Sep102010

Smartphone chatter

Published by dave at 4:23 PM under technology | Hardware

Windows Phone 7 home screenLots of Smartphone chatter lately.  Rumors persist Apple will have a CDMA phone that works on Verizon “soon” and in fact Apple shares climbed to their highest level ever today on word it “is a done deal” according to the Salt Lake Tribune.

Meanwhile Pocket Lint, a UK based website reporting Windows Phone 7 will be publicly launched October 11 at hugeiPhone event to take place in New York City.

Also worth noting the barrage of Smartphone's coming to market running Google’s Android platform as well. 

One thing is for certain, consumers win this coming Holiday season with all the options you will soon have! 



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Sep082010

Google Instant – not so fast!

Published by dave at 3:41 PM under Internet | Daily Tips | Opinion | privacy | technology

You may have seen the news today announcing new technology from Google called “Instant search”.  The blog post from Google announcing the development can be found here.

I’m always curious to see what’s behind emerging trends, especially when it’s something being pushed by Google.  So is Google Instant the greatest breakthrough in search this decade or not?

Only time will answer that question, but my initial review of the technology leaves me unmoved and more than just a little suspicious.

Google Instant certainly results in a visually appealing search experience, but at what cost to your privacy?  If the devil is in the details, here is the devil you should be aware of if you are going to use Google Instant.  From Google’s own FAQ regarding instant search:

“Please note, users on domains other than Google.com can only access Google Instant if they are signed in to a Google Account”

In other words, unless you are logged in to GMAIL, Google voice or other Google service, Instant Search will not work.  Of course if you are signed in, EVERYTHING you search for can be used to  uniquely identify the person behind the search query.  This should raise further privacy concerns from consumer watchdogs and I suspect it will in time.

For now I will take a wait and see attitude with regard to Google Instant, but I will also refrain from using it until more facts are known.



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Sep082010

ALERT! New scareware scheme

This news just in from AV solution provider Sunbelt Software:

Security researchers have uncovered a new scareware attack named MSIL/Zeven, which lures users into downloading a fake antivirus software.

The malware identifies users' browsers and displays an authentic-looking version of the browsers' malware warning page, as a way of convincing individuals that the alert is real. When users click on the link presented in the fake warning page, they are directed to a website where they can purchase antivirus software known at "Win7 AV."

The site that offers the antivirus software is designed to look identical to a legitimate Microsoft website, though security experts warn users that the page is fake. To defend against these malicious crimes, leaders in the field advise users to be skeptical of what they download from off the internet, as well as install the latest malware protections.

Many researchers have found the new attack website's design is so close to the real thing, even skilled professionals have a difficult time deducing whether it's a fake.

Recently, security analysts uncovered scareware malware loaded onto a computer at a major airport in England. The presence of malware on public terminals could be a dangerous signal for web users, who may be giving their private information to cyber crooks without even realizing it.



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