News Headlines

Hacker builds $1,500 cell-phone tapping device (AP)

In this July 30, 2010 photo, hacker Chris Paget sets up a long range RFID reading devise at the DefCon hacker conference in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)AP - A computer security researcher has built a device for just $1,500 that can intercept some kinds of cell phone calls and record everything that's said.


Attacking the edges of secure Internet traffic (AP)

A man passes a logo of the Black Hat technology conference in Las Vegas on Wednesday, July 28, 2010. (AP Photo/Isaac Brekken)AP - Researchers have uncovered new ways that criminals can spy on Internet users even if they're using secure connections to banks, online retailers or other sensitive Web sites.


FBI access to e-mail, Web data raises privacy fear (AP)

FILE - In this June 28, 2010, file photo, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., gestures on Capitol Hill in Washington. Invasion of privacy in the Internet age. The administration's proposal to change the Electronic Communications Privacy Act 'raises serious privacy and civil liberties concerns,' Leahy said Thursday, July 29, 2010, in a statement. Expanding the reach of law enforcement to snoop on e-mail traffic or on Web surfing. Those are among the criticisms being aimed at the FBI as it tries to update a key surveillance law. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)AP - Invasion of privacy in the Internet age. Expanding the reach of law enforcement to snoop on e-mail traffic or on Web surfing. Those are among the criticisms being aimed at the FBI as it tries to update a key surveillance law.


Microsoft takes aim at tablet market (Christopher Null)
Christopher Null - Microsoft wants your money.
RIM?s rumored 'BlackPad' tablet due in November? (Ben Patterson)
Ben Patterson - Rumors of a BlackBerry tablet are heating up by the day, with Bloomberg now claiming that the BlackPad — yes, the BlackPad — will arrive in November, complete with an iPad-size screen and the ability to connect to the Internet via either Wi-Fi or your Bluetooth-connected BlackBerry.
OWC’s service adds eSATA port to new 27-inch iMac (Macworld.com)
Macworld.com - For whatever reason, Apple refuses to outfit a Mac with readily-accessible eSATA ports. The company seems to think that FireWire and USB are enough for external devices.
False alarm: Google search still working in China (AP)

A Chinese flag flies next to the Google company logo outside the Google China headquarters in Beijing on March 2010. Google does not know if the Chinese authorities were behind a disruption in the company's services on Thursday, chief executive Eric Schmidt said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.(AFP/File/Liu Jin)AP - Google Inc. triggered a false alarm Thursday by posting a notice that its search engine and several other services had been cut off from mainland China - a key market where the company has been locked in a high-profile battle over online censorship.


Hacker Snoops on GSM Cell Phones in Demo (PC World)
PC World - Despite concerns that federal authorities might fine or arrest him, hacker Chris Paget went ahead with a live demonstration of mobile phone interception at the Defcon hacking conference Saturday.
Microsoft Needs a Tablet Strategy, Not a Tablet (PC World)
PC World - Ballmer promised the world that a Windows 7 tablet is coming. Maybe it is, or maybe it's just a pipedream, but Microsoft doesn't need to focus on developing a Windows 7 tablet. Microsoft does need to focus on having a strategy for taking advantage of the changing mobile computing market--but it doesn't have to include a Windows 7 tablet.
Hackers pick up where Facebook privacy leaves off (AFP)

The logo of social networking website 'Facebook' is displayed on a computer screen in London. Hackers are weighing in on the Facebook privacy controversy with creations that help people strengthen privacy or empty profile pages at the world's leading social networking service.(AFP/File/Leon Neal)AFP - Hackers are weighing in on the Facebook privacy controversy with creations that help people strengthen privacy or empty profile pages at the world's leading social networking service.


DXG to offer $600 3D Pocket Camcorder (Macworld.com)
Macworld.com - With 3D movies gaining acceptance and 3D HDTVs on the market, it was only a matter of time before a 3D camcorder for the masses hit the market. DXG hopes to be at the forefront of the 3D camcorder trend with its $600 DXG-5D7V 3D Pocket Camcorder.
Top 10 Twitter Trends This Week [CHART] (Mashable)
Mashable - Christopher Nolan's sci-fi thriller Inception (staring the palpably handsome Leonardo DiCaprio) nabs the top of the Twitter talk chart for the second week in a row.
Google Maps adds "Places" and other top Android Apps of the Week (Appolicious)
Appolicious - It was a pretty good week for the Android Market, with several big brands unveiling their shiny new Android apps. Even Google got in on the fun, updating its Maps app with a dedicated ?Places? icon.
Smooth-talking hackers test hi-tech titans' skills (AFP)

Hackers at the infamous DefCon gathering held in Las Vegas are proving that old-fashioned telephone smooth talk is an effective rival to slick software skills when it comes to pulling off attacks on computer networks.(AFP/File/Joel Saget)AFP - Hackers at an infamous DefCon gathering are proving that old-fashioned smooth talk rivals slick software skills when it comes to pulling off attacks on computer networks.


CRM's Evolution to Be Showcased at NY Event (PC World)
PC World - CRM (customer relationship management) users, vendors, analysts and consultants are set to gather in New York next week for the CRM Evolution conference, which will feature discussions on how technologies and economic forces are changing the software segment.
Hack attack hits ATM jackpots (AFP)

People take cash at an ATM machine in Bangkok. Banks use AFP - Computer security researcher Barnaby Jack jokes that he has resorted to hiding cash under his bed since figuring out how to crack automated teller machines remotely using the Internet.


SAP Warms to Open Source (PC World)
PC World - Although not traditionally known for its contributions to the open-source community, the German-based SAP is adopting more open-source software, as well as contributing more of its own code back into the community, company officials said in an interview.
Google Cries Wolf as Outage Disrupts China Operations (NewsFactor)
NewsFactor - After assuming the worst with its China operations, Google on Thursday evening backed off accusations of censorship in the communist nation. Google said earlier Thursday that the Chinese government was blocking its search engine, Google Mobile, and Google Ad products. Google also said its news and image services were being "partially blocked."