Wednesday July 09, 2008

- A major fault with the DNS servers has been plugged - Lionel - 23:14:52

Source : http://securosis.com

We have learned today that a very serious fault concerning the DNS have been plugged.
The DNS (Domain Name System) are servers charged to create pointers to the Internet address of the server hosting the site in question. They remove the obligation from you to type the IP address if you want, for example, to reach the site www.hardmac.com.
To return to the fault, it would have been possible for a hacker to reach the cache of the servers and thus to modify the pointers associated with each address.
If it had been exploited, which was not the case, one could have had perfect phishing, since nothing would have shown that you had, for example, reached a false version of the site of your bank and subsequently provided identifier and password.
All providers of these DNS servers have worked together, in secret, and have all issued fixes for this major fault simultaneously today.

[translation by crispin]

- Where to Get SIM-Unlocked iPhone? - Eric - 14:36:36

Mobistar announced that the iPhone 3G will be available in Belgium from July 11th. To comply with the law, it will be available as a SIM-unlock device subscription plan being in option (so no subsidizing): 8 GB model at 529 € and 16 GB model at 619 €. To prevent the gray market as well as control availability, one would not be allowed to purchase more than one iPhone per person.

Our friend Marcello from melablog.it told us that in Italy both iPhone 3G carriers, Vodafone and Tim, will offer unlock iPhone even the subsidized ones. So, one could buy a subscription-free iPhone in Italy and use it in other countries with any carrier. Prices for the iPhone in Italy from Vodafone and Tim Stores will be: 499 € for the 8 GB model and 569 € for the 16 GB model.

One should in addition keep in mind that iPhones available with pre-paid card offer might be phone number locked even though it is SIM-unlocked, as you will change the pre-paid SIM when the associated time/SMS credit will be over. So, when looking or reading stories about SIM unlocked iPhone one should pay attention to the true meaning behind.

- Hitachi Refreshes its 1TB HD Offer - Lionel - 13:41:45

Source : Hitachi

If Hitachi was the first manufacturer to release a 3.5’’ HD featuring 1 TB of storage space, all its competitors have to date introduced similar models.
One a more technical point of view the previous model featured 5 plates of 200 GB each, while the new model is now built on 3 plates of 375 GB. As a consequence, this new drive will drain only 50% of the power required by the older model in idle mode.

Without being a revolution, as Hitachi adopts larger plate for its HD as some other HD manufacturers did it too, it illustrates the growing importance for power efficiency for HD too. It is both a marketing factor, as well as an important feature to be prepare to fight against the SSDs known for consuming less power when performing the same task than traditional HD. The new Hitachi 1 TB model will be named Deskstar 7K1000.B and should be available this month at an unknown price.

[translation by Linathael]

- iPhone 3G Unpacking - Lionel - 13:17:17

Source : Engadget

We have learned that some VIP already received their iPhone 3G samples. One of them could not resist offering some screenshot of the unpacking.



The first one illustrates how parts are now organized in the box in order to hide the fact that there is no more dock shipping with the iPhone 3G.




The second photo illustrates how to handle the SIM remover, which furiously resembles a paper clip.

[translation by Linathael]

- iPhone 3G already Exposed in Switzerland - Lionel - 12:03:20

Lausanne will most likely, for couple of days, remain the only city where one can see the iPhone 3G in demo. The website Gadgetomac could take several photos of the forthcoming iPhone 3G on its presentation pod:



We are sure that Apple already sent some crew members to make this iPhone invisible till the official launch date.


[translation by Linathael]

- Towards the End of Stereo Audio-In in Computers? - Lionel - 11:45:50

If such info would come on April 1st, we would then think it is a joke, but today is July 09th, and the story originates from the RIAA, an organization not really known for its sense of humor. According to Electronista, The RIAA is pushing PC makers to limit or disable stereo recording support in computers. As usual with the RIAA, the reason is a new attempt to discourage piracy and prevent illegal copy by closing off analog-to-digital recording. According to the several sources, it would be the reason why hardware models from Dell, Gateway and Packard-Bell are only allowed single-channel recording out of the box.
The quoted companies did not release an official explanation for the artificially disabled stereo support or the need to pay additional fee for a fix (99 USD).

If such information would originate from countries were civil rights are known to be compromised or simply do not exist we would not be surprised, but it seems that even in some democracies, freedom of surfing on the web or using your computer the way you want while remaining into the legal scope is being challenged.

[translation by Linathael]

- EyeTV DDT deluxe - Lionel - 11:45:23

Elgato announced a new ultra compact DVB-T tuner: EyeTV DDT Deluxe.



In addition to its small size, an integrated antenna strengthens its ability to be a good companion for any notebook as you only need a free USB port to use it. IT will ship with an additional and larger antenna.

For additional information, please visit the following website: http://www.elgato.com/

[translation by Linathael]

- NVidia Will Support PhysX for AMD/ATI Radeon? - Eric - 11:44:42

Source : TGdaily

Couple of weeks ago, we reported about AMD joining Intel's project Havok, leaving NVidia alone with its physic engine PhysX. Half a month ago, a guy from Israel, Eran Badit editor-in-chief of NGOHQ.com, claimed making progress in getting NVidia’s CUDA platform and PhysX to run on AMD/ATI Radeon cards. Such news was rapidly denied and even some IT news websites were stamping it as a hoax. However, Eran Badit now confirms that he is receiving support from NVidia to get PhysX to run on AMD/ATI cards, this includes access to documentation, SDKs and hands on help.

It seems that such change in NVidia's decision might be driven by the requirement to push CUDA and its GPU accelerated physics using PhysX, in order to give most users and developers access to this technology in order to face Intel's and AMD's Havok project. This is probably the only way for NVidia to allow the adoption of CUDA and PhysX as a new standard before Havok is fully launched and receives the usual massive support from Intel's engineers.
Nevertheless, this news could bring PhysX-support for ATI Radeon 2900, 3800 and 4800 series of graphics cards in addition to NVidia's recent models, enlarging the pool of potential users. More importantly, as the support will be integrated in ATI drivers, it will most likely push developers to enable PhysX in their games or application as most owners of a recent graphic card from NVidia or AMD/ATI will be able to benefit from it. Let's see how this story will develop, as Intel will most certainly react.