Google files patent for backside touch controls

posted on Mar 8th 2013 by Kevin                                                

Google has filed a patent for “simple backside device touch controls,” a concept that could change the way we interact with smartphones in the future. The concept is simple: introduce touch controls to the rear casing of a device. The control could be smartly reconfigured (by remembering the last performed action) to allow for quick recall of common functions simply by tapping the rear the the phone.
Google’s patent details how variations in touch strength could be used to either trigger a function or allow for a preview, eloquently providing users with one more way to interact with their phones. Of course, a patent filing does not necessarily equate to a technology we will see any time soon.
Such is the case with Apple. The company filed a similar patent for tablets back in 2006. I can see the lawsuit now, and it gives me a headache.

Android botnet turns infected handsets into SMS spam generators

By Shawn Knight

On December 20, 2012, 7:30 AM EST

Comments6

A new Trojan called SpamSolider that infects Android devices is to blame for an increasing number of spam text messages in the US. The malicious software is bundled alongside free versions of popular mobile games like Angry Birds Space and Need for Speed: Most Wanted, according to a recent report from The Register.

Once SpamSolider has infected a handset, it goes about sending out a slew of bogus text messages offering recipients a web link to a free game. Often times, a free game actually accompanies the spam but it’s just used as a distraction so users won’t get suspicious.

In the meantime, SpamSolider is busy sending out thousands of unsolicited SMS messages. The Trojan downloads a list of phone numbers from a command and control server, according to Andrew Conway from Cloudmark. The researcher said his company has seen a peak rate thus far of more than half a million texts per day courtesy of SpamSolider.

Researchers believe the person(s) behind the Tronajn first released it into the wild back in late October. It was originally marketed as an anti-spam app before the author changed course and decided to lure unsuspecting victims in with the offer of a free game instead.

It wasn’t until November 28 that the spammer began to monetize the attack with free gift card offers. As Conway points out, there are ultimately no free gift cards for the victim. Instead, spammers get to collect your personal data to use for affiliate programs to line their pockets with cash.

Facebook is experimenting with paid messages sent to strangers

By Shawn Knight

On December 21, 2012, 8:30 AM EST

Comments12

Facebook is testing a new feature that will allow some users to send messages to people they aren’t friends with. It may not sound like a big deal initially until you realize that the social network will be charging for the convenience – or inconvenience, depending on how you see it.

It’s the latest in Facebook’s continued campaign to generate additional revenue streams which, if nothing else, will make investors happy. As recently noted on the official Facebook blog, a select number of users now have the option to pay to have a message routed to a non-friend’s inbox.

Up to this point, Facebook has used social signals such as friend connections and algorithms to identify spam and determine relevance. Messages determined to be less relevant would usually end up in the “other” folder and thus, often overlooked.

Users interested in sending an “unsolicited” message will be charged $1 per person it’s sent to. It could be a worthy investment if you’re trying to get in touch with someone you might not otherwise have access too but at the same time, those $1 fees could add up quickly if you plan to send out a lot of messages.

As CNET points out, Facebook has a wealth of user data but very few credit cards on file. New features likepromoted photos / posts, gifts and now this will certainly help the social network collect more credit card information. The only question that remains is, how badly do you want to reach out and speak to someone?

Samsung announces ultra fast 16GB MicroSD memory card

South Korean technology giant Samsung Electronics looks set to bolster its position as the world’s leader in advanced memory technology with the launch of a new ultra-fast MicroSD format memory card product targeted at tablets and 4G LTE smartphones.

The new MicroSD card format is built from 20-namometer class 64Gb toggle DDR 2.0 NAND flash memory, which will initially be offered in a 16GB version using their new UHS-1 (ultra high speed) interface. The new cards are said to be capable of sequential data read speeds as fast as 80MB/sec -- almost four times that of the current industry leader’s maximum of 21MB/sec.

This marks the first time the UHS-1 technology has been implemented into Micro SD memory cards, although the technology has already featured on full size SD cards used in digital SLR cameras and video recorders.

"[The UHS-1 interface] allows consumers to enjoy high-quality images and video playback directly from the memory cards," said Wanhoon Hong, Samsung’s executive vice president for memory sales and marketing. "Our UHS-1 card demonstrates how Samsung plans to continually expand its line-up of memory cards in accommodating the market need for higher densities and greater performance."

They appear to be ideal when paired as a storage medium for 4G LTE smartphones where the increased transfer performance will match the increased bandwidth LTE devices have, as well as providing high speed data storage for tablets capable of using the MicroSD memory card design.

Samsung began production of the new 16GB UHS-1 Micro SD memory cards late last month. As production increases the firm will expand their offerings with "higher density solutions that reinforce its position as the leading market innovator for NAND flash." So it’s possible we could see 32GB versions arriving later in the year.

There is currently no word on pricing or availability, but given the announcement it’s likely to start appearing on store shelves within the next couple of months.

IBM to build low-power, exascale computer for largest-ever radio telescope

For the next five years, IBM will be working with the Netherland's National Institute of Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) in hopes of developing a low-powered, exascale supercomputer. According to IBM, such a computer would be millions of times faster than today's high-end desktop PCs and possibly thousands of times faster than even the most recent super computers. The computer will be used to analyze data collected by SKA (square-kilometer array), a cutting-edge radio telescope which will become the largest and most sensitive of its kind ever built. ASTRON plans to have the telescope ready by 2024.

Exascale refers to a computing device that is so incredibly fast, the number of floating-point operations per second it can perform is measured not in gigaflops or even petaflops, but exaflops. Today, even the highest-end desktop CPUs clock-in around 20 gigaflops. Even when you consider the current masters of parallel computing, GPUs, FLOPS of the peta-kind are still unheard of outside the realm of supercomputing.

This low-powered supercomputing cluster will be charged with the task of collecting, storing and analyzing exabytes worth of astronomical data on a daily basis. To put this into perspective, for each day it operates, the amount of data which will be collected is expected to exceed the sum of raw data transferred through the entire Internet, globally. In fact, under ideal conditions, it may be more than twice as much.

To maintain a combination of high performance and low power, IBM will be investigating a number of its own experimental technologies, including 3D stacked circuits and novel optical transfer technologies.

A few interesting facts:

• SKA will need to store up to 1,500 petabytes of data per year.
• The computer will need to manipulate  bewteen 1 to 3 exabytes of data per day.
• 64-bit architecture currently has an address limit of 18 exabytes.
• SKA will survey over 3000km of sky at a time, nearly the width of the continental U.S.

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Apple overtakes RIM in smartphone sales on their home turf

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Apple has knocked off Research in Motion as the top smartphone provider in Canada for the first time. Canadians have remained loyal to RIM through some hard times over the past few years but the troubled company based in Waterloo, Ontario wasn’t able to fend off Cupertino in 2011.

RIM shipped 2.08 million Blackberry devices in Canada last year, compared with 2.85 million iPhones in the same time frame. This is in stark contrast to 2010 where RIM sold over half a million more handsets than Apple. In 2008, Blackberry phones outsold the iPhone by nearly a five to one ratio. Bloomberg notes that sales in Canada represent about seven percent of the company’s total revenue.

As one of the largest global brands to emerge from Canada, RIM has enjoyed local support which makes it even more troubling that an outsider has overtaken them on their home turf. The downturn can be credited to any number of factors, but Alfred DuPuy from research firm Interbrand hit the nail on the head when he essentially said RIM didn’t invest enough in promoting their devices once the iPhone shipped.

It will be up to RIM’s new CEO Thorsten Heins to try and steer the company back in the right direction. RIM plans to give prototype Blackberry 10 devices to developers in May so they can get started on producing apps for the new operating system set for release this fall.

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Adobe Photoshop CS6 beta now available as free download

By Shawn Knight

March 22, 2012, 11:30 AM EST

Comments3

Adobe has released a beta version of Photoshop CS6 that is free to download and try. The latest installment of the popular photo editing software for PC and Mac is said to have 60 percent more features than CS5 including around 65 user-requested features.

Last month Adobe demonstrated a couple of impressive new features known as content-aware move and the extend tool, both of which are included in CS6. Content-aware allows the user to select an object and move it to a different location in the photo. The software’s algorithm will do all of the work, effectively moving the object and filling in the empty space with a believable background based on the surround areas.

An extension of the content-aware mode called extend (no pun intended) allows you to lengthen an object in the scene by grabbing and stretching it. Adobe has also added a Camera RAW sub-application that provides the user with better control over their RAW images. CS6 can even make automatic adjustment based solely on a user’s lens profile.

Adobe has also included a set of video editing tools for the traditional photo editor. PC Mag notes that users can split and join clips, add transitions between different segments and even apply photo adjustments to the video like brightness, contrast and tint.

"Photoshop CS6 will be a milestone release that pushes the boundaries of imaging innovation with incredible speed and performance," said Winston Hendrickson, vice president of products for Adobe Creative Media Solutions. "We couldn't wait to share this beta of Photoshop CS6 with our customers and are looking forward to hearing from them and seeing the ways they are incorporating the beta into their daily creative workflows."

In addition to the new features, CS6 has been redesigned with a darker interface, although users can selected a lighter gray background in the options.

The beta is available now for anyone on a PC or Mac to download and try. Adobe will be releasing the full version in the second half of 2012 at $699 for the standard version and $999 for the Extended package. Adobe now offers a subscription model that starts at $35 per month with a one-year commitment or $49 on a month-to-month basis.

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