Skype 6.0 for Mac and Windows released

Today marks the release of Skype 6.0 for Mac and Windows, and those who have already gone ahead and installed or updated their previous version to Skype 6.0, you would realize that there is a bunch of new features waiting to be discovered, where among them include Microsoft and Facebook account integration. Basically, signing up and signing in has never been easier than before, where you can opt to sign into Skype using your Microsoft or Facebook account without having to actually create a new Skype account. Definitely the ideal new feature to have considering how many passwords we need to remember these days for the plethora of accounts that we own at the moment.

Other than that, you can also send instant messages to friends on your Windows Live Messenger, Hotmail and Outlook.com contacts over Skype, and if you already own a Microsoft account, merging your spate of accounts is a snap, all you need to do is just sign in to Skype using your Microsoft account. Of course, if you want to read up on the entire new features and fixtures crammed into Skype 6.0 for Mac and Windows, hit the source link and you’re good to go.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Skype 2.1.23 update for Belle FP2 could be the last, Skype for Windows 8 announced,

Razer Project Fiona hits the FCC

We all know that when it comes to high end gaming peripherals, the name Razer is always somewhere on the list. Well, the company which specializes in gaming peripherals did come up with the idea of a high end gaming tablet, calling it Project Fiona in the process. We are pleased to say that Project Fiona has finally made her way into the latest FCC filings, although she is not called that by federal regulators who have spent their fair share of time with Project Fiona. Boy, do we envy the folks over at the FCC from time to time! It does seem as though the nunchuk-like controllers failed to make the grade in the FCC’s label location outline, although in an attached accessory list, it does point towards a Razer-branded controller, running on a 2800mAh battery that points toward the possibility of this prototype’s gamepads being independent of it, or could be detached. As for the tablet itself, a 5600mAh battery will drive its processing needs.

Bear in mind that what we see in the FCC prototype above could very well not be the final design, but at least it does go to show that the device itself is on an evolutionary path, and it is well on its way to being released to the masses.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Razer Fiona is good to go after getting over 10,000 “Likes” on Facebook, Razer Naga Epic arrives on the FCC,

Verizon, AT&T put Samsung’s Galaxy Note II on pre-sale for $300 with a two-year contract

Verizon, AT&T put Samsung's Galaxy Note II on presale for $299 with a twoyear contract

Samsung’s Galaxy Note II played coy at first by only hanging out with the European crowd, but now that it’s here, it’s the life of the US carrier party. The two biggest, AT&T and Verizon, have now glommed the phablet and each are offering it for pre-sale in all its quad-core Exynos, 5.5-inch glory for $300 under a two-year contract. We just handled Verizon’s variant, but weren’t sure of a sale date, and AT&T’s version, which we saw earlier was already expected for pre-order today. When Sprint’s copy of the handset arrives later today, that’ll round out the Note II’s major US carrier dance card — so you’ll be able to grab it at whichever plucks on your heart (or purse) strings.

[Thanks to all who sent this in]

Filed under: , , ,

Verizon, AT&T put Samsung’s Galaxy Note II on pre-sale for $300 with a two-year contract originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 01:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAT&T, Verizon  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo fix weakness in email services

The three tech giants Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo have fixed a major weakness in their respective email systems that would allow spoofed messages to appear legit. On Wednesday, an advisory was published by US-CERT stating that DKIM signing keys under 1,024 bits are weak. This all started with an alleged Google recruiter sent an email to a Florida mathematician.

Zachary Harris is a 35-year-old mathematician from Florida who received an unexpected email from a Google recruiter about a possible job offer. Finding the email odd and wondering if it was spoofed, Harris noticed that it using a 512-bit key. He suspected this could be a test on Google’s part to see if the issue would be caught, and so he cracked the key and sent two spoofed emails out to Google’s founders, signing each email as being from the other person.

It turned out that it wasn’t a test, and that Harris had instead discovered a serious security flaw in the email system, which Google quietly corrected soon after the spoofed emails had been sent. With a bit of digging, it turned out that both Yahoo! and Microsoft had the same issue. According to the report at Wired, Harris also discovered sub-1,024-bit keys being used by Dell, Apple, eBay, Amazon, PayPal, Twitter, SBCGlobal, US Bank, HP, HSBC, and Match.com.

A Google spokeswoman issued a statement to Wired, stating that the company fixed the issue as soon as it surfaced, revoking the weak keys for the affected domains and pushing out ones over 1,024-bits in their place. Said Harris, “I assumed the e-mail got to some influential tech person [at Google] who looked at it and said, ‘Wait a second, how is this obviously spoofed e-mail getting through?’ And they apparently figured it out on their own.” The weakest keys Harris found in use were 384-bit, which he could crack via his laptop in 24 hours.

[via Wired]


Microsoft, Google, and Yahoo fix weakness in email services is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.


Tetris Heat Change Mug

Do you love all things that have to do with the world of video games? I am quite sure that the brick laying title, Tetris, has shaped up your perspective on gaming over the years, and it might even be the game that had you hooked in the first place, although Pac-Man could come in first for other folks. Here is one way for the geeky caffeine lover in your life to kick start their day on the right side of the office desk – with the Tetris Heat Change Mug.

Yes sir, the name itself gives the game (pardon the pun) away, where it comes with a screenshot of Tetris blocks, paying tribute to the retro game that many have come to know and love. Since the Tetris Heat Change Mug is heat sensitive, whenever you pour in something hot (preferably coffee, of course), then the bricks in the game will change. It begins with an an almost blank game, and the more you fill it up with something hot, additional pieces will form at the bottom, and more tetrominoes will drop from above. Sharing a similar display and scoreboard from the game, this is as close as you can get to the real deal without any electronics involved.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Tetris lights: add color to your room, Tetris movie trailer gets you stoned,

Here’s a Website That’ll Make You Instantly Feel Better

If you’re having a crappy day, go grab yourself an emergency compliment at this thoughtful website which serves up, you guessed it, emergency compliments. I already found out that I have the best blog, that my prom date still thinks about me all the time and that I lost some weight (not that I needed to). More »

Message from Me offers dispatches from early education, we go eyes-on (video)

Image

What do you get when you attach a point-and-shoot, display, microphone, RFID reader and a bunch of big buttons to a clear plastic box and stick it all in a classroom with a bunch of three- to five-year-olds? Carnegie Mellon’s CREATE Lab calls the creation Message from Me. It’s a way of engaging early education students with technology, developing language and social skills and helping keep parents abreast of their school day activities.

The tool encourages kids to record a thought or take a picture and send it to a parent by pulling a card with their face on it down from the wall and scanning on the RFID reader. Parents can get updates via text message or email from kids who are often unable to pass along such information at the end of the day. According to the lab, the machines have already been installed in nearly a dozen schools in the Pittsburgh area — and from the looks of the boxes on the floor in the CREATE Lab, plenty more are on the way.

Continue reading Message from Me offers dispatches from early education, we go eyes-on (video)

Filed under: ,

Message from Me offers dispatches from early education, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 00:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMessage from Me  | Email this | Comments

Tweetphony is symphony of tweets

I always like the way technology and the arts merge together, meeting in the middle and delivering a totally new take on what was once something traditional. The Metropole Orchestra, for instance, will take to the social network Twitter for a performance known as ‘Tweetphony’, which is a symphony of tweets. The main objective of Tweetphony is to raise awareness of the fact that it’s subsidy and existence are under threat. Participants who drop by the campaign site are able to rely on a digital piano interface in order to compose their music, while listening to other compositions. You can then tweet it, transforming the musical notes into the letters associated with them. Folks who click on the tweet’s link will be redirected to the site, allowing them to listen in to the tune on a bespoke music player.

Only the most interesting tweets will be picked by the orchestra, where they will play a special live concert this coming October 26th. Expect short videos of the orchestra playing the tweets to be made available over at YouTube, which is where the live stream will be broadcast as well.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Twitter tests out new “Like” or “Star” buttons, Instagram will translate Instagram mentions to Twitter mentions automatically, makes life a little easier,

Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update arriving on Sprint this October 24th

If you happen to rock to the Samsung Galaxy S3 from Sprint, then you would be pleased to hear that the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update will be made available to users from tomorrow onwards, which happens to be October 25th. The update will arrive Over The Air, and it will be rolled out in stages, so not all of Sprint’s customers using the Galaxy S3 will be able to enjoy the smoothness of Project Butter, aka Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. Having said that, being patient will still pay off, ultimately speaking. Sprint claims that it will be a matter of a few weeks for the update known as L710VPALJ7 to arrive on the circuit boards of all Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphones which have been branded with the Sprint name.

The leaked version of the Android 4.1 Jelly Bean update for Sprint owners made available earlier this month will be different from the one that the carrier has in store, so for all you Sprint Galaxy S3 owners out there, have you received your update, and are you pleased with the experience so far?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Sprint Samsung Galaxy S3 Android 4.1 Jelly Bean ROM leaked , Samsung Galaxy S3 available for $100 on contract from Sprint and Verizon,

Boeing missile disables enemy electronics, makes for the ideal first wave

Offense is the best defense, and when it comes to war, making sure that your enemies’ communications are knocked out is a pivotal first step towards victory. With so many armies and their weapons relying on sophisticated electronics these days, it makes perfect sense to knock out those circuits to render communications and their weapons as useful as sand in the desert. Boeing has developed a new kind of missile, where they tested it last week successfully, as this missile will actually zap targeted buildings with microwave energy that is so powerful, all the electronics within will cease functioning immediately.

Known as the Boeing CHAMP (Counter-electronics High-powered Advanced Missile Project) missile, it flew over a test range in Utah, with a double story building being the target. CHAMP’s microwave beam was directed towards the building as it passed, rendering all the computers within disabled, and this included the cameras set up to monitor the results. We do wonder whether the enemy has something of this sort in their own armory, and can it be used to disable CHAMP as it flies toward the target? It did not say that CHAMP is a portable, targeting EMP, but it sure sounds like it.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Boeing flagship planes will support cellular calling by 2013, Boeing 787 Dreamliner to be equipped with Android-based entertainment systems,