Software Blog » Games

Internet Access Severely Curbed in Iran

admin — Fri, 10 Feb 2012 23:32:27 +0000

Reports are coming out of Iran that the country is increasingly squeezing Internet access to certain sites, including websites that use the HTTPS protocol. Many tech-savvy users who were able to circumvent restrictions to gain access to an unfettered Internet have found their usual methods are no longer effective. Iran’s National Internet — a countrywide firewall that is meant to block out websites undesirable to the government — is the widely suspected culprit.

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.

AMD: Shift Happens

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

Last week was the coming-out party for AMD’s new CEO, and his core message was that the market was undergoing a shift — and when markets shift, leadership changes. His point was that Intel’s leadership was at risk and that AMD was poised to take over that leadership. The nature of this change is massive, and I doubt we — I mean any of us — are fully aware of how much is changing. Nor are we sure which companies or technologies will exit this change. Everyone is at risk — from Apple to Microsoft, from Google to Facebook, from Oracle to HP, and from AMD to Intel.

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.

Ultrabooks, Tablets and the Space Between

admin — Fri, 20 Jan 2012 13:00:00 +0000

The stage is set for a new battle of mobile form factors. The winner could set a new non-desktop standard for consumers and office workers looking for a better alternative to bulky laptops. Lighter, thinner and more powerful are the key factors guiding the designs of tablets, convertibles, hybrids and Ultrabooks. All four form factors challenge the range of sizes found in traditional notebook computers. The netbook is perhaps a casualty of the last round of form factor skirmishing.

Lenovo Yoga Gives Notebook, Tablet Concepts a New Twist

admin — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 19:04:24 +0000

Lenovo unveiled its IdeaPad Yoga recently at CES, showing off a notebook with a 360-degree hinge designed to be used in a variety of ways in addition to the conventional laptop style. The Ultrabook, which will run on Windows 8, can be opened and folded back on itself to be used as a tablet or e-reader with touchscreen capabilities. It can also be propped up like a tent for a better video watching experience, for example, or used as a traditional laptop.

Analyst: Zynga’s Plunge Into Puzzles a Smart Move

admin — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 17:08:52 +0000

Zynga is plowing new ground with “Hidden Chronicles,” a game it has launched on Facebook. Zynga is touting it as its first social hidden object game, and indeed, it is a departure from the ‘Ville model that made the company famous. It invites players to uncover hidden objects, solve puzzles, and unlock mysteries. There is a heavy emphasis on the social element, with players able to help friends advance and challenge each other by finding as many objects as possible in 60 seconds. As players progress through the game, they rack up completed quests and earn coins, thus unlocking new scenes.

DSLR How-To App Is Kind to Newbies

admin — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Every year around this time, droves of pocket-cam photogs are turned into into newly minted DSLR users. If someone in your life is generous enough to give you one of these relatively large, complex cameras during the holidays, and if you’ve never had a chance to use one very extensively before, then the dozens of new features and controls at your fingertips might be a little confusing. Pocket cam users rarely have to worry about things like shutter speed, aperture, color balance, lens selection and so on.

Hacking the Google TV Box Without Rooting It, Part 3

admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 13:00:00 +0000

Last month, I succumbed to a peculiar urge to go out to my local, friendly big-box consumer electronics retailer and drop almost a hundred dollars on a product that had been panned by the critics on launch, had a dubious life expectancy because of that, and had been almost universally rejected by the TV networks and their agents — Hulu, for one. This would have been a problem for anyone, but it was a major problem for this device, because it’s a media streamer. The product is the Logitech Revue Google TV box.

Timeline: Pretty Interface, Ugly Rollout