Nissan Juke-R, a 570-hp Babyzilla: Motoramic Drives

Lilly is not pretty. Rather tall and ungainly, she towers over the other models Nissan brought to the high-performance track at the quadrennial “Nissan 360” worldwide media program, hosted this time at the Great Park of Orange County, Calif., formerly known as El Toro Marine Base.

But Lilly is an object of lust such that this writer, and many other car wags lucky enough to get near her, will never forget.

“Lilly,” is a Nissan Juke-R, the first one ever built, and one of only four in existence. We’re not really sure who asked the question that resulted in the creation of the Juke-R, but we’re relatively sure it started with “Gee, wouldn’t it be funny if we stuffed the rip-snortin’ twin-turbocharged V-6 engine and all-wheel drivetrain of our insanely fast GT-R supercar to the body and interior of the tiny Juke crossover?” Or perhaps it was one steely-eyed engineer looking across the table at another, saying, “I double dog dare you to turn a Juke into a GT-R.”

However the proposition was made, the outcome is exactly that: a Juke with the soul of a GT-R. When the Juke-R was first announced about two years ago, Nissan called it the “first super-crossover.” But just as the GT-R is nicknamed “Godzilla” by its cult-like fan base, the Juke-R soon became affectionately known as “Babyzilla.” And like Japan’s most famous lizard, the Juke-R is the stuff of legends.

Initially, Nissan and partner Ray Mallock Ltd. (RML) built just two Juke-Rs: “Lilly" and her brother, “Max,” as they are called by their handler, Xavi Cànovas (yes, these cars have their own handler, just like rock stars). Lilly was built using the GT-R’s turbocharged 3.8-liter V-6, which at the time made 485 hp and came mated to a dual-clutch manu-matic transmission and wide, GT-R-based all-wheel-drive underpinnings. The width of the running gear required a completely new floor and wide fender extensions to accommodate the 20-inch wheels and tires. A wild body kit was fitted and all was painted a wicked matte black. At some point, Lilly got a powertrain upgrade. “Rumor has it she’s at about 570 hp, but I don’t know that for sure,” said a Nissan spokesman.

Suffice it to say, Lilly is a badass.

Once word got out about how great the Juke-R turned out, Nissan cobbled together two more for a wealthy customer in the Middle East. Nissan determined that there was sufficient interest for a small production run, and plans to build 23 Juke-Rs in total at a price of $660,000 each.

So it’s rare. Even for automotive journalists, seeing a Juke-R in the flesh is the equivalent of seeing a unicorn, and being offered a chance to actually drive one is akin to grabbing that unicorn’s horn, hopping on and flying through a double rainbow. Yet there she was, sitting on a tarmac in the 90-degree California heat next to two stock GT-Rs, steaming and crackling, waiting for us to take a spin. A flurry of engineers inspected this and that, keeping her in shape between hot laps of the short road coarse Nissan set up on base. I would have one short lap to see what tricks Lilly had up her sleeve.

When my turn came, I strapped on my helmet and rushed out between the snarling GT-Rs toward Mr. Cànovas, standing by the open driver’s side door of the Juke. Ingress/egress is rather trickier in the Juke-R than the standard Juke, thanks to its heavily bolstered racing seat and full roll cage blocking some of the door opening (oh, and don’t even think about putting someone in back). Once I folded myself through the door and flopped into the seat, Cànovas adjusted my seat to ensure perfect pedal placement and telescoped the steering wheel to meet my arms. A brief scan of the interior revealed many parts I recognized from the standard Juke (dashboard, door panels, and other trim bits) and other parts that clearly came from the GT-R (sequential transmission shifter, GT-R instrument cluster, and grippy, contoured steering wheel). I shook the hand of the pro driver who would be my guide around the short road course as the four-point racing harness was clasped together at my midriff.

After that, things get a bit blurry, but here’s what I remember: I placed the sequential manual transmission in drive, gripped the wheel, stepped on the go-pedal and shot out of the pits toward the first turn. Immediately, I felt a visceral connection to the road such that I have never felt in a production car before. Indeed, Lilly may be based on two production cars, but as my confidence built over the next few turns, which were accompanied by absolutely zero body roll and spectacular steering feel, I began to connect with it in ways I have only experienced in a racecar. Acceleration is instant — the “shot out of a cannon” cliché is absolutely fitting here — and the deceleration, facilitated by massively powerful brakes, is just as sudden. I was even able to cajole the back end around a touch for a nice polite drift, just as would be possible in the incredible GT-R.

And then the lap was over. Suddenly, we were back in the pits and I was climbing back out through the roll cage bars, panting as I walked around for one more lustful look at Lilly’s decidedly unbeautiful face. The whole encounter lasted maybe a minute, but long enough to leave me awestruck of this wacky machine, and wondering how I could score a second date.

Data Security Problem is getting worse, Proven by the Reports

The headlines have been dominated by the news of data breaches when Edward Snowden stole the confidential data from the database of NSA (National Security Agency) and publicized it. Other than that famous incident of data theft, there have been a number of data breach cases have been registered this year as well as the past year. It is not necessary that the online crooks hack the database just to steal data. The cyber criminals (hackers) perform some activities to grasp the attention of the media or to steal some information with mal intentions. However, whatever the intentions of these hackers are, it harms the owner of the data a lot. The Verizon Risk Team writes in their report of data breach 2013 that from pubs to the public agencies, mother and father or the multinational companies, nobody is untouched from this increasing problem of data breach. People had the wrong perception sometime back that the hackers target a particular entity and perform their dark activities. But, now, the trends have revealed that hackers do not specifically target anyone, they try to get into a number of different databases at once, the information storage that had the weakest security measures become hackers’ prey.

However, there are some specified data theft attempts in which the cyber criminals targeted a particular company and won their reward. The multinational companies have better security measures, so, there is a greater risk of getting caught than of the ordinary small scale company, that is why, smaller companies are the one who repeatedly become a data breach victim. Some of the big names that have become a victim of data breach include TJX Companies Org.; Sony, AOL, Monster.com and many others. But, in the majority of cases, the hackers were later sentenced heavy imprisonments and fines. According to the Verizon report, almost 52 percent of the data breach cases occurred in 2012 was the result of hacking. About 48 percent of the information theft cases occurred was a result of malware.  There were more than 45000 of the of the records breach in just 621 cases of data breaches. The majority of the cases that took place were due to the lack of strong security measures. The low security was due to the carelessness of the companies and the individuals that became the victims of data breach. In the modern era of technology, the data security is not that expensive or technical issue. To give your data reliable security, you may security software that cans Lock Folders. Currently, the data breach is one of the precious assets of the business as well as the individuals. The loss of data can haunt you for weeks, months or even years. An incident of data breach can make you suffer financial loss, reputation loss, and other such losses. The biggest loss that businesses suffer due to data breach is the loss of clients’ confidence; it is an irrecoverable and a long term loss. Taking some precautions is better than the regret.

For More Information visit:

http://www.newsoftwares.net/folderlock/

Ten Reasons To Love The Xbox One Operating System

Sony’s PlayStation family received a majority of the positive attention from Gamescom this week, but Microsoft also deserves special mention for an important reason: the Xbox One operating system. It’s still in a pre-release state, though you’d easily mistake it for a finished product. Its design and functionality are a huge improvement over Xbox 360’s current OS. There’s a lot to like about the new direction Microsoft has taken for Xbox One that should please developers and players alike.

Redesigned Metro User Interface
Microsoft’s go to, boxy aesthetic exists in many forms, but it’s never looked as refined as it does in the current version of the Xbox One interface. The home screen gives priority to apps rather than Marketplace recommendations, and individual menu panes are streamlined, favoring clutter in place of large panels. It even looks like the dashboard has been cut down to three pages, rather than the usual eight; a page for pinned items and system apps, the home screen, and another for the Xbox Marketplace.

[More on GameSpot: Madden 25 Anniversary Edition Amazon's best-selling preorder sports game ever]

Quick Response Time
The demo that was shown during Gamescom featured a few developer friendly debug items on screen, but the most prominent bit of exposed console code was the measured response times that would pop-up when switching pages, loading apps, or inputting voice commands. In every case, the Xbox One flew through these tasks in less than 9/10 of a second. Though there aren’t accurate timings to measure it against, in practice, Xbox One makes Xbox 360’s dashboard look as slow as molasses.

Developers Can Add Achievements Post-Release
Where developers had been locked into setting achievements before shipping the final version of their games in the past, they now have the ability to modify or add new achievements at their discretion on Xbox One. This could lead to special events or daily challenges that could extend the life of a game, plus, with the prominence of people combing leaked achievement lists in search of spoilers, developers have the ability to control when this information becomes public domain.

1000 Friends, Unlimited Followers
It’s well known that the friend lists have been extended from 100 to 1000 entries for the latest Xbox, but what’s news is the ability to follow people through a system that functions like Twitter. You may not make the cut on Major Nelson’s friend list, for example, but you will be able to track what games he plays, the achievements he earns, and sort through his video uploads, assuming allows them to be viewable by the public.

Six profiles can be signed in at once.
The Xbox 360 currently allows up to four profiles to be active at the same time on a single console, but not so with the Xbox One. Even if you have just a single controller actively connected to the console, you can sign six people in at the same time. All you have to do is use the Kinect’s voice recognition feature to sign in.

[More on GameSpot: Gamescom attendance hits 340,000]

Individual Speech Profiles
When multiple people are signed into the same Xbox One, it can recognize which person in a group is talking to the Kinect, and display that individuals’ information (achievements, friends, games, apps) rather than divert to the first player by default. Unfortunately, due to privacy concerns, speech recognition profiles do not carry over to the cloud for use on other Xbox One consoles.

Advanced Voice Commands With Kinect
The new Kinect looks ready to make navigating the system and multitasking a relative breeze compared to the current limitations of the Xbox 360. You’re no longer limited to only switching dashboard pages, searching via Bing, or playing a disc. You can now launch apps and games by name, enter text, and control other devices such as your TV or home entertainment system.

Powerful, Universal IR Blaster
The trick to the Xbox One’s ability to control other devices lies in a powerful infrared signal blaster position atop the Kinect. Much like a universal remote, it comes preloaded with the proper codes for remote controllable devices from a wide range of manufacturers, and don’t be surprised if you can manually configure new devices that aren’t supported out of the box. When it comes to the power of the IR blaster, note that it was placed beneath the TV during the demo, yet it was still able to adjust the volume on the TV. Unlike a common remote control, it doesn’t have to point directly at the device due to the strength and breadth of its IR broadcast.

Multitasking Through App Snapping
One of the most useful features found in the new OS is the ability to multitask. Yes, this means running instances of certain apps in the background, but it also refers to the system’s ability to run two pieces of software side-by-side on the same screen by snapping one to the right edge. You won’t be able to play two games at once, but you will be able to load Bing, YouTube, and other useful apps alongside any other activity. What’s more: some apps (Halo Waypoint, as an example), can work in conjunction with games to enhance the overall gameplay experience.

Simple, Streamlined Video Sharing
Without any input from the player, Xbox One automatically records the last 30 minutes of gameplay. With the simple command, “Xbox, upload video”, the video upload app snaps to the screen and allows you to choose any five minute stretch from the last 30 minutes of gameplay to upload for friends and followers. Though the Xbox One is locked to 1080p at 60 frames per second, the file that’s uploaded to your live account is a 720p file at 30 FPS. The video bitrate is unknown at the moment, but it appeared clear and free of any noticeable compression artifacts during the Gamescom demo. It’s also unclear how many videos users will be able to store in their live account.

Some of the Common Channels of Data Leakage

The problem of data breach has become universal and it is getting severe and severe every day. There are different channels from which data gets leaked. Most commonly, data is leaked through hackers’ attacks. When you talk about the data breach, the first thing that will pop up in the mind of a layman would be hackers’ attacks. Statistics reveal that almost 38 percent of the data is leaked only due to the attacks on the database by the cyber criminals. This kind of data breach also proves to be the costliest one as it can make you suffer a loss in millions of Dollars and it has proven itself several times in the past.

Another big source of losing data is through the portable data storing devices such as USB flash drive. The USB flash drive sizes not more than a couple of inches, still, it has a great capability of storing huge amount of data. Due to its small size, these small portable data storing devices are extremely difficult to keep safe, as it is prone to getting lost or stolen. Surveys have proven that a quite high percentage of lost or stolen USB flash drives contain unsecured confidential data. These devices do not have much built in security measures that can make the data secure, so, the data saved in them can easily be fetched out.

Nowadays, you see almost everybody holding a smartphone. These smartphone has become an accessory as well as a bit of necessity as it can perform quite bit functions of a computer. iPhone tops the list of smartphones. Every year, hundreds and thousands of iPhones gets lost or stolen. As people also use this smartphone as a portable data storing device from which they can operate their data too, so there is a fair possibility of leaking data if someone loses his/her iPhone. It has also become a big source of losing data.

IT experts have started to rate the insider employees of a company as a big source of data breach. The employees of the companies intentionally or unintentionally leak data. They may send an unencrypted email to some wrong email address with sensitive data attached to it or may lose their USB flash drive. However, employees can also dig out desired data from the computer and can carry it out of the company in his/her USB flash drive. Data can be sold to the rival companies or other competitors who will pay a handsome amount to get this data. Confidential data of a company can benefit the rival a lot.

You have only seen about 270 days of this year, and it is a short span of time, more than 212 incidents of data breach have been reported. If we make a rough estimate, there is an incident of data breach almost each day of the year. The use of Data Security Software has become absolutely necessary; otherwise, companies have to suffer heavy losses due to these data breach incidents. The company can suffer financial loss due to the heavy penalties imposed by the legislative bodies. The companies who suffer data loss are most likely to lose the confidence of their clients and may lose their goodwill in the market. All in all, data breach can be disastrous for a company.

For More Information Visit:

http://www.newsoftwares.net/

The Reason Why IT Experts Rate USB Drive as a Big Threat

The thumb sized portable data storing device has become a fashionable accessory that is available in the market in different colors, shapes and designs. It is as small as a human thumb and it has the capability of storing data in gigabytes. Having these characteristics, still, the small portable data storing device are extremely affordable that it is quite often distributed at conventions conferences and other such festivals. The popularity of USB flash drives is based on the three qualities i.e. portability, affordability and capability to store huge amount of data. But, the IT security experts see this trend of increase in the usage of the USB memory stick as a beginning of a disaster.

Due to the small size of a couple inches, this portable drive has a few names such as thumb drive, jump drive, pen drive or flash drive. Being so small, it has the capability of storing data up to 64GB and even more. These USB flash drives have become so common that it is making IT security experts uncomfortable. The experts give their view as the more common this drive will get, the more it will be lost or stolen and will infect more computers. The small portable drives have become so popular that cyber criminals are using them as a medium to spread malicious programs so that they can achieve their target easily.

The USB flash drives do not only impose a threat to data in the shape of a medium of spreading malware, the bigger issue with these memory sticks is that these are very much prone to getting lost or stolen. Every thousand of such USB flash drives are lost, and the majority of them do not have much security measures. If the USB drive is equipped with software that cans Password Protect USB can helpful in making data secure. Data is a precious asset; it requires a proper security plan and policies, if the information gets leaked, it can make you suffer a heavy loss.

For More Information Please Visit:

http://www.newsoftwares.net/usb-secure/

Some Simple and Effective Internet Marketing Tips

The Technology Has Revolutionized Almost Every Aspect Of The Life. Where It Has Made The World A Global Village Where No Distance Is Too Far.

http://www.newsoftwares.net/blog/some-simple-and-effective-internet-marketing-tips/1693/

The Progress of Technology—Gadgets getting more and more Portable!

As the technology progresses, everything is becoming more and more portable, and more mobile. Almost every gadget or machine is getting smaller lighter and smarter as the days are passing. Let's start with the invention of the computer, when the first proper computer was invented, it was almost of the size of a room. But, afterwards, the technology regarding the computer started getting more and more advance and huge changes were made in the design structure and functions. The computer which we see today is completely transformed; it is equipped with all the necessary tools that are required to perform numerous operations.  Similar case is with the mobile phone. When Motorola first introduced the cell phone, it was too big to keep it in the pocket and was quite heavy. There were no functions in that cell phone except calling and answering the call. All in all it was just a portable landline phone that even had a battery backup of only half an hour. But, researchers kept on working, they tried new ideas and they got successful at every new stage of revolution of the cell phone. Then, the mobile phone was given the features of SMS (Short Messaging Service) that made the communication even easier. The developers add to the facility to play games on cell phones that are proven to be a good time pass.

After these inclusions, a journey of revolution of mobile phone started that made these cellular phones radios, camera, camcorder and many other gadgets. Steve Jobs gave these cell phones a totally new look by introducing a touch screen feature in the mobile phones. After that invention, companies started competing in a race of launching the best Smartphone and this race is still in progress. However, the major competitor of this race is just two i.e. Apple and Samsung. There is no doubt that the technology of cellular phones will continue to be advanced and will become better day by day. From the day computer has invented and being used to perform tasks, there is a rapid progress in the technology of storing data. A number of devices invented to store data digitally, many of them got successful and many of them lost somewhere due to the incapability. The scientist had a clear view that at some point in the future, the computer users would like to carry their data with them. That is why, along with the regular data storing devices, scientists invented devices like Floppy Disk and CD to make the data mobile. Making data portable given a great facility to the users, but it imposed a big threat to data security.

Portable data storing devices such as CDs, DVDs, memory cards and the more popular USB flash drives. As these portable drives are small and light which make them mobile and make them handy, these qualities are also the biggest drawback of these drives. The portable drives are prone to getting lost or stolen, using a software that can Secure USB and other portable drives would be a good idea to make your data secure. Where technology advancement brings a number of facilities, the same advancements always have some big drawbacks.

For More Information visit:                                           

http://www.newsoftwares.net/usb-secure/

7 Things You Need to Know about the New Toyota Supra

As any gearhead would tell you, the Toyota Supra is a proper 90s hero car. Production ran for nearly 24 years, but it wasn’t until the Mark IV arrived in 1992, that the Supra cemented its place in history as the lovable, tunable, affordable sportscar king of the mid-90s.

Unfortunately- after a successful ten-year run- production ended with the Mark IV in 2002, leaving the Toyota lineup to sulk in its own facade of beige nothingness. The Camry, the Corolla, and of course, the Prius, sell well and meet the automaker’s “Global Vision” program, but don’t do much to inspire.

But now, there’s hope. President and CEO Akio Toyoda (a former racing driver), brings a fresh face to a brand that had seemed to have lost its “fun” perception of the 80s and 90s. With cars like the GT 86, it’s the first step in the right direction, and a new sportscarwhich many have pegged as the successor to the Supra is in the works.

What it will officially entail has yet to be determined. But based on previous reports, rumors, and a little bit of research- we pulled together 7 things that you need to know regarding the upcoming new Supra, and an exclusive rendering done up our friends at Hansen Art:

It might not actually be called “Supra”

And that’s going to be rather disheartening for a lot of people to hear. As the Gen-Y car-buying market begins to bloom, many are looking for familiar nameplates. It brings back a sense of nostalgia, a sense of what was once great. As of now, Toyota tells us that the Supra moniker is only but a “candidate” in a long list of possible names for the new sportscar.

It’s going to be hybrid

Strike two, for many Supra faithful. The 2JZ (twin-turbo, inline-six) engine was well-loved for its ability to churn out massive amounts of aftermarket power. But as with many hybrid powertrains we see today, many shops tend to stay out of harms way, as working on such a vehicle gets overly complicated and expensive.

Emission standards are hitting automakers hard, and as Toyota sits at the forefront of hybrid research, we don’t doubt the Supra will be the automaker’s next pet project in a line of high-performance, fuel-efficienct sportscars.

It’s going to be powerful

Finally, some good news. Yes, it’s going to be about as powerful as many of the other competing supercars hitting the market at the time (GT-R, R8, Evo XI, etc.). 500-hp, or more, is predicted to come from under the hood.

It’s going to be rear-wheel drive

A breath of fresh air for many worried as to the softening of the Supra. It will remain rear-drive, as confirmed by GT 86 chief engineer Tetsuya Tada. Previous rumors suggested that all-wheel-drive would be in play, but Toyota is sticking to its guns (somewhat) and keeping the buyer in mind.

It might not come with a manual

But then again, neither will most high-performance sportscars succumbing to the hybrid era. Sigh…

It’s going to use plenty of carbon fiber

Carbon fiber is a must on top notch performance vehicles. And with the new Supra, Toyota isn’t slacking on the good stuff. Together, including BMW– with whom they partnered on the i8, you may remember- the Supra successor should come with a similar lightweight build derived from the i8. Although many details are still unclear.

It’s going to be “fun”

I think this is the most important factor here. Sure, it might be a paddle-shifting, hybrid-driving, soft sportster, but Toyota knows how to make fun sportscars. And make them well. The original Supra, the Celica, the 2000GT, the GT 86 have all been heralded as some of the most fun rides on the planet.

We just hope the Supra lives up to expectations. And that we see it soon than later.

The Cloud Technology—Useful but not Perfect!

The Cloud technology is relatively the newest place to store data. The cloud technology is developing now at a rapid pace and is becoming better and better and getting more and more popular among computer users. The experts suggest that this technology will grow further and will become essential as currently the USB flash drive is. The cloud technology is quite useful for the middle-size and large scale firms, however, nothing comes up perfectly. The cloud technology has also various disadvantages and can be injurious to your data.

Cloud technology is like keeping your confidential files in a locker that is situated in the office of your friend. So, the questions that arise would be; who accesses your office would be able to access the locker? How strong is the locking system of that locker? How would you know that the claims your friend is making about that locker’s security are not exaggerated? To make sure that your data remain confidential that is saved in the cloud, you must use security software that enables you to store Lock Files on the server. Your data is just a username and password away from getting breached.

These cloud servers also have some of the technical issues. There can be some situations where even the respectable companies who are offering the space to save your data on the server could not make you to access your data. This situation in the layman term is called ‘link down’.  When the server’ link is down, you just cannot enter your data until and unless that issue is resolved. All in all, the cloud technology is quite useful for the computer users. However, this technology has to be improved by leaps and bounds to get perfect. As the data security is one of the biggest issues for the computer users, that is why, the companies offering this service need to make their security measures foolproof.

For More Information Please Visit:

http://www.newsoftwares.net/folderlock/

Coming Soon: The Slicker, Faster and – Maybe – Cheaper iPhone

Excitement over the new iPhone is building to a frenzy this week as rumors abound that Apple (AAPL) will unveil upgraded models on September 10.

That would be almost exactly a year after Apple introduced the iPhone 5, which grabbed the title of best selling smart phone model in the world last year.

Apple isn’t commenting on new models yet but the September 10 introduction date has been confirmed by major news organizations including the Wall Street Journal’s AllThingsD and dedicated Apple bloggers such as Jim Dalrymple.

The rumored new handset, expected to be called the iPhone 5S, will probably look quite similar to the current model 5 but is sure to be lighter and more powerful than ever. It may also be accompanied by a lower-priced, plastic-cased model, dubbed the iPhone “5C” on the Internet.

Pictures leaked onto the Web of the purported lower-priced iPhone show an array of bright colors instead of just the same old black and white models available in recent years. That would make 2013 a banner year for colorful phones, as the new Google (GOOG) Moto X phone arriving in stores in a few weeks is being offered in 18 colors.

A rising share price

And it's not just customers who are excited about a new iPhone. Investors have been driving up Apple's share price — even before billionaire hedge fund manager Carl Icahn tweeted this week that he had bought a large position. After lagging the market for most of the year, Apple shares have gained 17% over the past month.

Apple remains a top player at the high end of the smartphone market, especially in the United States, where most carriers subsidize more than two-thirds of the cost of a new phone for customers who sign a two-year contract.

The lower-priced phone would help Apple better compete for customers who pay month to month and those who live in less-wealthy countries where carriers don’t offer subsidies. Apple currently offers older models, such as the 2010 iPhone 4, to those customers. But the older phone still costs $450 without a subsidy and may lack the appeal of more recent models running Google’s Android software.

“They’ve been wickedly profitable but their market share is kind of plateauing,” says Ramon Llamas, mobile research manager at IDC. Apple captured 18% of the smartphone market in 2011 and 2012, according to IDC. “A little more attention to emerging markets is warranted.”

Competitors with $200 to $300 phones have been growing faster than Apple in many less-wealthy markets, according to data from Gartner. Apple sold 31.9 million phones worldwide in the second quarter, up just 10% from a year earlier, Gartner reported, second to Samsung. But Apple’s next three competitors – LG Electronics (066570.KS), Lenovo Group (0992.HK) and ZTE (0763.HK) – sold almost as many, 31.8 million combined, as their sales jumped 93%.

Still, Llamas isn’t sure a new lower-priced phone is needed. Lower pricing and greater promotions of older models could work just as well, he argues.

Could the cheap phone move backfire?

And Apple’s rumored move to offer lower-priced new iPhones could backfire. Some analysts fear that a portion of wealthy customers will forgo buying more-expensive models in favor of the “5C.” That could cut into Apple’s revenue and profits. The move could also tarnish Apple’s reputation as a leading premium phone maker, particularly if the lower-priced model is seen as chintzy or with key functions crippled.

But if Apple announces a lower-priced model, it is more likely to create a desirable, full-featured product in keeping with the company’s premium image, according to John Gruber, who has followed Apple for over a decade at his website, DaringFireball.net.

“The 5C is not about selling a piece of junk to some sort of unwashed masses,” Gruber wrote on Tuesday. “It’s about continuing to push the price down to expand the iPhone’s market without changing what the iPhone brand stands for.”

At the high end

Following a pattern Apple has established over several years, the new high-end iPhone is likely to retain the outward appearance of the current iPhone 5. Apple tends to produce a major iPhone overhaul only every other year, in keeping with the two-year contract cycle of many mobile phone subscribers. And pictures floating on the Internet show a rumored new iPhone with a similar shape and upgraded internal components to the current model.

But many analysts expect Apple may incorporate a brand-new feature this year – a fingerprint reader hidden in the iPhone’s tiny home button. Apple bought mobile security firm AuthenTec and its fingerprint-scanning technology last year for $356 million. And text contained in beta versions of Apple’s new iOS 7 software appears to reference a finger print sensor, too.

“It’s a great way to ease the hassle of remembering passwords,” says Ken Hyers, senior analyst at Strategy Analytics. “It will be much more reliable than the facial-recognition technology that Samsung first introduced with the Galaxy S3, and easier to use, too.”

Combined with several wireless technologies already in the iPhone, the fingerprint scanner could also be part of a new mobile-payments network from Apple. That would be quite different from Google’s Google Wallet payment system, which relies on phones that have specialized hardware, known as a Near Field Communications, or NFC, chip. U.S. mobile carriers have blocked Google Wallet apps and are planning to roll out their own NFC-based payment network known as Isis. But neither has caught on yet.

Apple’s system, relying on Bluetooth and Wifi standards, could ignore the NFC wars and build off its existing iOS app called Passbook, which currently works for items like travel and entertainment tickets. Apple mobile development chief Craig Federighi made fun of Android's NFC-based file transfer system at the company's developer conference in June. "There's no need to wander around the room bumping your phone," he said, referencing the system featured prominently in Samsung television ads.

Apple fans hoping for a bigger screen are likely to be disappointed. Android phones have featured ever larger screens – the new LG G2 model unveiled August 7 has a 5.2” screen, one of the biggest yet. Google's Moto X phone has a 4.7" screen.

But Apple is trying to avoid further fragmenting its lineup in order to make it easier for developers to write apps that will look good and run smoothly on all iOS hardware. Analysts expect Apple will stick with the 4” screen introduced on last year's iPhone 5. The screen was slightly longer than earlier models but maintained the same width, so apps that weren’t updated for the new size could just display a black bar over the extra space.

Some analysts say Apple needs to move to bigger screens to better compete against Android. That probably won't happen until the company's 2014 upgrade cycle.

“It’s just like in the movie 'Jaws' – what we need is a bigger boat,” says Roger Entner, founder of Recon Analytics. “If you’re going to charge a premium and seek to delight your customers, you have to be leading, not following, the trend.”

To keep up with all the latest tech industry news, follow Aaron Pressman on Twitter and Tumblr.

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New Targets for Hackers, Your Car and Your House

magine driving on the freeway at 60 miles per hour and your car suddenly screeches to a halt, causing a pileup that injures dozens of people. Now imagine you had absolutely nothing to do with the accident because your car was taken over by hackers.

Charlie Miller, a security researcher at Twitter, and Chris Valasek, director of security intelligence at IOActive, a security research company, recently demonstrated car hacks at the DefConcomputer security conferences in Las Vegas. The researchers completely disabled a driver’s ability to control a vehicle. No brakes. Distorted steering. All with a click of a button. While the demos were with hybrid cars, researchers warn that dozens of modern vehicles could be susceptible.

Hackers and security researchers are moving away from simply trying to break into — or protect — people’s e-mail accounts, stealing credit cards and other dirty digital deeds. Now they’re exploring vulnerabilities to break through the high-tech security of homes, cause car accidents or in some extreme cases, kill people who use implanted medical devices.

“Once any single computer in a car is compromised, safety of the vehicle goes out the window,” Mr. Miller said in an e-mail interview. Modern cars typically have 10 to 40 little computers in them.

“Right now, there aren’t a lot of ways for hackers to remotely attack cars: Bluetooth, wireless tire sensors, telematics units,” he added. “But as cars get Internet connections, things will get easier for the attacker.”

Carmakers and the government are aware that our vehicles are vulnerable. In fact, Mr. Miller and Mr. Valasek received a grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or Darpa, to research ways carmakers can thwart attacks. The biggest fear is the future: as cars become more computerized — or become fully automated, computers on wheels that drive for you — they’ll become more inviting targets.

But the demonstrations by security experts and hackers weren’t a peek at what’s to come. The researchers hacked a Toyota Prius and Ford Escape, two hybrid cars that are already on the road.

Certainly, hackable cars are a troubling development for people who don’t even like to use cruise control.

Now to add to your paranoia, security researchers warned that our homes are more vulnerable than our cars to attackers. That is, if burglars trade in their lockpicks and crowbars for laptops and Wi-Fi scanners.

Devices like the Lockitron, a Wi-Fi enabled front-door lock that can be used with a smartphone, could open a way for technically skilled thieves to break into your home. That’s not to pick on Lockitron. They just happen to be on the cutting-edge of wireless home security.

“We’ve built Lockitron from the ground up with security in mind,” the company said in a statement, while acknowledging that “anyone claiming their system is ‘unhackable’ is wrong.” At the conferences, security experts lauded the company for the protection it has built into the Lockitron.

Hackers could also turn our televisions and webcams against us, monitoring everything we’re saying and doing. Next-generation light bulbs that are connected to the Web could be tampered with. Digital refrigerators could be turned off, allowing food to spoil without your knowledge.

Some hacks could be mere practical jokes, albeit messy ones. Researchers have warned that the Bluetooth-enabled INAX Satis model toilets, which can be controlled via a smartphone app, could easily be hacked to spray water up instead of down. In response to warnings that its toilets could be hacked, INAX said it issued a security update for its toilets this month.

Yes, in the future, you will need to download security updates for your toilet.

And then, there are the usual smartphones fears. At BlackHat, Kevin McNamee, the director of Kindsight Security Labs, demonstrated how to take over an Android smartphone by injecting code through the game “Angry Birds.” Once he had control of the phone, Mr. McNamee was able to remove photos and personal data from the device without the owner having any clue.

Other researchers took over an iPhone by hacking a power adapter — yes, a little white power cord — to suck passwords and e-mails from a device that ran operating systems earlier than iOS 7.

But some of the most advanced security researchers are thinking about even scarier hacks, of implanted medical devices.

Barnaby Jack, who was perhaps best known for a hack that made an A.T.M. spit out cash, was supposed to demonstrate at Black Hat how implantable medical devices, including a pacemaker, can be hacked to kill someone. But Mr. Jack, who was in his 30s, died shortly before he was to make his presentation, of causes that have yet to be determined. He was often referred to as an “ethical hacker” and hoped to show the pacemaker exploit as a warning to device makers.

So, should we dig holes in our yards, bury our computers and smartphones and never drive our cars again? Some researchers said many of these demonstrations were provocative, but they were more theoretical than any sort of real risk we had to worry about today.

“Sometimes there is a gap between the researcher community and the real world. Researchers bridge this gap often, but it’s not uncommon to see conference talks on exotic technologies that don’t really impact our everyday lives just yet,” said Chris Rohlf, founder of Leaf Security Research, a security consulting company, in an interview. “As technology embeds itself into these everyday devices and other parts of our lives, you will see an increased focus on their security. Anywhere you find technology you’ll inevitably find hackers.”

When these technologies do arrive, I would not count on the companies that are installing computers in our cars, homes and bodies to be able to stop rogue hackers.

“We haven’t figured out how to stop attacks against Web browsers in personal computers despite trying for the last 10 years, so there isn’t any reason to think that we can stop attacks against cars or other devices in the near future,” Mr. Miller said. “We should be concerned and start taking action now before something bad happens. I’ll still be using my car and refrigerator in the meantime though.”

Many Modifications—USB still NOT Perfect yet!

Almost 19 years back from today, Toshiba invented the memory. The name ‘flash’ was derived from the way by which memory was erased redolent of the camera i.e. “Flash”. It was just the flash memory that was invented by Toshiba; the first USB drive was introduced by Intel in1988. When these two drives (Flash drive and USB drives) were merged to form a device, USB flash drive was invented. In early 2000, Trek Corporation was the first one to launch a proper USB flash drive in the market. The first USB flash drive that was available in the market had the capacity to store only 8MB of data. Latter, IBM captured the North American market introducing this amazing drive there. The USB flash drive has become much more capable and powerful since its evolution. Like every invention, it takes ages to make it perfect, similarly, USB jump drives have passed through several stages, and the drive we use today are almost 3000 times more competent than the first USB flash drive. USB flash drive had the capability to store much more than a standard CD (Compact Disk), it was easy to carry. The USB flash drives were and are as small as the size of human thumb. That is why, this amazing portable data storing device has several names such as; thumb drive, flash drive, jump drive and some others.

USB flash drive has easily become the ruler of the market of the portable data storing devices, but, still, these drives are the perfect ones. If you study the result of the surveys conducted to know the trends of data breach, you would probably found that this small data storing device is on the top of the list that leaks data. Other than that, these USB memory sticks are the ones that are to be blamed for spreading viruses. Studies have suggested that more than quarter of the malware is being spread through these portable data storing devices. USB flash drive has also given employees, and other workers to steal data easier than ever before. The employees are allowed to bring their devices to work according to the new principle BYOD (Bring Your Own Device), this principle is adopted by the companies to increase the output of the employees. Other than that, employees want to take their data home so that they can complete their task at home. This can boost their performance and can bring bigger opportunities for them ahead. Among these kind of employees, there are also some workers who do not have the same intentions and they take data to sell it to some other competitor or organization.

The biggest threat is imposed to the data by USB flash drive is due to its small size. These drives are tough to take care of and are very much prone to getting lost or stolen. The majority of the user of these drives does not pay serious attention towards its security and keep the thumb drive unsecure. The users can make their data that is saved in the USB flash drive secure by using security software that cans Secure USB. Even if you misplace or lose your portable drive, your data will remain inaccessible for any crook.

More Information Visit:

http://www.newsoftwares.net/usb-secure/

Meet The “Best Racecar That Never Was”

John F. Kennedy famously said, “Success has many fathers, but failure is an orphan.” Then what does that make a car that could have been a success, but was never given the chance? This is the story of one such car; its near miss with history, and the crash that removed it from the limelight.

In the 1950s, Jaguar was a prominent face in auto racing. By 1960, the British automaker has begun talking about a mid-engined car, as other makes had brought mid-engined cars to Le Mans with success. Also, the idea of a V12 engine had been bandied about since 1950, with the hopes of dual overhead cams. While the single overhead cam V12 that started in the XK would eventually make its way into a racecar, this particular DOHC V12 was a dedicated design for a car that would come to be named XJ13.

This engine was essentially two inline-6 engines mated together, and would make its way into a body that was crafted byMalcom Sayer. Having designed the C-Type, D-Type, E-Type and XJS, Sayer formed the aluminum body using lessons learned from his career at the Bristol Aerospace Company.

The front suspension had a similar design as that of the E-Type, but the rear was of a unique layout. During the time this car was being developed, Jaguar driver Lofty England was a presence at Le Mans, fielding the C-Type and D-Type through the 1950s. Lofty and Jaguar designers had high hopes for the XJ13, but the car was never a priority for the company, especially with its current front-engined cars in service.

With the dominance of the Ford GT40, the XJ13 was already considered obsolete before it ever ran a race. So, if anything the car was a study in performance and design. As such, it was intended to be used for promotional purposes of the V12 engine, with the V12-powered Series 3 E-Type debuting in 1971.

The car was brought to a racetrack so it could be filmed at speed. It had a wheel with a plugged leaky tire, which deflated over the course of the driving session. When the tire had become too low, the XJ13 flipped, and crashed hard. Thankfully driver Norman Dewis was not hurt, but the car was not so lucky. The nearly destroyed car was put into storage at Jaguar.

Years later, Edward Loades saw the wreck and suggested that the car should be rebuilt. Loades was crucial to the creation of most of the aluminum bodied Jag’s of the era, and his Abbey Panels Companywas capable of many gorgeous and functional shapes. Loades used some of the original parts as templates to create new ones. As such, Jaguar disclaimed that the finished restoration was not an exact reproduction. Though Jaguar did not consider it to be original, it was impressive enough that Lofty England drove it around the circuit at Silverstone prior to the British Grand Prix. The car currently resides at the UK’s Heritage Motor Centere Museum.

It has since been called the “best racecar that never was” by Jaguar fans. Perhaps, but it could also have been the prettiest Jaguar that never was. Considering cars like the XK120and E-Type, that is high praise, indeed.

Bruce Willis Out, Harrison Ford In For 'The Expendables 3'

Harrison Ford joins 'The Expendables' crew (Photo: Lionsgate/Getty)

We actually have a good feeling about this.

There has been a lot of speculating as to which old-timer action star(s) Sylvester Stallone will be recruiting for the third installment in his over-the-hill shoot-'em-up series, "The Expendables." But one name that probably no one was expecting to show up on the roll call is Harrison Ford (even though rumors had been swirling about it).

The man who brought life to both Han Solo and Indiana Jones has joined the cast of "The Expendables 3," according to Stallone himself and later confirmed by The Wrap. The writer-star announced the news via Twitter:

The tweet also reveals that Bruce Willis won't be reprising his role as Church in the third film. Willis and Stallone apparently didn't part on good terms, as Sly slammed his former co-star (confirmed by Stallone's reps via Huffington Post) in a tweet following the announcement about Ford:

Sheesh, way to go, Bruce! No more friendship for you!

Anyway, this has us thinking that Ford will be taking Willis' place in a new "handler" kind of part (Ha! We get goosebumps just thinking about it!). We'll see if we're right when details on Ford's character come in, whenever that may be.

Sylvester Stallone has been having almost as much fun with Twitter as an announcement platform as "X-Men: Days of Future Past" director Bryan Singer. On March 12, he posted, "Writing EX3 at the moment ... there are going to be mountains of surprises." And when a rumor began to circulate thatMel Gibson was being courted to direct "The Expendables 3," Stallone posted, "Mel is a MAGNIFICENT director! Pure passion on every level. We'd be blessed to have him. A REAL long shot, but LIFE is a long shot — right?"

[Related: Stallone Casts Snipes in 'Expendables 3' (on Tax Day, Of Course)]

A new addition to "The Expendables" family was Sly's "Demolition Man" buddy Wesley Snipes, who rather ironically joined the cast of the third film on April 15 as tax preparers scrambled to prepare their last-minute reports. As of May 2013, Nicolas Cage, Jackie Chan and Milla Jovovich were in "advanced negotiations" to join the cast, though their involvement has yet to be confirmed.

While Arnold Schwarzenegger reprising his role as Trench seems to be a question mark, series regulars Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren, Terry Crews, and Randy Couture are all expected to return, with Mickey Rourke coming back to reprise his role as Tool after sitting out "The Expendables 2":

Ultimate Truth
They're soldiers for hire, and this time they have a massive axe to grind -- playing out ultimate revenge on behalf of a fallen comrade. When it comes to the making of "The Expendables 2" there is a lot of fact to sort out from the fiction. Find out what's true and what's false in this week's Five Film Facts. less 

 

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And then there are the casting rumors, which usually end up being more fun than any actual "Expendables" movie. Steven Seagal claimed that he'd been offered a role in the third film even before the second one came out last summer, and Clint Eastwood's name has been floating around as a possibility (which would probably be just too awesome for an "Expendables" movie to handle).

It will be interesting to see how this film takes shape. Meanwhile, we can hopefully look forward to a scene in which Harrison Ford puts that young whippersnapper Jason Statham in his place.

"The Expendables 3" will hit theaters on August 15, 2014.

Newspapers Are Billionaires’ Latest Trophies, New York Times

.Just $250 million.

That’s all Jeffrey P. Bezos paid on Monday for The Washington Post, which was once worth several billion dollars.

$70 million. That’s all John Henry paid on Friday for The Boston Globe, a paper The New York Times had acquired for $1.1 billion in 1993.

Next to nothing. That’s what IBT Media paid to buy Newsweek over the weekend from IAC, which itself had paid only $1 plus $40 million in pension obligations to buy it two years ago.

How do you explain the prices that these storied media institutions have been sold for over the last 72 hours?

The answer has little to do with dollars and cents, spreadsheets and valuation metrics. If it did, in truth, the buyers might have paid even less.

If it wasn’t clear that newspapers have become trophies for the wealthy with an interest in journalism or power — or a combination of both — it should be now.

“These deals don’t make financial sense,” said Ken Doctor, an analyst at Outsell, a research and consulting firm for the publishing industry.

He suggested that Mr. Bezos’s valuation of The Washington Post was a generous gift. “It is a combination of good will and real estate,” he said, before adding, “I mean good will in the moral sense, not the financial sense.”

Mr. Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon.com, is paying cash for The Washington Post out of his own personal wealth, currently estimated at more than $25 billion. The Post will cost him roughly 1 percent of what he owns in Amazon stock alone.

Some billionaires like cars, yachts and private jets. Others like newspapers.

“Newspapers have gone from the public markets to the hands of a relatively few billionaires who have an appetite for social, civic and financial roles,” Mr. Doctor said.

Based on the math, it is hard to justify a $250 million valuation for The Washington Post. The company reported it lost nearly $50 million for the first half of the year on its newspaper operation that generated $138.4 million in revenue. Of the $50 million loss, nearly $40 million was a noncash pension expense. So you could argue that the company lost only $10 million on operations. But it lost $33 million in the first half of 2012, too, also including pension costs. Circulation fell about 7 percent in the first half of 2013.

At the end of last year, the company valued its newspaper assets at $293.6 million, no doubt a generous figure.

For the Washington Post Company, which will remain publicly traded and renamed, probably to reflect its focus on its education business, Kaplan, and its television stations, the sale of the newspaper represents a very small part of its business. The Washington Post Company’s market value is $4.2 billion.

But the newspaper, which has been owned by four generations of the family since 1933, was not just a business.

Underscoring the size of the newspaper to the company, Katharine Weymouth, publisher of the newspaper, justified the sale by saying this in an interview with The Washington Post: “If journalism is the mission, given the pressures to cut costs and make profits, maybe (a publicly traded company) is not the best place for The Post.”

By taking the newspaper private, Mr. Bezos can afford to be a patient owner. Profit and loss is probably the least of his concerns. A running joke on Monday was this from Ben Popper, the editor at the Web site the Verge, on Twitter: “Jeff Bezos has reputation for building great companies with little to no profit, perfect guy to own a newspaper.”

While Mr. Bezos may not be buying the paper for immediate profits, it may not be entirely altruistic either. His parents, Jackie and Mike Bezos, run the Bezos Family Foundation, which is not expected to be involved in the business.

As part of the deal, Mr. Bezos is assuming the pension obligations of the current employees of the newspaper. Compared with the deal John Henry, owner of the Boston Red Sox, struck for The Boston Globe on Friday, Mr. Bezos looks like a lavish benefactor. Mr. Henry paid $70 million, but The Boston Globe has approximately $110 million in pension obligations, which The New York Times Company is keeping on its books.

One billionaire who has been bullish on newspapers, not just as a benefactor, but as a business, is Warren Buffett. His company, Berkshire Hathaway, has acquired a series of newspapers, including The Omaha World-Herald, where he lives and grew up, and more from Media General.

In my conversations with him over the last year, he has stressed that he likes small, community newspapers because there is a built-in audience that can’t get the news elsewhere. But he has expressed doubts about regional newspapers, like The Los Angeles Times. Berkshire is a major shareholder of the Washington Post Company and Mr. Buffett was on the board for many years, until 2011.

At Berkshire’s annual meeting, Mr. Buffett said he expected his newspapers to make a profit, but “it’s not going to move the needle at Berkshire.”

On Monday night, just hours after The Post announced its sale to Mr. Bezos, James Fallows, a former editor of U.S. News & World Report who writes for The Atlantic, said the deal put him in a state of shock.

“Let us hope,” he wrote, “that this is what the sale signifies: The beginning of a phase in which this Gilded Age’s major beneficiaries reinvest in the infrastructure of our public intelligence.”