Trusted Computing Group spec to be foundation of storage encryption

Every day it seems like there is a new and significant data breach in the news. In fact, organizations like ChoicePoint, TJX, the Department of Veterans Affairs, or Heartland Payment Systems have become poster children for the sorry state of information assurance. Recognizing the risks to sensitive data, many companies have implemented full-disk encryption software from companies like PGP, PointSec, SafeBoot, and Utimaco. Still, this means purchasing, deploying, and managing add-on software on lots of PCs--a cumbersome operational task. For a number of years, I've been writing about a superior alternative, hard drive-based encryption. Fitted with self-encrypting drives, PC-based disks are encrypted from the get-go. What's more, disk-based encryption is more secure than add-on software with virtually no impact on system performance. So why haven't PCs with encrypting hard drives become a de facto standard? Users were afraid of proprietary hardware implementations and a lack of software management support. These were valid concerns--until now. This week, the Trusted Computing Group (TCG) announced the publication of three new standards for storage encryption. One is for PC hard drives (aka Opal), one is for enterprise hard drives (aka the Enterprise Security Subsystem Class Specification), and one is for secure interoperability with other storage standards like SCSI and ATA. All of the large hard drive vendors, including Fujitsu, Hitachi, Seagate, and Toshiba, will deliver hard drives that support these standards, and management software vendors like Secude, Wave Systems, and WinMagic are also on board. Others will surely follow. What do these new TCG standards mean?

1. Software encryption is all but dead. Soon, most business laptops will be offered with encrypting hard drives at a nominal premium over a standard system. Heck, Dell already has about 12 models available. In three to five years, every disk drive may be encryption-enabled as it rolls off the production line. Encryption software fades away--quickly.
   
2. CIOs and purchasing managers need to develop a plan. Many IT and security managers have no idea that TCG even exists, but this is no longer acceptable. Since laptops and desktop PCs will come with encryption "baked in," it is incumbent upon IT and endpoint management and security teams to create a plan for phasing in systems with self-encrypting drives and phase out encryption software over time.
   
3. Expect encrypting drives in enterprise arrays. This will take a bit more time, as demand for array-based encryption isn't nearly as high. Nevertheless, every storage system produced by EMC, Fujitsu, Hitachi, HP, and IBM may eventually follow this path.
   
4. Federal endpoint security initiatives must shift direction. I'm thinking specifically about the Federal Desktop Core Configuration effort and the Data at Rest SmartBuy program. Each of these efforts should be updated to emphasize disk-based encryption over software. The National Institute of Standards, the National Security Agency, and the U.S. General Service Administration must lead the effort to qualify, certify, and build procurement tools for self encrypting drive technologies soon.

There is a common IT evolution where software replaces hardware in order to offload processing, enhance performance, and lower overall system costs. This cycle is exactly what is happening here, and there is no turning back. My suggestion is that IT and security decision-makers come to terms with this ASAP. Your long-term information assurance strategy may depend on this.

• Samsung seems pretty proud of world's highest density DRAM chip

Charter launching 60Mbps broadband, asks "FiOS what?"

Still waiting for Verizon's FiOS to come and light up your neighborhood with blistering download speeds? Now you have something even faster to wait for, with Charter Communications announcing it is launching a 60Mbps broadband service, utilizing DOCSIS 3.0 to fit more bits in the same pipes -- not quite the 160Mbps Comcast predicted, but we'll take it. What the company isn't announcing is when people will be able to tap into this or how much they'll pay for the privilege, but hopefully it'll be a little less than the $140 Verizon is charging.
Update: We found word of prices and, go figure, the service costs exactly the same as FiOS: $140 per month. But, you can save $10 if you bundle it with TV or phone service.

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Intel said to be prepping eight-core Xeon for launch next month

Nothing's official just yet, but Macworld is reporting that Intel will be rolling out an eight-core Xeon processor at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference in San Francisco next month, marking the company's first foray into octa-core processors, and paving the way for 16-core systems using two of the chips. Unfortunately, there aren't many more details than that, with the only other word being that it'll be a 16-thread processor, and be manufactured using a 45-nanometer process. As Macworld notes, however, it does seem likely that the processor in question is the Nehalem-EP seen on the roadmap above, which is based on the Tylersburg platform -- the first product of Intel's throw-a-dart-at-a-map naming scheme.

• SteelSeries World of Warcraft Mouse equipped for hands-on impressions, +14 agility

Atom-powered Stinger 553 SFF PC could likely withstand nuclear stresses

For the man who proudly owns an Impenetrable Iron Drive comes this, the Atom-powered Stinger 553 from CodaOctopus Colmek. Hailed as a rugged tactical small form factor PC, the box you see pictured above measures just 5- x 5- x 3-inches and is built to MIL-STD-810F and MIL-STD-461E environmental standards and MIL-STD0704E power supply voltage standards. For the layperson, that means it can withstand an almost ungodly amount of vibration, dust, humidity and sandblasting. Packed within the aluminum alloy chassis is an unnamed Atom CPU, 2GB of RAM, a 128GB SSD, eight USB 2.0 ports and plenty of other goodies that'll handle mission critical applications. It seems as if you'll have to phone up the company in order to get a price, but considering that you could almost take this to war, we wouldn't bank on it being cheap.

Lian-Li's PC-888: if the Burj Al Arab were a PC chassis

We're not sure what percentage of each PC-888 sale goes straight to the owners of Dubai's Burj Al Arab, but it better be a lot. Lian-Li's latest eye-popping PC chassis looks pretty much exactly like the aforesaid hotel, and it's constructed from a significant amount of blue anodized aluminum. As you can probably tell from just looking, you can fit practically anything you'd ever need (as far as PC internals go) in here, with the case measuring in at 11.6- x 29.1- x 18.1-inches. A price has yet to be publicly disclosed, but a quick search brings up figures in the high $400s. Yeah, ouch.

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HP issues software update for MediaSmart Server

It's been forever and a day since HP issued a MediaSmart Server update, but now -- at long last -- owners can suck down some more new software in order to implement a few minor changes. The HPMSS-1.3-R1 update adds in a Rollback feature, improves image processing performance in HP Photo Webshare, corrects error messages displayed using SSL and TZO certifications and removes unnecessary temperature sensor displays. Give it a go and let us know how things turn out, will ya?

AMD earnings: more fear, uncertainty and doubt?

These are not ordinary times. Not for Advanced Micro Devices, which reports earnings on Thursday. Nor for Intel.

For starters, AMD said last week that that it would slash its workforce by 9 percent and institute temporary salary cuts. This comes as the company enters the final stages of bifurcating into the AMD the product company, which designs chips, and The Foundry Company, which the manufactures them. A measure taken to stave off collapse. (There are still a few more steps that have to be taken before the split is sanctioned by all entities involved.) Even presuming the split is completed according to plan, AMD, like Intel, has to face a difficult first quarter and possibly troubled second quarter. These two quarters are historically weak to begin with. Add the unusually negative macroeconomic factors on top of that and "recovery isn't looking like a first half kind of thing" for AMD, according to an industry source who follows the company and expects AMD to paint a less than rosy picture. "This doesn't look like one of your normal semiconductor cycles, where you pop out of it very quickly and very aggressively, and overtake any dips," said the person. And speaking of dips, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, the largest contract chip manufacturer and major industry bellwether, said on January 9 that December net sales on a consolidated basis were off 30.1 percent from November 2008 and off a whopping 51.9 percent (54.8 percent on an unconsolidated basis) from December 2007. TSMC reports fourth quarter results on Thursday too. The situation for Intel--which reported a 90 percent dive in year-to-year fourth-quarter profits last week--isn't that different. Bloomberg is reporting that chief executive officer Paul Otellini told employees last week in an internal memo that a first quarter loss is possible after 87 quarters of profit. But Intel said as much publicly in its earnings conference call last week, refusing to give official guidance for the first quarter due to heightened uncertainty and then bringing up a possible scenario in which things don't improve as expected. Chief financial officer Stacy Smith put it this way during the conference call: because of the dramatic drop-off in demand from customers (what Intel calls "the supply chain") in the fourth quarter, the chipmaker is "aggressively" reducing factory utilization in the first quarter. "The expectation is that we can start to reload the factories a bit in Q2 from where they are in Q1," he said. But he then addressed a "hypothetical" situation where conditions don't improve as expected. In this case, Smith said Intel would slow the introduction of next-generation 32-nanometer manufacturing process technology. (Currently Intel chips are based on 45-nanometer technology.) "Over time if our view of demand is wrong and this is much worse than we expect...We'd slow the ramp rate of 32-nanometer," he said.

• The Jet Mouse Locks In On That Promotion [Peripherals]

Lenovo trots out new trifecta of unexciting desktops

Forgive us, but we just can't get jazzed about a trio of Lenovo desktops that offer up nothing innovative whatsoever. Sure, the IdeaCentre K220 may pack a Core 2 Quad CPU, upwards of 4GB of DDR3 RAM and an optional Blu-ray drive, but that's nothing we couldn't slap together ourselves in a few minutes. The K230 ups the ante a bit with room for 8GB of memory and Windows Vista 64-bit, while the lower-end H200 (shown above) becomes Lenovo's first desktop with an Atom under the hood. All three machines will be available this month starting at $449, $499 and $399.99 (bundled with the ThinkVision L195 monitor), in order of mention.

• Laser Hard drive boasts 1Tbits/s access time, doesn't exist yet

MSI announces Wind NetTop D130 -- the desktop with Nordic styling

Every morning we struggle to stay awake while reading one copycat netbook announcement after another, and, now that low-end desktops seem to be finding the same popularity, we've ordered a fleet of coffee robots to keep eyes open at Engadget HQ. On the heels of unveiling its mildly interesting all-in-one Neton series, MSI has followed up with the rather more generic D130 NetTop, featuring something MSI calls "Nordic Simple Style" (which they previously just called barebones). Moving beyond appearances, the machine does seem like a decent package, sporting a mild but serviceable Atom 330 processor, 2GB of DDR2 memory, a Super-Multi DVD burner, 7.1 output, and a meager 35W power consumption when operating at "full speed." Granted, that full speed won't do much for your 3DMark scores, but an expected $240 price tag should make it a good fit for anyone in search of a simple machine for desk or home theater.

Lenovo All-in-One IdeaCentre A600 hands-on

We just got a chance to check out Lenovo's All-in-One IdeaCentre A600, featuring the motion-based remote control that doubles as a VoIP handset. three minutes into the tennis game, we managed to toss the remote into an adjacent HDTV and pulled our shoulder out of alignment. We couldn't call for help -- the VoIP wasn't functional -- but we did manage to snap some screens with our good arm.

• Netgear intros two new home routers, one 3G WWAN router

HP's TouchSmart all-in-one PC slips on its business socks

Can you imagine if Dunder Mifflin landed a contract with HP, and every single PC in The Office was replaced with a TouchSmart all-in-one? Yeah, hilarity would undoubtedly ensue. Nevertheless, the company has decided to push its dx9000 into the corporate arena. The business-class device is pre-loaded with Windows Vista business 64, an Intel Core 2 Duo P8400 CPU, 4GB of RAM, a 320GB hard drive, a 22-inch panel and a Virtual LAN driver. Outside of that, we can't really see any major differences between the suited version and the consumer edition, but it's all about marketing, anyway. Whip out the Pro Card next month, as each of these will set you back at least $1,399.

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AMD finally launches Phenom II and its Dragon desktop platform

It was a struggle getting it "officially" out the door, and the reviews are already lackluster, but AMD's 45nm, quad-core Phenom II has finally arrived. It's available in two flavors, the 2.8GHz X4 920 and the 3.0GHz X4 940 Black Edition, going for $235 and $275, respectively. AMD's naturally touting the ostensible cost savings of the chips -- they're supposed to split the difference between Intel's Core 2 Quad and Core i7 processor -- but in reality they seems to trail Intel's offerings pretty soundly on the price / performance curve. The accompanying Dragon platform includes a Phenom II proc, 4800-series Radeon HD graphics and a 790-series motherboard, all of which should combine for low power consumption -- up to 40 percent compared to Phenom processors. Where the Phenom II definitely wins is the fact that some AMD folks will be able to drop in the chip to existing motherboards, but otherwise it looks like value hounds and performance junkies aren't being served by this new chip -- at least until unreasonable overclocking activities make all the pain go away.

• Clickfree gone wild at CES: 1TB drive, Mac support and online backup

New Mac mini mentioned in third party press release

It seems like the signs are pointing to a refresh of the Mac mini when this year's Macworld rolls around. According to a press release by SeeFile, their new (version 4.6) web server software can be purchased bundled with a Mac mini server with 1 terabyte of storage -- which is odd enough, since the largest internal drive that ships with the thing is 120GB. And how about the release itself, indiscreetly titled: "New Mac Mini Hardware to Be Supported by Revolutionary SeeFile Web Sharing DAM Software." Of course, this could all be mere speculation, rumors and innuendo. We'll find out soon enough, won't we?

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HP officially launches Firebird with Voodoo DNA

We figured it was destined for a CES release, and HP has confirmed that today's the day. The hotly anticipated Firebird with Voodoo DNA has been properly introduced to the world, and within it will come an Intel Core 2 Quad CPU, twin NVIDIA GeForce 9800S graphics cards in an SLI configuration, hot-swappable 320GB hard drives (two of 'em) and an advanced thermal management system to keep things cool, calm, collected and quiet. As we'd heard, the rig will be available starting on January 9th for as little as $1,799 directly from Voodoo, while those too frightened to hand over their credit card information online can hold tight 'til it hits select retailers (read: best Buy, most likely) on February 1st. Have a look at Rahul Sood and team gloating ad nauseum over this thing just after the break.

• Iomega's Home media Network Hard Drive backs up files, streams content

Atomic Power in Supercomputing

The entire industry took note when INTEL announced its Atom line of CPU's. Intel's ATOM is a new type of processor; it's tiny, consumes ultra low power. It delivers the full capabilities of an x86 desktop CPU. This implies that it can run windows and will work with a 945G chipset, DDR2 RAM. Atom is more basic than Core 2, being only a single core processor.The Atom line has been specifically designed for low power applications. But if you are thinking of buying it and fitting it into your desktop motherboard then there's some sad news for you b'coz these CPU's cannot fit onto usual desktop motherboard, it's available to the vendors so as to assemble them with a compatible motherboard, then the CPU is soldered on to motherboard.I can assure you that doing everyday work like, browsing, listening to music is easy, but when I opened word, excel, access, PowerPoint simultaneously it took 20 minutes for atom to open it, despite its Hyper Threading technology. Certainly, its performance is not going to set the world alight. When I ran a video playback test to test its Home Theater PC capabilities it ran smoothly, but the CPU usage was around 80 percent, so it was clear that it'll not support full HD.The specifications for the motherboard are reasonable - the integrated Intel GMA950 video chip can use up to 8MB of the main memory, the RAM and FSB speed is limited to 533 MHz, connectivity is via a 10/100 onboard LAN chip, ans the number of USB ports available is four.So it's clear that it's not a users' delight in performance. It is all about spending no more energy than required. Also it does not use fans instead relays on two heat sinks for cooling. With a 4W TDP it not only saves electricity bill, but increases backup time when running on a UPS. While the Atom 230 loses out on performance to any entry level desktop package, it certainly is unbeatable on the power consumption charts.

To read reviews for great products you can purchase online, visit Review Hub. You can post your own reviews as well, at the http://www.reviewhub.org website.

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Lenovo IdeaCentre A600 All-in-One Desktop unleashed

Lenovo's just announced their newest desktop - the IdeaCentre A600 - for all to wonder at. This puppy's got a 21.5-inch (1920x1080) HD panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio, and the PC packs a choice of Intel Core 2 Duo CPUs, optional ATI Radeon graphics, 4GB of DDR3 RAM, and an up to 1TB hard drive. Optional to the system is a remote control which can also be used as a game controller, a VOIP handset to make and receive calls, and as an air mouse -- that's a lot of functions! The A600 is expected to roll out in March with a starting price of $999. Check out the full press release after the break.
"Thin is In" for Consumer PC Design as Lenovo Debuts All-in-One Desktop and 16-inch Laptop
Marks One Year Anniversary with New Collection of Trend-Setting Entertainment-Focused PCs
RESEARCH TRIANGLE PARK, NC – January 5, 2009: Lenovo today announced the latest additions to its Idea brand of personal computers for consumers. The new PCs push the envelope in the pursuit of thinner and more stylish designs, and combine these attributes with unique features like facial recognition and high-definition entertainment technologies to give consumers a computing experience like no other. There are four new IdeaPad laptops – the IdeaPad Y650, the thinnest and lightest 16-inch laptop in its class1, the Y550 and Y430 laptops with a similar family design to the Y650, and the thinnest all-in-one desktop PC, the IdeaCentre A600. With the explosive growth of social networking, Lenovo also continues to enhance its IdeaPad S10 netbook with new instant on capability, facial recognition and easy access to Lenovo's social networking community.
"With the launch of our global consumer Idea brand a year ago, we've shown the world that PC technology can be powerful and beautiful," said Liu Jun, senior vice president and president, Consumer Business Group, Lenovo. "This year, we will keep pushing the limits of good design, balancing form and function, as you'll see exhibited in our super-thin, 16-inch laptop and all-in-one desktop. This unique blend of design and engineering sets us apart from competitors and gives consumers a new kind of entertainment and computing experience."
IdeaCentre A600 All-in-One Desktop
Lenovo brings consumers the next generation of desktop computing with the IdeaCentre A600 – Lenovo's first all-in-one desktop. The new, sleek IdeaCentre A600 all-in-one features a 21.5-inch frameless screen, and provides discerning space-conscious and style-conscious users a modern design that measures only one inch at its slimmest point, making it the slimmest all-in-one in the industry2.
For the entertainment enthusiast, the all-in-one offers a true Hi-Def experience featuring a 16:9 aspect ratio screen for cinema-like viewing and support for 1920x1080 full HD resolution delivering outstanding image quality. The integrated speaker system includes a bass sub-woofer and Dolby® Home Theatre™ audio certification, while the optional Blu-ray player completes the home cinema experience. Users can also take advantage of a digital TV tuner for watching and recording their favorite TV programs. Users can opt to include the Microsoft Vista Media Center for easy recording of TV programs and interactive navigation between videos, music and TV programs.
For gaming enthusiasts, Lenovo developed the first-of-its-kind 4-in-1 optional remote controller. It is the first to bring PC users the ability to play games using the remote control's 'motion drive' feature, which controls on-screen objects according to the movement of the remote.
Unlike competitor's remotes, the Lenovo 4-in-1 remote controller can also be used as a VOIP handset3 to make and receive phone calls over the Internet, similar to a typical cordless telephone. The remote also serves as a media center/TV remote, and with Microsoft Vista Media Center users can use the controller to operate DVDs, movies and TV. Additionally, the remote also functions as an "air mouse" so it can be used to operate the cursor on the screen, eliminating the inconvenience of using a wired mouse.
At the core of the all-in-one is a powerful desktop computer with choices of Intel® Core™2 Duo processors, optional ATI Radeon™ graphics card technology with DirectX10 support, up to 4GB of fast DDR3 memory for improved multitasking, and up to 1TB (1000GB) of hard drive space for storing hundreds of videos, music and other documents. Equipped with the latest high-performance mobile processor technology, the all-in-one runs whisper-quiet even when performing intensive tasks.
The IdeaCentre A600 all-in-one offers several connectivity options including high-speed WiFi, a 6-in-1 media card reader, side-mounted USB and FireWire ports with additional USB ports on the rear of the panel. The all-in-one also features VeriFace™ facial recognition technology which allows users to use his/her facial image as the logon password.
Pricing and Availability4
The new IdeaPad Y650, Y550, Y450 laptops and S10 netbook will be available beginning in March. Manufacturer suggested retail pricing (MSRP) for models starts at $1,199 for the IdeaPad Y650, $829 for the IdeaPad Y550 and Y450, and $349 for the IdeaPad S10 netbook. The IdeaCentre A600 all-in-one desktop will be available beginning in April with MSRP for models starting at $999.
About Lenovo
Lenovo (HKSE: 992) (ADR: LNVGY) is dedicated to building exceptionally engineered personal computers. Lenovo's business model is built on innovation, operational efficiency and customer satisfaction as well as a focus on investment in emerging markets. Formed by Lenovo Group's acquisition of the former IBM Personal Computing Division, the company develops, manufactures and markets reliable, high-quality, secure and easy-to-use technology products and services worldwide. Lenovo has major research centers in Yamato, Japan; Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen, China; and Raleigh, North Carolina. For more information see www.lenovo.com.
1Thinnest and lightest in the 16-inch laptop screen class, including offerings from Acer, Sony, HP and Lenovo.
2Compared with competitor existing all-in-ones from Apple, HP, Dell and Sony.
3VOIP functionality requires VOIP software which is freely available for download from a wide range of 3rd party vendors
4Prices do not include tax or shipping and are subject to change without notice. Reseller prices may vary. Price does not include all advertised features. All offers subject to availability. Lenovo reserves the right to alter product offerings and specifications at any time without notice.

• DIY external iPhone keyboards get a tad more practical

Eazo's Z70 wooden PC looks uncommonly natural, expensive

If Eazo's ultra-dark X70 was just too rich for your blood, we have all ideas the Z70 will really be out of reach. This luxurious tower -- coated in some sort of exotic rosewood and presumably sourced from the same jungle as Odeon's Sex Panther cologne -- includes a Core 2 Extreme QX9775 processor and lots of other components that we simply aren't privy too. The good news is that the internal water cooling system should prevent said CPU from lighting the wood on fire; the bad news is that a spill could eventually cause severe decomposition. You can't win for losin', can ya?

• Sony teases the VAIO P's keyboard and tracking nub

Creative sheds some hype on Zii 'stem cell computing'

Pretty big talk, Creative, for such a mysterious product. According to information gleaned from an email that's making the rounds, Zii is "revolutionary" -- in fact, it's about to change everything you know. Everything. The company says they've invested over 10 years, over one billion dollars, and 10,000 man-years (that's a lot of men! and years!) on "stem cell-like silicon that is able to grow and multiply into different solutions and ecosystems," which will "better lives beyond our imagination." Has your mind been blown yet? No? Just wait until you "discover incredible recession-friendly business opportunities that enable you to thrive and prosper." Just what we need in the midst of these turbulent times. Of course this begs us to ask the question: if life as we know it is over, couldn't they have spent a little time coming up with a name other than Zii? And might there be a better place to announce this epoch-making discovery than booth #30651 at CES?

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Microsoft pay-as-you-go patent application rejected

Sorry folks -- we know that you were looking forward to a future of "pay to play" computing, but it seems that Microsoft's application has been soundly dissed by the patent office. Reasons for the decision include the company's "occasional use of fuzzy terminology" and the fact that much of this stuff has already been patented. Of course, the decision can be appealed -- but for the time being, if you still want to pay monthly for a computer AT&T has a netbook for you.

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Intel Atom coming to larger notebooks?

Why does Intel have to be so darn stubborn? First it insists on only bundling the Atom processor with their own graphics (simultaneously breaking poor NVIDIA's heart), and then there's whole thing where it restricts the CPU to netbooks under 10.2-inches. But like all good things, this too might someday come to an end. According to Gadget Mix, HP is currently negotiating with the chipmaker with the intent of using the processor in notebooks 13-inches and larger. This isn't without precedent -- the Dell Mini 12 is Atom powered, after all, and there is certainly a market for folks who only need a notebook for web browsing and productivity apps -- but we'll see if people are willing to sacrifice performance without gaining portability.

• Panasonic set to unveil powerline networking prototypes aplenty at CES