Marvin Lee Dot Net

There have been much discussion about the Apple’s new Product – iPad.

Apple introduced its iPad as the most advanced technology in a magical and revolutionary device at an unbelievable price.

In a sense, it is very honest and accurate as speculators expected their iPad would be somewhere around $999 but it’s officially announced to be selling from $499 only. Well, $499 is for the lowest specifications, and it’s priced between $499 to $829. So in some way, it’s pricing could be unbelievable.

And in case you did not know, the name iPad selection was also a popular joke in the cyberworld and among geeks once it was announced. News on that can be found on yahoo, msn and gizmodo as well.

To be fair, it’s like a notepad, so with products like iPhone, and iPod, the name iPad is actually quite suitable, probably better then iTablet.

I wasn’t particularly amazed by it’s features though. The slimness and design of it, as much as has been expected, is just like a bigger size of iPhone.

If you go through the iPad’s features page (and check out the Specs too, I wouldn’t need to reproduce them here), things like Safari, Mail, Photos, Video, YouTube, iPod, App Store, Notes, Calendar, Contacts, Home Screen and Spotlight Search are not something that surprises me.

It’s just the form factor, a larger screen for use, a bigger iPhone screen, without the phone capability.

A few things that I think would be fun and interesting, is playing games that uses accelerometer, which is small on the phone, now gets bigger and better on the iPad. Now that YouTube provides video in High Definition, watching HD videos on a bigger screen will definitely beat the 480-by-320-pixel on the phone too.

Have you seen the accessories yet? I am particularly interested with the Keyboard dock and the iPad case. They seems to make typing (that supports wireless keyboard) and watching video easier, and does it looked like it multifunction like a iMac too?

Which then brings me to the question: What is the target market of this device? Who would actually want to buy them?

Due to the fact that Apple has been very successful with products like iPhone, iPod, iMac etc, and now iPad (which is the most revolutionary product as introduced), I am a bit interested to know.

Of course, there are so many Apple fan boys and fan girls.

How about its usability?

Until I see an actual iPad, which probably would really amaze me, but from what I have seen and read up until now, I can’t help but wonder on these features:

Battery

Sure, the battery can last 10 hours, which is a good one, but why built-in battery again? Taking iPhone for an example is my best guess, but if it’s suppose to take the lead like a tablet computer, most, if not all tablet computers have removable batteries, like a laptop.

Flash Player

After the many years of iPhones without Flash Player, this revolutionary device also does not incorporate Flash Player support. It’s no more a 480-by-320-pixel screen, but still no Flash.

No multi-tasking

Again, just like iPhone, this iPad doesn’t multi-task, probably also the reason why the battery can last 10 hours because you can only run one task at a time. If you’re reading ebook means you can only read, no listening to songs, and while watching video, do not do anything else?

No HDMI output

Not a major problem that I see, but if you are selling it as HD device, it would be better to be able to output the device screen to a HD TV, right? Well, probably Apple leave this as room for improvement for the future generations of iPad.

Operating system

Now, I think this is the main problem that I see in this iPad. Why would Apple make a new OS for iPad, and not use Mac OS? Ok, maybe not exactly a new OS but iPhone OS, since currently iPhone developers can start to make apps with the iPhone SDK 3.2 beta today.

I mean all tablet PC are using Operating system that is the super set of their PC compatible OS. Like Windows XP Tablet PC Edition is actually the superset of Windows XP Professional, the difference being tablet functionality, including alternate text input (Tablet PC Input Panel) and basic drivers for support of tablet PC specific hardware.

But Apple chose to use iPhone OS. Fine… but?

No Phone capability

If you’re using iPhone OS or getting your developers to use iPhone SDK, why don’t Apple just make the iPad runs like a phone too?

I know, i know it’s sickening to start seeing people sticking their ears to the iPad screen to make phone calls.

iPad comes with 3.5-mm stereo headphone jack, built-in speaker and microphone, wouldn’t those work?

Now some iPhone developers might need to make two versions of their apps if they uses camera and phone. Why? Because iPad has got no camera and phone capability. Now you know why iPad will run almost 140,000 apps from the App Store. iPad will work with almost all of the apps designed for the iPhone.

I might be offending many Apple fans with this post. Somehow, I just couldn’t get pass it, why a bigger iPhone without phone functions and not a smaller iMac instead?

Just so you know, there already exists an iMac after-market device which is an iMac in tablet form. It’s called the Axiotron Modbook. The iPad with Mac OS.

Maybe it’s the pricing factor, but to me the Axiotron Modbook might be more appealing than the iPad now.

What do you think?

Gadgets, Hardware, Technology Apple, Apple App Store, HD, HDTV, High Definition, iMac, iPad, iPhone, iPhone SDK, iPod, Mac OS, Tablet PC, Windows XP Tablet PC Edition

Recently, I needed to get an additional external storage due to the growing collection of photos.

I had no specific choice in mind and visited PJ’s Digital Mall in Section 14, and went all the way up to All IT Hypermarket. I don’t mind going up as I found out the price of products there are cheaper than the shops below it, provided you are paying by cash.

Anyway, I was recommended by the salesperson to get the Western Digital- My Passport Essential.

I got the 320 GB version of the portable hard drive. It prompts you to install its WD Smartwave during the first use.

It takes around 1 to 2 minutes to get the WD Smartwave program installed.

It actually helps to manage or sync your files to the drive as backup.

Just like some thumbdrive, I personally believe the software that comes with it are kind of annoying to me. It could probably be useful to some users who need to have interface to work things out.

Besides, I only needed the external hard drive as my additional storage and not as backup for my harddisk.

That aside, I am very happy with the speed of the USB 2.0 Hard drive, I copied a few GB of files way faster than from other mediums. I’m not too sure what helps with that though, but I’m not complaining, and in fact quite happy with it.

If you need more information of its specification, you can visit Western Digital My Passport Essential page.

It’s selling for somewhere around $79.00 from Amazon or RM 309.00 from All IT Hypermarket.

Gadgets, Hardware, Technology All IT Hypermarket, My Passport Essential, PJ Digital Mall, WD Smartwave, Western Digital

Truth be told first, this is not a hacking guide but a reveal of a phishing scam targeted to Maybank2u users.

To many, phishing or the act of cheating you to handover your login particulars to another person might constitute the name of a ‘hack’ although it actually is not.

I will not go into details of naming this tactic, but see for yourself.

*Do note that I think this way of phishing would not be working anymore and in fact I think it doesn’t work at all. Please leave your comment if you think otherwise.

1) It would start off with an email of warning that you need to login to your account and usually come with a link for you to click. Although this is not new but I bet users who are new to Internet or new to online banking might fall for it.
Why it’s fake : Look out for the content in the email, usually it is not correct at all. Technically there is no such IP address as 767.998.x.x and also bank will not send out email with ‘conforming verifying’ without proof reading.

2) The link will send you to a login page, but of course it is not the real Maybank2u.com website. Even the screen is old, which is why I think this scam is old and might not be working at all.
Why it’s fake : It is not the real website and there is no SSL (the lock icon on your browser) saying it’s a secure site. Try login with a fake id and any password, most likely you’re able to see the next page.

3) After submission of your login and password then you see a TAC screen?
Why it’s fake : You have not even requested for TAC and it’s asking you for TAC.

4) All of a sudden you are logged out after TAC submission. Well, some smart guy will ask you not to login to your account for a few hours.
Why it’s fake : Even way before here I guess it looks fishy right? And now the process shows this author could just be a script kiddie.

5) If you go to the main site, of course it is not to be the bank’s website.
Why it’s fake : It’s a personal website! Most likely the website was hacked and the scripts are planted there to act as middleman to send over the login information so that the real Slim Shady behind the job cannot be located.

6) Try to do some tracing from the URL path and it lists the files in the webserver.
Why it’s fake : Looks like it’s a dormant site. Most files are updated in 2007 and the phishing files are updated lately.

7) Trace deeper down the road.
Why it’s fake : Files are copied from somewhere else as this bankofamerica thing reveals that the same script could have been used for other banks too.

8 ) View the source file and see where the data is posted.
Why it’s fake : It’s posting to another website, so this personal website is only a layer of deceit.

9) Now visit the second website and leads to a website of manufacturing company?
Why it’s fake : You don’t need to tell this website doesn’t deal with money but with machines only. So it’s another website with planted scripts.

10) Trace the script and then the game is revealed. The username and password is emailed to the hacker.
Why it’s fake : Need to say more?

I’m not good in PHP, but could someone see if the TAC is sent to the recipient hacker?

From my observation, the hacker probably might not be able to actually hack into the account and do anything damaging without the TAC but he/she has got passwords to two webservers/websites so that scripts are planted there. The scripts probably could have been copied elsewhere too.

While this is not something new, but if the script works, real damage could be done, maybe not to you but to others.
Please beware and warn others that you think they will fall for such traps. (Like your dad or mum or grandpa or grandma?)

One last thing, if you’re the owner of the two websites that got hacked, please remove the files and change your password.

Computer Security, Good To Know, Gossips, Hardware, Internet, Malaysia hack, hacker, Maybank2u, phishing, script kiddie