Download our latest podcast here.
Twits fall for spam attack
Twitter users have been tricked into divulging their login and password details to a Web site that then spammed their contacts. The culprit is a Web site called TwitterCut. Some Twitter users began getting a message that appeared to be from one of their friends and included a link to the TwitterCut Web site. The message implied they could gain more Twitter contacts by following the link. If a person entered their login details, TwitterCut would then send the same message via Twitter to all of the victim’s contacts, a kind of phishing attack with worm-like characteristics. No malicious software is installed on a user’s machine.
Intel’s new chips revealed
New Core i7 processors from Intel have surfaced on retail sites, giving early details of the new Nehalem-based processors ahead of the company’s official launch of the chips. Multiple retail sites on Wednesday were taking orders for two quad-core Core i7 chips, which are targeted at high-end desktops and workstations. The chips are scheduled for a May 31 launch. The new chips include what could be the fastest Core i7 processor to date. The quad-core Core i7 Extreme 975 runs at 3.33 GHz, with 8MB of shared L3 cache. It is priced between US$1,100 and $1,250.
Server market hit by recession
A precipitous fall in worldwide server shipments triggered a sharp decline in revenue for server makers during the first quarter of 2009, IDC said in a survey released on Thursday. Worldwide server unit shipments declined 26.5 percent year-over-year in the first quarter to around 1.49 million units, the largest unit shipment decline in five years, IDC said. Worldwide factory server revenue was down 24.5 percent to US$9.9 billion in the first quarter. Server shipments and revenue fell as customers tightened IT budgets and held back on refreshing server hardware.
Geezer phones don’t work
Thousands of phones sold by Jitterbug, a mobile operator that specializes in simple handsets for limited uses such as emergency calls, are being recalled because they can’t be used to call 911 in some rare cases. Jitterbug sells bare-bones handsets and no-contract service plans geared toward seniors and other consumers who don’t make heavy use of cell phones. One of its phones, the Jitterbug OneTouch, has dedicated buttons for the Jitterbug operator, one preset number, and 911 in place of a numeric keypad. That phone, as well as the standard Jitterbug phone with a keypad, have been recalled because they can’t be used to call 911 emergency lines in some U.S. areas where they should be able to.
…And those are the top stories from the IDG Global IT News Update, brought to you by the IDG News Service. I’m Sumner Lemon in Singapore. Join us again later for more news from the world of technology.
