Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot

May 19, 2009




In many enterprises, it has become a fact of business life that every employee should be connected to the Internet. With the Verizon MiFi 2200 Intelligent Mobile Hotspot, not only can you personally stay connected, but you can also keep five of your co-workers connected.

For a full review check out the Product Spotlight.

Image courtesy of Verizon.
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Spotlight: Shuttle SN68SG2 Desktop PC


The small form factor of the Shuttle SN68SG2 Desktop PC is the perfect solution for tight cubicles, offices, and other spaces where a standard desktop will not fit. But sometimes those tiny PCs suffer from serious heat issues. The desktop PCs from Shuttle take a very different approach to this problem and the results are impressive. The SN686G2 is one of the mid-range offerings from Shuttle that make the small form factor a viable solution for the business.

A complete Product Spotlight of the Shuttle PC will be available soon.
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Linux and Windows compromised at boot

There’s a lot of debate over what constitutes a “secure” operating system. The debates seem to become most heated when people compare the Big Three of home desktop OSes — Microsoft Windows, Apple MacOS X, and the Linux family of operating systems. Of course, as I pointed out in Is Linux the most secure OS?, it’s difficult to convincingly offer a definitive declaration that any given operating system is “more secure” than another.

OpenBSD is rightly proud of its record of only two identified remotely exploitable vulnerabilities in default configuration through its entire stable release history, but even this is not proof positive that an OS is the “most secure”, considering that security needs change from one system deployment to another.

Ultimately, any of the widely used general purpose OSes can theoretically be compromised. The recent popularity of virtual machines, allowing one to simultaneously run multiple virtual computers on a single physical hardware platform, has provided hints of one particular threat that may apply even to an OS running outside of the controlled environment of a virtual machine: compromise by altering the OS image in memory during boot. This kind of danger has become something of a common bogeyman for VM users, as they worry that some piece of malware may be able to break free of the limits of the VM, and affect the OS in ways that have not previously been a concern for operating system installs on “bare metal”.

In theory, however, there is no specific reason something similar cannot be done to a system running without the virtual machine environment, as long as malicious security crackers can find ways to access the machine’s boot process itself. This may be prohibitively difficult to achieve remotely, at this time at least, but it presents a very worrisome state of affairs for cases where a security cracker may have physical access to the computer.

In the case of Microsoft Windows and certain Linux distributions, this concern is not just theory. It is also a very concrete reality. Piotr Bania has put together a proof of concept, a boot compromise tool called Kon-Boot, which so far has been tested and confirmed to work on at least four Linux distribution releases and a slew of common MS Windows releases.

The tool can be used for legitimate purposes, from security research purposes to simple recovery of a system where the administrative password has been lost. In the words of the creator:

In the current compilation state it allows to log into a linux system as ‘root’ user without typing the correct password or to elevate privileges from current user to root. For Windows systems it allows to enter any password protected profile without any knowledge of the password.

If you want to protect your computer against root compromise by someone with physical access to the machine, this provides an excellent case for removing any CD, DVD, and floppy boot capability, eliminating any external device ports that may be used to introduce boot capability outside of the internal hard drive, and lock the case.

You may also want to lock it in a closet, and perhaps use an operating system that hasn’t yet been targeted by this particular boot compromise tool, such as MacOS X or a BSD Unix OS like FreeBSD. Though it may only be a matter of time before these other OSes are similarly compromised, at least for the time being you can be reasonably certain they’re ahead of the game, even if only by chance.

Ultimately, the moral of the story is simple: be careful who you let near your computers, and under what circumstances you allow access.



Author: Chad Perrin
source: /blogs.techrepublic.com
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Sony Bravia X450 Series Lcd Tv



Japanese electronic giant Sony released BRAVIA X450 which features impressive home theater and entertainment solution including the 24P True Cinema that will maximize the viewing experience of people and provides movie-like images.

The 46- and 55-inch X450 and X4500 stand out from all the remaining 2008 Bravia LCD TVs with their RGB Dynamic LED backlighting system. This feature uses red, green and blue LEDs which enhance dynamic contrast to 1,000,000:1 to deliver deeper blacks and richer colors. Another key differentiator is the PRO iteration of its Motionflow function that offers both 100Hz motion enhancement and backlight blinking for sharper and more stable visuals. The last major upgrade is the high-end Bravia Engine 2 PRO video processor implemented across the new X-series.

Also the remote control has been upgraded with radio frequency technology without line-of-sight restrictions, but this comes at the expense of backlit buttons, standard in the old model (x250 and x350).

One of the most notable features is the Full HD 1080 Technology which can support a scanning line of 1080. This feature is two times the amount of the standard definition format (SD).

Another notable addition are its convenient front-facing, touch-sensitive controls. These glow white and can be programmed to fade automatically, seamlessly blending into the 50mm-wide frame



Maximizing the viewing experience of people, this home theater solution delivers MPEG Noise Reduction. This feature works by suppressing the image noise which often happens in high contrast images.
The Bravia X450 has full-featured and comprehensive connectivity options. These range from four HDMI 1.3 (one side) terminals to 1080p-ready dual component-video and analog PC inputs. The HDMIs also support 24-frames-per-second film-centric signals and the Bravia Sync function to interoperate Sony A/V products using the panel's bundled remote.

To provide the most realistic motion scenes, the HD television delivers Motionflow PRO. This feature is very good at capturing fast moving pictures, making these appear sharper, clearer, and smoother.

Another impressive technology is the XrossMediaBar (XMB). This user interface provides people with easy and convenient navigation, allowing them to select or search a content without the need to use a remote control.

Featuring BRAVIA Sync, the HD television provides users with one-push play and shutdown while allowing the device works with other entertainment solutions.

Boasting a new “intelligent” technology called Digital Living Network Alliance (DLNA) which can work seamlessly with other entertainment devices. This feature also allows people to share their digital media faster and more conveniently to others. Also included is an Ethernet port which is not a common feature in LCDs. Together, they allow direct MP3 and JPEG playback from a variety of USB devices as well as DLNA-certified media servers in your home network.

To make sure that viewers will not experience eye fatigue, BRAVIA X450 delivers Ambient Light Sensor which automatically adjusts the brightness on the screen to suit the lighting condition of a room.

With PhotoTV HD which allows users to view slideshows and still photos via connectivity through the integrated USB 2.0 port, the television can support digital images and show these in the most vivid and realistic form.

All in all the Sony X450 Bravia Series is currently the most top notch Lcd tv’s available in the market. With neat new features such as the touch sensitive controls, DLNA technology, a huge Dynamic contrast ratio, and totally revamped stellar looks. It makes this very Lcd a must buy for the enthusiasts. Whether you are an average joe or an audio/videophile This product will satisfy you every way. In short, Highly Recommended.
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