Microsoft's Hotmail Active Views -- a vetted interactive email solution

Email as we know it is a fairly static beast; you get text, and maybe some links and images, but that's about it. After all, allowing email to run code within your email client or browser could be mighty risky.

On the other hand, there's lots to be gained by "interactive email." Imagine receiving a form, which you can fill-in right from within an email message; or getting a search widget that you can use right from within the message to get the exact content you're interested in.

That's what Microsoft's new Active Views for Hotmail tries to do. Microsoft has taken a bunch of enterprise partners, starting with Orbitz and Monster.com, and allowed them to run code right from within your email. Since the partners (and email content) are carefully vetted by Microsoft, potential security concerns are kept to a minimum allowing users to enjoy the power of interactive forms and search widgets without the danger of hidden malicious code.

As the platform grows, more and more enterprises will be able to send interactive email. However, being a Hotmail-only prospect (at least for now), and since it's mainly useful for large advertisers, it is uncertain whether Interactive Views will gain much traction. Still, it's an interesting experiment. Just in case you're still at a loss as to what Active Views actually is, Microsoft's kindly made a video explaining the whole thing, which we've included after the break.

Continue reading Microsoft's Hotmail Active Views -- a vetted interactive email solution

Microsoft's Hotmail Active Views -- a vetted interactive email solution originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 17 Dec 2010 04:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/17/microsofts-hotmail-active-views-a-vetted-interactive-email-s/

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McAfee: Smartphones, Apple devices to be top malware targets in 2011

Traditionally, Windows' massive user base has made it a juicy target for malware authors, but a new report from McAfee suggests there could be a major shift in 2011. The security company is predicting that attacks on the exploding smartphone segment and Apple devices will increase significantly.

Mac trojans have already become increasingly common in 2010, and McAfee finds that "lack of user understanding of proper security for these devices, will increase the risk for data and identity exposure." This lack of understanding, coupled with the increased presence of iOS devices in business environments, will make Apple users a prime target for malware.

The report also finds smartphone users will face increased danger in 2011. With hundreds of millions of new users purchasing more powerful phones and spending more time browsing on them, increased attention from malware authors is a natural (albeit unwelcome) side effect. If the app store for your phone offers security applications, there's no time like the present to read some reviews and get one installed.

Apart from smartphones and Apple devices, social engineering attacks (e.g. scams via Facebook, Twitter, e-mail and social networks) will continue to be big in 2011. McAfee asserts that personal information made available via geolocation apps and privacy lapses will allow attackers to better craft their attacks on individuals. There's also no sign of viral attacks on social sites like Facebook and Twitter slowing down, and short URL services will continue to be used to hide malicious links. Here's hoping more URL shorteners will look into pre-scanning their links to ensure our safety.

McAfee: Smartphones, Apple devices to be top malware targets in 2011 originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/29/mcafee-smartphones-apple-devices-to-be-top-malware-targets-in/

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Skype for iPhone Now Supports Video Calls

Skype now does video-calling on iOS devices. The new update to Skype’s iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch app, version 3.0, allows users to make video calls between their iDevices, as well as with desktop computers — in other words, with any other Skype user. The calls can be placed over both Wi-Fi and 3G.
To make and receive video [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2010/12/skype-for-iphone-now-with-video/

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WakeMate sleep-aid recalled due to 'exploding' USB charger, gives new meaning to being hot in the sack

Early this morning, Perfect Third Inc. -- makers of the less than perfect WakeMate wristband -- issued a recall for the sleep analyzer's USB charger, which apparently has a tendency to go up in smoke, and we don't mean disappear. An e-mail sent out by the company's CEO at 12:30 AM states, "we were informed by a customer of a safety incident with the black USB chargers." A little vague if you ask us, considering the video we received shows the device "smoking after exploding." The recall ensures that the WakeMate itself is perfectly safe, and that the Chinese-manufactured USB cables are at fault, but if you ask us, anything that is supposed to help you sleep soundly shouldn't put you in danger of catching fire.

[Thanks, Ringram and Nick]

Continue reading WakeMate sleep-aid recalled due to 'exploding' USB charger, gives new meaning to being hot in the sack

WakeMate sleep-aid recalled due to 'exploding' USB charger, gives new meaning to being hot in the sack originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 16:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/xkK5wMguzGI/

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Ask DLS: how to change your Download Squad password, the best Android web browser, and tailoring our RSS feeds

We're back with more of your questions, and more of our excellent answers.

This week, with the high-profile Gawker Media hack, we've been innundated with commenters asking how to change their Download Squad password. Now, it's not the easiest thing in the world, and yes, we know our commenting system isn't the best in the world (and we know there are still a few 'Easter eggs' from the Switched merger; they'll be ironed out soon, I promise) -- so if you're struggling to change your password, follow these simple steps:

• Make sure you're logged in -- the only way to do this (at the moment) is to leave a comment on a post (any post will do!)
• Find one of your comments -- the comment you just made will work just fine
• Click your name -- it's a link to your profile page (it will look something like this). Marvel at your huge post counts!
• Type your old password, and confirm a new password -- hit Change Password and you're done!

Continue reading Ask DLS: how to change your Download Squad password, the best Android web browser, and tailoring our RSS feeds

Ask DLS: how to change your Download Squad password, the best Android web browser, and tailoring our RSS feeds originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/20/ask-dls-how-to-change-your-download-squad-password-android-browser-rss-feeds/

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Skype slowly beginning to recover from massive outage

If you were lost without your Skype connection yesterday, the company's official blog has some heartening news for you this morning. Skype's engineers have been working hard to re-build the network of supernodes -- which had failed due to a software bug -- and have started seeing some encouraging signs.

Users in various locations have been able to sign in again, and Skype reports that around 5 million users are current connected. That's less than a third of what they normally see, but it's certainly better than hearing crickets. Skype isn't sure when the service will return to full capacity, so we'll just have to wait patiently.

You may also still have trouble accessing the Skype website -- either all its Web services have been affected, or the servers are simply being hammered with user requests.

Update: the Skype blog now reports that the number of connected users has doubled -- 10 million people are back online!

Skype slowly beginning to recover from massive outage originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 08:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/23/skype-slowly-beginning-to-recover-from-massive-outage/

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The world's first shipped RED EPIC gets stolen in home break-in

Remember just earlier this month when OffHollywood studio head Mark Pederson became the first man to own a RED EPIC? Well, now his $58,000 über camera is gone. According to REDUSER forums, the EPIC was heisted last night along with some cash from Pederson's chalet in France while he and his family were sleeping. Pederson shares on the forum that "there was a forced entry through the front door. The thieves actually entered the master bedroom while my in-laws were sleeping, and standing a foot from their bed - emptied wallet and purse. There were 6 children and 8 adults sleeping in the house." That's a scary caper worthy of a Hollywood script for sure, but thankfully no one was hurt. Here's hoping the movie-like storyline continues now with law enforcement gumshoes actually cracking the case. In the meantime, maybe Peter Jackson can lend Pederson one of his 30 RED EPICs until his own baby returns.

[Thanks, Derek]

The world's first shipped RED EPIC gets stolen in home break-in originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 31 Dec 2010 10:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/UdKURwfuV3A/

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RIM: BlackBerry PlayBook battery life is still being optimized, won't cause delays

If you've been keeping an ear to the techie ground, you'll probably have heard some analyst chatter suggesting RIM's BlackBerry PlayBook may be delayed due to issues relating to its supposedly poor battery life. That scuttlebutt has now turned out to be mostly unfounded, with RIM clarifying the situation through a communiqué sent to Erictric:

"Any testing or observation of battery life to date by anyone outside of RIM would have been performed using pre-beta units that were built without power management implemented. RIM is on track with its schedule to optimize the BlackBerry PlayBook's battery life and looks forward to providing customers with a professional grade tablet that offers superior performance with comparable battery life."

To be sure, it's not an outright denial that there may be PlayBooks floating about with disappointing battery performance, but the immaturity of the software on them is clearly such as to invalidate any conclusions drawn. Perhaps more important than the imprecise discussion of battery longevity (what does "comparable" even mean in this context?) is the note that the company is still on track to complete its software optimizations and deliver its first tablet on schedule. Guess we can all quit worrying now.

RIM: BlackBerry PlayBook battery life is still being optimized, won't cause delays originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 04:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/paEKWsJzypc/

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ASUS EP121, EP102, EP101, and EP71 tablets get diagramed in latest teaser

Haven't had enough CES titillation yet? Good. ASUS has apparently been up to some mischief overnight in uploading and then pulling a new version of its teaser video from a week ago, though this time it also included explicit product names attached to some quite informative diagrams. It looks to be the full family of upcoming CES tablets, with the EP121 touting stylus input and a wireless keyboard, the EP102 showing that there will indeed be a slider in ASUS' Pad family, and the EP101 looking like, well, a laptop. There's also a media-centric EP71, whose proportions make it seem likely to be a sort of oversized PMP. Skip past the break for a closer look at them all and don't forget to grace our comments with your theory as to why ASUS feels compelled to have such a segmented product offering.

Continue reading ASUS EP121, EP102, EP101, and EP71 tablets get diagramed in latest teaser

ASUS EP121, EP102, EP101, and EP71 tablets get diagramed in latest teaser originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 30 Dec 2010 10:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/12/30/asus-ep121-ep102-ep101-and-ep71-tablets-get-diagramed-in-late/

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Honda, Acura customer data stolen in third-party breach

The last couple months of this year are starting to look like Breachfest 2010, and a new report in The Columbus Dispatch indicates that the latest victims are registered owners of Honda and Acura vehicles. As was the case with the McDonald's incident, it wasn't Honda or Acura specifically that was attacked -- but rather a third-party company who handled a customer email database.

In addition to the usual information like names and email addresses, the data also contained customer VINs (vehicle identification numbers). Armed with a VIN, it could be possible for a thief to obtain duplicate keys -- which is obviously very, very bad. It's more likely, however, that the data will be used to carry out phishing attacks. Armed with knowledge of the customers' vehicles, the phisher could pose as a Honda representative in an attempt to trick users into running a malicious attachment.

Honda has already reached out to all those affected -- some 2.2 million people. The company has also added a new section to its FAQ, which you can read here.

Honda, Acura customer data stolen in third-party breach originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/29/honda-acura-customer-data-stolen-in-third-party-breach/

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Angry Birds 'level skip' Mighty Eagle in-app purchase now available -- costs $1!

Those cheeky, purse-squeezing capitalists over at Rovio have released yet another Angry Birds update. Not only does the latest version include some new levels ("Ham 'em High"), but you can now buy the Mighty Eagle. It's an in-app purchase, and it'll cost you either $1, a few British pennies, or a handful of Euro cents.

The Mighty Eagle is a new item that lets you skip the current level, and unlock the next. Despite paying $1 for the luxury, you can only use the level-skip once per hour. There will undoubtedly be a $5 Mightier Eagle in 2011 that removes the 1-hour limitation. The Mighty Eagle also introduces a new Eagle Feather achievement, which you can get by filling up a "destruction gauge." Chrikee.

In other news, if you haven't been following the Angry Birds industry, 50 million copies of the game have now been sold. Rovio promise that 2011 will be exciting, too: Angry Birds will be released on even more platforms, including every major video game console.

Buy Angry Birds 1.5 for $0.99 [iTunes]

Angry Birds 'level skip' Mighty Eagle in-app purchase now available -- costs $1! originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 23 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/23/angry-birds-level-skip-mighty-eagle-in-app-purchase-now-availa/

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Blow Things Up is a fun, easy physics Time Waster

Time-wasters can sometimes be frustrating; after all, when I just want to distract myself for a few minutes, I'm not really looking for something that's going to make me feel like I'm not good enough. That's what work is for, right?

Blow Things Up is a nice game, because you will be good at it. You get a number of bombs which you can plant anywhere on the screen, even midair. Once you put a bomb in place, it doesn't shift, roll, move, or do anything suspicious until you hit Space - at which point it does what a bomb should, which is explode.

When the bomb explodes, it shifts things around; ideally, it shifts the "bad guys" off the screen. By "bad guys" I mean those cute red cyclops you can see at the top and the middle of the screenshot. The yellow cyclops are the "good guys", and if you push them off the screen, you lose.

It took me about 3-4 minutes to reach level 22; it was virtually effortless, which is just what I needed right now. Quite a fun little game.

Blow Things Up is a fun, easy physics Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 21 Dec 2010 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/21/blow-things-up-is-a-fun-easy-physics-time-waster/

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Choosing Between a laptop and an iPad: A guide

One of the big questions many consumers are faced with today is whether to purchase a laptop or an iPad. We hope to take some of the pressure off and help make that decision easier for you in this guide. Since many of you are already more than well aware of what laptops can be [...]

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/ipadbuzzblog/~3/rRZ9jhMbrvQ/

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Aequilibrium 3 challenges your mousing agility and sense of balance -- Time Waster

Back in June, I covered the original Aequilibrium; if you liked that game, then you're going to love the new version, Aequilibrium 3.

It's a game that's ostensibly about balance, but it's really about agility. Each level starts off with several pieces resting in perfect balance on a fulcrum. You have to remove all of the red blocks by clicking them, while keeping the whole thing from toppling down and off the screen.

For example, in the level shown above you should probably click the two middle triangles one after the other (the chunky ones, in the middle). Then click the two top ones one after the other, each in rapid succession. And then you're left with the two bottom ones (hopefully, unless everything fell off the fulcrum by now). That's the trickiest part, and you need quite a bit of speed to keep it all from falling.

It's not entirely about speed, though; there is some strategy involved, but a deft mouse-hand will certainly come in handy for this one.

Aequilibrium 3 challenges your mousing agility and sense of balance -- Time Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/26/aequilibrium-3-challenges-your-mousing-agility-and-sense-of-bala/

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Images From Bell Labs in the Sixties—It's Like Nerdy Mad Men [Blast From The Past]

Beehives, flower power, and really, really large computers. Looking at these photos taken at Bell Labs in the 1960s is like traveling back in time. Was working at Bell Labs totally "groovy"? More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/3TW9QPMa0u8/images-from-bell-labs-in-the-sixtiesits-like-nerdy-mad-men

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Sony files ITC complaint about LG, adds another patent infringement lawsuit to the stack

Did the world's tech giants just discover they have lawyers on retainer? That's certainly how it seems, as company after company has decided 'tis the season to target the competition with patent infringement allegations. Sony, the latest, is aiming squarely at LG, claiming that the Korean manufacturer's violating eight patents with its mobile devices -- including the LG Fathom, Xenon, Neon, Remarq, Rumor 2, Lotus Elite and VL600 LTE modem -- claiming that these devices transmit variable-bandwidth audio streams, live-preview camera snapshots, hand off cellular calls and more in ways that infringe Sony's intellectual property. Sony's now filed both an ITC complaint in an attempt to ban new product shipments from the US, and a lawsuit in federal court that will no doubt seek monetary damages. Now, if recent history is any indication, LG will turn around and smack Sony with a patent stack of its own, and we'll all go back to dreaming about LG devices we'd actually care to purchase.

Sony files ITC complaint about LG, adds another patent infringement lawsuit to the stack originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 22:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/s6hzEP6r_rM/

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