Windows 7 hack 'cannot be fixed'

--3KB of code is all that's needed to take control of your PC--

Researchers at a recent hackers' conference have shown how it's possible
to take control of a Windows 7 machine during its boot sequence.

Demonstrating the code at the recent Hack In The Box event in Dubai,
security researchers Vipin Kumar and Nitin Kumar used a piece of code
called VBootkit 2.0 to take full control of a Windows 7 machine during the
booting up process.

Based on the principle that Windows 7 is meant to be safe from attack
during the boot up process, the duo showed that the code, which is only
3KB in size, could actually easily be run while the OS is starting up.

The attacker can then gain remote access to the computer and can change
files around with the highest level of administrator privileges, and then
return the system to its original passwords to leave the hack undetected.

Unfixable

"There's no fix for this. It cannot be fixed. It's a design problem," said
Vipin Kumar when demonstrating the tool.

However, the threat of the software is apparently nowhere near as great as
with other internet-based hacks and viruses, as it requires the hacker to
be present with the PC.

The VBootkit 2.0 software is almost undetectable on the machine as well,
as it focuses on altering files in the boot up process, although when the
computer is restarted the files are wiped.

By Gareth Beavis

LG W53 Smart LCD TV

LG release the new W53 Smart LCD TV which automatically identified the brightness.

LG always improve their LCD TV and the Smart W53 has some features like cinema mode blacking out the rest of the screen when you play video, a timer which will remind you to take a break, a proximity sendor and much more.

All of the features will available in 18-inch until 27-inch LCD TV with Full HD Resolution (only for 21 to 27-inch). The contrast ratio is 50,000:1 and 2ms response time. The price is not available yet.

Inspiron Mini 9

Introducing your new best friend. Complete with connectivity features, you have the freedom to live without ever losing touch.

Connect with advanced wireless options Light and compact for an on-the-go lifestyle Dynamic & Customizable user interface 4 hours battery life & just 2.28 lbs

Specs

Processors
Intel® AtomTM Processor (1.6GHz, 512KB L2 Cache, 533MHz FSB)
Operating System
Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition SP3 Ubuntu Linux version 8.04.1
Memory
Up to 1GB2 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM.
Chipset
Intel® 945PM / GS Express Chipset
Graphics
Intel® Integrated Graphics Media Accelerator 950
LCD Display
Glossy 8.9 inch backlit LED display (1024X600)
Audio and Speakers
One external speaker
Hard Drives
Up to 16GB configured with a Solid State drive and Genuine Windows® XP Home Edition. Up to 32GB configured with a Solid State drive and Ubuntu Linux.
Optical Drives
None
Ports
USB 2.0 (3) Integrated 10/100 LAN (RJ45) 15-pin VGA video connector Audio jacks (1-line out, 1 mic-in) 3-in-1 Media Card Reader AC adapter connector
Power
4-cell 32WHr Li-Ion Battery
Camera
Optional 0.3MP or 1.3MP webcams
Wireless
Wi-Fi Options: 802.11g mini-card Mobile Broadband Options: AT&T built-in cellular mobile broadband (HSPA 7.2) Bluetooth Options: Bluetooth® Internal (2.0) mini-card
Ports, Slots, Chassis
Externally Accessible USB 2.0 (3) Integrated 10/100 LAN (RJ45) 15-pin VGA video connector Audio jacks (1-line out, 1 Mic-in) 3-in-1 Media Card Reader AC adapter connector Dimensions & Weight Width: 9.13" (232mm) Height: 1.07" (27.2mm) front / 1.25" (31.7mm) back Depth: 6.77" (172mm) Weight: Starting weight of 2.28 lbs. (1.035 kg) (8.9" display, 4 cell battery). Weights will vary depending on configurations and manufacturing variability.

source http://www.dell.com

Dell Latitude D610 Tech Specs

Processors
Intel^® Pentium^® M Processor 770 (2.13GHz, 2MB L2)
Intel Pentium M Processor 750 (1.86GHz, 2MB L2)
Intel Pentium M Processor 740 (1.73GHz, 2MB L2)

Operating System

Genuine Windows^® XP Home Edition

Genuine Windows^® XP Professional

Memory

Up to 2048MB using 533MHz DDR2 SDRAM

2 user accessible memory sockets on system board

Graphics

Mobile Intel^® 915PM Express Chipset w/ ATI MOBILITY^TM RADEON^® X300 with 64MB DDR video memory

Video type: 128-bit hardware accelerated

Display

SXGA+ maximum resolution of 1400x1050 pixels, 16.7 million colors (The D610 graphics chipset supports up to 1600x1200 pixels with external monitor, 16.7 million colors)

XGA maximum resolution of 1024x768 pixels, 16.7 million colors (The D610 graphics chipset supports up to 1600x1200 pixels with external monitor, 16.7 million colors)

Easy-to-see 14.1" XGA and SXGA+ active matrix (TFT) displays

System & User Security

Passwords
- Primary system password
- Administrator password
- Hard disk drive password

Cable Lock Slot: Lock slot to secure system and docking solutions

Integrated Trusted Platform Module (TPM) 1.1b: Integrated security device on the system board that will hold computer generated keys for encryption.

Integrated Smart Card reader: Provides strong industry standard two-factor user authentication (when used with a smart card and applicable software)

-Cards supported: ISO 7816 1/2/3/4 microprocessor

cards (T=0, T=1), 3v & 5v, Java Card;

-Reader certification: WHQL certified for Microsoft

PC/SC, EMV Level 1, 9600 to 115200 BPS

Optional : Smart Card Security Software
- OtaniumSuite^TM Pro
- OtaniumSuite^TM PKI

Optional : TPM Security Software
- Wave Systems Embassy Trust Suite

source : http://www.dell.com

Reasons to Have a Data Center Disaster Recovery Plan

Fire damage, floods, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other destructive events can mean the end of thousands of important files. Losing a small amount of information due to a power outage can be an annoyance. Losing the data for an entire organization is a disaster.

Having a good data center disaster recovery plan in place can mean the difference between success and failure. That 's because safeguarding information is a data center 's number one job. If that information is lost for any reason, the data center has failed in its main objective. A disaster recovery plan is necessary for success.

Losing Data Costs Time and Money
Losing data to a disastrous event is not only an inconvenience, it costs money. That 's because recovering vital business information, if possible at all, can be time consuming and expensive.

Each day that passes between the data loss and the recovery of that data means lost business hours, less chance of successful recovery, and more expensive recovery. A successful disaster recovery plan can help save you money.

In addition, for some data centers, lost data can be time-sensitive. Waiting a week for that information can make it useless. Even waiting a day can be too long. That 's why it 's important to have a disaster recovery plan in place that allows you to recover data from the moment of the disaster.

How Important is Your Data?
If the data center is down, the rest of the business may not be able to function properly. In fact, some studies have shown that computer outages of more than ten days can cause permanent financial damage to a company. Within 5 years, half of those businesses have closed their doors.

Your information is vital to your business, and that 's why a data recovery plan is simply common sense. Recovery from a disaster needs to be straight-forward, and it can mean the difference between a short-term inconvenience and the end of your organization.

Implementing a Disaster Recovery Plan
The first step toward reducing the impact of a disaster is to obtain a disaster recovery planning guide and disaster recovery templates. After investing in these items, the strategy for recovery needs to be planned in detail. Having a vague idea of your recovery plan is not going to save you from data loss.

Like any precautionary measure, the upfront planning for disaster recovery can seem like a waste of valuable company time and resources. However, your organization will be grateful that it is prepared if disaster does strike.

A proper disaster recovery plan should also include an assessment of risk and the impact of a loss of information. This allows the company to prioritize data center operations, an important step in recovering business viability.

An additional integral component to any plan for business continuity should be rigorous and regular testing. Disaster recovery plans should be tested and reviewed on a regular basis. This ensures that the plan is ready for a true emergency situation.

Safeguard the Future Success of Your Organization
Problems with hardware or software often strike when usage is at its highest point. That usually means a very busy time for the organization. Peak usage times, while some of the most vulnerable, are also the last time you want your data center to have a crisis.

It is important not to be lulled into a false sense of security by the seeming reliability of your systems. Modern technology runs perfectly right up until the time it doesn't. You don't want that time to be the downfall of your business. Implement a disaster recovery plan, and safeguard both your data and the future success of your organization.

source : http://www.content4reprint.com

Disaster recovery demand 'as popular as ever'

The future of disaster recovery planning is strong and there will continue to be a demand for expertise in this field, a blog advises.

Disaster recovery is now a necessary component of business operation integrity, the blog on Sagari - which provides IT support for small companies - notes, adding that data needs to be acknowledged and viewed as the most important asset a business can own.

And having backup solutions and a disaster recovery plan could make the difference between a firm which survives and a company which falters should something occur.

The blog notes that with the reliance on the internet in ensuring a business develops, as well as file servers which storage critical data, organisations could be wise to deploy an unyielding disaster recovery plan.

Meanwhile a blog posted on a Web2.com says that a hole could be left in data if companies fail to keep on top of the recovery process and reminds firms that an outage could turn into a disaster should the organisation not deploy its plan with immediate effect.

source : http://www.ontrackdatarecovery.co.uk

Mimoco Limited Edition RayD8gig

Mimoco has released ultra-limited edition of RayD8gig for the coming Halloween. It is an inverse color variant of the popular RayD8 from the MIMOBOT Core Series 2 character, and it is glow-in-the-dark. There were only 200 units produced and each will priced at $100. It’s name already tells you that it is an 8GB.

source : http://www.2dayblog.com

Maximize Gaming Performance - Dell XPS M1730 (Penryn)

The newest Dell XPS M1730 (Penryn) us a aweinspiring piece of technological splendor. A Bold statement yes, but one that’s easily warranted by this masterfully designed gaming laptop, despite its size and heft.

Weight is, in fact, this rig’s only limitation. With its gigantic AC adaptor, the weight of the 17”, wide screen M1730 jumps to almost 14 pounds. Nonetheless, M1730 is a terrific example of where technology is heading. LED lights shine out through the grilles of the front speakers and from underneath the keyboard, the numeric keypad, and the center of the lid. You can also customize the lights with Dell’s Quickset software. If you’re more interested in conserving power or battery life, the intensity of these lights can be lowered or turned off.

The feature set is solid, for the most part, except for the aging DVI-out connector. The 2.6GHz Intel Core 2 Extreme X9000 represents the M1730’s move to a “Penryn” core. The M1730 also includes a built in PhysX card from Ageia - a first for a laptop, as well as nVidia Geforce 8800M GTX SLI graphics cards.

The M1730’s SYSmark 2007 Preview Overall score was slightly behind our comparison system, the Alienware Area-51 ml5x (by 6%). The system’s video-encoding score also came up short. Scores on CineBench R10 and Photoshop tests, on the other hand, were as impressive as those of the Alienware laptop. Results on the World in Conflict and Crysis gaming tests were 1.7 times and 7.2 times as high, respectively, as those of the Alienware. As for battery life, the Dell laptop’s score of 1 hour 30 minutes on MobileMark 2007 sentences it to a life near power outlet. But for serious gamers, the game experience is what counts the most. Here the M1730 easily takes first price. If you’re looking for an all-around laptop that’s still strong on gaming, however, I’d recommend going for the Alienware system.

Dell XPS M1730 Specification:

- Intel® CoreTM 2 Duo Processor X9000 (2.8GHz, 6MB Cache, 800Mhz FSB)
- 4GB Dual Channel 667MHz DDR2
- NVIDIA® SLITM Dual GeForce® 8800M GTX with 1GB GDDR3 Memory
- 17” 1920×1200 display
- Intel Pro/Wireless 3945 802.11 a/g Mini Card Wireless
- Intel Next-Gen Wireless-N Mini Card
- Dual Layer DVD+/-R, Blu-ray Optical Drive
- 4 USB 2.0
- Dual-link DVI-I (support for 30-inch displays)
- HDMI via DVI adapter
- Firewire (IEEE 1394a)
- RJ45 Ethernet port (10/100/1000)
- S-video with component, composite, S/PDIF support through dongle
- 8-in-1 card reader
- ExpressCard 54 mm slot
- Consumer IR
- Dual headphones, microphone (stereo line-in) and support for 5.1 audio out
- 9-cell 85WHr Li-Ion Battery
- Up to 320GB configured with a single 5400 RPM SATAII hard drive (Raid 0 and 1 is also available)
- Integrated 2.0 MP camera
- Bluetooth® 2.0

source : http://www.technologytricks.com

Sony Alpha DSLR-A350 Review, Richard Butler

Review based on a production Alpha DSLR-A350 with firmware version 1.0

Sony's first two DSLRs, the A100 and A700 showed clear signs of their Konica Minolta lineage - sharing a lot of DNA with the Maxxum (Dynax) 5D and 7D respectively. Its latest, the A350, still shows signs of that ancestry but also hints at the influences of a company with rather different intentions.

The recently introduced A200, A300 and A350 represent an aggressive assault on the entry level market. All three models are extremely close in terms of price and features (The A300 is a A200 with Live view or an A350 with a less pixel-dense sensor, depending on how you look at it). And, with the A300, Sony has introduced the first single-retailer "exclusive" DSLR: a product only sold through a single outlet, allowing that retailer to maintain a stronger level of influence over selling price.

These baby Alphas, the 200, 300 and 350, are more similar than any group of cameras in any other manufacturer's lineup, complicating the market but also offering a greater degree of choice than ever. Some existing Sony and Konica Minolta owners have been upset by the perceived reduction in features from the A100 but the new Alphas should perhaps be considered the first real Sony products, reflecting a different interpretation of how people choose entry level cameras, rather than the A100's continuation of the assumptions that underpinned the KM 5D.

Sony may be confident in its application of marketing theory, but do those theories result in cameras that will satisfy photographers as well as sales projections?

Other new / upgraded features of note:

• Live view with dedicated sensor
• Larger, articulated LCD
• 14.2 MP sensor
• New software bundle with all-new raw converter
• Creative Styles (expansion of color modes function on A100)
• ISO 3200
• Optional high ISO noise reduction
• RGB histograms
• Digital Teleconverter function

Source http://www.dpreview.com

New Dell Latitude Notebooks: No More Business as Usual

Today we’re officially unveiling our new line of Latitude laptops to the world. Based on the amount of internal buzz and the volume of work it took to get us here, this is about the biggest product rollout I can remember—besides maybe the launch of the Latitude brand back in 1994 when Dell re-entered the notebook business. Enough with the history… let’s talk new products.

We're introducing seven new Latitude notebooks today—they are the ones we build for business customers. For the entire lineup, our product teams have been focused on designing laptops that can meet a variety of business user needs. If you consider yourself a demanding user who rarely works in an office, take a look at my post over at DigitalNomads.com to better understand what mobility features set these notebooks apart from the competition.

For notebooks, thin and light is a barrier of entry. Battery life is critically important. So is connectivity. And these days, design matters more than ever. As we store more of our work on laptops, reliability and data security are also key. Our teams focused on making improvements in all these areas across the product line. Beyond that, we're also introducing new technology options like backlit keyboards, external SATA drive connections, DisplayPort capability; USB PowerShare allows users to charge mobile devices via the Latitude's USB ports even when the system is powered down.

Here are some examples about what to expect from these new Latitude notebooks:

• Excellent battery life: some system configurations can get up to 19 hours. But it's not just the largest batteries that benefit—we've made improvements on battery life whether you use a 6-cell, 9-cell battery or a battery slice. In this video, Jim Leftwich, the engineering lead behind these new notebooks, offers insight into how we did just that.
• All models offer lots of connectivity options: Wi-Fi (802.11n), several mobile broadband options, WWAN, Ultra-wideband and Bluetooth 2.1. Most are WiMAX ready, and can be ordered with an optional GPS.
• All kinds of security options: smart card and fingerprint readers, hardware-based disk encryption, contactless smart card technology. Another hardware-based security feature is Dell's ControlVault solution that centralizes user identity key management and storage.
• Centralized control via software—Dell's ControlPoint software allows users to manage battery power, network and connectivity configurations and system security settings all in one place. I'll blog in more detail about it soon.
• In the coming weeks, we will offer color options on the E4200, E4300, E6400 and E6500 in addition to Mica-Brushed Metal Black: Regatta Blue and Regal Red. The E4200 adds Quartz Pink as an option, and the Latitude E5400 and E5500 are available in Matte Black.
• Slick design that doesn't sacrifice functionality: our team focused on balancing a aesthetics with durability and functionality. Besides the looks, these laptops feature full-frame magnesium alloy construction and all-metal hinges. Take a look at this video where Steve Belt from our engineering team talks about how we tested things like the keyboards and the metal hinges on these laptops.

Source http://direct2dell.com