New Research: Apple iPhones Allow Personal Data To Be Extracted

Apple Inc. (AAPL) acknowledged this week that the iPhone allows the extraction of users’ personal data, including text messages, contacts lists, and photos, through a previously unpublicized technique by Apple employees. The same can be used by law enforcement agencies and others with access to the “trusted” computers to which the devices have been connected. One major reason some users prefer iPhones over Google Inc.’s (GOOG) Android phones is that the former are supposedly more secure.

Nokia Lumia 920 Vs Samsung Galaxy S3: Design, Display, Hardware, And Prices Showdown! Which Smartphones Is Worth The Purchase?

Which of these smartphones is the ideal purchase for consumers: We pit the Nokia Lumia 920 against the Samsung Galaxy S3 to see which is better.

In terms of design and dipslay, the Nokia Lumia 920 has an IPS LCD display that measures 4.5 inches, which supports a resolution of 768x1280pixels and a pixel density of 322ppi. Users will be satisfied at the accurate and vivid colors provided by this screen. Its dimensions are 130.3×70.8×10.7 mm and weighs185 grams.

The Samsung Galaxy S3 has a bigger display (4.8inches), which is Super AMOLED and renders a slightly lower resolution of 720x1280pixels with a pixel density of 306ppi. The smartphone is bigger than its competitor measuring 136.6×70.6×8.6 mm, and it’s also lighter weighing 133 grams.

Bose Sues Beats Headphones

It looks like the $3 million Apple paid to acquire Beats a few months ago was just a starter price. Bose is suing Beats over multiple alleged patent infringement cases, mostly targeting Beats’ noise-canceling, over-the-ear headphones which Bose believes infringed upon 36 separate patents. Bose is asking the court to find Beats guilty of willful patent infringement, to order payment of monetary damages, and to issue an injunction forbidding Beats from selling its current headphones in stores.

Toyota redesigns Yaris for 2015

The update to the Yaris is just the latest move by Toyota to inject more style into products that are often criticised for being boring, LATimes auto said.

Notably, the automaker will soon put on sale a heavily refreshed version of the current-generation Camry. The changes to Toyota’s midsize sedan go well beyond what most automakers bring to their mid-life updates. Like the larger Camry, the petite 2015 Yaris will have a more aggressive face and a sportier overall look. Toyota also beefed up the structure of the car for better handling, and added extra sound deadening, the automaker said. The subcompact size of the car and it two- or four-door configurations remain the same. (The Yaris is the smallest car the Toyota brand makes, though its youth-oriented sub-brand Scion builds the dishwasher-sized iQ microcar.) The drivetrain also carries over. A 1.5-liter, four-cylinder engine makes 106 horsepower and 103 pound-feet of torque. A five-speed manual transmission will be standard, while an outdated four-speed automatic will be an $800 option. Inside, the cabin has been refreshed with less of the hard, cheap plastics that are common on this level of car. A new 6.1-inch touchscreen audio system is now included on all models, and a navigation system will be optional for the first time. Nine airbags remain standard. When the 2015 Yaris goes on sale, it will continue to target competitors like the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Mazda 2, Chevy Sonic and Ford Fiesta. Toyota hopes the updates will make the car more competitive, as its 21,300 sales in 2013 lagged far behind everyone but Mazda.

Robot furniture that builds itself

Imagine that the chair you're sitting on became a sofa on demand as the day moved from light to dark. Or if all your furnishings could move out of your way as you walk through a room. These thoughts could one day become reality through research being conducted at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (EPFL).

The EPFL biorobotics lab is developing self-configurable robotics known as "Roombots," which can merge with materials and furnishings to create adaptable furniture for the home and office.

"It's a bit of a science-fiction project in my lab to create intelligent furniture which can change shape and functionality," explains lab director Auke Ijspeert. "We envisage the Roombots moving and combining to create a diversity of elements including tables and chairs." The goal is to create furniture that can be re-used in multiple ways.

Apple set to cash in on mobile payments: report

The iPhone maker is reportedly in negotiations with a number of companies in the payments industry and could launch a new mobile payment or smart wallet system before the end of the year.

Apple CEO Tim Cook has made no secret of his desire to do something innovative or creative with the 500 million+ iTunes accounts with connected credit cards at his company's disposal, and the inclusion of a fingerprint sensor on the latest iPhone handset, the 5S, is seen by many as the first step towards Apple moving into mobile payments, allowing consumers to use their handsets in lieu of a physical wallet, cash or credit card.

According to The Information, Apple has been negotiating for some time with a host of firms, including Visa, about such a possibility and these negotiations are said to have intensified over recent months.

In fact, the publication's unnamed sources claim that Apple is working on a mobile wallet that it hopes to include as a feature on the iPhone 6, itself widely rumored to be unveiled in mid-September.

The mobile payments marketplace, in the US at least is already rather crowded thanks to everyone from Google to Square attempting to convince consumers to ditch cash -- which can be easily carried in a pocket -- for a smartphone, which often doesn't fit in a pocket and which needs to be charged in order to work.

Unsurprisingly, most of these efforts are failing to capture the public's imagination and so the stage is perfectly set for Apple to swoop in with a simpler, smarter and more desirable take on the technology that will chime with consumers and that will have been informed by the mistakes already made by competitors.

Apple already offers the Passbook service on the iPhone which enables users to store virtual tickets for things like concerts and sporting events on their handsets and, although a very basic app, it has proved incredibly popular in the US in particular and some experts believe that the mobile payment system will be offered as an extension to Passbook's existing functionality.

Google buys live streaming service Twitch: Here’s how it could help YouTube

After a string of rumours, several reports circulating the web suggest that Google has finally sealed the deal with Twitch. According to VentureBeats, Google has bought the video game livestreaming site for $1 billion, but the exact financial terms are not known. Google’s YouTube division is in charge of the acquisition. “The deal underscores the value of live Internet streaming and the rise of competitive gaming as a spectator sport — something that draws millions of viewers, can offer prize pools that surpass pro golf’s marquee events, and provides a multibillion dollar opportunity for advertisers,” adds the report.

BlackBerry Z3 launched in Nigeria with free apps

BlackBerry has unveiled its Z3 smartphone in Nigeria, offering users who buy the device this month free application downloads valued at NGN8,000 (US$50).

The BlackBerry Z3 features a stylish design with a five-inch touch display, an unrivalled messaging and typing experience, exceptional battery life, is equipped with BlackBerry 10 OS version 10.2.1 and is compatible with Android apps.

Speaking at the launch, BlackBerry territory director for East, West, Central and Southern Africa Charles Asinugo said the offer is to empower users with access to apps of their choice on the latest device.

“BlackBerry Z3 extends the BlackBerry® 10 platform to a new generation of customers in Nigeria at an attractive price point and offers them more ways to securely communicate, collaborate and be productive with an experience built on reliable, secure communications,” he said.

NASA Honors First Man On The Moon after 45Years

Forty-five years after he became the first man to walk on the moon, NASA has honored the engineering research legacy of Neil Armstrong by naming a building at the Kennedy Space Center after him.

According to NBC News, the Operations and Checkout Building at the center will now bear the astronaut's name, with the agency holding a ceremony on July 21st to mark the occasion. Armstrong, who passed away in August 2012, was arguably one of the most famous people in American history, and while he shied away from publicity, he was widely recognized as a pioneering aerospace engineer by his peers and former Apollo 11 crew mates.

Speaking at the dedication event, Michael Collins - who orbited the moon while Armstrong took his giant steps - praised his "powerful combination of curiosity and intelligence," while noting that the astronaut had an uncanny understanding of the engineering research and development that went into building flight machinery.

"I very much like the fact that this building will bear his name in his honor," Collins said, according to Orlando's News 13. "He would very much not have sought it. It was not his style. But, I think he would like to have his name so closely associated with this, the heart and the soul of the space business."

NASA CREATING LARGEST ROCKET EVER

WATCH VIDEO

Just a few miles from the French Quarter, NASA is quietly making the largest, most powerful rocket that will have ever left the earth


NASA is quietly making the largest, most powerful rocket that will have ever left the earth
"For an engineer, it's Disneyland every day," said NASA worker Pat Whipps.

"For an engineer, it's Disneyland every day," said NASA worker Pat Whipps.

"You work every day, and you're trying to make it perfect first time out," said NASA worker Kevin Pierre. 
The work is being done in the Michoud Assembly Facility, the very same place where they built the Saturn rocket for those Apollo missions. It was also there that they built the giant fuel tanks which powered the Space Shuttle. 
Workers in the facility are now constructing the Space Launch System. The SLS will stand over 320 feet tall and will be able to take a crew of six further into space than anyone has ever been.
Some of the barrels that make up the core stage of the SLS and carry the fuel are welded together piece by piece by over 600 people at NASA's 42 acre facility. 
"Everybody's excited to have a part in America's next great adventure," said Pat Whipps of NASA Michoud.
The top of the rocket will feature the Orion capsule. It may look familiar because NASA says the physics of launch and return haven't changed much since the Apollo days.
"But the insides are totally different," said NASA Orion program manager Mark Geyer.
NASA has plans to test the Orion capsule in December. Later missions include possibly redirecting an asteroid near the moon or going to Mars. 
Some critics question the construction without a specified mission and full funding.
"I'm not sure that I'm optimistic that we will do those things, but I know that we need to," said former NASA administrator Mike Griffin.
NASA says it is one small step at a time for mankind, and building the next generation of rockets is proof enough of its commitment to exploration.

Dropbox for Business gets security boost as firm opens first UK office

DROPBOX HAS ANNOUNCED a number of enhancements to its Dropbox for Business cloud storage service.

The company made the announcements at the launch of its London office, the first overseas outpost for the US firm.

New additions to be rolled out over the coming months begin today for early access users, including enhanced security measures for documents and folders. Shared links can now be password protected and expiration dates applied to make each link valid for a limited time. In addition, folders can now be given view-only permissions for use when you want to share with colleagues but don't want them meddling.

Following "soon" will be full text search of documents. All files uploaded to Dropbox will become fully indexed in real time and users will be able to search by any word used throughout the document. At the launch on Wednesday, Dropbox demonstrated uploading and indexing a document in under 10 seconds.

At the same time the company will launch its collaboration service Project Harmony. This will allow collaborators to communicate and work together online, but unlike rival services, Project Harmony will work within third-party applications such as Microsoft Office, rather than as a separate package.

Head of Product at Dropbox for Business Ilya Fushman told The INQUIRER, "Our focus has historically been on being increasingly cross-platform. If you look at a typical business user, they're using a variety of devices, and creating that bridge is something that we've invested all of our company energy in."

Two new APIs are available today in the developer production beta for developers, one for document previews and one for shared folders. The document preview API allows files to be viewed across operating systems and form factors without worrying about issues of formatting. The shared folder API will allow deep integration with third-party applications.

Fushman continued, "We know we have the best syncing, and that's going to be the differentiating factor because ultimately, people try different things but they always come back to the service that gives them peace of mind that when they upload a file, that it's going to be available on their device."

Dropbox will announced the schedule for the rollout of the new features soon.

Last week, Dropbox was accused by maverick NSA contractor Edward Snowden as being "hostile towards privacy", recommending that users migrate to Spideroak instead, despite promises from Dropbox to be more transparent about information requests from the authorities.

WALL STREET JOURNAL COMPUTERS HACKED

The Wall Street Journal has taken some of its systems offline after a cybersecurity breach that has potentially compromised the personal information of wsj.com’s users, as well as the credentials needed to control the site’s servers.

WSJ announced the cyber-attack yesterday, stating the computing systems for its news graphics were “hacked by outside parties.” Although the company claims it has yet to see any signs of damage, the systems are still under review.

"We are investigating an incident related to wsj.com's graphics systems. At this point we see no evidence of any impact to Dow Jones customers or customer data,” a spokeswoman for the Journal said.

A hacker who goes by the name “w0rm” has claimed responsibility for the hack, tweeting a screenshot of his work on Monday:

According to the Journal, w0rm is offering to sell the information of wsj.com’s users as well as the access to the site's servers, which would give the possessor the ability to modify articles on the site, add or delete content and users, and insert malware. w0rm sent another tweet in which he appears to demand 1 bitcoin (worth about $621 U.S.) for the Journal’s database:

Microsoft To Offer One Operating System For All Screens

At some point in the future, Microsoft will offer its users a single operating system experience across all screens, making things a lot easier on application developers. Rather than having to worry about developing apps for Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox all separately, they’ll just be able to develop apps for this singular platform. That’s what we’re getting from CEO Satya Nadella’s words on the company’s earnings call on Tuesday. Here’s a look at the earnings report.

Nadella is quoted as saying, “This means one operating system that covers all screen sizes,” Nadella said to analysts on the quarterly conference call. “We will streamline the next version of Windows from three operating systems into one single converged operating system for screens of all sizes.”As Business Insider notes, the company has been hinting at this strategy for months, having announced “Universal Windows Apps” developer tools at its conference in April.

“In the past we had multiple teams working on different versions of Windows,” Nadella said. “Now we have one team with a common architecture. This allows us to scale, create Universal Windows Apps.”A couple weeks ago, Microsoft posted a huge internal email in which Nadella outlined the company’s overall strategy and “core” focus. The following week, he announced that Microsoft will be eliminating 18,000 jobs over the course of the next year (13,000 within six months). With multiple Windows teams being consolidated into one, it’s likely that a number of those cuts will be made within that group.

The Apple/IBM deal: iOS claims the IoT (Internet Of Things)

The deal between Apple and IBM isn't just about selling iPhones to the enterprise -- it creates a foundation from which both can build their presence in the evolution of the Internet of Things.The deal puts the world's leading consumer tech company together with one of the world's leading infrastructure tech firms. Apple and IBM will deliver enterprise-class apps developed to make IBM's data-crunching tools accessible on Apple's devices. Big data is at the center of the plan.

Tim Cook, Apple's CEO, said of the deal, "For the first time ever we're putting IBM's renowned big data analytics at iOS users' fingertips, which opens up a large market opportunity for Apple. This is a radical step for enterprise and something that only Apple and IBM can deliver."

Both companies have stressed the importance of big data to the deal, but to get a sense of the potential implications of the Apple/IBM combo, you should think about where this data will be coming from.

Over 800 million iOS devices are in use worldwide. Each one of these connected devices already gathers a vast trove of information about people, their habits, location and more.

iOS 8 makes it possible for the information gathered to also include data from a huge number of connected devices: your apps, your car, your home, your HealthKit-enabled equipment, your doctor's office, your workplace and the local mall.

Google Offers $1 Million For a New Way to Power Homes and Cars

Google's Little Box Challenge opened for entries on Tuesday, with a $1 million prize for any group that can build a smaller and less expensive power inverter. Power inverters are devices that turn direct current gathered by solar or wind power and stored in batteries and turn it into the alternating current that powers homes, offices, cars and pretty much everything in the modern world. Creating cheaper and more portable inverters could really encourage more people to turn to solar power and get electricity to remote place that currently have little or no access to electric power. The average power converter right now is about the size of an ice cooler, and Google hopes people will make them about 10 times smaller.

"We believe that inverters will become increasingly important to our economy and environment as solar PV, batteries, and similar power sources continue their rapid growth," the contest page states. "More broadly, similar forms of power electronics are everywhere: in laptops, phones, motors drives, electric vehicles, wind turbines, to give just a few examples. We expect that the innovations inspired by this prize will have wide applicability across these areas, increasing efficiency, driving down costs, and opening up new uses cases that we can’t imagine today. It also doesn’t hurt that many of these improvements could make our data centers run more safely and efficiently."

Applications for the Little Box Challenge close on September 30. Teams that get their applications in by then will have until July 22 next year to get their technical specs and testing method submitted, with a final winner picked in January of 2016.

"[F]igure out how to shrink an inverter down to something smaller than a small laptop (a reduction of > 10× in volume) and smaller than everyone else, and you’ll win a million dollars (and help revolutionize electricity for the next century)."

Microsoft launches Lumia 530: Bringing Cortana to the masses with cheapest Lumia so far

After canning its Android-powered Nokia X smartphone range, Microsoft has unveiled the Lumia 530, a Windows Phone 8.1 device with a price that undercuts popular low-end Android devices like the Moto G.

The new four-inch display handset, which bears some resemblance to the now abandoned Nokia X devices, will become Microsoft's new entry-level device for consumers, expected to cost around €85 ($144) when it hits stores this August.

The device's launch follows disappointing fourth-quarter Lumia sales. In its latest set of financials, Microsoft yesterday announced a quarter-on-quarter decline from 8.2 million Lumias sold when Nokia still owned the devices unit to just 5.8 million under Microsoft's ownership. Year-on-year, sales are down around 20 percent: for the same quarter last year, Nokia sold 7.4 million Lumias.

New software platform gets real-time with the Internet of Things

We're only just beginning to see the potential of the internet of things. A wide range of devices able 

to exchange information over the web presents many opportunities for companies to deliver new 

products and services.

According to Gartner estimates, the IoT will include 26 billion units by 2020, and by that time, 

IoT product and service suppliers will generate incremental revenue exceeding $300 billion 

(£223bn), mostly in services.

A new company Octoblu is looking to exploit this potential by announcing a new IoT platform

for real-time connections and communication management across a range of applications, people

and physical devices.

Glo offers new call rate....

Glo offers new call rate


Globacom Nigeria yesterday launched a new tariff plan called Glo Ringa. The tariff will enable subscribers spend less when making calls.
The new tariff offers call rate of 11 kobo per second and will make Glo customers to accommodate family and friends at a service charge of N250 per week. It is available to new and existing subscribers who register for the tariff on the prepaid platform.
Announcing the new tariff plan in Lagos, Mr. Yomi Ogunbamowo, the divisional director, West Territory, said Glo Ringa, just like many of Globacom-pioneered products, was a tariff plan that offered the lowest call rate and accommodated  subscribers as family and friends.
“Glo Ringa will radically change the way Nigerians use mobile phones; if you are a Glo subscriber, you can now call any Glo number only for 11k per second,” Ogunbamowo said.

China to clean up porn on phone apps

China has launched a campaign to clamp down on pornography circulated on smart phone applications.

The ministry of industry and information technology will step up supervision over telecommunication service providers, application creators and online app stores in the course of the campaign that was launched Tuesday, Xinhua reported.

It will set up a system that can verify the identity of app creators as well as monitor and dispose of pornographic information.

The ministry will also encourage the reporting of porn-related applications, create a blacklist of such apps and ban them from accessing the internet.

Smart phones have overtaken computers as the most popular way to access the internet in China. However, fast growing mobile internet has become a new channel to circulate pornographic information.

Microsoft to merge different Windows operating systems into one

From New Delhi: Microsoft has confirmed that it intends to merge different versions of its Windows operating systems into one. This was announced by Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella during the company's quarterly earnings call.

Nadella told analysts that the company would "streamline the next version of Windows from three operating systems into one single converged operating system," that would cover all screen sizes.

Microsoft currently runs three different major versions of its OS - Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox - and the direct beneficiary of this move would be the developers for whom it would be easier to build apps to run on multiple devices. This relative ease of app development and OS consolidation would also finally benefit users.

Microsoft currently runs three different major versions of its OS - Windows, Windows Phone and Xbox.

The next version of Windows is rumoured to be the Windows 9, expected to be launched in 2015.

Nigerian cybercriminals evolving their attack methods to hijack users

Nigerian cybercriminals are becoming increasingly savvy in their efforts to compromise users, including custom malware able to better avoid detection

Cybercriminals in Nigeria are continually evolving their attack strategies, and have created next-generation malware able to compromise businesses and organizations that they previously ignored. The old school "419" phishing tactics once infamously deployed by Nigerian spammers still occurs, but the criminals want to steal data from a larger number of victims using better designed strategies.

Utilizing Remote Administration Tools (RATs) from online hacker forums, Nigerian cybercriminals aim for full control of compromised systems. Silver Spaniel is able to circumvent legacy firewalls and typical anti-virus and anti-malware software because it has been modified to ensure it can evade them efficiently.

"These Silver Spaniel malware activities originate in Nigeria and employ tactics, techniques and procedures similar to one another," said Ryan Olson, Palo Alto Networks Unit 42 Intelligence Director, in a statement. "The actors don't show a high level of technical acumen, but represent a growing threat to businesses that have not previously been their primary targets."

Apple asks suppliers to produce up to 80 million large-screen iPhones: WSJ

Apple Inc has asked suppliers to manufacture between 70 million and 80 million of its two forthcoming large-screen iPhones by the end of the year, its largest initial production run of iPhones, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing people familiar with the matter.Its forecast for the iPhones with 4.7-inch (11.9-cm) and 5.5-inch (14-cm) displays is much larger than the initial order last year of between 50 million and 60 million for iPhone 5S and 5C models, the people told the Journal.Foxconn and Pegatron Corp plan to start mass producing the 4.7-inch iPhone model next month, and Hon Hai Precision Industry Co Ltd, whose parent is Foxconn, will begin making the 5.5-inch version exclusively in September, the people said.Both iPhone 6 screens will be larger than the 4.0-inch (10.2-cm) panels on Apple's existing iPhone 5S and 5C models.The new phone models are also expected to feature metal cases similar to the iPhone 5S and likely come in multiple colors, the people said.Both iPhone 6 screens are expected to use in-cell touch panel technology, built into the screen and allowing for thinner construction than with standard touch panel films, that was introduced with the iPhone 5, sources told Reuters in March.There could be difficulties with in-cell production technology for the larger 5.5-inch size, one of the sources told Reuters then.To factor in the possibility of a higher failure rate for displays, Apple has asked component makers to be prepared to make up to 120 million iPhones, the people told the Journal on Monday.

Apple's Upcoming iPhone Launch Will Be Its Biggest Ever, In More Ways Than One

The worst kept secret in the technology industry right now is that the next iPhones will be delivered with bigger screens this September, coming in 4.7 and 5.5-inch sizes. But if reports out of the Far East are to be believed, the new iPhone won’t just be bigger it will be huge — for Apple that is. How so? Apple is asking its suppliers to build 70-80 million new iPhones by year end. That represents an increase of up to 60% from last year’s orders for the iPhone 5s and 5c, which totaled 50-60 million.

Because of the ranges in the estimates, it’s also possible that Apple will only be getting about 15% more iPhones than last year at this time. But that seems unlikely. The company was caught a bit flat-footed in 2013 when demand for the higher-end 5s outstripped expectations while the lower-end 5c came in a bit shy of what Apple had hoped for.

Touchscreen smartphones could replace buttons and switches in future cars

Hold on to that steering. Cars of the future are set to get rid of traditional controls like buttons and switches and have a touchscreen smartphone for your driving comfort and overall safety.
Back-seat passengers will have the touchscreen to control automotive accessories such as air-conditioning, infotainment and navigation. This will not distract drivers, media reports said.
Towards this, luxury car maker Bentley has come up with a slick remote control which whirrs up from the rear of the center console. The device, the size of a cigarette packet, is fitted with a touch-screen. It manages audio-visual  equipment like twin TV screens, a navigation system, a stereo and even a fridge.
The remote also allows passengers to configure the seats and adjust interior temperature.
This kind of control will soon pass on to cheaper cars, reports added. For example, the new
Volkswagen Passat will have an app that owners can download on a tablet.
Using the car’s Wi-Fi, the tablet will let passengers surf the internet as well as interact with the infotainment system.

Audi has gone a step further.
It has come up with an Audi-brand tablet: a 10.2-inch display introduced as a remote control for a range of vehicle functions. The tablet gives occupants access to the web, media and navigation systems as well as control over the radio, reports added.