Technology jargon frightens off Joe Public claims AMD

People are put off buying technology because of the jargon surrounding products and their perceived complexity. This is the finding of a new consumer survey carried out by AMD. Specifically, AMD's Global Consumer Advisory Board (GCAB) has released details of a consumer survey at its bi-annual meeting in Stockholm. ...more

History's 'yellow pages' go online

The University of Leicester is working to put a large slice of local history online. Researchers are digitising old local directories for England and Wales - the Yellow Pages of their day - that date back as far as 1750. Of interest to amateur local historians, the results will be put online, reports the BBC. ...more

Criminals eye mobile phone banking

Cyber criminals have mobile phone banking services in their sights, according to a new report. Research by analysts The Tower Group, predicts that this year will see fraudsters increasingly targeting banking and payment services on mobile phones with the goal of infecting or compromising a mobile device in order to steal money from unsuspecting users. The analysts said that targets would be most likely to be a smartphone or wireless PDA that can act as a replacement for a credit or debit card. ...more

EU treaty could spark hacker witch-hunt

Security experts at Def Con Europe in Amsterdam have expressed outrage at the implications of The Council of Europe's draft Cybercrime Treaty. The Treaty, drafted by EU member states in consultation with the US Department of Justice could be signed as early as December and would criminalise the writing or possession of hacking software and the publishing of software vulnerabilities. To many of the experts at Def Con, the word 'hacking' is simply a way of discovering how something works - research by disassembly. ...more

Major notebook brands seek to cut costs with different business model

Intensified price competition has pushed major notebook brands to explore every corner to cut costs, and direct cooperation with component suppliers seems to be the latest strategy, according to sources in Taiwan's notebook industry. More than one major brand has recently bypassed its contract manufacturers and ordered components directly from suppliers, sources said. In the past, notebook makers were in general authorized to handle the deals and allowed to profit from them. ...more