Monday, December 13, 2010

IT News HeadLines (HardOCP) 12/12/2010


I Can Haz White iPhone Like Woz?
The more I read about the Steve Wozniak, the more he seems just like a normal geeky-type person you would like to have a beer with. The Woz was spotted with what seemed to be a coveted early release white iPhone4, but being him, you know there's got to be more to the story. Woz flashed the white iPhone 4, stunning the reporter who was interviewing him. They assumed he used his longstanding relationship with Apple to land one. Comments
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Microsoft Investigates New IE Security Vulnerability
The new vulnerability was reported on the Full Disclosure mailing list December 8th. Microsoft is looking into the problem, which affects IE6/7/8 and across the operating systems spectrum. There is no patch currently available for the bug. According to an analysis by security firm VUPEN Security, the vulnerability could be used by attackers to take complete control of a vulnerable system. Comments
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Kids Go on Expensive Buying Sprees in iPhone Games
To some parent's dismay, they are discovering free games do not always mean free. The ability to purchase virtual items through Apple's App Store has been described as a 'scam' by some parents and for others, a really bad surprise when the credit card bills arrive. Apple introduced "in-app purchases" last year, letting developers use the iTunes billing system to sell items and add-ons in their games and applications. Comments
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iPad2 Will Be Sporting Dual Cameras
Citing numerous reports from suppliers, the two cameras will facilitate video conference calling with the 2nd generation iPad, which also is reported to be set for release in the early spring. Research firm iSupply has projected that Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) will ship 12.9 million iPads in 2010 and those shipments will increase to 36.5 million in 2011 Comments
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LEGO Rebuilds Ancient Greek Computer
The question has often been asked if there is anything that LEGOs can't do. The simple answer is obviously not. Designer Andrew Carol recently rebuilt a working model of the ancient Greek computer called the Antikythera mechanism, created over 2000 years ago. Carol achieved this feat by using LEGO Technic parts, normally used to build working vehicles and construction equipment. This guy is goodÂ….and obviously has a lot of time on his hands. Comments
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White-Space Consumer Products by 2012?
A new player on the field might just be the ticket for bigger and better wireless networks. The technology is being described as third pipe access to the internet utilizing newly freed frequencies once allocated to TV transmission. Having been given the go-ahead, equipment-makers now expect that the chips needed to make the technology work in phones, laptops, tablets and other gadgets will start trickling out over the next year. Comments
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Walgreen Warns Customers Email Addresses Accessed
Drugstore giant Walgreen issued a warning Friday concerning breached email protocol. The company warned of possible spam associated with the unauthorized access of the company's email system. Walgreen, which said it never asks in emails for such personal data as credit cards or social security numbers, said it has contacted federal investigators regarding the incident. Comments
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Navy's Prototype Rail Gun Projectile Hits Mach 7
The U.S. Navy has been working on a geek dream for years and they are getting pretty close to making it a reality. The Navy has built a 33 megajoule rail gun capable of propelling a projectile 100 miles at Mach 7. This technology is straight out of today's video gamesÂ…..wonder if this is a new recruitment strategy for the Navy? Comments
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Facebook Announces Global 'Hacker Cup' Competition
The Hacker Cup is going global. Facebook will be holding multi-round programming competition beginning January 7th. Registration for the event opens December 20th, but if you miss the deadline, you can always hack your way in Facebook has used hackathons in the past to help build features like Facebook chat, and Stanke said the Hacker Cup will be an annual event. Comments
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Upcoming Patch Tuesday Largest Ever
On Tuesday the 14th, Microsoft will issue the largest number of patches released in a single month. The patches Range from XP all the way up to Windows 7 operating systems and Office versions. Two of the vulnerabilities are rated "Critical," 14 are marked "Important," and the last one is classified as "Moderate." All of the Critical vulnerabilities earned their rating through a remote code execution impact, meaning a hacker could potentially gain control of an infected machine Comments
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Terrorist Groups Recruiting on Social Networks
Terrorist Groups Recruiting on Social Networks The Department of Homeland Security is monitoring social network sites, especially Facebook, due to its worldwide popularity. Social network sites are chosen as recruitment venues based upon the ease and speed at which information can be transferred. Meanwhile, a Facebook rep told FoxNews that the site takes its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities (SRR) very seriously and reacts quickly to reports of inappropriate content and behavior. "Groups that threaten violence towards people are taken down, as are groups that express hatred towards individuals and those sponsored by recognized terrorist organizations. Comments
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Google Under Fire Again for Wi-Fi Information
he Connecticut Attorney General has issued a "civil investigative demand' for Google to make access available to data collected accidentally from public Wi-Fi networks. Google's disclosure prompted investigations around the globe. Blumenthal and officials in nearly 40 other states have been seeking to review the information to see if Google improperly accessed e-mails, passwords and other private data Comments
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Google DoubleClick Caught Serving Malicious Ad
A malicious online ad is being distributed through Doubleclick according to Armorize, a web security company. The malware is exploiting three key vulnerabilities generally found on unpatched computers. It's not known how many machines may have been infected by the malicious ad or how man web sites have displayed it. Huang says the infections appear to have begun no earlier than Dec. 4. Comments
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Microbook? Facesoft? Maybe Softface
It was reported Friday by TechCrunch that Microsoft's CEO Steve Ballmer offered to buy Facebook from Mark Zuckerberg for$15 Billion dollars three years ago. If they had consecrated the deal, how would Facebook be faring these days? And Zuckerberg's decision may have been a good one for the fledgling company. "Who's to say that Facebook would have been nearly as successful if Microsoft had bought them and taken over?" Olds asked. "For all we know, Microsoft might have screwed it up." Comments
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VGA Given 5 Years to Live
Intel and AMD have jointly announced the death of an old friend in advance. A device that has been with computing since the beginning will lose two of its biggest supporters, effectively killing off the VGA port. With newer CPUs and GPUs migrating below 45nm CMOS processes, supporting the 5-volt requirement for VGA, if it's to remain integrated on these chips, will be cumbersome, Lawson pointed out. "It will increasingly be moved off-chip, adding total system cost as well as absorbing precious PCB real estate." Comments
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