Monday, 25 June 2012

What we might get for Android at Google I/O 2012

O? Tell me below

Samsung Galaxy S3 sales to reach 10 million during July

The company's telecommunications chief JK Shin says the device will reach 10 million unit sales during July.

The Samsung Galaxy S3.

(Credit: CNET)

Samsung's Galaxy S3 is expected to be a sales juggernaut, according to a new report.

Speaking to Reuters in an interview published yesterday, Samsung telecommunications chief JK Shin said that he expects Galaxy S3 sales to reach 10 million units during July. Samsung typically calls devices it shipped "sales," since the products have been sold into the retail channel, so it's not immediately clear if Shin's Galaxy S3 figure is actual sales to consumers or simply units shipped.

Samsung's flagship handset is one of the most sought-after iPhone alternatives on the market. Just last week, in fact, Sprint announced that it was forced to delay the handset's June 21 launch because of "overwhelming demand." That followed a host of positive reviews that peg the handset as one of the top available now.

The Galaxy S3, which is already available in Europe, is hoping to carry the torch its two predecessors passed. Earlier this month,Samsung announced that 52 million Galaxy S smartphones have so far been shipped worldwide since the original phone's launch in 2010.CNET last week posted its review of the Galaxy S3, and awarded it an Editors' Choice, earning four stars out of five. Reviewer Jessica Dolcourt said that the handset is "an excellent, top-end phone," and includes "high-performing hardware and creative software features."

But it hasn't been all good news for Samsung. Last week, the company announced that it wouldinvestigate a claim made by one Galaxy S3 owner that his smartphone burned up in his car. So far, the person is the only one to publicly announce the issue.

Top five affordable portable drives that ain't cheap

I have listed the top five external hard drives that are not only great but also superportable and pretty affordable.

When it comes to storage, you definitely don't want to risk getting stuck with a lemon. That's because, unlike other commodities like a car or a TV, when a storage device breaks down, chances are you lose a lot more than just the drive itself. It's a painful experience to see your invaluable data vanish. Take my word for it on this.

But you likely don't want to spend too much, either, and want your storage device to be easily accessible, especially on the go since there's not much use for your data if it always has to stay at home.

Bearing that in mind, compact and portable external hard drives are arguably the most popular form of storage. They have room to hold lots of data, often more than your laptop or ultrabook can, without being big or heavy. Following is the list of the top five portable USB 3.0-based drives that are the best among their peers, offering great performance, large storage space, compact design, and sometimes even the kind of toughness that will withstand drops and submersion in water. Most importantly, you can easily find them for less than $100. Have more to spend? You can get larger capacities that cost more.

Note that these drives also work with USB 2.0 (MacBook Air owners, you're included here) and they are all bus-powered, so you don't need a separate power adapter to use them.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Seagate Backup Plus (500GB version)
The Backup Plus is the latest family of portable hard drives from Seagate. These replace the company's popular GoFlex line that was first introduced back in 2001 and is known for being superflexible. Though the name has changed, the new family retains the flexibility of the previous design; in fact, new Backup Plus drives work with the old GoFlex adapters, and now also offer a new easy backup approach, not just for local storage but also for your social-media personal data.

The new Backup Plus drives also come in many colors to fit your tastes. In fact, the color of the interface on the backup software actually changes based on the color of the drive. This is isn't a huge deal, but it's definitely fun and helps you know which drives you're working with. The Seagate Backup Plus comes in three capacities from 500GB to 1TB, with the 500GB costing just around $90.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

WD My Passport (500GB version)
Western Digital's new My Passport is the world's first portable drive that offers up to 2TB of storage space. If you want the top amount of storage space, you'll have to spend about $200. However, it also comes with a 500GB version that costs around just $80 or 750GB for $90. All of the drives' capacities offer the same features, including fast USB 3.0 speed, sturdy design, and useful, simple backup software.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Lexar JumpDrive Triton (32GB version)
As far as I know, the Lexar JumpDrive Triton has a lot of firsts. It's the first thumbdrive that supports USB 3.0, the fastest USB 3.0-based portable storage device, and also the first among a lot of computer and electronic devices I've seen that bears a "Product of USA" label. It doesn't mean it was made in the States entirely, but hey, at least it wasn't made in China, like the majority of thumbdrives. For those who like pretty things (and who doesn't?) the drive is really good-looking with a shiny, full-metal-alloy base and an equally shiny hardened plastic top. It also comes with a great retractable USB head design.

The Triton's top capacity is 64GB, which costs around $140; it's a little too expensive, but its 32GB version costs just about $70, making it a good choice for those who travel with a portable computer and don't need to carry a lot of data. It's worth noting that 32GB is still a lot of storage space, considering how tiny the Triton is. There's also a 16GB version that costs around $50.

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

Silicon Power Armor A80 (500GB version)
The Silicon Power Armor A80 is a special 2.5-inch-based portable drive that offers up to 1TB of storage. It's the first USB 3.0 drive that comes with an A-female USB port (similar to the ones found on computers). This means you can't use standard USB cables with it. To make up for this minor inconvenience, the drive comes with two A-male-to-A-male USB cables of its own, one of which is hidden on the drive itself. This cable-carry design makes the drive even more portable, but it is not the only selling point of the drive. Housed in a rugged chassis, the A80 is waterproof down to a depth of 3 feet and is rugged enough to handle shocks and drops from around 4 feet, while moving. The drive also showed great performance in my testing.

The Silicon Power Armor A80 comes in four capacities: 500GB, 640GB, 750GB, and 1TB. On a good day, you can find the 500GB online for just around $80. At this price, for those who work in rough environments and are looking to expand their laptop's storage, the A80 is definitely worth every penny.

Seagate GoFlex Slim (500GB version)
The GoFlex Slim is the only drive in the GoFlex family that's not supposed to be replaced by the Backup Plus family. This is because the drive is a type of its own. It's the first, and currently still the only, portable hard drive on the market that's ultraslim; at just 0.35 inch, it's actually thinner than a regular 2.5-inch hard drive, which is about 0.4 inch thick. The drive itself is just about the size of an iPhone.

Despite the ultraslim design, the drive spins at 7,200rpm, has fast USB 3.0 data rates, and shares the same flexibility -- and adapters -- as the rest of drives in Seagate's GoFlex and Backup Plus families.

Initially, the Slim was available only in the 320GB capacity. The 500GB version was just added earlier this month, together with the Backup Plus family. The good news is the new 500GB version currently costs less than $100, while the 320GB version is about $80.

Computer Viruses

Q: Why should I learn about viruses??

When people talk about virii (a subject dear to my heart) it is common

for people to treat the virus, the trojan horse, the logic bomb, etc.

as if they were one and the same. Now, personally, I find the idea

insulting and I am sure that many virus writers would feel the same

way. Time and time again, I have seen the worthy name of VIRUS heaped

upon the ranks of such undeserving pranks as the common TROJAN horse.

To think that the two are one and the same is fine, if you are the

common lamer that so often finds himself behind the computer screen.

To be unable to differenciate between a virus and a trojan is

perfectly acceptable for many. If you are entirely satisified with

knowing just enough to be able to start your computer and run your

application, then for heaven's sake don't read this article. In fact,

why don't you go buy a MacIntosh?

As for the rest of us, we realize that there IS a difference. And in

order to prevent ourselves from looking like clueless idiots, we

strive to learn the differences between the virus and the trojan horse

and what each one is and is not capable of.

What advantage is gained by learning of such things as a computer

virus? The person who is well-informed in such matters gains many

advantages over one who is not.

For one, he will quickly notice when his system shows signs of virus

activity and he will catch it before it has had time to do significant

damage to his system. Since he will have taken the proper precautions

in advance he will be able to quickly restore his system system while

suffering minimal loss.

Since he knows what a virus can and can't do, he won't believe every

quirk in his hardware or software is actually the result of some

devious virus. He will not be lulled into the false sense of security

provided by such worthless products as CPAV or NAV. He will have the

wisdom to look a trojan horse 'in the mouth'.

When it comes to virii, people are inclined to believe alot of stupid

shit. Let's face it, people are inclined to believe alot of stupid

shit period, but when it comes to virii, they tend to get even stupiderþ

Types of Viruses

Q: What is a virus?

a VIRUS is a small, executable program with the ability to replicate

itself by adding its code to that of a host program and/or the system

area of a hard or floppy disk. The user is generally unaware of the

actions of a virus as it replicates and usually only becomes aware of

its presence when the virus 'activates', which it does according to a

given set of conditions and at which time it is often too late.

However, once the user knows what signs to look for, it can be very

obvious when viral activity occurs. More on the signs in a little bit.

Let's discuss the difference between viruses.

Every virus has its own personality. Viruses differ in many ways, each

having its own unique properties that make it different. Here are some

ways that viruses differ from each other:

þ SIZE - A virus can be as small as 66 bytes or less, or as large

as 4096 bytes or more. Compared to most computer programs a virus

must be very small.

þ METHOD OF INFECTION - A virus can infect the host program in

different ways. Below are three methods commonly used. They are

by no means the only ways, but they are the most common. It is

possible for a virus to use one or more of these methods.

þ OVERWRITING - When a virus infects using this method, it will

simply write a copy of itself over the begining of the host

program. This is a very simple method and is used by more

primitive viruses. An infected file has been destroyed and

must be restored from a backup disk. Overwriting tends to make

the user suspicious becuase the host program no longer

functions. This method of infection causes no change in the

size of an infected program.

þ APPENDING - This method is a bit more complex. The virus

appends itself onto the end of the host program and also edits

the begining of the program. When the user runs the infected

program it will jump to the end of the program where the virus

is located, perform the functions of the virus, then return

and continue to run the host program. To the user, the program

is functioning normally. This method of infection causes

infected programs to increase in size.

Some appending viruses are unable to tell whether or not

they have already infected a program and will continue to

infect the program hundreds of times, causing it to grow

considerably in size.

þ DISK INFECTORS - Other viruses will infect the boot record or

partition table. This is an executable area of the disk that

is automatically run every time you boot up from the disk.

This means that as soon as the computer boots up, the virus is

in memory.

þ TSR - A virus may or may not become resident in memory. If it

does go TSR, then its chances of infecting files are greatly

increased. Otherwise it can only do its stuff when an infected

program is run. If the virus is in memory it can infect files any

time it chooses. Partition table and boot sector infecting viruses

are always TSRs.

þ STEALTH - Some TSR viruses use a sophisticated technique called

Stealth cloaking. What this means is the virus will fool the

system so that everything appears to be normal. When a user does

a directory listing the virus will intercept the disk read, and

alter the data so that the file sizes appear to be unchanged,

when in actuality they have increased in size.

Boot sector infectors may use stealth so that when the user

attempts to view the boot record, instead of showing the actual

boot record, a copy of the old boot record is returned instead.

Because of stealth techniques it may be impossible to detect a

virus once it has become resident in memory. The only sure way to

check for a stealth virus is to boot from a clean, write-

protected floppy, then scan the hard drive. It is a good idea to

prepare such a floppy disk ahead of time, and adding anti-virus

software such as Scan and F-Prot.

þ ACTIVATION CRITERIA AND EFFECT- The other area that gives a virus

its personality is the activation criteria, or what makes it go

off. Some activate by the date, others activate when a certain

program is run, and other will activate when they can't find any

more files that haven't been infected yet.

When a virus activates it will take a certain action. I will

refer to this as the activation effect. The efffect may be as

simple and harmless as displaying a message or as malicious as

trashing the victim's hard drive. Obviously, you want to find the

virus BEFORE it activatesþ

Q: What are the ways that I can catch a virus?

Just as with the AIDS virus, there is alot of bullshit concerning the

conditions under which a virus may infect your system. A virus can

only be caught by executing a program that has been infected with a

virus or by ATTEMPTING to boot up from an infected disk. You cannot

get a virus by merely LOOKING at an infected program or disk. A virus

can infect just about any executable file EXE COM OVL SYS DRV BIN and

the partition table and master boot record of floppies and hard disks.

Notice that above I said "attempting" to boot up from an infected

disk. Even if you attempt to boot up from A: and it tells you,

"Non-System disk" and then you boot from C: instead, the virus can

still be active if A: was infected. This is very important. It doesn't

have to be a succesful boot for the virus to get into memory. The

first thing it will probably do is infect C: drive. Then if you put a

new disk in A:, that will in turn be infected. That is why it is

important to keep a clean, write-protected floppy. So, to sum it up:

þ You can catch a virus by executing an infected program, wether you

realize the program was run or not. This includes overlay files,

system drivers, EXE and COM files, etc.

þ You can catch a virus by ATTEMPTING to boot from an infected

floppy disk or hard disk, without regard as to whether that

attempt was succesful.

þ A cold boot will remove a virus from memory, a warm boot won't

necessarily do it. So press the button on your computer instead of

using CTRL-ALT-DEL.

þ You CAN'T get a virus just from looking at an infected disk or file.

þ You CAN'T get a virus from a data file, unless it is actually an

executable and some other program renames it.

So in order to keep yourself in the clear, always check any new

program for viruses before running it, and never leave a disk in the

floppy drive when you boot upþ

Q: What are the signs that a virus is present?

There are several things that may indicate the presence of a virus on

your system. 1. Unexplained file growth in EXE and COM files may indicate an

appending virus.

2. Programs that used to work now return with some type of error

message and fail to work at all. This may indicate an overwriting

virus. Some common messages are "Program to big to fit in memory"

or "Unknown Command" and other similar messages. Thes should make

you suspicious.

3. Unexplained directory changes. If you execute a program and then

find that you are suddenly in a different directory, this may

indicate that a virus has been hunting for files to infect.

4. A decrease in available system memory. You should know how much

memory is usually free on your computer. If this number drops, it

may indicate a TSR virus. This does not always work since some

viruses do not protect the memory they use.

5. Unexplained ChkDsk errors. Stealth viruses will cause you to get a

CHKDSK error because they are altering the info before it gets to

CHKDSK. If you do a CHKDSK /F under this condition, it could CAUSE

considerable damage to the directory structure when in actuality

nothing was wrong in the first place.

6. Unexplained disk access. If the floppy or hard drive begin to light

up all of a sudden for no reason, it could mean viral activity. It

could also mean that you are running a disk cache with staged

writes enabled.

7. An overall slowdown in system activity. Programs may take longer to

execute than normal.

Q: How can I protect myself against viruses?

There is one fool-proof positive method. Never run any program that

isn't already on your computer and never use anybody else's disks.

Unfortunately, that is practical. So what is the next best thing?

þ Backups - Make frequent backups of the files on your hard disk.

Remember that at any given moment you may lose your entire hard

drive and its contents. Do you have backups of all your important

files? Things like Phone directories and passwords are especially

hard to get back. So be prepared for the worst.

þ Rescue Disk - Many programs such as TBAV and Norton Utilities will

allow you to create a 'rescue disk', which is a floppy disk that

can be booted from in an emergency. On this disk will be stored a

copy of important system info that could be very hard, if not

impossible to come up with manually. This includes a copy of the

partition table, Master Boot Record (MBR), CMOS settings, and other

important system info.

Also on this disk, you should store utilities that can be used to

detect, clean, and remove viruses from your hard disk. This disk

should be write-protected, and should be updated any time you

make changes to your system.

þ Knowledge - Keeping yourself well-informed about how viruses work,

any new viruses, and that kind of info is very important. Most of

the computer using public is entirely ignorant when it comes to

viruses. By readin this article, you have already made a big step

at reducing your odds of being hit by a virus.

þ AV Software - There are plenty of good Anti-Virus programs

available on the market. Most of the good ones are usually

shareware or freeware. Some are commercial. Many of the commercial

ones are lousy, too. Using some of the less effective virus

software can provide a false sense of security.

Anti-Virus Software What NOT to use:

The following are products that I feel are not up to par as far as

AV software goes. I would avoid using them if possible, opting for

some of the products in the following list. However, if these

programs are the only ones you can find, then they certainly are

better than nothing at all. þ Norton Anti-Virus (NAV)

þ Central Point Anti-Virus (CPAV) þ Dos v6.0 Anti-Virus

What TO use:

These are some of the AV products that I DO recommend for you to

use. The more Anti-Virus software, the better protected you are.

Allow me to quickly explain what a Heuristic Scan is.

Normally, a virus scanner will look for a 'signature', a series of

bytes that occur inside the virus that can be used to identify a

specific virus. A huruistic scan takes a different approach. It

evaluates the code and looks for virus-like programming techniques.

This technique enables the scanner to find new or unknown viruses

and variations but also tends to cause more false positives and

takes longer. It is a very useful feature.

þ VirusScan - by MacAfee, Also known as SCAN. This is the

standard, and recognizes more than 1300 virus strains. This

program is readily available and offers frequent updates.

{Shareware}

þ F-Prot Anti Virus- by Frisk Software, I highly recommend this

program. It recognizes nearly as many viruses as SCAN and

recognizes trojan horse programs, as well. It has both a menu

driven and command line interface, huriustic scan, virus

database, and detailed descriptions. {Free for personal use}

þ Thunder Byte Anti Virus- This is a good package that does alot

of interesting things. It will create a rescue disk, is highly

configurable, does CRC test for changed files, and has an

adjustable heruistic scan. It will also allow you to replace

the bootstrap loader on your hard drive with a new one that

will perform an automatic CRC check upon bootup. This will

allow you to be instantly informed of any boot sector viruses.

{ShareWare}

þ Doctor Solomon's Anti Virus ToolKit - Although more expensive

than the others, this program has some interesting utilities.

It has "anti-stealth" technology, and an authorization TSR, and

a Certify TSR, which only allows you to run programs that have been

checked and had their CRC logged in. {Commercial}

Computer maintance

You may not realize it, but your computer and your car have something in common: they both need regular maintenance. No, you don't need to change your computer's oil. But you should be updating your software, keeping your antivirus subscription up to date, and checking for spyware. Read on to learn what you can do to help improve your computer's security.

Getting started

Here are some basics maintenance tasks you can do today to start improving your computer's security. Be sure you make these part of your ongoing maintenance as well.

* Sign up for software update e-mail notices. Many software companies will send you e-mail whenever a software update is available. This is particularly important for your operating system (e.g., Microsoft VV!|VD0VV$® or Macintosh), your antivirus program, and your firewall.
* Register your software. If you still have registration forms for existing software, send them in. And be sure to register new software in the future. This is another way for the software manufacturer to alert you when new updates are available.
* Install software updates immediately.
When you get an update notice, download the update immediately and install it. (Remember, downloading and installing are two separate tasks.)
An ounce of prevention

A few simple steps will help you keep your files safe and clean.

* Step 1: Update your software
* Step 2: Backup your files
* Step 3: Use antivirus software and keep it updated
* Step 4: Change your passwords

Developing ongoing maintenance practices

Now that you've done some ground work, it's time to start moving into longer term maintenance tasks. These are all tasks that you should do today (or as soon as possible) to get started. But for best results, make these a part of a regular maintenance schedule. We recommend setting aside time each week to help keep your computer secure.

* Back up your files. Backing up your files simply means creating a copy of your computer files that you can use in the event the originals are lost. (Accidents can happen.) To learn more read our tips for backing up information.

* Scan your files with up to date antivirus software. Use your antivirus scan tool regularly to search for potential computer viruses and worms. Also, check your antivirus program's user manual to see if you can schedule an automatic scan of your computer. To learn more, read our tips for reducing your virus risk
.
* Change your passwords. Using the same password increases the odds that someone else will discover it. Change all of your passwords regularly (we recommend monthly) to reduce your risk. Also, choose your passwords carefully. To learn more, read our tips for creating stronger passwords
.

Making a schedule

One of the best ways to help protect your computer is to perform maintenance regularly. To help you keep track, we suggest making a regular "appointment" with your computer. Treat it like you would any other appointment. Record it in your datebook or online calendar, and if you cannot make it, reschedule. Remember, you are not only helping to improve your computer, you are also helping to protect your personal information.

De Assis Moneira

Monday, 25 June 2012

What we might get for Android at Google I/O 2012

Samsung Galaxy S3 sales to reach 10 million during July

The company's telecommunications chief JK Shin says the device will reach 10 million unit sales during July.

Top five affordable portable drives that ain't cheap

Computer Viruses

Computer maintance

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