Retina-ready Mac apps are on the way
Slowly but surely, Retina-enabled apps for the new MacBook Pro are starting to hit the market -- and that trickle should grow into a flood as the summer turns into fall.
Last month's launch of the MacBook Pro with Retina display initially caught third-party software developers flat-footed; their apps weren't ready for the laptop computers new high-resolution display. (Apple, of course, was first out the door with Retina-ready upgrades of iPhoto Aperture ( Macworld rated 4 out of 5 mice )and Final Cut Pro X.) But now developers are beginning to catch up with the new screen.
Updated titles that have been released in the month since the Retina MacBook Pro was unveiled include popular productivity apps such as Reeder (Macworld rated 4 out of 5 mice), Sparrow (Macworld rated 4 out of 5 mic ), and Twitteriffic. We've also seen a handful of Retina-ized games from vendors such as Aspyr -- including titles from the popular Call of Duty and Star Wars franchises. (See below for a more complete sampling of updated apps.) Read more...
DHS warns of vulnerabilities in widely used Niagara software
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has issued an alert warning of vulnerabilities in a software technology called the Niagara AX Framework, used to manage millions of devices over the Internet.
The alert, from the DHS' Industrial Control System Cyber Emergency Response Team (ICS-CERT) security group, is addressed to organizations that are using Niagara software to remotely control via the Internet industrial control systems, heating, lighting and security equipment, building automation devices and other systems.
Niagara's maker, Tridium, claims it has installed more than 300,000 copies of its software at customer locations worldwide. The company's customers include Boeing, ABB, Callaway and Whirlpool.
DHS said in its alert (PDF document) that Niagara contains a directory transversal flaw and a weak credential storage vulnerability that basically allows attackers to access and download files containing usernames and passwords for all users with access to a Niagara server within an organization. Read more...
Motorola’s Xoom tablet does not infringe on Apple’s designs, German court rules
Motorola's Xoom tablet does not infringe on some of Apple's community designs, the regional court of Dusseldorf ruled on Tuesday. Apple wanted a Europe-wide ban on the Motorola tablet, a court spokesman said.
Apple tried to get the Motorola Xoom banned in Europe because it said Motorola infringed on three of its community design rights, unitary industrial design rights that protect the intellectual property of products sold in the European Union. The judge decided that the Xoom does not resemble the iPad enough, said Andreas Vitek, spokesman for the regional Dusseldorf court.
Motorola filed a counter claim against Apple, demanding that the court decide that Apple's community designs were invalid, Vitek said. However, the judge also denied that claim, he said, adding that while both companies lost their claims, Apple had to pay two thirds of the litigation costs and Motorola should pay one third. Vitek could not say how much each company had to pay. Read more...
Dice.com: Java developer most difficult tech job to fill
Java developers remain the most difficult tech pros to land, followed by mobile developers, .Net developers and software developers, according to new data from Dice.com.
Hiring managers and recruiters cite these positions two or three times more frequently than other skill sets in the employment marketplace, according to Alice Hill, managing director at Dice.com
The IT jobs site polled 866 tech-focused hiring managers and recruiters to come up with its list of hard-to-fill positions. Rounding out the top 10 list are candidates with skills related to: security, SAP, SharePoint, Web development, active federal security clearance, and network engineering.
In general, companies are looking for candidates with at least a few years of experience. Read more...