Yahoo to close 7 products, including BlackBerry app

Yahoo is taking a leaf out of Google's business book, and closing down seven products that aren't bringing home the bacon.

These are: Yahoo App Search, Yahoo Sports IQ, Yahoo Clues, Yahoo Message Boards, Yahoo Updates API, Yahoo Avatars, and the Yahoo app for BlackBerry.

Yahoo announced the closures on its company blog. It said it was regulating its product line-up, and would do so regularly. "The most critical question we ask is whether the experience is truly a daily habit that still resonates for all of you today," Jay Rossiter, Yahoo's executive vice president of Platforms, wrote on the blog.

It's the second batch of products that have been given the heave-ho since Marissa Meyer took over as CEO. Mayer was previously at Google, where "spring cleaning" announcements -- in which it nixes products and services that aren't performing well -- are a regular occurrence.

Mayer also banned Yahoo employees from working from home recently, sparking a debate over whether it was more productive to go to an office every day.

More cuts are on the way, too. Mayer told a conference last month that Yahoo would reduce the number of mobile apps it offers from its current total of between 60 and 75 to a more manageable 12 to 15.

Yahoo's Blackberry app won't be available for download, or be supported, after 1 April. It shows Yahoo doesn't have much faith in the platform, seeing as its apps for other mobile operating systems will continue as they are.

Yahoo Avatars tend to be quite popular, with many using custom avatars on the Yahoo Answers boards. If you want to keep your avatar, you'll have to download it and manually re-upload it as your profile picture.

[Source: CNET]

Leaked image shows Charcoal Black version of Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0

When we first saw the Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 in Barcelona, it came in one color. Marble White. While white is very much Samsung's thing these days -- all recent big name devices have launched in white -- it doesn't necessarily mean it's for everyone. So then, how about this? This press image sent to the team over at PhoneArena shows a sleek black colored Note 8.0, reportedly termed as Charcoal Black. 

The usual caveats apply here though, folks. Until it's official, it's not official, so park this one in the rumor basket for the time being. But, it's not all that unreasonable to expect there to be other color variants of the Note 8.0 when it goes on sale. Nor is that unreasonable to expect black to be one of those colors. How about you guys though? Jump into the comments below and let us know which you prefer. 

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Evernote forcing users to change password after hacking attempt

Evernote, the popular cross-platform note taking and sharing app, has issued a statement about some recent "suspicious activity on the Evernote network". All users will have to change their password, and it seems that user names, and other data that includes the encrypted version of passwords has been accessed. In a letter sent out to users, Evernote says the following:

The investigation has shown, however, that the individual(s) responsible were able to gain access to Evernote user information, which includes usernames, email addresses associated with Evernote accounts, and encrypted passwords. Even though this information was accessed, the passwords stored by Evernote are protected by one-way encryption. (In technical terms, they are hashed and salted.)

While our password encryption measures are robust, we are taking steps to ensure your personal data remains secure. This means that in an abundance of caution, we are requiring all users to reset their Evernote account passwords. Please create a new password by signing into your account on evernote.com.

After signing in, you will be prompted to enter your new password. Once you have reset your password on evernote.com, you will need to enter this new password in other Evernote apps that you use. We are also releasing updates to several of our apps to make the password change process easier, so please check for updates over the next several hours.

As we've seen recently, there's a rash of coordinated attempts to hack the big players in online services. Hopefully Evernote's encryption methods are solid, but having users change their password at log in is a great way to keep everyone safe. Visit Evernote's blog for more information.

[Source: AndroidCentral]

Apple Now Shipping Slimmer iMac Models in Just 1-3 Days

Apple’s newest iMac models, which were redesigned late last year, are now shipping in just 1-3 days, according to the company’s own online store. The slimmer all-in-one previously shipped in 2-3 weeks for the 21.5-inch model, and up to a month for configurations of the larger 27-inch iMac. As 9to5Mac notes, Apple has endured a drought of iMac supplies since launch, which Time Cook admitted affected overall Q1 sales.

On the upside, any constraints seem to be behind Apple, so we’ll see how sales pan out over the next few months. If you’re looking to hop into OS X, the 21.5-inch, 2.7GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 model starts at $1,299.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Apple blocking older version of Flash Player plug-in on Safari

Apple announced today that they've updated the web plug-in-blocking mechanism in Safari on OS X to disable older versions of the Adobe Flash Player. The move is a way to protect users from a recent vulnerability that took advantage of an older version of the Flash Player plug-in.

If you're running one of these older versions, a "Blocked Plug-In" alert may appear on the Safari browser page where the Flash Player is located. Clicking the alert displays the message shown at the top of this post, which enables downloading of an up-to-date version of the plug-in.

More details about the update and how to install a newer version of the plug-in are available on the Apple support pages.

[Source: TUAW]

Google Gift Cards get UK pricing

Google's yet-to-launch gift cards have a UK price. According to Google's support page, you'll soon be able to buy vouchers for Google Play in denominations of £10, £25, or £50, Android Central reports.

The amounts aren't exactly the same as those in the US, where they have a $15 one as well. Now, all we need is for the vouchers to actually go on sale, and we'll be golden.

The last thing we heard regarding the gift cards hitting the UK was back in December, when the redemption page went live on the Google Wallet site for Brits. The page is of no use without a gift card, but still, it hinted Google could launch the cards in time for Christmas. But it didn't. Maybe it had its hands full worrying about Nexus 4 shortages. Still though, it could start selling them in time for Easter.

The Android-maker hasn't hung about launching other Google Play services recently. Play Music (née Google Music) launched in the UK back in November, and Play Magazines hit these shores about a month later.

Apple offers iTunes Gift Cards ranging from £15 to £100. It also famously rewards landmark shoppers with $10,000 vouchers, as it did last March, when one lucky person snaffled the 25 billionth download.

Google is increasingly moving into hardware, so it'd make sense to offer gift cards outside the US. Its Android OS accounts for three out of four smart phones, so there'd be no shortage of demand. The Nexus 4 has been almost permanently out of stock since it went on sale from Google Play, as the big G offers it far cheaper than anywhere else. If it can do the same with other devices, I'm sure those gift cards would fly off the virtual shelves.

[Source: CNET]

Harlem Shake easter egg shows up on YouTube, shakes vids

Doesn't look like this Harlem Shake craze is going away any time soon. Always one to piggyback off the zeitgeist, Google has dropped its own Harlem Shake easter egg into YouTube -- head there, search for "Do The Harlem Shake" and listen to that infamous song start up.

Nothing much will happen right away, apart from the YouTube logo in the top left corner will start to shimmy. But as soon as the song gets going, the action begins…

All the screengrabs and corresponding text get shaken up as the key part of the song kicks in. And in true Harlem Shake style, they all do their own thing, with some throbbing, some shaking side to side, and the sidebar leaping up and down like an excited Jack Russell.

It worked perfectly in Chrome -- which is Google's own browser, so is hardly surprising -- but when I tried it in Safari I got only a taste of the full experience. The videos shook once, then stayed still until the end of the song. Which isn't much of a Harlem Shake. It could be something to do with Apple blocking older versions of Flash from Safari.

Google is fond of the odd easter egg. As well as its Google doodles, which regularly adorn its search engine home page, it occasionally drops in nuggets like this to its services like YouTube. "Do a barrel roll" is one that springs to mind -- type it into Google, and see what happens. (Fans of Star Fox 64 will know what I'm on about.) And then there was "Let it snow" a couple of Christmases ago, which did just that, sprinkling flakes down the screen like on a crisp winter's morn.

[Source: CNET]

Apple's Lightning Digital AV Adapter is a Full-Fledged Computer

Panic, the developers behind apps like Coda and Transmit, spent some timedisassembling the Lightning Digital AV cable that allows iOS devices like the iPad mini and the iPhone 5 to output HDMI to televisions.

The company discovered that, like its Lightning to 30-pin brethren, the Digital AV adapter is considerably more complicated than it would appear. Among other discoveries, Panic found an ARM chip and 256MB of RAM inside.

There are a lot of questions. What OS does it boot? @jmreid thinks the adapter copies over a “mini iOS” (!) from the device and boots it in a few seconds every time it’s connected, which would explain the fairly lengthy startup time for video out. Why do this crazy thing at all? All we can figure is that the small number of Lightning pins prevented them from doing raw HDMI period, and the elegance of the adapter trumped the need for traditional video out, so someone had to think seriously out of the box. Or maybe they want get as much functionality out of the iPad as possible to reduce cost and complexity.

Panic conjectures that for some reason the Lightning port isn't capable of outputting raw HDMI -- something that should give an extremely high quality image -- and instead uses a form of AirPlay to output video, delivering a lower quality video signal.

[Source: MacRumors]

Google Says Fix Incoming for Chrome Bug on OS X

Hoo boy, I thought I was the only one. Multiple Chrome users on OS X are experiencing  unexpected crashes, and it’s happening as many as 20 times a day. I checked with the TechnoBuffalo stuff who hadn’t noticed any issues, so I’m the odd man out here. But it’s as annoying as all heck.

Google said it’s aware of the issue and already has a fix, but only said it’ll arrive “soon.” The sooner the better, because it sure is annoying. There’s only so many times I can handle a crashed browser. I’ve even considered using Safari until this thing blows over.

According to Wired, the issue only happen when users visit sites such as Google Drive and Facebook. I’m no scientist, but a quick experience in Chrome’s Omnibox made the browser crash on the first try. Coincidence? It doesn’t happen every time, mind you. But ugh.

I’m glad to know it’s not just me, and that a fix is imminent. I’ll just try and stay away from Facebook and Google Drive for a little while.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Yet another Java vulnerability discovered, researchers recommend disabling browser plug-in

Following an attack on a smaller number of corporate Macs that exploited exploited a flaw in the Java browser plug-in, researchers from security firm FireEye are warning users of yet another new Java zero-day vulnerability. According to a blog post published yesterday (via IDG), browsers running Java v1.6 Update 41 and Java v1.7 Update 15 are currently vulnerable to a malware attack that installs a remote access tool known as McRAT. The exploit is reportedly different from the one used to attack Facebook, Twitter, Apple and several other companies last month. Following the earlier attack, Apple released an updateto Java for users to version 1.6.0_41. These recent vulnerabilities come after several updates over the past year to Java addressing exploits.

FireEye is recommending users disable Java until Oracle addresses the issue:

We have notified Oracle and will continue to work with Oracle on this in-the-wild discovery. Since this exploit affects the latest Java 6u41 and Java 7u15 versions, we urge users to disable Java in your browser until a patch has been released; alternatively, set your Java security settings to “High” and do not execute any unknown Java applets outside of your organization.

Oracle provides the instructions below for uninstalling Java on Mac:  

1. Click on the Finder icon located in your dock
2. Click on Applications tab on the sidebar
3. In the Search box enter JavaAppletPlugin.plugin
4. This will find the JavaAppletPlugin.plugin file
5. Right click on JavaAppletPlugin.plugin and select Move to Trash

[Source: 9to5Mac]

BlackBerry Opens BlackBerry Live Registration

BlackBerry on Friday announced that developers and partners can now register for its annual BlackBerry Live developer conference, formerly known as BlackBerry World. The conference kicks off on May 14th and continues through May 16th at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida.

Pricing starts at $449 if you register by March 22, otherwise you can register for $599. BlackBerry is also offering companion passes for access to breakfast and the welcome reception for $199. A certification exam is available for $75 and an education package that includes a two-day training course and more costs $799. Attendees who attended specific past events can save up to $150, too.

We’re hoping to hear more on BlackBerry 10, especially on the apps and hardware front, and additional information on the company’s full-QWERTY BlackBerry Q10 smartphone.

[Source: TechnoBuffalo]

Surface Pro confirmed for UK 'in the coming months'

If you were a little disappointed by the Surface Pro being exclusive to the US, you won't have much longer to wait -- Microsoft is bringing the full Windows 8Surface to Britain "in the coming months".

While Microsoft didn't exactly offer much explanation as to how many months that would be, or if it'll be on sale in John Lewis like the ARM-powered Surface RT, it did say the rollout of the Surface PCs to more countries will begin in late March -- and why wouldn't the UK be an early bird? After all, we did get the RT early. Lucky us.

The Surface Pro won't only be hitting the UK -- it'll be reaching our chums in Australia, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong and New Zealand. The Surface RT will also be rolling out in Japan, Mexico, New Zealand, Russia, Singapore and Taiwan.

One thing to note is the Surface Pro sells for much more than the RT -- currently in the US it's $899 (£560), but if you're hoping for an exact like-for-like conversion, then you'll be sorely disappointed. The Surface RT, like most other tech products, is cheaper in the States than in the UK, mainly due to VAT. If I were to take a guess, I'd say the Surface Pro will land at around £700.

When our very own Luke Westaway took a look at the Surface Pro, he loved that the full Windows 8 OS was on-board, but he also had several reservations -- mainly the chunkier form factor and Windows 8's touch-friendliness (or lack of).

The Surface Pro has also played host to many other controversies -- most notably the fact you get much smaller storage space than advertised, meaning if you buy the lower-end model, you'll find yourself running out of room very quickly.

If you don't want to wait another minute for a fully fledged Windows 8 tablet, you do have other options. We recently reviewed the Asus VivoTab Smart and Acer Iconia W700 -- both of which received a very respectable four stars.

[Source: CNET]