Change your password!

It really makes one wonder why others don’t change their password, particularly if they cracked into a device. For those who are using jailbroken iPhones with SSH installed and are still using the default password, you’re in trouble - iPhone has just gotten its first worm targeting at these users. When infected, the background of the phone will be changed to a photo of Rick Astley, then it'll look for other phones in the network to infect. Word of advice? Change your password!

(Source: Mashable)

Meet The World’s First THX-Certified Microphone

The THX sound standard is arguably the most well known acoustic standard in the world. The THX certification is usually reserved for cinema theaters, premium computer speakers and home theater systems. However, this is the first time ever that a THX certification is given to an audio input device which went to Blue Microphone's Yeti.

So, what made the world’s first THX microphone ticks? The Yeti’s secret lies on its triple capsule array of premium condensers that enable the mic to record in four different polar pattern modes: stereo, cardioid, omnidirectional and bidirectional. The mic also features a headphone jack which would enable users to directly monitor their recording without any latency. Not only that, the mic is also pretty easy to install on a PC or a Mac, since it didn’t require any driver installation.

As expected, any product that carries a THX logo usually also has a premium price tag. The Yeti microphone cost RM 507 (USD 149.99) which understandably, a little bit expensive for a USB microphone. But keep in mind that the Yeti is designed as prosumer audio recording device, so it might be more attractive to serious podcasters, musicians and audio engineers, rather than occasional Skpe users.

The seriousness aside, we can’t help but wonder if the mic would play the signature THX “Deep Note” tune whenever it’s turned on. *snicker*

[source: Blue Microphones via OhGizmo!]

Malaysian government considering Internet censorship

Some very disturbing news surfaced in the wee hours of this morning on both Google (via AFP) and Reuters that reported the Malaysian government is seriously considering the implementation of an Internet filter to block out access to "undesirable" websites. In a move similar to China's highly critisized Green Dam project, the proposed Internet filter is being considered "to keep out pornographic materials and bloggers who inflame racial sentiments".

In other words, Malaysian Internet users are facing the threat of being censored.

"They (the government) are looking to tweak the technical and legal details of implementing this Internet filter, setting the stage for its implementation late this year or next year" -- the source, who declined to be identified, told Reuters.

We're keeping our fingers crossed that this proposal remains as just that, because the implementation of such a filter - no matter how tightly or loosely enforced - would be a direct sucker punch to the growing Malaysian Internet community. Without having to go into details, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that the reprecussions from a filter would be bad for everyone.

What are your thoughts on this issue?

(Source: Google, Reuters)

Nokia Connections 2009 unveils three new mobiles

A new trio of new phones have made an appearance at the Nokia Connections 2009 event, that's currently ongoing across the causeway in Singapore. These three phones cover all the bases and can accomodate anything from simple low end needs (Nokia 3710 fold), to email heavy business needs (Nokia E72), to full on multimedia (Nokia 5530 XpressMusic).

Based on the press releases that were sent to us, the Nokia 3710 fold phone looks like a run of the mill entry level clamshell. It comes with a 3.2 MP camera, an SD card slot, and an internal GPS receiver that works with the Nokia Maps software. This no-nonsense, simple to use, value for money phone should be hitting the market by Q4 of 2009.

Moving on, the Nokia E72 shouldn't be a stranger to many. As the successor of the highly popular E71, the new and improved E72 comes with a series of enhancing refinements rather than a total makeover. Among them is the use of an optical navigation key in place of the previously used "joystick", the inclusion of a 3.5mm audio jack, and camera upgrade to 5 MP. The E72 should start shipping by Q3 of 2009.

Last in line comes the Nokia 5530 XpressMusic. Following the footsteps of the 5800 XpressMusic, Nokia's first S60 touchscreen device, the 5530 XpressMusic comes with all the multimedia prowess and touchscreen goodness that you're already familiar with. This device however is more like a little brother to the 5800XM than a replacement. Boasting up to 27 hours of music playback, and a 2.9-inch touchscreen, the 5530XM doesn't come with any on-board memory is only capable of GSM/EDGE and WiFi connectivity. The 5530XM is expected to ship by Q3 of 2009 at an estimated retail price of €199. Don't expect a Comes With Music subscription though, since the service isn't (and probably never be) available in Malaysia.

100 Tech Twitter Accounts You Should Be Following

Tech Websites/Publications
These are the accounts of some of the top technology destinations on the net. They provide useful information for us computer professionals and enthusiasts. Follow these accounts for the latest news, trends, and articles on all things tech.

@arstechnica - Ars Technica: The Art of Technology
@CNET News - CNET News.com
@engadget - Engadget: Official Twitter account of Engadget!
@geekforever - Forever Geek: forevergeek.com
@gigaom - GigaOM:The GigaOM bot brings you all the latest headlines from GigaOM network of blogs.
@gizmodo - gizmodo: gizmodo.com
@google - A Googler: News and updates from Google
@MacObserver - The Mac Observer: All TMO articles directly from our rss feed
@MikeTechShow - miketechshow: Podcaster
@pchere - pchere - Chief Blogger & Editor of QuickOnlineTips.com: Publishes technology news, blogging tips, wordpress hacks, web 2.0, new media
@PCMag - PC Magazine: The Independent Guide to Technology since 1982
@Techcrunch - Michael Arrington - Breaking Technology News And Opinions From TechCrunch
@Technibble - Technibble: Technibble is a resource for computer technicians to help them with their business
@TechRepublic - TechRepublic: TechRepublic is a trade publication and online community for IT professionals
@Techwatch - Tech Watch: Providing you with all your tech updates in one place! Formaly comming summer 09!
@techwatching - techwatching: This is the “Stories” feed for TechWatching.com, technology news and views minute by minute. Links go directly to stories.
@The Force Field - The Force Field: Producer and Host of The Force Field a podcast and portal for IT Service Providers
@Wired - Wired: Wired magazine and Wired.com’s twitter feed | Currently hosted by Wired.com science editor @betsymason
@ZDNetBlogs - ZDNet Blogs: Top Tech Blog Network

Tech Vendors
The official twitter accounts of some of the more popular hardware and software vendors. These will help keep you up to date on new releases, sales, and announcements pertaining to your favorite company.

@AMD_Unprocessed - AMD_Unprocessed: Official Twitter account for AMD. CPUs, Graphics & Balanced Platforms
@ATIgraphics - ATI Graphics: Dedicated to providing the latest news, product information and contests from the ATI Graphics team at AMD
@ATTNews - ATTNews: AT&T’s Official Newsroom Twitter Feed
@BlackBerry - Research In Motion: www.blackberry.com
@buyHP - Shop at HP: Buy HP products & services (Got a suggestion - twitter @ hp.com)
@CiscoSystems - Cisco Systems: News and info about Cisco, our CEO and execs. I am John Earnhardt and am your tourguide on our official Twitter feed. Cisco Support @ http://www.cisco.com/ta
@DellOutlet - Dell Outlet: Refurbished Dell™ computers, electronics. Question/comment? Contact Stefanie Nelson at @StefanieAtDell. More Dell Twitter accounts at www.Dell.com/Twitter
@forumnokia - Forum Nokia: Driving Mobile Innovation
@googleapps - Google Apps: Official Google Apps team feed, moderated by Kevin Gough. Google Apps is software-as-a-service for business email, information sharing and security.
@HP_SMB - Hewlett Packard
@hpnews - News @ HP: Got a suggestion? Some constructive criticism? Let’s tweet! (DM @iange - Ange Embuldeniya or E-mail: twitter AT hp.com)
@HTC - HTC - Connecting with smartphone users everywhere. have a question or comment about HTC? Just tweet!
@IBMResearch - IBMResearch: IBM’s Research Division
@intel - Intel: @kenekaplan and @kfcochrane of Intel Global Communications sharing news, views and events about tech & innovation.
@motodeals - MotoDeals: The official word on exclusive deals and user tips for Motorola phones and accessories.
@MSWindows - Microsoft Windows: Your source for all things Windows on twitter.
@NEC - NEC: NEC Unified Solutions
@NeweggDailyDeal - Newegg Daily Deals: For US Newegg Deals, follow us. For Canadian Newegg Deals, follow @NeweggDealsCa
@Oracle - Oracle: Oracle News
@palm_inc - palm_inc: Stay connected with Palm and learn about news, products, tips and tricks, deals and more.
@RedHatNews - RedHatNews: Official news and announcements from Red Hat.
@Seagate - Seagate: The worldwide leader in hard disk drives and storage devices.
@sprintnews - sprintnews: Official feed for news about Sprint Nextel. For ?’s about us or customer service issues, see @jgoldsborough, @jbtaylor, @cndavis, @srdoherty, @svinge
@TigerDirectNew - Tiger Direct Now: Great Deals on Electronics!
@ToshibaLaptops - Toshiba
@vmware - vmware: Virtualization Technology
@vzwupdates - vzwupdates: Timely Updates on Verizon Wireless Phones, Network, Plans & Policies
@WesternDigital - Western Digital

Tech Security
Receive up-to-the-minute news on the latest virus and security threats from these top information security vendors.

@bitdefenderlabs - BitDefenderLabs: antimalware software - the future of security now!
@CiscoSecurity - CiscoSecurity: Cisco Security events, products, and solutions. Also, general network security news updates. (Updated for CMO Security Solutions by L. Friedman)
@fortinet - Fortinet: Consolidated security solutions for enterprises, MSSPs, carriers and more
@McafeeAvertLabs - McAfee: The official tweets of McAfee Avert Labs
@McAfeeNews - McAfee News: Get McAfee’s official news announcements by following this feed. (Not an interactive feed.)
@mssecurity - Microsoft Security: Microsoft and Windows home security bulletins
@Kaspersky - Kaspersky Lab: Leading developer of antivirus software that protects against all forms of malware with the fastest updates
@symantecnews - symantecnews: @coryedwards providing the latest news, updates and insights from Symantec on all things security, storage, and data protection
@trendmicro - TrendMicro: Trend Micro provides leading Internet content security solutions for businesses and consumers.
@verisign - Karen@VeriSign: VeriSign is the trusted provider of Internet infrastructure. Tweets by @karensnyd.
@websenselabs - WebsenseSecurityLabs: The security research team at Websense. Researchers, coders, incident handlers, across the world.
@zonealarm - zonealarm: ZoneAlarm®, a Check Point Software Technologies, Inc. Company, is one of the most secure brands in consumer Internet security.

Tech People
For opinions, links, updates, and insight from a personal perspective, follow these top tech authorities. They run the gammut from CTO’s to podcast hosts and everything in-between.

@acedtect - Tom Merritt: Host of CNET.com podcasts and videos, as well as East Meets West and Sword and Laser podcasts. And as always, Coffee achiever
@arrington - Michael Arrington: TechCrunch founder. Dog Lover.
@bobbiejohnson - Bobbie Johnson: journalista and navel-gazer
@charleneli - Charlene Li: Co-author of Groundswell, thought leader on emerging technologies
@danoliver - Dan Oliver: Journalist and editor of .net magazine. These are my views, not those of Future Publishing. Mmm’k.
@davezatz - Dave Zatz: Geek blogger, sailing the seas of cheese.
@DCoT - Tim Fehlman - Chief Technology Officer, blogger, IT expert, Daily Cup of Tech author, tech guru, entrepreneur, hacker, maker, public speaker, author, Internet safety advocate.
@enderle - Enderle: Analyst
@erickschonfeld - erickschonfeld: Co-editor of TechCrunch
@ev - Evan Williams: CEO of Twitter
@gcluley - Graham Cluley: Senior technology consultant, Sophos. Viruses, spam, computer security, that kind of stuff.
@guykawasaki - Guy Kawasaki: RSSurai with Annie Colbert, Gina Ruiz, and Bill Meade
@harrymccracken - Harry McCracken: Technologizer founder. Boy journalist. Bon vivant.
@inafried - Ina Fried: http://news.cnet.com/beyond-binary/
@jasonhiner - Jason Hiner: TechRepublic Editor in Chief — I use Twitter to share links, observations, and professional upates. I read every @ reply but can only respond selectively.
@jasoncalacanis - Jason Calacanis: Founder of Weblogs, Inc., TechCrunch50 and Mahalo.
@jemimakiss - Jemima Kiss: Guardian writer and interwebber. I live, therefore I Tweet.
@joshuatopolsky - Joshua Topolsky: Editor-in-chief of Engadget.com, reformed producer, lover of creepy movies.
@jowyang - Jeremiah Owyang: I work at Forrester Research, however these opinions are mine. How I use Twitter http://tinyurl.com/24lv65
@jsnell - Jason Snell: Editor of Macworld, writer, primate, skeptic
@kevinrose - Kevin Rose: Founder of social media site digg.com. Random ideas, entrepreneur, climber of rocks, video blogger, & tea drinker.
@labnol - Amit Agarwal: Technology columnist & professional blogger
@lance - Lance: I am a technology entrepreneur and currently a Venture Catalyst at Georgia Tech. I help launch and build technology companies.
@leolaporte - Leo Laporte: I’ve experiments to run, there is research to be done, on the people who are watching TWiT Live.
@mattcutts - Matt Cutts: Head of webspam team at Google.
@mikkohypponen - Mikko H. Hypponen: CRO at F-Secure
@mollywood - Molly Wood: Host of the Buzz Report, Mailbag, and Gadgettes on CNETTV.com. 4WD epicure
@nataliedelconte - Natali Del Conte: http://www.natalidelconte.com/
@om - Om Malik: Founder of GigaOM & a Venture Partner at True Ventures
@padmasree - Padmasree: CTO of Cisco
@rafe - Rafe Needleman: Writes wacky web 2.0 weviews
@ryanblock - Ryan Block: I’m an editor and technology critic in the midst of founding a new web startup: gdgt.
@sarahcuda - Sarah Lacy: i’m a reporter/author in silicon valley
@saschasegan - saschasegan: I’m mostly the cell phone guy for PCMag; my other car is a travel writer.
@scobleizer - Robert Scoble: Geek and technology enthusiasm from a blogger who grew up in Silicon Valley.
@teksquisite - Bev Robb: Southwest NH small business It consultant and Cheeky-Geeky opportunist with a strong interest in computer forensics and social media.
@THErealDVORAK - John C. Dvorak: http://www.dvorak.org/blog/
@thurrott -Paul Thurrott: Paul Thurrott is the guy behind the SuperSite for Windows. Way behind.
@veronica - Veronica Belmont: Host of Tekzilla on Revision3 and Qore on PSN. Also, a geek.
@zephoria - danah boyd: Academic or activist? That is the question. (I study youth practices, social media, and cultural dynamics.)

Bonus: My Tech Buddies - These are folks whose name you may not recognize, but with whom I’ve had valuable personal interactions with on Twitter. Check them out, you wont regret it!

@cbucholdt - Christian Bucholdt: Independent consultant - Applying Requirements Engineering, agile methodology (Scrum) and IT Service Management in a pragmatic manner = creating customer value
@EricHamm - Eric Hamm: Wordpress designer/consultant, online entrepreneur, multifaceted blogger and creator of the frugal Wordpress Theme. www.frugalTheme.com
@MathieuB - Mathieu Bourgie: Blogger/Consultant @ Hardware Revolution, a blog where I offer various computer system designs, ideas and tips on how to help you cut down on computer costs!
@meekprize - mike perez: some dude
@josephmunizjr - Joseph Muniz Jr: An IT Tech trying to stay current on technology.
@philmcdonnell - philmcdonnell: Web developer, designer, consultant, techno-guy, business owner, animal lover and proud parent.
@rglauser - Rhett Glauser: Loud talker for Service-now.com, the only enterprise service desk (ITSM) via SaaS.
@theitskeptic - Rob England: The IT Skeptic: writer, commentator, life balancer.
@timmyjohnboy - Tim Lenahan: http://timmyjohnboy.com/

And, of course, yours truly:

@mattrodela - Matt Rodela: Small business owner, computer guy, blogger @ Y.F.N.C.G., Data Center Systems Analyst for midsize pharma company