For quite some time, rumor had it that RIM has been wanting to get into the tablet game, and who can blame it? Microsoft has had a long history in the market, Apple’s iPad has proven popular, and it seems that just about every other manufacturer is trying to cram Android into the form-factor. A couple of days ago, we heard that RIM had acquired Blackpad.com, and the world collectively cringed at what we hoped was a purely defensive move to keep domain squatters at bay. Now, according to Bloomberg, there is confirmation that RIM plans to call its 9.7-inch tablet the Blackpad.

According to “people familiar with” the situation, the Wi-Fi and Bluetooth-capable device will be unveiled in November with front- and back-facing cameras. While there is no indication of when the Blackpad will find its way into customers’ hands, the RIM tablet is expected to cost about as much as the iPad. Like our friends at Engadget, we’re seriously hoping for a Microsoft-like change of heart when it comes to the name. [From: Bloomberg, via: Engadget]

RIM’s ‘Blackpad’ 9.7-inch Tablet Rumored to Debut in November originally appeared on Switched on Fri, 30 Jul 2010 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The ubiquitous ATM has quickly become a favorite, and often easy, target for hackers looking to make a quick buck. At the Black Hat Conference in Las Vegas, security researcher Barnaby Jack recently demonstrated a pair of hacks that allowed him to force an ATM to literally spit cash at him like he’d hit the jackpot on a slot machine. In the demonstration, Jack attacked ATMs from Triton and Tranax, but he said that he had successfully tried the methods on two other brands of machines, as well.

The first attack involved accessing a Tranax model over a network (although it could also theoretically be done on the Internet via dial-up) and bypassing the ATM’s authentication systems. Once inside, Jack installed malware that can either collect account numbers and PINs, or simply force the machine to spit out cash with a specially coded card. For his follow-up act, Jack opened the front of a Triton machine, inserted a USB drive loaded with similar malware, and watched as it automatically infected the ATM. The attack on the Triton is particularly unnerving, since it demonstrates that many ATMs use the same key to unlock the access panel (much like filing cabinets). That key can easily be purchased on the Internet for around $10.

Continue reading New ATM Hack Turns Cash Machines Into Jackpots

New ATM Hack Turns Cash Machines Into Jackpots originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 16:25:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lookout, a mobile security company, embarked on an absolutely massive study that examined the code of some 300,000 Android and iPhone apps. Dubbed the App Genome Project, it looked at a large cross-section of mobile apps and found that an unsettling number of them were accessing your personal information, and sometimes without alerting you. According to Lookout, 33-percent of iPhone and 29-percent of Android apps accessed the phone’s location data, while 14-percent and 8-percent of iPhone and Android apps (respectively) were accessing contacts stored on the device.

Making these numbers even more worrisome is the fact that 47-percent of Android apps and 23-percent of iPhone apps included third-party code that could easily expose personal information or contain security flaws, even without the developer’s knowledge. This reusable code (often from advertising or analytics networks) is also very difficult to patch and can cause trouble for numerous programs. Revelations like these highlight the growing importance of mobile security, which is, of course, the very business that Lookout is in. The company sells mobile malware scanning and data backup tools, so it certainly has something to gain from a little bit of paranoia. But as they say, just because you’re paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you. [From: Lookout, via: New York Times and Venture Beat]

Mobile Apps Could Be Exposing Your Personal Data originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 09:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Bad news, Evil Corporations: Twitter tweeps aren’t your shills! A study by digital marketing agency 360i reveals that only a sliver of consumer tweets forward branding messages. It notes that “more than 90-percent of tweets originate from consumers — and only 8-percent are authored by marketers.” Conversely, only 12-percent of all tweets mention a brand. (Click here for the full PDF report.)

When tweets do mention a brand, they’re usually talking about digital culture, with the top five mentions being Twitter itself, Apple, Google, YouTube and Microsoft. Those brand mentions are usually informational in nature (e.g., “French Politicians Ban Twitter From Heated Legislative Debate“), or about using the brand in question, while about “one-fifth of tweets mentioning brands demonstrate an outward opinion of the brand.”

Continue reading Twitter Users Aren’t Interested in Supporting Your Brand

Twitter Users Aren’t Interested in Supporting Your Brand originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This evening, Amazon unveiled an updated Kindle, the newest member of company’s Kindle family of e-readers. The device, simply titled Kindle, lands on August 27th for $139 (Wi-Fi only) and $189 (AT&T 3G).

The new Kindle is 21-percent smaller than its predecessor, and is available in graphite and the traditional Amazon white. Although 15-percent lighter, the screen size is still the same 6-inch size as earlier models, and the storage has been bumped up to 4GB. Engadget remarks the build quality on the Kindle is improved over previous versions, with the experience also improved with faster screen refresh and more responsive navigation. Screen contrast and text crispness both get improved on the new device.

Continue reading New Amazon Kindle Models Unveiled at $139 and $189, Price War Continues

New Amazon Kindle Models Unveiled at $139 and $189, Price War Continues originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 20:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple went a little retail happy this morning, updating its iMac, Mac Pro and Cinema Display lines, all while introducing the new Magic Trackpad (for those who want to experience all the frustration of using a laptop while sitting at their desktop). While there was no hyped-up event this morning to announce the news, none of it came as a particularly big surprise; the aforementioned products were long overdue for an upgrade, and the Magic Trackpad poked its head out from under Apple’s brushed aluminum curtain all the way back in February. Click after the break for details.

Continue reading Apple Launches Magic Trackpad, Updates Displays and Desktops

Apple Launches Magic Trackpad, Updates Displays and Desktops originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 10:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re still waiting for flying cars, laser guns and teleportation devices, but it looks like we can scratch one childhood dream off the list: touchable holograms. According to the NTDTV report posted after the jump, researchers at Japan’s Tokyo University have managed to concoct holograms that not only react to touch, but that also create the sensation of touch, itself. Apparently, and not surprisingly, an integral part of the system is Nintendo’s Wiimote technology, which senses user input. That’s right nerdlings, with this contraption, you could not only talk to that Princess Leia hologram, but you could actually lovingly caress her cinnamon bun-like tresses. If that ain’t progress, we don’t know what is. [From: LiveLeak, via: Billionaire Boys Club]

Continue reading Japanese Researchers Invent Holograms You Can Touch

Japanese Researchers Invent Holograms You Can Touch originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 09:11:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google’s mobile apps have long provided normal clients with an easy way to manage their e-mail accounts, calendars and personal data. Now, though, the company is turning its attention toward the public sector, with a new set of Google Apps for Government.

Designed with guidance from the federal government and the city governments of Los Angeles and Orlando, the new apps include many of the same features available on normal Google apps, along with extra quirks to meet the specific needs of government workers. Public servants at the local, state or national level will now be able to use Google Apps for Government to store their Gmail and Calendar data in an exclusive, cloud-based format in the continental U.S. Because the apps don’t require users to install or maintain extra software, the company is confident that the system will provide an easy and cost-effective alternative to traditional data maintenance.

Continue reading Google Releases ‘Google Apps for Government’

Google Releases ‘Google Apps for Government’ originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Back in April, we reported that Facebook would introduce a Q&A feature that would compete with sites like Quora, Aardvark and Yahoo! Answers. According to The Facebook Blog, the social-networking site introduced Facebook Questions to a limited number of beta testers today. When the public feature (yes, everybody can see what you ask) becomes available, an ‘Ask Question’ button and text box will appear on your homepage and your friends’ walls. There will be a few different ways to ask for advice. For example, you can just ask a general question, post a photograph along with a question about it or make a poll. Adding tags to each question will be an important part of this new feature, too, since the site will quickly amass millions of queries for you to browse via drop-down topic menus. You’ll also have the option to follow certain questions, so you’ll be notified of new answers that users post.

As usual, Facebookers will complain, but this is a direct shot at Google and Twitter that could end up being extremely useful. While Twitter is great for getting instant feedback, searching for answers is still prohibitively difficult. Unlike Google, Facebook Questions relies on answers from real people, and Facebook has enough users to create an enormous repository of searchable questions and answers. [From: The Facebook Blog, via: Mashable]

Facebook Questions Debuts, Probably Can’t Find Our Keys originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On July 12th, an armed vandal broke into a hotel room in the city of Angeles, Philippines, and murdered a Canadian man and his Filipino girlfriend. In the following days and weeks, seven more people in the city would fall prey to the killer, including five Filipinos, an American and a Briton. As police investigated, they began drawing connections to 28-year-old Mark Dizon, a computer technician from a well-to-do family. Authorities weren’t able to apprehend Dizon, though, until one man came forward with some incriminating evidence he’d dug up on Facebook.

Last week, in the latest installment of Dizon’s alleged killings, the technician robbed and murdered 70-year-old American Albert Mitchell and his wife, Janet. As he was fleeing the scene of the crime, a village guard and motorcycle taxi driver caught a glimpse of his face, and described him to investigators. When a family friend of the Mitchell’s caught wind of the suspect profile, he searched for Dizon’s name on Facebook, and showed the profile picture to police. The witnesses later identified the man by his Facebook picture, and, yesterday, police arrested the criminal at a public square in San Fernando. The most chilling part of the story, though, is that, when Dizon’s Facebook profile was excavated, the Mitchells’ friend noticed that the victims’ daughter was listed as one of his friends on the social network.

Continue reading Police in the Philippines Use Facebook to Catch Murder Suspect

Police in the Philippines Use Facebook to Catch Murder Suspect originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 28 Jul 2010 14:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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