Hasta La Gadget!

Apple's MacBook Air ships with Mac OS X Snow Leopard. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

Apple has published instructions on removing a piece of malicious software that targeted Mac customers. The company claims that an upcoming Mac software update will remove the malware from infected systems.

In a bulletin published Tuesday evening, Apple listed steps to remove the malware, and added that an upcoming software update for Mac OS X would detect and remove the malware, as well. The OS X update will also warn customers if they click on the malware’s Install button, according to Apple.

The malware, called MacDefender, MacProtector or MacSecurity, manipulated customers with a web pop-up warning them that they were infected with a virus. The malware promised to remove the virus, but once installed, it sporadically loaded porn-popups on the computer. The ultimate goal of the malware was to steal credit-card information by convincing people to pay for the fake antivirus software.

Wired.com last week reported an uptick in the number of customers reporting malware-infected machines on Apple support forums and to Apple support technicians. MacDefender was the main culprit among the reports.

The growing presence of MacDefender renewed a timeless debate about the state of Mac security versus Windows security. Security researcher Charlie Miller told Wired.com that while he believed the malware problem was growing worse on the Mac, it’s still a small threat compared to malware on Windows.

Miller and many security researchers agree that the Mac architecture is not inherently more secure than Windows to make it invulnerable from viruses; the idea that Macs can’t get viruses is a myth. The simple explanation is that few virus makers target the Mac platform because it has such small market share compared to Windows.

Apple’s software update and security bulletin provide evidence that a considerable number of customers were affected. However, it’s impossible to know just how many, because Apple has not responded to press inquiries about MacDefender.

ZDNet’s Ed Bott, who was first to discover numerous complaints about MacDefender, claims that one AppleCare agent said 50 percent of calls to the support hotline two weeks ago were related to MacDefender. He also claims that AppleCare receives between 10,000 and 20,000 calls a day, and because MacDefender has been making the rounds for the past 25 days, he estimates between 60,000 and 125,000 Mac customers have reported being infected by the malware.

Just because Apple is issuing a software update does not mean the threat of MacDefender is completely squashed. In an e-mail to Wired.com, ESET security noted that the MacDefender malware continues to evolve in appearance and name to fool naive customers.

“The malware’s name is going to change continuously, and it’s likely the user interface will, as well,” said Dan Clark, vice president of marketing at ESET.

Clark wrote a blog post with screenshots showing what the malware looks like when attempting to infect a machine.

See Also:

• Another Mac Virus Alert. Real This Time?
• New Mac Malware Fools Customers, But Threat Still Relatively Small …
• Apple’s Snow Leopard Is Less Secure Than Windows, But Safer …

If you picked up one of those G-Tablets, but are now suffering from buyer’s remorse after realizing how much you miss GPS, there’s a solution — provided you have a strong DIY streak. It turns out Viewsonic set space aside on the Froyo-powered slate’s motherboard to place a GPS receiver. Of course, if you even have to ask what flux is or what SMD stands for this is not the hack for you. And while apps that rely on 3G, such as Google Maps, won’t work properly, offline navigators like Navigon and CoPilot should be just fine. If you’re comfortable tearing open your device and poking at it with a hot iron, hit up the source link for a complete list of parts and some very detailed instructions… or, you could just buy a tablet that already has GPS.

[Thanks, Andrew F.]

Add GPS to your Viewsonic G-Tablet and test your soldering skills originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 13:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  XDA Developers Forum  | Email this | Comments

There are few moments in history as defining for a nation and the world as May 25, 1961. That’s when President John F. Kennedy announced a plan to put a man on the Moon before the decade was over. More »

We’ve been hearing rumors for a while that Twitter was looking to make TweetDeck a member of its flock, and now, the blue bird crew has made it official. All Things D reports that the deal was done for between $40 to 50 million, and that TweetDeck CEO Iain Dodsworth will stay on to run the platform. In its official announcement, Twitter said it will continue to “invest in the TweetDeck that users know and love” — time will tell if the new boss birdie is a boon or bane for the popular tweet tracking app.

TweetDeck and Twitter, together at last originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 May 2011 13:10:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Twitter  | Email this | Comments

Barnes & Noble’s new Nook Simple Touch has a touchscreen and promises better battery life. Photo: Lena Groeger/Wired.com.

Barnes & Noble on Tuesday unveiled a simplified touchscreen e-reader: the Simple Touch Reader. Designed for a “pure and simple” reading experience without buttons, keyboards or complexity, the new compact Nook will be available around June 10th in stores or online.

It’s got a 6-inch Pearl E Ink display and weighs in at just under 7.5 ounces, 35% lighter than the original Nook. It’s selling for $140, the same price as the Kindle 3, but not as cheap at the $114 Kindle with ads.

The first-generation Nook is available for a discount price of $120 (for WiFi only) and $170 (for WiFi/3G) until supplies run out.

CEO William Lynch announced at a New York press event that the Simple Touch would be the “easiest to use, most portable e-book reader ever.” He outlined several advantages to the new Nook over its Amazon rival.

The most impressive feature for avid readers is the device’s super long battery life: a whole two months at half an hour a day, or twice as long as the Kindle.

There is also 80% less flashing, or that annoying “ghosting” effect between pages, Lynch claimed.

As with previous models, readers will be able to browse entire e-books in the Barnes & Noble physical stores over Wi-Fi, and share recommendations with friends via Facebook and Twitter.

The display offers 50% more contrast than the first edition Nook, and has a “soft touch,” contoured back, presumably to make it comfier to hold. The Android-based device has 2 GB of memory (with an expandable memory slot that could boost it to 32GB).

While the touchscreen turns the new e-reader into more of a tablet than its predecessor, the new Nook does not offer apps or 3G. Those additions would interrupt the “straightforward reading experience,” said Lynch. The Simple Touch Reader will cater to a particular segment of the population: people who don’t salivate over newest generation apps and just want the basics, please.

For those who do itch for a little more, the company’s popular Nook Color recently got a software update, which includes new apps, support for Flash and built-in email. As it’s meant to be the “reader’s tablet for all forms of digital content and rich web browsing,” the Nook Color is second only to the iPad in tablet sales. More than a million apps have been downloaded since they became available in April.

With these two devices, the world’s largest brick-and-mortar bookseller is in a good position to vie with Apple and Amazon for the tablet and e-reading market. Barnes & Noble has already had surprising success since it launched its first Nook in 2009, and now accounts for 25 percent of the digital book market. No doubt this caught the eye of media billionaire John Malone of Liberty Media, who just offered $1billion for a 70% stake in the company.

The e-book market is growing rapidly: Amazon recently announced it is now selling more e-books than print books. Now it’s just a race for the best price.