Why Facebook Just Opened an Online Store

Citing its unique ability to recommend products, Facebook opened an online gift store. The move edges the social network onto the turf of e-commerce king Amazon, but at an opportune time: Amazon is busy making movies, computer hardware, cloud computing services, and entering other markets far afield from its core business of selling physical goods.
Not that Facebook is trying to usurp Amazon just yet. The launch of Facebook Gifts is modest: Facebook is emphasizing sub-$50 products like socks, cupcakes, teddy bears, and Starbucks gift cards. The idea is that Facebook will see words like “happy birthday” or “congratulations” on someone’s wall and prompt friends to buy the person something through the new store.
It’s an obvious and proven idea, one Facebook acquired when it bought year-old mobile gifting startup Karma in May. In the ensuing months, Facebook has rebranded the service and created a desktop version of the app, which is what is being launched today as Facebook Gifts. (From 2007 to 2010, Facebook operated a store by the same name, but it only sold virtual goods.)
In an interview with Wired Business in July, Facebook’s director of advertising product Gokul Rajaram explained Facebook’s thinking about gifts:

The reason it all germinated was because we saw that people wishing each other happy birthday is a really common social norm on Facebook. Because Facebook will basically tell you which of your friends have birthdays today. So we said, this could be a really interesting way to enhance that experience. In addition to saying ‘happy birthday’ you could actually give a small gift. We think that could be a really interesting thing that works on mobile, on the desktop, and is something that fits in with the norms.

In other words, Facebook is trying to monetize common, naturally occurring behavior on its network in a way that feels more natural than other Facebook ads, like “sponsored stories” that pop up when one of your friends mentions a business. Facebook is launching that business across mobile and desktop, and doing so only about four months after the acquisition of Karma.
It’s a smart approach. If anyone is better positioned than Amazon to recommend products to people, it’s Facebook, and the company is off to an auspicious start. It’s a small start, but then so was Facebook itself.

source: wired

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Adobe code signing infrastructure hacked by 'sophisticated threat actors'

Adobe today warned that an internal server with access to its digital certificate code signing infrastructure was hacked by "sophisticated threat actors" engaged in "highly targeted attacks."
The compromise, which dates back to early July, led to the creation of at least two malicious files that were digitally signed using a valid Adobe certificate, according to Adobe security chief Brad Arkin.
Although only two files were signed, the hack effectively gave the attackers the ability to create malware masquerading as legitimate Adobe software and signals a raising of the stakes in the world of Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs).
According to Arkin, one of the two digitally signed malware files is a utility that extracts password hashes from the Windows operating system.  This hints at the "lateral movement" that is common once a targeted attacker gains access to a network and attempts to elevate privileges to gain a higher level of access.
"The first malicious utility we received is pwdump7 v7.1.  This utility extracts password hashes from the Windows OS and is sometimes used as a single file that statically links the OpenSSL library libeay32.dll.  The sample we received included two separate and individually signed files. We believe the second malicious utility, myGeeksmail.dll, is a malicious ISAPI filter. Unlike the first utility, we are not aware of any publicly available versions of this ISAPI filter," Arkin explained.
"Within minutes of the initial triage of the first sample, we decommissioned our signing infrastructure and began a clean-room implementation of an interim signing service for re-signing components that were signed with the impacted key after July 10, 2012 and to continue code signing for regularly scheduled releases. The interim signing solution includes an offline human verification to ensure that all files scheduled for signature are valid Adobe software. We are in the process of designing and deploying a new, permanent signing solution," Arkin added.
Adobe did not provide details on the nature of the breach except to say that it affected a "build server" with access to the code signing infrastructure.  Arkin said the compromised machine's configuration was "not to Adobe corporate standards for a build server" and lamented the fact that this was not caught during the normal provisioning process.
"We are investigating why our code signing access provisioning process in this case failed to identify these deficiencies. The compromised build server did not have rights to any public key infrastructure (PKI) functions other than the ability to make code signing requests to the code signing service," he added.
Arkin said a forensics investigation identified malware on the build server and the likely mechanism used to first gain access to the build server.
"We also have forensic evidence linking the build server to the signing of the malicious utilities. We can confirm that the private key required for generating valid digital signatures was not extracted from the HSM. We believe the threat actors established a foothold on a different Adobe machine and then leveraged standard advanced persistent threat (APT) tactics to gain access to the build server and request signatures for the malicious utilities from the code signing service via the standard protocol used for valid Adobe software," he added.
Arkin says there is no evidence that source code was stolen during the compromise.
Adobe plans to revoke the impacted certificates on October 4, 2012.
The revocation will affect all code signed after July 10, 2012, which indicates the attackers had access to Adobe's infrastructure for more than two months.

source: zdnet

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Obama Defends Free Speech After Asking YouTube to ‘Review’ Anti-Islam Movie

As riots across the Mideast targeted U.S. embassies and consulates, the White House quietly asked YouTube to “review” whether an anti-Islam film allegedly fueling the chaos violated any terms of use. Now, in front of the United Nations, President Obama insisted that the only answer to offensive speech is “more speech.”
It’s not that Obama thinks that the Prophet Mohammed ought to be maligned by a filmmaker who uses tons of aliases and was once busted for PCP. There’s a principle at stake, he told the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday morning: “Our Founders understood that without such protections, the capacity of each individual to express their own views, and practice their own faith, may be threatened.” The calls for censoring the video emanating through the Muslim world are ultimately futile, as well: “When anyone with a cellphone can spread offensive views around the world with the click of a button, the notion that we can control the flow of information is obsolete.”
True enough. But his administration’s response to the video and the anti-American protests continues to whipsaw. The U.S. Embassy in Cairo tweeted condemnations of the film on September 11 and stuck by them as mobs outside stormed the embassy gates. Obama basically deleted those tweets in his speech. He challenged offended Muslims to “also condemn the hate we see when the image of Jesus Christ is desecrated, churches are destroyed, or the Holocaust is denied.” And Obama dismissed the idea that the anti-Islam film was the true cause of this month’s assaults on U.S. embassies, locating it in “intolerance” instead. Even Obama critics like Weekly Standard editor Bill Kristol conceded that the president’s speech was “conventionally unobjectionable.”

But it was also, at the least, unmoored from the way Obama previously handled the crisis. “If we are serious about upholding these ideals, it will not be enough to put more guards in front of an embassy; or to put out statements of regret, and wait for the outrage to pass,” Obama said. “If we are serious about those ideals, we must speak honestly about the deeper causes of this crisis.”
At the same time if we are serious about those ideals, we also have to acknowledge that the White House asked Google to “review” the 14-minute trailer for the anti-Mohammed video to see if it violated YouTube’s terms of use. (It didn’t.) And if we are serious about those ideals, we also have to acknowledge that Gen. Martin Dempsey, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, placed a call to the anti-Islam pastor Terry Jones to see if Jones would rescind support for the movie. (He wouldn’t.) Let’s be clear — there’s a world of difference between those requests and government demands for censorship. But they’re still a far cry from combating hateful speech with more speech.
Obama’s United Nations speech was another indicator that his administration’s approach to this month’s anti-American violence is under revision. First the administration attributed the deadly assault on the Benghazi consulate to mob violence; then to a terrorist attack; and Obama declined to attribute blame for it at Turtle Bay. That might be fairly chalked up to the fog of war. But information doesn’t just want to be free, it wants to be accurate. And it should lead to a consistent response.

source: wired

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YouTube Makes Caption Translation Easier

Google announced that it has made it easier to translate YouTube video captions into over 300 languages.

“You’ll first need a caption track for your video, so if you don’t yet have one you can learn how to make one here,” the company explains in a blog post. “Select ‘Request translation’ in the YouTube Video Manager, choose the languages you’d like to translate into, and click “Next.” We’ll create caption translation documents that you can now invite anyone to help translate, or you can translate yourself. To translate the captions yourself, select the language, and it’ll open up the caption translation document in the Google Translator Toolkit editor to help your translate faster.”


“To give you context on the captions, we’ve also embedded the YouTube video in the editor so you can watch as you translate,” the company notes. “For several languages we’ll provide first draft of the translation using Google’s machine translation technology. We’ll also provide preview of what the translated caption looks like on the video so you can make sure the translated captions fit.”
After all of that, just click “Publish to YouTube”. 

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No iOS 6 for my original iPad? Now, I'm an Angry Bird.

Sorry, iPad 1, you're too old for iOS 6!

To say that I'm unhappy with Apple about the fact that I can't install iOS 6 on my iPad 1, is an understatement. It's not like the thing is seven or eight years old. I bought it just before the iPad 2 came out. And, now I'm angry. I'm very angry. I'm an Angry Bird who wants to have myself flung at the fortified pigs who made this very, very bad decision. You can install iOS 6 on the iPhone 3GS and on the iPhone 4, so why not the iPad 1?
So, now what?
Either I'm stuck with iOS 5.1.1 forever or I jailbreak the damn thing and possibly ruin it.
That's what.
When will Apple stop allowing my iPad 1 access to the App Store or iTunes?
Come on, Apple, how long do I have on this very expensive device that is less than two years old (for me)? How long does anyone have for a device launched in April 2010?
Bad move, Apple. Bad move.
I don't see any compelling features in iOS 6 that would preclude me from using it on my iPad 1. Sure, I don't have a camera or cellular connectivity (My choice) but what I do have is an official iPad and I want it supported. To drop support for it so soon after launch is just short of device homicide. And, it could prevent me from ever buying another Apple anything again.
I had finally convinced myself to like Apple after drooling over the original Macintosh and never getting one. I had come over to the "Dark Side" and even decided that the next computer that I purchase would be a Macbook Air.
But, not anymore.
You want to know why?
Because I don't know how long Apple would continue to support it.
And, guess what else? When my damn contract on my iPhone 4 is up, I'm not renewing it nor am I going to buy a new iPhone. $600 might not be a lot of money for Apple's decision makers but it is for me and I don't have it to waste. $600 would clothe my daughter for an entire school year plus extra left over for activities.
In my opinion, dropping iOS support for the iPad 1 means that Apple no longer cares about its customers and frankly, I'm shocked. It makes me want to take back all of the good things I ever said about Apple, my iPad and my iPhone. Sure, Apple probably doesn't give two hoots in hell about me, my opinion or my unsupported iPad 1, because Apple is going to be the world's first trillion dollar company. My $600 wasted investment means squat to them.
Apple, I have some sage advice for you: Stay focused on the customer or you won't have any. I don't think I'm alone in that feeling now that you've abandoned us.
I wonder if the other 15 million+ buyers of the original iPad would agree?
Do you really want to alienate 15 million customers?
There was a time in your past, Apple, when you were about 90 days from bankruptcy and now you're worth more than $600 billion. But, remember when the US had a $3 trillion surplus when Bill Clinton left office and now we have a $10 trillion deficit? You do the math and take a hint.
15 million is a lot of customers.
It's a lot of unsupported iPads.
It's a lot of pissed off individuals.
At $100 profit per customer, that's $1.5 billion. Small change to you?
It could be opportunity for another company who wants to offer something you don't: Support for your two year old unsupported devices. Sort of an opportunity for someone who wants to make a business out of supporting jailbroken devices with an App Store, new OS releases and updates that will continue the life of this computing platform.
By the way, for all of you who have anything but an iPhone 5, get ready for this: Your devices won't be supported very soon because Apple has changed the interface on the iPhone 5. So, the next generation of iPod and iPad will have the news ones too. And, my friends, that leaves your old devices in an incompatible format.
Awesome.
Think Different.
Planned obsolescence doesn't mean two years. Get a clue, Apple.
Consider me, "Unconverted."
What do you think of Apple's decision to not offer iOS 6 for a two-year-old device? Talk back and let (and Apple) know how you feel.

source: zdnet

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Toyota Talks Plans for New EV, Hybrids

Toyota eQ

Toyota plans to sell about 100 of its new eQ electric vehicle

Toyota is intent on bringing its eQ EV – the electric version of the Scion iQ -- to the market despite the fact that electric vehicles aren't selling well overall. Toyota competitor Nissan has had a very difficult time selling its electric Leaf EV in the United States and has so far failed to come close to sales goals. By contrast, General Motors has found some success with its extended range electric vehicle the Volt.

Toyota says that it only wants to sell about 100 of its electric eQ hybrids in the United States and Japan in what it calls an extremely limited release. Toyota had previously expected to sell several thousand eQ vehicles per year when the electric version of the company's iQ mini car was announced in 2010.

"Two years later, there are many difficulties," Takeshi Uchiyamada, Toyota's vice chairman and the engineer who oversees vehicle development, told reporters on Monday.

Those difficulties undoubtedly involve the fact that consumers are staying away from electric vehicles. Toyota has also dropped plans for a second electric vehicle from its lineup reports Reuters.

"The current capabilities of electric vehicles do not meet society's needs, whether it may be the distance the cars can run, or the costs, or how it takes a long time to charge," said, Uchiyamada, who spearheaded Toyota's development of the Prius hybrid in the 1990s.

Toyota eQ interior

While Toyota is setting its sights very low for the eQ electric vehicle, the company is more bullish on hybrid vehicles. Toyota reports that it plans to launch 21 new hybrid vehicles over the next three years. Toyota also says that it also wants to have a fuel cell vehicle available by 2015. The fuel cell vehicle will be powered by hydrogen. The biggest challenge that vehicle is likely to face is the availability of hydrogen as a fuel source, which is virtually non-existent.

Toyota says that 14 of the new hybrids will be completely new. We can expect that the others will be hybrid versions of existing gasoline-powered vehicles.

source: dailytech

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Nokia Explains Why You Should Get a Lumia 920 Instead of an iPhone 5

Nokia uses an infographic to tout the Lumia 920's advantages

Samsung has definitely had its time to poke fun at Apple's recently announced (and soon to be released) iPhone 5. Last weekend, Samsung released a print ad that proclaimed "It doesn't take a genius" to select a Galaxy S III over the iPhone 5. Yesterday, Samsung got even bolder by releasing a new TV commercial that not only poked fun at the iPhone 5, but also the rabid fans that camp out for hours (if not days) to be the first to have the latest Apple smartphone.

Now, Nokia is having its fun in the sun with an infographic that touts the advantages of its Windows Phone 8 device -- the Lumia 920 -- over the iPhone 5. Naturally, Nokia points to a number of Lumia 920 highlights including wireless charging and the ability to use the touch screen with gloved hands.


So what do you guys think? Does Samsung or Nokia make a better case in countering the iPhone 5 juggernaut?

source: dailytech

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Apple adopts lottery system for iPhone 5 sales in Hong Kong

Apple has suspended direct sales of the new iPhone 5 in Hong Kong, choosing again to adopt a lottery reserving system which requires consumers to send applications online a day prior the purchase date.
Only those who have received a confirmation e-mail will be able to purchase up to two sets of iPhone 5 at  Apple stores in Hong Kong.
A similar approach was adopted by Apple for the sales of Apple's new iPad in the first half this year, which is believed to combat a large number of scalpers looking to resell these machines to mainland China for profits.
Due to the lottery system, local report said the number of fans queuing outside the Apple retail store in Hong Kong was limited on Friday when iPhone 5 was officially launched in the city.
However, the scarce supply pulled up the selling prices of iPhone 5 in the underground market in Hong Kong. Reports said scalpers purchased the new iPhone 16G--which is priced HK$5,588 (US$721) in the Apple retail store--for HK$8,000 (US$1,032) from those who succeeded in buying one through the lottery system. The scalpers will then resell the handset between HK$8,500 (US$1,096) and HK$12,000 (US$1,548).
The Chinese market was not on the list of the first-batch of iPhone 5 sales. However, Chinese smugglers indicated in the reports that by the night of Friday, people in Beijing will also be able to purchase iPhone in the underground market, but at an even higher cost.

source: zdnet

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Facebook Now Lets You Delete Your Search History

Since the dawn of search engines, internet users have utilized the ability to delete their search history. It’s a simple, quick, and painless way to prevent prying eyes from getting up in your business, for lack of a better phrase.
Now, Facebook is giving their users the ability to monitor their search activity and yes, delete it if that’s what they wish to do.
“Starting today, in addition to your other activity, you’ll be able to see the searches you’re making on Facebook. Just as you can choose to delete any of your posts, you can use the same inline control on Activity Log to remove any of your searches at any time. It’s important to remember that no one else can see your Activity Log, including your search activity,” says Facebook.
All you have to do is go to your Timeline and click on “Activity Log” right under your cover photo. From there, simply click the “all” button at the top right corner and find “search” among the options. You’ll see a list that says “John Q. User searched for _______” and you can delete each search at your own discretion. Of course, your activity log (including your searches) is private anyways, but sometimes it’s good to have ultimate control.
Speaking of Facebook and search…Facebook is doing search. Well, at least some time in the future. Mark Zuckerberg said so himself earlier this month. “We’re basically doing 1 billion queries a day and we’re not even trying. Facebook is pretty uniquely positioned to answer the questions people have. At some point we’ll do it. We have a team working on it.”
Adding search to the activity log isn’t the only thing Facebook’s done this week to enhance user privacy. Yesterday, they unveiled a new social plugin called Shared Activity, which will allow developers to give users a way to control which activities they share with friends across web apps.
Users should start seeing the “Search” option within the activity log within the next few weeks.

source: webpronews

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Facebook Pushes iOS App Update In Time For iPhone 5

Earlier, we told you about the new Facebook For Android update, and the Facebook Messenger for Android update (both of which come with some improvements to the messaging experience). Facebook has also pushed out an update to its iOS app. Facebook for iOS 5.0.1 includes iOS 6 and iPhone 5 support, the company notes (as if there were any question).
Here’s what’s new, as highlighted by Facebook:

• Scrolling through news feed is faster than ever
• New banner lets you tap to quickly see more stories – no need to refresh
• Photos open fast and close with one downward swipe
• Instant access to your notifications
• (5.0.1) Support for iOS 6 and iPhone 5; bug fixes

Of course, iOS 6 itself comes with a great deal of new Facebook integration (as does Mac OS X Mountain Lion).
While iOS didn’t get the Messenger update Android received today, Facebook says it’s on its way to iOS soon.
In related news, the company announced a new timed release schedule for its mobile apps.

source: webpronews

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Judge Refuses to Order YouTube to Remove Anti-Islam Film

Click Her to watch video
A California judge refused Thursday to order YouTube to remove controversial footage from “Innocence of Muslims,” the inflammatory film that sparked a U.S. backlash in the Middle East.
A woman who starred in the film, Cindy Lee Garcia, asked a Los Angeles County judge to take down the film because she said she was fired from her job, received death threats and was tricked into starring in the “hateful anti-Islamic production.” The film has possibly led to the killing of J. Chrisopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya and about two dozen others the past week.
Garcia, of California, believed she would be starring in an Arabian desert adventure film, according to her suit. But the 14-minute YouTube trailer produced by Nakoula Basseley Nakoula of Southern California portrays a different story — one of which the prophet Muhammad seemingly engages in oral sex with Garcia’s character.
The woman’s lawyer, Chris Armenta, according to the Los Angeles Times, told Superior Court Judge Luis Lanvin that the dispute is “Not a First Amendment issue. This is an invasion of privacy issue.” She said she would continue to press for the footage’s removal.
It was an unusual request. The primary reason YouTube is asked to remove footage in the United States is because of copyright violations.
The judge, siding with Google, which owns YouTube, said Garcia is not likely to “prevail” on the merits of her lawsuit against Nakoula. Garcia claims he “intentionally concealed the purpose and content of the film.”
The White House had asked YouTube to review the footage to ensure that it comported with the media giant’s terms of service. YouTube did not remove it from U.S.-based viewers. However, YouTube has blocked the film in Egypt, Libya, Indonesia, Malaysia and Saudi Arabia.
Google, in response to the White House’s bid, said the film was “clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube.”

source: wired

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Facebook Introduces New Shortcut For Mobile Payments

After a few disappointing weeks without much in the way of major updates, Facebook explodes onto the scene with a huge Operation Developer Love update. There are four major updates coming to the Facebook platform today that developers will want to take advantage of.
Facebook has been pushing the mobile platform a lot recently and today’s update just further cements their dedication to the platform. They’re introducing a new shortcut for mobile payments that will help developers monetize their content on mobile devices. In essence, the new feature allows developers to match their price points with those of mobile transactions imposed by carriers. It also redirects buyers directly to the mobile payment dialog instead of showing the usual Credit Card and PayPal options. Check out the documentation here.
Another change is coming to how Facebook handles platform dialogs across both the desktop and mobile Web versions of the site. All dialogs, including Feed, Pay and Auth, will now open inline by default for Canvas and Page Tab apps. They feel that this provides a better user experience, and it gets past those pesky pop-up blockers. Check out the documentation here.
Access tokens can sometimes be difficult to work with, especially when it comes to checking information that’s associated with them. That’s why Facebook is introducing a new API endpoint that eliminates the need to debug said tokens. Developers will now just have to issue an HTTP GET request to see all the information on any particular access token. Check out the documentation here.
Finally, Facebook wants to remind developers to start using the Payer Promotion Unit in their apps. It’s the special deal where Facebook subsidizes the cost of credits so developers can offer free bonuses to first-time payers. They found that getting somebody to pay for in-game content just once can usually lead to a lifetime of virtual purchases in your game and others. Developers who have already started using the PPU can now advertise their special promotions via a banner on their app’s canvas page. Check out the documentation here.
Like always, Facebook has done a bang-up job of fixing bugs across the site. They report that 187 bugs were submitted this week with 69 being accepted and 27 being fixed. You can check out the full changelog over at the blog post.

source: webpronews

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Microsoft's Surface challenge: Proving it's a premium product worth a premium price

I think those who are predicting Microsoft's coming Surface PC/tablet hybrids will fail if they don't beat the iPad on price are wrong. I think the Microsoft Surface will fail if Microsoft fails to prove the devices are premium products worth premium prices.

We still don't know exactly how Microsoft intends to price the Surface, though CEO Steve Ballmer telling The Seattle Times he considered the "sweet spot" for the PC market to be between $300 and $800. We know Microsoft execs are continuing to insist tablets are PCs. So I guess that means Ballmer believes PC/tablet hybrids like the Surface -- or "pablets," as no one but me calls these things -- also should come in between $300 and $800. Keyboards like the Touch and Type keyboard covers for the Surface are probably extra, I'd think.
Ballmer also made it clear to The Seattle Times he isn't trying to be the price leader with Surface devices. I have to say I'm relieved to hear it. There will likely be more than enough look-alike, same-old Windows RT and Windows 8 tablets competing to be the low-cost leader/loser, I'd bet.
There also seem to be some PC and tablet makers who aren't thinking about competing on cost --  but also don't seem to have anything much to warrant premium pricing. Microsoft's original guidance was that it would be pricing Surfaces in line with competitive ARM-based tablets and Intel-based ultrabooks.
ZDNet's Larry Dignan got his hands on a slide showing Asus' holiday line-up with its RT tablet coming in at $599 (plus another $199 for keyboard/dock), and its hybrid tab -- similar to the Intel-based Surface Pro -- coming in at $799 (plus another $199 for keyboard/dock).
Paul Spain, host of the NZ Tech Podcast, got Acer to share its planned pricing for its Iconia W510 Windows 8 tablet -- its Surface Pro alternative. It will start at NZ$999 incl tax (NZ$868+tax). "A direct conversion would make this US$712 excluding tax (as the norm for US pricing)," Spain noted. (Spain has more pricing straight from Acer for other Windows 8 hardware, as well.)
I'm not sure if any of the other PC/tablet makers will talk pricing at the upcoming September 27 Intel Clover Trail showcase, but both Acer and Asus -- along with  Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung and ZTE -- are all expected to show off their new devices at the San Francisco event.
We're just about a month away from the day the Surface RT -- the version that runs on an ARM chip but that won't run existing third-party Windows software -- will debut. None of us in the tech press have had any real hands-on time with production versions of the device so far. So we don't really know if the hinges, the touch pads, the keyboards, the casing and all the other components Microsoft execs touted back in June are really as amazing as they looked in the orchestrated demo. None of us has had any real hands-on time with the operating system powering these machines, Windows RT, either.
If the Surface RT works, looks and feels great, I'd be willing to pay more than an iPad for one. I know there are others like me who are tired of having lots of Windows hardware from which to choose -- but almost nothing worth splurging on.
Here's hoping the Surface team -- which seems to have as its charter "focusing on building devices and peripherals that fully express the Windows vision" -- comes out of the quality gates with a boom.

source: zdnet

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LinkedIn Gives Career Pages An Overhaul

LinkedIn announced today that it has updated its Career Pages to make it easier to “show off your unique employer brand”.
“As with many LinkedIn products, our goal is to make both our members and talent acquisition customers more successful,” writes LinkedIn’s Thomas Sexton in a blog post. “When candidates are more engaged, more connected with companies, and better able to find their dream jobs, everybody wins. This means designing a page that’s simple and laser-focused on capturing candidates’ attention as soon as they hit the page.”
The new pages feature a large banner image (which seems to be the trend these days).
“We’ve found that candidates care most about personalized jobs, people they know at your company and what you stand for as an employer,” says Sexton. “The new, cleaner page design puts these elements front and center.”
There are also content modules that let you share videos, testimonials, text, etc.
Here’s what they look like:

source: webpronews

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Watch This iPhone 5 Unboxing Video- Exclusive & First

In case you haven’t seen what it looks like to take an iPhone 5 out of its box yet, but this is something you’re looking forward to,

click here to watch video

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Windows Phone 8X by HTC: Full specs

Steve Ballmer of Microsoft and Peter Chou of HTC shared the stage to unveil two new phones for Windows Phone 8. The joint presentation had the feel of a partnership, with Ballmer frequently referring to the two new phones as a product of "us" and "we". He also made a statement that when people want a Windows Phone they will think of the HTC product.
The top of the line Windows Phone 8X has a 4.3-inch screen protected by Gorilla Glass 2. The full specs indicate a good effort by HTC:

• Display: 4.3-inch super LCD 2, Gorilla Glass, 1280x720
• CPU: Qualcomm S4 1.5 GHz dual-core
• Memory: 16 GB, RAM 1 GB
• Network: GSM/ GPRS/ EDGE/ CDMA/ HSPA/ WCDMA/ LTE
• Wireless: Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, 2.4 & 5 GHz
• Ports: 3.5mm audio, microUSB
• Cameras: Front- 2.1 MP, f/2.0 aperture, ultra-wide angle, 1080p recording; Rear- 8 MP, f/2.0 aperture, 28mm lens
• Audio: Beats Audio
• Battery: 1,800 Ah
• Dimensions: 132.35 x 66.2 x 10.12mm, 130 grams; 5.21 x 2.6 x 0.39 inches, 4.58 ounces
• NFC capable, depending on operator

ZDNet UK has a full hands-on photo gallery for your viewing pleasure. It seems Windows Phone is shaping up to be a colorful line of phones.
The Windows Phone 8X will be available in November from 150 carriers including AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile in the US.
Also unveiled was the lower-end Windows Phone 8S with a 4-inch display and lesser cameras. It will also be available in November.

source: zdnet

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iPhone 5 Reviews Point to an Apple Home Run

Apple’s new iPhone, despite claims of “boring” and “uninspired” from some detractors on launch day, is receiving some strongly positive reviews across the interwebs.
The iPhone 5 will hit stores this Friday, September 21st, but that doesn’t mean you can just stroll down to your local Apple Store and snatch one up whenever you feel like it. If release day purchasing is the way you want to play it, I’d suggest arriving early and bringing a tent. Demand is high, as Apple.com’s shipping estimates have slipped to 3-4 weeks for pre-orders, and the major U.S. carriers are all reporting ship times in the 2-3 week range.
The iPhone 5 sold 2 million units in the first 24 hours of pre-orders, shattering the previous record held by the iPhone 4S. Will all of these eager Apple fans be disappointed, or will it live up to what Apple has called it – the best device they’ve ever made?
Let’s check some of the early reviews:
Engadget
The iPhone 5 is here — or will be soon, anyway — and it’s every bit the device that people were asking for when the iPhone 4S came out. Its new design has less mass yet leaves room for a larger display and LTE wireless, all while increasing battery life. In nearly every respect, this is an upgrade over the 4S that came before, though it arrives almost a year later than many had hoped.
Pick your benchmark and you’ll find Apple’s thin new weapon sitting at or near the top. Will it convince you to give up your Android or Windows Phone ways and join the iOS side? Maybe, maybe not. Will it wow you? Hold it in your hand — you might be surprised. For the iOS faithful this is a no-brainer upgrade. This is without a doubt the best iPhone yet. This is a hallmark of design. This is the one you’ve been waiting for.
CNET
The good: The iPhone 5 adds everything we wanted in the iPhone 4S: 4G LTE, a longer, larger screen, and a faster A6 processor. Plus, its top-to-bottom redesign is sharp, slim, and feather-light.
The bad: Sprint and Verizon models can’t use voice and data simultaneously. The smaller connector renders current accessories unusable without an adapter. There’s no NFC, and the screen size pales in comparison to jumbo Android models.
The bottom line: The iPhone 5 completely rebuilds the iPhone on a framework of new features and design, addressing its major previous shortcomings. It’s absolutely the best iPhone to date, and it easily secures its place in the top tier of the smartphone universe.
The New York Times
Let’s start with design. The new phone, in all black or white, is beautiful. Especially the black one, whose gleaming, black-on-black, glass-and-aluminum body carries the design cues of a Stealth bomber…
At 0.3 inch, the phone is thinner than before, startlingly so — the thinnest in the world, Apple says. It’s also lighter, just under four ounces; it disappears completely in your pocket. This iPhone is so light, tall and flat, it’s well on its way to becoming a bookmark…
There’s no breakthrough feature this time, no Retina screen or Siri. (Thought recognition will have to wait for the iPhone 13.) Even so, nearly every feature has been upgraded, with a focus on what counts: screen, sound, camera, speed.
The phone itself runs faster, too. Its new processor runs twice as fast, says Apple. Few people complained about the old phone’s speed, but this one certainly zips.
Should you get the new iPhone, when the best Windows Phone and Android phones offer similarly impressive speed, beauty and features? The iPhone 5 does nothing to change the pros and cons in that discussion. Windows Phones offer brilliant design, but lag badly in apps and accessories.
TechCrunch
[The] iPhone 5 shines in just about every conceivable way. In fact, I’ll go a step farther: I really do believe this is the best iPhone upgrade that Apple has done yet (besting the iPhone-to-iPhone 3G jump and the iPhone 3GS-to-iPhone 4 jump). As such, it’s the best version of the iPhone yet. By far.
Those worried about the talk of “disappointment” surrounding the iPhone 5, I suggest you simply go to an Apple Store starting on Friday and try it for yourself. My guess is you’ll immediately recognize just how ridiculous all that bluster actually is. The iPhone 5 is the culmination of Apple doing what Apple does best. This is the smartphone nearly perfected.
The Loop
My experience with the iPhone 5, iOS and the EarPods has been great. The iPhone is everything Apple said it would be and with iOS 6 built-in, it’s clear to me that Apple has another winner on its hands. I can’t think of any good reason why anyone wouldn’t upgrade or purchase the iPhone 5.
TIME
The bottom line, in case it isn’t clear already: The iPhone 5 is one terrific smartphone. Ignore the naysayers — even without any awesome technological breakthroughs, it’s a sizable improvement on the iPhone 4S. For many upgraders, LTE alone will be worth the price of admission.
Bloomberg
The launch of a new iPhone long ago passed from mere product introduction into the realm of cultural phenomena. Still, underneath all the hype, the iPhone 5 really is just a new smartphone. A terrific new smartphone…
In the end, the debates over the iPhone 5 will be as endless as the lines waiting to buy it starting Friday. Apple- bashers will say the screen is too small, compared to giants like Samsung (005930)’s Galaxy S III. And they’ll bemoan the absence of a Near-Field Communications chip, which among other things can be used for mobile payments. (Apple says there isn’t yet enough consumer demand to warrant including it.)
And they’ll have some valid points. The iPhone 5 is by no means perfect, and we’re lucky there are a lot of really good smartphones on the market.
But only one great one.
All Things D
The world’s most popular smartphone becomes significantly faster, thinner and lighter this week, while gaining a larger, 4-inch screen—all without giving up battery life, comfort in the hand and high-quality construction…
If you own an iPhone 4S and especially if your carrier won’t let you upgrade yet at the $199 price, you may be content with just upgrading to the new software, which gives you a lot. But you’ll be stuck with the smaller screen, bulkier size and pokier cellular speed. If you own an older model iPhone, or are switching from another phone, however, the iPhone 5 is an excellent choice.
SlashGear

The iPhone 5 probably won’t take any more marketshare from Android than the iPhone 4S did before it. Neither of the major platforms is going anywhere, and each has its loyal user-base. But, it’s the best iPhone so far, and breaking 2m sales in the first 24hrs of preorders suggests the public at large is confident of the same thing.
What the iPhone 5 really convinces me, though, is that throwing bells and whistles into a device doesn’t necessarily make it a better phone in the end. I’d drifted from the iPhone 4S because I had core needs it was no longer satisfying: a larger screen, for instance. Where the iPhone 5 edges back into the picture is in how well it integrates into my daily life. So many things I can make work on Android – video calling, for instance, but iPhone simply makes them more straightforward. If they’re straightforward, that means I use them more.
Telegraph

The iPhone 5 is a marvellous piece of design, arguably the most beautiful object Apple has ever produced. It certainly stands comparison with the first iPod, the iMac and the original iPhone. Yes, it’s thinner and lighter and more powerful than the iPhone 4S but to really understand it, you need to hold it in your hand…The iPhone 5 is a great smartphone made even better. It’s fast, lightweight and backed by the largest application store for any device. It’s also probably the most beautiful smartphone anyone has ever made.

source: webpronews

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iPhone 5 Has a Laser Keyboard, Holographic Images According to This FOX Affiliate

With all of those concept videos floating around out there, I’m kind of surprised that this didn’t happen sooner.
People are already waiting in line to purchase the iPhone 5, which is set to hit the shelves on September 21st. That’s crazy enough. But that’s not what’s really special about this clip.
FOX 5 in New York sent a reporter to an Apple Store to snag an exclusive interview with a fanboy. Everything seems to be going according to the plan until she starts talking about the features of the new iPhone.



source: webpronews  

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LG Optimus G Touts Quad-Core CPU, LTE, 13-Megapixel Camera

LG is aiming for the Galaxy S IIIs and One Xs of the world with its latest Android handset, the Optimus G. Announced on Tuesday in Seoul, the new phone features top-of-the-line accoutrements such as a 1.5 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, 2GB of RAM, NFC, and 32GB of built-in storage.
Oddly enough, LG is going to offer the Optimus G with either an 8- or 13-megapixel rear camera, both capable of shooting up to 1080p video. For viewing all that content, the Optimus G will make use of a 4.7-inch, 1280×768 pixel display with a unique 15:9 screen ratio (16:9 is common on Android handsets and even Apple’s iPhone 5).
LG is also touting the Optimus G as the first 4G LTE smartphone with a quad-core processor. While quad-core handsets are becoming quite popular overseas, they’ve so far been limited to 3G networks. We’ve seen the growth of LTE phones in the U.S., but so far there hasn’t been a quad-core 4G handset stateside.
Aside from hardware, LG has made a lot of software changes to Google’s Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich operating system. LG’s “QSlide Function” enables users to view two different apps side-by-side on one display. The idea here is to allow users to multitask more efficiently on their phone — e.g., sending a tweet while looking at a website at the same time.
LG has also added a feature that allows for zooming in and out of a video being played on the device, whether streamed or stored on-board. And another feature, called “Dual Screen Dual Play” allows for an Optimus G user to stream one image to a nearby HDTV while looking at a different image on their phone. For example, a business presentation could be wirelessly streamed to a TV while the phone displayed speaking notes.
Another cool feature: The camera can snap a photo as soon as a user says a specific word, such as cheese, kimchi or smile (those are LG’s examples, not ours).
LG says the Optimus G will go on sale in Korea next week, with launches in “key global markets in October.” No word yet on whether the Optimus G will hit the U.S., but LG is hosting a press event in New York Wednesday morning, so we might have an answer on this tomorrow.

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Galaxy Tab 10.1 Injunction Still Stands in Apple v. Samsung

Apple v. Samsung judge Lucy Koh issued an order Monday denying Samsung’s motion to dissolve the June 26 preliminary injunction banning U.S. sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1.
Judge Koh listed a few reasons for the decision in the five-page order. First, both parties agreed that the jury’s Aug. 24 ruling in the case “did not resolve all substantive remedies” for the parties, so the judgment is not final as far as the appeals process goes. And since the case is in appeals now, Judge Koh no longer has authority to dissolve the injunction unless the Federal Circuit returns the case to her court.
The preliminary injunction was originally filed because the court found that Samsung had “likely” infringed Apple’s D’889 patent; the jury did not come to the same conclusion.
Because of this, Judge Koh acknowledged in this ruling that Samsung’s motion raised “substantial issues” that could send the case back to her court. Specifically,  since the jury did not find Samsung infringed the D’889 patent, the circumstances surrounding the injunction have changed.
Judge Koh cancelled the parties’ upcoming Sept. 20 hearing about this preliminary injunction. Instead, a post trial hearing to discuss this and other issues, like Apple’s request for a additional damages and “injunctive relief,” will take place in early December.

 source: wired

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iPad Mini now in production, says Taiwanese newspaper

There's been no shortage of rumours about the so-called Apple iPad Mini, which is a smaller 7.85-inch version of the popular iPad tablet. However, speculation has just been given renewed life by a report in one of Taiwan's Chinese-language newspapers, United Daily News, which was picked up by Engadget's Richard Lai.
The UDN story reports that, according to Yuanta Securities, Pegatron has a contract to manufacture iPad Minis, which means that Hon Hai (aka Foxconn) will no longer be the sole supplier of iPads. Foxconn is, of course, under some strain meeting orders for Apple's iPhone 5, as shown by the forced labour of bussed-in "work experience" students on the assembly lines, according to China Daily. (Following publicity, any unwilling students were quickly allowed to return to their studies.)

Is a smaller version of the iPad on its way?

UDN also notes that "the iPad mini will adopt a new generation of connectors" — presumably the new Lightning port introduced with the iPhone 5.
Finally, it says that "iPad mini can be shipped in September", though this does not indicate a launch date. Apple will want to build up a stockpile of several million units to satisfy initial demand.
Although not all Taiwanese sources can be considered reliable, The Wall Street Journal reported on 5 July that "Apple Inc.'s component suppliers in Asia are preparing for mass production in September of a tablet computer with a smaller screen than the iPad."
The idea that Apple would never do a tablet smaller than the iPad has already bitten the dust. One of the disclosures from the Apple vs Samsung trial in the US was an email from Eddy Cue, one of Apple's senior staff, saying: "I believe there will be a 7-inch market and we should do one." That was dated 24 January, 2011.
Today, there clearly is a market for 7-inch tablets, and more than a dozen companies sell them, including Samsung, HTC and RIM. Both Google and Amazon have low-cost 7-inch tablets that appear to sell in volume, with the Nexus and Amazon's Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire HD models. These are eroding the iPad's market share. However, an iPad Mini seems likely to reverse that trend, with production starting at 5 million per month.

source: zdnet

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Facebook Skips On Hosting The F8 Conference This Year

An tech company is only as strong as the developers who make apps for their services. That’s why Google, Apple and the rest court developers every year with a big show that touches upon the latest in developing for iOS, Android and the like. Facebook has joined in with this tradition over the past few years with their F8 conference. Unfortunately, it will be MIA this year.

Facebook told reporters yesterday that their seemingly annual F8 conference would not be happening this year. The reason being that Facebook hasn’t shipped a major new product this year. In fact, the company is still pushing Open Graph, which was introduced at last year’s F8 conference.
For their part, Facebook is still pushing development on the Facebook platform, but in other ways. A conference doesn’t let Zuckerberg and crew get intimate with developers. That may be why the company vouched for putting more emphasis on World Hack 2012 with more locations around the world. In fact, the Facebook crew is hosting a Hackathon in Barcelona today.
Facebook will hold other F8 conferences in the future. The developers who love gathering together and talking about the latest movements in the Facebook scene need not worry. It’s just that Facebook needs something on par or greater than Open Graph to make such an extravagant event worth the cost. The company does have to answer to investors now, and a conference without any major announcements could only hurt their market growth.
As for now, Facebook is going to keep focusing on mobile growth. They have the desktop development market squared away, but the mobile market is still an untamed frontier ripe for the taking. Facebook may be the big name in town, but a small start up could easily usurp them. The next F8 conference will undoubtedly address this potential problem.

source: webpronews

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Pakistan cuts off all access to YouTube

Pakistan has now blocked YouTube entirely from the country, after the video sharing site declined to remove the "Innocence of Muslims" trailer that sparked protests throughout the world.
Attempting to browse to the site results in users within Pakistan being redirected to a page that states "this page is blocked due to restrictions enforced by the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA)," even if the video is not related to the offending trailer.
The PTA has stated that it was ordered by the Chief Justice of Pakistan to block all anti-Islamic videos. It had previously been provided with a list of 753 anti-Islamic sites, which has now grown to 934 sites.
Google's Transparency Report shows that, at about 7 a.m. AEST (2 p.m. PT), YouTube traffic from Pakistan dropped off dramatically, and states that the site is inaccessible from the country.
Google has not put in place a country-wide block, and has told ZDNet that there are no issues with its network that would prevent Pakistan users from visiting the site.
YouTube has previously stated that the video is "clearly within our guidelines and so will stay on YouTube," but the Australian Department of Broadband and the Digital Economy (DBCDE) disagrees with the video remaining online, stating that the video is "clearly offensive" and is calling on Google to "review its terms of service to see if they are being appropriately applied in this case."
"Australia has strong anti-vilification laws. If people believe this video is in breach of these laws, they can make a complaint to Google or the Human Rights Commission," the department said in a statement.
"What people shouldn't do is engage in violent protests on the streets. It is totally unacceptable behaviour and should be condemned."
DBCDE did not respond to queries as to whether it had actually made a request of its own to have the video removed.

source: zdnet

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Windows 8 Tablets: Born to fail

It's no secret that I don't like Windows 8 on new or old desktops. I really thought it might have a shot on tablets though. But at these prices!? Windows RT and 8 on tablets is as dead as a mackerel.
I mean seriously. Asus, a mid-range computer vendor, wants $599 for a Nvidia Tegra ARM-powerd Windows RT tablet? The Windows 8 tablet with an Atom processor for $799? Oh, and if you want a keyboard for either one, it will cost you an extra $199!?


Come on! My Nexus 7, the best tablet I've found to date, cost me $250. A totally maxed out iPad 3 runs runs $829. I'll take either of those in a New York minute over a Windows 8 tablet at those prices.
A friend of mine said the Windows 8 tablet with a keyboard would be worth the price since he could then use it as a full computer. My response to him was: “Isn't that called a laptop?” Actually with an Atom processor at its heart the question should be: "Isn't that called a netbook?" And can't I get those for hundreds less? Why yes, yes I think I can.
Besides with programs such as GotoMyPC you don't need a Windows device to run your Windows applications. They'll run just fine on a less expensive Android tablet or an iPad. And, of course, you can always use a cloud-based office suite like Google Docs on pretty much any device.
Leaving aside my dislike for Windows 8, even if this was the best operating system ever, I can't see anyone buying them at these prices. They're just too expensive for both consumers and businesses. In a world where Apple has an iron-lock on high-end tablets and Android is securing its place on the mid and low-ends with devices such as the Nexus 7 and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD, I don't see anyone wanting to buy a Windows 8 or RT tablet at these price points.

source:zdnet

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Skype to Get New Windows 8 Look and Video Messaging

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It appears that Skype will be getting quite an overhaul this holiday season. The Verge is reporting that the popular video calling software will be getting a visual update to fit in with the new Windows 8 OS.
Citing unnamed “sources familiar with Skype’s plans,” The Verge states that Skype is now testing a new UI for all platforms. The new interface is “metro-inspired,” referring to the tile-based interface of Windows 8. A shift toward this design can already be seen in the newest beta version of the client.
In addition to aesthetic changes, it is also rumored that Skype will be getting a video messaging service. The feature will allow Skype users to leave a video message for their contacts, who can the watch it the next time they log on, the same way a voicemail or text would be received. The Verge points out that this is a similar feature to the now-defunct Windows Live Video Messages. Video messaging is rumored to be coming “in time for the holidays” along with an outlook.com integration feature.
All of this points to the fact that Microsoft is now fully in control of Skype’s future and sees it as an integral part of its new OS strategy. The Skype client has not changed dramatically since Microsoft acquired it last year, but that appears to now be changing.

source: webpronews

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iPhone 5 Breaks First Day Pre-Order Record

In news that shouldn’t really be a shock to anyone, Apple has officially announced the the iPhone 5 is their fatest selling phone of all time. In its first 24 hours on the market, pre-orders topped 2 million.
The previous record was 1 million, which was held by the iPhone 4S’ opening day.
Pre-orders began at 12:01 am PT last Friday, and the initial stock quickly sold out. IN just a couple of hours, Apple.com was already reporting a pushed-back ship time of 14 days. Soon, carrier ship dates began to slip as well.
“iPhone 5 pre-orders have shattered the previous record held by iPhone 4S and the customer response to iPhone 5 has been phenomenal,” said Philip Schiller, Apple’s senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. “iPhone 5 is the best iPhone yet, the most beautiful product we’ve ever made, and we hope customers love it as much as we do.”
AT&T has also released a statement on the weekend of iPhone 5 sales. According to the carrier, they set a record this week: fastest selling iPhone ever. “Customers ordered more iPhones from AT&T than any previous model both on its first day of preorders and over the weekend,” they said.
AT&T failed to go into any specifics on exactly how many iPhone 5s were pre-ordered over the weekend. although AT&T maintains that many who’ve already ordered the new phone will get it by the 21st, customers pre-ordering from AT&T today can expect their device to ship in 2-3 weeks.
Before last week’s launch, one analyst predicted that the iPhone 5 could sell up to 10 million units in the first week.

source: webpronews

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‘Muslims’ Movie Producer Was Arrested for PCP, Snitched for Feds

Before he was involved in the making of a noxious video that provided an excuse for anti-American riots in the Middle East, and before he was convicted of federal bank fraud, Nakoula Basseley Nakoula was arrested on charges relating to the making of angel dust.
Court records reviewed by Danger Room show that Nakoula and a co-defendant were brought before the Los Angeles County Superior Courthouse in Downey, California on April 15, 1997. They were charged with possessing the narcotic’s chemical precursors with “the intent to manufacture phencyclidine,” otherwise known as angel dust or PCP.
In the latest in a series of odd revelations about the man thought to be at center of a viral video, “The Innocence of Muslims,” which has been publicly seized upon by people in Libya, Egypt, and Tunisia as a reason to attack U.S. embassies. At least four American government employees have been killed during the confrontations. And that’s brought enormous scrutiny to Nakoula, an Egyptian immigrant and gas station owner, who has alternatively confirmed and denied a role in the making of “Innocence.”
In recent days, we’ve learned that Nakoula used 14 different aliases — including “P.J. Tobacco” and “Kritbag Difrat” — in a complex check kiting scheme. We’ve learned that Nakoula was sentenced to 21 months in federal custody for the affair. According to The Smoking Gun, Nakoula was released from the the United States Penitentiary in Lompoc, California in September, 2010. He spent the following nine months in and out of a halfway house in Long Beach. Unnamed officials tell ABC News he wrote the script for the film, which depicts the prophet Muhammad as a thug and a child molester, while in prison.
The punishment was relatively gentle, even though it wasn’t Nakoula’s first encounter with the law. That’s because Nakoula had decided to become a federal informant.
“I am sorry for what happened. Now I know it was wrong. I decide to cooperate with the government to retrieve some of those mistakes,” Nakoula told Judge Christina Snyder in June of 2010, according to a sentencing transcript obtained by The Smoking Gun.
The man Nakoula agreed to help the feds catch was Eiad Salameh, the ringleader of the check kiting scheme and “a notorious fraudster who has been tracked for more than a decade by state and federal investigators,” the Smoking Gun says. “In his debriefings, Nakoula said he was recruited as a ‘runner’ by Salameh, who pocketed the majority of money generated by the bank swindles.”
Because of the promised help, because of his many ailments (including Hepatitis C and diabetes) and maybe because of a friendly letter from a friend calling Nakoula “a God-fearing man whose first priority is his family,” Bakoula was sentenced to just 21 months in prison.
That’s in spie of his previous arrests. In August of 1991, he was convicted on two counts of selling watered-down gasoline. And then came the arrest for PCP manufacturing in 1997. A local judge found there was probable cause for the case to continue against Nakoula and a co-defendant, Khaled Yameen Abraham, on August 6th of that year. Nakoula and Abraham were also briefly charged with conspiracy.
Three months later, Abraham was convicted on the PCP charge. Nakoula, on the other hand, was not. Nearly five years later, the case against him was dismissed, for reasons unknown.
According to The Daily Beast, Nakoula and Abraham weren’t just attempting to make PCP. The news site claims that the pair were arrested for trying to mass-produce methamphetamine. Nakoula was arrested on March 27, 1997, according to the Beast, with $45,000 in hundreds and twenties in a paper lunch bag on the seat beside him. Abraham’s house in Lake Elsinore contained 30 boxes of pseudoephedrine, meth’s central ingredient. Another 99 cases were allegedly found at the storage facility. Danger Room hasn’t been able to confirm this account. But it’s entirely possible that Abraham and Nakoula were simultaneously busted for being both PCP and meth makers.

source: wired

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Samsung to unveil Galaxy S4 in Feb 2013

Samsung Electronics plan to unveil the latest in its Galaxy line, S IV, at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in February next year, company officials and its local part suppliers told The Korea Times on Sunday.
A company official who declined to be named, told the daily news site the company is "ready" to unveil the Galaxy S IV in Barcelona next year, and the new device is expected to hit shelves globally a month later at the latest.
The timetable had been released three days after the Korean electronics giant's rival, Apple introduced its iPhone 5, which has received mixed responses from industry experts and consumers for seemingly lacking in revolutionary features.
The official also said since the smartphone is due nine months after May's debut of the Galaxy S III, it will be more than enough to curb Apple's latest iPhone, compatible with long-term evolution (LTE) networks. Sales of the Galaxy S III had reportedly hit 20 million in just over three months of its launch, according to the company in early September.
The new Galaxy is expected to be the firm's most powerful handset in terms of hardware specifications and software advancement, he said.
Executives from Samsung's local part suppliers also said the company's new phone will "definitely use" LTE networks, and sport its in-house Exynos-branded application processors and quad-core chips. Currently, the S III is using both Samsung's Exynos and Qualcomm's Snapdragon processors depending on the country.
The screen size of the S IV is expected to hit 5 inches from the current 4.8 inch screen size of its S III, while the phone will use Google's Android software and sport an organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, the official said.
"Samsung wants to keep its one-year product schedule and the Galaxy S IV will be the first to match that strategy. The S IV will see some external changes but retain its popular rectangular shape with rounded corner concept," an official from one of Samsung’s local partners told The Korea Times. This follows reports last month that the company is currently in talks with major American carriers to apply modified phone designs to avoid violating patents.

source: zdnet

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Pakistan blocks anti-Islam YouTube video

The Pakistan government, on Saturday blocked access to snippet from an anti-Islam movie which triggered demonstrations across the country in retailiation to the film.
According to The Times of India on Saturday, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had blocked pages on YouTube and other video sharing sites which had a clip from the controversial movie. They said they had been directed by the country's information technology (IT) ministry to block the video.
Rehman Malik, interior minister said the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority had been asked to ban the anti-Islam movie trailer across the country. No one is allowed to project hate content against Prophet Muhammad, he had told reporters.
The country's Foreign Office had also said the movie "deeply hurt" the feelings of Pakistanis and Muslims around the world.
Massive protests raged across the country on Sunday against the anti-Islam film--made in the United States-- with protesters burning U.S. flags and effigies of President Barack Obama, AFP reported.
This is not the first time the country has blocked online content. The PTA had blocked Twitter from orders by the IT ministry in May after the microblogging site allegedly refused to remove an offensive post, before subsequently restoring it. In February, the government had blocked 13,000 "obscene" sites and called it a "serious issue" that the government is trying to address at the moment.

source: zdnet

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5 Things That Would Make Us Fall in Love With the iPhone Again

Apple revealed its sixth-generation iPhone Wednesday, and for many, it landed with more of a hollow thud than the fireworks and cheers of iPhones past.
Gadget Lab’s Mat Honan called the phone “cruelly boring.” Forum posts on The Verge call it “the most boring iPhone yet.” The Atlantic Wire also ruminated on the “meh” reaction it elicited from iFans.
Apple’s not out to create another revolution with a phone filled with never-before-seen tech. It’s understandably playing it safe. This is a mass-market product, after all. Still, there are a number of features we wish could have made it into the iPhone 5 and that we hope Apple will implement in the near future so that we can fall in love all over again.

Dynamic Icons

The Live Tiles feature is one of my favorite things about Windows Phone OS. The constantly updating tiles relay information like what’s next on your calendar or what a contact’s most recent tweet or message to you was, or even just rotate through your photos. They’re subtle but addictively useful.
Apple could have its own take on this with icons that updated dynamically The built-in music app, for instance, could show album art for the current track. The weather app, might show current weather and temperature based on your location. For the calendar, a graphic showing how many appointments you have that day. Subtle, tasteful, and still decidedly iOS (widgets, a staple of Android OS, for instance, would be an abomination for Apple’s), yet they’d be a useful way to make that larger iPhone homescreen shine.

Wireless Charging

Can’t blame Apple for not including this feature in 2012, but it sure would be nice to be able to toss your phone into a purse or onto a counter and never have to think about plugging it in to charge. This, again, is an interesting feature of some new Windows Phone handsets: the Nokia Lumia 920 and 820.

The Nokia Lumia 920 and Lumia 820. Photo: Noah Devereaux/Wired

Perhaps in 2013 or 2014, after Intel, for example, begins embedding wireless charging into its notebooks and smartphones, we’ll see Apple add this feature. But if the company had included this in the iPhone 5, it could have also made extra money selling a wireless mat accessory for the phone to charge on.

Predictive Behaviors

Siri can handle simple requests, such as giving you information, letting you dictate messages, and, soon, opening apps for you. But what if Siri developed more of a mind of her own?

Most of us fall into regular routines, and that includes our phone and app usage. Maybe you wake up in the morning, check your email first thing, then hop on Twitter or check Flipboard. After work, you open up Wired, The New York Times, or The New Yorker. And before bed, you spend some quality time with Netflix.
It would be compelling if the iPhone learned your behavior and began preemptively opening your usual apps for you at the usual times. And it doesn’t seem too far fetched to imagine it being included in the OS one day: Apple places a very heavy focus on the usability of its products, and upgrades to iOS generally focus on making the operating system more intuitive and easier to use.

Facial or Gesture Recognition

We know Apple has patents on it. Facial or gesture recognition is another usability enhancement that would have upped the iPhone excitement factor.

A figure from an Apple patent titled “3D Object Recognition.”

Samsung’s got facial recognition already, but there’s an opportunity for Apple to implement it more fully — and more successfully. Yes, it could be used to unlock your iPhone. But it’d also be great for locking or unlocking specific apps (keeping prying eyes out of your email, for example), or for letting you access Siri without pressing a button.
Gesture recognition, on the other hand, could come in handy if you’re just feeling lazy — a flick of the finger sideways to turn a page in Instapaper, awave to start or stop music without opening a music app or even turning on your iPhone’s display. I think there’s more utility for the iPad on this front, but it’s something that would still put some wow back into the iPhone.

Better Armor

The glass back on the iPhone 4 and 4S is a recipe for breakage, and the 3GS before that was uber scratch-prone. Apple minimized the glass issue by wrapping the rear of the iPhone 5 in brushed aluminum, but what if instead of regular old aluminum it was something virtually indestructible? The display glass too — an iPhone that doesn’t scratch, crack or chip?
If Tim Cook had stepped onstage and thrown the iPhone 5 onto the ground, pounded on it with a hammer, then picked it up unscathed, we’d be beside ourselves. But after all the chips and shattered screens, we’d be impressed if he had merely dropped  it onto its glass-clad corner and it didn’t crack or chip.

source: wired

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