During a recent talk with LogMeIn CEO Michael Simon, I learned about the company's new LogMeIn Central dashboard for IT managers, designed to help them keep tabs on thousands of computers at a time.
I also heard about the new version of virtual network service Hamachi, which makes it a competitor to standard (and expensive) virtual private-networking products in the enterprise.
We chuckled a bit about the version of LogMeIn that's embedded in the dashboard of some Ford F150 pickup trucks, so their owners can remotely control their office PCs. And I heard about a LogMeIn technology, just now reaching the market, that enables not just remote diagnostics of computers but also access to data on the hard drives of PCs that are turned completely off. Gulp.
That last technology, part of Intel's VPro system architecture, has just started to ship in a few new PCs. It's designed for corporate networks so that support personnel can get into a machine--to run a backup, for example--regardless of whether it's running Windows, has crashed into a blue screen, or has been shut down. As long as the PC is plugged into the wall and to an Ethernet connection, the computer, even though in an off state, will continue to draw a small amount of power (about 4 watts) while it monitors the network for control packets.
The technology is getting built into motherboards using the Q45 support chipset. Only a few corporate desktops use this technology, in particular HP's DC 7900 and Lenovo's ThinkCentre M58 lines.
Simon told me that the technology does not provide a wide-open backdoor. There are security protocols. The user has to agree to use the technology, and like all LogMeIn remote-control products, remote access isn't possible unless the computer's owner agrees to it. And in many ways, it is similar to current remote-access products that rely on "Wake-on-LAN" packets to power up a PC so it can then be controlled remotely. The difference here is of degree.
And I don't worry about this in the enterprise. If you're using a computer provided to you by your company, it is owned by your company, not you. If your employer want to get your data or mess with your work, it does not need a tool like this to do so. This technology just gives IT pros more capabilities, and it sounds like a very useful tool.
Even for home users, in most cases, this won't be a problem, mostly because VPro PCs aren't marketed to home users. But assuming that they were, the VPro protocols still specify that the user must consent to remote access each time someone wants to use it.
So let's say Dell sells me a computer, and it crashes. I am happy to have Dell customer support see what's going on during a phone call. It might save everyone the annoyance and expense of a repair visit or the need to ship the computer back to Dell for examination.
Michael Simon, LogMeIn's CEO
(Credit: Rafe Needleman/CNET)What I am concerned about are VPro home computers for which remote control is preconfigured by a seller. A machine sold by an unscrupulous builder. A used computer sold via eBay or Craigslist by someone bent on identity theft. The opportunities for crime here are just too great to ignore.
And it's LogMeIn's exceptionally robust connection technology that makes it all the more so. Unlike Wake-on-LAN technologies and other remote-control products, LogMeIn is very good at connecting to a computer, no matter how far away it is on the Internet or how deep behind firewalls it is. It's robust--and secure in the hands of its users--but it's a scary tool, if the wrong people get into it.
Simon did say that perhaps this technology needs a protocol that specifies that whenever it's used, whether it's been configured for unattended access or not, it "drops a receipt on the desktop" so the computer's owner can see it when he or she turns the machine on.
That's a start. I'd recommend disabling this feature entirely. And to be fair, computers with this capability come with remote access turned off in the BIOS by default. But chances are that crimes over VPro, if any are committed, will be against people who simply don't know that this kind of access is possible.
Other LogMeIn representatives also took pains to remind me that this capability can be used to fight crime as well: a computer that had been stolen could be remotely wiped of data, for example, even if it's powered down. Also, there are no consumer desktops yet with this BIOS-level support for remote access.
I have been a big fan of LogMeIn's free remote-control product for years, and I have never heard of any security breaches due to a technical issue with the company's products. Furthermore, I congratulate Simon for landing this deal with Intel. Nice move. But I think that my relationship with this capable maker of remote-access and network utility services just got more complicated. I am going to try very hard to avoid VPro products, if they start to proliferate in the consumer market.
Alternatives include switching to AMD-powered computers or unplugging a VPro PC when not using it, which would be a ridiculous hassle. I know it seems crazy and paranoid, but if "off" doesn't really mean "off" anymore, we do have to be more careful.
Intel is best known for making CPUs, but its research division continues to bring new ways for users to interact with data on the Web. Think Link, one of the company's most recent projects is attempting to help people spot misinformation, while providing the tools to correct it.
Similar to crowd-sourced typo-finder GooseGrade and SpinSpotter (coverage), Think Link is about bringing attention to mistakes, and inaccurate claims; be it blog posts, news stories, research papers or advertising. Where it differs is in giving users a relatively simple way to back up their claims of wrongness by linking to a reputable source, then letting others vote those ideas up (Google search wiki style), with the best rising to the top.
In other words: I make a mistake in an article, and instead of blasting me in the comments or via e-mail, you can very quickly create a case against something I've gotten wrong with a team of fellow contributors.
Items that have been disputed in Think Link show up with highlighting, and clicking them shows you the argument for and against.
(Credit: Intel)The only hitch is that to view and create Think Link content, users must have a browser extension installed. They'll then be able to see items other users have highlighted as disputed, or "interesting." Hovering over those items that have been disputed pops up with the most agreed-upon proof of something being inaccurate, or untrue.
You can also drill down to see arguments from both sides in something Intel calls the "argument graph." This tool pulls in data from related topics on Wikipedia, as well as other Think Link items, which can help whoever is reading a dispute to see a more complete argument with both sides.
What's really, really cool about this project is that... Read more
High hopes at Yahoo, Intel for Internet-enabled TV
Yahoo's Widget Channel software for TVs and video devices shows a link to Yahoo's Flickr photo-sharing site, stock prices, and an advertisement. Intel, Yahoo, and several partners will show the technology off at CES 2009.
(Credit: Yahoo)Yahoo and Intel built their success upon widespread use of personal computers, but the two companies hope products to be shown at the Consumer Electronics Show in January will ...
Read the full post at CNET's CES 2009 blog.
Stickam, a company that allows users to stream their lives online, announced Monday that it has launched an application programming interface that will let users incorporate the company's service into any Web site or app. According to the company, users can use its video-streaming function on their sites without worry of bandwidth, server infrastructure, or Flash development, since it will all be hosted through Stickam. The API is available now as a public beta for the first 100 registered developers at no cost. Once the beta period ends, Stickam will charge developers an undisclosed fee based on a pay-as-you-go pricing model.
Human-powered search engine Mahalo announced on Monday the launch of Mahalo Answers, which allows users to submit questions to the community, which will then be answered by other Mahalo users. Mahalo Answers is quite similar to Yahoo Answers, but it does feature one twist: users can offer "tips" (in Mahalo dollars) to those who post the best answers. For its part, Mahalo will take 25 percent of the cash exchanged between users.
Hot or Not is an extremely popular site that allows users to rate a person's appearance based on a posted picture. Responding to its popularity, a new site called Twit or Fit has launched, which will provide Twitter profile pictures that will be graded based on the person's physical appearance. Visitors can decide to look at only men or women or view the top 10 highest-rated people. Twit or Fit also provides the option of announcing grades through the user's Twitter profile.
On Monday, Intel announced the results of its Internet study, which found that most U.S. adults would rather have Internet access than watch TV or engage in sexual activity. About 65 percent of respondents said they cannot live without Internet access, and 71 percent claim it is important or very important to have Internet-enabled devices. The vast majority of the respondents believe the Web has become an integral component in the U.S. economy and a central part of their lives.
Intel's CEO Paul Otellini demos new mobile tech.
(Credit: Josh Lowensohn/CNET Networks)SAN FRANCISCO--There is a light at the end of the dark financial tunnel, Intel President and CEO Paul Otellini said onstage at the Web 2.0 Summit on Thursday morning. And he brought out a shiny new toy to prove it.
"All the smart people I've talked to in this area suggest that the U.S. is in a two- to three-quarter recession," Otellini said, though he added that the current economic slowdown is "the deepest one I've seen in my lifetime" and predicted that morale may stay low for longer because unemployment may remain high even after growth has resumed.
The point of his talk, though, was to focus on the good stuff, namely the innovation that will still be on the way regardless of how far the markets fall. "I like coming here," Otellini said of the Web 2.0 conference. "It's a respite from, sort of, watching the stock market crash every day, and think about what the future is going to hold for us."
Otellini showed off two projects that the company is working on internally. One of them is a business-networking software product that Otellini said will make a big difference in how employees of large corporations socialize and network with one another, learn more about the company, and collaborate on products. In a demonstration of the prototype, the CEO suggested that it was something that could eventually make a difference for many companies.
"There's an interesting thing about businesses and software," he said. "They pay for it. If you're looking for a business model that might be interesting, finding a way to capture the needs of enterprises...is a pretty good way of making a living."
But the more impressive of the two demonstrations was a shadowy, unnamed handheld gadget that's so early in its development that Otellini admitted it had to be powered by computers backstage. Otellini showed how the always-connected device, which resembled an iPhone and which Intel has shown off a few times before, could use a "smart" camera to translate Chinese text into English almost instantly, and gain product information and reviews when hovering over a toy for sale. With no release date, it was effectively the mobile gadget world's equivalent of a slick concept car at an auto show.
But it hasn't been all fun, games, and shiny toys for Intel recently. He admitted that the aforementioned mystery concept gadget would require "a really good, first-class broadband infrastructure around the world." Intel's support of the always-just-a-milestone-away WiMax technology is one of the company's biggest challenges, and critics have been skeptical of the company's reliance on WiMax's success in its projections for the future.
Additionally, Intel supplies the chips for Apple's desktop and laptop machines, a landmark partnership that has been several years running now. But the relationship became strained recently when Intel started holding up Apple's iPhone as a device that suffers technologically from not having one of its chips in place.
Otellini generally avoided talking about this, saying that he sees huge potential in the iPhone--"Our phones started ringing the day after the iPhone was launched"--as well as other mobile technologies in general. Beyond a few ambiguous words about the iPhone, he was mum on Apple.
In conclusion, Web 2.0 Summit co-host John Battelle of Federated Media brought up a quotation from former Intel Chairman and CEO Andy Grove, "only the paranoid survive," and asked Otellini to reflect on the statement and what he was afraid of.
"(Grove) said that to reflect, to some extent, the risk characteristic of our business, of our industry," Otellini said. "There's always a new technology that's potentially disruptive to your entire business model. What he was worried about was something coming up to disrupt it...I try to live by that."
Intel Capital, the chipmaker's venture arm, has signed a deal to acquire a $20 million stake in Telligent Systems, which specializes in social-networking software for businesses.
Intel is an existing client of Telligent.
The two companies have not disclosed a valuation for Dallas-based Telligent. Part of the $20 million stake has already been acquired, the companies said Tuesday, with the rest to follow within 12 months.
"This significant investment from Intel Capital will allow us to grow our team, our capabilities, and our reach during a time of market expansion," Telligent CEO Rob Howard said in a statement. The investment will be directed toward geographic expansion, hiring more sales professionals, and increasing Telligent's advertising and marketing budget.
Telligent manufactures a product called Community Server, which provides clients with blog, forum, wiki, and other collaborative and social software; the software is used primarily for customer relations and marketing. Those clients include the Associated Press, MySpace, Conde Nast, Electronic Arts, Visa, Honda, Dell, and the NFL.
But with Intel's new low-power and low-cost Atom CPU, the prices for these machines are coming down to almost reasonable levels. And many vendors, realizing that no standard mouse-and-keyboard-based UI is suitable for this form factor, are releasing their products with new, iPhone-like interfaces that are a better for their touch screen displays.
All the new ultramobiles come with wide-area networking technologies (either HSDPA, EVDO, or WiMax), which makes them potentially very interesting Web application platforms. To my knowledge, though, there are no HTML standards nor generally accepted guidelines for writing a Web app for a touch-screen interface, except for what Apple is doing. This will make using these products as Web clients frustrating at first.
Several of these new devices were on display at the Intel Developer Forum. Many of the products are currently for sale in Asian countries, but some are coming to the U.S. later this year or early next. Click through to the embedded gallery for a tour.
Yahoo's Widget Channel software lets TVs run network-enabled applications such as this one for Yahoo's Flickr photo-sharing service.
(Credit: Yahoo)Yahoo on Wednesday announced an effort to provide the software underpinnings of network-enabled TV, a move that could transform not only what it means to watch TV but also what it means to advertise on it.
Though the TV experience has been spiced up by voting for American Idol contestants, it generally has retained its famously passive character. Yahoo wants to change this by bringing a version of its Yahoo Widget Engine, a software foundation that can run small applications called widgets, to network-enabled TVs.
This new version, called the Widget Channel, will resemble the version that's available for PCs, but will come with a different user interface to let programmers build widgets that can be controlled from a distance with a remote control, said Patrick Barry, Yahoo's vice president of connected TV at Yahoo.
Yahoo's hope is the move will bring its clout on the Internet to a new domain.
"Our goal is to aggregate a very large, multimillion-person audience across a number of devices with our standard platforms so we can start to address the audience in a unified consistent way, and ultimately create a liquid advertising market," Barry said.
Yahoo is working on partnerships with TV makers to have the software built in and integrated with TV functions. "I'm quite sure there are going to be products on this," Barry said. "I expect to see some things next year."
A first example of the technology emerged at the Intel Developer Forum on Wednesday during a speech by Eric Kim, general manager of Intel's Digital Home Group. A demonstration of the technology showed widgets for monitoring eBay auctions, using the Twitter microblogging service, and viewing Flickr photographs.
Natural allies
Intel and Yahoo are natural allies in the technology effort. Both companies are powerful in their current markets, but as much in the giant consumer electronics market. Intel wants to sell processors--in this case the newly named Media Processor CE 3100 that had been code-named Canmore, and Yahoo wants to expand the reach of its content and ads.
ZDNet video: Intel, Yahoo team up on interactive TV platform
But history shows the effort won't be easy; the consumer electronics industry has withstood years of attempted incursions by computing companies employing various "convergence" strategies.
One of Intel's chief advantages is that so much existing software and programming tools already are compatible with the widely available x86 processor family used in all of today's PCs. "We see the PC architecture coming to consumer electronics over the next few years and that driving a ton of value," Barry said.
Though the Intel-Yahoo demonstration used a system based on Intel's processors, the Yahoo technology will run on other hardware, Barry said. And because it uses platform-independent standards such as HTML and Flash, programmers won't have to worry about having to adapt their widgets for the underlying hardware, he added.
The software can work in different modes, including a sidebar that overlays part of the TV image and a full-screen mode that takes over completely.
A new ad market
Naturally, Yahoo is eyeing the ad business that it expects will come with the Widget Channel, though it won't be the sole conduit for advertisers.
Yahoo believes the Widget Channel will come with the best features of both TV and Web advertising, Barry said.
"We're not getting into this game for our health," he said, pointing out that television ad spending is still five times that of online spending. "Yahoo will provide advertising services to this platform, but we're not going to be the only ones. And we're not going to be a gatekeeper or tollkeeper," Barry said.
Users will be able to select TV widgets from a gallery, but the Widget Channel software will be built into the TV, Barry said.
Among those developing TV widgets are Blockbuster, CBS Interactive, CinemaNow, Cinequest, Disney-ABC Television Group, eBay, GE, Group M, Joost, MTV, Samsung Electronics, Schematic, Showtime, Toshiba, and Twitter, Yahoo said. (CNET is a division of CBS Interactive.)
Bran Ferren tells a good story.
(Credit: Rafe Needleman / CNET)At the Intel Developer Forum on Tuesday, I skipped out of the sessions on CPU thermal management and USB sideband optimization and headed into a session where Bran Ferren, co-founder of Applied Minds and former president of Disney Imagineering, was giving an interesting talk at a somewhat more metaphysical level.
His thesis: "Storytelling is how ideas become permanent." He believes that the Internet is taking off (present tense, not past) because the technology is getting good enough now for storytelling. Since we process so much information visually, Ferren believes that new technologies for visualization are what makes the stories stick.
To illustrate his points, because just talking about visualization would be lame, Ferren headed over to a large flat-screen monitor with multitouch capabilities, and showed, first, how watching a display of aircraft flights in the U.S. clearly shows interesting items when you manipulate the display. First, by turning on trails and letting them fill in the map as the planes fly, you can clearly see where the no-fly zones are. Second, simply by watching the traffic in an accelerated playback, you can spot where the bad data is--the planes jump around.
Ferren and a colleague demo on a large flat-screen monitor. The image was also projected overhead.
(Credit: Rafe Needleman / CNET)More interestingly, he showed different ways to visualize what is likely a nuclear processing plant in Iran. Overlaying images taken at different times, it was clear to see not just the construction of a large underground facility near a previously built but smaller research complex, but also how the new facility had been camouflaged over time and even made resistant to cruise missile attack. And by overlaying larger scale data--such as access to rail lines (good), nearby population density (low), and seismic activity (lowest in the country)--it became very clear that these remote facilities were not accidentally situated. The story was far more compelling than looking at single frames of satellite imagery.
As Ferren says, there are "endless problems out there just waiting for advanced visualization." In other words, seeing is believing.
Speaking of which, there's a a very cool new visualization and image processing product coming out later Wednesday. We'll have the story here on Webware.
Recent rumors of Intel employees signing up for Facebook accounts en masse might not have been totally unfounded: Facebook has chosen to use Intel's Xeon 5400 processor-based servers to deal with its hardware and software demands. Additionally, the two companies have signed an agreement so that Intel can continue to assess how Facebook can stay stable and improve performance.
Facebook will have "thousands" of Xeon servers, a release said.
It's not an earth-shattering announcement by any means, but Intel's pretty psyched. "Intel is excited to engage with Facebook as they are a dynamic force in the evolution of the Internet," Kirk Skaugen, vice president and general manager of Intel's Server Platforms Group, said in Thursday's release. "Facebook's selection of Intel Xeon processors for their next round of infrastructure growth is a testament to the performance, energy efficiency and technology benefits Intel can provide." Translation: it's a big deal for Intel to be able to say it makes the hardware of choice for Silicon Valley's cool kids.
Facebook's not growing quite as fast as it once was, but it's still been expanding steadily and now has over 90 million active users across the globe. With photo- and video-sharing now an essential part of social networks, their server demands can skyrocket--and it was technical difficulties that likely doomed the initial frenzy of growth at social-networking pioneer Friendster, as early execs willingly attest.
