Are you in danger with AVG Web TuneUp extension

One of the most popular browser-based solutions for Internet security might be more dangerous than not having any security at all. According to a bug report filed by a Google employee on December 15th, the AVG Web TuneUp extension is disabling web security on Chrome for over 9 million users.

READ MORE: 9 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens' fun facts you didn't see in the movie

As gHacks explains, AVG's extension was always problematic. It changes startup settings that might negatively affect a given user's experience with the Chrome browser, it's nearly impossible to change any modified settings without disabling the extension altogether and its privacy policy states that AVG can collect and sell non-identifiable user data to third parties.

But that's nothing compared to the complaint from Google:

“Apologies for my harsh tone, but I'm really not thrilled about this trash being installed for Chrome users. The extension is so badly broken that I'm not sure whether I should be reporting it to you as a vulnerability, or asking the extension abuse team to investigate if it's a PuP.

Nevertheless, my concern is that your security software is disabling web security for 9 million Chrome users, apparently so that you can hijack search settings and the new tab page.

There are multiple obvious attacks possible, for example, here is a trivial universal xss in the “navigate” API that can allow any website to execute script in the context of any other domain. For example, attacker.com can read email from mail.google.com, or corp.avg.com, or whatever else.”

AVG released a fix shortly after this report was filed, but Google denied it. It didn't fix the issue. AVG issued a second update on December 21st, and that one was accepted by Google, but the team has disabled inline installations just in case.

If you have the AVG Web TuneUp extension, you might want to consider another security solution

Booq Booqpad - that melded a magnetically-attached

Last April, TUAW reviews a very unique iPad Air case - the Booq Booqpad - that melded a magnetically-attached agenda case with a paper notepad. At the time it garnered a 4-star rating thanks to its flexibility and that paper notepad. Today I'm looking at the BooqPad for iPad Air 2 (US$60.00) and we'll see if that changed.

Specifications

• Exterior dimensions: 7 x 9.5 x 0.9 inches (178 x 242 x 24 mm)
• Weight: 0.88 lbs (0.4 kg)
• Compatible with: iPad Air 2 only
• Color: Gray only
• Comes with removable/replaceable 50-sheet paper notepad

Design

Like the previous iteration of the Booqpad, the new version consists of a slim folio that, when opened, features a paper notepad on the left side and a magnetically-attached tray for the iPad on the right side. A slender magnetic catch keeps the cover closed while you're in transit. Around the outside of the paper notepad side are slots for business cards, and you can get refills for your notepad in blank, lined, or graph paper formats ($10 for 3 pads).

That catch is different from the one on original iPad Air version of the Booqpad, which was rather wide and could actually hold a Pencil by FiftyThree stylus.

The case also acts as a stand, with the section of the folio that the polycarbonate iPad tray attaches to folding to accommodate a variety of angles. Should you decide that you'd like to use the iPad Air 2 on its own without the folio, just give it a pull and the tray/iPad combo comes out. Just bring that tray back to the folio and hold it near, and it snaps right back into place.

Functionality

While I still like the idea of the Booqpad, I'm not sure that I'm quite as enthusiastic about it as I was last year after seeing dozens of other iPad case/stands. It definitely fills a specific niche, but it doesn't have the adjustability of some competing folio-type cases.

In addition, Booq used to include a screen protector with each Booqpad. That's no longer the case, which is a little odd - perhaps the company found that nobody was using the screen protectors?

Maybe the idea of having a paper notepad alongside your iPad excites you, and if it does, then the Booqpad is just the case for you. Otherwise, it might be worth your while to just grab any old folio type case and slap in a Post-it® 5 x 8 inch notebook pad.

Conclusion

About a year after the first Booqpad arrived on the scene, we're seeing the new model for iPad Air 2. Booqpad is still unique, but we're wondering if that's because no other manufacturer really thinks a combo paper notepad/iPad case is worthwhile. It's a well-done case; it's just that the idea seems a bit less exciting than it did a year ago.

Voice-Controlled real-time strategy game

 There Came an Echo, the voice-controlled real-time strategy game from Iridium Studios starring nerd royalty Wil Wheaton, is due out on February 24 for $20 via Steam for PC. The release date comes courtesy of a new trailer (below), featuring players that Iridium "totally found on Craigslist." These uninitiated few try out There Came an Echo's voice controls, including the ability to change characters' names to things like "Sweetie Pie" and something naughty that appears to rhyme with "Duckface."

There Came an Echo was successfully funded on Kickstarter in March 2013, raising $115,000 of a $90,000 goal. It's Iridium's second successful Kickstarter game, following Sequence. There Came an Echo stars Wil Wheaton and Ashly Burch, and puts players in charge of a small, gun-wielding squad in a near-future sci-fi environment.

"Corrin (played by Wil Wheaton) is a 31-year-old cryptographer and inventor of a very particular encryption algorithm ... one that currently holds safe a shocking secret," the game's Kickstarter reads. "His comfortable existence is interrupted by the enigmatic Val, who informs him that his life is in very imminent danger. His desperate attempts to uncover the truth are aided by a mercenary, Miranda; a vengeful young woman, Grace; and a mysterious British gentleman named Syll."

Players are able to customize the voice controls in There Came an Echo, and Iridium promises that it's possible to play the game without speech at all. It's also coming to Xbox One and PS4, eventually. [Image: Iridium Studios] 

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Iridium Studios

This article originally appeared on Joystiq at http://www.joystiq.com/2015/01/12/voice-controlled-rts-there-came-an-echo-speaks-up-in-feb/

The all new A7 packed with features

While many gadget makers announced new products at CES last week, Samsungwaited until today to unveil its new Galaxy A7 smartphone.

One of the slimmest Galaxy handsets to date at 6.3mm, the 5.5-inch A7 comes with a focus on the social experience. It has 16GB of memory, 2GB of RAM, and a 2,600mAh battery. There's a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front-facing camera with advanced selfie functions that allow the user to take photos using voice commands or hand gestures.

The A7 runs two quad-core processors: the LTE version has 1.8GHz quad-core and 1.3GHz quad-core processors, while the LTE/3G dual-SIM version has 1.5GHz and 1GHz quad-core processors.

For those who still use phones to make phone calls, the Samsung Galaxy A7 includes the "Always Clear Voice Auto Control" feature, which reduces background noise, and LTE Category 4 support.

For the security conscious, the A7 has Private Mode—an added layer of protection for important files and documents saved on the phone.

Running Android 4.4 KitKat, the mid-range phone comes with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and NFC capabilities.

"We strive to develop devices that appeal to a broad range of consumers and are ahead of the next big social trend," Samsung CEO JK Shin said in a statement. "Combining both a stunning metallic design and a powerful performance, the Galaxy A7 is stylish while delivering the superior user experience."

Samsung has not officially announced availability or cost, but SamMobile tipped a €509 ($600) price tag, starting at the end of the first quarter.

The A7 comes several months after the October debut of the Galaxy A3 and A5, which sport 4.5- and 5-inch displays, respectively. For more, check out Samsung's comparison of the three handsets.

And the race has started

As is usually the case for CES press conferences, Sony had a massive TV on hand for its Monday night event, but it also had something a bit smaller - a stainless steel version of its SmartWatch 3.

The updated smartwatch will arrive in February. It still sports a 1.6-inch, 320-by-320 TFT LCD display, which is made to work in bright sunlight. It also has an IP68 water protection so you don't have to worry about it in the rain. It charges via microUSB.

Sony also tipped a new SmartWatch 3 holder, which will allow for customized straps. That will be available in the next few months.

The SmartWatch 3 has some standalone capabilities, and Sony talked up two apps that will take advantage of this: Golfshot and iFit, for golfing and fitness, which will be free to SmartWatch 3 users starting this month.

Also today, Sony highlighted its revamped lineup of Bravia 4K Ultra HD TVs, which will range in size from 43 to 75 inches.

Mike Fasulo, president and COO of Sony Electronics, talked up the "ultra-thin floating style" on the new XBR X900C Series, which he said are Sony's thinnest TVs yet at 0.2 inches, which is even slimmer than its Xperia smartphone.

The sets, which will be available in the spring, feature edge-to-edge viewing on their 3,840-by-2,160 4K resolution displays. They run a new 4K processor known as the X1, which will "analyze and upscale 4K resolution, providing the best image quality, regardless of the image source," Sony said.

They will also support Google's Android TV operating system, which Fasulo said will let viewers "use your TV with the interface you're familiar with and enjoy content on smartphones, tablets, and TV seamlessly."

But 4K TVs are no good if you don't have any 4K content to watch. To that end, Sonysaid its new TVs will support more than 1,300 movies, TV shows and other 4K titles through partnerships with Video Unlimited 4K, Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, Ultraflix, and Toon Goggles.

Also on the 4K front, Sony added 4K video capture to its consumer Action Cam and camcorder lines. To show off what the new machines could do, Sony had Tony Hawk (pictured) try them out on the slopes and his skateboard.

President Obama written a computer code

American President Barack Obama has written a line of computer code to help animate a character from the film Frozen.

He joined a group of pupils taking part in the "Hour of Code" project, a 60-minute introduction to computer science set up by the group code.org.

A drive to widen access to introductory computer science lessons in schools across the US was announced yesterday.

In the UK, pupils are now taught coding in schools from the age of five.

"While no-one is born a computer scientist, becoming a computer scientist isn't as scary as it sounds," President Obama said in a YouTube video.

"With hard work and a little math and science, anyone can do it.''

More than 48 million people signed up to get involved with Computer Science Education Week, currently running in the US, the president added.

"Don't just consume things, create things," he said.

An Hour of Code class was also held at the prime minister's residence in Downing Street, London, yesterday.

"There's no secret to success in the modern world. If countries are going to win in the global race and children compete and get the best jobs, you need mathematicians and scientists - pure and simple," said David Cameron, announcing extra training for maths and science teachers in England's schools.

"It will take time but it's absolutely vital for the success of our country that we teach maths and science and computing in the modern way, because that will be one of the things that will determine whether we succeed or not," he said.

Fix that busted phone. iMend Review is original content from Coolsmartphone.com

OK, I'm going to talk about it. In London recently I sat at Euston and generally watched the world go by. What was pretty amazing was the amount of people using broken phones. I saw three people with broken iPhones, and they were all cracks or busted glass frontages. Whether it be due to the insurance cost, the excess or the plain fact that they just don't have any insurance at all, I'm not really sure. Either way, these people were quite happy to ignore the crack in their screen and carry on regardless.

It gets worse though. If you do have mobile phone insurance you really need to check the excess. For an iPhone that can be between £75 and £100 per claim. The cheapest we found was £50 per claim, but that's only if you've got yourself a good deal.

Is that as bad as it gets? No, my friend, it's not. If you don't insure your device then many people trust some guy on a market stall, or some random person in a small local shop. The results can be hit and miss.

Yes, there's always Apple. You can take it back to them. They'll quite happily take over £100 for an iPhone 6 screen replacement. However, if you want to swap the screen on your iPad then you can pay up to £306 if you've got an iPad Air 2.

I'm one of those who has lived with a slightly busted iPad for quite some time. You can see it above. It's a 4th generation unit (the heavy one) and I've done the same as everyone else – ignored the crack (even as it's grown) and worked around it. In recent months the crack found its way to the button, then the button started to fall apart.

So when a company called iMend contacted me and suggested I take it to them I looked into it a bit. They'll repair your iPhone, iPad or Samsung S3, S4 or S5. Costs vary depending on the device and what repair you need, but for my 4th gen iPad in white the front glass was £64.99. If your LCD has gone then it's £74.99 and the button is £39.99. They offer other fixes such as a battery replacement, water damage and more. If you're not quite sure what's up with yours then you can either call them or do a Live Chat with a technician.

The tricky bit, of course, is getting the device shipped to them. This is where things get good, because you can either send it to them or, for an extra £10 in most circumstances, one of their technicians will come and fix the thing right in front of you in around half an hour. There's a 12 month “no fuss” warranty with every repair and they operate a “no fix, no fee” basis. This means that you only pay when you're 100% happy. In most cases they can repair your device on the same day.

They also do iPhone 6 repairs too. Here's one of their technicians doing a repair…

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In my case there wasn't any need to call an engineer out or have it sent off. They're actually based just around the corner from me in Burntwood, so I stuffed the iPad in my backpack and cycled up to see them. I spoke to John McNally, their Head of Repairs. He's a totally honest and friendly chap and they operate from some rather swish and new offices with all the kit you need for repairing devices properly. This isn't some grubby shop or market stall with dust and a small table, this is a big and open space with the tools and clean surfaces needed for doing the job properly.

Gotta be honest here, this isn't a job I could do. It's careful, sometimes fiddly work where patience and a steady hand is key. A lot of phones really aren't designed to be repaired. It's not like they come with lift-off screens or quick-release covers. There's glue, incredibly tiny screws and tiny parts.

If you're around the UK then, as I mentioned earlier, you can get an iMend technician to come to your home or place of work and do the repair. The techies are carefully selected by the company to ensure that all work is completed to the highest standard.

Here's how my iPad looked following the fix.

The device, I have to say, looked just like new again. I was told to not use it for a couple of hours while the glue set, but there was simply no indication that the device had been opened, it was as if the whole thing had been replaced.

I thought that the chip in the front screen of my iPad was bad, but in reality it's nothing compared to some of the devices that come through the doors. Check out this totally busted up iPhone.

At the en of the day there's a “No Fix, No Fee” policy too, but I can safely say that my iPad is now looking a whole lot better than it did. So, if you're looking for someone trustworthy to repair your device, check them out.

Show Press Release (311 More Words)

UK's first nationwide smartphone breakdown service goes live

A British start-up has launched the country's first nationwide same-day callout service for fixing broken smartphones.

iMend.com is the first company to provide a UK-wide mobile repair callout service, and specialises in fixing iPhones, iPads and Samsung mobiles.

Cracked screens top the list of faults repair technicians are called out to, with broken buttons, water damage and many other issues also dealt with.

With the cost of devices increasing and manufacturer repairs often expensive or unavailable, customers often turn to phone repair shops, and may end up having to leave their phone behind to be mended.

As founder and serial tech entrepreneur Keir McConomy explains, iMend aims to provide a smarter way to get your phone fixed:

“Existing mobile phone repair solutions can sometimes leave you without your phone for days and feeling insecure about your private data. iMend.com removes this issue by sending a repair technician out to your home, office or any location you choose to fix the phone securely in front of you. It also saves you the hassle of having to go out to a shop.”

The company employs a network of mobile repair technicians to respond to calls across the country. John McNally, Head of Repairs, earned his stripes fixing phones for the Ministry of Defence. He commented:

“We only hire the best technicians, and each one has to go through rigorous technical checks. Our customers don't pay until the repair is completed and they're 100% happy. Plus we also give a 12-month warranty to provide total peace of mind.”

iMend Founder Keir McConomy is optimistic about the future:

“We have good UK-wide coverage and are constantly building our team. Thousands of people have called us out already, so we know this is a service people want and need. We commonly expect a call out service for things like tyres, windscreens and IT services, so why not smartphones?”

Now this is a mast to have double sided display

(Image: YotaPhone)

Want an Android smartphone, but want something that's a bit different? How about a handset that has two displays?

See also: Hardware 2.0 Holiday 2014 Ultimate Gift Guide

Yes, you read that right. Two displays.

The YotaPhone 2 features a 5-inch front-facing 1920 by 1080 AMOLED 'retina' display (it has a pixel density of 442ppi), and on the back in a 4.7-inch, 16-level grayscale 960 by 540 e-ink display (235ppi pixel density) display. It is an upgrade to the original dual-display YotaPhone, which suggests that there is a demand for a handset with a second screen.

Both displays are touch-sensitive, and both are protected by a layer of Corning Gorilla Glass 3.

The second display opens up a whole raft of possibilities, from simply mirroring the main display on the back to having it display notifications or a photo. Is it a gimmick? Sure, but it's still a cool idea, and one that I'm surprised hasn't been adopted by a bigger hardware maker.

Beyond the display, the YotaPhone 2 is a pretty standard high-end Android smartphone. It runs Android 4.4 KitKat and is powered by a 2.2GHz Snapdragon 800. It has 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage, and has a full compliment of sensors (accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor, and ambient light sensor).

Full spec 

• Main display: 5-inch, 1920x1080 AMOLED, capacitive touch, 442 pixels-per-inch, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• Rear display: 4.7-inch, 960x540, 16-level grayscale e-ink display, 235 pixels-per-inch, Corning Gorilla Glass 3
• CPU: 2.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800
• RAM: 2GB
• Storage: 32GB
• Rear-facing camera: 8MP with LED flash
• Front-facing camera: 2.1MP
• Sensors: Accelerometer, compass, gyroscope, proximity sensor, ambient light sensor
• Battery: 2500mAh with wireless charging
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac, microUSB 2.0 Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, A-GPS + GLONASS

The YotaPhone 2 has gone on sale in Europe and costs €700 (around $850), so this is a piece of hardware with a premium price tag. But it's also an interesting idea, and your money certainly buys you something more interesting than an iPhone or a Samsung Galaxy S5. You're certainly getting something that's at the very least going to be a talking point, and which, depending on your usage, could be useful.

Now this is next level, GTA at night

The most anticipated remaster of the year, Grand Theft Auto V on PS4 and Xbox One, has finally arrived. We've already covered the single best reason to double dip on this 2013 best-seller, but even if first-person mode isn't your cup of tea, it's hard to deny that Rockstar Games has done an incredible job updating GTA V for the new generation.

FROM EARLIER: You won't believe how different GTA V looks on PS4 compared to Xbox One

In order to demonstrate just how amazing Los Santos looks on the PlayStation 4version of the game, YouTube user The XXI has put together 

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a short video showing off the city at night. Rather than focusing on the less-than-kid-friendly aspects of the game, this video explores the lives of the virtual denizens who populate the city.

The XXI notes below his video that the process of filming this video was extremely tedious given the lack of an in-game video editor, but once the PC version launches next year, expect to see plenty more videos showcasing Rockstar's game.

Watch the full video below:

Tech people can be crazy but this it's just playing stupid

People are idiots and when you put high-powered flying lawnmowers machines into their hands, things can get ugly fast. This Christmas, more people than ever will get quadcopters and that means even more of them will think it's a good idea to fly them on a field right next to their local (or international) airport or over a stadium full of people.

Thanks to people like this and general public unease about all things “drones” in the U.S., we will soon get a first set of regulations that will govern what we can do with with our quadcopters — and that's okay. There has been a lot of insecurity surrounding the FAA's plans for drones and the sooner we get some clarity, the better.

For years, hobbyists were able to fly their remote controlled planes (and for all intends and purposes, that's what most of the “drones” you hear about these days are) without any hassle. There weren't all that many of them, the planes and helicopters were expensive and hard to fly, and most people followed the common-sense rules of the AMA.

Today, you can buy a powerful quadcopter with a built-in camera and gimbal for less than a thousand dollars. It doesn't take any special skills to operate them. That's awesome. I've played around with my fair share of them (and crashed a few, too) and they allow you to take great images and videos. But there is a growing segment of the population (especially in the U.S.), that freaks out every time the word “drone” is uttered somewhere. The Drudge Report — that beacon of journalistic integrity — happily features a drone-related horror story as often as possible, for example.

The FAA is about to release a first proposal for regulations that would mostly affect commercial drone operators. While nobody wants more rules and regulations, I actually think it's about time we get some clarity as to what commercial drone operators can and can't do. Let's not forget, even if you are doing real estate photography with a small DJI Phantom drone today, you are working a legal gray zone. The specific regulations that have leaked so far seem rather onerous (operators must have pilot certificates, for example), but a) these are only rumors for now and b) those rules will be up for discussion once the FAA publishes them. Still, right now we have a bunch of drone startups that can't really do anything because the rules around commercial drone flights are so unclear. Even if this first batch of regulations is annoying, at least it will provide some clarity.

It's the irresponsible hobbyist who could ruin the fun for everybody, though. It'll only take one real accident and that's it.

So when you get that quadcopter in four weeks, don't just run outside and start it up without having any idea of what you're doing. Read the Academy of Model Aeronautics' National Model Aircraft Safety Code. That'll give you a general idea for what's acceptable (no flights over 400 feet within a 3-mile distance from airports (or even better: just stay really far away from airports anyway), stay 100 feet away from other people, etc.). Then take a look at this map. If you're inside one of those shaded areas, don't fly your drone there. Don't fly in national parks either. Just apply some common sense — because you don't want to be this guy.

It's like the A-team why Intel and Google to team up to build a killer set of glasses

The first model might not even be on sale, but the next version of Google Glass will have Intel inside. That's according to the WSJ, who's heard from people familiar with the matter that it will apparently form yet another part of the chipmakers continued push into wearables -- in case you hadn't heard about that before. Intel didn't quite manage to tap into the smartphone boom, with chips licensed from its rival, ARM, powering the majority of smartphones. It took until last year for Intel to finally offer a smartphone processor that could connect to 4G LTE networks. Further still, Intelaims to promote Glass in a work capacity, pitching to hospitals and manufacturing businesses. However, but more importantly than the deal-making itself, we're still waiting to hear how Glass itself will benefit from the new hardware. Neither Intel or Google have responded to the report.

WSJ

This article originally appeared on Engadget at http://www.engadget.com/2014/12/01/the-next-google-glass-intel-inside/

Razer Nabu I believe this is the one

Razer

Announced at the Consumer Electronics Show at the beginning of this year, the Razer Nabu wearable fitness band has had a pretty long go-to-market time, but that's because the company has been using the time to further refine its product. Since its announcement earlier this year, Razer has added Apple's iOS8 Health app support as well as a partnership with China's Tencent.

The splash-proof (IP54) Razer Nabu fitness band has an LED display -- a 128x32-pixels OLED screen at the bottom that shows your notifications. Interestingly, the Nabu has dropped the top-facing display seen in the earlier model.

The wait, however, will soon be over. The Razer Nabu will be available for online purchase on Tuesday in North America for $99.99 (£64, AU$118). It will come in four colors -- green, white, orange and black -- and two sizes: small-medium and medium-large.

The wristband also has a social features -- simply high-five someone wearing a Nabu and your contact info such as Facebook or Twitter can be exchanged. Lastly, like most other fitness bands, the Nabu comes with sleep tracking features.

Razer says the Nabu has a battery life of around five to seven days and is compatible with iOS devices such as the iPhone 5, 5S, 5C, 6 and 6 Plus as well as Android 4.3 and above smartphones.

Be sure to also check out our hands-on here.

No more HOME buttons, waaaaaat

The mobile industry is not exactly known for the longevity of its design elements. After all, new developments and innovations are popping up all the time, making things bigger, faster, smaller, thinner, or whatever happens to be desired by that particular element.

Then there's the home button on iPhones. This represents quite possibly the oldest, most persistent design element in mobile. It's the grandfather of smartphone controls. While others have tried physical buttons, capacitive buttons, soft keys, you name it, the home button persists. I have to wonder if maybe it's time to put this feature out to pasture.

Bigfoot

The footprint of the iPhone 6 plus is the same as the Galaxy Note 4, the Alacatel Pop Mega, and other 6-inch monster phones. I have had this conversation more times than I can count:

“How big is the iPhone 6 plus?”

Handing them the Pop Mega, “It's the same size as this.”

“Whoa! How big is this screen?”

“Six inches.”

“I didn't think the iPhone 6 had a six inch screen!”

“It doesn't. It's only 5.5 inches.”

“Wait.”

“Yeah.”

It's always something like that. The reason the iPhone 6 plus is as large as other 6-inch phones is because of that half inch of real estate that the home button takes up at the bottom of the screen. That's just too much bezel by almost any definition. Further, it's a lot of wasted space. Roughly 75% of the area at the bottom of the screen is unbroken (insert build material from over the years here) to make up for that one button.

Wasted space

And speaking of wasted space, the iPhone now contains a Reachability feature, which seems to imply that Apple recognized that the top of the phone was too darn far away from the rest of the hand. Well, we just talked about a whole bunch of wasted space at the bottom of the phone. This is not exactly outside the box thinking here. If Apple is changing the design of its phones, by making them huge, then maybe other changes are becoming necessary.

Further, one of the more common complaints about the iPhone is that it's rather stale. That can refer to the OS itself and the design of the iPhone. It's always a rounded rectangle with a circular button at the bottom. Variety, thy bane is iPhone.

And yet…

Couldn't calling the design “stale” also mean that it's iconic, or at the very least recognizable (though not “classic” apparently). That home button is practically Apple's signature. Just a single glance at the face of a phone will allow you to determine whether it's an iPhone or not. This is not untrue for other brands, most notably the HTC One (both M7 and M8), but it's easy to see the home button as the one defining characteristic of the iPhone brand.

Scanners

Plus let's not forget one of the more recent additions to the iPhone – TouchID. TouchID absolutely requires the space of a home button in order to function, lest Apple resort to a swipe type of situation, like Samsung. I think our reviews have shown that would not be a favorable change, so what's an Apple to do? Sure this home button takes up a lot of space at the bottom of a phone that is increasing in size, but TouchID is a pretty integral part of the iPhone and Apple's new payment system, Apple Pay.

Could this be averted with a PIN? Sure. But TouchID was a pretty good step forward in technology, and it'd be a shame to see that take a step back. So if the home button is to be removed, the TouchID sensor would need to be relocated. I'm not so sure I can see Apple making that much of a change to the iPhone.

Use the space

Perhaps if that space at the bottom of the phone could be utilized in some way, it might soften the blow. Can you say front firing speakers? Perhaps a capacitive gesture area, since practically everything else from webOS has been redone? That could bring a meaningful gesture area back to the mobile space, and one for which I'd be thankful.

So what do you think? Is the home button getting a little too long in the tooth for you? Or do you think that if it ain't broke, Apple shouldn't fix it? Let's hear it down below and let's see if we can figure this out.

Hi

Hello,

Followers if you are, sorry for being silent , life went bad mid way

1. Got sick

2. Lost a baby sister

3. Lost my auntie  

The list goes on and on, buts it's good to be back and update my followers in the world of technology because it's a fun world and not dull.

Then lets get back to business before the end of the year

IFixit are taking things apart and now it's project Tango are Google going to be happy ;(

Not like iFixit needs an introduction, but as most of you know, iFixit likes to grab the latest and greatest tech and tear it down. Give a repairability report and such. As well as what is inside the device. Right now, Project Tango is just a developer prototype, and Google only made a few thousand of these for developers as well. iFixit got their hands on a non-functioning unit of Project Tango and tore it apart like only they can do. So now we can see exactly what is inside.

Inside we're looking at a Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU, which is a pretty decent chip if I do say so. Paired with 2GB of RAM, 64GB of internal storage, a microSD card slot, and a 3000mAh battery. It also sports a 5-inch LCD display. As we all know already, Project Tango isn't really about the phone capabilities, but more so about the array of 3D sensors that Google has put on this device. Basically what Google is attempting to do with this device, is to have everyone help them with Google Maps and street view. I'm sure you've noticed that a lot of the street view images are pretty outdated. And this would help keep those updated, as long as Google can get it off the ground and get plenty of people to buy Project Tango when it does finally get released. Project Tango isn't a sexy phone like the HTC One (M8), but it's definitely an interesting piece of technology that we, hopefully, will get some play time with a bit later on.

So not much to see here with the tear down of the Project Tango phone, not even much of a surprise here. But still interesting to see the internals of the device, even though the internals are basically a very high-spec'd device. Especially with the 64GB of on-board storage. I really hope that becomes standard soon.

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Ohh yes it's a fight fight fight chant all over again and samsung is planning to win this with a KO

The second U.S. Apple vs Samsung patenttrial marches on, with the South Korean giant now making its case in the San Jose, California, court. Samsung's counsel has already called up several witnesses who testified that the company has not been influenced in any way by Apple or the iPhone. However, internalSamsung documents that have been called into evidence by Apple's attorneys tell a different story.

While Samsung America's former CEO Dale Sohn took the stand, internal presentations and emails were uncovered, revealing Samsung's concerns with its main competitor. In a presentation from April 2012, Sohn wrote that “beating Apple is no longer merely an objective. It is our survival strategy.”

An email dated June 5, 2012 showed that the iPhone 5 was a seen as a major threat by Samsung top execs. “As you know, there will be a tsunami when iPhone 5 is coming,” Sohn wrote. “This will be happening sometime in September or October. According to CEO's direction, we have to set up a counter plan to neutralize this tsunami.”

Earlier in 2011, the same Sohn wrote to Todd Pendleton, Samsung Telecommunications America's chief marketing officer, telling him that Samsung should reach out to Google and ask it to come up with an ad campaign to target Apple. As you have shared previously, we are unable to battle [Apple] directly in our marketing,” Sohn wrote on October 4 that year, the day the iPhone 4S was announced. “If it continues to beSamsung's position to avoid attacking Apple given its status as as [sic] a large customer, can we go to Google to ask them to launch a campaign against Apple based on the many better Android products available in the market for Q4?”

In addition to Sohn, Samsung's Youngmi Kim, a designer who worked on user experience strategy, took the stand on Monday saying that the company has “absolutely not” steal the slide-to-unlock feature of theiPhone. “If we were to work on the same thing as Apple, that would not give us any advantage in terms of differentiating our products, so that would not make any sense,” Kim said.

When shown an internal Samsung usability study that recommended Samsung made its phone unlocking system more similar to the iPhone, Kim said that the unlock system had been fixed in 2009, even though the document submitted into evidence is from 2010.

Three Android engineers also testified on Samsung's behalf, defending Android against some of Apple'spatent claims. “Searching for information stored locally on the phone, changing text into hyperlinks that are opened in other apps, and synchronizing information,” as cited by Re/code, are the patents Googlers defended, saying that the Android team have come up with them before Apple. The features have been described as “either totally fundamental, or not particularly important.”

Other evidence revealed in the trial showed Google internal reports portraying Android before and after the original iPhone was launched, and showing the various influences Apple's first phone had on Google's mobile operating system.

Windows XP security deadline arrives

Support for the venerable Windows XP operating system ends this Tuesday.

It means that there will be no more official security updates and bug fixes for the operating system from Microsoft.

Some governments have negotiated extended support contracts for the OS in a bid to keep users protected.

Security firms said anyone else using the 13-year-old software would be at increased risk of infection and compromise by cyber-thieves.

Old code

Statistics suggest 20-25% of all users have stuck with XP despite the fact that there have been three major releases of Windows since its debut in 2001.

Some of those existing XP users have struck deals to get security fixes from Microsoft while they complete their migration away from the ageing code.

The UK government has signed a £5.5m deal for extended support. Similarly the Dutch government has signed a "multi-million euro" deal to obtain help for the 40,000 PCs running XP used by the nation's civil servants.

Anyone currently running Windows XP already faced a disproportionate risk of falling victim to malware, said Dave Emm, a senior research analyst at security firm Kaspersky.

Many of the world's cash machines are still believed to be running Windows XP

"Our data indicates that less than one fifth of our customers run Windows XP but more than a quarter of infections are Windows XP-based," he said.

That exposure ratio was only going to get worse after 8 April, he said, once the last security patch for Windows XP had been released.

That final patch will fix a series of bugs, one of which is rated as critical and is already being actively exploited despite only being discovered in late March.

"Effectively, every vulnerability discovered after 8 April will become a zero-day vulnerability - that is, one for which there is not and never will be, a patch," said Mr Emm.

Windows XP users topped the list of victims cyber-thieves targeted, said Maik Morgenstern and Andreas Marx from the German AV-Test group, which rates and ranks security software.

"Malware writers go for the low hanging fruits because it's a lot easier to infect systems running on an old Windows XP operating system compared to brand-new Windows 8.1, with all its built-in security features," they said.

"We think we will see a lot of attacks for Windows XP within the next few months, but attackers will also always add exploits for other Windows systems just to catch those systems as well."

Patch plan

Many have stuck with XP and ignored newer versions of Windows

Orla Cox, a senior manager at cyber-defence firm Symantec's security response unit, said criminals groups were likely to hoard the XP vulnerabilities they knew about rather than use them to bolster malware being spammed out to millions of people.

"The types of groups sitting on zero-days will tend to use them against high-end targets and for corporate espionage," she said. "Some organisations will have particular concerns because they find it so hard to move away from XP."

However, she added, any zero-day that did get used against a corporate target was likely to be re-used later on.

"Once it's out there it gets into the malware kits and then gets circulated and there will be no defence," she said.

Mark O'Neill, a spokesman for data management firm Axway, said organisations were getting better at coping with software that had hit its end-of-life.

"Beyond high-profile programs like XP there are a lot of products that have gone out of support because the company behind them has gone out of business or was acquired," he said.

In addition many other products were written in old programming languages that made them expensive to maintain and update.

As a result, many IT departments have put such ageing programs in the virtual equivalent of a "black box" and subsequently update the external code if security patches need to be applied.

"You can create a layer above the older application and that gives you a place to patch," Mr O'Neill said.

"Companies are not defenceless even with the things they cannot patch"