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Friday, March 4, 2016
Apple apologises for iPhone 'error 53' and issues fix
Apple apologises for iPhone 'error 53' and issues fix
news source bbc.com
AFP
Apple has said sorry to iPhone customers whose phones were disabled after third-party repairs, and issued a fix for the problem.
Some users found that their iPhone stopped working following servicing by a non-Apple technician and saw an "error 53" message in iTunes.
Previously, Apple had said the error was a "security measure" taken to prevent fraudulent transactions.
Now, the company has released a software update to fix the error.
In a statement, Apple said that "error 53" occurs when a device fails a standard security test designed to ensure that the Touch ID fingerprint scanner is working correctly.
However, the company added: "We apologise for any inconvenience, this was designed to be a factory test and was not intended to affect customers.
"Customers who paid for an out-of-warranty replacement of their device based on this issue should contact AppleCare about a reimbursement."
A software update has now been released so that iPhone customers with disabled phones may restore their device via iTunes on a PC or Mac.
Apple 'prodded'
"To me, there was a lot of logic in what they said around the 'error 53' element," said mobile analyst Ben Wood at CCS Insight.
"If you're using your fingerprint to unlock sensitive data or make payments and there was the ability for someone to replace the screen and modify the module to take control of your phone - that's not a good thing at all."
Mr Wood added that Apple faced something of a backlash over the error after it appeared "retrospectively" on repaired phones following a software update, and was not something iPhone users had expected.
Apple had even faced a class action lawsuit led by a Seattle-based firm over error 53-disabled phones.
"I think it's a sensible decision by Apple," he told the BBC.
"If they've found a way to allow people to do repairs to the phone without that error occurring, that's great news."
Some customers praised the company's decision on Apple's discussion forums.
"Perhaps my sentiment of a week ago or so (that I would not buy an iPhone 6), which generated so much complaining by people with huge numbers of posts, in its small way helped to prod Apple into fixing this," wrote one user, risandy, following news of the fix.
"Glad to see Apple have back-tracked on this one," added Jay 75.
Create a New Partition on a Windows 7 or 8 Hard Disk
Create a New Partition on a Windows 7 or 8 Hard Disk
The Windows 7 or 8 Disk Management tool provides a simple interface for managing partitions and volumes.
Here’s an easy way to create a new partition on your disk. its simple and easy just follow steps you will successful creates new partition
Here’s an easy way to create a new partition on your disk. its simple and easy just follow steps you will successful creates new partition
- Open the Disk Management console by typing diskmgmt.msc at an elevated command prompt. See screenshot bellow
- In Disk Management’s Graphical view, right-click an unallocated or free area, and then click New Simple Volume. This starts the New Simple Volume Wizard. (Note: If you need to create unallocated space, see the Tip Easily Shrink a Volume on a Windows 7 Disk for information on how to do this. tips come soon on this blog keeps on http://technicalsolutionbymk.blogspot.com/)
- Read the Welcome page and then click Next.
- The Specify Volume Size page specifies the minimum and maximum size for the volume in megabytes and lets you size the volume within these limits. Size the partition in megabytes using the Simple Volume Size field and then click Next.
- On the Assign Drive Letter Or Path page, specify whether you want to assign a drive letter or path and then click Next. The available options are as follows:
Assign The Following Drive Letter Select an available drive letter in the selection list provided. By default, Windows 7 selects the lowest available drive letter and excludes reserved drive letters as well as those assigned to local disks or network drives.
Mount In The Following Empty NTFS Folder Choose this option to mount the partition in an empty NTFS folder. You must then type the path to an existing folder or click Browse to search for or create a folder to use.
Do Not Assign A Drive Letter Or Drive Path Choose this option if you want to create the partition without assigning a drive letter or path. Later, if you want the partition to be available for storage, you can assign a drive letter or path at that time. - Use the Format Partition page to determine whether and how the volume should be formatted. If you want to format the volume, choose Format This Volume With The Following Settings, and then configure the following options:
File System Sets the file system type as FAT, FAT32, or NTFS. NTFS is selected by default in most cases. If you create a file system as FAT or FAT32, you can later convert it to NTFS by using the Convert utility. You can’t, however, convert NTFS partitions to FAT or FAT32.
Allocation Unit Size Sets the cluster size for the file system. This is the basic unit in which disk space is allocated. The default allocation unit size is based on the size of the volume and, by default, is set dynamically prior to formatting. To override this feature, you can set the allocation unit size to a specific value. If you use many small files, you might want to use a smaller cluster size, such as 512 or 1,024 bytes. With these settings, small files use less disk space.
Volume Label Sets a text label for the partition. This label is the partition’s volume name and by default is set to New Volume. You can change the volume label at any time by right-clicking the volume in Windows Explorer, choosing Properties, and typing a new value in the Label field provided on the General tab.
Perform A Quick Format Tells Windows 7 to format without checking the partition for errors. With large partitions, this option can save you a few minutes. However, it’s usually better to check for errors, which enables Disk Management to mark bad sectors on the disk and lock them out.
Enable File And Folder Compression Turns on compression for the disk. Built-in compression is available only for NTFS. Under NTFS, compression is transparent to users and compressed files can be accessed just like regular files. If you select this option, files and directories on this drive are compressed automatically. - Click Next, confirm your options, and then click Finish.
Tip adapted from Windows 7 Administrator’s Pocket Consultant by William R. Stanek
Thursday, March 3, 2016
Google donates $1m to fight Zika virus
Google donates $1m to fight Zika virus
Unicef/Ueslei Marcelino
Google's charitable arm has donated $1m (£710,000) to Unicef to help stop the spread of the Zika virus.
The virus is suspected to be linked to a large number of babies born with underdeveloped brains in Brazil.
In February, the World Health Organization declared the Zika virus a global public health emergency.
Google said its grant would help to raise awareness, reduce mosquito populations and support the development of vaccines.
Google
"Today we have Google engineers working with Unicef to analyse data, to determine how to map and anticipate the virus," the company said in a blog post.
The firm's team of volunteers is designing open-source software that will be able to collate data, such as weather and travel information, to help predict how Zika may spread.
Google said it had also updated its search engine to display detailed information about Zika - available in 16 languages - for visitors to the US and other countries. The company is also working with popular YouTube channels in Latin America to produce information videos about the virus.
YouTube/Plaza Sesamo
The World Health Organisation has identified the Zika virus as a serious global threat, in the same category of importance as Ebola.
But unlike Ebola, where aid organisations focused on getting "boots on the ground" to treat patients and prevent transmission, with Zika the attention is on understanding the virus' link with microcephaly.
Microcephaly is when a baby is born with an unusually small head, as the brain has not developed properly
Wednesday, March 2, 2016
Kiddle search engine for children causes controversy
Kiddle search engine for children causes controversy
Kiddle
A search engine aimed at children, which blocks many common search terms including the words menstruation and balls, has gone viral.
Kiddle was registered in 2014 and is powered by Google safe search but has no connection with the tech giant.
Other words blocked by the site include lesbian and gay, a decision which has angered the campaign group Stonewall.
Kiddle says search results are "handpicked and checked" by its editors.
Other apparent search anomalies include the blocking of the term circumcision but not of FGM (female genital mutilation), suicide but not self-harm, the actress Pamela Anderson but not Fifty Shades of Grey.
Kiddle's parent company is not named on the website but one of its early testers blogged that it was set up by the Russian founder of a site called Freaking News.
A form on the site invites users to submit suggested additional key words for blocking.
kiddl
Lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender terms also yield no results because the site "cannot guarantee the safety" of such searches.
"Young people regularly use the internet to find information on LGBT issues," a Stonewall spokesperson said.
"Attempting to stop young people finding safe and age-appropriate content of this nature will force many young lesbian, gay, bi and trans people to seek it elsewhere. This can take individuals down inappropriate avenues which might put them at risk.
"Kiddle should rethink its approach to blocking valuable LGBT advice and information."
Kiddle told the BBC it had received complaints "from parents and teachers" before the terms were blocked during early tests.
"Most LGBT sites have forums and user generated content. Even one picture of a half naked man posted as an avatar on such sites (after the site has been vetted) is enough to turn away most parents," the firm said.
It added that it had blocked the term "sex education" because of the illustrations contained within many sites hosting such material.
"What is OK for a child of 12 may not be OK for a child of five," it said.
"Since Kiddle results are either handpicked and checked by our editors or filtered by Google safe search, you know you get kid-oriented results without any explicit content. In case some bad words are present in a search query, our guard robot will block the search," Kiddle states on its website.
The site adds that its server logs are deleted every 24 hours and no user data is stored.
Apple v FBI: US debates a world without privacy
Apple v FBI: US debates a world without privacy
Getty Images
Is there such a thing as security so good it's a danger to society?
That's the bigger picture at hand as Apple continues to fight an order to unlock a terrorist's iPhone.
That fight made its way to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee, the government body that covers matters relating to how law and order is enforced in the US.
Over the course of four meandering hours, representatives dived headfirst into the complexities of the case FBI director James Comey said is the most difficult issue he has ever had to deal with.
He told the committee that his organisation was seriously concerned by the growth of what law enforcement describe as "warrant-proof spaces" - the term given for methods of communication or storage that, even with the correct permission from the court, can't be accessed. Not by police and not by technology companies.
Getty Images
"If we're going to move to a place where it's not possible to overcome that," Mr Comey warned, "that's a world we've never lived in before in the United States."
His demand that Apple assists his agency in weakening the iPhone's security was met with this from California Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren.
"The alternative [to strong encryption] is a world where nothing is private.
"Once you have holes in encryption, the rule is not a question of if, but when those holes will be exploited and everything you thought was protected will be revealed."
Physical intrusion
Apple was represented in this hearing by its lead counsel, Bruce Sewell.
Aside from customer letters, and a somewhat stage-managed interview with ABC, it's the first time the computing giant has been put under scrutiny over its refusal to comply with the FBI order.
Getty Images
Mr Sewell put in a strong performance thanks, largely, to the testimony of cryptology expert Prof Susan Landau - whose pivotal input I'll discuss later.
Mr Sewell endured fierce exchanges with South Carolina Congressman Trey Gowdy, who was angry at what he deemed a lack of cooperation in this controversial case.
How is it possible, the Congressman offered, to live in a world where the FBI has the authority to stick a finger up someone's rear in search of drugs, but not the power to look at the locked iPhone of that same suspect?
There's no simple answer to that, of course, though Apple might contest that law enforcement's capability to carry out such physically intrusive actions doesn't increase the general public's risk of exposure to an unruly finger or two.
'No no no'
But, crass comparison aside, Congressman Gowdy's heated questioning eventually arrived at this key point - if Apple won't comply with this order, he thinks the company must at least be forthcoming in sharing what it is actually prepared to do.
In a similar vein, the session's soundbite moment came from the mouth of Congressman Jim Sensenbrenner, who scolded Apple for having the audacity to demand Congress do something without offering any solution itself.
Getty Images
"All you've been doing is saying 'no no no no'," the Congressman said.
"You're operating in a vacuum.
"You've told us what you don't like. You haven't told us one thing about what you do like. When are we going to hear about what you do like so Apple has a positive solution to what you are complaining about."
Congress could, he added, continue unassisted by Apple, "but I can guarantee you aren't going to like the result".
Mother's diary
That's because, judging by some of the questioning during the session, some members of Congress consider it unfathomable that police cannot reach the information kept in Apple devices.
It's a barrier hindering many, many cases. Mr Comey could not say exactly how many phones the FBI wanted to unlock nationwide, other than that it was "a lot".
Later in the hearing, we learned that there are 205 locked iPhones currently held by police in New York alone.
Getty Images
We were reminded about a case involving Brittany Mills, an expectant mother who was shot and killed on her doorstep in Louisiana last year. Her baby boy died soon after.
Ms Mills - whose family attended the hearing - kept a personal diary on her phone that could contain crucial information about the murderer. The phone is locked, rendered unreachable by Apple's encryption software.
"I think about the nine-year-old girl who asked 'why can't they open the phone so we can see who killed my mother'," said Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond.
Mr Sewell said Apple had done a lot to help with that investigation, but without creating the kind of tool demanded by the FBI in the San Bernardino case, it would be unable to assist further.
Making a smarter FBI
But maybe someone else could?
Republican Congressman Darrell Issa - a favourite among tech enthusiasts thanks to his opposition to several bills considered to be anti-internet - gave Mr Comey a hard time over the process leading up to asking for Apple's help.
Mr Issa said the FBI had not explored all the options for accessing the data and circumventing Apple's security.
He said the FBI should be investing in bringing in people with that expertise, not relying on companies like Apple to do the work for them.
Point being - if the FBI could crack the phone itself, Apple's opposition would be irrelevant.
This call was backed up by the thoughts of Prof Landau, an independent cryptology expert who argued, with some force, that there was no way the FBI's request in San Bernardino could be carried out safely.
Telegram
She said that while Apple could no doubt keep the code required to crack Syed Farook's phone a secret, the real issue is what will happen when Apple is subjected to possibly hundreds of requests to do the same thing on other devices.
She said the surge of orders would mean Apple would need to create a faster process to handle the task, one that would by its nature be vulnerable to exploitation through interception, or perhaps a rogue employee.
Prof Landau insisted the only real course of action was for the FBI to invest heavily in becoming smarter - rather than compelling Apple to make its products less secure.
Because a weakened iPhone would have one critical side effect, she said. Criminals would simply use other, more secure methods to talk to each other - apps created by countries outside the US, offering encryption mechanisms even more secure than those offered by Apple currently.
Should that happen, the wishes of Congress matter not a jot.
"What you're saying," Congressman Jerrold Nadler asked Prof Landau, "is that we're debating something that's… undoable
source bbcnews.com
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