What's new in the tech world
iPhone
The firm has patented keyboard technology on the 11.6mm thick phone, calling it "multi-touch".
It is essentially a computer with a blank screen that users configure so they can operate the monitor with their fingers.
"We are all born with the ultimate pointing device - our fingers - and iPhone uses them to create the most revolutionary user interface since the mouse," said Mr Jobs.
A full touch keyboard is available for text messaging and there is a built-in two mega pixel camera.
Mr Jobs said the iPhone was a "revolutionary and magical product that is literally five years ahead of any other mobile phone".
It works like magic... It's far more accurate than any touch display ever shipped. It ignores unintended touches. It's super-smart."
He added: "The iPod changed everything in 2001. We're going to do it again with the iPhone in 2007."
The phone will be available on the network of US mobile firm Cingular and will run Apple's OS X operating system. It will come in two versions - one with 4GB of storage space, the other with 8GB.
The phone, which will cost from $499 to $599, will be launched in the US in June and Europe later this year.
PS3
Yes you read right those are the prices. Sony has not been able to ship the promised four hundred thousand units.
The shortage has created people camping in front of stores for days, some scuffling - police being called out etc.
But this takes the cake “Some aren't even trying to get a PlayStation 3 but know the value of a space in line close to the store's front doors.
At a Circuit City in Schaumberg, Ind., Eric Arana and his wife are selling their spot for $2,000 — they're number 43 in line.” ABC News How crazy is that?
Want to bid for a PS3? Try here
Four Second Cut Off
Websites face four-second cut-off Visitors are likely to abandon a website if it takes longer than four seconds to load, a survey suggests. Also a badly put-together site turns off customers
The research by Akamai revealed users' dwindling patience with websites that take time to show up. It found 75% of the 1,058 people asked would not return to websites that took longer than four seconds to load.
Akamai consulted those who shop regularly online to find out what they like and dislike about e-tailing sites. About half of mature net-shoppers - who have been buying online for more than two years or who spend more than $1,500 a year online - ranked page-loading time as a priority.
It found that one-third of those questioned abandon sites that take time to load, are hard to navigate or take too long to handle the checkout process. The four-second threshold is half the time previous research, conducted during the early days of the web-shopping boom, suggested that shoppers would wait for a site to finish loading.
About 30% of those responding said they formed a "negative perception" of a company with a badly put-together site or would tell their family and friends about their experiences.
Connect Your iPod To an Airplane Seatback Display
Sometimes the coolest and most useful Apple announcements come out of the blue with little fanfare. Apple today announced that beginning next year (mid-2007), it would offer iPod integration with the video screens "on the seatbacks in front of you"—also known as the seatback screens on some of the newer planes that make cross-country non stops or fly over big oceans.
What exactly does this integration offer? According to the announcement, fliers will be able to charge their iPods at their seats, as well as sync up to the seatback-video-screen, making continuous viewing (or listening) of whatever you have on your iPod a reality for the entire flight, even on those super-long hauls to Tokyo or Dubai. Low battery life? Suddenly a non-issue for frequent travellers.
Yahoo tech
Vishing...
Wickipedia defines this as "phishing by phone"
Vishing exploits the public's trust in landline telephone services, which have traditionally terminated in physical locations which are known to the telephone company, and associated with a bill-payer. However, with the advent of VoIP, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) telephone services may now terminate in computers, which are far more susceptible to fraudulent attacks than traditional "dumb" telephony endpoints.
The whole thing works like this:
1. The criminal configures a war dialer to call phone numbers in a given region.
2. When the phone is answered, an automated recording is played to alert the consumer that their credit card has had fraudulent activity and the consumer should call the following phone number immediately. The phone number could be a toll free number often with a spoofed caller ID for the financial company they are pretending to represent.
3. When the consumer calls the number, it is answered by a typical computer generated voice that tells the consumer they have reached account verification and instructs the consumer to enter their 16-digit credit card number on the key pad.
5. The call can then be used to harvest additional details such as security PIN, expiry date, date of birth, bank account number, etc.
All about phishing...
I did some research on Phishing and what I found is quite scary! If you do online banking
- change your password once every 60 days at least
- Have a combination of letters and numbers
- Do not store your password details on your hard drive
- Do not use the same password for other online activities
Wikipedia defines Phishing as “To fraudulently acquire sensitive information like passwords and credit card details or bank account information by masquerading as a trustworthy person or business in an electronic communication. Phishing is typically carried out using email or instant message sometimes by phone as well.
Last month a report on fraud against online banks claimed that so-called "Phishing" attacks had risen by 800% in the year to August. It said that month there were 1,484 such incidents among UK online bank customers.
The report, published by Apacs, suggested that of the 15.7 million people who regularly operate their current, savings and credit card accounts over the internet, only half a million - nearly 4% - would respond to unsolicited emails asking them to divulge their security details. But 35% recorded their password or security information in writing or somewhere near their computer.
File sharers face legal action
More than 8,000 alleged file sharers are facing legal action
This latest crackdown targets uploaders - people who allegedly put their music files onto peer-to-peer networks.
In July, file sharing site Kazaa handed over more than $100m (£63m) to the music industry in settlements. It followed other sites such as Napster in changing its service to offer legal downloads.
The new cases cover file sharers in 17 different countries who have been allegedly using sites including BitTorrent, eDonkey, SoulSeek and WinMX.
For the first time legal action is being taken in Brazil, Mexico and Poland.
The IFPI said the actions affect a wide-variety of people: a laboratory assistant has been charged in Finland, while a parson has been served with action in Germany. Parents whose children have been illegally file-sharing have also been targeted.
"People should understand that they can be caught whatever network they are using. The next time a series of law suits are announced you could be on the receiving end if you are an illegal file-sharer."
BBC Technews
Staying safe online
There are now thought to be more than 200,000 malicious programs in existence - the vast majority of which are aimed at subverting Windows PCs.
These problem programs can arrive via e-mail, instant messenger, through your internet connection or even your web browser if you visit the wrong website. The threats are so numerous and appear so fast that Windows users must feel under siege.
- Use anti-spy ware and anti-virus programs
- On at least a weekly basis update anti-virus and spy ware products
- Install a firewall and make sure it is switched on
- Make sure updates to your operating system are installed
- Take time to educate yourself and family about the risks
- Monitor your computer and stay alert to threats
BBC online
Geekspeak for online users
Quick guide to jargon
- VOD - video-on-demand
- Wikis - Collaborative technology for editing websites
- IPTV - internet protocol television
- RSS - Really Simple Syndication alias automated news feeds
- Web 2.0 - user-generated content phase of internet
- Triple-play- internet, TV and phone in one subscription
- VoIP - voice over internet protocol
- IM - instant messaging
- Blogging - frequent, chronological publication of personal thoughts on the web
- Podcasting - internet broadcasting for playback on MP3 players