Sony announces which Xperia phones will get Jelly Bean

The cards are on the table - Sony just announced the update plan of its Xperia line. Here's the list of models that will get updated to Android 4.1 Jelly Bean and also the ones that will remain stuck with 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich.

Sony's latest high-end Xperia phones - the Xperia T, TX and V - will be updated to 4.1 Jelly Bean in mid-Q1 next year.

Next up are the global versions of Xperia S, Xperia acro S, Xperia ion, Xperia P, Xperia go and Xperia J. The release date for the update will be announced later. It's still unclear what will happen to the localized versions.

And now, the ones left behind - the whole 2011 Xperia lineup (which got updated to ICS) will not be getting Jelly Bean because Sony "would not be able to guarantee owners of these smartphones the user experience you expect and we demand".

It's a bit disappointing that the Xperia J, which has a cut-down version of the Qualcomm chipset that powers the 2011 Xperias, is getting JB but the older models are not.

http://www.gsmarena.com/sony_announces_which_xperia_phones_will_get_jelly_bean-news-4970.php

What Windows RT Can’t Do

 

You probably know that Windows 8 comes in two different versions—Basic x86 Windows (this is what you use now) and Windows RT. They have similar names. They look the same. But there are serious differences between the two—ones you should know about before you plunk down your cold hard cash on a Microsoft tablet.

Surface—and other Windows tablets that follow it—will come in both Windows RT and full Windows varietals. Which is great! More choice is always better. The problem you're going to run into, though, is that the gap between RT and x86 is as wide as that between iOS and OS X—except the two Windows offerings look exactly the same at first blush.

There are a ton of benefits to using RT, like better battery life, lighter weight devices, cheaper price points. But there are limitations, too. Here are a few of the big ones.

Won't Run a Lot of Your Programs

The most basic way that Windows RT hamstrings you is also the most comprehensive: You cannot run many of the same programs that you do on your regular desktop PC. And the apps you can use have to be updated to run in Metro/Modern/whatever on RT.

For a lot of basic tasks, that's not an issue. Especially not for students, since RT comes with a free, full version of Office 2013. But the absence of legacy software will be a problem for anyone else who's bought into the Windows ecosystem over the decades and expects their programs to work across their devices. They won't. The full x86 Windows tablets—like the Surface launching three months from now—can run basically any Windows program you've bought in the last several years.

Bottom line: If you're someone who needs specific programs for work—even something basic like Photoshop—you're going to have to hold off on an RT machine.

Limited App Selection

This one should be just a temporary snag, but the app selection for Windows RT isn't as robust as you're used to. In addition to not running legacy x86 apps, the OS can also only install apps through the Windows Store. So, all of those certification issues that you've heardfrom the gaming side of things? While they won't matter all that much on regular Windows 8 (which can grab programs from anywhere), they could severely limit the apps that you'll see on the RT platform for a while.

Right now, there are 5,562 total apps in the Windows Store worldwide—3,488 in the US—and 94 percent of them are Windows RT. compatible. That's a decent number, and includes support from heavy hitters like Netflix, Evernote, and Amazon. The top-notch first party services from Microsoft help too. But Android 3.0 Honeycomb got rightly skewered for having such a lackluster offering of available tablet apps, and RT's numbers are in the same ballpark. Among the missing notables: Twitter, Facebook, and Spotify. Again, x86 Windows tablets won't have this problem; they can run anything that works on your desktop today.

Thankfully, RT does come with that full Office 13 suite. Office RT will include Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and OneNote, and syncs your documents over SkyDrive.

Less Open

A lot's been made about the Windows Store predominance moving Microsoft away from Windows being an open platform. Full Windows 8 is going to remain more or less the same—you can still download an app from anywhere and install it, without going through any official Microsoft channels. But buying and installing stuff on RT devices is pretty much like doing so on an iOS device: It only works through Microsoft's Windows Store. There's nothing inherently wrong with that, but it's different. And it's going to rub a few people the wrong way.

There's a chance you'll be able to sideload apps through Windows RT architecture—you can on Windows Phone 8—but it will likely be more trouble than it's worth.

Windows Media Player/Center

If you use Windows Media Center as your home DVR, you're also going to need an x86 machine to control it, since RT doesn't work with WMC. It also doesn't come with Windows Media Player, but that's not a big deal since the onboard media players will handle most of that load.

Business

Business users—of which Microsoft has more than a few—should be particularly wary of RT. Most importantly: You cannot use Windows RT with a Windows Active Directory domain. So if you need AD to be active for work, you've got to go x86.

You also won't get Outlook with your RT Office 2013, so you'll have to use Mail and Calendar to sync up with Exchange. That's not a huge compromise, but with how rigid some offices are about keeping everything standard, it could be a deal breaker. And the apps you do get with Office 2013 will have to be activated for use in a business setting.

Should You Wait?

For most casual consumers, the folks who want to use their Windows tablet like they would an iPad, Surface should be plenty fine—especially once Microsoft gets that app store populated. But Microsoft hasn't done a particularly good job explaining the difference between RT and x86, even to its own employees. And the differences that might not matter to one person might be a deal-breaker for others.

http://gizmodo.com/5952934/what-windows-rt-cant-do?utm_campaign=socialflow_gizmodo_facebook&utm_source=gizmodo_facebook&utm_medium=socialflow

Παραγωγή βενζίνης από… αέρα!

Βρετανοί ερευνητές κατάφεραν να μετατρέψουν τον αέρα σε βενζίνη. Το επίτευγμα ίσως μελλοντικά αποδειχτεί ορόσημο για την μαζική παραγωγή καθαρής ενέργειας...

και αποτελέσει απάντηση τόσο στην ενεργειακή κρίση όσο και στην επιβάρυνση του περιβάλλοντος με «αέρια του θερμοκηπίου», εφόσον όμως στην πορεία ξεπεραστούν διάφορα εμπόδια. Η μικρή βρετανική εταιρεία με την εύγλωττη ονομασία Air Fuel Synthesis (δηλαδή «σύνθεση καυσίμων από αέρα»), σύμφωνα με τη βρετανική «Ιντιπέντεντ», χρησιμοποιεί μια επαναστατική τεχνολογία και έχει καταφέρει να παράγει πέντε λίτρα βενζίνης από τον Αύγουστο, όταν έθεσε σε λειτουργία μια μικρή μονάδα που παράγει καύσιμα από διοξείδιο του άνθρακα και υδρατμούς του αέρα.

Η εταιρεία ελπίζει ότι μέσα στην επόμενη διετία θα δημιουργήσει ένα μεγαλύτερο, μαζικής παραγωγής, εργοστάσιο που θα παράγει ένα τόνο «αερο-βενζίνης» την ημέρα. Επίσης, σχεδιάζει να παράγει «πράσινα» καύσιμα για τις αεροπορικές εταιρίες, ώστε τα αεροπορικά ταξίδια να εκλύουν λιγότερο διοξείδιο του άνθρακα στην ατμόσφαιρα. Ο Τιμ Φοξ, επικεφαλής για θέματα ενέργειας και περιβάλλοντος του Ινστιτούτου Μηχανολόγων Μηχανικών του Λονδίνου, δήλωσε ότι «ακούγεται υπερβολικά καλό για να είναι αληθινό και όμως είναι αληθινό. Το κάνουν πράγματι και το έχω δει με τα μάτια μου».

Αν και η όλη διαδικασία βρίσκεται ακόμα σε πιλοτικό στάδιο, ήδη έχει αποδειχτεί πως δουλεύει. Όπως είπε ο επικεφαλής της εταιρίας Air Fuel Synthesis Πίτερ Χάρισον, «παίρνουμε διοξείδιο του άνθρακα από τον αέρα και υδρογόνο από το νερό και τα μετατρέπουμε σε βενζίνη. Κανείς άλλος δεν κάνει κάτι τέτοιο πουθενά στον κόσμο, από όσο ξέρουμε. Το προϊόν μοιάζει και μυρίζει σαν βενζίνη, αλλά είναι πολύ πιο καθαρό από τη βενζίνη που προέρχεται από πετρέλαιο. Επιπλέον, δεν περιέχει κανένα από τα πρόσθετα που υπάρχουν στη συμβατική βενζίνη. Παρόλα αυτά, το προϊόν μας μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί στις υπάρχουσες μηχανές».

Ο Χάρισον τόνισε ότι το πλεονέκτημα της νέου τύπου βενζίνης είναι πως δεν απαιτεί καμία αλλαγή στις υφιστάμενες υποδομές των μεταφορών, ενώ δεν είναι αναγκαία καμία μετατροπή στα αυτοκίνητα, όπως τοποθέτηση έξτρα μπαταριών, προσθήκη ειδικών κυψελών καυσίμου ή ντεπόζιτου υδρογόνου, κάτι που απαιτούν οι εναλλακτικές τεχνολογίες (ηλεκτρικά οχήματα, υβριδικά, υδρογόνου κ.α.). Όπως είπε, «έως το τέλος του 2014, αν εξασφαλίσουμε την κατάλληλη χρηματοδότηση, θα μπορούμε να παράγουμε βενζίνη χρησιμοποιώντας ανανεώσιμη ενέργεια και θα το κάνουμε σε εμπορική βάση». Ο Χάρισον εξέφρασε την αισιοδοξία του ότι το πολύ σε 15 χρόνια θα λειτουργεί το πρώτο εργοστάσιο μεγέθους διυλιστηρίου. «Αν παράγουμε τα δικά μας καύσιμα, έχουμε τη δυνατότητα να αλλάξουμε την οικονομία μιας χώρας», υπογράμμισε.

Σε πρώτη φάση, η Air Fuel Synthesis σχεδιάζει να παράγει «αερο-βενζίνη» που θα είναι δυνατό να αναμιχθεί με συμβατική βενζίνη. Προς το παρόν, πάντως, η τεχνολογία δεν έχει αναπτυχθεί επαρκώς και δεν είναι αποδοτική για να αξιοποιηθεί εμπορικά. Επειδή η απόσπαση του διοξειδίου του άνθρακα από τον αέρα δεν έχει ωριμάσει αρκετά, η εταιρία αναγκάζεται να χρησιμοποιεί πρόσθετο διοξείδιο που προμηθεύεται από άλλες βιομηχανικές πηγές. Διάφορες εταιρείες σε όλο τον κόσμο προσπαθούν να βελτιώσουν την τεχνολογία απόσπασης διοξειδίου από τον αέρα, μια διαδικασία που κοστίζει περίπου 500 ευρώ ανά τόνο διοξειδίου. Φυσικά, όπως και με άλλες πρωτοεμφανιζόμενες τεχνολογίες, το κόστος τους στην πορεία υποχώρησε θεαματικά, κάτι που μπορεί να συμβεί και σε αυτή την περίπτωση.

http://www.thestival.gr/technology/item/58554-paragogi-benzinis-apoe280a6-aera21

Google launches ARM-based $249 Chromebook

Google may not have had tremendous success with their ambitious Chromebook project but they don’t plan on hanging up their gloves any time soon. The newest product in the Chromebook like is a 11.6-inch model manufactured by Samsung and will be selling for just $249.

What really makes this Chromebook different from others is that this is the first to run on an ARM-based processor. Inside, the new Chromebook has a dual-core Exynos 5 Dual 5250 processor, which if youremember, is the world’s first Cortex A15 based SoC.

Other than that it has a 1,366 x 768 resolution display, 2GB of RAM, 16GB built-in flash memory + 100GB on Google Drive, 1 x USB 3.0 port, 1 x USB 2.0 port, HDMI-out, SD card slot, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The Chromebook has a battery life of over 6 hours, which is surprisingly less for something running on such frugal hardware.

The new Chromebook is available for pre-order online from Amazon, Best Buy, PC World and other retailers and will be available on the Play Store next week onwards. You can also buy them at over 500 Best Buy stores across the U.S and over 30 PC World and Currys stores in the U.K.

Google expected to unveil Android 'Key Lime Pie,' new Nexus handset at Oct. 29 event

Less than a week after Apple's "iPad mini" event, Google will host its own media briefing where the company is expected to unveil the next major version of Android, as well as a new Nexus-branded smartphone.
Media were invited this week to event scheduled for Monday, Oct. 29, in New York City. The invitation shows the Android search bar with the tagline "The playground is open," set against a cartoon New YOrk skyline.

In addition to a new Nexus phone expected to be built by LG, Google is also expected to show off the next major version of its Android mobile operating system, dubbed "Key Lime Pie." The successor to Android 4.1 "Jelly Bean" is expected to come preinstalled on the new LG handset, based on the Optimus G design.

Beyond falling less than a week after Apple's Oct. 23 event, Oct. 29 marks the same day that Microsoft will hold its own press briefing across the U.S., in San Francisco. That's where Microsoft will formally launch its own Windows Phone 8 platform, which aims to compete with both Apple's iPhone and devices running Google Android.

Google's event will be held at the Basketball City venue in New York, and will kick off at 10 a.m. Eastern, 7 a.m. Pacific. Microsoft has not yet revealed the venue in San Francisco for its Windows Phone 8 presentation, but it will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific.

And next Tuesday, Apple's event will be held in San Jose, Calif. at the California Theatre. The presentation, in which the company is expected to unveil a smaller iPad along with new Macs, will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern, 10 a.m. Pacific.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/10/18/google-expected-to-unveil-android-key-lime-pie-new-nexus-handset-at-oct-29-event

Apple exploring sonar tech to replace IR proximity sensors

An Apple patent application published by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on Thursday describes a system that may one day replace the infrared proximity sensors deployed in current iPhones with sonar-like technology. 

Source: USPTO

Apple's invention for "Passive proximity detection" negates the need for the current IR sensor, replacing it with a system that can detect and process sound waves to determine how far away an object is from a portable device. 

Much like passive echolocation or a loose interpretation of passive sonar, the filing describes a system that takes two sound wave samples, a "before" and an "after," and compares the two to determine if an external object's proximity to the device changed. "Sampling" occurs when a transducer, such as a microphone, picks up ambient sound and sends a corresponding signal to the device's processor for analysis.

The invention relies on basic acoustic principles as applied to modern electronics. For example, a microphone's signal equalization curve from an audio source changes when the device moves towards or away from an object, which "variably reflect[s] elements of the sound wave." 

This effect may be noticed when sound is reflected by soft material as opposed to a hard surface. Generally, sound reflected off the soft surface will seem muted when compared to the same sound reflected off a hard surface located at the same distance and angle from an audio transducer and a sound source.

In one of the invention's embodiments, two microphones are situated at different planes on a device, and detect the subtle changes in broad-audio-spectrum caused by interference when a sound wave interacts with an object.

To relate this to a common phenomenon, when a sea shell is held up to one's ear a resonant cavity is formed that amplifies ambient sounds. This hi-Q filtering results in the ocean like sounds one hears.

In another example, response signals produced by two microphones located at either end of a device can be compared to determine if an object is nearer to one or the other. For example, when a user's face is close to the top of a device, as is usual when talking on the phone, the microphone located near the ear will produce a different reactance ratio than the microphone located at the device's base. 

Microphones located at two ends of an iPhone.

Basically, the signals from two transducers, or microphones, detect slight changes in ambient sound and sends corresponding signals to a processor which then compares the two to determine whether an object is in close proximity to either of the mics. 

Monitoring of the microphones can be live or set to take samples at predetermined intervals, such as after a user begins to speak. Placement of the microphones can also be tweaked, and in some cases can be located next to each other. 

Finally, a more active detection method is proposed, where an internal speaker generates noise, taking the place of ambient sound waves. 

Illustration of peak frequency compared to ambient noise signals produced by mics.

As portable electronic devices become increasingly smaller, the need to develop space-saving components, or to combine parts to serve a number of uses, becomes more pressing. Such is the case with Apple's latest iPhone 5, a device that packs 4G LTE, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth communications, a battery that can last for days, a 4-inch Retina display, two cameras, and a litany of other features into a chassis only 7.6 mm deep. 

Space is already at a premium with the iPhone, as evidenced by the new Lightning connector, which Apple's Worldwide Marketing chief Phil Schiller said was needed to create such a thin device. Moving forward, the company is rumored to incorporate near field communications (NFC) for e-wallet payments, which will take up even more precious room. 

It remains to be seen if Apple will one day employ the passive proximity detection technology in a consumer device, however the iPhone is a platform ripe for deployment as it already boaststhree mics for noise canceling and call quality purposes.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/10/18/apple-exploring-sonar-tech-to-replace-ir-proximity-sensors

Apple looking to add character to text-to-speech voices

An Apple patent application discovered on Thursday outlines an invention that uses metadata from emails, texts and other communications to determine how a synthesized voice sounds in a text-to-speech (TTS) system.

Source: USPTO

The filing, titled "Voice assignment for text-to-speech output," looks to create "speaker profiles" which can change the voice characteristics of TTS output to match parsed-out metadata like age, sex, dialect and other variables.

As noted by the application, many systems exist today to aid the visually impaired, including the system on Apple's iPhone, however most TTS engines "generate synthesized speech having voice characteristics of either a male speaker or a female speaker. Regardless of the gender of the speaker, the same voice is used for all text-to-speech conversion regardless of the source of the text being converted." Apple's invention proposes a different solution.

Instead of hearing the same voice for every message, the invention obtains metadata "directly from the communication or from a secondary source identified by the directly obtained metadata" to create the most suitable speaker profile.

According to the patent filing, "Providing a speech output that is associated with a speaker profile allows speaker recognition while providing a more enjoyable and entertaining experience for the listener." 

An example is provided in which a user receives a message from "Charles Prince," who has an email address of charles.prince@isp.uk, regarding a party for "Albert." In this case, the system could use the ".uk" address as primary metadata. Secondary metadata can be gathered if a contact card is attached to the message, or if Charles Prince's information is already in the user's address book.

Metadata samples.

The data from the text and the corresponding metadata are then fed into a TTS engine, which assigns a speaker profile to convert the text into speech. 

After converting each word and phonetic transcription in the text to distinct sounds that comprise a given language, the TTS engine then divides and marks rhythmic sounds like phrases, clauses and sentences.

In some implementations, speech can be created by piecing together pre-recorded voice fragments, including sounds, entire words or even sentences, that are stored on a mobile device or in an off-site database.

In other implementations, the TTS engine can include a synthesizer that "incorporates a model of the human vocal tract or other human voice characteristics to create a synthetic speech output according to the speaker profile." 

One of the most interesting iterations notes that "a speaker's voice can be recorded and analyzed to generate voice data."

From the patent filing's description:

For example, the speaker's voice can be recorded by a recording application running on the device or during a telephone call (with permission). The voice characteristics of the speaker can be obtained using known voice recognition techniques. In this implementation, a speaker profile may not be necessary as the speaker's name can be directly associated with voice data stored in voice database.

As for output, the system may pick the ".uk" email address to use as primary metadata, taking contact card information like a birthday to determine sex and age, to subsequently output a speaker profile matching an older male with a British accent. Charles Prince's physical address, phone number, or picture can also be used to determine a speaker profile. The more metadata available, the more refined the output.

Flowchart of TTS system.

It is unclear if Apple plans to deploy such a system, however the company currently has a similar, albeit less advanced, system in place with Siri. While the feature is limited to certain regions, Siri has an option to choose dialects like "English (United States)" or "English (United Kingdom)" to recognize incoming voice commands, as well as provide responses in the selected accent.

http://appleinsider.com/articles/12/10/18/apple-invention-gives-character-to-text-to-speech-voices

Mega: Αυτό θα είναι το νέο Megaupload!

Έχουμε αναφερθεί αρκετές φορές στα σχέδια του Kim Dotcom για τη λειτουργία του νέου Megaupload (και της μουσικής υπηρεσίας MegaBox), αλλά αυτή τη φορά τα πράγματα γίνονται ακόμα πιο χειροπιαστά. Πείτε οριστικό αντίο στο Megaupload και ετοιμαστείστε να υποδεχτείτε σε λίγο καιρό το Mega!

Οι δημιουργοί του Mega αποκάλυψαν αποκλειστικές πληροφορίες στην ιστοσελίδα Wired και περιγράφουν τη νέα υπηρεσία ως ένα μοναδικό εργαλείο που θα λύσει οποιοδήποτε πρόβλημα αξιοπιστίας αντιμετωπίζουν οι cloud υπηρεσίες αποθήκευσης και παράλληλα θα προστατεύει τα προσωπικά δεδομένα των χρηστών.

Σύμφωνα με τους Kim Dotcom και Mathias Ortmann, το Mega μοιάζει στο Megaupload υπό την έννοια ότι είναι μια cloud-based συνδρομητική πλατφόρμα όπου οι πελάτες-χρήστες μπορούν να ανεβάζουν/αποθηκεύουν/μοιράζονται μεγάλα αρχεία. Όμως, τώρα υπάρχει μια μεγάλη και πολύ βασική διαφορά.

Τα αρχεία θα είναι πρώτα κρυπτογραφημένα με τον αλγόριθμο AES (Advanced Encryption Standard) και ο χρήστης θα λαμβάνει ένα δεύτερο, μοναδικό κλειδί για να αποκωδικοποιήσει το αρχέιο. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο, ο χρήστης που ανεβάζει το αρχείο θα μπορεί να ελέγχει σε ποιον δίνει πρόσβαση να κατεβάσει ένα αρχείο.

Ακόμη, το κλειδί αποκωδικοποίησης δεν υπάρχει πουθενά αποθηκευμένο μέσα στους servers του Mega και η υπηρεσία δεν θα μπορεί να γνωρίζει τι βρίσκεται μέσα στα uploaded αρχεία, άρα ο μόνος υπεύθυνος για το περιεχόμενο τους θα είναι ο χρήστης που τα ανεβάζει. Η παρακάτω εξήγηση του Dotcom θα σας θυμίσει λίγο την πολιτική του The Pirate Bay με τη μεταφορά σε cloud servers, σε ό,τι αφορά την περίπτωση που οι αντιπειρατικές αρχές θελήσουν να κατηγορήσουν το Mega:

“Εάν οι servers χαθούν, εάν η κυβέρνηση θελήσει να έρθει σε ένα data center και να το κατασχέσει, εάν κάποιος hackάρει ή κλέψει τον server, τότε δεν θα έχουν τίποτα στα χέρια τους. Οτιδήποτε ανεβαίνει στο Mega, θα παραμένει κρυπτογραφημένο και ιδιωτικό επειδή δεν υπάρχει το κλειδί αποκρυπτογράφησης”

Πριν από λίγο καιρό είχαμε δει τη δήλωση του Dotcom ότι το νέο Megaupload θα είναι “νομικά θωρακισμένο” και τώρα εξηγούνται όλα. Με τη συμβουλή της ομάδας νομικών του, κατέληξαν ότι ο μόνος τρόπος να χαρακτηριστεί η πολιτική του Mega παράνομη, είναι να αλλάξει ο Χάρτης των Ανθρωπίνων Δικαιωμάτων του ΟΗΕ (!), συγκεκριμένα το δικαίωμα κάθε ανθρώπου να προστατεύτει τα προσωπικά δεδομένα και την επικοινωνία του από κατασκοπία.

Το Mega θα τραβήξει το ενδιαφέρον οποιουδήποτε ανησυχεί για τα θέματα της ασφάλειας στο Διαδίκτυο, ενώ για όσους φοβούνται περιπτώσεις να χάσουν τα δεδομένα τους λόγω κάποιας επιδρομής (το FBI έχει κατασχέσει τα δεδομένα του Megaupload και δεν τα δίνει στους κατόχους τους), η αποθήκευση του Mega θα γίνει σε δύο extra sets από servers, τοποθετημένους σε διαφορετικές χώρες.

“Έτσι, στην εξωφρενική περίπτωση που μια χώρα αποφασίσει να κλείσει όλους τους servers — κάτι που δεν το περιμένουμε επειδή έχουμε λάβει υπόψιν όλες τις νομοθεσίες των χωρών που μας φιλοξενούν — ή οι servers χαθούν λόγω κάποιος φυσικής καταστροφής, θα υπάρχει πάντα ολοκληρωμένο backup σε server άλλης χώρας. Με αυτόν τον τρόπο, είναι απίθανο να συμβούν ξανά αυτά που έγιναν στις ΗΠΑ από το FBI”

Το όραμα του Dotcom είναι ένα δίκτυο από χιλιάδες διαφορετικούς servers από χιλιάδες διαφορετικούς παρόχους σε όλο τον κόσμο, δίνοντας στον καθένα τη δυνατότητα να συνδέσει τον δικό του server στο δίκτυο και να γίνει online host, επειδή απλούστατα δεν θα μπορεί να δει τι φιλοξενεί μέσα στον server, λόγω της κρυπτογράφησης.

Να σημειωθεί ότι το Mega θα είναι ανοικτό στους κατόχους πνευματικών δικαιωμάτων για να προστατεύσουν την ιδιοκτησία τους, παρέχοντας τους πρόσβαση στους servers και τη δυνατότητα να αναφέρουν ή ακόμη και να αφαιρούν αρχεία, με την προϋπόθεση ότι πρώτα θα ενημερώνουν την υπηρεσία και δεν ξεκινούν την αντίδραση τους με αγωγές κατά αυτής για τα πεπραγμένα των χρηστών.

Πάντως, ήδη αναφέρεται ένα πρόβλημα για την υπηρεσία Mega. Αυτό της μη-ακύρωσης του διπλού περιεχομένου, το οποίο σημαίνει ότι μπορεί κανείς να ανεβάσει το ίδιο αρχείο 100 φορές, να δημιουργήσει 100 κρυπτογραφημένα αρχεία στον server και να πάρει 100 διαφορετικά κλειδιά αποκρυπτογράφησης. Επομένως, μια εταιρεία που θέλει να αφαιρέσει κάποιο πειρατικό αρχείο θα πρέπει να στείλει 100 διαφορετικά μυνήματα

http://www.techgear.gr/mega-detailed-by-kim-dotcom-55078/

Google sends out invites for an Android event on October 29

Google has just sent out invites to the media for an Android event to be held on October 29. The event will be in New York at 10:00 AM and will be streamed live on YouTube.

As far as the purpose of the event is concerned, our psychic powers tell us it is going to be a new Nexus device, the same LG manufactured unit currently known as the Nexus 4 we have been seeing for a while now. There is a possibility that there could be multiple Nexus phones this year but other than some rumors we have seen zero proof to confirm that, so we won't be holding our breath for them.

It's likely that Google will launch this new Nexus device with a new version of Android, most likely the Android 4.2 that has been floating around these days. Other than that we expect to hear some updates on the Nexus Q, which has been an unmitigated failure since it was launched during Google I/O, enough for Google to pull it off shelves and go back to working on it. Google could also announce the 32GB Nexus 7 that we have been hearing about recently.

You may have noticed by now that the October 29 date coincides exactly with the Windows Phone 8 launch date and it would be naive to think that's a coincidence. Google must be pretty confident in its product(s) if it thinks it can go head to head with multiple Windows Phone 8 devices on the same day. We'll just have to wait and see how things turn out.

Brace your wallets cause next week is going to be a doozy.

http://www.gsmarena.com/google_sends_out_invites_for_an_android_event_on_october_29-news-4962.php

Where in the World Does Spam Come From? [video]

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Ever wonder where all that spam you receive in your inbox comes from? Apparently, most of it comes from India.

One in six spam messages come from India, with Italy and the United States coming in second and third in the rankings, according to SophosLabs, a computer and data security company. In its latest “dirty dozen” report, the company also notes that the number might be misleading. Spam might just be relayed through Indian computers that have been turned into zombie spam machines; it doesn’t necessarily come directly through the country.

Regardless, the findings reveal a concerning lack of security in India’s networks. The country displaced the U.S. in the rankings in April, when it relayed 9.3% of worldwide spam. After six months, that percentage has almost doubled.

Check out the video above to learn more about where spam comes from.

http://mashable.com/2012/10/18/where-does-spam-come-from/

Apple’s Total Smartphone Web Traffic Share Climbs To 46% With iPhone 5, Samsung Trails At 17%

Apple’s web traffic share among mobile devices is huge, according to new numbers from Chitika. The online ad network is seeing 43 percent of smartphone web usage coming through iPhones up to the 4S, plus another 3 percent from the iPhone 5 alone. By contrast, the Samsung Galaxy S III is driving 2 percent of mobile web traffic on its network, combined with 15 percent across all other Samsung mobile devices.

Both phones are taking up a huge percentage overall, however, with other smartphones combined adding up to just 37 percent overall. Apple and Samsung account for a total of 63 percent of the mobile traffic Chitika sees through its millions of daily ad impressions. Last week, the company told us that the iPhone 5 had quickly risen to surpass the GSIII as a traffic driver on its network, but these latest figures prove there’s no doubt which two companies are battling it out for overall smartphone market dominance.

http://techcrunch.com/2012/10/17/apples-total-smartphone-web-traffic-share-climbs-to-46-with-iphone-5-samsung-trails-at-17/

Samsung announces Jelly Bean update plans for American Galaxy S III users

At long last Samsung (005930) today announced that it will start pushing out the Galaxy S III’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean upgrade to American users. However, the company did not release any specific timelines for when various carriers would have the upgrade ready, saying only that all American Galaxy S III customers would be able to download Jelly Bean from Kies “in the coming months.” Individual wireless carriers will make separate announcements to reveal when their customers can upgrade their devices to Jelly Bean. Samsung’s full press release is posted below.

Samsung Mobile to Begin Jelly Bean Update with TouchWiz® Enhancements for Galaxy S® III Smartphones in the U.S. 

Available in the coming months, the Galaxy S III update offers the latest Android™ platform; new camera, video and customization enhancements; and access to ESPN’s ScoreCenter app with custom AllShare® integration

DALLAS — October 17, 2012 — Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC (Samsung Mobile) – the No.1 mobile phone provider in the United States and a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., the No. 1 smartphone provider worldwide¹ – continues its commitment to bringing the latest innovation to market with the rollout of Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, the latest version of the world’s most popular smartphone operating system, to all Galaxy S III smartphones in the U.S. in the coming months.

The update will be made available both over the air and as a download via Kies, Samsung’s content sync and software update solution. The specific timing and update method will be announced by each carrier partner, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular.

Galaxy S III owners will receive the Jelly Bean update as well as a host of new and enhanced TouchWiz features, making it a faster, richer and more responsive device experience. Samsung’s best-selling flagship smartphone just got even better.

Samsung refined and enhanced the Galaxy S III experience by adding new capabilities to the camera, video and user interface, including:

·         Camera Enhancements:

o    New live camera and camcorder filters offer a range of new ways to spark your creativity. Warm vintage, cold vintage, black and white, sepia, color highlights (blue, green, red/yellow), and many more are selectable from the main camera screen.

o    Pause and resume while recording video allows users to string together multiple captured video clips from a party, birthday or sporting event into a single file with no post editing required.

o    Low light photo mode takes advantage of Galaxy S III’s best-in-class High Dynamic Range (HDR) capabilities and offers an optimized mode for low light and indoor photos.

·         Pop Up Play Update: Users can now easily resize or pause the Pop Up Play picture-in-picture video window, taking full advantage of the Galaxy S III’s powerful processor and large 4.8-inch screen.

·         Easy Mode: Easy Mode is a simplified user experience option for first-time smartphone owners, providing large home screen widgets that focus on the device essentials. The Easy widgets include both 4×2 and 4×4 arrangements of favorite contacts, favorite apps, favorite settings, clock and alarm.

·         Blocking Mode: Galaxy S III owners can disable incoming calls, notifications, alarms and LED indicators for a designated period of time.

·         Improved Usability: Users now have multiple keyboard options with the addition of the Swype® keyboard.

Android 4.1 Jelly Bean offers users a smoother, faster and more fluid experience with expanded feature functionality, including:

·         Google Now™: Google Now gives users the right information at the right time, like how much traffic to expect before leaving work, when the next train is scheduled to arrive at the subway station or the score of a favorite team’s current game – conveniently delivered as notifications. Additionally, Google Now provides powerful voice assistant functionality across a range of domains, including weather, maps, navigation, search, image search, flight status and more. Google Now can conveniently be launched from the lock screen shortcut or by a long press on the menu button from any screen.

·         Rich Notifications: Notifications can now expand and shrink with a pinch to show the right amount of information a user needs. Notifications have been enhanced so action can be taken without having to launch the app first – like sharing a screenshot directly from the notification.

·         Automatic Widget Adjustment: Customizing the home screen is easier than ever before. Users can simply place a new icon or widget on the screen, and existing icons will move out of the way to make space. When widgets are too big, they automatically resize to fit on the screen.

In addition to the operating system update, Samsung and ESPN worked together to integrate AllShare® technology into ESPN’s popular ScoreCenter® application. This means Galaxy S III owners will now be able to wirelessly push on-demand ESPN global sports coverage and highlights from the ESPN ScoreCenter app to their Samsung SMART TV™. When on the same Wi-Fi network as a Samsung SMART TV, a sharing icon will appear within the ScoreCenter video player which allows users to seamlessly push what they are watching to the TV. The ScoreCenter app with AllShare integration is available today for download through S Suggest™ on all U.S. Galaxy S III devices.

With the Jelly Bean update, the Galaxy S III will also add support for some exciting new accessory experiences.

·         AllShare® Cast Wireless Hub: The AllShare Cast Wireless Hub accessory allows users to wirelessly mirror their phone screen to any HDTV or HDMI® display. Whether it’s sharing pictures, browsing the Web, playing games, streaming music, watching videos or projecting business presentations, users can control the action on the big screen wirelessly from their smartphone. AllShare Cast Wireless Hub even supports licensed content playback of premium TV and movies.

·         NFC One Touch Pairing Support: Galaxy S III can now pair with supporting NFC Bluetooth® accessories in a single touch. The Samsung Galaxy HM3300 Bluetooth headsetwill be the first Samsung portfolio accessory to support this functionality (available in the near future), allowing users to pair their headset by touching it to the back of their device.

http://www.bgr.com/2012/10/17/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-jelly-bean-upgrade-begin/