John Lister

The number of wireless devices in use in the United States now outnumbers the nation's human population. The figures include tablet devices but the numbers are mainly driven by cellphones. If anything, the numbers are an understatement as they are ... based on subscriptions to wireless services. That means people who have devices such as the iPad but only use them via a WiFi connection aren't considered. On the other hand, the numbers do include people who have 3G data subscriptions for portable computers. According to CTIA, the wireless industry's trade body, there were 327.6 million wireless ... (view more)

The WikiLeaks website (infamously known for disbursing US State Department documents to the public back in 2010) has temporarily halted its work on publishing leaked confidential documents. Instead, the site will focus on a legal battle over money ... donated by supporters. Such resources are necessary in order to keep the site online. WikiLeaks Loses 95% of Web-Funds The site is said to have been operating on cash reserves for the past 10 months after major financial institutions began freezing money donated through their systems to WikiLeaks. It's estimated that the site has lost approximately ... (view more)

A security company says a newly discovered piece of malicious software ("malware") appears to be heavily based on the Stuxnet worm. Stuxnet, was (as of last year) dubbed the most threatening malware ever created . However, the new version of this ... worm appears to be designed for intelligence gathering to make a future attack easier, rather than causing damage. Stuxnet Virus Attacks Nuclear Reactors Stuxnet was one of the most sophisticated viruses in recent years. Although it spread around the world and infected Windows PCs, its main target was industrial control systems in Iran. ... (view more)

The group that operates the Internet's website address system will soon take over the running of a master clock used by millions of computers. Without the system, users would have to make manual adjustments when comparing time zones. The Time Zone ... Database doesn't simply keep track of the fact that different cities operate on different times (example: Los Angeles is eight hours behind London) -- it also tracks the more complicated matter of different countries adjusting to and from daylight savings times on different dates. The Time Zone Database can even tracks "leap seconds," ... (view more)

The IT professionals behind next year's London Olympics are to carry out two simulated cyber-attacks to test their system. However, officials say they aren't aware of any specific threats. The move follows warnings in 2009 by the United Kingdom's ... then Home Secretary (roughly equivalent to head of the Department for Homeland Security), David Blunkett. He warned that without co-ordinated defenses, the system could come under attack. Blunkett suggested this might be a case of attempted disruption of the event rather than attempts to steal money, with criminals targeting ticketing and ... (view more)

Apple has announced it sold more than four million iPhone 4S handsets in the first three days after its launch. However, legal action could put a halt to sales in Japan and Australia. Apple iPhone 4s: Fastest Selling iPhone to Date According to ... reports, Apple racked up the four million sales this past Friday, Saturday and Sunday, making this the fastest-selling iPhone model. While it won't keep that pace up as the initial rush winds down, there's still a good chance it could set a world record. Guiness World of Records is monitoring sales across the next two to three months, paying particular ... (view more)

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has accused a 35 year old man of hacking Scarlett Johansson's cellphone and stealing photographs of the actress in a state of undress. Christopher Chaney, of Jacksonville, Florida, has been charged with ... several offenses after allegedly compromising the security of more than 50 people, including other celebrities. The offenses are believed to involve a string of entertainers, including singer Christina Aguilera, actress Mila Kunis, celebrity stylist Simone Harouche and jazz singer Renee Olstead. It's thought the attacks involved both direct access to ... (view more)

A group of German hacking enthusiasts says the country's government is unlawfully spying on people online. It says officials are secretly using a monitoring tool in a way not authorized by the courts. The accusations come from the Chaos Computer ... Club (CCC), a group of hackers who seek to find creative and unconventional uses for technology rather than merely causing disruption by illegally accessing data. Ironically, that's exactly what they say the German government is doing. The claims involve Bundestrojaner, a government-run application that is effectively a Trojan horse, software that can ... (view more)

Microsoft says it is rethinking the way the Start Menu will work in Windows 8. It's partly a response to user behavior and partly a recognition that more people will be using touchscreen devices in the future. By default, the Start Menu appears on ... the left-hand side of the screen, either when the user clicks the Windows logo in the bottom left corner, or presses the dedicated Windows key on their keyboard. Fewer Users Use Start Menu, Says Microsoft The Start Menu menu serves several functions by listing recently used applications, commonly used applications, a complete list of all ... (view more)