Snow Leopard's Anti-Trojan Package Unveiled

Along with the launch of Apple's latest OS, Snow Leopard, there has been a lot of speculation about its rumoured anti-virus functionality to protect against the rising problem of Mac malware. With today’s release it is now possible to actually see what it can – and importantly – can’t do.

Anti virus company has welcomed the development, arguing it's now no longer uncool to have anti-virus on your Mac, says Sophos has produced a video, above, showing exactly this, above.

Sophos notes that the anti-virus protection only covers two families of Mac Trojan horse and is not equivalent to a true anti-virus product (it won't, for instance, protect you if you try to copy an infected file from a USB stick and doesn't offer clean-up facilities). Indeed Apple is at pains to insist that people should not describe this as an anti-virus.

“The malware problem on Apple Macs is very small compared to Windows, but it does exist, so well done to Apple for taking their first baby steps in countering it,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

“Apple didn't make a big song-and-dance about the inclusion of this malware protection facility in Snow Leopard which was perhaps surprising as the new version of the operating system wasn't exactly bulging with new functionality.”

“However, the limited protection that Apple has implemented may help otherwise incautious and unsuspecting users," continued Cluley. “It would be marvellous if this is also the first step in Apple becoming more involved in the fight against cybercrime.

"Wouldn't it be great if Apple could quickly move forward to build a collaborative programme - rather like Microsoft's MAPP initiative – to unite with the computer security industry?

"The bottom line is this - it's no longer uncool to have anti-virus on your Mac.”

• For more information, visit: http://www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2009/08/28/snow-leopard-malware-protect

Technology ousts Fashion for Style Conscious

It's official: the Geeks have taken over. Technology is replacing clothing as the medium that defines ‘Fashion’, according to new research that unearths a new breed of style-conscious consumer who puts gadgets over Gucci when it comes to looking good.

A major report by Microsoft today reveals that for the first time ever, nearly half the nation believes that being able to show off the latest new ‘in’ gadget is as important to their overall fashion image as an item of clothing or a designer haircut.

While we're a little bit wary of a report published by a company whose owner, Bill Gates, can hardly be considered the most style conscious when it comes to fashion -- surely a weird personality trait among many US billionaires who always seem to dress oddly, although Bill's become a lot better dressed in recent years -- the report says forty per cent of over 1,000 polled agree that the style and appearance of the technology devices they carry around with them is much more important now than it was five years ago and indeed critical to their overall look.

The ‘Microsoft Tech To Impress Report’ reveals it is the astronomical rise of ‘mobile working’, which has seen the average office worker spend over an hour a day longer working on the move than they did two years ago, that has created this shift in perception.

As people use technology on the go, and therefore in front of others, this increases the role that technology plays in one’s image and therefore places a far greater importance on having the ‘right’ looking gadgets.

The news is backed up by consumer shopping habits which has seen spending of mobile technology rise by 14 per cent in the past five years, with nearly a quarter of the population admitting to purchasing a piece of technology based only on its appearance – regardless of whether they really needed it.

43 per cent of those surveyed confirmed that they would now rather spend their money of a piece of technology than an item of clothing, and nearly six out of ten people admit to subtly leaving their new gadget on the table for envious friends to gorge on.

The report reveals that this ‘Tech to Impress Nation’ is led by young professional women who are much more likely than men to own several portable gadgets such as a mobile phones, digital cameras and laptops and the research suggests it is manufacturer’s relatively recent focus on creating products aesthetically aimed at women that has contributed to this trend.

Recent focus, of course, probably referring to almost every technology company except Microsoft rival Apple who surely spearheaded the move to make technology look good as well as working well with the iPod, iMac and iPhone?

The way consumer electronics is marketed has also played a key role amongst tech-savvy, image conscious consumers. Experts claim the rise in fashionable technology is also down to the explosion of fashionable celebrities getting involved with tech brands to make the devices more desirable. Where historically they would only get involved in fashion or lifestyle brands, celebrities such as David Beckham, Girls Aloud, Kate Moss and Beyoncé have all been used in recent advertising campaigns for tech brands.

“Without any doubt, modern women are putting more of a focus than ever on the tech accessories they carry around with them to help compliment their overall image," feels Pat McNulty, Assistant Editor of InStyle Online. It's not just about the hottest Mulberry bag or those lustworthy Louboutin heels anymore... A style savvy girl wants the sleekest, sexiest gadgets around and she isn't afraid to use them!

"Being able to pull the hottest piece of technology from her handbag is all part of the modern woman's independent image."

“This research is further proof of the social impact of the rise of mobile working," argues Andre Reuter from Microsoft. "As more people use technology on the move and therefore in front of others, this places far more importance on the look of the accessories they are using than ever before.

"It's got to the point where technology is now an integral part of many people's image, and is why Microsoft is committed to producing the very best-looking, easy to use mobile hardware for busy people who need to look good."

So, is Microsoft now a Style Guru? What do you think?

• More information at: www.microsoft.com/uk/hardware/fashion.

• Picture of Bill Gates by Oliver Bruchez and posted under Creative Commons usage on Flickr

Dick Tracy, eat Your Heart Out...

With every other major UK mobile network laying claim to the latest and best mobile phones, Orange has been struggling to find an exclusive that can match the iphone and other devices. It still hasn't, but news that they have grabbed the LG Touchscreen Watchphone (LG-GD910) is at least a little cool for those of us who remember Dick Tracy, or grew up watching Thunderbirds, where the International Rescue boys would communicate by watchphone.

The first phones will first go on sale in the UK in its Bond Street Station shop on Thursday, 27th August, but they're not cheap - what Orange describes as the must have gadget of the year will set you back £500.

Available on a first-come-first-serve basis, and one device per customer to those who arrive in person at the store, the device offers a slick scratch resistant touch-screen interface makes writing text messages easy, while an in-built speaker and MP3/AAC player lets you listen to the Essential James Bond theme album when you’re imprisoned in a fake volcano or battling with Jaws.

To make a voice or video call – in true 22nd Century fashion – all you have to do is ask it nicely. The combination of voice activated command, VGA camera and Bluetooth technology mean you’ll never have to raise a finger to make a call again... just turn your wrist and talk away. The handmade timepiece is designed with the image conscious in mind too and features eight different watch faces – one to suit your every mood or crime-fighting outfit.

“The LG Touchscreen Watchphone is one of several ‘future phones’ we’re bringing to UK consumers this year," says Francois Mahieu, Director of Devices, Orange UK, which make you wonder what else they have up their, um, sleeves. (The Palm Pre, perhaps?) "Being handmade, the device really is highly original and exclusively limited - so you’ll be the envy of all your friends if you’re fortunate enough to get your hands on one.”

• A limited number of the devices will also be made available from mid-September via the Orange online shop. For more info visit www.orange.co.uk/watchphone.

Spammers Sleazy Images follow Twitterers

IT Security and data protection firm Sophos is warning Twitter users to be wary of new followers posting sleazy images and inviting them to connect on MSN.

Spammers have created scores of bogus profiles and followed random users en masse. Each of the profiles comes complete with a sexy picture featuring an embedded message from the spammer. By embedding messages into images, spammers know that it is harder for Twitter to identify their adverts than if they were presented in plain text in a regular tweet.

“Email spammers have been using this trick for years, so it was a only a matter of time before we started seeing it on Twitter,” said Graham Cluley, senior technology consultant at Sophos.

“Connecting with these spammers by adding them as a friend on MSN, could lure Twitter users into a flirtatious instant messaging chat, ultimately leading to an adult website. While some Twitter users might be flattered to discover they have so many new followers, making friends with strangers online is always going to be a risky business."

• For more information and screenshots, visit: www.sophos.com/blogs/gc/g/2009/08/20/twitter-spammers

FaceBook Buys FriendFeed

Facebook bought the social media aggregator FriendFeed this week, a service that melds users' updates from a number of sites in real time including Twitter, Yelp, Netflix, Blogger and Flickr in a single stream.

Facebook could easily afford the purchase: Cynopsis Digital reports that with a 250 million member social network Facebook says 83 of the top 100 advertising spenders in the United States now use the site to advertise including Johnson & Johnson, Nike and AT&T, per FT.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has predicted a 70% revenue gain for Facebook this year and expects that the company will be cash-flow positive by next year.

No details of the deal were released, and both parties said the FriendFeed app would continue to operate as normal for the time being. "We're still figuring out our longer-term plans for the product with the Facebook team," said Friendfeed founder Brett Taylor, a former Google engineer who helped develop Google Maps.

ITPro reports the plan is likely to include real-time search, as Facebook unveiled a new search tool (see the Facebook blog for more details) as well. Making its search more timely could line up Facebook to take on Twitter or Google.

Blade Runner Tops "Greatest SciFi" Poll

Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, starring Harrison Ford and set in a bleak LA of the future, has been named the greatest sci-fi movie of all time by the Titan Magazines-run sci-fi website, Totalscifionline.com.

The online publication has produced a definitive list of the top 100 films in sci-fi, with the 1982 film beating off strong competition to take the top slot.

Stanley Kubrick’s epic 2001: A Space Odyssey comes in second place, while the first release of the Star Wars franchise, Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope is at number three.

As the news breaks that Ridley Scott is set to make Alien 5, his first entry in the franchise is named the fourth best sci-fi movie of all time, and Metropolis, Fritz Lang’s iconic film from the silent period, completes the top five.

The authoritative list spans more than a century of movies in the sci-fi genre, with current release Moon making position 74, and the pioneering A Trip to the Moon from 1902 in the top fifteen.

Other entries in the list include two versions of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, a plethora of titles from the genre’s 1970s heyday such as Silent Running, The Man Who Fell To Earth and The Andromeda Strain, and classic films by Steven Spielberg, James Cameron and Russian master Andrei Tarkovsky.

Surprisingly, the recent smash hit Star Trek movie prequel makes the list, but comes in at a lowly 93. Two other Star Trek movies, The Wrath of Khan and The Undiscovered Country, are adjudged to be superior entries in the franchise, coming in at 19 and 67 respectively.

“It’s odd to think that Blade Runner was not a critical or commercial success on its initial release in 1982," commented Matt McAllister, Editor of Totalscifionline.com. "Some critics dismissed it as a case of style over substance. Yet while the depiction of a neon-lit future LA is still breathtaking, Ridley Scott’s film is backed up a real sense of sadness, fear and longing. It also contains career-best performances from Harrison Ford as Deckard and Rutger Hauer as the charming, feral Roy Batty, and terrific supporting performances from the likes of Daryl Hannah and Sean Young.

"However many times you’ve seen Blade Runner before, it retains its awe-inspiring power. A sci-fi masterpiece.”

The Top Ten:



1. Blade Runner (1982)

2. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)

3. Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope (1977)

4. Alien (1979)

5. Metropolis (1927)

6. The Day The Earth Stood Still (1951)

7. The Terminator (1984)

8. The Planet of the Apes (1968)

9. E.T. - The Extra Terrestrial (1982)

10. Solaris (1972)

• To view the 'Top 100 films in sci-fi' list in full, visit:
http://totalscifionline.com/features/3809