Caught as a hacker? Helping the FBI is your get-out-of-jail-free card
LulzSec is an infamous, famous and notorious name in the technology world. The small collective made a name for itself by attacking high-profile websites such as Fox.com and government sites, but all of this was interrupted when founding member Sabu (or Hector Xavier Monsegur to his mother) was arrested three years ago. Originally facing a jail sentence of more than 26 years for his hacking work, Sabu is now a (relatively) free man having earned himself a get-out-of-jail-free card by working with the FBI since his arrest to help identify other hackers.
Although a judge in New York passed a sentence of seven months, Sabu had already spent this length of time incarcerated so all that is left is one year's supervision. The leniency comes thanks to the fact that Monsegur agreed to continue to work undercover in the hacking community, supplying the FBI with information about activities and individuals. Among those he helped authorities to prosecute were Jeremy Hammond -- one of the most-wanted cybercriminals in the sights of the FBI -- who was jailed for leaking emails to WikiLeaks.
Acronis Disk Director adds UEFI, WinPE 4/5, Windows 8.1 compatibility
Acronis International has announced the release of Acronis Disk Director 12, its popular all-in-one partition and drive management product.
There are no major changes this time, with Acronis concentrating on compatibility, for example ensuring that the new build now runs properly with Windows 8 and Windows 8.1.
Sony Xperia Z2 officially gets wireless charging
Wireless charging is a convenient alternative to the old-fashioned way of topping up the battery in a mobile device, the latter of which entails a cable connection to a PC or wall charger. Lay the device on a compatible charging plate, that is plugged in obviously, and it will start charging. It is not as fast as some would like it to be, as the amperage is not as high as what wall adapters deliver, but is considerably faster than what a USB connection outputs. And have I mentioned it is extremely convenient?
With a Nokia-branded wireless charging plate -- which is based on the popular Qi standard -- I can charge both my Lumia 920 and Google Nexus 7, without having to deal with wires laying around, worrying that I might trip over one at night. Even though the benefits are obvious, not many smartphone manufacturers have fully embraced the technology, only offering the feature through optional (read: expensive) accessories. Take Sony, for instance, which just now offers a way for Xperia Z2 owners to get their wireless charging fix.
Paragon offers free Hyper-V backup tool for small businesses
Backup is something that all businesses need to take seriously, but for smaller enterprises the cost and complexity of professional backup tools can be daunting.
The problem gets even more acute with the use of virtual machines. Backup and recovery specialist Paragon Software has the answer in the shape of a new product that will be available free until the end of June.
LG G3 vs HTC One M8 -- How do they compare?
LG is shouting about its new G3 smartphone in a pretty big way. With events across the globe to ring in the new handset, expectations were running high for the Korean company's new flagship phone, since its predecessor the G2 was awarded the ITPP "Best Buy" accolade.
Read on to see how the G3 compares to the HTC One M8.
Mountain View to take on Detroit? Google building its own cars
When Google's self-driving car program first came to light, I was excited, yet dubious. You see, as much as I love the concept, it is hard to imagine widespread adoption; Americans love to drive -- the USA is the home of the Mustang and GTO. While self-driving cars can have a positive impact on society, such as eliminating DUI, it would destroy a huge part of the USA's identity.
Now, Google shocks the world by announcing that it is building its own self-driving automobiles. Yes, Mountain View is stepping on the toes of automakers by building prototype cars. Rather than continue to retrofit its technology on existing cars, it is making vehicles without unneeded extras, such as break-pedals and steering wheels.
Marvell announces next generation 88SS1074 SATA SSD controller
When you build or buy a computer, some things are sexy and some are just necessary. While processors, RAM and power supplies are some of the fun components, there are underlying things like controllers that do not get the fanfare they deserve. If you go to Best Buy and look at the computers, the display cards do not advertise the controllers -- a shame.
The average user is probably unaware of which controller something like their SSD is utilizing. For the most part, that is OK. As long as the hardware works, they don't really need to know. For enthusiasts however, it can make a big difference in performance. One such unsung company whose products are used by many is Marvell. Today, that company announces the 88SS1074 SATA SSD controller.
Toshiba goes crazy -- announces a bunch of cool tablets and laptops
Toshiba's products have been on my radar for many years. When I worked at CompUSA, I would often sell the company's laptops. They were a good balance between quality and affordability. Sure, Sony's laptops were sexier, but they were more expensive too. HP's laptops were affordable, but not always of the best quality. Toshiba tended to be just right.
Today, the company goes announcement-crazy and shares with the world, a multitude of new computers. These new devices range from Android tablets to Windows tablets and multi-mode laptops.
LG G3 first impressions -- the experience is greater than the sum of its (awesome) parts
Android phones have become rather predictable. Year after year, we see specs increase and little else. In other words, the Android market has become stagnant. Even low-end phones are very good -- case in point, the Moto G. However, many consumers still want to have top of the line devices, so manufacturers keep pumping out flagships.
Today, I had the opportunity to attend the LG G3 event in New York City. Since I had already seen many of the leaked images, I was not expecting to be surprised. However, the company did surprise me by focusing on software and UI improvements in addition to the improved hardware. When I finally got my hands on the beautiful hardware, I surprised myself -- rather than focus on what the G3 hardware is, I focused on what it does.
Chrome takes another step towards protecting users with new malware measures
Google's Chrome web browser has been actively attempting to protect its users since inception, which is a tall order given today's climate. While blocking certain things is easy, protecting customers from their own mistakes is much more difficult.
Now the company is announcing a new way to do exactly that, letting it be known that users will no longer be able to install extensions from any location other than the approved Web Store. "From now on, to protect Windows users from an attack, extensions can be installed only if they're hosted on the Chrome Web Store. With this change, extensions that were previously installed may be automatically disabled and cannot be re-enabled or re-installed until they're hosted in the Chrome Web Store", says Eric Kay, an engineering director with the search giant.
My two years with Chromebook
Colleague Alan Buckingham is on a summer sojourn using HP Chromebook 11. I took similar journey during August and September 2011, but the Samsung Series 3 Chromebook -- much as I liked the overall user experience -- couldn't satisfy my needs. In May 2012, with Samsung Chromebook Series 5 550's release, all changed. I started down a permanent path, looking back once for a few weeks. I am a Chromebook convert and eagerly watch to see where Alan will be when the summer sun fades to autumn colors.
"Can I use Chromebook as my primary PC?" It's a question I see often across the Interwebs. The answer is different: You can use Chromebook as your only computer. The only PCs in my home are Chromebooks. There are no Macs or Windows machines doing double duty. Chromebook is more than good enough. Most people will be surprised just how satisfying Chromebook can be -- and how affordable. For 96 cents more than the cost of one entry-level MacBook Air, you can buy from Amazon four HP Chromebook 11s -- the model Alan uses now. User benefits are surprisingly similar.
Receive notifications from iOS apps on your Mac with Notifyr
Ever wished you could receive notifications from your iPhone or iPad apps on your Mac? While some -- typically network-based ones like iCloud updates or Twitter notifications -- get channeled to both devices, what happens if you’re relying on receiving an important reminder from your mobile, but get distracted while working on your Mac?
The answer -- of sorts -- lies with Notifyr, a cross-platform solution that uses Bluetooth to channel iOS-specific notifications to your Mac via its own Notification Center.
Spotify suffers security breach -- one user affected
In the light of recent events at eBay and Avast, when an Important Notice to Our Users appeared on the Spotify streaming music service's official news feed today you might have been forgiven for fearing the worst.
Oska Stål, CTO of Spotify writes, "We've become aware of some unauthorized access to our systems and internal company data and we wanted to let you know the steps we’re taking in response. As soon as we were aware of this issue we immediately launched an investigation". Read on, however, and you discover that only one user's data has been accessed and this didn't include any password, financial or payment details.
Sophos helps enterprises secure mobile access
With more and more demands to go mobile and allow employees to use their own devices, the challenge for businesses is to keep their data secure.
Following a recent survey which showed that 84 percent of organizations allow access to public cloud services like Dropbox and 65 percent don’t encrypt data between cloud and mobile devices, security specialist Sophos is launching Sophos Mobile Control 4.0.
Microsoft warns against XP update hack -- suggests users 'upgrade to Windows 8.1' instead
The hack I wrote about yesterday, that allows XP users to continue to receive security updates via the still-supported Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, was never going to get Microsoft’s blessing. Obviously it is a slightly unusual and risky way of cheating the system, even though it works.
ZDNet picked up on the story and asked Microsoft for a comment, and as you’d expect, the devices and services giant was happy to take the opportunity to suggest XP users just move on.
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