Nine found open wireless group for shared Wi-Fi resources

Why we need an open wireless movement (Photo credit: opensourceway)

New project promotes shared open Wi-Fi with tips and how-to’s

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus /San Francisco/ +++ A new open wireless group has been formed that will open up the airwaves to shared Wi-Fi resources.

The Electronic Frontier Foundation and a coalition of nine groups has launched the ‘Open Wireless Movement’, a new project to promote a landscape of shared, wireless Internet.

Renewal of smartphone jailbreaking and video remixing rights

Jailbreaking now ok for ‘smart’ phones

Copyright Office Announces Exemptions to Mitigate DMCA Harms

San Francisco – The Electronic Frontier Foundation has won renewal of critical exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) in a new ruling, including the upholding of jailbreaking rights for smartphones – and new and expanded legal protections for video remixing.

Hearing to probe cellular data legal status

A cell phone tower in Palatine, Illinois, USA.

Foundation fights for cellular phone users’ privacy in Tuesday hearing

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ The Electronic Frontier Foundation will urge a federal appeals court on Tuesday to recognize cellular phone users’ privacy rights and require that the government obtain a warrant before collecting cell phone location information.

According to the Foundation, the oral argument is set for 9 a.m. on October 2nd in New Orleans.

At issue in Tuesday’s hearing are government requests for judicial orders authorizing the disclosure of 60 days of location data from two separate cell phone companies as part of a routine law enforcement investigation.

Location data takes centre stage in legal case

U.S. Supreme Court building.

Government faces new warrantless surveillance battle after losing landmark GPS tracking case as defendant pushes to exclude cell phone location data obtained without a warrant

A federal district court is poised to determine whether the government can use cell phone data obtained without a warrant to establish an individual’s location.

In an amicus brief filed last Monday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) and the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) argue that this form of surveillance is just as unconstitutional as the warrantless GPS tracking the U.S. Supreme Court already shot down in this case.

Survey finds BYOD trend ‘counter-intuitive’

IT departments prompting enterprise BYOD adoption, driving tablet use and emergence of ‘three-screen reality’

By PAUL QUIGLEY

ECM Plus /London/ +++ According to a new research survey by open source software organisation Alfresco, mobile and tablet adoption is being led – not by users – but by IT departments.

Aflresco said this ‘proves counterintuitive’ to the general perception of the “consumerization of IT” trend that resourceful and driven employees bring consumer technology into the workplace, sneaking under the radars of unwitting IT departments that are resistant to change.

EFF proffers free guidance tips on good cellphone data management

A picture's worth a thousand words. Image: Rob Boudon

 

ECM Plus +++ The Electronic Frontier Foundation has just published a most interesting document on its web site called “Cell phone guide for Wall St protestors and Everyone Else’, which details guidelines to cellular phone users out and about on good governance of their handset’s valuable, personal data when out and about on the streets, with some useful tips on what to do and how to manage the data in cell phones and how to make sure the data is protected and backed up.

Open source content vendor goes mobile

Open source content vendor goes mobile

Alfresco taps freebie apps for corporatist workers on the move

By ECM Plus

ECM Plus +++ Open source software vendor Alfresco has just taken the wraps off its latest product dubbed ‘Mobile’, iOS apps for iPads and iPhones.

Alfresco said its iOS apps offer corporate users direct access to their business content whilst out on the hoof.

FEATURE: Remote workers and document management

A virtual private network topology

80 percent of business information resides in documents. Today, the Internet has made it possible to access information from coffee shops and airports anywhere in the world.

By Jon Clark

Access to documents remains a barrier to many remote workers and travelers who rely on people in the office to retrieve files from file cabinets and fax or email those documents.

BRITISH RIOTS: Blackberry content co-ordinates blitzkrieg strikes

RIM's Blackberry service under the microscope again

BREAKING NEWS: Encrypted Blackberry devices masterminding orchestrated strikes around the nation

BY ROBERT NEWKET

ECM Plus +++ The ongoing riots and civil unrest escalating across Britain is being orchestrated by a sophisticated, encrypted messaging system, according to reports.

Neither Twitter nor Facebook social media networks are understood to have been used to organise the civil unrest and rioting raging across the country.

And, unlike in the Arab Spring rallies and protests around the Middle East over recent months, where Twitter in particular was cited as being a main part of the organisation of the pro-democracy movements, the British riots are using content distributed via the Messenger service on Research in Motion’s Blackberry handheld mobile communicators.

UPDATE: Coincidence – Mobile phone CEO quits on same day Met chiefs exit

Mobile phone CEO quits

According to an article in Mobile Today, the Franco-German Uk subsidiary Orange/T-Mobile’s (branded as ‘Everything Everywhere since last year) former Virgin Mobile boss Tom Alexander has quit citing ‘personal reasons’.

COMMENT: When will accountability be front and centre?

Accountability: Systemic flaws need real independent oversight. Image: srqpix

Shameful News Corp. fiasco plumbs depths of disgusting depravity of institutions

BY PAUL QUIGLEY

ECM Plus +++ As the News Corp woes further unfold, it starts to call into question the whole systemic root of generic institutional accountability where conflict of interests issues are no longer allowed to be smokescreens to stop accountability and compliance being overhauled and independently monitored – true segregation of duties in governance terminology.

WEEKEND PLUS: News Corp woes shadow real issues

Eavesdropping of voicemails should never have been technically possible in the first place. Image: Joe Howell

Infatuation with celebs and politicians clouds issue of weak data protection laws and further telecoms oversight by independent accountability councils of citizens

BY PAUL QUIGLEY

Truth is the first victim of war.

The disgusting charade that has been paraded this last week or so over the News Corporations’ alleged invasion of people privacy’s tends to mask the real problem. That is, how could this loophole of privacy invasion has been possible in the first place?

Insecure voicemail systems and processes.

And who is it who hosts these systems of privacy invasion?

Power to the people: Ofcom advocates independent voice

Government backs initiatives for comms people power

Strong independent customer voice vital for the communications market

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ Publishing the 2010-2011 Communications Consumer Panel’s annual report ‘Putting the consumer first: the work of the Communications Consumer Panel’, former Panel Chairman Anna Bradley said she was intensely proud of what the Panel has achieved over the last three years.

Digital rights guide to protect computers and mobile devices published

Digital rights take centre stage in new publication

New ‘Know Your Digital Rights’ guide to constitutional liberties

By ELECTRONIC FRONTIER FOUNDATION

EFF +++ The Electronic Frontier Foundation has answers to these questions in our new “Know Your Digital Rights” guide, including easy-to-understand tips on interacting with police officers and other law enforcement officials.

“With smart phones, tablet computers, and laptops, we carry around with us an unprecedented amount of sensitive personal information,” said EFF Staff Attorney Hanni Fakhoury. “That smart phone in your pocket right now could contain email from your doctor or your kid’s teacher, not to mention detailed contact information for all of your friends and family members. Your laptop probably holds even more data — your Internet browsing history, family photo albums, and maybe even things like an electronic copy of your taxes or your employment agreement. This is sensitive data that’s worth protecting from prying eyes.”

Software AG acquires Terracotta in Java cloud move

German company takes control of foreign firm to acquire cloud and memory assets

In-memory and cloud to enable high-performance Java applications for cloud services

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ /Frankfurt, Germany/ +++ The German software firm Software AG has just acquired Silicon Valley innovator Terracotta’s portfolio of products and services which the German firm said will form the foundation of its new in-memory and cloud offerings.

According to Frankfurt-Germany-based Software AG, the combined portfolio will increase revenue with existing customers and expand opportunities with new enterprise customers.

The German software giant added that it would also gain access to Terracotta’s large open source community.

The firm also stated that the acquisition would also enable it to offercloud and to increase performance and scalability of its business process platform.

RFID hacked: TV station finds chips are toast

RFID chip pulled from a credit card

Television group reveals serious security flaws with RFID-equipped credit and debit cards

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ A consumer television report into the insecurity of radio frequency ID – or so-called ‘RFID’ -equipped credit and debit card chips has shocked the security industry.

One vendor, SecurEnvoy said the apparent ease with which RFID has been hacked to create a `magic wand’. With the ability for anyone to effectively read RFID cards at a distance clearly demonstrates that RFID is no longers fit for purpose, observers say.

European Council warns on increased risks from cordless, mobile and wireless devices

EMF: The long-term risks to health are still unknown

Kids at particular risk from cordless, mobile phones nand wireless Wi-Fi radiation effects

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ In the wake recent heightening concerns over the health risks associated with new airport MMW backscatter radiations in full-body scanners being installed inside many major airports, – especially the longer-term risks to DNA and the human lymphatic system of the skin-deep penetrating backscatter radiation – new concerns are now emerging over the other serious health risks to people who live and work close to cordless, mobile and wireless Wi-Fi devices in homes and offices, especially the effects on young children whose DNA and cellular activity is still in a rapid growth phase. 

Equidity’s IRM set to make IPO investor content go with the flow

Equidity turns up the heat, partners in new IR content platorm that is hot, hot, hot, launches first investor relationship management platform connecting long-term growth investors with pre-IPO companies

By PAUL QUIGLEY

ECM Plus +++ Investor Relationship Management software specialist Equidity has just released a new proprietary platform for connecting a network of qualified institutional investors with pre-IPO companies.

In private stage investing, where there is a lack of information transparency, Equidity said its systems provide tools for late-stage investing and IPOs.

Mobile: the real deal for web content vendors?

Hands-on: mobile calling for web content vendors via HTML5?

Web content management vendors are making only halting moves towards mobile-enabling applications

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ Web content management vendors need to apply significant resources to mobile services over the next year, according to The Real Story Group.

In new research by their analysts, it states that many Web CMS tools can generate outputs for different mobile formats, often via functionality that renders alternate templates for different devices.

Radio killed the video star? NAB moves to embed FM into mobiles

FM-radio revival to move mobile content into radio age

Campaign promoting Frequency Modulation band radio-enabled wireless handsets demanding lawmakers halt supporting for Creativity and Innovation resolution

By ECM Plus staff

ECM Plus +++ U.S. National Association of Broadcasters has just launched a bold new campaign targeted at embedding FM radio into mobile devices.

NAB said the rationale was to provide local news, entertainment as well as emergency information content to information.

4G speed freaks peak at 130 Mbps in Malaysia

Malaysian broadband Packet One shows 4G speed peaks with WiMAX and LTE

By PAUL QUIGLEY

ECM Plus +++ Malaysian 4G broadband company Packet One has just released figures from technical trials that have shown that people in Malaysia can now look forward to some very speedy connections on their wireless broadband speeds of a staggering trunk-like data rates of 130 megabits per second, the comoany claims.

By a combination of WiMAX and LTE TDD (Long Term Evolution – Time Division Duplex), P1′s proud CEO Michael Lai boasted: “The proliferation of rich media applications namely video streaming, online gaming and online social-networking are driving consumers desire for greater bandwidth and faster speed. Not only that, high definition, larger display, WiFi TV and soon-to-come 3D small screens are also driving consumer demand whether at home or away.”

FEATURE: Mobile capture – pushing the boundaries

Mobile has been a significant growth area in communications for a long while, and the rapid shift towards mobility can be seen globally. According to Canalys, just under 300 million smartphones were sold worldwide in 2010, which is 80% more than in 2009. As the way we use our devices evolves, the importance of application mobility expands and now permeates a much broader range of industries.

By DAVE EVANS

Mobile phones have become ‘smart’ – they have morphed gradually into the ultimate digital toolkit and personal assistant with an ever more extensive array of functions. From a device designed purely for taking calls, we now rely on smartphones as our primary communication tool, for everything from business communications on the go, through mobile banking, to social networking. This opens doors for different types of businesses to take advantage of the mobility phenomenon. Mobile capture is one of the technologies widening our horizons, delivering tangible benefits to businesses. It unlocks innovative new functions for devices, connecting them with enterprise data management systems for advanced document management.

OBITER DICTA: Will search blow hards blow it in billion dollar buy-up?

News emanating from the FT that search engine software firm Google is in the throes of snapping up some US$900 million worth of paper, the value put on a pile of intellectual property and patents in the rusty filing cabinets of moribund mobile telecom vendor Nortel is a big surprise indeed.

Surprise? Indeed. Nortel was never renowned for its pioneering smartphones, more for its base stations and other infrastructure hardware.

British website speeds trounce Europeans in mobile retail report

Internet mobile and cloud monitoring firm tracks best and worst in wireless retailing performances

Mobile retailers across Europe performing vastly differently

ECM Plus – Monitoring firm Keynote says that mobile website performance of 17 of the top retailers across five countries shows widely varied perfomances.

According to the firm, consumers are looking to their mobile handsets as their first port of call when making an online purchase, while retailers, it says, are investing heavily in making sure that their mobile offerings meet this new demand.

Mobile music subs to hit 178m by 2015

Mobile music lovers rising up. Image:  DavidDennisPhotos.com

From Bollywood musicals to lovers of jazz, classical, metal and all genres

 

By PAUL QUIGLEY

ECM Plus – A new report is predicting that the number of mobile customers who are prepared to pay a monthly subscription to music via download or by streaming, may reach 178 million people by the  year 2015.

This represents, the report by Juniper Research said, over three times as many people currently subscribed to such music services last year.