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EU offers bounties to help find security flaws in open source tools
The European Union believes it has a simple way to bolster its digital security: offer lots of cold, hard cash. The European Commission is launching bug bounties in January that will offer prizes in return for spotting security flaws in 14 free, open source software tools EU institutions use. These include well-known tools like VLC Media Player, KeePass, 7-zip and Drupal as well as something as vital as the GNU C Library.
The Army is flight testing helicopter-mounted laser weapons
The US military's experiments shooting lasers from vehicles continue with another important milestone: Laser-equipped attack helicopter fired at targets for the first time. The US Army keeps getting better at nailing UAV targets with ground-based truck lasers, but it's harder to fire accurately from helicopters. Not only does their position fluctuate with airborne conditions, but their whole frame vibrates as their rotors spin fast enough to keep the whole vehicle aloft. Hitting a target almost a mile away from the air, as the Army just accomplished in a New Mexico tests series, is a big deal.
Hack targets a Canadian government website
The Canadian government just suffered an embarrassing online security breach... although it wasn't as bad as it could have been. Officials temporarily took down key parts of two government websites, the tax-oriented Canada Revenue Agency and Statistics Canada, for days after discovering that an unknown entity hacked the statistics bureau's website. The intruders took advantage of a recent vulnerability in Apache web server software to get in. While the CRA site wasn't attacked, it shared the same vulnerabilities -- the government took down its pages (including online filing and payment systems) as a precaution while applying patches.
Apache helicopters now have real-time drone vision
After 30 years in service, the Army's AH–64E Apache attack helicopters now have the ability to fly with an unmanned wingman. A new system called Manned-Unmanned Teaming (or MUM-T) allows Apache flight crews to tap into the real-time video feeds, sensors and control systems of nearby Army Shadow and Grey Eagle drones. According to Scout Warrior, the system is already being used in Afghanistan.
MooresCloud Light runs Linux, puts LAMP on your lamp (video)
Yes, we'll admit that we borrowed that pun in the title. MooresCloud founder Mark Pesce's Xzibit reference is still a very apt description of the Light, his company's Linux-based LED lamp. The Australian team's box-shaped illumination runs the open OS (including a LAMP web server stack) on an integrated mini PC with an accelerometer and WiFi. The relative power and networking provide obvious advantages for home automation that we've seen elsewhere, but it's the sheer flexibility of a generalized, web-oriented platform that makes the difference: the Light can change colors based on photos or movement, sync light pulses to music and exploit a myriad of other tricks that should result from a future, web-based app store. When and how the Light launches will depend on a Kickstarter campaign to raise $700,000 AUD ($717,621 US) starting on October 16th, although the $99 AUD ($101 US) cost is just low enough that we could see ourselves open-sourcing a little more of the living room. At least, as long as we don't have to recompile our lamp kernel before some evening reading.
Google badmouths HTTP behind its back, proposes SPDY as a speedy successor
If there's anything that Google doesn't like, it's things that collect dust. The company is famous for its annual spring cleaning efforts, in which the firm rids itself of redundant and dead-end projects, along with more bullish moves, such as its push to overhaul the internet's DNS system. Now it's looking to replace HTTP with a new protocol known as SPDY, and to that end, it's demonstrating the potential speed gains that one might expect on a mobile network. According to the company's benchmarks, mean page load times on the Galaxy Nexus are 23 percent faster with the new system, and it hypothesizes that further optimizations can be made for 3G and 4G networks. To its credit, Google has already implemented SPDY in Chrome, and the same is true for Firefox and Amazon Silk. Even Microsoft appears to be on-board. As a means to transition, the company proposes an Apache 2.2 module known as mod_spdy, which allows web servers to take advantage of features such as stream multiplexing and header compression. As for HTTP, it's no doubt been a reliable companion, but it seems that it'll need to work a bit harder to earn its keep. Stay weird, Google, the internet wouldn't be the same without you.
Apache outs version 2.4 of its HTTP server six years after last full release
It's been half a dozen years since Apache last released a new version of its venerable HTTP server, but the day has finally come for version 2.4 to be unveiled to the world. Granted, the old Apache was doing fine -- it's been the most prolific web server in the world since the mid nineties -- but a bit of freshening up couldn't hurt, right? Among the many changes are reduced memory usage, improved performance and efficiency, and more finely-tuned caching support for high-traffic sites. If you want to know more, check out the source link below for an overview and full feature list. Well, what are you waiting for, Tanto... jump on it!
Google Wave inches toward the grave, becomes read-only
Google won't shutter Wave entirely until April 30th, but the once clamored-for service is now seeing restrictions imposed upon it, as it prepares for its eventual rendezvous with the grim reaper. It's now read-only, which means new Waves are strictly verboten and those with anything of value in Mountain View's ocean, ought to look into the existing PDF-export functionality, or consider a migration to another open-source alternative -- like Apache Wave or Walkaround (which we've conveniently linked below). And with that folks, an era slowly draws to a close. Sayonara Wave, we hardly knew ye -- but find solace in knowing you'll always live-on in our hearts, our hands-on and inside other Google services.
Pantech Breakout finally does just that, available from Verizon starting September 22nd
Adding to Verizon's ever-expanding selection of LTE phones, Pantech's Breakout will be its first sub-$100 LTE handset, sneaking into the mix at $99.99 on a two-year contract and after a $50 mail-in rebate. After an in-the-wild spot, the Breakout finally looks set to arrive on September 22nd -- a date that may sound pretty familiar. For the price, it still packs that LTE punch, and the ability to act as a mobile hotspot for up to ten devices. Compared to its pricier Verizon stablemates, the Thunderbolt and the Droid Bionic, the Breakout has a smaller 4-inch screen, but runs on a respectable 1GHz processor. There's also a 5 megapixel camera at the back capable of 720 HD video capture, and a VGA cam up front. LTE for less -- it's here.
Verizon's Pantech Breakout rendered, is four inches of LTE goodness
Verizon's LTE lineup will soon be expanding like a balloon. With this week's launch of the Motorola Droid Bionic and eventual release of the Samsung Stratosphere and LG Revolution 2, 4G shoppers will soon have options aplenty to choose from; why not throw another one into the mix? The LTE-enabled Pantech Breakout -- which passed through the FCC as the Apache -- now has some higher-quality renders, courtesy of PocketNow. While most of the phone's specs are in line with the HTC Thunderbolt and Samsung Droid Charge, it differs by offering a smaller 4-inch WVGA display, Pantech's custom Android UI and a 10-device mobile hotspot. There's still no word on pricing or release date, though we were expecting to see the device come out last week; we can't think of many people completely devastated by the delay, but it will at least provide much-needed variety to Verizon's arguably stale 4G setup.
Mobile Miscellany: week of August 22, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of August 15, 2011: Phone Releases Fido launched the Samsung Galaxy Q, also known as the Gravity Smart in the US, on Thursday. [via MobileSyrup] The BlackBerry Curve 9360 can already be purchased on Telus for $50 with a three-year contract, and the Torch 9860 will be available on August 30th. [via IntoMobile and CrackBerry] SouthernLINC Wireless announced the immediate availability of the Motorola Titanium, offered for $150 with a two-year commitment. T-Mobile released the Samsung Gravity TXT, a basic messaging phone that's on sale for $10. [via UnwiredView] Cricket has begun offering a new messaging phone called the Samsung Comment, which offers a full QWERTY keyboard, stereo bluetooth, a microSD slot and 1.3MP camera. It can be had for $90 with no commitment required. [via PhoneScoop] Other news The government of South Korea, in reaction to Google's planned acquisition of Motorola, now intends to form a consortium of local companies that will work together in building a brand new mobile operating system. [via IntoMobile] Randall Milch, Chief Counsel for Verizon, is so frustrated with the patent wars going on that this week he filed an appeal to President Obama, asking for him to provide assistance in the matter. [via PhoneScoop] The Motorola PRO is expected to debut in the UK in mid-September, though pre-orders are already taking place at select authorized resellers. [via UnwiredView] Leaked posters indicate the BlackBerry Torch 9850 will be offered by Verizon and screenshots show the same phone going to US Cellular, though we're still unsure of the release date or pricing. [via CrackBerry(1) and (2)] Last week we reported on the rumored Sony Ericsson Nozumi, a smartphone that will likely feature a 1.4GHz single-core Qualcomm S2 CPU, Adreno 205 GPU, and 4.3-inch display with 1280 x 720 resolution. At the time, it was assumed to be only selling in Japan; however, there's a good possibility the Nozumi will end up available globally instead. [via XperiaBlog] Pantech's LTE phone on Verizon may actually end up being called the Breakout (rather than the "Apache"), according to a leaked screenshot. When released, it'll feature a 1GHz CPU with 512MB of RAM, dual cameras, and will be preloaded with Gingerbread. Not much to write home about at this stage in the game, considering these are incredibly similar to the specs of the LG Revolution. However, it would be the first 4G phone on Big Red that has a 4-inch display. [via AndroidCentral] T-Mobile may be planning to throw a data pay-per-use feature onto any smartphone that currently has its internet access blocked. If this happens, it will affect current customers as well as new ones. [via TmoNews] Dish has petitioned the FCC for permission to use 40MHz of allocated spectrum to begin building out an LTE-Advanced network. [via PhoneScoop]
Sun CEO's deleted blog post to help end Oracle vs Google patent dispute?
Ever heard of estoppel? The term, sadly, does not denote a new German electronic bus service, but is rather a court-ordered way of telling companies "no backsies" on previously made public statements. It could also prove to be another nail in Oracle's patent dispute coffin, should Google's latest Wayback Machine defense hold up. Thanks to the internet's never say die policy, a 2007 post, recently deleted by Oracle, from Sun Microsystem's then CEO Jonathan Schwartz has surfaced, in which he enthusiastically endorsed Android's Java base. The public statement falls in line with the aforementioned legal doctrine, potentially contradicting new owner Oracle's patent infringement claims. Unfortunately for both parties, Judge William Alsup doesn't seem to be too cool under the collar as he's reportedly blasted each for "asking for the moon" and chiding them to "be more reasonable." A final ruling in this case is still a ways off, but in the meantime you can head to the source to read Schwartz's damning praise for yourself.
Judge tells Oracle to rethink $2.6 billion claim against Google
The war between Google and Oracle is far from over, but the big G keeps racking up tiny victories in what are admittedly modest battles. Now the Redwood Shores-based company has been told to go back to the drawing board with its damages report. Originally Oracle sought $2.6 billion, but its theories were largely dismissed and Judge William Alsup suggested an alternative starting point of roughly $100 million. The company still has an opportunity to present a new report, one that will likely seek much more than the proposed $100 million, but things are looking increasingly tough for the claimant. It wasn't all good news for Goog, though. While the judge told Oracle to narrow its focus from Android as a whole to just specific infringing features, he did agree that related advertising revenue should be included in the theoretical royalty base. He also offered harsh criticism for what he viewed as its "brazen" disregard for intellectual property rights. The trial is still scheduled for October, so we should have a better idea of how this whole thing will play out by Halloween.
Report: Sony's PSN servers were up to date
Bitmob reports that Sony's PSN servers were running the most recent version of the Apache server software when they were hit, countering testimony made to the US Congress claiming that the PSN was running "very old versions of Apache software that were unpatched and had no firewall installed." That testimony was admittedly based on second-hand information. Using Google's webcache, a member of the Beyond3D forums showed that as of March 23, Sony was running version 2.2.17, which was the latest stable version. If you're so inclined, you can double-check the process of B3D's "deathindustrial." Outdated servers or not, Sony has PSN, SOE and non-PSN related security issues to work out before returning to reality (and compromised trust) at the end of this month. [Thanks, mmmfishtacos]
Apache's new infrared targeting system spots foes when they fire, doesn't wait for the smoke
It just keeps getting harder for America's enemies to hide from the technological marvel that is the modern US military. A new ground fire acquisition system (GFAS), coming to Apache Attack helicopters next spring, uses infrared sensors to detect muzzle flashes from small arms fire and pinpoint enemy positions to within five meters. Before the sound would have a chance to reach current acoustics-based sensors the source of the shot pops up on the targeting computer, is sent back to commanders in the Operations Center, relayed to ground troops, and fed to other aircraft -- by the time they're able to pull the trigger again combatants may already be on the wrong side of a Hellfire missile. The new system will make spotting opposing forces easier and keep pilots as safe as they can be -- at least until missions can be flown from the comfort of their couch.
Wave officially finds a home with the Apache Software Foundation
It's official, Wave fans: the Apache Software Foundation has accepted Wave for its incubator program. What's this mean? Well, the group will oversee future development of the Wave Federation protocols and the Wave In A Box product -- and those of you who absolutely cannot live without your Waves won't be left out in the cold. Rounding out support from Apache and Google are representatives from Solute, Novell, SESI, University Duisburg-Essen, and Wikileaks (OK, we made that last one up). Best of luck to ya!
Apache Wave In A Box provides a home for Google's orphaned Waves
So... that happened. Google Wave might be considered a success, if you value the insights gleaned from developing the platform, knowledge that will inform the company's many other products and services for some time to come. Then again, if your measure of success is a product that lasts for longer than fifteen months (more or less) before flatlining, Wave is probably a bit of a disappointment. And if you had invested some of your company's time or effort into the platform? Well, there is good news for you: Apache is hard at work on something called Wave in a Box, a server for hosting and federating waves -- either new waves or those exported from Google's service. The project is still in its early stages, but there is more than enough for the sysadmin who's crazy about online collaboration. Hit the source link to get started.
Google responds to Oracle's Android patent lawsuit, we break it down
It's been just over a month and a half since Oracle first sued Google for infringing various Java-related patents in Android, and the big G's just filed its official response to the lawsuit after calling it "baseless." For the most part, it's a pretty standard answer to a patent complaint: Google says Android doesn't infringe any of Oracle's patents, and even if it does, those patents are invalid and / or unenforceable for a variety of reasons anyway, so, you know, shove it. That's basically all Google -- or any patent defendant -- needs to say in the answer, and if that was it, we'd just note it and move on with our lives. But we were struck by the factual background section, which reads to us like Google's geared up for war: it basically accuses Sun and Oracle of not playing fair when it comes to Java's open-source license situation and directly implies that parts of Android are based on code that might require a patent license. It's a little wonky, but let's break it down:
The future of US Army helicopters: pilots optional
Five years ago, the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter got a digital cockpit and fly-by-wire controls. Starting in 2011, the US Army would like it to perform missions without a pilot at the helm. In a 140-page "Unmanned Aircraft Systems Roadmap" released earlier this month, the Armed Forces reveal that the UH-60, AH-64, CH-47 and OH-58D whirlybirds will all be part of a new aircraft category called Optionally Piloted Vehicles (OPV) -- meaning in future, the flick of a switch will turn them into giant UAVs. If an unmanned Apache gunship makes your boots quake, you're not alone, but you won't truly have reason to fear until 2025. That's when the government estimates half of all Army aircraft will be OPV, and those bots will learn the more deadly behaviors, like swarming. Sikorsky says the unmanned UH-60M will fly later this year; read the full roadmap PDF at our more coverage link.
Twelve things to do with an old Apple computer
As I type this article on my MacBook Pro, I can't help but glance over at my poor PowerBook Lombard G3 with its awesome translucent bronze keyboard, sitting in its dusty laptop bag. The battery is long toast. When I last booted it up, the clock thought that the system time was close to 1970 thanks to the internal clock battery no longer holding a charge, and thanks to the fact that it's capped at OS X 10.3.9, I can't get a new version of Firefox on it. In short, it's seen better days. However, for all its faults, it's still got a decent hard drive and nearly a gigabyte of RAM, so it can't be totally useless. This makes made wonder, what can I do with this old 'Book (or an even more ancient Mac)? Here are a few possibilities: First of all, if you have an older but still functional laptop (like me!), you could strip off the plastic, keyboard, etc. and turn it into a hanging digital picture frame on the cheap. Use it to surf the web, old skool style, with Contiki. Yes, surprisingly, even the old Apple IIe can surf the modern internet, though only in text form. Turn it into a Personal Webserver. Of course, your newer Macs can serve up web pages using Apache. Personally, I've had great success in getting my server up and running (along with MySQL and PHP to boot!) using XAMPP, but if you want to really be different, turn that old Macintosh SE/30, IIci or LC into web server.
