Technology Product Reviwes

Sony 'Vivaz' Phone Combines Touch, HDTV Out

Sony Ericsson has launched the Vivaz, a touchscreen 3G cell phone that captures high-definition 720p video, and also snaps photos with an 8.1-megapixel camera that includes face detection and geo-tagging. The Vivaz features a TV-out for displaying video on an HDTV, YouTube compatibility, aGPS, and Wi-Fi. It measures 4.2 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs just 3.4 ounces, and also includes a 360-by-640-pixel...
Sony Ericsson has launched the Vivaz, a touchscreen 3G cell phone that captures high-definition 720p video, and also snaps photos with an 8.1-megapixel camera that includes face detection and geo-tagging.

The Vivaz features a TV-out for displaying video on an HDTV, YouTube compatibility, aGPS, and Wi-Fi. It measures 4.2 by 2.0 by 0.5 inches (HWD) and weighs just 3.4 ounces, and also includes a 360-by-640-pixel 16:9 touch screen.

The Vivaz is a quad-band EDGE (850/900/1800/1900 MHz) and tri-band HSDPA (850/1900/2100 MHz) device. It will hit the market sometime in Q1 2010 in "select markets." If it follows recent high-end Sony Ericsson releases, that means the Vivaz will be available unlocked first, and possibly with AT&T later.

>>> Originally posted to Gearlog.

Caterham Developing EV, Cognitive Dissonance Ensues

Specialty sports car maker Caterham announced it will reveal its EV plans sometime in the next six months, Autocar reports. If it goes through with the idea, Caterham said any initial electric model would be a racing car, and not simply an electrified, road-going Seven (pictured)--despite the wonderful cognitive dissonance a 1957 Lotus-bodied, 2010-era electric sports car would generate. "We have...
Specialty sports car maker Caterham announced it will reveal its EV plans sometime in the next six months, Autocar reports. If it goes through with the idea, Caterham said any initial electric model would be a racing car, and not simply an electrified, road-going Seven (pictured)--despite the wonderful cognitive dissonance a 1957 Lotus-bodied, 2010-era electric sports car would generate.

"We have no plans to produce an electric Seven," company boss Ansar Ali said in the article. "We're looking at motorsport applications but there's uncertainty as to whether an electric car could handle race conditions. Is there the technology yet to support it?"

Ali added that if legislation goes the way it is currently heading, the company will have to change to accommodate an "inevitable" shift toward electric vehicles. All I can say is, my close friend and neighbor has a Seven, and it's as incredible as you'd imagine. An electric version would be interesting indeed.

Microsoft Update For IE Fixes Aurora Bug and Others

A cumulative update for Internet Explorer from Microsoft fixes the infamous vulnerability in the browser used recently to attack Google and other major companies. 7 other IE vulnerabilities were also fixed, as it appears that Microsoft may have had this update ready to go for February. This episode began not 2 weeks ago when Google announced that they had been the target of significant attacks from sites in China seeking to steal intellectual property and compromise GMail accounts of human rights...
A cumulative update for Internet Explorer from Microsoft fixes the infamous vulnerability in the browser used recently to attack Google and other major companies. 7 other IE vulnerabilities were also fixed, as it appears that Microsoft may have had this update ready to go for February.
This episode began not 2 weeks ago when Google announced that they had been the target of significant attacks from sites in China seeking to steal intellectual property and compromise GMail accounts of human rights activists. The company said they would no longer censor search results on their Chinese sites and would, if need be, withdraw from China. Google was not alone in being attacked; Adobe and many other corporate and government sites were.
The attacks, which collectively have come to be known as "Aurora," were at first credited to a malicious Acrobat PDF file, then to the IE 0-day vulnerability fixed in this update. In fact, many different malware and vulnerability techniques were used; some were the IE 0-day and some malware experts claim that a PDF was indeed used in others.
The update code is available through all the usual channels: Windows Update, Microsoft Update, and Windows Software Update Services (WSUS).
The bulletin for the update lists the update as Critical for all platforms other than Internet Explorer 6 on Windows Server 2003. 4 of the vulnerabilities, including the Aurora bug (designated CVE-2010-0249) are rated by Microsoft as likely to result in consistent exploit code, and of course Aurora is already being exploited.
5 of the other 7 vulnerabilities have descriptions essentially identical to that of the Aurora bug, and all 6 have consecutive CVE numbers. This, combined with the Acknowledgements section of the advisory, indicates that once notified of Aurora, researchers found other related vulnerabilities and reported them to Microsoft. TippingPoint and the Zero Day Initiative are the big contributors this month.
The remaining 2 vulnerabilities are a cross-site scripting bug that could allow certain scripts to run in the wrong security context and a URL validation vulnerability that could allow remote code execution by way of a maliciously-crafted URL. On any other day this latter bug would be big news.

Microsoft, Seesmic Aim to Make Twitter Simple

Microsoft and Seesmic on Thursday unveiled a shiny new Twitter client called Seesmic Look that wants to bring Twitter to the masses. The new desktop client for Windows 7, Vista, and XP streamlines Twitter into a series of easy-to-navigate categories and extra large status updates. It also makes it simple to use Twitter without having a Twitter account. Seesmic founder and chief executive Loic Le...
Microsoft and Seesmic on Thursday unveiled a shiny new Twitter client called Seesmic Look that wants to bring Twitter to the masses. The new desktop client for Windows 7, Vista, and XP streamlines Twitter into a series of easy-to-navigate categories and extra large status updates. It also makes it simple to use
Twitter without having a Twitter account. Seesmic founder and chief executive
Loic Le Meur introduced the product at the Times Center in New York City. He emphasized that many people had heard about Twitter but had resisted the social network because it wasn't as accessible as others. Le Meur said his company and Microsoft had tailored the app to provide an interactive, game-like experience that is more engaging than other Twitter clients.
The app has two different formats: one when you are logged out, and one when you are logged in. The logged-out version allows people who have never used Twitter before to see what Twitter has to offer. It features five clickable categories that give users a taste of the tweets that are out there: trends, favorites, interests, channels, and searches.
The logged-in version is more comprehensive. The sidebar on the left side adds two more categories: inbox (for mentions and direct messages) and social (for the user's personal timeline and Twitter lists.) Other Twitter functions such as sending @ replies, sending direct messages, and retweeting are also included when logged in.
Another function of Seesmic Look that Le Meur showed off is itsability to work with touch-screen and remote-controlled devices. He showed the client working with an HP TouchSmart computer and even suggested the client could work well with a high-end tablet, a clear reference to the rumored "Apple Tablet" that may launch next week.
One major point of interest for marketers and businesses is the Channels category. It features dedicated Twitter channels, featuring content from RedBull, Huffington Post, Kodak, LIFE, SOTS, and TIME. These not only connect users with big names at these respective organizations, but also to any Twitter user that group wants to spotlight. The Channels also present a potential way to monetize some of the actions on Twitter.

Microsoft's IE Patch Plugs Aurora Hole, Seven Others

A cumulative update for Internet Explorer from Microsoft fixes the infamous vulnerability in the browser used recently to attack Google and other major companies. Seven other IE vulnerabilities were also fixed, as it appears that Microsoft may have had this update ready to go for February. This episode began not two weeks ago when Google announced that they had been the target of significant attacks from sites in China seeking to steal intellectual property and compromise Gmail accounts of human...
A cumulative update for Internet Explorer from Microsoft fixes the infamous vulnerability in the browser used recently to attack Google and other major companies. Seven other IE vulnerabilities were also fixed, as it appears that Microsoft may have had this update ready to go for February. This episode began not two weeks ago when Google announced that they had been the target of significant attacks from sites in China seeking to steal intellectual property and compromise Gmail accounts of human rights activists. Google said it would no longer censor search results on its Chinese sites and would, if need be, withdraw from China. Google was not alone in being attacked; Adobe and many other corporate and government sites were.
The attacks, which collectively have come to be known as "Aurora," were at first credited to a malicious Acrobat PDF file, then to the IE 0-day vulnerability fixed in this update. In fact, many different malware and vulnerability techniques were used; some were the IE 0-day and some malware experts claim that a PDF was indeed used in others.
The update code is available through all the usual channels: Windows Update, Microsoft Update, and Windows Software Update Services (WSUS).
The bulletin for the update lists the update as Critical for all platforms other than Internet Explorer 6 on Windows Server 2003. Four of the vulnerabilities, including the Aurora bug (designated CVE-2010-0249) are rated by Microsoft as likely to result in consistent exploit code, and of course Aurora is already being exploited.
Five of the other seven vulnerabilities have descriptions essentially identical to that of the Aurora bug, and all 6 have consecutive CVE numbers. This, combined with the Acknowledgements section of the advisory, indicates that once notified of Aurora, researchers found other related vulnerabilities and reported them to Microsoft. TippingPoint and the Zero Day Initiative are the big contributors this month.
The remaining two vulnerabilities are a cross-site scripting bug that could allow certain scripts to run in the wrong security context and a URL validation vulnerability that could allow remote code execution by way of a maliciously-crafted URL. On any other day this latter bug would be big news.


Note: Originally posted to the PCMag.com security blog, Security Watch.