OLPC Plans Super-Thin, Super-Cheap Tablet

The nonprofit group One Laptop Per Child wants to produce a touchscreen tablet computer by 2012 that will cost less than $100. OLPC released its device roadmap this week, which includes two upgrades to the original XO computer, as well as lofty plans for a new 8.5-by-11-inch tablet device called the XO-3.

The XO-3’s specs

The design for the XO-3 is ambitious. The tablet would be about 0.24-inch thick (half the thickness of the iPhone), with an 8.5-by-11-inch screen, a virtual keyboard, no buttons at all, and a folding ring for easy carrying. It would be made entirely of plastic, and is designed to be durable and waterproof.

The device would use Palm Pre-style induction charging, so it would use less than a Watt of power, according to Forbes. There’s no word on software, but the XO-3 would have an 8-GHz processor.

As if those specs weren’t enough of a lofty goal, OLPC’s founder Nicholas Negroponte told Forbes the XO-3’s “less than $100” target price would be $75–the same number OLPC wanted to hit with its earlier two-screen tablet concept called the XO-2, which has now been scrapped in favor of the XO-3.

Lofty Ambitions

OLPC hopes it won’t have to develop the XO-3 alone, and that computer manufacturers will take the lead in developing the device. To that end, OLPC will work on the XO-3 as an open platform that any manufacturer can take over, according to Forbes.

Still, the hardest part for the XO-3 may not be its lofty specs, but its $75 price tag. The original XO fell far short of its $100 price point at $199, and that was for a mere rethinking of existing laptop designs and components. The XO-3, by comparison, would have a more powerful processor than most laptops available today (assuming the 8-GHz spec is not a typo), require significantly less power consumption and use many technologies that are still prohibitively expensive.

Take, for example, Plastic Logic’s Que e-reader, which is a real device that has similar hardware specs as the XO-3 concept. However, Plastic Logic has been reluctant to reveal the price for the Que, but it’s become clear the all-plastic, super-thin e-reader will not be cheap. Then there’s the JooJoo aka CrunchPad tablet, which was planned on hitting a $200 price tag, and is now selling for $500.

The XO-3 sounds like a great idea, but it’s doubtful OLPC will be able to make its dreams a reality by 2012. But the group doesn’t necessarily have to get all the way to its goal. Negroponte told Forbes if OLPC only achieves half of the XO-3 concept, the resulting device could be a game changer with far reaching consequences.

Other OLPC Plans

In addition to the XO-3, OLPC announced two updates to the original XO laptop:

XO 1.5 – The XO 1.5 is the same industrial design as the XO 1.0. Based on a VIA processor (replacing AMD), it will provide 2x the speed, 4x DRAM memory and 4x FLASH memory. It will run both the Linux and Windows operating systems. XO 1.5 will be available in January 2010 at about $200 per unit.

XO 1.75 – The XO 1.75, to be available in early 2011, will be essentially the same industrial design but rubber-bumpered on the outside and in the inside will be an 8.9″, touch-sensitive display. The XO 1.75 will be based on an ARM processor from Marvell that will enable 2x the speed at 1/4 the power and is targeted at $150 or less.

WordPress

Now the title will probably prompt many to think, we already have this option, it’s called WordPress Mu and Buddypress.

Those two options are great, but it doesn’t really fit with the idea of a community blog. WordPress Mu and Buddypress are built for multiple users authoring multiple blogs…

I really hate having to use Movable Type as a reference, but in this instance they actually have a solution that I would like to see implemented with WordPress.

For those not familiar with MovableType, upon initial install you have the option to install a regular blog, forum, motion, and community blog. The forum and motion are irrelevant to this idea. The community blog is the primary focus.

MT’s community blog allows for user’s to register and post topics. WordPress allows this as well, but it leads users to the backend which as many of you know can be daunting for someone who isn’t accustomed to it. Images are allowed as well on both platforms, however MT handles image upload a lot more simply, choose a file upload and you can call that file to be displayed anywhere. WordPress has a few extra steps that I wish we could bypass for this instance.

I forgot to mention that in MT users have a simple profile page which shows their action, granted I’m not even looking for something this complex, a simple profile page which show posts contributed is a great starting point. This can all be done via front-end. Very simple and focused for average users.

People may ask why don’t I just use MT than? Simple answer to that, MT is hard to theme for, community support is very limited, and I have enough belief something like this can come to fruition for WordPress.

I really should stop posting late at night, it’s hard enough for me to articulate my thoughts when I’m wide awake.

Geek Rapping

I found This on the IET News What a load of fun tyhis guy sounds, if you like rapping? lol

listen up /
facilities man /
mutha earth is dying /
better change yo plan

pump up the server utilization /
cut the carbon of the nation /
gon’ get your i-o /
in the groove, yo

gon’ reduce the power /
hour by hour/
till we kill /
yo energy bill

Co Lo Bro: ‘Green Yo Ass’.

James Hayes
Editor, IT section

Controversial IT rapper Co Lo Bro has been in trouble again. Last week the 42-year-old former Java programmer organised an illegal live concert on the roof of one of the largest data centres in London’s Docklands. Performing to an estimated 2,000 fans, Co Lo Bro (supported by DJ Rakspayze) sang tracks from his new release ‘Green Yo Ass’, a concept album that urges data centre managers to ensure that their facilities are “environmentally fit”.

Co Lo Bro’s message extends equally to enterprise IT departments who, the artiste feels, can also make a “measurable contribution” to the greening of corporate computing. “This next song is dedicated to all da bros and sistas who are factoring thin client computing into their IT strategies going forward,” he told his audience. Unfortunately, at this point police – summoned by a group of ventilation service engineers trapped inside the data centre by surging crowds – ended the event, arresting Co Lo Bro and his cohorts.

The rapper’s sentiments may seem an unorthodox way of reaching IT professionals, but they are bang on the money. According to the lead feature ‘Thin clients’ fat challenge’ in the new edition of ‘Engineering & Technology’ magazine, sound though their value proposition is, thin clients may face some thin pickings over 2010, as many enterprises stall plans to upgrade ageing desktop clients to new slimline counterparts. And in the longer term, the thin client ethos faces the challenge of the mobile enterprise – for when significant numbers of the netbook-equipped workforce are not longer deskbound, the need for multiple permanent fixed computing terminals, fat or thin, starts to scale down drastically.

Also in the IT section of ‘E&T’ Issue 21, IDC Group analyst Carla Arend considers the changing shape of data storage, and we present the third installment of E&T’s ‘Buzzword Bingo’ guide, specially timed for readers who may be exposed to corporate claptrap over the festive period. Interminable terminology includes ‘Layer Eight’, ‘System DNA’, ‘Loose coupling’, and ‘disruptive technology’.

Cain & Abel v4.9.35 – Password Sniffer, Cracker and Brute-Forcing Tool

It’s been quite a while since we’ve written about Cain & Abel, one of the most powerful tools for the Windows platform.

Cain & Abel is a password recovery tool for Microsoft Operating Systems. It allows easy recovery of various kind of passwords by sniffing the network, cracking encrypted passwords using Dictionary, Brute-Force and Cryptanalysis attacks, recording VoIP conversations, decoding scrambled passwords, recovering wireless network keys, revealing password boxes, uncovering cached passwords and analyzing routing protocols. The program does not exploit any software vulnerabilities or bugs that could not be fixed with little effort. It covers some security aspects/weakness present in protocol’s standards, authentication methods and caching mechanisms; its main purpose is the simplified recovery of passwords and credentials from various sources, however it also ships some “non standard” utilities for Microsoft Windows users.

Cain & Abel has been developed in the hope that it will be useful for network administrators, teachers, security consultants/professionals, forensic staff, security software vendors, professional penetration tester and everyone else that plans to use it for ethical reasons. The author will not help or support any illegal activity done with this program. Be warned that there is the possibility that you will cause damages and/or loss of data using this software and that in no events shall the author be liable for such damages or loss of data. Please carefully read the License Agreement included in the program before using it.

The latest version is faster and contains a lot of new features like APR (Arp Poison Routing) which enables sniffing on switched LANs and Man-in-the-Middle attacks. The sniffer in this version can also analyze encrypted protocols such as SSH-1 and HTTPS, and contains filters to capture credentials from a wide range of authentication mechanisms. The new version also ships routing protocols authentication monitors and routes extractors, dictionary and brute-force crackers for all common hashing algorithms and for several specific authentications, password/hash calculators, cryptanalysis attacks, password decoders and some not so common utilities related to network and system security.

Most recently added is the support for Windows 2008 Terminal Server in APR-RDP sniffer filter.

You can download Cain & Abel v4.9.35 here:

ca_setup.exe

Or read more here, the online user manual is here.

Internet Security

You will be trading a bit of convenience for your increase in privacy. How many steps you take, and on which occasion you take them will depend on your degree of trust 🙂

1. cookies – by disabling persistent cookies, you can prevent a website (or network of websites) to track your browsing pattern across multiple sessions. Each time you close your browser, any cookies you have received will be deleted. The main drawback is that this will disable any website auto-logins or specific settings you may have enabled.

2. toolbars – assistants, helpers and other gimmicks that you might want to install as a browser toolbar will periodically phone home while you are surfing the web. Some of this may be legit, some of it may not.

3. websites that you register for – Social networking sites or webmail services may be interested in following your activities while you browse their site. Which topics interest you, what opinions did you express, did you make any purchases?
4. geolocation of your ip address – great for targeted advertising, or to display varied content (e.g. languages) depending on a user’s location. You could consider using a proxy that does not relay your original ip address.

5. data harvesting at the ISP level – search for Phorm, Nebuad, Carnivore 😉

The list could go on for a while, many others can comment on the other breeches of security like… Flash cookies, user agents, hopcounts, private browsing, browser anti-phishing features, omnibox, anonymizers, hosts file anyone?

Clone Java objects

Since objects in Java are manipulated through reference variables, there is no direct way to copy an object. Classes that want copying functionality must implement clone() method to do so. This guide shows how to make a Java class Cloneable and perform a cloning.

A class to be cloned:

class Person {
    private String firstName;
    private String lastName;

    private Person assistant;

    public Person(String firstName, String lastName) {
        this.firstName = firstName;
        this.lastName = lastName;
    }

    public void setAssistant(Person assistant) {
        this.assistant = assistant;
    }
	
	public Person getAssistant() {
		return assistant;
	}
}

Todos:

• implementing the Cloneable interface
• make Object clone() method public (by overriding the protected method)
• call the clone method defined in Object base class (to create a shallow copy of the object)
• deep copy (clone) all mutable objects in case a reference copy is not enough

Our cloneable class:

class Person implements Cloneable {
    private String firstName;
    private String lastName;

    private Person assistant;

    public Person(String firstName, String lastName) {
        this.firstName = firstName;
        this.lastName = lastName;
    }

    public void setAssistant(Person assistant) {
        this.assistant = assistant;
    }

    public Person getAssistant() {
        return assistant;
    }

    public Object clone() throws CloneNotSupportedException {
        Person cloned = (Person) super.clone();

        /*
              If we don't do anything else, the cloned person 
			  will refer to the to the same assistant object 
			  as the original person.

              In this example we want to avoid that
			  and make a deep copy of the assistant object as well.
          */
        if (this.assistant != null)
            cloned.assistant = (Person) this.assistant.clone();
        return cloned;
    }
}

How to clone:

public class Test {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        try {
            Person john = new Person("John", "Doe");
            Person bob = new Person("Bob", "Gombocki");
            john.setAssistant(bob);
            Person johnsClone = (Person) john.clone();
            System.out.println("John is cloned: " + (john != johnsClone));
            System.out.println("John's assistant, Bob is cloned: " + (john.getAssistant() != johnsClone.getAssistant()));
        } catch (CloneNotSupportedException e) {
            e.printStackTrace();
        }
    }
}

Watch your password!

Microsoft confirmed yesterday evening that the popular web email service, Hotmail, had been targeted by malicious fraudsters in what is commonly referred to as a phishing scam, tricking users into revealing their credentials at fake websites.
Neowin can today reveal that more lists are circulating with genuine account information and that over 20,000 accounts have now been compromised. Non-Hotmail passport accounts have been affected too. A new list contains email accounts for Gmail, Yahoo, Comcast, Earthlink and other third party popular web mail services. It’s not clear if this is login information for the service itself or the Microsoft Passport passwords.
Microsoft confirmed Neowin’s exclusive report yesterday evening and issued a statement on a company blog:
“Over the weekend Microsoft learned that several thousand Windows Live Hotmail customer’s credentials were exposed on a third-party site due to a likely phishing scheme. Upon learning of the issue, we immediately requested that the credentials be removed and launched an investigation to determine the impact to customers. As part of that investigation, we determined that this was not a breach of internal Microsoft data and initiated our standard process of working to help customers regain control of their accounts.”
It’s clear the lists are the result of a phishing scam and some commenters at Neowin suggest it could be the result of unwitting users sending their credentials to sites that name who has blocked you on popular instant messaging software Windows Live Messenger.
Neowin has once again reported the new lists to Microsoft’s Security Response Center and can confirm that the lists originated from pastebin.com, a site commonly used by developers to share code snippets. Pastebin owner Paul Dixon confirmed that the site was down for maintenance due to “an unprecedented amount of traffic” after our initial reports. Dixon stated “Pastebin.com is just a fun side project for me, and today it’s not fun. It will remain offline all day while I make some further modifications.”
Update: The phishing attack has spread to Google Mail and Yahoo mail amongst others, we’re currently awaiting full confirmation on the number of accounts at each service. BBC News is reporting that Google have confirmed the phishing attack.

Purported EC18T

Hey, what’s this attractive looking dude? Well, from the looks of it, it’s Gateway’s not-yet-announced or previously spied tablet PC. A tipster with access to a seemingly infinite number of photos of this bad boy also shot over a spec sheet of the purported EC18T, and here’s what we’re looking at. This 11.6-incher is going to boast an Intel Core 2 Duo processor, up to 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM, a Mobile Intel GS45 Express graphics chipset, and it’ll run either Windows 7 Home Premium or Basic. Of course, none of this is official information, and we have no info on pricing or availability yet. Hit the gallery for a plethora (seriously) of photos. Let hope it hurry’s up!!

Windows 7 installation

Hi a lot of people seem to be having problems installing windows7, there are many ways to complete this;

fresh install

Network

3 party (usb, ext HDD) etc

Local pre install

and

Upgrade

The latter seems to be what I would suggest to the public and most end-users, yes this was the least favourable option in the overall Microsoft Operating Systems but proven to be the most stable. You get the updates to the install files and keep your existing drivers, which you can update later, for example your Graphics driver. Many users and professionals are reporting driver problems with the RC with regarding the Fresh install option and network install, because the DVD image (which you should burn with ISO Burn, Nero, or something similar) has to provide the generic drivers for your system, if there is an issues with the DVD then the setup will not complete, also the downloaded image supplied from Microsoft will not always automatically create the partitions needed for the install so you would get an error code like “0x80070570” indicating that you do not have enuff space to place Windows 7. so you can see if you are not sure or want some reliability in your new installation use the upgrade option in the Windows 7 install and have fun.

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-7/download.aspx

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/windows-vista/get/upgrade-advisor.aspx

Windows 7 v’s Vista v’s XP

Hey there fellas, I have some results on Windows 7!! Thanks to people like Nicholas Wilkinson and others for dropping me a message, I’ve built some information up for you, I hope you enjoy it.

How does Windows 7 beta 1 compare to Vista and XP in terms of performance? That’s a question that’s been hitting my inbox regularly over the past few weeks. Let’s see if we can’t answer it!

Important note: Before I go any further I feel I need to make a point, and make it clear. The build I’m testing of Windows 7 (build 6.1.7000.0.081212-1400) is a beta build, and as a rule beta builds are usually more geared towards stability than performance. That said, the performance of this build should give us a clue as to how the OS is coming along.

Rather than publish a series of benchmark results for the three operating systems (something which Microsoft frowns upon for beta builds, not to mention the fact that the final numbers only really matter for the release candidate and RTM builds), I’ve decided to put Windows 7, Vista and XP head-to-head in a series of real-world tests to find out which OS comes out top.

The tests

There are 23 tests in all, most of which are self explanatory:

1. Install OS – Time it takes to install the OS
2. Boot up – Average boot time to usable desktop
3. Shut down – Average shut down time
4. Move 100MB files – Move 100MB of JPEG files from one hard drive to another
5. Move 2.5GB files – Move 2.5GB of mixed size files (ranging from 1MB to 100MB) from one hard drive to another
6. Network transfer 100MB files – Move 100MB of JPEG files from test machine to NAS device
7. Network transfer 2.5GB files – Move 2.5GB of mixed size files (ranging from 1MB to 100MB) from test machine to NAS device
8. Move 100MB files under load – Move 100MB of JPEG files from one hard drive to another while ripping DVD to .ISO file
9. Move 2.5GB files under load – Move 2.5GB of mixed size files (ranging from 1MB to 100MB) from one hard drive to another while ripping DVD to .ISO file
10. Network transfer 100MB files under load – Move 100MB of JPEG files from test machine to NAS device while ripping DVD to .ISO file
11. Network transfer 2.5GB files under load – Move 2.5GB of mixed size files (ranging from 1MB to 100MB) from test machine to NAS device while ripping DVD to .ISO file
12. Compress 100MB files – Using built-in ZIP compression
13. Compress 1GB files – Using built-in ZIP compression
14. Extract 100MB files – Using built-in ZIP compression
15. Extract 1GB files – Using built-in ZIP compression
16. Install Office 2007 – Ultimate version, from DVD
17. Open 10 page Word doc – Text only
18. Open 100 page Word doc – Text and images only
19. Open simple Excel doc – Basic formatting
20. Open complex Excel doc – Including formula and charts
21. Burn DVD – Win 7 beta 1 .ISO to disc using CDBurnerXP
22. Open 10 page PDF – Text only, using latest Adobe Reader 8
23. Open 100 page PDF – Text and images, using latest Adobe Reader 8

These series of tests will pitch Windows 7 build 7000 32-bit against Windows Vista SP1 32-bit and Windows XP SP3 32-bit. The scoring for each of the tests is simple. The winning OS scores 1, the runner up 2 and the loser scores a 3. The scores are added up and the OS with the lowest score at the end wins.

The test systems

I’ve used two desktop systems as the test machines:

• An AMD Phenom 9700 2.4GHz system fitted with an ATI Radeon 3850 and 4GB of RAM
• An Intel Pentium Dual Core E2200 2.2GHz fitted with an NVIDIA GeForce 8400 GS and 1GB of RAM

The results

Here are the results of the tests for the two systems:

Conclusion

The bottom line is that the more I use Windows 7 the more I like it. Sure, we’re looking at a beta build here and not the final code, so things could change between now and release (although realistically final code ends up being faster than beta code). Also I still have some nagging issues relating to the interface, and some concerns that the UAC changes will break applications and other code, especially installers, but overall Windows 7 beta 1 is a robust, solid bit of code.

Sure, Windows 7 is not XP, and never will be (thankfully). And if you’re put off by things such as activation and DRM, then Windows isn’t the OS for you (good news is there are others to choose from). But if you’re looking for a solid OS then Windows 7 seems ready to deliver just that – a fast, reliable, relatively easy to use platform for your hardware and software.