•Around the Industry:
Bluetooth file sharing tsunami
Wi-Fi where it isn't needed
Netscape opens high-speed network across Canada
Call to give homeless broadband
Perspective: If you believe in broadband, free IPTV
BigPond slashes broadband with bundled deals
Carphone 'will be main BT rival'
•SecurityBits:
Microsoft patches bust websites
Cisco Reports WLAN Vulnerabilities
Net BSD 'highly critical' flaw, OpenVPN 'moderately critical' flaws patched
•TidBytes:
Top 10 Global Wireless Predictions for 2006
Firefox Reportedly Breaks 10 Percent Barrier Worldwide
Bringing Peace To The Windows-Linux Front
•More news from around the industry, SecurityBits, and interesting Tidbytes inside!... .

Around The Industry:
•Bluetooth file sharing tsunami:
Bluetooth file sharing of music and ringtones is taking off. In fact, it's reaching epidemic proportions and is one reason why the income yield per page for mobile content advertising is declining so rapidly. But it's equally easy to argue that Bluetooth file sharing really isn't an issue at all, as a Bluetooth file share episode is completely untraceable and untrackable. The fact that these sharing episodes are untraceable raises a very interesting point for those in the music industry who want to try to stuff this particular cat back into the bag. Unlike mobile's online cousin, no ISP or operator can be bullied or sued to reveal culprits of this "crime". The fact is, no one knows.
•Wi-Fi where it isn't needed:
Stephen H. Wildstrom at BusinessWeek comments: "I have always been a fan of Wi-Fi wireless networking, but lately I'm beginning to wonder if we might not have too much of a good thing. While Wi-Fi is wonderful on laptops, the technology is starting to turn up in smaller, simpler devices where it often seems like more trouble than it's worth. I think Wi-Fi's ubiquity and low cost is tempting manufacturers to embed it where it doesn't belong."
•Netscape opens high-speed network across Canada:
AOL Canada has announced the availability of Netscape High Speed, available in Ontario, Quebec, British Columbia and Alberta for an introductory price of $29.95 for the first month and $39.95 per month thereafter. The service will offer up to 3Mbps download speed; up to 800Kbps upload speed; two mailboxes with up to eight e-mail addresses, 50 MB of e-mail storage and Web mail access, and 5 MB of personal Web space.
•Call to give homeless broadband:
The UK Office of the Deputy Prime Minister believes the homeless should be given broadband internet access and that digital technology could be a lifeline for people on the streets. The Office says many homeless people already use the internet and mobile phones to look for work and accommodation, and it wants to build on this by encouraging homeless hostels and community centers in deprived areas to install broadband access.
•Perspective: If you believe in broadband, free IPTV:
"For anyone seeking more rapid broadband adoption, the "silver bullet" is made of better content and new services. No new service or technology offers more promising content and services than IPTV, video offerings provided over Internet Protocol. IPTV offers rich video programming (like digital cable TV) and two-way interactive options, allowing a compelling and differentiated experience. Our message to policy leaders is simple: Hands off IPTV!"
•BigPond slashes broadband with bundled deals:
BigPond is attempting to curb its competition by halving the cost of its broadband contracts for customers who sign combined telephone and mobile deals. In a statement, Telstra managing director Justin Milne said that the offer will go public Friday and be available to all new ADSL, cable and wireless broadband customers who have or take up eligible Telstra home phone and mobile services for a 24 month period. "It's our biggest ever offer, with three tiers providing from 6 to 12 months half-priced broadband, all with $0 installation."
•Carphone 'will be main BT rival':
Carphone Warehouse will become the clear number one rival to BT in the telecoms market, chief executive Charles Dunstone declared. Launching a highly-ambitious strategy to provide broadband services from 1000 BT exchanges, Dunstone said: 'Our strong commitment to the UK broadband market, announced today, further builds on our foundations to become the clear number one alternative telecoms provider.'
•BBC accedes to record label whining:
"The BBC is planning to play 10 straight days of Bach's music next month on one of its stations, and it's succumbed to the record labels' whining and won't offer complete downloads, if it offers any downloads at all. The British record-label trade group was upset that the BBC had offered the Beethoven downloads without consulting them, and it's unclear either why it's any of their business, or why they think it so damaged their business. The assumption that because somebody will download something for free means they'd pay for it were the free download not available is completely bogus. Record labels repeating it over and over won't make it true."
•Net anonymity continues to vex companies:
"There are plenty of people that want to argue against Internet anonymity, whether it's governments concerned about "security" or looking to control expression, or entertainment companies wanting to go after file-sharers. While most stick to try to chill things by sending out officious cease-and-desist and over-aggressive takedown notices, others are going to greater lengths. The problem seems to be that these companies are uncomfortable because they're finding it impossible to control everything everyone says about them, so they go to increasing lengths to try to expose their critics for retribution and chilling effects."
•Aurora, Illinois looks to citywide Wi-Fi:
Aurora, Illinois is considering a plan to bring citywide wireless broadband access. The city will use the network for municipal operations (public safety) but also offer public access. They have not yet determined which model they will follow. The mayor will introduce the plan this week, together with the 2006 budget. He is seeking $5 million to deploy the network (the city could also issue bonds to raise the money). An interesting piece of trivia: Aurora was the first city in the US to be wired for street lighting.
•VoIP providers band together to promote Internet Telephony:
A handful of voice over Internet providers will announce they are banding together to promote the use of Internet telephony. The group, called the Internet Voice Campaign, is a part of the VON Coalition, a group that aims to increase adoption and use of voice over IP. EarthLink, Google, Pulver.com, Sonus Networks and Skype are all founding members of the group. The Internet Voice Campaign hopes that by educating consumers, it can help dispel some of the misconceptions and concerns.
•Nokia sees new mobile TV networks by mid-2006:
Mobile phone giant Nokia expects mobile TV networks using its chosen standard to be up and running by the middle of next year, allowing people to watch live TV broadcasts on their cellphones. The system -- Digital Video Broadcast-Handheld (DVB-H) -- is being tested in about 40 pilots worldwide and the company expects networks to go live in the first half of 2006. Nokia said it would make the technology a regular feature on its multimedia mobiles, allowing users to watch broadcasters' programs directly rather than rebroadcast by telecom firms.
•Microsoft makes another VoIP buy:
MS announced it has acquired Media-streams.com, a 23-employee firm that specialises in voice communication over the web based in Zurich, Switzerland. The deal, the financial terms of which were not disclosed, follows MS's acquisition of internet calling start-up Teleo in August. While Teleo's technology is aimed at consumers and has been incorporated into MSN, Media-streams' apps are designed for businesses. MS plans to link the software to its corporate IM system and Office productivity apps.

SecurityBits:
•Microsoft patches bust websites:
Two MS security updates for IE can cause problems with ActiveX controls and break the functionality of websites that use certain custom applications. As a workaround, users of sites with ActiveX controls that no longer work can lower their IE security settings, the company said, although it does not recommend doing so. The issue of broken websites is the latest problem with MS patches. One recent fix wreaked havoc on systems of users who had changed certain settings on their PCs to be more secure, while Win2k users had trouble finding the right patch for another security problem.
•Cisco Reports WLAN Vulnerabilities:
Certain wireless LAN access points from Cisco are vulnerable to attack due to an authentication glitch, the company reported. The problem applies to Cisco access points operating in Lightweight Access Point Protocol (LWAPP) mode, which are controlled by a separate WLAN switch. According to a security advisory from Cisco, the access points "may allow unauthenticated end hosts to send unencrypted traffic to a secure network by sending frames from the MAC address of an already authenticated end host."
•Net BSD 'highly critical' flaw, OpenVPN 'moderately critical' flaws patched:
Open source OS NetBSD has updated its system to address vulnerabilities that impact system access and administrator privilege settings. Secunia rates the threat as "highly critical" and notes that the vulnerabilities can be exploited by malicious, local users to gain escalated privileges. Point-to-point VPN package OpenVPN requires users to download an update to avoid format string and denial of service vulnerabilities. Rated as "moderately critical" by Secunia, the two flaws can potentially be exploited to compromise a user's system.
•Microsoft Adds PC Security Tools to Windows Live:
MS has fitted an anti-virus and PC clean-up utility into the new Windows Live initiative as part of a larger plan to shuttle customers to its Internet security offerings. A beta version of the new Safety Center lets customers run free Web-based computer scans to detect and remove viruses and other known malware. The Safety Center, which currently works only on IE, uses an ActiveX Control to scan for and remove viruses. It is also capable of detecting vulnerabilities on Internet connections.

Hardware, Software, and other TidBytes:
•Top 10 Global Wireless Predictions for 2006
•Firefox Reportedly Breaks 10 Percent Barrier Worldwide
•Bringing Peace To The Windows-Linux Front
•Time Warner confirms talking to AOL suitors
•Nintendo may divorce TV for visors
•Wireless Network Market To Hit $5 Billion In 2006: Report
•Nvidia CEO unveils VoIP vision