In what was seen as a first of its kind of attack, Apple Inc has suffered major internet intrusion in its iOS App Store by a malicious programme called XcodeGhost. Though the company has now taken necessary steps to remove infected iPad and iPhone programmes and files, it has still not announced a way for users to determine whether or not their devices have been infected.
The affected apps include Tencent Holdings Ltd’s popular mobile chat app WeChat, car-hailing app Didi Kuaidi and a music app from Internet portal NetEase Inc. According to the cyber-security firm, Palo Alto Networks Inc, a total of five infected apps have been found in the app store since this cyber-attack.
Christine Monaghan, the Apple spokeswoman, affirmed in an email,
“We’ve removed the apps from the App Store that we know have been created with this counterfeit software. We are working with the developers to make sure they’re using the proper version of Xcode to rebuild their apps.”
Though the malicious software was found embedded in hundreds of apps, Apple has not disclosed the exact number. Needless to say, this unprecedented incident has left Apple users more than just surprised all over the world.
YU has released two power banks marked at 5,000 mAh and 10,000 mAh capacity respectively. The durability of the banks definitely seems like an interesting feature. The gadgets are damage resistant and equipped with enhanced durability through Delicate Sand Blasting and Aluminium Alloy Anodizing, protecting them from degeneration, corrosion or rusting. The Aluminium Alloy outer shell of the chargers are hand-crafted with rounded edges and an 8-mm super-slim body, making them light and portable.
The JYUICE manages to adjust the power output depending on the device connected to it and provides protection from electrolyte leakage. An LED light on the side updates the user of the status of the battery of the power bank itself. The price of the two variants is Rs. 699 ($10) and Rs. 1099 ($16).
It would be interesting to see JYUICE pitted against three important competitors which are all offering similar, or perhaps better, features within the same price bracket. There is Xiaomi Mi Powerbank priced at Rs. 999 which provides 10,400mAh of battery. This is followed by Asus ZenPower priced at Rs. 1,599 for 10,050mAh of power lastly, the OnePlus powerbank which costs Rs. 1,399, weighs and comes with 10,000mAh of power. Click here for a more detailed comparison of the three powerbanks.
As Slater’s character says in USA’s Mr. Robot, “It controls you and everyone you care about… Money…It’s become virtual. Software –the operating system of our world”, technology truly has become a force to reckon with. It’s interesting to see how the definition of technology and all that it entails has evolved over time, eventually becoming a magical entity which suddenly made information on the remotest of topics available just a simple click away.
In an attempt to move away from the fictional world of TV shows to the domain of international politics, one wonders how different Anonymous’ taking down of the Israeli websites in response to their attack on Palestinian cyber space is from Elliot’s attempts to take down E corp.
The past decade has revealed the potency of technology in bringing down governments and international institutions. The Arab Springs is a perfect example of a situation where social media became the realm of youth-mobilisation against what was seen as injustice done by the system. When one talks of technology as the space for revolution and change, it is impossible to not delve into an elaborate discussion on Anonymous.
Describing themselves as “an internet gathering” with “a very loose and decentralized command structure that operates on ideas rather than directives”, the group emerged in 2003 and became self-professed defenders of those facing oppression at the hands of political or religious institutions. Anonymous provided the template for any group of maverick hackers trying to bring down big corporate houses, the State or any power structure threatening the well-being of a community. There is perhaps a reason Anonymous has gained a potent cult following, with TV shows like Mr. Robot being the latest reminders of it.
Here’s a closer look at top five successful hacking operations carried out by Anonymous that made the world sit up and think:
1. Project Chanology (2008): One of the first prominent hacking activities of the group, this project involved a series of DDoS in 2008 against the Church of Scientiology. As part of this attack, a group of Anons posted a video on YouTube where a robotic voice declared, “For the good of your followers, for the good of mankind—for the laughs—we shall expel you from the Internet.” Needless to say, within a week the video had earned hundreds of thousands of views all over the world.
2. Operation: Payback is a Bitch (2010): In 2010, Anonymous came across an Indian software company called Aiplex Software that carried out DDoS attacks against websites like the Pirate Bay that carried pirated content. On September 17th, within a week of having stumbled upon this company, Anonymous launched a DDoS against the site which shut it down for a day. It soon snowballed into a cyber-war which included Anonymous coming to the aid of various bitTorrent sites. The message was emphatic and well-articulated as Anons went ahead to declare in an official statement, “Anonymous is tired of corporate interests controlling the internet and silencing the people’s rights to spread information, but more importantly, the right to SHARE with one another”. The name of the project was put on a hacked website of copyright alliance.
3. Operation Avenge Assange (2010): This became an extension of Project Payback as the Anons took charge of hacking into all those websites which had refused to allow donations to WikiLeaks. Beginning with DDoS attacks against PayPal, Anons hacked into MasterCard and Visa websites, among others. This resulted in PayPal announcing the release of its frozen funds to be directed towards WikiLeaks. Also, in December of the same month, The Daily Telegraph reported a threat by Anonymous to hack into the British government websites if Assange were extradited to Sweden.
4. Operation Darknet (2011): In October, 2011, Anonymous began a series of DDoS attacks against Lolita City, a child pornography website. Anons stated in an official statement, “We vowed to fight for the defenseless, there is none more defenseless than innocent children being exploited.” Multiple demands and warnings were made and issued respectively to take down the server. This was followed by a manifesto in the form of a YouTube video.
When the servers still remained untouched, Anonymous revealed a list of 1589 users of Lolita City along with detailed records of their profiles. The FBI and Interpol were asked to look into the matter further. Eventually a total of 40 child pornography websites were taken down by Anonymous in 2011 itself.
5. Anonymous-ISIS Cyber-War (2015): Earlier in 2015, a group of Anons called GhostSec started a cyber-campaign called #OpISIS against the Islamic State (IS). The campaign is aimed at targeting those members of the extremist IS who are using the internet as a platform to spread propaganda and fundamentalism. In order to “cure the ISIS virus” they are keeping a close track of the activities of the members of IS across various social media platforms. Even as early as April 8, 2015, Anonymous had managed to attack 233 websites, destroy 85 websites and terminate 25,000 Twitter accounts. Though this did result in a significant lull in the intra-group activities of IS, the move was criticised by many for it meant bigger obstacles in keeping track of IS activities.These are just a few examples of what Anonymous has been up to since its inception over a decade ago. Often identified as the archetypal trickster, no one’s really sure of what to make of this secret, super snazzy self-proclaimed group of “hackists”. One is often tempted to wonder if they are operating as vigilantes, saviours of the world from religious and political institutions, or if they are only there for a few laughs, trolling the most powerful organisations of the world simply because they can.
Could technology truly be the space for bringing about the change the reformers, revolutionaries and anarchists of the world dream of? Or is it simply a hoax, an illusion of power given to people to keep them appeased by hiding from them their absolute powerlessness?
The realm of technology clearly raises more questions than it answers. Adding to the blur of conflicting opinions are groups like Anonymous which still leave us unsure of their position in this rigmarole of politics, power, society and ideology. Until the day a consensus is reached, if one is reached at all, here’s to the riot of social media, the fan-following of Anonymous, and well, to the threat of a futuristic society where artificial intelligence enslaves humanity to save a race turned upon itself.
Time for all Apple haters to sit up and listen as Apple announces donation to relief funds for refugees fleeing the Middle East. In an email to the Apple staff, published by The Telegraph, Tim Cook wrote,
“Thousands of people have already lost their lives as families embark on long and dangerous journeys across land and sea.Our hearts go out to these refugees, and many of you have asked how we can help. Apple is making a substantial donation to relief agencies which provide humanitarian aid to refugees in Europe and around the Mediterranean.”
The CEO also added that people can contribute using a donation page on iTunes. Currently advertised on the front page of the App Store, this would allow users to send money to the Red Cross. Cook further added that Apple would donate twice the amount of what employees donate to specific aid programs, including the Red Cross.
As this mass exodus of people fleeing Middle Eastern countries unfolds before the world, it is comforting indeed to watch companies like Apple, and even Google which announced its own relief measures earlier this month, to come forward and do their bit.
Baka Mobile has done a hands-on video on the new Blackberry Venice. With its release dates still unknown, speculations are being made about how it couldn’t be far now that someone has had the opportunity to review it up close.
Baka confirms the presence of a physical camera button, volume rockers and a smart action key, along with a front facing speaker grille and a microSD slot. Blackberry once again brings best of both worlds in its keyboards, which like the Passport, boasts of a biometric sense touch. Scrolling through documents and long web pages just became so much easier. Unlike older Blackberry handsets, the Venice has an equally distributed weight across the screen and the keyboard.
Tap-to-wake, Blackberry Hub, Blackberry Device search, and Google Search are some of the cool new additions the gadget possesses. For a closer look at the Venice, check out the video put up by Baka Mobile below.
The glitches count for Apple continues to increase as users all over the world have trouble updating their devices to iOS 9. A large number of customers took to social media to express their annoyance at the failure of the tech giant to live up to all the hype created around the recent Apple event and all their latest developments. Users of the older versions of iPads and iPhones faced the most problems. Apple’s head-quarter in San Francisco remained unavailable for comment.
Tim Cook addresses the audience at the Apple event in San Francisco on September 9th.
Despite rolling out new updates for iOS 8, some of the already existing bugs have still not been fixed. At the same time, many users found an error message being displayed on their screens, “Software Update Failed”, as they struggled with iOS 9 updates. Apple also delayed the launch of its new watch OS 2, the updated operating system for the Apple Watch due to the discovery of a bug in its development.
Bentley, which recently unveiled the Bentayga SUV, the quintessential high-riding, luxury car, has decided to take it a notch higher with accessories like the Breitling clock for the dashboard of its newest SUV. Called Mulliner Tourbillon, the watch has a 28mm case crafted from 18 carat gold available in rose or white, and costs a whopping $170,000.
The dial beneath it, is set with 12 diamonds and comes in natural, black ebony or pearl. The back of the clock has been hollowed out to allow it to be lit by natural light. The watch is complete with a titanium cage and a 22-carat gold oscillator. This watch alone costs barely $20,000 less than Bentley’s entry level Continental GT priced at $193,000. Now that is something to mull over (read: covet), boys and girls.
Wilson has introduced a high-tech basketball along with a companion app for iOS for all the basketball fans out there. While the technology is only compatible with iOS so far, its Android version is to be announced soon.
Wilson X, announced last year for the first time, enables the player to note and compare hits and misses, while the mobile app allows four different shooting drills. Wilson claims that the combo is made for shooters and it helps them track shots within a distance of seven feet from the basket.
If this wasn’t enough to get you excited, the company has also added simulations that include crowd noise and sports commentary. There’s a Buzzer Beater mode that allows the player to make the game-winning shot towards the end of the routine. The device also keeps tabs on two-pointers, three-pointers and free throws. Wilson hasn’t forgotten social networking, for the gadget allows the scores to be shared on social media. The ball boasts of a battery that would allow you to make 300 shots per day for a year without requiring charging and is available in two sizes, 29.5-inch Official and 28.5-inch Intermediate, for $199.
With the launch of the iPhone 6s, comparisons between Apple and Samsung, two of the most prominent names in the tech world are driving tech-freaks up the wall.
While Apple has always been a leader when it comes to UI, Samsung boasts of better features on paper. The former may not be able to compete with the latter in terms of numbers and stats, but it definitely is a smoother device to work on. The fluidity and smoothness of any Apple device is unmatched by even the best gadgets in the market. Therefore, the new iPhones; 6s and 6s Plus, can be expected to deliver the same fluidity to the user. Apple gadgets, after-all, have always been more than just big numbers.
However, Apple is likely to lose the race with Samsung in terms of design. While iPhones have followed pretty much the same pattern in its external features, Samsung has an edge because of its constant innovation with design.
Let’s take a closer look at the features both Apple and Samsung have to offer, this time around.
Screen and Display:
At a 5.7 inches, Samsung Galaxy Note 5 has a larger panel than the 4.7 inches of the iPhone 6s. Note 5 comes equipped with a pixel-packing quad-HD display with a resolution of 2560 X 1440 and 518ppi pixel density. iPhone 6s loses out to its Samsung counterpart in the pixel-war with a 1334 X 750-pixel resolution and 326 ppi.
Design:
As mentioned above, this is a category in which Samsung is almost certainly going to have an edge over the iPhone 6s. Metal and glass have now replaced the plastic and faux-leather combination Samsung had been employing in its phones so far, as was seen in last year’s Note 4. The design of Note 5 seems slightly disappointing, especially in contrast with its sturdier, smarter predecessor. At the same time, it also seems like an echo of the S6 Edge. However, the glass back seems to be a bit of a concern, in terms of the phone’s hardiness.
iPhone 6s pretty much follows suit with its predecessors without having much to offer in terms of innovation in design.
Features:
The S-Pen, a little stylus that enables one to doodle away on their phone, is by far one of the best features of the Note series. It has continued to evolve ever since its inception and now Note 5 too, will come equipped with the stylus in its new, improved version. Its abilities have expanded with each new release and we’re happy to say it’s still here with the Note 5. Though the highly speculated auto-eject feature won’t be part of it, the stylus will pop out when pressed down. Also, it will be slimmer than before. Samsung will have an edge over Apple in terms of software as well, which in this case will be especially made for larger phones. Two apps can be simultaneously opened on the Note 5 and can be made into floating windows as well, if need be. Similar multi-tasking features have been part of Apple’s iPads in the past.
What 6s has to offer in reply to this is the 3-D Force Touch Display.The phones feature a next-generation version of a Force Touch seen in the latest MacBook trackpads and the Apple Watch. While the trackpads and Apple Watch work on two levels, namely of press and tap, this updated version of Force Touch features a deeper press, in addition to these. Thus, the feature has been rightly termed ‘3-D Touch’. The sensors take into account three different types of touch rather than two.
Memory:
This is another feature in which iPhone 6s loses out to its counterpart because even though there are three options to choose from -16 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB, Apple has gotten rid of its 32 GB iPhone as opposed to Samsung’s 32 GB version, along with a 64 GB one, of course.
Power:
Note 5 is pretty much a twin to Galaxy S6 in terms of its internal features with an Exynos 7420 chipset with a 2.1GHz quad-core and a 1.5GHz CPU. It also boasts of a Mali -T760MP8 GPU and, most importantly – 4GB RAM. This is four times the amount of RAM of the A8 chip that the iPhone 6 Plus brings with it. Though the iOS is very efficient at making the best of limited amounts of RAM, buyers still hope for a 2 GB version at least.
If speculations are to be believed, A9 is expected to be a better performer than the Exynos of S6. With the new iPhone less than a week old, there are only a couple of hazy expectations and hopes minus any concrete facts so far.
Battery:
Note 5 has a new battery of 3,000 mAh, but this makes it only slightly bigger than the 2,915 mAh version on the iPhone 6 Plus which doesn’t even need to sustain a quad-HD display.
The older iPhone model of the 6 Plus matches up to its Samsung rival in being able to run for two days without needing full charge. After the disappointing battery performance of Galaxy S6, it would be interesting to see what Apple has to offer in its new iPhones. The Note 5, on the other hand, allows the feature of wireless charging, along with QuickCharging, both of which are missing from the iPhone 6 Plus.
A Force Touch promotional video released by Apple seems to confirm that the battery of the newest iPhone will be less than its predecessor. Speculations about the reduced battery capacity of the iPhone 6s Plus have been doing the rounds for weeks now. Finally this video comes across as some sort of an acknowledgement of the rumours. According to GSMArena, it shows the battery at a “1715 mAh”, less than the iPhone 6’s 1810 mAh. Along with this, an updated 4G LTE chip is likely to consume less power and therefore make the iPhone 6s more power-efficient. Find the full story here.
Camera:
Like the similarity in the internal features of both S6 and Note 5, the camera in the latter is a twin to that of the former. In front of the puny 8 MP of the 6s Plus, Note 5 boasts of a 16 MP with UHD video recording. However, both cameras come equipped with optical image stabilisation for low-light, blur-free shots.
The front cameras of both the Note 5 and 6s Plus are worth a comparison. While the former stands at 5 MP, the latter is no more than 1.2 MP. While both Samsung flagship phones have a 16 MP camera, the 6s Plus does not go beyond 12 MP. However, the iSight camera will now allow you to record videos in 4K resolution like the two Samsung phones.
Here are the specs of the two phones, and just for added fun, we have added S6 Edge Plus to the list as well.
Government agencies in Australia now have facial recognition technology at their disposal to look up people of interest. They would have a database of individuals taken from photographs on visas, passports and driving licenses.
This technology allows identification of individuals using a digital image of sorts of their face. It uses unique features of the face in the image — shape of the eyes, nose or jaw etc. — to compare the digital image with the one stored in the database.
A sum of $18.5 million to be spent on establishing the National Facial Biometric Matching Capability (NFBMC) was announced by the Australian Minister for Justice, Michael Keenan on Wednesday. He referred to the development as the country’s “newest national security weapon.” Agencies and police would be able to “share and match” photographs of Australians held in existing databases next year onwards.
Speculations regarding similar technology are rife in India, but the country is yet to see any concrete developments in the field. One of the biggest hindrances India would face while establishing such a database would be its humongous population. Meanwhile, Australia’s public announcement has sparked off numerous debates about the nature of this technology -a tool to control crime and maintain security, or another example of the State’s growing control and influence over people?
Do you think its time India got its own ‘National Security Weapon’ of this sort? Let us know in the comments below.
Sony tweeted an image similar to the one Apple had used for its invites to have a laugh at the expense of Apple’s newest phones. The image (below) read as: “Hey Siri, what about the battery life?”, followed by “Switch to Sony”.
The tweet also included a message which says, “A battery life worth talking about… Up to 2 days’ battery with #Xperia Z5 series SwitchToSony”. The new range of Sony’s Xperia Z5 series is indeed a formidable rival in the smartphone industry. It includes some interesting features among which high capacity batteries is an important one. Mostly around 3,000 mAh, Sony has managed to accommodate a battery of 3,430 mAh in its Z5 Premium range for phones with a physical structure as big as iPhone 6s Plus which has a battery capacity of 2,915 mAh.
A Force Touch promotional video released by Apple seems to confirm that the battery of the newest iPhone will be less than its predecessor. Speculations about the reduced battery capacity of the iPhone 6s have been doing the rounds for weeks now. Finally this video comes across as some sort of an acknowledgement of the rumours. According to GSMArena, it shows the battery at a “1715 mAh”, less than the iPhone 6’s 1810 mAh.
The reason for the reduced battery is perhaps to make space for new features like the Taptic Engine and Force Touch-enabled display. At the same time, this in no way implies fewer hours of usage. The specs at the Apple event last night show that the iPhone 6s will have the same talk, Internet browsing, and video playback time as the iPhone 6. This is ensured by the increased efficiency of the phone in terms of power usage.
Samsung has proved its presence cannot be ignored in the tech world irrespective of the ruckus being kicked up around it. Following the news of the new iPhones, the company made an announcement in a press release last night about its 12 GB mobile DRAM chips. This has just opened the door for 6 GB smartphones in the near future because the 12Gb LPDDR4 enables 3 GB or 6GB of mobile DRAM in a single package by simply using two chips and four chips respectively.
Samsung says that “compared to the preceding 20nm-based 8Gb LPDDR4, the 12Gb version is more than 30% faster at 4,266Mbps, and is twice as fast as DDR4 DRAM for PCs, while consuming 20 percent less energy.” It goes on to comment that these chips won’t be confined to just phones but hopefully would be available for “ultra-slim PCs, digital appliances and automotive device,” as well. One of the advantages of having a high RAM is that it makes multi-tasking on the device incredibly smooth.
Currently, even the fanciest of Samsung phones do not go beyond 4 GB of RAM. However, a 6 GB phone sometime next year shouldn’t come as a surprise now that the official announcement about the technology has been made.
Now that iPhone 6s has hit the markets, it’s time to pit the newest Apple wonder against the best of the smartphone industry. Apple has never failed to woo its users with its fluidity and smoothness in the past. One wonders if it’s likely to happen now as well in the face of tough competition from equally snazzy and up to date tech names like Samsung, Sony, LG and HTC.
Specs
LG G4
Samsung Galaxy Note 5
Samsung S6 Edge+
HTC One M9
Sony Experia Premium Z5
iPhone 6s
Display
5.5-inch Quad HD LCD
5.66 inch Quad HD
5.7 inches
5.5 inch HD
5.5 inch 4K
4.7 Retina HD display with 3D Touch, LED-backlit widescreen
Despite not being able to match its competitors in terms of specs and numbers on paper, Apple has always managed to fulfil the demands of the tech world so far. On the launch of the very first iPhone eight years ago in 2007, Steve Jobs had promised to “reinvent the phone”. This promise has indeed been taken care of if statistics are to be believed which suggest that 53% of the smartphone market is dominated by Apple.
As the much awaited event of the tech-world finally came to a close, it gave tech-geeks enough to gush about for a while. The launch of 6s and 6s Plus was accompanied by the Apple Watch, iPad Pro and the Apple TV. The Watch also came equipped with accessories like the Apple Pencil and the keyboard. A picture is worth a thousand words, and a video’s worth, well, a little bit more. So here goes:
Apple Watch:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZJHbvDWzFQ
Tim Cook talks about the Apple Watch and says, “It’s amazing how much power you have on your wrist” . Apple has collaborated with Hermes for this watch which boasts of over 10,000 apps and more. It will be available for sale in 24 countries post the 16th of September.
iPad Pro:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlYC8gDvutc
The iPad Pro has finally been unveiled at the official Apple event in San Francisco. The new iPad Pro is accompanied by accessories like a “unique tip pen” as well as a keyboard. The gadgets are priced as follows: the iPad Pro at 1079$ (128GB), the Apple Pencil at $99 and the keyboard for 169$. The device and its accessories will be available, this November.
Apple Pencil:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iicnVez5U7M
The Apple Pencil will not be part of the same box as the iPad Pro and will have to be bought separately at a price of 99$. It will be made available for sale this November onwards.
Apple TV:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wGe66lSeSXg
The TV is built on a powerful hardware that runs a modern operating system. It is further equipped with a completely revamped user experience, even better developer tools, and an App Store, of course.The original TV is priced at 69$ followed by 149$ and 199$ for the 32 GB and 64 GB
versions respectively.
iPhone 6s and 6s Plus:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cSTEB8cdQwo
The moment has arrived, when Apple finally revealed its iPhone 6s and 6s Plus smartphones. We have been covering all sorts of rumours and reports about these phones so far and it’s time to put all those speculations, hopes and expectations to a much-needed rest.
Watch this space for more updates on Apple and its latest gadgets.
