Navy SEALs disciplined for Medal Of Honor: Warfighter involvement

Seven SEALs under investigation for revealing secrets during Warfighter's development have been disciplined.

Back in September while under investigation for his novel No Easy Day, former U.S. Navy SEAL and  author Matt Bissonnette also fell under further government scrutiny for his involvement with Electronic Arts and developer Danger Close’s military shooter Medal of Honor: Warfighter. Although Bissonnette had since left the service, his contributions as an adviser to that game and the details of his book both came under investigation by the Department of Defense for potentially releasing classified information regarding how the SEALs operate. Along with Bissonnette, seven other active duty Navy SEALs also served as consultants for the game. 

A new report now suggests that those seven SEALs have been disciplined, and all those involved are under further investigation regarding their role in the game’s development.

According to CBS News, the Navy SEALs in question (at least one of which served on the successful mission which resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden) served as paid consultants for Warfighter, and may have revealed military secrets while assisting EA with the game. There has been no word on what specific secrets were revealed, and in all likelihood that information will never be released. The report indicates that all seven SEALs have received letters of reprimand — a major impediment to future promotion– and have had half their salaries docked for two months.

News of The Department of Defense taking an interest in the SEALs’ involvement with Warfighter first hit the wire in September, but focused primarily on Bissonnette. His book No Easy Day, which he wrote  under the pseudonym Mark Owen, gave a firsthand account of the raid that targeted bin Laden. Although the market is no stranger to first hand accounts of military missions told by those that participated in them, all such projects are supposed to first be submitted to the Pentagon for approval to ensure that no classified information is released. In the case of both Bissonnette’s book and with the SEALs that worked on Warfighter, no approval was ever sought, although Bissonnette’s lawyer claims that the book was properly vetted by a special operations attorney prior to release. At the time, EA indicated that it wasn’t aware the SEALs’ required any government oversight for their role with the game. 

Leading up to and after its October 23 release, Warfighter‘s marketing has promoted the game’s ties to real-world military experts and well-known military scenarios – including an upcoming map pack for the game called “Zero Dark Thirty” that recreates the SEAL Team Six raid on Osama bin Laden’s compound.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Audi puts R8 e-tron electric supercar on hold

Audi has halted work on this electric version of its R8 supercar, and may cancel the project altogether.

Audi has stopped development work on the R8 e-tron, an electric version of its R8 supercar. after more than three years of gestation, the all-electric Audi might never see the light of day.

Audi told Car and Driver that all work on the R8 e-tron has been stopped, and that the whole project is under review. The halt was ordered by Wolfgang Dürheimer, Audi’s new chief of research and development. Dürheimer came to Audi after occupying the CEO’s office at Bentley and Porsche.

Dürheimer’s concerns should sound familiar to any EV enthusiasts. It’s all about the batteries, which are still too expensive and too heavy to justify their relative inability to store electrons.

A normal R8 with a 4.2-liter gasoline V8 weighs 3,605 pounds, while the e-tron weighs 3,924. That added weight is not cancelled out by extra power, either: the V8 generates 430 horsepower, but the e-tron’s two electric motors can only muster 376 hp. Granted, the e-tron does produce 605 pound-feet of torque, compared to the 4.2’s 317 lb-ft.

The e-tron can accelerate from zero to 62 mph (0-100 kph) in 4.6 seconds, and has a 124 mph top speed. The regular R8 matches that time, but will keep accelerating until it reaches 187 mph.

Audi says the e-tron’s 49-kWh battery pack provides a range of 134 miles, but in 2010, a prototype e-tron could barely do three laps of the Le Mans circuit. With the market for supercars already limited, Audi may have realized that the market for a supercar that takes hours to refuel would probably be miniscule.

Range aside, the e-tron does hold the Nürburgring lap record for production-ready electric cars. While the Toyota P002 lapped the ‘Ring in 7:22, much faster than the e-tron’s 8:09, it was not designed to be mass produced. Now that the e-tron is on the chopping block, that distinction may not matter.

Audi has not given up on electric cars, though. The company still plans to lease small batches of electric test vehicles to customers in the United States and Europe to acquire real-world usage data. The non-super e-trons will be based on the A3 (U.S.) and A1 (Europe).

Audi’s crisis of faith echoes that of another major car company: Toyota. The Japanese giant pulled the plug (no pun intended) on an electric version of the Scion iQ, deciding to limit U.S. production to 90 examples for fleet buyers instead.

On the other hand, one of Audi’s biggest rivals, Mercedes-Benz, is betting on a battery-powered future. Mercedes is preparing an electric version of its B-Class compact hatchback and, at the complete opposite end of the spectrum, an electric sports car. The R8 e-tron would have been the perfect rival for Mercedes’ SLS AMG Electric Drive, which boasts 740 hp and a $536,000 price tag.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Guys, Facebook Collections isn’t gone, just under further ‘development’

Facebook Collections may have temporarily disappeared, but a representative says the feature isn't getting shut down. Instead, a mobile version is under development, which isn't possible unless the feature comes off the site entirely first.

Yesterday, TechCrunch first reported that it noticed Facebook Collections, a Pinterest-esque feature where users can group photo collections from Brands, similar to the form of “Liking” something was missing. We reached out to Facebook to confirm that Collections isn’t particularly gone, but is going under further evaluation before the social network can proceed with how to launch the product (if at all).

“Product development on Collections has not stopped,” a Facebook representative tells us. “Instead we have completed our initial test of Collections and are now analyzing the data to inform product development. For many of the product tests we do, we periodically pause the test to assess how to best progress with the product’s rollout.”

The rep goes on to elaborate that Facebook is working on a mobile edition on which Collections was previously not available. “We want to build out the mobile experience as well as make enhancements, which we can’t do unless we remove the functionality from external users.”

If you haven’t noticed Collections, you’re not missing much. It’s basically a way for Facebook to monopolize on good marketing and social networking strategies from other websites so Facebook users don’t need to leave the site to enjoy such features. But with the sudden disappearance of Collections, either the team is trying to develop it into something more original than the Pinterest scheme, or it may eventually realize the feature won’t really work well on Facebook. For one, Facebook isn’t necessarily a go-to marketplace, and while brands use it to promote and tease products, users aren’t exactly buying things off the site like they used to with Facebook Gifts. Still, as a now-public company, it is the social network’s responsibility to monetize as best it can, so perhaps this truly is the beginning of the Facebook commercial market on a consumer level.

There are no words on when we can expect to hear about Facebook Collections again, although the limited initial testing probably means not too many of you have even used the feature. For now, it remains in flux — though one thing is certain: Facebook is hell bent on turning a dime by targeting the elusive social shopping market.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Outdated apps may rain on Windows Phone 8′s parade

Microsoft has yet to release its software development kit for Windows Phone 8 despite the OS's impending launch, raising concerns that developers won't have time to update their apps.

On October 29, Microsoft will finally tell us everything there is to know about Windows Phone 8, its new mobile operating system. But surely we know everything already, right? After all, we’ve seen the software and all the major manufacturers have announced their hardware too.

Microsoft says it has kept some facts back about WP8 to help maintain anticipation, and revealing those will be part of the October event. Unfortunately, this secrecy has caused Microsoft to delay the release of its Software Development Kit, or SDK, presumably to help avoid thunder-stealing leaks; but the final version is expected to arrive at the end of this month.

However, the wait has angered many Windows Phone developers, as did a decision to allow certain developers limited access to the SDK in return for signing a non-disclosure agreement.

Angry developers without access to the right software could mean problems in the new Windows Phone Store, which will be a worry for anyone wanting to buy one of the new handsets. Windows Phone already lags behind Android and iPhone when it comes to quality apps. Should we be concerned by this delay?

Will app availability be a problem?

A delayed SDK means developers won’t be able to fine-tune, test, or add in additional features to get their apps ready for Windows Phone 8. They also can’t create new apps that take advantage of the new platform. The good news is Microsoft has said Windows Phone 7 apps will be compatible with Windows Phone 8, so every app that’s already in the store will still be available — they just won’t be optimized.

More good news is that those developers with early access are likely to be the big studios, as Microsoft will want to ensure high profile apps have been enhanced to show off the OS’s abilities. Don’t forget, Windows Phone 8 hardware has faster processors and higher resolution screens, so there’s plenty of scope to improve existing apps.

We asked Microsoft representatives if the lack of an SDK would be a problem. Predictably, we were assured that it’s all part of the plan:

“We’ve been quietly previewing the SDK with hundreds of top developers and on September 5 announced a broader SDK Preview Program for registered developers with apps in Marketplace. As usual we aren’t going to release the SDK to the general public until the full OS is revealed, but we feel this Preview Program delivers on the commitment we made in June and allows developers to test and update their apps for Windows Phone 8.”

Regardless of why Microsoft is being secretive, this delay brings us on to the bad news: older apps may not look all that great until they’ve been updated. It looks like some developers have been given the information needed to update, but not all of them. Remember the switch from a 320 x 480 pixel screen on an iPhone 3G/3GS to the iPhone 4’s Retina Display? While it won’t be quite that pronounced, this situation is very similar. The bottom line here is that yes, there will be apps, but most will not be enhanced for Windows Phone 8 in time for release.

There is one more thing to remember, and that’s the October 29 date isn’t the date Windows Phone 8 hardware goes on sale. Due to Microsoft holding back, manufacturers have stayed quiet on when phones will hit stores, with sometime in November being the only word.

Provided the SDK comes out on October 29, then developers will still have a few weeks to play with their apps before you get your hands on a WP8 phone. Let’s hope they work fast.

Microsoft has upgraded it developer portal, promising improvements in the app certification process and overall site performance. Another 13 countries have been added to this list too, bringing the total to 191, and more developers able to sing up means more apps for us.

Is all this normal?

Apple releases different versions of its iOS SDK between the date of its announcement and the date of final release. Not all the versions have every new feature, but they at least allow developers to start work on new apps, or update existing ones. For example, according to this chart, the first iOS 5 beta appeared on June 6 2011, and four subsequent beta versions were released before the final October street date. iOS 6 was similarly released a few months prior to the iPhone 5 going on sale.

Historically, Google has released its SDK a short while after it announces the new version of Android, with 4.1 Jelly Bean’s SDK coming out in July this year following Jelly Bean’s announcement at Google I/O.

The real star at the moment, surprisingly, is RIM (Research in Motion). Despite BlackBerry 10 not appearing until next year (current guestimates hint at March 2013), Beta versions of its SDK are already available to developers, and this week it began accepting app submissions too. It’s even offering an incentive to early bird devs, promising selected apps a prominent position in BlackBerry App World. It looks like it really is lovin’ its developers.

Microsoft’s approach is unorthodox, and does exactly the opposite of RIM’s, as it alienates developers and could potentially annoy buyers when the app selection is sparse. There’s still time to fix this, but Microsoft needs to start soon.

Will it all be OK come release day?

Maybe. Microsoft has dug itself a hole with the handling of Windows Phone 7. No one running a WP7 device will be able to upgrade to Windows Phone 8, making the old OS and hardware completely obsolete. Developers want to turn their attention to the new version, but are being hampered by Microsoft’s desire to keep things “secret.” RIM is often ridiculed, but it knows how important it is to keep developers working on its platform.

The first thing any new Windows Phone 8 owner will do is check out the available apps in Microsoft’s Windows Phone app store. If the selection is poor, or the version available is for outdated hardware, that negative experience will spread — fast. Worse, experienced smartphone buyers are already used to Google Play and/or the iTunes App Store, which are full of good apps.

Microsoft needs Windows Phone 8 to have a more successful launch that Windows Phone 7, and is playing with fire by denying developers access to the WP8 SDK right now. Or, for all we know, the software has problems and isn’t finished, requiring last minute adjustments. If it’s the former, the reasoning is bizarre but not unforgivable provided the secrets are truly exciting; but if it’s the latter, then Microsoft has got bigger problems to worry about than a software developer kit.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Stealth mode video app Vine acquired by Twitter for its rumored in-house video hosting service

Twitter has reportedly acquired Vine to develop a video sharing service in-house. It's the latest development in reports that Twitter will stop supporting third-party video sharing services.

After yesterday’s report about Twitter developing an in-house video client, there’s now some solid evidence that Twitter has invested in developing a video service. AllThingsD has reported that Twitter recently acquired three-person New York City-based video sharing startup Vine.

The same report indicates that the deal was motivated by the acquisition of the team rather than the product itself, although an update by AllThingsD suggests that Vine could remain a standalone service. We reached out to Twitter, but the company declined to comment on the matter.

If you take a look at Vine’s site, you’ll notice the service has yet to launched and is simply taking user signups. But the splash page currently describes it as, “the best way to capture and share video on your iPhone. No editing. No rendering. No post-production. Video has never been this fun.”

Vine could be in its beta testing stage with some early adopters — primarily investors and other entrepreneurs using the service — which gave us a look at how Vine works. It’s apparently focused on short form clips that last just a matter of seconds, but the platform stitches together these short clips into a longer video. It then loops back to the beginning of the clip automatically, kind of like a GIF but with sound.

We did a Google search for site: http://vine.co/v/, which appears to be the site’s root URL for user submissions, and found that vine videos were in fact being indexed by Google with approximately 104 results. We were able to check out the submissions from people like MG Siegler and Vine co-founder Dom Hofmann and David Lee, managing partner of SV Angel.

Here are just a few examples that you can check out:

Davidlee

Parislemon

Kevin

CarterKev

Dom 

Whether Vine would continue to exist in its current form or have its technology use to support whatever video service Twitter has up its sleeve remains to be seen. Still, the acquisition absolutely points to the platform’s interest in bringing video in-house. 

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Gears Of War designer Cliff Bleszinski leaves Epic Games

Cliff "CliffyB" Bleszinski, the guiding hand behind the Gears Of War series, has departed Epic Games to pursue new opportunities.

In a completely unexpected development — seriously, nobody saw this one coming — Cliff Bleszinski has left Epic Games. A blog post appeared moments ago on the official Epic Games website announcing the decision, and saying that this departure would allow Bleszinski to “chart the next stage of his career.” Notably absent from the blog post however, was any mention of what this “next stage” might be.

What it lacks in solid information about the future though, the announcement more than makes up for in praise for Bleszinski’s work at Epic over the years. Assuming you don’t religiously follow the gaming business, you likely know Cliff Bleszinski best as the lead designer of the hyper-successful Gears Of War franchise. Those with more impressive memories will likely recall that Bleszinski also played a key role in the creation of such classics as Unreal, Jazz Jackrabbit, and Unreal Tournament. As a result (and likely due to Bleszinski’s gregarious, outspoken nature), he has become something of a figurehead both for Epic and for its most famous games.

“In 20 wonderful years with Epic, Cliff Bleszinski has grown into a true design luminary, and his contributions to the ‘Unreal’ and ‘Gears’ series have helped shape the game industry into what it is today,” said Epic co-founder and CEO Tim Sweeney. “Cliff leaves Epic with our gratitude for his many contributions, and our wishes for continued success in the next chapter of his life!”

Likewise, Epic president Dr. Michael Capps has nothing but praise for Bleszinski, saying, “In my 10 years of working with Cliff, his passion for creating video games of the highest quality has been unflinching. We are grateful for all of his hard work, and remain committed to making our fans happy and to always raising the bar in everything we do at Epic.”

As for Bleszinski himself, though he offers no commentary on what his next career move might entail, he did pen the following heartfelt message to colleagues at Epic prior to the announcement:

I’ve been doing this since I was a teenager, and outside of my sabbatical last year, I have been going non-stop. I literally grew up in this business, as Mike likes to say. And now that I’m grown up, it’s time for a much needed break.

I will miss the projects, the playtests, the debates, and most importantly, the people. Epic only hires the best of the best, and it has been a joy working with each and every one of you on a daily basis, whether you were hired weeks ago or decades ago. I have been fortunate enough to collaborate with a variety of disciplines, from code to art to marketing and PR – it’s been one big, rewarding learning experience. I’m confident that each project that is being built, whether at Epic, Chair, PCF, or Impossible will be top notch and will please gamers and critics alike.

As we stated above, Bleszinski is one of the very few game designers who, in the course of his career, successfully transitioned from notable industry figure to genuine celebrity. Though he was never the highest officer at Epic Games, his name and face are instantly conjured up in the minds of most fans when you mention either Epic of the Gears Of War series. Hoping to ascertain where the company goes from here, now that it’s lost both a key employee and its most famous face, we asked Epic what its plans might be, but unfortunately the company is either currently unable or unwilling to share any details beyond what you can find in that aforementioned blog post. We expect to hear further information from both Bleszinski and Epic shortly.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Previewing Mozilla Firefox OS, an HTML5-based interface

The upcoming Mozilla Firefox OS is slated for a Q1 of 2013 release, but how is the development coming along? Here's our hands-on preview.

In attendance at the Pepcom Holiday Spectacular in New York City last night was Mozilla Firefox, and we got some hands-on time with the operating system the open-source web browser is currently developing. The Firefox OS (working name, as far as we know) is still in a heavy beta mode, and is built entirely on HTML5. The rep we spoke to demoed the OS using an unbranded ZTE phone, noting that Firefox has stripped the Android out of the phone and created its own operating system from the ground up.

What what we can see, the OS is fully web-based in that every app and functionality runs off the web browser. Making phone calls is equivalent to calling on Skype, taking pictures is akin to snapping flicks with Apple’s Photo Booth, searching straight from the homepage is like having a shortcut to the Firefox search tool bar. There’s also a cartoony game built into the phone that uses a tap to perform actions interface, and it’s clear that the OS still has a bit of a way to go before its scheduled release date early next year.

Mozilla even tried to build a glasses-less 3D rendering that you can see, touch, and move… but this feature was still a bit buggy and did not respond too well to touchscreen interface just yet. We’ll cut it some slack considering it has several months to go, but web developers should definitely gear up for some fun programming time once the open source OS becomes available for your modding pleasures.

The Firefox OS is all part of a collaboration between ZTE and Mozilla to roll out its own system that doesn’t rely on Windows or Android. The finished OS is slated to arrive overseas first, with mobile network operators Deutsche Telekom, Sprint, Smart, Telecom Italia, Telenor, and Etisalat backing the experimental platform, reports Reuters. We hope to catch up with the development team in a few months and see how their work comes along, and whether it’s got something entirely different to offer that truly distinguishes it from the rest.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Is it time to say goodbye to Java?

A new raft of Java vulnerabilities raise the question: Should everyday computer users to ditch Java?

Java is a nearly-ubiquitous technology that has played an important role in the development of the Internet and cross-platform applications. It has offered a mature, net-savvy development framework for everything from high-end server applications and desktop applications (like OpenOffice) to mobile phones and interactive applications embedded in Web pages.

However, in recent months Java has come under fire. Java was once a fundamental technology included with almost every computer; however, Apple stopped shipping Java by default on new Macs almost two years ago, most Linux distributions don’t include Java by default, and even the latest versions of Windows don’t come with a stock Java installation. Why? Because, despite being a mature cross-platform technology, Java never really took off for desktop applications.

Worse, Java’s stature has been further cut down by a series of high-profile security exploits: the Mac-specific Flashback trojan relied on Java to spread itself, and (after months of apparent foot-dragging) database giant Oracle has just released a new Java update to patch multiple vulnerabilities currently being exploited by cybercriminals. Most recently, Java may also have been an attack vector in the 12 million iPhone and iPad device identifiers allegedly stolen from an FBI agent’s notebook earlier this year.

Is it time for everyday computer users to finally say goodbye to Java on their systems? How is that done? And what about people who have a legitimate need to use Java?

Nature of the beast

The Java situation is complicated — and is made more complicated by terminology. The security issues making headlines this week concern only a small part of the broader Java universe: It’s important not to paint with broad strokes and label everything related to Java as a massive security risk.

First, there’s confusion about what exactly is Java. Java is a programming language, like BASIC, Pascal, C, and C# (originally from Microsoft, now an open standard) and Apple’s Objective C. Programmers use Java to write programs, just like they’d use any other language. Java has actually been around more than 20 years, although it first started getting a lot of attention in 1995 when Sun released its first Java platform. Java is hardly a new kid on the block.

The idea behind Java was to create a high-level language with no platform-specific implementation dependencies. Rather than compiling to native code (say, for Windows, Mac OS or Unix) Java compiles to “bytecode” that runs on virtual machines. All JVMs are designed to run the same Java bytecode the same way, regardless of platform. That means a programmer can write a Java application that program should run on any platform with a compatible Java virtual machine. Voilà The Holy Grail of modern computing: a program that runs the same on every platform.

To put a Java application (or applet, as they’re called) into a Web browser, you need a third item: a Java browser plug-in. Like other plug-ins, a Java browser plug-in executes within a Web browser application and generally acts like an intermediary between the Java virtual machine available on the computer and the Java code on a website. Java plug-ins run applets in a security “sandbox” that’s supposed to prevent applets from doing anything harmful on a user’s system. However, the Java VM is a complicated system, plug-ins can be complicated, and Web browsers are enormously complicated. The interaction of these three Java components plus Web browser applications can have security implications — and that’s where we’re seeing the current spate of problems.

Notice what’s not a part of Java? JavaScript. Despite the unfortunate name similarity, the JavaScript client-side scripting engines built into modern Web browsers have nothing to do with Java. JavaScript has had its own share of security gaffes over the years, but turning off JavaScript will do nothing to protect users from security issues in Java — and vice versa.

Unplugging versus uninstalling

Complex modern software applications can have security issues at any step along the way. Java applications aren’t immune to security problems any more than applications written in other languages. No matter what language an application was written in, you need to hope that the developer updates its software promptly to close off security holes when they’re found. As development platforms and frameworks go, Java is actually in relatively good shape on the security front: After all, it’s had the better part of two decades to get its act together.

However, the so-called “drive-by” exploits involving Java that can compromise a person’s computer just by automatically loading a Java applet on a website rely on the Java plug-in. Plug-ins have long been popular targets of malware authors: Adobe’s Flash and Acrobat Reader plug-ins are also very common sources of security issues.

The good news is that these drive-by exploits can all be foiled by disabling the Java plug-in in your browser — no need to uninstall the Java runtime (or virtual machine). That’s handy if you do Java development or use one of the mainstream applications that do rely on the Java runtime:

• Adobe Creative Suite 5.5 and 6
• OpenOffice (and descendants like LibreOffice)
• CrashPlan Pro
• Wuala
• Vuze (a BitTorrent client)
• Runescape
• Minecraft

That’s not counting specialized applications used by banks, universities, and corporations that rely on Java. For instance, anyone who runs software from Oracle probably needs Java.

Disabling the Java plug-in in browsers

You can disable the Java plug-in in every major Web browser without removing Java from your system.

Internet Explorer

Disabling Java in Internet Explorer is unnecessarily difficult. The United States Computer Emergency Readiness Team (US-CERT) offers detailed instructions for (mostly) disabling Java in Internet Explorer; however, they are not for the non-technical or faint of heart. A safer recommendation is to remove Java entirely (if you don’t need it) or switch to a different browser (like Chrome or Firefox) if you do.

To remove Java from Windows, go to Control Panel then Programs, find “Java” in the program list, and click Uninstall.

Firefox

1. Choose Tools > Add-ons (or, in Windows 7 and Vista, click the Firefox button and choose Add-ons).
2. Select the Plug-ins tab
3. Find the Java plug-in in the list (it’ll have a name like Java(tm) Platform SE with version numbers).
4. Click Disable.

Google Chrome

1. Type chrome://plug-ins into the location bar and press Enter
2. Locate the Java plug-in
3. Click the Disable link

Safari (Mac OS X and Windows)

1. In Safari, go to Preferences > Security
2. Uncheck the Enable Java checkbox

Opera

1. Type opera:plug-ins into the location bar and press Enter
2. Locate the Java plug-in and click Disable.

Other options

This is all fine and dandy for folks who don’t need Java on their systems, or who never need to use a Java applet on a Web page. However, if your situation or job makes Java impossible to avoid, here are some other options:

Use a second browser solely for Java

If you absolutely must use Java in a browser, consider dedicating a browser specifically to that task, and use another browser for all your other Web tasks. If you’re on Windows, you could use Internet Explorer for your Java-specific site(s) or pages (since Java is so fiendishly difficult to disable in IE), but install and use something like Firefox or Chrome (with Java disabled) as your primary browser for everything else. Similarly, there’s no reason you can’t run (say) Safari and Chrome side-by-side, one just for your Java needs, and the other for everything else. Be sure to set the browser with Java disabled as your primary browser, so it’s what opens when you click a link in email or a friend’s Facebook page. This setup isn’t ideal, but with a little care it can insulate you from risk without ripping Java out of your system.

Mac OS X

In Mac OS X, you can prevent Java applets from loading in all your Web browsers. Go to Applications > Utilities > Java Preferences, select the General tab, and uncheck “Enable applet plug-in and Web Start applications.” (Note: if you don’t have Java installed on your Mac, opening Java Preferences will prompt you to install it. Click “Not Now” to exit.)

Mac OS X is unique in that it will automatically disable Java applets in all browsers if users go 35 days without loading one. It’s a security measure Apple introduced for Mac OS X 10.6.8 and later in the wake of the Flashback trojan.

Is Java’s time done?

Java isn’t going to be going away anytime soon. It’s still used by some mainstream desktop applications, as well as a number of specialized apps, particularly in science and medicine. Moreover, Java is very much a leading technology for server software and mobile phones. Although Apple’s iOS doesn’t rely on Java, Google’s Android certainly does, and there are even hundreds of millions of feature phones in the world running it.

However, Java’s days as a de facto part of every major operating system seem to be over. Mainstream operating systems have stopped including Java by default, offering it only as an optional add-on for folks who need it.

Perhaps the saddest thing is that, for all of Java’s potential, few mainstream computer users will notice when it’s gone.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Bing now lets you search through Facebook photos

Likely designed to attract more Facebook users to Bing, the development team behind the search engine created a new way to browse photos.

Detailed on the official Bing Search Blog earlier this week, Bing social team senior program manager Ian Lin announced the launch of a new Bing feature that allows users to browse through friend’s Facebook photo albums as well as use keyword search for specific photos. Called the Friends’ Photo feature, any Facebook user can visit www.bing.com/friendsphotos and log into Facebook in order to enable access to photo albums. The most recent photos posted by your friends will appear in a large thumbnail format on the screen similar to the layout of Pinterest. Each photo can be clicked to open up a version at a larger resolution. In addition, comments about the photo are loaded on the right side of the page. The user has the ability to add a comment, like or share the photo as well as open up the photo on Facebook.

Using filters at the top of the page, users can switch between friend or fan page photos as well as browse through personal photos. Arguably, the real advantage to using this format on Bing is the search bar. The user has the ability to type keywords in order to find a specific photo.

Rather than having to search through albums to locate a photo, the search function scans through album names, photo descriptions and locations in order to pull all pictures matching a specific keyword. However, this feature will fail if a user has a large amount of friends that don’t bother tagging photos or adding descriptions.

If a user would prefer to search by album, they can simply type their friend’s name in the search bar and the field should auto-populate with the name. After clicking on the name, all albums uploaded by the friend will appear on the page in thumbnail format. While this method of  browsing photos isn’t necessarily faster than perusing through the albums on Facebook, users will be able to see larger thumbnails of the photos in addition to social interaction before actually clicking on a photo.

According to Bing, the Friends’ Photo feature doesn’t work with Facebook users that have blocked photos from being accessed by third-party applications. Facebook users can edit this setting by visiting the Privacy Settings page and clicking on “Edit Settings” in the “Ads, Apps and Websites” row.

From here, the user clicks on the ”Edit Settings” button in the “How people bring your info to apps they use” row. That launches a pop-up that allows the user to limit specific aspects of their Facebook profile from being pulled into third-party applications. Beyond photos, users can also limit demographic data, status updates, video, location and online status from being used within a third-party Facebook application.

According to the Bing development team, they indicated that Microsoft will never publish Facebook photos to the public. Prior to the launch of the new Facebook photo feature, Bing rolled out support for a Social Search sidebar that imports status updates and allows users to search through their social space using specific keywords.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

10 Incredible Technologies out of the Nation of Israel

When one thinks of technology, generally it is with the idea of corporate giants and world superpowers with plenty of resources for research and development. But sometimes big things can come in small packages. The nation of Israel, a country about the size of New Jersey, is a good example. This small country, since becoming a nation back in 1948, has managed to turn its barren desert environment into a wealth of technology and innovation. Here is just a small selection of their technological developments.

1. BabySense

These monitors, released back in 1992, were developed by the Israeli company HiSense. By placing them under the mattress, they monitor baby’s movements and breathing, and sound an alarm if the baby’s breathing stops.

2. Diagnosis Kit for Superbugs

Superbugs that adapt and become resistant to antibiotics have become a top killer in the US and Europe. With this new kit recently invented by Hebrew University Professor Nathan Citri, one can identify the type of antibiotic-resistant superbug within minutes instead of days, making treating the patient easier and faster.

3. Disk-On-Key

Flash drives are a common way these days to store and transport computer files. It was originally developed by M-Systems, an Israeli company, and later sold to SanDisk.

4. Computer Processors

The centrino processor, along with the 8088 and the SandyBridge, were all developed at Intel’s small chip design center in Haifa. These chips are used in laptops worldwide.

5. Cell Phones

Original cell phone technology was developed by Motorola’s Research and Development center in Israel. Their technology keeps cell phones small and sleek while maximizing capabilities.

6. Amazon Kindle

The Java platform, as well as the e-reader itself, were both developed in Israel. The kindle is now one of the most popular e-readers on the market.

7. X-Hawk

Developed by Israeli engineer Rafi Yoeli, this flying car is designed for search-and-rescue jobs. Perhaps next up will be flying cars for personal use?

8. Solar Power

Israel has several big solar power plants: BrightSource Energy, Pythagoras Solar, and AORA, which produce lots of energy. Pythagoras Solar has also developed solar windows to help generate power and reduce energy costs.

9. Friendly Robotics

Friendly Robotics, an Israeli company, has created robots for doing chores around the home. Producing such robots as the Robomow for mowing lawns and the robotic vacuum cleaners, they have plans for other robots to scoop snow and mop floors.

10. Mobileye

Mobileye can warn of impending crashes and even stop a car if the driver can’t. According to the Jerusalem based company, it can reduce accidents by 40-50%, and many companies are employing this technology in their new vehicles.

This is just a small sample, and they will probably continue to be a giant in the world of technology in the years to come.

Author Bio: Meg Jones works with a real estate and investment company that handles houses in Israel for both local clients and those from abroad.   The Land of Israel is an exciting place, filled with amazing history and incredible technologies of the future.

Source : techtalkafrica[dot]com

Mozilla rolls out Firefox 15, updated Android tablet app

Continuing to focus on the development of the modern Web browser, Mozilla launched Firefox 15 with significant improvements.

Detailed within a post on the official company blog earlier today, Mozilla announced the launch of Firefox 15 in addition to a revamped version of Firefox for Android tablet devices running Honeycomb. Among the variety of new features in Firefox 15, this version of Firefox finally adds background updating. After upgrading to Firefox 15, all future upgrades to the Firefox browser will be conducted automatically without the need for any user action. This feature has been widely available within Google Chrome for quite some time and simplifies the updating process for the novice user significantly. The new updating feature basically allows Firefox to automatically download updates to the software, apply the update while the browser is currently in use and load the updated version after the user eventually restarts Firefox. 

In addition to silent updates, Mozilla has also optimized Firefox 15 for any user that has installed a large amount of add-ons by preventing the majority of memory leaks. Prior to this update, memory leaks from both high quality and suspect add-ons would dramatically slow down the browser for users.

According to a blog post created by Nicholas Nethercote, he stated “Over the past year, Mozilla has made great progress in reducing Firefox’s memory consumption.  However, the excessive memory consumption caused by add-ons with memory leaks has remained an ongoing problem. Firefox 15 fixes that problem.  We have confirmed, via in-house testing and from real-world telemetry data, that it prevents the vast majority of leaks that occur in existing add-ons.”

Beyond the memory improvements, the development team behind Firefox 15 has improved support for game creators working with WebGL. After adding support for compressed textures, game developers should be able to utilize higher-resolution textures within 3D games that have been built to play within a Firefox browser window. To prove the concept of 3D gaming within a browser window, the team at Mozilla created a demo of a 3D first person shooter called BananaBread; a game which was running in the Firefox browser without the help of any plugins. However, the game is also playable within any browser that offers the same features; Google Chrome for instance.

On Android tablets, Mozilla has launched a new version of Firefox that offers a significantly faster start-up time as well as faster page loading. After Firefox users upgrade to the new version currently located on the Google Play Store, they can use Firefox Sync to link up personal details from their desktop version of Firefox and find information like bookmarks, browsing history and passwords on the redesigned Awesome screen. 

In addition, Mozilla has added a feature that allows a user to switch between a mobile version and Web version of a site more easily. Within the browser menu, users will find a setting called “Request Desktop Site” and that can be tapped to bring up the Web version of any particular site. Other features that have been added to this new version of the Firefox browser for Android tablets include the ability to use ”ctrl-F” to find something on a page, a tool for selecting text and tabs that can be closed with a simple swipe.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

Update on the Samsung Galaxy S III, Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note Jelly Bean release schedule

It’s no secret Samsung has been investing quite a lot of effort in the the Galaxy S III Jelly Bean update development recently. Numerous ROMs have already leaked online with the latest being having a build number of XXLH8.

So, what’s really happening inside Samsung’s labs and when we can expect to see the Galaxy S III Jelly Bean update going live?

Each new Jelly Bean test ROM shows significant improvement in performance, some minor UI changes and tons of bug fixes. Even though the latest LH8 seems pretty good at first, it still has a few bugs inside and needs some polishing.

Samsung is holding a pre-IFA press conference tomorrow and it will reveal when the Galaxy S III (both US and international) Jelly Bean will come out. The Samsung Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note updates are also already in development and are scheduled to come in Q4 (which starts in October, so here’s hoping).

We’ll probably know more once the Samsung’s pre-IFA event finishes tomorrow eventing. We will be there to cover it live for you, so stick around.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com

Tesla CEO calls Fisker Karma “mediocre”

Tesla CEO Elon Musk criticized rival Fisker Automotive's Karma sedan, saying the company had farmed out the most important development work.

Tesla Motors and Fisker Automotive are both building green luxury cars, but each has gone their own way. The Tesla Model S is fully electric, while the Fisker Karma has a gasoline engine-generator to charge its batteries. That seems like the makings of a rivalry, something Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed in a recent interview with Automobile Magazine.

“I don’t think very highly of Henrik Fisker,” Musk said of Fisker’s eponymous founder. He called Fisker’s $105,000 Karma a “mediocre product at a high price,” saying that the sedan lacked interior and trunk space yet was physically larger than his company’s Model S.

Musk also criticized Fisker for “outsourcing” what he considers the most important parts of car design: engineering and manufacturing. He said Fisker only cares about the way a car looks, but nothing more substantive.

The Karma is built by Valmet Automotive in Finland, the same company that assembles the Porsche Boxster and Cayman. The company talked about opening its own plant to produce a new car, the Atlantic, but those plans are now in limbo.

The Karma’s powertrain was developed by Quantum Technologies, and it uses a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine from General Motors. The Atlantic will use a gasoline engine from BMW.

Tesla did outsource a significant amount of the engineering work on its first car, the Roadster, which essentially an electric Lotus Elise. However, almost every part of the Model S was developed in-house.

Musk does think his competitor designed a nice car. “It looks good. Particularly from the side it looks good. I don’t love the front. It looks too much like a caricature of a Mexican Bandito—the grille,” he said.

Design is where the rivalry began. Back when Fisker was re-skinning BMWs and Mercedes-Benzes, Musk hired him to style the Model S. At some point, Fisker had the idea for the Karma, and Musk sued him for working on his car while he was under contract to Tesla. Fisker won the suit.

Fisker’s response to Musk’s attack was casual. He noted that he had won the suit, thanked Musk for complementing the Karma’s styling, and wished him well.

Despite differences in size and technology, Tesla and Fisker produce the only truly green luxury vehicles on the market, so comparisons are inevitable.

The EPA rates the Karma at 54 MPGe, while the Model S with the biggest battery pack is rated at 89 MPGe.

The Karma will accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.9 seconds, and hit a top speed of 125 mph. Tesla claims a 0 to 60 time of 5.6 seconds, 4.4 seconds with the Signature Performance Package.

A loaded Model S Signature Performance with the largest battery pack costs $105,400, before a $7,500 Federal tax credit. The Karma starts at $105,000, although most models will roll out of showrooms with $115,000 stickers. Tesla does offer a base Model S with a $57,400 sticker, but the Fisker Atlantic, which will be closer to the Model S in size, is expected to cost roughly the same.

Source : digitaltrends[dot]com

The Google Nexus 7 enters our office, gets ready to rally the Android troops

Google’s Nexus 7 is a milestone in Android’s development, so we were all over it when it came to our office. The Nexus line gives a general heading for Android gadgets and Jelly Bean that debuted on this tab is quite interesting indeed. Unlike some previous Nexus gadgets, the Nexus 7 will probably gain a lot of traction with consumers making it even more important.

The Nexus 7 packs a Tegra 3 chipset, a 7″ LCD screen with WXGA resolution and a highly competitive price. We can’t understate the importance of the price – it matches the Amazon Kindle Fire, which fairly quickly grabbed 5% of the tablet market share on its own (that’s big for an Android) and it doesn’t even run a proper version of Android.

The Nexus 7, however, comes from Google itself along with the latest OS (and a promise for timely updates in the future). We’ve already looked at what Android 4.1 Jelly Bean is all about, so let’s take a closer look at the hardware instead.

The Nexus 7 was made by ASUS and it has done a pretty good job of it. We like the metal edge running around the tablet and especially the back. It’s plastic with a dotted pattern, really pleasant to touch and good at hiding fingerprints.

At 340g, the tablet is lighter than most other tablets in the class. Its size (198.5 x 120 x 10.5 mm) is about average, though, with Samsung tabs being thinner, while the Kindle Fire is a bit thicker.

The contrast of the screen isn’t stellar, but the 216ppi pixel density ensures sharp images. Colors are decent, but we would have preferred them to be slightly more saturated. Indoor viewing angles are good, but, as is often the case with tablets, the display turns into a mirror when taken outside and the sun shines directly on it.

We’ll do our usual battery of tests for the review, but for now check out this video for a quick guided tour of the Nexus 7.

Source : blog[dot]gsmarena[dot]com