet users hit 564 million in 2012

Yahoo – AFP, January 16, 2013

A woman views the Chinese social media website Weibo at a cafe in

Beijing on April 2, 2012.

BEIJING (AFP) - China's population of Internet users grew by 50.9 million people in 2012 to 564 million, official data showed Tuesday, with mobile devices the main means of online access.

The China Internet Network Information Center announced the figures on its website. The total population numbers 1.3 billion people.

The centre last year reported that the number of Internet users surged past the 500 million mark in 2011 for the first time.

Tuesday's figures showed that the number of people accessing the Internet via mobile devices in 2012 increased 18.1 percent to 420 million.

The use of micro-blogging services -- similar to Twitter -- also surged, the report said, with the total number of users increasing by 58.73 million to 309 million.

Internet use has steadily increased despite strict censorship via what is known as The Great Firewall -- the country's system of online limits and restrictions.

Online shoppers in the world's second largest economy, meanwhile, rose 24.8 percent to 242 million.

Related Article:

Number of microblog users in China hits 309 million

Oracle patches dangerous Java holes

Google – AFP,  14 January 2013 

Oracle is distributing a patch for flaws so dangerous the Department of

Homeland  Security said people should stop using it (Getty Images/AFP/

File, Justin Sullivan)

SAN FRANCISCO — Oracle on Monday was distributing a patch for Java software flaws deemed so dangerous that the US Department of Homeland Security said that people should stop using it.

"Oracle recommends that this Security Alert be applied as soon as possible because these issues may be exploited 'in the wild' and some exploits are available in various hacking tools," Oracle's Eric Maurice said in a blog post.

The patch was crafted to fix two holes that hackers could slip through in Java 7 software used by web browsers to interact with websites.

"To be successfully exploited, an attacker needs to trick an unsuspecting user into browsing a malicious website," Maurice said.

"The execution of the malicious applet within the browser of the unsuspecting users then allows the attacker to execute arbitrary code in the vulnerable system."

Essentially, hackers could take advantage of the vulnerability to infect and take control of computers by getting them to visit a booby-trapped website.

Oracle raised Java security settings so that mini-programs referred to as "applets" will need to get permission from website visitors before being able to run on people's computers, according to Maurice.

Despite the patch, which was released by Oracle on Sunday, computer specialists at the Department of Homeland Security advised people to avoid using the software "unless it is absolutely necessary," even after updating.

"This will help mitigate other Java vulnerabilities that may be discovered in the future," the DHS Computer Emergency Readiness Team said Monday in an updated advisory on its website.

Java is distributed by business software powerhouse Oracle and is popular because it lets developers create websites in code that can be accessed regardless of a computer's operating system.

Java was created by Sun Microsystems, which was purchased by Northern California-based Oracle.

Acer loses world's No. 3 notebook-maker spot in Q4

Want China Times, CNA 2013-01-14

An Acer laptop at a store in Taipei. (Photo/Wang Chueh-wei)

Taiwan's Acer lost it's world No. 3 title with a 10% global market share to Dell in the fourth quarter of 2012, according to local research firm Digitimes Research.

Acer shipments dropped by more than 15% annually in the fourth quarter of last year due to rising inventory levels, leading to the loss of the spot to the US rival, the Taipei-based firm said.

In fifth place was Taiwan's Asustek Computer, behind Acer by only 0.2 percentage points, the firm noted in a statement released on Jan. 11.

China's Lenovo Group, on the other hand, shipped a record high in the company's history of 8 million notebook computers in the fourth quarter due to strong overseas market performance, but it did not beat Hewlett-Packard to the world's No. 1 position, given HP's steady performance over the last two quarters, the Taiwanese research firm explained.

Global notebook computer shipments reached 48.51 million devices in the fourth quarter of 2012, an increase of 2.5% from the third quarter, because of Windows 7 sales at year-end, it said. The figure is better than its estimated 0.7% increase, it added.

Global shipments in 2012, however, reached only 194 million devices, posting a negative 4.5% year-on-year growth, according to the firm.

Meanwhile, global shipments of personal computers for 2012 fell 3.2% to 352.42 million devices from a year earlier as smartphones and tablet computers stole the market spotlight, market information advisory firm International Data Corp. said on Jan. 11.

Acer was the fourth-largest PC vendor worldwide with 33.49 million global shipments of PC devices, while Asustek finished in fifth place with 24.13 million devices.

HP remained the world's largest PC vendor in 2012, shipping 58.13 million devices, while Lenovo ranked as the second-largest PC vendor last year, shipping 52.45 million devices.

Dell was third, with 38.72 million devices.

The Netherlands joins US, Canada in UN telecom treaty protest

DutchNews.nl, 10 January 2013

The Netherlands will refuse to ratify a new United Nations treaty on telecommunications because it 'stands in the way of a free and open internet', economic affairs minister Henk Kamp has told parliament.

Although there are internationally-agreed regulations for telecommunications dating from 1988, many countries want to modernise them and include internet.

But now divisions have emerged between western countries and a rival group, including China, Russia, and some Gulf states. They want more government control over the internet and say western dominance needs to be tackled.

In particular, the Netherlands is opposed to spam prevention measures contained in the treaty. These 'allow room for government control of internet traffic', Kamp said in his briefing. 'It is not acceptable to give governments the opportunity to censor internet and put constraints on digital freedom,' he wrote.

The new measures will come into effect in 2015, but only for the countries which have signed it. The US, Japan, Australia and Canada have also said they will not ratify the treaty.

People use computers at an internet cafe in Beijing. 
Photograph: Diego Azubel/EPA

Related Articles:

U.S., Canada decline to sign UN telecoms treaty 

89 ITU members sign controversial U.N. telecom treaty

Internet remains unregulated after UN treaty blocked

The Internet - The first Worldwide Tool of Unification ("The End of History")

" ... Now I give you something that few think about: What do you think the Internet is all about, historically? Citizens of all the countries on Earth can talk to one another without electronic borders. The young people of those nations can all see each other, talk to each other, and express opinions. No matter what the country does to suppress it, they're doing it anyway. They are putting together a network of consciousness, of oneness, a multicultural consciousness. It's here to stay. It's part of the new energy. The young people know it and are leading the way.... "

" ... I gave you a prophecy more than 10 years ago. I told you there would come a day when everyone could talk to everyone and, therefore, there could be no conspiracy. For conspiracy depends on separation and secrecy - something hiding in the dark that only a few know about. Seen the news lately? What is happening? Could it be that there is a new paradigm happening that seems to go against history?... " Read More …. "The End of History"- Nov 20,2010 (Kryon channelled by Lee Carroll)


"The New Paradigm of Reality" Part I/II – Feb 12, 2011 (Kryon channelled by LeeCarroll) (Subjects: Egypt Uprising, Iran/Persia Uprising, Peace in Middle East without Israel actively involved, Muhammad, "Conceptual" Youth Revolution, "Conceptual" (without a manager hierarchy) managed Businesses, Internet, Social Media, News Media, Google, Bankers, Global Unity,..... etc.)

Google's Schmidt urges N.Korea Internet freedom

Google – AFP, 10 January 2013 

Bill Richardson (2nd R) and Eric Schmidt (C) arrive at Beijing airport after

return from Pyongyang, on January 10, 2013 (AFP, Ed Jones)

BEIJING — Google chairman Eric Schmidt told North Korea it will not develop unless it embraces Internet freedom, he said on Thursday as he returned from a controversial visit to the communist state with US politician Bill Richardson.

Richardson, the former US ambassador to the United Nations who led the trip, said he called on Pyongyang to adopt a moratorium on ballistic missiles and nuclear tests following the its widely criticised rocket launch last month.

Speaking at Beijing airport, he said efforts to "strongly urge" North Korea, a highly secretive and tightly-controlled country, to increase the use of the Internet were "the main success of the visit".

Schmidt said he told North Korean officials they should open up the country's Internet "or they will remain behind".

"As the world becomes increasingly connected, their decision to be virtually isolated is very much going to affect their physical world, their economic growth and so forth, and it will make it harder for them to catch up economically," he said.

"Once the Internet starts, citizens in a country can certainly build on top of it. The government has to do something. It has to make it possible for people to use the Internet which the government in North Korea has not yet done."

Bill Richardson (C, L) and Eric Schmidt (C, R) visit the Grand People's

Study House in Pyongyang, on January 9, 2013 (KCNA via KNS/AFP)

Richardson, also a former governor of New Mexico, said: "We strongly urged the North Koreans to proceed with a moratorium on ballistic missiles and possible nuclear test."

The delegation did not meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un but had a "series of very frank discussions" with officials on "the current level of tension in the peninsula", he said, adding: "The North Koreans need to temper their nuclear development."

North Korea angered the US and others in December by launching a long-range rocket which it claimed was part of a program to put a scientific satellite into orbit. Washington and other nations called it a disguised ballistic missile test.

The US State Department has voiced concern about Richardson's trip, saying it was ill-timed in the wake of the rocket launch.

The high-profile delegation visited North Korea's largest library and paid respects to its late leaders, according to the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA).

KCNA, which described the visitors as a Google delegation, said they went to reading and lecture rooms at the Grand People's Study House and a mausoleum housing the bodies of late leaders Kim Il-Sung and Kim Jong-Il.

"The members of the delegation paid high tribute to the statues of the peerlessly great men," it said.

Richardson has been to North Korea a number of times in the past two decades and has been involved in negotiating the release of US citizens held in the isolated country.

During the latest trip discussions took place on Kenneth Bae, an American of Korean descent who is being held in North Korea, and Richardson said he had been told he was "in good health" but did not meet him personally.

Bae was arrested in November after entering the country as a tourist, according to the North's official news agency, which said he had admitted committing a crime against the state.

North Korea has in the past agreed to hand over detainees to high-profile delegations led by the likes of former US president Bill Clinton.

Richardson last visited the North in 2010 when he met its chief nuclear negotiator to try and ease tensions after the country shelled a South Korean border island.

Related Article:

Google's Eric Schmidt to make humanitarian visit to North Korea

Acer introduces US$99 Iconia B1 tablet

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-01-10

The Iconia B1. (Photo/Acer)

Acer has launched its Iconia B1, the lowest-price tablet in the market in present, at the US Consumer Electronics Show. The Taiwanese PC maker hopes the tablet will attract first-time tablet users and children and help extend its market share in the increasing competitive tablet market.

The tablet is priced at between US$129-$149 but will be lowered to US$99 with packages in certain markets. The device runs on MediaTek chips and has a 1014x600 display and 512B RAM, according to tech website Engadget.

The price of the tablet is set well below other budget tablets such as Amazon's Kindle Fire and Nexus 7, both priced at US$199. Acer has set the tablet's price US$50 lower to challenge the bottom line of the market and if the price has an impact on its rivals, they may lower their prices or produce similar models in the future, according to Commercial Times, our Chinese-language sister paper.

Acer president Jim Wong said the tablet will hit the Asian and South American markets first in January or February. Although market analysts feel many may be put off by the tablet's low specifications, Wong believes its performance is as good as its closest rivals and users will not see a significant difference.

Wong also voiced his support for Microsoft's latest operating system Windows 8, though he said the US software giant's marketing strategies do not help users understand the touchscreen experience. The Taiwanese company will set up user experience centers through its distributors around the world to promote the touch functions of the platform.

Acer also announced it will embed its new data storage service Acercloud in all Acer PCs, tablets and Android-based smartphones from the second quarter this year. The service allows users to share and manage their digital files across iOS, Window and Android platforms for free.　　

References:

Jim Wong　　翁建仁

Related Article:

Budget iPhone may be Apple's pitch to boost sales in Asia

Foxconn confirms involvement in bribery scandal

Want China Times, Staff Reporter 2013-01-10

Police vehicles enter Foxconn's Taiyuan plant in Shanxi province after
an incident last year. (Photo/CNS)

Taiwan-based Foxconn, the world's largest electronics contract manufacturer, has admitted that the company is currently conducting an internal investigation into allegations that senior executives took bribes from suppliers in China and confirmed that it is cooperating with police on both sides of the Taiwan Strait.

The electronics giant, best known for making Apple's iPhones and iPads in China, released a statement on Wednesday in response to a report in Taiwan's Next Magazine, which first broke the story, denying "most" of the allegations in the magazine article but without providing specifics. The statement added that Terry Gou, the founder and chairman of Foxconn and its parent company Hon Hai, has instructed the group to identify and pursue all those involved in bribery activities and to evaluate internal controls to prevent the same from happening in the future.

Next claimed that Teng Chih-hsien, a manager with Foxconn's surface-mount technology department, was arrested by authorities in Shenzhen four months ago. Teng's department is authorized to sign lucrative contracts for equipment used by the company's various business groups and allegedly took bribes in exchange for supply contracts over an extended period of time. More than 40 suppliers have been linked to the scandal, which involves contracts worth billions of dollars, the article said.

Teng is far from the only senior executive suspected, and his arrest has sent more than a dozen others fleeing back to Taiwan, including retired former SMT department deputy general manager Liao Wan-cheng, the magazine added.

It was Gou, who has reportedly known about the allegations since July or August last year, who insisted that the case be handled strictly in accordance with the law, according to Next. Sources told the magazine that when he was informed of the issue by a Foxconn manager in charge of ethics and business violations, an infuriated Gou demanded that the perpetrators be sacked after coughing up the funds. Unlike most other Taiwanese companies in China facing bribery accusations, however, Gou had no intention of keeping the problem in-house and immediately reported it to mainland authorities.

Foxconn says that a preliminary internal probe has found that only the company's procurement executives were involved and that upper management is not under suspicion.

Under China's laws, non-Chinese nationals can be sentenced to a maximum of five years imprisonment for accepting bribes, while the maximum penalty for bribing another party is 10 years imprisonment.

Foxconn has already reportedly cut ties with testing automation equipment supplier TRI Innovation over the bribing allegations, although a spokesperson for the Taiwan-based supplier denied losing a major client and said that the company does not comment on specific customers.

Foxconn's statement on Wednesday also said that its supply chain involving Taiwanese businesses in China, its personnel in China, and its business development are normal and have not been affected by the allegations.　

References:

Terry Gou　　郭台銘

Teng Chih-hsien　　鄧志賢

Liao Wan-cheng　　廖萬成

Related Article:

Only one in five corrupt officials in China handed to the courts

Skype to replace Microsoft Messenger in March

The Daily Star, January 09, 2013

Skype Logo.

                               

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft on Wednesday sent out word that it will "retire" its Messenger online chat feature on March 15 and replace it with the Skype Internet telephony service it bought last year.

Microsoft sent an email message advising Messenger users to update to Skype using their same account information in advance of the deadline.

"You'll be able to instant message and video chat...just like before, and also discover new ways of staying in touch with Skype on your mobile and tablet," Microsoft said in the message.

The Redmond, Washington-based technology giant announced in November that it was shutting down Messenger in favor of merging users into Skype.

The transition began late last year with the release of Skype 6.0 software that lets people sign in to the online communication service using Microsoft accounts. Messenger will be shut off in every country but China.

Skype features include video calls and being able to call mobile phones from computers, as well as being able to connect with friends at leading social network Facebook.

A Skype feature on Facebook, a social network in which Microsoft owns a small stake, allows for multi-person conversations and instant one-on-one video calls with friends.

Skype users can make low-cost or free phone calls over the Internet using their computers or smartphones. Skype bypasses the standard telephone network by channeling voice and video calls over the Web.

Microsoft bought Skype for $8.5 billion in 2011.