AdminSpy Latest Gadgets and Gizmos

Lenovo recalls 100 000 laptop batteries

Fri, 02 Mar 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Lenovo recalled about 100,000 laptop computer batteries yesterday, warning that they could overheat and cause a fire.

The battery recall was the second for the company in the past six months and comes as Lenovo, the world's No. 3 computer maker, tries to gain ground on its better-known competitors.

The latest recall involves batteries made by Japan's Sanyo Electric and follows four reports of overheating. In one case, a user suffered minor eye irritation, the company said.

Lenovo, which has its world headquarters in Research Triangle Park, said consumers should stop using the recalled products immediately. It said the batteries can overheat if the laptop is dropped a certain way, striking the battery on a corner edge.

In September, IBM and Lenovo said they were seeking the recall of 526,000 rechargeable, lithium-ion Sony batteries purchased with ThinkPad computers after one of them caught fire at Los Angeles International Airport. Lenovo bought IBM's personal computer division in May 2005.

The earlier recall was part of a global recall of more than 10 million Sony-built batteries that were used in notebooks from Apple Inc., Dell Inc., Lenovo and others.

Article Source Lenovo recalls 100 000 laptop batteries

Slimmest LCD ever developed by Samsung SDI

Tue, 27 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Samsung SDI has developed the slimmest liquid crystal display (LCD) for mobile phones, breaking the record set by its sister firm Samsung Electronics only three months ago.

The display maker said the new prototype module is only 0.74 millimeters thick, while Samsung Electronics' product is 0.82 millimeters. Samsung SDI also said it will start mass-producing a 1.9-millimeter-thick LCD module from the second quarter of the year, which is also the slimmest among commercially available ones.

The 1.9-millimeter module will fit into Samsung Electronics Ultra Edition II series which is scheduled to hit the market this spring. The 0.74-millimeter version is to be equipped in Samsung's next-generation phones, the company said.

"We have secured the industry's leading technologies for both development and manufacturing of slim mobile phone displays, said Kim Kee-doo, chief of the mobile phone display development team. "We will be able to actively respond to the fast growing slim mobile display market."

Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI and LG.Philips LCD have been engaging in a three-way race to make slimmer, brighter and clearer mobile phone displays over the past years. Samsung Electronics, the biggest of the three, seemed to take a step ahead when it announced the development of the 0.82-millimeter module in November.

Monday's announcement from Samsung SDI means that Samsung Electronics' mobile phone department decided to purchase parts from SDI for its popular `Ultra series, instead of the ones made by its own LCD department.

The slim handset market has been steadily expanding since the phenomenal success of Motorola Razr phones. Samsung launched its Ultra series last year, which is from 6.9 millimeters to 12.9 millimeters thick.

As the demand rose from phone companies, display makers have worked to develop paper-thin color screens. So far, the slimmest of all is an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screen made by Samsung SDI. The laboratory version is only 0.6 millimeters thick, though the company does not have a plan for mass manufacturing.

The OLED is slimmer, and yet has an unmatchable picture quality than LCDs. But we don't want to rush to shift from LCD to OLED, as there are few competitors in the OLED sector, a company official said.

Article Source Slimmest LCD ever developed by Samsung SDI

Think Twice before SPAMMING

Sun, 11 Feb 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The next time you think about sending out dodgy advertisements to millions of unsuspecting people and hogging up Internet bandwidth, think twice.

Apparently a Dutch man was fined up to $97,000 for sending up to 9 billion unwanted advertisements around the world. Advertisements include advertisement for products such as erection pills and medication.

The Dutch telecommunications watchdog, OPTA, has levied the fine on the guy for trying to send out unsolicited emails containing sex websites and unapproved pills and they estimated that he sent out about 9 billion messages. That was just a rough estimate but the total amount could be even more.

According to a study, an estimate of USD$10billion is spent annually just on SPAM. Storage space, internet bandwidth and hardware costs are increasing yearly and so is SPAM, a definite waste of money and resources.

Article Source Think Twice before SPAMMING

Miserable failure: Google bombs & George Bush

Mon, 29 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Favourite online tactic to mock the president — altering the Google search engine so the words “miserable failure” lead to President Bush’s home page at the White House — has been neutralized.

Google announced on Thursday on its official blog that “by improving our analysis of the link structure of the Web” such mischief would instead “typically return commentary, discussions, and articles” about the tactic itself.

Indeed, a search on Saturday of “miserable failure” on Google leads to a now-outdated BBC News article from 2003 about the “miserable failure” search, rather than the previous first result, President Bush’s portal at whitehouse.gov/president.

Such gamesmanship has been termed “Google bombing,” and is not unique to President Bush, or even politics. John F. Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate in 2004, was linked to the search “waffles,” while other Google bombs have been elaborate jokes or personal vendettas.

Writing on the Google blog, Matt Cutts, the head of the Google’s Webspam team, said that Google bombs had not “been a very high priority for us.” But he added: “Over time, we’ve seen more people assume that they are Google’s opinion, or that Google has hand-coded the results for these Google-bombed queries. That’s not true, and it seemed like it was worth trying to correct that misperception.”

Despite the changes by Google, some other Google bombs are still operative. A search for “French military victories” still produces a first result that says, “Your search — French military victories — did not match any documents.” Click there and your find a mockup of a Google search page asking the question “Did you mean: French military defeats.”

The organizer of the “miserable failure” Google bomb was George Johnston, a political activist and software programmer in Bellevue, Wash.

What began as a prank become something more after Hurricane Katrina, Mr. Johnston said. In September 2005, he said he noticed a renewed interest in the “miserable failure” prank; he believes “people were in shock over New Orleans” and began typing “failure” into their searches. Mr. Johnston said he considered Google’s decision politically motivated, even if was not done by hand, and noted that the company had agreed to censor results in China. “I believe them that they tweaked the algorithm, but it is such weasel words,” he said. “The fact that some Google bombs still work makes me think they have a blacklist essentially of ways of tweaking results.”

He hasn’t given up the fight, he said, and remains unhappy with Google’s tweak. “They say they fixed it. I think they broke it,” he said.

Article Source Miserable failure: Google bombs & George Bush

Muslix64 Cracks Blu-Ray Copy

Fri, 26 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The hacker called Muslix64 who last month cracked the AACS (Advanced Access Content System) copy protection on movies in HD DVD format has now done the same with the AACS version that protects Blu-ray Disc high-def movies!

Having already hacked HD DVD copy protection last month coder ‘muslix64’ clearly decided it would be rude if he didn’t do the same with Blu-ray. Much to the joy of the public and the fury of Hollywood execs muslix64 has now announced he’s cracked Sony’s HD optical format too.

Speaking to slyck.com he revealed the much lauded DRM copy protection on both formats was circumvented not by tackling the encryption technology itself but rather by obtaining the relatively unprotected ‘decryption key’ from each disc. Once a user extracts this they can decrypt the encryption particular to each disc and produce copies.

An 18KB tool has been posted by muslix64 which enables users to obtain the keys to Blu-ray discs.

Details of the new crack by muslix64 are in Doom 9's Decrypting forum, where the HD DVD crack was first revealed.

Frustratingly however both HD DVD and Blu-ray discs can have their decryption keys updated so compromised keys can in theory be ‘banned’ and playback software will refuse to run them. Whether Hollywood will want to run the risk of invaliding millions of titles when the new keys can be just as easily obtained is open to debate.

Either way, it is clear that despite all the money thrown at next generation DRM copies will inevitably surface. The bigger question now is whether people can be bothered to download 15 to 30 gigabytes just to watch a movie

Article Source Muslix64 Cracks Blu-Ray Copy

Play Station 3 European launch date revealed

Thu, 25 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The long-awaited PlayStation 3 will finally go on sale across Europe on 23 March, and will cost 599 Euros.

Sony has said that only the 60GB version of the console will be available at launch, with the 20GB model to follow later.

The next-generation console is already available in Japan and the US, where it went on sale in November last year.

The European launch was postponed after problems mass producing parts for the console's Blu-ray disc drive.

Sony has said that one million of the consoles will be made available at launch in Europe, with around a quarter of the stock landing in the UK.

Each machine will cost £425 (in the UK) or 599 Euros. (you must be mad if you want to buy ps3 at this price)

The Xbox 360, launched in November 2005, was the first next-generation console on the market and has already sold over 10 million units.

The Nintendo Wii went on sale in November 2006 but immediately made an impact, selling over 700,000 units across Europe in December alone.

Buying a PS3 also gives owners free access to the online PlayStation Network where they can meet and take on other gamers.

For the European launch, Sony has said that more than 30 titles will be available including The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Motorstorm and Resistance: Fall of Man. Other titles such as Lemmings will be available over the PlayStation Network.

Article Source Play Station 3 European launch date revealed

MySpace sues Spam King Richter

Tue, 23 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

MySpace.com has sued self-proclaimed spam king Scott Richter for allegedly using compromised user accounts to send millions unsolicited ads touting ringtones, polo shirts among other things.

The MySpace lawsuit has accused Richter of using phishing techniques, including spoofing login pages, to harvest account details so that spam emails could be sent to MySpace members that appeared to come from of other members.

This is not the first time Richter has been slapped with a lawsuit. Previous cases in which Richter has settled includes a US$7 million settlement with Microsoft in 2005.

MySpace, which has more than 100 million registered members and is one of the most visited sites in the US, has had more than its share of troubles in the past year. In addition to facing lawsuits from families of under age girls who were sexually assaulted by predators they made contact with on the site, MySpace has been hit with a copyright infringement suit from Vivendi's Universal Music Group and a worm that lead members to compromise their security on fake websites.

MySpace, is determined to show that it is serious in fighting spammers and protecting the identity of its members. However, it is faced with the spectre of possible legal action from members who have had their security compromised through using the site.

Universal Music is suing myspace.com (Nov 18,2006)

Article Source MySpace sues Spam King Richter

Apple's lawyers attack everyone over iPhone icons

Mon, 15 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Apple is notoriously litigious, but its lawyers must be working overtime at the moment, as they try to stop people seeing the iPhone's icons misused.

After the Stevenote demonstrating the iPhone, a few users thought it would be cool to "borrow" the icons for use on their Treo, Windows Mobile or other smart phone, most of which already have the same features as the iPhone

Savvy coders have developed iPhone "skins" that work with most smartphones based on the Windows Mobile and Palm operating systems.

The issue has angered Apple to such an extent that it has sent its lawyers after a number of those involved - both directly and indirectly.

The skins don't add any new functionality to the devices, but make use of the iPhone's copyrighted icons to create a UI that distinctly resembles Apple's hybrid mobile phone.

Soon after the skins were uploaded to the Brighthand and Xda-developers internet message boards, Apple unleashed its legal team, who sent removal letters to at least one of the websites hosting the files.

Apple's lawyers also sent letters to journalists who simply reported on the fact that the skins were available.

"It has come to our attention that you have posted a screenshot of Apple's new iPhone and links that facilitate the installation of that screenshot on a PocketPC device," law firm O'Melveny & Myers LLP wrote to Paul O'Brien, who runs the MoDaCo website.

"While we appreciate your interest in the iPhone, the icons and screenshot displayed on your website are copyrighted by Apple.

"Apple therefore demands that you remove this screenshot from your website and refrain from facilitating the further dissemination of Apple's copyrighted material by removing the link to http://forum.xda-developers.com, where said icons and screenshot are being distributed."

Apple's actions have sparked fury among tech industry watchers, who have accused the company of bullying and being notoriously litigious.

"I think this is all complete nonsense," Michael Arrington, of the influential technology blog TechCrunch, said.

"If Apple wants to go after the guy that made the Windows Mobile skin that looks like the iPhone, fine. But to bully bloggers who are simply reporting on this is another matter."

Ironically, Apple's attempts to have the files removed from the web have only given the skins greater publicity, and they have already begun spreading to other websites.

The issue marks a distinct change in tone for many bloggers and journalists, who just last week praised Apple for its "revolutionary" and "game-changing" phone despite being unable to conduct a proper hands-on test of the product.

Article Source Apple's lawyers attack everyone over iPhone icons

Yet another lawsuit, Cisco vs Apple

Thu, 11 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

Cisco announced yesterday that it has filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California against Apple, seeking to prevent Apple from infringing upon and deliberately copying and using Cisco’s registered iPhone trademark.

Cisco obtained the iPhone trademark in 2000 after completing the acquisition of Infogear, which previously owned the mark and sold iPhone products for several years. Infogear’s original filing for the trademark dates to March 20, 1996. Linksys, a division of Cisco, has been shipping a new family of iPhone products since early last year. On Dec. 18, Linksys expanded the iPhone family with additional products.

“Cisco entered into negotiations with Apple in good faith after Apple repeatedly asked permission to use Cisco’s iPhone name,” said Mark Chandler, senior vice president and general counsel, Cisco. “There is no doubt that Apple’s new phone is very exciting, but they should not be using our trademark without our permission.

“Today’s iPhone is not tomorrow’s iPhone. The potential for convergence of the home phone, cell phone, work phone and PC is limitless, which is why it is so important for us to protect our brand,” Chandler concluded.

With its lawsuit, Cisco is seeking injunctive relief to prevent Apple from copying Cisco’s iPhone trademark.

According to AP, Apple spokeswoman Natalie Kerris said she could not immediately comment on the lawsuit.

Article Source Yet another lawsuit, Cisco vs Apple

CES 2007 Kicks Off in Las Vegas

Mon, 08 Jan 2007 00:00:00 +0000

The 2007 International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) kicked off in Las Vegas on Monday with 2,700 exhibitors debuting the latest technologies and consumer electronics gadgets.

The world's largest technology tradeshow, organized by the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA), runs through Jan. 11, and celebrates the show's 40th anniversary.

Product launches and a major industry keynote by Microsoft's Bill Gates on the eve of the show electrified attendees from across the world.

The CES showcased the latest innovations and products in GPS, digital imaging, audio, home theater, robotics and more.

"The pre-CES events generated major excitement and anticipation for what's to come this week at the 2007 International CES," said Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of the CEA.

CES attendees are experiencing a new convergence of consumer technology products emerging from the show floor, with new products incorporating the features, services and content that consumers crave, he said.

On Saturday evening, the third annual CES unveiled, the official press event of the International CES kicked off the pre-show media events at the Sands Expo and Convention Center/The Venetian -- CES' newest venue for the 2007 show.

The media buzz continued on Sunday morning, CES' press day, with 13 exhibitor press conferences taking place at the Sands/Venetian. CES exhibitors including LG, Pioneer, Philips, Toshiba, Sharp and Panasonic, made major announcements and launched new products during their events.

Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates electrified the CES stage Sunday night with his tenth keynote appearance. After crowd applauds following Gates' announcement that he will return to deliver the 2008 International CES keynote, more than 4,000 attendees sat spellbound as Gates shared how the company is delivering on the promise of the "Connected Experience." Windows Vista, which Gates characterized as the most important release of Windows ever, will make it easier, safer and more fun to use the PC and will play a central role in the experience.

Through Windows Vista, Microsoft Office and Windows Live, consumers will connect to multiple devices and access live services, such as real-time weather and traffic reports.

With Windows Media Center and Windows Vista, sports enthusiasts can enjoy real-time games, scores and alerts and digital photos can be edited, organized or burned to DVD all within the Windows Photo Gallery.

Gates announced that more than 1.5 million devices are compatible with Windows Vista and previewed new PCs from multiple manufacturers and a Windows Home Server, all powered by Windows Vista.

For his final announcement, Gates was joined on stage by Ford Motor Company's Mark Fields, to introduce the Microsoft-Ford "Sync" partnership, which promises to take the connected experience to the car. Microsoft auto software will connect devices into the vehicle allowing consumers to sync calls and other content with their car audio system. The fully upgradable technology will be available in a dozen Ford car models this year.

Article Source CES 2007 Kicks Off in Las Vegas