Automatic Vista Backups

Windows Vista includes an option to back up documents, photos and several other file types automatically, on a schedule you select. However, you can’t select to backup your entire PC on a regular basis by default.

If you have a NAS drive or 2nd hard drive, it would be ideal to be able to automatically backup your computer should the worse happen. Thankfully, you can use the command line interface and the “Task Scheduler” to create an automated backup solution without any other software. This will only work with Ultimate, Business or Enterprise editions of Vista in Administrator mode.

To begin, load the Task Scheduler by starting taskschd.msc from the run box (press WINDOWS KEY + R to load this):

Once the Task Scheduler has loaded, click Create Basic Task:

Now, enter a name and an optional description for your automated backup script:

You can now choose the intervals at which you want your backup to run (weekly or monthly would be sensible, depending on how often you need backups). Click Next when you are done:

Select a time of day for the script to start based on your interval selection, then click Next:

Now, select Start a Program and click Next:

For the “Program/Script” box, enter the following command:

wbadmin

Then, the following arguments to the next box:

start backup -allcritical -backuptarget:d: -include:c: -quiet

This example argument assumes you are backing up the entire C: and storing the backup on the D:. You can chance the storage paths by editing the values above. Once you are done, click Next:

This final screen lets you confirm the backup script details. If everything appears correct, click OK:

When the script starts, a command box similar to the one below will load. This will show you the progress of the backup and close automatically once complete. All of the backups will be stored in a “WindowsImageBackup” folder on the backup drive you selected, should you need to restore the computer using the Vista installation disk:

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How to Repair Corrupt Vista Files

Some Windows Vista errors are caused by corrupt system files causing instabilities, but troubleshooting these problems manually can be almost impossible. Thankfully, Vista includes a “System File Checker” application that will verify the integrity of core system files.

There are 2 types of scan, a verification and a scan/repair mode. The former will only check the files without repairing them automatically, the latter will fix any errors it finds.

To begin, load the command prompt by starting “cmd” from the run box (Press WINDOWS KEY + R to access this):

Then, type in one of the following commands (followed by the enter key) depending on the type of scan you wish to perform:

• sfc /verifyonly - To verify any corrupt files only.
• sfc /scannow - To verify and fix any corrupt files.

This will then start the scan and inform you of any files that require fixing:

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Meet the happy-faced spider sure to make you smile

This amazing happy-faced spider found in Hawaii is bound to leave you beaming from ear to ear.

The tiny insect, which measures just a few millimetres across, has developed bizarre markings which look just like a smiling face.

Scientists think the spider, which is harmless to humans, has evolved the patterns to confuse predators.

This tiny spider has developed markings that look like a smiling face

But it's no laughing matter for the spider which is under-threat from extinction from its home in the rainforests of the Hawaiian island chain in the Pacific ocean.

Spider expert and geneticist Dr Geoff Oxford, 62, from the University of York, said studying happy-face spiders was a real joy.

He said: 'I must admit when I turned over the first leaf and saw one it certainly brought a smile to my face.

'There are various theories as to why the spider has developed the markings it has, one of these that it may be to confuse predators.

'When a bird or other predator first sees a prey item it has not seen before there is a moment before it decides whether to eat it or not.

'It may be that this spider has developed these variations to take advantage of this, in the moment the predator is deciding if it is food it may have the chance to escape.

'I don't think the smiling face is enough to put off a bird though, but it would be nice to think so.

'Not all happy-face spiders have such striking markings, and some are nearly all orange or all blue.'

Dr Oxford, who has been studying the spiders since 1993, said that the unusual markings of the arachnid had made them an ambassador for all of Hawaii's threatened wildlife.

He said: 'They are ambassadors for all the threatened invertebrates, insects and spiders on Hawaii.

'Conservationists are using them to highlight the plight of native species and you can't go far on the islands without seeing them on T-shirts, baseball caps and post cards.'

Hawaiian fauna is being threatened by the human-imported species of animals and plants that establish there each year.

Most of the plants and animals in lowland areas of Hawaii are now non-native.

By Daily Mail Reporter
dailymail.co.uk

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Google Street View does not invade personal privacy, rules UK watchdog

Google Street View does not invade privacy, the Information Commissioner ruled today.

The privacy watchdog rejected a complaint that the service breaches the Data Protection Act and said it was not in the public interest to 'turn the digital clock back.'

Privacy breach? This woman captured by Google Street View in Queensway, London has proven an internet hit

Street View was launched last month in the UK and allows users to scroll round a montage of street-level photographs of Britain. It caused controversy after it was revealed some individuals could be identified after they were missed by the automatic face blurring tool.

One Google Street View car that captures the photos, was forced out of the village of Broughton by angry residents. They claimed the pictures might be used by burglars to target their homes.

Privacy International made the complaint to the watchdog, requesting the service be suspended.

But a spokesman for the Information Commissioner said removing the entire service would be 'disproportionate to the relatively small risk of privacy detriment'.

David Evans, Senior Data Protection Practice Manager said they were taking a 'pragmatic' and 'common sense approach'.

Have you been snapped? A Google street mapping car in Bristol

He said: 'There is no law against anyone taking pictures of people in the street as long as the person using the camera is not harassing people.'

He added that it was not in the public interest 'to turn the digital clock back.'

He said Google should routinely blur images of people's faces and car number plates. The company was responding 'quickly' to requests from people to have particular images deleted, he said.

When the service launched, users discovered a man walking out of a sex shop and another being sick outside a pub.

The Information Commissioner's office confirmed it had received 74 complaints and inquiries about Street View and would continue to monitor the service.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) revealed it met with Google in July 2008 to discuss privacy issues before its UK launch last month.

A Google spokeswoman said: 'We are pleased with the ICO's statement.

'We took care to build privacy considerations into Street View from the outset and have engaged with the ICO throughout the development process.

'Already millions of British people have benefited from Street View, whether to get driving directions, find local businesses, or explore a tourist destination.

'We recognise that a small minority of people may not wish their house to be included in the service, which is why we have created easy to use removal tools.'

By Claire Bates

dailymail.co.uk

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Missing link: Arctic fossil reveals how seals went from land to sea

A fossil has been unearthed in Canada's Arctic that reveals how seals developed from land-based mammals, scientists said.

The web-footed carnivore measured 43 inches from nose to tail and lived near fresh water lakes between 20 and 24million years ago.

A primitive animal, it had a body similar to that of an otter, with a skull more closely related to a seal.

A 3D reconstruction of the skeleton of the Puijila darwini, an otter-like creaturel that was found on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic. The lighter colored bones are those that were missing and were recreated

The mammal, named Puijila darwin, could move easily on both land and water and is a member of the pinniped family, which groups seals, sea lions and walruses.

The science team has dubbed it 'a walking seal', although it is not the direct ancestor of any modern seal.

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The most primitive pinniped previously discovered was Enaliarctos, an animal that lived around the same time but was already fully flippered and had a streamlined marine body.

'Our animal fills that transitional gap between the land form and the marine flippered form we're familiar with today,' Natalia Rybczynski of the Canadian Museum of Nature said.

Enlarge

The Puijila darwini has been labelled a 'walking seal' by scientists

Details of the expedition will be published in the latest edition of Nature magazine.

The team found the fossil in 2007 during an expedition on Devon Island in the Canadian Arctic territory of Nunavut. Unusually, it is about 65 per cent complete.

Puijila was a carnivorous mammal with large canine teeth, a short snout and a powerful jaw. It had an elongated streamlined body, webbed feet and a tail that enabled it to move through the water at speed.

At the time when the creature was alive, the Arctic was forested and much warmer than it is today.

Natalia Rybczyski, of the Canadian Museum of Nature, prepares the specimen that was found during the 2007-08 Fossil Project on Devon Island

The team - which hopes to return to the Arctic this year to continue the investigation -- is particularly interested in why and how the Puijila came to lose its long tail.

'Other mammals that went from land to sea, like whales and manatees, retained and made good use of their tails, (which) became propulsive structures. For some reason the pinniped lineage didn't do that, and now we know they had had the option ... they had the tail but didn't use it,' said Ms Rybczynski.

By Daily Mail Reporter
dailymail.co.uk

READ MORE - Missing link: Arctic fossil reveals how seals went from land to sea

Inventor gives Rodin's 'The Thinker' a shocking new twist... by shooting 500,000 volts of electricity down his body

It's a picture that's sure to make your hair stand on end.

A daredevil inventor has created a shocking new image of Rodin's 'The Thinker' - by shooting 500,000 volts of electricity down his body as he sat in the pose.

Enlarge

It's electric: Peter Terren shoots 500,000 volts of electricity down his body as he sits in the pose of Rodin's 'Thinker'

Using a home-built Tesla coil pieced together from junk and bits from hardware stores, Peter Terren risked his life to make the electrifying image.

He was also only protected from painful death by electrocution by a layer of cheap builders' foil.

Terren, from Bunbury, Western Australia,said: 'I wanted to convey the concept of the modern electrical age with the barrage of electrical interference in our lives. So much is happening and demanding our attention that it is difficult to "think".

'I decided upon a real life posture like the thinker with a lot of electrical activity around me with sparks onto my body.'

Enlarge

The electricity pours out safely out through Terren's rubber-soled shoes to the floor below

His previous Tesla experiments have seen him wrapped in a Faraday cage - like a see-through Dalek - but this time he wanted to push himself.

Peter's face was protected by a mask made of fine strands of stainless steel and his 'safety suit' consisted of a wrapping of builders' insulating foil. A wig covered up a foil headcap.

The electricity fired from the Tesla rod, which is passed over him in a semi-circle, can then pass down the foil suit and safely out to the earth through his foot.

The 52-year-old said: 'In doing this I wanted to do something new that also challenged the boundaries.

'Allowing the sparks to contact my body or face directly is not safe of course. A single spark that gets past the defences would throw me to the ground in intense pain like a Taser shock.

'Multiple sparks would also stop me breathing and be fatal.'

dailymail.co.uk

READ MORE - Inventor gives Rodin's 'The Thinker' a shocking new twist... by shooting 500,000 volts of electricity down his body

Most expensive cars on eaRth

January 5, 2009

Bugatti Veyron

The Bugatti Veyron is sold at $1,700,000. It is the most expensive, powerful, and fastest car that is legal on the streets in the world. Going up to a top speed of 253 miles per hour, it was finished in late 2005. This car is built by Volkswagen AG. The Bugatti Veyron is named after the racecar driver Pierre Veyron, who is very famous for winning the 24 hours of Le Mans in 1939, when he was racing for Bugatti.

most expensive car

$1,192,057. This is by far one most expensive cars available on the market today. It is the fastest accelerating car reaching 0-60 in 2.5 seconds. It claims to be the fastest car with a top speed of 253 mph+. However, the title for the fastest car goes to the SSC Ultimate Aero which exceed 253 mph pushing this car to 2nd place for the fastest car.

READ MORE - Most expensive cars on eaRth

Most expensive technology on earth

most expensive technology on EARTH!!!!

Most Expensive Watch

The Moon Rider watch might not look all that flash, but it has a secret. It’s made from moon dust. Real, proper moon dust, from the actual Moon.

That goes into making the face of the watch, while the casing is created using metal from the Apollo XI and Soyuz spacecrafts. Just for good measure, the strap is made using fibres from old spacesuits. While prices start at 15,000 Swiss francs, a unique version will set you back 500,000 Swiss francs.

Its maker, Swiss jewellery firm Romain Jerome, is well known for creating unusual watches. It previously made a range of timepieces from metal recovered from the Titanic

most expensive watch

If you’re sporting a diamond-speckled laptop, you’ll need a mouse to match. The Diamond Flower mouse is cast from 18 carat white gold and set with 59 diamonds - with a price tag to match.

most expensive mobile phone

Less of an iPhone more of a me!me!me!Phone, the Vertu Signature is the kind of mobile that would make footballers jealous of your wealth.

The gemstone encrusted phone is available in three different casings. Budget conscious shoppers will opt for the stainless steel model at €9,500 (£8,000), but those with a bit more cash to splash can go for the white gold version at €29,000 (£22,000).

Each has a “sea of sapphire” face that can only be cut or scratched with a diamond. So don’t leave the phone in the same pocket as your golden USB stick.

most expensive USB Stick

Memory costs are dropping through the floor, which means any old Tom, Dick or Harry can wander around with 16GB of solid storage in their back pocket.

If you want your USB stick to stand out from the crowd, you’re going to have to be a little more creative. That’s where this tasteful little number comes in.

Its case is made of 14 carat gold and is studded with five polished diamonds. You can get a cheaper version without the gems, but when you’re spending this kind of money on a memory stick why cut corners?

most expensive laptop

Ego laptops are exclusive pieces of kit - the standard Tulip model goes for $5,000 (£3,250).

But if you want to really stand out, you’ll be after the Ego Diamond. It’s decorated with white gold, and embossed with 470 diamonds (including those in the tulip motif on the outside of the case).

most expensive tv

If you want to buy a gadget that just screams “BLING!” at anyone who enters your living room, there’s only one choice.

The name of the Yalos Diamonds LCD television is a bit of a giveaway, its frame is studded with 160 of those sparklies. Diamonds not your bag? Yalos also does a version with 155 rubies.

most expensive mp3 player

This is the i.Beat organix Gold, a unique MP3 player created exclusively for Russian-Canadian billionaire Alex Shnaider. Dubbed “the most expensive MP3 player in the world”, it has an 18 carat gold casing, studded with 63 diamonds.

However, it has only 2GB storage space, which doesn’t seem much given the stellar price tag.

most expensive speakers

With property prices collapsing around our ears, why not put your money in something more rewarding? This pair of Kharma Grand Exquisite speakers will cost about the same as a four-bedroom semi in Watford, but have the added bonus of making your music sound just peachy.

most expensive record players

There are plenty of music lovers who still consider vinyl to be the peak of sound reproduction. For those, the Continuum Caliburn turntable is the stuff of dreams.

It’s a heavy item, with the record sitting on a judder-free platter that weighs 80 lbs. However, you won’t have to move it yourself. The purchase price includes the Continuum installation team flying out to wherever you live in the world (they’re based in Australia) to help you set up.

READ MORE - Most expensive technology on earth

All clear for Google Street View

Images of 25 cities are viewable via Google Street View Google's Street View technology carries a small risk of privacy invasion but should not be stopped, the UK's Information Commissioner has ruled. The technology, which adds photos of locations to maps, sparked complaints it breaches the Data Protection Act. A spokesman for the privacy watchdog said removing the entire service would be "disproportionate to the relatively small risk of privacy detriment". One village in the UK prevented Google from taking photos of the streets. Residents of Broughton blocked the driver of a Google Street View car, which captures the photos, when it tried to enter the village. Police were called after residents staged the protest, accusing Google of invading their privacy and "facilitating crime". The Street View car takes photos for the service The villagers said the car was intrusive and that residents should have been consulted. Google has always said its service observed UK law and that photos were only taken from public areas. Privacy International had complained to the Information Commissioner along with 74 others, requesting the service be suspended, because some individual's faces were identifiable on Street View. The technology does have automatic face blurring but some individuals were not obscured. Google said it would remove any image on Street View if a request came from a member of the public. Dozens of images were removed from the UK roll out of Street View within days of the service going live. The Information Commissioner's office said Google was acting quickly to remove images. It would not be in the public interest to 'turn the digital clock back' David Evans, Information Commissioner's Office David Evans, the Information Commission's senior data protection practice manager, compared being captured by the service to passers-by filmed on TV news camera. "It would not be in the public interest to 'turn the digital clock back'," he said. "In the same way, there is no law against anyone taking pictures of people in the street as long as the person using the camera is not harassing people," he said. He added: "In a world where many people Tweet, Facebook and blog, it is important to take a commonsense approach towards Street View and the relatively limited privacy intrusion it may cause." Google should continue to routinely blur images of people's faces and car number plates, he said. The Information Commissioner's Office said it would continue to monitor the service. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8014178.stm

READ MORE - All clear for Google Street View

Intel finds stolen laptops can be costly

A laptop's value is more than meets the eye. Intel says stolen laptops cost corporate owners more than $100,000 in some cases, in a study announced Wednesday.

The study on notebook security, commissioned by Intel and conducted by the Ponemon Institute, states that laptops lost or stolen in airports, taxis, and hotels around the world cost their corporate owners an average of $49,246 "reflecting the value of the enclosed data above the cost of the PC," Intel said.

Analyzing 138 instances of lost and stolen notebooks, the study based the $49,246 price tag on costs associated with replacement, detection, forensics, data breach, lost intellectual property, lost productivity, and legal, consulting and regulatory expenses, Intel said. Data breach alone represents 80 percent of the cost.

Who owns a missing notebook is important, Intel said. It is not the CEO's computer that is the most valued, but a director or manager, according to the study. A senior executive's notebook is valued at $28,449, while a director or manager's notebook is worth $60,781 and $61,040, respectively.

The average cost if the notebook is discovered missing the same day is $8,950, according to the study. After more than one week, this figure can reach as high as $115,849.

In addition to the obvious need for vigilance, countermeasures include encryption and data-deletion security services. The study found that data encryption makes the most significant difference in the average cost: a lost notebook with an encrypted hard-disk drive is valued at $37,443, compared with $56,165 for a nonencrypted version, the study says.

Intel Anti-Theft Technology is a "poison pill" solution programmed into the PC that can be triggered by internal detection mechanisms or by a remote server to lock a lost or stolen notebook, rendering it completely useless, according to Intel.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13924_3-10225626-64.html

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First impressions of a 'Star Trek' virgin

NEW YORK--When I walked into a theater at Viacom's midtown headquarters for an advance screening of the new J.J. Abrams-directed "Star Trek" prequel on Wednesday night, I felt like that kid who hadn't done her homework--for an entire semester.

And yet that was crucial to my assignment: to see if it was possible for someone completely new to the "Star Trek" universe to understand, process, and more importantly enjoy this new film.

Here's my background. I had never seen any of the prior "Star Trek" films or television series. I knew little more than the fact that it's all about a bunch of people flying a spaceship called the Enterprise, that Leonard Nimoy played an extraterrestrial named Spock who had funny ears and liked to say "Live long and prosper," and that the Klingon language has such a rabid following that the Bible has been translated into it.

Technically, the closest I'd come to seeing anything related to "Star Trek" was the 1998 parody "Galaxy Quest," in which the actors from a washed-up Trek-like TV show are enlisted by benevolent aliens who think they're the real thing (Little-known fact: That was the first movie role for Justin "I'm a Mac" Long). But I'm also a huge fan of Abrams' hit series "Lost," so I suppose I had a leg up there.

So here is my verdict: This movie is awesome.

The new "Star Trek" film is less an homage to a legendary science fiction franchise than to storytelling in general, back through decades of cinema and television and beyond. A deep respect for literature, pop culture, and epic storytelling is something that Abrams has proven time and again to fans, from the litany of film-rooted "Sawyer nicknames" on "Lost" to the tradition of Japanese monster movies that powered last year's "Cloverfield." This is a movie that will probably be well-regarded by anyone with an appreciation for epic adventure and drama, not to mention fast-paced and often witty dialogue.

And that's what the "Star Trek" prequel needed, considering the hand-wringing that surrounded it from even before it was officially greenlit.

Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman was on hand before the screening to greet the audience and explain a bit about the film's origins: that Paramount, the Viacom-owned studio that is releasing the new film, was well aware of the complications and potential pratfalls of adapting "Star Trek, especially in a prequel form, and especially with the goal of reaching out to both "Trekkies" (or "Trekkers," as I hear there is a difference?) and potential new fans. He said that cinema luminaries, including Steven Spielberg, had warned Abrams that undertaking a project with such a history and legacy of loyal fans could be risky.

But the director went ahead, a second Abrams-helmed "Star Trek" picture was greenlit almost immediately, and his contract with Paramount was extended another five years. Obviously, this is a franchise in which the studio has some real faith.

Pretty early on, you can tell that this isn't the "Star Trek" of the '60s, even though I admittedly don't really know what that is. The first 20 minutes contain not only ear-splitting action sequences, but brand-drops of both Nokia and Budweiser (as well as 'Slusho,' a fictional brand from "Cloverfield"), one very Abrams-esque "gotcha" character reveal that will take most newbies like me by surprise, and the oddly effective use of the Beastie Boys' 1994 song "Sabotage."

There is a pivotal bar fight, which I first took as a nod to "Star Wars," but on second thought, the cinematic barroom confrontation really goes back much further than the Mos Eisley Cantina. (I need to brush up on my knowledge of Westerns.) Again, this is a movie deeply rooted in generations of storytelling both onscreen and off.

I can see why some hardcore "Star Trek" fans may have been nervous about the casting decisions: the Internet Movie Database informs me that Chris Pine, the young actor cast as Captain Kirk, was starring opposite Lindsay Lohan in some tepid romantic comedy a few years ago, and Sulu is played by John Cho, best known for playing Harold in the spliffed-up "Harold and Kumar" movies. I must say that Cho wields a retractable sword just as well as he does a joint, and Pine's Kirk keeps the frat-boy attitude to a relative minimum.

But more importantly, "Star Trek" is just plain fun. And I came to appreciate the fact that I was sitting in that theater without prejudice. I was concerned less about whether the cast would live up to the actors who originated their roles, and more about holy whoa, that spaceship just blew up!. There is, however, a flip side to the universality of the new "Star Trek" that Paramount might not love: The fact that it stands so well on its own might mean that it doesn't mint a new generation of Trekkies.

Like me, for one. As much as I enjoyed the prequel, I can't see myself Netflixing all the DVDs of the past "Star Trek" TV series and movies. I've already got "Lost" to deal with, and one fictional universe and canon is enough for me, thank you very much. Seriously--what does lie in the shadow of the statue? Losties, can you help me out here?

REf;..... http://news.cnet.com/8301-13577_3-10225572-36.html

READ MORE - First impressions of a 'Star Trek' virgin

Apple's Cook determined to stay the course

Coming off the best quarter in the company's history that didn't involve a holiday miracle, don't expect Apple to make major strategic changes.

The worst recession in decades has had a limited effect on the consumer electronics powerhouse that is the modern-day Apple. The company's second-quarter earnings results shattered Wall Street expectations, despite a relatively weak quarter for the Mac, the rise of low-cost Netbooks, and the strong performance of iPhone rivals such as Research in Motion's BlackBerry.

As the economic situation has worsened, some analysts and observers have opined that Apple needs to embrace low-cost Macs and additional wireless carriers to keep its economic engine running. Apple COO Tim Cook would disagree.

Cook made it very clear Wednesday that Apple believes in its strategy of protecting the Mac as a high-end, high-margin brand and slowly evolving the iPhone's distribution opportunities. When analysts pointed out that Apple lost market share in the U.S. during the quarter, and that the single most popular reason why potential U.S. iPhone customers did not want to buy the device was because it only works with AT&T, the normally laid-back Cook grew more passionate defending Apple's approach.

"Do I care about US (market) share? Of course I do, but I think cycles come and cycles go, and what we're about is about making the best computers in the world, not making the most, and not getting to a point where we're not building products we're not proud of. If we do that over the long term, we'll gain share."

Cook can't say outright that Apple doesn't care about Mac market share; one, because it isn't entirely true, and two, because his marketing team will yell at him. But to a certain extent, Apple is indifferent to Mac market share: the PC wars are over, and Microsoft won a long time ago, as Steve Jobs himself said back in 1996. Apple has long chosen to position the Mac as "the best personal computer," not the mass-market personal computer.

Still, Cook pointed out that a lot of the market share gains in the U.S. made at Apple's expense have come as the result of the popularity of cheap Netbooks, which he described as having "cramped keyboards, terrible software, and junky hardware." Left unsaid was the worst thing about Netbooks--their profit margins compared with full-size notebooks--and while Cook refused to rule out entirely the prospect of Apple releasing a Netbook, he made it sound like Apple has different ideas in mind.

"If we find a way where we can deliver an innovative product that really delivers a contribution, than we'll do that. We have some interesting ideas in this space," he said. It's not hard to imagine three or four different Netbook/tablet Mac prototypes lying around in top-secret Cupertino labs as Apple experiments with the right combination of usability, style, and profit before taking the plunge.

Likewise, Cook reiterated Apple's commitment to AT&T as the exclusive iPhone partner in the U.S. Some Apple watchers have called for the company to expand its partners inside the U.S., as concerns about the performance of AT&T's network have grown.

"We view AT&T as a very good partner, and believe they are the best wireless provider in the U.S.," Cook said. "We do not have a plan to change the iPhone relationship."

Contrary to public statements from Verizon, which has said it rebuffed a chance to carry the iPhone over the control that Apple wished to retain over the device, Cook said "we chose from the beginning of the iPhone to focus on one phone for the whole world. And when you do that, you go down the GSM route." Verizon has said it plans to join the GSM companies (AT&T, T-Mobile) in moving to the LTE standard in the future, which would allow Apple to theoretically ship a Verizon iPhone, but that conversion is not expected to be ready for years.

But there is one potential iPhone strategy shift that could be coming later this year, perhaps around the time Apple is ready to ship an expected next-generation handset and the iPhone 3.0 software, a shift first hinted at by CEO Steve Jobs last October.

On Wednesday, Cook echoed Jobs' comments about iPhone pricing by saying "one thing we'll make sure is that we don't leave a price umbrella for people." A price umbrella is a term used to describe the effect a dominant company can have on a particular market with a popular-yet-expensive product: competitors can enter the market with other products at lower prices and gain customers just based on affordability, buying those companies time and profits to use in order to make their product better.

That's the second signal in the last six months that Apple thinks a $199 iPhone creates a price umbrella that gives rivals room to operate and restrict Apple's ability to gain market share. Unlike the Mac business, Apple very much cares about its iPhone market share, and as RIM co-CEO Jim Balsillie has noted, the mobile-computing industry is still in "land-grab" mode in its early days.

So, perhaps that's one shift in Apple's thinking over the last six months: the need to release a cheaper iPhone. With the Palm Pre set to make its debut this summer at a yet-to-be-announced price, and BlackBerry sales continuing to improve, Apple will need something to keep the iPhone going heading into its third year. Cook has said before that iPhone sales have increased every time Apple has lowered the price.

This was a big quarter for Apple. The company appeared to skate through a holiday season that left rivals shaken on the strength of its iPod division and retail group, and it wasn't at all clear that strength could continue. But while both Macs and Apple Retail took hits during the last three months, Apple continues to put up some of the most impressive numbers in the tech industry amid one of the worst downturns in tech history.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

REf:.... http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-10225484-37.html

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