Hacker offers access to military, government, educational sites for bargain-basement prices

Security firm Imperva reports that a hacker is selling access to military, educational, and government websites for bargain basement prices ranging from $55-499. Imperva, which reported on the hacker on Friday, believes that he was able to gain access to the sites through a SQL injection technique.

The priciest hack is access to the homepages of the U.S. Army, National Guard, and Army Forces, goes for $499 each. The Department of Defense, surprisingly, is lower-priced, and access only costs $399.

In addition to these and other .mil, .edu, and .gov sites, the hacker is also selling personal data at the going rate of $20 for 1,000 names, addresses, and telephone numbers. As an example, Imperva displays a redacted screenshot of University of Connecticut staff members' information.

The hacker will also scan a site for security vulnerabilities for a mere $2, "hack a normal website" for $10, hack a "high-profile website" for the open-ended $10+, or give a customer 3MB of random hacked accounts for $65.

Truly, this hacker is sort of the Target, or even Wal-Mart of hacks, with a large selection of wares. It's truly frightening, especially with his sale on "normal" websites and person information.

Leaked slide reveals NVIDIA Tegra 2 3D mobile chip coming in Spring, 2011

A leaked slide from NVIDIA's Mobile World Congress presentation shows that techies shouldn't get too comfortable with NVIDIA's Tegra 2 chipset, which it's been heavily promoting and which will appear in many upcoming handsets and tablets. That's nice enough, but hold onto your hat: NVIDIA will be shipping a Tegra 2 3D processor this year.

Indeed, the word 3D is the "in thing" now, and NVIDIA isn't blind to that. The new Tegra 2 3D will be based on a Dual Core Cortex A9 clocked at up to 1.2 GHz, providing performance rated at 5520 MIPS. The slide says Q1 production, with a Spring introduction.

Tech Eye believes that the 3D technology used in handsets will differ from Nintendo's 3DS:

It can be reasoned coming mobile handsets will offer a Master Image TN-LCD display using cell parallax, a technology using the individuals cells to create a 3D effect instead of a parallax barrier, as Nintendo will be using in its 3DS console.

Master Image explained that shutter glasses enable 3D in theaters to work by shutting out peripheral vision. Because of the way that users look at handsets and tablets, they effectively shut own their own peripheral vision themselves, Master Image said, by moving the devices around inside the viewing cone.

This is just one leaked slide from NVIDIA's presentation, so it will be interesting to see what else NVIDIA has to show off at Mobile World Congress.

Newest Cydia release tracks, restores your jailbroken apps

Some say the best smartphone is a jailbroken iPhone, but one problem (aside from the obvious, that jailbreaking, although legal, voids your warranty) is the issue of reinstalling all your jailbreak-only apps if you update and re-jailbreak. The latest version of Cydia can help with that problem.

iTunes will restore your non-jailbroken apps when you upgrade to a new version of iOS, or if you restore your iPhone. For jailbroken apps, you have to re-install them manually, at least until now.

Cydia is the "market" that users go to for apps specifically for jailbroken iOS devices. Possibly because of technology Cydia acquired via Rock Your Phone, you can now login with your Facebook or Google account. Once that's done, Cydia will track your purchases, so that you can reapply them after you jailbreak the next version of iOS.

It's a lot better than having to hunt down your old apps again via the repositories involved. Of course, Apple would prefer not just that jailbreaking was harder, but that it couldn't be done. Considering it's the only way to get a useful lock screen (among other things), many hope otherwise.

Nexus S, Nexus One receive SMS redirection bug fix builds

he users who have long suffered with a random SMS addressing bug that has gathered a lot of attention lately may soon see fixes. Both the recently introduced Samsung Nexus S on Android 2.3 (Gingerbread) and the HTC Nexus One on Android 2.2 (Froyo) have seen minor updates this weekend that reportedly fix the bug.

The Nexus One gets an update from Android 2.2.1 (FRG83D) to Android 2.2.2 (FRG83G). Meanwhile, the Nexus S receives an update to 2.3.2. Both updates are bug fix updates, and both fix the SMS redirection bug.

Of course, those on other devices will still be affected, until a similar patch rolls to their device. It's unclear if this patch will break the ability to root a patched device.

TPB plans 'The Music Bay' as music industry surprise: report

The Pirate Bay, despite its legal ups and downs, remains one of the most infamous BitTorrent sites around. Those involved in TPB may be on the cusp on introducing something new, something they say the music industry should fear.

For years, The Pirate Bay has sat on a domain name, http://themusicbay.org. It's done nothing with it, although it originally planned to; right not it just directs users to The Pirate Bay. That may be changing soon, according to TorrentFreak, which spoke to a Pirate Bay insider.

“The music industry can’t even imagine what we’re planning to roll out in the coming months. For years they’ve complained bitterly about piracy, but if they ever had a reason to be scared it is now. It will be a special surprise for IFPI’s 78th birthday, and we’re thinking of organizing a huge festival in Rome where IFPI was founded.”

The active subdomain fear.themusicbay.org currently displays a “comming soon” [sic] title, so it seems that the IFPI, or the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, has something to be concerned with. Its 78th birthday is in April of 2011. It will be interesting to see what comes in that month.

App Store 10 billion download winner hung up on 'prank' Apple call

The winner of Apple's 10 billionth download promotion hung up on the company when they called, thinking it was a prank. Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK, had downloaded Paper Glider, a free iOS game, on Saturday, and with that, won a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

Davis said:

“I thought it was a prank call. I said, ‘Thank you very much, I’m not interested’ and I hung up.”

The call came Eddy Cue, Apple’s Vice-President in charge of iTunes. Her daughter told Davis it wasn't a prank, and she started to panic, but she needn't have: Apple wasn't going to let one hang-up deter them.

"The more I thought about it, the more I realized it was a genuine call. The girls were getting quite tense. They never would have forgiven me. They would have held it against me for all eternity.”

Indeed they would not have.  Gail Davis didn't actually make the download.  It was one of her two daughters, 14 and 17, who was the actual winner.  Fortunately for her, Davis was called again a few hours later by one of Cue's colleagues.

Davis and her husband only have iPod nanos, which cannot run iOS apps. They're thinking of upgrading their devices so they can start downloading. She needs to hurry; as she indicated, her daughters are already trying to figure out what to buy.

Two Promotional Apple iPhone - AT & T and Verizon

After months of fighting between Verizon, Apple and AT&T, the latest ad from Apple shows it's all one big happy family, showing the Verizon iPhone 4 and AT&T iPhone 4 side-by-side with the tagline "Two is Better Than One."

The ad is set to the Blue Danube (or An der schönen blauen Donau), the famous Johann Strauss waltz. It shows two iPhone 4s simultaneously scrolling, surfing, checking iBooks, using FaceTime, and more, all identically, before the AT&T and Verizon logos appear, followed by the tagline "Two is better than one."

Past ad campaigns by Verizon have mocked the AT&T network and the iPhone on it. Now that the popular smartphone is on the Verizon network, any anti-iPhone (and pro-Android) commercials will be a thing of the past.

One difference missing from the commercial, and one thing that Verizon iPhone buyers need to remember, is that voice and data calls cannot be made simultaneously on CDMA network. That means that if, say, you are listening to an Internet radio station, when a call comes in, the station feed will automatically terminate. Once the call ends, you will be reconnected.

Looking at it from the other direction, if you were on a call, you couldn't suddenly go to Yelp at the same time. In this case, you won't disconnect from the voice call; it just won't work.

Watch the video below.

Verizon's off-contract iPhone 4 price $50 more than AT&T

It's been said before that Verizon is the priciest U.S. carrier, and it certainly hasn't done anything to discount that belief with something just noticed in their FAQ. The unsubsidized, full retail price for the Verizon iPhone is $50 more than the same price for the AT&T iPhone.

Here's what the FAQ says re: Verizon iPhone 4 pricing:

$199.99 for the 16GB model, and $299.99 for the 32GB model, with a new 2 year agreement. iPhone 4 will also be available for purchase at full retail price - $649.99 for the 16GB model, and $749.99 for the 32GB model.

For the 16GB model, AT&T charges $599 and for the 32GB model,a $699.

It's unclear why Verizon is charging more for their version of the iPhone 4, but the most obvious thing that comes to mind is the CDMA chipset inside the device. While $50 compared to the full retail price of the device is small, it's still an interesting additional difference between the two iPhone 4s.

Apple retail stores seen carrying universal iPhone 4 bumpers

The Verizon iPhone isn't quite here yet, but a newly designed bumper case, that fits both the AT&T and Verizon versions, is. We noted earlier that some third-party cases, as well as Apple's own bumper cases, would need slight modifications to fit the new Verizon iPhone.

While the Verizon iPhone is mostly unchanged externally from the AT&T iPhone, there were some changes made to the metal band around the exterior, which functions as an antenna for the device. Because of this, the mute button was moved. The new bumper case has a wider opening for the mute switch, and that's the only change.

In addition to moving the mute switch slightly, the Verizon iPhone has 4 antenna gaps, while the AT&T design has only 3. Aside from that, it's pretty much the same device, except, Verizon would claim, that it runs on a more reliable network. Meanwhile, AT&T would claim it runs on a slower network.

For ourselves, speed doesn't count for much if the network is overloaded. The countdown to the Verizon iPhone 4 continues, with pre-orders beginning for existing Verizon customers on Feb. 3. You can see the unboxing video below.

Motorola's Xoom tablet to be priced at $800; HTC Thunderbolt at $249

The minimal advertised price (MAP) of the Motorola Xoom, considered by many to be the first real iPad rival, has been leaked in images obtained by Android Central from a Verizon source. The price, even given the specs, is a rather jaw-dropping $799.99.

Jaws drop, however, because of apples-to-oranges comparisons. Whenever a price comparison is made, most use the iPad's minimum price, of $499. Compared to the Xoom, this looks like a $300 difference. However, with the Xoom' specs, it should really be compared with the 32GB iPad 3G model, which is priced at $729.

Realistically, it could be compared to the 64GB model ($829), as the Xoom has a microSD card slot adding still more storage. Additionally, the Xoom's specs are superior to the current iPad. They include:

• Android 3.0
• 10.1-inch 1280 x 800 display
• Dual Core 1Ghz NVIDIA Tegra 2
• 1GB RAM
• 32 GB internal memory with microSD Card slot
• 10 hr video playback battery life
• 5 MP Rear camera with Flash and 720p HD video capture
• supports 1080p HD video and HDMI output
• 2MP video calling camera
• Accelerometer, gyroscope, barometer
• 802.11n wi-fi with hotspot capability
• Bluetooth 2.1
• 3G (upgradeable to 4G, later)
• 4G (later model, will come in Q2)

Despite the superior specs and a pretty good apples-to-apples comparison in pricing, many commenters criticize the pricing. There is some justification for their reasoning: Apple has a big lead with the iPad, and in order to catch up with the first really powerful alternative to it, pricing adjustments might need to be considered.

Still, this appears to be unsubsidized pricing, without a contract. It's unclear if subsidized pricing will be offered. There are also many other tablets coming, in a wave that is bound to see many successes --- and many failures. Finally, we still don't have an exact date, although it is supposed to be  sometime in Q1 for the 3G version, later upgradeable to 4G, and Q2 for the 4G version.

The same images, by the way, out the HTC Thunderbolt's pricing at $249, which sounds subsidized. It's a little more than the $199 that we're used to seeing for most handsets, but a 4G premium is probably there. It's expected to be Verizon's first 4G handset to hit the market.

You can watch a Xoom teaser below.

The App Store reaches the 10 billion download milestone

Apple thanked end users 10 billion times on Saturday, as the 10 billionth app from the App Store was downloaded. While we are not sure who the winner is yet (Apple says come back later), we know that the winner gets a $10,000 iTunes gift card.

The winner didn't actually have to download an app, either. There was a non-download entry form as well. The winner was either the downloader of the 10 billionth app, or the person who submitted an entry form immediately after the 9,999,999,999 app was downloaded.

The number of downloads in the App Store have been skyrocketing, along with device use. By the end of September 2009, the App Store was at 2 billion apps downloaded. About a year ago, in January 2010, there were 3 billion downloads. When the "countdown" began, the store was some 250M apps short, and that was just over a week ago.

In February of 2010, Apple had a different 10 billion download mark hit: the 10 billionth song song from iTunes: Johnny Cash's "Guess Things Happen That Way."

Update: The 10 billionth app downloaded was Paper Glider.  It was purchased by Gail Davis of Orpington, Kent, UK.  Davis will receive a $10,000 iTunes Gift Card.

Verizon Ally owners see Froyo update, while Fascinate owners continue to wait

LG Ally users can rejoice: the Verizon smartphone, which was rumored to get an update to Android 2.2 (Froyo) in February, has just begun receiving OTA updates. It's humorous that the device, a mid-range smartphone, is able to receive a Froyo update OTA while Samsung's top-of-the-line Galaxy S cannot.

It's unclear exactly when the updates began rolling out, but based on the fact that Friday people were still speculating as to when the update would come, it had to begin being pushed out sometime late Friday / early Saturday.

The update (VS740ZVD, Android 2.2.1) brings a ton of improvements to Android, including performance improvements, the ability to move apps to the SD card, improved security, and more.

Verizon LG Ally owners can now wave their devices in front of their Verizon Samsung Fascinate brethren. The only Galaxy S smartphone, of which the Fascinate is one, to receive a Froyo update is the T-Mobile Vibrant, and that requires a cabled install using Samsung's Kies desktop software.

Ballmer makes sure Hu knows: 90 percent of Microsoft software in China is pirated

How bad is Chinese piracy of Microsoft software? Reportedly, 90 percent of Microsoft software used in China is pirated.

That's what Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said when joining a number of U.S. and Chinese business leaders for a meeting at the White House with U.S. President Barack Obama and Chinese President Hu Jintao. Although his exact words were not revealed, President Obama used the statistic at a later press conference. He said:

Some of it has to do with intellectual property protection. So we were just in a meeting with business leaders, and Steve Ballmer of Microsoft pointed out that their estimate is that only one customer in every 10 of their products is actually paying for it in China. And so can we get better enforcement, since that is an area where America excels -- intellectual property and high-value added products and services.

And the Chinese government has, to its credit, taken steps to better enforce intellectual property. We’ve got further agreement as a consequence of this state visit. And I think President Hu would acknowledge that more needs to be done.

In addition to hitting Microsoft's bottom line, frequently pirated software is not updated as often, leading to easy targets to be turned into botnets. Although President Hu might acknowledge more must be done, it's unclear what those steps will be.

Calif. city mulls posting DUI mug shots to PD's Facebook page

Social networking sites like Facebook can be a source of embarrassment for those who might post things they regret. However, a city is considering helping DUI offenders along in that sort of embarrassment.

Devin Dwyer, a councilman in Huntington Beach, CA, wants police to begin posting mug shots of DUI repeat offenders to the Huntington Beach PD's Facebook page. Originally, he wanted all DUI offenders posted, but Dwyer modified the proposal in an attempt to get it past the 7-member city council.

Huntington Beach is a city of about 200,000 residents. Among 56 California cities of a similar size, Huntington Beach is ranked tops in alcohol-related traffic fatalities. In 2009, 195 people were killed or injured. At the same time, drunk driving laws are strictly enforced, and in 2009, there were 1,687 DUI arrests.

Police spokesman Lt. Russell Reinhart said that the PD's Facebook page, launched in November, has proven to be a valuable way of getting information to and from the public. He is concerned public interest might dry up if this practice of public shaming of all repeat DUI offenders were conducted. He said,

"We see no value in doing that. Law enforcement is not about public shaming."

Despite this, Dwyer says he has wide support from residents. The vote takes place next Tuesday, Jan. 25, 2011.

(Adobe) Flash-y Toshiba tablet teaser site mocks the iPad

Toshiba's yet unnamed Android tablet has a new teaser site. The site shows off the tablet's features, confirms a few things, but at the same time, in its Flashiness, mocks the iPad as well.

If you use an iOS device to access the site (TheToshibaTablet.com), the site detects it and tells you that you can't watch the video, because it's Flash. It says:

“Such a shame. Add this to the list of interesting places on the Internet you can’t see on your device. Of course, if you had a Toshiba Tablet, you would enjoy the entire Internet. Yep, Flash sites too.”

The specs on the Toshiba tablet are:

• 10.1" display
• Tegra 2 dual-core processor
• Android 3.0 Honeycomb
• 2MP front facing camera
• Stereo Speakers
• Landscape mode dock
• HDMI out
• USB 2.0 port
• MiniUSB port
• Headphone and microphone jacks
• User-replaceable battery
• Combined volume, screen orientation, and power buttons
• Full-size SD card slot

The Toshiba tablet (come on; name it already) will face plenty of competition when it emerges. Not just other Android tablets like the Motorola Xoom, but the iPad 2, RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook, and perhaps even a webOS tablet.

Apple is pretty sure who will win, but after the way Android took on the iPhone in smartphones, that battle is far from certain.

Samsung's Vibrant sees its Froyo update, but sadly not OTA

Samsung has followed through on the promise uttered by T-Mobile CMO Cole Brodman on Thursday. The company has just issued an emailed press release that states the T-Mobile Vibrant Froyo update is now available. What, all it took was a legal threat?

Sadly, although as expected, the update will not come OTA, but instead requires an end user to connect his Vibrant to his PC and use Samsung's Kies Mini software. To be honest, it feels very retro (and not in a good way), and really, this sort of update has always been more daunting for end users.

Also, while Apple continues to use tethered updates, at least the software they use to install the update isn't custom. Instead, it's just plain old iTunes. We have to admit, it seems really old-school in these days of OTA updates for just about every other recent Android phone.

Once the update is completed, your Vibrant will be on build number T959UVKA6 also known as KA6. The full set of instructions are here.

At least Samsung delivered for the Vibrant; now how about the Captivate, Epic 4G, Mesmerize and Fascinate?

AT&T's bottom 7.5 percent coverage-wise to get free Microcells

AT&T's 3G Microcell, along with other such devices for other carriers, is used to improve signal quality in areas with poor reception. Many believe that's the entire nation, but the company itself has been test marketing free Microcells in really bad areas, and its about to expand that program nationally.

Beginning on January 23, AT&T will be sending out mailers inviting customers determined to be qualified for the program to sign up for a free Microcell. AT&T has selected the "top 7.5 percent of 3G wireless customers identified as likely to experience poor in-building coverage at home or in small offices."

The catch is that you are committed to AT&T service for a year. If you exit before then you have to either return the MicroCell or pay the Microcell's upcoming new (and raised) price of $199.99 minus $16.67 for every month that you've had it.

This verbal agreement to keep the Microcell a year has no effect on your current service plans or your eligibility for an equipment upgrade.

A femtocell like AT&T's Microcell uses your home of office's broadband to give you a better signal. To the device, it's as though it's attached to a tower, but it's attached to the femtocell instead. For places with marginal coverage, it can be the only way to get a good signal.

In a way, this is a great deal for those who get it. In another way, it's not, as it tells you AT&T considers you in their worst 7.5 percent in terms of coverage.

Rovio to slingshot 'Angry Birds' into an animated series

Angry Birds is about to join other such hit video games as "Pac-Man" and turn itself into an animated series. Anyone who remembers the horror that was the Pac-Man series just shuddered, as Rovio made the announcement on Wednesday.

Angry Birds is a hit on both iOS and Android. There are also stuffed animals, as well. Milking the hit, Rovio will produce an animated series for either television or the Web.

Rovio CEO Mikael Hed told the British TV industry site C21media.net:

"We have been looking at that for quite a while, and that is definitely one of my personal big focus areas right now -- to work on broadcast content for 'Angry Birds,'"

Meanwile, company spokesman Ville Heijari told AFP:

"We are planning a cartoon that would be interesting to the whole family, for both adults and children. We are seeking co-operation with the best scriptwriters and the best distributors."

An Angry Birds player uses a slingshot to catapult birds of varying types at various structures and pigs. who stole the birds eggs. It will be interesting to see if they can pull off a series that makes sense. Pac-Man was just silly, and you can watch a clip to confirm it yourself.

Apple's latest attempt to 'screw' iPhone owners involves pentalobular screws

Apple's iPhone is sealed from end users, with the company not even including a user-replaceable battery. It seems, however, the company is going to still further length to ensure the device is tamper-proof, using custom made screws, and not just that: if you have standard screws and get your iPhone 4 repaired, they replace them.

iFixit is a company famous for their new device teardowns.   The site notes that during repairs, Apple is replacing the iPhone 4's standard Philips #00 screws with new "pentalobular" ones. Worse, to gain access to a tool for that screwhead, you have to prove you are an certified Apple repair technician or company. The tool is also very expensive.

iPhone 4s in the U.S. shipped with the aforementioned Phillips screws, but other countries received the pentalobular screws, and as noted iPhone 4s are receiving them upon repair. As sealed as the iPhone 4's OS is, apparently the device needs to be sealed the same way.

As MJ at iFixit said:

Apple won't sell me the screwdriver I won't need to fix my own phone. And all of this for what: to keep people from modding their phones to make them different colors? Heaven forbid!

We're not sure the word "diabolical" is correct to describe Apple's actions, but at any rate, iFixit's interest in this is not totally altruistic. They have just released a new product called the "iPhone 4 Liberation kit." It includes a special Phillips driver to remove the tamper-resistant screws, Phillips screws like the iPhone 4 was originally shipped with, and a Phillips driver for those.

The only possible problem is since the driver to remove the pentalobular screws is not the precise tool required, it could render them useless. On the other hand, as MJ said, you're not going to need them anyway.

It would seem, to me, that you could probably find your own Phillips screwdriver that would similarly remove the pentalobular ones (destroying them as well), without forking over the $10, but it is convenient that there is a kit that provides the screws, too.

Ah, and similar, but differently sized screws are in mid-2009 MacBook Pros and the new MacBook Airs, and iFixit has users covered there, too. Once again, they're not being altruistic.




Apple's Diabolical Plan to Screw your iPhone from iFixit on Vimeo.

Motorola apologizes for bootloader comment gaffe, promises change

Motorola's bootloader policy on its recent Android phones hasn't been received well by Android fans who love custom ROMs and rooting. A recent response to a comment on Motorola's YouTube account inflamed things more, and Motorola responded on Wednesday with an apology on Facebook.

A locked bootloader pretty much prevent customs ROMs on Motorola devices.  Rooting is still possible, but custom ROMs are popular among many on Android.  The original FUBAR occurred when a Motorola employee responded on their YouTube account (the comment has been replaced with something apologetic):

@tdcrooks if you want to do custom roms, then buy elsewhere, we’ll continue with our strategy that is working thanks.

Considering Motorola Nobility is only now making a comeback from its doldrums, it hardly seems good to direct them to another company. Their Facebook apology reads:

We apologize for the feedback we provided regarding our bootloader policy. The response does not reflect the views of Motorola.

We are working closely with our partners to offer a bootloader solution that will enable developers to use our devices as a development platform while still protecting our users' interests. More detailed information will follow as we get closer to availability.

The edited comment at YouTube, while not word-for-word the same, provides pretty much the same answer.

While we doubt there will be many, or any, changes to older devices, it will be interesting to see how and if Motorola follows through with this. The upcoming Atrix 4G and its dock attachments were well received at CES, with the only problem for us being AT&T as the carrier.