Google builds Street View bikes to map UK footpaths

To advance its Street View service in the UK some time in June, Google is poised to unleash the unstoppable power of human legs.

Traditionally, the average road car finds it problematic to traverse the terrain of the British footpath. But bicycles do not. So this summer, Google will deploy bikes mounted with its 360-degree Street View cameras to map areas of Britain inaccessible by its fleet of Street View cars.

The so-called Google Trike, which the company describes "a mechanical masterpiece comprising three bicycle wheels, a mounted Street View camera and a very athletic cyclist in customised Google apparel", will arrive in the UK to make some "special image collections".

It's up to the public, however, to tell Google via a vote which locations should be photographed. There are five categories to choose from, picked by VisitBritain: Castles, coastal paths, natural wonders, historic buildings and monuments and stadiums.
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Office 2010 test version leaks onto Web

Public testing of Microsoft's Office 2010 suite wasn't supposed to start until July, but a leak on Friday of the software onto torrent sites has sped up that process.

I first heard about the leak Friday evening from this site, which also links to the torrent files themselves. (A word of caution, though--in addition to facing possible legal entanglements, those who downloaded the Windows 7 release candidate from unofficial sites recently found themselves unwittingly making their PCs part of a botnet.)

The leak included both the 32-bit and 64-bit versions of the Windows software. For those who just want a peek without the risk, we have posted a screenshot gallery of Office 2010 technical preview done by ZDNet Australia.

At last week's TechNet conference in Los Angeles, Microsoft said it would begin official testing of the new Office in July, with TechNet attendees among the first to get access to the code.

Among the biggest changes in Office 2010 is the fact that Microsoft will also start offering Office Web Applications--browser-based versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote. That means the software should eventually find its way onto Linux-based computers and even the iPhone.

Via CNET

Back up conveniently with free GFI application

If you haven't been backing up your data because the economy is bad and you can't afford a decent backup software, I am about to open a can of no-more-excuses on you.

GFI Software, launched late last week, is a free backup and recovery software for home users. Unlike other free software which tend to be the stripped-down of the commercial version, GFI Backup Home Edition is a full-featured application.

The application gives PC users a few ways to safeguard data, including backing it up and syncing it with another location. I tried out this wizard-driven application and the feature I liked best is the capability to back up and sync a computer's folder with an FTP location. Very few other backup solutions offer this and none are free. Of course, GFI Backup also supports backing files to local folders, network locations, and other removable media.
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Pirated Windows 7 PCs build botnet

A pirated version of Windows 7 Release Candidate (RC) infected with a Trojan horse has created a botnet with tens of thousands of bots under its control, according to researchers at security firm Damballa.

The software, which first appeared on 24 April, spread as quickly as several hundred new bots per hour, and controlled roughly 27,000 bots by the time Damballa took over the network's command and control server on 10 May, the firm said on Tuesday.

The pirated software was spread via popular piracy sites and online forums, Damballa said.

The software is primarily designed to download and install other malicious packages under a "pay-per-install" scheme, under which the botmasters are paid based on the number of other pieces of malware they cause to be installed, Damballa said.
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Dell's Della site for girls causes facepalmage

Oh, Dell, did you start up a firestorm. Sure, your idea was great: create a site marketing your Netbooks to women. But instead of telling non-tech-savvy women what they can do with their laptops--download recipes!--you ended up offending the tech-savvy ladies, who, you know, are the ones who have actually bought your computers.

I have several friends who are women (no, really!). I showed the site to several of them and the feedback was completely negative. One of my friends actually said she now feels bad about the Dell Netbook she bought just two months ago. Awesome.
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