Articles by Walaika Haskins

The clock is ticking for Microsoft to roll out the third and likely final service pack for its seven-year-old Windows XP operating system (OS). Microsoft announced at the end of 2007 that the long-awaited service pack (SP) would be released sometime during the first half of 2008; however, thus far the company has remained mum about the official date and details of the release...

Adobe on Monday announced what it hopes will become a new industry standard for digital cinema files, CinemaDNG, in Las Vegas at the National Association of Broadcasters Show. Defining an industry-wide open file format will streamline workflows and serve to ensure easy archiving and exchange for video editing professionals, according to Adobe The p...

When they put in long hours, workers sometimes begin to see their workplaces as something of a second home. They decorate the walls of their cubicles or offices with pictures of loved ones, plants and an assortment of personal memorabilia. No matter what their professional level, when someone's spending 40, 50, 60 hours a week on the job, that feeling of home-away-from-home can extend to use of electronic devices and computers provided by their employer...

MySpace on Thursday announced a new partnership with ShineReveille International under which original content developed for MySpaceTV will be distributed internationally. The information was revealed at the MIPTV conference in Cannes, France Under the plan, online shows such as "Prom Queen," "Quarterlife" and "Roommates" will receive deluxe distrib...

Linux has a bright future in the business world, according to an IDC white paper sponsored by the Linux Foundation and released Tuesday. By 2011, expenditures on Linux-based hardware, software and related services will reach US$49 billion, more than double 2007's figure of $21 billion, according to the study's authors. The growth, they said, will be driven by enterprise deployments...

IBM unveiled a new research initiative intended to solve problems associated with virtualization and security Tuesday in San Francisco at RSA 2008. Code-named "Phantom," the project will be run jointly by IBM X-Force threat analysis team and IBM Research The project seeks to create virtualization security technology to efficiently monitor and disru...

Google unveiled a preview version of its new hosted Web application platform, Google App Engine, late Monday. The new service is more than a simple database-style platform; rather, it provides developers of Web apps with a hosted solution upon which they can write their applications Google App Engine is a way for developers to run their Web applica...

A little over a year following the initial release of its Clearspace collaboration platform in February 2007, Jive Software announced the availability of the Clearspace 2.0 Monday The newest iteration of Clearspace enables users to share information and connect with coworkers and business partners in order to increase communication and workplace pr...

Microsoft has again decided to let Windows XP operating system (OS) live a little longer This time, the software maker has given the OS a reprieve in order to sell preloaded versions of Windows XP Home Edition in ultra-low cost PCs....

MySpace announced Thursday a joint venture with three of the world's four largest record companies -- Sony BMG, Universal and Warner Music -- to launch a new online music service. The service will add new features to the social network's existing music portal, MySpace Music MySpace Music will begin to offer users the ability to purchase music downl...

Using mobile devices running Windows Mobile operating system may become a little easier with the upcoming release of Windows 6.1 and a few changes to Internet Explorer Mobile (IEM) that Microsoft plans to make. The software maker unveiled new versions of its mobile OS and Web browser this week at the CTIA Wireless 2008 mobile show The updated softw...

Google announced Monday it plans to take its Google Docs word processing application into unchartered territory -- offline "We've taken another small step toward making Web applications accessible anywhere and everywhere. We're rolling out a way for you to edit documents in Google Docs even without a connection," Jason Freidenfelds, a Google spokes...

Microsoft has teamed with Hollywood production company Safran to create original content available only to owners of its Xbox 360 gaming console, the two companies announced Monday Safran has helmed the production of several films, including "Scary Movie," and it has produced recent films such as "Meet the Spartans" and the upcoming "Chilled in Mia...

Electronic Arts' hostile takeover attempt for Take-Two Interactive continued Friday with EA's announcement that it has amended its offer for the fellow gaming publishers' investors Included in EA's amendments to its bid is an extension of the tender offer deadline from April 11 to April 18. The change puts the deadline for investors to respond to E...

AMD announced Thursday the release of its triple-core Phenom processors, the X3 8000 series. A first for the PC industry, the triple-core chips are aimed at gamers and digital media enthusiasts for whom performance and price are paramount, the company said The Phenom X3 processors have been designed to enhance multi-threaded application performance...

A little less than two weeks after Electronic Arts offered Take-Two Interactive stockholders US$2 billion in a hostile takeover bid, Take-Two's board unanimously urged shareholders to reject the unsolicited proposal Wednesday morning Take-Two's board said the $26 per share price is "inadequate" and "contrary to the best interests of Take-Two's stoc...

An Australian WiMax operator -- or rather former operator -- reportedly lambasted the technology last week at the WiMAX World Asia 2008 international conference held in Bangkok, Thailand. Buzz Broadband's CEO Garth Freeman told the audience the technology is a "disaster" which, when deployed, "failed miserably," according to a report from telecom publication CommsDay Australasia...

Flush from its high-definition DVD format war victory over Toshiba, Sony is beginning to enhance its Blu-ray platform with new interactive features and discs that take advantage of them The company's movie division, Sony Pictures, plans to release its first two Blu-ray discs April 8, enabled with new technology it calls "BD-Live." "Walk Hard: The D...

Three days have passed since Microsoft released its first service pack (SP1) for the Windows Vista operating system, but feedback from many users on the Vista Team blog point to a variety of issues with the software While the majority of commenters on the site reported no problems with the download and installation, a growing number of users have d...

Citrix and HP announced a deal Thursday that integrates the virtualization company's XenServer into HP's 64-bit ProLiant Servers. The jointly developed server virtualization solution, Citrix XenServer HP Select Edition, will be available to both HP and Citrix customers The new offering provides users with a graphical management console and is integ...