The VBootkit authors speak out

Interview Federico Biancuzzi interviews Nitin and Vipin Kumar, authors of VBootkit, a rootkit that is able to load from Windows Vista boot-sectors. They discuss the "features" of their code, the support of the various versions of Vista, the possibility to place it inside the BIOS (it needs around 1,500 bytes), and the chance to use it to bypass Vista's product activation or avoid DRM.

It's no secret that copyright law is a bit out of step with the times these days, and probably could use a massive rewrite. The problem is that Congress is continually retrofitting it with changes and additions that tend to lead to even more problems and certainly don't make the system any better prepared to deal with ongoing changes in the content marketplace. Take, for example, the latest court battle, where performing rights organization ASCAP tried to claim that music downloads from online services should count as "public performances." Why? Because copyright law allows for performance rights, meaning that if downloads are performances, ASCAP can collect more royalties for each download. This is mainly because performance rights can be negotiated (or denied), while other rights are compulsory. Luckily a federal judge had a bit of common sense and pointed out that downloads are not public performances, though there will likely be a series of appeals on this issue. The key point is that the inability of copyright law to flexibly deal with digital music and networks means we're only going to see more attempts like this one where stakeholders try to squeeze more money out of the system through legal loopholes, rather than through providing more value to music consumers.

The Microsoft 'default' phenomenon

Reg Technology Panel It's amazing how many people who have Microsoft Windows everywhere look flummoxed when asked whether Windows is their "standard" for desktop computing.

Caution not combustion behind the move

Thought the Great Sony Battery Recall of 2006 was past history? Think again. Acer's US operation last night said it was asking 27,000 customers to return Sony-made laptop batteries for a free replacement.

Yes, but IT departments must recognise this

Comment In the world of IT, we are constantly debating the latest trends and developments. Usually, although granted unsurprisingly, these deliberations revolve almost exclusively around the features of a particular technology, more often than not taking the form of "is technology/solution XYZ ready for adoption by mainstream customers or is it a bleeding-edge solution that is likely to appeal only those in desperate need of its features?"

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets, Gaming

Most Wiimote hacks we get involve using the little white wonder as a cheap substitute controller for things that are somewhat difficult to operate, like immersive 3D simulators and robot arms. On the other hand, blowing hours of your life hacking a Wiimote just to unlock a door deserves a special mention for sheer absurdity of purpose. Dissatisfied with their existing smartcard setup, a group of Japanese fanboys rigged up their, um, FreeBSD door controller (doorputer?) to accept Bluetooth input from Wiimotes. A simple flick of the wrist triggers the lock motor, allowing you to pass into the next room ready to explain why you're wandering around with a Wiimote strapped to your wrist for no apparent reason. We see only two problems with this setup: first, since the system only authenticates users via Bluetooth addresses, it's far less secure than, you know, keys; and second, everyone knows Linux runs a doorputer like, so much better than BSD. Video of the Wiimote in action after the jump, plans at the read link.

[Via Hacked Gadgets]

Continue reading Wiimote hacked to make opening doors look silly

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!

Filed under: Portable Audio

An interesting bit of news from the kids over at ATRACLife this morning. According to "trustworthy insiders," Sony is set to introduce another Walkman stick -- the B100 series -- which supports drag 'n drop music transfer... no SonicStage required. Perhaps oxymoronic considering the source, the player will not support Sony's MiniDisc era codec, ATRAC; a milestone in and of itself. Instead, the player touts MP3, non-DRM'd WMA, and presumably AAC like we've seen in the recent lineup of dedicated Walkman players and phones. The latter necessary to get your DRM-free EMI on (at least initially). The B100 series will ship sometime before May has sprung in 1, 2, and 4GB capacities with or without FM radios. Nice, now where's that nano killer?

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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!