This is a reprint from the official ICANN website. Exciting announcement for the marketing and branding community!

Biggest Expansion in gTLDs Approved for Implementation
26 June 2008
Paris, France: The Board of ICANN today approved a recommendation that could see a whole range of new names introduced to the Internet’s addressing system.”The Board today accepted a recommendation from its global stakeholders that it is possible to implement many new names to the Internet, paving the way for an expansion of domain name choice and opportunity” said Dr Paul Twomey, President and CEO of ICANN.A final version of the implementation plan must be approved by the ICANN Board before the new process is launched. It is intended that the final version will be published in early 2009.”The potential here is huge. It represents a whole new way for people to express themselves on the Net,” said Dr Twomey. “It’s a massive increase in the ‘real estate’ of the Internet.”Presently, users have a limited range of 21 top level domains to choose from names that we are all familiar with like .com, .org, .info.

This proposal allows applicants for new names to self-select their domain name so that choices are most appropriate for their customers or potentially the most marketable. It is expected that applicants will apply for targeted community strings such as (the existing) .travel for the travel industry and .cat for the Catalan community (as well as generic strings like .brandname or .yournamehere). There are already interested consortiums wanting to establish city-based top level domain, like .nyc (for New York City), .berlin and .paris.

“One of the most exciting prospect before us is that the expanding system is also being planned to support extensions in the languages of the world,” said Peter Dengate Thrush, ICANN’s Chairman. “This is going to be very important for the future of the Internet in Asia, the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Russia.” The present system only supports 37 Roman characters.

Upon approval of the implementation plan, it is planned that applications for new names will be available in the second quarter of 2009.

Frequently asked questions on the process

1. Are you selling these new names?

ICANN is not “selling” new top level domain names. There will be a limited application period where any established entity from anywhere in the world can submit an application that will go through an evaluation process. It is anticipated that there will be additional rounds relatively soon after the close of the first application round.

2. What’s to stop others registering my brand name?

Trademarks will not be automatically reserved. But there will be an objection-based mechanism for trademark owners where their arguments for protection will be considered.

3. How did this proposal get developed?

ICANN has a multi-stakeholder policy development process that served as the foundation for the process design. It involved consultation with domain name industry, trade mark attorneys, the business sector, users, governments and technicians.

4. How will offensive names be prevented?

Offensive names will be subject to an objection-based process based on public morality and order. This process will be conducted by an international arbitration body utilizing criteria drawing on provisions in a number of international treaties. ICANN will not be the decision maker on these objections.

5. When will all this happen?

ICANN is working towards accepting the first applications in the second quarter of 2009.

About ICANN:

ICANN is responsible for the global coordination of the Internet’s system of unique identifiers like domain names (like .org, .museum and country codes like .uk) and the addresses used in a variety of Internet protocols that help computers reach each other over the Internet. Careful management of these resources is vital to the Internet’s operation, so ICANN’s global stakeholders meet regularly to develop policies that ensure the Internet’s ongoing security and stability. ICANN is an internationally organized, public benefit non-profit company. For more information please visit: www.icann.org.

Media Contacts:

Jason Keenan
Media Adviser, ICANN
Ph: +1 310 382 4004
E: jason.keenan@icann.org

International: Andrew Robertson
Edelman (London)
Ph: +44 7921 588 770
E: andrew.robertson@edelman.com

Let’s hold off just a little bit longer on our Firefox 3 downloads. I know we’re excited but security first.

Reprint from the TippingPoint Digital Vaccine Labs blog -

A number of people who monitor our Zero Day Initiative’s Upcoming Advisories page noticed yesterday that we reported a vulnerability to Mozilla (ZDI-CAN-349). Taking into account the coincidental timing of the Firefox 3.0 release, many are asking us if this is the first reported critical vulnerability in the latest version of the popular open source browser.

What we can confirm is that about five hours after the official release of Firefox 3.0 on June 17th, our Zero Day Initiative program received a critical vulnerability affecting Firefox 3.0 as well as prior versions of Firefox 2.0.x. We verified the vulnerability in our lab, acquired it from the researcher, then promptly reported the vulnerability to the Mozilla security team shortly after. Successful exploitation of the vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code. Not unlike most browser based vulnerabilities that we see these days, user interaction is required such as clicking on a link in email or visiting a malicious web page.

While Mozilla is working on a fix, we wont be divulging anything else until a patch is available, adhering to our vulnerability disclosure policy. Once the issue is patched, we’ll be publishing an advisory here. Working with Mozilla on past security issues, we’ve found them to have a good track record and expect a reasonable turnaround on this issue as well.

For more information on the Zero Day Initiative, you can read an intro.

According to a Forrester Research survey of North American businesses, these are the top-supported handheld operating systems -

percentage of businesses
73% - BlackBerry
46% - Windows Mobile 6.x
40% - Palm OS
39% - Windows Mobile 5.x
28% - Windows CE
12% - Mac OS X ( iPhone )
8% - Symbian
7% - Linux ( Android )
2% - Other

I ran across this article on NetworkWorld.com that provides nice definitions of WiMax, 3G, 4G and LTE technologies. So I thought I would share.

Mobile madness defined
By Brad Reed and Joanie Wexler , Network World , 05/09/2008

Does all this talk of WiMAX, 3G and 4G make your head spin? Here’s a quick primer about what each technology really delivers:

3G networks are based on the International Telecommunication Union family of standards. Services typically include mobile wide-area wireless voice telephony, video calls and broadband wireless data. Additional features also include High-Speed Packet Access (HSPA) data transmission capabilities able to deliver speeds up to 14.4Mbps on the downlink and 5.8Mbps on the uplink.

4G generally refers to “the next generation of cellular” network that will follow 3G, the wireless broadband networks that are currently deployed through technologies such as HSPA. While true 3G technology has specific worldwide industry standards associated with it, 4G doesn’t mandate specific technical network standards beyond the use of the IP protocol and packet-switching technology. Rather, it describes capabilities desirable in the next generation of mobile networks. For example, 4G networks regardless of how they are constructed will support IP multimedia applications and the ability for users to roam across dissimilar network infrastructures. 4G wireless technologies will be capable of providing between 100M and 1Gbps speeds both indoors and outdoors, with high quality and security features.

WiMAX: Unlike 4G, WiMAX is a set of technical standards for a specific network. Mobile WiMAX, which is technically the IEEE’s set of 802.16-2005 standards, will likely be the first available 4G alternative. But the terms aren’t synonymous: Mobile WiMAX will be a type of 4G network, but not all 4G networks will be mobile WiMAX networks. WiMAX provides fixed , nomadic, portable and, soon, mobile wireless broadband connectivity without the need for direct line-of-sight with a base station. In a typical cell radius deployment of three to ten kilometers, systems can be expected to deliver capacity of up to 40 Mbps per channel, for fixed and portable access applications, according to the WiMAX Forum.

LTE, which stands for Long Term Evolution, is considered the next big wave in 4G technology. Specifically, LTE is a modulation technique designed for GSM/UMTS-based technology that uses Orthogonal Frequency-Division Multiplexing (OFDM) and multiple-input and multiple-output, (MIMO). While LTE products aren’t expected to hit the market until 2010 at the earliest, trial runs suggest that it is going to deliver very fast mobile broadband. During last week’s CTIA Wireless conference, Japanese wireless carrier DoCoMo announced that its trial LTE system reached download speeds of up to 250Mbps. Previous LTE trial runs had achieved download speeds ranging from 45M to 144Mbps.

I was reminded this evening that I had not watched a Cranky Geeks episode in a while. Cool stuff. Check it out.

2008 Archive Shows

05.21.2008: Episode 117: Google Gives User Data to Police, Microsoft’s New Plans for Yahoo!, HP Sets Sights on Teen Tech..

05.14.2008: Episode 116: Is the 3G iPhone Imminent?, HBO on iTunes?, Is Google Paying for Android Support?

05.07.2008: Episode 115: OLPC May Abandon Open Source, Web Attacks Taking Off, Netflix Eyes Set-Top Boxes

04.30.2008: Episode 114: Will Microsoft Bail on Yahoo!?, Mozilla’s Fennec Mobile Browser, Nintendo Vetoes Wii Price Cuts

04.23.2008: Episode 113: Web 2.0 Conference, Ballmer Slams Vista, Are Mac Clones for Real?, iPhone Video Threat

04.16.2008: Episode 112: Blockbuster to Buy Circuit City, Tech Patent Bill in Trouble, Linux Subnotebooks

04.09.2008: Episode 111: Windows 7 On Tap?, Yahoo! Wants a Better Offer, EU Allows Mobile Phones on Planes, 3G iPhone?

04.02.2008: Episode 110: Is Google Catering to the CIA?, Warner’s Proposed Music Tax, Microsoft’s OOXML Format War

03.26.2008: Episode 109: Sarah Lacy’s Take on the South by Southwest Conference

03.18.2008: Episode 108: Japanese ISPs to Ban File Sharers, China Blocks YouTube, Botnet Scams Exploding

03.11.2008: Episode 107: iPhone Open for Business, Anonymous Net Posts Illegal?, FCC May Take On Comcast

03.11.2008: Cranky Enough for Ya?

03.04.2008: Episode 106: Google Aids S.F. Homeless, Comcast will Stop Spamming You–for $2, YouTube to Offer Live Video

02.26.2008: Episode 105: Game Developers Conference Wrap-Up, EA After Grand Theft Auto, Is Microsoft Really Opening Up?, Facebook’s Hiccups

02.19.2008: Episode 104: Hostile Takeover for Yahoo!?, HD-DVD Exits Stage Left, DoubleTwist Defies DRM, An Underwater Car

02.13.2008: Episode 103: Yahoo! Spurns Microsoft, Is Microsoft Doing a Zune Phone?, Is HD-DVD Dead?, 3D Television…

02.05.2008: Episode 102: Google’s Objections to Microsoft/Yahoo!, Is Microsoft Overbidding?, Is Dell Doing a Google Phone?

01.29.2008: Episode 101: Music Provider QTrax in Humiliating U-Turn, Googling for Malware, One in Four iPhones Unlocked

01.22.2008: Episode 100: Macworld Recap, Apple’s Movie Rentals, 40 Hours of Battery Life?, a $2,500 Car

01.15.2008: Episode 99: CES Wrapup, What Will Bill Gates Do Next?, Best Buy Nervous About TV Conversion, HD Format War

01.08.2008: Episode 98: Join John Dvorak for an Intimate Tour of This Week’s CES Show, Plus Vegas Highlights

01.02.2008: Episode 97: Tech Journalism at the Crossroads, The Problem with Blogs, Automating Online News Delivery

Our BlackBerry’s will be running push services from Windows Live Services as soon as this summer. See the Microsoft press release here.

Microsoft and RIM to Bring Windows Live Services to BlackBerry Smartphone Customers
Agreement will enhance the communications experience on BlackBerry smartphones through popular Windows Live Hotmail and Windows Live Messenger services.

Stratum Marketing
4873 South Oliver Drive, Suite 101
Virginia Beach, VA 23455
757.464.0010

Too many devices in your life? Microsoft wants to help you simplify, and on Wednesday it launched a limited technology preview of Live Mesh.
Microsoft said Live Mesh is its new “software-plus-services platform and service that uses the Web as a hub to centrally connect people to the information, applications, people and devices they care about most.” The preview is currently limited to a relatively small number of testers, but a larger beta is expected later this year.

Harder, Not Easier

The platform came about, wrote Microsoft’s Amit Mital on a company blog, following an internal discussion about digital life. The Web is central to Microsoft employees’ lives, he noted, and they stay connected to it through a variety of devices.

“Unfortunately, at least initially,” Mital wrote, “every new device I add makes my life a little harder, not easier.” He said there were many times where he would find that a file was on another machine, or he couldn’t access something because he was offline.

Hence, Live Mesh. It allows devices to work together, data and applications to be available from anywhere, sharing to happen with just a few clicks, and your information to always be up to date and available.

In practice, a user signs up with a Windows Live ID and then goes to a personal Live Mesh page. The user then adds a device to a personal “device mesh,” which allows each Windows device to become “aware” of others. Mitral noted that, in the future, Live Mesh will support the Mac and various mobile devices.

Alternative Delivery Models

After a device has been added, there are a few changes in the device, most notably a new notifier icon in the Windows Taskbar. When a user hovers over the icon, a list of devices, news feeds and folders in the mesh pops up.

A user can, for instance, add a folder to the mesh, which adds it to all the devices in the mesh. A side Mesh Bar is available via Internet Explorer, which provides information on user activities and notifications and allows the user to remain up to date with any changes.

The contents of a folder can also be easily shared with others in a mesh, such as vacation pictures. If someone in your mesh adds pictures or notes to the shared folder, Live Mesh gives you a “News” update.

With Live Remote Desktop, a user can also directly access and control other devices in the mesh from any browser, such as a home PC or from someone else’s PC.

Live Mesh is part of Microsoft’s attempt to reposition itself, said Mark Margevicius, a research director with industry research firm Gartner. Just as it did when the Internet first hit, he said, the company “fears becoming irrelevant in the future IT world.”

The new platform could become one of the alternative delivery models for IT, he said, adding that Gartner has predicted that a variety of such models will emerge. Although Microsoft is in a unique position to leverage legacy systems for such an alternative model, Margevicius said he “won’t be surprised” if other companies offer similar platforms.

Source: CIO Today

Microsoft has released Windows XP Service Pack 3 to manufacturers three years after the last service pack. SP3, the last release for Windows XP, will be available April 29th for download and includes security updates. An analyst said Windows XP will be capable of more years of service and it’s not clear that enterprises will embrace Windows Vista.

SP3 will be distributed to home users via Automatic Update in early June, the company said. Online documentation for Windows XP SP3 will be updated next week.

The new service pack is a 70MB download to update Window XP and can be installed on top of either SP1 or SP2. It doesn’t work with the 64-bit version of XP, however.

More from CIO Today.

IBM and Linden Labs are working on a enterprise version of Second Life, where employees can cross between a private virtual world inside a firewall and outside on the Second Life Web site. The tools under development are based on Second Life Grid. IBM’s task is to ensure security for custom-built virtual worlds inside enterprises.

IBM and Linden Labs, creator of the Second Life virtual world, announced Thursday that they are developing tools for enterprise-quality virtual worlds. The goal is to solve a key problem for enterprises that want to use the avatar-based environment: the need to cross back and forth across a corporate firewall.

Get the full story from CIO Today here.

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has approved Microsoft’s Office Open XML (OOXML) file format as an international standard. OOXML was originally rejected, and won’t be finally adopted if ISO or International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) members file a formal appeal over the next two months.

Get the full story from Top Tech News here.

Get connected on April 20-23, 2008 at the DevConnections Conferences and Expos in Orlando, FL. Register at www.devconnections.com. Every attendee receives a free copy of MS Visual Studio 2008.

Microsoft ASP.NET Connections
Visual Studio & Architect Connections
SQL Server Magazine Connections
SharePoint Connections

Keynotes:
Norman Guadagno, Director of Product Marketing for VS Team System
Microsoft

Scott Guthrie, General Manager, .NET Developer Platform
Microsoft

Tom Rizzon, Director of Sharepoint and Office Server
Microsoft

Quentin Clark, General Manager of the Database Engine Group
Microsoft

IT workers total 12 million votes in the United States today. Here’s how they surveyed from a Computing Technology Industry Association (CompTIA) and Rasmussen Reports poll. Where do you fall?

Political Party breakdown:
Republican 35%
Democrat 26%
Other 40%

Most important issue facing the next President:
Economy 39%
War in Iraq 18%
Immigration 15%
National security 14%
Govt. ethics/corruption 6%
Health care 4%
Other 2%
Not sure 2%
Social Security 1%

If the 2008 Presidential Election were held today who would get the vote:
McCain 29%
Obama 29%
Clinton 13%
Huckabee 11%
Paul 9%
Not sure 9%

CNN.com is reporting an AP story of confirmed cases of computer gadgets being purchased from manufacturers and retailers pre-installed with multiple electronic viruses.

Apple has confirmed many video iPods were delivered to your homes with viruses as serious as providing hackers a way to steal passwords from your computer; including your bank account login information stored in your web browsers’ configurations.

Best Buy has pulled many gadgets including electronic photo frames from their shelves blaming their partner manufacturers for the virus issues.

Sam’s Club and Target are performing internal investigations to attempt to validate complaints against their products.

The AP said they’ve contacted some of the world’s largest electronics manufacturers to interview them on protecting their processes from virus insertions but all have declined comment or did not respond. Among them are Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., which is based in Taiwan and has an iPod factory in China; Singapore-based Flextronics International Ltd.; and Taiwan-based Quanta Computer Inc. and Asustek Computer Inc.

The bottom line for each of us as consumers is to be prepared. Be prepared for the worst and protect yourselves and your computers. If you have not already, purchase an anti-virus software application from one of the major manufacturers such as Symantec or McAfee. And be diligent about keeping the anti-virus definitions up-to-date.

If you’re prepared, are smart about your Internet surfing and have taken the proper security steps to protect your computer system(s), you can sleep soundly 95% of the night. Let us worry the other 5% for you.

Did you hear that AOL bought Bebo today? What was that? AOL? The Time-Warner AOL?

That’s right. You heard it correct. AOL bought Bebo for a cool $850 million.

I’m guessing AOL’s thinking is to make them a more valuable entity. And to possibly make them look more attractive to future buyers.

More analysis on this move later. Read the AOL buys social network Bebo for $850 million news alert here from c|net.