9538402
submission
Julie188 writes:
Microsoft on Friday downplayed the risk of using Trusted Platform Module chips after Black Hat researchers demonstrated a hack of them last week. TPM, the bases of Windows hard drive encryption features like BitLocker, is not to be feared because the hack requires physical ownership of the box, special equipment and IC knowledge, says Paul Cooke on the Windows Security Blog. Cooke also insists that when Microsoft designed BitLocker for Windows 7, it took into account TPM's vulnerabilities. The company should have known about them as this isn't the first time TPM was hacked. In 2007, Black Hat researchers caused a stir when they promised to demonstrate how to compromise TPM (a demonstration that mysteriously never happened). Another TPM hack was made public in late 2009.
9535990
submission
jacob1984 writes:
A few years ago there was a question about which e-reader was the best. Since then, the market has been flooded with new additions, many of them more open than others. Have you bought one yet? If so, which one did you find best and why?
9535030
submission
Weemz writes:
This summer Sony is hoping to make some big moves in the console industry by incorporating 3D-supporting firmware updates so that Sony's entertainment products will be compatible for 3D gaming and movies, especially with the recently announced 3D-capable Bravia TV's at CES 2010.
SCEA's John Koller has revealed that multiple 3D firmware updates will arrive on the PS3 by this summer:
"3D is a major part of our initiatives in 2010 and we're currently developing 3D stereoscopic games to come in conjunction with the launch of Sony's 3D compatible BRAVIA LCD TV in summer 2010. The amazing thing about the PS3's technology is that all PS3 units that exist in homes and markets will be able to play 3D stereoscopic games as well as 3D BD movies through separate firmware upgrades — something that other platforms are unable to do. We'll be announcing actual game titles separately later, but we think that 3D stereoscopic gaming has a ton of potential, particularly in placing consumers within the actual experience."
9535006
submission
MikeChino writes:
Porsche has just unveiled its 911 GT3 R Hybrid, a 480 horsepower track vehicle ready to rock the 24-hour Nurburgring race this May. Porsche’s latest supercar will use the same 911 production platform available to consumers today, with a few race-ready features including front-wheel hybrid drive and an innovative flywheel system that stores kinetic energy from braking and then uses it to provide a 160 horsepower burst of speed. The setup is sure to offer an advantage when powering out of turns and passing by other racers.
9534936
submission
pcause writes:
The Department of Justice doesn't think it needs a warrant to get access to your location data. I know everyone's first reaction is outrage but most of you with a smartphone and applications are sharing your location data with random apps so they can feed you ads, providing it to Google for maps and search, Foursquare for check ins and much more. Why in the world would anyone who shares their application data so widely have any expectation of privacy of the data or, for that matter, privacy at all?
We all hate Big Brother, but maybe the biggest threat to our privacy comes not from the government but from ourselves and the unregulated commercial entities we give access to all of this data without ever reading the TOS, or really having a clue what those folks can and will do with the data.
9534620
submission
Xanator writes:
With the announcement of the iPad the Lenovo IdeaPad U1 Hybrid appears to go unnoticed, but maybe we ought to pay it more attention, a netbook with a removable screen that turns it into a tablet (swithching OS from Windows 7 to a tablet OS within 3 seconds) looks that it offers what many of us wanted from the iPad, quoting engadget: "When docked, the U1 looks and feels like any other laptop, with an Intel CULV processor and a 128GB SSD running Windows 7 Home Premium. You actually wouldn't know there's a slate hiding in there — until you pull it out and watch it switch to Lenovo's Skylight UI, a process that was smooth and quick for us. Lenovo says the goal is for the full switch to occur in under 3 seconds"
9534558
submission
spuke4000 writes:
Roland Emmerich, the writer/director/producer behind Independence Day, The Day After Tomorrow and 2012 is planning to adapt Isaac Asimov's Foundation series. The plans include using technology developed for Avatar including 3-D and motion capture technology. When asked about the usage of this technology Emmerich responded, "It has to be done all CG because I would not know how to shoot this thing in real."
9534502
submission
Barence writes:
Can the general public tell the difference between high-end AV equipment and bog-standard supermarket kit? That's the question posed by this PC Pro feature, in which a panel of twenty people independently judge the quality of a selection of portable media players and headphones, then see whether they can tell the difference between standard music encoding and high-quality iTunes Plus files. Finally, a simple video test checked whether they found Blu-ray video more enjoyable than DVD. None of the panel was an "expert" in audiovisual technology, and during the tests they weren'(TM)t told which players and formats they were assessing. In some areas a clear consensus emerged, but there were surprises, too.
9533318
submission
agoston.horvath writes:
I've written a HOWTO on replacing MacOS's built-in encryption with the well-known FUSE-based encfs. It worked well for me, and most importantly: it is a lot more handy than what Apple has put together. This is especially useful if you are using a backup solution like Time Machine. Whys, Why nots and step-by-step instructions.
9504608
submission
Fullers writes:
The BBC reports that scientists from Cambridge University have discovered an attack for the 'Chip and Pin's system used to verify credit and debit cards in Europe. The hack appears to be a simple man-in-the-middle attack, using a laptop to allow the verification of any random pin for purchases. They are now working on miniaturizing the device to the size of a remote control.
9504002
submission
twailgum writes:
IBM's Jeopardy-playing supercomputer is now capable of beating human Jeopardy contestants on a regular basis, and it has got its sights set squarely on 74-time champion Ken Jennings. IBM announced plans to build a computer that can win on Jeopardy last April, and expects to stage a public tournament involving human players and the machine within the next year or so. The question-answering system, nicknamed "Watson," is already doing trial runs against people who have actually appeared on the Alex Trebek-hosted Jeopardy. Watson's competition includes people who qualified for the show but lost, people who appeared and won once, and people who appeared and won twice.
9503526
submission
farzan1992 writes:
The Mobile World Congress (MWC) event is set to be held this month. It is expected that in that event Microsoft Windows Mobile 7 will be unveiled. Till now there was no details, specifications and features available.
The PPCGeeks has got some details and features about the Microsoft Windows Mobile 7 platform which will be come pre-installed on upcoming handheld devices. The WM7 could have a lack of compatibility with older apps and no multitasking support. Below are the specifications, details and features of Windows Mobile 7.
9503072
submission
Jack Spine writes:
With nearly a billion users dependent on smart banking credit and debit cards, banks have refused liability for losses where an idenification number has been provided.
But now, the process behind the majority of European credit and debit card transactions is fundamentally broken, according to researchers from Cambridge University.
The researchers have demonstrated a man-in-the-middle attack which fooled a card reader into accepting a number of point-of-sale transactions, even though the cards were not properly authenticated.
The researchers used off-the-shelf components, and a laptop running a Python script, to undermine the two factor authentication process on European credit and debit cards, which is called Chip and PIN.
