Tech Roundup: Jan 13, 2013
Time to disable Java permanently?
Security researchers have warned of a new vulnerability in Java that is currently being actively exploited by cybercriminals to infect computers with malware. The issue is so serious that the U.S.'s Department of Homeland Security has asked users to disable the Java plug-in on their browsers. The bug has been known to affect all versions of Java 7. Oracle, in the meanwhile, is said to be working on a patch to fix it. I guess, it may be prudent to disable Java from your browsers until further notice using the steps listed here. Update: Oracle has now issued an emergency fix for the vulnerability and recommends the patch be installed ASAP. It has also stated that it's easier to disable Java in the latest version. A smart move there!
Changing face of Earth:
Our planet is constantly changing and may be fast due to man-made activities. Last week witnessed the horrific wildfires (or bushfires colloquially) in Australia after temperatures soared to a record breaking 50.6 degree Celsius, the highest temperature since records began in 1957. Anticipating a more intense heat, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology even added two new colors to its temperature scale as it forecasted temperatures of up to 54 degree Celsius.
While Australia was battling scorching temperatures, northern parts of India, Israel, Palestine and Kuwait continue to shiver under a grip of cold wave beating previously set cold records. In the midst of all this, air pollution in the Chinese capital of Beijing is said to have gone past the hazard levels outlined by the U.N. World Health Organization. According to a report in BBC, the air tastes of coal dust and car fumes, two of the main sources of pollution. The Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center has recommended children and the elderly to stay indoors, and that others avoid outdoor activities.
What's next for Samsung?
Samsung is perhaps the only company benefiting enormously by its association with Google's Android. It has reportedly sold 500 handsets a minute over the last quarter and is heading towards a record Q4 with a $8.1 billion profit. It's surprising given that HTC has forecasted yet another bleak quarter with its profits nosediving by almost 90%. But all that is past. What is up next for the Korean manufacturer? As per recent reports, Samsung is prepping smartphones running on a new open-sourced operating system Tizen, which is jointly controlled by Intel and Samsung.
So will it ditch Android? With Google's acquisition of Motorola and recent rumours of a true Google smartphone (remember the X Phone?), Samsung has all the reasons to leave though it's unlikely that the search giant will let go of its most successful partner. It's not just that. Take the Galaxy S III or Note II for instance. It's very evident that Samsung is trying its level best to differentiate them from the rest by bringing in its own suite of software like S-Voice, Samsung Apps and so forth. Hence it wouldn't be surprising if one fine day it chooses to fork Android like what Amazon and Barnes & Noble did. All these prospects make for an interesting year!
Roundup of all the action from Consumer Electronics Show 2013:
CES 2013 indeed happened at Las Vegas and I am not going to list every product and prototype that was demoed at the show! Here's some of them which caught my eye:
Security researchers have warned of a new vulnerability in Java that is currently being actively exploited by cybercriminals to infect computers with malware. The issue is so serious that the U.S.'s Department of Homeland Security has asked users to disable the Java plug-in on their browsers. The bug has been known to affect all versions of Java 7. Oracle, in the meanwhile, is said to be working on a patch to fix it. I guess, it may be prudent to disable Java from your browsers until further notice using the steps listed here. Update: Oracle has now issued an emergency fix for the vulnerability and recommends the patch be installed ASAP. It has also stated that it's easier to disable Java in the latest version. A smart move there!
Changing face of Earth:
Our planet is constantly changing and may be fast due to man-made activities. Last week witnessed the horrific wildfires (or bushfires colloquially) in Australia after temperatures soared to a record breaking 50.6 degree Celsius, the highest temperature since records began in 1957. Anticipating a more intense heat, Australia's Bureau of Meteorology even added two new colors to its temperature scale as it forecasted temperatures of up to 54 degree Celsius.
While Australia was battling scorching temperatures, northern parts of India, Israel, Palestine and Kuwait continue to shiver under a grip of cold wave beating previously set cold records. In the midst of all this, air pollution in the Chinese capital of Beijing is said to have gone past the hazard levels outlined by the U.N. World Health Organization. According to a report in BBC, the air tastes of coal dust and car fumes, two of the main sources of pollution. The Beijing Municipal Environmental Monitoring Center has recommended children and the elderly to stay indoors, and that others avoid outdoor activities.
What's next for Samsung?
Samsung is perhaps the only company benefiting enormously by its association with Google's Android. It has reportedly sold 500 handsets a minute over the last quarter and is heading towards a record Q4 with a $8.1 billion profit. It's surprising given that HTC has forecasted yet another bleak quarter with its profits nosediving by almost 90%. But all that is past. What is up next for the Korean manufacturer? As per recent reports, Samsung is prepping smartphones running on a new open-sourced operating system Tizen, which is jointly controlled by Intel and Samsung.
So will it ditch Android? With Google's acquisition of Motorola and recent rumours of a true Google smartphone (remember the X Phone?), Samsung has all the reasons to leave though it's unlikely that the search giant will let go of its most successful partner. It's not just that. Take the Galaxy S III or Note II for instance. It's very evident that Samsung is trying its level best to differentiate them from the rest by bringing in its own suite of software like S-Voice, Samsung Apps and so forth. Hence it wouldn't be surprising if one fine day it chooses to fork Android like what Amazon and Barnes & Noble did. All these prospects make for an interesting year!
Roundup of all the action from Consumer Electronics Show 2013:
CES 2013 indeed happened at Las Vegas and I am not going to list every product and prototype that was demoed at the show! Here's some of them which caught my eye:
- Sony, Huawei, ZTE, Alcatel all announce phablets, with Huawei further blurring the boundaries between a phone and tablet by launching a 6.1-inch smartphone. Sony's all-glass covered 5-inch Xperia Z is, by the way, the most promising bet!
- Samsung demos prototype devices with flexible displays.
- OLED and 4K televisions are the next big thing.
- Pebble smartwatch is here and I was almost tempted to pre-order! (I may still do.)
- Next-gen smartphones to be more faster thanks to Nvidia's Tegra 4 processor.
- Virtual Reality gets a boost from Oculus Rift (VR gaming handset) and Leonar3Do (VR sculpting software for PC and Mac).
- Lenovo's IdeaCentre Horizon Table PC is a giant 27-inch 'interpersonal' computer for your complete family.
- Japanese company Fujitsu to miss its quarterly target; blames on weak Windows 8 demand.
- Congo based company VMK launches the first homegrown smartphone and tablet developed in Africa.
- Iran developing software to 'intelligently' control its citizens' access to social media networks.
- Mozilla Firefox 18 out with improved JavaScript performance and support for Retina displays.
- Google Chrome 24 available with speed improvements and 24 security fixes.
- Microsoft touts sales of 60 million licenses for Windows 8 since October launch.
- Apple iOS App Store hits 40 billion downloads; 20 billion downloads racked in 2012 alone.
- Pakistan briefly lifts ban on YouTube for 3 minutes; reinstates it after discovering that the controversial anti-Islamic video was still available on the site.
- Google Maps is officially accessible via browsers on Windows Phone platform.
- Cisco warns of a serious zero-day VoIP vulnerability that opens Internet Protocol (IP) phones to eavesdropping.
- Google Play Store update now allows all developers to respond to user reviews (previously available to Top Developers only).
- Skype for Windows 7, Vista and XP updated with Outlook integration.
- Chrome for Android gets Beta Channel; available on Play Store only via direct link for those who want early access to upcoming features.
- Samsung refreshes its popular Samsung Galaxy S II as Galaxy S II Plus; brings Jelly Bean on board.
- Facebook testing pay-to-message feature for a 100$ to message its CEO Mark Zuckerberg.
- Google chairman Eric Schmidt visits North Korea; urges the nation to widen its internet reach.
- Strong rumors of a cheaper iPhone going the rounds; speculated launch this year.
- Professional social network LinkedIn crosses 200 million users.
- Nokia launches Lumia 920 and 820 in India for Rs. 38,199 and Rs. 27,599 respectively; Lumia 620 set for launch next month.
- Wikipedia announces a new free travel guide website Wikivoyage.
- Mozilla readying a smartphone with ZTE running on Firefox OS for launch this year.
- Facebook shares hit a record high of $31.72 since July after the company sends an invite for new event scheduled for tomorrow; Facebook smartphone widely rumored.
- Rheinmetall Defence demos a laser weapons system that can shoot down drones.
- Chinese man hires virtual assassins to kill his son's World of Warcraft avatar after worrying about the amount of time he was spending on the game.
- NGC 6872 is the largest spiral galaxy ever discovered; is five times the size of Milky Way.
- Milky Way galaxy reported to have 17 billion earth-sized planets, according to a new study.
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