warnings

Web users ignoring security certificate warnings

Digital certificate warnings in Web browsers are not an effective security measure, according to Carnegie Mellon researchers.

The researchers, who plan to present their findings on August 14 at the Usenix Security Symposium in Montreal, found over the course of two experiments that certificate warnings were ineffectual. The warnings appear when a browser detects a problem with a Web site's certificate and arrive as a pop-up with a message such as: "There is a problem with this Web site's security certificate."

In an online study conducted among 409 participants, the researchers found that the majority of … Read more

Apple updates heat advisory for iPhone 3GS

Last week, Apple revised a support document about iPhone temperature to include the iPhone 3GS. The June 25 document cautions iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS users to operate their handsets within acceptable temperatures. It makes the following recommendations:

Recommended operating temperatures Operate iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between zero and 35 degrees Celsius (32 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit). Low or high-temperature conditions might temporarily shorten battery life or cause the device to temporarily stop working properly.

Recommended storage temperatures Store iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS in a place where the temperature is between -20 and 45 degrees Celsius (-4 to 113 degrees Fahrenheit). Don't leave the device in your car, because temperatures in parked cars can exceed this range.

Symptoms of overheating

iPhone will no longer charge iPhone display will dim Weaker cell signal iPhone temperature warning screen appears (see below)… Read more

Adobe issues warning about first-quarter revenue

Corrected at 3:45 p.m. PST: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported that Adobe announced it will miss both its revenue and profit forecasts for the first quarter. The company said it will miss its previous revenue forecast.

Faced with growing weakness in it business, Adobe Systems announced Wednesday it will miss its previous revenue forecast. But, the software maker said it expects to meet its profit forecast thanks to cost-cutting measures.

On Wednesday, Adobe shares were up nearly 9 percent in after-hours trading to $17.75. During the regular trading session, Adobe closed up 2 percent … Read more

Intel profits sink in 'uncertain' climate

Updated at 4:25 p.m. PST throughout, including correction to mobile processor revenue

Intel reported Thursday a 90 percent drop in net income for the fourth quarter, as the company continued to cite an "uncertain" environment.

Revenue met the expectations that Intel set last week when it issued a warning on fourth-quarter revenue. The $8.2 billion in revenue amounts to a 23 percent drop from the year-earlier period, when it reported revenue of $10.7 billion.

Profits plunged 90 percent to $234 million, or 4 cents a share, for the quarter. This is in stark contrast … Read more

Intel warning casts cloud over CES

Intel's fourth-quarter warning is not only bad news but bad timing. With the Consumer Electronics Show kicking off Thursday adorned by all those bright, shiny gadgets, Intel effectively said: gadgets maybe, but not so bright and shiny.

And for an Intel warning, this one was particularly dire. The biggest chip bellwether said it now expects only $8.2 billion in revenue for the quarter, a 23 percent drop from the year-earlier period, and 20 percent from the third quarter. And this comes after issuing a warning on November 12.

So what's happening? The clearest example of the gloom … Read more

Intel expects fourth-quarter revenue to drop 23 percent

This post was updated at 11:16 a.m. PST with comments from a Friedman, Billings, Ramsey & Co. analyst.

Intel warned Wednesday that its fourth-quarter revenue will fall $2 billion short of its original forecast, due to PC makers curtailing chip orders.

The announcement comes less than two months after Intel warned on November 12 that its fourth-quarter performance would fall below its original forecast.

Revenue is now expected to be about $8.2 billion, down 23 percent over the same quarter in the previous year and down 20 percent sequentially.

On November 12, Intel said it expected revenue … Read more

Mozilla patches highly critical security flaws

Mozilla has released updates to its popular Firefox browser, its Thunderbird e-mail client, and its SeaMonkey application suite, aiming to address highly critical security flaws that could expose users' sensitive information.

Users are advised to update to version 3.0.5 of Firefox, which was released Tuesday. They are also advised to update to version 2.0.0.19 of Thunderbird and version 1.1.14 of SeaMonkey.

The vulnerabilities were found in earlier versions of Firefox 3, as well as in versions of Firefox 2.

According to a research note released Wednesday by security researcher Secunia:

Some vulnerabilities have … Read more

TI, Broadcom add to warnings chorus

In another bad sign for the consumer electronics market, chipmaker Texas Instruments warned that its current quarter sales and earnings will come in far below earlier estimates.

The company said it now expects revenue of $2.3 billion to $2.5 billion, as compared with prior expectations of $2.83 billion to $3.07 billion. Per-share earnings are now seen between 10 cents and 16 cents, as compared with an earlier range of 30 cents to 36 cents.

TI did not provide further details in its press release, but said it would hold a conference call to discuss its finances. … Read more

Intel warns on chip demand

Updated at 2:50 p.m. with correction of comments in FORM 10-Q

Intel reiterated in an SEC filing Friday that business conditions may worsen and that demand for its chips may take a hit because of global economic conditions.

As a result of the recent financial crisis, "there could be a number of follow-on effects from the credit crisis on Intel's business, including insolvency of key suppliers resulting in product delays; inability of customers to obtain credit to finance purchases of our products and/or customer insolvencies," Intel restated in a FORM 10-Q filing.

Intel also … Read more

High-tech for Volvo S80, V70, XC70

Five new high-tech features will be available on Volvo's S80, V70 and XC70 models by the end of the year, the company announced Tuesday.

The Swedish company joins the ranks of several automakers who are bringing high-tech features to even the most budget models.

Volvo's most interesting feature may be a new take on monitoring driver behavior.

Driver Alert Control, as Volvo calls it, uses a camera and sensors to monitor a car's general behavior in terms of speed and staying in lane, not the driver's behavior within a cockpit. If, through a combination of factors, … Read more