Computer Gadgets New

Posted Mar 13th 2008 8:16AM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Misc. gadgets

Even as RFID tech grows more and more ubiquitous, fears about its safety and security haven’t dwindled — which is why we’re just disappointed, not surprised, to learn that over 1 billion RFID cards based on the Mifare Classic RFID chip are now at risk. Two different teams of security researchers managed to crack the encryption on the cards, which form the basis of a national payment system in the Netherlands and are used widely in other applications around the world. With the encryption broken, hackers can now make perfect clones of the cards, spoiling all that radio-frequency fun. There’s no word on how easy that actually is yet, however — one of the two hacks will be demonstrated later this week, and the other is being kept secret — but still, it might be time to go back to cash and bump-proof locks, eh?

Posted Mar 13th 2008 1:52AM by Nilay Patel
Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Another day, another furious litigant claiming that an Apple product infringes on one of their patents. Today we’ve got ZapMedia, who’s having some fun with a patent granted Tuesday by claiming that it covers tech used in both the ipod and iTunes. The patent describes a central media server and a “plurality of media player devices” that access the server over various networks — but it was filed for on September 20th, 2005, which, you’ll note, is after the 2003 launch of the iTunes Store. Hmm, not to worry, ZapMedia also says it has an almost identical 2006 patent filed for in 2000 — but that patent, as far as a quick USPTO search shows, hasn’t been assigned to ZapMedia, instead remaining with Kenneth Liscomb and several other individuals also listed on the new patent. What’s more, ZapMedia has apparently been shopping the earlier patent for over a year now to no avail — doesn’t seem like anyone’s interested, now does it?

Disclaimer: Nilay’s a lawyer, but he’s not your lawyer, and none of this, particularly the quick USPTO searching part, is legal advice or analysis.

Read - ZapMedia lawsuit article
Read - ZapMedia patent issued yesterday (”System and method for distributing media assets to user devices and managing user rights of the media assets”)
Read - ZapMedia patent issued in 2006 (”System and method for distributing media assets to user devices via a portal synchronized by said user devices”)

Nokia N96 with 5 megapixel,Carl-Zeiss optics and dual LED flash is the phone I would like to buy for myself.

N96 has a built-in GPS receiver with A-GPS support plus 3.5mm headphone socket for audio, TV-Out in SDTV resolution and DVB-H receiver.

I will be honest the GPS, the camera and the headphone socket will be very useful, but I have no idea what to do with the TV-Out.

The phone also have expandable microSD memory, which is great. And it works with Sybian Series 60 operating system (updated to 3rd edition FP2 standard).

One of the main reason I want a Nokia N96 is the Camera. 5 MP, 2592×1944 pixels, Carl Zeiss optics, autofocus, video(VGA 30fps), flash and secondary VGA videocall camera. The pictures with that camera will be great.

Another important reason is I always loved Nokia Mobile Phones since I had my first phone a Nokia 6150.

It was a great phone.

Stand-by and Talk time for N96 are good. Stand-by UP to 220 h and Talk time Up to 3 h 40 min.

I have decided from what shop to buy my phone. The shop will be Mobile Phones online mall, but they are currently awaiting the launch of the Nokia N96, so I wait also.

Posted Mar 13th 2008 8:57AM by Darren Murph
Filed under: Storage

Pricey flash drives are a dime a dozen (so to speak), but just in case you haven’t found one quite ugly enough to call your own, why not feast your eyes on the Adamant? The limited edition drive will be limited to 50 units worldwide and will feature 16GB of capacity, a trio of diamonds, a dash of yellow gold and a sleek black box that’ll quickly get tossed moments after it arrives. Granted, you’ll have to shell out $5,650 in order to even have that luxury, but you better act fast.

[Via CNET]

Overview

An ideal choice for small business, Vostro 1200 laptop from Dell is a power packed equipment. Customized with advanced features and software applications, Dell Vostro 1200 laptop is specially designed for ultra-mobility. It sports a 12.1-inch display screen with a tint of style. This lightweight laptop is easy to be carried during business travel. So, bring on Dell Vostro 1200 laptop and avail high performance from its array of exceptional features.

Features

• Optional integrated fingerprint reader for an added security.
• TrueLife technology for crisp images and amazing color.
• Optional Intel Core 2 Duo Core Processor.
• Easy to connect wireless peripherals like headphones, keyboard and mice with optional Bluetooth technology.

You can easily maximize hot spot connectivity of Dell Vostro 1200 laptop with available next generation Wireless-N-WiFi for up to 5 times faster output and up to 2 times the range using a Wireless-N router. With its up to 160 GB of storage space and up to 4 GB of memory space, Dell Vostro 1200 laptop is an end-to-end solution for all your small business needs. Weighing just 1.9 kg, this laptop from Dell is known for its outstanding mobility.

Box content

The box comprises of Dell Vostro 1200 laptop, adapter and users manual.

Price

Dell Vostro 1200 laptop is available at a price of $1,249.00.

Source: Dell

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BlackBerry owners will soon be able to benefit from an upcoming music download service courtesy of Puretracks. This new service will be launched in April, enabling blackberry users to grab whatever songs that are available from the online catalog - a move that will definitely turn often-proud iphone users green with envy. Apparently, it works just about anywhere where there is a signal, unlike iPhone users who have to log onto a WiFi hotspot first before connecting to iTunes. Of course, BlackBerry users can also benefit from that option if they want faster download speeds. There is no word on pricing, but it should cost a wee bit extra over iTunes’ songs.

Take-Two announced its financial results for the 1^st quarter ending January 31. The company was less than spectacular with net revenue down from US$277.3 million this time last year to $240.4 million. The net loss for the company was $38 million compared to $21 million last year.

There was good news for gamers, however, with the top announcement/confirmation being that BioShock 2 is definitely in development and scheduled for a 4^th quarter 2009 release. Illusion Softworks has also been purchased, giving the company exclusive access to series such as Hidden & Dangerous. The newly acquired studio will be renamed to 2KCzech.

Strauss Zelnick, chairman on Take-Two, commented:

We are pleased with Take-Two’s stronger than expected top and bottom line results for the first quarter. Our performance benefited from a diverse range of hit titles in the first quarter, and we are eagerly awaiting the release of Grand Theft Auto IV in the second quarter. We believe that our extraordinary creative assets and improving operational efficiency will be sources of significant value for shareholders as the interactive entertainment industry moves further into the current growth cycle.

A lot is riding on GTA IV selling very well for Take-Two, and there aren’t many games where you can guarantee it will just sell loads of copies. Having one game bail you out of a situation is no way for the business to function, though, and the company seems to be taking action to ensure it is more stable in the future.

Read more at Gamasutra.com and the Take-Two press release.

Simkey Simcard Backup
This neat little gizmo not only backs-up your mobile SIM card, it also doubles as a micro PDA! Never worry about losing all your mobile contacts again - a gadget that gives you peace of mind.

You can have this for ?12.95

Overview

Redefine yourself with the smart MOTORAZR2™ V8 Luxury Edition. This sophistically designed cell phone from Motorola comes in a sleek and strong body with vacuum metalized finish. This one is surely a powerhouse of features like CrystalTalk, Stereo Bluetooth and so on. Pick up this limited edition phone from Motorola that offers a standby time up to 288 hours.

Features

• Integrated 2.0-mega pixel camera with 4x digital zoom.
• 2.2” QVGA 65k color internal and external display.
• CrystalTalk to deliver crystal clear voice even in noisy environment.
• Stereo Bluetooth wireless technology that supports A2DP profile.
• Vacuum metalized finish strong and thin body.
• Audio, Video capture and playback functions.

Enjoy crystal clear voice quality even in the noisiest environments with MOTORAZR2™ V8 cell phone. With just 4.13oz weight, MOTORAZR2™ V8 Luxury cell phone is easy to carry in your pocket. You can store up to 1000 entries in the phone book of MOTORAZR2™ V8 Luxury phone. Moreover, you get up to 510 minutes of talk time with this smart and trendy cell phone.

Box content

The box comprises of MOTORAZR2™ V8 Phone, Lithium Ion Battery, Charger, Adapter, User Manual and Battery Door.

Price

MOTORAZR2™ V8 Luxury Edition is available at a price of $679.99.

Source: Motorola

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What makes the Securephone Encrypted GSM cell phone stand out from the rest? For starters, it claims to offer military-grade secure conversations that has been built into a standard cell phone form factor to remain as normal looking as possible. Just how secure are your conversations? Well, it features triple layer, 256-bit encryption based on AES, Twofish and Serpent ciphers. Of course, it is pointless getting just one of these since your conversations won’t be secure if the other person on the line is rocking to something commercial like the iphone. Hence, you will need to fork out a rather hefty sum for two of these, and each handset retails for a whopping £1051.63.