The Geek Herald

Jun 7, 2011

What’s New in iOS 5

The latest version of iOS 5 has finally been announced, and it has a bundle of new features — more than 200, by Apple’s count.

Several of the new features were poached from the best of Apple’s own app store, including reading queue apps like Instapaper, group messaging apps like GroupMe and photo editing apps. There’s also a lot of integration with Apple’s new cloud service iCloud.

The iOS 5 beta software won’t be available to users — at least, those who aren’t in the iOS Developer program — until this fall. At that point, it will be free to download for owners of the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, or the iPod touch (third and fourth generations). We’ve highlighted the most exciting new features below.

Notification Center

With iOS 5, Apple has essentially added a personalized news feed to all of its devices. The feed, which Apple calls the “Notification Center,” can be customized to display things like the current weather, a stock ticker, new emails, texts and friend requests. The feed can be accessed by swiping the top of the screen. You’ll be able to view it while the device is lock mode, much as iOS 4 displays the time and push notifications while locked.

iMessage

iMessage is BBM for Apple products. Like BlackBerry’s once distinguishing feature, it allows you to send unlimited instant messages to other users and to see whether recipients have read them or are typing a response. The new feature allows group messaging as well as photo, video, location and contact sharing. It’s expected to put a dent into the thriving group messaging app startups. The advantage that those apps still have is the ability to instant message phones with multiple operating systems. For now, Apple’s messages can only be sent to others who are using iOS, on iPhones and iPads.

Newsstand

Newsstand is a folder that holds your magazine and newspaper app subscriptions. All purchases go directly to that folder, which displays them on a virtual newsstand, and new issues are automatically downloaded and delivered there. Your newspaper subscriptions will arrive in time for breakfast.

Reminders

Reminders is iOS 5′s to-do list app. The feature includes an option to make items location based. Your phone will, for instance, remind you to pick up the milk when you are at the grocery store. You can sync reminders with iCal, Outlook and iCloud so that a change in one program automatically updates the others.

Deep Twitter Integration

On iOS 5, you can directly tweet from Safari, Photos, Camera, YouTube or maps. Twitter will also work together with contacts in the operating system, making it easy to find a friend’s Twitter handles when you start typing a name. This level of integration is still notably missing for Facebook.

Camera and Photos

Apple iOS makes the iPhone a better camera. You can now open the Camera app directly from the lock screen, which makes it easier to point and click quickly. The app also has more of the features of a regular digital camera: grid lines, single-tap focus and exposure locks. The volume-up button now works as a shutter button.

Apple has also built photo-editing capabilities into its Photos app. This means you can crop, rotate, enhance, and remove red-eye without leaving your camera roll. With iCloud, it’s also possible to automatically load new photos to your desktop, if you prefer to edit them there.

Safari

Apple’s mobile web browser now includes a feature that mimics the capabilities of popular reading queue appInstapaper. Its “Reading List” lets you save articles you want to read later. iCloud pushes these articles to all of your iOS devices, much as Instapaper’s separate desktop and mobile apps allow you to read articles that you save on the go.

Top 10 dangerous Android Security Risks

As we all know of Google faced new trouble from Android malware

Last year, Android became the world's second favorite mobile OS, racing past BlackBerry and Apple. 67 million of the nearly 300 million smartphones sold in 2010 were Android-powered devices like the Samsung Galaxy S, Motorola Droid X, and HTC EVO. New Android 3.0 ("Honeycomb") tablets will spur even more growth this year.

As a result, approximately half of enterprises are working to embrace Android devices. One of IT's biggest challenges: Android's consumer roots mean minimal support for enterprise-class security. Here, we consider today's biggest Android security risks and what can be done to mitigate them.

1. AWOL Androids: The top concern about any mobile device is loss. In a Juniper survey, 58 percent of smartphone and tablet users feared not being able to recover lost content. Apple iPhone users can restore nearly everything from iTunes, but Androids are not managed via desktop sync. Data loss can be avoided in two ways. First, install an auto-backup app (e.g., WaveSecure, MyBackup) to enable quick restoration of all that matters to you. Second, enroll your Android with one of the many available "find me" services to locate and recover lost devices.

2. Flimsy passwords: If your Android falls into the wrong hands, more is needed to prevent thieves from stealing broadband service, ringing up SMS fees, reading your email, or abusing VPN connections. In Juniper's survey, 3 out of 4 users locked their smartphones. This is an excellent first line of defense, but users need to understand Android's limitations

3. Naked data: A major business risk posed by Android is lack of hardware data encryption. Fortunately, Android 3.0 ("Honeycomb") adds an API to let manufacturers offer encryption and IT enforce use. Unfortunately, existing Androids cannot yet perform hardware encryption. Until self-encrypting Androids appear, stored data can be protected in two ways. First, those remote lock apps and APIs can request remote wipe as well, resetting the device to factory defaults – but only when reachable, without wiping SD card data. For more rigorous protection, enterprises should scramble sensitive data such as email and contacts using self-encrypted apps (e.g., Good for Enterprise,Exchange Touchdown)

4. SMShing: This phishing variant uses texting to trick smartphone users into visiting fraudulent or malicious links. Hackers are now being drawn to Android's popularity and openness. For example, last summer, unlucky SMS recipients were invited to download Trojan-SMS.AndroidOS.FakePlayer, a free Movie Player. Once installed, FakePlayer started texting premium-rate numbers, without user knowledge, ringing up huge bills. To block potentially-costly texts, users can add SMS controls such as SMSLinkGuard. Enterprises may also consider using a Mobile Device Manager (MDM) that can monitor Android wireless expenses (e.g., SMS, roaming).

5. Unsafe surfing: Think web browsing on your Android is safe? Last fall, M.J. Keith showed that a known WebKit browser vulnerability could be exploited on Android 2.0 or 2.1. Thomas Cannon reported an Android 2.2 browser flaw that could give hackers full SD card access. Recently, Google fixed an Android Market cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerability that enables arbitrary code execution, found by John Oberheide. Unfortunately, Android users cannot quickly patch around bugs, because OS updates are deployed infrequently by carriers. One work-around: Using an app like BadLink Check or TrendMicro to avoid known-malicious websites.

6. Nosy apps: Speaking of the Android Market, telling friend from foe can be hard. According to the App Genome Project, Android Market apps more than doubled in the past 6 months. A whopping 28 percent of those apps now access device location, while 7.5 percent access stored contacts. Do these apps really need to know that info and what are they doing with it? Android apps must request permissions during installation – users need to seriously review those requests, exercise caution, and avoid apps that seem too nosy. To flag intrusive apps already installed on your Android, check out Lookout Mobile Security's Privacy Advisor or Webroot.

7. Repackaged and fraudulent apps: Some apps aren't what they appear to be. Many repackaged apps found on third-party Android markets are legitimate free apps, repackaged to generate ad revenue. But repackaging is also used to implant Android trojans, such as the Android.Pjapps trojan (included in modified versions of the Steamy Windows app) and the Android.Geinimi trojan (turns infected phones into bots). Most of these can be avoided by installing apps only from the Google Android Market. Don't frequent unregulated third-party markets or manually install Android packages from untrusted sources.

But even apps distributed by the Google Android Market receive no official review. Last year, "09Droid" sold about 40 different mobile banking apps at the Android Market. Unfortunately, none were affiliated with those banks. It is unclear whether 09Droid intended to phish for banking passwords, but when banks complained, those fraudulent apps were pulled from the Market. Be very careful when downloading apps that access sensitive accounts. Check with banks or other institutions to confirm apps are distributed by an authorized developer and beware of look-alikes.

8. Android malware: According to traffic analysis by AdaptiveMobile, Android malware spike 400 percent last year. The total is still miniscule compared to other platforms, but more malware is likely to target Android's rapidly-expanding pool of potential victims. When Coverity assessed the Android kernel, it identified 359 code vulnerabilities, 88 of which posed "high risk" of exploitation. Because Android is an open development platform, hackers have ample opportunity to find and learn how to take advantage of these kinds of flaws.

Fortunately, application sandboxing is built into Android to limit potential damage by malicious apps – unless malware breaks out of that sandbox. That is apparently what DroidDream did last month. Hidden inside about 50 Android Market apps, including Sexy Girls, Advanced File Manager, Task Killer Pro, and Advanced Sound Manager, DroidDream "rooted" infected phones, sending IMEI/IMSI and OS version back to a command-and-control server. The "nature of this exploit" so concerned Google that it remotely removed installed apps from an estimated 50K phones. This "kill switch" was a fail-safe measure of last resort, but users can proactively defend themselves using Android anti-malware apps (e.g., Kaspersky, F-Secure).

9. Fake anti-malware: Alas, the fake anti-virus trend sweeping the PC world has now emerged for Android as well. When Google killed DroidDream, it installed a clean-up app called "Android Market Security Tool 2011." Android.Bgserv soon appeared on a third-party Chinese market, pretending to be Google's tool but carrying an SMS trojan. The lesson: Hackers prey on user emotions like fear – don't assume that security apps are legitimate. Check out sellers and read reviews. Enterprises should go further by testing apps in a lab environment, then using an MDM to suggest or auto-install verified safe apps on employee Androids. For example, Sybase Afaria now provides over-the-air app management for Android.

10. Lack of visibility and control: Ultimately, enterprises must embrace Androids – even employee-purchased Androids – so that IT can regain visibility into and control over business activities on these devices. Unlike iOS, Android does not yet offer native MDM to enable third-party device management. However, Android does provide APIs that MDM agent apps can use to read/write settings (e.g., password complexity), query attributes (e.g., installed apps, GPS location), and invoke remote lock or wipe. A bit of this can also be done via Exchange ActiveSync. Either way, IT can enroll Android devices, track their use, and enforce (at least limited) policies. Configurable settings are limited but rapidly expanding – more so for some manufacturers than others. But putting a management framework in place can help you leverage new Android security capabilities as they emerge

Jun 5, 2011

Apple to Announce 'iCloud' services, Officially Today

Let the conjecture and ardent bit-champing come to a close: Apple issued a press release this morning confirming the debut of its much-talked about cloud service will take place at the keynote for the annual World Wide Developers Conference next Monday at 10 AM. The service has officially been dubbed "iCloud" (Applebought that domain for $4.5 million in April) and is opaquely described in the press release as "Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering."

Steve Jobs will ignore his medical leave, just lke he did for the iPad 2 unveiling, to do the honors. OSX Lion and iOS 5 will also make their debuts. Conspicuously absent from the announced festivities? The iPhone 5: further confirming speculation that the new iPhone won't be released this summer as it has in years past. Too bad. Full text below.

Apple to Unveil Next Generation Software at Keynote Address on Monday, June 6 CUPERTINO, California—May 31, 2011—Apple®
CEO Steve Jobs and a team of Apple executives will kick off the company’s annual Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) with a keynote address on Monday, June 6 at 10:00 a.m. At the keynote, Apple will unveil its next generation software – Lion, the eighth major release of Mac OS® X; iOS 5, the next version of Apple’s advanced mobile operating system which powers the iPad®, iPhone® and iPod touch®; and iCloud®, Apple’s upcoming cloud services offering.
WWDC will feature more than 100 technical sessions presented by Apple engineers. Mac® developers will see and learn how to develop world-class Mac OS X Lion applications using its latest technologies and capabilities. Mobile developers will be able to explore the latest innovations and capabilities of iOS and learn how to greatly enhance the functionality, performance and design of their apps. All developers can bring their code to the labs and work with Apple engineers. For more details, visit the Apple Worldwide Developers Conference 2011 website at developer.apple.com/wwdc.
Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and has recently introduced iPad 2 which is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices.

Stay tuned right here for full coverage!

synthetic brain cell Created

The USC Viterbi School of Engineering team was led by Professors Alice Parker and Chongwu Zhou. Parker has been looking into the feasibility of creating a synthetic brain for the past five years, as part of the BioRC Biomimetic Real-Time Cortex project.

They Say

"It's probably still going to be a while before autonomous, self-aware androids are wandering amongst us. That scenario has come a little closer to reality, however, with researchers from the University of Southern California having created a functioning synapse circuit using carbon nanotubes. An artificial version of the connections that allow electrical impulses to pass between neurons in our brains, the circuit could someday be one component of a synthetic brain.

Kingston Wi-Drive:A Wireless SSD that expands your ipad memory

Another cool and innovative product from Kingston .Need a little more wiggle room for media on your iPad? Want to share a movie to your girlfriend on her iPhone while you simultaneously watch the same movie on your iPad in the other room? Kingston’s Wi-Drive has you covered, but some serious drawbacks make this a hard recommendation to make.

Like the Seagate GoFlex Satellite, the Wi-Drive is an external drive that allows you to upgrade your iPhone or iPad’s internal storage with an external, WiFi equipped drive.
When we originally wrote about the GoFlex Satellite, we complained about its price: $200 for 500GB of space. We’re rethinking our frugality, though, because the Wi-Drive costs $130 for just 16GB of SSD storage, or $175 for 32GB.
What the Wi-Drive has as an advantage over the GoFlex Satellite is it can stream multiple files to multiple connected iOS devices at the same time. That’s a nice perk, made possible by Kingston’s decision to use an SSD instead of a spinning physical drive, but how often are you really going to use that functionality?
Otherwise, the feature set looks good: the Wi-Drive can stream 720p video, music and other media to your devices through a dedicated iOS app. It’s hard to look at that price, though, and want to add this to your next Apple store shopping list.

Google Wallet

Internet Search Gaint unveiled its new product Google wallet.Google wallet is going to be a brand new online payment system much like paypal. If I know Google, this is going to be a great option for the average web surfer to easily buy products online.

Not only will the web surfer benefit, so will the online merchants who accept Google wallet payments. Even the online auction houses will benefit by providing their members an alternative to the monopolizing paypal payment system. Will this help open the door to online micro payments? Probably.

With the volcanic increase in the online business the need for a simple transaction system was long felt. Though there was a powerful system to provide that- Paypal - it was felt that more competitors should join this fray and improve the facilities.
The products launched by Google are very popular, robust in design, and have cutting-edge technology base. Online businessmen and women are looking forward for this product as a major breakthrough, which can solve many business transaction problems for them.

Google Wallet will be launched by Google to provide online transactions like E-Bay owned Paypal. But Google's CEO Eric Schmidt has stated that it is not just another Paypal system-it will be different. A good statement indeed!

Paypal till now has been the best, cheapest, and the most secure digital method to transact the funds electronically. Paypal services allow consumers-which range from more that 40 countries and there are more than 70 million accounts registered with Paypal-to pay for purchases directly on Web sites by funding electronic-payment accounts from their credit cards or bank checking accounts.

Google Wallet is expected to provide its users with a major new chunk of extra revenue money, which comes from the saved fees Google is now paying to banks and delivery services to distribute its payments to advertisers and publishers. Also the commission fees that Google will leverage from individual transactions will add to the total revenue.
It seems that the major benefits of this service will be outstanding. Google accepts credit card payment for some of its services including advertisement and ad publishing. With this new facility for the users, Google will create a whole New World that would involve Google, its users, and no third party! It is clear that Google's publishing and advertising business benefit with this new service. Also giving the rival Paypal a run for it's money and setting a more fair battleground in the online transaction arena.

Apart from revenue building, the Google Wallet may also provide the strategic marketing and business information related to how its present advertising customers would be spending their money. However, it is a very significant point to notice that Google has disclosed no official details as how and when Google Wallet will start functioning.

E-Bay's Paypal service generated $233.1 million, or 23%, of E-Bay's total revenue in the first quarter. The security provided by PayPal is awesome and merchants all over the globe have almost blind faith in dealing with Paypal. But with Google coming into fray, it is obvious and clear that the users of Paypal will decrease, for, Google is not a new name in the online marketing world, and everyone knows the potentialities of the Google products! So it is clear indication of the possible threat for Paypal in its users and its revenue.

Jun 3, 2011

Google ready to launch Music Beta, online music service, for testing

Internet search gaint Google Inc. expectedly rolled out a new online music service called Music Beta at the annual I/O developers conference Tuesday in San Francisco.

Music Beta is available through invitation only for a testing phase (to request an invitation, click here). Users will be able to upload their jams, create playlists and listen to their music via the Web or on a smartphone or tablet with the music app available free from the Android Market (click here). Recently played songs and selected albums will also be available offline, according to the Music Beta site.

Google, like Amazon's online music service, has yet to acquire licenses from major record labels. So far no music can be purchased directly through Music Beta, which currently functions like a "passive" locker system that allows users to listen only to music they have uploaded. With licenses, Google and other online music service operators could give users access to tunes stored in central servers and other expanded offerings for smartphones, tablets and on computer browsers.

The system ratchets up the competition among Google, Amazon and Apple to offer music storage and portability for the next generation. Apple is already negotiating with top record labels to acquire licenses to beef up its own online music service.

Amazon's service, launched March 28, allows users to store their music library into an Amazon Cloud Drive (which can store other types of files and data too) and play back their music using Amazon's Cloud Player, which is available on the Web and in the form of an app for Google Android phones and tablets.

Tata Docomo introduces Micro SIM

Tata Docomo, the GSM arm of Tata Teleservices, today announced the launch of its micro SIM cards, for its 3Gservices, for those devices which otherwise do not have enough space for regular SIM cards or even mini-SIMs.

The company offers quite a few plans on micro SIM. After purchasing the micro SIM, a user has to first get it recharged for Rs 109 which allows the user to enjoy all the available 3G services for 30 days with 500 MB free data download.

They also offer highly affordable plans for unlimited usage, on prepay as well as postpay. For data intensive users, such as downloading games, movies and music, you can subscribe to an unlimited plan on 3G for Rs 1,000 per month.

Recently the company has launched 3G WiFi hub that enables multiple users and devices to share wireless Internet access and stay connected on the go.

Tata Docomo launched it 3G services in India in November 2010. 3G enables you to enjoy services like live streaming, video calling and high speed data transfer via your 3G compatible devices.

As of now, Bharti Airtel has the highest number of 3G subscribers in the country with 3 million subscribers followed by Tata DoCoMo with 1.5 million users.