Dell’s gaming computer brand, Alienware, has released a new desktop computer that — while not quite in keeping with the trend toward mobile gaming — is compact, powerful and sleek. The Alienware X51 The X51, which weighs about 12 pounds and measures roughly 13 inches tall by 12.5 inches deep by 4 inches wide, is unobtrusive...
For the last three weeks, iOS hacker pod2g has been tinkering away toward an untethered iOS 5 jailbreak and blogging about his progress. We’ve been keeping track as he succeeds in jailbreaking device after device, starting with a third generation iPod Touch. He’s now freed almost every iOS 5-compatible device from the grips of Apple’s restrictions. The only ones still underway are those with A5 processors like the iPhone 4S and iPad 2.
Aware of how eager the jailbreak community is to get their hands on an untethered solution, pod2g decided to share his work with the Chronic Dev team, who develops the greenpois0n jailbreak for public use. Early this morning, an untethered jailbreak for A4 processor-based iOS 5 devices was released via both greenpois0n and redsn0w, another popular tool for jailbreaking iOS.
This is the first time such a jailbreak has been available for iOS 5 since the new mobile operating system was released in October. Previously, users could only jailbreak the OS using a “tethered” solution, meaning it required devices be connected to a desktop or laptop whenever they are rebooted. It may have hit the spot for hardcore jailbreak addicts, but for most users a solution of that nature is too cumbersome.
Starting today, the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, first generation iPad and two most recent iPod models can be jailbroken using either the greenpois0n or redsn0w tools. Now that this release is out, pod2g is going to focus on hacking the iPad 2 and iPhone 4S.
When it comes to jailbreaking iPhones, iPads and iPods, there’s really no “killer app” to justify the move. Rather, doing so unlocks a world of unauthorized apps and user interface tweaks that aren’t available via the iTunes App Store. For some, playing vintage video game emulators makes the effort worth it. For others, they like the ability to tether their phone’s Internet connection to a laptop or open the phone using facial recognition instead of a pin number. Last year we rounded up more than 30 reasons to jailbreak, a list that has only grown since then.
Some of what comes out of the jailbreak community is of such high quality that Apple itself has borrowed ideas from it. The iOS 5 user notification system may look familiar to folks who had jailbroken iOS 4. Likewise, jailbreaking iOS 3 allowed users to shoot videos and customize their backgrounds, both features that are now very familiar to most iDevice owners. The company even hired jailbreak developer Nicholas Allegra (aka @Comex) as an intern in August.
Microsoft is on a knife edge: It is developing a version of Windows that could ensure its continued success in the computer market — or it could completely cannibalize Microsoft’s profits and lead to the slow, painful, obsolescent death.
Windows 8, when you cut to the chase, is a tablet-oriented, touch-first skin on top of Windows 7. If you take into account the actual software stack and runtime, calling Metro a “skin” isn’t accurate at all, but as far as consumers and companies are concerned, that’s exactly what it is. There are two problems with this: First, if you already use Windows 7 — and hundreds of millions do — there is little reason to upgrade to Windows 8, much in the same way that everyone eschewed Vista and stuck with XP. Second, if everyone goes out and buys a Windows 8 tablet, Microsoft would collapse in a frothing fit of unprofitability.
You see, Windows 8 tablets, especially ARM variants, will be used almost exclusively in Metro mode — or, more accurately, tablet mode. At this point, Windows 8 ceases to be a “PC” operating system in the conventional sense of the word and enters a market that is dominated by Apple and Android and apps that cost between one and 10 dollars. On the desktop, Microsoft charges anywhere between $30 (OEMs) and $125 (retail box) for a Windows license, with the average being around $60. Android, by comparison, is free, and effectively so is iOS. A Microsoft Office license is even more costly, with an average price in the hundreds of dollars region. Mobile word processing apps like the iWork suite or Documents To Go, by comparison, cost just a few dollars.
Here’s the tricky bit: Microsoft has free or cheap alternatives to Windows and Office in the form of Windows Phone 7, Office Mobile, and Office Web Apps. For around $15, OEMs can license an operating system that has all of the major mobile computing components and is a direct analog of the cross-platform iOS — but it can only be used on smartphones. To put this into perspective, though, remember that Microsoft gets around $15 per smartphone, or between $30 and $300 per desktop or laptop. If we look at Microsoft’s 2011 profits of $23 billion, 57% came from its Windows division (Desktop & Server) and 65% from Business (Office) (The totals come to 122% because of internal adjustments, and because Bing currently loses more than a billion dollars per year.) Windows Phone 7 and Xbox are flecks of crud on Ballmer’s heel in comparison.
Microsoft, then, simply can’t afford to put Windows Phone 7 on its tablet “PCs.” If, during the next upgrade cycle, hundreds of millions of people bought WP7 tablets instead of Windows 8 tablets, Microsoft would lose billions of dollars and eventually go out of business. Microsoft is stuck between a rock and a hard place: It needs to be a serious competitor in the tablet market, but it simply can’t compete with Apple and Android in terms of cost, a problem that is exacerbated by Apple’s profits deriving from hardware rather than software. Remember the HP TouchPad? It was fatter, slower, and heavier than the iPad — but cost more. Windows 8 tablets, even if Microsoft cuts the margins on its cash cow franchises, cannot compete with iOS or Android on price — it’s as simple as that.
Fortunately, at least if you’re a Microsoft fan, there is a way out of this razor-sharp dichotomy. One method is for Microsoft to stick to its guns and call these Windows 8 tablets — whether they’re x86 or ARM — PCs. The inexorable cost difference between Windows 8 tablets and the competition will be ameliorated by the sheer awesomeness of being able to do anything with a portable slate. This is the route that Microsoft is currently taking, and given Ballmer’s painstakingly conservative efforts to milk Office and Windows for as long as possible it’s really the only feasible path.
There’s another option, though; one that would scare MS shareholders and the industry itself into a shocked stupor. Microsoft could buy out Nokia and create a beautiful Windows Phone 7 tablet. With the hardware and software both in-house, MS could compete with Apple on cost and production values. Furthermore, Microsoft could give up on the Metrofied Start screen and focus on making Windows 8 a first-class desktop-and-laptop enterprise-oriented OS. There would be a dip in Windows and Office licenses as consumers shift from PCs to their WP7 tablets, but Microsoft could mitigate that by offering more subscriber services. Think of Xbox Live and Xbox TV, but on your WP7 tablet. Instead of paying $300 for an Office license, think of paying $5 per month for oodles of SkyDrive space and access to both offline and online Office suites.
After almost 30 years of thundering ahead in the same direction, it would take cajones the size of cantaloupes to rock the Windows revenue boat — but at the same time, going full steam ahead and squeakily stipulating that Windows 8 tablets are PCs dammit! is a risky ploy as well. After all, if there has ever been a time when the definition — and fate — of PC s in question, it is now.
We knew hackers would start picking apart the Kindle Fire quickly, but we had no idea the fruits of their labor would come to life so soon. The Android community has managed to tear down the wall that kept the Kindle Fire and the Android Market from coming together. It’s now possible for a rooted Kindle Fire to install and run the official Android Market. Doing so can be complicated depending on who you ask, but there’s no denying the results.
In order to make this work, you have to root the Kindle Fire. This task alone could end up bricking the Kindle Fire if you don’t know what you’re doing. A one-click root method has been released, but that’s just the first step.
The Android Market will not work unless you change the user interface of the Kindle Fire. That also requires downloading some files and using your desktop to transfer them.
Every step can be found on BriefMobile if you want to give it a shot. Just remember rooting and mucking with system files is inherently risky.
Read [BriefMobile]
Technology moves at a breakneck pace. No one is disputing that. And it feels like just yesterday that we evaluated the Asus 2400ET, a touch-enabled All-In-One desktop that had high-end specifications and a $1,250 price tag to match. Turns out, that was nearly four months ago, and if you aren’t interested in a touch panel, a Core i5 processor, and don’t have deep pockets, perhaps the scaled-back ET2011 we’ll be showing you here is worth consideration. This is a somewhat unique product in the Asus Eee Top ET2011 AIO line up, relying on AMD’s Fusion Brazos E-350 APU in lieu of a more traditional desktop processor.
In the notebook world, we’ve been duly impressed with AMD’s Fusion line up. In fact, Brazos mostly trumped Intel’s Atom platform in the mobile space. In most cases, we actually prefer E-Series Fusion APUs over Atom; it falls in a similar power envelope, benchmarks tend to be higher, heat output is minimal, and machines with AMD inside tend to cost a bit less.
This particular all-in-one machine is clearly aimed at people who don’t want to spend a wad of money on a desktop, and just need something to handle basic tasks while taking up a small amount of space. In terms of its specifications, this machine hits all of the high points. It’s plenty for most “average” users, and it’s one of the sleeker, lighter AIO form factors that we’ve seen. It’s easy to transport, ships with both a (basic) mouse and keyboard, and even includes a Super Multi DVD drive. An interesting omission (likely in the effort of cost-cutting) is the touch panel. We’ll turn our attention to that in the pages to come, but for now, here’s a breakdown of what exactly Asus is providing for a palatable $499.99.
Specifications and Features (as tested)
The twice delayed GNOME 3.0 will finally been released to the public on Wednesday. It features a completely new user interface, meaning get ready for a learning curve to discover how to interact with your new GNOME desktop. The UI is one step away from support for touchscreens. A GNOME spokesperson told Network World that “substantive support” for touchscreens and their drivers is coming in six months, with the GNOME 3.2 release.
This is the first major upgrade of GNOME in nine years. Some of the new features include:
GNOME3.0 Activities manager
GNOME 3.0 integrated messaging/chat.
You’ll notice that a persistent Windows Dock is missing, hence the “Activities” view becomes the central navigation experience.
Activating new workspaces and working with windows in GNOME 3.0
3.0 seemed more focused on backward compatibility than in letting users load it onto the hottest, newest laptops and tablets, but it is moving in the right direction. The new UI looks set up for touchscreen/tablet use, with bigger navigation buttons and drop and drag activation of new workspaces.
“GNOME 3 is not ready for touchscreen yet, but important improvements have been done on the platform and we expect to have a first go on this with 3.2. The Shell is more suited to touch than GNOME 2 (with the panel) was, especially considering the bigger hit targets in the application browser and the ability to move between workspaces by grabbing the background and swipe it in any direction. Also, the ability to maximize by dragging the windows to the top of the screen, instead of hitting a small button, is something that also improves touchscreen-friendliness,” says explains GNOME spokesperson Sumana Harihareswara.
I’m not sure that GNOME 3.0 lives up to its makers claims that it offers innovation beyond what is seen in other desktop experiences, but the new interface is polished. It feels like a modern experience, rather than one crafted for the machines build in the early 2000′s.
Some say that the most exciting changes occur under the hood and in efforts to reach out to more would-be app developers. “The Shell was written in using a formal scene-graph technology (Clutter) and JavaScript to take advantage of the wide body of existing web developers as potential contributors,” explains Harihareswara.
Nathan Willis, of Linux Today also includes another long list of under-the-hood features for app developers that he particularly likes. For instance, the graphics library is much improved. He writes:
“That list starts with GTK+ 3.0, the basic widget library and application framework. GTK3 was officially released on February 10th, and it sports some impressive new features. First, all image drawing now goes through the Cairo graphics library, and the different rendering backends are swappable at run-time (including X11, Wayland, other OSes like Mac OS X’s Quartz, or even HTML5) , so an app can be compiled once and run regardless of the renderer needed.”
He however, panned the new UI, saying that it imposes a single way of working on the users. To me, that sounds a lot like proprietary PCs like Macs or Windows. (Disclosure: After fussing around for a short time, I couldn’t get the USB-bootable version of the GNOME 3.0 preview to work on my Ubuntu PC. So I can’t offer a personal opinion on the matter myself. Am interested to hear if you love the new UI, hate it or feel some other way about it. In the meantime, I’ll be eating some humble pie and asking for help on getting it going on my PC from some of Linux-guru buddies.)
So how will you get it? Obviously, as of today, you can download it and install it yourself, if you have the expertise and the desire to do so. If you use any distro other than Canonical’s Ubuntu, you can expect your distro maker to push out GNOME 3.0. Harihareswara didn’t have a list of the dates/versions from distro makers who plan to offer GNOME 3.0. Not surprisingly, she said users can expect Fedora and OpenSuSE to push it out “fairly soon, in their next major releases.” Debian will be predictably slow, but is expected to have GNOME 3.0 eventually, too.
As for Ubuntu, Canonical will be using a good chunk of the underlying GNOME 3.0 Shell platform, mostly under the hood stuff to make it easier for Linux desktop developers. But as, Network World reported a few months ago, Ubuntu will be using it’s own tablet/touchscreen friendly Unity desktop user interface instead.
Over 3500 people have contributed changes to the project’s code repositories, including the employees of 106 companies. GNOME 3 includes innumerable code changes since the 2.0 release nine years ago
Users can download GNOME 3 from http://gnome3.org to try it immediately, or wait for distributions to carry it over the coming months.
If you had Spotify open but running in the background, listening to your favorite tunes, you could still get infected”
Spotify has apologised to users after an advertisement containing a virus was displayed to some users of the music-streaming service.
The advertisement, which appeared within Spotify’s Windows desktop software, did not need to be clicked on in order to infect a user’s machine.
The exploit would install a bogus ‘Windows Recovery’ anti-virus program.
“Users with anti-virus software will have been protected,” Spotify said in a statement.
“We quickly removed all third party display ads in order to protect users and ensure Spotify was safe to use.
“We sincerely apologise to any users affected. We’ll continue working hard to ensure this does not happen again and that our users enjoy Spotify securely and in confidence.”
The vulnerability only affects users with free subscriptions.
Security research specialists Websense said it received the first report of “malvertising” on the service at 11:30GMT on 24 March, noting that it used the Blackhole Exploit Kit – a tool for hackers – to carry out the attack.
Malvertising is usually confined to content viewed through web browsers, but this instance was displayed within the Spotify software itself for people with a free membership.
“The application will render the ad code and run it as if it were run inside a browser,” explained Websense’s Patrik Runald in a blog post.
“This means that the Blackhole Exploit Kit works perfectly fine and it’s enough that the ad is just displayed to you in Spotify to get infected, you don’t even have to click on the ad itself.
“So if you had Spotify open but running in the background, listening to your favorite tunes, you could still get infected.”
Avast! anti-virus said the majority of their users reporting infections were from Sweden (59%), while 40% of virus reports relating to the vulnerability came from the UK. The rest were from other countries.
One affected user told the BBC: “I hadn’t clicked on any advert but it did appear to download itself at the same time as the first advert image popped up in the Spotify program.
“The virus then began popping up on my desktop, telling me that I had a critical hard drive failure and would need to restart.
“It won’t stop me using Spotify but did cost me about six hours to figure out what had happened and restore everything back to normal.”
Spotify, which is based in Sweden, has over ten million users, most of which use the free service.
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