Smart spear phishing could kill the power grid, experts warn
John P. Mello Jr. @jpmello
While the energy industry may fear the appearance of another Stuxnet on the systems they use to keep oil and gas flowing and the electric grid powered, an equally devastating attack could come from a much more mundane source: phishing.
Rather than worry about exotic cyber weapons like Stuxnet and its big brother, Flame, companies that have Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems—computer systems that monitor and control industrial processes—should make sure that their anti-phishing programs are in order, say security experts.
"The way malware is getting into these internal networks is by social engineering people via email," Rohyt Belani, CEO and co-founder of the anti-phishing training firm PhishMe, said in an interview.
"You send them something that's targeted, that contains a believable story, not high-volume spam, and people will act on it by clicking a link or opening a file attached to it," he said. "Then, boom, the attackers get that initial foothold they're looking for."
How it could happen
In a case study cited by Belani, he recalled a very narrow attack on a single employee working the night shift monitoring his company's SCADA systems.
The attacker researched the worker's background on the Internet and used the fact he had four children to craft a bogus email from the company's human resources department with a special health insurance offer for families with three or more kids.
The employee clicked a malicious link in the message and infected his company's network with malware. "Engineers are pretty vulnerable to phishing attacks," Tyler Klinger, a researcher with Critical Intelligence, said in an interview.
He recalled an experiment he conducted with several companies on engineers and others with access to SCADA systems in which 26 percent of the spear phishing attacks on them were successful.
Success means that the target clicked on a malicious link in the phishing mail. Klinger's experiment ended with those clicks. In real life, those clicks would just be the beginning of the story and would not necessarily end in success for the attacker.
"If it's a common Joe or script kiddie, a company's [Intrusion Detection Systems systems will probably catch the attack," Klinger said. "If they're using a Java zero-day or something like that, there would be no defense against it."
In addition, phishing attacks are aimed at a target's email, which are usually located on a company's IT network. Companies with SCADA systems typically segregate them from their IT networks with an "air gap."
That air gap is designed to insulate the SCADA systems from the kinds of infections perpetrated by spear phishing attacks. "Air gaps are a mess these days," Klinger said. "Stuxnet taught us that."
"Once you're in an engineer's email, it's just a matter of cross-contamination," he added. "Eventually an engineer is going to have to access the Internet to update something on the SCADA and that's when you get cross-contamination."
Current concerns
Phishing attacks on SCADA systems are likely rare, said Raj Samani, vice president and CTO of McAfee's EMEA.
"I would anticipate that the majority of spear phishing attacks against employees would be focused against the IT network," Samani said in an interview. "The espionage attacks on IT systems would dwarf those against SCADA equipment."
Still, the attacks are happening. "These are very targeted attacks and not something widely publicized," said Dave Jevans chairman and CTO of Marble Security and chairman of the Anti-Phishing Work Group.
Jevans acknowledged, though, that most SCADA attacks involve surveillance of the systems and not infection of them. "They're looking for how it works, can a backdoor be maintained into the system so they can use it in the future," he said.
"Most of those SCADA systems have no real security," Jevans said. "They rely on not being directly connected to the Internet, but there's always some Internet connection somewhere."
Some companies even still have dial-in numbers for connection to their systems with a modem. "Their security on that system is, 'Don't tell anybody the phone number,'" he said.
2013年9月22日星期日
11 great PC co-op games to play with your buddies
11 great PC co-op games to play with your buddies
Alex Cocilova @TheBrowncoat88 Sep 20, 2013 3:00 AM
Best friends forever
Need some time to bond with your buds? It’s been a busy summer, you haven’t been around, and you want to get back in their good graces. Here's my solution: play some co-op games!
What brings people together more than blowing up aliens, robbing banks, or trapping each other in physics-defying infinite wormholes? Nothing I can think of.
We’ll start with some robbery hijinks that are guaranteed to lead to playful yelling and uncontrollable laughter.
Alex Cocilova @TheBrowncoat88 Sep 20, 2013 3:00 AM
Best friends forever
Need some time to bond with your buds? It’s been a busy summer, you haven’t been around, and you want to get back in their good graces. Here's my solution: play some co-op games!
What brings people together more than blowing up aliens, robbing banks, or trapping each other in physics-defying infinite wormholes? Nothing I can think of.
We’ll start with some robbery hijinks that are guaranteed to lead to playful yelling and uncontrollable laughter.
5 launcher apps to give your Android phone a fresh new look
5 launcher apps to give your Android phone a fresh new look
Florence Ion @Ohthatflo
There are many faces of Android: There’s the stock version offered by Google that’s stylized in Google’s own vision, and there’s the version that your manufacturer would rather have you use. When it comes to interfaces we wish we could change, the latter version is usually the one causing headaches.
It’a a matter of taste, but the interface that your Android phone comes saddled with may not always be the most appealing, and that’s why there are myriad launcher apps available in the Google Play store. These apps customize the way the interface looks and operates, and even streamline animations as you pan between screens.
How to enable a launcher
Once you install an application launcher, you’ll have to remember to make it the default home screen. When you go to your home screen, Android will prompt you about which launcher you wish to use, so be sure to select the new launcher you’ve installed and tap Always, unless you want to be prompted every time you go to the home screen. If you get sick of your new interface, you can always reset your defaults in the settings menu.
Nova Launcher
Nova Launcher is a longtime favorite of Android users, and for good reason: It’s extremely customizable and it doesn’t veer too far from the Android experience you’ve grown accustomed to.
Nova Launcher can move the status bar and the dock, and whittle your Android interface down to absolute simplicity.
Its settings menu may appear overwhelming at first, but once you spend some time perusing your options, you’ll discover that you can do things like set the style of the Google search bar, set the space between margins, and enlarge or shrink all system icons. You can even set how you want folders to look and whether you want to switch to Google’s stock icons or stay with the ones your phone maker has provided you with. For many of the options, you can choose which version of Android to emulate, which can come in very handy if you have an older phone that won’t get updated to the latest version of Android anytime soon.
Don’t be overwhelmed by these settings. They’re there to help you.
You’ll have to upgrade to the $4 Nova Launcher Prime if you want to unlock a few other of its customizable features, including dock swipes, gestures, and the ability to hide apps that you hardly use. Nova Launcher works only on Android 4.0 and later.
Smart Launcher
Smart Launcher adds a bit more flair to your interface—and a sidebar.
Smart Launcher starts off by asking you to select your app preferences, like which browser you prefer and what music app you usually listen to, and then it pops up an entirely new home screen with a menu bar on the left-hand side.
Smart Launcher will make your icons look mismatched if you have an icon pack installed.
It isn’t the most appealing interface, nor is it very intuitive. I didn’t like the way it organized my apps at first, and if you’re using a manufacturer-provided overlay, like Samsung’s TouchWiz UI or LG’s Optimus UI, the interface will look crowded. Smart Launcher’s sidebar looks a bit nicer on a tablet interface.
Smart Launcher is nicer looking on a tablet.
The app also offers gesture support, downloadable theme packs, and various customization options for the interface, including the ability to install plug-ins, though the only available plug-ins I could find were in the Google Play store. You can also install custom icon packs, though they can look mismatched among the non-stock apps also hanging out on the Home screen. If you decide that you want to stick with Smart Launcher, you can shell out $4 for the Pro version to get a secondary panel for widgets, more transitions, more colors to personalize the home screen, and multi-touch gestures.
Go Launcher EX
Theme junkies, Go Launcher EX features thousands of themes for personalizing your interface, though it requires a bit of tweaking before you can get it to function to your liking. You’ll also have to individually delete a few pages of trial apps and widgets that it bundles with the download, but from there it’s an easy process: Go into the settings, select Themes, and choose something from Go Launcher’s vast library.
It’s gaudy. It’s busy. It’s chock-full of “try me now!” buttons.
This app also features a number of downloadable plug-ins, like a custom-lock-screen app, a file manager, and its own official UI 3.0 theme. Also included are options to enhance things like the flipping speed and transition effects,enable infinite scrolling, and fit icons to the screen. Sometimes it felt like Go Launcher packed in too much choice, however, so you’ll need some time to peruse the various options. Bear in mind that the app also features one of the largest user communities, many of whom are constantly submitting new wallpapers and themes.
So many themes, so little time.
Go Launcher EX is ad-supported, but you can unlock the app, as well as a number of extra features, with an in-app purchase of $6.
Apex Launcher
Like Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher is a fairly straightforward application, and it offers plenty of options for altering the overall look of your Android interface without detracting from the experience you’re used to. There are also themes available, should you choose to go that route, or you can leave your interface as is and instead alter things such as the transitional effects between screens or the size of your app icons. With Apex Launcher, you can also hide the icons of apps you never use and resize widgets that are not normally resizable.
Apex Launcher can give you a nice, pristine-looking interface.
If you upgrade to the $4 Apex Launcher Pro, you can unlock the ability to add tabs and folders to your application drawer, change dock swipe options, and enable the ability to allow widgets to overlap, among other thingss.
ADW.Launcher
ADW.Launcher starts you off with a setup screen that walks you through the process of configuring the Action Bar, the App Drawer, the home page, and transitions.
ADW.Launcher makes subtle tweaks, like moving the button for the App Drawer to the right in the dock.
Like the others launchers listed here, ADW offers a surfeit of display options. If you had themes installed previously, ADW will recognize those and point them out for you. A nice option embedded in the Advanced settings called ‘Keep in Memory’ helps prevent the app from going wild with your device’s memory usage. And you can select whether or not you want widgets to overlap. ADW.Launcher will work with your aging Android handset, up to Android 1.6 Donut.
You can set up the transition effects between screens (left) in ADW.Launcher’s settings menu (right).
After you’re done, be sure to share your interface creations online at My Color Screen and on the official subReddit for Android themes. You can also use those sites as resources for ways to make your Android device your own by customizing the interface.
Florence Ion @Ohthatflo
There are many faces of Android: There’s the stock version offered by Google that’s stylized in Google’s own vision, and there’s the version that your manufacturer would rather have you use. When it comes to interfaces we wish we could change, the latter version is usually the one causing headaches.
It’a a matter of taste, but the interface that your Android phone comes saddled with may not always be the most appealing, and that’s why there are myriad launcher apps available in the Google Play store. These apps customize the way the interface looks and operates, and even streamline animations as you pan between screens.
How to enable a launcher
Once you install an application launcher, you’ll have to remember to make it the default home screen. When you go to your home screen, Android will prompt you about which launcher you wish to use, so be sure to select the new launcher you’ve installed and tap Always, unless you want to be prompted every time you go to the home screen. If you get sick of your new interface, you can always reset your defaults in the settings menu.
Nova Launcher
Nova Launcher is a longtime favorite of Android users, and for good reason: It’s extremely customizable and it doesn’t veer too far from the Android experience you’ve grown accustomed to.
Nova Launcher can move the status bar and the dock, and whittle your Android interface down to absolute simplicity.
Its settings menu may appear overwhelming at first, but once you spend some time perusing your options, you’ll discover that you can do things like set the style of the Google search bar, set the space between margins, and enlarge or shrink all system icons. You can even set how you want folders to look and whether you want to switch to Google’s stock icons or stay with the ones your phone maker has provided you with. For many of the options, you can choose which version of Android to emulate, which can come in very handy if you have an older phone that won’t get updated to the latest version of Android anytime soon.
Don’t be overwhelmed by these settings. They’re there to help you.
You’ll have to upgrade to the $4 Nova Launcher Prime if you want to unlock a few other of its customizable features, including dock swipes, gestures, and the ability to hide apps that you hardly use. Nova Launcher works only on Android 4.0 and later.
Smart Launcher
Smart Launcher adds a bit more flair to your interface—and a sidebar.
Smart Launcher starts off by asking you to select your app preferences, like which browser you prefer and what music app you usually listen to, and then it pops up an entirely new home screen with a menu bar on the left-hand side.
Smart Launcher will make your icons look mismatched if you have an icon pack installed.
It isn’t the most appealing interface, nor is it very intuitive. I didn’t like the way it organized my apps at first, and if you’re using a manufacturer-provided overlay, like Samsung’s TouchWiz UI or LG’s Optimus UI, the interface will look crowded. Smart Launcher’s sidebar looks a bit nicer on a tablet interface.
Smart Launcher is nicer looking on a tablet.
The app also offers gesture support, downloadable theme packs, and various customization options for the interface, including the ability to install plug-ins, though the only available plug-ins I could find were in the Google Play store. You can also install custom icon packs, though they can look mismatched among the non-stock apps also hanging out on the Home screen. If you decide that you want to stick with Smart Launcher, you can shell out $4 for the Pro version to get a secondary panel for widgets, more transitions, more colors to personalize the home screen, and multi-touch gestures.
Go Launcher EX
Theme junkies, Go Launcher EX features thousands of themes for personalizing your interface, though it requires a bit of tweaking before you can get it to function to your liking. You’ll also have to individually delete a few pages of trial apps and widgets that it bundles with the download, but from there it’s an easy process: Go into the settings, select Themes, and choose something from Go Launcher’s vast library.
It’s gaudy. It’s busy. It’s chock-full of “try me now!” buttons.
This app also features a number of downloadable plug-ins, like a custom-lock-screen app, a file manager, and its own official UI 3.0 theme. Also included are options to enhance things like the flipping speed and transition effects,enable infinite scrolling, and fit icons to the screen. Sometimes it felt like Go Launcher packed in too much choice, however, so you’ll need some time to peruse the various options. Bear in mind that the app also features one of the largest user communities, many of whom are constantly submitting new wallpapers and themes.
So many themes, so little time.
Go Launcher EX is ad-supported, but you can unlock the app, as well as a number of extra features, with an in-app purchase of $6.
Apex Launcher
Like Nova Launcher, Apex Launcher is a fairly straightforward application, and it offers plenty of options for altering the overall look of your Android interface without detracting from the experience you’re used to. There are also themes available, should you choose to go that route, or you can leave your interface as is and instead alter things such as the transitional effects between screens or the size of your app icons. With Apex Launcher, you can also hide the icons of apps you never use and resize widgets that are not normally resizable.
Apex Launcher can give you a nice, pristine-looking interface.
If you upgrade to the $4 Apex Launcher Pro, you can unlock the ability to add tabs and folders to your application drawer, change dock swipe options, and enable the ability to allow widgets to overlap, among other thingss.
ADW.Launcher
ADW.Launcher starts you off with a setup screen that walks you through the process of configuring the Action Bar, the App Drawer, the home page, and transitions.
ADW.Launcher makes subtle tweaks, like moving the button for the App Drawer to the right in the dock.
Like the others launchers listed here, ADW offers a surfeit of display options. If you had themes installed previously, ADW will recognize those and point them out for you. A nice option embedded in the Advanced settings called ‘Keep in Memory’ helps prevent the app from going wild with your device’s memory usage. And you can select whether or not you want widgets to overlap. ADW.Launcher will work with your aging Android handset, up to Android 1.6 Donut.
You can set up the transition effects between screens (left) in ADW.Launcher’s settings menu (right).
After you’re done, be sure to share your interface creations online at My Color Screen and on the official subReddit for Android themes. You can also use those sites as resources for ways to make your Android device your own by customizing the interface.
2013年9月18日星期三
Microsoft rushes urgent fix for Internet Explorer
Microsoft rushes urgent fix for Internet Explorer
Tony Bradley @tonybradleybsg
It’s not Patch Tuesday, but Microsoft has released a crucial update for Internet Explorer that you should apply immediately.
Microsoft included a cumulative update for Internet Explorer in the 13 security bulletins that made up Patch Tuesday last week, and that update was considered Critical as well. Since then, though, a new flaw has been targeted by attacks in the wild, so Microsoft has responded with an out-of-band update.
Apply the urgent Fix-It solution from Microsoft to protect Internet Explorer from exploits.
The update from Microsoft is a Fix-It tool, which is more of a stop-gap bandage than an actual patch. Applying the Fix-It will protect Internet Explorer and prevent the currently circulating exploit from working on your systems.
Paul Henry, security and forensic analyst with Lumension, says that there are number of mitigating factors that limit the potential scope of this threat, but those factors may offer little consolation for many users. “The bad news is that this is a very wide-reaching patch, affecting all versions of IE across all operating systems, from XP to RT," he says. "And more bad news: the average user is very susceptible to being hit with this.”
Microsoft claims that running Internet Explorer in Enhanced Security Configuration mode prevents this attack. Internet Explorer runs in this restricted mode by default on Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2.
Microsoft states that all supported versions of Outlook, Outlook Express, and Windows Mail include protection by default as well. HTML email messages are opened by default in the Restricted Sites security zone, which disables scripts and ActiveX controls necessary for the exploit to execute.
However, Microsoft cautions that the protection in Outlook only applies to the HTML message within Outlook itself. If a user receives an email with a link and clicks on it, they’re still potentially vulnerable because the threat is now Web-based and functioning outside of Outlook.
“The average user does not run the restricted sites mode, are not using the Enhanced Security Configuration and are all-too-willing to click on phishing emails," Henry explains, "I recommend employing the mitigating factors, as well as advising users about this so they will be less likely to click malicious links until you can apply the patch. It’s been a while since we’ve seen an out-of-band patch for IE from Microsoft, but it’s still important to apply it as soon as possible.”
“It's important to reiterate that ALL versions of IE are affected including the Internet Explorer 11 preview, Tyler Reguly, technical manager of security research and development for Tripwire, says. "Since attacks are occurring now, this is a situation where it's in everyone's best interest for Microsoft to release a patch as soon as possible. In the meantime, install the shim that they've released.”
He adds, “For less technical users that aren't comfortable with Microsoft Fix it solutions, using another browser until a patch is available is the best option,”
A couple additional notes: The Fix-It solution only works with 32-bit versions of Internet Explorer, and you must first apply the cumulative update for Internet Explorer from last week’s Patch Tuesday (MS13-069).
Tony Bradley @tonybradleybsg
It’s not Patch Tuesday, but Microsoft has released a crucial update for Internet Explorer that you should apply immediately.
Microsoft included a cumulative update for Internet Explorer in the 13 security bulletins that made up Patch Tuesday last week, and that update was considered Critical as well. Since then, though, a new flaw has been targeted by attacks in the wild, so Microsoft has responded with an out-of-band update.
Apply the urgent Fix-It solution from Microsoft to protect Internet Explorer from exploits.
The update from Microsoft is a Fix-It tool, which is more of a stop-gap bandage than an actual patch. Applying the Fix-It will protect Internet Explorer and prevent the currently circulating exploit from working on your systems.
Paul Henry, security and forensic analyst with Lumension, says that there are number of mitigating factors that limit the potential scope of this threat, but those factors may offer little consolation for many users. “The bad news is that this is a very wide-reaching patch, affecting all versions of IE across all operating systems, from XP to RT," he says. "And more bad news: the average user is very susceptible to being hit with this.”
Microsoft claims that running Internet Explorer in Enhanced Security Configuration mode prevents this attack. Internet Explorer runs in this restricted mode by default on Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 R2, Windows Server 2012, and Windows Server 2012 R2.
Microsoft states that all supported versions of Outlook, Outlook Express, and Windows Mail include protection by default as well. HTML email messages are opened by default in the Restricted Sites security zone, which disables scripts and ActiveX controls necessary for the exploit to execute.
However, Microsoft cautions that the protection in Outlook only applies to the HTML message within Outlook itself. If a user receives an email with a link and clicks on it, they’re still potentially vulnerable because the threat is now Web-based and functioning outside of Outlook.
“The average user does not run the restricted sites mode, are not using the Enhanced Security Configuration and are all-too-willing to click on phishing emails," Henry explains, "I recommend employing the mitigating factors, as well as advising users about this so they will be less likely to click malicious links until you can apply the patch. It’s been a while since we’ve seen an out-of-band patch for IE from Microsoft, but it’s still important to apply it as soon as possible.”
“It's important to reiterate that ALL versions of IE are affected including the Internet Explorer 11 preview, Tyler Reguly, technical manager of security research and development for Tripwire, says. "Since attacks are occurring now, this is a situation where it's in everyone's best interest for Microsoft to release a patch as soon as possible. In the meantime, install the shim that they've released.”
He adds, “For less technical users that aren't comfortable with Microsoft Fix it solutions, using another browser until a patch is available is the best option,”
A couple additional notes: The Fix-It solution only works with 32-bit versions of Internet Explorer, and you must first apply the cumulative update for Internet Explorer from last week’s Patch Tuesday (MS13-069).
Munich to hand out Ubuntu Linux CDs to ward off upcoming Windows XPocalypse
Munich to hand out Ubuntu Linux CDs to ward off upcoming Windows XPocalypse
Brad Chacos @BradChacos
The end is nigh, and the date of doom has been foretold. The Windows XPocalypse is set to unleash hell on April 8, 2014, and in a bid to preserve the security of its citizens, the German city of Munich is turning to an unlikely savior: Ubuntu Linux.
Both security experts and Microsoft itself have warned that the impending end-of-life date for Windows XP could spark a hacker holiday, as the still-popular operating system will stop receiving security patches to plug vulnerability holes. Microsoft went so far as to warn that people who continue to run Windows XP beyond April will forever suffer from zero day exploits that could harm both your PC and spread to infect your friends.
Microsoft's solution, naturally, entails upgrading to a new version of Windows or picking up a newer PC. Munich's solution is much less costly: The city plans to distribute 2,000 Ubuntu Linux installation discs via the Gasteig library, giving its citizens a no-cost solution to the Windows XP conundrum.
Ubuntu, like virtually all Linux distributions, has a small footprint and should work just fine on the types of older systems frequently found running Windows XP. The minimum system requirements for Ubuntu is 64 megabytes of RAM (though 512MB is recommended) and 5GB of storage space.
Munich won't provide official support for the discs it hands out, though the version being distributed is Ubuntu 12.04, a long-term support release, rather than the newer, yet shorter-lived Ubuntu 13.04. Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is guaranteed to receive updates and security patches until April, 2017.
A solid replacement
Seriously: Windows XP users should abandon the ship before the ship goes down, and Ubuntu Linux is a great no-cost option for casual users.
Ubuntu Linux is one of the more popular Linux distributions around on account of its silky-smooth installation and fairly flat learning curve. The OS comes preloaded with a bevy of helpful open-source software (like Firefox, the Thunderbird email client, and the LibreOffice productivity suite) to ease the transition even more. And hey, Steam's boss says Linux is the future of PC gaming!
But even still, trying the open-source operating system on for size after years of Windows usage could result in some shock. PCWorld has guides for displaced Ubuntu users and aspiring Linux gamers alike, and if you're really feeling out of sorts after making the switch, we even have a guide to making Ubuntu look and feel like Windows 7.
Brad Chacos @BradChacos
The end is nigh, and the date of doom has been foretold. The Windows XPocalypse is set to unleash hell on April 8, 2014, and in a bid to preserve the security of its citizens, the German city of Munich is turning to an unlikely savior: Ubuntu Linux.
Both security experts and Microsoft itself have warned that the impending end-of-life date for Windows XP could spark a hacker holiday, as the still-popular operating system will stop receiving security patches to plug vulnerability holes. Microsoft went so far as to warn that people who continue to run Windows XP beyond April will forever suffer from zero day exploits that could harm both your PC and spread to infect your friends.
Microsoft's solution, naturally, entails upgrading to a new version of Windows or picking up a newer PC. Munich's solution is much less costly: The city plans to distribute 2,000 Ubuntu Linux installation discs via the Gasteig library, giving its citizens a no-cost solution to the Windows XP conundrum.
Ubuntu, like virtually all Linux distributions, has a small footprint and should work just fine on the types of older systems frequently found running Windows XP. The minimum system requirements for Ubuntu is 64 megabytes of RAM (though 512MB is recommended) and 5GB of storage space.
Munich won't provide official support for the discs it hands out, though the version being distributed is Ubuntu 12.04, a long-term support release, rather than the newer, yet shorter-lived Ubuntu 13.04. Ubuntu 12.04 LTS is guaranteed to receive updates and security patches until April, 2017.
A solid replacement
Seriously: Windows XP users should abandon the ship before the ship goes down, and Ubuntu Linux is a great no-cost option for casual users.
Ubuntu Linux is one of the more popular Linux distributions around on account of its silky-smooth installation and fairly flat learning curve. The OS comes preloaded with a bevy of helpful open-source software (like Firefox, the Thunderbird email client, and the LibreOffice productivity suite) to ease the transition even more. And hey, Steam's boss says Linux is the future of PC gaming!
But even still, trying the open-source operating system on for size after years of Windows usage could result in some shock. PCWorld has guides for displaced Ubuntu users and aspiring Linux gamers alike, and if you're really feeling out of sorts after making the switch, we even have a guide to making Ubuntu look and feel like Windows 7.
The Nexus 4 is gone, but its death will probably be avenged by the Nexus 5
The Nexus 4 is gone, but its death will probably be avenged by the Nexus 5
Evan Dashevsky @haldash
The Nexus 4 is dead.
Last week, Google Play sold out of the 8GB version of the LG-produced phone, and Google said it had no plans to bring more to market. Yesterday, the 16GB version became unavailable, and according to unnamed sources reported by The Verge and AllThingsD, Google has no plans to restock the device in any storage size.
The prices of both versions of the unlocked, unsubsidized phones were recently slashed to $200 and $250 respectively, a $100 reduction from their normal prices. Google's recent round of price chopping may have been a way to clean out inventory and signal the impending debut of the next-generation Nexus 5. Just in time for the holiday season!
While LG has publically said it has no plans to build the Nexus 5, there is some evidence to the contrary. The FCC recently approved a new LG phone that looks very similar to the Nexus 4 and which will—like the Nexus 4—run on an unmodified, stock version of Android.
Whatever the new LG phone is, the KitKat-powered device will boast a 5-inch display as compared to the Nexus 4's 4.7-inch display. Additionally, it will be powered by a top shelf Snapdragon 800 processor, which is an evolutionary step over the Nexus 4's Snapdragon S4 Pro. The new phone will also support 4G LTE, which would be a welcome change from the Nexus 4, which only supported HSPA+ and Wi-Fi.
Going by history, the timing for a new Nexus phone from LG would be just about right as the Nexus 4 was first introduced in late-October 2012 for a November release. There have been no official confirmation from either Google or LG regarding the existence of a Nexus 5, but the recent price-slashing, FCC-filing, and that embarrasing video mistake would point that an announcement may be forthcoming.
Evan Dashevsky @haldash
The Nexus 4 is dead.
Last week, Google Play sold out of the 8GB version of the LG-produced phone, and Google said it had no plans to bring more to market. Yesterday, the 16GB version became unavailable, and according to unnamed sources reported by The Verge and AllThingsD, Google has no plans to restock the device in any storage size.
The prices of both versions of the unlocked, unsubsidized phones were recently slashed to $200 and $250 respectively, a $100 reduction from their normal prices. Google's recent round of price chopping may have been a way to clean out inventory and signal the impending debut of the next-generation Nexus 5. Just in time for the holiday season!
While LG has publically said it has no plans to build the Nexus 5, there is some evidence to the contrary. The FCC recently approved a new LG phone that looks very similar to the Nexus 4 and which will—like the Nexus 4—run on an unmodified, stock version of Android.
Whatever the new LG phone is, the KitKat-powered device will boast a 5-inch display as compared to the Nexus 4's 4.7-inch display. Additionally, it will be powered by a top shelf Snapdragon 800 processor, which is an evolutionary step over the Nexus 4's Snapdragon S4 Pro. The new phone will also support 4G LTE, which would be a welcome change from the Nexus 4, which only supported HSPA+ and Wi-Fi.
Going by history, the timing for a new Nexus phone from LG would be just about right as the Nexus 4 was first introduced in late-October 2012 for a November release. There have been no official confirmation from either Google or LG regarding the existence of a Nexus 5, but the recent price-slashing, FCC-filing, and that embarrasing video mistake would point that an announcement may be forthcoming.
2013年9月16日星期一
12 of the coolest technologies we spotted at IDF 2013
12 of the coolest technologies we spotted at IDF 2013
Michael Brown @brownieshq Sep 13, 2013 3:48 PM
Intel Developer Forum 2013
Intel’s annual developer forum ended Thursday, capping three days of keynote speeches, new product announcements, and in-depth technical sessions.
There was a lot to see, ranging from brand-new chips to PCs and tablets in bold new form factors to steaming tanks of liquid nitrogen. These photos depict just a few of the event's highlights.
Michael Brown @brownieshq Sep 13, 2013 3:48 PM
Intel Developer Forum 2013
Intel’s annual developer forum ended Thursday, capping three days of keynote speeches, new product announcements, and in-depth technical sessions.
There was a lot to see, ranging from brand-new chips to PCs and tablets in bold new form factors to steaming tanks of liquid nitrogen. These photos depict just a few of the event's highlights.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)