Hasta La Gadget!

When Microsoft officially announced the Xbox One that would be priced at $399 sans-Kinect, they later revealed that the console had seen an increased amount of interest from gamers. This is hardly surprising since the console is now $100 cheaper than what it used to be. Now the question is, how much momentum are we talking about?

Well according to a recent post by Microsoft on the Xbox website, it seems that the Xbox One’s sales have actually more than doubled in the US for the month of June compared to that of May. “Since the new Xbox One offering launched on June 9th, we’ve seen sales of Xbox One more than double* in the US, compared to sales in May, and solid growth in Xbox 360 sales.”

Microsoft has yet to reveal the official numbers so we can’t be sure what does double the sales mean. At the same time we guess it still looks pretty good for Microsoft as according to reports so far, Sony’s PlayStation 4 has managed to outsell the Xbox One. Last we heard, Sony had managed to sell over 7 million units, while the latest figures from Microsoft suggested a shipping number of over 5 million units.

In any case hopefully Microsoft will reveal the official numbers, but in the meantime things are looking good and who knows, perhaps in the next few months with new titles on the way, the Xbox One’s sales could eventually catch up to that of the PlayStation 4.

Microsoft: Xbox One Sales Has Doubled Since May Post-Price Cut

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

Visiting adult websites is a pretty common occurrence but the next time you are thinking about visiting Japanese adult websites, you might want to rethink that. This is because according to a recent report by ESET, it seems that cyber criminals have devised malware that will affect computers who visit Japanese adult websites.

According to the report, the malware seems to target users of Microsoft’s Internet Explorer browser. This isn’t to say that other browsers are secure, but for now most of the attacks seem to be affecting Internet Explorer browser users. Upon visiting the compromised website, visitors will be directed to an exploit page that will take advantage of a vulnerability in Java.

From there, the exploit will be used by the criminals to glean back account information of the visitor. However what’s interesting is that unlike other hacks that might use a variety of attacks to try and find one that works, this particular hack seems to be relying on a single exploit, which has us thinking that the hackers probably know what they’re doing.

The page that redirects the user will display an unassuming Error 404 page, which is usually used to indicate that the page does not exist. Like we said, it’s relatively unassuming and most people could just end up closing the page, although digging into the code it is discovered that it is actually used to run a malicious Java applet.

Now it should be noted that this particular Java vulnerability was patched by Oracle back in 2013, but we suppose the hackers are relying on the fact that there are many users out there who have not bothered to patch it, thinking that they are probably safe and that the exploit might not concern them. So if you haven’t updated Java for awhile, perhaps now might be a good time to do so.

Hackers Deliver Malware Through Japanese Adult Websites

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

If you’re a parent, summertime can mean trips to the beach (along with parking fees, ice cream runs, boardwalk arcade games, funnel cakes, cotton candy, gaily painted hermit crabs, etc.), setting up camp on some far-away stunning vista (and all the must-have sundries and amenities) and, of course, hours of mindless — not necessarily inexpensive — entertainment. If you don’t constantly monitor your spending, pennies will beget dollars, which will rapidly multiply until you discover that your bank account has withered like an un-watered rose in the summer sun. If you’re not vigilant, you may discover that your bank account has withered like an unwatered rose in the summer sun.

According to the New York Times, the average cost of summer (per child) is $601. With households earning more than $100,000 a year, the spending increases to nearly double that amount. Because most of your summer expenditures are made in relative proximity to the time to shop for your little debt machine’s return to school, it’s critical to get your budget right (albeit it a munchkin buzz-kill), and stick to it.

If you’ve already planned (and most likely laid out the dough) for a big thing this summer — say a rental house in the mountains or at the beach, sleep-away camp, a family vacation (hopefully not of the National Lampoon variety) — you’ve already gotten up-close and personal with the concept of generous summer expenditures. The average cost is $1,180 per person for a family vacation.

But the problem isn’t just the big expenditures. Take a moment to reflect upon your child’s predilections. What they naturally are inclined to do during weekends (when school’s in session) are the things that can eat you alive financially if you’re not careful. Will there be lots of trips to see friends or pursue hobbies? Do they play (and are obsessed with) video games? Are they addicted to apps that nickel and dime the pleasure principle? Do they have a sport that involves (or requires) extra training or a coach?

Whatever it is, the seeds of your financial destruction are sown there, because the weekend is now seven days a week. So, here are some common gaps in summer planning where your dollars can go walkabout.

1. Travel

Obviously if you’re planning a family excursion to Europe, an Alaskan cruise to gawk at killer whales, or a road-trip to the Grand Canyon, there will be travel expenses. However, if you can afford those trips, no doubt you are already reasonably high on the financial curve and you’re not terribly worried about the associated costs of summer.

However, for most people the little things count. Kids need to see friends. They have activities. You may like to go to the beach. Many of these trips will involve tolls, gas and parking. Do you have a clue as to how much you’re spending?

When planning for summer expenses, get a baseline for how much your travel will increase, and budget for it.

2. Data Plans

As fewer telecom providers are offering unlimited data plans, experts are predicting that these lovely low-cost enticements into the land of the smartphone will soon go the way of the dodo bird. If your child uses a smartphone, check their data usage because it could well go crazy. If you don’t want to set physical limits, consider usage controls.

3. Camp

While day camp may be tax deductible as dependent child care, you will incur extra expenses in the form of new bathing suits, camp clothes, sunscreen, meal plans, snacks, and, of course, travel.

The same applies to sleep-away camp, except there’s no dependent child care deduction, and you have the additional costs of more travel to far-away places, hotels, roadside food and usually longer checklists of things needed for your little camper’s one- or two-week adventure into the world without mom and dad.

4. Daycare

You already know it is tax deductible, but did you budget for daycare? There are many options, but even if you find a free program, you’ll still have the associated expenses of getting your child to and from there every day. Take time to poke around, and find the plan that works best for you.

5. Entertainment

Whether it’s a smartphone, movies (3D or IMAX), games, digital media (music, TV shows, more movies), concerts, laser tag, paintball, sports training, musical instrument instruction or any of the other diversions required to keep kids engaged and out of harm’s way, it can get pretty expensive out there. The advice here is simple, but crucial to your financial and mental well-being: Give yourself and your child a budget and then stick to it.

Overspending can have a long-term impact on your family’s finances, from lost saving opportunities to an impact on your credit score. Credit utilization (the amount of debt on your revolving accounts compared to your limits) is a major factor in your credit scores, so if you’re planning on using credit cards for some of these summer expenses, make sure you’re not damaging your credit in the process. You can see where your credit scores stand, and whether your utilization is hurting your scores, for free on Credit.com.

While an expensive sleep-away camp or family trip just might cramp your style later in the year, it’s not necessarily what gets most families in trouble. When it comes to the financial death of a thousand “you-never-let-me-have-anything-I-want(s),” all you really need to do is start sweating the small stuff. If you do, you just might be able to keep those sweet little Dr. No’s from flinging you in a financial inferno.

If you’re worried about being wiretapped you can probably rest easy—unless you’re talking about narcotics. Because that’s what a staggering 90 percent of taps are listening out for.

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