Software Blog » article

Google Wallet a Pushover for Pickpockets

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:17:13 +0000

News of two security flaws in Google Wallet, which lets smartphone owners pay for purchases through the devices, has caused some concern about the nascent mobile payment product. One works on rooted devices; the other works on any smartphone with the Google Wallet capability. All it needs is for someone to get hold of the victim’s smartphone for a couple of minutes. Security experts are divided over the extent of the threat these attacks pose to Android smartphone users.

Price Could Be the Next iPad Event’s Biggest Surprise

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

When Apple will pull the wraps off the iPad 3 has been a subject of speculation for months, but the latest prediction — that it will be introduced during the first week in March — appears to be gaining street cred fast. An Apple event will take place the first week in March — which only has two business days in it — and probably be held at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco, according to a Thursday report. Units will likely be available two weeks after the announcement, the report added.

3D Printer Joins Organ Replacement Revolution

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:45:56 +0000

They’re building people out of 3D printers now — parts, anyway. LayerWise announced Sunday that it has applied a process called “additive manufacturing” to produce a titanium total lower jaw implant for facial reconstruction. The project was developed in collaboration with partners from medical industries and academia. This is the first complete patient-specific implant for the lower jaw. The complex implant design incorporates articulated joints and dedicated features. The implant restored a patient’s facial aesthetics and allowed her to regain her speech within hours.

Anon Lets Fly With Symantec Code After Ransom Talks Collapse

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 21:45:44 +0000

A hacker who was negotiating a ransom for stolen source code to a Symantec product released the data via peer-to-peer networks on Tuesday after negotiations fell through. The code is for security vendor Symantec’s pcAnywhere remote access software. Symantec had last month warned pcAnywhere users to observe best security practices and told them they might have to disable the application. The company launched its own investigation and called in law enforcement.

Google Mashes Up Eggheads’ Big Ideas With Solve for X

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:50:43 +0000

Google has launched a new program devoted to fostering discussions and ideas among leaders in the science and technology industries. The project, dubbed “Solve for X,” aims to be a seeding ground for solutions to some of the world’s most pressing problems. The site is meant to inspire “moonshot” thinking, out-of-the-box technologies and projects that might seem closer to science fiction than real-life solutions to global problems. The program hopes to sponsor thinkers and doers that can highlight a widespread problem and present concrete and radical solutions.

Google Gets in Your Eyes

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 18:17:26 +0000

Google’s apparently taking a cue from movies like “Iron Man” and “The Terminator” in designing one of its upcoming products: Eyewear that displays data and information to the wearer. The Internet giant’s glasses are in the late prototype stage, 9to5Google claims. They are likely going to run a version of Android, connect to the Internet, include a global positioning system and double as a phone, 9to5Google stated. The devices could be released to the market soon.

iOS More Crashtastic Than Android

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

The rivalry between Google and Apple in the cut-throat mobile device world took a new turn recently when mobile app support platform company Crittercism published a study that found iOS apps crash more often than their Android counterparts. Crittercism analyzed more than 214 million apps launched in November and December that use its service. The worst offender was iOS 5.01, with nearly 29 percent of overall crashes. iOS 4.2.10 accounted for another nearly 13 percent and iOS 4.4.4 a further nearly 11 percent.

Avid Studio: Thumbs Up on Interface, Sideways on Features, Down on Sound Effects

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Back when Apple promised editing features built into the iPhone 3GS (the first iPhone to have a video camera), I wondered how a video-editing program could possibly fit into a phone. It wasn’t just a question of available processing power, though that was part of it. It was also a question of screen size. Video editing needs a lot of space. If you’re going to be throwing around a few dozen clips and managing multiple tracks for sound, you’re going to need some elbow room.

Google’s New App Mall Cop

admin — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Google last week announced it’s beefed up security at the Android Market with a malware sniffing system called “Bouncer.” Bouncer analyzes new and existing apps, as well as developer accounts. Before apps are allowed to be sold in the market, they’re analyzed to see if they contain any known malware, spyware or trojans. Apps will also run in the Google cloud to see if they’re exhibiting bad behavior. In addition, the bona fides of new developers are reviewed to prevent malicious devs from returning to the market after they’ve been eighty-sixed by Google.

Pew Study Finds Facebook Power Concentrated in Relatively Few Friends

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 23:07:50 +0000

An in-depth look at Facebook user behavior reveals some interesting trends among this more than 800- million constituency: One, Facebook users tend to receive more from the Facebook friends than they give out; two, there is a solid core of users that are very active on the site. The Pew Research Center’s report on the subject is based on data mined from the server logs of Facebook activity and survey data that explores the structure of Facebook friendship networks and measures of social well-being.

Anons’ FBI Phone Snooping Casts Long Shadow on Cybersecurity

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 19:51:51 +0000

The hacker community Anonymous on Friday landed another blow in its war with the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation. It posted an internal memo from the law enforcement agency about an upcoming international call to discuss hackers. Anonymous also put up a recording of the call itself on YouTube. “The information was intended for law enforcement officers only and was illegally obtained,” the FBI said in a statement provided by spokesperson Jenny Shearer.

Google Hires Bouncer to Give Android Malware the Heave-Ho

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 18:49:00 +0000

Google announced a new layer of security for its Android Market on Thursday, unveiling a program called “Bouncer” that will automatically scan apps and developer accounts for malware. Bouncer works by analyzing each app as it’s uploaded to the Market, scanning for threats, spyware and trojans. It also takes a look at developer accounts to make sure they don’t have a malicious history. If they do, Bouncer will discourage them from returning. The program will do repeated scans on existing apps to keep tabs on the entire marketplace.

Avid Packs a Prosumer Video Editor Into an iPad

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Avid is well-known for its chops as a maker of professional video editing suites, but on Thursday it grabbed some notice in consumer circles with a new offering for Apple’s iPad 2. Avid Studio, available from Apple’s App Store for a limited time at $4.99, brings a solid set of video editing tools to the iPad. For instance, clips can be quickly arranged along a storyboard. Frames can be precisely trimmed in the app’s timeline. Cuts can be made on the fly with the software’s razor tool.

Spark Tablet Coming for the FOSS Crowd

admin — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

The recently announced Spark tablet might prove to be the first Linux-running open source tablet fully capable of being modded by users. It has an open Linux stack on unlocked hardware, and it will come with an open content and services market. The Spark will come under the Gnu General Public License from its inception. Pricing will be about US$265, according to KDE developer Aaron Seigo. The Spark will be offered as a device made for customization and project-specific integration.

Apple Remakes Final Cut Pro X

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 16:27:07 +0000

Apple announced a new update Tuesday of its video editing software Final Cut Pro X aimed at quelling dissatisfaction with the product among professional media producers. This latest version of the software, release 10.0.3, is available from the Apple’s App Store as a free upgrade for existing Final Cut Pro X users and for $299 for new users. A 30-day free trial version is also available. Many of the professional features removed from Final Cut Pro X when Apple redesigned the program last June have been restored in this update of the software.

Twitter CEO’s Tweet-Blocking Defense: It’s Just Business

admin — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Twitter is on the defensive over its new tweet-filtering policy, which it considers a progressive, forward-looking approach to complying with local laws around the globe. Speaking at Dive Into Media Monday night, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo characterized the changes as a way to ensure that more people see tweets. “There’s been no change in our stance or attitude or policy with respect to content on Twitter,” he said. “It is simply not the case that you can operate in these countries and choose which of the laws you want to abide by.”

New Android Scare: Just How Malignant Is That Malware?

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Antivirus vendor Symantec announced recently that up to 5 million Android devices may have been infected with a particular type of malware. Multiple publishers were pushing out apps — some of which were found in the official Android Market — containing malware known as “Counterclank,” according to the AV company. This is a minor modification of Android Tonclank, a bot-like threat that can receive commands to carry out certain actions as well as steal information from the device.

Yoink: Efficient Swatch Snatcher Makes Full-Screen Feel Less Bloated

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Of all the changes brought about with OS X Lion, full-screen viewing was one that failed to make much of an impression on me, at least at first. Ballooning a window to the edges of the screen and blowing out the menu bar seemed a little restrictive at first. It’s the kind of thing I’d do all the time when using a Windows computer, but OS X is different in how it manages the desktop, and full-screening an app just felt uncomfortable and weird at first. But over the course of a couple of weeks, I found myself using it a little more.

New Email Spec Aims to Tangle Phishing Lines

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 19:36:29 +0000

Fifteen leading email service providers and tech companies have announced a joint effort to fight phishers. Google, Facebook, PayPal, Yahoo and Agari are among the companies behind the Domain-based Message Authentication, Reporting and Conformance spec. DMARC is a technical specification that standardizes how email receivers perform email authentication using well-known mechanisms. “The inspiration behind DMARC was PayPal’s and Google’s attempt to stop phishing together, but they quickly realized the model they were pursuing could not scale,” said Agari’s Daniel Raskin.

FBI Looking to ‘Friend’ Terrorists

admin — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

Social networks are popular with lots of folks, including terrorists. That’s why the FBI is looking for a contractor who will design an “early warning system” for it based on monitoring chatter on the likes of Facebook, Twitter and Google+. To identify potential “bad actors,” the agency will be looking for terrorist keywords like “gangs,” “small pox,” “leak,” “recall” and “2600,” a hacker magazine that dates back to the days of phone phreaker Captain Crunch.