2 new Microsoft buildings set for Redmond

The acquisition would follow similar moves in the same market this year. SAP recently linked up with Business Objects for $7 billion and Oracle grabbed Hyperion Solutions for $3.3 billion. Cognos shares had soared recently on expectations that it, too, would be acquired. They leaped an additional 8 percent on Monday’s news.

Business-intelligence software helps big organizations gather data in “dashboards” that can be used to model such things as the financial impact of staffing changes or marketing moves.

Cognos shares rose $4.17, or 7.9 percent, to close at $57.15 Monday. IBM shares rose 1.2 percent, or $1.20, to end at $101.45.

Google

$10M in prizes for best software

Google is offering $10 million in prizes for people who build the best software to enhance the company’s upcoming cellphone operating system.

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Tallman has genetic disposition for computer technology

As some would say, “It’s in the genes.” Jason Tallman, a Mohawk Valley computer expert was destined to become a technology guru. His grandfather, George Cogar, a founder of Mohawk Data Sciences and the founder of Cogar Corporation was instrumental in the development of the modern day computer industry. “I always wanted to follow in the footsteps of my grandfather,” Tallman said. “I would like to have had the opportunity to have spoken with him. In particular, it would be incredible to be able to speak with him about the computer industry as it is today,” he said. Tallman, married to Elizabeth (Farrier), is the son of Tim and Cheryllyn (Cogar) Tallman. He is a graduate of New Hartford Central School and is presently employed as a Telecommunication Specialist with the New Hartford Central School System.

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Get Your Computer Back in the Fast Lane

(ARA) – Does your computer take forever to load programs or change pages when you’re surfing the Internet? Have you ever been in the middle of writing an e-mail and it freezes, forcing you to reboot and lose all your work? There are few things more frustrating than a slow computer, but it doesn’t need to be that way.Having a professional look at your system can be costly and buying a new computer is often unnecessary. There are some steps that you can follow to keep your system running at its best.1) Limit open programs and windows.If you have too many Internet windows open or are working with a variety of computer programs at once, your computer might run slowly. Limit open programs and windows to maximize your computer speed.2) When in doubt, reboot. .

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Multiple vulnerabilities in Adobe Reader

Bonn, Germany – Computer users who open PDF files on their computers using Adobe Reader should download a new version of the software as soon as possible. Several vulnerabilities have been found in version 8.1.1 and 7.0.9. and earlier, warns the German Federal Agency for Security in Information Technology (BSI) in Bonn.

One of these gaps has already been exploited by criminals to sneak malware onto unsuspecting users’ computers via rigged PDF files.

The updated version, 8.1.2. is considered safe and is available for free download at http://www.adobe.com/go/getreader. Until the new software is installed, users should be careful not to open PDFs from unknown or untrustworthy sources, including following links on unknown web sites. .

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PRESS RELEASE: SOUTHPEAK’S CUTTING EDGE REDEFINES THE GENRE

Friday 29th February/…SouthPeak Games has announced X-Blades, a dynamic third-person hack-and-slash action title for next-gen consoles and PC, due for release in late 2008. X-Blades sees players controlling an enchanting anime-style heroine who must battle through a host of locations using guns, blades, magic and a healthy dose of cinematic flair.

“The unique anime-style backdrop combined with high-octane, multi-discipline combat gameplay really pushes X-Blades into brand new territory,” said Melanie Mroz, CEO of SouthPeak Games. “The 3rd-person ‘hack-em-up’ genre needs a fresh perspective and X-Blades is poised to deliver it.”

X-Blades features a special combination of cinematic style, beautiful animation and relentless high-speed gameplay. Players assume the role of Ayumi, a stunningly seductive yet tenacious heroine who battles enemies with her pistol blades, acrobatic ability and magic spells.

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BIM software presents future of building industry

Powerful and versatile software known by the acronym BIM (building information modeling) is reshaping — in some cases, already has reshaped — the architecture, structural engineering and construction industries.

BIM generally is regarded as the successor to computer-aided drafting (CAD), which over the past few decades replaced hand drawing as the architect’s way of creating a building design. But that simplified explanation doesn’t begin to scratch the surface of what BIM is and what it does for everyone throughout the building process.

Susan Pruchnicki, a principal with Bold Wolfe Architects Inc., said BIM is not only a dramatic evolution of technology, but “a paradigm shift” in the way she and her colleagues approach and execute their work.

Is BIM another dimension? Try several other dimensions.

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March the time for basketball software

Two California men who invented software to help those running NCAA pools are in their busy time of year.

Tim Walker and Keith Feldkamp told the Sacramento Bee they sell about 800 to 900 copies of the Easy Pool software every year at a price, this year, of $24.95. That has not made them rich or even provided enough money to quit their other jobs, but does amount to a nice bonus.

Feldkamp and Walker got the idea when they were working for Pacific Satellite, a TV production company in Sacramento, more than a decade ago. Feldkamp was running the office pool during the NCAA basketball tournament, while Walker had ambitions to be a software engineer.

Since then, they have sold more than 10,000 copies. They said that many pool managers prefer buying software that allows them to keep everything stored on their own computer to going to a free on-line site.

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Feature: Office Software

Over the last few years, OpenOffice.org has started to develop a respectable number of extensions, mostly for Writer and Calc, the two most widely used applications. The OpenOffice.org Extensions site lists only a handful that are unique to Impress. The recently released eVoice, which records sounds for direct insertion into a slide, is one of them. Once configured, eVoice is straightforward to learn, and becomes even more useful when you’re working with other Impress features.

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Tech bridges TV remote with computer

There have been numerous gadgets which have attempted to bridge the gap between your computer and television. The folks at Backchannelmedia, Inc. are taking a new approach. Rather then bridge just your television with the computer they are concentrating on including your remote as well. The technology opens the door to a whole new way for consumers to interact with advertisers and agencies.

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Solidcore Inks Distribution Agreement With Tokyo Electron Device to Become De Facto Standard for Device Change Control

Solidcore(R) Systems, Inc., a leading provider of real-time change control software, today announced a strategic distribution agreement with Tokyo Electron Device Ltd., a leading technology and Windows platform distributor in Japan. Tokyo Electron Device has standardized on distributing Solidcore’s S3 Control Embedded(TM) software to original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in Japan, rounding out Solidcore’s distribution channel that consists of prominent global Windows and embedded software distributors. This further affirms that Solidcore is the de facto standard for change control on embedded devices.

Solidcore’s S3 Control Embedded software is a small footprint, low-overhead change control solution that enables original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to secure and control their embedded devices, including those running the Windows operating systems.

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