Firefox 3.0.1 Released

I never knew about the release until I read from one of my favorite blog. Strange, when using Firefox this morning I didn't came across any popup prompted me to upgrade. This new minor update, fixes Firefox's 3 common causes of crashes. The update fixes three security updates that have critical rating making this is a security update. It is recommended to update Firefox 3 as soon as possible to close the security holes. For a complete list of changes, check the release notes

Download Mozilla Firefox 3.0.1

via Ghack

Technorati Tags: firefox 3

Is Splash Screen in Blizzard Site Revealed?

I came across news with new teaser from Blizzard with unsolved with icy look alike splash screen at the Blizzard site. What announcement could Blizzard going to give now? Could it be a new Diablo game or ice from the Frozen Throne or mineral from StarCraft. StarCraft? Isn't it too early too announce the expansion pack? However, according to WorldOfWar website they manage to crack down the mystery behind the icy wallpaper.

One of their reader found an image that shows the rune which is clearly visible in the new splash screen from Blizzard is a dead ringer for a rune seen on Arthas' sword, Frostmourne in another picture. Head to WorldOfWar for the picture.

I wish it could be WarCraft, an offline version continuation of Frozen Throne. The fight is not over Arthas :)

Firefox 3 Finally Out

Yup no more betas or release candidates (RC), Firefox 3.0 finally released at 10am at Pacific Time or 12.45pm in Eastern Time. Firefox 3 noted as faster,safer and smarter than before with 15,000 improvements. Besides that, Firefox supporters organized launch parties around the world as they tried to set a world record for most software downloads in a 24-hour period. The download count reached 6,063,737 when I writing this article.

Firefox comes from Mozilla, an open-source community in which thousands of people, mostly volunteers, collectively develop free products. Firefox is the No. 2 Web browser behind Microsoft Corp.'s Internet Explorer. I still prefer using Firefox though :)

Moreover, Lifehacker provided some really cool in depth reviews, features and guide on Firefox 3. Don't miss that as well :)

Source: Tech2

Technorati Tags: firefox 3

Beware of Malicious PDF Files

Reuters reports that emails containing malicious PDF files putting computers at risk since Friday. The danger is more pronounced as because PDF attachments are usually not filtered at email gateways.

According to Finnish security software F-Secure, the emails look like credit card statements, with a subject line that says 'Your credit report', 'Personal Financial Statement', 'Balance Report' etc. The infected file has an attachment called report.pdf. When such PDF files are viewed on vulnerable machines, they start downloading software from servers in Malaysia or Sweden, which are now being cleaned.

Adobe claims to have patched the vulnerability in its latest updates to Reader and Acrobat; both tagged as version 8.1.1. Get the latest version from the here.

Malaysian Made Dallab Dx8i

Never heard before the Dallab name , so do I. Dallab is actually a US based company and you can know more about them in www.dallab.com. The only reason I wrote this post because Dallab Sales & Marketing Sdn. Bhd. launched the latest Malaysian made PDA phone, which was unveiled by Y.B Dato’ Seri Dr. Lim Keng Yaik, Minister of Energy, Water and Communications. Dallab is currently the only company in this region to pass the Microsoft Logo Test Kit (LTK). It shows the capability to develop both hardware and software by adopting US technologies and local manufacturing in Sungai Petani, Kedah. The Dallab’s latest PDA phone Dx8i has won numerous awards, including the prestigious SIRIM approvals for its innovation and product quality being comparable to international standards.

Specifications:

• Quad band GSM 850/ 900/ 1800/ 1900
• Runs on Microsoft Windows Mobile 5.0 Pocket PC Phone Edition
• 2.2” TFT QVGA LCD display with touch screen, 240 x 320 pixels resolution
• Flash Memory 320MB / SDRAM Memory 64MB
• Built in Wireless LAN 802.11b compliance, Bluetooth SIG Version 1.2 stack
• 3.0 Megapixels CMOS camera
• Supports microSD and USB mini port

View full specs here

iPhone Unlock Software Released

Finally after so many speculations and hopes whether iPhone fans outside US can own one, their wish had been answered today. The iUnlock - free software to unlock iPhone finally achieved by iPhone Dev Team and its been independently tested.

So call your papa, mama, uncle, aunty or whoever in US buy iPhone and download the iUnlock to unlock the iPhone and show off to your friends.


For more information and download the iUnlock, kindly head to
iPhone Free Software Confirmed [Gizmodo]

Over Heated Nokia Batteries

World top hand phone maker, Nokia announced serious news when they said that the 46 millions batteries used in their phones could overheat. The Nokia branded ‘BL-5C’ made by Matsushita Electrical Industrial Co. Ltd. between December 2005 and November 2006.

The battery could potentially overheating due initiated by short circuit while charging, causing the battery dislodging. Nokia also said 100 cases of battery overheating cases have been reported globally but lucky no serious injures were reported.

The ‘BL-5C’ is Nokia’s most widely used battery and several suppliers have made more than 300 million of Nokia. However, the company would replace the batteries for no cost.

Consumers should visit the website www.nokia.com/batteryreplacement or contact their local Nokia call center.

New Threat, My_Heart.exe

A friend of mine informed me there is a new virus spreading around which is known as My_Heart.exe (please this is not the famous Indonesian song). Actually he knew about it after the virus messed up his system. According to him, when he double clicked the certain folder – it will close the window and back to the desktop. He using F-Secure antivirus software and he said he faced difficulties to update the antivirus in online because when did like that the antivirus software shutdown.

After done few investigation, I soon found out that My_Heart.exe is actually might be a malicious VBS Script just like the Fucker.vbs and autoupdate.dll.vbs which was terrorized the PC couple of months back. The file is located in Windows>System32 folder which can manually be deleted as well its startup files. As my friend said after he updated his antivirus software’s virus database the threat seems disposed. So, just make sure update your antivirus and it will take care of your PC.

Last but not least, the infected thumb drive can’t even open when right click open or explore – I have to use the command prompt to delete the autorun.inf file and then only can open the thumb drive. Well, that’s the only information I knew so be alerted.

I manage to found out an official documentation about this script which categorized as worm.

Kindly head to Sophos

SMM DotA Grand National

Doesn’t it sound cool? Being a fan of DotA this news is really excites me eventhough I’m not dare to categorize myself as a professional gamer. Yeah I know it’s an old news but for those DotA gamer who doesn’t heard of this juicy news take a look of this.

• Johor 12th, 13th May
• Melaka 19th, 20th May
• Negeri Sembilan 26th, 27th May
• Kuala Lumpur 16th, 17th June
• Pahang, Kelantan, Terengganu 23rd, 24th June
• Perak 30th, June 1st July
• Penang, Butterworth, Kedah 7th, 8th July
• Selangor 21st, 22nd July
• Sabah 28th, 29th July
• Sarawak 4th, 5th August

Over RM100, 000.00 and lots of other attractive prizes to be won.

Find out more at smm.net.my or your licensed *SMM Cyber Cafe outlets for more details.

For those never registered, you better do it quickly.



*SMM – Sendi Mutiara Multimedia

Talking Trojan Delete Files

The BotVoice.A, Trojan detected by PandaLabs uses Windows text reader to say,

“You have been infected I repeat you have been infected and your system files have been deleted. Sorry. Have a nice and bye bye.”

These comments are repeated in a loop as the Trojan tries to delete all files in the computer’s hard disk. It also renders computers unusable as it modifies the Windows registry so that none of the programs installed on the computer nor the task manager can be run. It also disables the Windows registry editor in order to safeguard its action.

This Trojan uses P2P networks, physical storage devices, such as USB memory sticks, floppy disks or CD-ROMs, and downloads performed by other malware or from malicious web pages, to look for victims.

PandaLabs has warned that in cases of a new and previously unknown Trojan like BotVoice.A, the infection will not be prevented by traditional antivirus software, which relies primarily on signature files of known malware.

Click here for more information on the Trojan.

First Broken iPhone

Well this could be the first picture of a broken iPhone. According to this broken iPhone owner,

I tried answering a call while it was plugged in and the short cord pulled it out of my hand and hit the corner of a table on the way down.

He brought the broken iPhone to Apple store and they gave him a brand new iPhone for FREE. Lucky guy I guess :) One way to go to smash the screen and ouch, that certainly a pain.

By the way, Apple Customer Care are really so kind to their customer. Gimmick? :p



For more exclusive pictures of broken iPhone,
Flickr [My broken iPhone (now fixed)]

and, check out also
PC World [iPhone Stress Test]

Some Reasons Why You Shouldn't Buy an iPhone

We've all seen the iPhone from the good side. Now it's time to look on the bad side:

Too Expensive
The iPhone comes in two versions; 4GB for US$499 (RM1,721.03) and 8GB for US$599 (RM2,065.93), and it's not included with taxes (and other extras) for it to reach our shores. It's quite pricey for a non-3G and 2.0MP camera phone. For the same price or less, you can get a 3G and up to 3.2MP camera. Why waste on just style and brand?

Not the iPod replacement
As being mentioned above, the price is expensive. If you have a large music collection that you like to carry around, just get an iPod. You can get a 30GB iPod for RM1099 and a 80GB for RM1499.

EDGE, not 3G
This is maybe one of the main reasons for not buying an iPhone. If Apple called the iPhone as cutting-edge, it should at least have 3G or 3.5G(HSDPA) to really "cut-the-egde". It means that the download speed is the same as my Nokia 6101 (about RM500 nowadays). Without 3G support, users won’t be able to download/stream data faster than 1Mbps. HSDPA allows for data transfer speeds of up to 1.8MBps.

2.0Megapixels only?
Though not many use their phone primarily for taking photos, its 2.0-megapixel camera can’t compete with some others, such as Samsung's 5.0-megapixel F700 and 3.0-megapixel F520 phones.
*click on links to view the specs

No QWERTY Keypad
Having a multi-touch display is nifty and all, but a slide out QWERTY keypad is definitely a feature that should have been included for messaging, email, etc.

No Flash or Java Support
Again, with the "not-cutting-edge" stuff. Flash and Java are both pretty basic parts of the web experience. Java is supported in most phones nowadays, and the Flash-enabled ones are released even more. Lacking these two will be a problem especially while you're surfing the net, since some webpages will not work properly in the iPhone.

Integrated Battery
Like the iPod, the iPhone has an integrated battery, which means you’ll have to send your unit back to Apple when it dies.

These are some of the main reasons, and you can find even more if search through the internet (blogs, forums, etc.). Some people just don't care, and some even not realized at all. It's up to you to judge...

modified from techeblog.com and extremetech.com

Harry Potter & Computer Worm

With just weeks remaining until the release of the last ever Harry Potter novel, and the imminent premiere of the fifth movie in the franchise, Sophos has warned of a new computer worm exploiting Potter-mania around the world.

The W32/Hairy-A worm can automatically infect a PC when users plug-in USB drives, which carry a file posing as a copy of the eagerly anticipated novel, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". If the users have allowed USB drives to 'auto-run' they will see a file called “HarryPotter-TheDeathlyHollows”. Inside this Word document file, there is a simple phrase “Harry Potter is dead”. Then the worm look for other removable drive to infect.

After infecting Windows computers, the worm creates a number of new users - namely the main characters from JK Rowling's celebrated series of books about student wizards: Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley.

After logging in, users are shown the following message via a batch file:

In addition, everytime infected users open Internet Explorer they will find their start page has been redirected to an Amazon.com web page selling a spoof book entitled "Harry Putter and the Chamber of Cheesecakes".

Read more in,

Sophos

Alienware P2 Barebones Kit!

Alienware (Alienware.com) have been known worldwide for building high-end gaming systems and after these years, they finally sell barebones kit (translation: PC cases with nothing in it and usually fitted with a power supply only or some other stuffs, depending on the manufacturer) to the public. These barebones are based on their popular P2 desktop chassis which was introduced some time ago and it looks nice. Very nice.

The barebones kit consists of a P2 extended ATX desktop chassis with standard Astral Blue lighting and a 700-watt power supply unit. In addition to its striking design, the case is packed with user-friendly features such as tool-less entry, easy-access front-side I/O ports and is designed for optimal airflow.

The lighting consists of illuminating several parts of the chassis, including the alien-head logos (front and side) and front panel I/O icons (USB, line in/out, FireWire). However, there's only two choices of case colour; black and silver for a whopping US$399 (RM1377.95) and only available for limited time. For more info, click here.

source: Alienware

Manhunt 2 Banned in UK

Rockstar’s upcoming Manhunt 2 is being banned in UK by the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) which means that the game will not be legally sold in London for either the PS2 or the Wii.

BBFC claimed Manhunt 2 is distinguishable from recent high-end video games by its unremitting bleakness and callousness of tone in an overall game context which constantly encourages visceral killing with exceptionally little alleviation or distancing. There is sustained and cumulative casual sadism in the way in which these killings are committed, and encouraged, in the game. The video game Manhunt 2 was rejected for its "unrelenting focus on stalking and brutal slaying", the British Board of Film Classification said.

Manhunt 2 also receives AO (Adults Only) rating from ESRB and with this another 'issues' have forced publisher Take Two to "temporarily suspended" the game. To make matters worse both Sony and Nintendo forbid third party developers from distributing AO titles on their platforms.

The original Manhunt before this created controversy and was blamed for the murder of Stefan Pakeerah. The boy was stabbed and beaten to death in Leicester in February 2004. Read the full story here.

Damn, I hope this game can gets released.

Homer – The Simpsons Kidnapped

I read this unusual news when I was on vacation and I thought I should post about this. Two Malaysian college students ‘kidnapped’ life size statue of Homer Simpsons from his family in One Utama Shopping Complex. Read the full story here.

The funny thing is they didn’t know that their face was clearly caught in CCTV and their car number plate as well. It wasn't long then before the police caught them and made them return Homer. How unskilled ‘kidnappers’ they are, duh.

But why would they want to steal Homer Simpsons statue?

Changes With The iPhone

There are apparently a few more redesigns incorporated, and the changes are:

• Bluetooth icon shifted to top right
• Time font is less bold
• Home icons have changed order
• Web home button changed to Safari button
• In iPod mode the icons and order have changed, and Podcasts added
• The incoming call screen includes Wi-Fi status
• Photos screen changed from glossy grey to glossy dark blue (possibly different color schemes available)
• Includes number of picture in album next to name
• Photo album screen does not include number of photos at the top
• Mail screen's top right button changed from "vertical or horizontal view" button to edit button
• Mail screen shows first sentence(s) of message
• Bottom bar of mail screen includes the time mail was last updated
• Mail message view screen changed with the sender now above the subject and date sent
• Arrows and the number of messages have changed positions in the top bar
• Back arrow to the inbox includes the number of unread messages
• Ring tone has changed

Source: Tech2

Virus Spread through MSN Messenger

A virus named as ‘photo album.zip’ spreading widely through MSN Messenger since last month (when I first encountered it). This file is automatically sent out some erotic and seductive messages attached with the photo.zip file to receivers in the contact list. The sender won’t realizing that they the virus sent via their MSN Messenger. I once got this picture from a friend, but after unzipped the file it’s not in picture format. I was sure that is a virus and reply her ask why sent me virus, I even scolded her for doing like that. Pity she ;p. Not sure what will happen if the receiver executed the virus.

The message is obviously sounds suspicious such as: ‘My friend took nice picture of me”, “You should see them LOL”, “Check out my sexy books”, “Hey LOL I’ve done a new photo album! Might be a few nudes LOL”. If you got such messages be careful.

Need for Speed ProStreet Announced

EA announced Need for Speed ProStreet is the next latest series for Need for Speed game. Not much is known about the game at this moment except for the fact that car damage will play an important role this time round. The game will released sometime in November 2007 for Xbox 360, PC, PS3, PS2 Wii, PS3, DS, PSP and mobile. Okay, not bad all platform can feel the game.

Need for Speed ProStreet boasts impeccable precision and impressively detailed photo-realistic graphics, effectively transporting you to the center of the action. It pushes the "Autosculpt" technology to a new level, allowing you to directly impact your car’s performance for the first time as well as personalize its appearance. Need for Speed ProStreet is a true taste of raw adrenaline and racing with consequences. Every dent, every scratch and every crumpled body panel is a battle scar, proof of your commitment and competitive mettle. With an aggressive and skilled AI system, you become immersed in an unmatched believable race experience. Add in a revolutionary online mode that will redefine the meaning of competitive social play, and Need for Speed ProStreet is the ultimate formula for an emotionally charged street racing showdown.

"Need for Speed ProStreet accelerates street racing culture by providing the ultimate stage for the pursuit of street racing supremacy. This is a game about building the ultimate performance-tuned battle machine, taking it to multi-disciplinary showdowns all over the world and pitting your skills and reputation against the very best street racers." ," said Executive Producer, Larry LaPierre. "

The game uses Autosculpt technology taking everything to another level, it will allow you to directly impact your car’s performance for the first time as well as personalize its appearance. The best part is that every dent, scratch and crumpled body panel will be your personal signature, almost as if you'd tell everyone indirectly what you've been through.

The pictures of NFS ProStreet (I guess) :p

Source: Tech2, Softpedia

Sims: Games to Movie

Sims the popular life simulation game which is also one of my favourite game soon turned into a movie. Electronic Arts has reportedly sold the rights to 20^th Century Fox.

Created by Will Wright, the game is popular for its non linear story line and the gameplay where players in charge of simulated people, helping them make friends, find satisfying jobs and household items to stay happy. Because of its astounding popularity, Sims 2 hit the markets for Sims fans with better graphics and gameplay.

*I pondering what the Sims movie story about, since Sims the game doesn’t have storyplay since we as a player made up the story.