Internet Explorer 7 for Google

That's right! Here's a new version of Internet Explorer specifically customized for Google. What does this mean?

• Personalized Google homepage
• Integrated Google Ioolbar
• Google as default search engine

Homepage: IE7 for Google

There's a new "memory" in town!

Say goodbye to the "old" flash memory. Apparently, IBM, Macronix, and Qimond are working on a new "species" of memory, called the "phase-change" memory, which appears to be 500 times faster and uses half the power to boot than the flash memory.

But, what is exactly the "phase-change" memory? Does anybody know?

Source: Engadget

"Evil Twin" Wireless Routers: the new hacking approach

Hackers started using a new technique to get hold of private information from public wireless routers' users. It's called the "evil twin" approach and the technique is based on the following principles:

• The hackers go to an area where there's a public wireless access point
• In this area they deploy a new wireless access point with the exact same name and properties as the public wireless access point
• This way the users are mislead in using the "evil twin" access point instead of the real one and all transfered data can be monitored by the hackers
  
• In doing so, the users share private information, such as passwords, links and emails without even knowing

This kind of activities have already been detected in a first-class private lounge of an airline company in a USA airport and in a specialized workshop for luxury cars, which had a room where their costumers could use public Wi-Fi access while waiting for their cars to be ready.

Source: Módulo Security News (Brazilian Portuguese)

Don't turn off your phone! Somebody might be listening...

Apparently, the FBI has discovered a new way to "eavesdrop" on criminal's cellphones. Using a specific software (which can be installed remotely or by getting hold of the phone), the FBI can listen to conversations nearby the phone, once this is disconnected.

The software misleads the criminals in thinking that they have just turned off the phone, when in fact the phone is actually "calling" to the FBI.

So, "bad guys", a piece of advise: take off your batteries. That's the only safe option :-)

Source: New Scientist Blog

More rumours on the iPhone

New rumors from a "solid" source regarding the iPhone:
- Going to be coming out in January
- Really small
- The OS is supposed to be "cool"
- Doing some unique things
- Two batteries, one charger. One for MP3 portion and one for Phone.
- 4GB ($249) and 8GB ($449)
- Flash memory, Slide out keyboard
- Maybe touch screen?

Promising...

Source: MacRumors

Yet another study saying "no link between cell-phones and cancer"

A huge study from Denmark offers the latest reassurance that cell phones don't trigger cancer. Scientists tracked 420,000 Danish cell phone users, including 52,000 who had gabbed on the gadgets for 10 years or more, and some who started using them 21 years ago.

They matched phone records to the famed Danish Cancer Registry that records every citizen who gets the disease -- and reported Tuesday that cell-phone callers are no more likely than anyone else to suffer a range of cancer types.

The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is the largest yet to find no bad news about the safety of cell phones and the radio frequency energy they emit.

But will the debate end?

From: SiliconValley.com