Monthly Archives: May 2014

Apple Said To Be Planning Split-Screen iPad Multitasking In iOS 8

 

A new report from 9to5Mac’s Mark Gurman, who has a strong track record in predicting the future of Apple’s software, says that Apple will be building split-screen multitasking into iOS 8, the next major update for its mobile devices. This split-screen functionality will resemble these features as seen in recent Samsung tablets and the Microsoft Surface, the report claims. This comes hot on the heels of a new jailbreak tweak that adds almost exactly that kind of multitasking to iPad called “OS Experience.

Split screen functionality is something that Microsoft has used to target the iPad in advertisements for its own tablet efforts, and something that is often requested by users in forums and editorials online. The feature in iOS 8 would allow two apps to be used side-by-side, but also make it possible for people to drag things like images, video and text from one app into the other. Apple is also working on a way to let apps running next to each other interact with each other directly while running, too.

It only works in landscape mode, per 9to5Mac’s report, and it is said to be targeted at the larger 9.7-inch iPad specifically, so it’s unclear whether it’ll also work with the iPad mini. This would go a long way to making the iPad an even more capable notebook replacement.

iOS 8 looks to be packing a lot of improvements, including the possible introduction of a Healthbook app which would work with fitness and medical devices, and improvements to Maps with the addition of transit directions. Some of this could be pushed back to an iOS 8.1 update, 9to5Mac cautions, but overall, it looks like the next update will still bring a healthy number of changes even if parts are released at a later date.

 

Via: techcrunch

Cyber spying bug, attack plans found in Lithuania

Lithuania’s military intelligence said it last year found spying software in computers used to process information related with Lithuania’s domestic and foreign policy, as well as energy.

In a report, the Defense Ministry’s Second Investigation Department also said it had evidence about large-scale cyber-attacks plotted in Lithuania.

“Cyber incidents were reported in the cyber space in the first half of 2013, and they had to do with the spread of spying software,” reads the document.

According to the report, the discovered spying software and its latest versions are designed for collection of data stored in computers, remote administration of the infected computer, network monitoring, network identification of accounts and passwords, as well as video and audio recording.

“We established, that the spying software spread to computers that processed information in connection to Lithuania’s domestic and foreign policy, home security, energy projects, the European Union and the Lithuanian presidency of the EU Council,” the department said.

According to the document, no large-scale cyber-attacks, with the exception of the attack against the online news portal delfi.lt, were reported in Lithuania last year, however, “data available to the department suggests that similar attacks were planned on at least two occasions.”

The Russian intelligence technical equipment intended to intercept computer network flow and enabling to control users of social networks, perform remote control of computers and mobile devices, analyzers of wireless computer networks already allow spying, active attack (penetration) operation and other types of control of users of automated data processing systems and networks.

 

Via: lithuaniatribune

Network on May 14th at The Tavern in Louisville KY

Network after Work event on Wednesday May 14th at the newly opened Tavern Bar above Sports and Social Club (427 S 4th St.) from 6-9pm. Events are open to all industries and career levels and provide an opportunity to create new business opportunities while expanding your professional network. To help facilitate networking and navigation of the event a name badge color coded by industry will be provided.

 

To RSVP please visit:

http://louisville.networkafterwork.com

 

Admission Includes:

1.    Access to 100 professionals

2.    Color Coded Name Badge

3.    Sponsored First Cocktail before 7pm

4.    Light Appetizers from 6-7pm

 

Can’t make this event join the LinkedIn group to receive future event information at:

http://www.networkafterwork.com/signup

FBI/IC3 alert says phishing attacks on phone customers are rising again

Phone scams continue to plague customers.

Phishing attacks coming from fraudsters acting like your phone company are again on the upswing according to a new warning from the FBI and its partner agency the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3).

According to the IC3: “Individuals receive automated telephone calls that claim to be from the victim’s telecommunication carrier.  The IC3 released an advisory about this scam in May 2013. Since then, the attacks have increased and recently, victims have reported receiving SMS texts with a similar phishing message encouraging them to go to web sites to claim their reward.”

According to the IC3 victims are directed to a phishing site to receive a credit, discount or prize ranging from $100 to $2,500. The monetary amounts being offered are increasing to make the scam more enticing. A fraudulent web site example would be www.My(insert phone company name)900.com. Other fraudulent web sites may contain words such as, MyBonus, ILove, ILike, Reward, Promo, or similar words, along with a telephone company’s name.

The phishing site is a replica of one of the telecommunication carrier’s sites and requests the victim’s log-in credentials and the last four digits of their Social Security number. Once access is gained, the subject makes changes to the customer’s account and may place orders for mobile phones.

The IC3 warns everyone to be cautious of unsolicited telephone calls, e-mails and text messages, especially those promising some type of compensation for supplying account information.

The IC3 warning comes on the heels of the Treasury Inspector General for Taxpayer Administration cautioning taxpayers to beware of phone calls from individuals claiming to represent the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in an effort to defraud them.

“This is the largest scam of its kind that we have ever seen,” said J. Russell George, the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration. George noted that his agency has received reports of over 20,000 contacts and has become aware of thousands of victims who have collectively paid over $1 million as a result of the scam, in which individuals make unsolicited calls to taxpayers fraudulently claiming to be IRS officials.

The scam has hit taxpayers in nearly every State in the country. Callers claiming to be from the IRS tell intended victims they owe taxes and must pay using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The scammers threaten those who refuse to pay with arrest, deportation or loss of a business or driver’s license.

The truth is the IRS usually first contacts people by mail – not by phone – about unpaid taxes. And the IRS won’t ask for payment using a pre-paid debit card or wire transfer. The IRS also won’t ask for a credit card number over the phone, the agency stated.

The IRS also warned consumers of this and other ongoing scams that tend to peak during tax season when many taxpayers could be on edge.  These phone scams include many variations, ranging from instances from where callers say the victims owe money or are entitled to a huge refund. Some calls can threaten arrest and threaten a driver’s license revocation, the IRS stated.

 

Via: networkworld

With ban lifted, Microsoft plans Xbox One launch in China

But games will be subject to approval from local authorities, which means violent ones may not pass.

Microsoft is bringing its Xbox One to China this September after the nation recently ended a ban on foreign-made video game consoles.

The U.S. company, which announced the move on Wednesday, is targeting a market with over a half billion gamers, according to the company.

In preparation, Microsoft has established a joint venture with Shanghai-based BesTV, a provider of Internet television services, to help develop its Xbox business.

So far, the company is the first foreign console maker to announce a launch for China. Government restrictions on the systems had kept Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo out of the market for 13 years.

But last September, China effectively lifted the ban, allowing foreign-funded companies located in a new trade zone in Shanghai to sell consoles nationwide.

On Wednesday, Microsoft called the Xbox’s upcoming launch in China a “historic milestone” for the industry. But the company could still face some challenges in selling the system.

All Xbox games brought to China will still need to receive approval from local authorities before they can be sold. This could mean that more violent games won’t arrive in the market.

Local Chinese companies, including ZTE, Huawei and TCL, are also releasing cheaper consoles for around US$100 that can play Android games. In addition, many Chinese gamers are accustomed to playing on PCs at Internet cafes or on their smartphones.

But Microsoft’s partner BesTV is confident the Xbox One can still sell well as a high-end gaming device.

In addition, Microsoft also wants local Chinese developers to build games for the console.

The Xbox already has some popularity in China. For years, local consumers have bought video game consoles from unofficial dealers at Chinese electronic markets. These grey market dealers specialize in buying consoles from Japan or Hong Kong, and then shipping them to China for sale.

In the case of Xbox 360, grey market dealers have been able to reconfigure the system to play pirated games, helping gamers save on costs.

 

Via: itworld

Massive Solar Wind Energy Tower Proposed for the U.S.-Mexico Border


A Maryland-based energy company plans to build a gigantic tower that could tap solar and wind resources to generate 500 megawatts of energy. The Solar Wind Energy Tower is planned for a location on the Arizona-Mexico border, and it could be the second-tallest structure in the United States. The company plans to start construction by 2018.


 

 

The tower is likely to be located at a 600 acre site near the Mexican border and would take advantage of the arid climate – temperatures in the area regular reach 106 degrees. The huge concrete structure would use sunlight to heat the top of the tower and spray cool mist over the 1,200 foot wide diameter. Water evaporates and the cool air drops to the bottom at speeds of up to 50 miles per hour. This current pushes the air through a circle of wind turbines that produce energy.

Related: Elithis Tower Is The World’s First Energy Positive Office Building

Although the idea of combining solar and wind energy using tall structures has been around since the 1960s, the Solar Wind Energy Tower would be the first large scale implementation of the technology. According to the company, it is expected to bring thousands of jobs to the area.

Besides the fact that the structure requires a $1.5 billion investment, the reason why this technology hasn’t been implemented in recent years is connected to the potentially high cost of pumping water up to the top at a constant rate. Even so, the company recently won the local community’s approval and is going forth with their construction plans.

+ Solar Wind Energy Tower Inc.

Via Gizmodo

 

 

Via: inhabitat

Hunger Games style Food delivery – Jafflechutes

This “float down eatery” in Melbourne brings you your lunch in the most delightful way.

There’s a new way to eat in Melbourne right now, and it doesn’t involve going to a restaurant or cafe, or really any of the traditional methods. You just need to stand in the street at a spot marked with an X.

Look up at the sky and you’ll see a strange object drifting towards you: a grilled cheese sandwich tethered to a parachute.

Yes, a parachute. The pop-up restaurant trend was fun, and pizza drones, well, drones are getting old. The new hot food trend: the “float down.” Or, as these entrepreneurs call it, a “gravity controlled melted cheese delivery mechanism.”

See how they do it here:

The Australian word for a grilled cheese is a “jaffle.” Hence why it’s called “jafflechuting.” Adam Grant, one of the creators of the scheme, says it has been in the works since August of last year, and that about 500 jaffles have gone down so far. (You pay ahead of time using PayPal.)

“We stumbled into doing jafflechutes after a weekend at a countryside Airbnb rental without electricity or Internet,” Grant says by email. “Without the distraction of YouTube and video games, we spent the night talking about crazy business ideas, and by morning we had created Melbourne’s first float-down eatery.”


The plan now is to expand the operation to New York (the precise location is still top secret), though it really is just a joke, not something to take too seriously.

“Jafflechutes isn’t a money-making venture,” he adds. “We do this purely for fun, and have made a pact with each other that when it stops being anything other than that we’ll pack up our chutes and move on to the next thing.”

Hopefully, there’ll be plenty of floating cheese before then.

 

Via: fastcoexist

Sony develops tape tech that could lead to 185 TB cartridges

Sony has created a magnetic tape material that can store up to 74 times more data per unit area than materials in use today.

Sony has developed a magnetic tape material that can store data at 148 gigabits per square inch, roughly 74 times the density of standard tapes.

The technology represents the world’s highest recording density for the medium, the electronics giant said, and could allow the creation of tape cartridges with a capacity of 185 TB.

By comparison, LTO-6 (Linear Tape-Open), the latest generation of magnetic tape storage, has a density of 2 gigabits per square inch, or 2.5 TB per cartridge uncompressed.

Used for storage since the first digital computers, magnetic tape has been eclipsed by hard disk drives and flash drives as a medium in recent years but is still in use to preserve critical information over the long term in data centers, corporate archives and other facilities.

To make the new recording material, Sony used a kind of vacuum thin film-forming technology called sputter deposition. The process involves shooting argon ions at a polymer film substrate, which produces layers of magnetic crystal particles.

By tweaking the sputter conditions and developing a soft magnetic underlayer on the film, the manufacturer was able to create a layer of fine magnetic particles with an average size of 7.7 nanometers.

At the Intermag Europe 2014 international magnetics conference starting in Germany on May 4, Sony will describe the new technology in a presentation with IBM, which helped measure the new density.

Sony said it wants to advance the thin-layer deposition technologies and commercialize the new tape, but it did not say when such a product could appear on the market.

According to the Tape Storage Council industry group, tape capacity shipments grew by 13 percent in 2012 and were projected to grow by 26 percent last year.

 

Via: itworld

Facebook to let users limit personal info shared with third-party apps

Facebook will now let users limit how much personal information they will share with other websites or apps, when logging in with their Facebook credentials, according to a story from The New York Times.

The move came amid users’ growing concerns about what data was shared when they logged into other apps or sites through the social networking service. The Wednesday Times article also revealed that Facebook is considering including a “Log in anonymously” button so that users wouldn’t have to reveal their personal information to other services, though Facebook would still be able to gather, track and share app usage information with third parties for advertising purposes.

Facebook recently unveiled Audience Network, a mobile ad network that lets advertisers tap into Facebook’s treasure trove of data—gathered by various means—and create targeted ads for apps outside of social media’s purview.

 

Via: scmagazine

Antivirus pioneer Symantec declares AV “dead” and “doomed to failure”

Company concedes AV fails to catch majority of malicious attacks in circulation.

Commercial antivirus pioneer Symantec has finally admitted publicly what critics have been saying for years: the growing inability of the scanning software to detect the majority of malware attacks makes it “dead” and “doomed to failure,” according to a published report.

Over the past two reported quarters, Symantec has watched revenue fall, and sales are expected to flag again in the most recent period when the company releases financial results later this week, an article published by The Wall Street Journal reported. The declines come as Juniper Networks, FireEye, and other companies have rolled out products and services that take a decidedly different approach to securing computers and networks. Rather than scan for files that are categorized as malicious, these newer techniques aim to detect, minimize, and contain the damage that attackers can do in the event that they penetrate a customer’s defenses. Citing Symantec Senior President Brian Dye, the WSJ said:

Mr. Dye, who has spent more than a decade with Symantec, says it was galling to watch other security companies surge ahead. “It’s one thing to sit there and get frustrated,” he says. “It’s another thing to act on it, go get your act together and go play the game you should have been playing in the first place.”

Symantec pioneered computer security with its antivirus software in the late 1980s. The technology keeps hackers out by checking against a list of malicious code spotted on computers. Think of it as an immune system for machines.

But hackers increasingly use novel bugs. Mr. Dye estimates antivirus now catches just 45% of cyberattacks.

That puts Symantec in a pickle. Antivirus and other products that run on individual devices still account for more than 40% of the company’s revenue. Specialized cybersecurity services for businesses account for less than one-fifth of revenue and generate smaller profit margins. It would be impractical, if not impossible, to sell such services to individual consumers.

To be fair, Symantec began to move beyond malware long ago. Its Norton security suite has long included a password manager and code that detects malicious e-mails and Web links. Heuristic algorithms also attempt to detect malicious files even when they have never been seen before. But increasingly, Symantec is competing against its newer rivals by matching the suite of non-AV services they provide.

The Mountain View, California-based company is creating its own response team to help companies that have been hacked. Within six months, Symantec also plans to sell intelligence briefings on specific threats so clients can gain a better understanding of the root causes behind costly network compromises. “Symantec also is developing technology to look for more-advanced malicious software inside a network that mimics offerings from its rivals,” the Journal said.

 

 

Via: arstechnica