Although Microsoft struck a massive blow at the Kelihos/Hlux botnet last year, Microsoft's ally in the strike, Kaspersky Labs, has now found new variants of the Kelihos bots, calling into question whether the operation was effective. (Red Robot 3 image by Splenetic , Royalty Free ) The Kelihos/Hlux botnet was previously dealt a blow through a method called sinkholing. During normal operation, botnets communicate with one or more command-and-control centres.

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Kelihos variants slipped Microsoft's noose

If you ever needed proof that the internet puts power into the hands of the consumer, take a look at the latest electricity prices in New Zealand. Energy prices have now fallen for two consecutive quarters, for the first time in almost 13 years

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NZ energy prices fall, websites thanked

NewSat has signed a $180 million contract for capacity on its Jabiru-1 satellite. The deal with Asian satellite operator MEASAT Satellite Systems will provide multiple transponders covering South Asia and Southeast Asia for 15 years - the lifespan of the satellite. The deal is set to be completed over the next two weeks as the satellite's specifications are finalised

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NewSat signs $180m capacity deal

Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has flagged potential legislative changes to protect football-broadcast rights following the Optus TV Now ruling. The ruling by Justice Steven Rares in the Federal Court earlier this week stated that Optus' TV Now app does not infringe on the copyright of the sporting codes when it records and replays their TV broadcast.

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Conroy flags law changes from Optus win

Optus has won the first round against the sporting codes to keep its TV-recording app alive, but it is far from over. The ruling by Justice Steven Rares in the Federal Court earlier this week that Optus' TV Now app does not infringe on the copyright of the sporting codes when it records and replays their TV broadcast has sparked concern from a number of sporting agencies that believe the ruling devalues their broadcast contracts

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Full Spectrum: Optus wins round 1

Startmate company Ninja Blocks raised over $35,000 in under four days via the Kickstarter project to build a device that bridges the gap between your real life and the web. The Ninja Blocks device is an open-source hardware device composed of an RGB LED; built-in temperature sensor; and accelerometer, which communicates with web apps via the Ninja Cloud, according to the description on the project page.

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Ninja Blocks connects life to the web

Google has added an automated scanning process that is designed to keep malicious apps out of the Android Market. The new service, code-named "Bouncer", scans apps for known malware, spyware and trojans, looks for suspicious behaviour and compares against previously analysed apps, Hiroshi Lockheimer, vice president of engineering on the Android team, said in an interview with ZDNet Australia 's sister site CNET yesterday

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Google scans Android apps for malware

Details of Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 were prematurely outed thanks to a leaked video obtained by PocketNow.com . Joe Belfiore, director of Microsoft's Windows Phone program, in a video obtained by PocketNow (Credit: PocketNow.com) The next big iteration of its Windows Phone platform appears to address many of the early concerns and brings it to par with competing platforms. Microsoft is still fighting an uphill battle in getting its phones - which have been critically praised - into the hands of consumers

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Windows Phone 8 details leak

Making it too easy for entrepreneurs to access investment funds can have an adverse impact on the start-up landscape, as it encourages substandard ideas that will inevitably fail. There lies a fine but important line between making things easier, for example through government grants, and ensuring that budding entrepreneurs do not fall into complacency by being sheltered against hard knocks, said industry players at the first annual Startup Asia on Thursday. Speaking to ZDNet Australia 's sister site ZDNet Asia at event sidelines, Lim Kuo-Yi, CEO of Infocomm Investment, said that government grants serve their purpose well in giving people a chance to experience running their own business.

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Govt grants can baby start-ups

In November of last year, ZDNet Australia conducted a live panel discussion that focused on the future of the desktop. Then, on 6 December, we presented a live webinar entitled "Modernising the Desktop", where we talked with futurist Morris Mselowski to get his thoughts on future user interfaces.

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The future of the desktop: webinar