How to accelerate downloads in Android – Many users don’t notice download speed on their mobile device, because most of the files we get are pretty small: 1MB or so. Some users work with larger files, and for them, faster downloads are essential, as is control over the download process. It’s nice to be able to stop, restart, and reorder the download queue, and the free AndroGET app does all that while speeding up large downloads.
Who Has Access to Your Social Media Accounts? – We’re quite good at keeping track of apps on our smartphones. But what about on our Facebook, Twitter or Google accounts? Over the years, you might have installed dozens of apps that still have access to your data – without you knowing it.
Manage tasks from any device with Producteev – Following its successful runs on the iPhone and Mac platforms, Producteev now makes its way onto Windows 7 desktops and Android mobile devices.
Court: Forced Hard Drive Decryption Doesn’t Violate Fifth Amendment – In what may become a precedent setting digital rights ruling, Judge Robert Blackburn of the United States District Court of Colorado ruled that compelling an individual to provide access to the encrypted contents of a device does not violate the US Constitution’s prohibition of self incrimination.
Google Defends Privacy Changes as Questions Mount – While Google is touting its policy changes as a good thing for users, others argue that the real beneficiaries of the move are advertisers. By consolidating information about its users and refining target audiences for a product, Google can charge more for its advertising, argue critics of the policy.
Attackers Targeting Windows Media Bug With Malware – Security researchers have seen attackers going after the newly patched CVE-2012-0003 vulnerability in the Windows Media Player. The flaw, which was patched earlier this month by Microsoft, is a critical one that can enable remote code execution, and it affects a wide range of Windows systems.
Kindle for PC – With its range of powerful, dedicated hardware devices, Amazon could almost be expected to neglect its Windows application. Instead, it has continued developing it, added compelling features, and made it into one of the best e-book reader applications available for Windows today.
FBI in the market for app to monitor social networks – The US FBI is looking into the possibility of using an “Open Source and social media alert, mapping, and analysis application” for increasing its situational awareness, and to that effect has issued a request for information to determine if there are companies that could provide them with it.
Using Your Camera’s Settings: Program Mode, Shutter Speed, and More – Here’s how to get the most from Program mode and use an online digital SLR simulator to learn how shutter speed, aperture, and other settings affect your photos.
A peek into the Sykipot campaigns – The group(s) behind the massive and consistent campaigns targeting US defense contractors with the Sykipot Trojan continue their attacks unabated, reports Symantec. Its researchers have recently discovered and managed to take a peek into a staging server for the campaigns, which was also occasionally used as a C&C server for delivering instructions to the malware installed on the compromised computers.
Linux users cautiously optimistic about Ubuntu’s Head-Up Display desktop – Most users seem willing to give Ubuntu Linux’s Head-Up Display interface the benefit of the doubt.
Amazon Merchant Caught Bribing Customers for Reviews – The New York Times reports that Amazon merchant VIP Deals has been offering refunds on Amazon Kindle Fire cases in exchange for user reviews. The $10 cases shipped with letters that included the refund offer, which expired on December 29 of last year.
Company News:
Nokia Sells 1M Windows Phones But Lumia 900 Faces Challenge – The Lumia 900, with a 4.3-inch screen, support for 4G and a rumored price of $100 with a two-year contract, will be Microsoft and Nokia’s best shot at getting people interested in the Windows Phone platform.
Microsoft Kinect Motion-Sensing Technology Coming to Laptops, Sources Say – If Kinect capability does arrive in laptops, you may soon be able to control programs with the wave of your hand.
Dell, Microsoft, VMware Partnership Results in vStart Cloud System – vStart is a new preconfigured cloud system server that can host up to 200 virtual machines at a time using either vSphere, Microsoft Hyper-V, or both.
Off Topic (Sort of):
The World’s First “Carphone” – An article in the March 21, 1920 Sandusky Register in Sandusky, Ohio retold the story of a man in Philadelphia named W. W. Macfarlane who was experimenting with his own “wireless telephone.” With a chauffeur driving him as he sat in the back seat of his moving car he amazed a reporter from The Electrical Experimenter magazine by talking to Mrs. Macfarlane, who sat in their garage 500 yards down the road. (recommended by Michael F.)
Canadian teens send Legonaut 15 miles into atmosphere – Two 12th graders send a Lego man 80,000 feet up to record some incredible visuals of the planet.
Dear Apple: Do something about Chinese working conditions – As stories keep emerging about terrible working conditions in consumer-electronics factories, it’s time for Apple to step up. They’ve got the power and the cash to make meaningful change. Let’s hold them to it.
Color me surprised. I am 90 percent post-PC – I have been using mobile devices for the lion’s share of my work for a while, but it surprises me how close I am to chuck the PC totally.
Today’s Quote:
“If you live long enough, the venerability factor creeps in; first, you get accused of things you never did, and later, credited for virtues you never had.”
- I. F. Stone
Today’s Free Downloads:
Right Click Enhancer 2.4.3 – Right Click Enhancer gives you power to control the ultimate right click menu everyone use every day. Right Click Enhancer allows you to edit your right click menu in the way you want. Now with help of this wonderful tool you can add some good stuffs to your right click context menu.
IsMyLcdOK 1.64 – IsMyLcdOK is a small program but effective solution to easily check for dead/paralysed/stuck pixels on LCD monitors.
