19 new stories on The Next Web today |  |
- Amazon’s slick Windowshop iPad app gets European launch [TNW Europe]
- Report: App Downloads To Increase 605% By 2014 [TNW Mobile]
- CNN for iPad now available on the App Store [TNW Mobile]
- Natural disasters, acronyms and Apple dominate Facebook’s top trends of 2010 [TNW Facebook]
- Infinity Blade Becomes The Fastest Grossing App Ever [TNW Mobile]
- China Mobile may bring forward 4G roll out [TNW Asia]
- Nike goes social – Customize your new Kobe Bryant kicks on Facebook [TNW Social Media]
- Shakespeare’s London for iPhone is the best way to experience the Bard’s Great Britain [TNW Apps]
- The 10 most watched YouTubes of 2010 in under 90 seconds [TNW Social Media]
- Japanese publishers rebuke Apple over pirated works on iTunes [TNW Asia]
- Asia’s online shopping explosion [TNW Asia]
- 5 Gadgets for Videographers & Photography Nuts [TNW Gadgets]
- Cuba’s answer to Wikipedia, “EcuRed” Launches Tomorrow [TNW Apps]
- Want a Google TV? Just make a YouTube video. [TNW Google]
- Hockey Night in Canada Goes 3D — Almost [TNW Canada]
- An Interview with Gnosis, the group behind the Gawker hacking [TNW Media]
- Microsoft seems set to announce another generation of doomed tablets at CES [TNW Microsoft]
- Squarespace announces integration with Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places [TNW Social Media]
- Live in Canada? Buy a Windows Phone 7, get a free Xbox 360! [TNW Microsoft]
- Mobile development shop to build 500 Windows Phone 7 apps in 2011 [TNW Microsoft]
| Amazon’s slick Windowshop iPad app gets European launch [TNW Europe] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 03:36 AM PST
In case Windowshop passed you by first time around, the app is an iPad-optimised way to browse and buy from Amazon’s stock. Big pictures on a clean white background and video and audio previews are the order of the day here. Of course, Amazon wants you to actually spend some money rather than stick to the windowshopping the app’s name implies. As such, the all-too dangerous one-click purchasing is in here along with support for Amazon Prime, wishlists and package tracking. In short, it’s exactly what iPad owning Amazon customers like me have been waiting for. The website’s a little fiddly to use and the iPhone app looks hideous when blown up to double size on the iPad screen. I can see myself spending quite a bit of time with this new app. Amazon Windowshop is available now [iTunes link]. See you at the checkout. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Report: App Downloads To Increase 605% By 2014 [TNW Mobile] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 03:02 AM PST
On the back of this growth, IDG estimates that mobile app revenues will surpass $35 billion in 2014, as smartphone app developers look to design applications that can support any type of interaction that a user could need, whether it be in a physical or digital world. Apps can already help handset owners work out where they are in the world, cook a meal, monitor their driving and suggest the nearest petrol stations. Scott Ellison, VP of Mobile and Wireless Research at IDG believes the growth in app downloads is not limited to casual users downloading the latest apps, noting "The extension of mobile apps to every aspect of our personal and business lives will be one of the hallmarks of the new decade with enormous opportunities for virtually every business sector." Whilst we believe that the business application market will grow, further boosting the apps market, IDG is throwing out some lofty expectations. It may be possible for revenues to significantly increase but app consumption could be limited to the quality of the applications available. As App Stores increase in size, recommendations and ratings will play an even more important part in a users decision to download. Alternatively, as the smartphone market continues to grow, there will be more smartphone owners that could begin to consume apps in a bid to find out which is the best for its purpose, spurring a dramatic increase in app downloads as a result. Just take a look at someone who gets a smartphone for the first time, we have been guilty of downloading a significant amount of apps when we first got our iPhone and Android handsets. What do you think? Can app downloads rise by 66 billion downloads in just four years?Image Credit [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| CNN for iPad now available on the App Store [TNW Mobile] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 02:06 AM PST
The news corporation has designed its app to mimic the functionality of its popular website, providing users with an app that takes advantage of the iPad’s large screen, delivering content and features that immerse users with stunning imagery, breaking news reports and on-demand video. Users will be able to switch between US and International news, both of which deliver live video and breaking news, also offering CNN’s radio service that will broadcast hourly from the US news section. Encouraging its readers to participate in news reports, CNN has enabled a comment feature which runs in a side panel at the side of news content, also adding a function that allows users to share stories, images and videos from the app, via email, Facebook and Twitter. In an effort to provide a reading style to cater for individual preference, CNN for iPad provides three viewing options: Broadsheet, List View and Slide Show. Broadsheet is set as the default view, listing over 350 of the latest news items in a grid format. Users are then able to drill-down into the content they wish to view. List View displays a list of headlines organised by topic and category, whereas the Slide Show view gives users the option to scroll through the days top headlines. All views are updated in real-time as news breaks, also notifying users via a Push Notification. The CNN app free via the App Store and can be downloaded via this link – http://itunes.com/apps/CNNAppforiPad. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Natural disasters, acronyms and Apple dominate Facebook’s top trends of 2010 [TNW Facebook] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 01:36 AM PST
Facebook analyzed status updates across 236 countries, computing the rate at which each phrase occurred in 2010 and compared that to 2009, noting phrases and terms that has grown significantly during that time. World moments dominated the top trends of 2010, user statuses updated to reflect the tragedy of the earthquake in Haiti and the rescue of the Chilean miners, both present in the top 10 trends on Facebook. When the earthquake struck Haiti, status updates hit Facebook within a minute. Facebook hosted the first reports of the disaster, users from the Dominican Republic updating their statuses after feeling the aftereffects of the quake. Just four minutes after the quake hit, updates were being posted at a rate of 120 a minute and as the rest of the world came to know about the disaster, mentions of the quake hit a peak of 1800 posts per minute a day later. The Chilean miners, or “Mineros” hardly figured at the time of the collapse, only Chilean users taking to the service to express sympathy for the trapped miners. A week later, when the miners were miraculously found alive, the world started to talk about them but was still focused in Chile. Over the course of the next 60 days, the world watched the trials and tribulations as workers above ground scrambled to drill rescue shafts. When a shaft was drilled and rescue possible, millions of people updated their statuses around the world. Facebook notes that people watched so carefully, that when looked closer at posts during the rescue, they saw 33 unique spikes in activity — one for each of the rescued miners. On a more lighthearted, the internet acronym “Hit Me Up” or HMU as it became to be known, went from being a relatively unknown term in 2009 to one of the most popular trends of 2010. HMU was literally unheard of in 2009, many instances attributed to user error. In May 2009, it was averaging 20 mentions a day, doubling each month to be mentioned in about 1,600 posts a day by the end of the year. Even though it grew quite substantially, it failed to make last years list. This year however, HMU continued to grow, by the end of the summer the term was mentioned 80,000 times a day. Facebook users were using the term to ask their friends what what happening as of an evening, particularly over the summer, but as they returned to school, it was only really posted at weekends. There have been a number of high-profile sporting events across 2010 but none were as popular or widely discussed as the World Cup in 2010, with at least 2.8 million mentions as Facebook users rode the pre-game buzz and chatted with their friends about the upcoming World Cup final. World Cup teams and players were regularly mentioned during games, with 50% of all status updates dedicated to a users national team and the eleven men representing them on the pitch. As expected, movies and music continued to trend on Facebook with Toy Story, Inception and Twilight Saga: Eclipse films discussed on the popular social network. Facebook notes that many of the status updates dedicated to movies where posted from mobile devices as soon as the film ended, noticing that people who waited to post about the movie from their home computer took an average of 30 minutes to do so. It wouldn’t be an accurate report if a social network doesn’t have a mention of Justin Bieber. Bieber, who dominated both Google and Twitter trends in 2010, also figured highly in Facebook users’ updates, peaking when he attended the MTV Music Video Awards in September. Apple’s iPad and iPhone managed to grab 25 million mentions on Facebook, posted by users who were showing off to their friends, lusting after the device or bemoaning the antennagate issues experienced when the iPhone 4 first launched. The rest of the top ten saw mentions of Facebook Games, the term Airplanes and the number 2011 figure highly. Facebook Games grew in popularity thanks to games like Farmville, while mentions of Airplanes rose thanks to the popular song by B.O.B. As for 2011, we guess that some people can’t wait for the new year, whether its because theres an important event coming or the new year would be the start of something new for Facebook users.Image Credit [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Infinity Blade Becomes The Fastest Grossing App Ever [TNW Mobile] Posted: 14 Dec 2010 12:04 AM PST
AppModo collated the GameCenter figures for Infinity Blade, taking into account 271,424 users that have registered their Apple accounts on the leaderboards for the game. Selling at $5.99, Infinity Blade is judged to have generated $1,625,829.76 in sales since its launch on December 9, making it the fastest grossing app on the App Store to date.
The previous record was held by Cut The Rope, generating over $1 million in sales over a 10 day period. Epic Games’ award-winning studio, ChAIR Entertainment, developed the game, utilising Epic’s powerful Unreal Engine 3 technology, demonstrating its gorgeous visuals at the iPhone 4 launch event. Obviously being showcased at an Apple event has furthered the games popularity and fuelled demand but the developers must take credit for creating a game with such stunning visuals and unique gameplay. Interestingly, Epic’s Mark Rein believes the sales figures to be even higher than what is quoted here, he tweeted that the GameCenter numbers that are being reported are quite a bit lower than the figures they have internally. This fact would further cement Infinity Blade’s position as the fastest grossing app ever.Image Credit [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| China Mobile may bring forward 4G roll out [TNW Asia] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 10:35 PM PST
The China Mobile’s 4G system, based on the TD-LTE standard (Time Division-Long Term Evolution) will begin commercial trials next year. According to Bill Huang, general manager of the China Mobile Research Institute,
Mr Huang would not comment on which cities would be chosen for the trials. The acceleration of China Mobile’s plans comes after a successful trial in 2010 at the Shanghai World Expo. It has also been prompted by the rapid expansion of 3G data services which now account for over 30% of China Mobile’s revenue. While standard LTE networks are already rolling out in many countries, Poland’s Aero2 network is expected to start operating the first commercial TD-LTE system early in 2011. Japan’s Softbank are also reported to be launching a TD-LTE network soon.Digitimes, image, image [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Nike goes social – Customize your new Kobe Bryant kicks on Facebook [TNW Social Media] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 09:59 PM PST
Nike is the latest one that we’ve found and, with the launch of Kobe Bryant‘s newest shoe, Nike is bringing its NikeiD product to the Facebook platform. If you’re not familiar, NikeiD is a way to fully customize your Nike products. Have one foot that is half a size different from the other? No problem. Want a different color on every panel? You can do that. If you can think of it, NikeiD can likely do it. With Kobe Bryant’s new Kobe VI iD, you can use Facebook to customize your new Kobe shoes any way that you want. All it takes is for you to head over to the Facebook page for NikeiD, give a like and then you can head in to use the NikeiD designer to pimp out your new kicks.
We had the chance to talk to Leslie Bradshaw from JESS3 about the integration of NikeiD into Facebook and the creation of the NikeiD Facebook page. The page, as is always the case when we see JESS3 projects, is top notch. Want a behind-the-scenes look? You’ll find some great information over on the JESS3 blog, but here’s a sneak peak:
For Nike, it’s a chance to not only get the word out via social media, but it will inevitably lead to new Facebook fans as well. The bottom line? Revenue. Increased awareness of a product, via a platform that we all use every day can only lead to increased sales. So, get over and get building. Of course, since it’s Facebook, you’ll be able to share your design with your friends. You can even choose to pre-order your new Kobe kicks, as they won’t be for sale until December 24th. Got a cool design? Share it with us in the comments. In an age where it seems that everybody starts on social media, it’s awesome when we see brands that didn’t and are now coming of age. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Shakespeare’s London for iPhone is the best way to experience the Bard’s Great Britain [TNW Apps] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 07:50 PM PST
|
| The 10 most watched YouTubes of 2010 in under 90 seconds [TNW Social Media] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 07:45 PM PST On Sunday, I posted the complete list of the 10 Most Watched YouTubes of 2010. In case you’re like me and don’t feel like watching the full videos involving Justin Bieber, YouTube has mashed-up the top 10 videos into a digestible 90 second series of clips. Watch the video here: The Top 10 Are: #1 Bed Intruder Song For the sake of making the list, let’s hope there’s not an AWESOME video made on December 31st. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Japanese publishers rebuke Apple over pirated works on iTunes [TNW Asia] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 07:32 PM PST
In a joint press release, the consortium, including, the Japan Book Publishers Association, the Japan Magazine Publishers Association, The Electronic Book Publishers Association of Japan, and Digital Comic Association claimed that works by famous authors Haruki Murakami and Keigo Higashino have been illegally sold in the App Store. The groups said:
and adds that Apples’s claim that it is unable to check for copyrighted material during the application screening process is
While the works have now been removed from the App Store, the publishers’ group is complaining that Apple should do more in the application approval process to ensure that the content of submitted applications does not breach copyrights. The market for e-books in Japan has been slow to take off, due to resistance from the country’s powerful publishing companies. However, the introduction and popularity of the iPad is opening up the e-book and e-reader market. The publishers’ statement seems to stop short of a legal challenge to Apple. Instead they call for a discussion with Apple Japan about how to address the issues, but, conclude with the warning:
[Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Asia’s online shopping explosion [TNW Asia] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 06:19 PM PST
In its “2011 Outlook for the Retail & Consumer Products Sector in Asia” study released on Monday, the company predicts that the Asian online shopping market is on the brink of explosive growth, fuelled by China. Internet sales in the first six months of 2010 in China saw a 60% increase compared with the same period in 2009. About 30% (140 million) of China’s internet population now shop online with web sales for the first six months of 2010 equalling 2.25 trillion RMB (about US$331 billion). However, western companies hoping to move into the Chinese market will find that it is a different style of market. Online shopping in China is dominated by large e-malls like taobao.com that provide them with web infrastructure and transaction processing services. The vendors will find that, if they wish to reach the Chinese market, it is essential for them to set up a Taobao shop. The Taobao model is a model that is spreading throughout Asia. The Next Web has already reported that Japanese e-commerce giant Rakuten is expanding in the region with its upcoming Indonesian e-mall and its recently opened "Lekutian", a joint venture with Chinese search giant Baidu.image, image [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| 5 Gadgets for Videographers & Photography Nuts [TNW Gadgets] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 05:26 PM PST HoverSpy Video Cam R/C Copter
HoverSpy is a 12" remote control miniature helicopter capable of shooting video from 150 feet in the air. It's controlled via radio frequency and equipped with a built-in gyro and accelerometer to provide an accurate RC flying experience. The wireless cam records video in 640×480 resolution in .AVI format, storing video on a 1GB Micro SD card (40 minutes of video) included in the box. The battery life is a bit of a drawback, it provides 7 minutes of fly-time which translates to about 10 minutes of charging time. The body sports an aluminum solid-build, landing gear, struts and dual rotating blades. It's likely not going to produce smooth sweeping shots you'd get using a professional jib although it might be perfect for indie film makers within the horror genre. The birds-eye-view footage looks as though it would be ideal in some sort of aerial creepy chase-scene. GorillaPod Video
These tripods are supported by the standard three legs but with an added twist, the GorillaPod design offers bendy legs that can be wrapped around or hung from objects. This specific model is $29.95 (US) and supports smooth 360° pan and 135° tilt with an omni-directional aluminum video head, in short, it will move in all directions. It also, in this model, has a quick release plate and was designed to work with mini and pocket camcorders. There are tons of real-world examples where these would be useful, the first that comes to mind is "guerilla" style podcasting. Let's say you're doing a podcast about hiking, using the flexible legs, it can be hung from trees or positioned to work where the standard tripod might flip over. It should also save the viewer from the inevitable shake that results from the Rick Mercer/Dennis Leary style of walking and talking into the cam. Inflatable Photo Studio: The Hooligan
The Inflatable Photo Studio is a large inflatable room that uses an industrial fan to essentially blow up the room to full size. The material is solid-black UV coated polyurethane, both the colour of the material and the tight space create an ideal situation for controlling lighting. I'd personally want to splurge for an upgrade that came with a chroma-green interior for green screening. Weather is another factor, anyone who's suffered through trying to produce a podcast outdoors knows, mother nature can be a cruel mistress — this totally eliminates poor sunlight and rain. The Hooligan is $500 and is the economy version in their line of inflatables, it nicely deflates and folds down into a compact situation; 40 x 20 x 20 , weighing in at about 50 pounds. And you're seriously going to want to get yourself a permit if you plan on putting this thing on city property. Camera Connection Kit
The iPad does however require some accessories to quickly import photos, accessories like Apple’s Camera Connection Kit. This kit is $29 (US) and includes two adapters; SD to iPad port and USB to iPad port. To browse images on an SD card, the accessory is plugged into the iPad’s 30-pin connector and the SD card fits in the opposite side. It imports both pictures & videos (depending on the format) and it attaches to both digital cameras and iPhones (3GS,4) through a USB cable. Standard images formats, jpeg and raw are all supported. F-Stop Watch
At first glance you might not catch what makes this watch special, a joke only photography geeks will likely get — it tells time with aperture (F-Stop). Photography gurus can skip the following statement. To give you a better idea of what makes this design so neat, the term F-Stop means the focal length, really the focus length divided by the diameter of the lens– just know it's very apt for photo junkies. It also comes in a collectable tin that includes Quartz batteries and it retails for $35.97 (US). There's not a whole lot else to explain here, it's a watch – a watch with the ability to bring joy to any photography enthusiast who wears it.Image: BizPack [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Cuba’s answer to Wikipedia, “EcuRed” Launches Tomorrow [TNW Apps] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 04:50 PM PST
The site officially launches tomorrow, but it is already up and running with 19,345 entries, as first reported by Reuters. “Its philosophy is the accumulation and development of knowledge, with a democratizing, not profitable, objective, from a decolonizer point of view,” the site said. But the system’s operations are slightly different, and less democratic than Wikipedia as users must be pre-approved by EcuRed before they’re allowed to edit entries. EcuRed writers took a pretty hostile stance when describing the United States, describing the U.S. as “the empire of our time” and “the most powerful nation of all time.” And as a country that has taken “by force territory and natural resources from other nations, to put at the service of its businesses and monopolies.” Continuing: “It consumes 25 percent of the energy produced on the planet and in spite of its wealth, more than a third of its population does not have assured medical attention.” And finally: U.S. leaders looked at Cuba “like those who admire a beautiful fruit that will end up falling in their hands.” No surprise here, EcuRed writers described former Cuban leader Fidel Castro in a very positive light: “Today he writes and participates in the struggle of ideas at a global level. For his moral authority, he influences important and strategic decisions of the Revolution.” However, as reported by Reuters, only about 1.6 million Cubans, out of 11.2 million population, have access to the Internet.
[Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Want a Google TV? Just make a YouTube video. [TNW Google] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 04:45 PM PST
According to an announcement on the YouTube blog:
So, will we see anybody renaming themselves to Google TV? Oh, and if you do submit a video, drop us a link in the comments. We want to see your creative side. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Hockey Night in Canada Goes 3D — Almost [TNW Canada] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 04:30 PM PST
3D technology, when done right, adds an unbelievable degree of realism to the standard flat 2D broadcasts. 3D sporting events are meant to make fans feel as though they're in the arena although as CTV News points out, the cameras just aren't close enough to the action to provide a true 3D experience. As most of the cameras are located nearest to the stands, it's really the only thing that gets the full-on 3D effect — not so much for the puck. Hockey fans would obviously see more value in actually viewing the game itself in 3D, not the spectators in stands. So, to be true 3D, the arena would need to be equipped with multiple cameras capable of getting in really close to the action, not zoomed. Something that would benefit the fans but would likely be very obtrusive to the players, a change that the NHL would need to heavily regulate. The concept is cool. To most hockey fans, the idea of watching Hockey Night in Canada in 3D sounds wildly exciting but it's an experience that might be a long ways away.CTV [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| An Interview with Gnosis, the group behind the Gawker hacking [TNW Media] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 03:45 PM PST
As part of our ongoing coverage, we now bring you an exclusive interview with the group behind the attacks, Gnosis. We had questions and Gnosis had answers that we are sure you’ll want to see. We spoke to three members of Gnosis, they will be identified as N, I and T. Who/what is Gnosis? I: We are a small group, who have varying talents in computer technology, each member of the team is hand picked based on their skills and personality. We generally just chat and code together as a tight knit group and work on projects in our free time. So it’s an invite only group? I: It is yes. That currently has three members? N: No, there are currently 13 members, with three “others”. Do you have a leader? I: Ha, we were expecting that one. We dont believe in having a leader of the group, everyone is as equal as the next. Certain members of the media have mentioned you were associated with 4chan/Anonymous, despite you strictly implying you were not. Can you explain your connection to 4chan? I: We formed as a small group interested in learning about technology. Ever since, we have become a collective who work together on projects. N: As for 4chan, we are not directly connected, no. But 4chan’s influence on the net is large and several of our members visit the site. We don’t directly agree with some of 4chans tactics, or rather “anon’s” tactics. We believe that ddosing sites won’t help their cause and will only generate negative press and I personally see in the media a lot of acts being simply put under the umbrella of “4chan” or “anonymous”. We would have not wanted this to be lumped with such acts as DDOS’ing Amazon or Mastercard. Negative press? N: Well the saying goes that any press is good press. Did you believe compromising Gawker and publishing innocent users accounts would bring positive press? N: Nope I: No, we did not. N: Which is why we did not lump it together with Wikileaks, or any other “aim”. We simply released it as it was. Would you say the timing of your release could have been better as to not be “lumped” in with Anonymous? I: The timing for the release was quite a rush to be honest, while we will not disclose why this was. We will say that, however rushed it was, we are happy with the release. It is always going to be lumped with anonymous, no matter what it is. Well, at least by some people. Why did you choose to deface Gizmodo’s Twitter account above all others and why post #wikileaks supporting messages? Did you believe Giz was the most visible [Gawker] property? N: I was the one who defaced the Twitter [account]. Gizmodo was very visible and while the tweets were up for only 5 mins at max they caused quite a big stir. [In answer to the first question] I believe in Wikileaks and their cause, so I thought the first post would be “WIKILEAKS”. I then started to post about the upcoming release and I was actually just writing a tweet about the source code release date when they got control back. So they [Gawker] acted almost instantly? N: Nearly instantly, within 5 mins. They removed the tweets and changed the password. What motivated you to hack Gawker? Did you have something against Denton, Gawker or the its writers? Or all of them? T: We were motivated by the sheer arrogance of the Gawker group of bloggers. We are a technologically minded group of people, and we enjoy a challenge. When we got in, we were shocked by the apparent lack of any layers of security, setting off a chain, leading to compromise. N: As for the question about if this is a thing against its writers, I personally have nothing against them, they have built what they call an “empire” and I respect that. So no, it is nothing personal. So this had nothing to do with the 4chan/Gawker spat many months ago? Are you saying it’s unrelated? N: Completely. I [wrongly] assumed the two incidents were connected? N: We read about these as they happened and thought nothing of them but a member brought it up and we decided to see if we could get inside Gawker but the large gap was because we didn’t really care at the time. But after a quick pentest we discovered how truly arrogant they were, which makes more sense if you know the levels of security within Gawker. How long did it take to compromise Gawker? Can you comment on how you gained access? I: Sorry but we do not wish to provide a timeframe but, if it helps, it didnt take us long. The site is a set of components, and we tested and evaluated each ones integrity. N: We had frontpage access quite quickly though, and like dominos the other systems fell into place. Did you employ XSS vulnerabilities or kernel vulnerabilities? N: We cannot comment, I am sorry. Though vulnerabilities were involved at several stages, in several components, we cannot specify which and what type. Can you comment on the stages in which you gained access to Gawkers web properties? N: We can’t comment on the stages but we did access the Email, the issue tracker, several web servers, Campfire, SVN as well as some other old internal things that were not used anymore. There are others, who’s names do not spring to mind. They should all be in the README.txt [a file released in the torrent data]. What do you say to the people who had their details compromised? Aren’t they just unwitting pawns in the crossfire? I: We apologize that you were caught in the crossfire of this attack, if you have a sufficiently good password over 8 characters then you are most likely not at risk, anyone could have did what we did, it was wide open for everyone to exploit, we just got there first. Why did you release user data? I: TBH, they would rather it was us, than some Russian spammer who would sell their databases, or use them for more malicious uses. T: Release is the safest path, as it allows lessons to be learned. Can’t you argue that a spammer would be able to use this data anyway? N: A spammer could easily use this, but the true value lies with the passwords. Someone clever could have extracted this information and then bruteforced the hashes to get the passwords, and slowly and maliciously exploited them. Now they are out in the open the people effected will be able to change. In the short term yes, they could be used maliciously, but long term we would hope that the majority would change their passwords. We don’t want to condone what we did as right, because it will cause damage to the people caught in the “crossfire” but it should be a reminder to everyone that security does matter and that big sites take unacceptable liberties with users’ data. T: Additionally, we let users know their data was compromised, as we didnt look for other tracks, but it doesn’t mean to say they were not there. As we have repeated, _anyone_ could have gotten their hands on this info. N: (Anyone with some skill that is) T: Indeed. Then what is your core ideology? N: Our ideology is to learn. As knowledge is power. We like to explore and work on interesting projects, some of which we believe have not been attempted in the past. Now you have compromised Gawker, will you seek to attack anyone else? N: Well, we have a few pokers in the fire, but nothing we can discuss. We will however re-visit Gawker sometime in the future and see if they have improved their security and fixed the numerous holes. I hope they will, they mentioned they were hiring IT experts, whatever that means. So is that to say you will be looking to announce more attacks soon? I: No, we will not be conducting attacks like we have this time, we are not a malicious group intentionally. We will just revisit Gawker at some point to assess their security, and see if this drop has helped them improve security. Are you worried whether Gawker might have contacted the authorities following this attack? I: We are not worried about this, as we beleive being broken wide open will help them to secure their site. We have not been informed in any way of Gawkers intentions to call the authorities or not. Would you conduct strict security testing of other sites if they were found to be operating similar to Gawker? Put simply, who would be fair game? N: The group is fairly decentralized, there are no orders per say, if a member wants to investigate (or a group of members such as with Gawker) then he or she can do, its at their discretion. We try to keep our ears open, we sometimes hear that a big site is vulnerable and we take a look and everyone is fair game on the internet, in my opinion. What would you say you have gained from all this? N: We have gained an insight into how a large website works and is run and what technologies they use, it was very interesting. However I hope Gawker is the exception rather than the rule. Is there anything else you wish to point out for me, our readers, members of the press and/or public? N: Uhh, well from my point of view it has been a fun ride, and good luck with the story. I: I agree, Good luck with the story. T: I’d just like to point out that the disclosure of source should be taking a lot more of the stage. Other than that, it’s been fun. T, can you elaborate? T: I feel that the fact that _full_ source has been released, Gawker may as well go opensource, which would be _very_ interesting, and would love to see how that plays out for Gawker and the open source community. N: I actually agree on one point, I am reading a post by Fox News now and the source is not mentioned once, which is a shame. Anyway, thanks for taking the time to talk to us. T: Thanks Thank you for your time. Gnosis also sent us a screenshot of the group writing and publishing the article that went live across the Gawker network. This was the post published by Adrian Chen, who went on to deny the posting and admit the site was hacked. Below is proof that Gnosis did indeed compromise the Gawker backend and publish the article:
[Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Microsoft seems set to announce another generation of doomed tablets at CES [TNW Microsoft] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 03:36 PM PST
Judging from what the rumors have said, the tablets are already more or less doomed, and they are going to fail for the exact same reasons that every other Microsoft tablet concept has failed before. It’s almost frustrating. This is what Microsoft is likely to announce at CES:
Oh lord. I’ve already written about why this is a bad idea, so let’s just go back in time to what we talked about in June:
The sources in Nick Bilton’s article go on to say that the devices are designed to let an executive enjoy a tablet device for consumption, and then use it in the next breath for serious work (Office, etc). How feasible is that? Look at it this way, we all bought iPads, we all love them, and we all use them, and yet despite Apple busting their tail to get us a real office solution on the devices, they are nearly unusable for creation. Can Microsoft change that? And so if Microsoft does launch what it seems set to, the devices are going to flounder for the exact same reason that every other Microsoft tablet has pretty gone the way of the Newton: a full Windows install is hard to use on a tiny screen with fat fingers. Remember the UMPC Project? Oh, and there is to be no application store for the devices, just the browser, which like on the current generation of slates in the market is going to be a bit clunky. Can’t the teams who built Windows 7, Office 2010, Windows Phone 7, Bing, and the other excellent Microsoft projects go save the tablet guys from themselves?Top Image Credit [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Squarespace announces integration with Foursquare, Gowalla and Facebook Places [TNW Social Media] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 02:55 PM PST
Their elegant publishing platform powers tens of thousands of websites for businesses, bloggers, and professionals worldwide, serving up billions of hits per month.In July of this year, they raised $38.5 million from Index Ventures and Accel Partners, representing the first outside capital the company raised to date. Today, Squarespace announced integration with Gowalla, Foursquare and Facebook Places. The services will feed directly into to the Squarespace’s web publishing platform, giving bloggers, web-publishers and businesses unprecedented native geo-data capabilities, like tagging and sharing options. And it does all of this without wonky plug-ins, code, security patches or required downloads like their competitors Drupal, WordPress and Tumblr.
This is the latest in a series of technology enhancements that Squarespace has deployed in the past year and also plans to deploy in the coming months to make it more convenient for bloggers to share content. [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Live in Canada? Buy a Windows Phone 7, get a free Xbox 360! [TNW Microsoft] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 02:16 PM PST
As you well know, Canadian cell phone contracts last for three years, not two like in many countries, so the economics of the promotion are perhaps slightly less ludicrous than you may have first guessed. Microsoft may have offered to supply Xbox 360s at cost (speculation on our part), but the clear victor, the Canadian consumer, could not be luckier. The promotion will only run from the 15th to the 19th, but it should be about as popular as ice cream. Oh, and don’t expect to get a top shelf Xbox 360, you are probably going to get the 4 gigabyte version we suspect. Check out the memo:
[Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
| Mobile development shop to build 500 Windows Phone 7 apps in 2011 [TNW Microsoft] Posted: 13 Dec 2010 01:06 PM PST
That is just what Polar Mobile has done, today launching the first 50 of some 500 applications that it promises to bring to the Windows Phone 7 platform in 2011. The company has entered into a ‘relationship’ with Microsoft Canada. Redmond had this to say:
For Polar Mobile, the move to Windows Phone 7 is all about reaching as many people as possible:
Does this mean that Windows Phone 7 has ‘made it’? Not even close, but it does show that the phone line’s momentum is continuing. Now, so long as sales continue, Microsoft just might get back a spot at the mobile table.Top Image Credit, Via WMPoweruser [Notice: this is the RSS feed for ALL stories from across The Next Web - that means a lot of stories every day - for just our top stories, subscribe to our Top Stories RSS feed here.] |
A 
Sina is 
It’s not at all unusual to see brands launching a product on Facebook. What’s interesting to us, in keeping with the name of The Next Web, is seeing how old brands are using social media to keep up with what’s happening now.
TNW Quick Hit
A consortium of digital publishers in Japan has issued a stern rebuke to Apple over the appearance of illegal copies of its authors’ works that have appeared for sale in Apple’s 
Asia is poised for explosive growth in online shopping according to a 
Think of this gadget less of a spy tool and more of an amateurish alternative to using a crane for high aerial shots.
GorillaPods
No room in the home for a studio? A product by 
The iPad is a beautiful device to showcase photography. The display has an uncanny way of adding an unwarranted amount of polish to any photo — a popular choice of gadget for many photo junkies.
Wanting to “create and disseminate the knowledge of all and for all, from Cuba and with the world,” Cuba launches its own online encyclopedia, similar to 
Ever since Google TV 
Saturday night, the popular Canadian television network 
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Next Web To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
No comments:
Post a Comment