![[AskAboutComputers.com]](logo_com_305x118.gif){kind=logo}
Tid-bits
11/18 - AOL enhanced its free photo sharing site so much so that it had to rename it. Site offers unlimited storage and tools that "provide a comprehensive digital photo solution".
Microsoft has released the Phishing Filter Add-in for the MSN search Toolbar. Phishing Filter is also available to beta testers of IE7 for the Windows Vista beta and XP. This past year computer users have found themselves out of the frying pan and into the fire. On the one hand, spam declined. On the other hand, phishing is mushrooming. "Phishing, a fast-growing class of online fraud and identity theft, often uses fake Web sites that resemble those of legitimate businesses, financial institutions or other trusted organizations to trick victims into disclosing sensitive personal and financial information". Download the (free) Phishing Filter Add-in for the MSN Search Toolbar here.
IBM is helping the telecommunications industry switch to next generation networks that support voice, video, and data. IP Multimedia Subsystems offerings "enable evolution from legacy networks to converged Next Generation Networks".
Gateway offers LoJack on its notebook computers. Notebook computers are like flat panel displays: if someone breaks into your house, these are among the items that they target. One such notebook was recovered recently. "A notebook is stolen every 53 seconds in the United States".
Infineon will spin off its DRAM business into a separate company. It sounds similar to what AMD (and Fujitsu) did with their flash memory division, now called Spansion. The computer memory industry goes through boom and bust cycles, and fabrication plants that manufacture memory cost billions to build. This creates a tough competitive environment for the players. Micron's strategy is to diversify to better weather the lean years. Infineon's will be to carve out their memory business "as a legally independent entity".