Thursday, March 31, 2011

Operation Phish Phry defendants found guilty

The group was made up of members in the U.S. and Egypt, and used phishing to lure victims to phony bank websites and reveal account numbers, passwords and other personal identification information. 100 have been caught so far.
The conspiracy and bank fraud charges carry maximum sentences of 30 years in federal prison. The charge of aggravated identity theft carries a minimum sentence of two years that must be added to any other sentence imposed on a defendant Most defendants in this group are ages 20, 21, and 22.

Fire sale on Windows Phone 7.....We gotta move this stuff

AT&T this week cut the price of two Microsoft Windows Phone 7 handsets after having already cut the price in half a few months earlier, another bad sign for the beleaguered mobile OS. To be sure, discounting is par for the course in the mobile handset market and retailing in general, but it’s also a common indicator of a problem: We’ve gotta move this stuff.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Stories of a Samsung Laptop Keylogger Were Untrue

I've totally removed the story. I'm glad it is not true. Samsung is still on the good list.

Amazon Changes the Game for Android with Cloud Drive

I rarely predict, but to me first the Amazon Appstore and now, close on the heals of the Appstore, Cloud Drive has just changed the game for music on the Android and for Amazon's own MP3 store. If I had an Android phone I would immediately get on board with this. Since I don't, all I can do is hope that this nudges Apple in this direction, just like jailbroken apps created the iTunes App Store in the first place. Way to go Amazon and Android!

Sunday, March 27, 2011

OnComputers Radio show Podcast 03-27-11

This is the On Computers Radio show podcast for 03-27-11. You can listen live every Sunday from 11AM to 12PM Pacific that's 2PM to 3PM Eastern. Join us for the live show and chat.

Links from the Gregg Zone

1) When I first read this article announcing the discovery of cheap fuel cells, I was intrigued thinking back about things I had read in the past that hydrogen fuel cells to power electric cars would be one of the most efficient and cleanest way to operate a car. They may have found the price breakthrough to make the technology work at an affordable cost. http://www.upi.com

2) Someone sent me this short video about creating kinetic art or as the artist refers to them created life forms, that description might be considered a bit of an exaggeration, but I thought it was pretty cool from the art appreciation http://www.wimp.com

3) I am constantly amazed at the discoveries relating to our solar system, universe, and our position in the grand scheme of things. Somehow the ‘we are unique in the universe’ argument always seemed sort of empty to me, considering the actual size and complexity as we discover more and more our uniqueness appears to be mostly egocentric. http://www.bbc.co.uk

4) Every now and then, and lately at an increasing rate I seem to run into these stories in the news that make me wonder just what they are thinking. According to this article we are getting ready to drill all the way into the earth’s mantle. Now I am sorry but is it only me that thinks this sounds like creating your own personal volcano. I hope they chose the site well, and use disposable equipment. http://www.physorg.com/

5) Sometimes I wonder about those make money at home sites usually I just pass them by, this caught my eye though. I personally think the problem with a large part of the world is lack of education; the education factor seems to be the great dividing line between most of the divides in human relations around the world. Educated people are harder to control through fear and repression, and more able to react effectively. I think we will see a day when small devices (education in a box) are dropped from air like leaflets containing an entire education designed for the residents of a given area. Using devices that are solar powered and rechargeable, implying concepts like the Khan Academy to teach math, reading, and the basics, we could change the world. http://mashable.com

Today's App Corner

We've had the original "Angry Birds", "Angry Birds Seasons" and now we have the third version of this popular game, "Angry Birds Rio".  This time the birds are not being flung at their age old nemesis, pigs.  Instead they are flung at cages of captured exotic birds in an attempt to free those birds.  The basic game play is the same with a slingshot where you launch various birds at their targets.  All the versions I've linked to today are free.  You do not have to have played a prior version in order to enjoy this version.  There are paid versions available.



Angry Birds Rio for iPad Free

Angry Birds Rio for iPhone, iPad Touch, Free

Angry Birds Rio for Android

Earl's Cyber Steals and Deals

Electronics Expo has the Sylvania SYNET7LP 7" Color Touch Screen Android 2.2 Tablet for $130 - $5 off with coupon code GOGREEN + $7 shipping = $132 shipped. Features Google Android OS 2.2, 7" 800x480 touchscreen, 1 GHz CPU, 256MB DDR2, 2GB internal flash memory, HDMI output, SD card slot, 2 mini USB slots, and 802.11b/g.

Newegg has the refurbished Netgear RangeMax Wireless Router (WPN824N-100NAR) for $20 with free shipping. Supports speeds of up to 108 Mbps, with an astonishing seven internal smart antennas

Amazon has the Seagate ST2000DL003 Barracuda Green 2TB 3.5" Internal Hard Drive for $70 + $6 shipping = $76 shipped. Features a 64MB cache, 5900RPM, 6.0Gb/s SATA interface, and a 4.16ms average latency.

Buy.com has the ASUS A52F-X3 15.6" Core i3 2.26GHz Notebook for $500 with free shipping. Intel Core i3-350M 2.26GHz, 4GB DDR3, 320gb HDD, Intel GMA HD 802.11b/g/n, HDMI out, DVD Super Multi-Drive, Windows 7 HP x64

PexagonTech.com has personalized 8GB USB Drives for $30 - $20 off with coupon code WEB8GB8H6 = $10 with free shipping. Many different color combinations available. Plus, you can add your own text and upload a logo for free

Dell Business has the Dell Vostro 230 Mini Tower plus Dell E1709W 17" LCD Monitor for $329 + $8 shipping = $337 shipped. Features Intel Pentium Dual Core E5800 3.2GHz, 2GB DDR3 and 320GB HDD. Included monitor is listed under System Details on the right Vostro 230 MT + Dell E2210H 21.5" w/ Dual Core E5700 & 3GB = $407 shipped

SuperBiiz has the Encore ENLWI-N3 Wireless N150 PCI Adapter for $10 with free shipping. For those that do not have motherboards equipped with wireless networking. Supports b/g/n networks

Amazon has the Linksys Ultra RangePlus Wireless-N Broadband Router (WRT160N) for $30 with free shipping. Features MIMO technology, backwards compatibility with G and B networks, SPI firewall. Will do DD-WRT

Electronics Expo has the Archos 501714 ARNOVA 4GB 10" Android Tablet for $193 - $15 off with coupon code BIGBEN + $7 shipping = $185 shipped. Features built-in wifi, up to 6 hours battery life, g-sensor, speaker, microphone, 1024x600 10.1" TFT LCD touchscreen, and runs Android 2.1 Eclair.

Dell Business has the Vizio E421VA 42" 1080p 120Hz LCD HDTV for $480 with free shipping. 1080p 1920x1080 Resolution, 50000:1 Contrast Ratio, 120Hz Refresh TSC/NTSC Tuners, 2x 20W Speakers, 4 HDMI, SRS TruSurround HD Pixel Response Time 5 ms Backlight Life 60,000 hour(s)