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A report compiled by Microsoft Corp. says there are 2.2 million personal computers in the United States that have been infected and are counted as part of botnets. Brazil has the second highest level of infections at 550,000, while 14.6 out of every 1,000 in South Korea are part of botnets.

Microsoft's 240-page report takes an in-depth analysis of botnets, and is intended to alert people and organizations to the growth and danger of malicious botnets. "Most people have this idea of a virus and how it used to announce itself," said Cliff Evans, head of security and identity at Microsoft UK. "Few people know about botnets."

Botnets are used to spew spam around the world, carrying out DDoS attacks on web services and sending phishing e-mails. Personal and private information can also be hoarded from infected machines and uploaded to locations for bot herders to retrieve and sell on in underground markets online.

Google has had to push back some hardware acceleration features for the Chrome web browser. It had promised some of the features to be included in version 8 of the Chrome browser. The Mountain View-based web giant said it had to pull back on planned hardware acceleration APIs for CSS rendering, large layers and opacity fixes in version 8.

The hardware acceleration functionality will now be pushed to version 9. Given the speed at which Google pushes out new iterations of its browser in several channels, it is still likely that the code will be included in a build before the end of the year.

Microsoft, on the other hand, was awarded a patent for GPU-accelerated video encoding technology today, and it's Internet Explorer 9 web browser puts a huge emphasis on hardware acceleration to push up performance for web applications and multimedia content.

Microsoft Corp. has been awarded a patent for a GPU-accelerated video encoding system. The Redmond-based giant applied for the patent titled "Accelerated video encoding using a graphics processing unit," back in October 2004 and now six years later it has been granted the patent.

The Microsoft patent outlines a concept where the graphics unit is utilized to perform motion estimation on videos, as well as other vital aspects of encoding. It covers all bases of GPU-accelerated video encoding, giving Microsoft control of a major new technology that is already used in prosumer applications on the market.

After the release of Windows Vista and DirectX 10, NVIDIA and AMD released GPUs with support for general purpose GPU computing (GPGPU). NVIDIA released the GeFore 8800GTX card with underlying CUDA architecture, while AMD's ATI unit loaded GPU acceleration technology into its HD 2000, 3000 and 4000 cards.

Sony has made several moves to combat piracy on the PlayStation 3 (PS3) console following the release of PSJailBreak and other solutions based on the same trick. Firstly, it closed the USB exploit with firmware 3.42. Later on, another firmware change included a whitelist of USB devices, which also caused some controller incompatibilities.

Now some game titles are also reportedly prepared to tackle attempted piracy. Medal of Honor is one confirmed example. While there are copies of the game available to download online, only newer firmware can be used to play it. Instead of just being a case of refusing to boot on lower firmware, it is reported that only newer firmware can actually decrypt the content due to the use of a new crypto key.

Other new titles like Castlevania: Lords of Shadow and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West do still work using the hack however. Other soon to be released titles will probably require the latest firmware be installed first too as Sony and publishers will look to impact piracy on the platform for the busy holiday season.

Intel Corporation yesterday reported that third-quarter revenue exceeded $11 billion for the first time, up 18 percent year-over-year to $11.1 billion. The company reported operating income of $4.1 billion, net income of $3.0 billion and EPS of 52 cents.

The company predicted a stronger-than-expected fourth-quarter too, fueling hopes that the sector could end 2010 on a strong note. Intel's forecast for a December quarter gross margin of 67 percent affirmed hopes that the loss in personal computer sales could be made up with spending on servers or data centers.

The world's largest chipmaker forecast revenue of $11.0 billion to $11.8 billion in the final three months of 2010, in line with analysts' expectations of $11.32 billion.

"We'll see the consumer market growing but likely a little less than you'd normally expect. I attribute that to consumers pulling back a little bit based on economic uncertainty," Intel Chief Financial Officer Stacy Smith told Reuters.

In the long term, Wall Street investors are still concerned about the competition from tablets and other portable devices that generally use ARM architecture microprocessors.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. announced today the industry's first production of a 3-bit-cell (3bit), 64 gigabit NAND flash using 20 nanometer-class process technology. The highly advanced new chip can be used in high-density flash solutions such as USB flash drives (UFDs) and Secure Digital (SD) memory cards.

"Samsung has repeatedly provided the market with leading-edge NAND flash solutions, including the introduction of 30nm-class, 32Gb 3-bit NAND flash last November," said Seijin Kim, vice president, Flash Memory Planning/Enabling, Samsung Electronics.

"By now entering into full production of 20nm-class 64Gb 3-bit devices, we expect to accelerate adoption of our high-performance NAND solutions that use Toggle DDR technology, for applications that also require high-density NAND."

Samsung's 20nm-class, 64Gb 3-bit NAND has a 60 percent higher productivity level than 30nm-class, 32Gb 3-bit NAND. The device also offers improved performance by applying Toggle DDR (Double Data Rate) 1.0 specifications, compared to those of SDR (Single Data Rate) based 30nm-class NAND chips.

A plan by the French government to subsidize the cost of music subscription services to cut the amount of illegal music file sharing in the country has gotten a nod of approval from the European Commission. The commission must ensure that programs such as this do not damage competition in the marketplace.

Under the scheme, French residents can buy a card to access a music subscription service. The card is worth 50 euros of "credit", but the government will pay half the cost. The scheme is aimed at 12-to-25 year olds. It is expected to cost about €25 million a year, and will run for two years.

"We welcome initiatives ... to increase the availability of music online at a lower price for consumers and through legal distribution channels," EU Competition Commissioner Joaquin Almunia said in a statement. "The scheme will contribute to preserving pluralism and cultural diversity in the online music industry," the EU body said.

Websites that benefit from the subsidy must cut the price, extend the length of the subscription and contribute to the cost of advertising the card system. The benefit for each site will be capped at €5 million.

The head of Britain's electronic spying agency has warned that Britain is vulnerable to cyber attacks from hostile states or criminals that could adversely affect critical infrastructure. Iain Lobban, Director of British intelligence gathering facility GCHQ, said in a speech that targets such as power grids and emergency services are increasingly vulnerable due to the rapid growth of the Internet and technology.

"The threat is a real and credible one," he told an audience in London at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. "We already provide expert advice and incident response to the operators of critical services. We must continue to strengthen these capabilities and be swifter in our response, aiming to match the speed at which cyber events happen."

Of the millions of malicious e-mails that target computer users all of the world, about 1,000 are directly targeted at government systems, according to Lobban. Britain's critical national infrastructure that could be vulnerable include its mass communication services, financial services, health and transport. Lobban also warns about cyber threats that could damage the British economy.

Sony Corp. has unveiled a line of Internet-connected televisions that use Google TV software. The company is hoping to achieve success in fusing together television and web content in the living room, while past attempts have failed to gain demand.

Sony's Internet TVs use Google TV (based on the Android platform), run the Google Chrome web browser and include an Intel Atom processor. The models also feature Dual View, allowing users to watch television while tweeting about what they're watching, checking their fantasy football scores, or finding related content on the web.

The TVs come with pre-installed applications from CNBC, Napster, NBA, Netflix, Pandora, Twitter, and YouTube. An intuitive hand-held RF QWERTY keypad remote incorporating an optical mouse makes it easy to navigate content, type in search terms, and control the TV's user interface.

Ben Heck has done it again, and this time to an Xbox 360 slim console. Ben's work is generally great, but this project of his is absolutely beautiful, and you can see from user comments on his website that most people agree.

From Ben's Site:

You knew this was coming – the Xbox 360 Slim Portable. Big differences compared to my older models:

• About 1.5″ inches narrower left and right, 1″ narrower front to back.
• Internal power supply.
• Uses stock Xbox 360 Slim fan so it’s much quieter than my older 3 fan models.
• Touch sensitive power and eject buttons of the Slim have been preserved.

Not so big differences:

• Pushbutton control audio amplification.
• Gateway 1775W 17″ widescreen LCD display @ 1280×720.
• Fan grate design copied from PS3 Laptop design.
• PVC plastic routed case.

The construction of this unit is being covered over the first 6 episodes of The Ben Heck Show so be sure and check it out to learn how I put this thing together. This is the actual unit that is up for grabs as part of their contest, so one lucky winner will take this puppy home!

Despite quite a clear disapproval to the plans, Australia's prime minister Julia Gillard has renewed her backing for a web filter. The proposed filter would block selected content such as depictions of drug use, child sex abuse and bestiality. Gillard says her backing is driven by a "moral question."

Generally when government tries to interfere with the Internet in any way at all, there are concerns raised from ISP's and privacy and personal liberty proponents, but the reaction to Australia's plan goes well past that. Even the U.S. State Department has voice concerns about the plan, and web giants Google, Yahoo and Microsoft are united in their opposition.

The problem they have with the plan is it sets a precedent for censorship. User groups have formed on social networking sites, slamming the government for pushing censorship over Australians and likening the filter to the firewalls used by Iran and China.

"My fundamental outlook is this: it is unlawful for me as an adult to go to a cinema and watch certain sorts of content, it's unlawful and we believe it to be wrong," Gillard said in a press club address. "If we accept that then it seems to me that the moral question is not changed by the medium that the images come through."

Apparently the spat between Eminem's publisher, Eight Mile Style, and both record company Universal and online music store iTunes has not been fully settled.

The Detroit News has reported that the publisher has filed for the U.S. District Court judge in Detroit to enforce the settlement reached in the lawsuit against both Universal and iTunes.

Essentially, Eight Mile Style wants Universal and iTunes to hand over $2.2 million (what proportion each must pay is unknown) which includes legal fees.

In 2007, Eight Mile Style filed a lawsuit against Apple for selling 93 downloads of Eminem tracks without paying appropriate compensation, and against Aftermath Records (owned by Universal) for illegally negotiating the deal.

The case went to trial last year but after five days in federal court a deal was reached for an undisclosed sum to settle the case.

Redbox, the popular DVD rental kiosk service, will add games to thousands of its kiosks throughout the United States over the coming weeks. The move follows a successful limited trial which started with a limited number of locations back in July.

Redbox claims to have already rented over 1 billion DVDs at $1 each - a price that has sent shivers throughout the films industry with many believing it undervalues a DVD.

The company will provide rentals of Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and Wii games for $2 each, but they must be returned within 24 hours to avoid incurring a fine. The service is due in the coming weeks, according to Xbox360Digest. You can check game availability at local kiosks here then.

BNI Video, a start-up backed by Comcast Corp, Time Warner Cable Inc, and Cisco Systems Inc, launched on Tuesday, offering software that can help satellite and cable providers attempt to keep up with rapidly changing viewer behavior and demands.

The start-up's software will aid in offering functions like search and social networking to subscribers of pay-TV services. It has raised $16 million in financing so far, backed by Charles River Ventures and Castile Ventures.

Cable providers are responding to demands from a new generation of TV viewers, who watch television content on their smartphones, tablet computers and other devices, but have a clear appetite for more features to be available while viewing the video. The TV giants also require the technology to deliver video in a wide variety of formats and to many devices that are now used to commonly view programming.

BNI Video's products will cover a broad range of devices. Viewers have more choice now than ever for tuning in, and spend a lot more time using social networks and other services. BNI will enable pay-TV providers to add those features for subscribers as well as bulked up services for their gadgets.

Japanese mobile Internet company DeNA has purchased the popular social gaming company Ngmoco for $300 million, with an extra $100 million coming if certain targets are hit.

Ngmoco creates mobile games for the iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch including popular games like "We Rule," "GodFinger" and "Flick Fishing."

Based in San Fransisco, Ngmoco offers free games then makes money off "virtual goods" and in-game ads.

The company also offers the Plus+ platform, giving developers a chance to distribute their games and let players connect with friends across the world playing the same game.

Ngmoco says Plus+ has 14 million registered users.

"They have great games, but what we value in Ngmoco is their platform," added Dai Watanabe, president of DeNA Global. "We want to use that platform the same way we operate our business in Japan."