Tired of reaching for the stylus, then your pen, oh, and then the stylus again? Wacom saw that, and updated the Bamboo Stylus with the new “Duo.” Half pen, half stylus, and all yours for £34 (about $50) next month.

Continue reading Wacom Bamboo Stylus Duo lets you draw something on tablets and paper

Wacom Bamboo Stylus Duo lets you draw something on tablets and paper originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 07:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wacom Bamboo Stylus Duo lets you draw something on tablets and paper

Continue reading Toshiba intros Qosmio X875 gaming laptop with Ivy Bridge, fairly tame digs

Toshiba intros Qosmio X875 gaming laptop with Ivy Bridge, fairly tame digs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 08:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba intros Qosmio X875 gaming laptop with Ivy Bridge, fairly tame digs

An anonymous reader writes “Utah’s Medicaid hack estimate has grown a second time. This time we have gone from over 180,000 Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) recipients having their personal information stolen to a grand total of 780,000. More specifically, the state now says approximately 500,000 victims had sensitive personal information stolen and 280,000 victims had their Social Security numbers (SSNs) compromised.”

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Medicaid Hack Update: 500,000 Records and 280,000 SSNs Stolen

Iran topped a recent list of repressive regimes that most aggressively restrict Internet freedom. The list, published by Reporters Without Borders, is a part of the 2012 edition of the organization’s Enemies of the Internet report.

One of the details addressed in that report is the Iranian government’s bizarre plan to create its own “clean” Internet. The proposed system, an insular nation-wide intranet that is isolated from the regular Internet, will be heavily regulated by the government. According to a report published today by the International Business Times, Iranian government officials have announced that the new system will be ready to deploy within five months.

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Iran plans to unplug the Internet, launch its own “clean” alternative

What’s the best way to deter a thief? Ruin the spoils, of course. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint have agreed to a broad outline that will culminate in the creation of a central database for stolen cellphones. The goal? To block lifted units from functioning on US shores. Over the next six months, each firm will build out its own stolen device database for integration into a larger, central database, said a Wall Street Journal source, with regional carriers joining the effort over the following two years.

“We are working toward an industry wide solution to address the complexity of blocking stolen devices from being activated on ours or another network with a new SIM card,” said a T-Mobile spokesperson, “This is not a simple problem to solve.” The quartet of wireless providers hope to imitate the success UK carriers have seen with similar efforts. With any luck, the program will put an end to massive phone-heists and the awkward public relations stunts that imitate them.

US carriers agree to build stolen phone database, blacklist hot handsets originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 23:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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US carriers agree to build stolen phone database, blacklist hot handsets

Hate going into AT&T stores and interacting with real humans? Worry not, as unlocking your AT&T iPhone is turning out to be a simpler process than expected for some users. The process can still be performed in-store by AT&T personnel, but it can also be done at home with the help of AT&T chat, Apple, and iTunes.

We reported on Friday that AT&T would begin unlocking iPhones for qualified customers beginning Sunday, April 8. That was yesterday, and readers have begun reporting back with their experiences. As it turns out, all you really need is an active Internet connection and your iPhone’s IMEI number to get started (you can get it from your iPhone under Settings > General > About). After logging into AT&T’s website with your account credentials, you can then bring up AT&T’s Wireless Support Chat where you can request your device be unlocked.

As long as you meet the criteria—your phone isn’t associated with an active-term commitment, you’re out of contract, and your account is in good standing—AT&T will likely approve the request. But then it comes down to Apple, which has to push your unlock code to your e-mail address before you can proceed (this happens within 72 hours, but many users have said it took an hour or less). Once you receive the code, you must perform a backup and restore of the device through iTunes while tethered to a computer.

As with most processes that are user-facing, the unlock process doesn’t always work smoothly. AT&T’s own documentation on the process points to this Apple support document on troubleshooting unlock issues, though there are a number of forum threads dedicated to discussing the nuances of performing the unlock procedure as well. Do you have any extra tips to offer for those who have yet to go through the process?

Update: We have begun hearing that AT&T is making users call to initiate the unlock process instead of using the website chat feature. Still less effort than going into a retail outlet, but human interaction is somewhat required.

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No human interaction required: AT&T iPhone unlock can be done via iTunes (Updated)

Does your electronic device have you a bit hot under the collar these days? A researcher at NC State has developed a faster and less expensive method for cooling gadgets — especially those that tend to crank the heat up. Dr. Jag Kasichainula, an Associate Professor of Materials Science and Engineering, authored a paper on the research that implements a “heat spreader’ composed of a copper-graphene composite and an indium-graphene interface film to cool devices. Because the two materials exhibit a high thermal conductivity, they allow the device to cool more efficiently while distributing said heat — 25 percent quicker than the pure copper in many pieces of tech. And if that wasn’t enough, the research also details the process for creating the composite using electrochemical deposition. “Copper is expensive, so replacing some of the copper with graphene actually lowers the overall cost.,” Kasichainula notes. If you’re itching to read a full rundown of the findings, the full text can be accessed via the source link below.

NC State researcher finds more efficient way to cool devices, looks to cut costs too originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 09 Apr 2012 17:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NC State researcher finds more efficient way to cool devices, looks to cut costs too

The Big Apple is looking into upgrading its existing pay phones, and a pilot study is underway that replaces everyone’s favorite anachronism with something a little more 21st-century: giant touchscreens. According the NY Post, the city will unveil 250 revamped phone booths next month that have been revamped with 32-inch touchable displays. These access points would be set up for Skype and other video services, email, wi-fi access, and *11 numbers.

It’s ambitious, and depending on the execution could be a big step forward for public communication points. On the other hand, city dwellers are likely to be skeptical of the devices; smartphone owners will find no use for them, and pay phone users won’t know what to make of them. Are they really going to Skype their dealer?

I kid, but it really is kind of a strange proposition. These enormous screens (32 inches is quite large for a phone booth) will of course make whatever one is doing very public, though they helpfully double as ad screens when not in use. And part of the draw of payphones is the simplicity of their operation. You put in your money, you dial your number, and that’s that. Replacing a system that has the familiarity of decades is no simple task, and this huge screen might be overshooting the mark.

On the other hand, it could also be a great method to provide public wi-fi and information about local businesses — like London’s Smart Bins.” Tourists will almost certainly find them useful. And the smaller 22-inch subway ones will be helpful for navigating the city and announcing trains. But who is the average user of pay phones, and will they find this new system useful? Details are scarce now and only seeing and trying the new booths will tell.

The booths are being installed at no cost to the city, and after the pilot program, 36 percent of ad revenue will be handed over to them. And don’t worry, the screens are waterproof and dustproof, and will be cleaned regularly. No word on whether they’re hack-proof, however, though I can guess.

[image: ishane on Flickr]

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NYC Considering Installing Enormous Touchscreens Instead Of Pay Phones

A hosted Windows and Microsoft Office service for the iPad and Android tablets that violated Microsoft’s software licensing rules has apparently gone legitimate, with a new structure that complies with Microsoft guidelines for providing virtual desktops.

As we reported a month ago, the gaming company OnLive has been providing a virtualized instance of Windows 7, complete with Microsoft Office 2010, without properly licensing the service. The service is available to any user for free, with the option for a a $5-per-month paid upgrade, a pricing scheme that had virtual desktop competitors crying foul. The competitors said it’s impossible to offer a properly licensed virtual desktop service at such low prices without taking a loss.

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Windows-on-iPad service goes legit as Microsoft licensing demands are met

Our post from Friday about how to check your Mac for a Flashback malware infection has been wildly popular so far. And with good reason, too, since a second security firm has now backed up the numbers indicating that more than half a million Macs have been infected. That’s slightly more than 1 percent of all 45 million Macs in the world—still a relatively small number, but a worrisome one for Mac users, as the tally of infected machines continues to grow.

But for those of us who are kept on electronic umbilical cords in order to help our family members with computer questions, asking them to open the Terminal and start typing in foreign commands can be daunting. That’s why Ars reader and programmer Juan Leon put together a quick Flashback checker that can be run on its own to see whether the Mac in question is infected. The download is posted to github and can run on Mac OS X10.5 and above; Leon also posted the source code for those interested in checking it out.

The downloadable app runs the same three Terminal commands that we outlined in our how-to last week—it either says “No signs of infection were found” or spits back further information if necessary. There is also a link to F-Secure’s instructions for removal, but if you have less-technical family members whose Macs are infected, you’ll likely need to step in and help before they have to start mucking with the Terminal.

Update: Leon says he didn’t include removal code in his app because it would require authentication, and we don’t want to start getting into that right now what with a malware infection making the rounds.

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Checking for Mac Flashback infestation? There’s an app for that