Twilio’s cloud-based communications platform allows anyone with rudimentary Web-development knowledge to build a voice and SMS text application. An API, client, and various XML and other helper code is available that lets you build in PHP, C# and more. The basic concept behind all Twilio cloud telephony applications is that a user calls or texts a Twilio-provided number; Twilio then sends a request based on that call to your developed application; your application receives the request and sends XML to Twilio; Twilio then runs the instructions and interfaces with the caller.

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Nintendo’s Wii U will be out in time for the 2012 holiday season and will feature NFC technology, according to the company. The next-generation Nintendo Wii will have a handheld controller with a touchscreen that can interact with what’s showing on the TV screen. The new device will also come equipped with NFC technology, allowing users to create cards and figurines that would allow users to connect to other users and the system in new ways. In addition, the technology could allow players to buy in-game items or apps without having to enter credit card information.

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There’s no denying that the FOSS community has many virtues, but gender equality doesn’t seem to be one of them. Gender-related issues and tensions have plagued the FOSS world for as long as many of us can remember, and the problem has already been picked apart on these pages time, time and time again. Well guess what? It’s still a problem. That can hardly be denied. Linux bloggers varied widely, however, in their opinions as to what should be done.

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Virtualization has been one of the most rapidly and widely adopted technologies in recent memory. It’s huge, and it’s here to stay. And as security professionals know, setting up a virtual environment securely isn’t easy. Significant effort goes into tasks like evaluating off-premise service providers, ensuring regulatory compliance, and standing up technical controls like monitoring and encryption. But in the excitement to stand up the new environment and get security to an acceptable “target state,” organizations sometimes don’t address security hygiene long-term.

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Gaming equipment maker Razer has shown a prototype hybrid PC/tablet gaming device design at the Consumer Electronics Show. The device, presently dubbed “Project Fiona,” will be a way to combine control and touch elements to create a unique gaming experience, according to the company. The prototype is designed to be able to play hardcore PC games and give users the same control and visual experience that they would have while playing on a full-sized computer or console. Project Fiona has integrated dual game controllers as well as a touchscreen.

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With the apparent resurgence of hacker community Anonymous, as well as concerns that cybercriminals may have recently penetrated the networks of a number of small utilities, two United States federal government initiatives to improve cybersecurity were launched this past week. As of Jan. 6, companies awarded contracts and orders by the U.S. General Services Administration that include IT supplies, services and systems with security requirements will have 30 days to submit an IT security plan to the contracting officer or the officer’s representative.

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It’s well-known that iPhone owners use lots of cellular bandwidth, but it seems that the iPhone 4S has taken bandwidth consumption to new heights. Owners of the iPhone 4S use twice as much data as iPhone 4 users and nearly three times as much data as iPhone 3G users, according to an Arieso report. However, owners of the HTC Desire S upload more than three times as much data as their iPhone 3G counterparts, beating out iPhone 4S owners by a hair. Users’ hunger for data will grow with the introduction of increasingly sophisticated devices and growing consumer demand, Arieso warned.

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Researchers at Cornell University’s School of Applied and Engineering Physics have demonstrated a way to cloak, or hide, an event in time. The phenomenon is similar to what happens when you cut and splice out an event from a videotape, except that instead of losing data about an event, you hide that information. “We’ve split a [light] beam, slowing down the back end and speeding up the front end, so you get a gap in time,” Alexander Gaeta, a professor at the school, told TechNewsWorld. “If there’s any information or any data on the beam, we won’t interfere with it,” Gaeta said.

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As the U.S. government continues to pound out proposals for getting its IT security ducks in a row, it appears it’s not the only party in Washington, D.C., to have a problem with network intrusion. IT systems belonging to the lobbying group the United States Chamber of Commerce were breached by hackers using servers located in China, according to a recent report. The Chamber’s members include most of the largest U.S. corporations, and the organization has more than 100 affiliates worldwide.

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Intel is stepping up the drumbeat around its efforts to penetrate the mobile handheld device market leading up to the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, which will be held in Las Vegas in January. The semiconductor giant recently sent prototype devices, known as “reference designs,” to the MIT Technology Review to try out. The devices sent to the Review run Android on the Medfield, the latest in Intel’s Atom family of chips for mobile devices. Several mobile device manufacturers will reportedly demo products running Android on the Medfield chip at CES.

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The United States government launched initiatives this past week to enhance cybersecurity, but these efforts may add to the confusion around the issue in federal government circles. One development involves the unveiling of the Promoting and Enhancing Cybersecurity and Information Sharing Effectiveness Act by the U.S. House of Representatives’ Homeland Security Committee. This seeks to give the U.S. Department of Homeland Security the authority to govern cybersecurity efforts.

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Facebook’s recent acquisition of location-tracker heavyweight Gowalla is an indicator of the potential strategic importance of location-tracking technology in the social network arena. Players in this marketplace include Gowalla, which lets users share favorite places with fellow Facebook and Twitter friends and then be rewarded with deals from local businesses, and Foursquare, which offers similar functions, letting users go to places recommended by friends and check in to receive badges. Loopt, Jaiku, Brightkite, Plazes, Fire Eagle and Google’s own Latitude are other location services.

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