Technology

Android version 2.3 Gingerbread has a security hole in the OS., reports Kelly Jackson Higgins writing on Darkreading.

“Xuxian Jiang, a security researcher at NC State University, has tested and confirmed the bug on a Nexus S smartphone running Android 2.3. An attack would work like this: An Android user clicks on a malicious link in an email or in the browser, and an attacker could then read and upload any files on the phone’s SD memory card, including things like online banking information, pictures, and saved voicemails. An attacker could also root out the phone’s apps and upload them to a remote server, according to Jiang, who is an assistant professor in the computer science department”

Full article: http://www.darkreading.com/insider-threat/167801100/security/vulnerabilities/229200006/data-leak-flaw-found-in-newest-version-of-google-android.html

The Document Foundation has launched LibreOffice 3.3, the first stable release of the free office suite developed by the community. In less than four months, the number of developers hacking LibreOffice has grown from less than twenty in late September 2010, to well over one hundred today. This has allowed us to release ahead of the aggressive schedule set by the project.Not only does it ship a number of new and original features, LibreOffice 3.3 is also a significant achievement for a number of reasons:

– the developer community has been able to build their own and independent process, and get up and running in a very short time (with respect to the size of the code base and the project’s strong ambitions);

– thanks to the high number of new contributors having been attracted into the project, the source code is quickly undergoing a major clean-up to provide a better foundation for future development of LibreOffice;

– the Windows installer, which is going to impact the largest and most diverse user base, has been integrated into a single build containing all language versions, thus reducing the size for download sites from 75 to 11GB, making it easier for us to deploy new versions more rapidly and lowering the carbon footprint of the entire infrastructure.

Caolán McNamara from RedHat, one of the developer community leaders, comments, “We are excited: this is our very first stable release, and therefore we are eager to get user feedback, which will be integrated as soon as possible into the code, with the first enhancements being released in February. Starting from March, we will be moving to a real time-based, predictable, transparent and public release schedule, in accordance with Engineering Steering Committee’s goals and users’ requests”. The LibreOffice development roadmap is available at http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ReleasePlan

LibreOffice 3.3 brings several unique new features. The 10 most-popular among community members are, in no particular order: the ability to import and work with SVG files; an easy way to format title pages and their numbering in Writer; a more-helpful Navigator Tool for Writer; improved ergonomics in Calc for sheet and cell management; and Microsoft Works and Lotus Word Pro document import filters. In addition, many great extensions are now bundled, providing PDF import, a slide-show presenter console, a much improved report builder, and more besides. A more-complete and detailed list of all the new features offered by LibreOffice 3.3 is viewable on the following web page: http://www.libreoffice.org/download/new-features-and-fixes/

LibreOffice 3.3 also provides all the new features of OpenOffice.org 3.3, such as new custom properties handling; embedding of standard PDF fonts in PDF documents; new Liberation Narrow font; increased document protection in Writer and Calc; auto decimal digits for “General” format in Calc; 1 million rows in a spreadsheet; new options for CSV import in Calc; insert drawing objects in Charts; hierarchical axis labels for Charts; improved slide layout handling in Impress; a new easier-to-use print interface; more options for changing case; and colored sheet tabs in Calc. Several of these new features were contributed by members of the LibreOffice team prior to the formation of The Document Foundation.

LibreOffice hackers will be meeting at FOSDEM in Brussels on February 5 and 6, and will be presenting their work during a one-day workshop on February 6, with speeches and hacking sessions coordinated by several members of the project.

The home of The Document Foundation is at http://www.documentfoundation.org

The home of LibreOffice is at http://www.libreoffice.org where the download page has been redesigned by the community to be more user-friendly.

Phase One, announced a bold new generation of medium format digital camera backs. The Phase One IQ180, IQ160 and IQ140 digital camera backs feature maximum resolutions of 80, 60.5 and 40 high quality megapixels respectively. This series sets new standards for medium format camera system handling and performance.

The Phase One IQ180 captures at full-frame 80 megapixel resolution, with a dynamic range of 12.5 f-stops. It is the first product of its kind to feature a USB3 connection, facilitating faster image transfers in the future. The IQ180 also features a FireWire 800 connection, ensuring the fastest tethered capture speeds possible today. For untethered shooting, the IQ180 digital back’s new memory card interface is so fast that it eliminates buffering delays, supporting continuous shooting until a card is filled.

www.phaseone.com/iq

Zeljka Zorz writes that “Unsecured IP cameras accessible to everyone”.

In the article Tom Connor of ars technica explains ” “Once an IP camera is installed and online, users can access it using its own individual internal or external IP address, or by connecting to its NVR (or both),” explains Connor. “In either case, users need only load a simple browser-based applet (typically Flash, Java, or ActiveX) to view live or recorded video, control cameras, or check their settings.”

Camera names and model numbers matched with specific search tags such as “intitle,” “inurl,” “intext,” and many others, can yield links to cameras’ remote viewing pages. Search combinations such as “intext:’MOBOTIX M10’ intext:’Open Menu’” and “intitle: ‘Live View / – AXIS 206M’” proved effective for Connor.

Full article at: http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=10459

High end smart phones will be getting dual-core chips in 2011, Current top end smart-phones have 1GHz processor, LG has announced what it described as the world’s first dual-core smartphone: the LG Optimus 2X. The 2X will have a Nvidia Tegra 2 1GHz processor, reports Silicon.com

“Dual-core chips enable more power to be squeezed out of the processor because the chips contain two 1GHz cores – meaning there are two 1GHz processors that can be used in parallel to speed up performance, provided the mobile software has been optimised to take advantage of the parallel processing power. It’s not as simple as saying a dual-core processor is twice as fast as a single-core processor, but dual-core chips should enable a noticeable speed and performance hike, particularly when it comes to multitasking”

More at Silicon.com

Research In Motion will preview the upcoming, highly-anticipated BlackBerry® PlayBook™ tablet at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) from Thursday, January 6 to Sunday, January 9. Attendees can visit the BlackBerry booth (#30320 in the South Hall) to check out the powerful new tablet in action.

With industry leading performance, uncompromised web browsing, true multitasking, HD multimedia, advanced security features, out-of-the-box enterprise support and a robust development platform, the BlackBerry PlayBook is the world’s first professional-grade tablet.

“Initial feedback about the BlackBerry PlayBook has been outstanding,” said Mike Lazaridis, President and Co-CEO at Research In Motion. “Our strategic decision to invest in groundbreaking performance, web fidelity and an open web-based development environment is resonating extremely well with customers and developers.”

Free BlackBerry PlayBook Offer
The BlackBerry developer community has already begun developing and submitting applications for the BlackBerry PlayBook. Registered developers who submit a qualifying BlackBerry PlayBook app that is accepted into BlackBerry App World™ prior to the initial product launch in North America will receive a free BlackBerry PlayBook, subject to certain terms and conditions. Although developers are encouraged to submit multiple apps, there is a limit of one free BlackBerry PlayBook per registered developer in BlackBerry App World. For additional information on the offer, including the Terms and Conditions, visit www.blackberry.com/developers/blackberryplaybookoffer.

BlackBerry PlayBook specifications

* 7″ 1024×600 WSVGA capacitive LCD touch screen
* Ultra-portable at less than a pound and less than one-half inch thick: 0.9 lbs (400g) and 5.1” x 7.6” x 0.4” (130mm x 194mm x 10mm)
* 1 GHz dual-core processor
* BlackBerry® Tablet OS with support for symmetric multiprocessing
* MP3, AAC and WMA audio playback
* Support for 1080p HD video playback (H.264, MPEG4, WMV)
* HDMI out
* Dual HD cameras for video conferencing and video capture
* 1 GB RAM memory
* Up to 64 GB internal storage (16, 32 and 64 GB models)
* Wi-Fi® (802.11 a/b/g/n) connectivity
* Bluetooth® 2.1+EDR support

Denon Electronics, a premier manufacturer of high-quality home entertainment components celebrating 100 years of innovation and technology leadership, and Marantz America, a world leader of advanced home entertainment solutions, are proud to announce the availability of AirPlay music streaming capability on nine network-capable audio/video components in their respective lineups, making the A/V receivers the world’s first to include AirPlay capability. Given the availability of the newly launched Apple iOS 4.2 update to its mobile operating system, owners of AirPlay compatible Denon and Marantz components may now stream songs directly from their iTunes music libraries, as well as music stored on their mobile devices, though their Wi-Fi enabled networks from their iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch devices.* The AirPlay upgrade is available at both the Denon and Marantz websites for $49.99.

Denon® A/V receivers that are AirPlay capable include the AVR-4311CI (SRP: $1,999), AVR-3311CI (SRP: $1,199) and AVR-991 (SRP: $999), as well as the company’s new 100th Anniversary Product Collection Model AVR-A100 (SRP: $2,499) and its N7 Networked CD Receiver and 2.0 Channel Speaker System, consisting of the new RCD-N7 CD Receiver (SRP: $599) and SC-N7 Stereo Loudspeakers (SRP: $199/pair). In addition, all of the new, IP-based Marantz® products, including the Model SR7005 A/V Receiver (SRP: $1,599), AV7005 A/V Preamplifier (SRP: $1,499), NA7004 Network Audio Player (SRP: $799) and M-CR603 Networked CD Receiver (SRP: $699) will work with the new AirPlay feature.

Unleash Your iTunes Library and “Give Your Home a Soundtrack!”
With AirPlay, users can literally “give their home a soundtrack” by unleashing their iTunes music libraries whether from Mac or PC and streaming all their favorite iTunes songs, as well as music stored on their Apple mobile devices, to select Denon and Marantz components through their Wi-Fi enabled networks from iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch devices. Users do not even need to be in the same room as their Denon or Marantz components to play, pause, skip, and stop the songs in their iTunes libraries. Users may even view iTunes music information, including album art, track titles, and artist info on Apple compatible devices or with their Denon and Marantz components with video output.

Noted Bob Weissburg, President of D&M Holdings NA: “Denon and Marantz both share a commitment to providing consumers with the most advanced lifestyle enhancing features and capabilities that allow them to get closer to the entertainment they love – simply and easily. Maximum compatibility with all of today’s home entertainment content and source components is a top priority, including the iPod and iPhone, and now AirPlay capability. AirPlay adds yet another great dimension to content enjoyment and enhances the overall home entertainment experience. This is yet another example of how both the Denon and Marantz brands utilize ahead-of-the-curve innovations and technologies to take home entertainment to the next level.”

For more information on Denon, visit http://usa.denon.com. For Denon 100th Anniversary and other news, visit http://www.denon100.com and http://usblog.denon.com. Become a fan of Denon on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/denonusa or follow Denon on Twitter at http://twitter.com/denonus.

For more information on Marantz, visit http://us.marantz.com. Become a fan of Marantz on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/marantzamerica or follow Marantz on Twitter at http://twitter.com/marantzamerica.

*A home Wi-Fi network, connected computer and iTunes account are required to configure the streaming feature.

Fossil the watch and accessories company have showed some prototypes that talk to a smartphone over Bluetooth and exchange information, reports Scobleizer.

At present the watches only support Android and BlackBerry phones.

Vice President of Watch Technology, Bill Geiser, said the watches will cost “around $200.”

Fossil, Inc. is a designer and manufacturer of clothing and accessories, primarily watches and jewelry, but also sunglasses, wallets, handbags, belts, shoes and clothing, based in Richardson, Texas, United States. Their brands include Fossil, Relic, Abacus, Burberry, Emporio Armani, Michele Watch and Zodiac Watches.

Full article at: http://scobleizer.com/2010/12/15/the-concept-connected-watches-from-fossil/

Google will unveil a Chrome OS netbook Dec. 7 reports eWeek.

“Google is hosting an event Dec. 7 where it will likely demonstrate a netbook based on its long-awaited Chrome Operating System.

Google late Dec. 3 e-mailed eWEEK a media invitation to a Chrome-related event, sating simply: “On December 7, we will host an event in San Francisco where we plan to share some exciting news about Chrome.”

Full article: http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Desktops-and-Notebooks/Google-Chrome-OS-Netbook-Set-for-Dec-7-Unveiling-251346/

Microsoft Research has developed a new browser tool called Zozzle that can detect JavaScript-based malware.

Microsoft Research said:
“JavaScript malware-based attacks now account for a large fraction of successful mass-scale exploitation happening today. From the standpoint of the attacker, the attraction is that these drive-by attacks that can be mounted against an unsuspecting user visiting a seemingly innocent web page. While several techniques for addressing these types of exploits have been proposed, in-browser adoption has been slow, in part because of the performance overhead these methods tend to incur.”

There are no current plans to release Zozzle to the public.

Microsoft Research’s motto is “Turning Ideas Into Reality”

Google are testing a new online storage tool; Cloud Picker according to techcrunch.

The tool is connected somehow to Google Apps, Docs, and Sites, and was presented to users when they tried to insert a file or image into a Google site. When they tried to embed the file, a “Google Cloud Picker” window opened and asked users to log-in to their Google Accounts.

Read more at: http://techcrunch.com/2010/12/02/meet-cloud-picker-googles-stealthy-new-storage-product/

Google had hoped to launch the Chrome Web Store in October, but is reported to be delayed as Chrome 8 is needed to support the web store.

“Chrome 8 is the first version that supports the Chrome Web Store,” mentions a Google Chrome engineer. There’s already a new icon for the store in Chromium and this should be the final icon.

Google say “Google Chrome 7 was launched on October 21, almost 6 weeks ago, so Chrome 8 and Chrome Web Store should be available this week.”