Nokia takes out honors for most stolen phone brand

According to a recent study, of the 112,093 mobile phone thefts report in London last year, nearly 50% of all handsets stolen were manufactured by Nokia.

The Samsung D500 featured second and the Motorola RAZR took out the bronze. 7 of the top 10 were Nokia handsets.
Most stolen makes:

1. Nokia, 55,783 (49%)
2. Samsung, 15,524 (13.6%)
3. Sony Ericsson, 15,090 (13.3%)
4. Motorola, 12,947 (11.4%)
5. Others, 14,451 (12.7%

source

Google’s growing list of domains

Have you ever wondered how many domain names Google owns? Currently Google owns 520 domain names. Their domain collection has been growing over the last couple years because of all of the companies they started and have bought. Some of these domain names are not in Google’s name, but in the company’s name that they purchased.

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Microsoft warns of PowerPoint virus

SEATTLE, Washington (Reuters) — Microsoft Corp. warned about a new computer virus that exploits a vulnerability in its PowerPoint presentation software to allow hackers to infiltrate computer systems. 

Microsoft issued an advisory on the company’s security Web log on July 17 about the virus, which is carried out when a user launches a PowerPoint attachment to an e-mail or opens a file provided to them by the attacker.

Hackers could also lure users to a Web page that offers content or advertisements containing a file that exploits the PowerPoint software, Microsoft said. The vulnerability applies to PowerPoint 2000, 2002 and 2003.

Once the user triggers the corrupt PowerPoint file, the virus installs a keystroke logging system to capture everything typed on the machine. It also leaves the machine open to having a hacker install other malicious programs.

“It installs a backdoor and allows for all types of software to be downloaded on the computer and the computer can be remotely controlled,” said Alfred Huger, a security expert at Symantec Corp.

Microsoft said it was completing development of a security update to fix the vulnerability and was on schedule to release the patch on August 8, or sooner, as part of a monthly security update. The company reported a “limited” number of attacks.

source: CNN

Google offers live traffic maps for mobiles — a killer app?

Google Inc said on Tuesday that the company has begun offering mobile phone users in more than 30 major US cities the capacity to view highway maps with ‘live’ traffic data,” reports Reuters.”Highway traffic information is sent to the phone, with road conditions highlighted in three colors: — red for congested, yellow or orange for slowdowns, and green for smooth sailing.”

As the story notes: “Rival Yahoo Inc offers live traffic conditions on its computer-based map service, but it does not yet provide a mobile phone version for Yahoo maps.”

source: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/

O2 launches Windows Live Mail

O2 says it’s the first UK operator to launch Windows Live Mail. From O2’s press release:

Keith Dewar, Head of Products at O2: “Consumers’ appetite for communication via mobile email has been steadily growing and so we are very pleased to be the first operator to bring Windows Live Mail to our customers. Indeed, our own i-mail service, which is available on i-mode, has clearly shown that if it is as easy to use as text, consumers will embrace mobile to internet communications and vice versa. This is the first of a range of mobile email services we are planning to offer, which will give consumers access to their existing email “

Courtesy: http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/archives/mobile_phones/