Advanced Micro Devices on Friday said it would take charges totaling $948 million in the second quarter, with chiefly of the money related to the 2006 acquisition of graphics chipmaker ATI Technologies.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, AMD said the ATI-related charges amounted to $880 the masses for good testament and intangible asset impairment.

The remaining charges included $32 million stemming from new layoffs at the company. AMD, which reported in April a $358 million loss in the first quarter, has been conducting layoffs and other aggressive cost-cutting measures to break even by the end of the year. AMD executives blamed the losses on softer-than-expected demand for its products because of a slowdown in consumer spending.

In addition to the layoff charges, AMD reported to the SEC plans to allure a charge of $36 million for the impairment of certain short-term assets. The company also said it expected to record a gain from the sales of wafer fabrication tools used in manufacturing. AMD estimates the sales will have a "materially favorable impact" of $190 million on the chipmaker's gross margin.

AMD is scheduled to release second-quarter financial results July 17.

AMD in the first quarter started volume shipments of its quad-core Opteron server processors, which had been code-named Barcelona, and launched quad-core and triple-core Phenom processors for desktops. The company also launched a graphics chipset for motherboards and an updated line of ATI Radeon graphics cards. The company besides demonstrated its first 45-nanometer quad-core processors for servers and desktops, which it expects to ship in volume by the fourth quarter.

In the second quarter, AMD released its first platform built solely for notebooks, the fastest growing segment of the PC market. AMD had lagged behind rival Intel in this all-important market.

With the recent releases, some analysts believe AMD's current product line is a strong competitor to the larger Intel.

Microsoft officials are touting the fact that Apple's new iPhone 3G is compatible with the Microsoft Exchange messaging and Outlook e-mail environment, a fact that could assist the iPhone take exceptions to RIM's ubiquitous BlackBerry as the mobile device of choice for business users.

"Apple's implementation of the Exchange ActiveSync protocol demonstrates the continued high demand from corporate users to access their avocation e-mail," a Microsoft spokeswoman said Friday.

Exchange compatibility means iPhone 3G users — and users of the original iPhone who download the iPhone 2.0 software update — can actively synchronize their mobile and PC-based versions of Microsoft's Outlook calendaring and messaging applications.

That could prove useful for sales reps and other professionals who split time between their offices and remote locations.

iPhone 2.0 in addition gives mobile users secure access to other corporate supplies through Cisco's IPSec VPN and wireless network services with WPA2 Enterprise and 802.1X authentication.

But while business users may relish the thought of having access to their work files via an iPhone, IT managers may be less thrilled as it means an additional device that must be supported. To help IT pros handle which could be an influx of iPhones on their networks, members of Microsoft's Exchange team on Friday posted a blog entry through tips on how to track and manage iPhone users on Exchange.

While the Exchange team is working with Apple on iPhone compatibility, Microsoft's Mac Business Unit, which produces applications — like as Office 2008 — for the Mac platform, is for now not planning to release any iPhone-specific applications, according to some executory with the one.

Amanda Lefebvre, senior marketing manager at MacBU, said the group hasn't ruled lacking creating iPhone 3G applications, but stressed that there's nothing currently in the works.

One man flew into New York City from Russia and another stayed on a Manhattan street for 25 hours. Both wanted to get their hands on the iPhone 3G as soon as possible. They were among an estimated 600 people who lined up around the block at the Apple Store on Fifth Avenue Friday morning.

Maxim Milayaeaev, a 19-year-old from Russia, said he hoped to get his hands on four phones: one for himself, one through a view to his brother, and two for his friends in Russia, where they aren't for sale. He said was in town for three days, specifically to get the phones, and he planned to leave New York City steady Saturday.

Seventeen-year-old Matt Dodd, who blogs for The iLife, spent 25 hours in line and slept for one hour to get his hands on an iPhone 3G.

Once inside the store, the teen from Montclair, N.J., had to wait about half an hour as employees attempted to overcome an activation glitch, but he was one of the first people to emerge to greet a cheering crowd with the new phone in his hand. He planned to download and test all of the gratuitous applications.

Dodd waited with five friends, including one who had to leave because of vacation before the throw. He said it was a great experience and he appreciated a team of Apple employees, clad in orange shirts, who cheered the crowd on as they waited and again as customers entered the store, and again viewed like they left.

"It adds a nice atmosphere to everything," Dodd said. "It makes it festive."

Store employees and neighboring businesses allowed Dodd and others to use their restrooms during their long wait. Dodd said he slept about an hour on the sidewalk.

Nicole Adkins, a 21-year-old New Yorker who works in public relations, said she got in the iPhone line because her practised phone was about to die.

Seventeen-year-old Tiffany Kelly got in line around 6:30 a.m. with her father, Andy Nweze, who said he double-parked and called work to let them know he would be late. Kelly held her first iPhone, with a cracked screen, while waiting to upgrade to a faster phone. She reported her favorite thing about the device is that she gets to watch YouTube. Kelly planned to buy a second phone for a late Father's Day present.

Daniel Doddo, a 21-year-old interning with an investment bank and self-described "gadget guy," said the $199 offer with a two-year contract for an extra $10 a month was like a $240 loan. He believes the deal removes a psychological barrier for many buyers. Doddo, who stood in line in Miami for the first iPhone, said he thought Apple's cheering line outside the store was a little "cheesy."

"There was a guy going around trying to get us hyped, saying 'Get excited,' " Doddo said. "It's like, 'Dude, we wouldn't be here if we weren't excited.' "

$5.8 Million Awarded to Former Army Scientist

Once called “a person of interest” by the US Attorney General, Dr. Steven Hatfill will after this receive millions in damages for the harms caused to him and his family. The DOJ settled the case, which arose from repeated leaks in the media of Dr. Hatfill’s name and details of the federal investigation into anthrax related deaths. Following 9-11 a number of illnesses and deaths were attributed to weaponized anthrax laced letters sent from one side the mail. The anthrax was traced back to a US bio-weapons laboratory. It was the first and foremost case of bioterrorism in the United States, and impacted the Congressional debate without interruption what actions the US should take post-September 11, 2001.

Justice Dept. to pay scientist $5.8 million in anthrax lawsuit, Washington Post, June 28, 2008

THE Federal Government is set to overhaul the digital security framework that protects powers that be and business from electronic attacks.

Over the next three months, the Rudd government will undertake a wide ranging go over again of e-security measures led by Mr Mike Rothery, the assistant scribe for critical infrastructure protection inside the Attorney-General’s Department.

The E-Security Review is a response to the increasing proliferation of technology in business and government.

Mr Rothery will oversee an executive committee formed from senior representatives in ASIO, Defence Signals Directorate, the Australian Federal Police and the Australian Government Information Management Office.

The review puts a question evince over funding committed to a number of agencies in 2007 by the Howard Government in its four year, $73.5 million E-security National Agenda.

The big winners from that program were CIP, AFP, DSD, and AGIMO, but the review enjoin now examine how well those security programs have been implemented.

The review will by completed by October 2008 and the findings will be used to develop a new Australian Government E-Security Framework.

Queensland academic and digital security expert Bill Caelli said the review should provide for an education and training program that equips all government and business personnel with the appropriate security skills.

"In the United States there are specific institutions that provide the appropriate level of education and training to people in certain areas or positions," said Professor Caelli, Assistant Dean, Faculty of Information Technology Queensland University of Technology.

"They’re now looking at legislating in order for that to be compulsory, and our government should consider a similar notion as well."

Shadow communications Minister Bruce Billson welcomed the review but called on the Government to add cyber bullying to the terms of reference.

Members of the public and industry can put forward written submissions by July 31, via the www.ag.gov.au/esecurityreview.

THE federal government has completed a trial of blocking pornography and other online content deemed inappropriate for children at the internet service provider level.

A report on the participants and results had been sent to Communications Minister Stephen Conroy, Australian Communications and Media Authority spokesperson Donald Robertson said.

Enex TestLab was awarded a tender in January to conduct the closed trials in Tasmania on behalf of the authority.

Tim Marshall, a spokesperson for Senator Conroy, confirmed receipt of the report but said it was too soon to annotate in continuance the findings. "The Minister will consider the report and will make comment in due course," Mr Marshall said.

Leading up to the trial, internet content filtering vendors — both hardware and software — were invited to participate.

The number of participants is unclear but Senator Conroy has said animate field trials would come soon posterior the Tasmanian test.

Filters based at internet service providers are meant to block unsuited web pages and automatically relay a clean feed to households. Before highest year’s federal election, Labor promised to introduce ISP-based filters to make the web safer for children.

AUSTRALIANS lost almost $1 billion to fraud and scams last year, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics’ first survey of personal fraud.

More than 800,000 fell victim in more way to at smallest one instance of fraud, representing 5 per cent of the population aged 15 and older. Of those, 453,100 lost money, incurring a combined financial loss of $977 million. The median loss was $450.

Identity fraud accounted for 499,500 victims, with 77 per cent of these reporting fraudulent transactions on their credit or bank cards.

All victims of credit or bank card fraud incurred a financial loss: 25 through cent lost less than $100; 26 per cent lost between $101 and $500; and 3 per cent lost more than $10,000.

The remaining 23 by means of cent suffered identity theft, involving unauthorised use of their personal details. These people reported forged documents had been used to conduct business, open accounts or take outright loans illegally in their name.

Altogether, nearly 6 million Australians were exposed to email scams through unsolicited invitations, requests or notifications designed to obtain personal information or money.

Some 329,000 people lost money after responding to lotteries, pyramid schemes and phishing-related scams.

The inspect, commissioned by the Australasian Consumer Fraud Taskforce, provides the first reliable statistics on personal scams and frauds, including identity theft.

Taskforce chair Louise Sylvan said consumer fraud has "clearly become a greater concern".

"Mass-marketed global fraud is a new phenomenon that consumer protection and police forces have not encountered before," Ms Sylvan aforesaid.

"Given that so many of the criminal perpetrators are not easily in reach of local enforcement agencies, consumers strait to be more vigilant than ever."

The ABS says personal hoax is a growing delinquency type due to the rapid expansion and availability of the internet, and the increase in electronic storage, transmission and sharing of data.

The Move Toward Electronic Health Records

A Congressional subcommittee voted to move a bill forward to create a national electronic health information exchange system. The bill titled the PRO(TECH) Act must still gain the approval of the full House, Senate, and the President’s signature before it would suit law. The bill as written would require all US citizens to have electronic health records by the year 2014. Medical records privacy in a digital sharing environment poses privacy risks especially when patients are not given control over who may access their health information.

U.S. House Pushes For National E-Health Record, June 26, 2008

Former Employer Caught Snooping on Employee’s Private Email

A former employee of Structured Settlement Investments filed a lawsuit against the company claiming that the company had been reading his personal yahoo e-mail messages. The company prohibited the former employee from engaging in a similar line of work for 3 years post agency. The case, filed in a Connecticut federal court, alleges that the company gained access to the personal e-mail on a private account, while the company claims to have knowledge about the employee since it was on his computer screen where others could see.

A Company Computer and Questions About E-Mail Privacy, New York Times, June 27, 2008

THE federal government is to conduct a full review of the security of public and private sector information and communications networks.

Attorney-General Robert McClelland and Communications Minister Stephen Conroy said the move was prompted by Australia’s ever-increasing reliance on information and communications technology and the threat of a hostile online environment.

Mr McClelland said networked systems increasingly underpinned business and social interactions but they also provided fertile ground for exploitation by cyber criminals.

"The e-security review is an opportunity to look at what ameliorate the government can provide to develop a more secure and trusted electronic operating environment for both the public and private sectors," he said in a statement.

"The review will besides consider whether commonwealth programs can be better focused to deal through the ever increasing range of online threats."

Senator Conroy said the review was a vital step towards fostering confidence in using the internet for personal and duty activities.

"A secure online environment trusted by the community, coupled with the government’s rollout of the National Broadband netting, is dangerous to our nation’s continued social and economic prosperity," he declared.

A key issue of the review, conducted by a multi-agency team led by the Attorney-General’s Department and due to be completed by the end of this year, disposition be security challenges emerging from the rollout of the new national broadband network.

It will take account of threats from electronic intrusion and attacks on physical, administrative or personnel security arrangements and assess security measures likely to be effective at present and in the longer term.

It also will give recommendations from Australia’s participation in the multinational Exercise Cyber Storm II in March testing responses to simulated coordinated cyber attacks on critical infrastructure.

AAP