Information Communication Technology

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Anonymous 'hacks' North Korea social network accounts

Anonymous posted messages on the Twitter account belonging to news site Uriminzokkiri

Inside N Korea

The hacking collective Anonymous has said it has been "hacking" and vandalising social networking profiles linked to North Korea.

The group has issued several warnings since the country's threats have intensified.

Uriminzokkiri, a news site, has been forced offline - while Twitter and Flickr accounts have been breached.

Anonymous also claimed to have accessed 15,000 usernames and passwords from a university database.

As part of action which the loosely organised collective has called "Operation Free Korea", the hackers have called for leader Kim Jong-un to step down, a democratic government to be put in place - and for North Koreans to get uncensored internet access.

Currently, only a select few in the country have access to the "internet" - which is more akin to a closed company intranet with only a select few websites that are government-run.

The country recently allowed foreigners to access mobile internet, but this service has since been shut off.

In a message posted online, members of Anonymous wrote: "To the citizens of North Korea we suggest to rise up and bring [this] oppressive government down!

"We are holding your back and your hand, while you take the journey to freedom, democracy and peace.

"You are not alone. Don't fear us, we are not terrorist, we are the good guys from the internet. AnonKorea and all the other Anons are here to set you free."

'Tango down'

Urminzokkiri's Twitter feed started displaying messages reading "hacked" at around 0700 BST. The account's avatar was changed to a picture of two people dancing, with the words "Tango down".

On Urminzokkiri's Flickr photo page, other images, including a "wanted" poster mocking Kim Jong-un, were also posted.

Anonymous has posted what it said was a sample of the hacked information.

However, some have questioned the reliability of the details as some of the email addresses were in fact Chinese.

Also unreachable on Thursday was the website of Air Koryo, the country's airline, which launched its online booking site late last year.

Like the main Urminzokkiri homepage, it is suspected the Air Koryo site has been hit with a Distributed Denial of Service attacked (DDoS) - a technique which involves flooding a website with too much traffic for it to handle.

Although a highly secretive nation, North Korea puts considerable effort in to having a strong presence online.

Various YouTube accounts attached to the regime post news items and propaganda videos on a regular basis.

http://www.bbc.co.uk

Report: Xbox 360 successor can tolerate only brief Internet interruptions

Kotaku is citing two unnamed sources that it says "have a perfect track record in getting these kinds of things right" to report that Microsoft's follow-up to the Xbox 360 will need a working Internet connection to start games and apps. And the site goes on to write that the system will only tolerate brief interruptions in that connection while the game or app is being used.

"Unless something has changed recently, Durango consumer units must have an active Internet connection to be used," one source told the site, referring to the internal code name for Microsoft's next system. "If there isn't a connection, no games or apps can be started. If the connection is interrupted, then after a period of time—currently three minutes, if I remember correctly—the game/app is suspended and the network troubleshooter started." Another source said this requirement was still in effect on development hardware as recently as two weeks ago.

Information suggesting that the next Microsoft console will need to be online is nothing new; numerous leaks and rumors have pointed in that direction throughout the last year or so. However, this is the first serious suggestion that such connectivity would need to be more or less continuous while a game is being played, rather than just checked once when a game or app is launched.

Requiring a persistent Internet connection, if true, would seemingly limit the audience for Microsoft's next system. Even today, only 68.2 percent of households in the United States have access to broadband Internet, according to the OECD. Surveys show that this includes 90 percent of homes with a computer, and that access tracks heavily with income (a 2010 study found that 73 percent of US Xbox 360 owners had broadband in the home). Broadband subscription rates are much lower in developing countries like Russia and Brazil, which just got Xbox Live service in 2010 (each is seen as an emerging market for game consoles). On the other hand, an online check could limit the impact of piracy and/or the resale of secondhand games, which Microsoft and many game publishers see as having a dramatic effect on their bottom line.

Of course, this is all still rumor for now, and Microsoft doesn't comment on rumors and speculation as a matter of course. Even if it's true at the moment, the company could reverse itself before officially announcing the system, which is widely expected to hit stores by the end of the year. Microsoft could even use a firmware update to remove any sort of Internet requirement after the system launches if there is enough public outcry (or market impact).

Sony has said that the PlayStation 4 will not require an Internet connection to validate or play games, though other statements by Sony execs have left just enough wiggle room for some to continue worrying.

http://arstechnica.com

Google releases full Google Glass explainer video

Google co-founder Sergey Brin wearing Google Glass.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Google developer advocate Timothy Jordan envisions Google Glass, pardon the pun, as a way for people to distance themselves from technology. This seems a bit oxymoronic, however, considering it's a device people would wear on their face.

Jordan expounds on this idea and explains more about Google's wearable augmented reality project in a new video released today (see below). The video is a recording of Jordan's presentation at last month's South by Southwest Interactive conference.

"Project glass is about our relationship to technology. It's about technology that's there when you want it but out of the way when you don't," Jordan said in the video. "It feels like technology is getting in the way more than it needs to. And, that's what we are addressing with project glass. It's so that you can still have access to the technology that you love but it doesn't take you out of the moment."

The nearly hour-long video goes through whatGoogle Glass can do, such as record videos, take photos, chat, get directions, look up facts on the Web, and more. Jordan gives viewers a preview of the project's Mirror API, explains how the device works, and plays a video of what it looks like through the lens of Google Glass.

He aims to show the audience that since Google Glass is worn on a user's face, it seamlessly becomes part of their everyday movements, thoughts, and actions -- which is unlike a smartphone that people need to dig out of their pocket or purse to check.

"This is the idea," Jordan said. "By bringing technology closer, we can get it more out of the way."

While Jordan said that Google Glass is still in its beginning stages and far from being done, reports say that the device is expected to arrive on the market for the general public later this year.

Facebook invades Android's Home

Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Facebook Home has been revealed and founder Mark Zuckerberg described it as a family of apps that becomes the new home screen and lock screen of your phone. It brings the social network to the forefront of your mobile OS and pushes the typical app experience to the background.

So far, we've seen that the family consists of four components.

Coverfeed acts as your wallpaper, background, and homescreen. It shows status updates, photos, and link shares all in a visual, slideshow-like presentation.

Facebook Home's Coverfeed offers a visual slideshow-like experience for viewing network updates.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Notifications are ubiquitous and now pop up with people's Facebook profile pictures next to them. Presumably, you'll be able to jump straight to a contact's profile from the notification, but we will have to confirm so. Also, you can swipe notifications off of your screen, which Android users should already be used to.

App Launcher lets you launch apps from the lock screen with simple swipe gestures.

And Chatheads, which combines both Facebook messages and SMS, lets you engage in conversations from anywhere in Android, even if you are in the middle of a game or using another app. Whenever you receive a message, a small photo of the person will pop up at the top of your screen with a preview of the message. You'll thne be able to open up the chat and close it at will, all without leaving the app that you're currently in. The Chat head will stay at the top of the screen (or anyone else you care to move it) until you throw it away by swiping it all the way down.

Chatheads are movable profile pictures that stay onscreen until you trash them.

(Credit: James Martin/CNET)

Facebook Home will be available on April 12 through Google Play just like any other application. The difference, however, is that Android will ask for an additional confirmation before installing.

cnet

Facebook's new home on Android

The social network is showing off a new development around Android. Is it the fabled Facebook phone?
cnet.com

Seeking a market for cheap 3-D printers

(CNN) -- There is no shortage of amazing industrial commercial applications for 3-D printing -- internal organs, stem cells, artificial limbs, art, cars, customizable furniture.But if you had a 3-D printer sitting on your desk at home, what would you make?Some people know immediately: They'd create physical Minecraft models, make manga figurines, pop out replacement parts for a motorcycle. But most people will likely see a 3-D printer, think it's cool, then have no idea what to do next and move on.That could change, though, as dirt-cheap 3-D printers like thePrintrbot or new MakiBox simplify the technology and put it in more people's hands and home offices.3-DThe MakiBox attempts to simplify 3-D printing for a more consumer-friendly experience, lowering the price and reducing the complexity of assembling the devices and minting objects. Amateurs, basement inventors and hobbyists with no experience printing in three dimensions can jump right in and start experimenting with minimal investment.There are trade-offs, of course. The $200 version uses only the less expensive PLA plastic, which can melt at a lower temperature than other materials. A $300 version of the printer is available that can work with more substances. The final products will be a step down from what you could make with more professional machines."We're not optimizing on quality because we think there's actually room for 'good enough,'" said BufordThe idea for MakiBox grew out of the Makible crowdfunding site. The project's goal was to connect the dots between product prototypes, crowdfunding, and the eventual manufacturing process. Say a product designer comes up with an idea for a pedometer armband. He could raise money from interested mall-walkers, then be guided through the product manufacturing process.Buford has unique experience in all three areas. Based in Hong Kong, he studied mechanical engineering at Carnegie Mellon University and has worked as a toy designer.In 2005, he struck out on his own, crowdfunding a product before starting a co-working space in Hong Hong called Boot.hk. He launched Makible in 2011.To get the ball rolling and generate interest in the site, Makible posted a seed project the team had been working on internally: a cheap and fast 3-D printer. Posted in January 2012, the MakiBox kit was priced at $350 and aimed at entry-level consumers who didn't want to drop thousands of dollars on a higher-end desktop 3-D printer like the MakerBot Replicator ($2,000).It quickly raised $100,000, and the team pushed aside the crowdsourcing idea to work full time on the 3-D printer.Now a staff of six full-time employees is perfecting and shipping beta versions of the MakiBox A6 for $200, feeling out the nascent market for cheap 3-D printers.Buford thinks that if the technology becomes more accessible, creative people will come up with broader applications we haven't thought of yet, and desktop 3-D printer sales could take off.Or the 3-D printer could go the way of the home photo printer. When personal photo printers first debuted, there was a spike in sales, but slowly the demand dropped. People weren't printing out as many photos, and if they did it was generally cheaper and easier to have them done by one of the photo services with higher-end printers, such as Wal-Mart or Shutterfly. Staples has already announced plans to offer 3-D printing services n some stores."I'm not really sure there is an established market for this or that people do know what they're going to use it for," said Buford. "It's a Wild West market right now; we don't really know where it's going to end up."Over the next six months, Buford plans to contine rolling out the MaxiBox while also returning to the idea of connecting engineers, inventors and product developers to the sometimes confusing world of manufacturing. He's already seeing a surge in everyday devices that connect to the Internet and is working with local entrepreneurs in Hong Kong."What we're looking at doing is developing tech that bridges that gap between traditional manufacturing and 3-D printing," Buford said.Part-time inventors experimenting on cheap 3-D printers might be the next wave of people seeking out his help.

cnn.com

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

China'a Baidu Working On Google Glass-Like Device

China's Baidu has always been looking to follow on the foot-steps of the search-engine giant, Google. Their overall strategy has a lot of similarities and products launched over the course of time offer similar, if not the exact functions.

And now, taking the matter a couple of notches higher, the Chinese search giant is now reportedly working on a wearable device like the Google Glass, which is expected to be showcased at the Google I/O in May. Initially reports were ridiculed owing to the April Fools Day connection but according to a TechCrunch report, the China-based major is actually developing a wearable device that could match the features of Google Glass. The rumoured Baidu Eye device will run the Android-based OS, Baidu Yi, which the company offers to its users in the native market. The prototype has an LCD display that will project through a prism, voice-controlled image recognition, and even a bone-conduction earpiece technology similar to Google Glass. Baidu Eye will also support gesture controls, voice commands for doing basic web searches and placing calls.

Baidu is said to be working with Qualcomm to produce chips that will power the device and the company is looking to enhance the battery life of Baidu Eye to 12 hours, which compared to Google Glass's 6 hours battery life is significantly higher.

There is a belief among the tech experts that Baidu Eye was just Baidu's way of joining in the April Fools Day drama. We hope to hear more about the Baidu Eye in the coming months.

Aadeetya S, EFYTIMES News Network