Alexander’s Blog

Microsoft Automotive is extending the Windows platform beyond the desktop computing. Check out this Ford Sync Demo at CES 2008. Ford Sync is an example of how Microsoft Automotive has extended the Windows CE 5.0 platform.

I recently ordered this new gadget called magicJack that can be used to make free long distance calls anywhere in USA and Canada without a phone service or even a telephone set. All you need is a computer running Windows XP, Windows Vista, or an Intel-based Mac that has a broadband connection to the Internet.

How does magicJack work?
MagicJack is a new voice over IP (VoIP) device about the size of a matchbox that has two connectors. You plug one end into the USB port on your computer. The other end connects to an analog phone. Once you plug this product it takes about a minute or so for it to load and configure the software. It doesn’t install any software on the computer (except for a shortcut on the desktop). MagicJack’s software runs in memory and the device configures itself automatically. If you want to remove the software, all you have to do is unplug magicJack from the USB port and delete the shortcut icon on the desktop. That’s it. There’s nothing else that needs to be done.

When you plug magicJack into another computer, your Contacts list and other information is automatically displayed because the information is saved on the device, not on the computer where you initially configured the product. This allows you to simply roam between computers without re-configuring magicJack. For example, you can take this little gadget with you when you travel with your laptop. As long as your computer is connected to the Internet, you can can plug one end of your magicJack into your computer’s USB port and the other to an analog telephone set. You can then use the phone to dial as you normally would, except that your phone will not be plugged into the phone company’s wall jack. There is no need for a telephone service to use this device. However, in case your Internet connection is down you might want to have your cell phone handy to call 911 in case of an emergency. You don’t have to have a phone set to use magicJack, you can also use your computer’s microphone and a headset. Here’s what the initial setup screen looks like.

System requirements
In the past couple of days that I’ve used magicJack, I’ve successfully tested it on Windows XP Professional SP2 and Windows Vista. I haven’t had a chance to test it on a Mac but there is a beta version available right now that is supposed to work on Intel-based Macs. According to the manufacturer’s Web site, to upgrade your magicJack to work on a Macintosh, you must plug magicJack into a USB port on a Windows computer.

Price
As far as price, magicJack costs only $39.95, which includes the service charges for the first year. The following year you’ll pay only $20/year. That’s less than $2 per month. So technically the device costs $19.95 because the $39.95 includes one-year subscription. As far as I know, magicJack is cheaper to use than other VoIP service providers that have been around for a while.

Benefits
The nice thing about magicJack is that it lets you make free calls to anywhere in the United States and Canada regardless of your location. So whether you are in Brazil at an Internet cafe or at an office in Nepal, the calls you make to United States and Canada are free without any per-minute charges. I am sure Sprint, Verizon and other cell phone companies aren’t too happy to see this product in the market. Starting next month you will be able to call additional countries around the world and if the receiving party also has a magicJack then the call will be free, otherwise there would be a small per-minute fee for each call. You should expect the fees to be lower than what your long-distance companies charge.

I should point out that besides free long-distance calls to US and Canada, you also get free voice mail, free call forwarding, free three-way calling, free caller ID, and a free phone number of your choice of area code with magicJack. I haven’t had a chance to try the voice mail service or faxing through magicJack yet.

Drawbacks
MagicJack doesn’t allow you to import or export the Contacts list but there is an add-in for Microsoft Outlook that you can download. The add-in allows you to dial directly from your contacts in Outlook. The biggest challenge you will face after purchasing magicJack is getting it out of its bubble pack. On the Internet forums people rate magicJack’s packaging as its biggest flaw. I have also noticed that some of the links in the software are broken. Several of the components are relatively new or are still in beta so that might be a reason for some broken links. For example, you can supposedly optimize magicJack by clicking on a link but the link is broken and gives you file error. It takes you to the URL http://support.magicjack.com/magicfix/magicFix.html which does not exist. After doing some troubleshooting I discovered that it should be pointed to http://www.magicjack.com/site/magicfix.html.

I tried to access the technical forum at http://forum.magicjack.com/forum/index.php but I received the error “Sorry but this board is currently unavailable.” Again, the forum is in beta so one would expect such issues. By the way, make sure that you have the correct plug-ins for Javascripts for your browser or else you may encounter problems using magicJack’s Web site. This is not a drawback, it’s something that you need to do to use Web sites that utilize Javascripts.

Reviews
This product has been covered by several major news services, including CBS, CNBC, BBC, CNET, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times and the Boston Globe. Most, if not all, of the reviews of this product have been favorable in the press as well as on Internet forums. Click here to learn more about this product or to try it for free for 30-days.

Swiss IT security company Dreamlab Technologies AG has shown that it is possible to capture and decrypt keystrokes, meaning that user names, passwords, bank details
or confidential correspondence can be very easily eavesdropped. Although the trend in wireless communication in peripheral devices such as keyboards and mice is moving
towards Bluetooth, market leaders such as Logitech and Microsoft rely on cost-efficient, tried-and-tested 27 MHz radio technology. Using just a simple radio receiver, a soundcard and suitable software, Dreamlab Technologies has managed to tap and decode the radio frequencies transmitted between the keyboard and PC/notebook computer. Although manufacturers of wireless keyboards partially prevent data from being tapped by using cryptography, unfortunately the encryption is weak and thus does not offer real protection. Max Moser from Dreamlab Technologies states: “Wireless communication is only as secure as the encryption technology used. Due to its nature, it can be tapped with little effort.”

Dreamlab Technologies tested and successfully cracked the encryption key used within Microsoft Wireless Optical Desktop 1000/2000 keyboards. As most products in Microsoft’s Wireless Desktop range are based on the same technology, Dreamlab Technologies does not consider them to be secure either. During the test, Max Moser and Phillipp Schrödel of Dreamlab Technologies succeeded in eavesdropping traffic from a distance of up to ten meters using a simple radio receiver. With the appropriate technical equipment, larger distances are possible.

For more information, you can read Dreamlab’s whitepaper and watch their video demonstration.

Mozilla has taken another security blow with the discovery that Google user accounts can be accessed through a dangerous Firefox exploit.

The vulnerability, which is still in the wild some 10 days after its discovery on gnucitizen.org, allows hackers to access Google accounts, including Gmail, with cross-site scripting attacks.

A client or server-side exploit can be inserted into .zip files via open document formats from Microsoft Office 2007 and OpenOffice, and uploaded to a server where the Firefox JAR protocol extracts the compressed data.

While Mozilla has not issued a solution to the problem, application firewalls and proxy servers can be used to block Windows Universal Resource Identifiers (URIs) that contain the JAR protocol, while Web administrators can use a reverse proxy to prevent malicious content from being uploaded.

Users can download a NoScript add-on for Firefox to block JavaScript and executable content from untrusted Web sites, and can secure their Google accounts by remaining signed out whenever possible.

Read this entire story as reported by PC World.

The Internet offers wide appeal to people with disabilities. But many of those same people find it frustrating or impossible to use a handheld mouse. Software developed at the University of Washington provides an alternative using one of the oldest and most versatile modes of communication: the human voice.

Vocal Joystick detects sounds 100 times a second and instantaneously turns that sound into movement on the screen. Different vowel sounds dictate the direction: “ah,” “ee,” “aw” and “oo” and other sounds move the cursor one of eight directions. Users can transition smoothly from one vowel to another, and louder sounds make the cursor move faster. The sounds “k” and “ch” simulate clicking and releasing the mouse buttons.

Versions of Vocal Joystick exist for browsing the Web, drawing on a screen, controlling a cursor and playing a video game. A version also exists for operating a robotic arm, and Jeffrey Bilmes, a UW associate professor of electrical engineering, believes the technology could be used to control an electronic wheelchair.

Read the rest of the story and watch the video here.