Non-Microsoft patch stirs controversy

A non-Microsoft patch for a Windows vulnerability is causing a stir, with some advocating use of the patch and others cautioning against it.

According to the Washington Post, some security experts have criticised Microsoft for waiting until next week to address a recently-revealed flaw in the Windows operating system.

The experts say the flaw is unusually dangerous and users should install a patch created by private developer Ilfak Guilfanov to protect systems until the official Microsoft patch is released.

However, Information Week says experts are divided over whether it`s wise to use Guilfanov`s Hexblog patch to fix the WMF vulnerability, with other saying it is not worth the extra work to patch twice, or to take the risk of using a third-party fix.

The flaw, revealed last week, allows hackers to use WMF images on hostile Web sites to execute malicious code on their victims` computers.

Microsoft has downplayed the threat, saying the attacks are not widespread and an official patch will be released on 10 January after testing to ensure no conflicts with other software.

European WiFi provider, The Cloud, plans to provide hundreds of wireless broadband hotspots in nine UK cities, including London, Liverpool, Oxford, Cambridge and Edinburgh as part of an initiative expected to deliver wireless access to more than four million people.

Information Week says The Cloud has promised to avoid a monopoly by keeping its wholesale networks open to all service providers.

Users of SkypeZones and Nintendo WiFi networks will have immediate access to the hotspots.

After a year of skirmishes, rivals in the bid to dominate the high-definition DVD market have both announced plans to release products to the market early this year.

This week`s announcements by Sony about plans for its first high-definition Blu-Ray DVD players and recorders and Toshiba about its rival HD DVD technology indicate both formats will be available to consumers around March 2006.

News.Com reports that although Sony`s Blu-Ray technology has gained considerable momentum in recent months, analysts believe uncertainty over which format will ultimately prevail is likely to dampen consumers` enthusiasm for high-definition technology.

Lenovo, the New York-based PC group that bought IBM`s PC group last year, is to unveil a slew of products at the Winter Olympics starting in Turin, Italy, next month in a campaign aimed at promoting the Lenovo brand, reports News.Com.

The report says Lenovo, which is the primary technology supplier for the Winter Olympics, will also demonstrate how it will differentiate the ThinkPad notebook line it acquired from IBM from the existing notebooks it already sells.

Meanwhile, Lenovo released lightweight, low-energy notebooks at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas this week. It also announced plans with Cingular Wireless to integrate high-speed wireless WAN technology into upcoming versions of ThinkPad notebooks, without the need for a peripheral PC card.

eWeek reports that certain ThinkPad notebooks will come pre-configured with a HSDPA (High-Speed Downlink Packet Access) modem. HSDPA is an upgrade to the company`s existing EDGE (Enhanced Data for Global Evolution) network and is backward-compatible with EDGE, as are HSDPA modems.

Industry analysts have estimated sales of Microsoft`s Xbox 360 next-generation game console since its release on 22 November to be about 1.3 million units, which is less than half of what the company projected to sell before the end of the current fiscal quarter.

IGN reports that Goldman Sachs analyst Rick Sherlund attributes the lower than expected sales to shortages in supplies of the console.

Although the report gives no reasons for disruptions to production, Sherlund is quoted as saying production is likely to be up to as many as 800 000 units a month, which will meet the expected demand for two million units in the next quarter.