The latest on the iPhone worm list is the Duh! Its purpose is as nasty as it name…

Duh steals data like the users’ bank information, user id, password, etc. It consists of shell scripts that steal bank information from the users. It scans IP addresses to connect with the default SSH or secure shell password that is used to connect remotely over the internet. Once it has located its prey, it installs its collection of software onto the iPhone.

The software changes the users’ SSH password to its own and sends the users’ data to the hackers’ servers. It also steals the authentication codes that are used by banks in order to protect their customers’ while performing any financial transaction by means of their iPhone. Duh even steals the mobile transaction authentication number, an additional authentication layer provided by many of the banks.

The main reason for the iPhone to be susceptible to the worm is purely the carelessness of the iPhone users themselves. The users miss to change the default passwords as suggested by the manufacturer on jailbreaking their iPhones. Well, if you are wondering what jailbreaking is, it is a process by which the user bypasses Apple’s official distribution mechanism and allows them to download and install applications not provided by the manufacturer easily.

So, is there a way to know if your phone has been infected with Duh? Yes, it depletes the battery quickly.

To clean up an infected iphone, identify the worm and remove it completely or restore the manufacturer’s firmware.

Beware, iPhone users! The best way to safe guard your iphone is by not removing the manufacturer’s protection under any circumstance. If there is a necessity to download any file that is not provided by the manufacturer, ensure that you change the default SSH password.

The traffic is monitored by tracking network congestion where data flow is small. The data to be transferred between 2 computers is split into packets and sent from the source system to the destination system. The Capsa Network Analyzer can function as a packet sniffer, capturing and decoding these packets: in layman’s terms, you can say it reads the packet; thus making it easier to isolate the problem. It can also track acknowledgements on receiving the packets and retransmissions between the source and destination systems.

Capsa also analyzes protocols like HTTP abbreviated as hyper text transfer protocol requests, SMTP or mail transfer protocols, file transfers and domain network services that translate the domain of the destination from user friendly data to IP address which a computer can understand and vice versa. It can be used to identify incorrect configurations for gateway, by tracking the connectivity between the source and destination systems. Gateway is the router that connects the system to the internet or intranet and servers. Capsa can also be used to track security breaches. By monitoring the file transfers one can track transfer of unauthorized files.

Filters can also be set using the Capsa Network analyzer in order to locate and identify problems in the network. But unless the user knows where to locate the problem and sets the filter accordingly, Capsa will not identify the problem by itself. The results are provided in a user friendly manner such that any user with some network knowledge can understand. It displays the packet decoding information in Hex, ASCII and EBCDIC codes and of course one can choose the mode of his results. Results are also displayed in graphs helping one to read the results easily.

Though internet is used by nearly everyone, Capsa requires the user to have some technical knowledge of networking. It can be best suited for business than individual users. It is definitely of great use to networking professionals.

Expectations were on the rise when Research in Motion made public its intention to introduce a successor model to its already well going smart phone model, the Blackberry Bold 9000. It is tough to meet user expectations on succeeding models, especially when the previous version has been a real hit. However, irrespective of the odds, one must say that the new Blackberry Bold 9700 will certainly live up to the expectations. Let’s have a quick overview on the abounding features that it comprises of. Here we go…

The first thing that everyone gets to see is the appearance. The Bold 9700 comes at a 4.3 ounce weight (actually 3.17 ounce without the battery), the dimensions being: 4.29 inches high, 2.36 inches wide and 0.56 inches thick.

You are sure to be stumped by the multitude of features the 9700 hosts. I don’t intend to keep you waiting, so I will leave it to you to use and decide how much it means to you. And so, here are the key features:

• A big, high resolution screen display with over 65000 colors
• 3.2 megapixel camera with 2X digital zoom
• 256 megabytes of internal memory - can be expanded by using a microSD card2
• 624 MHz processor
• Qwerty keyboard of 35 keys
• Trackpad navigation designed based on how it functions in laptops
• 1500 mAh removable/rechargeable cryptographic Lithium battery
• Wi-Fi support and access to high speed network connections – compatible with 3G, GSM and UMTS
• Battery lifetime up to 6 hours in both GSM and UMTS networks and a standby time of up to 21 days in GSM and 17 days in UMTS
• Numerous music, videos, photos and documents in the multimedia and also up to 38 hours of music playback time
• Security features such as password protection, screen lock, sleep mode, etc
• Bluetooth
• Blackberry maps and GPS facility

With so much to boast about, the Blackberry Bold 9700 is sure to stand up to expectations.

There are quite a few players who have ventured into offering high-speed wireless internet services in India recently. One such recent launches is the Tata Photon Plus, the mobile wireless broadband internet service launched recently by Tata Teleservices.

The Tata Photon Plus can be accessed by two means:

• USB modem – this is the most preferred mode for individual users who might use either a laptop or desktop PC.
• Router – this is the most preferred mode for businesses or for people who want to access the internet simultaneously in many computers.

Tata Teleservices claims that the Tata Photon Plus offers a maximum speed of 3.1 Mega bytes per second. However, the actual speed might vary based on various factors such as time of the day, number of users accessing the service at any given time, the webpage that is opened, etc.

Any user of the USB modem can access Tata Photon Plus high speed wireless internet connection at any location, even while they are traveling. Although the Photon Plus service is available in only selected cities in India, the device automatically switches over to the Photon Whiz (a wireless internet service offered by Tata Teleservices that provides a speed of 144 Kilo bytes per second) and thus will ensure uninterrupted service wherever you go.

Nokia, one of the world’s leading manufacturers of mobile phones, today unveiled its latest venture to the rest of the world. This time around, they have come up with a handsome mini laptop named “The Booklet 3G”.

Nokia success in the realm of mobile phones has now paved the way for its expansion into manufacturing laptops. The Booklet 3G has an ultra portable aluminium chasis, measures a little more than 2 centimeters in thickness and weighs 1.25 Kg

With the introduction of the Booklet 3G, Nokia still sticks to its promise of “connecting people”. The attractive mini laptop provides you with a wide range of connectivity options that include 3G/ HSPA, Wi-Fi and a GPS receiver, giving the end user high speed internet access. You really can’t expect less from a leading mobile phone manufacturer! Can you?

Other features include:

• A 12 hour battery life
• Powered by Intel atom processor
• Runs on Microsoft Windows
• Includes Nokia’s broad suite of Ovi services
• 10-inch screen
• HDMI port
• A front facing camera which makes video calling easy
• A built in SD card reader
• An integrated Bluetooth

With its Hi-Fi features such as the Ovi maps gadget, you could accurately pinpoint where you are located in just a matter of seconds. The 12-hour battery life and other connectivity features ensure that you could stay “well-connected” through most part of the day, without the headache of having to carry all your battery charging equipments.

Its features are no way less in terms of looks. Its style is sure to capture the heart of many.

More specs are expected to be revealed on September 2nd on Nokia World. With all its packaging that include handsome looks, striking and fancy features, the Booklet 3G mini laptop is a sure eye-catcher.

Weighing at 4.62 pounds, the IdeaPad U450p is now available in three models:

• Lenovo IdeaPad U450P – 3389-26U
• Lenovo IdeaPad U450P – 3389-28U
• Lenovo IdeaPad U450P – 3389-29U

All the models of IdeaPad U450p have the following features in common:

• A sleek 14-inch, high definition, glossy, anti-glare widescreen display with LED backlight, offering a 1366×768 resolution
• An integrated 1.3 mega pixel camera
• Lenovo’s VeriFace face recognition software that helps to control access to the notebook by recognizing the face
• A full size keyboard with six rows that include the Fn keys and recovery button
• A two-button touchpad with scroll feature and multitouch enabled, conferring to industry standards
• An integrated optical drive which is a DVD recordable w/X6 Ultrabase
• A 6-cell lithium ion battery with a battery life of up to 6 hours
• Intel integrated graphics X4500
• A premium Dolby audio system with two stereo speakers
• Lenovo rescue system that provides OneKey recovery and OneKey Antivirus without having to boot into Windows

Features specific to each model is a follows:

Lenovo IdeaPad U450P – 3389-26U:

• Powered by an Intel Pentium SU2700 (1.3 GHz, 800 MHz FSB 2MB) central processing unit
• Windows Vista Premium 32 operating system
• A 3 GB memory
• A 250 GB hard drive space
• A Broadcomm 11b/g Wi-Fi wireless network card

Lenovo IdeaPad U450P – 3389-28U:

• Powered by an Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 (1.4 GHz, 800 MHz FSB 3MB) central processing unit
• Windows Vista Premium 64 operating system
• A 4 GB memory
• A 320 GB hard drive space
• Intel wireless Wi-Fi link 5100 network card

Lenovo IdeaPad U450P – 3389-29U:

• Powered by an Intel Core 2 Solo SU3500 (1.4 GHz, 800 MHz FSB 3MB) central processing unit
• Windows Vista Premium 64 operating system
• A 4 GB memory
• A 500 GB hard drive space
• Intel wireless Wi-Fi link 5100 network card

Well, the IdeaPad U450p, with its mix of ultraportable power sleek profile and smart features, is most likely to give its users a good and comfortable experience!

It is the first cell phone in the US to be constructed from eco-friendly, bio-plastic material. It is made up of 70 percent recyclable material. 40 percent of Reclaim’s outer casing is made of bio-plastic material extracted from corn. It is free from Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), phthalates and almost free from brominated flame retardants (BFR) – all of which are considered to be harmful to the ecosystem. Even the images and text printed on the box as well as the phone warranty information are printed with soy ink!

As for features, Reclaim can be related to Samsung’s ‘Exclaim’ model. Its application runs on BREW and JAVA and offers basic web browsing, e-mail and access to social networking sites Myspace and Facebook. However, it does not feature a Wi-Fi option. Other features include a 2.4 inch (320 x 240 pixels) LED screen (not a touch screen), a slide-out full QUERTY keyboard, Sprint navigation with search, 2 mega pixel camera with 3X digital zoom and camcorder, advanced stereo Bluetooth 2.0, a micro-SD card slot with a 512 MB card included and expandable memory storage up to 32 GB. Weighing just 3.5 ounces, the phone comes in two natural colors “Earth green and “Ocean blue”.

The charger for this cell phone is 12 times more power-efficient than the Energy Star standard for standby power consumption. It is Energy Star approved for concurring to the highest energy efficiency standards prescribed by the US environmental protection agency and the US department of energy. It also has a light that alerts you when the battery is fully charged.

Well, another amicable news is that this eco-friendly cell phone that is likely to hit the market in the mid of August 2009, is also friendly to the pocket, coming at a price tag of about $50.

Most of the western countries including the United States use 110-120 Volts as their electrical standard while almost every other country uses 220-240 Volts as the electrical standard. In most countries Alternating current (AC) is the method of delivering electricity, however, there are a few countries that use Direct current (DC) for delivering electricity. Appliances would get easily destroyed if they are plugged in to the wrong electric systems that they are not meant to be working in. To overcome these difficulties one of the following is used as the need may be:

- Adapter: a connector which simply changes the plug shape to match the outlet
- Converter and inverter: devices which convert AC to DC and DC to AC respectively
- Transformer: a device by which alternating current of one voltage is changed to another voltage.

The MiLi universal charger is one device that practically eliminates all these difficulties. BeamBox has recently introduced their new universal charger. Christened MiLi, it can be used across the globe. MiLi comes with four interchangeable plug adapters that are capable of plugging into the UK, European, US and Australian type sockets. It also has a flip-out in-car plug that enables one to charge their gadget even in their car. The MiLi universal charger also comes with two USB ports, where one can plug their devices’ original USB adapter and also charge two devices at the same time from the same unit. To add on to it, each USB port comes with an LED which changes in color in order to relay the charge state. And the best part is that it is designed to operate with 12-24 V DC as well as 100-240 V AC power supplies and has over-current and short-circuit protection features, enabling this palm sized charger to be used in any corner of the globe. Gadget lovers and frequent globetrotters are going to love this product!

As per the Microsoft-Yahoo search deal, Microsoft will obtain an exclusive ten years license to Yahoo’s search technologies and also be able to integrate Yahoo’s search technologies into its existing web search platforms. Microsoft’s Bing search platform will be the sole algorithmic and paid search platform for all Yahoo sites. This means that Microsoft will now power Yahoo search i.e., Bing search engine will become the default search engine for Yahoo sites. However, Yahoo will continue to use its technology and data in other areas of its business such as enhancing display advertising technology. Yahoo will own the user experience in all Yahoo sites, including the user experience for search, even though it will be powered by Microsoft technology. Also, Yahoo will do the necessary sales advertising for both companies’ premium search advertisers.

The Microsoft-Yahoo search deal is expected to benefit web users and advertisers in such a way that it improves their web search experience by churning out search results fast and also with lot of relevance; thereby increasing internet efficiency. By combining both companies’ complementary strengths and search platforms and the scale provided by Yahoo, it is likely that the pace and breadth of internet search and search advertising is bound for a new high with Bing. The Microsoft-Yahoo search deal also provides for protecting consumer privacy by restricting the data sharing between both the companies to a minimum necessary that is needed to operate and improve the combined search platform, Bing.

“Will ‘Bing’ bong Google?” - Only time can tell…

Make your children aware of the demerits of giving away personal information over the internet, or to agree to meet unknown people, or give out their personal photographs to anyone online.

Many Internet Service providers have some parental controls through which parents can easily control the reach of their connection. Block access to certain Web pages, chat rooms, groups and other Internet communities which are unfit for children.

Today several software are also available for low costs through which you can easily block access to certain objectionable sites and prevent children from disclosing personal information on the Internet. You can even have some categories of sites blocked which you need not to detect manually.

Be aware of your children when they start spending much time online. Also try to monitor them manually time to time and make sure that they are actually using the Internet securely.