Saturday, August 6, 2011

WordWeb – A Light weight dictionary reference

Internet has removed our dependency from books, especially reference books like Encyclopedia and Dictionary for good. Although internet is a great resource, but it is not the fastest resource when you quickly want to find meaning of a word. WordWeb is one such local dictionary software that is small but feature packed. You can search for meaning of any word as well as synonyms very quickly in it.

If you spell the word wrongly, WordWeb can tell you closest word that matches your spelling, this feature is not as good as Google’s auto correct but does work if you can spell the initial alphabets right for WordWeb to give list of words that start with given letters.

It also has word pronunciations. The software also installs as a service in tray and can be activated on any highlighted word anywhere with hotkey, for quick reference. There are also online reference links for Wikipedia and Wikionary. So those references are just one click away from within WordWeb interface.

The basic version of WordWeb comes free and is a small download. The Pro version comes with audio pronunciations of over 70,000 words, word pattern searching, ability to add more online references and many add-ons to include different well known dictionary references and word lists to its database.

You can get free version / buy pro version @ Official site

About karar

Dad in the day, Gamer by night. Loves everything Geek. By profession an Engineer but my hobby has been Video gaming on PC since 1989.

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Game Urban Fatburner Ikut Meriahkan Ramadhan

Game Urban Fatburner Ikut Meriahkan Ramadhan

Bandung - Setelah sukses dengan Urban Fatburner yang telah didownload lebih dari 200 ribu di Nokia Ovi Store, kini dalam rangka menyambut bulan suci Ramadhan, Agate Studio, game developer yang bermarkas di Bandung ini meluncurkan Urban Fatburner Ramadhan Rush.

"Urban Fatburner Ramadhan Rush merupakan wujud rasa terima kasih kami kepada fans. Karena pemain terbanyak Urban Fatburner terdapat di Indonesia, maka itu kami mendesain versi Ramadhan ini," jelas Shieny Aprilia, Chief of Operating Officer Agate Studio.

Dalam keterangan tertulis yang diterima detikINET, Sabtu (6/8/2011), game Urban Fatburner diklaim tidak hanya diunguh oleh gamer Indonesia saja, melainkan negara lain seperti Australia, Italia, Turki, India dan Afrika Selatan.

Cara bermain Fatburner sangat mudah dan sederhana. Nikki Dibya Wardhana, lead designer of Urban Fatburner memastikan bahwa pemain bisa mendapatkan kesenangan hanya dengan menekan satu tombol saja.

Dalam game ini gamer bermain sebagai orang gendut yang berusaha menguruskan badan dengan cara berlari untuk membakar lemak dan menjadi kurus. Semakin jauh pemain berlari, semakin tinggi point yang didapatkan.

Uniknya, jika di urban fatburner sebelumnya dia memakai pakaian kasual dan menghindari burger, di versi Ramadhan Rush ini, orang gendut tersebut memakai baju muslim dan harus menghindari ketupat agar ia tidak berubah menjadi gemuk lagi.

Suasana yang dibangun pun kental dengan Bulan Suci Umat Islam ini, seperti suasana senja menjelang buka puasa, bangunan masjid sebagai background, dan masih banyak lagi.

Penasaran? Pengguna ponsel Nokia dapat langsung mengunduh game ini melalui Ovi Store.




( eno / eno )


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Logitech Tablet Mouse – for Android 3.1+

Market trend has changed a lot over the past year and tablets have become the new trend for consumers instead of netbooks. Logitech seems to be adopting to this trend and realized that it was about time they started releasing peripherals for tablets. Although tablets are meant for touch based interface but a keyboard and mouse feel much faster and accurate for those looking to use it for productivity rather than just entertainment. Although some bluetooth keyboards have already been there for tablets, but Logitech Tablet Mouse will be first mouse designed for tablets.

The Bluetooth laser mouse has been made for Android 3.1 and higher tablets. Android 3.1 Honeycomb update expanded the support for Bluetooth and USB peripherals and accessories, and thus this device will not work with older version of Android tablets.

The Tablet Mouse works on nearly any surface and operates at a maximum range of 30 feet. The mouse works as expected on a non-touch screen interface by adding a mouse pointer as well as ability to scroll using scroll wheel. It includes two AA batteries and comes bundled with a travel pouch for protection. The mouse is now available for $50 (180 AED) from Logitech.com.

About karar

Dad in the day, Gamer by night. Loves everything Geek. By profession an Engineer but my hobby has been Video gaming on PC since 1989.

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Mobil Tabrakan, Google Salahkan Pengemudi

Mobil Tabrakan, Google Salahkan Pengemudi

Jakarta - Salah satu mobil yang telah menggunakan fitur kemudi otomatis dari Google telah mengalami kecelakaan. Google mengklaim ini bukanlah kesalahan sistem, melainkan si pengemudi.

Toyota Prius, menjadi salah satu mobil pertama yang menggunakan sistem kemudi otomatis dari Google. Di dalamnya sudah terdapat beberapa perangkat seperti laser, kamera video dan sensor radar yang saling terhubung. Selain itu juga dilengkapi peta untuk bernavigasi.

Naas bagi seorang pengemudi yang telah menggunakan perangkat tersebut. Ia mengalami kecelakaan lantaran sistem kemudi otomatis Google dianggap terlalu responsif. Tapi hal ini ditepis oleh Google.

"Keselamatan adalah prioritas utama kami. Salah satu tujuan kami adalah mencegah kecelakaan seperti ini yang diakibatkan ketika seseorang tengah mengemudi (manual)," ungkap juru bicara Google.

Dikutip detikINET dari pcworld, Sabtu (6/8/2011), penjelasan Google yang terkesan ngeles ini tentunya mengundang sejumlah kontoversi di kalangan pengguna.

Sebab, Google tidak mampu memberikan bukti yang cukup kuat jika kecelakaan tersebut diakibatkan oleh kesalahan manusia. Bahkan Google tidak berani mengungkap file log yang terdapat dalam mobil tersebut.




( eno / eno )


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Asrock Awali Debut PCIe 3.0 di Motherboard

Asrock Awali Debut PCIe 3.0 di Motherboard

Jakarta - ASRock akhirnya merilis sebuah motherboard yang telah dilengkapi slot PCI Express generasi ketiga. Dengan bandwidth yang lebih besar, performa PC diharapkan bisa meningkat.

ASRock memang telah menjadi salah satu produsen motherboard yang cukup cepat mengeluarkan varian terbaru. Penanaman slot PCIe 3.0 pun diklaim sebagai yang pertama di dunia.

"ASRock selalu menjadi pemimpin dalam setiap siklus evolusi. Kami adalah yang pertama memproduksi motherboard PCIe paling canggih Gen3," klaim James Lee, Vice President ASRock Sales & Marketing.

Slot PCIe 3.0 sejatinya telah diperkenalkan sejak 2010 silam, namun karena ada beberapa spesifikasi yang harus dirubah, maka para vendor baru bisa merilisnya mulai pertengahan 2011.

Slot kartu grafis generasi ini menawarkan beberapa kelebihan dari versi sebelumnya, misalnya saja bandwidth yang lebih besar (PCIe 2.0 5GT/s dan PCIe 3.0 8GT/s). Namun slot ini juga masih kompatibel dengan kartu grafis generasi sebelumnya.

"Motherboard Z68 Extreme7 Gen3 dari ASRock dapat mendukung prosesor revolusioner Intel Ivy Bridge serta Nvidia 3-Way SLI technology," tandas Lee, dalam keterangan yang diterima detikINET, Sabtu (6/68/2011).

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Security companies question severity of 'RAT' attack

By Suzanne Choney

Whether it's spite, semantics or something lacking in the research, some of McAfee's competitors are challenging the company's findings about "Operation Shady RAT," the worldwide series of cyber attacks disclosed by McAfee earlier this week that could be the biggest series of cyber attacks to date.a

Both Symantec, maker of Norton Anti-Virus, and Kaspersky Lab, another security software maker, are questioning McAfee's report, which says Operation Shady RAT targeted 72 organizations including the United Nations, governments and companies around the world. The United States was the main focus of the attacks, which were aimed at stealing intellectual property, such as ideas, strategies and plans, rather than financial data, McAfee said.a

"While this attack is indeed significant, it is one of many similar attacks taking place daily," wrote Hon Lau of Symantec, in a piece called "The Truth Behind the Shady RAT" on the company's blog.a

"Even as we speak, there are other malware groups targeting many other organizations in a similar manner in order to gain entry and pilfer secrets," he wrote. "Is the attack described in Operation Shady RAT a truly advanced persistent threat? I would contend that it isn’t, especially when you consider the errors made in configuring the servers and the relatively non-sophisticated malware and techniques used in this case."a

Symantec analyzed and shared on its blog what it believes were the three stages of the attacks, including the use of email and Trojans (hidden malware).a

Alex Gostev, Kaspersky Lab's chief security expert, said the contention that Operation Shady Rat is the biggest cyber attack in history is "premature," and is not backed up by evidence.a

"The information presented by McAfee’s specialists would be more convincing if it answered a number of vital questions," Gostev wrote in a commentary emailed to media organizations.a

"The report only tells us that the company’s experts discovered access logs of connections with a certain Web server, which at some point had been used by hackers," he said in the email. "In their turn these logs indicate that interaction between this server and computers of large organizations were snooped on."a

The Kaspersky email continued:a

Based only on this information, McAfee makes two interesting assumptions: first — that a series of attacks has taken place; second — that valuable data has been stolen ... However, the report contains nothing on what particular data has been stolen or how many computers in each organization were hit by the attacks. The names of the malicious programs listed in the document that are in some way related to the server in question are too general: particularly which Trojans have been used cannot be established. And as far as we are aware McAfee has not provided samples of the Trojans to other antivirus companies, as normally occurs in the industry in situations like these.a

Gostev also took McAfee to task for not saying "who is responsible for the attack." McAfee said it believes there was one "state actor" behind the effort, but declined to name it. Some security experts have suggested China, but the government-run People's Daily there said Friday it was "irresponsible" to link China with the attacks.a

"We would point out that the Internet is connected to a great many servers of this type, they are used by cybercriminals, and several of them have indeed been functioning for years," Gostev wrote. "However, a situation in which a complicated and large-scale corporate espionage operation has alleged to have been undertaken for years but whose sophisticated organizers do not clean up their server access logs after them — this is something that can certainly be described as unusual."a

McAfee, asked for comments about the criticisms Friday, had little to say.a

A company spokesperson said McAfee has "good reasons not to provide more in-depth detail behind Shady RAT" right now because of an ongoing "law enforcement investigation."a

The earliest breaches date back to mid-2006, the company said in its report, though there might have been other intrusions as yet undetected. (RAT stands for "remote access tool" — it's a type of software that is used to access computer networks from afar).a

"This is a problem of massive scale that affects nearly every industry and sector of the economies of numerous countries, and the only organizations that are exempt from this threat are those that don’t have anything valuable or interesting worth stealing," wrote McAfee's vice president of threat research, Dmitri Alperovitch, in the report.a

Related stories:a

Chinese paper says hacking claim 'irresponsible' US was chief target of cyber attacks: McAfee Biggest-ever series of cyber attacks uncovered, UN hit

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.a

Pemenang Blog Award Sesi 15 - BRONZE

Pemenang Blog Award Sesi 15 - BRONZE

Jakarta - Tim Internet Sehat telah memilih dua blog pemenang Internet Sehat Blog & Content Award (ISBA) 2011. Setelah melakukan proses verifikasi dan penilaian, bersama ini kami menyampaikan bahwa blog berikut ini layak dan berhak mendapatkan penghargaan Internet Sehat Blog & Content Award (ISBA) 2011 untuk kategori BRONZE minggu ini, Kamis (04/08/2011):



http://belajarfotografi.com

'Pulang' dari situs ini, pembaca akan mendapatkan banyak pengetahuan mengenai dunia fotografi. Dideskripsikan dengan bahasa yang mudah dimengerti serta dibalut dengan tampilan yang didominasi warna abu-abu putih namun tidak menjemukan, postingan-postingan yang ditulis dalam blog ini tidak boleh dilewatkan.

Apalagi bagi mereka yang ingin lebih dalam berkecimpung atau belajar mengenai seluk beluk fotografi, blog ini layaknya 'guru' dalam bentuk digital. Dan tak hanya menjelaskan melalui tulisan, pembaca juga dihadirkan dengan foto-foto sehingga 'berguru' dengan blog ini akan lebih meyakinkan.

Pengetahuan dasar fotografi hingga pengetahuan mengenai cara-cara memanipulasi foto di software pengeditan foto juga dibahas dalam blog yang beralamat di http://belajarfotografi.com ini.

Ikuti tips-tips jitu seputar fotografi, mulai dari bagaimana membuat foto agar lebih tajam, tips memotret sunset dan sunrise, bagaimana memotret wajah dengan karakteristik khas hingga bagaimana cara membuat siluet.

Dijamin, dalam situs fotografi komplit ini, pembaca akan makin mantab menenteng kameranya di lapangan atau menarikan jarinya di keyboard dalam pengolahan foto secara digital.



http://daenggasing.com

Membaca blog ini, ibarat seperti menyantap gado-gado. Pemilik blog mengaku membuat blog sebagai arena untuk memuaskan semua keingintahuannya, menampung semua pikirannya dan sebagai media untuk bertemu dan berinteraksi dengan banyak orang.

Ya, blog ini memang dikategorikan sebagai blog gado-gado alias macam-macam isinya. Di sini pembaca akan disuguhkan dengan aneka tulisan dengan beragam topik, tentang permasalahan di lingkungan sekitar tempat penulis berada - Makasar, kuliner, review buku hingga soal fotografi.

Simak perspektifnya tentang dunia blogsphere di Indonesia yang ternyata ada pergeseran, pergesekan dan kepentingan di dalamnya. Menurutnya semua berputar pada dua poros utama, popularitas dan materi.

Lalu, lebih bagus mana, Canon atau Nikon? Pertanyaan yang sering ditanyakan oleh para pemula di dunia fotografi. Dan lewat tulisan bertajuk "Pilih Canon atau Nikon?" penulis mencoba berbagi sudut pandang, pengalaman dan beberapa pertimbangan yang membuka pikiran kita tentang bagaimana memilih produk.

Ingin tahu info wisata dan kuliner di seputaran Makassar? Anda juga bisa menyimaknya di blog ini, termasuk catatan-catatan perjalanannya di beberapa kota lain.


 

Internet Sehat Blog & Content Award (ISBA) 2011 adalah sebuah penghargaan sepanjang tahun yang diberikan kepada pengelola Blog, Wiki, Forum, Portal dan berbagai jenis layanan konten lainnya, baik perseorangan ataupun berkelompok, yang dengan segenap daya kreatifitasnya telah menuangkan ide, gagasan dan pikirannya dalam bentuk tulisan secara online. Tulisan tersebut tentunya yang harus dapat memberikan ide ataupun mengarahkan pembaca untuk melakukan tindakan yang positif dan bermanfaat, bagi dirinya ataupun masyarakat sekitarnya di Indonesia. Goal dari program ini adalah untuk men-generate tumbuhnya konten-konten lokal sehingga semakin banyak generasi muda Indonesia yang aktif menulis di blog. ISBA 2011 diinisiasi oleh ICT for Partnership (www.ictwatch.com), didukung oleh XL Axiata (www.xl.co.id), Norton Symantec (www.symantec.com), dan detikINET (www.detikinet.com).

Ingin seperti mereka? Simak cara-caranya di http://isba.ictwatch.com



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Motorola's DROID Bionic Due with 32GB of Storage

The release date for the DROID Bionic smartphone Relevant Products/Services, made by Motorola, hasn't been announced, but it's expected in the next few weeks. Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha reportedly said in an earnings call last month that it will likely make the scene in September.

Those awaiting this marriage of Motorola DROID design and Verizon Wireless LTE 4G Relevant Products/Services speed got an appetizer of sorts when the latest of the device's ever-changing specs briefly appeared on Motorola's web site.

Lots of Storage

PC Relevant Products/Services magazine, which caught the cached version of the page, published some impressive details, including a Texas Instruments one-gigahertz OMAP4430 dual-core processor with 1GB of RAM, a 4.3-inch 960x540 touchscreen, and Android 2.3.4. The rear-facing camera is eight megapixels with HDMI 1.4 output.

You like storage Relevant Products/Services? The Bionic has 32GB, with a microSDHC card slot for even more.

Motorola's page also featured photos of a device that isn't the Bionic, suggesting the posting was a placeholder.

The Bionic was first unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in January and its launch was supposed to happen earlier this year when Verizon launched its first LTE smartphone, HTC's Thunderbolt. But Verizon said Motorola held back the Bionic to tweak its specs based on feedback from early testing.

Verizon already has a 4G DROID device on the market, Samsung's DROID Charge with a 4.3-inch display, which went on sale at the end of April for $299.

There are now a range of DROID-branded devices made by HTC, Motorola and Samsung since the November 2009 release of the first Motorola DROID, the flagship of Verizon's agreement with Google to develop devices based on its then-new operating system. With their large touchscreen interface and array of apps from Google's Android Market, they are seen as a challenger to Apple's iPhone.

Limited Reach

"DROID-branded devices are certainly among the most popular in the U.S., but given that they are limited to one carrier in one country, they do get overshadowed by international vendor brands like Samsung's Galaxy," said Alex Spektor, a wireless Relevant Products/Services expert for Strategy Analytics.

The latest DROID is the DROID 3, which has a dual-core one-gigahertz processor and a slide-out keyboard Relevant Products/Services. Motorola says the slim five-row keyboard -- including a row of numerical keys -- makes it the thinnest QWERTY smartphone ever.

The Android 2.3-powered device also has a generous four-inch qHD display, an eight-megapixel camera with 8x digital zoom and 1080p HD Relevant Products/Services video, and a front-facing webcam with video capture and output via a HDMI connector cable. It sells for $199 with a two-year voice Relevant Products/Services and data Relevant Products/Services contract.

Unlike the Bionic and Samsung's DROID Charge, though, the DROID 3 is made for standard 3D data speeds, rather than Verizon's high-speed Long Term Evolution network Relevant Products/Services.
 

Deals of the day: 'Scrabble,' Sony and more

By Rosa Golijan

Our "deals of the day" roundup is a selection of some of the better gadgets, gaming and app deals on the Internet right now — with a few strange odds and ends thrown in for fun. Here's what's worth considering today: A "Scrabble" iOS app for $1, discounted Sony HDTVs, lowered prices on Dells and more.a

Gadgets:a

17.3" Toshiba Satellite P770-BT4N22 Core i3-2310M, 6GB RAM, 500GB HDD for $679 (Normally $759) 9.7" HP TouchPad 16GB Tablet for $380 (Normally $500) 17.3" HP ENVY 17-1181NR Core i7-720QM 1.6GHz Quad-core 1080p Laptop w/6GB RAM, 750GB HDD, 1GB Mobility Radeon HD 5850 & Blu-ray for $997 (Normally $1,149) 15.6" Lenovo G575 1.6GHz Dual-core AMD Fusion Laptop (43833NU) w/4GB RAM, 750GB HDD for $439 (Normally $699) 12.5" ThinkPad X220 Multi-touch Core i5-2520M 2.5GHz Dual-core "Sandy Bridge" Tablet PC for $1,061 (Normally $1,299) 24" Dell Professional P2411H 1080p LED-backlit LCD Monitor for $229 (Normally $319) Dell Vostro 460 Core i5-2400 3.1GHz Quad-core "Sandy Bridge" Mini Tower w/4GB RAM for $489 (Normally $621) Dell Vostro 260 Core i5-2400 3.1GHz Quad-core "Sandy Bridge" Mini Tower w/4GB RAM & 3-year Trend Micro security suite for $539 (Normally $709) 21.5" Toshiba DX1210-ST4N23 1080p Core i7-2630QM All-in-one Touchscreen PC w/TV Tuner for $999 (Normally $1,049) 20" Dell IN2020M LED-backlit LCD Monitor for $100 (Normally $129) 750GB Western Digital USB 2.0 Portable Hard Drive for $60 (Normally $69) Kodak Mini Video Camera with SD Card (Grey) for $30 (Normally $49) 46" Sony BRAVIA KDL-46NX720 XR480 3D 240hz 1080p LED HDTV for $1,300 (Normally $1,598) 15.6" Lenovo V570 1066AEU Quad Core i7-2630QM, 6GB RAM, 750GB HDD for $749 (Normally $899) 15.6" Toshiba Satellite C650D-BT4N11 AMD C-50, 3GB RAM, 320GB HDD for $324 (Normally $419) 60GB OCZ Agility 3 SSD 2.5" AGT3-25SAT3-60G for $85 (Normally $111) MartinLogan MLT-2 Home Theater System for $330 (Normally $451) 55" LG Infinia 55LV5500 1080p 120 Hz LED HDTV with Smart TV for $1003 (Normally $1,114) 46" Toshiba 46G310U LCD HDTV 1080p 120Hz for $525 (Normally $900) 32" Toshiba 32C110U Class REGZA C Series LCD TV 720p for $275 (Normally $450) Acer K11 Mini DLP Projector for $300 (Normally $335) Argosy HV359V HDD Media Player for $99 (Normally $136) Sony MHSPM5 Bloggie HD Video Camera for $80 (Normally $96) Kodak Easyshare C182 12MP Digital Camera for $62 (Normally $73) advertisement advertisement advertisement

Gaming:a

Dead Rising 2 Collector's Edition (PS3, Xbox 360) for $20 (Normally $50) Sniper: Ghost Warrior (Xbox 360) for $15 (Normally $25) Demon's Souls (PS3) for $16 (Normally $24) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii) + Part 1 Game for $50 (Normally $70) Dead Rising 2 Collector's Edition (Xbox 360, PS3) for $20 (Normally $27)

Apps:a

Vegas Pool Sharks (Android) for $2.50 (Normally $5) Webster's Third New International Dictionary, Unabridged (Android) for $30 (Normally $60) Alarm Clock (Android) for $0 (Normally $1.50) Neon Mania (iOS) for $0 (Normally $3) Guns on Wheels (iOS) for $0 (Normally $2) Heli-Awesome! (iOS) for $0 (Normally $1) Space Car (iOS) for $0 (Normally $1) Scrabble (iOS) for $1 (Normally $3) Monopoly (iOS) for $1 (Normally $3) Chaos Rings (iOS) for $7 (Normally $13) Final Fantasy II (iOS) for $5 (Normally $9) DOOM Classic (iOS) for $2 (Normally $7)

Miscellaneous odds and ends:a

Godzilla Box Set (Godzilla: Tokyo SOS/Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla/Son of Godzilla) (DVD) for $16 (Normally $21) Step Brothers (Blu-ray) for $5 (Normally $9) 21 (Blu-ray) for $5 (Normally $10) Hero (Blu-ray) for $10 (Normally $14) 12 Monkeys (Blu-ray) for $9 (Normally $12) advertisement advertisement advertisement

Note: Today's deals were discovered via:a

Dealhack, AppBrain, LogicBUY, FatWallet, Laptopaholic, CheapCollegeGamers, 148Apps, SlickDeals, CheapStingyBargains, Dealzon, Brand Name Coupons and GamerHotlinea

Please read the detailed descriptions of each linked offer carefully before buying — msnbc.com is not responsible for the duration or integrity of individual deals.a

Rosa Golijan writes about tech here and there. She's a bit obsessed with Twitter and loves to be liked on Facebook.a

 a

Gmail mailbox gets a facelift

Okay, so its not the most groundbreaking feature around, but the trusty preview pane has finally come to Gmail. I know we’ve all been using it since the early days of Outlook, (or Mozilla Thunderbird, if you’re so inclined) and even lesser popular web-based mail like Hotmail have had it since ages, but the three pane view has appeared finally on arguably the most popular webmail around.

Its still a Google Labs project, so expect it to be slightly annoying. To activate ‘Preview Pane’, head over to Labs in Settings, and voilà! you’re good to go.  You can easily switch between a horizontal or vertical layout for the previews using a button on the top right of your mailbox.

And yes, the Goog gains another way to show you your daily over-dose of ads, on the far-right of your screen.  Our friends at TechCrunch say the project is labs-worthy on account of bugs, and something about clutter and ineffective keyboard shortcuts.

About Mohammad Qamar

Officially Derezzed. Subscribe to tBreak at Twitter @mideastgamers to keep yourself up to speed!

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Low-Cost Samsung 4G Phone Will Be Offered by Sprint

Sprint Nextel is poised to launch a new Android-based 4G Relevant Products/Services smartphone Relevant Products/Services from Samsung Electronics that will feature a post-rebate price of less than $100 for customers activating one of the wireless Relevant Products/Services carrier's Everything Data plans. The Samsung Conquer 4G, which runs Android 2.3, Gingerbread, is slated to go on sale Aug. 21.

Samsung's attractively priced Conquer 4G is a dual-mode smartphone capable of running on Sprint's 3G Relevant Products/Services nationwide network Relevant Products/Services as well as on the carrier's high-speed WiMAX network in selected metropolitan areas. The goal is to make Sprint's 4G speeds accessible to more customers than ever, the wireless carrier said Friday.

"Our customers can really do more for less when this ultra-affordable 4G device is paired with the great value of our unlimited data Relevant Products/Services calling plans," said Sprint Vice President Fared Adib.

Smartphone Features

Measuring 4.57 inches by 2.38 inches and tipping the scales at 4.1 ounces, the Samsung Conquer 4G integrates a 3.5-inch touchscreen; Wi-Fi Relevant Products/Services, Bluetooth and GPS radios; and a one-gigahertz Snapdragon processor from Qualcomm. The low-cost 4G smartphone also sports a 3.2-megapixel rear-facing camera with flash and zoom and a 1.3-megapixel front-facing camera for video chat sessions.

Samsung's new smartphone ships with a 2GB card in its microSD card slot, which offers support for a maximum of 32GB of storage Relevant Products/Services. Additionally, the Conquer 4G can double as a mobile Relevant Products/Services hot-spot platform capable of supporting up to five Wi-Fi-enabled devices on Sprint's 3G and 4G networks.

On the software side, the Conquer 4G ships with Google's standard lineup of services for mobile devices, and mobile apps are available for download from the Android Market. The smartphone also features a customizable Sprint ID user interface that provides access to a selection of widgets, shortcuts, ring tones, and wallpaper designs.

Sprint's low-cost campaign for the Conquer 4G is good news for the world's number-two smartphone vendor. According to IDC, Samsung Electronics shipped 17.3 million smartphones in the second quarter and currently trails only Apple, which shipped 20.3 million iPhones in the three months through June. (continued...)

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Welcome to the United States of Android and iOS

By Suzanne Choney

We know about the "blue state/red state" divisions in America, but now we have a map showing a "North vs. South divide" in the battle between Android and iOS (Apple) phones.a

Consumers in the South and Southwest "tend to be Android-biased compared to the rest of the country, while those in the Midwest and Northeast lean towards iOS," according to Jumptap, a targeted mobile advertising company, which put together the map.a

"California, Texas and Florida over-index for Android use, and states in New England and the Midwest over-index for iOS use." Over-indexing, says Jumptap, means that a mobile OS "is used/requested at a rate higher than the national average in that area."a

Research In Motion's BlackBerry use, interestingly, is "over-indexed in New York."a

The data, Jumptap said in a report, "establishes an evolving narrative of a North vs. South divide in the ongoing battle of the two top mobile operating systems..a

The report is based on information from the first half of the year from more than 83 million users on the company's mobile ad network.a

Jumptap found, as other research companies have, "that Android continues to hold the top spot in terms of overall share (with iOS coming in a close second), but that iOS ads continue to outperform ads on other operating systems."a

(That's because "the uniformity of the iPhone’s browsing and app experiences generates higher advertising interaction," Jumptap said. "Updates of the Android and BlackBerry OS platforms should strive for the same seamless experience.")a

While the map shows an OS divide, it also shows that some states, normally not allied in politics or much else, can be when it comes to wireless: California and Texas, for example, are Android dominated; Montana and Louisiana are iPhone-heavy. Stuck inbetween an iPhone and Android state: both North Dakota and South Dakota, which lean toward the BlackBerry.a

Related stories:a

Android conquers almost 50 percent of smartphone market Apple top smartphone maker in U.S.: Nielsen iPhone threatens Android rule Report: Android dominates, iPhone sales double

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.a

Friday, August 5, 2011

10 Bulan, Hitachi Sebar 1.000 Virtual Storage

10 Bulan, Hitachi Sebar 1.000 Virtual Storage

Jakarta - Hitachi Data Systems (HDS) menapak hasil yang cukup menggembirakan di ranah pondasi komputasi awan. Dalam waktu kurang dari setahun, vendor asal Jepang ini telah mengirimkan lebih dari 1.000 sistem virtual storage platform (VSP) ke ratusan pelanggan.

Tak pelak, dengan volume sebanyak itu, VSP berhasil memperluas eksistensinya di pasar, sekaligus menjadikannya sebagai pengenalan produk paling berhasil dalam sejarah Hitachi Data Systems.
 
Para pelanggan segmen enterprise dari berbagai industri dinilai telah melakukan transformasi data center dengan menggelar pondasi komputasi awan sehingga melirik virtual storage platform. Di antara para pelanggan itu adalah Teliti Datacentre (Malaysia), Academica Sinica (Taiwan) dan Kiwibank (Australia).

"Banyak organisasi terus mencari solusi yang sederhana namun efektif untuk membangun dan mengelola data center tervirtualisasi sehingga mengurangi risiko dan biaya operasional, meningkatkan kesinambungan serta memperbesar tingkat pengembalian dari aset storage," kata Hu Yoshida, Chief Technology Officer Hitachi Data Systems.

"Hitachi VSP adalah landasan dari visi untuk mentransformasikan pangkalan data (data center) menjadi pusat informasi (information center), di mana akses kepada konten berlangsung mulus dalam lingkungan tervirtualisasi," tukasnya, dalam keterangan tertulis, Jumat (5/8/2011).

Pengguna VSP diklaim akan mendapatkan kemampuan meningkatkan (scale-up), memperluas (scale-out) dan memperdalam (scale-deep) skalabilitas data center sehingga tercapai taraf kesigapan dan penghematan biaya dalam data center tervirtualisasi.

"Melalui kemampuan migrasi data dan page-level dynamic tiering, perusahaan bisa mempersempit jeda waktu penghentian sistem dan memindahkan data secara otomatis ke lokasi storage yang paling tepat sehingga menyederhanakan dan mengoptimalkan biaya tier dan kinerja," lanjut Hu.

Klaim survei terbaru dari TechValidate, lembaga riset independen yang menyediakan data pelanggan dari pihak ketiga kepada perusahaan, menyebutkan bahwa lebih dari separuh perusahaan kelas enterprise yang diperkuat Hitachi VSP mengalami kenaikan tingkat kinerja 50 persen. Faktor pendorongnya adalah kemampuan platform tersebut menaklukan tantangan menyederhanakan manajemen storage.




( ash / fyk )


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7 Program Jahat Android Terpopuler

7 Program Jahat Android Terpopuler

Jakarta - Beberapa program jahat alias malware coba menerjang OS Android yang popularitasnya makin tinggi. Berikut beberapa malware Android paling terkenal yang terdeteksi sejauh ini, dilansir InformationWeek dan dikutip detikINET, Jumat (5/8/2011):

1. Android.PjappsM

Awal tahun 2010, penyerang mendownload program sah dari Android Market lalu menginfeksinya dengan malware Android.Pjapps. Versi modifikasi itu didistribusi ulang ke marketplace Android pihak ketiga. Selain menyedot pulsa dengan mengirim SMS premiun, malware ini menurut Symantec bertujuan mencuri data personal user yang perangkatnya terinfeksi.

2. Android.Geinimi

Trojan yang dikenal bernama Geinimi ini menyebar terutama di China. Ia menginfeksi game Android dan begitu terinstall di perangkat pengguna, perangkat itu jadi botnet mobile yang bisa dikendalikan penyerang dari jarak jauh.

3. AndroidOS.FakePlayer

Menurut Symantec, program jahat ini menyamarkan diri sebagai aplikasi media player. Jika terinstall, secara diam-diam akan mengirim SMS premium pada nomor di Rusia.

4. DroidDream (aka, Android.Rootcager)

DroidDream termasuk malware yang menggila dengan menginfeksi sekitar 60 aplikasi berbeda di Android Market serta menginfeksi ratusan ribu user di kuartal pertama 2011. Malware ini mengubah perangkat terinfeksi menjadi botnet, menembus sekuriti Android, menginstall software tambahan dan mencuri data.

5 Android.Bgserv

Beberapa saat sesudah terjangan DroidDream, Google merilis tool untuk 'menyembuhkan' perangkat yang terinfeksi. Namun penjahat cyber turut mendompleng momen ini dengan merilis versi palsu yang jahat. Beruntung tidak terlalu berbahaya meski tetap bisa mencuri data.

6. GGTracker

Ancaman GGTracker dinyatakan cukup canggih. Penjahat cyber mengelabui user dengan membuat halaman web mobile yang terlihat seperti Android Market di mana sebagian user terjebak mendownload aplikasi penghemat baterai. Jika terinstall, malware ini akan mengirim SMS premium dengan biaya sampai USD 40 per SMS.

7. DroidKungFu

Taktik pembuat malware ini adalah mendistribusi aplikasi sah di Android Market, menunggu banyak user mengunduhnya, kemudian menginjeksinya dengan malware kala user melakukan update over the air (OTA). Beruntung, DroidKungFu sudah diketahui 'kejahatannya' sebelum menginfeksi user sehingga tak jadi masuk ke Android Market.




( fyk / ash )


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Viber – Free VoIP calls & text messages on Android and iPhone

Viber is a skype alternate for smartphones. It offers free viber-to-viber calls and text messaging over the internet. Normally you have to register for a VoIP service, and then use some other VoIP software for your handset and specify the VoIP server IP and port settings etc in it to get the service working – a feat which feels too complicated for normal users. Viber is charming in the sense that they have their own app, and you just have to create an account and start using it.

Viber replaces skype’s chat with a more famous threaded bubbles format for sms. Best feature of viber is that it integrates in your phone’s address book. So, you can directly make viber calls and messages from there. And just as easily switch to GSM call if you are getting bad quality over the internet.

Just like skype, viber to viber calls are free and sound quality is slightly better than skype, so if you do have Wifi coverage then Viber really helps you reduce your GSM bill. Viber does have disadvantage over Skype that there is no desktop or symbian client for it. Moreover it only does audio calls and messaging as compared to skype which supports video calling too. So, your contact list of Viber friends can only grow to users of iPhone and Android handsets only.

The app has been available in iPhone for around a year now, and is now available for Android OS 2.0 and higher sets also. Nokia Ovi app is still in development and has been promised to be released later.

Get the Viber app for your phone @ Android Market / iTunes

About karar

Dad in the day, Gamer by night. Loves everything Geek. By profession an Engineer but my hobby has been Video gaming on PC since 1989.

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Komputer Tablet 4 Otak Dirilis Tahun Ini

Proyek Kal El (nvidia)


Jakarta - Komputer tablet di masa mendatang akan semakin gahar. Jika saat ini prosesor terkuat yang dipakai baru dalam tahap dual core, tidak lama lagi tablet PC akan dipersenjatai dengan prosesor quad core.

Hal itu ditegaskan oleh Nvidia, salah satu pembesut chip ternama. Mereka memang sedang sibuk mengerjakan proyek bernama Kal El untuk menyediakan prosesor 4 otak di tablet dan smartphone.

"Tablet yang didayai proyek Kal El akan hadir tahun ini dan ponselnya datang pada pameran Consumer Electronic Show (CES) di tahun 2012," demikian pernyataan Nvidia, dikutip detikINET dari Gadgethelpline, Jumat (5/8/2011).

Saat ini, prosesor Nvidia yang populer adalah Tegra 2. Prosesor tersebut dipakai secara luas di smartphone maupun tablet. Misalnya di Motorola Xoom, LG Optimus 2X maupun Eee Pad Transformer.

Prosesor quad core dalam proyek Kal El ini mungkin nantinya akan dinamakan Tegra 3 kala diluncurkan. Diklaim, dayanya 5 kali lipat dibandingkan dengan Tegra 2.

Dan Kal El yang namanya mirip tokoh komik ini hanyalah permulaan. Nvidia merilis roadmap ambisius untuk tahun 2014, dengan chip bernama Wayne, Logan dan Stark yang diklaim menawarkan daya processing 100 kali lebih cepat dibanding Tegra 2.
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Skype adds video calling to 17 more Android handsets

Skype had introduced video calling feature on limited Android handsets till now. How limited? 4 to be exact: The Nexus S, Xperia neo, Xperia pro and Desire S were the only phones given the privilege to use video calling feature. But today Skype has increased their support for 17 more Android phones.

The list of newly supported handsets are:

Samsung Galaxy S II Galaxy S Droid Charge Galaxy Ta

b

HTC Desire Thunderbolt Sensation EVO 4G EVO 3D Incredible S Desire HD Flyer

Sony Ericsson Xperia PLAY Xperia ray Xperia mini pro

Others LG Revolution Acer A5

Do keep in mind though that if your phone has already received the Gingerbread update then you will be able to use switch between front and back cameras as video source on your device. But if you are using Android Froyo then it has limitation of using the back facing camera only.

About karar

Dad in the day, Gamer by night. Loves everything Geek. By profession an Engineer but my hobby has been Video gaming on PC since 1989.

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Awas, WiFi Tempat Publik Rawan Disusupi

Awas, WiFi Tempat Publik Rawan Disusupi

Jakarta - Perkembangan internet berdampak pada kian terbukanya wilayah dimana masyarakat bisa mengakses internet nirkabel alias hotspot atau WiFi. Pengunaannya memang mudah, namun awas, banyak ancaman yang menyertai. Pengguna pun harus hati-hati mengenali kondisinya.

Hingga saat ini akses WiFi diperkirakan telah digunakan oleh lebih dari 700 juta orang, dengan lebih dari 4 juta tempat hotspot di seluruh dunia. Sementara WiFi router setiap tahunnya diproduksi sebanyak 800 juta unit.

Berdasarkan temuan global research project yang dilansir oleh Online Security Brand Tracker, yang disampaikan oleh InSites Consulting dan analisa dari United Consultants, menyebutkan bahwa hampir separuh pengguna internet di dunia melakukan koneksi internet paling sering dengan menggunakan perangkat portabel. Dimana notebook menjadi perangkat yang paling populer (41%), diikuti netbook (3%), smartphone (2%) dan komputer tablet (1%).

Catatan penting dari pesatnya peningkatan baik teknologi maupun penggunanya yaitu terdapat korelasi searah dengan tingkat keamanan. Oleh sebab itu Cameron Camp, Malware researcher dari ESET menyampaikan beberapa advice untuk pengguna WiFi.

"Saat orang-orang berada di Airport seringkali mereka akan meluangkan waktu sementara menunggu jadwal penerbangan, dengan mengakses WiFi menggunakan laptop meski sekedar melihat dan membalas beberapa email," jelas Camp, dalam keterangannya, Jumat (5/8/2011).

"Apa yang tidak diketahui pengguna WiFi adalah resiko keamanan dari data terutama yang terkait dengan lalu lintas data yang terjadi saat memulai akses. Login credentials dan lalu lintas yang terjadi di dalam network akan terendus bahkan sebelum sebuah email terkirim melalui koneksi WiFi, begitulah umumnya modus pencurian data di dalam jaringan, tanpa terdeteksi," lanjutnya.

Satu hal yang sangat diwaspadai adalah ketika ada jaringan hotspot dengan nama yang tidak dikenal atau nama yang mirip dengan jaringan resmi. Tingkatkan kewaspadaan saat berada di dalam jaringan hotspot yang tidak aman, terutama akses yang tidak membutuhkan password.

Masalah bisa terjadi dari teknologi proxy, yang mampu mengintercept komunikasi WiFi, menangkap, mengcopy dan menyimpan copy data di komputer pelaku yang berada di local jaringan untuk kemudian mengirimkannya melalui jaringan WiFi yang sebenarnya.

"Gejala terjadinya scam bisa dirasakan dari melambatnya lalu lintas e-mail data Anda. Tetapi karena jaringan ramai oleh lalu lintas semua pengguna dalam jaringan, maka akan sulit untuk mengetahui bahwa lalu lintas data kita dibajak oleh pelaku scam," imbuh Camp.

ESET sendiri mengklaim memiliki solusi keamanan dalam produk ESET Smart Security 5 yang bakal menjadi versi terbaru Antivirus ESET. Produk ini dikatakan menyediakan fitur-fitur yang akan bermanfaat untuk mengamankan koneksi dan data para user saat melakukan koneksi WiFi.

Salah satunya adalah peringatan yang diberikan pada user untuk waspada kapanpun user terkoneksi dengan WiFi di tempat umum, untuk kemudian memberikan proteksi.




( ash / fyk )


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Why Batman's villains work so well

By Todd Kenreck

In "Batman: Arkham City" the villains rule the city and also hold a mirror up to the psyche of the Dark Knight. In-Game's Todd Kenreck reports.a

{"contentId":"7258020","totalVotes":"17"} Who is your favorite Batman Villain?

Todd Kenreck is the game editor at In-Game, you can rant about Batman on his Facebook page right here or on the In-Game page. a

Results Total of 17 votes The Joker 58.8%(10 votes)Catwoman 29.4%(5 votes)Mr. Freeze 5.9%(1 vote)Penquin 5.9%(1 vote)Bane 0%(0 votes)Ra's al Ghul 0%(0 votes)Scarecrow 0%(0 votes)Two-Face 0%(0 votes)Riddler 0%(0 votes)Poison Ivy 0%(0 votes)Harley Quinn 0%(0 votes)

Tantang iPhone 5, HTC Rilis 8 Ponsel Baru

Tantang iPhone 5, HTC Rilis 8 Ponsel Baru

Jakarta - iPhone 5 belum juga diluncurkan. Namun para kompetitornya, di antaranya HTC, sudah menyiapkan 'amunisi' untuk menantangnya. Kabarnya, HTC akan merilis delapan smartphone baru.

Rencana yang dijadwalkan terlaksana di kuartal ketiga 2011 ini memperlihatkan vendor asal Taiwan itu, terus menjaga momentumnya menantang kompetisi pasar smartphone yang kian ketat.

Disebutkan oleh CEO HTC, Peter Chou, dengan merilis begitu banyak ponsel dalam periode pendek, diharapkan dapat membantu mendorong HTC menjual lebih dari 13,5 juta unit ponsel pada kuartal ketiga ini.

Dan jika mampu mencapai targetnya, HTC akan mengukir rekor tersendiri untuk urusan pendapatan di kuartal tersebut. Demikian keterangan yang dikutip detikINET dari Business Insider, Jumat (5/8/2011).

Di kuartal kedua sendiri, HTC telah menampakkan kekuatannya dengan melebihi perkiraan para analis pasar smartphone. Angka penjualan HTC didorong oleh meningkatnya popularitas Android. Keputusan HTC merilis banyak perangkat mungkin akan menjadi strategi bagus untuk membantunya berkompetisi dengan rival seperti Apple dan Samsung.
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MeeGo powered Nokia N9 countdown page appears

Nokia’s MeeGo adventure is a bit of a mystery to everyone but the CEO. An in house developed, Linux-based platform with a sizable lead ahead of the pack to production? who cares says the Finnish giant. And hence we have a wonderful operating system, stillborn.

Now a countdown page to the official launch of the N9 has popped up on Nokia Sweden page, which is hovering currently around the 49 day mark. Remember that this is one phone you might not want to miss. Heck, its almost a collectors model even before release!

The guys over at Nokia have tested the waters by giving out some pre-production models to major technology sites, and the reactions have almost always been positive. The phone is button-free and quite a looker, and comes with NFC for communication.

Go here for our earlier take on the Nokia N9, and what it brings.

About Mohammad Qamar

Officially Derezzed. Subscribe to tBreak at Twitter @mideastgamers to keep yourself up to speed!

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Former Microsoft Exec Tapped As Nation's New CIO

A former Microsoft executive who has been in government service since 2009 has been appointed as the nation's chief information officer and administrator of the Office of Electronic Government. The OEG is part of the Office of Management and Budget.

Short History

Steven L. VanRoekel, 41, will be the nation's top official in charge of managing the nation's information-technology investments at a time when the country faces an onslaught of cyberattacks and must implement system upgrades while slashing spending.

He replaces Vivek Kundra, the first person to hold the post created by President Obama in 2009. Previously, the responsibilities were performed by the administrator of the Office of Electronic Government and Information Technology, which was created by the E-Government Act of 2002 to boost Internet-based technology that improves the public's access to government.

Kundra stepped down earlier this summer to accept a Harvard University fellowship. VanRoekel is currently executive director of citizen and organizational engagement at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). Before taking that job this year, he was managing director of the Federal Communications Commission, overseeing operational, technical, financial and human-resource aspects of the agency and heading up efforts to introduce new technology and social Relevant Products/Services media.

VanRoekel, who has a B.A. in management of information systems from Iowa State University, worked at software giant Microsoft from 1994 to 2009, most recently as senior director for the Windows Relevant Products/Services Server and Tools Division.

Kundra was well-regarded for consolidating the government's data Relevant Products/Services centers and implementing cloud Relevant Products/Services applications that reduce hardware investments.

Big Shoes To Fill

"I'd say that VanRoekel's first order of business Relevant Products/Services is to ensure that the efforts initiated by Vivek Kundra remain on track," said Charles King, principal analyst at Pund-IT Relevant Products/Services. "That includes the enormous data-center Relevant Products/Services consolidation effort currently under way -- closing 800 facilities -- shifting to cloud-service provisioning, measuring/improving the overall efficiency of government IT projects, and expanding the availability of government data sets to organizations and individuals."

King noted that while the slumping economy poses a significant challenge, most of the OEG's efforts have resulted in more efficiency and reduced cost.

"Personally, I believe there's a lot of room left for improvement [since] government-sponsored/managed IT has been a morass for decades," he said. "But it will be important to keep a spotlight on how things are progressing."

Complicating the security Relevant Products/Services concerns, King added, is evidence that "the U.S. public and private sectors are being targeted and infiltrated by foreign governments that are supposedly our allies. In other words, the trick will be in slowing or stopping these activities without causing too many painful diplomatic incidents."

VanRoekel told The New York Times on Thursday: "We're trying to make sure that the pace of innovation Relevant Products/Services in the private sector can be applied to the model that is government."
 

Cheezburger chief challenges GQ to fashion 'duel'

Cheezburgera

Ben Huh, misunderstood fashion icon?a

By John Cook, GeekWirea

Ben Huh is the CEO of Cheezburger, the company behind hit sites such as I Can Has Cheezburger and Fail Blog. As a result, he's known primarily for "LOLcats" and random moments of disastrous hilarity.a

But this week his penchant for ironic, cat-themed T-shirts gave him a different rep — as No. 10 on GQ's list of the 15 worst-dressed men in technology, right up there with the likes of Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg.a

"We get it," chided the GQ editors in their blurb on Huh. "Your office chair is a FUF and you sift through zany cat pics for a living, hence the whimsical kitty graphic tees and white-rimmed specs. It's cute. But we can tell you just rolled out of your 1,000-thread count bed sheets and picked out the nearest T-shirt in or around the laundry basket."a

But now the mag has a cat fight on its hands. Huh is taking the issue to the people — challenging GQ to what amounts to a fashion duel.a

In this lighthearted video message, with his shirt changing every few seconds, Huh says that he will dress in his very best geek duds and then also have GQ dress him in what they deem as cool. Then, in a blind test, the community would vote on who actually has the better fashion sense.a

"My theory is that technologists, like me, and geeks, like many of our users, know how to dress," Huh says. "It is that we just really choose not to."a

Also on GeekWirea

This is the guy who convinced everyone that IE users are dumb New Bungie film goes behind the games Bill's Book Club: 20 books Bill Gates has been reading

John Cook of GeekWire can be followed on Twitter or Facebook. Just don't ask what he's wearing.a

Oops! Microsoft Volleys Back Google's Patent Rant

Microsoft and Google are exchanging public blows in the media. Google started the battle, but now Microsoft is launching PR missives of its own that may leave the search titan red-faced.
It all started Wednesday when Google Senior Vice President and Chief Legal Officer David Drummond wrote a scathing blog post about patent holders attacking Android.
"I have worked in the tech sector for over two decades," Drummond wrote. "Microsoft and Apple have always been at each other's throats, so when they get into bed together you have to start wondering what's going on ... Android's success has yielded something else: a hostile, organized campaign against Android by Microsoft, Oracle, Apple and other companies, waged through bogus patents."
Anticompetitive Accusations
Drummond pointed out how a consortium of tech companies, including Apple and Microsoft, banded together to outbid Google for Nortel Networks' patent portfolio. He noted how Microsoft is seeking $15 in license fees for every Android device sold and working to make it more expensive for phone manufacturers to license Android than Windows Relevant Products/Services Phone 7. He also mentioned the lawsuits.
"This anticompetitive strategy is also escalating the cost of patents way beyond what they're really worth. The winning $4.5 billion for Nortel's patent portfolio was nearly five times larger than the pre-auction estimate of $1 billion," Drummond wrote. "Fortunately, the law frowns on the accumulation of dubious patents for anticompetitive means -- which means these deals are likely to draw regulatory scrutiny, and this patent bubble will pop."
The overarching message Drummond sent: Google is going to persevere with Android to ensure more customer Relevant Products/Services choice in the smartphone Relevant Products/Services marketplace.
Microsoft's Pithy Response
Frank Shaw, Microsoft's top PR exec, responded via Twitter. "Free advice for David Drummond -- next time check with Kent Walker before you blog," Shaw wrote. He added a smiley face to the message.
What did Shaw mean? Shaw was referring to an e-mail that Walker, Google's general counsel, wrote to Microsoft general counsel Brad Smith. In that e-mail, Walker declined to come in on the deal to bid jointly with Microsoft on the Novell patents.
"After talking with people here, it sounds as though for various reasons a joint bid wouldn't be advisable for us on this one," Walker wrote in the e-mail. "But I appreciate your flagging it, and we're open to discussing other similar opportunities in the future."
Google's Misstep
Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group, said the point of the patent consortium isn't to kill Android -- it's to protect the companies in the consortium from being sued for violating the patents because every company in the consortium is indemnified.
"The fact that the companies go after the patents and want to sue other companies that didn't participate to recoup their investment shouldn't be a surprise to anybody," Enderle said. "So you participate because the cost of not participating is too high. Evidently, Google missed that meeting and wants to blame Microsoft for it."
As Enderle sees it, Google is becoming known as the company that steals other people's intellectual property. Although Google recently purchased 1,000 of IBM's more obscure patents, the firm doesn't have a history of building a patent portfolio.
"For Google to pop up and blame their incompetence on Microsoft is like a tennis player going to a game, forgetting their racket and screaming because the other guy is still serving hard," Enderle said. "Blaming Microsoft for its own mistakes is not going to fly anyplace."

Western Union Launches Global Network Challenge

Western Union, the world renowned money transfer company, has, in celebration of it’s 160th anniversary launched a global manhunt for the “most networked person in the world”. An Interactive Application entitled ‘Your World’ uses ones Facebook page to pit users against each other in a bid to find the most connected person out there.

The application logs in to ones facebook account and gives users an “index score”. This score is calculated based on the number of countries a user has friends in and the number of international connections. It then ranks user based on the statistics. The results are visually represented and users can compare their scores against that of others.

Jean Claude Farah, Western Union’s senior Vice President for the Middle East and Africa commented saying:

“[C]onsidering that there are approximately 16 million Facebook users in the region, this Network Challenge is an ideal opportunity for us to engage with our consumers.”

As of now, the application discounts users other networks such as LinkedIn, Twitter and the newest entry to the social networking scene, Google+ which might skew results in favour of those who use Facebook as a primary networking tool. The site also features a whole array of graphs and statistics on the company’s presence in a number of countries.

Press Release:

WESTERN UNION LAUNCHes GLOBAL NETWORK CHALLENGE to MARK ITS 160TH ANNIVERSARY

New, interactive application to identify the most networked person in the world 

Challenge is also on to identify the most globally connected person in the UAE and across other Middle Eastern countries 

Dubai â€" UAE, August 03, 2011: Are you the world’s most globally networked individual? Western Union (NYSE: WU), one of the world’s most globally connected companies with 470,000 locations in 200 countries and territories, is celebrating its 160th anniversary by launching a hunt for the most networked person in the world. To carry out this challenge Western Union® has created an innovative and interactive Facebook application called “Your World”. 

The world’s leading money transfer company is calling on every Facebook user in the UAE and across the Middle East to step forward and take the Western Union® Network Challenge at www.westernunionworld.com/yourworld. The application visualises Facebook fans’ global connections and users receive a score that shows how globally connected they are. They can compare their ranking against their Facebook Friends; against others in their country and against others in the world.

 Launching the Network Challenge, Hikmet Ersek, President and CEO of Western Union said, “When we were thinking how best to celebrate our landmark 160th anniversary and the role we play in connecting people across the globe, Your World made perfect sense.”

 “We’re incredibly proud that people across the globe have been inviting us to be part of their lives for 160 years. Today, we’re online, on mobile and landlines, around the corner in over 400,000 locations and around the clock, potentially touching the lives of one sixth of the world’s population. That gives us a privileged and unique perspective on the world.” 

“We wanted to find a way to give consumers their own bird’s eye view of their personal network in the world. As well as being a fun way to celebrate the power of human connectivity, Your World is going to create some fascinating insights, and perhaps encourage more of us to reach out to our fellow global citizens.”

Jean Claude Farah, Western Union’s Senior Vice President for the Middle East and Africa said, “The Middle East is one of the most important regions for Western Union with its large expatriate population and growing SME sector. We have helped make a difference to the lives of millions of people across the region. Western Union is one of the world’s most globally connected companies and considering that there are approximately 16 million Facebook users in the region[1], this Network Challenge is an ideal opportunity for us to engage with our consumers.”

 Based on the Western Union Network Challenge, the most globally networked individual will have a unique opportunity to use his or her extensive network as a force for good. Your World is now live. To see your global connections go to www.westernunionworld.com/yourworld and type in your Facebook log-in details.

About Nabil Fahim

Humourist, narcissist, news-junkie, bassist and Techie. Best when caffeinated. Grumpy old man and seasoned collector of lame puns. Follow him on twitter: @nabilfahim

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150 million photos now shared on Instagram

Instagrama

Photo No. 150 million -- as snapped and Instagrammed by "@janefot."a

By Suzanne Choney

Remember those Polaroids your grandma pulled out of envelopes or albums to show you way back when? Instagram brings that tinted, old-timey, Polaroid look and square dimensions to photos taken with your iPhone, giving users a choice of filters to apply to their photos. And since the free app launched last October, more than 150 million photos have been shared on Instagram's social network/photo-sharing site.a

Since last fall, "we've seen more than 7 million people from all around the world share photos on our platform," Instagram said on its blog.a

Instagram users are posting photos at the rate of 15 per second. And a look at some of those photos, shared on the blog, shows why: With the app's fun filters, photos become instant art or fodder for nouveau nostalgia.a

Here's the first photo ever posted to Instagram, by app founder Kevin Systrom:a

Instagrama

Photos that have been Instagrammed can be posted not only to the app's site, but to Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Flickr, Foursqaure, Posterous, and can easily be emailed.a

Instagram's small team of four employees is "constantly amazed by the range of photos" that are shared.a

Instagrama

San Francisco Giants fans celebrate their World Series championship.a

"People use Instagram to snap photos of everyday moments with friends and family and also to document significant personal moments, like weddings and honeymoons," the company wrote on the blog.a

"There are Instagram photos from major events like the World Series and the Grammys, and some Instagram photos have even made the national news. Artists and celebrities have begun to give fans a unique look into their lives through photos, while brands like Burberry have started to realize the power of communicating with their followers through images. Really, the app is as much a venue to a photo-sharing social network as it is about putting fun filters to your photos."a

That's for sure. While some may worry about "oversharing" on social networks like Facebook or Twitter, Instagram represents the best king of sharing — although users don't have to post their photos if they don't want to.a

Related stories:a

Justin Bieber army invades Instagram Twitter, Instagram light up during Pitbull concert Foursquare seeing 3 million check-ins daily

Check out Technolog, Gadgetbox, Digital Life and In-Game on Facebook, and on Twitter, follow Suzanne Choney.a

Thursday, August 4, 2011

InstaFB – transfer your instagram pics to facebook

For those of you who are avid Instagram users and find Facebook one of the best ways to share pictures with friends who aren’t on Instagram, InstaFB might be the perfect way for you to share your photos on Facebook. The web service lets you connect your Facebook account with your Instagram account and import 50 images to it. Once activated, the service continues to sync all new photos that you upload to Instagram to your Facebook profile.

The service will auto post the new album to your Facebook wall. Although the service is somewhat limiting as it can only export 50 images from your Instagram account, it continues to sync all new images posted to Instagram with your Facebook profile so that you don’t have to.

Use the service @ InstaFB.com

About karar

Dad in the day, Gamer by night. Loves everything Geek. By profession an Engineer but my hobby has been Video gaming on PC since 1989.

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Frekuensi Carut Marut, Indonesia Perlu Badan Spektrum?

Frekuensi Carut Marut, Indonesia Perlu Badan Spektrum?

Jakarta - Pemerintah Indonesia dinilai perlu segera membentuk Badan Spektrum Nasional. Alasannya karena Kementerian Komunikasi dan Informatika dianggap kurang kapabel dalam menata alokasi sumber daya frekuensi.

Demikian dilontarkan Asmiati Rasyid, pendiri Center for Indonesia Telecommunications Regulation Study (CITRUS) dalam sebuah seminar frekuensi, di Gedung Dewan Pers, Jakarta, Kamis (4/8/2011).

"Frekuensi itu sumber daya alam yang sangat berharga, seperti minyak. Meskipun ketersediaannya tidak banyak, namun sifatnya jangka panjang dan bisa digunakan untuk kesejahteraan rakyat," jelasnya.

Ia mencontohkan, di Indonesia spektrum frekuensi telekomunikasi selebar 350 Mhz sudah habis dipakai untuk Wimax pada 200 Mhz dan Satelit Indostar II sebanyak 150 Mhz. Padahal penggunanya baru mencapai 200 juta saja.

"Bandingkan dengan India, yang sampai saat ini jumlah pengguna telekomunikasi sudah mencapai 600 juta dan baru melepas spektrum hanya 400 Mhz saja. Sedangkan di Indonesia, jumlah spektrum frekuensi yang dilepas sudah mencapai 900 Mhz dengan pengguna 200 juta," papar Asmiati.

Itu sebabnya, kata Asmiati, pengelolaan spektrum seharusnya bukan di bawah Kementerian Kominfo dan harus diposisikan lebih tinggi. "Badan Spektrum Nasional ini harus langsung di bawah presiden. Sebab ini menyangkut kepentingan banyak pihak," ujarnya.

"Kita jangan mau hanya dipermainkan oleh kepentingan yang dibalik kedok liberalisasi. Kita harus lihat, Indonesia itu kaya dengan pasar yang sangat besar bagi perusahaan asing. Maka saya sarankan agar pembagian spektrum frekuensi ini agar ditata ulang," tandasnya.

Ia pun menegaskan, Badan Spektrum Nasional yang dimaksud harus memiliki kewenangan yang kuat terutama untuk melakukan refarming band spektrum yang dikuasai oleh industri broadcasting, maupun band-band spektrum lainnya yang dimiliki Kementerian Pertahanan dan Kepolisian Negara.

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Vision, Ponsel Android Seksi ala Huawei

Vision, Ponsel Android Seksi ala Huawei

Jakarta - Huawei semakin serius menapak jagat smartphone Android. Vendor asal China ini mengumumkan Huawei Vision, ponsel yang disebut Huawei paling seksi di antara ponsel buatan mereka selama ini.

Vision memakai sistem operasi Android 2.3 Gingrebread dan kustomisasi antar muka atau interface bergaya 3 dimensi. Fitur di handset ini seperti layar WXGA 3,7 inch, Wi-Fi, GPS, kamera 5MP beserta LED flash, perekaman video HD 720p, RAM 512 MB dan prosesor 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon.

Dikutip detikINET dari PCWorld, Kamis (4/8/2011), desain unibodi Huawei Vision membuatnya terlihat cukup berkelas. Terlebih bahan pembuatannya adalah alumunium dan ketebalannya cuma 9,9 mm.

"Kami sangat gembira memperkenalkan Vision, smartphone yang menyeimbangkan antara teknologi dan gaya," klaim Victor Xu, Chief Marketing Officer Huawei. Ia menambahkan Visoan ditargetkan terjual sejuta unit.

Huawei Vision rencananya dirilis September 2011 di sejumlah pasar. Ia akan dibundling dengan game Angry Birds, Asphalt 6: Adrenaline, Guerilla Bob HD dan Order & Chaos Online. Huawei belum mengumumkan berapa harganya.

Huawei menargetkan masuk tiga besar vendor ponsel terbesar di tahun 2015. Karena itu, mereka semakin giat melempar produk ponsel setelah sebelumnya hanya fokus di infrastruktur telekomunikasi.




( fyk / ash )


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Google lowers VOIP rates

Google recently lowered the calling rates of over 150 countries worldwide for their VOIP service. As these changes will start getting rolled out to each territory, a new phone logo will come up in your chat list.

Just like Google Chat, you’ll need to install a small plugin file and restart the browser/ tab to be able to make phone calls. And another thing, anybody using Google Apps will need to have both Google Voice and Google Checkout (to buy credits) enabled in the admin settings for this to work.

I decided to run a check of the calling rates between Google and Skype to see how cheap  it really is. Here are a few popular countries for people living in the UAE.

As you can see Google is cheaper by at least 30% in most cases, and upwards of 70% when it comes to making calls to mobile phones. This is what happens when one of your biggest competitors buys one the biggest VOIP companies in the world. You undercut them. Good for us general consumers of course. Now let’s hope Etisalat doesn’t block this like they have Skype. Du users needn’t worry.

About Taimoor Hafeez

From auditing to editing, I now test and analyze the latest gadgets and games instead of the latest financial statements. Both jobs are equally intense and rewarding. In my free time you'll find me raiding in WoW or engineering in TF2.

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Tips Membeli BlackBerry Bekas

Tips Membeli BlackBerry Bekas

Jakarta -

( fyk / fyk )


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Germany asks Facebook to delete user pictures

The infamous facial recognition tool on Facebook is now threatened in Germany as it’s violating EU privacy and data protection laws.

Basically the (automatically enabled) photo-tagging feature on Facebook allows a user to scan all of their uploaded pictures via Facebook’s own biometric scanning tools to identify people. This feature can be turned off, but Facebook still has all the uploaded pictures in their database which can be scanned by them regardless.

“If the data were to get into the wrong hands, then someone with a picture taken on a mobile phone could use biometrics to compare the pictures and make an identification,” said  Johannes Caspar, Hamburg Data Protection Supervisor. ”The right to anonymity is in danger.”

“Should Facebook maintain the function, it must ensure that only data from persons who have declared consent to the storage of their biometric facial profiles be stored in the database,” he said.

Hamburg’s Data Protection agency has asked Facebook to stop running the facial recognition program for all German users who have opted out of the photo-tagging feature, otherwise the company could face fines of up to €300,000 (USD 429k/ AED 1.5m).

A Fecbook sopeswoman said, “we will consider the points the Hamburg Data Protection Authority have made about the Photo Tag Suggest feature, but firmly reject any claim that we are not meeting our obligations under European Union data protection law.”

We’ll keep you updated on the case between Germany and Facebook; for thew time being it doesn’t seem that either side will be backing down.

About Taimoor Hafeez

From auditing to editing, I now test and analyze the latest gadgets and games instead of the latest financial statements. Both jobs are equally intense and rewarding. In my free time you'll find me raiding in WoW or engineering in TF2.

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Jepang Bikin Robot yang Bisa Berpikir

Jepang Bikin Robot yang Bisa Berpikir

Jakarta - Terobosan yang berhasil dilakukan oleh para insinyur robot di Jepang memang amat mengagumkan. Kali ini mereka berhasil membuat robot yang mampu berpikir dan bertindak sesuai kondisi.

Robot tersebut dibuat oleh Hasegawa Group, dari Tokyo Institute of Technology. Di dalamnya terdapat sebuah fitur bernama self-replicating neural network, yakni teknologi yang memungkinkan sebuah robot mempelajari segala sesuatu yang berada di sekitarnya. Jadi tak melulu hanya mengandalkan perintah dari pembuatnya.

"Sejauh ini, robot yang berhasil diproduksi hanya bisa mengerjakan tugas tertentu. mereka tidak bisa beradaptasi dengan perubahan lingkungan sekitar. Berbeda dengan robot ini, ia hanya mengetahui pengetahuan dasar kemudian bisa mengembangkannya," ujar Osamu Hasegawa, Associate Professor, Imaging Science and Engineering Lab, Tokyo Institute of Technology.

Seperti dikutip detikINET dari Gadgethit, Kamis (4/8/2011), Hesegawa juga mencontohkan sebuah kasus dimana robot tersebut ditantang untuk membuat teh, padahal hal ini tidak termasuk dalam programnya.

"Robot tersebut akan berkata 'saya tidak bisa' tapi jika kita mengajarkannya, maka ia akan mengumpulkan segala informasi untuk melakukan hal tersebut," tambah Hasegawa.


( eno / rns )


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Ngoprek Theme WordPress, Dapat Hadiah Rp 6 Juta

Ngoprek Theme WordPress, Dapat Hadiah Rp 6 Juta

Jakarta - Bagi yang suka ngoprek themes WordPress, ada kesempatan yang cukup menggiurkan. Hadiah total Rp 6 juta menanti desainer themes terbaik.

Lomba itu digelar oleh Blogdetik untuk memperbanyak koleksi themes yang tersedia di layanan blog gratis dari grup detikcom itu. Kompetisi ini terbuka untuk umum dan tidak dipungut biaya.

Pemenang utama lomba ini akan mendapatkan hadiah uang tunai Rp 4 juta. Sedangkan pemenang terfavorit, berdasarkan voting, akan mendapatkan uang tunai Rp 2 juta.

Ini bisa jadi kesempatan bagi Anda yang punya bakat desain grafis dan desain halaman web, terutama theme WordPress, untuk unjuk kebolehan.

Informasi lebih lengkap soal syarat dan ketentuan lomba ini bisa dilihat di http://themesdesigncontest.blogdetik.com/

Tunggu apa lagi? Desain theme WordPress, detik ini juga!

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Zombies hit moon in Call of Duty's 'Rezurrection'

Manned space exploration might be more dead then you thought. "Call of Duty: Black Ops" is getting a zombie-only update named "Rezurrection." The undead expansion will include a new moon level, enhanced soundtrack, new zombie moon theme and four re-mastered zombie levels from the Call of Duty franchise. Gamers who bought the "Hardened" and "Prestige" editions of "Call of Duty: Black Ops" already have the re-mastered zombie levels and they will receive the rest of the "Rezurrection" pack at no cost. The zombie filled pack comes out August 23rd on Xbox LIVE for $15.  You can check out more images from "Rezurrection" below. Todd Kenreck is the game editor at msnbc.com and In-Game. You can follow is rants about the video game industry right here on facebook and at the In-Game facebook page. More video game goodness "Modern Warfare 3" vs. "Battlefield 3." "Modern Warfare 3" shows a world on fire The Dark Side will tempt you in 'Star Wars: The Old Republic'

Separuh Jalan Sukses Ditempuh Infomedia

Separuh Jalan Sukses Ditempuh Infomedia

Jakarta - PT Infomedia Nusantara sukses mengarungi paruh pertama 2011 ini dengan membukukan pendapatan Rp 551 miliar dari target revenue Rp 1 triliun yang ditetapkan hingga akhir tahun.

Meski pencapaian target telah terpenuhi separuhnya, namun itu bukan berarti membuat anak usaha Telkom ini bersantai-santai. Infomedia yang dinakhodai Muhammad Awaluddin malah terus memperkuat lini bisnisnya.

"Infomedia mulai kuartal kedua tahun ini telah menambah portofolio bisnisnya. Dari yang tadinya hanya tiga, kini menjadi tujuh portofolio bisnis," kata Awaluddin, President Director Infomedia, di Citywalk, Jakarta, Rabu malam (3/8/2011).

Pada kuartal pertama tahun ini, Infomedia hanya fokus pada Layanan Digital Media & Rich Content, Layanan Content Center & Business Process Outsourcing, dan Layanan Printing & Publishing saja. Itu pun sudah cukup membuat revenue Infomedia tumbuh 26% dibandingkan periode yang sama tahun lalu.

Tercatat, Contact Center & Business Process Outsourcing meraih pendapatan terbesar, Rp 327 miliar atau 59% dari total revenue. Sementara Digital Media & Rich Content membukukan Rp 176 miliar atau 32% dari jumlah kontribusi revenue. Sedangkan Printing & Publishing meraih Rp 48 miliar atau 9% dari jumlah kontribusi revenue.

Dalam upayanya memenuhi target, Infomedia pun mengembangkan tujuh portofolio bisnis baru, yakni Customer Relationship Management Services (Contact Center, Costumer Management, IT Helpdesk & Support), HR Services (HR Provider, Training & Development ), Operation Services (Asset &Infrastructure Management, Back Office, Project Management).

Kemudian, Research & Consulting Services (Market Research, Consulting In Corporate Strategy and Management), Advertising 7 Directory (Advertising: Printing, Online, Mobile, Digital Signage dan Directory: Business & Lifestyle), Printing & Publishing (General & Security Printing), Commerce (Marketplace, Cross Selling and Up Selling Client's Products).

Finance Director Infomedia, Marihot BS Sibarani, menjelaskan alasan pengembangan tujuh portofolio bisnis baru ini adalah untuk memperluas bisnis mereka. "Ini karena ruang bisnis kami yang sebelumnya masih terasa sempit. Portofolio kami perluas karena masih banyak potensi bisnis yang bisa dikembangkan," jelasnya.

Menurut Marihot, memang sudah seharusnya Infomedia berkembang dan tumbuh pesat. Sebab, semua kebutuhan sumber daya dan infrastruktur perusahaan ini sudah dipenuhi semua oleh Telkom selaku induk grup mereka.

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Pentagon will pay you to be an 'Internet meme tracker'

AntiSec via Examinera

By Helen A.S. Popkin

It's been three days since the potentially iconic image of alleged LulzSec leader "Topiary" — 18-year-old Jake Davis of the Shetland Islands — hit the news. Yet the Internet continues to suffer a dearth of image macros that this kid's face and sunglasses scream for!a

Know Your Meme's Don Caldwell pointed me toward an anemic area on the Memes Research Forum in which one commentor suggested: " 'Deal with it' is written all over his sunglasses … It’s glorious." But at the time of this post, hardly any work's been done beyond a few generated by the "Free Topiary" community.  (C'mon, Interwebs! If that was Keanu Reeves, you'd be all over it!)a

Rather than suspecting the crowd-sourced creativity that brought us LOLCats and Princess Beatrice's big dumb Cuthulu hat on pretty much everything, I choose to suspect it's the government stopping the meme flow. The ongoing international LulzSec and Anonymous-related arrests reveal the the government is obviously hanging out in cyberspace. Further, the Pentagon is offering $42 million in funding to researchers to help develop its Social Media in Strategic Communications program, the New York Times reports:a

As social media play increasingly large roles in fomenting unrest in countries like Egypt and Iran, the military wants systems to be able to detect and track the spread of ideas both quickly and on a broad scale. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is soliciting innovative proposals to help build what would be, at its most basic level, an Internet meme tracker.a

DARPA, y'all! That's the agency that invents new technology for the military. DARPA also gets most of the credit for inventing the Internet, so you'd think they'd have this Internet culture-thing covered, but no. As the document circulating among potential researchers points out:a

Recent research has shown that traditional approaches to understanding social media through static network connectivity models often produce misleading results. It is, therefore, necessary to take into account the dynamics of behavior and SMISC is interested in a wide variety of techniques for doing so.a

The Internet — it's a tricky place. And it's increasingly trickier to figure out who's doing the tricking.a

via The New York Timesa

Related stories:a

US was chief target of cyber attacks: McAfee Cthulhu hat a bold choice for royal wedding Keanu Reeves is sad; Don Draper is sadder Hackers for hire: Criminals offer services online LulzSec spokesperson in custody, say UK police UK spies hack al-Qaida, replace bomb info with cupcake recipes

Verizon Joins with American Express for Mobile Payments

Move over, Google Wallet and PayPal. Another mobile Relevant Products/Services-payment option has entered the market. Verizon Wireless has inked a deal with American Express to advance its mobile-payment strategy.

American Express and Verizon are integrating Serve, a next-generation digital payment and commerce platform, on Verizon phones and tablets. In a few months, the partnership will give Verizon customers the option of setting up Serve accounts that pave the way for mobile payments, as well as to redeem offers for goods and services directly from mobile phones and tablets.

"Serve provides a quick and intuitive way for our customers to use their mobile service in a refreshingly convenient way," said Greg Haller, president of enterprise Relevant Products/Services and government for Verizon. He said Verizon is committed to building a mobile ecosystem for its customers, and Serve is one element.

Redeeming Mobile Coupons

Here's what you need to know about Serve: The technology works to simplify the online checkout experience by authenticating a mobile number, then allowing a customer Relevant Products/Services to make a purchase on-screen.

Practically speaking, Verizon customers who use Serve can expect to buy goods and services on their mobile phone in just a few clicks. And merchants who accept Serve mobile payments are promised a streamlined option for processing and settlement. Merchants that accept American Express also accept the Serve card.

American Express and Verizon will also collaborate to source, distribute and simplify redemption of online and mobile offers with participating merchants through the use of the Serve account. In one example the companies offered, customers can redeem certain offers or coupons using their mobile phones, and the credit automatically appears in their Serve account.

Finally, the strategic alliance is reaching out to Payfone to support Serve checkout on Verizon devices. Payfone's pre-authorization and intelligent-routing features will help Verizon customers who use Serve to make payments securely.

Emerging Standards

With Google Wallet, PayPal Mobile, and other competitors vying for a share of the mobile-payments wallet, analysts said the playing field is bound to get even more competitive. The potential is real. PayPal expects its mobile-payment service to broker $3 billion worth of mobile payments in 2011.

"People have been talking about the so-called phone as a digital wallet for nearly a decade," said Michael Gartenberg, an analyst at Gartner Relevant Products/Services. "Now, you have enough of the technology pieces falling into place that it's a reality. Like everything else, it will come down to standards and competition and who gets aligned with who, so this is a reality for all consumers."

In the same way that standards emerged for credit cards over time, Gartenberg said the mobile payments space is still in the early stages. That, he said, is why the mobile payments landscape is seeing so many partnerships.

"This particular agreement is great if you are American Express and Verizon customer," Gartenberg said. "If you are a MasterCard user on Sprint, it's not going to do much good for you right now, but we'll see more of these deals come into place and more standards as both the technology and consumer awareness and acceptance grow."