Google has announced updates to the Stable and Beta channels of their Chrome browser, fixing several bugs and twelve security vulnerabilities. Seven of the twelve security fixes were classed as high-risk problems and Google paid a total of $6000 to the researchers who discovered the bugs.
The update also includes a new version of the bundled Flash Player. Adobe have revised the Flash Player advisory from the end of March to include fixes for a Chrome/Flash only pair of memory corruption issues listed as CVE-2012-0724 and CVE-2012-0725. Given that these issues only affect Chrome and Chrome manages its own update, it is unlikely that Adobe will be reissuing or updating the advisory or patches for other browsers and platforms.
The seven high risk vulnerabilities are bugs that left several Chrome components open to being exploited by using memory after it had been freed. Many of these issues are detected using AddressSanitizer. The Chrome developers have also fixed several cross-origin problems and two issues where the browser could be exploited to read from memory where it shouldn't. Details of these vulnerabilities are not available yet as Google usually gives the updates some time to roll out before it publishes further information. This is done to prevent attackers from reverse engineering the vulnerabilities before the updates have a chance to reach all affected systems.
Changes in this update that are not security-related include several graphics and HTML Canvas fixes. The developers have also remedied problems with CSS rendering and bugs in the browser's UI.
http://www.h-online.com/security/news/item/Google-Chrome-fixes-seven-high-risk-vulnerabilities-1517293.html
Toshiba has introduced its new line of quad-core Android tablets, including a giant 13-inch model with a high-resolution display and quad-core processor. The company is also phasing out its 7- and 10-inch Thrive tablets, which will be replaced with the new Excite line of tablets running Android 4.0.
The 13.3-inch Toshiba Excite sports a high-res display, which at 1,600 by 900 pixels is sharper than typical Android tablets, but still below the third-generation iPad’s display of 2,048 by 1,536 pixels. The only comparable resolution in Android land would be the Asus Transformer TF700T, which sports a resolution of 1,900 by 1,200 pixels.
Make no mistake though, the 13-inch model is big: it weighs 2.2 pounds, it’s 0.4 inches thick and is practically the size of a serving tray. But with the size, you get a range of ports, including a full-size SD card slot, a microUSB port and a microHDMI port. Toshiba also claims the battery can last up to 13 hours, and there’s an included (separate) tablet stand for when the tablet gets too heavy for users.
The giant Toshiba tablet also packs some powerful specs inside: it runs Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich on a Nvidia Tegra 3 quad-core processor and 1GB of RAM, and sports dual cameras, 1.3-megapixel on the front and a 5-megapixel on the back. There’s no 3G/4G connectivity on board though, and the Excite 13 is set to arrive on June 10 for $650 for the 32GB model and $750 for the 64GB model -- around $50 more than the equivalent iPad models.
With a 13.3-inch tablet, almost double the size of the popular Amazon Kindle Fire, Toshiba hopes to appeal to those who use their tablet mostly at home. With the large screen and loud SRS Surround speakers, it’s easier on the eye to watch videos (as long as you use the aforementioned stand), and it could be better for video calls as well.
But if you’re looking for some more regular-sized tablets from Toshiba, the company also introduced 7.7- and 10-inch Excite tablets, also running on quad-core processors and Android 4.0. The Excite 10 is set to go on sale in May for $450 for 16GB, $530 for 32GB or $650 for the 64GB model. The Excite 7.7 will arrive in June with the Excite 13, at $500 for 16GB and $580 for 32GB.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/253508/toshiba_unveils_133inch_android_tablet.html
Wireless carriers and the Federal Communications Commission are working together on a plan to make stolen cell phones worthless.
Together with law enforcement, they plan to create a database of phones reported as stolen. Wireless carriers would then disable voice and data services for these stolen phones, making them a lot less attractive on the black market.
When a phone is stolen today, users can cancel their service through their wireless carrier, but that doesn't stop thieves from reactivating the device under a separate service plan. Verizon and Sprint already block stolen phones from being reactivated, but GSM-based carriers such as AT&T and T-Mobile, whose phones use swappable SIM cards, do not.
The database will consist of Unique Device Identifiers, or UDIDs, so if carriers are blocking a specific UDID, inserting a new SIM card won't work. GSM carriers will roll out their own database by Oct. 31, and a common database for all LTE smartphones will be in place by Nov. 30, 2013. Although thieves can modify a UDID, some lawmakers are working on legislation to outlaw the practice.
For users whose smartphones are stolen, a bigger concern may be what happens to the information on the device. As part of carriers' agreement with the FCC, they'll encourage users to password-protect their devices, and will educate users on the remote wipe features of smartphones.
“Our goal is to make a stolen cellphone as worthless as an empty wallet,” Senator Charles Schumer of New York said, according to the New York Times.
The plan isn't perfect, however. As the Wall Street Journal notes, stolen phones are often shipped overseas. Some countries have their own databases, and the FCC is calling for interoperability, but there's no guarantee that the FCC's plan will be enforceable everywhere. Besides, criminals who sell stolen phones on the black market may not have qualms about modifying UDIDs, even if it's against the law.
There are also other issues to consider, such as what happens if the phone's owner recovers the device after reporting it as stolen. Officials haven't said how long they'll need to clear the database of a recovered phone's UDID, or what safeguards they'll put in place to prevent false claims -- say, by an angry ex-spouse. It's also unclear how much information will be collected in the database beyond UDIDs.
That's not to say the effort isn't worthwhile, but hopefully the FCC and wireless carriers will have more to say on specifics before the database program begins this fall.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/253509/fcc_plans_stolen_phone_database_to_discourage_theft.html
Want to unlock your off-contract AT&T iPhone to use with competing GSM carriers such as T-Mobile? As reported last week, now you can, the only hitch is it may take up to a week for AT&T to process the request even though AT&T claims it only takes minutes.
Here are the hassles I'm dealing with trying to unlock my old AT&T iPhone 3GS. And judging from other iPhone owners seeking to unlock their AT&T iPhones I'm far from alone.
Getting Started
The minute I heard AT&T officially allowed me to unlock my iPhone I wanted to go for it. Better yet, AT&T said it would walk iPhone users through the process, making the entire procedure easy. With AT&T itself unlocking my iPhone this allows me to avoid trying alternative back alley unlock hacks that could open the device to malicious attacks. Better yet, since AT&T sanctions the unlock it does not invalidate my iPhone’s warranty.
To get started, you have three choices to perform the unlock process: you can call customer care, use AT&T’s online support system, or walk into a retail AT&T store.
After AT&T receives your unlock request it confirms the phone is off contract and that your account with AT&T is in good standing. Next, AT&T forwards your unlock request to Apple which activates the unlock command through a restore feature in iTunes. Now, in theory, just plug your iPhone into iTunes and Apple sends an unlock command to the phone, and you're done.
According to an AT&T representative, the unlock should take about two to three minutes to process.
Problems Begin
I first tried a local AT&T store near Philadelphia this past weekend to unlock my phone, but was quickly discouraged when a representative told me he had no clue what I was talking about. Next I turned to the Internet.
I visited AT&T online and waited 45 minutes to talk to an online support representative to ask for the unlock. Once connected to a representative, named Coleen, I was told I needed my phone's IMEI number, a numerical code that identifies your device (you can find yours by tapping Settings > General > About, then scroll down to the bottom).
Coleen then said I would receive directions shortly on how to unlock my iPhone via e-mail. She then told me that she needed to file a "case" and asked for my e-mail. It's unclear what a "case" is. I assumed it was a record of my request. Coleen assured me the entire process would only require a few more steps and I'd soon have an unlocked iPhone.
After disconnecting with Coleen I was shocked to receive an e-mail from AT&T stating it was going to take eight days (not "minutes") to process my request. In the e-mail AT&T stated: “Resolution date is 04/17/2012 in the morning. You will receive an email with the unlock instructions.” That is a full eight days from the time I put in the request last Monday.
Some Wait Days, Others Minutes
A search around the Web indicates I am not the only one. Oddly, however, other AT&T customers are reporting their iPhones are being unlocked almost immediately. Whatever the holdup is, it is not affecting everyone.
Comments in AppleInsider’s forum show others facing similar long wait times. Commenter "itsole" wad told “5-7 business days,” while over on TheNextWeb commenter Joost Schurr was told “3-5 days” after attempting to unlock through AT&T on Sunday.
When I asked AT&T press representatives what was causing the discrepancies in unlock times on Monday I was told no comment.
It's not the end of the world that I have to wait eight days. But it begs the question; is AT&T being flooded with requests and needs to slow the pace of unlocks? Either way, if you are interested in unlocking your AT&T iPhone it will be good to keep your expectations in check. You may want to plan on it taking days, not minutes.
http://www.pcworld.com/article/253517/atandt_starts_unlocking_iphones_customers_gripe_over_long_delays.html
Computerworld - There's good news and bad news on the salary front for IT professionals this year. With many businesses enjoying renewed growth following an extended period of economic gloom, IT workers saw another year of modest salary increases, and they reported significantly fewer pay cuts, hiring freezes and layoffs.
That's the good news.
The bad news is that tech professionals are working hard for every penny they bring home -- so hard that in many cases the extra workload outweighs the small boost in pay.
For the second year in a row, salaries and total compensation for IT professionals have inched up. According to Computerworld's Salary Survey 2012, average salaries increased 2.1% this year, and average total compensation rose by 1.8%. In all, 56% of the 4,337 respondents to our survey reported an increase in their base salary this year, while only 9% reported a decrease.
Hiring is also up, with 87% of hiring managers who responded to the survey saying that they expect IT staff head count to increase in the next 12 months or remain the same. Only 25% of the total respondents reported hiring freezes, compared with 39% last year. And other negative indicators, such as salary freezes, budget cuts and layoffs, are all in retreat.
IT, it seems, is finally on the road to recovery. Workers even seem to feel better about the economy: Only 19% listed it as a challenge in the latest survey, compared to 28% the prior year.
Running, but not catching up
However, a closer look reveals IT professionals struggling to accept the fact that they might never regain the salary ground lost during the downturn and grappling with heavy workloads, added responsibilities and demands to learn new skills.
Mark Labby, for one, said he's happy to report a 2% pay increase after years of a salary freeze and a decision by his employer, the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, to stop paying for on-call time, which resulted in a 5% reduction in his compensation. The PHEAA is now anticipating "astronomical" growth, says the senior database administrator, and it has even posted new job openings.
Though Labby says he feels fairly compensated, he can't help noting the gap between the recent pay boost and the earlier cut, particularly since the modest raise is more than offset by the rising cost of health benefits.
Survey respondents echo Labby's concerns: Only 20% said that they believe their salary is keeping pace with business growth and demands, and 71% said that they have either stayed flat or lost ground financially in the past two years.
"Technology professionals are being asked to do more for less," says Tom Silver, senior vice president for North America at job search site Dice.com. While demand for IT workers is high -- with an unemployment rate of just 3.8% in this sector compared with the national average of 8.3%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- continued economic uncertainty is keeping the brakes on salaries. "Employers have begrudgingly increased salaries, but tech pros want more," Silver says.
Some IT workers worry that they will be left behind compensation-wise and skills-wise -- and even energy-wise, as they tackle what appears to be a permanently increased workload.
http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9225689/IT_Picks_Up_the_Pace
Yesterday, mobile darling Instagram launched its Android app and snared one million downloads in 24 hours. The photo-based social juggernaut already boasts 30 million users who pour 5 million photos into the network every day – and with half of all smartphone users in the U.S. now using Android, don’t expect Instagram’s growth to stall. Instead, it’ll be how the company handles its growth spurt that could affect the future of its success.
The following is a conversation we had with co-founder and CEO Kevin Systrom last spring that’s gone unpublished until now.
(MORE: Camera Awesome Adds Instagram Support, Loses One Cool Feature)
TIME: So you were really told at the beginning that a photo sharing app couldn’t be successful?
Kevin Systrom: When we launched, photo sharing was not the thing people thought was cool. In fact, I remember being told while we were working on the idea that photo sharing was dead, that it wasn’t exciting. I actually think people kind of wrote it off until they saw what kind of growth can happen on a photo-based social network. That changed a lot of minds, including other investors and folks who decided to enter the space as well.
TIME: Some startups dig their heels in and say they’ll never sell out. Where do you guys stand? Obviously, at some point you’ve got to make money. Are you under a lot of pressure to monetize?
KS: It’s not really on the top of our minds right now. We’re much more focused on scaling the product and building the team than we are trying to sell an app for $.99.
I think people said the same of search back in the day: “Well, this is cool, but how do you make money off of it? I think that’s the perennial question in businesses that invent business models. Traditional businesses can say, “We’re going to sell widgets to people and it will make X amount of profit.” But new business models are hard.
It’s interesting to talk about it because we question it now, but the whole reason we’re in this is to invent a new business model. And if you’re going to do that, your market needs to be very, very large. I believe photos is one of the underlying things in every social network that becomes successful. We can be very large because of that and then find very interesting ways to make money. But now, we’re focused on growth.
TIME: Do you have any plans to build Instagram out over the Web?
KS: We are fully sold on the fact that if we’re going to do big, meaningful stuff we need to take on networks. We believe mobile is that. The iPhone is the first time I felt like mobile really had a chance to scale hundreds of millions of people and be a platform where you can build on that platform. There’s no coincidence that we launched when iPhone 4 launched with its revamped camera. That was not a coincidence at all. It’s the right time for us.
You can’t take a desktop experience and shove it into a 3-by-4-in screen. It’s a very different behavior pattern. It’s a very different browse pattern. People interact with their phones very differently than they do with their PCs and I think that when you design from the ground up with mobile in mind, you create a very different product than going the other way.
TIME: You haven’t won over the entire professional photography community yet. Some have been pretty vocal about it, too. How do you deal with that?
KS: I didn’t start this to be a photo app. It was about communicating visually. Those are two very different things. A photo app is a utility. It’s like comparing Twitter to Microsoft Word. If you want to be an author, you’re not always going to constrain yourself to 140 characters.
TIME: You’ve got a background in photography yourself, right?
KS: Yeah, I grew up as a photo nut. Every Christmas I would get a new camera. It’s a huge part of my life.
When I studied abroad my teacher set what I do know in motion by saying, “Give me that camera of yours.” He took my camera away and gave me a little, plastic camera. I was studying in Florence at the time and he told me that I wasn’t allowed to use my camera for the rest of the class. I had to use this plastic camera with a terrible lens. He said I was too focused on sharpness and “I feel like you’re more artsy than that.” He said, “I want you to use this Holga,” this plastic camera with a plastic lens that had this cult following in the ’80s and ’90. I was blown away by what it could do to photos. My photography teacher was totally right. I was too focused on being meticulous with these really beautiful, complex architectural shots. It helps to see the world through a different lens and that’s what we wanted to do with Instagram. We wanted to give everyone the same feeling of discovering the world around you through a different lens.
Read more: http://techland.time.com/2012/04/04/kevin-systrom-interview/?iid=tl-main-lede#ixzz1rG2HcpY9
Sony Mobile has posted a video online showing the new floating touch screen technology on the SM Sola smartphone. The new technology allows you to hover over the screen to move a virtual mouse pointer around and when links (as an example) highlight, you can then tap the screen to click on it.
The new technology allows you to interact with your smartphone up to 20mm away from the screen.
Feature of the Sony Mobile Xperia Sola include a 3.7 inch reality display which runs with the BRAVIA engine that Sony is famous for. It does run Android 2.3 gingerbread and it will come with that OS installed although Sony has promised an update to Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich although it will technically be close to an Android Jelly Bean launch which will make it about 18 months behind at launch with 2.3 originally being released in December 2010.
The technology is still impressive. Take a look below to see a demonstration of what can be done with Floating Touch technology:
http://www.gadgetvenue.com/floating-touch-screen-technology-from-sony-mobile-demonstrated-03152447/