Google’s Pichai on Xiaomi, Cyanogen and the Apple Watch

In a wide-ranging discussion on stage at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday, Google senior vice president Sundar Pichai offered his views on lots of issues at the heart of the mobile telecommunications industry.+ See our full coverage of MWC 2015 +He used the time to confirm Google’s plans to launch a mobile carrier in the U.S. and gave an update on progress of its ambitious Project Loon and Project Titan airborne Internet experiments. Here’s what else he said:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google’s Pichai on Xiaomi, Cyanogen and the Apple Watch

In a wide-ranging discussion on stage at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday, Google senior vice president Sundar Pichai offered his views on lots of issues at the heart of the mobile telecommunications industry.+ See our full coverage of MWC 2015 +He used the time to confirm Google’s plans to launch a mobile carrier in the U.S. and gave an update on progress of its ambitious Project Loon and Project Titan airborne Internet experiments. Here’s what else he said:To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

HP will buy Aruba to bolster its wireless networking business

Hewlett-Packard will purchase Aruba Networks to boost its wireless networking business, the companies announced Monday.HP will offer $24.67 per share, giving Aruba a $3 billion value. The deal is worth $2.7 billion taking into account Aruba's debt and cash.MORE: 8 ways to celebrate Raspberry Pi's 3rd birthdayBy buying Aruba, HP will be able to help businesses beef up their wireless networks to meet the demands of an increasingly mobile workforce, the companies said.This is HP's first major acquisition since CEO Meg Whitman announced last year that the company would split into two. One half will focus on enterprise products and the other well sell printers and PCs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

HP will buy Aruba to bolster its wireless networking business

Hewlett-Packard will purchase Aruba Networks to boost its wireless networking business, the companies announced Monday.HP will offer $24.67 per share, giving Aruba a $3 billion value. The deal is worth $2.7 billion taking into account Aruba's debt and cash.MORE: 8 ways to celebrate Raspberry Pi's 3rd birthdayBy buying Aruba, HP will be able to help businesses beef up their wireless networks to meet the demands of an increasingly mobile workforce, the companies said.This is HP's first major acquisition since CEO Meg Whitman announced last year that the company would split into two. One half will focus on enterprise products and the other well sell printers and PCs.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Iran ready to work with Google, other global Internet companies

Iran is ready to cooperate with Google and other global Internet companies to allow them to operate in the country, according to Iranian media reports.Talks are already under way with Google to place servers in Iran, according to a report Sunday from the official Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA). The article quoted remarks made to local press by the country’s deputy minister of telecommunications and information technology, Nasrollah Jahangard.Similar negotiations are ongoing with several other major U.S. and European Internet companies, according to IRNA.In a separate report from the Fars News Agency (FNA), Iran’s semi-official news agency, Jahangard was quoted saying “We are ready to provide Google or any other company with Iran’s possibilities and facilities for service providing to the region.”To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Small mesh networks will soon help you find things

The famous adage, attributed to many different wits, goes along the lines of "insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."Well, maybe that's a bit harsh, but I think you could argue that an indication of intelligence is not repeating the same unproductive act over and over again. And if that's the case, then why do we always misplace things?Surely, the clever thing to do would be to always put things, like car keys, in the same place each time. Like when arriving home, for example. But some of the smartest people I know don't do that.And before we get into a debate about whether those folks are indeed smart—as they look for their keys, I can happily announce that the whole argument is about to become moot.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

IDG Contributor Network: Small mesh networks will soon help you find things

The famous adage, attributed to many different wits, goes along the lines of "insanity is repeating the same mistakes and expecting different results."Well, maybe that's a bit harsh, but I think you could argue that an indication of intelligence is not repeating the same unproductive act over and over again. And if that's the case, then why do we always misplace things?Surely, the clever thing to do would be to always put things, like car keys, in the same place each time. Like when arriving home, for example. But some of the smartest people I know don't do that.And before we get into a debate about whether those folks are indeed smart—as they look for their keys, I can happily announce that the whole argument is about to become moot.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Guest Blog: REST API for Cumulus Linux ACLs

Cumulus Linux: REST API for Cumulus Linux ACLs

RESTful control of Cumulus Linux ACLs included a proof of concept script that demonstrated how to remotely control iptables entries in Cumulus Linux.  Cumulus Linux in turn converts the standard Linux iptables rules into the hardware ACLs implemented by merchant silicon switch ASICs to deliver line rate filtering.

Previous blog posts demonstrated how remote control of Cumulus Linux ACLs can be used for DDoS mitigationand Large “Elephant” flow marking.

A more advanced version of the script is now available on GitHub

The new script adds the following features:

  1. It now runs as a daemon.
  2. Exceptions generated by cl-acltool are caught and handled
  3. Rules are compiled asynchronously, reducing response time of REST calls
  4. Updates are batched, supporting hundreds of operations per second

The script doesn’t provide any security, which may be acceptable if access to the REST API is limited to the management port, but is generally unacceptable for production deployments.

Fortunately, Cumulus Linux is a open Linux distribution that allows additional software components to be installed. Rather than being forced to add authentication and encryption to the script, it is possible to install additional software and leverage the capabilities of a mature web server such as Apache. The Continue reading

Google sees success with balloon, airplane Internet

Google’s ambitious efforts to bring balloon and aircraft-borne connectivity to underserved areas of the globe are pushing past some key milestones and the company expects a public launch in a few years.Both projects have captured the imagination of many for their ability to beam Internet signals from platforms high up in the sky to areas without cellular networks, but represent significant engineering challenges for Google—just the kind of thing the company likes, said Sundar Pichai, a senior vice president at Google, speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.The oldest and perhaps best known of the two projects, Project Loon, seeks to use balloons flying around 20 kilometers (65,000 feet) above the Earth to deliver Internet signals. The company’s first experiments used a proprietary WiFi signal but that’s since changed to LTE cellular signals.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google sees success with balloon, airplane Internet

Google’s ambitious efforts to bring balloon and aircraft-borne connectivity to underserved areas of the globe are pushing past some key milestones and the company expects a public launch in a few years. Both projects have captured the imagination of many for their ability to beam Internet signals from platforms high up in the sky to areas without cellular networks, but represent significant engineering challenges for Google—just the kind of thing the company likes, said Sundar Pichai, a senior vice president at Google, speaking at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The oldest and perhaps best known of the two projects, Project Loon, seeks to use balloons flying around 20 kilometers (65,000 feet) above the Earth to deliver Internet signals. The company’s first experiments used a proprietary WiFi signal but that’s since changed to LTE cellular signals.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

SNL roasts Net Neutrality phonies

Net neutrality, even after last week's big FCC vote in favor of it, continues to be a term many don't quite get. SNL took advantage of that this past weekend to spoof tech pundits, and even works a Vint Cerf character into the mix. (FYI, NSFW).MORE: Most Memorable SNL Tech Skits & Bits To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Microsoft, Intel team on low-cost Windows 10 phones

Right now you can't buy Windows-based handsets that run on Intel chips, but that will change later this year with the mobile version of Windows 10. Microsoft's recent Windows Phone OSes worked only with ARM-based processors from Qualcomm. Though Windows 10 will also work on ARM systems, compatibility with Intel x86 chips breaks that exclusivity. The Windows 10 mobile OS will run on handsets and so-called phablets powered by Intel's upcoming Atom X3 chips, code-named Sofia, announced by the chip maker at the Mobile World Congress trade show. Devices with the X3 chips will be priced from under US$75 to $249. The X3 chips will also be offered in Android handsets.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Intel rethinking tablets with new Atom X5, X7 chips

Intel hopes to reignite excitement in tablets with its new Atom chips code-named Cherry Trail, which will be in devices in a few months. The chipmaker wants to eliminate tablet usage hassles like fumbling for wires and typing in passwords with its new Atom X5 and X7 chips, which are being announced at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona. Tablets with Cherry Trail will be priced from US$119 to $499, and have screen sizes from 7 to 10.1 inches. Asus, Lenovo, Acer, Dell, Toshiba and Hewlett-Packard will ship devices with Atom X5 or X7 chips in the first half this year.+ See our full coverage of MWC 2015 +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

From Microsoft: Two new Lumia smartphones to upgrade later to Windows 10

BARCELONA -- Microsoft today announced two new Lumia smartphones running Windows Phone 8.1, which will be upgraded to the cross-platform Windows 10 later in the year. The company gave news media at Mobile World Congress a brief glimpse of how Windows 10 apps, such as an Excel spreadsheet, maps and Outlook email, look on a smartphone display. Windows 10 is currently in a publicly available preview version and will be ready for official release later in 2015. The new phones are the Lumia 640, with a 5-in. display, and the Lumia 640 XL with a 5.7-in. screen. The larger device ships in March and the smaller one in April, and both AT&T and T-Mobile will offer them. Pricing was estimated at about $178 for the Lumia 640 on LTE and about $245 for the Lumia 640 XL on LTE, but pricing will vary by market and operator, Microsoft said.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google confirms carrier plans, details coming soon

Google has confirmed for the first time that it plans to offer connectivity directly to mobile users in the U.S., but a senior executive downplayed the competition it would be to major U.S. cellular carriers.Several reports have said the company is preparing a service that would be offered across an existing cellular network under a Google brand—a so-called “mobile virtual network operator” or MVNO. But the reports hadn’t been confirmed until Sundar Pichai, the company’s senior vice president, spoke at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday.“You’ll see us announce it in the coming months,” said Pichai.Pichai said it won’t be a full-service mobile network in competition with existing carriers.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Google confirms carrier plans, details coming soon

Google has confirmed for the first time that it plans to offer connectivity directly to mobile users in the U.S., but a senior executive downplayed the competition it would be to major U.S. cellular carriers. Several reports have said the company is preparing a service that would be offered across an existing cellular network under a Google brand—a so-called “mobile virtual network operator” or MVNO. But the reports hadn’t been confirmed until Sundar Pichai, the company’s senior vice president, spoke at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona on Monday.+ See our full coverage of MWC 2015 +To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Finnish companies join forces to build secure OS for smartphones and tablets

Finnish companies Jolla and SSH Communications Security are counting on their European origins to help sell a secure mobile operating system they are co-developing.The need for more secure mobile communications has been apparent ever since former U.S. government contractor Edward Snowden made his revelations about National Security Agency (NSA) snooping.SSH is best known for the Secure Shell encrypted communications protocol invented by the company’s founder Tatu Ylönen. Jolla, founded in 2011 by a group of former Nokia employees, sells a smartphone running its open Sailfish OS, and will start shipping its first tablet running the OS next quarter.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Finnish companies join forces to build secure OS for smartphones and tablets

Finnish companies Jolla and SSH Communications Security are counting on their European origins to help sell a secure mobile operating system they are co-developing. The need for more secure mobile communications has been apparent ever since former U.S. government contractor Edward Snowden made his revelations about National Security Agency (NSA) snooping. SSH is best known for the Secure Shell encrypted communications protocol invented by the company’s founder Tatu Ylönen. Jolla, founded in 2011 by a group of former Nokia employees, sells a smartphone running its open Sailfish OS, and will start shipping its first tablet running the OS next quarter.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Finnish companies join forces to build secure OS for smartphones and tablets

Finnish companies Jolla and SSH Communications Security are counting on their European origins to help sell a secure mobile operating system they are co-developing. The need for more secure mobile communications has been apparent ever since former U.S. government contractor Edward Snowden made his revelations about National Security Agency (NSA) snooping. SSH is best known for the Secure Shell encrypted communications protocol invented by the company’s founder Tatu Ylönen. Jolla, founded in 2011 by a group of former Nokia employees, sells a smartphone running its open Sailfish OS, and will start shipping its first tablet running the OS next quarter.To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here