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BetaNews.Com (9 non lus)

Your kid wants iPad 2 for christmas

Publié: novembre 17, 2011, 10:22pm CET par Joe Wilcox

What? You expected something more reasonably priced, given the recession? Bwhahaha. You're gonna be Grinch if you give anything less. Today, Nielsen released its holiday wish survey for kids ages 6 to 12. It's what they want to buy in the next six months, but Santa comes sooner.

Holiday shopping for school-aged pre-teens isn't what it used to be. Bicycles, train sets, Barbies, Hello Kitty goodies aren't good enough for the youngest Millennials. Forty-four percent want iPads, up from 31 percent last holiday. I guess not enough six-to-twelves got Apple tablets last year.

At a starting price of $499, mom and dad will have to really put out to meet the wish list. Say, kids, the economy sucks and Santa laid off half the elves. Perhaps you should go halfsies on that new iPad.

Meanwhile, 30 percent of six-to-twelves want iPod touch and 27 percent iPhone -- like you're going to pay $15 to 25 bucks a month so your second grader can have the mandatory data plan. A year ago, more kiddies wanted new computers (29 percent) than iPhones.

Still, 25 percent want a tablet other than iPad. I'd love to know how Nielsen reasons it can got meaningful data asking six year-olds about non-iPads.

Among old folks, those 13 and older, iPad appeals, too -- not as much but more than a year ago. iPad topped the list, but with 24 percent want-to-haves compared to 18 percent in late 2010. Computer and e-reader tie at 18 percent and TV set and non-iPad tablet at 17 percent.

Well, hell, more kiddies want more Apple stuff than the grups.

Two weeks ago, my colleague Ed Oswald argued that Apple's future is set because the brand is popular among Millennials. Top three items on the 6-to-12 wish list are Apple products.

Among the older group those wanting iPhone or another smartphone are close -- 15 percent and 14 percent, respectively.

What does your kid want this holiday, or you?
Galaxy Nexus brings Ice Cream Sandwich to UK, Galaxy S II, Nexus S updates to follow

Publié: novembre 17, 2011, 8:13pm CET par Tim Conneally

Today was the launch of Samsung Galaxy Nexus in the UK, bringing the first flagship Android device running Ice Cream Sandwich, the newest build of Google's mobile operating system to the British Isles.

The device is expected to launch in the United States on Verizon Wireless soon.

But the Galaxy Nexus won't be the only Android smartphone running Ice Cream Sandwich for very long. According to a tweet from Samsung UK, the Galaxy S II will be receiving an update to Ice Cream Sandwich as well. No date for the update was provided.

Google has also confirmed that the flagship Gingerbread device, the Galaxy Nexus S, will too be updated to Ice Cream Sandwich.

Last week, Taiwanese smartphone maker HTC said eight of its current devices will be able to upgrade to Ice Cream Sandwich as well. This includes the EVO 3D, Design 4G, Vivid, Amaze 4G, Sensation, Sensation XE, Sensation XL, and the new Rezound.

Earlier this month, South Korean smartphone maker LG confirmed in a Facebook message that it was "in the process of planning the ICS OS update" for the LG Optimus 2X and "other LG High-end smartphones."

Sony Ericsson (former joint venture turned division of Sony) has confirmed that its entire 2011 line of Xperia handsets will receive the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade as well, but similarly provided no timeline.
Can't wait for Firefox 64-bit? Try Waterfox 8

Publié: novembre 17, 2011, 7:58pm CET par Nick Peers

Each new release of Mozilla’s Firefox brings improved performance to this popular open-source web browser. But despite these welcome tweaks, Firefox remains hobbled in one major respect: it’s resolutely 32-bit.

There is an experimental 64-bit build of Firefox Nightly for Windows and Linux, but it’s an extremely early, unstable release and isn’t recommended for the casual user. So how can you enjoy Firefox in 64-bit without major risk? The answer lies with Waterfox 8.0.

As its name implies, Waterfox is a close relative of Firefox. In actual fact, it’s the same source code as found in the latest stable build of Firefox, compiled specifically for 64-bit versions of Windows. That means, name aside, you’re effectively running Firefox 64-bit, complete with all the performance improvements that brings, mostly through the improved handling of large amounts of memory that 64-bit computing brings.

Waterfox hasn’t simply been compiled for 64-bit systems as it is, though; the author has specifically compiled it with a number of optimizations that ensure it runs even more efficiently in 64-bit systems. It’s especially recommended for users of older, less powerful 64-bit systems as it’s known to load quicker and perform more responsively than Firefox in this environment.

Because Waterfox is built from the same source code as Firefox, it’s to all intents and purposes identical, so existing Firefox users should have no problems migrating across; in fact, when you run Waterfox for the first time you’ll find all your Firefox settings are in place as Waterfox -- like other alpha and beta builds of Firefox -- shares these with the main app.

There’s one major requirement before you install Waterfox: the software requires the 64-bit build of Microsoft’s Visual C++ 2010 Redistributable, otherwise you’ll get an error message involving msvcr100.dll. You’ll also need to install dedicated 64-bit builds of Flash, Silverlight and Java, handy links are provided at the Waterfox download page, along with links to other languages and dictionaries (the main software is available in US English only).

Waterfox 8.0 is available now as a free download for PCs running 64-bit versions of Windows XP, Vista and 7.
Shortmail makes iOS debut

Publié: novembre 17, 2011, 7:40pm CET par Joe Wilcox

Shortmail is now available for iPhone, tapping into capabilities from iOS 5. The service brings Twitter concepts to email, limiting messages to 500 characters (It's 140 for Twitter). Startup 410Labs took the wraps off cloud service Shortmail in June. The iOS app debuted on November 16.

On the web, users can claim their shortmail address by logging into their Twitter account. "Using the Twitter integration in iOS 5 (which is required), we instantly convert your Twitter accounts into Shortmail accounts. No hassle, no signups, no passwords. It 'just works'", says 401Labs CEO Dave Troy.

Twitter account log-in/tie-in simplifies setup -- "no IMAP, no special configuration required", Troy says. Unsurprisingly, Shortmail for iPhone uses iOS push to notify users of new messages.

Shortmail has been available on Android and iOS via the built-in email clients. Different now is the dedicated iOS app.

"Shortmail is all about communicating with people and puts each new message in its proper place", Troy says. "More like text messaging, less like email – still compatible with any email address!"

Shortmail for iOS is free and is available in 16 languages: English, Bokmål, Norwegian, Chinese, Dutch, Esperanto, French, German, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Slovenian, Spanish, Swedish, Ukrainian and Vietnamese.
Facebook says it knows who is responsible for image spam attack

Publié: novembre 17, 2011, 6:40pm CET par Ed Oswald

Facebook says that it identified those responsible for an attack earlier this week that spammed Facebook users with pornography and violent imagery, and will investigate its options to prosecute those responsible. The attack is believed to have been exploited through a browser vulnerability, BetaNews is told.

"During this spam attack users were tricked into pasting and executing malicious JavaScript in their browser URL bar causing them to unknowingly share this offensive content", spokesperson Andrew Noyes explained. "Our engineers have been working diligently on this self-XSS [cross-site scripting] vulnerability in the browser".

Noyes told BetaNews it had shut down the Facebook pages from which the hackers launched their attack, and offered assistance to those affected on how to protect themselves from future attacks.

The attacks began this past weekend and quickly escalated by Monday and Tuesday, when the amount of offensive images on news feeds appeared to reach their peak. The imagery depicted acts of violence, pornography, mutilation and bestiality. It is believed to be one of the largest coordinated spam attacks on the site in its seven year history.

Sophos senior security researcher Chester Wisniewski explains how the vulnerability that hackers exploited works. "Cross-site scripting essentially allows an attacker to execute JavaScript code in your browser that can access and control the website you are interacting with", he says. "Facebook says that users were being enticed to copy and paste the offending JavaScript into their address/location bar in the affected web browser".

It is not known which browsers were vulnerable to the cross-site scripting flaw. Facebook users are reminded to exercise increased caution when confronted with suspicious offers or links. Additionally, users shouldn't click any links sent by friends, especially those that appear shortened.

Photo Credit: Fer Gregory/Shutterstock
BlitzBlank kills malware your security software can't

Publié: novembre 17, 2011, 3:24pm CET par Mike Williams

Malware removal is normally an entirely automatic process. Your PC encounters something unpleasant, your antivirus package deletes it, and you carry on as before: easy.

Sometimes, though, life isn’t quite as straightforward. In particular, if you’ve spotted a suspect process that your security suite doesn’t recognize yet, then you’ll probably want to remove it manually. And that can be a real challenge.

You might try to delete the executable, for instance, but find Windows won’t allow it as the file is locked. Or even if you can remove a malware file, or any related Registry keys, another component of the virus may replace them. Which is just a little frustrating, but fortunately help is at hand in the shape of Emsisoft’s portable BlitzBlank.

This interesting tool allows you to specify files, folders, drivers, Registry keys and values, and decide what you’d like to do with them (delete, move, copy, and more). But the key difference is that, when you click Execute Now, the program reboots your system (after a warning, of course). It then processes your commands before Windows loads, and (hopefully) before the malware is running, which greatly improves your chance of success.

BlitzBlank has some interesting twists, too, such as the ability to replace a target file with a dummy (something of the same size and name but without containing any executable code). This could prevent other malware components from realizing you’ve disabled a part of their code, and replacing the missing file.

Of course you do need to use the program with extreme caution. If you delete some critical system file, driver or Registry key, or even if you remove just part of some deeply embedded malware, then you may find your PC won’t boot again (not even in Safe Mode). Don’t even think of trying BlitzBlank unless you’re properly equipped to cope with that kind of situation, preferably with a complete system backup to hand.

If you know what you’re doing, though, BlitzBlank is a useful tool that makes it relatively easy to dispatch stubborn files and Registry keys. It’s also reasonably small (1.09 MB) and portable, making it a worthwhile addition to most people’s security toolkit.

Photo Credit: Albert Ziganshin/Shutterstock
Five reasons to quit XP for Windows 7 [contest winners]

Publié: novembre 17, 2011, 1:51am CET par Joe Wilcox

Last in a series. I've got a box full of Microsoft mice cluttering up the living room, and my wife begging please to get rid of them. So with that pressure, I must finally announce winners of our "Five Reasons to Quit Windows XP" contest. My apologies for the delay. Winner for the Windows Phone 7 contest will come quicker.

Before continuing, I offer heartfelt thanks to Microsoft's hardware PR team for providing the mice five lucky winners will receive. In appreciation, let's plug Microsoft's "The Art of Touch" contest. Click the link to create online art, which I can say from trying works better with some kind of touch device. According to Microsoft:

Each week from November 10, 2011 to February 4, 2012, one lucky artist will win an Art of Touch prize package. The prizes change from week to week and include free Touch Mouse products, laptops, and cool swag imprinted with the winner’s artwork. You might see your design on anything from headphones to a skateboard.

Their prizes are better than mine. But, hey, winners, these are great mice. Please enjoy them.

Our panel of judges failed in its quest to balance the most serious reasons with the funny ones, in part because none of the former stood out. We couldn't find one compelling enough among them, which is why gthe delay announcing winners. Our panel wanted to award prizes to both kinds, but the number of humorous responses was too many to ignore.

So, here's what we did. Our panel narrowed down the best answers until we had five reasons we liked more than the others. Among them, we awarded prizes by chance. We used a polyhedral dice from my old Dungeons & Dragons game -- yes, there was role playing before the Internet and Xbox 360 -- to award prizes randomly.

The winners have 7 days -- until 11:59 pm ET, November 23 -- to claim their prizes. I'll mail them within 24 hours of notification. We will need to verify identities so that someone else doesn't step forward and snatch your prize. Unclaimed prizes will go the runners' up. Please email joe at betanews dot com.

Now the five reasons you should give up XP and upgrade to Windows 7:

1. "It's simple math: 2012 is the year to upgrade to 7 (or perhaps 8). Assuming the current version of Windows is twice as good as XP (whether you choose to use performance, security or MS included desktop images as your reason doesn't matter) then 2 x 2012 = 4024. But, of course, you must divide that by the 100 users who will complain forever that you made them learn something new: 4024/100 = 40.24 So, X = 40.24, and P in hex = 50. So the mathematical formula XP, which is simply X times P, is 40.24 x 50, which equals 2012. You've reached EOL. (and that's a whole different equation scenario which will take far too much space to explain)." Winner: TechRon. Prize: Arc Mouse

Members on our awards panel are mathematically challenged. We couldn't figure out what TechRon was communicating, but it sure reads important enough to be reason to dump XP for Windows 7. One judge simplified the reason for the rest of us: "The Mayans predicted the world ends in December 2012. If you wait, you'll miss out on Windows 7" Now that we all understood.

2. "My 5 year-old daughter's notebook at home is Windows 7 and my desktop at work is not". Winner: Isaac Vallee. Prize: Arc Mouse.

The panel chose this reason because we expect so many people can relate. They've moved on to Windows 7 at home, but it's XP all the way at work.

3. "You're finally moving out of your parents' basement, but they want to keep their old PC". Winner: Jason Syth. Prize: Explorer Touch Mouse.

Our panel divided over this one and another from Jason: "You're tired of the neighborhood children thinking that your home is a museum when they try to sneak peeks of your VCR, your rotary dial phone, your CRT monitor, and your decade-old copy of Windows XP". They're both winners, far as I'm concerned, but the policy is one prize per submitter.

4. "I have read the Voynich Manuscript, and it states that using Windows XP will keep you from being admitted into the *real* Secret Society. (Not those fake one's we all know about.). Winner: PC_Tool. Prize: Touch Mouse (which requires Windows 7).

I personally got tingles down my back reading this one and strange feeling of watching a really good "Fringe" episode.

5. "I've been on hold with Windows XP Tech Support since Feb. 14, 2001". Winner: Straspey. Prize: Explorer Touch Mouse.

We'd love to see Straspey's phone bill, and we presume it's a landline. Our panel got two laughs from this one. First: The obvious on hold since 2001. Second: After I pointed out Windows XP didn't officially launch until Oct. 25, 2001. Straspey, if you're still on hold Feb. 14, 2012, let us know. We'll send your partner or spouse flowers for Valentine's Day.

Runners Up

1. "Because on the 7th day God rested". David Paige.

The panel engaged in a fierce discussion about the existence of God, which I silenced. God's existence is immaterial to the reason's validity. For many XP users, moving to Windows 7 is a leap of faith.

2. "You are almost to the end of War and Peace, having read a chapter every time you rebooted after a monthly patch cycle". Torchwood.

Some of us have read the epic novel, but wondered: With that much downtime every second Tuesday, aren't there better things to do -- like see a movie or attend a play?
Adobe apps turn Android into artist's canvas

Publié: novembre 17, 2011, 12:59am CET par Mark Wilson

Adobe is a name associated with design tools, and it has long been associated with desktop software that can be used to create everything from websites and product designs to page layouts and perfect photos. But in recent years there has been a huge interest in mobile devices, and while handheld devices are a little limited when it comes to being used as design tools, the same cannot be said of tablets. The larger screens found on tablets have been put to great use in Adobe’s latest Android apps -- Adobe Photoshop Touch, Adobe Proto and Adobe Debut.

Adobe Photoshop Touch is, perhaps unsurprisingly, a touchscreen compatible version of the company’s flagship image editing tool. The selection tool has been redesigned to make it easier to control with just a fingertip, and the usual raft of filters and effects can be found here to help enhance images on the move. For most people, this app will be the one that appeals most from Adobe’s new range of Touch Apps.

For designers, Adobe Debut can be used to present ideas to clients, while Adobe Proto can be used to draw up design prototypes -- the naming convention could not be accused of being illogical. Each has the feel of being a tool designed specifically with touchscreen mobile devices in mind, rather than just being a knocked together ports of existing software. Debut can be viewed as a presentation tool that can be used to show off designs that have been created on your Mac or PC, while Proto can be used to create wireframe mockups of apps, pages and web sites – these can be interactive so you can get an idea of how things will work as well as how they will look.

Each of the tools can be used in conjunction with Adobe Creative Cloud, which makes it possible to upload files from your desktop to an online storage location and then access them on your tablet -- but this is obviously dependent on being able to pick up an Internet connection on your Android.

Weighing in at $9.99, these are not cheap apps, but they have heritage. Adobe is one of the few companies that can justify charging such an amount for a mobile app, but the software still needs to live up to the price tag. With its foray into the iOS market, Adobe had a chance to test the waters with its mobile apps. The tools that are now available for Android are well evolved apps that are surprisingly developed considering the 1.0 version numbers.

You can find out more about these apps by paying a visit to the review pages -- Adobe Photoshop Touch, Adobe Debut and Adobe Proto.
Google Music launches -- 320Kbps MP3s, free plays from Google+ and artist direct sales

Publié: novembre 17, 2011, 12:00am CET par Joe Wilcox
Late this afternoon, Google Music officially launched in the United States, ending a limited beta that started in May. The service differentiates from others by emphasizing mobile devices and by providing free full song or album plays when shared. Google will sell music from Android Market, where it also offers ebooks and movies. The search and information giant encodes tunes as 320Kbps MP3s, surpassing Apple's iTunes and other digital music sellers.

One million people participated in the invitation-only beta, streaming 2.5 hours of music every day. Google distributed 100 million free songs during the beta. Until today, Google Music was little more than a storage locker for tracks people already owned. Now users can buy tunes, too.

Google Music streams songs to supported devices -- Android phones, Macs and Windows PCs -- running the search giant's software. Users also can "pin" songs, so they download to their phones. Google Music desktop software syncs users' personal music from their Mac or Windows PC to the cloud.

When the music beta debuted six months ago, Google said pricing for online storage would be announced when launched. "The service will continue to be free" -- up to 20,000 songs, Google's Jamie Rosenberg explains. "Other cloud services think you have to pay for music that you already own".

Rosenberg describes Google Music as a "full end-to-end service. It's about the cloud, about the web and about mobile".

Users of the service will typically pay using Google Checkout. T-Mobile subscribers will soon be able to pay through their phone bills. Pricing is comparable to iTunes, for singles, typically 99 cents or $1.29. However, many albums are a little less, like AmazonMP3, at $9.49. That said, prices are variable, similar to competing stores.

Buyers can purchase from computer or Android phone. Google Music Android app is available for immediate download, for people wanting to buy right away. The company will dispatch the updated app to Android 2.2 and above devices over the next few days, also updating Mac and Windows PC software.

The new music service is tightly woven to Google+. It's "social in a deeply-integrated way", Rosenberg says. When Google+ users share music, recipients in that Circle get one free play from their stream. That applies to albums as well as single tracks. Normal preview length is 90 seconds. Sharing is one way to improve music discovery.

Google has obtained rights to 13 million tracks, 8 million of which are currently available. The search and information giant hasn't secured licensing deals with all major labels. However, EMI, Sony and Universal Music Group, plus a bunch of independents, are on board. These include: Matador Records, Merge Records, Naxos, XL Recordings and Warp Records. Google claims songs from 1,000 labels are available.

Google also is working around labels, if you will, by allowing musicians to sell directly through the store via the "Artist hub". Registration is similar to that for Android developers, and like them artists keep 70 percent of revenues. Artists set up their own music page, write the bio, set attributes and metadata for tracks and, of course, upload music. Artists also will be able to sell music alongside videos on YouTube.

The new music service launches with some enticing exclusives. According to Andy Rubin, Google's vice president of mobile:
- The Rolling Stones are offering an exclusive, never-before-released live concert album, Brussels Affair (Live, 1973), including a free single, “Dancing with Mr. D.” This is the first of six in an unreleased concert series that will be made available exclusively through Google Music over the coming months.
- Coldplay fans will find some original music that’s not available anywhere else: a free, live recording of “Every Teardrop Is A Waterfall”, a five-track live EP from their recent concert in Madrid and a remix of “Paradise” by Tiësto.
- Busta Rhymes’s first single from his upcoming album, Why Stop Now (feat. Chris Brown), is available for free.
- Shakira’s live EP from her recent concert in Paris and her new studio single, “Je L’Aime à Mourir” are both being offered up free.
- Pearl Jam are releasing a live album from their 9/11/11 concert in Toronto, free to Google Music users.
- Dave Matthews Band are offering up free albums from two live concerts, including new material from Live On Lakeside.
- Tiësto is offering up a new mix, “What Can We Do?” (feat. Anastacia), exclusively to Google Music users.
I have about 12,000 songs uploaded to Google Music and will begin testing the officially launched service tonight. Oh, the sacrifices we make for readers!