Google has announced a new, more secure account verification for its online services

Google has announced a new, more secure account verification for its online services at its Google Atmosphere event in Paris.Initially launched for Google Apps Premier, Education and Government Edition, the new two-step authentication enables administrators to add an extra layer of security to user logins by requiring a combination of a password and a verification code provided through the users' mobile phones.

The system works in the following way: the user types in their login name and password, and then he/she has to type in an additional code generated by a mobile application, similar to generating code with a token, often seen in internet banking applications.According to Google, the feature will be added to Google Apps Standard Edition as well as individual Google users in the coming months. Also, Google promised to launch mobile editing in Google Docs for Android and the iPad "soon".

Google also mentioned that 3 million businesses (and 30 million users within those businesses) are now using their messaging and collaboration tools.

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Toshiba America jumped feet-first into 3D Blu-ray Players, HDTVs

Toshiba America jumped feet-first into 3D with its first 3D TVs, and the announcement of a 3D-capable Blu-ray player.However, the offerings won't include the reported 3DTV that won't require a special pair of 3D glasses.Users purchasing the TVs must do so as part of a package, if they wish the full 3D effect, Toshiba said. Toshiba said this week that it would ship a 3D-capable Blu-ray player, the BDX-3000, in September, for $249.99. That player must be connected to a 3D-capable TV via a special HDMI cable capable of transmitting the bandwidth necessary for 3D content. Toshiba also claimed that the 3D glasses necessary to view the content were optional.

The BDX-3000 is the company's first 3D-capable Blu-ray player, with features including BD 2.0 compatibility and and SD card slot. It's also connected via either Ethernet or Wi-Fi dongle, and can access online content from Netflix, Blockbuster on Demand, and Pandora, Toshiba said. It also supports Dolby True HD and DTS-HD Master Audio | Essential, it said.

The new 3D TVs will include the 55-inch 55WX800 Cinema Series 3D LED HDTV for $3,299 SRP and the 46-inch 46WX800 Cinema Series 3D LED HDTV for an SRP of $2,599.99, both available now. Toshiba also announced the 55VX700 and 46VX700 Cinema Series LED HDTVs, which lack 3D capability, and will cost $2,799.99 and $2,299.99, respectively.The 240-Hz WX800 sets include 1.8-inch depth and support for MPEG4-MVC, RealD and "select other" 3D formats, which can be displayed in a "3D Resolution+" mode optimized for 3D content. The display supports a 7 million: 1 contrast ratio.

Both members of the WX800 series include built-in 802.11n Wi-Fi, plus four HDMI connections, including an HDMI-CEC interface that can be used to control other devices plus a component input. That connectivity allows them to access Toshiba's Enhanced NET TV services via the Yahoo Connected TV. Netflix,Blockbuster on Demand, and Pandora are also accessible.

The VX700 sets include 120-Hz technology and a 5 million:1 contrast ratio. According to Toshiba, however, the VX700 appears to perform true LED backlighting, while the higher-priced WX800 uses edge-lit LEDs. Toshiba said the two HDTVs also include Wi-Fi built in, with two USB ports, an SD/SDHC card slot, and support for DLNA technology. Netflix, VUDU, and Pandora were cited as available services.

www.technews-everyday.blogspot.com 

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Hacktivity 2010, the largest computer hackers' conference in eastern Europe

1,000 computer hackers meet in Budapest for Hacktivity 2010, the largest computer hackers' conference in eastern Europe, kicked off Saturday, with some 1,000 participants expected to attend the two-day event, according to organisers.

The conference was to bring together officials and computer experts from Hungary and abroad in an informal setting, combining lectures and discussions on serious issues such as Internet security, with lighter fare and games.

Bruce Scheier, a world-renowned cyber security expert, opened the congress with a keynote speech.

Other well-known participants and lecturers included Alexander Kornbrust of Oracle, Robert Lipovsky form the ESET computer security company's laboratory in Bratislava, and US hacker Mitch Altman, who was organising a hardware workshop.

Meanwhile, in the leisure zone, participants could test their ability to break into systems and take control of foreign computers in a variety of games, from "Hack the Vendor," to "Capture the Flag."

More information about the event is available on the following Internet site: http://hacktivity.hu/ 

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Android leapfrogging over iPhone, BlackBerry, Windows

 

 

By the end of this year, Google's Android smartphone operating system will in a single year have leapfrogged competitors like Apple's iPhone, Research in Motion's Blackberry and Microsoft Windows phones in global popularity, and will challenge Nokia to become the world's most popular mobile OS by 2014, research firm Gartner said Friday.

In its annual global smartphone forecast, Gartner said the explosive growth of Google's mobile operating system will give it 17.7 percent of worldwide sales by the end of 2010 -- up from 3.9 percent at the end of 2009. Google says it is currently seeing more than 200,000 Android phones activated every day.

With manufacturers like Samsung, Sony Ericsson, LG and Motorola planning to offer budget Android phones this fall, Android will become a mass market technology that by 2014 will have double the global market share of iOS, Apple's mobile operating system that powers the iPhone and the iPad, Gartner said.

Android's rise to the No. 2 smartphone operating system in terms of global sales by the end 2010 is two years sooner than Gartner predicted a year ago.

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