Hackers Targeted Twitter User Data

Twitter Inc. on Friday said it had detected "sophisticated" unauthorized attempts to access information from the short-messaging service used by more than 200 million people.
In a blog post, the San Francisco company said it identified this week computerized attacks that may have accessed ...

Anonymous hackers attacked Twitter this week and may have gained access to passwords and other information for as many as 250,000 user accounts, the microblog revealed late on Friday.
Twitter said in a blog post that the passwords were encrypted and that it had already reset them as a “precautionary measure,” and that it was in the process of notifying affected users.
The blog post noted recent revelations of large-scale cyber attacks against the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, but unlike the two news organizations, Twitter did not provide any detail on the origin or methodology of the attacks.

Anonymous hackers attacked Twitter this week and may have gained access to passwords and other information for as many as 250,000 user accounts, the microblog revealed late on Friday.
Twitter said in a blog post that the passwords were encrypted and that it had already reset them as a “precautionary measure,” and that it was in the process of notifying affected users.
The blog post noted recent revelations of large-scale cyber attacks against the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal, but unlike the two news organizations, Twitter did not provide any detail on the origin or methodology of the attacks.

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BlackBerry 10: What BlackBerry needs to do

Today BlackBerry must deliver a new range of devices that satisfy new and traditional users – and they’re very different audiences, says Matt Warman. 

 

 

Who buys a BlackBerry in 2013? The answer is simple, but it encapsulates the conundrum that has enveloped manufacturers Research in Motion: it’s either young people keen on the BBM Messenger service or corporate IT departments. Although some individual professionals have continued to invest in handsets themselves, they’ve not been enough to make the firm a top-of-the-range brand competing with the iPhone, HTC’s One X and Samsung’s Galaxy S3.

And the problem now facing BlackBerry is that it is not the brand employees want from their IT department either. Nor is it the winning combination of cheap and brilliant that younger people demand. When the new devices are unveiled today at 3pm, RIM must produce phones that are unexpectedly brilliant, email-your-socks-off-tastic – they must offer a BBM to beat Facebook, a web experience to beat Google and an operating system to beat Apple. When Thorsten Heins stands on stage and says “This is the new Z10”, he needs it to be more shocking than the iPhone was in 2007 – if the audience does not rise to its feet as one, applauding with an enthusiasm that puts every American cheerleader to shame, BlackBerry has probably failed.

Can BlackBerry do that? Can it do what Apple couldn’t manage with the iPhone 5, what Samsung can’t manage with all its global expertise, what even Sony can’t do with a waterproof phone that you take for a quick dip? The answer is probably no.

RIM has, however, done everything it can up to this point: it has rewritten every line of code in its operating system, it has briefed its greatest fans and most influential enthusiasts, from Alan Sugar to Stephen Fry, and it has tantalised the media with leaks ago-go. No operating system this late has generated this much excitement.

And that’s a shock when it offers little more than phones out a few years ago: we know there’ll be an 8MP camera, a dual core processor, all those standard things. We know it will offer separate modes for work and personal, like two devices in one. We know it will offer a system based around ‘Peek and flow’, so you’re never too far from a combined inbox of every social network message, email and tweet, all in one place. Swipe one way to get to all your running apps, another to that BlackBerry Hub, then over to a list of apps.

But there’s little sign that BB10 will offer the customisable homescreens and widgets of Android, little sign of glorious apps such as The Orchestra or even a native YouTube. If RIM can’t do the things everyone else has already thought of, it seems unlikely the Z10 will be shockingly brilliant.
Yet for its corporate survival, there are other things RIM must do today, and it’s largely already achieved them: it must maintain the enthusiasm of its existing business user base, 1,600 firms from whom are already engaged, and it must provide a keyboard model for people who still like typing physically.
And additionally RIM must get networks on side - they’re so keen to provide a third option to iOS and Android, this is something of an open goal, however. (This is despite the fact that Windows already wants that number three spot, and anyway consumers have a history of always narrowing rivalries to pairs, from betamax and VHS to BluRay and HD DVD.)
But while those positive those things seem eminently possible, they’re not the revolution BlackBerry needs to stem the tide and recapture its glory days. If what’s already rumoured is all there is, BlackBerry will struggle to convince the world it’s done enough. If its future rests on cheap devices for young people, there’s little money there. If it rests of falling loyalty from corporations, RIM is simply prolonging the agony. Neither option looks like success. Let’s hope it is making its own third way.
 

 

Source: telegraph.co.uk

 

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Google unveils detailed North Korea map, with gulags

Details ... the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on Google Maps.

 

Weeks after its chairman Eric Schmidt's secretive visit to North Korea, Google has released a detailed map of the isolated state that even labels some of its remote and infamous gulags.
Until now North Korea was pretty much a blank canvas to users of Google's "Map Maker", which creates maps from data that is provided by the public and fact-checked in a similar process to that used by Wikipedia.
"For a long time, one of the largest places with limited map data has been North Korea. But today we are changing that," Jayanth Mysore, a senior product manager at Google Map Maker, said in a blog post.

What the Google Map of Pyongyang used to look like.

"We know this map is not perfect — one of the exciting things about maps is that the world is a constantly changing place," he said.

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Mysore said the North Korea section had been completed with the help of a "community of citizen cartographers" working over a period of several years.
"While many people around the globe are fascinated with North Korea, these maps are especially important for the citizens of South Korea who have ancestral connections or still have family living there," he added.

The North Korean capital of Pyongyang is visible on a satellite image from Google Earth.

With the two countries still technically at war, decent maps of the North are almost impossible to come by in South Korea.
The people least able to benefit from the Google publication will be the North Koreans themselves, who live in one of the most isolated and highly censored societies on the planet.
The North has a domestic intranet, but it is cut off from the rest of the world, allowing its very limited number of users to exchange state-approved information and little more.
Access to the full-blown internet is for the super-elite only, meaning a few hundred people or maybe 1000 at most, experts estimate.
The Google version offers a detailed map of the capital Pyongyang, showing hospitals, subway stops and schools.
Outside the capital, the detail is sketchier, but noticeable on an overview of the country are a series of city-sized, grey-coloured areas which, when zoomed in on, are identified as sprawling re-education camps.
In the largest gulag of all — Camp 22 near Hoeryong near the North's northeast border with China — Google Map Maker identifies a number of units including an armoury, a food factory and a guards' restroom.
As many as 200,000 people are estimated to be detained in the North's vast gulag system, many under a guilt-by-association system that punishes those related to someone perceived as an enemy of the state.
Google has helped cast a light on the location of these camps before, through its popular Google Earth satellite imagery service.
Groups and individuals involved with human rights research on North Korea have used the satellite pictures to confirm the location of known camps and uncover the existence of new ones.
The release of Google's new North Korea map came just weeks after Schmidt returned from a controversial trip to Pyongyang as part of a US "humanitarian" mission.
On his return, Schmidt said he had told officials in the North that the country would never develop unless it embraces internet freedom.
Schmidt's trip was criticised by the US State Department, which said it was ill-timed in the wake of the North's recent banned rocket launch.
South Korean officials have welcomed the Google map initiative.
"We think that this could be an opportunity for the world to know more about North Korea and an opportunity for the North to open itself more," a unification ministry spokeswoman said.
And the concept also drew praise from some of the South Koreans, cited by Mysore, with family roots in the North.
"It sounds great. I'll be happy to see the map of my hometown," said Lee Nak-Ye, who heads an association for Koreans who moved from North to South.
Lee, 80, left his home in the eastern port city of Hamhung when the 1950-53 Korean War broke out and can "only dream" of reuniting with the relatives he left behind.
"I'll tell other friends at the association about this," Lee said. "Most of them are too old to learn how to use the internet thing though."

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HTC Butterfly Makes Its Way to India at Rs 45,999 Declaring Quad Core War With Note 2 and Xperia Z

After several rumors and speculations, HTC has declared the launch of its flagship device - Butterfly in India. Butterfly is the global version of Droid DNA in USA and J Butterfly in Japan.
The Facebook fanpage of HTC India teased the fans with the post saying "HTC Butterfly - Coming soon at your nearest HTC re-seller!", while the Taiwanese tech giant also held and even in India for the launch of their massive flagship handset. Officially priced at a whopping Rs 49,999, HTC Butterfly will sell at Rs 45,999 boasting high end beefed up specifications. Lets have a loot at them below:

Dimensions & Weight: Butterfly carries a dimension of 143 x 70.5 x 9.08 mm and weighs around 140 grams.
Display: In this segment, Butterfly sports a full HD 1080p 5 inch LCD 3 capacitive touchscreen display with 1920 x 1080 pixel resolution.
Processor: When it comes to processor, Butterfly is powered by a 1.5GHz quad core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor.
Operating System: Butterfly has been launched with Android 4.1 Jelly Bean out of the box.
Camera: Speaking of camera optics, Butterfly has an 8MP rear camera with autofocus and LED flash features. Also, houses a 2.1MP front camera for video calling.
Storage: When it comes to memory storage, Butterfly comes with 16GB internal storage, 2GB RAM and micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage.
Connectivity: On the data connectivity front, Butterfly has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth v4.0, NFC and micro USB 2.0 connectivity features.
Battery: In this segment, HTC Butterfly is powered by a 2,020 mAh battery.
Price & Availability
As mentioned above, HTC Butterfly comes with a hefty price tag of Rs 49,999. However, its street price will be Rs 45,999, which is also high.
Other Aspects
Beats Audio
Likewise all the HTC smartphones, Butterfly is also integrated with Beats Audio feature and hence, users can enjoy deeper bass, sharper vocals, detailed notes, uncompromising and high-definition sound.
Waterproof smartphone
HTC has made Butterfly water resistant thereby reducing the chances of water induced damages.
Image sense chip
HTC has also incorporated ImageSense chip that was used in One X in Butterfly. The ImageSense chip is meant for improved picture quality offering zero shutter lag and the ability to snap photos while recording video clips.
Competition with Xperia Z and Galaxy Note 2
Being a quad core smartphone with a 5-inch 1080p display and Jelly Bean OS, HTC Butterfly can be claimed as a stiff competitor to the other quad core Jelly Bean based handsets including Samsung Galaxy Note 2 and the newly launched Sony Xperia Z.
Speaking of Xperia Z, the Sony offering comes with a 5 inch full HD capacitive touchscreen display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and with Mobile Bravia Engine 2, quad core 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4 processor, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, 13MP rear camera, 2.2MP front camera for video calling, 16GB internal storage, 2GB RAM, micro SD card slot supporting up to 32GB additional storage, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, NFC, 4G LTE and a 2,330 mAh battery.
With similar specs as the Sony smartphone, which is awaiting its release, HTC Butterfly can be a rival to the former. However, Xperia Z comes with a better camera and battery.
When it comes to Galaxy Note 2, the hottest selling phablet features a 5.5 inch Super AMOLED capacitive touchscreen display with 1280 x 720 pixel resolution, 1.6GHz quad core processor, 2GB RAM, Android 4.1 Jelly Bean OS, micro SD card slot supporting 32GB, 8MP rear camera, 1.9MP front camera, Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, DLNA, Wi-Fi Direct, Wi-Fi hotspot, Bluetooth with A2DP and a massive 3,100 mAh Li-ion battery.
Priced at Rs 36,700, the phablet comes with an improved stylus with rubber tip for better touch response. However, Butterfly comes with a 1080p display, and improved camera performance as compared to Galaxy Note 2 with a faster processor and larger display.

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Want to be happy? Just switch off your phone, says expert

• Professor Paul Dolan said iPhones and tablets distract us from our loved ones
• He warned people could suffer 'mental illness' unless they 'put them down'
• In a talk on happiness he also said the married and religious are generally happier
• Men in their 40s are among the most unhappy, he said

The secret to happiness lies in turning off your mobile phone and concentrating on your friends and family rather than text messages and emails, an expert on happiness has said. Professor Paul Dolan, of the London School of Economics, believes that the popularity of iPhones and other smart phones has seen people constantly having their attention drawn away from their nearest and dearest and to the devices instead.

He warned that unless people changed their behaviour, they could suffer mental illness as a result.
He told an audience at the Hay Festival - a celebration of culture and social responsibility - in Cartagena, Colombia that there are also now mental conditions called internet addiction and Phantom Vibration Syndrome - where you have a phone in your pocket and you think you have got a text message but have not.

He said: 'We're constantly having our attention distracted and distraction is a cost.

'When you switch tasks it requires attention. Paying attention to what you're doing and who you are with and turning your phone off and enjoying being with your friends is much better for you than constantly checking your phone and checking emails', The Telegraph reports.

Prof Dolan was once a member of the Cabinet Office's Behavioural Insight Team – or Nudge Unit.  It was set up to suggest small ways that people could change their way of life to improve it. He said the solution could lie in introducing small changes to the environment in which people use their mobile phones.

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Aircel launches free roaming service

Aircel today launched a product that offers users one rate for voice, SMS and data in home circles and on roaming.  'One Nation, One Rate', offers one rate for voice, SMS and data in home circles and on roaming on Aircel network, the company said in a statement.

"Incoming calls while on roaming on Aircel network will be free," it added.  Aircel users in Delhi can avail the service for Rs 39, while Mumbai subscribers have to pay Rs 32, the statement said.  The price points for the service for other circles range from Rs 21 to Rs 59, it added.

This product will enable Aircel customers to enjoy one rate for voice, SMS and data services in their respective home circles and even while they are on roaming," Aircel Chief Marketing Officer Anupam Vasudevsaid.  The product will offer voice - (Local/National) calling at 1paisa/second in home circle as well as on roaming on Aircel network, while incoming calls on roaming will be free.  SMS will be charged at Re 1 for home circle as well as on roaming while data users will be able to carry the home circle rate on roaming, the statement added.

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Happy Republic Day 2013

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