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INTEREST: Bluetooth footpedal
by billing 27 Jul '10

27 Jul '10

...from: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/19/airturns-bt-105-footpedal-is-a-real-page… AirTurn's BT-105 footpedal is a real page turner (video) By Sean Hollister posted Jul 19th 2010 9:06AM If you carry your sheet music in a laptop, AirTurn's got a USB dongle for that, but if you've migrated your musical cues to an certain slate, never fear, Bluetooth is on the way. The AirTurn BT-105 will bring the company's page turning technology to iPad, using a transmitter that attaches to standard professional footswitches, allowing you to turn full pages and half pages of sheet music while keeping hands firmly affixed to your instrument. Though there's no word on price, we imagine it'll cost close to the existing 2.4GHz version, which runs from $40 for a dongle to $100 for a package with two Boss pedals, and when it surfaces in Q4 of this year, we're hoping it will extend bicycling input to all the other wild and crazy appsyou dream up. PR and video after the break. = - = - = - = Airturn's home site with demo: http://airturn.com/press-releases/ipad-bluetooth-page-turner-footswitch-pro…

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FYI: Apple responds to congressional inquiry...
by billing 27 Jul '10

27 Jul '10

...from: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/20/apple-responds-to-congressional-inquiry-… Apple responds to congressional inquiry, details location data collection in 13-page letter By Sean Hollister posted Jul 20th 2010 1:00AM When Apple's latest privacy policy revealed the company could track any iPhone's location in real time, it threw some for a loop... including a pair of gentlemen from the US House of Representatives, who asked what Cupertino was up to. In a thirteen page letter dated July 12, Apple's legal counsel explains the whole matter away, while giving us a fascinating look into how the company collects -- and justifies collecting -- all that GPS data. Legally the defense is simple, as Apple claims users grant express permission via pop-up messages for every single location-based service and app, and if you don't care to be tracked, you can simply shut down location services globally or (in iOS 4) on a per-app basis in the phone's settings panel. Where it gets more interesting is when Apple explains what it actually collects, and who they share it with -- namely, Google and Skyhook, who provided location services to earlier versions of the operating system. In iOS 3.2 and beyond, only Apple has the keys to the database, and what's inside are locations of cell towers, WiFi access points, and anonymous GPS coordinates. None of these are personally identifying, as the company doesn't collect SSIDs or any data, and in the case of device coordinates they're reportedly collected and sent in encrypted batches only once every 12 hours, using a random ID generated by the phone every 24 hours that apparently can't be linked back to the device. In the case of iAd, Apple says coordinates don't even make it to a database, as they're immediately converted (by remote server) to a advertising-friendly five-digit zip code. Concerning location data collection for services other than iAd, there's still the little question of why, but we'll just leave you with Apple legal's quote on that subject after the break, and let you hit up the full document yourself at Scribd if you want the deep dive. "To provide the high quality products and services that its customers demand, Apple must have access to comprehensive location-based information... these databases must be updated continuously to account for, among other things, the ever-changing physical landscape, more innovative uses of mobile technology, and the increasing number of Apple's customers."

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FYI: "autofill" exploit found in Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari
by billing 27 Jul '10

27 Jul '10

More information may be forthcoming when Mr Jeremiah Grossman, CTO of White Hat Security, gives his presentation at next week's "Black Hat Security Conference" (http://www.blackhat.com/) but for now, you may wish to disable "autofill" on your browser until this has cleared up: Safari: Preferences: Autofill > deselect check boxes FireFox: Preferences: Security > deselect REMEMBER PASSWORDS FOR SITES ...from http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/07/20/browser_info_disclosure_weaknesses/ IE and Safari lets attackers steal user names and addresses Ripe for the picking, researcher says By Dan Goodin in San Francisco • Get more from this author Posted in Security, 20th July 2010 21:15 GMT Free whitepaper – Robin Johnson: Questions and Answers The Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, and Safari browsers are susceptible to attacks that allow webmasters to glean highly sensitive information about the people visiting their sites, including their full names, email addresses, location, and even stored passwords, a security researcher says. In a talk scheduled for next week's Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas, Jeremiah Grossman, CTO of White Hat Security, plans to detail critical weaknesses that are enabled by default in the browsers, which are the four biggest by market share. The vulnerabilities have yet to be purged by the respective browser makers despite months, and in some cases, years of notice. Among the most serious is a vulnerability in Apple's Safari and earlier versions of Microsoft's IE that exposes names, email addresses, and other sensitive information when a user visits a booby-trapped website. The attack exploits the browsers' autocomplete feature used to automatically enter commonly typed text into websites. It works by creating a webpage with fields carrying titles such as “First Name,” “Last Name,” “Email Address,” and “Credit Card Number” and then adding javascript that simulates the user entering various letters, numbers or keystrokes into each one. Users who in the past have used the autocomplete features to store that information in versions 6 and 7 of IE or versions 4 and 5 of Safari will find that the information will be automatically zapped to the rogue website. No interaction is necessary other than to visit the page. Webmasters can set the input fields to be invisible to better conceal the attack. In the case of Safari, Grossman's proof-of-concept attack simulates a user entering various letters or numbers into the fields. In a demonstration, when the script entered the letter J under a field titled “Name,” the browser automatically exposed “Jeremiah Grossman” to the web server. Grossman said he alerted Apple to the vulnerability on June 17, but received no reply other than an automatic response saying his message had been received. “I would never have talked about this publicly if Apple had taken this seriously,” he told The Register. “I figured somebody else must have found this before because it's so brain-dead simple.” When he sent a follow up query “I never heard anything back, human or robotic.” Tricking IE 6 and 7 into coughing up the autocomplete details works in a similar fashion, but instead of simulating the entering of numbers or letters into a field, Grossman enters a user's down arrow twice and then the enter key to extract the stored information. If more than one record is stored in that field, the script will repeat the process so they can be lifted as well. Grossman's research is the latest to shatter the widely held myth that web surfing is largely an anonymous act, at least when done from a public or widely used IP address. In May, researchers demonstrated how a decade-old browser history disclosure vulnerability made the vast majority of web users vulnerable to practical attacks that lifted their viewing habits, including news articles they've read and the Zip Codes they've entered into online forms. That same month, separate researchers showed how most browsers leave behind digital fingerprints that can be used to uniquely identify their users. Grossman's research take those findings to new highs. In addition to the weaknesses in IE and Safari, he has uncovered flaws in Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome that can expose passwords stored by the browsers. The feature is designed to automatically enter the user name and password when a user visits a site such as Gmail or Facebook. The researcher says it's possible for unscrupulous webmasters to steal that information by hiding malicious code on their pages. For the attack to work, an XSS, or cross-site scripting vulnerability must be present on the site on which the stored password is used. Grossman's Black Hat presentation will also demonstrate how a webmaster can silently delete all of a user's browser cookies. The mass cookie deleter works by setting thousands of cookies as soon as a user visits the site. When the number of cookies set exceeds a certain amount – it's about 3,000 for Firefox and just slightly higher for other browsers – all older cookies will automatically be erased. His proof-of-concept takes about 2.5 seconds.

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INTEREST: Google signs 20-year wind energy deal
by billing 20 Jul '10

20 Jul '10

...from: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/20/google-signs-20-year-deal-to-power-data-… Google signs 20-year deal to power data centers with wind energy By Donald Melanson posted Jul 20th 2010 3:45PM It's not the first investment Google has made in wind power, but anyone wondering about its commitment needn't look any further than the company's just-announced deal with NextEra Energy. It's agreed to buy wind power from NextEra's wind farm in Iowa for the next twenty years, which it says will provide enough power to supply "several" of its data centers. What's more, Google says that the size and length of the deal (taking 114 megawatts of energy off the market) will also lead to other indirect benefits for the wind power industry, and give NextEra the flexibility to invest in additional clean energy projects. Head on past the break for NextEra's press release on the deal.

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INTEREST: Google acquires airflight search software
by billing 16 Jul '10

16 Jul '10

...from: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/02/google-acquires-ita-for-700m-dives-headf… Google acquires ITA for $700m, dives headfirst into airline ticket search By Darren Murph posted Jul 2nd 2010 1:02PM Look out, Kayak / Bing Travel -- you both are about to have your respective worlds rocked. While Google has managed to stay on top (or close to the top) when it comes to almost everything search related, the company has curiously allowed smaller niche brands to handle the travel side. Even amongst the hardcore Googlers, avid flyers typically head to a place like Kayak to weigh their options, while vacation planners either do likewise or turn to Bing Travel. In a few months time, we suspect some of that traffic will be diverted back to El Goog. The company has just announced plans to acquire Cambridge-based ITA Software for a cool $700 million, which will put one of the world's most sophisticated QPX software tools for organizing flight information into the hands of the planet's most dangerous search ally. According to Google, the pickup will allow consumers to search and buy airline tickets with less hassle and frustration, though it's quick to point out that it has "no plans to sell airline tickets [directly] to consumers." For the travel junkies in attendance, there's a high probability that you won't find any better news coming your way today than this.

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INTEREST: Sony launches Road to Zero environmental plan
by billing 16 Jul '10

16 Jul '10

...from: http://oto-online.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1845&Itemid… Sony launches Road to Zero environmental plan Share Wednesday, 14 April 2010 Sony Corporation has announced its Road to Zero global environmental plan. The plan includes a long-term goal of achieving a zero environmental footprint by 2050. It uses backcasting methods to set specific mid-term environmental targets for the next five years in line with that goal. Sony's definition of zero environmental footprint is not only limited to the neutralisation of carbon emissions, but also extends to waste and use of finite materials such as oil-derived virgin plastics. Targets are based on four environmental perspectives - climate change, resource conservation, control of chemical substances and biodiversity - across all product lifecycle stages, from research and development to recycling. The mid-term targets will be implemented globally across the Sony Group beginning in April 2011, and will extend through the end of fiscal year 2015 (March 2016), at which time new targets for the following five years will be set. "We are fully committed to putting our innovative spirit and technological expertise to use to help solve environmental challenges," said Sir Howard Stringer, chairman, CEO and president of Sony Corporation. "From the development of new materials and energy-efficient technologies, to the introduction of better processes in manufacturing and production, we will work aggressively to meet the ambitious targets we are setting for ourselves and, at the same time, establish a model for others in our industries to follow."

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FYI: Time Capsule repair eligibility
by billing 12 Jul '10

12 Jul '10

...from: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3351 Last Modified: July 09, 2010 Article: TS3351 Symptoms Some Time Capsules sold between approximately February 2008 and June 2008 may not power on or may shut down unexpectedly after starting up. Products Affected Time Capsule Resolution Affected Time Capsule models Some Time Capsules with serial numbers in the following range may be affected: XX807XXXXXX - XX814XXXXXX How to find the serial number on your Time Capsule. If your Time Capsule falls within serial number range above and it does not power on or shuts down unexpectedly after starting up, it may be eligible for repair or replacement. Contact the Apple representative most convenient for you: Apple Authorized Service Provider. Find one here. Apple Retail Store. Set up an appointment with a Genius (available in some countries only). Apple Contact Center. Find the phone number for your region. If Apple or an Apple Authorized Service Provider confirms that your Time Capsule is affected, Apple will repair or replace it free of charge. Note: If you need to retain the data that is on your affected Time Capsule, Apple provides options depending upon where you live. If you live in the U.S. or Japan and want to retain the data on the affected Time Capsule, contact Apple to arrange for mail-in service. Turnaround time for mail-in service will be 3 to 5 days. In all other countries, an Apple Retail Store or an Apple Authorized Service Provider (AASP) can transfer your data from the affected Time Capsule to a replacement Time Capsule if desired. Your Retail or AASP representative can provide specific turnaround times for this service. If you believe that you paid for a repair or replacement Time Capsule due to this issue, contact Apple regarding a refund. As always, Apple recommends that you back up your data. Learn more about other back up options while you are without your Time Capsule. Apple is not responsible for data loss. This program covers affected Time Capsule models for 3 years from their original date of purchase. Apple will continue to evaluate the service data and will provide further updates to the program if needed. Wayne Billing Classroom Technology Support Audio Visual and Classroom Technology Support 130 Machray Hall Building 474-6649 474-7598 (fax) Wayne_Billing(a)umanitoba.ca

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FYI: iOS4 & Exchange ActiveSync
by billing 29 Jun '10

29 Jun '10

...from: http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3398 iOS 4: Exchange Mail, Contacts, or Calendars may not sync after update Last Modified: June 28, 2010 Article: TS3398 Symptoms Immediately after updating to iOS 4, some users may notice that Exchange ActiveSync Mail, Contacts, or Calendars do not sync, or sync very slowly. In addition, some Exchange Server administrators may notice their servers running slowly. Products Affected iPod touch, iPhone 3G, iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS Resolution To work around this issue, users should install a configuration profile from Apple that increases the amount of time the iOS 4 device will wait for the Exchange Server to respond to its sync requests. For best results, the profile should be installed on as many iOS 4 devices at your company as possible. To install the profile: Use Safari on your iOS 4 device to download the configuration profile. It may be easiest to read this article with your iPhone or iPod touch and tap the download link there, but you may also email the attachment to another email account on your iOS 4 device, and tap the attachment to open it. Tap Install to install the profile, and enter your passcode if prompted. A warning message will appear because the profile is not signed. Tap Install Now. Tap Done to complete the installation, then power off your device and power it back on. Wait for your Exchange data to finish syncing.

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INTEREST: Windows 8 pre-pre-pre-view
by billing 29 Jun '10

29 Jun '10

...from: http://arstechnica.com/microsoft/news/2010/06/leaked-windows-8-slides-an-ap… Windows 8 leak: an App Store for Windows, IE9 beta in August By Peter Bright | Last updated about 20 hours ago A set of slides distributed to Microsoft's PC partners in April of this year has been leaked onto the Internet. The slides outline Microsoft's vision for Windows 8's hardware ecosystem: the form factors the software giant will be targeting, the hardware capabilities that will be offered, and the demands that these parameters will place on OEMs. A new "Windows Store" is perhaps the most ambitious feature described. Microsoft would offer a store service to third-party software developers. The store would allow easy discoverability of applications both from within Windows and from the Web. The store would handle standard features like account management and software updates, as well as providing capabilities such as the ability to replicate applications and settings across different devices. The store would be curated, so only applications that reached a certain quality standard would be permitted. The basic model, then, is a cross between Apple's App Store and Valve's Steam. Indications are that such a feature would be well-received. The slides are not the first such communication between Microsoft and its OEM partners; they contain feedback from the first "ecosystem forum" at which the Windows Store concept was apparently first discussed. The slides say that Microsoft's partners believe that a Windows Store "can't happen soon enough," and think that an improved application distribution model, including a unified catalog and purchase experience, is a "critical component" to their success. The App Store has certainly won many fans on Apple's iOS platform, and similar models have been adopted on both Android and Windows Mobile/Windows Phone. Extending it to a desktop platform is in some ways logical, but thus far efforts to do so have been limited. Steam is successful, but relatively limited in scope, being used for games and game-related material. Microsoft itself has attempted a broader store—the Microsoft Marketplace, used in conjunction with the Digital Locker for online purchasing of both first- and third-party software—but its efforts were terminated last August. It's therefore a little surprising to see Redmond trying again, and so soon. However, it's probably fair to say that consumers and software vendors alike are now more attuned to the idea of having a centralized store for purchasing applications, and if other problems faced by the Microsoft Marketplace can be resolved (for example, it was not available outside the USA, it was not well-promoted, and it was not well-integrated within the OS), the company's next attempt may yet succeed. Still no tablet OS in the works The leaked documents suggest that Redmond still sees no value in creating a dedicated tablet-oriented operating system analogous to Apple's iOS. Microsoft describes three form factors that are particular priorities: slates, laptops, and all-in-one desktops. These form factors are regarded as important because they give OEMs more ability to distinguish and differentiate their products than conventional desktops. To drive home the significance of creating well-designed, attractive products, Microsoft references Apple in many of the slides, highlighting how Cupertino leverages strong industrial design and a consistent experience across its various products. The decision to equip slate machines with Windows 8 does not, of course, mean that Windows 8 might not be more finger-friendly than Windows 7 presently is, but it does mean that Redmond is still not going to have a platform that can properly compete with the iPad or Android-powered tablets. These low-powered ARM-based devices have no equivalents in the x86 world; if Microsoft wants to target them, it can't do so with Windows 8. Beyond that, there are many slides that say, in essence, that Windows 8 will be a continuation of Windows 7. Windows 7's (little-used) sensor and location APIs are being heavily promoted. Microsoft's view is that Windows 8 hardware will support a richer range of sensors (GPS, cell-tower positioning, proximity sensors, accelerometers, webcams, not to mention the company's own Kinect), and that there is considerable value to be had from vendors properly integrating these devices into the platform's frameworks. For its part, Microsoft outlined a few new possibilities that would exploit these sensor capabilities, such as the ability to automatically log on based on a webcam's detection of the user sitting at the keyboard, and then subsequently lock the machine when the user leaves. In other slides, the software company said that it was continuing to emphasize start-up, shutdown, and restore-from-sleep performance. These areas were performance targets for Windows 7, and that is apparently continuing with Windows 8. This will include a new "Logoff + Hibernate" feature that will act as an accelerated alternative to shutting down. Though it's possible that dates have slipped since the documents were distributed in April, they also stated that Internet Explorer 9 would have a beta release in August. Further, this beta release would include the full Internet Explorer 9 experience; the three Platform Preview releases have provided developers with access to the new browser's rendering engine and JavaScript processor, but have included only a rudimentary front-end. This front-end will be revealed in the beta. Mysteries remain The most interesting feature of the documents, however, is perhaps how uninteresting they are. Windows 8 is set to be a major release (like Windows Vista/Windows Server 2008, unlike Windows 7/Windows Server 2008 R2), so one might, naively, have expected Redmond to have a lot to say about it. Instead, the picture painted by the leaked documents is very much an evolutionary one. The use of sensors and the improvements to certain areas of performance are certainly welcome changes, but they're direct continuations of the work already done in Windows 7. A successful application store might be a big deal for software developers, but its direct impact on the operating system is negligible. Windows 8 may well be a major release, but the nature of its major changes remain a mystery.

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INTEREST: Former U.S. Labor Secretary Defends Apple "Flash" decision
by billing 29 Jun '10

29 Jun '10

...from: http://www.macrumors.com/2010/05/05/former-u-s-labor-secretary-defends-appl… Former U.S. Labor Secretary Defends Apple on Antitrust Issues Wednesday May 05, 2010 03:43 PM EST Written by Eric Slivka In a widely-publicized blog post today, Robert Reich, who served as U.S. Secretary of Labor under Bill Clinton, offers his thoughts on the rumored antitrust inquiry being considered by federal regulators over Apple's exclusion of cross-compilers for creation of applications running on its iPhone OS devices. Reich argues that the Federal Trade Commission's efforts targeting Apple could be better spent on investigating Wall Street banks, but federal law excludes the financial industry from the FTC's purview. Our future well being depends more on people like Steve Jobs who invent real products that can improve our lives, than it does on people like [JPMorgan Chase CEO] Jamie Dimon who invent financial products that do little other than threaten our economy. Reich's position is that Apple's move is not anti-competitive, with many other companies rapidly innovating in the sector, and if Apple's decision results in less competition on the iPhone platform, Apple itself will be the one to suffer. Apple's supposed sin was to tell software developers that if they want to make apps for iPhones and iPads they have to use Apple programming tools. No more outside tools (like Adobe's Flash format) that can run on rival devices like Google's Android phones and RIM's BlackBerrys. What's wrong with that? Apple says it's necessary to maintain quality. If consumers disagree they can buy platforms elsewhere. Apple was the world's #3 smartphone supplier in 2009, with 16.2 percent of worldwide market share. RIM was #2, with 18.8 percent. Google isn't exactly a wallflower. These and other firms are innovating like mad, as are tens of thousands of independent developers. If Apple's decision reduces the number of future apps that can run on its products, Apple will suffer and presumably change its mind. While Reich is not the first to make this argument, his public statement comes with the perspective of an academic and political insider who has spent considerable time in the upper reaches of government.

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