John at myITforum.com

Wynn Las Vegas tomorrow...

I wonder if I can sneak some photos...

Bellagio Fountains...Las Vegas style

By the way, this is video taken with the camera of the AT&T Tilt.

Sitting here waiting for the last presentation of the day to start, I thought I post a few more pictures.  The first one is the huge construction site between the Monte Carlo and Bellagio.  It's the new city center going in.  There is an awful lot of construction noise.  I wonder what the Bellagio guests think since it's right in their front yard.  We'll be at the Bellagio HTC event Wednesday night.

Across the street is the Eiffel Tower/Paris Hotel Las Vegas and Casino.

Also across the street is Trader Vic's.

And I just thought this was a cool looking Saturn sitting out on display.

We headed out to walk around the convention center after the morning sessions.  We're about 2 miles from the convention center and fortunately there will be free shuttle service starting tomorrow to and from the hotel. 

I also thought I'd share the somewhat disappointing bag they give you when you show up at the information desk.

And all the stuff they threw in the back.

The maps are a necessity.  The place is huge.  Here is the map.

There is a red line through the top.  The box that starts says "Keynotes", and the arrows lead from the convention center over to the Hilton.  CTIA also takes up space on the second floor of the convention center.

Off to the afternoon educational sessions.

The day is about half over, at least CTIA the first day.  CTIA was a little busy today.  It was a cab zoo.  Thankfully I was there first thing at 9 AM because shortly thereafter the lines for attendees grew quickly.  What I don't understand at shows like this is why they don't do more electronic scanning.  There was a gentleman at the door with a piece of paper asking us all as we came in whether we had printed out the bar code for attending.  If we did, we were allowed to access the Fast Track registration.  If not, we were told to go to the Attendee full registration line.  It didn't matter that I had the bar code on my PDA in an email.  It didn't work.  Fortunately the woman working the Fast Track counter allowed me to register anyway.  But, you would think they would allow electronic sign in.

The exhibit hall was closed off in both directions.  Doesn't open until tomorrow.

We were only allowed in to the educational series area.  The place is huge.

Wrapping up the first day, we headed out to walk the strip.  They warned me of the crowds that gather here for CTIA and up to this point, I'll have to say they are right.  Everywhere we go it's been packed.

We ended up at Diablo's Mexican Cantina to round out the evening.  Nice live band.

I forgot...hotels here have no concept of coffee pots in the room.  Off to find coffee.

Well, I'm in, and is it ever crowded.  Only took me about 2 hours longer than I anticipated getting here.  Some photo's along the way:

Sitting around waiting for the flight that was an hour late getting out.

Finally allowed to leave.

32,000 feet and climbing.

About two hours in to the flight.

The descent.

We're here.

The crowded airport.

The long taxi line.

At the hotel.  Yes, it's the same hotel that caught fire awhile back.

OK, off to see the wizard.  More later, with more (and hopefully better) pictures.

A brief summary so far.  I made it to the airport, but had to assist a driver that had ran over a light pole about 2 minutes outside the airport.  I get inside, only to end up behind an older woman traveling with a fragile item (a rather large framed picture) that doesn't speak good English.  As patient as the TSA folks were, she was trying the patience of everyone in line.  She didn't want her picture to go through the metal detector, didn't want to remove her coat, and didn't want to remove her scarf.  She didn't have a problem though removing her shoes.  Very strange.  There was no one in line when we cleared the ID checkpoint, but by the time we made it through the metal detector, there were probably 20 of us waiting to get through. 

On to the gate, stopping off at Peat's for some coffee, only to find out for some reason that it was closed.

That's unfortunate.  It's the best coffee stops in the airport.  Anyway, I ended up having to go to Starbuck's.  I prefer Peat's, but I had to make do. 

I should be at the hotel in a few hours, and will post more when I'm in.  Educational series tomorrow, with the first keynote scheduled for 9 AM pacific on Tuesday, April 1st.  Hopefully no April Fool's jokes.

You knew it had to come right?

Mobile phones could kill far more people than smoking or asbestos, a study by an award-winning cancer expert has concluded. He says people should avoid using them wherever possible and that governments and the mobile phone industry must take "immediate steps" to reduce exposure to their radiation.

The study, by Dr Vini Khurana, is the most devastating indictment yet published of the health risks.

It draws on growing evidence – exclusively reported in the IoS in October – that using handsets for 10 years or more can double the risk of brain cancer. Cancers take at least a decade to develop, invalidating official safety assurances based on earlier studies which included few, if any, people who had used the phones for that long.

Earlier this year, the French government warned against the use of mobile phones, especially by children. Germany also advises its people to minimise handset use, and the European Environment Agency has called for exposures to be reduced.

Professor Khurana – a top neurosurgeon who has received 14 awards over the past 16 years, has published more than three dozen scientific papers – reviewed more than 100 studies on the effects of mobile phones. He has put the results on a brain surgery website, and a paper based on the research is currently being peer-reviewed for publication in a scientific journal.

He admits that mobiles can save lives in emergencies, but concludes that "there is a significant and increasing body of evidence for a link between mobile phone usage and certain brain tumours". He believes this will be "definitively proven" in the next decade.

How was the reaction?

Late last week, the Mobile Operators Association dismissed Khurana's study as "a selective discussion of scientific literature by one individual". It believes he "does not present a balanced analysis" of the published science, and "reaches opposite conclusions to the WHO and more than 30 other independent expert scientific reviews".

What's a little interesting is that this article was posted March 30, 2008.  If you click the link at the bottom of the page for more information, there's another article titled "Public health: The hidden menace of mobile phones", which ran in October 2007.  You can read the two articles and compare for yourselves.  Interesting that Professor Mild in the October 2007 story is making similar (almost identical) comments as Dr. Khurana is making in March, 2008.  Hmmm......

Source

It took three days, but Windows Vista was hacked as well.  I blogged earlier that the Mac OS fell the fastest, and now Vista has fallen, through of all things a hole in Adobe flash.  Maybe I should take everything Adobe off my computer.  Reading through...it looks like the judges relaxed the criteria to get to the machine.  The rules:

Three targets, all patched. All in typical client configurations with typical user configurations. You hack it, you get to keep it.

Each has a file on them and it contains the instructions and how to claim the prize.

Targets (typical road-warrior clients):

• VAIO VGN-TZ37CN running Ubuntu 7.10
• Fujitsu U810 running Vista Ultimate SP1
• MacBook Air running OSX 10.5.2

This year's contest will begin on March 26th, and go during the presentation hours and breaks of the conference until March 28th. The main purpose of this contest is to present new vulnerabilities in these systems so that the affected vendor(s) can address them. Participation is open to any registered attendee of CanSecWest 2008.

The relaxing of the rules:

The contest, which saw a MacBook Air get hacked on Thursday, relaxed the rules even further. On the first day of the contest, only the operating system could be targeted, but on the second day that was expanded to include standard applications. An undisclosed Safari flaw led to the MacBook Air's downfall through the OS X operating system.

On Friday, hackers could target any "popular" piece of third-party application software that computer users might locate on a system. The Fujitsu laptop, running Windows Vista Ultimate, was compromised by a previously undiscovered flaw in Adobe's Flash software.

http://cansecwest.com/

OK, so I've tested blogging, picture taking, and video capabilities, all from my AT&T Tilt.  I have my youtube account updated to post any video's I take while at CTIA.  I think I'm ready.  Should be interesting.  Stay tuned.

Testing picture post from Diarist.

Update:  Important tip when blogging pictures from my phone.  The AT&T Tilt has the capabilities of taking 3 megapixel pictures,  at 2048x1536 resolution.  This is a rather large photo for blog posting since it doesn't appear there are resizing capabilities. 

Looking for screenshot utilitiy for your Pocket PC/Windows Mobile device?  Spb Club is now offering their screenshot utility for free.

EXE installer
CAB installer

http://www.spbclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=12483

Wow, found a golden nugget this morning.  I used to use Worldmate all the time until they jacked their rates up.  Their Pro version is still $75, but there is now a free version available.

The security of the most widely used standard in the world for transmitting mobile phone calls is dangerously flawed, putting privacy and data at risk, two researchers warned at the Black Hat conference in Europe last week.

Researchers David Hulton and Steve Muller showed at Black Hat in the U.S. last month how it was possible to break the encryption on a GSM (Global System for Mobile Communications) call in about 30 minutes using relatively inexpensive off-the-shelf equipment and software tools. The hack means they could listen in on phone calls from distances of up to 20 miles (32 kilometers) or farther away.

They're still refining their technique, which involves cracking the A5/1 stream cipher, an algorithm used to encrypt conversations. In about another month, they'll be able to crack about 95 percent of the traffic on GSM networks in 30 minutes or faster with more advanced hardware.

Their research has been motivated in part by the absence of a more secure encryption method despite years of warnings about GSM.

Yahoo/PC World

Another interesting phone coming soon at Expansys.  Pretty impressive feature set.

Operating System
Windows Mobile 6 Professional

Dimensions
58mm x110mm x 14mm

GSM/GPRS
900/1800/1900 for GSM/GPRS/EDGE, 850/1900/2100 for UMTS/HSDPA

Interface
Bluetooth v2.0, USB v2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g

Display
QVGA 65K colours, TFT, 2.83”

Memory Card
128MB ROM / 64MB RAM, User Memory TBD, micro SD slot up to 4GB

Navigation
BBuilt-in GPS & A-GPS

The Portégé G910's stylish clamshell design reveals the look, feel and functionality of a mini-laptop. You have a powerful smart mobile device in your hand with a full Qwerty keyboard, a 3" Wide-VGA touch screen, fingerprint security and GPS navigation capability.

The Portégé G910 includes an MP3 player, Windows Media® Player Mobile and a 2 Mega Pixel camera for photos and video clips, so you can keep yourself entertained on the move. The stunning 3” wide high-resolution screen also ensures maximum viewing pleasure.

The Portégé G910’s unique 3” Wide-VGA touch screen display lets you see more information with less scrolling and has a resolution that is five times better than a standard QVGA display. Perfect for displaying web pages in crystal clear colour with the Opera® browser application that makes the web 2.0 experience come alive.

Using Windows Mobile® 6 Professional, you’re ready for business on the move. Microsoft® Office Mobile applications include Outlook® Mobile, with viewing and editing support for Word and Excel® as well as viewing support for PowerPoint® and PDF documents. You can respond to emails immediately, check your calendar and work on business documents as you go.

Not only have you got an impressive mobile device in your hand, but you also have multiple connectivity options, including Triband, GSM, 3G/HSPDA, Bluetooth™, and Wi-Fi®. Stay in touch when you’re out and about including Voice, SMS, MMS, Video calls, Push email, Instant Messaging and VoIP.
Highlights
- 3G/HSDPA PDA
- Built-in GPS and A-GPS
- PDA Smartphone
- Windows Mobile 6 Professional
- Fast and easy to use messaging applications
- Customized UI
- FM Radio with RDS

Download Activesync 4.5 for Windows Mobile WM 6 from this link. Please note once you open your software CD a restocking fee will be charged if you return the unit.

Expansys has the Samsung i780 coming soon, however they have it marked at $749.95 unlocked.  Let's hope it's picked up by a US carrier.

Operating System
Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 6.0 Smartphone with Direct Push email

Dimensions
TBC

Network
Quad-Band GSM 850/900/1800/1900MHz, HSDPA

Bluetooth
Yes

Camera
Yes

Memory Card
ROM 128MB, RAM 64MB (expandable Micro SD)

The stylish Samsung SGH-i780 is a slim and compact messaging smartphone providing one of the sharpest tools for business and busy people. Microsoft® Windows Mobile® 6.0 Standard gives you instant access to your emails, calendar and contacts anytime.

Full Spec to be confirmed, but we believe the Samsung SGH-i780 should have 2.55" 320 x 320 pixel touchscreen, UMTS/HSDPA connectivity, Bluetooth 2.0, Wi-Fi, and GPS. Other possible specs include a 3.2 megapixel camera and a microSD card slot.

According to an article this morning in the Wall Street Journal, Google Inc.'s short-term outlook has grown increasingly murky in the wake of new data showing weakness in the number of consumers clicking on the Internet giant's search ads, the source of nearly all of the company's revenue.

The February data from research group comScore Inc. marks the second consecutive month that Google's paid-click data disappointed analysts and investors, who responded by driving the company's shares down 3.1% Thursday. 

But analysts were divided about the reasons for, and the impact of, the disappointing data. Some suggested economic weakness could cause Google to fall short of Wall Street's first-quarter estimates, while others argued that efforts by the company to trim the number of clicks -- which should enable it to increase the amount it charges per click -- will boost the company's long-term prospects.

According to a Wall Street Journal story, U.S. investment bank Lehman Brothers Inc. appears to have been a victim of a fraud in which swindlers used forged documents from one of Japan's biggest trading companies to bilk it out of as much as $350 million.

Late last year, a unit of the New York-based investment bank issued loans to a fund run by a medical consulting company owned by LTT Bio-Pharma Co., a Japanese biotechnology company.  The funds, which were to be used to help provide trade financing for hospitals buying medical equipment, were secured with certificates from Marubeni Corp., one of Japan's biggest trading firms.

Lehman grew concerned at the end of February when its funds were not repaid, according to a person familiar with the situation. The LTT Bio-Pharma subsidiary filed for bankruptcy protection on March 19.

See this?

http://downforeveryoneorjustme.com/

I checked a couple of sites today.  Good news and bad news.

Looks like myitforum.com is up....

But it looks like I can't take my Palm tutorials.

Mexican media has reported that Apple has inked a deal with local operator, Telcel to launch the iPhone in the country this coming June. Apple is also expected to launch the handset into several other Latin American countries, although the details have not been finalised yet.

Telcel is owned by América Móvil - which is also the dominant mobile operator around South America and the Caribbean.

The El Universial newspaper reported the details, citing sources at Apple and employees of Apple stores in New York and San Francisco.

The move could be yet another boost to Telcel - which according to the Mobile World, ended last year with nearly 49 million GSM subscribers - and 72% of the overall Mexican market. There had been some expectation that Telefonica would fight exceptionally hard to get the iPhone in Mexico as it also operates a GSM network, and the "halo effect" would have been a considerable boost to its efforts in taking market share from Telcel.

Source

How are you celebrating earth hour?  Looks like Google goes dark...

What's earth hour?

http://www.earthhour.org/cities

I'm back to almost a 7, a steady increase since installing Vista SP1?  A coincidence?

I was reading some news this afternoon and found this.  You know who you are...

As some of you may know, I’m a fan of World of Warcraft (I currently have a Level 70 Undead Mage called “DarthRampage”). The game is much fun and very addictive. One of the key elements of the game is gear. Yes you have your regular “Strength” and “Intelligence” ratings… but what makes your character really unique and powerful is the equipment they use. Various gear can give you bonuses, powers and advantages (or sometimes disadvantages and drawbacks).

Anyway, I was thinking the other day about what some movie characters World of Warcraft stats and gear would be if translated. I figure it would look something like this:

—————————-

Name: Bruce Campbell
Race: Human
Class: Hero
Faction: Alliance

Strength: 70
Agility: 90
Stamina: 200
Intellect: 400
Spirit: 1750
Armor: 0 (He’s Bruce Campbell, he doesn’t need any)

Equipment

Chin Implant of the Bandit
Possessor of the Chin Implant of the Bandit gets a +53 bonus to all handsomeness checks, a +12 bonus to quick one liner delivery, and becomes totally impervious to fire, electricity and Mummy attacks

Sneakers of the Sharp Tongue
Gives an additional +30 to quick one liners and a +60% advantage bonus for critical one liner strikes resulting in a “total burn”.

Pendant of the Triumvirate Gods
Very Rare. One of only three in existence. Wearer is identified as one of the three mightiest beings on earth. (Other two Pendants of the Triumvirate Gods are worn by Chuck Norris and Mr. T)

What gives with all the iPhone speculation?  Numbers are all over the place.

Bank of America’s Scott Craig this morning wrote that Apple (AAPL) plans to build over 3 million current and 3G iPhones in the June quarter, and 8 million-plus in the September quarter. Craig says his current estimate that the company will sell 8 million iPhones in calendar 2008 - below the company’s 10 million unit target - is “starting to look too low.”

Meanwhile, Gartner, which was quoted earlier in the week asserting that the company had ordered production of 10 million 3G iPhones, has slightly backed off that forecast. Gartner now says it doesn’t actually know if Apple has placed an order for 3G iPhones. “We have not got confirmation that an order has been placed,” Gartner’s Bob Hafner told Information Week. However, the research firm says that if Apple did place an order, then 10 million would be a reasonable number.

Lordy...who cares how many are being ordered.  Maybe Scott owns Apple shares? Or is recommending a purchase?

Do you have Windows Vista SP1 installed?  If so, check here:

C:\Windows\Help\Windows\en-US

If the dates on all the files in this subdirectory are 2006, the SP1 help files are not installed.  After the KB update here, all of my help files are now dated 1/18/2008.