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David Pogue’s Techies Review of the iPad – NYTimes.com

March 31, 2010 By

Review for Techies

The Apple iPad is basically a gigantic iPod Touch.

It’s a half-inch-thick slab, all glass on top, aluminum on the back. Hardly any buttons at all — just a big Home button below the screen. It takes you to the Home screen full of apps, just as on an iPhone.

One model gets online only in Wi-Fi hot spots ($500 to $700, for storage capacities from 16 to 64 gigabytes). The other model can get online either using Wi-Fi or, when you’re out and about, using AT&T’s cellular network; that feature adds $130 to each price.

You operate the iPad by tapping and dragging on the glass with your fingers, just as on the iPhone. When the very glossy 9.7-inch screen is off, every fingerprint is grossly apparent.

There’s an e-book reader app, but it’s not going to rescue the newspaper and book industries (sorry, media pundits). The selection is puny (60,000 titles for now). You can’t read well in direct sunlight. At 1.5 pounds, the iPad gets heavy in your hand after awhile (the Kindle is 10 ounces). And you can’t read books from the Apple bookstore on any other machine — not even a Mac or iPhone.

When the iPad is upright, typing on the on-screen keyboard is a horrible experience; when the iPad is turned 90 degrees, the keyboard is just barely usable (because it’s bigger). A $70 keyboard dock will be available in April, but then you’re carting around two pieces.

At least Apple had the decency to give the iPad a really fast processor. Things open fast, scroll fast, load fast. Surfing the Web is a heck of a lot better than on the tiny iPhone screen — first, because it’s so fast, and second, because you don’t have to do nearly as much zooming and panning.

via State of the Art – David Pogue’s Review of the iPad – NYTimes.com.

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Introducing Asia Legal Technologies – a venture of DMC and Global EDD Group

March 31, 2010 By

Global Electronic Discovery & Disclosure Group (“Global EDD Group”), a boutique consulting firm that provides innovative legal technology solutions across the globe, today announced the formation of Asia Legal Technologies™ (“ALT”), a strategic alliance and joint venture with Data Management Corporation (“DMC”), a document and data processing solutions company based in Singapore.  ALT combines the experience, knowledge and resources of DMC and Global EDD Group to provide innovative arbitration, due diligence and litigation support services throughout the Asia-Pacific Region.

Asia Legal Technologies is uniquely able to meet the needs of the most challenging projects by leveraging a vast network of technology and operational resources along with facilities in Hong Kong, China (Beijing, Shanghai and Suzhou), Kuala Lumpur, Seoul, Singapore, Taipei, Tokyo and Dubai.   From these facilities and on-site locations throughout the region, ALT provides a wide range of services including:

  • Data Collection & Preservation,
  • Imaging & Coding,
  • Early Case Assessment (ECA),
  • Data Filtering, Analytics & Processing,
  • Asian Language Support & Translation, and
  • Document Hosting & Review.

This strategic alliance provides significant advantages to our legal, financial and corporate clients through streamlined communication, project management and logistics.  ALT’s bilingual project managers work with consultants based in Asia and North America to provide seamless project management that minimizes the impact of time zone, language and cultural differences.

Further information on Asia Legal Technologies is available online at www.asialegaltech.com or via email request to information@asialegaltech.com .

About Global EDD Group

Global Electronic Discovery & Disclosure Group (“Global EDD Group”) was founded by Mixner with the vision of bridging the wide gap between domestic organizations and their growing national and international legal technology needs.   Global EDD Group provides legal technology services for matters with a national or international scope, specializing in remote and onsite services ranging from data identification to document review.  Global EDD Group is based in Cleveland, Ohio, USA with regional offices in San Francisco and New York City.  Additional information is available by visiting www.GlobalEDD.com.

About Data Management Corporation

Established in year 2003, Data Management Corporation (“DMC”) is Asia’s leading Document & Data Processing Services and Solutions Provider. Our strategic partnership with CCH Workflow Solutions since 2004, has strongly positioned the DMC as “The Litigation Support Provider of Choice in Asia”. Together, we have successfully completed hardcopy discovery and Data Room services projects in various countries such as Japan, China (major cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Guang Zhou and remotely in Qin Huang Dao), Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines, and Indonesia. We have received satisfactory comments and feedback from clients we have worked with, ranging from Law firms, Forensic / Consulting / Accounting firms and US / UK based eDiscovery/Litigation support partners.  Additional information is available by visiting www.i-dmcorp.com .

Filed Under: From The News, Global EDD Group Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Facebook Flub Leaks Private E-mail Addresses – PCWorld

March 31, 2010 By

Private e-mail addresses that many Facebook users wanted to keep hidden were revealed publicly last night on a multitude of Facebook profiles, Gawker reports. The glitch lasted about 30 minutes before Facebook sealed the gap.

An anonymous tipster altered Gawker of the breach in an expletive-riddled message: “6:46PM: I cannot [bleeping] believe it. Everybody's email has been turned on to the public for at least the past 30 min. I tried going into my account to remove my email b/c I have an issue with a crazed stalker. But I wasn't able to. God I [bleeping] hate FB!! When will they ever learn?!”

It might be that Facebook’s recently proposed changes to its privacy settings could be to blame for the hiccup. PC World writer Paul Suarez reported that “One of those changes [to Facebook's Privacy Policy and Statement of Rights and Responsibilities] would make it possible for Facebook to send your name, photo, friend list, and any public information about you and your friends to preapproved third-party Web sites.” A slight tweak to broadcasting profile information could have resulted in this embarrassing flub.

via Facebook Flub Leaks Private E-mail Addresses – PCWorld.

Filed Under: Tech Bytes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Suspension of FCPA in Haiti NOT the Solution | Thomas Fox – JDSupra

March 31, 2010 By

Should enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) be suspended for those US companies now working in Haiti? This topic has been in discussion for a few weeks. It began with a statement by Wall Street Journal editorial board member Mary Anastasia O’Grady in a piece entitled “Democrats and Haiti Telecom”. Ms. O’Grady cited “an American entrepreneur” for the quote “We did not bother with Haiti as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act precludes legitimate U.S. entities from entering the Haitian market. Haiti is pure pay to play”.

As the lead editorial in its Sunday, March 28 edition, the New York Times urged that Haiti “will need to sweep out the old, bad ways of doing things, not only those of the infamously corrupt and hapless government, but also of aid and development agencies, whose nurturing of Haiti has been a manifest failure for more than half a century”. The piece suggested the following ideas to further this goal: Transparency, Accountability and Effectiveness; Haitian Involvement, Self-Sufficiency; Tapping the Diaspora and De-centralization as some of the keys for a successful rebuilding of Haiti. These ideas applied to groups both inside the country and out. But it is clear that the Times did not suggest that cow-towing to a “pay to play state” by suspending the enforcement of the FCPA was a way to move forward.

via Suspension of FCPA in Haitia NOT the Solution | Thomas Fox – JDSupra.

Filed Under: From The News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Elan Sues to Ban Apple Multitouch Products in U.S. — Even the iPad

March 30, 2010 By

Elan Microelectronics filed suit against Apple with the U.S. International Trade Commission today, alleging that certain Apple products violate a multitouch patent previously awarded to the Taiwanese company. Elan in April of last year filed a related suit with the U.S. District Court in Northern California over the same patent — No. 7,274,353 — which it calls “a fundamental patent to the detection of multi-fingers that allows for any subsequent multi-finger applications to be implemented.”

By going to the ITC in addition to filing a patent infringement suit, Elan seeks to block Apple from importing its products into the U.S. that use multitouch, including the iPhone, iPod touch, MacBook, Magic Mouse and the iPad, which is due for release on April 3. Since Apple products are designed in Cupertino but assembled outside of the U.S., Elan is courting the appropriate trade commission that has authority to stop such products from reaching America’s shores. Notably, any ITC findings will be binding regardless of the patent lawsuit outcome, thanks to a loophole in U.S. patent law. Ironically, Apple is using this same strategy to try and block HTC from importing phones that Cupertino alleges violate its patents.

via Elan Sues to Ban Apple Multitouch Products in U.S. — Even the iPad.

Filed Under: From The News, Tech Bytes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Prosecutors, Defense Snipe Over Speedy Trial Clock in FCPA Case – The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times

March 30, 2010 By

Justice Department prosecutors are fighting back against the demands of some criminal defense lawyers that the government not be allowed to control the pace of the department’s most ambitious Foreign Corrupt Practices Act case, unfolding in federal district court in Washington.

Twenty-two executives and employees in the arms dealing business have been charged in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia with attempting to bribe a fictitious foreign official in order to secure a cut of a $15 million contract. The case is the largest-ever prosecution of individuals for FCPA crimes and marks the first large-scale use of an undercover sting in the department’s fight against foreign corruption.

Defense lawyers for 18 of the 22 defendants are challenging the prosecution’s request to stop the speedy trial clock, saying that the government has had ample time to investigate and prepare the case for trial. Charges were announced in January, capping an investigation that lasted for more than two years. Most of the defendants were arrested that month at a trade show in Las Vegas. Some of the defense lawyers have said they are prepared to go to trial this summer.

Prosecutors want to stop the speedy trial clock, saying that the cases are complex and likely involve novel legal issues. To support the “complex” designation of the case, the prosecution argues that the cases include “voluminous” discovery and a “wide-ranging” alleged conspiracy. The prosecution has not announced whether it plans to group certain defendants together for trial or go at defendants one by one.

via Prosecutors, Defense Snipe Over Speedy Trial Clock in FCPA Case – The BLT: The Blog of Legal Times.

Filed Under: From The News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Yebol’s Semantic Search Provides Human Knowledge | CMS Wire

March 30, 2010 By

Search v. Discovery

Sometimes we search for information we know we’re looking for and for that we employ machine-generated knowledge systems, like Google. But sometimes we search to discover information we didn’t know about at all, like we do on Wikipedia, a human-generated knowledge system, that is, a system that is populated by user-generated content.

Discovering information is much more complex because it relies on the creation of conceptual relationships which helps to improve the accuracy of a search by understanding searcher intent. With semantic search, if you search for two or more terms, you will find occurrences of a conceptual relationship, not just the terms scattered within the same document, like traditional machine-generated search engines provide.

Searching and discovering are equally valuable, but understanding what you seek to gain from each can help you know where to go to get the information that you need.

A Multi-Dimensional User Interface

Approximately nine months ago, Yebol launched its beta version of its semantic search engine. This month as they plan to move out of beta, Yebol hopes that its advanced application of algorithms paired with human knowledge can provide the “first truly human-like world's knowledge base.”

Yebol’s multi-dimensional user interface features a categorical tree system, displaying a summary of top sites and categories about any given search term, while also visually displaying results matching user intent. The goal is to let users generate richer, more comprehensive search results displayed on a single page.

via Yebol’s Semantic Search Provides Human Knowledge.

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Windows 7 Users Are Satisfied, Forrester Reports – Windows from eWeek

March 30, 2010 By

About 86 percent of surveyed Windows 7 users said they were satisfied with the operating system, according to a recent report by analyst company Forrester Research, but only 10 percent of Windows XP and Windows Vista users said they planned to upgrade to Windows 7 within the next six months.

That being said, the survey of 4,500 customers also suggested that, unlike with previous operating system versions, Windows 7 adopters were more likely to upgrade without necessarily purchasing a new computer.

“Historically, most consumers have not upgraded their PCs with new OSes—though Mac users and some technophile consumers have been an exception on this count. Instead, the majority of consumers have acquired new OSes when they purchase their new PC,” JP Gownder, an analyst with Forrester, wrote in a March 29 blog post. “With Windows 7, however, upgrade behavior was much stronger.”

The reason for this, according to Gownder, was the ability of Windows 7 to work with older PCs. “The rise of netbooks, the physical assets of multi-PC households and an attachment by many consumers to their Windows XP machines all contributed to the need for a sleeker, thinner Windows OS, which Windows 7 delivered,” he said.

Around 45 percent of Forrester respondents said they had purchased Windows 7 pre-installed on a new PC, while 43 percent upgraded to Windows 7 from an older operating system and 12 percent of respondents fell under “Other.”

Total sales of Windows 7 now stand at 90 million copies since October 2009, according to Microsoft, and company executives say those numbers are due to high consumer demand. Adoption by businesses has lagged, however, presumably as IT departments wrestle with the budgetary aftereffects of a global recession.

“There will be an enterprise refresh cycle,” Microsoft Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein said during a Morgan Stanley Investor conference on March 2. “It's not precisely certain when that will happen or how fast it will happen, but we expect it to happen this calendar year and go into next calendar year, and that will be a really good catalyst for growth in the PC business.”

via Windows 7 Users Are Satisfied, Forrester Reports – Windows from eWeek.

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Best Buy buys in modest iPad supply • The Register

March 30, 2010 By

US Apple stores and Best Buy branches will have a few iPads in stock on Saturday to ensure the media-friendly queues.

However, some in the expected line-up may be waiting for the next-generation iPhone.

Steve Wozniak told Newsweek he’ll be amongst those queuing for an Wi-Fi iPad come Saturday, as Apple has confirmed that both its own stores and Best Buy branches will have stock and be offering to set up email and install an application or two.

Those with smaller pockets will be more interested in the Wall Street Journal’s report of a next-generation iPhone that will, apparently, support CDMA networks.

CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) refers to a technique as well as a technical standard, the latter being used by Verizon’s 90 million US customers as well as Sprint Nextel. As a technique CDMA is part of the GSM 3G standard (W-CDMA, the “W” standing for “Wideband”) and supported by the existing iPhone.

In the US the iPhone has remained exclusive to AT&T and its W-CDMA network, but now the Wall Street Journal quotes “people briefed by the company” saying that Apple has developed a CDMA iPhone for the competing networks.

via Best Buy buys in modest iPad supply • The Register.

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SEC files amicus brief in “foreign cubed” action | Lexology

March 30, 2010 By

The SEC and the US Solicitor General filed an amicus curiae brief in the Supreme Court recommending a framework to determine whether Section 10(b) of the Securities Exchange Act and Rule 10b-5 thereunder apply to transnational securities frauds involving overseas injuries experienced by foreign investors. The brief explains that a violation of Section 10(b) exists if the transnational securities fraud involves significant conduct in the United States that was material to the fraud's success. Where the U.S. conduct satisfies this standard, the SEC may maintain a civil enforcement action under Section 10(b). For foreign investors to maintain a private securities fraud action, however, the brief argues that an additional showing is required; they must demonstrate that the U.S. conduct was a direct cause of their overseas injury.

via Lexology – SEC files amicus brief in “foreign cubed” action.

Filed Under: From The News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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