TechNewsWorld : Archives

TECH TREK
Taiwanese University Sues Apple... Again

Tuesday - May 7, 2013

National Cheng Kung University may not have a fight song -- but it is definitely willing to fight. For the second time in a year, the Taiwanese university has sued Apple. The most recent suit is for alleged infringement of the university's patents relating to video compression technology in Apple software such as FaceTime and QuickTime. The university is crying foul over Apple's use of "block-oriented motion compensation video compression," which covers an array of products. Thus, NCKU is seeking a permanent injunction against Apple, as well as damages. [More...]

HP Goes to Work With New ProBooks for SMBs

Tuesday - May 7, 2013

HP, facing difficulties in its desktop and laptop sales, on Monday unveiled two new series in its ProBook notebook computer line for small and medium businesses. The ProBook 400 series has five laptops with screen sizes ranging from 13.3 to 17.3 inches that are up to 36 percent thinner and 18 percent lighter than previous notebooks. [More...]

Gardening in Waterworld

Tuesday - May 7, 2013

One day, gardener Robert Mainville saw a show about hydroponics on PBS, and it fascinated him. Soon he had set up a hydroponic garden in his own yard -- forsaking his old soil plots -- and within months was harvesting tomatoes, cabbage, kale, and turnips. "It works fantastically," said Mainville, the owner of Cape Fear Hydrogardens. "The production you can get is amazing." [More...]

IE8 Exploit Had US Nuke Workers in Its Sights

Monday - May 6, 2013

A zero-day vulnerability in Internet Explorer 8 let hackers compromise a U.S. Department of Labor website linked to a database used by former Energy Department employees who had worked with nuclear weapons or uranium. That database was also used by Labor Department claims examiners. Security firm Invincea first reported the attack. [More...]

Fitbit Flex Takes You by the Wrist

Monday - May 6, 2013

Fitbit users who frequently forget or misplace their fitness trackers now have a new option: Fitbit Flex, a version of the popular Fitbit device that's designed to be worn on the wrist, became available on Monday. Fitbit Flex, which retails for $99.95, is a bit larger than the typical silicone awareness bracelet and features a pedometer, sleep tracker, vibrating alarm and calorie tracker. [More...]

No Starry Eyes Yet for Google Glass

Monday - May 6, 2013

There's plenty to lust after in Google Glass -- if you're a tech aficionado, that is. A beta version of Google's widely hyped, Web-connected eyewear has been out for a few weeks, and rave reviews have been the rule rather than the exception. Developers are building Google Glass apps to tempt and titillate, including one that lets a Google Glass wearer take a photo with the blink of an eye. [More...]

TECH TREK
Hacking Software Guru Faces the Music in US Court

Monday - May 6, 2013

Hamza Bendelladj, an Algerian national known by his alias "Bx1," appeared in an Atlanta court last week, where he faced a 23-count indictment stemming from his alleged participation in the cybercrime consortium responsible for hacking software known as "SpyEye." Bendelladj, 24, was the target of a three-year manhunt that ended in a Bangkok airport in January. [More...]

SPOTLIGHT ON SECURITY
Scan of Entire Internet Reveals Too Many Leaky Devices

Monday - May 6, 2013

There are 3.7 billion IP addresses on the Internet, and HD Moore has pinged every one of them. Moore is chief security officer at Rapid7, a cyberthreat and risk management company. In February, he decided as a hobby project to conduct a census of all the devices connected to the Internet, using a nest of computers in a spare room in his home. [More...]

OPINION
How HP Could Become the Next Apple

Monday - May 6, 2013

I was given a task the other day, and this happens every once in a while, to imagine a sequence of events that would turn HP from an industry problem to an industry leader in Apple's class. Apple went from being in far worse shape than HP's in now to become more valuable at its peak than even oil companies, so this isn't an impossible goal. [More...]

EXPERT ADVICE
Risk and Compliance: The Yin and Yang of Security

Saturday - May 4, 2013

Mushrooming industry and government mandates that govern IT security have led to a highly regulated environment and annual compliance fire drills. Compliance, however, does not necessarily equal better security. We are reminded of this fact nearly every day when breaches make headlines. So what role should compliance and risk management play? [More...]

Nook Users Get to Come Out and Play

Friday - May 3, 2013

Barnes & Noble on Friday announced a software update enabling its Nook HD and Nook HD+ devices to access content at the Google Play store. This opens the Nook to more than 700,000 Android apps and games, as well as millions of songs. Nook users will also get Google services with the update, including the Chrome browser, Gmail, YouTube, Google Search and Google Maps with the update. [More...]

Facebook's New Security Feature Puts Friends First

Friday - May 3, 2013

Have you forgotten or lost your Facebook password? Relax. You can now turn to friends for help. Facebook on Thursday rolled out Trusted Contacts account recovery, a feature it has tested with a limited number of people as the Trusted Friends capability since 2011. Users can select three to five trusted contacts from their security settings at any time. [More...]

ESEA Users' Systems Plundered in Bitcoin Mining Scam

Thursday - May 2, 2013

The E-Sports Entertainment Association on Wednesday admitted that users' graphic cards had been hijacked to mine Bitcoin virtual currency. The mining was surreptitiously set in motion by a rogue employee without the knowledge of other ESEA staff or users of the network. ESEA is known for anti-cheat software and systems that allow players to compete in online matches. [More...]

Intel Focuses Iris GPUs on Gaming, Video

Thursday - May 2, 2013

Intel on Thursday announced the Iris family of graphics processor units for its forthcoming Haswell line of processors. The Iris family offers up to double the 3D performance of the chip giant's fastest mobile HD graphics solutions on its processors for laptops and Ultrabooks. It also triples the 3D performance for its R-series processors for desktops. [More...]

How to Get Breaking News on Twitter

Thursday - May 2, 2013

News, in particular, breaking news and events, is now easily obtained through Twitter feeds. Here's how to go about building a news feed, and how to follow breaking news events through this new medium. First you'll want to create a News list populated with sources of your choice. Start by accessing Twitter with a Web browser and sign in to your account. [More...]

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