Clever: Calendar Scarf
What a great idea. Pull the thread and, as the year goes on, the dates of the Calendar Scarf disappear in a pile of yarn on your floor. Or you could hook up the other end to an automatic knitting machine and keep things tidy.
[via Swiss Miss]
Apple Puts Up iPad 4.2 Update Page For You To Gaze Wistfully At
The big Apple event on Wednesday came with not one, but two updates to iOS, but unfortunately only 4.1 is actually imminent. 4.2, which will bring several new features to the iPad in particular, will be arriving in November.
The news got kind of buried in the rush, but if you’re looking for official information, Apple’s 4.2 update page should do it.
Ford Going With Active Cooling For Its Focus Electric
One of the big conflicts in battery tech right now is how to keep the things at the right temperature. Nissan and Mitsubishi are going with air cooling, while Tesla, Chevy, and as of today Ford are all opting for liquid temperature regulation. Since few electrics are really on the road, it seems there isn’t sufficient data to go with one over the other.
When batteries get really cold, they can’t hold a charge, as BMW noticed with its Mini E fleet. On the other hand, if they get too hot, cracks can develop from the swelling material and cause electrodes to fail. And of course, until you get a few thousand of your vehicle out to consumers, it’s going to be hard to get the kind of large-scale testing that’s needed.
Anyway, Ford has decided to take the safe (but more expensive) route of using a liquid temperature management system in which a circulating fluid can be heated or cooled in order to keep the batteries at optimum temperature.
Maybe this will be something hashed out in the first generation of popular electric cars, or maybe it’ll just be one of those things you see on some models but not others.
New Toshiba Pistol-Grip Camcorders Get Touchscreens
Toshiba has dropped a pair of new camcorders at IFA, both of the genus Pistolgrippus. The P20 is the chubbier of the two, though that’s not saying much, since the S30 is only 19mm thick. Once you’re past the point where these things slip into your jacket pocket, though, a millimeter here or there doesn’t really signify much. Good for them, though.
The P20 is the lower-end of the two, not being as thin and only shooting 5-megapixel photos, as opposed to the S30′s 8. Both, however, have 10x optical zooms packed into those tiny lenses. I believe they are also both 1080p like the more traditionally shaped H30. And they also both have nice 3-inch touchscreens.
Those differences don’t seem so important to me, and the fact is they’re not priced very far apart. It comes down to whether you like the form factor of the S30 more and are willing to pay a small premium for it. Right now only British pricing is available; the P20 will be £119 when it arrives in October, the S30 will be £139. That corresponds to ~$180 and ~$210, but US pricing may differ.
[via Engadget]
Chrome reaches second birthday, version 6 goes stable
When Google launched its Chrome Web browser in 2008, it was clear that the product had considerable potential. Its emphasis on performance and a its intriguing minimalistic user interface attracted a lot of well-deserved attention. Today, exactly two years later, Chrome has over 80 million users, a 7.52 percent global market share (21.87 at Ars, making it the second most popular browser here behind Firefox), and is gradually creeping into the mainstream.
It wasn't entirely clear at first if the browser would have real staying power or if it would be cast aside unfinished like so many of Google's other ambitious *cough*Wave*cough* experiments. But Google's commitment hasn't waned, and it's increasingly evident that the browser is an important part of Google's platform strategy and long-term aspirations for the future of the Web. To mark Chrome's second anniversary, Google has announced the official release of Chrome 6, a new major stable version of the browser.
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Is Roku Making A Client/Server Home Media Streaming Device?
So this popped up on the FCC website today, and it’s all very mysterious, but it looks like Netgear and Roku may have teamed up to make a streaming media box for the home, not unlike the HP product that was released the other day. The FCC filing shows that the device has HDMI, composite, 802.11 b/g/n, and ethernet connectivity. Of course, this could be something else entirely. Whatever it is, Roku seems to be up to something. This kind of makes me wonder who HP licensed their streaming media boxes from.
[via Wireless Goodness]
Thou Shalt Not Surge
This is still just a concept, but the cruciform Power/Strip surge protector does more than keep your gadgets pious. Oversized adapters and bricks are welcome on its spreading crossbars, and a full 12 outlets means no more arguments among your disciples over who gets to charge first.
[via CNET]
PSA: Toshiba Recalls 41,000 Laptops For Overheating
Bad news if you own a Toshiba Satellite T130 notebook. It’s got a flaw. In fact, the CPSC (Consumer Protection Safety Comission) just issued a recall for about 41,000 notebook computers, siting a flaw in the plastic casing around the AC adapter plug. Apparently there’s a problem with the DC-in harness that can cause the plastic to melt, causing minor burns. Apparently Toshiba has worked out a way to solve this via a BIOS update, which you can download from Toshiba’s website. The recall only effects certain models, and you can view the full list at the CPSC site, as well as find instructions on how to fix the problem yourself, or have Toshiba fix it for you.
[via Circuit Breaker]
New malware detects browser, shows fake malware warning page
Microsoft is warning about a new piece of malware, Rogue:MSIL/Zeven, that auto-detects a user's browser and then imitates the relevant malware warning pages from Internet Explorer, Firefox, or Chrome. The fake warning pages are very similar to the real thing; you have to look closely to realize they aren't the real thing. The ploy is a basic social engineering scheme, but in this case the malware authors are relying on the user's trust in their browser, a tactic that hasn't been seen before.
Beyond the warning pages, the actual malware looks like the real deal: it allows you to scan files, tells you when you're behind on your updates, and enables you to change your security and privacy settings. Performing a scan results in the product finding malicious files, but of course it cannot delete them unless you update, which requires paying for the full version. Attempting to buy the product will open an HTML window that provides a useless "Safe Browsing Mode" with high-strength encryption. To top it all off, the rogue antivirus webpage looks awfully similar to the Microsoft Security Essentials webpage; even the awards received by MSE and a link to the Microsoft Malware Protection Center have been copied.
While the malware is a pretty good attempt, it's not perfect. The goal is to get the user to download and install something, shelling out some cash in the process, which neither of the three browser vendors would ever recommend. The Firefox warning page, meanwhile, has an obvious typo ("Get me our of here"). In addition, it's suspicious that a webpage is going out of its way to tell you it is protecting your purchase. It's also not hard to check that the supposedly detected files do not actually exist on the user's computer. All of these missteps should raise red flags immediately; having said that, we've still not before seen this level of detail and effort from the bad guys.
Malware progress
Just two years ago, a fake malware warning page and a fake antivirus looked like this:
Now, we've got a much more believable malware warning that changes based on which of the top three browsers you are using (compare Internet Explorer, Firefox, and Chrome):
We have a full-blown webpage that tries to sell a fake antimalware product and rips off Microsoft's own offering:
Finally, here's the fake antimalware product which uses various Microsoft security icons:
Malware authors have come a long way recently and this latest effort is worrying because even informed users can easily be tricked by something like this. Thankfully, there's a universal rule that still applies: don't download something simply because a webpage says you should.
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Using An NES Controller With Android
So you’ve got an emulator installed on your Android device, along with a few ROM, and you think you’re pretty cool. Well, I can pretty much bet you that [Sk3tch]‘s geek-fu is better then yours. He took an NES controller, connected it to a Bluetooth module, and plays his NES on a controller, while you fumble around with your SEND and Home buttons.
[Sk3tch] took an Arduino, added a Bluetooth module, and wired an old NES controller in. He then programmed the Arduino to send the input from the controller through the bluetooth to his Android phone. [Sk3tch] calls this a work in progress, and I look forward to seeing it once it’s done and all in one neat case.
[via Hackaday]