Macworld UK News

Counterfeit card fraud drops by half in the UK

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:20:00 GMT

But online banking fraud continues to rise, according to figures from financial institutions

Fraud losses due to counterfeit payment cards fell by half in 2009 from the year prior in the U.K., but online banking losses continued to rise, according to new banking industry figures released Wednesday.

EFF dubs Apple a 'jealous feudal lord' over iPhone dev contract

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 13:15:00 GMT

Publishes iPhone developer license, blasts Apple for 'troubling' clauses

Street Fighter IV arrives in the Apple iTunes App Store

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:15:00 GMT

With a price of £5.99, everything about this iPhone game is high-end

Students of the hadouken have a new venue to test their fighting mettle: Street Fighter IV launched Wednesday for the iPhone and iPod touch. This seminal arcade fighter brings high-end graphics, complex combos, and a memorable cast of characters to the mobile platform.

KRCS offers up to £100 off a Mac when recycling any computer

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 11:00:00 GMT

The deal, which runs until 11th April 2010, is one of several green campaigns currently available

Apple Premium Reseller KRCS is offering up to £100 off a Mac when they recycle any computer.The deal, which runs until 11th April 2010, is one of several green campaigns currently being run by Apple Premium Resellers."Now’s the time to upgrade your PC to a new Mac at KRCS," the company insists in a promotional email."Bring your old computer, regardless of manufacturer, to one of our high street stores and we’ll give you up to £100 off a new Mac. We’ll even recycle your old computer responsibly, using European recycling centres, for free!"The following KRCS discount deals are offered:£50 off 21-inch iMacUp to £70 off MacBook Pro 13-inch£100 off MacBook Air & MacBook Pro 15-inch/17-inchMore details can be found at www.krcs.co.uk or by calling the company directly.

Arm sees over 50 new iPad-like devices out this year

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 10:00:00 GMT

A number of companies plan to ride Apple's coattails with tablet devices of their own

The launch of Apple's iPad will pave the way for a slew of rival products this year, an Arm executive said Wednesday, predicting over 50 tablet PC devices will be launched globally. The coming swarm of tablets has even prompted Arm, Intel's main rival in the mobile microprocessor business, to rent more space at the Computex electronics trade show in Taipei this year to show off the devices, in addition to e-readers, mini-laptops and other devices that use Arm processing cores. "The first tablet devices will launch in the second quarter by [mobile network] carriers," said Roy Chen, Arm's worldwide mobile computing ODM manager, during a press meeting in Taipei. "You'll see a lot more in the third quarter," he added. He said many tablet-like devices will be launched in China, but companies everywhere plan to launch tablets this year, including the top 10 telecommunications network operators. He declined to name specific companies. Like many chip makers, Arm often gains an inside view of products its chips are being used in, sometimes when asked for additional engineering support and other times due to partnership programs. The company showed off two tablet devices at the Taipei news conference, both running Google's Android mobile OS.

Play.com, Expansys hint at UK Apple iPad pricing

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:50:00 GMT

Online retailers will both start selling Apple's new device in April

Online retailers Play.com and Expansys will both stock Apple's iPad when it hits the UK at the end of April.

Twitter to begin screening some links for phishing

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:00:00 GMT

Twitter will shorten some links sent through the service to twt.tl

Twitter launched a new link-screening service on Tuesday aimed at preventing phishing and other malicious attacks against users of the popular microblogging service.

Google opens marketplace for cloud apps

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 08:00:00 GMT

Google Apps Marketplace continues push into the enterprise with help from third-party vendors

In another move to work its way into the enterprise , Google has unveiled an online store where users can buy cloud-based applications designed to work with Google's own apps.

Ex-Sun boss dishes dirt on Apple's Steve Jobs, Microsoft's Bill Gates

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 07:00:00 GMT

Jonathan Schwartz is starting to share stories about his days at Sun, possibly in preparation for a book

Don't expect Jonathan Schwartz, former CEO of Sun Microsystems, to go quietly. Instead he has taken to his personal blog, provocatively titled "What I couldn't say...," to dish some industry dirt and tell his side of the story about the demise of Sun. He has already hinted at plans to write a book, and a new post Tuesday suggests a tell-all tome could indeed be in the offing. "I feel for Google -- Steve Jobs threatened to sue me, too," Schwartz writes, apparently referring to Apple's patent lawsuit against HTC, which makes Google's Nexus One smartphone. Schwartz says he had just unveiled Sun's Linux desktop, Project Looking Glass, in 2003, when Jobs called him to assert that Sun's graphics were "stepping all over" Apple's intellectual property. If Sun tried to commercialize the technology, Schwartz says, Jobs told him, "I'll just sue you." As Schwartz tells it, he responded by reminding Jobs about Sun's considerable arsenal of OS-related patents. "Steve was silent," Schwartz writes. A later meeting with Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer ended on a similar note, according to Schwartz. The Microsoft duo, then its CEO and president, had flown to Silicon Valley to meet with Sun's executive team. "As we sat down in our Menlo Park conference room, Bill skipped the small talk and went straight to the point, 'Microsoft owns the office productivity market, and our patents read all over OpenOffice,'" Schwartz writes. OpenOffice is the open-source productivity suite that Sun backed heavily as an alternative to Microsoft Office. "Bill was delivering a slightly more sophisticated variant of the threat Steve had made, but he had a different solution in mind," Schwartz writes. Gates offered Sun a patent license. "That was code for 'We'll go away if you pay us a royalty for every download' -- the digital version of a protection racket."

Data issue hits US BlackBerry devices

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:05:00 GMT

Two separate problems could be affecting some BlackBerry users in the US

On Tuesday, some BlackBerry users in the US complained of an inability to use data services for the second day in a row.

Samsung finding new ways to push 3D to users

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 23:00:00 GMT

Samsung launches new 3D TV sets

Samsung rolled out new devices including 3D TVs with screen sizes from 19 inches to 65 inches. The TVs, announced at an event in New York, will play back 3D content while providing the option to play back 2D content. The TVs will be available worldwide.

A basic 3D model -- the UN40C7000 with a 40-inch screen -- is priced at US$1,999 with availability in May. The most...

LogMeIn intros Pro2 remote access for Mac

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:50:00 GMT

Gives Macs the freedom to be accessed from virtually anywhere

Recently available in beta, LogMeIn has announced LogMeIn Pro2 remote access for Mac.The premium remote access service offers the the ability to remotely control a Mac from virtually anywhere. LogMeIn Pro2 promises secure file transfer and folder synchronisation, printing from a remote Mac to a local computer over the web, on-demand desktop sharing with a remote use and more.LogMeIn Pro2 for Mac is available now with pricing starting at $69.99 (around £45) per-year, per-Mac, with multi-computer discounts also available. Users can sign up for a free, 30-day trial at http://www.LogMeIn.com/welcome/Pro4Mac. No credit card is required for the 30-day trial. LogMeIn adds that LogMeIn Free for Mac is still free. The software now comes with improved navigation, providing users with quicker and easier access to remote control settings, faster performance and expanded browser support, including 64-bit Safari. LogMeIn also offers an iPhone application for accessing your Mac desktop or laptop on the go. A Macworld review of LogMeIn Ignition for iPhone can be found here.

Electronic Frontier Foundation publishes iPhone developer agreement

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:15:00 GMT

EFF requested a copy of the agreement and a revision dated March 17, 2009 was provided

If you’ve followed the news of App Store rejections over the past couple years, you may have wondered what exactly is engraved upon the stone tablets that govern the terms of Apple's App Store and developing for the iPhone. The trouble is we haven’t been able to tell you, as the agreement itself contains terms that prohibit publicly discussing it. But on Monday, the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) legally obtained and published a copy of the agreement for the first time.

HP touts Flash as killer app against Apple's iPad

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:10:00 GMT

Support for Adobe Flash could make HP's Slate a strong challenger to Apple's iPad.

What will HP's Slate Tablet have that Apple's iPad won't? It's Adobe Flash, a key Internet technology that HP is touting as the key difference between the two platforms. And, HP is right, though how Flash support will translate into sales remains to be seen.

European Parliament debates anti-ACTA petition

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:00:00 GMT

Resolution demands that secret trade talks are opened up to public scrutiny

European Parliamentarians are set to debate whether to formally oppose an anticounterfeiting trade agreement (ACTA) being negotiated in secret by the European Commission with trading partners including the U.S., Canada and Japan.

Rural groups team up, fight for 2Mbps broadband in the countryside

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 19:00:00 GMT

"Those living in areas known as 'the Final Third' still receive no proper access to broadband"

A number of rural organisations have teamed up in a bid to encourage the government roll out 2Mbps broadband in the countryside.

Reader exploit prompts Adobe update alert for PC, Mac, Unix users

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:30:00 GMT

Malicious PDF running amok

Users of Adobe PDF Reader should check they are running the latest version of the software after the discovery of an exploit that takes advantage of a serious flaw patched only three weeks ago.

Apple iPhone app fine print hurts developers

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 17:00:00 GMT

Secret iPhone developer licence agreement disclosed

iPad and iPhone developers beware. Apple reserves the right to kill an app at any time with no reason, and Apple's liability in any circumstance is limited to $50 (£30).

Panda Security discovers malware on HTC Magic smartphone

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 16:30:00 GMT

Phone had three different types of malicious software programs on its internal memory

Upon further investigation, Panda found that the employee's phone contained three malware programs: a client for the now-defunct Mariposa botnet, the Conficker worm as well as a password stealer for the Lineage game, said Pedro Bustamante, Panda's senior research adviser.

The malware programs were on the phone's 8GB microSD memory card, which mounts as an external drive...

FileMaker intros FileMaker Pro 11 and FileMaker Pro Advanced 11

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:30:00 GMT

Apple owned database software adds new Charts, Reports and more

Apple owned FileMaker has announced FileMaker Pro 11 and FileMaker Pro Advanced 11 with a range of new features and enhancements. The latest versions of the cross-platform database software includes FileMaker Charts, which promises to let users create attractive eye-catching reports in five different styles including vertical bar, horizontal bar, area, line and pie charts. Users can publish the results directly to the Internet using FileMaker's Instant Web Publishing tool.FileMaker Pro 11 allows users to create quick reports in a spreadsheet-like format with the ability to group and summarise information on the fly directly in Table View to create professional looking reports. A new enhanced Layout/Report Assistant offers a streamlined interface, which guides users step-by-step in building reports with grouped data, with the option to select styles and themes and add headers, footers, subtotals or scripts. Snapshot Link lets users save a specific set of records at a point in time. Any changes users make to the file will be updated in the database, with the chance to email the Snapshot Link to anyone who has FileMaker Pro 11 for better collaboration.In FileMaker Pro 11, users can establish a Recurring Import from Microsoft Excel, CSV or TAB files. Users need only set this up once FileMaker notes. Every time users open the database, the data from Excel spreadsheet or data file will update automatically in FileMaker Pro.

Chinese companies plan tablet PCs amid Apple iPad hype

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:15:00 GMT

At least two of the companies have billed their tablets as imitation Apple devices

Opera to patch PC browser vulnerability soon

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 GMT

The bug could allow arbitrary code to run on a computer, although two Windows security features can reduce the danger

Opera Software will soon patch a vulnerability in its Web browser that could allow an attacker to run malicious software on a Windows computer.

NHS offers National No Smoking Day iPhone app

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:45:00 GMT

National No Smoking Day is tomorrow, Wednesday 10th March

NHS Choices has launched a free NHS Quit Smoking application for iPhone and iPod touch in time for National No Smoking Day. The application, which aims to help you successfully stop smoking, provides users with a daily support message during the first 30 days of stopping, along with instant tips and facts at any time. A real-time counter displays the minutes, hours and days you’ve been smoke free and keeps track of the money saved, a significant amount considering the cost of cigarettes and rate of tax.Users can speak to an adviser by tapping the NHS Smoking Helpline button. The helpline is available seven days a week between 7am to 11pm. Available from the Apple iTunes App Store, NHS Quit Smoking is free and requires the iPhone 3.0 Software Update or later. National No Smoking Day is tomorrow, Wednesday 10th March. More details can be found here.

Vodafone cuts 375 jobs in cost cutting measure

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:15:00 GMT

Vodafone cuts are part of a £1 billion cost-cutting programme announced in 2009

Vodafone, Apple's latest partner for the iPhone in the UK and potential iPad partner, is cutting 375 jobs across its business from this month.The cuts, part of a £1 billion cost-cutting programme, will hit mainly back office positions in a number of locations including its headquarters in Newbury, Berkshire according to the Press Association.The news is not all bad for Vodafone however, with the company announcing 170 new staff, with an additional 50 graduates starting work in September, from a total of 3,000 who applied for jobs as part of a University leaver programme."We're committed to increasing the number of customer-facing employees which will help us simplify our business and continue to deliver outstanding communications services across the UK's best network," said Matthew Brearley, human resources director at Vodafone UK.

Vodafone cut 375 jobs in cost cutting measure

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:15:00 GMT

Vodafone cuts are part of a £1 billion cost-cutting programme announced in 2009