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BetaNews.Com (4 non lus)

Beats Music extends free trial, but no Windows Phone app yet

Publié: janvier 25, 2014, 8:47pm CET par Alan Buckingham

It’s been a busy week for Beats Music, with a big launch, followed closely by a subsequent closure of registration due to problems with the network. Regardless if the problems were real or a publicity stunt, the streaming service is back now.

Today the company’s CEO Ian Rogers issues a thank you to those who have stuck with it, and to show his gratitude he made a special offer. "To thank you for being early we are extending the 7 day trial to 14 days for all customers who sign up before Saturday evening".

The service is currently available for both Android and iOS. A Windows Phone app was slated for release yesterday, but it’s been placed on hold for now and still shows as “coming soon”.

If you are looking to get in and try it out for two weeks free of charge, then you still have a few hours left to take advantage of the deal. Once the trial expires, the service runs $9.99 per month and AT&T customers can grab a family plan with five licenses for $14.99.

Photo Credit: racorn/Shutterstock
Some Windows computers are infecting Android devices with malware

Publié: janvier 25, 2014, 5:47pm CET par Brian Fagioli
Since Android is based on Linux, many users consider it rather safe and secure. However, this is not at all true -- most malware that targets mobile devices, targets Android. For the most part though, it is easy to stay safe by only installing reputable apps from the Play Store.

What if, however, your desktop operating system was infecting your Android device without you knowing? Sadly, this can happen, as some Windows users are finding out. Symantec announces it has found such a case, and it is really nasty.

"We've seen Android malware that attempts to infect Windows systems before [...] Interestingly, we recently came across something that works the other way round: a Windows threat that attempts to infect Android devices", says Flora Liu of Symantec.

Liu further explains, "The infection starts with a Trojan named Trojan.Droidpak. It drops a malicious DLL (also detected as Trojan.Droidpak) and registers it as a system service".

What makes this particularly devious and nasty, is that Droidpak downloads a configuration file, which causes the mayhem. This file triggers a download of a malicious Android .apk file and adb for Windows. If an Android device with USB debugging enabled is connected to the infected Windows PC, the malicious .apk file is pushed to the device.

Once the .apk file is pushed to the device, the user is presented with a fake "Google App Store". The fake app store will then intercept the user's text messages as well as replace Korean banking apps with malicious versions.

Symantec suggests the following, in order to stay safe:
- Turn off USB debugging on your Android device when you are not using it
- Exercise caution when connecting your mobile device to untrustworthy computers
- Install reputable security software, such as Norton Mobile Security
- Visit the Symantec Mobile Security website for general safety tips
While, this all sounds horrible, in reality, the majority of Android users should not have debugging enabled and thus, are safe. However, it is not uncommon for power users to have this feature turned on for tinkering purposes.

Have you encountered Trojan.Droidpak? Tell me about it in the comments.

Image Credit: Lightspring / Shutterstock
Linux photo management app Shotwell development handed off

Publié: janvier 25, 2014, 3:52pm CET par Brian Fagioli

Using a Linux distribution as your desktop operating system can be hit or miss. Depending on your needs, it may work brilliantly or horribly. You see, most mainstream apps are not available, so you must depend on alternative software. For instance, for some users, GIMP is a passable replacement for photoshop and Libreoffice for Microsoft Office.

When it comes to photo management, there is really only one great Linux app -- Shotwell, by a company called Yorba. If you do amateur or professional photography and you want to organize your photos, there really isn't a better piece of software on Linux. Sure, there are alternatives such as F-Spot, but Shotwell is the definitive app. Sadly, it hasn't been getting the attention it needs lately, which was worrying to some users (myself included). As a result, Yorba has handed over development and the recipient is rather surprising -- the Elemenatary OS team.

"I've been talking to Jim Nelson (President of Yorba) about Shotwell for a while now and here’s the quick and dirty: Shotwell needs a new maintainer. Ubuntu has the Gallery app, Fedora has GNOME photos, and Yorba just doesn't have the resources anymore to maintain Shotwell. Their focus is on Geary. So that pretty much leaves us or an unknown to take up the mantel", says Daniel Foré, Elementary OS project leader.

Foré further explains, "Jim seems really excited about the idea of Shotwell becoming a part of our community. He thinks we have the talent and the vision to bring it up to date and make it into a really great app".

If you aren't familiar with Elementary OS, it is an Ubuntu-based distro that aims to replicate the simplicity of the OS X interface by using an altered Gnome. The result is a very clean and usable operating system that can appeal to both Linux newbies and experts alike. Since this team is very focused on design, it should be a wonderful maintainer and developer of Shotwell going forward.

Kudos to Yorba for recognizing that it didn't have the resources and unselfishly helping the Linux community by handing over development of such an indispensable app. It really deserves to be applauded. Yorba will continue development of its other wildly popular app, Geary -- a very clean and capable email client.

Are you excited about Elementary taking over development? Linux users, please sound off in the comments below.

Image Credit: Aleksandra Kovac / Shutterstock
The most popular stories on BetaNews this past week - January 19 -- 25

Publié: janvier 25, 2014, 2:32pm CET par Mark Wilson

Handset news aplenty this week. The Nokia Lumia 929 appeared for sale in China, and also showed up on Verizon's US website under the Nokia Lumia Icon name before quietly disappearing. None of this did anything to improve Windows Phone sales for Nokia which were found to be disappointing. Figures released this week showed that phablets are going to become increasingly popular as user look to merge smartphones and tablets in to a single device. It will probably come as little surprise that in the next few years it is predicted that mobile apps will be the most used software. Samsung Galaxy Note 3 owners were disappointed to find that upgrading to KitKat killed their ability to use third party accessories.

Ahead of the release of Update 1 to the operating system, Microsoft finally got around to releasing a guide to mastering Windows 8.1. So keen is Microsoft for you to learn more about Windows 8.1, a second batch of guides was released later in the week. And while you're becoming an expert Windows 8.1 user, Microsoft would like you to take a second look at Internet Explorer and rethink its web browser.

Microsoft fixed yet more problems with the Surface 2 via another update, but a new portable entered the fray as Toshiba's Chromebook became available for pre-order. An interesting debate about the future of Facebook was sparked by a Princeton paper.

Looking to be entertained? The Smart TV Box is an Android-driven media player released this week. If streaming media if your thing, the fastest broadband connection in the world could be what you need -- assuming you can speed-watch movies. Music fans gained a new service in the form of Beats Music, and while Android and iOS users could listen to their favorite artists straight away, Windows Phone users are still waiting. This wasn't just a week of new releases; LogMeIn Free was killed off, with users being herded towards the paid version of the software.

Anyone upset at the activities of the NSA is unlikely to have been placated by President Obama's proposed surveillance reform, which could ultimately amount to nothing. The annual list of popular passwords was released showing we're little better at taking steps to keep ourselves protected. Perhaps this is what contributed to the theft of the credit card details of millions and millions of South Koreans.

Two birthdays this week, so we'll finish on a happy note by wishing many happy returns to Vine which turned one, and the Mac which is now 30. Happy birthday to both!

Image Credit: vinz89 / Shutterstock