The Always Up-To-Date Guide to Rooting the Most Popular Android Phones

We love Android, but rooting your phone can give you the opportunity to do so much more than your phone can do out of the box—whether its wireless tethering, speeding it up with overclocking, or customizing the look of your phone with themes. Here's how to root some of the most popular phones with minimal effort.
Rooting, for those of you that don't know, means giving yourself root permissions on your phone. It's similar running programs as administrators in Windows, or running a command with sudo in Linux. With a rooted phone, you can run more apps (like backup or tethering apps), as well as flash custom ROMs to your phone, which add all sorts of extra features. If you're on the fence about rooting, check out our top 10 root-only apps that make it worth the hassle.
There are a ton of different Android phones out there, and while some rooting methods might work for multiple phones, there is no one-size-fits-all guide for rooting every phone out there. As such, we can't show you how to root every phone in existence, especially since we can't test every method. So we're going to post methods for the ten most popular Android phones among our readers and the ones you voted as the five best, and keep it updated as new phones come out. If your phone isn't on the list, be sure to check the Where to Go if Your Phone Isn't Listed section for suggestions on where you can find more info pertaining to your specific device.

Glossary of Rooting Terms

As you learn more about the rooting process, you'll probably run into a bunch of terms that can be confusing. Here are some of the most important ones and what they mean.

Rooting Terms

• Root: Rooting means you have root access to your device—that is, it can run the sudo command, and has enhanced privileges allowing it to run apps like Wireless Tether or SetCPU. You can root either by installing the Superuser application—which many of the below root processes include—or by flashing a custom ROM that has root access included.

 

• ROM: A ROM is a modified version of Android. It may contain extra features, a different look, speed enhancements, or even a version of Android that hasn't been released yet. We won't discuss ROMs in depth here, but if you want to use one once you're rooted, you can read more about doing that here.

 

• Flash: Flashing essentially means installing something on your device, whether it be a ROM, a kernel, or something else that comes in the form of a ZIP file. Sometimes the rooting process requires flashing ZIP file, sometimes it doesn't.

 

• Bootloader: Your bootloader is the lowest level of software on your phone, running all the code that's necessary to start up your operating system. Most bootloaders come locked, which keeps you from rooting your phone. Unlocking your bootloader doesn't root your phone directly, but it does allow you to root, then flash custom ROMs if you so desire.

 

• Recovery: Your recovery is the software on your phone that lets you make backups, flash ROMs, and perform other system-level tasks. The default recoveries can't do much, but you can flash a custom recovery—like ClockworkMod—after you've unlocked your bootloader that will give you much more control over your device. This is often an integral part of the rooting process.

 

• ADB: ADB stands for Android Debug Bridge, and it's a command line tool for your computer that can communicate with an Android device you've connected to it. It's part of the Android Software Developers Kit (SDK). Many of the root tools below use ADB, whether you're typing the commands yourself or not. Unless the instructions call for installing the SDK and running ADB commands, you won't need to mess with it—you'll just need to know that it's what most of the tools use to root your phone.
• S-OFF: HTC phones use a feature called Signature Verification in HBOOT, their bootloader. By default, your phone has S-ON, which means it blocks you from flashing radio images—the code that manages your data, Wi-Fi, and GPS connections. Switching your phone to S-OFF lets you flash new radios. Rooting doesn't require S-OFF, but many rooting tools will give you S-OFF in addition to root access, which is nice.

 

• RUU and SBF: ROM Upgrade Utilities (for HTC phones) and System Boot Files (for Motorola phones) are files direct from the manufacturer that change the software on your phone. RUU and SBF files are how the manufacturers deliver your over-the-air upgrades, and modders often post leaked RUU and SBF files for flashing when the updates haven't been released yet. They're also handy when downgrading your phone, if a rooting method isn't available for the newest software version yet. You can flash RUUs right from your HTC phone, but Motorola users will need a Windows program called RSD Lite to flash SBF files.

Rooting Methods

We won't go through the nitty gritty details of each method, since we can't test them ourselves, but we will tell you what you need and what each method entails. Before rooting, we recommend you read up a bit more on your phone, and we've provided some links for further reading at the end of each description. Click on your phone's thumbnail below for more.

Samsung Galaxy Nexus

Samsung Galaxy S II

Samsung Galaxy Note

HTC One X and One S

HTC EVO 4G

Motorola Droid X

HTC Droid Incredible

Samsung Nexus S

HTC Desire

HTC Inspire 4G

HTC Thunderbolt

Motorola Atrix 4G

Where to Go If Your Phone Isn't Listed

Just because your phone isn't listed doesn't mean it isn't rootable (in fact, some of the above methods might work on other phones). Pete's rooting tool, which roots the Droid X and Motorola Atrix, also roots a number of other Motorola phones, from the Cliq to the Droid2 and 3 to the Droid Bionic. Similarly, HTC's official unlocking method will unlock the bootloader of nearly any HTC phone, though you'll need to look up more information on how to flash a recovery to your specific device. It also isn't the easiest method, so if your phone has a one-click tool available, it's usually better to use that because it's quicker, will give you S-OFF, and won't leave a digital "watermark" on your phone that permanently voids your warranty. Lastly, SuperOneClick is a great one-click app that roots a ton of phones, especially older ones, so do a bit of googling and see if it works for yours—because it's just about the easiest root method out there.
The best way to research your phone, though, would be to check out the All Things Root section of your phone's forum at Android Forums. If you find your phone's subforum and click on All Things Root, there's almost always a sticky post with info on rooting methods, ROMs, and other special troubleshooting tips that could apply to your specific phone. Looking up your phone on the XDA Developers forums is always a great idea too, and the CyanogenMod Wiki often has lots of information on rooting and flashing ROMs as well (even if you aren't flashing CyanogenMod). With a bit of research, you should be able to find at least one guide that works for your specific device.

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The 10 Best Android Apps that Make Rooting Your Phone Worth the Hassle

Android phones are spectacular little devices because they're able to so much that others simply can't, but one big snag in that greatness is that many of those best features require that the phones be rooted. Whether you plan on installing custom ROMs or not, you may want to root your phone just to use the great apps that require root access. Here are the ten most essential apps available for Android that require root.
Rooting, for those of you that don't know, means giving yourself root permissions on your phone. It's similar running programs as administrators in Windows, or running a command with sudo in Linux. With a rooted phone, you can run more apps or install custom versions of the Android operating system. Note that there's a big difference between installing a custom ROM on an Android phone and just rooting it. Custom ROMs may offer plenty of features that aren't available direct from the manufacturer, but most of them can be added to a rooted phone by simply installing the right apps. That's what we're after today.
If you haven't rooted your phone yet, but would like to know more about the process, be sure to check out our always up-to-date guide to rooting Android phones.

Superuser Allows Other Apps Root Access

Superuser is the first app a user should install after rooting, if the rooting method didn't do it already. "Rooting" a phone allows a user to establish total control over the device, but Superuser is the app that provides the button for that control. With Superuser installed, any app that needs root privileges to run will have to ask permission, and an informative pop-up will display with the option to give it those privileges. This app is an absolute must for any of the other apps on the list to even run.

Titanium Backup Automates System Backups

Titanium Backup is an enormously useful app. Not only can it backup apps, but it can backup apps and all their data, and it can delete apps—even system apps or bloatware. Making regular backups of all your apps (and their data) can ensure that if you ever really screw up, say in trying to install a custom ROM, that you can still have everything the way you left it should you need to wipe the entire phone and start from scratch. For more detailed information, see our full guide on using Titanium Backup.

ShootMe Takes Screenshots with a Shake

It's a sad fact that Android ships with no way to take screenshots. ShootMe is an extremely simple, user-friendly app that rectifies that situation, but it needs the phone to be rooted first. ShootMe's greatest feature is that it allows you to choose from several options in deciding what the trigger should be for the screenshot to take place—whether it's shaking the phone, covering the light sensor, or just yelling at it (my favorite).

Metamorph Applies Visual Themes to Anything

Metamorph is a small app that allows you to theme any part of Android by applying simple patch files. Learning how to make your own themes isn't exactly the easiest thing in the world, but most users don't bother—there are plenty to choose from, made by other users who are absolutely nuts about theming. Parts of the system that can be themed by Metamorph include the lockscreen, menu screens, individual apps, or just about anything else that's ever displayed on the screen. It's all possible.

Adfree Blocks Ads Anywhere on Your Phone

Adfree may actually be the greatest root-essential app available on Android, and it's one that you never see unless it needs updating. All Adfree does is block ads, but it does it for everything on the phone. Since the app works by blocking ad-serving sites at the IP address level (by modifying the phone's Hosts file), it doesn't slow your system down, and it does a remarkably good job. Even if you don't mind ads in your browser, using Adfree makes "free" apps from the Market much more tolerable, since most of them have pop-up ads that tend to ruin the experience otherwise.

SSH Tunnel Encrypts All Internet Traffic on Your Phone

Recently mentioned SSH Tunnel is an app that allows an Android phone to connect to the internet using an ssh tunnel for a completely secure connection. It's great for those times when you've got no data signal, stuck at work or a coffee shop that only has public Wi-Fi available, and you need to be sure that nobody is snooping your sensitive personal information as you connect to sites like Gmail or Facebook.

Tasker Can Automate Almost Any Task

Tasker by itself doesn't require root privileges to run, but some of its more impressive features do. Giving Tasker room to do what it does best is definitely a good thing, since it can practically automate your entire phone given the right amount of power. Rooting your phone is the only way to give it that kind of access.

SetCPU Controls the Speed and Behavior of Your Phone's Processor

SetCPU has been, is still, and will probably be for quite some time the de facto tool for controlling a rooted Android phone's processor speed. SetCPU allows the user to exert total control over how fast, or slow, the processor runs at any given point in time. As an example, SetCPU can force the processor to sit at its lowest setting whenever the screen is turned off, but to use a range between 240MHz and 806MHz as needed while the phone is awake. For phones that have the ability to drastically overclock, SetCPU can help ensure that they don't overheat by keeping watch on the temperature, and acting accordingly. Overclocking or not, battery savings and overall performance can be greatly enhanced using this app.

Busybox Adds True Linux Commands to the Android System

Busybox is often called "the Swiss Army Knife of Embedded Linux," because that's what it basically is. It's not an actual app that you run, but instead provides all the Linux/UNIX commands that we know and love. Without the commands installed, the barebones "Linux" that Android runs on top of can't really do too much, making apps like Terminal Emulator nearly worthless.

Wireless Tether Turns Your Phone into a Wi-Fi Hotspot

Finally, Wireless Tether. For many users, this feature is the single most important thing in the world of mobile devices, so having the ability to use it is a must. Wireless Tether turns an Android phone, regardless of carrier, into a full blown W-Fi hotspot for any nearby devices that need one. It's as simple as that, but only rooted phones can use it.

There are plenty of other apps out there that only work with rooted phones, and it doesn't seem likely that the carriers are ever going to allow phones on their networks to sell with root capabilities baked in. If you want the added functionality of these apps, there's just no way around it. You've got to go rooted. So, if you're convinced, head over to the rooting guide to see what's required to set your phone free.
Know of any other great apps for rooted Android phones? Have a personal favorite that's not on the list? Share them in the comments!

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Yahoo, Gmail, AOL Passwords Leaked; Check If You Are Among The Victims

The string of hackers reaching out to prominent tech giants and hacking into their systems continues. This time, the primary victim has been Yahoo. The company has confirmed that some 400,000 usernames and passwords of Yahoo users were hacked by a hacker group called D33D and were leaked onto the web.

However, Yahoo was not the only one who was targeted. Among other companies whose systems were hacked into, are Gmail, Hotmail, AOL, SBC Global, BellSouth and Verizon.
Interestingly, the hackers who have posted this data online attached a brief note which reads, “We hope that the parties responsible for managing the security of this subdomain will take this as a wake-up call, and not as a threat.” The online data dump can be found here.

It is alarming to note that such successful hacking ventures are becoming more frequent, making the social media as well as the regular online systems appear very insecure to the users. Hackers seem to be able to hack into any of them on the whim of their wills and put the privacy and identity of millions of users at stake.

If you wish to check out whether or not your Yahoo account was among the ones which were hacked, head straight to this Sucuri Malware Labs page.

If you are a Gmail user, the you are more secure. Because, Google has taken swift measures to immediately reset the passwords of the compromised accounts, thus adding a fair deal of security. Yahoo is also taking similar measures. A spokesperson for Yahoo stated on this account, “We are fixing the vulnerability that led to the disclosure of this data, changing the passwords of the affected Yahoo users and notifying companies whose user accounts may have been compromised.”

Source: D33D
Courtesy: Mashable

Details: http://thetechjournal.com/internet/web-security/yahoo-gmail-aol-passwords-leaked-check-if-you-are-among-the-victims.xhtml#ixzz21FzcTtP2

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Microsoft May Unveil Office 2013 Suite On Monday

USA Today reported yesterday that Microsoft may unveil Office 2013 (aka Office 15) beta in a news conference to be held in San Francisco on Monday (on July 16, 2012). The newspaper said that the news is supported by unnamed industry sources. The report also claimed that the final version of the Office suite will be available from May 2013.
Microsoft declined to comment on the possible dates for the beta release or the final release. The software giant has been very secretive about Office 2013 so far. But, earlier the company promised a beta release this summer. That means, the latest speculation may prove to be correct on Monday.
Industry sources are, however, not confident about the compatibility of the new Office suite in different platforms. Some says, the new suite will run exclusively on Windows 8.Others believe that Office 2013 will run on new platforms including Surface tablets and Apple iPad as well as older platforms. The latter group seems to be more realistic.
A lot of talk is also going on about new features of the omnipresent Office suite. The most talked about feature is the support for PDF editing in Office 2013.
Whatever the cases would be, the July 16 news conference will surely at center stage of tech talk for the next couple of days.
Source: USA Today

Details: thetechjournal

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Will Your Internet Work on Monday? How to Check for DNS Malware

A nasty piece of malware called DNSChanger will kick thousands of Mac and PC users off the Internet on Monday, and there’s a chance you could be one of them.
The FBI is shutting down domains that have been affected by the DNSChanger malware, which has been circulating the web since as far back as 2007. The malware redirected Internet traffic to sites with paid advertisements where cybercriminals reaped profit from unsuspecting visitors.
The trojan’s creators — six Estonian nationals — shut down their services when they were caught and arrested about eight months ago.
Although the FBI has been urging consumers for months to check if their systems have been affected by DNSChanger, about 275,000 computers are still at risk of not having Internet access on Monday, July 9.

SEE ALSO: July 9: Doomsday for Your PC or Mac If It Has This Malware  The good news is that it’s easy to see if your system has been infected and fix it if needed. The DNS Changer Working Group (DCWG) launched a check tool — if you click on the link and the box is green, your computer is clean (If the box is red, your Internet will be dead).

Meanwhile, McAfee’s DNS Check tool not only checks if you have the malware but it takes the challenging part out of manually updating Internet settings to correct the issue.

A list of other check tools are also listed on the official DNSChanger Check-up site.
Has your computer been affected? Let us know in the comments.

Image courtesy of iStockphoto, PashaIgnatov
Source Mashable

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If I have seen further it is by standing on ye shoulders of Giants. So, said the genius called Isaac Newton. What was true of one of the most brilliant minds of history should be true of every one of the esteemed people on this list. The number ten is just a minuscule figure for a lineup that is supposed to be of famous geeks who changed the world, but so it is here for the sake of keeping this list brief.
The only underlying logic I can offer in my defense is that this geek list is of people whom you might not recognize if you bumped into them at the neighborhood mall. No Page 3 names here. And so no Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Sergey Brin and Larry Page, or Mark Zuckerberg.

Alan Turing

Famous Geekiness: The Turing Machine in second place. His effect on the outcome of The Second World War in the first. (Wikipedia)
The day I wrote this article was Alan Turing’s birthday and Google honored him with a special doodle.  Why? Because the famous cipher breaker is regarded as the Father of Computer Science. He also made a lasting contribution to the ideas about artificial intelligence. The Turing Machine was the forefather of the modern computer algorithm. It is a hypothetical model that explains the logic of computational logic or can be even used to explain a CPU. Think of it as the simplest computer of its kind.


Interesting fact: He was criminally prosecuted for homosexuality in 1952. He committed suicide in 1954. Gordon Brown issued a public apology in 2009.

Bob Kahn and Vint Cerf

Famous Geekiness: Proposed and gave form to the Internet we know today in a paper titled ‘A Protocol for Packet Network Interconnection.’(Wikipedia Link1 & Link2)
From the father of computer science, to the men considered to be one of the Fathers of The Internet. Vint Cerf and Bob Kahn, thought of and created the TCP/IP suite of communication protocols that is the virtual backbone of the Internet. Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol for the first time enabled diverse range of computers and networks to ‘talk’ with one another, truly creating a global connection.

Sir Tim Berners-Lee

Famous Geekiness: Invented the World Wide Web. (Wikipedia)
While working at CERN he proposed the idea of hypertext that would allow researchers to share information across the Internet in the form of hypertext documents. What was meant to be a way for information interchange between scientists, became a global interconnected network, the Web we know today. Tim Berners-Lee also created the first browser, the first web editor, and the first website at CERN.
Interesting Fact: His father Conway Berners-Lee and mother Mary Lee Woods both worked on the development of Ferranti Mark 1, the world’s first commercial electronic computer.

Ralph H. Baer

Famous Geekiness: Video games pioneer, considered to be the Father of Video Games for his contributions. (Wikipedia)
Ralph H. Baer developed the Brown Box (later the Magnavox Odyssey), the first home video game console. He also created the first light gun and brought in cartridges as part of console games. He almost single-handedly gave birth to what today is a multi-billion dollar industry.
Interesting fact: Ralph H. Baer was a television engineer by profession and later also created the classic Simon for Mattel.

Ray Tomlinson

Famous Geekiness: Creator of email. (Wikipedia)
Just when Internet was coming into being via its predecessor, the ARPANET in 1971, Ray Tomlinson created something that in time made postmen worry about their future and us forget about the art of letter writing. The email had humble beginnings when it was sent from one machine to another that was next to it. Later other mail handling protocols were established and email rapidly evolved as a form of communication.
Interesting fact: The @ symbol was used by Ray Tomlinson to tell which user was at what computer in the building they were all in.

Dennis Ritchie

Famous Geekiness: Created the “C” programming language and the UNIX operating system (with Ken Thompson). (Wikipedia)
How significant was the development of “C”? Let me quote a magazine article that said – the shoulders Steve Jobs stood on. Unlike Steve Jobs he died almost unnoticed and unsung. The importance of C is that it can be used to code without worrying about the hardware platform. It is the core of many operating systems from Mac OS X to iOS and Android. Many hardware drivers are written in C. As the geeky saying goes – real men code in C.
Interesting fact: Dennis Ritchie along with Brian Kernighan authored the The C Programming Language, the most definitive book on the topic. They were the first to introduce the “Hello World” program which continues to be used as an example first program by everyone. 

Jarkko Oikarinen

Famous Geekiness: Created IRC, the oldest multi-chat protocol in the world. (Wikipedia)
Nokia isn’t the only thing Finland should be famous for. In 1988, Jarkko Oikarinen created the Internet Relay Chat. IRC was the world’s first real-time chat protocol. It is still going strong with thousands of networks and IRC servers around the world. IRC clients are available for every operating system and today’s IRC clients unlike their text-only predecessors also allow file sharing.
Interesting fact: Both during the Gulf War and the 1991  Soviet coup d’état attempt, IRC was the one tool that managed to defeat the media blackouts and report from the ground.

Shawn Fanning

Famous Geekiness: Started Napster and possibly the digital music sharing revolution. (Wikipedia)
What started as a peer-to-peer file sharing service in 1998 arguably set off the digital music revolution and popularity of MP3 songs.  Napster was shut down in 2001 after a series of lawsuits by music majors. Napster popularized the P2P model and it was one of the first platforms where indie singers and underground music could make its name. Shawn Fanning is a college dropout and he set up Napster along with John Fanning and Sean Parker.
Interesting fact: Napster was named after Shawn Fanning’s frizzy haircut (nappy).

Bram Cohen

Famous Geekiness: Created BitTorrent. (Wikipedia)
You might have heard about BitTorrent but not about Bram Cohen. The American computer programmer wrote the peer-to-peer protocol which enables us to share files of any type simultaneously with other users around the world. He also programmed the BitTorrent client.
Interesting fact: Bram Cohen suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome which affects the physical and social abilities of a person.

Michael Hart

Famous Geekiness: Creator of the electronic book (eBook). (Wikipedia)
Michael Hart is probably the least geeky person on this list, but his contribution is profound and could be more so as knowledge expands and spreads. Thanks to eBooks. He is also the founder of Project Gutenberg that makes available books out of copyright (Public Domain) and some copyrighted works that are available with express permission. Project Gutenberg can also be thought of as the world’s first online public library.
Interesting fact: He typed in by hand the first 300+ books made available on Project Gutenberg. Though he made knowledge freely available, he died in poverty.
Here, you might shout about the usual suspects. No Jack Dorsey (creator of Twitter), no Jeff Bezos (Amazon), and no Linus Torvalds (Linux). It’s almost as if I pulled out random names from a hat. Probably that’s why I didn’t get an Ada Lovelace or an Al Gore either. But that’s the problem with lists. It has to end somewhere and you can’t put everyone on it. I really wanted to put Matt Mullenweg here because he is one of the reasons you are reading this post here. He developed WordPress after all. So, who’s your name on the list? We are listening.

Image Credit: VIP in silver letters via Shutterstock

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Jelly Bean, Android 4.1 revealed by Google, rolling out in mid July

It's seems like only yesterday we were all crowded around our laptops, watching a live stream and getting amped for Ice Cream Sandwich. Truth is, that was six months ago now and, while most of the Android running public still hasn't been blessed with 4.0, it's already time to make the leap to 4.1. Today Google officially took the wraps off Jelly Bean, the next evolution of its mobile platform and while its not quite the revolutionary shift that was Gingerbread to ICS, it still marks an important improvement for the ecosystem. One of the biggest features is Project Butter, a deep diving effort to improve performance and response time. The whole system hums along at 60fps now, and while the difference of a few miliseconds might sound like small potatoes, it becomes glaringly apparently the moment you run Jelly Bean next to an ICS device. Animations are smoother and quicker. The CPU immediately ramps up the moment a touch is detected to ensure speedy response.
The home screen has also been tweaked, adding some nice features like dynamically resizing widgets, so you no longer have to place it, resize it then move it to where you want if there isn't enough room. If there is room, but you app icons are merely in the way, the widget will automatically push them to the side. And, in a nice slick touch, apps and widgets can be removed by flicking them off the screen. Another extremely welcome touch is the addition of offline voice input. Now you can tap the microphone and dictate a message even with the phone in airplane mode.
The camera app, which was already a highlight of ICS, has gotten even better in 4.1. Now, the gallery is slickly integrated, allowing you to quickly pull up the photo you just took with a swipe to the left. You can keep swiping through your images or even pinch to zoom out and view all your images in a filmstrip view. Deleting images is as simple as swiping a pic off the screen and, if you've manage to accidentally removed one, a quick tap of the undo button restores it. And, speaking of images, you can now share them and video using Google Beam, and Android now supports pairing with Bluetooth devices with the assistance of NFC.

Android Jelly Bean 4.1

One of the most drastic updates is to the already incredible notification system. Alerts dynamically expand and shrink as they roll in, and canned responses are even integrated. When an MMS pops up you get a preview of the image and can even view full size without leaving the notification area. You can even +1 Google+ notifications and images from same UI. Basically Google has combined its top notch notification system with a interactive, unified inbox.

Google Now and the revamped search functions probably got the most applause of the day, though. The tweaked app has a brand new UI and will even respond to your queries in an impressively human sounding synthesized voice. The new design takes queues from the recently updated Google+, with large cards for results that you can swipe away. It also heavily personalized your results based on your search history and the vast stores of data Google has built up about you thanks to its various services. Google Now is smart enough to know when you're at a bus stop and will tell you when your ride will arrive, or alert you to delays for your flights. It will even monitor your calendar and tell you when you'll need to leave your location to make your next appointment. In short, Google knows all. Welcome to your extremely convenient and extremely creepy future.

Jelly Bean will be rolling out to Galaxy Nexus, Nexus S and Xoom devices in mid July, along with the open source code. Developers though, can start playing with the SDK today.

Source: Engadget

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A Comparison Of Siri And S Voice

Apple's Siri has been lauded as one of the best voice-enabled personal assistants available. Although Siri is quite good, it is not perfect and does make mistakes. And now, Siri has a worthy contender in the form of S Voice, the voice assistant that Samsung unveiled to be a part of Samsung Galaxy S III. Galaxy S III will soon be in the hands of the consumers and S Voice will be pitted against Siri. Here's a fairly accurate comparison of the two.

The Verge carried out the comparison by placing the two handsets next to each other, connecting them over the same network and then testing them for the same queries.
According to the results, Siri was nearly always able to return the answer faster than S Voice. However, one problem with both Siri and S Voice is that the speaker, giving the query, has to speak very carefully and clearly or else both software misunderstand the word and interpret it differently, returning pretty funny answers at times.
Siri is more vocal than S Voice and tends to rely often on delivering audio answers. S Voice, on the other hand, rushes off to the search for nearly every other query. However, in terms of search, S Voice has an advantage over Siri in that S Voice is able to handle locational queries lot better. Siri, when searching for results, tends to return them from a certain region, usually the region where the user is located. S Voice, on the other hand, is able to handle queries unrelated to the local region better.
Finally, while both voice-based assistants performs impressively in recognizing voice, they still need a lot of improvements to better understand natural speech. While Siri is polished and quicker, S Voice is better with search, though often quieter of the two. Watch the video posted below to have a glimpse.



Source: The Verge

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Wats new in mozila firefox 13

Mozilla Firefox is not the most used browser in the world but it is definitely still among the most loved ones. The primary reason why the browser gained so much traction is that it has been very closely linked to and developed by the open-source community. And that is precisely why, the release of every new iteration of the browser is somewhat of a celebration.

The latest release, Firefox 13, packs a couple of new features for the browser, something that may excite Firefox users. The most prominent amendment is that it features a new home page. This is sure to lift some moods. The home page is far better now, not only in looks but also in terms of functionality.
You can now access bookmarks, downloads, history, add-on sync and settings far more swiftly and easily than was possible in the earlier version of Firefox. Moreover, when you open a new tab on Firefox 13, you get to see a new, redesigned page. This new tab page now welcome the users with thumbnail links of such sites which the user frequently visits.
To further customize the look of the page, you can ‘pin’ or remove items or simply render it blank by reverting it to the ‘standard’ mode. This can be accomplished simply by clicking the grid icon in the upper right corner.
The best part about Firefox 13 is that it comes with better security solutions. If you are having problems with your Firefox, simple type ‘about:support’ in the URL bar and go for the new feature called ‘Reset Firefox.’ When you select this feature, you data will be migrated from a corrupt, current profile to a new, clean one, thus removing your security issues with a single click.
To download Firefox 13 and try your hands on it, click here.

Source: Mozilla

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Researchers Developing Anonymous BitTorrent Client To Secure User Identity

Delft University of Technology's researchers have taken up a challenge of creating a BitTorrent client which will preserve the privacy of its users. They have already designed a prototype called Tribler client which can work in a decentralized fashion. That means it can work normally even if the Torrent servers are down. The head of the research team iterated,"We’re going to take Internet privacy to the next level". BitTorrent users are regularly looking for anonymity, but right now the options of anonymity are limited.

For a monthly fee, BitTorrent users can register with a VPN or proxy to hide their IP-address. Free options with suitable speeds or without other restrictions are not easily available. The question is,how would the team remove the lack of fast, unlimited and free anonymous BitTorrent options which they want to change. Researchers said that the Tribler client already has been around for more than half a decennial, and during that time it is developed into the only truly decentralized BitTorrent client out there.
Dr. Johan Pouwelse from Stanford University has discussed about the past and the future of Tribler. He said “Our goal is to provide all users with the download speed which today can only be found in private BitTorrent communities, combined with the privacy that is currently only offered by paid VPN services”. Pouwelse also said “Experimental results have shown that the performance of the proposed mechanism is better than that of regular BitTorrent in a large number of scenarios. At the same time, the proxy layer can be used to offer the users a shield of plausible deniability enhancing their privacy”.
The Triber team has been checking the technology for years and it will be released in the next two to three months. If you want to install the current version of Tribler, you can check the Tribler site.

Source: Comment

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Absinthe 2.0 Released, Jailbreaks iOS 5.1.1 Devices, Download Now!

Most iOS users have been eagerly waiting for an untethered jailbreak of their devices even since Apple rolled out iOS 5.1.1. Updating to a latest firmware version ends a jailbreak and that's why many have been waiting for the jailbreak so that they can finally upgrade to iOS 5.1.1.

To bring out the version 2.0 of Absinthe, two of the most able iOS hackers’ teams, Chronic Dev Team and iPhone Dev Team worked together. With the help of Absinthe 2.0, users can now accomplish untethered jailbreak on their iOS 5.1.1 devices. An untethered jailbreak means that a user doesn’t have to boot his iDevice through an external machine every time to keep jailbreak, rather the jailbreak remains intact even if he reboots or restarts the device.
The good news is that Absinthe 2.0 is effective with nearly all the device that run iOS 5.1.1 and have a A4 or A5 chip, which also include the latest iPad from Apple. By accomplishing a jailbreak, users can then download a number of such apps and extensions which are not available in the official App Store.
The devices on which the jailbreak works:
Absinthe 2.0 is effective in jailbreaking a number of devices which include all iPad tablets, iPhone 3G, iPhone 4 and iPhone 4S, 3rd and 4th generation iPod touch, and 2nd generation Apple TV. Apple’s 8GB iPad 2 is a rather recent release and features an A5 chip, so support for it is not yet available and may be here in a few days.
During the Hack in the Box event, hackers not only released the Absinthe 2.0 version, they also went on to explain how they made it work. In their own words:
“GreenPois0n Absinthe was built upon @pod2g’s Corona untether jailbreak to create the first public jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 on for the 5.0.1 firmware. In this paper, we present a chain of multiple exploits to accomplish sandbox breakout, kernel unsigned code injection and execution that result in a fully-featured and untethered jailbreak.
Corona is an acronym for “racoon”, which is the primary victim for this attack. A format string vulnerability was located in racoon’s error handling routines, allowing the researchers to write arbitrary data to racoon’s stack, one byte at a time, if they can control racoon’s configuration file. Using this technique researchers were able to build a ROP payload on racoon’s stack to mount a rogue HFS volume that injects code at the kernel level and patch its code-signing routines.
The original Corona untether exploit made use of the LimeRa1n bootrom exploit as an injection vector, to allow developers to disable ASLR and sandboxing, and call racoon with a custom configuration script. This however left it unusable for newer A5 devices like the iPad2 and iPhone 4S, which weren’t exploitable to LimeRa1n, so another injection vector was needed.”

Download links:
Absinthe 2.0.1 for Windows
Absinthe 2.0.1 for Mac

Source: HITB

Courtesy: AppleInsider

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Microsoft Finally Announces A 10.6 Inch Surface Tablet, Powered By Windows 8

After a  lot of anticipation, wait and eagerness, Microsoft is finally out with its trump card. The company has kept us all in suspense as to what are the big news it was to offer today. And now, the company has gone on to reveal the first  Windows 8 tablets, revealing their specs in all their glory and beauty.

For long, it has been suspected that Microsoft was working on a tablet of its own, all with a hardware and software which it is going to pack and market itself, much like Apple. And now, Microsoft has confirmed this.
At a press event today, the company unveiled what it is calling the Surface tablets. Essentially, there are going to be two models of Surface tablets.
One of the two will be tooling an Intel 22nm Ivy Bridge processor and will run Windows 8 Pro. It will be 13.5 mm thick and will weigh a mere 1.9lbs. This version will also have digital ink support, coming with a pen which will magnetize to the body. The display of the tablet is going to be a 10.6-inch ClearType ‘Full HD.’
The second model is the one which is based on ARM. It will make use of an  ARM chip and consequently, will tool Windows RT. Being thinner than the other model, it is barely 9.3mm thick and comes at a weight of 1.5lbs. Microsoft says that this is the first ever PC with a vapor-deposited magnesium case.
Both models will come with a built-in kickstand. The ARM model will be available in 32GB and 64GB versions whereas the Intel-powered tablet will be available in 64GB and 128GB versions.
For now, the company hasn’t revealed anything regarding the retail pricing of these tablets and intends to reveal this near the availability of the tablets. The ARM-based Surface tablet will be available once  Windows 8 debuts whereas the Intel-powered model will ship some three months later.

Source: The Verge

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Windows 8 Pro Tablet VS Windows RT Tablet – A Comparison

Microsoft has just unveiled two of its tablets side by side at its today's event. Tooling two different kinds of hardware, Microsoft seems to be hoping to make a solid entry into the tablet market. Given below is a brief comparison of the two tablets.

Design:
The ARM-based Surface tablet which runs Winodws RT is 0.36 inches thick and weighs a mere 1.5 pounds. It is available in black color.
The Intel-based Surface tablet running Windows 8, on the other hand, is slightly thicker at 0.49 inches and weights 1.99 pounds, about 0.5 pounds more than the other model. The display of both models is a  10.6-inches
Processing power:
The Intel based Surface tablet makes use of a 22nm Intel Ivy Bridge processor, the latest remarkable chip from Intel which has awed the world.
On the other hand, the ARM tablet makes use of Nvidia’s Tegra processor, which has also been hailed as among the best.
Storage space:
One of the downside, it may seem, of using the ARM based tablet is that it wouldn’t be coming with larger storage options. Currently, Microsoft has announced two versions of the tablet, one with 32 GB and another with 64GB. However, an excellent feature that has been added by Microsoft is that the storage can be extended through microSD.
Intel-based  Surface tablet, however, seems to have larger storage options. It will be coming with both in 64GB and 128GB versions and will also have the microSD option.
Ports and battery:
ARM Surface tablet has both Video out and USB 3.0 connections. Intel-based Surface tablet also features Video out as well as USB 3.0 and Mini  DisplayPort connections together with a  3.5mm headphone connection.
The battery of Windows RT Tablet has a capacity of 31.5Wh whereas that of Windows 8 Pro is 42Wh.

Source: The Verge

Details: thetechjournal

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John the Ripper now in GUI

Johnny is a GUI for John the Ripper (a free password cracking software tool). It was proposed by Shinnok. s release includes all things from development release plus nice tabbed panel for mode selection and some additional clean-ups. Basic functionality is supposed to work: password could be loaded from file and cracked with different options.

The reasoning behind Johnny is simple but at the same time profound: Complexity through simplicity and non-intrusive expert and non-expert availability. Johnny is a GUI concept to John the Ripper written in C++ using the Qt framework, making it cross-platform on both Unix/Linux and Windows operating systems.

It was programmed as a part of the Google Summer of Code 2012 and supports bother 32-bit and 64-bit architectures. The interface also leaves room for lots of new options, either future John options, as well as GUI specific options like, hash detection, dictionary editing and generation or interactive bruteforce charsets or rules creation and many more.

refer link http://openwall.info/wiki/john/johnny for further info

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DKFBootKit - First Android BootKit Malware

NQ Mobile Security Research Center has recently uncovered a new malware DKFBootKit. This malware is identified when monitoring and analyzing the evolution of earlier DroidKungFu variants. What sets DKFBootKit apart from malware like DroidDream, is that DKFBootKit replaces certain boot processes and can begin running even before the system is completely booted up.

DKFBootKit repackages legitimate apps by enclosing its own malicious payloads in them. However, the victim apps it chooses to infect are utility apps which require the root privilege to work properly. NQ says the malicious code has already infected 1,657 Android devices in the past two weeks and has appeared on at least 50 different mobile apps.

These apps seem to have legitimate reasons to request root privilege for their own functionality. It is also reasonable to believe that users will likely grant the root privilege to these apps. DKFBootKit makes use of the granted root privilege for other malicious purposes, namely comprising the system integrity.

In order to avoid being infected by this beast, NQ recommends three commonsense steps:
First, don't download any apps from sketchy app stores.
Second, don't accept app permissions from unknown sources and always be sure to read the permissions an app is requesting.
Third, download a security app that can scan your apps for you to search for malicious code.

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Facebook Removes Google Chrome From List Of Supported Browsers

Google and Facebook haven't been enjoying a particularly good relationship. The two have been criticising each other for a long time. For Google, the problem lies in the fact that Facebook wouldn't share its user data with Google, although the social network chooses to do so with other websites. Facebook, on the other hand, doesn't have any love lost for Google either.

We recently reported Facebook may be entering the realm of browsers world by purchasing Opera and pushing it forth as its own browser. This can essentially make things very interesting since Facebook has a huge say and significance in the tech world with its user base of more than 900 million users.
Now, another interesting move which has been made by Facebook is that it has removed Google Chrome from its list of supported web browsers. Chrome has been there on the list and since Chrome is currently touted as the most efficient and the most widely used browser, it made sense. But now, this fresh move by Facebook seems quite alarming.
Perhaps, Facebook plans to leverage its presence in the social media by discouraging the users from using Chrome and eventually, encouraging them to start using Opera. The list of supported browsers now includes Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox and Opera.
However, if this move is geared towards making Opera a success simply because Facebook may eventually buy it, this sure is a cheap shot by the social network and induces exactly the kind of web closeness that Google has been complaining about for a long time.

Source: Facebook

Details: The techjuornal

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Fedora 17 Finally Releases Today

After delaying the the release date for one week, developers have finally released Fedora 17 aka Beefy Miracle. After final Go - No Go meeting on 24 May, the developers fixed the releasing date of the final release Fedora 17 (RC4) to be today. Before releasing, two bugs has been solved. The new OS can be downloaded from Fedora Project torrent site.

Before the final release the beta version of Fedora 17 ARM, pre-built images for the Trimslice, Beagleboard XM and iMX-based hardware platforms has been released by the Fedora ARM developers. The beta version included pre-built images for QEMU which confirms users without an accurate ARM device to try Fedora 17 ARM Beta in an emulator. Developers have fixed the kernel problem in the final release.

You can download Fedora 17 from Fedoraproject.

Source: H-online

Details: The techjuornal

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Toshiba Puts An End To Netbook Era

Earlier this year, in CES 2012, Toshiba showed an Intel Atom N2600 Cedar Trail processor based netbook. If you are waiting to get Toshiba NB510 netbook, then you better stop waiting. Because, Toshiba has no plan to offer any new netbooks. It is an unexpected, heart breaking news for Toshiba fans, although there are some reasons behind to take the decision.

There are multiple reasons behind Toshiba’s decision to scrap netbook sales. One is the increasing dominance of tablets. Other is the introduction of ultrabooks. And, netbook sales has been going downward for some time.
Previously, some netbook makers including Dell, Lenovo, Samsung and Sony have officially announced that they are not interested to introduce new netbook models any more. Two other netbook giants, Acer and HP, are still selling netbooks but sales of products have been falling for some time.
Instead of netbook, Toshiba is focusing to raise market value by using the ultrabook. For example, Toshiba Portege Z830 offers a similar thin and light with well featured. Although ultrabook is expensive but performance is better.

Source: Liliputing

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