Blast Damages Japanese Tanker Near Iran, Oman

Japanese officials are trying to determine what caused an explosion on an oil tanker as it passed through the Strait of Hormuz.

Japan's transport ministry said Wednesday that the M. Star was carrying about two million barrels of crude oil from the United Arab Emirates to the Japanese port of Chiba when it was rocked by an explosion.

The United States Navy's Fifth Fleet, based in the Gulf state of Bahrain, said Wednesday the cause of the blast was unknown.
But the ship's owner claimed the explosion was likely the result of an attack. Crew members on the tanker said one person on board saw a flash of light on the horizon just before the explosion.
Japan's Mitsui O.S.K. Lines said the explosion blasted a lifeboat off the ship and damaged some of the starboard hatches.  It said one crew member suffered minor injuries, and that the tanker is on its way to the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates to check for damage.
Despite the blast, the company said the ship's tanks did not rupture and that no oil is leaking.
Japan's transport ministry has said the cause of the explosion is not clear. It said the area is not known for commercial piracy.

Meanwhile, port officials in the UAE blamed the damage on a large wave that slammed into the tanker after an earthquake hit the region. Iranian officials say an earthquake hit the region early Wednesday and that other ships reported high waves as a result.

The United States Geological Survey, which monitors earthquake activity around the world, said on its website that the last quake was a magnitude 4.8 quake on Saturday.
Officials said the Strait of Hormuz remains open for shipping.
About 40 percent of all oil shipped by tankers passes through the Strait of Hormuz.  The waterway, near Iran and Oman, connects the Persian Gulf to the Arabian Sea.

Taliban May Have Captured Two U.S. Service Members Missing in Afghanistan

A ground and air search is under way in Afghanistan for two U.S. service members missing since yesterday who may have been captured by the Taliban.

The two left a compound in Kabul City in a vehicle yesterday, according to a statement on NATO’s website that didn’t identify their nationality.

A senior North Atlantic Treaty Organization military officer, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said both were Americans. The Associated Press reported they were U.S. Navy personnel, citing unnamed officials.
The two were captured by the Taliban, Akhtar Mohammed, a senior Taliban commander, said in a telephone interview.

Separately, five U.S. soldiers were killed today in southern Afghanistan by improvised explosive devices, NATO said.
More than 1,000 U.S. soldiers have died in the war in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said July 23. President Barak Obama has vowed to start bringing U.S. troops home next year.

Droids Gets Business Cred with Android 2.2

Which member of Verizon's Droid family of smartphones will get Android 2.2 first? The just-released Motorola Droid X is slated to receive the new version of Google's mobile operating system in late July, which could mean any day now. Other reports have the Droid 2, the original droid's replacement that's coming next month, as the first phone come with Android 2.2 preinstalled.

Whichever Droid earns the honor, it won't be the first phone to run Android 2.2. Google began sending over-the-air version 2.2 updates to users of its Nexus One phones about a month ago, even though the company will soon stop selling its HTC-build handset.

With the arrival of Android 2.2, the latest batch of Droids and other high-end smartphones, including the HTC EVO 4G and Samsung's Galaxy-S series, will be much better equipped to battle Research In Motion's Blackberry and Apple's iPhone in the enterprise market. Google's next-gen mobile OS adds a number of business-friendly features that will ensure Android's growth beyond its consumer base.
Security is vastly improved. Microsoft Exchange administrators, for instance, can remotely wipe stolen or lost Android 2.2 phones, and restore the devices to their factory defaults. They can also enforce a password policy, and use numeric pin or alpha-numeric passwords to unlock the handsets.

If you're running Exchange 2007 or newer, you can quickly set up and sync an Exchange account with just your user name and password. Android 2.2's Calendar app supports Exchange calendars, and email users can auto-complete recipient names from their corporate directory.

Cloud Compatible
Android 2.2 has better cloud integration too. Developers can activate phone alerts, route information to handsets, and enable two-way sync features for their apps. Users can back up their data to the cloud, and then restore it on a new device--a boon given the insanely fast upgrade cycles for smartphones.
Since Android 2.2 allows you to use your phone as a portable hotspot, it may actually help businesses cut travel costs. Rather than paying an outrageous fee to use a hotel's Wi-Fi service, you could connect your computer to your phone's portable hotspot for Internet access.

Of course, other consumer-friendly upgrades, including faster performance and support for Flash Player 10.0 (e.g., for Web-based training videos) will benefit business users too.
In a follow-up post on this blog soon, we'll take a closer look at the Android, BlackBerry, and iPhone platforms and decide which is best for business.