Gigabyte's GeForce GTX 780 Ti Overclocked Edition Sports Tri-Fan Cooling Solution

Three fan design boasts 14 percent better cooling performance

NVIDIA swiped the fastest single-GPU crown from AMD with the launch of its GeForce GTX 780 Ti graphics card (tough to argue with the benchmarks), but why stop there? Gigabyte decided to kick things up a notch with its GeForce GTX 780 Ti Overclocked Edition, an OC'd version of NVIDIA's reference speed demon outfitted with a Windforce 3X cooling solution consisting of "Triangle Cool" technology.

Cutting through Gigabyte's fancy marketing buzzwords, the dual-slot cooler on the company's OC'd card features three ultra quiet PWM fans supplemented with two 8mm and four 6mm copper heat pipes. RAM heatsinks round out the cooling package, and according to Gigabyte, it all adds up to 14 percent better cooling performance compared to reference.

Unfortunately, that's where most of the details stop. Gigabyte's press release doesn't contain any technical data, nor does a product page yet exist for the card. We did a little digging and found the card on Amazon for $725 (currently out of stock), but outside of mentioning some high-end components, there's no indication of clockspeed.

For reference, a stock clocked GeForce GTX 780 Ti has a core clockspeed of 875MHz, boost clockspeed of 928MHz, and 3GB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 7000MHz (effective). Gigabyte's cooling solution alone might be worth the $25 premium this card carries, but it sure would be nice to know how far it's overclocked from the factory.

We've reached out to Gigabyte for clarification and will update this article when we know more.

Source: maximumpc

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Android, Windows Phone grow in smartphone share, while iPhone drops

Android grew to 81% of all smartphones shipped globally in the third quarter, while Apple's iPhones slipped to 12.9% compared to 14.4% a year ago, according to IDC.

The latest data from IDC, released Tuesday, also notes that Windows Phone grew to 3.6% market share, an increase from 2% a year ago.
Part of Apple's decline in iPhone share can be attributed to not having a large-display smartphone to sell, while nearly all Android manufacturers have a phablet on sale that has a display larger than 5 inches, IDC said. Android's third-quarter market share of 81% was up from 74.9% a year ago.
Even Nokia, which made up 93.2% of all Windows Phone-powered smartphones shipped in the third quarter, is introducing two new Lumia phones with 6-in. displays. The Lumia 1520 will be sold by AT&T starting Nov. 22, and the Lumia 1320 will be sold outside the U.S. early next year.

Running on phones like the Nokia Lumia 1020 smartphone, the Windows Phone OS is picking up market share.

Phablets, with screens of 5 inches to 7-inches, made up 21% of the smartphone market in the third quarter, IDC said, up from just 3% a year ago.
"We believe the absence of a large-screen device may have contributed to Apple's inability to grow share in the third quarter," said Ryan Reith, an IDC analyst, in a statement.
"It would help for Apple to have a larger phone, since they are popular in some hot markets where Apple wants to be, including North America, Europe and China," said Ramon Llamas, another IDC analyst, in an interview. "When you put all things together, there's an opportunity that Apple's not in right now and that other vendors are offering, like Samsung and now Nokia."
Llamas said he's heard the many rumors that the next iPhone, coming in another year, will have either a 4.7-in. or 5.7-in. display. Apples's latest phones, the iPhone 5S and 5C, have 4-in. displays.
IDC also described the 156% increase in Windows Phone in the third quarter as "amazing" even though Windows Phone still makes up a small portion of the overall smartphone market. What's so impressive is that 3.7 million Windows Phone units shipped in the third quarter of 2012, but that figured jumped to 9.5 million smartphones in the third quarter this year.
Earlier this year, IDC said that Windows Phone would pass the 10% market share threshold by 2017. Whether that happens, however, will come down to how Microsoft addresses the future of Windows Phone and updates of the OS beyond the current Windows Phone 8.
Candidates for the job of Microsoft CEO reportedly include former Nokia CEO Stephen Elop, who might put a greater emphasis on Windows Phone over other products such as the Bing search engine or the Xbox. Microsoft is in the process of purchasing Nokia.
"There's a lot in flux with Windows Phone and getting a new CEO at Microsoft," Llamas said. "If Elop's picked, Windows Phone will be near and dear to his strategy, but if it's somebody else not tied to Nokia, then that person may have a different agenda."
Even so, Llamas said Windows Phone performance is impressive, while still a small part of the global market. "You can't deny what Windows Phone has done in recent years and especially with Nokia, which is really doing incredibly," Llamas added.
"Windows Phone is the clear number three platform worldwide," Llamas emphasized. "Part of the reason is their efforts and the decrease in BlackBerry, but Windows Phone is a legitimate third-place platform coming from sustained growth over 2012 and a broader and deeper portfolio recently than in years past."
IDC also noted that low prices have helped both Android and Windows Phone, with both platforms having a selection of devices that are priced low enough to be affordable to the mass market. "It is the mass market that is driving the entire market forward," Llamas said.
Average selling prices for smartphones dropped by 12.5% in the third quarter, reaching an average unlocked price of $317. Phablets averaged $443.
IDC said there were 261.1 million smartphones shipped in the recent quarter, up nearly 40% from the 186.7 million shipped in the third quarter of 2012.
BlackBerry still held fourth place, despite a 41.6% decline, from 7.7 million smartphones shipped in third quarter 2012 to 4.5 million shipped in the third quarter this year.
In the top two spots, Android shipments reached 211.6 million, up 51.3% over the 139.9 million of a year ago; Apple iPhones reached 33.8 million, up 25.6% over the 26.9 million shipped a year ago.
 Source :  Computerworld.com.

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Banking malware infections rise to highest level since 2002

 

Malicious software aimed at stealing online banking credentials surged in the third quarter of this year to a level not seen since 2002, according to a new report from Trend Micro.

The security vendor said it counted more than 200,000 new infections from July through September, the highest number it has recorded in a three-month period in 11 years. Between April and June, Trend counted 146,000 infections.

The infections were less concentrated in Europe and the Americas and were more distributed throughout the globe, indicating that cybercriminals are diversifying the banking customers they target.

The most affected countries were the U.S., which made up 23 percent of the new infections, followed by Brazil at 16 percent and Japan at 12 percent.

Other top countries affected included India, Australia, France, Germany, Vietnam, Taiwan and Mexico, Trend Micro's report said.

The malware found was usually ZeuS, also known as Zbot, which dates back to 2006.

Cybercriminals plant ZeuS on websites that will then attack visitors and install the malware if the computer has a software vulnerability. It can then steal online banking credentials and send the details to a remote server, among many other malicious functions.

Trend Micro noted that it also saw KINS, a malicious software program modeled after ZeuS, along with Citadel, a banking credential stealer widely seen in Japan and elsewhere.

 

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Sony SmartWatch 2

 

Design and Display

The aluminum, minimalist-style watch face measures 1.6 by 1.6 by 0.35 inches (HWD). It's attached to the silicone wristband, and the whole package weighs 4.3 ounces. The SmartWatch 2 is more comfortable to wear than the Galaxy Gear, which is bulky and very stiff. The right edge of the face contains a large, round Power/Wake button, while the left side houses a covered micro USB charger port; thankfully, it's no longer proprietary.
The 1.6-inch, 220-by-176-pixel, transflective, touch-screen LCD offers 262k colors. It works both with or without the backlight activated, so you can tell the time or check notifications at a glance without powering up the display. The screen is readable in bright sunlight, which even the best LED-backlit display can struggle with. Below the screen are three capacitive buttons: Back, Home, and Sort, the latter of which brings up options to arrange apps either alphabetically or by favorites.

As far as looks are concerned, though, Sony may have had it right with the first SmartWatch. That model had a smaller, 1.3-inch panel with lower 128-by-128 resolution, but it made for a more compact watch that was less obtrusive-looking. The new model is thinner, which is welcome, but the face itself is pretty huge.
The SmartWatch 2 features an industry-standard 24mm-wide pin strap mount and black band. That means you can actually swap it out, not just for one of the four other color silicone bands Sony is selling, but for any other band that fits this size watch. We tested the base Active version; Sony sells an Executive version for $219.95 that features a linked metal band that's classier looking. You can also buy a brown or black leather strip.

Thanks to the charger port's plastic cover, the watch is dust- and freshwater-resistant (IP57) up to three meters (about 10 feet) for up to 30 minutes. That means you can wear it in the shower or while washing dishes without a problem. Sony claims the SmartWatch 2 contains a more power-efficient processor than the first version and the lithium polymer battery should be good for 3-4 days of typical use, and up to 7 days of low usage.
The package includes the SmartWatch 2, a micro USB charging cable, and a printed instruction manual, but no AC adapter.
Setup, Pairing, and Interface
To get started, you'll need to download the free Smart Connect app from Google Play. It's compatible with any phone running Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich" or higher. That puts it way ahead of the Galaxy Gear, which only works with a handful of Samsung phones running Android 4.3. The SmartWatch 2 integrates Bluetooth 3.0 and NFC, the latter of which is used for one-step pairing.
I tested the SmartWatch 2 with a Samsung Galaxy S4 on AT&T's network running Android 4.2.2. The first time I paired the two devices, the watch worked with NFC right away, but then froze up; it showed its home screen icons in transflective mode, but wouldn't respond to the Power switch or any touch controls. I had to hard-reset the watch to get it working again.
The home screen consists of up to six icons—five are loaded by default, for the alarm, flashlight, an event list, settings, and a timer. As you add more apps to the SmartWatch 2, it will create additional home screens you can swipe between. The top bar contains a battery life icon, a dot for the current home screen you're on, a Bluetooth icon, and a small clock on the top right.
By Jamie Lendino
With the SmartWatch 2, you can check text messages, calendar events, Gmail messages, and Facebook and Twitter notifications. The watch vibrates to let you know when each notification arrives, and you can tailor notifications on a per-app basis. In fact, you can selectively turn off status updates from individual Twitter and Facebook users, which is great for toning down the number of alerts the watch receives. You can also like Facebook items or retweet in Twitter from the watch, without having to take out your phone. The SmartWatch 2 keeps a call log, and lets you control music or fitness apps remotely. It doubles as a standalone watch, alarm, timer, and (weak) flashlight, so at least it's not dead weight on your wrist if you leave the phone in another room.
Extensions and Third-Party Apps
It's also an actual app extension platform, and this is where Sony has an advantage. The SmartWatch 2 works with more than 160 apps that are optimized for the SmartWatch 2's higher-resolution display, plus more than 200 apps that carry over from the first SmartWatch but don't display in full-screen mode. (Developers are working too. Just during my review period, the number of SmartWatch 2-optimized apps rose from 135 to 161). You can find more apps to download in the Smart Connect app. When you install it, you'll see a watch icon appear in the top left corner of your phone's notification bar; tap it, and you'll bring up the SmartWatch 2 control panel, which lets you add new apps.
I immediately installed extensions for Gmail, Messaging, Missed Calls, Call Handling, Facebook, and Twitter. Then I went searching through the store, and was mostly disappointed. I grabbed a few freebies, like BlackJack and a lunar phase viewer. Some of the apps are single-purpose, and not particularly useful, such as toggles for Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios. SmartWeather looks useful, but it's $2.50, which seems about $2.50 too much given the extensive array of free weather Android apps for your phone. Also, it didn't work; I loaded it and saw nothing but question marks in the data fields.
Other apps serve minor, but useful purposes. A sound level meter, for example, lets you point the phone's microphone at a source, and then view the result on the watch face; this actually worked fairly well. A $2.99 app lets you display K.I.T.T.'s glowing red LEDs from the Knight Rider car, except that it doesn't correspond to anything (such as audio); it's just a screensaver. The funniest thing I found is the T9 app, which gives you a numeric keypad for texting. This way you can take your $500 smartphone from 2013, pair it with your $200 smartwatch, and then text your friends like it's 2003 and you have a flip phone with a numbers-only keypad.
Other Features and Conclusions
You can customize the watch face itself, albeit not as much as you can with the Galaxy Gear. There are just five pre-loaded face designs, none are particularly exciting, and I could only find one additional one for download. Additionally, the brightness slider is buggy; it only has a few specific positions near the left edge, and the rest of the travel to the right does nothing.
A much bigger gripe: The watch receives notifications from Twitter, short Gmail message blurbs, and so on, but it has no idea if you've cleared them on the phone or on a desktop PC. You have to look through each one on the watch to mark it as read. I'd look at the watch after an hour and see eight old Gmail messages marked as new, long after I had read and/or archived them on my computer.
All told, the SmartWatch 2 is fun to play with, even if it's still far from perfect. I like how much you can tune and customize the various apps, but I'm also frustrated by how many features are still missing in each one. If you want a smartwatch, the Samsung Galaxy Gear does the nifty Dick Tracy-style calling trick, and it has a sharper display and a built-in camera and camcorder. But it costs $100 more, and is too difficult to use and limited otherwise. The Pebble$229.95 at Amazon, our current Editors' Choice for smartwatches, puts up a much tougher fight, thanks to its lower price, longer battery life, stronger water resistance, and compatibility with both iOS and Android devices, although it has a monochrome display. Unless you really need a smartwatch now, you should probably wait for a break-out product to help the category take off. Unfortunately, the Sony SmartWatch 2 isn't it.

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SteelSeries Announces H Wireless Headset for Platform Agnostic Gamers

A wireless headset that works with virtually any device

You may own a gaming PC, Xbox 360 console, tablet, and other devices, all of which pipe out audio. Buying a dedicated headset for each one can be both unwieldy and expensive. To get around that, SteelSeries today introduced its multi-platform H Wireless Headset with support for PC, Mac, game consoles, and a range of other devices via an array of inputs and outputs  including mini USB, optical in/out (S/PDIF), analog input (3.5mm, 3-pole), and chat output (3.5mm, 3-pole).
"SteelSeries headsets deliver three important things to gamers: great sound, incredible comfort and technology that makes it easy and convenient to use," said Bruce Hawver, SteelSeries CEO. "We have always prided ourselves on delivering exceptional audio for gaming. The H Wireless headset does that and takes it to the next level, bringing a world-class audio experience to every aspect of our users’ gaming and entertainment lives."
It's an all-black headset with contrasting glossy and matte finishes. It ships with a pair of 20-hour lithium-ion batteries, so when one runs out of juice, you can swap it out and keep jamming while you recharge the lethargic battery.
SteelSeries promises lag-free performance through a fixed-latency, frequency-hopping system that is continuous and automatically searches between available wireless frequencies. Other features include Dolby Digital, Dolby Headphone, and Dolby Pro Logic IIx technologies.
SteelSeries is taking pre-orders now for its H Wireless Headset ($300). Shipments are scheduled to take place within the next 15 days.

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AMD Issues Round of Price Cuts to Select A6 and A8 Series APUs

Save around 13 percent on certain APUs

Following up last week's unveiling of AMD's A10 6790K APU, the Sunnyvale chip designer has settled on a suggested price point for the new part. In addition, AMD added prices for its FX-9370 and FX-9590 processors for the AM3+ platform, plus shaved in the neighborhood of 13 percent off the price of three existing A6 and A8 Series APUs, bringing each one down to below $100.
Starting at the higher end, the A10 6790K is a quad-core chip clocked at 4GHz, and up to 4.3GHz via Turbo. It has 4MB of L2 cache, integrated HD 8670D graphics, and a 100W TDP. It's a "Black Edition" processor (unlocked multiplier) and is now priced at $122, according to CPU-World.
Up above are the FX-9370 and FX-9590 processors, a couple of Extreme-level chips that initially sold for $350+ and $800+, respectively, when they debuted back in June. Both chips have dropped in price since then and are now listed at $224 (FX-9370) and $306 (FX-9590).
As for the A6 and A8 Series APUs, here's a look:

• A6 6400K: $62 (down from $71, 12.7 percent savings)
• A8 6500: $97 (down from $112, 13.4 percent savings)
• A8 6600K: $97 (down from $112, 13.4 percent savings)

With the exception of the A8 6500, every chip mentioned here is a Black Edition part.

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It’s All E-Commerce Now

E-commerce is an idea whose time has come and gone. Here’s why.

  

When you think of Macy’s, you probably picture Santa Claus, a Thanksgiving Day parade, or its eleven-story, 2.2-million-square-foot flagship location in Manhattan, once known as the world’s largest store.

But that wouldn’t be an accurate picture of the U.S. retailer. In recent years, Macy’s has turned into a digital hybrid nearly as familiar with GPS signals and online advertising as it is with clothes racks and perfume counters. According to its annual report, it’s now “an omnichannel retail organization operating stores and websites.”
“Omnichannel” is a buzzword that describes a survival strategy. Threatened by the growth of low-cost online merchants, traditional retailers are reacting by following customers onto the Internet. Macy’s does it as well as any. On its website, it installs 24 different tracking cookies on a visitor’s browser. On TV, it runs ads with Justin Bieber that urge millennials to download its mobile app, which tells them which of the chain’s stores is closest to their location. Once inside, they can use the app to scan QR codes on a pillowcase or a pair of shoes. Online orders now ship from the backrooms of 500 Macy’s stores that this year began acting as mini distribution centers.

So what’s online and what’s offline? And does it matter anymore in retail? These are the big questions behind this month’s MIT Technology Review Business Report. “Getting into data, analytics, or mobile isn’t even a decision anymore, so we should stop calling it e-commerce and call it just commerce, or maybe pervasive commerce,” says Chris Fletcher, a research director at Gartner who works with retailers. “It’s happening and you have to deal with it. But companies are just getting used to the idea that it’s all one experience.”
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, which tracks economic data, only 5.2 percent of U.S. retail purchases were made online in 2012 (13.1 percent if you don’t include gasoline, groceries, or automobiles). So in-person sales still dominate. But these figures underestimate the effect of the Internet. When stores like Best Buy survey their customers, they find that 80 percent of them have already searched for price information online. A third of them do so on a phone while inside a store.
Coloring the situation is just how badly most large merchants misjudged technology. Back in 2008, Accenture found that retailers invested only 2 percent of their revenue in technology while most other industries invested two to three times that much. As they stood by, Amazon.com has amassed annual sales of $60 billion, six times the online sales of its nearest U.S competitor, Walmart.
With its thousands of engineers, Amazon is starting to look like a software company that just coincidentally sells things. But now it and other Internet companies, including eBay and Google, are investing in same-day delivery—getting goods to people just hours after they order them. With their drop boxes and fleets of delivery cars, they’re bidding to eliminate one of physical retailers’ main advantages: immediate gratification.
Traditional chains are running in the opposite direction. They must reach customers on social media, on the Web, and on their phones. But their stores—often thought of as a costly liability—may turn into an advantage. One emerging technology is indoor mapping, which enables retailers to capture customers’ cell-phone location while they’re browsing. With Wi-Fi sensors and even video surveillance, chains may be able to do the same kind of behavioral advertising that’s possible on the Web. Imagine them, for instance, sending a timely coupon to that shopper circling the outdoor grills in Aisle 6.

“Retail has become a blur. And the blurring is 100 percent driven by technology,” says Tige Savage, a partner at AOL founder Steve Case’s investment company, Revolution, which is investing in new online retail startups. “Are you at the store? Or is the store at you? And then there’s mobile, the store is in your pocket. The game is to satisfy demand wherever and whenever it is.”

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Xbox One Pricing and Availability Announced

You might remember that a few weeks ago, Microsoft unveiled their new console, the Xbox One. However, at that time, there was no information revealed about the pricing and availability of the device. Today, at E3, we found out more information about the device.

The Xbox One made quite a stir in the gaming community. Opinions vary from “no one will buy it” to “it brings together the entire multimedia experience”. While we are not here to debate if the Xbox One is or is not a great device, we can give you some information about its price and availability.

Microsoft’s Xbox One will cost $499

We’ve learned today that the new Microsoft console will be available in 21 markets around the world for the price of $499 in the US market and €499 for Europe (£429 for UK markets). November will be the month when potential customers will be able to purchase the device, but for the moment, Microsoft has not announced exactly in which countries it will be made available.
Those who will part with that sum of money will most likely expect something good in return, and included with the console, there will be a wireless controller, the new Kinect sensor and a 14-day trial of Xbox Live Gold. The subscription is worth about $5 (sell value from other sources), and if you want to renew it, it will set you back about $15  per month, which is the relative equivalent of a pay-to-play game like World of Warcraft or Lord of The Rings Online.
Microsoft will also have a limited edition “Day One” bundle that includes a custom controller, special Xbox Live achievements and unique packaging. The commemorative package will come at the same price as the regular version, but only a lucky few will be able to grab it in time.
At the launch of the product, Microsoft will be also releasing  for separate purchase Xbox One Play & Charge kits as well as Xbox One Headsets. Game developers that will release games for the Xbox One are also trying to give customers some extra content when they pre-order games. So, if you plan on buying the Xbox One and some games like Forza Motorsport 5, Son of Rome or Dead Rising 3, expect to get some bonus material as well (this additional material will also be included in the Xbox One Day One Edition).

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Samsung Makes Galaxy S 4 Active Official - IP67 and Ruggedized

It shouldn't be a surprise to anyone at this point, but Samsung has just now made the ruggedized version of the popular Galaxy S 4 official, called Galaxy S 4 Active. The SGS4 Active includes an IP67 rating, which means it's fully sealed against dust (first digit 6 connotes a completely dust sealed design), and submergible up to 1 meter for up to 30 minutes (second digit 7). Samsung notes that the earphone jack is also water resistant so you can continue to listen to music while submerged with the appropriate headsets. Samsung also makes note of an 'Aqua Mode' setting in the camera to enhance audio and saturation when taking photos and video under water.
Superficially the SGS4A is almost the same as the international and other variants of SGS4, however there are a few changes to the phone beyond just a sealed design with IP67 rating. SoC remains the 1.9 GHz Snapdragon 600 (APQ8064AB) we've seen before, the major change is that camera gets a bump down to 8 MP instead of 13 MP, and there's a 1080p LCD display inside instead of Super AMOLED. Camera is likely still using 1.1 micron pixels, just the 8 MP version of the sensor for reduced z-height since LCD is a bit thicker. LCD makes sense here for cost reasons (something has to give) and brightness plus outdoor viewability reasons — AMOLED can go just as bright, but at higher power than the equivalent for LED backlit LCD. The back of the SGS4A seems to be removable given the presence of a thumb groove in the press photos, so ostensibly behind there is the microSD card slot, microSIM slot, and likely still user-replaceable battery. It's also obvious from the photos that the SGS4A includes physical menu, home, and back buttons instead of the still somewhat odd combination of both physical and capacitive on SGS4.

I have to admit that I like the design and appearance of the SGS4A in these press photos a heck of a lot more than the non-active SGS4, even if the SGS4A puts on a few mm around the edges and is heftier. I've put together a table with the comparisons.

SGS4A vs SGS4 Comparison
	SGS4	SGS4 Active
Length	136.6 mm	139.7 mm
Width	69.9 mm	71.3 mm
Thickness	7.9 mm	9.1 mm
Weight	130 g	151 g
Display	5.0-inch 1080p SAMOLED	5.0-inch 1080p TFT LCD
Camera	13 MP with LED Flash	8 MP with LED Flash

There's no official information on pricing, but Samsung gives availability as 'this summer' in the US and Sweden in three different colors – Urban Grey, Dive Blue and Orange Flare. The latter two Blue and Orange colors are very vibrant from the looks of things.

Samsung will be showing the SGS4A off at its June 20th event in London.

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Apple Fixes Serious Flaws You Didn't Know About in OS X

Apple fixed a number of serious vulnerabilities in OS X, the Safari Web browser, and a handful of third-party packages as part of a substantial update. The patches are available on Software Update and users should make sure the fixes are applied immediately.
The updates, which affect all supported versions of OS X–Mountain Lion (10.8), Lion (10.7) and Snow Leopard (10.6)–and closed several remote code execution flaws in the operating system and Safari, Apple said in its advisory posted yesterday. The patches also addressed issues in QuickTimes and the OS X implementation of OpenSSL and Ruby. The Ruby bugs are currently being exploited in the wild.
Multiple vulnerabilities have recently been identified in Ruby on Rails, the most serious of which can result in attackers remotely executing code on systems running Rails applications. Apple addressed eight distinct vulnerabilities by updating Ruby on Rails in OS X to version 2.3.18. This issue will likely impact OS X Lion or OS X Mountain Lion systems that were upgraded from Mac OS X 10.6.8 or earlier, Apple said.
OS X FixesApple fixed several remote code execution bugs in the operating system. Attackers could exploit one such flaw in the CoreAnimation component, where all the user has to do is browse to a maliciously crafted URL in order to get compromised. Another bug in he Playback component could be exploited with a maliciously crafted movie file, Apple said. There are four different patches for QuickTime fixing remote code execution flaws which could be exploited by maliciously crafted MP3, FPX, QTIF, and other movie files.
Another serious remote code execution bug was in the Directory Service component, but it affected only users with Snow Leopard systems who have enabled the service. Directory Service tracks all the user and group authentication information using various platforms, including Active Directory, LDAP, AppleTalk, and SMB file sharing. Apple replaced Diectory Service with Open Directory in Lion and Mountaion Lion.
Attackers could exploit the flaw by sending a maliciously crafted message over the network to to cause the directory server to crash or remotely execute code, Apple said.
OpenSSL, Safari IssuesApple fixed 13 issues in OpenSSL, one of which would allow attackers to launch the CRIME attack, where an attacker could decrypt SSL-protected sessions. The compression attack on TLS 1.0 was developed by security researchers Thai Duong and Juliano Rizzo.
The new Safari, version 6.0.5, fixed 23 distinct remote code execution vulnerabilities and three cross-site scripting flaws. The issues were all related to the WebKit engine that powers the browser.
"Multiple memory corruption issues existed in WebKit," Apple said in its advisory.
These issues expose Mac users to infection-by-browsing attacks, and the attackers would be able to execute code outside the browser and directly on the system without needing user authorization. Cross-site scripting bugs also allow attackers to create malicious sites containing elements from legitimate pages to trick users in to thinking these spoofed sites are trustworthy.
Get That UpdateUsers who use Apple's Software Update get the correct update automatically. Users who decide to do it manually will need to grab the OS X 10.8.4 update (which includes Safari 6.0.5) for Mountaion Lion and Security Update 2013-002 (which doesn't include the Safari update) for Snow Leopard and Lion systems. Please note that Snow Leopard doesn't get the new Safari version as it is still on Safari 5.

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Zoho CRM Review: Best Web Based Project Management Tool

Running a successful business is predicated on 2 ‘P’s: people and process. You need to have the right people to get the job done and you need to have the right processes for these people to work optimally. Many businesses turn to customer relationship management (CRM) software to handle many of their daily activities: lead acquisition and management, sales processes, and the integration of acquired data. Just take a step back and I’m sure you can think of dozens of other tasks that is handled through software.

 Zoho believes that it has the all-purpose solution for your business needs. They claim that too many times businesses and firms purchase different pieces of software in order to cobble together a cohesive system.  On the other hand, per Zoho, you’ll be getting all the needed functionality of a proper CRM with the ability to scale effortlessly and efficiently to match growth.

At a Glance

The Zoho CRM is premium web based project management software based in the cloud. This means that you can fully utilize use it for free, but if you require access for more than 3 users and full functionality of the software then a paid subscription is required. Also, as it’s based in the cloud, your software will be updated without any interruption of service, data will be backed up on Zoho’s servers (i.e. no risk of data loss), and service of the software is handled by your browser as opposed to taking up precious computer resources.

Oh and one more thing, it can be used on your mobile phone for on-the-go business,

Strengths

• Sales Force Automation – This feature allows the user to automate the sales process by giving complete control over leads, customer accounts, and forecasts. All the user needs to do is input the data and the software will do the rest.
• Sales Tracking – Most sales people follow a sales process or funnel. This feature displays a graphical representation of an actual funnel broken down into different colors depending on the status of customers—whether they are a lead, a prospect, or a customer. By having everything broken down in this way, users can track their customers from first impression to close.
• Office Tools – Email and document sharing is important when creating a cohesive team of staff. With Zoho, customer emails can be handled directly through the CRM to reduce clutter, a plug-in for Microsoft office enables templates to be made which integrate into the software, and document sharing via the library allows only those with access to view sensitive documents.
• Social Management – With many of your customers being social, having a way to connect with their social accounts can easily boost opportunities. With this feature you’ll be able to integrate customer’s social profiles with the CRM.
• Mobile CRM – Just like connecting with social profiles provides additional opportunities, so does mobile. Being able to use a CRM on-the-go offers users great flexibility when an opportunity presents itself.
• Google Integration – With the ability to seamless integrate Google’s apps with this CRM, you’ll be able to utilize Big G’s impressive services with your business.
• 24/7 Support – Having the support of your software’s company at all times of the day is always great.

Weaknesses

• Some feature are withheld depending on the pricing model that you choose; for example, with a free account you’re limited to 3 users , diminished storage, and limited functionality among the CRM’s features.
• Not as powerful as other CRMs: if your company is a multi-national corporation then you might find lack of currency conversion and limited forecasting to be very limiting.

Overall

Many businesses and firms will find great value in a software package such as this. It has loads of features that aid in the sales process and overall efficiency of a business. Sales automation for customer management, sales tracking for execution, office tools for integration, social management and mobile options for additional opportunities, and 24/7 support all go a long way in making this freemium solution quite impressive. There are multiple how-to videos that aid in training for new users and a strong community that backs this company. With enough features to serve almost every type of business you’ll be hard-pressed to find a better CRM than Zoho.

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