In a blog post, Twitter has announced the roll-out of its security service that will detect, intercept and prevent the spread of malicious links.

The system is similar to Google’s Gmail service, in that it automatically checks link destinations, and works by all links being routed to this new service.

“Today, we’re launching a new service to protect users that strikes a major blow against phishing and other deceitful attacks,” Del Harvey, director of Twitter’s trust and safety team said on the blog.

“Even if a bad link is already sent out in an email notification and somebody clicks on it, we’ll be able keep that user safe,” he said.

It is currently being rolled out in Twitter’s Direct Message feature and in email notifications, where attacks primarily occur.

Users won’t notice any difference to their normal use of Twitter, except for seeing shortened links using Twitter’s own “twt.tl” URL shortener.

Before the implementation of this security feature this week, Twitter had previously kept an eye out for accounts that had been hit by a phishing scam, and had reset affected account passwords.

While this method thwarted the attempts of phishers, it only worked in reaction to an account being hacked in the first place.

“My team can only detect these scams after malicious links have already been sent out,” Mr Harvey said.

Twitter’s new system aims to prevent the security risk before an attack can occur.

In a previous blog posting, Twitter noted that the most wide-spread attacks on its site involved scammers attempting to gain the log in credentials of users, then sending spam messages from the hacked accounts in a money-making scheme.

Have you been victim to an online attack? Leave us a comment and let us know.

Well, this is what we’re here for. C’mon you guys, really…?

So anyway, we spent all this money on stuff we can’t even use… kinda sad. And what’s more, a poll conducted by sky HD says that we also don’t even use half the features our gadgets have… making half the time and effort put in by developers completely useless. Additionally, almost half of people in a poll of 3000 conducted by the people at One Poll didn’t even have a clue that their Hd ready TV needed an HD output device such as Blu-ray, Sky HD and others.

An HDTV, for example, is probably one of the next-generation essentials which everyone needs and all, but according to Fraser Macdonald, editor of Stuff, the gadget magazine we’re not realising the full potential of our Gadgets “A high definition television is an essential purchase, for example, but it’ll be so much better if you hook it up to a decent HD PVR such as a Sky HD box, a Blu-ray player and a surround sound speaker set-up.” Says Macdonald.

The survey found that the average British consumer owns more than £3,000 worth of electrical goods, but it calculated that the difference between the amount people spend on their gadgets compared to the value of functions they actually use is more than £52 billion.

Harkening back to our famous article on the differences between men and women with regards to gadgets, Only a quarter of men will ask for help with their gadgets, compared to 47 per cent of women. Almost two thirds of women will read the product manual when problems occur, compared to 54 per cent of men.

Oh, and for the sheer lulz, did you know that ten per cent of IT experts admitted to hitting a gadget in order to try and make it work properly… that doesn’t even work. Call yourselves experts.

The figure was calculated by dividing the average value of a person’s gadget collection by the average number of features people don’t know how to use.

Meaning if you owned a £200 iPod but only used half the features, the figure for that gadget would be £100. This total was then multiplied by the number of households in the UK to arrive at a figure of £52 billion… hopefully it’s accurate, but I have my doubts. If you want you could try it yourself, if your into multiplication problems and have a lot of spare time. So basically, if you’re a calculus student.

British broadcasters Channel 4 have announced that  its E4 and Film4 channels will be getting an HD version this summer, but with a small catch, the 2 channels will only be available exclusively for Virgin Media customers!

This is pretty bad news for the soon to be released freeview HD service as the big selling point of HD will be severely hampered by not having the 2 channel 4 offerings.

There is no official launch date for Virgin’s 2 new HD channels but as with the current HD channels available on Virgin Media, you will probably need to be on the Virgin Media XL package to enjoy the HD glory.

Channel 4 is financed by advertising revenue, it is still publicly owned and considered a public service broadcaster. Film 4 is currently available free-to-air on Freeview. To be able to enjoy Channel 4 HD, you’ll need to fork out for Virgin Media.

- So it is a bit of a bold move by Virgin Media to go straight for an exclusivity deal and is likely to anger many Freeview, BT and Sky subscribers.

Virgin Media’s current HD line-up is pretty sparse but with its 2 new additions it is becoming clear that Virgin is very serious about the future of HD TV.

The device was announced back in January to a mixed reaction, but people have still been eagerly awaiting confirmation for the release since then. Apple enthusiasts will be able to pre order the Wi-Fi versions of the iPad from 12th March on the Apple Store.

The iPad’s will be priced at $499 for 16GB, $599 for 32GB and $699 for 64GB.

We in the UK still have no official release date and no pricing information but until then here is the shiny new iPad advert that was shown during last night’s Oscars 2010 ceremony.

Look, Apple, we know you’ve cornered the phone market, but it’s a just a little rude suing all and any competition to the iPhone. Apple is hereby putting out a lawsuit on HTC for apparantly breaking some very specific patents Apple created on specific features of the iPhone.. such as their Patent No. 7,479,949: “Touch Screen Device, Method, And Graphical User Interface For Determining Commands By Applying Heuristics”

So basically Jobs and his well-funded legal team have brought out patents on seemingly generic or common features of the iPhone to ensure that nobody else can create a touch screen phone of the same calibre… basically giving them complete control of that market via draconian legal procedures.

Here is a list of just 10 of the 20 patents supposedly broken by HTC;

• Patent No. 7,362,331: “Time-Based, Non-Constant Translation Of User Interface Objects Between States”
• Patent No. 7,479,949: “Touch Screen Device, Method, And Graphical User Interface For Determining Commands By Applying Heuristics”
• Patent No. 7,657,849: “Unlocking A Device By Performing Gestures On An Unlock Image”
• Patent No. 7,469,381: “List Scrolling And Document Translation, Scaling, And Rotation On A Touch-Screen Display”
• Patent No. 5,920,726: “System And Method For Managing Power Conditions Within A Digital Camera Device.”
• Patent No. 7,633,076: “Automated Response To And Sensing Of User Activity In Portable Devices”
• Patent No. 5,848,105: “GMSK Signal Processors For Improved Communications Capacity And Quality”
• Patent No. 7,383,453: “Conserving Power By Reducing Voltage Supplied To An Instruction-Processing Portion Of A Processor”
• Patent No. 5,455,599: “Object-Oriented Graphic System”
• Patent No. 6,424,354: “Object-Oriented Event Notification System With Listener Registration Of Both Interests And Methods”

Please note, most of these features could be found on a DSi. Interesting…

This kind of tactic is very unfair on other device makers, effectively limiting them from making competing products in the same niche… isn’t that some kind of trading standards breach? How were these patents allowed to go through anyway, as some of the features are so generic and common to many phones? And why is Apple targeting only the phones HTC has created that use the Android OS? Only one of these is obvious.

Jobs and Apple are seemingly on yet another power trip designed solely to remove all competition, i.e. Android and Google, via legal means. Like the industry hasn’t seen this tactic before. However, Android crafters Google have not yet been mentioned in the suit, but this debaucle may have been influenced by their decision to enable Apples “patented” multi-touch feature on the Android versions of Nexus Ones.

This is not the first time Apple’s legal team have been used to thwart competitors gaining an inch in the tablet handset market, see the ‘Apple Sues Nokia’ episode from a few months back.

However, Google has commented on the issue, saying in an E-mail to TechCrunch.com

“We are not a party to this lawsuit. However, we stand behind our Android operating system and the partners who have helped us to develop it,”

The fact that all the handsets in question are Android based gives Google some pretty good means to back HTC, as they stand to lose out if the legal proceedings ban imports of HTC phones.

If Apple think they can get away with suing each and everyone who creates a touchscreen Web phone and it wants other cell phone makers to pay for copying the iPhone or to stop altogether. With Motorola, Palm and Research in Motion doing pretty much the same thing, who will be next? Google had better give them some Android if they hope to stand a chance.

Hopefully this ridiculous lawsuit will not go through, and for once Apple will have some competition, despite Jobs whining about the fact the company enjoys competition, and then accusing everyone else of stealing from them. Hmm… maybe the man’s back on the wacky baccy again, as his paranoia is increasing with every non-Apple handset released.

Number 5: The HDD Clock

A timeless classic, the shiny face of the HDD lends itself perfectly to timekeeping. Also doubles as a mirror. Try it at home by clicking here>>.

Number 4: CD iPhone Dock

Wow, the guys over at geeky gadgets are smart all right. They built this green Docking station out of around 12 cds very easily. Click here>> to see a full guide on how to do it yourself.

Number 3: The iBoy

We all love the latest technology, but we damn sure love the retro stuff more, so why not combine it. The iBoy takes an iPod classic and installs the device inside of the gameboy and even has fully functioning Gameboy buttons. We commend the man that made this and he even offers a full guide so you can try it yourself (click here>>)!

Number 2: The Computer Parts Watch

This timeless timepiece was found at Techee.com, and is made by designers Design-Brothers. It’s currently still in prototype, and there’s no news of mass production… shame, because it’s cool.

Number 1: iHole, The Camera Made From an iPhone Box

Wow, this is great… pinhole cameras have been around for ages, but who would have thought you could make one out of your old iPhone box… but wait, why do you need a camera when you have an iPhone…? The iHole is the brainchild of Scot Hampton… Here’s how he did it.

“I tried to keep it simple and the only external items we used were tape, tinfoil (for the lens), a piece of foam, and a leftover screw and tightener from an old ikea desk. Oh, I also used a black washer for the cover of the lens but that was purely cosmetic”

“I used the cardboard lining that was on the inside of the original box to construct the film holders on the back. I even left the serial numbers intact, so if my roommate ever needed to return it he could (I don’t think I’ll be switching until the phones work on other networks).“

“For the lens I used a small piece of tinfoil (the thicker stuff from the hardware store) punctured by a tiny needle. For feeding the film through the box, I cut two long, thin rectangles about 2mm wide on the left and right bottom (interior) box.”

“I had some trouble at first with the tension, as I had to thread the film through backwards so the emulsion of the film would be facing the right way. On the right side, I punched a hole through the top and put the screw through the piece of film and then through the film holder.”

“Once I threaded the film, I twisted the screw into an empty 120 film holder until it was secure. Then I loaded the film, threaded it through and taped both sides of the film holders shut and closed the box.”

Cool idea, this is certainly the greenest solution for holding onto your iPhone box for the serial number.

Each camcorder has the ability to record in full high-definition (1920 x 1080 pixels) in H.264 format.

The four new camcorders also include Samsung’s latest technology BSI CMOS imaging sensor, which optimises shots in low light conditions.

Samsung says that its CMOS sensors absorb more light than regular Charge Couple Devices (CCDs), which is what you’ll find in Sony’s camcorders.

All four camcorders have 20x optical zoom as well as a 37mm wide angle lens.

There is optical image stabilisation as well, with time-lapse mode, however this only works at 720 pixels.

Your movie creations can be viewed on the 2.7 inch touchscreen, or can be connected to your big screen through HDMI.

Samsung Digital Division General Marketing Manager, Steve Mitchell, said that the new additions to the family were aimed at making new technology more affordable.

“Consumers want the ability to capture family events – birthday parties, football games, graduations, and more – with the utmost detail and clarity, but full HD video recording has come at a price premium in the past,” he said.

“Samsung’s H-Series camcorders give consumers the ability to capture life in full HD with a wealth of functionality, features, and performance, all at an affordable price.”

So what makes each camcorder stand out from each other? It all boils down to memory, with the H205 coming with a 32GB SSD, the H204 featuring 16GB and the H203 packing just 8GB.

The poor H200 has no onboard storage, but all cameras can be expanded using SD cards.

As expected, all models take still images at an 4.7 pixels, and battery life on each camcorder is at the 2hour mark in full HD mode.

The new range will hit UK shops in June this year.

Are you tempted by a new HD camcorder? Leave us a comment and let us know.

There’s something not quite right in the very depths of videogame content delivery platform Steam today… apart from the occasional intermittent errors, community flame wars and of course the rumblings of the Control Point Podcast, there’s another small difference… and it goes beep beep beep.

Some of you Valve buddies may have noticed a rather obscure update to first person puzzler Portal (phew…), which rather innocuously states that they “Changed radio transmission frequency to comply with federal and state spectrum management regulations.”. Also, the ending changes a bit, with instead of fading to black, a short sequence shows the protagonist being dragged back towards the destroyed test lab at the game’s finale.

This update also contains some pretty whacky sound files, each contained in one of the game’s in-game radios. Most of the files are complex encoded messages which all certainly relate to some sort of puzzle. In fact, the guys over at Kotaku went so far as finding someone to translate these cryptic audio files to images, which themselves contained, of all things, the number to an old dial-up BBS dial service.

Upon dialing the number, one recieves a stream of bizarre ASCII pictures and a few text entries, which appear to have originated from one Cave Johnson,  the fictional founder of Aperture Science Labs, the game’s main setting. The files seem to be the last piece of the puzzle, but we’ll keep you posted on further developments. The ASCII pictures look a little jumbled, but when viewed sharpened and in colour, they seem to tell another story, one of them showing what looks like Half-Life protagonist Gordon Freeman stepping through one of the game’s iconic portals.

Could this herald a gigantic crossover between the Portal and Half-life storylines… probably, as Aperture Science was mentioned in the previous Half-Life title and vice-versa in the original Portal… only time will tell, and keep posted, as on March 11^th more will apparantly be revealed.

One final note, check out this website, at the bottom of the page both logos of Aperture Science Labs AND Black Mesa Research from Half-Life, as well as the Hanso Foundation from TV’s Lost… all tying in to another viral marketing scheme, What’s In The Box… could we expect a Valve/Lost collaborative project or movie soon?

www.babel-research.eu/

Link to findings at Kotaku.com

www.kotaku.com/5484157/valves-portal-puzzle-so-far-the-files-recovered-from-aperture-science

Playstation 3 PSN Network Explodes a Bit

Trust Sony to build a console that gets the millenium bug 10 years late. Recently this week, TWO MILLION older Playstation 3 models, affectionally known as ‘Phat’, have suffered quite a perplexing bug, which can potentially corrupt trophies and achievements, crash the console, remove acces to the PSN network and leaving owners wishing they’d bought an old PS2.

Sony engineers have reportedly been working around the clock (Maybe the PS3 is being sapped by wayward spies?) trying to fix the errors in what seems to be the internal clock, as those with the error report it changing to read either January 1^st ’00 or December 31^st ’99, just like what the millenium bug… sort of… didn’t do.

So anyway, good ‘ol Sony pledged to fix it within a 24 hour period so it should be cleared up by now for all you Playstation fans, but feel free to tell us if it doesn’t. Well, to wrap this one up, I guess the Xbox fanboys must be yuk-yukking a victory laugh right now… unless Microsoft decides to crash Xbox Live just to compete.

5 Reasons Why You Should Find Your Old Playstation 2 and Give it a Hug

Since the Playstation 3 is acting up so awfully lately, I thought I’d add here some reasons you should get back together with your ex-console, the PS2.

1. The game selection is huge – and still growing, since the console hasn’t officially died yet.
2. It’s all incredibly cheap – any game won’t cost you much more than twenty pounds in rare occasions, and most times less than 10.
3. It’s a rip-roaring, couch-busting fantastic multiplayer frenzy – With cheap controllers everywhere you go, it’s so easy to engage your mates in some decent offline multiplayer, with such classics as Killzone, Burnout: Revenge, Tekken, Dragon Ball Z, Black and the unholyness that is Mortal Kombat. Don’t forget DDR and Timesplitters along with Red Faction.
4. It’s the cheapest DVD and CD player combo on the market – it plays games too. The Controller won’t run out of batteries either.
5. The Console’s expansion bay – Probably the best place to hide money, keys, a wallet, phone, credit card, MP3 player, PSP (irony…) or any other smallish item you want hiding. It’s amazing, and totally invisible… who’s going to check your old  PS2, and nobody wants to steal one either, because they probably already have one. Bulletproof.

Notable new releases

There is only one big game this week and that’s the Battlefield: Bad Company 2 which is vying for a place between Halo and Call of Duty as the online multiplayer champion. The game is released on both PS3 and Xbox 360 and will be sure to pop up on your online friends lists for the next few weeks.

The Eee PC 1201PN kicks-off the new range, coming with a high resolution 12.1 inch screen with 1366 x 768 pixels.

The netbook can automatically swap between dedicated and discrete and graphics, which allows users to make the most of high performance, graphically intensive applications, while resorting to battery-saving settings during normal use.

The 1201PN comes with a gigabyte of RAM as well as a 160GB hard drive.

Also adding to the range is the 1018P Eee PC, which Asus chairman Jonney Shih describes as “the ultimate thin and light device”.

The 1018P is high-tech, supporting USB 3.0 and featuring an extra secure fingerprint reader, which doesn’t usually feature in netbooks.

Being a premium netbook, the 1018P has a light weight aluminium case and comes in four different colours.

It has a 10.1 inch display and is only 18mm thick, making it the thinnest Eee PC ever produced by the Taiwanese manufacturer.

With lightning quick transfer speeds of 4.8GBPS, the 1018P also boasts 14 hours of battery life.

Alongside these new releases is the Eee PC 1015P and the 1016P, which have slightly lower specs but will be priced more attractively.

The 1015P is an update to the Eee PC Seashell range and again comes with a 14 hour battery life, and the battery itself is removable.

The Asus Eee PC Diary 1016P is aimed for use on the road, with an integrated touch-pad in the palm-rest. It also features the very classy Aluminium casing.

The new Eee PC range is due to hit the shops mid-this year.

Are you a fan of the Asus Eee PC range? Leave us a comment and let us know.

For those buying the Samsung Diva handset from the Carphone Warehouse a goodie bag of womanliness is added. The package will contain a free foundation and a mini concealer kit from Benefit and if you purchase the Diva handset from O2 you can get a Free chick flick film (The September Issue on DVD) and a 12 month subscription to any iSUBSCRiBE mag. so you can get your monthly Vogue delivered to your door free of charge.

For more info and a video on the Samsung Diva phones click here>>

All in all  it’s a bit of a strange offer, but if some free makeup or a magazine subscription is what  you’re looking for with your next mobile phone purchase then look no further than the Samsung Diva range!

We’re just waiting for a free pair of shoes with the Puma phone or maybe a free JCB digger with the next JCB Tough phone….