(InfoWorld) - The Liberty Alliance Project announced that products from eight companies have completed testing at Liberty's recent interoperability conformance event hosted by the IEEE Industry Standards and Technology Organization (IEEE-ISTO). The event marked the first time Liberty has tested for SAML 2.0 interoperability. The organizations demonstrated interoperability of products that incorporate Liberty's Identity Web Services (1.1) and SAML 2.0 OASIS Standards specifications. Passing marks for SAML 2.0 interoperability were awarded to the Electronics & Telecommunications Research Institute, Ericsson, Novell, Oracle, Reactivity, Sun Microsystems, Symlabs, and Trustgenix. A list of all products and services that have passed testing procedures is available at http://projectliberty.org/activities/conformant_products.php.

IBM contributes open source code to Firefox
August 17, 8:15 a.m. PDT
IBM this week announced it is contributing software to the Mozilla Foundation's Firefox Web browser to make it easier for the elderly and users with disabilities to navigate the Web. The code will make it possible for Web pages to be automatically narrated or magnified, and to be navigated more easily with keystrokes rather than mouse clicks. IBM is also contributing Dynamic HTML (DHTML) technology to Firefox Version 1.5 that will allow software developers to build accessible Rich Internet Applications (RIAs), which are particularly visual and interactive.

EasyAsk enhances its e-commerce search capabilities
August 3, 7:10 a.m. PDT
EasyAsk, a division of Progress Software, has released the latest version of EasyAsk for Commerce, which adds more than two dozen new features.  EasyAsk for Commerce's synchronized natural-language search and navigation capabilities are used by customers to drive advanced merchandising. The enhancements allow companies to better promote relevant products through the use of metrics such as shopping history, product inventory, or special business-sponsored promotions.  EasyAsk was acquired by Progress Software last month.

MCI acquires Totality
August 2, 9:30 a.m. PDT
MCI on Tuesday announced it is acquiring Totality, a provider of remote managed services for business-critical applications and infrastructure. The terms of the transaction, which is expected to close within 45 days, were not disclosed.  The acquisition extends MCI’s managed hosting capabilities to provide application management support outside of MCI-managed hosting centers.  MCI will now be able to manage customers' applications no matter where they are hosted, enabling MCI to deliver more fully integrated communications services to customers.

Vodafone shows new 3G phones from Sharp
July 28, 8:00 a.m. PDT
Vodafone Group's Japanese arm unveiled on Thursday two new 3G cell phones from Sharp. The 703SH clamshell, at 107 grams, will be the lightest 3G handset in Vodafone's line-up. It's also relatively compact for a 3G phone, measuring 47 millimeters by 99 mm by 23 mm. Features include a 1.3 megapixel main camera and secondary 110,000 pixel resolution camera that faces the user and can be used for video telephony. The 903SH includes a 3.2 megapixel camera with 2X optical zoom. It has a 2.4-inch main LCD based on the same technology that Sharp uses in its Aquos LCD televisions. The 903SH also has stereo speakers. Common to both phones is support for MiniSD cards, Bluetooth, and USB. Both phones are compatible with WCDMA and tri-band GSM so should work almost anywhere. The 703SH and 903SH will be launched in Japan in August and will go on sale in Europe later in the year.

BenQ shareholders approve Siemens mobile deal
July 28, 8:00 a.m. PDT
BenQ shareholders voted Thursday in favor of a plan for the Taiwanese electronics maker to take over Siemens' mobile phone division, bringing the two companies one step closer to a deal. The two companies struck a deal last month for BenQ to take over Siemens' loss-making handset division and try to turn it around. Siemens said it would pay BenQ €250 million ($302 million) to take over the business, mainly to help get the new venture off on a solid footing. The German electronics giant will also purchase a €50 million stake in BenQ to solidify the deal. BenQ said Thursday that it would sell $150 million worth of shares later this year in the form of global depositary receipts as part of the arrangement.

CA acquires e-mail security vendor Qurb
July 26, 8:20 a.m. PDT
Computer Associates International on Tuesday announced the acquisition of Qurb, a privately held provider of e-mail security software. The acquisition extends CA’s security solutions portfolio with Qurb's technology for blocking spam and protecting against phishing attacks, e-mail fraud, and other e-mail-based threats to data and privacy. Available in 15 languages, Qurb has an installed base of nearly a million users worldwide. CA has licensed Qurb technology for its eTrust line since 2004. CA will continue to market Qurb’s technology as eTrust Anti-Spam and will incorporate it into the eTrust Threat Management suite. Terms of the acquisition were not announced. 

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