SwiftKey 3 beta available as free download
There are a few big names in Android text input, and one of the biggest is SwitfKey. This keyboard’s claim to fame is its aggressive, but almost clairvoyant autocorrect feature. The new SwiftKey 3 beta has been released, but you have to sign up for the SwiftKey VIP forums to get access. Sound like a hassle? It might be worth your time. Read more...
Famous bunnies of the Internet
"Between the death of Little Til, Herman Cain's dead rabbit ad, and the kidnapping of Miss Cooper, it's a bad time to be a bunny or bunny enthusiast," Gawker recently noted. Indeed, for lovers of all things lagomorph, it's best not to remember March at all. So, as we move forward to International Bunny Appreciation Day (which just so happens to coincide with Easter) this Sunday, let's cleanse our palates for April via this review of our very favorite bunny locations on the Internet.
Cocoa-chan, the therapy rabbit
Cocoa-chan is featured in "Pray for Japan," a documentary about survivors of the 2011 Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami. Here’s how she’s described it on her Pray for Japan Facebook page:
Sometimes humans can't help people more than little furry critters can. There was a special rabbit, Cocoa, giving people traumatized by the tragedy a little unconditional love. I gave this very special volunteer a folder of her very own. Cocoa-chan is still on her mission of providing help and hope...Stu is making sure all her fans here on the page get to see new pictures of her. Read more...
Your first electric car will sound like a gas guzzler
Electric cars are known for being quiet — perhaps a little too quiet. U.S. law requires electric car manufacturers to add fake engine sounds to their vehicles to help alert pedestrians and other drivers of the vehicles presence. But how, exactly, do you create a fake engine noise that sounds satisfyingly real? That's precisely the challenge that Audi engineers have been working to tackle. Read more...
Anonymous says it hacked Chinese government sites
China was struggling Thursday to restore several government websites that international hacking group Anonymous says it attacked in an apparent protest against Chinese Internet restrictions.
On a Twitter account established in late March, Anonymous China listed the websites it says it hacked over the last several days. They include government bureaus in several Chinese cities, including in Chengdu, a provincial capital in southwest China.
Some of the sites were still blocked Thursday, with error messages shown. Read more...
NY appeals court reinstates case against YouTube
A federal appeals court reinstated a copyright case against YouTube on Thursday, finding that a jury could conclude that the online video service knew it was infringing rights when it allowed the distribution of videos of popular television shows and other programs.
The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals decided the case after hearing lawyers several months ago debate whether the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act shields a company like YouTube from broad copyright claims. Google bought YouTube for $1.76 billion in 2006. Read more...
Study: 61% of U.S. Households Now Have WiFi
In the U.S., 61% of all households currently have WiFi networks installed at home. According to data from Strategy Analytics, this means the U.S. is ahead of countries like Spain (57.1%), Mexico (31.5%) and India (2.5%). At the same time, though, this only puts the U.S. somewhere in the lower half of WiFi adoption among developed nations. In countries like South Korea (80.3%), the UK (73.3%) and Canada (67.8%), significantly more households currently have WiFi networks installed. Read more...
Microsoft acquires 20 new Windows security ideas for $13,400 each
Microsoft has received 20 submissions in the $268,000 contest it hopes will result in new security technologies being baked into Windows, a company security strategist said Tuesday.
The "BlueHat Prize" contest, which debuted in August 2011, offers $200,000 as a first prize, $50,000 for second, and a subscription to Microsoft's developer network for third place. The three winners will be flown to Las Vegas this July, when Microsoft will announce the results at the Black Hat security conference.
Microsoft collected 20 entries before the April 1 deadline, said Katie Moussouris, a senior security strategist lead at Microsoft, on a company blog yesterday. Read more...
Apple patches Mac Java zero-day bug
Apple yesterday released a Java update for Mac owners that fixes a dozen security flaws, including one that has been exploited by attackers for at least two weeks.
The update follows a decision Monday by Mozilla to blacklist unpatched editions of the Java plug-in from running in the Windows version of Firefox. Mozilla has yet not instituted a similar ban for Firefox on Mac OS X, however.
Apple classified all 12 of the Java vulnerabilities patched Tuesday as critical. Although the company does not use a threat scoring system to rate bug fixes, its use of the phrase "...may lead to arbitrary code execution," in its advisory describes the most serious kind of flaw that could be used by attackers to take control of a machine.
The update applies to Mac OS X 10.6, aka Snow Leopard, and OS X 10.7, better known as Lion. Read more...
5 ways that Google’s AR glasses could change our world
The news yesterday that yes, Google really is working on augmented reality glasses, was undeniably impressive and as a quick-off-the-mark video that we shared earlier shows, there are plenty of potential downsides to the concept too. However, for better or for worse, Project Glass is setting us off on a road to an even more intimate relationship with the Internet.
Sure, version 1.0 of these glasses is likely to be buggy, expensive, and a little underwhelming (just like any new technology), but looking forward around five years to when they’re finely honed and inexpensive (unless you pay a premium for any ‘Apple iGlasses’ that may appear, maybe), or a bit further forward to AR-enhanced contact lenses, how might our world change? Read more...