Weak initial demand for Rokr, says analyst

RCRNews.com: "Initial shipments of Motorola Inc.'s long-anticipated iTunes-capable phone appear somewhat sluggish, according to a recent analyst report from Piper Jaffray. The firm said its recent store checks show that some locations are recording strong sales of the device, but the majority see only weak demand for the Rokr.
'Our checks indicated mixed to negative reviews of the much-anticipated Rokr phone, with some stores indicating strong early sales, but more indicating disappointment in the product,' wrote Piper Jaffray analyst T. Michael Walkley in a note to investors. The firm makes a market in Motorola securities."

Andreessen adds some Ning to the Web

CNET News.com: "Ning, a new Web site from Netscape founder Marc Andreessen's latest company, has piqued the curiosity of Web developers and bloggers checking out the online social-networking service.
Andreessen's Palo Alto, Calif.-based start-up 24 Hour Laundry, which has about 14 employees, earlier this week launched Ning, describing it a free online service for building 'social applications.'
Company executives refer to Ning as a 'playground' for creating content, such as photos and reviews, and sharing that information to connect with other people. The Ning site hosts these 'social applications' and gives Web developers tools to build programs, either from scratch or by cloning existing services. "

AOL notches up barrier against phishers

CNET News.com: "America Online is strengthening its shields against phishing attacks for its 20 million Internet service subscribers.
The Web giant announced Wednesday that it has expanded its agreement with antiphishing specialist Cyota and signed new partnerships with security technology companies MarkMonitor and Cyveillance.
The deals provide its customers with 'multiple layers of invisible protection against phishing attacks,' the Dulles, Va.-based Internet service provider said in a statement.
The protection measures aim to prevent AOL members from falling for phishing scams by blocking access. AOL and its partners will scan the Web for fraudulent sites, analyze suspicious URLs, check new domain registrations and attempt to remove phishing sites from the Web, the company said. "

Google adds Princeton president to its board

CNET News.com: "Google has elected Princeton University President Shirley Tilghman to its board of directors, building on its efforts in science, the company announced Wednesday.
Tilghman, who is also a molecular biology professor at the university, participated in the cloning of the first mammalian gene as part of her postdoctoral studies at the National Institutes of Health.
Her appointment to the board may aid Google's work in tackling scientific problems. In 2002, the company tested a toolbar that acted like a supercomputer in an effort to figure out how genetic information is converted into proteins. "

Survey: Nearly 3 of 10 laptop thefts are at the office

MobileVillage: PDAs, Handhelds, Mobile Computing & Wireless Technology for Business: "Survey: nearly 3 of 10 laptop thefts are at the office
- Gary Thayer, Editor
October 4, 2005 -- (MobileVillage) -- The current epidemic of stolen notebook computers (laptops) and resulting data breaches is most prevalent in an unexpected place -- the office.
According to a new survey by CREDANT Technologies, the office is the most common place laptops are stolen, making up for 29 percent of all laptop disappearances reported by survey respondents world-wide. Some respondents noted that their stolen office laptops were super-glued to their desks, physically locked into place and even secured with a lock and cable.
Even more disturbing, 87 percent of respondents report having email on their stolen laptops, and 67 percent report they had other business information stored as well. Moreover, 90 percent report that their stolen laptop contained sensitive and confidential corporate data that was not intended for public view."

Office Laptop Theft...

News Bits: HP and Netscape, OneNote 12, Office Laptop Theft, ToughBook CF-18: "Office Laptop Theft
We all take care of our laptops when travelling and would never leave a notebook unattended in a coffee shop or other public area. But according to reasearch by Credant Technologies, it's the workplace you should be most worried about. The office is the most common place laptops are stolen, making up for 29-percent of all laptop disappearances world-wide. "