Senin, 18 April 2011

Rumor: Security Update Coming May 3rd?

There has been a lot of discussion about Microsoft's ability to come through with their promise of maintaining the feature and OS parity of Windows Phones in the past, and now rumor has it they'll be tested once again. Slashgear reports from an inside source at Microsoft that a minor security update for Windows Phones will be pushed out on May 3rd.
Microsoft’s third Windows Phone update is due to be released on May 3 2011, addressing a recently discovered security issue that could see users of WP7 handsets open to phishing attacks or content spoofing. The update, a source with inside information told SlashGear, is described as a security certificate fix, closing a loophole around compromised third-party certificates issued by Comodo.
Apparently desktop OS Windows 7 was also a victim to the same security loophole and was patched shortly after discovery. The source says the loophole could have affected big-name sites such as Windows Live, GMail, Google, Yahoo, Skype, and Mozilla. Microsoft also believes the same could occur with Windows Phone 7, which is why the security update is said to have been issued. Again, this is still a rumor despite Slashgear's confidence in their tipster. However, it will be interesting to see if Microsoft will be able to pull another update off this time without as many glitches.

Source: Slashgear

Enter Microsoft's Big Box of Awesome to Win a Samsung Focus, Other Tech Goodies


Microsoft apparently just launched a new contest called "Microsoft's Big Box of Awesome" and it is indeed just that. Not only will the grand prize net you a shiny new Samsung Focus with WP7, you're getting a bunch of other sweet stuff too including an Xbox 360 + Kinect system, the Samsung Series 9 notebook, a 46" Samsung LED TV, and tons more.

The contest ends on May 2nd at 11:59pm PDT and you must 18 years of age or older and be a resident of the United States. If you want to try your luck check out the contest's Facebook page (contest requires that you have an account) and drool at the full list of prizes below.
  • Samsung Focus™ Windows® Phone
  • Samsung 9 Series Notebook
  • Samsung 46" LED TV
  • Xbox® 360 250 GB Console with Kinect™
  • Windows® 7 Home Premium
  • Microsoft Office Professional 2010
  • Microsoft Arc™ Touch mouse
  • XBox Live® 12-month Gold Membership
  • 3 Kinect-enabled Games (Dance Central, Kinect Sports, Kinectimals)
  • Wireless N Router
Via: @WindowsPhone
Source: Microsoft's Big Box of Awesome (Facebook)

Off Topic: Apple Sues Samsung Over Smartphones and Tablets

Image courtesy of Geekword.net

We don't normally report off topic news, but this is a big one and it could have a huge effect on one of Microsoft's key Windows Phone partners. Word just broke out that Apple is suing Samsung, accusing them of copying their, "technology, user interface and innovative style". While this is more of an Android-related story than a WP7 one since the suit explicitly mentions the Galaxy S smartphones and tablets, the fact of the matter is that if Apple hits Samsung hard with this suit it could have big consequences for all of the Korean manufacturer's smartphones.

However, unless they are withholding further accusations that were not made public, the grounds Apple has provided for suing are pretty weak. There is clearly a noticeable difference in the way Android and iOS function and the courtroom may find the claim of copying their "style" to be too intangible to measure in damages. Judging from that, one would think that this case may actually just settle between the two companies albeit with Samsung likely losing a chunk of change in the process.

On the contrary, Apple has plenty of reason to pursue this lawsuit for as long as they need to. The Galaxy S line (which the Samsung Focus is a descendant of) sold over 10 million devices worldwide in 2010 and has helped solidify Samsung's position in the smartphone industry. Considering that and if the courtroom sways in Apple's favor, there could be grounds for a massive lawsuit here.

Source: Engadget

Want To Get a Feel for Multitasking? Use the Pictures Hub!

Left: Mango Multitasking via Fast App Switcher
Right: Pictures Hub "Filmstrip" View

That headline might sound a little odd, but hear us out. Having seen videos that show off multitasking in Mango, we have a pretty good idea of what it looks like in its current form. But did you know that we've seen the same kind of "Cards" view before? It's true and it's in the least likely place you'd think of: the Pictures Hub!

Navigate to that hub, open the gallery and then tap on a picture. Then from there pinch two fingers towards the center of the image and you'll see the pictures shrink into a filmstrip view where you can swipe around and see other adjacent photos.

In case you haven't noticed yet, this filmstrip view looks almost identical to what the fast app switcher looks like in Mango (except for the background color and application titles, of course). If you can't see the resemblance, make sure you load up some wallpapers for your lock screen that are 800x480 in resolution and then try. So if you want to give your fingers some practice before this Fall, start pinching and swiping!

Minggu, 17 April 2011

Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it's....a HTC Hero Running WP7? [Windows Phone Fail]


This is just too good. Not only did Smallville bork up by using Windows Phone 7 on top of an (ironically chosen) HTC Hero, it also completely failed to stick to WP7's actual behavior by slapping a caller ID image smack in the middle of the Start page.

This kind of story writes itself people!

Source: Engadget

In commemoration of this hilarious article, we would like to introduce a new series -- Windows Phone Fail -- in which we point out glaring mistakes and screw-ups related to our favorite smartphone platform.

Kamis, 14 April 2011

The Meerkat does it again...

Following on from the campaign to find a twin town for his home town of Meerkovo earlier in the year (won by Market Harborough in Leicestershire, (oops sorry Meerkat Harborough), last week Aleksandr Orlov launched his quest to find a (salaried!) Ambassador for Meerkovo.

Now's he's sent a tweet flagging that he's realised that LinkedIn is a great site for recruitment and so he's joined, check out his profile here.

I can't but help smiling at how spot on these guys are time and time again.




Senin, 11 April 2011

Just watch this...