Google Wallet PIN security cracked - here's what you need to know

Google Wallet's PIN security has been cracked, but there's a caveat -- this currently only is an issue if your phone is rooted. Not rooted? No worries. And with that said and done, here's the deal:

Your Google Wallet PIN (Personal Identification Number) is stored encrypted on your device, and a brute-force method was found to expose the SHA256 hex-encoded PIN information inside the database. This method, which was irresponsibly released to the public, can find the PIN without any incorrect attempts in the Wallet app itself, negating the five-try rule the application has for PIN entry.  (See it in action after the break.)

Now here's the not so sexy way to describe it all.  You'll need to have a phone with Google Wallet, AND have rooted your device, AND have not set a secure lock screen, AND then lose your phone. The person who finds it THEN can use the app the fellows at zvleo have made and since distributed to brute-force the PIN and THEN can use your phone to make payments, just like they could if they found your credit card, which likely would be quicker and easier than any of this.

Google has been notified and already knows how to fix the issue, but there's a problem. To make it more secure, Google will have to move the PIN information to be controlled and maintained by your bank. This not only will require some changes to the terms of service, but then we're relying on corporate banking institutions to keep our information safe. I'd wager that Citigroup's servers are easier to break into than Google's, and then you have the same issue all over again.

A better way to fix the problem would be to force users to use a better password. PIN information can be cracked so easy because it only uses four numbers. This means that there are only 10,000 possible combinations, and even a portable computer like your Android phone can pull off that sort of brute-force attack. Change the passcode to something like Fgtr5400&d77 -- using a combination of letters, numbers and symbols -- and it's far less likely to be broken, and even less likely to even be used because it's not convenient.  It's a Catch-22 -- a PIN is easy to use and remember, but it's also more easy to crack.

Google to launch cloud drive service says WSJ

Google is set to release their own shared cloud storage solution, says the Wall Street Journal.  Their insiders have said that Google will soon launch called "Drive" will rival Dropbox in functionality, being able to "store photos, documents and videos on Google's servers so that they could be accessible from any Web-connected device and allows them to easily share the files with others."  It sounds like it will have some overlap with Picasa, Google Docs, and Youtube, but at this time nobody has all the particulars.  

The new service, expected to launch in the coming weeks or months, will be free for most folks, businesses included.  Google will only charge those who want to "store a large amount of files", so there will be a premium service with more capacity.  If Google does release this one, we would certainly expect it to hit Android devices soon after.

Pentax K-01 mirrorless camera

After Pentax boasted about the performance of its incredibly small Q mirrorless cam, we're certainly justified in approaching the company's latest ILC with a bit of skepticism -- especially given its blatant toy-like appearance. But after spending a few minutes with the K-01 at Pentax's CP+ booth, we can confirm that the compact camera doesn't feel nearly as cheap as its looks may imply. The camera includes a brand new 16.28-megapixel APS-C CMOS sensor -- a far cry from the 12-megapixel 1/2.3-inch imager included with the petite Pentax Q. There's also a bright 920k-dot 3-inch LCD, a sensitivity range of ISO 100-25,600 (!) and 1080/30p video capture. It's also, believe it or not, compatible with Pentax's range of K-mount DSLR lenses.

The K-01 is a bit hefty for a mirrorless camera -- it dwarfs the near-pocketable Pentax Q -- and has a weight to match its rather large footprint. The cam actually feels quite durable, though we're definitely not sold on its "fun" Michael-Graves-meets-Fisher-Price design (think smooth corners and bright colors). There's a built-in pop-up flash, along with a hot shoe positioned just over the lens. There's also -- much to our surprise -- a microphone input. We can't imagine pairing this thing with a pricey external mic rig, but if you're not too embarrassed using this for professional applications, the included audio input may come in handy. Jump past the break for a quick video walkthrough from Japan, and keep an eye out for the camera closer to home -- the $750 (body only) K-01 is expected to hit stores next month.

Olympus black E-M5 Micro Four Thirds camera and internals eyes-on

By now we're quite familiar with the Olympus E-M5's attractive external appearance, but what does it look like on the inside? The company carefully disassembled its new flagship model, and displayed the components in ten layers for us to examine at CP+ in Yokohama, Japan. The image sensor module is perhaps the most impressive component, due in part to its five-axis sensor-shift image stabilization. We can also spot the magnesium alloy shell, main system board and top plate. Another display encased a compete E-M5 kit, with a lens, split right down the middle. You'll find a variety of views in the gallery below, along with a special treat: the all-black version of the E-M5, in all its smooth metal glory.

Google launches Chrome Beta for Android 4.0

It was only a matter of time till Google ported their browser to their mobile OS and now we have the first public Beta of Chrome for Android. While this is exciting, many of you won’t be able to use this because it requires Android 4.0 and above, so for now only Galaxy Nexus and Nexus S users can take it for a spin. If you do, then you can download it from the Marketplace or download the APK directly from here.

Still needs some work

Not that the stock browser in Ice Cream Sandwich is bad, it’s nice to have a familiar browser on the phone as well. Many of the familiar features from the desktop browser make a return, like the ‘omnibox’ address bar, which let’s you go to a web address or search Google. Tabbed browsing is also present and you also get the option for incognito mode. You can also sync all your desktop bookmarks and open tab on the mobile version allowing you to seamlessly switch between the desktop and tablet or smartphone. Currently, the browser doesn’t support Adobe Flash, but we’re sure that’ll be added later. The idea behind Chrome is speed and simplicity, as Mr. Sundar Pichai, Google's Senior Vice President of Chrome and apps, said in his blog post. “We reimagined tabs so they fit just as naturally on a small-screen phone as they do on a larger screen tablet," Pichai said. "You can flip or swipe between an unlimited number of tabs using intuitive gestures, as if you're holding a deck of cards in the palm of your hands, each one a new window to the web."

The effect is a lot better on a tablet, of course, giving you a very similar desktop experience. Since this is just a Beta, bugs and glitches are to be encountered, but it still works well. If you happen to be running a custom ROM-based on ICS, then you’ll also be able to try this out. We’ve tried it on a Galaxy S running ICS 4.0.3 and apart from slight sluggishness here and there in the animations, it runs well. You can switch between pages by simply swiping the screen left or right and closing a tab is done in a similar fashion, along with which you get a nice little animation. Check out the demo video below for a taste of Chrome on ICS.

Iberry to launch "India's first" Android 4.0 tablet in March

Yes, we’ll be seeing many Ice Cream Sandwich-based tablets at MWC, but we’ll probably have to wait a bit to get our grubby hands on this Android 4.0 goodness. Or will we? Apparently, iberry HK, a Hong Kong- based electronics manufacturer has set up shop in Chennai and is all set to launch India’s first Android 4.0 based tablet. They just may be able to pull it off, as besides some existing tablets that have already got ICS, the big guns will only start trickling in a little later.

Wishful thinking?

We don’t have any information regarding this tablet right now, other than the fact that it will be called the Auxus AX02 and that it will run ICS. The company currently has two products available and both run on Gingerbread. The AX02 will feature a 7-inch capacitive touchscreen, feature HDMI-out and will most likely sport a dual-core CPU. If the image shown above is the actual tablet, then we can see the front facing camera and what seems to be a physical home button, of sorts. This is a bit odd, since Google is trying to do away with any physical buttons on a device. That may change when the product actually launches.

Iberry seem to have jumped the gun a bit by claiming that they will launch India’s first ICS tablet, or do they know something that we don’t? Is it actually possible that we won’t see any ICS-based tablets before April? Only time will tell.

Nokia to unveil a high-end smartphone at MWC: Reports

The Mobile World Conference event in Barcelona is officially set to kick off on the 27th of February, 2012. Many handset manufacturers are gearing up to announce their flagship smartphones or show off the latest technology in them. After having done well at the Consumer Electronics Show, held in January, it appears that Nokia is expected to wow the world again by unveiling a high-end handset at this year’s MWC event, reports Forbes.

What does Nokia have up their sleeve for the MWC event?

Nokia, one of the biggest handset manufacturers has been a noticeable absentee at the last two MWC events and they had stated that they would make a re-appearance at this year’s trade show. The report states, “Nokia will unveil at least one new, high-end handset at the upcoming Mobile World Congress trade show, Forbes has learned from an industry source.” The report goes on to add, “Nokia’s MWC announcements should shed light on its 2012 device strategy. The Finnish device maker has been highly deliberate in the way it rolls out its new Windows Phone handsets. In the year since Nokia said it would use Microsoft‘s mobile operating system for its future smartphones, Nokia has disclosed three Windows Phone handsets.”

There is no word floating around as to what this high-end handset may be, but the report mentions that it could be the Nokia Lumia 910, which is a bumped up version of the recently announced Nokia Lumia 900. This smartphone is said to feature improvements over the Lumia 900, such as having a 12MP camera amongst others. The report also states that Nokia could possibly announce their first tablet.

Reports circulating a Nokia tablet have been doing the rounds, since a long time and back in November, it was reported that this tablet from Nokia would feature a Windows-based operating system. However, the tablet is expected to be launched in June, which is a bit far off, if it is announced at the MWC event later this month.

As of now, this is all hearsay and there is nothing concrete regarding it. Come 27th of February, all things will become clear when Nokia takes the stage at the event

Motorola RAZR now selling at Rs. 29,990

Motorola’s flagship Android smartphone, the RAZR has got a price cut and is now selling at Rs. 29,990. Online retail store, Flipkart is currently selling it at that price and as of today, the product is available and can be delivered within 5 -7 business days. We did compare it with the Samsung Galaxy S II in one of our earlier articles, and they both went neck to neck in almost all the comparison tests, but the RAZR did come out as the eventual winner.

If you’ve forgotten, here is a quick look at the specifications of the Motorola RAZR:

• Android 2.3.5, Gingerbread
• 1.2GHz Dual Core Processor
• 1GB RAM
• Dimensions are 130.70mm x 68.90mm x 7.1mm
• 127g weight
• 4.3-inch Super AMOLED Advanced display with a resolution of 540 x 960
• 8 Megapixel rear camera
• 1.3 Megapixel front facing camera for video calling
• 1080p HD video recording with image stabilization 
• Bluetooth 2.0, HDMI, USB 2.0, Wi-Fi 802.11b, 802.11g, 802.11n
• 3.5mm audio jack
• 16GB internal memory, 16GB microSD card pre-installed
• 1780 mAh battery

However, in our in-depth smartphone camera test, the RAZR performed extremely poorly. It came nowhere close to phones that were priced both above and below its budget. For example, both the Sensation XE and the Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc S performed much better in the camera department. True, it’s got an 8 megapixel camera, but megapixels haven’t really told the actual story ever. Besides that, the phone fared really well in our review, with an 8 point rating and even got an Editors’ choice award. 

In terms of design and build, the Kevlar fiber ensures that your phone will survive quite a few falls. Also, the chances of the phone getting Ice Cream Sandwich are pretty high. An early ICS ROM for Motorola RAZR has already been leaked, so you’re future proofed.

LG releases teaser video of the 5-inch Optimus Vu smartphone

It appears that LG is switching gears rather quickly and after an image and a few specifications of their mid-range handset leaked, the LG Miracle surfaced yesterday. The brand, however, is in the news once again, today. However, this time, unlike a leak, LG has released an official teaser video of their upcoming handset on their Korean website. The video, like the image that was released for the LG Prada handset appears to be cloaked in a tailored mystery and the only thing we can understand from it is that it is a smartphone measuring at 5 inches and featuring an aspect ratio of 4:3.

The Galaxy Note's competition is coming soon

As per a report from Datacider, the website states that this handset’s main feature is its 5-inch display and has been manufactured to rival the Samsung Galaxy Note, which features a screen size of 5.3 inches. The other marketing feature of this smartphone is that it is expected to come along with a stylus pen for writing or sketching and this would be ideal given the large size of the screen.

The website has a few specifications as well of the upcoming handset and here is a quick look at the highlighted features:

• Android 2.3 Gingerbread
• 5-inch IPS XGA LCD display with a resolution of 1024 x 768
• 1.5GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor
• 8GB internal memory
• 1GB RAM
• 8 megapixel camera
• NFC

The only limiting factor of this upcoming handset is that it is said to launch with Android 2.3 Gingerbread, as one would expect handsets coming out this year to feature Google’s latest operating system – Ice Cream Sandwich.

Monster India comes to the BlackBerry App World

Last week, we reported that Naukri.com, the job search portal came to the various mobile application shops, so users could apply to jobs on the go. Now, rival MonsterIndia.com has launched an application for BlackBerry smartphones, which will allow jobseekers to look for employment on the go. The app provides all the same feature that the web service provides. It also supports the Universal Search feature on smartphones running the BlackBerry 6 OS, and higher. For job seekers, the app provides mobile access to available jobs on Monster.com. The app integrates job alerts with the user's BlackBerry device to deliver matching jobs directly to their message inbox and users can manage their Monster.com account on the go.

Search for jobs on your BlackBerry device

For employers, the app allows them to post and manage new jobs, and also allows them to search and shortlist relevant resumes. The app is a BBM connected application allowing seekers and employers running BBM version 6 (or higher) to share the Monster application and search results with their BBM friends. Sanjay Modi, Managing Director, Monster.com (India/Middle East/South East Asia) said, "We are excited to launch the Monster application on a BlackBerry platform. The significant reach and popularity of BlackBerry smartphones in India provides us an ideal platform to reach out to both jobseekers and employers who want access to MonsterIndia.com from their handset."

Monster set up shop in India in 2001 with headquarters in Hyderabad and offices in 11 other cities in the country, including Mumbai, Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata. They also have a portal, Rozgarduniya.com, which acts as a site, exclusively for jobseekers in rural India. It enables employers in corporate India to connect with rural talent. They also partnered up with DishTV to bring a job search service "Monsterjobs Active" to television.

Hitachi introduces 25nm Enterprise Class SSDs

Hitachi Global Storage Technologies has announced that its Ultrastar enterprise-class solid state drive (SSD) family is the industry’s first to use 25-nanometer (nm) single-level cell (SLC) NAND flash. The Ultrastar SSD400S.B family combines Hitachi’s enterprise hard disk drive (HDD) capabilities with Intel for developing high-endurance SLC NAND flash memories. The drives also conform to the Trusted Computing Group’s Enterprise, a Security Subsystem Class encryption specification, helping customers protect sensitive data, and reduce the costs associated with drive retirement and reuse.

“Security is a growing concern among enterprise customers, especially those in financial services, e-commerce and online transaction processing,” said Brendan Collins, vice president of product marketing, Hitachi GST. “Our solid state drives are designed to deliver the highest level of performance, while reducing total cost of ownership.  With our new 25nm SLC SSDs, our enterprise customers now have the highest level of data protection in an SSD without compromising system performance, reliability and endurance.”

Hitachi GST launches new Ultrastar Solid State Drives

The new Ultrastar SSD400S.B family is available in 100GB, 200GB and 400GB capacities, and features 2.5-inch 6Gb/s Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) interface. Working in collaboration with Intel, the Ultrastar SSD400S.B family combines enterprise-grade NAND flash, proprietary endurance firmware and power loss management techniques to extend the reliability, endurance and sustained performance of the new SSD family. 

The 400GB SSD can endure up to 35 petabytes (PB) of random writes over the life of the drive, which is the equivalent of writing 19.2TB/day for five years, ensuring better utilization and reliability in demanding enterprise environments. For complete end-to-end data protection and reliability, the Ultrastar SSD400S family includes advanced data integrity and power loss management technologies that are tied with industry standards to ensure compatibility in multi-tiered SSD/HDD system designs.

The new Ultrastar SSD400S.B family delivers the industry’s highest SSD sequential throughput, up to 536MB/s read and 502 MB/s write throughput with 6Gb/s SAS. The new drive also delivers up to 57,500 read and 25,500 sustained write IOPS, reaching speeds 100 times faster than traditional hard drives, resulting in better response times and operational efficiency. As fewer SSDs are required to achieve the same HDD ultra-high performance, the new Ultrastar SSD400S.B family offers significant value in terms of IOPS per Watt, while reducing TCO through low power consumption, efficient cooling and reduced space requirements.

Hitachi GST has already shipped and is currently qualifying its Ultrastar SSD400S.B drives with select OEMs. Broader qualification samples are now available with product ramp scheduled in 1H12.

Five 3D monitors for your gaming rig

As the industry shifts its focus to 3D gaming, a number of things are going to happen and some have begun, already. 3D games and movies are becoming increasingly common these days and to really enjoy this 3D content, you’ll need a number of things. Firstly, a 3D capable system, since 3D processing does take a little more power than your everyday gaming PC. Once you have that figured, you have the games and, of course, you’ll need a good 3D display. To be honest, there aren’t a ton of models, but we’ve decided to scour the Indian market to find 3D monitors that are available in India. 

BenQ XL2420T

BenQ XL2420T - Mighty and fancy design

BenQ is one of the newest entrants into the display market, but they’ve been around for a few years now, launching mainstream displays as well as displays for professionals and gamers. Their new XL2420T is a stylish, 24-inch full-HD 3D display. Like almost all 3D displays in the market, this one has a refresh rate of 120Hz. BenQ has branded this display as a gaming monitor and the styling makes it standard, apart from the rest of the everyday use displays that we’re used to. It’s a TN-based panel, like most of the other mainstream displays. In terms of connectivity, there’s everything; a single D-Sub, DVI, two HDMI ports and even a DisplayPort. There’s also a 3.5mm audio output jack that can be used to connect headphones or external speakers. There’s also a USB hub functionality, using which users can connect up to three devices to the display. This one’s a brand new model, but expect prices to be around the Rs.25,000 range. The old model - the XL2410T sold for roughly Rs. 28,000.