Saturday 21 July 2012
Friday 20 July 2012
Apple patents reveal hearing aid-based social network
Engadget has dug up a filing at the US patent office's application database, in which Apple describes a social network for hearing aids.
The hearing aids involved would store a profile on its wearer, and, when they're communicating with another hearing aid user, audio profiles would be swapped so the technology could adjust and people could hear each other better.
The devices could also be location aware for specific venues, knocking out ambient noise when required. The patent specifically mentions using an iPhone to connect to the hearing aid social network in order to select venue-specific profiles, which could then be uploaded to the hearing aid.
Windows Phone 8 rumoured for November release
While Windows 8 has a final release date, over on our sister site ZDNet, Mary Jo Foley has outed a few whispers she's heard regarding other Microsoft launches.
A couple of updates:
This week, the Redmondians confirmed that Windows 8 will be generally available on October 26, after being released to manufacturing by the first week of August. The Microsoft Surface RT tablet (the one based on an ARM processor that cannot run most existing Windows apps natively) also is due out October 26, too. And we also know from Microsoft disclosures a week ago thatWindows Server 2012 will be released to manufacturing by the first week of August and will be generally available (GA) in September.
One of my good sources in Spain shared what he said are additional official Microsoft delivery targets with me this week. To be clear: This information is from one source only. But these jibe with previously rumored targets I've been hearing from other sources on various product due dates for a while now. With those caveats, I'm going to publish these "whisper dates," even though Microsoft isn't confirming them.
In addition to Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, here's what's coming in the next few months, according to my contact:
Latest Windows Azure updates: August (RTM); September (GA). (Note: I am thinking these updates are the ones that Microsoft announced as their Azure "spring updates" and that are available in preview form.)
Visual Studio 2012: August (RTM and Price List); September (GA)
Microsoft Dynamics NAV: September (RTM); October (GA)
Windows Phone 8: September (RTM for "Apollo" OS); November (GA for first devices)
Office 15: October (added to price list); November (RTM); February 2013 (GA)
I had heard previously some talk that Microsoft might be working to hold some kind of a "launch" where it could announce immediate availability of both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devices, but based on these new dates, it looks like any kind of orchestrated launch event would seem to need to be later than October 26. (However, for what it's worth, I also am still continuing to hear a Build 2.0 type developers conference is still happening this year, likely in October, as I've noted previously.)
Also: The new Office 15 general availability date of February 2013 meshes with an earlier leaked Microsoft roadmap about which I blogged, which indicated Microsoft will release to manufacturing all of its Office client, server and services products late this year, but make them generally available in early 2013. (I guess that means last week's rumors of a delay of Office 15 general availability until May 2013 might be off. Now I'm curious what is coming on Office 15 front in May 2013.)
One of my good sources in Spain shared what he said are additional official Microsoft delivery targets with me this week. To be clear: This information is from one source only. But these jibe with previously rumored targets I've been hearing from other sources on various product due dates for a while now. With those caveats, I'm going to publish these "whisper dates," even though Microsoft isn't confirming them.
In addition to Windows 8 and Windows Server 2012, here's what's coming in the next few months, according to my contact:
Latest Windows Azure updates: August (RTM); September (GA). (Note: I am thinking these updates are the ones that Microsoft announced as their Azure "spring updates" and that are available in preview form.)
Visual Studio 2012: August (RTM and Price List); September (GA)
Microsoft Dynamics NAV: September (RTM); October (GA)
Windows Phone 8: September (RTM for "Apollo" OS); November (GA for first devices)
Office 15: October (added to price list); November (RTM); February 2013 (GA)
I had heard previously some talk that Microsoft might be working to hold some kind of a "launch" where it could announce immediate availability of both Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 devices, but based on these new dates, it looks like any kind of orchestrated launch event would seem to need to be later than October 26. (However, for what it's worth, I also am still continuing to hear a Build 2.0 type developers conference is still happening this year, likely in October, as I've noted previously.)
Also: The new Office 15 general availability date of February 2013 meshes with an earlier leaked Microsoft roadmap about which I blogged, which indicated Microsoft will release to manufacturing all of its Office client, server and services products late this year, but make them generally available in early 2013. (I guess that means last week's rumors of a delay of Office 15 general availability until May 2013 might be off. Now I'm curious what is coming on Office 15 front in May 2013.)
A couple of updates:
First on Windows Phone 8: As one reader noted, Nokia CEO Stephen Elop told the New York Times that the Windows Phone 8 software would be "released" in October. Elop may mean Microsoft will be releasing it at that time (following a September RTM) to phone makers. Or it could mean Microsoft is going to allow Nokia to go out with Windows Phone OS 8 devices before other phone makers do in November. It's also good to remember that Microsoft can (and has) "launched" products without them actually being available to customers until some time after the "launch" event.
On Office 15, I've had a few folks me how the RTM date of November can be right, given that the Surface RT tablets running Office 2013 RT will be out in October. The answer: The Office 2013 RT apps on those devices will be in preview form, not final, as Microsoft officials acknowledged last month.
James Magnussen on the tech he loves the most
Australia's gold medal favourite James Magnussen tells IT News Flash about the personal tech that makes a difference in his life.
Australia loves to dominate in the pool, and few right now are as dominant as the current 100m World Champion swimmer James Magnussen. He holds the fourth fastest swim ever over 100m, and is now the spearhead of the Australian men's swim team. Magnussen answered a few questions for CNET Australia about his favourite tech and how the tech helps him stay on top and in touch while on the road to London 2012.
How important is technology in today's training regimen? How does the tech directly improve training and performance?
Technology is really important in my training. My coach and I use the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 to record my training, and we are able to receive instantaneous feedback on my stroke and look at ways that I can improve my race and eliminate any imperfections with my technique.
What's the tech you couldn't live without?
I couldn't live without my smartphone. It has everything I need to keep in touch with friends and family, it keeps me organised, I am able to answer emails on the go and it has everything I need to relax and have some fun.
What tech do you miss when you're on the road?
I would have to say that I miss my Smart TV the most when I am away; it is great for watching the NRL. Unfortunately, it is one of the only products that I can't take away on trips with me.
When you're on the road at a meet, how does tech help you stay in touch with friends and family?
My [Samsung Galaxy] S3 and Tab are great for keeping in touch with friends and family. I am always on it, either on social media or on Skype.
What's your top three apps?
Commbank, Samsung Music Hub and Formula 1.
What websites are top of your bookmark list?
What's your hot tip for the rest of us from your use of tech, while under pressure or away from home?
While I am away from home and travelling a lot, I use my Tab to watch movies. It helps pass the time and it helps me think about something other than swimming.
What tech will be most important to you while you're in London for the Games?
My Tab and my camera will be very important whilst I am in London. I use my Tab in training, and that will be great to film my sessions and look at my stroke. I also hope to take lots of photos whilst I am away, I'll definitely use my camera [the Samsung WB150F SMART] to capture some memories.
Have you ever dropped your phone in a pool?
I am very careful with my phone, so no, I haven't dropped it in the pool. Yet.
Vodafone delays Nexus S Jelly Bean upgrade
Vodafone has had to delay the roll-out of Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to the Nexus S after finding a software fault.
Customers had been expecting Jelly Bean to roll out to the Nexus S today.
In a short blog post on the Vodafone Australia website, Vodafone announced it had found that the software "does not meet all the Australian regulatory requirements related to emergency calls".
Vodafone said that there is no longer any expected timing for the roll-out to resume.
HTC One S
Battery life is the Achilles' heel of the HTC One S, hampering an otherwise sleek and solidly performing smartphone, and making it one for light users only.
Good things come in threes, or so they say. HTC has three phones in its One-series range: the top-end One X, the low-end One V and the piggy-in-the-middle HTC One S. But, as it is with all middle children, the One S struggles to stand out.
Design
Did you road test the One X in a phone shop recently, but walked away concerned that the screen was too big? It's probably the most common refrain from people handling this year's batch of smartphones, especially those who are used to the considerably smaller iPhone. HTC and Samsung are arm wrestling for your Android interest, and the size and quality of the screens is one of the key battlegrounds. Both the One X and the Galaxy S III have screens in excess of 4.5 inches diagonally, and, for some users, this is just too big.
Enter the HTC One S. It mostly shares the physical design of the One X, but packs it into a slightly smaller package. The screen here is 4.3 inches in size, which in turn shaves 5mm off the height and width of the handset, compared with the larger One X. The screen is also lower resolution, down to a qHD (540x960-pixel) panel, and makes use of AMOLED screen technology, rather than Super LCD. While it is hard to notice the drop in pixels with the naked eye, the shift in screen technology is far more pronounced. Colours displayed on the One S are bold, bordering on appearing over-saturated. This will bother some people, but only as much as it will be seen as evidence of how great this screen is by others. Our test video content looks amazing on the AMOLED screen, and its off-axis viewing angles are outstanding.
HTC opts for a aluminium chassis on the One S, with a small, detachable portion at the top on the back of the handset. Below this, the user can find a micro-SIM slot beside the phone's 8-megapixel camera lens. The battery in the One S is non-user accessible, like the One X, and there is no micro-SD card reader to expand the handset's internal 16GB of storage — of which only 12GB is available for users to store personal content on.
User experience and features
For the most part, the user experience and pre-installed features on the One S are the same as those we saw earlier in the year when we reviewed the One X. This handset runs on Android Ice Cream Sandwich (our review unit was on version 4.0.3) with HTC Sense version 4.0 over the top. This includes Beats Audio software, the HTC Watch movie-rental service, the time-stamped HTC Notes app and plenty more.
For richer details as to what you can expect, especially if you are using an older HTC device, check out our One X review.
Performance
So much of the One X and One S is the same, but differences appear below the surface. While the top-shelf One X runs on Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 processor, the S is powered by the seemingly slower dual-core Qualcore Krait chip, clocked at 1.5GHz per core. We say "seemingly slower", meaning you could confuse cores with speed, but this isn't necessarily the case.
In our performance benchmarks, the One S held its own admirably. It's BrowserMark results are in proximity of those when the test is run on the Tegra 3 hardware, and our OpenGL 3D-rendering test places the One S among the best phones we've seen this year. This tests don't hold too much water, in our opinion, but they at least indicate what you'll see in everyday use; that the One S offers a smooth, pleasurable user experience.
As it was with the HTC One X, battery life is a concern with the One S. HTC does a decent job of preserving juice when the phone is in standby mode, but when the screen is on, the battery life is among the lowest we've seen this year. This means that light to moderate users won't be too concerned; if you don't have one long sessions browsing the web each day, you shouldn't notice the battery running short. But heavy users will definitely need to look elsewhere for a phone that can handle their usage patterns.
Overall
Crammed between the One X and One V, the One S is a phone with middle-child syndrome. It has a good design, solid performance and some excellent features, but so does the One X, with it's larger, 4.7-inch screen. Battery life is a big concern, too, and while we appreciate that HTC is consciously putting the slim-line design of its handsets first, we are hesitant in recommending a phone with battery-drain results like those we saw when we put the One S through the CNET Australia labs.
In theory, the One S should be a cheaper version of the One X flagship model, but Australian customers won't benefit from a difference in price, with Optus offering both HTC models on the same AU$50 plan. If you really can't stand the larger screen on the One X, then the S is a reasonable alternative, but so too would be the Galaxy Nexus, Sony Xperia S or last year's now-cheaper Galaxy S II.
Samsung Galaxy S3 vs. HTC One X
It's a throwdown showdown between the two tastiest Ice Cream Sandwich phones on the market. The Samsung Galaxy S3 takes on the HTC One X. Let's get it on!
Canon offers on-camera video tutorials
If you're a Canon owner and you're not quite au fait with everything your camera can do, you can download a range of on-camera tutorials.
Thanks to a tip from photography blog PetaPixel, Canon's US site offers a range of tutorials that you can work through from the comfort of your camera's LCD screen.
The tutorials aren't extensive enough to cover the entire product range, but there are enough models there from the 60D right up to the 1D X to keep most people happy. Click here to check out the product page, then find the link to on-camera tutorials at the top of the page.
Content ranges from simple tips on playing back images right through to more advanced features, like back-button AF and an explanation of various AF modes.
To install a file, download and unpack the zip file to your camera's memory card, and import it through the ImageBrowser EX software. Instructions are provided on each of the product pages.
It's also worth noting that the files are simply .MOV videos, so you can also watch them on your computer, or there are streaming previews available on the Canon website.
Sony RX100
Announced a little over a month ago, the Sony RX100 is the company's first large-sensor advanced compact camera.
Designed for keen amateurs and advanced photographers looking for the best image quality in a compact form factor, the RX100 is not the first to make use of a bright f/1.8 lens or a reasonably large imaging sensor.
For the record, its 1-inch sensor size is smaller than that found on Canon's G1X, but larger than most of the other competitors in this category, like the Fuji X10 or Olympus XZ-1. The camera also has a similar control ring feature around the lens that lets photographers change exposure, zoom and so on, just like the Olympus XZ-1 and Canon S100.
If the idea of a large-sensor compact floats your boat, the RX100 is available now for AU$799 — a fair bit dearer than the US retail price of AU$649. Click through to read our first impression of the camera in full, ahead of our review
Olympus Tough TG-1
Want the meanest, toughest camera on the market? The TG-1 fits the bill, as long as you're not too fussy over perfect image and video quality.
Design and features
Olympus has a strong heritage in tough and rugged cameras, so it's not surprising that the TG-1 is the biggest, boldest and meanest version yet. The physical size of the TG-1 overwhelms pretty much every other camera of its type on the market, which makes it ideal for many applications that don't require a dainty touch — think ploughing around in the snow or frolicking on the beach.
A suite of double-locking doors reinforce just how much harsh treatment this camera can take. They cover the battery and SD card slots, as well as the HDMI and USB ports. Everything else is exposed to the elements, including the front lens element, which sits flush in the middle of the camera body. What's most exciting about the lens is its wide maximum aperture at f/2.0, which goes far and above any other camera of its type on the market. For underwater photography, and especially situations where there's not that much light, a wide-open aperture helps gather as much light as possible to take a clearer shot, without increasing the ISO sensitivity too much.
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| Around the front of the lens element is a removable cover, revealing an area in which you can attach an optional adapter. This is used to clip on a range of different converter lenses, such as a fish-eye and telephoto extender, which can both go underwater as deep as the camera itself. |
The TG-1 is the toughest camera on the market, at the time of writing. Think waterproof to 12 metres, shockproof from 2 metres, freeze-proof to -10 degrees Celcius and crush-proof to 100kg. There's also a GPS for tracking adventures, and a compass to keep you positioned.
Buttons and dials are surprisingly small, given the stature of the camera. At the back is a mode dial giving access to automatic, scene, low-light, sports/fast-moving action and program modes, plus magic filters to add creative effects to shots. It's a camera designed for people who just want to point-and-shoot, rather than fiddle with more manual control options. Tap control, which helps assist users with snow gloves, is available on the TG-1, activated through the menus.
The 4x optical zoom is controlled by a slender zoom button at the back, with a record button that activates full HD 1080p video recording. There's stereo audio recording, thanks to the microphone at the top, though do beware not to cover it when holding the camera, or when using ski gloves.
Lacklustre screens are common on tough cameras, except in the case of the TG-1, which offers a reinforced 3-inch OLED screen. It's reasonably bright, and the higher-than-average resolution makes taking and reviewing images much easier than on other models. Indeed, the only camera in this class with a screen that matches the TG-1, is the Sony TX20.
In most shooting situations, the TG-1 delivers good photo quality. Colours are particularly vibrant, and exposures are generally on the mark when shooting outdoors. For small prints and web use, the images delivered by the camera won't present any issues. Though, looking a little closer reveals a little softness and a slight smeary effect when zooming in to 100 per cent magnification. It's a problem even at low ISO sensitivities. Higher up the ISO range, things start to become very messy. In contrasty situations, particularly when shooting indoors, the TG-1 does have a tendency to blow highlights a little.
As there's no real manual controls on the camera, you can't force it to use its widest maximum aperture of f/2.0 to achieve shallow depth of field effects. Instead, it only really uses this widest aperture when there's a small amount of light.
Video quality is only just OK. The image is somewhat sharp, but there's a lot of graininess over the frame. The most annoying part is that the audio is affected by the zooming of the lens. So when zooming in or out, you can hear the movement of the lens, and it also softens the rest of the audio track too.
Underwater, the TG-1 performs pretty well, though, like many other underwater cameras, the default settings and automatic seem to be tweaked to over-saturate the blue channel. This comes through especially when shooting outdoors on sunny days, as in one example (seen further above in this review) the sky looks excessively blue.
Conclusion
The TG-1 is the best tough camera from Olympus yet. The total redesign over previous models, as well as a whole new suite of internal specs, ensures that many of the issues that plagued previous cameras in the range are no longer a problem. The f/2.0 lens is the standout feature on this model, though it's a shame that you can't force the camera to use this aperture in everyday shooting situations.
Thursday 19 July 2012
Wrap your tech in Batman and DC Comics cases
If you've caught a case of Bat fever, here are some official cases to show your Batmania to the world.
It's actually not just Batman, but a new range of official DC comics covers for iPhone, iPad and laptops, made by Iconime. The iPhone cases are gloss finish hard plastic, while the iPad and notebook sleeves are Neoprene.
Cases featuring Wonder Woman, Superman, Green Lantern and Batman are all available, both with characters or character logos.
Especially cool if you want to act like you've been into Batman since before Miller or Nolan got involved.
iPhone cases are $34.95, iPad $39.95, 13-inch notebook $44.95 and 15-inch notebook $49.95. The cases are available through a wide range of major retailers.
Our Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Password System
Already this summer, millions of passwords/password hashes have been disclosed from websites including LinkedIn, eHarmony, Last.fm, Yahoo Voice and Formspring. It is time to get serious about modernizing the approach that corporations take to password
We need to abandon passwords in favor of passphrases.
Today's passwords are too short. Two years ago, the Georgia Tech Research Institute argued that any password shorter than 12 characters was easily broken with a PC and a graphics processor. Passwords that are longer than 12 characters aren't really passwords anymore -- they are passphrases, and we should start calling them that so users understand what they should be doing to protect themselves.
Many of the password rules that systems are enforcing can also be counterproductive. Forcing users to include a combination of random capitalizations and special characters makes passwords hard to remember, which leads people to adopt common character substitutions that satisfy the requirements without adding security.
Password expiration has the same effect, prompting users to adopt poor practices such as regularly incrementing a number at the end of their password. The worst password rule that I have ever encountered is maximum length. Enforcing a short maximum password length is destined to result in bad security consequences. It also makes the transition to passphrases impossible.
We need to get rid of almost all of the password rules that we enforce today except for one -- minimum length. We need to set the minimum lengths higher, and encourage users to create passphrases instead of passwords. Combinations of four or more randomly chosen, unrelated English words are often much more secure than short passwords and much easier to remember, as long as they aren't full of random character substitutions.
Enterprises should adopt proactive password cracking.
Even some long passphrases are easy to crack if the sequence of words that the user has chosen is common in natural language. If you want to identify passwords that are likely to be compromised and force users to change them, the best way to do that is to do what the attackers are actually doing -- set aside some computing resources to proactively crack your own password hash collection, and notify users whose passwords you've successfully cracked.
This strategy helps ensure that insecure passwords are not being used, while simultaneously teaching users to adopt good behaviors that are resilient to attack.
Security professionals must acknowledge that passwords and passphrases are weak, and they are going to be compromised no matter what we do.
There are an awful lot of username, email address and password hash combinations circulating in the underground after all of the recent breaches discussed above, and we have every reason to believe that we are going to see similar compromises in the future. These passwords are going to be used to compromise corporate networks.
The Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is already coming into your network bearing legitimate access credentials. 100 percent of the attacks Mandiant investigated in 2011 utilized stolen credentials during the intrusion. Conversely, only 54 percent of compromised machines were infected with malware.
The question that we need to be asking is how do we detect attackers who log into our networks with legitimate credentials? Organizations that are only focused on looking for exploit activity at the network perimeter can't see attacks after they've already gotten in the front door. IT security teams also need visibility into authorized traffic on the internal network that enables them to detect and mitigate compromises after the walls have been breached.
Most enterprises aren't even performing basic logging of internal network activity. If they discover that a computer has been compromised, they have no way of figuring out what the attacker did next on the local network, or which other systems may have been tainted. However, good internal network visibility enables you to do much more than just investigate known breaches. It can also help detect them.
An analogy to credit card fraud is helpful here. Banks keep a profile of typical spending behavior for each customer, and when they see purchases that are far outside of that profile, they contact the customer.
The same principles can be applied to the network. The transactions crossing computer networks are far more complex than the kinds of transactions that a credit card sees, but patterns of behavior still exist. When an account executive from Florida logs in from overseas while he is sitting in the office, something is not right. If he starts checking software out of your source code repository, something is really not right!
In addition to being smarter about passwords, organizations must start to investigate next-generation technologies that can provide visibility into the internal network. Without higher levels of awareness and control over what is going on within our own environments, it will become increasingly impossible to thwart the ever-evolving threats we face today on the Internet.
It has been a heck of a year for password/password hash disclosures. In the same week in June, millions of password hashes were disclosed from LinkedIn, eHarmony and Last.fm. And in the same week in July, more than 450,000 usernames and unencrypted passwords were reportedly stolen from Yahoo Voice, while 420,000 password hashes were leaked as a result of an attack on the social networking site, Formspring. These events have drawn a lot of attention to the issue of password security.
One particularly interesting breach occurred right at the end of 2011. Anonymous released over 800,000 password hashes along with personal information and credit card numbers from Stratfor. Stratfor writes popular analyses of current geopolitical events, and most large companies have a few employees who have created accounts with them.
There is a search engine of the Stratfor data available online in which you can input your company's domain name and obtain a list of employees who associated their work email address with their Stratfor account and subsequently had their password hash disclosed. Two questions immediately come to mind when you see these search results: Did any of those employees use a password on Stratfor that they also use on their corporate network? If so, have all of those passwords been changed?
I have no doubt that we will see more password compromises in the future. Passwords are the oldest security control that we have, and they are probably the least understood. It would be nice to imagine that these breaches will result in the universal adoption of two-factor authentication technologies, or at least password vaults, but those changes are not going to happen everywhere for both economic and usability reasons. The fact is that passwords are here to stay, and it is time to get serious about modernizing the approach that corporations take to password security.
Today's passwords are too short. Two years ago, the Georgia Tech Research Institute argued that any password shorter than 12 characters was easily broken with a PC and a graphics processor. Passwords that are longer than 12 characters aren't really passwords anymore -- they are passphrases, and we should start calling them that so users understand what they should be doing to protect themselves.
Many of the password rules that systems are enforcing can also be counterproductive. Forcing users to include a combination of random capitalizations and special characters makes passwords hard to remember, which leads people to adopt common character substitutions that satisfy the requirements without adding security.
Password expiration has the same effect, prompting users to adopt poor practices such as regularly incrementing a number at the end of their password. The worst password rule that I have ever encountered is maximum length. Enforcing a short maximum password length is destined to result in bad security consequences. It also makes the transition to passphrases impossible.
We need to get rid of almost all of the password rules that we enforce today except for one -- minimum length. We need to set the minimum lengths higher, and encourage users to create passphrases instead of passwords. Combinations of four or more randomly chosen, unrelated English words are often much more secure than short passwords and much easier to remember, as long as they aren't full of random character substitutions.
Enterprises should adopt proactive password cracking.
Even some long passphrases are easy to crack if the sequence of words that the user has chosen is common in natural language. If you want to identify passwords that are likely to be compromised and force users to change them, the best way to do that is to do what the attackers are actually doing -- set aside some computing resources to proactively crack your own password hash collection, and notify users whose passwords you've successfully cracked.
This strategy helps ensure that insecure passwords are not being used, while simultaneously teaching users to adopt good behaviors that are resilient to attack.
Security professionals must acknowledge that passwords and passphrases are weak, and they are going to be compromised no matter what we do.
There are an awful lot of username, email address and password hash combinations circulating in the underground after all of the recent breaches discussed above, and we have every reason to believe that we are going to see similar compromises in the future. These passwords are going to be used to compromise corporate networks.
The Advanced Persistent Threat (APT) is already coming into your network bearing legitimate access credentials. 100 percent of the attacks Mandiant investigated in 2011 utilized stolen credentials during the intrusion. Conversely, only 54 percent of compromised machines were infected with malware.
The question that we need to be asking is how do we detect attackers who log into our networks with legitimate credentials? Organizations that are only focused on looking for exploit activity at the network perimeter can't see attacks after they've already gotten in the front door. IT security teams also need visibility into authorized traffic on the internal network that enables them to detect and mitigate compromises after the walls have been breached.
Most enterprises aren't even performing basic logging of internal network activity. If they discover that a computer has been compromised, they have no way of figuring out what the attacker did next on the local network, or which other systems may have been tainted. However, good internal network visibility enables you to do much more than just investigate known breaches. It can also help detect them.
An analogy to credit card fraud is helpful here. Banks keep a profile of typical spending behavior for each customer, and when they see purchases that are far outside of that profile, they contact the customer.
The same principles can be applied to the network. The transactions crossing computer networks are far more complex than the kinds of transactions that a credit card sees, but patterns of behavior still exist. When an account executive from Florida logs in from overseas while he is sitting in the office, something is not right. If he starts checking software out of your source code repository, something is really not right!
In addition to being smarter about passwords, organizations must start to investigate next-generation technologies that can provide visibility into the internal network. Without higher levels of awareness and control over what is going on within our own environments, it will become increasingly impossible to thwart the ever-evolving threats we face today on the Internet.
Google Takes Street View to the Bottom of the World
Google offers Street View-esque images of Antarctica; a man wearing computer-assisted glasses is assaulted at a Paris McDonald's; the WTO rules on China's e-commerce market; a French court decision could mean Google has to censor file-sharing-related results from autocomplete; Microsoft apologizes to the EC, though it could still face huge fines.
Google unveiled a new Google Maps feature that will allow people to see Street View-style images from Antarctica.
The new feature, part of Google's World Wonders project, is designed to give users a glimpse of Antarctica and explain some of the history of Antarctic exploration. In addition, users can see 360-degree panoramas of historic sites such as the South Pole Telescope and small wooden huts used by explorers.
Google released this video about the new Antarctica feature:
Fracas in France
Steve Mann, an academic at the University of Toronto, was assaulted by staff at a McDonald's in Paris, according to a blog post by Mann that was subsequently picked up by various media outlets, including the Register.
Mann, who wears computer-assisted glasses somewhat akin to Google Glasses, was apparently thrown out of the McDonald's after staff tried to yank off his glasses. Mann has worn the glasses, dubbed the "EyeTap Digital Eye Glass," for the past 13 years.
Mann went to McDonald's on July 1, he said. After ordering food -- Mann got the Ranch Wrap -- someone with a McDonald's name tag "physically assaulted" him and tried to take off his glasses. The glasses, alas, are attached to Mann's head and can only be removed with tools.
McDonalds said it is investigating the claims.
Microsoft In Hot Water With EU
Microsoft has apologized to the European Commission for failing to follow an order to actively offer users a choice of Web browsers,according to The Guardian.
EC competition commissioner Joaquin Almunia, who has also appeared prominently in ongoing negotiations with Google , said Tuesday that Microsoft had failed to abide by a 2009 antitrust commitment to actively offer users a wide assortment of Web browsers, such as Google Chrome or Firefox, when setting up Windows. That commitment allowed Microsoft to avoid a fine at the time.
Microsoft followed up Almunia's statement with a prompt apology, stating that it deeply regrets the mistake. The statement went on to cite a "technical error" -- not insubordination -- as the reason for the snafu.
The New York Times also ran an article about the EC/Microsoft issue, reporting that the company could face a steep fine from the EU because it defied terms of a settlement. TheTimes also speculates that Microsoft's compliance issues could harden the EC's position against Google.
The EU recently upheld a $1 billion fine against Microsoft.
You Money IS Good Here
A Tuesday ruling by the World Trade Organization (WTO) could open up China's e-commerce 
sites to more consumers around the world, according to Tech In Asia.
sites to more consumers around the world, according to Tech In Asia.
The WTO ruling specifically addresses e-payment services and asserts that China discriminates against foreign suppliers. PayPal, for instance, works in China but does not function with most Chinese e-commerce sites; Visa, MasterCard and other international payment options are usually not accepted, according to Tech In Asia.
Tech In Asia goes on to report, however, that foreign payment options will be swimming upstream. Most Chinese online shoppers use Chinese equivalents to PayPal such as AliPay, meaning the market might already be cornered.
France Turns to Google to Thwart Piracy
A French Supreme Court move could force Google to censor search results to prevent piracy,according to Giga OM.
The case in question primarily concerns Google's Autocomplete feature, which provides suggestions for searches when users begin typing.
French music royalties society SNEP has been trying to force Google to stop including the term "torrent" with searches associated with music, according to Giga OM. SNEP also wants Google to disable autocomplete suggestions that include file-sharing sites such as RapidShare or The Pirate Bay.
Facebook Sinks on the User Satisfaction Curve
The hits keep coming for Facebook. The social networking site posted the largest decline in customer satisfaction, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index E-Business Report, conducted with customer experience analytics firm ForeSee.
Facebook dropped 8 percent, settling at a score of 61 on a 100-point scale. It is a record low for the social media category and it places Facebook in the bottom five companies of the 230 measured by the index.
At the same time, Google+ -- a social network launched by Google last year whose traction seems to have slowed since its initial burst on the scene -- scored rather well. In its first appearance, it clocked in with a 78.
Google+'s Strengths are Facebook's Weaknesses
The reasons for its relatively high performance, ACSI said, include the absence of traditional advertising and the perception of having a superior mobile product. Conversely, these areas garner complaints from Facebook users -- that is, Facebook has too many ads and doesn't have a strong mobile presence.The biggest complaint about Facebook, however, is its ever-changing user interface, the survey found -- including the introduction of its Timeline feature.
A Falling Category
Facebook's slip could be attributed in part to the category itself, which trended down in this survey. Social media in general dropped 1.4 percent to 69. Google's other social media property, YouTube, dropped a point to 73. Other companies measured include Pinterest, which received a score of 69; Twitter, which scored 64; and LinkedIn, which scored 63 -- the latter two being well below the category average.That low category score is indicative of the social media overload that people have been experiencing in the past couple of years, Gabe Donnini, data solutions engineer at Chitika, told TechNewsWorld.
"I am now finding things out about people, brands, and news that I am just not interested in -- there is only so much information any one person can absorb in a day," he said. "When relevancy goes down, so does satisfaction."
Death by a Thousand Cuts
Facebook clearly has a problem, however, and David Johnson, principal with Strategic Vision, diagnoses it as death by a thousand cuts."Facebook is an entity we love -- but love to hate as well. It comes across as arrogant, and it positions its changes as something the user has to adapt to, and if they don't like it, too bad," he told TechNewsWorld.
Facebook's numbers, however, are its primary advantage right now, and that will trump its crummy perception of its customer service, Johnson said. In addition, that advantage will keep Facebook afloat and growing for many years.
"People will continue to go where other people are, and right now that is Facebook. It is still the only game in town, despite the existence of other social networks," he said.
However, this survey and others like it show the seeds of what will be Facebook's eventual decline.
"Sooner or later a social network -- and it may be Google+ -- will [have] both the scale of a Facebook but far better customer service," said Johnson.
There are several things that Facebook has done that has led to decreased level of user satisfaction, Donnini noted, the most recent being the introduction of the Timeline feature. "This upset many users because they had to adopt it. Whenever you change the way someone navigates a site, they will not like it."
All that said, at the end of the day Facebook crushes Google in terms of user activity, unique page views, and time spent on the site. "It will not disappear -- and in fact, the competition from Google will just prove to make it more competitive," he predicted.
Help! These data share plans are too confusing (FAQ)
AT&T has followed Verizon Wireless's lead and unveiled its own "share plan" for data services.
(Credit: CNET)
The move toward shared data plans has left many wireless consumers scratching their heads in confusion. While Verizon has said it made these changes to simplify pricing, it's clear that consumers find these changes anything but easy to understand. AT&T's new pricing scheme, in some ways, is even more complicated than Verizon's plans.
To help consumers figure out what all the changes and whether or not they will be forced into plans they don't want, CNET has put together this FAQ to answer the most common questions. If your question hasn't been answered here, please send me an email at maggie dot reardon at cbsinteractive dot com. And I will add to this list of questions.
What's the new pricing for AT&T's share plan?
AT&T offers six tiers of data packages that range in price from $40 for 1GB of data to $200 for 200GB of data per month.
AT&T offers six tiers of data packages that range in price from $40 for 1GB of data to $200 for 200GB of data per month.
Depending on how much data you choose, you will pay either $45, $40, $35, or $30 to add a smartphone. People subscribing to the 1GB plan pay $45 for each smartphone on the plan. And people with a 10GB plan or more will pay $30 to add each additional smartphone.
Regardless of how much data you get as part of your package, you can add a basic phone for $30. A laptop, Netbook, or USB card will cost you another $20. And tablets will cost $10.
What's the new pricing for Verizon's share plan?
Verizon charges a flat $40 per smartphone regardless of how much data you purchase. A non-smartphone or basic feature phone costs $30 a month. And Mi-Fi, USB stick, Netbook or laptop is $20 a month. And you can connect a tablet for $10 a month.
Verizon charges a flat $40 per smartphone regardless of how much data you purchase. A non-smartphone or basic feature phone costs $30 a month. And Mi-Fi, USB stick, Netbook or laptop is $20 a month. And you can connect a tablet for $10 a month.
As for data, Verizon charges $50 for 1GB; $60 for 2GB; $70 for 4G; $80 for 6GB; $90 for 8GB; and $100 for 10GB. If users want to add more data, Verizon charges an additional $10 for 2GB more each month.
This is confusing. How do these two plans compare head-to-head?
Here are two tables created by my colleague Roger Cheng, which compares the two plans for smartphone customers.
Here are two tables created by my colleague Roger Cheng, which compares the two plans for smartphone customers.
What are the overage charges if you go over your data limit?
AT&T and Verizon each charge a $15 fee for each gigabyte consumed on top of the limit. But as I explained above, Verizon does allow customers to buy an additional 2GB of data for $10. And customers can add this additional 2GB if it looks like they are approaching their limit.
AT&T and Verizon each charge a $15 fee for each gigabyte consumed on top of the limit. But as I explained above, Verizon does allow customers to buy an additional 2GB of data for $10. And customers can add this additional 2GB if it looks like they are approaching their limit.
What's included as part of these share plans?
Both AT&T and Verizon Wireless include unlimited talk and text messaging with these new share plans. And they also allow you to turn your smartphone into a Wi-Fi hotspot at no additional charge. This will allow you to share your single data plan with devices that may have Wi-Fi but no 3G or 4G radio.
Both AT&T and Verizon Wireless include unlimited talk and text messaging with these new share plans. And they also allow you to turn your smartphone into a Wi-Fi hotspot at no additional charge. This will allow you to share your single data plan with devices that may have Wi-Fi but no 3G or 4G radio.
If I'm already an AT&T or Verizon subscriber will I be forced to switch to one of these shared plans?
The short answer is no. AT&T and Verizon have each said they don't want to force existing customers to change their service plans. If you're happy with an individual plan or a family plan that you're on today, you can keep it as long as you like, even after your contract expires.
The short answer is no. AT&T and Verizon have each said they don't want to force existing customers to change their service plans. If you're happy with an individual plan or a family plan that you're on today, you can keep it as long as you like, even after your contract expires.
What if I am a new subscriber to either AT&T or Verizon, do I have to select one of these new shared plans?
If you are a new subscriber to Verizon Wireless then the only option you will have for service are Verizon's Share Everything plans. Verizon is no longer offering its individual or older family plans to new customers. But remember, if you're already a Verizon customer, this does not apply to you. You will still have access to Verizon's individual and family plans and you will not be forced to switch to a Share Everything plan.
If you are a new subscriber to Verizon Wireless then the only option you will have for service are Verizon's Share Everything plans. Verizon is no longer offering its individual or older family plans to new customers. But remember, if you're already a Verizon customer, this does not apply to you. You will still have access to Verizon's individual and family plans and you will not be forced to switch to a Share Everything plan.
What about AT&T? Will new subscribers be forced to purchase a Mobile Share plan?
No, new AT&T customers will still have the option to choose one of AT&T's existing individual tiered plans. This means that you can still purchase the 450 minutes of talk time, a text messaging option and a separate individual data plan. AT&T currently offers 300MB for $20 a month; 3GB for $20 a month; 5GB for $50, which also includes the option to share data with a mobile hotspot.
No, new AT&T customers will still have the option to choose one of AT&T's existing individual tiered plans. This means that you can still purchase the 450 minutes of talk time, a text messaging option and a separate individual data plan. AT&T currently offers 300MB for $20 a month; 3GB for $20 a month; 5GB for $50, which also includes the option to share data with a mobile hotspot.
Existing AT&T customers will also get these same choices. And AT&T customers can even move back and forth between the plans. For example, if someone wants to sign up for a Mobile Share plan, but later decides he doesn't want that plan anymore, he can go back to a tiered individual plan.
Will I be able to keep my unlimited data plan if I had one of these plans already from either AT&T or Verizon Wireless?
When AT&T and Verizon got rid of unlimited data plans for new customers, they allowed existing unlimited data plan customers to keep those plans. Both carriers have said repeatedly that customers who had unlimited data before they changed their policy will be able to keep those plans indefinitely.
When AT&T and Verizon got rid of unlimited data plans for new customers, they allowed existing unlimited data plan customers to keep those plans. Both carriers have said repeatedly that customers who had unlimited data before they changed their policy will be able to keep those plans indefinitely.
But in order to keep this plan with Verizon, there's a catch. When their contracts expire on Verizon, unlimited data plan users must pay full price or come with their own Verizon-ready smartphone in order to keep the unlimited plan. Verizon will not offer a new device at a subsidized price and allow people to keep the unlimited data plan.
Meanwhile, AT&T says it has no such restriction. You can keep your unlimited data plan as long a you like.
Will AT&T make me give up my subsidized upgrade if I renew my service and want to keep my unlimited data plan?
No, when you are eligible for an upgrade, you can upgrade to a new device and still get a subsidized price on that new device and still get to keep the unlimited data. But keep in mind that AT&T slows usage on unlimited plans if people exceed more than 2GB of data per month.
No, when you are eligible for an upgrade, you can upgrade to a new device and still get a subsidized price on that new device and still get to keep the unlimited data. But keep in mind that AT&T slows usage on unlimited plans if people exceed more than 2GB of data per month.
I don't own a smartphone and all I want is basic phone service, will I have to sign up for a share plan?
These new share plans are really designed for data users. So if you don't need data, you will not be forced to sign up for one of these new plans. Verizon will also not force basic phone customers into share plans.
These new share plans are really designed for data users. So if you don't need data, you will not be forced to sign up for one of these new plans. Verizon will also not force basic phone customers into share plans.
Who are these share plans really for?
These share plans can offer good value to two kinds of consumers. The first type are customers who have one or more smartphones on family plans. These customers will now be able to get unlimited voice and text messaging and they'll also get a bucket of data to share among the other smartphone subscribers on the plan. This plan is really best suited for families where the individual smartphone users are moderate data users. It's also good for families where people talk a lot on the phone and text message.
These share plans can offer good value to two kinds of consumers. The first type are customers who have one or more smartphones on family plans. These customers will now be able to get unlimited voice and text messaging and they'll also get a bucket of data to share among the other smartphone subscribers on the plan. This plan is really best suited for families where the individual smartphone users are moderate data users. It's also good for families where people talk a lot on the phone and text message.
The other type of user this benefits is someone who has a Wi-Fi-enabled tablet or a laptop that they'd like to connect to the Internet on occasion. Now smartphone users who can turn their devices into Wi-Fi hotspots will be able to provide connectivity to these Wi-Fi devices. And they'll be able to use the same bucket of data that they use for their smartphone at no additional cost. For many users, this is a good deal, since the average smartphone user subscribes to a data plan that has more capacity than they actually need.
Of course, users who share data with other people on a data plan or between multiple devices, need to be careful that they don't exceed their monthly limits. The carriers each provide tools on their website and as apps that can be downloaded on devices to help users manage their data. There are also third party apps, such as Onavo, which helps users keep track of their data usage.
Which subscribers would not benefit from these share plans?
These plans are not as economical for families who don't need the unlimited voice or text messaging services. And it could prove costly for families in which one or more people on the plan is a heavy data user. These individuals will likely pay more for data usage. But even before AT&T and Verizon introduced these new plans, heavy data users were being forced to pay more. The carriers eliminated their unlimited data plans more than a year ago. And since then, new subscribers have been forced into some kind of tiered offering that requires people to may for what they use.
These plans are not as economical for families who don't need the unlimited voice or text messaging services. And it could prove costly for families in which one or more people on the plan is a heavy data user. These individuals will likely pay more for data usage. But even before AT&T and Verizon introduced these new plans, heavy data users were being forced to pay more. The carriers eliminated their unlimited data plans more than a year ago. And since then, new subscribers have been forced into some kind of tiered offering that requires people to may for what they use.
How can I figure out which type of plan is best for me?
The best way to figure out which plan is better for you is to do the math. Look at your voice, text and data usage. As I mentioned before moderate data users who need unlimited voice and text will get the most value out of the share plans. But people who use a lot of data but don't need voice or text, may not benefit as much. Once you know what your usage is like, you can compare the different scenarios and price them out. You may find that one of the share plans costs less or the same as the plan on which you're currently subscribed.
The best way to figure out which plan is better for you is to do the math. Look at your voice, text and data usage. As I mentioned before moderate data users who need unlimited voice and text will get the most value out of the share plans. But people who use a lot of data but don't need voice or text, may not benefit as much. Once you know what your usage is like, you can compare the different scenarios and price them out. You may find that one of the share plans costs less or the same as the plan on which you're currently subscribed.
Do you think other carriers will follow in AT&T and Verizon's footsteps?
Right now it sounds like T-Mobile is very much against the data share plans. The company put out this statement today about the plans:
Right now it sounds like T-Mobile is very much against the data share plans. The company put out this statement today about the plans:
"Unlike AT&T and Verizon, T-Mobile does not plan on introducing shared family data plans and believes consumers will not benefit from that model. AT&T and Verizon shared family plans are costly, complicated and punitive."
The company believes the plan is costly because it says that Verizon and AT&T are raising rates on data while promoting their plans as adding "value" because they offer unlimited voice and texting, two services that many people are using less often.
T-Mobile says that the share plans are complicated because it's difficult for customers to understand how much data they are using when they check Facebook, update Twitter, or share photos via Instagram. This makes it difficult to know when they are about to hit their limit.
And finally T-Mobile claims the plans are punitive because they make it more difficult for customers to manage overages.
When do these plans take effect?
Verizon's Share Everything plans started on June 28. AT&T hasn't set a specific date for when it's plans will take effect. But the company has said to expect them to be ready by late August.
Verizon's Share Everything plans started on June 28. AT&T hasn't set a specific date for when it's plans will take effect. But the company has said to expect them to be ready by late August.
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