Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, October 04, 2010

Hacker claims third-party iPhone apps can freely transmit UDID, pose serious threat to privacy

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/03/hacker-claims-third-party-iphone-apps-can-transmit-udid-pose-se/

When Apple addressed a congressional inquiry on privacy in July, the company claimed that it couldn't actually track a particular iPhone in real time, as its transactions were anonymous and thoroughly randomized. Bucknell University network admin Eric Smith, however, theorizes that third-party application developers and advertisers may not have the same qualms, and could be linking your device to your name (and even your location) whenever they transmit data. Smith, a two-time DefCon wardriving champ, studied 57 top applications in the iTunes App Store to see what they sent out, and discovered that some fired off the iPhone's UDID and personal details in plaintext (where they can ostensibly be intercepted), including those for Amazon, Chase Bank, Target and Sam's Club, though a few were secured with SSL. Though UDIDs are routinely used by apps to store personal data and combat piracy, what Smith fears is that a database could be set up linking these UDIDs to GPS coordinates or GeoIP, giving nefarious individuals or organizations knowledge of where you are.

It's a scary idea, but before you direct hate Apple's way, it's important to note that Cupertino's not necessarily the one to blame. iOS is arguably the best at requiring users to opt-in to apps that perform GPS tracking; transmitting the UDID and account information together publicly is strictly against the rules; and we'd like to think that if users provide their personal information to an application developer in the first place, they'd understand what they're doing. Of course, not all users monitor those things closely, and plaintext transmission of personal details is obviously a big no-no.

Smith's piece opens and closes on the idea that Apple's UDID is like the unique identifier of Intel's Pentium III processor, which generated privacy concerns around the turn of the century, and we wonder if ths story might play out the same way -- following government inquiries, Intel offered a software utility that let individuals manually disable their chip's unique ID, and removed it from future CPUs.

Hacker claims third-party iPhone apps can freely transmit UDID, pose serious threat to privacy originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 19:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer Aspire One D255 with dual-core Atom hits at $330

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/04/acer-aspire-one-d255-with-dual-core-atom-hits-at-330/

It was only a matter of time before Acer let out the pricing / availability details on its dual-core Atom netbook, and as we could have predicted, the Taiwanese company's smacked an extremely enticing pricetag on this one. Ringing up at an aggressive $329.99, the 2.2-pound D255 looks almost identical to the D260 -- yes, even those with the worst of cataracts could tell it's an Aspire One from afar -- but in terms of specs it's got that notable difference of a brand new dual-core Atom N550 processor. But not to worry, even though it's now the cheapest dual-core netbook around, it's still got the netbook standards -- including 1GB of RAM, 250GB hard drive and six-cell battery. The single-core version will go for $269.99, but we do have to say that shelling out that additional $50 for that extra core does buy you slightly faster performance (see our HP Mini 5103 review for some Atom N550 performance results). Sounds mighty tempting to us, but it still doesn't make us forget about that Chrome OS netbook Acer's been promising.

Continue reading Acer Aspire One D255 with dual-core Atom hits at $330

Acer Aspire One D255 with dual-core Atom hits at $330 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon , 04 Oct 2010 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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T-Mobile myTouch announced: Android 2.2, video calling, and HSPA+

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/04/t-mobile-mytouch-announced-android-2-2-video-calling-and-hspa/

Looking a bit like a myTouch 3G Slide sans slide, the newly-announced myTouch -- yes, just "myTouch" -- is the latest addition to the consumer-centric side of T-Mobile's Android lineup, featuring a 3.8-inch WVGA display, 5 megapixel primary camera with 720p capture, and a next-gen MSM8255 Snapdragon core running at 1GHz. Notice how we said "primary camera"? Yep, it's true: the myTouch features a second, front-facing cam as well, becoming just the second phone from T-Mobile (and one of the first in the States, of course) to offer video calling. Looks like it'll be supported over both WiFi and 3G using Qik and Yahoo Messenger, so you'll be able to see the beautiful faces of your EVO-sporting friends from afar. Like the G2, it's got full support for T-Mobile's up-and-coming HSPA+ network along with 802.11n and Android 2.2 out of the box. We don't have pricing or a launch date yet, but we're told it'll be available "in time for the holidays" in your choice of four scintillating colors: white, black, plum, and red. Follow the break for the full press release.

Continue reading T-Mobile myTouch announced: Android 2.2, video calling, and HSPA+

T-Mobile myTouch announced: Android 2.2, video calling, and HSPA+ originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung showing off 330Mbps WiMAX 2 mobile broadband over at CEATEC 2010

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/04/samsung-showing-off-330mbps-wimax-2-mobile-broadband-over-at-cea/

WiMAX 2, the sequel to the movie most people haven't watched, is back to tease and tantalize us courtesy of Samsung's new CEATEC demo. Filling four separate HDTVs with streaming Full HD and 3D content, the Korean manufacturer of everything electronic is touting its latest advance in mobile broadband connectivity that takes the top speed up to 330Mbps. That may only be a third of the theoretical max capability of WiMAX 2, but you know, we'll take it for now. The good news is that Samsung's innovation brew extends only to the conduits between WiMAX devices, meaning that your current-gen transceiver will be able to join the accelerated party as and when Samsung's ready to dish out the goods. With the 802.16m standard expected to be ratified by next month, Samsung projects its first commercial solutions will be landing in late 2011. Consider our calendars marked.

Continue reading Samsung showing off 330Mbps WiMAX 2 mobile broadband over at CEATEC 2010

Samsung showing off 330Mbps WiMAX 2 mobile broadband over at CEATEC 2010 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 02:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba Regza GL1 wants you to put down the glasses, enjoy the 3D

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/04/toshiba-regza-gl1-wants-you-to-put-down-the-glasses-enjoy-the-3/

Toshiba might have abandoned OLED, but that doesn't mean the company is lacking ambition in the display-making field. Today it's using CEATEC 2010, Japan's biggest electronics expo, to make official that 21-inch glasses-free 3D prototype we've been hearing about. It's lost an inch in becoming a retail product, with the 20GL1 offering a 20-inch diagonal, but the important multi-parallax picture transmission (employing a lenticular lens setup as used in Philips' Dimenco) remains the same. The new set, accompanied by a smaller 12GL1 model, will be shipping in Japan this December, and if it really does what it promises, the rest of the world should not be far behind.

Update: Japan's Impress Watch has more details for us, listing a 720p resolution for the 20-incher and a funky 466 x 350 on the 12-inch GL1. Prices are estimated at ¥240,000 ($2,885) and ¥120,000 ($1,443), respectively.

Gallery: Toshiba Regza 20GL1 press images

Gallery: Toshiba Regza 12GL1 press images

Continue reading Toshiba Regza GL1 wants you to put down the glasses, enjoy the 3D

Toshiba Regza GL1 wants you to put down the glasses, enjoy the 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 04:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp's IS03 Android phone packs retina display, minus the branding pretense

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/04/sharps-is03-android-phone-packs-retina-display-minus-the-brand/

WVGA's so 2009, isn't it? Sharp has broken Android's usual 800 (or 854) x 480 mold this week with the introduction of the IS03 for Japan's KDDI au network, boasting a full 960 x 640 on its 3.5-inch screen -- matching the iPhone 4's so-called retina display -- along with Advanced Super View (ASV) technology, delivering the same kind of viewing angle benefits you find in IPS. If that alone doesn't make for enough of a monster spec sheet for you, consider that the IS03 also features a 9.6 megapixel autofocus camera with image stabilization, one-seg TV tuner, and Osaifu-Keitai, which allows the phone to be used for contactless payments in subways and the like. Though you won't find it sold outside Japan, you might eventually see one outside Japan thanks to support for Global Passport CDMA, meaning the IS03 can be used in countries that have operating CDMA networks -- the US, for example. Unfortunately, it's running Android 2.1, but let's be honest: the monster hardware might be enough to overcome that little oversight. Look for this puppy to launch in three colors next month.

Sharp's IS03 Android phone packs retina display, minus the branding pretense originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Oct 2010 06:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, October 01, 2010

Another scourge on consumers' time/attention: VivaKi's ASq Video Ads ("most effective" compared to other hated forms?) http://bit.ly/bEAwWF

Tall Walker

Sharp trots out AQUOS Quattron 3D HDTVs, complete with Blu-ray recorders

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/01/sharp-trots-out-aquos-quattron-3d-hdtvs-complete-with-blu-ray-r/

You should know by the inclusion of a Blu-ray recorder that these guys are reserved for the Japanese market, but what's stopping you and yours from drooling over 'em? The 52-inch LC-52LB3 and 46-inch LC-46LB3 are the latest members of the AQUOS Quattron 3D family, and aside from packing 1080p panels and integrated TV tuners, you'll also get a slot-loading Blu-ray drive that plays back BD films and can toast material on BDXL media. Not too shabby, eh? They'll be on sale halfway across the world this November, but pricing remains a mystery -- we're guessing it's one of those 'if you have to ask...' type scenarios.

Sharp trots out AQUOS Quattron 3D HDTVs, complete with Blu-ray recorders originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Logitech to unveil its Google TV lineup October 6th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/01/logitech-to-unveil-its-google-tv-lineup-october-6th/

Sorry, Sony. Logitech's looking to beat you to the Google TV punch by hosting is own event on October 6th, just six days before yours. (Then again, Sony's contribution also made a cameo earlier this week at a Best Buy event, but we digress.) The event's invite is vague on the "line of products" (note: plural) it'll be showing, but we'd venture a guess that Revue has already RSVPd and been promised some stage time. With any luck, the Lonely TV will MC the proceedings -- hey, we can dream.

Logitech to unveil its Google TV lineup October 6th originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 11:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Tango iPhone App: My New Favorite Way To Make Video Calls Over 3G [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5652644/the-tango-iphone-app-my-new-favorite-way-to-make-video-calls-over-3g

Up until now, whenever I wanted to make funny faces at my boss but didn't have the Wi-Fi connection necessary for Facetime, I used the Fring app over 3G. Now I've got a new favorite app for those times: Tango.

Just like with Fring, both users will need to have the app installed on their devices and add the other person to their phonebooks. The similarities between the apps don't end there either: There are both iOS and Android versions available of the Tango app as well, so there can be plenty of cross-platform chatting if necessary.

The differences kick in with the (un-scientifically proven) idea that the Tango app provides better video calls over 3G. We unfortunately couldn't show you a side-by-side comparison of the quality as the Fring app kept crashing on Jason and me, but trust us here—we're practically professional video chat app testers at this point.

While the Tango app is the best we've seen for video chats over 3G so far, it still can't really compete with Apple's FaceTime app when it comes to Wi-Fi calls. But of course you can't exactly use FaceTime to call someone using an Android device.

All in all, I've fallen in love with Tango and will be using it for any 3G-based video chats from now on. [iTunes]

The New Google Chrome Beta Has Google Instant Baked In and Tab Expose [Google Chrome]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5652966/the-new-google-chrome-beta-has-google-instant-baked-in-and-tab-expose

If you're not on the Google beta channel, here's another couple of reasons to make the switch: The latest version has Google Instant search baked in for Windows users, and in the Mac version, an Expose-like tab management feature (swipe with three fingers, and all your tabs arrange themselves accordingly, like Expose). To enable them, go to about:Labs. [Cnet]

Latest smartphone displays pitted in no-holds-barred deathmatch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/30/latest-smartphone-displays-pitted-in-no-holds-barred-deathmatch/

If you're a numbers geek, you're trying to be scientific about your next smartphone purchase, or you just like pretty colors, you might appreciate DisplayMate's latest report rounding up examples of all (well, most) of the latest and greatest display technologies out there: IPS LCD, Super AMOLED, AMOLED, and TFT, represented by the iPhone 4 and Droid, the Galaxy S, the Nexus One, and the iPhone 3GS, respectively. Noticeably missing is SLCD, the technology HTC has been using to make up for lost ground on its AMOLED shortage from component supplier Samsung, but we've got a hunch DisplayMate's hard at work at adding that into the mix.

Anyhow, considering the sheer number of variables the firm takes into consideration -- everything from color depth, to brightness, to reflectance, to color gamut -- there's no clear-cut winner, but the Droid and iPhone 4 are obviously a cut above the rest with generally higher scores and better performance across the board. The Galaxy S' Super AMOLED turns in a decent performance, too, but takes a little hit for its 16-bit color depth and blown-out colors. Of course, if you consider any of these -- even the crappy TFT on the 3GS -- to a phone from five years ago, it still looks like science fiction... so you really can't go wrong, can you?

Latest smartphone displays pitted in no-holds-barred deathmatch originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia N8 vs. iPhone 4: camera showdown

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/30/nokia-n8-vs-iphone-4-camera-showdown/

What's the first thing you should do when you get the N8? Considering it packs the biggest image sensor embedded in a phone yet, Carl Zeiss optics, and an eight-digit pixel count, it seemed obvious to us that the answer was to take it on a picture- and video-taking stroll around London. On our way out we saw our iPhone 4 looking all sad and lonely, so we went ahead and brought it along as well. Below you shall find one gallery of pure, unadulterated N8 sample shots, another interspersed with the iPhone's results for comparison's sake, and a final one with side-by-side 100 percent crops from each image taker. Once you've digested all of those, we suggest hopping past the break and tucking into some tasty video comparisons for dessert.

Naturally, all the images are entirely unretouched (but for our masterly watermarking) and the iPhone 4's HDR hocus pocus has been left off. We've also provided a zip file containing all the full-res imagery shot with the N8 in a link below.

A quick note is also merited about the N8's resolution. The sensor's display ratio is 4:3, which means that full 12 megapixel shots are only available in those dimensions. The camera software, however, defaults to shooting 9 megapixel snaps at the increasingly popular 16:9 ratio -- this is done simply by cropping away the "excess" bars at the top and bottom of the image, meaning that the 9 megapixel images are giving us identical performance as the 12 megapixel ones, they're just chopped down (from 4000 x 3000 to 4000 x 2248) for the sake of convenience. Now, on with the show!

Gallery: Nokia N8 sample photos

Gallery: Nokia N8 vs. iPhone 4: cameraphone fight!

Gallery: Nokia N8 vs. iPhone 4: full resolution crops

Continue reading Nokia N8 vs. iPhone 4: camera showdown

Nokia N8 vs. iPhone 4: camera showdown originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Sep 2010 23:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic teases a 13.2MP 'Lumix phone' for October 5 unveiling

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/10/01/panasonic-teases-a-13-2mp-lumix-phone-for-october-5-unveiling/

Looks like we'll soon have another heavyweight to throw into the renewed cameraphone wars, as Panasonic has put up a teaser site for its first Lumix-branded phone. Lumix is of course Panasonic's camera label, which counts among its luminary membership the likes of the GF1 and the newly refreshed LX5. The new phone shooter promises to beat both in terms of pure resolution with its 13.2 megapixel CMOS sensor, which is accompanied by a 3.3-inch LCD atop a 146-gram body. Much like Nokia's N8 and its protruding sensor compartment, this Lumix handset will have to make room for its expanded imaging equipment, which is why it'll offer a comparatively chubby 17.7mm thickness, to go along with a 116mm height and 52mm width. We'll know more next week when CEATEC 2010 gets rolling over in Tokyo.

[Thanks, Anton]

P.S. -- It's also noteworthy that Panasonic's press release indicates a folding mechanism for this handset, which, given current trends in Japan, makes it most likely to be a clamshell device. It's also got some DLNA voodoo inside and is coming out by the end of this fiscal year (April 2011).

Panasonic teases a 13.2MP 'Lumix phone' for October 5 unveiling originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 05:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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