Wireless: An iPhone alternative already? Well, self-professed Linux geek Brian Chee has one: the NEO1973. It’s one answer for folks who “want a cool looking communications platform, but either don’t like Apple, don’t like the iPhone, hate locked phones, etc.” he writes in this Geeks in Paradise post. They even look similar, though the hardware under the hood is not. The iPhone has Multitouch and Sensors, and it’s worth pointing out that as of now “the NEO is currently in a ‘reference design’ that developers can use as a starting point.” It’s no iPhone killer yet but “because it’s open, and community developed, I wouldn’t count it out anytime soon.” Best of the blogs: Like so many IT pros, Randall Kennedy is learning to live with UAC. That’s User Account Control. During the Windows Vista betas, “the constant interruption of nearly every system or maintenance related task was unbearable,” he writes. After disabling it, Kennedy was left with a nagging feeling of not being smart about the whole thing. “So I did the unthinkable: I turned UAC back on and rebooted my primary Windows development system. And then…nothing.” Actually, he confesses to now considering UAC more asset than liability. The news beat: Oracle debuts Database 11g, replete with improved security, testing and management features. Hewlett-Packard shows off prototype cell phones with Color Match mobile service technology in an effort to turn the devices into shopping advisors. And Google introduces Maplets to enable users to customize Google Maps. Technology Industry