Hasta La Gadget!

Beware, malware. The Windows AutoRun updates for Vista and XP SP3 that Microsoft released in February have so far proven successful in thwarting your file corrupting ways. Although Windows 7 was updated to disable AutoPlay within AutoRun for USB drives — freezing the ability for a virus to exploit it — the aforementioned versions had remained vulnerable up until right after January. Fast-forward to the period between February and May of this year, and the updates have reduced the number of incidents by 1.3 million compared to the three months prior for the supported Vista and XP builds. Amazingly, when stacked against May of last year, there was also a 68 percent decline in the amount of incidents reported across all builds of Windows using Microsoft’s Malicious Software Remove Tool. There’s another fancy graph after the break to help illustrate, and you’ll find two more along with a full breakdown by hitting the source link down under.

Continue reading Microsoft to malware: your AutoRunning days on Windows are numbered

Microsoft to malware: your AutoRunning days on Windows are numbered originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 18 Jun 2011 21:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Droid 2 Global users, your moment in the Gingerbread sun has arrived. Verizon’s put up a page with download instructions for a 103MB update, taking your QWERTY slider from version 2.4.330 to 4.5.600. Updating isn’t the most taxing of activities, you just look for a system update in the About Phone menu and then give your blessing for the download to commence. VZW will also be prompting tardy users to take their OTA medicine in due course. So what’s new apart from Android 2.3? Well, the big change is that the previously static phone, contacts and apps icons at the bottom of the UI have now been turned into a user-customizable dock, with three links of your choosing sidling up next to the App Launcher. There’s also a freshened up UI look, a Download Manager App, user-definable App Groups, encryption for data both on the device and its SD card, improvements in battery life while using WiFi and Bluetooth, and the obligatory stability fixes. If all that sounds irresistible and you have the requisite phone in hand, go get it!

[Thanks, Jon]

Droid 2 Global gets Gingerbread, customizable dock and more in latest update from Verizon originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 02:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Llano laptops are like buses. You wait two years for just one to arrive and then eleven come out at once. Yep, AMD’s long-awaited hybrid CPU / GPU has finally gone official today and HP is wasting no time in introducing laptops harnessing its Accelerated Processing powers. On the consumer side, the Pavilion dv (dv4, dv6, dv7) and g (g4, g6, g7) series are both getting in on the action, with the dv models touting fancier additions like Beats Audio and CoolSense as justifications for their dearer pricing. For the more demure or business-oriented AMD fans, ProBook laptops of both b (6465b, 6465b) and s (4535s, 4435s, 4436s) varieties are also getting A-series processor options. Pricing starts out at $600 on the dv line and $450 for the g series, with both expected to ship in July, whereas the ProBook models will be a bit more punctual and arrive on June 27th, provided you have at least $519 to splash out. Ful PR after the break.

Continue reading HP upgrades 11 Pavilion and ProBook laptops to AMD Llano APUs

HP upgrades 11 Pavilion and ProBook laptops to AMD Llano APUs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Jun 2011 02:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How can you “be what’s next” without having what’s next on your phone? Bing is here to help you fulfill its tagline by updating its mobile site for any device that runs HTML5. If the update had a highlight reel to show off the newest features, here’s what would be on it: a carousel-like interface in the news section that lets you swipe your finger left or right to switch to other categories; maps that show directions together in split-screen format; a search history complete with trending topics; and the ability to share images and links on Facebook. The new enhancements are now available to iOS, Android, and BlackBerry, so it’s an easy jaunt over to your browser to check it out. Or, if you’re reading this on your phone, give the ol’ More Coverage link a quick tap.

Bing Mobile updated, news and maps get minor facelifts originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Jun 2011 09:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Magellan’s RoadMate GPS app has always struck us as one of the better options within the App Store, and it just got a heck of a lot better with v2.0. One of the main reasons for sticking with Google Maps Navigation on the Android side is the availability of continually updated maps… at no charge. Now, folks who split with $59.99 will get the newest build of RoadMate, which just so happens to have lifetime map updates, Yelp and Google local search. Curiously, those “lifetime” maps run out after three years, but c’mon — you’re replacing that iPhone 4 just as soon as Steve trots out its finely tuned successor, aren’t you?

Continue reading Magellan’s iOS RoadMate GPS application gains free lifetime maps, Google local search

Magellan’s iOS RoadMate GPS application gains free lifetime maps, Google local search originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Jun 2011 10:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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