Information on Computer, Internet and Mobiles

Voice Actions for Android

2012-01-03T09:34:00.000-08:00

You can now control your Android phone just by speaking using Voice Actions. Voice Actions requires Android 2.2 (Froyo) and higher, and your device language must be set to English.
Some of the features that you can use in Voice Actions are listed below.

Send text messages
Say "send text to [recipient] [message]
e.g. "send text to Allison Miller Running late. I will be home around 9"

Get directions
Say "navigate to [address/city/business name]"
e.g. "navigate to the DeYoung Museum San Francisco" or "navigate to 1965 Page St."

View a map
Say "map of [address/city]"
e.g. "map of San Francisco"

Write a note
Say "note to self [message]"
e.g. "note to self grocery list banana milk eggs pizza"

Send email
Say "send email to [recipient] [subject]* [body]*"
e.g. "send email to Mike LeBeau How's life in New York treating you? The weather's beautiful here!"

Go to websites
Say "go to [website]
e.g. "go to Wikipedia"

Facebook Messenger for Windows

2012-01-01T09:48:00.000-08:00

Messenger for Windows is a new, trial application that lets you use Facebook without being on www.facebook.com. While you surf the web or use other applications on your computer, you can:

Chat and message with your friends on Facebook
See the latest updates from your friends in ticker
Get quick notifications about what’s going on

To try out the first version of this app, just complete a one-time setup.

Navigation Controls in Kindle

2012-01-01T08:29:00.000-08:00

Volume controls — controls the headphone or speaker volume for audiobooks, background music, and text-to-speech.
Previous Page button — takes you to the previous page in your reading material.
Home button — shows content stored on your Kindle as well as content archived at Amazon.
Next Page button — takes you to the next page in your reading material. To accommodate different ways of holding the Kindle, there is a Next Page button on both sides.
Menu button — displays application and navigation choices that are related to the screen you are viewing.
5-way controller — selects an item or action when pressed down. Moves the on-screen highlight or cursor up and down when moved up and down. Moves the on-screen highlight or cursor side-to-side when moved left or right.
Keyboard — use to enter search terms, notes in your content, URLs for Web sites, etc.
Back button — retraces your steps on Kindle just like the back button on a web browser. For example, you can follow a link in a book and then press the Back button to return to your place.
Symbol key — presents a menu of punctuation marks and symbols. Move the 5-way controller to select the desired symbol and press the 5-way to select.
Text key — changes the size of the text while you are reading and presents
available controls for Text-to-Speech. Move the 5-way controller to select the optimal
text size or a Text-to-Speech action.

Official Twitter App for iPhone and iPad

2012-01-01T07:30:00.000-08:00

Follow your interests: instant updates from your friends, industry experts, favorite celebrities, and what’s happening around the world. Get short bursts of timely information on the official Twitter app.

Real-time search reveals breaking news, while trending topics show what’s happening now around the world. View trends, browse your interests and see suggested users in several categories, including fashion, entertainment and travel, or search to find out what people are saying about topics you care about, such as politics or big sporting events.

Features: Browse interests, Find & follow friends, Tweet, Retweet, Favorite, Follow, exchange Direct messages with your followers, share photos, videos and web pages, real-time search, trends.

Firefox for mobile

2012-01-01T07:04:00.000-08:00

Firefox is available for mobile devices running Android.

To download and install Firefox on your device just go to firefox.com/m and click on the download button.
The Android Market app will open to the Firefox installation page. Just tap install and then accept the permissions.

Firefox requires:

Android 2.1 or higher.
A device with an ARMv7 processor.
Approximately 17MB internal or SD storage. It runs best on devices with at least 512MB of RAM.

Download Android Apps with Appgravity

2012-01-01T06:55:00.000-08:00

Appgravity is a new service that lets you search and download Android apps. Appgravity allows you to search for apps by name or by keywords. Results can be filtered by category and listed in order of relevance, age, rating and number of downloads. Once you’ve found the app you want, a button allows you to send a link to the Download or (for paid apps) Purchase page on the Market. As it develops further, there will be further reasons to use the service.

App for connecting Xbox 360 and Windows Phone

2012-01-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

Xbox Companion app lets you use your Windows Phone to connect and play content in

your console.Discover great entertainment with the power and convenience of your

Windows Phone. With Xbox Companion you can search for your favorite movies, TV shows,

music, and games, and play them on your Xbox from your phone. You can download the

app from the Windows Phone Market place.

Where can you play angry birds online?

2011-12-27T08:37:00.000-08:00

Have you searched for this question in the search engines? According to the wiki.answers.com website this is one of the most frequently asked question of 2011. And the answer goes like this.
"You cannot play the exact same version of Apple's Angry Birds online. There are sites that claim the game is available online, but this is not true or they are different versions.

Currently, the game is only available as a downloadable App for the iPhone and the iPad, computers running Mac OS, Android devices, and some Nokia smartphones."

Transfer Apps from iPhone or iPod to iPad

2011-12-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

First you have to open iTunes on your Computer.
Then connect your iPhone or iPad to your computer using a USB connector
Your device will now be shown in the iTunes.
Click on the device and click on the sync button at the lower right corner of iTunes.
When the syncing is complete remove the device.
Now connect your iPad to your Computer.
Click the device in the iTunes and open applications.
Select the applications you want to sync and click the sync button.
The selected apps will be transferred to your iPad.

Microsoft's Arc Touch Mouse

2011-12-21T02:57:00.000-08:00

Microsoft's Arc Touch Mouse is the first mouse designed to flatten for portability and pop up for comfort. The new mouse features Microsoft’s first touch scroll strip for easy navigation — just move a finger slowly for controlled scrolling or flick for hyperfast scrolling. Windows-based PC users will love packing up their laptop bags without the added bump of a mouse, as the Arc Touch Mouse flattens with just the touch of a finger.
As the computing landscape evolves to offer new ways of interacting, such as touch screens and touch pads, the mouse is also evolving but holds true to its core purpose: providing comfort and precision to users when navigating the PC.

Designed for the Mobile Lifestyle
People today are using mobile computers more than ever, and they still want comfort and control when using them. In fact, one-third of mobile PC buyers also purchase a mouse with their new notebooks or netbooks. And, at less than 15 millimeters thick at its widest point, the Arc Touch Mouse was designed to deliver ultimate portability to easily slip into a bag, purse or pocket. It also goes from curved to flat with one simple movement, so working on the go is easier than ever — just collapse the Arc Touch Mouse to turn it off, and pop it up to turn on. It’s also extremely durable, tested to ensure years of performance.

Take Control With Touch Scrolling
With the Arc Touch Mouse’s touch strip, consumers can take control of their scrolling with a flick of a finger. Using a capacitive sensing technique and sensor pads, the strip corresponds to each position and velocity change to give users accurate, controlled scrolling no matter how fast or slow the movement. Move a finger slowly on the strip for controlled scrolling, or flick a finger for hyperfast scrolling that can be stopped with just a simple tap. The strip also has three tap “buttons” for added functionality: page up, page down and the middle click area, which is reprogrammable for whatever mouse function the user needs most. Switching from a scroll wheel to a touch strip is made easier with haptics, a vibration technology that simulates the bumps users would feel while using a traditional scroll wheel.

Additional Features
The Arc Touch Mouse is equipped with BlueTrack Technology, letting consumers track on virtually any surface, and a tiny magnetic snap-in Nano transceiver stores conveniently on the bottom of the mouse. Two AAA batteries give the Arc Touch Mouse more than six months of battery life, and the two-color battery life indicators let people know when the power is running low.

Opera Mobile Emulator

2011-12-19T06:44:00.000-08:00

Opera Mobile Emulator is the desktop version of Opera’s smart phone browser.
The Opera Mobile Emulator renders pages as close as you can get to how it would look on a real phone. It can be paired with Opera Dragonfly for an effective testing environment before taking it to the physical phone.
Developing for mobile phones and tablets becomes a breeze. The emulator is super simple to install and lets you do serious mobile development from your desktop.
You can use the launcher to spawn multiple Opera Mobile instances with a defined resolution, pixel density, input mode and more, and save your settings as profiles for future testing.
You can connect the Opera Mobile Emulator to Opera Dragonfly and do your mobile CSS, JS and performance debugging, using a powerful developer toolkit.

Features of Akash Tablet

2011-12-18T10:43:00.000-08:00

Unbeatable Price:
- Only Rs.2,999 for the UbiSlate
- Monthly internet charges: Rs.98 / 2GB
High Quality Web Anytime & Anywhere:
- Connect via GPRS or WiFi
- GPRS: Embedded modem eliminates the need for external dongles and allows Internet access everywhere
- WiFi: Allows fast Youtube videos at hotspots
- Fast web access even on GPRS networks, across the country using DataWind’s patented acceleration technology
- Web, Email, Facebook, Twitter and much much more!
Multimedia Powerhouse:
- HD Quality Video
Watching movies in the palm of your hand on a 7” screen
- Audio library software helps manage your full collection of songs
Applications Galore with Android 2.2:
- Games
- Productivity software: Office suite
- Educational software
- Over 150,000 apps!
Full sized-USB port & Micro-SD slot:
- Expand memory to 32GB
- Use any ordinary pen-drive
- Even plug-in a 3G dongle
And It’s a Phone!

Google Alerts: Notification on New Results for your Search Term

2011-12-18T10:28:00.000-08:00

Google Alerts are emails sent to you when Google finds new results -- such as web pages, newspaper articles, or blogs -- that match your search term. You can use Google Alerts to monitor anything on the Web. For example, people use Google Alerts to:

find out what is being said about their company or product.
monitor a developing news story.
keep up to date on a competitor or industry.
get the latest news on a celebrity or sports team.
find out what's being said about themselves.

Here's how it works:

You enter a query that you're interested in.
Google Alerts checks regularly to see if there are new results for your query.
If there are new results, Google Alerts sends them to you in an email.

How to setup Android SDK?

2011-12-17T10:31:00.000-08:00

Here's an overview of the steps you must follow to set up the Android SDK:

Prepare your development computer and ensure it meets the system requirements.
Install the SDK starter package. (If you're on Windows, download theinstaller for help with the initial setup.)
Install the ADT Plugin for Eclipse (if you'll be developing in Eclipse).
Add Android platforms and other components to your SDK.
Explore the contents of the Android SDK (optional).

To get started, download the appropriate package from the table ,then read the guide to Installing the SDK.

Android Training

2011-12-17T10:21:00.000-08:00

In the Android Developers website you'll find a collection of classes that aim to help youbuild great apps for Android, using best practices in a variety of framework topics.
Each class explains the steps required to solve a problem or implement a feature using codesnippets and sample code for you to use in your apps. These classes are designed to demonstrate best practices for solving common Android development problems.

Senduit - The Free File Uploading Site

2011-12-16T10:33:00.000-08:00

If you wish to share a file with a number of friends, that you can email them because its greater than 10 MB, then Senduit can help you. With Senduit you can upload files upto 100 MB size.After uploading the file, you get a link that you can share with your friends. They can directly download the file from the Senduit server. Also you can set the time limit to delete the file from the server. The time limit varies from 30 minutes to 1 week. The best part is that you don't need to register to use the service.

Windows Live Mesh - Free App to Access your Computer from anywhere

2011-12-16T10:07:00.000-08:00

Access the stuff on your computers from almost anywhere. With Windows Live Mesh and the Devices website, you can finally stop emailing files to yourself, carrying them around on a USB drive, or worrying whether the version you have with you is the latest. Windows Live Mesh requires Windows 7 or Windows Vista.

Keep up-to-date copies of documents, photos, and other files on all of your computers, whether PC or Mac. Even if your computer is offline, you can still view and work on the files you need.

Keep your favorites in Internet Explorer and your Microsoft Office settings up to date on all of your PCs.

Work on your PC from another location, similar to using Remote Desktop Connection in Windows. Run programs and browse all the files on your PC from anywhere.

How to create your own mobile app?

2011-12-04T06:58:00.001-08:00

With Vibe Mobile its now easy to build your own mobile app. Creating your own unique app for multiple platforms is quick and affordable. Vibe lets you select from a wide range of functions and services, incorporate, highlight and instantly update your own content with six easy steps.

Select the platform you wish to build on. iPhone, iPad, Android
Drag and drop the elements you want to use in your app (elements are features such as video gallery, events calendar, etc...)
Once you've decided what elements you want to have in your app, it's time to begin adding content to them.
Make your app look and feel the way you want it to.
Download the test drive app and see how your application will look and feel.
If all looks good, submit and launch

Adobe Photoshop for Android

2011-12-04T06:17:00.001-08:00

Do you upload photos in Facebook, Orkut or other sites from your mobile or ever wished to enhance the quality of the photo? Then here is the software that you are in need. The Adobe Photoshop Express for Android. It lets you try quick fixes and cool enhancements to make good photos great share on sites like Facebook to make friends smile.

Photoshop Express features
Edit creatively

Fix photos fast — crop, straighten, rotate, flip, and adjust color.

Make eye-catching enhancements with filters and effects.

Add borders to give photos a polished look.

Share quickly

Email your photos to family and friends.

Post photos to Photoshop.com, Facebook, and Twitpic with one tap.

Back up easily

Upload and store mobile photos to your free Photoshop.com account.

Automatically sync any picture you take between your mobile device and your Photoshop.com Library to see the same photos wherever you are.

Virus Descriptions

2011-11-30T06:49:00.001-08:00

Trojan-Downloader.JS.JScript.k
This Trojan downloads malicious files from Web sites and executes them. The trojan is represented by malicious Java Script. The file is 1339 bytes.

Net-Worm.Win32.Morto.c
This is a malicious program which is capable of replicating itself in computer networks unauthorized by the user. It is a Windows application (PE EXE file). It is 49969 bytes in size. It is written in C++.

Virus.Win32.Xpaj.gen
This polymorphic file virus infects Windows executable files (PE). When infecting files the virus uses an entry point obscuring (EPO) technique. The virus body in the infected file varies from 160 to 180 KB.

not-a-virus:AdWare.Win32.FunWeb.gq
This adware component is part of an advertising application. It is a 213,092 byte Windows dynamic link library (PE DLL) written in C++.

Worm.Win32.AutoRun.beot
Worm copies itself to local disks and accessible network resources. It is Windows (PE-EXE file). It is 47733 bytes in size. It is packed by FSG. Unpacked file size is about 160 Kb. It is written in Delphi.

Trojan-Spy.Win32.Batton.rk
Trojan-Spy spies upon user's activity and steals confidential user information. It is Windows DLL (PE DLL-file). It is 120359 in size. It is written in C++.

Trojan.Win32.Agent.nbcc
Trojan program that performs malicious activities in the user’s system. It is a Windows (PE64 DLL-file). It is 83968 bytes in size. It is written in C++.

Password-protected-EXE
The antivirus product uses the message “Password-Protected-EXE” to show that the archive contains a small executable file.The purpose of this is to provide protection against malware distributed in password-protected archives.

Exploit.Win32.CVE-2010-2568.z
The exploit is designed to automatically launch other programs from USB-drives. It is a Windows shortcut (LNK-file). Its size is 461 bytes.

Trojan-Downloader.Win32.Agent.ehcj
This Trojan downloads files from the Internet and launches them without the user's knowledge. It is a Windows application (PE EXE file) and is 85 504 bytes in size. It is written in Delphi.

Seagate's Hybrid Drive- Momentus XT

2011-11-29T06:44:00.001-08:00

Seagate introduces the fast, intelligent and afforadabe Momentus XT solid state hybrid drive which fuses the blazing speed of solid state with the high capacity of a disk drive to unleash your system performance by removing the data bottleneck. The FAST Factor advantage takes the Momentus XT drive to a new level by enhancing data integrity and increasing storage longevity. It boots and performs like an SSD and is three times faster than a traditional HDD

Internet Explorer 9

2011-11-28T04:39:00.001-08:00

Internet Explorer 9 provides the best web experience for Windows. Here are the top 9 features of it.

1. It's all-around fast — hardware-accelerated text, video, and graphics speed up performance and make websites perform like programs that are installed on your computer.

2. Streamlined and simplified design — gives you the basic controls you need and puts the focus on your websites.

3. One-click access to your favorite sites — with Pinned Sites, you can get to your favorite sites directly from the Windows taskbar without having to open your browser first.

4. A combined search and Address bar — one place to either navigate to a website or start a search.

5. Redesigned New Tab page — now you have quick access to the sites you visit most often, and you can also reopen closed tabs or your last browsing session, or start an InPrivate Browsing session.

6. Integration with Windows 7 — with Snap, Pinned Sites, Jump Lists, and thumbnail preview controls, Internet Explorer 9 and Windows 7 bring you the best web experience for Windows.

7. Improved add-on management — Add-on Performance Advisor tells you if an add-on is slowing down your browser and allows you to disable or remove it, helping ensure that your browser stays fast over time.

8. Helps control your privacy — Tracking Protection enables you to limit the browser's communication with certain websites to help keep your information private.

9. Keeps your downloads in order — Download Manager keeps a running list of the files you download from the Internet, notifies you if a file could be malicious, and allows you to pause and restart a download.

BlueStacks-App Player for Windows

2011-11-28T02:42:00.001-08:00

BlueStacks App Player lets you run your Android apps fast and full screen on Windows PCs and tablets. Launched in public alpha October 11, it's available for download. Join people in more than 100 countries who are using BlueStacks to run apps like Pulse, Advanced Task Killer and Alchemy full screen.
Push apps from your phone to your BlueStacks using the Cloud Connect mobile app. However it may not work fast yet on older tablets and netbooks

SMS trojan targets Android users in eight western countries

2011-11-27T01:32:00.001-08:00

Researchers at Kaspersky have discovered an SMS trojan for Android phones that targets users in eight western countries.

This trojan, which masquerades as an SMS monitoring app, gives an error message upon being launched, suggesting that it is incompatible with the Android version being used. Meanwhile, in the background it sends SMS messages to premium rate numbers operated by the crooks, who thus steal money from the phone's owner. Such pieces of mobile malware are far from new - however, hitherto they had mostly been seen in Russia and China.

The trojan has a second component, which acts on incoming messages from certain numbers and hide these from the user. This is used to give the attackers insight into the number of premium messages sent from the phone.

While few security researchers will be surprised by yet another Android trojan, it is possible Google's Open Source Programs Manager Chris DiBone will be. In a recent post on his Google+ page, he claimed that the threat from "viruses" for mobile phones is vastly exaggerated, calling companies selling malware protection for mobile devices "charlatans and scammers" and adding that their employees "should be ashamed of themselves.

The accusation that the threat from mobile malware is exaggerated is not new. In 2008 G DATA's Dirk Hochstrate said that "to some it might seem as if the security industry is more interested in making money than in providing real protection". However, given the enormous rise in mobile malware in general and that targeting Android in particular, it is hardly surprising DiBona's comments led to fierce reactions from security experts.

Features of Apple iPhone 4S

2011-11-26T23:43:00.001-08:00

Siri. The intelligent assistant that helps you get
things done. All you have to do is ask.

Now you can use your voice to use your iPhone. Just talk to Siri as you would to a person: “Do I need an umbrella?” or “Any great burgers around here?” or “Where’s the closest ATM?” Siri not only understands what you say, it knows what you mean. It figures out the right apps to use to find the right answer. Then, just like a personal assistant, it answers you. Siri makes phone calls, sends messages, schedules meetings, sets reminders, and more. How much more? Just ask, and Siri tells you that, too.

Dual-core A5 chip.
The most powerful iPhone ever.

Two cores in the A5 chip deliver up to two times more power and up to seven times faster graphics. And you’ll feel the effects. Fast. iPhone 4S is quick and responsive, which makes all the difference when you’re launching apps, browsing the web, gaming, and doing just about everything. And no matter what you’re doing, you can keep on doing it. Because the A5 chip is so power-efficient, iPhone 4S has outstanding battery life.iPhone 4S is great for gamers. The A5 chip pushes graphics up to seven times faster. So games run smoother and they’re even more realistic. And graphics-intensive apps perform even better.

The you-can’t-believe-it’s-on-a-phone camera.

This just might be the best camera ever on a phone. And with all-new optics, it just might be the only camera you need. Because behind every shot, you’ve got 8-megapixel resolution and a custom lens with a larger f/2.4 aperture. Not to mention an improved backside illumination sensor, excellent auto white balance, advanced color accuracy, face detection, and reduced motion blur. It all means that no matter how many people, how much light, and how much action you capture, everything looks exactly as it should. And just wait until you see the photos.The iPhone 4S camera gives you 8 megapixels — that’s 60 percent more pixels than the camera on iPhone 4. And they’re engineered with a higher, full-well capacity to collect even more light. With more megapixels and more light, you’ll see a dramatic difference in the resolution and details of your images.

Video recording. In 1080p amazing HD.

Shoot stunning 1080p HD video everywhere you go. With all-new optics, the light is always right, the color is always vivid, and everything will look even better than you remember. Video stabilization steadies shaky shots. And you can edit video right on iPhone and share your lush life as fast as you shoot. Record amazing 1080p HD video at 30 frames per second. The advanced backside illumination sensor and larger aperture let in even more light. Improved auto white balance makes color even more accurate. And temporal noise reduction helps you take great videos in low light.

iOS. The world’s most advanced mobile operating system. And the easiest to use.

With every iOS advancement come even easier ways to do everything. That’s what makes iOS years ahead of anything else. iOS 5 leaps even further ahead, bringing over 200 new features to iPhone 4S.

iCloud. Your content. On all your devices.

iCloud is the easiest way to manage all your stuff, because it manages it all for you. iCloud stores your music, photos, apps, mail, contacts, calendars, documents, and more. And wirelessly pushes them to all your devices. It’s automatic, effortless, and seamless. And it just works. With iCloud, the music you buy in iTunes appears automatically on all your devices. You can also download your past iTunes purchases. So your music collection goes where you go.

Retina display.
Clearly remarkable.

The sharpest, most vibrant thing you’ll see on iPhone 4S is everything. The Retina display is the highest-resolution phone screen ever. In fact, the pixel density is so high that the human eye is unable to distinguish individual pixels. But without a doubt, you’ll notice crisp text, sharp graphics, and stunning images. It’s more remarkable than the printed page. And you’ll be completely absorbed.

FaceTime. It’s even better face-to-face.

FaceTime lets you hear a voice and see the face that goes with it — iPhone to iPhone, iPad 2, iPod touch, or Mac over Wi-Fi. So no matter where they are, no matter where you are, you’ll always be there. Making a FaceTime call is just as easy as making a phone call. And it’s even easier with Siri. Just tell Siri “FaceTime with Mom” and you show up, smile, and wave hello. You’ll never miss a big event, an important meeting, or a good laugh. And who wouldn’t be happy to see your face?

AirPlay. From the small screen to the big screen.

With AirPlay, you can wirelessly stream what’s on your iPhone to your HDTV and speakers via Apple TV. And with AirPlay Mirroring, whatever you see and do on your iPhone appears on your HDTV at the same time.

AirPrint.
Print everything wirelessly.

Print your email, photos, web pages, and documents right from your iPhone over Wi-Fi. There’s no software to download, no drivers to install, and no cables to connect. With just a few taps, you can go from viewing something on the iPhone screen to holding a printed copy.

Call it better, faster, and even more worldly.

iPhone 4S is the first phone to intelligently switch between two antennas to transmit and receive, so call quality is better. It also doubles the maximum HSDPA data speeds to 14.4 Mbps. Which means faster connections, faster loading and reloading, and faster downloads. And iPhone 4S is a world phone, so you can use it almost anywhere. Whether you’re a GSM or CDMA customer, you can roam GSM networks in 200 countries around the world.

Built-in apps. They do just about everything. So you can, too.

You’ll do everyday things in extraordinary ways on iPhone 4S. Take amazing photos and shoot HD video. See your friends and family with FaceTime. Browse the web on the Retina display. Check email. Send messages. Set reminders. Check calendars. Or just ask Siri to help you get things done — it figures out the right apps to use.

What's the worst password of 2011? "password"

2011-11-25T22:36:00.001-08:00

This last year has brought an increased emphasis on online security—what with the PlayStation Network breach, seemingly endless stories of services, companies, and governments losing personal data or seeing their systems compromised (Valve, Sony, and RSA all spring to mind), one might think consumers would be more careful with passwords on their email and social networking accounts, mobile devices, and even online banking. According to a report published by SpashData—makers of password management software, that’s not really true. SpashData looked at files containing “millions” of stolen passwords that were posted online by cyberattackers in the last year, and has compiled a list of the 25 most common passwords it found. At the top of the list: “password.”

“Hackers can easily break into many accounts just by repeatedly trying common passwords,” said SplashData CEO Morgan Slain, in a statement. “Even though people are encouraged to select secure, strong passwords, many people continue to choose weak, easy-to-guess ones, placing themselves at risk from fraud and identity theft.”

SpashData’s sample is admittedly biased: its list comprises the 25 most common passwords it found in lists of accounts that had been cracked—meaning accounts with more-secure passwords aren’t even in the sample set. There’s also no indication whether these accounts represent real people or simply accounts created by automation or for testing purposes: there’s no way of knowing whether guessing the password to any one of those accounts would actually have a harmful result. Nonetheless, the results seem to indicate a rather shocking naiveté from everyday Internet users.

According to SplashData, the 25 most common passwords cracked by cyberattackers are:

password12345612345678qwertyabc123monkey1234567letmeintrustno1dragonbaseball111111iloveyoumastersunshineashleybaileypassw0rdshadow123123654321supermanqazwsxmichaelfootball

One interesting entry is “passw0rd”—many people think they’re secure from dictionary attacks if they simply change out a letter for a numeral.

Security experts generally recommend a password be at least eight characters long, contain a mix of upper- and lower-case letters, numbers, and allowable punctuation. However, from a usability standpoint, those sorts of “secure” passwords are difficult for users to remember and use—meaning they often wind up on sticky notes next to a monitor or in a file or note labelled “password,” further compromising users’ security.

“If you have a password that is short or common or a word in the dictionary, it’s like leaving your door open for identity thieves,” Slain said.

Another approach is to create rather long passwords from strings of seemingly, unrelated, ordinary words: those passwords are generally easier to type and remember, although they often aren’t accepted by systems that enforce rules about password length or requiring special characters.

Now Skype Works Directly Within Facebook

2011-11-25T22:24:00.001-08:00

Skype's partnership with Facebook has reached yet another milestone with the launch of Skype 5.4 Beta for Mac and Skype 5.7 Beta for Windows allowing you to conduct a Facebook-to-Facebook call from within Skype. This new development in the Skype-Facebook partnership is the latest example of how Skype is removing communication barriers and making it easier to connect with friends, family and business colleagues. Our approach to social is about personal connections with people. Skype is on a mission to connect over one billion people and our continued partnership with Facebook brings us one step closer to this goal.

Initiating a Facebook-to-Facebook call from within Skype is quite easy; all you need to do is connect your Skype and Facebook accounts. Then, select a Facebook friend and hit the video call button in Skype- your friend simply picks up the call from Facebook. This new feature lets you maintain social connections with your Facebook friends and compliments previously announced features such as being able to see when your Facebook friends are online, read their status updates and IM them all from Skype.

Besides this great new Facebook feature, additional new features added to Skype 5.4 Beta for Mac and Skype 5.7 Beta for Windows including video rendering giving a smoother video experience for Mac users and group screen sharing for Windows users with a Premium subscription (group screen sharing is currently available for Mac users). Users who are chatting one-on-one will also be able to screen share with live video streaming.

You can download the latest version of Skype so you can bring your social network to life with Skype.

Apple's iPhone 4S makes India debut

2011-11-25T10:02:00.001-08:00

According to Reuters the iPhone 4S, the final gadget unveiled during Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' lifetime, hit store shelves in India on Friday with a starting price of 44,500 rupees.

At about four times the U.S. retail price where customers buy mandatory data-service plans, the phone may still find buyers among affluent young professionals in India who are snapping up iconic brands and luxury items.

Unlike their western peers, Indian mobile operators do not subsidise cost of phones.

Airtel and Aircel are selling the 16 GB model for 44,500 rupees, with the 32 GB version priced at 50,900 rupees and the 64 GB model available for 57,500 rupees.

Media reports last week said Indian fans were unhappy that the smartphone will be more expensive in India than anywhere else in the world.

Both mobile operators, which started selling the iPhone 4S from midnight on Friday, are offering discounted data plans.

The final gadget unveiled during Apple co-founder Steve Jobs' lifetime is more expensive that the iPad 2 in India, with the base model of the tablet selling for 27,900 rupees. Even its top-end model, with 64 GB of memory and WiFi & 3G, costs 46,900 rupees.

The new iPhone comes with a faster processor, a better light-sensitive camera, and voice-activated software "Siri".

On Friday, the Aircel website showed that the 64 GB version, both black and white, was sold out.