Feds Bust Nationwide H1-B Visa Scam

Feds Bust Nationwide H1-B Visa Scam
February 13, 2009 at 5:40 pm
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Federal agents arrest 11 people in seven states for submitting false statements and documents in support of their H1-B visa petitions. The Department of Justice has also issued a 10-count indictment against IT services firm Vision Systems Group of New Jersey for conspiracy and mail fraud involving H1-B visas. The indictment also seeks $7.4 million in forfeitures against Vision Systems while warning other IT firms are under investigation.
- Federal authorities have busted an alleged nationwide H1-B scam ring, arresting 11 people in seven states and bringing a 10-count indictment against a New Jersey IT services firm. The indictment charges Vision Systems Group with one count of conspiracy, eight counts of mail fraud and seeks $7.4 ...

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Court Denies Cable Bid to Turn Back Privacy Rules
February 13, 2009 at 5:30 pm
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A U.S. appeals court denies a bid by the cable industry to overrule privacy rules that make it more difficult for them to share subscribers' personal information with other parties. A petition by the National Cable and Telecommunications Association argued that federal rules on telecom carriers' use of customer data violate free speech rights.
- WASHINGTON (Reuters) A U.S. appeals court on Friday denied a bid by the cable industry to overrule privacy rules that make it more difficult for them to share subscribers' personal information with other parties. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit denied a petition b...

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10 Things You Need to Know NOW About ... Green IT
February 13, 2009 at 5:13 pm
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eWEEK editors keep you up-to-date on important IT topics. Compiled by Debra Donston.
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Amazon`s Kindle 2 Faces Possible Copyright Battle
February 13, 2009 at 4:52 pm
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Amazons Kindle 2 had a buzz-heavy Feb. 13 launch with Jeff Bezos and Stephen King. But now the Authors Guild has said that one of the electronic readers new features, text-to-speech, could violate authors' audio book copyrights.
- At Amazons Kindle 2 launch at the Morgan Library and Museum on Feb. 13, CEO Jeff Bezos highlighted a new feature for the electronic reader: text-to-speech. Its good news for anyone who wants their document read to them in an electronic voice, but according to the Authors Guild, it also potentia...

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Google Opens Android to Paid Apps
February 13, 2009 at 4:10 pm
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Google is now allowing application developers to sell Android applications via the Android Market. Google Checkout will serve as the payment and billing mechanism for Android Market.
- Google is now allowing developers to sell applications for its Android platform via the Android Market. In a blog post on Feb. 13, Eric Chu, mobile platform program manager for Google, said: I'm pleased to announce that Android Market is now accepting priced applications from US and UK devel...

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Cisco Faces Increased Competition from Juniper, ProCurve
February 13, 2009 at 4:08 pm
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Cisco, HP and Juniper find themselves grappling for control of an enterprise networking space thats opened up thanks to increasing usage and new trends such as virtualization and the cloud. Whoever comes to dominate the more flexible networks of the future will need to rely on constant innovation to stay in front of the pack.
- Efficiency is the name of the road map game for enterprise networking in 2009, at least according to one Cisco Systems executive. quot;Today, you get servers from one company, SAN from another, and then IT pays their employees and contractors to assemble it – and only once its assembled can yo...

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Paul Allen's Charter Stiffs Common Shareholders
February 13, 2009 at 2:03 pm
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Charter Communications restructures debt load with a planned Chapter 11 bankruptcy filing. The deal allows Charter to live for another day, keeps Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen still in charge and leaves common stockholders with worthless stock.
- Cable company Charter Communications -- bankrolled by Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen's largest investment since leaving Microsoft in 1983 -- said Feb. 12 it plans to file for bankruptcy in an effort to reduce the nation's fourth-largest cable operator's heavy debt load by as much as $8 billion...

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Tech Financials: 'It's the Winter of Our Digital Discontent'
February 13, 2009 at 1:26 pm
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It's not hard to see that 2008-09 is going to get worse before it gets much better. Some sectors, such as storage, data center automation and e-discovery, seem immune to the downturn, but chip, computer, handheld, flash memory and server makers continue to struggle big time.
- As the smoke clears and the Q4 earnings report window closes, it's a bit daunting to look back and revisit the economic damage key players in the the IT industry have had to suffer in the last three months of 2008. The Q1 2009 forecasts, as one might imagine, are not any better. As one IT analy...

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Source: Sirius XM Still in Talks with Liberty
February 13, 2009 at 1:21 pm
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Sirius XM Radio is still in talks with Liberty Media to create a deal that will keep the satellite radio company from having to declare bankruptcy, according to sources. The deal could also mean that Sirius, which is home to Howard Stern's radio show, could stave off a takeover by EchoStar.
- NEW YORK (Reuters) With only days to go until a critical deadline, Sirius XM Radio Inc is still in talks with potential investor Liberty Media Corp, a person familiar with the matter said on Thursday. The talks are seen as a last-ditch attempt by Sirius Chief Executive Mel Karmazin to stave off a ...

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New Samsung Cell Phone Powered by Sunlight
February 13, 2009 at 1:13 pm
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At the upcoming Mobile World Congress conference, Samsung plans to show off its "Blue Earth" cell phone that uses solar energy instead of traditional batteries to power the handset device. The Samsung Blue Earth phone also offers a number of other eco-friendly features, including a personal CO2 monitor.
- Samsung is taking eco-friendly to new extremes at the Mobile World Congress later this month with its "Blue Earth" cell phone, which uses solar energy instead of traditional batteries to power the device. The new device -- designed to emulate a flat, rounded pebble -- features a solar panel l...

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Is Barack Obama the Most Tech-Savvy President of All Time?
February 13, 2009 at 12:45 pm
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Absolutely not, at least not yet. It takes more than a RIM BlackBerry, knowledge of Facebook, the ability to power on an Apple MacBook and an Internet connection. Knowing a good thing when they saw it, many a president has seized upon the day's innovative opportunities in science and technology. Presidents throughout history have grabbed that moment and some were even right, including today's birthday boys: Washington and Lincoln. An eWEEK random sampling of presidents and innovation.
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U.S. Tweaks Internet Privacy Guidelines
February 13, 2009 at 12:01 pm
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Federal regulators tweak recommendations for how Web sites should collect, save and share information about users, extending them to ISPs and mobile users.
- WASHINGTON (Reuters) Federal regulators tweaked recommendations for how websites should collect, save and share information about users, extending them to Internet service providers and mobile users. The Federal Trade Commission issued new guidance on Thursday for the self-regulated industry tha...

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Dell Offers SMBs "Stimulus" Financing on Laptops, Servers
February 13, 2009 at 10:59 am
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The world's largest computer maker reaches out to midmarket companies through special financial programs for select Dell laptops and servers.
- While Washington lurches toward passing another economic stimulus package, Dell is reaching out to small and medium-size (SMB) business owners to help them stay afloat as the worldwide economic crisis ricochets onward. This week the company announced financing deals on select Latitude laptops and Po...

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Going Mobile: What to Expect at GSMA Mobile World Congress
February 13, 2009 at 10:54 am
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Is Dell's rumored smartphone making its debut? Can RIM, Toshiba, Acer, Samsung or Google's Android platform knock the Apple iPhone off the top of the smartphone pile? And who will Verizon choose as its LTE equipment vendors? The industry's leading anaylsts weigh in on expectations for this year's Mobile World Congress.
- Next Monday, the mobile industrys largest exhibition, GSMA Mobile World Congress, kicks off in Barcelona. The four-day conference is expected to draw nearly 50,000 attendees and more than 1,000 exhibitors from across the globe. As the show draws nearer, rumors continue to circulate and whispered...

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Nokia, Microsoft, RIM Target Mobile Software Sales
February 13, 2009 at 10:40 am
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In an effort to catch up to Apple's online App Store, Microsoft, Nokia, RIM and other telecom heavyweights are looking to develop and sell their own lines of mobile software for both consumers and business users. This month's Mobile World Conference is Spain is a likely launching pad for these applications.
- HELSINKI (Reuters) - Technology firms like Nokia and Microsoft are rushing to open their mobile software stores, hoping to follow the runaway success of Apple's online App Store. The focus of the cellphone market has been shifting to software development since Google and Apple entered the mobile...

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In the Obama Era Routing Has to Change Too
February 13, 2009 at 10:24 am
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If you're looking for the really serious security issues to address, ones that might need government help, securing BGP should be on the short list.
- If you were in charge of the nation's cyber-security what would you focus on? One really scary problem that doesn't get enough attention is the insecurities in BGP, the router protocol of the Internet. BGP has been getting some attention as of late from Homeland Security, but it's still way down the...

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Telecom Industry Faces Test at Mobile World Congress
February 13, 2009 at 10:19 am
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At the 2009 Mobile World Congress show in Spain, the telecom industry is facing a major test after a dismal year that saw retail sales fall and businesses cutting back on mobile phone purchases and other equipment. Still, several big players, including Dell, Acer, Asus and other handset makers, are looking to make a big splash with new smartphone offerings.
- LONDON (Reuters) - The world's mobile telecom industry will gather in the Spanish city of Barcelona next week, hoping to find ways to outwit the downturn, powerful new rivals and software developers threatening to steal their thunder. Mobile World Congress, the phone industry's biggest annual g...

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Google Android Bug Not as Bad as Feared, Security Researcher Says
February 13, 2009 at 9:24 am
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Security researcher Charles Miller is backing away from a warning about the Google Android browser. If an exploit were successful, the actual code that would be executed would run in the media player, not the browser due to its application sandboxing.
- A security researcher is backing away from a warning he issued about the Google Android operating system. Charles Miller, principal security analyst at Independent Security Evaluators, discovered a vulnerability in the multimedia subsystem Android uses for its browser. The bug, which exists in Pack...

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Mozilla Ships Bespin Web-based Code Editor
February 13, 2009 at 8:52 am
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The Mozilla Developer Tools Lab has delivered its first new product – a web-based code editor called Bespin. Bespin is an extensible code editor that is built on top of leading edge browser technology including Canvas.
- The dynamic duo of Dion Almaer and Ben Galbraith of Ajaxian.com fame has done it again. This time with a new web-based code editor called Bespin from Mozilla. The team who joined forces to form the Mozilla Developer Tools Lab last year struck with their first new solution out of the group. quot;...

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Security Vendor McAfee Sees Profits Surpass Street Projections
February 13, 2009 at 12:19 am
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McAfee reported a solid quarter, surpassing Wall Street forecasts. McAfee officials said they will still look to cut costs in the wake of last year's purchase of Secure Computing, the company's biggest-ever acquisition at $465 million.
- Security software maker McAfee Inc. reported slightly higher-than-expected quarterly profit and forecast revenue for the current quarter above Wall Street's expectations, as viruses and malicious programs increasingly flood the market. Sales of security software -- applications that guard computer...