New Technology Reviews!.: pdf

Anonymous Teases NATO Hack, Challenges FBI

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Thursday NATO said it was investigating claims that “hactivist” group Anonymous had breached its security and obtained “scads” of confidential material.</div>
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The group made its latest feat known via Twitter early Thursday morning, claiming to be sitting on 1 GB of sensitive data. It even offered a sample, a NATO Restricted PDF, but the file has sense been removed. Given the sensitivity of its new-found booty, the group actually refuses to publish <span class="Apple-style-span" mce_fixed="1" mce_name="em" mce_style="font-style: italic;" style="color: #444444; font-family: Georgia, 'Bitstream Charter', serif; font-style: italic; line-height: 1.5;">all</span> the data, saying that to do so would be “irresponsible.”</div>
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“Hi NATO. Yes we haz [sic] more of your delicious data,” the group tweeted. “You wonder where from? No hints, your turn. You call it war; we laugh at your battleships.”</div>
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“NATO is aware that hacker group released what it claims to be NATO classified documents on the internet,” a NATO spokseman said in a statement. “NATO security experts are investigating these claims. We strongly condemn any leak of classified documents which could potentially endanger the security of NATO allies, armed forces and citizens.”</div>
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The NATO hack arrives just after the FBI conducted a sweep across the nation on Tuesday, arresting 16 alleged Anonymous members. 14 individuals were arrested in Alabama, Arizona, California, Colorado, the District of Columbia, Florida, Massachusetts, Nevada, New Mexico, and Ohio. Two other individuals were arrested on similar charges in two separate complaints filed in the Middle District of Florida and the District of New Jersey.</div>
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“We want to send a message that chaos on the Internet is unacceptable,” Steven Chabinsky, deputy assistant FBI director, said in an interview with NPR on Wednesday. “[Even if] hackers can be believed to have social causes, it’s entirely unacceptable to break into websites and commit unlawful acts.”</div>
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Both Anonymous and LulzSec followed up with a joint statement to the FBI and Chabinsky on Thursday, listing what the groups deem as unacceptable including government deception, corporations aiding the government and lobby conglomerates pushing for higher profits.</div>
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“These governments and corporations are our enemy. And we will continue to fight them, with all methods we have at our disposal, and that certainly includes breaking into their websites and exposing their lies,” the statement reads. “We are not scared any more. Your threats to arrest us are meaningless to us as you cannot arrest an idea. Any attempt to do so will make your citizens more angry until they will roar in one gigantic choir. It is our mission to help these people and there is nothing – absolutely nothing – you can possibly to do make us stop.”</div>
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“We become bandits on the Internet because you have forced our hand,” the statement concludes. “The Anonymous bitchslap rings through your ears like hacktivism movements of the 90s. We’re back – and we’re not going anywhere. Expect us.”</div>
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Anonymous Teases NATO Hack, Challenges FBI

Thursday NATO said it was investigating claims that “hactivist” group Anonymous had breached its security and obtained “scads” of conf...

Official: Ricoh set to acquire Pentax camera brand and business, get serious about digital imaging

<div><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="120" src="http://img62.imageshack.us/img62/4121/11x07010656.jpg" style="margin-top: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; border-width: 0px; border-style: solid;" width="360" /></div><br/><em>Reuters</em> is reporting a bit of board room activity in Japan this morning, which could, by the end of today, result in Ricoh purchasing the Pentax brand and camera business from current owner and proprietor Hoya Corporation. The global news agency points out that Hoya's initial acquisition of Pentax, back in 2007, was primarily motivated by its eagerness to acquire Pentax's medical technology, and although the company's had a slew of strong products since then, it probably makes sense for Hoya to pass the digicam work on to someone who might feel more invested in it. For its part, Ricoh also has a well respected line of digital compacts, but lacks the DSLR lineage and experience that Pentax brings. Provided this deal goes through as rumored, and <em>Reuters</em> has three sources who say it's imminent, the only question we've got to ponder is whether the Pentax naming will take over for Ricoh's slightly less recognizable branding or vice versa.<br/><br/><strong>Update:</strong> That was quick! Hoya has confirmed the sale. Thanks, Ben! It is as reported earlier: Hoya will hang on to the rights to manufacture and develop products for the medical field, while Ricoh is gobbling up the Pentax Imaging Systems products with a view to expanding its presence in the consumer digital camera market.

Official: Ricoh set to acquire Pentax camera brand and business, get serious about digital imaging

Reuters is reporting a bit of board room activity in Japan this morning, which could, by the end of today, result in Ricoh purchasing the P...

Ommwriter for iPad joins the distraction-free writing fray

<br/><p style="text-align: left;"><img alt="" class="aligncenter" height="83" src="http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/6816/ommwriterforiadd.jpg" style="margin-top: 8px; margin-bottom: 8px; border-width: 1px; border-style: solid;" width="135" />The iPad is a writing tool for many. It's something you can pop into a bag, pair with a keyboard and use for composition on-the-go. Most users graduate beyond the Notes app quickly, and that's when a text editor like Ommwriter for iPad (US$4.99) is considered.</p><br/>Ommwriter was born as a "distraction-free" text editor for the Mac ($4.99 in the Mac App Store). Its unique features -- background image, ethereal music and key-press sound effects -- are also on the iPad app, along with a few others. The app's uniqueness is also polarizing. Many people either love it or can't stand it. The short of my review is this: if you like Ommwriter for the Mac, with its New Age music and bony trees, you'll love it on your iPad. If you don't, the iPad app will grate on your very last nerve. Here are the specifics.<br/><div><br/><br/><strong>Gallery: Ommwriter for iPad</strong><br/><br/><img alt="The on-screen keyboard" src="http://img803.imageshack.us/img803/4268/img1276thumbnail.jpg" title="The on-screen keyboard" /><img alt="Landscape orientation" src="http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/7760/img1277thumbnail.jpg" title="Landscape orientation" /><img alt="Ommwriter writing" src="http://img269.imageshack.us/img269/435/img1278thumbnail.jpg" title="Ommwriter writing" /><img alt="Preferences" src="http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6394/img1279thumbnail.jpg" title="Preferences" /><img alt="Choose a background image" src="http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/3554/img1280thumbnail.jpg" title="Choose a background image" /><br/><br/></div><br/><h3>UI</h3><br/>Ommwriter for iPad offers a wintry scene at launch. Barren trees stand in a snowy field as snowflakes fall from a grey sky. A musical arrangement of wind chimes, synthesizers and other electronic bits and bobs can be heard, while a cursor blinks in the upper left-hand corner.<br/><br/>This is your new document.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="1" class="aligncenter" height="209" hspace="4" src="http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/709/ommwriterwritingsized.jpg" style="margin-top: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; border: 1px solid black;" vspace="4" width="279" /></p><br/>With a Bluetooth keyboard or Apple's iPad Keyboard Dock attached, you're ready to begin typing. Those without a hardware keyboard can use the software keyboard, but it's not what you might expect. It, too, has been "Ommwriter-ified." Tap the "0" at the bottom of the page (that number is a running word count) to summon it forth.<br/><br/>Ommwriter's software keyboard exists in a semi-transparent rectangle with rounded edges and rests on the lower half of the screen (note that the keyboard is only available in the landscape orientation). As you type, three things happen. First, each letter is placed at the cursor, as you'd expect. Each key press also leaves a ghost image on the keyboard itself. A small splotch of dark grey appears at your finger's landing point before fading away over two or three seconds.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="1" class="aligncenter" height="209" hspace="4" src="http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/7153/ommwriterkeyboardsized.jpg" style="margin-top: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; border: 1px solid black;" vspace="4" width="279" /></p><br/>Finally, the keyboard itself jiggles with each tap, as if it were made of Jell-O. This behavior is in keeping with the app's overall aesthetic, but I found it distracting.<br/><br/>That's it for the app's looks. Now onto the function.<br/><h3>Use</h3><br/>Typing is easy enough, but there are some rough spots. First and foremost is the lack of auto-correct. It's safe to assume that many users will use the software keyboard, as they want the full Ommwriter experience. I typically make the most errors with an on-screen keyboard. In fact, Ommwriter increased the time required to get something written. This is less of a problem with a hardware keyboard (note that key-press sounds are unavailable with a hardware keyboard).<br/><br/>Also, the key-press "ghosting" animation makes the keyboard look muddy once you're typing quickly.<br/><br/>When you're done, you can save your document by tapping the wrench icon on the keyboard's lower left-hand corner to open the preferences window. Tap the second icon from the right (it looks like a sheet of paper) to save it to a list of documents. From there, you can open any document, rename it, duplicate it or share it via email (the default output is .txt; PDF is also available). Finally, you can delete any document from the list.<br/><p style="text-align: center;"><img alt="" border="1" class="aligncenter" height="209" hspace="4" src="http://img848.imageshack.us/img848/1250/ommwriterdoclist.jpg" style="margin-top: 4px; margin-bottom: 4px; border: 1px solid black;" vspace="4" width="279" /></p><br/><br/><h3></h3><br/><h3>Preferences</h3><br/>Ommwriter for iPad offers decent options for its look and feel. Again, tap the wrench icon to produce the preferences screen. You'll find seven settings: type style, type size, background image, "music," key-press sound effect (including silence), save (as described above) and brightness.<br/><br/>You've got four font styles to choose from, from serifs to script to all lower-case (urgh). There are four font size options, with the largest being nice and legible. There are seven background images available, and all but two are very heavy on dreary greys.<br/><br/>There are seven sound effects options, or eight if you include silence. Three are new-agey type music that's heavy on the synths and chimes. Other options include chirping crickets, a noisy office (rustling papers, footsteps walking about, muffled voices, etc.) and finally... breathing plus a vacuum cleaner.<br/><br/>I've no idea what to make of the last audio track. It starts with the sound of halting breathing, and after a few seconds the unmistakable sound of a vacuum cleaner is heard. It runs for a while and then stops. Next, a heart beat begins, followed by what I can only describe as creature-feature mad scientist laboratory sounds. The breathing is constant throughout. It definitely sets a tone.<br/><br/>As I said at the beginning, fans of Ommwriter for Mac will adore the iPad app. It's less of a distraction-free writing environment and more of a mood-generating text editor. There are many people who like to "set the stage" if you will for a writing endeavor. Ommwriter for iPad succeeds at creating a mood. Others concentrate more effectively with a monotonous noise running in the background; something to filter out nearby real-world distractions, like noisy kids or barking dogs. If that's you, give Ommwriter for iPad a try.<br/><br/>Those of you who like quiet and a no-frills text editor should look elsewhere.

Ommwriter for iPad joins the distraction-free writing fray

The iPad is a writing tool for many. It's something you can pop into a bag, pair with a keyboard and use for composition on-the-go. Most...

Give presentations on Apple TV with AirPDF and AirFlick

<img align="right" alt="" border="1" hspace="4" src="http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/5566/screenshot20101231at849.jpg" vspace="4" />As I've been exploring the newest Apple TV, people keep asking to see if I can push boundaries in new directions. Apple TV's concept of a wireless video endpoint that connects to a large screen TV has excited a lot of people.<br />
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Although I haven't yet been able to produce a way to show live game screens from iPhones (games are likely going to have to rely on local Apple TV resource processing for that, probably involving a unit jailbreak at least at first), Apple's AirPlay does provide a ready way to give presentations using a Mac and Apple TV.<br />
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In the video that follows after the jump, you'll see a new tool that I put together in response to TUAW reader requests. It transmits PDF files a page at a time to Apple TV. Read on to learn more about how this works and how Mac developers can easily hook into Apple TV transmission.<br />
<h6></h6><a href="http://tuaw.com/tag/airplay">Source</a>

Give presentations on Apple TV with AirPDF and AirFlick

As I've been exploring the newest Apple TV, people keep asking to see if I can push boundaries in new directions. Apple TV's concept...