Spamhaus internet attack: was it all a PR stunt?

It has been called one of the biggest ever cyber attacks in history, one that nearly broke the internet. But did you even notice? If not, you're not alone…

The headlines have been apocalyptic: "Global internet slows after biggest attack in history"; "Biggest ever cyberattack slows internet for millions"; "The attack that nearly broke the internet"; "Cyber attack jams crucial infrastructure around the world".

So how was it for you?

According to a company called CloudFlare, which specialises in helping websites minimise the impact of online junk data attacks by effectively creating more targets and thus spreading the burden between them, this particular assault – by a Dutch hosting company, Cyberbunker, on a not-for-profit anti-spam organisation called Spamhaus – eventually escalated to cause "congestion across several major [top-level, backbone internet networks], primarily in Europe, that would have affected hundreds of millions of people ... "

Hence, presumably, the armageddon headlines. Except, as the tech website Gizmodo points out, not many people seem to have noticed: few have complained that the internet was more than usually sluggish; movie-streaming services such as Netflix did not go down; mega net-enterprises such as Amazon reported nothing unusual; organisations that monitor the health of the web "showed zero evidence of this Dutch conflict spilling over into our online backyards". Specialists contacted by the site reported that the attack, major as it was, had "a severe impact" on the websites it was directed at, but it certainly did not shake the internet to its core.

Gizmodo concludes the whole story was essentially a cynical bid by CloudFlare to drum up more business. James Blessing of the UK Internet Service Providers Association council won't go quite that far, saying the attack "did have an impact. Some sites will be affected." But while the global internet, or parts of it, may potentially be vulnerable to a truly massive attack using the kind of DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) techniques Cyberbunker has allegedly deployed, this one is probably not it. Yet. If you really want to slow down the internet, the best way may still be the simplest: cut a cable.

Samsung rumoured to launch Samsung Note III and Galaxy Tab 3 at IFA 2013

The Korean smartphone giant had recently taken the wraps of Samsung Galaxy S4 and there are already rumours floating regarding when the company may launch their next Note device and their Galaxy Tab 3.
As per the news by SamMobile, Samsung will be unveiling the next iteration of Galaxy Note along with Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 at IFA 2013. IFA 2013 will be organised between 6 to 11 September in Berlin (Germany). There are no concrete details regarding specifications of the Galaxy Note III or Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 at the moment.


However, earlier rumours had suggested that Samsung will be deploying LCD screens made by Sharp for the Galaxy Note III. Samsung Galaxy Note III will come with a 5.9-inch screen and will perhaps come with the recently announced Exynos 5 Octa processor.

It is noteworthy, that Samsung Galaxy Note II was announced at the IFA 2012. It sports a 5.5-inch Super AMOLED HD display. Samsung Galaxy Note II is powered by 1.6GHz quad-core processor along with 2GB of RAM. There is an 8-megapixel rear camera and a 1.9-megapixel front camera on the smartphone.

The Note II has received a good response from the consumers. The company had shared that the device topped 5 million units in just first two months since Galaxy Note II started shipping.

Samsung was the first company to foray into the tablet space in 2011 with its Samsung Galaxy Note device. However, in the recent past many companies have forayed into this category.

The Korean smartphone maker rolled out the Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean) update for its Note users in India just 4 days ago. For now there is no news regarding Samsung Galaxy Tablet. However, SamMobile has indicated that Samsung will stop rolling out Android updates for its first generation Galaxy Tab. Furthermore, the site notes that Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 will receive Android 4.2.2 (Jelly Bean) update but not the Android 5.0 (Key Lime Pie) update.

Samsung announces Galaxy Note 8.0 in India, pricing and availability unknown

Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 preview

Many were sceptical about the Samsung Galaxy Note series when it first arrived in 2011, but all of its devices to date have been successes. The Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 sits in the middle ground between the 5.5-inch Galaxy Note 2 and the 10.1-inch Galaxy Note 10.1. We got some hands-on time with the 8-inch newcomer to see if it deserved to sit among its brothers.

Competing with Apple's iPad mini, the Samsung Galaxy Note 510 comes with an 8-inch WXGA (1280×800 pixels) TFT display with a 189ppi pixel density. Running on Android 4.1.2 Jelly Bean, the tablet has a 5-megapixel rear and a 1.3-megapixel front camera.

Measuring 210.8 x 135.9 x 8 mm and weighing 338 grams, the Galaxy Note 510 is powered by a 1.6 GHz A9 quad-core processor coupled with 2GB RAM. It will feature 16/32GB internal storage options with additional expansion support up to 32GB via microSD.

Connectivity wise, the tablet boasts Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi direct, AllShareCast, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0, A-GPS and GLONASS (3G version only).

The tablet comes with a host of pre-installed applications such as the proprietary and now upgraded Chat-On 2.0 messenger, Awesome Note and Flipboard amongst many others. It has S Pen support with Air View, S Note, S Planner, Email with hand-writing integration and more.

Samsung has not revealed the price or when the Galaxy Note 510 would go on sale in India. We'll update our readers with the details as soon as we have them.

As far as the international announcement is concerned, Samsung will start selling the new tablet in the April to June period, at an as yet undetermined price.

Samsung Galaxy Note 510 key specifications

8-inch WXGA (1280x800) display, 189 ppi
1.6GHz A9 quad-core processor
2GB RAM
16/32GB internal storage, expandable up to 64GB (microSD card)
5-megapixel rear camera, 1.3-megapixel front camera
Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n, Wi-Fi direct, AllShareCast, Bluetooth 4.0, USB 2.0
A-GPS + GLONASS (3G version only)
Android 4.1.2 (Jelly Bean)
Accelerometer, Digital Compass, Proximity
4,600mAh battery

iPhone 5S, cheaper iPhone launch in June or July: Report

Apple is all set to launch the iPhone 5S and the much-rumoured cheaper iPhone in June or July, analyst Amit Daryanani of RBC Capital Markets has claimed.

Daryanani further goes on to state that the cheaper iPhone will lack Apple's trademark 'Retina' display, in a bid to keep the costs down, Mac Rumours reports.

Our supply-chain checks indicate that AAPL is working to launch multiple new phones in the June/July time-frame this year. Specifically, AAPL will launch the iPhone5s and a more affordable but lower-end iPhone at the same time, in either late CYQ2 or early Q3. The low-end iPhone will have the same 4" form factor as the iPhone5 but will have plastic casing and no retina display. With a lower price-point, AAPL will be able to target a growing and important part of the Smartphone market (sub-$400 price-band).

Earlier reports had indicated that the cheaper iPhone will have a polycarbonate body and carry a price tag of $330 (unsubsidised), which is nearly half the price that an unsubsidised iPhone 5 carries, so this report is in line with that. Another report had said that Apple may use Qualcomm's Snapdragon SoC for low-cost iPhone, instead of its own processors, due to price and supply constraints.
As for the successor to iPhone 5, some rumours had indicated that the iPhone 5S will come with NFC and fingerprint scanner. However, Apple Insider has dug out some purported pics of iPhone 5S parts, including the home button, which do not bear any clear indication of a fingerprint scanner.

GOOGLE OR GOOGOL....??

INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT
GOOGLE:

1. The name GOOGLE was an
accident. A spelling mistake made
by the original founders who
thought they were going for
GOOGOL. Googol is a mathematical
term 1 followed by one hundred
zeroes.

2. Google started in January, 1996
as a research project at Stanford
University by Ph.D students Larry
Page and Sergey Brin.

3. 97% of Google revenue comes
from their advertising services.

4. The biggest break in search
came when Google introduced
their improved spell checker seen
as 'Did you mean?'. This feature
doubled their traffic.

5. The infamous 'I’m feeling lucky'
button is nearly never used.
However, in trials it was found
that removing it would somehow
reduce the Google experience.
Users wanted it kept. It was a
comfort button.

Samsung to release Tizen OS handset this year.

Samsung announce plans to launch high-end devices using the Tizen open-source platform by the end of summer.

Following the success of Samsung's Android-powered handsets such as the Galaxy S2 and S3, the Tizen phone will be one of three premium handsets released by the company this year.

The Samsung Galaxy S4 was unveiled yesterday and the Galaxy Note 8.0 will also hit the market to compete with its biggest rivals, Apple.

Bloomberg interviewed executive vice president of Samsung's mobile division, Lee Young Hee, who states, "The device will be the best product equipped with the best specifications."

No other Tizen devices are on sale yet but Chase Perrin from Tizen Association says users should expected 'thousands' of applications. The device will run on an open-source software platform.

Samsung is under pressure to hold its place as the world's biggest maker of mobile phones following Google's acquisition of Motorola's Mobility Holdings Inc. last year.

Tizen is one of many operating systems reported to be released in the future along with Ubuntu Touch, Firefox OS & Sailfish. Samsung is among 12 companies developing Tizen including, Intel and Sprint Nextel.

Young Hee says the phone will be available "in August or September, and this will be in the high-end category."

Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. iPhone 5, HTC One, and BlackBerry Z10

The Samsung Galaxy S4 (left) and the HTC One.

It's been nearly nine months since the highly successful Samsung Galaxy S3 was first released in the U.S., and today, the Korean phone company officially announced its successor, the Galaxy S4, at a New York press conference.

Packed with a 5-inch screen, a 13-megapixel camera, and either a quad- or octo-core processor (depending on where you are), the GS4 is dressed to the nines with hardware goods.

So how does it stack up against its current competition? Based purely on a spec-by-spec showdown, we line up the handset with three other popular flagships, each of them on different OS platforms: Apple's iPhone 5, the HTC One, and the BlackBerry Z10.

Judge for yourselves (as we're sure you will) whether Samsung's newest device has what it takes to bring down its rivals. --

Spec	Samsung Galaxy S4	Apple iPhone 5	HTC One	BlackBerry Z10
Operating system*	Android 4.2.2	iOS 6	Android 4.1	BB10
Dimensions	5.38 x 2.71 x 0.31 inch; 4.6 ounces	4.87 x 2.31 x 0.30 inch; 3.95 ounces	5.41 x 2.69 x 0.37 inch; 5.04 ounces	5.12 x 2.58 x 0.35 inch; 4.78 ounces
Display	5-inch full HD Super AMOLED; 1,920x1,080 pixels, 441ppi	4-inch IPS LCD; 1,136x640 pixels, 326ppi	4.7-inch LCD; 1,920x1,080 pixels, 468ppi	4.2-inch LCD; 1,280x768 pixels, 355ppi
4G LTE	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
NFC	Yes	No	Yes	Yes
Rear camera and recording	13-megapixel, 1080p HD video	8-megapixel, 1080p HD video	4-megapixel (Ultrapixel), 1080p HD video	8-megapixel, 1080p HD video
Front-facing camera	2-megapixel	1.2-megapixel	2.1-megapixel	2-megapixel
Processor	1.9GHz, quad-core Snapdragon 600; or proprietary 1.6GHz octa-core Exynos 5 Octa	Proprietary A6	1.7GHz, quad-core Snapdragon 600	1.5GHz, dual-core Snapdragon S4 Plus
Capacity	16GB, 32GB, 64GB	16GB, 32GB, 64GB	32GB, 64GB	16GB
Expandable memory	Up to 64GB	No	No	Up to 64GB
Battery	2,600mAh	Not disclosed by Apple	2,300mAh	1,800mAh
Price	TBA	$199.99, $299.99, $399.99	U.S. pricing TBA	$199 on Verizon
Carriers	AT&T, Cricket, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S. Cellular, Verizon	AT&T, Cricket, Sprint, Verizon	AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile	AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon
Available colors	Black, white	Black, white	Silver	Black, white (Verizon only)

First Impressions of Samsung Galaxy S4

After sitting through the glitziest product introduction I’ve ever been to followed by a few minutes of hands-on with the Galaxy S4, I came away impressed but not blown away.

I’ll get into details in a moment, but my overall sense of this phone is that it firmly establishes Samsung as a leading innovator — if not the leading innovator — in the smartphone space.  It’s kind of ironic that Apple won a lawsuit last year after a jury found that Samsung had copied iPhone features and designs. The Galaxy S4 — like the Galaxy S3 — could never be called a copycat.  Samsung came out with specs and features that we’ve never yet seen in a smartphone, including any phone that begins with the letter i.

True, the S4 runs Google‘s latest Jelly Bean Android software, but Samsung has done a lot to make it different from other Android phones.

Hardware specs

Like Apple, Samsung is a hardware company that innovates mainly through software. But the hardware specs are worth noting. The 5-inch full HD Super AMOLED; 1,920×1,080 screen, at 441 pixels per inch, is both bigger and higher resolution than the iPhone 5, although the HTC One has an equally high resolution — though smaller — (4.7 inch) screen.  Samsung also upped the ante with a faster processor and unlike Apple it lets users expand the phone’s storage (internal storage ranges from 16 to 64 GB) to plug in a MicroSD card for up to another 64GB. And the phone has a mega-battery. Samsung didn’t say how long the battery will last, but it does have 2,600 mili amp hours,  which is a lot more than the competition. 

Innovative software & cool photo features

I expect hardware to keep getting better but what impressed me — at least as a first impression — was the software that Samsung added to the phone.  But full disclosure — there is a big difference between sitting through a presentation and getting a few minutes of hands-on time versus testing a phone under real-world conditions. So anything I say is tentative pending my full review.

Still, I was impressed with the phone’s photo features beginning with its 13-megapixel, back-facing camera. But what I really liked is the camera’s ability to include the photographer in the picture.  I have taken thousands of pictures of my family but I’m not in most of them. With the S4 you can snap a picture of other people and place yourself — albeit in a little window or bubble — in the frame.  The camera also intelligently sorts your pictures into albums based on the background or the date and you can order picture books directly from the phone. There is also an “eraser” feature that takes a series of quick photos and lets you remove images of people who walk into your shot by deleting just those frames.

Multi-lingual voice recognition

The S4 comes with Samsung’s S Translator tool that enables you to speak in one language and have the phone translate to another. At the press event they showed someone typing a question in English and having the phone speak the words out-loud in Chinese.  When someone responded in Chinese, the phone typed out his words in English. It supports several other languages including French, Spanish, Italian and Portugese.

The phone also has Siri-like voice recognition that outclasses Siri. You can ask it to read your email out loud and ask the phone to respond to a text message while you’re driving. It aso handles navigation and other phone features.

Knows if you’re looking

If you’re watching a video and look away, the video will pause automatically and resume when you turn your eyes back to the screen. You can also scroll by looking up or down and by slightly tilting the phone. It’s not the full-fledged eye tracking that was rumored — but it’s a step in that direction.

Another cool hands-off feature is “Air Gestures.” That allows you to control the phone by waving your hand above the screen. You can swipe left to right or up and down. You can even hover over an email or other item to get more information without having to touch it.

I also love the S Health feature that turns your phone into a pedometer without any extra hardware or, when connected to other devices it can sense your blood pressure, blood sugar or other vital signs. There’s an option S Band that measures your heart beat.

The phone will be available next quarter on hundreds of carriers around the world including AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint. Pricing wasn’t specified.

Cool factor

There’s a great deal more to say about this phone and its features and — again — I’m not yet ready to pass judgement, but I liked what I saw and can say without any hesitation that Samsung — at least for the moment — is a few steps ahead of Apple when it comes to the “cool” factor.

--Forbes