CWmike writes "Microsoft is, predictably, not all that impressed by Google Inc.'s demonstration of its upcoming Chrome OS, saying 'From what was shared, it appears to be in the early stages of development,' a Microsoft spokeswoman said. 'From our perspective, however, our customers are already voicing their approval of the way Windows 7 just works — across the Web and on the desktop, and on all sizes and types of PCs — purchasing twice as many units of Windows 7 as we've sold of any other operating system over a comparable time.' But neither were potential rivals who make Linux and instant-on operating systems. Chrome OS claimed 7 seconds boot times, and and ability to run Web apps within another 3 seconds failed to impress Woody Hobbs, president and CEO of Phoenix Technologies, a long-time BIOS software maker that has re-invented itself with a Linux-based instant-on OS called HyperSpace. 'Instant-on is about being able to access your Internet applications in one second. Seven seconds is too long,' Hobbs said. 'There is no such thing as "cold boot" for today's mobile PCs such as netbooks and smartbooks. You should be able to use your netbook like you use your smartphone — a press of a button and you are "on."' Mark Lee, CEO of DeviceVM Inc., said Google's favoritism towards its own browser and Web apps could rub some users the wrong way, especially those outside of the US. 'In China, users prefer Baidu, not Google,' Lee said. DeviceVM's Splashtop platform boots into Firefox within seconds and uses Yahoo or Baidu as default search engines instead of Google."Read more of this story at Slashdot. more...

An anonymous reader writes "After the ikee worm that displayed a picture of Rick Astley on jailbroken iPhones, the first malicious iPhone worm (Google translation; original, in Dutch) has now been discovered in the wild. Internet provider XS4ALL in the Netherlands encountered several of such devices (link in Dutch) on the wireless networks of their customers and put out a warning. After obtaining a copy of the malware it was discovered that the jailbroken phones, which are exploited through openSSH with a default password, scan IP ranges of mobile internet providers for other vulnerable iPhones, phone home to a C&C botnet server, are able to update themselves with additional malware and have the ability to dump the SMS database as well. Owners of a jailbroken iPhone with a default root password are advised to flash to the latest Apple firmware in order to ensure no malware is present."Read more of this story at Slashdot. more...

cheeks5965 writes "We've argued before over compressed air vehicles, a.k.a. air cars. Air cars are an enchanting idea, providing mobility with zero fuel consumption or environmental impacts. The NYTimes' Green Inc. blog reports that the reality is less rosy. New research from UC Berkeley and ICF International puts a period at the end of the discussion, showing that compressed air is a very poor fuel, storing less than 1% of the energy in gasoline; air cars won't get you far, with a range of just 29 miles in typical city driving; and despite appearing green the vehicles are worse for the environment, with twice the carbon footprint as gasoline vehicles, from producing the electricity used to compress the air. Given these barriers, manufacturer claims should definitely be taken with a grain of salt."Read more of this story at Slashdot. more...

Barence writes "Science fiction has long inspired real-world technology, but are the authors of sci-fi stories finally running out of steam? PC Pro has traced the history of sci-fi's influence on real-world technology, from Jules Verne to Snow Crash, but suggests that writers have run out of ideas when it comes to inspiring tomorrow's products. 'Since Snow Crash, no novel has had quite the same impact on the computing world, and you might argue that sci-fi and hi-tech are drifting further apart,' PC Pro claims. Author Charles Stross tells the magazine that he began writing a sci-fi novel in 2005 and 'made some predictions, thinking that in ten years they'd either be laughable or they'd have come true. The weird bit? Most of them came true already, by 2009.'"Read more of this story at Slashdot. more...

eldavojohn writes "One of the driving forces behind the ESRB toughening its ratings is closing its doors on December 31st, 2009. The National Institute on Media and the Family was funded by Fairview Health Services, and simply could no longer justify the yearly $750,000 price tag given today's economic climate. NIMF's reign of nagging has been pretty consistent since 1996, and was often indirectly featured on Slashdot. Don't worry, president and founder Dr. David Walsh promises to keep writing and giving speeches ... and imploring us all to think of the children."Read more of this story at Slashdot. more...

Democrats in the US Senate say they have now secured the votes they need to begin a full debate on healthcare reform. more...

The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope agree to seek closer relations between Catholics and Anglicans. more...

Sri Lanka says people held in special camps since the end of the conflict with Tamil rebels will be allowed out for short periods. more...

Italian police arrest a Pakistani father and son suspected of providing logistical support for last year's Mumbai attacks. more...

Venezuela's Hugo Chavez defends "Carlos the Jackal" and world leaders he says are wrongly considered "bad guys". more...

Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak steps into a row with Algeria following violence over World Cup football matches. more...

A gas blast at a coal mine in China kills 42 people and leaves more than 66 trapped, state media reports. more...

The Malaysian authorities exhume the body of an opposition activist who died in custody, following allegations of foul play. more...

The second conjoined twin separated by doctors in Australia this week wakes from an induced coma. more...

The granddaughter of Italy's fascist dictator Benito Mussolini says criminals have stolen part of his brain and blood to sell on the internet. more...

Scotland end a 27-year losing run against Australia as an awesome defensive performance sets up a 9-8 victory at Murrayfield. more...

Jimmy Cowan scores the decisive try as New Zealand beat much-improved England at Twickenham. more...

French qualms about football win over Ireland more...

Why Obama is finding Mid-East peace a struggle more...

Vatican meeting tries to woo back the art world more...