Flash exploit fix for all platforms released by Adobe; Windows users grab it especially.
Adobe has released a security update for all versions of Flash Player, addressing a security exploit that it says is already being used in the wild. According to a security bulletin posted Friday, the vulnerability could cause Flash to crash, and in the process allow an attacker to take control of a user's system. The company notes that it has received reports that the exploit is already being taken advantage of by attackers via email; clicking on a malicious file attachment initiates the attack on a vulnerable system. The cited attack is currently targeted only at Internet Explorer users on Windows, but the vulnerability itself is present in Flash Player for Windows, OS X, Linux, and Android.
Computer users are urged to update to Flash Player version 11.2.202.235 by visiting Adobe's website; Android users can update via the Google Play Store (version 11.1.115.8 for Ice Cream Sandwich and 11.1.111.9 for devices running Android 3.0 or earlier). Google Chrome users should already be safe, as the browser's built-in implementation of Flash updates automatically — though of course if you have Flash installed on your overall system as well you'll need to address that update directly. You can visit the Flash "about" page to determine what version of the software your machine is currently running.
Updated iPad 2 with a new 32nm A5 processor which Improves Battery Life 16%.
When discounting their older product, most companies simply dump it into the market and call it a day. But Apple isn’t just any company -- an updated model of the $399 iPad 2 is floating around at retail, and it might improve battery life by as much as 16 percent.
Engadget is reporting that the lower-cost version of the iPad 2 introduced in March has quietly introduced a new 32nm A5 processor, and that could translate to improved battery life for budget-minded buyers.
The discovery was made by AnandTech, who did an extensive review on the upgraded model, which bears the “iPad2,4” model. Instead of the 45nm process used for the A5 processor used in the original iPad 2 last year, the newer $399 model features “special A5 chips manufactured using Samsung’s 32nm chip-making process.”
In testing, the website discovered that the 32nm iPad2,4 model boasted improved battery life of 15.8 percent, including a video playback test that lasted 15.7 hours -- far better than the original iPad 2 model at 13.3 hours and even the new iPad with its larger battery, which ran for a mere 11.15 hours.
The problem is, there’s no way to tell which iPad 2 you’re buying until you’ve opened the box and checked the system information with something like GeekBench.
"This particular iPad 2,4 sample came from Best Buy, and several attempts to find one elsewhere came up short. All indications seem to point to the iPad 2,4 being relatively rare, which makes sense considering what's inside it," AnandTech reveals.
But fear not -- once your fellow human beings have snapped up available inventory, it’s likely this once-rare version will be on store shelves everywhere, should you still be looking for a cheaper model of last year’s technology with a little extra battery life.
FTC set to fine Google for Hacking Safari on Iphone/Ipad 
The Federal Trade Commission appears ready to fine Google millions of dollars for hacking around privacy settings on iPhones and iPads. Consumer Watchdog filed a complaint in February with the FTC after Stanford Researcher Jonathan Mayer revealed what the Internet giant was doing.
Sara Forden of "Bloomberg News" today reported the Commission is negotiating with Google about how big the fine will be. She cited an unidentified source as saying the fine could amount to more than US$10 million.
"Google hacked past a key privacy setting on iPhones and iPads and other devices using Apple's Safari browser, placed tracking cookies on them and then lied, saying the settings were still effective," says John M. Simpson, Consumer Watchdog's Privacy Project director. "I am delighted the FTC appears ready to take strong action against an obvious violation of Google's promises to honor users' privacy in its 'Buzz' Consent Decree with the Commission."
Under the terms of the consent decree, the FTC can fine Google up to $16,000 per violation per day. Read Consumer Watchdog's complaint to the FTC at http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/ltrleibowitz021712.pdf .
A study released Feb. 17 by Jonathan Mayer of Stanford University's Security Lab, and the Center for Internet and Society, found that Google has been circumventing a privacy setting in Apple's Safari web browser. Like most web browsers, Safari provides the option not to receive third-party "cookies."
Cookies are small bits of code placed on the browser and can be used by ad networks to track you as you surf the web. Blocking third-party cookies is supposed to prevent such tracking. Safari is the primary browser on the iPhone and iPad. It is also the default browser on Apple's computers. Read Jonathan Mayer's study at http://webpolicy.org/2012/02/17/safari-trackers/ .
iPad share up to 68% while Kindle Fire's share collapses to a few %.
IDC today released its data on worldwide tablet shipments for the first quarter of 2012, revealing that the iPad's share of the tablet market rose to 68% from last quarter's 54.7% coming at the expense of Android-based tablets, most notably Amazon's Kindle Fire which appears to have seen its shipments collapse from 4.8 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011 to less than 750,000 units last quarter.
"Apple reasserted its dominance in the market this quarter, driving huge shipment totals at a time when all but a few Android vendors saw their numbers drop precipitously after posting big gains during the holiday buying season," said Tom Mainelli, research director, Mobile Connected Devices at IDC. "Apple's move to position the iPad as an all-purpose tablet, instead of just a content consumption device, is resonating with consumers as well as educational and commercial buyers. And its decision to keep a lower-priced iPad 2 in the market after it launched the new iPad in March seems to be paying off as well."
Amazon had surged into second place in the tablet market during the fourth quarter with a 16.8% share of the market as the Kindle Fire debuted in the United States. But while IDC did not report a number for Amazon's first quarter shipments in its press release, it did note that Amazon's share dropped to to "just over 4%" in the total tablet market of 17.4 million units, yielding shipment volume of roughly 700,000-750,000 units for Amazon.
As a result of Amazon's decline, Samsung was able to regain the second position in the tablet market, ahead of Amazon, Lenovo, and Barnes & Noble. Amazon's slide also comes as mass retailer Target yesterday announced plans to discontinue the sale of all Kindle devices and other Amazon- and Kindle-branded products.
The overall tablet market grew 120% year-over-year, but the 38% quarter-over-quarter decline was even steeper than expected coming off the strong holiday quarter. Apple obviously has a significant influence on the overall tablet market given its dominant position, and the company did ship slightly fewer than expected iPads during the quarter as consumers held off on iPad 2 purchases ahead of the new iPad's launch and Apple experienced some supply constraints when the device did launch with just three weeks left in the quarter.
Samsung Galaxy S III preview. It's big!
Samsung's tried to bring its Galaxy S series in line with (and in some ways, further ahead of) what its team-up with Google accomplished. It's added some new quad-core Exynos processing juice, a 4.8-inch, HD Super AMOLED screen and a handful of Galaxy S III-only features in an earnest bid to maintain its place at the top of the Android pile. You'll find our detailed impressions and a hands-on video just after the break.
Hardware
At first blush, we were a little disappointed that Samsung didn't intend to push the design envelope with its new flagship. That's not to say we were repulsed: it just looks a lot like an amalgam of all the Galaxy phones we've seen in the last year. It flies closer to the Galaxy Nexus than the Galaxy S II, with a shape and contour all too similar to Google's first Android 4.0 handset. In the hand, the 4.8-inch screen is counter-balanced by the thin bezel, resulting in a shape that is still comfortable to hold. It feels very light, a mere 133g (4.7 ounces -- just a smidgen heavier than the HTC One X), and measures 8.6mm (0.34 inches) deep across its central waistline. (That's right, there's no more chin.)
A glossy plastic coats both the front face and flat battery cover, with a particularly attractive finish on the Pebble Blue option, making it our early favorite over the Marble White. A slightly different (but still glossy) plastic follows around the edge of the device. Thankfully, the absence of a metallic chassis does nothing to hurt the feeling of quality or solidity in the build.
The phone retains the physical home button, though it's now slimmer and generally less visually obvious. It's flanked by a pair of capacitive buttons that light up and disappear, and as expected there's the camera module, flash and loudspeaker at the back.
The 8-megapixel camera looks to be very similar to what we've seen on both the Galaxy S II and Galaxy Note -- which means it's a pretty capable shooter, although we're withholding judgment until we can test it out it in a mix of scenarios. Instead of shaking up the camera hardware, Samsung's pushed forward with the software interface -- something we've gone into more detail here. In brief, the new camera app supports dual still and video capture, adds face tagging for existing contacts and boasts improved face identification and tracking.
The screen is a 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED display. The bad news? The lack of a "Plus" in that name means it's PenTile, which means that pixelation is still visible despite the 306 ppi density, due to the sharing of sub-pixels. The good news is that the resolution is still really good, and should suffice for all but the most eagle-eyed -- although if you're still not sure you can check out our own microscopic comparisons right here. It's also nice to see that the panel is cocooned in Gorilla Glass 2, besting its relative's fortified face, and it also offered great viewing angles.
The Galaxy S III's beating heart is Samsung's new 1.4GHz quad-core Exynos processor, aided by a fresh GPU that is supposedly 65 percent faster than the companion Mali 400 graphics chip on the Galaxy S II. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to give GTA III a blast, nor run our typical benchmark apps, but in any case the model we played with was not final hardware. That said, we were able to grab a quick SunSpider browser performance score of just under 1,500ms, putting the phone below HTC's polycarb-clad wonder -- but lower is better, by the way. Whizzing around the native apps and web browser was as pleasant as we expected, pinch-to-zoom pinged into action, while multimedia playback was effortless, irrespective of the software additions that Samsung has thrown into the mix (more on those in a second).
The phone houses a removable 2,100mAh battery, with a wireless charging option already in the works. Next to the battery and space for a micro-SIM, you'll find an increasingly rare microSD slot, whose absence was one of the main criticisms leveled at the Google Nexus, not to mention the HTC One X. This expandability sits alongside 16GB, 32GB or 64GB of internal storage, depending on which variant you buy. Other connection options here include Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi Direct, DLNA, an MHL-compatible micro-USB port and headphone socket, with NFC connected to the battery unit.
Software
Samsung's pitch to us focused heavily on the software. Pure Android enthusiasts may wince at the sight of TouchWiz (overlaid on top of Android 4.0.4) and from the brief time we played with the device, Ice Cream Sandwich looks a lot like how it arrived on our updated Galaxy S II -- it's not close to a stock Android experience. Instead of messing with its UI, Samsung has concentrated on specific apps -- and plenty of new gesture functionality.
Five icons populate the base of the screen, including the app drawer, while the homescreen itself has a more typical four-icon-wide berth. "Inspired by nature, designed for humans" is the winsome philosophy behind the Galaxy S III. In terms of the nature thing, this basically means that the phone comes loaded with some splashy water graphics and sound effects as well as plenty of seasonal wallpapers (including some new smart wallpapers like a background news feed).
The built-in keyboard is perfectly functional; at this screen size there's simply a greater likelihood of hitting the letter you're after. The menus and icons are all drawn in Samsung's TouchWiz style, though there are some new additions, including lock screen app shortcuts. In fact, the lock screen is where Samsung's new "intelligent" smartphone starts showing its gesture antics -- part of its "designed for humans" mantra.
Once enabled in settings, you can tap and hold the screen, rotate the phone horizontally and you'll be sent to the camera app. Using the same accelerometers, a new calling function will dial whoever's contact details you have displayed when you raise the phone to your ear. Keeping with the contextual phone skills, Samsung's Smart Stay feature makes the device detect (through the front-facing camera) whether a face is looking at it in order to switch the display on or off. A little eye icon would appear on the notification bar when it was seeking out our face. Similarly, Smart Alert will display any missed calls or notifications when you pick up the phone, using the built-in accelerometer. It's the sort of magic that HTC's been using for a while, but it does help the new phone to stand out from Samsung's existing phones that are starting to blur together.
S Voice is Samsung's latest effort to introduce voice interactions to its phone series, but unfortunately it wasn't working during our briefing. We've been promised that your commands will be able to unlock the phone, control the music player and capture photos. Samsung also told us that it's already working with third-party apps to build up similar functionality for those too. Like a certain voice assistant rival, it does require a data connection because voice patterns are processed in the cloud. S Beam was in a more generous mood during our hands-on, riffing from Google's Android Beam while using WiFi in tandem with NFC to share meatier files. Beaming through NFC peaks at around 400Kbps, but that's only for pairing and smaller files -- sharing media engages WiFi Direct at up to 300Mbps, according to Samsung. We saw a 10MB video file bounced between two phones in an instant. It's a very nice show-piece, although the necessity for all your S Beam sharing partners to upgrade to the Galaxy S III does inevitably taint that offering.
AllShare Play shares your media content with the big screen, while AllShare Cast will duplicate your phone's display for big-screen gaming. (Samsung told us that it's working on populating its own game hub with optimized titles, although it was still keeping quiet on any specifics.) Like S Beam, this is also broadcast through WiFi Direct to a compatible TV, rather than through DLNA -- although the handset does technically still support DLNA.
A new feature that best showcases the phone's new Exynos muscle is Pop Up Play, which plays a video file on top of any other app in its own window. Playback is limited to the native media player -- no YouTube greatest hits on top of your email just yet -- but the window can be moved around the screen and at its fixed size covers just under a sixth of the full screen.
To recap: this is a good-looking phone, with an impressive high definition Super AMOLED screen and a processor that looks likely to spar for top spot among Android devices. However, Samsung hasn't responded to the recent trend for stand-out build and materials and this new flagship feels a lot like all its older relatives; given the whole "nature" spiel, some smart new finish would have been nice. It's no doubt this lack of wow-factor hardware that has led Sammy to emphasize software progress instead, and indeed there are plenty of intriguing TouchWiz features that warrant further investigation on a finished handset -- assuming you're not a vanilla Android die-hard. Glacial hardware design progress aside, if Samsung manages to get these new features polished up and working flawlessly, the company might well have another bestseller. And yes, we'll take the Pebble Blue, please.
Apple and Android in enterprise. Whos killing it?
Editor's Note: The following article is reprinted from Network World.
With BlackBerry on the decline, there's a battle heating up for enterprise smartphone users and so far Apple is winning in a big way.
According to the latest numbers released by mobile enterprise tech firm Good Technology, iOS devices accounted for around 80% of new activations on corporate networks in the first quarter of 2012, while Android-based devices accounted for just 20%. No other mobile platform, including Windows Mobile, registered enough activations in the quarter to crack Good's study, which tracked mobile device activations across thousands of companies that registered at least five activated mobile devices. Good also says that BlackBerry devices were not on the study since the company does not support the platform and thus "does not have insight" into BlackBerry activations.
The numbers in Apple's favor only grow starker when Good broke down activations for tablets in the enterprise: iPads accounted for a whopping 97.3% of enterprise tablet activations, while Android tablets accounted for just 2.7%. The financial services industry was by far the biggest consumer in the enterprise tablet market as it accounted for 40.8% of all iPad activations in the first quarter of 2012, followed by the business and professional services industry and the life sciences industry, which each accounted for just under 9.5% of iPad activations.
In terms of individual devices, the iPhone 4S was the most popular enterprise device on the quarter, accounting for 37% of all mobile device activations. The latest version of the iPhone was followed by the iPad 2 (17.7% of activations), the iPhone 4 (15.2% of activations) and the newest iPad (4.3% of activations). Good noted that the new iPad would likely have had a bigger impact on the enterprise market for the quarter if it had been released earlier than March, where it accounted for more than 12% of all device activations on the month.
The Motorola Droid, the Samsung Galaxy S II, the Google Nexus and the Sprint Evo 4G were the only Android devices to make the top 10 list of most-activated enterprise devices on the quarter and each of those devices accounted for less than 2% of all activations.
Apple has long been seen as the challenger to BlackBerry's claim as the top device for enterprise users. A report released late last year by iPass found that iPhones accounted for 45% of all mobile devices in the enterprise while BlackBerry devices accounted for 32.2%. That survey found that Android-based devices accounted for 21% of all devices used in the enterprise.
Kindle Fire has over 50% of the US Android tablet market share. I bet that annoys Google.
Data released today by comScore shows that the Amazon Kindle Fire has garnered over 50-percent of the Android tablet market in the U.S. With a 54.4-percent share as of February 2012, it sits alone at the head of the pack by a large margin, with the second place Samsung Galaxy Tab almost 40-percent behind at 15.4-percent of the growing Android tablet market. While it looks to be bad news for Android OEMs, it comes as no surprise to us.
The Kindle Fire, like the leader of the overall tablet market the iPad, has one big thing going for it -- a unified "ecosystem" for content. We're mostly advanced users, who read blogs and forums to learn the different ways to use our devices and all the associated tricks that go along with, but for many they just want an easy way to purchase and consume content on their tablet. Amazon offers that in ways that Google does not, at least for folks in the U.S.
We're thinking Google aims to rectify that situation, at least in part, with the launch of the Google Play store, and a mystery tablet device of some sort this summer. Google I/O will be an exciting time, that's for sure.
Avast has a free anitvirus Malware for Mac
If your worried about your Mac and feel the need Avast! is offering a free antivirus solution for the Mac. It's designed to combat the Flashback Trojan, says Jiri Sejtko, director of Avast Virus Lab operations.
The Flashback Trojan linked to the Mac botnet is a derivative of last year’s DevilRobber Mac OS X Trojan. The Avast Virus Lab now has 18 variants of this malware in its antivirus database.
Avast! Free Antivirus for Mac is currently in the late beta stage. It includes the latest avast! antivirus engine, three shields (Web, File, and Mail) and the WebRep reputation and anti-phishing plugin for Safari browser.
Samsung announces 1.4GHz Exynos 4 Quad processor for 'next Galaxy smartphone'
Samsung apparently couldn't wait for its big 'Next Galaxy' announcement on May 3rd to give us details on the chip that will power it. Dubbed the "Exynos 4 Quad," the chip will run at 1.4GHz per core and is based on the ARM Cortex A9. Samsung is touting the 32nm High-k Metal Gate technology, power management, and per-core dynamic voltage and frequency scaling. Most importantly for those waiting for the Galaxy SIII, Samsung has also let loose that it will be used on the next Galaxy smartphone:
Already in production, the Exynos 4 Quad is scheduled to be adopted first into Samsung’s next Galaxy smartphone that will officially be announced in May. Samsung’s Exynos 4 Quad is also sampling to other major handset makers.
The Exynos 4 Quad will be pin-to-pin compatible with the Exynos 4 Dual, which Samsung believes will make it easier for manufacturers to make the switch on upcoming phones. It will be capable of full 30fps 1080p video playback and recording, includes an interface for HDMI 1.4 and also an embedded image signal processor interface. Samsung claims the chip will offer double the processor power of its 45nm predecessor while drawing 20 percent less power.
We exclusively revealed that the next Galaxy would have a quad-core processor with "superlative" benchmarks on April 18th and Samsung itself had teased the chip back in February — so it's not a shocker that the Galaxy SIII will have it. The only real question left is whether or not the LTE version (which we're assuming will be announced) will be powered by the chip.
Samsung also released a promotional video for the Exynos 4 Quad, and the company couldn't help but drop a quick reference to the Exynos 5 Dual at the beginning.
Apple announces WWDC 2012 UPDATE : Sold Out in 2 hours
Apple on Wednesday announced the dates for its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, which will run from June 11 through June 15 at San Francisco’s Moscone West convention center.
This year’s WWDC will focus on both iOS and OS X Mountain Lion, with more than 100 technical sessions led by Apple engineers, along with the annual Apple Design Awards. More than 1000 Apple engineers will be on hand, offering code-level assistance and other advice on developing for the Mac, iPhone, and iPad.
The company notes that it will post videos from all the technical sessions for free on the Apple Developer Website after WWDC concludes, so that developers who can’t attend can still benefit from those sessions.
Last year’s WWDC sold out in fewer than 12 hours, so developers may want to move quickly to register for this year’s event. The $1599 tickets are available at Apple’s developer website, with purchases limited to one per person and five per organization. Ticket purchasers need to be members of the iOS Developer Program, iOS Developer Enterprise Program, or Mac Developer Program.
Tickets for the event sold out about two hours after they first went on sale. That’s 10 hours faster than the $1,600 tickets sold out last year.