Google Maps Street View Begins in Intramuros

Google begins efforts to capture Street View imagery in the Philippines and publishes first 360-degree photos of Intramuros.With the cooperation of the Department of Tourism of the Philippines, Google announced today that it will start driving Street View cars in the Philippines to capture panoramic imagery of the country for the first time. Google is also publishing special 360-degree imagery of four locations within Intramuros so that Filipinos and people around the world can view and experience these historic sites in a new, immersive way.

Street View is a popular feature of Google Maps that allows people to virtually explore cities on Google Maps through 360-degree photographs taken at street level. With Street View imagery available in over 50 countries, today Google kicks off the first towards bringing the feature to the Philippines. Starting in the city of Manila, Google will drive colorful Street View cars equipped with special cameras to collect panoramic imagery of the Philippines. From there, the cars will continue to drive across the country, and once Street View imagery is published, people will be able to explore the Philippines on Google Maps from anywhere in the world.

For those keen to start virtually touring Manila today, Google is publishing special Street View panoramas of four sites at Intramuros: San Agustin Church, Baluarte de San Diego, Plaza San Luis Complex and Fort Santiago. These 360-degree photos were collected using the Street View Trekker, a wearable backpack camera system that is part of the Street View fleet. Google plans to use the Trekker, along with the Street View Trolley, a pushcart camera system, to capture more of the Philippines’ off-road, natural and indoor destinations as part of their efforts to bring more Filipino sites online for the world to see.

Google also hopes Street View will provide Filipinos with different ways of exploring favorite and new local spots, as well as with more relevant and useful online map services.

“Our partnership with Google to bring Street View to the Philippines will allow us to create a digital experience of our landscapes, which we hope will entice more people around the world to learn about our diverse offerings and visit our country. For us here at home, Street View can also help make the maps of our country even “more fun” and interesting, as well as enable Filipinos to explore their country more, which in turn can help boost domestic travel and tourism,” Philippine Tourism Secretary Ramon Jimenez Jr. said.

Google goes to great lengths to safeguard privacy on Google Maps while enabling people to explore and learn from Street View imagery. Google has developed highly sophisticated technology that effectively blurs human faces and license plates of vehicles to render them unidentifiable. In addition, Google is very responsive to requests received from users to further blur any images that feature them — to submit a request, people can use the ‘report a problem’ tool available on the bottom right corner of Google Maps.

“We are delighted to work with the Department of Tourism of the Philippines to begin driving and capturing Street View imagery of the country. The Philippines is a diverse archipelago, with heritage and beauty to be found within and in between every island. By providing people and businesses alike with more useful map information, Street View can also help celebrate Filipino culture and even create lasting economic impact. We can’t wait to share the new panoramic road imagery of the Philippines on Google Maps when the imagery launches at a later date,” says Ryan Morales, Country Marketing Manager, Google Philippines.

Google looks forward to announcing when the images collected for the Philippines are ready to share, and these will be available at maps.google.com.ph.

D3000: A Smarter Photo Solution is Epson's Photo Solutions Exhibit

Epson Philippines Corporation (EPC) will launch a 7-day exhibit from January 31 to February 6 at SM Lanang Premier in Davao. The exhibit will highlight the company’s first inkjet-based dry photo lab: the Epson Surelab SL-D3000.

Titled as D3000: A Smarter Photo Solution, Epson will leverage its strong experience as the world’s top large format photo printer maker.

Epson’s SureLab SL-D3000 dry lab promises superior quality, low cost per print, improved flexibility, and simpler maintenance for photo print service providers. This is made possible by the system’s key features:

· An ultra-reliable, 1440 x 1440 dpi resolution-capable Epson Micro Piezo print head
· A newly developed UltraChrome D6 ink set
· A sophisticated Look Up Table (LUT)

WD Expands My Cloud Family With High-Performance Four-Bay Personal Cloud Storage System

New WD My Cloud EX4 Delivers Ultimate Reliability and Advanced NAS Features with Up to 16 TB of Capacity

WD, a Western Digital company and a world leader in storage solutions for the connected life, today expanded its WD My Cloud™ family of personal cloud solutions with WD My Cloud EX4, a high-performance four-bay network attached storage (NAS) solution for creative professionals, prosumers, workgroups and anyone looking for a reliable way to save, share, back up, stream and manage massive amounts of digital data.

“The reception for our WD My Cloud personal cloud platform was extremely positive,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD's branded products and consumer electronics groups. “Our single drive WD My Cloud system is the perfect solution for users that want an easy and private way to store all of their data at home and then share, save and manage it from anywhere in the world, on any device. Expanding our WD My Cloud platform to a four-bay system delivers the advanced features, customization capability and capacity that many of our customers are looking for.”

WD Gives Consumers A Cloud Of Their Own

With New WD My Cloud Consumers Can Easily Save, Access and Share all of their Photos, Videos and Files from Any Device, Anytime – without Sacrificing Privacy

WD, a Western Digital company and a world leader in storage solutions for the connected life,  introduced its new WD My Cloud™ family of personal cloud solutions. WD My Cloud is a complete solution for users to organize, centralize and secure the digital content from all of their computers and mobile devices and access those files from any device, from anywhere in the world. By simply connecting a WD My Cloud personal cloud drive to the Internet, consumers get the anywhere, any-device access they can get from the public cloud, without having to pay monthly fees or giving up control of their personal data.

“We believe that there’s no place like home for the cloud,” said Jim Welsh, executive vice president and general manager of WD's branded products and consumer electronics groups. “Everyone is inundated with thousands of digital files scattered across multiple computers and mobile devices, and controlling that chaos is a challenge. WD’s personal cloud is the easiest, most secure and most affordable way for customers to control that chaos, with access to all of their files anywhere, anytime.”

Mydlink SharePort Mobile App Provides Private and Secure Remote Access for Cloud Storage

D-Link International Pte Ltd, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of networking products launches the mydlink SharePort, a free mobile application that turns any USB storage device connected to a compatible D-Link Cloud Router into a secure and private cloud space. Accessible anytime and anywhere from an iOS or Android smartphone or tablet, it gives users convenience and control to one’s personal files.
 
Secure Data Storage and Unlimited Storage
Mr Jonathan Quek, Product Marketing Director for D-Link International said, “Many people today rely on a public cloud service for file sharing and storage on their smart devices. Once uploaded to company servers, the data becomes available on virtually any device. While this might be convenient, using a public cloud storage can have a few downsides – limited storage space and possibility of incurring monthly fees.  More importantly, files may also be exposed to those without permission or companies whose servers store these data.”
He adds on that “With mydlink SharePort, the benefits are clear. The files are secure as data is kept on the user’s own hardware, limiting access by unauthorized parties. This increased level of privacy will definitely be appreciated by those who have the need for data safeguarding, such as sales professionals, researchers and bankers. Using mydlink SharePort Remote Access also allows users to add storage space just by plugging in another USB drive, without the need for subscription fees or recurring charges.”


 

SP/ Silicon Power Presents the Most Powerful Upgrade Solution: Slim S70 Solid State Drive and Xpower DDR3 Overclocking Memory Module

SP/ Silicon Power, the world’s leading provider of memory storage solutions, presents the best system upgrade solution- Slim S70 solid state drive and Xpower DDR3 Overclocking memory module. With affordable prices and incredible performance, the combination of Slim S70 SSD and Xpower DDR3 Overclocking memory module offers you the most powerful computing upgrade solution and brings you the best user experiences ever. For professionals who value the importance of speed and stability, such as heavy gamers, photographers and videographers, Slim S70 and Xpower DDR3 Overclocking memory module are ideal for you while they can significantly reduce boot time, quickly load applications and provide higher reliability and durability over traditional storage devices.

Accelerate your computer with SSD as the boot disk
Nowadays, solid state drives are getting more and more popular for PCs are gradually designed to be slimmer and smaller. Along with reasonable pricing and wide range of capacity choices, it is already feasible for users to take SSDs as boot disks, by which SSDs are applied to install Operating System and application software while hard drives are used for data storage. By doing so, you can greatly benefit from the ultra-fast speed and superior stability with little cost instead of spending lots of money on highest capacity SSD.

Only need a screwdriver! Installing a SSD is just as easy as changing a battery
If you intend to install a SSD for replacement, all you need is a screwdriver only. Just as changing a battery, you can easily upgrade your computer without complicated operations.

Get rid of computer lags and crashes with SSD for computer upgrade
Are you annoyed by repeated lags and unexpected computer crashes? By means of a SSD, you can experience great enhancement of computer capability with super speed and low-latency. As the perfect computer upgrade solution, SSD is about to solve your problems and speed up all the operation quicker and smoother.

Introduction of Slim S70 Solid State Drive
Different from ordinary 9.5 mm SSD, Silicon Power Slim S70 solid state drive features a new slim 7mm form factor for easy integration into the latest mobile computing platforms. Furthermore, Slim S70 only weights 63g, making itself one of the lightest of its kind yet it is shock and vibration proof as it contains no moving parts. Slim S70 is supported by SATA III interface by which it is able to deliver astonishing transfer rate which is two times the speed of SATA II SSD and four times that of traditional hard drive. Available in 60GB、120GB、240GB and 480GB, Slim S70 is definitely the ideal upgrade solution by its complete capacity choices and high CPI value.

The Slim S70 utilizes the latest SandDorce SF-2281 controller with synchronous NAND Flash and the new optimized firmware to deliver surprisingly high data transfer rates at 557MB/s in read speed and 507MB/s in write speed. Possessing random write speed up to 86000 IOPS, Slim S70 allows shorter boot time and more durable and stable environment for longer life span.

Unlike the dull and plain designs of traditional SSD, Slim S70 stands out with its chic aluminum metal body with glamorous gold. Featuring the stylish and brushed aluminum cover, Slim S70 perfectly complements Ultrabook in design. The trendy design and remarkable performance make Slim S70 the top choice for users who put great emphasis on function and fashion. Moreover, Slim S70 has received worldwide recognition for its distinguished design including Taiwan Excellence Award 2013 and Golden Pin Design Mark 2013.

 

Introduction of Xpower DDR3 Memory Module
Silicon Power Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series memory module promises high performance, high stability and high CPI value. Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series is available in various duel channel kits in DDR3-1600, 1866, 2133, and 2400 MHz variants, reaching the high capacity from 8GB (4GBx2) to 16GB (8GBx2). Compatible with Intel® Core™ Gen 3 and the latest Z77 platform, Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series can maximize the transfer speed, unleashing the extreme system performance to the next level. Built in a special-made metallic heat sink, the new Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series is able to provide a better cooling solution and increase the heat dissipation area, maintaining a powerful speed and stability to meet the needs of overclocking enthusiasts and hardcore gamers.

Silicon Power Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series is 100% tested for dual channel operation and assures the adoption of selected original chips; hence, Xpower DDR3 Overclocking series guarantees the high performance with stability and compatibility and allows performance improvement up to 50%.
 
Slim S70 SSD Product Specification
- Dimensions: 100.0 x 69.85 x 7.0 mm
- Weight: 64-77 g
- Capacity: 60GB/120GB/240GB/480GB
- Ultra Slim 7mm depth
- Vibration Resistance Test: 20G
- Shock Resistance Test: 1500G Max
- Color: Champagne gold
- 3 years warranty
*Transfer rates may vary, depending on system platform.
 
Xpower DDR3 Overclocking Series Product specifications:
- Pins: 240Pin UDIMM without ECC
- peed: DDR3-1600 / 1866 / 2133 / 2400
- CAS Latency: 9 (1600/1866) / 11 (2133/2400)
- Capacity: 8GB(4GBx2) / 16GB(8GBx2)
- DRAM Chip spec.: 4Gb(512Mx8bit) (Single Chip Density)
- Operating voltage: 1.65 V
- Support Intel® Extreme Memory Profile (XMP)

- Lifetime warranty

SP/Silicon Power Presents USB OTG Flash Drives Mobile X10 and Touch T01 Mobile

Still worried about the limited storage capacity of your Smart Handheld devices? Having too many photos or videos that are too precious to delete? SP/Silicon Power, the world’s leading provider of memory storage solutions today unveils a whole new storage line, USB OTG Series – Mobile X10 and Touch T01 Mobile, built for changing your storage experience of your mobile life. These two revolutionary Micro USB flash drives can greatly enhance the storage capacity for your Android Smartphone and tablet devices, and allow users to back up or store their personal files on-the-go!

One Device, Dual Access, Multiple Enjoyments
With its built-in dual connectors, SP Mobile X10 is able to connect to your Smart Handheld devices via Micro USB interface, as well as to PC or notebook via standard USB port. This 2-in-1 specification enables OTG series to deliver a seamless and spontaneous data transferring from and to for your portable devices. Without compromising the limited storage space on your smartphone or tablets, users can easily back up or gain access to their personal photos, video and audio files anytime and anywhere.

Plug It and Play It
With no additional power supply or cable required, you just simply plug in X10 to OTG supported Smartphone or tablet for a full access to your digital data. X10 features with the robust zinc alloy case and the compact size, and is able to create a noble and delicate metallic shine while plugged in your portable device or PC, without interfering your daily usage and operation.

Touch T01 Mobile, Creating Flexibility and Diversity
Unlike X10’s unibody structure, Touch T01 Mobile delivers the perfect combination of flexibility and diversity. With a push of a thumb, T01 Mobile can be disassembled into two devices, a regular USB flash drive Touch T01, and an OTG Adaptor 110 which is the smallest device in the industry. This OTG Adaptor is fully compatible with the traditional flash drive, and the multi-functional detachable design enables users to change the flash drive freely, making the storage experience more flexible and enjoyable.

Featuring with a tiny and featherweight design, both X10 and T01 Mobile are built-in with a strap hole at the end, allowing users to store and carry as a trendy accessory for their mobile devices. Incorporated with the COB (Chip On Board) technology, X10 and T01 are water, dust, shock and vibration proof. With the various choices of storage capacity, X10 is available in 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB, and T01 Mobile in 4GB, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB. X10 and T01 are both covered by a lifetime warranty, and the OTG Adaptor 110 is by one year warranty.

Mobile X10 Product Features
- Support Smart Handheld Devices (microUSB) and PC (USB) data transmission
- Plug and play; no cables required
- Stylish and sturdy zinc alloy exterior
- COB(Chip On Board) technology
- Water, dust, shock and vibration proof
- Tiny and lightweight, easy to carry and store

Mobile X10 Product Specifications
- Dimension: 30.7x 12.05 x 4.55 mm
- Weight: 3.5g
- Capacity: 8/16/32 GB
- Color: Champagne Gold
- Interface: USB 2.0 / microUSB (Charging is not supported)
- Material: Metal /Plastic
- Supported OS Operation Systems:
PC : Windows Vista/7/8, Mac OS 10.3.x, Linux 2.6.x
Mobile device : Android 4.1.+*
(*Supports OTG function of mobile devices)
- Warranty: Lifetime warranty

Touch T01 Mobile Product Features
- Support Smart Handheld Devices (microUSB) and PC (USB) data transmission
- Plug and play; no cables required
- OTG Adaptor is fully compatible with traditional USB flash drives
- Tiny and lightweight, easy to carry and store

Touch T01 Mobile Product Specifications
- Dimension: T01: 24.7x13.8x4.6 mm
OTG Adapter 110: 16.75x15.3x7.92 mm
- Weight: T01: 2.6g
OTG Adapter110 : 2.5g
- Capacity: 4/8/16/32 GB
- Color: black
- Interface: USB 2.0 / microUSB (Charging is not supported)
- Material: Metal /Plastic
- Supported OS Operation Systems:
PC: Windows Vista/7/8, Mac OS 10.3.x, Linux 2.6.x
Mobile device: Android 4.1.+*
(*Supports OTG function of mobile devices)
- Warranty:
T01: Lifetime warranty
OTG adapter 110: 1 year warranty

For more information, please visit the SP/Silicon Power website: www.silicon-power.com

ViewSonic VX Series Displays Make Holiday Entertainment Better

Families everywhere can enjoy the holidays with one of ViewSonic’s new MHL 2.0 displays. With MHL 2.0 and HDMI connectivity, it will turn the home display into a holiday entertainment center where everyone can play the most popular XBOX or PS4 games, watch movies on Netflix, or share photos and videos. It also makes a great Christmas gift choice for family, friends and little ones.

ViewSonic’s MHL 2.0 VX-series display, the VX2770Sml-LED, is designed to connect with the latest generation of portable devices, including smartphones, tablets and other monitors to give mobile content greater impact on a large screen. MHL 2.0 technology also simultaneously charges connected devices to prevent them from running out of power while users watch movies, play games or listen to music. With its sleek and frameless designs, the VX2770Sml-LED offers impeccable wide viewing angles that allow for the viewing of on-screen content from any angle without color decay. Also, Full HD resolution, a dynamic contrast ratio of 30 million: 1 and amazing SRS premium sound deliver more-detailed colors and sounds to users playing games, watching movie clips and more.

With the increasing use of mobile devices and the explosion of digital content, the way consumers approach entertainment has changed. As the types of digital content available become more numerous, consumers will look to access this content anyplace, anytime, and on any screen. “The number of mobile users has grown rapidly in recent years. Keeping up with the trend, ViewSonic has developed a high-performance product line to meet the needs of mobile users who play games and share multimedia resources. Equipped with MHL 2.0 and HDMI, the VX2770Sml-LED is really perfect for gaming and video streaming; most important of all, people can use mobile devices to share their content on a large monitor, bringing greater convenience and entertainment value.”, says Max Liu, Product Director at ViewSonic.

In addition to the MHL2.0 VX2770Sml-LED display, ViewSonic also offers VX2770Smh-LED and VX2703mh-LED displays with the HDMI interface, so that consumers can play multimedia contents, and connect with DVD players and other high-definition devices.

Getting in front of the trend, ViewSonic VX-series displays bridge the gap between smartphones, tablets and other displays by using MHL 2.0 or HDMI technology to deliver the functionality and services that define the new era of digital entertainment. HDMI offers flexible connectivity to multiple media sources and high-definition devices, and together with MHL 2.0, makes these monitors extremely versatile.

Apacer, The Only Industrial SSD Manufacturer Winning the 22nd Taiwan Excellence Award

Apacer won the 22^nd Taiwan Excellence Awards once again, which is the only one industrial SSD manufacturer! A total of 186 brand manufacturers and 1281 products entered the 22^nd Taiwan Excellence Awards – “2014 Taiwan Excellence Awards”, both hitting records high, among which three of Apacer’s industrial SSDs were granted the 22^nd Taiwan Excellence Awards, which affirmed Apacer’sexcellent strength in R&D design and forward thinking.

Apacer not only is devoted to R&D for innovative products, but provides value-added and customized professional services, exploring solutions to solve customers’ problems. The industrial SSDs awarded showcased Apacer’s reliable professional capabilities and consistent innovation in industrial fields. The awarded products include Apacer SSDWidget – the world’s first-ever monitoring SSD software with cloud technology, SFD 25A-M - the industry-leading 5mm ultra-slim SSD, and CSD (Combo SATA Drive) - the dual drives SSD with groundbreaking and innovative design.
 
Apacer SSDWidget, the world’s first-ever cloud-based remote monitoring SSD software
Apacer SSDWidget is a mobile software with SSD real-time monitoring and diagnosis function. The administrator could operate in the computer software (Client Version) installed in a desktop computer to acquire key data In the mobile-cloud era, the software’s range of application has been extended by creatively developing an exclusive APP (Mobile Version) for smartphones and tablet PCs. After downloading and installing, the administrator will receive real-time information of SSD conditions deployed in systems of all areas without limits of time and region.

 
SFD 25A-M, industry-leading 5mm ultra-slim SSD
The emphasis on mobility of tablet/smart phone/ultra thin PC has made storage devices thinner and lighter. Therefore, Apacer launches the industry-leading ultra-slim 5mm SFD (SATA Flash Drive) 25A-M SSD with the latest SATA 3 (6Gb/s) transmission interface and standard 7+15 pin male connector. It features 50% thinner , while boasts 256GB huge capacity and excellent sequential read/write speed up to 480/350 MB/sec and high efficiency of IOPs 80K, satisfying the need for compactness and offering the best solution for portable applications.
 
CSD, a unique dual drives SSD with extremely high security for data storage
CSD is a special design with dual SATA SSD inside the standard 2.5-inch SSD space, adopting SAS connector, which enables users to freely choose the capacity size of the disk and NAND Flash type (SLC or MLC). CSD, whose sequential read speed is up to over 1,000MB/s, could be set by users into high-speed (RAID 0) or back-up (RAID 1) mode to apply to various demands. Under RAID 1 mode, data will be synchronously saved in both SSDs. It is qualified to serve as a storage solution with high data security and optimal access efficiency.

ViewSonic’s Professional Quad HD Display Delivers the Ultimate in Color and Image Quality

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solution products, is expanding its product family of professional displays by announcing the availability of its 27” VP2772 Adobe Color QHD display.

“Color performance is of the utmost importance to our professional series customers,” said Simon Wang, Product Marketing Manager for ViewSonic. “The VP2772 delivers the ultimate in image quality with its Adobe Color capability and a 10-bit panel that delivers 1.07 billion colors. It is also equipped with all the premium features the pros need including flexible connectivity options, and daisy chain functionality.”

Ideal for photography, graphic design, media creation, publishing and other color-critical applications, this 27” display delivers outstanding levels of detail and clarity with 2560x1440 QHD resolution. Accurately displaying 99 percent of the wider Adobe RGB color space, the VP2772 features an advanced 12-bit color engine and 14-bit LUT that processes up to 68.7 billion colors, creating stunning images with true-to-life colors.

Featuring a SuperClear IPS panel calibrated with a Delta E≤3 value, users will experience the optimal combination of wide viewing angles and accurate and consistent color performance. Equipped with dual DisplayPort inputs and one DisplayPort output, the VP2772 allows one image source to be shown simultaneously on multiple daisy-chained displays. Paired with HDMI and DVI inputs, and a total of four USB 3.0 ports, connecting to multimedia, storage devices and peripherals is seamless. True to the ViewSonic’s VP series standard, the VP2772 incorporates an ergonomic design with tilt, pivot, swivel and height adjustments to create a more comfortable and productive working environment.

PALIT Battlefield 4 Cup Asia

Palit a leading manufacturer of graphic cards is proud to announce the PALIT Battlefield 4 Cup Asia will kick off from 1st January 2014. Inviting all the gamers to join the battle and win big prizes.

In collaboration with NVIDIA, this 3 weekend long online competition in January 2014 will determine the best Battlefield 4 teams in the region.

Participants teams coming from 3 countries Philippine, Singapore and Thailand. The registration for PALIT Battlefield 4 has started at http://bf4cupasia.palit.biz/

The competition is designed for teams of 8 players. Other details about signup information and rules can be found on the official website.

PALIT Battlefield 4 Asia Cup offers a large and unprecedented prize pool of Total USD$8,500 plus graphics cards.

 
The Prizes for the winners are as follows;
 

For the Winner, we provide Cast Price of USD 1500 + 8pcs of Palit GeForce GTX 760 JetStream graphic Cards.

                                                       1^st Runner up with the cash price of USD 1500

                                                       2^nd Runner up with Cash Price of USD 1000-

 
The Announcement of the Winner of the PALIT Battlefield 4 will be announced on 26^th January 2014.

Samsung SPORTSFLOW Top-Ranked Sports App in Many Asia Pacific Countries

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd, a global leader in digital media and convergence technologies, through its Media Solutions Centre (MSC) in Southeast Asia (MSC-SEA), has announced that SportsFlow is among the top-ranked apps on Google Play Store’s Free Sports Apps Category. The SportsFlow app is the top ranked free sports app in Singapore, and number 2 in Malaysia, New Zealand, Philippines and number 3 in Thailand.

SportsFlow was launched in September 2013 at the inaugural Sports Matters conference in Singapore.
Maurizio Barbieri, Head of Sports for MSC, Southeast Asia said: “Sports is about uniting fans with their passions and we are happy to be part of that journey for many sports enthusiasts through SportsFlow. It’s satisfying to be the sports app of choice by our customers and to be able to offer them a customizable, content-rich app on their Samsung devices.”

Customizable and social…all the better to kick-off conversations about your favourite games

SportsFlow is a news and content app for sports enthusiasts. Through SportsFlow, fans can get access to news articles, article summaries and photos for a wide range of professional sports, including football (English Premier League, Italian Serie A), motor sports (Formula 1, MotoGP), cricket, basketball, baseball, tennis, golf and more. Fans can get all the sports information through one single convenient app, without having to be sent from website to website or app to app to access news and content.

The app is highly customisable according to a fan’s favoured sports and geographies of interest. Fans can easily access and read content as well as share through built-in social feeds such as Facebook and Twitter.
SportsFlow is uniquely designed to take advantage of the high definition quality of Samsung’s devices to display a visual stream of sports news sourced from global information outlets including Yahoo!, BBC, Bleacher Report, Kick TV and NewsCorp’s BallBall, Asia’s premier mobile app and website for exclusive Europe football clips and coverage.
 
Pricing and availability
SportsFlow is currently available for sports fans using the Samsung GALAXY Tab 3 8.0, GALAXY Note 8.0, GALAXY Note 10.1 and the GALAXY range of smart phones. The app can be downloaded for free from the Google Play Store.

D-Link USB Adapters Now Equipped with New SmartBeam™ Technology for Extensive Uninterrupted Coverage

With households getting connected to more smart devices such as smart phones, tablets and laptops, it is important that each of these gadgets gets the speed and coverage it deserves. The DWA-182 Wireless AC1200 Dual Band USB Adapter and DWA-171 Wireless AC Dual Band Mini USB Adapter now feature D-Link’s new innovation – SmartBeam™ technology, which offers interference-free connectivity for all wireless needs, be it surfing the internet, streaming high-definition movies or online gaming.

Greater Wi-Fi Range and Reliability for Seamless Connectivity
The new, patented SmartBeam™ technology in-built on D-Link Wireless AC Cloud Routers uses a six antenna design that tracks and locates individual devices that are connected to the wireless network, helping to boost the signals directly to those devices. It prevents loss of Wi-Fi signal when one moves from room to room at home or in the office, and eliminates dead spots that are caused by weak range or interference.

DWA-182 Wireless AC1200 Dual Band USB Adapter
Armed with USB 3.0 support, this handy adapter delivers accelerated data transfer rates at speeds up to 10 times faster than the previous USB 2.0 standard. As an added convenience to ensure lightning-fast performance for all devices, the adapter also offers backwards compatibility to USB 2.0.

DWA-171 Wireless AC Dual Band Mini USB Adapter
This tiny adapter measures a mere 31.7 x 18.8 x 8mm (about the size of a mini stapler) but packs in a punch with its extended reach and dependability to give users speedy Internet access for all their online needs.
 
Dual-Band Speeds Ideal for High Bandwidth Needs
Both USB adapters make use of the new 802.11ac networking standard which offers up to three times the speed of data throughput than the previous 802.11n standard. This upgraded speed makes it the ideal companion for high bandwidth needs such as HD video streaming, faster gaming and lag-free video conferencing. With integrated Dual-Band Technology, users also have the option of choosing between 2.4GHz (up to 300Mbps for DWA-182 and up to 150Mbps for DWA-171) or 5GHz (up to 867Mbps for DWA-182 and up to 433Mbps for DWA-182) speeds. The 2.4GHz band offers smooth Internet browsing and music streaming while the 5GHz option delivers lag-free video calls, movie streaming and online gameplay.

Effortless Setup and Backwards Compatibility
The nifty gadgets can be easily set up with the Wifi-Protected Setup (WPS) Push Button, and users can quickly establish a fast and secure home network without any complicated steps. As simple as push and connect, it lets users start on their Internet browsing and movie streaming in a matter of minutes just by plugging it into a desktop or notebook computer.
The devices are also backwards compatible with all older wireless products that are not using the 802.11ac standard. This makes it all the handier, taking away the necessity of software updates or additional adapters.
(*Actual Data Throughput may vary depends on network and environmental factors.)

 
Price & availability
The DWA-171 Wireless AC Dual Band Mini USB Adapter with SmartBeam™ is available at all authorized retailers.
The DWA-182 Wireless AC1200 Dual Band Mini USB Adapter is available at all authorized retailers. The SmartBeam™ driver will be available in Q1 2014, and users can download the update from www.mydlink.com.sg to enjoy the SmartBeam™ feature.

Plextor’s New M6e PCI Express SSD For Gaming, Compatibility, Reliability, And Ultra-High Performance

Plextor (www.plextor.com), a leading developer of high-performance digital storage technology, announces the launch of the M6e, the first SSD specifically designed to meet the demanding requirements of the gaming community. The M6e PCIe SSD uses a new generation of high-bandwidth components to deliver smooth, uninterrupted gameplay and excels the player to get to the next level. It combines the convenience of driver-free ACHI support with the compatibility of selectable legacy BIOS or fast UEFI boot.

The Plextor M6e delivers maximum sequential read/write speeds of 770/625 MB/s and random read/write speeds of 105K/100K IOPS. The PCIe Gen2x2 interface bypasses the SATAIII bottleneck, includes the latest server-grade multicore Marvell 88SS9183 controller with native PCI 2.0 support, and a pre-graded high performance Toshiba Toggle NAND flash.

The M6e’s exclusive firmware, developed by Plextor’s in-house elite team optimizes the drive for gaming applications and ensures stability. Plextor’s legendary True Speed technology is also one of the features which provide a new improved version for long-term performance stability and effective multi-tasking.

With convenient Advanced Host Controller Interface (ACHI) support, Plextor M6e owners get to experience the speed of a high-performance PCIe SSD without the need to load propriety drivers. Compatibility with legacy BIOSes allows the M6e to be used with existing gaming rigs for flexibility. Alternatively selecting the UEFI boot mode for motherboards with UEFI provides incredibly fast start-up times.

Along with performance and stability, the Plextor M6e SSD meets another key need of professional gamers: extreme reliability. In the worlds most advanced SSD testing facilities the drive was put through rigorous testing and was required to meet Plextor’s Zero-Failure Zero-Error mass testing standard; the result is a MTBF calculated at 2.4 million hours. For stability, every individual SSD faces an extended high-temperature burn-in test and usage simulation. Plextor’s strict testing and tough quality control is the reassurance of the M6e’s full five-year warranty and Plextor’s extensive support structure.

According to Zhang Yaping, M6e Product Manager, “Plextor has built a close relationship with the gaming community so it is natural that we’re the first to provide an SSD that meets their specific needs. Modern games push systems to their limits; by getting data from storage to the graphics card and into RAM fast, even under heavy load, the M6e makes the gameplay experience smoother and better. We’ve also optimized the M6e to perform smoothly with a large variety of games so it’s suitable for use by all types of players.”

The Plextor M6e PCIe SSD will be available January 2014, and comes in 128 GB, 256 GB, and 512 GB capacities.

ViewSonic Unveils New VDI Innovations and Display Technologies at CES 2014

ViewSonic Corp., a leading global provider of visual solution products, today announced its newest innovations for the virtualized desktop at CES 2014. ViewSonic’s latest Zero and Thin Clients fortify the company’s already strong VDI product line. These state-of-the-art cloud devices provide complete solutions for companies looking to effectively meet the demands of today’s changing computing environment. In addition, ViewSonic continues to transform the display market with price-competitive 4K Ultra HD devices and touch technology that aligns with today’s consumer expectations and business demands.

“The need for smarter cloud connectivity has become vitally important with the changing computing landscape consumers and businesses face. ViewSonic has been leading the desktop transformation for over 25 years, and we’re continuing that forward momentum with the launch of our new products at this year’s CES,” said Jeff Volpe, president of ViewSonic Americas. “Our new VDI products, beautiful Ultra HD displays, and touch innovations are ideal for today’s consumerization of IT movement.”

Plextor Announces M6 Series of Solid-State Storage Solutions

Plextor, a leading developer and manufacturer of high-performance digital media and storage equipment, today announced its M6 series lineup of solid-state drive solutions. The multi-form factor lineup features Plextor’s next-generation 2.5” M6S, , and M6M mSATA SSDs, along with the introduction of two PCIe drives -- the ultra-fast M6e M.2 PCI express and New HHHL PCIe card.

“We are excited to announce the new M6 series, Plextor’s new generation of consumer solid-state storage products. With the addition of the M6e M.2 PCIe and SATA drives to the M6 family, Plextor now offers one of the broadest and highest-performing portfolios in the consumer space,” said Darlo Perez, Director of Plextor Americas.

“Plextor’s latest lineup highlights our commitment to providing top-shelf quality and performance in the solid-state drive market.”

In addition to the new M.2 form factor, The M6 also features the latest generation of advanced 19nm Toggle NAND flash from Toshiba with “Adaptive Write” Plextor’s next-generation proprietary firmware technology designed to maintain SSD performance under heavy workloads and throughout the life warranty of the drive. This allows for increased storage density and capacities up to 512GB.

M6e M.2 PCIe and HHHL PCIe Card: This solution is optimized for serious users to demand the fastest speeds seen on the market today. The M6e sports the latest generation Marvell® 88SS9183 flash controller with multiple cores for efficient performance during intense usage. The M6e’s PCI express interface delivers maximum sequential read/write speeds of 770/625 MB per second and random read/write speeds of 105,000 and 100,000 IOPS. The M6e is automatically recognized as an AHCI device, requiring no additional drivers. When used as an ultra-fast boot disk on a system with UEFI, startup times are cut in half. The M6e comes in capacities up to 512GB.

M6S: A high-performance hard drive upgrade, the M6S 2.5-inch SATA SSD is the perfect replacement for a traditional hard drive. It features faster boot times, shorter application load times, and overall improved system performance. The M6S is available with up to 512GB of storage, and features sequential read/write speeds of up to 520MB and 440MB per second and random read/write speeds up to 94,000 and 80,000 IOPS, respectively.

M6M: The ultimate ultra-book upgrade, the M6M mSATA drive is the ideal solution for users wishing to upgrade any device that requires a solid state drive with a small footprint. The M6M features capacities up to 512GB, with sequential read/write speeds of520MB and 440MB per second, and random read/write speeds of 94,000 and 80,000 IOPS, respectively.

The entire M6e series is backed by a five-year warranty and the reassurance of Plextor’s long reputation for quality, testing, and rock-solid reliability. All Plextor products feature custom in-house design, development, and manufacturing by the company’s engineers.


The M6 series is expected to be available for purchase in the spring of 2014.

For more information about Plextor products, go to: www.goplextor.com

D-Link’s New Products & Solutions Lauded at 2014 CES

D-Link is showcasing a full range of new products, including many notable firsts for the brand and the world, at the 2014 International CES, the biggest consumer electronics show in the world.

This year, highlights of the show include three 2014 CES Innovations Honorees: the Wi-Fi Baby Camera (DCS-825L), that was also awarded the CES Electronic House Product of the Year, the mydlink Network Video Recorder (DNR-312L), and the Wireless AC Day/Night Camera with Color Night Vision (DCS-2136L) which is the world’s first IP Camera equipped with the next-generation 802.11ac Wi-Fi.

Another highlight is the Wi-Fi AC750 Portable Router and Charger (DIR-510L), the world’s first portable router with Wireless AC, which makes high-speed connectivity wearable. These products are powered by mydlink Cloud services, a unique service in the networking space, and are designed to meet current and emerging customer needs for smarter home connectivity.

“We are delighted to receive recognition for our new solutions, especially for the newly launched Wi-Fi Baby Camera that was awarded Electronic House Product of the Year. D-Link continually strives to bring to our customers new solutions for surveillance, safety, sharing and streaming, so as to enable them to enjoy seamless connection.” said Mr Jonathan Quek, Marketing Director of D-Link International Pte Ltd. “Powered by mydlink, the most advanced cloud service platform in the industry, our products offer smarter features, are easier to use, and work seamlessly with mobile devices. They demonstrate that D-Link is consistently leading the evolution of the next generation of wireless connectivity.”

All D-Link products integrate seamlessly with mydlink, the unique online platform that adds new functionality, simplifies setup and use, and integrates with today’s smart devices through a variety of mobile apps like mydlink Lite, mydlink SharePort™, and mydlink Baby. These apps are available for free on Apple App Store and Google Play. mydlink Lite gives users quick and easy control on their Cloud devices, allowing live video streaming from Cloud cameras, and remote access and configuration of Cloud routers. mydlink SharePort™ gives users access to files that are stored on a USB drive connected to a compatible D-Link router. mydlink Baby transforms mobile devices into a baby monitor and gives parents an ease of mind with an alert system, two-way audio and live video streaming.


The stars at 2014 CES include:

Wi-Fi Baby Camera (DCS-825L)

New parents can put their baby worries to bed with the highly portable DCS-825L Wi-Fi Baby Camera. It transforms a smartphone or tablet into a versatile, easy-to-use baby monitoring solution for at-home and remote viewing and receiving push alerts, and can even be powered by USB battery pack, so it’s easy to place anywhere. A 2014 CES Innovations Honoree and CES Electronic House Product of the Year.

MyDLink Network Video Recorder (DNR-312L),
Home users and small businesses everywhere can now take control of their surveillance with the DNR-312L, a comprehensive, DIY network video recorder. It comes with 1-bay enclosure and integrated HDMI port for viewing up to nine cameras without a PC. A 2014 CES Innovations Honoree. 

Wireless AC Day/Night Camera with Color Night Vision (DCS-2136L)
The world’s first 11AC IP camera, the DCS-2136L is mydlink-enabled for full-color, high-definition monitoring from anywhere, under any lighting conditions, all from a smart device. A 2014 CES Innovations Honoree.

Wi-Fi AC750 Portable Router and Charger (DIR-510L)
Being the leader in ultra-fast, next generation 11AC Wi-Fi for the home, D-Link has now introduced the world’s first portable router with 11AC connectivity. It connects, charges and streams media to mobile devices anytime, anywhere.

Wireless AC1200 Dual Band Gigabit Range Extender (DAP-1650) and Wireless AC750 Dual Band Range Extender (DAP-1520)
These range extenders perfectly complement existing Wi-Fi networks with next-generation Wireless AC speeds, add dual-band connectivity, and eliminate dead zones, at the push of a button. The DAP-1650 with Gigabit Ethernet makes it easy to bring a Smart TV or next-generation console onto a Wireless AC network.
Visitors to CES can view live demos of these products at D-Link’s booth. For more detailed specifications and information about the ways that mydlink Cloud services can transform everyday connectivity into something magical and useful, please visit dlink.com.


 

Lenovo Launches Its First LTE Smartphone with Vibe Z

Lenovo today introduced its first LTE smartphone, the Lenovo Vibe Z,a gorgeous razor-thin, blazing-fast device equipped with gesture controls, photo enhancement software and other premium technologies. To complement the Vibe Z, Lenovo also launched a trio of smartphones, starting with the S930, a supersized 6-in device primed for media addicts, the S650, a 4.7-in compact and stylish workhorse, and the “tweener” A859, a 5-in high performance all-rounder.

These four new devices complement Lenovo’s existing portfolio of phones ranging from feature phones to premium smartphones across multiple price points. Lenovo, currently the #3 smart connected device maker worldwide, has expanded aggressively into the global smartphone market, introducing smartphones in 18 countries in the past two years.

“We created the new Vibe Z with its elegant design, high performance and custom software so that people can truly have the best smartphone experience now at the speed of LTE,” said Liu Jun, senior vice president, Lenovo Business Group, Lenovo. “Along with the Vibe Z, our new S and A Series smartphones offer consumers choices of screen size and features so they can pick the Lenovo smartphone that’s right for them.”

Vibe Z Wraps LTE, Style and Top Technologies into One Incredible Device

As Lenovo’s first smartphone featuring LTE capabilities, the Vibe Z offers true mobile freedom with super-fast data upload at up to 50 Mbit/s1 and downloading at up to 150 Mbit/s1 to satisfy the most data hungry of individuals. The Vibe Z operates on GSM/UMTS networks up to 2100 and also comes with 802.11ac WiFi and Bluetooth 4.0.

The svelte Vibe Z comes encased in a thin 7.9mm silver or titanium body weighing just 147 grams. Users will appreciate its laser-etched, fabric-feel rear cover that is comfortable to hold and its 5.5-in full high definition (1920x1080) IPS wide angle viewing touchscreen display. Images appear pin sharp leveraging the Vibe Z’s 20/20 Vision display with a pixel density of 400 pixels per inch. While beautiful on the outside, the Vibe Z packs in superior performance technologies inside starting with its Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 Quad-core 2.2GHz processor to deliver extreme performance for watching movies, capturing and editing photos, multitasking among apps, playing games and video chatting. Loaded with 2 GB of memory, up to 16 GB of internal storage and running Android 4.3, the Vibe Z offers plenty of space for thousands of favorite photos dozens of videos.

With its custom imaging software and high resolution cameras, the Vibe Z surpasses the shutterbug features of other smartphones. It has a 13 MP rear camera with a large f1.8 aperture lens to defy low light situations and capture breathtaking photos and a 5 MP front camera that’s equipped with an 84° lens for wide-angle shots. Lenovo’s Super Camera and Super Gallery apps let users add fun effects to their photos easily. Additionally Vibe Z offers Lenovo-specific software supporting motion and gestures for better one-handed usage on large screen devices.

“We are proud to collaborate with Lenovo to enable the company’s first LTE smartphone,” said Raj Talluri, senior vice president of product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. “The new Vibe Z utilizes the Qualcomm Snapdragon 800 processor with integrated LTE technology to deliver superfast web browsing and unmatched multimedia features for an outstanding user experience.”

S Series Smartphones Offer Supersized or Pocket-Sized Mobile Media

The S930 perfectly satisfies the most voracious of media mavens with its high definition and audio enhanced movie and gaming experience while the S650 offers a powerful pocket-sized media device. Both smartphones adopt the Vibe Z’s silver body and laser-etched fabric-feel rear cover, the S930 supersizes the available screen real estate with its 6-in high definition 1280x720 touchscreen while the S650 sports a compact 4.7-in gHD 960x540 display with IPS wide angle viewing.
The S930 provides an immersive and rich audio experience with its twin speakers and Dolby® Digital Plus and even has directional sensors to move characters in 3D.

Powered by a MediaTek Quad Core processor and running Android 4.2 at just 8.7mm thin, both the S930 and S650 smartphones have valuable technologies to help users get the most out of their device including a dual SIM card allowing for two numbers in one device. They come with an 8 MP rear camera with flash, a capable front camera, Lenovo’s Super Camera and Super Gallery apps to add effects to photos and 8 GB of storage. Both smartphones include gesture-based controls and the latest Lenovo launcher customizations.

A859 All Around Performance Model

Designed for great all around performance, the A859 smartphone combines several in-demand features for a rewarding experience. Available in white or black, it measures 9.2mm thin with a 5-in high definition (1280x720) IPS screen with 178° wide angle viewing. Like the S Series, it has a dual SIM card, runs on a MediaTek 6582 processor and Android 4.2, has an 8 MP rear camera, a front camera and 8 GB of storage.

Pricing and Availability

The Vibe Z starts at $549 and is available starting in February in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and the Philippines.

The S930 and S650 start at $319 and $229, respectively. They are available beginning immediately in countries where Lenovo smartphones are sold.

The A859 starts at $219 and is available starting immediately in countries where Lenovo smartphones are sold.

For the latest Lenovo news, subscribe to Lenovo RSS feedsor follow Lenovo on Twitterand Facebook. The press kit is available at: http://news.lenovo.com/CES2014.

The Latest KINGMAX OTG USB “Dual Transfer Interfaces”

Kingmax world renowned memory and flash module manufacturer has already launched an OTG USB Flash Drive, PJ-01, especially for smartphones and tablets. What do users need is a product which fits their portable devices instead of various accessories. Consumers are greeting PJ-01 with high popularity.

And today, KINGMAX launched the latest OTG USB Flash Drive, PJ-02, for desktops, notebooks, smartphones, tablets, etc. The PJ-02 has dual transfer interfaces, standard USB and micro USB, to fit devices. KINGMAX emphasizing the portable device market, so they launched two OTG new products in a short while.

The PJ-02 is an OTG USB with high compatibility. You can use it to read data in your smartphone or tablet, and plug it to desktops and notebooks as a storage device. It supports OTG (On-The-Go) function with micro USB, and the other side is standard USB. You can store music files easier, share data friendly, and save documents free. The PJ-02 reads and edits files with high speed. There are three kinds of capacity for options, 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB. 20 grams only.

Dual Transfer Interfaces
The PJ-02 with standard USB and micro USB is fit for desktops, notebooks, smartphones, tablets, etc. Plug and play with high compatibility. Read and write with high speed. Sharing files even easier anytime and anywhere.

Featherweight and Cute
The size of PJ-02 is only 30.7x 12x4.5 mm, and 20 grams weight only. There is slip-proof design with four salient points, and can push it into devices easier. To protect the micro USB, there is a cover with a strap hole, users can hang PJ-02 on any place you like.

Support OS Broadly
The PJ-02 is a USB which is design for portable devices, especially for OTG(On-The-Go) function. The OTG USB supportsAndroid OS, Win8/Win7/Vista/XP/2000, Mac OS V10.6.1, and Linux kernel V2.6x.


Specification:
Capacity: 8GB/16GB/32GB
High-speed USB2.0 standard
Weight：20g
Dimension: 30.7mm x 12mm x 4.5mm
Material：Zinc Alloy
Color: Silver
Warranty：5 years OS Support：Android OS,Win8/Win7/Vista/XP/2000/Mac OS V10.6.1/Linux kernel V2.6x


Features:
Support OTG(On-The-Go) function with micros USB interface (Android smartphones and tablets)
Dual Transfer Interface: Standard USB & micro USB interface
High Compatibility
Featherweight and cute
Making Sharing Even Easier

Apacer Rolls Out Power Bank B123 & B124

Smart devices have become multi-functional, resulting in the rise in power consumption. To provide consumers with a power supply to use anytime and anywhere, Apacer launches the Power Bank B123 and B124. These two types of power banks with large capacity provide reliable and emergency power backups for smartphones, tablet PCs, Bluetooth speakers and other portable electronic products. Consumers no longer need to worry about missing calls or beautiful moments that cannot be captured due to lack of power.

The B123’s simple elegant streamline shape prevents itself from bump-caused scratches when stored together with cell phones or tablet PCs. Since it weighs only about 182g, it's compact, portable and easy to carry. Thanks to its high electricity capacity of 7800 mAh, the B123 can charge a smartphone for about 3.5 times. In addition, with double USB outputs, it can charge two mobile devices at the same time. The B123 is available in two colors, including Prudent Brown and the elegant Fashion Purple, appealing and eye-catching with the silver metal logo.

The upcoming product B124 is equipped with an 11000 mAh high-capacity lithium battery, and is able to charge a smartphone for five cycles according to tests. Users can enjoy limitless mobile communication and audio/video fun without worrying about power shortage during outdoor activities, meetings and trips. Consumers can easily view the remaining power and charging status through a built-in LED indicator or turn it into a flashlight, which is a practical extra function. With its refined silver and compact design, the B124 perfectly presents an urban yuppie style. It's not only a 3C product, but also a symbol of unique personal taste.

As indicated by Apacer, the market offers a great variety of mobile power banks. Thus, consumers should pay more attention to relevant specifications and certifications when purchasing to ensure that the products they buy are qualified and safe to use. Apacer also points out that, in addition to a large capacity and highly efficient output, the newly launched Power Banks B123 and B124 are equipped with multiple protections against over-current, over-voltage, over-load and short-circuit problems, which ensures their safety for use. Moreover, they have obtained international safety certifications, such as CE/FCC/UN38.3, providing the most optimal service and experience for mobile business and entertainment.

Symantec’s Security Response: “Rest in Peace Scams”

The rise of “rest in peace” scam messages on social media sites continues. Jackie Chan, Morgan Freeman, Will Smith, Keanu Reeves, and Rihanna are only a few of the celebrities that have been proclaimed dead in recent scams. The sensational messages usually include links to a video. Before the user gets to see the video, they are tricked into manually sharing the bait message with all of their family and friends in order to spread the scam further. Even after sharing the post, the user will still not be able to see the fake video. Rather, they will be redirected to a site with advertisements that asks the user to fill out a survey. The ads and surveys generate revenue for the scammer. Other variants of the scam ask the user to download a malicious browser extension or application. This kind of scam is not new, but as long as they make money, they will continue.

Figure 1. Fake video scam shared across social media sites
Some scammers are currently focusing on Paul Walker and Roger Rodas, who both recently died in a car accident. Even though the base of the story is true, the scammers are using these tragic deaths to try to promote fake videos which claim to include unseen footage of the crash. One scam group has specialized in the use of malicious Facebook applications to boost the reach of the scam. With a simple geo IP location JavaScript, the scammers can determine the user’s location and redirect their browser to a site that suits their region. This is straight forward and common behavior nowadays. The redirects can point to malicious Facebook apps, remotely hosted scams sites, or phishing sites. Luckily, in this example, the phishing website does not look very convincing, as some browsers break the layout of the site.

Figure 2. Fake Facebook login Web page with broken layout
Unfortunately, the redirects can sometimes skip one of Facebook’s warnings about malicious URLs. Whenever a user clicks on a link in a Facebook post, the browser will get redirected to a transfer script. If Facebook thinks that the destination URL is suspicious, a warning message is displayed, informing the user and allowing them to report the post as spam. Since the Web page is shown in an iframe below the warning, it is possible, in some rare cases, that the scammer could automatically redirect the user to a new site. As a result, the user will only see the warning message for less than a second before they are sent to the malicious Facebook application page. Often, multiple redirects are involved until the final page is reached.

Figure 3. Link redirection warning
If a user attempts to install a malicious application, the app asks for permission to read the user’s data and to post in their timeline. The scammer’s main goal here is to post the message through the user’s Facebook account without the victim’s knowledge so that more people fall for the scam.  Once the user installs the application, the scam message is posted to their timeline and the user is redirected to the survey scam Web pages.

A few hundred people per hour have clicked on each of these links and some have installed the application. Of course, Facebook is doing its best to block the malicious links and remove the applications as fast as possible. Unfortunately the bad guys have automated scripts on their side. Each of the analyzed domains hosted more than 2,000 copies of the malicious Facebook application, each under a slightly different name. This allows the scammers to rotate the malicious links once the app is blocked.

Figure 4. Scam application asking for permissions
As always, Internet users are advised to follow best practices:
· Be vigilant and skeptical when reading sensational stories on social media sites
· Do not install plugins or tools from untrusted sites
· Think twice before filling out verification surveys in order to access content
· When installing social applications, verify that the requested permissions are really required
 
Symantec customers are protected against these types of attacks by various IPS signatures and our URL reputation blocking service.
Symantec would like to encourage Facebook users to report any scams that they encounter to Facebook. The Facebook security team is currently working on this particular scam and they are blocking and removing the threat as new versions appear.

ViewSonic Leads in a Big Way for Commercial and Entertainment Market

ViewSonic, a leading global provider of visual solution products, has successfully expands its display series into the monitor sized 23-inches and larger to satisfy the demand for businesses and entertainment. This series includes products such as intuitive touch screens, edge-to-edge frameless monitors, and audio-visual entertainment models. With the complete product range, ViewSonic provides customers with a broader choice of applications, whether it is in the business sector, interactive education, digital signage, or entertainment.

“The shipment for LCD monitor 23-inches and larger is gradually growing and becomes a trend on the market as the users are getting used to big screen size. For entertainment users, the large-sized displays bring life-like visual enjoyment and exciting gaming experience. The integration of various audio-visual devices also underlines the benefits and features of large sized monitors. For all the years, ViewSonic has been investing in R&D for large-sized displays. In the meanwhile, ViewSonic also improves the connectivity for high-definition multimedia devices, so that consumers can connect with multimedia devices and gaming consoles at ease.” said Max Liu, product marketing director of ViewSonic Asia Pacific. "Besides for entertainment, the demand from business sector for large-sized display is also increased. The advanced optical touch technology allows users intuitive operation to increase efficiency in the work place, such as, to zoom in and out, tap, and swipe back and forth on the screen. Therefore, ViewSonic has been dedicated to providing solutions for these two segments for recent years. We keep enhancing users’ visual experience and interface to produce large sized monitors for all their needs.”

Gionee Launches the World’s First Smartphone with White OGS Technology

The people behind Gionee’s bestselling ELIFE series (From Left to right) Richard Bangayan, Gionee Philippines Vice President, Beally Pei Li, Gionee South East Asia Senior Sales Manager, Tom Zhou Xiao Ping, Gionee South East Asia Sales Director,Michael Bangayan, Gionee Philippines President, Katrin Gregorio, Gionee Philippine Mobile Business Division Head, Douglas Hu, Gionee Philippines Sales Head

A global leader in mobile phone manufacturing and design, Gionee has recently launched the Gionee E6, the flagship smartphone from its bestselling ELIFE series at Eclipse Bar in Solaire.

Having attracted the attention of the midmarket segment with its impressive lineup of smartphones, the brand continues to innovate and develop new models that are specifically designed to create a better smartphone experience.

Just like the other models in the ELIFE series, the Gionee E6 is also very user friendly. As the world’s first smartphone with White OGS technology, the Gionee E6 is perfect for both highly mobile business folks or for those who prefer to make use of their smartphone as an entertainment device.