LUSARAP

iPhone and iPad owners are being warned against increased security risks after a rise in phishing campaigns for personal data.


Kaspersky Lab is advising iOS device users to be extra cautious when inputting their personal data after a huge increase in phishing campaigns stealing iCloud and iTunes user account information including credit card details.

The number of phishing scams involving unofficial copies of Apple.com has spiked since 2012. In 2011 Kaspersky registered around 1,000 attempts to phish for personal info in this way, but now this figure has risen to a daily average of around 200,000.

The attack attempts by cybercriminals on iOS users include sending them emails supposedly from service@apple.com or the Apple Customer Support team. They will feature the Apple logo, be professionally written or even include links to the Apple FAQ pages to make them appear legitimate.

Within these emails though are fake Apple website links that request personal and credit card details from the user, which is then stolen by the phishing campaign.

In order to detect whether a site is authentic, users are advised to check the full address of the given site in the browser address bar. The fake ones will often include apple.com but the full link will give away hints that reveal its real identity.

However, iPhones and iPads have been targeted because the mobile version of Apple’s Safari browser hides the address bar away.

iPhone and iPad users can protect themselves by only opening site links that they can see the full website address.

Apple also offers a two-step authentication process to protect its customers against such attacks, which involves sending a four-digit code to one or more devices registered to the user’s Apple ID.

The Samsung Galaxy S5 release date might be just a matter of months away, but latest reports have suggested the new flagship phone will not be Samsung’s main focus in 2014.

Update: After the Moto X was spotted in a video earlier today, the upcoming Motorola smartphone has also been papped being used by Eric Schmidt.
The Google chief executive was snapped using the unknown Motorola smartphone that looks exceedingly similar to the leaked rear shot of the Moto X that emerged earlier and can be seen below.



Whats new in the shot of Schmidt with the Moto X is the checkerboard effect on the rear of the smartphone.

It looks like the smartphones rear panel will be made from a solid, matte plastic rather than the shiny version adopted by smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy S4 that cheapens the feel of the handset. 

Original Story:

The Moto X has been caught on video in the hands of a top Motorola executive showcasing the smartphone in the flesh for the first time.

The video was posted on Robert Scoble’s Google Plus account and was taken at an exclusive gathering organised by new Motorola employee Guy Kawasaki, previously thought to be the official launch of the Moto X before that rumour was debunked by Motorola.

In his video of the party he filmed using Google Glass, Scoble managed to catch the Moto X in the hands of the Senior Vice President for Product Management at Motorola, Rick Osterloh.

Now, while we only get a brief glimpse of the Moto X the smartphone seen does tally with the Moto X phone images leaked earlier this month that also showed the rear of the device.

It also looks to have the same curved rear back that is showcased in the latest leaked picture of a fully assembled Moto X that emerged today and is included below.

It has quite a large camera sensor, a flash and below that an embossed Motorola M logo. It also seems to have a rubberised matte finish on the rear, complementing the gloss plastic front panel of the device spotted in the Moto X Clear Pixel camera spec leak.

The Moto X is tipped to have a 4.7-inch 1280 x 768p resolution display, powered by a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 CPU.

Potentially running a very close to stock version of Android 4.3, the Moto X is said to focus on innovative software features to separate it from competitors.

Motorola has already confirmed the existence of the Moto X, the company’s upcoming flagship, and has said it will be the “first smartphone that you can design yourself.”

As of yet we’re not quite sure what that means, but could provide users with a basis body smartphone akin to the Google Nexus 4 that they can then customise the case of.

Jelly Flop: Help the poor and helpless ocean critter fulfil his dreams to fly! 

Concrete Software are living up to their name by delivering a solid and thoroughly entertaining Physics game.  Don’t let the flimsy and whimsical name deceive you – this is a smash hit game for sure and the millions of downloaders would be testament to this fact!

Gameplay

A poor little jellyfish is hanging on a ledge and he’s dropped to his doom.  Your job is to place bouncy platforms to repel him towards the magical feather.  The ultimate goal is to get enough feathers so that he can have wings so he won’t keep falling into trouble!

Along the way you should collect the water droplets … just because that’s what a truly skilled hero would do.  Anyway… the poor bugger is somehow flying through the sky and is clearly out of his element, so you may as well do something good for the critter!

Slick Controls

Very intuitive drag and release controls are used to create the platforms.  Each of the end points can be moved around afterwards, or the whole platform can be dragged around.  You can’t litter the screen with reflectors though because you have a limited supply of the stuff – it’s clearly represented by the pink bar in the bottom left corner of the screen.  The only slight thing which might not be totally automatic knowledge is that a double tap will remove the platform.  (It is explained in the tutorial so you will know this if you don’t skip through all the instructions.)

Beach harmony

It’s been so long since I’ve been so enlightened by a game!  The lively tropical music is interwined with real sounds from the sea taking you for the full beach-side experience.  As the jelly-fish bounces and wobbles his way around the screen I’m totally mesmerised and reaching the final feather has so much satisfaction.

Probably the best thing about this game is its Angry Birds fun factor – anyone can pick it up to play and enjoy it.  If you’re unsure about a level then you can just build your path slowly because you can test your setup anytime and a trail of where the jelly fish travelled will be left behind.  The platforms will stay in place too so you don’t have to keep redrawing them.  This way no one can get stuck and it’s up to yourself to control yourself and set your own difficulty.

Rating: 5/5  Addictive and amazing – it must be downloaded by all. It’s been a long time since we’ve come across such a fun and original game! 100 levels for free – what more could you ask for?

Jelly Flop Tips and Tricks:

• The longer you draw your rubber reflectors then the more accurate the angle of your platform.  This in turn will give you more control over the jelly-fish reflection.  So if you’re having problems controlling the bounce direction then draw longer platforms.
• You don’t have unlimited rubber so if you did extend the platform length as per the above tip then I suggest reducing the platform after you’ve confirmed that you have the correct angle.
• If you’re a true elitist then you should try using the shortest reflectors you can – it should increase your level score.
• Sometimes you can have scenarios where you’ve got the right angle but you’ve missed a water droplet by a smidgen.  In those scenarios you should drag the whole reflector around so you don’t lose your angle of reflection.

With the smart accessories market continuing to increase in popularity, Archos has predicted that users’ smartphones will soon be used to control 10 completely separate smart devices.

As the Samsung Galaxy S5 release date edges ever nearer, a number of Samsung Galaxy S5 rumours have continued to point to the eagerly awaited handset packing a QHD display.

Samsung Galaxy S5 News

Samsung Galaxy S5 Release Date

Samsung Galaxy S5 Rumours

Samsung Galaxy S5 Specs

Samsung Galaxy S5 Price

The Motorola Moto G and Google Nexus 5 have ‘shaken up’ the smartphone market, network provider Three has suggested.


Speaking on the current state of the handset sector, retailer Three has claimed that the budget Motorola and high-specced Nexus 5 are forcing rival manufacturers to alter their approach to the smartphone space.

“The Moto G and Google Nexus 5 have absolutely shaken up the market,” Three’s Product Portfolio Manager Brendan Arndt said.

Launched last November as a mid-range smartphone with an entry-level price tag, the Motorola Moto G, which can be snapped up for just £100, features a 4.5-inch 720p HD display alongside a 1.2GHz quad-core PCU and 1GB of RAM.

Adding a 5-megapixel rear-mounted camera and the choice of 8GB or 16GB of internal storage, the Motorola Moto G became an instant hit, with the wallet friendly price tag meaning many consumers could bypass costly 24 month contracts.

Discussing the Moto G’s new approach to smartphone pricing, Arndt stated: “It will absolutely put pressure on the other guys to up their game a bit.”

The Moto G is not alone in its efforts to push the smartphone sector in a new direction either. The Three Portfolio Manager highlighted the LG-manufactured Google Nexus 5 as another handset that has ‘shaken up’ how consumers view their smartphone buying habits.

“The Nexus is absolutely one of those phones that people will buy outright, because it’s a good deal, and not just buy it on a network,” the Three official said.

While the Motorola Moto G and Google Nexus 5 might have led the way, Arndt believes they are only the start of a larger movement.

“All the vendors are looking at giving consumers a bit more value, and bringing 4G down,” he said and added: “Moto G and Nexus 5 have challenged all the other vendors to do that.”

Samsung is planning to incorporate a fingerprint sensor into the Samsung Galaxy S5, according to a recent report, and you might not even be able to see it.

New Samsung Galaxy S5 leaks have appeared with the upcoming handset tipped to benefit from a 16-megapixel rear-mounted camera with an ISOCELL sensor.