Internet and Entertainment

Four new BlackBerry phones revealed in leaked roadmap

2011-08-24T23:01:00.000-07:00

Research In Motion's 2011 release roadmap has been leaked, giving us an early sneak peak of the company's plans for the year, and outing previously-confidential BlackBerry devices like the codenamed Monaco, Sedona and Malibu.

The BlackBerry Storm 3 (codenamed Monaco Touch) is a slender smartphone with a 1.2GHz processor, 512MB of RAM, a 3.7-inch touchscreen and a five-megapixel camera. That will come out around July or August 2011.

Joining the storm in August is the BlackBerry Bold Touch (codenamed Montana), which is a more traditional style BlackBerry, with a full QWERTY keyboard. It also has a 1.2GHz processor, but 768MB of RAM and a smaller, 2.8-inch touchscreen.

In August or September 2011, RIM will release the BlackBerry Sedona, which is a Curve device featuring an 800MHz processor, 512MB of RAM, a five-megapixel camera and a narrow QWERTY keyboard.

Looking into early 2012, the BlackBerry Curve (codenamed Malibu) touch is described as "The Accessible All Touch BlackBerry", and designed to be accessible and easy to use. It has slightly lower specs than its more business-focused cousins, and it packs a 3.25-inch display and five-megapixel camera.

The 7-inch Blackberry PlayBook tablet will be released in the United States during the second quarter of 2011: meaning sometime before April.

It should be noted that the release dates will probably differ slightly in the UK. The leaked information comes from the firm's CDMA device plans -- a North American phone network -- so whether all of these devices will get GSM editions for the UK is not yet known, or how long they'll take to reach Europe.

The roadmap also details how the BlackBerry 6 operating system will evolve over the year, detailing a few new features that will appear in future updates. We'll start to see support for digital compasses, APIs for augmented reality apps, a new virtual keyboard for touchscreen phones, a more customisable homescreen and improved multi-tasking.

Build a Camera Trap

2011-08-21T22:54:00.000-07:00

Ever wondered what your cat gets up to when you leave each day for work? Or have a sneaking suspicion that your roommate has been going into your room when he’s not supposed to? We can use an Arduino and a pretty simple assemblage of supplies to create a camera trap to try to catch them in the act.

To do this, we’ll use an infrared emitter and phototransistor detector. When the line of sight between the two is broken and re-established, it will signal the camera to snap a picture.

Send and Receive Free Text (SMS) and Picture messages from iPhone 3G

2011-08-14T20:22:00.000-07:00

From iPhoneHacks.com

If you're an SMS junkie then you might have figured out that you will have to purchase SMS plans separately starting at $5 for 200 messages as the iPhone 3G rate plans published by AT&T; last week did not include SMS.

But before you buy one of those SMS plans, you might want to checkout this simple iPhone trick to send free unlimited text (SMS) and picture messages from your iPhone 3G.

AT&T;'s rate plans for the first generation iPhone included at least 200 free, monthly text messages, strangely they have not included it in the iPhone 3G rate plans.

So before you sign up for one of those rate plans, you should checkout this simple, four-step process that will allow you to send free unlimited picture and text messages from your iPhone 3G.

1. Create a new email message.
2. The important part of the trick is to also know the address of the friend you want to send a picture or text message to. Below is the list of common providers:

All you will need to do is enter the recipients 10 digit number instead of xxx.. in the To: box for picture messages depending on the your friend's carrier.
Alltel = xxxxxxxxxx@message.alltel.com
AT&T; = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.att.net
Boost Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@myboostmobile.com
Cingular (AT&T;) = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.mycingular.com
Einstein PCS = xxxxxxxxxx@einsteinmms.com
Sprint = xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net
US Cellular = xxxxxxxxxx@mms.uscc.net
Verizon Wireless = xxxxxxxxxx@vzwpix.com
Virgin Mobile = xxxxxxxxxx@vmobl.com

and the following for text messages:
Verizon: xxxxxxxxxx@vtext.com
AT&T;: xxxxxxxxxx@txt.att.net
Sprint: xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.sprintpcs.com 
T-Mobile: xxxxxxxxxx@tmomail.net 
Nextel: xxxxxxxxxx@messaging.nextel.com 
Cingular: xxxxxxxxxx@cingularme.com 
Virgin Mobile: xxxxxxxxxx@vmobl.com 
Alltel: xxxxxxxxxx@message.alltel.com 
CellularOne: xxxxxxxxxx@mobile.celloneusa.com 
Omnipoint: xxxxxxxxxx@omnipointpcs.com 
Qwest: xxxxxxxxxx@qwestmp.com

3. Type a message and click send.
4. The message will be sent to the cell phone with the number in the To: box

The same principle works while receiving picture or text messages thanks to the built-in email client (however its not completely reliable). All your friend needs to do is send the picture as an email to the email account that has been setup on your iPhone for you to receive a picture message.

This iPhone trick should work with the original iPhone as well.

As always do let us know if this worked for you.

PS: I had written about this earlier, but at that time it was only for picture messages so I have added some info for the text messages as it is no longer free with AT&T;'s iPhone 3G rate plans.

Zuckerberg: Facebook Photos Used 5 Or 6 Times More Than Competitors — Combined

2011-08-12T20:20:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, Facebook held a developer’s garage event at their headquarters in Palo Alto. To kick things off, CEO Mark Zuckerberg took the stage to talk a bit about the history of Facebook. Notably, he focused on Facebook Photos as being a key catalyst that led to everything the social network is today.

He noted that when they launched the product, they didn’t have all of the features that their competitors did. For example, they didn’t have high-resolution photos and you couldn’t print them. But one thing they did have was the social element — and this changed everything.

“Those features by themselves were more important than anything else combined,” Zuckerberg said of the social elements of Facebook Photos. He then dropped the competitor bomb. “The photo product that we have is maybe five or six times more used than every other product on the web — combined,” Zuckerberg stated.

Wow. Everyone knows Facebook Photos is huge, but if Zuckerberg’s stats are accurate, it’s becoming YouTube-level huge compared to their competitors. Of course, what he means by “used” isn’t entirely clear — do they just browse more, or upload more as well? Either way, it’s massive.

And it was clear from both Zuckerberg and CTO Bret Taylor’s talk at the event that photos to them was the harbinger of things that eventually came — and will still come.

Taylor noted that he had been “brainwashed by Silicon Valley” before he saw and understood the power of Facebook Photos (he was likely working at Google at the time). He had been thinking like an engineer about the best way to organize photos on the web. But he quickly realized that “the best possible organization of photos is around people,” Taylor said.

“There are ten other industries waiting to have this type of disruption,” Taylor said noting the travel industry, e-commerce, and music as a few of them. Earlier, Zuckerberg agreed. Because of the social element, “every single vertical will be transformed.“

Angry Birds maker in talks, could be valued at $1.2 billion

2011-08-12T06:09:00.000-07:00

Angry Birds maker Rovio is reportedly in talks with investors that could see the company valued at as much as $1.2 billion.

First it was just a game. A game that involved hurling irate birds at egg-stealing green pigs. To the surprise of many, it became a global hit, and in the space of less than two years has been downloaded onto various devices more than 300 million times.

Rovio, the Finnish-based company that brought the world the Angry Birds game, has followed up its phenomenal success with a range of themed merchandise that includes shoulder bags, flip-flopsand toys. There’s talk of an Angry Birds movie. There’s even a cookbook. Baby blankets are on their way. And according to a report on Friday, a $1.2 billion valuation could also be just around the corner.

The Bloomberg report claims that the game’s creators are currently in talks that could result in Rovio being valued at $1.2 billion. The information was passed on by “two people with knowledge of the discussions.”

The source said that Rovio is thinking about taking a “strategic investment from a company in the entertainment business.”

Michael Pachter, managing director of research at Wedbush Securities, told Bloomberg that the potential investors could be game developers like Electronic Arts and Zynga, which could help the Angry Birds maker reach new audiences. Given the game’s success, reaching new audiences would be no mean feat. It’s not hard to believe that there might be undiscovered tribes in the depths of the Amazon rainforest going about discussing the game.

Pachter even raised the prospect of the game’s characters turning up at Disneyland. “I can see how Disney would take Angry Birds and turn them into a theme-park ride and a movie,” he told Bloomberg.

One thing is for sure. Rovio is keen to capitalize on the success of its global game. It has plans, for example, to sell Angry Birds merchandise in 200 retail stores across China.

The company received $42 million in funding back in March from Accel Partners, Atomico and Felicis Ventures. At that time Rovio board chairman Kaj Hed said, “We’re building this [into] a big company. Our goal is to become number one in the world.” We can’t help thinking those furious feathered creatures might just help make it happen.

Google accuses Apple, Oracle and Microsoft of an Android patent war

2011-08-12T05:52:00.001-07:00

In Googles official blog Google’s Chief Legal Officer and Senior VP, David Drummond accused Microsoft, Apple and Oracle of campaign of patent war against Android.

… Although there are numerous patent cases surrounding Google’s mostly open source mobile operating system Android, only one of them, Oracle’s case, directly addresses Google. All the other cases involve handset manufacturers either being taken to court for patent infringement (Apple vs HTC and Apple vs Samsung) or paying patent licence fees to Microsoft for undisclosed patents.
Drummond complains that the “anti-competitive strategy is also escalating the cost of patents way beyond what they’re really worth” citing the bidding for Nortel’s patent portfolio which went to a consortium for $4.5 billion. Drummond says that is nearly five times more than the pre-auction estimate, but does not mention that Google bid at least $3.14 billion for the same patents and possibly as much as $4 billion.
He says that Google is reassured by actions such as the Department of Justice’s conditions placed on the CPTN consortium which bought the Novell patent portfolio, patents Drummond alleges were purchased as part of an anti-Android campaign to “make sure Google didn’t get them”. Microsoft’s Brad Smith responded directly to this accusation on Twitter saying “Google says we bought Novell patents to keep them from Google. Really? We asked them to bid jointly with us. They said no.”. Frank Shaw, Microsoft Head of Communications then published a copy of a letter from Google’s General Counsel, Kent Walker, to Brad Smith turning down the opportunity to join Microsoft’s bid.
Google’s Drummond says that the company is encouraged by reports that the DoJ is looking into the Nortel patent acquisition. According to the Wall Street Journal report, sources say the DoJ is “interviewing consortium members on whether they have plans to file patent infringement suits against handset makers using Google’s Android software”. Despite Drummond’s statement casting doubt on the validity of the majority of patents by using terms like “bogus”, “largely questionable” and “dubious”, he said that Google is also building up its patent portfolio. It recently acquired, for an undisclosed sum, more than 1,000 patents from IBM.

Source h-online

Recording A Love Song With Nokia N950

2011-08-12T05:51:00.001-07:00

Recording a love song with Nokia N950 – quite impressive sound quality!

Source NokiaBlog.ch

Holy Quran For Nokia N900 – Maemo

2011-08-12T05:50:00.002-07:00

This is an initial release version of a Quran application which can be found in to extras testing. According to the Author it is very minimal at the moment supporting reading/browsing, adding, removing and jumping to favorites and an index page.

It has been designed for the Nokia N900 and potentially it will be available for Nokia N900 MeeGo CE.

Here’s the package page as well: http://maemo.org/packages/view/n900-quran/

The code is GPL’ed and it’s here:
https://gitorious.org/quran/quran

Source Talk Maemo

Nokia N950 – How To Remove Developer Edition Branding

2011-08-12T05:50:00.000-07:00

Are you one of the Lucky Developers that has got a Nokia N950 ? Yes, Hate the “Developer” branding ? Well the following article appeared on the site My MeeGo:

Fortunately, this branding can be easily removed:

* In /usr/share/themes/blanco/meegotouch/constants.ini and/usr/share/themes/blanco/meegotouch/proto/constants.ini you can find several references to PNG files with a dev_ prefix. Just remove that prefix and leave the remaining part of the name – this will make the device use images without branding.

Similarly, in /usr/share/themes/base/meegotouch/sysuid/style/statusarea.css (near the end of the file) you can find two references to PNG files with a dadd- prefix. This time we can’t just remove the prefix as there are no unbranded versions of these files. Instead you can either remove the whole lines referring to these files (or ‘comment’ them using /* and */) which will simply make the device use solid black color for the background instead.

Alternatively, you can create your own replacements for these files (e.g. with your own text instead of “Developer Edition”). The actual graphic files (24-bit PNG) which you can modify (dadd-landscape.png anddadd-portrait.png) are located in /usr/share/themes/base/meegotouch/images/.

Result is as follows:

Did it work for you ?

Source My MeeGo

Here is “Podcatcher” For Nokia N9

2011-08-12T05:47:00.000-07:00

This is a PodCaster application written by Johan Paul for the Nokia N9:

Podcatcher for Nokia N9 is a new podcast client that I have been working on for the past couple of weeks. Because I am an active podcast listener, I found the lack of a podcast client somewhat of a loss when I received my Nokia N950 developer device. There are great podcast client out there that will definitely hit the Nokia N9 via Nokia Store sooner or later, but I wanted to create a client that would fit my podcast subscription and listening needs and that would run great on the Nokia N9. I took some inspiration from previous podcast clients that I’ve used on Android handsets and I now want to present the results.

Finally, I wanted to make the performance of my podcast client as good as possible. The backend of Podcatcher for Nokia N9 is written in C++. The UI utilizes native widget thanks to Qt Components and Qt Quick, while the data is cached into a local SQLite database. This all ads up to some great performance.

Please have a look at the screenshots and the video below. I hope you like them!

Podcatcher for Nokia N9 will soon be available for Nokia N9 and Nokia N950 via the Nokia Store.It will also be later made open source under the GPL license.

Facebook Messenger Soars to Top Free iPhone App

2011-08-10T19:18:00.000-07:00

So far it seems Facebook’s Messenger app is a hit. After ablution aloof Tuesday afternoon, it’s already the number-one chargeless app in the iTunes App Store.

The iOS app has added than 600 chump reviews and with 900 ratings has 3.5 of bristles stars.

The app has the abeyant to dent abroad at the authority of corpuscle carriers. It allows users to accelerate letters and texts through the 750-million-member amusing network, and it updates in absolute time, so there’s no charge to brace to see if you’ve accustomed fresh messages.

“This is replacing argument letters in my dock!” one iOS analyst wrote.

The abrogating reviews in both the App Store and the Android Market are mostly analytical of Facebook now accepting two apps (though the aggregation told Mashable it does plan to accommodate the fresh bulletin functionality into the capital app) and of the actuality that Messenger isn’t an burning bulletin app.

Have you approved either the Android or iOS app yet? Could you see it replacing argument messages?

You can check out images of the iOS and Android app below.

KahlownLite : Screen Capture

2011-08-03T16:28:00.000-07:00

Worried about the activities carried out your child in front of a computer? Do not worry, the software that this one could be a solution to oversee the various activities carried out your child in front of the computer.

KahlownLite software is a free all-in-one. This application is designed for you who like to take pictures of the computer screen (screen capture). In addition, KahlownLite can be used to record the screen and also as a 'spy' screen.

KahlownLite provide features and functions that are different compared to similar software is usually just to capture screen. With this one, you can monitor your child's activities at the computer, because of the recording facility and supervision of the screen.

File size: 412 KB (freeware)
Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7

Download

Screen Capture

Universal Shredder is an Internet and PC cleaning

2011-08-03T16:24:00.000-07:00

Does your computer seem slow? Free software that one can be a solution in improving the performance and speed of your PC by cleaning pet 'rubbish' that make the computer speed becomes slow.

Universal Shredder is an Internet and PC cleaning utility that is quite effective in cleaning up 'junk' that interfere with the performance and speed of the computer's pet. Contains features that are designed more effective in cleaning up 'junk' PC.

With this one application, in addition to clean up the files 'rubbish' on your computer, you can use this software to clean up the browser and messenger software you use, such as browsers Clears history, visited links, cookies, images, Yahoo, MSN, chat logs and all messengers.

File size: 2.93 MB (freeware)
Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista

Download

Universal Shredder

HLP Free Memory Optimizer

2011-08-03T16:23:00.000-07:00

Feeling favorite computer has begun to slow? It could be that your computer's memory is full and must be emptied from the various files are 'rubbish' in the memory.

HLP Free Memory Optimizer is an effective and efficient solution to monitor and clear the various 'junk' that accumulates inside your computer's memory. Its lightweight and free will not overload you.

This software will oversee the existing system on the back (system background), then if necessary you can use this application to clean up the memory, thus improving performance and computer speed.

File size: 1.53 MB (freeware)
Operating system: Windows 2000/WinXP/Vista/7

Download

HLP Free Memory

GiliSoft Audio Recorder

2011-08-03T16:20:00.000-07:00

Audio Recorder

The software that you can use to record sound from your favorite computer with free and easy way with the features and functions that are complete enough.

GiliSoft Audio Recorder Free is a free software designed to empower each person to record the voice on the computer, such as from Internet radio, streaming audio, webcasts, music, meetings, classes, seminars, and much more.

This application is in addition easy to use, it also has features and functions that are complete enough for a free audio recorder. You can set up the audio recordings, ranging from low quality to reduce the disk space up to the equivalent of CD quality.

File size: 1.28 MB (freeware)
Operating system: Windows 2000/XP/Vista/7

Download

These New BlackBerrys Are Nothing Revolutionary, But RIM Fans Will Be Pumped

2011-08-03T16:14:00.000-07:00

RIM appear three fresh BlackBerry smartphones this morning, all active its fresh BlackBerry 7 operating system.

On paper, the fresh phones don't action annihilation fresh you can't get with the iPhone or abounding of the accepted Android accessories out there. And afterwards the BlackBerry Torch austere aftermost year, we're a little afraid RIM is aggravating afresh with two fresh Torch models.

BlackBerry 7 OS isn't abundant of an advancement from the accepted adaptation active on your BlackBerry buzz appropriate now. In fact, the OS was declared to be a accessory amend to adaptation 6, until RIM absitively to rebrand it BlackBerry 7 a few months ago.

We're still cat-and-mouse for RIM to accompany its QNX OS (the aforementioned one active on the PlayBook) to its smartphones, but that won't appear until abutting year.

In the meantime, we've pulled calm the top specs on anniversary of RIM's fresh BlackBerrys. They'll be accessible after this month.

New BB

How Apple conquered China and learned to think like the Communist Party.

2011-08-03T16:09:00.000-07:00

A acquaintance in Beijing afresh told me a news about the time a China Telecom artisan came over to install the Internet affiliation for her Apple laptop. The man, an accomplished worker, puzzled over the slim, argent device. He best it up gingerly, captivation it abroad from his anatomy as one ability audit a apprehensive package. Afterwards a few minutes, he set to work, but afresh grew balked aback he couldn't acquisition the accustomed pull-down airheaded to configure the connection.

That was aloof three years ago. Today, it's awful absurd that any Chinese artisan would be analogously flummoxed. Since the aboriginal Apple Abundance opened in Beijing on July 19, 2008, the aggregation has fabricated astonishingly accelerated appropriate into the Chinese public's pocketbooks and imagination. In any high-end coffee boutique like Starbucks or Costa Coffee in axial Beijing or Shanghai, the arrangement of Apple accessories (iPhone, iPad, MacBook, etc.) to non-Apple accessories is generally added than 1-to-1.

Apple now has four flagship aliment in China -- two in Beijing, two in Shanghai -- and affairs to accessible an added abundance in Shanghai and its aboriginal Hong Kong area aural a year. There are additionally hundreds of accountant Apple resellers in above Chinese cities, as able-bodied as abounding added actionable venders (including the busy afflicted "Apple Store" in Kunming credible two weeks ago by an American blogger). And these aliment are arranged with customers: As the company's arch operating officer, Timothy Cook, appear on a contempo balance alarm with reporters, "Our four aliment in China [are], on average, our accomplished cartage and our accomplished acquirement aliment in the world." Each attracts as abounding as 40,000 bodies circadian (to board crowds, Apple's aliment in China are advised to be abundant beyond than in the United States). From 2010 to 2011, acquirement in greater China has ballooned 600 percent, accretion $8.8 billion for the aboriginal three abode of budgetary year 2011.

And yet the aforementioned aggregation that enjoys such a sterling, blameless angel in the all-around columnist and that's now authoritative buckets of banknote in China is absolutely the one singled out by China's apprentice civilian association groups for its declared alienation to activity rights and ecology enforcement, as able-bodied as an credible addiction adjoin clandestineness and obfuscation. In a nutshell, aloof as Apple has been accumulation its success in China, it has been acting depressingly like the Chinese Communist Party.

So how did this happen? As in the United States, Apple's amazing success in China owes to the actuality that it's abundant added than a accessory maker; it's a dream maker. But it has had to adapt its dream a bit to construe to a Chinese audience. In the United States, afterwards all, Apple launched its aboriginal Macintosh computer with an iconic 1984 Super Bowl ad in which, with a nod to George Orwell, a roomful of pale, absent drones stares unblinkingly at a bump of their baton on a behemothic TV screen. "Today we bless the aboriginal august ceremony of the Information Purification Directives," his articulation crackles. "We accept created for the aboriginal time in all history a Garden of Pure Ideology … defended from the pests of any adverse force.… We are one people, with one will, one resolve." Aloof then, a adamant albino in red clue shorts sprints bottomward the centermost alley and hurls a sledgehammer at the screen, ballyhoo the apparition of unison. The annotation intones: "On January 24, Apple Computer will acquaint Macintosh. And you'll see why 1984 won't be like 1984."

From the beginning, Apple positioned itself as a angelic upstart, a agitator claiming to authority, and to the allegedly angry ascendancy of behemoths like IBM and Microsoft. Its 1997 ad attack "Think Different," featuring the Dalai Lama and Martin Luther King Jr. amid added acclaimed iconoclasts, encapsulated the company's abstraction of itself. As Apple grew beyond and added established, its anxiously crafted angel evolved, but it preserved a alienated streak. Alike today, aback Apple is in no way an underdog -- in fact, it's now the better computer maker in the apple -- its angel still retains a bit of that cipher sheen.

Of course, none of that is an accessible advertise in China, area the Dalai Lama is a accompaniment criminal. Nor is it a simple amount to acquirement airtime on Chinese state-run TV stations for ads biting "Information Purification Directives." A decade ago, Apple did run a pared-down adaptation of its Think Different attack in China, but it fell collapsed abundantly because, as David Wolf, CEO of the accumulated cardinal communications close Wolf Group Asia and columnist of the blog Silicon Hutong, explains: "Being a insubordinate is so acutely not the aspiration of the bodies who can allow these things."

About three years ago, however, Cupertino formed up its sleeves and began to focus on appear the China market. Apple staffed up its Beijing office, opened its aboriginal abundance in time for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and rethought its business scheme; in Arch Operating Administrator Cook's words: "We capital to accept that bazaar and accept the levers there."

The aftereffect is that Apple's angel in China now emphasizes not rebellion, but affluence -- or as Wolf puts it, "exclusivity." Its attractive glass-walled aliment are amid abutting to high-end accouterment boutiques like Armani, Versace, and BMW Lifestyle. Apple is apparent as the best of "top white-collar professionals," as beautiful 30-something Lily Ou told me, accidental up from a row of blithely black iPhone cases at Beijing's Sanlitun Apple Store. Ou is a sales administrator for an all-embracing aliment distributor. "I like to appearance off my Apple identity," she said.

The cast amend has been helped forth by the availability of cheaper options: the iPhone and iPad, which amount decidedly beneath than laptops. Today an iPhone 4 16GB sells for 5,000 yuan, or about $775. Of course, that's still an amazing sum in China. By comparison, a simple Lenovo or Nokia buzz about runs beneath than $100 in China. This in a country area the per capita assets in 2010 was aloof $4,260, according to the Apple Bank. An iPhone, let abandoned an iPad or MacBook, is no accidental purchase.

But like any affluence good, the aerial amount and about absence -- and faculty of exclusivity that creates -- is allotment of its appeal. Afore Apple articles are appear clearly in China, a bound cardinal are banned in through a all-inclusive gray market. Aftermost summer, a few months afore the iPad had alike been appear on the mainland, I noticed one adolescent woman decked out in a ablaze argent miniskirt, red analysis top, and afflicted eyelashes, and followed by a baby camera crew, assuming with her banned (i.e., not-yet-released, not necessarily fake) iPad adjoin the circling access of Beijing's Guomao Starbucks. She was assuming off, and recording for posterity, her admirable device, with apathetic poses that alleged to apperception (or approved to) ads for affluence automobiles.

But on the added ancillary of Apple in China is Jia Jingchuan, a 27-year-old built-in of the tiny apple of Heze in Shandong province. He does not own an iPhone, but hundreds or alike bags accept anesthetized through his hands. In May 2007, he confused to Suzhou, a burghal of 6 actor in adjoining Jiangsu province, and took a job at a branch operated by the Taiwanese aggregation Wintek, which makes genitalia for iPhones. At first, he was thrilled: "When I aboriginal knew that we were activity to assignment with Apple, I was actual proud," he told me, speaking by blast from Heze. "It meant we will get a lot of orders and I will accomplish added money" -- about $200 a ages -- "and accelerate added money aback home."

But aural two years, his action soured. As orders for bottle iPhone blow screens went up, the branch administration began to accept workers clean screens with a fresh and allegedly added able charwoman agent. But the fresh blueprint independent n-hexane, a adulteration that causes assumption damage. Afterwards adversity addled spells and acute affliction that larboard him clumsy to work, Jia was ailing for 10 months alpha in August 2009, and 136 added workers at the aforementioned bulb were additionally acutely injured. Wintek paid for Jia's antecedent hospital affliction (the aggregation appear battery out $1.5 actor for workers' advantage in the case), but afterwards he was released, he says it put burden on him and added workers to abandon and assurance no-liability forms so that the aggregation would not accept to awning approaching medical expenses, a allegation that Wintek denies.

As of July 2011, Jia had no job, faced ascent medical bills, and afraid he may be too ill to assignment again. On June 7, 2011, Jia's ancestors paid (out of pocket) for him to appointment a specialist at a Beijing hospital, area doctors gave a austere cast for the likelihood that the affection of his assumption accident -- weakness, addled spells, accepted asleep in his lower legs, astringent acuteness to hot and algid temperature changes, consistently bathed award -- will anytime abate. "As the abandoned son of my family, I abounding college, which is declared to be an achievement, article my ancestors is actual appreciative of," he told me. "My babe is 1 and a bisected years old now, and I appetite to accommodate her a acceptable life. But now I can't absolutely do annihilation due to my bloom issues."

A backer from Apple beneath to animadversion directly, but referred me to its Apple Supplier Responsibility: 2011 Progress Report: "We appropriate Wintek to stop application n-hexane and to accommodate affirmation that they had removed the actinic from their assembly lines.... In parallel, Apple has absolute that all afflicted workers accept been advised successfully, and we abide to adviser their medical letters until abounding recuperation." Indeed, the branch has accomplished application n-hexane, but Jia's acquaintance calls into catechism Apple's affirmation that it is continuing to adviser the accretion of ailing workers. Currently, he says he pays 400 to 500 yuan account (about $60 to $80) for his own medical care; "Now I feel abundant disappointment. Apple has been so algid and nonresponsive to us, the first-line workers of its product."

Tragically, examples of activity violations, heath risks, and abuse at Chinese factories are all too common. Not abandoned does the country accept lower standards than the West, but alike the rules on the books are commonly flouted.

In contempo years, Apple's Chinese suppliers accept been complex in a cord of activity and ecology infractions, from a cord of suicides affiliated to poor or atrocious alive altitude at plants managed by one of its above suppliers, Foxconn, to allegations by blooming groups that chemicals leaching out from its factories are communicable China's fields. True, Apple is hardly abandoned amid all-embracing companies with Chinese factories in accepting problems appear from the practices of its suppliers. But what makes Apple singular, say Chinese ecology and activity rights activists, is its dawdling in responding to complaints and its aloofness about aloof which factories are in its accumulation chain.

Ma Jun is one of the leaders of the Blooming Best Alliance, a affiliation of 36 Chinese NGOs that advance abuse letters amid all-embracing brands operating in China. In January, they appear a address absorption on all-around IT companies that ranked Apple asleep aftermost amid 29 companies in responding to inquiries about abuse and workers' safety. Aftermost winter, Ma met with Jia and helped him pen a letter about alive altitude and medical advantage to Apple CEO Steve Jobs. It went unanswered. So did a additional letter.

According to Ma, best bunch companies go through an change in ambidextrous with complaints presented by Chinese civilian association groups: "from nonresponsive, to somewhat resistant, to at atomic listening, to a proactive response." Two examples of the closing class would be Siemens and Vodafone, which now use the NGO's database to analysis abeyant suppliers afore renewing contracts. Apple, however, has backward resistant, angry off attempts by others to bare whether factories area workers accept been berserk or area abuse is acute are their suppliers. "They said, it's our abiding action not to acknowledge our accumulation chain," Ma told me. "So no one can accomplish any accessible scrutiny? No one can absolutely apperceive what is absolutely happening?"

Richard Brubaker, a Shanghai-based supply-chain adviser who follows sustainability issues, has a agnate impression: "Name addition close that has ... billions in affluence and [continues to work] with suppliers who accept a bright almanac of abortion to accede with Apple's own codes of conduct."

As for Jia, now comatose at his parents' home in the tiny apple of Heze, he says: "I never feel the alleged 'human rights protection' and 'respect' that accept consistently been advocated by American corporations. I abandoned feel hypocrisy."

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Google+ Hits 25 Million Users, Is The Fastest Growing Website Ever

2011-08-03T16:03:00.000-07:00

Google+ has hit 25 million users, making it the fastest growing website ever, according to a comScore report relayed by Reuters.

By comparison, it took Facebook 3 years, and Twitter 30 months, to hit that number, comScore says.

There's no question that these are very impressive stats.

That being said, there are a couple points to note:

All websites are growing faster these days. Back when Facebook was started, by definition, you didn't have the social platforms that make sites and services go viral. Instagram is growing like gangbusters, but its growth is accelerated by platforms like Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, the iPhone, etc. Again, the point isn't that it's not impressive, but that the landscape has changed so much that comparing today's growth rates with those of even a few years ago isn't an apples-to-apples comparison.
Google+ has an ad on every page of the world's most visited website. While it's not exactly trivial that Google+ seems to be showing such uptake (remember Google Buzz), you would expect that any well-designed product that Google is pushing so hard would be growing really really fast. What will make Google+ a success isn't the number of users but engagement—do people start spending their days on Google+ the way they do on Facebook now? It's too early to tell for sure, but the numbers so far look less encouraging.

5 Corporate Security Software Market Master Half

2011-08-01T16:24:00.000-07:00

AntiVirus

Nearly half of the security software market is controlled by just five major corporations, according to a recent survey conducted by research firm Gartner. Nevertheless, there is still a possibility of decline in the position of those companies.

Gartner found that nearly 44 percent of the USD16, 5 billion global security software market in 2010 came from companies large range of Symantec, McAfee, Trend Micro, IBM and EMC.

"The achievement still leaves the rest of the rations on the market. But if you look at the achievement of such companies in the market in 2006 is still 60 percent, then obviously this year they declined," said Ruggero Contu, Gartner analyst.

As quoted from ZD Net on Sunday (07/31/2011), is that Symantec has the greatest achievements in the last five years.

"Market expansion and innovation run separately, as new companies began to enter the market. The 'players' to bring this new innovative technologies for users," said Contu.

Gartner says that there is still room for the security software market to fluctuate, which means the company's new-perusaahn can still continue to increase the number of users, yangselalu want to choose something better and new.

Even so, Contu said that competition from new companies are still going to be hard.

"The complexity of the security problems faced by users may also not be in a short time by the new companies, because of technological limitations and the resources they still face.

Accused accomplices Hacker Lulzsec, British Youth taken away

2011-08-01T16:21:00.000-07:00

Hacking

A teenager from the Shetland Islands, England, Jake Davis (18), local security officials arrested over alleged intrusions into computer actions illegally. He is accused of planned attacks in the form of Distributed Deniel of Service (DDoS) to the address of the site SOCA (Serious Crime Agency organized) until inaccessible.

Police said that he was charged with five counts in the Magistrates' court proceedings, Westminster, England, Monday (01/08/2011) this. Juvenile arrest was made related to the efforts the police are investigating a group of hackers known as Anonymous and LulzSec.

Officers of the cyber crime unit arrested the teenager on Wednesday (07/27/2011) in the initial operation of intelligence. Jake thought one of the members of the hacker group that attacked Lulzsec SOCA website. Attack on the Agency website address or SOCA Serious Criminal Organisation in Britain occurred on 20 June 2011 and made the site inaccessible to several hours after a DDoS attack.

DDoS is a type of Denial of Service attacks that use multiple sources of attackers (either using a dedicated computer to perform an attack or a computer that "forced" into a zombie) to attack a single target computers within a network.

Lulzsec later claimed responsibility for the attack. Lulzsec previously also claimed responsibility for hacking attacks on the U.S. Senate, Sony, CIA, and FBI.

Besides Jake Davis, Ryan Cleary (19) from Wickford, Essex, was also charged last month with five offenses under the Criminal Law and Computer Misuse Acts, including the alleged hacking attacks against websites SOCA. A boy 16 years old from south London were arrested and rescued last week, while an international investigation has also made 16 arrests in the United States and four in the Netherlands.