Tuesday, February 11, 2014

drag2share: More Snapchat Security Concerns

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/nzRKfz4NSZU/the-facebook-publisher-dynamic-is-becoming-clearer-2014-2

MORE SNAPCHAT SECURITY CONCERNS: A security researcher found that he could run a program that sends so many messages to a Snapchat user that it crashes the recipient's iPhone (it doesn't appear that he tested other mobile devices). The security hack is what's known as a denial of service (or, DoS). DoS attacks attempt to overload a server with thousands of requests in seconds, which can cause the entire service to crash. Twitter used to be a target of this type of hack in its early days. Snapchat needs to fix this vulnerability, and prevent future DoS attacks if it wants to mature into a reliable service for users. (The Guardian) 

Read More...

Article: Google Chrome Now Tells You When It's Been Hijacked

Google Chrome is helping its users fend off browser hijackings. Linus Upson, Google's vice-president of engineering, announced a new protection in a blog post last week that asks users to reset their account if Chrome's system detected a potential hacker. The tech giant revealed that Chrome users...

http://mashable.com/2014/02/11/google-chrome-protection-hijacked/

Sent via Flipboard

Read More...

Article: Record-breaking DDoS attack struck on Monday, according to reports

Somebody out there was getting hit hard by a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack on Monday, according to multiple reports. And it looks like this one was even harsher than last year’s Spamhaus incident, at the time the biggest known DDoS attack in the history of the internet. According to...

http://gigaom.com/2014/02/11/record-breaking-ddos-attack-struck-on-monday-according-to-reports/

Sent via Flipboard

Read More...

With ARM's Cortex-A17 processor, midrange smartphones and tablets will be much faster

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/11/arm-cortex-a17/

We already have a hard time finding fault with processing power in the midrange smartphones and tablets currently on the market, but that doesn't mean they couldn't be even snappier. That's the goal of ARM, which has announced the latest Cortex processors, known as Cortex-A17, to address not only mobile devices in the midrange market, but Smart TVs and Over-the-Top devices as well. The 28nm A17 comes with big.LITTLE (the architecture used in Samsung's latest octa-core Exynos chips) support, and promises a 60 percent boost in performance over Cortex-A9. It's also paired with a Mali-T720 GPU, which offers OpenGL ES 3.0 support and plenty of optimizations for low-end Android devices. While ARM doesn't specify an actual timeframe for release, it says that we should expect a huge push for the A17 in 2015; in a separate release, MediaTek also tells us that its newest octa-core processor comes with Cortex-A17 tech inside and will be available in the second half of this year.

Filed under: , , , , ,

Comments

Source: ARM

Read More...

MediaTek's new octa-core processor to compete with Qualcomm over the premium LTE smartphone market

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/11/mediatek-octa-core/

MediaTek, a chipset manufacturer based out of Taiwan, has been making some huge moves lately. Just over two months ago, it came out with the "world's first true octa-core" processor, which consisted of eight Cortex-A7 cores capable of operating simultaneously. Now that ARM has announced Cortex-A17 technology, however, MediaTek is ready to start sampling a new octa-core chip that consists of four 2.2-2.5GHz A17 cores and four 1.7GHz A7s, and comes with a Rogue PowerVR Series6 GPU to take care of any graphical needs you might have.

As an aside, the A17 cores come with a 60 percent improvement in performance over the current-gen A9s, and are primarily designed to make midrange smartphones and tablets even faster. That said, MediaTek tells us that its new chips, known as the MT6595, are actually meant to be featured in premium devices and will square off directly against Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 and 805. And it's certainly got a few noteworthy features: first, the chip will use ARM's big.LITTLE architecture and Heterogeneous Multi-Processing, which means you can use all eight cores for the most intense tasks, or you can use just one or two at a time for incredibly basic activities. The company claims that this chip will be faster and more power efficient than the octa-core Exynos options, which feature four A15 cores and four A7s at lower frequencies.

Additionally, the MT6595 claims to be the first octa-core LTE system-on-chip with an H.265 Ultra HD Codec built-in to the platform, which offers 4K2K video recording and playback capabilities. In much the same way that most manufacturers don't enable all of a chip's features, however, it'll be up to each individual company to add it in. The chips will begin sampling to phone makers and carriers in the first half of this year, and it's expected to arrive in products during the second half. And while it should find its way into smartphones and tablets around the world, MediaTek wants the MT6595 to enjoy a huge presence in the US.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Read More...

Monday, February 10, 2014

LG cuts the price of its curved OLED TV to a vaguely reasonable $7,000

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/10/lg-cuts-the-price-of-its-curved-oled-tv-to-7000/

LG curved OLED TV

The US price of LG's first curved OLED TV dropped from $15,000 to a slightly less stratospheric $10,000 late last year, but that five-digit sticker was still bound to scare away all but the richest buyers. It's a good thing, then, that LG has cut the 55-inch set's price a second time. You can now pick up the curved screen for $7,000 -- or rather, $8,000 plus an instant $1,000 rebate. It's not a great bargain when you can buy a larger 4K display for less, but those who insist on having an exotic-looking TV in the living room will likely appreciate the savings.

Filed under: , ,

Comments

Via: CNET

Read More...

Intel's new low-power graphics could boost battery life in your next laptop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/10/intel-low-power-graphics-core/

Intel's low-power graphics core

Graphics hardware can rapidly drain a laptop's battery -- there's a good reason why many Ultrabooks ship with nothing more than basic integrated video. If Intel brings a new low-power graphics core to market, though, high-performance visuals and long battery life won't be mutually exclusive concepts. The experimental design boosts the voltage of those components it needs the most, letting it aggressively reduce the voltage of unused circuits; it can even put the entire core to sleep for brief moments. The result is a GPU that's 40 percent more efficient than what you'd otherwise get. The company isn't saying just what it will do with its discovery, but it notes that the part could either extend the longevity of a mobile PC or improve its performance without sapping any more energy. If you can eventually buy an ultra-thin laptop that easily runs Crysis all day long, you'll know who to thank.

Filed under: ,

Comments

Via: PC World

Source: Intel Labs

Read More...

Here's Why Instagram Is The Best Media Acquisition Of The Last Five Years And Tumblr Is The Worst

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/instagram-acquisition-best-tumblr-worst-2014-2

Instagram-Halloween

Mark Zuckerberg might be a lot happier about spending $1 billion on Instagram than Marissa Mayer is about shelling out the big bucks for Tumblr. 

According to research by the think-tank L2 Intelligence, Instagram is the best media acquisition of the last five years and Tumblr is the worst.

Since Facebook bought Instagram for $1 billion in April 2012 and Yahoo purchased Tumblr for $1.1 billion in May 2013, the two social networks have seen extremely different rates of growth as well as interest and adoption rates from brands and advertisers.

"Prestige brands have abandoned Tumblr, and the adoption rate has declined," the report says. "Instagram’s 2014 revenues are forecast at $250 million-$400 million, while mention of Tumblr was noticeably absent from parent company Yahoo’s recent earnings announcement." 

Ninety-three percent of prestige brands — basically, the brands that companies want as advertisers — are on Instagram, and, since December 2013, those brands have increased their engagement on Instagram by 1.53%. At the same time, Instagram also had the highest year-over-year increase in unique visitors than any of the other top-10 mobile apps. 

If you compare the growth of active usage between Instagram and Tumblr over the second half of 2013, Instagram's usage increased by 23%, whereas Tumblr's only increased by 6%. 

Check out L2's chart ! of diffe rent social networks' brand engagement in relation to their size:

L2 Intelligence

Instagram has had amazing year-over-year growth:L2 Intelligence

Join the conversation about this story »


    






Read More...

Hackers Can Take Over A Car For About $20

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/hackers-can-take-over-a-car-for-about-20-2014-2

CTH

Two security researchers have recently created a device that can effectively hack a car.

Although cars function as a closed network, Javier Vazquez-Vidal and Alberto Garcia Illera have taken it upon themselves to show just how easily a hacker can gain control of a vehicle.

The two are planning on presenting their findings at the Black Hat Asia security conference in Singapore.

Andy Greenberg describes the invention for Forbes:

... Spanish security researchers Javier Vazquez-Vidal and Alberto Garcia Illera plan to present a small gadget they built for less than $20 that can be physically connected to a car’s internal network to inject malicious commands affecting everything from its windows and headlights to its steering and brakes. Their tool, which is about three-quarters the size of an iPhone, attaches via four wires to the Controller Area Network or CAN bus of a vehicle, drawing power from the car’s electrical system and waiting to relay wireless commands sent remotely from an attacker’s computer. They call their creation the CAN Hacking Tool, or CHT.

John Hanson, safety manager of Toyota, dismissed these security concerns and told Forbes, “Our focus, and that of the entire auto industry, is to prevent hacking from a remote wireless device outside of the vehicle."

This report comes not long after hackers managed to use a refrigerator to hack a business. As everyday appliances become more technical and outfitted with computer chips, consumers are exposing themselves ever more to cyber vulnerability.

The capability to hack cars seems to take the dangers of hacking to an entirely new and more immediate level.

Vazquez-Vidal and Garcia Illera, like most other security experts, said they ! are not trying to empower the hacking community through their work. Instead, they hope that by addressing such glaring insecurities, car manufacturers will start to pay attention and reinforce the networks present in all cars.

SEE ALSO: A Flaw In Snapchat Lets Hackers Crash Your Phone Remotely

Join the conversation about this story »


    






Read More...

Blackmagic now shipping its Production Camera 4K for $1,000 less than expected

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/10/blackmagic-production-camera-4k-now-shipping-1000-less/

So far, all of Blackmagic Design's cinema cameras have suffered through various shipping delays, and the new RAW-capable Production Camera 4K is no exception. But if you plunked four grand down to order one quite awhile ago, there's a double-shot of good news: it's finally shipping out and you'll be getting $1,000 back for your troubles. The 4K super-35 sensor, global-shutter equipped model is now priced (permanently) at $2,995 instead of $3,995, making it the cheapest 4K pro cameras on the market right now. That may change when Panasonic's 4K Lumix GH4 starts shipping for (likely) less money and with footage that, while not RAW, also looks very promising. Considering that there were exactly zero sub-$3,000 4K cinema cameras on the market a week ago, though, it's nice to now have the dilemma of which to pick.

Filed under:

Comments

Via: No Film School

Source: Blackmagic Design

Read More...

TimeStats Tracks How Much Time You Spend on Web Sites

Source: http://lifehacker.com/timestats-tracks-how-much-time-you-spend-on-web-sites-1518505498

TimeStats Tracks How Much Time You Spend on Web Sites

Chrome: We keep reading about how much time we spend watching YouTube videos or goofing off on social networks, but if you really want to find out, timeStats is the easiest way to get actual figures in Chrome. And you can impose restrictions on yourself too.

Setup is simple. You can log into Facebook to share your timeStats on your wall, but this is optional so feel free to skip it. A basic pie chart of statistics is delivered through a dropdown dialog box from the extension's toolbar icon, showing your browsing patterns. Detailed stats are available as well, which show you almost anything you might want to know about your internet usage.

But the cool part of timeStats comes in the "Alerts" section, where you can set a limit on certain web sites. So for example, if you spend too much time on Facebook, you can set it so that Facebook can be accessed only for one hour in a day—beyond that hour, timeStats will automatically block it. There's also an option to go back to the site for another hour after rewriting a chunk of hard text, or guilt-tripping yourself with a notification timer that monitors the minutes spent on Facebook in a day.

Currently, timeStats is restricted only to your usage of Google Chrome locally—if you use Chrome across two different machines, it won't sync your stats. And it doesn't track how you are using your computer apart from that. For such detailed insights, you will need to turn to the more powerful RescueTime to analyze your entire personal computing habits.

timeStats | Chrome Web Store via I Love Free Software

Read More...

Sigma's dp Quattro cameras boast higher-resolution sensors and an extra-wide design

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/10/sigma-dp-quattro-cameras/

No, you're not looking at a projector -- it's the dp2 Quattro, the first of three cameras in Sigma's new dp Quattro lineup. That unusually wide, almost cinematic body is meant to provide a more balanced feel in the hand than the compact design of its predecessors. However, the real centerpiece is underneath: every camera has a new version of the three-layer, color-rich Foveon X3 sensor that takes higher resolution photos (20 megapixels versus 15.3) while improving both performance and battery life. Sigma has also made a leap to a faster TRUE III image processor. Unusually, there's also an optical viewfinder available for purists, which should work well with the fixed lenses. The dp2 Quattro will come with a 30mm f/2.8 general purpose lens, while the dp1 and dp3 will respectively carry 19mm wide-angle and 50mm telephoto optics. The company hasn't said just when the Quattro cameras will ship, but history suggests that they won't be cheap.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: Sigma

Read More...

Sunday, February 09, 2014

Do You Ever Click On In-App Advertisements?

Source: http://gizmodo.com/do-you-ever-click-on-in-app-advertisements-1519033211

Do You Ever Click On In-App Advertisements?

"I'll just ignore the ads," you tell yourself whenever you choose a free app instead of paying for the no-ad version. But nobody can really ignore those ads—they're splattered all across your screen. And somebody's gotta be clicking on them. Is it you? You can tell us.

Read More...

500px will sell your photos if it can keep most of the cash

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/08/500px-prime/

500px Prime

Serious photographers who host their pictures at 500px will soon get to profit from their skills -- if not quite in they way they'd expect. The company has just unveiled Prime, a licensing store that's theoretically more lucrative than many cut-rate stock photo sites. Every image will carry a minimum $250 license fee, and photos will be ranked based on community reactions. A frequently shared photo may stand out from the pack, for instance. There's only one catch. 500px is only giving sellers a 30 percent commission, regardless of the licensing terms -- that's a considerably smaller cut than some pros are used to, and might not be as rewarding as selling the work directly to customers. Prime may be difficult to justify for full-time shutterbugs, then, but it could prove useful to hobbyists who'd like to earn some extra cash with minimal effort.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: 500px

Read More...

Yahoo reportedly set to surface Yelp reviews in search results

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/08/yahoo-reportedly-set-to-surface-yelp-reviews-in-search-results/

According to The Wall Street Journal, the next time you search for a chicken dinner on Yahoo you could be served up a Yelp review for the best bird in your hood. According to the paper's source, Yahoo CEO Marisa Mayer announced a partnership that would surface Yelp reviews and listing in Yahoo's search results, during a meeting Friday. Little else is known of the deal.

While the struggling internet company continues to see revenue fall, its latest earnings report revealed that search revenues for Q4 2013 were up eight percent over the same quarter the year before. The company is clearly still invested in its bread-and-butter, but it's also made a push into content, signing names like David Pogue and Katie Couric to lead new news initiatives. During her CES keynote earlier this year, Mayer, who previously led search at Google, underlined Yahoo's commitment to search, revealing it added 869 partners, and conducted 600 related experiments in 2013.

Filed under:

Comments

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Read More...