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June 24, 2011
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LulzSec IRC chat leaked; group says it was just a ‘subcrew channel’

By on June 24, 2011 at 7:00 PM.

LulzSec IRC chat leaked; group says it was just a ‘subcrew channel’

The Guardian has posted the full text of what is reportedly a LulzSec IRC chat room log from May 31st to June 4th. LulzSec — the notorious hacking group responsible for recent attacks on Sony, the CIA’s website, and the U.S. Senate — has fired back claiming that the room’s sole purpose is for recruiting new members. The Guardian reported that LulzSec’s members include hackers “Kayla,” “Topiary” — who runs the group’s Twitter feed and writers the press releases — and “Sabu,” who services as the group’s father figure and mastermind. The chat log, from a room called #pure-elite, is filled with text from other IRC users including “jopie91,” “Neuron,” “Storm,” “trollpoll,” and “voodoo,” but LulzSec’s press release said that those users just “hang out” with the group and aren’t involved with LulzSec. The IRC conversations run the gamut from comedic content to serious warnings. In one instance, the group’s alleged leader Sabu issued a command: “You realise we smacked the FBI today. This means everyone in here must remain extremely secure.” LulzSec affirmed that it’s still operating at full strength and added: “The Lulz Boat sails stronger than ever, nice try though. We are too sexy to be sunk, hacking continues as usual, u mad bros?” Read on for the full press release from LulzSec. More →

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Security
June 21, 2011
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LulzSec denies reports of leader’s arrest

By on June 21, 2011 at 2:39 PM.

LulzSec denies reports of leader’s arrest

There are numerous reports claiming that the leader of the now infamous hacking group LulzSec has been arrested in the United Kingdom. According to London’s Metropolitan Police, the shadowy leader was a 19-year old responsible for hacking “a number of international businesses and intelligence agencies.” The group took responsibility for Sony’s recent massive security breach and has also targeted a number of high-visibility websites, including that of the Central Intelligence Agency, and has waged war on the U.S. government with another group dubbed Anonymous. Despite the reports, however, LulzSec has denied that any of its members have been arrested. Early Tuesday morning the group tweeted: “Seems the glorious leader of LulzSec got arrested, it’s all over now… wait… we’re all still here! Which poor b****** did they take down?” More →

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Security
June 6, 2011
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Sony suffers yet another breach; Sony Music Brazil site hacked

By on June 6, 2011 at 9:31 AM.

Sony suffers yet another breach; Sony Music Brazil site hacked

The list of hacked Sony properties continues to grow as Sony Music Brazil finds its website the latest victim in a long line of breaches. The company’s website was the target of a cyberattack on Saturday night and nearly 36 hours later, the site is still offline. Initially, the hackers defaced the site with a single page titled “Hacked The UnderTaker,” which apparently contained nicknames of several people responsible for the attack. More than 12 hours later, the website was finally taken offline. Sony Music Brazil has not commented on the breach and it is unclear if any private data was exposed. More →

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Gaming
May 18, 2011
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Sony’s PlayStation Network password reset page compromised

By on May 18, 2011 at 12:06 PM.

Sony’s PlayStation Network password reset page compromised

According to reports from numerous gaming sites, the password reset page for Sony’s PlayStation Network has been exploited. Sony built the page in an effort to allow users, whose accounts were already compromised during a major security breach last month, to reset their security credentials. However, hackers who stole the information from Sony can reset users’ passwords by knowing and account holder’s email address and birthday — information they’ve already stolen. Forum members on Nyleveia have suggested that PSN users create a new email address specifically for use with PSN. Sony has taken the website offline, and said: “Unfortunately this also means that those who are still trying to change their password via PlayStation.com or Qriocity.com will still be unable to do so for the time being.” Sounds like Sony really needs to get those new security measures in place, stat. More →

52 Comments
Software
May 12, 2011
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Twitter unveils redesigned web app

By on May 12, 2011 at 7:35 AM.

Twitter unveils redesigned web app

Twitter on Wednesday took the wraps off a redesigned version of its mobile website that has already begun rolling out to select users. The new design, most agree, represents a marked improvement over the inefficient, cartoony mobile site design found on the company’s current mobile web app. Twitter’s mobile web redesign looks much more like its native iPhone app, which makes sense considering the company’s recent promise to create a more unified experience across platforms. We still far prefer native apps, of course, as web apps currently don’t have the same access to the plethora of APIs on various platforms that allow developers to build fluid, comprehensive apps. The new mobile site design is already being rolled out to “a small percentage” of Twitter users with Android phones, iPhones and iPod touch devices. Twitter says is will continue rolling out the new site to more users fitting that criteria in the coming weeks. More →

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Software
April 29, 2011
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Android 2.3.4 available to Nexus S owners via manual download

By on April 29, 2011 at 7:41 AM.

Android 2.3.4 available to Nexus S owners via manual download

Did you really think the kiddies over at XDA were going to wait “a few weeks” to get their mitts on Android 2.3.4? Of course not. A sleuthy forum member has uncovered the manual download link for Google’s latest iteration of Gingerbread. The file will update a stock Nexus S, running Android 2.3.3, to the most recent code — for those of you fluent in Android flashing, the package will update devices running build number GRI40 to GRJ22. Sorry Nexus One faithful, nothing for you… yet. If you’re a Nexus S owner looking to get your video-chat on, hit the jump for the download link and enjoy. More →

29 Comments
Tablets
March 11, 2011
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Apple Online Store lists iPad 2 with 2-3 week shipping delay

By on March 11, 2011 at 9:21 AM.

Apple Online Store lists iPad 2 with 2-3 week shipping delay

The early bird gets the worm. If you didn’t rouse yourself at 4:00 a.m. EST to order an iPad 2 online, you’re going to have a little bit of a wait on your hands. Apple’s online store has now placed a 2-3 week shipping lag on all iPad 2 models and colors. If you absolutely must have the tablet before then, you may want to come up with a retail strategy. The iPad 2 will be available beginning at 5:00 p.m. EST this evening at a host of retailers across the States. If you plan on venturing out for a retail iPad 2 purchase, good luck. More →

26 Comments
mobile
February 7, 2011
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Sprint accidentally outs Kyocera Echo hours ahead of media event

By on February 7, 2011 at 4:03 PM.

Sprint accidentally outs Kyocera Echo hours ahead of media event

Just hours ahead of its planned media event, Sprint has accidentally outed the big announcement. According to the company’s website, Sprint will be launching the dual-screen Kyocera Echo smartphone — the same device that we were hearing rumors about this morning. The short blurb notes that the Echo will provide users with a combined 4.7-inches of screen real-estate and “the space needed to run the apps that connect you to the people and information you need every day.” The two screens can be used in unison or independently to run multiple apps… pretty slick. We’ll know more just a few hours from now. Be sure keep it locked on BGR for our hands-on and first thoughts.
More →

21 Comments
Internet
February 4, 2011
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‘The Daily’ hits the Web – unofficially

By on February 4, 2011 at 1:01 AM.

‘The Daily’ hits the Web – unofficially

Mr. Murdoch et al. took the wraps off of News Corp’s The Daily at a press conference on Wednesday. The gist of the new digital publication is that it’s a daily newspaper built for the iPad that offers original content and immersive, interactive features. Sounds cool. But what about the majority of the world, which still finds itself iPad-less in spite of all that magic? And what about frugal owners of the magical iPad who can’t be bothered to fork over a buck each week to support the hard work of The Daily’s news team and creators? Well luckily for both camps, we now have The Daily: Indexed. Programmer Andy Baio has put together a Tumblog that indexes The Daily content each day and presents it as a list of links. All of the articles linked by the Tumblog are hosted on The Daily website, though they are really only intended to be shared via email, Facebook or Twitter from within the iPad app. If you’re looking for a taste of Rupert’s new “paper” and don’t have access to an iPad to take advantage of the free two-week trial, The Daily: Indexed has the the goods. More →

15 Comments
Software
February 2, 2011
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Google launches Web-based Android Market

By on February 2, 2011 at 1:53 PM.

Google launches Web-based Android Market

During a press conference on Wednesday, Google announced and subsequently launched a Web-based version of the Android Market. Providing functionality similar to iTunes where apps are concerned, the new Android Market website will allow users to browse Android software from any computer with a Web browser. Previously, users could only browse the Market on Android phones and tablets. The new Android Market site is live right now and can be reached from the read link below. More →

35 Comments
mobile
January 28, 2011
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White iPhone 4 disappears from AT&T site, pops up on Apple sites

By on January 28, 2011 at 3:30 AM.

White iPhone 4 disappears from AT&T site, pops up on Apple sites

Following our report earlier this week, BGR has learned that AT&T removed references to the white iPhone 4 from its online account management tool (OLAM) on Thursday. The pale phone had appeared in a drop down menu accessible from AT&T’s customer profile editor. But evidence that a white iPhone 4 will soon launch continues to mount. Apple enthusiast blog 9 to 5 Mac points out that images of a white iPhone have recently appeared on Apple’s Australian website as well as its German site, before being removed. According to earlier unconfirmed reports, the white iPhone 4 may finally become available toward the end of February. More →

18 Comments
Services
January 26, 2011
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Twitter rolls out new ‘Connections’ feature

By on January 26, 2011 at 2:51 PM.

Twitter rolls out new ‘Connections’ feature

Twitter on Wednesday began rolling out a new feature called “Connections.” The feature, which is already common on other social networks, gives users a new way to discover and follow people they might otherwise not have found. The Connections view is visible when browsing another user’s profile page on the twitter.com website. It provides two main views: a brief sampling of mutual followers and a brief sampling of people you both follow. Alternatively, users can view a full list of mutual followers or people in common that they follow by selection the relevant options from drop down menus on a user’s “Following” or “Followers” timelines, as seen above. Twitter first tested the Connections feature last summer and while the company has yet to announce the new feature today, Connections appears to be rolling out to all users at this time.

Thanks, Adam

2 Comments
Software
January 6, 2011
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Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 update page indicates a January release

By on January 6, 2011 at 9:41 AM.

Microsoft’s Windows Phone 7 update page indicates a January release

During last night’s keynote, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was pretty tight-lipped about an exact release date for the company’s first major Windows Phone 7 update; all that was said was, “in the next few months.” But a quick glance at the URL Microsoft is using to tell consumers about the benefits of said update points to a release sometime this month. The pages address is:

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsphone/en-us/features/january-update.aspx

and goes on to detail the update’s payload. Additions and improvements include: copy and paste, faster app and game start-up times, and better Marketplace search. You don’t have to take our word for it. Hit the read link and have a look for yourself. More →

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