Facebook users have sued the company for $15 billion for tracking members' online activity even after they leave the site. The class-action lawsuit was filed Friday in federal court in San Jose, Calif., and it combines 21 similar cases from around the country. The suit claims that by tracking users' movements online outside of Facebook, which the social network can do through its "Like" button, it violates the U.S. Wiretap Act, according to Mashable. That act "provides statutory damages of the greater of $100 per violation per day, up to $10,000, per Facebook user," the lawsuit says. "This is not just a damages action, but a groundbreaking digital-privacy rights case that could have wide and significant legal and business implications," David Straite of Stewarts Law US, one of the firms leading the lawsuit, told Bloomberg. Straite said his firm is also looking to add non-U.S. users to the claim, and also on Friday, a German privacy official warned potential Facebook investors that the social network may be violating European privacy laws...Follow this and other facebook developments at windows8newsinfo forum.
Metro Multimedia Player For Windows 8
Written by Wayne
Friday, 18 May 2012 04:24
One of the most talked features of Windows 8 is Metro. As we all know, Windows 8 includes a bunch of good Metro-style apps. In addition to the legacy Windows Media Player, Windows 8 also includes a Metro-style app named Music for Metro lovers. Those of you have used Metro-style Music app would know that the app is not as powerful as Windows Media Player or any other legacy music app. Though it’s still in beta stage, the app couldn’t have been better. Because of this reason, most of us have been using Windows Media Player as our default media player. Users who would like to have a decent Metro-style multimedia player other than the default Music app will be glad to know about the release of sMedio TrueLink+ app. sMedio TrueLink+ is a multimedia app that lets you play various audio and video formats. It sports thumbnail based media library for intuitive navigation and supports many audio and video formats. In addition to audio and video, it also supports various picture formats...There is more on windows8newsinfo forum.
Windows PCs without bloatware
Written by Wayne
Thursday, 17 May 2012 01:05
You know how when you buy a new PC it usually comes not just with the latest version of Microsoft Windows, but also umpteen different apps and special offers cluttering the desktop? There’s a decent chance you don’t actually want or need most of those programs — and they may even be slowing down your PC. That’s why Microsoft has launched a program it calls Signature Series. You can now buy select computers from Microsoft stores without any bloatware preloaded. Microsoft also optimizes Windows settings for each system before selling it. And All Things D’s Walt Mossberg says the difference is that most Signature Series computers are faster than the systems as configured by PC makers such as HP, Samsung, or Sony. Even Microsoft Signature Series computers come with some apps that are probably optional, including Microsoft’s photo, video, and other apps and a starter edition of Microsoft Office — but these can all be removed...Further details are posted on windows8newsinfo forum.
On Facebook, deleting an app doesn't delete your data
Written by Wayne
Monday, 14 May 2012 03:43
Facebook announced some intended changes to its data use policy to "enhance transparency", according to a Friday post on its Facebook and Privacy page. The updates include better explanations, examples, and "tips" denoted in the text with a lightbulb, as well as some revelations about how third parties deal with users' data. In the revised data use policy, Facebook makes explicit that any time one of your Facebook friends starts using an app, game, or partner website (that, is a site where you can log in using Facebook credentials), Facebook hands that service all of the "publicly available" information on that user. Information that is always publicly available only includes basic stuff like your name or cover photo, but users can have their entire profile publicly available, and thus handed to a service. However, Facebook also clarifies that "if you’ve removed an application and want them to delete the information you’ve already shared with them, you should contact the application and ask them to delete it." This implies that, even if you change Facebook's privacy
Only 12% of your friends see your average status update, but Facebook is testing an option called "Highlight" that lets you pay a few dollars to have one of your posts appear to more friends. Highlight lets the average user, not Pages or businesses, select an "important post" and "make sure friends see this", but not color it yellow as Stuff wrote when it first spotted the feature. A tiny percentage of the user base is now seeing tests of a paid version of Highlight, but there’s also a free one designed to check if users are at all interested in the option.Highlight could show Facebook’s willingness to try more aggressive ways of making money, which should delight potential investors. But Facebook is playing with fire here. The service has always been free for users, and a pay-for-popularity feature could be a huge turn off, especially to its younger and less financially equipped users who couldn’t afford such narcissism. I doubt Facebook is going to see positive reactions to Highlight, but if it did it could turn into an unpredicted revenue stream. Just the fact that Facebook would test this could bolster confidence for
Bitdefender Total Security 2013 Beta has just launched and it now features a new interface as well as the option to have desktop widgets. Bitdefender is also offering prizes to those who participate the most in the Beta testing program. Bitdefender Total Security 2013 Beta comes with several new features such as Safepay, which opens all your online banking pages in a separate "iron-clad, secure browser." Total Security 2013 also features Device Anti-Theft, which allows you to lock, wipe, and locate your laptop of Android from any Internet connected device. A USB Immunizer is also included which allows you to immunize any Flash Drive and prevent it from catching or spreading malicious malware. Total Security 2013 also comes with desktop widgets that keep users informed on all security related threats. Several other features are not yet available but are planned for the final release of Total Security 2013. For example, the Security suite will feature enhanced parental controls that block content that should not
Recently Microsoft has announced that Windows 8 will NOT include DVD-playback or Windows Media Center natively. These will be upgrades, a move that largely has to do with Microsoft's shift in focus. Since Windows 8 is clearly being pushed at tablets, why should MS pay for the licensing and costs associated with DVD playback and media center? That's how they feel, but I still think this move may have some confusion and negative reception among average consumers. That being said, there are many easy, free alternatives to Media Center and Media Player that will solve your DVD-playback problems and give you a decent media center program, without paying MS upgrade costs. So let's take a look at a few Windows Media Player alternatives, first...For the Windows Media Player alternatives, and to discover if there really is life after Windows Media Player you will need to visit windows8newsinfo forum.
Android malware skyrockets in just one year
Written by Administrator
Thursday, 17 May 2012 05:31
According to data from F-Secure, between early 2011 and early 2012, the number of Android malware families increased from 10 to 37, and the number of malicious Android apps that were submitted have increased from 139 to 3,069. That's a lot of malicious apps. This is a major increase in just 12 months. "New families and variants of malware keep cropping up each quarter, and this trend shows no sign of slowing down. This growth in number can be attributed to malware authors crafting their infected or trojanized applications to defeat anti-virus signature detection, distributing their malware in different application names, and trojanizing widely popular applications," F-Secure adds. Of course, it is obvious that the more popularity a platform gains, the higher the chance for hackers to target that platform. So if you are still on an Android platform, be cautious!..We have more plus a list of Android Anti-virus software posted on windows8newsinfo forum.
ASUS PadFone Official Promo Video is Lengthy
Written by Administrator
Tuesday, 15 May 2012 20:10
A couple of days ago ASUS had to pull an official video regarding the ASUS PadFone battery from the web, because it promised unrealistic functioning times. Now a lengthy official promo video was published and it may or may not be related to that one. What’s for sure is that this clip gives you the much needed information on the most innovative gadget I’ve seen in 2012. This product also received a prize for being so original and advanced back at CES 2012. The PadFone is preparing for release in the following weeks and I mean a wide release, since it’s already available in Taiwan. The promo video below highlights the major specs and features of the convertible smartphone/tablet/laptop combo. Among them there’s the very original function of the capacitive stylus, that also acts as a Bluetooth headset and allows you pick up calls easily. Other stuff advertised here is the sleeve case, doubling up as a stand and some bonus accessories, like cleaning cloth, stylus holder and a SIM card pocket...Learn more and watch a short video on
Tablet Summer: What's Ahead
Written by Administrator
Sunday, 13 May 2012 16:48
Summer 2012 promises to be the season of tablet experimentation on a grander scale than ever. Just about every tablet maker, including Apple, is rumored (or expected) to announce (or launch) a new tablet version within roughly the next four months. The devices are likely to be smaller in the case of Apple and bigger in the case of Amazon. Google is expected to announce an inexpensive tablet with hardware maker Asus at the Google I/O conference in late June, while a Windows RT tablet from Microsoft and new-found partner Barnes & Noble could be on tap for late summer or fall. Here's what's on tap for this summer, in order of likely timing: This month: Barnes & Noble and Amazon have already kicked off new TV ad campaigns for their current Nook Tablet and Kindle Fire models -- both of which have 7-inch touchscreens. They're hoping to appeal to people shopping for graduation gifts and to clear out inventory to make room for forthcoming models, analysts said. May or June: Amazon is expected to launch a tablet
Microsoft allowing discounted upgrades to Windows 8
Written by Administrator
Friday, 11 May 2012 15:03
For those who buy a Windows 7 PC? It's just about time for Microsoft to launch its expected Windows 8 upgrade program. For the past several years, in order to keep PC sales from falling off a cliff in the months shortly before Microsoft and partners are poised to roll out new models running a new version of Windows, Microsoft has offered an upgrade program. Via these programs, customers who buy PCs running the current version of Windows (in this case, Windows 7) get "coupons" allowing them to get a free version of the next OS release. Here are some of the particulars of the coming Windows 8 program, according to my contacts. (The upgrade offer image above is from materials Microsoft is said to be providing to some of its OEM and retail partners about the coming program, according to my sources.) Microsoft will make the so-called "Windows 8 Offer" available to consumers buying a Windows 7 PC running Home Basic or higher, allowing them to obtain Windows 8 Pro once Windows 8
The Nokia Lumia 900 is winning over AT&T sales people, Nokia's U.S. president Chris Weber said Tuesday, but he wouldn't commit to trying to claim any new territory soon. After all, they're selling Lumias faster than they can make them. "Demand has been outstripping supply for the first couple of weeks, and we've been working hard to rectify that," he said. "The demand for cyan [phones] is significantly outpacing supply. When you give people something different from a design perspective—colors, etc. —it really stands out, and consumers want that." Weber's checking in on sales personally, he told PCMag here at the International CTIA Wireless conference. The Nokia executive has spent the past four weekends at AT&T stores, seeing how salespeople approach his product, he said. The Lumia phones are getting good reviews in stores for Nokia's collection of exclusive apps (like ESPN and PGA Tour), the colorful design, and the phones' value for money, he said. Still, Windows Phone isn't
An Apple programmer, apparently by accident, left a debug flag in the most recent version of the Mac OS X operating system. In specific configurations, applying OS X Lion update 10.7.3 turns on a system-wide debug log file that contains the login passwords of every user who has logged in since the update was applied. The passwords are stored in clear text. Anyone who used FileVault encryption on their Mac prior to Lion, upgraded to Lion, but kept the folders encrypted using the legacy version of FileVault is vulnerable. FileVault 2 (whole disk encryption) is unaffected. The flaw was first reported by a security researcher David Emery, who posted his findings to the Cryptome mailing list. The bug has not been corrected by any subsequent updates. Since the log file is accessible outside of the encrypted area, anyone with administrator or root access can grab the user credentials for an encrypted home directory tree...More details are posted at windows8newsinfo forum.
