Have a good Kinect hack Idea? Microsoft has $20,000 for you

December 4, 2011 |  by  |  Microsoft, News  |  No Comments

Some large technology companies frown upon developers hacking and reworking their products. On the far opposite side of the spectrum, lies an unexpected organization called Microsoft. After some initial hesitation, the tech giant is now actively encouraging developers to tinker with its Kinect hands-free user interface accessory for the XBox 360. Until now, those hacks have been encouraged for non-commercial purposes only. But the company took things to the next level this week when it announced the Kinect Accelerator, a program for startups who want to build creative uses for the Kinect into their businesses. Ten winners will enter into the

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Carrier IQ: What it is, what it isn’t, and what you need to know ?

December 3, 2011 |  by  |  News, Softwares, Video  |  No Comments

Carrier IQ has recently found itself swimming in controversy. The analytics company and its eponymous software have come under fire from security researchers, privacy advocates and legal critics not only for the data it gathers, but also for its lack of transparency regarding the use of said information. Carrier IQ claims its software is installed on over 140 million devices with partners including Sprint, HTC and allegedly, Apple and Samsung. Nokia, RIM and Verizon Wireless have been alleged as partners, too, although each company denies such claims. Ostensibly, the software's meant to improve the customer experience, though in nearly every

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Brits, GCHQ needs you to crack code directed to £25,000 job vacancy

December 3, 2011 |  by  |  News  |  No Comments

Spare a thought for the British intelligence services. Every time they come up with a clever recruitment drive, this particular ciphered job advert been put out by the UK's monitoring service, GCHQ. You simply need to figure out the keyword buried in that daunting grid of characters, submit it via the 'canyoucrackit', and a happy career in headphones and Herman Miller could be yours. On the other hand, people who claim to have beaten the puzzle seem underwhelmed by the response: all it got them, they say, was a shot at a £25k per year position that was already being

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Sony Reader WiFi officially drops from $149.99 to $129.99

December 3, 2011 |  by  |  News, Sony  |  No Comments

Love 'em or hate 'em, one thing's for sure e-readers just keep getting cheaper. The latest to see a dip in price is the Sony Reader WiFi, which debuted at $149.99 just a couple of months back, but has now received a permanent drop to $129.99. What's more, Sony is also running a trade-in program through the end of December that will give you an additional $50 off if you turn in any old e-reader.

HP Refutes Inaccurate Claims; Clarifies on Printer Security

December 1, 2011 |  by  |  News  |  No Comments

A group of students at Columbia University recently showed how they could hack, with relative ease, an HP LaserJet printer and convince it to overheat. HP quickly put out a statement, saying the fiery hack couldn’t happen in real life. AS we reported earlier, the hack works like this: HP printers always scan a print job for a firmware upgrade. If an upgrade is included, it will automatically be applied — without checking what it actually is. Whether it’s an HP-certified piece of software or something more malicious, the printer integrates the update. Today there has been sensational and inaccurate reporting regarding

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YouTube replaces YouTube Insight with YouTube Analytics

November 30, 2011 |  by  |  News, YouTube  |  No Comments

YouTube has replaced Insight, a tool that let users see detailed stats about their videos, with Analytics, which offers even more in-depth reports and stats. Analytics gives registered YouTube users all the data from Insight in a simpler design, with several nifty new options. What’s new? #1 All reports are unified with a Data Filter, which is a key tool displayed at the top of each report. The Data Filter allows you filter by Content, Geography, and Date. You can select from a predetermined date range, or create a custom range. #2 Most reports have a Line Chart by default, which captures the

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Google Maps 6.0 hits Android, adds indoor navigation for retail and transit

November 30, 2011 |  by  |  Google, News, Video  |  No Comments

Hitting the Android Market in the U.S. and Japan today, the company's ever-popular app gets a full version bump to 6.0, bringing with it the inclusion of retail and airport floor plans. The newly added indoor maps don't quite offer the turn-by-turn navigation you've come to know and depend upon, but the provided layouts should help usher you along to the nearest bathroom, clothing shop or elevator. There's no fancy equipment at use, either. All of your positioning information is culled from the same set of data (including GPS) used for "My Location," although here it's been optimized to detect

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RIM unveils BlackBerry Mobile Fusion for enterprise, extends reach to Android, iOS

November 29, 2011 |  by  |  Blackberry, News  |  No Comments

In an apparent attempt to solidify its standing in the corporate world, RIM has unveiled a new platform that allows IT specialists to more tightly manage company devices even those from rival manufacturers like Apple and Android. With the BlackBerry Mobile Fusion software, announced this morning - the Company's next-generation enterprise mobility solution and RIM's entry into the multi-platform Mobile Device Management (MDM) marketplace. Companies will be able to set up rules governing employee passwords apps and other software across a variety of smartphones and tablets, including the iPhone, iPad and Android handsets. The system also allows managers to remotely

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Google offers its brief history of search – Video

November 29, 2011 |  by  |  Google, News, Video  |  No Comments

Following up on how Google made improvements to search, they wanted to share with you a short history of the evolution of search, highlighting some of the most important milestones from the past decade—and a taste of what's coming next. Google's goal is to get you to the answer you're looking for faster and faster, creating a nearly seamless connection between your questions and the information you seek. For those of you looking to deepen your understanding of how search has evolved, this video highlights some important trends like universal results, quick answers and the future of search. The Evolution of

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Researchers expose printer vulnerability, turn HP LaserJet printer lines into bomb

November 29, 2011 |  by  |  News  |  No Comments

Your printer might seem innocuous but, in reality, it could be a ticking time bomb just waiting for some hacker to trigger it. They could actually be caused to burst into flames by some nerd half-way around the globe. Of course, the potential doesn't end and remote arson, an attacker could easily gain access to a network or steal documents, and hijacking the lowly device would require little more than printing an infected file. So far researchers at Columbia University have only managed to exploit the hole on HP printers - Hewlett-Packard LaserJet printer lines, but it's possible (if not

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