Support Autopatcher
Sep 3, 2007 Tech
Recently a app called autopatcher which contains current windows patches for patching offline windows installations was ‘terminated’ by Microsoft.
This is after 4 years of the app being in existence which is a bit odd tbh. Microsoft have said its not to do with WGA concerns, which is probably true because WGA is installed with autopatcher patches anyway.
my personal opinion is Microsoft is closing the project down now as they are creating thier own similar services (the windows update catalog) also with the first vista service pack on the horizon, they will want to restrict the ways users get the patches ensuring they go through a correct Microsoft channel to authenticate their windows installation.
the official reason from Microsoft is that they dont want the possibility of malicious code being installed alongside thier patches.
while microsoft have every right and concern to do this, it still pisses off a lot of people who used it.
more info on the subject can be found at these links:
the official “its closed down thread” at neowin. http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=584427
the official “its closed down story” at autopatcher.com
http://www.autopatcher.com/134#comment-3702
one user took it upon himself to form a one man protest outside a Microsoft campus:
http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=42304
Microsoft remains silent over autopatcher:
http://www.neowin.net/index.php?act=view&id=42295
for those interested, the C&D email received from Microsoft:
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=584427&view=findpost&p=588813856
register your protest by contacting Microsoft here:
https://support.microsoft.com/common/survey.aspx?scid=sw;en-gb;1348&showpage=1&WS=mscomukform1
letters others have written to Microsoft on the issue:
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=584427&view=findpost&p=588814393
http://www.neowin.net/forum/index.php?showtopic=584427&view=findpost&p=588814439
more ways to contact Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/PR_Contacts.mspx
the story on digg:
http://digg.com/microsoft/Microsoft_Ceases_AutoPatcher_Project
cnet’s opinion:
http://news.com.com/Patch+service+shuts+after+Microsoft+request/2100-7350_3-6205191.html
the inquirer’s opinion:
http://www.theinquirer.net/?article=42008
the online petition to save autopatcher:
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/SaveAutoPatcher/signatures.html
lunarsofts opinion:
http://lunarsoft.net/news-324.html
the register’s opinion:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/08/30/autopatcher/
the story at PC pro:
http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/news_story.php?id=123635
the story at slashdot:
http://yro.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=07/08/29/1917221
the story at tech spot:
http://www.techspot.com/news/26809-microsoft-shuts-autopatcher-down.html
the story at search security – aus.
http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com.au/topics/article.asp?DocID=1270060
Atomic – Aus.
http://www.atomicmpc.com.au/forums.asp?s=2&c=21&t=1796
As you can see the news has reached the far corners of the web, from australia to the UK and the US.
If you still want to download autopatcher or its updates you can still use this mirror:
http://windowsedge.com/Mirror/AutoPatcher/Autopatcher-XP.html
Also here are some alternatives to autopatcher:
DIY Service packs:
http://www.heise-security.co.uk/articles/80682
Get all the security updates in one .ISO file from Microsoft for august:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyId=E4DCC3E7-36BD-4C6F-A8B6-421CB8902EAA&displaylang=en
(unfortunately this contains updates for every version of windows so the file size is huge.)
windows updates downloader:
http://wud.jcarle.com
at the moment there is no news on weather autopatcher will survive.
Support auto patcher by displaying this image on your web site. (or create your own)
Thanks goes out to all those on the autopatcher team and everyone that made it possible 
Tags: autopatcher, beta, neowin, site, support, Tech, updates, windows
Allofmp3 shutdown by russian government, iphone firmware released to web
Jul 3, 2007 Tech
Well it seems that the RIAA have finally got thier way, they threatened not to let the russian government into the WTO unless the site was shutdown. arses, lol.
More info: http://torrentfreak.com/allofmp3-shut-down-by-russian-government
The good news though is that, the company behind allofmp3.com have launched another mp3 website called MP3sparks.com, which uses the same interface, and user database, users of allofmp3.com can login to the site with thier details and access thier balance and download tracks. So really all I can see thats changed is that they’ve changed thier name and created a new skin for thier interface. I’ve always thought the name “all of mp3″ was a bit naff anyways, mp3sparks sounds much better 
Also another similar site that got my attention was mp3sugar.com, I dont think they’re run by the same people, but it looks like a similar service, ive yet to try it out though. plus theres always torrents, newgroups etc.
In other news, the recently released iPhone has had its root passwords cracked and had its firmware released onto the web.
more info: http://digg.com/apple/iPhone_Firmware_for_download
I think it’ll be cool to see all the new things people can come up with..
Thats all for now folks
SEO Research thing
Dec 3, 2006 Tech
So ive recently become interested in SEO stuff, and decided to do a little test of sorts
Im interested to see wheather certain keywords on a page attract more hits / clicks or not, so below are a list of random words that will most likely be picked up by search engines and indexed, then i can check stats and compare it with last months. (thats why this is first post of the month ) So without further hesitation here we go >.>
domains yahoo domain name yahoo dc hair laser removal washington lemon wisconsin hair removal washington dc domain registration yahoo benchmark lending domain yahoo yahoo web hosting hair laser removal here virginia peritoneal mesothelioma ca lemon law best buy gift card adverse credit remortgage mesothelioma shape! information law lemon ohio att call conference insurance medical temporary illinois law lemon mesothelioma symptoms angeles drug los rehab personal injury solicitor att go accident car florida lawyer google affiliate at t wireless home equity loan mcsa boot camp anti spam appliance adverse remortgage chicago hair laser removal att conference at and t laser hair removal maryland mesothelioma buy gift card mesotheloma student loan consolidation program so anyways california law lemon event google management security canada personals yahoo orlando criminal attorney goes uk homeowner loans vioxx lawsuit compare life assurance criminal defense lawyer american singles federal criminal defense attorney laser hair removal manhattan att prepaid wireless in fortis health insurance temporary miami personal injury lawyer hair removal chicago at and t old cell phones refinance with bad credit malignant mesothelioma lease management software primary pulmonary hypertension miami personal injury attorney anti spam lol lotus notes life insurance quotes egg credit anti spam exchange server lemon law adsense best consolidation loan student refinance with poor credit employee leasing student loan consolidation center buyer mortgage note federal student loan consolidation symptoms of mesothelioma city hair laser new removal york att wireless com san diego dui lawyer indiana law lemon law ads lemon michigan angeles criminal defense los refinancing with poor credit home equity loan action class lawsuit vioxx term life assurance e loan celebrex lawyer vasectomy reversal mortgage rates refinancing attorney law lemon consolidate student loans home equity loans mesothilioma new york personal injury lawyer home equity loan rates auto insurance quotes georgia law lemon homeowner loans equity loan rates administration lease software egg credit card student new consolidation loans microsoft anti spam Max CPC ($) Avg CPC ($) Keyword mesothelioma prognosis second mortgages my auto century insurance employee florida leasing federal consolidation adsense loan equity loan personal injury attorney colorado accident lawyer michigan refinancing with bad credit home equity line of credit rates federal consolidation non profit debt consolidation pay per click affiliate city hair new removal york acid reflux disease diet refinance poor credit equity loans student loan consolidate consolidate loans secured loans criminal lawyer new york affiliate per click chicago personal injury lawyer los angeles dui lawyer att prepaid angeles criminal defense lawyer los critical illness insurance life irs lawyer tax laser hair removal new york comcast high speed personal yahoo san diego dui attorney michigan personal injury automobile law lemon cheap insurance life term home loans refinancing consolidate college loans cheap ya life insurance vioxx law suit student loan refinance car hire alicante spain tax attorney refinancing my home criminal dallas lawyer line of credit home equity litigation vioxx at and t phones criminal high defense attorney los angeles commodity online trading home equity rates adsense law lemon keywords mass equity home arizona law edit lemon child molestation attorney noob home line of credit alicante keeping car coding rental spain attorney defense php federal san diego criminal attorney really injury lawyer new york attorney injury new personal york at and t mobile pleural mesothelioma augmentation breast diego san home equity poor credit health insurance temporary compensation mesothelioma st century insurance cheap insurance medical angeles criminal lawyer los low cost etc term life insurance home refinance loans eloan life insurance quote cheap life assurance equity loan anti spam exchange tech credit equity home line att go phone dui florida lawyer spider hair removal value new york vioxx class action suit merchant account international vioxx site class action home equity loan life insurance quote online consolidation loan equity line of credit carolina law lemon just north equity rates irc direct home insurance line angeles text attorney los tax credit home line term insurance auto insurances debtfreedirect refinance comparison acid reflux treatment bad credit mortgage refinance college loan refinance :p
That was long wasnt it
Anyways, i’ll probably post my findings next month with stats etc, so you can see the the results too
Get free reseller access from any cpanel/whm based host
Nov 9, 2006 Tech
Before we start, i should say this isnt really a “legitimate” way of getting reseller access, more of a cpanel hack/exploitation, so as such i cant condone it
So, i discovered this by accident, when i was checking out the reseller access option that my current host provides, it turns out that when using cpanel/whm to offer reseller access to your customers, cpanel keep the config in your “user settings dir” (lets call it that for now).
You dont have access to this directory yourself, only your host does, for example your homedir will be something like /home/username/ (where username is the username you use to login to cpanel) and you will have folders such as “.trash”, “ssl”, “tmp” & “public_html” (you may have more/less different folders than are listed here). your web accessibly files and folders will be in “public_html”. you dont have access to anything below /username/, but cpanel does.
Now there are two ways to do this, the manual way, which may not work depending on how big your site is or how your host is setup. or theres the “easy” way, which is a little more risky and involves using some “social engineering” (best way i could describe it) but theres a higher chance of it working. another thing i should say is theres more chance of this working on larger hosts that have lots of customers, that way they may not notice as quickly.
The first (manual) method:
Go into cpanel and generate a full backup, when the backup is generated, download it and extract it, keeping its folder structure.
Once you’ve extracted and opened the directory, you may see folders that you havent seen before, these are the settings that are kept in your “user settings dir” mentioned earlier. Now we are going to add “reseller access” to the backup. in your user settings dir create a directory called “resellerconfig”. in this directory you will create 9 files, that make up the settings for your reseller account. these files have no extensions (apart from one) First file to create is “reseller-limits”. you can use pretty much any text editor to make these files.
in this file type the following:
[source:c]username 0[/source]
replace “username” with your cpanel username.
the 0 means no limits.
The next file to create is “reseller-limits-bynumber”.
Leave this file blank for now.
Next, create the file “reseller-number-accounts”.
in this file type the following:
[source:c]username:0:[/source]
replace “username” with your cpanel username. The 0 specifies the number of accounts your allowed under your reseller account, 0 means no limit. The next file to create is called “reseller-resource-accounts”
type this into the file:
[source:c]username:,username_Single,username_new[/source]
this specifies the packages available on your reseller account, this is the default one, you can add more in cpanel later when you have access to the reseller part. replace instances of “username” with your cpanel login name. next create a file called “reseller-resource-limits”. In this file put this:
[source:c]username 1 bw=10000:disk=500:[/source]
replace “username” with your cpanel username. you can change the numbers to edit the amount of bandwidth and diskspace that is available to you. or it may be possible to change the 1 to a 0 to remove limits. next file to create is ”resellers”. in this file put the following:
[source:c]username:add-pkg,allow-addoncreate,allow-parkedcreate,allow-unlimited-pkgs,create-acct,create-dns,disallow-shell,edit-account,edit-dns,edit-mx,edit-pkg,frontpage,kill-acct,kill-dns,limit-bandwidth,list-accts,mailcheck,mod-subdomains,news,onlyselfandglobalpkgs,park-dns,passwd,quota,resftp,show-bandwidth,stats,status,suspend-acct,upgrade-account,[/source]
This should all be on one line!
this file specifies what a reseller can offer to its customers, if you want to specifically allow something add ‘allow-’ infront of the name, if you want to specifically disallow something put ‘disallow-’ in front of the name. if the item is listed without an allow- or disallow- tag, it is allowed by default. replace “username” with your cpanel login name.
next up is a file called “resellers.chris”. im not entirely sure what this file does or wheather its needed, its probably best to create it anyway, but leave it blank. The Final file to create is “resellers-nameservers”.
In this file you specify the nameservers that you will use, these must be valid nameservers! you can usually just use your hosts nameservers (the ones you are using already) put them in this format in the file:
[source:c]username:ns1.mywebhost.com,ns2.mywebhost.com,,,[/source]
replace “username” with your cpanel login name, and change the name servers to your own.
Were nearly there now, not long to go!
ok, going back to the “homedir” now, create a file called “.whmtheme”.
in this file put and x and save it. (yes, just an x)
also in your homedir create a directory called “cpanelbranding”, and in that directory create a folder called “x”.
next, in your homedir create a folder called “cpanel3-skel”. this will be the “skeleton” of the accounts you will give to your customers, whatever you put in here, will be put in all new customers “homedir”, its wise to put folders such as “public_html” & “public_ftp”, just to make sure that nothing breaks and so your users know where to put things.
Once all thats in place, create a compressed backup of the directory, this should include the directory that holds the homedir. so for example you should add this directory to the archive:
(your backup name will generally be generated from the date/time it was created and your username)
for example if the directory holding the homedir is called backup-5.16.2005_13-16-53_username (where “username” is your cpanel username) then add that to the archive. (yes i know that sounds confusing).
e.g. backup-5.16.2005_13-16-53_username/homedir
If your doing this on windows, you’ll have to find someway of converting this to a .tar.bz archive, to make it a little more believable
Next, go into the backup section of cpanel and find the “upload a backup” section, browse for the archive file that was just created and click the upload button. depending on the size of your site, it may take a while and may even time out, this is because the archive is being uploade over http, and your host will mostl likely have a “script execution time” limit set which means if it takes too long to upload then it will fail. if this doesnt work you could always try the second method below.
And thats all there is to it Note that these instructions were based off settings on my own host, your host may differ in things such as directory / file names and paths. so if it doesnt work, that’ll most likely be why, you could always pay for the reseller access i guess, but then, you wouldnt be reading this if you were willing to pay 
Ok onto the Second Method:
This method is a lot quicker, easier and has more chance of working, since you will use files generated by your own hosts system. Although it is risky in the sense that its possible you’ll get found out easier. but if you think you can do it, lets go
Firstly you will have to find out if your host offers reseller access and how much they charge and if they’re willing to give you a ‘free taster’.If they do, thats good, contact them and ask them to setup it up for you, once thats done, you should see the reseller access icons in cpanel, have a play around if you want .
Now that your account has reseller access, go into cpanel and generate a backup of your whole account, this will generate a backup of all your files and databases including your reseller access config. once thats done download it and extract it, check to make sure the backup has the reseller config files in it by looking for a folder called “resllerconfig”, your host may use a different name, so look for anything thats reseller related
(if you can find anything, its possible that the generated backup did not include your recent account changes including the reseller config, the only thing i could suggest you do in this situation, is wait a day or so for cpanel to “catch-up”).
Once you’ve found its there you can delete the extracted files, but make sure you keep the compressed backup.
Next, contact your host and say you no longer want reseller access, if you do this straight away it may seem suspicious, wait a few days and then contact them. in the mean time you can play with your reseller access, test creating packages and limits etc.
So once you’ve contacted your host and had your reseller access removed, you’ll no longer be on thier billing system for added reseller access.
Now is where it starts to get tricky and a little risky, contact your host and ask them if its possible to upload a cpanel created backup into your home directory and have it restored to your account, if they allow it thats good, if that then there nothng you can really do about it, at least you have a backup of your site (if you switch hosts in the future and they use cpanel, you may be able to use if there if its accepted ) if the host says they will accept your backup, upload the one you downloaded a few days earlier, the one with the reseller access config files in.
Once this is restored to your account by your host, you reseller access will have returned, but because the billing system wasnt changed, you wont be billed for it, nothing bad will show up on a virus scan since your backup will be clean
It all depends on wheather the host accepts your backup and doesnt get suspicious like i said at the beggining of this little writeup, i discovered this by accident, i guess its a bug in cpanel/whm.
Disclaimer: you try these things at your own risk, i cant be held responsible if you loose your hosting account over this. im simply telling you how to do it, not forcing you too
When it “happened” to me, and i realised what had happened i cntacted my host a few days later to remove the reseller access from my account once again, just incase they found out a few months down the line and decided to charge me for the months that i had used it for
Enjoy :grinnod:
Vista news & Site updates, etc..
Sep 3, 2006 Other, Site News, Tech
Well its been a busy week in the vista camp, Pre RC1 was released a week or so ago, and was restricted to 100,000 downloads, although im not sure that was a problem in the end because i dont think that many people downloaded it, ive added some screenshots of it in the galleries anyways.. also a few days ago, RC1 itself was released on connect, so im just waiting for a publicly available download, which should be monday or tuesday, there was so short a time in between the two releases i wonder why i downloaded it really lucky i didnt burn it to disc, there are two different versions of this build, an x86 build for 32bit processors, this will probably be the most commonly downloaded when its available, then theres the x64 version for 64bit processors which has a restriction on intalling unsigned drivers, (i believe you have to do it in safe mode) and with there not being many x64 signed drivers available, its probably wiser to wait for more drivers to be released / signed. the ISO info is as follows
x86
vista_5600.16384.060829-2230_x86fre_client-LR1CFRE_EN_DVD.iso
x64
vista_5600.16384.060829-2230_x64fre_client-LR1CxFRE_EN_DVD.iso
Beta testers on connect can download it from here: https://connect.microsoft.com/windows/Downloads/DownloadDetails.aspx?DownloadID=2887
Screenshots of RC1 will follow shortly.
I was going to write about the apple rumours i heard the other day about a new iPod and new Mac, but thats old news now and probably not true since ive not heard anymore about it. maybe apple are just getting better at damage control :p Although i did read they secretly upgraded thier mac minis which is cool.
As i mentioned earlier ive added a few pre rc1 shots to the galleries, theyre not very big pics though, sorry about that ive also added ome new babe galleries which ive had on my hard drive for a while and jut havent uploaded until now, well, a few days ago.
Hmm what else..
sorry for any typos and letters missing, this damn keybaord is annoying, its been doing it all night >.< and this wordpress thing is annoying too, it just wont use the WYSIWYG editor, no matter what i try grr, so sorry about the layout...anyways i'll probably uh, upgrade soon >.>
plus, might have a new default theme soon 
P
I met a cute girl last night at a party, unfortunatly shes married and has a kid lol, although she only looked about 23, she had a really nice, persona.. well, whatever, i was going to say personality, but that sounds way to cliche these days. heh.
Also happy birthday to my lil sis xx
edit: forgot to say the downloads section is under construction too…
… thats not good …
Jul 26, 2006 Other
k so ive just basically corrupted 150GB of my data, in fact, that was all my data, all the thing ive ever downloaded over the past 6 years, the visual styles, wallpapers, icons, application skins, software that isnt available anymore, all my pictures, of me, family, other events, mostly irreplaceable ones, videos, my entire music collection, all my work related stuff, like cv’s, spec letters, job letters, everything else, site backups, source code, projects, everything… its ok though, it hasnt sunken in that ive lost it all yet. now here comes the best bit, I have no backups, none, at all. so brb, im just going to kill myself.
*cries*
EDIT: UPDATE: I used GetDataBack for NTFS and it recovered all my data 
*stops crying and unkills self ^_^ *
A little WLM / Hotmail trick
Jul 4, 2006 Tech
Well I worked out a nice little trick to get a nice clean WLMail / Hotmail interface (aka without ads or ugly “action cancelled” / ad frame page time outs)
this tweak / hack was “designed for” & tested in IE, so im not sure if it’ll work in other browsers.
Here’s what my layout looks like atm (yeah, I never liked that reading pane )
ok, here’s how to do it..
add the following line to your hosts file:
-
127.0.0.1 rad.msn.com
(make sure there’s a space between the two)
This will effectively make the ads for WLMail / Hotmail timeout
You could leave it at this but you will get an ugly box at the top with an action cancelled message in it each time you load the page up, if you want to get rid of that too, follow these steps:
-
open C:\Windows\system32\shdoclc.dll in Reshacker
- open “2110″ and look for the resource “NAVCANCL.HTM”.
once you open that you’ll see the html code for the “Action Cancelled” page you get in IE
now if you know html well enough you could design your own page (but do remember it will show up in frames that timeout too so it wont always look good if you design a full page). otherwise you ca just create a blank page.
now just to be safe, instead of deleting everything that’s in there you can just “comment out” the existing html, this allows you to put back the original page if you decide you want it back.
to comment out the existing html, find this line:
-
and change to this: (remove the spacing between the < & the !)
< !--finally, find this line:
and change it to this:
-->
-
compile the script, save the file, and replace the original with the modified file using Replacer
yes thats it
Note: if you use the classic hotmail layout, (e.g. your not in the beta) then change your background colour to that of the header colour (yes, that shade of blue) you shouldnt see a white box (or two) then.
Note 1.5: this does mean you will get a blank page when a site times out, so just be wary of that
Note two: This also blanks out that little box ad below your folders list.
Note three: this was originally done to stop those annoying JavaScript errors I was getting from the ads in msn, it really annoyed the hell out of me getting an error whenever I opened the main contacts window, so I fixed it, and only recently thought about editing the system file to get rid of the ugly “action cancelled message”.
Note four: I am not responsible if you mess your machine up, do it at your own risk.
Note five: im sure there was something else I was going to say, I just forgot, dammit.
Enjoy!
(and yes, I know I changed back to my old theme, the CSS was doing my head in.)
Site updates, Office 2007 Screenshots, Microsoft origami, NASA finds life in space….possibly
Ooooh site updates….ive added pics of the latest vista build (5308) to the galleries, also shots of 5270 because i was supposed to upload those a while ago, but i must have forgot..also added a few new pics to the babe galleries, a few new ones to the funny pics galleries, not many, but i found them on my hdd while i was clearing up, thats about it really, one thing i do need to do is get a posts permission plugin for wordpress.
Next up, Microsoft office 2007 screenshots!, this is only a beta refresh mind, so there arnt many.
The update will ship to 10,000 beta participants in the private Beta Place testing zone next week. It’s expected that the refresh will sport more UI enhancements and much more stability than the previous Beta 1 release last year. Microsoft is expected to release Office 2007 Beta 2 in Spring with a full retail release expected before year end.
Source: neowin.net
Also having being hyped all week, microsofts new project, “origami” was revealed this week..
Microsoft Corp. finally took the wraps off its mysterious Project Origami on Thursday, unveiling a computer that’s about the size of a large paperback book but runs a full version of the Windows XP operating system.
The ultracompact, wireless-enabled PC is everything a full computer or laptop is, minus the keyboard. Weighing about 2 1/2 pounds, the 1-inch thick device sports a 7-inch touch-sensitive screen that responds to a stylus or the tap of a finger.
Also this week NASA has a “big annoucement”, supposedly relating to finding life in space..
NASA is planning to make a huge announcement today, about possible life in our own solar system.
Exact details of what we can expect to hear have not been released. We do know that evidence has been found that could point to life relatively close to the earth.
Official word is expected this afternoon at 2 p.m. We’ll have complete coverage of today’s big news when it is released. Tune to News 13 for the complete story.
Source (Currently down due to heavy server load / maintenance.. )
Tags: beta, computer, funny, life, site, Tech, updates, windows, wordpress
New Gfx cards, New MS Device, New mobiles, AMD Attacks intel..
Feb 28, 2006 Tech
ATI, last week announced the first HDMI-HDCP Video Card, the card comes with no VGA or DVI connections making this card HDMI only, The job of encoding and serving the protected HDCP video signals will fall to a Silicon Image HDCP TMDS transmitter. mean while Nvidea released the 7900GTX, the reported spec is as follows:
this card is expected to debut early march. in other news, a website owned by microsoft, “origamiproject.com” hints at a new device, from what the website says, the device is a Tablet style PC device with an approx 7″ screen.
it would appear that these devices can play back music, connect to WiFi networks (and possibly Bluetooth devices), and has enough power to handle graphics work and games. Like Tablet PCs, Origami makes use of a pen input device, as well as buttons on either side of the screen
Man, that sounds cool. more info here. would be even better if that ATI card had a VGA/DVI port though.. although it think its probably been made a dedicated card for a reason.
Also yesterday AMD attacks intel over performance claims:
“It’s driven by the fact that they can’t talk about their current products, because everybody knows their current products aren’t very good,” said Henri Richard, AMD’s chief sales and marketing officer, in an interview with CNET News.com late Friday.
This was in reponse to a prediction by an intel executive that the companys chip scheduled for the second half of the year will deliver a 20 percent improevment in performance. source.
lol.
Sony ericsson’s new mobile phone the k800i/K790 comes with sony’s new imaging software, Cyber-shot & software specifically built in for uploading the pictures to Blogger, googles blogging service.
While various Java apps have been available to allow cameraphone shots to be uploaded directly to a blog, these new handsets are the first to come with a built-in blogging capability.
All the user has to do is select a picture and then pick the option for sending via ‘blog’ rather than MMS (picture messaging) or email. By default this will link the user directly to Google’s Blogger service.
Better still it will be entirely feasible for the user to customize his or her blogspot address from the handset – no need to access a PC. Meanwhile vodafone are showing off thier latest mobile phone, with face recognition, VGA screen and a 3.2Mp camera. The 904SH handset made by Sharp, will go on sale in Japan in April.
The security system uses a small camera positioned under the main display and replaces the PIN-code or fingerprint authentication found in some other phones. It is based on technology from Oki and is capable of authenticating within one second whether the face of the person trying to use the phone matches that of the pre-registered owner. Should recognition fail – for example, in a dark room – a backup question-and-answer system can be used.
Other features of the 904SH include support for network-based software upgrades. This allows users to download new and updated firmware across the network when required. At present upgrades typically need a visit to a service center or shop.
The 904SH has a 3.2Mp (megapixel) camera with 2x optical zoom and supports the Felica nearfield wireless communications system. This latter support means it is possible to use the handset as a touch-and-go transport pass on railways in the Tokyo area and for payment in convenience stores and other shops that accept the Edy e-money system.
Man that sounds so geeky, i want one. the blogging phones sound like a good idea, although i probly wont use one, since i dont use blogger :p vodafone article | blogger phone
Speaking of google….
has expanded its online payment service so that users can buy and sell everything from bicycle brakes to Beanie Babies through its Web site, posing an immediate challenge to eBay Inc.
Currently, Google’s payment service, Google Accounts, is available from a limited number of sellers on Google Base. More are expected to be added over the next few months, the company said.
To use the service, users must register with Google Accounts and submit credit card information. To make a purchase, users must click on a “buy” button next to a product and then go through the checkout process, which includes an estimate of the shipping costs.
Im not sure if it’ll get as popular as ebay, as ebay/paypal are a pretty strong brand when it ccomes to online auctions, although google has a good name too, so it may happen…
Users of eBay’s marketplace bought and sold $44.3 billion worth of merchandise on the Web site last year. The number of PayPal accounts has surpassed 100 million.
…in a few decades. source
Next: Blu-ray to be released 23rd Feb, this is for film titles and the first BD player from Samsung. you cant buy the blank discs yet :p
The first BD titles from Sony and MGM Home Entertainment include “50 First Dates,” “The Fifth Element,” “Hitch,” “House of Flying Daggers,” and “The Last Waltz.” Additional movies released on the new video technology will arrive in June.
Sony offered no pricing details for the BD movies or the Samsung player (BD-P1000), but the next-generation video discs are expected to sell for about $30, with the player in the $1,000 range.
I think i’ll probably wait for a while until they come down in price. source
Also today, new apple stuff!
the new iPodhifi keeps your music collection at your finger tips, and delivers high quality audio, in a clean compact design. what the iPod hifi basically is, is a sound system for your iPod, also comes with a remote :p pretty pricy for $349 though.
the new macmini, comes with a 1.66GHz Intel Core Duo & up to Up to 2GB of memory.
Sounds nice, if only i could afford one :p
CES & an interview with Steve balmer
Lots of cool tech stuff happening this week, as CES got under way, see lots of pics here, also read an article on Neowin at CES. Lots more coverage here too.
An interview with Steve Balmer! Steve talks about Windows Vista and Xbox 360, very informative interview
Site news: finally got the permalinks working! but only after a reinstall of wordpress >.< ah well, at least i backed up my database and all isworking now, although for the life of me i cant remember what plugin i used to format the length of my posts, so that why there a bit oddly lengthed atm. (i had to delete all my plugins for the reinstall, and had to download them all again, lol.)