Report: Apple facing several federal lawsuits

Amid the options imbroglio, Apple is also facing several federal lawsuits it disclosed in its delayed regulatory filing Friday with the Securities and Exchange Administration, the Associated Press is reporting.

One of those suits targets the copy-protection system we all know and bemoan that keeps iTunes music and video from playing on rival media players and also keeps content purchased elsewhere from being easily playable on iPods...more

Photos of Ch 8 video shooting - Interview on BAK2u

The shooting was conducted on 21 Dec 2006 @ Getz Mobile Pte Ltd

Photo 01
(L: Zhi Hao, Kenneth, Paddy)



More here.

Video Games: Best of 2006

The Best of 2006

1. Okami (Capcom, for the PS2) -- This utterly original adventure delivered a perfect blend of puzzles and action in a mesmerizing tale based on Japanese mythology. The gorgeous graphics, inspired by classic Japanese art, look like nothing else you've ever seen in a video game.
2. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Bethesda Softworks, for the Xbox 360) -- Two hundred hours in and I still feel like I haven't scratched the surface of this wide-ranging medieval role-playing adventure. With a compelling main story and hundreds of side missions, it's the first must-have game of the 360 era.
3. The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess (Nintendo, for the Wii, GameCube) -- This Zelda is a satisfying combination of the familiar (clever weapons, diabolical dungeons) and the new (Link is now a werewolf!). We always anticipate great things from Zelda, but Twilight Princess delivers well beyond expectations.
4. Gears of War (Microsoft, for the Xbox 360) -- The second must-have for the 360 is "Gears of War," a riotous shooter that pits a team of human grunts against an insectoid army. It's gory, scary and thrilling, especially if you enjoy slicing up aliens with a chain saw.
5. Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra (Namco, for the PS2) -- The finale of the ambitious (some say pretentious) Xenosaga trilogy tackles religion, philosophy, metaphysics and more topics you wouldn't expect a game to address. It's really fun if you don't mind having your mind blown.
6. Wii Sports (Nintendo, for the Wii) -- Nintendo's new Wii console has received a lot of attention from people who don't normally play games. "Wii Sports," which is packed with the system, is an effective demonstration of its motion-sensing remote, and I have yet to meet anyone who can resist playing once they see it in action.
7. New Super Mario Bros. (Nintendo, for the DS) -- The lovable plumber returns to his 2-D roots in this side-scrolling running and jumping adventure. A blast for those of us who loved the original "Super Mario Brothers," and a real challenge for just about any player, with dozens of levels and tons of secrets.
8. Final Fantasy XII (Square Enix, for the PS2): I'm not completely sold on the new real-time battle system introduced in this installment, but it delivers everything -- grandiose story, lavish graphics and generous gameplay -- you expect from a Final Fantasy epic.
9. LocoRoco (Sony, for the PlayStation Portable) -- Jellylike blobs ooze their way across colorful landscapes, splitting and recombining to get past obstacles. With its vibrant look and catchy soundtrack, it's the year's most endearing puzzle game.
10. Resistance: Fall of Man (Sony, for the PS3) -- Ratchet & Clank creators Insomniac Games juice up the Second World War shooter with alien invaders and flamboyant weapons. The best of the PS3 launch titles.

Source: http://www.technewsworld.com/story/54898.html

Hiring: Programmer

Hi there!

If you are a Symbian OS programmer with some experience and is keen to work from home, drop us a mail with your resume and expected salary.

We are seeking for a freelance programmer to support our in-house team.

Thank you.

Email: admin AT bak2u.com

Mac OS X key to Apple's consumer electronics strategy

Apple Computer plans to leverage one of its most vital assets as it accelerates its assault on the consumer electronics markets.

People familiar with the strategy tell AppleInsider that the Cupertino, Calif.-based company has been developing an operating system based on the core technologies of Mac OS X for use with embedded devices.

Apple intends to integrate the software on a couple of devices beginning early next year, those people say, while more comprehensive plans call for it to form the bedrock of a jaw-dropping device not due to hit the market until the following year.

By leveraging the underpinnings of Mac OS X, Apple is striving to deliver with its consumer electronics products the same flawless digital media experience enjoyed by the approximate 20 million people who use the system on Macs worldwide...more

BAK2u in Top 10 Life-Hacking Business Ideas in 2006!

From Springwise.com
Dear all, we are pleased to share with you that BAK2u is one of the top 10 best new business ideas of 2006 by Springwise.com!

http://www.springwise.com/life_hacks/top_10_lifehacking_business_id/

What is Springwise?
Springwise scans the globe for the most promising business ventures, ideas and concepts ready for regional or international adaptation, expansion, partnering, investments or cooperation. Ferociously tracking more than 400 global offline and online business resources, as well as taking to the streets of world cities, digital cameras at hand.

**BAK2u likes to wish everyone a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year**

Linksys rolls out new 'IPhone' lin

Linksys, a division of Cisco that makes networking equipment for the home and small businesses, unveiled a new line of Internet-enabled phones this week, an Associated Press report said,

The phones use the increasingly popular VoIP, and also allow users to switch over for traditional landline calling, the report said.

They also can search the Web and allow users to see when friends are online and ready to accept calls. Several other companies have similar offerings.

But the name has caused a stir...more

Skype to launch Web TV service

LONDON (Reuters) - A broadband television service developed by the founders of Internet calling programme Skype is expected to be launched next year, the Financial Times reported on Monday.

Some 6,000 individuals were already testing the service, which was named The Venice Project, the newspaper said.

Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom invested part of the money they made from selling Skype to eBay last year in developing the new product, it said.

Friis told the FT that peer-to-peer technology used by the service, would make it possible to serve "tens of millions of users" while overcoming content owners' security fears.

"The overall picture is that this is happening. Video is moving online, and people have to find strategies for that," he said in an interview.

The service was able to display high-quality, full-screen video on a computer screen, according to the Financial Times.

Friis outlined his plans for the service to a Danish newspaper in October, predicting at the time that it would be out in the next one or two months. He said it would bring quality TV programmes for free to consumers who have a broadband Internet connection.

Source: Larry, NJ USA. Link

Out of stock: PhoneBAK Mobilephone software

Due to overwhelming responses, PhoneBAK Mobilephone CDs are currently out of stock here in Singapore. Stocks will be available by 19 Dec 2006 at our distributor/retailer, GetzMobile

BAK2u on the news - The New Paper, Wan Bao

Date:
15 Dec 2006

Newspapers:
TNP, Wan Bao.

Theft at Samsung centre
SCARED OFF by phone that tells tales
.........

But with the high rate of handphone thefts - 1,962 phones were reported stolen in the first half of this year - more people are buying similar third-party software to protect their data devices.

Singaporean Paddy Tan runs local start-up Bak2U which specialises in selling its security software for users of high-end smartphones and PDA phones.

Like Samsung's uTrack, Bak2U's PhoneBak software sends the unauthorised SIM card number to a preset number. It also sends out the phone's unique Imei identification number and does not alert the thief about its distress call.

......

Since the company started selling the software which costs between $15 and $30 here in June, Mr Tan said about 10,000 people have bought it.

He said: 'The numbers here are not high compared to Europe where we also sell the software. A lot of Europeans believe in security investment, and the price they pay for the software is small compared to the cost of the phone.

'On the other hand, Asians are less likely to buy the software because they change phones so often... about every six or 12 months.'

Mr Thomas Lam, a sales manager, 42, has lost three handphones in the past six years and was resigned to losing his latest Nokia N70 when it went missing at Lau Pa Sat food centre.

But PhoneBak came to his aid. Mr Lam asked Bak2U to call the thief for him and the company managed to convince the thief to return the phone a few days later....

More:
http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,119573,00.html

Wii breaks Australian launch sales record

Relatively speaking, Australia is a small market for Tech companies, but still the sales figures released today are impressive.

For the first four days of its release, the Wii has sold 32,901 units – officially smashing the video game system launch record in this country.

Compared to 325,000 sold in Europe and 1.7 Million world wide, the Aussie figures pale. But lets talk percentages for the moment; the Wii accounted for around 43% of video game hardware sold last week. Along with the DS handheld unit this gives Nintendo over two thirds of the market...more

Samsung Unveils OneDRAM Chip for Mobile Devices

Computer chipmaker Samsung Electronics unveiled Tuesday a new chip, OneDRAM, designed to speed up data processing in mobile applications.

OneDRAM is part of Samsung’s “Fusion Era” vision, predicting that semiconductor manufacturing in the future will utilize the advantages of bio- and nano-technology. The new chip is intended specifically for use in products such as handsets and game consoles, and for 3D graphic applications, where physical space is at a premium and powerful processing is needed.

For the new, 133MHz/512MB chip, Samsung took a dual-port approach in order to meet JEDEC, low power, and double-data-rate memory standards...more

Is iTunes Slowly Dying?

Forrester Group recently presented the results of a 3 months study about digital music sells on Apple’s iTunes, and the conclusions don’t look that good for the Cupertino-based company.

According to the cited statistics, since January this year the number of iTunes transactions made each month has slumped 58 percent, while the average size per purchase has registered a downfall of 17 percent, leading to a 65-percent overall drop in monthly iTunes revenue, U.S. market research group Forrester said in a survey among North American consumers.

Despite the numbers, “it is too soon to tell if this decline was seasonal or if buyers were reaching their saturation level for digital music,” Forrester said in the report that was published to its clients last week, and made available to Reuters on Wednesday...more

Verizon's Babbio resigns unexpectedly

Verizon Communications announced that second-in-command Lawrence T. Babbio Jr., a 41-year veteran of the Bell telephone system, plans to retire as president and vice chairman of the board by the end of March, according to an Associated Press report.

No successor was named, suggesting the 62-year-old's retirement decision was unexpected. Verizon said it will announce transition plans in the coming weeks, the Associated Press report said.

Babbio, who received $11.7 million in compensation last year, will be leaving with hefty post-employment benefits. At the end of 2005, Babbio had $12.7 million set aside in various retirement accounts and was due an annual pension of $113,400, the report added...more

Major breach of UCLA's computer files

In what appears to be one of the largest computer security breaches ever at an American university, one or more hackers have gained access to a UCLA database containing personal information on about 800,000 of the university's current and former students, faculty and staff members, among others.

UCLA officials said the attack on a central campus database exposed records containing the names, Social Security numbers and birth dates — the key elements of identity theft — for at least some of those affected. The attempts to break into the database began in October of 2005 and ended Nov. 21, when the suspicious activity was detected and blocked, the officials said.

In a letter scheduled to be sent today to potential victims of the breach, acting Chancellor Norman Abrams said that although some Social Security numbers were obtained by the hackers, the university had no evidence that any of the information had been misused.

"We take our responsibility to safeguard personal information very seriously," Abrams said in the letter, which was scheduled to be mailed or e-mailed overnight to those whose records were compromised. "My primary concern is to make sure this does not happen again" and to provide information to try to minimize the risk of identity theft for those affected, he said.

Abrams urged those whose records might have been accessed to monitor their consumer credit files and consider fraud alerts and other precautions.

The UCLA incident is the latest in a series of computer security breaches affecting private organizations, financial institutions, government agencies and other large employers. Partly because of their tradition of openness, universities are proving to be a favorite — and often vulnerable — target, several experts in the field said Monday.

"Universities tend to have a lot of information floating around in a lot of different places," said Jay Foley, executive director of the Identity Theft Resource Center, a San Diego-based nonprofit. "They are places we send our children to share ideas, and it's hard to mix the open sharing of ideas with the need to tighten down on security."

In 2003, for example, a hacker at San Diego State used an outdated computer network in the drama department to find a way into the financial aid system. The Social Security numbers of more than 200,000 people were exposed.

Foley and others interviewed said that although there was no evidence of any fraudulent or illegal use of the information, the UCLA breach, in the sheer number of people affected, appeared to be among the largest at an American college or university.

"To my knowledge, it's absolutely one of the largest," said Rodney Petersen, security task force coordinator for Educause, a nonprofit higher education association that focuses on technology issues. He said most problems at universities have involved breaches of departmental or other, smaller databases.

Comprehensive statistics on computer break-ins at colleges do not exist. But in the first six months of this year alone, there were at least 29 security failures at colleges nationwide, jeopardizing the records of 845,000 people. Both private and public institutions have been hit. In 2005, a database at USC was hacked, exposing the records of 270,000 individuals.

Petersen said that in a survey released by Educause in October, about a quarter of 400 colleges said that over the previous 12 months, they had experienced a security incident in which confidential information was compromised.

At UCLA, officials said Monday that the targeted database included records for the university's current and former students, faculty and staff, in some cases dating to the early 1990s. Others potentially affected included some applicants during the last five years who did not enroll at the university, as well as some parents of students or applicants who had applied for financial aid.

About 3,200 of those being notified are current or former staff and faculty of UC Merced and current or former staff of UC's Oakland headquarters. UCLA handles administrative processing for both groups.

Besides names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of those affected, the database includes home addresses and contact information, officials said. It does not contain driver's license numbers or credit card or banking information....more

Mars Has Liquid Water, New Photos Suggest

Evidence has been found that liquid water is flowing on Mars, NASA scientists announced today. "You've heard of a smoking gun—this the squirting gun," said Kenneth Edgett of NASA contract firm Malin Space Science Systems in San Diego, California. The unexpected find emerged from some 240,000 images taken by the long-orbiting Mars Global Surveyor spacecraft.

Images taken of the same areas over time showed investigators that liquid water likely flowed through gullies in Martian craters during the past seven years.

Telltale deposits of debris suggest that sediments were washed downhill by occasional liquid flows... more

News: YouTube, you leave (Starhub fired staff)

THEY wore company T-shirts. They horsed around in the office and posted clips of themselves on the popular online video sharing website YouTube.

.

It was after office hours and in their mind, it was harmless fun, but the company did not see the funny side of it. Now one of the two temporary employees engaged by StarHub has been let go while the other is facing possible disciplinary action.

.

The two clips — posted in October — were two to four minutes long, and showed Mr Terence Tan, 25, and a colleague in a company T-shirt playing around with a small anti-stress ball, while others watched. ... more

News: New Technology aims to help police nab cellphone thieves

'Get your phone back - stealthily'

BAK2u's PhoneBAK PDA Phone, anti-theft software was reviewed by the Straits Time Digital life and published on 28 Nov 2006.

Scanned copy by a customer: click here

Interview: Are we a bunch of losers?

Updates: Distributors - South Africa

BAK2u is proud to appoint Key Pad Mobile Security Solutions Pty Ltd as the exclusive distributor for the country, South Africa. Link

PS3 Sales Drop Sharply

Sales of the PlayStation 3 console during its first full week of availability in Japan were sharply lower than those during the two days immediately following its launch, according to estimates published this week. During the seven days from November 13 to 19, there were 43,378 of the consoles sold in Japan compared with 88,400 sold on November 11 and 12, according to figures published by Enterbrain. The company publishes local gaming magazine Famitsu and its figures are generally regarded in the industry as reliable.

Another local market data supplier, Media Create, estimated sales in the first full week at 42,099 units and said they dropped further to 32,622 units in the week from November 20 to 27. Media Create earlier estimated launch weekend shipments were 81,693 units. SCEI in Tokyo wouldn't comment on the estimates but said that it is continuously shipping new consoles to retailers in Japan and the US...more