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A bad night: Netflix and Instagram go down amid Amazon Web Services outage

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Friday night film? Do not anticipate Netflix to watch it– the service has actually gone down harder than an aborted Qwikster launch throughout comprehensive swaths of the nation. Twitter’s awash with complaints, the primary internet site is down as of this writing, which’s not also the worst part. The worst part is that, today, you can neither upload an image of your busted Netflix app on Instagram nor examine your friends’ filtered pics while you await Netflix to come back online. Guess it’s time to head to Pinterest– apart from it’s out too. It’s all thanks to an Amazon Cloud outage, says VentureBeat. The AWS health dashboard has information on the various “Power Issues” at some areas in North Virginia, if you wish to enjoy the play-by-play.

You could possibly go …

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HP’s Stock Price Is Climbing Amid Massive Layoff Rumors

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Author: Melissa Shroeder

HP is reportedly going to be announcing massive layoffs next Wednesday. Conflicting reports state somewhere between 25K and 30K jobs, between 7% and 8% of HP’s global workforce, could be eliminated in an effort to absorb losses from decreasing demand for the company’s products and services. The cuts could happen over the next year, rather than a mass layoff, according to AllThingsD who also state that the total number is still undecided.

Wall Street is reacting positively to the news. HP’s stock price dropped shortly after the news but quickly recovered and started climbing with word of the restructuring. During the writing of this post, the stock price dropped slightly but is still up for the day.

If true, this is the latest of new CEO Meg Whitman’s drastic changes within HP. When she took over for Leo Apotheker, she nearly immediately announced that HP would not spin-off its PC division, the Personal Systems Group, as Apotheker once considered. Instead, Whitman’s team combined the PSG with the profitable Imaging and Printing Group.

The layoffs will reportedly be announced alongside HP’s quarterly earnings. Whitman will, at least per AllThingsD, deem the layoffs as necessary to make much-needed investments. Rather than just cutting people, the company will cut its workforce and then reinvest across the company.

This comes as HP is struggling to regain its dominant position in the PC and services world. While still on top per the numbers, competitors, including Apple, are racing forward with hot products. This is something that Whitman previously acknowledged to the company, predicting that Apple might surpass HP this year, but 2013 will be the year HP employees can once again celebrate — except for the 30K about to get pink slipped.

Microsoft patches critical Office vulnerability amid ‘limited, targeted’ attacks

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Author: Tristan Richards

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Microsoft is releasing a security update to patch a critical vulnerability in the ActiveX controls included in all 32-bit versions of Office, among other products. If exploited with a malicious document or webpage, the vulnerability can allow attackers to execute remote code on their targets’ systems, and according to Microsoft, “limited, targeted attacks” using malicious RTF email attachments have been spotted in the wild.

The security update, MS12-027, patches the vulnerability by disabling the ActiveX control in question and swapping it with a new one. It comes at the same time as five other updates, three of which are labeled critical (they could be used to propagate a worm), but due to the documented attacks, MS12-027 is the…

Meizu M8 ceases production amid pressure from Apple and intellectual property office

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Author:

Well, can’t say we didn’t see this coming; we’re just surprised that it’s taken this long for Meizu to take a hit over its notorious handset. In case you have no idea what we’re talking about, earlier this month said Chinese company’s been in heated talks with Apple due to the M8 smartphone bearing an “appearance roughly similar” to the iPhone. Seriously, that’s the only reason Apple provided for the accusation, if CEO Jack Wong is to be trusted (and hey, he did kinda ask for it). Anyhow, the latest development is that Meizu’s bowing to pressure from both the provincial intellectual property office and Cupertino, and announced that it’s shutting down production lines for its flagship M8 this month. This is no doubt a big blow to the company, but it might get even nastier — here’s what Jack said in one of his many frustrated forum postings:

Apple requested that we cease manufacturing the M8 this month, we agreed but then [Apple] came back and asked for a sales ban instead. I can cope with a production freeze, but not with having our shops closed and thus not being able to use up our inventory. If Apple and the provincial IPO take another insatiable step, I can only go head to head against them.

So, it looks like the M8′s all set for an early retirement, either way — it doesn’t look like Apple’s going to let this one go easily, and Jack’s also expressed concern over the fact that the IPO has the power to shut his factory down without going to court. That said, things are still looking positive for the elusive M9 — from the sounds of it, Meizu’s upcoming Android phone isn’t affected by this takedown (yet); but the question is whether Jack and co. can keep the shops running until a December launch for their next flagship device. Oh well, hang in there, Meizu!

Meizu M8 ceases production amid pressure from Apple and intellectual property office originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Oct 2010 21:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amid iPhone 4 Antenna Controversy, Papermaster Out As Head Of Device Hardware

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Author: Stefanie Jenkins

In November 2008, Tony Fadell, Appleâ€™s senior vice president of the companyâ€™s iPod and iPhone divisions, stepped down due to “personal reasons.” At the time, this was thought to be a blow to Apple, as Fadell was considered to be one of the execs on the short list to eventually succeed Steve Jobs as CEO. But Apple wasted little time finding a solid replacement: Mark Papermaster. But now, not even two years later, Papermaster is out as well, the New York Times reports today.

While no official reason was given for Papermaster’s departure, the timing is interesting to say the least. Papermaster’s official position was Senior Vice President of Devices Hardware Engineering — you know what that means: he was in charge of the iPhone 4′s hardware. Obviously, that hardware has been under a lot of scrutiny since the device’s launch due to antenna issues.

Props to CrunchGear

Nokia Profit Falls Amid Tough Smartphone Competition

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Author: Markus Smith

Nokia Profit Falls Amid Tough Smartphone Competition
In releasing results, the company sidestepped persistent speculation about a possible change in top management.

Amazon.com Introduces $139 Kindle Amid Tussle With Appleâ€™s IPad

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Author: Tiffany Shoman

Amazon.com Introduces $139 Kindle Amid Tussle With Appleâ€™s IPad
Amazon.com Inc. Chief Executive Officer Jeff Bezos cut prices and added features to the Kindle to defend it against a threat from Apple Inc. in the fast- growing market for electronic readers.

Zillow.com Reports Record Visits and Activity in First Half of 2010, Amid Surge in Mobile Usage

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Author: Tiffany Shoman

Zillow.com Reports Record Visits and Activity in First Half of 2010, Amid Surge in Mobile Usage
RISMEDIA, July 2, 2010â€”Despite a mixed housing market that continued to struggle during the first half of 2010, real estate website Zillow.com announced it broke multiple records for site traffic and user activity over the past six months. Zillow consistentlyâ€¦