Friday, February 26, 2010

Microsoft's “Operation b49” Project Takes Down Waledac Botnet

“Operation b49” snapvoip.blogspot.com


With the approval of courts, Good old Microsoft has gone in to killing botnets that fills you email boxes with spam. According to the Court, Microsoft get to decide which domains to kill, in order to kill the botnets. I hope Steve Balmer will not think Google as a bad domain.
 On February 22, in response to a complaint filed by Microsoft  (“Microsoft Corporation v. John Does 1-27, et. al.”, Civil action number 1:10CV156) in the U.S. District Court of Eastern Virginia, a federal judge granted a temporary restraining order cutting off 277 Internet domains believed to be run by criminals as the Waledac bot.
But jokes aside, I think the idea of who gets to decide which are good or bad domains will come in many discussions to come.
Associate general counsel at Microsoft, Tim Cranton, posted;
At Microsoft, we don't accept the idea that botnets are a fact of life. We are a founding member of the Botnet Task Force, a public-private partnership to join industry and government in the fight against bots. That's why I'm proud to announce that through legal action and technical cooperation with industry partners, we have executed a major botnet takedown of Waledac, a large and well-known "spambot."
Technet

Thursday, February 25, 2010

Apple iTunes Sells 10 Billion Songs, How About Them Apples?

Apple iTunes Sells 10 Billion Songs snapvoip.blogspot.com


The Apple iTunes' "Countdown to 10 Billion Songs" project has come to a close with somebody in somewhere enjoing a huge iTunes Gift Card. During the promotion, Apple has promised to award whoever downloaded the ten billionth songs a $10,000 iTunes gift card.
Man How many songs is that?

Following are the Most Downloaded iTunes Songs, first 25 of them;

01. Black Eyed Peas, "I Gotta Feeling"
02. Lady Gaga, "Poker Face"
03. Black Eyed Peas, "Boom Boom Pow"
04. Jason Mraz, "I'm Yours"
05. Coldplay, "Viva La Vida"
06. Lady Gaga, "Just Dance"
07. Flo Rida, "Low"
08. Taylor Swift, "Love Story"
09. Leona Lewis, "Bleeding Love"
10. Ke$ha, "Tick Tock"
11. Rihanna, "Disturbia"
12. P!nk, "So What"
13. Katy Perry "I Kissed a Girl"
14. Beyonce, "Single Ladies"
15. Katy Perry, "Hot N Cold"
16. Kanye West, "Stronger"
17. T.I. feat. Rihanna, "Live Your Life"
18. Plain White T's, "Hey There Delilah"
19. Flo Rida, "Right Round"
20. Miley Cyrus, "Party in the U.S.A."
21. Journey, "Don't Stop Believin'"
22. Lady Gaga, "Bad Romance"
23. Kings of Leon, "Use Somebody"
24. Owl City, "Fireflies"
25. The Fray, "How to Save a Life"

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Titanium iPhone 3GS Is Real And Calling (On Video)

Titanium iPhone 3GS snapvoip.blogspot.com


engadget has posted a video of the widly spoken about Titanium Mod done to the iPhone 3GS. The mod is real and the modder was able to make a call using the phone, actually recieve a call.

Sprint Will Bring High Speed WiMAX (4G Mobile Broadband) To Your Door Step This Year.

Sprint WiMAX (4G Mobile Broadband) snapvoip.blogspot.com
Sprint will bring WiMAX (4G Mobile Broadband) to more markets this year.  According to a press release today, Sprint intend to bring their speedy Mobile broadband to as many as 120 million people by the end of 2010. They have marked a few cities to be added to the 27 cities already enjoying the high speed 4G Mobile Broadband othewise known as WiMAX.

Sprint expects to launch 4G service this year in many markets, including Boston, Denver, Kansas City, Houston, Minneapolis, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. More Sprint 4G markets will be announced at a later date. Sprint 4G is expected to cover up to 120 million people by the end of 2010.
But the mobile users are not the only ones in Sprint's cross hairs. Sprint wants home users, students in university dorms, or any one with a computer or such device. Sprint wants us to bypass your cable provider and stream HD movies from content distribution providers (such as Netflix, Amazon and Blockbuster) right to your TV; connect our consoles like Xbox 360 and game real-time with someone located across the globe; move pictures wirelessly from your camera to a digital picture frame and surf the Web on your laptop while streaming Pandora, all through a single connection.

If you use a computer, a smart phone, a gaming device, a DVD player or any Wi-Fi enabled device, your online life will change for the better when you experience the Sprint 4G difference. And the value of 4G makes using Sprint 3G/4G to enhance all of your wireless devices a no-brainer," said Matt Carter, president of 4G. "While other national wireless carriers are just talking about 4G, the Sprint Now Network already offers the reality of 4G now in a large number of markets across the country, with many more to follow this year.
Well they better come before Google Broadband comes out.
Sprint

Monday, February 22, 2010

"Mobile-ize Your Business" Google Webinar On Mobile Advertising

"Mobile-ize Your Business"  snapvoip.blogspot.com/
Recently we published about Mobile-izing on our sister blog, MyAdlets. Advertising in Mobile space has become very important as more and more customers are using there mobile devices to search and find goods and services, on the go.
If you are a business that cater to your local customers, be it a restaurant, auto service or parts store, minature golf course, you will be able to invite users in from your door step, if you utilize right advertising methothds.
So Google is holding a webinar to to let all of us know

"what we're seeing in the mobile ads space and how to think about incorporating mobile into your marketing strategy."
They will address topics such as;
  • Understand mobile trends and what they mean for your business
  • Drive consumer action online and in the store
  • Optimize your strategies for the mobile platform
specifically.

Date and Time: March 2, 2010 at 11:00am PST / 1:00pm CST / 2:00pm EST
Register here


AdWords Agency Blog: We're thinking mobile, are you?

Un - sexy Apple Removes Swimsuit Catelog From iTunes But You Can Still Play With Sports Illustrated Swimsuits!

UN - Sexy Apple snapvoip.blogspot.com


Apple's sex hunt has removed another app. This time swimsuit retailer Simply Beach's Catalog App for swim suits. But Apple considers Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Challenge (below) to be in a different class. But we fail to see how and I am sure those 5000 odd apps does not know either.
Any words? Apple.

Cult of Mac Via Gizmodo

Friday, February 19, 2010

A Case For Switchvox, Another Case For Asterisk, Which One Is Yours?

The Case For Asterisk and Switchvox snapvoip.blogspot.com
Digium blog has published a very clear and nice article by Steve Sokol that speaks about virtues of both the products. Asterisk is the industry favorite Opens source telephony project and the SwitchVox is a Unified Communications system which is also based on Asterisk. The former is free and the latter is not. But there are many reasons that you may want to choose one or the other. The aricle basically ends with a clear advise;

If you’re technically inclined and want to build a communication product or solution, then Asterisk is for you.  If you’re in need of a great phone system at a great price, check out Switchvox.

Asterisk or Switchvox?

Thursday, February 18, 2010

Alcatel OT-980 (Android 2.1)

Alcatel OT-980 at MWC snapvoip.blogspot.com/


Even thought engadget thinks it is cheesy, I could not find any cheese just by looking at it. Alcatel OT-980 seems to be like any other phone sans the highend ones and carries Android 2.1, full HSPA, WiFi, AGPS, compass, and a 2.8-inch display.
It will be released this year in non US markets.
engadget has more photos.

Handoff Between WiMAX And LTE Might Be Possible In The Future With WiMAX and LTE Modem

WiMAX and LTE modem snapvoip.blogspot.com/
WiMAX and LTE from a single chip, yes, they are that close. Beceem announced yesterday Mobile World Congress that they will work together with Motorola to pair off Motorola's 4G WiMAX infrastructure with BeceemsBCS500 4G chip.
The product will result in a 4G modem that will be able to handle LTE and WiMAX and provide users to roam and seemlessly switch between the two networks. Beceem chips currently power the Clearwire Networks and their capabilities already provide VoIP over WiMAX with multi-access network handoffs.

"The know-how gained during the development and deployment of our leading 4G WiMAX solution has contributed to our work with Beceem to offer this advanced chipset solution, We look forward to the opportunities provided by this capability to address market demand." said Bruce Brda, senior vice president, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions and Networks business.
Beceem joins the praise with
"Our 4G-WiMAX chips are powering every device in Clearwire's network, and we would not have been able to achieve this level of performance and market success without our collaboration with Motorola," said Babu Mandava, CEO of Beceem Communications. "We are pleased to enter the 4G-LTE market later this year with our new BCS500 4G-LTE/WiMAX chip that will become the performance benchmark of the 4G industry."
 Press Release

Monday, February 15, 2010

Apple Banninig iPhone Hackers From iTunes App Store?

iPhone hackers snapvoip.blogspot.com


The buzz on the net is that two prominant iPhone hackers got blocked from the Apple iTunes store with the message shown above. 
Sherif Hashim, who found an exploit in iPhone OS 3.1.3 posted the following message on his twitter account.

Also another hacker iH8sn0w who is behind Sn0wbreeze a sort of the PwnageTool for Windows also seem to have been blocked.
@sherif_hashim lol, they did that to my ih8sn0wyday[@t]googmail.com too. (right after I posted XEMN)…
It could be a random issue or it could be really Apple going after know hackers. The hackers have used their id depicting the same names for the app store account.
If it is the case, this will be a begining of the end for hacked iPhones? I do not think so. If Apple did so, it will be like them advertising "Buy an Android!", People who own jailbroken iPhones will not be very happy, millions of them!
RedmondPie via Gizmodo

Monday, February 08, 2010

Sending Free SMS To Multiple Recipients With Google Voice.

One thing I did not like about TXTing or SMS is that I could only send a single message to a single person. Unlike email message, I have to send the same message over and over to all the recipients. Only the phone companies could be happy about this unless you are on an unlimited SMS plan.
But now that you have Google Voice, you can send a SMS message, like you do an email message. Multiple recipients at one go, for free. It will be handy on Google Voice For Mobile.
Not only that the replies from each recipient will have their own thread and will appear on you Google Voice inbox.
It is available as a Chrome extension and pretty soon it will also appear on the Google Voice mobile app.
Google Voice Blog: Send SMS to multiple recipients

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Personalized Suggestions And Synchronized Starring Helps To Take Your Places And Searches To Go With Google Maps For Mobile.

If you searched for location on your computer found out the place of interest and memorized the general location of the store or the restaurant and you are on the way.


But by the time you get near, you have forgotten the minor details. Now you have to do the same search on your mobile. With use of mobiles while driving being dangerous and illegal, you have to pull to a side to do the search.
But now Google is doing the memorizing for you with the personalized suggestions. This way as soon as you begin to type the search phrase, you will see the suggestions, making your search shorter and quick.
Once you find the site or once you are on location, you can pull up your Google Maps and star the place. Now this location will show up on your computer as well as your mobile with Synchronized Starring, as long as you are using Google Maps for Mobile on an Android, at the moment.
All these takes only a single step, you have to signed in to your Google Account and your web history enabled.
If you are a user of Google Nexus one, you will receive an over the air update to Google Maps 3.4. Other Androids can download the app from Android Market soon.
They have also added "night Mode" for finding your places easily at night. Happy Mobiling with Android.
Official Google Mobile Blog: Take your places and searches to go with Google Maps for mobile

http://snapvoip.blogspot.com/

Friday, February 05, 2010

Google Apps Enterprise Admin Policies For Mobile Devices, iPhone, Nokia and Winmo

Google Apps Mobile snapvoip.blogspot.com


In the heals of announcing Google Sync for iPhone, WinMo device and Nokia E series last September, Google Apps have further extended service to access service on any device from any location.
Google Apps Premier and Education customers will be able to manage their employees' mobile devices right from the Google Apps administration control panel.
Some of the functions are very relevant to the mobile world;

  • Remotely wipe all data from lost or stolen mobile devices



  • Lock idle devices after a period of inactivity



  • Require a device password on each phone



  • Set minimum lengths for more secure passwords



  • Require passwords to include letters, numbers and punctuation

  • Official Google Mobile Blog: Bringing more administrative controls to Google Apps for mobile

    Symbian Completes Open Source Move!

    Open Source Symbian snapvoip.blogspot.com


    Symbian, world’s most popular smartphone operating system with more than 330 million installation is going open source.
    The Symbian Foundation’s announced in 2008 that it would make its code open source but it took them 2 years to complete the task.
    So as far as Mobile OS goes, most of it is Open Source now.
     

    Symbian

    Tuesday, February 02, 2010

    iPhoneOS 3.1.3 version (7E18) Relesed But Expect Trouble WIth Jailbreak and Unlock

    iPhone Dev Team 3G(s) Jailbroken snapvoip.blogspot.com
    iPhoneOS 3.1.3 released today seem to fix some issues and as you can see from the dialog below,
    it improves battery level reporting on 3GS
    fixes some issues with third party apps that refuses to launch
    Fixes Japanese Kana Keyboard bug that causes app to crash
    All good but we are waiting for iPhoneOS 3.2

    While I am waiting to update I checked iPhone Dev-Team site and yes, the iPhone Dev Team has issued a warning to owners of Jailbroken iPhones and Unlocked iPhones, specially iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS;
    • PwnageTool and redsn0w are not yet compatible with 3.1.3
    • There is no estimated release time for compatible tools (please don’t bug us about this).
    • Any information we have regarding this update will be posted here.
    • You can also follow us on twitter - @iphone_dev
    iPhone Dev Team

    Monday, February 01, 2010

    iPad at The Grammys

    iPad at The Grammys snapvoip.blogspot.com
    Just as you were settling down and digesting all the past hype while waiting for the release of iPad we get thrown in to the pit again. This time by Stephen Colbert at the Grammys.

    Mashable

    Skype-OUTages

    Skype-OUTages snapvoip.blogspot.com
    Even though I have not been affected (I use skype from iPhone mainly) Skype is reporting outages. Starting from 29th (sign in problems and skype out), 30th had SIP channel subscription extensions problems and 31st seem to have brought in services problems. Growing Pains?
    May be when my emotional shape changing  phone comes out, it will be able to report about skype heartbeat.
    You can follow skype on twitter to findout about problems, status and solutions.

    Emotional And Shape Changing Cell Phone!

    Fabian Hemmert snapvoip.blogspot.com
    Fabian Hemmert at TEDxBerlin is trying to solve the problem of emotional transformation of information by a cell phone in the following movie.
    The prototype is capable of weight shifting and letting users know the directions as where to walk (may be while texting while walking!) and Shape Shifting could direct users to look up or to left/right to show information beyond the screen, like the store or address he/she is searching for. Then there is an emotional state that is transferred with a heartbeat or expansion or contraction depicting breathing.
    Yes I want a breathing phone. Link after the jump

    Fabian Hemmert

    Zune Phone Coming Soon?

    Zune Phone snapvoip.blogspot.com


    According to people in the know, Microsoft seems to be getting a Zune Phone ready for the upcoming MWC, Mobile World Congress. They also mentions that the project is a joint venture with Nvidia and the phone is based on Tegra platform and runs windows mobile 7 as the OS.
    Among other multimedia offerings the phone will have 720P HD video and HDMI, and USB connections.
    MuyComputer (Translated) via Gizmodo

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