Ready to suspend your brain cells in a superposition of disbelief? Good, because the latest news published in Nature is that diamonds are a quantum computer's best friend -- particularly if they're flawed. An international team of scientists sought out sub-atomic impurities in a 1mm-thick fragment of over-priced carbon and used these as qubits to perform successful calculations. A "rogue" nitrogen nucleus provided one qubit, while a free electron became a second. Unlike previous attempts at solid-state quantum computing, this new effort used an extra technique to protect the system from decoherence errors: microwave pulses were fired at the electron qubit to "time-reverse" inconsistencies in its spinning motion. Don't fully get it? Us neither. In any case, it probably won't stop jewellers tut-tutting to themselves.

Flawed diamonds are perfect ingredients for quantum computing, just add time travel originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Apr 2012 06:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Speech recognition wasn't a new prospect when Siri was revealed by Apple last year. But with the rapid proliferation of the iPhone 4S, its easy to forget about all the past attempts to bring talking computers into our lives. More »

There was quite a stir sparked last week when it was revealed that Google was exploiting a loophole in a Apple's Safari browser to track users through web ads, and that has now prompted a response from Microsoft's Internet Explorer team, who unsurprisingly turned their attention to their own browser. In an official blog post today, they revealed that Google is indeed bypassing privacy settings in IE as well, although that's only part of the story (more on that later). As Microsoft explains at some length, Google took advantage of what it describes as a "nuance" in the P3P specification, which effectively allowed it to bypass a user's privacy settings and track them using cookies -- a different method than that used in the case of Safari, but one that ultimately has the same goal. Microsoft says it's contacted Google about the matter, but it's offering a solution of its own in the meantime. It'll require you to first upgrade to Internet Explorer 9 if you haven't already, then install a Tracking Protection List that will completely block any such attempts by Google -- details on can be found at the source link below.

As ZDNet's Mary Jo Foley notes, however, Google isn't the only company that was discovered to be taking advantage of the P3P loophole. Researchers from Carnegie Mellon University's CyLab say they alerted Microsoft to the vulnerability in 2010, and just two days ago the director of the lab, Lorrie Faith Cranor, wrote about about the issue again on the TAP blog (sponsored by Microsoft, incidentally), detailing how Facebook and others also skirt IE's ability to block cookies. Indeed, Facebook readily admits on its site does not have a P3P policy, explaining that the standard is "out of date and does not reflect technologies that are currently in use on the web," and that "most websites" also don't currently have P3P policies. On that matter, Microsoft said in a statement to Foley that the "IE team is looking into the reports about Facebook," but that it has "no additional information to share at this time."

Microsoft finds Google bypassed Internet Explorer's privacy settings too, but it's not alone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Security hounds over at zvelo have discovered a vulnerability in Google Wallet that means your precious PIN can be "easily revealed." Digging through the app's code and using Google's open resources to reveal its contents, they uncovered a piratical treasure trove of data: unique user IDs, Google account information, and the PIN stored as a SHA256 hex-encoded string. Since this string is known to carry four digits, it only takes a "trivial" brute-force attack involving a maximum of 10,000 calculations to decode it. To prove their point, the researchers made a Wallet Cracker app -- demoed after the break -- that does the job quicker than you can say "unexpected overdraft."

Google has been receptive to these findings, but its attempts at a fix have so far been hampered by the need to coordinate with the banks, since changing the way the PIN is stored could also change which agency is responsible for its security. In the meantime, zvelo advises that there are some measures users can take themselves, aside from putting a protective hand over their pockets: refrain from rooting your phone, enable your lock screen, disable USB debugging, enable Full Disk Encryption and keep your handset up-to-date.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in.]

Continue reading PSA: Google Wallet vulnerable to 'brute-force' PIN attacks (video)

PSA: Google Wallet vulnerable to 'brute-force' PIN attacks (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 09 Feb 2012 05:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While the FBI has so far blocked FOIA attempts regarding its involvement in the Carrier IQ scandal, the embattled firm has released an expansive report detailing its data collection process and responds directly the allegations against it. More »

Growing up with siblings I feel any game is better with more than just two players, so while this unique chess board that accommodates two opponents isn't a new idea, the gameplay sounds more polished than previous attempts. More »

Following a period of peace after weeks of cyberattacks launched against various Sony-run online networks, Sony has confirmed that hackers are once again targeting the company’s digital properties. The electronics giant said on Wednesday that it discovered a “large number” of sign-in attempts on its PlayStation Network, Sony Online Entertainment and Sony Entertainment Network between October 7th and the 10th. According to Sony, approximately 93,000 accounts were compromised when valid log-in details were verified during what appears to have been a brute force attack. The company says it has locked the affected accounts and that credit card data tied to the compromised accounts was not at risk.

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The Asus Zenbook is the latest Ultrabook-class laptop to go official. Competing against the Acer Aspire S3 and MacBook Air, the UX31 (and the smaller UX21) Zenbook attempts to combine thin form factors with real-world performance without sacrificing in either category. More »

The United States International Trade Commission will re-investigate claims that HTC is infringing on Apple’s patents. In July, a judge ruled HTC was guilty of infringing on two of Apple’s patents that covered “a system and method for performing an action on a structure in computer-generated data,” and “a real-time signal processing system for serially transmitted data.” HTC quickly said it would appeal the decision, noting it has a strong case against Apple. HTC fired back and sued the iPhone maker for patent infringement in August when it accused Apple of infringing on three of its patents. HTC said it was disappointed in “Apple’s constant attempts at litigation instead of competing fairly in the market,” and even said it was willing to bury the hatchet in the ongoing patent battles. Apple and HTC must send in written submissions and “proposed remedial orders” related to the case by October 6th. The U.S. ITC will complete its investigation by December 6th, Bloomberg said.

[Via Bloomberg]

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We've made no attempts to hide our contempt for sloppy, inconsiderate "connected" TVs. So far, they've been thrown together with all the effort of a fad. But Best Buy's in-house brand has a trick up its sleeve: TiVo. More »

The original Google Videos is going to be mighty huffy about this. Not only has it endured repeated attempts on its life following Big G's acquisition of YouTube, but now its very identity has been humiliatingly copied and pasted onto an entirely different service. The new Google Videos is a movie rental app that will give Android users in the US mobile access to the 3,000+ premium titles that are already available to rent on a desktop. So far, no one has been able to break out the popcorn except a few lucky Xoom owners, but last night the app mysteriously became available to everyone else in Android Market, too. Unfortunately, those quick triggers who managed to install the app before it disappeared were rewarded with a riveting succession of server errors, but at least it gives us hope that the real-deal will be with the masses in short order. Google Videos is dead, long live Google Videos.

Google Videos rental app makes fleeting cameo in Market, portends of an imminent release originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Jul 2011 18:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Those who are familiar with Android Honeycomb might have already come across its music player's cloud syncing feature, though previous attempts to port said app to phones hadn't been successful. Whatever it was that kept crashing the app back then, it seems to have fixed itself -- after xda-developers member WhiteWidows slapped the leaked app onto his rooted EVO 4G, the phone started to automagically sync his tunes to his Google account. The modder then swapped in an empty SD card, but he was still able to stream music straight from the cloud after checking the "Stream music" option in the app. Pretty neat, eh? That said, we do wonder if Google will be able to handle the exabytes worth of high-quality Justin Bieber and Spice Girl tracks.

Android Honeycomb's music app extracted, brings cloud sync and streaming to phones originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 22:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Last week we posted an exposé of Peep Wireless. Despite repeated attempts, we initially couldn't reach the company for comment, but founder Scott Redmond has since contacted us. He's nonplussed. For transparency's sake, we'd like to show you his objections. More »

Two acquisitions in as many days? Say it ain't so! Prior to even unboxing Phonetic Arts, Google has now snapped up Seattle-based Widevine. Truth be told, you're probably taking advantage of the company's technology without even being aware of it -- it's used in over 250 million web connected HDTVs and streamers around the globe, and it's primarily designed to thwart piracy attempts while enabling consumers to enjoy content on a wider array of devices. As these things tend to do, neither outfit is talking prices, but it's fairly obvious why El Goog would want a firm like this in its portfolio. Moreover, it's borderline comical that Viacom's pushing an appeal in order to pit Google as an anti-studio, pro-piracy monster while it's spending hard-earned cash on a DRM layer. At any rate, Google's not getting into specific plans just yet, only stating its intentions to maintain Widevine's agreements, provide support for existing and future clients as well as "building upon [the technology] to enhance both Widevine's products and its own."

Google spends a few more million, picks up Widevine DRM software firm originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 13:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GT5 is finally, finally out, but amazingly it seems to have beaten its official steering wheel to market. For a long time Logitech has maintained the honor of building the wheel that carried Gran Turismo branding, and indeed its Driving Force GT is still the first wheel in the GT5 options. But, Thrustmaster seems to have secured the license for the franchise now and is building a wheel called the T500RS which, if you go Thrustmaster.com, you can get a quick peek of -- or you can just look at the screengrab above. The wheel promises unrivaled accuracy and what looks to be the same sort of magnetic sensor technology used in the company's overwhelmingly beefy HOTAS Warthog controller. Rumors say it'll carry a similar price, too, a whopping $500 MSRP without the optional H-pattern shifter and, though our attempts to confirm anything were shooed away like so many fruitflies, we've been promised more info to come at CES.

Thrustmaster teases T500RS steering wheel, the new official peripheral for Gran Turismo originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 05:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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A new report Thursday suggests that legendary piracy pioneer LimeWire may soon call it quits. LimeWire was hardly the first network of its kind, but along with services like Kazaa, LimeWire played a major role in bringing file-sharing to the masses. This past October, LimeWire was forced to shutter its file-sharing service following a court order. Now, the company’s recent attempts to jump from seedy to sanctioned appear to be for naught. According to an alleged email to vendors obtained by All Things Digital, LimeWire will soon cease its attempts to run a legitimate online music store. The site also stopped accepting payments for its current offering according to a note on its homepage. LimeWire has supposedly been working on a new legal music service for the better part of 2010, but those plans are nixed as well. From the look of things, LimeWire will be no more as of January 1st, 2011. Hit the break for a copy of the company’s email to its partners.

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If we had to choose one phone to represent Windows Mobile 6.5, it would have to be the HTC HD2. On release, the handset stood a country mile ahead of any other smartphone available on the platform. Unfortunately, soon after its release, Microsoft announced Windows Phone 7 and confirmed there would be no OS upgrade path for Windows 6.5 hardware. This hasn’t stopped eager developers from trying to port the latest OS onto their more than capable hardware, though. Previous attempts have been half-baked, often missing some major functionality. The folks over at XDA China have released pictures and a 2 minute video showing off the latest port. The video shows the phone powering on and booting to the home screen with no hiccups. The UI looks snappy, and we really can’t see much wrong with the port, however the video stops short of showing any functional apps or even making a phone call. HD2 owners will want to keep an eye out for any further developements, in order to get their ticket to the Windows Phone 7 party.

Update: Another video has materialized, showing the HD2 and HD7 running side-by-side and also making functional phone calls–looking good!

Thanks, Angelo

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