iPhone Virus: What You Need to Know

"The iPhone's security flaws were laid bare at the Black Hat Conference in Las Vegas yesterday, and now the smartphone-clutching public has boiled itself into a frenzy. But how serious is this supposed iPhone virus, and what can be done to protect your iPhone from infection? Here is what we know, and why you probably shouldn't worry.

The Attack Comes Through SMS

The iPhone virus exploits a memory corruption bug in the way the iPhone handles SMS messages. If your phone is the target of a hacker, you will receive a text message with only a square in the message -- that's when you know someone is digging his heels into your sand. But according to Eric Everson, founder of security firm MyMobiSafe, it takes a total of 512 text messages to actually get under the hood. The other 511 may float in like ghosts, totally undetectable to the user, but if at least one of them is deleted, the hack is incomplete. Turning your iPhone off or sliding it into Airplane Mode are quick and simple ways to escape the bull's-eye."

Continue Reading reading the full story by Brennon Slattery at PC World

UPDATE: You can now download the fix for this from iTunes

Microsoft Office 2008 SP2 update kills cross platform file compatibility

Thanks Microsoft don't you guys test your software anymore? Many users are reporting they can't open an Office document after I install Office 2008 SP2 Update.

Cause: This is a known issue with Office 2008 for Mac Service Pack 2 (12.2.0) that prevents some Open XML Format files from opening. To address this issue, we will release an update in August. In the meantime, you can use one of the following possible solutions.

Solutions: can be found here

Update: Microsoft whips out Office 2008 patch for Mac lovers

Why Apple's iTouch Tablet Will Become Its Flagship Product

Digital content has been available for years but the right vehicle to consume the content has been lacking. We still cut down trees and hand deliver newspapers to people's homes. That worked in 1900 but 2009? Are you kidding me? The iTouch Tablet is about to change society as we know it. The demand for this product is going to overwhelm Apple (AAPL).

Let’s connect the dots from the latest round of leaks, rumors and inferences regarding the Apple Tablet. In March, Reuters reported that Apple had ordered a substantial batch of 10 inch touchscreens from Taiwan to be delivered in Q3 of 2009. In April, the Wall Street Journal reported that Steve Jobs was actively involved in the development of the Tablet. In July, the China Times reported that Apple will debut their new product in October for $800 after agreeing to production deals with Foxconn, Wintek, and Dynapack. TheStreet.com is reporting that Apple will release a subsidized Tablet through Verizon (VZ). Then, in this week's earnings call, Apple management went out of their way to trash the netbook space but they refused to deny the coming Tablet, saying they will only release products that are ‘innovative and that they are proud of'. These are all reputable sources that seem to unveil the secrecy surrounding the pending product.

Will the tablet have a substantial impact on Apple’s core business? I see this device taking its place at the high end of the iPod family; it will be a larger version of the iPod Touch. This product won’t fall quietly into place however. The iTouch Tablet launch is primed to be the most significant in the history of Apple.

Continue reading the full story Seeking Alpha

The iPhone's Not the Cause of Apple's Success - It's the Effect

How can a brand like Apple manage to turn out the kind of growth it enjoyed last quarter in this kind of economy, especially considering that its products generally tend to be pricier than its competitors'? It's tempting to credit iPhone sales for Apple's Q3 numbers, but perhaps the secret really lies in the importance placed on quality, durability and longevity during tight times.

o the delight of Apple (Nasdaq: AAPL) fans everywhere, the company is kicking butt and taking names. There's really no way around that statement, and Apple's most recent report for its fiscal 2009 third quarter backs it up. The company in Cupertino posted revenue of US$8.34 billion and a net quarterly profit of $1.23 billion, which is up compared to revenue of $7.46 billion and net quarterly profit of $1.07 billion in the year-ago quarter.

That's right, Apple grew revenue and profit in one of the worst economies of the modern tech age.

Better yet, Apple reported that its gross margin was 36.3 percent, up from 34.8 percent in the year-ago quarter.

Apple sold 2.6 million Macintosh computers during the quarter, representing a 4 percent unit increase over the year-ago period. While its sales of 10.2 million iPods represented a 7 percent unit decline from the year-ago quarter, it was hardly unexpected by Apple.

"We have three categories of what we call pocket products," noted Apple CFO Peter Oppenheimer in the company's conference call with investors this week. "Traditional MP3players, iPod touch, and iPhone. For traditional MP3 players, which includes shuffle, nano, and classic, we saw a year-over-year decline, which we internally had forecasted to occur. This is one of the original reasons we developed the iPhone and the iPod touch. We expect our traditional MP3 players to decline over time as we cannibalize ourselves with the iPod touch and the iPhone." For details, you can listen to the Apple QuickTime replay stream or head over to SeekingAlpha for the transcript.

Continue reading the full story by Chris Maxcer at MacNews World

Crazy Russian Girl's Butt Photo Meme Takes Russia by Storm

According to English Russia, this Russian whale tailing (where girls take pictures of themselves in the mirror with their heads down and their bottoms up in the air) is taking the country by storm! It all started after a blonde woman posted her photo in Russian social network and then for some reason, countless females are followed up!

Read More at Gizmodo & Geekologie & EnglishRussia

Russia selects Nuclear Beauties 2009

Yekaterina Kuts, 22, Atomic Human Resources, rated 5th,
on her knees / Photo: miss2009.nuclear.ru

Miss Atom 2009 beauty pageant has announced the winners on its official website. As usual, all the 350 contestants that competed for the title had one more thing in common, apart from being beautiful: they all work for the Russian nuclear industry.

The beauty contest, held this year for the sixth time, only features employees of nuclear energy agencies and research institutions. This year's participants came from Russia, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Lithuania.

Read the full story at http://www.mosnews.com

APR 9 2009 Two Chicks Having A Lightsaber Fight