New Java flaw could hit 1 billion users | MacFixIt - CNET Reviews
Security Explorations conducted tests on a fully patched Windows 7 machine, and was able to exploit the bug using the Java plugin in the latest versions of most popular browsers (Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera). While the error was only tested on Windows 7 32-bit, being in Java means it is not limited to the Windows platform and will affect anyone with Java installed on their systems, be it Windows, Linux, Mac, or Solaris.
Does Apple have a Scott Forstall problem? - Apple 2.0 - Fortune Tech
Forstall came to Apple from NeXT and first rose to power on the strength of OS X Leopard, a project he managed. But it was by creating the original iPhone operating system -- since renamed iOS -- that he achieved his current status. As the manager of the platform that generates more than half of Apple's revenue, Forstall has amassed enormous clout within the company -- and more than his share of enemies.
Sloppy security? Apple and Nokia conceal fewer sensitive sites than Google Maps | The Verge
The prison plays host to a number of inmates, most notably Abdullah Öcalan, the spiritual leader of a Kurdish separatist organization. The facility is obscured on both Google and Nokia's maps, but Apple’s imagery is crystal clear. Google has used censored images in Earth (and by association, Maps) for over five years now, so why doesn't Apple's Maps application do the same? We took a look at some prominent military sites on each of the companies' mapping solutions to see how the results differed.
The Case for Abolishing Patents (Yes, All of Them) - Business - The Atlantic
A closer look at the historical and international evidence suggests that while weak patent systems may mildly increase innovation with limited side-effects, strong patent systems retard innovation with many negative side-effects.
Mapgate Is Over. Apple Won. Customers Won. Google, Not So Much. | PandoDaily
There was no better way for Apple to have handled this royal screw-up. I was not expecting it. I’d grown used to another, more aloof Apple, the sort of company that apologizes as a last resort, and even then makes you feel bad for it. In other words, I’d grown used to Steve Jobs’ Apple. This note illustrates that Tim Cook’s Apple is a more clear-eyed, pragmatic, and—not that it’s important, but it’s not nothing—a nicer place.
FreedomPop's pay-as-you-go data service launches in beta, offering 500MB of free WiMAX per month -- Engadget
There's one last piece about how FreedomPop works, and it might help if we drew a comparison to Dropbox, or Zynga, even. As you would in Farmville, you can earn extra Farmville cash free data by following through on certain tasks. Watch a 20-second ad, for instance, and you win three megs of data. Sign up for a Netflix trial and you get 1.2GB added to your coffer. And, similar to Dropbox, if you recommend a friend, you get 10MB for every month that pal stays on with the service. Finally, you can share data with a friend, but it really does have to be a friend: that person's email address has to be in your contact list.
FOSS Patents: Samsung gets Galaxy Tab 10.1 ban lifted, files infringement contentions against iPhone 5
About an hour before Judge Koh's order on the Galaxy Tab 10.1, Samsung formally filed a request with the court in a parallel Apple v. Samsung two-way litigation (which started in February 2012) to add the iPhone 5 to the list of products accused of infringing eight Samsung patents (click on the image to enlarge or read the text below the image):
Nest Learning Thermostat gets refreshed with a slimmer design, improved scheduling features -- Engadget
All told, Nest says the second-gen thermostat is 20 percent thinner than the original. Take a look at our hands-on photos and you'll notice some more subtle changes: the band is now made entirely of stainless steel, with no plastic bits. And whereas there used to be a grille on the front face, the sensors are now hidden under transparent plastic, making for an even less cluttered design.
The good news is that Gmail has finally added support for searching inside attachments. I've just tested this feature for .pdf files, .doc documents, .ppt presentations and it works, even though some old attachments may not be indexed yet.
Windows Phone 8: what's the big secret? | The Verge
Microsoft announced on September 5th, the day it unveiled two new Windows Phone 8 devices from Nokia, that it would start taking applications for its official SDK preview on September 12th. "I do want to set your expectations that program access will be limited," said Microsoft's Todd Brix. The reaction was swift from Windows Phone developers. "You're already way behind on the 'later this summer' announcement," said .NET developer Morten Nielsen in the comments section of Microsoft's blog post. "Get the preview out there for everyone to enjoy, build on, promote and push."
IHS iSuppli today cut its 2012 forecast for Ultrabook sales from 22 million units shipped, to 10.3 million. That’s a massive decline, over 50% if you run the sums. Even more, the new figure is comically lopsided in terms of distribution: “In the newly adjusted forecast for 2012, more than half of the shipments for the year are expected to come in the fourth quarter.”
The New York Times debuts an HTML5 iPad web app to complement its native apps » Nieman Journalism Lab
The New York Times today debuted an HTML5 web app for iPad users. The FT broke ground by abandoning Apple’s App Store in 2011 and investing in an HTML5-driven experience that could readily cross platforms — and didn’t require giving Apple its 30 percent vig. Quartz drew attention just a week ago by debuting a new business-news site that aimed high demographically but bet on a sharable web platform over native apps. And yesterday’s Pew study — which found mobile news consumers using the web over apps 2-to-1 — would seem to support a web-first strategy.
Samsung Hits Back at Apple With iPhone 5 Patent Infringement Suit - Businessweek
The case in which Samsung added the iPhone 5 claims is scheduled for trial in 2014. Samsung’s original complaint identifies the same eight patents as the basis for alleging infringement by earlier iPhone models, as well as the iPad and iPod Touch.