Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet



A computer virus has infected the cockpits of America’s Predator and Reaper drones, logging pilots’ every keystroke as they remotely fly missions over Afghanistan and other war zones.

The virus, first detected nearly two weeks ago by the military’s Host-Based Security System, has not prevented pilots at Creech Air Force Base in Nevada from flying their missions overseas. Nor have there been any confirmed incidents of classified information being lost or sent to an outside source. But the virus has resisted multiple efforts to remove it from Creech’s computers, network security specialists say. And the infection underscores the ongoing security risks in what has become the US military’s most important weapons system.

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Computer virus hits US Predator and Reaper drone fleet

Shure SE215 earphones review

There are a lot of in-ear headphones out there these days, from the ones at the checkout line at the grocery store, to the ones that came with your iPod, to ones you’ll need to take out a second mortgage to get your ears on. And most of them will do a decent job of pumping sound into your ears. Shure‘s SE215 earphones sit at that magical $99 price point — not for everyone, but highly tempting to those committed to splurging a bit to replace those awful ‘buds that arrived with their PMP of choice. So, how do these guys stack up against the immediate competition? Read on to find out what we heard.

Continue reading Shure SE215 earphones review

Shure SE215 earphones review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 15:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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IR Jammer Kit: a TV-B-Gone-B-Gone

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You probably have heard of the TV-B-Gone. If you haven’t, it’s a small wireless gadget that will turn of any TV. Now, for people who hate the TV-B-Gone, or for people who hate it when someone changes the channel on a TV set in a public space, there’s the IR Jammer Kit.

You know those people that just love to change the channel on the TV? Put an end to it with this, the IR Jammer Kit from the Maker Shed. Just press the button and you can render infrared remotes completely useless. Works with almost all IR controlled devices by corrupting IR data from the six commonly used transmission frequencies. Perfect for pranks and for showing the channel surfers who’s boss.

Alan Parekh (creator of the IR Jammer) and Mitch Altman (creator of the TV-B-Gone) should join merge companies and call the new business Sylvester McMonkey McBean Incorporated.

IR Jammer Kit. $18.99 in Maker Shed


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IR Jammer Kit: a TV-B-Gone-B-Gone

Is this Dell’s Windows 7 ‘Peju’ Tablet?

A Blurrycam-equipped tipster sent in the above images of what’s purported to be a 10-inch Windows 7 tablet from Dell. There’s not a lot of info on the thing at the moment, and what we do have ought to be taken with a few pinches of salt. But here’s the breakdown, according to the aforementioned tipster: the slate’s got 2GB of RAM (though larger options will also be made available from the company), a USB and HDMI port and a stylus holder on the back of the device. Dell is apparently looking to make it available in December for around $900 to $1,000, just in time for that holiday tablet rush. Could this be the 10.1-inch Peju tablet that we caught wind of, back in July? We can’t say for sure, of course, but it certainly seems like a possibility.

Gallery: Is this the Dell Peju?

[Thanks, Anonymous]

Is this Dell’s Windows 7 ‘Peju’ Tablet? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Judge blasts personal-injury lawyer for running P2P “shake down”



Richmond, Virginia lawyer D. Wayne O’Bryan runs, as his website puts it, “a small law firm designed for personalized and professional legal services for dog attack injury and negligence claims.” O’Bryan is quite clearly a personal injury lawyer, which is why it made perfect sense for him to file federal copyright lawsuits this summer on behalf of the pornographic film Gangbang Virgins… or not.

Yesterday, O'Bryan's cases went wrong as a federal judge demanded that O'Bryan show cause for why he should not be sanctioned by the court for running a “shake down” on the anonymous defendants.

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Judge blasts personal-injury lawyer for running P2P “shake down”

How much will the iPhone 4S really cost on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint?

As Apple unleashes the iPhone 4S on AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint, the biggest question on everyone's mind is how much will the phone really cost? As the third US carrier to sell the iPhone, Sprint has confirmed it will offer the device with the same unlimited plans as the other handsets in its lineup — much to the relief of loyal customers hoping to make a belated switch to iOS. But we’re betting those of you willing to swap providers are just a little curious as to how the plans stack up. Fortunately, we’ve crunched the numbers for you, so all you need to do is meet us after the break for that bottom line.

Continue reading How much will the iPhone 4S really cost on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint?

How much will the iPhone 4S really cost on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 16:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Windows Azure beats Amazon EC2, Google App Engine in cloud speed test



Microsoft’s Windows Azure has beaten all competitors in a year’s worth of cloud speed tests, coming out ahead of Amazon EC2, Google App Engine, Rackspace and a dozen others.

The independent tests were conducted by application performance management vendor Compuware using its own testing tool CloudSleuth which debuted last year. Anyone can get results from the past 30 days for free by going to the CloudSleuth website, but this is the first time Compuware has released results for an entire 12-month period.

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India’s $35 tablet is here, for real. Called Aakash, costs $60

India’s much-hyped $35 tablet for students is a reality. But, like every other super-cheap education project, the price has jumped — though in this case only to Rs 2,999 ($60). It turns out that the Aakash is actually an Ubislate 7 from Datawind (makers of the Pocketsurfer). Beneath the 7-inch 800 x 480 resistive touchscreen is a 366MHz Connexant CPU, 256MB of RAM and 2GB of storage (expandable via microSD) running Froyo and the Getjar market on top. The battery life is rated for a rather short three hours, and much less if you want to play HD video. In addition to the 802.11 a/b/g WiFi chip, you also get a GPRS modem to stay connected in rural areas. We wish India’s HRD Minster Kapil Sibal’s pet project all the best and if you want to see the device held snugly inside a Rs 300 ($7) keyboard folio, check out the picture after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading India’s $35 tablet is here, for real. Called Aakash, costs $60

India’s $35 tablet is here, for real. Called Aakash, costs $60 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 10:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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