If you’re a Samsung Galaxy device user, and happen to be an Angry Birds fan, you are in luck! Rovio’s upcoming title, Angry Birds Space, will be available for download on iOS, Android, PC and Mac tomorrow. If you happen to be carrying an Android-powered Samsung Galaxy device, you will receive the “Danger Zone,” an extra 30 game levels that will be sold as an in-app purchase, for free.

In addition, you will also receive one exclusive Samsung level, as well as the Lazer Bird, a new bird introduced by Samsung to bring more buzz to its Galaxy Note. The Lazer Bird is said to reflect the personality of Samsung’s Galaxy Note, with the bird’s lazer vision representing the Note’s massive screen and its powerful strike representing the device’s high performance.

The Galaxy Note’s 5.3-inch screen has a pixel density of 285 ppi, even higher than that of Apple’s iPad 3 with Retina display, so I wouldn’t doubt that claim one bit. By being the launch partner of Rovio’s Angry Birds Space, Samsung aims to position the Galaxy Note not only as a smartphone and tablet hybrid, but also a “perfect gaming device.”

The company is set to release the Galaxy Note 10.1, a full-fledged Android tablet with a 10.1-inch display, later this year. Like the 5.3-inch Galaxy Note, it will come with Samsung’s signature stylus that makes games like the popular “Draw Something” a joy to play.

Check out Samsung’s introductory video below:

This advertorial is sponsored by Samsung. All opinions are fully mine and unbiased.

©2011 SheepTech

(Sponsored Video) Samsung Galaxy Users To Get Complimentary 30-Levels Package In Angry Birds Space

Windows 8, on the surface, is a dream come true to many people. For the first time ever, Microsoft is crafting an operating system that won’t suck running on a tablet. The Metro interface and apps built specifically for it are highly optimized for touch interaction, akin to iOS and Android, and not so much for keyboard and mouse, even if that is what Redmond wants us to believe.

Continue reading →

 

©2011 SheepTech

Windows 8 Tablets Will Not Double Up As a PC, Stop Dreaming

Bought a cheap tv-out composite AV cable for your iPhone off eBay, but learnt that it’s unsupported later? Well, all is not lost. Like most prudent consumers, I refused to purchase an Apple-branded composite AV cable that will set me back RM139 ($45). Instead, I tried my luck with an aftermarket tv-out cable on eBay, costing just RM25 ($8), which is the cheapest in my region. The seller advised me that the cable would only work on older iDevices like the original iPhone and iPhone 3G.

I figured that the iPhone 3GS is really not all that different from the 3G, so I placed my order anyway.

Fast-forward a week after ordering (snailmail international delivery), the cable finally arrived. You guessed it, it didn’t work. Every time I plug the cable into my iPhone’s connector dock, the phone shows the following message: “This accessory is not supported by iPhone.”

I tried playing some videos anyway after dismissing the message, and it turns out that the audio would play on my television just fine, but the video won’t show up.

What gives? It turns out that this isn’t a hardware limitation. It’s an Apple-imposed limitation that render any tv-out cables that are not blessed by Cupertino useless. The aim is to make you buy their expensive cables that have special authentication chips on them — but you really don’t have to, provided your iPhone is jailbroken.

If your situation is similar to the one I described above, follow the following steps, and chances are your cheap cable will work like a charm:

1. Open Cydia on your iPhone
2. Search for “Resupported 4″ (works on iOS 4 and 5), install it
3. Search for “TVOut2 Mirror TVOut” and install it
4. Reboot your iPhone

That’s about it. It worked perfectly in my case, but your mileage may vary. Do note that “Resupported” will only work for 10 days before you have to pay for it. But considering the amount of money you could save by NOT buying Apple’s expensive cable, the $3.99 the developer asked for is reasonable.

©2011 SheepTech

iPhone TV Out: Fix “This Accessory Is Not Supported by iPhone”

I like the notion of having a tablet the moment Apple’s iPad came around. But after all these years, even after the tablet market is flooded with Android tablets of different form factors and sizes, I’m still without a tablet. It’s sure great to consume contents on a tablet while relaxing on the couch, but besides that, it wouldn’t be very useful for anything else, in my case at least, and thus can’t justify a purchase.

For starter, I absolutely hate carrying a bag in an outing. And I don’t see how I can carry a tablet around without a bag. Until recently. With the debut of the Samsung Galaxy Note. And I’m not even sure if the device’s a really super large smartphone or a mini tablet.

The Galaxy Note has an unconventional screen size of 5.3-inch, with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels. At its core, it’s powered by a 1.4GHz dual-core Samsung Exynos processor and 1GB RAM. Like the Galaxy S II, it sports a 8-megapixel rear camera with LED flash capable of 1080p video recording and a 2-megapixel camera on the front. As with all high-end smartphones, the Galaxy Note also comes with an accelerometer, gyro, proximity sensor, and oddly, a barometer (sorry for my ignorance, but what’s a barometer good for in a mobile device again?).

Again, as with most of Samsung’s Android devices, save for the Galaxy Nexus, the Galaxy Note comes with Samsung’s custom Android skin — known as TouchWiz. I have not personally used the interface before, so I can’t comment on that, but I’d very much opt for a vanilla Android experience. Why? Because the last thing I want is not receiving an OS update, caused by nothing but a custom interface that isn’t necessary any better than stock.

To be fair, the Galaxy Note is expected to be updated to Android Ice Cream Sandwich next year, but further upgrades are not guaranteed. And that’s what plaguing Android as a platform, a crucial issue that remains unresolved.

That said, I’m still seriously considering Android to power my next smartphone (or tablet), after using the iPhone for over a year. I love the fluidity and sleekness of iOS, but I find the adventurous geek in me looking for more. The Galaxy Note seems to be the best device to bring drastic change to the familiar environment I started to get bored of, with a really huge screen, stylus, and an open environment.

But the ultimate deciding factor: Will it fit in my hand and pocket? I’ll soon find out.

If you have five minutes to spare, here’s an episode of Fact Checkers Unit, which briefly features the Galaxy Note:

©2011 SheepTech

Is Samsung Galaxy Note a Smartphone or a “Mobile Tablet”?

Update: The giveaway is over. Congratulations MIT THAKKAR, you’ve been chosen as the winner by the list randomizer on random.org. Please check your email for instructions to claim the prize.

It had been more than four months since VIPRE Antivirus software took charge of my PC’s security. By right, I should have more to say since my initial review in May, but that’s not the case here. In fact, I have not interacted with the program since, other than updating the software, and that’s only for once.

These are my test results back then:

• Quick scan – Two risk was detected in the 8 minutes quick scan
• Deep scan — CPU and memory usage did not spike, PC responsiveness unaffected. Total scan time is slightly over 4 hours, with archives scanning on (off by default)

The antivirus is now running on autopilot, scanning for malicious programs everyday exactly as scheduled. And just like from day one, my work flow is not affected by the scans. No slowdown whatsoever. The popup balloon is the only clue I have when a scan is started. That’s exactly how I wanted an antivirus to behave (it drives me nuts seeing people paying dearly for a bloated antivirus).

 Win a free copy of VIPRE antivirus

If you’d also like to give VIPRE antivirus a spin, without paying a dime, you have the chance now. On October 8th, a SheepTech reader will walk away with a free copy of VIPRE antivirus worth $29.95, courtesy of GFI.

All you have to do is to submit a comment below, optionally telling us why you want to give VIPRE antivirus a try. Good luck.

©2011 SheepTech

Grab a free copy VIPRE Antivirus, Worth $29.95

If you managed to grab one of HP’s $99 tablet, consider yourself lucky. It turns out that the TouchPad is far from dead after all. According to Todd Bradley, the head of HP’s Personal Systems Group, the TouchPad could be resurrected under a new standalone company which he’d lead personally if HP managed to spin-off its PC business.

“Tablet computing is a segment of the market that’s relevant, absolutely,” Bradley said. “My intention would be to lead it through this transaction … and if it’s a standalone public company, to lead that.”

On WebOS, Bradley did not reveal much, other than hinting that several companies approached HP for the possibility of licensing the operating system. It’s hardly surprising considering the operating system is now much more attractive than it was a month ago, thanks to the market share it gained with HP’s aggressive fire-sale pricing.

Android on TouchPad

On a related note, the Cyanogenmod team, known for their popular Android aftermarket firmware, had released a video showing a TouchPad running on an alpha version of its custom firmware.

There’s no information on when the final release will be ready, but rest assured, an Android-based TouchPad isn’t too far from reality.

The team also said that “our ultimate vision is to create a *multiboot* solution where the end-user will be able to boot into WebOS, Cyanogenmod, and/or other OSes,” saving users the trouble of deciding which operating system to settle for.

Source: Reuters
Photo credit: Robert Scoble

©2011 SheepTech

HP May Continue Working on Tablets After All

The ordinary North Koreans may not have even heard of the internet, but to Kim Jong-Il, the “Supreme Leader” of North Korea, it’s a source of revenue to the cash-strapped state, in an unusual way.

Citing the South Korean authorities, The New York Times reported that Mr. Kim’s regime had ordered a team of 30 “hackers” to set up bots for popular South Korean massively multiplayer online (MMO) games, such as Lineage and Dungeon and Fighter.

Unlike in the case of Chinese prisoners, these bots were programmed to play, or rather, gold-farm, in online games without any human input. Virtual goods and in-game currency obtained by the bots will then be sold for real money to actual gamers who are willing to spend for the sake of their game character’s progress.

To the naive, gold farming may seem to be just a way for teenagers to make some pocket-money. But to the thousands of professional gold farmers in China, or even Mr. Kim for that matter, gold farming is a lucrative way to bring in the big bucks:

In a little less than two years, the police said, the organizers made $6 million. They gave 55 percent of it to the hackers, who forwarded some of it to agents in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.

Source: The New York Times

©2011 SheepTech

North Korea Gold Farm on South Korean MMO Games

All Dropbox accounts were accessible with virtually any passwords, even incorrect ones, for four hours on Monday. The blunder was made when the company implemented a code update, and it took four hours before realizing the issue, eventually having it fixed in the next five minutes.

Less than one percent of users logged in during that period, according to a blog post by Arash Ferdowsi, Dropbox’s co-founder and CTO. These accounts will be flagged for investigation, and the account owner will be notified if there’s any unauthorized access:

We’re conducting a thorough investigation of related activity to understand whether any accounts were improperly accessed. If we identify any specific instances of unusual activity, we’ll immediately notify the account owner. If you’re concerned about any activity that has occurred in your account, you can contact us at support@dropbox.com.

2011 hasn’t been a particularly good year for Dropbox. Some users got upset when the company updated its terms of service in April, reserving the right to decrypt and hand over private files of any users to the government when requested, in compliance to the United States law.

The company was also alleged to have misled its users in a help article, stating “Dropbox employees aren’t able to access user files” statement.” The statement was later revised to “Dropbox employees are prohibited from viewing the content of files you store..” in the same month.

Along with the latest security blunder, Dropbox effectively went from “only you can see your files” to “employees and the government may also see your files”, and for four hours, “anyone can see your files.”

The commendable part? Dropbox admits its fault on each of these occasions, clarifying and communicating with its users through the company blog.

Protip: Regardless of any promises made by online storage service providers, if a file is too important to be seen by anyone, encrypt it yourself using free tools like TrueCrypt.

©2011 SheepTech

Dropbox Security Blunder Leaves All User Accounts Accessible Without Password

Without a doubt, the web now has way more content than the cable company can ever offer. There are several ways to bring the web to your TV, either by buying an expensive web-enabled TV platform, build a dedicated home theater PC, or connect your existing laptop to the big screen.

The last option is the least expensive. All you need is a HDMI cable, provided your laptop comes with a HDMI port. But a cable can be cluttering, and most importantly, restricting. It’s not fun getting up from the coach every time you wanted to control your laptop.

The guys at Veebeam agree, creating a device that wirelessly stream any content from your Windows or Mac laptop to the TV.  It comes with a USB antenna and a Veebeam box. Connect the former to your laptop, the latter to your TV, install the software and you’re good to go.

There are two viewing modes. The first one will mirror your laptop’s screen to the TV. In this mode, just any content that can be played on your laptop can be streamed to the TV — like online videos from YouTube, Hulu and Netflix, PowerPoint Presentations or even your Twitter timeline if you’re a social media addict.

The second mode, called “Video Play-To” mode, lets you play videos from your laptop on the TV while you’re doing something else on the laptop, like telling your Facebook friends how much you hate the villain in the movie.

Veebeam comes in two flavors. The SD version, for SD TVs obviously, is priced at $99. The HD version is more expensive at $149, but is capable of playing 1080p videos and display photos and desktop in HD.

You’ll get a 20% discount on any Veebeam purchases by using the “20OFF” coupon code.

©2011 SheepTech

Veebeam Connects PC & Macs To The Big Screen, Wirelessly

One of the main criteria I look for when choosing an antivirus is speed (if you have no concern about speed and lightness, you haven’t try McAfee yet. It’s.. nasty) . Protection comes second. The way I see it, no point having a top notch antivirus in detecting the bad guys, but have the antivirus itself bogs your machine down.

VIPRE Antivirus software prides itself for being a “high-performance antivirus software that doesn’t slow down your PC like older, traditional security products.” The antivirus maker also claims that protection will not be compromised, with the software offering world-class protection.

While I cannot verify the protection effectiveness (I don’t even know where to get an infected file for testing purpose to begin with), I will comment on the performance — speed and usability wise.

Installation

The usual software installation routine. Click “Next” several times, read the user agreement, and lastly, reboot. VIPRE setup wizard will start by its own after rebooting, in which you can optionally setup the email protection if you’re using a desktop email client.

When that is done, VIPRE will start downloading its virus definition for the first time. It will take a couple of minutes here.

Quick Scan

Two risk was detected in the 8 minutes quick scan — tracking cookies and HotSpot Shield. The former labeled as cookie with low risk, while the latter as adware with moderate risk. VIPRE offers to remove the cookies and quarantine HotSpot Shield, which I won’t be doing obviously.

A glance on Windows Task Manager shows that the antivirus is using zero to 4%of CPU and 6MB of memory. Very, very decent.

Deep Scan

CPU and memory usage is relatively unchanged here. I’m drafting this post as VIPRE is deep scanning in the background, with 18 tabs opened on Chrome and iTunes playing. The PC is just as responsive as ever.

Total scan time is slightly over 4 hours, with archives scanning on (off by default). Pausing and resuming will only work in the same session. Once you turn your computer off, it won’t pick up where it left and you’ll need to start all over again.

There is also no option to stop the scan and clean whatever risks that are being detected. Either you cancel the scan completely or allow the scan to finish.

Tools

VIPRE antivirus comes with three additional tools on top of, well, being an antivirus — namely Secure File Eraser, History Cleaner and PC Explorer. The first tool is used to securely delete files, leaving no trace behind. Think of it like a shredding machine.

The History Cleaner on the other hand, list and remove histories on all possible applications, not only on browsers. It even suggested that I delete “my” ICQ chat history. I don’t even remember installing ICQ. Who still uses that anyway?

The last tool is used to access hidden computer settings, like Startup Applications and Running Processes. You can’t do much here other than selecting trusted applications and  ”Add to Always Allow”. You won’t be able to customize your Startup Applications here.

Conclusion

I have spent barely two hours poking around VIPRE, there is only so much I can comment about. I have not noticed any PC slow down yet, so I guess it’s not just a marketing pitch when they say “Finally Antivirus Software That Won’t Slow Down Your PC!” tagline.

I’ve ditched Avira for VIPRE for further testing, now that I’m offered a 1-year free subscription for reviewing.

VIPRE antivirus is selling at $29.95 for one PC, $39.95 for two and $49.95 for three or more PCs. There’s a 30-days free trial if you’d like to take it for a spin.

©2011 SheepTech

First Impression on VIPRE Antivirus