Baig: Apple iPhone 5 makes glowing first impression

by Edward C. Baig, USA TODAY
Updated 47m ago


GLENN CHAPMAN AFP/Getty Images

Apple CEO Tim Cook presents the new iPhone 5.
Enlarge


GLENN CHAPMAN AFP/Getty Images

Apple CEO Tim Cook presents the new iPhone 5.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Over the past several weeks and months, I can't tell you how often I've gotten the question, "When is the new iPhone coming out?'" We now know the answer to the question. Apple announced a brand new iPhone 5 today. The obvious follow-up question: "Is it worth it?"

My true answer must wait until I've had a chance to put the iPhone 5 through its paces, and details are still emerging as I sit in the audience at Apple's event here. But the new iPhone looks awfully inviting from my vantage point. Like many people, I've had an iPhone 4 that has frankly grown stale. But I also postponed the purchase of a new smartphone -- waiting to see what Apple would do.

The new iPhone 5 has the same retina display as on its predecessor. But Apple finally upped the screen size to 4 inches, up from the 3.5-inch display that was on all its predecessors. That permits a fifth row of app icons on the home screen. It's still a smaller screen than the display on many rival Android devices. But the extra real estate is welcome, just the same.

Apple says the new device a little taller than its earlier models and is the thinnest and lightest iPhone ever made -- 18% thinner, in fact, than its immediate predecessor, the iPhone 4S. And the iPhone 5 is one-fifth lighter than the 4S. It is made entirely of glass and aluminum.

IBM LEGAL VICTORY CRUSHES NEON'S JPRIME FEE-DODGING SOFTWARE

On May 31 IBM obtained a permament injunction barring Neon from selling its zPrime product, software that enabled many general-purpose mainframe jobs to run on specialty engines.  Once moved, these jobs let users dodge software charges based on the use of general purpose computing capacity.  The technical tricks were, as IBM seems to have shown, a violation of IBM's policies and practices and a breach of IBM's mainframe software licensing agreement.  Game over.

The injunction appears to permit users of the jPrime product to continue running the code under the terms of their contracts with Neon.  Neon appears to be obliged to do everything it can to unwind these deals short of defaulting on its obligations.

The personnel behind jPrime are specifically prohibited from using their knowhow to outfox IBM.  They are also enjoined from sharing or making public their understanding of the IBM software that attempts to govern and meter workloads on IBM mainframes.  Basically, IBM found a legal solution to the problems posed by jPrime but from the looks of things Big Blue could not come up with a technical remedy for the bill-beating technology.

New Apple accessories could create inconveniences

by RYAN NAKASHIMA, Associated Press
Updated 13h 10m ago



Jeff Chiu, AP

Apple's new EarPods are free with the iPhone 5 and sell for $29 separately.
Enlarge


Jeff Chiu, AP

Apple's new EarPods are free with the iPhone 5 and sell for $29 separately.

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Along with a new iPhone 5, Apple unveiled accessories Wednesday that could prove to be a blessing and a curse for customers: a set of earbuds that are meant to fit comfortably in more people's ears, and a new adapter that will be needed to plug the new phone into older car dashboards and speaker systems.

The new earbuds, called EarPods, are being sold separately for $29 but will be included at no extra charge with the iPhone 5 and the refreshed iPod Touch and iPod Nano.

The company says the earbuds were three years in the making and required scanning hundreds of ears looking for commonalities. They are more elliptical than the current earbuds and have a smaller speaker that points into the ear canal. They also have other ports meant to maximize airflow.

They don't create a seal like other in-ear headphones, but Apple says the audio quality is "just as impressive as what you'd hear from more expensive headphones." Like the older versions, the EarPods come with a microphone and a remote control on the cord to adjust volume, control playback of music and movies and answer and end calls.

One design change that could cause some annoyance is the iPhone 5's new "Lightning" port, through which the device gets charged.

Microsoft struggles with viruses, counterfeit software

Microsoft struggles with viruses, counterfeit software
by Richard Lardner, Associated Press
Updated 9h 26m




Associated Press

David Anselmi, a Microsoft senior manager of investigations in the company's Digital Crimes Unit, sits in a lab in Richmond, Va.
Enlarge


Associated Press

David Anselmi, a Microsoft senior manager of investigations in the company's Digital Crimes Unit, sits in a lab in Richmond, Va.

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WASHINGTON (AP) - A customer in Shenzhen, China, took a brand new laptop out of its box and booted it up for the first time. But as the screen lit up, the computer began taking on a life of its own. The machine, triggered by a virus hidden in its hard drive, began searching across the Internet for another computer.

The laptop, supposedly in pristine, super-fast, direct-from-the-factory condition, had instantly become part of an illegal, global network capable of attacking websites, looting bank accounts and stealing personal data.

For years, online investigators have warned consumers about the dangers of opening or downloading files emailed to them from unknown or suspicious sources. Now, they say malicious software and computer code could be lurking on computers before the bubble wrap even comes off.

The shopper in this case was part of a team of Microsoft researchers in China investigating the sale of counterfeit software. They suddenly had been introduced to a malware called Nitol. The incident was revealed in court documents unsealed Thursday in a federal court in Virginia. The records describe a new front in a legal campaign against cybercrime being waged by the maker of the Windows operating system, which is the biggest target for viruses.

Huawei Ascend P1 Launches in Malaysia

Stuff\ Justin Chee

Huawei announced that its flagship dual-core smartphone, the Huawei Ascend P1 is now available in Malaysia.

It also announced the expansion of its device business through a new distribution partnership with ECS ICT Bhd (“ECS”) via its who
lly-owned subsidiary ECS Astar Sdn Bhd, which will open up access to more than 3,000 resellers nationwide.

The Huawei Ascend P1 features a dual-core 1.5GHz TI OMAP 4460 Cortext-A9 processor and measures 7.69mm thin and 64.8 mm long. It also has a 4.3-inch super AMOLED 960 x 540 touch screen with Corning® Gorilla® Glass, an 8-megapixel BSI rear-facing camera and Dolby Mobile 3.0 + 5.1 surround sound technology.

“The availability of the Ascend P1, which combines smart features and a sexy design, represents a significant milestone for Huawei Device. Furthermore, we are pleased to announce that it is the first 1.5GHz Dual-core smartphone (with Super AMOLED) with a Special Introductory Price of RM999 (Normal RRP: RM1,299)” said Wong Wey Hwa, Head of Consumer Business, Huawei Device Malaysia.

Sharp Debuts Dual-SIM SH530U In Malaysia, Priced At RM1288

September 13, 2012
By Loh Ving Sung


13 September 2012 - While the name might not roll off the tongue, the SH530U was just announced by Sharp. The 5-inch device has a roundish design and is 9.9mm thick.





The Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) equipped phone is skinned with Sharp Feel UX. A Sharp spokesperson also mentioned the phone’s ability record voice and video calls.

Its 5-inch screen is a WVGA TFT touchscreen displaying 800 x 480 pixels. The SH530U also rocks dual-standby dual SIM slot, meaning both phone lines are active at the same time. Inside, there is a Cortex Dual Core A9 1GHz processor with 512MB RAM.

Moola, A Mobilephone Friendly Loyalty Program

September 13, 2012
by Lim Pei Hao
0 0 0 13

13 September 2012 – Moola is a new wave of loyalty program by ICT Utopia that utilizes mobile apps and QR code technology instead of conventional card system. It is designed for the convenience of the customers, and eliminating the hassle of carrying an additional loyalty card in their pocket. All the customer need to download the Moola app to their mobile phone and they can start enjoying Moola privileges.