HTC Touch HD Pocket PC/Coming To Our Galaxy: The Asus Galxy7

The super-wow-factor HTC Touch HD, with it's 3.8 inch 800 x 480 resolution screen, is the kind of device some of us have been waiting for. I just got a heads up from our affiliate partner Expansys that they're now accepting pre-orders for this device. There's no price yet, but your pre-order isn't binding in any way - you're just getting in line to get one of the first units that they receive. Come on, you know you want it... ;-)

"A mysterious Asus phone dubbed the "Omnia Killer" due to it's Omnia-like appearance, showed up recently on the Intertubes. Speculation has been running rampant (an 800mhz processor?) about the possible details of the phone. Thanks to wmpoweruser.com, the phone has finally been given a name and some specs to go along with it. From now on it shall be known as Asus Glaxy7 (its' codename is missing an "a"?)"

I'm not sure how hard it would be to kill the Omnia, as I've heard both good and bad praise of the device. Asus may be ready to step it up a notch with the Galxy7, if the specs posted are to be believed.

Apple MacBook 13-inch (Penryn)

The Apple MacBook 13-inch has captured the hearts of several generations of users frustrated with the complexities of Windows. It's a campus favorite and a hit among teens and novice users. Now, the MacBook 13-inch has made the transition to Intel's latest "Penryn" processor core, which has boosted speeds and battery life across every laptop we've seen it on. Thanks to this upgrade, Apple's impeccable customer support network, and the MacBook's overall sex appeal, we expect sales of the new incarnation—the Apple MacBook 13-inch (Penryn), priced at $1,299 direct—to thrive for now. But other laptops are offering more features and cool designs for less money. Apple needs to work on a makeover, as well as improving the feature set and price, in order to keep the 13-inch MacBooks flying off the shelves

Apple Computer Inc.

http://www.apple.com

• Price as Tested: $1,299.00 Direct
• Type: General Purpose, Media
• Operating System: Mac OS X
  
• Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo T8300

• Processor Speed: 2.4 GHz
  

• RAM: 2 GB
• Weight: 4.9 lb
• Screen Size: 13.3 inches
• Screen Size Type:widescreen
• Graphics Card: Intel GMA X3100
• Storage Capacity: 160 GB
• Networking Options:802.11n
• Primary Optical Drive: Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW

Merged banks' names cybersquatted

Bidding for one of the banks' new online homes starts at $1500

Internet addresses corresponding to recent bank mergers are already being hoarded and sold online.

In "cybersquatting", likely addresses are bought cheaply in the hope of selling to the businesses involved, or as a medium for advertising.

Domain names for the merged Bank of America/Merrill Lynch as well as for Lloyds TSB/HBOS have been snapped up.

In one case, the domain name has already been listed on eBay, with the site directing visitors to the auction.

As reports of Lehman Brothers' intent to sell itself first surfaced last Friday, cybersquatters had already spotted Barclays, HSBC and Bank of America as potential buyers.

Accordingly, barclayslehman.com, hsbclehman.com, hsbclehmanbrothers.com and bofalehman.com had been acquired.

With the acquisition of Merrill Lynch by Bank of America this week, cybersquatters registered bankofamericamerrilllynch.com and bofaml.com.

There are opportunists out there waiting to pounce on any event Jonathan Robinson

In the UK, speculation surrounding the merger of Lloyds TSB with HBOS prompted yet more cybersquatting, so that now lloydstsbhbos.com and hboslloydstsb.com are owned.

"It shows how there are opportunists out there waiting to pounce on any event," says Jonathan Robinson, chief operating officer of NetNames.

"We've seen it in the case of celebrity with David Beckham going to LA Galaxy, we've seen it in the case of tragedy, with Princess Diana's death. There's a subtle twist on the whole thing now, which is the anticipation of the event."

'Click-through value'

Many cybersquatters have pay-per-click ads as revenue generators while awaiting potential buyers.

"Back in the mists of time, these names had a capital value and could be exchanged for cash," says Mr Robinson.

"There's another value they have nowadays and that's a click-through value, a cash flow that they generate in the whole world of online advertising.

"There's even automated software that will populate a website with relevant content."

The speculative HSBC/Lehman site, for example, looks like a news site about the myriad mergers and movements but features Google adverts along the margins.

In the case of bankofamericamerrilllynch.com, the object is more apparent; a visit to the site directs visitors to an eBay auction in which the domain name is for sale.

"The lesson has been there for a while for anyone working in the mergers and acquisitions area that this is a key area to focus on in the due diligence process," Mr Robinson says.

"One can't wait until after the deal is announced or the product is launched."

Hackers infiltrate Palin's e-mail

Sarah Palin has been campaigning for Republican running mate John McCain

Hackers have broken in to the e-mail of the US Republican vice-presidential candidate, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin.

The hackers, who targeted a personal Yahoo account, posted several messages and family photos from her inbox.

The campaign of running mate John McCain condemned their action as "a shocking invasion of the governor's privacy and a violation of the law".

The hacking comes amid questions about whether Mrs Palin used personal e-mail to conduct state business.

According to law, all e-mails relating to the official business of government must be archived and not destroyed. However, personal e-mails can be deleted.

Mrs Palin is currently under investigation in Alaska for alleged abuse of power while governor.

'Destroy them'

A group called Anonymous has claimed responsibility for the hacking of Mrs Palin's Yahoo e-mail.

It posted five screenshots, two digital photos of Mrs Palin's family and an address book to the whistle-blowing Wikileaks website. The information was taken from Ms Palin's gov.palin@yahoo.com e-mail account.

One message exposed is apparently an exchange between Mrs Palin and the deputy governor of Alaska, Sean Parnell, who is seeking election to Congress.

Another is between Mrs Palin and friend Amy McCorkell, in which the latter says she is praying for the governor and adds: "Don't let the negative press get you down!"

The family photographs of the Palins posted on Wikileaks are not thought to have previously been in the public domain.

"The matter has been turned over the the appropriate authorities and we hope that anyone in possession of these e-mails will destroy them," the McCain campaign said in a statement.

Subsequent investigation has shown that the gov.palin@yahoo.com account has been shut down along with another, gov.sarah@yahoo.com, also owned by Mrs Palin.

It is not clear yet what methods the hacking group used to access to the e-mail account. The screenshots posted by the hackers reveal that they carried out the attack via a so-called proxy service to hide their tracks and limit the chance that they would be traced.

Earlier in 2008 the Anonymous group launched several online assaults against the Church of Scientology.

Mrs Palin has been on the campaign trail for Mr McCain this week, appearing at events in Colorado, Ohio and Michigan. The pair are due to hold an airport rally in Iowa on Thursday.