iPhone 4S - Apple's New Smartphone

Apple iPhone 4S

The wait is over. Apple announced the next incarnation of its smartphone - an iPhone 4S - at an event yesterday at its headquarters.
Apple finally announced the long-awaited iPhone 4S. Looking identical to the previous iPhone 4, it certainly isn't the radically redesigned iPhone 5 many people were expecting.


Apple is trotting out a new iPhone on Oct. 14, but it's not the iPhone 5 some were expecting. Instead, it's a more modest upgrade, the iPhone 4S. Here are some facts to help you decide if it's time to make the plunge.


Apple announced the iPhone 4S, which looks exactly like the iPhone 4—on the outside. On the inside, it’s a whole different story, and that the message Apple tried to get across during its presentation yesterday.
"Don't be fooled. Inside it is all new" Apple's Phil Schiller said during the phone's unveiling. Indeed, while the iPhone 4S looks strikingly similar to the iPhone 4, it's packing some seriously upgraded hardware and promising new software.

iPhone 4S Black

First, and most importantly, the iPhone 4S will be powered by a new A5 processor. The A5 is a dual-core processor which will be up to twice as fast as the current A4, and seven times faster processing graphics. Apple is also claiming faster data speeds (with maximums of 14.4 Mbps download speeds, and 5.8 Mbps upload). The battery life is slightly longer *8 hours talk time versus 7 hours for the iPhone 4), but standby time is much less (200 hours versus 300).


The iPhone 4S is powered by Apple's new dual-core A5 chip, which Apple claims can deliver up to two times more power and seven times faster graphics performance than the iPhone 4. In addition, the iPhone 4S will be available on Sprint, along with AT&T and Verizon Wireless. It is a world phone, meaning it will support both CDMA and GSM networks.


Second, it’s got a dual CDMA/GSM chip for different networks, making it a world phone. The antenna is also redesigned to improve call quality.


Third, the camera is much better. Not only is it an 8-megapixel sensor with 60 percent more pixels than the one in the iPhone 4, but it is also designed to capture 73 percent more light 33 percent faster. The camera includes a high end infrared filter as well as five layered lenses which should improve the sharpness of pictures by up to 30 percent. And since the camera is one of the most used features on the phone, double-tapping the home button now opens the camera. The time it takes to get off your first shot is 1.1 seconds, and half a second for each shot after that. And it shoots 1080p video as well.


Based on the specs it’s probably the best camera system attached to a phone on the market right now, though real-life tests will have to be performed next month to determine image quality and evaluate the veracity of Apple’s speed claims. The changes aren’t superficial, though, and the camera should be on the short list of reasons to consider upgrading.

iPhone 4S White

The iPhone 4S also will ship with iOS 5, and all the iCloud-enabled apps. AirPlay will aslo work on the phone so that you can stream videos wirelessly to your Apple TV.


In addition to these improvements, the iPhone 4S will feature advanced support for voice-recognition and control through Siri.


It's the biggest new piece of software that takes advantage of the A5 chip - the Siri Assistant - a voice-controlled assistant you can call up anytime by holding down the home button for a few seconds. You can ask it the weather, time, directions from Yelp, schedule a meeting on your calendar, reply to messages, play a song from iTunes, or ask any factual question via Wolfram Alpha. All with voice commands.


Despite these improvements, many things remain the same. The physical design, for instance, has remained untouched, and the phone has the same 3.5-inch display found on the iPhone 4.

Apple iPhone 4S - White and Black

Let's see the iPhone 4S features:


- Operating system: Apple iOS 5


- Dimensions: 4.5 inches tall by 2.31 inches wide by 0.37 inch thick; 4.9 ounces


- Display: 3.5-inch, 960x640-pixel Retina Display touch screen


- Processor: 1GHz Dual-core Apple A5


- Storage: 16GB, 32GB, 64GB internal


- Camera: 8-megapixel camera with LED flash, autofocus, 1080p HD video recording, backside-illuminated sensor; front-facing VGA camera


- Connectivity: Bluetooth 4.0; Wi-Fi (802.11b/g/n); dual-mode world phone; GSM/HSPA+ 14.4; CDMA/EV-DO Rev. A


- Battery life: 8 hours talk time on 3G, 8.3 days standby time


- Expansion slot: No


- World phone: Yes


- NFC support: No


- Carriers: AT&T, Verizon, Sprint


- Price (on contract): $199 for 16GB, $299 for 32GB, $399 for 64GB




So, if you travel a lot, it might be worth upgrading from the 4 to the 4S because you'll be able to use it on wireless networks in other countries.




Take a look at the Apple iPhone 4S introduce video:

Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet

Amazon Kindle Fire Tablet

The Internet giant Amazon announced it's news tablet - Kindle Fire - yesterday morning, at an event. The long-awaited Amazon tablet is finally here, or at least will be when it ships out to consumers in early November.

cnet - Overall, the design and features place it between the traditional Kindle and iPad on the tablet spectrum, more like the Nook Color than anything else. Amazon's main advantage here is tight integration with its outstanding suite of cloud-based digital media services: 11,000 shows and movies streaming for free for Amazon Prime subscribers, 100,000 movies and TV shows to rent or purchase through Amazon Instant, and a full digital music store with cloud storage.

On the other hand, there are still quite a few question marks. It's unclear whether there will be offline support for Amazon's video services, which is important if you, say, want to watch a movie on a plane. Amazon also didn't mention any details about third-party video services like Netfilx, Hulu Plus, and MLB.TV - all of which are available on the iPad.

Kindle Fire Tablet

Here are the Kindle Fire features:

- 7-inch IPS display, 1024x600-pixel resolution at 169 dpi, Gorilla Glass

- Dual-core processor

- 512MB RAM

- 8GB internal memory

- Weights 14.6 ounces (414 grams)

- Built-in Wi-Fi

- Amazon claims "up to 8 hours of continuous reading or 7.5 hours of video playback, with wireless off"

- Tightly integrated with Amazon services like Amazon Instant Video and Cloud Drive

- Features new "cloud-accelerated" browser named Silk

- 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime

- $199, ships November 15, available for preorder today

It's obvious that Amazon is trying to get one of the lead positions in the tablet market.

Apple is going to have one serious opponent in Amazon's face.

Amazon is really trying to differentiate itself, and potentially get a leg up on Apple is by pulling a trick or two from the same playbook.

The new tablet represents a total package of what users can get on other platforms if they were to add all of the company's apps together.

Yet Amazon's also trying to create a custom user experience by including its own application store and Web browser called Silk. The Web browser is one of the key areas where Amazon can differentiate itself from Apple and other rivals, making use of its Elastic Compute Cloud technology to speed up browsing for tablet users by pre-loading some content ahead of when a user visits that page.

For the past several months Apple's begun offering something identical as part of its iCloud service, letting users re-download digital content they've purchased from its stores and sync things up between devices. There again, Amazon's competing with that strategy using its Whispersync technology, which can sync up downloads, bookmarks, notes highlights, and a user's place in books and video content.

Amazon Kindle Fire

Just last week, the company signed a streaming deal with 20th Century Fox to bring its programming to Amazon's streaming video service, one that Fire users will have out of the box. All told, that adds up to 17 million songs, 1 million books, and 100,000 movies and TV shows.The Fire also represents the first device from Amazon itself offering magazines in full-color.

Where Amazon continues to be different, however, is how it's approaching its presence on other platforms.

While users must buy an Apple product to get Apple's software, Amazon continues to offer its software and experience on other platforms, including other Android tablets.
The Fire is the company's first effort to really make that experience its own.

Watch the Kindle Fire TV Commercial:

Internet Addiction - More Powerful Than Drugs

Internet Addiction

Young people are spending much more time infront of the computer screen, than outside.

Younsters prefer to stay at home and browse the Internet. They don't anymore like to go out and take a walk in the park or play some sport.

Is Internet becoming more powerful addiction than the drugs?

Look at the answers in the article - they're based on statistical researches and young people's opinion.

The Effects of Internet Addiction

From 2002 until today the number of young people, using drug and tobacco products is reducing, the expense of increasing addiction to the Internet and electronic games, a survey of Brussels Free University. 

For the past nine years, declining by six per cent of young people who smoke every day - from 18,7 percent to 12,7 percent. In 2002, eight out of every 100 youths said they smoked marijuana at least once a week and recently gave a similar response to 4,9 per cent of respondents. When ecstasy users also experience a change - from 5,3% nine years ago to 2,7 percent last year. 

According to sociologist Damien Fravres, these data can be explained by increased parental control over young people who have come out less at night. So basically they are spending more time in their rooms, sitting at the computer. The survey reported that while in 2002 only seven percent of young people said they spend at least four hours daily in front of the computer, the latest data show an increase of nearly double those responses - 13%. 

The survey was conducted among 12 000 young people aged between 12 and 20 years.

Are We Being Held in Chains by the Internet?

Yes, I think that computers and Internet are very useful. But we should not overdo anything.

It's true that most of the youths are spending they time in Internet social network, than going outside with friends and talk face to face.

Anonymous Facebook Attack - Is It Real or Fake?

Some of the Anonymous hacktivist group members

Anonymous hacktivist group has denied that it is organizing or supporting an official attack on Facebook, but acknowledged that hackers associated with the group are pursuing the endeavor.


In the last few days there was a lot of fuss going on about the Anonymous group announcement. The hacktivist group said that they are going to shut down social network Facebook on November 5th.
Well, that's interesting, but I got some information that this Anonymous act may not involve the whole hackers group.


"To press ... #OpFacebook is just another fake! We don't 'kill' the messenger. That's not our style," the @anonops Twitter feed tweeted early this morning. About two hours later, however, the group followed up by saying that "#OpFacebook is being organised by some Anons. This does not necessarily mean that all of #Anonymous agrees with it."


Those mixed messages, of course, highlight the inherent difficulties in trying to track the activities of Anonymous. Given that the group is a loose collective of hackers with no central authority, anyone who says they are a part of Anonymous is a part of Anonymous. As a result, if a few people get together in the name of Anonymous and decide to hack Facebook on November 5, Anonymous is behind the planned Facebook hack.


Those running the @anonops Twitter feed, however, insisted that there are more important things to tackle than Facebook. The group said it prefers to "face the real power" instead of "medias that we use as tools" before pointing to a June column from PCMag's John Dvorak that suggested recent hack attacks might be "false flag events to help the government regulate the Internet."


The #OpFacebook effort, meanwhile, got started when someone set up a Twitter account and YouTube channel that said Facebook is the "opposite of the AntiSec cause" a joint effort by Anonymous and the on-again, off-again LulzSec to go after governments with which they disagree.


Facebook "knows more about you than your family" the group said, and "has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information security firms so that they can spy on people from all around the world."


The #OpFacebook effort selected November 5 because it is Guy Fawkes Day, which commemorates a failed plot to blow up England's House of Lords in 1605. Though that has traditionally been a day of celebration in England, Alan Moore's graphic novel, V for Vendetta, painted Fawkes as an anarchist anti-hero and Anonymous has adopted a Fawkes mask as its symbol.


But is the effort worth Anonymous' time? As Sophos security analyst Paul Ducklin pointed out, "Facebook only 'knows' what you choose to tell it. If you want to tell Facebook more than you tell your parents, or your spouse, or your third cousin twice removed, then that should be your choice. And it should be your right. At least, your choice and right in any jurisdiction in which there is at least some personal freedom."


"You can disagree with Facebook's approach, and its underlying attitudes—as Naked Security sometimes pointedly does—but to aim to kill it off entirely to suit your own agenda is arrogant self-righteouness at best" Ducklin wrote in a blog post.


Furthermore, Ducklin suggested that the "We do not forget" part of the Anonymous tagline "seems chillingly close to one of the criticisms levelled against Facebook in the call-to-arms video, namely that Facebook doesn't  'forget,' since it's impossible—according to the video—to delete your information from Facebook."


"Apparently, then, it's morally wrong for Facebook to be 'unforgetting,' whilst for Anonymous, it is a badge of honour" he wrote.

Anonymous: Facebook Is Going Down On November 5

Anonymous hacker group logo

Hacker group Anonymous, which has been responsible for cyber-attacks on the Pentagon, News Corp, and others, has vowed to destroy Facebook on November 5th. 


Anonymous, the interesting group of people who express their principles in an activist way by infiltrating the systems of the unsuspecting or the merely complacent.


The Village Voice has pointed me to an Anonymous press release that states quite unequivocally that Facebook is going to get it on November 5.
Should that date not be dear to you, it is the day when British people let off fireworks to commemorate Guy Fawkes, a man who felt the passionate need to detonate Britain's Houses of Parliament.


For those who are not familiar with British history, you might have seen Guy Fawkes immortalized in the fine movie "V For Vendetta".


It will be troubling if on November 5, you can't post pictures of your boyfriend and you. Are the hacktivists more powerful than the company that allegedly espouses "hacker culture"? That might make for a very good movie.


Citing privacy concerns and the difficulty involved in deleting a Facebook account, Anonymous hopes to "kill Facebook" the "medium of communication [we] all so dearly adore."


This isn't the first time Anonymous has spoken out against social networks.
After Google removed Anonymous' Gmail and Google+ accounts, Anonymous pledged to create its own social network, called AnonPlus.




Read the full text of the announcement, made on YouTube and reported by Village Voice:
Operation Facebook


DATE: November 5, 2011.


TARGET: https://facebook.com


Press:
Twitter : https://twitter.com/OP_Facebook
http://piratepad.net/YCPcpwrl09
Irc.Anonops.Li #OpFaceBook
Message:


Attention citizens of the world,


We wish to get your attention, hoping you heed the warnings as follows:
Your medium of communication you all so dearly adore will be destroyed. If you are a willing hacktivist or a guy who just wants to protect the freedom of information then join the cause and kill facebook for the sake of your own privacy.


Facebook has been selling information to government agencies and giving clandestine access to information security firms so that they can spy on people from all around the world. Some of these so-called whitehat infosec firms are working for authoritarian governments, such as those of Egypt and Syria. 


Everything you do on Facebook stays on Facebook regardless of your "privacy" settings, and deleting your account is impossible, even if you "delete" your account, all your personal info stays on Facebook and can be recovered at any time. Changing the privacy settings to make your Facebook account more "private" is also a delusion. Facebook knows more about you than your family. http://www.physorg.com/news170614271.html http://itgrunts.com/2010/10/07/facebook-steals-numbers-and-data-from-your-iph.... 


You cannot hide from the reality in which you, the people of the internet, live in. Facebook is the opposite of the Antisec cause. You are not safe from them nor from any government. One day you will look back on this and realise what we have done here is right, you will thank the rulers of the internet, we are not harming you but saving you.


The riots are underway. It is not a battle over the future of privacy and publicity. It is a battle for choice and informed consent. It's unfolding because people are being raped, tickled, molested, and confused into doing things where they don't understand the consequences. Facebook keeps saying that it gives users choices, but that is completely false. It gives users the illusion of and hides the details away from them "for their own good" while they then make millions off of you. When a service is "free," it really means they're making money off of you and your information.


Think for a while and prepare for a day that will go down in history. November 5 2011, #opfacebook . Engaged.


This is our world now. We exist without nationality, without religious bias. We have the right to not be surveilled, not be stalked, and not be used for profit. We have the right to not live as slaves.


We are anonymous
We are legion
We do not forgive
We do not forget
Expect us




The Anonymous hacker group released few videos on video sharing website YouTube. The video announcements are in three different languages - english, german and spanish.
Watch the two of the videos in english:






"Facebook knows more about you than your family." - Anonymous hacktivists said.
Is that true?
Do you think that this will really happen?
Will it be right?
For me, I don't know. I'm kind of on the both sides...
I like that Facebook gives me the opportunity to communicate with my friends and to share things.
But I don't like that I'm not sure who other can see my information, can other people (or corporations) see my personal information and interests?


That's very interesting topic and I will follow it as it develops, so stay tuned!

Friendster and MySpace Back From The Dead?

CNN - Evolve or die.  That’s Darwin’s basic tenet. Failure to adapt to change dooms a living organism to death. In the virtual world of online social networking, the same holds true.

Since it came online in 2004, Facebook has adapted quickest and best. Popularity and profitability have followed: it lays claim to more than half a billion users while a 2012 IPO may value it at more than $100 billion. That’s powered up Facebook to barrel like a juggernaut through online pioneer Friendster and same-niche competitor MySpace, leaving them flattened in its wake.

But they haven’t flat-lined – at least not yet. And in the past few days, we’ve actually seen some twitching in those two online names that you had all but forgotten. But are their moves resurrection signs or merely reflex jerks before rigor mortis? Let’s take a look at what’s recently happened.

Friendster, Est. 2002

The patriarch of online social networking sites as you knew it – if you knew it at all – is no more. If you were a user like me then you would have received an e-mail from Ganesh Kumar Bangah this past weekend. The Malaysian CEO of MOL bought Friendster from its U.S. founders in 2009 for a rumored $26 million. In his weekend letter, he explained the site’s new course of evolution:

“Friendster is in a unique position to take advantage on (sic) the growth of social gaming…that enables its users to create multiple avatars, play games and enjoy rewards.”

So to survive, Friendster is focusing on a social networking niche that stresses play. Its website now advertises avatars and rewards as opposed to those general ‘friendlists’ and recommendations. And in an ironic adaptation for continuance, you can now sign on to the new Friendster using Facebook.

MySpace, Est. 2003

Will star power breathe new life into this dead space? Its CEO Tim Vanderhook hopes so. The ubiquitous Justin Timberlake of boy band ‘N Sync, sketch comedy show Saturday Night Live and Hollywood movie "The Social Network" is now fronting a takeover of this failing Facebook competitor by teaming up with Specific Media.

Last Wednesday, News Corp sold MySpace to the digital media company for a mere $35 million. In 2005 News Corp had paid a reported $580 million.  That’s a 94% drop in sale price. And just after the deal was inked, Specific Media laid off more than half of MySpace’s staff. According to CNET.com, two years ago, MySpace had about 1400 employees. Today it has about 225. That’s a loss of 84% of its workforce.

So how will Timberlake be able to bring sexy back to a skinny, near-lifeless corpse of a site? While Friendster is gravitating to games, MySpace is making a run to music. Says Timberlake:

“There’s a need for a place where fans can go to interact with their favorite entertainers, listen to music, watch videos, share and discover cool stuff and just connect. Myspace has the potential to be that place…art is inspired by people and vice versa, so there’s a natural social component to entertainment.”

There’s also a natural social component to criticism. Industry analysts are seriously questioning Timberlake’s business savvy.

Looking ahead, is it simply too late for Friendster and MySpace to evolve after being bashed by the Facebook juggernaut? Is Friendster’s evolution to the gaming industry a good move? And will Justin Timberlake be crying himself a river a year from now?

32 Hackers Held by Turkey

32 "Anonymous" hacker suspects held by Turkey. Nine minors were released 2 days after the arrest.


Turkey's state-run news agency says police have released nine minors out of a group of 32 suspected computer hackers who were detained for alleged links to an international activist group.

The Anatolia news agency said the youngsters were released without charges Tuesday, two days after they were detained for questioning in a sweep against hackers suspected of ties to the group "Anonymous."

"Anonymous" targeted the website of Turkey's telecommunications watchdog last week to protest plans to introduce internet filters in August. The watchdog said it was prepared and disruption was minimal.

The 23 other suspected hackers were still being questioned.

Last week, Spain arrested three alleged "Anonymous" members suspected of attacking worldwide corporate and government websites.

Microsoft Buys Skype For $8,5 Billion

Microsoft has agreed to buy the popular Internet telephone service Skype for $8.5 billion in the biggest deal in the software maker's 36-year history.

The deal gives Microsoft access to the market for real-time video and voice communications. The software maker said it plans to use Skype to support such products as the Xbox gaming system and Windows Phone.

Buying Skype would give Microsoft a potentially valuable communications tool as it tries to make a bigger splash on the Internet and become a bigger force in the increasingly important smartphone market.
The sellers include eBay and private equity firms Silver Lake and Andreessen Horowitz.

Microsoft chief executive Steve Ballmer said: "Skype is a phenomenal service that is loved by millions of people around the world."

Skype will become a new business unit within Microsoft, to be run by current Skype CEO Tony Bates, who will report directly to Ballmer.

Skype filed for a $100 million IPO last year. But the actual offering was delayed, and rumors surfaced last week that the company was in talks with Microsoft and Facebook.

Skype was founded in 2003.

Skype boasts about 663 million users worldwide. According to regulatory documents, Skype users made 207 billion minutes of voice and video calls last year.

Calls to other Skype users are free, while the company charges for those made to both traditional landline phones and mobiles.
Most people use Skype's free calling services, which has made it difficult for the service to make money.

Kiss Transmission Device

Students made possible kissing over internet.

Students from the Japan's University of Electro-Communications created device that makes possible kissing over the internet, from one person to other. You use your tongue to move a piece of plastic, attached to a connected box, to simulate a kiss.

The plastic moves in the same way with your tongue and transmits information to the other party. For example, if you move the plastic to the left the other device's plastic will be also moving to the left, in real time. To make the transmission work, the person in the other end has to have the same setup in order to receive the kiss.

If you take one device in your mouth and turn it with your tongue, the other device turns in the same way. It's that easy.

Even though the system is being fancily described as a "tactile communication device", it's pretty basic in it's current form. The students are now working on was to simulate other features of a kiss, like moistness of the tongue.

You can see a demonstration video, thanks to DigInfoNews, Tokyo :