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How Google Glass and smartphones can decipher your PIN code from across the room

Security researchers from the US have shown that gadgets such as Google Glass can be used to covertly record PIN codes from distances of 10 feet – even if the target display is hidden from view.
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Wired reports that the research team led by Professor Xinwen Fu of the University of Massachusetts Lowell used software that analysed the shadows and movements of peoples’ fingers in order to decipher PIN codes entered into tablets and smartphones.

A range of devices were tested including Google Glass (which recently went on sale in the UK), an iPhone 5, a Samsung smartwatch and a Logitech we**am. Video captured by Glass produced a correct four digit PIN from three metres away with 83 per cent accuracy (this was improved to more than 90 per cent with manual corrections) while the we**am was accurate 92 per cent of the time.

Similar software has been created in the past (including an iOS app) but this is the first instance of technology that can decipher PINS even when the display is unreadable. Fu explains that it does this by creating a reference image of the iPad’s screen and mapping the target’s finger movements onto this.

A diagram from the team showing their software being used with a high-definition camcorder. Credit: Cyber Forensics Laboratory at University of Massachusetts Lowell

“Any camera works, but you can’t hold your iPhone over someone to do this,” Fu told Wired magazine. “Because Glass is on your head, it’s perfect for this kind of sneaky attack.”

In response to the research Google issued a statement saying: “Unfortunately, stealing passwords by watching people as they type them is nothing new. We designed Glass with privacy in mind. The fact that Glass is worn above the eyes and the screen lights up whenever it’s activated clearly signals it’s in use and makes it a fairly lousy surveillance device.”

The research team were also able to record PIN codes using the same software from a distance of nearly 150 feet by using a more expensive camcorder with an optical zoom. With this high resolution equipment they were able to capture a target’s PIN from a fourth storey window on the other side of the road.

Thankfully, there is a solution to this problem: apps and add-ons that randomize the PIN entry pad’s layout. If the software doesn’t know which layout is being used then it can’t work out which buttons are being pressed. Fu and his team have even created such an add-on which they hope to release for Android devices in August as the Privacy Enhancing Keyboard or PEK.

Makers of mobile telephones and tablets may soon be kicked out of the market by 'better' made in Nigeria MINDA Tablets and phones says Nigeria's Supervising Minister for the Ministry of Niger Delta Affairs, Darius Ishaku.

The new range of mobile devices, being assembled by 100 graduates of the Calabar Skills Acquisition Centre in Cross River State with the assistance of an Irish firm, include smartphones and tablets.

The Minister told journalists that he uses the devices and found them as good as any in the market.

"I use them myself and it is of the same quality with my Samsung. I can browse with it I can do a whole lot of activities with the Minda phones. It is even more user friendly," he said.

He encouraged members of the public to patronise the MINDA devices.

"We are hoping to be more aggressive in making the public aware that these Minda phones and tablet PCs are exactly like any other products you see in the markets," he said.

MINDA is an acronym for Made in Niger Delta Area.

So when next you go out looking for a new mobile device, you might want to think Nigerian and think MINDA.

3 Steps To Make Your PC Run Faster Than Usain Bolt

Does your PC go slow-mo on you, freezes up while you're in the middle of something important? Yes? Don’t get all cranky it's time to optimise your PC and make it run smoother.

Don’t we all get cranked up when out computers makes every process like a low-motion scene from a boring movie. Worse still, some of them just freeze up while we are in the middle of some very important task.

Sometimes, you feel like smashing your PD to smithereens...

If you face these problems something, then it might be time to optimise your PC and make it run smoother – maybe even faster than track king Usain Bolt.

Just follow these steps or watch the video below.

Step 1. Go to your START menu and type in 'Run' and hit 'ENTER' button. In the dialogue box that will appear, type in %TEMP% and click 'OK' or hit 'ENTER'.

This brings a list of numerous files that your system doesn’t need at all. So click CTRL+A to highlight them all and DELETE. Zap them all off!

If you see a pop up message like “This file cannot be deleted....” with the option of 'Try Again', 'Skip' or 'Cancel', click 'SKIP' and do same for all similar pop ups.



Step 2. Go to your START menu and type in 'Run' and hit 'ENTER' button. Again, the dialogue box will appear this time you'll type in 'prefetch' and click 'OK' or hit 'ENTER'.

You'll see more useless that are slowing down your computer. So click CTRL+A again and annihilate them.

Step 3. Go to START again and search for 'Disk Cleanup'. Click on the Disk Cleanup icon. This will search through your computer for redundant files your computer doesn’t need.

Just check ALL the boxes, Hit 'Ok' button and enter. When a dialogue box appears asking if you are sure you want to delete, just say ‘Yes. It will leave your disk clean and your computer faster.

Think of all these three processes like cleaning up a littered room. After the cleaning, it always looks better and more comfortable...

13 Reasons You Should Start A Blog Today (1)

If you have not started a blog, then you probably should start today because blogging is fun and rewarding.

It doesn’t matter what you do, owning a blog is cool and you should not be left out!

Blogging may seem like something for jobless nerds to some people, but I assure you it’s a fun experience that is very rewarding in many ways than one.

Here are a bunch of reasons why blogging might be just the thing that you should spend your time on.

You can help people: The most important reason to start a blog, for me at least, is that you get a very real opportunity to help people. So many people complain that their job isn’t really adding any value to the world and it’s not changing anything. Well, blogging can be a huge help to your readers – even if it’s just solving a simple problem.

It’s really easy and free (to start): To start a blog, you really do not need experience and it requires very minimal hassle free setup time. A WordPress or Blogger blog for example should not take more than an hour to set up. You can tweak and add widgets as you master blogging.

You can make money: Making money from blogging is hard work but it can be done. There have been massive success stories of guys making millions from blogging. Ask Linda Ikeji and she will smile. With a long term and professional approach you can be like Linda.

It’s a big challenge: Blogging is an exciting challenge that teaches you new things. There is this satisfying feeling you get when your blog grows and gets more attention – awesome! Deciding what to blog about and setting out to achieve it is a challenge that is more fun than tiring.

You’ll make new friends and meet like minds: The truth is that blogging links you to people with like interest from all over the world. Through my blogging, I’ve met several other people, blog owners and readers from different continents...and some even in geographical proximity who I would now call my friends.

You’ll develop valuable new skills: Fact is that when you start a blog you automatically start learning about servers, social media, content development, community building, etc. And what a lot of people don’t realize is that these skills are extremely valuable at the moment. My current job is actually a fruit of my blogging activities, not my degree. Indeed, there are many companies looking for folks with practical knowledge when it comes to their own social media and online activities. Simply put – they are lost and need help!

Blogging can rub off and grow your other business: A well managed blog can be used as sales drive or bring traffic to another website – and businesses like retail stores, doctors, restaurants, etc. Small businesses with blogs sometimes use it to attract many new customers because a blog is nothing but an online avenue for you to connect to potential customers, no matter what you do.

Google's Project Ara To Revolutionize Smartphone Industry With 'Spare Part' Device

The face of the smartphone industry is set for a radical change as Google's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) is set to release a brand new type of 'spare-part' smartphone.

Imagine you have a phone that comes with the unlimited option to change any of its features. Just like you change the casing of some ordinary phones, or the way photographers change the lens of their cameras, anything on the project Ara device can be changed.

Engadget took a close look at the revolutionary project and reports

"The Ara consists of a metal endoskeleton, which is essentially the spine of the phone, and slots for replaceable components known as modules, which look a lot like tiles.

"These tiled modules can include anything that makes your phone tick (processor, RAM, WiFi, power jack, baseband, display and battery, for instance), as well as plenty of other features like your camera, speakers and storage space.

"Each module will connect to the other working parts through capacitive interconnects, which are essentially wireless pads that are smaller than standard pins.

"Electropermanent magnets not only hold modules in place, but they also act as a toggle switch, which allows you to easily turn that element on and off."

So the Ara projects will put everything is in the users’ hands.

"As you might already imagine, all modules can be swapped out at your convenience."

The possibilities in this are huge. What it means is that two people with the same model of the Ara device might end up having totally different devices after choosing the modules they like.

The first Ara phones, "Grey Phone," will come with only a screen, processor and WiFi module and users can then easily add and take away components as they see fit."

Again, anybody can add or upgrade modules whenever they can afford to do so, according to personal budget.

Another plus in the Ara Project is the durability and longetivity it boasts of.

"Whereas most smartphones today can barely make it through a two-year contract, Ara is meant to last for several years."

However, ATAP is now trying to resolve the issues of size, weight and thickness of Ara devices and concerns with battery efficiency – though a user has the chance to just hot-swap batteries.

Desoite all these, the prospects of ATAP's Ara project is eagerly anticipated.

Do you have that very annoying person you follow on Twitter that you would have loved to block but can't for social reasons? Perhaps its a friend, or colleague that tweets things you don't give a hoot about...say football nonsense.

I do, and Twitter might just have the solution coming soon.

Twitter is presently test-running a new feature in its mobile app that will allow a user 'mute' any account they find irritating.

Note that this is different from the 'block' functionality which means you are totally ending communication with a particular account/user.

Muting is temporary, mean you can block out people who you don't want to continue seeing tweets from, perhaps for a period, say during live matches.

According to the BBC, quoting technology news site The Verge, selected users running Twitter's Apple iOS and Google Android apps reported seeing the feature appear.

Though this feature has not been officially introduced by Twitter, it may or may not finally become a permanent feature.

Twitter once said in a 2013 blog post that testing features before deciding to launch them is a normal thing.

"We also experiment with features that may never be released to everyone who uses Twitter. Those experiments are perhaps even more valuable because they help us decide what not to do –– which is important as we work to keep Twitter simple while improving the user experience.

"Ultimately, our goal is to learn and keep making the product better; we aren't necessarily looking to launch all of the experiments we roll out," it said.

We wait. At least, I wait.

Here is the cheapest and easiest way to save and access you important files eg. photo, doc and video any where in the world. Dropbox is the solution follow the link to create your free dropbox account, the world has gone cloud, don't be left behind... https://db.tt/Yw6VLtyh

Olomiyegha has invited you to join Dropbox! Dropbox is a free service that lets you bring your photos, docs, and videos anywhere and share them easily. Never email yourself a file again!

Microsoft’s new CEO is Satya Nadella – and Bill Gates is officially coming back

Microsoft’s new CEO is Satya Nadella. He will replace Steve Ballmer immediately, becoming only the third ever CEO of Microsoft. As expected, Bill Gates is also stepping down as chairman and assuming the new title of Technology Advisor, which will “substantially increase” his time at the company. Nadella is a Microsoft veteran of 20 years, where he has mostly worked on enterprise-facing products (cloud, server, tools) — but as far as the industry and consumers are concerned he’s a relative nobody.

Nadella, 46, was born in India, where he played a lot of cricket. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering in India, and then a master’s degrees in computer science from the University of Wisconsin and business administration from the University of Chicago. He started off at Sun Microsystems in the 1990s, and then moved to Microsoft in 1992 to help develop Windows NT. Since then, he’s worked within a number of Microsoft departments, mostly on the server and enterprise side of things. Before becoming CEO he was head of Microsoft’s Cloud and Enterprise group.

Given his background, Nadella is well suited to the services portion of Microsoft’s recent realignment towards “devices and services,” but he is definitely a bit lacking on the devices side of the equation. He will presumably be bolstered by Bill Gates’ glorious return to active duty (he will now be spending “a third of his time” in the office), and Stephen Elop, who is being re-consumed as part of the Nokia acquisition. There are definitely some concerns about Nadella’s suitability as Microsoft’s CEO, including whether he’s a big enough hitter for a company of such considerable gravitas, but we’ll discuss that in a separate story at a later date.
Satya Nadella: Developers, developers, developers!

Satya Nadella: Developers, developers, developers!

Speaking personally, though, Nadella’s heart seems to be in the right place. In his first letter to Microsoft employees, Nadella says he is “defined by [his] curiosity and thirst for learning.” He says he joined Microsoft to “change the world through technology that empowers people to do amazing things.” He believes that “over the next decade computing will become even more ubiquitous and intelligence will become ambient” — and that such ubiquity and intelligence will come from the growing power of cloud computing and connected devices.

He certainly talks the talk. Now let’s see if he walks the walk.

For more information about Satya Nadella, and some videos and words from Ballmer and Microsoft’s new chairman, hit up Microsoft’s new CEO website. There will be a webcast, officially announcing Nadella as CEO, at 3pm ET today.

Sorry Windows 8, XP Is Still in the Game
In news that Microsoft would probably rather not hear, its aging operating system - Windows XP - gained market share in January at the expense of Redmond's newest OS.

The month ended with XP at 29.23 percent global market share, up from 28.98 percent in December, according to stats from Net Applications. It landed at No. 2 behind Windows 7, which had 47.49 percent of desktop operating system share in January. But that too was down ever so slightly from December's 47.52.

News of XP's stay power comes as Microsoft prepares to stop supporting it as of April 8. But given that so many PCs still run the older OS, Microsoft last month announced that it will continue updates to its antimalware signatures and engine for Windows XP users through July 14, 2015.
The Top 35 Best Windows 8 Apps
Adobe Photoshop Express
Allrecipes
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Audible
VIEW ALL PHOTOS IN GALLERY

Still, Redmond would much prefer you dump XP for Windows 8, which is currently the No. 3 operating system with 6.63 percent share. The first update to that OS, Windows 8.1, was at 3.95 percent for January, meaning about 10.58 percent of PC users are running some version of Windows 8 almost 1.5 years after its Oct. 2012 debut. That is, however, up slightly from the 10.5 percent it had in December.

The much-maligned Vista is holding on at 3.3 percent, down from 3.61 percent in December, while Mac OS X 10.9 was at 3.2 percent in January.

The news comes amidst rumors about an upcoming update to Windows 8.1.

Windows 8.1 Update 1 leaks: Boots to the Desktop by default, allows Metro apps to be minimized

pdated @ 7:45am. A build of Windows 8.1 Update 1 has leaked onto various file sharing websites. The build is a couple of weeks older than the one we covered in the story below, but most of the major changes are there (booting straight to the desktop, the menu bar on Metro apps to make them more mouse-and-keyboard friendly).

The latest build of Windows 8.1 Update 1 has leaked, revealing many of the changes that Microsoft hopes will make Metro less painful for desktop users. The biggest change appears to be that Windows 8.1 Update 1 will boot straight to the Desktop interface by default, reducing Metro to its rightful role as a full-screen Start menu. This, of course, would be a complete 180 from the original release of Windows 8, which defaulted to the Metro interface and lacked an easy way to see the Desktop after logging in.

Other notable changes in the leaked build of Windows 8.1 Update 1 are the addition of a power button to the Metro interface (no longer must you swipe in from the right-hand side!), and the option to “minimize” Metro apps, strongly hinting that Metro apps will be usable on the Desktop. (One of the screenshots shows the Windows Store icon on the taskbar, too.) Apparently, if you have a Windows tablet that’s smaller than 8.5 inches, the power button won’t be present, preventing you from accidentally turning your tablet off.
Windows 8.1 Update 1, showing a Metro app with the Minimize option

Windows 8.1 Update 1, showing a Metro app with a new title bar at the top, probably for use on the Desktop.
New UI scaling options in Windows 8.1 Update 1

New UI scaling options in Windows 8.1 Update 1

It appears Microsoft might finally be tackling Windows 8′s issues with high-resolution displays, too. Windows 8 and 8.1 are rather limited in their support for high-resolution (150+ PPI) displays, offering a slider with just three UI scaling options. Update 1 will now include three new scaling options: 200%, 250%, and Custom (up to 500%). This should mean that your Lenovo, Dell, and Samsung laptops with 3200×1800 displays will now actually be usable. This change should also help if you have a 24- or 28-inch 4K display (32-inch displays are generally okay due to their lower PPI).

But let’s get back to the main point at hand: If Windows 8.1 Update 1 really does boot to the Desktop by default, we’re talking about a huge change of direction for Microsoft. Despite massive pushback from consumers over the Metro interface, Microsoft has remained steadfast. If we’re brutally honest, we actually agree that popularizing the Metro interface is vital for Microsoft’s future, and that he Desktop’s days are numbered — but forcing mouse and keyboard users to use the Metro interface was just plain stupid. It would have required almost no effort on Microsoft’s behalf to make the Desktop UI the default for non-touchscreen devices.
Windows 8.1 Update 1 Desktop, showing the build string, and a Metro app on the toolbar

Windows 8.1 Update 1 Desktop, showing the build string, and a Metro app on the toolbar



For what it’s worth, it seems the boot-to-Desktop-by-default feature is only present for some people who have installed the leaked version of Update 1. We wouldn’t be surprised if this change doesn’t make it into the final build — it really would be Microsoft’s ultimate admission of defeat. We should also note that, despite early rumors, there’s still no evidence that the old Start menu will make a reappearance. (Read: How to bring back the Start menu and button to Windows 8.)

This leak, like many other Windows leaks, come from the Russian website WZor. The full build string, in case you’re wondering, is 9600.16606.WINBLUES14_GDR_LEAN.140126-2042, and it was compiled on January 26. Windows 8.1 Update 1 is a service and feature pack combo that’s scheduled to arrive in March, ahead of Microsoft’s Build conference in April (where we might hear about the next update, Windows 9).
Tagged In

software
microsoft
operating systems
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pc
desktops
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