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FYI: iCloud, Google I/O, & GoogleDrive storage: 1 TB: was $120/year; new pricing: now $120/year
by Wayne Billing 25 Jun '14

25 Jun '14

Apple just had their yearly get together for developers called the "World Wide Developers Conference" (WWDC) which saw a raft of announcements including "iCloud Drive" and a change in their "cloud storage" pricing: for example, 20 GB for $12 per year and $50 per year will get you 200 GB in iCloud. (1 TB pricing has not yet been announced.) "iCloud Drive" will, of course, work with the new CONTINUITY features of 10.10 and iOS 8: https://www.apple.com/ca/ios/ios8/continuity/ Google's annual developer get together (called "I/O") is on this week and they, too, have announced new pricing for their cloud storage called Google Drive. 1 TeraByte of Google Drive storage used to cost $120 per year. Under the new pricing 1 TeraByte is priced at $120 per year............ oh. Well, while that is the truth that isn't the whole truth ..... if you are a company getting Google Drive for your employees (more than 5 employees, actually) http://www.google.com/enterprise/apps/business/pricing.html) your annual fee of $120 per employee gets you "Unlimited" Google Drive storage...... Oh.......... oh, ya, and it seems you need to enrol your company and employees in the "Google Apps for Business plan". The "Google Apps for Business plan" gets you all the online "Google Apps for Business": [cid:3465D8D4-F732-4131-BB4D-1A6BF5ABB8A0] [cid:C8069529-0C3A-4E1D-B3DB-737C108DF828] http://www.google.com/enterprise/apps/business/products.html Wayne

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INTEREST: iOS 7's Activation Lock Feature Helping Reduce iPhone Theft in Three Major Cities
by Wayne Billing 19 Jun '14

19 Jun '14

...from: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/06/19/antitheft-technology-led-to-a-dip-… Antitheft Technology Led to a Dip in iPhone Thefts in Some Cities, Police Say By BRIAN X. CHEN<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/author/brian-x-chen/> JUNE 19, 2014 12:01 AM 4 Comments [Police officers in San Francisco and London say that after Apple last fall introduced a safety measure, called Activation Lock, iPhone theft fell significantly.]Larry W. Smith/European Pressphoto AgencyPolice officers in San Francisco and London say that after Apple last fall introduced a safety measure, called Activation Lock, iPhone theft fell significantly. Updated with additional reporting on kill switch plans for Google and Microsoft. For several years, cellphone theft has been a growing epidemic worldwide. But the police in New York, San Francisco and London say they are finally starting to see a dip in thefts of one of the most popular smartphones. The reason? The attorney general of New York, Eric T. Schneiderman, and the district attorney of San Francisco, George Gascón, share the theory that phone thefts are dropping because of Apple’s addition of a so-called kill switch, a type of antitheft technology, in its iPhone in September. Police officers in San Francisco and London say that after Apple introduced its measure, called Activation Lock, last fall, iPhone theft fell significantly. Comparing data in the six months before and after Apple released the feature, the police said iPhone robberies in San Francisco dropped 38 percent, and those in London fell 24 percent. The police in New York said that robberies involving Apple products dropped 19 percent and those involving grand larcenies dropped 29 percent in the first five months of 2014, compared with the same time period from 2013. A kill switch is software that lets consumers lock down a phone after the device has been reported stolen; users can reactivate the phone only with the correct password or personal identification number. Police have said that this type of antitheft technology could discourage criminals from stealing smartphones. Microsoft on Thursday said<http://blogs.technet.com/b/microsoft_on_the_issues/archive/2014/06/19/micro…> that it, too, will introduce a kill switch in a future software update for its Windows Phone operating system. Google will also be introducing one in the next version of Android, said Matt Kallman, a Google spokesman. “The introduction of kill switches has clearly had an effect on the conduct of smartphone thieves,” Mr. Schneiderman said in an interview. “If these can be canceled like the equivalent of canceling a credit card, these are going to be the equivalent of stealing a paperweight.” Other factors could have contributed to the decrease in iPhone thefts. For one, the police and tech companies have tried harder over the last year to educate consumers on additional security measures to protect phones, like setting up passcodes, which can make it harder to gain access to devices so that they can be erased and resold. Over the last year, several lawmakers across the country have pushed for stronger antitheft features on smartphones. In May, Minnesota became the first state to require a kill switch on all smartphones. In California last month, senators passed a bill<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/05/08/with-a-change-of-heart-california-…>requiring phones sold in the state to include the antitheft technology. That bill still requires approval from the governor of California, Jerry Brown. San Francisco’s district attorney, Mr. Gascón, has been one of the most vocal supporters of a kill switch. He and Mr. Schneiderman collaborated to form the Secure Our Smartphones initiative to press businesses to create a technical way to dissuade thieves from stealing phones. Mr. Gascón said plenty of work remained. He said he hoped all manufacturers would include a kill switch turned on by default on all smartphones so consumers did not have to figure out how to use it. In the iPhone, for example, it is not turned on by default. “Many consumers might not be tech-savvy enough to do this,” Mr. Gascón said. He added that he still thought it was necessary for there to be laws requiring kill switches in phones, similar to how seat belts eventually became legally required inside cars.

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FYI: arrest made in "Locking and Ransoming Apple Devices"
by Wayne Billing 19 Jun '14

19 Jun '14

...from: http://www.macrumors.com/2014/06/09/australia-device-hackers-arrested/ Hackers Involved in Locking and Ransoming Apple Devices in Australia Arrested Monday June 9, 2014 10:37 am PDT by Juli Clover Two weeks ago, hackers hijacked several iOS and Mac devices in Australia, remotely locking them via iCloud and demanding a ransom from the owner to get the device unlocked. "Device locked by Oleg Pliss," read the hijacker's message, along with a demand for $50 to $100. Quite a few users were affected and while early speculation suggested iCloud may have been hacked, Apple confirmed<http://www.macrumors.com/2014/05/28/apple-denies-icloud-hack/> that iCloud was not compromised, and that hackers had instead gained access to Apple IDs and passwords, likely through other site breaches where they used similar credentials. [australian_ios_device_hacked] The two hackers behind the attacks have now been detained by Russian authorities, reportsThe Sydney Morning Herald<http://www.smh.com.au/digital-life/consumer-security/hackers-who-held-apple…>. The hackers - aged 17 and 23 - were detained in the course of "operational activities" by the Russian Interior Ministry, Russia's Ministry of Internal Affairs said. They are both residents of the Southern Administrative District of Moscow and one has already been tried before, it said. According to Russian site MKRU<http://www.mk.ru/incident/2014/06/09/kibermoshenniki-shantazhirovali-rossiy…> [Google Translate<http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mk…>), the two hackers were caught after appearing on camera withdrawing a victim's ransom money from an ATM. The site also confirms the hackers gained access to Apple IDs and passwords via phishing pages and social engineering techniques, then used that information to lock devices. Russian users were also affected, which led to the investigation. One method of obtaining login information involved a pre-owned account filled with movies and music that was sold to an unsuspecting victim. Once the person linked their own details with the account, it was vulnerable to being hijacked. During the attacks, users who had passcodes enabled on their devices were able to bypass the hack, but those who had not previously set a passcode were out of luck, requiring a full reinstall of iOS. Apple recommends using a passcode with iOS devices, as well as two-step authentication, which can help thwart attacks like this one.

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FYI: Android changes updates; might more easily expose private data
by Wayne Billing 11 Jun '14

11 Jun '14

...from: Android no longer reveals app permission changes in automatic updates Change could heighten security risks for users. by Dan Goodin<http://arstechnica.com/author/dan-goodin/> - June 11 2014, 10:11am CDT * ANDROID<http://arstechnica.com/discipline/android> * HARDENING<http://arstechnica.com/discipline/hardening> 61<http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/06/android-no-longer-reveals-app-permi…> [cid:B3933F94-CCCA-46F6-B996-4B40A40F7C32] Yoav F<https://secure.flickr.com/photos/yoav85/6231910409/> [New automatic Android app updates means users could miss a change in the permissions - such as permission to text message or permission to track - that app has on your device.] Previously, automatically updated apps displayed explicit details when a new version gained additional privileges. For example, an app that previously tracked only coarse GPS coordinates would warn users if an update would begin receiving fine coordinates. Similarly, a newly assigned ability to send SMS messages would also be disclosed. Under changes implemented through the latest Play store app, neither new privilege is displayed if a user has previously accepted any other permission in the same category as the new permission. In other words, by accepting one permission from a category, users agree that every other permission in that category can be added without notification in future updates. The change is an attempt by Google to streamline and simplify the process of installing updates. Rather than providing lengthy details many users likely don't understand, the new permission disclosure is much less verbose. Permissions are indicated only by a very general category such as Location, SMS, or Contacts/Calendar. Users who want to track precisely how a permission may have changed must click the category to see if specific new capabilities have been added. As a result, an app update that replaces coarse location with fine location simply shows the location category. End users must manually drill down to learn of the change. "I'd call it a step sideways," Marc Rogers, principal security researcher at Android antimalware provider Lookout, said of the change. "It definitely doesn't improve anything and it introduces some new risks, but I do think it addresses a couple of other issues." As an example, he said, suppose an updated app acquires the right to view photos. "I'm not sure users are well equipped to understand the full risk that each category could represent. I doubt as a user I would understand that the implication of that is I'm also giving someone permission to format my SD card. So there is a risk that users who have auto update on will not see this new permission of 'format the SD card' come in and somebody could do something malicious." The changes have been the topic of sometimes vigorous debate on reddit threads here<http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/27n7yr/what_latest_changes_to_play…>, here<http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/27gsqn/how_to_find_the_hidden_new_…>, andhere<http://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/27g33v/security_warning_android_pl…>. Users who object to the changes should consider disabling automatic updates<https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/6014972#update>. That can be done by opening the Google Play app and switching to the settings view. Auto updating can be set for all apps or just some of them. Google has more details about the permission changes here<https://support.google.com/googleplay/answer/6014972?hl=en>.

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INTEREST: iOS8: feature: randomizes MAC address while scanning
by Wayne Billing 09 Jun '14

09 Jun '14

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/09/ios-8-randomizes-mac-address-while-scanning-w… iOS 8 randomizes MAC address while scanning WiFi, blocks marketers tracking you<http://9to5mac.com/2014/06/09/ios-8-randomizes-mac-address-while-scanning-w…> [WiFi-Mac-Address-iOS-8] One iOS 8 feature Apple hasn’t talked about much is its ability to randomize the device’s MAC address<http://www.reddit.com/r/apple/comments/27n6cy/ios_8_randomises_the_mac_addr…> while scanning for WiFi networks. In iOS 8, Wi-Fi scanning behavior has changed to use random,locally administered MAC addresses… The MAC address used for Wi-Fi scans may not always be the devices real (universal) address… Once the iOS device is done scanning it will give the real MAC ID. This appears to be a security and privacy precaution as marketing and analytics companies routinely use this unique identifier to collect data about nearby devices scanning for WiFi networks. The New York Times published<http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/15/business/attention-shopper-stores-are-tra…> a story last year about a similar experiment at Nordstrom and several marketing companies selling data to retailers and more use the same method of picking up the MAC address from devices scanning for WiFi networks. One of those companies, Euclid Analytics<http://euclidanalytics.com/privacy/statement/?_ga=1.96730975.1797034683.139…>, explains how it currently uses the MAC address of iPhones to help clients. While it notes “the MAC address does not disclose the device owner’s real-world identity nor any other personal data,” it also uses the data it collects to help clients “improve store layouts, determine timing for promotions and sales, measure the effects of advertising, and set staffing levels and store hours.” These marketing companies do the same for Samsung and Android devices, which also do not currently automatically randomize the MAC address, but it looks like Apple might put an end to that with iOS 8.

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FYI: WWDC Keynote and iOS HEALTH app
by Wayne Billing 08 Jun '14

08 Jun '14

Apple's annual World Wide Developer Conference (WWDC) was held this week and, while the KEYNOTE address and sessions have been available only to developers in the past, this year the Keynote was webcast for anyone to watch: http://www.apple.com/apple-events/june-2014/ It's quite long (about 2 hours) so here's a quick synopsis of what will be introduced for OS X and iOS this fall: http://www.wired.com/2014/06/tldr-all-the-news-you-need-from-wwdc/ http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/02/apple-wwdc-2014-liveblog/ One of the announcements that might have a big impact on how people monitor their health was Apple's HealthKit (for developers) and the HEALTH app for users: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg_SYnw3-vA http://www.cnet.com/products/apple-health/

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FYI Important: Set Passcodes on your devices
by Wayne Billing 29 May '14

29 May '14

Safer passwords, unique passwords across services, set passcodes for devices that support them...... ...from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/05/26/australian-mac-and-ios-users-find-devices-rem… Australian Mac and iOS users find devices remotely locked, held for ransom (and how to keep yours safe)<http://9to5mac.com/2014/05/26/australian-mac-and-ios-users-find-devices-rem…> [1401164873077.jpg] The Sydney Morning Herald reports that several Australian Mac, iPhone, and iPad users are finding that their devices have been locked remotely through Apple’s Find My iPhone service by someone using the name “Oleg Pliss.” The hacker (or hackers) then demand payments of around $50 to $100 to an anonymous PayPal account in order to restore the devices to their owners. An active thread on Apple’s support forum was started yesterday as users started to discover that they had been targeted by the attack. According to that discussion, users are finding all of their devices locked at once rather than a single device per user. Based on that report and the fact that Find My iPhone is being used to hold the devices hostage, it seems likely that the perpetrator has gained access to these users’ iCloud accounts—possibly through password reuse by those users—rather than some device-specific malware or hack. Because the hackers used Find My iPhone to lock out the victims, users who had set a passcode on their devices were able to regain access. This is because Find My iPhone can only be used to add a passcode to devices that don’t already have one set. If you’ve created a passcode on your device, you (or malicous users with access to your account) cannot change it from Find My iPhone. It can only be changed or removed directly from the device. Unfortunately, users affected by this attack will need to get in touch with Apple to work around the issue. It’s also highly advisable to reset your Apple ID password and security questions once you’ve regained access to the affected iCloud account. For those who haven’t been affected, here are a few steps you can take to ensure you aren’t hit by a similar attack: Use unique passwords. Using the same password on multiple services (iCloud, Gmail, Facebook, etc) put all of your accounts at risk. An attacker who gains your password for one service can then try it on the others. If you use the same password on some of them, they’ll have access to everything. One great way to ensure you’re using a unique password on each website is to use an app like iCloud Keychain (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5813) or 1Password to manage them. Use two-factor authentication (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5570?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US). Two-factor authentication boosts your online security by requiring you to enter a time-sensitive code after logging in and before accessing your account. Not all web services offer this extra layer of security, but many do, including Gmail, Facebook, Twitter, and yes, even your Apple ID (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5570?viewlocale=en_US&locale=en_US). You can use an app like iCloud Keychain (http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5813), Google Authenticator or Authy to manage these codes, or get them via SMS. Use a passcode or Touch ID on your iOS devices. If you’re not already using Touch ID or a passcode to secure your iOS devices, it’s a good idea to add one. That will prevent malicious users from remotely adding one to lock you out. As noted above, unprotected devices can be remotely locked, while devices secured with a passcode or Touch ID cannot. <http://9to5mac.com/2014/05/26/australian-mac-and-ios-users-find-devices-rem…>

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INTEREST: Using Microsoft’s New Surface Pro 3 as a laptop—on my lap
by Wayne Billing 20 May '14

20 May '14

Microsoft presented the Surface Pro 3 today to the press. ...from: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/05/hands-on-using-microsofts-surface-pr… Hands-on: Using Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 as a laptop—on my lap We give the device the couch treatment to see if it's up to the task. by Andrew Cunningham<http://arstechnica.com/author/andrew_cunningham/> - May 20 2014, 12:53pm CDT [cid:97A74A17-F83A-493F-BE9A-5FA9B663FCEB]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/surface-pro-3-4.jpg> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/surface-pro-3-4.jpg> / Microsoft thinks this tablet can replace a laptop. We'll take that bet! Casey Johnston I've never actually considered buying one of Microsoft's Surface tablets. It's not because they're bad machines or because of some specific distaste for Windows or something—it's just that I spend most of my time on my computers writing, and when I'm writing on a laptop, I'm almost always using the device on my lap. The Surface Touch and Type covers have their virtues, but they absolutely need a stable desk or table to be used. When combined with the Surface tablet, the system is shaky on your lap at best. Microsoft made light of this foible at the Surface Pro 3 announcement today<http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/05/surface-pro-3-sports-12-inch-screen-…>, taking care to highlight how many of the assembled press and analysts were using MacBook Airs to do their liveblogs and take their notes. I was one of those people, so a substantial portion of the announcement was aimed specifically at me (and my kind). Here's a Surface tablet you can use on your lap, as you would a laptop. Challenge accepted, Microsoft! When Panos Panay and the other Microsoft execs left the stage, I stowed my MacBook Air in my bag, grabbed my Surface review unit from the cart, and found a couch. This entire hands-on post was written with the Surface Pro 3 in my lap, and I kind of liked it. Going lap-on [cid:A594B609-3489-4A1F-B8A7-A9A9391EFFCB] Hands-on with the Surface Pro 3, by Casey Johnston. The Type Cover now has a magnetic strip running across the top that you fold flat to the front of the tablet. Before you fold it, the Type Cover is usable but uncomfortable and wobbly. After folding it, it's still not as rock-solid as a non-removable aluminum base, but it's a much more laptop-like typing experience. The keyboard is more stable, but the new kickstand comes into play here, too. The original Surface Pro supported one kickstand angle (22 degrees) while the Surface Pro 2 supported two (24 and 40 degrees). The Surface Pro 3 is more like a laptop in that its kickstand is pretty stable at any angle, so when you have the thing on your lap, you can point the screen at your face basically however you want. Looking at it from the front, it's easy to forget that you're not using a laptop. [cid:7EDEBFF2-A998-49A7-9A20-068B78DD2C03]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/surface-pro-3-3.jpg> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/surface-pro-3-3.jpg> / The tablet's new kickstand. It's not quite the same as using a laptop, though. For one thing, the unfolded kickstand and the keyboard cover combined expand to take up a wide swath of one's lap—the whole apparatus extends nearly to my knees, and I'm not a short person. Those with less expansive laps may need to do a little maneuvering to fit the whole thing. You're also going to have to keep your lap mostly level. If one of your legs is raised higher than the other, the kickstand and keyboard become more wobbly again. The worst part, at least relative to the MacBook Air and the best Ultrabooks, is the Type Cover itself. It's a relatively shallow chiclet keyboard with mostly full-size keys, though the up and down arrow keys and some on the left and right of the keyboard are a little squeezed to conserve space. The backlight is nice, and I was quickly typing at my usual speeds, but the key travel is too shallow to be as satisfying or responsive as a normal keyboard. It's merely good, not great. For what it's worth, the trackpad in the Type Cover actually seems reasonably good. Usually when I review a Windows laptop, the first thing I do is update the trackpad driver and tweak the sensitivity settings until they feel reasonable, but I didn't have any problems with palm rejection or accuracy while I was typing this article. My only complaint is that it's a little small—on older laptops with smaller trackpads, I've seen some users have trouble because it's too easy to accidentally invoke the Windows 8 trackpad gestures, but that's not an issue I ran into. If one of your key complaints about previous Surfaces was that they were insufficient laptop replacements, the Surface Pro 3 hits much nearer the mark. The rest of the system [cid:B30DE39A-6BAD-422F-9544-82D49B72647E]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/surface-pro-3.jpg> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/surface-pro-3.jpg> / The Surface Pro 3 and its Type Cover. Casey Johnston We'll be able to go a little more in-depth with the system (including the pen input) when we publish our full review, but for now we'll run through some of the important specs so you know more about what you're getting if you preorder one of these today. Let's start with the specs. Though we speculated that Microsoft would have to use one of the ultra-low-voltage Y-series Haswell CPUs to make the system thin and light enough, our review loaner has the same Core i5-4300U used in the revised last-generation Surface Pro<http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/01/microsoft-quietly-bumps-surface-pro-…> (Core i3 and Core i7 options will also be available). Performance isn't going to go up much, and the Intel HD 4400 integrated GPU means this thing won't be much of a gamer, but we're impressed that Microsoft was able to make the tablet thinner and lighter without sacrificing speed, The tablet also has an 802.11ac adapter from Marvell, an upgrade from the 802.11n adapter in the Surface Pro 2. Our review loaner includes 8GB of DDR3 RAM and a 256GB solid-state drive from Samsung on a SATA III interface. With its i5 processor, this configuration<http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/05/surface-pro-3-sports-12-inch-screen-…> costs $1,299. The body of the tablet is lighter than the Surface Pro 2 (800g versus 903g), though it remains considerably heavier than something like Apple's iPad Air<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/11/review-apples-ipad-air-is-a-big-tablet…> (469g) or even the older fourth-generation Retina iPads (652g). It's not going to break your arms, but it's definitely more similar to a laptop in its weight than most other tablets. [cid:9AAA1186-B854-4026-9D7B-1B07E905683C]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/surface-pro-3-gallery…> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/surface-pro-3-gallery…> / Typing on the Surface Pro 3. Casey Johnston The 12-inch, 2160×1440 display compensates for the added weight. It's a reasonably bright, sharp 216 PPI display, which puts it within striking distance of the 15- and 13-inch Retina MacBook Pros<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/10/retina-round-two-apples-15-inch-2013-r…>(220 and 227 PPI, respectively). Its 3:2 aspect ratio will please those who prefer taller monitors to wider ones, though using the tablet in portrait mode isn't really any more comfortable than with any other large widescreen tablet—it's just a little too large to be as comfortable as the paper notepad that Panay compared it to. We've seen in other high-PPI Windows laptop reviews<http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/03/lenovo-yoga-2-pro-review-you-say-you…> that this relatively high pixel density can cause problems with applications on the Windows desktop, though the Surface 3 Pro seems to strike a decent balance. By default, it's set to display onscreen elements at 150 percent their normal size, which shouldn't cause quite as many obvious UI problems as higher scaling settings. While using Chrome, an app that doesn't support Windows' high-PPI scaling modes properly, text and images was noticeably blurrier compared to Internet Explorer, but not so blurry that it was unusable or even immediately noticeable if you didn't know what you were looking for. [cid:3416217E-70D2-457E-8C26-FEC7735F183E]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/surface-pro-3-2.jpg> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/surface-pro-3-2.jpg> / We'll test more about the system (including the pen input) in our full review. Casey Johnston Finally, the build quality is as good as we've come to expect from the Surface lineup. The magnesium chassis is nice-looking and solid-feeling, and the hinge was perfectly stable as long as I kept my lap level. The system gets a little warm to the touch, and Microsoft's demo booth was too loud for me to put Microsoft's ultra-quiet fan assembly to the test, but the fan vent along the edges of the tablet is unobtrusive, and you can't feel any hot air coming out of it. We'll be giving the pen, the battery life, and the performance a more thorough look in our full review. Based on our hour of usage, though, we're comfortable saying that the Surface Pro 3 is at least a little bit closer to being a suitable laptop replacement than the older versions. It might not be exactly what you're looking for in a tablet, but if you were on the fence about the Surface Pro 2, this is probably the device you needed to knock you over.

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FYI: iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Button Replacement Program
by Wayne Billing 25 Apr '14

25 Apr '14

...from: https://ssl.apple.com/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/ iPhone 5 Sleep/Wake Button Replacement Program [cid:37743076-1E1C-4A47-AB95-1BE932D24092] Please select a Country Asia Australia België Belgique Brasil България Canada (English) Canada (Français) Česká republika 中国 Danmark Deutschland Eesti EMEA España Ελλάδα France Hong Kong (English) 香港 Hrvatska India Ireland Italia 日本 대한민국 Κύπρος Latin America América Latina Latvija Lietuva Luxembourg (English) Luxembourg (Français) Luxemburg (Deutsch) Macau (English) 澳門 Magyarország Malaysia Malta México Nederland New Zealand Norge Österreich Polska Portugal România Россия Singapore Slovensko Slovenija Schweiz Suisse Suomi Sverige 台灣 ไทย Türkiye UK United States Other countries Apple has determined that the sleep/wake button mechanism on a small percentage of iPhone 5 models may stop working or work intermittently. iPhone 5 models manufactured through March 2013 may be affected by this issue. Apple will replace the sleep/wake button mechanism, free of charge, on iPhone 5 models that exhibit this issue and have a qualifying serial number. The sleep/wake button is located on the top of your iPhone 5: [iPhone 5 sleep/wake button detail] Eligibility If your sleep/wake button isn’t working properly, please enter your iPhone 5 serial number below to see if it qualifies for this program. Please see the Replacement Process section for next steps. Finding your iPhone serial number is easy. See how.<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT4061> Note: If your iPhone 5 sleep/wake button does not show any signs of this issue and/or does not have a qualifying serial number, no action is required on your part at this time. Replacement Process As of April 25, 2014, the replacement process will be available in the U.S. and Canada. In other countries, it will be available as of May 2, 2014. Replacement of the sleep/wake button mechanism is done at an Apple Repair Center. There are two ways to send your iPhone to the repair center—carry-in or mail-in. See below for details. The replacement process takes approximately 4-6 days from the time your iPhone is received at the repair center until it is returned to you. Your iPhone will be examined prior to any service to verify that it is eligible for this program and is otherwise in working order. Before sending your iPhone to Apple for service, you will need to back up all your data and erase all your content and settings. Note: If your iPhone 5 has any damage such as a cracked screen which impairs the replacement of the sleep/wake button, that issue will need to be resolved prior to the sleep/wake button replacement. In some cases, there may be a cost associated with the repair. How to send your iPhone 5 to an Apple Repair Center * Carry-in * Bring your iPhone 5 to a participating provider<https://ssl.apple.com/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/locate/> - Apple Retail Store or Apple Authorized Service Provider. * Your iPhone will be examined to verify eligibility, and then sent to the local Apple Repair Center. * You will be notified when your iPhone is ready for pickup. If you require a loaner during the time that your iPhone is being serviced, participating Apple Retail Stores and Apple Authorized Service Providers will have iPhone 5 models (16GB only) available. Note: To use the carry-in option, you must visit an Apple Retail Store or participating Apple Authorized Service Provider and not a wireless carrier partner. * Mail-in * Call Apple<https://ssl.apple.com/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/> and request a postage paid box to send your iPhone in to the local Apple Repair Center. * Your iPhone will be examined by the Repair Center to verify eligibility. * After it has been serviced, your iPhone will be returned to you by mail. Preparing your iPhone 5 for service Make sure your iPhone is ready for service by completing the following steps: * Back up your data<http://support.apple.com/kb/HT5262> to iTunes or iCloud * Turn off Find my iPhone<http://support.apple.com/kb/PH2702> * Erase data and settings in Settings > General > Reset > Erase all Content and Settings * Remove any case or cover Note: If you are running iOS 6, your iPhone will need to be upgraded to iOS 7 after the sleep/wake button mechanism is replaced. Additional Information Apple may restrict or limit repair to the original country of purchase. Your iPhone 5 must be in working order to qualify for this program. If you believe you have paid for a replacement due to this issue, contact Apple<https://ssl.apple.com/support/iphone5-sleepwakebutton/> regarding a refund. This worldwide Apple program does not extend the standard warranty coverage of the iPhone. The program covers iPhone 5 models for 2 years after the first retail sale of the unit.

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FYI: iPhones and Macs get fix for extremely critical bug
by Wayne Billing 22 Apr '14

22 Apr '14

...from: http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/04/iphones-and-macs-get-fix-for-extrem… <http://arstechnica.com/security/> iPhones and Macs get fix for extremely critical “triple handshake” crypto bug Flaw makes it possible for attackers to bypass some HTTPS protections. by Dan Goodin<http://arstechnica.com/author/dan-goodin/> - Apr 22 2014, 4:46pm CDT Apple has patched versions of its iOS and OS X operating systems to fix yet another extremely critical cryptography vulnerability that leaves some users open to surreptitious eavesdropping. Readers are urged to install the updates immediately. The flaw resides in the secure transport mechanism of iOS version 7.1 and earlier for iPhones and iPads and the Mountain Lion 10.8.5 and Mavericks 10.9.2 versions of Mac OS X, according to advisories here<http://seclists.org/bugtraq/2014/Apr/135> and here<http://seclists.org/bugtraq/2014/Apr/133>. The bug makes it possible to bypass HTTPS encryption protections that are designed to prevent eavesdropping and data tampering by attackers with the capability to monitor traffic sent by and received from vulnerable devices. Such "man-in-the-middle" attackers could exploit the bug by abusing the "triple handshake" carried out when secure connections are established by applications that use client certificates to authenticate end users. "In a 'triple handshake' attack, it was possible for an attacker to establish two connections which had the same encryption keys and handshake, insert the attacker's data in one connection, and renegotiate so that the connections may be forwarded to each other," Apple's warning explained. "To prevent attacks based on this scenario, Secure Transport was changed so that, by default, a renegotiation must present the same server certificate as was presented in the original connection." The patch comes three months after the disclosure of a separate serious HTTPS vulnerability dubbed "goto fail"<http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/02/extremely-critical-crypto-flaw-in-i…> that similarly threatened iOS and OS X Mavericks users. It wasn't fixed in OS X<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/02/apple-releases-os-x-10-9-2-patches-ssl…> until four days after the bug became widely known, a delay that prompted criticism from security professionals<http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/02/four-days-in-and-still-no-patch-for…> because it potentially gave attackers a window to exploit Mavericks machines. By contrast, the triple handshake bug may be considered less severe because it affects a smaller class of applications. Still, it's a serious bug because those apps are typically used by businesses and government agencies, where security is especially sensitive. More information about triple-handshake weaknesses is available here<https://secure-resumption.com/>. More recently, the Internet was severely threatened by another extremely critical vulnerability in HTTPS software—the so-called Heartbleed bug in the widely used OpenSSL cryptographic library<http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/04/critical-crypto-bug-in-openssl-open…>. Apple has reportedly updated its Airport Base Stations<http://www.macworld.com/article/2146391/apple-releases-heartbleed-fix-for-a…> to fix that critical flaw as well, according to Macworld. The iOS and OS X updates Apple issued Tuesday, which Ars wrote about earlier here<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/04/apple-releases-ios-7-1-1-with-further-…>, fix a variety of other serious security vulnerabilities, some of which also affect Mac OS X Lion. Users should install them as soon as possible.

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SECURITY: Apple Says iOS, OSX and “Key Web Services” Not Affected by "Heartbleed"
by Doug Hamilton 21 Apr '14

21 Apr '14

Apple Says iOS, OSX and “Key Web Services” Not Affected by "Heartbleed" Security Flaw http://recode.net/2014/04/10/apple-says-ios-osx-and-key-web-services-not-af…

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INTEREST: Apple’s updated environmental report card by the numbers
by Wayne Billing 21 Apr '14

21 Apr '14

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/21/apples-updated-environmental-report-card-by-t… Apple’s updated environmental report card by the numbers<http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/21/apples-updated-environmental-report-card-by-t…> Ahead of Earth Day celebrations planned for tomorrow, Apple today has completely revamped its environmental site<http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/21/tim-cook-discusses-apples-environmental-effor…> with new stats alongside announcements for initiatives planned for the year to come. It also gave an interview with its new head of environmental issues Lisa Jackson<http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/21/apples-lisa-jackson-talks-environmental-initi…>. If you don’t want to dig through and read the multiple pages in Apple’s updated report, below we’ve put together a roundup of all the numbers and initiatives Apple announced today: -2013 Carbon Footprint: 33,800,000 metric tons of green house gas emissions. -9 percent increase in carbon footprint for 2013 (after improving data accuracy from years prior). -169 percent increase in the use of renewable energy at Apple corporate facilities worldwide (35% in 2010). -In 2013, converted 73 percent energy for all facilities — 86 percent for corporate campuses, and 100 percent for data centers. -Already 120 U.S. retail stores powered with renewable energy in 2014. -Two 20-megawatt solar arrays, nation’s largest privately owned onsite solar installation. -Maiden data center generates 167 million kilowatt‑hours of renewable energy onsite per year — enough to power the equivalent of 13,837 homes. [cid:32477DB7-F547-488C-9CBB-90716BCD3B79] -18‑ to 20‑megawatt solar array with new photovoltaic panel planned for 2015. Will generate over 43 million kilowatt‑hours of clean, renewable energy per year. -Apple Campus 2 will use 30 percent less energy than a typical R&D office building. - The cost to charge the battery of an iPhone 5s once a day in the U.S. is 51¢ per year. -Power consumption in idle with the display on is 33 percent less than the previous‑generation 11‑inch MacBook Air. -The 11‑inch MacBook Air consumes the least total energy in its class — 0.25W when off, 0.75W in sleep, and 6.0W with the display at full brightness. -Timer Coalescing lets a Mac use less energy by grouping operations together, reducing CPU activity up to 72 percent. -iPhone packaging mass reduced by 26 percent from 2007 to 2013. -Mac Pro uses 74 percent less aluminum and steel than last gen. -30% recycled material in aluminum iMac stand. -30% post-consumer recycled plastic in Mac Pro speakers. -Over 90 percent of recycled material from non-Apple products. -421 million pounds of equipment diverted from landfills since 1994. -Reduced the average total power consumed by Apple products by 57 percent since 2008. -New Clean Water Program pilot to increase water reuse and recycling at 13 water‑intensive supplier sites. -Rollout of PVC‑free cables in China across all products complete. -Cupertino HQ energy initiates saved enough energy to power 1200 homes per year.

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INTEREST/FUN: Pathé News Archives now free and online
by Wayne Billing 19 Apr '14

19 Apr '14

From: [cid:7954AF20-81A7-46B8-8BA3-F1F2DF8C6725] ...to: [cid:0EF79680-3C01-44E7-B44A-374057BB0EB5] ....to: [cid:385363F8-6314-4D90-81C0-5DCAA55A5F46] .....to: [cid:356A045B-AA9E-477B-8A4A-31EC17A3718A] ....and more. It's all there now to be watched: [cid:B7906E6A-248F-4589-A23E-F4720CA094AE] ...from: http://britishpathe.wordpress.com/2014/04/17/british-pathe-releases-85000-f… British Pathé releases 85,000 films on YouTube [cid:D20FA27E-7DE2-4A75-B9F3-BAC89C06163E] Newsreel archive British Pathé has uploaded its entire collection of 85,000 historic films, in high resolution, to its YouTube channel. This unprecedented release of vintage news reports and cinemagazines is part of a drive to make the archive more accessible to viewers all over the world. “Our hope is that everyone, everywhere who has a computer will see these films and enjoy them,” says Alastair White, General Manager of British Pathé. “This archive is a treasure trove unrivalled in historical and cultural significance that should never be forgotten. Uploading the films to YouTube seemed like the best way to make sure of that.” British Pathé was once a dominant feature of the British cinema experience, renowned for first-class reporting and an informative yet uniquely entertaining style. It is now considered to be the finest newsreel archive in existence. Spanning the years from 1896 to 1976, the collection includes footage – not only from Britain, but from around the globe – ofmajor events, famous faces, fashion trends, travel, sport and culture. The archive is particularly strong in its coverage of the First and Second World Wars. Alastair White continues: “Whether you’re looking for coverage of the Royal Family, the Titanic, the destruction of the Hindenburg, or quirky stories about British pastimes, it’ll be there on our channel. You can lose yourself for hours.” This project is being managed by German company Mediakraft, which has been responsible for numerous past YouTube successes. The company will be creating new content using British Pathé material, in English and in foreign languages. You can view and share films from this invaluable resource here<http://www.youtube.com/britishpathe>.

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FUN: In the Battle for Best Smartphone, Apple Still Beats Samsung
by Wayne Billing 19 Apr '14

19 Apr '14

...from: http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/04/18/in-the-battle-for-best-smartphone-… In the Battle for Best Smartphone, Apple Still Beats Samsung By FARHAD MANJOO<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/author/farhad-manjoo/> April 18, 2014, 4:03 pm Over the last couple weeks, many of my colleagues in the tech press have published reviews of the Galaxy S5, Samsung’s newest top-of-the-line smartphone. They all arrived at more or less the same conclusion: The S5 is a very nice device. Although it offers no spectacular advances over the previous version, Samsung seems to have done just enough with the S5 to stay ahead of every other Android phone maker. The only plausible competition comes in the form of the HTC One, which, as my colleague Molly Wood wrote<http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/10/technology/personaltech/samsung-edges-htc…>, is prettier than the S5 but not as functional. The upshot of all these reviews is that if you’re looking for the best Android phone, Samsung’s is the one to buy. But that’s not the whole story. While there are probably some people who go out to shop for the best Android phone, I suspect that most people want to know which phone is best of all, whatever operating system it runs. In other words, how does the Galaxy S5 compare to the iPhone 5S, Apple’s six-month-old flagship device and the champion to beat? The answer: Not very well. I’ve been using the new Samsung for about three weeks, and while I do think it is the best Android phone you can buy, it sure isn’t the best phone on the market. By just about every major measure you’ll care about, from speed to design to ease of use to the quality of its apps, Samsung’s phone ranks behind the iPhone, sometimes far behind. If you’re looking for the best phone on the market right now, I’d recommend going with the iPhone 5S. This is not to say you’ll hate the Galaxy; as everyone says, it’s a great phone, and if you buy it you’ll be fine. The Galaxy does have slightly longer battery life than the iPhone, and it is waterproof, an unusual feature among top-end phones. To me, though, these two advantages are slight. Indeed, for many people, there will only be a single obvious reason to buy the Galaxy S5 over the iPhone 5S: The Samsung phone has a much bigger screen. Size isn’t an objective advantage but rather a matter of preference — some people like big phones and some people like small ones. For the next few months, for big-phone lovers, Samsung’s massive size will make it the clear winner. Yet that points to a looming problem for Samsung. News reports<http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB1000142405270230485650457933861162092…> and common sense suggest that Apple will almost certainly unveil a bigger iPhone later this year. If you assume that everything else about the iPhone-versus-Galaxy matchup will remain the same after the size increase, it means that Samsung will lose its single greatest advantage over Apple. And what will Samsung do then? When you compare the Galaxy to the iPhone, it’s not obvious that Samsung will have any real way to fight back once Apple makes a bigger phone. I don’t mean to sound glib. But in many ways, the battle for smartphone supremacy is a pretty simple fight. Apple makes at least two thirds of the profit in the smartphone business, and Samsung makes about the other third. No one else makes any money selling smartphones<http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2014/02/12/apple-and-samsung-took-all-handset…>, so any gain for Apple is a loss for Samsung, and vice versa. In recent years, the growth rate for iPhone sales has slowed down. This is partly because, when it comes to expensive phones, consumer preferences appear to have shifted in favor of big phones — and Samsung has been more nimble than Apple at responding to the demand. Apple highlighted<http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/4/5571926/apple-document-shows-concern-for-i…> this fact in a sales presentation recently disclosed as part of its patent-infringement fight against Samsung. “Consumers want what we don’t have,” the document stated, noting that most of the growth in the profitable segment of the smartphone business had been in phones with screens larger than the iPhone’s 4-inch display. But as my management-consultant friends say, the flip side of a problem is an opportunity. If Apple’s major shortcoming is a too-small phone, all it has to do is make its phone larger. Making a larger phone isn’t trivial, but it is a relatively easy fix. Apple has done it well before — two years ago, it put out the iPhone 5, which had a screen just a bit taller than its predecessor — and I suspect it can easily manage the transition once more. Samsung’s problems, meanwhile, will be more difficult to address, as you can tell by spending some time with the S5. One of its major new features is a fingerprint-sensor meant to let you unlock your phone without typing a passcode, a feature Apple introduced on the iPhone 5S last year. I don’t fault Samsung for copying Apple’s fingerprint idea, just as I won’t fault Apple for copying Samsung when it makes a bigger phone. Fingerprint unlocking is a good idea, and more phones should have it. But I do fault Samsung for the slipshod manner in which it introduced fingerprint scanning. I’ve been using the iPhone’s fingerprint sensor for the last six months, and it has worked about nine times out of 10 for me. The Galaxy S5’s finger sensor is unusable. It has failed to recognize my finger just about every time I have tried it. It has been so terrible that the sensor feels more like a marketing gimmick than a legitimate feature. And it makes me wonder about Samsung’s capacity to keep up with Apple’s innovations. So, too, does the Galaxy’s speed. The S5 is really fast, but the iPhone 5S is faster. While the speed won’t be a big deal to most users (you’ll mainly notice it in games and web browsing), it does point to a problem for Samsung. The rapid increase in year-by-year mobile chip performance has been a hallmark of the phone business for years. It’s unusual in this industry for a new phone to be slower than a phone released six months ago. When Samsung’s Galaxy S4 came out last year, it was much faster than the iPhone 5 that preceded it<http://www.anandtech.com/show/6914/samsung-galaxy-s-4-review/4>. But this year, Samsung couldn’t keep up; as the speed-testing gurus at AnandTech showed<http://www.anandtech.com/show/7903/samsung-galaxy-s-5-review/7>, by just about every speed metric, the aging iPhone 5S beat the brand-new Galaxy S5. Then there are the perennial problems for Samsung’s devices. Like the S4, the S5 has a cheap-feeling plastic body, and it’s hobbled by a proprietary software interface filled with byzantine menus and settings screens. You feel this complexity throughout the phone. Even in places where Samsung has introduced novel features that are better than Apple’s — like some of its advanced camera features — they’re buried in a user interface that makes them difficult to discover. None of these problems are crippling for Samsung just yet. With its 5.1-inch screen, the Galaxy S5 is the best big phone you can buy, and it will be so for months. After that, though, Samsung’s smartphone ascendance may look a bit uncertain.

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INTEREST: Heartbleed bug may bite millions of Android phones, other devices
by Wayne Billing 14 Apr '14

14 Apr '14

...from: http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/04/vicious-heartbleed-bug-bites-millio… Vicious Heartbleed bug bites millions of Android phones, other devices Not the exclusive province of servers, Heartbleed can hack end users too. by Dan Goodin<http://arstechnica.com/author/dan-goodin/> - Apr 14 2014, 5:30pm CDT The catastrophic Heartbleed security bug that has already bitten Yahoo Mail<http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/04/critical-crypto-bug-exposes-yahoo-m…>, the Canada Revenue Agency<http://arstechnica.com/security/2014/04/heartbleed-bug-exploited-to-steal-t…>, and other public websites also poses a formidable threat to end-user applications and devices, including millions of Android handsets, security researchers warned. Handsets running version 4.1.1 of Google's mobile operating system are vulnerable to attacks that might pluck passwords, the contents of personal messages, and other private information out of device memory, a company official warned on Friday<http://googleonlinesecurity.blogspot.com/2014/04/google-services-updated-to…>. Marc Rogers, principal security researcher at Lookout Mobile, a provider of antimalware software for Android phones, said some versions of Android 4.2.2 that have been customized by the carriers or hardware manufacturers have also been found to be susceptible. Rogers said other releases may contain the critical Heartbleed flaw as well. Officials with BlackBerry have warned the company's messenger app for iOS, Mac OS X, Android, and Windows contains the critical defect<http://btsc.webapps.blackberry.com/btsc/viewdocument.do?externalId=KB35882&…> and have released an update to correct it. The good news, according to researchers at security firm Symantec<http://www.symantec.com/connect/blogs/heartbleed-reports-field>, is that major browsers don't rely on the OpenSSL cryptographic library to implement HTTPS cryptographic protections. That means people using a PC to browse websites should be immune to attacks that allow malicious servers to extract data from an end user's computer memory. Users of smartphones, and possibly those using routers and "Internet of things" appliances, aren't necessarily as safe. Chief among vulnerable devices are those running Android. While exploiting vulnerable handsets often isn't as simple as attacking vulnerable servers, the risk is high enough that users should tightly curtail use of their Android devices until users are sure their handsets aren't susceptible, Lookout's Rogers advised. "If you have a vulnerable device and there's no fix available for you, I would be very cautious about using that device for sensitive data," he told Ars. "So I would be cautious about using it for banking or sending personal messages." How Android phones are vulnerable Rogers said the most likely scenario for an attacker exploiting a vulnerable Android device is to lure the user to a booby-trapped website that contains a cross-site request forgery<https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cross-site_request_forgery> or similar exploit that loads banking sites or other sensitive online services in a separate tab. By injecting malicious traffic into one tab, the attacker could possibly extract sensitive memory contents corresponding to the sites loaded in other tabs, he said. A less sophisticated version of the attack—but also one that's easier to execute—might simply inject the malicious commands into a vulnerable Android browser and opportunistically fish for any sensitive memory contents that may be returned. "Defective" phones from AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile pose risks, ACLU says. Luckily, Android's security sandbox design prevents a malicious app from being able to access memory contents used by separate apps. Also fortunate is the fact that the majority of Android phones aren't susceptible. Still, the risk shouldn't be dismissed. About 34 percent of Android devices run on version 4.1.x of the mobile OS, according to figures supplied by Google<https://developer.android.com/about/dashboards/index.html>. Google has said it's working with partners to roll out a patch, but as Ars has chronicled before<http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/04/wireless-carriers-deceptive-and-unf…>, millions of Android smartphones never, or only rarely, receive available updates<http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2012/12/the-checkered-slow-history-of-androi…> that patch dangerous security defects. What's more, the threat of a vulnerable Android device being exploited by someone on the same Wi-Fi network as the targeted user, or by someone combining a Heartbleed attack with a separate exploit, should be enough to give people pause, even if they don't intend to visit banking sites or connect to Web-based e-mail or other sensitive services, Rogers counseled. "The risk is that someone could either man-in-the-middle your Internet connection or use a cross-site request forgery-type attack or could use some kind of malicious thing to trick you into doing something secure and then fish out your secure credentials while you do that," he said. "That risk is sufficiently high as to say that you should be careful if your device is vulnerable." Because Android is frequently customized for specific devices or manufacturers, it's possible some versions besides 4.1.1 and 4.2.2 are vulnerable. For that reason, Android users should download Heartbleed Detector<https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.lookout.heartbleeddetector>, a free app developed by Lookout. In the vast majority of the tests Ars carried out, it found various Android versions contained a vulnerable version of OpenSSL, but that the Heartbeat extension that hosts the coding bug wasn't enabled, making the devices immune to attack. The sole exception was when Ars executed the app on a handset running version 4.1.1, which returned the screenshot below. Security researchers have only begun to analyze the risks Heartbleed poses to people using home and small-office Internet routers, modems, and all kinds of other devices that rely on OpenSSL. It's too early to say which, or how many, of the appliances are susceptible to exploits that extract passwords or other data. But until more thorough audits are performed, users shouldn't rule out the possibility.

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FYI: "Heartbleed" bug: Apple services and products not vulnerable
by Wayne Billing 11 Apr '14

11 Apr '14

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/10/apple-says-heartbleed-security-flaw-did-not-a… Apple says Heartbleed security flaw did not affect its software or services<http://9to5mac.com/2014/04/10/apple-says-heartbleed-security-flaw-did-not-a…> With an estimated half a million sites vulnerable to the “Heartbleed” vulnerability<http://heartbleed.com> revealed earlier this week, which allows an attacker to access user details of websites previously believed to be secured by industry-standard SSL/TLS, your favorite social networks, stores, and other services around the web could potentially be handing out your password or other personal information to anyone who exploits the issue. The bug exists in a library called OpenSSL, which is an open-source SSL implementation that many—but not all—web services use to secure sensitive traffic. If a website you use is affected by the bug, your personal data could be given to just about anyone. Unfortunately, changing your password on an unsecure site won’t even help unless the site’s owners have installed a fix (because the attackers can simply exploit the bug again to get your new password). This serious issue affects a number of high-profile sites, but it seems your Apple ID is safe. Today, Apple gave the following statement to Re/code<http://recode.net/2014/04/10/apple-says-ios-osx-and-key-web-services-not-af…>: “Apple takes security very seriously. iOS and OS X never incorporated the vulnerable software and key web-based services were not affected.” We used a tool for testing a site for the vulnerability<http://filippo.io/Heartbleed/#www.apple.com> that was released earlier this week, and can confirm that both apple.com<http://apple.com>, the various iTunes servers used for hosting Apple’s stores, and WordPress.com<http://WordPress.com> (the hosting system used for 9to5Mac and 9to5Google) are secure. Users running a web service powered by OS X 10.8 or 10.9 were also unaffected by this bug, as the server builds of those operating systems use the same (safe) encryption libraries as the consumer versions.

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INTEREST: mesh networking: How an Under-Appreciated iOS 7 Feature Will Change the World
by Wayne Billing 11 Apr '14

11 Apr '14

...from: http://www.cultofmac.com/271225/appreciated-ios-7-feature-will-change-world… How an Under-Appreciated iOS 7 Feature Will Change the World 1.8K Mike Elgan (3:07 pm PDT, Mar 22nd) A curious download hit Apple’s app store this week: a messaging app called FireChat. It’s a new kind of app because it uses an iOS feature unavailable until version 7: the Multipeer Connectivity Framework. The app was developed by the crowdsourced connectivity provider Open Garden and this is their first iOS app. The Multipeer Connectivity Framework enables users to flexibly use WiFi and Bluetooth peer-to-peer connections to chat and share photos even without an Internet connection. Big deal, right? But here’s the really big deal — it can enable two users to chat not only without an Internet connection, but also when they are far beyond WiFi and Bluetooth range from each other — connected with a chain of peer-to-peer users between one user and a far-away Internet connection. It’s called wireless mesh networking. And Apple has mainstreamed it in iOS 7. It’s going to change everything. Here’s why. It can also extend an Internet connect to a place where none exists — for example, to a hotel basement, cave or to rural areas where cell tower connections are non-existent. It does that through the mesh networking capability inherent in the Multipeer Connectivity Framework. With multiple users in the area, FireChat can relay messages just like the internet does, from node to node (phone to phone). (Apple’s AirDrop works in the same way, by the way.) Here’s an example. There’s an ultramarathon that takes place in California each year on a trail called Skyline-to-the-Sea. It’s a roughly 30 mile trail through giant redwood forests where there is no cell connectivity. Using FireChat or some other app that uses iOS 7’s Multipeer Connectivity Framework, race volunteers, staff and participants could extend Internet connectivity and communication in an ad hoc mesh network that extends the length of the course. The benefit of such an ad-hoc network is how trivially easy it is to set up. Everybody just use FireChat or AirDrop or any other similar app. Boom! Connectivity for everyone. You can imagine the uses in a disaster area where cell towers have been knocked out, or other situations where people need to communicate but where no WiFi or mobile broadband is available. In many poor countries and areas, people might be able to afford cheap or used phones, but not wireless service fees. Wireless mesh networks can provide free Internet connectivity to entire villages, slums or towns. And, of course, Multipeer Connectivity Framework-based mesh-networking apps like FireChat can become a factor for young people. For example, parents who have given their kids iPod Touch devices can chat with the family using FireChat without connecting to the Internet. And teens who get in trouble with their parents and have their phone contracts cancelled or suspended can still chat with friends with their iPhones using FireChat (with the neighbor kid’s help). Because FireChat can be used anonymously, it could be very secure. Not only is it hard or impossible to determine who the anonymous users are, it can’t even be hacked remotely over the Internet if no Internet connectivity is being used. This application and the services in iOS 7 that make it possible seem ideal for communication in repressive, Internet censoring countries. The big picture here, though, which the public hasn’t understood at all (because apps like FireChat are so new) is that mesh networking is about to go mainstream for consumer use. Note that Open Garden, the creator of FireChat, already offers wireless mesh networking on Android, but not in the form of a chat app — it’s just the networking. Apple is a leader here with its Multipeer Connectivity Framework. But it appears that Google is also going big with consumer-level mesh networking also. Google’s senior VP Sundar Pichai was interviewed at SXSW recently, and mentioned mesh networking twice in the context of wearable devices (such as those that support Google’s more recently announced Android Wear initiative, and also in the context of home automation. With Apple and Google building in the foundations for app developers to easily create ad-hoc wireless mesh networks wherever they go, it’s only a matter of time before the wonders and power of mesh networking hits the public in a big way. Think of wireless mesh networking as giving app developers the ability to create tiny, private or public Internets that are limited in time and place. It will have a somewhat similar impact as the Internet itself in how it undermines authority control over communication. Ubiquitous wireless mesh networking could erase many of the places and situations where connectivity isn’t possible, or connectivity over the Internet isn’t desirable. Kudos to Apple for building this into iOS 7. It’s the first major mainstream implementation of wireless mesh networking that I’m aware of. Thanks Apple’s Multipeer Connectivity Framework, wireless mesh networking is here. It’s peer-to-peer. Get excited about it. Read more at http://www.cultofmac.com/271225/appreciated-ios-7-feature-will-change-world…

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FYI: Amazon FLUNKS New Energy Report — Facebook and Apple Get 'A's
by Wayne Billing 02 Apr '14

02 Apr '14

...from: http://www.businessinsider.com/greenpeace-cloud-computing-report-2014-4 BUSINESS INSIDER<http://www.businessinsider.com/> Amazon FLUNKS New Energy Report — Facebook and Apple Get 'A's [cid:64B47D61-5262-492A-A46F-E3039E1D0353]<http://www.businessinsider.com/author/aaron-gell> AARON GELL<http://www.businessinsider.com/author/aaron-gell> <mailto:agell@businessinsider.com> <http://twitter.com/aarongell> APR. 2, 2014, 10:30 AM [Google server farm] Google<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avP5d16wEp0&feature=player_embedded> A Google server farm According to "Clicking Clean<http://www.greenpeace.org/usa/en/campaigns/global-warming-and-energy/A-Gree…>: How Companies are Creating the Green Internet," a new Greenpeace report on energy usage by the cloud-computing industry, IT behemoths like Apple, Facebook and Google are leading the charge for renewable energy, while several others — notably Amazon Web Services and Twitter — receive failing grades due to their reliance on “dirty” power from coal and other greenhouse-gas emitting sources. At a February shareholders meeting, Apple CEO Tim Cook even suggested<http://www.businessinsider.com/tim-cook-versus-a-conservative-think-tank-20…> that climate skeptics "get out of the stock," if they didn't approve of the company's green initiatives. “Apple’s rapid shift to renewable energy over the past 24 months has made it clear why it’s one of the world’s most innovative and popular companies,” said Gary Cook, the report's lead author and a senior IT analyst for the environmental group. “By continuing to buy dirty energy, Amazon Web Services not only can’t seem to keep up with Apple, but is dragging much of the internet down with it.” The cloud industry is growing rapidly, and those endless server farms burn a lot of power — more each year than all but five of the world's most energy-hogging countries, the report states. Fortunately, it’s also among the environmentally responsible sectors of the global economy. The report is generally upbeat, noting that six of the top cloud-computing companies — Google, Apple, Facebook, Box, Rackspace and Salesforce — have made strong commitments to the goal of powering their data centers with 100% renewable energy. As such companies make decisions about where to situate their operations, these clean-energy policies are causing a scramble among states and energy utilities to adopt green policies to woo their business. [screen shot 2014-04-01 at 5.44.55 pm.png] Greenpeace A chart showing the relative environmental impact of various web companies Apple, for instance, has increased its use of green energy at its iCloud data centers from 35% to 75% in three years, rolling out massive solar arrays near its server farms in North Carolina and Nevada, and relying on wind energy for its sites in Oregon and California. Google powers its server farms in Iowa, Oklahoma and Finland with renewable energy, and has made major investments in solar power. The report heaps praise on Facebook for pulling back the curtain on its energy footprint, going so far as to provide “facility-specific performance dashboards,” so anyone can see exactly where the company’s power is coming from. (It has also made the software open-source, inviting other companies to follow its lead.) One new Facebook data center, based in Sweden, uses 100% hydropower, and the company announced plans to build a new server farm in Iowa that will run entirely on wind-power. [screen shot 2014-04-01 at 5.43.45 pm.png] Greenpeace How various web companies fare regarding clean energy, according to Greenpeace. eBay, which has had a more mixed record on green energy, recently installed natural gas fuel cells around its Utah data center rather than continue to purchase energy from local coal-powered plants. And Apple, Google and Facebook — all of which operate data centers in North Carolina — successfully pressured Duke Energy, the largest utility in the country and, according to Greenpeace “one of its biggest emitters of global warming pollution,” to launch a program in the state to offer renewable energy to major customers. But other big tech companies, notably Amazon and Twitter, get slammed in the report for making use of “dirty” energy from coal and other fossil feuls and for failing to be transparent about energy usage. Twitter, which rents its server space from “colocation” companies, the report says, “[discoloses] no information about its energy footprint,” earning an "F" for transparency on Greenpeace’s report card. The company has made, “no public effort to procure renewable energy for its data centers,” the report adds. "Twitter believes strongly in energy efficiency and optimization of resources for minimal environmental impact," a spokesperson for the service emailed Business Insider. "As we build out our infrastructure, we continue to strive for even greater efficiency of operations." Amazon, which provides cloud services for Netflix, Pinterest, Spotify, and Vine, among many other companies, was named the least transparent company in the report, “[failing] to make public even the most basic details on its energy footprint.” The company also gets dinged for operating “without any apparent regard to environmental impact or access to renewable energy.” Amazon did not respond to a request for comment. UPDATE - Shortly after this post was published, Amazon emailed the following statement: “We agree with Greenpeace that technology leaders should help safeguard the environment by implementing both efficient use and clean sources of energy. However Greenpeace’s report, “Clicking Green,” misses the mark by using false assumptions on AWS operations and inaccurate data on AWS energy consumption. We provided this feedback to Greenpeace prior to publishing their report. We work hard on our own, and together with our power providers all over the world, to offer AWS Cloud services in an environmentally friendly way in all of our Regions. AWS operates efficient and highly utilized datacenters across 10 different Regions globally, two of which (Oregon and GovCloud Regions) use 100% carbon-free power. We like offering customers the choice of being able to run carbon-free, and we love doing it without charging a premium over other North American regions. Running IT infrastructure on the AWS Cloud is inherently more energy efficient than traditional computing that depends on small, inefficient, and over-provisioned datacenters. With AWS, customers can reduce their overall consumption of IT resources while also improving utilization. Collectively, AWS customers are the driving force in this effort by eliminating hundreds of thousands of individual datacenters worldwide, along with the associated wasted capacity and overprovisioned energy.”

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New version of Kaspersky anti-virus for OS X Mavericks 10.9.2
by Tony Wong 21 Mar '14

21 Mar '14

A new version of Kaspersky AV that is compatible with OS X Mavericks 10.9.2 is now available in the "Software Distribution/Kaspersky Anti-Virus/KAV - Mac Workstation" folder on the CorpApps volume smb://corpapps-nw.cc.umanitoba.ca/corpapps Double-click the KAV_Installer.command file to start the installation process. For those who want an install of the standard suite of U of M apps, the ADT (Apple Deployment Tool) in "Software Distribution/Mac Commissioning/1.2" also includes the new version of Kaspersky. Just double-click "Install 18f9b.command" and wait about 17 mins for the software to install. Note that if you want to do your own testing of the installers in a VM, VMWare Fusion 6.x is required to run 10.9.2 as a Guest VM. Tony Wong Integration Support - Computer & Network Services (204) 474-6425

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FYI: Kaspersky anti-virus and OS X Mavericks
by Wayne Billing 19 Mar '14

19 Mar '14

On 2014-03-19, at 21:29 , Tony Wong <atwong(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:atwong@umanitoba.ca>> wrote: For Mac 10.9.2 users installing Kaspersky Endpoint Security 8. There may be some problems with some models of Macs installing Kaspersky under 10.9.2. This is a known problem and a new version of Kaspersky should be available later this week. For those of you that already have Kaspersky installed, the "Patch H" update will automatically download and install so existing installations of KAV should not experience problems. If you try to install Kaspersky under 10.9.2, you may receive one of the following warnings: 1) If you are using the Apple Deployment Tool from the CorpApps volume, you may get a message about a software installation problem. 2) If you are doing a manual install you may get a warning kilf.kext being incompatible. In either of these cases, just quit the installer as the pending update from Kaspersky may fix these problems as well. Tony Wong Integration Support, IST Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support Computer & Network Services 130 Machray Hall Building 204-474-6649 204-807-3153 (cell) 204-474-7625 (fax) Wayne.Billing(a)umanitoba.ca<mailto:Wayne.Billing@umanitoba.ca>

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INTEREST: Stanford University develops $90 iPhone accessory to replace ophthalmology kit costing tens of thousands
by Wayne Billing 17 Mar '14

17 Mar '14

...from: http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/17/stanford-university-develops-90-iphone-access… Stanford University develops $90 iPhone accessory to replace ophthalmology kit costing tens of thousands<http://9to5mac.com/2014/03/17/stanford-university-develops-90-iphone-access…> [stanford] Researchers at Stanford University’s School of Medicine<http://med.stanford.edu/ism/2014/march/eyego.html> have developed two low-cost iPhone adapters that provide images of the eye that usually require specialist ophthalmology equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars. The university hopes that it will be useful both for primary care physicians in the U.S. as well as rural medical centres in developing countries. The adapters make it easy for anyone with minimal training to take a picture of the eye and share it securely with other health practitioners or store it in the patient’s electronic record. “Think Instagram for the eye,” said one of the developers, assistant professor of ophthalmology Robert Chang, MD … The device shines a light through the lens of the eyeball which is reflected back, where a magnifying lens focuses an image on the camera, allowing it to capture detailed photos of both the front and back of the eye. Images can be almost instantly added to medical records for later review by a specialist, or can be transmitted from a primary care worker in a remote area to a specialist who can provide advice on the medical attention required for an eye injury. “Adapting smartphones for the eye has the potential to enhance the delivery of eye care — in particular, to provide it in places where it’s less accessible,” said ophthalmology resident David Myung, MD, PhD. “Whether it’s in the emergency department, where patients often have to wait a long time for a specialist, or during a primary-care physician visit, we hope that we can improve the quality of care for our patients, especially in the developing world where ophthalmologists are few and far between.” The prototypes were made from components commonly available online, and it’s hoped that 3D printing will reduce the cost even further.

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INTEREST: Microsoft finalizes Windows 8.1 Update 1
by Wayne Billing 15 Mar '14

15 Mar '14

...from: http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/4/5468968/windows-8-1-update-1-rtm-release-d… Microsoft finalizes Windows 8.1 Update 1, improved desktop features available next month By Tom Warren<http://www.theverge.com/users/tomwarren> on March 4, 2014 02:56 am @tomwarren<https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=tomwarren> Microsoft has completed the development process of Windows 8.1 Update 1. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans have revealed to The Verge that the software maker recently signed off on a final version of the update, a process known internally as Release to Manufacturing (RTM). Microsoft has started sharing Windows 8.1 Update 1 with partners and PC makers ahead of its release next month. Russian leaker WZor claims<http://wzor.net/21306.html> the final update was originally compiled on February 21st. While the update is ready, it’s not clear exactly how Microsoft intends to brand the final version. The company announced Update 1 as a ‘spring’ update for Windows 8.1<http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/23/5438734/microsoft-announces-spring-update…> during a press event at Mobile World Congress last week. Most of the changes in the update are designed to appease keyboard and mouse users, with options to show Windows 8 apps on the desktop taskbar, the ability to see show the desktop taskbar above Windows 8-style apps, and a new title bar at the top of Windows 8 apps with options to minimize, close, or snap apps. Microsoft is also adding a shutdown button to the Start Screen<http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/25/5344066/windows-8-1-update-1-shutdown-sta…> for non-touch machines, with a new search button present across all machines. Alongside some context menu changes, where right-clicking on Live Tiles now produces a menu with options to resize, unpin, and more, Microsoft is also tweaking how its boot-to-desktop option works in Windows 8.1 Update 1<http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/7/5390024/windows-8-1-update-1-boot-to-deskt…>. Microsoft is planning to automatically boot Windows 8.1 non-touch PC users to the desktop interface by default, as long as they haven’t already changed the existing setting that allows you to bypass the tiled Start Screen. Early test builds also altered the default apps associated with audio files and photos, allowing desktop apps to open the files if boot-to-desktop is automatically enabled. It’s not yet clear if that change has made its way into the final version of Windows 8.1 Update 1. Microsoft is also tweaking the amount of disk space that Windows 8.1 utilizes. Alongside new license cost changes<http://www.theverge.com/2014/2/21/5435152/windows-8-1-license-fees-cut-by-7…> (as low as $15 in some cases), Windows 8.1 Update 1 will allow PC makers to produce machines with just 1GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, a change that will help bring lower price points. Combining all these changes together, it’s clear that Microsoft is adjusting to feedback and willing to invest in the Windows 8.1 desktop. Microsoft will now release Windows 8.1 Update 1 to existing machines on April 8th, following the company’s Build developer conference in early April.

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INTEREST: Mozilla pulls the plug on 'Metro' mode Firefox browser for Windows 8
by Wayne Billing 15 Mar '14

15 Mar '14

...from: http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/15/5512324/mozilla-cancels-metro-mode-firefo… Mozilla pulls the plug on 'Metro' mode Firefox browser for Windows 8 By Dante D'Orazio<http://www.theverge.com/users/dantedorazio> on March 15, 2014 04:12 pm Email<mailto:dante@theverge.com> @dantedorazio<https://twitter.com/intent/user?screen_name=dantedorazio> 63<http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/15/5512324/mozilla-cancels-metro-mode-firefo…>Comments <https://plus.google.com/+TheVerge/posts> [cid:520E62DF-15B6-4E61-87A3-184929F7C922] Mozilla is abandoning its plans to release a touch-friendly version of its Firefox web browser<http://www.theverge.com/2013/2/14/3988116/mozilla-firefox-windows-8-browser…> for Windows 8 users. The company first revealed experimental support for Firefox in "Metro" mode back in October of 2012<http://www.theverge.com/2012/10/4/3456412/mozilla-firefox-metro-windows-8-e…>, and development has continued since then — though a stable version has never shipped. Firefox Vice President Johnathan Nightingale says in a blog post<https://blog.mozilla.org/futurereleases/2014/03/14/metro/> that "we have to pick our battles," and a lack of demand for "Metro" mode support led to the decision. "On any given day we have, for instance, millions of people testing pre-release versions of Firefox desktop, but we’ve never seen more than 1,000 active daily users in the Metro environment," Nightingale reveals. With so few users testing the app, any release would be riddled with bugs and require lots of follow-up work to keep the product up to standards. "When I talk about the need to pick our battles, this feels like a bad one to pick: significant investment and low impact." "We have to pick our battles." The decision speaks to Microsoft's difficulties in turning its so-called Windows 8 Modern UI experience into a vibrant ecosystem. Developer support has been fairly disappointing, and users aren't moving to the touch-friendly interface in droves. User interface changes since the launch of Windows 8 have also downplayed the significance of "Metro" mode — the latest version will automatically boot many users directly to the desktop<http://www.theverge.com/2014/3/4/5468968/windows-8-1-update-1-rtm-release-d…>, bypassing the modern interface completely. With Mozilla's move to leave "Metro" behind, it seems that Windows 8 tablet users and others who take advantage of the touch-friendly interface will have few options other than Internet Explorer, though Google recently began to offer an intriguing option with its latest "Metro" mode for Chrome<http://www.theverge.com/2014/1/14/5309326/google-chrome-windows-update-chro…>.

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INTEREST: Getty Images makes 35 million images free (only a couple of conditions)
by Wayne Billing 06 Mar '14

06 Mar '14

[Needless to say, their sight seems a bit busy today.....] ....from: http://bit.ly/NZFBcn<http://bit.ly/NZFBcn> or http://www.bjp-online.com/2014/03/getty-images-makes-35-million-images-free… http://www.gettyimages.ca/Creative/Frontdoor/embed Getty's Learn more about licensing<http://www.gettyimages.ca/HelpCenter#faq17> http://www.gettyimages.ca/HelpCenter#faq17 Is there a fee for embedding a Getty Images photo on a website, social media site or blog? No. You can embed a Getty Images photo on a website, social media site or blog for free and without having to buy a license, as long as the photo is not used for commercial purposes (meaning in an advertisement or in any way intended to sell a product, raise money, or promote or endorse something). No fee? Really? Apparently so for some non-commercial uses of embeded photos as of Wednesday, March 6th, 2014: [cid:538E1FE0-3FA5-4137-A707-268D5AB9B63F] Getty Images makes 35 million images free in fight against copyright infringement Getty Images has single-handedly redefined the entire photography market with the launch of a new embedding feature that will make more than 35 million images freely available to anyone for non-commercial usage. BJP's Olivier Laurent finds out more Olivier Laurent — 5 March 2014 [cid:3DB497BD-BB9E-4973-BA5D-51655552175F] Using a new embed tool, bloggers will be able to use Getty's images at no cost. © Getty Images. The controversial move is set to draw professional photographers’ ire at a time when the stock photography market is marred by low prices and under attack from new mobile photography players. Yet, Getty Images defends the move, arguing that it’s not strong enough to control how the Internet has developed and, with it, users’ online behaviours. “We’re really starting to see the extent of online infringement,” says Craig Peters, senior vice president of business development, content and marketing at Getty Images. “In essence, everybody today is a publisher thanks to social media and self-publishing platforms. And it’s incredibly easy to find content online and simply right-click to utilise it.” In the past few years, Getty Images found that its content was “incredibly used” in this manner online, says Peters. “And it’s not used with a watermark; instead it’s typically found on one of our valid licensing customers’ websites or through an image search. What we’re finding is that the vast majority of infringement in this space happen with self publishers who typically don’t know anything about copyright and licensing, and who simply don’t have any budget to support their content needs.” To solve this problem, Getty Images has chosen an unconventional strategy. “We’re launching the ability to embed our images freely for non-commercial use online,” Peters explains. In essence, anyone will be able to visit Getty Images’ library of content, select an image and copy an embed HTML code to use that image on their own websites. Getty Images will serve the image in a embedded player – very much like YouTube currently does with its videos – which will include the full copyright information and a link back to the image’s dedicated licensing page on the Getty Images website. More than 35 million images from Getty Images’ news, sports, entertainment and stock collections, as well as its archives, will be available for embedding from 06 March. “Images are the communication medium of today and imagery has become the world’s most spoken language. Whether via a blog, website or social media, everyone is a publisher and increasingly visually literate,” says Jonathan Klein, co-founder and CEO of Getty Images, in a prepared statement. “Innovation and disruption are the foundation of Getty Images, and we are excited to open up our vast and growing image collection for easy, legal sharing in a new way that benefits our content contributors and partners, and advances our core mission to enable a more visually-rich world.” Online power “What we’ve decided to do is to provide through the embed player the capability to use this imagery, but there’s a value for Getty Images and the content owners,” says Peters. “And that value is in three parts. First, there will be attribution around that image, and since we’re serving the image, we’re actually going to make sure there’s proper attribution. Second, all of the images will link back to our site and directly to the image’s details page. So anybody that has a valid commercial need for that image will be able to license that imagery from our website. Third, since all the images are served by Getty Images, we’ll have access to the information on who and how that image is being used and viewed, and we’ll reserve the right to utilise that data to the benefit of our business.” While more than 35 millions images will be available from today, Getty Images tells BJP that the Reportage and Contour collections will not be included. News images sourced from Agence France-Presse and distributed by Getty Images, however, will be available to all for non-commercial use in the next few weeks. Blogs that draw revenues from Google Ads will still be able to use the Getty Images embed player at no cost. “We would not consider this commercial use,” says Peters. “The fact today that a website is generating revenue would not limit the use of the embed. What would limit that use is if they used our imagery to promote a service, a product or their business. They would need to get a license.” A spokeswoman for Getty Images confirms to BJP that editorial websites, from The New York Times to Buzzfeed, will also be able to use the embed feature as long as images are used in an editorial context. Peters, aware of the controversial nature of this decision, claims that Getty Images had no choice but to open up its collections of images. “What we’ve seen is a significant amount of infringement online in an area, unfortunately, that we can’t control because this is how the Internet has developed,” he tells BJP. “What we’re trying to do here is to put a legal method in place for that to happen and that actually benefits our content owners.” Advertising avenue He adds that Getty Images’ existing licensing business will not be affected and that the stock library will continue to “pursue online infringing use as we’ve done traditionally.” Getty Images will also look to draw additional revenues from its player through advertising. “We reserve the right to monetise that footprint,” Peters explains. “YouTube implemented a very similar capability, which allows people to embed videos on a website, with the company generating revenue by serving advertising on that video.” And while Getty Images has yet to determine how these ads will appear, Peters is confident that this capability will be introduced in the near future. The stock agency will also use the data it will draw from the player to perfect its collections. “We’ll be working with the creative and editorial teams at Getty Images to better understand how our imagery is being used and how they can better create imagery. Getty Images’ move is expected to have drastic repercussions across the entire stock photography market, which has been forced, in recent years, to compete against the number one stock library by slashing its prices. Peters believes some agencies might want to follow Getty Images’ example – Magnum Photos, in recent months, for example, toyed with the idea of allowing non-commercial use of its collections of images, as reported by BJP – and he says Getty Images is open to conversations to share its player with others. “We think this is a bigger decision and a bigger issue than Getty Images. We’ve always been opened to using our platform to benefit other content creators.” As for Getty Images’ own photographers, the new embed program won’t have an opt-out clause. “If you’re a Getty Images contributor, you’ll be participating in this.” BJP will analyse the full impact of today’s news in a series of articles to be published later today and this week. Stay tuned

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FYI: 10.6? May be time to upgrade.
by Wayne Billing 02 Mar '14

02 Mar '14

[NOTE: you can find the serial number of your OS X machine by selecting: [cid:2DA9A622-680F-4E28-98E3-3D460EBEE36C] ...and clicking the "More Info..." button. ......from: http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/03/snow-leopard-updates-are-probably-done… Snow Leopard updates are probably done—here are your OS X upgrade options As OS X 10.6 fades, you'll need to start considering alternatives. by Andrew Cunningham<http://arstechnica.com/author/andrew_cunningham/> - Mar 2 2014, 4:00pm CST [cid:FF9C84A8-F5C1-47E4-8A8F-BDA8D8C95FE7] End of the line, Snowy. Apple Apple offers no end-of-life roadmaps for its operating systems, and it doesn't officially comment on whether support has dried up for this or that version of OS X. The best you can do is look at historical data. Since switching to a yearly release cadence with Lion back in 2011, Apple seems to be willing to support whatever the latest version is plus the two preceding versions. When OS X 10.9.2 was released<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2014/02/apple-releases-os-x-10-9-2-patches-ssl…> earlier this week, it was accompanied by security updates for OS X 10.8 and 10.7 but not for 2009's OS X 10.6. It's the first major security update that Snow Leopard has missed—the OS is still getting iTunes updates, but its last major security patch happened back in September. This has prompted a flurry<http://money.cnn.com/2014/02/27/technology/security/snow-leopard/> ofposts<http://readwrite.com/2014/02/27/apple-snow-leopard-support-osx-mac#awesm=~o…> from various<http://www.latimes.com/business/technology/la-fi-tn-apple-snow-leopard-supp…> outlets. All point out the same Net Applications data<http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=10&q…> that says 10.6 still powers around 19 percent of Macs. Most compare the OS X support cycle to the much-longer Windows cycle. Some make a bigger deal about it<http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/02/27/fanbois_face_xp_moment_as_snow_leop…> than others. None really tell anyone in that 19 percent what to do next. You'll need to know the exact kind of Mac you're using before proceeding—typing your serial number into this Service and Support page<https://selfsolve.apple.com/> should give you the information you need if you're not sure. Launching the System Profiler application from the Utilities folder will show you your serial number and your Mac's specific model identifier (something like MacBook4,1 or iMac11,2), the latter of which can be used with this EveryMac lookup page<http://everymac.com/ultimate-mac-lookup/> to find what you're looking for. Newer Macs: Upgrade to Mavericks (or at least Mountain Lion) [cid:2C0056D4-D2E9-4B3A-99D4-31DB39F7D44B]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/10.9.jpg> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/10.9.jpg> / It's time. Let the Mavericks wave crash over you. Resisting only makes it more difficult. Apple Macs this applies to: Anything that can run Mavericks. See this post<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/06/psa-os-x-10-9-appears-to-run-on-any-ma…> for more details. If you're still running Snow Leopard because it came with your Mac and you just never got around to upgrading, the good news is that basically any Mac that came with Snow Leopard can update to the latest version at absolutely no cost<http://arstechnica.com/apple/2013/10/os-x-mavericks-comes-out-today-and-its…>. Just grab it from the Mac App Store<https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/os-x-mavericks/id675248567?mt=12> and do an in-place upgrade—you shouldn't run into problems, though it is probably a good idea to run a Time Machine backup (or something similar) before doing it. New OS X versions usually have teething issues when they first come out, but the 10.9.2 update is a big one that fixes much more than the "goto fail" SSL bug. If you were holding out because you didn't want to deal with those early-upgrader blues, most of 10.9's largest bugs should be squashed at this point. Supposing your hardware can handle the upgrade but you don't care to move to Mavericks, you canstill purchase copies of Mountain Lion for $20<http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6377Z/A/os-x-mountain-lion> through Apple's online store. The company will send you a code that you can redeem in the Mac App Store, and you can use that version of the software until you're comfortable moving to Mavericks or until software support for OS X 10.8 dries up. Older Macs: What about Lion? [cid:DBAF4808-2381-4D26-B255-95E499F63B76]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/lion.jpeg> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/lion.jpeg> / Lion: King of the jungle and last refuge for a whole bunch of Core 2 Duo Macs. Apple Macs this applies to: Late 2006 iMacs; Mid-2007 Mac Minis; Mid-2006 Mac Pros; Early 2008 MacBook Airs; Macbooks from the late 2006 model to the late 2008 white model; Late 2006 MacBook Pros. OS X has required a 64-bit CPU since Lion came out in 2011, but a 64-bit CPU by itself isn't enough to run Mountain Lion or Mavericks. Those newer operating systems need 64-bit EFI firmware and graphics drivers too, and a small but still significant run of Macs fell short of these requirements. If you're got one of the Macs listed above, your hardware won't run Apple's latest-and-greatest, but they can run version 10.7, and Apple should support that OS until the next version of OS X comes out later this year (assuming Apple sticks to its yearly release schedule). Copies of Lion can bepurchased for $20<http://store.apple.com/us/product/D6106Z/A/os-x-lion> from Apple's online store. You'll get a code you can redeem in the Mac App Store, allowing you to buy your old Mac another year-or-so of breathing room. Intel Macs running OS X older than 10.6: There's still hope [cid:599203BF-6596-46E4-8536-456F2D4272E6]<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/black_macbook.jpg> Enlarge<http://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/black_macbook.jpg> / Quite a few MacBooks can run a newer version of OS X and aren't. Apple Macs this (possibly) applies to: iMacs from early 2006 to early 2009; Mac Minis from early 2006 to early 2009; Mac Pros from mid-2006 to early 2009; MacBook Airs from early 2008 to mid 2009; MacBooks from early 2006 to mid 2009; MacBook Pros from early 2006 to mid 2009. These Intel Macs all originally shipped running either OS X 10.4 or 10.5. Don't laugh! There are plenty of people out there who bought Intel Macs with OS X 10.4 or 10.5 installed and never felt the need to upgrade. Leopard in particular still runs on about 3.8 percent of active Macs, and statistically some of those are going to be Intel Macs eligible for an upgrade. 2007 iMacs shipped right at the end of Tiger's run and can be updated all the way up to Mavericks. Whatever you've got, these Macs are all capable of running at least Snow Leopard—and usually something newer. If you can upgrade, you're in luck—Apple still sells the OS X 10.6 DVD<http://store.apple.com/us/product/MC573Z/A/mac-os-x-106-snow-leopard> in its store for $20. Even if your Mac can run Lion or Mavericks, you'll need to upgrade to Snow Leopard first as an intermediary step, since Tiger and Leopard can't access the Mac App Store and can't perform in-place upgrades of OS X 10.7, 10.8, or 10.9. Once you've installed your "new" operating system, revisit the sections above to see about moving to an even newer version that's still being actively supported. If you've got a Mac of this vintage that you'd like to keep using, you might consider doing some hardware maintenance to keep it running well. Walking you through upgrading an old Mac's hardware is outside the scope of this article, but iFixit<http://www.ifixit.com/Device/Mac> has plenty of excellent repair-and-upgrade guides and toolkits and Newegg<http://www.newegg.com/> can help you find reasonably priced components. I can't upgrade. What should I do? Maybe you've got some mission-critical PowerPC app, and you need to keep 10.6 around because it's the last version that includes the Rosetta compatibility layer. Maybe you've got one of those first 32-bit Intel Macs, and upgrading just isn't an option. Maybe you can upgrade and you just don't wantto (though that's probably less justifiable than either of the first two reasons). You're not totally without options here. First, consider a new Mac. This is pretty expensive option, but it's the most effective. Even the cheapest entry-level Macs will deliver hugely boosted CPU and graphics performance, and many will replace your weary old hard drive with a zippy new SSD. If you've got a MacBook or MacBook Pro, a new Mac will be much lighter and give you much better battery life. Keep an eye on Apple's refurbished site<http://store.apple.com/us/browse/home/specialdeals/mac>, which will give you hefty discounts on the hardware especially if you're fine with settling for previous-generation Macs (they'll still have many years of software support ahead of them, and you get the same warranty options as you'll get for a "new" one). Students, staff, and teachers at virtually any educational institution can also get new hardware from Apple at a discount, and that educational discount applies to AppleCare warranty extensions and component upgrades too. If the place where you work buys a lot of hardware from Apple, you may be able to get a discount on a personal Mac through your employer. Assuming that buying a new computer isn't an option, there are still things you can do to protect yourself. First, stop using Apple's built-in apps where possible, especially the ones that have a connection to the Internet. Replacing Safari is particularly crucial—your browser is going to be the most vulnerable part of any Internet-connected computer, and running an outdated one that isn't being patched is the worst thing you can do. Both Firefox and Chrome still support OS X 10.6 as of this writing, and even once Mozilla and Google stop providing updates there's a good chance you'll be able to get help from the open source community. Look at TenFourFox<http://www.floodgap.com/software/tenfourfox/> as a case in point—it's a port of Firefox compiled for PowerPC processors going all the way back to the G3, which is more than 16 years old. Other apps are also easy to replace, since 10.6 still enjoys relatively robust software support from third parties. Replace iChat with Adium<https://adium.im/>, Preview with Adobe Reader<http://get.adobe.com/reader/>, and QuickTime with VLC<http://www.videolan.org/vlc/index.html>. These are all capable, actively maintained applications that should shield you from vulnerabilities. That said, OS X ain't Windows. Just as Apple replaces its software more frequently and drops support for older hardware more rapidly, Apple's developers are generally quicker to stop supporting legacy OS versions once Apple itself moves on. It's already happening in some cases—some programs require a 64-bit CPU because so many Intel Macs are 64-bit, and others have simply dropped support for 10.6 whether you've got a 64-bit CPU or not. Snow Leopard has had a good run, but as time wears on you'll either have to bite the bullet and buy new hardware or be faced with an increasingly less capable, more vulnerable machine.

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