Report: Hasbro Device to Bring 3D to iPhone, iPod

PC Mag

As if you needed more of an excuse to waste time on smartphone games, Hasbro is reportedly developing a device that will enable 3D gaming on the iPhone or iPod touch.

The toy company on Tuesday was scheduled to show its investors a handheld device known as the My3D, according to the Associated Press. It apparently looks like a pair of binoculars and lets people attach their iPhone or iPod for 360-degree gaming, as well as travel and entertainment options.

It would retail for $30 and be sold next spring wherever iPhones and iPods are available. The App Store will then add My3D content, some of which will be free. Hasbro is working with Dreamworks, Discovery, Sony, and Imax on content for the My3D, AP said. On the travel front, Hasbro will partner with the LA Visitors Bureau for virtual tours.

Hasbro did not respond to a request for comment.

From the Kansas City Star

Hasbro unveils device that promises 3-D on iPod

Hasbro Inc. is betting that iPod and iPhone users want 3-D viewing on the go.

The nation's second-largest toy maker is set to unveil to investors on Tuesday a handheld device called My3D that attaches to the two Apple Inc. devices. It promises three-dimensional content that offers a 360-degree experience in gaming, virtual travel experiences and entertainment content. It's aimed at both children and adults.

The device, which resembles a pair of binoculars with a slot in which users insert their iPod or iPhone, will be priced at $30. It will be available starting next spring at stores where Apple's iPhones and iPod Touches are available.

Shoppers can then visit Apple's App store, which will allow shoppers to browse for additional My 3D content. Content varies in price; some apps will be free.

Hasbro said it was guided by Apple during development and believes there's nothing available that matches the quality and 3-D experience on the iPhone or iPod Touch.

If it catches on, it has big potential. More than 125 million iPod Touches and iPhones have shipped, according to Shaw Wu, senior research analyst at Kaufman Bros. L.P. He predicts that will hit 200 million by end of 2011.

"The issue with this is whether they are going to get enough content for it," Wu said.

Hasbro is confident it will and says it has teamed up with Dreamworks Animation, whose movie "Megamind" hit theaters last weekend, to develop material.

Separately, Hasbro's My3D will use content from a 3-D television network from Discovery, Sony and Imax scheduled to make its debut next year. Viewers will be able to see trailers and exclusive behind-the-scenes snippets from films for up to 20 minutes. Hasbro says the device will be a key way to market its own brands in a 3-D experience, though details haven't been set.

Meanwhile, Hasbro worked with LA Inc., the Los Angeles Convention and Vistors Bureau, to create virtual travel experiences that include visits to the Wax Museum and the Santa Monica Pier.

Through other apps, users can feel like they're immersed in deep water, exploring coral reefs or playing a shark attacking a tuna, while all along learning facts about sea life. There are also shooter games in a virtual galaxy.

"The idea of being able to be somewhere in Los Angeles, in this 360-degree environment, to be in the shark tank, to be able to swim with the fish and chase after the fish. These are really breakthrough immersive experiences," said Brian Goldner, president and CEO of Hasbro.

Apple Announces Over 3 Billion App Store Downloads In 18 Months

Apple Insider

Apple on Tuesday revealed that more than 3 billion applications have been downloaded worldwide from its App Store for the iPhone and iPod touch.

"Three billion applications downloaded in less than 18 months -- this is like nothing we've ever seen before," said Apple Chief Executive Steve Jobs. "The revolutionary App Store offers iPhone and iPod touch users an experience unlike anything else available on other mobile devices, and we see no signs of the competition catching up anytime soon."

The iPhone and iPod touch are currently available to customers in 77 countries. Apps are available in 20 different categories, including games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel.

The 3 billion milestone represents a billion since the end of September, or a span of just over three months. It was in late September that Apple revealed that over 2 billion apps were downloaded from the App Store.

That means in the last 99 days, software from the App Store has been downloaded at a rate of more than 10.1 million per day. That's well up from the rate of 6.9 million downloads per day Apple achieved from April to July.

Tuesday's announcement shows that the rapid pace of growth of the App Store continues to accelerate. In July, just as the App Store turned one year old, Apple announced that more than 1.5 billion downloads were offered through its online application download destination.

The staggering totals are thanks in part to the sheer number of applications available. In early November, Apple revealed that more than 100,000 applications were available on the App Store.

Jailbroken iPhones Vulnerable To 'Duh' Worm

Information Week

For the third time this month, jailbroken iPhones and iPods are at risk of attack.

"Jailbreaking" allows iPhones and iPods to run software that Apple has not sanctioned and is, according to cybersecurity firm Intego, "extremely dangerous...because of the vulnerabilities that this process creates."

Users of jailbroken devices -- an estimated 6% to 8% of iPhone users -- who have the ssh networking software installed, and have failed to change the default password, may be vulnerable to the newly reported worm.

The worm is called iBotNet.A by Intego. It is called the Duh virus by Sophos, another cybersecurity company.

"Duh is a good name for this virus," said Sophos security researcher Paul Ducklin in a blog post. "It will only infect those who escaped Ikee infection (since those phones would no longer have SSH active for the new virus to break in) but still didn't bother to change their root password away from Apple's feeble default root password of 'alpine'."

The Ikee worm, believed to be the first iPhone worm, was reported in early November. It affected jailbroken devices in Australia by replacing the wallpaper image with a picture of Rick Astley. Shortly thereafter, a tool for hacking jailbroken iPhones was spotted.

Duh will search its local network and several IP address ranges linked to ISPs in Europe for vulnerable iPhones and iPods. When it finds them, it will change the root password and then download malicious files from a server in Lithuania.

According to Intego, those files will turn the infected device into a zombie or bot in a larger network of compromised devices, known as a botnet.

The worm also records information gathered from compromised iPhones, for possible future misuse, and alters a host file, if present, for Dutch online bank ING. The alteration sends would-be ING visitors to a look-alike site that will presumably steal login credentials.

Apple Launches New MacBook, iPod Mini And iMac

From Wired

Apple has revealed its 'holiday season' lineup - nothing earth-shattering, but some cool new hardware for Mac fans.

First up is a new MacBook. This now has a MacBook Pro-style 'unibody' one-piece chassis (still plastic, though), so no unsightly joins like other notebooks or laptops and hopefully fewer stress fractures after long-term use. There's a faster processor and up to seven hours' battery life, thanks in part to a low-power LED display.

The Mac Mini range has been tweaked - you can now get it with a 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo and 4GB RAM, but the base model remains laughably underspecced for £500 - where does Apple even find these 160GB hard disks? Maybe from the same bankrupt stock as the previous MacBook's CD writer.

More interesting is the creation of a Mac Mini desktops server - by removing the optical drive Apple has squeezed in two 500GB hard disks. This comes pre-installed with the unlimited client version of Snow Leopard Server for your £799, and is aimed at small businesses as a relatively inexpensive and easy way of setting up an email, calendar and file server.

The big brouhaha was about the new iMac line of computers. This was very pretty. There's now a 21.5 inch and 27 inch model to replace the 20 inch and 24 inch versions, and resolutions are up to full HD 1,920 x 1,080 and CAD package-friendly 2,560 x 1,440. No Blu-ray drive for spinning disc HD playback, but you should be able to plug your blu-ray player into the 27 inch model's Mini DisplayPort input once Belkin brings out a suitable adaptor.

Apple Developing Radio App for iPhone, iPod

From eWeek

Apple is reportedly prepping an in-house radio application for the popular iPhone and iPod touch, according to the Apple blog 9to5Mac. Citing unnamed sources, the blog’s publisher and editor Seth Weintraub said Apple is developing a radio.app to serve as an FM radio similar to that found in current iPod Nanos, with likely Live Pause functionaliy. “The source mentioned that this application could also be incorporated into the iPod.app before release,” Weintraub wrote. “The holdup on this app is that Apple is trying to integrate the Mobile iTunes Store purchases into the functionality of the program.”

According to the blog, Apple is also working on tagging capability that allows users to view and download specific music tracks from the iTunes Website. Currently on Apple’s App Store users can select a series of radio-based applications such as ESPN Radio ($2.99) and Pocket Tunes Radio ($6.99), which offers thousands of free stations and uses GPS technology to find stations in range.

Satellite radio conglomerate Siruis XM announced in August the impending release of the SkyDock, which allows users to connect to satellite radio via the iPhone or iPod touch. The SkyDock acts as a dock by plugging into the base of the device, providing power as well as linking it to Sirius XM’s satellite radio signal.

The SkyDock expands the company’s relationship with Apple, as Sirius XM announced in June the release of an iPhone application that serves as a mobile extension of a user’s paid satellite radio service. The application, which allows users to access more than 120 channels, comes with a seven-day free trial, at which point a prospective user must subscribe to keep listening. However, the mobile application does not feature Howard Stern as part of the accessible lineup, though Sirius XM made the Howard Stern Show available to iPhone and iPod Touch users as a free download from the iTunes store.