Macsimum News - Verey is new anti-theft software for Mac OS X systems

Verey is new anti-theft software for Mac OS X systems

Bak2u has released Verey 1, anti-theft software for Mac OS X 10.4.2 or higher. It’s Universal Binary so runs natively on both PowerPC and Intel Macs.

You load Verey onto your Macs. When stolen, it will start recording via a connected video capture device (e.g. iSight) and send emails to the owner’s email addresses. The email will contain the network information: IP address, machine serial number, MAC Hardware Address and nearby wireless network.

On top of the email sent, Verey will also limit the usage of the machine by locking up the machine after a certain amount of time. During lock up, the machine screen will shows details how to contact the owner and other information set by the owner. Verey 1 costs US$33 with no subscriptions or annual fees.

Source: Macsimumnews.com

BAK2u on CNN.com

New services help consumers keep track of their gadgets

POSTED: 1:34 a.m. EDT, May 29, 2007

Steve Mollman
For CNN

(CNN) -- When Chua Si Zhen accidentally left behind her cell phone at a cafe, it wasn't the handset she was worried about losing. "It was the contacts, and the little info that I have in there, like my photos and everything," says the Singaporean.

Luckily a man did return her Nokia N70 handset within an hour -- but only after he tried to steal it first.

When the thief inserted his own SIM card into her phone, that triggered software she'd installed on the handset.

The program texted her family members with his phone number and other data that could be taken to the police. The thief, informed of these details by Chua's angry husband -- over his "new" phone -- agreed to meet and return the handset.

The program that Chua used is called PhoneBak, and the Singapore startup behind it, Bak2u (www.bak2u.com), is one of many companies capitalizing on a trend: ever more people losing track of ever smaller devices with ever more data stored on them.

According to the Consumer Electronics Association, 37 percent of U.S. households now have a notebook or laptop computer, 62 percent a digital camera, and 76 percent a cell phone.

Worldwide, "the number of cell phones shipped this year will exceed 1 billion," says Andrew Jaquith, a security analyst with research firm Yankee Group. "And laptops have become the dominant platform for personal computing."

As more easy-to-lose items like these hit the streets, an opportunity opens up for nimble companies such as Bak2u.

"The trends are quite clear: businesses and consumers want smaller, more mobile devices," Jaquith says. "It stands to reason that, all other things being equal, the aggregate demand for services to retrieve lost gadgets will increase."

I first wrote about Bak2u about a year and a half ago, when the company had just started up. Its main focus then was selling labels designed to help good Samaritans return lost gadgets to their owners.

The labels, which have a following, work like this: printed on each one is a unique serial number, plus a phone number and Web site address. You register your gadget with the company under that serial number, and then affix the label to your gear. If it's found by a good soul, he can use the phone number or the Web site to contact the company, who will act as the middleman for the return. The finder and owner stay anonymous...more

Testimonial from Mr. Malcolm Loh

'When I read about PhoneBak in the Straits Times Forum Page recently, I decided to take preventive measures, and was pleasantly surprised that it only costs S$33 to buy PhoneBak PDAPhone to protect my S$1,168 Dopod C800.

Being an accountant, I know a value-for-money product when I see one.

Since it was so affordable, I got PhoneBak Mobilephone for my wife's S$788 N71 for only S$18.

Thanks to Bak2U, we now have peace of mind, having the assurance that anyone who finds our handphones would be sure to return them to us.'
Mr. Malcolm Loh. Accountant. Singapore.

More: http://www.bak2u.com/testimonials

Dell unveils first Ubuntu Linux-preloaded computers

Dell, the world's No 2 computer maker, unveiled Thursday its first three models preloaded with Ubuntu Linux: the Insprion E1505n, a 15-inch notebook; the XPS 410n, a desktop that starts out with virtually identical specs to the Dimesion, and the Dimension E520n, a middle of the line desktop.

The new models give buyers a third choice when shopping for a PC at Dell: a machine with Windows installed, a machine with no OS, on which they can install one of their choice, and now a machine with Ubuntu Linux already installed.

The systems come with hardware support through Dell's normal support channels. Software support will come from a variety of dedicated Web sites and Linux forums, Dell said.

Buyers can choose service upgrades from Canonical, the sponsor of Ubuntu, in a 30-day "get started" service and a one-year basic, or standard, service.

The long-awaited release is a landmark for Linux, the most popular variant of open-source software, in the consumer market. Unlike proprietary software, open-source software lets developers share code and add functions, and users only pay for custom features, maintenance and technical support...more

Verey I notebook anti-theft software ships reported @ MacNN

Bak2U has released Verey I, its notebook anti-theft software designed for Mac OS X. Verey I starts recording via a connected video capture device ... more

Geek Terminal Launch Party: Official Invitation

Dear friends,

Come join me for a whole day of partying on Wed, 30th May as we unveil the world's first Technology Lifestyle F&B Establishment in Singapore!

Click image.

Other news: Verey I notebook anti-theft software ships reported @ MacNN

New feature - Gmail!

Increased attachment limit-- 20 MB!
Now you can start sharing more of those home videos, large presentations and files you just can't seem to get smaller. We have doubled the allowable attachment size to 20 MB to make your Gmail space even more useful. Learn More

Gmail Theatre Presents... Check out the Gmail features you know and love as you have never seen them before. Gmail Theater presents an ensemble cast of engineers in Attack of the Spam, The In-Boxer, The Isle of Lost Emails, and Chat in the name of Love. Watch all the videos on YouTube. It's a Gmail party and everyone is invited! You can still invite your friends to enjoy Gmail's spam protection, 2.8 GB free storage and other great features, but now you can also just tell them to visit www.gmail.com and sign up without an invitation.

Get mail from other accounts
Now Gmail can check for the mail you receive at your other email accounts. You can retrieve your mail (new and old) from up to five other email accounts and have them all in Gmail. Then you can even create a customized 'From:' address, which lets you send messages from Gmail, but have them look like they were sent from another one of your email accounts. Please note that you can only retrieve mail from accounts that have POP3 access enabled. Learn more

Reply on top No more scrolling to the bottom of a long message to find the “Reply” link. Now there's a Reply button right on top, along with a lot of other options under the little dropdown arrow.

Embarassment-reducing new message notifications
Ever replied to a message only to find out that someone sent a better, smarter reply right before you? Now, if someone sends a reply while you're in the middle of reading a conversation (or replying to it), you'll get a notification that a new message has arrived. Click "update conversation" to see what you’ve missed.


Forward all
When viewing a conversation, use the new “Forward all” link on the right if you want to forward the entire conversation instead of just one message.

Firefox: Add-ons (DownThemAll!)

The first and only download manager/accelerator built inside Firefox!

DownThemAll is all you can desire from a download manager: it features an advanced accelerator that increases speed up to 400% and it allows you to pause and resume downloads at any time!

DownThemAll is fast, reliable and easy-to-use! It lets you download all the links or images contained in a webpage and much more: you can refine your downloads by fully customizable criteria to get only what you really want!

DownThemAll is absolutely freeware and open-source. No Adware, no Spyware.

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/201

Asia interactive awards 2007

Within a few short years, the online and interactive medium has become an important element inthe marketing mix. As technology improved and programming became more sophisticated so the medium exploded. Few people in marketing doubt the increasing importance that online activity will play in the success of their product and service.

There has been a explosion in the online media with research companies and specialists advising advertisers on how best to exploit this world-wide audience. All agree that creative execution and originality is a key element in reaching these increasingly sophisticated customers. The objective of the Asia Interactive Awards is to encourage good work by designers and online professionals and reward courageous clients. The awards will also play a role in helping develop the use of the new technology in advertising, promotion, brand building and consumer relationships. The inaugural event attracted tremendous excitement in the industry and the support of the top interactive agencies in the region and major players in the field such as Yahoo!, Microsoft, Intel and Adobe. We invite specialist firms, web designers, advertising agencies, media agencies and clients based in Asia to enter these prestigious awards. The work will be judged by distinguished professionals from both the region and worldwide.

http://www.asiainteractiveawards.com/

GALA PRESENTATION: 12TH JULY 2007 VENUE: THE PAVILION SINGAPORE

80GB PlayStation 3 Bound for South Korea

The roomiest PS3 yet will hit Korea on June 16 Unlike the Xbox 360, the 2.5-inch hard disk drive inside the PlayStation 3 can be upgraded by the user at any time.

Sony’s Korean division appears to be well aware of this, and according to official information posted on the PlayStation Korea website, the territory will be getting an 80GB hard drive inside the machine when it launches June 16. Neither the 20 GB nor the 60 GB PS3 consoles will be available in South Korea...more

StarCraft II announced

StarCraft remains a hugely popular realtime strategy game, especially in Korea, so it's no surprise Blizzard chose the 2007 Blizzard Worldwide Invitational event in Seoul to unveil the sequel.

The Protoss, Terrana and Zerg are set to return along with many features, units, gameplay mechanics and abilities. We're also promised realistic physics and a custom 3D graphics engine.

As you'd expect, StarCraft II features a robust single-player campaign game, plus online play via Battle.net and a map editor. The game will be released simultaneously for PC and Mac.

"With StarCraft II, we’ll be able to do everything we wanted to do with the original StarCraft and more," stated Mike Morhaime, president and co-founder of Blizzard Entertainment. "We recognize that expectations are high following the long-running popularity of the original game, but we plan to meet those expectations and deliver an engaging, action-packed, competitive experience that StarCraft players and strategy gamers worldwide will enjoy."

http://pc.boomtown.net/en_uk/articles/art.view.php?id=14049

Mac Application: Force Empty Trash

Force Empty Trash allows you to force empty and delete files in the trash can that otherwise can't be emptied in the Finder.

Download it here for free:
http://www.macupdate.com/info.php/id/10481/force-empty-trash

[BAK2u] Anti-theft-softwares.co.uk

BAK2u is proud to appoint Anti-theft-softwares.co.uk as the retailer in United Kingdom.

Website

Straits Times Forum: Device to Recover Stolen Cellphone

From Straits Times Saturday May 10 2007.
Scanned by BAK2u customer JieYong.

Nokia Siemens wins $500m contract from Idea Cellular

Nokia Siemens Networks has won a $500 million contract from a leading Indian mobile phone service company to manage and expand its communications network, both companies said.

The two-year contract from Idea Cellular requires Nokia Siemens Networks to supply and service communication equipment and help expand the Mumbai-based company's network capacity, a joint statement from the two companies said.

Idea Cellular operates in 11 out of the 23 mobile phone service zones that make up the Indian market.

Nokia Siemens will be involved in expansion of network capacity in only six of these zones, the statement said.

Idea Cellular managing director Sanjeev Aga said the contract will help the company double its existing capacity and reach out to new users.

Currently, the company has 14.56 million customers and is the country's fifth-largest mobile phone service provider.

India is has the world's fastest growing mobile phone market, which has been adding more than 5 million new connections every month over the past year.

Website

Cool Singapore Online Magazine - Vogazine

Vogazine E-magazines

Vogazine E-magazines exist to tackle the issues that matter to all consumers. We campaign to make sure consumers get treated fairly, and we publish free e-magazines, editorials and websites to help people make the right choices and expose wrongdoings.

We also analyse thousands of products, and survey hundreds of thousands of consumers to get their views - on satisfaction with an electronic product, for instance, the reliability of mobile phones etc and feature them on our websites, forums and of course our free e-magazines.

You can contribute to our next issue of e-magazine. It is advisable to read the forums for submission guidelines and format of your work, before sending it to us.

BAK2u on the news - Straits Times Digital Life

'Let's face it: the likelihood of a lost notebook being returned is slim. But Verey can at least increase the possibility of a security-enhanced machine turning up at your doorstep.'
Reviewed by Mike Lee. Straits Times Digital Life. 15 May 2007

[BAK2u] Exclusive Distributor - Cameroon

BAK2u is proud to appoint Uranus Technologies and Trading as the exclusive distributor for the country, Cameroon.

Website

Red Hat Puts the Heat on Oracle

In a move against Oracle, Red Hat has started providing tech support for business software running on its Enterprise Linux.

In a move that could help it fight foe Oracle Corp. but anger some longtime allies, Red Hat Inc. Thursday officially began selling and providing technical support for popular business software that runs on Red Hat Enterprise Linux.

The program, called Red Hat Exchange, lets companies using application "stacks" -- which consist of any of 14 mostly open-source applications -- deal with Red Hat as its "single throat to choke" when technical issues arise.

It also provides a new source of revenue for Red Hat at a time when it is being threatened by Oracle, which began competing with Red Hat directly by offering discount support for Red Hat Enterprise Linux last October. Last month, Oracle revealed it had won contracts from 26 Red Hat customers.

Red Hat has already provided support for some open-source applications for several years. The Exchange greatly expands that strategy and ensures that Red Hat gets its cut from vendors for any support work provided. It also allows the Raleigh, N.C., firm to avoid laying out cash, as it did last July when it spent US$350 million to buy application server vendor JBoss Inc.

"I see this as providing an intermediate alternative between Red Hat simply not playing beyond a specific section of the stack at all and doing an acquisition as with JBoss and Sistina," said Gordon Haff, an analyst at Nashua, N.H.-based Illuminata Inc.

Red Hat Exchange seen as 'logical'

Red Hat first announced the Exchange in mid-March.

Billy Marshall, CEO of Linux appliance vendor rPath Inc. and a former sales executive at Red Hat, argued at the time that for an operating system vendor to offer support for software it didn't develop or own made as much sense as "Emerson Electric announcing that they intend to sell and service Whirlpool washing machines, dryers and refrigerators. Why would a consumer buy a Whirlpool appliance from a manufacturer of appliance motors?"

Haff called the move a "logical" one for the company. "Red Hat has long ceased to be merely an operating system vendor in the narrow sense," he wrote. RHX "provides a vehicle for the company to both sell and support a broader portfolio of products -- thereby helping to counter the breadth developed in-house of mixed-source companies like Novell."

The move could have repercussions for Red Hat supporters. Longtime allies such as IBM and Hewlett-Packard Co. both make money reselling and supporting Red Hat and open-source applications that run on top of the operating system and the Exchange announcement could ratchet up the 'co-opetition' among the companies.

Smaller support providers such as OpenLogic Inc. and Optaros Inc. may also be unamused by Red Hat's incursion...more

Apple License Agreement approval for BAK2u Pte Ltd.

We are pleased to inform that the latest Anti-theft software Verey I has been awarded with the Universal Logo licensed by Apple Inc.

Verey I (To be available on 16 May '07)

Anti-theft software for your Mac. The software that can survive hard format and reset.

Have you ever thought what will happen if you lost your beloved Mac? Wondering if-only there is a way to track it?

It is now possible with Verey I, a simple and ingenious software that helps keep track of your precious machine, globally.

When stolen, Verey I will start recording via a connected video capture device (e.g. iSight) and send emails to the owner's email addresses. The email will contain the necessary network information: IP address, machine serial number, MAC Hardware Address and nearby wireless network.

On top of the email sent, Verey I will also limit the usage of the machine by locking up the machine after a certain amount of time. During lock up, the machine screen will shows details how to contact the owner and other information set by the owner.

No subscriptions or annual fees.

------------

How it works?

Upon connecting to a wireless or wired network and access to the Internet, an authentication dialog will pop up requesting the user to enter a password.

If the user fails to enter the correct password within a pre-defined timing, hidden emails will be sent out immediately to the pre-defined email addresses. Email sent out will include:

- IP addresses (includes nearby wireless network if available)

- Machine Serial Number

- MAC Hardware Address

- Videos capture of the perpetrator (with audio)

Screen shots

Product Brochure: PDF File

------------

Why Verey I?

'Saw you guys at Springwise.com. Cool stuff! Glad to be on the trial for my Macbook Pro.
Mr. Robert Rieger. Business executive. New York City. USA.

'Currently a user of Phonebak PDAPhone software and was fortunate to be in the trial of the new anti-theft software for MacBook. I want to get it immediately when I see the ability to track down the thief right down to where he stays!
Mr. Chan. Freelance web designer. Singapore.

Frequent Asked Questions

i. How do I know if Verey I anti-theft software works?
When the device is connected to the internet, the program will automatically pick out the necessary information, photo/video, IP address and email them out to the pre-defined email address.

ii. How do I install the software?
There will be a step-by-step installation guide included.

iii. Are there any technical or local support?
BAK2u has presence in Singapore and various countries through our partners to provide the necessary supports, including documents for owners to report to police for non-recoverable cases too.

BAK2u can be contacted here.

iv. Can I use the same program for any other laptops or computers?
Each copy of the program is licensed to only 01 registered device. It is therefore non-transferable.

v. Who will recover the lost device?
As the device has been pre-defined with a email address, the receiver of the alert can contact the authorities (police, service provider) directly.

vi. Does your application patch the kernel or something to that effect?
No, the application does not make any changes to Mac OS X system or kernel.

The application is running on top of Mac OS X, just like any other normal Mac OS X applications.

The thing that make this application special is that it utilises Mac OS X security framework instead of making changes to Mac OS X.

------------

Available @ Club 21 iShop

Orchard Cineleisure #03-04/05/06
Singapore 239695
Tel: +65 6622 8988
Email
Website

Foreign holdings threaten Taiwan’s broadband industry—official

Shih Chun-chi, former chairman of Taiwan’s Cabinet-level Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) warned that foreign investment in three local broadband telecommunications firms via private placement funds may threaten the development of the local broadband telecom industry in Taiwan.

Shih issued the warning at a seminar on "private placement funds" hosted by the Taiwan Thinktank, in his capacity as researcher at the Institute for Social Sciences and Philosophy.

Shih said since 2006, $3.9 billion in private placement funds have been invested in acquiring stakes in Taiwan's three major broadband telecom firms; namely Taiwan Broadband Communications, China Network Systems, and Eastern Broadband Telecommunications.

This accounts for some 70% of total foreign investments in Taiwan via private placement funds, he said.

Through these acquisitions, foreign investors have come to own over 75% of cable TV stations.

Shih pointed out an important aspect associated with investing in the three broadband telecom firms via private placement funds, in that such funds haven't taken advantage of their right to control the operations of the telecom firms, and instead have allowed the original management teams to stay on following the acquisition deals...more

[BAK2u.com] Hong Kong partner's website

BAK2u is pleased to appoint BestMobileSoftwares.com as its Hong Kong partner for its Anti-theft softwares.

Website: BestMobileSoftwares.com

Dell to HELL with Microsoft?

In blow to Microsoft, Dell will pre-install rival product on its PCs after receiving flood of requests from users.

Dell is moving forward with plans to sell computers pre-installed with Linux, the "opensource" operating system that competes with Microsoft's dominant Windows.

The world's second-largest PC maker has chosen the Ubuntu 7.04 version of Linux, code-named Feisty Fawn, after receiving a flood of requests for the option to choose the software when it asked consumers for suggestions on a new website called IdeaStorm.

Dell's decision to ship Linux is a blow to Microsoft, the world's largest software maker, which makes the lion's share of its profits from Windows. Opensource projects make the computer code behind their software freely available, but can charge for support services. In contrast, groups such as Microsoft charge a license fee to use the computer code itself.

The best-known opensource product, Mozilla's Firefox internet browser, has been steadily chipping away at the lead of Microsoft's Internet Explorer and now accounts for as much as 25 per cent of the market in some territories...more

Google CEO aims for more growth in China

Google is giving its local managers more autonomy and investing more in China in an effort to make up for its late entry and take the lead in the industry, CEO Eric Schmidt said.

"We are catching up. Our investment is working and we will eventually be the leader," Schmidt also said.

Google has 22% of China's search market, well behind industry leader Baidu.com, which has 55%, according to market data company iResearch.

Schmidt said Google was gaining market share but he declined to give figures, only expressing confidence that its greater financial and technical resources would help close the gap.

Google came to China after other Internet services such as Yahoo, launching its China-based search site, Google.cn, in January 2006. Google opened a Beijing research center one year ago.

Schmidt said Google plans to give its China operation, led by Kai-Fu Lee, a former Microsoft VP, greater autonomy to develop new products and respond to the local market.

Source:
http://www.telecomasia.net/article.php?type=article&id_article=4429

Coming Soon! Hong Kong & U.K. partners

We are pleased to share that BAK2u (Singapore) has tie up with partners from Hong Kong and U.K to resell Anti-theft softwares; PhoneBAK Mobilephone, PDA Phone.

More details will be announced soon.
http://www.BAK2u.com