Adobe warns of critical Flash Player flaw, recommends immediate update

Chris Smith | Software & Apps | Nov 25, 2014 9:06 PM CST

Adobe has alerted the public of an urgent update that has just been pushed - designed to patch a major vulnerability that is being exploited by hackers. This isn't the first time that we've seen reports like this issued in 2014, we're happy to see Adobe quickly on the ball to neutralize these threats.

The issue comes through arbitrary code execution due to a but in how a de-referenced pointer to memory is handled and has been rated as a critical issue. Adobe's new update covers Windows, Linux and OS X platforms, claiming that they are now provided with "additional hardening" against the flaw known as CVE-2014-8439 which was uncovered and patched in the past.

Exploit kits are designed to deliver Malware to website visitors through methods of deception or taking advantage of vulnerabilities. Kafeine discovered this Flash flaw in October this year, with this method becoming implemented in two more exploit kits named Astrum and Nuclear. Microsoft users have received an automatic patch update, through security advisory 2755801 and Chrome has applied this update personally. OS X users should update their Flash Player to version 15.0.0.239.

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Apple's market value tips over $700 billion

Chris Smith | Business, Financial & Legal | Nov 25, 2014 8:01 PM CST

Apple has become the first company to jump over the $700 billion milestone, thanks to a rise in shares pushing them to this evaluation earlier today.

Apple shares experienced an almost-one percent rise this morning in the US market, seeing them now valued at $119.75 and meaning their market capitalization was made equal to around $701.7 billion.

This marks a massive 48% rise in 2014, with constant improvement seen since April. Reportedly due to Apple claiming they will go to extra measures to boost their share price, they announced its first stock split in nine years - claiming it would buy back another $30 billion in stock. This coupled with a quarterly dividend raise has shown massive success for the tech giant.

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VR device 3DHead has evaporated - has no ties to Oculus

Chris Smith | Virtual & Augmented Reality and 3D | Nov 25, 2014 6:53 PM CST

Voted in my personal top five worst advertisements of all time, the 3DHEAD was seen popping up around the internet in recent times - consistently claiming to be much better than what Oculus had to offer, the title even including the words "Oculus killer". Featuring amazing specification as a 2K resolution, the ability to use it in conjunction with controllers on your PC and the ability to make your voice one of the most annoying things on the planet - what's not to love?

Thanks to a Reddit thread made by 'crazy_goat', we've come to the knowledge that 3DHEAD has just randomly disappeared off the internet. This post contains information including the disappearance from the internet and following the apparently crazy original investor - Alki David.

How crazy could he be? Billionaires often make silly technology investments without knowing the full information, surely! Alongside David offering millions of dollars to Chris Brown and Drake to fight in a boxing match, he also once tried to convince news outlets that he had aired the first assisted suicide live on the internet as publicity for his website.

Continue reading: VR device 3DHead has evaporated - has no ties to Oculus (full post)

Senator wants Visa, Mastercard to 'recommit' efforts to fight piracy

Michael Hatamoto | Business, Financial & Legal | Nov 25, 2014 6:15 PM CST

Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-VT) wants Visa and Mastercard to "recommit their efforts" in the evolving fight against illegal activity online. And the focus isn't on counterfeiting or gambling - it's dedicated to online copyright infringement.

Following the demise of the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the RIAA and MPAA have gone back to the drawing board in their continued fight against Internet piracy. Political lobbying remains an active objective that won't go away, with the group's calling upon politicians to continue pressuring companies.

Here is what Leahy said (via press statement):

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Xbox One designer responds to critics that say the console is too big

Michael Hatamoto | Gaming | Nov 25, 2014 5:40 PM CST

The Microsoft Xbox One and Sony PlayStation 4 game consoles are selling extremely well - but that doesn't necessarily mean everyone is happy. Carl Ledbetter, who was project manager behind the Xbox One's physical design, recently responded against criticism of the Xbox One's bulkiness.

While the Xbox One is heavier and bigger than the Xbox 360 - at a time when consumers seemingly want to see more hardware packed into streamlined designs - Ledbetter understands not everyone will be happy when a console is released. He explained the growing pains - and what is done to overcome certain hardware design barriers that many people seem to take for granted.

"Everybody gets frustrated, because what we want is for everything to be wafer thin, not get hot and just be a snap to put together," Ledbetter said. "But the reality is that there are very real issues around cooling when you're pushing some number of watts in the processor, therefore the thing has to have some size to it. There's always an interesting dynamic between engineering and design, and constraints around performance.

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'Blade Runner' sequel won't be directed by Ridley Scott

Ben Gourlay | Celebrities & Entertainment | Nov 25, 2014 5:18 PM CST

32 years on from the release of the original, Ridley Scott is preparing to revisit the world of 'Blade Runner', with a sequel which will see Harrison Ford reprise his role of is-he or isn't-he-a-replicant Deckard. But now, the 76 year old director has announced that he won't be behind the camera for 'Blade Runner 2', but will serve as producer.

Speaking to Variety whilst on the promo rounds for his latest picture, 'Exodus: Gods and Kings', Scott has confirmed some more details on the story, written by the original 'Blade Runner' scribe Hampton Fancher.

We talked at length about what it could be, and came up with a pretty strong three-act storyline, and it all makes sense in terms of how it relates to the first one. Harrison is very much part of this one, but really it's about finding him; he comes in in the third act.

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Meet the Sonim XP7 Extreme, the 'world's most rugged' Android phone

Sonim has just unveiled the "world's most rugged LTE/Wi-Fi/Android smartphone" with its new XP7 Extreme, featuring a 4-inch 800x480 "glove touchscreen" and oh-so-much more. The company has taken to Indiegogo to raise $150,000 for this awesome device, with the campaign ending on January 7, 2015.

The 4-inch display may be low-res in this QHD world we live in, but it is a high-visible display which is viewable in direct sunlight, a powerful 103 dB speaker, the keys and screen can be used with heavy or wet gloves, it's rated at IP68, which means the XP7 Extreme can be fully submerged in water at up to 6.5 feet, for up to 30 minutes, as well as being rated at IP69, for resistance to high temperature pressure wash.

The Sonim XP7 Extreme is also drop and impact resistant, surviving drops up to 6.5 feet onto concrete, from any angle. It can be used in temperatures ranging from -4C to 131F, can survive in extreme pressures of up to one metric ton, is resistant to oils and chemicals, and is also puncture resistant. But don't worry, Sonim (even with all these technologies keeping it safe) still offer a 3-year comprehensive warranty, covering accidental damage.

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'Jurassic World' teaser trailer roars out of the gate

Ben Gourlay | Celebrities & Entertainment | Nov 25, 2014 4:13 PM CST

Whilst the first teaser for 'Jurassic World' wasn't supposed to be released until Thursday, it seems Universal wanted to get out a little earlier to get some clear space before the launch of the 'Star Wars' teaser and have outed their first look at the 2015 blockbuster - and it's a doozy.

Showing the kinds of things I've wanted to see for years - a fully functional and operative park akin to a theme park, and something I didn't expect to see, I gotta say, 'Jurassic World' has now surpassed 'Avengers: Age of Ultron' as my most anticipated film of the 2015 blockbuster season.

'Jurassic World' hits 3D, 2D and IMAX screens worldwide in June 2015.

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Intel learns painful lessons in the mobile industry, as it looks ahead

Hardware maker Intel wanted to rely on its desktop, laptop and server CPUs, and missed the mobile boat when the smartphone and tablet markets began to soar. The company has managed to get its CPUs in tablets, giving away millions of chips to manufacturers, and will continue to expand its offerings in 2015.

"All is not well," said Andy Bryant, Intel board chairman, when speaking at the Intel annual investor meeting. "We are aware we're losing logs of money trying to gain presence in the mobility space. I'm not proud of the money we're losing, but I'm not embarrassed by it. This is the price we pay for sitting on the sidelines for a number of years. We're fighting our way back into a market. We will improve this. We will not accept a business to lose billions of dollars. We are getting back in."

Despite dropping growth in the tablet market - as saturation continues to increase - the mobile market will remain a viable goal for hardware manufacturers. Even though Intel has greatly struggled trying to enter the space, profitability in smartphones, tablets, and other devices can be achieved.

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IDC: Tablet boom is over as sales drop, with first year of iPad drop

The tablet market has seen massive deceleration this year, and while year-over-year growth still accounted for 7.2 percent, the figure is down from 52.5 percent in 2013, according to the IDC research group. There will be 235.7 million tablets shipped in 2014, and is a clear indicator consumers need full functionality of PCs and smartphones.

Android has seen 16 percent year-over-year tablet market growth, now amounting for 67.7 percent of the market - Apple iOS is the No. 2 spot, but struggled, losing 12.7 percent year-over-year. Microsoft Windows saw 67.3 percent year-over-year and now has 4.6 percent control of the tablet market.

"The tablet market continues to be impacted by a few major trends happening in relevant markets," said Ryan Reith, IDC Program Director. "In the early stages of the tablet market, device lifecycles were expected to resemble those of smartphones, with replacement occurring every 2-3 years. What has played out instead is that many tablet owners are holding onto their devices for more than 3 years and in some instances more than 4 years. We believe the two major drivers for longer than expected tablet lifecycles are legacy software support for older products, especially within iOS, and the increased use of smartphones for a variety of computing tasks."

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