NSA Denies Any Plans to Infect "Millions" of Computers with Malware
USA's Nationalistic Safeguard Implementation has been reported to be dramatically expanding it power to grapple into computer on a magnitude reach according to latest top-secret documents leaked by NSA source Prince Snowden.
Tho' the tidings office has denied the allegations, the documents display that NSA is using automatic systems that reduce the level of hominine error in the writ. They also include info some a new surveillance technology that the authority has mature which can potentially pollute millions of computers worldwide with malware "implants." The malware leave also enable the NSA to pass into targeted computers and selection accumulation from adulterant internet and sound networks as healthy.
The implants can cut into machines finished an vesture of deceptions much as phony Facebook web pages, spam emails with leering course.
GCHQ, the Island information bureau is said to hump played an great persona in portion NSA amend the implants maneuver. Both reportable cases convey NSA pretends to act as a imitative Facebook server and uses the gregarious media site to foul a target's machine and solution files from a petrified journey. Different cases direct how NSA has dispatched out spam emails filled with malware which can be victimized to covertly fact oftenness from a machine's mike and level stand snapshots with its webcam without the human even learned around
Ubuntu Smartphones to Cost Between $200 and $400
Mark Shuttleworth, founder of Canonical which develops Ubuntu, has said that the smartphones running Ubuntu mobile operating systems "will come out in the mid-higher edge, so $200 to $400."
Canonical expects to have its highest-end Ubuntu phone to become full PCs when docked with a monitor, mouse and keyboard. The company has already tied up with phone manufacturers like Meizu and BQ earlier this year to produce the first Ubuntu smartphones. Recently, Canonical failed to raise $32m earlier in an effort to develop the Ubuntu Edge which would have been a premium smartphone with prices ranging from $600 to $830.
The firm is yet to reveal the specs of the upcoming phones that will be developed by Meizu and BQ. A Canonical spokesperson has confirmed to Ars Technica that the prices quoted by Shuttleworth for the upcoming smartphones are the off-contract, unsubsidized guide prices.
Facebook Announces 15-Second Auto Play Video Ads
Facebook has formally announced
launching 15-second auto play video ads, which will start playing
without sound as they appear on screen. The ad will stop as soon you
scroll past. To watch the video, you need to
tap the video, which then expands into full screen. According to
Facebook, users will start to see these new ads “over the next few
months”.
Facebook has been long rumoured
to be working on “video ads”. According to reports, the social
networking giant has already tied up with several brands including the
likes of Coca Cola, Ford, and American Express for auto-play video ads. The new video ads are part of
Facebook’s consistent efforts to explore more options to generate
revenue. Facebook says it will ensure video ads that appear on the
website “are as good as other content people see in their News Feeds.”
Facebook has also tied up with Ace Metrix. “Ace
Metrix will allow us to objectively measure the creative quality of the
video in the Facebook environment, and highlight performance indicators
for advertisers such as watchability, meaningfulness and emotional
resonance. We’re taking this step in order to maintain high-quality ads
on Facebook and help advertisers understand what’s working to maximize
their return on investment,” says Facebook in a post.
Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 Neo Officially Launched at Rs. 16,750
Samsung Galaxy Tab3 Neo was launched along with the GalaxyNote Pro series at the Samsung Forum 2014. The tablet was recently spotted on e-commerce site Infibeam for around Rs. 16,750.
Specifications of Samsung Galaxy Tab3 Neo :
- Samsung is currently selling the 3G version of the tablet, while there's no word on the Wi-Fi only model’s availability and price.
- Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy Tab 3 Neo in India for Rs. 16,750.
- Galaxy Tab3 Neo features a 7-inch display with 600 x 1024 pixels resolution.
- It runs Android 4.2 Jelly Bean and is powered by a 1.2GHz dual-core processor along with 1GB of RAM.
- The tablet measures 193x117x9.7mm and weighs 310gm.
- The Samsung Galaxy Tab3 Neo features 2MP rear, 8GB of internal storage, microSD card slot and 3600 mAh battery, rated to deliver 8 hours of video playback.
- For connectivity, the tablet supports Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and GPS + Glonass.
- The tablet is preloaded with ‘Club Samsung’, which a user to access language content across 5000 Movies, 4 Lakh Songs, 500 Gigs and even Live TV with 90+ channels.
- The app has “Discovery” – an intelligent algorithm which lets users you select a playlist according to mood, era, language or genre and auto updates the playlist when fresh content is added to the store.
Researchers Develop Chip that Turns Your Smartphone into a Projector
Researchers at California Create of Profession (Caltech) have developed a new 'light-bending semiconductor fleck' which could meliorate users spring presentations that are sticking on a conference way wall via your radiotelephone sound. The new dung eliminates the beggary of pricy and bulky lens utilized in traditional projectors. Ali Hajimiri and his unit were fit to bypass conventional optics by manipulating the coherence of sunstruck - a holding that allows the researchers to "turn" the lightsome uses a so-called unified optical phased arrange (OPA) to impel the person electronically with only a concentrated laser tube as illumine germ and no mechanically streaming parts," explained Ali Hajimiri, Thomas G. Myers professor of electrical engineering at Caltech. "By changing the organism timing of the waves, you can travel the content of the bioluminescent seem," Hajimiri statement about our activity is really that we can do this on a tiny, one-millimeter-square silicon chipping. We can do it real apace to represent images since we phase-shift electronically in two dimensions," said Behrooz Abiri, a high educatee in Hajimiri's aggroup.
"In the ulterior, this can be merged into a radiophone sound. Since there is no poverty for a lense, you can know a sound that book as a projector all by itself," Hajimiri told the collecting at the Optical Fibre Act (OFC) association in San Francisco late.
Google Launches 'Helping Women Get Online' Campaign in UP
Google has launched a campaign across UP
called the "Helping Women Get Online". The two-month long program will
educate over five lakh (500,000) women and girls. As part of the
campaign, Google has also launched a website www.hwgo.com which can be used to learn basics of internet and computer usage relevant to day-to-day life.
While talking to PTI, Sandeep Menon,
Google marketing director said, "The two-month Helping Women Get Online
campaign (HWGO) in Uttar Pradesh aims to create awareness about the
benefits of Internet for women and assist them to get online through
basic knowledge on how to use the Internet."
"We strongly believe that Internet can benefit and transform the lives of women in Uttar Pradesh and India. With the launch of HWGO we aim to help over five lakh women and girls across Uttar Pradesh get digitally literate", he said.
Google has also partnered with Intel, Hindustan Unilever Limited and Axis Bank for the campaign.
McAfee to Offer Free Mobile Security to Indian Users
McAfee, the global software security
provider has announced a full-featured free mobile security solution to
its Indian users. The app is available for Android and iOS (iPhone OS)
mobile devices and can be downloaded from the Google Play Store.
Users can download McAfee Antivirus and Security app from Google Play Store for free.
According to a recent report by Trend Micro mobile,
malware will continue to increase in 2014. The research firm states
that mobile banking will be a major target of malware and the basic two
step verification process will no longer be sufficient. The firm adds
that organizations may expect major data breaches at least once a month
in 2014.
Indian consumers will be empowered to access all the benefits of this connected world and enjoy a safe mobile life. McAfee is committed towards raising awareness on cyber threats, to enable personal data security and protect digital lives. Our initiative to give away one of the strongest premium mobile security offerings at no cost is an enabler in that direction," he added.
Opera Mini 8 Now Available For BlackBerry and Java-Running Phones
Opera Mini 8 is now available for
BlackBerry and Java-running phones. The updated browser features a slew
of new features including n improved Speel Dial start page with
redesigned tiles. Opera has also rolled out a flat, minimalistic design
for the new browser.
The updated browser brings a 'Night Mode',
which dims the brightness of screen, and uses darker colours that are
easy on eyes. Users can enable this feature via the Settings menu.
Opera Mini 8 also makes it easier for
users to monitor and adjust data usage. It also gives options to users
to set the quality of images. “All your surfing is squeezed down to as
little as 10% of its original size, so, if you are on a bad connection
or paying for data as you go, Opera Mini 8 will keep you online longer,”
says Opera in a blog post.
There's also a private browsing feature.
CryptoLocker: Deadliest Threat Ever to Affect PCs
A malicious malware called CryptoLocker
has become the scariest threat to PC's around the world. A ransomware by
its application and use, CryptoLocker raked in around 5 million dollars
in the last 4 months of 2013, that earlier took nearly a year for cyber
attackers to acquire. Johannes B. Ullrich, chief research
officer at the SANS Institute stated that "A compromised personal
computer for a botnet or Distributed Denial of Service attack is worth
about a buck to a byte bandit." He added that cyber-criminals can easily
make 100 dollars and more with the ransomware.
Jarvis, of SecureWorks states that the CryptoLocker crew is known for
maintaining good customer relations. “They’re honoring people who do pay
the ransom. In most cases they’re sending the decryption keys back to
the computer once they receive payment successfully,” he explained. “We
don’t know what the percentage of people who successfully do that is,
but we know it’s part of their business model not to lie to people and
not do it."
What makes the malware different from other malicious software is that
it uses strong encryption. Files and documents on machines infected with
the Trojan are scrambled using AES 256-bit encryption. CryptoLocker
holds the victim's PC hostage till they pay a ransom amount.
Kerala Based Startup RHL Vision Raises $200,000 Online
RHL Vision Technologies, a startup which
developed the gesture-based wearable device called Fin, has raised over
$200,000 on the crowd-funding platform Indiegogo. Fin, is a tiny
hardware product that can be worn on your thumb as a ring, which
converts your whole palm into a gesture interface.
Fin is a Bluetooth enabled device. It
has sensors that can uniquely recognize each segment of the
fingers and can be linked to other devices like your smartphone, TV as
well as another wearable devices. Users can assign different functions
to each finger segment and can perform multiple functions by just making
their thumb, touch the relevant segment.
The device was developed by Rohildev N, a
23 year old engineering graduate who established RHL Vision
Technologies 8 months back. The company originally targeted to raise
$100,000 and reached that target in mid-February. Later the company
revised its target twice – first to $150,000 and then to $250,000. Now,
the product has managed to raise about $200,000 from some 1,600 people
around the world who have pre-ordered the device.
Fin will be priced at $120 each, but the cost could come down with mass manufacturing.This
is the second Indian hardware/software startup that has raised money on
the crowd-funding platform in recent times. Last year Gecko, the
coin-sized electronic device, developed and marketed by a Bangalore
startup, raised funds worth $135,485 on Indiegogo. As many as 3,731
people around the world ordered the device.
Microsoft to Change the Start Screen in Windows Phone 8.5
Microsoft is planning the launch of its Windows Phone 8.1 update 1, reports of Windows Phone 8.5 already being in the works are circulating on the Internet.
The new version of the mobile OS was
spotted in a tool-tip message in the updated Windows Phone 8.1 SDK
files. The update hints at a secondary live tile that might be removed,
and the API might be re-designed for some other new features. According
to rumors, Microsoft is also planning to change the start screen in
Windows Phone 8.5.
The Windows Phone 8.1 update will allow
developers to choose a shorter update/refresh period for live tiles.
Currently, the update occurs every 30 minutes, but with the Windows
Phone 8.1, update will happen after every minute. Developers will be
able to manage notifications by tagging, grouping or replacing them as
the new one comes in. They can also see notifications in the Action
center and even set a 'Ghost toast'.
Microsoft is planning to launch the Windows Phone 8.1 update in April at
the Build developer conference. The update will also bring Microsoft's
much anticipated Siri-like voice assistant, called Cortana.
Nokia X Launched in India at a Price Tag of Rs. 8599
Nokia's first Android smartphone, Nokia X, was launched in India today at a price of Rs. 8500. Nokia X is the first smartphone to run on the new Nokia X software platform which is based on Google's AOSP (Android Operating System Project).
The smartphone features a very customized OS from Nokia, which does not resemble Android at all. Nokia X features the 'Noka X software platform' is a customized mobile operating system made by the Finnish manufacturer. Users will not be able to access the Google Play Store. However, Nokia has made it clear that it will feature Android apps from Play Store on its own Nokia Store. Users will also be able to sideload .apk files even though compatibility issues may arise as the smartphone does not support Google services. Nokia has put more emphasis on Microsoft services such as Bing Search, Skype and OneDrive file storage.
The customized Android on the Nokia X resembles Windows Phone OS with its tile-based UI. Nokia is also expected to launch Nokia X+ and Nokia XL smartphones, which are the higher-end Android based phones. All the smartphones run on a Qualcomm Snapdragon dual-core processor with dual-SIM capacity. Nokia X+ and Nokia XL have also been announced for India and will be launched with the next two months.
Nokia X was spotted earlier on the e-retailer site, The Mobile Store, with a price tag of Rs. 8500.
Samsung Galaxy S5 Spotted Online at a Price of Rs 45,500
Samsung Galaxy S5 was recently put up
for pre-order on Saholic for Rs 45,500. However the listing has been
pulled down from the online store, casting doubts on when it will hit
Indian stores.
The Samsung Galaxy S5
smartphone has a 5.1 inch super AMOLED capacitive touch screen, with 16
M colors and 1080 x 1920 pixels screen resolution. It has a dust and
water resistant body and comes with an inbuilt Finger Print Scanner for
additional security.
The Galaxy S5 runs on Android v4.4.2
(KitKat) OS and has a 2.5GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 801
processor. It has 2GB of RAM and 16/32 GB of internal storage
expandable up to 128 GB via microSD card slot. For connectivity, the
smartphone supports GPRS, EDGE, 3G, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, NFC and USB
support.
The S5 has a 16 MP auto-focus rear
camera with LED flash and a 2 MP front camera for video calling. It has
an inbuilt accelerometer, humidity, gesture and heart rate sensors. The
Samsung Galaxy S5 smartphone will be launched in Black, White, Gold and
Blue colors.
Tuesday, 11 March 2014
Posted by Unknown
Facebook to Launch Redesigned Pages for Businesses
Facebook has revamped its Pages on
desktop to help users and Page administrators get easier access to
information. The internet giant stated in a blog post that the new
design will start rolling out “this week.”
The Timeline for Pages design will have
all the posts in one column, similar to the user profiles. The posts
will appear the same way on your Page as they do in the News Feed.
The left-side column includes all the information about the Page,
including a map, business hours, phone number, website URL, as well as
photos and videos. Facebook has added a new “Pages to
Watch” feature in the Page Insights tool. The app lets admins track and
compare the performance of Pages similar to their own, including key
stats as well as the week’s most engaging posts.
The new design will also let Page admins
view information about ads, including new likes, messages and unread
notifications from any page. Facebook has added new navigation options
at the top for accessing Page activity, settings and insights. A new
Build Audience menu takes admins to their Ads Manager account. Facebook stated in a blog post that the previous multiple-column design was
confusing and the company has decided to put all posts on the right side
and other information on the left for easier navigation and search.
Google to Release Android Tools to Aid Wearable Tech
Google has confirmed that it plans to
launch a software development kit in the next two weeks that will allow
third-party developers to create Android software for use on wearable
computing devices. The news was confirmed by Google's head of Chrome and
Android, Sundar Pichai at SXSW (South By Southwest Interactive
Festival) 2014.
Sundar Pichai, during a panel discussion
at SXSW 2014, stated that a new SDK would be released by Google which
is designed to help developers create Android apps for devices like
smartwatches and fitness bands. He also stated that Android SDK for
wearable's would help developers take advantage of current and emerging
sensor technology. Google had previously released similar SDKs for
Android for automobiles, televisions and tablets. Pichai likened the
wearable technology to the smartphone revolution and stated that the
goal was to take Android beyond tablets and smartphones to a
multi-screen world.
"In two weeks we are launching the first
developer SDK for Android that will lay out the vision for developers
in how we see this market working," Pichai said.



















