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BetaNews.Com (9 non lus)

AT&T scammed Feds for Nigerian scammers, DOJ says

Publié: mars 22, 2012, 9:04pm CET par Ed Oswald

The US Justice Department accuses AT&T of defrauding the government, alleging the carrier improperly billed for services intended for the hard of hearing. The system has become a method through which scammers, many from Nigeria, make purchases using stolen credit cards and fraudulent checks.

Called IP Relay, the service allows the hard of hearing to place phone calls to a hearing individual relayed by messages sent over the Internet. A call center operator then relays the message to the called person. A former worker in one of AT&T's call centers had already filed a whistleblower suit over the matter.

In an effort to prevent fraud, the federal government requires telecom operators to register users of the system. The Justice Department says that AT&T failed to set up this system, and as a result as much as 95 percent of calls handled by the company may have been fraudulent.

The DOJ is suing to recoup the $1.30 per minute it reimbursed AT&T for these calls. It is not clear how much the federal government may have lost as a result of the telecom operator's alleged negligence, although the suit claims it may be in the millions of dollars.

AT&T says that it had no knowledge of fraudulent calls on the system, and made all efforts to follow policies. "FCC rules require that we complete all calls by customers who identify themselves as disabled", an AT&T spokesperson says.

That's not what the Justice Department is saying though. "Taxpayers must not bear the cost of abuses of the Telecommunications Relay system", says David J. Hickton, US Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. "Those who misuse funds intended to benefit the hearing- and speech-impaired must be held accountable".
5 things you should know about new iPad

Publié: mars 22, 2012, 8:14pm CET par Joe Wilcox

Has less than one week passed since new iPad starting selling in 10 countries and one US territory? It seems like longer. Tomorrow, Apple's tablet will be available in 25 more. With more people set to buy new iPad, which sold 3 million units over the three-day launch weekend, time is right to discuss things you should know before plunking down your hard-earned cash.

There is suddenly lots of confusion about new iPad, with all these conflicting media reports -- blogs and news sites running praising reviews alongside stories about yet another fatal design flaw. You just don't know who to believe. Perhaps these five things will help you find clarity.

1. If you carry new iPad to Starbucks, employees will hand you a protective mat for your lap (made of the same material used for their cup holders). The coffee shop is super sensitive about hot things in your lap (and the lawsuits they might generate). There's good reason. Consumer Reports claims that Apple's newest tablet runs 10 degrees F hotter than the old one -- as much as 116 degrees F.

Nevermind that your big brick laptop probably runs even hotter and tickles with first-degree burns every time your fingers pass by the heat vent. Consumer Reports has everyone scared about the potential lap and hand hazards or the possibility your new iPad might melt into a Starbucks table.

Strange, though. My family has one of these new iPads, which doesn't seem the least bit overly hot.

2. It's best not to to charge new iPad during that quick trip to the relatives (because you'll be there a long time). The InterWebs are chock full of reports about how slowly new iPad charges, with some bloggers claiming the charger is too small for the big battery -- so much that it can't keep up with the drain. You don't want that 15 minute visit to be 15 hours.

Strange, again. Our new iPad charges up nearly as quickly as the older one. Granted, charging time wasn't exactly fast with iPad 2.

3. New iPad won't make you popular. If anything, you're more at risk carrying one. Two years ago, the original iPad could draw a crowd at the coffee shop. But now that everyone has an iPad, or wants one, it's kind of passé. Perhaps matters would be different if this and last year's models weren't almost indistinguishable even closeup.

You might instead draw attention you don't want. There are now 220 tablets for sale globally, according to ABI Research, and the majority are Androids. Fanboys are called the Android Army for a reason. They'll heckle and call you a Steve Jobs cultist. They'll preach about the benefits of choice over Apple's Way (or no way). The most aggressive will grab your iPad and perform and impromptu drop test. Eh, did you buy AppleCare+?

4. Your photos will look even worse. Apple's new iPad TV commercial touts the benefits of the greater-than HD display, with its haughty 2048 x 1536 resolution, and how your photos will look better. Banderstanch! Pics taken with your cheesy cameraphone and old Kodak digital clunker won't get better with age. The higher the display's resolution, the worse your low-res pics will look.

What about new photos taken with your swanky Canon, Fuji or Nikon digicam? HD brings out all your imperfections. There's a reason why more TV news anchors opt for plastic surgery now that broadcasts are HD. The lens doesn't lie, and there's no Photoshop for live television. There is Photoshop for iPad -- and iPhoto, too. Ten bucks per app might be the best new iPad investment you'll ever make.

5. 4G LTE is simply too fast. Besides the Retina display, Apple touts LTE as another big benefit. Too bad 4G is too costly to use. Wall Street Journal calls it a "video speed trap". Bigger pipes bring HD content faster but also burn through the data cap faster. How's a single two-hour movie to use up your monthly allowance, 2GB, from Verizon. Then the overage charges start.

I must say LTE is fast. I'm consistently seeing 27Mbps around San Diego on AT&T. But I'm scared to use it. :) Wouldn't you be?

That's a wrap and qualifier that Starbucks isn't really giving out lap-mats.
Nvidia launches new Kepler GPU family

Publié: mars 22, 2012, 7:40pm CET par Tim Conneally

Graphics company Nvidia on Thursday launched its new GeForce GTX 680 and 600m GPUs, which were built using the next-generation Kepler architecture and the 28nm process, replacing the two-year old Fermi architecture.

With the new Kepler GPUs, Nvidia focused on creating faster, smoother, and overall better graphics that were much more energy efficient.

"When we first launched Fermi with the GeForce GTX 480, people told us how much they loved the performance, but they also told us they wished it consumed less power," said Nvidia's James Wang. "Gamers want top performance, but they want it in a quiet, power efficient form factor. The feedback we received from Fermi really drove this point home. With Kepler, one of our top priorities was building a flagship GPU that was also a pleasure to game with."

For desktop machines, the GTX 680 includes a new streaming multiprocessor block called SMX which doubles the performance per watt found in Fermi GPUs, Nvidia's dynamic GPU Boost technology, FXAA and TXAA antialiasing and Adaptive VSync technologies, the ability for a single GPU to drive up to four displays, and support for PCI-e Gen 3 and DirectX 11.1.

The GTX 600M is designed for notebooks and even the super-thin ultrabook profile. These units feature Nvidia's Optimus on-demand GPU technology, Verde notebook drivers, PhysX engine support, Optional 3D Vision upconverting technology including 3DTV Play for outputting 3D content from PC to 3D TVs, and the ability to hook up two GTX GPUs with Nvidia's SLI technology.

Earlier this month, Acer became the first PC maker to debut a GTX 600M-driven Ultrabook with the 15" Aspire Timeline Ultra M3, but more notebooks using the new Nvidia GPUs are on their way.

MSI Computer Group on Thursday announced its new GT60 and GT70 gaming notebooks run the new Kepler GPUs, and that the gaming public will be able to get its hands on the machines at PAX East from April 6-8.
Are hacktivists more dangerous, or just more determined?

Publié: mars 22, 2012, 6:07pm CET par Joe Wilcox
As if Anonymous didn't have enough to boast about. While cybercriminals accounted for the most breaches, "activist groups created their fair share of misery and mayhem last year as well -- and they stole more data than any other group", according to a report Verizon released today in cooperation with Australian, Dutch, English, Irish and US officials. The study attributes 58 percent of data thefts to hacktivists.

"The most significant change we saw in 2011 was the rise of 'hacktivism' against larger organizations worldwide", Verizon reports. "The frequency and regularity of cases tied to activist groups that came through our doors in 2011 exceeded the number worked in all previous years combined".

No shock, Anonymous brags a little, tweeting today: "Verizon Study Confirms 2011 Was The Year Of #Anonymous, With 100 Million Users' Data Breached By Hacktivists" -- and linking to a Forbes story.

Breaches by the Numbers

In total, cybercriminals and hackers compromised 174 million records, the second-highest level in 7 years, across 855 incidents. Breaches occurred in organizations spanning 36 countries. "While good old-fashioned greed and avarice were still the prime movers, ideological dissent and schadenfreude took a more prominent role across the caseload", according to the report.

"Hacking and malware have traditionally led the pack, but this year they’ve pulled away from the group even further while waving 'Hi Mom!' to the camera". Eighty-one percent of breaches came from hacking, up 31 percent year over year, and 69 percent from malware, which rose 20 percent. "An impressive 61 percent of all breaches featured a combination of hacking techniques and malware", Verizon reports.

"Findings from the past year continue to show that target selection is based more on opportunity than on choice. Most victims fell prey because they were found to possess an (often easily) exploitable weakness rather than because they were pre-identified for attack". Targets of opportunity: 79 percent. Easily done: 96 percent. "Most breaches were avoidable", Verizon concludes.

Ease and targets of opportunity cannot be overstated: "Perpetrators rarely know who they are hacking. In most cases it seems that they learn the identity of their victim after they have gained unauthorized access".

Differing Motivations

The report identifies a gaping disparity between hacktivists and cybercriminals. The former accounted for 3 percent of breaches, but stole the majority of data -- "over 100 million records. That’s almost twice the amount pinched by all those financially-motivated professionals...although ideological attacks were less frequent, they sure took a heavy toll".

Perhaps cybercriminals are lazy, by comparison?

Looking through the case data, it is apparent that money-driven crooks continue to focus more on opportunistic attacks against weaker targets. This may be at least partly because a good number of their brethren are enjoying jail time. Instead of major (and risky) heists, they pilfer smaller hauls of data from a multitude of smaller organizations that present a lower risk to the attacker. Think of it as a way to streamline business processes. Find an easy way to prey on the unsuspecting, the weak, and the lame, and then simply repeat on a large scale. This high-volume, low-yield business model has become the standard M.O. for organized criminal groups...

Nearly all data stolen by activist groups were taken from larger organizations. Furthermore, the proportion of breaches tied to hacktivism-related motives rises to 25 percent. This stands to reason, since a low-profile brand is less likely to draw the ire of these groups.

Hacktivists take more risks, and that includes targeting law enforcement agencies pursuing them.

Cybercriminals' predictability is strange comfort to IT security professionals. Verizon's claims that hacktivists "haunt organizations around the world" and their "proclivity to embarrass victims" make "this trend more frightening than other threats, whether real or imagined. Doubly concerning for many organizations and executives was that target selection by these groups didn’t follow the logical lines of who has money and/or valuable information. Enemies are even scarier when you can’t predict their behavior".

Victims certainly ranged a swath of organizations. Among the hackvistisms we reported last year:
There's a whole lot more to Verizon's 77-page report than hacktivism. It's worth reading.

Photo Credit: Rob Kints/Shutterstock
Take to the skies with Microsoft Flight

Publié: mars 22, 2012, 3:52pm CET par Mike Williams

If you ever tried one of the old Microsoft Flight Simulator series then you’ll know that learning just the basics took time, effort and real commitment. Which, of course, was why some people liked it: there was a real challenge involved.

If you were more intimidated by the program’s complexity, though, Microsoft Flight, the free successor to Flight Simulator, may appeal as it’s far more accessible.

After installation, for instance, you’re launched straight into your first mission, where you must maneuver around some balloons and bring your plane in to land. The voice of an instructor (and some helpful captions) walk you through exactly what to do, and there’s no need for a joystick as you can fly very well with just the keyboard and a mouse. It’s all very straightforward, and we landed almost perfectly, first time.

Other missions then crop up, courtesy of your instructor, who asks you to fly here and there, land on water, and carry out other tasks which generally extend your flying skills. Although if you want to take more control then you can simply ignore what she says and fly around the attractive scenery (the Big Island of Hawaii), exploring the coastline, the cities and more.

This all looks good, at least initially, and if you’re a flight simulator novice then you’ll have a few hours of fun here. But more experienced simulator users will quickly notice issues. The scenery is essentially one big still photo, for instance (there are few other planes to interact with, nothing moving on the ground). The missions aren’t that interesting, the default planes aren’t anything special (forget about flying a jet airliner here), and you can only fly around a single Hawaiian island in the free part of the game.

Of course this is because Microsoft is hoping you’ll pay for more content, and there are already a few options available. You might purchase a Hawaiian Adventure Pack to add more scenery, for instance, or upgrade your plane to a P-51 Warbird, or a Maule M-7-260C (and then fly extra passenger or cargo missions). But just giving yourself more room to fly and an extra plane or two may cost you around $30, which means the program isn’t quite the bargain it first appears.

Microsoft Flight looks great, then; it’s also accessible, and easy to learn and play, even with nothing more than a keyboard or mouse. And if you like the idea of a simple flight simulator which doesn’t involve shooting everything in sight (and don’t mind a setup program which must download around 1.4GB of data) then you’ll have a few hours of fun here.

Whether the program will have any long-lasting appeal is more open to question, though; right now there’s arguably just not enough to do. Still, this is just Flight v1.0, of course -- Microsoft will presumably extend the program’s abilities in the future, and for the moment we’re just glad that Flight simulator has a modern day successor.
Need to decompress files fast? Try Unarchiver 3 for OS X

Publié: mars 22, 2012, 3:14pm CET par Mark Wilson

Compressed files are not always used for the space savings reasons they were initially created for, but they are still very important. The widespread availability of high-speed Internet connections means that the size of downloads is far less important than used to be the case, but many downloads are still supplied in one of the many compressed formats that are available. OS X includes integrated support for a number of formats but if you want to be able to extract the contents of more archives The Unarchiver has been updated to version 3.0 with support for more compressed files types than ever before.

As you’ve probably guessed from the name of the app, this is a piece of software that is concerned solely with the decompression of archives, so if you’re looking to compress files you’re going to need to look elsewhere. In the software world there is a general trend towards jack-of-all-trades utilities, so it is slightly unusual to come across an app that does just one thing -- thankfully, The Archiver does it well, so it can be let off the hook somewhat.

The app is so unobtrusive that once you have had it installed for a while you could be forgiven for forgetting of its existence and believing that its features were part of OS X. What this particular update brings is support for an extra swathe of new formats including WinZip’s .zipx ads well as Linux formats such as ar and deb. Existing support for extracting files from disc images has been expanded to include MDF, NRG and CDI files and there is now also the option of extracting images and sounds from SWF files.

If you’re a fan of The Unarchiver, or find that you become one, you may also be interested in checking out The Archive Browser (http://archivebrowser.c3.cx/) from the same company. This application is a handy addition to your archival arsenal, making it easier to browse and preview the contents of compressed archives without the need for decompression. This tool is not free of charge and it is The Unarchiver that is likely to join the ranks of essential apps that you use every day.

You can find out more and download a free copy of the app by paying a visit to the review page for The Unarchiver.

Photo Credit: Modella/Shutterstock
Save 70% on Cyberlink PowerDirector 9 Ultra64

Publié: mars 22, 2012, 2:46pm CET par Nick Peers

If you’re looking for a video-editing suite that combines a powerful feature set with user-friendly features while taking full advantage of your computer’s hardware to deliver blistering performance, then Cyberlink PowerDirector 9 Ultra64 fits the bill perfectly. While it’s been superseded to some extent by version 10, it’s still an excellent video-editing tool in its own right.

If you’re looking for a fast, powerful and reliable video editor for a price that won’t break the bank, you’ve come to the right place. You can pick up a full version of Cyberlink PowerDirector9 Ultra64 for just $29.95 -- that’s less than a third of its MSRP! But hurry the offer ends at 23:59 Central European Time tonight. That's 6:59 pm EDT, Americans.

As its title suggests, Cyberlink PowerDirector 9 Ultra64 is optimised to take full advantage of 64-bit computing. It’s fully 32-bit compatible, and there are plenty of performance improvements that work across the board (such as support for GPU acceleration and multi-threading), but the big jump for those running 64-bit Windows is that the software can take full advantage of all of the RAM installed in your PC, not just the first 4GB.

With performance taken care of, PowerDirector 9 Ultra64 also boasts some pretty impressive features. A 100-track timeline might sound excessive, but it comes with enhanced editing tools such as grouping clips together or inserting clips wherever you like in the timeline. It basically provides with all the flexibility you need to pile on layers upon layers of video, audio, images and effects.

Effects can now be edited in one place thanks to new, enhanced keyframe controls, while the WaveEditor lets you mix your audio to perfection. Finished products can be uploaded to the web, exported in a variety of formats for transferring to mobile, or burned to a variety of media, including Blu-ray discs for full HD compatibility.

The Ultra64 build we’re heavily discounting here has numerous advantages over the cheaper, less fully featured Deluxe version. There’s the full 64-bit support for starters, plus the ability to both capture and burn to HD disc formats: AVCHD, Blu-ray and BDXL.

It all adds up to an incredibly powerful video-editing and publishing tool. For a complete rundown of Cyberlink PowerDirector 9 Ultra64’s features, check out our extensive review.

How do you get hold of Cyberlink PowerDirector 9 Ultra64 for the amazing price of just $29.95? First, note that this special offer is available from tomorrow, Thursday March 22, for just 24 hours only.

Head over to the DownloadCrew Giveaway site and order your copy, saving 70 percent on the MRSP. This special deal will expire no later than 23.59 CET (6.59pm, EDT), Thursday March 22.
Adobe releases Photoshop CS6 beta -- get it now!

Publié: mars 22, 2012, 1:08pm CET par Mike Williams

Adobe has released a free public beta of Adobe Photoshop CS6.

And while these are relatively early days -- we don’t have information on pricing, yet, or a firm date for the final release -- it’s already clear that this is going to be a significant upgrade.

The program is now more intelligent, for instance. The new Content Aware Move option enables you to move an object from one part of an image to another, while Photoshop figures out itself how to fill in the background; skin-tone aware color masking helps you to more easily select faces in an image; and even the automatic image corrections have been revamped, delivering notably better results.

If you prefer manual tweaking then there’s even more on offer. Adobe Camera Raw 7.0 adds useful Shadow and Highlight adjustments; new blur options -- Field, Iris and Tilt-Shift -- provide on-image controls and full-sized previews; shape layers are replaced by vector layers, which support a stroke and full (solid colours, gradients or patterns); and the Adaptive Wide Angle tool supports fine control over lens corrections.

Other additions include an enhanced cropping interface, more 3D options and the faster Mercury Graphics Engine.

Major video improvements start with the video engine, which can now import a wider range of formats (including AVCHD); a new Timeline panel presents your video more intelligently; and you can add a separate audio track, drag and drop transitions and fades, and easily cut, splice and preview clips to produce the results you need.

And all this is presented in a revamped, darker interface, which apart from the colour change also does a good job of simplifying many previous complex tasks.

As betas go, this one seems quite stable (and even if the program crashes, a new recovery option should be able to restore your work). But still, it won’t be for everyone: the beta only works on 64-bit Mac systems, for instance, and the 1.7GB Windows download may also put a few people off.

If you’re a Photoshop fan and not bothered by such issues, though, the Adobe Photoshop CS6 beta is available now. You can run it alongside previous versions of the program, and no serial number is required; just choose the “Try” and “Trial” options during setup and you’ll be able to run it as normal.

Photo Credit: Joe Wilcox
220 tablets for sale but you only want one

Publié: mars 22, 2012, 2:39am CET par Joe Wilcox

What's the saying about the rock that caused the avalanche? That might be the best analogy for iPad since its launch nearly two years ago. ABI Research says there are now 220 different tablets available globally -- the majority came after iPad. Judging by early new iPad sales, 3 million over the three-day launch weekend, many of you want just one.

But ABI says that will change, particularly as buyers in emerging markets scoop up smaller tablets. Surely that has to be good for Android and perhaps even Windows 8 someday.

"The majority of new entrant media tablet models have been in the sub-$400 segment that focuses on growth markets like India and China", Jeff Orr, ABI group director, says. "The strong wave of growth in this segment over the next few years is expected to be driven by the adoption in emerging markets".

Today, Apple is market leader in the two major segments -- tablets priced above $400 and those with displays larger than 9 inches. These "wide-aspect" tablets accounted for 75 percent of tablet volumes last year -- the majority iPad 2. By 2016, sub-$400, 7-to-9-inch tablets will account for 60 percent of tablet market share, ABI predicts.

Akin to tablets are ereaders. More than 30 models are available, and shipments grew 33 percent year over year in 2011. ABI predicts more modest 20 percent growth this year.

"Availability of competing models increases options for consumers and will help to boost ereader adoption", Aishwarya Singh, ABI research analyst, says. "However, the slower pace of digitization of local content will be the key market inhibitor for adoption of ebook readers, as well as media tablets, in the emerging markets".

I got to wondering about that and did some quick research on China. Competition there is fierce, with new ebook sellers coming to market (buy360.com, this month) and prices plummeting. In China, it's not unusual for ebooks to sell for 75 percent less than print. A movie typically costs 70 yuan at the cinema, while an ebook might be 2.5 yuan -- less than a can of soda at the theater.

Apple is rumored to be working on a sub-9-inch tablet, which, with iBookstore, would make it a fair competitor to ereaders -- as Amazon Kindle Fire already is today. Last month I asked: "Would you buy an 8-inch iPad?" Fifty-five percent of the 3,574 respondents answered "Yes".

"I have had a 7-inch Android tablet for over a year", commenter LS650 responds. "I really prefer the smaller format over my roommate's 10-inch iPad. If there were a smaller iPad I would definitely consider buying one".

Paul Smith: "I absolutely believe people would buy an 8-inch iPad, at a lower price".

"A smaller screen at a lower price point would be perfect for kids and other entry level users", JEPaul comments. "From a marketing perspective, these users would most likely stick with an apple product and ultimately upgrade to the bigger more expensive version. I see this as a win-win for Apple and the consumer".

So the question for ABI and other tablet forecasters: What if that 7-to-9-inch tablet is iPad? What of the 220 then?

Photo Credit: CLIPAREA l Custom media/Shutterstock