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Saturday, 7 April 2012

Why Is Instagram So Popular?

If you’re an active social-media user, you can’t deny the phenomenon of Instagram--its trendy derivatives were a hit with PCWorld readers in 2011--and now the app, already popular among iOS gadget owners, is available for Android users as well.

Instagram is a mobile photo-sharing app, but it is also a social network. It's like Twitter with followers, only instead of real-time text updates, you provide photo updates. The app enables you to alter the photos you take with your phone by adding filtered layers that imitate the look of low-end film cameras.

Profile view on the Android version of Instagram.These days, Instagram photos are cropping up all over Facebook and Twitter feeds. To casual viewers, these discolored, scratched-up, quasi-vintage photos with square, black film backdrops are of dubious quality--so why do users of the app find them so attractive?

Low-Fi Photo Critics

It’s important to consider this low-fi photo trend in context. Not everyone thinks the app has merit. In a Facebook poll of 2000 people, for example, respondents ranked the Instagram photos coming through their Facebook feeds among the most annoying, second only to baby photos.

Jon Seff used a heavy Instagram filter on this photo of his daughter.Those who participated in the Facebook poll saw the Instagram app as too “gimmicky,” producing “unnecessary photographic effects.” Photography professionals such as Olivier Du Tré also have their criticisms, saying that the app's users are lazy in applying its cookie-cutter filters to photos, which is unimaginative and bad artistic practice. For instance, different areas of a photo require different degrees of lighting or color adjustments--but Instagram applies the same adjustments to every photo.

Originally, when the app debuted, photography purists complained that because Instagram took photos with a filter, it lost the image's original data. Now, Instagram lets you save your unfiltered, original photos by default, eliminating that problem.

Instagram aficionados, however, aren’t interested in originals, or in exactly replicating reality. Macworld Executive Editor Jon Seff, an active Instagram user, appreciates the app because it masks the blemishes in his photos and makes the pictures look more interesting. Otherwise, he says, “they’d be boring on their own.”

Bridging the Gap

Thanks to camera-equipped mobile phones, which have become cheap and ubiquitous, it’s easy for consumers to produce and share photos and other media. In fact, that casual simplicity is Instagram's biggest attraction. (For a look at how it works, see my colleague Ginny Mies's review of Instagram for Android.) However, with convenience and speed come limitations. Taking photos with a phone camera requires less effort and creativity than doing so with a digital single-lens reflex camera--a smartphone’s camera doesn’t have an adjustable lens to tweak, or a shutter or aperture to control.

Jon Seff's Instagram photo of blossoms.PCWorld Senior Editor Tim Moynihan, who covers cameras, believes that Instagram fills the gap--that it allows people to exert their creativity by choosing which filter and effect fit a photo best.

Macworld's Seff says that having Instagram makes him more thoughtful when he sees something cool to shoot and gets an idea to embellish it. “When I’m walking down the street and I see a funny sign, or something nicely framed, then I think about how to take the photo and use blurring options within the app," he says.

Even so, Instagram users don’t always approach their subjects with an intention, or art, in mind: “Sometimes I just want a fast, quick picture of my kids, and later I might decide to Instagram it,” Seff says.

The Attraction

Nick Veronin's Instagram photo of a bell.Let’s get to the heart of the attraction. For example, check out the Instagram-processed photo of the bell to the right, with the earthy tones washed out, the white burning through, and the borders cropped. To creator Nick Veronin, and to viewers who “Liked” the photo on Facebook and Instagram, or sent him comments about it on Twitter (he has linked all three of his accounts), the photo has an indescribable appeal.

Veronin takes photos of objects that he thinks are aesthetically pleasing--his shot of this bell, for one, can be understood as a reflection on the mundane. “I think my description on Instagram is ‘seeking beauty in the banal,’” says Veronin.

What is it about these photos that have such a hold on some people’s imaginations? The vintage look and feel of the photos incite a sense of nostalgia, of the good old days or of different eras, Seff says.

But there’s more: The images move the viewer one, two, or three steps away from reality, depending on the heaviness of the filter and blur. Ben Long, a photographer and Macworld writer, explains that Instagram images tend toward abstraction, and are more powerful to viewers because they have to work harder to interpret the images. And, as they do so, viewers escape to whatever feelings, memories, and experiences the images evoke.

Status Updates: Photos vs. Words

When it’s hard to communicate in words, sometimes photos make the task easier, especially when you're bumping up against Twitter character limitations or struggling with self-consciousness as you attempt to express yourself fully on Facebook, where everyone and your distant aunt is on your friends list.

Nick Veronin's Facebook feed with Instagram photos.“[If you're] describing something funny--writing it verbatim--sometimes it’s better to show it, and it gives more of an impact,” says Seff. He suggests that the emotional impact is heightened because there is ambiguity about what is in the transformed photo in the first place, and what the joke is. Again, you, the viewer, must do more to interpret it, and that inspires a stronger reaction.

To Instagram user and graduate student Heidi Kim, photo updates from Instagram tell personal stories instantaneously: “Usually people are sharing beautiful images, so I feel like it's more positive emotions, rather than people who b**** on Facebook or complain that it's Monday or something like that,” Kim says.

PCWorld Assistant Editor Alex Wawro says that his Instagram photos of food, beverages, or graffiti capture things that are interesting to him, and that the photos are simply a medium of communication.

Wawro's take is close to what Kevin Systrom, CEO of Instagram, envisioned for the app, as “an instant telegram of sorts” and a “new means of communication.”

Whatever your feelings about Instagram, the trend shows no sign of abating. The Android release of Instagram is ushering in a deluge of new users, and certainly the appearance of more photo “telegrams” on your Facebook and Twitter feeds.

Will photo updates become the medium of the future and supplant text updates? If you use Instagram, what do you like about it? If you dislike Instagram photos, why? Tell us in the comments!

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=6bb5e6035675d2f11f63e60053cbdc8a

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GenAudio Launches New Surround Format

January 20, 2012 | by Rachel Cericola

Faux surround sound is nothing new. Soundbars and other smaller audio solutions typically have some type of technology that can provide the “illusion” of surround sound, without a 5.1 (or larger) speaker setup. GenAudio is hoping to be the next great surround sound solution, with AstoundSound for CE.

This newly launched technology promises to deliver surround sound without all of the speakers. Designed to work with headphones and two speaker devices, GenAudio says that the tech can deliver a realistic 5.1 and 7.1 surround sound experience.

AstoundSound for CE is software-based, which is what allows it to reproduce those 5.1 and 7.1 sounds. The company says that this has an advantage over competing spatial audio technology, because AstoundSound for CE has no tone colorization and remains in-phase.

The company also says that the tech will work in everything from digital TVs and set-top boxes to phones and gaming consoles, and much more.

“The introduction of our software based audio IP tech on small, low-cost processors coupled with our intuitive audio tuning tools provides manufacturers a way to quickly integrate spatialized audio playback capabilities into any new product where audio fidelity to the consumer is a critical component,” says Jerry Mahabub, founder and CEO of GenAudio. “Implementing AstoundSound in consumer devices will offer device manufacturers the opportunity to differentiate their multimedia products in a crowded consumer market!”

GenAudio is already incorporating AstoundSound audio IP software into devices, including the Analog Devices ADAU1761/1701 Sigma Studio DSP system-on-chip (SoC) audio processors as well as ADI’s SHARC processors and various other chip manufacturers. GenAudio says that the first products packing AstoundSound for CE launch will debut early this year.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/ee4JOdy7LYw/

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Friday, 6 April 2012

Flex Your Brain Muscle With Game Show Buttons

Welcome back to Weekend Projects, fun, mostly beginner-friendly electronics projects you can make in a weekend! Throughout the year, every other week, we’ll introduce a new project for those either looking to get started learning electronics or slightly more advanced projects to build upon what you know. For example, last year, we explored circuit bending (Add Volume, Jack), AM/FM radio (Aircraft Band Receiver), and even touched on cybernetics (555 Timer Ball Whacker). Our big hit was the Light Theremin project, which dozens of users built variations of, from touch-sensitive to motor-driving theremins, using breadboards, Snap Circuits, even “Manhattan-style” circuit design.

This year, we’ll begin with Game Show Buttons, a moderately involved circuit that’s easy to build and understand – no soldering required, so all that’s needed is to drop components in place on a 6″ modular IC breadboard. More on this circuit and a video after the jump!

Challenge your friends to rounds of geeky jeopardy with Game Show Buttons, a two-person quiz circuit built using the legendary 555 timer and a Quad 2-input OR gate IC (we recommend the 74HC32). Along with momentary push buttons and corresponding LEDs (and some resistors and capacitors thrown in for good measure), the first player who thinks they know the answer and pushes his or her button will turn the circuit on, locking out the other player.

This circuit is built using an OR logic gate, which as the name implies is true (on) if either input A or input B is true. The OR is one of seven common types of logic gates, the others being AND, NAND, NOR, XOR, XNOR, and NOT (or as most call it, an Inverter). Watch the video below to see the circuit being built and operated. If you build this project or a variation of it, be sure to send us an email with pictures of your build!

Sign up below for the Weekend Projects Newsletter to receive the projects before anybody else does, get tips, see other makers’ builds, and more.

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See all of the RadioShack Weekend Projects posts

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/Ne3HSBZnqF4/

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2 Nights at an Automated Hotel with Control4

January 20, 2012 | by Lisa Montgomery

After a long day pounding the show floor pavement at the Consumer Electronic Show, it feels oh so nice to get back to the hotel room—even more so when that room is automated. I use the term “automated” loosely, as the only part of my two-night stay at the Aria that was truly automated was the first minute or so. As I entered the room for the first time, the drapes and sheers opened, music started playing the lights gradually brightened. Was I impressed? Yes. More than that, though, the welcome scenario made that smallish space seem a lot friendlier, and well, welcoming.

In typical Control4 style, wall-mounted keypads let me set groups of lights for reading, sleeping and waking up by just tapping a button. My favorite was the keypad by the door. Here, I could press a button to request that my room be serviced or that I not be disturbed. The appropriate icon by my door in the hallway illuminated to alert the Aria staff—kind of like hanging out a modern-day, electronic “Do Not Disturb” sign.

No Control4 system is complete without a touchpanel, and my room had one, as well as a hard-buttoned handheld remote. The touchpanel—the far sexier of the controls—happened to be on the nightstand by my side of the bed. Nice. My hubby got the remote. Both eager to test drive the controls, we started pushing buttons—in my case, icons. We toyed around with the window treatments, parting the shades half-way, leaving the drape open, closing both—any arrangement we could think of. The controls worked flawlessly. We played around with the lights, again, success. At times, the system got confused and devices failed to respond—we chalked it up to too many commands being thrown at it at the same time. Obviously, we needed to take turns.

If you need a little instruction in the use of the control system, Aria provides an online .PDF so you can study up before you arrive.

A nice feature of the Control4 system that came in particularly handy for my remote-wielding husband was the on-screen display. Using the buttons of the remote he could navigate the same interface that I could on the touchpanel. The only difference was that his interface showed up on the screen of the room’s ample-size flat-panel TV.

The main menu of this interface presented icons for controlling the motorized draperies, the lights, the thermostat, the audio and the video. The A/V should have been fun, but it ended up being quite frustrating. There were an awful lot of choices; scrolling through them was quite a chore, considering the “slow” response time of the Control4 system. I’d press a button; when I didn’t hear or see anything I’d naturally press the button again, which brought up a song I really didn’t want to hear or a show I really didn’t want to watch. Eventually, I learned to be patient—to let the system catch up with my commands. The same punch-and-wait exercise had to be applied when setting up a wakeup routine, which was one of the coolest high-tech features of my room. Using the touchpanel, I told the Control4 system to wake me up at 6 by opening the sheers and drapes, gradually bringing up the lights and playing music from a soft-rock station. It’s a much better way to wake up than to the sound of a blaring alarm.

All said and done—my stay was a hit. The automation system enhanced the luxurious design and atmosphere of the room. Once I was in that room, I never wanted to leave.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/HNEAeAVn0Jk/

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2 Nights at an Automated Hotel with Control4

January 20, 2012 | by Lisa Montgomery

If you need a little instruction in the use of the control system, Aria provides an online .PDF so you can study up before you arrive.

All said and done—my stay was a hit. The automation system enhanced the luxurious design and atmosphere of the room. Once I was in that room, I never wanted to leave.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/HNEAeAVn0Jk/

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Hot Deal: Sony NAC-SV10i Wi-Fi Speaker Dock: $109

January 20, 2012 | by EH Staff

Every iPod and/or iPhone needs a resting place. We’re not talking about the kitchen table or an underwear drawer. There are a lot of docking stations out there, which not only gives you a spot to put your portable, but can charge it for later use.

Adorama is currently selling Sony’s NAC-SV10I Wi-Fi Speaker Dock for $109. This price is 53 percent off the list price, and also includes free shipping.

It’s a nice price for a nice product. Besides the charging, this docking station can also expand the use of that device—and a variety of other music. Plug your iPod or iPhone into the NAC-SV10i, and you blast music all over the house. For times when you don’t want to dock, the NAC-SV10i can wirelessly stream music from that device, as well as networked computers or the web. Sony also offers a free app that can transform that smartphone into a wireless remote.

Perfect for the kitchen, bedroom, office, or any other room in the house, the NAC-SV10i has DLNA support, BRAVIA Internet Music features, and PartyStream so you can sync with other compatible Sony products.

To get this discount on Adorama, log in and add the product into your shopping cart. That’s when you’ll see the discounted price.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/GhIuFBJDxj0/

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GenAudio Launches New Surround Format

January 20, 2012 | by Rachel Cericola

The company also says that the tech will work in everything from digital TVs and set-top boxes to phones and gaming consoles, and much more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/ee4JOdy7LYw/

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Thursday, 5 April 2012

Wood Pallet Bike Rack

I love this inventive and environmental way to rack your bikes by using a pair of wood pallets. I couldn’t find the original source of this image, but while researching it, I found another good example of a wood pallet bike rack. That site offers some good advice: make sure to inspect for exposed nails that may puncture your tires. [via BikeHacks]

More:

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/Pn_CKI8c29s/

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2 Nights at an Automated Hotel with Control4

January 20, 2012 | by Lisa Montgomery

If you need a little instruction in the use of the control system, Aria provides an online .PDF so you can study up before you arrive.

All said and done—my stay was a hit. The automation system enhanced the luxurious design and atmosphere of the room. Once I was in that room, I never wanted to leave.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/HNEAeAVn0Jk/

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What My Friends Think I Do vs. What I Really Do

The maker occupation, meme’d, by WeFab.

Makers in this post:

WeFab –

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/V71SUcmEdtE/

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Upgrade Your Office With An RFID Reading Door

Tired of dealing with keys to get into his office, Valentin Heun hacked together this door unlocker with a laser-cutter, Arduino, and some bits n’ bobs from SparkFun. Full design files and parts list can be found on the linked page.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/xzoKAj44a4I/

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Wednesday, 4 April 2012

Music - CD and music reviews, news and clips - Boston.com

Sorry, readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://syndication.boston.com/ae/music

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GenAudio Launches New Surround Format

January 20, 2012 | by Rachel Cericola

The company also says that the tech will work in everything from digital TVs and set-top boxes to phones and gaming consoles, and much more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/ee4JOdy7LYw/

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Google's 'Project Glass' Teases Augmented Reality Glasses

Google has taken the wraps off its long-rumored augmented reality glasses project, officially dubbed "Project Glass."

A concept video, titled "One day...," shows how Google's glasses might work. In the video, the user performs tasks commonly handled by smartphones, such as scheduling meetings, taking pictures, checking the weather, getting directions, and placing a video call. The information simply hovers in the user's field of view, and the interface is controlled by voice or other inputs.

Google says it is gathering feedback from users on Project Glass, according to a post on Google+ by Babak Parviz, Steve Lee and Sebastian Thrun. The post contains a few "design photos" of people wearing augmented reality glasses. These glasses have a small second screen--presumably for the video output--above one of the lenses, with an extra thick arm that extends back to the ear.

"We’re sharing this information now because we want to start a conversation and learn from your valuable input," they wrote. "So we took a few design photos to show what this technology could look like and created a video to demonstrate what it might enable you to do."

This is the first time Google has publicly acknowledged its augmented reality glasses project. In February, the New York Times reported that Google was planning to release the glasses later this year, in a price range of $250 to $500. The glasses reportedly emerged from "Google X," a secret lab where the company experiments with futuristic projects. In the Google+ post, the lab is referred to as "Google[x]."

Although the Google+ post frames the video and photos as designs of what the technology "might" do, the New York Times reports that Google will be testing prototypes in the coming months. It's unclear whether a product launch is still on track for the end of the year, as previously reported.

Follow Jared on Twitter, Facebook or Google+ for even more tech news and commentary.

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=52a9cd7a4279c20fcca08d9bba795c7f

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Upgrade Your Office With An RFID Reading Door

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/xzoKAj44a4I/

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Tuesday, 3 April 2012

GenAudio Launches New Surround Format

January 20, 2012 | by Rachel Cericola

The company also says that the tech will work in everything from digital TVs and set-top boxes to phones and gaming consoles, and much more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/ee4JOdy7LYw/

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What My Friends Think I Do vs. What I Really Do

The maker occupation, meme’d, by WeFab.

Makers in this post:

WeFab –

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/V71SUcmEdtE/

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What My Friends Think I Do vs. What I Really Do

The maker occupation, meme’d, by WeFab.

Makers in this post:

WeFab –

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/V71SUcmEdtE/

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GenAudio Launches New Surround Format

January 20, 2012 | by Rachel Cericola

The company also says that the tech will work in everything from digital TVs and set-top boxes to phones and gaming consoles, and much more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/ee4JOdy7LYw/

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Monday, 2 April 2012

2 Nights at an Automated Hotel with Control4

January 20, 2012 | by Lisa Montgomery

If you need a little instruction in the use of the control system, Aria provides an online .PDF so you can study up before you arrive.

All said and done—my stay was a hit. The automation system enhanced the luxurious design and atmosphere of the room. Once I was in that room, I never wanted to leave.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/HNEAeAVn0Jk/

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GenAudio Launches New Surround Format

January 20, 2012 | by Rachel Cericola

The company also says that the tech will work in everything from digital TVs and set-top boxes to phones and gaming consoles, and much more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/ee4JOdy7LYw/

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2 Nights at an Automated Hotel with Control4

January 20, 2012 | by Lisa Montgomery

If you need a little instruction in the use of the control system, Aria provides an online .PDF so you can study up before you arrive.

All said and done—my stay was a hit. The automation system enhanced the luxurious design and atmosphere of the room. Once I was in that room, I never wanted to leave.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/eh/rss/recentlyfiled/~3/HNEAeAVn0Jk/

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Music - CD and music reviews, news and clips - Boston.com

Sorry, readability was unable to parse this page for content.

Source: http://syndication.boston.com/ae/music

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IBM to Develop Telescope Data Analysis System

IBM is developing new data management and analysis technologies for what will be the world's largest radio telescope. The Square Kilometre Array (SKA), due to become operational in 2024, will produce so much data that even tomorrow's off-the-shelf computers will have difficulty processing all of it, the company predicted.

"This is a research project to find out how to build a computer system," to handle exabytes' worth of data each day, said Ton Engbersen, an IBM researcher on the project.

The Netherlands has granted IBM and the Netherlands Institute for Radio Astronomy (ASTRON) a five-year grant of €32.9 million (US$43.6 million) to design a system, with novel technologies, that can ingest the massive amounts of data that SKA will produce.

Funded by a consortium of 20 government agencies, SKA will be the world's largest and most sensitive radio telescope, able to give scientists a better idea of how the Big Bang unfolded 13 billion years ago. SKA will actually be comprised of 3,000 small antennas, each providing a continual stream of data.

Once operational, the telescope will produce more than an exabyte of data a day (an exabyte is 1 billion gigabytes). By way of comparison, an exabyte is two times the entire daily traffic on the World Wide Web, IBM estimated. The data will have to be downloaded from the telescope, which will either be in Australia or South Africa, and then summarized and shipped to researchers worldwide. Data processing will consist of assembling individual streams from each antenna into a larger picture of how the universe first came about.

Even factoring in how much faster computers will be in 2024, IBM still will need advanced technologies to process all that data, Engbersen said. Such a computer might use stacked chips for high volumes of processing, photonic interconnects for speedy connections with the chips, advanced tape systems for data storage, and phase-change memory technologies for holding data to be processed.

"We have to push the envelope on system design," Engbersen said. The researchers have made no decisions yet about whether it should be in one data center or spread out across multiple locations.

Because the system will be so large, the researchers must figure out how to make maximum use of all the hardware components to use as little energy as possible. They also must customize the data-processing algorithms to work with this specific hardware configuration.

After processing, the resulting dataset is expected to produce between 300 and 1,500 petabytes each year. This volume will dwarf the amount of data produced by what is now by far the largest generator of scientific data, CERN's Large Hadron Collider, which churns out about 15 petabytes of data each year.

Joab Jackson covers enterprise software and general technology breaking news for The IDG News Service. Follow Joab on Twitter at @Joab_Jackson. Joab's e-mail address is Joab_Jackson@idg.com

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=0d5d99938e369c65f5c5fe1fbb8eae8e

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Sunday, 1 April 2012

What My Friends Think I Do vs. What I Really Do

The maker occupation, meme’d, by WeFab.

Makers in this post:

WeFab –

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/makezineonline/~3/V71SUcmEdtE/

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Bugs & Fixes: Problems Pairing iPhones to Bluetooth Audio Systems

If you have an iPhone, but your car's audio system doesn't have Bluetooth support, stop reading now and go update your system. The technology is that good. By pairing your iPhone with your car, you have the absolute best, most convenient way for hands-free talking on a phone while driving. There's no need for a headset of any kind. Nor is there any need to fumble with your iPhone when you want to make or answer a call. It can all be done from the dashboard controls or (in some cars) entirely by voice. As a bonus, the sound is typically louder and clearer than from a headset, allowing you to more easily overcome road noise.

Many car systems also support stereo Bluetooth playing of your iPhone's iTunes music. I occasionally use this feature in my Ford Fusion Hybrid. With it, I can instantly and wirelessly begin playing music without even having to take the iPhone out of my pocket. If nothing else, it makes an impressive demo for passengers. However, Bluetooth is not a complete substitute for a USB connection between my iPhone and my car's audio. With Bluetooth, I can't select specific songs from the dashboard controls; the wireless connection can also run down the iPhone's battery. Still, it's a great option to have at your disposal.

There's one potential problem with all of this: you may find that you cannot get past step 1--pairing your iPhone with the car's audio system. In some cases, the problem extends beyond car systems to virtually any type of Bluetooth pairing.

Most often, people report that this symptom first appears immediately after updating to iOS 5. Based on feedback received here at Macworld, several users had this happen after updating from iOS 5.0 to the latest iOS 5.1 version. However, the problem seems to have originated with iOS 5.0, as evidenced by the many reports of this problem dating back to last October. As examples, check out this lengthy Apple Support Communities thread or this somewhat shorter one.

Even though the precipitating cause is an iOS 5.x upgrade, fixing it will likely depend upon the audio manufacturers. For example, another Apple Support thread zeroes in on an instance of this symptom specific to Ford automobiles. For many users, the solution was to update their car's system via a specific Ford Audio Update.

If you have this pairing problem, and the audio manufacturer can't or won't upgrade the radio's firmware, your only options are to buy a different radio (one that is compatible with the latest iOS versions), downgrade back to iOS 4.x (if possible), or give up on using Bluetooth in your car.

Of course, as is typically the case in these matters, many iPhone owners having been successfully using Bluetooth without any iOS upgrade hassles. I, for one, have never had any trouble getting my iPhone to pair with the radio in my Ford--with either iOS 5.0 or 5.1. Hopefully, that will be your experience as well.

Bluetooth Hotspot does not connect to Internet. An unrelated Bluetooth issue: I have been testing the Hot Spot capability of my new iPad with Verizon cellular. It works fine over Wi-Fi or USB. However, I have been completely unable to get a Hot Spot to work via Bluetooth. I can pair my iPad to my MacBook Air. I can even establish what appears to be a working Hot Spot connection over Bluetooth. But, when all is said and done, I can't get online. For example, web pages won't load. Again, this only happens for Bluetooth hot spots. If anyone knows what is going on here, let me know. I hope to report back with more on this and related matters in a subsequent column.

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=35603bd8efd64e4135edb314ee8d8939

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Most 2011 Cyberattacks Called 'Avoidable'

Despite rising concern that cyberattacks are becoming increasingly sophisticated, hackers used relatively simple methods in more than 90 percent of data breaches in 2011, according to a report compiled by Verizon.

The annual Verizon report on data breaches, released last week, also found that in a vast majority of attacks (80 percent), hackers hit victims of opportunity rather than companies they sought out.

The findings suggest that while companies are spending increasing sums of money on sophisticated new security controls, they are also continuing to overlook fundamental security precautions.

The conclusions in the Verizon report are based on the investigations into more than 850 data breaches. The report was compiled with the help of the U.S. Secret Service and law enforcement agencies in the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, Ireland and Australia, Verizon said.

Verizon said it found that attacks by so-called "hactivist" groups such as Anonymous for the first time compromised more breached records -- more than 100 million -- than the number of attacks by hackers specifically looking to steal financial or personal data.

Data breach victims and security vendors generally tend to describe attacks as highly sophisticated and involving a great deal of expertise on the part of hackers.

The Verizon report, though, shows a far more mundane reality.

Most of the breaches didn't require hackers to possess special skills or resources, or to do much customization work. In fact, Verizon said that 96 percent of the attacks "were not highly difficult" for the hackers.

"Additionally, 97 percent were avoidable, without the need for organizations to resort to difficult or expensive countermeasures," the report said.

Very often, the companies breached had no firewalls, had ports open to the Internet or used default or easily guessable passwords, said Marc Spitler a Verizon security analyst.

The study found that cybercriminals did not have to work any harder to break into a large organization than into a small one.

Attackers in 2011 generally didn't need new sophisticated tools to break into most organizations, Spitler said.

"We have seen nothing new. Some of the old standbys are continuing to work very well for the people going after information," he said. "Not enough has been done to raise the bar and to force them to spend" significant sums on new tools and exploits.

The most sophistication found by the researchers was in the methods used by attackers to steal data after breaking in to systems, he said.

Attackers typically have installed malware on a victim company's network to escalate privileges, set up backdoors, enable remote control and sniff out sensitive data. Many take steps to remain hidden on the network for a long time and then wipe their tracks when they are done.

Such tasks require moderate to advanced skills and extensive resources on the part of the attackers, according to Spitler. "That is one area where we have raised the bar," he said.

Most of the targeted attacks last year were directed large companies in the finance and insurance industries, according to Verizon.

Hackers, often part of organized groups, used large-scale automated methods to find vulnerable businesses to exploit.

In such cases, more than 85% of victim companies employed less than 1,000 employees and were mostly in the retail, hospitality and food services industries.

The findings once again highlight the need for companies to pay attention to security basics, Spitler said.

"It is about going back to basic security principles. A lot of the same recommendations we have used in past years, we have recommended this year," he said.

Jaikumar Vijayan covers data security and privacy issues, financial services security and e-voting for Computerworld. Follow Jaikumar on Twitter at @jaivijayan , or subscribe to Jaikumar's RSS feed . His e-mail address is jvijayan@computerworld.com .

Read more about security in Computerworld's Security Topic Center.

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Will it Take a Law to Protect Online Privacy?

Following the release of two prominent reports advancing the federal government's policy for online privacy, members of a House subcommittee on Thursday again took up consideration of whether new legislation is needed to protect consumers on the Internet.

At a hearing before the Energy and Commerce Committee's technology subcommittee, top officials with the Department of Commerce and the Federal Trade Commission walked a thin line in their remarks to lawmakers who at times appeared skeptical. Both officials expressed support for baseline privacy legislation that would implement consumer safeguards while avoiding burdensome mandates that could hinder the online economy. At the same time, they emphasized that their recent reports -- the consumer bill of rights that the Commerce Department developed in concert with the White House and the FTC's new report on best practices -- contain no new regulatory mandates.

"These are to some extent aspirational," FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz told the panel. "We wanted to make it very clear that this isn't a regulatory document or an enforcement document."

Similarly, Lawrence Strickling, the Commerce Department's assistant secretary for communication and information, affirmed that the administration is backing a largely self-regulatory approach.

Both officials expressed support for a rudimentary privacy law, though neither endorsed any specific proposal.

Standards Under Discussion

The FTC and Commerce Department now plan to continue their collaboration with industry stakeholders to develop codes of conduct and implementation strategies to apply high-minded privacy concepts such as transparency and choice into practice.

If the FTC wins formal commitments from industry players to adhere to certain behavior, such as abiding by the rules of the do-not-track mechanism it is endorsing, those firms would then be subject to agency oversight under its authorities relating to unfair and deceptive practices. But in the event that the FTC finds a company to be in violation of those standards and reaches a consent order, as it did last year with Google and Facebook, the agency has no authority to issue financial penalties for civil offenses, a power that it is seeking from Congress.

"I think it just makes for a much more effective deterrent," Leibowitz said. "I think 46 [state] attorneys general, who have baby FTC acts, have this authority. You have to use it judiciously."

"Civil penalty authority for violations of the FTC Act," he added, "is unanimously supported by the commission."

This is not the first time the FTC, frustrated by the limitations of its authority to protect consumer privacy, has sought expanded powers from Congress. In 2009 and 2010, when lawmakers were debating financial reform legislation, one bill that passed the House included language that would have expanded the agency's rulemaking authority. The FTC had been advocating for that provision, which encountered forceful opposition from advertising industry groups, and was ultimately excluded from the final bill.

Now, the FTC is pressing industry groups hard to develop and implement by the end of the year a meaningful do-not-track system that would bring together Web companies and advertisers, grouped under the Digital Advertising Alliance, browser makers and the World Wide Web Consortium, an Internet-standards body.

Pushing Self-Regulation

Leibowitz has spoken favorably of the efforts that industry stakeholders have undertaken to achieve a meaningful self-regulatory framework. At Thursday's hearing, he emphasized that he is not looking to saddle Internet companies with a heavy-handed compliance burden and acknowledged that lawmakers and regulators must tread carefully as they contemplate new rules in such a dynamic and fast-growing sector of the economy.

When asked to clarify his support for a "baseline" federal privacy law, Leibowitz responded: "It means setting a standard that protects consumer privacy in a way that doesn't in any way undermine innovation."

Similarly, Strickling was quick to point out that the bill of rights developed by the Commerce Department and the White House (with input from the FTC and others) preserves the spirit of the self-regulatory framework that has long guided the online privacy space.

"There's nothing about any work that's happened before now that is in any way jeopardized or threatened by what we're going to put in place," Strickling said. "It will build on the work that's already been done by industry and consumer groups up till now."

Strickling also appeared to agree with Leibowitz that Congress should advance legislation that would rein in the practices of data brokers, which often operate beyond the view of public, shielding them from the scrutiny that has created something of a check on consumer-facing companies like Google. Leibowitz and other FTC officials have argued that the government needs to take a more active role in overseeing companies whose stock in trade is the collection, use and sale of consumer data.

Industry Skeptics

But that doesn't sit well with some industry groups. To identify an outfit like Reed Elsevier's ChoicePoint as a data broker might be a relatively straightforward classification, but what about the growing number of online companies that rely on ads tied to consumer information as their primary source of revenue?

"I think we need to realize that the FTC has given great praise to self regulation with one hand, and we want to make sure that they don't take that away by having an overly broad definition of data broker," said Mike Zaneis, senior vice president and general counsel at the Interactive Advertising Bureau, a trade group representing the online ad industry.

"In this day and age, in the digital economy, we have to realize that every publisher, every marketer, every ad agency, every advertising network, every analytics firm that is operating on the Internet transacts in data," he added. "We have to understand that in this information economy, data is the new currency."

Kenneth Corbin is a Washington, D.C.-based writer who covers government and regulatory issues for CIO.com.

Read more about government in CIO's Government Drilldown.

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